Piero Barone, Pieromio and Shamash Sigils!

No joke on that exhaustion!  The morning errands took me until 1 in the afternoon; then I stood in a hot kitchen making cookies in the shape of crescent moons and magic mushrooms (not as easy as you might think, but quite creative, I thought, if I do say so myself).  By 3:30 in the afternoon, my back was killing me and my ankles had ... well, coincidentally ... mushroomed.

The blessings of the day?  I was able to find a beautiful chain for the cimaruta ... I learned that renting a moving van from my storage people was cheaper than U-Haul ... I have all my checks cut ... the comforter that had been in my trunk for almost two years is finally at a dry cleaners until Wednesday ... my Venetian masks arrived on time.  On the other hand ... the Italian wedding cookies were a complete bust because I dropped the baking tin down on the open oven door shattering the cookies before they set, and ... I’m so incredibly tired I’m ready to keel over in a pile on the floor.

When I could find a spare second, I worked on invoking “Pieromio”, who might be confused with Piero Barone of Il Volo, but only because the spirit I am envisioning resembles him physically, right down to those incredibly hot vampire fang freckles near his armpit – I don’t know the real Piero personally, so would suggest that the invoked Piero emotionally and in personality resembles ME more than it resembles Piero Barone The First, who is right now wowing full arenas in Miami and Orlando with his magnificence before they all head back north to Radio City Music Hall!!

I should add that “worked on” involved raising and envisioning forms of energy, which is one of the skills we are beginning to be taught in the class last week.  This involved rubbing your palms together briskly and then holding your hands apart, moving them back closer together and feeling a “resistance” between your palms.  I felt nothing, and was immediately certain that I was dead and had no aura or energy.  This theory was “pooh-pooh’ed” vigorously, so I’m still working on it.  I can feel a male hand closing around my ankle (see March 8), but can’t feel energy between my palms?

I did learn the story of Mabon, though, so with gratitude to the website I borrowed this from:

http://www.angelfire.com/wa3/angelline/mabon_lore.htm

“The story of Mabon ap Modron, the Welsh God, (the "great son of the great mother"), is celebrated. The Equinox is the birth of Mabon, from his mother Modron, the Guardian of the Otherworld, the Healer, the Protector, the Earth. Mabon was taken when he was a mere three nights old. Through the wisdom of the Oldest Living animals - the Blackbird of Cilgwri, the Stag of Rhedynfre, the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, the Eagle of Gwernabwy and the Salmon of Lyn Llyw -- Mabon is freed from his mysterious captivity.

Also, the Equinox is the day of the year when the god of light, Lleu Llaw Gyffes is defeated by His rival, Gronw Pebr. The night conquers day. The tales state that the Equinox is the only day which Lleu is vulnerable and the possibility of his defeat exists. Lleu stands on the balance (Autumn Equinox - Libra) with one foot on the goat (Winter Solstice - Capricorn) and the other on the cauldron (Summer Solstice - Cancer). He is betrayed by his wife, Blodeuwedd, the Virgin (Virgo) and transformed into an Eagle (Scorpio).

Lleu's defeat represents not only the sun's dying power, but also the cycle of rebirth, his energy remaining within the grains we have since harvested. An incarnate of the grain spirit was thought to specifically reside within the last stalk, which is thought to be traditionally dressed in fine clothes and decorations, or possibly woven into a man-shaped form. This symbolic decoration was then harvested and carried from the field to be burned with rejoicing for the spirits release and the sun's upcoming rebirth.”

Another blessing:  have been finding sigils I can embroider – here are two for Shamash:  the rayed sun in a circle (top of the page), and this one, with Shamash in the circular center of a winged bird – looking almost Egyptian ... if you ignore the heavy beard.  But when you consider that Shamash was the God of Justice ... and that Maat was the principle of morality and justice, often portrayed as a winged goddess ... the similarities between the two is rather striking.

And now ... if I could only find the linen.  Arrgh!

