Epiphany celebrates the intervention of God in the life of a people, relating effectively, the Christmas message which emerged from Christ's birth place at Bethlehem. Hence it is also called the Feast of Lights or the Candlemas Feast.

In the past it was also known as the Twelfth Day as it falls on the twelfth day after Christmas and winds up formally the Christmas season of rejoicing.

(See also: Epiphany , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Epiphany: Epiphany - Festival of The Twelfth Night  

The traditional concept of man was that of a materialist or spiritualist, moral or immoral person, sinner or saint. A divided man is miserable. He is neither healthy nor whole; the other half that has been denied will go on taking revenge. It will find ways and means to overcome the part you have imposed upon yourself. You will become a battleground, there will be civil war.

In the past we were unable to create real human beings; we made humanoids. A humanoid is one who looks like a human being but is utterly challenged. He has not been allowed to bloom in his totality. He is adhoora, and because he is half is always tense; he cannot celebrate. Celebration is the fragrance of being whole.

(See also: Osho , Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Osho: Zorba the Buddha - The Complete Man  

The philosophy of Prophet Zarathushtra accorded sanctity to nature as much as to rectitude in human existence. The Sun became the celestial emblem of the Fire which was kept burning within the homes and fire-temples on earth as an undying and unremitting tribute to the spirit of the Creator, Ahura Mazda.

Haptan Yasht says: "We revere the Earth and the Sky, we revere the strong Wind created by Mazda, we revere all good land." The unflinching reverence of the living world as also an abiding involvement with the advancement of our own Self were propounded through Zoroastrianism, a religion in consonance with environmental perceptions. Physical purity became a step towards purity of the mind, the soul and the spirit.

(See also: Jamshedi Navroz , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Jamshedi Navroz: Celebration of Life - Jamshedi Navroz  

Buddhist Festivals and Special Days

There are many special or holy days held throughout the year by the Buddhist community. Many of these days celebrate the birthdays of Bodhisattvas in the Mahayana tradition or other significant dates in the Buddhist calendar. The most significant celebration happens every May on the night of the full moon, when Buddhist all over the world celebrate the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha over 2,500 years ago. It has become to be known as Buddha Day.

Read more here: » Buddhism: Buddhist Festivals and Special Days

The practice of Christian meditation dates back to the beginning of Christianity; its objective is to daily 'empty the self' to experience the fullness of God. It is consonant with Jesus's invitation to his disciples to take up their cross daily and follow him. It is central to Easter celebrations, 'dying' to rise to a New Life.

The way of meditation is the way of silence. Silencing the ceaseless chatter of a mind buzzing with thoughts is not easy. The way to silence is the way of the mantra. Choosing a sacred word and repeating it from the beginning to the end of the period of meditation forms part of the essential teaching of Christian meditation. It is advisable to choose a word of four syllables and pronounce them with equal length. The recommended word in the Christian Tradition is Ma-ra-na-tha. In Aramaic, the language of Jesus's time, it means 'The Lord comes'.

(See also: Christian Meditation , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Christian Meditation: Christian Meditation - Death of the Self  

Epiphany: Amid darkness, light

There's a temptation to feel a little bit of a letdown this time of year, even after a really great holiday season. And there's unrest in many places vying for center stage on news broadcasts around the world. Not all the darkness is outside; our hearts have been touched and saddened.

Read more here: » Christian Science: Epiphany - Amid darkness, light

Humanity’s path towards retrieving the Mayan calendar system really started with the Harmonic Convergence, August 16-17, 1987, when large numbers of people in the West turned out for a spiritual celebration. Although, it was not recognized at the time, this celebration had the distinction of falling on the first two days of a traditional Mayan tzolkin (260-day) round.

Read more here: » Mayan Calendar: Mayan Calendar and the Cycles of the Goddess

Vasthu Ceremony - for laying foundation

The ceremony of the laying of the foundation for a building should be performed only during the home when the Deity of the plot (VASTHU PURUSHAN) is well awake. It is guide imperative to follow the presages to be carefully notices when performing the laying of the foundation ceremony.

The worship during laying the foundation ceremony should be postponed to another auspicious day in any of the following twenty presages are noticed.

Read more here: » Vastu Shastra: Vasthu Ceremony - for laying foundation

Nearly 80 per cent of the people of Assam are dependent on agriculture and spontaneous celebration of festivities is associated with the beginning and end of the harvest season. Bihu from the Sanskrit Vishu, is the harvest festival of Assam and is celebrated thrice in a year. The festival at the beginning of the spring season is Bohag Bihu, associated with the Vernal equinox in Chaitra Sankranti. The Kati Bihu is associated with the Autumnal equinox in Ashwina Sankranti.

People often call the Kati Bihu as Kangali Bihu as there is nothing much to eat during that period. People welcome budding paddy crops. The Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu associated with the winter solstice is celebrated with food and drinks after harvest, in Pausa Sankranti.

(See also: Bihu , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Bihu: Bihu, the Unifying Festival of Assam  

Advocates of peace all over the world continue with their avowed mission. They are working towards creating greater awareness of the need for promoting universal feelings of amity and compassion.

The annual Maramon Convention held recently in Kerala - which was first organised in 1896 by the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar, an ancient Christian community of India - is one such collective effort to bring out the spiritual essence of the Word of God.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Community Efforts For Amity And Peace

Champagne

A universal symbol for celebration. If you are drinking champagne, clinking glasses and laughing and talking with other people, great good fortune lies ahead. If a champagne glass is spilled, however, or a bottle broken, the celebration is premature and there is still much to be done before you can consider a project completed.

