Myths & mysteries
Discover facts about myths & mysteries. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Myths & mysteries
Practitioners own completely useless decorative brooms
Some practitioners hang twig brooms as decoration rather than using them to sweep.
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Infamous British occultist Aleister Crowley might have actually been working as a secret agent for MI5
Some historians have suggested British intelligence used Crowley during both world wars, possibly taking advantage of his occult reputation as cover. The…
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Capricorn placements demand strict absolute obedience
In astrology, Capricorn placements are associated with rigid expectations and frustration when others don't follow their rules.
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Fading mathematical angles of past mistakes
Once the aspect reaches its exact degree, the planets move apart; astrologers call this a separating angle and associate it with the aftermath of a crisis.
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Tukaram's poetry inexplicably survived a trip in the river
Local lore says his manuscripts, weighted with a stone and thrown into a river by jealous rivals, floated back unharmed after 13 days.
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Having three planets in one sign creates a stellium that basically concentrates all your neuroses
Astrologers call three or more planets clustered in one zodiac sign or house a stellium, believing the cluster gives that part of a chart outsized influence.
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Building imaginary force fields in public
Some sensitive people visualize a glowing protective sphere around themselves in crowded places, believing it helps block others' negative energy and feel…
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Roses are the ultimate flora for stubborn Taurus
Their slow, demanding growth and thorny stems make roses an apt symbol of Taurus stubbornness.
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Many fish species can change their sex
In some fish species, environmental conditions can trigger a change in sex.
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Mountain Dew is mostly made of concentrated orange juice
Despite its neon-green color, Mountain Dew gets some of its citrus flavor from concentrated orange juice. It isn’t mostly juice, though; high-fructose corn…
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Exaltation placements act like extremely overhyped guests
In astrology, exaltation means a planet is considered especially powerful in a sign that isn’t regarded as its home.
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Turning vapor back into solids completes the great work
In alchemical symbolism, coagulation was the step in which vapor became solid again; practitioners hoped the result would be purified, enduring matter.
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Memes outnumber true educational content
Online discussions can be dominated by memes, starter-pack images, and cynical jokes, making serious literature harder to find.
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Polaris acts as an unwavering guide for your life path
In astrology, Polaris symbolizes a steady sense of direction; people who identify with its influence are said to feel unusually driven by purpose.
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Dodecahedrons conceptualize the underlying geometric grid
Some esoteric traditions treat the dodecahedron as a model of the hidden order linking shapes. Its twelve pentagonal faces give it a strikingly regular…
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Bavarian professor Adam Weishaupt founded the Illuminati because the local freemason lodges were too expensive
He wanted to discuss Enlightenment ideas but found Freemason initiation fees too costly, so he created an alternative. The group collapsed within about a…
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Liability insurance for sweat lodges demands huge premiums
Commercial sweat-lodge operators can face steep liability premiums because enclosed, heated spaces pose serious risks.
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Rising degrees shift by the minute
In astrology, a new degree is said to rise about every four minutes, so even a small difference in birth time can change the rising degree in a chart.
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Ascetic poverty vows transfer massive wealth to institutions
Although individual members take vows of poverty, their institutions may receive members’ property, inheritances, and copyright royalties, concentrating…
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Mystical quietism demands total surrender of personal will
Quietists argued that spiritual perfection required extinguishing personal desire and surrendering the will to the absolute. They were taught to accept even…
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Hospital staff record identical times
When multiple births happen close together, staff may record identical birth times even if one baby arrived later. Those few minutes can affect how the births…
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Scorpio glides through grocery stores without making sound
Scorpio lore casts them as stealthy shoppers: they supposedly slip through crowded aisles so quietly that someone may turn around and find them holding the…
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Astrologers conveniently ignore the southern hemisphere when calculating seasonal traits for star signs
In Australia, Aries falls during autumn and Capricorn during summer—the opposite of the spring and winter seasons Western astrology associates with those signs.
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Conjunctions fuse planetary energies together
Astrologers compare the blend to mixing paint: two planetary energies can combine harmoniously or turn muddy.
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