The Pope

I cannot feel pity for the old and rich; death comes to all, and many have suffered it in less timely fashion than he. This is cut out of true respect for those who feel for the Pope, believe in his words and his Church and follow his current struggle, with compassion and faith.

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(Note to self: Must change icon for this one. Laughing evil kitty will give quite the wrong idea.)

And by contrast, just for you...

Make love. Have long baths. Buy flowers. Make jokes. Here's to harmony, beauty, friendship and luck. And Love, of course!

APRIL 1st

Roman: CERES. (Brewer, Dict.) "April Fool Perhaps it may be a relic of the Roman 'Cerealia', held at the beginning of April". See also under April 12th.

Roman: CONCORDIA, VENUS and FORTUNA; The Veneralia. (Seyffert, Dict.) "Concordia . . The goddess Concordia was also invoked with Venus and Fortuna, by married women on the 1st of April".

(Ovid, Fasti, IV. 133) "April 1st Duly do ye worship the goddess (i.e. -Venus), ye Latin mothers and brides, and ye, too, who wear not the fillets and long robe (Frazer: 'courtesans'). Take off the golden necklaces from the marble neck of the goddess; take off her gauds; the goddess must be washed from top to toe. Then dry her neck and restore to it her golden necklaces; now give her other flowers, now give her the fresh-blown rose. Ye, too, she herself bids bathe under the green myrtle. . Learn now why ye give incense to Fortuna Virilis in the place which reeks of warm water. All women strip when they enter that place Propitiate her with suplications; beauty and fortune and good fame are in her keeping". (Plutarch, Lives, Numa) on the month of April; "the women bathe on the calends, or first day of it, with myrtle garlands on their heads."

(Montfaucon, Antiq. Suppl. p. 19) on the Calendar of Philocalus annexed to Valentine's illustrations of the months (see under February): "in the Beginning of [April] there is read upon the Calends, Veneralia ludi, Senatus legitimus. Now, it's possible these Veneralia, were feasts in honour of Venus, which they celebrated with publick Sports; which perfectly agrees . . with the Words of Ausonius. Before Venus there stands a Candlestick, with a Wax-taper lighted, in the Flame of which they burnt Grains of Incense. The lines of Ausonius are to this purpose: 'April does Honour to Venus cover'd with Myrtle. With this Month is seen the Light of Incense, with which the beneficent Ceres shines. Nor are those Perfumes wanting which are always issue from the Paphian Goddess'." See also under Ceres.

(Amhlaoibh 0 Suilleabhain (1835), cited by Danaher, The rear in Ireland, p. 84) "April Fools' Day. A barbarous custom from pagan times is still established in Ireland, namely, to make an April Fool of a person. At the time when Venus was worshipped the first day of the month was a festival in her honour, and it was customary to play all sorts of low pranks to do her veneration."

(Perp. Fest. Cal) "April 1st: Aphrodite. Venus. Goddess of Beauty and Harmony". (Fell. of Isis Dir.) "April 1st: Aphrodite. Venus. Laughter, Sport, Friendliness".

And finally...

...so I decided to dedicate the day to deity in a very classical sense. Time for a total cleansing and re-dedication, a shower followed by bath, scrubbing myself down with myrtle, surrounded by miniature roses (for Venus) scented white and purple-blue violas (for Concordia) and amazing purple daisies (for Fortuna). Then, on to a meaningful meditation by the light of a beautiful sea-candle given to me by evilwillow. Not only is it blue with lots of shells in the wax, it has a very pretty starfish - not a live one, obviously - tethered across its front. I started meditating in the presence of all this prettiness; little Surya came and sat next to me calm and well behaved. Then, just as my thoughts and hopes turned to protection of the natural world, Ralik, who only lives to eat any flower I love, leapt right up to attack the innocent vegetation, brushing his coat against the candle flame and near as damn setting himself on fire. I batted it out instantly, mood shattered by the aroma of singed cat fur, which I assure you isn't at all enchanting.

He of course, was oblivious to the potential catastrophe (no pun intended), and loudly resented his forcible ejection from the room. Surya was made to accompany him, of course - I would brook no further opportunity for horror from either of them - and she clearly thinks it's very unfair that just because Ralik gets the boot, she has to join him. If there's a message in all this, I haven't a clue what it is.

It's been a funny week...