Sayeds Adventures

SAYED'S ADVENTURES

Once upon a time, in the mysterious East, lived a man called Benezar who married a woman called Zemira. They were in love with each other and agreed on all things, except one. Zemira believed in magic, omens, premonitions and fairies. Benezar only believed in what he could see before his eyes. However, that did not mar their happiness at all, and this reached its height, when, one day, in the midst of thunderstorm, Zemira gave birth to a handsome baby boy.
When Benezar, who had anxiously awaited the arrival, was allowed to see the baby, he noticed a tiny whistle hanging from a thin silver thread round its neck.
"What's this?" he asked.
"It's a gift a fairy made to our son," replied Zemira. "It's a magic gift.
Take it," she went on, removing the whistle from the child's neck, "give it to our son when he is twenty."
"All right. But listen, what are we to call the child?" asked Benezar.
"Sayed," replied Zemira.
The years went by and Sayed grew healthy, strong and brave. He was eighteen years old when he decided to go on a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. He told his father of his decision.
"Yes, I'm pleased you're going," said his father. "In fact, Sayed, take this as a lucky charm," and he gave him the fairy's gift.
"What is it?" Sayed asked.
"It's a whistle. Your mother, alas now dead, thought highly of it. Carry it with you always."
"I will father," said the young man, putting the whistle round his neck.
Not long after, the travellers with a hundred camels, many merchants and a host of guards, set out on the journey. Young Sayed was splendidly equipped and armed with a sword, spear, bow and arrows.
It was a long, long way to the holy city of Mecca. They travelled over plains, mountains and deserts. It was on a long stretch of desert that they were attacked by a large band of robbers.The4y were caught unaware, some tried to flee, but Sayed shouted:
"Flee? Where do you think you can flee to in the desert? Come on. Let's die fighting!" and he hurled himself against the attackers. At the height of the fighting, Sayed was attacked by a young robber,richly dressed and riding a white horse. The young man bravely faced the attacker and killed him with his sword. A soldier nearby shouted out,
"What have you done? You've killed Almansor. This is the end, let's run!"
Men ran in all directions. Now practically alone Sayed remembered the whistle round his neck. If it really was magic, it might be able to help him... he put it to his lips and blew hard... But nothing happened. Not so much as a whisper of sound.
In the meantime, the others had fled. Sayed was taken prisoner, bound and led before Sheik Selim, a very powerful man, the leader of several of the desert tribes and, unfortunately, the father of Almansor, the very man Sayed had killed. Selim, however, was not an unjust man. When he discovered that Sayed had taken Almansor's life in a fair fight, he refused to allow a hair of his head to be harmed. Indeed, he set him free and entrusted the young man to some travellers about to leave for far off Mecca, the holy city.
Sayed thus found himself once more on his travels. However, one night, friends of the dead Almansor captured him.
"Your master told you not to kill me," cried the young man.
"We're not going to kill you. All we going to do is tie you up and leave you here in the desert. Thirst and the sun, or the vultures or the jackals will do the rest. They, not us, will kill you!" And laughing cruelly, they rode away. Two whole days went by. Sayed was on the point of death, baked by the sun and with no water, when close by passed some travellers belonging to Kalum the merchant. They came to his aid and saved his life.
As he came back to his senses with the first sips of water, Sayed spoke:
"May Allah reward you, Sir, for saving my life. What is your name?"
"My name is Kalum," said the man, "but it won't be Allah who will reward me.
You are going to do that yourself. If I hadn't come along, you would have been dead by now. And you are going to work for me until you have repaid that debt.
What is your name?"
"Sayed," he answered.
"Well, Sayed, get up and come with me." The young man went along with Kalum and on the way discovered that he was a rich merchant from Baghdad, so that was the city in which he went to live. At that time, Baghdad was ruled by the famous Caliph, Harun-el-Rascid, wise, valiant and loved by all. Kalum owned a big bazaar in the city and it was there that Sayed was put to work doing all the humble jobs.
One day, a veiled woman came to the bazaar. Sayed was amazed when she said to him,
"You're Sayed, aren't you?"
"Yes," he replied in astonishment. "How did you knoe that?"
"Tell me, have you still got the whistle round you neck?"
"Of course!" exclaimed the young man. "You must be the fairy who gave it to my mother. But what is this whistle for? I've tried blowing it, but..." The woman interrupted him.
"It will be of no use to you until you are twenty. Then it will save your life. Now tell me, what can I do for you?"
"Help me to get home," Sayed replied. "I need lots of money for that,which I don't have."
"But you're brave and strong. You can earn it," said the woman, and she explained that, every week, tournaments were held in the city, and
Harun-el-Rascid, the Caliph, always watched them. The winners received rich prizes. The veiled woman had weapons, armour and horses and she lent these to Sayed. He took part in the tournaments and always beat the others, winning lots of prizes, as well as Caliph's admiration. Sayed, however, never revealed his name, but just mentioned that he was a horseman from distant Cairo.
Now it so happens that the Caliph, Harun-el-Rascid, liked to wander through the city at night, disguised as a beggar or merchant, to hear what folk had to say about him. Not to spy on them, but to try and put right any mistakes he might have made. Sometimes, he was accompanied by his chief minister. Well, one night, as Sayed was going home to Kalum's bazaar, he heard shouts and the sounds of struggle. Four men had attacked to others in a dark corner. The brave young man immediately came to the rescue by killing two of the attackers and chasing the others away. When it was all over, the two victims thanked Sayed and asked him,
"Brave youth, what's your name?"
"My name is Sayed," came the reply.
"I'm Kalum the merchant's shop assistant."
"Hmm," said one of the two men, "ypu seem to be more of a gentleman than a shop assistant. However, take this ring as a reward for what you did for me."
Then the other man spoke,
"And this bag of coins. You've saved my life and you deserve it. Goodbye!"
And away they went.
Sayed stood there with the ring and bag in his hand. With these he could now find a ship and go home.
Next day he said to Kalum,
"I'm leaving. I shan't be working for you any longer."
"And where are you going to?" asked Kalum.
"Home!" answered sayed.
"Home? But it's a costly journey, and with the wages I pay you..." Sayed smiled,
"Your pay certainly wouldn't take me far, but..." and he held out the bag,
"but this money will. Farewell!" However, wicked Kalum was not to be defeated.
He told the police Sayed had stolen a bag of gold. The young man was immediately arrested. The chief of police asked him,
"Who gave you this money?"
"A man I'd never seen before," was the honest reply. Sayed was judged a thief and sentenced to deportation to Thirsty Island, the home of the worst kind of criminals. On the ship the young man thought to himself, "Well, I left home two years ago, proud, rich and happy. Here i am today, twenty years old, in the midst of these convicts, condemned to live and die an innocent man in prison!"
During the night there was a terrible storm. Driven by the wind, the ship was flung about by the waves until it crashed onto some hidden rocks.
Only one man survived the disaster. It was Sayed. At the mercy of the waters, he groped for something to hold on to, but nothing came within his grasp, until he suddenly felt his fingers touch the whistle the fairy had given him. Desperately, he blew it... and a dolphin surfaced beside him, shaking its head as though to tell him to get onto its back. Sayed clambered up and there found safety. He remembered the fairy had told him that when he was twenty years old, the whistle would save his life! The dolphin carried the young man within sight of land.
"Thanks, friend!" called out Sayed as he slid down from the creature and swam ashore. What a surprise awaited him! There was a military camp, soldiers and war machines. Sayed was taken prisoner and brought before none other than Harun-el-Rascid himself. The soldiers who had seized him said,
"Sire, this man must be one of the convicts that survived the shipwreck."
"Is that so?" Harun-el-Rascid demanded gravely.
"Yes," replied sayed, "I did survive the shipwreck. But I'm not a convict."
And he explained how he had been reported to the police because of the bag of gold. 'It was given to me," he went on, "by one of two men I saved one night from being attacked by four robbers." Harun-el Rascid looked at the man sitting beside him and then said,
"Did the two men give you anything else?"
"Yes, they did, this ring," Sayed replied, showing the Caliph the ring which he kept round his neck with the whistle. Harun rose to his feet and exclaimed:
"Young man, the two men you helped were my chief minister and myself! Go free, but first tell me your name."
"Sayed, Sire."
"Sayed?" echoed the chief minister. "There's a man here in the camp called Benezar, who is searching for his son Sayed. It's my father!" cried the young man. And it was his father. They hugged each other in delight.
Since justice must be done in the world, evil Kalum was arrested and imprisoned as he deserved to be...

