Her Lover's Diary

I remember that day with sharp clearness. It was September. The weather was cool. Not really autumn-cold, wet or uncomfortable, but Indian-summer cool, with a shade of falling leaves. It was morning, everybody was hurrying to work. The first thing I saw was your hand. It found itself next to mine when we stood near a pedestrian crossing. We both wanted to press the button to light the green colour. Yes, our hands met, and you were the first to press that button. I touched your hand slightly, then looked at you. And you looked at me. I smiled at you, and you smiled looking away. I remember walking on the pedestrian crossing. I was listening to your steps, the sound of your heels on the road. I was looking ahead of me, and you did, too. On the other side of the road you looked back at me. I looked at you.  Then somebody called you. I stood there without moving, watching you. You looked back again, twice. Your eyes seemed to call me, appealing me, and repulsing me, at the same time. And then you disappeared in the crowd...

Killing Me Softly

You don't love me and don't feel compassion

You don"t love me and don"t feel compassion 
Don"t you think that now I look my best?
Though you look aside you"re thrilled with passion 
As you put your arms upon my chest.
You are young , so sensitive and zealous, 
I am neither bad nor very good to you.
Tell me, did you pet a lot of fellows? 
You remember many arms and lips? You do?
They are gone and haven't touched you any, 
Gone like shadows, leaving you aflame.
You have sat upon the laps of many, 
You are sitting now on mine, without shame.
Though your eyes are closed, and you are rather 
Thinking of some one you really trust,
After all, I do not love you either, 
I am lost in thought about my dear past.
Don"t you call this zeal predestination, 
Hasty tie is thoughtless and no good,
Like I set up this unplanned connection, 
I will smile when leaving you for good.
You will go the pathway of your own 
Just to have your days unwisely spent,
Don"t approach the ones not fully grown, 
Don"t entice the ones that never burnt.
When you walk with someone down the alley 
Chatting merrily about love and all
Maybe, I"ll be out, walking round shyly, 
And again, by chance, I"ll meet you, poor soul.
Squaring shoulders, ravishing and winning, 
Bending slightly forward, with an air kiss,
You will utter quietly: Good evening! 
And I will reply: Good evening, miss.
Nothing will disturb my heart and spirit, 
Nothing will perturb me giving pain,
He who"s been in love will not retrieve it, 
He who"s burnt will not be lit again.
1925

Sergey Esenin

Russian Christmas Inspiration

The Winter Road

Through the dim and through the clouds

Moon is crowling in the night,

To the fields and to the grounds

Sending its wistful Light.

No home, no fire ,

No something bright and gay,

Only strippen milestones are arising

On the way.

Dullish roads ! In the morning

I’ll look at dear face,

Happy, joyful on returning

After this eternal pace.

Softly clock-spring will be moving

Its untired time-hand.

I’ll forget at fire looking

All this way, this dark and trend.

Alexander Poushkin

Winter Looks

Do you like snow? When it snows, the world suddenly becomes silent, have you noticed? As you walk outside on a snowy day, you can feel how your quiet steps break the silence and suddenly you feel like a fox in the forest as you move through the city...

The Last Way

I was arranging things in the wardrobe of my wife and took a small box that I found there. When I opened it, I pulled out beautiful lingerie. It was amazing! Thin silk of a delicate pink colour and white lace! I looked at this lingerie and remembered how we traveled after the wedding, eight years ago. I remembered how I bought it in one very expensive shop because she liked it. And I liked it also. 

The lingerie was still absolutely new, never worn. My wife took it out often, admired it but she never put it on.  She put it back into the box saying that she was waiting for a special occasion...

And now, the special occasion has come!

Today, my dear, I will put it on you, before I put a dress on you and say "farewell"...

How to Start With Essential Oils

Fragrances: Magic at Your Hand

The legendary fragrances of Cleopatra, ancient recipes of Arabian beauties, subtle and delicate or saturated aromas of healing plants, have they been object of your curiosity? Yet, they are so close: you only need to stretch your hand and get a bottle of scent, and the door to a wonderful world will open for you. This will give you health, beauty to your body, veil you with seductive scents, give peace to your mind or make you braced and confident. Essential oils can work a lot of wonders. Let's see what is behind this name - essential oil.

