Halloween Quiz – Questions

Halloween Skyline

Having written about Halloween for many years, I was wracking my brain for a different take on things for this October. When it came to me! I should test how much you remember from my previous articles + what else you might know, so a Halloween quiz was born.
It’s just for fun – but no peeking and no checking Google, until you are finished!

Questions

Q1. Around the globe and within different faiths there are alternative names/dates for Halloween – name 3.

Q2. What were Jack ‘O’ Lanterns originally carved from? And what are they carved in now?

Q3. In England and Ireland a form of trick or treating began many years ago where children would go from door to door singing and saying prayers for the dead in return for cakes. What was this activity called?

Q4. If a bat flew in to your house on Halloween – what would that mean?

Q5. Many of us dislike spiders, but why might we want to see one on Halloween?

Q6. The symbol of a witch during Halloween is actually depicting which Pagan Goddess?

Q7. What does the ‘witches cauldron’ mean to The Celts?

Q8. What Roman festival are candy apples associated with?

Q9. What colour candles should you use as part of your Halloween celebrations?

Q10. What herbs/incense would you choose for Halloween rituals?

Q11. What Halloween game is associated with finding out who will marry next?

Q12. A full moon on Halloween does not occur very often – when will the next one be?

Q13. Why did dressing up on Halloween first start?

Q14. The fear of Halloween actually has an official name, what is it?

Q15. A famous American actor and a famous magician died on different Halloween’s – can you name them?

Answers in the next post…

Alesha Dixon

Alesha DixonAlesha Dixon is a Libra Star Sign

Alesha Dixon has often cited Madonna as an idol of hers, and this is interesting as Madonna is the queen of reinventing herself, and Alesha has had to go through several transformations in her career to keep going. Librans like to keep things on an even keel, so this will not always have been easy for her.

Alesha shot to fame as part of the girl band Mis-Teeq, when they disbanded in 2005 she became a solo artist. Unfortunately her solo endeavours were not as successful, and she faded somewhat from the spotlight. But this was righted in 2007 when she won Strictly Come Dancing. As a Libra Alesha would have been keen to please, it is natural to them to be team-players and cooperative, something that no doubt pleased her dance partner, judges and audience.

Librans are preoccupied by how they look; they always want to present the best version of themselves to the outside world, so it is not unusual to find a Libran celebrity in the limelight. Having said that they are not known for diva behaviour; relationships are a very important aspect of their lives and they will want to keep a harmonious balance with work colleagues, family and loved ones.

In 2009 Alesha was back in the press, but this time caught in the furore of Arlene Phillips being let go from the judging panel on Strictly with Alesha taking her place. She joined the panel in the 7th season and left after the 9th, quitting to become a judge on Britain’s Got Talent. The press widely reported that this was a financial decision with her salary likely to have been tripled to make the move. Librans can be impulsive and emotional, but this is more likely to happen in their love-lives. It is likely that this job move was well calculated and logically thought out in the Libran way.

Librans are hugely interested in others and this has stood her in good stead as a judge on both panels. But her true love is still with music and the theatre of performing, she launched a single in June 2015 called The Way We Are, and this has paved the way for a new studio album to be released on the 23rd October 2015. This is her 4th album and the first in five years. Learning from the mistakes of her past, she is releasing her music on her own record label – Precious Stone Records.

Photo Credit: Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

Pendulums

Crystal PendulumA pendulum is simply a weight attached to a piece of thread; many people use their favourite healing crystal as the weight. Used correctly it can be one of the simplest and yet most effective forms of divination.

Often a pendulum that is made by you will give you a more enhanced psychic reading. The weight and the way the weight hangs is the most important factor. It should be symmetrical so that the swing is not distorted and it needs to be heavy enough to oscillate with good momentum. Often a long pointed shaped weight will give the best results – try making one with a crystal, a pendant, a ring or even keys.

Pendulum readings have been done for over 5000 years!

Pendulum readings are based on a simple premise of the pendulum giving you a yes or no answer. When you first start you will need to establish which direction means yes and which means no. Try a few practise questions to confirm all is working as it should.

