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December Newsletter

Here is the December Newsletter.

The navigation around the various pages that I have posted to this site is still a bit clumsy now that it is no longer a single page site. Some of the hyperlinks have been set up for sections that have not yet been created. The site will have been restructured by the time the January newsletter is posted which will improve matters.

As usual, please either scroll down this page to read or click on the headers above to go straight to a particular topic. If you click on the web page addresses within the text, you will be taken to the relevant page elsewhere either on my website or to an external site.

As we are in the festive season for a lot of Western people, Seasons Greetings to everyone and I hope that 2007 will be a good year for everyone.

Thank you. Robert

18th December 2006

St.Nicholas

Below is a seasonal contribution to the newsletter from George in Moscow regarding St.Nicholas which is an extract from web page http://russian-crafts.com/customs/st-nicholas.html . The following web pages also have some articles of interest -

http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=23 , http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=35 ,

http://cartoons.osu.edu/nast/santa_camp.htm and http://www.sonofthesouth.net/Original_Santa_Claus.htm .

St. Nicholas of Myra

In keeping with the Christmas holiday season, let us take a look at a how a Bishop from Turkey became the patron saint of Moscow and Santa Claus to the world.

Little is known about Nicholas' early life. He is believed to have been born into a wealthy family in the Lycian seaport town of Patara. He was imprisoned for refusing to denounce his Christian faith during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian (AD 284-305). When the Greek, Constantine, became Emperor, the centre of the Empire moved to Constantinople (modern day Istanbul, Turkey).

Constantine did more than tolerate Christianity. He made it the official religion of the Eastern Roman Empire. The persecution of Christians ceased, prisoners were released and the Emperor called for the convening of a sacred council to agree on the structure of the Christian faith and teachings which we know as the Council of Nicea or the First Ecumenical Council. Nicholas, by now Bishop of Myra in Turkey, attended this council in AD 325. Nicholas' remains were originally, entombed at Myra (known as Demre today). In 1087, the Saint's relics were moved to Bari, Italy, where they are still enshrined in the Basilica of St. Nicolas ( Basilica di San Nicola).

What is the connection between this venerable Bishop and Santa Claus? Legend has it that Nicholas worked numerous miracles for those in need. He is also known as the Wonder Worker. Possibly the most famous and popular story concerns a nobleman and his three daughters.

The nobleman had fallen on hard times and did not have the money to pay his daughters' dowries. Without this, the girls could not marry. Nicholas, learning of their despair, went to the house, at night, and dropped a bag of gold coins in one of the daughter's window. Later, he returned and deposited a bag of coins in through the next girl's window. When he returned to bestow his gift on the third girl, all the windows of the house were locked. So, the good Bishop climbed up on the roof and dropped the bag of money down through the chimney. The coins fell into the girls' stockings that were hanging on the fireplace mantle to dry. Sound familiar? This legend is where we get the tradition of hanging stockings for Santa to fill with treats and gifts on Christmas Eve.

Some of Nicholas' acts are documented and thus amount to more than legend. One of the earliest such accounts is found in a sixth century Greek text. Three officers, sentenced to death, were saved by Nicholas who appeared to Constantine in a dream. Nicholas is credited with resurrecting three children burned to death in a fire and saving another child from drowning. He calmed a storm off the coast of Lycia, saving several sailors from certain death. The Bishop is said to have done many charitable acts. For example, Nicholas purchased a rug from a poor street vendor for an inflated price and then gave the rug to the vendor's wife as a gift. Thus, the couple gained financial help and retained their property. This act shows Nicholas' sensitivity to human dignity. Nicholas quickly became a beloved saint worldwide. He is a favourite patron saint, especially in Greece and Russia. In fact, St. Nicholas is the patron saint of Moscow. A church was built in his honour in the sixth century by Roman emperor Justinian at Constantinople. St. Nicholas' Feast Day is December 6th, the date of his death in ca. AD 350. In many Eastern traditions, this is a festive day of thanksgiving and gift giving.

Nicholas' popularity created many surnames worldwide; Nichols, Colson, Collins, etc. His transition to Father Christmas occurred first in Germany where the Reformed Protestant churches were in a majority. In the Dutch Reformed Church, St. Nicholas was known as Sinter Claes which became Santa Claus in English speaking countries. Christmas is the season when Christians celebrate the Nativity of Christ. It is, also, a holiday associated with the celebration of the family, especially children. The legends and accounts surrounding the Bishop of Myra, his charity, miracles and love for children and family make him the real Santa.

You are probably wondering how the jolly old man with the red suit with a big belly figures into our story. During the American Civil War, a political cartoonist named Thomas Nast, endeavored to lift the spirits of the Union soldiers by drawing a gift bearing Santa Claus in a red, white and blue suit. The jolly old man motif is thanks to a theology professor, Dr. Clement Moore (1779-1863) of New York City, who wrote Twas the Night Before Christmas to entertain his restless children!

