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The religion of Witchcraft or Wicca (more accurately the spiritual path) naturally has some teachings which are kept very close to the chest. They're not exactly secret, but they're of a nature which only people who have been taught well can appreciate and handle. As we often say when presenting, you wouldn't give the car keys to a two-year-old. So since time immemorial it seems there have been levels of initiation; thus people can be rewarded for hard work, and other members of the community can be confident that people less senior know what they're doing.
In modern traditions there are usually three levels of initiation. Because various groups define these levels differently, here we spell out the Church of Wicca's definitions and compare them with levels of initiation practiced by the general American Wiccan community.
First Degree - This is a preliminary admittance to the outer circles of a group, often symbolized by a triangle with a 3 inscribed. In the Church of Wicca, this means that the neophyte will have completed a set of Wiccan magical tools and will have been dedicated in a new secret name that (s)he has chosen for themself. The name will be known only by members of the group. In the Church of Wicca we call this stage dedication.
Second Degree - This requires that the candidate knows how to cast and to sanctify / dedicate a circle, and that (s)he understands the meaning of a pseudo Great Rite: probably a procedure in which the athame signifies the male and the chalice signifies the female. The symbol for this stage is a Pentagram, signifying completion.
Third Degree - In the Church of Wicca there is no third degree; there is only initiation with no degree number attached to it. In the general community we understand that a third degree signifies that the candidate has completed a study of at least a year and a day, and has been initiated in a real Great Rite which symbolizes the passing of magic on from the priest or priestess to the neophyte. This stage can be signified in several different ways; in the community it is often shown as an open eye resembling that on the back of the U. S. dollar bill. In the Church of Wicca the candidate makes their own ankh with downswept arms.
In the Church of Wicca we combined the second and third degrees because we work by correspondence, and bringing people in from distant places twice seemed to us to be too much of a burden for a single initiation.
Whether in the third-degree initiation practiced by the wider community, or in the single initiation of the Church of Wicca, it is usual to give the candidate some semi-secret information which equips them to prove to other members of the community that they have indeed completed this level and are qualified for the privileges that go along with their level of initiation.
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I've been trying to increase fertility for some things in certain areas of my life and I think this could help some of y'all as well. Fertility could be anything from getting a job to having a baby. The Goddess rules over this area and the full moon has the most influence from her.
FERTILITY RITUAL Materials: 1 green practitioner candle 1 white "full moon" goddess candle 3 green rocks, 1 green glass 1 or more green plant(s) 1 fertility goddess symbol 1 small piece of green paper, a pencil patchouli oil a cup of water a tbsp of salt 1) Anoint candle w/patchouli (or musk).
Set up alter as follows: place Goddess symbol at top center of alter. Place white candle at the left, slightly lower, to be left point of pentacle. Place green candle to the right, in line with white candle. Place the 3 rocks at the two lower points and in front of the Goddess symbol. Place the green glass in the center of the pentacle you have outlined.
Put a pinch or two in the cup of water, and the rest in the bottom of the green glass. 2) Center, cast your circle, and call the quarters inflecting on how each element can aid you in your request (i.e. - I call forth the East, Air by name, Upon your winds the seeds of life are sown, I now request your aid in the same, Aloft to the Goddess, make my request known.
) 3) Invoke the Goddess inflecting on how each is essential for both fertilization and sustenance of life. 4) State your purpose and reason for wanting to be or become fertile with a new life. 5) Do your actual working. I did this by reciting a fertility request poem to the Goddess, asking her for a "late-life" chance at motherhood.
I wrote my request on the green paper, and envisioned the child and I enjoying each other's company, and that of their older sister. I then burnt the paper in the flame of the green candle and dropped it in the green glass. The salt at the bottom absorbed most of the heat and kept the glass from cracking.
I then doused the smoldering request with the salt water from the cup. "From Earth (paper), Sea (salt and water), Fire (flame), and Air (feeding the flame) we all began and shall end." 6) Thank Goddess and turn the request totally over to them. 7)Thank and release the quarters in the opposite direction as called (i.
E. - I release to the North, Earth from this rite, With humble gratitude, Your assistance this night.) 8) Open the circle. Grounding may include releasing any extra energy to the plants you invited, the 3 green stones, or cleaning your altar and tools.
Blessed be,Lady Alice
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I have written and given talks on the significance of the Hand of Miriam also called the Chamsa (five). The Muslims call it the Hand of Fatima. The Catholics know it as Mano Ponderosa (the Big Hand). Some Catholic writers have connected the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal with Queen Esther and the Book of Esther.
Queen Esther and Mordecai were from the tribe of Benjamin. Esther's name means star and her hebrew name Hadassah is the name for the 5 pointed star shaped flower known as myrtle. In the recent apparitions of Our Lady of Light in Giza Egypt one person commented that it reminded her of the shape of the Chamsa.
The five may represent the 5 Marian dogmas. [click here for an article on Fatima and Queen Esther]
The Jewish festival of light Chanukah is also linked to the chamsa or hand of Miriam by the parshat Mikeitz reading. Shirat Devorah blog states: "AND BINYAMIN'S PORTION WAS FIVE TIMES AS LARGE AS ANY OF THEM" [MIKEITZ 43:34]AS IS WELL KNOWN, SAID R' NAFTALI OF ROPSHITZ, CHANUKAH ALWAYS FALLS OUT DURING THE WEEK THAT WE READ PARSHAS MIKEITZ.
THIS IS HINTED TO IN THE TORAH, AS THE VERSE STATES: "AND BINYAMIN'S PORTION WAS FIVE TIMES (CHAMESH YADOS) AS LARGE AS ANY OF THEM. CHAMESH YADOS" ALLUDES TO THE FIVE INSTANCES THAT WE MENTION THE WORD "YAD" (HAND) IN THE SPECIAL CHANUKAH PRAYER AL HANISSIM: YOU DELIVERED THE MIGHTY INTO THE HANDS OF THE WEAK, THE MANY INTO THE HANDS OF THE FEW, THE IMPURE INTO THE HANDS OF THE PURE, THE WICKED INTO THE HANDS OF THE RIGHTEOUS, AND THE WANTON SINNERS INTO THE HANDS OF THOSE WHO OCCUPY THEMSELVES WITH YOUR TORAH.
"
The Parshat Mikeitz also speaks of Joseph and his dreams. Parshat Mikeitz means the Parshat 'from the end'. This alludes to the period of time known as the 'end of times'. The Zohar speaks of two periods known as the end of time. We are now in the first period of the 'end of time' before the Great Era of Peace.
Mikeitz can also mean "from the thorns" alluding to the Ram caught in the thorns at the Akeidah of Isaac as well as the Rose among the thorns in the Song of Songs. The Midrash also says:"WHEN A ROSE IS AMONG THORNS, A NORTH WIND GOES FORTH AND BENDS HER TOWARD THE SOUTH AND A THORN PRICKS HER, THEN A SOUTH WIND GOES FORTH AND BENDS HER TOWARD THE NORTH AND A THORN PRICKS HER; YET, FOR ALL THAT, HER CORE IS DIRECTED UPWARDS.
