#Catholic prayer candle vibes

[tricornonthecob]

I made a thing

[pixelgrimmoire]

Hey so I used to practice witchcraft as a devout hellenic pagan for five years before converting

Now that I've been catholic for a bit I wish to bring some of those traditions back- but like catholic style.

How have you done that?

Honestly, my approach has been from the opposite angle, witchifying little Catholic things, which is way easier than some Catholics would like you to think. Things like setting up altars for saints, praying before a meal, and praying to specific saints for specific things have parallels in many forms of paganism.

Some little things I do include:

•Sign of the cross as a quick blessing for myself or others (ambulances, broken down cars, cats at bedtime, etc.)

•Set an atmosphere while praying, especially for a rosary. Light candles/incense, put on some ambient music, and get in a comfy upright position (kneeling or sitting, use as many cushions as you need)

•Check your local dollar store or Catholic bookstore for saint candles. The more obscure ones will be tough to find, but at least in my area, most grocery stores have unscented Jesus and Mary candles that last quite a while.

•If you're feeling crafty, make your own rosary! You can use anything from genuine crystal beads and jump rings to pony beads and nylon cording. Match the materials/colors to your intentions or the general vibe you're hoping to achieve in prayer.

Generally speaking, you don't have to combine these two aspects of your faith, but you're also free to overlap them as much as you like. There's no wrong way to pray, so treat it as anything from a quick check-in with God to a proper ritual. Ultimately, what works best for you is for you to discover. Hope this helps!

[wind-becomes-lightning]

Wrote this a few days ago, put it into drafts, its not finished but i dont think it ever will. its non fanfiction stream of consciousness of my mind.

I wrote this yesterday in my head and somehow, now that I actually have a document in front of my eyes, I can’t remember the beginning. I’m sure it was a snappy beginning, something cool and artsy, that now has slipped my mind. Oh well.

Primarily, I was thinking about a song. A song written by German acapella group Wise Guys and that I first heard on a cold November night in 2016. The song is called “Ein Engel” or “An Angel” and yes I know how this sounds, but bear with me.

The first time I heard that song was in a concert hall in south Germany on a cold day in November in 2016. The band, which had always been a favourite of mine, even in my very long years of “German music is the worst” was doing a final tour together before splitting up in summer 2017. So I was there at their last concert in the area, with my mom, her boyfriend, my brother and his then girlfriend, now wife. 

When the lights went lower and the room’s atmosphere got more intimate and they announced this song I did not know until then, mostly because I had not very thoroughly listened to their newest albums at this point, I couldn’t help but feel ripped out of the scenery and planted back a year earlier.

See, my father died in October 2015. Terrible stuff. Last time we had been at the Wise Guys concert, he’d been there with us, instead of my mom's new boyfriend this time. He’d not sung along as far as I know because he wasn’t the type, but I remember him watching us having fun and having fun at us having fun. He later bought us T-Shirts and a poster and a CD that we listened to the entire car ride home. He did this a lot, enjoying himself when we enjoyed ourselves. When I was 14 he picked me and two school friends up form a boyband concert and when he turned on the CD-player it was my cd of that boy band playing. He had picked it up from my room just to do us that specific favour after the concert.

That year in November I was not far from the place I was in November 2015 around a similar time. It was actually just a few streets down. My mother and I drove down to this city to attend a prayer, which is called a “Taize-Prayer.” And no, neither of us are very religious, but let me introduce to you what that is. Taize is a tiny village somewhere in the mountains of France, you can go there and find spirituality or something, I have not been. 

But what is very distinctive about it, is that it has these easy to sing along songs that repeat over and over again, sometimes 10 minutes long for four lines. They are in different languages and they exist in all kinds of languages. Even if you can’t speak the language, after a few times repeating you just fall in with the singing crowd. And that is what it is meant to do, string you along as you let your mind turn off and just sing. You can close your eyes, you can stop singing and listen to the others. It’s what I imagine meditation is like.

Well, sometimes the catholic (maybe also protestant?) churches hold a Taize prayer like that, lots of candles, lots of singing, a few actual prayers in between. We went that day, my mom and I, my brother was there with his girlfriend too, because my dad had died a month ago and we felt like it was right. It was just a day before we were gonna drive out in the rain to the forest where we buried his urn, so it also fit the general vibe of the weekend.

During that evening, in which I sat freezing on a church seat staring at a candle right in front of me, because facing it all seemed too much, we sang a song that has since ingrained it into my brain. It goes like that: “Meine Hoffnung, meine Freude, meine Stärke, mein Licht (My hope, my happiness, my strength, my light)// Christus meine Zuversicht, auf dich vertrau ich und fürcht’ mich nicht, auf dich vertrau ich und fürcht’ mich nicht (Chris my confidence, I trust in you and don’t fear, I trust in you and don’t fear)”. It is religious, you see, but what hit me so hard was this idea of needing a light to shine for you. Maybe that makes no sense to you reading this, but it did to me.

When it is november and cold, and dark and your father has just died a month ago, all you wish for is someone to bring you hope and light and happiness and strength. I wanted someone like Christ to come and help me trust in him, be my confidence. But unfortunately I’m a non-believer, as much as that could have helped with those times. Telling myself my Dad was still there looking over me, that God was holding his hand or whatever, instead of sitting in his empty bedroom with his sweater on and crying my eyes out. Certainly would have been better.

So here I was, a similar place, a year had gone by. The first Christmas without my dad, when I had to listen to my mom say she thinks she killed my father and then in turn having to tell her that no, deciding to turn off life support when someone is no longer able to survive on their own is not killing them, came and went. My first year half an orphan also passed by. And soon I was back here again, low lights, not candles this time, songs that I could fall into and sing along at first and then one I did not know was suddenly announced to me.

The Wise Guys did acapella, often songs with humour in them, songs that made me laugh. They have an entire rap about the story of Hamlet that always gets a chuckle out of me. But my favourites were always the more serious ones, when those older men show off their songwriting abilities from many years of writing. Our family particularly loves “Radio” which is a song that essentially tells the story of a couple driving through the rain in a convertible while the radio is blasting music and not caring about getting wet. When it plays in our family car we all sing along so loud, it’s like we are the radio.

“Ein Engel” is not like “Radio” or not even like the ones tattooed on my heart like “Herbst am See (Autumn at the lake)” or “Das Wasser (The water)”. It is not even the most acapella heavy song, it has nice harmonies and such, as many of them do, but it is not remarkable in that way. It is rather simple I think and yet, I was taken by it so much that I briefly considered leaving the concert hall to go hide in a toilet stall, before I could pull myself together.

The song is about a guardian angel that is always with you, and no, I know what you think, it is not meant religiously. I think it is very explicitly not meant religiously. The symbolism of angels is just too easy to use with what they want to talk about. In religion, at least in catholic christan one of the south german variants that I was exposed to growing up, a guardian angel is sent by god to look over you, make sure you are fine and keep you safe. Because God loves you so much or whatever they say.

This song, however, is not about that really. It opens with lines like “Ein Engel, der dir deinen Weg weist" (An Angel who shows you the way) & “Ein Engel, der dich an die Hand nimmt” (an angel that takes your hand.) You think: this is religious stuff, ugh, but then the verse ends with “Du sagst, diesen Engel gibt es nicht, doch dieser Engel ist da (You say, this angel does not exist, but it is there)” only to follow in the chorus with “Dieser Engel ist da, jeden Tag in verschiedenen Gestalten” (this angel is there, everyday with different faces)” // “Doch er ist leicht zu übersehen, denn er kann überall sein” (he is easy to miss, because he can be everywhere).

That’s the thing, you know, it is not about an angel, it's about all of them. It hit me instantly as I sat there listening to it, that the song was right, that it was neatly fitting into a reality I’ve had all my life. Sometimes you are meant to meet people, they are meant to help you move forward and deal with life. You can call that God’s love if you want, but I always believed destiny was a thing, that some meetings are not just stupid happenstance, but that they are meant to be.