If you can put aside the commercialism of Christmas for a moment, it is easy to see how the real Saint Nicholas and the fictional Santa Clause do, indeed, embody the true spirit of the season. This is a time of gentleness, sharing and celebration of the family. These ideals translate into any language and culture. Differences between the Churches of East and West eventually culminated in the Great Schism of 1054. From the time of Constantine, the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire was ruled from Constantinople and the Western Roman Empire from Rome. The Western empire was more barbaric and busy invading Europe. Their theological development was influenced greatly by individuals such as St. Augustine (AD 354-430). In the East, times were more peaceful, the arts and commerce flourished and Christian doctrine was fashioned by the Greek Fathers. Rome, because of its claim to Apostolic authority from Peter maintained authority over the Church. The Eastern sees of Alexandria, Antioch and Constantinople were considered the ultimate authority in Church dealings and doctrinal matters and therefore the Ecumenical Council. Thus, Orthodoxy, as the Eastern group of Churches is known, was not about to bow to the primacy of Rome.

It is from Constantinople that the Church spread to Russia, in the mid-900's, and developed into the Russian Orthodox Church. Its roots are in the Church of Constantinople; the Byzantine Orthodox Church; the Church of Bishop Nicholas. Thus, this beloved Saint is cherished by the Russian Church and people.

Crystals Fairs

The forward schedule for the first quarter of 2007 for the crystals fairs organised by Rock’n’Gem Shows is below. Further information including directions can be found by going to their website at http://www.rockngem.co.uk/events.asp . Car parking is available at all locations. Opening hours for the fairs are 10.00am to 5.00pm. The Saturday fair at Kempton Park will close later at 6.00pm. For the second year running, there is no January fair at Hatfield House so I presume that this is no longer a venue for these fairs.

6^th and 7^th January – Dulwich College, SE London

20^th and 21^st January – The Hop Farm, Beltring, Paddock Wood, Kent

27^th and 28^th January – Chepstow Racecourse

3^rd and 4^th February – Newton Abbott Racecourse

24^th and 25^th February – York Racecourse

3^rd and 4^th March – Cheltenham Racecourse

17^th and 18^th March – Kempton Park Racecourse, SW London

31^st March and 1^st April – Brighton Racecourse

Earth Energies

Those people who are able to connect to the energies of the planet beneath us might be interested in the work of Hamish Miller. Hamish is now into his third decade of dowsing and has dowsed extensively across the South of England following the energy lines in the landscape. He classifies these energy lines into Leylines which are relatively straight and into Lines of Earth Energy which are not straight. All these energy lines, however, tend to intersect or to be concentrated at the ancient sacred sites in this country. Hamish’s research has led him to the conclusion that these energy lines in the planet really do interact with our own energy fields and can influence our behavioural patterns and our health and wellbeing. Over the years of research he has worked with a number of health problems in both people and animals which are connected with our planet’s energy field. His spiritual perspective is that our personal energies and the planetary energies are all inter-linked and part of the cosmic web of energy

Most of Hamish’s work has been written up in the form of books which are available from his publishing website at http://www.hamishmiller.co.uk. His first book (written with Paul Broadhurst), called ‘The Sun and the Serpent’, records his research project across the South of England when he dowsed the Mary and Michael Lines from the coast of East Anglia, where they come in from the Netherlands, all the way through Avebury and Glastonbury down to St.Michael’s Mount in Cornwall. Along the way, the project sought to find out the local tales and folklore relating to various locations connected with the Energy Lines and his observations about these were woven into the research and into his book. His next book (written with Paul Broadhurst, Vivienne Shanley and Ba Russell), called The Dance of the Dragon records his research project into the St.Michael / Apollo Axis. This is the straight line axis that runs through European sacred sites from Skellig Michael off the coast of South West Ireland (famous for the monastery with beehive huts) through St.Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, Mont St.Michel in Normandie, La Sacra di San Michele in Italy’s Piemonte, Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano which has Europe’s oldest shrine dedicated to Archangel Michael, Delphi, Athens and Delos before passing under the Mediterranean into Mount Carmel in Israel. This Axis is notable for the many shrines dedicated along its route to Archangel Michael. Hamish’s most recent book (written with Barry Brailsford) was published earlier this year. Named ‘In Search of the Southern Serpent’, the book records his Earth Energies research work in New Zealand where he was helped by the Maori Elders who shared with him their knowledge of Earth Energies which has been passed down through the generations.

I have drawn upon some of Hamish’s work in the Foundation Chapters of my manuals so in a sense Hamish is yet another person who has contributed to the collection of information that I try to pass on to people.

Sekhem – Trademarking Guidance

The Notice that I posted in November regarding the trademarking of SEKHEM within the European Union attracted a lot of visitor traffic once it had been picked up by the main internet search engines. The Notice contained reference to trademarking in Australia, the United States of America and Hong Kong. I have received a number of queries about the trademarking situation in these countries so have now posted further Notices with cross reference back to the relevant trademarking authorities there. As in the European Union, there seems to be a lack of understanding about exactly what has been trademarked. Please click here to read about the trademarking in Australia, click here to read about the trademarking in the USA and click here to read about the trademarking in Hong Kong.

January Newsletter

The January newsletter will be issued in mid-January

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