I feel like I’m in a huge, deep pool. I am in the center and I am treading water. I have, in fact, been treading water for a while, weighing my options while doing so. My options are simple: sink or swim, but I have overcomplicated them in my mind.

I was recently enlightened to the fact that I have more options, or rather, I can make swimming much easier…or I can make sinking much quicker. If I chose to swim, it would be much easier if I would just relinquish control. Take a deep breath, go under, and sink until I reached the bottom. I then would realize, that while I have finally reached rock bottom, I have been presented with an interesting opportunity. Once I reached the bottom, I was then in a position to plant my feet firmly on the bottom, bend my knees and spring up, using rock bottom as a stepping stone on my way up. Doing so required faith, trust, and admittance…
Or…I could simply continue to wave my arms wildly, exerting massive amounts of energy to avoid grounding myself on the bottom, in fear of getting stuck. I could then sink involuntarily because of my previous decision to exhaust my energy needlessly.

I made a choice. I chose to swim.

There is less certainty in being able to swim once I have spent useful energy on useless fighting of the water trying to resurface, so I decided using the bottom as leverage was the smartest choice. I am also, in this moment, sure of exactly what the bottom looks and feels like, and although it proved beneficial this one time, I would not like to visit it again. Honestly, it’s just too far down to come back again.

I am now committed to swimming. I am not swimming for time, only for completion. This is not a race; I can take one arm at a time and take a breath when I need to for as long as I want. Funny thing is, now that I have decided to swim I notice my perception was off…this was never a pool I was in, it is more akin to an ocean. It’s full of currents, waves, unfamiliar spaces, unfamiliar species…once I took off the blinders, I realized my tunnel vision had downsized my world tremendously. But regardless of the size, I was here, and I was swimming.

I can only do this one stroke at a time, and giving up is simply not an option; never was, never will be. I prayed for change and God tossed me a lifeline. He is truly capable of doing for me what I clearly have never been able to do for myself. All I had to do is relinquish control and ask for help.

we regret doing them. What is it that empowers us to reach a point in our lives where we are

bound to do the unthinkable?

I am not talking about murder here people I am talking about the steps we take, or the roads

we so weakly walk down to gain that momentum in our lives. I remember a few years ago,

OK. So it was more than a few years ago, when I was face to face with an ultimate decision.

That decision?, Well… it was to step out of my comfort zone, not even metaphorically speaking

I mean actually taking that giant leap out of my comfort zone. I met this girl on line, it was a

match made in Heaven, not Match.com. What really got me about this girl is that she loved

every aspect of me. She understood me, felt me, she was my confidant.

It might sound corny but it was true, she and still is my everything, only problem?

She lived in Missouri and I was from the land of movie stars and riches, I was in my

state, by the bay. People warned me not to go, fact of the matter was I had only seen her

on her web cam. I ignored many of the cautions and heeds and decided, I am going to

take that bound for myself. I had always done things for others, this time life was mine.

To make the story short I did meet this girl who was my long distance “ girlfriend” and I was

safe and I was okay. But what is that? What is it that drives a person to do the unexpected?

In my case it was love.

I have seen many people around me in my life decide that one day their off and running,

I have come to my conclusion. It is not because they have taken a sip of that strange elixir

brought to them by a old wrench grasping an apple.

The mere reason for someone to go mad and wander off their initial path, is that they want

something better in their lives, they want the freedom, the feeling of making their own

decisions, when it comes to the balance of happiness and disaster they want to choose the

lighter part of it all.

Do not be afraid to do foolish things now and then, but also beware there are different sides

of logical thinking, there is the heart: Which finds truth and kindness in every venture.

Then there is the brain: Who sits atop of your body, the higher authority, the superior organ.

Even though the heart is in the middle of your body, do not let it get in the middle of your life,

or at least not when making rash and hesitant decisions, Tomorrow is another day, if you let

it be. I for one decided that I would take my chances, for now it is good, but not every

jump ends upright.

Image via Wikipedia

     Years ago, I got into jewelry making as a hobby. Since I wanted to make nice jewelry, I only used real gemstones and would search online for them. In my searches, I started finding some interesting readings about the ‘powers’ of certain gemstones. Being the skeptic, I had to try them out to see if some of these claims were indeed true. I gathered ones that interested me and began making jewelry like crazy.

