The tradition of the Advent Wreath dates back to 16th century Germany where the custom was initiated. The purpose was to prepare Christian believers for the holy celebration of Christmas four weeks in advance. The wreath is a circle and the circle symbolized eternal life in ancient times. Also the green colour of the fir or pine boughs that the wreath is made of signify eternal life and hope as well. The following article, translated from German, explains the symbol of the wreath in greater detail.

For many, many years now it is customary to place a wreath of freshly cut fir branches in the home or other appropriate places at the beginning of Advent. The wreaths are adorned with four candles that are lit consecutively during the four Sundays of Advent. One candle is lit each Sunday.

In this issue of GrailWorld:

Pleasant Shivers - My Magic World - Diagnosis-Hope-Healing - The Spiritual Homogeneity of Parents and Children - Faithfulness - Ever new Magic Worlds - The Grail - A cosmic reality unveiled - The holy Grail - In the Gardens of Life - Gender Identity and Sex-Reassignment Surgery - Protection for the Soul - The Lost Message of Christmas - Sun, Sand and Stars - Journey into Love - Flight from the Light

CREATIONISM AND EVOLUTIONISM are two different ways of explaining the manifestation of living organisms on earth: plants, animals, and human beings. To date, both have caused numerous conflicts between their advocates, as they were presented as mutually exclusive. These conflicts are, however, not necessary as the two concepts are in reality complementary if they are considered from a spiritual viewpoint.

by Swiss naturopath and author Christopher Vasey

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Spiritually uplifting quotes inspired by the book In the Light of Truth: The Grail Message
"You see that love conquers in every case." Buddha

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Time passes! Lost time! No time! Time is a concept that is “pervasive” in our life, and it would seem natural to us that we know what it means. But whoever reflects deeply about the nature of time is sure to find himself in the situation so splendidly described by Augustine: “If nobody asks me, I know what time is, but if I am asked, then I am at a loss what to say.” Christopher VASEY delves into the paradoxical qualities of time and explains why time does not pass but stands still.

Time indeed appears a paradox to us: It is short and long simultaneously. Long, because it has already “lasted” millions of years, and short, because we never seem to have enough time at our disposal; it is stretched to infinity – or shrunk to a fraction of a second. Time also appears slow and at the same time fast: Slow for the one waiting, fast for the one joyfully absorbed in his activity. “The times” seem to change with us and world history – and “time” nevertheless remains completely independent of all happenings. Whether we waste it or not – time is always available to us.

Echinacea is very good to help ward off winter infections.

For many people the winter season brings on colds, chills, coughs and flu. How can we help to protect ourselves against these bothersome infections? A very simple and effective way to help strengthen our organic defences is through the use of Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea), a plant that was well known to the ancient North American Natives.

The notion of Armageddon- the end of the world, makes some people shudder while to others it invokes curious interest or entertainment. Some people are even using the idea as a way to make a profit, yet very few of us really understand what it actually means.

The concept of the end of time has been widespread throughout history and the different cultures on our planet. The message itself however, has changed over time in order to adapt to the understanding of the people during different eras. This makes it very complicated for present day humanity to make sense of it and today people, more than ever before, want clear and logical explanations before they adhere to something.

The man pressed the remote control to close the garage door, happy to be home on such a wet and windy late fall evening. It had been a bad drive home. The rain had been coming down very hard, and the wet leaves on the road had made the driving unpredictable. It had been very dark as well, due to the short days at this time of the year.

He thanked his lucky stars that he was a disciplined driver, and did not foolishly take advantage of all the power that his car, a Mercedes-Benz E-class, could generate. It was easy to drive fast with such a powerful vehicle, but he refrained from doing so just to arrive home to the suburbs earlier, although the temptation was there. He could well afford the possible tickets. He could even afford a lawyer to contest them and avoid losing points on his drivers license. He was, after all, a big corporate president. Yet somehow he felt inside that to do so would not be living up to his own expectations of demanding the best of himself, and he resisted the lure of it. It was too dangerous, so he drove sensibly.

They are many hundred of thousands of individuals who care for the elderly outside of our established systems. They are people who voluntarily and selflessly look after an aging parent, or loved one who, without this help, would be dependent on our dwindling social service outlets. Their contribution was acknowledged by the Quebec government in 2007 and the first week of November was designated Caregivers Week.

Every year on or around October 31st, children, as well as many adults enjoy the festivities surrounding Halloween. We put on scary costumes and tour our neighbourhoods for sugar treats and candy. Houses are decorated with jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, goblins, black cats and many other symbols of the «dead world». However, Halloween has a much deeper and in some ways darker history, that has given birth to what we celebrate today.