New Years Resolutions History

 A new year and new resolutions, but do we know why everyone makes and breaks resolutions? Let's dive into the history of New Year's traditions.

Modern resolutions reflect our excess and cushy lives. Way back in BC times agriculture (from the Egyptians to the Chinese) was what made the world go 'round. No crops meant no food or money. They resolved to be good so crops would be bountiful. Our society has different needs, and some aren't needs at all if you truly look at it from the perspective of poverty-stricken people. Resolving to go use a gym membership is not a need unless you need to lose weight. Trying to consume less social media implies that you have the means to look at social media often. While losing your smoking habit is definitely a need for your health, other resolutions are far from needs.

4000 years ago Babylonians started the tradition. During the Akito festival, they would pledge and make promises. If they kept them, they were on the good side of the gods. If not, they were not favored. Julius Caesar created a new calendar in 46 BC and made January 1st the beginning of the new year, thus honoring the god Janus (a two-faced God looking back into the past and into the future). Romans promised good behavior to honor Janus and made sacrifices. In the middle ages, knights renewed chivalry vows by placing hands on a live or roasted peacock (or pheasant, if peacocks were unavailable). This would be an end-of-year celebration called a "peacock vow". 

With that background, we move into modern times. 17th Century made resolutions common. This is still true today. We don't resolve to be good to gods for the sake of crops, but to ourselves out of a need to self-improve. We reflect on our goals in the new year and try to do better. A new year and a new start is the mindset of most who make resolutions. 40 percent set resolutions, 80 percent break them by February, and only 8 percent are successful. Experts say we are doomed to fail. 

Common Resolutions

Setting goals means you need to have actual steps to success. Most fail to plan those steps and think too big, especially when little steps, done consistently, are needed to create habits. The most common ones include health, weight, media consumption, relationships, money, work, and travel. 

Breaking resolutions is extremely easy to do. One or two missed weeks at the gym and you can simply stop going to the gym entirely with little effort. A month later you slap your forehead like you need V8 while looking at your resolution list. So, yeah, that 8 percent worked hard to make their resolution a success. Below you will find the resolutions most forgotten. 

- lose weight/get fit  - quit smoking  - learn something new  - eat healthier/diet  

- get out of debt/save money  - spend time with family more often  - travel to new places

- reduce stress  - volunteer   - drink less 

Why they fail

Above I talked about setting goals with concrete steps and consistent habits. Take into consideration that unshared resolutions have no accountability and we have more than one solid reason that we often fail at keeping them. Put simply, with no accountability and no small steps to achieve our objective, we make it easy to forget our resolution as life's stress takes hold of our schedule. Too many resolutions only lead to frustration as you overwhelm yourself.

Advice to those keeping their resolutions would be to have an accountability partner, keep concrete small goals that lead up to your main goal, and not to think too big. Don't make the list too long. One or two big goals with small goals that lead up to them would be a solid plan. Monitoring your goal is a must. Give yourself time to change habits. Don't think that it will be easy. Make it manageable, trackable, and give yourself a time frame to do it within. 

If you want an example, suppose I wanted to work out consistently, possibly do Zumba at least once a week. I call my fictional friend Sally and we agree to do it together. With this in mind, we set up a time and day of the week to do so at my house, her house, or at a workout studio near us. If one of us forgets or life events get in our way we jump back into the schedule as soon as humanly possible. She calls me and I call her to keep each other going strong. After a while, we have created a habit. This goal was manageable because Sally and I had a plan set in place and kept track of our Zumba habit in a planner or calendar. This type of goal is set often with no accountability or plan in place, but if you do it like this you have a chance of success.

2020 is over

2020 was a blur of Corona Virus, cancellations, and general disappointment, as well as poor mental health and isolation. I think we can all agree that this past year was a dumpster fire that is still smoldering. That said, we have a vaccine out and I can tell you that I have gotten it (no side effects for me, in case you were wondering). We are alive. Take care of yourselves and good luck keeping those resolutions!

Ps. Look up Dumpster Fire 2020 on google for some fun entertainment and good laughs. They make 2020 dumpster fire toys and ornaments! The picture to your left is a cross-stitch.

Pictures:

Adobe Stock

Daily Cross Stitch

Imgflip

https://www.trafalgar.com/real-word/history-new-years-resolutions/

https://www.history.com/news/the-history-of-new-years-resolutions

http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,2040218,00.html

https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-other/why-make-new-years-resolutions1.htm

https://www.cnet.com/health/the-history-of-new-years-resolutions-and-celebrations/

Santa and Conspiracy

It is days after Christmas and we are going to be talking about conspiracy, that, and the true origin of Santa Claus. 

St. Nicholas

Let me introduce you to St. Nicholas, a monk who used his whole inheritance to help the needy. In 16th century Europe he was known as Father Christmas. Sailors know him as the patron saint of voyagers because he prayed and saved a ship. He is also the patron and protector of children. He died in 343 AD and his tomb was found in Turkey. This man was the starting point of Santa Claus. St. Nicholas Day is celebrated December 6th. 

