Happiness Humor

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An Englishman, a Frenchman, and a Russian were once discussing the meaning of true happiness.
The Englishman said, "True happiness, my friends, is rising early on a frosty autumn morning, getting on top of a good horse, and galloping off behind the hounds in pursuit of the fox. A hard ride over fields and fences and rivulets until the fox is brought down. A ride back with the ears and the tail and then sitting before a roaring fire with a glass of good port. Ah, that is true happiness."

The Frenchman said, "That is not true happiness. That is merely animal pleasure. True happiness is meeting with the love of your life, having an intimate meal in a topnotch restaurant with champagne, and then retiring to a wonderful hotel room, where you can make frantic and impassioned love all night long. Ah, that is true happiness."

The Russian said, "That is not true happiness. That is merely a good time. True happiness comes when you are sitting in your apartment after a hard day at the factory, your little Ivan on your knee, and reading your copy of 'Pravda'. There comes a knock at the door. Three men in ill-fitting brown suits come storming in and say, 'Stepan Stepanovich?' and you say, 'He lives in the room upstairs.' Ah, that is true happiness."

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A cat died and went to Heaven. God met her at the gates and said, "You have been a good cat all these years. Anything you want is yours for the asking."

The cat thought for a minute and then said, "All my life I lived on a farm and slept on hard wooden floors. I would like a real fluffy pillow to sleep on."

God said, "Say no more." Instantly the cat had a huge fluffy pillow.

A few days later, six mice were killed in an accident and they all went to Heaven together. God met the mice at the gates with the same offer that He made to the cat.

The mice said, "Well, we have had to run all of our lives: from cats, dogs, and even people with brooms! If we could just have some little roller skates, we would not have to run again."

God answered, "It is done." All the mice had beautiful little roller skates.

About a week later, God decided to check on the cat. He found her sound asleep on her fluffy pillow. God gently awakened the cat and asked, "Is everything okay? How have you been doing? Are you happy?"

The cat replied, "Oh, it is WONDERFUL. I have never been so happy in my life. The pillow is so fluffy, and those little 'Meals on Wheels' you have been sending over are delicious!"
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Happiness is not the same as joy or ecstasy; happiness includes contentment, well-being, and the emotional flexibility to experience a full range of emotions.

The Science of Happiness: The Happiness Shift

In philosophy, happiness translates the Greek concept of eudemonia, and refers to the good life, or flourishing, rather than simply an emotion.

Since the days of Aristotle, happiness was thought to have at least two aspects: hedonia (pleasure) and eudemonia (a life well lived). In contemporary psychology, happiness is referred to as simply pleasure and meaning. Positive psychologists such as Dr Martin Seligman have recently added one more distinct component to the definition of happiness: engagement. Engagement refers to living a “good life” of work, family friends and hobbies.

FIND MORE IN MY E-BOOK "D.O.S.E. : THE HAPPY BRAIN CHEMICALS"

What is Happiness? A Definition of Happiness

Possibly the best place to start defining happiness is by defining what it is not.
Many people believe that happiness is having fun at a party, the excitement of new experiences, the thrill and passion of sex, or the delights of a fine meal. These are all wonderful experiences to be cherished and cultivated but they are not happiness.
These experiences are the definition of pleasure. They are experiences to have and let pass. A meal to savor, then digest. A party to enjoy then let wind down. The passion to enjoy and the warm afterglow to linger in.
Pleasure is fleeting and must be if it is to continue to please us because if we have these joyful experiences all the time, our brains adapt and turn pleasure into routine. Once that happens, it takes even more to make us feel good again. Chasing pleasure is not happiness.
So, if happiness is not the same thing as pleasure, then what is happiness?
Happiness is…a warm puppy. Just kidding, warm puppies are pretty nice but I’m putting the puppy squarely in with pleasure. After all, would it still be fun to hold a warm puppy for a month? I don’t think so. So, what is happiness?

Happiness is when your life fulfills your needs.

In other words, happiness comes when you feel satisfied and fulfilled. Happiness is a feeling of contentment, that life is just as it should be. Perfect happiness, enlightenment, comes when you have all of your needs satisfied.
While the perfect happiness of enlightenment may be hard to achieve, and even harder to maintain, happiness is not an either /or case. There are nearly limitless degrees of happiness between the bliss of enlightenment and the despair of depression. Most of us fall somewhere between, closer to the middle than the edges.

What Are Your Essential Needs to be Happy?

