Ursi's Eso GardenYour Competent Esoteric Guide Monday, 24. December 2007
Merry Christmas - Happy Holidays!
Whatever faith you follow, Wherever you may live, Whoever you may be. Peace and Love to all. Now I take a few days off from my Eso Garden. I’ll see you later, happy holidays! So click the Christmas cards below and enjoy a charmingly animation. Sugar Plum Fairy: Music: Tchaikovsky - Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, from Nutcracker Suite ![]() The Dancing Piper: Music: Tchaikovsky - Danse des Mirlitons, from Nutcracker Suite ![]() Check out the other beautiful and atmospheric e-cards by Jacquie Lawson. Sunday, 23. December 2007
The Origins of Christmas
Centuries and centuries before Christ was born, Romans, Mesopotamians, Carthaginians, Balkans, Germans and Scandinavians held huge celebrations on or near December 25th to welcome the return of the sun. The Origins of Christmas delves into this history, revealing surprising similarities between the world's favourite Christian holiday and some of its not-so-religious roots: - One of the earliest Santa Claus prototypes was a convict who, during a respite from everyday social restrictions, was chosen to replace the king for the new year festivities and who oft-time was sacrificed as the celebrations drew to a close. - Giving dolls to children at Christmas is likely a reversal of an ancient tradition of giving children (i.e. sacrificing them) to the gods of agriculture. - The light-hearted custom of kissing under the mistletoe has a serious history. The Celtic Druids called the herb "the all healer" and believed it not only increased fertility of soil and cattle, but that it also cured impotence. The movie traces the decision of the early Catholic Church to adopt the centuries-strong pagan celebrations and baptize them with Christian meaning. It follows Christmas to its modern incarnation, no longer a celebration of the return of the sun, now a commerce-driven vehicle boosting sales of everything under the sun. Alternatives to today's Christmas of consumerism are explored with the introduction of the Public Dreams Society, a Vancouver group determined to return the Yuletide to its lusty pagan beginnings. In Sight Film Productions, 1999 Duration: 46 minutes. Saturday, 22. December 2007
Living in the Light: A Guide to Personal and Planetary
Shakti Gawain is a pioneer in the field of personal development. For over twenty-five years, she has been a best-selling author and internationally renowned teacher of consciousness. The first book I read was 'Creative Visualization', followed by 'Living in the Light'.
Part One describes a set of principles, including:
The Higher Power Within Us Intuition Becoming a Creative Channel Exploring Our Many Selves The World As Our Mirror Spirit And Form The Male And Female Within, and Men And Woman East And West: A New Challenge. Part Two describes living the principles, including:
Feelings Balancing Being and Doing Authoritarian and Rebel Relationships Our Children Work and Play Money Heath Your Perfect Body Life and Death Transforming Our World, and A Vision Shakti's writing style provides a nice blend of ideas, personal experiences, meditations, and exercises. I especially like her call for acceptance and balance in dealing with seeming contradictions in our nature. Much of what she describes I can see in myself and in others. I recommend reading the book to see if there is something of value to you in 'Living in the Light'. Living in the Light: A Guide to Personal and Planetary Transformation by Shakti Gawain New World Library, 1998 (Revised Edition) | 224 pages | PDF | 2,8 MB Life on the Other Side: A Psychic’s Tour of the Afterlife
Perhaps the greatest question ever asked is "What happens after we die?" Every human being eventually deals with this question and ponders the mysterious answer. But, until it's our turn to travel to the Other Side, we can't know what we will find. Or can we?