If you want more on St. Nicholas, see my last three sources. He was an amazing man and he was real. He is declared a Saint. He has many descriptions throughout time, but the red suit is here to stay. While the holiday has lost some of the original sincerity and love, his popularity as a Saint has not gone away. He took seriously Christ's command to give money to and care for the poor. It would be a good idea to remember that Santa Claus was never just about getting stuff.

Conspiracy Theories

And now we commence with the conspiracy theories that are so far from St. Nicholas you can't even believe they exist. This may, in fact, be why you clicked this link. To quote Monty Python, let's get on with it.

Coca Cola and Santa Claus may be used quite often together, but did Coca Cola invent him?! As mentioned above, his appearance did change throughout time. 1913 is when Coca Cola started putting the man in the red suit in their advertisements. While this was probably just a PR campaign move to get more business during Christmas, some think they created our image of Santa Claus we see today. This myth has been busted by those that say (and quite possibly correctly) that the image of Santa we know today is a hybrid of St. Nicholas and all the images that were created of him over time. 

This next conspiracy comes with a warning. I am going to tell you now that if you won't sleep at night reading the following myth, you should stop reading at the bold asterisks (**) and draw your eyes to the second bold asterisks (**). 

**  

You've been warned. This theory is so weird that I am going to tell you that I don't believe this one to be true at any level. St. Nicholas is the origin of Santa Claus, as far as I am concerned. 

With that said, many of you have probably noticed that Santa can become Satan by a mere switching of letters or spelling mistake. Parents have actually misspelled Santa on presents before. Dyslexia in this case makes one word another word it should never have been. Due to this fact, a few people do believe Santa is Satan because he is drawing our focus from Christ to gift-giving. The color red is associated with Satan. Do I believe that? Heck, no. Are there super-conservative people who do? Yes. 

It gets worse. Some think Santa then ate children after going down chimneys. I have no words to express how weird and awful that belief is. They think St. Nicholas convinced Santa to change his ways, thus we have gifts coming from Santa as compensation for the deceased children. I think this deserves a Captain Picard facepalm. I will not dwell on this any longer. 

**

Elf on the shelf, a tradition that a good handful of parents and teachers participate in every year, is known all around the world. Look up the memes and there is your proof. If you think they are watching you to see if you are good, well, consider who else could be watching you. Did the CIA pop into your mind? For some of the population, it did. A small portion of the humans around us think the CIA is using these elves for surveillance on our political stance and habits. While it is possible to buy nanny-cams and other devices, I doubt that these plastic toys are logging your political stance, not if they are cheap at dollar stores. Are they creepy? Sure, but the CIA has better things to do.

This is another warning because I would like you to sleep at night. This next one is Krampus related. Read onto the next paragraph at your own risk.

Krampus is half human and half goat. He travels with Santa punishing the naughty children. This German idea was said to roam towns at midnight on December 6th. He had a long tongue, fangs, long dark hair, and horns. He lashed out with chains and bells, also swatting bad kids with birch sticks. He could throw kids into the underworld if they were naughty enough. Isn't that charming to think about (sarcasm)? If you want your kids to be good all year and they believe in Santa, tell them this bedtime story and you might scare them into obedience and good behavior (which is most likely the purpose of this legend to begin with).

I'm done talking about Krampus now, so you can read on again if you skipped it.

If anyone has claimed that Christmas is a pagan holiday, they are mistaken. While there were celebrations in December, Sol Invictus and Saturnalia, for example, it is not the same thing. Saturnalia was a three-day fool's feast with gifts that ran from December 17-19. Sol Invictus is celebrated December 25th (yes, Christmas day, but no, not the same) and celebrates the Roman sun god. Sol Invictus was invented after Christmas was celebrated (so, stolen from Christians, technically), and Saturnalia is over by Christmas day. Romans saw Christmas as an opportunity to create their own holiday spin. Sol Invictus and Christmas are not the same.

Another claim is that our Christmas symbols are taken from pagans.  My research says otherwise. It makes the point, a valid point, that one thing can represent many things over years. The rainbow can mean God's promise to never destroy with water again or it can be the homosexual community symbol. It started as one and became another over time. The Nazi symbol at one time meant peace and harmony, and now it represents the Nazis. The point is that one thing means many things by now. We don't have as many new ideas as we may think. On top of this, we also have to consider that a bad thing can (sometimes, situation permitting) be turned around for good. While the Nazi symbol has no hope of that, other symbols do. The cross as a symbol of Christ is a glowing example of a bad thing (shameful, violent punishment on a cross) turned into a good thing (Christ paying for our sins on the cross). 

Conclusions

 A select few of those were a bit past the line of sanity, but now that you know they exist your Christmas conversations can be more interesting than snow and bad roads. I don't believe any of these theories to be true. The only thing I call true in today's content is the origin of Santa Claus being St. Nicholas. 

Now that you can scare your kids into good behavior, I will wish you a blessed day and Merry Christmas! Christ is the reason for the season. Take care of yourself out there.