THE SAME IS TRUE WITH THE JEWISH PEOPLE. ALTHOUGH THEY ARE OPPRESSED AND TORTURED FROM ALL SIDES BY THE NATIONS, THEIR HEARTS ARE DIRECTED TOWARDS THEIR FATHER IN HEAVEN." The mystical North Wind (Tzaphon ruach)refers to Our Lady who is snow white. It is the North wind that comes and blows on David's harp at midnight.
Kabbalah associates this north wind or spirit with the ruach that hovered over the face of the Waters. It also associates her with Binah the Mother. The north wind has the five gevurot (powers) of the imma (mother/mama) and this is represented by the five wings or corners of the lungs from which ruach comes.
The north wind blows on 5 of the strings of David's harp with the Song of Miriam (the song of the Redemption). She is the hidden ruach of the heart. It is said that the evil spirits roam the night but when the north wind comes at midnight they flee into a cavern in the sea. The south wind is associated with Chesed (loving kindness or charity).
She is also associated with the heat or warmth of the Sun and she blows on the other 5 strings of David's harp the Song of the Future (the Song of Santification). The north wind is the Givirah (Queen Mother) of the King of Peace (Solomon)and the south wind is the Queen of Sheba- the Queen coming out of the captivity of the fallen into the kingdom of the Divine Will.
They share in the wounds of love of the King and in his tikkun (reparation)for all.
MANO PONDEROSA
The Baal ha Turim in discussing this Parshat Mikeitz links the ten years Joseph was in prison before the dreams with the Mikeitz of ten years of Abraham in Genesis 16:3 and the mikeitz of two years until the dream of Pharoah.
The two dreamers of 'the end of 10 years' represent the two messianic figures that will rise- one a false Messiah and the other the true Messiah under the patronage of Joseph. This is in the 11th year and then after "the end of two years' [thus the 13th year]the false messiah will be destroyed and the true messiah triumphant.
The baker represents the one who will abolish the true mass and replace it with the bread of demons. The cup bearer represents the one who will restore the true eucharistic cup of the Lord.
The period of thorns is also known as the time of Jacob's trouble which will end with the restoration of man to living in the Divine Will as Adam did in the 36 hours.
These 36 hours are represented by the 36 lights of Hanukah and the 36 volumes of the Book of Heaven by Luisa Piccarreta. Rabbi Phincas Winston writing on Parshat mikeitz: "...LIKEWISE WAS IT THE CASE WITH MATTISYAHU AND HIS TINY ARMY OF ZEALOTS. SURVEYING THE DEVELOPING SITUATION AROUND HIM, THEY SENSED THAT A KEITZ, AND THEREFORE, A REDEMPTION AS WELL, WAS AT HAND.
THIS ENCOURAGED THEM, LIKE MORDECHAI BEFORE THEM, TO TAKE A STAND AND FIGHT, BRINGING ABOUT THE CHANUKAH MIRACLE WE CELEBRATE EACH YEAR, WITH THE LIGHTING OF THE MENORAH. FOR, IT IS THE MENORAH THAT SYMBOLIZES THIS VERY IDEA OF HOW GOD BUILDS INTO CREATION WHAT HE NEEDS FOR EACH KEITZ ALONG THE WAY.
FOR EXAMPLE, LONG BEFORE THERE WAS EVEN A FIRST TEMPLE, LET ALONE A SECOND TEMPLE TO REDEDICATE, THE TORAH ALLUDES TO THE MIRACLE OF CHANUKAH: BUT HE GOT UP THAT NIGHT AND TOOK HIS TWO WIVES, HIS TWO HANDMAIDS, AND HIS ELEVEN SONS AND CROSSED THE FORD OF THE YABOK. AND WHEN HE TOOK THEM AND HAD THEM CROSS THE STREAM, HE SENT OVER WHAT WAS HIS.
YA'AKOV WAS LEFT ALONE... (BEREISHIS 32:23-25) REBI ELAZAR SAID: HE REMAINED FOR SMALL JARS. FROM HERE WE LEARN THAT RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE VALUE THEIR PROPERTY MORE THAN THEIR OWN BODIES. (CHULLIN 91A) GOD SAID TO YA'AKOV, "FOR ENDANGERING YOURSELF FOR A SMALL CONTAINER, I MYSELF WILL REPAY YOUR CHILDREN WITH A SMALL CONTAINER TO THE CHASHMONAIM!
"(MIDRASH TZEIDAH LADERECH, MAHARIL) INDEED, THE BIBLICAL ROOTS OF THE CHANUKAH MIRACLE GO BACK EVEN FURTHER IN TIME, WHILE YA'AKOV AVINU WAS JUST STARTING HIS JOURNEY, NOT AS HE WAS FINISHING IT: FROM WHERE DID YA'AKOV GET THIS JAR? WHEN HE PICKED UP THE STONES FROM UNDER HIS HEAD AND RETURNED THEM IN THE MORNING, HE FOUND A STONE THAT HAD A JAR OF OIL IN IT, AND HE USED IT TO POUR ON THE TOP STONE.
WHEN IT REFILLED ITSELF, YA'AKOV KNEW IT WAS SET ASIDE FOR GOD. HE SAID, "IT'S NOT RIGHT TO LEAVE THIS HERE." ALL MIRACLES THROUGHOUT TANACH OCCURRED WITH THIS JAR OF OIL. (YALKUT REUVEINI, VAYISHLACH) AND, APPARENTLY, EVEN THOSE BEYOND TANACH AS WELL: WHAT IS THE BASIS OF [THE HOLIDAY OF] CHANUKAH?
THE RABBIS TAUGHT: ON THE 25TH DAY OF KISLEV BEGIN THE DAYS OF CHANUKAH, EIGHT DAYS DURING WHICH WE DO NOT EULOGIZE OR FAST. FOR, WHEN THE GREEKS ENTERED THE SANCTUARY THEY DEFILED ALL THE OIL IN THE SANCTUARY, AND WHEN THE KINGDOM OF THE HOUSE OF CHASHMONAI PROVED VICTORIOUS, THEY SEARCHED AND COULD ONLY FIND ONE JAR OF OIL WITH THE SEAL OF THE KOHEN GADOL STILL INTACT,SUFFICIENT FOR ONLY ONE DAY OF LIGHTING.
A MIRACLE HAPPENED TO IT [THE OIL], AND THEY WERE ABLE TO LIGHT FROM IT FOR EIGHT DAYS. (SHABBOS 21B) INDEED, THIS IS A NOVEL WAY TO DEFINE A KEITZ: AN EVENT DURING WHICH THE UNDERCURRENT OF HISTORY RISES TO THE TOP, LIKE A GEYSER OF WATER EXPLODING THROUGH THE SURFACE OF TIME. THIS IS WHY, THE NUMBER 36, WHICH REPRESENTS THE REVELATION OF THE OHR HAGANUZ, THE SUPERNAL HIDDEN LIGHT WITH WHICH GOD MADE AND MAINTAINS CREATION: FOR 36 HOURS THE LIGHT SERVED...
AND ADAM HARISHON SAW WITH IT FROM ONE END OF THE WORLD TO THE OTHER. (YERUSHALMI, BROCHOS 8:5) KEEPS SURFACING THROUGHOUT HISTORY. FOR, EVERY TIME IT DOES, IT MEANS SOMETHING TO DO WITH REDEMPTION, OR THE LACK OF IT, HAS OCCURRED: GOD CALLED OUT TO THE MAN AND SAID TO HIM, "AIYEKAH-WHERE ARE YOU?" (BEREISHIS 3:9) THE WORD "AIYEKAH" IS MEANT ONLY AS A GEMATRIA, TOTALING 36.
