Halloween is a popular celebration, celebrated in Autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere. Wearing scary costumes, carving pumpkins, trick-or-treating and Halloween-themed decorating are all fun traditions partaken on the day. But, how did Halloween came to life? When did this kind of celebration start?

The custom of celebrating Halloween started back in the days when the ancient Celts were roaming Britain and other areas in Europe. It was first known as Samhain (meaning ‘Summer’s End’) and was celebrated at the end of the summer, a time of year when the Celts believed that the line between the real world and the world of ghosts and spirits got significantly thinner. When this happened, the ancient Celts thought that the creatures of the other world, which possessed all sorts of strange powers, had the chance to walk into our world. The Celt’s would blacken their faces and dress up in white costumes to trick their dead ancestors into thinking they were also spirits, allowing them some level of safety on the night when the dead returned.

From the Celts, the holiday passed to the Christians, bearing the name of All Hallows’ Eve, which was the day celebrated before the 1st of November, before All Saints’ Day. Even though the ancient Celtic holiday got governed by a different religion, the power of spirits still existed in people’s minds and they were both respected and feared. In order to protect themselves and their livestock and gain benevolence from the spirits, people used to offer them food, drink, and even portions of their crops. It was believed that the spirits of people that passed away returned to their homes, in search of hospitality so extra places were set at the table and by the fire, making the spirits feel welcome once they returned.

The carved pumpkin became a symbol of Halloween, although it wasn’t the first vegetable used during this celebration – in Scotland and Ireland turnips were carved. The North American immigrants introduced the pumpkin as it was much larger, softer and generally easier to carve figures and lanterns. The first recordings of pumpkin carvings in America date back to 1973 and it was initially associated with the period of the harvest and not with Halloween. The first association between Halloween and the carved pumpkin happened during the 19th century.

Another favourite Halloween custom ‘trick-or-treating’ began in the Middle Ages where both children and adults would dress up and go begging door to door for food in exchange for songs and prayers. A popular song they would use is:

A soul! a soul! a soul-cake!

Please good Missis, a soul-cake!

An apple, a pear, a plum, or a cherry,

Any good thing to make us all merry.

One for Peter, two for Paul

Three for Him who made us all.

The ‘trick’ part of trick-or-treating began when children, who were dressed in disguise, saw an opportunity to extort money and treats through fear of reprise. But, as one newspaper reported in 1927, the acts were nothing more than ‘strenuous fun’ with just a few missing wagon wheels and barrels which were later recovered in the streets outside.

Today, Halloween is celebrated in many places around the world. Children still dress as ghosts and spirits but Halloween costumes can now be anything from super heroes to fairies – it’s more about the dressing up and less about spirits crossing over. Many traditions have remained however, including the carving of the Halloween pumpkin, decorating and trick-or-treating for sweets.

Happy Samhain, All Hallows’ Eve & Halloween!

THE LAST WEEK before Christmas Break saw the Bobcats playing two nonleague games. On Tuesday they defeated the Littleton Butte Volunteers in a competitive game. On Friday the Sinkiuse teams traveled three hours to Chelan and then took a ferry up the long, narrow Chelan Lake to Stehekin Landing High School. Both boys and girls suffered defeats from the Hyaks, but the contests were closely contended and provided good competition.

The Bobcats accepted an invitation to the annual Chesaw Christmas Tournament. Although Chesaw was a much larger school with dominant teams, Spirit considered this tournament as an important benefit to keep the Bobcats occupied, in good shape over the break, and tuned-up to finish the remainder of the league season. An added benefit, the tournament was only about an hour drive. During the first day of the tournament Chesaw easily defeated Smohalla and Spirit’s boys routed the Similkameen River Club Team from British Columbia. The following day the Bobcats showed their best, had several bright spots on offense, but lost by 20 points in the championship game.

After the conversation with Coach Kanaskat, Spirit could not get Kay off his mind. Once again, Spirit tried to contact his one true, memorable love. But she would not answer his calls. It was another lonely Christmas for Spirit. He questioned himself, Can I continue like this? I’m proud of all my work with these kids, but shouldn’t I have more out of life… I guess I’m lucky though, lucky to have a life, but I must do more with this life. The reservation mood seems better, the bands work more closely together, the kids are all doing well in school, there’s the prospect of a brighter future, but what about me, what else is there for me?