Whether or not you end up believing what she writes, you can't help but come away with food for thought. Most interesting! It left me with a peaceful feeling about the hereafter. Take a comprehensive "tour" of the afterlife, includes:
the truth about ghosts and hauntings solving "unsolvable" missing persons cases how psychic energy can keep people healthy and improve relationships why we shouldn't fear aging and death must-read predictions for the new millennium and more Life on the Other Side: A Psychic's Tour of the Afterlife by Sylvia Browne & Lindsay Harrison Publisher: Signet, 2001 | 270 Pages | PDF | 1,1 MB Links: Official Sylvia Browne official website The Society Of Novus Spiritus - Browne's church Sylvia Brown's Online Talk Show at HayHouseradio. Next show 'Mystical Travelers' on Sunday, December 23, 2007. Free registration required. Critical Stop Sylvia Browne - a site critical of Sylvia Browne King of the Paranormal by Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. Sylvia Browne Clock by James Randi from James Randi Educational Foundation. Her biggest opponent. Transcripts Official transcript: Are Psychics Real?, Larry King Live, September 3, 2001. (Browne and James Randi) Official transcript: Are Psychics for Real?, Larry King Live, March 6, 2001. (Browne and John Edward) Official transcript: Psychic Powers Debunked in Shawn Hornbeck Case, Anderson Cooper, January 19, 2007. (Browne's manager and Randi) Official transcript: Psychic Psychic Reality Check, Anderson Cooper, January 30, 2007. (Browne's manager and Randi) Friday, 21. December 2007
Mantra Lounge - The New Lounge-Age
![]() English: This CD is an attempt to build a bridge between the different cultures and religions of today as well as the lost civilisations of the past. For instance: An ancient Egyptian amorous verse from 1140 BC has been embedded into the Chillout Sound of the 21st century. "Mantra Lounge" is a Double CD composed of a Chill Lounge CD and a Club Lounge CD. The Double CD involves Mantras from Africa, Egypt, Australia, Japan and Tibet -- as well as sacred verses from Hinduism, Judaism and the Indian culture. The result is a whole new listening experience. Deutsch: Lichtvolle, uralte Texte wurden in der Doppel-CD Mantra Lounge mit liebevoll-coolen, spirituellen und sphärischen Klängen der Moderne gemischt. Mantras aus Afrika, Ägypten, Australien, Japan oder Tibet – und mit heiligen Versen aus dem Hinduismus, der jüdischen oder indianischen Kultur - Chillout-Sound des 21. Jahrhunderts, der die Seele berührt! CD 1: Ancient Egyptian Poetry (3:58), vocals Jana Lanka See also: Samples of all titles at Silencio Music Germany And the Mantra Lounge Website Orthodox World
We, the creators of this site, are Orthodox Russians. We love our Orthodox Church and we would like the western Church, towards which we feel respect and gratitude, to know more about Orthodoxy and to love it, accepting it as it is. This site can be considered as a general encyclopaedia on Orthodoxy, created for a western reader. In it, we want to pay particular attention to the things that unite us and to those that are different to our traditions, but that complement each other. Orthodox World A very informative source of information on Orthodoxy, with a lot of pictures, in 6 languages. Thursday, 20. December 2007
Winter Solstice arrives Friday
Lisa Thiel - Winter Solstice Song: Chorus: Enter the night and you’ll find the light, That will carry you to your dreams. Enter the night, let your spirit take flight, In the field of infinite possibilities On the longest night we search for the light, And we find it deep within. Open your eyes to embrace what is wise, And see the light of your own soul shining. (Chorus) Wrap up in the cloak of starry darkness my child, And you’ll find the center of all things. For from this space of the deepest dark place, Life Eternal does spring. (Chorus) So when you find that spark When you dream in the dark, Hold it close to your heart and know. All that you see is all that can be When you give birth to the dreams of your soul. And here are some interesting stories: Tis the season for holidays other than Christmas and Hanukkah by Daily Titan. Throughout America, Britain, African and all over the world people celebrate different holiday's with different meanings and different traditions, so many in fact that a lot of people don't even know that some exist. These celebrations cover a wide spectrum of wholesome ideas: from going to midnight mass, opening those presents first thing in the morning or lighting the menorah at grandmother's house. Though religions such as Christianity and Judaism do play a significant role this time of year, it does not dampen the spirit of other holidays: Yule, Eid al-Ahda, Boxing Day and Kwanzaa are all celebrated by devoted communities all around the globe. The Winter Solstice: The Backbone of World Religious Celebrations by American Chronicle. Many today still call the celebration of the Winter Solstice a pagan ritual full of sex, and while a bit of that is true, they don’t realize that the ritual that is Christmas is in itself drawn largely from the ancient ritual that celebrated the earth’s tilting on its axis, where the daytime hours are weaned to a minimum and the night is longer in the northern hemisphere {in the southern hemisphere it’s the opposite}. In 2007, the Winter Solstice takes place on December 22 at 6:09. Marvel at winter solstice sunrise in Newgrange by The Telegraph. If you are lucky enough to be one of the 50 people, plus partners, whose names were pulled out of a hat (or rather, a scale model of