Watching TV chefs can be like being in awe of a clever neighbor with whom we have become attached. We almost long for their views, ideas and even find their mannerisms appealing. They give us secrets, advice and chastize us when we cook slightly wrong. Then, without realizing it, they change our eating habits for…
Tag: legends
Solstices & Equinoxes: The Mystical Meaning Throughout History
Solstices & Equinoxes: The Mystical Meaning Throughout History Solstices and equinoxes were not celebrated as purely physical events. They also held vast ritual and spiritual meaning in many cultures. The life cycle of the sun finds its parallel in the lives of solar deities and spiritual figures around the world and in the legends of…
The 411 on Saint Patrick, 3-17 and a wee More!
While much of St. Patrick’s life is clouded by legend, there are some generally agreed-upon facts. Most historians agree that he was born in Scotland or Wales around 370 A.D and died on March 17, 461. So, our celebration of Patrick is on the day that he died. His, birth name was Maewyn Succat, born…
Is There Really a Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow?
Picture of Sedona Rainbow Dating back to Old Ireland, the legend of the pot of gold is claimed eagerly by the Irish. They’ll tell you tales of fairies putting gold there and that leprechauns guard it from us humans. The leprechauns decided that humans could not have the gold because of what our greed would…
Leap Castle of Ireland: The MOST Haunted in the World!
Perhaps the most haunted castle in Ireland is “Leap Castle” and according to legend was built on a Druidic site. The O’Carroll family once lived here, and they were vicious murderers, who would throw the bodies of their victims down a hole in the wall called an “oubilette.” There is a small windowless room below…
Who are the “Wee Folk” or Leprechauns of Ireland?
As part of Irish mythology and folklore the Leprechauns are part of Ireland’s faerie folk, called by some as the “wee folk”. As a cousin of the clurichaun they are known to have inhabited Ireland well before the arrival of the Celts. Small enough for one to sit comfortable on your shoulder they are very…
The Spirit of Life? You decide!
The American Indians called it “Firewater” the French, “Espirit” the spirit of life. Latin’s “Spiritus” to breathe, a slow breath, Irish Whiskey uisce beatha (“Water of Life” in Gaelic) prononced Ish Ka Ba Ha… Alchemists regarded distillation as extracting the spirit of the substance, in the sense of the essence. Since it came out as invisible…
Once Upon a Spice 