Since happiness is when your life fulfills your needs, the next logical question is, “What are my needs?”
Over the millennia many have offered answers to this question and nearly all came back with too simple answers to what is, at its core, a complex problem.
Let me ask you a question. Would you say that you, like all humans, are complicated to understand? Of course you are. We all are. If we weren’t life might be much simpler but also much less rich. That complexity means that there are no simple, one-size-fits-all answers to what makes us happy.
Our individual needs vary based on our genetics, how we were raised, and our life experiences. That complex combination is what makes each of us unique, both in our exact needs, and in every other aspect of what makes us the person we are.
We may each be complex but we are all human and that provides the foundation on which we can discover our essential human needs. Just as we are all born looking human on the outside, we all share common basic needs on the inside. Where we differ is exactly how strongly we feel each of those needs.

WE PROMISE stands for:

• Wellbeing – mind-body connections, aspects of your physical body that affect your mood, and vice versa
• Environment – external factors like safety, food availability, freedom, weather, beauty, and your home

• Pleasure – temporary experiences such as joy, sex, love, and eating
• Relationships – as a social species, relationships are at the foundation of what it means to be human
• Outlook – how you approach the world through adventurousness, curiosity, and making plans
• Meaning – having a purpose and the wisdom to understand it
• Involvement – to be happy you have to be engaged and actively involved
• Success – confirmation from yourself and others that what you do has value
• Elasticity – how you recover from life’s inevitable negative events

These 9 categories cover the range of human needs in a very general way and are intentionally overlapping, just as our thoughts and feelings overlap in our mind.
For example, the thrill of a roller-coaster ride is a mix of:  fear (Elasticity), joy (Pleasure), adventure (Outlook), shared experience (Relationships), safety (Environment), upset tummies (Wellbeing), the courage to ride (Involvement), and the reward of having done it (Success). All these are experienced in one event, many at the same moment in time.
While the WE PROMISE categories are a convenient way to organize and simplify our universal needs, they are just the beginning – we are each more complex than that.
Within each category are 5 to 10 specific items which we call Happiness Essentials.

Mystique Vibrations: Vedic Chants for Good Health

CONTENTS TAKEN FROM E-BOOK "MYSTIQUE VIBRATIONS"

          Mantras for Health

Mantra for all diseases
Dhanwantari Mantra - god of ayurvedic medicine (Ayurveda)

"Om Namo Bhagavate Maha Sudharshana
Vasudevaya Dhanvantaraye;
Amrutha Kalasa Hasthaaya
Sarva Bhaya Vinasaya Sarva Roga Nivaranaya
Thri Lokya Pathaye Thri Lokya Nithaye
Sri Maha Vishnu Swarupa
Sri Dhanvantri Swarupa
Sri Sri Sri Aoushata Chakra Narayana Swaha"

Health Protection Mantra

Om hansam hansaha.

Rama (Healing Mantra):
Om Apadamapa Hataram Dataram Sarva Sampadam
Loka Bhi Ramam Sri Rama Bhuyo Bhuyo Namamyaham

Dharmarajavrata (mantra mahodadhi) Eliminates all diseases:

Even if you are suffering from incurable diseases wake up early in the morning,
Aum kraum hrim a am vaivasvataya dharmarajaya bhaktanugrahakrite namah
Do constant japa of this mantra. It will help cure all your Diseases and eliminate you from all sins and afflictions.

Mantra to Lord Shiva for removing ailments and fear:

Om Triyambakam Yajamahe
Sugandhim Pushti Vardhanam
Urvarukamiva Bandhanat
Mrityor Mukshiya Mamratat.

This is called “Mrityunjaya Mantra”. The mantra is attributed to Lord Shiva. The mantra is very effective when diseases/ailment is continuously jeopardizing life or there is continuous fear of life. Even otherwise, the chant of this mantra is very beneficial. The regular and continuous chant of this mantra for 1.25 lakh times, following the procedure will produce early result

Mantra for vanishing diseases

Om Rogansheshanpahansi Tushta Rusta Tu Kaman Saklanbhishtan, Tvamashritanam Na Vipannrananam Tvamashrita Hyashraytam Prayanti

This mantra is attributed to Goddess Durga. The use of rudraksha mala (A beaded garland of the seeds of Eleocarpus Ganitrus Tree) while chanting is favourable and helps to cure from diseases.

