Kampung Kreepy

Some of you may know that Diyu is the Chinese version of Hell. Diyu is a subterranean maze with several levels or “courts” that dole out punishments for various types of sins. Meng Po, the goddess of forgetfulness, resides in Diyu’s 10th court.  Meng Po waits at the Naihe Bridge (the Bridge of Oblivion) to serve her five-flavored soup. Once a soul is ready to be reborn, he or she must drink the soup before Meng Po allows them to cross the bridge and leave Diyu.  The souls permanently forget their past life as well as their experiences in Diyu once they ingest the soup. They will thus get a fresh start free from the burdens of their past existence. The new life will be shaped by the karma the souls accrued in their previous incarnations.   Meng Po prepares the soup from herbs she collects from ponds and streams in the realm of the living. In some variations of the mythology, Meng Po was the former Lady Meng Jiang who could not reincarnate because of her grief over her...

  Did you know that July 10 is Grace Sherwood Day in Virginia Beach, Va.? Grace Sherwood, the so-called “Witch of Pungo,” was the only person to be convicted of witchcraft in Virginia through the test of ducking in water.  Starting in 1697, the midwife and healer was accused by her neighbors of “bewitching” their livestock and cotton crops. She was also accused of shape-shifting—turning into a black cat. In response, Sherwood brought defamation lawsuits against her accusers. The court didn’t make a finding of witchcraft, and Sherwood lost her defamation cases. In January 1706, new allegations were brought against Sherwood by a neighbor who claimed Sherwood caused her miscarriage. A jury of 12 “ancient and knowing women” appointed by the court found two “witches’ marks” on Sherwood’s body. Such marks could range from a mole to skin discolorations. The court ordered that Sherwood be tried by “ducking.” In this test, an accused witch was bound hand and foot and thrown into water ...

To everyone who is celebrating: Have a great 4th of July!