Let a cat with a stumpy tail lead you to his other cat friends, see a tiny galaxy of sandy stars, some psychedelic art, a funky disco track you never heard before, a poignant lament for lost birds and much more in edition #101, thank you dear friends for joining me 🙂
What does the Aum Symbol mean? A guide
If you are into eastern spirituality you will know this symbol very well. Aum or OM is the symbol of the centre of the universe and ultimate reality. It is the most important of the Hindu and Buddhist symbols and represents the dawn of creation or the vast emptiness.
Here’s a break down of the meaning of one of the most powerful mystical symbols. Via Cool Guides on Reddit
Japanese cat trusts man and so leads him to where all the other cats are
Mystical constellation sand in Okinawa
According to Reddit, the sand is the tiny exoskeletons of ancient marine protozoa which once lived on the ocean floor 550 million years ago. Tell me again how the world is boring? Via Reddit
The False Idea of Who You Are
British Philosopher Alan Watts, has a recognisable and commanding voice and here he speaks to us from beyond the grave about life, self, love, and everything else in an interesting illustrated composition.
Cyril Reginald – Mr No (Version Orchestrale) 1976
This 70’s gent knows how to party in a funky disco song you have never heard and may never hear again.
Trippy frogs and mushrooms by Ilene Meyer (1988)
This quirky, cute and psychedelic art is by the late surrealist painter Ilene Mayer (1938-2009). She was a self-taught oil painter whose work is a stunning example of. fantasy, surrealism, and psychedelic colours and patterns. She rose to prominence when her art was used on the cover of science fiction novels by many famous writers including Philip K Dick.
and here it is full size
Originally tweeted by lookcaitlin (@lookcaitlin) on October 24, 2022.
Imagining a Solar Punk Future: A Library Economy
A ‘solar punk’ future is imagining a future where equity, integrity and ethics are at its heart and where people embrace technology in order to live in harmony with the natural world and other-than-human beings, instead of destroying it. It is an antidote to the pessimism and darkness of cyberpunk imaginings of the future. In this video, Andrewism explains what a Library Economy could look like.
A list of words in English that originate from Māori
There is by no means an exhaustive or complete list because there are many other words that have come into New Zealand English from Māori but here are the most well known ones used. Some are everyday casual greetings others used for more formal or business settings and personal occasions in one’s life: weddings, funerals, family gatherings.
- Aotearoa: New Zealand. Popularly interpreted to mean ‘land of the long white cloud’, but the original derivation is uncertain
- aroha: Love, sympathy, affection[14]
- arohanui: “lots of love”, commonly as a complimentary close[6][7]
- haere mai: welcome
- haka: a chant and dance of challenge (not always a war dance), popularised by the All Blacks rugby union team, who perform a haka before the game in front of the opposition
- hāngi: a method of cooking food in a pit; or the occasion at which food is cooked this way (compare the Hawaiian use of the word luau)
- hongi: traditional Māori greeting featuring the pressing together of noses
- hui: a meeting; increasingly being used by New Zealand media to describe business meetings relating to Māori affairs
- iwi: tribe, or people
- kai: food[8]
- kapai: very pleasant; good, fine. From Māori ‘ka pai’[8]
- kaitiaki: guardianship of the environment
- kaupapa: agenda, policy or principle[15]
- kia ora: hello, and indicating agreement with a speaker (literally ‘be healthy’)
- koha: donation, contribution[9]
- kōhanga reo: Māori language preschool (literally ‘language nest’)
- kōrero: to talk; to speak Māori; story
- Kura Kaupapa Māori: Māori language school
- mana: influence, reputation — a combination of authority, integrity, power and prestige[10]
- Māoritanga: Māori culture, traditions, and way of life. Lit. Māoriness.
- marae: ceremonial meeting area in front of the meeting house; or the entire complex surrounding this, including eating and sleeping areas
- Pākehā: Non-Maori New Zealanders, especially those with European ancestry
- piripiri: clinging seed, origin of New Zealand English ‘biddy-bid’.
- pōwhiri: ceremony of welcome[11]
- puku: belly, usually a big one[16]
- rāhui: restriction of access
- tāngata whenua: native people of a country or region, i.e. the Māori in New Zealand (literally ‘people of the land’)[12]
- tapu: sacred, taboo; to be avoided because of this; (a cognate of the Tongan tabu, origin of the English borrowing of taboo)
- tangi: to mourn; or, a funeral at a marae
- taniwha: mythical water monster
- te reo: the Māori language (literally, ‘the language’)
- waka: canoe, boat[17] (modern Māori usage includes automobiles)
- whānau: extended family or community of related families[13]
- whare: house, building
Other Māori words and phrases may be recognised by most New Zealanders, but generally not used in everyday speech:
- hapū: subtribe; or, pregnant
- kapa haka: cultural gathering involving dance competitions; haka team
- karakia: prayer, used in various circumstances including opening ceremonies
- kaumātua: older person, respected elder
- kia kaha: literally ‘be strong’; roughly “be of good heart, we are supporting you”
- Kīngitanga: Māori King Movement
- matangi: wind, breeze (“Matangi” is the name for a class of electric multiple unit trains used on the Wellington suburban network, so named after Wellington’s windy reputation).
- mauri: spiritual life force
- mokopuna: literally grandchildren, but can mean any young children
- pakarū: broken, damaged
- rangatira: chief
- rohe: home territory of a specific iwi
- taihoa – not yet, wait a while
- tamariki: children
- tohunga: priest (in Māori use, an expert or highly skilled person)
- tūrangawaewae: one’s own turf, “a place to stand”
- tutū: to be rebellious, stirred up, mischievous [18] Used in New Zealand English to mean “fidget” or “fiddle” e.g. “Don’t tutū with that!”
- urupā: burial ground
- utu: revenge (in Māori, payment, response, answer)
- wāhi tapu: sacred site
- whaikōrero: oratory
- whakapapa: genealogy
- waiata: song
- wairua: spirit
Pre-Christian Slavic Symbols
Ancient Slavs believed that water, households and even illnesses were represented and governed by the spirits.
Sorry that I can’t get a bigger version of this
Crows can solve problems but will throw a tantrum when it’s too hard
Amerigo Gazaway – Gratitude (Full Album)
Cruisy, summery, jazzy R&B which will put you into a relaxed mood.
The Lost Birds: An Extinction Elegy by composer Christopher Tin
This guy is incredibly talented and creates immersive, deeply emotional modern classical music that finds the soul inside of his subjects. For ‘The Lost Birds’, Christopher Tin is joined by British vocal ensemble VOCES8 and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It’s a musical memorial to bird species driven to extinction by humankind.
Sweeping and elegiac, it’s a haunting tribute to those soaring flocks that once filled our skies, but whose songs have since been silenced. It’s a celebration of their feathered beauty: their symbolism as messengers of hope, peace, and renewal. But it’s also a warning about our own tenuous existence on the planet: that the fate that befell these once soaring flocks foreshadows our own extinction. Read more on his website
This album’s musical narrative is pastoral and romantic, soaring and delicate, but with the slightest whisper of melancholy. It is a deeply tragic response to the extinction of beautiful winged beings we share our planet with.
Listen to the full album on Youtube
Pretty bridesmaid at a wedding
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Content Catnip 
We are BIG fans of frogs in this household, so thank you so much for introducing me to Ilene Mayer’s art! xo
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