'How will I ever understand the human race?'

'I remember once a long time ago, Armand told me that he asked Lestat, 'How will I ever understand the human race?' Lestat said, 'Read or see all the plays of Shakespeare and you will know all you ever need to know about the human race.' Armand did it. He devoured the poems, he sat through the plays, he watched the brilliant new films with Laurence Fishburne and Kenneth Branagh and Leonardo DiCaprio. And when Armand and I (David Talbot) spoke together, this is what he said of his education:

'"Lestat was right. He gave me not books but a passage into understanding. This man Shakespeare writes," - and I quote both Armand and Shakespeare now as Armand spoke it, as I will to you - as if it came from my heart:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out brief candle.
Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more; it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

'"This man writes this," said Armand to me, "and we all know that it is absolutely the truth and every revelation has sooner or later fallen before it, and yet we want to love the way he has said it, we want to hear it again! We want to remember it! We want to never forget a single word."'



extract from Pandora , by Anne Rice

Tarot - The Star

Basic Card Symbols

Seven or eight stars, a kneeling woman, a pool of water, two urns.

Basic Tarot Story

On the bleak landscape where the Tower stood, the Fool sits, empty, despairing. He hoped to find himself on this spiritual journey, but now he feels he's lost everything, even himself. Sitting on the cold stones, he gazes up at the night sky wondering what's left. And that is when he notices, nearby, a beautiful girl with two water urns. As he watches, she kneels by a pool of water illuminated with reflected starlight. She empties the urns, one into the pool, one onto the thirsty ground.

"What are you doing," he asks her. She looks up at him, her eyes twinkling like stars. "I am refilling this pool, so that those who are thirsty may drink, and I am also watering the earth so that, come spring, the seeds will grow," she tells him. And then she adds, "Come. Drink." The Fool comes to kneel with her by the pool and drink. The water tastes wonderful, like liquid starlight. "I can see you are sad," the girl continues, "and I know why. But you must remember that you have not lost all. Knowledge, possibilities, hope, you still have all of these. Like stars, they can lead you to a new future." Even as she says this, she began to fade away, like dew, vanishing. All that remains is a gleam that was at the center of her forehead. This rises up and up, until it settles in the night sky as a shining star. "Follow your star," the woman's voice seems to sing from that light, "and have hope." The Fool takes in a breath and rises. It is a dark night, a desolate land. But for the first time, he has a guiding light to show him the way. Distant as it is, it heals his heart, and restores his faith.

Basic Tarot Meaning

With Aquarius as its ruling sign, The Star is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing. This card suggests clarity of vision, spiritual insight. And, most importantly, that unexpected help will be coming, with water to quench the Querent's thirst, with a guiding light to the future.

Thirteen's Observations

The Star is one of those cards everyone loves. In every deck, it is usually the most beautiful. It suggests the peace and harmony of its meaning. There is nothing negative about this card, but I think there is a trick to it. Whatever hope, healing, future it offers, the reader must remember that it might not be immediate. This is a soft card, and like Aquarius, its vision is for tomorrow, not today. That's not to say that it offers no concrete benefits; it is a card the predicts unexpected help, but that help is only the first step. The star only reveals the future. It is up to the Querent to find his way to that future.

source: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/

Candlemass - Of Stars And Smoke

The monumental sleep

With the sunrise at my feet
Where's the altar of the gods,
The warth and the floods?

All is in vain

Of stars and of smoke I am
Of shade and of light
With dragons in every hand
I'm vading through life

From nothing I came before,
To nothing I go
I heard that wise man said:
"From presence to silence...we flow"

The rainbows in the sky
Soon their colours die
I see the birds of prey
They've been circling here all day

It's always the same

We live the eternal dream
The big and cosmic scheme
A part that all play
To stand the last of days

It's all just a game

Of stars and of smoke I am
Of shade and of light
With dragons in every hand
I'm fading through life

From nothing I came before,
To nothing I go
I heard that the wise man said:
"From presence to silence...we flow"

(Nothing describes better the human condition that these lyrics...)

Sirenia - a Gothic Metal band

"SIRENIA sounds like a mixture of gothic metal and rock with classical influences, as well as black and death metal elements. Their sounds have a solid base in the powerful drums and bass which are arranged in a very dynamic and progressive way and supported by powerful rhythm guitars, dressed with atmospheric keyboards and spiced with melancholic violins and 12-string guitars. The Vocal styles are varied and are made up by growls, screams, female vocals, clean male vocals, choirs, whispers and samples. The songs are very intense and the atmosphere changes frequently. The lyrics are based on reflections on life, death, love, hate, paranoia, anxiety and mental decline in general."

History:

"Sirenia came together in early 2001, when Morten Veland parted ways with his former band Tristania, due to musical disagreements and personal differences. He was however at this point full of ideas and more than ready to set them free. He invested a lot in new equipment and spent much time in his home studio composing."

Members:

• Morten Veland - Programming, Growling, Clean Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards
• Monika Pedersen - Female Vocals
• Jonathan A. Perez - Drums
• Bjørnar Landa - Guitar

Discography:

• At Sixes and Sevens (2002)
• An Elixir for Existence (2004)
• Nine Destinies and a Downfall (2007)

There’s a light and a darkened road
There’s a night and a fading hope
There was a dream that once was mine
But now it seems it has passed with time

Sail away my little sister
Sail away to the other side
Sail away my little sister
Sail away far into the night
Where times seems much better
Than this void called life

There’s a voice inside my head
There was a hope, now now long since dead
It’s all a wonder, will I abide
I hear you calling from the other side

information: Sirenia Official Site