There are two other forms of questions – search and silly. A ‘search’ response is a wide swing and this means that the pendulum is busy trying to find an answer to your question. A ‘silly’ response is generally a dithery undetermined swing, which means that you have either asked it a question that cannot be given a yes or no answer or it feels it has answered the question albeit in a way that you do not yet realise. Sometimes a silly response can mean that the pendulum and you are not working well together, it is important for this reason to go through the four responses at the beginning of each session and occasionally you have to accept that it is just not a good time for a reading.

You need to come to the reading with a clear mind, so that you do not influence the outcome of the reading. The pendulum will connect with your thoughts and your spirit guides. When people are more experienced they may work with the pendulum when dowsing, to find ghosts and spirits and even as a form of hypnotherapy to create a deeper state of awareness.

When you are ready, either think of a question or say it out loud – then ask the pendulum to show you a no or to show you a yes answer in response. The possibilities are endless…

Meditation

lady meditatingMeditation sounds simple in principle – focus on one thing and block out all other thoughts! But in reality it can be harder to achieve and takes dedication and sustained practise. However the benefits far out way the commitment needed.

In some cases you may think of meditation of being a hippy thing to do, or a perhaps an extension of yoga practise. But in reality the world is a confusing and very busy place for all of us these days. Strides in technology are fantastic, but they have also created an environment where we are ‘always on’, smart phones and tablets have made it in to the bedroom that once would have been a tranquil place to rest. Just doing everyday tasks like getting lunch and coffee now provide many choices and with it many decisions.

All told many of us are stressed both in body and mind perhaps without even realising it. And this is where meditation comes in. It gives you a safe place to crowd out all of the pulls on your everyday life. In that moment you just get to concentrate on you – not your partner, your kids, or your job – just you…

A traditional pose for meditating is sitting cross legged on the floor – but find a space and position that is comfortable to you. Some people prefer a dimly lit room, others will like light, some will close their eyes, others prefer to focus on something like a lit candle – again, do whatever feels right for you. Try to carve out a period of time that will be quiet and where you will be undisturbed – and turn off any technology!

You may find it easier to relax if you do some gentle stretches and an important component is your breathing – very gradually slow down your breathing, so that you breaths in and out are calmer and more controlled.

When you first start meditating you may find it difficult to clear your mind, you will no doubt have to sit in the position for a while. Random thoughts will try and enter your head – what you are going to cook for tea, a friend you must remember to call, a sick relative, an email you forgot to send. It is not unusual for you to feel guilty for taking the time out, and to begin with you may tell yourself that you could be better spending your time on a million and one things from your ever growing to do list…

The whole point of meditation is learning to resist this inner chatter, there is no need to feel guilty for taking a small amount of time for yourself each day. With practise you will find that following your sessions any decisions that were troubling you now seem easier to take, and you will be able to prioritise what really needs to get done and frankly what can wait.

Some people find it easier to take themselves on a guided tour of their imagination – you might think of a place that you felt really happy (perhaps a beach on holiday), then can you imagine the salty taste on your lips, the gentle breeze on your skin, the smell of the suntan lotion and the gentle chatter of people in the background, the warmth of the sun and the relaxed glow you felt…Gradually allow this visualisation to carry over your whole body until all of the tension in your muscles melt away and your mind goes quiet. Keep breathing deeply and slowly and keep working to keep your mind clear of any thoughts.

Regular practise should see you reap the benefits; you should feel more enlightened and happier on a deeper level.

Gratitude Diary

grateful imageMany of us could probably write a list quite easily about the things that we consider to be wrong in our lives or things that we would like to change, the list would be different for all of us:

Feeling like your work/life balance has got out of kilter

Feeling as though there is never quite enough money coming in

Wondering if your relationship is going to go the distance

Feeling worn out and in need of a break

Struggling to manage all of your responsibilities

The list goes on…

But what if instead of making endless lists in your mind about what is wrong, you turn things around and write down on a weekly basis everything you are grateful for!