After New Year’s Day, the Bobcats continued the crossover phase of the season as they played the five remaining eastern division teams over a three-week period. The first two of those contests were easy wins against the Lions and the Mustangs. But the following game was closely contested with the Panthers.

The most talented player on that team, Baptiste Auld was garnering numerous steals. When he stole the ball he dribbled past everyone and scored. Late in the game the Bobcats lost their small lead as Larry fouled out. Spirit had both eighth graders on the floor simultaneously so Tyee Tulameen was double teamed as soon as he crossed half-court. With four seconds left the Bobcats trailed by two points. Sylix took the ball out-of-bounds and lobbed a pass to Tyee in front of the backcourt foul line. Tyee pivoted square to his basket, took two quick dribbles, and launched a three-quarter court desperation shot. The buzzer blew as Tyee’s attempt was at the top of its arc. The shot hit its mark and the Bobcats escaped with a 68-67 victory. Spirit rushed out to the Tulameen boy and gave him a big hug. The Bobcats felt that luck was on their side as they could not stop smiling on the long ride home.

THE THIRD MONDAY in October found Spirit back in the gym, another basketball season. Spirit loved the game of basketball and he also saw the sport as a nice transition between football and his beloved golf. Each year when he first heard the sound of those leather balls bouncing on the hardwood floor accompanied by a slight echo throughout the gymnasium, goosebumps began to rise, his heart began to beat a little stronger, and Spirit discovered a smile on his face. Coach Sintasket felt exulted with a rush of hope, the hope of making it work, the ambition of winning through precision teaching and well-reasoned planning. It inspired an almost spiritual feeling in Spirit. Each season was like a rebirth of aspirations and gladness. Each basketball season brought the prospect of a wild but joyful ride and he was ready to just let it happen. During those moments he also pondered the origin of the game.

While in college Spirit discovered a book in the Ronald Reagan Library. That reference provided the history of the game of basketball. In it, he discovered that the foundation of the modern game was started by a Canadian physical education instructor who was working for the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. The primary indoor sport was volleyball, but that instructor, James Naismith, wanted to create a game with more running. He used a soccer ball and nailed a peach basket at each end wall of the gymnasium. Players could not legally dribble but could only advance or exchange the ball with a pass. The teams had varying numbers of players from day-to-day, but it was determined, at some point, that nine per team was the best number for the size of the gym. The object was to get the ball into the peach basket for a point. A ladder was placed next to the basket and the instructor would climb it, remove the ball, and put it back into play. Eventually the bottoms were cut out of the baskets, teams were limited to five players on the court, and the game evolved. Since then there have been rule changes almost every year. Spirit felt that this was an important history and it inspired him.

But Spirit was most astonished when he discovered that the actual first game similar to basketball was developed by Native Americans, suspected to be ancestors of the Aztecs. There were numerous differences though. A smaller, solid, hard, rubber ball was used. The heavy ball could not be touched by the hands, but was usually struck by the thigh, chest, or hip. The hoop was made of stone, much higher than ten feet, and positioned vertically. Additionally, the first team to get the ball through the hoop was the winner, but sometimes it took several days for that to happen. There were a few other differences, but many of them were based on speculations from Meso-American archeologists and cultural anthropologists.

There was a large stone block at the center of each court. It was similar to those sacrificial stones presumably used by some Central American cultures. It was hypothesized that the losing coach was beheaded at the conclusion of each game. Spirit thought, If that were true, it would certainly cause the coach to focus on the development of his players and his strategy.

That thought always helped Spirit focus on his coaching skills. He often considered that a loss would mean his death, so Coach Sintasket worked his players extra hard. He also spent hours each week planning new drills, new techniques, new plays, and effective strategies.

We inhabit Earth now as homosapiens who evolved after billions of years from the astronomical events of the cosmos. We are made of stardust. When did we become “human”? It is our consciousness of the spirit that made us aware of the search for union with our Creator.

Early man sought comfort in the four elements of fire, wind, earth, water. These elements helped us survive and as intelligence increased through knowledge, man became civilized. Unfortunately, man became corrupted by temptations and prejudices of his culture. He began to hate other tribes and cultures.