Whatever you say, I will not stop believing that meeting two wonderful boys, my bestest friends in the world, right after I broke up with my first boyfriend in summer 2009 and with him lost most of my friend group, was not destiny. And no, my first boyfriend was not a terrible monster, at least not at first, and I just had his friends as my friends and naturally that ended with me no longer loving him. THere was no bad blood - at first at least- I was just very lonely.

That was when I met this guy, my age, a little weirdo nerd like me. We talked about anime and such and he introduced me to this other guy, also our age, also a weirdo like us and we three became a throuple. Inseparable three. They both had a crush on me in some way or another I think, but I could not choose. I used to say that I wished they would just become one person so I could marry them both. In hindsight, now that I am older and know more about polyamory, I’m pretty sure I was just in love with them both. 

Either way, they picked up my lonely ass and built me up, so when I was laying on my back on the last day of 2009 one hand around either of theirs and thought I could never be any happier than in that moment, I thought of how lonely I had been just half a year earlier, how much they had changed me. Eventually of course all of that came to an end, but now, still, I think meeting them was destiny. I needed them, maybe they needed me too, and so we found each other.

That’s it about the angel with the many faces you know? It is always there, but you don’t see it. The song goes on to describe the angel as someone who turns on the heat when it is cold, someone who tells you how it is even if you don’t want to hear it, someone like that. And that exists, you know, like the song says, you meet that angel everyday, just with a different face. You are never alone, he is always with you in some form or another.

I’m sure I met him that hot summer day in 2018 when I almost collapsed from running too much. I had moved to Poland the year prior and my boyfriend and I lived in this tiny apartment with just one room, which was cramped but outside we had a nice park and that summer we went running about 3 times a week. That day it was so hot and I overdid it a little, causing my head to spin and my eyes to darken, so I sat down on a bench.

A lady came by with a stroller which had a baby in it. She looked at me and asked me if I was alright in Polish. My Polish is crappy, so I just nodded violently. She looked still and then reached into her stroller and took out a bottle of water to hand it to me. I of course tried to decline with the aggressive gesturing of a person that doesn’t speak the language of its opposite, but she insisted. I opened the water, drank, and when I wanted to give it back she shook her head strongly and waved with her hand. I said thank you about 10 times and drank the full bottle almost at once. You can’t tell me the angel didn’t visit me then.

[fcb4]

Revival at the Kitchen Sink

Asbury University to end nonstop 'revival' service, lists new guidelines and final schedule

"We recognize life for the students had to return to normal, they have to go to school, they have midterms next week," "They know this is a gift, they have received it as a gift, so we are going to challenge them with now you take this to your job, your family, your church."

"I feel as though maybe we were the candle and now we are just passing that flame on to other churches and other schools,"

Abby Laub, communications director of Asbury University, said the campus will return to normalcy.

The university will also no longer allow live streaming of the service.(WDRB news report)

All God given outpourings are purposed to open us up to the abundant life in Christ provided by our union with the Holy Spirit.

It’s an anytime, anywhere for everyone gift!

“The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” -Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭39‬ ‭

Your kitchen sink can become your altar and sanctuary when you are living out the joys and realities of a life full of the Holy Spirit.

Brother Lawrence (mid 1600s): “I have quitted all forms of devotion and set prayers but those to which my state obliges me. And I make it my business only to persevere in His holy presence, wherein I keep myself by a simple attention, and a general fond regard to GOD, which I may call an actual presence of GOD; or, to speak better, an habitual, silent, and secret conversation of the soul with GOD, which often causes in me joys and raptures inwardly, and sometimes also outwardly, so great that I am forced to use means to moderate them, and prevent their appearance to others.”

If crusty old Catholic saints aren’t your vibe how about a Holy Ghost encounter while you’re waiting for a sandwich?

‭‭Acts‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭“About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.”

Dear Saints your Savior has never left you alone, He dwells within you by His Spirit and His living and abiding Word. Times of spiritual refreshment come through the presence of the Lord! (Acts 3:19-20)

The Spirit is uncontainable and unpredictable like the wind -Jesus (John 3:8).

This is the secret to living in the Spirit vs a religious paradigm of searching for where the Spirit may or may not be in some form, measure or meeting. You can not and need not schedule union with God when you live, move and have your being in Him (Acts 17:28).

All our chore times, reading with our children, car rides, laundry folding, gardening, family feasting, worship services, prayer times, small meetings, outreaches and good works of service are overflow opportunities for the living water within you (John 7:38).

May all the meetings we have witnessed and the ones that are sparked from them encourage us all to pursue lives of expectation and enjoyment through the miracle of the mundane, a humble and holy life offered to God in love and service.

Artist: Jack Baumgartner

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

How does your practice look day-to-day?

I take some time to study things relevant to my practice every single day.

Aside from that I don’t actually have a daily practice. Ancestral veneration is what I engage in most frequently. For my blood ancestors I typically pray some requiem aeternams, pull out a rosary, light candles or leave them shots of alcohol. With my deceased friend I have a smoke and talk. I try to make the altar reflect her likes when I invite her for a chat: pull out a couple of cute trinkets like a cat-shaped lamp, owl-shaped scented candles I made for her, some marlboro reds. I don’t think she’d particularly enjoy the catholic vibes I go for with my forefathers.

I also have a familiar, which means I have to regularly fulfill certain obligations to them, although I’m not supposed to share any specifics of our relationship.

When it comes to deities they typically receive bigger offerings on the holidays related to them. In between the holidays I light candles, say short prayers and leave smaller gifts but there’s no set routine to it, only what I feel like doing in the moment.

And of course — when you ask for someone’s help it’s only polite to leave them a thank-you gift of adequate value.

[devoutpriest]

crimefixed:

it’s been a great many years and MORE since he’s considered himself even REMOTELY religious, much less IRISH CATHOLIC ; many would call him a criminal with no religion. he was a mastermind who battled sherlock holmes, said he would tear the heart from him. yet there’s a certain DRAW to cathedrals all the same and even now, panes of stained glass painting BLOOD and GOLD over his face. they glint and sink in the skin of his face, blood tears and gold. and into the HOLLOWS of his throat – glorious rays he drinks in its illumination of his dry cracked throat. enough to fade the tremorous HYPERVIGILANCE of the SPIDER as his eyes slide closed in the rays of evening sun shining through the glass stained windows, the light calming him into the black suit and tie he wears, and he’s NOTED the kneeling figure MUTTERING breathless prayers, but chosen to ignore him, restless fingers twitching against each other by his sides, weaving threads UNSEEN in the empty, incense-laden air. he hears a CREAK at his back – the penitent shifting his weight, he soon reasons, within the pew, stiff knees, sore back, a young man but heavy with something GHASTLY ; the man is shaking in his body ; whisper nigh guttural in his fervoured prayers. he CAN’T say he envies them that, these ORDINARY people with all their GRIEF and GUILT ( he himself was an analytical man ) — and and and and AND – and he meets it with a soft hum -- to soothe in returned sonnet perhaps for this wretched man? -- some half-forgotten hymn tied up with scratchy over- -starched collars and sunday mass, YE’LL GO AN’ BEAR WITNESS T’ OUR FATHER OR ET’LL BE T’ CANE FER YE, JAMES, YER BROTHER’S GOIN’ AN’ YE WILL TOO, but doesn’t turn to face the source of the noise.

athelstan’s hands are pressed in prayer, his knees sunk fast to the wooden root of the light pink cushioned kneeler, almost like quicksand. his knees ached, demanded a reprieve, but all that physical pain was NOTHING in contrast to what he was currently feeling. he was experiencing the battle at paris, his ghosting presence seeing the broiling sea of the city. his prayers are hastily muttered one word after the other. they almost threaten to strangulate each other in his haste to get them out. he had seen ragnar in his coffin, bjorn getting speared with two arrows in his back. he tries his best to enunciate them clearly, nonetheless, yet with some difficulty. within these prayers, he incorporates the memorized lord’s prayer, repeats it multiple times. he says the words in a slightly thick british accent, revering the words that he spoke in his tongue. He says the letter C rather thickly. “PATER NOSTER, QUI ES IN CAELIS, SANCTIFICETUR NOMEN TUUM. ADVENIAT REGNUM TUUM….FIAT VOLUNTAS TUA, SICUT IN CAELO, ET IN TERRA. PANEM NOSTRUM—”

he then pauses, abruptly cutting off the rest of the prayer. he feels his heart skittering most irregularly in its pace, refusing to let him say any more until he paid sufficient attention to it. he indulges in deep breaths, his lungs welcoming the heavy air that consumed the church. the candle scent flickered in the air, he seeing the dustiness of the dirt in the air. he breathes through the dusty deformity, visualising the earth in which god had created all things, and planting seeds, feeling the sand of he and ragnar's sandcastle of paris, the trickling river. a beautiful diorama. as he does this, he hears a hum which certainly hadn’t emitted from himself. he turns to see another man also within the pew, guessing that he must have been the one who sung it. the man saw him, he realised, he was dead, yet christ had resurrected him in his fading in and out, he having found this church within the palace of frankia, where he was at now.

the man notices him, pausing his hum, and nods in acknowledgement. ' hello. ' he liked listening to music with his headphones, as he performed crimes, like heists. yet this was a peculiar music, and this man certainly emanated interesting vibes.

athelstan greets him too politely, realising the man had witnessed his prayers of pain and solace.

