Morning Light XXXII

Image: Subject and photographer unknown.

Soul of the Sufferer

Write George Ewart Evans and David Thomson:

. . . Belief in the transmigration of souls either into animals or other human beings seems at one time to have been universal. The thought behind it is familiar to us all and comes from observation. A parent can often see his/her dead father or mother not only in the character but in the gestures and facial expressions of his/her child and it is natural for anyone who lives among animals to observe in them traits that belong to people too. They were and sometimes still are, invested with human souls by imaginative sympathy; the lion has the dignity and courage of a noble person, the elephant wisdom and the long memory that goes with it, Swallows are skilled and spiritual. The hare is chosen for qualities as varied as its nature and has the soul of the sufferer, the fecund begetter, creator of arts, inventive dreamer, and, principally, of the person who is gifted with an intuitive leaping mind.

In some societies it was not everybody’s soul that could enter an animal. Only the chosen – the wise elder or the child that was born to be a priest or shaman – possessed that power; they possessed it during their lives as well as after death. Like the witches they could shift their minds into paraphysical states, rendering themselves “beside themselves” as we say of people who have temporarily abandoned the controls of reason.

The [following] ritual rhyme of the Scottish witches . . . describes a psychological transformation that went together with dressing up as a hare. In modern English it means:

I shall go into a hare
With sorrow and sigh
and (probably) mental torment.

– George Ewart Evans and David Thomson
The Leaping Hare
Pp. 148-149

Cock Rock

In his "Salute to the Greatest Crotches in Rock," Morgan Short notes that "the crotches of rock singers have captivated the imagination of the world" for years.

As "an embodiment of the mystery, danger and freedom of the music itself," writes Short, "the crotch has occupied a central role in a stirring rock performance."

Continuing, he notes:

Of course, the crotch today remains a valuable weapon in the rock arsenal, as exemplified by the current wave of tight pants bands rehashing the Kinks/The Who sound of the 60s and 70s. More and more women are also mobilizing their crotches as well for the good of the rock. Take Peaches, for example. In recent years, the famed Electroclash chanteuse has turned her crotch into something of a cottage industry for photos, song lyrics and album covers.

His "salute," however, focuses on "elder statesmen and women of rock; those who burned bright, burned big and then (mostly) wilted away." Yet "whether by physical presentation, stylistic innovation or a certain ineffable spirituality," the crotches of those highlighted "will always live on in the hearts of the fans."

Top of the list is Led Zepplin's Robert Plant, who elsewhere on the web is described as the "Definitive Bulge of Rock and Roll."

"The crotch of Robert Plant," writes Short, "should be considered the fifth instrument of Zeppelin. For stripping away all ambiguity as to the proportions, dimensions and angles of his package, Robert Plant is a true innovator. On stage he may have been singing 'Kashmir,' 'All My Love,' and 'Ramble On,' but implicitly he was whispering gingerly into your ear, 'Here is the outline of my penis.'

Others highlighted in Short's "Salute to the Greatest Crotches in Rock" include Freddie Mercury, Iggy Pop, Bon Scott, Jim Morrison, Axel Rose, Prince, David Bowie, Courtney Love, and David Lee Roth.

To view and read more , click here.

Buck

Bucks are very promiscuous and many may be attracted to a female prior to her being properly in season. A male will stay close to a doe, guarding her, until after mating has taken place. Several males will be drawn to the vicinity of the doe from different directions and there may be scuffles as the males are intent on trying their luck and keep harassing her.


Fighting, boxing, scratching and biting takes place and the fur often flies, but usually it is the doe who is the aggressor as she tries to fend off their unwanted attentions.

Although they normally live a solitary existence, the bucks themselves have a loose social hierarchy and they are aware of where they stand in the pecking order, so that fighting among themselves is kept to a minimum. . . . Male hares play no part in raising their offspring.

- Jill Mason
The Hare

Images: Jane Ford.

Tan Lines XXII

Image: Subject and photographer unknown.

Abyssinian Hare

The Abyssinian Hare (Lepus habessinicus) is a species of mammal in the Leporidae family. It is almost entirely restricted to the nations of the Horn of Africa, though it extends marginally into eastern Sudan and may also occur in far northern Kenya. It has been suggested it should be considered conspecific with the Cape Hare, but is considered a separate species based on (presumed) sympatry in their distributions.

- Source

Image: Jeff Kerby.

Merman III

Image 1: Artist unknown.
Image 2: Lanisaz.
Image 3: Elf-Fin.

Morning Light XXXI

Subject: Kent Edwards.
Photographer: Ricardo Muniz.