For thousands of years, cats have been regarded as mysterious creatures with supernatural powers.

In 1608, George Gifford wrote in A Dialogue of witches and Witchcraft :

"In good sooth, I may tell it to you as to my friend, when I go but into my closet I am afraid, for I see now and then a hare, which by my conscience giveth me is a witch or some witch's spirit, she stareth so upon me. And there is a foule great cat sometimes in my barne which I have no liking unto."

In the seventeenth century, Isobel Gowdie revealed the formulae by which she turned herself into a cat and back into a woman again. To change into a cat, she would say the following three times:

I shall goe intill ane catt,
With sorrow, and sych, and a blak shott;
And I sall goe in the Divellis nam,
Ay will I com hom againe.

To change back into her human form, she would say the following three times:

Catt, catt, God send thee a blak shott.
I am in a cattis liknes just now,
Bot I sal be in a womanis liknes ewin now.
Catt, catt, God send thee a blak shott .

( More about Black Cat )

"The lady who strips for God & dances to save men's souls"
( Via Ashleyb )

Rosh Hashanah, which literally means the head of the year, commemorates the anniversary of the creation of the world, is a time for reflection and self evaluation. It is celebrated on the first and second days of the seventh Hebrew month, Tishri. The rite of the festivity starts with a period of purification & preparation.
The observance begins on nightfall the day before Rosh Hashanah. Celebrants prepare by bathing, receiving haircuts, donning special clothes and giving treats to children.
Certain types of work are forbidden, though there are some exceptions.
Food preparation and the carrying, transferring or increasing of the fire are all permitted. Women of the household light commemorative candles before sunset of the first night and a half-hour before sunset on the second night of Rosh Hashanah, reciting blessings over them.
Throughout Rosh Hashanah no bitter or sour food is eaten. People eat foods including a sweet bread called challah, pomegranates, and apples dipped in honey. Sweet food is eaten throughout this holiday, symbolizing the desire to have a new year filled with sweetness.
The people walk to flowing water, such as a creek or river, on the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah and empty their pockets or throw bread crumbs into the river, symbolically casting off their sins that I prefer to call negativity.

"Kabbalists teach that Rosh Hashanah is the time during which your life for the following year is determined. This means that instead of living life according to the fickle finger of fate, you can control how your life unfolds.
The Zohar explains that every year on Rosh Hashanah, your actions of the past year are examined, and the effects of your actions from the previous year come back to you."
(Read more)

Depending on the solar calendar, Rosh Hashanah occurs in September or October. Rosh Hashanah begins this year (2006) on the evening of September 22nd with the new moon in Virgo exatly the same days of Mabon.
Mabon is the name used by Wiccans for one of the eight solar holidays or sabbats of the Wheel of the Year. It is celebrated on the Autumnal Equinox, which in the northern hemisphere occurs on September 23rd (occasionally the 22nd).
The autumnal equinox was celebrated already by ancient Celts.
During the Equinox, the sun passes our planet's equator, making night and day of almost equal length all over the world.
From the moment of the September Equinox, the Sun's strength diminishes, until the moment of the Winter Solstice in December, when the Sun grows stronger and the days once again become longer than the nights
During this time Mabon, Young Son, Divine Youth, Son of Light also disappears. He is taken at birth when only three nights old.
His Mother Modron laments...
With the help of the wisdom and the memory of the most ancient of living animals - (the Blackbird , the Stag, the Eagle, the Salmon, and the Owl), Mabon is eventually found. His seeker asks the ritual question of each totem animal: "Tell me if thou knowest aught of Mabon, the son of Modron, who was taken when three nights old from between his mother and the wall?"
All along, Mabon has been dwelling, a happy captive, in his mother Modron's magical Otherworld / her womb. Modron is Gaurdian of the Otherworld, Protector, Healer, the Earth herself. Her womb is nurturing and enchanted, but also filled with challenges. Only in so powerful a place of renewable strength can Mabon be reborn as his Mother's champion, the source of joy and Son of Light.
Once reborn Mabon's light is drawn into the Earth, gathering strength and wisdom enough to become a new seed.
During this time we celebrate Mabon's death and his return to Modron's womb, where he will soon be reborn.
Mabon is a Thanksgiving, a time to appreciate and give thanks and to share in the joys of the harvest. Mabon is ruled by the Wine Moon of September and marks the completion of the fruit harvest, the wine will remind us of his power throughout the year.
The period before Mabon, should be a period of purification, reflection and self-examination, to give enough determination and direction to the new seed for the next year time, very similar to the time of preparation for Rosh Hashanah.
As kabbalist Yehuda Berg writes:
"The kabbalists explain that our souls are born anew at this time. Just as a child’s physical DNA is encoded at birth, a person’s spiritual DNA is rewritten for the year on Rosh Hashanah. And it is rewritten according to our desires."

After the amazing success of Agent Provocateur’s Kylie Minogue video, now is Kate Moss turn.
According to the Guardian, Kate has filmed a top-secret viral video for Agent Provocateur to be released this September, and also did a photo shoot for the label’s catalogue.

Another hot name, Coco De Mer, is showing videos on its decadent website.