Source: Astrocenter, http://astrocenter.astrology.msn.com/msn/DreamDictionary.aspx

(See also: Dream Archives, Meaning of Dreams, Dream Interpretation, Dream Dictionary, Dream Dictionary - Champagne , Meaning of Dreams about Champagne , Dream Interpretation Champagne )

On his release from prison, the great Nelson Mandela said: "Together we live in a global neighbourhood and it is not to the long-term benefit of any if there are islands of wealth in a sea of poverty. We need a globalisation of responsibility as well.

Above all that is the challenge of the new century." Mandela was absolutely right. The evolution of technology down the linear, reductionist path, which defines only that which is physically quantifiable, has jeopardised our eco-system, if not human civilisation.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Greed Is a Threat to Civilisation

It does not matter to a man of awareness whether he is successful or unsuccessful, well-known or absolutely unknown, powerful or just a nobody. To a man of awareness, these dualities don't matter at all, because awareness is the greatest treasure. When you have it, you don't want anything else. You don't want to become the president or prime minister of a country.

Those who pursue power suffer even in success - they live in the eternal fear that they might lose it. At first they suffered because they were not successful; now after being successful, too, they are suffering because of a feeling of insecurity.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace of Mind: The Truth Beyond Success and Failure

Purnahuti:

(lit., full or complete offering) The culmination of any celebration, especially a saptah or a yajna. The final chant of a purnahuti is an arati, an invocation to the Guru entreating him to kindle the flame of divine love in the disciple's heart. Tradition states that to attend a purnahuti is to gain the merit of the entire celebration.

(See also: Purnahuti , Yoga, Yoga Dictionary, Siddha Yoga, Siddha Yoga Dictionary)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X Y Z

Halloween is a celebration that has evolved from the combination of several different traditions.

 The roots of Halloween are unearthed in the rituals of Druids and Celtic priests of pre-Christian Ireland and Scotland. November 1 was the beginning of the new year, so Halloween, or "Samhain," (pronounced "sow'an") was like New Year's Eve. It was both a time of death and new beginnings, of harvest feasting and magic.

Read more here: » Halloween: The Gnarled Roots of Halloween

We acquire knowledge, but we lack awareness. Awareness arises when knowledge accompanies action. Mere acquisition of knowledge does not mean that such knowledge will translate into action.

For instance, most of us know that if you smoke cigarettes, you are susceptible to cancer. Cigarette smokers see the statutory warning imprinted on the cigarette packs: ''Smoking is injurious to health’’.

Nevertheless, they continue to smoke. But if one day, the smoker does begin to suffer from ill-health on account of his smoking, then, the knowledge turns into awareness - through direct experience - that smoking could indeed be injurious to health.

(See also: Awareness , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Awareness: Be Aware of Thought, Word and Action

Gautama Buddha made a profound statement: "Be a light unto yourself". To this, Osho adds another: "Be a joke unto yourself". Osho would say: "I have to tell jokes because you are all religious people, you tend to be serious. I have to tickle you sometimes so that you forget your religiousness, your philosophies, theories, systems, and you fall down to earth".

Osho has seen that in spontaneous laughter the noise of the mind stops for a few precious moments, allowing us to experience mindlessness or meditation, however fleetingly.

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Love and Happiness: Unburden Yourself With Laughter

MOTHER KALI

The Destroyer of Demoniac Attributes

It is unfortunate that Devi is ignorantly understood by many as a mere blood-thirsty Hindu Goddess. No! Devi is not a vicious demoness nor is She the property of the Hindus alone. Devi does not belong to any religion. Devi is that conscious power of God. The words Devi, Shakti, etc., and the ideas of different forms connected with these names are concessions granted by the sages due to the limitations of the human intellect; they are by no means the ultimate definitions of Shakti.

From " Hindu Fasts & Festivals " by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Kali: The Hindu Godess Mother Kali

In literature, art and cinema, death has been almost always depicted as a terrible thing, the final end, although in reality it is merely a release from the burden of the physical body.

Every religious tradition recognises that to reach the final truth, one must pass through death. This is the meaning behind Aanea's descent to the underworld in Virgil, of Dante's descent into hell in the Divine Comedy and the Christian baptism: “You were baptised into the death of Christ”.

(See also: Life and Death, Life and Beyond, Death and Dying, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Life and Death: Finality of Death Is a Myth

Hinduism Lexicon on B

From backbiting to buddhi chitta.

Read more here: » Hinduism: Hinduism Lexicon on B

BAWMING THE THORN: The act of dressing or adorning a living tree with flowers and ribbons and making merry with great celebration afterwards including public games and various amusements. This event usually took place on or near Old Midsummer but the term bawming may include Yule trees as well as the traditional May Pole.

(See also: BAWMING THE THORN , Witch, Witchcraft, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

Christmas Tree Dream Symbols:

(Source: Myths - Dreams - Symbols)

Related pages: Dream Symbols, Dream Interpretation, Dream Symbol Christmas Tree, Dream Dictionary Christmas Tree, Meaning of dreams about Christmas Tree, Dream Interpretation Christmas Tree, Dream Analysis Christmas Tree, Dreaming of Christmas Tree

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