Ebay bidders are being offered the opportunity to drive down the road to Nirvana in the Dalai Lama’s car. A 1966 Land Rover 88’ Station Wagon, which was the Dalai Lama’s official vehicle between 1966 and 1976, is being auctioned off by the Redwood, CA-based Dalai Lama Foundation.
The car was given to the organization by the Dalai Lama’s youngest brother Tendzin Choegyal. After being shipped from Dharamsala, India, where the Dalai Lama lives in exile, the vehicle was stripped and restored to its former glory.
The right-hand drive, fully operational car, which was named one of the world’s ten most exclusive Land Rover’s by Land Rover Lifestyle magazine, will be sold on Ebay. Bidding begins on Nov 2nd. A Dalai Lama Foundation lunch sitting next to actress Sharon Stone and a chance to meet the Dalai Lama himself at a teaching session in India are also included in the lot, which has a reserve price of $75,000 – a small price to pay for a jump start on the road to enlightenment.
After blasting Kathy Griffin at the Emmy’s, and physically threatening Vanity Fair columnist Christopher Hitchens on a MSNBC new show, Bill Donohue and his Catholic League have set their sites on fellow instrument of the Devil, Britney Spears. The troubled songstress has upset the leader of the self proclaimed “largest Catholic civil rights organization" in the United States by featuring some sexy snaps in the CD booklet of her new album Blackout. The shots, were taken by renowned photographer Ellen Von Unwerth, whose work has been extensively featured in magazines such as Vogue and Vanity Fair. The erotic images show Spears rocking a saucy pose in a confessional and sitting on a hunky priest’s lap. Heresy indeed.
“This is all the puzzle pieces coming together. This girl is crashing,” said Catholic League president Donohue, in an interview with New York’s Daily News. “She’s not even allowed to bring up her own kids because she’s not responsible enough. Now we see she can’t even entertain.” Harsh words for a man in the forgiveness business.
Over the last month, on his website, Donohue has attacked Halloween costumers and haunted house owners, David E Kelley and his Boston Legal show, Cold Case, the now notorious yet utterly harmless “Chocolate Jesus” art exhibit, and the film Elizabeth: The Golden Age for their unfavorable depiction of the Catholic Church. And another Catholic leader said Britney was the one doing the “bottom of the barrel” stunts! We’re glad that minor issues such as AIDS, poverty, and global warming aren’t distracting Donohue from doing “Gods” work.
Putting on masks and costumes has helped to fulfill many of humanity’s deepest needs throughout time. Tribes around the world have used them to invoke gods or goddesses of nature or fertility, using the masks to symbolically step into the energy of that role. In medieval times, European royal courts hosted masquerade balls in which masks and costumes served to connect attendees to religious or cultural traditions through ritual. We all wear many masks in our daily lives, but they don’t cover up the light that shines from within us, which is the truth of who we are.
We can think of all the Halloween masks that surround us as we go into meditation today. Following our breathing to the center of our being, we can picture all the masks we choose to wear and the roles they represent. Though we can fulfill those roles, we are not solely identified by the masks we wear. Rather than being limited by our roles or the face we present to the world, we can celebrate the freedom to change and try on other masks. We are the light that animates the mask, and therefore we can change our masks at any time, or remove them entirely when we want to reveal the fullness of our true selves.
As we try on all of our masks and costumes in our mind’s eye and then take each one off, we realize that each mask is just an aspect of ourselves – just one color from the multi-faceted jewel of our inner being. We can look at ourselves in the mirror and see our light, appreciating the masks that allow us to step into different roles in order to experience life more fully. Whether they represent our roles in our families, our job titles, and our cultural backgrounds, they all give us additional colors to reflect the beauty of ourselves.
Coming out of meditation, we can bless all of these aspects of ourselves, and then admire the beautiful kaleidoscope of our lives, knowing that all the colors radiate from the same source, and out into the world.
Guising and witches, campfires and pumpkins – these past seven days have been a whirlwind of Samhain images and traditions. But now that you’ve explored the whys behind contemporary Halloween trends, what’s next?
Well, Samhain was initially a New Year celebration, developed by the ancient Celts out of reverence for the earth’s calendar, the end of the harvest, and the changing of the seasons. As with all Pagan holidays, great attention was paid to the earth’s cycle and the elements of earth, wind, air, and fire. So, for a last exploration of Samhain 2007, and in keeping with this holiday’s Pagan roots, let’s see what the stars have to say.
October 31, 2007 falls within several astrological cycles. Perhaps most prevalently (and familiarly to anyone traveling or working with electronics these past couple weeks), from October 13th to November 1, Mercury is in retrograde. In simplest terms, this means we can all expect miscommunication, travel glitches, and electronic difficulty (back up those computers!). As the first and last few days of Mercury's retrograde cycle tend to be the most difficult, you may wish to allow extra travel time for any Halloween commutes, or to be particularly attentive to your communication.
The news isn’t all bad, however, as while Mercury is in retrograde it's an excellent time to reflect back and return to old projects and intentions – a perfect match for Samhain’s traditional reflection on the year’s harvest. Just keep in mind that Neptune will be direct this Halloween, so we may not be seeing everything clearly. (Unsurprising, given the extensive masks and costuming on this day - perhaps Samhain’s wandering spirits will be equally stumped!)
