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Helpful info:
Admission fee: CNY 30 (Nov - Mar), CNY 35 (Apr - Oct)
Opening hours: 06:00 - 20:00
Visit time: 1:30 hours
Bus route: 6, 34, 35
Built in 1420 during the Ming dynasty the Temple of Heaven is bigger than the Forbidden City covering a massive 2,700,000 square acres. Lying about 6 km to the South in the Chongwen district the temple was used for making sacrifice to Heaven. The North area which represents Heaven is higher than the South area which symbolises Earth. In this way the emperors showed that Heaven is higher than Earth.
Among the buildings not to be missed are the Circular Mound Altar, the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest.
Also the Palace of abstinence where during the summer and winter solstice the Emperor's spent the last day of their three day fast with the first two days taking place in the Forbidden City.
On the day of the winter solstice the Ming and Qing dynasty emperors would sacrifice to Heaven at the Circular Altar to thank Heaven and pray for a good future.
The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest has a circular roof and 28 huge posts inside the building. Divided into 3 circles the inner 4 post represent the 4 seasons and the middle 12 represent the 12 months. The outer 12 posts represent the old way of counting time - the Shichen - which equalled two hours and therefore give the 24 hour day.
The Imperial Vault of Heaven was used for placing memorial tablets of gods and is blue with a gold roof.
Connected by the Vermilion Steps Bridge the emperors of the past believed they could pass from the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest over the bridge to the Imperial Vault of Heaven. The South end is accordingly lower than its North end.
Outside the gate of the Imperial Gate of Heaven you will find the Three Echo Stones. If you speak while standing on the first stone you will hear one echo and then standing on the other stones two or three echoes respectively. Encircling the Imperial Vault of Heaven is the Echo Wall. Two people standing at the East and West roots of the wall can easily hear the other person's whisper!
text taken from accommodation olympic games
Source: http://master-of-tarot.blogspot.com
An incredible oil for Magic, Ritual and Personal Fragrance! Enjoy this exclusive formula!
Fragrance classification is often subject to change, adaptation and alteration. There are various fragrance families such as floral, oriental, woody and fresh. These are further divided into sub groups such as woody-oriental or floral-oriental.
Depending on the time period of classification, and the area of the world the classification system arose, there are numerous fragrance families referenced in most perfumery.
However, Child of the Lady seems to defy classification. It changes during the day, according to your mood and your surroundings. It can be citrus at first, then floral, then woody and amber/oriental and finally even a bit woody and fougere! Most perfumers would probably try to classify it as an "amber" type. Unlike many perfumes, personal anointing oils and ritual oils, CHILD OF THE LADY WILL NOT BECOME ACIDIC OR VINEGARY AS YOU WEAR IT, BUT INSTEAD BLENDS WITH AND ENHANCES YOUR PERSONAL SCENT.
Floral Spicy Amber is probably the most accurate description of the fragrance. However, Child of the Lady defies truly accurate sub-categorization because of its complexity of herbal, citrus, floral, spice, amber and woody notes. IT IS RARE THAT SUCH COMPLEXITY CAN COME OFF SO BALANCED AND WONDERFUL. It took many years for me to perfect the balance and synergistic energy of this unique blend, and now I'm sharing it exclusively to PaganPath.com
Child of the Lady (COTL) is formulated as a magic and ritual oil, and as a personal fragrance. Most people would feel that this is a fragrance for women, however it is not gender specific for magic and rituals. We know both men and women who use COTL as their personal, daily fragrance. It is a classy, sensual and spicy fragrance, reminiscent of the exotic, arcane and magical. You might find that this becomes your own, personal signature fragrance.
The energy of COTL is tailored to draw people toward you, especially positive people who will be beneficial in your life, and to accentuate and boost the positive aspects of your personality, energy and appearance.
This makes it excellent for attracting friends and partners, new jobs (great for interviews) and for opening doors of opportunity. At the same time, it helps support memory, psychic skills and intuition, and boosts mental, magical and psychic energy. COTL is unique in that even though it is tailored for drawing and attraction, it is also protective and balanced to prevent negative energies or people from being attracted to you.
