 |
The Oak Tree TribuneVolume 1 Issue 2 |
 |
 Samhain
Gathering20th Anniversary Halloween Celebration This Year will
celebrate the 20th Anniversary
for Samhain Gatherings at The
Brass Unicorn! We will begin at 7:30 P.M. with a Vegetarian
Buffet and Social which will be followed up by Invitation to Circle,
Drumming, Singing, Dancing, Chanting and Open Circle. This is an
excellent way for solo practitioners to find other like minded
individuals. Come by our annual VEGETARIAN
HALLOWEEN POTLUCK and
meet up with other practitioners of the old ways. Calendar of Events. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Azurite, Crystals Gems and MineralsThe Store has just
received a
number of Azurite specimens. These are beautiful pieces, some of
which can be seen on our Azurite Page. We are now working on
pages for all of our Crystals, Gems, and Minerals. These will be
great, with information and photos of some of the best pieces.
Soon we will have a Live Web Cam from the store that you may use to
choose Crystals, Gems, Minerals and a variety of other items that
you will want to purchase.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Photos of the Store  We
know many of you only know us from our contacts over the phone or
the internet, so, we've added a page of pictures from inside the
store. We will be changing these form time to time so drop on in and see what the Brass Unicorn looks like inside and out. While taking these shots, we were blessed by the curious presence of one of the store Jinn. A few photos of the Jinn can be found about half way down the page. See whats new on
our site!
|
|
Fantasy
Fiction Writing
Contest Everyone is invited to send in their short Fantasy Fiction Stories to be read on the internet and voted on by their peers. Submissions are still being taken until October 31, 2003 and posted on the web. First Place winner will receive a $50.00 gift certificate to the Brass Unicorn and a complete collection of the Fantasy Art Work of Karen Marie Sweikhardt as featured on the web site. Second and Third place winners will each receive 100 sticks of the Splendor Scents Incense of their choice. Writers of all ages are welcome. Submissions may even be considered for publication in a book of short stories! Click below for rules and submissions:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Early Autumn Night by Billy J. McDonald III Up above, the night has arrived. A vast canvass of midnight blue softly scattered sponge-spackled clouds; only, that of a shade lighter. A distant flicker.... A distant twinkle... Of the stars a few ; A gentle breeze... without gusty wind desire. The landscape dampened by the season's first moisture in air. An occasional leaf... Trickles to Earth without care. The breeze processes it's brew; soon to evolve...now, into winds. The nights... extend into darkness. More & more leaves... appear to fall. Ants & Flies are at large; Countless infant spiders begin to crawl. Autumn has arrived; Autumn is here. Soon the trees & shrubs, will be barren.... because Winter is near!!! Billy J. McDonald III is
an
employee at the Brass Unicorn, a writer and contributing editor of The
Oak Tree Tribune. Persons interested in advertising in the
printed
version should contact Billy at 559-441-7107 during regular business hours.
 |
The
History of Halloween goes back more than 2,000 years. The
earliest celebrations of Halloween were among the Celtic people. The Celts are people who worship the beauty of nature. One tradition has it that on October 31 Samhain (a Celtic god of the dead) would call together all the dead and these souls would take on the shape of an animal. This was called the Vigil of Samhain. Druids, (Celtic priests), would build
fires on the hilltops to help strengthen the Sun God, and give him
power enough to overcome the lord of darkness so that the sun season
could continue. At midnight they stop worshipping the Sun God and
start to worship Samhain because he will be the ruler for the next six
months. This is the starting of the new year. They perform ceremonies
through the night to ask the spirits to tell the future of the upcoming
year. The Celts continued with their ceremonies
until they were conquered by the Roman Catholics. The Roman Catholics
brought with them their own customs and traditions. They had
established All Saints Day or All Hallows Day on November 1 to
cover Pomonas Day. All Hallows Day was a day in which all saints who
did not have their own declared holiday were honored. The church had
hoped that by establishing this holiday, it could do away with the
Vigil of Samhain, Pomonas Day and any other celebrations held on
October 31 through November 1. That didn't work so they vilified yet
another tradition trying to further their religious/political agenda.
October 31 was renamed Night of the Witch. It was believed that the
devil and all of his followers (demons, witches) would come out on this
night to perform unholy acts to make a mockery of the All Hallows Day
celebration. Regardless of the history surrounding the
celebrations of October 31st to November 1st, the spirit remains
intact. This is a time of year to be thankful for the prosperity
of the Summer months and prepare for Winter.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
