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- By Maggie Oman Shannon Picture these: a pewter angel, a copper medal depicting the Hindu elephant god Ganesh, a blue glass anti-evil eye charm, a clay scarab, a rose-quartz pendant, a walnut carved with 108 likenesses of Buddha. Though the wearing or carrying of amulets may seem to be a material flourish of this generation's New Age movement, the practice is as old as human history itself. Every culture and every major world religion has a particular way of enfolding amulets into its spiritual practice, though there are differing interpretations on why or when to use them. |
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- The common abbreviation for Christmas to Xmas is derived from the Greek alphabet. X is letter Chi, which is the first letter of Christ's name in the Greek alphabet. Oliver Cromwell, in England banned Christmas Carols between 1649 and 1660. Cromwell thought that Christmas should be a very solemn day so he banned carols and parties. The only celebration was by a sermon and a prayer service. |
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- By Fiona Blackwolf Originally published under the title Natural Magic in 2000, and now in its third printing. Encyclopedia of Natural Magic, by John Michael Greer,is broken up into three sections: The Natural Magic Tradition, The Natural Magic Encyclopedia, and The Natural Magic Workbook. In The Natural Magic Tradition you will find information on the relationship between nature and magic, including short explanations of how astrology and the elements fit into the practice. One very valuable part of this section is the discussion of what Greer calls ? |
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- By Alex Bellos Colum Stapleton's initiation into an Amazonian religion and its exotic drugs rituals came in the most unlikely of surroundings - a community hall in rural Northern Ireland. It was three years ago and the film-maker was invited through friends to take part in a secret ceremony of the Brazilian religion Santo Daime, followers of which drink a hallucinogenic jungle brew. "I opened the door and there were about 60 people all dressed in white," he remembers. "It felt totally bonkers. The men had white suits and blue ties, and the women white dresses. |
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- By Starhawk C.S. Lewis's books not only taught me important values, they helped bring me to the Goddess. For me, one of her names is Aslan. When I was eight years old, the librarian at my elementary school handed me "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. |
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- A skeptic receives psychic insight into her future By Kristal Hicks As soon as I entered the Mustard Seed, an herbal and all-natural nutrition store on State Street in Portsmouth, I wondered if 30 minutes with a psychic was really worth the $55. As I handed my money to Nancy, the bubbly 30-something cashier, I cringed as my monthly cell phone payment found its place in the little envelope labeled "Readings." Nancy asked if it was my first time with a psychic and I smiled, nodding. I could see her jumping up and down for me on the inside. She assured me that it would be "interesting" and told me to ask all the questions I wanted. |
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- Some say it's the start of teaching a one world religion, others say it's a harmless elective for high school students, but beginning next year, public schools will be offered a Bible curriculum developed under the influence of people who believe the needs of the citizenry should be subservient to the state, and whose standards are endorsed by such liberal organizations as the National Education Association and the National Association of Evangelicals. According to the Supreme Court, the public schools cannot endorse religion by teaching it, but the Bible can be taught as a literary or historic curriculum as an elective. And the conservative National Council on Bible Curriculum In Public Schools has been offering a King James Based-based curriculum, used in some 1,100 high schools in 37 states. |
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- There is a wolf out there. A big wolf, roaming the hills of Italy. There is a wolf out there that could tear the skin from the earth. Lay cities to waste. Sink footprints like swimming pools into our backyards and breathe hot on our sleeping windows. |
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- By Anda Powers Sometimes, it's just not fair. The list of Christian churches in your city is longer than your hand -- at least one for every denomination. There's even a synagogue and a Buddhist temple within driving distance. But here you are, a solitary pagan, without even a mention in the white pages. You know that there are other pagans around, so there must be clergy somewhere. |
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- An herb traditionally used in the ancient Hindu system of healing known as Ayurveda improved memory in a mouse model for Alzheimer's disease, say Oregon Health & Science University researchers. Their work adds to the evidence that antioxidants - also found in apples and other foods - seem to hinder memory loss. There were similar studies with rats in 2004 that found the antioxidants in quercetin protected the rat brain cells from oxidative stress. More recently, one of the largest studies of its kind has finding a link between fruit - in particular apples - and vegetable consumption and memory loss in the elderly. |
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- ?Sonnenheim? sees Of the Wand and the Moon delving deeper than ever before into heathen inspired themes of honor, kinship, resistance, worship, nature, and magick. Using poetry and allusive references Kim Larsen communicates his experiences and insights with finesse and grace. Kim is able to weave a spell that seduces the listener into a remembrance of things faint and almost forgotten by wrapping insightful poetry in dreamy acoustic instrumentation and swaying electronic keyboards. |
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- By Cardinal Roger M. Mahony On Nov. 29, the Congregation for Catholic Education released its "Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations With Regard to Persons With Homosexual Tendencies in View of Their Admission to the Seminary and to Sacred Orders." In this document, Bishops, Religious Superiors, and Seminary administrators are given criteria to assist them in discerning the suitability of men with homosexual tendencies for seminary formation and priestly ordination. Having reviewed the Instruction thoroughly, I can attest that the Instruction reaffirms the admissions policy and practice of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and St. |
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- By Jennifer Fishburn Kissing under the mistletoe, a popular American holiday tradition, is held by some to increase the possibility of marriage in the coming year. In North America this tradition became established in the 1880s. One of the most mystical and sacred plants of European folklore, mistletoe has long been a symbol of love, peace, and goodwill. Traditions involving this plant date back to ancient times. Mistletoe was widely used centuries before Christ in pagan rituals. |