Use COTL to anoint candles prior to energy work, spells and rituals, or to anoint tools. It is particularly useful for workings of prosperity, happiness, success, opportunities, compromise, attraction, beauty, drawing, protection, friendship and true love. It is also perfect for personal anointing at initiations and dedications, Sabbats, Esbats and other celebrations, or for daily use.
You should begin creating COTL a week prior to the Full Moon. This will be the waxing moon phase. You will need to allow it to rest for a week before use. You may wish to charge it while creating it, and again on the actual Esbat date. This recipe is designed to be synergistic* and skin safe. Alteration of this recipe is not recommended and may result in a skin irritating oil.
THE FORMULA
* 20 ml Amber Fragrance Oil (pure concentrate, not diluted)
* 10 g. Amber Resin
* 4 drops Clove Bud Essential Oil (Eugenia caryophyllata from Indonesia)
* 4 to 5 g. Dragon's Blood Resin (a piece about the size of a grape)
In a pestle and mortar, crush the dragon's blood resin into a fine powder. Add the amber fragrance oil and the clove bud essential oil and grind well. (Do not add the amber resin yet!) Allow to rest about 5 minutes so any particulate will settle to the bottom of the oil in the mortar, then grind again.
Cut an unbleached coffee filter so it will fit into a small funnel as shown in the picture to the left (click the picture to enlarge). The smaller you make the filter, the less oil will be absorbed by the paper and wasted. Pour the amber/clove oil and dragon's blood mixture into the filter and allow to drip into a glass bottle. It may take an hour or more to complete this filtration.
After the oil has been filtered, you can discard the paper filter and any dragon's blood particulate it contains, or set it on a glass plate and allow the fragrance to permeate your home like a potpourri. You should now have about 15 ml (1 Tablespoon or 1/2 ounce) of dragon's blood infused amber/clove oil. The paper filter probably absorbed between 1 ml and 8 ml of your oil. Your filtered oil will now appear fiery red or red-orange.
Clean out your pestle and mortar, dry thoroughly and grind the 10 g. of amber resin into a fine paste. Add your filtered dragon's blood/amber/clove oil to the amber paste in the mortar and blend thoroughly. The amber resin should be completely dissolved and your oil should be fairly clear.
Pour the amber/clove/dragon's blood/amber resin oil into a high quality bottle with a phenol cap. These can be obtained through online suppliers found in a Google search. For mixing, I use a bottle with about a 4 oz (118 ml) capacity. After aging, it is best to bottle this oil up in smaller containers of 1/2 oz (15 ml) or less or use to prevent oxygen contamination.
To your bottle containing the above mixture, add the following:
* 6 drops Atlas Cedar Essential Oil (Cedrus atlantica from Morocco)
* 5 ml Liquid Benzoin Resin
* 2 drops Bergamot Essential Oil (Citrus bergamia from Italy)
* 2 lentil size pieces Borneal Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora from China - this will dissolve into the oil during the aging process)
* 2 drops Cassia Essential Oil (Cinnamomum cassia from China)
* 10 ml Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil (Cinnamomum zeylanicum from Sri Lanka)
* 52 drops Ginger Essential Oil (Zingiber officinale from China)
* 7 drops Grapefruit Essential Oil (Citrus paradisii from California)
* 10 drops Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum grandiflorum from Egypt or India)
* 18 drops Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil (Lavendula officinalis from France)
* 54 drops Lavender Grosso Essential Oil (Lavendula hybrida from France)
* 52 drops Lemon Essential Oil (Citrus limonum cold pressed from California)
* 4 drops Lime Essential Oil (Citrus aurantifolia from Mexico)
* 2 lentil size pieces Mimosa Absolute (Acacia decurrens - India, Tamil Naduacacia decurrens - break up into small sand grain size pieces, these will dissolve into the oil during the aging process)
