Halloween RitesWritten by Sam Stevens
For some of us, EVERY DAY IS HALLOWEEN!!! If you want to be unusual dress up as a nurse, secretary, grocery clerk or bank teller this year. Gypsy, vampires and shaman wanna-bes are everywhere already! Or you could get all Martha Stewart about it and practice following festive rites, which find their origins in British Isles and Europe for that "authentic" Halloween experience. The first thing you might want to do is convince your church pastor to ring church bell all night to ward off evil spirits as was custom in 4th century England. If you're feeling particularly ambitious you could also dig up your dead loved ones and dress them up in long robes as was custom in 2nd century Naples. The cadavers would be placed in niches in stone church walls ready to be visited by their relatives who of course were not appalled at all to see their familiar faces. The second thing you want to do is build a big bonfire built from barrels full of tar and dance around it with wild abandon. I guess 21st century equivalent would be to gather with other townsfolk around local "tire fire." It was also custom back then to gather every stick of spare wood you could find and throw it on fire, despite fact that winter was coming. The key word associated with Halloween back then was "foolhardy." In Britain, in 4th century, people would also visit graves of their kinfolk and throw holy water or milk on graves to "feed dead." This custom later mutated into practice of giving children or poor money or a baked good called a "soul cake" in exchange for prayers for souls of dearly departed who were often thought to be stuck in purgatory. The ancient recipe for soul cakes is not unlike shortbread, so if you want to be authentic, give little visitors some shortbread at door. Watch them scream and run away, however as you bend over and gently ask them to pray for soul of your dead uncle who is burning in flames of hell!!! In England in 16th century, Halloween was also known as "Night of Shaming" in which people dressed up as a mock government or court and allowed powerful figures, such as mayor, or Sherriff and sometimes local wife-beater to be humiliated verbally or physically. So its a good night to perform an intervention, have boss over to dinner or practice some kind of S & M that takes most arrogant person down a notch. At end of these rituals it was customary to throw offending authoritarian into a body of water to cleanse them, so Halloween is perfect night for a pool party.
| | Lucky Charms and TalismansWritten by Sam Stevens
Many of you already own several lucky charms or talismans. You just may not be aware of object's symbolism or meaning. Below I have compiled a list of some of more popular and common good luck symbols that can be purchased in form of jewellery, paintings or statues. The Ring: A ring made of gold represents eternity and circle of life. A diamond on a gold ring symbolizes fidelity. The tradition of wedding ring goes back to ancient Romans. Puzzle rings that interlink symbolize integration of spirit with mind. When you give a puzzle ring to a friend, it means that you never want two of you to part ways. The Clover: The three-leafed clover is a symbol of health and vitality and for Celts, symbolized The Holy Trinity. A four-leafed clover symbolizes sudden good fortune. A five-leafed clover symbolizes a happy marriage. The Heart: A heart is classic symbol of love. A picture or lock of hair carried inside a locket is thought to be ultimate way to symbolize carrying of another's spirit in your heart. As an amulet symbol of heart protects against heart disorders, anxiety and tendency to blame others. The Pentagram: This five-sided star is also known as Druid's foot. It helps as a talisman to fulfill wishes, invoke spiritual powers and activate inner powers. It also serves as a protective amulet against "evil eye" and casts evil back to where it came. The Star of David: This six-pointed star is also known as Seal of Solomon and Hexagram. It consists of two interlocking triangles and is used as a talisman to attain harmony, gain knowledge and invoke aid of angels. The Heptagram: Also known as Mysterious Star or Love Star, this seven pointed star is sacred to Venus and helps one radiate beauty and attractiveness as well as radiate harmony and love. The Crescent and Star: This symbol is a powerful love talisman that also symbolizes sexuality, wisdom and well being. The Eye in Triangle: This is an amulet that finds its origins in culture of Europe, Asia and Africa. An image of an eye within a triangle is thought to reflect evil back to wisher of bad luck and protect against envy, jealousy and misfortune. The Eye in Hand: These good luck tokens which feature a human eye centered in palm of a human hand originate in Near East and are of Jewish-Arabic origin. The open hand represents intervention of God and eye represents all-seeing eye of Go. This talisman is thought to bring God's mercy, strengthen faith and protect against bad luck.
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