Newgrange) by local children in September, you will be in the tomb one morning next week, between Tuesday and Sunday, waiting nervously for the winter solstice sunrise. If it's fine, the sun will clear Red Mountain at precisely 8.58am on each of these days, pour through a rectangular slot above the tomb entrance and hit the floor at the back of the chamber. Then, as the sun rises, the beam will slide back down the passage towards the entrance. By 9.04am the chamber will be dark again. ![]() Age-old carvings guard the tomb entrance at Newgrange Winter Solstice & the Cancer Full Moon 2007 by OpEdNews. How did you grow and what have you learned since last Summer Solstice (when the Sun is in Cancer), which was also around the time of the last Neptune/Saturn opposition and Venus Retrograde? What did you learn about your values this year? What about our collective dreams – have we made any progress toward creating a more just world? Do you believe in yourself and your life’s purpose? Can you speak your truth? More importantly, are you living your truth? Do you realize that Winter Solstice is a time of Grace? Of freely being given the gift of Life again. Where to celebrate the world's oldest holiday by The Independent. What would the Stone- Age farmers who built Newgrange make of the giant television screens and webcams that will be installed there for the first time this Friday to bring the remarkable spectacle of the winter solstice to a wider audience? In the same way the ancient Egyptians must have turned in their pyramids at the sight of King Tutankhamun's leathery mummy being unravelled last month for all the world to see, they would probably find the whole affair rather unsavoury. But anyone who has witnessed the burial chamber at Ireland's most ancient treasure fill up with golden sunlight on December 21 will know there are few sights more beautiful and mysterious in the world. ![]() Baltray standing stone sunrise The Reason for the Season by Emerald Coast. It seems that no one can agree on what to call the period of time between the middle of December to just after the first of the year. People from many different races, faiths and creeds celebrate this season. It isn’t simply a time for Christmas trees and presents, or menorahs and dreidels, or even “first fruit” feasts, but all that and more. It is truly a holiday season, a season everyone celebrates in his or her own way. So, focus on your own reason for celebrating, and not just the celebration’s name. Here is a wish for a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanzaa to everyone. The following is a bit of trivia and a very brief history of the three major celebrations this month. Druids mark winter solstice, return of longer days by Mail Tribune. For the valley's several dozen Druids, the big event of the holiday season comes when winter solstice arrives Friday and they gather in circles to honor the return of lighter and longer days, then feast together. That's what's important to Druids — nature and honoring markers like the shortest day of the year that promises a return to spring and warmth. And, although almost all written accounts of the ancient Druids have been lost, modern followers in three local groups (called "groves"), will gather to thank and celebrate the sun and all living things, then have songs and a potluck dinner. ![]() Local Druids demonstrate a ceremony in Ashland honoring the upcoming winter solstice UPDATE: January 5, 2008 I'll admit, it is a little bit late, but better late than never - and nice to see to see! Click the picture for a larger view Itty Bitty Bible & Nano Bible
![]() The Amazing Faith Company has come out with the Itty Bitty Bible. The complete Bible reduced 285 times, from Genesis to Revelation. Can be read word for word using any standard microscope ... but have faith, it's all in there. ![]() Wear it for inspiratin. Wear it for protection. Or just to have it close to your heart. A Bible, that you can wear as piece of jewelry: Nano Bible. Wednesday, 19. December 2007
Creationism | Evolution ---> Duelity
Duelity is a split screen animation from the Vancouver Film School students Ryan Uhrich and Marcos "Boca" Ceravolo that tells both sides of the story of Earth's origins in a dizzying and provocative journey through the history and language that marks human thought. Creationism: According to the records of the General Organization of Development labs (GOD) it took a mere six days to manufacture a fully-operational universe, complete with day, night, flora and fauna and installing Adam as its manager to oversee daily functions on Earth. That's one story. Evolution: If thos shalt believe the Book of Darwin, t'is five billion years after The Big Band that we behold what the cosmos hath begat; the magma, the terrra firma, the creeping beasts, and mankind, those dolorous and chaotic evolution begat the gift of consciousness. Feel free to visit Duelity where both videos are available to watch in higher resolution separately or together! Tuesday, 18. December 2007
Apocalypse Woodcuts
Apocalypse comes from Greek meaning an `unveiling'. The faith of the early Christians, living under persecution, was sustained by the expectation of Christ's imminent second coming. The greatest printmaking achievement of Dürer's early years was The Apocalypse, a set of 15 woodcuts on the revelations of St John. Telling the story of the end of the world and the coming of the Kingdom of God, this series of large prints displays great imagination and power. The famous series influenced the later treatment of the subject in northern Europe, especially France.
