Winds of Change

Paganism in Israel

Amazing! I am so happy! No, I am not a follower of the Canaanite or Sumerian pantheons, but this is a start.

People are starting to get back to their roots.

There's so much archeology I could go into RIGHT NOW about how the Hebrews are basically the Canaanites. They branched off and became really seperate later. But the Hebrews writing and language stems from the Canaanite and El is the top of the Canaanite pantheon. His name means "god" too in Canaanite. His consort was Ellat or "goddess" who also took the name Asherah.

Later, Yahweh, a desert deity, syncretized with El. In a Hosea passage Yahweh tells Hosea he is Asherah and Anat. Two Canaanite deities. Looking into archeology scholars found pots with words on them "May Yahweh and his Asherah bless you."

The ancient Hebrews kept worshiping goddesses for centuries. Asherah and Anath were two of the most popular of them. Here, we have evidence of two things:

1. God is for the worship of both of them

2. Conferring to God being supposedly both male and female, God is saying that he is both Yahweh and Asherah. As history has clearly showed God's female side became wiped out by over zealous priests. God's female side only manifests itself in Sheikinah in Judaism or his female presence and later in Jewish mysticism as the Matronit. Here in ancient Hebrew lore we have Asherah.

So there is some fodder for you folks to get excited and chat about. If anyone would like more information on the subject, please check out the book the Hebrew Goddess by R.Patai.

Thanks!

We have contradicting scientific reports. This is why you should keep a open mind, kids.

"Lee, MS; MH Pittler, E Ernst (2008). "Effects of reiki in clinical practice: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials"."

Cites: Conclusion: In conclusion, the evidence is insufficient to suggest? that reiki is an effective treatment for any condition. Therefore the value of reiki remains unproven"

But then this review article says:

Results showed no evidence of short-term benefit in terms

of functioning or depression, as measured by standardized instruments.

However, the authors note that data on long-term and cognitive

change were not available, and so it was not possible to

measure the potential impact of Reiki on these dimensions.

[..]

Twenty volunteers who experienced

chronic pain from a variety of causes, including cancer, demonstrated

a significant decrease in pain after receiving a single 75

minute Reiki session.61This study is limited by its design and

the existence of a number of potentially confounding variables,

but it does point to possible clinical applications of Reiki that

should be studied further.

The Windana Society in Melbourne, Australia has operated

a Reiki clinic for more than 10 years and provides holistic care to

clients who are undergoing treatment for withdrawal from drugs

and alcohol.62 The staff reviewed clinical records and conducted

a client survey. Both clients and staff attribute a number of client

outcomes to Reiki therapy, including reduced pain and improvements

in clients? sleep patterns, mood, and clarity of thinking.

Their data supports the hypothesis that Reiki promotes a greater

sense of self-awareness and connectedness, and brings profound

relaxation. Clients described Reiki as bringing them a sense of

peace and well-being that enabled them to continue with their

recovery and enhanced their counseling sessions.

Quackwatch reports:

The White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy (WHCCAMP) issued its final report in March. It is a prayer of praise to CAM, which it never actually defined, despite two years of "study". Between the WHCCAMP and the NIH National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), there have been, in 10 years, over one billion of our dollars spent, supposedly to research the efficacy, safety, and veracity of "Alternative Medicine." Results? We have -- according to these fine commissions -- debunked exactly nothing. Nothing has been either proven or disproven, according to these expert panels. 

(Note: This aricle is done by a RN, and not a scholar.)

Lastly, Journal of Advanced medicine concludes:

These findings suggest both biochemical and physiological changes in the direction of relaxation. The salivary IgA findings warrant further study to explore the effects of human TT and humeral immune function.

I am a very skeptical person. I like to try 'spiritual' things out to see if they actually work. Some things have in my experience, others have not. 

Recently, after going to a pagan meeting, I decided that I will try my hand at reiki. After all, I thought th crystals things was a bunch of BS until I saw that it actually DID work. Let's see if I can really 'heal' myself and others.

My aunt happens to be a reiki master. And I am sure she swears by it. My first order of business is through youtube. Yes, youtube. I will start out with video lessons, as they are free, and I am piss broke. I've experiemnted with Tai Chi and chi in Kung Fu so this will be fun.

Next order of business will be me trying out actual classes. However, let's start off slow. I will post my experiences and results with reiki, positive and negative. I heard I'll be starting practicing on myself, then others. When I get to people, I do need permission. However, I had heard that you can obtain permission by asking the person spirit. So let's try this out shall we?