i just came across this in my notes, and thought i would share it with you, just as something quirky i found a bit of humour in.

our local library has a policy of limiting the number of library books one can check out to 99. apparently, someone tried to check out over 100 books one time and it overloaded the computer.

now i ask you, why would anyone want to check out THAT many books with only 2 weeks to read them?

The Masai Tribe of Kenya

p51

-initiation rites:
boys ages 12-16 spend 2 months in the countryside without weapons. on the day before the initiation ceremony the boys wash themselves in cold water. when the foreskin is cut off, the blood is collected in oxhide and placed on their head. then 4 days in seclusion. after that they emerge dressed like women, faces painted with white clay and heads adorned with ostrich feathers. after their 'organ' has healed, their heads are shaved. finally the boys grow new hair and can become warriors.

the Masai girls rites consists of a ceremony followed by the cutting or piercing of their 'organs'.

aside from making them a real part of the community, the Masai initiation rites turns the individual candidates into a single unit. they help one another in every way. the wife of one man is equally the wife of other men of the same initiation group; he is entitled to sleep with another's wife, regardless of whether or not the husband is at home. The Masai believe deeply in group solidarity. the individual truly feels that "I am because we are; and since we are, therefore I am."

p 56
"There is a sense of celebrating life or of serenity despite everyday problems and a hope of an abundant life derived from the sacred power. By using the sacred models as a basis for self-examination, a person will know how to experience the true riches of life. Since the awareness of the sacred world is the purest and most enjoyable experience of life possible, life modeled by myth and ritual expresses the deepest sense of vitality and wholeness."

THE POWER OF WORDS

"When words are perceived to have creative power, they must be used carefully. In some cultures, people have secret names that outsiders do not know. If enemies should happen to learn a person's name, they would have power over him or her forever. Similarly, to use God's name 'in vain' is to forget that using the name of God generates power." p 53

"The potency of an oath can be intensified by repetition." p 53

"Raising the voice or using rhythm or rhyme can heighten the power of utterances." p 53

Mantras are ritual verses that are a part of ritual Buddhism; the most elaborate form being Tibetan Buddhism. Meditation is the central means of transformation for serious Buddhist; however ritual practice is combined to control the mind and emotions. p 53

The Lamp for Beginners is an "Indian Mahayana Buddhist" manual. They use such mantras as Om and Svaha.

Muslim rituals include the repetition of prayer 5 times a say (Salat) and/or the pilgrimage to Mecca.

* the Muslim holy book is the Qur'an
* the Muslim God is Allah

the Qur'an is the recitation of Allah's words as spoken to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. For centuries, this holy book was not translated from the original Arabic because the orthodox Muslims felt that the power was in the words; which presumably was the language of Allah. p 53