One early culture who stayed to themselves were the ancient Jewish Essenes, who were prophetic mystics in the desert. In the seventh generation from Adam, the Essenes began with Enoch. Some were married and some, celibate. Many were mystics of the desert. Most were vegetarian. It is thought that some of the great Essenes leaders of the Christian world were Jesus, James, John the Baptist and John the Divine.

Here are more of their beliefs:

They confidently put their fate in the hands of God and nothing happens without His will.

They believe in complete honesty and that their word stands true.

They have great skill in agriculture, so they live outside the cities.

Many live in the wilderness.

They defend truth and innocence.

They do not believe in slavery or keep servants.

They live simple frugal lives

They bathed daily in cold water, and wore only linen. Many were revered as prophets and holy men.

They knew the inspiration of music and loved dance and other forms of exercise.

They believe in the female presence in heaven who should be revered.

( As Catholicism reveres Mary, the mother of Jesus)

Every community had an elder and did not act without his consent, but were permitted to use free will. They strove to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, to comfort the sick, visit and comfort the prisoner and protected, and aided the widows and fatherless. Is this not the “works of mercy” in Christianity?

Sons of Light is a story about an Essene family in exile in the year 2125 C.E. They are hiding in the mountains of North East Pennsylvania, in the Appalachian Mountains, and are called the Meek Ones. Society is run by bio-engineered Robosapiens and all must obey the laws of the state. Joram, the narrator, tells of his adventures with his wife, Atarah and their son, Terran, as they visit levels of the Sefirot, the Tree of Life, to help souls acclimate to their new environment.

They finally encounter another Essene family and all unite to battle the demonic spirits for Shaddai, the Creator, to save the souls inside the homosapien bodies. Victory lies in the transition of the spirit to a parallel universe, to another planet, to live the new life in spirit. In a dimension without time, disease, or old age, the spirit entities wait to return to another form of life in a new host body. Their total trust in the plans of Ein Sof give them hope and happiness.

Sons of Light is paranormal, science fiction. It will capture your mind as you involve your heart with the characters. Some are evil, some are just striving to survive and live the teachings of their ancestors. Some readers said that it was difficult to put the book away. They couldn’t wait to see how each character developed, changed and intertwined inside the plot.

Maybe it’s time that more people try to be like the ancient Jewish Essenes.

No one likes deep life disruption.

I’m talking about those deeply turbulent times when things get crazy, it feels like you’re dealing with deep transition, life feels unfair, and it just flat out feels like bad luck.

Some might think it’s crazy to seek out life disruption simply to evolve.

But what if that’s just how it goes?

What if we shifted the way we think about turbulent times in our lives and made it into a good thing?

This is roughly how I used magick to push my life to the limit.

Using magick to steer your evolution is no joke whatsoever.

It’s like a spiritual boot camp where the spirits take you to the next level – but what if you decide mid-way through you’re not ready – that it’s too intense?

Nope. It’s never too intense.

If the spirits are guiding, it’s never too intense.

What’s best for you is often not the same as what we think is best for us.

And the spirits know what to do and how to guide us.

Here are some of the spirits I have used to guide my own evolution:

Lehachiah – Lead you to the lifestyle that is most aligned with your evolution (pushes you gently to the next level)

Yeretel – Inspires you to live a life that gradually pushes you into your growth / evolution through experiencing new things

Keliel – Unexpected pushes you to your new life / through discomfort so that you can grow & evolve in a way that most suits your life path

Ronove – Guides you through your evolution by helping you understand past trials and challenges. Your evolution doesn’t get less smooth, you just understand it more (sometimes the challenges are needed)

Eligos – Pushes you to the next level by influencing your actions to be in alignment with whatever is best for you. Things might get rough, but you will be stronger because of it.

Aim – Power through your challenges while pushing yourself to the next level with a vision of whatever the next level is beyond that. Very empowering to work with Aim for this.

Notice that everything stated here is related to pushing yourself to the next level. Discomfort is sort of part of the journey.

Also, notice that the demons have very similar powers to the angels; they just work on different aspects of the same thing.

I have personally worked with Leviathan to push my magick to the next level.

