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As we stand in our circle, let the arms of the Goddess enfold us. Feel her warm loving touch. In her touch we feel all that is... around us. We can feel the oneness of all things. We call her to enfold us... to encircle us. In her arms we fear nothing, for everything is part of us.
We call upon the elements of Air. Spirits of the East. Let our thoughts be as Air - clear and crisp. Swirling free, with no bounds. Whispering through the lonely canyons. Rising up to meet the sun.
We call upon the elements of Fire. Spirits of the South. Let our will rise within us like lava, radiating with energy and power, flowing down to meet the sea.
We call upon the elements of Water. Spirits of the West. Let our emotions be fluid as the tide, changing shape and form with its surroundings. Reflective as deep blue pools... passionate as the crashing waves upon the rocks.
We call upon the elements of Earth. Spirits of the North. Feeling it beneath our feet, we draw strength. We send our roots down into her soil. Growing solid and firm. Partaking of her warmth and security.
Thus we are in her embrace, wherein we are not separate beings... but one... in total trust and total love.
Credit: http://modern-wiccan.blogspot.com
By Marci Glover
The term Christianity is definitely not a single faith. In fact, many thousands of different churches operate under the broad definition of Christianity. Many formal churches consist of thousands of congregations and others cater for specific languages or regions. Some churches wield immense power. The fact is that many believers do not want to be members of a formal congregation and they prefer to attend a non denominational church.
Most congregations form part of a specific religion. In this way the Church of England, for example, will have many congregations but they are all governed by a central management body. The policies of all the congregations are the same and the doctrine of the congregation is decided centrally. Independent congregations, like the many that can be found in Denver CO do not adhere to a central governing body. Each such congregation makes its own decisions regarding policy and the day to day management of the congregation.
Independent congregations have shown tremendous growth in all areas where the Christian faith is practiced. Many people say that they no longer wish to be part of the formal structures of official religion. They feel that the traditional churches do not cater for the needs of modern man. Independent congregations are typically less formal and there is often room for debate regarding the interpretation of the Bible.
Another reason why many people prefer to join independent congregations is because they feel alienated and marginalized by the formal religions. Gay people, for example, are not accepted in many denominations or strenuous efforts are made to heal them and to convince them that their lifestyle will lead to eternal punishment in hell. Such people find acceptance in alternative religious structures where they are not judges so harshly.
Religious experts say that Christians should beware of independent congregations that do not have a formal background of research and study. They say that many of these churches offer their congregations nothing but a shallow message of love, eternal live and peace on earth while the Bible addresses many other issues that may not be palatable but that is nevertheless part of the Christian faith.
It is sadly also true that some independent congregations have cause much bitterness and even harm. In most such cases the entire congregation focus upon the teachings of an individual that is both a good speaker and charismatic. Such pastors are intent only upon enriching themselves and to build a personal base of power over others. No pastor should ever ask his congregation to donate all their worldly goods, for example.
Many Christians want to move to a place of worship where they will feel more welcome and comfortable. Because it is such a personal issue, it is probably better to investigate a few congregations before making any decisions. By attending services at several congregations it may be possible to gauge the focus and doctrine of the congregation. Talking to existing members can also be valuable.
Christians do not necessarily want to abandon their religion. They want to worship and they want to practice their faith. However, they need a spiritual home that caters for modern people and modern pressures. Many Christians are tired of the formal religious structures.
About the Author:
You can visit www.plattparkchurch.org for more helpful information about Why So Many People Move To A Non Denominational Church.
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PROPHECY SIGN: THE GROWING APOSTASY IN CHRISTENDOM
"TO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH IN SARDIS WRITE: THESE ARE THE WORDS OF HIM WHO HOLDS THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD AND THE SEVEN STARS. I KNOW YOUR DEEDS; YOU HAVE A REPUTATION OF BEING ALIVE, BUT YOU ARE DEAD. WAKE UP! STRENGTHEN WHAT REMAINS AND IS ABOUT TO DIE, FOR I HAVE FOUND YOUR DEEDS UNFINISHED IN THE SIGHT OF MY GOD. REMEMBER, THEREFORE, WHAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED AND HEARD; HOLD IT FAST, AND REPENT. BUT IF YOU DO NOT WAKE UP, I WILL COME LIKE A THIEF, AND YOU WILL NOT KNOW AT WHAT TIME I WILL COME TO YOU. REVELATION 3:1-3 NIV"
The Church of England as a truly bible believing church of Jesus Christ died long ago, and now is "Christian" in name only having tossed aside all manner of doctrine in order to tickle the ears of those few that still sit in her pews.
A few days ago we posted a blog entry in which we noted the many persecuted believers in the world and how their Christianity cor Well today we can equate the Church of England and her desire to take up a more pagan spiritual program as the dead church of Sardis, (another Revelation church), in which Jesus had little good to say. This church thought it was still alive, but had become so compromised in its teaching and doctrine that it had little value or substance. We found the following quote when researching for this blog entry which pretty much says it all regarding the sad state of affairs that existed in the Revelation church of Sardis and sadly correlates with the present day Church of England:
Its religiously proper appearance may have only meant that it had fully and silently compromised with the truth and the pagan society around it. G.B. Caird calls Sardis"The perfect model of inoffensive Christianity" (A Commentary on the Revelation of St. John the Divine, p. 48).
CHURCH OF ENGLAND TO BLEND CHRISTIANITY WITH PAGANISM TO ATTRACT SPIRITUALISTS
"HERE'S A NEW TWIST ON CHURCH GROWTH: CREATING A PAGAN ATMOSPHERE AND BRANDING CAMPAIGN FOR NEW AGE SPIRITUALISTS IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF BODIES IN THE PEWS. THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IS ACTUALLY TRAINING ITS MINISTERS TO CREATE "A PAGAN CHURCH WHERE CHRISTIANITY [IS] VERY MUCH IN THE CENTER" TO ATTRACT SPIRITUAL BELIEVERS. That means changing the Anglican church doctrine to make it more inclusive for people of alternative beliefs. The Church of England admits that its motive is to retain congregation numbers who have embraced paganism. The Church Mission Society, which is training ministers to "break new ground" in order to get spiritual people into churches. If you've come from a Seeker-Driven model, that might actually sound like a good thing. Get them in the doors and tell them about Jesus, right? BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE; THAT IS NOT WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE. THE JESUS THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IS RE-CREATING IS NOT THE JESUS OF THE BIBLE."
CHURCH OF ENGLAND CREATING 'PAGAN CHURCH' TO RECRUIT MEMBERS"The Church of England is trying to recruit pagans and spiritual believers as part of a drive to retain congregation numbers. The church is training ministers to create "a pagan church where Christianity [is] very much in the centre" to attract spiritual believers. MINISTERS ARE BEING TRAINED TO CREATE NEW FORMS OF ANGLICANISM SUITABLE FOR PEOPLE OF ALTERNATIVE BELIEFS AS PART OF A CHURCH OF ENGLAND DRIVE TO RETAIN CONGREGATION NUMBERS. Reverend Steve Hollinghurst, a researcher and adviser in new religious movements told the BBC: "I would be looking to formulate an exploration of the Christian faith that would be at home in their culture." HE SAID IT WOULD BE "ALMOST TO CREATE A PAGAN CHURCH WHERE CHRISTIANITY WAS VERY MUCH IN THE CENTRE."