Mantra for specific disease control

Om Aadesh Guru Ko Kali Kambali Vale Shyam, Kahaye Hain Unko Ghanshyam Rog Nashe Shok Nashe Nahin To Krishna Ki Aan Radha Meera Manaave, (Name the Patient) Ka rog dosh Jave

The name of the patient of whose disease is to be controlled should be chanted at the right place while murmuring this mantra. The remembrance of Lord Krishna and Shiva be kept in mind.

Mantra for cure of fear

Om Aghorebhyo Thaghorebhyo Ghor Ghor Tarebhyah Sarvebhyah Sarva Sarvebhyo Namaste Astu Rudra Rupebhyah

For controlling of fear of death etc., meditate on Lord Shiva and perform a mala of chant everyday with burning of Dhoop.

Removing any disease:
1. Om Hrim hansah
2. Om shrim hrim klim aim Indrakshyai namah
3. Om sam, sam sim, sum sum sem saim sam saha vam vam vim vim vum vum vem
     vaim voim voum vam van saha amrita varech svaha.

For sound health:
1. Mam mayat sarvato raksha shriyam vardhaya sarvada
Sharirarogyam me dehi deva deva namostute
2. Om aim hrim shrim namah sarvadharaya bhagavate asya
mama sarva roga vinashaya jvala jvala enam dirghayusham kuru kuru svaha
3. Achyutam chamritam chaiva japedoushadhakarmani
4. Om namo paramatamne para brahma mama sharire pahi pahi kuru kuru svaha.

Does Chanting Mantras Really Work?

When someone abuses you verbally, how do you feel?
If someone says that you are a donkey, how do you feel? What does it do to you? What does it create? Anger! It shakes you. It creates some negative vibrations; you feel angry. You feel some sensations in the stomach, in the head.

If a bad word can create so much physiological reactions in you, do you think a very sweet name, a chanting, which includes a lot of energy of the cosmos does not do anything to your body?

FIND A LOT MORE IN MY E-BOOK "MYSTIQUE VIBRATIONS"

STEP BY STEP SUN SALUTATION(SURYA NAMASKAR)

How To Do Surya Namaskar

Sun Salutation – What is Surya Namaskar? - The Perfect Yoga Workout

Sun Salutation is considered a complete body workout. Yoga experts say that doing 12 sets of Surya Namaskar translates into doing 288 powerful yoga poses in a span of 12 to 15 minutes.

If you are pressed for time and looking for a single mantra to stay fit, here’s the answer: a sequence of 12 powerful yoga asanas (postures) that provide a good cardiovascular workout in the form of Surya Namaskar. Literally translating as “Sun Salutation”, Surya Namaskars are a good way to keep the body in shape and the mind calm and healthy.
Surya Namaskar is best done early morning on an empty stomach. Let’s begin with these simple yet effective Sun Salutation steps on our way to good health.
Each round of Sun Salutation consists of two sets, and each set is composed of 12 yoga poses. You might find several versions on how to practice Sun Salutation. However, it is best to stick to one particular version and practice it regularly for best results.
Besides good health, Surya Namaskar also provides an opportunity to express gratitude to the sun for sustaining life on this planet, For the next 10 days, start your day with a feeling of grace and gratitude towards the sun energy. Do 12 rounds of Sun Salutation, ollowed by other yoga poses and then rest deeply in yoga nidra. You might just find that this could be your mantra to stay fit, happy and peaceful throughout the day.

12 Steps of Surya Namaskar

1 Pranamasana (Prayer pose)

Stand at the edge of your mat, keep your feet together and balance your weight equally on both the feet.
Expand your chest and relax your shoulders.
As you breathe in, lift both arms up from the sides and as you exhale, bring your palms together in front of the chest in prayer position.

2 Hastauttanasana (Raised Arms pose)

Breathing in, lift the arms up and back, keeping the biceps close to the ears. In this pose, the effort is to stretch the whole body up from the heels to the tips of the fingers.
How to deepen this yoga stretch?
You may push the pelvis forward a little bit. Ensure you're reaching up with the fingers rather than trying to bend backwards.to bend backwards.

3 Hasta Padasana (Hand to Foot pose)

Breathing out, bend forward from the waist, keeping the spine erect. As you exhale completely, bring the hands down to the floor beside the feet.
How to deepen this yoga stretch?
You may bend the knees, if necessary, to bring the palms down to the floor. Now make a gentle effort to straighten the knees.

It's a good idea to keep the hands fixed in this position and not move them henceforth until we finish the sequence.It's a good idea to keep the hands fixed in this position and not move them henceforth until we finish the sequence.