[faerie--macabre]

A common thing I've seen regarding Lili is the mention or the vibe of her growing up "fantasy Catholic" or is part of the "Catholic to Goth pipeline" or just Catholic coded in general and honestly I can dig it. Especially because personally, Lili gives off some of the common Southern Gothic vibes.

It's no secret that Liliana abhors angels and their very existence. A major portion of it comes from the simple fact she finds them to be a nuisance; just another roadblock in her way. And she's killed plenty of them without a second thought.

Yet her hatred of them also comes from when she was growing up, the religion on New Benalia involved the worship of angels; first Angelfire then Serra the Benevolent and all her angelic creations. As a child she followed it because of her parents but as she got older first she was indifferent then grew to be bitter towards the celestial beings and Serra herself. Because no matter how hard anyone prayed, no matter how much worship or sacrifice was made, no angels so much as batted an eye in their direction or bothered to aid in the Benalian's effort to combat the Cabal.

Grand Cathedrals would be built in honor and for worship for the angels. The insides rich with gold and intricate details. The stained glass windows, statues and art depict the so beloved supposed saviors of the land. Serra the Benevolent would be revered in the same way as Mother Mary and then some. There's of course priests/priestesses & saints. There's masses held weekly not just on a holy sabbath day but other days as well. There's the sound of bells ringing and hymns being sung; the sight & smell of candles as well as incense. Tithes and offerings are of course given --- expected even. Mayhaps even rosaries carried by the faithful comprised of beads and a single metal charm.

But with all the rites & rituals & preaching of faith, love and peace, there's a certain culture bred --- one that frowns upon heresy and sin. And I'm sure we all can fill in certain blanks. And it's likely Lili suffers some religious trauma.

One thing remains true in Lili's perception of it all: no one came swooping from the heavens to save all the lambs like preached. No angel answered pleas and prayers when Josu fell ill. There were only the cries of the corvids, waiting for their carrion comfort.

[neeharlow]

I am not a religious person. I don't believe in God. I believe there could be a God but, not likely. I'll believe in aliens before I ever believe in God. I'm all for others being religious as long as you don't try to push your beliefs on others or say I can't do something cause it's against your religion. At that point I'll tell you to fuck right off. My mother tried to raise me catholic. Church every Sunday, First Comminuion, confessions, the works. Hated every moment. Rebeled every chance I got. Thankfully after my Grandma died when I was 10 my mom didn't return to church until about a year or so before she died when I was 19 and by that point she didn't force me. At that point she would invite me but that's about it. My mom, thankfully, wasn't a strict Catholic. She would let me do whatever. She even sat in and did a few wiccan spells with me around a candle lit table when I went through a witch phase when I was 16. So I hold no ill will against her for trying to raise me catholic. It was how she herself was raised. Now my Dad... *rolls eyes* Didn't ever go to fucking church but would lose his goddamn mind if he saw anything that looked like a pentagram. Which got really fucking annoying when I got into Slipknot cause they have the nano-gram, nine points, nine members. Anyway, my dad is a POS and I don't feel like getting worked up about his fucking ass right now.

So as an adult I am not religious at all. My husband considers himself spiritual. But he hates Christian nut jobs like me and will actively go around and cut down those "JESUS OR HELL" signs when he sees them. (Almost got into a fight with some Nazis over one. He's a bit of psycho and will defend himself so I'm glad there were cop cars going by cause that could have ended much much worse. He literally would be bringing a knife to a gun fight.) Cause that sort of shit fucked him up as a kid and as a little boy he was scared to death of going to Hell.

My husband's grandma is a MAGA cultist. She added me on fb years ago. She never really commented on my posts. I don't sugar coat shit on fb for family. So she has found out that I don't believe in God. And she has brought this up multiple times with my husband on the phone. And it annoys the shit out of him. Mainly cause it's super passive aggressive. The convo went like this...

Grandma: "Why doesn't Renee believe in God?"

Tyler: "I don't know Grandma. It's just her beliefs."

Grandma: "Well even tho she doesn't, just know I'm praying for her."

Every time she says she's praying for me she always adds the "Even tho I know you don't believe in that stuff.." Every. Damn. Time. Normally if someone says they are praying for me I thank them. There have been several times when in the hospital nurses or doctors will offer to pray with me. And honestly, I'm like okay, cool. I'll pray with you. Good vibes aren't going to hurt. Christian prayer, Muslim prayer, Jewish prayers, any prayers (I know there's many, many more religions those are just off the top of my head) are all good vibes and nothing wrong with putting goodness into the world. But constantly bringing up the fact I don't believe just rubs me the wrong way. I asked my husband why and he's like, "She's just terrified you're going to Hell." So yeah... a bit aggravating.

[littlefireofhestia]

hi! i'm sage and i was going through the "hestia devotee" tag and found a post of yours that said you were open for questions about her. i don't know how old that post is or if you're still taking questions, you can ignore this if you're not, but since i'm here i wanted to talk/ask about something.

i'm a baby witch (like the babiest of babies, almost a new born) and most of my experience is through reading and watching since i don't currently have time or resources to do any practice other than lighting incenses or candles or working with crystals. and i definitely don't know any form of divination, like tarot or pendulum, that would allow me to do actual deity work and properly communicate with them.

the thing is, i've researched deities from multiple pantheons multiple times, mostly out of curiosity, but the moment i came across a prayer to hestia my heart skipped a beat and i immediately felt a kind of comfort. it could have been nothing, but i still researched all i could about her and just. i've never felt this drawn to a deity before, much less felt a pull to actually worship one. but i feel very much that way about her.

i looked up ways to honour her and i'm genuinely shocked at how happy it's been making me. i'm finding joy in domestic activities i used to loathe, like washing the dishes or helping with house cleaning. i tried baking a cake all by myself for the first time and lit an orange candle for her while doing it. it turned out absolutely delicious, i discovered i actually really enjoy baking and even started my own cook notebook with some of my grandma's old recipes. i make a point to always tie my hair back when i'm doing something that makes me think of her or in her honour, like making tea or baking or making dinner for my family or cleaning, because i saw people talking about how she appreciates veiling but i don't know how to do it so i just tie my hair in a bun instead of putting on a scarf. and i used to hate tying my hair, but now i feel very good about it!

i've always struggled with feeling connected to religion and never really understood how that could bring peace to someone, but i haven't felt this grounded or loving towards my family and pets or in peace with myself as much as i have since i started doing things as acts of devotion to hestia.

now, on to the actual problem: i'm scared it's all in my head. i'm worried i'm not enough of a witch to worship a deity yet, since i'm still trying to learn ways of communication and can't directly ask her if she's with me. i'm scared that the little things i'm doing aren't enough and the comfort and faith i feel while doing them are my imagination and not actually her watching over me and appreciating my effort.

anyways, i'm really sorry for dumping these worries on you but i didn't see many hestia related blogs and i really needed to ask someone about this. is what i'm doing enough of a worship right now? do you have any tips on how to worship her better? thank you!