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Gods people need to think from Cause to Effect
" There are periods which are turning points in the history of nations and of the church. In the providence of God, when these different crises arrive, the light for that time is given. If it is... received, there is spiritual progress; if it is rejected, spiritual declension and shipwreck follow".
E.G White {{Bible Echo, August 26, 1895 par. 11}
The Last Crisis: "We are living in the time of the end. The fast-fulfilling signs of the times declare that the coming of Christ is near at hand. The days in which we live are solemn and important. The Spirit of God is gradually but surely being withdrawn from the earth. Plagues and judgments are already falling upon the despisers of the grace of God. The calamities by land and sea, the unsettled state of society, the alarms of war, are portentous. They forecast approaching events of the greatest magnitude.
The agencies of evil are combining their forces and consolidating. They are strengthening for the last great crisis. Great changes are soon to take place in our world, and the final movements will be rapid ones.
The condition of things in the world shows that troublous times are right upon us.
{Testimonies to the church vol 9 page11}
911 September 11th what does it mean.
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On this happy day, there seems nothing better to talk about than the wrath of God. Or, at least, one of the things that have traditionally been seen as God's wrath manifest.
In days gone by our Anglo-Saxon or Norse ancestors, huddled in Hrothgar's house or equivalent, would worry themselves silly when thunder and lightning struck. They would think it was Thor or Thunor, according to dialect. As they would put it, Thor - what is he good for? And then duck, lest aforesaid thunder deity should sling his war-hammer at them. Those Norse gods didn't do irony. While the Hebrews didn't waste their time personifying thunder. They just put everything down to God - thunder, lightning, hail, light drizzle and that niggling sea fog. But they were clear it was sent directly by the divine, and assumed that it was a sign he wasn't happy. Which is about the approach some Christians had when York Minster was struck about the time of the enthronement of David Jenkins as Bishop of Durham - remember him? The world was gonna end and everything that year.
Now I "know" that in fact thunder is caused by people rubbing balloons together, and all that. I "know" there's a scientific explanation for it all. But it still makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. And I "hope" that's a psychosomatic phenomenon. And not a purely physical one caused by a sudden build-up of charge in my immediate vicinity. Put simply, regardless of what my rational mind tells me, when the sun is shining I think God is happy. And when it's hailing I assume God's annoyed. And when there's light rain I see it as God's blessing.
But when the weather suddenly changes, and the skies abruptly darken, and the lightning flashes across the sky and there's even just the one unexpected clap of thunder, I assume God is really mad and head for the cellar. As I say, I know it's stupid. I know that if God were really angry he could also find me in the cellar. But that's the way I am. There's just something so un-impersonal about a good thunderstorm. You really do feel that mad gods are shouting across the sky at each other.
So it was a strange 25 minutes, earlier this afternoon, but it's nice again now. Rationality has now been restored, and I'm back in the daylight and enjoying the party again. But I've said it once, and I'll say it again. He's awful scary, is God.
Reference: http://masonsofheaven.blogspot.com
The Goddess calls originate from an all-female version I wrote of the Dedication ritual of the Odyssian tradition. The original was written by Richard and Tamarra James. This version follows the structure of the original fairly closely, and maintains some of the original lines, so if you like it, send your compliments to Richard as well as to me.
Ditto for the Wine Blessing, as it is a modified version of the Odyssian standard WB.
One priestess represents the Moon Goddess (the conventionally feminine role), and the other the Sun Goddess (the conventionally masculine role).
We half-jokingly called this the butch-femme wine blessing...
Goddess Calls:
SG:
I am She who shone forth from the Dark of Night,
When time was begun.
Lady of the Sea, join Me,
And let all things be formed of Our union.
Thou who art called Artemis, Hecate, Cerridwen, Isis.
Giver of love, protection, and the joy of life,
Goddess of the Earth, Moon and Sea,
Ruler of the Night,
Mistress of Magic, Keeper of the Mysteries.
Ascend to Me on bright and silvered wing.
For lo, I receive these gifts of Thee:
Life, and love, and gifts from the Sea.
I am the Sun, the Sun that calleth Thee.
I am the arching Sky that covers Thee.
Come unto Me, my Lady, come unto Me,
And be welcome.
Hail, and blessed be.
MG:
I am She who rose from the depths of the Sea,
When time was begun.
Lady of the Bright Sky, join Me,
And let all things be formed of Our union.
Thou who art called Athena, Bast, Sekhmet, Amaterasu.
Giver of strength, guidance, and the will of life,
Goddess of the Sun, Sky, and Winds,
Ruler of the Day,
Bringer of Justice and Voice of Truth.
Descend to Me on bright and golden wing.
For lo, I receive these gifts of Thee:
Life, and strength, and fullest ecstasy.
I am the Sea, the Sea that calleth Thee.
I am the waiting Earth that welcomes Thee.
Come unto Me, my Lady, come unto Me,
And be welcome.
Hail, and blessed be.
Wine Blessing:
MG anoints SG and hands her the athame.
MG:
Bright Lady, thou art the Sun.
Thy heat is radiant.
Warrior Maiden, Giver of the Law,
Here is the athame,
The Air and Fire are contained within it,
As are their powers.
SG anoints MG and hands her the chalice.
SG:
Dark Lady, thou art the Moon,
Giver of dreams and visions.
Wise One, Teacher of the Mysteries,
Here is the chalice,
The Earth and the Sea are contained within it,
As are their powers.
SG:
I am the spark of life,
The well of flame wherein dwells all power and potential.
MG:
And I am the primal matter,
The core of earth that gives shape and form to that power.
Both:
Neither one can work without the other.
One without the other is incomplete.
SG:
Mine are wisdom and knowledge, passion and pride.
MG:
And mine are love and dreams, silence and mystery.
Both:
To learn you must suffer,
To live you must be born,
To be born you must die.
The beginning, continuation and the end,
Over and over.
SG:
The Sun brings forth light,
MG:
And the Moon holds it in darkness.
SG:
As above,
MG:
So below.
SG: (Raises athame)
And as the athame is one half of our divine nature,
MG:
So the chalice is the other.
Both: (Athame into chalice)
And conjoined they be one in truth,
For it is in the Dance that Life is born,
In the balance that truth is found,
And there is no greater power in all the world
Than that of Love.
by Linda Landstreet
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Like many Wicca-lite names, Arthur seems normal enough but has a long history.
The etymology of Arthur (pronunciation "AHR-thur" if you speak English, in other languages it can also be "ar-TUYR" or "AHR-toor") is a little bit mysterious. It could be derived from the Celtic elements "artos, "meaning either "bear" or "stone," combined with either "viros", meaning "man," or "rigos", meaning "king." It could be derived from Artorius, an obscure Latin name. It could also be a variant of the Old German name Arnthor, meaning "Thor, the eagle."
But a theory that has been gaining a following amongst scholars is that Arthur comes from the stars. Thy hypothesis is that Arthur is derived from Arcturus, which is the name of the brightest star in the constellation Bootes, which is near Ursa Major (the "Great Bear"). Arcturus is the Latin form of the Greek Arktouros, meaning "guardian of the bear."
