#spiritual meaning of cat bringing bird

[joshiemarie]

Discovering the Sacred Significance of Cats in Ancient Egypt

Discovering the Sacred Significance of Cats in Ancient Egypt Ancient Egyptian cats In ancient Egypt, cats were much more than just pets. They were considered sacred creatures, symbolizing grace, strength, and protection. From the Pharaohs to common citizens, cats held a significant place in the hearts and homes of the Egyptian people. In this article, we’ll delve into the history and spiritual…

[cursecuelebre]

All About Lady Hekate

Her Attributes

Witchcraft

Magic

Crossroads

Death and Life

Liminal spaces

Protection of The Home

Necromancy

Spirits

Childbirth and Midwifery

The sea

The stars/Moon

Symbols:

Torches

Snakes, Dragons, Serpents

Dogs especially black

Corvus birds

Fish

Wands

Daggers

Keys

Cats

Moon

Crossroads (three way road)

The number 3, 6, and 9

Hekate’s Wheel or the Stropholos

Skulls or bones

Ferrets

Pomegranates

Any black animals

The color black

Offerings

Libations of wine

Fish

Cakes, breads, any kind of pastries

Herbs like Mugwort, Rue, Belladonna (poisonous), Garlic, Rosemary, Chives, Black Nightshade (Poisonous), Lavender.

Fruits: Pomegranates, Apples, Lemons

Anything related to dogs

Spiritual or magical tools or items

Creating spells and offerings i.e I created a spirit board for Hekate

Spirit communication

Taking care of Children and supporting mothers and soon to be mothers

Epithets (Greek and a Roman title)

Trivia - A Roman title given to Hekate and Diana relating to the crossroads. It’s also said Trivia could’ve been a Roman Goddess on her own.

Brimo - Angry, Terrible one. It’s a title for a god who is showing their scary aspect Hekate, Demeter, Presphone is known for this also male deities like Dionysus. Hekate in this aspect is usually depicted with three heads of animals like dogs, owls, and a serpent but she can take any form that can be terrifying. Usually invoke during rituals and magic spells. Also very good in curse workings, this aspect infamously shows up in the myth of Jason when she is evoke by Medea who is a witch.

Perseis- Destroyer, child of Perses. Hekate’s Father is a Titian Perses who embodies destruction.

Aidônaia - Of the Underworld - Hekate is considered to be a Psychopomp like Hermes she guides souls to the underworld

Kthonia - Of The Earth - many earth deities have this title it can still relate to the underworld but also the physical world like Demeter a earth goddess.

Phosphorus - Light Bringer - Hekate’s main symbols are torches being a guiding light to those who are lost, also to help guide lost souls. Common depiction is how she guided Persephone out of the underworld and guided her so she won’t be lost.

Kourotrophos - Nurse of the young - She is considered to protector of children like how Hera and Artemis is.

Genetyllis - Protector of Births - Hekate is also a midwife goddess and fertility, evoke during births. One myth says she taught Artemis the ways of Midwifery when Leto was giving to Apollo.

Aeneos - Eternal, everlasting.

Trimorphis - Three formed

Trioditis - The three ways or crossroads

Einodia - The one on the Road - Relating to her and the crossroads.

Nyktipolos - Night wandering

Atalos - Tender, Delicate

Skylakagetis - Leader of Dogs

Anassa Eneroi - Queen of those below

Festivals:

Noumenia- Beginning of the new month which is the New Moon. Hekate along with Artemis and Selene are worshipped during this day.

Feast of Hekate is on August 13th where people would bring offerings like honey cakes on the crossroads. The reason being to make sure she won’t summon storms to kill their crops.

In Rome she was honored monthly on the 29th day of the moon.

Tarot Associations

The Moon

The High Priestess

Hierophant

The Hermit

The Two of Swords

General Information

Hekate’s name means “Far-darting” or “who works from afar”. Hekate is the daughter of Perses Titian of Destruction and Asteria Titan of the Stars. It is also said she is also the daughter of Helios and the Oceanid Perse. She is also linked with Circe as her Mother or sister or regular servant to Hekate. As Helios is the father of Circe and Medea who also evokes Hekate a lot in her spells. Helios and Hekate have common myths together.

Hekate is associated with the Full moon and New Moon, stars, and other Cosmic events. She is associated with the sea but most commonly she is associated with earth and the underworld as being a guide to souls to the after life and those coming out. It’s said lost souls follow her along with her nymphs carrying torches. She has black dogs always beside her, it is said you can hear Hekate approching by the howls of dogs.

Hekate is also the protector of the home, keeping a statue of her at the front door will help keep danger away. Protector of liminal spaces and doorways. She can protect a person from curses but she can also help you cast them but she won’t do it unless there’s a good reason. Hekate is goddess of spirits, she can help guide them as I said earlier but also get rid of evil spirits from the home.

At the crossroads is where most likely you’ll find her especially if you need her help. The crossroads are important when it comes to transitions and change and it’s by your choice and of her guidance. But you can also do magic at the crossroads by summoning a spirit or getting rid of one, you can do a simple ritual of banishing a spirit with the item being buried and then you walk away it’s been advised by experienced witches even historians to not turn around after doing the spell. Necromancy is in the context is this, no you’re not summoning the dead back to life or evil spirits, necromancy is simply spirit communication and workings. Of course you’ll be careful with each spirit first encounter with.

Hekate has been a powerful goddess throughout centuries, her origins in Ancient Turkey who was seen as a mother goddess before she was adopted into the Greek Panetheon. She is quite remarkable in Roman religion and even modern day times she is separated from these ancient practices and still a goddess that people go to for all things in life. She is open to all for those who wish to make her involve in your life. Hekate will not be the same for everyone of course, but similarities are true she is very much like a Mother and very protective of her children.

[cilil]

Fun times in Valinor feat. Melian and Dior

✦ I like to imagine that Dior did in fact receive the opportunity to choose his fate as well, chose immortality for the sake of his family and ended up in Valinor (may make a more detailed and less silly post about that in future).

✦ As soon as he gets out of Mandos he's practically ambushed by Melian who is overjoyed to have at least one of her descendants back, takes him under her wing and immediately adopts him as her replacement baby.

✦ She drags him around Valinor like a mother cat carrying her kitten (metaphorically speaking) to show him off to her Ainurin friends. Said friends, particularly those more concerned with spiritual matters and not at all familiar with incarnate procreation, are a bit weirded out by being presented the living, breathing offspring of a fellow spirit, said offspring being of rather ambiguous nature as well, but since the entire Ainurin race is based on everyone being a cryptid in their own right, they all warm up to him quickly.

✦ Melian teaches Dior to sing like a nightingale and other bird calls and he performs admirably, though causes confusion when he doesn't turn into a bird. She may also teach him Valarin so he knows when people are talking shit.

✦ Some Ainur are still confused by Dior being incarnate in general and try to encourage and help him shed his form. They need to be reminded that Dior was in fact born and raised incarnate, is happy and content being that way and that his incarnate state is not a symptom of being spiritually drained or otherwise unwell.

✦ Since Dior died young - even by mortal standards - Melian's Ainurin friends tend to erroneously assume that he's a literal baby. These discussions usually escalate when it comes to them refusing to give him Miruvórë and Dior wins arguments by reminding everyone that they have met his adult daughter.

✦ Wanting to befriend him and make Melian happy, other Ainur like to bring them gifts, usually something they think would be useful to an incarnate. Sometimes they're spot on, such as when they bring delicious treats and fresh food, sometimes their gifts are a clear reflection of their kind not quite understanding incarnates, such as half-torn-apart blood sacrifices and dangerous animals and substances. Melian doesn't react well to the latter.

✦ She's especially worried whenever Dior displays any sort of human behavior because part of her wonders if through some strange happenstance he will become mortal, in which case she assumes he might just fall over and die within the next 5 minutes (read: what her species of angels older than the universe sees as "5 minutes").

✦ Dior loves being taught "magic". Melian has no idea what he means by that, only knowing he picked up the word from Beren, but is happy that he's happy.