     Once I had made a bracelet out of several different stones that were supposed to keep away negative energies. I wore this to work one day not even really thinking about ‘powers’ that it might contain. As I placed something in the microwave at work though, I got a little tingle up my arm. I didn’t think much about it at the time and continued talking to a co-worker as the dish cooked in the microwave. I was standing across the room a bit at the time. When i walked closer to the microwave, my hairfelt a tingle. Then as I went to touch the off button on the microwave, the hair on my arm stood up, I got a big tingle and the microwave made a buzzing noise. It turned out to be the bracelet, blocking or at least signaling me of a leak in the microwave. WOW! Yes, that stirred my curiousity even more.

     I studied more and more about the gemstones and crystals. I even started a rock collection because some were so odd or just beautiful. Some I collected just to test their properties and the claims made in write ups about them. My odd stories about them are true, but each to their own imagination or beliefs I guess.

     I have a tourmaline strand that I wear a lot. I’ve read that it was believed tourmaline keeps away evil.I must admit when I wear it, nothing bad seems to really happen and if it does, it doesn’t seem to affect me much. Is it the tourmaline or just all in my head? Who knows?

     I once knew a couple that had tried for years to have a child. All types of fertility treatments had been tried. The couple was really sad about this. During one of their visits to my home, I made the woman a necklace with a carnelian stone heart. Carnelian is said to promote love and reproduction. She wore it. Three or so months later she was with child. I know, sounds crazy, but does make one wonder huh?

     There are times when I feel drained and would love to be at a spa somewhere. If I take the time to choose several of my gemstone and crystal strands to wear and meditate just a little while, I feel much better. The stone strands are real warm once i take them off. My husband tried this once he saw it work for me, but he didn’t feel a thing. He just looked silly sitting on the bed wearing a bunch of beads and was soon done with that.

     I have a crystal pendant that I can only wear for a short time before I have to remove it due to feeling slightly ill if I wear it too long.

     Reading and studying these beautiful rocks is addictive. Maybe some people are more receptive to the energies of the stones more so than others. Collecting them is a wonderful hobby though and can be pretty lucrative if you slowly gather a large collection of beautiful crystals and gemstones. There are several sites to shop from and possibly a local source if you’re lucky. Hobby Lobby carries the strands and some for making jewelry.  Even Wal-Mart will carry some of jewelry making beads and pendants. For just stones to add to my collection , I tend to gravitate to a tiny shop here in Murfreesboro, TN. called ‘Stonekeepers’ Small shops such as this will carry the stones that can be used for Chakras, etc. Search online to possibly find a good local source near you. The hobby is fun and not real expensive to start.

Here is what I mean;

Today we see a machine as a metal thing with wires inside, for instance the television (the old ones) were light bolts and a whole lot of wiring. The Coffee maker is the same, a metal/plastic form with wiring on the inside. If we look into the military we see tanks, helicopter and boats, are pretty much the same combination, just more and more complex connection between the parts, but overall its a metal form with a big amount of wiring and electric components.

And here is some of Ancient Egypt Technology

I can show you the results, and tell you how  the engineers and archaeologists think, but no one has any theory which can be tested in reality, which by it self is pretty interesting to think about.

Let us start with the biggest of the Ancient wonders of the world, yup you are right, the great pyramid (and pyramids in general). To see the ancient Egypt technology you must rid your mind of pictures of concrete buildings and coffee machines, no wires, like we use them today, no metal like we use it today. It is clear to see that the ancient Egyptian people knew about different metals and more, this is evident because of their work that has been found so fare, which were of different metals.

In ancient days there would have been a pyramidion as it is called, on top of the pyramids. Some pharaohs had it made from black granite with hieroglyphic symbols on it, while others would use a material called electrum. This is also an ancient Egypt technology, mixing chemicals and also metal and gold, cobber, silver.

But one of the foremost ancient Egypt technology devices, must be their so-called prevention devises, like huge locks, preventing anyone from coming or going. The three granite blocks which are hovering over the small entrance to the Kings chamber, is actually pretty remarkable by itself, and it illustrates a device of a different kind than what we know in our modern world. Some say it is a last defence before one reaches the kings chamber.

But I have never heard of them being down, preventing entrance to the chamber? I forgot to look after marks in the floor, which they should be, if they have ever been down?

What we see in ancient Egypt and in other ancient cultures, is a technology in stone. Ancient Egypt technology would outlast any weather any sand storm, a device that would last over 2000 years..

