Slavic rituals

Forest Rusałka
Though similar to the water being described here, this being inhabits the woods rather than lake shores and riverbanks. But, much like its aquatic counterpart, it takes the form of a fair young woman. Sc****ly clad and wearing a flower wreath, the forest Rusałka uses her looks and singing to lure young men into the wilderness – where she takes their life by leading them of a cliff or by… tickling them to death.

Séances, Dragons & Chakras: Kraków's Magical Past
Kraków, Poland’s ancient capital, functions in Poles’ minds as something akin to a noble forebear – a symbol of tradition and merit. But there is also a mirror image... This Kraków is one of chakras and magic, ghosts and alchemists. No other Polish city has a history so rich in the fantastical and lawless.

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In some regions, stories were told that only the front of the daemon was beautiful, while its back was an open cadaver with its bowels visible. The Rusałka was said to avoid wormwood, so carrying a little with you through the forest was a way of protecting yourself.

Painting and beating eggs
Starting the Easter celebration with an egg (pysanka) is a custom that has been in Ukraine since ancient times, as it symbolised the germ of a new life. People paint the shell of an egg in bright colours by using wax paints, with each colour signifying a different meaning (red is the joy of life; yellow is sunlight; blue is for health). After receiving their colourful adornments, they are then considered sacred, together with the Kulich (Easter cake) in the church. Later at home, everyone eats national holiday dishes – holodets (frozen pork broth), homemade sausages and more. Children usually play the game called beats; they knock each other’s egg. Whoever’s egg breaks is the loser.

Greeting people with bread and salt
Ukrainian people are very family oriented. For this reason, most customs are related to family holidays or events. One of them came from the Kievan Rus period when people greeted their most honourable guests with bread and salt. It turns out that if the hosts offered this combination of goods, they wished wealth (bread is a symbol of wealth) and banished evil spirits (salt is a symbol of the purity of the soul). Nowadays, Ukrainians have made this custom simpler; however, bread and salt are always put on the table when guests arrive.

6 Text Messages to Send a Friend That Feel Like a Hug

Have you ever received a message from a friend or loved one that made everything around you melt away the way a really good hug feels? Well, when you find yourself physically distanced or in the midst of social isolation, we’ve compiled a list of text messages you can send which will make them feel loved, no matter how far away they are.

I miss hugs. I miss the way a good hug can stay with me all day. More than that, I miss being able to hug the friends I know are feeling especially lonely and vulnerable right now (which is pretty much everyone).

Hugs relieve pain, depression and stress. Fahad Basheer, MD, writes that hugging releases endorphins, which can block your pain pathways, and also boosts the production of dopamine in your brain. And NPR reports that hugging has a measured ability to decrease the stress hormone cortisol. But today, as we all live under the shadow of COVID-19, the hugging benefit I care about the most is that hugs can protect us from getting sick. Yep! Kind of a big deal right now. Carnegie Mellon researchers found that hugs protect people from increased susceptibility to infection.

And now here we are. Not hugging. COVID-19 has taken away the human touch that relieves pain, helps to manage stress, and can help us fight infection too.

But human touch is not the only way to build human connection. In my work I see examples everyday of people supporting each from a distance, following the death of a loved one. I’ve seen thousands of moments where simple, thoughtful text messages can feel like real, human hugs for people who are grieving.

Based on that experience, here are six suggestions for text messages we can send each other in this hug-minimized world, to help us stay connected while apart.

1. The Gratitude Text
Hi Sara. All this time to think has made me realize how very grateful I am for your friendship. Thank you for always having my back and being ready to listen. I miss you.

2. The Memory Text
Hi Mom. I was just remembering how much we laughed, that time we were trying to assemble the stroller together. I was so pregnant and uncomfortable, and we didn’t know what we were doing, but it was hilarious. That memory will always be special to me.

3. The Thoughtful Gift Text
Hi, Steven. I just left some beer and snacks on your doorstep. I wish I could come and sit on the porch and share a drink with you, but for now just know that I’m thinking about you, and looking forward to our next pub night.

4. The Photo Text
Hi Maria. I found this photo on my phone, from our trip with Carlos last year. You must be missing him right now, but maybe this photo will bring a smile for your face. Just look at how much he loved you. We’ll have smiles like this again, I promise.