(EICHAH ZUTA 1:1) HENCE, YA'AKOV AVINU WAS AWAY FROM HOME FOR A TOTAL OF 36 YEARS, WAS MARRIED TO A WIFE WHO DIED AT THE AGE OF 36, AND TO ANOTHER WHOSE NAME HAS THE GEMATRIA OF 36. IT IS ALSO WHY, AFTER STRUGGLING WITH THE ANGEL FOR THE ENTIRE NIGHT, AND SUSTAINING SOME BODILY DAMAGE, IT SAYS: THE SUN SHONE FOR HIM-LAMED-VAV-AS HE PASSED PENUEL AND HE WAS LIMPING ON HIS HIP.
(BEREISHIS 32:32) THE WORD "LO" REFERS TO THE 36 CANDLES OF CHANUKAH. (MAHARIL, AVODAH ZARAH 3B) EACH TIME THE NUMBER 36 SURFACES, IT IS A REVELATION OF THE UNDERCURRENT OF HISTORY, A KEITZ, WHICH IS WHY CHANUKAH OCCURRED IN THE 36TH CENTURY FROM CREATION. AND, WHEN WE LIGHT OUR MENORAHS EACH CHANUKAH, IT IS THIS THAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE IN MIND...
"
Many of the Hamsa Hand of Miriam's have the Magen David, a Chai, an Eye or Fish on them. The Fish alludes to Joseph. The Zohar reveals that the mysterious young child who talks with the Rabbis is a son of Joseph and thus protected from the evil eye. The blessing of Jospeh in Genesis by Jacob refers to fish.
Also Joshua ben Nun is descended from Joseph and Nun is fishhook in Hebrew and Nuna is fish in Aramaic. Rebbe Nachman also speaks of the sign of the fish in connection with the concept of Joseph, the Tzaddikim and Messiah son of Joseph in Likutey Moharan.
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On Ostara I did a very simple ritual. I got up at before dawn and laid out all the parts for my wreath and smudged them and left the incense burning. At dawn I lit a candle for spring, cast a circle, welcomed the Elementals, said hello to a goddess or three, told Eostre that I was making the wreath and dedicating it to her as a thanks for the coming spring. The wreath practically strung itself together, I dropped the circle, thanked everyone for coming and hung the wreath on the wall.
I was so full of energy I was humming all day.
It feels SO good to do that.
So WHY have I not done another ritual all week? Why do I tell myself every evening that I am too tired and will do one in the morning and in the morning why do I tell myself that I am too rushed and will do one in the evening?
Why do we avoid doing things that make us feel good and are good for us?
I say "we" because I know darn good and well that I am not the only one.
Credit: http://masonsofheaven.blogspot.com
Our current theme for Inspiration for the Week is going back to the basics.
The Gabriel Messages book and the companion cards continue to be basic tools for me that are powerfully relevant for these challenging times. We are drawing on the compassionate and timeless wisdom of The Gabriel Messages now to provide insight each week as we move into the New Life that 2014 promises.
For this week's issue, my web angel Lana chose a card about Divine Right Attitude.
The Gabriel Message card for this week Be grateful for all that you have and all that you are.
With all that is going on in the world and in our lives, it is easy to get disgruntled. Sometimes it is easier to just let our thoughts go into the negative channels, where we seem to have a habitual groove, and just ruminate on how bad things seem to be.
It takes discipline and effort to switch to a different channel where we can look from a higher level, a more grateful perspective. When we do this, it can take us directly into our hearts, and then from our heart's intelligence we are able to create from a more resourceful place. Gratitude is the attitude that allows us to be inspired to feel more love and appreciation for our lives. That is because Gratitude is a powerful energy surge that raises our vibrational frequencies to the level where we can see beyond the immediate appearance of disharmony to the truth of the dynamic force of the Divine working in our lives.
This powerful energy force can work with us to create a life that is more in keeping with what we want to experience. It responds to our thoughts and feelings very directly. In the new energy system in which we are living, we have clear choices about how we want to live. In this time of heightened energy frequencies, we have been given a blank slate where we can formulate our lives. We can do this from our heart's longings, and even from our deepest dreams, hopes and wishes. Though this may sound very simple, because of our habitual ways of thinking, it takes an extreme focus of our attention on what we truly want to experience instead of what we don't like about ourselves and our lives.
This is a very powerful tool, simple but not easy; empowering or disabling, according to the magnetic energy we are projecting into the fields around us. Physics tells us that we have a field of unlimited potential waiting for us to seed our futures. The magnetic energy of our thoughts and feelings is the seed that creates attraction to a different experience. That is why keeping our energy frequencies as high as possible makes such a difference in what we are experiencing in life.
When there is nothing else we can think of to do, being grateful can be the key that turns the tides of our feelings into the channels of new life and well-being. It is an amazing and powerful tool just waiting for us to put it into action. With this simple tool you can turn your life around as you become more grateful for all that you already have in your life. Consider how truly fortunate you are, and open up to new feelings of Gratitude and Well-being. Just like a dial on a radio, changing the channel to the one that beams out Harmony, Joy and Love will gift you with a totally new perspective. Then naturally your magnetic field will radiate more of these good vibes, and through the Law of Attraction, your life will begin to make some big changes. That is just the way it works. Simple...
THE GABRIEL MESSAGES #15
Dear One, You have so much to be grateful for. At times it may feel as though life is hard, and yet if you can pull back from its drama, you will see how fortunate you truly are. Even the lessons you are now going through are a blessing.
Though it may feel as if you don't have enough - whether it's time, money, health, or love - you actually have been blessed with a tremendous gift. That gift is your life. A physical body is a wondrous blessing. Take time to observe the miraculous occurrences in your body. It is a miracle that messages are transmitted from your brain so there is movement in different parts of your body. It is a miracle that you don't have to tell your heart to beat or your stomach to digest. The physical body is a constant source of awe when you consider it a gift from God. You are to use this body to learn your lessons in life and to help bring heaven to earth. You are here to create a better world for all. You are here to learn to find peace and harmony within yourself so all people on earth may experience this. One person finding inner peace helps to bring peace to the entire world.
You are a part of a wondrous Presence in whom you live, move and have your being. The presence of Spirit exists beneath all your tumultuous thoughts, and between your breaths. You are here to remember this fact, and to live in this awareness at all times. This Presence is constantly giving, and you can consistently receive the blessings available by focusing your attention on the truth of who you are. You can know that whatever situation is occurring in your life, or in the world, God is in the midst of it all.
PRACTICE
Be grateful for this gift of Universal Presence within you. Be grateful for your body and for the lessons you are learning which assist your spiritual progress. Take the time to see the beauty in nature - a flower, tree or bird - and be grateful for the beauty of the Divine there and within all things.
Be grateful for the presence of the Angels in your life. These messengers from God are a powerful force for love and wisdom in your world. You can call upon them at any moment, and their assistance is available for you. This is a supreme gift.
