Purchasing a new hyundai car is a major investment. Aside from buying a new house, it may be the biggest purchase you will ever make in your entire life. For this reason, you should be certain that you are dealing with a trustworthy maryland hyundai car dealer before deciding to part with your hard-earned cash.

We have all heard the horror stories about those shady car dealers who talk fast and separate a sucker from his money even faster. The good news is that they are the minority and that most car dealers are dependable and honest. Here are a few tips to help you find a trustworthy hyundai car dealership in maryland.

(1) Do your homework Before you start talking to car dealers, try to find out what they are all about. Research online and check their track record, the quality of their after-sales service and other information that will shed light on their reputation and trustworthiness.

At the same time, try to get a firm grasp of the kinds of hyundai that you may want given your particular tastes and budget. This way, when you start speaking to maryland hyundai car dealers, you can tell if their sales pitch about the car you want is accurate or just a lot of hogwash. Bear in mind, though, that just because a salesperson quotes you a price that is higher than what youve seen online, it doesnt mean hes a crook. Trying to make a decent profit is just part of their job.

(2) Trust Your Instincts Sometimes you will come across a salesperson that you simply dont trust or are not comfortable with for no apparent reason. Those bad vibes mean something. Perhaps your subconscious has spotted something out of place about this person and is sending you a signal. In this instance, it would be better to ask for someone else.

(3) Use your head, not your heart Oftentimes, the biggest reason why consumers fall for fast-talking, sleazy salespersons is that they make their purchasing decisions based on feelings and emotions rather than rational thought.

There is a lot of psychology that goes into buying a car. We may be enamored with the way it looks, the feel of the steering wheel in our hands, the way the seats press against our body or the feeling that a certain car is perfect for our personality. It just feels right. When you feel this way about a new car, think hard. Otherwise, it will be easy for a smart car dealer to persuade you into making that purchase.

(4) Be careful during negotiations Once you enter the negotiation phase, be very careful since this is where most of the dirty tricks begin. For instance, keep your wits about you when a salesman offers you a car that is, say, $1,000 cheaper than their competitors because there may be some additional hidden charges that you will have to pay such as a documentation fee or handling charge or when your salesman forgets to charge you for sports rims. This is an old ploy. Sometimes you just have to stand up, say no thanks and look for another maryland hyundai car dealer.

(5) Do a full inspection Finally, dont forget to make a full inspection of your new hyundai before leaving the lot. Check for scratches, flaws or other imperfections. The repair of these items should be covered in your deal with the car dealership. It pays to make sure.

Ourisman Hyundai offers the best price and service in Maryland, Virginia and DC, something you'd expect from a family doing business in the car industry for 80 years. Visit Ourisman Maryland Hyundai Car Dealership to acccess their online inventory of new and used Hyundais and get a free no hassle quote. Visit http://www.ourismanhyundai.com today!

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Ancient Incense

Mankind has used incense, in its earliest forms, since the dawn of human history. With the discovery of fire, our ancestors would have realised that most materials give off a unique and sometimes powerful aroma when burnt. The difference between the smell of a handful of Parsley and that of a Pine tree branch is greatly emphasized when each is burnt. Then as now, the air is quickly filled with intoxicating aromas simply by throwing some dried leaves, spices or twigs into a fire.

There is historic evidence in most cultures that our ancestors used incense burning for sacred and healing purposes. From ancient times people recognised that aromas produced by burning materials could heighten the senses, both sight and smell. When early man gathered around his fire, the smell of aromatic woods, herbs and leaves carried by heaven-wards spirals of smoke was a rare sensory pleasure - from this discovery it was no doubt a short step to dedicating fragrant products to the Gods, by adding them to a fire, which would also carry the good wishes and prayers of men upwards on the heat of the flames. Other benefits ascribed to the burning of incense included the purification of an area, to change a mood (to facilitate meditation or religious practices) and to cleanse and disinfect living spaces, especially after pollution caused by, for instance, death or illness.