Pictures:

Christianity Today

Marketing Land

Mediacollege.com

The Guide Liverpool

Sources:

 https://www.friendsofbeamish.co.uk/articles/santa.html

https://www.indigomusic.com/whats-up/christmas-conspiracies

https://catholicstand.com/catholicism-conspiracies-christmas/

https://nypost.com/2017/10/04/archaeologists-discover-the-tomb-of-santa-claus/#:~:text=Yes%2C%20Virginia%2C%20there%20was%20a,1%2C500%2Dyear%2Dold%20St.
https://www.stnicholascenter.org/who-is-st-nicholas
https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/santa-claus

In-person Vs Zoom

Zoom or in-person holiday party? Zoom or in-person office meeting? Zoom or in-person prayer meeting? Zoom or in-person date? All these questions and more are the questions of the day. Let me help! Take a quick look at your pros and cons before canceling anything or going online. 

 

Zoom or any other video calls you make have a different psychological impact than in-person social contact. If it just wasn't the same to talk to your friend on Skype or Zoom or Facetime you have proven this theory to be true. Classes, parties, dates, office meetings, and prayer meetings will not have the same flow. While it may be more convenient to only dress your top half and wear pajamas or sweats on the bottom, it doesn't truly connect us in the same way. This doesn't mean it is not a good way to conduct a meeting. Without any further adieu, let's dive into the pros and cons of Zoom.

The Negatives

This may be a pro and con, depending on your function, but it limits social activity. If you want a super-productive meeting and don't want the social activity to take over this works, but for your holiday party, this doesn't work. You have a set time to meet and (if you have the free version of Zoom) a set amount of time to meet. I, personally, know that my bible study group gets nothing done this way, aside from personal updates and one prayer. Forty minutes is not enough time to dive into Romans and fewer people show up. We aren't a large group to begin with, so this platform will not work for us.

If you have trouble reading people (for more reasons than just your bad internet connection) it is because you only have audio and visual cues to work with. People give off energy and vibes (for example, if they are in a bad mood one can usually tell), but with only your ears and eyes, you can't get a correct reading, and so, you can't truly get a good sense of everyone. On top of this fact, a bad internet connection can cut off your meeting entirely, cause tech. problems, or cause lag. If you have an internet issue you are sunk. Meet in person if your interest is not going to support video meetings. 

Another possible con is that introverts and quiet people have trouble jumping into the meeting with their thoughts. Lag plus constant interruption equals type it out in the chat. No joke, it is much easier to chat out your thoughts because you can't see someone raising a hand or waiting to speak. Us introverts are polite people who wait and form thoughts carefully. Group meetings are bad enough without lag, bad video quality, and the inability to find a good time to jump in. You cannot see if someone is trying to get the floor for a suggestion. One-on-one communication doesn't have this problem, so that's different, but a group meeting usually means our thoughts don't reach the meeting despite our attempts to put them out there. The literal problem for everyone is that we don't know whose turn it is to speak. This concept is based on gaze-awareness (who is looking at whom). 

We have a limit of environments. Our computers are usually sitting in the same place or the internet is only strong in certain places. Your home only has so much variety in it. Your office has even less variety. While you can go find a cafe or restaurant to sit in, most are sitting in their bedroom or living room. Everyone is forced to show only one version of themselves (when it is natural for us to adapt to different places by showing other versions of ourselves). Put simply, you no longer have a separation of home and work, or home and somewhere else. This messes with our brains. 

I think we've all seen situations where parents have to divide attention between your Zoom or Skype meeting and their four-year-old. You are not in a meeting room that shuts out the outside world. It is not a physical boundary, but a psychological one. The outside world can invade your meeting or date. Unless you have a physical space that is free from others, you can easily be distracted. If you are not talking or presenting, you could be doing anything else off-screen. You only agreed to point your face at a screen for forty minutes, if you have nothing to say. If your meeting can be an email, just write the email. It's faster for everyone.

An odd thing about Zoom is that you stare at yourself, along with everyone else. You may catch yourself fixing your hair and adjusting the lights so you look better. It alters the behavior of the people in the room and gives you more to cognitively process. It adds stress, in short. You may be more exhausted by the meeting because of this. Going back to how we only have audio and visual cues, there will be misunderstandings. Because we can't just grab so-and-so to work it out after the meeting and talk about it over lunch, we may not address it at all. Cue the social drama. This is not clear communication. At the end of your meeting, you are also forcibly ejected with no transition. It is too abrupt and throws you back into the outside world with a jolt. All this cognitive processing stresses us out and exhausts us. The energy that comes from fellow human beings is necessary for connection. The vibes coming from your friends make it possible to read them, as said above, and all this together makes all of us extremely tired of Zoom in general. 

Ask yourself one question when you consider Zoom, Skype, or Facetime; is this the right communication option for the conversation? Office meetings are one thing, but delivering the news of a death in the family requires a hug (if you are comfortable with that) or an in-person visit. While I enjoy prayer meetings on any medium, the energy in the room is greater when we are all in-person. Human connection is what we are built for. Think about this. Consider your topic. 

The Positives

I'm going to be straight will all of you. I don't like Zoom. I have been forced to use it all Covid long and I am sick of it. All that aside, I still need to try to be objective here and look for some positives. There may not be many, but here are the ones I could find. Again, I will be blunt. I found more articles on how Zoom exhausts us than how it helps us. The only overly positive reviews are for business uses. I don't think it was ever intended for social gatherings. 