4 Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Equestrian pose)

Breathing in, push your right leg back, as far back as possible. Bring the right knee to the floor and look up.
How to deepen this yoga stretch?
Ensure that the left foot is exactly in between the palms.

5 Dandasana (Stick pose)

As you breathe in, take the left leg back and bring the whole body in a straight line.
How to deepen this yoga stretch?
Keep your arms perpendicular to the floor.

6Ashtanga Namaskara (Salute With Eight Parts Or Points)

Gently bring your knees down to the floor and exhale. Take the hips back slightly, slide forward, rest your chest and chin on the floor. Raise your posterior a little bit.
The two hands, two feet, two knees, chest and chin (eight parts of the body touch the floor).

7 Bhujangasana (Cobra pose)

Slide forward and raise the chest up into the Cobra posture.You may keep your elbows bent in this pose, the shoulders away from the ears. Look up.
How to deepen this yoga stretch?
As you inhale, make a gentle effort to push the chest forward; as you exhale, make a gentle effort to push the navel down. Tuck the toes under. Ensure you're stretching just as much as you can; do not force.

8 Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog pose)

Breathing out, lift the hips and the tail bone up, chest downwards in an 'inverted V' (/\) posture.
How to deepen this yoga stretch?
If possible, try and keep the heels on the ground and make a gentle effort to lift the tailbone up, going deeper into the stretch.

9 Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Equestrian pose)

Breathing in, bring the right foot forward in between the two hands, left knee down to the floor, press the hips down and look up.
How to deepen this yoga stretch?
Place the right foot exactly between the two hands and the right calf perpendicular to the floor. In this position, make a gentle effort to push the hips down towards the floor, to deepen the stretch.

10 Hasta Padasana (Hand to Foot pose)

Breathing out, bring the left foot forward. Keep the palms on the floor. You may bend the knees, if necessary.
How to deepen this yoga stretch?
Gently straighten the knees and if you can, try and touch your nose to the knees. Keep breathing.

11 Hastauttanasana (Raised Arms pose)

Breathing in, roll the spine up, hands go up and bend backwards a little bit, pushing the hips slightly outward.
How to deepen this yoga stretch?
Ensure that your biceps are beside your ears. The idea is to stretch up more rather than stretching backwards.

 12. Tadasana

As you exhale, first straighten the body, then bring the arms down. Relax in this position, observe the sensations in your body.

The Race of Life

Life Is a Race!

If life is a race, you have to run. Staying still is not progress. It does not matter if others get distracted and do not focus on the race. You need to keep on running forward.

If life is a race, the destination is ahead. You cannot run if you keep looking back. An occasional backward glance can help you know how much distance you covered. But look ahead and run. Forget the Past

If life is a race, you have to run with patience as well as perseverance. Train yourself early to endure hardships. Then you can discipline yourself to run the long distance of life.

If life is a race, you should know the goal towards which you run. Otherwise it is a meaningless run. Run so as to win the prize.

If life is a race, at some point joy comes from helping others to run and succeed in life as well. Even though you run to win, many of your friends need your encouragement.

If life is a race, and you did not know it, there is still time even though time is short. The one who starts late still has a chance to be rewarded. So it doesn’t matter you were slow to start. Success comes even to those who start late.

If life is a race, make sure that you finish. Do not yield to despair or be discouraged. Be strong. Know that God will act for those who trust in him. He will bring to completion what he has begun to do in your life. There is glory awaiting you beyond the finishing tape!

The Meaning of Life!
________________________________

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”

Recharge Your Life Energy

CHEER UP BOOST UP Power Up!

What we think automatically affects how we feel. When we dwell on those things in life that drain us - negative people, boring work, mounting bills - we not only spend an immense amount of mental energy, we also feel it physically. We drain our bodies.

Negative thoughts are depleting and disempowering. Positive thoughts are just the opposite. So why not choose to spend our mental energy on thoughts that empower our bodies as well?

Whenever you are feeling drained, ask yourself this question - "What am I thinking right now?" Chances are it will be something negative. The good news is, you can change your thoughts whenever you want. It really is that simple.

And no, changing your thoughts from negative to positive is not ignoring the original problem. It's putting you in a place of control, where you can rationally decide whether it's better to deal with the problem positively, or just let it go. Shifting to a positive viewpoint actually empowers you!

