Diwali lights for Vi

I have just been down to the Gypsy Camp for a cup of tea, and they tell me that as November 1 is also Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights, they will be hanging up lights through the trees and the caravans in honor of the Goddess Lakshmi, who brings good fortune.

The Gypsy King has decreed that Vi will be a Goddess for her birthday and that it will be celebrated with lights - doesn't matter what kind, candles, stars, sun shine, sparkling gems, lanterns, campfires - Vi will be bathed in the light of our love and respect for her.
I will be taking my little statue of the Goddess that I have refurbished for this year's Diwali festivities:



Lakshmi is the Goddess of Good Fortune and is a lovely diety to welcome into your life.
If you want to know more about Diwali, try http://www.diwalifestival.org/

It looks like October 31/November 1 is going to be a busy time with so many festivals and celebrations to attend, but I hope you can make it to the Gypsy Camp for Vi's Festival of Lights.

Next celebration: a birthday

Thank you all for helping to celebrate Pearl Day. The next celebration at the Gypsy Camp will be for Vi's birthday on November 1. As Vi spent her last birthday in hospital, the gypsies are going all out to make this one special. The Gypsy Chief has marked her dance card and is looking forward to stepping out with her.
be there or be square!

Pearls for Carol and Paul from Sylvia

Pearls for Carol and Paul

love

Sylvia

May the pearls of memory be blessed

For Carol and Paul on their wedding anniversary : May happiness be with you always, Fran

Happy Anniversary

Anniversaries are a time to revel in love and romance, it's true. But they are also times to reflect back on all the hard work that makes a marriage. As we know, a pearl--beautiful and sublime--is formed when an irritant gets inside the shell of a mollusk. As the mollusk copes with the irritant, it slowly and gradually forms something quite spectacular. So, too, do the little irritations of marriage create something beautiful--tolerance for human frailties, understanding of differences, blessed patience, and the appreciation of simple presence.

Thirty years of love AND work create a beautiful, shimmering, pearl of a marriage.

Best Wishes to you!

Pearls by Carol

There are 30 pearls on the string, uniform in neither colour nor shape. They slip through my fingers like a rosary as I chant my litany of memories. The 2 green pearls represent the envy I felt when my sister gave birth to the two children I could never have. The black ones represent the loss of loved ones. The irregular freshwater or baroque pearls - depending on how you look at them - represent the times that things didn't go according to plan and went completely pear-shaped and the brightly coloured, almost iridescent ones represent the wonderful holidays we have been lucky to have abroad in exotic places. I note with sadness that the black ones are more frequent now. In between are the plainer pearls untinged by sadness or excitement but happy nonetheless. I count my blessings.

Carol

Enchanteur Arrives With Black Pearls

You all know Sibyl! She is never one to be coy and shy and loves to make a grand entrance at a party. Personally I think she is wild as tonight. Not sure what she has been sipping in the tea rooms but I most certainly want some of what she is having.

Happy Anniversary Carol.

A Sea for the Pearls - Happy Anniversay Carol

Raven Brings Black Pearls

Raven flew into the Gypsy Camp with his gift for Carol and Paul. Paul will have to be content to admire his wife of thirty years wearing this string of black beauties.

Happy Anniversary Carol and Paul. Let us pop the champagne corks and drink to you having many happy years together.

30 Pearls

Thirty pearls:


One for the first sunrise you saw together,
One for the laughter,
One for the tears;
One for the shared private jokes,
One for the comforting arm;
One for the long searching talks,
One for the peaceful silences;
One for discovering together,
One for remembering together;
One for the little things you do for each other.

One for the journey you are taking together,
One for the stumbles on the path,
One for the companion at your side;
One for the word that calms your troubled soul,
One for the soul you share;
One for the gift you still treasure,
One for the joy of having something to give;
One for the dance you started together,
One for the steps matching yours,
One for the music only you and he can hear.

One for the moment it all came together,
One for the trust you place in each other,
One for the faith that keeps you together;
One for the star you follow together,
One for the light that guides you,
One for flame you lit in each other;
One for the warmth you share with each other,
One for the shelter you give to each other;
One for the things that endure,
And one for the things you learned to let go.

Happy 30th anniversary to you both.

