Wellness Practices - Ayurveda

Ayurveda

This more than 3,000-year-old wellness tradition originating in India literally means “science of life” in Sanskrit. It preaches relaxation, meditation, cleansing, connecting with nature and more while eschewing the use of chemicals. The diet promoted by Ayurveda is believed to be extremely beneficial in preventing hair loss and strengthening hair. Additionally, Ayurvedic herbs are also prescribed to help cure digestion problems and skin issues and to help speed up metabolism. Western medicine is now exploring whether one, turmeric, helps reduce inflammation and whether another herb, ashwagandha, is useful in the treatment of neurological disorders like depression and epilepsy.

This from OZY.

Wellness Practices - Curanderismo

Curanderismo

Centuries after the Spanish colonization of Latin America, this form of folk healing emerged as a combination of the traditional healing practices of Aztec, Maya and Inca people, and foreign Catholic rites. Called curanderismo, it derives its name from the Spanish verb curar, or “cure,” and has served as an antidote to illnesses that were often believed to be punishment meted out by displeased gods. Practitioners are referred to as curanderos and they are active even now, offering herbs, prayers and massages to followers across Central and South America, the U.S. and beyond.

This from OZY.

Museum of the Paranormal

AtlasObscura reports the following:

The Archive of the Afterlife in Moundsville, West Virginia bills itself as the “National Museum of the Paranormal.” It’s packed with oddities that are historical, and in some cases, allegedly haunted or cursed. 

You’ll find relics from the former West Virginia State Penitentiary, such as what the museum claims is the the lost execution cap to the electric chair “Old Sparky.” There are also battle-damaged artifacts from European battlefields from World War II.

A majority of the room is filled with supposedly haunted items from residential paranormal cases and collected from here and there. Some say a few of these items seem to be more “charged” than others, such as the Annie portrait, the mutilated effigy doll, and the aforementioned execution cap. 

The rest of the room harbors funerary and mortuary items, which includes two embalming tables, one embalming pump, and two service display caskets. One casket is for adults and the other is for infants. The funerary items are accompanied by an array of funeral home advertising and signage.

The museum is located on the second floor of the Sanford Community Building, which is formally known as the Sanford School or the 3rd Street School. 

Know Before You Go

Seasonal hours (April 1 to November 30): Tuesday to Saturday, 1-6 pm. Off-season hours (December 1 to March 31): Friday to Saturday, 1-6 p.m. $5 per person. It's located on the second floor in room #202. Keep in mind that the museum is geared at not only entertaining its guests, but also having some information for educational purposes. All ages are welcomed, but there may be some content that the guardian(s) may want to be wary of for their little one(s). Added, the museum's personnel stresses that each person enters at their own risk and that they are not responsible for any physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual harm that may be experienced by each individual guest.

Makeshift Subway Shrine to Mercury

Mercury, the planet of communication is also one for travelers. Now during the pandemic, a shrine to Mercury has been spotted in Brooklyn in a subway station. Let's hope this helps us get to our destimations safely and on time.

Untapped City reports -

When you are running late and waiting for the subway, you may find yourself praying for it to arrive quickly. Well, it looks like one subway rider has taken their plea for timely service to the next level by creating a cardboard subway shrine. This makeshift ode to the god Mercury was spotted by straphanger Russel Jacobs in the Utica Avenue A/C stop in Brooklyn.

 

Get Yourself a Ghost

Looking to buy a ghost? check out Atlas Obscura's coverage of York, England's Ghostmakers:

 

Messrs Bloodworth, and McArthur, members of the Sorrowful Guild of Master Ghostmakers, opened this shop on York’s famous Shambles street in 2019, with the intention of selling original York Ghosts.

With the city considered one of the most haunted in the world (occasionally nicknamed The City of One Thousand Ghosts), it would make sense that many souvenirs contain phantasmagorical features. The York Ghost designs favor the more playful “bedsheet with two holes” depictions of ghosts. This tongue in cheek seriousness permeates not only the small ghost sculptures, but the entire store. 

The building currently occupied by the York Ghost Merchants dates to 1780, with the ground floor acting as the sales space. Here, around 1,000 ghosts can be found at one time, surrounded by ghostly images hidden in the furniture and plasterwork. There are other fun features around the shop such as a miniature train that is sometimes used to deliver ghosts to their new living companions. The upper floors are where the workshops used to create these spectral beings are located.

The ghosts are small sculptures made of a material considered a trade secret by Bloodworth and McArthur. The material can feature several colors and most of the ghosts sculptures contain psychedelic patterns. There are also special edition creations that have become collector’s items. All York Ghosts feature the makers’ mark of two torches alit, crossed and upside down, a throwback to Victorian symbolism.

Know Before You Go

Per their official website, opening times are Monday — Saturday 10 a.m.- 5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.