And be grateful for all that you are. You are a spark of light radiating God's Presence on the earth. You are God's Love expressing to others. You are God's Wisdom remembering the truth of Divine Order in every situation. You are so much more than what you seem. Remember the expansiveness of your true nature, and be grateful.
Your gratitude opens the floodgates for Heaven's blessings. Gratitude creates an energy that beckons good into your life. When you are grateful, you feel more peaceful and more fulfilled. It is easier to remember that God is within all people and situations. And you can begin to be a witness rather than being embroiled in life's dramas.
You hold the key to peace on earth. As you gratefully focus on the truth of your divine nature, remember your message from the Angels today:
Be grateful for all that you have and all that you are.
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These are some very interesting verses from the ancient Hindu scripture the Garuda Purana, composed thousands of years back in time. These verses are descriptive of the evolution of life and the ultimate liberation. I felt that this could be of interest to those having a Spiritual inclination.
There is only one Ever-Existent-Shiva, the Supreme Brahman. He is indivisible, all encompassing, he is in everything.
He is self - illuminated, without a beginning or an end. He is infinite and beyond infinity. He is attribute less and that which has attributes resides in him and is part of him.
The unending process of numerous entities, having been put in numerous bodies, all coming to life and then extinguishing, goes on and on. It is unending.
These entities resemble the numerous sparks of a fire who ignorant of their origin exist enclosed in separate forms.
These entities having gone through this cycle, and having cast aside thousands of bodies, evolve from ignorance to being the knower.
Through millions of births these entities obtain birth as a human being. And come a step closer to being the knower of truth.
Mere knowledge of the scriptures cannot destroy the illusion of change, the same way darkness cannot go away way simply by talking about a lamp.
There those who prefer Non-Duality as a way of life, and there are those who live a Dual existence, both not understanding that which is the only reality which lies beyond the Dual and the Non- Dual.
The two main principles of liberation are 'Mine' which is blockage and 'Not-Mine" which is release.
Source: http://lilith-dark-moon.blogspot.com
The Dark Side of the Net...
list updated 11/13/93
list maintained by carriec@eskimo.com
Please send additions/corrections asap. This list will be
updated as often as necessary (monthly or bi-monthly).
This is a list of gothic, vampire, occult, and various other
dark resources available on the Internet. The list includes IRC
channels, mailing lists, ftp sites, newsgroups, and E-zines.
IRC CHANNELS
- -
The following channels are usually active 24 hours per day in IRC
and generally have several people (more than three) talking in
them. #goth, #gothic (currently taken over by a very annoying, op-
hogging bot), #vampires, #vampyres, #heathers for some reason has
lots of gothic people in it, #wicca, #pagan, #hellbound, #death,
#scream, #deth, #dark, #darkrealm, #cure, #bondage, #magick,
#witches, #lucifer, #flesh, #skinnypup.
FTP SITES
- -
ftp.maths.tcd.ie /pub/music/gothic -contains tons of gifs,
interviews, info, and cool stuff about goth.
ftp.luth.se /pub/lyrics -contains lyrics by many bands, some of
them gothic (Siouxsie, Sisters of Mercy, etc.) Many directories
currently empty (?).
rtfm.mit.edu /pub/lyrics -large amount of lyrics by many
different types of bands, several of them gothic.
wiretap.spies.com -some info on occult ('Fringe') religions.
GOPHERS
-
Bram Stoker's Dracula: The complete text can be found at several
gopher sites.
The Dartmouth Dante project has online searchable works of Dante.
Gopher to Dartmouth College.
Strangeways - the e-zine for Smiths/Morrissey fans is available
at Princeton University Press gopher, in the Internet Text area,
under Zines/Strangeways.
MAILING LISTS
- -
Generally, you e-mail the list, with "subscribe
*
" in the text. Example "subscribe dark-
shadows carriec@eskimo.com"
chalkhills (The band XTC): chalkhills-request@presto.ig.com
cthulhu (H.P. Lovecraft): cthulhu-request@cs.qmw.ac.uk
dark-shadows (The TV Series): shadows-request@sunee.waterloo.edu
dark side of the net (this list): carriec@eskimo.com
deviants-request@csv.warwick.ac.uk
echoes (Pink Floyd) echoes-request@fawnya.tcs.com
gothic-stories-list (bloody stories): carriec@eskimo.com
janes-addiction: (The band) janes-addiction-request@ms.uky.edu
pagan: (the religion) pagan-request@drycas.club.cc.cmu.edu
Philip K Dick: (The author) PKD-list-request@wang.com
Ravenloft (The AD&D game): rl-request@ais.org
Smiths-fans (the band): larryn@csufres.csufresno.edu
Twilight Zone (the e-zine): r.c.Karsmakers@stud.let.ruu.nl
Walkers-in-darkness (sufferers of bipolar disorder and depression):
walkers-request@world.std.com
NEWSGROUPS
-
alt.gothic -the most important newsgroup of all!
alt.pagan
alt.magick
alt.sex.bondage -self explanatory
rec.music.industrial
E-ZINES
-
Corpse/Respondents: Gothic pen-pal zine. E-mail carriec@eskimo.com.
Strangeways E-zine is available at gopher/Princeton University
Press/Internet Text/Ezines/Strangeways.
-There is no good, no evil.. there is only flesh, and the
patterns to which we submit it-> Pinhead, Hellraiser III
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The moon is perhaps humankind's oldest form of marking time. According to some scholars, the Celts used a Lunar Calendar that consisted of 13 months, each 28 days in length. Each month of the Celtic Lunar calendar bears the name of a tree, which also stands for one of the consonants in the Celtic 'tree alphabet'. There are basically two different versions of this Lunar calendar: the "Beth-Luis-Nion" (which begins on the Winter Solstice) and the "Beth-Luis-Fearn" (which begins on Samhain).
