Choose the right incense burner

Written by Jakob Jelling


Incense and incense burners come in many different varieties. While incenses vary in essences and aromas, incense burners vary in materials and shapes. Not onlyrepparttar incense you choose will have an effect on your environment, butrepparttar 116083 incense burner you use will do so as well. The incense you choose might affect your mood andrepparttar 116084 chi flow around it, whilerepparttar 116085 incense burner might directly affectrepparttar 116086 feng shui ofrepparttar 116087 space where it is as well as directly affect those who keep it.

Incense burners go hand to hand with incenses since they offerrepparttar 116088 most comfortable and practical way for you to burn your incenses. Besides, it would add symbolism and harmony torepparttar 116089 incense burning activity and torepparttar 116090 effect thatrepparttar 116091 essencerepparttar 116092 incense contains has.

If you wish to have an incense burner which adapts to feng shui principles then you should choose it in order that it helps you adding balance to your house environment. You can do this by choosing it according torepparttar 116093 material it is made of orrepparttar 116094 colors it contains. If you need to add metal to a specific area in order to create harmony, you should look for a metal incense burner. Onrepparttar 116095 other hand, if you need other elements, such as water or fire, you should choose an incense burner painted in colors that representrepparttar 116096 wished element.

Tribal Masks

Written by Ian Bracegirdle


Tribal Masks With a consideration of Folk Masquerade Original Tribal masks are often seen by unknowing eyes as art objects in themselves. That is notrepparttar case, unless of course they are modern copies. A tribal mask has embued power and is alive duringrepparttar 116082 ceremony for which it is used.

Several years ago I heard this story. An African, from one a well known people, was asked to visit a London museum and give his opinion. He visited a display of masking. "This mask is dead." He stated looking at one familiar to him. He was seeingrepparttar 116083 mask out of context, it had lost its power forrepparttar 116084 people who created it andrepparttar 116085 the magic had died.

Torepparttar 116086 collectors eyesrepparttar 116087 very appearance ofrepparttar 116088 mask andrepparttar 116089 story behind it leads torepparttar 116090 magic. The mysterious art forms drawing onrepparttar 116091 imagination and a need to interpret. As a piece of art it hasrepparttar 116092 power to involverepparttar 116093 observer in fathoming meaning to reach an understanding. This can moverepparttar 116094 viewer into a different frame of reference. Touching a life style that is at once strange and distance, yet it hasrepparttar 116095 feel of something closer to home. A paradox that seems to arise in studying older tribal ways. In a collection this is part ofrepparttar 116096 magic.

It is also important to appreciate that nearly all masks are part of a full costume. Oftenrepparttar 116097 costume is made from less durable materials and does not survive. Indeed some masks are also made of less durable materials, such asrepparttar 116098 basketery Yam mask, created byrepparttar 116099 Abelam in Papua New Guinea. And again some masks are destroyed as part ofrepparttar 116100 ceremony for which they are made.

The commonality in masking traditions

Delving back intorepparttar 116101 earliest recordings, historically, a visit torepparttar 116102 caves of Trois Feres in France is enlightening. Picture this painted Paleolithic scene.

A central figure stands wearingrepparttar 116103 head and antlers of a deer. He stands, shaman like, surround by animals. Animals that are important torepparttar 116104 culture he represents. Some ofrepparttar 116105 animals no longer exist in this area. Ibex, reindeer, bison, stag and horses. The shaman, for that is what he seems to be, stands, a human figure amongstrepparttar 116106 potential food. What magic he is creating or ancestors he is communicating with we do not know. Yet from our knowledge of tribal people studied in times closer to ours it is possible to understandrepparttar 116107 links. The need to hunt for food is essential to survival. The gods link all matters, stay in good standing withrepparttar 116108 gods and food will be available. Take only what can be used fairly and do not violaterepparttar 116109 natural laws. Life goes on, followingrepparttar 116110 seasons. There is a balance to life and death. The link between them is maintained byrepparttar 116111 magician, shaman, wizard, witch doctor, whatever you wish to call him.

During my studies of masks this relationship betweenrepparttar 116112 magical andrepparttar 116113 shaman constantly arises. There is a commonality betweenrepparttar 116114 ancient cultures ofrepparttar 116115 Pacific West Coast of North America ( now Canada and Alaska ) andrepparttar 116116 tribal traditions of Africa. Fertility,repparttar 116117 hunted animal, ancestors, initiation, circumcision, cannibalism real and symbolic, healing and crossing over intorepparttar 116118 spirit world for guidance and healing powers or to appeaserepparttar 116119 gods or ancestors. All these occur in different traditions spread aroundrepparttar 116120 world.

As you allow yourself to delve intorepparttar 116121 traditions surrounding masks in Europe something interesting arises. Hererepparttar 116122 traditions have been sanitised byrepparttar 116123 surrounding culture andrepparttar 116124 church. Yet when you delve back and attempt to understandrepparttar 116125 masking traditions, now displayed as folk lore, ineresting parallels are revealed. Whilst in Belgium I witnessed a processions depicting witches and and modern giants. Other masquerades also have links to witchcraft and by implication to shaman. One powerful link isrepparttar 116126 seasonal nature of many traditions. The Green man andrepparttar 116127 Hobby horse being two examples.

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