The Rise of Incense and The "Frankincense Trail"

Several thousands of years before the advent of Christianity, the plants, herbs and spices that produced the best incense were traded as highly desirable commodities. For many years Frankincense from the Arabian peninsula was actually a more valuable currency than gold or silver. In almost every religion, aromatic oils, leaves and powders were considered a gift from the Gods, symbolic of divine grace. Frankincense was used in vast quantities by the ancient Egyptians, Persians and Assyrians, and via them, by the Romans, who would have learnt of its use when coming into contact with eastern nations.

The significance of the belief that the three wise men brought Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh to the infant Jesus was both the princely nature of the gifts and their symbolic significance - Frankincense was a costly gift literally "fit for a king", while Bitter Myrrh referred to the bittersweet fate awaiting the messiah.

The trade in Frankincense flourished for centuries, particularly in the Arabian peninsula area of Oman, and its use can be traced back to the reign of the Queen of Sheba, who reigned over the Hadramut Kingdom which included Oman. The Frankincense trade flourished for fifteen hundred years, peaking at the height of the Roman Empire. The trade only declined due to reduced demand after the fall of the Roman Empire and also because of the exorbitant taxes levied along the strictly controlled trade routes.

The Parallel History of Smudging

The idea of purification through smoke is certainly not the sole preserve of the world to the east of the Atlantic - the Native North Americans have also burned herbal smoke mixtures in ceremonial cleansing and healing rituals for thousands of years. Smudging (the common name given to the sacred smoke bowl blessing) has been a part of Native American tradition since ancient times.

As with its Eastern counterparts, the "smudging" or burning of herbs and resins was and continues to be a practise held literally sacred by many traditional cultures. Smudging takes many forms; herbs are either tied into bundles called "smudge sticks", or the longer, tendril like herbs may be braided into "ropes". Smudging calls on the spirits of sacred plants to drive away negative energies and restore balance. The most popular herbs and plants for smudging include Cedar, Sage, Sweetgrass and Tobacco. Each of these plants is imbued with a unique quality and specific energy and as such are known as "Sacred Plant Helpers". Their smoke is ceremonially fanned through the energy field (aura) to cleanse negative energies, heal, bless and attract positive forces.

Smudging continues to this day as an integral part of Native American purification rituals -all spaces and the tools used for healings must be smudged, and smudging is an integral part of other important ceremonies such as medicine wheel gatherings, the vision quest and sweat lodge.

Incense and Modern Religion

The use of incense in organised religion continues as a relevant and important aspect of several confirmed religions, being used to prepare the congregation for prayer and ritual. In the Roman Catholic and Eastern churches, incense is a sacramental, that is - "an action or object of ecclesiastical origin that serves to express or increase devotion" (Merriam Webster online dictionary).

The Roman Catholic Church has always recognized the value of rites and ceremonial observances, not only for increasing the solemnity of her services but for arousing a spirit of devotion in those who minister at them and those who attend them. For a period the use of incense was discontinued in the Western Church because of its close association with pagan worship, but it has always been used in the Eastern Church. The incense used today is powder or grains of resin or vegetable gums or other such substances which, when burned, give off a sweet smelling of smoke. Perhaps ironically, the Roman Catholic church now shares a devotion to incense at the heart of its rituals with the increasing number of practising pagans and wiccans, the very groups it sought to dissociate itself from.

The mystical meanings ascribed to incense by the church hardly differs from those of our ancestors. By its burning, incense symbolizes the zeal of the faithful, its sweet fragrance echoes the "odour of sanctity" believed to be exuded by saints and martyrs, and its rising smoke symbolises the ascent of prayers to heaven. Also, incense creates a cloud, which is another symbol for godliness.

The Founder of Modern "Aromatherapy"

Incense has quite rightly been called the forefather of modern Aromatherapy, and its use as the earliest form of healing based on scent is undisputed. Today, there has been resurgence in the use of essential oils and the burning of incense as tools to employ the power of Aromatherapy, which is now recognised as being able, via the stimulation of the olfactory nerves, to produce physical, emotional and psychological effects independent of the thinking process.

