NOT A TO Z BUT I THOUGHT THAT THIS WOULD BE AN EYE OPENER!

So many of my blog readers have never seen an Anime. Well, this video will show you that anime animators have been doing some American cartoons since I was a child. I was suprised at some of them!

A Brief Video From Crunchyroll.

And another video that give a brief history of the long history of Anime.

Another Video From Crunchyroll

Hope you enjoy!

A to Z Challenge -- V -- SEANCES, MEDIUMS, AND SOCIETIES

VICTORIAN AGE --   The Victorian Age saw one of the strongest revivals of occultism, supernatural experimentation, and spiritualism.  Mesmerism, séances, psychical research, and much more exploded through all ranks of society during this period.

The famous Fox sisters of Hyndeville, New York were one of the first to begin the American occult revival in 1848.  They claimed that they could speak with ghosts through knocks.  Soon mediums were as popular as wine as entertainment and soon Gothic elements entered mainstream books.  Charles Dickens, for example, had this book with ghosts. A Christmas Carol, haven't heard of it, right? 

Many famous people like Conan Doyle were more interested in mesmerism (or in today's language, hypnosis).  Franz Anton Mesmer created the theory of animal magnetism in 1766 and used mesmerism to heal.  The term hypnosis (coming from the Greek god of sleep, Hypnos) did not come about until 1843 and was coined by the English scientist James Braid.

Books like Aradia or the Gospel of the Witches by Charles G. Leland and The Veil of Isis came out.  The Veil of Isis or Mysteries of the Druids by W. Winwood Reade, published in 1861. Aradia was one of the first neo-pagan books to be written It was published in 1899.  You can read it on the Sacred Text website.  

Societies dedicated to magic, esotericism, occultism, and spiritualism flourished.

A group was founded to study paranormal activity.  The Society of Psychical Research (or for you Ghost Hunt fans B.S.P.R.) was founded in 1882.  They were the first society to study supernatural phenomenon using scientific methods.  

Bonus points:  Is E. Tisane a real person?  I cannot find mention of him anywhere.  Supposedly he was a French policeman who created the criteria for poltergeists.  I'm wondering if he was a made up person by the writer of Ghost Hunt.

A/N:  I was going to do Visualization, but this was much more fun.

Disclaimer: None of these pictures belong to me.  I found them on Google.

A to Z Challenge -- S -- FESTIVAL, MARK, AND WHEEL

SABBAT -- Sabbats are the name for the eight major celebrations in Wicca and Pagan religions.  They consist of the Greater Sabbats and Lesser Sabbats.  The Greater Sabbats are Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnasadh.  These four are the four fire festivals from Pre-Christian times and are when each season is at its peak of power.

The Lesser Sabbats are Yule, Ostara, Litha, and Mabon.  These are the transitional Sabbats when the seasons are turning.  These are the solstices and equinoxes.

SIGIL -- Sigil is defined by Merriam-Webster as:

noun (sig·il) (si-jil)
1: seal, signet
2: a sign, word, or device held to have occult power in astrology or magic

It comes from the Latin and means a mark, sign, or seal.

In Wicca, sigils are said to very powerful and are designed with elements that have specific meanings. They sometimes start as a sentence of intent and are created specifically to will it into being. They can be inscribed onto objects like candles, talismans, amulets as well as other things.  They can be used for many purposes like protection.

 Sigils can be abstracts that are very personal to the creator and can have no meaning to anyone else, or they can be made of other symbols put together or even letters from the sentence of intent.  

Historically sigils have been the equivalent of the true name of spirits and were used as such in the medieval magic.  Some pratictices involved summoning angels and demons through their sigils.  

Many other cultures have used sigils like the Hebrews.  Their word is segula has a few meanings including talisman, folk remedy, safeguard, or superstitious action. 

The sun cross

SUN --  The sun has been worshiped since man walked the earth.  Every ancient culture has some form of sun worship.  The Egyptian Ra, the Greek Apollo, the Celtic Lugh, and the Japanese Amaterasu are just some of the gods and goddesses associated with the sun.

For Many Wiccans, the Wheel of the Year is a representation of the eight Sabbats that follows the God's birth and death as the sun.  Within the Wheel is the sun cross, which divides the Sabbats into their quadrants.


SKYCLAD -- This is the proper term for ritual nudity.  It has absolutely nothing to do with anything sexual.  It is not a requirement at all.  

SAMHAIN -- (pronounced sah-win, sow-in, sah-vin) is a Celtic word that means "summer end".

It is a the beginning of the Wheel of the Year and heralds the third and final harvest before winter.

This is the time when the Goddess is in Her third aspect, the Crone.  She is symbolized by the waning moon.  It is said that the God dies before He is reborn at Yule, the Winter Solstice.  It is when those who have gone before are remembered.

It is believed that the veil between the worlds is thinned and that the dead could roam freely on the Earth.  One tradition during this time was called the Dumb (Silent) Supper.  As a sign of honor, a place was set at the table for the departed.  The plate was filled with food for their spirit guest.  The supper would be completely silent. It was believed that looking at the chair was bad luck.  Also, to placate any evil spirits roaming around, food was placed on the doorstep to ward them off.

