Tag Archive | magik

Standing Up For Your Work

Mar10
Springwolf Reflections Logo

Springwolf Reflections

Protecting Your Intellectual Property

Sometimes authors, artists or anyone who creates intellectual property may need to submit a request to an individual or individuals who have taken their material without permission. The first thing to know is that your intellectual property is protected through the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Unfortunately this week I’ve had the need (twice actually) to submit a cease and desist order to someone who copied material from my blog without permission and seemed to have claim it as their own work. Never a good thing. And sadly I think it’s some what worse for spiritual material. There is karma involved here after all.

After doing a little research and talking to my legal adviser I thought perhaps others could use this information as well. I’ve shared some information, resource links and the general process here on a new page About The Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

I hope you never need it, but I hope if you do, this information helps.

© Springwolfs Hanko

© 2013 Springwolf, D.D., Ph.D. Springwolf Reflections / Springs Haven, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

The Blue Bottle Trees

Mar2

bluebottletree2Warding Off Evil Spirits

Oral traditions are very important, especially in society today. We are over run and inundated with TV, computers, smart phones and tablets that provide us with an inconceivable number of videos, movies and other types of entertainment. Because of this modern technology, our old stories are being lost and forgotten.

Author/Storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham and storytellers like her, have became concerned over the loss of our old stories. Thankfully they are setting these stories down on paper in a series of books that are worth reading. (You can find the Jeffery series by Kathryn Tucker Windham on Amazon).

One of my favorite stories comes from old Appalachian folklore tale called, The Blue Bottle Tree and The Witch’s Heart.

The legend goes like this:
If you place blue bottles in a crape myrtle tree they will help you ward off evil. Evil spirits are very curious. The blue bottles are so attractive that the evil spirits are drawn into them. Once inside they become confused and get trapped. Some variations of this wives tale, continue by adding the destruction of the evil within the bottle. Much like a Native American dream catcher; when the sun rises in the morning it’s warmth and bright light destroys the evil that was trapped inside (or within the web of the catcher) so that it can never do harm to anyone again. Continue reading →

The Story Of The Blue Bottle Tree & The Witch’s Heart

Mar2
Blue Bottle Tree

Blue Bottles In A
Crape Myrtle Tree

An Oral Tradition From The South

Here in the southern United States, we have a great many stories and legends relating to ghosts and spirits. I’ve read many account from story tellers suggesting the south has more ghost stories than any other place in the U.S. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it certainly makes one take a second thought about the claim. After all, some of the first big conflicts in this country began in the south. From the invasion of the first white Europeans with Native Americans, to the Civil War and on into modern times with the fight for Civil Rights.

Southern Appalachia is widely known for its oral traditions and story telling. In fact the International Storytelling Center is located in the small historical town of Jonesborough Tennessee (my home town). If you have an opportunity for a visit to the oldest town in Tennessee, I suggest going during the first full weekend in October when the Center holds the National Storytelling Festival. It’s a big and wonderful event that draws storytellers and people from around the globe.  One of my favorite stories comes from this festival. The Blue Bottle Tree.

There are many stories about blue bottle trees. Perhaps because this is the first one I ever heard makes this one my favorite. Or possibly because the main character in the story share’s my last name. This isn’t an exact version of the story I heard. But it’s the one I tell today. I hope you like it. Continue reading →

What Matters Most…

Feb20

CompassionDo You Reflect What You Believe?

Those who slap you on the back and laugh with you may be fair weather friends.

Those who hold your hand and cry with you are where true friendship lies.

And if you’re lucky, you’ll find the people who will share your life with you, through the laughs and through the tears no matter when and where you are.

What matters most, is that you’re one of those friends to those in your life.

I spoke with a friend today who was down and almost in tears. Turns out a friend of his, a young boy with cancer, lost his battle with the disease and my friend was notified today.

My friend…we’ll call him Anthony to protect everyone’s privacy..had meet the young boy; we’ll call him Steven, at a racing event. Anthony as it happens is a race car driver. Steven was a big fan of dirt racing and for some time he wanted to meet his home town hero; Anthony. Continue reading →

Happy Valentine’s Day

Feb14

In Love With My Valentine

You are the principle of my moment, without you I can’t decide what goes next.
You are the medium of the plan, without you the plan is just breath in the wind.
Like the song says, there ain’t nothing ’bout you that don’t do something for me.

