Acorns Are the New Superfood? Tell That to the Ancients

I read an article in a UK periodical that states that acorns are the new superfood. People have long asked me about acorns for diabetics and there have been rumors of  a paranormal relationship between humans and acorns. We can thank Celtic Druids for that. Seriously. Acorns are not just food for the spirit, they’re food for the soul and have been for thousands, perhaps millions of years. Today, they’re being called superfood, tomorrow they’ll be called delicious. But only if you remove the tannic acid and use a good recipe.

In the fall, people rake acorns and shovel them into the garbage. What a pity for both humans and wildlife that depend on them. Try telling the squirrels that you’re trashing their acorns. Or the birds that wait for you to drive over them. It would not surprise me to see a bird drop an acorn, right where the tire rolls.

Let’s remember woodland animals and ancient cultures, as we enjoy this year’s acorn harvest season. The acorn was and is… their sacred food.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Acorns and Eat’em, a how-to vegetarian cookbook and field guide for eating acorns. Find it here:

Genealogy… The Four Groups of Vikings. Don’t You Wish

My old encyclopedia says that the Scandinavian Sea rovers of the 700s can be placed into four groups. Don’t think that makes it any easier. They’ve already lost me when they say that the first two groups are the Swedes and Goths. When I hear Goth, I think Germanic, which is further south of Scandinavia. Don’t the scholars who write encyclopedia entries know that our brains spin with too much information? Now we’ve got to look up Goth. But before we go sideways on Goth, what are the other two groups of Viking/Northmen? The third group is the Danes from Jutland and Schleswig. The last group is the Norsemen from Norway. Norsemen means the same as Northmen and means men from the north. Ok, alright, we’re following along. But wait… the encyclopedia now says, “… both Danes and Norsemen were names sometimes applied to the whole.”

There you go. They’ve given us an out. We can correctly refer to our Scandinavian-Viking-Swede-Goth-Norwegian ancestors as Danes. Or Norsemen. Thank you. I might just do that.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy III – From Jewish Anglo-Saxon Tribes to New France Acadians. Available here:

History… What’s the Rosetta Stone?

I’d heard about the Rosetta Stone for years, especially ads using that expression. Honestly, I thought it was something out of King Arthur’s legend, a Holy Grail sort of thing. It wasn’t until I was looking at an encyclopedia that I ran across an entry for it. Here’s the answer:

In 1799, in Egypt, a stone was found that had writing on it. By this time in history, the ability to read ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics was gone. The writing on the stone was indecipherable. Scholars could not read it even though it was written in three languages. Nonetheless, because one of the writings was in Greek, the scholars were able to not only translate it, but they learned how to read hieroglyphics. This is why the Rosetta Stone is so iconic. It opened the door to ancient history. It was a key to the past. And one last thing. It was discovered in Rosetta, Egypt.

Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:

History… Ancient Egyptians… Not So Different Than Today’s City Dweller

Five-thousand-four-hundred years ago, Egyptians were decorating their homes, putting colorful throw pillows on wooden chairs, filling wooden chests with their belongings, playing games on top of tables and painting their furniture bright colors. They even used gesso (thin layer of plaster mixed with glue) to prime the furniture before painting. Sometimes, they got fancy and inlaid bone, ebony and ivory.

How many times have you sat down on a piece of furniture and noticed the legs have a carving of a lion’s paw? Or the shape of the leg like that of a lion’s? We take these things for granted but this practice dates back five-thousand-four-hundred years ago. In many ways, the lives of the ancient Egyptians were very much like our own.

Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:

Breaking… The New Testament Deceived Us. There is No Hell…

If you’re using the Bible to guide your life, there’s something you should know. The “hell” referred to in the New Testament is a location west of Jerusalem. Boy did the translators screw that one up. And all this time, I thought it was as depicted in the artist rendition, Dante’s Inferno. You know, fire and brimstone. The place bad people go when they die. The place we’re reminded of so that we’ll be good.

Turns out, the original hell derives from Gehenna. Or Ge-Hinnom, referring to the Valley of Hinnom. Like Armageddon (Har Megiddo) Hinnom is a location on earth where you can bend down and touch the soil. Who knew?

The Valley of Hinnom is the equivalent of an old-fashioned dump, located west of Jerusalem, where the ancient city dumped their garbage, dead animals and criminals and then burnt them.

For those who worry about “going to hell,” you might alleviate your fears by visiting the notorious valley. The good news is that now you can freely tell others that they can, “Go to hell.”

Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:

Rh-Negative Blood, Ancient Iberians, Gaul, Gaelic, Celtic… Confusing. Don’t ya Think?

When you hear the word Gaul (pronounced gol) you can think France, for it was the name formerly used for that geographical area. A Frenchman is sometimes referred to as a Gaul. Before it was France, it was called Gallia by the Romans who with Caesar’s leadership, conquered the area. Caesar’s Gaul was populated mostly by the Celts. Back then, it held more territory than today’s France. Gaul encompassed Belgium, some of Germany, Switzerland and Holland. Northern Italy was included too, it was considered Gallia Cisalpina.

