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.

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.

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.

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.

An annual day of Thanksgiving was held every year for many years. It wasn’t until 1817 when the state of New York adopted Thanksgiving as an official holiday. By the mid-19th century many other states had adopted Thanksgiving as an annual custom too. In 1863, President Lincoln signed a bill making Thanksgiving an official national holiday to be celebrated the fourth Thursday of every November.

Mystical Charm wishes you all a wonderful holiday season full of fun and family. Take advantage of our $1.99 shipping while it lasts!

When found, most hematite is streaked with red, consisting primarily of iron, despite the type of hematite. A large supply of hematitic banded iron is located in the upper peninsula of Michigan due to its iron mines. A new process called magnetation uses huge magnets to remove waste hematite from old mine tailings in Minnesota’s Mesabi Range iron district.

Uses of hematite have varied over the years. Hematite red chalk residues have been found in old graveyards from 80,000 years ago. Near Rydno in Poland and Lovas in Hungary, palaeolitic red chalk mines have been found that are from 5000 BC, belonging to the Linear Pottery culture at the Upper Rhine. Ancient Egyptians made cylindrical seals out of hematite and used them to roll impressions onto clay tablets or pottery. (see photo) It is also used in art such as intaglio engraved gems. It was used as a pigment in various paints, especially with the red portion of the mineral. The name hematite is derived from the Greek word for blood because hematite can be red, as in rouge, a powdered form of hematite.

Hematite has been used by mineral and crystal healers because of Hematite’s association with blood. They use it in their rituals for treating blood-related illnesses such as hemophilia, anemia, heart, kidney and liver diseases, cardio-vascular weakness, menstrual cramps, and nose bleeds. Healers recommend hematite for use in treating the stress of jet lag, birth and surgery, tumors, insomnia, leg cramps, nervous disorders and fevers. Hematite was also a Native American remedy for dental problems, pimples, canker sores and alcohol abuse.

Hematite’s popularity in jewelry was at its highest in Europe during the Victorian era from 1837 to 1901 during Queen Victoria’s reign in the United Kingdom. Since then, hematite has seen a strong resurgence in North America, especially in the western United States. During this Examiner’s trip to the Bahamas, homemade hematite jewellery compliments shell jewellry in many shops.

To see some amazing hematite jewelry, visit www.mysticalcharm.com and search for “Hematite”.

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.

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.

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.

Do this:

3 drops Bergamot

2 drops Grapefruit

OR

3 drops Sandalwood

2 drops Orange

OR

3 drops Jasmine or Neroli

3 drops Frankincense

2 drops Clary Sage

Add these to a small bottle, cap tightly and mix by rolling gently between your palms. At any time you are feeling afraid or you know you will be afraid (right before you enter the haunted house), uncap and inhale the aroma. The smell will calm your nerves and help you feel relaxed.

Mystical Charm hopes you have a wonderful Halloween season full of fun and (some) frights.