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India is famous for its mystic culture since times immemorial. Legend says that it has been an ardent art in the life of kings and queens. Vashikaran refers to the art of controlling the mind of someone by tantras and chants, creating a memorable space in the heart of the person for someone. In the imperial lives when the kings soon lost interest in their wives, the queens often used this technique to win the love back of their kings. In Hindu mythology, Guru Gorakhnath is said to have written a lot of Vashikaran mantras.
Kamakhya devi is the presiding deity to whom you offer all of your vashikaran mantras. Her temple is in Guwahati in Assam. The place is famous for the legend of a part of goddess sati to be falling there and a Shaktipeeth growing there. World famous tantric visit the place and offer their homage to the deity. It is noteworthy that tantric cult derives its powers from meditation or sadhana. This ritual is also common not only in the esoteric cultures, in India, but also in China, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan, Indonesia, Korea and Mongolia.
Relating to that ancient art is the chief area of expertise of lovevasikaranspecialist.net. Love is extremely volatile, and cupid seems to be extremely restless! Hence there are extremely complicated issues regarding love in our lives. If you want to win the love of some person, you can do so with the help of lovevashikaranspecialist.net. If you want to win the love of the person whom you love, or want to win the love back of your ex-partner, you can do so with the help of love vashikaran specialist.
There are various impediments in the path of inter caste marriage, the first being the approval of the parents. In this case, you can approach love specialist tantric who can guide you to deal adequately with the situation. You will have a love marriage as well as your parents' good wishes. In fact, any type of problem relating to your boss, your ex, or even husband and wives can be solved with the help of this. In the western countries, this art is called as casting a love spell; in the oriental countries it is called Vashikaran!
Vashikaran mantras can be used to win back love of your girlfriend of boyfriend, win the favour of your boss, to build your personality so that people might find you attractive, or even for spouses to draw attention of the partner. This is also used on the children so that they do not get out of control. If you approach lovevashikaranspecialist.com, you can approach world famous astrologers for their opinion. They can give you what we call Voodoo spell that can act in your favour, to win the love of your life.
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Nutmeg and cinnamon when mixed together are considered an attraction powder for wealth. A good spell using this powder to acquire money is as follows:
Burn a green candle during the new moon while thinking of the amount of money you wish to obtain. In a bowl placed in front of the candle, mix one and a quarter ounce of nutmeg and one and a quarter ounce of cinnamon.
FOCUS ON YOUR GOAL AS YOU CHANT:
"Spices for riches"do your best"bring me money"so that I may rest."
Allow the candle to burn out completely and then place the attraction powder in a container. While at work or otherwise occupied with financial gain, sprinkle a small amount of the attraction powder in your coffee or tea. Only a small amount is required (DON'T SHORTCUT THE ENERGY BY USING IT ALL AT ONCE). When you have used up all the attraction powder, your wish will be granted.
FROM SIMPLEMAGICK.COM
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St. Sophronios of Jerusalem (Feast Day - March 11)
By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas
The season of Holy and Great Lent we are experiencing is a time of repentance, fasting, prayer and spiritual struggles. It is an arena of the virtues for anyone who wants to approach it freely, to compete spiritually, without anyone forcing them. "The arena of the virtues has opened; those who desire to compete may enter, girding themselves with the good struggle of fasting". Fasting, when accompanied by prayer, is the most powerful weapon against the devil, the enemy of human salvation, ("this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting"), but also a source of heavenly gifts, ("through fasting, vigils and prayer we receive heavenly gifts").
True fasting means abstinence not only from food, but "to control the tongue, to alienate the passions, to forbear from anger, to abstain from lust, slander, falsehood and perjury." The abstinence of food and so-called adult carnal misconduct is perhaps the easiest struggle. But effort against harder things is needed, such as condemnation, envy, slander, etc. The Prophet David pleaded with God to keep him from slander, in order to fulfill His commandments: "Redeem me from the slander of men and I will keep Your commandments."
Fasting that is "true and pleasing" to God is as we mentioned above, and "to alienate the passions" means to transform the passions, to be healed of the passions. Human passions are nothing else but the unnatural operation of the powers of the soul, namely the intelligent, the incensive and the desiring. The virtues are the natural movements of the powers of the soul. For example, when anger operates according to nature then it turns against the devil and sin, but when it is against nature it turns against other people, even against this creation, such as animals, plants, etc. The intelligent part of the soul in its natural state turns to God, and the desiring wants everything that is pleasing to God. Otherwise it is directed against the will of God and is enslaved to the devil and created things. The therapy of the powers of the soul, or their restoration to their natural operation takes place with abstinence, prayer and love. Maximus the Confessor says to us: "The incensive part of the soul is restrained by love, the desiring is withered by temperance and the intelligent is given wings by prayer. Thus the light of the nous is never darkened."
Saints are those who have purified their vessels, who have transformed their passions and attained from the image to the likeness of God and have seen God. They are full of the Holy Spirit and their words are "words of eternal life". They are the champions of spiritual athletics and true models of the athletes of the spirit. One of these was Saint Sophronios, whose memory is celebrated during this period. He lived in temperance and wisdom from a young age, and later also when he became a Monk in the Monastery of Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch. He became Archbishop of Jerusalem "due to his abundant virtues", as Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite says, and he shepherded his flock in an Orthodox ascetic and sacrificial ethos that distinguished him. He was a man of the spirit in the true sense. That is, he was full of the Grace of the Holy Spirit. He acquired spiritual eyes, or rather he purified his nous, which is the eye of the soul, and he saw God, which is why he was able to lead his flock unerringly. According to the expression of the author of the Great Canon, he was a "nous that beheld God".
When Jerusalem was captured by the Persians, he was given hospitality in Alexandria by his friend Saint John the Merciful, and when he "departed to the Lord" he wrote a funeral discourse in his honor and "was very saddened by his passing". The saints have a pure and soft hearts. They truly love and weep for their loved ones, like Christ wept for his friend Lazarus. But they do not grieve "as those who have no hope", but as having hope in eternal life, since they are crucified and resurrected and taste the kingdom of heaven in this present life. Here we should mention that he wrote among other things also the wondrous life of she who was equal to the angels, the venerable Mary of Egypt.
Through the intercessions of the wise Saint Sophronios, may God grant us a "spirit of wisdom, humility, patience and love", as well as a zest and appetite for spiritual struggles.
Source:: http://wicca-teachings.blogspot.com
**photo by Rachel**
THE PARROT AS YOUR TOTEM
Merry Meet :))))
Some of you may know that I have recently adopted a yellow cockatiel named Tango :))))) He has given me an all new appreciation for birds :))))))) For as long as I can remember I've had the red-tailed hawk as my spirit animal guide. However being with Tango each day has given me such a new outlook on birds, their actions, and personalities. :)))))) He's just amazing. So today I wanted to focus in on a totem animal in the bird family. I chose the parrot. Parrots have always fascinated me. Their vibrant colors and the way the seem to talk to you just by looking in your eyes, has always captivated me.
Birds as totems in general are wonderful healers. They represent the element air, and also help teach us how important our breathing is. In nature birds survive for the most part by taking the flight option rather then fight. They do their best to avoid fighting. Although by some of the birds fighting over the sunflower seeds in my backyard, I sometimes question this. :)))) Nevertheless, they teach us to look at situation and determine if it is better to engage or just walk away. If you have kids you've likely heard the phrase "choose your battles." Only enter into battle when you need to. If you enter into too many battles you will be too tired for the ones that count. So working with birds in general helps us with this.