Nothing too discomforting or serious, but he showed me exactly who I am and helped guide me to my next level (some parts were very discomforting, but that’s just how it is).

Everyone tends to think these spirits are too rough to work with. My guess is that they’ve never really worked with these spirits before at all, or else they’d know they’re all are pretty easy to work with.

It’s always interesting to see and hear which spirits people are working with. Sometimes even the angels guide in others spirits when we seek out the wrong spirits for something.

In my situation, Leviathan came to me when I needed a stronger push with my evolution and he just provided that little extra nudge to set me over the edge.

Have I used angels to push my evolution? Of course.

One of the easier angels to work with for this is …

Pahaliah – Find your spiritual pathway through magick. Guides you to discovering which spirits are best for your magical or spiritual path; gently pushes your evolution to the next level in the process.

She is one of the smoother spirits to work with, but don’t be surprised if you’re randomly guided to work with some of the spirits I mentioned earlier.

This is about embracing mild discomfort in small doses so that you can be better, know yourself better, and understand the world around you – what you want, life purpose etc – without confusion.

Evolution in this way is nothing to fret about.

You literally go through discomfort and life changes anyway, so why not have the spirits guide you to your next evolution. Seriously, what do you have to lose by having a spirit, whether angel or demon, guide you to become better. It doesn’t make sense not to have them help you. Things can only get better with their guidance.

This is why I pushed so hard with my own development.

I didn’t realize I spoke to Leviathan a few times through meditations and he wanted to work with me more directly – it was pretty unreal to realize that the spirits can help in that way and they honestly make everything a lot easier. You just understand things a lot easier.

I’m not saying you have to work with a demon or angel (elementals, Greek and Sumerian Gods, the Old Ones, and Baphomet are all also very good) but having your evolution guided by a spirit can only be helpful – it is NEVER a bad decision. Ever.

So even if you’ve never thought to use magick for something like this, why not reach out to some spirits to see how they can help you out?

THE NEXT CONTEST for Spirit and his Bobcats was slated with the Idaho team in Sawtooth County. Spirit had not played this team, the Grand Forks Falcons, in a long time. He was confident, but Spirit remembered from years earlier that they were tough at home. The mood was upbeat all week; however, Spirit continued to work his team strenuously.

Finally, Friday arrived and the boys boarded the bus at noon. This was another long trip but almost two hours shorter than the first outing of the season. The team headed to Spokane, south on Highway 195 and then they wound through dozens of rolling Palouse hills as they took a number of paved backroads to get to Highway 95 and south to their opponent. This was a pastoral setting of alfalfa pastures and freshly plowed wheat fields interspersed with gently sloping hills framed by the majestic Sawtooth Mountains.

For the coin flip Larry called heads. It was heads and the Bobcat captain elected to receive. At first it was a slow march up the field as the defense keyed in on the talented Skosum running backs. Larry finally hit Mac with a long pass downfield and the Moses boy gave the safety his right hip, took it away, spun left, and went 50 yards for the touchdown. But out of the corner of his eye, Spirit spotted a late flag on the field – holding! Spirit stared at his linemen as they held their palms up and shrugged shoulders. Spirit asked the referee, “Who committed the holding?

The man in stripes answered, “Number 63.”

Spirit looked around, did a double-take, and responded, “The Falcons have a number 63, but we don’t. Who did the holding?” But the referee ignored Spirit, ran to the opposite side of the field, and exchanged positions with the far sideline judge who marked off ten negative yards from scrimmage and the down was repeated.

Larry was frustrated because he was certain that nobody violated the holding rule. He called the same play but the Falcons were ready for it. The defense intercepted the pass and ran the fifty yards back for a touchdown. The game continued like that. Usually when the Bobcats got long yardage a flag was thrown. The deepest frustration for Spirit and his team – numerous violations by the Falcons, but only an occasional call went against the home team. Coach Sintasket dearly wanted to scream at the Idaho referees, but stopped himself. More than anything, he wanted to teach the boys good sportsmanship. As Spirit was struck with a hard headache accompanied by a narrow tunnel of his vision and flashing stars like the snow on a TV screen without reception, he momentarily thought, That ref’s face looks a lot like a vicious animal.