A String of Pearls

Pearls strung
On simple string
Strung carefully, one by one
by creative travellers
Gather, forming a
Glorious, glittering necklace
Coveted by bower and magpie
So beautiful that
The powerful all seeing retina must focus to see
The hidden beauty of each single pearl
Gathered along the winding labyrinthine pathways of
The Soul Food Silk Way

Raven Visits the Gypsy Camp

Weaving Through The Gypsy Camp

Old friends are here once again,

billy tea and wise tales,

feeling the breeze of Duwamish,

weaving through the gypsy camp.

Gift for the Chief,

a bright red bloom,

brought from

Nature's isle.

copyright word and image Monika Roleff 2005.

September 27 - Let's party!

Don’t forget there is a celebration on September 27 for Carol’s 30th wedding anniversary at the Gypsy Camp.The theme is pearls, obviously, and I am hoping everyone will send a greeting, a poem or a picture with a pearly theme. How about dressing up as pearly Kings and Queens? I am sure I spotted some costumes growing at Pandora’s wardrobe.If you want to know more about Pearly Kings and Queens, go to
http://www.pearlysociety.co.uk/

Meditating at the Crossroads

I have arrived near the glade and I am sitting at the crossroads meditating upon my future directions. I am wearing green to represent my connection to the earth. Note that all my important symbols are present.

Pegasus, winged horse of my beloved Muse, upon whose wings of imagination I fly,
The Raven to my right, bringing messages from around the world
A cup of Castalian Water from Delphi Greece, the waters of creative inspiration
A graceful black swan, a true Australian
The limb of a Cypress, my tree, is ever present
and last but not least,
Statement beads, helping to express my an artistic side.

Guide me wise Gusari! Help me choose a pathway that will nourish my creativity. Tell me what I need to release in order to move forward toward my destiny.

Gypsy Poetry

I no longer have a mother
Or a black-haired father.
I have been left alone
Like a fallen tree.

But that tree
Is not quite alone:
The cold wind blows
And touches its branches.


~anonymous gypsy poem written some time ago

Tarot reading from the Rom woman

another reading of my tarot...lots for me to think about.




Four of Wands in the Past position.A card in the left position indicates what has happened to affect your question in the past.You have achieved a satisfying goal. Take time to celebrate this. Be proud of what you have done.













Knight of Swords in the Present position.A card in the middle position indicates what is affecting your question at this time.You are in the midst of something. You know exactly what you want to do and precisely how you are going to do it. You are very single-minded right now. Your goal is in sight.




Queen of Swords - Reversedin the Future position.A card in the right position indicates your questions future.Be aware of depending too much on order. Remember to be flexible when things don’t go your way. Allow others to behave as they believe right. Your ways are not everyone’s ways. Do not divorce yourself from your emotions in an effort to protect yourself.

Rom Woman

This beautiful Rom woman has such an air of mystery. I hope she can shed some light on my own mysteries--I plan to have my fortune told once again in the Gypsy Camp.

A Song for the Gypsy Chief

I happened upon the Gypsy Camp as I travelled through Lemuria. The Chief asked me to join their party for the evening. We shared a meal and afterwards sat around the fire singing songs.
I shared a favourite of mine by Irish singer Christy Moore.

The Voyage

I am a sailor, you're my first mate
We signed on together, we coupled our fate
Hauled up our anchor, determined not to fail
For the hearts treasure, together we set sail

With no maps to guide us we steered our own course
Rode out the storms when the winds were gale force
Sat out the doldrums in patience and hope
Working together we learned how to cope

Chorus: Life is an ocean and love is a boat
In troubled water that keeps us afloat
When we started the voyage, there was just me and you
Now gathered round us, we have our own crew

Together we're in this relationship
We built it with care to last the whole trip
Our true destination's not marked on any charts
We're navigating to the shores of the heart

The gypsies are on the move...

The gypsies have heard the creaking of wagons and the sound of donkey's hooves on the road, so they are packing up and heading for Duwamish. They will find a camp ground there and open up their fortune telling tents. The Gypsy Chief wants all travellers to know they are welcome if they see the camp along the road to ride along with the tribe and share songs and stories about the journey.