Reference: wiccancommunity.blogspot.com

Divine And Angelic Names Common Errors

It is useful to remember that most books, even sacred books, contain errors. As magicians we are taught to examine everything with a discriminating eye. So we should not be surprised to find mistakes that have crept into treasured magical grimoires -- mistakes that have also found their way into the teachings of the Golden Dawn.

One such example is the name" KHAMAEL":" the Archangel of Geburah, whose name means "the Severity of God". Khamael is the protector of the wronged -- the Avenging Angel who pursues those who break both human and universal laws. He is associated with Divine justice and severity. Khamael is sometimes called "The right hand of God" -- meeting out justice in order to restore a state of balance throughout the Tree of Life. He controls the aspects of burning and destroying in order to purify and preserve. William Grey erroneously stated that the root of this name was "khab", which meant to suffer, to feel pain or make war. However, the original Archangel of Mars was "SAMAEL" -- a name that MacGregor Mathers changed to "ZAMAEL "in order to avoid connotations with the Qliphotic Samael. When the Qabalists began to assign Archangels to the Sephiroth, someone attributed a list of Planetary Archangels to their corresponding Sephiroth, and the martial Samael was naturally assigned to Geburah. At some point this list was copied into Greek. In late Greek writing, the letter "Sigma" (the first letter in Samael) came to be drawn in the shape of a "C." Still later, when the Greek list was copied into Latin, the copist made the error of transliterating the Greek name of CAMAHL as "Camael" rather than "Samael." Even later, someone (perhaps a member of the Golden Dawn) back-transliterated Camael as "kaph mem aleph lamed" and thus was "KHAMAEL" born. And although it originated as an error in transliteration, it does help magicians destinguish between Samael, Archangel of Evil, Zamael, Archangel of Mars, and Khamael, Archangel of Geburah.

Other mistakes: The name of the Archangel of Venus, "ANAEL," has often been wrongly given as Hanael through confusion with Haniel, Archangel of Netzach. The name of the Archangel of Sagittarius," ADNAKHIEL", has been frequently misspelled as Advakhiel, through a scribal error mistaking Hebrew Nun for Vav. The same error also occurred in Renaissance Latin typesetting, where the "n" of Ad"n"achiel could easily be set upside-down as a "u", producing Ad"u"achiel. Finally, the correct name of the Angel of Elemental Fire is "ARIEL "("the Lion of God"), not Aral. An error in Agrippa was long perpetuated in the Golden Dawn manuscripts, in which the two names Ariel and Aral were swapped. This confusion was perpetuated because the four Rulers of the Elements have generally not been recognized as the names of Orders of Angels. "SERAPH, CHERUB, THARSIS," and "ARAL (EREL) "are simply the singular forms of Seraphim, Kerubim, Tarshishim, and Erelim.

There has also been a lot of confusion regarding the Divine Hebrew names that are to be painted on the Four Elemental Weapons of the Zelator Adeptus Minor. According to Wang's book "The Secret Temple", the names on the implements are: Earth Pentacle -- "Adonai ha-Aretz", Air Dagger -- "Shaddai E Chai", Water Cup -- "Elohim Tzabaoth", and Fire Wand -- "YHVH Tzabaoth". These are the Divine names given in the Outer Order Grade Ceremonies relating to the Sephiroth of Malkuth, Yesod, Hod, and Netzach, which also have elemental associations.

However, the correct Divine Hebrew names of the Elements "for the Inner Order" are actually given in the consecration rituals of these same implements (see Regardie, "The Golden Dawn", 324). They are: Earth Pentacle -- "ADONAI," Air Dagger --" YHVH," Water Cup -- "EL", and Fire Wand --" ELOHIM". These are the Divine names intoned in the SIRP and they relate to the Sephiroth of Malkuth, Tiphareth, Chesed, and Geburah. They are also the Divine names that should be painted on the four elemental weapons of the Z.A.M. (Kathleen Raine's book "Yeats, The Tarot, and the Golden Dawn" shows a picture of William Bulter Yeats' Earth Pentacle inscribed with the Divine Name "Adonai" -- not Adonai ha-Aretz.

Credit: magick-keys.blogspot.com

Shab E Barat Night Of Blessing Is Observed Today

Every night and day has its own importance but some nights have supplementary importance like Shab-e-Barat, Lailatul Qadar, Shab-e-Miraj, Ashura and the two nights of Eids.Shab-e-Baraat, the night of blessing and praise of God, is observed 15 days before the start of the holy month of Ramzan.The Muslims believe that God showers infinite mercy and blessings upon human beings. The night is known as LAYLATUL BARA'AH OR LAYLATUN NISFE MIN SHABAN in the Arab world.This is the best night of prayer and worship of God to get His forgiveness for sins and blessing to achieve right goal in this world and hereafter. On this beautiful night, the Muslims spend the whole night to offer special prayers and recite the Quran. Mahafil-e-Milad, zikr and other religious rituals are held on this occasion. The people also visit the graves of their relatives and offer Fateha and special prayers to get God's blessings for the departed souls.Shab-e-Barat is the night when Allah arranges affairs of the next one year. He writes the fate of all His creations on this night for the coming year.

one speciality about this night is that it falls on the night of Shaaban 15 in which all births and deaths in universe are written in the 'LOH-E-MEHFOOZ' for the forthcoming year.

According to Hadith, Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) said,According to Hazrat Ayesha Siddiqa (RA), "Allah Almighty opens the doors of mercy and grace for the mankind and the door remains open the whole night till the Fajr prayers in which He exonerates those seeking forgiveness."