By Pagan tradition, certain qualities are also attributed to each day of the week. As Halloween falls this year on a Wednesday, we are in particularly strong alignment for creative work and money/business matters. More relevantly for Samhain traditions, Wednesday is believed to be the best day for lifting hexes and conducting psychic readings. So, if you’re interested in gazing through this night’s thin supernatural veil, it looks as though stars and tradition are in your favor.
Whatever Halloween enjoyment you choose this Samhain, be it distributing modern-day soul-cakes among guising children, lighting a candle for poor Jack’s lantern, or reflecting quietly on your personal harvest and hopes for the year ahead, we hope you enjoy the evening and its rich history. Happy Halloween!
An official report commissioned by the Italian government, which was leaked to local media earlier this week, blames aliens for a series of strange phenomena that occurred in a Sicilian village in 2004.
Reports of everyday, household objects spontaneously bursting into flames in Caronia (pop. 3,555) on north coast of Sicily, first surfaced in Jan 2004. Villagers complained that TVs, mobile phones, toasters, fridges, and vacuum cleaners would smolder or burst into flames. Arson was quickly ruled out, and the problems continued even after the local power company turned off the village’s power supply. One scientist, who was sent to investigate, was said to be stunned when an unplugged electrical cable ignited before his eyes. The fires ceased of their own accord by the following August.
An investigation by The Civil Protection Department, which has so far cost about $2 million, was subsequently ordered. The report, which bought together numerous experts including a NASA scientist, has apparently concluded that the strange phenomena was due to “aliens testing secret weapons.” It went on to speculate the fires were “caused by a high power electro magnetic emissions which were not man made and reached a power of between 12 and 15 gigawatts.” The report’s authors also investigated a UFO landing site near village, where "burnt imprints which have not been explained were found in a field."
“We are not saying that little green men from Mars started the fires but that unnatural forces capable of creating a large amount of electromagnetic energy were responsible," said Sicily's head of civil protection, Francesco Mantegna Venerando. “This is just one possibility we are also looking at another one which involves the testing of top secret weapons by an unknown power which are also capable of producing an enormous amount of energy."
Meanwhile the Vatican’s senior exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth has offered an alternative explanation. In an interview with England’s Telegraph newspaper he said, "I’ve seen things like this before. Demons occupy a house and appear in electrical goods. Let’s not forget that Satan and his followers have immense powers."
It should be noted that Amorth, who founded the International Association of Exorcists, has also issued dire warnings against J.K. Rowling and what he claims is a false distinction between black and white magic that she makes in her Harry Potter books. “Magic is always a turn to the devil,” warns Amorth. So beware of the spells in Potter’s cauldron, aliens messing with magnets, and the gremlins with a penchant for pyromania playing tricks in your toaster, it could just be the Devil’s work at hand.
In a beautiful illustration of the butterfly effect, Florida researchers George Austin and Andrew Warren are auctioning the naming rights of a new species of owl butterfly they discovered earlier this year. The proceeds will go to the McGuire Center at Florida’s Museum of Natural History to fund research into Lepidoptera, the species class that includes butterflies and moths.
This is a rare opportunity to buy this unique and eternal gift, since it’s been more than 100 years since a new owl butterfly has been named. “It is extraordinarily uncommon for such a large, showy butterfly to have escaped detection until now,” said Warren. “This likely will be one of the last times such a large and beautiful butterfly is named.”
The soon-to-be-named butterfly is native to the Mexican Sonoran Desert, which is just south of the Mojave, though Austin and Warren actually discovered the previously misidentified butterfly in a collection at Florida’s Museum of Natural History. The male has a bright orange hue, with the female having more distinct marking on its browner wings. Both have a wingspan of approximately four inches.
Convention allows that those who discover new species have a say in naming it. “We realized this striking discovery represents an exceptional opportunity to raise funds for continued research on Mexican butterflies, by allowing rights to the species-level name to be auctioned,” said Austin.
The butterfly lot is up for sale on iGavel.com, a high-end auction site which guarantees the authenticity of its items. So far there have been twelve bids, with the highest offer being $34,000. Bidding closes on Nov 2nd.
Halloween may not come to mind as readily as, say, Thanksgiving, for culinary enticements, but there’s a great deal more to this ancient Celtic tradition than soul-cakes and bags of candy.
To begin, hospitality was historically a substantial Samhain component. In addition to the treats bestowed on visiting guisers in exchange for songs or prayers, dinners were prepared for the deceased, both to honor passed loved ones, and to appease less friendly spirits. In areas of Ireland and Scotland they still set a place for dead loved ones at the Samhain table, and pass the evening with nostalgic stories. The more menacing spirits, however, proved more of a trick. Not wishing to invite any threatening presence into the home, ancient Celts would place a dumb supper of traditional Samhain foods outside their door, or bury apples roadside for those spirits who were lost or without descendants.
Why the emphasis on apples? In keeping with the ongoing apple-bobbing tradition, ancient Celts believed that eating a slice of three different apples ensured a year of good luck, and that an apple before sleep on Samhain night would prevent illness for a year. The apple was also credited with magical abilities, due in part to the pentagram revealed at an apple’s core, when sliced width-wise.