[talon-dragonbeast]

Can I ask abt your dragon lore? lol. I mean like. more about your species? can they talk, are they sapient, behaviors, temperament, biology, etc. If u want to share! I just thought it would be fun to ask and I love learning abt how others experience dragonness. I was also curious abt how u awakened as a dragon? I’m questioning currently

yes!! sorry for taking so long to answer, but to be fair its a question which required a pretty in-depth answer lol. so here we go!

my species of dragon has similarities to both reptiles and birds (and a little bit of mammal too). im a reptile because im cold-blooded, have scales over most of my body, spines running from head to tail, big shield plates on my neck and chest, eyes with sliced pupils, a long strong tail, and my claws and teeth are similar to those of crocodiles. im similar to a bird cause i have feathers on my wings, my mouth resembles a beak in shape, i have bird behaviors like nesting, and my body is built for flying and thus pretty aerodynamic. and finally, i say im a bit mammalian bc ive got ears and horns, and bc of the general shape of my body, being quadrupedal and semi-digitigrade (my front legs are plantigrade, while my back ones are digitigrade), with long limbs and strong bones, and because i can make sounds like growls or roars that sound a bit like those of big cats.

i cant talk as a dragon and my species doesnt have a language, cant use tools and cant understand human words. im basically a very intelligent animal, like a crow. my species does have a society, but we're very solitary beings so its pretty rudimentary. we raise our young communally, and once they reach maturity they are encouraged to leave the nest and find their own territory. we have Roles which are our version of genders in humans, but instead of tied to a biological sex theyre more about your place in society. so for example, there are Protectors (who have a territory that they guard, typically associated to more solitary dragons like myself), Providers (primarily hunters, they bring resources for their mate or dragonets; very nomadic) and Carers (theyre by far the most social role; as the name implies, they are the primary carers of our young, but they also keep balance in a community). sex or gender arent that important to my species, but we do mate for life.

im an omnivore, my diet consists mainly on meat, fish, and fruits, but i can eat functionally anything (except straight-up leaves, which i cant digest). im primarily a predator and a hunter, but i also forage a lot of my food. im agressive as a dragon, so that combined with being very intelligent makes me pretty dangerous to both humans and other animals.

hmm, what else... oh! i can breathe fire! its not like in most depictions of dragons though, in which theyre used as a perfectly functional flamethrower; i cant really project it or aim it at anything, it only goes as far as i can blow it. i dont exactly know how it works, but from the way my instincts tell me to just blow in a specific way to produce it, i can guess its like a gland or something that contains very flammable gas, that when it comes in contact with oxygen it catches fire.

as for how i awakened as a dragon, i realized first that i was nonhuman in some way (like i viewed myself as not human, but wasnt sure what species i was yet) because i felt wings on my back since i was very young. first i googled "phantom wings on your back?" and came across the word otherkin in a very old blog run by a spiritual dragonkin. upon seeing that there were others like me who felt phantom limbs and saw themselves as not human, i began questioning my species. i thought i was a crow at first because of the wings, but i tried on the label and it felt just wrong, so i thought i wasnt nonhuman after all. i basically dropped everything entirely for a few months, but the wings i felt on my back were getting stronger and stronger, and on top of that i also started feeling other things like claws and sharp teeth. so for the entire summer i tried on different species to see what fit: avian (bc of the wings), angelkin (i immediately dropped this one bc religion makes me very uncomfortable lmao), harpy (bc of the combination of wings+claws+teeth, but it wasnt quite right), monsterkin (felt weird to call myself a monster), and finally in a fit of inspiration i had a random thought: "what if im a dragon?"

i immediately got a rush of euphoria from the thought alone. this hadnt happened with any of the other labels, so i decided to start exploring it a bit more. the phantom limbs i felt matched those of a dragon (though the feathered wings threw me off a bit), i had very draconic behaviors like hoarding, liking shiny objects, flying urges, instincts get to high places, etc. and most importantly, it felt so good to call myself a dragon. like i could see myself as a dragon perfectly, i could imagine what i would be like as a dragon, i could do dragon behaviors almost effortlessly. being a dragon never felt like i was acting or putting on a mask, it didnt feel like i was "forcing" myself to be that way; it just felt natural, like i was always this way. thats what finally made me start identifying as dragonkin i think: the easiness of it all.

good luck on your questioning journey! i know it can be hard to find out what species you are, but remember to not overthink it too much! it can be tempting to start analyzing absolutely everything about yourself in hopes of finding your species, but overdoing it can cause you to lose yourself in the process. take it easy and remember to follow what feels right to you, without worrying about what others might say or do. this is your journey, not anyone else's!

[imthepunchlord]

With the Prodigious being based around the 7 Chakras, would It also change they themes?

I'd say no. I'd say that it more works off what they bring in growth wise to a user, what they can bring to a community, and it can work off kwami preference at most.

And luckily, for what 7 Chakras do represent, the Miraculous can work off of those meanings in different ways.

Ladybug can match with survival, trust, security, and stability. This Miraculous is strongly tied to fighters, and it's core goal is to restore order, to be a source of security, to be trusted, to be the salvation.

As I can't really tie sexuality to a Miraculous, Songbird can echo the themes of joy and expression.

Wolf can echo the themes of power, ego, and will.

Cat being tied to love, healing, and compassion can works more off what this Miraculous ideally should go to, and I will say, in various mythology, cats are tied to love, healing, and protection. Actually quite a few goddesses that are tied to motherhood who are also tied to cats (Baset and Freya for sure come to mind). You can work off that this power is meant to protection, and often love for something is a core motivation behind protecting.

Turtle is another where power wise, doesn't reflect the theme, but it can work off what's desired for a user, someone who is willing to communicate and be diplomatic, someone who is honest/has integrity, and brings clarity, certainty, and purity.

Raven for sure does work off vision, imagination, and intuition power wise. And this bird commonly is tied to vision and foresight, so that works off the clairvoyance aspect.

Lastly, Butterfly, that easily works off self-realization, fulfillment, and spirituality; and technically can also work off knowledge. All these aspects we can easily tie to the canon power we have. This is about helping people find fulfillment, to realize their self worth or capability, and you can tie that to spiritual growth. Sometimes souls are regarded to be tied to the emotions you feel, so becoming a champion/akuma can be manifesting that inner self.

In spite of all of this, it's not a perfect alignment, which is why I was initially thinking it be lightly tied to the 7 Chakras. Either way, I wouldn't change up powers or themes, I finally got a happy place for all 32 Miraculous powers. I don't want to spiral into another rabbit hole of trying to figure those powers out.

[school-of-roses]

○o■Pets in Magic■o○

There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats. -Albert Schweitzer

Animals are a part of our lives and we love them dearly. Just as they are a part of our lives, they can also be a part of our practice.

Pet Proofing Your Workings:

If you want to incorporate your animals into your craft it is important to double check that things that are not harmful to humans are also not harmful to animals. Certain plants, incense, and other aspects of working that are either harmless or present negligible risk to humans are potentially very harmful to our pets. Your pet doesn’t need to meet their ancestors, don’t smoke out the house if your furry loved ones are home.

Pet Familiars: Not to be confused with spirit familiars, pet familiars are pets that you have specifically incorporated into your magic.  This is a physical animal that you have invited to be a part of your working. Some practitioners believe animals have a specific sensitivity to energy and other magics. In this way, a pet familiar acts as a second set of eyes in the spiritual world.

What Kinds of Animals Can Be Familiars:

Any domesticated animal can be a familiar and I imagine even some wild caught or befriended animals have been considered familiars across the ages. However, how you incorporate your animal into your practice is going to change based on what this animal is.  A bird may be more inclined to do direct communication than a dog for example.  A lizard is not so easily going to knock something off a counter because it needs to be cleansed like a cat might. Any animal companion can be a familiar, assuming the animal is okay with this, but how this manifests will be different from animal to animal.

Pets in a Working:

The ways people incorporate their pets into their workings are as numerous as there are ways to love an animal. Commonly they will allow their pets to do things like pick tarot cards for them from a set, pick which crystal they should use, or simply have them sit and participate in rituals with them as a partner and equal in their working.

Others incorporate them as a companion who simply enjoys being involved in a part of their lives as pets tend to do.

Speaking Their Language:

Learning to understand what your pet is communicating with you, especially if you want to have them in a working, can bring you closer to your furry friends. There are numerous guides that help us understand how animals communicate in ways that humans do not, and even certain pets will communicate in way specific to them. While a lizard might not be opening its mouth because it’s smiling, it may display happiness and contentment in other ways. Identifying these can help you incorporate your pet into your practice and help be mindful of their needs while you are engaging with them in both magic and every day life.

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Fics Named After Animals (2) Masterlist

part one

A Moment of Spiritual Connection With A Bumblebee (ao3) - natigail

Summary: Dan loved how you were able to connect with animals in a different way than with people, even though he felt a bit awkward after his mistake.

a week in the life of steve the pigeon (ao3) - possumdnp

Summary: An outsider-POV from Steve the pigeon’s perspective (based loosely on Phil’s new video, “Trying to Catch and Rescue a Wild Pigeon”)

Barbie Horse Adventures (ao3) - Fictropes

Summary: Sometimes friends force you to get over your worst fears, sometimes you meet your soulmate in the process.

Beetles In The Bath (ao3) - yikesola

Summary: It has been a long while since we knew such warmth. Some of us venture out. Maybe we shouldn’t have. Maybe that was unsafe.

Birds of a Feather Steal Together (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Dan never expected anything remotely interesting to happen during his summer job at a petting zoo. But when he catches a boy with bright blue eyes and a cute laugh trying to smuggle a bunch of ducklings out of the farm, things take a much more interesting turn...