Try it now! Focus your attention on something positive - something that you really enjoy. Visualize being there. Feel the positive emotions that this generates. Stay there for a moment. Now check your energy level. Better?

You can test this in reverse. Focus on something that always brings you down. Imagine being there right now. Can't you just feel the energy being drained from your body?

The secret to having endless energy is simply this: Focus your mind on positive, energizing thoughts, and revive your body's energy through regular exercise. Put the two together on a daily basis, and you can power up your energy levels anytime you like. Just switch your focus to something positive!

How about mental relaxation?

It’s not just your body that feels tired, your mind too needs to be uplifted. Physical wellbeing depends on mental wellbeing. 

Here are a few techniques to help you calm your mind-

1. Practice deep breathing. It relaxes your mind instantly.
2. Read. Science has proven that reading can reduce your stress levels by as much as 68%.
3. Perform activities that you like such as cooking, baking, gardening etc. – this will release endorphins.
4. Practice yoga.
5. Take time off from your phone. Social media can spike up your stress levels.
6. Count your blessings. Be thankful for the good things in your life and focus on them.
7. Spend quality time with people who love and care for you like your family and friends.

Affirmations for Life Success

Welcome to the Life Success category – here you will find a wide range of positive affirmations on all areas of life success; affirmations to help you think more positively, to help increase your motivation, to increase your discipline, and much much more.

You can use these affirmations and immediately see positive results manifest within your mind and your life. A lot of these affirmations are hugely inspirational and you will feel positive, full of energy, and super-charged after using them.

• Motivation Positive Affirmations
• Positive Thinking Positive Affirmations
• Stop Procrastination Positive Affirmations
• Think Big Positive Affirmations
• Become More Persistent Positive Affirmations
• Early Riser Positive Affirmations
• Be Funny Positive Affirmations
• Be Happy Positive Affirmations
• Self Discipline Positive Affirmations
• Love Cleaning Positive Affirmations
• Love Yourself Positive Affirmations
• Organization Skills Positive Affirmations
• Say Yes More Positive Affirmations
• Smile More Positive Affirmations
• Stop Using Bad Language Positive Affirmations
• Tap Into Your Personal Power Positive Affirmations
• Time Management Positive Affirmations
• Increase Productivity Positive Affirmations
• Inner Peace Positive Affirmations
• Plan Your Future Positive Affirmations
• Become More Decisive Positive Affirmations
• Become More Ambitious Positive Affirmations
• Rock Solid Willpower Positive Affirmations
• Achieving Goals Positive Affirmations
• Life of My Design Positive Affirmations
• Success Mindset Positive Affirmations
• Enjoy Reading Positive Affirmations
• Push Through Failure Positive Affirmations
• Fear of Growing Up Positive Affirmations

If you feel this list is missing something, then perhaps you want to help out? If you have had success in life with any affirmations then please write them down for us and send them in. We love hearing your suggestions, and freeaffirmations.org is largely supported by user submissions, so contact us, we would love to feature your favorite affirmations:

GOOD FORTUNE Affirmations

All my prospects bring me abundant good fortune.

Amazing coincidences come into my life on a regular basis.

At every turn, opportunity appears before me.

Endless opportunities appear in my life.

Every day brings me endless good fortune.

Every day I am surrounded by an abundance of opportunities.

Every day I attract lucky happenstances into my life.

Every day I celebrate my continued good fortune.

Every day in every way I am attracting more and more good luck into my life.

Everything I do brings me great success.

Everything I touch brings me further good fortune.

Everything is going my way.

Fantastic new opportunities come into my life every day.

Fantastic opportunities greet me at every turn.

Good fortune is one of the top priorities in my life, and I practice this feeling every day.

Good luck comes to me effortlessly.

Good luck flows into my life every day.

Good news visits me regularly.

Good things keep on happening to me.

Great things keep blessing my life.

I affirm abundant good luck throughout my day.

I always get what I wish for.

I always land on my feet.

"Luck is when opportunity knocks and you answer.” - Unknown

I always seem to be in the right place at the right time.

I am a luck magnet.

I am a magnet for good luck.

I am a powerful luck magnet.

I am a vacuum for lucky happenstances.

I am always ‘up’ on my luck.

I am always in the right place at the right time with the right frame of mind.

I am always in the right place at the right time.

I am always prepared. That is why I am so lucky.

I am constantly drawing good luck towards me.

