12.16.09
Posted in Essential Oils, Fantasy, Information, travel at 11:42 am by Administrator
The modern image we have of Santa Claus has evolved over the years. The origin of the red suited and well nourished gift bringer has been debated by scholars for years. What scholars can agree upon is where the American version of Santa Claus originated.
The Dutch settled an island on the east coast of America around 1624. Later, in 1664, British colonists arrived and New Amsterdam fell in to the hands of the English. Soon after than the city was renamed New York and still retains that name to this day. The original Dutch settlers were allowed to remain in the city so long as they obeyed English law. Most did and lived productive lives never having issue with the English. Their traditions stayed with them however and were openly practiced.
One of these was the tradition of Sinterklaas. In 1809 Sinterklaas was renamed Sancte Claus and was “promoted” to patron saint of New Amsterdam. He made his first appearance in 1810, dressed in bishops robes. Over the years he acquired a more secular appearance and by the 1880’s he appeared as the jolly fat man we know and love today.
The English version of Santa Claus began as Father Christmas but he was associated with holiday merrymaking and drunkenness. As the Victorian Age took over, the image of Santa Claus was remade into what we know today.
Mystical Charm hope you all have a wonderful holiday season full of fun and family.
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12.14.09
Posted in Essential Oils, Fantasy, Healing Oils, Information at 10:12 am by Administrator
Nowhere in the Bible is there an exact date given for the birth of Jesus. Scholars all over the world have proposed a number of dates (and years) for His birth but there seems to be a lack of consensus. Some believe He was born during Passover because the scripture says all of the inns were full. Others have pointed to Chinese astronomy charts which tell of a “bright light in the Eastern sky” in the spring of 4 B.C. and believe this was the “Star of Bethlehem”.
It wasn’t until around 200 A.D. that Clement of Alexandria wrote that a group of Christians in Egypt celebrated the nativity on Pachon 25 (May 20th of our calender). There is no other mention of Christmas as a major feast day for the church. In 221 A.D. Sextus Julius Africanus suggested that Jesus was conceived during the spring equinox (March 25th on the Roman calender) and therefore he must have been born on December 25th (nine months later).
Thus began the idea that Christ was born on December 25th. The early church was not all together on this idea however. Early Christians did not have a unified system of belief. Different areas of the world celebrated significant events at different times of the year. It was not until the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. (a meeting of Christian bishops from all of Christendom that attempted to attain consensus on church theology) that Christians had a unified system of belief.
News of the councils consensus was slow to travel in those days. Even slower was the adoption by some churches of the “new theology” of the church. Some churches had been celebrating the nativity on January 6th as part of Epiphany by saying is was part of the baptism of Jesus. Later Christmas was promoted as a feast day as part of the revival of Catholicism following the death of Arian Emperor Valens in 378 A.D. It was slow to start but by 400 A.D. it was a popular feast day through most of Chistendom.
Mystical Charm hopes you have a wonderful holiday season full of fun and family.
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11.12.09
Posted in Fantasy, Information, Jewelry, Uncategorized, travel at 11:06 am by Administrator
For thousands of years, architects have built this world. What started as simple mud huts soon moved to stone structures and then on to taller buildings. After a while, the act of building became common place. It was only a matter of time before kings and nobles wanted to out do one another and make their building stand out. Starting from before the 1st century B.C.E. into what we call the Middle Ages, architects would turn simple water spouts into Gargoyles.
The practice started in ancient Egypt where gargoyles ejected the water used to clean sacred vessels which was done on the roof of the temple. In ancient Greece, water would pass through the mouth of a lion carved into the building out of marble.
A great number of medieval cathedrals are adorned with gargoyles. The most famous of these is the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. During it’s construction, a number of gargoyles were constructed. Some were designed to convey water, others were put in place to ward off evil spirits. The king of France had a number of enemies at the time and ordered the architect to design every fourth gargoyle in the likeness of on of his enemies. To this day if you look closely at the gargoyles on Notre Dame, you will notice every fourth one looks much more human than the others.
Both ornamented and unornamented water spouts were common on buildings until the early 18th century. At that time, more and more buildings were using pipe guttering to convey water directly to street level. In 1724, the London Building Act made pipe guttering compulsory for all new construction and gargoyles fell out of favor.
What started as a simple means to convey water took on a life of it’s own. Next time you find yourself in a European city, take a look up and see what details you notice.
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11.04.09
Posted in Fantasy, Information, Jewelry, Runes, Symbols at 10:21 am by Administrator
Simply put, amethyst is a purple variety of quartz. Impurities in the quartz, such as ferric iron and possibly manganese. Somehow, science has a way of taking the mystical portion away from just about anything. Amethyst is much more than a simple crystal.