Caturday (ao3) - vvelna

Summary: A cat appears in Dan and Phil's kitchen.

did you know penguins mate for life? (ao3) - sierraadeux

Summary: Phil takes care of fifty penguins at work and another twenty-five at home, though the latter wasn't exactly his choice.

fish dads (ao3) - plinth_of_life

Summary: Dan and Phil can finally bring their adopted betta home. They watch their new fish with admiration and anticipation of the future.

fish makes three (ao3) - watergator

Summary: dan and phil get a fish

greatest of all time (goat) (ao3) - SebbyLestowell (lafbaeyette)

Summary: Phil returns home from a trip with a surprising new visitor, and Dan is rightfully flabbergasted at the situation.

AKA

The One Where Phil Adopts A Goat

Kill Phil Or A Llama? (fanfiction.net) - Amy788

Summary: Small changes in Dan's live shows mean the world to Phil.

Kitten Love (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Phil finds a cat, and brings it back to the apartment. Dan is not amused.

Long-Horned Beetles and Dusty Archives (ao3) - chiridotalaevis

Summary: Dan was climbing up the marble steps of the museum full of dread and resentment. It was Sunday morning, and all his classmates were probably still asleep, or nursing their hangovers from the party before. But Dan couldn’t do that, no. Because Dan skipped too many classes in his General Biology course, he now would have to make it up with extra credit. By working at some sort of museum with some grad student that needed help sorting bugs. Yuck.

Spoiler: the grad student is Phil.

Night Moths - camisadan

Summary: Dan and Phil are camping, Dan needs to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night but is too scared to scared to go on his own.

Of Cats and Dogs (ao3) - GabbyGums

Summary: Dan gets roped into taking care of his friend's dog.

And somehow Phil manages to get hold of a cat.

This can only mean chaos.

Spiders and Spells (ao3) - Full_Moon_Lover

Summary: Phil was never great at transfiguration but thought he was getting better. At least he did until Professor McGonagall paired him up to work with Dan Howell. Dan is nice but there's just one problem. He's Phil's crush and Phil is prone to make mistakes when working under pressure.

The Admiral's Birdcage (ao3) - QuietBubbles

Summary: Daniel, an orphaned ward, has never set foot outside the Great House at the top of the High Street. His guardian, the powerful Admiral Malock, grows ever more obsessed with him, and hatches a terrible plan to keep him by his side forever. With Daniel approaching his twenty-first birthday and longing to see the world, Malock will go to any lengths to keep him prisoner. But when Philip, a young clerk, discovers Daniel trapped in his birdcage, a secret friendship leads quickly to love. Though there is danger at every turn, Philip knows he has to set Daniel free… Alternative Victorian England. Old-fashioned romance, fluff, obsession, danger, and smut. Also a cute kitty! Enjoy!

The Cat Brought Them Together (ao3) - yeahthisaccountisinactiveso

Summary: "Quick, catch that cat! It stole my wallet!"

The Great Cat Rescue - dxnhowell

Summary: Dan is a lover of cats, and has been obsessed with them ever since he was a little boy. Now, he runs the biggest and only cat rescue in London. But, things are starting to get very stressful and he might have to shut down, but not if Phil has anything to do with it.

The Pet Surprise (ao3) - pasteldanhowells

Summary: Phil is going to his boyfriend’s apartment for the first time, and he certainly didn’t expect his boyfriend to have a pet snake in his apartment.

[angelicsaggie]

Kwanzaa Umoja 2022-23

December 26, 2022 is the first day of Kwanzaa, also known as Umoja which represents the black candle. It is lit first to remind us about the bloodshed and strength of our ancestors. It is also an important reminder to strive together as a family, community, and race. This is how our ancestors were able to build kingdoms and maintain civilizations by sticking together and understanding that we need each other in order to strive as one.

Models from the Grandassa Models agency in 1968, part of the “Black Power!” exhibition at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Credit...Kwame Brathwaite

Umoja Experience

Recently, as I was driving home, the car suddenly began to shake and the inside of my heart spiraled in confusion. "What do I do?" I asked myself. After a few moments of contemplating, something inside of my spirit told me to continue to drive home since it was close. During my journey towards my destination, an older couple asked me if I needed help and informed me that the car suffered a shredded tire. As soon as I arrived in front of my home, a plethora of my neighbors appeared next to the car and asked me if I needed any assistance. I grew overwhelmed by the amount of neighbors that stood beside me, then I realized this situation was a symbol of Umoja.

Umoja Activities Part 1

Today is a great day to put yourself in your community. You could attend Kwanzaa events, meet up with a friend, or even go downtown to get a cup of coffee but make sure that you are communicating with others. When we have flowing conversations with people, we are able to recharge our energies and learn new wisdoms. It is important to remain humble because life is about being a student and teacher so it is essential to listen. If you decide to remain in your home then find a way to connect online with others or call a family member. 

Symbolization Introduction:

This world is usually depicted as a physical world, but that is only a small portion of what life actually is. Which brings us to a lesson that our ancestors would have proudly taught us which is to embrace both the physical and spiritual realms. You use spirituality all day long: praying, having a dream, feeling someone's vibe, etc. But the modern agenda is to take you faraway from that power so you will only embrace the physical world. If you need more help to understand what the spiritual realm is then read Entering the Spiritual Realm, African vs. Western Spirituality, and How to Strengthen Your Spirituality.

God, the universe, angels, and/or your ancestors are always trying to assist you, but it will not always be through physical speech. Sometimes these symbols will be sent to you by dreams, intuition, or symbols. It is a must that you are open-minded in everything that you do. Your mind has programs that have been normalized with repetition, thankfully you can change those programs at any time. 

Let's say that you arrived late for a job interview which led you to instantly get denied, so you sit outside and mask your emotions with depressed energies, and shout, "why me?" All of a sudden, a raven flies by you and lands next to your feet. You look at the raven without emotion then proceed to grab your cell phone to complain about your disappointing experience. Depending on your upbringing, you might think that most things "black" are bad like a black bird or black cat, but why is that? Perhaps to push the narrative that black is bad? Anyhow, everything holds a positive representation, even animals. Ravens represent wisdom, transformation, and change. The reason why the raven gathered your attention was because it is was a message from your higher being to change your negative mindset and that rejection was protection. But without knowing what a raven means or any animal then you would have missed the powerful message.

—

More Posts

Black & African Excellence Master List

Spirituality Master List

The Last Poets are several groups of poets and musicians who arose from the late 1960s African-American civil rights movement's black nationalism. (Wikipedia definition.) The original members: Felipe Luciano, Gylan Kain, and David Nelson

[revlyncox]

Listen to the Frogs

A sermon about Joy, Sorrow, and Commitment for Earth Day and Passover. This sermon was significantly reworked from a 2022 presentation in another setting. The current version was presented to The Unitarian Society in East Brunswick on April 21. 2024, by Rev. Lyn Cox.

There is a part of the Passover Seder when we open the door for the prophet Elijah, just in case this is the year when he will arrive to proclaim that the time of liberation has arrived for all. We also remember the prophet Miriam, and give thanks for clean water. While singing about prophetic justice, holding the door open, and keeping the cats inside, I think about how this, too, is a ritual of spring. We let in the fresh air, the breath of inspiration. We open our senses to the birds, to the starry sky, even to the pollen. I don’t know if the Passover story happened the way it is told, but I believe it’s true that these moments of connection, ritual, and attention to the present moment matter. 

This is an interesting time of year to be part of a pluralistic faith movement. Many of us are carrying traditions, or carrying feelings about traditions, or carrying rejections of traditions that relate to holidays such as Passover. Maybe some of us are still reeling from the complexity of being a Humanist on Easter. The spring holidays are never too far on the calendar from Earth Day, and this year they are extra proximate, leading us to reflect on how the themes of liberation apply to our relationship with the earth. This year, we have the additional complexity that, on a holiday when we seek liberation and ask that all who are hungry may come and eat, our hearts are with those who are starving and otherwise in harm’s way in Israel/Palestine. There is a lot to process emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. I believe that reclaiming what resonates with our experience and reconnecting with the earth will help us to find our way through these times. 

Even the phrase, “these times,” hints at some of the wisdom of the Passover holiday. In the story of going out from oppression, the name in Hebrew for the place the people departed from is “Mitzrayim.” Literally, that word means, “the narrow places.” In every generation, we look for the narrow places where we might be stuck, the tendrils of oppression and exploitation in our own era that we are charged to dismantle. I prefer to say Mitzrayim rather than Egypt because the symbolism of the narrow place is so meaningful, and to draw a distinction between the ancient and the modern countries. 

These times do feel narrow. Our society is boxed in by systemic white supremacy, as ubiquitous and as unjust and as earth-destroying as the reign of Pharaoh in the story. Environmental disasters, the rise of fascism, war around the world, all of these situations squeeze our attention and capacity for hope. Competition and exploitation due to fossil fuels influence many of those conditions. We may feel stuck in despair, wondering how we can be part of the solution, wondering from what direction our sources of resilience will come. That is a narrow place. 