Offices and businesses, the intended use of Zoom, can have meetings with people in other cities, countries, and buildings with convenience and ease (given the internet connection is not bad). This can also go for relatives that can't travel for holidays or birthdays.  The connection online can still keep us in contact with one another, even with all the negatives above. If it is a large meeting this can support it. 

If you need to stream your meet-up, Zoom can do it. You can put it on your social media. It is free. It works with google calendar. It can grow with your group. It is not hard to use (unless you are technologically challenged like some older generations tend to be). While there are some issues, it is generally workable for anyone. 

Working remotely, a way to be home with family, is one thing some people have done during our pandemic. Some will continue to do so long after the pandemic is over. Video calling will allow this to a degree that was never reachable before.  It will make it possible to work from home and care for children. 

My conclusions

Zoom or video calling depends entirely on your intentions. My personal opinion is that it needs to go as far away from our holiday parties or social gatherings as possible, but remain for the use of missionaries, people who can't travel to see family, and businesses. I have had to use it for months. I don't like the sense of exhaustion and frustration it gives me. I have found so many articles about how it exhausts our society that I am convinced that I am not alone in this experience. The only positives that can be found are sometimes ads. 

Please be careful out there, but please know that you need in-person contact more than you think you do. It is entirely up to you what you decide to do with your holiday parties. I leave it up to you. Do what is best for your families. Be safe and responsible. 

Pictures:

Hindustan Times

Burlap and Blue

Pinterest

Bored Panda

Sources:

https://uxdesign.cc/the-psychological-impact-of-video-calls-dbed57aa792b

https://www.greengeeks.com/blog/pros-cons-using-zoom/

https://financesonline.com/pros-cons-of-zoom/

reducing anxiety

 Let's face it, Christmas may be a celebration of Christ's birth, but the holiday shopping society added to it gives us all a bad case of anxiety. Even if you aren't losing it trying to get a perfect gift for your in-laws, parents, spouse, or sibling, all this Covid 19 business is making everyone a bit stir-crazy and anxious. Today we are going to talk about how to calm down without medication (unless you really do need it, and there is no shame in needing it).

Image from Harvard Health - Harvard University

For starters, I'm going to tell you that if you have a legitimate disorder that needs medication this post is not here to shame you. You should listen to any therapists and doctors that are trained to deal with mental illness. Don't try to treat it all by yourself. Get help if you are considering or having thoughts of suicide. Please don't think of me as a doctor. While these may help with your anxiety, I am not a doctor.

What I do know is that disorders of anxiety interfere with basic functions and living well consistently, so if that is the case find a professional. Now that you know I have no medical degree (researching on the internet does not make you a doctor or an expert), we go onward. 

The methods.

I'm not going to lie. I tend to deal with a mind that gets overwhelmed by my own ambitions, dreams, and weirdness. I may sound good (at least I hope I do, anyway) on my blogs, but talking to me in person reveals that I sound better on paper than in person most times, unless there is a script in my hand. Life comes with decisions, lots of them, and sometimes they come all at once. As strange as it sounds, making a decision and committing to it is one way to push past your anxiety. Do something, anything to keep moving in a direction that you feel is right. On this topic, I also add that you need boundaries from taking on others' problems. If you can't handle an extra task you can and should say no before your stress levels go too high. 

photo by Blessing Manifesting

What is good for your heart (physical heart) is good for your brain. Omega 3s can be found in supplements, nuts, grass-fed beef, and fish. Apparently, taking care of your heart is extremely good for your brain and may help combat anxiety. Another thought, from my own experience, is that eating right and drinking water is entirely necessary to keep your mental state balanced. Blood sugar being balanced is essential to normal body functions. If you take a moment to care for your basic needs you do so much better in the long run. You may actually be more productive. To be sure, sleep. Read that again. Don't be pulling all-nighters. Exercise and take care of yourself. Body and mind are connected, so please don't neglect your body or you will regret it. 

Mindfulness, something I just talked about last blog (can be found in the archives), is focusing on your present instead of having worries over your future. Anxiety is triggered by worries about future events. This practice has been called grounding by therapists. If you are a Christian that doesn't know if it is biblical to practice this, go in my blog archives and look for Mindfulness and Christianity. I have the pros and cons right there for you to ponder. With this, slow breathing has been proven effective and is included in some mindfulness exercises. This breathing proves to your body you are not in need of a fight-or-flight response and are okay. 

We all have been watching social media like hawks, and that is where the rumors fly like no other place on earth. If you have someone on there that keeps posting rumors, dark things, bothering you, bullying you.......etc you need to unfollow and unfriend some people. If people are not your issue, turn off social media. Decreasing your attention to all the flying rumors, political posts, dramatic humans, and doomsday false news is going to help you keep your head in the positives. This does not mean you can't talk about the negatives; talk about your problems and deal with them. What I'm saying here is that you should talk it out and move on, instead of staying in your pit of despair to moan over social media, or moan alone. 

If you think playing is only for kids, well, stop. Play gives us a break and the rest we need. Go hang out

with friends (responsibly) and do some form of art or sports. Turn on Netflix, Youtube, a good movie, and stop working for a while. Put simply, do what relaxes you. Whether it be gaming, films, arts, or Dungeons and Dragons, have fun. We were made to balance our work and play together. All work creates too much stress build-up. Give yourself permission to pull out your old Nintendo DS games or do some adult coloring. Play those Nancy Drew PC games. Watch someone play a game, even, if you have no desire to game. If you are losing your mind because you are constantly working you need this mental break before you break yourself. That being said, don't be all play, either; this is a balancing act. 