The parrot in particular is a great totem animal to work with. They teach us that the world is our canvas. :)) Anything we want is available to us if we just desire it and work towards it. Their beautiful vibrant colors will help us to work with color therapy. They are amazing at communication. Therefore they help you work on your gifts of speech and effective communication. When the parrot becomes your totem animal, look at situations around you and see if you could view these situations from another point of view.
Love and Blessings,
Jasmeine Moonsong
Credit: http://wicca-teachings.blogspot.com
The Khatu Shyam Aarti is recited in praise of Barbarik, the son of Ghatotkacha and the grandson of Bhima.During the Mahabharata war Barbarik wanted to fight on the side of which ever side which was the weaker. This was the Guru Dakshina sought by Barbarik's Guru; hence Barbarik had no other option other than take the side of the weaker side. However the power of Barbarik was such that which ever side he supported would automatically become the stronger side.There was no one who could stand against Barbarik.Thus to avoid the participation of Barbarik in the war Krishna disguised as a Brahman tested Barbarik.Barbarik pleased with him promised him that he would grant him anything he wished. The disguised Krishna asked him to give him his head.The shocked Barbarik asked the Brahman to disclose his true identity, Krishna then showed him his divine form or the Vishwa Roopa.Krishna explained to him that the side he supported would automatically be the stronger one, hence he would have to constantly change sides, and in this process he would eventually destroy both the sides. Hence Krishna explained to him there was no other option for him but to sacrifice his head.After Barbarik sacrificed his head Krishna gave him a boon that in Kaliyug he would be known by Krishna's name. All prayers of the devotees of Barbarik would be answered as if the prayer was dedicated to Krishna himself. In Kaliyug the power of Barbarik is the same as that of Krishna, there is no difference.Barbarik in Kaliyug is known as Khatu Shyam.
Shri Khatu Shyam AartiEnglish Translation
Om Jay Shree Shyaam Hare, Prabhu Jay Shree Shyaam Hare lNij Bhaktan Ke Tumane, Puran Kaam Kare llHari Om Jay Shree Shyaam Hare,Gal Pushpo Ki Mala, Sir Par Mukut Dhare lPit Basan Pitambar, Kundal Karn Pade llHari Om Jay Shree Shyaam Hare,Ratnasinhaasan Raajat, Sevak Bhakt Khade lKhevat Dhup Agni Par, Deepak Jyoti Jare llHari Om Jay Shree Shyaam Hare,Modak Khir Churama, Suvarna Thal Bhare lSevak Bhog Lagaavat, Sir Par Chanvar Dhhure llHari Om Jay Shree Shyaam Hare,Jhanjh, Nagaara Aur Ghadiyaaval, Shankh Mridang Ghure lBhakt Aarti Gave, Jay Jaykar Kare llHari Om Jay Shree Shyaam Hare,Jo Dhyave Phal Pave, Sab Dukh Se Ubare lSevak Jab Nij Much Se, Shree Shyaam Uchare llHari Om Jay Shree Shyaam Hare,Shri Shyam Bihaariji Ki Arti, Jo Koi Nar Gave lGaaval Dasmanohar, Manavanchhit Phal Pave llHari Om Jay Shree Shyaam Hare..
,,...,,...,,...,,...,,,...,,...,,...
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As I was driving one day I encountered a bumper sticker admonishing me:
"WARNING! In the event of Rapture, this car will be driverless."
The strange belief in the Rapture teaches that some day (sooner rather than later), without warning, born-again Christians will begin to float up from the freeway, abandoned vehicles careening wildly. There will be airliners in the sky suddenly with no one at the controls! Presumably, God is removing these favored ones from earth to spare them the tribulation of the Anti-Christ which the rest of us will have to endure.
Unfortunately the Rapture has been promoted widely by the Left Behind series of According to the Bible and according to the belief not only of Orthodox Christians but also of the Roman Catholic and most Protestant mainline churches, the true Rapture will not be secret; it will be the great and very visible Second Coming of Jesus at the end of the world. That is the one and only "Rapture". It will not be a separate, secret event but one that every eye shall see (1 Thess. 4:16-17).
The word rapture is not found in Scripture but hearkens to 1 Thess. 4:17 where St. Paul says that when the Lord comes again
"we who are alive...shall be caught up...in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air."
This "being caught up...in the clouds"-arpagisometha in Greek, is translated by some as "raptured". The word itself is not found in Orthodox theology.
The notion of a rapture in which Christ comes unseen to take believers away secretly, and only later comes back again for everyone else publicly-this whole teaching is quite novel. It was almost unheard of until John Nelson Darby formulated it in the 1800s as part of a new approach to the Bible, sometimes called "dispensationalism".
The purpose of the "Rapture" is to protect the elect from the tribulations of the end times. Yet Jesus said nothing about sparing anyone from tribulation. In fact, He said,
"In the world you have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world."
Nowhere did Jesus ever say that He would return secretly to rapture the elect. Rather, He promised to be with His elect in all tribulations.
"Lo, I am with you always. I will never leave you or forsake you."
He even had something good to say about being persecuted:
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:10).
Those who espouse the Rapture claim that Matthew 24:40-41 refers clearly to the rapture of the just,
"Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left."
The entire passage, however, refers to Christ's second coming where He will judge the living and the dead and separate the just from the unjust.
Darby taught as dogma that when the Scriptures reveal that the Lord will reign on earth for a thousand years (Rev. 20:4), this figure is to be taken literally, rather than as a symbol for eternity as we believe. The Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431 condemned as heresy this teaching which is called chialiasmos (millenianism or 1000 years).
In fact, the Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787 A.D.) in which the essential truths of the Christian faith were defined never mention a rapture. Yet evangelical Christians and Pentecostals keep using obscure passages of the book of Revelation which purport to give a detailed timetable of what will happen at the end of the world, despite the fact that Jesus Himself warned that no man knows either the day or the hour when the Son of Man shall return.
A major problem with the Rapture is that it ends up teaching not two but three comings of Jesus-first His birth in Bethlehem; second, His secret coming to snatch away (rapture) the "born-again"; and third, His coming at the end of the world to judge the living and the dead and to reign in glory. Yet only two not three comings of Christ are mentioned in the Bible. We have the clearest definition of this in the Nicene Creed when we confess that
"the Lord Jesus Christ...will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. His Kingdom will have no end... I expect the resurrection of the dead. And the life of the ages to come."
There is no mention of a "Rapture".
As already stated, most Christians, Orthodox, Roman Catholics and Protestants do not believe in the Rapture. In fact, one Protestant pastor, John L. Bray, summarized magnificently what we Orthodox and most other Christians believe about the Rapture when he wrote these remarkable words,
"Though many believe and teach this "Pre-Tribulation Rapture" theory, they erroneously do so, because neither Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, nor any of the other writers of the Bible taught this. Nor did the early church fathers, nor any others for many hundreds of years... Did you know that NONE of this was ever taught prior to 1812, and that all forms of Pre-Tribulation Rapture teaching were developed since that date?... If I were to preach something, or believe something, supposedly from the Bible, but cannot find that ANYONE ELSE before 1812 ever believed it or taught it, I would seriously question that it is based on the Bible."