Article written by Karima Lachtane
www.windblower.dk
The Mysteries of Ancient Egypt

Stone circles were built in Europe from about 3000BC to 1200BC. Stone Age Britons began work on Stonehenge two hundred years before the Egyptians built the Great Pyramid, but why it was built is still a matter of speculation. There are many theories about how it was built too, the truth is that we can not be sure exactly where the stones came from or how they were transported.  

The Stone Age men who built Stonehenge had to rely on their own strength and determination to build it, they did not have any iron tools for digging and they didn’t even have the wheel to help them to drag the huge stones.

The upright stones in the outer circle are called sarsens, these stones came from Marlborough Downs over 18 miles away. It is believed that the bluestones that stand upright in the inner circle came 120 miles from Pembrokeshire in Wales! The stones weigh up to four tonnes each and it would have needed 600 men to drag each stone. Stone henge must have been very important for them to drag the stones such a long way. In 1988 a bluestone was found on the river bed of the River Dougleddau at Lisngwm in Wales. It is similar in shape and size to the bluestones at Stonehenge and it has been suggested that it could have fallen off it’s raft during the journey.

So what was Stonehenge used for. Some people say it was a religious centre where ceremonies could be held and sacrifices could be made. Some experts suggest that it was an astronomical observatory to study the sun moon and stars and others say it was a place of healing. Whatever it’s purpose it must have been important to the Ancient Britons because historians estimate that it would have taken millions of man hours and hundreds of years to complete.

In the last decade, medical scientists have identified numerous ways in which global warming has negatively impacted human health.  For example, insects that have become more prevalent with new and warmer weather patterns spread viral and bacterial diseases to larger portions of the world’s population.  Respiratory diseases and ailments worsen as smog and pollen increasingly pollute the air.  Storms, heat waves, floods, and droughts cause physical damage to property and crops and kill both directly and indirectly.  All together, these results of global warming have had dramatic and deleterious consequences for humans around the globe.

Climate change has had an especially remarkable impact on the expansion of viral microorganisms into areas where these pathogens had not previously survived.  These diseases spread easily with the help of germ-transmitting animals and insects, particularly mosquitoes.  “Climate change is affecting human health indirectly by encouraging the spread of pests and diseases,” says Paul Epstein, a scientist affiliated with Harvard Medical School (qtd. in Cooke 1).  Historically, mosquito populations have concentrated around the equator; as average polar temperatures rise, however, they have been migrating farther north and south, carrying diseases along with them.  Warmer weather also means mosquitoes can reach higher elevation as well as latitudes.  Many tropical cities such as Nairobi, Kenya, were deliberately built on mountains at elevations above the temperature thresholds where mosquitoes could thrive.  But as mountain ice melts and warmth creeps upwards, mosquitoes have been discovered at higher altitudes, infesting these cities and infecting the inhabitants.  For example, one tropical illness, dengue fever, that had once been limited to elevations below 3,300 feet, has “recently appeared at 7,200 feet,” according to a study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (2). 

Evolving seasonal patterns are also promoting the growth of mosquito populations as their breeding cycles lengthen.  Milder winters with shorter and fewer periods of deep freeze permit some mosquitoes to survive in sewers, flooded basements, and other sources of still water.  The females lay eggs in these warm, stagnant pools, breeding successfully in periods when they traditionally would die off.  The larvae hatch during the dry springs that come earlier and long summers that last later into the year.  As the breeding pools evaporate, the concentration of organic compounds nourishes the larvae and helps ensure their survival.  Furthermore, the more intense heat kills predators such as lacewings and frogs while the unchecked mosquito population grows large, spreading disease like West Nile Virus into new regions (Epstein 56; Burke 91). 

During the summer, viruses thrive in the warmth of the mosquitoes’ bodies.  “At 68˚ Fahrenheit, the immature P. Falciparum [a malaria virus found in mosquitoes] takes 28 days to mature fully, but at 77˚ F, it takes only 13 days,” Epstein explains (52).  As water sources dwindle during summer heat waves, birds and other animals crowd around remaining water sources, which also serve as mosquito breeding pools, to drink.  The infected mosquitoes inject the virus into healthy birds and mammals, while uninfected mosquitoes feed on diseased birds and contract the virus.  The mosquitoes then move on to infect humans.  Downpours in August and September create new breeding sites for the mosquitoes, continuing the cycle.