When you are stressed, tired, ill, short on time or are just going through a difficult patch it can be incredibly difficult to think you are grateful for anything. But even thinking of one thing can have enormous benefits to your health.

Dr Emmons has been studying the effects that gratitude can have on our health, wellbeing and our relationships with others for over a decade. People that keep a gratitude journal for even three weeks show positive benefits.

On the Physical Side:

Stronger immune systems

Better quality of sleep and a feeling of being refreshed on waking

Lower blood pressure

A desire to look after themselves and exercise more

On the Psychological Side:

People feel more optimism and just generally happier

They feel more joy and are able to take pleasure in more things

A general feeling of being more alert, alive and open to positive emotions

On the Social Side:

They forgive themselves and others more easily

They feel less alone and isolated

They are more helpful, generous and compassionate

To get started, you could try writing down five things you are grateful for three or four times a week. There is no need to feel pressure to write something big down, it could be as simple as ‘I am glad my neighbour has grown sunflowers this year as they make me smile every time I pass them.’

In time if you want to you can extend the practise to others, for example sending a note to a person to thank them personally will benefit both them and you? Rather than writing things down, with certain people for example your partner you may choose to tell them: try telling them three things before bedtime that you are thankful for, for example ‘I really appreciated you texting me after my meeting today to see how it went.’

Over time it is okay to alter the schedule of how often your write in your gratitude journal, but be specific, honing in on details stops you getting fatigued over the task and seeing it as a chore.

After a while you should be able to create gratitude in your head as well as on paper. When negative thoughts creep in to your day, you can counteract them with ‘What is good about my life today?’

Fun in the Sun

burnt toast representing sunburnA recent poll carried out by The Royal Pharmaceutical Society demonstrated that 80% of us did not know what SPF protection means! 56% did not realise that SPF is only in relation to UVB rays and not UVA. The end result – clearer labelling is needed on sun protection products, perhaps moving to a much simpler system of low, medium, high and very high protection taking in to account the UVA & UVB components.

Perhaps equally as concerning was that over 50% of the people are never using sun protection and 15% of those with children were not checking for a UVA rating.

So, this cause for different labelling is a great idea but it is not going to help us right now. So whether you are staying in the UK or are jetting off on holiday here is the lowdown on what you need to know to protect you and your family in the sun:

1) Go for a broad spectrum sun screen that has UVA & UVB Protection.

2) Use an SPF factor 15 as a minimum to protect against UVB rays. Sun factors rely on you knowing how long it would take for you to burn without using sun screen. So if you would normally burn in 10 minutes (unprotected), then using a factor 15 would allow you to be protected for 150 minutes. When in doubt – go higher.

3) In the UK, UVA protection appears as a star rating on the bottle, from 0 – 5 stars. The higher the star the greater the protection.

4) When purchasing sun screen – check that it is not past its expiry date. Sometimes it is okay to use last year’s sun screen; they can have a life of several years. They need to have been stored in a cool location out of direct sunlight. Check the bottle, as there will be a manufacturing logo on it showing how long it can be used for after opening.

5) You should aim to spend time in the shade when the sun is at its hottest – between 11am – 3pm.

6) Apply sun screen before you go out and reapply regularly. Most people miss bits and also use a lot less than the recommended amount. Don’t forget to protect your scalp. Sweating in the heat and swimming will also remove the product, even if you are using a waterproof version, so keep topping up.

7) It is a misconception that a ‘base tan’ will protect you. Also do not be lulled in to staying in the sun longer or applying lotion less frequently because you have used a high factor product.

8) Lastly, remember to also protect your eyes. Look for a CE or British Standard mark when purchasing. You want glasses with a 100% UV protection.

None of us want to get burnt in the sun, but occasionally we do get caught out. If you are worried, then regular checking of skin and keeping an eye on any moles is a good idea. For moles follow the ABCD route:

A = Asymmetry, check if the two halves of your mole look different.
B = Border, check to see if the border of the mole is blurred, irregular or jagged.
C = Colour, check if the mole is uneven or has more than one shade/colour.
D = Diameter, look to see if any of your moles are wider than 6mm (which is about the size of an eraser at the end of a pencil).