The most famous namesake is King Arthur from Arthurian legend, who presided over the Knights of the Round Table. Some believe that King Arthur is based on a real person who lived sometime in the 5th or 6th century. According to Medieval texts, he is responsible for defending Britain against the Saxons. His story varies widely from text to text, so it's hard to pin down historical facts. Most of what we know of King Arthur comes from Gfrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, a fanciful book published in the 1100s. This book introduced many of the key characters and plot points that we now recognize: his father Uther Pendragon, his wife Guinevere, Merlin the wizard, his sword Excalibur, his final battle with Mordred, and his final rest in Avalon. No matter what the history is, King Arthur is a very popular icon. He has long been associated with idealistic qualities like chivalry and purity.
The name Arthur came into general use during the Middle Ages when Arthurian romances became popular. It also enjoyed a surge of popularity in the 1800s due to the Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, who is credited with vanquishing Napoleon. Therefore, there are a lot of namesakes for Arthur, and it's even a popular name for English royalty. But one namesake is particularly important for Neo-Pagan culture: Arthur Miller.
The year after the last of King James I's Witchcraft Acts were being repealed in England, Arthur Miller's stage drama The Crucible premiered on Broadway in 1952. The play is a not-historically-accurate portrayal of the Salem Witch Trials. Of course, The Crucible is not really about the Salem Witch Trials. It was meant to draw a parallel between that time period and McCarthyism, which would have been going strong at the time. The initial reception for the play ranged from mixed reviews from people who believed that it didn't live up to his earlier work Death of a Salesman, to downright hostility. A few years after, Miller himself was questioned by the House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities. Nevertheless, the The Crucible won a Tony Award for Best Play, and became a classic. Some Neo-Pagans believe that without this play, the Neo-Pagan movement would have a harder time achieving what would come later. The Crucible helped people see what the Salem Witch Trials for what it was, hysteria gone out of control.
Not only has this name never left the American top 1,000, it has never left the American top 500. It was most popular in the 1880s at #14, and has been steadily trickling down since then. This might make the name feel old to some people. But right now it ranks #389, which is still pretty well used. It is also popular around the world. In 2008 it ranked #6 in Belgium, #7 in Armenia, #79 in Quebec, #266 in Norway, #294 in Canada, and #330 in Scotland. Arthur is a classic. Variations include Arturo, Artair, Artor, Artturi, Artus, Arthwr, Artie, and Art.
Arthur is a sweet, noble boy's name. There are a few Neo-Pagans with this name, but I'm not sure if it's their magickal names that they chose themselves or the names that they're born with. But it doesn't really matter. Arthur effortlessly belongs to both the magickal and the mundane.
Sources:
Credit:: http://alchemy-and-alchemists.blogspot.com
STROLLING MAGIC
Strolling close-up magic consists of personal and intricate sleight of hand, a performance right underneath peoples eyes and hands. The performances uses common everyday objects such as borrowed finger rings, rubber bands, coins and playing cards. The magic show evokes natural amazement and laughter from those that witness the artistry. The experience is very strong and memorable since the magic personally involves your guests. Strolling magic is perfect for cocktail parties, hospitality suites and any other event were a formal stage show would not be possible. Additionally it is the perfect ice-breaker to get people to talk and mingle with each other about a shared magical experience. Business associates, friends and guests will come together for a shared experience. Strolling magic is an unforgettable magical experience at its best. The beauty about walk around magic is that there is very little set up required for the magician and it can work well with all types of audience sizes.
STAGE MAGIC SHOWS
The Stage Magic Show is a 45- 60 minute Stage Show that will entertain large audiences. This magic show combines amazing magic, music, illusions, audience participation and comedy. The audience will be blown away by their award winning show. In the show 6 live doves will appear and disappear magically from his bare hands, minds will be read and personal information will be revealed. Also each illusion such as a levitation, the classic Hindu sword basket, the Houdini escape box-metamorphosis, twister illusion and in the finalle they will create a snowstorm right before your very eyes.
TRADE SHOWS AND MARKETING EVENTS
You can also incorporate your companies' message, the benefits of your product and service, from a customized magical presentation. The presentation is an extension of your sales team, the show is geared towards generating additional traffic, helping filter qualified leads and to attract larger crowds to your trade show floor. Trade show spaces and exhibits costs thousands to create and how will you see a return on your investment if your neighbors trade show exhibit is identical. It takes more than a fancy looking exhibit and brochures to attract traffic. The Magician Toronto team will help the sales team filter the crowds. Consider adding a little bit of magic when planning your upcoming Trade Show. Magic is a proven way to make your message stand out and get noticed.
Origin: http://practicing-wicca.blogspot.com
"by Salman Hameed"
Check out this article by Olivier Roy on "The Immanent Frame:" The Paradoxes of the Re-Islamization of Muslim Societies. It is a thoughtful analysis teasing out religion, politics and culture in Muslim societies. I will post here the beginning of the article, but please check out :
The 9/11 debate was centered on a single issue: Islam. Osama Bin Laden was taken at his own words by the West: Al-Qaeda, even if its methods were supposedly not approved by most Muslims, was seen as the vanguard or at least a symptom of "Muslim wrath" against the West, fueled by the fate of the Palestinians and by Western encroachments in the Middle East; and if this wrath, which has pervaded the contemporary history of the Middle East, has been cast in Islamic terms, it is because Islam is allegedly the main, if not the only, reference that has shaped Muslim minds and societies since the Prophet. This vertical genealogy obscured all the transversal connections (the fact, for instance, that Al-Qaeda systematized a concept of terrorism that was first developed by the Western European ultra-left of the seventies or the fact that most Al-Qaeda terrorists do not come from traditional Muslim societies but are recruited from among global, uprooted youth, with a huge proportion of converts).
The consequence was that the struggle against terrorism was systematically associated with a religious perspective based on the theory of a clash of civilizations: Islam was at the core of Middle East politics, culture, and identity. This led to two possibilities: either acknowledge the "clash of civilizations" and head toward a global confrontation between the West and Islam or try to mend fences through a "dialogue of civilizations," enhancing multiculturalism and religious pluralism. Both attitudes shared the same premises: Islam is both a religion and a culture and is at the core of the Arab identity. They differed on one essential point: for the "clashists," there is no "moderate" Islam; for the "dialogists," one should favor and support "moderate" Islam, with the recurring question, what is a good Muslim?
Then came, just ten years after 9/11, the Arab Spring, in which Islam did not play a role, and the killing of Osama Bin Laden, whose death went almost unnoticed among Muslim public opinion. What about the "Muslim wrath"? Suddenly, the issue of Islam and jihad being at the core of the political mobilization in Muslim societies seemed to become, at least for a time, irrelevant. So what went wrong with the perception of the Western media, leaders, and public opinion? Was the West wrong about the role of Islam in shaping political mobilization in Muslim societies? Yes. The essentialist and culturalist approach, common to both the clash of and dialogue of civilizations theories, missed three elements: society, politics, and more astonishingly... religion..
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The word Abraxas (or Abrasax or Abracax) was engraved on certain antique stones, called on that account Abraxas stones, which were used as amulets or charms. The name is found in the Greek Magical Papyrii, and the word may be In addition to the word Abraxas and other mystical characters, they have often symbolic mystical figures engraved on them. The most common of these have the head of a fowl, and the arms and bust of a man, and terminate in the body and tail of a serpent.
