Spiritual & Religious

When pop star Avril Lavigne and the late Pope John Paul II visited Indonesia, a Javanese mystic was called in to work his magic and ensure a rain-free event. INDONESIAN mystic Haryobintoro Tjakra enters a small hut and kneels before the tools of his trade: incense, a bowl of dirt, two black umbrellas and a ceramic burner on which he piles chunks of wood. Bowing his head, he lights the burner, sending fragrant fumes swirling up to the hut’s exhaust fan, and prays in Javanese: the rain must stayaway.

“I pray to the gods via the medium of smoke,” the 69-year-old says, dressed in black pants and matching high-necked traditional shirt. Tjakra seeks blessings from the local spirits inhabiting Java long before Buddhism and Hinduism, and later Islam, arrived. Most Javanese are Muslim but many practise kejawen, a syncretic belief that incorporates the original animist belief system here. But to keep all the deities he can on his side, this Javanese shaman always makes his offerings facing west. Tjakra conducts the simple but well-practised ritual not in a temple or religious building but in a white,pre-fabricated hut in the bustling hub of modern Jakarta, surrounded by gleaming glass skyscrapers. He has been hired to keep the clouds at bay for three afternoons and evenings by a multi-national cigarette company holding an art exhibition and promotion event in the grounds of a major sports stadium.

View: Full Article | Source: The Star

In the small village of Medjugorje in Bosnia-Hercegovina the Virgin Mary has reportedly appeared every day.The reports started in 1981 when six children said they"d seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary on a hillside, ever since then it has been seen regularly - one local man even claims to see her on a daily basis. For almost 30years, the Virgin Mary has been said to appear daily in Medjugorje - a small village in Bosnia-Hercegovina.

Six children first reported the apparition in June 1981, and although the Vatican has not yet recognised the miracle, it has not discouraged the faithful. The village is the fastest-growing Catholic pilgrimage site in the world.

View: Full article | Source: BBCNews

Controversial new research conducted by a team at Indiana university has suggested that prayer really can heal.The study was lead by Professor Candy Gunther Brown and appeared to show that patients" hearing and vision improved when a healing practitioner prayed for them however experts at the National Secular Society have claimedthat the study was religiously motivated and that the results were "highly suspect".

The power of prayer really can help to heal the sick, an international study has found - especially if the well-wisher is standing near the person they are praying for.

View: Full article | Source: DailyMail

Bone fragments believed to belong to St John the Baptist have been discovered in Bulgaria.The fragments were found in a box on Sveti Ivan Island near Bulgaria"s southern Black Sea. Scientists are due to conduct tests on the bones to try to confirm their origin. Bone fragments of St John theBaptist appear to have been found on Sveti Ivan Island near Bulgaria"s southern Black Sea.

He is considered one of the most important figures in Christianity. Further tests are still to be carried out on the fragments, which were discovered late last month.

View: Full article | Source: BBCNews