MY REVIEW OF ON PERSEPHONE’S ISLAND BY MARY TAYLOR SIMETI

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Mary Taylor Simeti is an American woman that has lived in Sicily since her marriage.

Her book, On Persephone’s Island, is at the same time her diary and also an essay on life in Sicily as she sees it with her own eyes and ideas. Actually, everyone who describes a place, a situation and even a historical event adds something personal to the narration.

Of note, the parallel she makes between Sicily of today and Greek Sicily. Actually, Sicily was Greece, as the south of Italy and the western coast of today’s Turkey. Great Greece was made of city-states. All of them gave life to Greek civilization.

Very interesting is the reference she makes to the Eleusinian Mysteries and the Thesmophoria, both in honor of Demeter, whose most important temple was in Enna, Sicily. The Eleusinian Mysteries and the Thesmophoria were esoteric rites. Only the initiates were allowed to take part in them.

Overall, this book contains useful information about Sicily, its culture and traditions.

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

ODALAN FESTIVAL IN KEMENUH VILLAGE, BALI (INDONESIA)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

‘The mind of a person plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.’

This passage from the Bible seems to be directed at me. Quite often, when I visit a new country, I come across a new religion as if guided by some arcane energy.

In Kemenuh Village, in every house there is a temple. It is located in a large yard with several altars.

Today they celebrated the ‘Odalan Festival’. It takes place every year – in the Balinese calendar, a month is made of 35 days and a year of 210 days. Usually, the festival lasts for three days.

This morning, an old priest came to the temple of the house where we are staying, to supervise the ceremony.

The women of the family made offerings to the ghosts to appease them and ask them not to be harmful, and then to their ancestors and God to make wishes; later, they sang praise to God.

When the ceremony was over, everybody ate the food that had been prepared under the supervision of the owner of the house. It was an oven roasted suckling pig, rice, and various local specialties.

In the evening, the celebration took place in the temple of the village. I got a blessing and felt happy. On the other hand, all religions are paths to God on the condition that we keep an open heart!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

TEMPLES IN BALI (INDONESIA)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Yesterday, we visited three temples in Bali: Goa Gajah Temple, Gunung Kawi Temple, Tirta Empul Temple (Holy Water Spring)

The constant in these temples is that they are located near streams or water springs. Two are in the valley. To reach them, we went down the stairs and pathways. Some sculptures were carved in the rock. There were also a few small caves. Probably, they had been dug to serve as places for prayer and meditation.

Tirta Empul Temple (Holy Water Spring) is located in the plain, next to a small spring. The water is piped into two fountains. People bathe in them to purify themselves, for this water is considered to be holy.

We too dipped our feet into the water. Although a bit cold, it gave a pleasant sensation to the whole body.

Water has always been a symbol of purification in all cultures. Jesus was also immersed into the water of the River Jordan.

In my opinion, the true purification comes from the Holy Spirit. It requires a heart that is simple, sincere, spontaneous and open to faith!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

FUNERALS IN BALI (INDONESIA)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

During our stay in Kemenuh Village, Sukawati, Gianyar, Bali, two local communities were celebrating the funerals for two dead people. I asked some of those who were attending the funerals to tell me something about their funeral rites. They replied:

“When someone dies the dead body is washed with special water, dressed, covered with a shroud, and then carried to the cemetery. All the people in the village join the funeral procession, bringing offerings. The men play a kind of music called “Gambelan/angklung”.

At the cemetery, the body is purified again with holy water, and then buried.

According to our culture and religion, the body ought to be cremated. But, since the cremation ceremony is very expensive, these days it is celebrated once every four years, usually between July and September, according to the Balinese lunar calendar.

The bodies of those who have died during the previous four years are dug up, gathered and then burned all together. Their ashes are collected and thrown into the sea.”

We are dust and to dust we will return!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

MOUNT ETNA SEEN FROM THE ROAD TO CATANIA AIRPORT

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Every time I leave Sicily for a travel, coming from Enna, my hometown, I pass by Mount Etna, the biggest volcano in Europe. It is still active and it erupts once in a while. However, the Sicilians call it ‘The Good Volcano’, for it never kills. When it erupts, the lava flows slowly down its slopes and gives people time to get to safety.

In Greek mythology, Hephaestus, the husband of Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, lived inside Etna and forged lightning bolts for Zeus, who was able to defeat the Titans thanks to the bolts forged by Hephaestus.

The Sicilians also call it ‘Mongibello’. They are so proud of their volcano that in the song ‘Sciuri, Sciuri’ (Flowers, flowers) which can be considered the Sicilian national anthem, they sing, ‘We are all children of Mongibello.’

The bus has just arrived at the airport. We will be out of Sicily for three months. “Goodbye, beloved Mongibello Mountain. See you soon!”