On the Abraxas gems, the figure had a Chimera-like appearance (somewhat resembling a basilisk): he had the head of a rooster (or sometimes a king), the body of a man, and legs fashioned like snakes and sometimes depicted with a whip in his hand - a form referred to as the Anguipede.
Source:: http://master-of-pentagram.blogspot.com
Get the best Yoga Tips at Yoga Divinity
Tibetan Buddhism entered the consciousness of the West as a cultural force in the 1920s with the translation of 'The Tibetan Book of the Dead' by Walter Evans-Wentz. Ever since, numerous kinds of Tibetan reflection practice have actually percolated around the globe, bringing new adherents and disciples to this ancient faith from the snowy highlands of Tibet and the surrounding mountains of Nepal, Bhutan and India.
Schools Of Tibetan Buddhism
While numerous recognize Tibetan Buddhism's impact through the work of the 14th Dalai Lama, a number of other schools of Tibetan Buddhism still practice today with different values, cultural beliefs and meditative practices. Tibetan Buddhism has 4 schools: Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu and Gelug. These traditions have more subdivisions with various emphasis on ethics, reasoning and the path toward knowledge, likewise called freedom. In spite of the wish of lots of to practice independently, all schools of Tibetan Buddhism stress community and the importance of choosing a teacher.
Developing Compassion
For beginners to Tibetan Buddhism, the Gelug school might be the most appropriate beginning place. The Dalai Lama's works stress the virtue of empathy as the foundation of any Buddhist practice. The book 'The best ways to Practice' addresses the best ways to lead a significant life packed with happiness and tolerance for others by participating in daily meditation practices.
Purifying The Mind
Another popular and quickly accessible meditative course in Tibetan Buddhism is Vajrayana, a set of practices and beliefs that originated in the oldest school of Nyingma. Vajrayana is thought about a 'quick course' to knowledge however also a dangerous one without correct instruction. This branch of Tibetan Buddhism has many education centers committed to training and neighborhood building, including Naropa University, a Buddhist school in Stone, Colorado, that wased established by Tibetan scholar Chgyam Trungpa. Vajrayana reflection practices concentrate on mindfulness, visualization and body awareness, according to the Institute of Tibetan Classics. These practices likewise consist of the so-called 'tantric' exercises that sublimate the body's sexual energies and feelings in order to purify the mind.
Dissolving Illusion Through Dreams
Until the 20th century, Tibetan Buddhists thought about dream yoga to be a secret practice for sophisticated meditators. Today, the practice has actually caught the creativity of the world as a practice that can be done while sleeping. Dream yoga isn't a lazy guy's path to enlightenment, however. Scholar Tenzin Wangyal, author of 'The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep,' lays out an effective set of dream practices and waking life meditations that can help the meditator understand the illusionary nature of the mind and the world at large. At the center of this meditative practice is finding out ways to be self-aware in the dream, at which point the dreamer can make active options and perform special meditations. This capability is likewise known as 'lucid dreaming' in the West.
Toward Enlightenment
Dzogchen has a reputation as being the quickest path toward knowledge, but scholars and practitioners alert that beginners should find a reputable instructor from an understood Tibetan lineage of masters. The Dzogchen teachings are quickly comprehended by beginners due to the fact that the tradition doesn't highlight culture or faith, but rather the ancient practices themselves. In the words of Chgyal Namkhai Norbu, as estimated by the Dzogchen Community of North America, 'To be a professional of Dzogchen, one doesn't have to change anything externally- one's clothing, one's job or one's way of life.' Dzogchen meditation practices highlight a go back to knowledge, not as something to be reached for, however rather as a state of being currently right here in the minute.
Tibetan Meditation for Beginners
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*Ox'ossiPintura feita pela artista em temas espiritualistas:Agnes dos Santos*Sabendo-se que os Orix'as est~ao em um plano muito superior ao nosso, os regentes da coroa do m'edium, regem, se manifestam e influenciam depois de atravessar v'arios planos e sub-planos do nosso sistema.A caracter'istica principal ou original, dos Orix'as se "perde", se transforma e se traduz, atrav'es do astral no "caminho", sendo "filtrado" por cada plano ou sub-plano e logicamente pela natureza vibrat'oria que vai passando, adquirindo com ela um res'iduo de cada momento astral, ditado pela faixa vibrat'oria transitada.
Isso tudo tamb'em explica as diferentes interpretac~oes que encontramos entre os umbandistas, sobre o que vem a ser Orix'a.Como n'os vivemos num plano bem inferior, onde precisamos evoluir muito, se faz necess'ario que o Orix'a se desdobre em vibrac~oes de caracter'istica naturista, ou seja, de origem flu'idica da natureza, para se manifestar em seres encarnados ou de densidade equivalente.
Pensemos a princ'ipio nos Sete Orix'as B'asicos que se manifestam em n'ivel de terreiro, ou seja, de incorporac~ao: Ox'ossi, Ogum, Xang^o, Omulu, Oxum, Iemanj'a e Ians~a.A manifestac~ao, em n'ivel de terreiro, de cada um se d'a atrav'es de esp'iritos enviados de cada uma destas forcas. Importante ressaltar que na Umbanda n~ao incorporamos o Orix'a, mas sim os seus enviados ou representantes, que s~ao esp'iritos que j'a encarnaram e que t^em cada um o seu pr'oprio karma, hist'oria, caracter'istica mission'aria, evolutiva, de personalidade, etc.
Temos a tend^encia a acreditar ou pensar que cada Orix'a 'e o reino ao qual est'a associado, entretanto Orix'a 'e muito mais do que isso, e 'e exatamente esse "muito mais do que isso" que n~ao conseguimos explicar em palavras; mas, grosseiramente falando, 'e o amor de Deus espalhado e ao mesmo tempo condensado em 7 raios b'asicos, destinados ao planeta Terra, que objetivam, ao chegarem aqui traduzidos pelos diversos planos e sub-planos pelos quais passaram, nos auxiliar no nosso karma, e que se manifestam atrav'es das forcas e reinos da natureza.
O Orix'a est'a na natureza, mas n~ao 'e apenas a natureza. Enfim... 'E mais uma benc~ao de Deus.
**Xang^oPintura feita pela artista em temas espiritualistas:Agnes dos Santos*Quando pensamos na composic~ao de uma 'arvore, por exemplo, e nos infiltramos nela, entramos no seu universo e podemos observar neste universo "'arvore" que todos os 7 Orix'as est~ao se manifestando, conjugadamente ou em paralelo, mas sempre harmoniosamente.
O umbandista deve buscar o equil'ibrio de todas estas forcas atrav'es da pr'atica da caridade, do amor e respeito `a natureza e `as coisas de Deus. A Umbanda se prop~oe, atrav'es do culto aos Orix'as, trazer o equil'ibrio destas forcas para as nossas vidas. E n~ao existe melhor forma de se cultuar os Orix'as do que nos harmonizarmos com estas forcas, que se manifestam em nossos terreiros atrav'es de seus enviados de luz, que sempre nos trazem palavras de consolo, amparo, forca, esclarecimento, caridade e amor, e assim fazer ultrapassar as paredes f'isicas do terreiro deUmbanda a sua mensagem.