The game continued like that with only an occasional touchdown from either team. Larry complained to the back field judge, “They’re holding, taking cheap shots, and grabbing our face masks.”

The ref responded, “You’re a big boy, play ball.”

Larry called a deep pass on the next play. He stayed in the pocket but a defender broke through and illegally hit Larry at the knees. As Larry went down hard with a yell, no flag was thrown. He had to be helped up and could not put weight on his left foot. Spirit called a timeout and put Chase-In-Winter, Jr. in at the quarterback position. Abel applied ice to Larry’s leg and tried to reassure the boy that everything would be okay.

With only a minute left and down by six points, Chase handed the ball to Swift. The hole closed before him, a broken play, and Swift sprinted towards the Bobcat bench, turned the corner upfield, and then up the sideline, to the thirty, twenty, ten. He was pushed out of bounds… and then a late hit while on the ground… a hard hit by one of the smallest Falcons, a helmet to the back. The offender popped up quickly and there was no flag. Swift could not get up. The game was stopped until he could be helped further off the sideline. An EMT looked at Swift and suggested he be taken to the hospital. Abel and Swift’s dad piled ice packs on the boy’s back. After 30 seconds of play the game ended. The home team won 30-24. Mr. Skosum, and Sylix helped Swift to the truck and they headed north on Highway 95 to the Kootenai County Hospital in Coeur d’Alene. Larry was helped by Mr. Lillooet to his truck and they followed the Skosums north.

There was a long wait at the emergency room. But by one o’clock in the morning it was determined that Larry had a sprained knee, and Swift had swelling around the lower spine and a bruised back muscle. The on-call-physician recommended no football for three to five days depending on conditions. For both boys she recommended ice, on-and-off every twenty minutes for the next 24 hours, and a couple of ibuprofen every six hours for three days. She also gave each boy two hydrocodone and a prescription for twenty more as needed for pain. On Saturday afternoon both fathers informed Spirit of their sons’ dispositions. Mr. Lillooet saved four of the opiate pills for Larry’s pain and threw the rest in the fire. He was well aware that an epidemic of addiction was on the rise. Spirit was concerned but relieved that his players were not in too serious a condition. He thought, It could’ve been much worse.

It is not just sex demons like the Incubus and Succubus who have been noted for showering their lustful advances on humans. There have also been numerous cases of ordinary ghosts and spirits who have behaved in a similarly erotic fashion. Many of these amorous phantoms have even appeared stark naked to those who have witnessed them.

Many nude or semi-nude apparitions have been reported from all over the world since time immemorial. Some of these sexy spirits have been friendly, but others not so. Here are just a few cases of both versions of these lustful entities.

In a certain church just on the outskirts of Ipswich, a naked phantom is reported to haunt. This spirit is said to be that of a man, with quite an unpalatable appearance, and was first experienced by a carpenter in June 1953, while he was working on some alterations in the big old property. He claims that whilst he was working on some panelling, a musty smell assailed his nostrils. Then one of his white dustsheets came through the pantry, with what looked like a head on it. Initially he assumed it was just his workmate playing some prank on him, and so he ordered him to stop larking around, whereupon the figure dropped the sheet to reveal a denuded entity with blotchy skin the colour of old parchment.

The ghost was believed to be that of a parson who’d once resided in Rattlesden and had been interred under the house instead of an ordinary grave.

James Mann, a chartered accountant working in Moray, Scotland, encountered a naked apparition in his old family home in Aberdeen. Visiting the house one summer’s day, James found all his relatives there from India. As there wasn’t a spare bedroom available for him, he had to stay in a small room on the ground floor. It had rarely been used in years, and didn’t even have any electricity or heating. Mann therefore had to read by the subdued light of an oil lamp. He soon got the strange feeling that he was not alone in the room, and he began to grow very uneasy. Then the apparition of a young girl suddenly appeared through the wall. Apart from a flimsy petticoat, she was naked to the waist, and her body was, in typical ghostly fashion, transparent. She floated over to the bed and asked him what he was doing here. Then, with a brief smile, she vanished. Mann subsequently found that other people had experienced the same semi-naked apparition in the house.