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

MY REVIEW OF INTRODUCING MIND & BRAIN BY ANGUS GELLATLY AND OSCAR ZARATE

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Mind & Brain by Angus Gellatly and Oscar Zarate is a thought provoking book.

Professor Angus Gellatly describes the studies on the brain that scientists have been doing over time. Experiments on animals and primates seem to show that human behavior originates in the brain, which is the house of emotions.

It seems that the brain regulates human actions. It retains the memory of individual experiences and acts consequently. Brain memory is similar to the ‘engrams’ that L. Ron Hubbard describes in his book, Dianetics.

Angus Gallantly makes no mention of the existence of the soul. I have described something about the interaction between body and mind or soul in my books Travels of the Mind and The Vibrations of Words. However, I consider Mind & Brain by Angus Gellatly and Oscar Zarate a good starting point for further studies on the existence or not of the soul, which possibly governs the human body, including the brain.

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)

– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)

– Travels of the Mind (English edition)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (edizione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (edizione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

MY REVIEW OF MARY’S MESSAGE TO THE WORLD BY ANNIE KIRKWOOD

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Mary’s Message to the World by Annie Kirkwood contains a series of messages given by Our Lady to a Texan nurse named Annie Kirkwood.

Whether one believes in the authenticity of Mary’s apparitions to Annie Kirkwood or not, one thing is certain: This book is a profound treatise on theology and morals. What struck me was the description of man as a being made of body, soul, and spirit. The ‘Spirit’ is a particle of God hidden in the soul of every human being.

All human beings have God-Spirit inside them. We should not judge others; instead, we ought to follow the way of love. We should not condemn this or that religion, for many are the ways leading to the same God.

The book emphasizes how important prayer and meditation are. We can even meditate by just watching our breathing. This calms and purifies our minds, an important step forward in the way to God.

Mary’s Message to the World by Annie Kirkwood elevates the spirit, definitely!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)

– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)

– Travels of the Mind (English edition)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (edizione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (edizione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

MY REVIEW OF IN GOD’S HANDS BY POPE JOHN PAUL II

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Pope Karol Wojtyla, in his will, asked that his spiritual diaries be burned upon his death, but his secretary did not; instead, he presented them to the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints.

Later, the notebooks were published in Polish, and then translated into several languages. I read the English edition.

The spiritual diaries range from 1962 to 2003, before and after Karol Wojtyla became a Pope.

Reading this book, I have been surprised that he attended the gatherings not as the supreme head of the Catholic Church, but as a simple participant. The retreats were led by others, usually a bishop or an archbishop, not by him! This shows how humble he was.

In his diaries, the word ‘meditation’ is recurrent. Obviously, during the spiritual retreats he meditated. I thought that the term ‘meditation’ only belonged to the Eastern religion. As a child, I learned that prayer was enough to get to heaven. Apparently, also Catholics meditate. I think Pope John Paul II meditated on the Bible, but who knows what was hidden in his great, noble, and humble heart!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)

– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)

– Travels of the Mind (English edition)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (edizione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (edizione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

THE FEAST OF SAINT AGATA IN CATANIA (SICILY)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Ettore Grillo's Blog

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February 5, 1939
Today, the celebrations in honor of Saint Agata, the patron saint of Catania, reached their peak. Townspeople wore white habits and ashen-black headdresses. For ten days, twelve gigantic candles on baroque-style litters were borne on the shoulders of guild members as they went along the streets. Today, the litters went ahead of the statue of Saint Agata to light up the street. The patron saint stood on a wagon dragged by hundreds of devotees.
People crowded round the statue and lit big wax candles, which they then handed a man on the wagon. There were so many candles that the wagon couldn’t hold them all. Every now and then, it was emptied of all the candles and they were tossed into a truck.
The wagon was dragged along the places where Saint Agata suffered martyrdom. According to history, the saint belonged to a noble family and wished…

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DIFFERENT CULTURES SHARE SIMILAR PROVERBS

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Yesterday, while reading The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham, I came across this proverb: ‘You can lead a horse to the water, but you can’t make him drink.’

The reading reminded me of a similar Sicilian proverb: ‘Quannu u sceccu un voli viviri ie inutili friscarici’ (When a donkey doesn’t want to drink, it is useless to whistle at it).

In the past, Sicilian farmers used to take their donkeys to the watering trough. Sometimes, the donkey was reluctant to drink. In this case, the master whistled at it to make it thirsty. Usually, after a short whistle, the donkey drank his fill. However, it could happen that the animal stubbornly refused to drink. Continuing to whistle was of no avail.

What is the meaning of the above-mentioned proverbs? When someone does not want to do something, they will not do, despite your insistence. In this case, you had better give up trying to convince them.

Different countries, different customs, but folk wisdom is the same wherever you go!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)

– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)

– Travels of the Mind (English edition)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (edizione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (edizione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo