(no subject)
From a link about the history of Egypt. Something that everyone, pagan, atheist, Christian, whatever, can get down with.
"The Five Gifts of Hathor:
When a poor farmer joined the cult of Hathor the priest or priestess would take hold of their left forearm and say, "Name the five things you would miss the most if you were to die right now." The person would have to name the first five things which came to mind without thinking too precisely on them - perhaps something like, "My wife, my children, beer, my dog, the river." The priestess or priest would then raise the person's left hand in front of the person's face and say, "These are the five gifts of Hathor" and the person would look at the five fingers of their left hand as the priestess would continue, "Every day you have at least these five tings to be grateful for and, should you lose one, there will always come another." When that person went back out into the fields and reached out for the stalk of wheat to cut, under the hot sun, they would see their left hand always before them and be constantly reminded of the five gifts of Hathor. In ancient Egyptian belief, as in all pagan belief structures, gratitutde toward the gods kept one steady on the path through life while ingratitude was a `gateway sin' which then opened one up to all the other sins. As soon as one stopped feeling grateful one moved toward darkness and disbelief and bitterness in life. The Five Gifts of Hathor, which one could always remember by simply looking at the fingers of their left hand, were constant reminders of all that was good and important and worth waking up for every morning - and giving thanks for every night."
"The Five Gifts of Hathor:
When a poor farmer joined the cult of Hathor the priest or priestess would take hold of their left forearm and say, "Name the five things you would miss the most if you were to die right now." The person would have to name the first five things which came to mind without thinking too precisely on them - perhaps something like, "My wife, my children, beer, my dog, the river." The priestess or priest would then raise the person's left hand in front of the person's face and say, "These are the five gifts of Hathor" and the person would look at the five fingers of their left hand as the priestess would continue, "Every day you have at least these five tings to be grateful for and, should you lose one, there will always come another." When that person went back out into the fields and reached out for the stalk of wheat to cut, under the hot sun, they would see their left hand always before them and be constantly reminded of the five gifts of Hathor. In ancient Egyptian belief, as in all pagan belief structures, gratitutde toward the gods kept one steady on the path through life while ingratitude was a `gateway sin' which then opened one up to all the other sins. As soon as one stopped feeling grateful one moved toward darkness and disbelief and bitterness in life. The Five Gifts of Hathor, which one could always remember by simply looking at the fingers of their left hand, were constant reminders of all that was good and important and worth waking up for every morning - and giving thanks for every night."