Talk, speak, say what needs to be said. Tension and anxiety, in some cases, go hand-in-hand. To end the situations that cause this there needs to be a conversation or some sort of resolution. Try to solve the conflict as calmly as possible. If you can't, reread the paragraph on unfollowing people. You may have to make that tough choice if someone will not bury the hatchet. All else fails, leave them standing alone with their hatchet, and bury your own hatchet. I would highly suggest solving the conflict before you attempt to do so, but whatever you do, say and do what you need to. End that tension.

I know they say we should be six feet apart, but physical contact like hugging is good for reducing stress. Find a friend who is comfortable with hugs, give affection to your family, kiss your spouse or significant other, etc. Social distance might help us not catch Corona Virus, but it is killing us mentally. Suicide rates are higher this year and possibly worse than the virus itself in numbers. In a pandemic, there are no right answers. I do think we shouldn't be hugging everyone we see. However, we do need the affection of friends and family as much as we needed it before. Be responsible, but make sure you are getting that affection from somewhere. Cats and dogs are especially good at that.

A cozy fire in the fireplace, crazy as it sounds, could help you deal with your anxiety. If you are legitimately considering setting fire to yourself upon reading that sentence immediately call your doctor (if you think I'm kidding, I'm not). You may need some extra help from more qualified sources in that situation. That dark thought aside, heat is supposed to help. Sun, saunas, a warm bath or shower, and fireplace seats with hot cocoa or tea could potentially help regulate your mood. People in Alaska during the time of year where there is no sun do more suicide, so I personally believe this to be true. While you're at it turn on your essential oil room sprayer to lavender. Put some oil on your wrist or your pillow. Lavender is proven to relax you. Herbal remedies, in this same way, may help. 

As a coffee drinker, this paragraph saddens me. Caffeine can make our anxiety worse. If you have it badly enough you need to skip the coffee and caffeinated tea. If you think it may help, you don't have to give all your coffee dreams up. Moderation is a wonderful idea. Test scaling back on caffeinated beverages and see how you feel. You can add a beverage that isn't caffeinated in its place if you like. Basically, caffeine gives our nerves a jolt, thus causing more anxiety. Decaffeinated tea can be quite relaxing.

If you drink lots of alcohol, you'll be sad at this paragraph. Alcohol can increase anxiety, depression, and irritability into the next day. It is not your friend if you deal with serious mental issues. Please don't hear me say it is evil. On the contrary, I say that it is an inanimate object and will only hinder you when misused, just like every substance on earth. I'm saying that if you have mental issues that are major you shouldn't use it to "self-medicate". A beer a few times a month is not misusing, but five drinks a night for days or weeks is not healthy. Please make sure you don't misuse this liquid refreshment.

Understanding yourself

Do you know your triggers? Do you know what sets you off and makes you spiral? This is an important question. If you don't you could be triggered daily and not know it. This is where journaling your thoughts and analyzing them a day or so after can help you understand yourself. Process your thoughts and emotions. It does help.

photo by Masha Plans

One way to figure out triggers is to write out three things that stressed you out at the end of the day. After a while you find the pattern if there is one. If you find that pattern you can find the triggers. After that, and don't skip this part, write out three things you did well. You often overlook what you've done well. Celebrate what you did well. Reward yourself.

Release your emotions. Let out your stress. Find a controlled environment to do so. This can be going out in the woods to scream (not to be done in a public park) or journaling, like me, on a laptop word document unfiltered. It can be finding a friend and having a vent session. Don't make a friend as on edge as you are, but you can phone-a-friend and talk it out. Find a safe space to release your pent-up emotion. You learn what your emotions are and how to handle them safely through this. 

Introverts and parties with lots of strange people historically don't get along, especially if you didn't drive yourself and your friend has no intention of leaving early. Picture it, a room full of people and you went with your extroverted friend to a party with lots of small-talk and no dog to spend time with. What do you do? Well, you plan an exit strategy and drive yourself to parties (if possible). There is more control there and thus the anxiety lessens. 

Sources:

https://www.heysigmund.com/anxiety-without-medication/

https://www.healthline.com/health/effective-ways-to-fight-anxiety-without-drugs
https://www.reidhealth.org/blog/6-tips-for-managing-anxiety-without-medication

https://pzizz.com/blog/articles/how-to-fight-anxiety-without-medication/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/integrative-mental-health-care/201702/treating-anxiety-without-using-prescription-medications

Mindfulness and Christianity

 Mindfulness, does it harm your faith or help your faith? Let's dive into that.

First of all, I have found that much like my blog on horror and Christianity (found in my archives) there are so many opinions out there. We first need a basic definition of Mindfulness. Our English dictionary says it is (1)being aware and conscious of something, or (2) a mental state achieved by being aware of the present moment while accepting all emotions, feelings, and bodily sensations. The second definition is considered a therapy technique. Put simply, you clear the noise from your mind and completely relax yourself while completely focusing on the present moment. 