Other diseases, both viral and bacterial, have become more widespread as well as humans become the victims of exploding populations of other disease-bearing insects and rodents who thrive in the new climates.  Insects such as blackflies, sandflies, and cockroaches flourish with the warmer, wetter weather.  While they may be merely nuisances, other insects are more dangerous.  Ticks carry Lyme disease, and their territory has spread.  Bees, wasps, and yellow jackets are also traveling farther north than their customary ranges.  In Alaska, the number of severe stings reported is six times greater than the number of cases from just a decade ago (US News 2).  For those who are allergic to wasp, bee, or yellow jacket stings, this is a serious health threat.  Rats can transmit rabies and hantaviral disease, and they also serve as hosts to fleas that may carry the plague virus.  As the rodents die, fleas seek other hosts, including humans (or their pets), potentially spreading deadly infections into these populations (Stenseth, 132).

Not only are new viruses a threat, old viruses are returning to life as well.  Viruses that had been frozen and preserved within ice sheets such as glaciers and permafrost have begun reemerge and spread.  An international team of researchers has discovered viral RNA in the ice in Russian Siberia along a major migratory pathway for waterfowl.  If long-dormant viruses reappear, humans could experience the devastating consequence of exposure to pathogens, many of which are more than 50,000 years old, to which they no longer have immunity (Anitai 1).

Water-borne bacteria, such as E. coli, cholera, and salmonella, are also spreading.  With global warming has contributed to increased episodes of flooding in numerous regions of the world that now experience torrential rain falls.  These downpours wash existing pathogens through the soil and spread into rivers, sewers, and plumbing.  Birds, animals, and humans drink the contaminated water and contract the diseases, and the water in which they swim or bathe becomes contaminated as well.

Climate change has also caused respiratory problems to proliferate in the human population.  “Increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a result of global warming, is boosting pollen rates and exacerbating allergy and asthma symptoms,” observes one Yale University study.  The study concluded that, since spring arrives ten to fifteen days earlier than had previously been the norm, pollen is becoming more toxic and is worsening allergies and asthma (2).  The percentage of United States residents diagnosed with asthma has risen from 3.6% in 1980 to 9% in 2005 (1).  Ground-level smog also contributes to the worsening of these respiratory ailments. Cool breezes from the poles blow away some ground-level smog, but as changing temperatures affect wind patterns, these breezes diminish in intensity, limiting their ability to cleanse the air.  Residual pollutants irritate the lungs and aggravate respiratory conditions.

While climate change has had indirect health consequences for global populations, it has also directly impacted human security with the physical devastation wrought by violent weather.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “[e]xtreme weather events can be destructive to human health and well-being” (1).  An article in U.S. News and World Report clarified the danger, explaining that “by 2050, a 1-foot rise in sea level is predicted, which could worsen flood damage by 36 to 58 percent” (2).  Warmer temperatures at the poles are leading to excessive melting in the North Pole, the South Pole, and Greenland.  If even one melts, Manhattan would be submerged under 150 feet of water, and lower areas like the Netherlands would be completely underwater.  Many island nations around the world currently find themselves extremely vulnerable to inundation.

Floods are also caused by hurricanes, tropical storms, and typhoons that form offshore and are now becoming both more frequent and more violent with the change in climate.  When a section of water is heated, it evaporates and rises.  Wet, dense, and humid air quickly forms clouds that are then blown inland, gathering more precipitation and force on the way.  Heavy storms also cause storm surges, or sudden rises in sea level that accompany large coastline storms.  These floods could displace “about 200 million environmental refugees by 2050, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change” (Anthes 1).

“Perhaps the most obvious impact of global warming,” declares NOVA: Science in the News, “will be the direct effects: a warmer planet will experience more extreme heat waves.”  Heatstroke and skin cancer, already a threat to the very young and very old, are on the rise.  Additionally, longer periods of humid days are expected to become more frequent and more severe (US News 2).  This will contribute to a growing incidence of severe cases of dehydration that will contribute to a number of indirect consequences of global warming, including a greater number of people suffering from kidney stones.  The formation of kidney stones results in part from insufficient hydration, and global warming will exacerbate this effect.  Researchers predict that by 2050, higher temperatures will cause an additional 1.6 to 2.2 million new cases annually, a near 30% growth in some areas.  In the United States, the “kidney stone belt,” which includes southern states such as Florida, the Carolinas, and Arkansas, could extend up into Kentucky and northern California (Utah Southwestern 1).

