•
Check out the latest video, “Crimson Circle Holidays,
“ from the recent Christmas Shoud and New Year’s
Eve Message. Here’s the link to YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRrP3pItjHk
•
Tobias’ spiritual epic Journey of the Angels
is now available as a digital download through the Shaumbra
Shoppe at Journey
of the Angels. This is the story of creation that’s
never been told before, shared with us now by a real
angel. It explains how and why we became separated from
Spirit, helps us to understand what transpires in the
angelic realms, and it paints a new and refreshing picture
of why earth was created and why we chose to come here.
It is perhaps Tobias’ finest delivery of the past
10 years. Each of the 11 channels are crisp and succinct,
and the energy brought in by Tobias can be clearly felt
and experienced. Journey of the Angels was
previously available as a physical CD product only.
•
The Midsummer New Energy Conference scheduled for July
3-4 in Munich, Germany is selling out very quickly.
Within three days of the announcement of the event,
over 30% of the available seats have been reserved.
To avoid disappointment please make sure to sign up
early. Space is limited to just 300 attendees. Go to:
Midsummer2010Munich.
•
Upcoming but Not-Yet-Posted Events: We’re waiting
for final details before we make the official announcement
about several new events, but we want to give Shaumbra
a heads-up about what’s ahead on the calendar:
Sacred
Shaumbra Tour – Republic of Malta, May 11 –
17. One of the oldest and most sacred civilizations
in existence located in the beautiful Mediterranean
south of Italy. Six nights at an exclusive four-star
resort. Limited to 45 attendees. Live channels with
Adamus.
Adamus’
New Energy Mystery School – Salzburg, Austria,
July 9 – 11, 2010. Limited to 100 attendees.
10
Noteworthy Religious Practices
Most
religions have one or two unusual practices or devices
but occasionally you find one that is just completely
different. This list contains ten of the more interesting
things found in modern religions.
1.
Mormon Temple Garments
In
some denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement,
the temple garment (or the Garment of the Holy Priesthood,
or informally, the garment or garments) is a set of
sacred underclothing worn by adult adherents who have
taken part in a ritual ceremony known as washing and
anointing ordinance, usually in a temple as part of
the Endowment ceremony. Adherents consider them to be
sacred and may be offended by public discussion of the
garments. According to generally-accepted Mormon doctrine,
the marks in the garments are sacred symbols (Buerger
2002, p. 58). One proposed element of the symbolism,
according to early Mormon leaders, was a link to the
“Compass and the Square”, the symbols of
freemasonry (Morgan 1827, pp. 22-23), to which Joseph
Smith (creator of Mormonism) had been initiated about
seven weeks prior to his introduction of the Endowment
ceremony.
2.
Scientology E-Meter
An
E-meter is an electronic device manufactured by the
Church of Scientology at their Gold Base production
facility. It is used as an aid by Dianetics and Scientology
counselors and counselors-in-training in some forms
of auditing, the application of the techniques of Dianetics
and Scientology to another or to oneself for the express
purpose of addressing spiritual issues.
E-meter
sessions are conducted by church employees known as
auditors. Scientology materials traditionally refer
to the subject as the “preclear,” although
auditors continue to use the meter well beyond the clear
level. The preclear holds a pair of cylindrical electrodes
(“cans”) connected to the meter while the
auditor asks the preclear a series of questions and
notes both the verbal response and the activity of the
meter. Auditor training describes many types of needle
movements, with each having their own special significance.
A
1971 ruling of the United States District Court, District
of Columbia (333 F. Supp. 357), specifically stated,
“The E-meter has no proven usefulness in the diagnosis,
treatment or prevention of any disease, nor is it medically
or scientifically capable of improving any bodily function.”
3.
Exorcism
Exorcism
is the practice of evicting demons or other evil spiritual
entities from a person or place that they are believed
to have possessed (taken control of). The practice is
quite ancient and still part of the belief system of
many religions, though it is seen mostly in the Roman
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.
Solemn
exorcisms, according to the Canon law of the church,
can only be exercised by an ordained priest (or higher
prelate), with the express permission of the local bishop,
and only after a careful medical examination to exclude
the possibility of mental illness. The Catholic Encyclopaedia
(1908) enjoined: “Superstition ought not to be
confounded with religion, however much their history
may be interwoven, nor magic, however white it may be,
with a legitimate religious rite”.
4.
Jewish Kaparot
Kaparot
is a traditional Jewish religious ritual that takes
place around the time of the High Holidays. Classically,
it is performed by grasping a live chicken by the shoulder
blades and moving around one’s head three times,
symbolically transferring one’s sins to the chicken.
The chicken is then slaughtered and donated to the poor,
preferably eaten at the pre-Yom Kippur feast. In modern
times, Kapparos is performed in the traditional form
mostly in Haredi communities. The ritual is preceded
by the reading of Psalms 107:17-20 and Job 33:23-24.