Going forth from that place might bring us to a deeper sense of our interdependence with each other and the earth. Going forth might free us from the lie that exploitation is the only way that civilization can work. Perhaps the key in leaving the narrow place is in awakening to our connection with the planet and with each other, understanding that our liberation is collective with all life. There is joy in that awakening, even across the sea of uncertainty. 

Passover is an earthy holiday. Though people make adaptations for celebrating in a variety of climates, much of the imagery, poetry, and practice is rooted in the awareness of springtime. It is a holiday of awakening, of hope for new life, of reminders that we are responsible to the people of the future. 

Jewish scholar Hayyim Schauss suggests that there are clear earth-bound roots to Passover. He theorizes that Passover is the combination of two different spring festivals, one celebrated by sheep-herding nomads –even before the people sojourned in Egypt– and one celebrated by farmers. For both the shepherds and the farmers, offering the first and best of what was most important (either lambs or grain), sharing these gifts with the ground of being, was part of the practice of reciprocity and gratitude that reminded people of their ties to the land. Schauss says that later interpretations built on these roots, and Passover became a time to remember going out from Mitzrayim. He writes, “Spring, the time of liberation for nature, and the idea of human freedom seemed to fit very well together; in this way Pesach became the festival of freedom of the Jewish people, its deliverance from slavery, and its awakening to a new life.” (Schauss, The Jewish Festivals, p. 44)

Looking back, we can still see all of these themes, even as the holiday has changed and adapted over the centuries. Passover today does not look like it did two thousand years ago, and it took a different form in that time than it had in the days before the Temple was built. Yet we can still see elements of renewal, of sacrifice and reciprocity, of simplicity and humility, and of liberation that stretch back into history and forward into the future, expressed in the observance of Passover. When we take these themes of relationship with the earth, values that connect us, and a movement toward liberation, the resonances between Passover and Earth Day become even more clear. 

The central practice for the holiday of Passover is the Seder. The word “seder” means order, and there is a traditional order to the storytelling and sharing of the festive meal. Telling is important, too; that’s what “haggadah” means, and haggadah is the word for the book or other guide to the seder. On the seder plate are symbols of the season, most of them also foods that are incorporated into the feast, each carrying part of the story. We don’t have time to go through all fifteen steps of the seder or every element of the seder plate, so I’ll focus on three things: Pesach, Matzah, and Maror. 

Pesach refers to the holiday as well as to the animal sacrifice that was made in ancient times, deep in the mists of history among desert shepherds, and in a different way during the Temple periods. Now that there is no temple, there’s no animal sacrifice, yet there remains the draw for other kinds of sacrifice. As the tradition is practiced currently, Lamb is not on the menu for the Passover seder, but there can be a roasted shank bone on the seder plate as a reminder of the ethic of sacrifice and the practices of long ago. A beet root is a popular substitute on the seder plate if you can’t get a shank bone or if your household is vegetarian. The red juice of the beets might evoke the ancient rituals. Certainly for gardeners in our climate, beets might be some of the first things we produce in the cold season, so we are back to sharing our first fruits. 

Whether the item is a shank bone or a juicy beet, the ecological value that this item brings to mind is reciprocity. Sharing the first and the best of what we receive from our relationship with the land isn’t so much giving up as giving back. Sacrifice acknowledges that we do not invent anything we need for our lives out of thin air. We are part of an interdependent web. Everything we eat, everything we wear, everything that facilitates our thriving can be traced back to the earth in one way or another. The pesach on the seder plate calls us back to a practice of mutual responsibility. It is an acknowledgement that just as we receive from the interdependent web, so we give to replenish and repair. You may recall that reciprocity and the honorable harvest were some of the earth-honoring practices that Robin Wall Kimmerer spoke of in Braiding Sweetgrass, which we discussed last fall. 

Rabbi Ellen Bernstein (of blessed memory, we lost her in February 2024) writes about the importance of our reciprocity and relationship-tending with the earth in her Passover Haggadah, The Promise of the Land. She writes:

“The land or earth is the home of the swimming creatures, the flying creatures, the walking, climbing, crawling, hopping, and sprinting creatures, and us. The land, the earth, is our habitat, and we are its inhabitants. Land or earth is the most precious blessing a people can receive–it is the source of sustenance; it is the promise of life, the promise of freedom.”

Rabbi Bernstein is saying that not only can we lift out threads of ecological justice in the Passover seder, that the whole thing is steeped in environmental meaning. Every part of it calls us back to right relationship with the land and its people. Reciprocity is one of the practices that moves us into that path of justice, and reciprocity is evoked by the symbols of sacrifice on the seder plate. 

Another important symbol in the seder and on our dinner plates during Passover is matzah. Matzah is unleavened bread. When it is made, it doesn’t have time to rise. The dough can’t be worked for more than 18 minutes, and is certainly not allowed to rest and potentially gather yeast from the air and ferment. The environmental values we gain from matzah are simplicity and humility. Humility is the opposite of what many of us are taught in this competitive society, yet it is essential if we are to understand ourselves as part of a collective whole. 

Many sages have pointed out that matzah reminds us not to be so puffed up about ourselves. We clear out the yeast in our egos, the messages that say we have to be selfish or to cut ourselves off from compassion. Once a year, we take a break from leavening and realign our sense of self with the interdependent web of which we are a part. It’s true that each one of us is made from stardust, yet so is the carrot in our matzah ball soup, and so is the compost that feeds our gardens, and so are the people with whom we are having a difficult time. 

In our Earth Day contemplations, we can imagine that the puffed-up egos of human beings, thinking that only our own wellbeing matters, among all of the living creatures on earth, has been a large part of the problem leading us to destruction. As the saying goes, humans aren’t the only species on the planet, we just act like it. We have the capacity to listen to the frogs and to other warning signs, and to make amends in our relationship with all life. It is part of our task as people of conscience to find new meaning in being human, to lower the volume of our selfishness and realign our ways of life. 

Perhaps, as we approach the path of peacemaking and environmental stewardship, if we feel overwhelmed, we can let out a deep breath. Release the resentments and the fears that get in our way. Taking a break from leavening, de-puffing our egos, bringing more simplicity into our lives does not need to be a process of deprivation. Instead, simplicity can bring serenity. Gratitude for the world around us and our place in it can bring joy, even as we also acknowledge pain. Simplicity and humility as environmental values can lift us up as well as help us repair the planet. 

A third item on the seder plate that speaks to ecological values is the maror, the bitter herbs. The role of maror is most often played by horseradish these days. In the telling of the Passover story, maror symbolizes exploitation and suffering. As it says in the story, “They embittered their lives with hard labor–with clay and bricks and with all kinds of field labor. In all their work, they worked them ruthlessly.” (Exodus 1:14)

This part of the story not only sets the scene for why the people longed to go out from Mitzrayim, but also reminds us why we have to be vigilant in every generation. When a stranger comes to dwell with us, we must not mistreat them, but must love that one as we love ourselves, because we were once strangers in the land of Mitzrayim. (Exodus 12:48)  

Pharaoh’s exploitation of the land and of the people go hand in hand. Both apply an ownership ethic to what should be a relational ethic, and both have disastrous consequences. As Rabbi Bernstein writes, “An empire could amass vast amounts of grain, and as long as there was a place to store it, the empire could become enormously rich. The richer Pharaoh grew, the greedier he grew, the more he oppressed our people.”

Don’t we find the same connection in our own time? The same places where corporations are allowed to wreak havoc on the environment are the places where poverty is persistent and labor rights are repressed. Justice for the earth and justice for the people are inseparable projects. The maror on the seder plate reminds us that we cannot heal the earth, we cannot find peace for ourselves, while others are oppressed. 

In these times, there is no shortage of bitterness to match the maror on the seder plate. The sound of my heart breaking, of many of our hearts breaking, is a constant undercurrent, given the violence in Israel/Palestine and the Antisemitism and Islamophobia that are salient in response. I am overwhelmed by the human and environmental cost of the longstanding disrespect for Palestinian human rights, the horrific attacks on October 7 by Hamas, the bombs dropped by Israeli Defense Forces without regard for civilian lives, the unanswered cries of Israeli and Palestinian activists who have been working together since long before October 7 to find a peaceful solution to share the land in liberation and abundance. There are a lot of broken relationships to attend to. 

I am going to continue to hope, and to do what I can to relieve as much suffering as I can, because the message of liberation in Passover tells me that every human deserves to live in dignity and safety, and that we can live in sustainable ways that are unimagined in the narrow places. 

There is a refrain toward the end of the seder, “next year in Jerusalem.” While it may be literal for some, for most of the last couple of thousand years it has been meant as metaphorical. This year, our achievement of wholeness and justice and mercy is incomplete. Next year, may all experience peace and abundance and balance. The seder celebrates going out from Mitzrayim, yet also makes space for longing, knowing we are not finished in the journey to liberation. In this spirit, Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife has written a new version of a prayer for this year. It’s called “Lo Dayenu,” meaning “It is NOT enough.”