BETH-LUIS-NION VERSION OF THE CELTIC TREE CALENDAR:
* B - "Beth" - Birch Month (December 24th - January 20th)
* L - "Luis" - Rowan Month (January 21st - February 17th)
* N - "Nion" - Ash Month (February 18th - March 17th)
* F - "Fearn" - Alder Month (March 18th - April 14th)
* S - "Saille" - Willow Month (April 15th - May 12th)
* H - "Huath" - Hawthorn Month (May 13th - June 9th)
* D - "Duir" - Oak Month (Jun 10th - July 7th)
* T - "Tinne" - Holly Month (July 8th - August 4th)
* C - "Coll" - Hazel Month (August 5th - September 1st)
* M - "Muin" - Vine Month (September 2nd - September 29th)
* G - "Gort" - Ivy Month (September 30th - October 27th
* Ng - "Ngetal" - Reed Month or Elm Month (October 28th - November 24th)
* R - "Ruis" - Elder Month (November 25th - December 23rd)
The five vowels I, A, O, U, and E have corresponding tree names to the nights of the solstices and equinoxes:
* I - "Idho" - Night of the Yew - Winter Solstice Eve
* A - "Ailm" - Night of the Silver Fir - Winter Solstice
* * - "Herb too sacred to have a Celtic name" - the Night of Mistletoe - Day after Winter Solstice
* O - "Onn" - Night of the Gorse Bush, - Vernal Equinox
* U - "Ura" - Night of the Heather - Summer Solstice
* E - "Eadha" - Night of the White Poplar, Alban Elfed - Autumnal Equinox
THE TREES:
* Birch - 1st Moon of the Celtic Year - (Dec 24 - Jan 21)
* Rowan - 2nd Moon of the Celtic Year - (Jan 22 - Feb 18)
* Ash - 3rd Moon of the Celtic Year - (Feb 18 - March 17)
* Alder - 4th Moon of the Celtic Year - (March 18 - April 14)
* Willow - 5th Moon of the Celtic Year - (April 15 - May 12)
* Hawthorn - 6th Moon of the Celtic Year - (May 13 - June 9)
* Oak - 7th Moon of the Celtic Year - (June 10 - July 7)
* Holly - 8th Moon of the Celtic Year - (July 8 - Aug 4)
* Hazel - 9th Moon of the Celtic Year - (Aug 5 - Sept 1)
* Vine - 10th Moon of the Celtic Year - (Sept 2 - Sept 29)
* Ivy - 11th Moon of the Celtic Year - (Sept 30 - Oct 27)
* Reed or Elm - 12th Moon of the Celtic Year - (Oct 28 - Nov 24)
* Elder - 13th Moon of the Celtic Year - (Nov 25 - Dec 23)
* Furze - Tree of the Spring Equinox (Aprox. March 20)
* Heather - Tree of the Summer Solstice (Aprox. June 20)
* Poplar - Tree of the Fall Equinox - (Aprox. September 22)
* Yew - Tree of the day before the Winter Solstice (Aprox. December 21)
* Fir - Tree of the day of the Winter Solstice
* Mistletoe - Tree of the day after the Winter Solstice (Aprox. December 23)
RECOMMENDED READING:
* Year of Moons, Season of Trees
* Tree Medicine Tree Magic
* A Druid's Herbal
* Celtic Astrology
* Glamoury: Magic of the Celtic Green World
* The Book of Druidry
Copyright 1999-2006 Sarah Nunn
Image from: Geordie Milne
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I have been playing around with the Thoth Tarot for three weeks now, so I have decided to commit to a One Deck Wonder with it. The One Deck Wonder is a concept from Aeclectic Tarot. It's just a promise to yourself to use one deck only for a while, to get to know it better. I have developed a bit of fascination with this deck, and so I figured I might as well make a commitment:
1. I will use the Thoth Tarot exclusively, Imbolc - Vernal Equinox (1 Feb - 20 Mar) 2013.
2. I will refer to Lon Milo DuQuette's
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It is a matter of public concern that the BBC, a public service broadcaster, has been duped into giving so much attention to the decoy terrorist attacks in London today.
The religious terrorists who, in the name of religious fundamentalism, disrupted the transport network in the British capital this morning, are small fry compared with the political and economic terrorists currently meeting under the cover of the G8 banner at Gleneagles.
It is these eight men, and the covert puppeteers who mind them, who are the real terrorists. One of them, indeed, is the chief poisoner of the planet.
His task at Gleneagles is to defend the industrial status quo in his country which, although accounting for only 5 percent of the world's population, consumes 26 percent of the world's energy and belches out 23 percent of the world's energy-
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Ishtar, in Babylonian and Assyrian mythology, was the great mother goddess and the goddess of love, fertility, and war. She was said to be the daughter of the moon-god Sin or the daughter or wife of the sky-god Ahu. Ishtar had a violent and capricious nature and aroused both love and fear in gods and mortals alike. She was known for cruelty and kindness.
A famous legend about Ishtar relates her descent into the Underworld in search of her dead love, Tammuz, the god of the harvest. She was imprisoned in the Un-derworld by its queen but was finally released through the intervention of higher powers. While Ishtar was in the Underworld, all vegetation on earth died. When she came back to earth, the crops also returned. Ishtar was later identified with the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, and with her Roman counterpart, Venus. She was also associated with the Phoenician goddess Astarte.
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I've made the point many times that we as Christians are called to defend our faith. The Bible commands it of us, and we face an increasingly hostile world. Apologetics is how one learns to defend his or her faith through the use of reason and evidence. I believe apologetics can be tremendously helpful in clarifying people's understanding t the Christian faith. However, sometimes we may rely too heavily on facts when engaging with others.
A fascinating new article appears in "The New Yorker" this week entitled "I Don't Want to Be Right." 1 In it, author Maria Konnikova highlights the research being done by a number of psychologists and sociologists showing that people's beliefs help shape the core conception of themselves, and thus if one tries to correct the false beliefs of someone, it may not only fail, but have the adverse effect of corrupting the source in their eyes.
As an example, Konnikova cites one 2013 study conducted by Kelly Garrett and Brian Weeks who sought to correct misinformation about access to health records. At first, they thought that the facts were making a difference, as some people changed their beliefs. "But, when the researchers took a closer look, they found that the only people who had changed their views were those who were ideologically predisposed to disbelieve the fact in question. If someone held a contrary attitude, the correction not only didn't work-it made the subject more distrustful of the source."2
Before some of my atheist readers jump too fast, the article was very clear that it mattered not which side of any contention one was on. This applies as much to liberal views as conservative one and it applies to secular and scientific views as much as religious ones. As Stephan Lewandowsky states in the article, "False beliefs, it turns out, have little to do with one's stated political affiliations and far more to do with self-identity: What kind of person am I, and what kind of person do I want to be? All ideologies are similarly affected"(emphasis added).3
FACTS ARE THREATENING THINGS
I had a similar experience a couple of years ago when I was working an online chat, answering web viewers' questions for the Harvest Crusades. A man came on the line and said that he really wanted to believe in Jesus in his heart but he felt that he couldn't because of his head. After a bit of conversation, it came out that he was a professor of philosophy, and he had difficulty with the problem of evil. Of course, I immediately went into apologetics mode and began telling how arguments such as Hume's have been shown to be incorrect.
This was all well and fine, but I noticed something strange. The more we talked about philosophy, the more resistant and hardened he became. Gone was the open, vulnerability in admitting that he would like to believe in Jesus. I realized that subconsciously that talking philosophy with this philosopher wasn't helping. Instead of weighing the arguments, he fell back onto his rhetoric. He had spent maybe 20 years studying and building a career in philosophy and for him to admit that he was wrong on such a fundamental point was more than we was willing to sacrifice, at least to someone over an Internet chat. He wasn't defending an abstract idea; his philosophy was how he viewed himself.
WE MUST BE OPEN TO THE SPIRIT
After seeing his resistance, the Spirit took me in another direction. I retreated from my arguments and readdressed his felt need. I acknowledged his position but then asked him to reaffirm his felt need to believe. "You believe that these problems are real and I can see that. However, you asked to speak with me because you said you really want to believe. Can you tell me more about that?" That jump allowed him to again express his feelings and his vulnerability, and while he wasn't ready to convert just then, it gave us a much more honest conversation.
In Luke 18, Jesus was asked by the rich young ruler "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus pointed him to the commandments laid out in scripture, laws he already knew and kept. At that point Jesus switched from the facts of the matter to the heart of the matter. "One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me" (Luk e18:22). But the man's self-identity was wrapped up in his possessions as much as the philosopher's was wrapped up in his education. That's what these studies are saying. Of course, the disciples were stymied by the man's resistance, asking "Then who can be saved?" Jesus reply places the emphasis back where it belongs: "What is impossible with man is possible with God."
