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Trick or Treating is the part of Halloween most kids are familiar with. In 2005, 93% of all kids in the United States said they were planning on “Trick or Treating”. I fondly remember going door to door, saying “trick or treat” and receiving a handful of candy. Our neighborhood was so big, my friends and I wouldn’t take a plastic pumpkin, but instead a pillow case. Often we would do one half of the neighbor hood, stop by the house to empty the pillow case and go out again for the second half. It took us months to eat it all, but by Christmas we would have it mostly gone.

Dressing up in costumes and going door to door for treats goes back to the Middle Ages and includes Christmas wassailing (going door to door to sing Christmas Carols). Trick or treating most closely resembles the practice of souling, where the poor would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1st) and receive food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2nd). This started in Britain and Ireland and was even mentioned by Shakespeare in the play “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” (1593). The custom of wearing costumes goes back to the Celtic tradition of attempting to copy the dead souls in order to placate them.

The term trick or treat was confined to the western United States before 1940. After that it slowly made it’s way eastward until the sugar rationing of 1942 to 1947. The widespread use of the term didn’t make it to the east coast until 1952 when Walt Disney made the cartoon Trick or Treat.

In Scotland and northern England, children do what is known as guising. Children wear costumes, go door to door and tell a ghost story in order to receive their treats. The practice goes back to the middle ages but became associated with Halloween in the 20th century. As a matter of fact, guising has made it’s way to America and in some parts of the country is now practiced exclusively on Halloween.

Mystical Charm hopes you have a wonderful Halloween and spectacular Autumn season.

Tags: Halloween, history, holidays

Halloween is full of symbols. Every year people decorate their house with ghosts, skeletons, mummies and more. We carve pumpkins, place a candle inside and put them on our doorstep. We dress up in costumes and for one night a year we get to be Superman, Batman or whoever we want to be.

These symbols and customs had their start with the pagan folklore of the British Isles. The ancient Celts would place a skeleton in their window on All Hallows Eve to represent the recently departed.

The Jack-O-Lantern might be the most widely recognized symbol of Halloween. Originating in Europe, they were originally carved from a turnip or rutabaga. The original story talks of a man named Stingy Jack who tricked the devil into a tree and carved a cross into the tree trunk to trap him there. The devil was so angry he cursed Jack, condemning him to wander the Earth at night forever with only the light he had with him: a candle inside a hollowed turnip. Today we carve pumpkins because they are so available in America and much larger making them easier to carve.

Other imagery surrounding Halloween is usually a conglomeration of the season itself and Gothic horror stories and movies. Dracula and Frankenstein have been popular at Halloween for almost a century. The overall imagery revolves around horror, death, skeletons, bats, ghosts, witches, spiders, black cats, scarecrows and more. Other signs of the season such as corn husks, apples, and pumpkins are also popular. The colors orange and black are most associated with Halloween.

Mystical Charm wishes you a wonderful Autumn season and Halloween. This is truly a magical time of year.

Tags: Halloween, history, mythology

The name Halloween is derived from Hallowe’en which is a shortened version of All Hallows’ Even (All Hallows Eve). Even is an older abbreviation of evening which we have shortened further to -eve. Halloween gets its -een from abbreviating even to -een. It is the day before All Hallows Day.

Many people today are unaware of All Hallows Day. In the 9th century, Pope’s Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the Christian feast day of All Saints Day from May 13th to November 1st in an effort to convert more pagans to Christianity. By having a “holiday” on the same day as a pagan “holiday”, it was easier for a pagan to keep many of their old traditions and still convert to Christianity. As a matter of fact, the old feast day of May 13th was once the pagan holiday of Feast of the Lemures (an ancient Roman day of driving malevolent or vengeful ghosts from one’s home)

Although All Hallows Eve and All Saints Day are now celebrated as two separate days, at one time they were celebrated on the same day.

Mystical Charm hopes you have a wonderful fall season. This is one of our favorite times of the year.