If we gather around the Seder table in joy and don’t make room for tears, lo dayenu.

If we tell our ancient story and don’t make room for the modern one, lo dayenu.

[Find the rest of the prayer here. It ends like this.]

When we believe in freedom – for us and for everyone – and we commit to working towards it, only then will we be able to say DAYENU!

So ends the reading. There is much repair work to be done in our relationships with our deepest selves, with each other, across identities and nations and cultures, and between humans and the earth. This year we witness brokenness, and yet we hope. Next year may we find wholeness. 

Pesach, matzah, and maror are just three symbols in a season that is rich in symbolism, metaphor, story, and song. Each one calls us back to relationship with the earth and with human justice in a different way. Reminders of sacrifice from ancient days lead us into an ethic of reciprocity. We remember that we are part of something larger than ourselves, and that we owe our thriving to the interdependent web. The simplicity of matzah invites us to take a break from things we can do without, certainly things like selfishness and perfectionism, but also things like despair. Maror reminds us of bitterness, and of the ripple effects of dehumanization. May we cultivate a sense of mutual belonging, doing justice, loving kindness, and traveling humbly with all of the beings with whom we share life. May we find meaning and purpose this Earth Day, and may our celebrations lead to peace and justice. 

May it be so. 

[communityinclusion]

My Journey in Alaska: Its Beauty and Natural, Breathtaking Landscapes

Clara S. Muchunguzi is a 2023 Fellow in the Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Civic Engagement. This program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is administered by the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston in partnership with Humanity and Inclusion (HI). The following blog post was written by guest author Clara S. Muchunguzi.

This long-awaited journey started on May 3, 2023 when I landed in Boston and received a warm welcome from Heike and Christa, our very own PFP team leads who have been very supportive and made sure this was a dream-come-true trip. May 4 was a brand-new day, and, despite the jetlag, I got an opportunity to wander around Boston. I visited the very old, legendary, and iconic university of ancient times — Harvard University, which is still rocking and a dreamed university of many, including myself. It was mesmerizing to learn the fairytale of John Harvard’s monument: that when you touch his foot, it brings good luck. I had to try mine. Who knows? I may get my PhD there, or my son, Jayden, may go to school there, so fingers crossed. It was so enticing, and I wish I had more days in Boston.

When I learned that I was going to Alaska, I had so many questions. I had barely heard of Alaska, and I had so many thoughts about what I would see there. Surprisingly, I had a wonderful four weeks of exploring, learning, and fantasizing in Anchorage, Alaska. Seeing the natural beauty of Alaska and its breathtaking landscapes brought some dazzling feelings. I am grateful for my host, Jessica Harvill, who welcomed me to her beautiful home and took me to view the beauty of the well-arranged Chugach Mountains of Alaska that were decorated with snow. I met noble people from the University of Alaska Center for Human Development and connected with brethren from different organizations. I learned their ways of life and the work they do in bringing meaning to life and to people that need special attention.

Clara (left) wood polishing materials to be used in artwork design at Hope Studio, an organization that works with people with disability.

Wildlife Encounter at the Alaska Zoo

I was mesmerized by the renowned, diverse wildlife I encountered at the Alaska Zoo, a lifesaving place for orphaned and injured wildlife animals with its own unique history. I had unforgettable moments at the zoo as I witnessed moose and the majestic moves of the giant bears in their different colors — black, brown, and white. I had such a pleasant feeling seeing the bald eagles — magnificent birds, well-known scavengers, and predators, crafted in unique color in their heads and tails — so admired for their beauty. The eagles are found in Alaska more than any other part of America and carry a spiritual symbol for the Alaskan natives that makes them very special.

Clara stands outside the big cat exhibit at the Alaska Zoo

Cultural Immersion

I have learned many good things about the Alaskan indigenous heritage. I visited the Alaskan Native Heritage Center and learned about Alaskan cultures, architecture, traditional lands and languages, and creative arts, ranging from carving, basket weaving, and sewing to silver smiting. Amazing works represent Alaskan natives, including the underground houses they used to stay in and the equipment they used for hunting and fishing. I got to know the five native tribes: Athabascans, Inupiaqs, Yupiks, Aleuts, and the Northwest Coast Indians. I was so thrilled with my visit to Alaska, and I will definitely visit Alaska again and again.

Clara at the Alaskan Native Heritage Center, standing beside a totem for one of the Alaskan Native society

[inu-mothership]

Inu-Mothership Spotlight Saturday: Sept. 3, 2022: Kaede

Hello everyone! We here at @inu-mothership are very excited to bring you this week's fic rec list! Continuing with our character-centric lists, this week we are featuring everyone's favorite wise and sassy miko, Kaede!

For this one, we have a wide variety of stories for you. In our research, we found that there are stories that ship Kaede romantically with another character, stories that feature her platonic relationships with others, and stories that are Gen fics, often character studies exploring Kaede's mindset at different points in her life. And to that end, we have stories that also span a fairly wide timeline in terms of Inuyasha fanfiction. We have some that are brand-new, that were written specifically for this week's list, and we have stories that date back over ten years. As with Shippō's list, we will be organizing these according to romantic ships, and then platonic/gen fics.

Our list is below the cut! And a special thanks to everyone who helped out this week, by making recommendations and/or by writing some new fics for us! Kaede is a wonderful character, and we're sure you'll agree that she deserves ALL the love 💜

Kaede-ship fics

The Clouds and the Birds (T; SessKaede; complete) by @julyzaa

The Priestess Kaede was eight and ten when she first met the infamous Sessh��maru of the West. And despite only seeing him a handful of times, her fondness for the cruel demon does not disappear even after forty years.

Diamonds in Your Eyes -- Ch. 16: Kaede/Suitor (M; Kaede/OC; ongoing) by thetroll/@moon-ion

Kiss and Tell -- Chapter 17: Kaede/Totosai, Investigator, Tawny (M; Kaede/Totosai; ongoing) by @sereia1313

Spirited Soulmates (E; InuKag; Kaede/Tsubaki; complete) by @fawn-eyed-girl

Higurashi Kagome is quite happy living alone with her cat Buyo. She enjoys running the most popular spiritual school in Tokyo with her friend Miroku, eating takeout, and drinking beer. She has no desire to be involved with anyone--especially because to do so would mean an end to her spiritual power, and thus, her very successful career.

But then she meets National Police Agency detective Matsushita Inuyasha, and her whole world is turned upside down, especially when she figures out they are soulmates. Will she tell him before her growing desire for him overpowers them both? And when mikos start going missing across the country and turning up dead, will she be safe? Or will she give in to Inuyasha, tell him the truth, and let him protect her?

Gen/Non-Kaede-ship fics

Bereave (G; Gen; Kaede & Kikyō) by anonymous

Kaede, in the aftermath of her sister's death.

Bluebird at Night (M; SessKag; complete) by thetroll/@moon-ion

Kagome has been raised by her two aunts most of her life. She owes them everything and she works hard to ensure they'll have it.

She just never expects to have a monkey wrench thrown in to her plans in the form of the most beautiful man she's ever seen.

The Closest Moment to Dawn (M; InuKag; MirSan; ongoing) by @sassybratt9791

They named her Kagome after finding her injured and unconscious on the subway. Suffering from amnesia, she recuperates under the care of a semi-retired surgeon and a fresh young doctor. But when dark and violent flashes of her past come back to haunt her, Kagome begins to wonder if her past was worth remembering. Especially when a man she doesn't recognize quite literally lunges into her life, accusing her of murder.

Encounter (G; Gen; complete) by sadladybug (Ao3)

A year after his sealing, Inuyasha gets an unexpected visitor, and Kaede has an unexpected encounter. A oneshot in which a demon and a priestess meet in the woods and determine the fate of a sleeping hanyou.

Encounters: Chapter 14: Inuyasha & Kaede (T; multiple pairings; complete) by sapphireLavender (Ao3)

Inuyasha is being impatient, and Kaede doesn't feel like dealing with it.

Flower Festival Ficlets -- Chapter 4: Doting & Dutiful (G; Gen/Kagome & Kaede) by AshMish111/@mrfeenysmustache

Kaede resigns herself to Kagome’s fussing as she learns to be the one taken care of for once.

Funeral of a Spider Tattoo (T; NarKik; Kikyō & Kaede; ongoing) by Eravon (Ao3)

Tattooist AU. The story of a beautiful tattooer and a red spider tattoo.

Inspired by 蜘蛛葬刺 by L·Morgenstern. Translation of NarKik fanfic "蜘蛛葬刺" written by L·Morgenstern, originally posted on Chinese forum Baidu Tieba in 2012.