Global warming has produced many surprising implications for human health as well.  For example, climate change has resulted in a diminution of fruit crops.  Though plants now have longer growing seasons, lack of water both from natural or human-made irrigation systems has driven down fruit production pushed prices higher.  According to a US News and World Report study, “the value of crops produced in the Yakima River Valley—more than 6,000 square miles of orchards and farmland east of Seattle—may drop almost a quarter as temperatures rise over the coming decades” (2).

 Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac have become more potent as temperatures rise.  “Poison ivy vines in CO2-rich areas grow 149 percent faster and produced a concentration of urushiol [the poison] that was 153 percent higher than vines grown in control plots,” concluded a study at Duke University.  “The rampant growth bodes ill not only for human health but also for the health of forests, which some scientists believe are already suffering because of a proliferation of vines that rob slower-growing trees and woody plants of available light, nutrients and water” (1).

Not all health effects of global warming are physical, however.  “Climate change could have a real impact on our psyches,” says Paul Epstein (qtd. in Anthes 1).  After hurricane Katrina, the rates of serious mental illnesses—such as depression, anxiety disorder, panic disorder, PTSD, and a variety of phobias—more than doubled, rising from 6.1% to 11.3%.  Rates of moderate and mild mental illnesses also doubled, increasing from 9.7% to 19.9% (Anthes 1).

  Global warming affects every part of the world.  Its health consequences are most severe for those who have limited access to medical care.  Deadly viruses are becoming more widespread, killing thousands who cannot fight them; sudden droughts and floods destroy crops and leave vast areas devastated and growing numbers of people malnourished, dehydrated, and homeless.  These hazardous health problems are creating a frightening new global phenomenon—a human-made natural disaster.

It should be noted that it is not necessary to have a stone cut to obtain the necessary vibrations from it. Any “lapidary shop” will have these stones in their raw, inexpensive state.

The Bullstones on Cessbank Common. Photo by Gary Tacagni.

The Bullstones are classed as a Barrow and excavations took place in the late 1800s by Dr John Dow Sainter, this resulted in the body of a young child being discovered along with a Celtic type urn and a calcinated flint knife and flint arrowhead. The urn which for many years resided in the Congleton Chronicle newspaper office has now been rehomed in the recently opened Congleton Museum.

The depression in the centre of the Bullstone can be seen. Photo by Gary Tacagni.

The central standing stone or main Bullstone or Bullstrang as it is sometimes known is a square looking monolith 1.10m tall, 1.40 wide and 0.70m deep, it has a flat top with a bowl shaped depression in its centre, it has been suggested that this bowl shape may have held blood during sacrificial rites. There are various alignments which can be interpreted in the way the Bullstone has been sited (Ludchurch, Roach End, etc) but the fact remains that the true purpose of the Bullstones still remain somewhat of a mystery, although they do share similarities with Platform Cairns found in Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor as well as Centre Stone Rings found in South West Scotland.

This photo is of the Celtic type urn which was excavated by Dr Sainter in the late 1800s. The urn is now housed in the Congleton Museum. Photo by Gary Tacagni.

The Metals of Antiquity, the metals upon which civilization was based, consist of gold, copper, silver, lead, tin, smelted iron, and mercury. But there weren’t a lot of those metals and the first two metals to be used widely were gold and copper. Gold is mostly found as jewelry, and they are hardly ever pure gold; nearly all contain silver. Because of this, the metal electrum was formed- an alloy of gold and silver. Back in the Stone Age man learned that gold could be formed into sheets and wires easily. Gold can be found all over the world and is found in two types of deposits, lode deposits (found in solid rock and mined) and placer deposits (found in stream beds). The scarcity of gold and its value, due to mankind’s love of its color, have lead to gold being one of the more important metals of daily life.

The first tool, implements, and weapons were made from copper. The symbol for copper, Cu, comes from the Latin cuprum, meaning from the island of Cyprus. A long time ago, copper was hammered into small pieces to make stones. But once hammered, they became brittle and weak. By 3600 BC, the first copper smelted artifacts were found in the Nile Valley, along with copper rings, bracelets, and chisels. By 3000 BC weapons and tools could be found in the hands of the wealthy, but it would be yet another 500 years until peasants could own some of their own. Although the first smelted copper was found in the Nile Valley, it is widely believed that the Gerzeans brought it to Egypt. Copper is a reddish color and it is malleable, ductile, and a good conductor of electricity and heat.