One Pagan divination ritual instructs that you sit in front of a mirror, lit only by candlelight or the moon, and descend into a meditative silence, focusing on a particular question. Next, cut an apple into nine pieces, eating the first eight with your back to the mirror before throwing the ninth slice over your left shoulder, and following it with your gaze. If you allow your focus to “soften,” an image is said to form from the reflected moon or candlelight in the mirror, providing your answer.
In addition to apples, other Dumb Supper foods include traditional Irish colcannon and barmbrack - just chew carefully, as Samhain dishes often include buried objects, such as coins, rings, or cloth, from which the diner might glean divination. Hazelnuts are another customary Samhain treat, regarded by the Celts as a symbol of occult wisdom, as is chocolate, associated in Mexico with wishing the dead a sweet return in their next incarnation.
So this year, don’t limit yourself to the candies of contemporary custom, but indulge instead in a full Samhain feast! After all, you’re just protecting your home.
A $25 million study, funded by the European Union, has found that organic food really is better for you. Lead by Newcastle University’s ecological agriculture professor Carlo Leifert (who has also spoken out against genetically modified or GM food), researches grew fruit and vegetables, and reared cows using both organic and non-organic methods on adjacent sites over a four-year period. They found that the organic produce contained more antioxidants and less fatty acids that their non-organic counterparts.
Levels of antioxidants in organic milk were between 50% and 80 % higher, with levels reaching a peak during the summer months when the organic cattle stock grazed on fresh grass. Levels of vitamin E were also found to be higher in organic milk, which produced cheese with twice a many nutrients. Organic vegetables such as wheat, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, onions and lettuce had between 20% and 40% more nutrients.
For those taking their first step towards a healthier organic lifestyle, Organic Rx's Dr. Geene lists the top five organic food essentials in an interview published by the New York Times. He lists organic foods in order of priority, based on nutritional value, pesticide contamination, and environmental considerations, as well as the average intake of a specific food, since it makes sense to go organic on the foods we eat the most of to maximize their impact.
Milk – According to the New York Times, “one recent United States Department of Agriculture survey found certain pesticides in about 30 percent of conventional milk samples and low levels in only one organic sample.”
Potatoes – They make up 30% of our overall vegetable intake, and are one of the most contaminated foods. “A 2006 U.S.D.A. test found 81 percent of potatoes tested still contained pesticides after being washed and peeled, and the potato has one of the highest pesticide contents of 43 fruits and vegetables tested, according to the Environmental Working Group.”
Peanut Butter – “More acres are devoted to growing peanuts than any other fruits, vegetable or nut, according to the U.S.D.A. More than 99 percent of peanut farms use conventional farming practices, including the use of fungicide to treat mold, a common problem in peanut crops.”
Ketchup – “About 75 percent of tomato consumption is in the form of processed tomatoes…Recent research has shown organic ketchup has about double the antioxidants of conventional ketchup.”
Apples – “Apples are the second most commonly eaten fresh fruit” and are also “one of the most pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables.”
Have you ever wondered how Popes get the top job? Do you think you have what it takes to be a pontiff? Well now you can find out thanks to the Vatican Board Game, which is an accurate simulation of the papal election process, and was developed to reveal the mysterious inner workings of The Roman Catholic Church.
The brain behind the board game, Stephen Haliczer, is one of the world’s leading early modern historians, appearing earlier this year on the four-part PBS docudrama, Secret Files of the Inquisition. Since we have papal aspirations ourselves (we just need to change those pesky rules that don’t let chicks become popettes), we called Haliczer and asked him for some tips. Turns out Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown should’ve done the same thing, since Haliczer says his book Angels and Demons, which is set against the backdrop of a papal election, is riddled with factual inaccuracies, though he does concede that is “a great read.”
DM: What did Dan Brown get wrong?
Haliczer: For example, Dan Brown tells us that the papal election turns on four specific candidates. He says these are the four candidates for which the cardinals can cast their votes. Well that’s not the case, they can vote for any cardinal they want. There’s no specific number of candidates or specific candidates. The press identified as many as fifteen possible candidates before the election of 2005, and Dan Brown’s telling us there are only four actual candidates, that’s completely untrue.
DM: Why did you create the game?
Haliczer: The Vatican board game really is an effort to dispel some of the mythology surrounding the Catholic Church. In popular culture there’s not only a great deal of curiosity about the inner workings of the Catholic Church, there’s also a great deal of confusion because of the secretive nature of some of its deliberations and processes.
DM: It does seem so much is done behind closed doors, which in a democratic society is not necessarily seen as a very good thing?
Haliczer: But the church is not a democratic society. Ironically, at the very apex it is, because you do have an election for the supreme leader, but otherwise it’s not democratic it’s hierarchical like an old fashioned monarchy.
DM: So in understanding how it all works, do you think people will have more or less respect for the institution?
Haliczer: I think if they play the game they’ll understand a great deal more about it, and they’ll see that the process involves a careful nurturing of talent over a long period of time. In other words the cardinals that do emerge as possible papal material are cardinals that are seasoned. They have a distinguished record in a pastoral sense as archbishops. For example Pope Benedict XVI, as Archbishop of Munich, was very widely respected in his role as pastoral leader. And then they have experience in two very important areas, serving in episcopal organizations like bishops conferences and synods on the one hand, and serving the central administration of the church, the curia. My game reflects that.