In America, in April 1989, a young Hollywood actress found herself sharing a bed with the amorous ghost of Rudolph Valentino. She reported experiencing a heavy weight pressing down on the edge of the bed, just as she was drifting off to sleep, one night in the big old apartment building, Valentino Place, which was a favourite party site for Valentino and his female conquests. As the entity appeared beside her in the bed, and started to press up to her, she plucked up the courage to open her eyes… and saw what appeared to be the ghostly face of Valentino lying on her pillow. Shocked, she fainted. When she came to, she was relieved to see that although the ghost had left the blankets and pillow in disarray, it had disappeared back into whatever spiritual realm it had come from.

In September 1979, a strange case involving a “sexy ghost” was reported to a newspaper in the UK. Two husbands complained that their wives had “walked out” on them because of a rather perturbing encounter with a lustful entity. Apparently, the wives had contacted a spirit through dabbling with an Ouija board. This entity purported to be an old German male, and when one of the wives asked it what it wanted, it spelled out the word SEX. This shocked and disturbed the woman so much that she immediately desisted from talking to this spirit ever again. The woman’s husband also claimed that, one day, he found her bent double in a strange position. She seemed to have taken on the visage of a sinister old man with gnarled hands. The husband tried to shake her out of this weird seizure, but remained impervious to this, claiming that she was “possessed”.

Despite the husbands’ insistence that it was the “sexy ghost” of the Ouija board that drove away their wives, the women pour scorn on these claims, and simply attribute their decision to leave their spouses to “boredom”.

Over the last few years tiki torches have become incredibly popular across the United States. In this article I’m going to give you a few tips on some of the pros and cons of tiki torches and how to select the best tiki torches for you garden.

The first thing to mention about tiki torches is that they have a real flame – this is part of their beauty and the major negative too.

Much of the allure of tiki oil torches is the atmosphere created by a natural flame. Despite all the advances in technology and gas torches and oil flame seems to have a more natural effect. There is something magical in the dancing shadows created as the flame ebbs and flows that a gas flame or electric light just can’t seem to match.

But a real flame can be dangerous and it’s important to treat a tiki oil torch and its natural oil flame with respect.

1. Always make sure that tiki torches are set up well away from flammable objects such as fences and dry bushes. This is important because you want your tiki oil torches to enhance your evening not turn it into crisis management practice.
2. Make sure that your tiki oil burning torches are set up as they were designed to be. For example a garden tiki torches should be planted firmly into solid ground that will hold them stable – if you’re using tiki deck torches make sure you buy the type that are designed to clamp solidly onto your deck. This way if someone inadvertently knocks them while your enjoying your evening they will remain standing.
3. Always use the correct tiki oil torch fuel in your torches. Some people are tempted to burn anything from methylated spirits to oil engine oil in their tiki torches – this is a big mistake – not only is burning the incorrect fuels dangerous it’s unhealthy too.
4. Use Quality Tiki Oil Torches. It can be tempting to make your own oil burning oil torches – but unless you really know what you doing you’d be well advised to stay away from DIY and invest in some professionally made torches that will enhance your garden and keep you safe.
5. Keep children away from the flames.This may seem obvious but make sure you keep lighted tiki torches away from small children. Children can be fascinated by real flames and can try to pull the torch over to play with the flame. If you have small toddlers it might be wise to avoid tiki oil torches for a few years – switch to solar powered tiki torches. These use solar electric battery lighting and are much much safer when there are small children around.

It might seem I’m going a little over the top on “health and safety” but too many people every year are burned and hurt by not taking the correct precautions around flame. See the OSHA website for more details. This is such an unnecessary waste because by following these simple steps they could be enjoying a great evening with friends and family, rather than explaining what happened to the doctor in the emergency department.

So if you want to enjoy a little tiki magic in your garden, with your friends and family – why not take a few simple steps and keep everyone safer?

There is a vast collection of books on quilting in existence today. Spirits of the Cloth: Contemporary African American Quilts stands out among them. In this book, Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi gives African American quilters, an emerging group within quilting, a voice to be heard and an opportunity to be recognized for their outstanding contribution to the field of both art and quilting. Not only does this book outline in detail the beginnings of African American quilting and how it has progressed through the years, it also provides stunningly beautiful photographs of quilts in this genre.