Hi Sage! I don’t know when you sent this ask so I’m sorry if it’s been a while since you sent it and my response is late. When I read this ask for the first time I nearly cried tears of joy. Before anything I do want to say that you’re doing amazing sweetie!

I’m always open to questions about Hestia.

First off, there is no prerequisite to worshipping deities. I am admittedly not a witch and worship the gods exclusively for religious reasons and not for witchcraft. I have not learned many divination methods yet (although I have used the very handy Greek Alphabet Oracle a few times) and my rituals are still relatively basic, mostly not even occurring on an altar. But I have felt Hestia. I have been in her presence. I have received dreams from other deities and signs. None of this is required to happen to believe in or worship the theoi, but I just want to assure you that beyond doing some research to figure out who you want to pray to and how to do prayer and ritual, there are no prerequisites to worship. My first prayer to Hestia was literally me throwing a scarf over my head and talking to her in the dark with a flashlight to represent a flame. No formal structure. Didn’t even know how to correctly hold my hands yet. And still she accepted me.

The vibe you get from Hestia is very much similar to my experience. I’ve been drawn to her for YEARS but didn’t know I could worship her. But she’s always felt like home and comfort and just right for me. I never ever had a reason why she was my favorite deity before becoming pagan. She just was. My connection to Hestia has been a fact for over a decade that I just didn’t know was religious until a year and a half ago. Me wondering if I could worship her is the reason why I started researching Hellenic Polytheism in the first place. She brought me to this faith and I am so thankful to her for that.

You finding joy in domestic activities you used to hate is something I’ve discovered through Hestia too, although it’s still a journey I’m early on due to depression and physical disability and having a lot of work to do on figuring out how to make things accessible for me. I’m excited to go further for and with Hestia.

I understand the thought about it being all in your head. I had those thoughts early in my practice too. Basically, belief is a process. It takes time to switch from whatever religious thought (or lack thereof) that you grew up with to polytheism and worshipping a variety of deities or even just one deity, and from there to truly believing in them. I’ve been practicing for a year and a half and it probably took me at least nine months to truly feel secure in my faith in the theoi. Research, pray, do ritual, devote acts to the gods, think about the gods, notice the influence of the theoi in your daily life, and gradually that belief will solidify. You may or may not receive signs, which may or may not speed this process up. I promise, if you want to believe in the gods, in Hestia, it just takes time.

Also on feeling that you aren’t doing enough, the video at the bottom of this post (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odhRRYqQo8Y) might help. And I promise: you are doing enough, you are enough, just as you are.

Now as for worship tips. You are honestly doing great so far. Thinking of her while doing household chores and tasks or dedicating those tasks for her is a great way to worship her. I’d also recommend checking out her Homeric and Orphic hymns, one translation of which can be found here, and a copy of the Homeric hymns can likely be found at a local bookstore or definitely through online ordering. The Homeric hymns can also start to teach you some stuff about prayer structure, but prayer doesn’t have to be formal. Sometimes I just sit and talk to Hestia, or to any of my other deities. Tell them about my day, thank them for things in my life or the world, and sometimes asking them for things (although I find that I ask for aid much more rarely than when I prayed as the Catholic I was raised to be). I also have perpetually in progress playlists I have made for my deities, and if I want to spend some non-ritual time just focusing on a deity I’ll put on their playlist and read something religious or talk in religious discords. I actually had my most profound spiritual experience with Hestia while doing this.

Last but not least, worshipping Hestia, or any other deity, is something you have your whole life ahead of you to do. Take it at your own pace. Faith is all about the journey. The destination is irrelevant. There is no deadline or leveling up system, no authority checking your progress. As I have experienced time and time again, the gods will very much meet you where you are. A few months ago I was in a deep depression and did not do any ritual for several months. When I finally did a ritual again, I felt Hestia’s warm hand on my shoulder, as if to say “I miss you, welcome home”. I promise, Hestia will always welcome you home.

P.S. I know this ask is anonymous but Sage, feel free to message me with any additional questions about Hestia or worshipping deities in general. I’m here if you need any more help.

[smarmykemetic]

I will be starting the discord chat in the Mourners of Outlaws discord (message me for the link) probably around 3:30pm The ritual will officially start at Saturday May 16th 4pm MST (time zone converter). The plan is as follows:

Start the voice chat, wait for the friend who requested the Catholic rite to join. Recite Catholic prayer to the best of my ability.

Make offering to Anubis, and pray to him as a psychopomp to watch over the ritual and make sure that all the souls who don’t want to go to the Duat are ferried to their appropriate afterlives.

As close to 4pm MST as possible, begin the ritual.

Personal prayer/adoration of the Outlaw Dead.

Music and singing.

Discussion of what spells I am willing to ask the OD for help with on your behalf (the ones that have consented/will consent to the job, that is) in exchange for a charitable donation to living Outlaws (especially to ones affected by the virus). I’m planning on researching a handful of charities to suggest, but I’ll accept donations to a charity of your choice as well.

Reversion of offerings and generally hanging out in the voice chat (for fun and so that I can relax and ground myself). Me and my irl friends are probably gonna play a drinking game afterward, and it would be really fun for yall to participate with that, since I bet we’ll all appreciate something goofy and fun after this.

This is going to be an emotionally intense event, as it is every time I do the full rite, especially since the whole point is for us to collectively mourn and, hopefully, begin to process the collective trauma of this awful shit we’re all going through right now. Especially since I know from experience I tend to get a little errmm carried away when doing magic or rituals, I want to warn anyone that this will very likely be triggering to some; I’m not entirely confident in my ability to stay calm once I get going with this. I am definitely going to cry like a baby like I always do can we get an f in the chat, and then I’m gonna get tipsy on the ritual alcohol, so as a perk to helping honor the beloved dead, you get to giggle at me acting drunk and foolish lol. (My bf and a friend of ours, both Norse pagans who don’t really use Tumblr, will also be listening in in person, and you’ll likely get a chance to chat with them too, in case that sweetens the pot for anyone.)

If you want to participate rather than just listen, you’ll need to set up a space to offer stuff to Set, and a separate space to offer to the OD. You don’t absolutely have to use icons for either of them, but consider using the sigils I made to represent different factions of the OD 

You will also need: two candles, lighter, incense, water, two cups, something to give for an offering (one for Set, one for the Dead). The OD aren’t picky, but they love alcohol and music; most of the rites I do for them end up having more of a friendly gathering/party vibe, after the serious and/or magical stuff is done. I think it’s because part of the offering is the company and attention of the living, not just the offerings themselves; basically, after we let ourselves get really sad and angry on their behalf, I’m expecting them to pivot it to a more positive and camaraderie-focused vibe, as they usually do. 

Finally, I want to encourage yall to not stress too much about getting all the details right in your own rituals, and to branch out to invite your own gods, or apply your own traditional methods for such a situation, if you so choose. I highly recommend at least making an offering to Set and asking him for protection before doing anything with the OD, since this whole thing is his project and that means he’s more liable to sufficiently supervise people trying to help him with it, but you can likely ask your patrons/trusted psychopomps to help you with it just as well.

(Ritual under the cut)

Approaching the Shrine:

Awake in peace, Lord of the Red Land, awake in peace.

I come to you, your servant, your son, I come to you.

Your beautiful scent, it calls me forward.

And upon you filling my nostrils

I, your servant, your son, I come to you.

I have made my way and I enter into your presence.

I am one of you.

Do not repulse me on the god’s path.

My feet are not impeded, I am not turned back from the god’s place.

I have looked upon you. I know you.

Your mighty Sha have enclosed me.

I have entered this place with ma’at in my heart

In order to honor each and every Akh in the Duat upon this day.

*Step forward, or open the shrine, depending on your setup*

I open your temple. I come to you.

Your warmth and beauty surrounds me as I enter. I am not repulsed.

Behold, I have come to you to offer Ma’at,

to make sound the Eye for its lord.

Presentation of Light:

The torch comes to your ka, O Set, Lord of the Oasis.

Here comes he who promises the night after the day;

Here comes the two sisters from Ra;

Here comes she who was manifested in Abdju.

For I have caused it to come to you.

Even the Eye of Horus comes to you

Because I have made it so.

*Light first wick*

Come to this Eye of Horus, Great Set.

