EXPLANATIONS and DEFINITIONS

Andromeda: In Greek mythology, Andomeda was beautiful daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiope of Joppa in Palestine (called Ethiopia) and wife of Perseus. Cassiope offended the Nereids by boasting that Andromeda was more beautiful than they, so in revenge Poseidon sent a sea monster to devastate Cepheus’ kingdom. Since only Andromeda’s sacrifice would appease the gods, she was chained to a rock and left to be devoured by the monster. Perseus flew by on the winged horse Pegasus, fell in love with Andromeda, and asked Cepheus for her hand. Cepheus agreed, and Perseus slew the monster. At their marriage feast, however, Andromeda’s uncle, Phineus, to whom she had originally been promised, tried to claim her. Perseus turned him to stone with Medusa’s head. Andromeda bore Perseus six sons and a daughter.

May's Origin: The month of May was named for the Greek goddess, Maia. She was the daughter of Atlas, a Titan who was responsible for bearing the weight of the heavens on his shoulders, and the mother of Hermes, the messenger of Gods. Maia was considered the goddess of spring and growth. She was considered a nurturer of Earth and growing plants. Her Roman equivalent, Bona Dea, was known as the goddess of fertility and named for the Latin word "maius," meaning large. She is also associated with growth and the springtime.

Shamanism or samanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman or saman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance.[1][2] The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into the physical world for the purpose of healing, divination, or to aid human beings in some other way.