Tag Archive | traditions

Next On The Ænigma Project – Leap Year Superstitions, Traditions and More

Feb29

Get Your Tinfoil Hat
and Join Us Live!

The Ænigma Project – Mondays 8 PM EST

The Ænigma Project is a discussion group focused on the realm of the supernatural, paranormal and mysterious events that sometimes take place in our lives. Through multiple view points and experiences, we seek to enlighten our listeners and elucidate that which has become hidden beneath the many layers of misunderstanding and fear.

Join Paul Cagle and his co-hosts Sushi and Springwolf as we share our research, knowledge, insight and humor of the spiritual and paranormal. Be part of the Ænigmite Crew and play “Truth or Tale”, see if you can tell the stories that are real, from those that are made up. And find out what the latest strange or paranormal is being talked about for the week as we discuss the “News of the Day”.

Tune in tonight for our LIVE broadcast.
The radio link on our ListenLIVE page will update for tonight’s show as soon as we go LIVE. You will see the Listen bar change and update for tonight’s scheduled topic. This is your queue to tune in, sit back and enjoy our discussion.

To get into the chat room, scroll down below the radio Listen Bar and you’ll find a sign-in box. No sign-up required, but you can create a registered account if you desire. You can join in the chat room to share your perspective on our topic or ask questions for the panel to contemplate and address. 

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Tying The Knot With The Wedding Knot

Jul8
Rose Gold and Emerald Claddagh Ring

Rose Gold and Emerald Claddagh Ring

A Sunday Homily

Marriages around the world have a great many traditions. One of my favorites involves The Irish Claddagh Ring, which is one of the most widely known traditions around the world. The ring incorporates a set of hands representing friendship, holding a heart which represents love, and a crown on top of the heart to represent loyalty. It originated in the Irish fishing village of Claddagh, located just outside the old city walls of Galway, now part of Galway City.

According to Irish author Colin Murphy, the way in which a Claddagh ring was worn describes the wearer’s relationship status:

  • On the right hand with the point of the heart toward the fingertips, the wearer is single and may be looking for love.
  • On the right hand with the point of the heart toward the wrist, the wearer is in a relationship.
  • On the left hand with the point of the heart toward the fingertips, the wearer is engaged.
  • On the left hand with the point of the heart toward the wrist, the wearer is married.

The first records of production put the creation of Claddagh in the 17th Century. But the ring was not named the “Claddagh ring” until after the 1840s. There are several written accounts of the origins of the ring, each associate its creation with a famous Irish jeweler. None of which are particularly romantic and only one that I’d call interesting, but still not romantic. Continue reading →

The Traditions Of The Tarot

Jun30
Wizards Tarot by John J. Blumen - The High Priestess

Wizards Tarot by John J. Blumen

New And Old Tarot Traditions

Today I saw an interesting picture on Facebook and it got me thinking about traditions. When it comes to the Tarot, there is a wide range of old traditions for how to keep the cards, how to use them, and who’s permitted to touch them. Added to those old “rules” are new concepts that have become common place and considered to be new traditions. But there’s no one single definitive or authoritative list of these ‘rules’. And some of these existing concepts even contradict each other. Here’s a short list from around the world as an example.

  • Keep your cards in a pine box.
  • Wrap your cards in silk or cotton.
  • Sleep with your cards under your pillow.
  • Never let anyone else touch your cards.
  • Only the querent should touch your cards at the time of their reading.
  • Always purify your deck in sunlight.
  • Only purify your deck in moonlight.
  • Sit the deck in a plate of sea salt to purify it.
  • Light a candle or incense before a reading.
  • Lay all your readings out on a pine board.
  • Always face east when doing a reading.
  • Always face your querent.
  • Shuffle and cut the deck three times to the left.
  • Don’t shuffle, cut once to the right.
  • Have only the querent shuffle.
  • Have only the reader shuffle.
  • Your cards must be gifted to you or stolen.
  • Never use a used deck.
  • If your cards are lost, they needed a new owner.

Continue reading →

Sunday’s Homily: Getting Started On Your Spiritual Path

Apr29

Starting Your Own Spiritual Journey

Your Spiritual journeyMany people feel overwhelmed and inundated with so much information on the bookshelves and online. It’s hard to know which way to go or where to start your own spiritual journey. Getting started isn’t as hard as you might think, and there are many places to begin for accurate and safe information. Here is my suggestion and a little information for those with an interest and desire to begin their spiritual journey.

To start the search into your own spiritual interests, define what you currently believe. Whither you’re interested in Pagan Metaphysics or some other spiritual path, you should have an idea of what you believe now. Putting your beliefs into writing instead of just talking about them, helps you define the connection between your beliefs, understand what you believe, and identify what you might not understand or where there are gaps in your beliefs. Learn more about Defining Your Beliefs.

Next, do your own research. Read everything! The more you read, the more you’ll be able to distinguish what is good source material from what is not. Look for material that cite the sources of their information. Continue reading →