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- There's lots of gift giving going on all over the world during the holidays. Different cultures have different taboos about gifts. Feng Shui Diva! Robyn Bentley, author of Creating A Haven: Simple Steps For A Healthy And Nurturing Home says gifts are symbols and carry energy from the giver to the receiver, affecting both. |
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- Self-government became a reality for Labrador's 5,000 Inuit on Thursday, almost three decades after their land claim was filed. The day's events included formal adoption of the constitution of Nunatsiavut ("our beautiful land"), the area they will control, and a swearing-in ceremony for a first cabinet. Toby Andersen, chief negotiator for the Labrador Inuit Association, said he is overwhelmed to see a long-held dream come true. "For me, personally, I never thought I'd live to see this day, but here it is and here we are," he said. "Words can't explain it. |
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- By Julliet Ansumana Miss Joan Bangura of Alton Hope Road, Old Warf, Wellington, died Sunday November 27, shortly after listening to shocking confessions of witchcraft from her two nieces. In an exclusive interview with Miss Bangura before her death, she disclosed that it started on Saturday night November 26th when she had, what she described as an awful dream. Her nieces Fatmata Bangura aged 6 and Marie aged 8, were driving a black Mercedes Benz to a destination she does not know and their appearance was quite frightening, she revealed. |
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- By Rae Schwarz The winter solstice, most often referred to as Yule, is the celebration of the longest night of the year. A ritual hearth fire was part of many different cultures observance of this special night. The tradition of the Yule log varies greatly across the many groups which lit fires for this event. It dates back to 12th century Europe, and was prevalent throughout France and Italy. The wood for the Yule log is supposed to be harvested off the owner? |
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- Apparently, the season of good cheer did not start out as exclusively a Christian festival. According to Pagans, the early Christian church hijacked December 25 to celebrate the birth of Jesus because they saw that everyone was already having a good time and decided to take advantage of it. Historical debate has been raging for a long time over the exact date of the birth of Jesus Christ, with estimates ranging from sometime in September to much later in February. But the most important date in the festive season for Pagans is the winter solstice which always takes place around December 21. Called Yule, it is one of the traditional Celtic fire festivals and marks the return of the light after the longest night of the year. |
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- By Parthena Black "You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too many shoes." According to Freud, the shoes in your dreams may have a more risque' message than the shoes in your closet! True to form, Sigmund Freud suggested that anything that can be entered by a part of the human body symbolized sexual intercourse. Feet "enter" shoes, so there you go. Freud's idea has actually been used as symbolism in stories and films for decades. |
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- By Carl McColman This evening my I attended the vigil Mass at my church?and thus began my first Advent as a Catholic. This time last year, I was merely studying the Catholic faith, having not yet made the commitment to enter the church. Two years ago, I had no Christian affiliation at all? but rather considered myself to be a modern Pagan. |
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- Plans to stabilise the ancient Silbury Hill mound in Wiltshire have been unveiled by English Heritage. The man-made monument, believed to date to the Neolithic period, developed a hole at the top five years ago after the collapse of infilling in a shaft. There are proposals to remove an inadequate backfill from this and other cavities and replace it with chalk. English Heritage said it would preserve the long-term stability of the hill while minimising further damage. Surveys have confirmed that the overall structure is stable, although there are pockets of instability resulting from tunnels dug in 1776, 1849 and 1968. |
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- By Helen Crane Spending time away with the fairies has paid off for the curator of Ewell's Bourne Hall Museum after he scooped a national book award. Jeremy Harte, who has been taking time out from reality to explore the world of fairies, has been presented with this year's Folklore Society's award for the best book about folklore. His book, Explore Fairy Traditions, took two years to research and uncovers the real truth about the creatures a truth which may be a shock to people who think of fairies as animated little dolls with pink wings and with a kindly and generous disposition. |
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- By Fred Musante Seasonal affective disorder is a fancy name for the winter blues, the feeling of malaise that corresponds to the colder months. In keeping with the need to dumb down everything, seasonal affective disorder is commonly known by its acronym, SAD. Although it's only been called SAD for 20 years, it's been around for quite a while, even popping up in Greek mythology. The pretty young goddess Persephone was out picking flowers one day, as the story goes, when grumpy old Hades kidnapped her and brought her to the land of the dead where he reigned as king. Hades wanted Persephone to be his queen, but her reaction was what you'd expect: |
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- Collegians dread aid cuts Kansas City Star, MO - Nov 30, 2005 The Senate bill proposes cutting $9 billion from the student loan program The changes would most affect Stafford loans, said Jan Brandow, director of financial Read the fine print Stanford Daily - Nov 30, 2005 service charge assessed [...] |
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- Dover Parkersburg 8 qt. metal watering can Sale Price - 15.72 A watering can is an essential tool for the indoor gardener. The sprinkler spout on this one makes gentle watering easy. It holds 8 quarts. |
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- Christmas angels made holiday great in China The Barrie Advance - Our first purchase was a figurine of an old man in a Chinese hat, fishing even the pole and line were attached Original foo fighter was cartoon Belleville.com - Jolts,’ claimed he found ‘foo’ [... |
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- 2 kittens.. both males.. 10 weeks old.. |
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OfficeMax (Dec 04 2005 04:37 GMT) - Price: $79.99; Rating: 1. |
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