What Essential Oil Is

The essential oil is the soul of the plant, the most precious thing that it can offer to you. Essential oils are produced by distilling different parts of a plant, not necessarily flowers, these can be leaves or the bark, while the aromas that are extracted from these parts can be very different from one another and sometimes seem even unfamiliar. To obtain one milliliter of an oil it is often necessary to distill several kilos of petals. Truly, this is not only the soul of a plant but also the scented jewel.

Lavender Oil

The Quality of Essential Oils

What shall you start with? How can you penetrate this world of aromatherapy without any problems? Let's see what we have to deal with when we decide to have a collection of essential oils and start making healing balms, mixtures and creams for ourselves and our family.

First of all you need to check carefully the quality of oils, especially those that you plan to take internally, which is also possible. You can hardly find good essential oils in a drugstore. The thing is, the price is important when it comes to the quality of an oil. Exracting and distilling essential oils is a very time-consuming complicated process, so there is a certain price level below which you cannot go.

The best place to buy essential oils is an online store that has worked for several years. The online stores would order oils from well-reputated producers, so their quality can be guaranteed.

The first requirement is the price. Usually essential oils aren't cheap. The cheapest of them are citrus and conifer ones while the most expensive are rose, neroli and sandal oils. But your expenses are compensated quickly, and it's not only the matter of your health improvement and better looks. Essential oils are very economical. Only several drops must be added to a balm or any other substance. Because ou can also mix them with each other, essential oils last really long. They may serve you from one year to several years.

The second requirement is the packing. It is better when the essential oils are poured inside the glass bottles of a dark color. In fact, essential oils react with plastic and change their qualities when exposed to the daylight. They don't tolerate temperature change, so avoid taking them with you anywhere in your handbag for a long time.

Another requirement is the botanical name mentioned on the etiquette. This can be, for example, rosadamascena (Rose Damask) or canangaodorata (Yilang Yilang). This indicates good quality of the oil as well as good reputation of its producer.

Oil Burner

Your Kit of Essential Oils

What is the minimum set of essential oils like?

In the first place, it is worthwhile buying tea tree oil also known asMelaleucaalternifolia. It is an ideal antiseptic and is very effective! If you need to disinfect a cut, cure acne, clear all kinds of inflammations on your skin, remove irritation, scurf, tea tree oil will help. Any kinds of virus and bacterial infections, mouth inflammations, insect bites, eczema, dermatitis, periodontitis, cystitis, fungous desease, including genitals' infections and their prevention are the domains where tea tree oil can serve good purpose. It is also vital during flu epidemies, when you can inhale it, apply a compress and use it for a massage in case of a cold. It is not only good to apply this oil to your skin but also burn it in an oil burner. You can mix 3-4 drops of this oil with a spoon of salt, and add it to the water for washing the floor or rinsing your clothes, too.

The action of the tea tree oil is intensified by lavender. On the whole, if the smell of tea tree appears too strong to you, lavender can replace it in most situations. Its aroma is much more pleasant. This very essential oil will help you deal with burns, especially after a bad day on the beach. It will help calm down your child and relax. You only need to put a couple of drops in an oil burner, mix them with any kind of vegetable oil and do a massage, take a bath with "lavender" salt or simply put a couple of drops on your pillow before going to bed.

Lavender oil facial mixtures or creams have a beautiful aroma. They have a soothing effect on the skin, regenerate tired skin and heal cuts and inflammations that occur after razing. They moisturize dry skin, refresh swollen eyes, diminish skin peeling. However, avoid mixing lavender oil to industrial creams.

When it comes to hair care, lavender is irreplaceable. You can do oil masks for your hair, add lavender oil to neutral shampoos and rinse your hair with a mixture of water, lemon juice and lavender oil.

By mixing lavender oil with citrus essential oils like bergamot or grapefruit you get a very exotic mixture that fills your room with an unusual tropical summer fragrance.

In fact, citrus essential oils are the third must-have for your kit. They are cheap, deliciously smelling and you can use them for anything. For example, lemonessential oil can be used as an antibacterial, antipyretic remedy, as well as fat skin cleanser, teeth whitener, chemical waste clearer for your body. It also helps those who are sea sick. Lemon essential oil is helpful for diets. Just smelling it regularly helps reduce appetite. In the evening, take a bath with citrus essential oils. This will make you slimmer.