DM: I think from the outside, that’s where some of the criticism lies; It’s not the Mother Teresa types, who have seriously served the poor, that get to be pope, it’s the people that are good at playing politics.
Haliczer: You’ll probably find it curious but I don’t like to use the word politics. There is a political dimension to it, but I think it’s more a matter of service and experience, that’s what one finds, and that’s what’s reflected in my game, and in the reality. My game is based on a deep study of the careers of dozens of leading cardinals.
Haunted houses and horror films, zombies and ghouls, Halloween traditions are inseparable from images of the dead, even if the origins are sometimes a bit, well, masked.
To the ancient Celts, the fine Samhain veil between earthly and spiritual planes made for a long night of ghostly goings on – from wandering spirits, to visitations from departed loved ones. In this context, our tradition of visiting haunted houses and telling ghost stories around the fire harks back both to the Pagan ritual reverence for the dead, and the ancient Celtic desire for protection from more menacing, soul-stealing ghouls.
Sprinkling salt into the hair of children, or burning dried sage (known as smudging) were just a couple of the protective measures favored across the British Isles. But how does this relate to fire? It may seem simply convenient, given the charm of a late October hearth, that campfires and ghost stories are so intertwined. Historically, however, Samhain balefires were an integral part of the night’s celebration, lighting the dark sky, purifying the land, warding off evil, and containing the energy of the newly departed Sun God (whose passing symbolized both the end of the harvest and the slaughter of animals for winter).
The ancient Celts often burned several fires in close proximity, and would drive their cattle between the flames, or leap amongst the fires themselves, in a ritual purification. (The perception that fire could purge evil influences was later used to horrifying effect in the witch burnings of the mid-fifteenth through eighteenth centuries.) As cattle were a primary unit of currency to pre-Christian Celts, villagers would also cast the bones of slaughtered livestock upon the fire, along with other symbols of their hopes for the coming season. The term “bonfire,” from “bone-fire,” is said to have grown from this practice.
As the morning sun rose, portions of the dwindling fire were distributed to re-kindle individual hearths and protect the journey home. (The moan of the Bean Sidhe or banshee, foretelling a death in the family was, after all, a threat up until morning.) The Samhain ashes were then sprinkled over the fields for protection during the winter months.
So this year, as you light your fire or place a candle in your Jack-o-lantern, maybe take a moment to toss your own hopes for the coming season upon the flame. At a minimum, you’ll know your dreams are well-protected.
Costumes, masks, and trick-or-treating. Fun stuff, associated with costume parties and the collection of candy, right? Sure, in contemporary American society, but the original Pagan associations were a more literal matter of life and death.
To the ancient Celts, the thin veil between the living and dead on Samhain night allowed for both reverent reunion with departed loved ones and possible harm from more malicious wandering spirits. To protect against the latter, Pagans donned masks and costumes of the dead, hiding their identity as living beings, and allowing them to walk unharmed among Samhain’s spirits.
How did these masquerades coincide with trick-or-treating? To best understand this evolution, we need to make a pit-stop at guising – a Scottish tradition in which goblin and ghoul-costumed folk sang and danced their way among neighborhood homes, intimidating any evil spirits in their path. In exchange for their performance, residents would provide a treat – that is, the smart residents would, as in absence of said treat, guisers were prone to, well, tricks. Christmas wassailing, dating from the Middle Ages, is another example of the Celtic exchange of song and sustenance – as is the medieval practice of souling, in which peasants would travel door to door across the British Isles, receiving soul cakes in return for their Samhain prayers for the dead.
So while the Samhain stakes have dropped with time, and the urgency of dressing as a ghost, goblin, witch, or ghoul to avoid detection among the dead has transitioned into a more playful variation, creative fun still abounds in this long-standing tradition. Maybe this year add some soul cakes (see recipe) to your Halloween spread, or favor a ghostly ensemble over more contemporary trends. You’ll be treating friends to a Halloween tale, and avoiding the tricks of those wandering spirits all in one.
Whether messily scooping out your pumpkin at home, admiring this year’s carvings around the neighborhood or, ok, using your computer’s mouse to scrawl a pumpkin mask on Facebook, Jack-o-lantern season is upon us. But have you ever wondered how this unusual tradition began?
Jack-o-lanterns were brought to the United States by Irish immigrants during the potato famines of the mid-1800s. In keeping with the ancient Celtic belief that the veil between life and death is thinnest on Samhain, the earliest Jack-o-lanterns were designed both to welcome deceased loved ones and frighten away less welcome spirits. The carving of faces, as opposed to other symbols, stemmed from the Celtic belief that the head housed a person’s immortal soul, and was therefore sacred. Hence, if you must venture out on Samhain night, a Jack-o-lantern (or “kail-runt torch” in Scotland) was intended to fool any spirits that might cross your path. In Ireland, Jack-o-lanterns were carved from hollowed turnips, but as pumpkins were more plentiful in America, the tradition quickly adapted.