Saturn

SATURDAY --  This day of the week is named for the Roman god Saturn.  He is the god of sowing seeds and later of time.  He was once the supreme ruler of the gods after his father and before his son, Jupiter.  He is equated with Cronus in Greek mythology.  His festival, Saturnalia, fell on December 17.  It was the most famous of all because this festival was the IT festival.  Slaves were free to speak and sit with their masters as well as be served by them.  Gifts were exchanged, which may have influenced Christmas.  A 'king' was elected by dice game and was given the power over his 'subjects' and could request them to do ridiculous things. 

Saturn may have roots as an underworld god that held sway over funerary rites.  this can be surmised by his first consort, Lua.  She was a goddess that soldiers sacrificed captured weapons to avoid misfortune.

Helios

SUNDAY -- Sunday comes from the Latin dies solis.  It means day of the sun.  The Roman god, Sol, was similar to Helios. In many of the Romance languages it has been changed into a word that translates to "the Lord's day".  Also, to note, that in Norse mythology, the sun was a goddess called (shall we guess? That's right!) Sól!  Her brother was the moon. They were chased across the sky by wolves until Ragnarok. 


Disclaimer: None of these pictures belong to me.  I found them on Google.

A to Z Challenge -- P -- DOLLS, HAND, AND FIVE POINTS

PAGAN --  I looked up pagan on a couple of dictionaries online.  What struck me as funny (and I'm weird and so is my sense of whimsy and humor) is that it says --- well, let me copy and paste it from dictionary.com from the British Dictionary entry:

         noun -- 1. a member of a group professing a polytheistic religion or any religion other than Christianity, Judaism, or Islam.

Okay, I agree with that since that is the modern day meaning of the word, but back in the day (as in the ancient Romans), it was Christianity that was the pagan religion.  I think the irony of the shoe being on the other foot amusing me.  Also, what is even more hilarious is that pagan used to be a term for country folk, villagers, non-combatants, and a few other not-so-nice terms with the modern meaning of redneck and hick.  It had nothing to do with religion whatsoever.  The word was corrupted over time when things were translated.

So, now that's out of the way, you're probably wondering why I bothered with this at all.  Well, it's because I just wanted to point out the fact that the terms Pagan, Wiccan, and witch can be mutually exclusive.  A person can have pagan beliefs but not be a witch or Wiccan.  Some practice the Craft without being Pagan or Wiccan.  Wiccans are not necessarily Pagan or witches, even though it's more than likely that they are inclusive.

PENTACLE -- A pentagram encompassed by a circle.  Can be made of some Earthly material (like clay) to represent the element of Earth on the altar.

It is also one of the more common suits in a tarot deck.

The inverted pentacle/pentagram has had a bad rap since it has been used as official Satanic symbol but it has a deeper history.

The Sigil of Baphomet (the inverted pentacle with a goat's head) has roots to the Knights Templar and even farther back. Some suggest it has to do with the Goat of Mendes. Others have taken the ATBASH encryption cipher (basically a substitution cipher. Z = A) to the word Baphomet. It becomes the Greek word Sophia. Sophia is the Goddess of Wisdom and referred to as the Bride of God (Yes, as in the biblical God) in Gnostic texts. So maybe the Templars were just giving the divinity back the feminine. (I'm having a Da Vinci Code déjà vu moment here.)

The Congressional Medal of Honor it bears a inverted pentacle. This medal of valor is the highest honor a member of the armed forces can receive.

PENTAGRAM -- A five-pointed star that resembles the elements Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit.

It is a symbol that has a extremely long history.  From Sumeria to Greece to modern day, this symbol as well as the pentacle has laced itself into many cultures with a multitude of meanings.

Modern day flags have the Seal of Solomon (aka a pentagram) as a part of them.

At one time, it represented the wounds of Christ at his crucifixion.


POPPET -- Poppets are dolls that represent a person for use in sympathetic magic like healing.They can be made out just about anything like cotton, clay, sticks, or whatever. They are NOT Voodoo dolls!

PROJECTIVE HAND --  Hand that sends out personal power. Personal power being that which is your energy.  For right-handed people, it would be the right hand since it is the dominate hand.  For lefties, the left.




Disclaimer: None of these pictures belong to me.  I found them on Google..

BOOK CHALLENGE 2015 #6 A BOOK WITH A NUMBER IN THE TITLE

Book 2 One False Note

One False Note is the second book in the 39 Clues.  In this book, the two Cahills, Amy and Dan, travel into Germany and Vienna following the musical clue from the first book.  They follow the life of Mozart and of his sister as they try to find the next clue.  It's a race against others who are ruthless enough to kill.

With death-defying explosions, mystery, and adventure, they do pack a wallop. They have historical figures, places, and facts all throughout the book, but in such a way that I wasn't realizing I was learning things.  The books take those historic figures like Mozart, Ben Franklin, and Marie Antoinette and have them connected through the fictional Cahill family.

These books are in the Juvenile section of my public library.  Written by various authors including David Baldacci, Rick Riordan, and Margaret Peterson Haddix.  I picked up the first on a whim, and I must say that they are quite fun little books.

I would definitely recommend them.