Phenylethylamine (PEA), a neuroamine found in chocolate, is mostly metabolized before it reaches the central nervous system. However, it also occurs naturally in trace amounts in the brain, where it releases dopamine, producing an antidepressant effect.
It is related to amphetamines but does not have the long-lasting effects that make "speed" or "ice" like drugs...Moderate exercise increases PEA levels for most people.
Administration of phenylethylamine or its precursor L-phenylalanine, in conjunction with selegiline, a selective monoamine oxidase B inhibitor, has been reported to alleviate depression to produce improvements in mood and is influent in the feeling of love.
According to Helen E. Fisher, "There are three different types of love -- lust, romantic love, and long-term attachment -- each associated with different neurotransmitters, all hardwired into the brain,"
One of the spirits in the heady cocktail making us intoxicated with romantic love is phenylethylamine.
( Via )

Last Saturday I was in Bologna at SANA.
For the first time I am given a press pass as a blogger, and I proudly walked about this international exhibition of natural products, nutrition, health and the environment.

Nearly edible soaps, ayurvedic therapies and bio therapies of every kind for everything: stop smoking, lose weight of course, against allergies, for pleasure, relaxation and harmony of mind&senses; innovative spa packages, supplements, supplements, supplements, mysterious little bottles, little coloured pills, herbs, aromas, mixtures, and more mixtures and potions, which fascinate an Aquarian Witch like Mexxx.
Mr Chris Lee from Seoul shows me an interesting range of Korean supplements made with new technologies and in respect of organic principles.
I'm attracted by the Korean lettering and the mix of unknown and fascinating ingrediente, like octacosanol with silkworm to maintain health for men. Why does men's power often need such disgusting things?

...Anyway, for the ladies I found something than in Italy we really were waiting for : a Pelvic Toner macine, for real efficacious vaginal exercises, great!
A general enthusiasm for organic products was in the air, and spreading to new markets. Definitely a positive balance for the sector that however requires robust programmes and development plans for more consolidated growth.

Dr. Attilio Speciani gave a stimulating speech on the holistic approach to depression, sponsored by Cellfood.
Doctor Speciani, who recently published two books: Prevenire e curare la depressione con il cibo and Dieta Gift , insisted on the need to fight depression non only through medication, but in a total way: nutrition, exercise, supplements.
And this is where I made my discovery at Sana 2006:
Cellfood! Is the world’s number one selling oxygen + nutrient supplement. For more than 40 years, NuScience Corporation has manufactured Everett Storey’s original CELLFOOD formula containing 78 minerals, 34 enzymes, and 17 amino acids. CELLFOOD utilizes a proprietary water-splitting technology that provides a powerful stream of bio-available oxygen plus 129 nutrients directly to the cells… obviously it is available online. All of a sudden I see it mentioned everywhere, many English celebrities are going wild on it, even Jade Jagger’s gran! Dido! Maybe Madonna?
I got mine! And the magik little bottle was my special gift from this year’s SANA.

On December 6, 2004 the Schwules Museum opened its new, permanent exhibition. Self-awareness and persistence-200 years of Gay History.
Find photos of the exhibition at catonbed.de.

And from June 2nd 2006 to September 18th 2006, is already started, Paradise- Treasures from the Sternweiler Collection. Throughout the ages human beings have conjured up all manners of unique, ideal worlds where they feel they originated and to where they long to return. These dream worlds were assigned names such as Paradise, Elysium, Mount Olympus, Heaven or the lost Arcadia.Visions of paradise were crucial emotional supports in being able to tolerate an unsatisfactory reality.The exhibition offers a tour through the centuries from 1500 to 1960.

Find her work at rebeccacampbell.net .
Thanks Rebecca for your links!

Kabbalah is a mystical and esoteric system that provides a way viewing reality based upon subjective, experiential interpretations of the world, life, death, creation, meaning, purpose.
Kabbalah is the world’s oldest body of spiritual wisdom and contains the long-hidden keys to the kabbalistic secrets of the universe and of the mysteries of the human heart and soul. Kabbalistic teachings explain the complexities of the material and the nonmaterial universe, as well as the physical and metaphysical nature of all humanity. Kabbalah shows, in detail, how to navigate that vast terrain in order to remove every form of chaos, pain, and suffering.
Very often Kabbalah is confused with Judaism. Throughout history, many scholars of Kabbalah have been Jewish. But there have also been many non-Jewish scholars of it, such as Pitagora, Pico Della and Sir Isaac Newton, just to name a few.
According to Kabbalah, to manifest complete fulfillment, we need to evolve into our greatest selves. In our thoughts, feelings, and actions, we need to erase negativity and replace darkness with Light. It is for this purpose that the teachings and tools of Kabbalah were given to all humanity and the greatest of these tools is The Zohar.

For the first time in Italy, Tha kabbalah Center, is organizing a seminar in Milan on the 8th of October: The power of the mind.
Now, for more than 30 years, The Centre has been under the direction of Rav Berg and his wife, Karen Berg. Their son, Yehuda Berg teaches at Kabbalah Center and wrote several books like The Power of Kabbalah, The 72 Names of God and The Red String. He has a blog.

The penis finally gets some more photographic appreciation. Pages of exciting portraits and close-ups, in color and black-and-white, unadorned, untamed and direct. Giovanni pays homage to the penis in open, extremely multi-faceted photography.
Thanx Ashleyb.
...And this reminds me of a lovely book The Boy by Germaine Greer.
Two different books with a similar desire in common, to simply proudly enjoy naked men.

And for my Barbie collection another series of Barbie, this time dealing with suicide. By
Roberto Roseano.
( Via )

Onirico, melanconico, deformato, attraente, inquietante. Magnetic alchemy.
More Franciszek Starowieyski's posters here.
...And more Polish posters.