* 6 drops Sweet Orange Essential Oil (Citrus sinensis from Florida)
* 6 drops Bitter Orange Essential Oil (Citrus aurantium from the Dominican Republic)
* 6 drops Mandarin Red Orange Essential Oil (Citrus reticulata from Italy)
* 28 drops Patchouli Essential Oil (Pogostemon cablin from Indonesia)
* 7 drops Pennyroyal Essential Oil (Mentha pulegium from Morocco)
* 10 ml Rose Absolute (Rosa damascena from Bulgaria [preferred] or Russia [also great])
* 10 drops Rosewood Essential Oil (Aniba roseodora from Brazil)
* 28 drops Sandalwood Essential Oil (Santalum album from Mysore India)
* 13 drops Spearmint Essential Oil (Mentha spicata from Oregon, organically grown if available)
* 9 ml Vanilla Fragrance Oil (pure concentrate, not diluted)
* 1600 IU Vitamin E Oil
* 6 drops Neroli Essential Oil (Citrus aurantium flower oil from Egypt)
* 10 drops Geranium Essential Oil (Pelargonium graveolens, Bourbon Type from the Reunion Islands)
* 1/2 of a lentil size piece Pine Moss Absolute (Evernia furfuacea from France - This is the same Evernia species that grows on oaks and is also called "Oak Moss," however, the species found growing on pines takes on a better woody note and should be used instead of oak moss when available. - this will dissolve in the oil during the aging process)
* 9 ml Ylang Ylang Essential Oil (first extraction type, Cananga odorata genuina from Madagascar)
Seal your bottle tightly and shake well.
Place into your freezer for one hour. Remove and thaw. Shake thoroughly again. Repeat the freeze/thaw/shake cycle two more times (for a total of three freeze/thaw cycles).
Allow your oil to age and rest in a cool, dark place (not as cold as the refrigerator). Shake the oil thoroughly at least once a day, and better yet, every few hours or so. Your oil should age at least a week and if you began creating it a week prior to the full moon, you can charge it and use it during your Esbat celebration. If you notice any pieces of mimosa absolute, pine moss absolute or Borneol camphor, you'll need to age it longer. These can sometimes take a bit longer to completely integrate into the oil.
This recipe is for what is know in the perfume world as a CONCENTRATE. It is a very potent, pure fragrance that would be diluted by the large perfume houses with alcohols, benzophenone, artificial coloring, carrier and fixed oils, etc. to become an extract (perfume or parfum), eau de parfum, toilet water or eau de cologne. Any oil of this intense concentration may stain clothing and react with jewelry or plastics. Store in glass and apply sparingly to areas that will not come into contact with jewelry or plastic.
Note the proportion of concentrate used in the following products in the Fragrance Concentration chart below. COTL is listed as "PaganPath Oils " />
It is not recommended that you make COTL into a cologne or other dilute product. However, if you have any skin sensitivity to the concentrate (very unlikely), you may find it beneficial to blend the entire amount of concentrate you create from this recipe with an equal amount of Di-propylene glycol (DPG). DPG can help make essential oils more skin safe, slows evaporation and blends with the other oils best.
SYNERGISTIC* the total effect is greater than the sum of the individual ingredients, expressed as 2 + 2 = 5.
SUPPLY NOTE The amber resin used in this recipe is the soft, fragrant type sold in lumps. Trade Wind amber is preferred for this recipe, however you may use celestial, honey, red or any other type of amber you prefer. Trade Wind amber can usually be found on ebay.
REFERENCES & RESOURCES
* PDF: Fragrance Perception: Is Everything Relative? Recent research presents a leap towards a consensus in fragrance mapping by Laura Donna
* A good Fragrance Wheel with the fragrance families
* Wikipedia on the Fragrance Wheel
* I do still make this formula and have some on hand in solid form. This is three parts of the pure concentrate to one part pure beeswax, making a 75% concentration. A small container (about.15 ounce - approximately the amount in most tubes of lip balm) is available for about 25. Contact me if you wish to purchase some.