The Gaels, on the other hand, (pronounced gales) are the Gaelic branch of the Celts, particularly those that wound up in the Scottish Highlands. The Gaelic word for it is Gaidheal (also pronounced gale). To go back in time further, before Gael it was Goidel. The Goidels were a round-headed Alpine people who mixed with the darker-skinned, long-headed people who became the Celts. For more information on the ancient Iberians, especially if you’re interested in the Rh-negative blood type, see Chapter V of Secret Genealogy V – Black, White and Hamite; Ancestors of Color in Our Family Trees.  Available here:

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King, Pope, Castle, Knights, Girl, Freemasons and the American Army of Occupation

In 1312, after King Philip and the Pope set out to obliterate the Knights Templar, the last remaining twelve knights escaped to the Rhine hoping a castle would protect them. History tells of their heroic fight against the armies of the Archbishop. So renowned is this legend, American soldiers serving in the Army of Occupation petitioned the Masonic Grand Master to relax the rules and allow them to charter a lodge near ancient Castle Lahneck.

Five-hundred-thirty-nine-years later, a young girl was drawn to Castle Lahneek too. Idilia Dubb was only seventeen in the summer of 1851 when under the spell of the castle and the joy of vacation, she decided to explore. She climbed the wooden stairs that led to the castle’s high tower. As she did, the ancient stairs fell away behind her. Stranded in the tower, the wall too tall for her to climb, Idilia called for help. Again and again, she called out but no one heard her cries. It was nine years before her body was found. When they found her diary, she had drawn two hearts at the bottom, below a prayer and her belief that death would surely come.

Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy: http://www.amazon.com/Black-Pansy-Suellen-Ocean/dp/1484900278

What Do You Think of When You Hear the word Poland?

When I hear the word “Poland,” I think of the Holocaust and millions of innocent people who died on Polish soil. However, those dreary and sad images were not always the case. When you think of Poland, imagine you hear the beautiful sound of flutes. Ancient Roman writings tell the story of early Poland as a place where strange people made beautiful sounds with their flutes and were so peaceful, they did not use swords. These gentle, pastoral people were sheep and cattle shepherds, spun and wove their own clothing, kept bees and fished and hunted in the vast woodlands. Sounds a lot like the Acadians who went from France to Canada.

Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy.

Available Here:

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Pansy-Suellen-Ocean/dp/1484900278

The Truth About Jesus’s Birth

Many religious scholars have concluded that Jesus was not born in December. I’m not sure when he was born, it might have been June. It was Roman Pope Julius I, who proclaimed December 25th as the date to celebrate Jesus’s birth. My research tells me that the December date was chosen to coincide with Pagan solstice celebrations that people were already enjoying in December. It was a festive holiday, with astronomical attributes due to its being the darkest time of year. After the winter solstice, the light gradually returns. The return of the light is a great excuse for a grand celebration! And since we are trying to be factual, Jesus probably wasn’t born in a manger either. More likely he was born in a cave. You can find the spot for this cave in Bethlehem at the “Church of the Nativity,” located at the “Grotto of the Nativity.” When Luke wrote his gospel, he said that shepherds gave shelter for Mary. These shepherds housed their flock in a cave.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy II – The Jewish Roots of Our Christian Ancestors. Available here:

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Genealogy-II-Christian-Ancestors/dp/1484053222

Hitler, Caucasians, Hindus and Iranians? Can’t Wrap My Brain Around It

Who the Aryans are, has always baffled me. Hitler believed that the Aryan Race was a “pure” Germanic race, which he meant to preserve. Then I heard that Iran means Aryan because they were Aryans. My search for finding exactly who the Aryans are (or were) has brought me this:

Aryans descended on the river valleys of northern India around 2000 BC

Aryans are light-skinned and probably came from Central Asia or Europe

Aryans are of the same stock as Europeans

Aryans were warriors on chariots (this makes me think of Celts)

Hinduism stemmed from ancient Aryans and their writings (they are credited with writing mankind’s oldest book ‘the Vedas’)

If I go by what my newer dictionary defines, it would tell me the root of the word arya means noble, but other than that, it just tells me that an Aryan is a descendant of prehistoric people who spoke Indo-European. And for the second definition it states Indo-Iranian.

Still not enough information for my brain to form a concise picture of who the Aryans are (or were). I have an old 1941 dictionary, which describes it further, by informing me that the Aryans descend from the Iranian plateau from ancient times while another branch entered India. One thing I’m sure of is that they are Caucasian.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy III – From Jewish Anglo-Saxon Tribes to New France Acadians. Available here: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Genealogy-III-Jewish-Anglo-Saxon-Acadians/dp/148407579X