The Positive

By itself, it does not sound like it can contradict your Christian faith. In fact, understanding yourself can help you learn better and live a better life. Does it really sound all that bad? In this chaotic year we've all had, I'd say the basic practice of staying in the present and sitting to clear your head for a brief moment is probably not a bad idea. It can be used to handle stress, spark creativity, be a psychotherapy and therapy tool, and enhance your mental health. It sounds to me like it could actually help you study the Bible and God's Word a little more clearly. Mental health creates clarity that makes it easier to learn - just don't forget to invite God into all this. Without Him all of it is useless.

Biblical support for this is absolutely existent. Philippians 2:1-5 says to live in the present moment and be mindful, and that is Paul talking. Prayer itself is a practice in mindfulness in Christ, and we are told to pray unceasingly. Meditation on God's Word is good for our Christ relationship. We are told to not be anxious for the future because God cares for the sparrows and He will certainly care for us. We are told to take thoughts captive, renew our minds, focus on God-honoring things. All this support for the practice of mindfulness in Christ says that God cares deeply for us. Christian therapy does include mindfulness, in some places, with the integration of Christ, which is necessary. Look up to Christ and not horizontally into yourself alone.

In the field of Psychology, it is a proven method for beating anxiety and depression. There is some evidence that is not a Buddhist practice alone. It is a mental exercise that can help us turn off our anxiety. Individuals who feel anxiety when there is no reasonable reason why need something to help them turn off that faulty sensor (we all need this, actually, so don't tell me you are perfectly together.). Mindfulness controls our focus so we don't freak ourselves out with our own minds and thoughts. It takes our focus from all the possible problems in the world and puts it on what is real and solid, grounding us. This practice is also known as "grounding". God gave us the power to focus on our present and Christ instead of the problems that could be, and that is what Psychology combined with faith considers mindfulness to be. This group doesn't consider mindfulness to be prayer. Trusting God to care for you may lead to mindfulness (But don't think that you can simply sit and do nothing all day - I know someone is thinking it, so I'll just say it now.). We only have access to our present, and thinking clearly in the present creates a past we can live with. All this can be summarized by "be still and know that I am God (God is talking here, not a human)". He wants us to live in the peace of His presence, not to fear everything. 

Our minds wander, constantly, and God is likely not the first thing on our minds when we wake up in the morning. God challenge for the week, write down what your first thought is in the morning and tell me how often it is God. If you can actually have God on your mind every morning I want to know how you did it, but I can guarantee the average human - even if they seek God daily - would fail this challenge for weeks. We'd find our worries, work, and anxiety was more likely to be our first go-to thoughts. We go on autopilot, instead of paying attention to what God wants for us. Imagine if we walked through life actively paying attention to God and the rich world He created. I think we'd fall on our knees every day to praise Him. He is waiting for us to notice Him and His plans for us, so He can connect with us. We spend so much time in our own brains that we isolate ourselves, but when we focus on the present we see a world God created. It creates room for God to speak to us.

The Negative

After all the positive energy from that previous section, let's play devil's advocate. Its origin is thought to be Buddhist and Hindu, for starters, and the original intention of Buddist meditation is to reach enlightenment and reach Nirvana. The most common objections to this practice point to its eastern origin. They say it focuses only on you, promotes a "one with the cosmos" thought process, supports emptying the mind and leaving it open for demons to take over, and encourages escape from real life. 

The self-focus, when our Savior is left out of the picture, does make this point valid. In faith we "die to self and live in Christ", so thinking only about yourself is not the best way to grow your relationship with Christ, especially since a relationship implies you and Christ bound together. In other words, if you follow your own whims all your life you are not focused on Christ. Be careful if you are prone to distraction. Include Christ in your mindfulness.

So, back to Eastern origins. It is supposed to promote connecting with your own inner "divinity/god" if taken from its original eastern practice. It may blur the line between created and creator. Apparently, some who have practiced Buddist meditation detach from reality to a dark degree, experience more fear, and may lose their minds. Some people believe that Buddism is being force-fed to children in schools. (I'd wait a bit before believing that last sentence, at least until you find solid proof.) These same people also believe that it is mixing with pure Christian faith and is diluting our faith and that yoga is just as paganistic. 

Yoga, defined by our dictionary as a Hindu practice involving mediation and positions that help you remain healthy, is accepted by most as simply a health craze that has nothing to do with religion. In most yoga classes, it is an exercise class with no religious connotation at all. Maybe another day I'll tackle yoga and Christianity, but today I'll just touch on it. Yoga is even used in today's athletic stretches and dance stretches. You would be surprised how much of your pre-run routine stretching is actually yoga. I, personally, don't consider it a religious thing, mostly because the United States I live in has never considered it anything except a health class that makes you flexible. In the middle east, it is probably taught very, very differently, but here in Ohio, it is just a class you can take at the YMCA to get fit. Many Christians participate in yoga and see nothing wrong with it because we were taught it was exercise. Some of us didn't know it was yoga when we're doing high school athletics.