Let its light renew your youth in peace.

*Light second wick*

 Come to this Eye of Horus, O Numerous Akhu who reside in the Duat.

Come to this light and let it renew your youth in peace.

 The Eye of Horus is your protection, O Weary One.

It spreads its protection over you; it defeats all of your adversaries.

Truly, your adversaries are fallen.

 The Eye of Horus is your protection, O Akhu.

It spreads its protection over you; it defeats all of your adversaries.

Truly, your adversaries are fallen.

 The Eye of Horus comes intact and shining

like Ra on the horizon.

The four torches go to your ka, O Set.

The four torches are your protection, O Lord of Ma’at

You are truly Enduring because of their protection.

 It is Set who causes a torch to be bright for the potent Bas in the Duat.

May you make the living Ba of each and every Akh within your Domain

to be strong with their torch so that they will not be

repelled or turned back from the portals of the West.

 Through your Rebellion and Strength,

Each and every akh in your Domain flourishes.

They are restored to their true shape and form

As sure as the sun crosses the sky every day.

 Purification of offering space:

 *Take up water bowl/pitcher*

 O water, may you remove all evil,

I give you essential water, O Destroyer of the Damned One, a tide in your time.

I bring the flood waters to purify your sanctuary.

I bring you the flood waters to purify your temple

and your statue in your place.

*wet your finger and touch the four sides of your shrine, offering table or plate, etc.*

O Set, your altar is cleansed by the water;

Your altar is purified by the incense;

You are cleansed by Horus;

You are purified by Thoth.

Water invigorates your body;

It is I, your servant,

who comes to you in the palace where you reside.

Presentation of Libations:

 These your cool waters, O Set

have come from your nephew, Horus.

I have come to you having gotten Horus’s eye,

So that your heart may become cool with it;

I have gotten it under your feet.

Accept the outflow that comes from you:

So that your heart will not become weary.

 *Pour the water into first cup or bowl*

 This water is the Eye of Horus,

take it to your countenance,

that it may brighten your face.

 O Set, take this Eye of Horus

Which has been given to you by your son

So that you may live in Eternity

Glorious and pure.

*Pour the water into second cup or bowl*

 O Glorious Spirits, take this Eye of Horus

It parts your mouth so that you may you taste its taste

Accept this Eye so that you may live in Eternity

Glorious and pure.

Presentation of Offerings:

Oh He Who Commands the Riot, stand up and sit down to a thousand of bread,

a thousand of beer, roast meat, your rib-meat from the slaughterhouse, “pulled” bread from the broadhall.

*place first offering*

 As you are provided with a god’s-offering, these akhu are provided with bread.

You have come to your ba, Set, ba among the akhs,

in control of all that he sees, whom the Ennead tend in the Official’s Enclosure.

I have given you Horus’s eye, I have allotted it to you: may it endure for you with you.

 *place second offering*

 O Glorious Akhu, stand up and receive this your bread from me.

O Great Spirits, I will be an attendant for you.

O Enduring Akhu, accept Horus’s eye, your bread-loaf, and eat.

 As everything is for those under your protection,

let everything be for the bodies of the Blessed Dead.

 Grow aroused, you Great Akhu

Take this Eye of Horus and become uplifted.

In your place of Completeness you do not hunger. You have no thirst.

Your contentment is all you know in the land of the Duat.

Your heart becomes awash with joy

And your hearts fill with ma’at.

 As you take in the Eye of Horus

You shall become as complete as every NTR:

your head as Horus of the Duat—an Imperishable Star;

your face as Eyes-Forward—an Imperishable Star;

your ears Atum’s twins—an Imperishable Star;

your eyes Atum’s twins—an Imperishable Star;

your nose as the Jackal—an Imperishable Star;

your teeth Sopdu—an Imperishable Star;

your arms Hapi and Duamutef—when you demand to go up to the sky, you go up;

your legs Imseti and Qebehsenuef—when you demand to go down to the undersky, you go down;

your limbs Atum’s twins—an Imperishable Star.

O Great Akhu, become clean through Horus’s Eye and

Make your bones firm.

O Great Akhu, become Whole through Horus’s Eye and

All of your obstructions will be removed through Set’s mighty Sha.

 You will not perish, your ka will not perish

As Set lives, you shall live.

As you live, Set lives.

 Sun and Thoth, take each and every akh with you,

that they may eat of what you eat of,

that they may drink of what you drink of,

that they may live on what you live on,

that they may sit where you sit,

that they may grow powerful from what you grow powerful from,

that they may sail in what you sail in.

The booth of each and every akh is plaited of reeds;

the flood of each and every akh is in the Marsh of Offerings;

their feasts are among you, gods;

the water of each and every akh is wine, like the Sun.

They will circumnavigate the sky like the Sun,

They shall course the sky like Thoth.

And both akhu and NTRW shall live in peace in the Duat.

Whole and Complete. A million times effective.

 Reversion of offerings:

 O He Who Makes the Sky Tremble, your enemies withdraw from you.

Heru has turned himself to his Eye in its name of Reversion-of-Offerings.

These your divine offerings revert;

They revert to your servant for life, stability, health and joy.

So that you may flourish for eternity.

[sandracarroll]

                                  A  L  L  I  S  O  N     C  L  O  V  E  R                                  S  A  N  D  R  A     C  A  R  R  O  L  L .                   twenty-two                             teamaker.                                 chicago, il.                     psychedelics/coke dealer.                   tramp.                   dropped angel.

cw: maternal death, sexual coercion, frequent drug mentions.

“SANDY CARROLL” --- formerly known as allison clover --- grew up in the underbelly of chicago, raised by a fatally over-protective single mother, who tried to shield her daughter from the grit and grime that covered every square inch of their community.

as a child, allison was kept busy at all costs, distracted by a wallpapering of catholicism from the influence of her peers and the sordid history of her family. she was brought up in the church; she socialized primarily within the church’s community, she played on the church’s softball team, she participated in the church’s charity events and she helped organize the church’s fundraisers.

the clovers ran an online business selling homemade incense, candles, and teabags from herbs and spices grown right in their apartment. it was just enough to help keep the lights on when her mother’s job at the plant nursery couldn’t cut it. this is to say: a young, naive allison wouldn’t have much in realm of inheritance when she would need it.

shortly after ally’s 18th birthday, her mother was killed in an assault.

gang initiation. body mutilated. her teenage daughter had to identify the corpse.

the tragedy shattered allison’s eden. she woke up to the nihilistic nature of the world, in which good people can die with no rhyme or reason. it showed her the true nature of the modern christian and their shortcomings in practicing what they preach. in the wake of ms. clover, the church community offered allison their prayers and platitudes, but no one in their impoverished community had a dime to spare or room on their couches when allison needed a place to stay. every bystander assumed someone else would step up to take care of her.

emotionally distraught and disappointed in her paper thin support system, ally stopped sticking around after mass and isolated herself from the community, eventually opting not to attend altogether.

the scraps of wealth she had left after paying for a catholic funeral would not help her afford the rent. her underwhelming resume would not be enough to get her a job to support herself. with too much grief to handle working two minimum-wage gigs--- with her mother deeply estranged from the rest of their family--- with her long history of being isolated from her neighbors--- she had nowhere to turn when she was evicted.

her naivete and lack of options paved allison’s way to falling in with a bad crowd. her first night at a local shelter, she was recognized outside by a shaggy boy from her graduating class. immediately trusting, she opened up to him about her situation and vulnerability, and he was all too quick to offer her a place to stay until she got back on her feet. she never stopped to question his character or intentions.

she was fast to fall in with the boy and his band of delinquents, which she would later understand to be a gang deeply involved in several webs of drug trafficking in the city. her sheltered upbringing left her unprepared to notice red flags, and her gullibility made it easy for the kids to take advantage of her on the grounds of offering her bedrooms to stay in and spotting her meals in her hard time. when offerings of basic human necessities turned into talking her into smoking with them and bringing her along to parties, it wasn’t hard for them to pressure her into using her inexperienced body to show appreciation for their hospitality.