A Caridade 'e o objetivo principal do m'edium Umbandista.A Umbanda n~ao se prop~oe a ser soluc~ao milagrosa para todos os problemas de ordem material criados por n'os, mas prop~oe que, atrav'es da harmonizac~ao com as forcas da natureza, encontremos amparo e al'ivio para os nossos problemas.Para que possamos entender o Orix'a em sua absoluta ess^encia, 'e necess'aria uma enorme capacidade de abstrac~ao.
O que diversos autores t^em tentado, valentemente, explicar 'e algo absolutamente intang'ivel ao nosso n'ivel de consci^encia.Orix'a n~ao 'e divindade, pois na Umbanda cremos num 'unico Deus. A Umbanda n~ao 'e polite'ista, portanto o que passarei a descrever n~ao 'e uma teogonia.Orix'a 'e pot^encia de luz emanada de Deus, O Criador.
E na Umbanda o entendimento de Orix'a n~ao est'a baseado em lendas do pante~ao africano, mas sim no estudo da din^amica das forcas da natureza.Conseq"uentemente, o nosso conceito de arqu'etipo ser'a diferente de quem se baseia em lendas.Ordinariamente, entender a manifestac~ao do Orix'a atrav'es das forcas da natureza, 'e o m'aximo que conseguimos, pois a palavra Orix'a quer dizer coroa iluminada.
'E o princ'ipio mais evolu'ido em nosso sistema manifestado atrav'es das forcas da natureza. 'E como querer entender e explicar Deus, tarefa imposs'ivel a qualquer um de n'os.Entretanto, podemos tentar entender juntos o caminho inverso, ou seja, da terra para o Alto, at'e porque para entendermos o que ocorre acima disso, precisar'iamos entrar em esferas elevad'issimas que fogem ao nosso entendimento, pois ningu'em tem alcance para isso.
Tudo que falam s~ao conjecturas valorosas e algumas at'e louv'aveis tentativas, mas nada absoluto. A verdade de cada um deve ser respeitada, assim como a compreens~ao. Avancar a esferas superiores nos ser'a naturalmente permitido quando tivermos evoluc~ao para tal.Na realidade o que a Umbanda fez, enquanto culto, foi "organizar" as manifestac~oes divinas, em uma linguagem que pud'essemos compreender.
**OxumPintura feita pela artista em temas espiritualistas:Agnes do Santos*Todas as "complicac~oes" provenientes do aprendizado na Umbanda s~ao por nossa exclusiva culpa e ignor^ancia, basta que conversemos com qualquer Preto Velho, para termos a certeza disto.Cada Orix'a tem func~ao espec'ifica e at'e as que s~ao antag^onicas se harmonizam frente asnossas necessidades, por Graca do Criador.
Todas as energias emanadas pelos Orix'as estando em equil'ibrio nos tornam pessoas melhores e facilitam a nossa passagem na Terra, por isso falei em benc~ao de Deus, e tamb'em em manifestac~oes b'asicas e harm^onicas dos Orix'as apesar de algumas manifestac~oes serem antag^onicas, mas no fundo complementares.
Tudo isso justifica e explica enfim o porqu^e 'e fundamental o culto equilibrado aos sete Orix'as b'asicos, explica o porque de n~ao nos dedicarmos a cultuar um ou dois Orix'as espec'ificos apenas.Os Sete Orix'as b'asicos ao se combinarem formam outros Orix'as os quais chamamos de desdobramentos do Orix'a ou Orix'as que foram combinados, mas mesmo assim ainda n~ao s~ao estes que se manifestam em n'ivel de terreiro, mas sim os seus enviados.
O 'unico Orix'a na Umbanda que n~ao tem desdobramentos 'e a Orix'a Ians~a, pois as suas combinac~oes s~ao t~ao r'apidas que n~ao criam reinos, mas apenas manifestac~oes r'apidas desta conjugac~ao, n~ao chegando a formar ou fixar-se durante muito tempo a ponto de formar um novo Orix'a que seja desdobramento Dela.
Outro motivo para isto 'e o pr'oprio elemento por Ela representado: o Ar. O Ar n~ao se desdobra, n~ao se fixa, mas mistura-se aos demais elementos, entretanto sem mudar a sua ess^encia. O Ar em movimento 'e o vento que causa mudancas r'apidas e essas mudancas s~ao a pr'opria Orix'a. Ians~a manifestada na forca da natureza...
'E o pr'oprio movimento, a pr'opria mudanca.Quando os Orix'as se combinam, se unem e se conjugam temos os diferentes desdobramentos que s~ao manifestados, em n'ivel de terra, atrav'es do encontro de um reino com outro, ou manifestac~oes de forca da natureza, que em terreiro tamb'em recebem nomes diferentes.
E encontraremos na combinac~ao dessas forcas harmonia e equil'ibrio.
*Do Livro: Umbanda, Mitos e Realidade Autor M~AE IASSAN AYPOR^E PERY
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Are you looking for a genuine psychic medium? Have you spent a bit of time watching some of the more famous mediums on TV or on the radio...and are ready to get out there and get your OWN reading? If you are anything like I was when I began my interest in psychic phenomena and specifically medium style readings, you are probably super enthusiastic about learning more...but a bit skeptical about what is FACT...and what is fiction.
HERE IS WHAT I'VE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY...
Psychic mediumship is one of the most special, and amazing gifts of all the "paranormal" powers. But it's also amongst the rarest...and most often faked, or fudged as well. The truth? Many so called mediums really, honestly and genuinely BELIEVE they have this gift...whereas in reality, only a small, select group of super special psychics truly does.
FOR EXAMPLE...
One of the greatest minds of the past 200 or so some odd years, William James (an English scientist and philosopher widely credited today for his contributions to modern science and psychology) discovered a medium named Leonora Piper, in late 19th century England, who he claimed was his WHITE CROW...which he used to describe that one rare breed of person (or bird, in this case..:-) that proved the EXCEPTION to the rule. (in his example, many of the other mediums he studied were NOT that impressive)
TODAY...
There are many working psychic mediums, who have displayed similar style abilities. As a matter of fact, there are numerous ongoing studies, as I write this heading into 2010, that aim to uncover the mystery of speaking to the dead! The Windbridge Institute, the ForeverFamily Foundation, work at the University of Virginia and more is ongoing to prove that life really DOES continue after the point of death...and that many mediums amongst us can truly contact the deceased in our behalf.
AFTER ALMOST 20 YEARS OF PSYCHIC RESEARCH MYSELF, HERE IS WHAT I KNOW...
Psychic mediums are real. Rare...but real. And there has literally NEVER been a better time in human history to access the wonderful world of mediumship for yourself...with genuine online networks staffed with proven and talented psychics, to meet ups and online social services that cater to those of us who find this whole area of life exciting, fascinating and phenomenally addictive to boot! Learning to separate the fakes, frauds and pretenders is important, too...but at the end of the day, once you have the personal knowledge and experience that life truly DOES continue on forever, your entire perspective on the world around you changes INSTANTLY! And more than anything else...that has been the gift that I've gotten myself...and I truly hope the very same for you!
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(Comp 7) From the very beginning, God manifested himself to our first parents, Adam and Eve, and invited them to intimate communion with himself. After their fall, he did not cease his revelation to them but promised salvation for all their descendants. After the flood, he made a covenant with Noah, a covenant between himself and all living beings.