Thus the Rapture is foreign to the Bible and to the living tradition of the Church. It is what we call a heresy, a false teaching. False teachings, such as this, happen when people-like John Darby-believe that they have the right to interpret the Scriptures individually apart from the Living Body of Christ-the Church-where the Spirit of Truth abides and leads us to all truth.
I can think of no better words to conclude than those of Jesus when He speaks of the one and only "Rapture", the Second Coming:
"Be on guard. Be alert! You do not know when that time will come...keep watch...if he comes suddenly, do not let Him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!" (Mark 13:32-37).-Fr. Anthony M. ConiarisSyndicated by Atom
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A Page of Wisdom by motivational speaker FRANK MILES (lafatfear@aol.com) presents: Thich Nhat Hanh, "The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching "(Broadway, 1999, pg. 24).
"
BUDDHIST MONK HORSE RIDER WINS GOLD: Japanese monk Kenki Sato wins gold medal at Asian Games in China as part of the "special life path" he is on (chakranews.com).
.Buddhist meditation has two aspects - shamatha" and "vipashyana".
We tend to stress the importance of "vipashyana" ("looking deeply") because it can bring us insight and liberate us from suffering and afflictions.
But the practice of "shamatha" ("stopping") is fundamental. IF WE CANNOT STOP, WE CANNOT HAVE INSIGHT.
There is a story in ZEN CIRCLES about a man and a horse. The horse is galloping quickly, and it appears that the man on the horse is going somewhere important.
Another man, standing alongside the road, shouts, "Where are you going?" and the first man replies, "I don't know! Ask the horse!"
This is also our story. We are riding a horse, we don't know where we are going, and we can't stop. The horse is our habit energy, pulling us along, and we are powerless...
We have to learn the art of stopping - stopping our thinking, our habit energies, our forgetfulness, our strong emotions that rule us.
* BUDDHIST MONK HORSE RIDER TAKES GOLD
* PRES.-ELECT HILLARY IN INDIA WITH DIDI
* PIC OF THE WEEK: DALAI LAMA
* ARRESTS AFTER 3 MEN ATTACK BUDDHIST MONK
* CELEBRATING BUDDHISM IN AP, INDIA
* PIC OF THE WEEK: BIG BUDDHA (TIAN TAN BUDDHA)
* VIDEO: POLICE BEAT DISABLED MAN TO DEATH
* UPDATE: NEW VIDEO OF KELLY THOMAS BEATING
* "WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE" AUTHOR DIES
* HELP SAVE WILD ANIMALS: VALLEY WILDLIFE CARE
* KAUILAPELE'S SUPER BLOG
* KARMA POLICE: CYBER SHAMANS (TWITTER)
* CINCO DE MAYO MYTHS DEBUNKED
* FAT AMERICANS: FORECAST TO REACH 42%
* CIA "THWARTS" ITS OWN PLOT WITH A DOUBLE-AGENT UNDERWEAR
* Plot foiled, but more bombs out there (so we better search travelers harder)
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From the Dallas Morning News:
1. The word zombie comes from the Congo, where in local folklore Nzambi is the great spirit. Known as Li Grand Zombi in New Orleans, Gandolfo said, the great spirit is symbolized by the snake.
"2. In voodoo lore, your body houses a petit angel and a grand angel. When you die, the grand angel goes to heaven. The petit angel hangs out in your body for three days or until you've finished rotting. If anything happens to the petit angel before your time's up, you might turn into a zombie. This is why, in Haiti, people might sit on a loved one's grave for three days."
"3. Getting from the petit angel stage to the zombie stage requires the work of a magician or witch doctor to intercede with spirits. Gandolfo said spirits are all inherently benign, "but they're easily manipulated." Ghede, the spirit that deals with zombies, "is an alcoholic. He can be had for a fifth of rum."
You can bribe Ghede to steal the spirit from a not-fully-decayed corpse and thus reanimate the corpse. Alternatively, the spirit can be kept in a jar for future use.
Ghede is a sort of gatekeeper of the cemetery and is often portrayed, on voodoo altars, as wearing the top hat of an undertaker and sunglasses with one lens missing, symbolizing that he has dominion over both things seen and unseen.
"4. In Haitian folklore, becoming a zombie is a fate far worse than death, because zombies are considered eternal slaves, raised from the dead to work in the fields."
"5. A real zombie's feet never touch the ground. He or she is not earthbound. That's why they always wear long dresses and pants that drag the ground." And the way to get rid of a zombie is to feed them salt, or throw salt on them. Zombies are also reportedly afraid of frogs.
Origin: http://lilith-dark-moon.blogspot.com
The CHONYID BARDO is the second intermediate state described in the Tibetan Book of the Dead where visual and auditory phenomena occur. After witnessing the Primordial Clear Light in the Chikhai Bardo, what follows is a progressive vision of the peaceful deities from the fivefold radiant light of the primordial Buddha on the fourth until the eleventh day. In Tibetan Buddhist doctrines, it is said that a concentration of five radiant lights emanate from the heart center of our spirit-body. It is from this center that the peaceful deities emerge.
Corresponding with the visions in this state is a feeling of intense tranquility and perfect knowledge. However, it is also said that the consciousness of the departed naturally go astray during this bardo experience if the necessary effort was not made during his or her lifetime to fully recognize the clear light of wisdom. This means they get lost during the process and may end up some place they don't like in their next rebirth.
WHAT ARE THE DEITIES OF THE CHONYID BARDO?
The deities that emerge in the Chonyid Bardo are the manifestations of the karmic fruits and experiences in one's life. They are the fusion of joy and emptiness which comes from the realm of pure self-awareness. These apparitions may either be mesmerizing or frightening in appearance. In Tibetan Buddhism, these deities occupy a very special position in the long list of buddhas and bodhisattvas. They constitute many philosophical and religious teachings and serve as guiding symbols for the spiritual life. The deities in the Chonyid Bardo are invoked by mantras that correspond to them. These mantras are considered to be the carriers of spiritual energy and channels for the wisdom of the Buddhas. Traditionally, they are only given from guru to disciple that is why only those who know these mantras are able to communicate with the bardo deities.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE CHONYID BARDO EXPERIENCE?
The purpose of the experience in the Chonyid Bardo is to help transform one's consciousness via the dramatic display of psychic projections to purge one's excessive karmic content. This is essentially the same thing that takes place when one reaches the deeper states during meditation. All the positive and negative emotional materials accumulated during one's lifetime take their individual turn in coming to the surface of one's consciousness. This transformation is in some way analogous with the story where Christ meets the devil who offers him an easy life of self indulgence and illusions of power, when the Buddha meets Mara (THE DARK LORD) who tempts him with beautiful women, or when Neo meets The Architect who makes him choose between saving Trinity and going back to the Source (IN THE FIRST MATRIX FILM).
THE VISION OF THE PEACEFUL DEITIES
(4th to 11th DAY)
The peaceful and wrathful deities of the Chonyid Bardo are always depicted in a sitting, standing, or moving position on a lotus. They are surrounded by a powerful aura made of intense colors of the five elements. The lotus represents spiritual unfoldment and attainment. It also signifies that the deities have prevailed over the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth.