You are now all set, for safe fun in the sun – enjoy!

Cheryl Fernandez-Versini – Cancer Star Sign

cheryl fernandez-versiniCheryl Ann Fernandez-Versini (née Tweedy, formerly Cole), got married (hence the name change) on the 7th July 2014 following a three month relationship with Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini.

Cheryl’s love life up to that point had come under much scrutiny due to her fame in ‘Girls Aloud’ and her partner (Ashley Cole) job as a footballer. They started dating in 2004 and they got married in 2006, but it was all over by September 2010 when they were officially divorced.

One of the main problems in their marriage was Ashley’s philandering ways, so it was a bit of a surprise when she married known play-boy Jean-Bernard. He was known as a ladies man who partied hard on the Riviera.

So, we know that Cheryl is a Cancer sign, and Jean-Bernard was born on 29th August making him a Virgo. So just what is Cancer/Virgo compatibility like?

Well a Cancer women and a Virgo man can make a very good match, their relationship should have real staying power, growing in love and strength as the years go by. Both signs want security and trustworthiness, and their attentive and nurturing traits make this happen.

Both signs want goals in life, so they understand the need to be self-disciplined and dedicated, their respect of each other’s dreams will keep them bonded together. Cancer women are charismatic and others are easily impressed by them, but a Virgo lover will keep them grounded. A Virgo man is sensual and calm, he provides emotional and physical support when needed – he is a real man’s man.

The Water sign Cancer and the Earth sign Virgo, make a good pairing – both want to be comfortable, and want to surround themselves with nice things. But Virgo’s down to earth nature will rein in Cancer’s materialistic tendencies. Together they will ensure they have a great home, but they will also keep an eye on future prosperity.

The one difficulty for a Cancer/Virgo match is Cancer women’s possessiveness, she can become cold and distant if she feels ignored, but Virgo men sometimes need space and alone time to make things happen especially where work is concerned. Good communication is the key, so they feel connected even when they are busy or apart.

At the heart of a Cancer/Virgo relationship is a desire to make things work, to be prepared to put the time in and to achieve both personal and shared goals – so things bode well for Cheryl and Jean-Bernard as a compatible love pairing!

Photo Credit: Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

UK Calling

UK Calling LogoIf you have a landline telephone or mobile phone, then the chances are you have been contacted by your provider about changes that Ofcom are bringing in to place from the 1st July 2015 to make it easier for everyone to understand the actual cost of dialling specific numbers.

Hence the name of the campaign – UK Calling: Clear Call Rates for Everyone!

As a result of these changes you will notice some differences on the Psychic Sight website and in corresponding advertising.
Currently the advertised cost of our Premium Rate calls – those numbers starting 0906 11 are £1.53 per minute. There may also be some corresponding terms: From a BT Landline, + standard network rate or network charges may apply.

From the 1st July 2015, the price and wording for calls to our numbers will change as follows: 0906 11 calls cost £1.50 per minute plus your phone company’s access charge.

From 1 July 2015, the cost of calling service numbers will be made up of two parts:

• An access charge: This part of the call charge goes to your phone company, charged as pence per minute. They will tell you how much the access charge will be for calls to service numbers. It will be made clear on bills and when you take out a contract.

• A service charge: This is the rest of the call charge. The organisation (Psychic Sight) you are calling decides this, and will tell you how much it is.
The new rule will impact numbers that start 084, 087, 09 and 118. The changes do not impact numbers to ordinary landline numbers such as those starting 01, 02, 03 or mobiles (07) numbers. They will also not alter payphone calls, international calls or calls to the UK if roaming abroad.
In a further change, calls to Freephone numbers starting 0800 or 0808 will be free to mobile users as they are to existing landline users.
For further information you should contact your telephone provider and you can visit the UK Calling website:

ukcalling.info

Twitter: @uk_calling

Summer Solstice

StonehengeSummer Solstice, sometimes called Midsummer or Litha is a major celestial event, resulting in the longest day and the shortest night of the year for those living in the Northern Hemisphere. Sol and stice are a combination of Latin words meaning Sun and to stand still.