The Greatest Debt (G; Gen; Inuyasha & Kaede; Complete) by NightStar28 (FFN)

On a stormy night a wise old woman has some things to make clear to a foolish young Hanyou.

The Sins & Virtues of the Sengoku Jidai -- Chapter 1: Wrath & Patience -- Kikyō & Kaede (T; Gen; Kaede & Kikyō; complete) by @neutronstarchild

In Sengoku Jidai, everyone can be defined by the choices they make. Sometimes those choices lead them to sin, and sometimes to virtue. Here are seven vignettes, where characters’ relationships are defined by their paths. A sin for a virtue, a virtue for a sin.

Sister (T; Gen; Kaede & Kikyō; complete) by MadHatterLilith (Ao3)

Kaede can't accept her as the sister she knew, no matter how hard she tries.

Someone Else’s Shelter (G; InuKik; Inuyasha & Kaede; complete) by Numisma (Ao3)

It was like he was frozen, half-drowned and waterlogged in time.

Thirty Shards of Inuyasha and Kaede (T; Gen/Inuyasha @& Kaede; complete) by myLink’sLady (FFN)

Stories from prompts about the relationship of Inuyasha and Kaede. A Post Manga story with flashbacks and memories.

Time Again (T; Gen; complete) by Elusion (FFN)

Kaede reflects on time and change, revealing things in her past and how they affect her present.

With One Eye (T; Gen; Complete) by Britedark (FFN)

Who is Kaede, and what happened to her after her sister Kikyo died? A series of pieces, based on LiveJournal prompts.

[joshiemarie]

The Mysterious Spiritual Meaning Behind a Cat Bringing a Bird

The Mysterious Spiritual Meaning Behind a Cat Bringing a Bird

Spiritual Meaning Behind a Cat Bringing a Bird Spiritual Meaning Behind a Cat Bringing a Bird The spiritual meaning of a cat bringing a bird to its owner can vary depending on the context and the individual’s beliefs and experiences. In some cultures and spiritual traditions, cats are seen as messenger animals that can bring messages and insights from the spiritual realm. In this case, a cat…

[redux-iterum]

The Numerical System

Even among the Clans, cats have a difficult time understanding the concept of numbers. They are unable to process them without attaching them to an item or animal (”three flowers” makes sense, “three” does not). Math is practically nonexistent, even among seers and leaders. For this reason, numbers are vaguely defined and rarely discussed.

It may be noticed that zero is not on this list. This is because zero as an idea is extremely hard for a cat to comprehend. Their equivalent is to say that there is “nothing within something” - that is, zero must be accompanied with an object that can be seen and felt. For example, one could get that there are no mice in a field, or there is no water in a dry ditch. Something must be left over in the absence of whatever you’re trying to say is not there.

Continuing on, here are the known numbers in the Clans:

Mi: One. Often associated with youth and weakness. To a warrior, one brings up the images of rogues, stray kittens, an oblivious mouse or bird, or an inexperienced apprentice. One is an unlucky, distrustful number - a superstitious Clan cat venturing out alone may carry a pebble or clover in their mouth to bump their number up.

Maat: Two. The average number of littermates to survive to apprenticehood, a pair of friends or lovers, and a safe number away from one. Loners are actually more trusted if they have a partner with them and warriors tend to work together rather than alone.  Two is a safe, easy number, which makes cats unhappy to stray from it.

Nei: Three. On average, there are three queens in the nursery, who are all likely to have three kittens. Three is in the circle of multiplication, and so it’s a very important number to know. Many superstitions, poems and stories feature three in some manner. Speak a phrase aloud three times to ward off Terror; poems are told in three stanzas; a character may preform three tricks or make three deals, and so on.

Chaen: Four, a number of earthly significance. Every cat can count this high, even kittens. Four is the number of a healthy litter, the minimum of cats on a hunting or border patrol, the amount of feet (and toes on those feet) a cat has, and the age just before a cat crosses into a senior warrior. 

Maneil: Six, or, literally, “two threes”. This number is part of the multiplication list, as it is a pair of threes (which, since two is considered a safe number culturally, is important to the Clans). Six is only really used to mark the age of a kit that is ready to become an apprentice, and to mark the amount of months that apprentice has spent training, since that is the average time needed for a cat to become ready to get their warrior name. Other than that, it’s rarely discussed.

Pel: Five to eight. This is an uncomfortable number because there is no proper word for the digits under its umbrella definition. Though it is smaller than other vague numbers, it is the first of them, and the least varied, making it feel a little off-putting. This “number” is associated with uncertainty, impulse battles, and lying, as cats can bluff that they have a large group without necessarily implying a truly huge number. Pel is skipped over entirely most of the time in favor of four, six or nine. 

Sen: Nine, a number of spiritual significance and the last time multiplication is used in this list. Nine is the age of an elder who is close to joining StarClan, there are nine sections of the Code and nine common punishments when one breaks that Code, and it is believed that the most blessed of leaders and seers receive nine lives’ worth of memories. Nine is about as close to a holy number as one can get.

Sot: Any number between ten and twenty. This is a pretty obscure number, to the point that most cats hardly know what it means. However, it is associated with planned battles and war, as parties of ten to twenty are the favored size for an attack. Unsurprisingly, ThunderClan is the one who uses this number the most. It should be noted that this number can be seen as frustratingly vague because it can mean double of its minimum, giving a cat no solid idea of what a speaker means when they use it without clarification. Some cats have slapped -il on the end to mean its maximum (sotil).

Mirin: Approximately a Clan’s worth of something, or thirty to forty. There’s obviously no way to count this high, but as the warriors are accustomed to living in groups of this size, they can eyeball it and make a pretty accurate guess. The exact amount doesn’t matter over the visual given in a report to a leader or deputy. This number varies between populations, as has been discussed here.

Thlain: A thousand, a million, infinity, or some other humongous, uncountable number. Something completely eldritch or terrifyingly foreign may be said to have a thousand somethings, or have lived a thousand years. Only one cat has had this number stapled onto her description, and that’s specifically due to her incomprehensibility.

[justanotherpersonsuniverse]

uh, ml bnha au

Yep. Here we go folks. Uh I don’t know much I’ll expand on this but it’s here. The quirks that is. Uhm- here we go I guess? Thank you @ghostatjoes and @symphonic-scream and all y’all for the ideas and inspiration.

Adrien’s will be the only on the nose most obvious one. I wanna try and keep these powers from being just the miraculous powers. So this will be a mix of just original ideas and akuma stuff.

Adrien: “Cataclysm” pretty much it’s Shigaraki’s Decay but a little different. It’s this au’s version of One For All. The Destruction Hero, Plagg, passed this quirk down to him when Adrien proved that he had a good heart to be a hero cause Plagg needs a replacement due to an injury causing Cataclysm to slowly start to kill him. Adrien is aiming to save as many people as possible as a rescue hero. (His outfit has a cat motif in honor of Plagg who has a cat head due to an unrelated mutation like how Tokoyami has a bird head)

Marinette: “Growth” Marinette can amplify the life in a living object. Whether this means taking a small flower and turning it a building tall beanstalk or amplifying the healing of someone’s body. However she can only use this in short bursts or else she risks over growing her body causing chronic pains and possible plants growing from her arms. 

Nino: “Bubbles” Okay yeah so obviously Bubbler, but it’s a little cooler? Nino can entrap anything into these bubbles. Sounds, healing packs, explosions, balls of fire, light itself, all condensed into these bubbles ready to be yeeted across the battle field like bombs, med packs, or flash bombs. However they can be a little fragile so he’s working to make them more tough. The bubble solution he uses to make these bubbles are made of his unique sweat. Bakugo style. Don’t ask what it’s made of he isn’t sure either. At least it makes him smell nice.

Alya: “Signal” Not the most offensive quirk, but she can send a signal to every single person in a certain radius that she’s training to grow. Whether this is a message, an image she’s seeing(this can extend to just what she’s seeing in general), etc. She’s also training for this to extent to different signals in the air like WiFi signals so she can send them electrically as well. However she risks heavy migraines with overuse. To make up for her very situational quirk she’s working on upping her physical strength.

Chloe: “Venom/Honeycomb” With Venom she can temporarily paralyze a specific part of an opponent. It’s not as strong as her mother’s Venom or her Aunt/Mentor Pollen’s Venom as it’s a quirk she’s gotten from her family, but she’s working on making sure she’s the most exceptional in the entire class, and making sure no one hears of her other quirk. Honeycomb, which is actually her main quirk and not secondary, gives her the ability to produce a honey like substance that can harden into resin following her will. Chloe refuses to use it for it is unexceptional. She must be like her mother or else..

Sabrina: “Emotional Pulse” Sabrina draws energy from the emotions around her to give her a physical boost. It can go from a strengthened punch to something looking like Detroit Smash. However a draw back can be that the emotions around her can start literally affecting her and somewhat tilting how she may feel. So in an angry environment she herself might start to become angry as well. Hyper empathy basically. And it makes her a little anxious about her identity as an individual.