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NECROMANCY SPELL
Necromancy is calling up apparitions of the dead for the purpose ofdivination and obtaining knowledge, it was considered one of the BlackArts...nowadays the old, complicated systems are gone, but necromancy stillexists with us today in forms that few would recognize as being The Spell...the operator must help at a christmas mass at midnight. when the host israised, he says softly, "Exurgent mortui et odme vurient" (the dead rise andcome to me). at this point, he was to leave the churchyard, stop at thefirst gravestone, and say; "Infernal Powers, you who carry disturbance intothe universe leave your somber habitation, and render yourself to the placebeyond the Styx River. If you hold in your power him whom I call, I conjurethee, in the name of the King of Kings, to let this person appear at thathour i choose".
Then the necromancer takes a handful of dirt and casts it about, saying,"May he who is dust wake from his sleep. May he step out of his dust andanswer to my demands which I make in the name of the Father of all men".
Dropping to one knee, he faces east until sunrise, at which time he gatherstwo human bones and holds them like a cross. Carrying the bones, he leavesthe graveyard, and throws the two bones into the first church he comes to.Then, walking northward exactly fifty nine hundred steps, he lies on theground, hands on legs, eyes turned towards the moon, and summons the dead bysaying, "Ego sum, te peto et videre quero". The spectre arrives and isquestioned. After the questioning, it is dismissed by saying, "Return tothe Kingdom of the chosen. I am happy about your being here". The operatorreturns to the first gravestone he stopped at, and traces a cross on it withhis left hand. The book ends the spell with the warning that every detailmust be followed exactly, or harm will befall the operator.
VOODOO COFFIN SPELL
...Voodoo folkloreThe Legend:Before a miniature coffin was sent to an intended victim, it was consecratedin the trinity patrons of the Voodoo sorcerors. The trinity was made up ofMaitre-Carrefour, Lord of the Crossroads and Demons; Grand Bois, Master ofNight Earth and Night Forests; and Baron Cemitiere, Sovereign of theCemeteries. Upon being consecrated, the coffin became a 'wanga', or magickcharm which was sent on an expedition. It is one of the most feared ofVoodoo practices since believers feel it invokes the aid of the dead againstthe living. The words of consecration are as follows:Zo wan-we sobadi sobo kalissoMaitre-Carrefour, mwe memkiriminelM'a remesye loa-yoGrand Bois, l'uvri baye mwebaron-Cemetiere, l'envoimorts
BLACK COFFIN SPELL
...Southern Voodoo folkloreThe Legend:A death spell was supposed to be cast if a small black coffin was placed onanother's doorstep. It would usually contain a tiny doll pierced with pins,and a burnt piece of black candle would be set at each end. The coffinwould be from two to three inches long, and could be made from wax, clay,wood, metal, or any material capable of being shaped in the required form.This spell was indigenous to the southern part of the United States anddiffered from the coffin spell used in the West Indies wherefrom it was mostlikely derived (see above) One of the basic differences between Americanand the Caribbean Voodoo is the latter's supplication to the loa in mostspells; either by spoken invocation or other actions.
WORMWOOD SPELL
...Ancient and medieval folkloreThe legend: The wormwood know as artemesia took its name from Artemis, wif Mausalos, and has long been used in rituals to bring forth spirits of thedead and friends of the underworld. In such a ritual the wormwood isburned like an incense. Often it was put in a cone of black paper which waslit at the bottom. This was done only at night. As the fumes arose, thename or names of the deceased were spoken aloud and asked to make knowntheir presence. Wormwood was used with many spells of necromancy. It wasalso burned by some during use of a pendulum or planchette. It is an herbunder the sign of Mars.
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Candle magick is perhaps the simplest, most effective form of magick. The act of anointing, lighting and burning really gets the practitioner into the mood, and thus attunes himself to the magickal act being performed. I have listed here only *positive* spells, although if you really want to perform negative magick, altering the spells will do that for you. I *heartily warn you against black magick* as all magick (GOOD OR BAD) comes back to the practitioner three fold. Blessed be.