As we smell scents, whether it be incense, fresh paint or sausage and mash(!) our mind is busy working on a subconscious level - deciding whether we like it and determining whether we recognise it. These responses are created in the limbic system - or more accurately the information is sent via the nerves to the olfactory epithelium, which is part of the limbic system in the brain. Data is then transmitted to the conscious parts of the brain. The limbic system is the oldest and most primitive section of the brain - it stores information about every scent ever smelled, and provides responses and reactions to various stimuli. It is considered the seat of memory, and as such is a powerful mood affecter.

All smell is molecular - in other words, when we smell a scent, we are registering a physical molecule that disconnects itself from its carrier and drifts in the air - arriving through the nose to the mucous membrane which has millions of odour-receptor cells and cilia to catch and identify scent molecules in the air. Unlike our other four senses, the nerve system for smell is directly exposed to its source of stimulation - this explains the immediate, unthinking effect of scents on the nervous system. Scent can cause an instant and overwhelming reaction, either pleasant or unpleasant, in a way that no other sensation can.

In addition, our ability to learn and our capacity for sympathy are also located in the limbic system, hence the often close link that feelings of sympathy and antipathy often have with smells. The limbic system is also responsible for creativity, inspiration, and all non-thinking, automatic life processes such as heartbeat, hormone regulation and respiration. Scent can affect all of of these powerful bodily processes.

The use of incense, and of essential oils in modern Aromatherapy has validated the belief held by our ancient forefathers. Many of the reactions and decisions we make are intrinsically linked to our sense of smell, and many areas of our health and relaxation can be positively affected by smell, and by definition, through Aromatherapy. Incense can help to:

cleanse the atmosphere

aid calm and reduce anxiety, stress, and fear

revitalize, stimulate, and renew energy

alleviate insomnia

prepare the mind and body for prayer, meditation and contemplation

accelerate healing

Follow the example of the ancients, and allow the fragrant smoke from incense to cleanse your living space, relax your body, calm your mind, create a spiritual atmosphere and heighten your awareness.

Margaret McGoverne is the founder of The Holistic Shop.com website http://www.theholisticshop.com where you can buy gifts and products for the wellbeing of mind body and soul.

¶ 3:01 PM 0 comments

A friend of mine had asked my thoughts on how one should go about reading the Bible. I would first read the New Testament in its entirety in order to keep in the "flow" of it. After that - I would then start with the Old Testament - starting from the very beginning. Its long. I dont know how much you can read at a time.

But there are a lot of good things back in the Old Testament. I feel the New Testament is a revelation of who Jesus Christ is and the Old Testament is a revelation of who God the Father is. That is why Christians need to read both books in order to get a handle on who both God and Jesus really are.

The Old Testament will really give you a lot of knowledge about God the Father, His ways and how He operates. A lot of the "battle verses" - on how God will fight battles for you - are all back in the Old Testament.

The Old Testament will give you major insight into Gods personality - what He is really like and how He has reacted to a wide range of situations involving His chosen people the Jews. After you read the Old Testament in its entirety - especially if you read it without breaking off into something else so as to keep the "flow" going - you will really get an understanding about who God the Father is and get a grip on what He is really like.

This is how you really get to know God the Father - by learning from what He has done in the past! And this is exactly what the Old Testament gives to you.

There is not another book on this planet that will give you revelation, insight and knowledge about who God the Father is like the Old Testament will! It is the only book that we have that will give you exact quotes from God the Father. These quotes are direct words from God the Father. From these quotes - you get insight and knowledge into what His personality is really like. Its obviously the same with Jesus in the New Testament. When you read all of the things Jesus has personally said to all those around Him - you will really get to know Him. Same way with God the Father in the Old Testament.

If you can get both books under your belt - you will have instilled the Bible basics underneath you. It will give you a base, a platform in which God can continue to build your knowledge about Himself, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. You will also always continue to learn more about the Three of Them in your own personal journey with Them.

Its like a one-two punch:

1 - Knowledge about God you get from reading the Bible. 2 - Knowledge about God that you get from what you learn in your own personal adventures and journey with Him.

But the book is long and most Christians wont take the time to read through all of it. They will read just bits and pieces of it at a time. That is better than nothing at all - but you only get "partial" revelation about who God the Father is when you only feed off of it in small chunks at a time.

