Vassago

Appointment in Samarra

2026-07-25T10:34:39.370+01:00

One morning a rich merchant was walking in the marketplace in Baghdad

As he looked across the street he suddenly saw the figure of Death beckoning to him

The terrified man rushed home, mounted his fastest horse, and rode a hundred miles to Samara

He booked a room at the inn and locked himself inside

That night there was a knock on the door of the room

He opened it there stood Death

"why did you beckon me in the marketplace in Baghdad today" asked the man

"I was not beckoning you" said Death

"I was merely surprised to see you in Baghdad since I knew that tonight we had an appointment in Samarra"

Appointment in Samarra

2026-07-25T10:26:54.314+01:00

Appointment in Samarra

There was a merchant in Baghdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions, and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling, and said, “Master, just now when I was in the marketplace I was jostled by a woman in the crowd, and when I turned I saw it was Death that had jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture. Now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there Death will not find me.”

The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop, he went.

Then the merchant went down to the marketplace and he saw Death disguised as a woman standing in the crowd, and he came to her and said, “Why did you make a threatening gesture to my servant when you saw him this morning?” “That was not a threatening gesture,” the woman said. “It was only an expression of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra

2026-07-25T06:30:00.000+01:00

From the moment we are born, people tell us that the world is like this and like that, this way, that way.

It is natural that - for a certain period of time - we end up believing what we are told.

But we must soon push these ideas aside and discover our own way of living reality

2026-07-24T13:04:15.112+01:00

Spiritually, sand symbolizes the passage of time, infinity, and shifting foundations. Because it is formed by weathered rock, it represents transformation and resilience. It can also serve as a reminder to stay grounded in the present moment rather than letting life slip through your fingers.

In Abrahamic faiths, sand often represents abundance and divine covenants (e.g., the countless descendants promised to Abraham). Conversely, it can symbolize a weak or foolish foundation if one builds upon it rather than on a solid rock

Because it is formed by both earth (minerals) and water (oceans), sand is believed to balance both energies. It is frequently used in spiritual practices for cleansing, grounding, and letting go of what you cannot control

The iconic hourglass is a direct representation of sand's connection to transience and the present moment. Each grain represents a single second, reminding practitioners of the value of every breath

2026-07-24T13:00:00.000+01:00

All you have to do is contemplate

a simple grain of sand,

and you will see in it

all the marvels of creation

2026-07-24T12:56:25.587+01:00

the estimated total number of all grains of sand on every beach and desert across the entire Earth is less than 8 quintillion (0.8 x 10¹⁹)

a single average grain of sand contains roughly 24 quintillion (2.4 × 10¹⁹) atoms

2026-07-24T12:53:33.782+01:00

Ironically, while a grain of sand is a metaphor for a negligible speck, scientifically it contains mind-boggling scale.

A single average grain of sand contains roughly 24 quintillion (2.4 × 10¹⁹) atoms

—which is more than three times the estimated total number of all grains of sand on every beach and desert across the entire Earth

2026-07-24T12:52:01.869+01:00

"To see a World in a Grain of Sand,
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,
And Eternity in an Hour."

2026-07-24T12:49:33.232+01:00

You can’t choose whether or not you’ll suffer,

but you can choose what you want to suffer for

2026-07-24T12:00:15.449+01:00

when she looks in the mirror she does not see beauty looking back at her

only her face

2026-07-24T11:57:23.833+01:00

several years later from a taxi you'll

1 minute, 49 seconds

see someone in a doorway who looks like her

she'll be gone by the time you persuade the driver to stop

you will never see her again

2026-07-23T06:30:00.000+01:00

It's better to live cherishing a dream

than face the possibility that it might all come to nothing

Fleetwood Mac

2026-07-22T14:18:07.814+01:00

Fleetwood Mac (1968 album)

Peter Green – vocals, guitar, harmonica
Jeremy Spencer – vocals, slide guitar, piano
John McVie – bass guitar
Mick Fleetwood – drums
Bob Brunning – bass guitar on "Long Grey Mare"

Mr. Wonderful

Fleetwood Mac

Peter Green – vocals, guitar
Jeremy Spencer – vocals, slide guitar, piano
John McVie – bass guitar
Mick Fleetwood – drums

Additional personnel

Christine Perfect – piano
Duster Bennett – harmonica
Steve Gregory – alto saxophone
Dave Howard – alto saxophone
Johnny Almond – tenor saxophone
Roland Vaughan – tenor saxophone

Danny Kirwin joins

Then Play On

Fleetwood Mac

Peter Green – vocals, guitar, harmonica, six string bass, percussion, cello
Danny Kirwan – vocals, guitar
John McVie – bass guitar
Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion
Jeremy Spencer – piano on "Oh Well (Part 2)"

Additional personnel

Christine Perfect – uncredited piano
Sandra Elsdon – uncredited recorders

Peter Green leaves

Kiln House

Fleetwood Mac

Danny Kirwan – guitar, vocals
Jeremy Spencer – guitar, slide guitar, vocals, piano
John McVie – bass guitar
Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

