Dowsing is a phenomenon that has spread since ancient times and is still used today, in many rural areas, where other means for locating groundwater are lacking, and in alternative medicine. This pseudo-science seeks to identify natural electromagnetic fields and stimuli. It has often been put into practice, as has been said, to search for water...
The word alchemy seems to derive from the Arabic al-kemeia, which appears as such in the 12th century. According to certain scholars, kemeia or kimia would in turn come from the Egyptian kmt or chem, whose meaning was black, referring to the dark color of the earth. Since one of the main functions of alchemy is the transmutation of metals,...
One of the biggest problems that Wiccans often face is their designation as neopagans, and, simultaneously but mistakenly, their designation as idolaters. Wiccans believe in the God and Goddess, and revere them by recreating themselves in the contemplation and enjoyment of nature, in which the God and Goddess represent their duality and power. In...
The question of Egyptian magic is so broad that we have decided to create a second chapter touching on other aspects and techniques of it. Continuing with the first part, a magical tool, as has been seen, were the figures, which served both to create and destroy, and the words of power or hekay were the main element...
Heka, or ḥk3w in the ancient Egyptian transcription, is a word that combines multiple meanings: it is, mainly, magic, but understood as the creative power, but also the sustaining force of the world, as well as the magical act itself and its rituals. . The hieroglyphs used for his name contain ka, that is, the life force. Each act of...
Saint John's Eve takes place on the night of June 23 to 24, and the birth of John the Baptist is celebrated. However, it is only a transposition of the summer solstice festival, which takes place between June 20 and 22, in the northern hemisphere, and from December 20 to 22 in the southern hemisphere, and which represents the shortest...
The Middle Ages is undoubtedly the historical moment in which the vast majority see a hotbed of magic and occult arts, although occultism as such is still a few centuries away from being born. However, as has already been mentioned on previous occasions, the Middle Ages was a time, more than a creator, a recipient of all the traditions of...
The archaeological excavations in Greece never cease to amaze. The discovery of a vessel under the Athenian agora in 2006 by M. Handler, from the University of Cincinnati, did not generate greater expectations than the majority of ceramics found, which end up being stored waiting to analyze their iconography or the names written on them. , which...
Lilith is a character that becomes more important every day in Western folklore, although her image has been modified since her Mesopotamian origin, through Judeo-Christianity and literature that has associated her with other beings of neighboring mythologies or proto-feminist metaphors. This is undoubtedly the most widespread portrait today, and...
Yoga is a Hindu doctrine of a philosophical nature, which seeks physical and mental control, to achieve spiritual perfection, through the practice of asceticism, meditation and concentration. Yoga, from Sanskrit योग, union, comes from the root yuj-, yoke, so it not only seeks union, and teamwork of body and mind. It also defines a "balance" between...
Druid is a Latinized word from the Celtic word to define the priestly and legal class of his people. Multiple etymologies have been considered, which have tried to be related to the positions they held, for example the Gaelic drui- or cymraeg (old Welsh) drw-, which indicate magic or clairvoyance, or a possible Indo-European root reconstructed from...
Once again, the Santa María La Real Foundation offers its wide variety of courses on culture and heritage, focused on the Romanesque, offering presentations, workshops, seminars, excursions, guides and trips.