Amethyst has been a precious stone for thousands of years. The name comes from a-(not) and -methustos (intoxicated). Amethyst literally means “not drunk” since the ancient Greeks and Romans believed it had the power to keep one from feeling the effects of wine. They would make charms and drinking vessels out of amethyst believing it could keep them from getting drunk.
There are stories about how amethyst got it’s purple color. Most involve Dionysis (the Greek god of wine) turning a beautiful woman into crystal and then weeping tears of wine over her because of what he has done (ancient gods seem to have a very ADD quality about them) thus turning the crystals purple.
Today, amethyst and other crystals are better understood. There is no evidence to suggest that wearing an amethyst crystal will keep you from getting a hangover, but there is evidence that amethyst works in concert with your bodies natural electromagnetic field to induce healing and tranquil feelings. Amethyst can also be used in meditation to channel your thoughts and open blocked energy paths.
Whatever your feelings, amethyst is a beautiful crystal with more than it’s fair share of mystery and romance.
Mystical Charm hopes you have a wonderful holiday season full of fun and family.
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11.02.09
Posted in Fantasy, Information, Jewelry, Runes, Symbols at 11:23 am by Administrator
For a number of years, we have had stories of people with superhuman powers battling for control in one way of another. We have Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Wonder Woman and many more. These are stories most of us a familiar with us from comic books and movies.
Thousands of years ago, ancient people had the same thing. They told stories of gods with superhuman powers fighting monsters and traveling to far away lands. Each culture had it’s particular gods and stories to tell about them. In the far north in ancient Scandanavia tales were told of Thor and his hammer, Mjollnir.
Thor’s hammer is said to have the power to level mountains. If thrown it would return to Thor’s hand. To wield Mjollnir, special gauntlets had to be worn and a belt that would increase the power of the hammer. There are many stories about how the hammer was forged and not everyone agrees which is the most accurate.
Today, the stories are told in comic books and soon to be in the movies. Thor and Mjollnir have endured the centuries and is still today a major icon. Scandanavian people still pray to Thor just as some people pray to a saint. The symbol of Mjollnir is found in many places all over Scandanavia, in towns and on the crest of many families of Nordic descent.
Germanic Neopagans are fond of wearing pendants depicting Mjollnir as a sign of their faith. There has been some controversy in the United States as to it’s religious undertones since it resembles an upside down cross. These are usually the rantings of overzealous Christians who have little or no understanding of cultures outside their small town.
Mystical Charm hopes you have a wonderful Autumn season and looks forward to your comments and insights.
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10.23.09
Posted in Essential Oils, Fantasy, Information, Runes, Symbols, travel at 3:05 pm by Administrator
Lycanthropy is the mythological ability of a man to shapeshift into a wolf, or wolf-like creature. Sometimes this is done willingly, other times is is done because the person was bitten by another werewolf or placed under a curse. The transformation accompanies the appearance of a full moon.
These are the attributes associated with the werewolf as we know them today. Stories of werewolves have been around for centuries. Petronius of ancient Greece wrote stories about men who could turn into wolves at will.
Herodotus wrote in his Histories about a tribe in the north-east of Scythia, the Neuri, were transformed into wolves once every 9 years. This was to symbolize Earthly regeneration and rebirth. Another myth tells the tale of Lycaon, who was transformed into a wolf by Zeus after consuming human flesh. This is actually one of the earliest examples of the werewolf legend.
Other stories from ancient Greece and Rome tell similar tales as a way of teaching morality. These were often used to teach the younger generation about how to live and treat other people.
Mystical Charm hopes you have a wonderful Halloween season full of fun and frights.
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10.20.09
Posted in Egyptian, Essential Oils, Fantasy, Information, Runes, travel at 12:30 pm by Administrator
The vampires of today are often suave and charismatic. We have Bram Stoker to thank for this modern interpretation of the vampire. His late 19th century book, Dracula, gave artists through the years the framework upon which to build the modern vampire.
Although vampires are generally not believed to exist, vampire sightings still occur today. In fact, vampire hunting societies still exist and are gaining in popularity. In late 2002 and early 2003, allegations of vampire attacks swept the country of Malawi in Africa resulting in the stoning to death of one man and the attack of at least 4 others.
I Europe, where most vampire tales originates, vampire are believed to be fictitious. There can still be found the occasional village that claims to have vampires but these are for economic purposes and not because they are real.
Vampire superstition can still be found in the more rural areas of Romania. In 2004, relatives of Toma Petre believed he had become a vampire. They dug up his corpse, tore out his heart, burned the heart and drank the ashes with water. Clearly, vampire superstition is still around.