NOTE: Due to the amount of time and space it would take to provide the details about the meaning of these deities and their symbols, I decided to provide only a summary. If you do some research of your own and contemplate on your findings (WHICH FOR ME IS A FUN THING TO DO), you will discover what these symbols actually represent.
1. THE FIVE WISDOM BUDDHAS AND THEIR CONSORTS
"
ADIBUDDHA AND THE FIVE WISDOM TATHAGATAS"
The first and second day in the Chonyid Bardo involve the vision of the Five Wisdom Buddhas (OR FIVE TATHAGATAS) in order to purify the Five Aggregates or Skandhas; these aggregates are form, consciousness, perception, feeling, and mental formation. On the other hand, the five female buddhas purify the five elemental realms and they are usually depicted in inseparable tantric union, called Yab-Yum, with the Five Wisdom Buddhas.
Above the Five Wisdom Buddhas, in the highest rank, you'll see Adibuddha as the pure Dharmakaya (TRUTH BODY) and as the source of all further manifestations. Adibuddha is the mystical father and medium of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas in the bardo. The vision of the Adibuddha actually belongs to the Chikhai Bardo, but since he is the creator of the mandala where all the other deities manifest, it is essential for his name to be mentioned here.
2. THE EIGHT MAHABODHISATTVAS AND THEIR DAKINIS
THE EIGHT MAHABODHISATTVAS
The third and fourth day within the Chonyid Bardo involves the vision of the Eight Mahabodhisattvas and their Dakinis for the purification of the eight functions of consciousness and their realms of activity. They generally appear in mandalas, together with the Five Wisdom Buddhas, as male-female pairs. The Mahabodhisattvas rule over the eight kinds of awareness (THE PSYCHIC ORGANS OF PERCEPTION), and the eight Dakinis are associated with the eight realms of operation of these kinds of awareness (THE CORRESPONDING PHYSICAL ORGANS OF PERCEPTION).
3. THE BUDDHAS OF THE SIX REALMS OF EXISTENCE
"
The six incarnations of Avalokitesvara in the Six Realms of Existence"
The fifth day is the vision of the six Buddhas as incarnations of the great Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. This is the only experience carried out in the plane of the emanation body or Nirmanakaya (SEE FIRST ARTICLE). The six vices, which cause people to be reborn repeatedly due to karma, are said to be overcome with this experience. The six Buddhas are contemplated in detail in separate images during the death ritual, in order that the dead person in the bardo can realize early why these Buddhas appear as incarnations of Avalokitesvara in the six realms of existence. According to Buddhist belief, as long as human life is attached to the world of suffering due to ignorance, hatred, and desire, liberation from the chains of rebirth in the six realms of existence is impossible. In order to communicate this fundamental knowledge to all six kinds of beings, Avalokitesvara appears in the worlds of existence in the form of the six Buddhas.
4. THE FOUR MALE ">
5. THE FIVE KNOWLEDGE-HOLDING DEITIES
The seventh day is the vision of the Five Knowledge-Holding Deities or Vidhadharas. They are the last of the peaceful deities to appear and they occupy a special place in the mandala of deities. The Five Knowledge-Holding Deities form a mandala or circle in the throat chakra which represents the spiritually enlightened verbal sphere of human activity. Because of this, they neither belong to the spiritual plane of the peaceful deities which is the heart chakra nor to the mental plane of the wrathful deities which is the third eye chakra. Their position is special because no particular initiatory rite is associated with them. It could be that the knowledge of the mantras and the ritual process involved in this stage is a closely held secret among the Tibetans.
ILLUSORY IMAGES OF THE MIND
One thing that is always mentioned in the Tibetan Book of the Dead is that these deities are not to be taken in the literal sense. No matter how extreme these figures may be, they are only projections of one's unrecognized reality, i.e., the profound stuff that dwells in the subconscious. However, since they contain, as spiritual images, the most powerful forms of polarity and appear with such a convincing effect, you will find it impossible not to think that they are real.
"The underlying problem of the Second Bardo is that any and every shape - human, divine, diabolical, heroic, evil, animal, thing - which the human brain conjures up or the past life recalls, can present itself to consciousness: shapes and forms and sounds whirling by endlessly. The underlying solution - repeated again and again - is to recognize that your brain is producing the visions. They do not exist. Nothing exists except as your consciousness gives it life. You are standing on the threshold of recognizing the truth: there is no reality behind any of the phenomena of the ego-loss state, save the illusions stored up in your own mind either as accretions from game (SANGSARIC) experience or as gifts from organic physical nature and its billion-year old past history. Recognition of this truth gives liberation."(The Psychedelic Experience: A manual based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead, 1964)
The buddhas in the bardo are not "GODS" as we know them. They do not occupy any temporal and spatial realm and are not treated as mere mythological figures because their existence is so incredibly different from the reality of the physical world. Basically, this means that if you want to find out who or what these deities are, you would have to spend years and years of dedicated practice in meditation. If you want to take a shortcut, you can try taking psychedelics. Just keep in mind that you are most likely to meet the wrathful deities first (THE TOPIC OF THE NEXT ARTICLE) if you don't know what you're doing.
READ ALL THE ARTICLES IN THE BUDDHA MIND SERIES.
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BOOK: THE SUPERSTITIONS OF WITCHCRAFT BY HOWARD WILLIAMS
People all over the world have grown up cowering under the false Representation of the witch. Belinda Smith, High Priestess to the Silver Serpent Coven, and known as Becca to her coven kin, presents a Description of what most people think of when they hear the word "witch": "Parents were telling...
How hideous she looked with her green skin (she was sick form being held in confinement), her clawed hands (from her fingers being broken and then healing in unnatural positions), her long stringy hair (from falling out due to malnutrition), and her hunched back (from being tortured)." This common image is exemplified by the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (Stein 8).
It is the typical idea of a witch most people have in mind. Society also tends to believe that witchcraft is the archetype of evil. "Wicca is a modern religion that draws upon satanic occult rituals and ceremonies, including blood offerings and human sacrifice" (Roleff 29). Over centuries of erroneous beliefs, the terms "witchcraft" and "devil-worship" became synonymous.
The established work of 1484 titled Malleus Malificarum, or "The Witch's Hammer", was a guide that piloted society into the Burning Times (Cabot 62). This piece of literature, commissioned by Pope Innocent VIII, justified the torture and execution of accused witches. Malleus Malificarum provided the greatest amount of the perceived wickedness of all witches, claiming that they participated in night rides with Satan, performed human and animal sacrifices, and seduced men into sinful activities.
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Earlier today on his Twitter account, Greg Bishop posed an interesting question:
spacebrother To disclosure advocates (and others): Would you trust what is disclosed by the government if it's what you want to hear?
My response was fairly straight forward, and if you have been at Forteania long enough you probably know what I said. I replied:
@spacebrother I think so because I don't think disclosure advocates want the "truth" so much as a confirmation of their belief system
The problem with Disclosure, and other issues in the realm of the Fortean (and in life for that matter) are our belief systems. What tends to happen is that people are more likely to accept only those things that fit easily into their world views (reality tunnels) or whatever belief system that they hold. Or in some cases they will interpret the data coming into their brains through their belief systems. As an example, I over heard two co-workers talking about an experience that one of them had had the previous weekend during a church service. A woman was at the front of the congregation singing a hymn, and the entire congregation was really 'feeling the spirit' as my co-worker put it. Suddenly the woman who was singing let out a loud scream. Evidently she had felt a hand being place on her cheek. The interesting part is that all of the congregation was able to clearly make a hand print upon the woman's cheek, immediately following the event. Now of course for those that had witnessed this event, it was truly a miracle. Perhaps it was even a sign from God.