If you need to get up early and feel braced, put a drop of a lemon essential oil in your hand and rub your hands. Better concentration, energy and absence of fatigue are guaranteed.

Tea tree, lavender and lemon are universal essential oils. They will become your helpers at home, at work, during a walk or in the countryside. They will also become your first steps in the world of aromatherapy, starting your collection of essential oils.

Essential Oils

Love story

I remember the day when I saw her for the first time. She entered the drugstore. I was buying some candy for the sore throat. At that moment, she came in. I sensed immediately her perfume - it was "Poison" by Dior. But beyond this smell there was another aroma - her own, the core, attractive, addictive and memorable. For a single instant I was granted the intoxicating, teasing sensation. I was allowed to visit heaven... Then I was bumped down back on earth. "Your change, sir." I let her come to the counter. She ordered some pills against insomnia. I did not leave the drugstore at once, though. Staring at some shampoo tubs on the display I kept spying her with the corner of my eye. She was amazingly elegant. Black hat, black belted coat and high heels. Her hair was hidden under the hat. Her eyes were green like those of a cat. As she stepped outside she left a trail of aroma that hung in the middle of the store. For that moment I realised one thing. If she asked me for anything, I would do it. I would do anything she asked me for. She only had to say. Such was the power that this woman captured over me with her only presence. A question then raised sharply in my mind: "What if?" "What if this relationship could be started?" "What if it could be continued?" I rushed outside... "Excuse me, ma'am, I saw you buying insomnia pills. See, I have been insomniac for a while and I still cannot find good pills. I was wondering if these ones were of any help." "Yes, they are good, especially at the beginning. Then you get used to them, and they are less effective, yet, quite helpful." I think she sensed the hidden intention behind my words. Still, she kept on playing her role observing me with some kind of irony. 

Hypnotic Poison

Speaking silence

Every person, at a certain moment of their life, comes to the point when they lose something, be it money, work, friends, parents, beloved ones. 

In this picture that I found on the Web, I discovered the speaking silence. It could very well speak for the loss. How can you tell a loss? You cannot tell it, you can only experience it. 

Overcoming loss

What is left after the loss

What you have is much bigger than what you have lost.

moments of zen

I'm Your Man

If you want a lover

I'll do anything you ask me to

And if you want another kind of love

I'll wear a mask for you

If you want a partner

Take my hand

Or if you want to strike me down in anger

Here I stand

I'm your man

If you want a boxer

I will step into the ring for you

And if you want a doctor

I'll examine every inch of you

If you want a driver

Climb inside

Or if you want to take me for a ride

You know you can

I'm your man

Ah, the moon's too bright

The chain's too tight

The beast won't go to sleep

I've been running through these promises to you

That I made and I could not keep

Ah but a man never got a woman back

Not by begging on his knees

Or I'd crawl to you baby

And I'd fall at your feet

And I'd howl at your beauty

Like a dog in heat

And I'd claw at your heart

And I'd tear at your sheet

I'd say please, please

I'm your man

And if you've got to sleep

A moment on the road

I will steer for you

And if you want to work the street alone

I'll disappear for you

If you want a father for your child

Or only want to walk with me a while

Across the sand

I'm your man

If you want a lover

I'll do anything you ask me to

And if you want another kind of love

I'll wear a mask for you

                                  Leonard Cohen

Batman forever

Colorful benefit of vegetables and fruits

The color of fruit and vegetables is indeed very much related to our health. Each color contributes to certain activity in our body that helps us stay healthier in many different ways!

Actually the color of food has been a subject for disputes among dietitians! Is it really true that the food of different colors influences our body in different ways? And the answer is - yes! The nature leaves nothing to a chance... Eating five different fruit and vegetables a day (not just an apple a day - we've made some progress since this English proverb was invented!) can help improve our health and make us resistant to illnesses.

Defining the color...

To keep up with the proper eating habits during the day we need to consume vegetables and fruits of different colors. For example, a tomato, an eggplant, a lettuce, mushrooms and an orange - red, violet, green, white and orange. Or, let us take another example: a plum, a kiwi, a strawberry, a carrot, a squash. In fact, any number of combinations can be proposed - the nature gives us an endless freedom of fantasy.

What do the colorful components apport us?

