March 2026 Newsletter
MARCH 2026 NEWSLETTER:
THE ROMAN NEW YEAR EDITION
Hello everyone, wherever and whenever you are, and welcome to the March edition of the Shakarri News.
DID YOU KNOW?
MARCH: START OF THE NEW YEAR
March was named “Martius” for Mars, the Roman god of war, purportedly by Romulus. It was the beginning of the Roman calendar year and marked the start of their military campaign season. Their original calendar was ten months long and was out of sync with the seasons, which frustrated many Romans. Seven hundred years later, on the advice of his astronomers, Julius Caesar reformed the calendar to 365 days and moved the start of the year from March to January.
I have attached a link to the “Royal Museums Greenwich” which gives a brief accounting of time.
Please note, upon opening the site there will be a pop-up which asks to allow cookies, manage cookies, or disallow cookies. Choose the latter if that is your preference — it’s mine — (the British are very understanding). This is a very short but interesting article.
https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/time/why-12-months-year-seven-days-week-or-60-minutes-hour#:
HOW TO REMOVE AN ARROW FROM A TIGER
KELLY V. CHHAYA
In Lethal Tattoos, Kelly rescues Chhaya and his followers from the K’Tar, and discovers that he has an arrow embedded in his left rear haunch. If you haven’t yet read Lethal Tattoos, Chhaya is a tiger, the patriarch of the Shakarri society, and weighs 1500 pounds. Chhaya will die if the arrow is not removed, and it is left to Kelly to do the deed. Needless to say the operation must take place without anaesthetic, and Kelly is terrified of the potential repercussions.
I read a few articles on how ancient armies extracted arrows from their soldiers, and used that as a basis for Kelly’s operation. One of the more interesting articles relates to “The Spoon of Dioclese,” which dates back to the 1st century AD, as a possible tool to use. As always with ancient artifacts, there are endless opinions on the true function of the tool. Nevertheless, it captured my imagination, and Kelly applied the basic concepts, with some unique modifications, to extract the arrow. Once extracted, Chhaya was then introduced to modern means of sterilizing and closing the wound, also potentially life-threatening for Kelly.
ROMAN MILITARY TACTICS
THE SHIELD WALL
You have likely seen movies of armies clashing using a shield wall, whether it’s the Greeks, the Romans or the Vikings. The general concept is simple, but in reality the proper application requires a great deal of practice. If one side has shields, has practiced the application, and developed tools to increase the effectiveness of eliminating the enemy — and also has the good fortune of fighting an enemy who does not use a shield — the odds are stacked in their favour. On Kelly’s march to the Island coast, he teaches his band of K’Tar the art of using the shield wall, modified of course to make full use of the Shakarri. I’ve included a link which discusses how to properly use a shield wall in formation. It’s not very long.
KELLY’S MILITARY TACTICS
TELEPATHY
A cornerstone to Kelly’s military tactics is the use of telepathy, which enables him to relay instructions over an, as yet undetermined, maximum distance to his new army. Telepathy is simple for Kelly and the Chhaya family, since they were all integrated. But as they discovered following their encounter with the K’Tar at their fort, learning telepathy was simple once you were taught how.
Below is an article that demonstrates how telepathy works in it’s simplest form. Keep in mind these are the early stages of telepathy development. If you look at the rapid rate of technological advancements, it is possible to believe that not far in the future it will be possible for anyone to communicate that way. The bigger question will be, how do we maintain privacy over our thoughts? Kelly and his gang have that worked out.
https://www.aip.org/inside-science/telepathy-is-real
CORE, LOWER BODY & BRAIN HEALTH
THE BENEFITS OF STANDING ON ONE LEG
This health article is a longer read than other articles I usually attach, but in my opinion it is well worth the time to read, and is relevant to both young and old. The more information you have when you are young, the better you can make choices that will have a positive effect as you age.
Scientists refer to it as “single leg training” – which can not only hone your core, hip and leg muscles, but your underlying brain health. Enjoy.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260114-the-surprising-benefits-of-standing-on-one-leg
IF YOU THINK SPRING IS HERE, YOU’RE RIGHT
QUESTIONS? THOUGHTS?
Spring is here, depending on how you define it, but whether it is in astronomical terms or meteorological terms, the crocuses, daffodils, and primulas are blooming and our grass needs to a herd of goats to cut it.
From an astronomical perspective — ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt developed it over 5000 years ago— the first day of Spring is marked by the Spring Equinox, which falls on either March 19, 20, or 21.
From the meteorological perspective — which has been used for over 2400 years — the official first day of spring is March 1. The Greek philosopher Aristotle is considered the founder of meteorology, having written Meteorologica around 350 BC. The meteorological seasons are based on annual temperature cycles rather than on the position of Earth in relation to the Sun.
As always, I’d love to hear from you, so Email Me and let me know your thoughts on anything in this newsletter, or suggestions for what you’d like to see in future editions.
-Ray
Ray St. Denis
Author, The Shakarri Series