I'm not arguing as to what may or may not have occurred in this case. I wasn't there so I can't say for sure. What we can take away from this story however, is that people interpret events based on their world views. Since this phantom hand print appeared during a church service, then it was obviously the work of God or perhaps angels or what have you. But if it had occurred during say, a s'eance? What then? Well in this case it might have been further proof of the medium's contact with the 'other side'. This gets us back to the True Believer vs Pseudo-skeptic issue that I have brought up time after time on this blog. Both sides of the eternal debate are so wrapped up in their beliefs that they have a difficult time entertaining the other person's point of view.
Disclosure is another obvious example of this within the Fortean arena. The Disclosure movement will not stop demanding the 'Truth' from the government until it is released. The problem is they have a very specific idea of just what exactly this 'Truth' is. But that doesn't necessarily translate to what may or may not exist in reality. It seems that unless the 'Government' hands over the alien spaceship that crashed at Roswell, or whatever particular part of the modern UFO that the Disclosure person believes in, they will not be satisfied. This would seem to be because they are not looking for some objective 'Truth' that is grounded in our consensus 'reality' (we just can't get away from this damn word), rather they are looking for a confirmation of their beliefs.
I am not intending on picking on the Disclosure movement. Really we are all guilty of this to one degree or another, we all have a belief system to some degree or another. Now, how much we let it dictate our actions and/or opinions is another matter entirely. Like anything else, perhaps just by recognizing that we have this kind of hindrance to gaining new insight, we can move past it in order to try and learn things. I don't mean to invalidate beliefs, unless they turn out to be incorrect of course, we are entitled to believe whatever we wish.
If you prefer to think that the government has already solved the UFO problem, which I admit is a pretty comforting position to be in (it removes the mystery), then by all means knock yourself out. Personally I would like to refrain from coming down on one side or another. It's part of my life philosophy, which I am in the process of developing because we should never stop growing and learning. I simply try to assimilate as much data as possible on a given topic and then come to a tentative position on the issue. If I later learn something that invalidates my previous opinion I discard it and make a new one. I'm not perfect, so it doesn't always work out. After all I'm only human. But I try a little bit more each day to challenge myself.
I would urge each of you to do the same. Try and be as open minded as possible about whatever is coming into your reality tunnel. The next time a phantom hand print appears on someone, don't be so quick to conclude what caused it (whether religious, paranormal, or perhaps scientific) rather just file it away until you have more data on it. It's hard for us to admit sometimes that we just really don't know a lot about what's going on out there in the world. But it's at least intellectually honest to do so. Until next time, watch out for those handsy spirits!
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One of the many fine
intended, viz.: for "expatiating on the mysteries of the Craft," and perhaps our neglect to do so is because we have ourselves imperfectly realized what those mysteries are into which our Order was primarily formed to introduce us. Yet, there exists a large number of brethren who would willingly repair this obvious deficiency; brethren to whose natures Masonry, even in their more limited aspect of it, makes a profound appeal, and who feel their membership of the Craft to be a privilege which has brought them into the presence of something greater than they know, and that enshrines a purpose and that could unfold a message deeper than they at present realize.
It is well to emphasize then, at the outset, that Masonry is a sacramental system, possessing, like all sacraments, an outward and visible side consisting of its ceremonial, its doctrine and its symbols which we can see and hear, and an inward, intellectual and spiritual side, which is concealed behind the ceremonial, the doctrine and the symbols, and which is available only to the Mason who has learned to use his spiritual imagination and who can appreciate the reality that lies behind the veil of outward symbol. Anyone, of course, can understand the simpler meaning of our symbols, especially with the help of the explanatory lectures; but he may still miss the meaning of the scheme as a vital hole.
It is absurd to think that a vast organization like Masonry was ordained merely to teach to grown-up men of the world the symbolical meaning of a few simple builders' tools, or to impress upon us such Masonry elementary virtues as temperance and justice: the children in every village school are taught such things; or to enforce such simple principles of morals as brotherly love, which every church and every religion teaches; or as relief, which is practised quite as much by non-Masons as by us; or of truth, which every infant learns upon its mother's knee. There is surely, too, no need for us to join a secret society to be taught that the volume of the Sacred Law is a fountain of truth and instruction; or to go through the great and elaborate ceremony of the third degree merely to learn that we have each to die.
The Craft whose work we are taught to honour with the name of a "science," a "royal art," has surely some larger end in view than merely inculcating the practice of social virtues common to all the world and by no means the monopoly of Freemasons.
Surely, then, it behooves us to acquaint ourselves with what that larger end consists, to enquire why the fulfilment of that purpose is worthy to be called a science, and to ascertain what are those " mysteries " to which our doctrine promises we may ultimately attain if we apply ourselves assiduously enough to understanding what Masonry is capable of teaching us.
By W.L. Wilmshurst
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 24TH
5:00 PM - CHILDREN AND FAMILY WORSHIP
"BE A PART OF THE NATIVITY - THE GIFT OF JESUS"
7:00 PM - CANDLELIGHT WORSHIP
Invite your friends and family and extended family to an evening of Children and Family Worship on Christmas Eve at 5:00 pm. This is a night of wonder, a night of miracles, a night when we receive again the gift of Jesus for all time. Our puppet friends will be with us as we hear again the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. Jesus Emmanuel - God with us has come! A light that shines in the darkness dawned 2000 years ago and continues to shine in spirit through the tangible expression of our lives today. Invite your family and friends to come and see this thing, which God has done. We will sing carols in joy and celebrate with light while we participate together in the nativity, the birth of Jesus. Let's worship God on this special night.
Worship at 7:00 pm will be a celebration of joy and music as we hear the story of the birth of Jesus; a birthing that continues through us. Invite your family to join us on this evening of worship bathed in candlelight to experience the miracle of Emmanuel, God with us, born of Mary in a stable long ago and born in us today.
There will be a time for friendship and conversation with refreshments following each worship opportunity. Invite your family, friends and neighbors as we celebrate the miracle God gave us!
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Today is the THE WIP IT GOOD BLOGFEST
It will be updated in the Spellcraft & Swordplay trade dress, but nothing else will be done to the image. It is too perfect as is.
Like the Witch, Eldritch Witchery will have new spells, magic items and monsters. It will have traditions, but all new ones, different from the Witch, so new Occult Powers too. Warlocks also have Lodges they belong to. The biggest addition is the inclusion of all the demons and devils to the Spellcraft & Swordplay game. If you were around for my April A to Z posting then you have an idea what will be included.
The book is done, more or less. The first part with the witches, spells and magic items is being reedited. The demons and devils are wrapping up. I know this one has been delayed, but we are looking for a Halloween or earlier release.
So yes if you have the Witch then there is still plenty of new material here even if you don't play Spellcraft & Swordplay. It can be played with OD&D as well.
It is a big piece of work. Maybe larger than The Witch. I hope you all enjoy it.