Adonis and Aphrodite: A Greek Mythology about Beauty and Love

         The Myth of Aphrodite and Adonis

in Greek Myths

The myth of Aphrodite and Adonis is one of the most popular Greek myths, since it is directly associated with love and Eros. Not even Gods and deities could escape the powerful arrows of God Eros and fell in love with mortals with catastrophic results.
Aphrodite and Adonis is a classic myth about lust and rejection, enhanced with several spicy details about the Goddess of Love and Lust and the beautiful mortal Adonis.
Adonis is the personification of masculine beauty to which he owed his fate according to the Greek myths. There are actually two known myths about Adonis and Aphrodite. The first myth refers to Adonis’ early years, and the second to his death and Aphrodite’s role in it.

Adonis and Aphrodite: A Myth about Beauty and Love

The first myth of Aphrodite and Adonis involves the man’s parents and is a story about beauty, love and jealousy. Adonis’ mother was the beautiful Myrrha or Smyrna and his father, King Cinyrus of Cyprus, who was actually the father of Myrrha.
This strange parentage of Adonis came about because Goddess Aphrodite was jealous of Myrrha’s beauty and caused the girl to unite with her own father.
When Cinyrus found out that he had been tricked, he chased Myrrha with a sword, intending to kill both her and her unborn child. Aphrodite, repenting of her deed, quickly turned the girl into a myrrh tree.

The dispute of Persephone and Aphrodite over Adonis

Aphrodite hid the newborn child, Adonis, in a chest, which she gave in charge to Persephone, queen of the nether world. But when Persephone opened the chest  she was beheld by beauty of the baby, so she refused to give him back to Aphrodite, although the goddess of love went down herself to the Underworld to ransom the baby Adonis from the power of the dead.
The dispute between the two Goddesses of love and death was settled by Zeus, who decreed that Adonis should abide with Persephone in the underworld for one part of the year, and with Aphrodite in the upper world for another part. When he stayed in the underworld, it was winter. When he returned, the Earth blossomed into spring and summer.
In this form of the myth, the contest between Aphrodite and Persephone for the possession of Adonis clearly reflects the struggle between love and death; this is a common subject in Greek Mythology, since we see it in the myth of Persephone and Hades.
The decision of Zeus that Adonis is to spend one part of the year under ground and another part above ground is merely a Greek myth about the notion of the annual disappearance and reappearance, which refers to spring and winter.

A different version of the myth of Aphrodite and Adonis

In some versions of the myth of Aphrodite and Adonis,  when Ares, the God of War and Aphrodite’s lover,  hears that Aphrodite loves the youth Adonis, got really jealous and decided to take revenge.
Aphrodite was chasing Adonis to mate with him, but Adonis was more interested in hunting. Aphrodite begged Adonis to give up the dangerous sports he enjoyed because she could not bear to lose him, knowing that the young man would have a terrible end. Adonis ignored her advice and was killed while hunting by a wild boar, that was actually God Ares.
When Adonis died, Aphrodite heard his cries and hastened to his side in her swan-drawn chariot. She cursed the Fates and Ares that had ordained his death. With Adonis still in her arms, Aphrodite turned the blood drops that fell from his wounds onto the soil into windflowers (the short-lived anemone) as a memorial to their love.
Anemones sprung from the blood of Adonis and his spirit returned to the underworld. In response to the tearful goddess, Zeus determined that Adonis should stay just for the half of the year in the Underworld.

The death and resurrection of Adonis in Greek Mythology

Aphrodite and Adonis by Canova

According to scholars, the death and resurrection of Adonis represents the decay and revival of the plant year. He was worshiped as a corn god, a god of grain crops, which were very  more important to the ancient inhabitants of Greece and other Mediterranean lands.

The myth of Aphrodite and Adonis in Art

The myth of Aphrodite and Adonis appears in Book Ten of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In this version, Orpheus tells us the story when he laments to the trees and wild animals after the loss of Eurydice.
Aphrodite (Venus for the Romans) is desperately attracted to the young Adonis, who, being more interested in the art of hunting, does not show any form of affection. She tries in vain to persuade Adonis to love her.
However, Adonis prefers to go hunting, and he dies after being badly injured by a boar. But Venus does not resign herself to the loss of her beloved and decides to metamorphose him into a beautiful flower growing from his blood, and which still remains a symbol of her frustrated love.
Shakespeare does not follow Ovid’s version of Venus and Adonis, as it is told in Book Ten from the Metamorphoses. However, he shapes his poem out of diverse mythological references, referring to the myth of Aphrodite and Adonis as a symbol of love and loss.