Evil Wordsmith ©
© 2/14/2011

Happy Valentine's Day

Wishing Everyone A Wonderful and Loving
Valentines Day!

© Springwolfs Hanko

© 2013 Springwolf, D.D., Ph.D. Springwolf Reflections / Springs Haven, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Wish Upon A Star

Feb12

Thank our lucky stars, one fell to earth just for you!

Wish Upon A Star - Cancer Survivors

© Springwolfs Hanko

© 2013 Springwolf, D.D., Ph.D. Springwolf Reflections / Springs Haven, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Our 1st Anniversary Celebration!!

Feb8

The Wolf WithinSpringwolf Reflections Turns One

It’s hard to believe that a full year has passed by already. I’ve been thrilled with the warm welcome the blog has received. The kind comments and wonderful feedback have also been overwhelming and amazing. I’m always surprised when others find my ramblings helpful or inspirational. So I want to say thank you to everyone who comes by and sits for a spell to peruse my articles and ramblings!

When I started the blog, the old site “springwolf.net” only had 130 some visitors. A marketing guru convinced me that an author’s website needs to be interactive, with daily notes and updates. It took a short week, and maybe a few days, to get Reflections up and running. But the year has shown that our marketing expert was right.

February 1st 2012 was our official 1st day for the blog. On our anniversary (February 1st, 2013) and 467 posts later; we have been graced by 30,488 visitors total. That’s over 2,500+ visitors each month; 650+ each week. And we’re still going strong! Sometimes those numbers can be a little overwhelming!

I’d like to make note and say a special thank you to our first Reflections follower; Katrina who has her own blog that is definitely worth checking out: Freedom to a Full Life. And Detre at Face It Creative Coaching, who was the first person to leave us a comment on one of our early posts. Thank you Katrina and Detre for being with us from the very beginning! Continue reading →

The History of Imbolg

Feb1
Paganism

Imbolg – Celebration of the Maiden Goddess

The Festival of Lights & Brighid
By Springwolf, D.D., Ph.D.  🐾

Known as Imbolg or Imbolc. The Old Irish gaeilge  i mbolg translates to “in the belly”. Linguistic historians say this refers to the pregnancy of ewes and links the festival to fertility. As gaeilge progressed and evolved, Imbolg eventually becomes Imbolc. Thus the holiday is known by these two names. So either is correct.

Because the feis or festival is associated as the first spring holiday, it is linked to the returning of the sun, along with longer and warmer days. As such, it becomes known as Imbolc: the Festival of Lights.

In Celtic ceremony, Imbolg falls between the Winter solstice and the Spring equinox on February 1st or 2nd in the Northern Hemisphere and August 1st in the Southern Hemisphere. Continue reading →

The Importance Of Mind/Body/Spirit Thinking

Jan30

crystalwolfHow To Develop Your Spiritual Consciousness Connection

Every animal on this planet has an inner instinct or insight. We’ve heard stories about Elephants grabbing people and running for high ground as a tsunami approaches all in danger. For centuries, scientists have said to watch animals for predictions of bad weather.

According to the USGS in an article entitled “Animals & Earthquake Prediction“:
The earliest reference we have to unusual animal behavior prior to a significant earthquake is from Greece in 373 BC.  Rats, weasels, snakes, and centipedes reportedly left their homes and headed for safety several days before a destructive earthquake.  Anecdotal evidence abounds of animals, fish, birds, reptiles, and insects exhibiting strange behavior anywhere from weeks to seconds before an earthquake.  However, consistent and reliable behavior prior to seismic events, and a mechanism explaining how it could work, still eludes us.

As human beings we are part of that animal kingdom with an inner ability to sense the unseen subtle changes in energy around us. But many have lost or turned away from these natural instincts. They have degraded those who do believe in these inner instincts, ridiculed those who are in-tune with these abilities and vilify those who try to explain and teach others to connect to and talk to their natural intuition on a daily basis. Continue reading →