The Egyptians believed in a ‘double’ which was like a shadow of the body. This double remained as long as the body remained. The soul was only a double. It had no individuality of its own. It was never able to do away with its connection with the body. If the body was injured in any part the double or soul was also injured. Hence they preserved the bodies to keep the soul intact. They took recourse to mummification of the bodies of the dead. They wanted to preserve the dead bodies for a very long time in order to make the departed soul immortal.

The death and dying and the life after death has always fascinated man. This is an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Soul After Death: Belief Of The Ancient Egyptians

Including:

Hellenic polytheism - Ancient Hellenic polytheism Hellenic polytheism - Modern revivalist movements
Hellenic polytheism - Naming Hellenic polytheism - Beliefs and practices Hellenic polytheism - Discrimination and controversy
Hellenic polytheism - See Also Hellenic polytheism - Notes

Read more here: » Hellenic polytheism: Encyclopedia - Hellenic polytheism

Whatever the culture or continent, our species' earliest rainbow is the rainbow of the imagination. Whether as bridge, messenger, archer’s bow, or serpent, the rainbow has been pressed into symbolic service for millennia. The myriad rainbow bridges and myths built by the world’s peoples clearly tell us more about human hopes and fears than they do about nature’s rainbow. In Constantino Brumidi’s oil on canvas Apotheosis of George Washington, 1866 "America’s founding father wears a [calm] expression… as he is propelled heav ...

See also:

Rainbows in mythology, Rainbows in mythology - Ancient beliefs, Rainbows in mythology - Sumerian mythology, Rainbows in mythology - Nordic mythology, Rainbows in mythology - Greek mythology, Rainbows in mythology - Australian aboriginal mythology, Rainbows in mythology - Biblical rainbows, Rainbows in mythology - Other mythologies

Read more here: » Rainbows in mythology: Encyclopedia II - Rainbows in mythology - Ancient beliefs

The religion which the Ori wish to impose on all sentient beings is called Origin, or the Path of Origin, and it is their way to assert dominance by promising to guide humanity towards enlightenment (i.e. Ascension). Its central promises are false, and is nothing more than a way to garner worshippers, which in turn increases the power of the Ori. To grant Ascension to all their followers would mean sharing their power, an idea the Ori find less than appealing. Followers of th ...

See also:

Ori Stargate, Ori Stargate - The Ori and the Ancients, Ori Stargate - Differences in Beliefs, Ori Stargate - Ontological Comparison, Ori Stargate - Demise of the Ancients, Ori Stargate - Religion Origin, Ori Stargate - Symbolism, Ori Stargate - Teachings, Ori Stargate - Quotations, Ori Stargate - Agents of the Ori, Ori Stargate - Priors, Ori Stargate - Doci, Ori Stargate - Story, Ori Stargate - Key Episodes

Read more here: » Ori Stargate: Encyclopedia II - Ori Stargate - Religion Origin

There is no one "head God" in the Egyptian pantheon, and this fact has mystified, frustrated, confused, puzzled, amused and outraged monotheists around the world for 2,500 years. Egyptian philosophy has been labeled with the curious oxymoron of "spiritual materialism," and so dismissed as primitive.

An excerpt from Walk Like An Egyptian: A Modern Guide To The Religion And Philosophy Of Ancient Egypt

Read more here: » Ancient Egypt: Egyptian Divinity - Who's In Charge Here?

The first time I noticed conflicting ritual elements was when I was invited as a guest to attend another Coven's esbat celebration. When the time came to 'invoke the Watchtowers' (a ritual salutation to the four directions), I was amazed to learn that this group associated the element of Earth with the North. My own Coven equated North with Air. How odd, I thought. Where'd they get that? The High Priestess told me it had been copied out of a number of published sources. Further, she said she had never seen it listed any other way. I raced home and began tearing books from my own library shelves. And sure enough! Practically every book I consulted gave the following assoications as standard: North = Earth, East = Air, South = Fire, West = Water.

Then where the heck did I get the idea that Air belonged in the North?