Psyche and Cupid: #LOVE STORY FROM GREEK MYTHOLOGY

The most beautiful love stories in the ancient Greek Mythology: Psyche and Cupid

The Greek Mythology has been my favorite book since secondary school. I used to sleep with it under my head and memorized every little tale by heart. In fact, it had influenced my life a lot, especially when I was in college and even now I still think probably I’ll name my kids in the future after some of the heroes/heroines in there(!) To me it is the best literary work ever made and the best stories ever told.
And inspired by a blog post that I read recently “Why boys who play guitar are actually Greek Gods” in which the blogger mentioned Orpheus and his love for Eurydice I’ve decided to pick 3 love stories that I think are the most beautiful out of hundreds (or thousands) other mostly-sexual-love-affairs in the whole legend. Mind you, ancient people were the lucky ones. While in the modern time love is actually not the most important thing in a love story since it dies out easily over a couple of materialistic / realistic / practical reasons, in the old days when people were in love then love was the only thing that mattered.
1. Psyche and Cupid:
This is my favorite romance of all time. It’s not about how they fell in love but about how they fought to finally be together. There are many versions for this legend. Wikipedia has one of them, but I much prefer what I read in the Vietnamese version edited by Nguyen Van Khoa. That was a truly beautiful one.

“Once upon a time”.. Psyche was the little daughter among the 3 princesses of a king. Her fairness far outshone her sisters’ and any other girls’ in the mortal land and that made Venus (Aphrodite) – the Goddess of Love and Beauty – so envious and anxious because people forgot to worship her power. Thus, she told her son Cupid (Eros) – the winged God of Love – to shoot his arrows making Psyche fall in love with the ugliest man ever. However, the trouble was that Cupid also fell in love with Psyche from the very first time he saw her as if he had just shot himself (I think this is the best part of this version because the God of Love also got trapped in the “troubles” he brought to mortals and also love does happen even without getting shot with one of those invisible golden arrows).

So he begged for help from Apollo to fake an oracle telling the king that his little daughter had to marry a terrible serpent to save his people. Psyche accepted her fate because it was a princess’s responsibility and she even tried to console her parents’ grieve. She was left alone in a mountain, but no serpent came as said. She only felt a cool breeze taking her to a magnificent palace where she was served like a queen by invisible servants. Her husband only came to her at night and she never saw his face. However, she also quietly fell in love with him.
Then one day her husband allowed her to receive her two sisters as guests but he told her not to listen to them and try to find out who he was: “On the day you know who I am we’ll be parted forever”.
When seeing Psyche again, the two sisters became more envious of Psyche’s luxurious life than happy that she was still alive. They persuaded Psyche that her husband was actually a serpent and prompted her to kill him to save herself. Psyche was so naïve that her faith was totally shaken by the evil words from her sisters. She couldn’t think about killing her husband who was very nice to her but at least she had to make sure he was not a monster.
One night Psyche waited for her husband to sleep soundly and came back with a lamp. Under the light she finally saw her husband’s face, as beautiful as he always was, the God of Love. She was deeply touched and her hands were trembling so hard that she dropped a bit oil from the lamp on his shoulder and awoke him. He immediately flew away and she could still hear his voice in the wind “Love can’t exist without honesty and trust”.

Psyche was brokenhearted. She loved her husband with all her heart and decided to go to look for him. Days, months and years passed by but she found no sight of her beloved husband. She asked all the Olympus Gods and Goddesses for help but no one spared her any sympathy because they didn’t want troubles with Venus. Thus, Psyche decided to search for Venus herself to beg her permit to meet Cupid again.
Meanwhile, Venus found out her son’s disobedience and locked him up in his room to prevent him from going for his wife. Then one day she finally met with Psyche. The envious Goddess thought she would challenge Psyche with difficult tasks so that she would either die or become so old and ugly that Cupid would not love her anymore.
She asked Psyche to separate a mess of grains; then to get some wool from the vicious golden sheep; and then bring back some water from the River Styx, the river lay between the mortal land and the Underworld. Amazingly, while all the Gods and Goddesses ignored the poor girl, all the little creatures sympathized with her and Psyche overcame all 3 tasks thanks to help from the ants, a little tree and an eagle.
Venus was so angry at Psyche’s success. She finally came up with the most wicked idea which was to challenge Psyche to go to the Underworld to ask for a bit of beauty from Queen Proserpina (Persephone). Psyche went on her long journey again and was shown how to go to the Underworld and come back alive by an old tower. Many days and difficulties went by and finally she met with Proserpina and had a piece of her beauty to put in a small box to go back to Venus. However, on the way back Psyche was curious and also she wanted to take a bit of that piece to beautify herself before seeing Cupid again. She opened the box but instead of something visible there was only an infernal sleep that took over her and get her into an eternal sleep that nobody could wake up from.