Nathaniel: “Ink” Nathaniel basically water bends ink into creations he can control, quite literally drawing his creations to life. His limit is how much ink he has. Like that one fuckin Mickey Mouse game.

Alix: “Clockwise” For, at most, thirty seconds, Alix’s speed is super enhanced to an incredible degree, practically breaking time itself. This also enhances her strength and mind, pretty much giving her the spiritual equivalent of that one scene with QuickSilver or that one scene from Over the Hedge. However she can’t go over thirty seconds right now or else her body, mind, and definitely internal organs will begin to face serious damage. To make sure she can track herself, she has a pocket watch that she always has handy to remind her how much time has actually passed.

Kim: “Icarus” Kim can create wings out of a waxy substance from his back that allows him the power of flight. One of the most straightforward power here honestly. Like Icarus however, these wings can melt and can be destroyed. Kim, however, has a small control over the wax which means he could potentially be able to use it for something else, however this requires patience and control, something he lacks. 

Max: “Locker” Pretty much, Max is able to set a “marker” on any enclosed space (of a arm reachable size, spanning from a literal locker or a luggage bag) and from anywhere in a 4 mile radius (that he can train to grow) Max is able to “reach into inside” and grab anything that’s inside there. However this space must exist, it’s not a pocket dimension, and so are the objects inside as well. This quirk is useful for holding emergency equipment or grabbing a quick weapon. However it has to be something he can actually hold and something he has already put in there, so he must calculate what would be useful so he can prioritize space and what he should bring with him. 

Ivan: “Minotaur” Gives him attributes akin to The Minotaur. Though his appearance is mostly human, it does become more and more beastly as his anger or need to use his power rises. 

Mylene: “Fear” Mylene gets a boost of power from the fear around her, which she has the ability to enhance to terrifying levels, leaving her victims in states of trauma and distress if she doesn’t control its degree. This quirk mutates her slightly to be akin in some way to the form of the person she’s using her quirk on’s fear. However she herself is easy to be scared so this backfires most of the time.

Juleka: “Vampire Bat” She can do anything a bat can do! Plus a bloody bonus. She has the power of echolocation which, if trained, can possibly knock down a small target. She doesn’t have wings but is working to incorporate some kind of glider into her hero design. As for that vampiric bonus, she has minor control over blood, able to bend it at will, however at this moment, the best she can do is make someone dizzy through a few edits with their blood stream.

Rose: “Perfume” Rose is able to admit a powerful perfume like gas which, upon inhaling, can reduce the victims into a drowsy state of mind. However she’s the only one immune to it so she must be extremely careful with how she uses it and who's around to possibly inhale it. A strange side effect from this quirk is that there’s a slight green tint to her blush.

Extras-

Luka: “Synesthesia” like the actual condition of synesthesia, he is able to visualize and conceptualize sound on different levels of understanding. With this, his hearing is incredibly sensitive and simply pressing an ear against the wall could help him develop an map of the entire building. He claims to hear the souls of others as well, which is supported by his ability to tell from illusion or reality just by his sense of hearing.

Kagami: “Storm” She has the entire essence of a storm wrapped up inside her. Though it may be confused with Class 1b’s Aurore Beaureal’s quirk “Weather” if you were to mistake those two, you would certainly get a lightning bolt to the stomach. Kagami’s quirk has been part of her family for generations, and as the up coming member of her hero family’s legacy, she is planning for no one to be in her way.

Marc: “Origami” Has complete control over paper and can manipulate them to become any creation they can think of, getting said creation’s attributes. So if Marc made a origami dog it might start barking and it’s teeth might become sharp enough to actually pierce skin, same if Marc made a paper sword. However the limitation is how much paper Marc actually has.

Lila: “Whistle” Lila can manipulate a person’s perception through the power of her whistle, causing possible hallucinations or problems in their sight. However it’s controlled by her whistle and it’s power so breathing exercises are important for her to do. To make things easier, she has taken up using the flute to better enhance her quirk. 

Maybe in a different post I’ll talk about the different pro heroes, vigilantes, and villains.

[fatal-rewrites-warriors]

Want to think of more religious/spiritual ceremonies you say? Well don't mind me sliding on in here. Are there any special kinds of burials outside of yeeting a motherfucker under a soul tree? Is there symbolism behind where someone is buried and what is around them? Any special ceremony for a newly chosen healer? Do any of the Town Cats have ceremonies of their own? Do they name their kits before 3 moons too?

Different burials - beyond just putting criminals beneath soul trees, not really? a cat in the who was particularly celebrated may get one helluva funeral, but nothing out of the ordinary rituals wise.

symbolism in location - yes! in Riverclan at least, a healer will determine a sign from a dead cat to determine where thry would most like to be buried, and to defy that would be very insulting to that cat. thunderclan has a dedicated cemetery where cats are often buried nearby their loved ones.

shadowclan and windclan i havent thought too much about, however the rogues coming in to shadowclan will bring a tradition of carrying a piece of the dead cats bone with them (very taboo to other clans!) which i think would also be paired with a Town tradition of leaving a body for the birds to clean before burying it (also very taboo to other clans)

windclan...hm. i do like the idea of the body being laid out over the course of a sunny day, so that hiverne can put his blessing on the body. this would be done outside of camp, with some herbs to keep predators from digging in. oddly enough, the body doesnt seem to rot during this time, and if it does its considered a warning of many terrible deaths to come. otherwise, the family would choose where the body is buried (sometimes near a favourite place, sometimes with other loved ones)

ceremony for new healers - i like to think that theyre anointed with a specific herb and need to take a vow of silence during their first journey to moonstone to really contemplate their new responsibilities, with some differences between clans

Town cat ceremonies - yes and there are many of varying execution and meaning since Town culture is a lot more decentralized and spread amongst a variety of groups and family.

sometimes they even directly contradict each other! like kittypets with sometimes name their kittens right away, so that when the humans take them to a new home a piece of the queen will always follow, like sasha. sometimes kittypets wont name their kittens at all because they'll just be taken from them, like leopardstar's mother.

the cats that live on streets also have varying traditions. some will wait, some wont. some think its bad luck to name their own kittens, so either someone else must name them or the kittens must choose their own name. naming kittens after other cats is much more common, because its how you remember that one cat who helped you, who you might never see again but who might be the reason your kittens were even born.

hell, i even like the idea of "safe names" in the Town--names so associated with cats who are helpful and sharing that there are plenty of kittens named after them, who were told the meaning of the name by their parent and who will continue that legacy by being kind themselves. a tradition that runs so deep, that cats with safe names who are no longer safe may change their names, or come to be referred to by something else by the cats around them who've deemed them undeserving.

[familyagrestefanblog]

Ml analysis: Native American miracle box

While is it obvious that the new miracle box is of native American origin I still went to do some research on it to see if I can narrow it down to a certain tribe and find more connections hidden in the lore.

So not to waste any time, here is my result:

The native American miracle box is in possession of the Souix Lakota tribe. Just like with the Ml Tibetan guardian monks represent not only 1 but 4 groups, the native American Miraculous tribe is a combination of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota and where we can safely say that the monks will primarily lean towards the Tibet representation, I would say here we will primarily lean towards the Lakota. Therefore, I will call the native America Miraculous tribe Lakota but know that the other two tribes are included in this as well.

So a dead giveaway for the identity of the ml Tribe is Jessicas Shirt. In general Jessica has the hairstyle, the physical features and the accessories typical for representing an “Indian” character and her shirt is a direct confirmation of that heritage.

On her shirt is an obvious reference to the Lakota flag which pretty much tells us that this is the Tribe we are dealing with. Nice, why cant it always be this easy?

Under the cut I cover three more points to go into more detail, read more if you’re interested ^^

1. The medicine wheel

I must give it to miraculous, using the medicine wheel for the upper layer of the miracle box is one genius move imo.

The Medicine Wheel is a sacred symbol and way of life used by the indigenous Plains tribes to represent all knowledge of the universe. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough time to really get into its teaching and living ways to be comfortable explaining its practice in more details, so in this part I want to cover only what has been directly acknowledged by Thomas Astruc. And that would be the animals (duh, obviously) and the elements.

The first thing I had to learn the hard way in this research is that there is not one "true" way for this symbol to be arranged. The way its used, what animal belongs to which color or element and even what KIND of animal is in it can vary STRONGLY from location to location.

So I accepted that the arrangement can not be pinpointed down to perfect accuracy through research. We were already given all the animals and colors, now all I can really do here is present to you a possible variation of the miraculous arrangement I put together after looking up and trying to understand the differences between the real life ones to continue from here on.

There are only two animals we know for sure the connected color of: The eagle, Jessicas miraculous of freedom and the Thunderbird. In his tweets Thomas mentioned the elements so I decided to include them in the arrangement, how or if they will be incorporated into the show I can not tell you though. But still I wanted the elements in here as well ^^

As already said, the eagle is red and the thunderbird is in the green center. As you can see I put the bear to black, the Wolf to yellow and the Buffalo to white. Those seemed to me the most likely combinations and even if they don’t end up right, it wont do harm to any of this.