The houses, streets and especially mosques are decorated with colourful pennants and buntings whereas at night these are well-Illuminated with electric lights, candles. Special security arrangements have been made for peaceful observance of the Shab-e-Barat.

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Origin: 33witches.blogspot.com

Socrates Had A Student Named Plato Plato Had A Student Named Aristotle And Aristotle Had A Student Named Alexander The Great

TOM MORRIS

The footbridge is constantly changing

I duly think it is time I visited the Akashic halls. I am overwhelmed at the amount of knowledge I want to understand and if my maths is still in tact, there does not seem to be the amount of years between here and there.

I already sleep the least I can so there are as many hours possible to engage in learning practices of the most ancient kind. The investigation once again into the Kabalah and to the body of Hermetic wisdom. I am extremely excited by this because for as long as I can remember I have been quoting hermetic wisdom and actually participating in meditations all of my own intuitive leading. To realise that I already had a huge knowledge basis that was vital to an easier understanding was a beautiful moment. I felt then that it was not a waste of time.

I had studied Anatomy and Physiology and I had studied everything to do with naturopathica. I attended the Maureen Wells School of Naturopathy. I enjoyed the herbal and the acupuncture and I loved everything I learned about the cell salts. Bach flower remedies are amazing and I was I suppose as per the norm for me, I did become a tad overwhelmed. I had always desired not to be a practising Naturopath but to attain the knowledge of one who intended to practice for a living. I wanted the knowledge for myself, my family and further for benefit of my friends.

Now I want to tie up the loose ends of this. I want all of this to fall into place. and because I am visualising this as I type this, then it will happen. It already has happened and this is my belief system to attain what is required here.

I need a miraculous injection of knowledge of such things as the great writers of antiquity. I want to understand why the Roman times had to be. I feel like my sisterhood and brotherhood has been robbed and for this reason I want to understand its place. Language is also on my menu of learning. I tasted Latin as a child and I never forgot what I had learned and I have built on this knowledge since but now I just want to understand so much more. I want to speak Latin and Spanish. I love the language and it is similar to Italian and French. I have learned a lot since I started researching early forms of numerals etc when this blog began.

Below is an explaination of both the Akasha and Esoteric Cosmology, the later interesting me greatly and is what I have been learning about lately.

THE AKASHIC RECORD

The akashic records are described as containing all knowledge of human experience and the history of the cosmos. They are metaphorically described as a library; other analogies commonly found in discourse on the subject include a "universal supercomputer" and the "Mind of God". People who describe the records assert that they are constantly updated automatically and that they can be accessed through astral projection or when someone is placed under deep hypnosis.

ESOTERIC COSMOLOGY

Esoteric cosmology is cosmology that is an intrinsic part of an esoteric or occult system of thought. Esoteric cosmology maps out the universe with planes of existence and consciousness according to a specific world view usually from a doctrine.

Esoteric cosmology almost always deals with at least some of the following themes: emanation, involution, spiritual evolution, epigenesis, planes of existence or higher worlds (and their emanation and the connections between them), hierarchies of spiritual beings, cosmic cycles (e.g., cosmic year, Yuga), yogic or spiritual disciplines and techniques of self-transformation, and references to mystical and altered states of consciousness.

Such cosmologies cover many of the same concerns also addressed by religious cosmology and philosophical cosmology, such as the origin, purpose, and destiny of the universe and of consciousness and the nature of existence. For this reason it is sometimes difficult to distinguish where religion or philosophy end and esotericism or occultism begins. However, esoteric cosmology is distinguished from religion in its more sophisticated construction and reliance on intellectual understanding rather than faith, and from philosophy in its emphasis on techniques of psycho-spiritual transformation.

Image by Mezza - Urunga footbridge at dawn

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Mantra The Power Of Chanting Mantras And Om Yoga Meditation

Sound is a very powerful mind-expanding tool. In various spiritual traditions all around the world, people utilize the power of sound through the form of "mantras". A MANTRA is a syllable, word, or group of words used to bring about changes in consciousness by the agency of sounds and vibrations. The word "mantra" consists of the Sanskrit root "man" or "to think" and the suffix "tra", referring to tools or instruments. Thus, its literal meaning would be "instrument of thought."

A "mantra"'s effect, however, does not merely come from its corresponding conceptual meaning, but instead from its inherent potential to produce a specific mental or physical result. If you understand the relationship between vibration and consciousness, you will understand how "mantras" work. Vibration and consciousness are so intimately connected that there is a specific relationship existing between each kind of vibration and the particular aspect of consciousness it gives expression to. In other words, wherever there is a manifestation of consciousness, there is vibration associated with it whether we are able to trace it or not.

To better understand this relationship, let's take a look at how it is expressed at the lowest level of manifestation, i.e., in sensory perception. For example, each particular vibration of light with a definite wavelength produces its corresponding color, which we then perceive with our eyes. In music, each particular vibration of sound becomes evident in our consciousness through the form of musical notes, which we can then hear through our ears.

In principle, certain kinds of vibration can be matched with corresponding states or levels of consciousness. This simply means that if you want to reach a specific state of consciousness, you can do so by initiating a particular kind of vibration by chanting a "mantra". Remember that vibrations can influence matter and cause changes in matter as well, so aside from affecting us psychologically, "mantras" may also bring about positive physiological changes in us if used correctly.

WHERE DID MANTRAS ORIGINATE?

"Mantras" originated from traditions of the Vedic period. This is the period during which the oldest sacred texts of the Indo-Aryans, called Vedas, were being composed (believed to be around the 2nd and 1st millennia BCE continuing up to the 6th century BCE). The Vedas were written in Sanskrit, one of the classical languages of India. As hymns, the "mantras" constitute the ritual section of the Vedas and are classified according to their meters:

* Gayatri - twenty-four syllables with nine subdivisions.
* Usnik - twenty-eight syllables with seven subdivisions.
* Prakrti - forty syllables with eight subdivisions.
* Brhati - thirty-six syllables with nine subdivisions.
* Tristup - forty-four syllables with ten subdivision.
* Jagati - forty-eight syllables with three subdivisions.
* Ajagati - fifty-two syllables.
* Sakvari - fifty-six syllables.
* Atisakvari - sixty syllables.
* Asti - sixty-four syllables.
* Dhrti - seventy-two syllables.
* Atidhrti - seventy-six syllables.

The letters of the Sanskrit alphabet are the elements from which all "mantras" of Sanskrit origin were derived. It is said that each letter serves as a vehicle of a basic eternal power. When these letters are assembled to form a "mantra", they contribute their specific influence to the total effect that becomes the objective of the "mantra".

To give an analogy, just think about how individual chemical elements contribute their specific properties to the compounds that are derived from them. Water, for example, contains both of the chemical properties of oxygen and hydrogen.

There are 53 letters of the Vedic Sanskrit alphabet, and therefore, there are 53 basic elemental powers that are available for producing all kinds of effects. Through the agency of "mantras", these basic elemental powers can be used in various permutations and combinations.