Each book has its own "flow" to it. That is why I would recommend staying with one book at a time instead of trying to mix it all up. You can do that after you have read both books in their entirety. Once you have both books locked into your "mind" and have developed a good understanding of what both books are trying to teach you - you can then bounce back and forth between the 2 books because you now have the basics instilled in you.

However - trying to read all of the Old Testament is a major undertaking. You would have to commit to it until you complete it. It all depends on how hectic and busy your personal schedule is and how much time you have over the course of a week or two to read.

Some Christians complain that there is no way that they could read the entire Old Testament. They say its too long. Yet they could read 3 or 4 long fiction novels back to back. If they took that kind of time and applied it to the reading of the Old Testament - they could literally have read the entire Old Testament during the same amount of time that they had read the 3 or 4 novels.

However - the Old Testament is one book as versus 3 or 4 smaller novels. However - the number of pages is the same. The Old Testament may look "scarier" to try and read all of it - but it is just the same as reading 3 or 4 long novels back to back. If you decide you want to try and undertake the reading of both books in their entirety - dont worry about trying to understand everything little thing you read at first. Just get it all "in you" as best as you can. Then the Holy Spirit, over the course of time, will start to "work" the knowledge you have instilled in you.

However - before the Spirit will really start to "work" you in gaining new and deeper knowledge about God and Jesus - you have to give Him something to work with - and that something is the knowledge that the Bible will give you. Knowledge that the Bible gives you is the base, the platform that the Holy Spirit will use in order to build you up in the true knowledge of God. Its like building a house. First you build the base - and then you add everything onto the base to complete the house. The Bible and the knowledge it gives you will be your base from which the Holy Spirit can then add on to it.

However - if you dont build your base from reading the Bible - then the Holy Spirit has nothing in which to work with - which explains why a lot of Christians do not make much spiritual growth over the course of most of their life.

The knowledge you gain from reading the Bible will activate the Holy Spirit to really start "working" your mind and intelligence. He will increase your ability to remember and recall things. He will increase you intellect and your ability to understand things. He will increase your ability to discern truth from error.

This is a supernatural work that the Holy Spirit will do for each and every Christian - but only if they are willing to go into a seeking mode. If you dont press in and start seeking after the knowledge of God - then the Holy Spirit will not supernaturally start to move to increase your mental abilities.

I cannot tell you the millions of times that the Holy Spirit will "bring up into my minds eye" a particular Scripture verse in order to answer a question from someone or to give me personal revelation and knowledge about something that I may be dealing with.

The Bible is literally a treasure chest of knowledge that can answer a lot of questions we all face in this life. If the Bible has been "implanted" into your mind, into your intellect by the reading of it - then the Holy Spirit can bring up for you specific Scripture verses to answer some of your own personal questions when you need them. The reason the Holy Spirit can bring those verses up for you when you need them is because you have spent the time to get the Bible "in you" by reading it. Its the Word and the Spirit working together that will cause spiritual growth to occur in your life. The Bible says we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. Its your mind that God is after and the renewing of your mind involves the acquiring of knowledge. The Holy Spirit is the one who really transforms you into the kind of person God wants you to be - but He only works this supernatural transformation into your mind and soul through the acquiring of knowledge.

The reason for that is that God wants you to understand exactly what He is doing in your life and why He is doing it before the transformation process really kicks into full gear into the specific parts and areas of your life that He wants to change.

Once I personally found out that reading the Bible and seeking after the knowledge of God would start to cause supernatural things to start happening in my life with God - I basically went crazy and developed a major hunger to finish reading all of the Bible in its complete entirety.

The Bible is an incredible supernatural adventure showing how far God will really go to supernaturally show Himself to those who are committed to fully serving Him. Its literally one miracle after another.

The Bible will just show you other peoples journeys and all of the supernatural things God and Jesus did for them as He will do for you.

For a complete and clean copy of this article can be found at http://www.bible-knowledge.com/Bible-Reading.html

Article written by Michael Bradley, author of over 100 articles which can be found at http://www.bible-knowledge.com

¶ 2:57 PM 0 comments