Category Archives: Mythology

Stars and Cards: Pisces

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The Wheel of Fortune and The Moon -- shown here from the Tarot of Prague deck, available from Baba Studios -- are both associated with Pisces.

The Wheel of Fortune and The Moon — shown here from the Tarot of Prague deck, available from Baba Studios — are both associated with Pisces.

On February 18, the Sun begins its month-long voyage through Pisces, the sign of the two fish, which is associated with the eighteenth trump of the tarot, the Moon card. Pisces is traditionally thought to be ruled by Jupiter, associated with the tenth tarot trump, the Wheel of Fortune. The more modern idea that Neptune rules Pisces leads to the astrological sign’s association with the twelfth trump of the tarot, the Hanged Man. In the ancient world, Pisces was also associated with the land of Israel and the Jewish inhabitants there.

Neptune is the ancient god of the seas, and the Moon, depicted on the eighteenth tarot trump, controls the ocean tides. Appropriately, the sign Pisces belongs to the water element. The tarot’s watery suit of Cups illustrates scenes related to love, friendship and vicissitudes of human emotions. The Moon card is often interpreted as a warning that someone is not seeing clearly or is being deluded in some way, which are negative aspects of Pisces.

As a Water sign, Pisces is characterized by empathy and expression of emotions. Pisces people are considered to be compassionate, artistic, intuitive, gentle, wise, and musical although they can also be fearful, overly trusting, sad, desire to escape reality, or want to be a victim/martyr.

Pisces, together with the Wheel of Fortune and the Moon, ask everyone: What areas in life are you not seeing clearly? Are your actions motivated by love or by desire? Do you need to act with more compassion? Are you neglecting your spirituality for material gain?

Weight Watchers and Fairy Tales

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The Viewmaster depiction of Hansel and Gretel, the witch, and her gingerbread house were among my favorite childhood illustrations of one of my favorite fairy tales.

The Viewmaster depiction of Hansel and Gretel, the witch, and her gingerbread house were among my favorite childhood illustrations of one of my favorite fairy tales.

I started the Weight Watchers program in late November because I refuse to buy new clothes — everything I own was getting too snug! I had always refused to dignify weight loss efforts in the past by going to Weight Watchers but this time I finally capitulated. It couldn’t hurt to give it a shot, right? So far, I have lost about 25% of my excess weight on the Weight Watchers program and aim to keep losing more until I reach my “goal” weight — and all my clothes fit properly again.

The “fat and jolly old elf” of A Visit From St. Nicholas is a kindly old gentleman who is well-disposed toward others. But he is the exception.Overweight people appear in fairy tales but the image of “overweight,” often tied to “jolly,” is not always so innocent. Overweight people, in the world that give rise to fairy tales, were often wealthy and their weight indicated just how wealthy — and lazy? they had too many servants as well as too much food — they were.

But sometimes being overweight as a code word for “greedy.” The giants in fairy tales (such Jack and the Beanstalk or Jack the Giant-killer, etc.) were also greedy and lazy as well as large and heavy.

Hansel and Gretel wanted to eat the witch’s house and were rewarded for their efforts by her attempts to eat them! Hansel hid his obesity from the witch by using an old, dry chicken(?) bone he found at the bottom of his cage rather than his own finger when she wanted to check his growing weight.

Hansel and Gretel were not the only ones to discover the dangers of eating the food of a witch. Folk tales from all over the world warn that eating the food of a witch, a demon, a djinn, a troll, an ogre, or the faeries can be a dangerous proposition. You might owe your youngest child in return, or be bound to your host for the rest of your life.

Hopefully, the Weight Watchers program will save me from all these possible fates. Fingers crossed — but all bets are off if I find a gingerbread house in Central Park!

The Undead… and the Saints

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Bela Lugosi as the most famous portrayal of Dracula, the most famous of the Undead.

Bela Lugosi as the most famous portrayal of Dracula, the most famous of the Undead.

Happy birthday to Bram Stoker, the father of the modern vampire story, on November 8! (This also happens to be my granddaughter Sophie’s birthday, so “Happy Birthday!” to Sophie as well!) Vampires, known today for attacking the throats of the living, are perhaps the most well-known category of a class of beings known collectively as “the Undead.” (The Undead was also one of the possible titles Stoker considered for his novel before selecting Dracula!)

The undead (also known as revenants) are creatures that were once living humans but are now deceased and yet continue to act as if they are alive. They may be physical (vampires, zombies) or immaterial (ghosts) and are most often violent and angry with the living. The best-known ghosts and undead creatures are those known for attacking the living; few people tell stories about the FRIENDLY undead — Caspar the Friendly Ghost is perhaps the exception that proves this rule!

Many of the same signs are used to identify the corpse of both the undead and the saints, especially a corpse that does not decay according to the usual rules or expected timetable. It is the personality of the person before death that usually determines if the body is determined to be undead or saintly: an angry, miserly, or vindictive person is more likely to be identified as an undead monster whereas a kindly, charitable, or generous person is more likely to be identified as one of the saints. The interaction of the saints with the living is considered a miracle; the interaction of the undead with the living is considered a danger and a horror.

The undead are frightening for perhaps no other reason than that they blur the distinction between the living and the dead. They are the shadow-side of the saints, dead people known for interacting with the living in order to help those still on earth. Furthermore, the undead can seem indestructible — because how do you stop or kill a creature that is already dead?!?!