BHAJANS AND SHLOKAS

"Mantras" can be performed through writing, speaking, whispering, uninterrupted inner repetition, or singing. The "mantras" that are sung are called "bhajans" and "shlokas". "Bhajans" are devotional songs or hymns while "shlokas" (or "slokas") are also songs but these are the ones derived from verses in the texts like the Vedas, Upanishads, and Puranas. "Mantras" connected with various deities give particular results and sometimes cause the development of siddhis (spiritual power).

WHY DO PEOPLE USE MANTRAS?

"Mantras" are said to provide numerous benefits for anyone who chooses to recite them. Some of those benefits include the following:

* A "mantra" gives your mind a place of refuge, an oasis in which your mind can rest.
* The incoming streams of negative thoughts, emotions, and desires from the unconscious mind attenuate or become weaker.
* "Mantras" lead you in the direction of deeper meditations, and subtler spiritual experiences.
* "Mantras" help stimulate the 7 chakras.
* Reciting a "mantra" helps you see that the challenges of daily life are not nearly as disturbing.
* Continuous practice of "mantra" purifies the mind and removes karma.

IS INITIATION NECESSARY BEFORE USING A MANTRA?

It is commonly believed that a person must first be given permission or some sort of power coming from the guru must be transmitted through initiation before he or she can start using "mantras". The only explanation I have why this could be true is that, in the past, spiritual teachings were guarded secrets and can only be known once it is handed down from guru to disciple. Three reasons come to mind regarding the confidentiality: first, to make sure that aspiring students can get the correct info regarding the methods and the needed support in case of spiritual emergencies; second, to avoid alteration, distortion, and misrepresentation of the teachings; and third, to protect the teachings from individuals with malicious intent.

Additionally, back in those days, the primary method of communicating religious and philosophical doctrines was through verbal transmission, and since most people in ancient times didn't have any kind of access to documents that contained all the theories and techniques of the various schools, they really did not have much choice but to become members. Of course, the right of entry must first be granted by none other than the guru.

I have nothing against this belief, so I'm neither saying that this is true nor false. It's obviously better to work under the guidance of an enlightened master, but you are always free to find out for yourself if any claim is true by doing your own research and experiments. After all, many of the great enlightened ones that lived throughout the centuries did their own research and experiments, so that should give you an idea. Furthermore, if it isn't quite obvious, we are living in the information age - seek and you shall find. Remember, gurus only show you the door; you're still the one who needs to walk through it.

JAPA AND AJAPA-JAPA

Japa means repeating or remembering the "mantra". In most forms of japa, "mantras" are repeated using a string of beads known as a japa mala. Some people prefer to recite "mantras" mentally without the use of any beads or devices, and that's ok. After long use of a "mantra", you may reach a certain state called ajapa-japa.

Ajapa-japa means constant awareness. In this state, the "mantra repeats itself" in the mind. The letter A in front of the word japa means "without." Thus, ajapa-japa is the practice of japa without the mental effort normally needed to repeat the "mantra".

HOW TO PERFORM JAPA

Once you have selected your own personal "mantra" or once one has been assigned to you by your teacher, here is what you should do:

* Repeat the syllables of the "mantra" in your mind. You allow the inner sound to come at whatever speed feels comfortable to the mind. japa malas are usually made of 108 beads, so if you are performing japa, you are supposed to repeat the "mantra" 108 times. The number of days that you should perform japa may also vary, so some research is needed on the "mantra" you are using.
* With practice, the "mantra" will start to repeat itself automatically. This is like hearing a particular song so many times that it just plays inside your head even if you don't want it to. "Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah! Rom-mah-rom-mum-mah! GaGa-oo-la-la!" You know, something like that.
* Progressively, your attention will be drawn into the "mantra". Instead of doing it on purpose, it will be more like noticing it when it is already happening.
* Soon, the feeling of the "mantra" will be there, even when the sound or remembering of the syllables is not there. This is what they call "remembrance of the feeling" of the "mantra". For example, sometimes Buddhists will say, "Om muni muni maha muniye sakyamuni swaha" where the word "sakyamuni" is another name for the historical Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama). During the remembering of the words, there may be two things: the words and the feeling of the Buddha's presence. When the syllables of the words fade away, the feeling may still be there.
* As your practice advances, a constant awareness/consciousness of the "mantra" follows, which is subtler than both the syllables and any surface level meaning or definition. This constant awareness is the meaning of ajapa-japa of the "mantra".

THE "OM" MANTRA

In the various schools of Yoga, "OM" (or Aum) is the highest form of "mantra" and considered the primeval and most sacred of words. According to the Upanishads, all words are said to be but various forms of the one sound, "OM", which is the sound symbol for the ultimate reality. "OM" is also called "Pranava", "Omkara", and "Ekakshara".

Across the span of many generations, "OM" has been the "mantra" generally used as the heart of a person's "sadhana" or "spiritual practice." It is even distinctively recommended to renunciates and young monks in India. Various spiritual masters have also claimed that "Brahman" (God) and "OM" are one, and that the unbounded and eternal consciousness of "Brahman" is inherent in the syllable "OM". Since "Atman" (the true Self) and "Brahman" are fundamentally identical, those who want to experience the consciousness of "Brahman" and have their union with "Brahman" restored may do so by practicing the recitation of the "OM mantra".

In the Bhagavad Gita (8:12-13), Krishna states:

"If a person having controlled the senses from all sides, fixing the mind in the heart and situated in yoga, utters the one syllable Om and thus leaves his body thinking of Me shall attain the Supreme abode (salvation) without fail."

Swami Krishnananda, a Hindu saint and prominent philosopher in the Advaita Vedanta tradition, wrote in his commentary on the Upanishads the following:

"In the beginning, Om is supposed to have been the first vibratory sound that emanated as the seed of creation. Om is Pranava. It is a "Bija-Mantra" for all the other "mantras", whether Vaidika or Tantrika. In the recitation of Om we comprehend not merely all meaning but also all language. All verbal implication as well as objective reference is included in Om. Om is both Nama and Rupa, name as well as form. It is not merely a sound, though it is also a sound, and a very important aspect of Om that you have to bear in mind is that Om is not merely a chant or a recitation, a word or a part of human language but it is something more than all this. It is something which exists by its own right, something which is usually called "Vastu Tantra", as distinguished from "Purusha Tantra"; - that which exists not because it has a reference to anything else but because it is something by itself. We do not create Om by a chanting of it, but we only produce a vibration sympathetic with the vibration that is already there by its own right and which is called Om. Om is a cosmic vibration. It is not a chant made by us, created by us or initiated by us. Why do we chant Om? To establish a connection between ourselves and that which exists by its own right and which manifests itself as a sound-vibration in the form of Om."

Although the "OM mantra" may have been initially discovered in the ancient scriptures of the Hindu traditions, it is also used by Buddhists and Jains in their spiritual practices. Tibetan Buddhists are probably the most predominant adherents in the practice of OM chanting. However, the chanting of OM is not mentioned even once in the Pali Canon, the oldest known teachings attributed to the Buddha, or in the Visuddhimagga, an ancient commentary by Buddhaghosa on the Pali Canon. It's probably also worth mentioning that there is the belief among some people that the word "Amen", the affirmation used in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam shares its roots with OM, or "Aum" to be more exact, but there's no evidence that validates this claim.

