02.07.10
Posted in Essential Oils, Information, Jewelry, travel at 4:17 pm by Administrator
Saint Valentine’s Day has been part of our calendar for as long as most of us can remember. A day traditionally viewed as a celebration of romance and love. The only problem is, not only were there 2 Saint Valentines, neither were associated with love and romance.
The first of the Saint Valentines was Valentine of Rome. He was martyred just for the fact he was a Christian in 269 A.D. The second Saint Valentin was Valentine of Terni who was martyred by Emperor Aurelian. These men were early Christians who preached their ideologies in Ancient Rome and Rome was not very tolerant of people who “went against the grain’.
There has never been any relationship between romance and either of the Valentine’s but by the time they were linked to romance in the mid 14th century, any distinction between the Valentine’s was lost to time.
Although there is no direct link between the Valentine’s and romance, the Feast Day of Saint Valentine is still a part of the modern calendar and will be for a long time. We at Mystical Charm hope this Valentine’s Day brings you romance, love and all the chocolate you can eat.
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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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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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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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10.13.09
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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10.07.09
Posted in Essential Oils, Fantasy, Information, Symbols, travel at 8:40 am by Administrator
Ghosts during the Middle Ages tended to fall into two categories: the souls of the dead or demons. The Middle Ages were a period dominated by the Church, particularly the Catholic Church, and religion was applied to almost everything.
The souls of the dead were said to return to complete some task, demons were only here to torment the living. It was believed that one could assess the nature of a spirit by demanding their purpose in the name of Jesus Christ. The soul of the deceased would divulge their purpose while a demon would disappear at the sound of the Holy Name.
Most ghosts were souls assigned to purgatory after their death. This was an area of Hell designed for those who have sinned but will only be spending a specified amount of time there. The time spent in Purgatory and the penance was generally related to their sin. Ghosts would appear to the living asking for prayers to end their suffering early allowing them to proceed to Heaven.
Accounts of ghosts in the Middle Ages were more substantial than in later years. There are documents describing ghosts being wrestled to the ground and restrained until a priest could be summoned to hear it’s confession. There are also accounts of spirits who were less solid and could move through walls. They were often described as pale or gray, sad and wearing tattered clothes. The vast majority of sightings were male.
Ghostly armies were also seen in the countryside. There are tales of Knights being challenged by ghostly knights who would vanish upon defeat.
Mystical Charm and Holy Land Favorites hopes everyone has a wonderful autumn season full of fun and frights.
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10.05.09
Posted in Essential Oils, Fantasy, Information, Symbols, travel at 11:02 am by Administrator
Every year around Halloween, ghosts can be seen walking the streets and “haunting” houses. These are usually small kids who can not wait to put on their costume and parade around getting free candy. It can also be bigger kids (adults) who just love to scare the bejesus out of their significant other (or their kids).
Ghosts have been part of every culture and folklore since before the pyramids at Giza were built. The earliest reference to ghosts comes from the Bible (yes, that Bible) and the Torah. The most notable is the First Book of Samuel 28: 7-19 in which a disguised King Saul has the Witch of Endor summon the spirit of Samuel. Later, Jesus has to convince his disciples that he is not a ghost after his resurrection. They also believed Jesus was a ghost when they saw him walking on water.
Ghosts also appeared in Homer’s Oddessy and the Illiad. These were spirits who had little interaction with the world and were not particularly feared. Some spirits were called upon to provide advice and prophecy.
It wasn’t until the 5h Century B.C.E. that ghosts became haunting, frightening creatures who would work for either good or evil purposes. Ghosts were said to “hover” near the place of the corpse making cemeteries a place to be avoided at all costs. The dead were to be celebrated in public with sacrifice and libations or they may return to haunt the living. The ancient Greeks held annual festivals to honor those who have died. The dead were invited and afterwords were firmly told to leave and not return until the festival next year.
The ancient Romans believed that ghosts could exact revenge on others. A piece of lead or pewter was scratched with a curse and laid in a grave. The spirit of the deceased was then compelled to carry out the curse before they could rest in peace.
The most famous “haunted house” was described by Pliny the Younger in 50 A.D.. He describes a house in Athens that was haunted by a ghost bound by chains. It wasn’t until a skeleton was unearthed under the house bound by shackles that the haunting ceased.
Mystical Charm wishes you a wonderful Halloween season full of fun and the occasional fright.
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10.01.09
Posted in Essential Oils, Healing Oils, Information, travel at 8:43 am by Administrator
Flu season has arrived yet again. This year we are faced with a new form of the flu with the H1N1, or swine flu. There is a new vaccine being released but the side effects and the inclusion of Mercury (a known poison) are making the vaccine difficult to embrace. Many health care workers are being mandated to take the vaccine but are reluctant to do so due to the potential effects of the vaccine.
There is an easier way to fight off the flu this season that is also much safer.
First, if you must cough, cover your mouth with your arm. This keeps the virus off of your hands. Second, wash your hands often with soap and warm water. Antibacterial soap will do nothing to kill a virus. Third, if you are sick, please stay home (or go see a doctor, don’t go to work) and keep others from getting what you have.
Fourth, and this is the big one: Boost your own immune system. This will make it much easier to fight whatever you might get and will make being around others much less risky. You say “That’s great but how do I do it?” I can tell you how and it is easy (and relaxing).
Certain essential oils have been known for thousands of years to boost the immune system. They are still being used after all this time all over the world. Why? Because they work.
Do this:
6 drops Lavender Oil
6 drops Bergamot Oil
3 drops Lemon Oil (Rosemary also works very well)
3 drops Tea Tree Oil
2 drops Myrrh Oil
2 ounces of Vegetable Oil
Combine these together and use as a massage oil. Massage the areas of the body that contain the Lymph nodes, primarily the neck, groin, breasts and under the arms. Work from the extremities toward the heart. These will stimulate the movement of fluids in the lymph system and cleanse the system of metabolic wastes. This has the effect of making the immune system much more efficient at ridding the body of harmful bacteria and viruses. This mixture can also be used in a diffuser (without the vegetable oil) or in a bath (also without the vegetable oil).
Mystical Charm wishes you all to stay happy and healthy this holiday season.
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