Escaping the real world without addressing it can be an issue here. Running from an issue is not a way to handle something. If you need to take a break and come back to it that is another matter, but to escape permanently is never good. Some say this practice doesn't solve a problem, just treats a symptom. A part of this practice finds its base in finding happiness, which is nice but doesn't solve the corruption in the world or the cause of your anxiety. Salvation is eternal, not earthly, so deliverance from mood swings and other mental problems is not salvation. Here we come back to focusing on self too much. Sometimes one is trying to find salvation without God, which is impossible. This same source claims that mindfulness reduces things down too far and has no moral framework for our emotions. With this, they also add that awareness-only focus means we don't change for the better. 

Too Many Definitions!

After all this research we see that one person sees the word "mindfulness" as paying attention to God's world and inviting Him into their daily life, and another sees it as a pagan practice being mixed into Christianity, and yet another sees it as a way to treat mental imbalance and disorders. Who's right? Maybe all of them, maybe a few of them, maybe none, and maybe we don't know. My basic point? Do your own research along with mine. Listen to what God says to you in your faith journey. Read and dig into God's Word and challenge your own faith depth by figuring out what you believe. There is no shame in getting wise counsel or struggling with a topic. Please use the brain God gave you and don't believe everything you read on the internet and hear on youtube. If the Holy Spirit is telling you something is wrong, listen. This topic is all over the board with opinions. It is totally confusing, but the search for truth is worth the research.

Pictures:

Getty Images

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Sources:

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/family-qa/mindfulness-a-christian-approach/

https://christiannewsjournal.com/the-dark-side-of-mindfulness/

http://mindspirit.com/the-present-moment-a-christian-approach-to-mindfulness/

https://www.thebanner.org/columns/2020/02/mindfulness-and-christian-faith

https://darrylburling.com/mindfulness-meditation-3-reasons-christians-need-to-abstain/

https://justdisciple.com/meditation-mindfulness/

Bigfoot

So, Bigfoot. Is he real? Today we find out what we do know about this mysterious seven-foot Chewbacca. 

If you thought this legend was only where you live, you were wrong. It is all over the place under all kinds of names. Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Witigo, Wendigo, Rugaru......etc. He apparently has magical powers or is a messenger of warning, according to various Native American tribes. 1800 and 1900 settlers would find huge footprints and there are even some grainy photos of our hairy friend. The real question is this; is there any proof? Whole organizations study Bigfoot's legend. 

Our modern concept of Bigfoot can be traced to a news story in the Humboldt Times in 1958. A report of large footprints was run in the paper just because it might be a fun story. To Andrew Genzoli's surprise, the article had traction that continues even today. Writers picked it up and included it in novels and fiction. You can thank Genzoli for all those Bigfoot documentaries you watched while in quarantine. Bigfoot has been portrayed as both a monster and a misunderstood creature. 

Proof?

We all know that the hazy photos of a creature that could be Bigfoot are out there in droves. Editing is also cheap these days. Film and photo can both be edited to look like proof of Sasquatch. The film that claims to be proof, shot in 1967, is the Patterson-Gimlin film. It shows a creature on hindlegs going across a clearing, looking at the camera, and continuing on into the woods. The people who shot the film claim all of that was real and not faked. The footage also looks terrible in quality.

Tribal history in the United States seems to support the idea that he - or even she - does exist. While some love the creature and others don't, they still documented or told oral histories including our Bigfoot creature. Unfortunately, he is a scapegoat for strange happenings. While this can be dismissed by some, newspaper sections devoted to stories and sightings of bear-men, monkey-men, and wild-men can't quite be discounted. 

Fun story, if you take potshots at "ape creatures" they will fight back, or so a group of prospectors in 1924 claimed. At first, they said it was an attack, then admitted that they had shot at this group. Stories like these were generally regarded as unreliable because witnesses were a little bit odd to begin with. Whiskey can generate many grand hallucinations, so no one really knows what happened for real. Also, you have to understand that "Bigfoot" was a term for large, angry grizzly bears that were attacking people and eating farm animals. 1958 was when the term became what we know it to be. 

Science

If he or she exists - a big if, but bear with me - it is thought to be in the hominoid family and to have crossed the bearing strait and evolved all by itself. Grover Krantz, a scientist often ridiculed for his belief in Bigfoot, decided that his colleagues would not believe him and he would lose credibility unless he produced a body. Krantz was known to walk through the woods with a shotgun. This did not help his career. Others, after his death, picked up his mantel and we now have whole groups doing research, but not finding conclusive proof that can make it credible. Scientists say a primate may be undiscovered, but they can't truly say "I have proof". 

What makes it even harder to find evidence is the technology that has faked sightings and the pranks that have been pulled. The countless hoaxes are making it hard to prove he does exist, should he actually live and breathe on earth. It's like trying to find a shark, while ten divers with fins for every one shark swim in the water. You lose credibility with every mistake you make, too, so it is a bit of a losing battle. The amateur Bigfoot-researching kids that run around in the woods are not making it easy to find proof, should there be any. 

Pictures:

News 5 Channel

Outside Magazine

Stadri Emblems

Sources:

 https://mil.wa.gov/the-legend-of-bigfoot

https://www.history.com/news/bigfoot-legend-newspaper

https://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/outdoors/a23622082/bigfoot-history/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-so-many-people-still-believe-in-bigfoot-180970045/

Queen Hatshepsut

 Queen Hatshepsut, a Pharoah almost erased from history by her stepson, was one of the most successful and prosperous leaders Egypt ever had. Most of us have heard of Cleopatra, but let's dive into the story of Hatshepsut. 