HOW TO PRACTICE THE OM MANTRA MEDITATION

There are various methods in practicing the "OM mantra" and the resulting differences are probably due to the techniques applied in each tradition. The following is a basic application of the "OM mantra" in meditation:

* Find a comfortable and quite place and sit upright using the full or half lotus position. You can place one hand on top of the other or you can place each of them on your knees or thighs.
* Close your eyes and gently concentrate on an imaginary point in the middle of your forehead just above the eyebrows. Do not strain your eyes. This position is called the "shambhavi mudra" and is intended to stimulate the ajna chakra (the sixth primary chakra in the eyebrow region) to produce a heightened state of consciousness.
* Close your mouth and relax the jaw muscles so that the upper and lower teeth are not touching one another. Breathe in and out naturally through the nose. Breathing should be neither too hard nor too soft. The aim is to keep the mind steady in concentration. If you deliberately control your breath, you will eventually get tired and this will break your concentration.
* Start chanting the syllable OM mentally in a single tone as you inhale. Make sure that the length of the intonation matches the amount of time it takes you to breathe air in. Do not hold your breath. As you release the air, make sure the intonation of the syllable OM also matches its length. If your breathing is short and abrupt, it will seem like you are chanting in a hurry, but that's just normal. Your breathing and intonation will naturally get longer as your body begins to relax during the practice.
* Practice this procedure regularly each day starting from 10-15 minutes, but make sure to gradually increase the time as your schedule permits. Every time you practice, concentrate on your chanting of the "OM mantra" with your breathing. Various kinds of thoughts and sensations will naturally arise during your practice. Just allow them to happen without becoming attached to them. As soon as you realize that you are immersed in a certain thought, bring your attention back immediately to your breathing and the "OM mantra".
* Once the practice becomes a habit and you get to an advanced stage, you might start to experience unusual phenomena normally associated with meditative practice: your breathing and chanting might become very subtle sometimes even to the point of disappearing, you may become strongly aware of various sensations and streams of energy might even flow at different parts of your body, visions of different kinds may appear in your mind's eye, so on and so forth. Just remember that the aim of this meditation is the attainment of peace of mind. Attachment to these experiences defeats the purpose of your practice.

Do take note that techniques used in spiritual practices can become quite dangerous if done incorrectly. And without the conceptual framework provided by the philosophical schools that originated them, it would be difficult to make sense of the effects they may have on one's consciousness. You may call these philosophical schools "religion" or whatever, but remember that if scientists find it necessary to have a good grasp of their theories first before applying their methods, the same principle applies to spiritual seekers.

To give an analogy on the effects of spiritual practice, just imagine downloading a file onto your computer and using a specific program to execute that file. The file is the experience you gain from your practice, while the program is the collection of concepts stored in your own mind. Without a corresponding program installed in your computer, it would be impossible to open the file, much less read its contents. Similarly, certain techniques may produce experiences that could be hard for us to explain and integrate into our awareness unless we are familiar with the ideas they are related to. Thus, the best thing to do to be safe is to study carefully. Be safe on your journey.

Pagans Greet Summer Solstice At Stonehenge

I really need to get over my fear of flying because I really would love to visit Stonehenge, just once, before I die.

There, of course, was a beautiful celebration Summer Solstice this year again at Stonehenge.

"Pagans and partygoers drummed, danced or gyrated in hula hoops to stay awake through the night, as more than 35,000 people greeted the summer solstice Sunday at the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge.

Despite fears of trouble because of the record-sized crowd, police said the annual party at the mysterious monument was mostly peaceful.

"It's the most magical place on the planet," said antique salesman Frank Somers, 43, dressed in the robes of his Druid faith.

"Inside when you touch the stones you feel a warmth like you're touching a tree, not a stone. There's a genuine love, you feel called to it," he said."

I keep telling myself, one day I'll walk on that sacred ground, one day...

Read more and see more photos

Source: mysteryvoodoo.blogspot.com

God And Buddha A Dialogue 1999

God and Buddha - A Dialogue (1999)

This dialogue is of a live presentation between Columbia University professor, Dr. Robert Thurman and Deepak Chopra, MD, a student of Indian Philosophy and author. Mr. Chopra presents views from Vedanta, one of the six classical systems of Indian philosophy. The term Vedanta refers both to the wisdom of the Upanishads, which makes up the last section of the Veda, and to the realization of its ultimate significance. Mr. Thurman presents views from Buddhism, which is a kind of reform movement within Hindu thought that has become an independent pluralistic tradition of it's own.

Within the first 20 minutes of the program, Mr. Chopra sums up the core teaching of Vedanta. He describes some of the causes of human suffering and also describes some of the suggested paths to discovering the true nature of reality. Most of the rest of the program is a kind of free-flowing meditation on the implications of these teachings.

Mr. Chopra, with a background in the field of medicine, conveys his insight and knowledge through a kind of systematic, formal approach to verbal communication. Mr. Thurman, with his years of experience in engaging skeptical college students, takes a more anecdotal approach. He works to win the attention, and ultimately the heart, of his audience.

Demoniod

Sri Maha Karumariamman Muneeswarar Temple Ipoh Perak

Goddess Karumariamman, is the Goddess of Rain and is celebrated and humbly worshipped by the Hindus of Tamil Nadu in India. The devotees display great significance in worshiping Goddesses Karumariamman as it is believed that she is the symbol of sacrifice and motherhood. This spiritually exhilarating temple based in Ipoh is the bastion of Goddess Karumariamman, and has a vivid and vibrant history. The current temple was built by Kakaji, a Hindu devotee of Punjabi origin. It was initially a shrine built over 200 years ago by the early Hindu settlers of Perak. However, the shrine was destroyed by Japanese soldiers during World War 2. In 1998, Kakaji stayed in a remote village near the outskirts of Ipoh town. As the area was in the thick of jungle, movement of people was limited after dusk, as superstition claimed that evil spirits roamed around at this time. Also during this period, Kakaji always noticed a dazzling lady always clad in a glittering golden saree walking through the jungle, and was extremely curious about her presence. He had spotted her frequently, and followed her back on one particular day. She walked to the middle of the jungle, and turned around to speak to Kakaji. She told him of her plight, that she was of divine origin, and her spiritual abode was wrecked by humans. She asked him to help rebuild the temple, and take charge of her abode. Soon after Kakaji dug the spot where he met the divine Goddess, and discovered an ancient copper yantra, 'kolusu' (anklets), a Trisulam, gold coins and gemstones. He soon established a temporary shrine, but later built it into a magnificent spiritual dwelling for Goddess Karumariamman. She provided spiritual instructions to Kakaji, on performing 'abhishekam' (pouring libations on the deity), 'alankaram' (arrangement of ornaments on the deity), and recitation of Sanskrit hymns and verses. Although Kakaji had become accustomed to the spiritual messages conveyed by the Goddess, he still did not know her name. During the consecration ceremony of the temple, the officiating priest asked Kakaji for the deity name whereby Kakaji replied it is Amman. The priest had then requested for the specific Amman 'avataram' (manifestation). Kakaji requested Amman to reveal her true self. At that moment, a tape recorder playing devotional music had suddenly jammed, emitting only the words Karumariamman. A huge 'naga' (cobra) appeared unexpectedly to confirm the Goddess identity. Simultaneously, an escaped cow charged towards the shrine of the temple, knocking flowers and 'kumkumam' (red powder), thus scattering the offering to Goddess Karumariamman all over the temple. Many Hindu devotees have had visions of the Goddess in this temple. She is known to wear a diamond crown, and has a penchant for 'Natyam'(classical dancing). During the festival of Navaratri, devotees hear her footsteps performing classical dances in the middle of the night. Many Hindu devotees come all over Malaysia to receive 'darshan' (spiritual blessing) from the Goddess, especially to cure disease, such as chicken pox, cancer, heart abnormalities, diabetes, and so forth.