EDITED TO ADD: Forgot the template. Been one of those weeks.
WIP TITLE: Eldritch Witchery
WORD COUNT (projected/actual so far): 150,00 projected 117,588 right now
GENRE: RPG
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING ON IT?: Seriously about 2 years. Of on on though for only the first 6 months
ELEVATOR PITCH (if you came across an agent in an elevator ride, what couple of lines would you use to summarize your book): EW is the follow up to The Witch for the Spellcraft & Swordplay game.
BRIEF SYNOPSIS (300 words or less): The witch and warlock classes are detailed along with hundreds of new spells, magic items, monsters and tons of demons and devils.
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A CRITIQUE PARTNER? Not really that kind of book.
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A BETA READER? Same.
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NROOGD SAMHAIN, 1987
A Cymro-Norse ritual
-
TOOLS:
* Drinking Horn
* Hammer (Mjollnir)
* Sword
* Pentacle/Stone
* Bowl of Salt
* Water
* Censer & Incense
CELEBRANTS:
* White Priestess (Skadi)
* Gold Priest (Freyr)
* Red Priestess (Freyja)
* Red Priest (Heimdallr)
* Black Priestess (Vala)
* Black Priest (Odin)
Procession, consisting of Soulers (any small number) and White Mare.
Skadi takes the sword around the circle with these words:
SHARP BRIGHT STEEL THE CIRCLE SCRIBES;
CARVING, CLEAVING WORLD FROM WORLD.
Freyja banishes the circle with the hammer and these words:
MANKIND'S FRIEND, BY MJOLLNIR'S MIGHT
BANISH BEINGS THAT BODE US ILL!
She stands in the center and to each quarter and above and below she makes the Hammer-Sign, saying,
HOLY HAMMER, HALLOW AND HOLD US.
Vala seals the circle, carrying pentacle and bowl of salt, saying,
STOUT STONE SHIELD US, SHUT THE CIRCLE.
Skadi asperses the circle (Vala follows with censer) with these words:
BE ALL BLESS'D WHO BIDE HEREIN,
BY STONE AND SEA, BY STORM AND SUN.
Now Heimdallr takes the sword and calls the quarters as follows:
WISDOM'S WAIN, EAST WIND I CALL THEE!
THOUGHTS THY THANES THAT THRIVE IN NEWNESS.
BREATHE AND BLESS, BLOW ALL CLEAN;
WATCH AND WARD, O WIND OF MIND.
SUMMER'S SAVOUR, SOUTH WIND COME NOW!
BRIGHT THE BLESSINGS YOU BEAR WITH YOU.
STRONG OF SPIRIT, SUN-LIKE FIRE;
WATCH AND WARD, O WIND OF SOUL.
WILD AND WET, WEST WIND I SUMMON!
SEA-SPRAY BEARING, SINGING, SHOUTING;
BEATS THE EARTH'S BLOOD IN THY BREAST;
WATCH AND WARD, O WIND OF HEART.
WHITE WITH WINTER, NORTH WIND, WAKEN!
STONE'S STRENGTH BRINGING, SNOW-CLOAKED WIND.
FROM THE FROST-REALMS, FRESH AND CHILL,
WATCH AND WARD, O WIND OF FORM.
The Priestesses and Priests stand opposite each other, and each one of the pair invokes the other, as follows:
Skadi (to Freyr):
LORD OF LIFE, HAIL LAND-MASTER!
GOD OF GRAIN THAT GROWS AND DIES
AND RISES REBORN, FULL OF RICHNESS;
FALLOW FIELDS SHALL YET BE FERTILE -
SPRING SAP RUNS AS STIRS YOUR PHALLUS -
BLESS BARREN EARTH, LET IT BEAR AGAIN!
Freyr (to Skadi)
SHOW-SHOES STRIDING, HAIL SWIFT HUNTRESS!
WILD ONE, FREE AND WILLFUL GODDESS,
BOW AND BLADE YOU BEAR BESIDE YOU,
FINDING FOOD TO FEND OFF HUNGER.
WINTER WILL NOT LEAVE US WANTING;
GIVE GOOD HUNTING, GRANT US SKILL!
Freyja (to Heimdallr)
STANDING STEADFAST, HAIL FAR-SEER!
WATCHFUL ONE, ON RAINBOW WAITING,
HORN AT HAND TO ROUSE THE HEROES,
NEWS YOU KNOW FROM NINE WORLDS OVER.
PEOPLE'S PARENT AND OUR PATRON,
OPEN OUR EYES TO ALTERED SIGHT.
Heimdallr (to Freyja)
VANIR BRIDE, HAIL VISION-GIVER!
CAPPED IN CAT-FUR, CLOAKED IN FEATHERS,
DRUMMING FOR THE DANCE OF DREAMS,
YOU HASTE TO HUNT OUT HIDDEN THINGS.
SCANT NOW THE SCREEN THAT HINDERS SIGHT;
LET US LEARN THE LORE OF TRANCE-WORK.
Vala (to Odin)
ONE-EYE, WANDERER, GOD OF WISDOM,
HUNT-LORD, HAIL, WHO LEADS THE HOSTING!
NINE NIGHTS HANGING, KNOWLEDGE GAINING,
CLOAKED AT CROSSROADS, COUNCIL HIDDEN.
NOW THE NIGHT, YOUR TIME IS NEAR US -
RIGHT ROADS SEND US ON, RUNE-WINNER.
Odin (to Vala)
EVERY AGE YOUR EYE HAS WITNESSED,
CAULDRON-KEEPER; HAIL, WISE CRONE!
REDE IN RIDDLES IS YOUR RATION -
WYRD-WEAVING AT THE WORLD-TREE'S ROOT.
ELDEST ANCIENT, ALL-KNOWING ONE,
SPEAK SECRETS TO US, SEND US KENNING.
Odin reminds everyone what the festival is about, as follows:
Odin:
SO COMES THE SOULS'-DAY. SUMMON FOR FEASTING
ANCESTORS, ANCIENTS, HONOURED AND BLESSED;
LET IN BELOVED ONES, LEND THEM YOUR BODIES -
WHOM DO YOU HALLOW? HAIL THEM BY NAME!
Allow a few minutes for everybody to name the ancestor they want to welcome.
Then Vala gives this admonition:
Vala:
AS ANCIENT ELDERS YOU LEARN FROM AND HONOUR,
LET NOT THE LIVING ONES MOULDER ALONE.
NEAR IS THEIR KNOWLEDGE NEARER THAN SPIRITS',
SEEN WITHOUT CEREMONY, SIMPLY FOR ASKING.
Both:
GRANDMOTHERS, GRANDFATHERS, GREAT BE THEIR BLESSINGS
PAST ONES AND PRESENT WE DANCE THEM ALL POWER!
All the Celebrants but Heimdallr form a circle facing outward;
Heimdallr goes to the West, and all say:
WIDE ARE THE WORLDGATES; NOW THE WIGHTS WANDER.
WELCOME WITHIN ARE THE DEAD WHO WERE OURS;
REST FROM RIDING HERE, REVEL AND FEAST HERE;
COME IN, OLD KINSFOLK, KEEPERS OF WISDOM!