Mystical Charm hopes you have a wonderful Halloween season full of fun and frights.
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10.15.09
Posted in Essential Oils, Fantasy, Healing Oils, Information, Symbols, travel at 1:03 pm by Administrator
Ghost Hunting has been around for much longer than most people are aware of. Thanks to the popularity of movies like Ghostbusters, and TV shows like Ghost Hunters, most believe that hunting for spirits is a new phenomenon. The truth is that hunting for the restless spirits of the dead goes back much further.
The oldest recorded case of ghost hunting is reported by Pliny the Younger in 100 A.D. When he told the story, it was already a century old tale. The tale tells of a man who bought a house in Athens. The price of the house was far below what it was worth but the sellers wanted to be rid of it and quickly. One night while the new owner was resting comfortably by the fire, a spirit came to him wrapped in chains. The spirit beckoned him to follow and so he did. He was led to a spot in the garden behind the house where the spirit vanished. The next morning, with the permission of the city magistrates, he dug the spot and found a skeleton wrapped in chains. Once the body was given a proper burial the hauntings ceased.
Not much of ghost hunting is mentioned for centuries until the mid-1880’s. William James, a philosopher, suggested applying scientific methods in the search for spirits and ghosts. He found allies in London with Alfred Wallace, Harry Sidgwick, Harry’s wife Elanor and Edmund gurney. Together they founded the Society for Phychical Research to collect evidence proving, or disproving, the existence of ghosts, haunted houses and other paranormal phenomenon.
Ghost hunting would not become a mainstream hobby until the 1970’s with the founding of the Chicago area Ghost Trackers Club (which became the Ghost Research Society in 1981). Today there are over 300 separate ghost hunting organizations throughout American and England and the list is growing.
Mystical Charm hopes you have a wonderful Halloween Season full of fun and frights.
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10.14.09
Posted in Essential Oils, Fantasy, Information, Symbols at 12:27 pm by Administrator
Most of the myths we have today about vampires had their origin in the Medieval Period. Two 12th century historians recorded accounts of revenants but otherwise account of vampiric beings after this are scant. Tales of vampires were mostly silent until the 18th century.
During the 18th century there was a dramatic increase in vampire sightings, especially in Eastern Europe. Frequently there were grave diggings and stakings of suspected vampires. Government officials often took part in these as well. Even though this was known as the Age of Enlightenment, beliefs in vampires rose to the point of mass hysteria throughout most of Europe.
In 1721 a panic began in East Prussia and spread to other communities. From this panic arose one of the first and most famous of vampire cases. The story revolves around Peter Plogojowitz of Serbia. The story says that one night in 1725, a knock came to the door of Peter’s house around supper time. The stranger was allowed in and offered to sit at the table. The stranger asked for food but was refused. The next morning, Peter’s was found dead with puncture marks on his neck. The surviving family believe the “stranger” was Peter’s father who had died ten years earlier.
Cases such as this were common during this period. Government officials wrote case reports and published books on the subject. So much was the hysteria surrounding vampires, it became known as the “18th Century Vampire Controversy” It wasn’t until physicians got involved that the vampire controversy was “put to rest”. Laws were passed prohibiting the opening of graves and desecrating of bodies. Even so, vampire stories continue to live on in artistic works and local superstition.
Mystical Charm hopes you have a wonderful Halloween season full of fun and frights.
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10.13.09
Posted in Essential Oils, Fantasy, Information, Symbols, travel at 12:59 pm by Administrator
Scientists have, for decades, been interested in proving the existence of ghosts to be false. Scientists are by nature skeptics and therefore require tangible evidence of something before they will believe. Even with evidence, scientists tend to try and disprove it until there can be no doubt to it’s authenticity. Very few scientists will take anything on faith.
One theory is that geomagnetic fiends can act on the temporal lobe of the brain and cause many of the experiences associated with hauntings. This theory has been tested in several ways but never proven conclusively. Other scientists attempt to link the onset of haunting phenomenon to increases in global geomagnetic activity. Other theories include carbon monoxide poisoning and infrasound (sound waves lower that 20 Hz). All of the work being done has been controversial and subject to debate.
There are at times rational explanations as to why certain phenomenon occur. Changes in the air pressure in a room can cause a door to suddenly close, or lights passing through a window at the right angle can give one the impression of being haunted.
For the times when no rational explanation can be found, we turn to “Ghost Hunters”. People who have a real desire to put ghosts to the test and verify their authenticity. These dedicated men and women spend their free time searching for evidence of ghostly activity or to prove that there is, in fact, a plausible explanation.
Mystical Charm hope you have a wonderful Halloween season full of fun and frights.
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