Address: No. 238, Jalan Lahat, 30200 Falim, Ipoh

Source: pagan-space.blogspot.com

Specialists In Good News

In his book called "Joy", (Doubleday, 1974) Fr. Louis Evely writes: "We act as though we are specialists in bad news, when in fact we have been told that we are to be the bearers of glad rejoicing." Sadness and fear seem to be two things to which human beings are especially prone. One of the lessons of the Resurrection is that the joy which Jesus invites us to share is precisely our "sadness overcome". It's sorrow turned to joy. More than ever, it must be in and through our prayer life and our Eucharistic life that Jesus is present, overcoming our sadness.

Luke's 24:13-35 provides a snapshot of the kind of disillusionment we often experience. When things don't work out as you and I figure it should, we become discouraged. In a sense, we walk off, just do our jobs by going through the motions, just endure life. Could it be that often we expect the wrong things, for example, some sense of achievement, some sense that we can handle our life's challenges by ourselves? It's easy enough to look past the presence of the Risen Lord in our lives because we're not quiet enough to realize that he's here.

The two disciples bound for Emmaus are depicted as still believing ("Jesus, who was a prophet..."), but very confused and discouraged. "We were hoping that he was the one to set Israel free...but..." This is the problem: they've lost hope. Jesus gently begins to lead them back from their despair by taking them immediately to "Word "and "Sacrament". Actually, his whole explanation is concisely summarized in Peter's sermon in Acts 3:13-15; 17-19. He says that our life, like Christ's, is a passing-over from death to life. A "real dying" is necessary if one takes the business of living and bearing witness to the Gospel seriously. It involves living at the level where it really counts, and that will involve discomfort and even hurt because it involves moving into the unknown and failing many times.

It's part of being human to be fearful, saddened and discouraged. But, as I read somewhere, "Nowadays, to be on your way is to be home." The place where you and I meet Jesus, the Risen Lord is in Scripture and in sacrament. It's there that the Word is spoken to us continuously as we go our way. The Word is our bread for the journey, and we find it in Jesus breaking it for us, even in the midst of our own fragmented lives and experiences. And we find that, in this very Word, Scripture and sacrament, broken for us in our passing-over, Jesus overcomes our sadness and hopelessness. He offers us the gift of joy, the deep, true joy, not just a surface kind of good feeling. To the extent that we can accept his jouy, each celebration of the Eucharist will be for us a true homecoming. Ours isn't a religion of absence, but of Resurrection Presence. You and I are called to joy in faith. The Risen Lord is present doing the impossible, the incredible: giving us his joy in our sadness, poverty and distress. It's for us the learn well the lesson he teaches us, and become, in our turn, specialists in Good News.

Credit: about-world-religions.blogspot.com

Magic Secrets

What is magic? It means that someone has a way to do something that seems impossible to do in the eyes of another one. Magic users often believe that they have a way to control things or people.

A long time ago, the ones gifted with magical knowledge would use their skills for the following reasons: they would heal people, they could find a way to know what really happened when something someone was wrongfully accused, they could decide to go nasty and do bad magic and lastly, they could do magic to make a spirit go away.

Black & White Magic
If you decide to do magic, you have the choice of doing good magic (white) or bad magic (white).

When you see movies with battles undoubtedly the end is written in way that it's the good guy versus the bad guy and the good guy always wins. The same principle applies when you compare black magic and white magic.

White magic means good magic. You use this kind of magic to do some good in this society while using techniques that is harmless to either you or the others.

Because there is always two sides to a medal, you have black magic. When you think black magic, you think evil and doing bad things. When performing this magic, you need to conjure evil spirits.

'Sorcery & Witchcraft'
Black magic is known throughout the world as witchcraft, sorcery or any other terms associated with it. However today's society warlocks or witches don't really want to harm other people.

Today's Black Magic'
In the black magic world of today, these are the following things you might learn if you decide that you want to learn the black art.

1. Fortune telling will give you the ability to see the past and to predict the future.
2. The ancient art of divination will let you find other people's secrets.
3. Invoke a spirit to cast a spell on someone.
4. You can put a curse on someone you want to hurt
5. Evocation will give you the chance to conjure up a spirit.
6. There's a great chance that your concentration will benefit through various actions exercises.
7. Further to contrary beliefs, you can heal while you do black magic.
8. To thank or reward the spirit that helped you, you can do a ceremony

Unfortunately, in today's society people believe that black magic will be done to do bad things.

If you read about the history of black magic and you decide to compare the black magic from then and today's magic you will learn that it is not as bad as it may sound.

If you believe in magic, you will want to know more details about how today's black magic works. Furthermore, the more you read and the more you learn, you will find how black magic is not related at all to worshiping Satan.

What black magic teaches is to love yourself, love and respect nature and that everything complements themselves especially men and woman.

Finally, something will make you wonder about spells, special ceremonies and finally curses. All these elements lets you respect this noble art called magic.

Source: magick-keys.blogspot.com

Wednesday In The Word Victory Is Ours

Who doesn't want to experience victory? Who wants to lose? Not me and not you! So how can we be sure that we can be on the "winning side"? It's according to what we're talking about I suppose. If it's a physical or mental opposition we're facing such as a tennis match or a chess game (neither of which I play by the way!) then the way to experience victory lies in getting stronger physically or mentally than our opponant. But if it's a spiritual victory that we're wanting then the answer is found in Scripture: "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." I Corinthians 15:57"

Spiritual victory is found in letting God fight the battle for us and not trying to get "strong enough" to do it on our own. Remember what David said when he fought the giant Goliath: "And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands." I Samuel 17:47"

In just a few days many eyes will be glued to TV sets all over the world to see who wins the Super Bowl. Who will have the victory. And this is all right....to some degree. But to some people, this is their religion! I read on a news article this morning where someone remarked that they were getting to the Super Bowl in spite of the raging frozen precipitation falling even "if they had to crawl". How many of us as Christians would say that we were going to go "wherever" God was calling us even "if we had to crawl"? Die-hard sports fans put us to shame in their tenacity! Oh that I could be that much of a fanatic about the cause of Christ!In the January issue of the AFA Journal there was a very interesting commentary by Matt Friedeman. The title was "Thank God my College Football Team is Losing". Here is an EXCERPT FROM THE COMMENTARY: "He commented...jokingly...that now he could forget all about them and lift up his heart totally to God. He also told the story of on time one of the members of the board of Wesley Biblical Seminary said a friend had said to him that he quietly feared that his children might not want to attend Ole Miss. The board member responded with...'Not to worry...You drink from Ole Miss cups, give money to Ole Miss, never miss an Old Miss ballgame, wear Ole Miss clothes, have scrapbooks full of Ole Miss in your home, talk/joke/dream Ole Miss....of course your kids are going to go to Ole Miss.' Remembering Deuteronomy 6:5-7 "("And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.") it appears the friend had replaced the law of God with a school. Wonder how many of us have done the same with sports teams."[Go here to read the complete commentary on Matt Friedeman's blog.]