So who’s Jack? While the specifics of his legend vary wildly, in essence Jack was a lazy, yet shrewd, Irish farmer who had the poor judgment to try to trick the devil – and by extension, death. (This legend likely arose after Christianity’s arrival in Ireland, as earlier Pagan traditions would have been unlikely to include a devil figure – or to see a harbinger of death as evil.) Of course, the devil, being quite crafty himself, knew that, as all living beings must die, Jack was actually denying himself an after-life. And so the devil threw Jack an ember from the flames of hell, and Jack placed it inside a carved-out turnip to light the path of his purgatory, as he wandered the earth in search of a resting place. (In fairness, there’s also the less creative, mid-eighteenth century definition of a Jack-o-Lantern as simply a night watchman – but what fun is that?)
So this year, as you bring knife to pumpkin (or cyber-knife to Facebook screen), consider the rich history behind your carving – and maybe think twice before forfeiting the traditional protective face for a more contemporary scene or symbol. After all, poor Jack is still roaming!
James Blunt has been forced to return an experimental electric Mini Cooper he was loaned after he ran it into the ground. "It was the fastest car I've ever been in - totally silent, like a stealth Mini. That was part of the problem,” said the singer to a reporter from the World Entertainment News Network. "I didn't crash it but I did break it and I was going too fast. I'm sure they've learnt from my mistakes."
One of only two prototype cars in the world, the ultra-eco Mini, which runs on two hi tech Lithium-ion batteries, was developed by engineers from NASA. Earlier the Daily Mantra reported that the regular U.K. production diesel version of the vehicle beat out Toyota’s hybrid Prius in terms of its all round eco-friendliness, making the stylish Mini Cooper a beautiful car both inside and out.
We’re not wanting to give you nightmares, but beware of naked sleepwalking zombies next time you visit the UK (who are likely to be pastier and less buff than our model pictured right). According to a press release issued by British budget hotel chain Travelodge, there was a seven-fold increase in sleepwalking customers over the last year, 95% of which were apparently naked men.
The survey spanned 310 of the chain’s hotels, and was conducted in July 2007. Approximately 400 sleepwalking cases were reported, with night crawlers often turning up naked in reception in a zombified state, asking such innocuous questions such as: “Where is the bathroom”, “Can I check out as I am late for work” and “Do you have a copy of today’s paper.”
Following the surprising results of the survey, the hotel chain has issued a guide to staff advising them on how to deal with the issue. One of the key recommendations being that they keep a stack of towels handy at reception to preserve their sleepwalking customers’ modesty. (It seems Douglas Adam’s was right when he told travelers to always carry a towel.)
Further research on a pool of 3,000 British adults has shown that the massive increase in sleepwalking is in evidence in the general population too. Experts estimate 3 million Britons sleep walk at least once a week. The top five nocturnal activities are: opening curtains, watching TV, getting dressed, eating and drinking, and going for a walk. Furthermore 11% of respondents reported injuries, such a bruising, cuts and grazes and broken bones, received during their somnambulant activities.
"Sleepwalking is a serious disorder that can develop for a variety of reasons. It can be triggered by a stressful lifestyle, sleep deprivation, alcohol abuse or not breathing properly during the night. Sleep walking is most likely within an hour or two of going to bed, when first slipping into a deep sleep,” explains Chris Idzikowski, a sleep expert from the Edinburgh Sleep Centre. "Part of the brain switches into auto pilot and can manage well-learned movements such as walking, bending or sitting despite other parts being in a deep sleep. Sleepwalkers will awake quite unable to recall any of their actions and it can be quite distressing. Other forms of 'sleepwalking' involve acting out dreams."
It would be interesting to know if Britain is alone in being increasingly a nation of sleepwalking zombies, or whether the condition is spreading beyond the country’s boarders like a nightmare scenario from Return of The Living Dead. Answers on a postcard please, and happy travels!
The association of Halloween with witches is as old as the holiday itself – and yet witchy interpretations have varied wildly with time. To contemporary American children, the cackling gorgon on her broomstick is textbook nightmare and horror film fodder. To Wiccans and ancient Celts, however, this wart-nosed hag represented the Goddess as woman in the final state of life. Wise with experience, she stirred at her cauldron (womb), wherein the dead awaited their rebirth with the Sun God at Yule. Pagan perspectives often utilize both Goddess and God figures in a yin/yang-like dynamic: the God being born of the Goddess each year and maturing to his death and rebirth, as the Goddess holds constant and immortal.
So, why the huge interpretational chasm? When Pope Gregory IV standardized All Hollow’s Day (or All Saints’ Day) from its previous May date to November 1, the Pagan Samhain festival was imbued with Christian meaning. Some of these pieces fit easily - Samhain’s honoring of the dead became All Hollow’s Day’s honoring of the saints - but others, like the powerful crone, were perhaps a bit more threatening, as demonstrated by the European witch hunts spanning 1450-1700. And so what was once a symbol of reverence for death and the life cycle transitioned into a figure of mystical peril.
So, ok, that takes care of the witch and the cauldron, but what’s with the broomsticks and flying in the air? The Wiccan broom (or besom) is used to cleanse ritual spaces by literally and figuratively sweeping away negativity, and then stored near a hearth or door to prevent evil from entering. During the Burning Times, witches were accused of flying broom-less, thanks to a grease-based “flying ointment.” Given that many of the ointment’s ingredients were hallucinogenic (hemp, belladonna, and poppy), another interpretation is that “flying” may have referred to astral projection.
