Tag Archive | tree

The “Christmas” Tree In The Pagan World

Merry Yuletide

Winter Solstice/Yuletide Decorations

Every year, at this time of the winter season, people around the world set out decorations for the holiday season. And like many different times of the year, some people begin to make comparisons between Christian holidays and Pagan feasts and festivals.

The Winter Solstice/Yuletide festival and Christmas are one such comparisons. For sure there are a lot of cross over symbology between these Pagan celebrations and the Christian Christmas. But you might be surprised that the Christmas Tree is not one of these.

The following is an excerpt from The History of Yule:

The “Christmas” Tree
The Christmas tree tradition does not come from Pagans as many believe. Some people believe the Christmas tree comes from a story of Odin hanging from Yggdrasil in order to learn about the Norse Runes. Continue reading →

Next On The Ænigma Project – Astral Projection, Out of Body Experiences, Near Death Experiences

May30

Get Your Tinfoil Hat
and Join Us Live!

The Ænigma Project – Mondays 8 PM EST

Tonight’s episode of The Ænigma Project has been rescheduled. Sorry for any inconvenience. When we scheduled tonight’s show we had forgotten it was a holiday. We seem to have observed the day a little too hardily. We’ll reschedule tonight’s show for June 27th.

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 our new chat room. You can join in the chat to share your perspective on our topic or ask questions for the panel to contemplate and address. You can also sit outside the room and simply watch the discussion. No need to sign-in if you don’t want to. Our chat room regulars are always posting pictures, sharing some laughs and even having thoughtful discussions on their own.

Continue reading →

Next On The Ænigma Project – Astrology around the World

May23

Get Your Tinfoil Hat
and Join Us Live!

The Ænigma Project – Mondays 8 PM EST

Continue reading →

The Blue Bottle Trees

Mar2

Warding Off Evil Spirits

Oral traditions are very important, especially in society today. We are over run and inundated with TV, computers, smart phones and tablets that provide us with an inconceivable number of videos, movies and other types of entertainment. Because of this modern technology, our old stories are being lost and forgotten.

Author/Storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham and storytellers like her, have became concerned over the loss of our old stories. Thankfully they are setting these stories down on paper in a series of books that are worth reading. (You can find the Jeffery series by Kathryn Tucker Windham on Amazon).

One of my favorite stories comes from old Appalachian folklore tale called, The Blue Bottle Tree and The Witch’s Heart.

The legend goes like this:
If you place blue bottles in a crape myrtle tree they will help you ward off evil. Evil spirits are very curious. The blue bottles are so attractive that the evil spirits are drawn into them. Once inside they become confused and get trapped. Some variations of this wives tale, continue by adding the destruction of the evil within the bottle. Much like a Native American dream catcher; when the sun rises in the morning it’s warmth and bright light destroys the evil that was trapped inside (or within the web of the catcher) so that it can never do harm to anyone again. Continue reading →

The Story Of The Blue Bottle Tree & The Witch’s Heart

Mar2

Blue Bottles In A
Crape Myrtle Tree

An Oral Tradition From The South

Here in the southern United States, we have a great many stories and legends relating to ghosts and spirits. I’ve read many account from story tellers suggesting the south has more ghost stories than any other place in the U.S. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it certainly makes one take a second thought about the claim. After all, some of the first big conflicts in this country began in the south. From the invasion of the first white Europeans with Native Americans, to the Civil War and on into modern times with the fight for Civil Rights.

Southern Appalachia is widely known for its oral traditions and story telling. In fact the International Storytelling Center is located in the small historical town of Jonesborough Tennessee (my home town). If you have an opportunity for a visit to the oldest town in Tennessee, I suggest going during the first full weekend in October when the Center holds the National Storytelling Festival. It’s a big and wonderful event that draws storytellers and people from around the globe. One of my favorite stories comes from this festival. The Blue Bottle Tree.

There are many stories about blue bottle trees. Perhaps because this is the first one I ever heard makes this one my favorite. Or possibly because the main character in the story share’s my last name. This isn’t an exact version of the story I heard. But it’s the one I tell today. I hope you like it. Continue reading →

Shamanistic Numerology

Oct18

The Shamanistic Approach To Numbers

Earlier this year I wrote a brief overview article on the Bare Minimum Basics of Numerology. From that article several people asked for more information on the method I’m most familiar with and the meaning behind the numbers from that perspective; Shamanistic Numerology. I don’t want to re-write the information in that original article, so you might want to start there and then finish reading about the approach I have been taught and use from time to time.

I do want to restate that I am not a Numerologist, nor have I spent a great deal of time utilizing this method of insight and wisdom. There are many forms of Shamanism around the world and this is only one method in that venue. So do more research and if you like some of the approaches here, merge them with things you like in other methods and create your own version of personal Numerology. Stick with what rings true to you and follow your own instincts. Continue reading →

"Believe In Yourself, Even When No One Else Does."
~ Harvey McKay ~
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“Take a chance on faith. Not religion, but faith.
Not hope, but faith.
I don’t believe in hope. Hope is a beggar.
Hope walks through the fire and Faith leaps over it.”
~ Jim Carrey ☆ 2014
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“I describe myself as a simple Buddhist monk. No more, no less. And I am one of the seven billion human being. Basically we are the same… your emotion, my emotion, your mind, my mind.., same physical. So I always look [at it] that way. We are the same.”
~ Dalai Lama 2012 ~
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"Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”
~ Bruce Lee 1971