See also woodcut series: The Large Passion (1497-1500) Life of the Virgin (1511) The Small Passion (1511) The Triumphal Arch (1515) Baha’i Lotus Temple
![]() The Bahá'í House of Worship in Delhi, India, popularly known as the Lotus Temple, is a Bahá'í House of Worship and also a prominent attraction in Delhi. It was completed in 1986 and serves as the Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent. Inspired by the lotus flower, its design is composed of 27 free-standing marble clad "petals" arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides. The architect was an Iranian, who now lives in Canada, named Fariborz Sahba. For many beautiful pictures and all about the construction and philosophy of the Lotus Temple visit The Architecture of Fariborz Sahba. See also: Description and photographs of the Bahá'í House of Worship by the Bahá'ís of India. India is a land of Gods and wonderful Temples historically referred to the territory bounded by the Hindu Kush and the Himalayas often known as ‘Dev Bhumi’ or the abode of Gods. Every inch of this land is heavily steeped in mythology, and every art and architecture has its own importance. If there is anything great and concrete that has survived the rigors of time in India, then it is surely the temples of ancient time. India Temples, including the Lotus Temple Delhi. ![]() ![]() Monday, 17. December 2007
Wandering Star
Nice idea for a gift, isn't it? Sunday, 16. December 2007
Queen of Sheba - Behind the Myth
The Queen of Sheba is one of the most alluring names in history, synonymous with the exotic and erotic, but until now her real story has remained elusive. Who was she? Did she have a child by King Solomon of Israel? And how did her nation grow so powerful, only to vanish beneath the sands of time? Produced to accompany a major British Museum exhibition, the film gained exclusive access to the excavation of the Queen of Sheba's temple in the arid heartland of Yemen, to unveil the enigmatic riddle of this mysterious queen. Duration: 44 minutes. See also: The Queen Of Sheba by Michael Wood, BBC. The Story of the Queen of Sheba - Understanding the Legend by Awakened Woman e-magazine. BBC: The Story of Africa with a subsection on the Ethiopian Sheba story, including some interesting bits of audio. The Queen of Sheba and Her Only Son Menyelek (I) or, The KEBRA NAGAST translated by E. A. Wallis Budge. Related Entry: In Search of Myths and Heroes: The Queen Of Sheba Saturday, 15. December 2007
Massage for Dummies
Book Description: What reduces pain, enhances athletic performance, job efficiency, and sexual function, improves the circulation, raises immune efficiency, promotes the healing of tissues, increases the functioning of the skin, enhances focus and emotional balance, improves appearance, is completely legal in all 50 states and Puerto Rico and can be had for as little as...nothing? Right, massage. So what are you waiting for?
From Swedish to Shiatsu, sports massage to self-massage, Capellini and Van Welden cover an array of techniques and tell you how to:
Knead, manipulate pressure points, shake, rub, stretch and perform all the basic massage moves and techniques Give and receive special massages for the workplace, including reflexology foot massages Perform sports massage, sensual massage, and specific massages for every age group and physical condition, including infant massages and massage for pregnant women Become a massage professional Sensitive, funny and extremely practical, Massage For Dummies shows you how to integrate massage and its incredible benefits into your everyday life. Massage for Dummies by Steve Capellini and Michel Van Welden Hungry Minds Inc., 1999 | 1 edition | PDF | 376 pages | 50.1 MB ![]() Friday, 14. December 2007
Secret Gifts For You
Start each magnificent day with this powerful visualization tool! 'The Secret to You' was especially created to harness all of the power of The Secret to transform your life into joy. To experience maximum power from the visualization tool, read the words and feel them with all your heart. The next video 'The Secret to Riches tool' will powerfully focus your mind on riches. Money is magnetic energy. You are a magnet attracting to you all things, via the signal you are emitting through your thoughts and feelings. To experience the full power of The Secret to Riches, be sure to read every word and feel it as much as you can. Believe and know that riches are yours, and feel the feelings of having them now. The more you can feel it, the more power you will add to bring it to you. There is no limit to the amount of times you can experience The Secret to Riches tool. Every single time you watch it, you will be deliberately focusing all your energy and powerful attracting thoughts on magnetizing riches into your life. You are - and everyone is - a money magnet! Remember: Money is just an energy which responds to a particular energy in order to multiply itself. Like all things in the universe love is the most precise and effective language of attraction. So - first of all - love money - do you? Here are some more tips to become a powerful money magnet: Be clear about the amount of money you want to receive. State it and intend it! Don’t think about how much you can earn, but how much you want to receive. Fall in love with money. Most people do not love money, because they always feel that they don't have enough of it. Visualize and imagine yourself spending all the money you want, as though you have it already. Speak, act, and think from the mindset of being wealthy now. Eliminate thoughts and words of lack such as "I can't afford it", "It is too expensive". Do not speak or think of the lack of money for a single second. Be grateful for the money you have. Appreciate it as you touch it. Make lists of all the things you will buy with an abundance of money. Do whatever it takes for you to feel wealthy. Affirm to yourself every day that you have an abundance of money, and that it comes to you effortlessly. Appreciate all the riches around you, including the riches of others. Look for wealth wherever you go, and appreciate it. Be certain that money is coming to you. Love yourself and know that you are deserving and worthy of an abundance of money. Remind yourself everyday that you are a money magnet, and ask yourself often during the day, am I attracting money now or pushing it away with my thoughts? Always, always pay yourself first from your wage, then pay your creditors. In that single act, you are telling the Universe that you are worthy and deserving of more. Repeat over and over every day, "I am a money magnet and money comes to me effortlessly and easily." Write out a check to yourself for the sum of money you would like to have and carry it in your wallet. Look at it often. Do whatever it takes to feel good. The emotions of joy and happiness are powerful money magnets. Be happy now! Love yourself! Wealth is a mindset. Money is literally attracted to you or repelled from you. It's all about how you think. More Gifts For You and the videos above download for free visit the Secret Official Website. |