And then there’s that favorite witchy companion: the bat. While nocturnal flight and vampiric associations have long contributed to make the bat a symbol of Halloween hauntings, many Pagans view the bat as a protective presence, harbinger of good fortune, or guide to past lives. Fortunately such dichotomies are in many ways exactly what Halloween is about: the veil between life and death, love and fear, yin and yang. So whether you think she’s a magical crone or a terrifying hag, on Samhain, all witches are welcome.
To quote the reassuring words written in large friendly letters on the cover of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, Don't Panic, buy this helpful USB panic button instead. An invention The Guide's dearly departed author Douglas Adams would no doubt have approved of, the USB panic button instantly replaces any dubious surfing material displayed on your computer screen with something more mother-in-law or boss friendly, like a photo of your spouse, dog, plant or a very important looking, and very non-threatening work document. Now all you need to successfully negotiate your way through the universe is a towel, which every H2G2 fan knows is the most "massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have."
Life is random, so shouldn't your search engine be too? Embrace the arbitrary nature of our existence with RandomWebSearch.com and go places you never knew you needed to go.
We gave it a whirl and got taken to www.deathclock.com. We're told we're going to expire on Thursday September 3rd, 2048, so we have approximately 1,289,270,375 seconds of randomness left.
For most of us autumn is rife with Halloween images and traditions: Jack-o-lanterns, spider webs, haunted houses, and apple bobbing. The symbols are familiar, but many of their stories have been buried with time and commercialization. (I mean, it’s not quite Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day, but I’m thinking Hallmark and company are pretty fond of this time of year.) Beneath all the eerie seasonal fun, however, lies an equally intriguing Celtic and Pagan history.
In simplest terms, pagan holidays honor the seasons, encouraging us to look within ourselves and our world at the parallel cycles of birth and death, and planting and harvest. Each ancient sabbat coincides with a more familiar holiday, such as Yule at the Winter Solstice near Christmas, Mabon aligning roughly with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Ostara at Passover / Easter, and even Imbolc at Groundhog’s Day. So what’s the big deal with October 31st?
Halloween, known to the ancient Celts as Samhain (pronounced SOW-an) from the Irish-Gaelic word for “summer’s end,” was brought to the United States by Irish, Scottish and English immigrants in the 19th century. By the ancient Celtic calendar, Samhain marks the last of three harvest festivals, as well as the end of the Celtic year. All plantings, both figurative and literal, have been reaped, so as the leaves fall and the earth slumbers, we are encouraged to look within ourselves at our own recent closures in preparation for the new year’s rebirth.
In this sense, Halloween’s emphasis on death is largely figurative, but Samhain is not without its literal hauntings. During the rickety "tween" hours of Samhain night, the ancient Celts believed the veil between the living and dead was at its finest, allowing for free communication between the earthly and spiritual planes. For some, Samhain was therefore an opportunity for communication or séance with a departed loved one - and for others it was a long evening of hauntings and supernatural pranksters.
Where do you fall on this spectrum? Count down with Daily Mantra to find out, as we explore the traditions, tricks, and treats of Samhain 2007 via seven daily installments. Happy Halloween!
Unlike James Blunt, who sung about the beauty he saw in a red triangle on Sesame Street, Donald Trump doesn’t seem to be able to see beauty in anything that doesn’t have long legs and big tits. Recently Trump, who’s no oil painting himself, criticized Angela Jolie for being less than a perfect 10.
"Angelina Jolie is sort of amazing because everyone thinks she's like this great beauty. And I'm not saying she's an unattractive woman, but she's not beauty, by any stretch of the imagination," said Trump about the child-rescuing U.N. Goodwill Ambassador on a recent episode of Larry King Live. Digging the hole deeper, the mogul explained, "I really understand beauty. And I will tell you, she's not -- I do own Miss Universe. I do own Miss USA. I mean I own a lot of different things. I do understand beauty, and she's not."
On an earlier episode of the CNN chat show, the duo had joked about not finding Rosie O’Donnell sexually attractive. As if O'Donnell, who came out in 2002 after a guest appearance on the sitcom Will & Grace, and married former Nickelodeon exec Kelli Carpenter in San Francisco in 2004, would even be interested in either of the old codgers. Though O’Donnell’s marriage license was later voided by the California Supreme Court, the couple live happily together with their four kids (three of them adopted).
Talking of real beauty, O'Donnell has worked tirelessly raising over $60 million for her For All Kids Foundation which gives grants supporting early childhood care and education. The quick-witted comedienne had the last laugh at Trump and King's expense though, telling audiences on the pro-gay rights True Colors tour, “As you can imagine it was devastating to me. It’s been a goal of mine for many years to give a bald billionaire and a toad a boner.”
Clearly King and Trump have no concept of inner beauty – or inner ugliness for that matter. As for the Daily Mantra, the comb-over king may have the cash, but in our world James Blunt clearly trumps him, with beauty both inside and out. Check out this Sesame Street clip and we’re sure you’ll agree.