As those who would defend the Christian faith, we must be sensitive to both the leading of God's Spirit and the reactions we get when talking with others. Because logic and evidence play such a big part of apologetics, the apologist naturally goes there, but logic and evidence are not enough. You must care for and be sensitive to the person with whom you're speaking. Remember, it is the people who matter. Arguments are only one tool to aid them in seeing the truth.
REFERENCES
1. Konnikova, Marina. "I Don't Want To Be Right: Why Do People Persist in Believing Things That Just Aren't True The New Yorker Magazine". May 19, 2014.
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The Pagan blogosphere has been in an uproar over recent changes eBay has made to its policies governing what some folks may call witchcraft. In short, the initial reaction has been to declare that eBay is banning witchcraft. But as it is with all things, if you look a little closer that's not the case at all, although it is, admittedly, a matter of perspective.
Yes, eBay is banning some witchcraft
"advice; spells; curses; hexing; conjuring; magic services; prayers; blessings; Psychic, Tarot, Reiki, and other metaphysical readings magic potions; healing sessions; work from home businesses wholesale lists, and drop ship lists."
eBay 's reason for dropping these categories and items is that:
"Transactions in these categories often result in issues between the buyer and seller that are difficult to resolve. To help build confidence in the marketplace for both buyers and sellers, eBay is discontinuing these categories and including the items on the list of prohibited items."
Our call? It's hard to fault eBay on this one. While their application of this will most likely be heavy-handed (we "are" talking about eBay), when it comes to things like spells, curses, prayers and healing sessions, you're not talking about quantifiable goods. The end result is all personal perception. So if, for example, someone purchases a spell from someone on eBay that's supposed to make another person fall in love with them, are they allowed to demand their money back if the spell doesn't work? How can they prove the spell didn't work? It's not a physical object that was shipped through the postal service with a tracking code. So it's hard to fault eBay for wanting to absolve themselves of the inevitable headaches that come from such transactions.
More worrisome is eBay's ban on potions. While it's debatable whether some potions work or not, the fact remains that physical goods are being sold and shipped. It seems to us that if eBay is going to ban potions, they should also ban many vitamin and health supplements, since their effectiveness is open for debate. Perhaps where tangible goods are concerned eBay's policy should be, simply, "buyer beware".
So take a deep breath, read back over those lists, and think just how easy it is to run a scam on people who are desperate, hopeless, in pain, lazy, gullible or just plain foolish. What eBay is banning are those services most vulnerable to scam artists. The non-metaphysical categories and items on the banned list are also scam-ridden. Buyers just don't approach buying "services" with the skepticism they should. eBay has had to deal with the aftermath of both outright scams and unrealistic expectations.
There's no way any of us at PaganCentric would purchase any of what's in the eBay list from strangers. If you need healing work, go to legitimate energy workers that you can meet face-to-face. If you want a tarot reading, find reputable readers in your area. True magic is not something you should ever "buy" without knowing something about the person you're buying from. If the witch/caster doesn't know you, there's not much chance that whatever you're buying is going to work.
This is what eBay is trying to protect itself and its buyers from. It isn't a blanket ban on witchcraft, whatever you may have heard. Are there worrisome parts in their ban list? Of course there is. And one has to wonder if the sale of Christians prayers (much fewer than Pagan spell-work, but there all the same) will face the same kind of scrutiny.
In the end, if you really want a spell or hex or potion, you would be better off if you learn how to do it for yourself. It is the very nature of spell-work that it is intensely personal. That's what gives it power. If you want a look at the possible futures you have to choose from, learn how to read the tarot or the runes for yourself, and make your own connections. If you want to have a prayer heard, speak it in your own heart in your own words with your own passion, and, again, make your own connections.
We'll be watching this issue closely. One of our interns posed an interesting question, which to us sums up the difficulty of this issue, and reflects our general view of the subject at the moment - sympathetic but wary.
She pondered, "Does this mean they'll be banning the sale of holy water, too?"
Holy water could be considered a potion, since it's been blessed by a priest and is intended to ward off evil spirits of some sort. If eBay is not targeting Pagans, then holy water will be on its ban list, as well. If they don't ban the sale of holy water, then perhaps Pagans should get more invested in this issue. Something to keep in mind.
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HOW DID YOU FIRST FOUND OUT ABOUT SPIRITS AND WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST SPIRIT?
I actually cam across it on an Etsy's site and found this site started put all the information to join but had to wait for the owner to o.k. me like all of you but I could read the posting. That is when I read about the paranormal but I always knew it was out there.
So I went to Ebay started looking around and found a Watcher and another one but the owner said the Watcher was better for me he was a gentle one. So he is on his way to me from Ohio which should not take that long, I got the tracking number but can not see it so I got my pendulum out and asked him if he was keeping me from seeing when he was coming to surprise me.
That is what came into my mind, now I have had my one pendulum for 20 years and it has always been no is left to right and yes is clock wise but with my watcher he makes the pendulum go left to right for no but for yes it is up and down so I know when he is talking with me. I think he will be here today that is what my pendulum says but he could be controlling that to surprise me too.
He does think we will get along and I was talking to him the day I got his name and I got this chill I asked him if he visited me he said yes he did that is why I got the chills when I said his name he was here because I said his name last night and today no chills. So I know when he is here all I have to say his name and until we can communicate better I know I have my pendulum if he is in the area today he is out to be delivered.
Even if a package was not just picked up there is something down.I guess it is learn as I go I did learn from National Paranormal Collector Society that said a Watcher is a Angel that does not need food but energy and I do have a charging soapbox from SpiritRealm for him. I know I read how you all leave food out for your Spirits I will ask my Watcher because there are so many different information.
I also have another question: Do you find if you have allot of Spirits you do not have time for all of them so isn't it a waste and do they feel left out jealous or upset because they were once paid more attention? I could see myself having two I really want a Pegasus I love horses and have always flown in my dreams until I got sick but for my health I should get a Phoenix for the healing.
But the Pegasus calls to my heart. I have a rare hereditary illness that I have been slowly healing with Crystals and gemstones.See More
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THE DARK GODDESS
by Vicki Noble, from Woman of Power magazine 12:57-59
The Dark Goddess is no lightweight. She promises trouble, an end to form as we have know it, the death of the ego. Her mythology suggests that she is venomous, wrathful, outraged, awake and on fire. She is impersonal, yet she erupts form deep within the human psyche with unexpected passion and rage. She is transform- ation in the extreme, and her power is regenerative and healing. Like a trick- ster, she frees us from the trappings that bind us to your tiny personal worlds;
like a knife she cuts away all that is inessential and untruthful. She shatters structure, disintegrates the personality, destroys form. She liberates and saves, heals and frees.
There is an inherent problem with the reappearance of the Dark Goddess in the world today, and more personally in women's individual lives. When she was repressed, and her priestesses disempowered, she was also "demonized" by the new ruling elite. What had always belonged to Her was the power to interpret and carry out "natural law" in individual and community lives. The powers of life and death were hers, and we humans approached her with awe and respect. When female roles were replaced by male priests and shamans and temples became places where rules and regulations were made and held as 'commandments', the Dark Goddess was maligned and made evil.
