A Sabre’s Not For Rattling

| January 23, 2012

Today we’ll celebrate the True Arte of the Sabre in all its lethal beauty. Rarely seen here in North America, this connects with what I talked about in my 16 May 2011 article, To the Point. I assert that society suffered a major setback when it cast aside swordsmanship as one of the essential foundations [...]

We Need This Everywhere

| January 17, 2012

“I wanted girls to gain confidence to be themselves, and not just quiet wives working, working and swallowing all the time their own dreams….” ~ Katerina Tarnouska, founder of Asgarda If you’ve spent any time here, you’ll know a couple of things. First, how much I appreciate strong, intelligent women; and second, that the foundation [...]

Of Doers and Talkers

| January 16, 2012

Doers and Talkers By LFM The Doers and the Talkers Are as a breed apart. While Doers work and get things done, The Talkers never start. The Talker never does a thing But bend the Doer’s ear, The noise he makes comes from his mouth, Not tools and working gear. This happens from a simple [...]

Trails – With Dedication to Laurie Lacey

| January 15, 2012

The inspiration for this poem came while I was reading the intro to my esteemed Friend Laurie Lacey’s 15 January 2012 Natural Healing Talk newsletter. Read Laurie’s words, then mine, and hopefully it will all make sense. Some day soon, Mrs. LFM and Laurie’s Lady Rita, will tolerate Laurie and me sitting by a fire [...]

A Grande Arte

| January 7, 2012

Many of the most entertaining movies I’ve ever seen are in the so called “B movie” category. There is a lot of absolute crap to be found there to be sure, but the number of true gems that one uncovers among them makes the hunt worth while. Once upon a time, in my neck of [...]

A Long Winter’s Night – Hell’s Seasonal Contribution to Child Rearing

| December 29, 2011

As promised yesterday, here we are for a romp on the dark side. What else is new? Northern Europe is home to a rich cornucopia of mythology centered around the doings of entities, deities, and personalities that practice their own rituals at this time of the rolling year. Born of harsher times, these are naturally [...]

A Long Winter’s Night – Harmony

| December 27, 2011

“Relax the Eyes, See The Candle ‘Breathe’ ~ Now Take Time ~ Take Time for Reflection – Thank Your Ancestors, Regain your Direction & Become ‘Ready’….” ~ Master at Arms James A. Keating For those caught up in its currents, a lot of you are now in that all too familiar state of holiday depletion [...]

Of Books and Their Covers

| December 15, 2011

  “In judging a book by its cover, never forget that you may come to be afforded a closer view while you are being bludgeoned with it.” ~ The Large Fierce Mammal’s Small but Weighty Book of Etiquette, Vol. 1 Abroad of a recent evening, Mrs. LFM and I were exiting our local shopping mall [...]

Winter is Coming – And a New Dark Sentiment

| December 6, 2011

About 15 years ago, long before I ever heard of Game of Thrones and the Stark family motto, I was working late into the night alongside a leathercrafter of great skill who was kindly assisting me with a project that exceeded my own abilities and equipment to complete single handed. As we worked, our conversation [...]

This Makes Me Happy

| November 17, 2011

I recently read an article titled Armed and female: States mark rise in women hunters. While it didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know, the article still filled my heart with gladness for a number of reasons. First off, I have never accepted what has come to be seen as “traditional” social structures that [...]