12.13.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 3:58 pm by Administrator
Dies Natalis Solis Invincti translates to “the birthday of the unconquered sun”. It was a holiday introduced by Emperor Elagabalus (218-222 A.D.) as an empire wide for the entire Roman Empire. The festival was placed on the winter solstice (December 25th, at the time) because that was when the sun reversed it’s southward retreat and proved it was “unconquered”. Several early Christian writers began to associate the “rebirth” of the sun with the birth of Jesus.
Winter holidays have always been popular in different cultures throughout the world. Some believe it is because there is less work to be done in the winter months, others say it is due to the expectation of better weather soon to come. A number of traditions found in modern Christmas can be traced back to the early Romans, Germanic and Northern Europeans.
The tradition of gift-giving and merrymaking can be traced to the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia. Greenery, lights and giving to those less fortunate can be traced to the Roman New Year. We take Yule logs and various foods from the ancient Germanic peoples. Since Northern Europe was the last to Christianize, their traditions have had the most influence on our traditions today.
Mystical Charm hopes 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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09.08.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:50 am by Administrator
It should come as no surprise that we Americans have a problem with our blood pressure. As a matter of fact, by age 55 30 percent of white American men and 20 percent of white women will have high blood pressure. The problem is worse if you are African-American. Half of all black men and 40 percent of black women will have high blood pressure.
Primarily this is due to a poor diet and a lack of exercise in our culture. If untreated, high blood pressure can lead to target organ damage, kidney failure, loss of vision, heart attack, stroke and ultimately death.
So what can we do? The first step is to change your eating habits and begin some sort of exercise program. It takes dedication but it can be done and lowering your blood pressure takes time. However, there are ways to treat your high blood pressure faster and achieve your goal in less time.
Your sense of smell is very powerful. It can bring back long dead memories of your childhood or of the first time you kissed your significant other. Scientists have recently discovered that your sense of smell is even more powerful.
Inhaling certain scents have powerful effects on your body and mind. There are a few that have a profound effect on your blood pressure. Chamomile is a wonderfully relaxing scent that also brings down a persons stress level. Lavender has been known for centuries to be relaxing and calming. Rose is also a very relaxing scent used to calm a persons nerves and bring down high blood pressure. Orange and lemon are mood enhancing scents that bring stress down as well.
If you have high blood pressure, see a doctor and follow their recommendations. However, to achieve your results faster, use these scents at work or at home and watch the numbers fall.
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08.19.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:27 pm by Administrator
The Romans had a great impact on the history of jewelry. Designs were diverse throughout the world as different cultures created jewelry based on their beliefs and values. When the Romans conquered the known world, jewelry was changed to reflect the style Romans preferred.
The most common artifact from the early Roman period is the brooch. These were used to secure clothing together, such as togas, capes and sometimes leather armor. The Romans had a diverse range of materials to use for their jewelry as they had access to a wide range of natural resources. Although they did use gold from time to time, they would import Sri Lankan sapphires, Indian pearls, diamonds, amber and emeralds.
Like the Greeks, the Romans often fashioned jewelry to ward off the “Evil Eye”. Although women wore jewelry most often, men were also seen wearing finger rings. It was customary for men to wear at least one ring. Some men chose to wear one on every finger. The most common ring for men had a carved stone on it used to seal documents with melted wax. An act that continued into medieval times. After the fall of the Roman Empire in the mid 400’s, jewelry designs were absorbed into the local tribes.
Mystical Charm and Holy Land Favorites offer a wide variety of jewelry. Rings, necklaces, bracelets and more.
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08.18.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:10 am by Administrator
The Greeks began producing jewelry around 2000 B.C.E. At around 1400 B.C.E. they began to use gold and jewels. By 300 B.C.E., they had mastered making colored jewelry by using amethysts, pearls and emeralds. Greek designs for jewelry were often more simple than other cultures, but as time progressed the designs became more complex and different materials were used.
Jewelry was worn very infrequently in Greece. It was often given as a gift and was worn by women to show their wealth and position in society. Jewelry was often worn to give protection from the “evil eye”. It was also believed that wearing jewelry could endow the wearer with supernatural powers.
The largest production came from northern Greece in the Macedon area. Although most of the jewelry was made from gold and silver with ivory and gemstones, clay and bronze copies could also be found.
Jewelry was made in two primary ways. Hammered out of sheet metal or casting with molten metal. Very few pieces of cast jewelry have ever been recovered. The techniques used to cast the metal have been in use since the Bronze Age and would have been very familiar to the people of Ancient Greece. More common forms of jewelry involved hammering sheets of metal to the desired thickness and then would be soldered together. The inside would be filled with wax or another liquid to preserve the metal work. Jewels could then be added to make the piece more appealing.
The Greeks took much of their designs from other cultures. In many pieces, there can be seen a heavy European influence. When the Romans took over Greece there was no discernible change in jewelry design. However, by 27 B.C.E. jewelry design was heavily influenced by Roman culture.
Mystical Charm and Holy Land Favorites offer unique jewelry designs. Some pieces directly influenced by ancient cultures.
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