Buffalo: white and air because the Lakota have a white Buffalo woman legend where air was one of the main elements she controled and used.

Wolf: yellow and fire. Fire because in Lakota legends the wolf/ coyote is a very unpredictable animal. He's both a trickster and a hero, not always moraly sound but always clever. It's a dangerous but strong and lively nature that I do think the show could represent with the fire element. Yellow is one of the two cases where I was left with this option by default.

Bear: I choose black and water because that's a combination I have seen the most

Eagle: I already know Red and choose earth in combination. At first I thought about putting fire in this place because of its normal association with red but in the end choose earth because I think it's the element that fits the best to Jessica.

But the reason why I decided to include the elements is because of the green thunderbird in the middle. Because where the other 4 animals are connected with the 4 elements, the thunderbird would here represent inner balance and harmony. Of course this isn't it's power, but the layout makes it quite obvious that the thunderbird is the equivalent of the ladybugs and cats yin-yang. My assumption right now is that this is how the show will cover the different types of "balance" although the world cultures it incorporates, but let me come back to this one another time.

2. more cultural references and meanings

The thunderbird represents the most powerful one of this miracle box because the thunderbird is the one animal that is present in every Souix Lakota tribe and holds an enormous cultural and spiritual significance. It is a mythological bird and is associated with several legends starting from controlling the storms, lightnings and thunder to being the protector of the humans and even being a helper of the creation of reality (Reality in Ml are the LB and Cat hence why its place in the middle of the box is well deserved) It only makes sense that it would be chosen for this and I know it may seem cliché but please hear me out, which is why im convinced this is the miraculous of the chiefs.

A couple of details do support this for me but please remember I'm not exposed to alot of native American cultures I'll do my best to get things right but if I do interpret something(s) wrong feel free to correct me.

For one, well, the symbol. While looking up the clothing for a later point I did see a symbol like this on some of the feather headdresses.

Definitely not on all of them, I couldn't figure out if there is a system behind the pattern usage or tied to a distinct area but I do know that it is THERE and not exactly rarely either. Noticeably it isn't a 1 to 1 fit but that is an all time returning thing in miraculous. Real life and historical things like this have to be slightly altered for the show to be able to incorporate them. A great example for this is the old English flag in "Darkblade".

So at this point I'm used to this pattern, so yeah, this could very likely be a symbol they took inspiration from.

The second reason why I think it it's the miraculous of the chiefs is because the piece with the symbol on it looks like one of these

In combination with the feather on it. The feather headdress is also called a war bonnet and was originally only worn in battles and only by the person who has truly earned that honor. Each feather represents a distinct honor earned in battle which is why we see feather headdresses in such different lengths. How this translates perfectly into a miraculous I think is obvious. The headdress is a symbol of true leadership and worthiness of such a status, hence why it were especially the chiefs to earn such impressive ones. Turning it into a miraculous wouldn't change too much about it since such a powerful miraculous is an honor and duty you have to be worthy of as well. Them being originally used only for battles is a perfect fit too, because so are the miraculous.

Then of course once again, the thunderbird.

The thunderbird being the great mythical protector animal of these tribes makes it naturally a perfect fit for the miraculous animal of the great chiefs. The chiefs were not only the leaders they also were the primary warrior in battles which is seen by the war bonnets. Having the Thunderbird be the miraculous of the chiefs highlights their status as the tribes protector in such a genuine way, I personally really really love it.

As the last point of 2. I want to bring up the outside top of the Miracle box and the way its designed. While looking through the clothing symbols and pattern I did notice some that looked similar to the ones on the box. I deliberately tried to find a more recent example of usage because in the end of the day Miraculous is a show for TODAY so if the show used patterns for example that may not have been used in the past but are now associated with the Lakota that’s still valid. So the possible matches for design inspiration I found stem from a picture of chief Arvol Lookinghorse who holds the responsibility of spiritual leader among the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota People to this day.

3. Their location and monuments

Researching the lakota made me think of where this guardian group has its roots, which made me remember something I found on my guardian mountain - mount kailash theory a while ago (I swear right now everything comes back to that theory). In it I showed you the monuments-line around the world always separated by a length of 6666km between each other (basically the height of Mount Kailash) and while I didn't mention it there, there is also one of those "mythical" monuments in the USA.

The bears lodge butte (in Wyoming)

I mean LOOK at this, that is out of this world and breath-taking in every sense of the word! That is a location of a miraculous guardianship if I had ever seen one. Also known under the (sadly) much more well known name of "Devils tower" but this will be the one and only time you will read of me calling it like that. The fact that this butte is still officially called by this disrespectful and bastardized white peoples name is a freaking insult. I'm calling it the bears lodge as this was its original english name.

The bears lodge is not just a monument in the USA it is the VERY FIRST official monument (1906) and the location of the butte also checks out perfectly with the areas the Lakota settled in real life. I couldn’t get the exact scale but I think you will still understand just fine.

Adding to the Bears Lodge butte I also wanna bring up the "other" medicine wheel. Which is, just like Bears lodge, located in Wyoming.

As we know the rest of the native American miracle box is made of the zodiac signs just like in our normal miracle box. Confirmed not only on Twitter but also in the very intro of the New York special.

But the same way the miracle box is similar to ours the Medicine wheel as monument reminded me of something as well. Of course I'm talking about the ritual circle in the Kwami "dimension" of the box seen in “Sandboy”.

And just like the native American monument it is also of "astronomical" nature. Taking a closer look at the Chinese Kwami circle one can see that the outer ring is made of specific places for each Kwami signified with a picture of their "animal".

And in the inner circle is obviously the moon circulation.

Meaning, put very simple, this is a design specifically meant to represent the Chinese calendar and culture this miracle box is based on. Therefor this should also exist for the native american one. My guess Is that for all the boxes/cultures Miraculous is gonna include they will also have an “ritual circle” equivalents for each based on all the different kinds of stone circle monuments around the world, including the medicine wheel of the Lakota.

But not only was the medicine wheel monument used for astronomical purposes, with it the people wanted to give things back to mother nature. They placed things right in the middle of the wheel under the stones so nature could take it back "spiritually" (for a lack of a better word on my part) through their rituals and chants. Which is something once again similar to what we see with the Kwamis.

First if all, when the Kwamis (who are the embodiments of the abstract concepts reality is made of) enter their "dimension" in the miracle box the guardian symbol opens right at the center point, letting them cross the layers of reality.

Second, the Kwamis are obviously able to take material objects with them to the in-between dimension. Supporting and verifying the Lakota’s ritual because at the very least in the ML world its actually true. And thirdly, when the Kwamis try to reach Nooroo they chant as well and once again the collected energy is combined in the middle to cross the layers of reality. Gabriel is transformed though so he, as Hawkmoth, is able to almost take over the connection and therefore the miracle box if the Kwamis hadn’t blocked him.

This shows that the spiritual dimension layers are interactive from both sides under certain circumstances. A normal human being wouldn’t be able to cross the layers and take control like this but the more a person is involved with/ powered up by the miraculous the more power they hold interdimensional. Which is the idea of a ritual to reach the spiritual side of nature brought to a new 11 as TV shows usually do.

 4. The design of the guardian.

I'm definitely not the right person to properly judge this in depth therefore I will just showcase my opinion based on the research.

The way I see it for the guardians design they tried to combine the guardian "look" with the native American one.

The pants, staff and robe-like upper part are obviously influenced by the guardian we already saw through Fu's flashbacks, whereas the colors, the hairstyle and shoes (etc) are kept more Lakota-like. Though, as far as my opinion counts in this, the much darker skin and the eyebrows in comparison to Jessica does make me question if he is supposed to represent the same native American tribes as her. His bushy eyebrows are a physical characteristic I recognize in rarely any real life photos and neither did I notice such a noticeable difference in skin color.

Jessica and the guardian simply do not really look like they are of the same heritage to me, but again, who am I to say this isn't a legit representation? Besides that, it makes alot more sense that this guardian wasn't lost for almost 200 years like the ones in Tibet, so it is a fair option to consider that this black guardian may not be of "original Lakota heritage" but he is simply a worthy man born in this area of the USA (who knows in what year considering the guardians life spans) who was chosen and trained for the guardianship simply because he was the right fit for it just like Marinette.

I think it's only fair to consider that option as well, especially since we have NO official background on him. But that's just my opinion.

 And as the last thing I want to bring up is the symbol on his robe because this is something I'm going to need help with.

We can hardly see it and I've tried my best to find something in my research but I just couldn't find anything fitting.

If anybody has the means and knows if this is a cultural reference as well, I would appreciate it if this knowledge could be shared here as well. I really would love to know ^^