The Philippines are a nation which consists of over 7,000 islands, each of which has a unique and substantial history, and each of which has bookshelves of stories to tell. The mystical island of Siquijor, home to the Old Enchanted Balete Tree, is no exception. In fact, it is an island with one of the most distinctive reputations  amongst the others: a reputation of mysticism, healing, and magic . For more on Siquijor, click here . Rooted deep within its spellbinding soil is

While travelling across South East Asia earlier this year, I kept seeing small, ornate shrines in various unexpected places. On streets corners, outside various buildings and inside homes and businesses, people across Indochina keep shrines known as spirit houses. Indochina? The nations of Thailand, Myanmar (previously called Burma), Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines are known collectively as Indochina. Offerings, like fruits, drinks, and incense - even alcohol and

On the 7th of June 2024, I checked in to the International Buddhist Center at Doi Suthep Temple, just outside the city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Image by clarkelz  from pixabay After hearing about vipassana meditation retreats online and from fellow travellers on my trip, I felt inspired, and wanted to spend some time trying to clear my mind through meditation. vipassana? 'Vipassana' is a Sanskrit word, meaning 'clear mind' - which is the goal of the meditation retr

When I visited a faith healer on the island of Siquijor by the name of Annie Ponce, I was welcomed into what seemed like her family home. Annie Ponce took us into her healing practice room, where Catholicism were prevalent, and depictions of Jesus Christ adorned the walls. Annie Ponce's Walls I sat down, and she asked me and my friend a few questions about ourselves. The usual; our names, where we were from. Then, the healing ceremony began. Annie selected an oil from her cab

Nestled amongst 7,640 other islands in the Philippines, Siquijor is known for a plethora of reasons. Cambugahay Falls, Siquijor Island Its beautiful waterfalls, beaches and luxurious resorts, as well as the various tourist activities available there, make it a popular vacation destination for holiday-goers around the globe. However, it’s its spiritual heritage (which has withstood and adapted to the colonial influence of the Philippines) that gives the island its unique and m

El Camino de Santiago, or  The Way of Saint James , is the name of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, in north-western Spain. With...

The origin of the coffee bean, one of the world's first countries and even regarded by some as the biblical Garden of Eden, Ethiopia is a unique and interesting country for a multitude of reasons. Photo by Erik Hathaway  on Unsplash Located in Eastern Africa, Ethiopia is the only country in its continent to successfully resist colonisation - with the exception of a six year period in 1935, in which it was under Italian occupation. For this reason, its culture, traditions and

Zoroastrianism is regarded as one of the first monotheistic faiths - meaning it centered around the worship of one omnipotent, all-powerful God - and can be traced back to around 600BC in ancient Persia, now known as Iran. A highly influential religion, it is thought that Zoroastrianism helped form some of the ideas of philosophers such as Socrates  and Plato , and also inspired aspects of Judaism, Christianity and Islam . In fact, Zoroaster , the religion's prophet, is also

For many creatives, a newly uncovered sense of threat and uncertainty surrounds the subject of AI art. Photo by Dima Solomin  on Unsplash This year, the real power of modern artificial intelligence has been revealed, with Chat GPT  composing detailed responses to questions within seconds, and new generative AI art software  churning out images at a never-seen-before rate. Accordingly, the conversation around how we should progress with this new technology as a culture has bee

Across the world, many communities tap into the natural world around them, using plants and their properties not only for sustenance and fuel for the body, but also for spiritual guidance and growth. Meet Silene Capensis, one of the natural world's many wonders. Also known as African Dream Root, this plant is used in shamanic ceremonies in the Eastern cape province in the south of Africa by the Xhosa tribe, and has been for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. Interestingly

Dreams are one of life's most mysterious dimensions. Each night, the mind seems to take us out of the jurisdiction of space and time as...

The evil eye amulet can be seen across mainstream culture today, whether it's on social media or adorned onto necklaces, bracelets and other jewellery. But what does it symbolise, and where and when do its underlying superstitions originate? Do these superstitions hold any logical value? Let's get into it. 🧿 Our eyes give us the power to perceive and navigate the external world. It is said that they are the windows of the soul, and so in this light they can be understood as

With conversations around mindfulness and its benefits being seen more frequently in society and on social media platforms today, questions around meditation are becoming more common. In the past, mainstream western culture conveyed meditation as rather alien, often associating it with hippies and nonconformists in the media and totally disregarding it as a valuable practice. But meditation has an important place, and ancient roots, within many traditionally Eastern religions