Breaking up is hard to do, and the pain lingers long after your ex is gone – especially if you’re Jennifer Aniston. It’s been close to three years since she split from her Ken doll Brad Pitt, and over two since their divorce was finalized, but she’s still being compared to the woman who ran off with her man. Style bible W, in a very unstylish move, have put the rival women on the two covers of their November issue, so the public can vote with their $4.50 cover price. As the rag hit the stand, E Online conducted their own web poll. As we’re writing this story Aniston is winning with 56.6% of the vote versus Angelina Jolie’s 43.4%.
Using this cheap stunt for the cover of their Art Issue seems to be somewhat of a stretch, though a group of Balkan artists who are making an artistic statement about heartbreak might disagree. The Museum of Broken Relationships is a touring exhibition of break up memorabilia, much of it donated by members of the public who visit the show. One women donated her wedding dress, another a pair of pink furry handcuffs that had lost their playful air, and another an axe which she’d used to chop up the furniture of a cheating ex.
“Memories and the emotional heritage stored in the most varied objects, messages, songs or photographs, are truly an invaluable part of individual emotional history,” explains Olinka Vistica and Drazen Grubisic, the Zagreb-based artists behind the project. “It is only the new context of a broken relationship that makes them unwanted and turns them into victims of affected vandalism.”
“Unlike the destructive self-help instructions for recovery from broken relationship, the Museum offers every individual the chance to overcome the emotional collapse through creation, by contributing holdings to the Museum,” their manifesto explains. The Daily Mantra will be sending along a copy of W, and wonders if Aniston has anything else she’d like us to include in our package.
Years ago, a yoga instructor opened my eyes by pointing out the obvious. I still remember her soothing voice informing us that moment by moment, with every thought we think, we create our future. As I lay on my mat reflecting, I realized the incredible power of this simple truth. The choices I make about where to focus my attention in this and every instant all have consequences. No thought is neutral, and, concerning the content of my thoughts, I am ALWAYS at choice. A short parable (a peace quote from LivingCompassion.org) emailed to me today by a friend beautifully illustrates this same idea.
An elder Cherokee Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them, "A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, pride, and superiority. The other wolf stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside of you and every other person too." The children thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replied: "The one I feed."
This scene of a sage grandfather surrounded by wide-eyed children sooths me much as my yoga teacher’s voice once did. It speaks to the youngster in me who wants to fully absorb this wisdom and live a life of peace, love, friendship compassion, kindness, sharing, etc. The enumeration of the qualities embodied by the two wolves are so very familiar. As a member of the human family, I know them all intimately.
Like my yoga teacher’s gentle reminder, this Cherokee tale emphasizes the power of the individual. Yes, there is often conflict within, but the outcome is not random. Rather than a mere observer, I am an active participant. Which wolf I feed is entirely up to me.
According to a new study CO2 levels in the atmosphere have risen 35% faster than expected since 2000. The research was done by the University of East Anglia’s Global Carbon Project in partnership with the British Antarctic Survey, and was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The unexpected increase was impart due to our ever rising emissions, but also, rather worryingly, because it appears the earth’s own ability to soak up emissions in its natural sinks is decreasing, which is compounding our global warming problems.
"In addition to the growth of global population and wealth, we now know that significant contributions to the growth of atmospheric CO2 arise from the slow-down of natural sinks," said the study’s lead author, Dr Pep Canadell of the Global Carbon Project, in a statement. "The decline in global sink efficiency suggests that stabilization of atmospheric CO2 is even more difficult to achieve than previously thought," said report co-author Dr Corinne Le Quere of the British Antarctic Survey. Their decade long study in the North Atlantic found that the ocean’s ability to soak up CO2 had halved between the mid-90s and 2005.
And as the earth’s abilities to health itself is increasingly compromised, a recent report by Intertanko, an organization which represents the majority of the world’s tankers, has found that global CO2 emissions from shipping are now twice the level of those due to aviation. According to the BBC, they found that emissions have risen sharply over the last six years, due to increasing trade, and because ships are burning more fuel due to time and speed constraints. With 90% of the world’s cargo now carried by ships, we should perhaps all be encouraged to think global by keeping trade local.
Meanwhile global warming has had unexpected consequences at sea, causing quite a stink on the Canadian Navy’s ships. Until recently the storage of sewage and garbage aboard their ships hadn’t been an issue, since the icy Arctic waters would keep it cool while they carried out their patrols at sea. However, with rising sea temperature odors have become a big issue, and the Navy have requested that regulations in the Arctic Water Pollution Prevention Act be relaxed to allow garbage and sewage dumping if, and when, necessary. An internal memo, reprinted by Green Options, revealed the Navy requested the changes to “help alleviate our COs (commanding officers’) concerns (with regard to) accumulated food remnants stored in garbage bags on decks during ever-increasing global warming summers.”
Looking at the evidence from all quarters leads us to conclude the planet's in serious hot water.
A group of “concerned friends and former associates of Britney” are asking that the public show the fallen idol some tough love. They’re asking fans of Britney,who has a new album out at the end of this month, to boycott her music until she’s well enough to function well in her day job. They’re also asking the public to express their outrage to those responsible for exploiting her during this tragic time.