Read more here: » Paganism: RE-THINKING THE WATCHTOWERS or 13 Reasons Air Should Be In The North

Toward a Celtic Numerology

What's in a word? Or a name? What special power resides in a word, connecting it so intimately to the very thing it symbolizes? Does each word or name have its own 'vibration', as is generally believed by those of us who follow the Western occult tradition? And if so, how do we begin to unravel its meaning? Just what, exactly, is in a word? Well, LETTERS are in a word. In fact, letters COMPRISE the word. Which is why Taliesyn's remark had always puzzled me. Why didn't he say he had been a 'letter among words'? That, at least, would seem to make more logical sense than saying he had been a 'word among letters', which seems backwards. Unless...  

Read more here: » Paganism: Toward a Celtic Numerology

Samhain. All Hallows. All Hallow's Eve. Hallow E'en. Halloween. The most magical night of the year. Exactly opposite Beltane on the wheel of the year, Halloween is Beltane's dark twin. A night of glowing jack-o-lanterns, bobbing for apples, tricks or treats, and dressing in costume. A night of ghost stories and seances, tarot card readings and scrying with mirrors. A night of power, when the veil that separates our world from the Otherworld is at its thinnest. A "spirit night," as they say in Wales.

Read more here: » Halloween: All Hallow's Eve

Hindu - Zulu Tradition - Many Similarities

There are some striking similarities between the African and Indian cultures.

In both Hindu and Zulu cultures religion and culture have become inseparable. You cannot talk of culture without implying religion; and you can't talk of religion amongst the Zulus and the Hindus without implying culture.

Read more here: » Hinduism vs Zulu: Hindu - Zulu Tradition - Many Similarities

Creating Sacred Space In Your Home

Many modern Celtic pagans today are faced with a difficult question: how can I bring my religion into my home? Whether we live in a dormitory, an apartment, a duplex or a mansion, most of us like to have our homes reflect our personalities and the things we are interested in, and that includes our spiritual practices, but many of us don't have back yards in which to practice and set up more permanent shrines, or 24/7 access to our favorite places in nature. For some, just setting up an altar somewhere in the home is either undesirable, unachievable or just not enough.

Read more here: » SacredSpace: Creating Sacred Space In Your Home

Celtic Marriage

This article is not just for those interested in the traditions of Celtic Marriage, it is also a look into the complex body of law that governed the ancient Celts.

For the ancient Celts, marriage was a very different thing than what we conceive of as "marriage" today. For them, marriage or handfasting as some know it was a form of contract that had several purposes. These included the protection of property rights, the care of progeny (children), and the rights of the individuals involved in the relationships themselves.

Read more here: » Ancient Celts: Celtic Marriage

Why Wicca is Not Celtic Paganism

There are many out there who believe that Wicca and its related forms of NeoPagism are a type of Celtic Paganism (and vice versa),  but this is simply not true. The following article is meant to be a comparison of Wicca and Celtic Paganism in order to demonstrate this, and to educate the public about Celtic Paganism. While Wicca certainly contains elements of Celtic mythology, folk magic and religious belief, its basic tenets and beliefs are radically different from those of Celtic Pagans.

Read more here: » Wicca and Celtic Paganism: Why Wicca is Not Celtic Paganism

A Celebration of MAY DAY

There are four great festivals of the Pagan Celtic year and the modern Witch's calendar as well. The two greatest of these are Halloween (the beginning of winter) and May Day (the beginning of summer). Being opposite each other on the wheel of the year, they separate the year into halves. Halloween (also called Samhain) is the Celtic New Year and is generally considered the more important of the two, though May Day runs a close second. Indeed, in some areas -- notably Wales -- it is considered the great holiday.

Read more here: » May Day: A Celebration of MAY DAY

Beltane is celebrated on May 1st and is one of the original Celtic festivals. Beltane or May Day is also known as the Lover's holiday. Beltane is one of the four Celtic Fire festivals, and is probably the second most important festival next to Samhain. Beltane is primarily a sun festival and was performed during the day. The most important part of Beltane was the kindling of the fires. The Irish Celts would extinguish their fires the night before and would eat a cold meal to insure that all fires were out. Then they would attend the ceremony, returning with an ember to once more start their fires.

Read more here: » Beltane: Beltane - May 1 or May Day

Beltane is celebrated on May 1st and is one of the original Celtic festivals.