Luckily, Cupid had found the way out of his locked room. He had forgiven his wife and was flying around to look for her. He found Psyche sleeping and wiped out the sleep on her face. Putting the Proserpina’s beauty back into the box he told Psyche to come to Venus immediately while he came up to the Olympus mount to beg Jupiter (Zeus) to accept their marriage. After hearing everything Psyche had been through, the God decided that she were allowed to be married to an immortal God and became a Goddess. Only then had Venus have to obey Jupiter’s decision but she was also so impressed by Psyche’s will that she totally had no objections.
And so that was the end of the story.. Or no, not yet.. And “they lived happily forever after”..
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So, I think the most awesome thing about this story is Psyche’s incredible power to overcome all the challenges and difficulties taking into account she was a princess at birth who had everything taken care of. Besides, I think she was quite blind too. Say, if she became ugly and old would Cupid still love her? Did she have a “plan B”? Obviously not. She only knew that her heart was beating for him so if Cupid didn’t love her anymore she would just simply die.
And it was also amazing how Cupid accused Psyche of dishonesty and untrustworthiness. It was clear that he was actually the one who started all the lies. He lied to his mother, to her father and especially he didn’t trust her, and then he gave himself the right to abandon Psyche, to leave her broken-hearted and feeling guilty about herself. And during her long journey where was he? Did he do anything? No! He only appeared at the end of the road being the prize for her difficult days. And mind you, even when Psyche opened that little box she also thought of him, how happy he would be if his wife became more beautiful. It was all for him / because of him.
Anyway, I still have to say I admire Psyche from the bottom of my heart. She was the purest, bravest, most beautiful, most adorable, most decisive female character of the whole Greek Mythology that I have read. I won’t say Cupid deserved her love totally though. However, if there were no Cupid probably Psyche would never be able to find out her strong will and enormous power. And again, their love didn’t happen because of those invisible arrows. Magic! Maybe that’s why Cupid was a winged God. Love has to have wings to fly and to create beautiful and incredible things in life.
All photos from the internet.
Note: The names here are from Roman stories, not Greek. Venus, Cupid and Jupiter are Roman names for Aphrodite, Eros and Zeus. This was how I first read the story so I didn’t want to change the names into original Greek.

GREEK LOVE STORY - The story of Orpheus and Eurydice

The story of Orpheus and Eurydice (GREEK Mythology)

Orpheus: "On his mother's side he was more than mortal. He was the son of one of the Muses and a Tracian prince. His mother gave him the gift of music and Thrace where he grew up fostered it. The Thracians were the most musical of the peoples of Greece. But Orpheus had no rival there or anywhere except the gods alone. There was no limit to his power when he played and sang. No one and nothing could resist him.

Eurydice and Orpheus were young and in love. So deep was their love that they were practically inseparable. So dependent was their love that each felt they could not live without the other. These young lovers were very happy and spent their time frolicking through the meadows. One day Eurydice was gaily running through a meadow with Orpheus when she was bitten by a serpent. The poison of the sting killed her and she descended to Hades immediately.
Orpheus was son of the great Olympian god Apollo. In many ways Apollo was the god of music and Orpheus was blessed with musical talents. Orpheus was so sad about the loss of his love that he composed music to express the terrible emptiness which pervaded his every breath and movement. He was so desperate and found

so little else meaningful, that he decided address Hades. As the overseer of the underworld, Hades heart had to be hard as steel, and so it was. Many approached Hades to beg for loved ones back and as many times were refused. But Orpheus' music was so sweet and so moving that it softened the steel hearted heart of Hades himself. Hades gave permission to Orpheus to bring Eurydice back to the surface of the earth to enjoy the light of day. There was only one condition--Orpheus was not to look back as he ascended. He was to trust that Eurydice was immediately behind him. It was a long way back up and just as Orpheus had almost finished that last part of the trek, he looked behind him to make sure Eurydice was still with him. At that very moment, she was snatched back because he did not trust that she was there. When you hear music which mourns lost love, it is Orpheus' spirit who guides the hand of the musicians who play it.