Blue and violate products are important because they contain anthocyanidins - natural antioxidants that prevent swelling. Besides, these products are rich in polyphenols that contribute to a better memory work. In this category there are eggplants, plums, blueberry, beetroot, dates.

As for the green products, we have a very wide choice here: kiwi, broccoli, spinach, different kinds of green salad and greens.

These products contain lutein which is inside chlorophyll and is an important antioxidant for our eyes. Besides, in green vegetables we can find magnum, carotenoids and poly-phenols - they are necessary for the health of our bones, blood vessels and teeth.

Among white products there are potatoes, bananas, cauliflower, garlic, onions and mushrooms. They all contain antoxantin - the substance that prevents tumour.

As for the red color, it has a lot of representatives: strawberry, tomatoes, watermelons, raspberry, sweet red pepper, cherry, red currents - here is a shortened list of products colored in red. The substances that give red color to the vegetables and fruit defend our cells from free radicals and help to prevent cancer and diminish the risk of heart diseases.

To finish, we stop by yellow and orange colors. Ebony and apricot, peaches and oranges, carrots and all the yellow juices can boast of this shade. They are all rich in vitamins A, B and C, flavonoids, carotenoids, which on the whole contribute to the improvement of the immune system.

As you can see from the description above, the products of each color have their specificity as far as different aspects of our health are concerned, and all together they help us stay healthy and not to fall ill. Also, it's quite engaging to form a colorful ratio for the whole day. Another advantage of fruit and vegetables is that they are low in calories and thus can help us stay slim.

Stay healthy, full of energy and happy!

5 Totally Delicious Films

Review of 5 Films about Food

Why do many directors make films about people who cook, eat, and serve food? This is maybe because a cook book is one of the best guides inside a human soul. Below are the five films about the most sincere and powerful human experiences: love of a mother, of a brother, love between a man and a woman, courage, strong will, passion and faithfulness. All these feelings reveal themselves through meat rolls, jellied minced meat, risotto, soups and chocolates. Talented and world-known actresses like Meryl Strip, Penelope Cruz, Tilda Swinton, Juliette Binoche cook in these cinematic kitchens.

To experience the whole range of pleasures (aesthetical delight combined with olfactory pleasure and joy of taste) you may watch these films and cook.

Julie and Julia: Cooking Prescription for Happiness, 2009

If your husband is a diplomat you can play poker all the time, go to secular parties or sew hats. After trying all of these occupations vivacious American Julia Child realized that her true passion is French cuisine. So she decided that cooking would be her vocation for life. As she graduated from Cook Academy "Le Cordon Bleu", she wrote a book about French cuisine that she dedicated to the "servantless American cooks." Years later, another American Julie Palmer set a goal to cook all the dishes from the cook book and wrote about her experience in her blog. 524 recipes in 365 days: raspberry jelly with skimmed milk, stuffed boneless duck, lobster, beef in wine and many other French delights. As an aside, Meryl Strip who plays the leading role is a bad cook, according to her own words, and she cannot do without a cook's help.

Home-made mayonnaise is an inevitable part of a happy family life, according to Julia Child.

Julie and Julia

How short-lived every human experience is...

Consider this: if there were only one color, let us say blue, and the entire world and everything in it were blue, then there would be no blue. There needs to be something that is not blue so that blue can be recognized; otherwise, it would not “stand out,” would not exist. 

In the same way, does it not require something that is not fleeting and impermanent for the fleetingness of all things to be recognized? In other words: if everything, including yourself, were impermanent, would you even know it? Does the fact that you are aware of and can witness the short-lived nature of all forms, including your own, not mean that there is something in you that is not subject to decay?

When you are twenty, you are aware of your body as strong and vigorous; sixty years later, you are aware of your body as weakened and old. Your thinking too may have changed from when you were twenty, but the awareness that knows that your body is young or old or that your thinking has changed has undergone no change. That awareness is the eternal in you – consciousness itself. It is the formless One Life. Can you lose It? No, because you are It.

Eckhart Tolle,  Stillness Speaks

How to Behave on the First Date: Dating Advice for Women

Many girls as well as women want to know how to behave on the first date with men. The first date can lead to a beautiful and long romance, maybe even a marriage. It can also remain in your memory as one of insignificant encounters. If you get interested in the person and would like to continue your relationships, there are several things to pay attention to.