“Help Britney help herself by expressing your concern to those who are largely responsible for her success, and continue to capitalize on her every move,” says the group, which according to E Online includes a bodyguard, backup dancer and makeup artist, as well as several old friends. On their MySpace page, the group, who call themselves Be Proactive to Help, are asking fans of the singer to take action in the following ways:
Contact MTV and hold them responsible for allowing Britney to come out and really give us all the finger because she knew we’d all be curious to see what she did.
Contact her record label and let them know you’ll buy her album, but not until she is clean and sober and realizes the amazing life she has created for herself.
Contact her music publishing house who is responsible for tracking Britney’s music. Publishing houses pay artists when their music is played on the radio or purchased in stores or on- line or played at live performances such as her MTV disaster.
Contact her management and let them know that they’ll make money together with her for a much longer period of time if she is clean and sober. Management’s role will be constantly in jeopardy if Britney continues to spiral out of control.
"We've all hung out with Britney a lot," says a source in an interview with E Online. "We've seen her at her best and at her worst. And we aren't doing this to be mean. We're doing this out of concern, for herself and for her boys. They need a mother figure and right now, they don't have that."
In an interview with Parade magazine, comedian Jerry Seinfeld talked about, among many other things, the benefits of his youthful flirtation with Scientology. “I last really studied, oh, it’s almost 30 years ago. Believe it or not...it’s extremely intellectual and clinical in its approach to problem solving, which really appealed to me. I actually got to it from my auto mechanics teacher in high school, who was into it, and he was telling me about it. In my early years of stand-up, it was very helpful. I took a couple of courses. One of them was in communication, and I learned some things about communication that really got my act going.”
Unlike Scientology’s high profile members such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta, Seinfeld had but a brief interlude with the controversial church. And despite a small jab in the episode of Seinfeldspent lost in the parking garage, he doesn’t seem to have had any hard feelings either, unlike the guys at South Park, who vented in their controversial episode, Trapped in the Closet. What may be more revealing however is the perhaps unconscious connection Seinfeld made when talking about the church during an interview to promote the new animated film Bee Movie (in theaters Nov 2). Could it have been the hive minded similarities?
In her book, The Scandal of Scientology, author Paulette Cooper reveals how the cult-like religion founded by sci-fi writer L. Ron Hubbard, targeted celebrities. “Their celebrity chasing goes back to around 1955 when Hubbard invited his followers to write and tell him which celebrity they wanted,” writes Cooper in a chapter entitled Children and Celebrities. According to the book, the list of celebs Hubbard hoped to attract included numerous comedians such as Ed Sullivan, Ernest Hemingway, Danny Kaye, Liberace, James Stewart, Bob Hope, Walt Disney, Milton Berle and Groucho Marx. The church opened a Celebrity Center in 1969 to cater to the needs of their A-list disciples.
Much of the criticism leveled at the church lies in the numerous reports of difficulties members experience when trying to leave the fold. “Even worse than what happens to an outsider who tries to attack Scientology is what happens to a Scientologist who turns against or displeases the group,” says Paulette in a chapter entitled, The Suppressives. Fortunately for Seinfeld, he doesn’t seem to have had any problems severing ties with Scientology; Cooper was not so fortunate. After publishing her book in 1971, the author, who was born in the Auschwitz concentration camp, was the subject of an organized campaign of harassment and litigation which was codenamed Operation Freakout and was exposed by the FBI after a raid on Scientology offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. in 1977.
Though out of print now, Paulette’s book is highly collectible, with second hand copies selling for up to $115 on Amazon.com. The full text is also available on the internet.
If relationships act as our mirrors, then we can only attract that ideal person when we become the ideal person ourselves. We can take Gandhi’s quote, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world,” and apply it to our lives and relationships. When we look outside of ourselves for fulfillment or for to someone else to complete us, we are not able to accept and appreciate that we are whole just as we are. But when we make the shift from trying to find “The One” to living up to that expectation for ourselves, we begin to experience life more fully.
As a follow up to her book, Becoming "The One", Bonnie Bruderer, continues the journey of
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Breaking up is hard to do, and the pain lingers long after your ex is gone – especially if you’re 
Years ago, a yoga instructor opened my eyes by pointing out the obvious. I still remember her soothing voice informing us that moment by moment, with every thought we think, we create our future. As I lay on my mat reflecting, I realized the incredible power of this simple truth. The choices I make about where to focus my attention in this and every instant all have consequences. No thought is neutral, and, concerning the content of my thoughts, I am ALWAYS at choice. A short parable (a peace quote from 
According to a new study CO2 levels in the atmosphere have risen 35% faster than expected since 2000. The research was done by the University of East Anglia’s 
A group of “concerned friends and former associates of Britney” are asking that the public show the fallen idol some tough love. They’re asking fans of Britney,who has a new album out at the end of this month, to boycott her music until she’s well enough to function well in her day job. They’re also asking the public to express their outrage to those responsible for exploiting her during this tragic time. 
If relationships act as our mirrors, then we can only attract that ideal person when we become the ideal person ourselves. We can take Gandhi’s quote, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world,” and apply it to our lives and relationships. When we look outside of ourselves for fulfillment or for to someone else to complete us, we are not able to accept and appreciate that we are whole just as we are. But when we make the shift from trying to find “The One” to living up to that expectation for ourselves, we begin to experience life more fully.