Here is what everyone should know about using color in candle magick:
Red: passion, strength, health, vigor, courage, energy
Blue: calmness, health, tranquillity, wisdom, creativity, patience
Green: finance, prosperity, fertility, luck, growth, physical healing Yellow/Gold: attraction, persuasion, divination, intelligence Pink: friendship, honor, love, morality, peace, nurturing Orange: success, attraction, justice, ambition Purple: spiritual power, psychic ability, ambition, third eye, serious physical healing, power Black: protection, repelling, binding, absorption White: purity, sincerity, protection Silver: divination, astral protection, Goddess
ASTRAL CHART OF COLORS:
Aquarius (JAN 20-FEB 18) BLUE
Pisces (FEB 19-MAR 20) WHITE
Aries (MAR 21-APR 19) WHITE
Taurus (APR 20-MAY 20) RED
Gemini (MAY 21-JUN 21) RED
Cancer (JUN 22-JUL 22) GREEN
Leo (JUL 23-AUG 22) RED
Virgo (AUG 23-SEP 22) GOLD
Libra (SEP 23-OCT 22) BLACK
Scorpio (OCT 23-NOV 21) RED
Sagittarius (NOV 22-DEC 21) GOLD
Capricorn(dec 22-jan19) RED
If you want to gain something (FRIENDSHIP, MONEY, JOB, INTELLIGENCE) do your magick during the WAXING MOON (WHEN THE MOON IS GETTING FULL)
If you want to lose something (BAD HABITS, NEGATIVE ENERGY) do your magick during the WANING MOON (WHEN THE MOON IS GETTING SMALL)
The FULL MOON is a good time for magick of all kinds, for the full moon brings great power to all magick.
THE NEW MOON IS USEFUL FOR STARTING NEW VENTURES.
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Most of us pagans are pretty good about recycling our glass bottles, but I suspect a group of Buddhist monks in Thailand have beaten us in their enthusiasm for making use of the empties - they have built a temple almost entirely out of old beer bottles!
Called The Temple of a Million Bottles, it was made by the monks because they were tired of seeing litter around the site, at Khun Han, near the Cambodian border.
One of the monks started the project in 1984 by using discarded glass to make decorations. Local people were asked to bring in empties for the project and they responded so enthusiastically that the monks eventually had enough bottles to not only build a temple but also an entire complex of 20 rooms including prayer spaces, a crematorium, a water tower and toilets.
The temple is now a popular tourist destination, proving that recycling really can be worthwhile. You can find out more about the temple at
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Accepting responsibility for your own actions is essential to your spiritual growth and power. As described in Law #3 of this blog, what you send out is what you get in return.
All of us have our short comings and failures to be moral. When I first began my journey into witchcraft, I failed to understand the Law of Three. To me, love was a good emotion and there was someone in my life that I loved and from what she said, she loved me. Even despite the fact that our relationship had crumbled around us and she was seeing my former best friend, we remained close friends and did many things together.
So in my ignorance, I perceived my former friend as being the evil one since he was a manipulator and managed to wiggle his way into our relationship. I went to my local pagan supplier and purchased some items I needed for a love sachet to draw her love back to me. The person who was there was not a regular employee and I tried to get "approval" that this spell was not wrong to do and received it. I used rose quartz, an earring that she left behind the last night I was with her, some rose petals and other herbs I will not describe here. I purchased a silver chain to support the sachet around my neck. I performed a powerful love spell the day of the full moon for three hours, then the next day and the next after that repeating what I did on the first day including disassembling my sachet before the ritual and reassembling it during the ritual.
I wore it openly in front of her and when she asked me about it, I informed her it was to draw love to me. I did not explain the intentions. The next three months became a nightmare. She began to become very confused between my old friend and I and it was tearing her apart. She kept thinking of me and dreaming of me until eventually, she broke away from him to have a relationship with me.
The conditions of our reunion was that she was not to see him ever again and if she did, our relationship would never continue. She followed it blindly until he called her to have lunch with her. She went and came straight to me afterward. I was devastated and then I realized that I was the source of the issues at hand.
I removed my sachet from my neck and looked her straight in the eye. I grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the top of it off and said, "I release you from my magic."