On
the eve of Yom Kippur 2005, more than 200 caged chickens
were abandoned in rainy weather as part of a Kaparot
operation in Brooklyn, NY; some of these starving and
dehydrated chickens were subsequently
rescued by the American Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals. Jacob Kalish, an Orthodox Jew
from Williamsburg, was charged with animal cruelty for
the drowning deaths of 35 of these chickens. In response
to such reports of the mistreatment of chickens, animal
rights organizations have begun to picket public observances
of kaparot, particularly in Israel.
5.
Shamanism
Shamanism refers to a range of traditional beliefs and
practices concerned with communication with the spirit
world. There are many variations in shamanism throughout
the world, though there are some beliefs that are shared
by all forms of shamanism. Its practitioners claim the
ability to diagnose and cure human suffering and, in
some societies, the ability to cause suffering. This
is believed to be accomplished by traversing the axis
mundi and forming a special relationship with, or gaining
control over, spirits.
Shamans
have been credited with the ability to control the weather,
divination, the interpretation of dreams, astral projection,
and traveling to upper and lower worlds. Shamans were
used in Tibetan Buddhism as a form of divination by
which the Dalai Lama was given prophesies of the future
and advice.
6. Dowry
This
is a cultural practice rather than a religious one.
The practice of dowry exists across India. Despite laws
against it, the practice continues. The girl child’s
dowry and wedding expenses often sends her family into
a huge debt trap. As consumerism and wealth increase
in India, dowry demands are growing. In rural areas,
families sell their land holdings, while the urban poor
sell their houses.
To
curb the practice of dowry, the government of India
made several laws detailing severe punishment to anyone
demanding dowry and a law in Indian Penal Code (Section
498A) has been introduced. While it gives boost to a
woman and her family, it in the same time also put a
man and his family in a great disadvantage. Misuse of
this law by women in urban India and many incidents
of extortion of money from the husband done by the wife
and her family (this is called sowry) have come to light..
Mormon Baptism of the Dead
Baptism
for the dead, vicarious baptism or proxy baptism is
a religious practice of baptizing a living person on
behalf of an individual who is dead; the living person
is acting as the deceased person’s proxy. It has
been practiced since 1840 in The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints where it is also called temple
baptism because it is performed only in dedicated temples.
In
the practice of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, a living person, acting as proxy, is baptized
by immersion on behalf of a deceased person of the same
gender. The baptism ritual is as follows: after calling
the living proxy by name, the person performing the
baptism says, “Having been commissioned of Jesus
Christ, I baptize you for and in behalf of [full name
of deceased person], who is dead, in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”
The proxy is then immersed briefly in the water. Baptism
for the dead is a distinctive ordinance of the church
and is based on the belief that baptism is a required
ordinance for entry into the Kingdom of God.
The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints vicariously
baptizes people regardless of race, sex, or creed. This
includes both victims and perpetrators of genocide.
Some Jewish survivors of the Holocaust and their supporters
have objected to this practice.
8.
Jainist Digambaras
Digambar
also spelled Digambara is one of the two main sects
of Jainism. Senior Digambar monks wear no clothes, following
the practice of Lord Mahavira. They do not consider
themselves to be nude — they are wearing the environment.
Digambaras believe that this practice represents a refusal
to give in to the body’s demands for comfort and
private property — only Digambara ascetics are
required to forsake clothing. Digambara ascetics have
only two possessions: a peacock feather broom and a
water gourd.
The
native Jain communities of Maharashta, Bundelkhand (MP/UP),
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu are all Digambaras. In north India,
the Saravagis and the Agrawals are also Digambaras.
In Gujarat and Southern Rajasthan, the majority of Jains
follow the Svetambara tradition, although some Jain
communities of these regions like the Humad are also
Digambaras.
9.
Islamic Niqab
A
niqab is a veil which covers the face, worn by some
Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijab. It is popular
in the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf but it can
also be found in North Africa, Southeast Asia and the
Indian subcontinent.
The
niqab is regarded differently by the various schools
of Islamic jurisprudence known as madhahab. Some see
it as obligatory, or fard , while others see it as recommended,
or mustahab, and a few see it as forbidden. The majority
of scholars believe hijab is required, but only a few
see niqab as required, although this is not the common
perception among the general population.
10.
Jehovah’s Witnesses Refusal of Blood Transfusions
A
fundamental doctrine of the Jehovah’s Witnesses
teaches that the Bible prohibits consumption, storage
and transfusion of blood, including in cases of emergency.
This doctrine was introduced in 1945, and has been elaborated
upon since then. Although accepted by a majority of
Jehovah’s Witnesses, evidence indicates a minority
does not wholly endorse this doctrine. Facets of the
doctrine have drawn praise and criticism from both members
of the medical community and Jehovah’s Witnesses
alike.
In
1964, Jehovah’s Witnesses were prohibited from
obtaining transfusions for pets, from using fertilizer
containing blood, and were even encouraged to write
to dog food manufacturers to verify that their products
were blood-free. Later that year, Jehovah’s Witnesses
doctors and nurses were instructed to withhold blood
transfusions from fellow Jehovah’s Witnesses.
As to administering transfusions to non-members, The
Watchtower stated that such a decision is “left
to the Christian doctor’s own conscience.”
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