catholic guilt went head-to-head with disillusioned catholic angst, both raging inside her head with feelings of physical violation she didn’t have the wisdom to identify. in the midst of the chaos, she developed a taste for the escapism. she preferred to live in the haze of inebriation and work out her conflicts of spirituality with mushrooms rather than face her situation or her grief. but she didn’t realize she was running up a tab with her friends.

from a peer’s perspective, she picked up on their culture fast. learned the slang and the technique. gave off the impression of someone who knew what she was getting into when they started sending her to drop off and pick up at college campuses, and when she was smoking herself into debts she’d never be able to repay.

after ignoring the scarier and grittier aspects of the new friends she’d made for a year, and then upsetting them when she started avoiding sex— depriving her friends of their payment— things came to a head after a traumatic trip on DMT, a vision of her disappointed mother sent her into a serious crisis of faith and a fear that her sins were becoming unforgivable, which prompted her choice to branch out to people other than the dealers she was wasting her youth with.

when the ghouls started getting insulted by her pulling away, one of her lovers let her know that she still owed them for all that they had provided for her, and when she stood her ground and put a lock on what they wanted, he told her she owed them at least $4,000 for their troubles before they would let her scurry away.

in a cold sweat for finding that kind of money in the near future and feeling a serious threat to her safety at the mercy of a gang, she opted instead to commit one last sin in the form of stealing a suitcase and backpack of drugs from the trap house and taking a bus as far out of illinois as she could go.

she started going by the new name SANDRA CARROLL, and planned to keep moving and sell the stash of psychedelics to keep her afloat until she could start using her legal name again and get a law-abiding job. she tried to go to hipster bars and college parties, looking for less dangerous people to pick her up as a sugar baby and give her a couch to sleep on until she was far enough and emotionally stable enough to take care of herself. 

the panic attacks and paranoia made it hard for her to nail a trustworthy hookup, but she found a way to survive by couch surfing at a state university in kentucky. the low threat level and high libido of clients on a college campus makes it easier for sandra to deal, especially to inexperienced freshmen who were too insecure about playing it cool to ask questions when she hiked up her selling prices. it was a perfect environment hustle free food and beds to sleep in, and she could have stayed afloat there for long enough to let her trail run cold, find a new social circle, and eventually even heal. 

that is, until she spotted one of the gang members looking for her at a party.

sandy wound up packing up her things that night to flee to a remote place she’d heard about, in the countryside of north carolina, serene and inexpensive, far away from signals or surveillance, in a quaint little camp town called wrenbury.

(( TL;DR: sheltered church girl is ill-prepared and too naive to survive on her own when her mother dies unexpectedly; she falls in with a gang and loses control of her expenses and her body; steals an enormous stash of cocaine and psychedelic drugs and flees chicago, going by a false name and dealing to stay just barely afloat. spent the last year dorm-surfing on a college campus before coming to wrenbury. lives in fear of her ex and his gang who are still looking for her. haunted by the specter of her mother, imagining she is devastated to see how far her harlot daughter has fallen from grace. ))

                                  > PERSONALITY / FAST FACTS.

pleasant. gentle. hazy. airy. strange. erratic. passive. flighty. compassionate, but unreliable.

the usual refrain you’ll hear is, “SHE’S NOT ‘ALL THERE.’”  sandra mostly comes across as dreamy or dazed out. you might assume that extreme levels of stress and substance abuse have fried her brain, and she might agree with you, but don’t be so sure. there is a part of her that prefers to buy into that story and assure herself that she’s too disconnected with reality to process it. and she’s willing to stay as high as a hot air balloon to make it convincing. 

she zones in and out during conversation, absent-mindedly wanders into places she shouldn’t be while lost in thought, and tends to lose track of time or forget important things, like curfews or notices of restricted areas. she has a mind that can muse a mile a minute, and she tries to keep it busy with innocuous thought tangents about what type of flower a person would be, rather than focusing to what the person tells her about the latest murder, for fear of ruining her vibes and falling into a panicked spiral.

she grows flowers, spices, and herbal plants all over her cabin, taking advantage of the rustic life to relive her childhood of making homemade teas and incense. she has yet to ask if marnie and regina mind all of the aromas and dirt she brings into their common area.

she views sex as something that’s casually transactional. might get confused or even suspicious if you do her a favor without accepting a lay in return.

wrenbury and its glitching borders have fanned the flame of her lack of faith in her own sanity, and made her unsure of what to believe with regards to the killers. she tries to take the word of the townspeople over her fellow campers.

the kind of person who you might see sway-dancing like a twin peaks character, stopping in her tracks to stare at a caterpillar on a tree trunk, sticking her hand out of a moving car’s window and surfing it in the breeze, or praying only when she thinks no one’s looking---and if you look close, you might catch a tear streaming down her face while she does so.

she still has a trace of purity to her that most people don’t pick up on until they outright find out about her religious upbringing. she comes off as an eccentric wallflower sitting in a circle with the stoners at a party; not unfriendly, but not the person to start the conversation; doesn’t instigate the orgy but she certainly keeps up. innocent but not inexperienced. very good at maintaining lucidity just long enough to escape any witnesses when she’s having a bad trip.

some sandy carroll pinterest boards created by myself and my friends: (i), (ii), (iii), (iv). 

                                      > WANTED CONNECTIONS.

friends, especially people with easygoing personalities. someone who can make her feel comfortable enough to have more sober conversations. people who buy from her (she’s currently carrying cocaine, ecstasy, and acid). enemies (could be on the grounds of sandy being twee, inconsiderate, or a liability). a disinterested person for her to have a crush on even though they wouldn’t notice if she was hacked up by one of the killers. a kinder person with a crush on her that she’ll never pick up on. 

hookups~ sandy is pansexual and doesn’t realize that she’s been traumatized by years of sexual coercion, so she consents to a lot of bad ideas, and is still conditioned into the mindset that it’s something you use to pay gratitude to people for being nice to you. 

someone she met from the college she was squatting at, especially if they’re a hippie who brought up wrenbury when they were having a stoned dorm room conversation about wanting to move off the grid.

someone, either from or hired by the gang, who was sent to track her down and collect her debt and is now trapped in wrenbury with her  👀 :GRIM_REAPER_EMOJI:

[spiritualpoet]

Easter has always been amongst my most favourite holiday. I do not consider myself a Christian, more like a gnostic, those who study & understand the esoteric & occult sciences of Christianity.. However the symbology behind the death & resurrection of Christ is just everything. The way it perfectly coincides with the blossoming of spring which is the archetype of death, rebirth & transformations. How bunnies symbolise abundance (even though unrelated to Christ), how eggs represent fertility & femininity. How the women were the first to find Christ. Gah, it just gives me life! So every Easter I do like to pop into a church, light my little candle, say my little prayer & do my thing. I tend to stick to churches that still have a traditional vibe, stain glass windows, fabulous architecture etc. I am more for ‘priests’ than ‘pastors’. I know the Catholic Church has a terrible racist & sexist history but boy do those guys know how to do religion! Lol If you gonna be a murderous, psychopath, at least make it look fab, no? I just feel like sometimes spirituality is too broad and too vague a term & doesn’t necessarily offer a place of worship & when it does sometimes they’re doing pagan practices I do not resonate w/. Popping into a cute little old fashioned church gives me the spirit home I crave. https://www.instagram.com/p/BwiFbkTH1O0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=gminsjks98k8

[friendly-neighborhood-ghoul]

My friend is lovely enough to do an art commission of Kai for me so if anyone had any good references they are more than welcome. We’re doing kind of a religious catholic prayer candle vibe.

[tripinsingapore]

Top 10 interesting festivals in Singapore

As you may know, Singapore is a home of people from different races, backgrounds, religions,… they speak their own languages and they live under one roof – this beautiful island state.

Although most citizens in Singapore are Asian,  they still have different customs of each nationality, which are presented clearly in many colorful and vibrant festivals throughout a year.

Your trip in Singapore will give you a wonderful chance to watch and discover many interesting traditions and friendly people which are hard to find in any other country.

Chinese New Year

As you know, New Year is always the most important event of all countries in the world, and Singapore is not an exception. Most of citizens in this country are  Chinese, thus Singapore celebrates its New Year based on the Lunar calendar.