Smelted copper was rarely pure, in fact, by 2500 BC the Sumerians noticed that my mixing different ores together, there would be a different type of copper. This new discovery flowed more easily than copper and was stronger after forming- it contained 11% tin and 89% copper, and eventually became the discovery of bronze. Native Tin is not found in nature. The first tin findings were discovered in around 2000 BC, but it was not until 1800 BC that tin smelting became in Western Asia. Tin was first thought to be a form of charcoal, used rarely on its own and was most commonly combined with copper to form bronze. By 1400 BC, bronze was the most used metal alloy. Now some more on tin, it is highly malleable and ductile. It has two allotropic forms, which lead to tin kind of having its own disease. Sn is the symbol for tin, from the word stannum.

The ancient Egyptians used lead sulfide (Galena) as eye paint. It kind of looks metallic and attracted the attention of early metalworkers. It is harder than gold, softer than copper, and it is the most chemically active of all of the noble metals. Because of its softness, pure silver was used for ornaments, jewelry and as a measure of wealth. Silver’s symbol, Ag, is from the Latin argentums.

Dating back to 1500 and 1600 BC, mercury has been found in tombs and was widely used because of its ability to dissolve silver and gold, also known as amalgamation. Through the history, metals, stones and minerals are considered precious even in the first civilization. These materials are often used not only as an ornament but also as proof of human’s history.

Basically, superstitions revolve around luck, which means you can get lucky or unlucky.

Here’s a list of a few superstitions, in an alphabetical order:

AIRPLANES

• Lucky: Touching wood before flying ensures a safe flight.
• Unlucky: Flowers on board a flying craft.

BABIES

• Lucky: If a baby’s first tooth appears on the lower jaw, it’ll live long.
• Unlucky: Babies aren’t supposed to look into the mirror prior to six month’s
  age.

CLOTHES

• Lucky: Wearing your clothes inside-out by mistake.
• Unlucky: Doing your buttons up the shirt.

DOGS

• Lucky: Seeing a white dog before noon.
• Unlucky: An unknown dog digging a hole in your garden.

ELEPHANTS

• Lucky: Pictures or ornaments of elephants that face the front door.
• Unlucky: Seeing a real elephant with mud till its knees.

FLIES

• Lucky: A fly falling into your food or drink.
• Unlucky: Catching a fly with bare hands.

GLOVES

• Lucky: Finding or receiving a pair of gloves.
• Unlucky: Losing one glove from a pair.

HOUSES

• Lucky: Putting coins at the foundation of a new house.
• Unlucky: Locking yourself out in your own house.

ITCHING

• Lucky: Itching of the right eye brings money.
• Unlucky: Itching of the left eye brings disappointment.

JARS

• Lucky: Buying three jars of three consecutive sizes at once.
• Unlucky: Dropping a jar from the hands and breaking it.

KETTLE

• Lucky: A kettle that can make soft whistling sounds drives evil spirits away.
• Unlucky: Boiling something in a kettle with its spout facing the wall.

LADYBUGS

• Lucky: A ladybug landing on your hand means good luck for you.
• Unlucky: If a ladybug dies on your head, your luck’s down.

NAMES

• Lucky: Seven letters in a name.
• Unlucky: Thirteen letters in a name.

OWLS

• Lucky: Seeing an owl at night, anywhere on your house, except the roof.
• Unlucky: Seeing an owl during the day.

PEARLS

• Lucky: If you buy a pearl item for yourself.
• Unlucky: Wearing pearls to an engagement or a wedding.

RAZORS

• Lucky: Changing the blade in a razor during daytime.
• Unlucky: Giving or receiving a razor.

SALT

• Lucky: Keeping some salt in the pocket or purse.
• Unlucky: Returning borrowed salt.

TONGS

• Lucky: Finding a pair of lost tongs.
• Unlucky: Dropping a pair of tongs on the feet.

UMBRELLAS

• Lucky: Opening an umbrella outside the house, during noon.
• Unlucky: Opening an umbrella in the house.

VASES

• Lucky: Getting a vase as a gift, especially during a wedding.
• Unlucky: Dropping a vase from the hand and breaking it.

WEDDINGS

• Lucky: Bride standing to the groom’s right .
• Unlucky: Marrying on your birthday.

XYLOPHONES

• Lucky: Keeping a xylophone on a stand with wheels.
• Unlucky: Playing a xylophone for the first time, in a bedroom.

YACHTS

• Lucky: When yachting first time, sailing towards the south.
• Unlucky: Toppling down, below a yacht while riding it.

ZEN SIGNS

• Lucky: Zen sign on the front door.
• Unlucky: Stamping or passing over a Zen sign below you.