Chocolate Offering for the Gypsy Chief

Watch out for the Mulo on All Hallows Eve

The gypsies have many rituals and beliefs about death. The strongest one is that a gypsy must die in a good way, or he or she will come back for revenge as one of the Mulo, or living dead.
It is traditional for the dead Gypsy to be cremated with all his or her possessions, including the caravan (varda). There is no unseemly squabbling by relatives their inheritance, because there is none – relatives only get what the person chooses to give while he or she is still alive. Anything taken from a dead person is considered bad luck, bad luck. To buy or sell things belonging to a dead person is extremely bad luck, and will surely result in that person coming back as a ravenous wolf or evil spirit.
On June 30, 2003, the UK `Gypsy King” Joseph Smith, was given a traditional Romany Funeral at Brecon, in Wales. Joseph’s modern caravan was burnt with all his possessions, also he was buried in a coffin. (Modern sensibilities to gypsy rights doesn’t quite extend as far as burning the body). http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/3031922.stm

The Gypsy Chief has told me he is particularly fearful that a Mulo, a gypsy vampire, has been seen in the hills above the camp. The Mulo is a terrifying creature, with no bones, and only three fingers on each hand. The Gypsies will all wear red on All Hallow’s Eve, to ward off evil spirits – the campfire with not be permitted to go out – and it is advisable to tie a small piece of iron to a string and wear it round your neck. Hawthorn branches should also be carried – Hawthorn is the only wood that will kill a Mulo .
There will be much singing and dancing and feasting to frighten the Mulo away – she is a life hater, a life taker, and most fears laughter and good spirits. No one will be permitted to wander from the camp fire in case the Mulo is lurking in the trees – and if you do insist on straying off, it will be at your own risk.
The Mulo is a pale thin woman – she may be wearing a red dress to fool you, or be accompanied by two children, begging for a piece of bread to feed them. The children are as ravenous as she, so beware!
If you meet the Mulo on All Hallow’s Eve you will need to be very cunning and quick to escape her.

There is an article on Romany death rituals at the Romany site, Patrin. It mainly concerns modern funeral rites.

http://www.geocities.com/Paris/5121/death.htm

Palm Reading

This trip to the Gypsy Camp, I decided to entertain the Gypsy Chief with a Palm Reading, as I have been working on my divination skills. He indulged me, although I am sure he could teach me a thing or two about divination. Anyway, it never hurts to hold onto a Johnny Depp-looking bloke's hand for a bit!

You have the best kind of Life Line, long and clearly marked. I see good health, vitality and a very nice life expectancy. The wide swooping motion of your Life Line indicates strength, enthusiasm and an improved love life. The small lines you see extending upward from your Life Line are representative of your ability to recuperate. The break in your Life Line may be an indicator of an accident or serious illness. This break is an indication of a sudden change in your life situation.

Your Head Line is deep, long and straight, stretching across the palm. This indicates a logical and direct way of thinking. The straighter the line, the more realistic the thinking, and the deeper the line, the better the memory. YOur line is forked at the end, it shows a descent into second childhood, with its commensurate freedoms.The joining of your Head Line and Life Line at the beginning indicates that your strong sense of mind generally rules over your body. You also look at childhood with a cautious and fearful outlook.

A slight disregard to the true meaning of love and its responsibilities are indicated by a Heart Line like yours that starts between the middle and index finger. You tend to easily give your heart away. Your double Heart Line shows that you are protected by someone who loves you. The small lines you may see extending upward from your Heart Line are a good sign, as they illustrate happiness in love.

You posses a square hand.This is typically the mark of a working, balanced, earthy individual. Most men who've become successful, and have risen from working with their hands, have square palms. This type of hand is typically found on people, who are involved in a practical, materialistic occupation. These people usually have solid values and a lot of physical energy.

*Reading provided free at http://www.ofesite.com/spirit/palm/palm.htm

A song for the Gypsy Chief

While rummaging in Pandora's costumes, I found this absolutely fabulous hat - it makes me feel like Stevie Nicks. So I sang this song for the Gypsy Chief - it's by English folksinger Ewan McColl, who wrote it sometime back in the 60s. I was amazed that a man who was not born a traveller could express our feelings so well - ah, the magic of the true poet. I first heard it performed by the Dubliners in a smoky Manchester folk club. You can listen to a snippet of it performed by the wonderful Luke Kelly at http://www.emusic.com/album/10604/10604059.html
I think the GC liked it, he came over all teary...