If you travel in Singapore in the period between January and February, you will have a chance to celebrate New Year for the second time with a totally different vibe and tradition, which will last in your mind years and years after your trip in Singapore.

In fact, 15 days are long enough for you to enjoy this special festival, on which the whole country is likely to stop other activities and focus on celebrating.

As a center of Asian culture in Singapore, Chinatown is the place that you may find the most spirited feeling with colorful stores, red and gold decoration stuffs, and little altars everywhere, as the Chinese make offerings to their gods.

On the New Year Eve, Chinese people who work and live in anywhere in this country will try their best to come back home as soon as possible, as this is the important time to reunite with families, to have the last dinner of the year,  to countdown and share the very first moment of New Year together.

Usually, Chineses people always prepare many dishes for this special occasion, such as: pineapple tarts (a Singapore-Malaysia invention), barbecued pork and sumptuous. Some families also have “yu sheng” – a raw fish in a colorful bed of salad , which is a great combination of Singapore and Malaysian culinary. 

The way you eat this “yu sheng” is special too. You will eat at the same time with all people on the table, dig in the dish and toss the salad as high as possible. This strange custom is “lo hei”, believed to bring you good health and luck for the rest of the year. 

A pair of mandarines are a symbol of good fortune when you bring them to a home of Chinese. In return, they will give you “lucky money” – a small amount of money put in a red envelope – which is sure to be the dream of all kids on New year days. 

Nine Emperor Gods Festival

This is a nine-day festival of Chinese, and if you travel in Singapore during September and/or October according to Lunar calendar, you will be able to watch this celebration. The place where all activities are taken place is the Nine Emperor Gods Temple at Upper Serangoon Road. Go to the Yio Chu Kang Road and you will easily find this temple.

In this temple, several rituals are presented. Nine Emperor Gods are believed to have supernatural power, who can bring good fortune, longevity, and health, they are welcomed by the sound of drum and cymbals of Chinese worshippers.

Protective charms are written by the blood of priests, and the most special part of this celebration is a parade of the nine gods, each carried in a grave chair with a respectful attitude of all participants.

Dragon Boat or Rice Dumpling Festival

Don’t you notice that Asian usually have many “good – number – days” to celebrate, for instance, this Dragon Boat or Rice Dumpling Festival is on the fifth day of the fifth month.

This festival is originated from the legend of Qu Yuan, a patriot of ancient China. To strongly protest against corruption and injustice, he threw himself into the Mi Lou River, and many fishermen heard about it and right away sailed on the river to save him, which led to the tradition of dragon boat races. The fishermen throwing rice into the river to prevent Qu Yan from being devoured by the fish, and this marks the beginning of the special dumpling eating custom.

Deepavali

Deepavali means “The Festival of Lights”, this is the most essential day according to the Hindu calendar, occurs on one day in October and actually lasts until the end of this month in an ethnic area of Little India.

This festival is to celebrate the Lord Khrishna successfully vanishing the evil Narakasura, which stands for the win of light over darkness, good over evil. Deepavali is considered as the New Year of Hindu devotees, is the time to refresh your self and get rid of unlucky things in the past year, thus it is celebrated by Hindus all over the world.

On these days, you can enjoy the hurly-burly of Little India with evening roadside stalls, music and light are full of this area. Hindu families will prepare oil lamps to light up their house, different kinds of fresh meat and garlands of jasmine as offerings at the family altar.

A tip in Singapore is that you should search and try on a perfect Sari for yourself, and bring home Indian food and spices as well to get some souvenirs after your trip in Singapore. 

Streamers and fairy light are used widely on the streets and in temples, forming gateways to the night markets. The Sri Veeramakaliamman, Sri Vadapathira Kaliammanand, Sri Srinivasa Perumal temples as well as the whole of Serangoon Road are deep into the twinkle light to welcome New Year.

Meanwhile, in Campbell Lane, you will find a mood of a street carnival that lasts for 21 days. You will be allured by beautiful Indian costumes, jewelry, foods and handcrafts in the Deepavali Festival village. Every evening except for Sunday, even when Deepavali is happening, you will have a chance to enjoy Indian songs and dances performed by local and foreign artists.

Thaipusam

This would be unbelievable until you travel in Singapore and witness this festival by yourself. This Hindu festival has many strange customs that you have never heard about them before.

On this important day, male Hindu devotees walk 3 kilometre from Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple to Sri Thandayuthapani Temple, bring enormous kavadi or portable shrines as well. This custom is symbolized for a gesture of penance and seeking forgiveness from the gods; and it is held on an entire day, attracting many observers.

The kavadi is pierced to the devotees’ body by spikes and skewers, and sometimes dragged by the devotee like a chariot. Other people will surround him, pray, clap and encourage along the way. 

Qing Ming Festival

This festival begins right at the beginning of a day, when the sun goes up and many Chinese worshipers gather at temples.

During this day, many families are busy preparing food and traditional Chinese cakes for their ancestors in the thick smoke of burning joss sticks – a very popular custom that they always do when they want to wish and pray something. Qing Ming is considered as a trip to the cemetery where they can clean up the graves of their ancestors and offer prayers.

A tip in Singapore for you is you should go to Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Temple at Sin Ming Road to have the best place to watch this festival.

Vesak Day

This event is not only important in Singapore, but also in all over the world because this is the birthday of the Lord Gautama Buddha. Many Buddhists are not hesitated to pay an amount of money to visit various Buddhist temples, spend a whole day just for praying.

Priests in the newest saffron-colored robes chant blessings and sprinkle holy water at the devotees, this is the time for them to refresh and think about to the central teachings of Gautama – moderate and get rid of worldly desires. In many temples, priests will release a flock of doves from a cage which stands for the freedom of human.

Singapore Marathon

Sport is favorable in this country and if you have a chance to observe this annual event in your trip in Singapore, you will feel the enthusiasm of people here, both local and foreign athletes.

This is a great opportunity for local people to take part in a “competition” with experienced athletes, thus they can figure out the benefit of running to their health and maintain a healthy hobby. It is believed that marathon is not only a test of endurance but also a practice of mind, with the achieved feeling when you can crash the finish line.

Hari Raya Haji

Hari Raya Haji is a Muslim celebration to mark the pilgrimage of devotees to the holy city of Mecca. Some rituals of this festival are the sacrifice of animals at dawn and prayers at the mosque. On this day Muslim families visit each other in a remembrance of important people who took part in this pilgrimage.

Good Friday

This is a very vital day for Christians in remembrance of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In churches throughout Singapore, they all gather here and hold a special prayer ritual.

A tip in Singapore for you on this day is you should visit the St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on Victoria Street, at which you will see a beautiful scene of Catholics hold white candles in their hands, in a moving procession bearing the figure of the crucified Christ.

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[guidetourme]

Mount Mary Church Mumbai

Mount Mary Church Mumbai - Lady of the Mount in Bandra

The Mount Mary Church Mumbai is a roman catholic church located in Bandra. The birthday of Mother Virgin Mary is celebrated here on the first Sunday that comes after September 8th. Locals call this occasion as Bandra fair and people from all over the country come here to enjoy this great occasion. The basilica church is seen to stand on a hillock which overlooks the Arabian Sea. The Blessed Lady, Virgin Mary is said to have divine power that attracts large number of crowd from all religions. Mother welcomes every people from every faith and there is no religion discrimination. She showers her favor on everybody who comes there to receive her blessings and gratitude. Once in the year 1738 the church was destroyed by the Maratha people and then again it was rebuilt in the year 1760. The church is a very huge one with stone edifice devoted to Mother Mary of Lord Jesus. The Mount Mary Basilica is a place of peace and hope beatified by royal and grand architecture. The inner beauty of the church is a feast for our eye as it serves with the utmost beautiful decoration along with Mother Mary standing before us with her child in her arms. It is suitable place for people who are facing problems in their daily life or anybody seeking spiritual development. God listens to everybody’s wishes and bless them with peace and shows them the right path.