Heimdallr cuts the Soulers' Procession into the Circle on "Come in",
and moves to stand with the other Celebrants while the Soulers dance slowly around singing:
WELCOME WINTER, WANING SEASON,
NOW WITH NIGHT THE NEW YEAR COMES;
ALL WHO HONOUR ELDER KINSFOLK
DANCE THE DEAD TO EARTHLY DRUMS.
SOULS RESPECTED SAFEGUARD LIVING
HOUSE WE'LL HOLD, AND HALLOW HEARTH;
BLESSINGS BE ON THOSE WHO BIDE HERE,
AND INDEED ON ALL THE EARTH!
The Celebrants begin also to circle, dancing in character, starting widdershins then spiralling in and out to end deosil, as in the meeting dance, while the Soulers encourage the outer circle to dance also. The intent should be for luck in the new year, and better connection with our Ancestors (as well as better treatment of our Elders!). WE ARE THE OLD PEOPLE, and BLOOD OF THE ANCIENTS are appropriate and may be sung in polyphony...
As the providers of food, FREYR and SKADI bring forward the feast. Some food should be laid out for the ancestors, and people should be encouraged to let the ancestors use their senses for a while to enjoy the food with them.
The Soulers in particular should receive Soul Cakes. A strong magical gesture would be for people to bring forward canned and other non-perishable food (which can be later given to a food bank or similar organization).
Freyr speaks as follows:
CAKES TO US CARRY, CORN FROM THE STOREHOUSE;
WINE DEFIES WINTER, WARM WITH CAUGHT RIPENESS;
MILK MADE TO CHEESES, MEAT DRIED AND SALTED;
LAST OF THE LAND'S FRUITS ERE THE LONG SLEEP.
Skadi speaks as follows:
GOOD NUTS AND GAME-FOOD ARE HUNTERS' GUERDON;
SLEEPING EARTH'S SECRETS YIELD TO THE SEEKER
TRUE BURIED TREASURE: ONIONS, POTATOES
FOREST SHALL FEED US WHILE THE FIELDS REST.
Both say (if there is to be food donation):
ALL WHO HAVE AUGHT TO OFFER, NOW BRING IT;
WIGHTS, BEAR YE WITNESS WORK WITH THE GIVERS.
FEEDING OUR FELLOWS, LET US BE FED SO,
SOPS FOR THE SPIRIT OR SUP FOR THE FLESH.
[If there is to be scrying and divination, it should be done now in a quiet space marked off as separate from the feasting-place. FREYJA and HEIMDALLR lead the scrying and VALA and ODIN lead rune-work, with the following optional speeches:
Heimdallr:
LET THE LOTS TUMBLE, LOOSING THEIR LEARNING;
WORD-WOOD AND WIT-STONES, WON THROUGH ORDEAL.
COME UP AND CAST THEM, WHILE WORD IS CLEAREST
AUGERS MAY ANSWER AUGHT THE YEAR HOLDS.
Freyja:
WIDE ARE THE WORLDGATES, WINDOWS ARE OPEN;
SIGHTS MAY BE SEEN NOW, ELSETIMES BUT SCARCELY.
CRYSTAL AND CAULDRON CAPTURE THE VISION;
MYSTERY'S MEANING SPEAKS TO THE MINDFUL.]
Note: it is entirely appropriate for partying to go on inside the sacred circle (people can get up and move around), so that the Dead have the opportunity to enjoy their day before we bid them farewell; the circle should be cast large, with this in mind. The only constraint is to open in sufficient time to clean up the hall before the rental time runs out. The circle is opened as follows:
Heimdallr:
TO WATCHING WINDS, WE WISH FAIR WANDERING;
FAN US SWEET FRAGRANCE; HAIL, FAREWELL!
ALL:
TO SLEEPLESS SOULS, WE WISH SWEET RESTING;
FRIENDS WILL KEEP FAITH; FAREWELL NOW!
GODS AND GODDESSES, GO WITH PRAISES!
FINISHED OUR FESTIVAL; HAIL, FAREWELL!
Celebrants ground with this formula:
AS FROM THE EARTH OUR ENERGY COMES,
INTO THE EARTH THE EXCESS FLOWS;
EARTH AND ALL EMPOWERED ALIKE
BE IT SO!
Skadi:
SEE: THE CIRCLE IS SEVERED THUS [she cuts]
MERRY MEET, MERRY PART, MERRY MEET AGAIN!
B*B
Leigh Ann
Origin: http://witchnest.blogspot.com
Herewith the first dispatch from The Continuum's newly appointed Antipodean correspondent, our already well-known commentator, Sandra McColl:
At the end of this month, two events will occur in the Anglican Church of Australia by which it will begin to catch up with The Episcopal Church and will forge 'ahead' of the Church of England. The two events will be two purported consecrations of women to the episcopate.
The announcements were made last month, when first the Archbishop of Perth announced the appointment of the Melbourne-trained Kay Goldsworthy, currently serving in Perth as Archdeacon, and then the Archbishop of Melbourne announced the appointment of Barbara Darling, originally from Sydney, both of them from the original vintage of priestesses of 1992.
The announcements were snapped up by the mainstream media, with the shattering of the stained-glass ceiling as a recurring theme. Now, it just happens that the strangely named National Gallery of Victoria has a Great Hall, built some time at the end of the 60s or beginning of the 70s (I don't remember exactly when, but I know I was still at school at the time), which has a stained-glass roof. It's actually rather a marvellous thing, and it became very fashionable to lie on the floor in order to admire it. But the Great Hall is not a place of worship, and places of worship don't have stained glass roofs or ceilings. Australian church buildings have ceilings of stone, timber, plaster - the same materials as are used the world over. Indeed, I have yet to see in one of them so much as a stained-glass skylight.
In an article in The Age, entitled "The stained-glass ceiling has been shattered", Muriel Porter, who has been in the vanguard of the campaign for the ordination of women for at least 25 years, celebrated the Melbourne announcement and compared it with another recent announcement, that of the appointment of a woman as the next Governor-General. Why a woman becoming Governor-General should be so remarkable is a bit of a mystery, since women have been State Governors already, and, after all, the job of the Governor-General is to represent the Queen. (A bishop, on the other hand, represents... oh, never mind, I give up.)
As might have been appropriate for an article in a secular newspaper, Dr Porter's article was cast entirely in the language and images of the secular equal rights struggle. This was indeed largely how the battle had been fought. Perhaps knowing that most ordinary sheep in the pews wouldn't easily buy into God the Mother, the innovators fed them a pur'eed and spiced version of that doctrine, so-called "inclusive" language, and concentrated on the skills needed to do what was perceived to be a priest's, or a bishop's, job.
The use of the secular women's rights argument had been highlighted by Bishop Harry Entwistle of the Australian branch of the TAC, who wrote on The Messenger Journal website that:
the proponents of women's ordination did not argue their case on theological grounds, many of which are difficult for Anglican laity and some clergy to untangle. They argued from the perspective of justice, equality and women's rights and status, which laity understands only too readily. They managed to turn it from a religious argument concerning creation, incarnation, salvation and the nature of the Church to one of human rights.