Christine McVie – Wurlitzer 200A, piano, backing vocals

Jeremy Spencer leaves

Bob Welch joins

Future Games

Fleetwood Mac

Danny Kirwan – guitar, vocals
Bob Welch – guitar, vocals
Christine McVie – piano, vocals
John McVie – bass guitar
Mick Fleetwood – drums

Bare Trees

Fleetwood Mac

Danny Kirwan – guitar, vocals
Bob Welch – guitar, vocals
Christine McVie – keyboards, vocals
John McVie – bass guitar
Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion

Danny Kirwin leaves

Dave Walker and Bob Weston join

Penguin

Fleetwood Mac

Bob Welch – guitars, vocals, bass guitar
Bob Weston – lead guitar slide guitar banjo and harmonica
Christine McVie – keyboards, vocals
Dave Walker – vocals, harmonica
John McVie – bass guitar
Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion

Dave Walker leaves

Mystery to Me

Fleetwood Mac

Bob Welch
– electric guitar, acoustic guitarr, vocals
Bob Weston – electric guitar, slide guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Christine McVie – keyboards, lead and backing vocals
John McVie – bass guitar
Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion

Mystery to Me was Fleetwood Mac's last album recorded in England, the last to have two guitarists in the line-up until Behind the Mask and the last to be co-produced and/or engineered by Martin Birch.

Bob Weston leaves

Heroes Are Hard to Find

Fleetwood Mac

Bob Welch – guitars, vocals, vibraphone
Christine McVie – keyboards, vocals, ARP String Ensemble
John McVie – bass guitar
Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion

Bob Welch leaves Fleetwood Mac and was replaced by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks,

Fleetwood Mac

Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion
John McVie – bass guitar
Christine McVie – keyboards, synthesizer, vocals
Lindsey Buckingham – guitars, vocals
Stevie Nicks – vocals

Fleetwood Mac (1975)
Rumours (1977)
Tusk (1979)
Mirage (1982)
Tango in the Night (1987)

Lindsey Buckingham leaves

Rick Vito and Billy Burnette were hired to replace him on the subsequent tour, and they would remain part of the band's lineup for the next album, Behind the Mask

Behind the Mask

Fleetwood Mac

Stevie Nicks – vocals
Christine McVie – vocals, keyboards
Rick Vito – vocals, lead guitars
Billy Burnette – vocals, guitars
John McVie – bass guitar
Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion,

Lindsey Buckingham – acoustic guitar on "Behind the Mask"

Time

Fleetwood Mac

Bekka Bramlett – vocals
Billy Burnette – guitars, vocals
Dave Mason – guitars, vocals
Christine McVie – keyboards, vocals
John McVie – bass guitar
Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion,

Lindsey Buckingham – backing vocals
Lucy Fleetwood – backing vocals

Say You Will

Fleetwood Mac

Lindsey Buckingham – vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass guitar, percussion, programming
Stevie Nicks – vocals, additional keyboards
John McVie – bass guitar, black keys
Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion

2026-07-22T06:30:00.000+01:00

the two hardest tests on the spiritual road:

the patience to wait for the right moment

and the courage not to be disappointed with what you encounter

2026-07-21T06:30:00.000+01:00

Everyone's looking for the perfect teacher,

but although their teachings might be divine, teachers are all too human, and that's something people find all too hard to accept.

Don't confuse the teacher with the lesson, the ritual with the ecstasy, the transmitter of the symbol with the symbol itself.

our encounter with the forces of life and not with the people who bring this about.

Pity those who seek for shepherds, instead of longing for freedom!

2026-07-20T06:30:00.000+01:00

There was a time when people accepted magical experiences as natural.

There were no priests then, and no one went chasing after the secrets of the occult

2026-07-19T06:30:00.000+01:00

Just as your hand has the power to hide the sun,

mediocrity has the power to hide your inner light

2026-07-18T06:30:00.000+01:00

We were never being bored

Because we were never being boring

2026-07-17T06:30:00.000+01:00

Wit is often a mask.

If you could tear it you would find either a genius irritated

or cleverness juggling

2026-07-16T06:30:00.000+01:00

who can depart from his pain and his aloneness without regret?

2026-07-15T06:00:00.000+01:00

despair weakens our sight and closes our ears.

We can see nothing but spectres of doom

and can hear only the beating of our agitated hearts

2026-07-14T06:30:00.000+01:00

Notice those gorgeous homes that represent happiness, glory and domination;

they are naught but caverns of misery and distress

2026-07-13T06:00:00.000+01:00

He who repeats what he does not understand

is no better than an ass that is loaded with books

2026-07-12T06:30:00.000+01:00

the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow

2026-07-11T06:30:00.000+01:00

Every beauty and greatness in this world is created by a single thought or emotion inside a man.

Every thing we see today,

made by past generations,

was, before its appearance,

a thought in the mind of a man

or an impulse in the heart of a woman