One question is whether it's allowed to be late for the first date. It all depends on how much your chosen one is interested in you. If you are sure of his interest, you can be 10 or 15 minutes late. If you are not sure, come on time. His interest in you depends on many circumstances. A lot depends on what has happened before. If you met each other in a bar, at a disco, you apparently looked very bright. And he was most surely in good spirits and relaxed. At the moment when you exchanged your phone numbers you looked attractive to him, because you were in your colorful gear. But in the day light, he may have a different impression.
Another important question is what to wear for the first date. In the modern society jeans look as attractive to a man as a dress does. But, for the first date, a dress or a skirt is the best option. If your legs are nice, to show them is a good idea. The same thing is true for the underwear. You never know how the date will end, and wearing pretty underwear will make you feel confident even if no one sees it.
Do not overdo with perfume. It is better to use body spray or lotion. There is no knowing how he will react to a certain smell. The fact is, we are still very close to the animal world and the meaning of pheromones is huge when it comes to the relationship between the two sexes. So, if your body smells cleanliness with a light hint of cosmetics, if your clothes are clean, elegant and your hair looks neat and cared for, this will make you attractive and desirable.
The smell is very important when it comes to dating. Remember about the smell of your breath. So many marriages have failed because of this delicate circumstance. Empty stomach, smoking and uncured teeth may create a hell of a breath when you start talking. Brush your teeth before the date or chew a chewing gum. But a mint caramel is always better than a chewing gum.

Eyes make an important part of your looks. Eyes transmit a lot of information about you to the other person, especially if this person is of an opposite sex. They say that eyes are the mirror of your soul. You can outline your eyes with mascara, shades and a liner. You can make them look brighter with the help of special eye drops. You can play with your eyes and thus seduce. If you look at a man half-turning your head, with tenderness and secretly, this action may attract his attention. He would react to it very instinctively, even without being aware of this. He will feel that you are interested in him. During the first date our unconscious reactions are very meaningful. That is why the first impression is so important. Later on, you will get to know each other better but the first impression will remain for a long time, maybe forever.
There are ways to make a person feel comfortable with you. But it is also important to avoid certain mistakes. The male worldview differs from that of women. Men spend a lot of time of their lives competing. If you start to show your superiority in something, be sure that from an attractive female you will turn into an irritator. Thus emotionally you'll become a rival to him. The more calm and delicate you are, the more relaxed your poses are, the more comfortable your companion is.
Would you like to make him interested in you very quickly?

Are you blue in the face already?

I can write this blog until I'm blue in the face. Guess what? I have learned this expression from an e-mail I get every week from English, Baby! Actually, I also discovered that I can blogpost their lessons. Here is one. And, you know, the contents of this post changes every day. Isn't that awesome?

Practice for TOEFL with English, baby!

A Color in Your Mind, Like… a Song on Your Skin.

Many events in the daily lives of each of us are accompanied by noises, sounds, rhythms, but also by colors, images, nuances. In the last century more than ever, music and color marked the beat of the moments of joy and pain, leisure and toil, to conclude with notes of hope. Because, as well as letting lovers dream, music also has the power to stimulate a greater creativity and efficiency, even in study. In sounds and music, “the color“ is manifested in different cadencies, in sharp, opaque and muffled tones: from the rhythms of tribal dance to the whirling Viennese waltz, to more complex instrumental orchestrations. Sky blue is dream, movement; it has prompted countless romantic pulsations, but it is also to be found in the ”Futurism” of Balla and Boccioni, who paint sculptural masses rich in rhythm and energy, which shift, flee, indicate a direction… Movement, dynamism are protagonist of the dream sphere, the search for a far-off goal, a road to travel, the journey to achieve it. Put a song on your skin… Put a color in your mind.

Stillness speaks

You come home. You wear your slippers. You sit on the sofa. The silence is all around you. And each of us decides for oneself what this is... Solitude, or freedom.

Why The Creation of Adam is The Most Perfect Religious Painting

The Creation of Adam by Michelagelo is almost as famous as Mona Lisa by Da Vinci. It is one of the frescos in Sistine Chapel and it makes part of a series of paintings depicting episodes from Genesis. On the whole, the painting of Sistine Chapel's ceiling represents the most complicated composition of European painting. Out of nine scenes that illustrate episodes from the Book of Genesis, the Creation of Adam is probably the most perfect and flawless.