Real victory in our lives comes only from God. Eugene M. Bartlett who wrote the words to "Victory in Jesus" realized this. Here are the words to the chorus of his song":"O victory in Jesus My Savior, forever He sought me and bought me With His redeeming blood; He loved me 'ere I knew Him And all my love is due Him He plunged me to victory Beneath the cleansing flood. "

And so my friends....Victory is ours...through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Marilyn

Robertson Says God Says Bush Will Win

By Associated Press in the Oakland Tribune

NORFOLK, Va. -- Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson said Friday he believes God has told him President Bush will be re-elected in a "blowout" in November.

"I think George Bush is going to win in a walk," Robertson said on his "700 Club" program on the Virginia Beach-based Christian Broadcasting Network, which he founded. "I really believe I'm hearing from the Lord it's going to be like a blowout election in 2004. It's shaping up that way."

Robertson told viewers he spent several days in prayer at the end of 2003.

"The Lord has just blessed him," Robertson said of Bush. "I mean, he could make terrible mistakes and comes out of it. It doesn't make any difference what he does, good or bad. God picks him up because he's a man of prayer and God's blessing him."

The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, a frequent Robertson critic and executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said he had a prediction of his own: "Pat Robertson in 2004 will continue to use his multimillion broadcasting empire to promote George Bush and other Republican candidates."

In a reference to Bush's political adviser, Lynn said, "Maybe Pat got a message from Karl Rove and thought it was from God."

Day 2 What If I Let God Down

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: I wept as I realized this would be one of the most significant spiritual journeys of my life. A spiritual journey that would yield great physical benefits.

I recently received an email from a woman who wrote, "Lysa, one of my greatest fears in reading "Made to Crave" is not just letting myself down, but even worse, letting God down."

I understand how she feels. When you've tried and failed as many times as I have, you start to feel gun-shy about trying again. I'd lose the weight, feel great for a couple of months, deceive myself into thinking I could return to old habits, and all the weight would creep back on. I'd failed at finding lasting victory with every other attempt, even with programs I thought were the sure thing. So, why would this one be any different?

And why in heavens would I want to add spiritual guilt on top of my physical guilt? Why would I risk the shame of making God look bad too?

Guilt wrapped in shame is a terrible burden to carry. Guilt always came when I knew I was making poor choices and could see the scale numbers climbing. Shame came when my weight gain became apparent to everyone else in the world. Battling something so raw, so deeply personal was hard; knowing my failures were apparent to everyone else added humiliation to my toxic stew of emotions.

Yes, the physical struggle was hard enough. I certainly didn't want to drag down my spiritual life with this struggle as well.

But here's the problem: whether or not I wanted to admit it, my weight issues were already dragging me down spiritually. When I don't have peace physically, I don't have peace spiritually. I can't separate the two. Nor should I. I need spiritual motivation to step in where my physical determination falls short.

So I started reading the Bible from the perspective of someone struggling with food issues. Though I had read the Bible many times and have even taught Bible studies for years, I'd missed how much God cares about and talks about this issue. Tucked within this book written thousands of years ago are some of the most astounding and life-changing truths directly applicable to this modern-day unhealthy eating epidemic that plagues women.

I wept with joy. I wept with relief. I wept as I realized this would be one of the most significant spiritual journeys of my life. A spiritual journey that would yield great physical benefits. And what about my concerns with letting God down?

My pastor, Steven Furtick, put that to rest one day with a simple but very profound truth, "How can you let God down when you weren't ever holding Him up?"

I had to choose to operate in the reassurance of God's love, the remembrance of God's grace, and the reality of God's power. And, according to Isaiah 41:10, God is the one holding me up, not the other way around. To that I say, "Amen!"

"Dear Lord, this is one of the most significant spiritual journeys of my life. Help me to focus on You as I battle this raw, personal issue. I need You today. In Jesus'"

" name. Amen."



Credit: way-of-witch.blogspot.com

Pray Unhinged

Romans 12:12 tells us to be constant in prayer. But if your life is anything like mine, there are days it feels like I can barely fit in breathing.

So how are we supposed to fit in prayer-and constant prayer at that?

I think sometimes we believe that prayer has to be a certain way, (like when we're kneeling, or when we're alone) or a certain time (first thing in the morning) or in a certain place (in a room with the door closed).

And clearly none of those things are wrong. But they can morph into mental restrictions that limit and hinder what was never meant to be limited and hindered. Mental restrictions don't belong in our prayer lives.

Mental restrictions demand that we pray a certain way. And we can think of prayer in many ways, but demanding should not be one of them. So I'd like to challenge you think of prayer as an "ongoing dialogue" between you and God, not a one-time event relegated to a particular time or way. In other words, prayer does not require us to be in a certain place or posture, and it isn't just a once-a-day event.

When we remove the mental restrictions we have, prayer can flow much more organically in our lives.

And we can pray unhinged.

Unhinged prayers, prompted by the Holy Spirit, happen anywhere, anytime. In fact, they can happen all day long. They're as natural as breathing, and powerful and effective because they're completely orchestrated by the Lord.

Praying unhinged is not a super-spiritual practice for super-spiritual women. It's for ordinary women who know they need more of God's power at work in their own lives, their families, and their circumstances. Women who have days when they can barely fit in breathing.

The truth is, just as stress increases our breathing rate, it should increase our prayer rate. Praying unhinged allows that to happen. It allows prayer to flow from us like breath-all the time. Prayer will become second nature for us.

And that, sweet sisters, is how we can pray without ceasing.