Women carry this malignant definition of female power in our cells today. When the Dark Goddess begins to erupt in us, instead of rage at the wrongs that have been done, many women feel guilty and ashamed, as if something 'demonic' were awakening within them. What is this terrible force that makes a woman scream at her lover, rage at the authorities, and rail at God? When the Dark Goddess enters into the lives of even the most 'ordinary' women, She turns them into troublemakers. Certainly the world around us defines Her presence as demonic and destructive. Little old ladies march for abortion; mothers and housewives leave the fold and take up with 'uppity' women; women of all ages and types stop being
'nice'. If ever there was a revolutionary deity, the Dark Goddess is it!
I love the Dark Goddess - worship her, pledge allegiance to the changes She would bring in my life and others - yet when She visits my life, I feel as if I am in an earthquake, a volcano, a tidal wave of terrible proportions. And through Her visitations come the ability to "feel" - on a visceral level, in the body - the creative power and expression of the earth itself. As She says "NO!"
to what was; and "YES!" to what isn't quite yet, She forces us to jump the inevitable gap between the past and the future.
Transformation always involves a death of the old, a moment of total, unknown viodness when we are naturally afraid, and a breathless leap into the renewal when we are "reborn". It is imperative that we surrender to the death and let go into the unknown before we can experience and appreciate the rebirth. It is this amazing doorway between death and rebirth that the Dark Goddess guards.
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"
"THOSE WHO FOLLOW THE APOSTLE, THE UNLETTERED PROPHET, WHOM THEY FIND "
"MENTIONED IN THEIR OWN SCRIPTURES, IN THE TORAH AND THE GOSPEL... (HOLY QU'RAN: VII - 157; TRANSLATION: YUSIF ALI)"
"
"BIBLE PROPHECIES ABOUT THE ADVENT OF MUHAMMAD"
"ABRAHAM IS WIDELY REGARDED AS THE PATRIARCH OF MONOTHEISM AND THE COMMON FATHER OF THE JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS. THROUGH HIS SECOND SON, ISAAC, CAME ALL ISRAELITE PROPHETS INCLUDING SUCH TOWERING FIGURES AS JACOB, JOSEPH, MOSES, DAVID, SOLOMON AND JESUS. MAY PEACE AND BLESSINGS BE UPON THEM ALL. "
"
"THE ADVENT OF THESE GREAT PROPHETS WAS IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF GOD'S PROMISES TO BLESS THE NATIONS OF EARTH THROUGH THE DESCENDENTS OF ABRAHAM (GENESIS12:2-3). SUCH FULFILLMENT IS WHOLEHEARTEDLY ACCEPTED BY MUSLIMS WHOSE FAITH CONSIDERS THE BELIEF IN AND RESPECT OF ALL PROPHETS AN ARTICLE OF FAITH."
"
"BLESSINGS OF ISHMAEL AND ISAAC"
"
"WAS THE FIRST BORN SON OF ABRAHAM (ISHMAEL) AND HIS DESCENDANTS INCLUDED IN GOD'S COVENANT AND PROMISE? A FEW VERSES FROM THE BIBLE MAY HELP SHED SOME LIGHT ON THIS QUESTION;"
Genesis 12:2-3 speaks of God's promise to Abraham and his descendants before any child was born to him.
Genesis 17:4 reiterates God's promise after the birth of Ishmael and before the birth of Isaac.
"
In Genesis, ch. 21. Isaac is specifically blessed but Ishmael was also specifically blessed and promised by God to become "a great nation" especially in Genesis 21:13, 18.
"
According to Deuteronomy 21:15-17 the traditional rights and privileges of the first born son are not to be affected by the social status of his mother (being a "free" woman such as Sarah, Isaac's mother, or a "Bondwoman" such as Hagar, Ishmael's mother). This is only consistent with the moral and humanitarian principles of all revealed faiths.
The full legitimacy of Ishmael as Abraham's son and "seed" and the full legitimacy of his mother, Hagar, as Abraham's wife are clearly stated in Genesis 21:13 and 16:3.
After Jesus, the last Israelite messenger and prophet, it was time that God's promise to bless Ishmael and his descendants be fulfilled. Less than 600years after Jesus, came the last messenger of God, Muhammad, from the progeny of Abraham through Ishmael. God's blessing of both of the main branches of Abraham's family tree was now fullfilled. But are there additional corroborating evidence that the Bible did in fact foretell the advent of prophet Muhammad?
MUHAMMAD: The Prophet Like Unto Moses
Long time after Abraham, God's promise to send the long-awaited Messenger was repeated this time in Moses' words.In Deuteronomy 18:18, Moses spoke of the prophet to be sent by God who is:
From among the Israelite's "brethren", a reference to their Ishmaelite cousins as Ishmael was the other son of Abraham who was explicitly promised to become a "great nation".
A prophet like unto Moses. There were hardly any two prophets,who were so much alike as Moses and Muhammad. Both were given comprehensive law code of life, both encountered their enemies and were victors in miraculous ways, both were accepted as prophets/statesmen and both migrated following conspiracies to assassinate them.
Analogies between Moses and Jesus overlooks not only the above similarities but other crucial ones as well (e.g. the natural birth, family life and death of Moses and Muhammad but not of Jesus, who was regarded by His followers as the Son of God and not exclusively a messenger of God, as Moses and Muhammad were and as Muslim belief Jesus was).
THE AWAITED PROPHET WAS TO COME FROM ARABIA
Deuteronomy 33:1-2 combines references to Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. It speaks of God (i.e. God's revelation) coming from Sinai, rising from Seir (probably the village of Sa'ir near Jerusalem) and shining forth from Paran. According to Genesis 21:21, the wilderness of Paran was the place where Ishmael settled (i.e. Arabia, specifically Mecca).
Indeed the King James version of the Bible mentions the pilgrims passing through the valley of Ba'ca (another name of Mecca) in Psalms 84:4-6.
Isaiah 42:1-13 speaks of the beloved of God. His elect and messenger who will bring down a law to be awaited in the isles and who "shall not fail nor be discouraged till he have set judgement on earth."
Verse 11, connects that awaited one with the descendants of Ke'dar. Who is Ke'dar? According to Genesis 25:13, Ke'dar was the second son of Ishmael, the ancestor of prophet Muhammad.
MUHAMMAD'S MIGRATION FROM MECCA TO MEDINA: PROPHECIED IN THE BIBLE?
Habakkuk 3:3 speaks of God (God's help) coming from Te'man (an Oasis North of Medina according to J. Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible), and the holy one (coming) from Paran. That holy one who under persecution migrated from Paran (Mecca) to be received enthusiastically in Medina was none but prophet Muhammad.
Indeed the incident of the migration of the prophet and his persecuted followers is vividly described in Isaiah 21:13-17. That section foretold as well about the battle of Badr in which the few ill-armed faithful miraculously defeated the "mighty" men of Ke'dar, who sought to destroy Islam and intimidate their own folks who turned -to Islam.
THE QUR'AN (KORAN) FORETOLD IN THE BIBLE?