"In Brief"
(CCC 70) Beyond the witness to himself that God gives in created things, he manifested himself to our first parents, spoke to them and, after the fall, promised them salvation (cf. Gen 3:15) and offered them his covenant. (CCC 71) God made an everlasting covenant with Noah and with all living beings (cf. Gen 9:16). It will remain in force as long as the world lasts.
To deepen and explain
(CCC 54) "God, who creates and conserves all things by his Word, provides men with constant evidence of himself in created realities. And furthermore, wishing to open up the way to heavenly salvation, he manifested himself to our first parents from the very beginning" (DV 3; cf. Jn 1:3; Rom 1:19-20). He invited them to intimate communion with himself and clothed them with resplendent grace and justice. (CCC 55) This revelation was not broken off by our first parents' sin. "After the fall, [God] buoyed them up with the hope of salvation, by promising redemption; and he has never ceased to show his solicitude for the human race. For he wishes to give eternal life to all those who seek salvation by patience in well-doing" (DV 3; cf. Gen 3:15; Rom 2:6-7). Even when he disobeyed you and lost your friendship you did not abandon him to the power of death... Again and again you offered a covenant to man ("Roman Missal", Eucharistic Prayer IV, 118). (CCC 56) After the unity of the human race was shattered by sin God at once sought to save humanity part by part. The covenant with Noah after the flood gives expression to the principle of the divine economy toward the "nations", in other words, towards men grouped "in their lands, each with (its) own language, by their families, in their nations" (Gen 10:5; cf. 9:9-10, 16; 10:20-31).
On reflection
(CCC 57) This state of division into many nations is at once cosmic, social and religious. It is intended to limit the pride of fallen humanity (Cf. Acts 17:26-27), united only in its perverse ambition to forge its own unity as at Babel (Cf. Wis 10:5; Gen 11:4-6). But, because of sin, both polytheism and the idolatry of the nation and of its rulers constantly threaten this provisional economy with the perversion of paganism (Cf. Rom 1:18-25). (CCC 58) The covenant with Noah remains in force during the times of the Gentiles, until the universal proclamation of the Gospel (Cf. Gen 9:16; Lk 21:24; DV 3). The Bible venerates several great figures among the Gentiles: Abel the just, the king-priest Melchisedek - a figure of Christ - and the upright "Noah, Daniel, and Job" (Cf. Gen 14:18; Heb 7:3; Ezek 14:14). Scripture thus expresses the heights of sanctity that can be reached by those who live according to the covenant of Noah, waiting for Christ to "gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad" (Jn 11:52).
(Next question: What are the next stages of God's Revelation?)
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Previously, I discussed Adam and Eve, the Creation of The World, The Great Flood, where the flood-waters really came from, the blood sacrifice, and touched on the "Fall of Lucifer." Today, I'll be covering several different topics, but all spring off from Creation, and all have one thing at the center of it all: It comes from God.
The Fall of Lucifer. So many people ask what had truly happened, who Lucifer is, what he did to get thrown out of heaven. Using studies, and our main source book, The Bible, I will try to tell of what had happened in Heaven between Lucifer and God, and when this all took place.
Several theories have popped up surrounding talk of when The Fall of Lucifer took place. Let me give you an idea of what the Bible tells us. Before the six days, there was only God - the Trinity, Yahweh, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. When he created the Universe, he also created angels. Genesis tells us that after Earth and Man was created, the "Host of Heaven" celebrated. The Host of Heaven are the Angels.
Now, Lucifer was given the right of head Angel, the highest "rank" of them all. He was the brother of the Archangels Michael (Protector of Israel, will throw Lucifer in the lake of burning sulfur in the end) and Gabriel (who appeared to Zachariah and to Mary, to tell her she would be the mother of the Messiah). God gave all of the angels free-will. "Ezekiel 28:12-19" describes Lucifer's position on Heaven, verse 14 says, "You were annointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones." Verse 15 continues, "You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you." (NIV) Lucifer was also described in Ezekiel as the Musician, the leader of worship. He was the most beautiful angels of them all. His name, Lucifer, means light-bearer. Something that he ultimately became the opposite of.
When God told the Angels to love and protects as he loves us, Lucifer had become too self-centered and he grew jealous of humans. He believed that he was more powerful than God, and could gather a Legion to overthrow him. Since before this time, Angels had never been told a lie. So when Lucifer went around to Angels and spread lies, getting them to join his cause, they believed him. When Lucifer had amassed an army, we are told that he went to the throne of God and tried to overthrow him - and the first war broke out. We do not know how long it lasted, but not very long, since soon after he fell, he deceived Adam and Eve.
When his efforts to become ruler of the Universe backfired, Michael and Gabriel were left in Heaven while Lucifer and his followers - became Fallen Angels. Lucifer still wanted - and to this day, to control the Universe. So when he deceived Eve in the garden and was handed the Covenant between God and Man (Adam and God), he "gained" his title - Ruler of the Earth, Prince of the Air, Prince of Darkness. We are told that even the weather was given to Lucifer, however, that does not mean God can't intervene in the weather - it is his world. He fell sometime after Adam and Eve were created. Wanting revenge on God, he began his reign of darkness, initiating this by deceiving Adam and Eve - and he has plauged us ever since, and he is known by many different names - Satan, The Devil, Prince of Darkness, Prince of the Air, etc. Fear not, for one day he will be thrown by his brother Michael into the lake of burning sulfur - after the 1,000 year Reign of Jesus on Earth, which I will cover at a later date.
For verses that talk about the Fall of Lucifer, see "Ezekiel 28:11-15", "Isaiah 14:12-15", "Matthew 25:41", and several other scripture references. The covenant that Lucifer gained by deceitfulness, thankfully, has been gained back. But there was a road to travel before that happened.
God's Eternal Law stated that for our sins to be payed in full, a man of pure blood had to die for us. However, all of our blood was defiled. Not just because of sin, but because of Lucifer. Who were the "Nephilim"? Many people have asked this question, the Bible provides the answer. "Genesis 6:4" says, (pre-flood) "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days - and also afterward - when the sons of God went to the daughters of the human beings and had children by them." The answer, folks, is that the sons of God - were the Fallen. THE FALLEN ANGELS. Ever hear of Goliath, who was killed by the future King David? He was one of the Nephilim. The giants, or Nephilim, were the offspring of the Fallen and human females. After this, God stopped Angels from pro-creating, for there have been the same number of Full-Blooded Angels since the creation of the Universe, none have been created. God knew how many there would need to be.
When The Nephilim were conceived, it royally messed up our bloodline, and it hasn't been the same since. No human could ever die to pay for our sins - now there was no fixing of our bloodline. HOWEVER. When Jesus came, he was a being of pure blood. When he was pierced, water and blood came out - something that does not happen to humans. His blood was pure, as was the water that flowed. When he died, he did several things for us: there would no longer need to be blood animal sacrifices, he became the final sacrifice for us. He also gained back the Covenant Lucifer had taken in Eden - and allowed Men to finally go straight to heaven, instead of waiting. I will get into this place of waiting that all the saved who died went to before Jesus came - tomorrow night.