Great spiritual significance is attached to the date, with humans having been amazed at the powers of the sun for thousands of years. Christians place the feast of John the Baptist towards the end of June, Celts celebrated with bonfires to add to the suns energy and it is also the festival of Li – the Chinese Goddess of light.

Druids celebrate the day as the wedding of Heaven & Earth whilst Pagans call it the Honey Moon after the mead made from fermented honey. Ancient Pagans celebrated with bonfires similar to Celts, alongside wearing protective garlands of herbs and flowers such as St Johns Wort (still used today by many herbalists as a mood stabiliser).

Many believe that it is a time to celebrate growth and life, but also to recognise the balance needed in ones life and the world in general and to acknowledge the shifting of seasons, as the sun begins to decline again towards winter.

English Heritage are providing “Managed Open Access” to Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice on the 20th & 21st June 2015. As it falls on a weekend, there is likely to a build-up of traffic, and as such they strongly advise using public transport.

You can keep up to date on Twitter: @eh_stonehenge

SOLSTICE CAR PARK OPENS 19.00 hours (7pm) Saturday 20 June

ACCESS TO STONEHENGE MONUMENT FIELD19.00 hours (7pm) Saturday 20 June

LAST ADMISSION TO SOLSTICE CAR PARK 06.00 hours (6am) Sunday 21 June – or earlier if full

STONEHENGE MONUMENT FIELD CLOSES 08.00 hours (8am) Sunday 21 June

SOLSTICE CAR PARK TO BE VACATED 12.00 hours (12 Noon) Sunday 21 June

• Sunset on Saturday 20 June 2015 is at 21.26 hrs (9.26pm)
• Sunrise on Sunday 21 June 2015 is at 04.52 hrs (4.52am)

Cleromancy

Hand throwing diceCleromancy is the art of divining your future using dice, ancient Greeks used dice for both gambling and divination purposes and it was them that popularised the use of a 6 sided die as opposed to four sided ones used previously.

Rules to follow:

Use two or three dice
Only use dice for divining reasons once per week
Do not throw dice on Wednesdays or Mondays
If you are asking a question of a personal nature – get someone else to throw the dice for you
Throw the dice in silence
Before you begin draw a circle about the diameter of a standard ruler (30cm), to cast the dice in to, it doesn’t matter what you draw on to as long as the surface is even.

Using the circle:

Only add the value of any dice that fall inside the circle (dice that fall outside indicate separations or arguments).
You may choose not to add up dice that land on top of each other – they usually signify that you should ignore an opportunity you have been presented with.
If you find that the dice throw continually outside of the circle you should conclude that now is not a good time for a reading.

Interpreting the numbers (bear in mind that some numbers can only occur if some of the dice fall outside of the circle):

1 – This means ‘yes’

2 – This means ‘no’

3 – A modest surprise may occur or some good fortune will follow

4 – Disappointing news may follow; your current situation will hit complications

5 – Your life will be enhanced by a new and pleasing relationship

6 – You risk losing those that you take for granted, value what and who you have in your life

7 – You run the risk of your secrets becoming gossip if you entrust the wrong people

8 – You could become a scapegoat in a situation, even if you are not at fault

9 – Patch up an argument – it is a good time to do so

10 – A new business, venture or relationship will be successful

11 – A poignant separation will occur

12 – Celebrate – good news is on the way

13 – Don’t go ahead with your question in mind; something better is on its way

14 – An emotionally committed relationship is on the cards that will bring happiness

15 – Stand by your principles, don’t risk it – listen to your conscious

16 – A holiday will bring about unexpected benefits

17 – This is a time to be flexible – adapt and put others needs before your own

18 – 3 x 6’s – will bring happiness, joy and great blessings. The answer is ‘yes’ and your heart’s desire will be granted!

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