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New Year
The Druid Year~
The Druids, who lived in the Bristish Isles from around 1,000 BC, used a lunar (moon) calendar with 13 months. Each month had 28 days. Each year included an additional day - the Nameless Day on December 23rd, which fell outside the 13-month year.
The calendar system we are most farmiliar with is based on the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Events prior to his birth are referred to as BC - Before Christ - and those since his birth as AD - Anno Domini - In the year of our Lord. The New year represents the number of years since the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Chinese have their own ancient calendar system, based on the Lunar (moon) cycle. The Chinese New Year falls on a different Day each year. Every new year is part of a 12-year cycle. Each of the 12 years has its own distinctive characteristic and is named after an animal. There is the Year of the Rat, the Buffalo (ox), the Tiger, the Cat, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Goat, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog and the Pig.
The Jewish religious calendar is divided into 12 months and follows the Lunar (moon) cycle. Each leap year, the Jewish calendar has an additional month. Rosh Hashanah or Jewish New Year falls in September or October and is the Anniversary of the creation of the world. This is the time when God reviews his creation and the deeds of humankind. During the New Year service at the Synagogue, the Shofar (ram's horn trumpet) is blown to awaken everyone to search for the divine in life. Afterwards, Jewish people enjoy the custom of eating an apple dipped in honey - a symbol of hope for a good sweet year ahead. By: Jasmine Lace Chambers
Which Color You
Should Use * Red It will make everyone realise how powerful you are. It will also give more energy and it's the colour of passion. Wear red and love, energy and creativity will come to you. * Orange It will pump up your confidence. Wear this vibrant colour and you will soon be feeling in control again. It will lift the fog of confusion and you will also feel very motivated. * Yellow No matter how grumpy you feel, yellow the colour of sunshine, energy and happiness will turn the darkest mood into a happy one. It is also the colour of the mind. To increase your chances of passing an exam, go for yellow. Yellow is thought to be the ideal colour for homosexuals more then purple. * Green The colour of nature will help you get your head together. If life is out of control, green will soon have you feeling balanced. If someone is mad with you, wearing green will calm them down so much they will forget what the fuss was about. * Blue People will trust you, so if you need a favour, want to secure a job or are meeting someone important, wear blue. It will also help you relax and if someone around you is stressing, suggest they slip into something blue. * Indigo It will help heal a broken heart and ease sadness. Experiment with indigo and before you know it you will be healed and feeling strong again. It will also help you to understand yourself better. |
(cont. "Colors") * Violet It will prevent you from taking everything so personally and violet bedding of pjs will help you sleep and relax better. Also, if you've got someone in your life who is feeling sad, buying them a violet gift will sooth them. * Black A tone not a colour, but is still worn. When you're in your little black number, you're telling people that you're mysterious and do have something to hide. Also good to wear when you're feeling fat. * White White is a reflection of all colours and holds all powers. It is also spiritual, innocent and pure. If you want people to believe sugar does melt in your mouth go for white. It's also a wonderful colour for meditation. By: Jasmin Lace Chambers
' Witchcraft '
Witches throughout time have been seen as wrinkled old women, that ride on broomsticks in the dead of night, women that cast spells over a bubbling black cauldron, wearing a black cape and a black pointy hat, with a black cat by their side. In 1657 the Reverend John Gaule, vicar of Staughton, Hungerford, England,proclaimed: "Every old women with a wrinkled face, a furried brow, a hairy lip, a gobber tooth, a quint eye, a squeaking voice, or a scolding tongue having a rugged coat on her back, a skull cap on her head, a spindle in her hand, and a dog or a cat by her side, is not only suspect but pronounced a witch!" Yet Witches are not like any of those, they are men and/or women who study the art of nature know as "Witchcraft" which is derived from the old Celtic word "Wicca", meaning Wise. Those who practice "Wicca" can actually "bend" reality and therefore appear to create magick. (The modern muggle interpretation of magick given by the dictionary is: "seeking to harness and conduct psychic forces to cause manifestation by using appropriate incantations, spells and charms to help focus the mind"). Magick is conducted by spells, charms and incantations. Magick can bring love, protect the practicer from harm, help with healing, guard the home and family, and even boost the bank balance, to name a few. Magick can work in wonderful ways, provided that the practicers intentions is pure and the wish is to do good selflessly. Witchcraft should only be used to help and to harm and never to hurt and to harm. As long as the practicer adhere to the sacred law of magick-making which is to never to manipulate another person against their own will or knowledge and to never use magick to do wrong then the practicer may be faithfully proclaimed as a Witch. If a Witch chooses to use their magick for evil then the spell or charm, hex or curse will come back on them (threefold) three times as bad; although it is really Gothic's and those whom worship the Devil/Satan that practice black magick, not Witches. Throughout time up to about the 1900's the Catholic and Christian church tricked the commoners into hanging, drowning and burning women because they may have been a Witch. Women were convicted of crimes they did not commit, such as crops not growing, cows milk going sour and illnesses. If she was a Witch then it was thought that she would survive the torture. Not one witch or innocent survived, all were murdered. Witches used and use herbs, oils and incense, the Catholic and Christian church did not except this and killed women for using them, yet the Catholic and Christian church used and use herbs and incense and oils themselves... (example: three wise men, holy water, the herbs used to anoint dead bodies). The Catholic and Christian church also said that Witches worshipped the Devil and killed babies by drinking their blood. That is not true, Witches do not even believe in, let alone worship the Devil, the Catholic and Christian church created the Devil as a deity. Witches do not kill babies, they don't sacrifice living things, but the Catholic and Christian church did sacrifice animals for their god, its even in the bible. The Catholic and Christian church are misled, liars and are very hypercritic. Now Witches are more understood and respected. Wicca is now seen to people as the religion it is with the excepted few that still don't respect and understand the art of Witchcraft. Be glad that we live in a more understanding time then those of our past. By: Ice Know-It-All |
