On one of our daytrips to a cozy town nearby, 4teen and 4t entered a store that sold spiritual effects. There was a demonstration going on that looked very intriguing and since it was the weekend of Halloween, I assumed that the show was to entertain the crowd and instill an atmosphere of this holiday, and to sell a few things as well.
The lady store owner was standing in front of the long line of people, with a stack of burning dried leaves bundled together in a rag, leading the line around the store, saying prayers and in attempt of shoving the smoke out of the open door. When the ceremony ended, she explained that the leaves are called sage and it is used to expel negativity and evil eye out of the house. In short she explained that this dried herb cleanses your house, like Mr. Clean, Lysol and bleach does, but you can only sense the purity and unable to see it!
She answered a few questions, but for more detailed questions like: how do we know if my house needs to cleaned, since we do not see the dirt, or what is the prayer that needs to be recited along with burning the sage, we needed to attend a session that was ongoing every Tuesday night for a nominal fee of $50.00 per person. No beverages served.
Well, it sounds right, one wants knowledge, one pays for school! But if she thought that I will pay that much money to learn about this stuff, she did not know me very well! I pay for internet service and this is after all 21st century! And I learned that sages like Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, Rav Ashlog, Rav Lunia, among many other leaders of the Kabbalah, also believed in the power of sage, the herb. They suggested burning this herb in the house when people have bad dreams and believed that the scent and smoke of this herb cancels the negativity effect that is caused in people. It is common practice even now and it is also used to offset the effect of evil eye in a house.
These sages lived centuries ago when people were much less educated, and the world was less civilized than today. The medicine and hygiene was not this advanced and people addressed different issues based on what was available to them. I have tried to scientify what they taught by rationalizing the fact that maybe they burned the herb to nullify the bad smells in the house since people lived in numbers in small spaces or showered less and environment was dirty, and most everything had a bad stench. What I can not understand, is that hundreds of years later, when we are more civilized and more advanced, we are still doing this and we still believe in evil eye and negativity.
The way I see it, people are people and it does not matter which century they live in. Civilized or not, certain things almost never change, and apparently this spiritual need is one of them.
To be on the safe side, next time you cook, marinate your chicken and roast in sage and it will have double effect!! The food will taste great and maybe, as the chicken is roasting, the scent of the sage will purify the house too. One simply does not know.
In conclusion 4teen uses pot and weed to feel good, and 4t may burn sage around the house to feel good as well!!
6 comments:
try smoking the sage. it might have a better effect 4t!
Whether it be Sage. God. Scientific Reasoning. OR Spiritual Reasoning. People need something to believe it, and maybe they use sage because the smell calms them down therefor they believe their house was no longer "cursed." Or you could touch the subject of witch craft...
either way though, i think its just another form of people neededing something to hang on too.
*** Ps -- Nice idea Jimmy
i agree itgive somehting to belive in
I thought that a few words about sage, of course the herb, which is not as popular as the rest of the herbs can be helpful.
Sage history and facts:
Sage, botanically-known as Salvia officinalis, is native to the Mediterranean region. In ancient Rome, it was considered to have substantial healing properties, particularly helpful in the digestion of the ubiquitous fatty meats of the time, and was deemed a part of the official Roman pharmocopeia. At one time, the French produced bountiful crops of sage which they used as tea.
The Chinese became enamored of French sage tea, trading four pounds of Chinese tea to one pound of sage tea. In 812 AD, sage was one of the plants deemed so important that Charlemagne ordered it planted on German imperial farms, no doubt due to the lucrative trade business as well as medicinal popularity.
Sage leaves are silver-green with a fuzzy texture. The slightly bitter flavor is complex and strong, with hints of lemon and camphor. Sage is the primary identifiable herb in poultry seasoning. Use a light touch with sage as it can easily overpower your recipe.
Sage selection and storage:
Fresh sage leaves should be aromatic and should have no soft spots or dry edges. Wrap in paper towels and store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Use within 4 to 5 days. Fresh leaves may be covered in olive oil and stored in the refrigerator up to 2 months. Use the flavored oil for sauteeing or in salad dressing. To freeze fresh sage leaves, wash and pat dry, remove leaves from the stems, and pack loosely in freezer bags. Freeze up to 1 year. Be aware that freezing will intensify the flavor of the herb and adjust accordingly.
Dried sage is preferred by most cooks and comes in whole leaf, rubbed, and ground form. Rubbed sage has a light, velvety texture, whereas ground sage is more of a free-flowing powder. As with all dried herbs, store closed containers in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. Use within 6 months for best flavor.
http://homecooking.about.com/cs/herbsspices1/a/sage.htm
I can only tell you that that most of the people when you challenge them to think, they mostly behave like those that just had a brain stroke.
its easier not to think - Minimum energy from Newton laws
Do you think Madonna and Brtitney Spears also burn sage, because they believe in Kabbala?
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