In this painting, the humanist concept found its ideal form. The impression produced by this marvelous fresco can hardly be put into words. It feels like some creative energy flows from this pictorial image into the viewer, who becomes a participant in this act of creation. With one arm, God embraces angels, leaning on them. They seem to carry not just one figure but the whole weigh of this world. This is shown by the character of the Lord's movement and His greatness that evoke a deep awe. His right hand is stretched towards Adam, who is painted so handsome, with such a skill, that he seems to be made by the Creator once again rather than painted by the painter's brush. 

Adam is created at the moment when the fingers of God, who is depicted here in His first hypostasis - that of God-Father, and the fingers of the first man touch in the gesture of love. According to the medieval typology, Adam is Christ's prototype because both were the first men, each of their era, or Testament. The touching fingers of God and Adam make the viewer think about how an electrical charge is generated. It is impossible to imagine that Michelangelo thought the same way. But the act of animation was depicted by the old masters either by the touch or by the inhalation of life by the Lord into the nostrils of Adam. 

Creation of Adam

 "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." - Genesis, 2.7.

It is very meaningful and convincing that here the eternal has the shape of an ellipse, symbolizing "the Cosmic egg."  This form is composed by the cosmic shawl inside which the Creator and the angels reside. In his turn, Adam is inside an incomplete oval. Life is given through the touch of the stretched hands: an atom jumps from one orbit to another. The faces of God and the man radiate love. God's desire is his child's becoming as great as He is. As if to confirm this, one creature from the crowd of angels carrying the Lord shows its face of an amazing beauty. It is this one who is embraced by God's left arm. This figure, definitely worthy of an explanation, has been intriguing commentators from the very start: some would interpret her as Eve uncreated, other would suggest Sofia, which is God's wisdom. Whoever she is, she definitely signifies blissful joy of creation. 

Time As We Knew It

So, when was it? Time ran deliciously, then it stopped in ecstasy, then ran again. Exciting time, full of life and meaning. The feeling of time itself was different. Every minute was a pulsing sensation, filled with sweetness and all shapes of beauty. Time was beautiful and beauty was timeless. It was such a fruitful time, that bore new emotions and new experiences, constantly. It was a cocktail of time. It made us drunk. We put our days on a string and counted them, as if to multiply them, and they seemed so multiple, and they appeared to last forever. And every time when we counted a day back, it gained again all its freshness and energy, with full delight, just because of our thoughts about it. Saying goodbye to the moment had never been such a joy. Time was rest, yet full of action. Time was dynamic and delicate at the same time. Time with no effort or tension, when it slowed down, it only meant to bring us a new kind of pleasure. Drop by drop, we drank the nectar of succulent moments, without thinking about the future. Yes, we had the time of our lives. Then future came, as it always does, sombre, sane, prose-like and tasteless. The future became our present and tore us away from ourselves, turning us into witnesses. Strange feeling, when you are not used to it. We joined the audience, we became part of the crowd. We turned into strangers. Time changed its character, too. Time began to escape. It became shadowy, obscure, secretive. It started to be devoured by something gray, impersonal, blind. Time became empty, still, silent, and killing. Before, we used to pass our time, enjoyed every minute. Truly, we had time to spend. Then, we had time to kill, and it began to kill us. We lost the thread of time. And we lost ourselves with no reason at all. It just happened. But who knows, maybe, one day, again, Time will be our prey, our garden, our abundant ocean to swim in. Maybe, one day, again...

Why Fish Is Ancient Symbol of Christianity

Often without realizing it, we pass our lives in the world of interlaced, interconnected and merging symbols that can suddenly outstand in a very meaningful way. We rarely think about ancient symbols as powerful things that resemble a case with a secret in it. Not the Pandora's box, from which all kinds of troubles popped out, but rather a musical box or Christmas box for presents: under the same cover there are tons of thrilling meanings, wonderful and exciting combinations. Symbols like water, cross, tree or fish are so familiar to our eyes that their interconnection does not occur to us.
To begin with, fish is one of the most ancient symbols of fertility, life that is newly born and cherished. These silent creatures are inhabitants of water, element, liquid examining everything, as Plato said. Water is liquid resemblance of light, blood circulation, the very life inside the womb of the body of flesh, in opposition to the dryness and stillness of death.
The Jews have an expression “Torah waters” meaning life-making waters of the sacred law, heritage of previous generations. For Buddhists, the flow of water symbolizes material world, and that is why the expression “passing through the stream” means overcoming illusions in order to get out to the shore and become enlightened. Also, in Buddhism, there are initial waters, from which the stem of the great lotus flower grows, which is the world’s axis. For Christians, one of the sacred vocations of water is to be the bridge between a man and a new life: a plunge in water symbolically means death and resurrection.