5. The Music Text
Hi, Lindsay. You probably don’t know this, but this song always makes me think of you, and brings a smile to my face. Whenever I hear it, I think about our trip to Sonoma, and that late night bike ride home. Listen and enjoy.

6. The Specific Offer of Help Text
Hi Tom. Can I take Rover with me when I go to the park this afternoon? I know you need to stay isolated, but I would love to have your pup with me for some fresh air, and will bring him back happy & tired.

I long for the day that we can all be together again. But in the meantime, reaching out to someone who’s self-isolating, grieving a loved one, or maybe just missing their normal life, can help us stay connected. Our words can feel like hugs, and can be healing while we’re apart.

10 Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills

Communication skills, tops the list of fundamental skills needed to succeed in the workplace. A decade-and-a-half later, with the rise of social media networking and texting, communication is becoming more casual, even in situations where more formal ways of communicating are required. What this means is that people from the younger generation, may not know or even understand the importance of effective communication skills in the workplace. When you take a look at the greatest leaders, one of the traits they possess, is the ability to communicate effectively, which underscores the importance of communication skills.

There are specific things to do that can improve your communication skills:

1. Listen, listen, and listen. People want to know that they are being heard. Really listen to what the other person is saying, instead of formulating your response. Ask for clarification to avoid misunderstandings. At that moment, the person speaking to you should be the most important person in your life. Another important point is to have one conversation at a time. This means that if you are speaking to someone on the phone, do not respond to an email, or send a text at the same time. The other person will know that she doesn’t have your undivided attention.

2. Who you are talking to matters. It is okay to use acronyms and informal language when you are communicating with a buddy, but if you are emailing or texting your boss, “Hey,” “TTYL” or any informal language, has no place in your message. You cannot assume that the other person knows what the acronym means. Some acronyms have different meanings to different people, do you want to be misunderstood? Effective communicators target their message based on who they are speaking to, so try to keep the other person in mind, when you are trying to get your message across.

3. Body language matters. This is important for face-to-face meetings and video conferencing. Make sure that you appear accessible, so have open body language. This means that you should not cross your arms. And keep eye contact so that the other person knows that you are paying attention.

4. Check your message before you hit send. Spell and grammar checkers are lifesavers, but they are not foolproof. Double check what you have written, to make sure that your words are communicating the intended message.

5. Be brief, yet specific. For written and verbal communication, practice being brief yet specific enough, that you provide enough information for the other person to understand what you are trying to say. And if you are responding to an email, make sure that you read the entire email before crafting your response. With enough practice, you will learn not to ramble, or give way too much information.

6. Write things down. Take notes while you are talking to another person or when you are in a meeting, and do not rely on your memory. Send a follow-up email to make sure that you understand what was being said during the conversation.

7. Sometimes it’s better to pick up the phone. If you find that you have a lot to say, instead of sending an email, call the person instead. Email is great, but sometimes it is easier to communicate what you have to say verbally.

8. Think before you speak. Always pause before you speak, not saying the first thing that comes to mind. Take a moment and pay close attention to what you say and how you say it. This one habit will allow you to avoid embarrassments.

9. Treat everyone equally. Do not talk down to anyone, treating everyone with respect. Treat others as your equal.

10. Maintain a positive attitude and smile. Even when you are speaking on the phone, smile because your positive attitude will shine through and the other person will know it. When you smile often and exude a positive attitude, people will respond positively to you.

Communicating effectively is a teachable skill, therefore following a few of the tips outlined above, will enable you to hone up on your communication skills.

8 reasons to work on your communication skills

1. Better engagement
Better communication results in greater employee engagement, which is a key metric for employee productivity and potential retention. It reinforces that your people are key contributors and people who the company values for their unique skills and experience. In other words, their contribution — and input — truly make a difference.

2. Increased morale
Team members with low job satisfaction take more time off of work, are less productive when in-office, and often negatively impact the productivity of other employees when they are present. However, when an employee has an understanding of the work that they have to do and how it connects to the overall success of the team, they bring more energy and pride to their work.

3. Improved productivity
Better communication techniques help employees to better comprehend their roles, which in turn helps employees perform their assigned duties better. Resources and time can be saved through these techniques, therefore getting more work done and reducing stress.