Tags: Halloween, history

I fondly remember celebrating Halloween as a child. It was, and still is, my favorite “holiday”. Although not officially a holiday, Americans have celebrated Halloween for a number of years. This is the beginning of a series of articles I am going to write that will cover the history of Halloween simply because I love this time of year and have always been fascinated by the holidays.

Halloween (also spelled Hallowe’en) has been celebrated on October 31st for as long as it has been around. It has it’s roots in Samhain, a Celtic festival celebrating the harvest and the end of summer. This was a time to take stock of their supplies and to slaughter livestock for the winter stores. Halloween is mostly a secular celebration but many Christians and pagans have expressed very strong feelings as to the days religious meaning.

The traditions we associate with Halloween today were mostly carried to us by Irish immigrants escaping the potato famine of 1846. It is a day that is associated with the colors black and orange as well as symbols such as the jack-o-lantern.

Celtic pagans believed that on October 31st, the boundary between the living and the dead was very thin and the souls of the dead were free to walk the land of the living and cause no end of problems. The tradition of wearing costumes goes back to the Celtic pagans who would wear them to placate their ancestors or confuse evil spirits.

Mystical Charm hopes you have a wonderful holiday season. We are very excited for the Fall season to begin and wish you and yours a wonderful harvest.

Tags: Halloween, holidays

The school year is just beginning for most of us. Very soon, though, we will be faced with exams, midterms and eventually finals. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was an easy way to increase your focus while you study AND help you improve your test scores? I think I can help.

First, a little biology. Our sense of smell is linked directly into the memory centers of the brain. A scent can bring back memories from your childhood you thought were long gone. For example, while growing up in Indiana, it was fashionable for everyone (in the 70’s at least) to have a Juniper bush. That scent was around me all the time to the point of not really being aware of it. Now, whenever I smell Juniper I am 10 years old again walking down the street to see if my friends can come out and play.

This simple recipe is easy to make and very powerful. Do this:

1 drop of Jasmine
6 drops of Sweet Orange
3 drops Patchouli

Mix together in a small bottle by gently rolling in your hands and add to a diffuser. Allow this mix to diffuse into the room while you study to increase your mental focus.

Here is where the science meets the real world. Remember how I can be 10 again just by smelling Juniper? Place a small amount of the oil somewhere on your body where you can smell it. The scent will trigger your memory from when you last smelled it, which should be while you were studying.

This really could work with any scent. Chose your favorite from Mystical Charm and feel better come test time.

Tags: aromatherapy, mental focus, study aids

Humans have a complex sense of smell. That sense is tied directly to the brain and into the area associated with emotion and memory. Certain scents have the effect of making a person hungry, tired, relaxed, happy and sometimes, turned on.

Aromatherapy has been used for over 5000 years as a healing art and is still widely practiced in the Far East. Certain scents have been used for lovers for almost as long. In fact, scents are mentioned in the Kama Sutra as part of the art of seduction.

The scents listed here all have been known for a long time to have aphrodisiacal properties. You can uses these in baths, in a diffuser, or added to massage oil for extra intimacy.

Basil: Has a sweet and spicy scent. Known to be an erotic scent. Basil can arouse the senses and awaken the sexual spirit.

Bergamot: Has a floral scent mixed with lemon that eases tension and anxiety. Makes it easier to enjoy the moment.

Cedarwood: Awakens the spirit, opens emotions and allows one to enter into lovemaking much easier. Eases fears.

Frankincense: An erotic scent with a haunting aroma. Simulates the senses and comforts the mind.

Ginger: Pungent and spicy. Heats up the libido and can boost vitality. Cleanses negative feelings and can stimulate trust.

Lavender: an evocative scent that has calming properties. Soothes the mind and opens the heart.

Lime: a scent that adds laughter and cheer to any relationship. Also increases appetite for passion and desire.

Orange: brings warmth and cheerfulness to a relationship.

Patchouli: a deep, musky, erotic scent. Has a very earth scent that decreases inhibition and increases desire.

Rose: a very erotic scent that is a known aphrodisiac. This is why men buy women roses for special occasions and why women love to get roses.