Before we go into what nearly destroyed her memory in Egyptian history, here is a brief introduction to her success and how she got into the position of Pharoah. Keep in mind, Pharaohs were "gods" and once you got the throne you couldn't be voted out. She was the 6th Pharoah of the 18th dynasty and ruled from 1479 to 1458 BC. Evidence of her reign as most successful woman Pharoah was found around 1927, when a pit of all her artifacts, most of them destroyed and broken, was found. She was the widowed queen of her half-brother Thutmose II, and when he died she was named regent ruler until her stepson (most likely a harem child) would be of age to rule. 
        

This is the point in the story where she gets a bad name from some scholars, while others say she was not a malicious woman. The story told previously to new evidence says she declared herself Pharoah, was sleeping with her chief minister Senenmut who helped her climb the ladder, and insisted on being portrayed as a man. While it is true she'd need a man to back her to get the throne, this highly fictitious story is not what a lot of scholars believe happened. Now that you heard the story of her ascent to leadership from the rumor mill we can move on to what evidence says. 

The Truth, As Much As We Can Prove 

Upon marrying Thutmose II, she got the position of god's wife of Amun, which gave her power. She could dictate policy, preside over festivals, and engage with (and this is just what Egyptians thought) Amun directly. This meant she had power and she just became more powerful. 

Thutmose III, her stepson, was most likely a harem child. A male heir to the throne was not found from the womb of Hatshepsut, who had one daughter, Neferure. She was not able to give a male heir to Thutmose II. Thutmose III was not old enough to take the throne. As Regent, Hatshepsut was a place-holder for her child until he could rule. Thutmose II died young and was known for being frail and ineffective. He was probably able to be controlled by his wife, historians say, but she was portrayed as a supportive wife in various images and artifacts found. The stepson was said to have destroyed the artifacts of his stepmother at the start of his reign after her death, but it was closer to the end of his reign that they were destroyed, according to the evidence found. 

Around the seventh year of her regency, the image of Hatshepsut went from helping the future Pharoah to her being the full-fledged Pharoah. Egyptologists don't think this was a woman showing her true ambition, but instead was a way to save the throne for her stepson because a competing branch of the family wanted the throne. They say it was a political crisis that propelled her into the role of Pharoah, not her vanity. I said before that kingship here means you can't just step down like a president. You were in for life. It is entirely possible she was teaching him how to rule and couldn't step down - once a Pharoah you resign when you are mummified and dead. She gave him control of the armies and co-ruled with him. I think that if she'd wanted to completely overshadow him she wouldn't have done that. 

Tomb of Hatshepsut

Posing as a man may have had the benefit of authority and may have happened at the advice of a male co-ruler, but she never claimed she was male if you look at the inscriptions of her statues. "His Majesty, Herself." As well as changing her appearance, she also took a new name, Maatkare, meaning "truth is the soul of the sun god". Maat is the expression for "order and justice as established by the gods". She was assuring her people she had a legitimate claim to be Pharoah. She claimed that her father Amun, in the form of Thutmose I, named her successor. She had her daughter marry Thutmose III because being his mother-in-law had quite a few benefits. By claiming she was Amun's daughter she was considered a demi-god, so she made herself look legitimate. She put up the temple at Deir El-Bahri and that is actually where they first found her name. She built things to a grand scale and only Ramses II can top her structures.

Senenmut got something out of this, too - a magnificent tomb in the valley of the kings, near Hatshepsut. He apparently never used it. They are not sure what happened, but it looks like a combination of tomb robbers, natural collapse, and religious upheaval. Hatshepsut made room for her father, and reburied him with her, in her tomb cut into the cliff. Other Pharaohs thought it was so beautiful they wanted to be buried near it and thus started the valley of the kings. Her tomb was empty when archaeologists found it. Her mummy was found in 2007 and is housed in Cairo, Egypt.

Deir El-Bahri

Why Destroy Her Memory?

One doesn't try to destroy evidence of a political ruler, let alone one considered a god, on accident. It was on purpose and we know that for sure. He was almost successful, too. Was it revenge or hatred, like other scholars assumed? Not if it happened so late in his reign. They think that he wanted to make it look like the throne went from his father to him, without Hatshepsut's reign in the record. She may have been "too successful" and it was to be erased so women wouldn't want Pharoahship later on. (If that was the reason, I'm glad he failed.) Hatshepsut may have anticipated this misunderstanding of her actions and being forgotten. She made two obelisks at Karnak, and one reads "Now my heart turns this way and that, as I think what the people will say—those who shall see my monuments in years to come, and who shall speak of what I have done." 

Something Egyptians believed was that one lived as long as one was remembered. The people did actually forget her for a time. They attributed her temple to others at some points in time. They liked their tradition modeled from Osiris and Isis, that women supported the men and not the other way around. 

Sources:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-queen-who-would-be-king-130328511/

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/hatshepsut

https://www.ancient.eu/hatshepsut/

Images:

Reddit

Ancient Egypt Online

Viator