With a preface written by Faith Ringgold and a foreword written by Cuesta Benberry, also quilters, writers and researchers within their own right, Spirits of the Cloth can be considered to be an academic work within the field of African American quilting. As a quilter, researcher, writer, historian, curator and lecturer regarded as an authority on the subject, Dr. Mazloomi's scholarly work provides the uninitiated with a wealth of information on a topic virtually unknown before the latter quarter of the 20th century. The text highlights 150 quilts, referred to by the author as the "stories" of the artists who created them.

Mazloomi discusses how, initially, the work of African American quilters was largely ignored by the traditional quilting community, as it did not conform to traditional, commonly-held practices and beliefs surrounding quilting. Quilts created by African American quilters had, naturally, been influenced by the African culture from which the quilters and their ancestors had come. Even in the quilts of today, the use of bold, strong, vibrant color can be seen in the quilts of their black creators.

It was not until the 1970s that this unique category of quilts came to be recognized and regarded as "official" by the larger quilting community. However, these so-called experts, while taking a step in the right direction, inadvertently caused more harm initially. They stated that African American quilts, in order to be categorized as such, had to fall within certain narrowly defined parameters, and made by black women who resided in a particular geographical region of the United States. This, then, meant that the vast majority of African American quilters were still left virtually unrecognized and unwelcomed into the quilting community, as their work fell neither in the category of traditional quilting or within the newly defined category of African American quilting.

Fortunately, the definition of African American quilting became broader in the 1980s, ironically enough because of the pioneering work of such women as Dr. Mazloomi herself, along with a number of her contemporaries. The first African American quilting guild was formed as a result of an advertisement placed by Mazloomi in a magazine; nine women responded. Today, the Women of Color Quilter's Network has approximately 1700 members, some of whom are accomplished artists, speakers, and authors themselves. Similar guilds have since been formed.

This is a book with rich content and beautifully photographed quilts that cannot be passed up. It is truly a "coffee table" quality book. If you are still not convinced, borrow it from the library. You won't want to give it back.

When you’ve got a case of the blues it can be difficult to see an easy way out of them. By nature, emotions tend to feed off of each other. You might start with a mild sense of sadness when you first wake up in the morning, only to find yourself spiraling down into a full-blown case of doldrums as the day progresses.

Before you know it, you’re focusing in on every possible worst-case scenario, putting a negative spin on everything people say to you, and otherwise spreading misery wherever you go.

Avoiding this chronic state of unhappiness can be as simple as taking action to lift your spirits before you start the downhill slide!

Here are 3 easy ways to do that:

Choose your attitude.

When you first wake up in the morning, remind yourself that the quality of your day is entirely up to you! Sure, unexpected events could happen, but even those can be kept in perspective by choosing the way you want to react to them. One little thing does not have the power to ruin your whole day unless you grant it that power.

Make a little checklist for yourself, and place it where you will see it when you first wake up. At the top of the list, write this statement: “Today I choose to feel __________.” Below that, make a list of possible ways you can feel. Try adjectives like happy, carefree, peaceful, purposeful, confident, relaxed, serene, easygoing, loving, patient, kind, and so on.

Before you get started on your morning routine, read down the list and choose an adjective to describe the mood you want to keep all day long. Then keep reminding yourself of the choice you made if you feel yourself slipping occasionally throughout the day!

Start the day with positive input.

Just like consciously choosing your mood, you can choose to feed your mind uplifting material before it has a chance to absorb anything negative. Keep a stack of inspirational or motivational books by your bedside. First thing in the morning pick one up and open to a page randomly. Read the passage your eyes fall upon first, and take a few moments to reflect on how it pertains to your life.

You can also make this a more interactive exercise by journaling your thoughts and feelings about the passage you just read, or about anything else on your mind.

Step away from the emotions.

Volatile emotions can interfere with your ability to think logically and keep your cool. If you find yourself heating up emotionally when you’d be better off staying calm, remove yourself from the situation for a few minutes so you can detach from your emotions slightly. Use positive self-talk to bring yourself back to a neutral place: “Okay, I’m getting a little upset about this, so I’m going to take a few deep breaths and get very calm and detached from the outcome of this situation.” Imagine taking a few mental steps back so you can see the situation clearly, and you should be able to engage your logical mind more easily.