She didn't understand what was going on, but as I let the contents of the bag fall to the table, she noticed hear earring. But what she didn't understand is that the white crystal in front of her was originally pink when I made the bag!
That's when I knew my spell was powerful. And I told her my story, just as I did here. At first she began to resent me, but then she accepted her part and my old friend's part in all of it and we all accepted responsibility for all of our actions. This healed each of us in ways that we are all still unable to phantom.
So, I made a huge mistake, but looking back, I realized that I knew deep down that it was wrong even with someone telling me it wasn't.
The devil does exist and in some religions such as Christianity, he is a true entity. That is perfectly ok for those who chose that belief in their life path.
I urge you to not consider the outside influences and blame them for your weakness. I challenge you to look the devil that is you and within you and understand that you are human and mistakes are essential keys to spiritual growth and will accelerate your life path in the right direction if you accept your failures as what they are.
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Gifts from Stacy
Most unexpected, a packet arrived for me in the mail. What on Earth? I think. Did I win a giveaway? Nope. A sweet, dear friend sent me the most thoughtful gifts of sage (for my Autumn fires) and a beautiful charm bag.
Inside this glimmery, glittery little bag were four stones that Stacy from Magic Love Crow blog
chose for me when she attended her fave Gemhound show. The colors of the stones symbolize a "robin", the wild bird. I was so moved by her thoughtfulness and want to say a big, public THANK YOU to my dear friend Stacy. These stones are treasures for my altar. If you would like to see some wonderful artistic paintings, please visit Stacy's blog. She is amazing, energetic and very very creative.
Another unexpected "gifting" was from Kim of The Wiccan Life blog
who gave me a lovely award, "Very Inspired Blogger Award". Thanks so much for thinking of me Kim, I appreciate your kind and generous gift. Kim herself is a recipient of many awards, and I just love her blog. She has a Witchy Cat blog too. Please visit Kim and say hi from Robin.
The kittens are growing and getting sweeter everyday. Their separate personalities are becoming very distinct. I will be posting on my other blog, Purrrrsnickitty a bunch of cute photos and updates.The kittens received some unexpected things as well.
Wow, August is coming to end very quickly. Looking forward to the Blue Moon on August 31st!
Reference: http://witchcraftforall.blogspot.com
The Jakarta Post, Li Yao, Asia News Network ( China Daily ), Sun, July 22, 2012
TIE THE KNOT: Several couples attend a Western group wedding in the
Weiting Auditorium in Huai'an, Jiangsu province, in June. (China Daily/
Yang Duoduo)
First came white bridal gowns, with intricate veils and long flowing trains becoming a common sight at Chinese weddings. Now, more young couples are choosing another imported tradition: tying the knot in a church.
Although the Christian population is in the minority in China, churches and cathedrals nationwide have reported a boom in bookings, with some purposely courting nonbelievers by offering quasi-religious ceremonies.
"Until 2008, we weren't allowed to hold such weddings [for non-registered parishioners]," said Fan Guoxing, a pastor at Haidian Christian Church in Beijing.
"Now the rules have been relaxed, I'm officiating at about 40 a year, half of which are for nonbelievers."
Saturdays are the busiest, he said, sometimes with as many as eight ceremonies to handle.
At the other side of the country in Sichuan province, Xie Hongxia, a Catholic wedding planner for Chengdu diocese, estimated that about 90 per cent of the 70 or so weddings held annually at the city's cathedral are for non-Christian couples.
Wang Manshu and Jiang Jin were married on Feb 12 at Haidian Christian Church, which is in the capital's Zhongguancun technology area.
"We were worried our booking would be rejected, so we were really happy when we got a positive response," said Wang, 35.
"Young people like us need a special [church] ceremony. Our hearts could be purified, and it helps us find a deeper connection."
The couple spent 6,000 yuan (US940) on their big day, which included the cost of the venue, the pastor, decorations and choral music. It would have cost even more had they not arranged their own bridal stylist, photographer and cameraman.
"Traditional Chinese weddings are too complicated," Wang said. "Although expensive, the church was no fuss at all. We were briefed about what would happen during the 30-minute ceremony and didn't even meet the pastor until just beforehand."