I'M A FREEBORN MAN OF THE TRAVELLING PEOPLE
(Ewan McColl)

I'm a freeborn man of the travelling people
got no fixed address with nomads I am numbered
country lanes and by ways are always my ways
I never fancied being lumbered

Oh I've known the woods all the resting places
the small birds sang when winter time was over
then we'd pack our load and be on the road
they were good times for the rover

There was open ground where a man could linger
stay a week or two for time was not your master
then away you'd jog with your house and dog
nice and easy no need to go faster

Now and then you'd meet up with other travellers
hear the news or else swap family information
at the country fair we'd be meeting there
all the people of the travelling nation

Oh I've known life hard and I've known it easy
and I've cursed the life when winter days were dawning
but I've danced and sang through the whole night long
seen the summer sunrise in the morning

I've made willow creels and the heather besoms
lifted taties pu'd the berries and gaed hawkin'
and I've lain there spent happed up in the tent
and we listened to the old folks talking

All you freeborn men of the travelling people
every tinker rolling stone and gypsy rover
winds of change are blowing old ways are going
your travelling days will soon be over.

Challenge the Death Card

Death is numbered thirteen and is the most feared card in the deck. We see the Grim Reaper depicted as a dark and powerful figure, sometimes on horseback and at other times on foot. He usually carries a scythe and leaves bodies, limbs and so on in his wake. Whoever we are, Death will claim us eventually.

The Death card signifies endings, but not necessarily shocking and disruptive ones. In any case, endings always lead to new beginnings and Death itself symbolises a sweeping away of the past. If we rid ourselves of past garbage then we are free to set out on an entirely new path

When Death appears it almost always signifies a major change in one's life. Sometimes the change will appear disruptive and unexpected, sometimes it will be a breath of fresh air - clearing away obstacles and allowing you to surge forward. So do not assume that Death is a negative card - it is often just what we need in order to progress when fear is holding us up.

Change your life today by challenging taboo fears. Turn a skeleton into a stand on your dresser and 'hang' your beads and jewellry all over it. Death will see the funny side of this action and reward your humour.

The High Priestess

Beware of this one…she comes disguised in many ways, especially in the Tarot, where she cuts a benign figure, piously exhorting you to tap into your feminine side. Ha! Do not be lulled. Once she has you in her snare she will hang you upside down by your heels and shake you until your brains are emptied of all your complacent preconceptions and smug assurances. She will cram you with creative energy until you are stuffed full as a Strasbourg goose. She will tease and torment you with glimpses of a reality far removed from your hum drum days until you are twitching and itching to get your hands on some paint, some paper, a crayon – anything to make your mark. Your own, imperishable, undiluted mark, torn from your heart and wrung from your soul, but yours, the sign that you are alive.
Ignore the reader who smiles sweetly and tells you the High Priestess means you should reflect, look inward and seek quiet self knowledge. Laugh at her if she tells you the High Priestess wants you to find a bare cell and pray or study. Shun her utterly if she tells you the High Priestess is the passive female principle of the divine harmony.
The High Priestess is not passive, she is not obedient. She is telling you to get up! Get a grip! Do something beautiful with your life, sing, dance, be!
Do you think she wants to be stuck on that throne, wearily waiting for someone to come along so she can dispense homely wisdom? Hell, no! Before her behind was nailed to that chair, before they stuck a silly crown on her head and mocked her, calling her the `Female Pope’ – La Papessa – before Tarot historians passed her off as the `female aspect of religion’ or `the figure that represents the body of the Church, as the Empress represents the Empire’, or one of a dozen demeaning and completely erroneous interpretations – long before that, the High Priestess garlanded her arms with live snakes, and lived as a lightning rod for the power of the Goddess.
So don’t be fooled by the stillness and serenity. Don’t imagine she will go easy on you. She is you.

It's going to be a real pearler...

The Gypsies are having a celebration on September 27, in honour of Carol's 30th wedding anniversary. As this is the Pearl Anniversary, the theme will be pearls - offer your pearls of wisdom, wear strings of pearly shells, dress up as pearly Kings and Queens. We'll have the barn doors down, Blind Murty is tuning up his fiddle, and the Gypsy Chief will be flashing his pearly whites.

Be there or be square!