These are just a few. You are welcome to find what works best for you. Mystical Charm has a wide variety of scents and oils for you to experiment with.

Tags: aromatherapy, desire, passion, scents, sex

Being a few pounds over your ideal weight makes you “overweight”.  If, however, that number climbs to more than 30% over your ideal weight, then you qualify as being obese.  Obesity has become an epidemic in the United States.  It has become so bad that our children are now obese.  Excess weight can burden the entire body from the feet all the way to the neck.  That’s not to mention the self esteem issues that arise.  As a matter of fact, obesity related health issues cost the American taxpayer 70 Billion (that’s with a B) dollars annually.

As of 2007, one half of all Americans were on a diet of one form or another.  Infomercials claiming to have the next big breakthrough in weight loss technology are on every night claiming you can lose unwanted pounds in 8 minutes a day.  My theory is that if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

There are some simple ways to treat obesity.  Eat less and exercise more. Sounds simple but often, it isn’t.  Willpower waxes and wanes and those cheese fries from Outback are just soooo good.  So what can be done.

First, consult a doctor about the best way to treat the underlying issue.  It could be you overeat due to emotional issues, or hormonal issues, or any number of reasons why.

Second, start some sort of exercise.  Walking is excellent and so is weightlifting.  Together, they are more than twice as effective.

You say “That’s all well and good but what about when I start to lose my will power?”  That is where most people have the biggest issue and I can help.  The solution is easier than you might think.

“Smell your way thin???  I thought you said ‘If it sounds to good to be true, then it usually is’”.  That’s not what I’m telling you.  I’m saying there are certain scents that can boost your willpower and help you stay on track.  It’s the diet and exercise that will take the pounds off.

Do this:

6 drops of Fennel Oil

3 drops Ginger Oil

2 drops Rosemary Oil

1 drop Black Pepper Oil

Combine the oils in a small glass bottle with an airtight top by rolling gently between the hands.  Whenever you feel your willpower starting to wane (I’m looking at you cheese fries) smell the contents and feel your willpower come back.

Another way to increase to effectiveness of your workouts is to rid to body of toxins.  With all of the processing done on today’s food, a buildup of unwanted “crud” is naturally going to happen.  To get rid of these toxins, do this:

3 drops Cypress Oil

2 drops Coriander Oil

2 drops Fennel Oil

1 drop Laurel Oil

Add these to a warm bath and soak for 20-30 minutes.  Repeat daily.  if you find yourself sweating after your bath, that’s normal.  That is caused by the toxins leaving your body.  Be sure to drink plenty of water every day to help flush everything out.

Tags: aromatherapy, obesity, overweight, weight loss

It should come as no surprise that we Americans have a problem with our blood pressure. As a matter of fact, by age 55 30 percent of white American men and 20 percent of white women will have high blood pressure. The problem is worse if you are African-American. Half of all black men and 40 percent of black women will have high blood pressure.

Primarily this is due to a poor diet and a lack of exercise in our culture. If untreated, high blood pressure can lead to target organ damage, kidney failure, loss of vision, heart attack, stroke and ultimately death.

So what can we do? The first step is to change your eating habits and begin some sort of exercise program. It takes dedication but it can be done and lowering your blood pressure takes time. However, there are ways to treat your high blood pressure faster and achieve your goal in less time.

Your sense of smell is very powerful. It can bring back long dead memories of your childhood or of the first time you kissed your significant other. Scientists have recently discovered that your sense of smell is even more powerful.

Inhaling certain scents have powerful effects on your body and mind. There are a few that have a profound effect on your blood pressure. Chamomile is a wonderfully relaxing scent that also brings down a persons stress level. Lavender has been known for centuries to be relaxing and calming. Rose is also a very relaxing scent used to calm a persons nerves and bring down high blood pressure. Orange and lemon are mood enhancing scents that bring stress down as well.

If you have high blood pressure, see a doctor and follow their recommendations. However, to achieve your results faster, use these scents at work or at home and watch the numbers fall.

Tags: aromatherapy, high blood pressure, hypertension