Jesus also literally died for our PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE sins. When he was being whipped, he probably thought of every single face, every person he was saving. For if at any one moment Jesus said, STOP, and stopped his death, which was willed on his own, we would not be saved. But no, Jesus went all the way, paid our sins in FULL. He died for every sin that ever had been and ever will be committed - the sins you and I committed today, the sins we will commit tomorrow, and so on. He died for those, so that we did not have to pay the penalty of Hell. So when you hear that Jesus died for our sins, yes, he truly did. "Every sin of humanity" was placed on Jesus at that moment, and God had to turn away, recall that Jesus said, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me"?"
When he said this, all of the sins of humanity were placed on him. He endured our punishment, and we are told that the Earth rumbled, there was an earthquake, and the sky went black. When all of the Suffering for our sins had been completed, Jesus said, "Tetelistai." Meaning, "It is finished." He gave up his life on his own, he was not murdered.
Back to Adam - the Bible told us thousands of years ago BEFORE science made the discovery that human skin was and is made of DUST. "Genesis 2:7" says, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Of course, what people have a hard time with is that they say The Bible is false because it says that God made Adam out of a "handful of dust." Not true. God used dust and water to create clay, molded man, and breathed life into him. We are not just composed of dust, but science has recently, in the last few years, proved that the Human body is partially made of dust. I ask this: How is it that when Moses, who was not scientific, wrote this, could have known the composition of the human body thousands of years before science proved it? It is because God conveyed this to Moses, just as he did with the entirety of the Bible. (Also see "Job 10:9" and "Romans 9:20-21")
Tomorrow, I will be covering what happened during those three days Jesus was in the Earth. Let me give you a brief look, however, at what Jesus said. In "Matthew 12:40", he tells the Pharisees, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given to you except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the" heart of the Earth"." I will expound on that tomorrow. In a few days, I will be touching on the prophecies that were fulfilled through Jesus Christ, and the evidence of his resurrection.
I thank you for reading, and if you are not saved, I ask you to look over the proof of God all around us - and make the decision for yourself. Have a relationship with our creator, and accept the gift of salvation that Jesus paved the way for. Feel free to leave comments. Take Care, and God Bless, "Troy Hillman "
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Lately I have been sorely tempted by something akin to the sin of despair regarding our Catholic ecumenism. I cannot help but conclude that, for many reasons, the task is hopeless humanly speaking, and so must continually remind myself not to rest there, but to trust in God. An example of how even the best of our ecumenical interlocutors can show signs of not really listening to what we have said, instead falling into a mild but reflexive form of patronising contempt, appeared recently in a comment by our friend Dr Tighe at Fr Hunwicke's weblog. I will address below some of his statements.
Dr Tighe said: "Well, of course - it shouldn't need saying, but evidently it does - there never was any "intercommunion" between the Orthodox and the Anglicans."
If he wishes only to say that the Orthodox (for the most part) do not in theory recognise any category of sacramental communion with anybody short of "communio in sacris", such as the word "intercommunion" usually denotes, he is correct, but this would apply between the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church as well. But most readers would take his statement as meaning Anglicans and Eastern Orthodox never resorted to one anothers' sacraments with official approval. And this statement is patently false. Let me lay out just a little of the evidence.
*
From an article (dated January 19, 1928) in the official fortnightly publication of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, "Patainos": "On demand of occasion and at different times the Orthodox Church has given effect to her mind that under exceptional circumstances, and in emergency in countries where there is lacking either an Orthodox or an Anglican priest, economy is permissible, whereby the faithful of either Church may have resort for the invocation of grace through an available priest of the other Church: as, for example, in the case of the administration of the last rites {lit. the undefined mysteries, sc. the Blessed Sacrament} to a dying Christian, of the celebration of marriage, and of the burial of the dead. There exist many examples of such relaxation in recent years."
*
At an inter-Orthodox commission meeting in Belgrade, 1966, during a discussion of the validity of Anglican Orders and sacraments generally, Bishop Stephen of Dalmatia (Serbian Orthodox) said "I think that our sister-Church of Rumania had made the greatest contribution in this area, and that there is nothing in the Bucharest agreements which cannot be accepted. WE CERTAINLY CANNOT SAY THAT ALL THE ORTHODOX CHURCHES HAVE AVOIDED COMMUNICATING WITH THE ANGLICAN CHURCHES, THAT THEY HAVE NOT RECOGNISED IN THEM THE SIGNS OF 'ECCLESIALITY'. When Anglican bishops visit us, our churches accord them the insignias of the Episcopate, thus recognising in practice the Orders which they bear." [Emphasis added.
On this very weblog Fr Hart has frequently referred to the practice obtaining in America for decades during the Twentieth Century whereby Orthodox laity were given written permission to communicate at Anglican altars by their bishops. He has also
It is plain that for most of the Twentieth Century, up until the ordination of women, a number of Eastern jurisdictions allowed their people to make frequent use of Anglican sacraments in particular circumstances and were willing when necessary to return the favour to Anglicans. Either they believed Anglican Orders and sacraments were intrinsically valid in some sense even before any reunion or they were willing to knowingly permit their people to partake of mock sacraments. Since the latter is ridiculous and insultingly so, the former is inescapable. What is disturbing is that Dr Tighe is a regular reader of this weblog and is unlikely to have missed item 3.
Dr Tighe went on to say: "What the Orthodox "recognition" of Anglican Orders... meant was that in the event that the Anglican Communion, or some Anglican churches, sought to enter into communion with Holy Orthodoxy (with the requisite doctrinal affirmations and "clarifications," and no doubt the exclusion of some of the more Evangelical/Protestant aspects), then, by an exercise of "economy" Anglican clergy would not have to be reordained in order to minister in Holy Orthodoxy. That's all it meant, no more and no less... A glance at, say, the relevant parts of Bishop Kallistos (Ware's) *The Orthodox Church* will easily confirm the truth of this."
The evidence given above is sufficient to refute the "That's all it meant, no more" claim. But quite apart from this, it is difficult to understand how one as well-informed as Dr Tighe should simply reiterate Ware's gloss on the matter, when it is abundantly clear that it relies on the "no intrinsic grace is admitted in any sacraments outside the Orthodox Church" version of the doctrine of economy. For this is a version disputed by other Orthodox quite openly, including relatively recently in American EO-RC theological dialogue.
The good Dr also not unreasonably observes: "Orthodox who tended to become more familiarly acquainted with Anglicans and Anglican churches tended, however, to lose their initial enthusiasm for it, especially once they became aware of the "comprehensive" nature of Anglicanism and the fact that their Anglo-Catholic friends could not authoritatively speak for their churches and, especially, make definite commitments to the Orthodox on their behalf." However, he did not mention any of the counter-examples to this tendency, where Orthodox theologians and Churches retained long and close relations with and respect for Anglicans. E.g., Archbishop Methodius Fouyas and the examples cited above.
Perhaps the "unkindest cut of all" was this: "I well remember the reaction of the then chaplain of a certain Cambridge college in the late 1970s who, when he returned from a trip to Romania, spoke about how Anglican clergy were allowed to celebrate the Eucharist on Orthodox altars in certain monasteries there, unlike the RC priests, who were not allowed to do so, and I replied that far from that being a token of "recognition" it probably meant that, given the Orthodox practice of celebrating only once a day on any altar, they felt that whatever the Anglican clergy were doing, it was not the same thing as their Divine Liturgy, whereas the refusal to allow RC clergy to say Mass indicated that the Catholic Mass might possibly be the same thing."
