Sweeping away the germs and cobwebs of winter is a spring tradition for women around the world, but for some, it’s not about washing drapes and steaming rugs. It’s about shaking stagnant “energy” and driving out “bad vibes.”
Someone recently told me that “knocking on wood” was not really a superstition because it refers to knocking on the wood of the cross. Is this true? Curious, I decided to do some checking. Here’s what I found out.
CC writes: "I attended a workshop for early childhood ed and the presenter urged us all to change our curriculums to really emphasize a nature/environmental focus by bringing the outdoors inside and continue with lessons and experiences continuously taking the kids’ lead in areas of interest. She used words like POSITIVE ENERGY in the classroom and even showed how to arrange it using lights and shadows and organizing materials using specific colors in a color pattern; also bringing in a couch, stones and water fountains instead of tables and desks. I couldn’t stand being there because it felt like a new age atmosphere. We were silent for awhile. She asked us what we thought almost like she was hoping for a positive response. Do I have reason to be concerned or am I overreacting?"
MJB writes: "My daughter recently came home from school wearing a wish bracelet that had been given to her by a friend. When I looked it up on the Web, it seemed superstitious. Am I overreacting or is this something like a talisman?"
CA writes: “Here's a question about sound bath meditation. It sounds relaxing, but I want to make sure it's not New Age. I kind of think it is and so I've been afraid to attend. It's held in an Episcopal Church, not a Catholic one. They use ‘Alchemy Crystal singing bowls with amazing healing powers.’”
Witch bottles (Photo courtesy of Wikicommons, Malcolm Lidbury, CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED)
Beach goers are reporting on a series of eerie finds that have been washing up along the Gulf coast of Texas recently – glass bottles containing strange objects that are supposedly used by witches to trap malevolent spirits.
TA asks: "Can you help me understand about dowsing to get a 'Yes' or 'No' answer from the Cross or the Rosary? I've learned how to do it in the past but don't feel right to use it any more."