This is why one of the multiple symbols of Christ is a spring. It is the very spring that flows from under the Tree of Life in Paradise, the living water. It is this very spring that is mentioned in the Gospel of John: “…whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” 

Water is the sign of renewal and purity. But it is also the symbol of deep subconsciousness, its mysteries and obscurity. Probably, this hypostasis of it has something in common with the Chinese idea of the Moon element yin, the initial chaos, the black tortoise. Like any ancient symbol, water is ambivalent. It has two faces.

This is where fish come from. As they say, fish survive after a flood. In Roman catacombs of the 2nd century on the walls there is a picture of a cross and an anchor, surrounded by two fish. You can see Greek words “fish of the living” over it. In Greek, the word “fish” also had another meaning – “Christ the Savior.” Images of fish often accompany images of a cross. Often, instead of fish, you can see dolphins – the kingly and joyful companions in chaos and disastrous depths, symbols of Christ the Savior. Pierced with a trident or attached to an anchor dolphin is the symbol of crucifixion.

The cross was considered a shameful instrument of execution and could diminish the value of Christ’s teaching. That is why it was replaced by an anchor and sometimes by a fish. The symbol of cross has also more than one meaning. It is related to the symbol of Tree of Life, from under which the spring of living water flows. This is how the sacred cycle comes to an end. 

Bread and wine

So, fish is the symbol of Christ, His torture, His resurrection and freedom from illusions of life, and that of prosperity. In catacombs of early Christians on the walls you can see an image of fish carrying a basket full of loaves and a bottle of red wine: this is how they depicted Christ with Holy Communion at that time. Actually, wine, bread and fish make part of a meal in different religions. Fish sacrifice was made when they worshipped Moon goddesses and all the gods of the underworld. Friday is the day of goddesses Ishtar, Venus and Isis, and is the day of the week to eat fish dishes: thus the fruitful power of underwater inhabitants penetrates the body and the bosom.

Together with Coming of Christ who made fishermen “men catchers”, citizens of earth also became “small fishes.” Thus fish became personification of those who are born to eternal life by plunging into the waters of font. This is why during first years of Christianity people wore on their neck glass, stone or nacre fish – what later on became body crosses. Fish is the prevailing symbol of the Gospel: Christ multiplies fish in order to feed the hungry, takes care of the richness of the take, mentions fish in his parables, and eats fish with his disciples after His resurrection.

One can say that fish becomes symbol of a secret freedom, complicity in new spiritual knowledge, crossing of a spring, leading to enlightenment. Speaking of the other, dark side of fish, it’s good to remember that stinginess, greed, indifference and sensual coldness, according to myths and legends, are also “qualities” of fish. It looks like in Christ’s love they transform in their opposites: generosity of heart, prosperity, tenderness and Eros – creative life of body and soul.

The Biblical tradition teaches us that the Second Advent will take place when Saturn and Jupiter meet together in the Zodiac sign of Pisces – fish. Messiah will get the fish and will share it with the righteous during a feast at the End of Times.

Goldfish, ducks, black turtle

For Buddhists, fish symbolizes freedom from limitations. Those in nirvana have no obstacles: they are free to choose any direction, like fish in water. The Chinese believe that the nature of fish and birds is similar: they come from eggs and become inhabitants of the elements unusual for any other creatures.

Some kinds of fish, as the Chinese say, turn into birds: they need to master a new element - that of a flight.

Let Us Live

I terribly want to live, I want our life to be uplifted and grand, like the vault of heaven. Let us live! The Sun does not rise twice a day, and the life is not given twice - so, grab tightly on the remains of life and save them...

Anton Tchekhov

Cherry Is Like a Heart of a Good Person

A cherry is like a heart of good person: fleshy and succulent enough on the outside to generously share its sweetness, and firm enough inside to meet courageously and overcome temptations, and to undergo severe trials.