Never stop praying. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) (NLT)

Credit: animals-and-shamanism.blogspot.com

Staffing Changes At The University Of San Francisco

While Fr. Donal Godfrey, S.J. is no longer executive director of USF's University Ministry, his replacement does not appear to be much of an improvement. On October 20, 2007, Ms. Julia Dowd, joined by members of USF's LGBTQ Caucus, attended the "OutThere" conference at De Paul University. The conference's program makes clear that its purpose was to create more effective advocacy for positions opposed to the Church's teachings on Catholic universities...................Ms. Dowd continues to serve as an associate director of USF's Lane Centers for Catholic Studies and Social thought. Over the past few years, the Lane Center has hosted such speakers as Fr. James Keenan, SJ, who, on April 28, 2003 spoke before the Massachusetts legislature "as a Catholic moral theologian opposing Massachusetts Bill H. 3190, which would have defined marriage as between one man and one woman; Professor and ex-priest Paul Lakeland, who is best known for his support of Connecticut's recent attempt to have lay persons take over the governance of the Catholic Church; renegade Australian Bishop Gfrey Robinson (despite Archbishop George Niederauer's orders that he was not to speak at any Catholic institutions in the archdiocese); professor and abortion advocate Sylvia Marcos, who believes in working to make abortion legal in countries where it is now illegal; the Rev. Ignacio Castuera, president of the Clergy Network of Planned Parenthood; and the Rev. Lisa Sargeant, chaplain of the now defunct Planned Parenthood Golden Gate. LINK (HERE) TO AT THE CALIFORNIA CATHOLIC DAILY

The Origin Of The Holy Ghost

"NOTUS (Greek, N'otos) was the Greek god of the south wind. He was associated with the desiccating hot wind of the rise of Sirius after midsummer, was thought to bring the storms of late summer and autumn, and was feared as a destroyer of crops. "

I recently wrote that the idea of angels comes from a time when people worshiped planets as gods. Read my post to see why I claim the angels were planets. People were uneducated, but observant. Planets could be observed, but their motion was mysterious.

Starting with the assumption that current world religious beliefs and customs evolved from earlier beliefs and sparked by a lingering curiosity from childhood, I made a new discovery tonight, one I've not heard before.

Like the planets wandering in the sky, people experienced the winds, and these were mysterious.

Historical documents show that people once thought the wind was caused by the movement of spirits or gods such as the Anemoi.

In addition to being the light of the world, the bringer of light, and the Father of life on earth, God (also known as the Sun) creates the wind we feel.

The winds, like the sun, were important. They could help one in battle, for example. Or they could turn against you, destroy crops, bring pests, sand storms, etc.

World English Bible

Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and Yahweh brought an east wind on the land all that day, and all the night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

Young's Literal Translation

And Moses stretcheth out his rod against the land of Egypt, and Jehovah hath led an east wind over the land all that day, and all the night; the morning hath been, and the east wind hath lifted up the locust.

http://bible.cc/exodus/10-13.htm

People did not understand that the sun caused the wind due to atmospheric pressure changes, but they were correct about the wind's connection with the sun.

What wrapped this up for me was a discovery I made in when reading about the Holy Spirit in John 3:8.

World English Bible

The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don't know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Young's Literal Translation

the Spirit where he willeth doth blow, and his voice thou dost hear, but thou hast not known whence he cometh, and whither he goeth; thus is every one who hath been born of the Spirit.'

http://bible.cc/john/3-8.htm

Bingo! Notice the older actual translation of the bible shows that the spirit IS the wind!

This is the equivalent of a religious transitional fossil. Yes, you may say, of course, the word "spirit" meant "wind" back then, but today, we have no such connection, so general awareness of this fact. This is how ideas take on a life of their own. This is where one "species" becomes another. What was once the wind spirit, becomes something entirely new in translation.

Young's Literal Translation is a translation of the Bible into English, published in 1862.... The Literal Translation is unusual in that, as the name implies, it is a strictly literal translation of the original Hebrew and Greek texts. - wiki

Amazing. The father (the sun) and the holy spirit (wind) were all mysterious earthly experiences.

Reading what the Holy Ghost does and how that compares to the supposed actions of the wind gods, the Holy Spirit seems to be a unification of various wind gods, a nod to people absorbed by Christianity who believed in gods like Zephyrus. But this still doesn't feel quite right, it doesn't explain it well enough.

"Zephyrus prophesy, son of man, and say to it, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' "

Ah ha! Now I get the connection. Breath is life! This is another reason for early people to believe the godlike powers of the winds. When a person dies, his final breath was seen to leave. This observation is a reasonable origin for the idea that people have immortal immaterial essences, souls which can become ghosts that roaming the earth for a time.

World English Bible

I will lay sinews on you, and will bring up flesh on you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am Yahweh.

Young's Literal Translation

and I have given on you sinews, and cause flesh to come up upon you, and covered you over with skin, and given in you a spirit, and ye have lived, and ye have known that I am Jehovah.'

http://bible.cc/ezekiel/37-6.htm

Realizing that "spirit" is just another word for "breath" makes a lot of other things click into place.

World English Bible

Then he said to me, Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and tell the wind, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.

Young's Literal Translation

And He saith unto me: 'Prophesy unto the Spirit, prophesy, son of man, and thou hast said unto the Spirit: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: From the four winds come in, O Spirit, and breathe on these slain, and they do live.'

http://bible.cc/ezekiel/37-9.htm

Finally, I understand the origin of the Holy Spirit being in someone. The wind from your breath was associated with life, and since life is mysterious, this spirit wind of life was a gift from god. With childlike simplicity the primal awe of existence and the fear of mortality in this wind-spirit connection rings true. Who would not believe in spirits when they feel the wind every day?

World English Bible

Or don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God? You are not your own,

Young's Literal Translation

Have ye not known that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not your own,

http://bible.cc/1 corinthians/6-19.htm

Believe it or discard and ridicule this explanation as you must, but now I finally know, to my own satisfaction,... which way the wind blows.

In The Hands Of The Tongue

DEATH AND LIFE LIE IN THE HANDS OF THE TONGUE...

"Shlomoh HaMelech, Mishlei 18:21"

, -

A traditional witch's broom is called a besom. Like besomim (sweet-smelling havdalah spices), the besom concerns "cutting".

The word besomim is from the shoresh meaning "cut up" . Words are like thought-pieces cut from the stream of consciousness to communicate that contained within the inner stream to others or to oneself during the process of self-discovery. Words, like spices, can be sweet or foul smelling.

As spices are "cut" from plants like words are "cut" from thought, the besom "cuts" life from death. Like the havdalah spices specifically, the besom "separates" between realities. The havdalah besomim separate between sacred and profane realities. The besom separates between the realities of life and death. How do we know this?

In addition to the "cutting" connection of the besom with its phonetic Hebrew root, there is also a "cutting" connection within the mythology surrounding the witch's broom. In ancient Rome midwives used special brooms to "cut the ties "between the world of the living and the realm of the dead" after childbirth" . Interestingly, this directly calls to mind within the mythic symbolism the proverb of Shlomoh HaMelech - death and life lie in the hands of the tongue.

The besom-broom even looks like a tongue (held in the hands). Besomim are the words which fill it. When we breathe the sweet-smelling havdalah spices, we are breathing in the essence of good words born of shabbat consciousness, which hopefully will find expression throughout the week. When a witch sweeps out negative energy from her sacred space with her besom, she is "cutting off" evil words before they are even conceived.

The witch's besom in a witch's hand is the "hand of the tongue" crafting a path of life and cutting off the path of death. Besomim are the essence and expression of words the tongue may speak.

Footnotes:

Etymological Dictionary Of Biblical Hebrew, R' Matityahu Clark

Solitary Witch, Silver Ravenwolf; and The Woman's Dictionary Of Symbols And Sacred Objects, B. Walker

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Source: ceremonial-magic.blogspot.com