TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS AND OTHER IRRELEVANT TRIVIA

TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS AND OTHER IRRELEVANT TRIVIA

Introduction

We often notice the big differences between groups, but I believe that it’s the smaller details that bring a group to life. Over the thirty or so years, the Reform has come up with its own peculiar laws, rainments, ritual accessories, favorite books, titles, vocabulary, at least two sets of calenders, holiday customs, symbols and other traits. These are often the most difficult aspects for newcomers to learn and are often the first details that are forever lost when a group goes into abeyance. This is but a limited collection, but some of the more widespread and longevous traits of the Reform. Perhaps this is good, because they are only a sideline to the real search for religious truth. Do not get overly worked up over them, since most of us don’t consider them very vital to the pursuit of Druidism, perhaps more of a decoratory function. If you can come up with a better way of running your Druidism, feel free to forge ahead, rename things and so on. Just remember that you and I can speak for nobody’s opinions and actions but our own. Yours in the Mother, Michael Scharding Day 10 of Foghamhar, Year XXXIV of the Reform August 10th, 1996 (The 1/3 Century mark of Reformed Druidism)

DRYNEMETUM PRESS

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Bilberry

Vaccinium myrtillus
The herb known as the bilberry, botanical name – Vaccinium myrtillus, belongs to the heath family, and is related to the blueberry. More than 450 species of plants are included in the genus Vaccinum, most of which can be found growing in cool temperate latitudes and along mountain ranges in the northern and southern hemispheres. There are many plants in this family which are deciduous or evergreen shrubs, this is suited to the temperate climate they grow in.

Hunapu

Creator god. Mayan (Yucatec and Quiche, classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico]. According to the sacred text Popol Vuh, the son of HUN HUNAPU and the twin brother of Ix Balan Ku. Tradition has it that, like his father, he was decapitated in a historic struggle with the underworld gods and subsequently became the sun god, while his sibling is the apotheosis of the moon.

Ayizan Velekete

Where Loko Atissou is the father of all kanzo initiates, Ayizan is the Mother of all Initiates. Ayizan Velekete is her full name, and she is often seen as a very old woman, with an apron that has deep pockets. Ayizan is a root lwa, bringing the mysteries of the Kanzo and of life and death to us here int he Marketplace. The Yoruba tradition refers to the earthy plane as the Marketplace, so it is fitting that Ayizan is the one who brings them down to us.  She is the lwa that tears into the djevo during the Chire Ayizan, purifying it for the hunyos (the spirit children), who will birth into Mambos and Houngans.

Out Of Body Experience

We are limited on the physical world, we are somewhat trapped inside our bodies. There is still a part of us that can go beyond these limits and thus travel outside the body.
There are three types of traveling out of the body. An out of body experience or astral travel is when the “spirit” exits the body, still connected to the body, and then returns to the body after a short while. The spirit is still connected to the body by what some say is a “silver cord” attached to the body and to the spirit. This would explain why the body doesn’t die when the spirit travels outside.

Zeaxanthin

Zeaxanthin is an antioxidant carotenoid that may help prevent a leading cause of blindness among older people: macular degeneration.
The macula is a tiny dimple on the retina that is responsible for fine vision. Damage to the macula can cause blurry vision, or a dark spot in the field of vision. It can eventually lead to a loss of central vision, which can make it impossible to read, drive, or operate a computer. There is no cure for macular degeneration, but in some cases surgery may help to slow its progress. Free radical damage from ultraviolet radiation is believed to be a contributing factor, if not the cause, of macular degeneration. In fact, studies have shown lower than normal blood levels of protective antioxidants in people who develop macular degeneration.

Kaaba

by Asaf A. Abir

 
An ancient stone building at the center of the Islamic holy city, Mecca, built, according to the legend by the prophets Ismail (Ishmael) and Ibrahim (Abraham). The structure forms a square of about 40 ft high, containing the Black Stone, which is ceremonially kissed by Muslims until today.

China officinalis/ Cinchon

by Anja Heij

 
This remedy is made from the Peruvian bark. For homeopaths China/Cinchona is a special remedy, for it were tests with this medicine that brought S. Hahnemann to the discovery of homeopathy. He noticed that large doses of quinine – made from the bark of this tree – produced the malaria symptoms the same substance in homeopathic form cures. Nowadays China is an important remedy in cases of weakness and exhaustion due to loss of body fluids. Think of it in grave perspiration or bleeding, long lasting breastfeeding or long lasting diarrhea. It can be the right remedy in a disease with fever (for instance a severe flu) when the person remains exhausted long afterwards.