Could Dr Tighe have been unaware that it was with the Romanian Orthodox Church that Anglicans had the warmest relations and the most fulsome bilateral agreements, those of Bucharest, 1935-'37? That, in the conclusion of these agreements it was famously if optimistically said: "By these agreements, we believe that a solid basis has been prepared for further discussions whereby full dogmatic agreement may be affirmed between the Orthodox and the Anglican Communions"? (These are the very words quoted by Bp Ware in the same section of the same book cited by Dr Tighe.) Did he not see that his argument invited the "reductio ad absurdum" that if his suggestion was the real reason they permitted Anglican priests the use of their altars, how much more would they have invited Lutheran, Reformed and Baptist pastors to do the same? To object that that would be beyond the pale because of their greater distance from Orthodoxy would cut off the very branch the argument rested upon. No doubt he was unaware that the Romanians had Synodically re-asserted their recognition of Anglican Orders and the Bucharest Agreements in 1966, but was there not enough reason anyway to eschew such an odious and inaccurate inference?
Now, Dr Tighe is well known to us as honest, intelligent, scholarly and friendly toward us. How then can all of the above be explained, when at least some of the counter-evidence was apparently known to him? I can only put it down to a kind of latent dismissiveness of the arguments and evidence Anglicans have put in the past, including ourselves, with this leading to the relevant counterfactuals to his argument not occuring to him at the time. He loves us, but he cannot take us seriously, perhaps. (In fairness, it might also be the case that the last comment regarding the Romanians was an angry response to an annoying bit of skiting by the Anglican priest who
There appear to be 4 basic groups and associated attitudes toward us among Roman Catholics who are aware of us. First, there is a large group of self-described "progressives" whose attitude toward us is either plain animosity or chuckling disbelief that we could be so hidebound. However, they accept the Anglican Communion and its ecclesial reality. Second, there are what I will call "unfriendly traditionalists" who consider all Anglicanism to be, in its distinctiveness, essentially nothing but a despicable and wicked rebellion founded solely on regal lust. To them we are little more than simply break-aways from break-aways and heirs to Catholic-persecuting, sectarian Protestantism and so self-deceived in our self-understanding. Our primary obligation is to repent of Anglicanism and submit forthwith to Rome. Third, there are the "friendly traditionalists", who also think we are wrong about ourselves and our Orders, but can see some worth in our patrimony which is worth generously preserving. Basically, if any form of corporate reunion is the best way to get us "back" into the "One True Church", then they think that is to be encouraged. (Dr Tighe belongs, I think, to this group.) Finally, there are the orthodox Catholics who dispute or doubt the factual correctness of the conclusion of "Apostolicae Curae, "because they accept the infallibility of its theological premises and conclusion "ad arguendum", if the corrigible historical premises were correct, but believe they probably were not. Alternatively, they deny the infallibility of the infamous Bull altogether, because RC theologians (and one Pope, Pius X, in answer to the question of an Anglican theologian, Dr Briggs) have opined that it was not infallible, and the note appended to "Ad Tuandem Fidem" claiming it was infallible was not itself infallible! (Got all that?) This relatively small group would be more willing to see us as at least "particular Churches" in the proper sense.
Now, the hierarchy of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) is a kind of mirror to the third group abovementioned. They have indicated they are willing to accept: all Roman Catholic doctrine without further discussion or clarification; absolute reordination if they can't get conditional reordination; the replacement of their bishops; and uniat status if possible or something less if not. But despite this abject submission bordering on self-humiliation, the official response has not been terribly promising. It says, basically, "Thank you, we're thinking about it", and then implies they wish to turn their attention to the mainstream Anglican Communion. The same heterodox Communion which has been spitting in their eye for so long and from which none of it member churches can bring themselves to leave. In the meantime, nothing is promised or proposed except "prayers and good wishes". It may be I am too cynical here, and I hope things work out well for the TAC. But given how long and hard they have been knocking on the door, it is difficult to see the Roman response over time as warm and welcoming.
The Anglican Catholic Church (ACC) sent an official letter by registered mail to an appropriate Vatican official. We know it was received, but no reply was ever forthcoming, not even to say, in a formulaic, polite sort of way, "We acknowledge receipt of your letter. Thanks." Unlike the TAC, the ACC wished to move towards the greatest degree of communion possible after serious dialogue. The silence in response may speak volumes. And in the context of the different groups in the RCC of which I spoke above, it is difficult to hold out much hope for the RCC taking a proposal like the ACC's seriously. The first two groups are contemptuous our position, albeit for opposed reasons. The third might like to see the TAC succeed as it has the proper attitude of unconditional surrender, and so should be treated generously, but they may not have much respect for the ACC's approach. The fourth group may not be large or influential enough to help.
Is it all about numbers? Are the two main continuing bodies, the TAC and the communion of the ACC/APCK/UECNA just not big enough to warrant the RCC's attention or consideration as particular Churches? Using the most conservative figures I have come across, the TAC has a minimum of 70,000 members. The ACC alone has at least 4,000 in the U.S.A., 15,000 in one African Diocese, and many more members elsewhere in Africa, India and around the world. So the ACC/APCK/UECNA has between 20 and 30 thousand members. So, lack of numbers is clearly not a valid excuse, since a number of Uniat Churches, such as the Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church, are smaller in numbers than both these Anglican bodies by a wide margin.
Why, then, do I think it would be better to talk to the East, other than past relationships as noted above? Partly because their versions of groups one and two above have less size and influence in the Eastern Orthodox Church (EOC). And partly because there is less to discuss with them in the way of differences. However, I realise that, like the RCs, the Orthodox may see little point in dialogue towards reunion. Despite what both the RCC and EOC have said to Anglicans in the past, absorption is so much easier and more obviously beneficial to them. There may well be the tendency for them to hope we simply wither on the vine, gradually leaking our members to their jurisdictions. I hope and pray this is not the case. Let us all do so.
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Of recent times there has been some controversy regarding the identification and treatment of "thin places". These thin places are where heaven and earth seem to be particularly close together - we think of Jacob at Bethel, for instance, of Walsingham, or of the chippy in Woburn Sands. Therefore for the avoidance of controversy, and to put aside the superstition associated with thin places, we will be adopting the following rules.
1. It's not enough to make somewhere a thin place, just for you to feel particularly spiritual there and label it as a thin place yourself. This would be dangerously democratic and give everyone the idea that they had their own right to experience of the divine, unregulated by the necessary druidic power.
2. If you believe you have identified a thin place, you must fill in the "thin place potential identification form" (TPPIF). This should clearly indicate where the thin place is (OS reference + a short description); why you think it may be a thin place; and what kind of vouchers (MFI or Woolworth's) you wish to receive as your reward.
3. Upon receipt of a TPPIF, we will ensure that a triad of druids (the minimum number) will investigate within 3 days. Such investigation may include, but not necessarily be restricted to, pendulums; prayer; casting of lots; checking the guide book or whatever seems most appropriate.
4. If the thin place is confirmed, you will receive a "thin place confirmation form" (TPCF) which you should show at the Shop Yurt to receive your vouchers, or alternatively a very small beaker with the words "a present from Hunstanton".
5. Upon confirmation of a definite thin place, Hnaef will tape the area off with red and white (or, according to the liturgical time of year, yellow) emergency tape. We don't want just anyone blundering around on sacred ground.
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