It is common knowledge that dogs, cats, and especially little children, are not allowed to be present at a Cầu Hồn (evocation or conjuration ritual), a Triệu Hồn (summoning ritual), or a Cầu Siêu (there is no equivalent English word) . I know because the first time I ever heard of a Cầu Siêu, I was … Continue reading Hungry Ghosts and the Cầu Siêu Ritual
I was at the herbal shop the other day and guess what! There was a sale on la hán quả, 6 for $4, so I bought me 6. Normally, I get them 4 for $4, so this was a fairly good sale. Now, for westerners, when I say la hán quả, nobody knows what I'm … Continue reading Drinks of the gods: La Hán Quả ~ Monk Fruit
Magic spells are power words. We modern people are not the only ones who know that the written word is extremely powerful. People in ancient days also understood this very well. For a not-so-ancient Taobabe, whether words are written in my native language Vietnamese, or in my third language, English, doesn't really matter. They are … Continue reading Magic Spells, Deconstructed
I was chugging on a drink this afternoon, one of many that I normally imbibe on throughout my day, and I figured I might as well share it with you guys since it's something I've known about all my life but never bothered to say much about because you know, if it's common knowledge, who … Continue reading Drinks of the gods: Bitter Melon
There is nothing more amazing than a fresh hot cup of coffee, especially on a cold winter morning. I wake up early, not because I am a morning person, but because my dogs , the ones that sleep with me, are pawing at my face, whining to be let out into the back garden to … Continue reading My Precioussss Cuppa Java
Non-gods OK so that title sounds stupid as hell, but I couldn't figure out how to convey the idea of immortality without all the mumbo jumbo of a godhood designation. When you rifle through the huge number of dust clogged pantheons of gods and goddesses out there that are being venerated to this very day, … Continue reading Immortals: gods or Non-gods?
I have a confession to make. For all the years that I have been a living, breathing bona-fide card carrying Taoist, I have never owned a set of yarrow sticks. I'm so embarrassed. Yes, I know how to use yarrow sticks for I Ching divinations. It's not rocket science. But even if it was, I … Continue reading Them Sticks