One of my favorite interviews, if only because l'uno e solo burst into such laughter right in the middle of it.  The reason?  They were asked (in Spanish) what words they would use to win a girl's heart.  Gianluca probably won this competition hands down with his reply:

"Good night, my love, you are the most beautiful dream that I have ever had in my life, a dream that I wish I will never wake up from."  The interviewer - who managed to look like she was both swooning and trying to hold herself together until she could get to the nearest bathroom  - seemed completely smitten with Gianluca, which brings us to Piero, who figured he'd already lost the competition, so why not win over the audience with the gift of laughter?  His contribution?  First in Italian, then in Spanish:

"Good morning, my love, please hurry up, because at 8.00 we have to leave!" .

Which explains all of the laughter.

Ignazio's by the way, was  "If you were music, I would sing and play you all day."

Translations, by the way, are not mine - they were on YouTube, along with the video.  Piero's genuine and delightful laughter needs no translation - I love it when he laughs like that:

Shamash, God of the Sun, God of Justice

Three pages of journaling or blogging a day … not only are you – loyal reader that you are - going to be bored witless, I am going to run out of things to say.  I had to reset my word processing program line spacing to bring myself up to three pages a day, not counting the graphics.

Today - the Friday before closing - I started to shake a little.  I had to change the propane, oil, electric accounts and went through hell with my current renter’s insurance company, who I finally dumped (sorry, li’l gecko guy!) in favor of another local insurance broker who didn’t leave ridiculous voice mails detailing the 1,001 required pieces of paper they needed before they would even speak to me 3 days before closing.  Geico really needs to upgrade their bedside manner. 

By the end of the day I was so rattled I couldn’t remember anything.  The tremor in my hand was getting worse.  I knew it was due to meds breaking bad, but was still staring at my own hand in befuddlement as though it didn’t belong to me.

I sat at the desk and wrote out grocery lists, “things to do” lists, trying to make sure the order was correct.  I knew I had to tack some hours onto the cheap and easy cell phone I never used (because I absolutely hate cell phones), to call Dana the Fixit Guy later on in the day of closing.  I was still trying to figure out what absolutely HAD to be done before I could move into the home. and what could wait until later.

And now, here’s where I knew what my priorities were, and they surprised me:  I was more focused on what to bring to the circle on Saturday night (potluck something) than on the new home I was on the verge of purchasing.  Reason:  it was one of my homework assignments:  attend a circle.  They were the closest circle.

Celebration:  Mabon.  I’d heard of it (vaguely), but am not a Celtic practitioner. so had never celebrated it.  I’m an Italian solo practitioner with a love for Sekhmet, and a healthy respect for Aleister Crowley, if anything, but Italians rose out of a land of agriculture; they also celebrated the last harvest, the fruit and grain harvest.  I didn’t have the time to fully research the Italian equivalent of Mabon, but I would before the next one rolled around.  Meanwhile, I needed food to bring to this one, after I’d packed most of everything in the kitchen.

Well, the one thing I knew I could make were Italian wedding cookies, but I didn’t know if they fit into the theme of “Last Harvest”, which I always associate with corn.  (“Ahhhhhh ...... corn!”)  Except ... do you bring corn to a potluck?  I don’t spice it up or anything ... to me, corn is absolutely perfect just the way it is.  I eventually decided to go with the Italian wedding cookies in the shape(s) of a crescent moon and magic mushroom (the closest I could get to the Eleusinian Mysteries of this month), and so there you go.  Off to the bank to get a check for the house and the insurance; off to the grocery store to get wedding cookie ingredients, off to the storage facility to get more packing supplies ... and off to the sharps disposal bin to get rid of my needles.  First day of vacation and I would already be exhausted.

