Divination

Three Forms of Shinto State Shinto - became known as Jinja (shrine) to distinguish it from the more religious Skuha versions - the grand imperial shrine at Ise was dedicated to the mother goddess of Japan, Amaterasu - typical shrine consists of two buildings – inner and outer o made of unpainted wood and must be torn down and rebuilt every twenty years o the inner shrine is reserved for priests and government officials o objects of importance are held in the inner shrine - offers modest offering…

through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.” The Canaanites were a very wicked people. Israel was warned when they were to come into their land and (v.9) not to learn their ways. Such wicked, hateful, murdering people would take their children and sacrifice them to the false god Moloch in the fire or pass through the fire, use divination (foretelling…

Although he brought glory to ancient China, Shi Huangdi was a cruel leader who used his power mold Chinese culture and society to meet his desires. Shi Huangdi enforced strict laws and commands and made unnecessary punishments and restrictions. “He outlawed all local customs, festivals, and folksongs as well as local religious practices,” (Graham, 337). Huangdi acted as a tyrant in numerous ways who practiced autocracy; imposing harsh laws, severe punishments, and heavy levies upon his people.…

The word occultism derives from the Greek word occultus meaning hidden. Occultism is the study of the arts or occult practices like magic, alchemy, astrology, spiritualism and clairvoyance, among others. The interpretation of the occult and concepts can be found in the belief structures of certain philosophies and religions such as Gnosticism, Hermeticism, theosophy, Wicca, Thelma, neo-paganism or Satanism religions. The meaning of occultism is the secret knowledge and practices dealing with the…

Scrying is an ancient form of divination. Scrying is the art of gazing into a reflective surface to gain information about the future. Many people use crystal balls, mirrors, candles and other surfaces as scrying devices for divinatory purposes. Although people use these reflective tools for seeing the future, many individuals don’t realize that these tools can also be used for contacting the dead. For more than one thousand years people have used scrying to connect with spirits. Individuals…

I have learned a lot of things by watching China X, and that includes things like the origin of writing and the significance of culture heroes. “If we take the early textual record, and look at that in terms of the kinds of ways in which people understood the beginning of civilization, then they typically begin with culture heroes” (2, 3, 00:25). Cultural heroes are human figures and sage leaders who invent things that are beneficial to the people and they promote the development of civilization…

On June of 1663, Anna Roleffes, otherwise known as Tempel Anneke, was arrested on suspicion of witchcraft in her village of Harxbuttel that sits near the city, Brunswick in the Holy Roman Empire (Intro. xiii). Peter A. Morton’s, The Trial of Tempel Anneke contains the transcript of her trial, in which she was found guilty and ultimately ended in her execution. Her case acts as an example, depicting one of the immense amount of witch trials that occurred in early modern Europe that led to over…

of his rule, was the outlawing of private possession of arms and in order to protect his interests, he ordered nobles to leave their land and move to the capital. He also burned all books except manuals on topics such as agriculture, medicine and divination.…

between Tiresias and Oedipus gradually progresses as Oedipus journeys towards his path of self-discovery. Sophocles juxtaposes both characters in order to illustrate Tiresias as a paradox to blindness. Tiresias is gifted immortality and ultimate divination power by the Gods and therefore is able to ironically see the truth and the fate that follows. Greek society generally viewed oracles as guidelines on how to live their life as they foreshadowed their destiny; therefore Tiresias’ character was…

In the early Christian church, Halloween was a day for remembrance of martyrs, which is also called All Saints Day. All Hallows Eve, was the day before All Saints Day which began that time of remembrance. Presently, Halloween had become mostly a secular holiday. A time when kids dress up in a costume of their favorite fantasy character or a hero, and go door to door collecting candy. Although that might not sound so bad, kids now sometimes dress up as devils, vampires, and other evil characters…