For twenty-three years, God's words (the Qur'an) were truely put into Muhammad's mouth. He was not the "author" of the Qur'an. The Qur'an was dictated to him by Angel Gabriel who asked Muhammad to simply repeat the words of the Qur'an as he heard them. These words were then committed to memory and to writing by those who hear them during Muhammad's life time and under his supervision.
Was it a coincidence that the prophet "like unto Moses" from the "brethren" of the Israelites (i.e. from the lshmaelites) was also described as one in whose mouth God will put his words and that he will speak in the name of God, (Deuteronomy 18:18-20).
Was it also a coincidence the "Paraclete" that Jesus foretold to come after Him was described as one who "shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak (John 16:13)
Was it another coincidence that Isaiah ties between the messenger connected with Ke'dar and a new song (a scripture in a new language) to be sang unto the Lord (Isaiah 42:10-11).
More explicitly, prophesies Isaiah "For with stammering lips, and another tongue, will he speak to this people" (Isaiah 28:11). This latter verse correctly describes the "stammering lips" of Prophet Muhammad reflecting the state of tension and concentration he went through at the time of revelation.
Another
In the Gospel according to John (Chapters 14, 15, 16) Jesus spoke of the "Paraclete" or comforter who will come after him, who will be sent by Father as another Paraclete, who will teach new things which the contemporaries of Jesus could not bear. While the Paraclete is described as the spirit of truth, (whose meaning resemble Muhammad's famous title Al-Amin, the trustworthy), he is identified in one verse as the Holy Ghost (John 14:26).
Such a designation is however inconsistent with the profile of that Paraclete. In the words of the Dictionary of the Bible, (Ed. J. Mackenzie) "These items, it must be admitted do not give an entirely coherent picture."
Indeed history tells us that many early Christians understood the Paraclete to be a man and not a spirit. This might explain the followings who responded to some who claimed, without meeting the criteria stipulated by Jesus, to be the awaited "Paraciete".
It was Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who was the Paraclete, Comforter, helper, admonisher sent by God after Jesus. He testified of Jesus, taught new things which could not be borne at Jesus' time, he spoke what he heard (revelation), he dwells with the believers (through his well-preserved teachings).
Such teachings will remain forever because he was the last messenger of God, the only Universal Messenger to unite the whole of humanity under God and on the path of PRESERVED truth.
He told of many things to come which "came to pass" in the minutest detail meeting, the criterion given by Moses to distinguish between the true prophet and the false prophets (Deuteronomy 18:22). He did reprove the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment (John 16:8-11)
WAS THE SHIFT OF RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP PROPHESIED?
Following the rejection of the last Israelite prophet, Jesus, it was about time that God's promise to make Ishmael a great nation be fulfilled (Genesis 21:13, 18)
In Matthew 21:19-21, Jesus spoke of the fruitless fig tree (A Biblical symbol of prophetic heritage) to be cleared after being given a last chance of three years (the duration of Jesus' ministry) to give fruit.
In a later verse in the same chapter, Jesus said: "Therefore, say I unto you, The Kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruit ther" (Matthew 21:43).
That nation of Ishmael's descendants (the rejected stone in Matthew 21:42) which was victorious against all super-powers of its time as prophesied by Jesus: "And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder" (Matthew 21:44).
OUT OF CONTEXT COINCIDENCE?
Is it possible that the numerous prophecies cited here are all individually and combined out of context misinterpretations? Is the opposite true, that such infrequently studied verses fit together consistently and clearly point to the advent of the man who changed the course of human history, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Is it reasonable to conclude that all these prophecies, appearing in different
(Deuteronomy 18:19)
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I haven't read this whole piece yet, but I like that it begins with the NewAge cult's multi-pronged "AL QAEDA"-like structure: "NEW AGE MOVEMENT EXPLAINED THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT (NAM) IS BOTH A RELIGIOUS AND A SOCIAL MOVEMENT. IN FACT, WESTERN CULTURE IS CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING A PHENOMENAL, SPIRITUAL, IDEOLOGICAL, AND SOCIOLOGICAL SHIFT. IT IS A RELIGIOUS WORLD VIEW THAT IS ALIEN AND HOSTILE TO CHRISTIANITY. IT'S A MULTI-FOCUSED, MULTI-FACETED SYNTHESIS, IN VARYING DEGREES, OF THE FAR EASTERN, MYSTICAL RELIGIONS, MAINLY HINDUISM, BUDDHISM, TAOISM, AND WESTERN OCCULTISM, ADAPTED TO AND INFLUENCED BY WESTERN, MATERIALISTIC CULTURE. IT SOMETIMES APPEARS IN SECULARIZED FORMS."
Yep - it's political, and religious, but also "spiritual but not religious". It can be exercise - or a 5,000 year old spiritual practice (yoga). NewAgers gather in churches, or spiritual retreats, or even corporate gatherings. Daytime TV shows are also popular. Environmentalism, feminism, healthcare, science (and pseudoscience) they've got their claws dug into any crevice, or bit of soft flesh, they can find in society.
Tell me what you think before I finish the whole thing,...
"THANK YOU!" EVERYBODY FOR THE DONATIONS!
Source: http://magical-poetry.blogspot.com
How do you visualize the supernal sights in Mage games? In session we always gave a very apt description on what information was relevant to the situation "I cast mage sight on the fountain" - "The water flows bright with magic. You can tell without hazarding much guesswork that it is filled with liquid tass"
Now that I'm bringing sights in to my webcomic I am having to invent a visual style for them. So far I have only used Third Eye I'm thinking of a pixelated grid for Matter sight. Green filter and highlighting any past/present wounds on a sprite via Life sight... Death Sight I want to make everything monochrome and empty. Maybe cloudy/misty for spirit sight.
It's when I get to Luck/Time sight that I'm having a little bit of difficulty imagining things.
What do you guys mentally envision when these sights are active?
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THE LITTLE GOLDEN BIRD
Once upon a time... several Buddhist monks lived in a great temple that stood in a magnificent garden full of flowers and rare plants. The monks spent their days contentedly in prayer and meditation, and the beauty of their surroundings was all they needed to make them forget the world. Then one day, something happened to change their life in this peaceful corner, making the days seem shorter and not so monotonous. No longer did they live peacefully together, indeed they started to quarrel. But what had happened?
A young monk had arrived, upsetting their lives by telling them all about the outside world beyond the garden wall. He told them about cities, the bright lights, everyday life full of entertainments and pleasure. And when the monks heard about this different world, they no longer wanted to remain in what had, till then, seemed paradise, but now turned into a lonely existence.
With the young monk as their leader, first one group then another left the temple. Weeds began to sprout on the paths and the temple was almost deserted.
Then the last five monks, torn between their love for the sacred spot and the wish to see the new world they'd heard about, sadly got ready to leave.
But just as they were about to turn their backs on the temple, a golden bird, dangling five long white strings, fluttered over their heads. Each monk felt himself drawn to clasp one of the strings, and suddenly the little group found itself carried away to the land of their dreams. And there, they saw the outside world as it really was, full of hate, misery and violence, a world without scruples, where peace was forever banned.
It was a long journey, and when the golden bird brought them back to the temple garden, they decided never to leave it again. Three times the bird circled overhead before it vanished into the sky. And the monks knew then that Buddha had come to help them find the pathway to true happiness.
Credit: http://magic-and-spells.blogspot.com