7 recipies for Beltane including MEADE, FARLS, BELTANE CREAM PIE, OATCAKES - IRISH, OATCAKES - SCOTS, IRISH SODA BREAD, SAND TARTS (OLD GERMAN STYLE)

Read more here: » Beltane: Beltane - May Day Recipes

Relevance of Buddhism In the New Century

In the 20th century great changes took place as a result of experiments and developments in a broad range of human activities, in economics, politics, and science. The past hundred years' experiences have made us appreciate the importance of freedom, and the significant contributions of individual and private enterprise in improving the economy. We also began to recognise the importance of putting a stop to the production and proliferation of weapons of tremendous destructive power.

By The Dalai Lama

Read more here: » Buddhism: Relevance of Buddhism In the New Century

Persian Heritage In Hindu Traditions

Many would be surprised to learn that no ancient Hindu temple was dedicated to Rama - neither in Ayodhya nor anywhere else.

There had been many old temples and shrines devoted to Vishnu and Shiva and a few to Brahma, Ganesh, Kartikeya, Hanuman, Kubera, Nagas, Kali and Durga as well as a huge number honouring numerous local tribal deities. Only 180 years ago Raja Ram Mohan Roy coined the word 'Hindu' to describe the huge variety of faiths and sects with similar but not identical philosophies, myths and rituals.

Read more here: » Islam and Hinduism: Persian Heritage In Hindu Traditions

Because the Ori are Ascended and non-corporeal, they have to influence mortal beings to do their bidding. Ori Stargate - Priors. Main article: Prior (Stargate) The Ori are served by those called Priors, who act as the prophets, messengers and evangelists of the Ori by travelling to different planets and reading from the Book of Origin. Priors are artificially "evolved" humans, with 80%-90% of their neurons firing at any given time. This massive mental power allows them to ...

See also:

Ori Stargate, Ori Stargate - The Ori and the Ancients, Ori Stargate - Differences in Beliefs, Ori Stargate - Ontological Comparison, Ori Stargate - Demise of the Ancients, Ori Stargate - Religion Origin, Ori Stargate - Symbolism, Ori Stargate - Teachings, Ori Stargate - Quotations, Ori Stargate - Agents of the Ori, Ori Stargate - Priors, Ori Stargate - Doci, Ori Stargate - Story, Ori Stargate - Key Episodes

Read more here: » Ori Stargate: Encyclopedia II - Ori Stargate - Agents of the Ori

Meaning of Dreams in Islam

Few Western dream researchers have any familiarity with the rich dream traditions of Islam. The Muslim faith first emerged in seventh century B.C.E. Arabia as a profound revisioning of early Jewish and Christian beliefs and practices. One theme the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) drew from the scriptures of those two religions was a reverence for dreaming. In the Quran, as in the Jewish Torah and the Christian New Testament, dreams serve as a vital medium by which God communicates with humans. Dreams offer divine guidance and comfort, warn people of impending danger, and offer prophetic glimpses of the future. Although the three religions drastically differ on many other topics, they find substantial agreement on this particular point: dreaming is a valuable source of wisdom, understanding, and inspiration. Indeed, as I will propose in this brief essay, Islam has historically shown greater interest in dreams than either of the other two traditions, and has done more to weave dreaming into the daily lives of its members. From the first revelatory visions of Muhammed to the myriad dream practices of present-day Muslims, Islam has developed and sustained a complex, multifaceted tradition of active engagement with the dreaming imagination.

Read more here: » Meaning of Dreams in Islam: Reflections on the Dream Traditions of Islam

Sacred Revelations: Christ and Krishna

Both Krishna and Christ appeared on earth to help us evolve spiritually. The Supreme, though unborn and undying, reveals itself in human form to help us overcome the illusions of ignorance and self-centredness, of hatred and cruelty, through love and compassion. There are interesting similarities in the life and precepts of Krishna and Christ. Kansa and Herod - one the king of Mathura, the other, of Palestine - were forewarned that they would die at the hands of a child yet to be born. So, they went about slaughtering newborns.

Read more here: » Christ and Krishna: Sacred Revelations - Christ and Krishna