The equator

 

The invisible barrier that divides the world's equator is emphasised: It is passing through various lands and seas, touching places on the map such as Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, regions of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Indonesia, Maldives and Kiribati. These are the most tropical places in the world, as the Andes mountain range is found on the Equator, and this includes the highest volcano Cotopaxi plus many islands full of beautiful fantasy world like flora and fauna. There is also the Brazilian rainforest and the vast complex Amazon river. The biodiverse country of Colombia has the most amazing heavily rich bird populations in the world. More massive rainforests and rich minerals are found in the equator including the Congo, but Uganda "the Pearl of Africa" has an extremely complex natural water system with it's incredible wildlife, and highest hill living mammals such as gorillas. It has fertile soil, savannah, with tons of large animals including lions and elephants. Also in the equator are massive landscapes, such as the enormous desert lake in Kenya, which is not drinkable as it's heavily salted. Somalia is called "Land of the Moon" as it's full of gold and gemstones. Indonesia has many islands with chains of active volcanoes. 

These equator countries are paradise with endless summers, but they experience hot and rain. Despite the sheer magic and beauty of these equator lands, people living in them include some of the poorest in the world. People living on the equator seen to suffer ill health from mainly tropical diseases, while plants and wild animals thrive. One of the problems people from the equator have to face is RA (Rheumatoid arthritis), which has occurred in the young. Other problems such as asthma tend to happen to more people living on the equator. However, it's not always so because various isolated tribes and traditional communities living in the tropical equator regions are in harmony with nature, untouched by modern interferences. People from the Amazon rainforest have healthy hearts thanks to their diet of high fibre and carbs. 

Other lines on the world include the Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle. It is suggested that the Equator line is actually Jormungandr "The World Serpent" from Norse mythology. There is an interesting article about Jormungandr Epiclootshop.com Jormungandr: The Midgard Serpent    

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Lions

 

The lion is the king of the jungle as it appears, even though they don't actually live in the jungle. Lions are from grassland plains, but the saying about lions being in jungles is reference to the animal kingdom as a whole. All animals of the wilderness and it's symbolised with jungles. 

Amazingly these magnificent powerful animals can survive in very dry hostile deserts because they can locate water and find ways to drink. They often obtain fluids from their prey and also they can tap into fruits such as melons. Lions are nocturnal creatures with amazing abilities to see in the dark. It's why they hunt at night. They don't just hunt at night either. They also like hunting during storms. This is because they rely on the storms to cover them so that their prey don't know about them being there. Storms with lightning and loud thunder, and howling sandstorm winds, can hide the sounds of lions and distract prey from being alert. Also female lions (called lionesses) are the main hunters. Male lions stay guarding the territory. 

A group of lions are called a pride. It's known that male lions have fantastic long hair called manes which is considered their crowning glory. However, some male lions have short manes depending on the species and climate they live in. A hotter climate has lion males with shorter hair. Lions are the only species of feline (cat family) that roars together as a group. They and even their young join in a chorus of lion roars. This can be heard for several miles. Roaring is a sign of dominance within their own territory. Also unlike other cat species, lions can live in groups that can be as many as up to 30 lions. 

There were lions living in Europe and even in the British Isles once upon a time. In France a prehistoric lion skull was discovered and it was found in Montmaurin, Haute-Garron. Now it's in the Muséum de Toulouse. The very first prehistoric lion fossil was found in Southern Germany. There were, in human recorded memory, lions existing still in places such as South Europe and across the Balkans, but faded away during the 2nd century BCE, with some species of lion being found further eastwards into Russia until the 10th century CE, with a trail extending southwards towards Armenia and Türkiye. 

Lions tend to be very lazy and can sleep all day! 

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Earth empaths

The sense of in tune with nature is a very natural way of being, although a lot of people don't feel like it. We live in an age of technology and modern advances has cut us off from the natural world. However, some people are sensitive and may have very different feelings and intuitions than everyone else around them. They think they're different. 

This means they have a connection to the natural world, including animals, plants, weather, the sea, sun, moon, and even geological changes. Some might feel as if they're a part of the Earth and that they feel wholesome, and strongly bonded with nature. A person may respond to the weather, physically and also mentally. If there is an earthquake, some may be aware of it before it happens.

These feelings are known and very real. Someone who feels this way are called an "Earth empath". An article written by Judith Orloff M.D. describes the wonders of being an earth empath, what it means and how to understand it. I shall share a quote from the material:

"Earth empaths may have premonitions about natural disasters or feel them intensely in their bodies as they are occurring." 

Link for full article at Your Tango "7 signs of an Earth Empath" by Judith Orloff.

(More at "The Empaths Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People" book by Judith Orloff M.D.). 

Another article written by Dr Anna Yusim on Earth Empaths "Nurturing Our Bond with Nature: The Rise of the Earth Empaths".

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Larkspur, July flower

The larkspur is a pretty flower associated with July and looks like a colourful display that attracts wildlife. Tall stems with a multitude of stamens and flowers growing around and upwards, towards the sun and clouds. These look like soft little towers of the garden. Larkspur's true name Delphinium, and they come from the Ranunculaceae family that also includes buttercups and clematis. 

There are many species and hybrids of larkspur/delphinium, such as the Pine Forest Larkspur, Siberian Larkspur, Basalt Larkspur, Dwarf Larkspur, Colorado Larkspur, Scarlet Larkspur, Spiked Larkspur, Swamp Larkspur and many others.  

While pollinators, these flowers are not edible to humans or other animals. They're poisonous and can cause severe pain if eaten, even death. Avoid eating these beautiful flowers. Despite the poison, a small amount of larkspur has been used to make blue ink. They've also been used as an insect repellent and to cure head lice. 

The larkspur is associated with youth, childhood memories, new beginnings, happiness, the summer, dancing and even water, such as waves and the movement of the tides. It's said that it's reminded of dolphins, and of swaying in the breeze. The flowers are called Delphinium and it comes from ancient Greek word Delphic that means "dolphin." In Greek legend, the mother of deceased Achilles wanted to give her son's armour to the best warrior, and it was during the Trojan War. The armour was awarded to Ulysses, which disappointed the warrior Ajax who committed suicide by falling onto his sword. A blue delphinium flower grew from the blood where he died. The petals of the delphinium have tiny symbols that look like Greek letters spelling "AI", the sound of grief and mourning.

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