4. Reduced churn
From customer support representatives to senior technical staff, experience equals value to customers and to the company. And no organization wants to waste the huge costs of recruiting and training good employees by having them leave quickly. As a key factor in employee satisfaction and engagement, communication adds value to the organization by reducing the turnover of skilled and seasoned staff members.

5. Greater loyalty
Longer-term, keeping employees for many years can add strength to the company and impact the bottom line. Many jobs require years of experience before an employee has sufficient expertise to drive innovation, solve critical problems, and lead others. How an employee feels toward the company — based on how they feel they are treated and valued as individuals — impacts how loyal they will be.

6. Better collaboration
Most companies today use technologies that don’t require team members to be in the same room, the same building, or even the same country. This shift presents new communication challenges, which means managers can facilitate collaboration by helping groups communicate effectively when using the latest technologies.

7. Fewer workplace conflicts
Many conflicts originate with miscommunication. Poor communication can create negative relationships or even toxic or hostile work environments. Building clear communication can improve company culture and prevent misunderstandings between managers and employees. This includes honing and refining communication styles that focus on listening to others, having empathy, and considering individual differences.

8. Greater motivation
Psychologists have found that unless people understand the “why” of a concept, they will be less likely to understand or remember it. The same goes for many aspects of people’s work lives. As a manager, one key communication skill is hearing the “why” and following up with a “because.” This approach will help you motivate employees.

What is Social Discovery?

For this article the term social discovery is defined as the process of discovering information about people, places or things from other people via social networking and social sharing websites.

It’s a collaborative process that takes advantage of current social technologies. Today social discovery is mainly conducted via social networking and social data technologies. Through these social platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, LinkedIn, and Yelp, social discovery is possible! Innovation with this relatively new technology began in the late 1990’s – just a handful of years after the Internet was first being available to the masses. While it took 10+ years for the social discovery sites to mature, we are still at the infancy stages of this new market. Social discovery has changed the landscape of many industries and how people discover and share information.

Businesses can take advantage of multiple social discovery techniques, and when the process is done correctly, it can impact the bottom line. Whether you want to take advantage of social discovery to learn more about your clients, or use this process to help move your clients through the 5 stages of the consumer adoption process, it is important that you understand what social discovery is and how to drive business value from it. Before we dive further into social discovery, we must understand life before social discovery and identify the common elements and behaviors present within the two eras.

Plunging into an ice hole
Every year on January 19th, on the day of the Christianisation of Kievan Rus, Ukrainian Christians jump into an ice hole. At night, people break through the ice and create a hole in the form of a cross and later dive into the water three times. They believe that the water has healing properties, and by plunging into the icy river, all the sins and illnesses will be cured. This event occurs every single year, and locals queue to dive in.

Singing Christmas carols
Christmas Eve’s Kolyadkas (carols) are one of the most beautiful customs in Ukraine and an integral part of the celebration. Kolyadnyky (carolers) go to the yards and houses of neighbours, sing carols, and wish prosperity and health to all family members. In the past, particular attention was paid to costumes: fur coats inside out, masks of animals, and bags for collecting gifts. But today, the costumes are not that important. Among Ukrainians, the belief is that the more Kolyadnyky that come to your dwelling, the better and fruitful the year will be. In turn, owners must give money to carolers or at least treat them with sweets.

Jumping over the bonfire
Kupala Night is a holiday associated with the period of the summer solstice. It is celebrated on the night of July 7th. During this time, according to legends, many magical plants are growing; therefore, Ukrainians believe that whoever finds a blooming fern in the forest will be rich and happy for the rest of their life. Girls throw wreaths in the water, and whoever’s wreath travels the fastest will get married soon. Another important ritual is burning bonfires. The belief is that these fires have healing powers; you will be cleansed from sins and cured of illnesses.

Having fun on Maslenitsa
Maslenitsa is a holiday celebrated during the last week before the Great Lent. The people say goodbye to winter and greet spring, bake pancakes and organise festivals. This custom appeared during the times of Kievan Rus, as the pancake was considered a symbol for the sun (ruddy and round). Every day during pancake week, there is a particular ritual. For instance, on Monday, everyone prepares for the holiday; during the weekdays, it is time to enjoy pancakes (sour cream and red caviar fillings are especially popular). Meanwhile, Sunday is called Forgiveness Day – a day when people ask for forgiveness from relatives and friends.