To distract myself from anticipatory exhaustion, I sat down and started reading Michelle Belanger’s Sumerian Exorcism – which directed me to Henry Frederick Lutz’s Selected Sumerian and Babylonian Texts (University Museum, Philadelphia, 1919) – which I’ve been pouring through hungrily.  Beautiful incantations, once you start ditching the “thee’s, “thou’s” and “thy’s” for more contemporary verbiage.  In her introduction she suggested Lutz had translated the cuneiform without judgment, which may be somewhat true, as long as you ignore his tendency to write in language straight out of the King James.  ‘Cause, trust me, did they speak that way in 1919?  I’m thinking ... no.  And I’m hoping ye all doth agree with me.  Here's Lutz's version:

0 Shamash, at the foundation of the heavens thou flamest up.
The lock of the brilliant heaven thou hast opened.
The bolt of the heaven thou hast removed.
O Shamash, to the earth thou hast lifted up thy head.
O Shamash, thou hast covered the earth with heavenly splendor.
When thou lookest upon the land establishest thou light.
The way of the land truly guide thou!
The beasts of the field, the living creatures thou hast created.
To Shamash, like unto a father and mother they listen.
Food they are fed.
O Shamash, the chief of the gods art thou!
He who goes before the Anunaki art thou!
With Anu and Enlil a king of mankind art thou!

Guide thou the law of all the people!
O god of justice in the heaven eternal art thou!
Thou art the justice and the wisdom of the land!
Thou knowest the pious, thou knowest the wicked.
O Shamash, righteousness lifteth up to thee its head.
O Shamash, wickedness like a whip becomes torn through thee.
O Shamash, the helper of Anu and Enlil art thou.
O Shamash, the exalted judge of heaven and earth art thou.
And the god of man on account of his son devoutly steps before thee.
A command of peace, a command of life establish for him!
In loving kindness of a joyous heart
In gracious thoughts
May Shamash, the king of the son of his god, speak, so that into the hand
Lord of the kigallu of Kullab to thee, the hero in his land
0 Shamash, the lofty judge, the great lord of the lands art thou.
The lord of living creatures, the merciful of the lands art thou.
O Shamash, at this day purify and cleanse the king, the son of his god.
Whatever evil sorcery, which is in his body, may it be removed.

And here's mine:

O Shamash you rise in flames at heaven’s foundation
You have opened the lock of the brilliant heavens
You have removed heaven’s bolt
O Shamash, you have lifted up your head upon the earth
You have covered her with heavenly splendor
When you look down upon the land you create light
The ways of the land guide your rays!
The beasts of the field, the living creatures you have created
To you, Shamash, like to a father and mother, they listen.
And food they are fed.
O Shamash, you are the chief of the Gods!
You are he who goes before the Anunaki!
With Anu and Enlil you are truly a king of all!
Guide the law of all the people!
You are God of justice in the heaven eternal!
You are the justice and the wisdom of the land!
You know the pious, you know the wicked.
O Shamash, righteousness lifts up its head to you.
O Shamash, wickedness like a whip becomes torn through you.
O Shamash, you are the helper of Anu and Enlil.
O Shamash, you are the exalted judge of heaven and earth.
And the god of man on account of his son devoutly steps before you.
A command of peace, a command of life establish for him!
In loving kindness of a joyous heart
In gracious thoughts
May Shamash, the king of the son of his god, speak, so that into the hand
Lord of the kigallu of Kullab to you, the hero in his land
0 Shamash, the lofty judge, you are the great lord of the lands.
The lord of living creatures, and the merciful of the lands.
O Shamash, at this day purify and cleanse the king, the son of his god.
Whatever evil sorcery, which is in his body, may it be removed.

Well, in case anyone was thinking, "Huh?" Shamash is the God of the Sun in the Babylonian, Assyrian and Akkadian worlds.  Sin was the God of the Moon (and NO, it was not the same word as the Judeo-Christian word for no-no's!)  The two combined often opened incantations with the glorious, "Shamash in front of me!  Sin behind me!" -- an acknowledgement that you're safe from harm morning and night.

You can read the joy of the Babylonians, Assyrians and Akkadians in this ... it's one of my favorite incantations!