Our lady of the mount

Mother Mary of the church in Lands End Bandra is known to all by ‘our lady of the mount’. The shrine is a wooden statue brought from Portugal during era of sixteenth century. The main alter on a hill at Bandra houses this shrine in a small oratory. Over the years it was believed that whoever comes to Mother never returns unaided. She granted her favor on all aspirants. Since then lots of devotees are seen arriving there from all over the world to get blessings of Mother Mary.

What to see Mount Mary Church Mumbai

Sanctum sanctorum that depicts the above ceiling, the seven steps and the marble alter The serene and attractive interior of the church basilica The nave of the basilica There is relic that contains a blood drop of St. Pope John Paul 11 offered by Holy see to this church The shrine of Mother Mary that looks like an angel from heaven descended to earth

How to reach there

The nearest railway station is Bandra station. Local trains are available from Mumbai to Bandra. Buses are also accessible from Mumbai that stop near the spot. Auto rickshaws and taxis are available that would easily drop you at the Mount Mary church.

Nearby attractions to the church

Father Agnel on Carter road nearby Mount Mary church The linking road offers the tourists a suitable market for shopping The popular Joggers’ park nearby is another attraction that should be visited by the tourists.

What to do

People believe that if they bring wax figure signifying the devotees’ illness it receives mother’s blessings and the illness is cured. Suppose a person has broken his arm, then he should bring a wax figure of an arm. The Bandra fair week is the most popular season when crowds are seen all over the region. This time in the month of September the church is beautifully decorated. The shops in the fair sell religious artifacts, candles with innovative shapes, goan sweets and wax idol of virgin mother Mary. Large number of people gathers in these stalls outside the church as this is time comes once in a year. The Mount Mary Church Mumbai is a very popular one and is a glory for the tourists. Not only Christians but also non Christians find peace and divinity in this church. Mother showers her love on all devotees equally. Sick people, frustrated and unsatisfied souls find this place a way to their peace of soul and mind. The positive vibes nurtures the overall being of the person who prays to Mother from heart. A pure devotion from heart and mind never goes in vein. Mother accepts all such prayers made with believe and faith. Read the full article

[12b-nondo-blog]

A Mixture of Good and Bad Culture

Jana Reynaldo

It was last Sunday on a sunny morning when I explored Binondo. However, my journey towards exploring the wonders of Binondo did not exactly start in Binondo. I came from Divisoria with my boyfriend, Marck just after we were done buying some personal needs and the only way we can go home was to go in front of Binondo Church and wait for a taxi or jeepney that will travel to Buendia. He did not want to accompany me in exploring Binondo but when we saw Binondo Church, we immediately went inside. Seeing the insides of Binondo Church surprised me. I have only seen the outside figure of it and from the stories that I have heard and read regarding the Church, I did not expect to see much beauty from it. But upon going inside, the walls, ceilings and other interiors of the Church told a different story. It gave me a sense of majesty and beauty, leaving me in awe. My boyfriend and I said our own personal prayers and even bought a candle that represents our prayers. After going out of the Church, I again asked Marck, “Marck, gusto mo na ba ako samahan?” into which he replied “sige na nga” thus officially starting our spontaneous Binondo trip.

We started with going to Eng Bee Tin, a chinese deli that is based in Binondo. I know Eng Bee Tin ever since I was a kid but I never ate any of their delicacies. But since I was in my “explorer” mode, I tried their ube hopia. At first bite, I did not like it at all. However as I tried more and more, I have gotten used to the flavor and it became delicious for me already. We decided to buy some for us to take home.

Eng Bee Tin was the closest relation that I could incorporate with Binondo. Knowing it since I was a kid and seeing some of my relatives go home from Binondo carrying Eng Bee Tin with them, I thought it was a staple food already. I thought it was a part of our culture to buy Eng Bee Tin whenever we go at a Chinese Place. However as I grew old, I realized that it was only a tradition of my family.

Marck and I only walked along the streets of Binondo, making it kind of tiring. But seeing the wonders of the oldest Chinatown in the world, we guess the walks are worth it. We then saw Cafe Mezzanine. I never knew of it, but Marck was stoked upon seeing it and repeatedly saying to me while we are going towards the restaurant’s direction “halika na, dali! Masarap diyan”. Upon going in, I immediately got a hint of tita vibes. Cafe Mezzanine was situated on top of the Eng Bee Tin branch and it looked like a binondo version of Mary Grace. But because it was lunch time and I was kind of in the mood for chinese food, I just went along and hoped that it would fulfill my desire for chinese cravings.  

Since Marck and I don’t eat a lot, we decided to just order meals that we could share together, thus ordering beef wanton noodles and pork siomai. In my honest opinion, I did like their beef wanton noodles. When I took a bite, it was not like the other noodles that I ate. The beef in the noodles tasted so sincere and original. The noodles captured my taste buds and I felt like I was transported to mainland siomai. Pork siomai is a staple food in all chinese restaurants that is why I was not surprised to taste a familiar flavor that comes with it. Across Asia, many foods are common in each country and one of it is rice. Rice is a staple food most importantly in East and Southeast Asia, where food is an important part of their culture.

After we were done eating, we decided to explore Binondo more. It was not that sunny during that day which was  good since Marck and I wanted to walk along the streets of Binondo and while walking, I saw the goods and bads about Binondo.

Binondo has a a big mark in our history. Having been founded in 1594 as a permanent settlement for Chinese immigrants who converted to Catholicism, it is not a wonder why many Chinese people are currently living in Manila right now. Along the streets of Binondo, you can see the history of the place. Old signages, historic landmarks, majestic bridges, these are the things that makes Binondo unique and captivating to my heart. However, it saddens me that Binondo is not well taken care of. A place full of trash, not well taken care facilities and some rude people. If Binondo would have been well taken care of, I think it could have been more beautiful now. I saw how Binondo was well taken care of by its citizens. By just walking around, you will really feel the sense of Chinese community and their culture. However, you will also see how Binondo is related to Manila. Filthy and dirty because it is environmentally not well taken care of.

Going back to our travel, Marck, who previously did not want to come with me to explore Binondo, was dragging me to different parts of Manila. We ended up in this altar famously called “Filipino Chinese public shrine”. It has a hint of Catholic, Christian and Buddhist elements in one setting making it unique and accessible for everyone. When we got there, we had to wait for a while since a lot of people were there as well. When it was our time, we had to follow a routine prayer that was also plastered near the altar and lit up 3 incense. I have to admit, it was a weird experience for me since that altar was a mix of different religions. Nevertheless, I offered my prayers and waited for Marck after. I was getting a bit tired since we have been walking for over an hour now, but Binondo has a sense of “explore us more” making me just want to go further and further in travelling its depths and streets.

Casually walking around, old business signages still fascinates me. I mean, how did they manage to maintain it so it is still usable up to now? Those signages are probably ten to thirty years old by now. Seeing arcs in different streets make Binondo colorful as well. From the entrance of Binondo to the arch in Ongpin street, the people in Binondo still knows how to acknowledge their culture even if they are not in mainland China and to happily welcome the visitors of their community.My favorite arch is the arch before entering Binondo. When you come from Taft Avenue, you will pass by an arch just before entering Binondo and in my honest opinion. It is simple yet so welcoming. I like the vibrance of it and how big it is.

We also saw some ancestral houses and buildings in Binondo such as the Insular Life building and the old BPI building. These buildings were considered high class back then and I would not lie. Just by looking at it, you could see the influence of Spanish architecture with the color and structural design of the building. It quite shocked me cause the earlier part of Marck and I’s trip, we were already amazed and in awe with the beauty Binondo had. But exploring the main and/or first part of Binondo upon entering, it gave us more insights and realizations that Binondo did really see a lot of changes in our country and Binondo did too change drastically over the course of time.

It was 3pm, both Marck and I were getting tired from all the walking we have done for this trip. As we went back the the terminal place in front of Binondo Church, I can’t help but still stand in awe on how majestic Binondo is. Yes, Binondo is crowded, messy and full of other negative characteristics that you can think of. One thing is for sure though, the true meaning of Binondo stays. Binondo exists because it has a rich culture and their culture is appreciated and well taken care of. That is why Binondo is still relevant today.

After all of these, we rode a cab and decided to call the tour officially done. It was a very spontaneous trip, but it was worthwhile and educational.