According to tradition, the bride's father walked her down the aisle in front of 100 family members and friends, before Fan, the pastor, gave a brief sermon.
The couple exchanged vows, each time ending with an "Amen", and then joined to light a candle symbolising their unity in marriage.
"It was an education for me," said the bride's 65-year-old uncle, Wang Tianyu, who said it was his first time in a church. "Young people are having a lot of quick marriages and quick divorces nowadays. Maybe a solemn church wedding will help them take marriage more seriously."
It was also a first for Zhang Xing, a guest of the groom who works for a Beijing pharmaceuticals company. He said he was nervous during the ceremony.
"I was uncomfortable," he said. "I wanted to smoke, then thought better of it and restrained the urge. At a Chinese wedding, people chat, walk around and make jokes about the newlyweds, but in church I had to watch my behaviour and avoid embarrassing myself."
Churches across China have responded in different ways to accommodate their rising popularity among young couples.
Southern Cathedral, which is operated by the Beijing Catholic Diocese, slashed its charge for non-Christian couples to 3,300 yuan (517.7) this year, down from 5,990 yuan (939.8) in 2011.
The price cut was made because the clergy had attempted to make the weddings simpler and more frugal, according to Gao Baola, a wedding planner at the cathedral.
"There are no cameras, no makeup service and no red carpet," she said.
"Instead of fresh bouquets, we use silk flowers, as well as recorded choral music."
Xishiku Catholic Church, also known as Beijing's Northern Cathedral, requires non-Christian couples to have a civil-marriage certificate before they can book the venue. The price is 2,600 yuan (407.9), which includes decorations and, on Saturdays, a full choir.
Volunteer Zhou Fucheng at the church said the ceremonies generate much-needed income for the church, and added that even requests from people marrying for a second time may also be accepted if they can explain their case to the priest.
However, not all parishioners are happy about the their churches being rented out to nonbelievers.
"Some Christians have voiced their objection and believe we host the weddings of nonbelievers just to make a profit," said pastor Fan at Haidian Church in Beijing.
"In doing so, though, many more people get to know about our beliefs."
He explained that originally either the bride or groom had to be a practicing Christian for a couple to get married in the church. It was only later it was opened to all comers.
Ma Qing, 43, who was baptised in 1985 and works as a volunteer at Southern Cathedral on weekends, said she has an open mind about nonbelievers choosing church weddings.
"The church welcomes all who are interested," she said. "We greet newcomers and let them decide if they want to know more. Some were married as nonbelievers and were later baptised."
Whether the latest wedding fad leads more into the Christian religion or not, church phones are likely to keep ringing in the short term.
Mao Weiwei, 27, said she has seen countless white weddings in movies and TV shows, and was also impressed when she read about how one of her favorite singers, Christine Fan from Taiwan, got hitched in a church ceremony last year.
But it was not until she saw her non-Christian friend exchange vows with her "Mr. Right" in a church that she started to imagine it for herself.
"I never knew such a ceremony was available for nonbelievers in China," said Mao, an instructor at an English training centre in Beijing. "Now I know, I can't get the idea out of my head.
"Traditional Chinese weddings are a bit too grand for me. I want mine to be perfect, celebrated in an intimate, serene and sweet manner."
Source: http://masonsofheaven.blogspot.com
What are spiritual guides? Who are they? Who has them? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having Spiritual Guides? How do we validate they are who they say they are and how accurate is the information they provide?
Are guides nothing more than astral predators who provide snippets of information for us to trust and become reliant on their connection to us? Since we are spirit ourselves why not rely on our own judgement and connections instead of giving our power away to an outside force.
When spirit guides are seen. Could it not be a simple mind game technique by the entity to make themselves appear in a form acceptable to us?
Extract taken from 'Practical Mediumship Level 2' Notes - copyright Matthew James Sept 2012. For more information on IMT Self Development Workshops facilitated by Matthew James, please visit Matthew James on Facebook... www.facebook.com/MJMEDIUM
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