They gambled on the general ignorance of the Anglican laity in matters of scriptural knowledge, Church order and tradition and found they were on a winning streak, aided and abetted by the secular Western culture. This is not to say that Dr Porter did not use scriptural language or images. She referred to the Diocese of Sydney, which had 'hardened its heart' against women's ordination. Now, I'm no fan of the Diocese of Sydney, with its Cathedral Holy Table with wheels (what would Ezekiel say about that?), its lay-presidency movement and its view of ordained ministry which is all about preaching, teaching and headship and doesn't appear to have any sacramental sense at all. But the image of hardening of heart does not do justice to bishops and their people who have sought to maintain a principled stand against theological novelty.
The Constitution of the Anglican Church of Australia ("ACA"-just to be confusing) begins thus, with three Fundamental Declarations:
1. The Anglican Church of Australia, being a part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ, holds the Christian Faith as professed by the Church of Christ from primitive times and in particular as set forth in the creeds known as the Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed.
2. This Church receives all the canonical scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as being the ultimate rule and standard of faith given by inspiration of God and containing all things necessary for salvation.
3. This Church will ever obey the commands of Christ, teach His doctrine, administer His sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, follow and uphold His discipline and preserve the three orders of bishops, priests and deacons in the sacred ministry.
Over the years, better legal and theological minds than mine have determined that the ordination of women is not consistent with any of the above. I prefer not to trouble myself with the details of the deliberations of the Appellate Tribunal over the years, but it would appear that the ACA's peak legal body has merely reflected an increasingly administrative view of holy orders, and the episcopate in particular, that has developed in the ACA generally.
The bishops of the ACA have met and worked out a protocol for dealing with women in the episcopate. It contains some statements about making appropriate episcopal ministry available to those who can't accept the innovation. There are also recommendations that at every consecration, at least three of the consecrating bishops should be male. They just don't get it. How can they provide alternative pastoral provisions for people whose misgivings they simply do not comprehend?
I do not know where Ms Goldsworthy is going to be working after her "consecration". Miss Darling, however, will be given the position of Director of Diocesan Ministries. Do you really need to be a bishop to do that job? Perhaps it shows just how far the sacramental literacy of the Diocese of Melbourne has fallen in the past 20 or so years. Another sign of this is found in a recent Ad Clerum from the Archbishop of Melbourne, who gave directions to his clergy as to the proper way of using unfermented grape juice in separate glasses for Holy Communion. Gluten-free wafers are also requested to be provided for those who require them.
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The intention of this post was to shift gears from the run of UFO-related anomalies that have preceded it. As you will read, I have only partly succeeded in that. To set the stage, I should state for those who don't already know it that I am a practicing Catholic [albeit a pretty "far left" one] and therefore have no built-in prejudices against the possibility of miracles nor apparitions. As an old scientist, however, I am in line with most Church authorities as being highly skeptical of Marian apparitions, believing most of them to be unsupported claims of people who desperately need their shaky faith-levels bolstered. I believe that the Church sanctions only five Marian apparitions as veridical [I may be off in my number but the number is a small one].
This post was inspired by the purchase of the pictured book from our famous/notorious The picture above is a colorful if not very accurate rendition of the sight. The most particular change which should be made would be painting the scene at night and in the rain. The bright aura which surrounded the figures would then stand out more impressively. I'm not going to retell the person-by-person coming and going, because it doesn't seem important. Suffice it to say, that a couple of people saw the images in dusk/daylight, night rapidly fell and the rain came, and several other witnesses, told by one of the early sighters came out to view the apparition while the skies were dark and ultimately rainy. The apparition was like a three-dimensional life-like sculpture which never moved [sort of like what we would call today a very well done holographic projection of a skill probably still a bit beyond us today]. The apparition lasted a few hours and was gone before morning. The event happened on August 21, 1879.
The event gets its strength from the early testimonies of more than a dozen residents of the small village of Knock. These testimonies were taken not long after the event and with churchmen present along with the questioner. Particularly of interest to the modern field investigator is the fact that not all testimonies precisely agree [showing a great deal of independence in the witnesses] while perfectly agreeing as to the main outlines of the event. The witnesses were all well known people in this village, and they were considered credible persons beyond reproach. Many of the witnesses didn't know what to make of the apparition and were far from forming some kind of instant cult. The picture at the left is one of the witnesses. It is labelled [on an internet site picturing some later book on the subject] as "Mary Byrne". This is probably not true. The main family name in the village was spelled "Beirne" and this is probably the elder Margaret Beirne rather than the 26 year-old Mary. This is not essential to our tale, but it demonstrates the simple goodness of going to the earliest closest sources possible. Mary and Margaret Beirne [there were actually two ladies named Margaret who witnessed] were among the 14 witnesses whose testimonies were recorded in the book cited above. [8 females and 6 males, ranging in age from a six-year-old to a lady of 75.] A thumbnail listing of the elements of their testimonies has been included below.
The "sociology" of this little parish is worth a mention. The priest was one Bartholomew Aloysius Cavanagh - no doubt what ethnic stock he. Cavanagh himself had a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin. In fact it is rumored in other The witness testimony is extremely strong in my eyes with much excellent agreement on the main points, and most of the differences being due to apparent omissions, probably caused by poor and impatient interviewing. Having read the statements, I can see why the Church considers Knock to be substantial incidence. But in my mind I am not sure WHAT SORT of substantial incident it was.
My grid-list of the features of the 14 witness statements is above. If I had anything like this in a UFO case I'd consider it one of my best. Thirteen of the fourteen witnesses, it appears to me, were obviously looking at the same thing. The fourteenth, Patrick Walsh, was not at the site but was observing a golden globe of light high above the chapel [which apparently those folks fixated on the ground-level images did not notice]. The common elements in the apparition were three figures: St. Joseph, The Blessed Virgin, and a "bishop" interpreted by half the people as St. John, standing three-dimensional and brightly colored, very life-like, and surrounded by a bright aura. To the right was an Altar on which was a Lamb, head turned towards the group. Debated among the witnesses [later] was the Cross seen by some and not by others, behind the Lamb. Some people described a sparkling starry light surrounding this area. Only one witness claimed to see hovering Angels whose wings fluttered.
Of tremendous importance to the utter strangeness of the experience are two further related phenomena. The oldest woman was deeply moved at the sight, and went over the separating ditch and right up to the images. They continued to look alive to her, albeit not moving. She threw herself at Mary's feet and attempted to kiss them. Her hands and face went through the image despite its solid look. At least one other witness went close to the images at the same time and saw the older lady attempt this. Secondly, this lady stated that it was not only this which stunned her, but that despite the hard rain, the area around the images was dry-rain did not reach it somehow. At least four other witnesses testified to this enigma. What do we make of THAT?
Knock's story spread pretty quickly [even the inclusion of it in this book was rapid as the book came out in January of 1880]. The apparition never returned, but in January and February "extraordinary stars and globes of flame" appeared on or near the church steeple. One person claimed to see a vision of Mary within one of the lightforms.
In February, another person claimed to see lights of many colors and then three dark arches, within the center of which was an image of Mary. Later claims such as these have never been robust. Still, they helped push forward the growing legend of Knock, and shortly people were making pilgrimages from all over Ireland in hopes of seeing a personal Marian vision.
Of course this is not all that some were hoping for and so Knock also became the destination for many ill and disabled persons looking for cures.
Still today people go to Knock hoping for personal miracles, and one notorious fool regularly claims that he's getting messages from the BVM all the time, and consequently predicting spectacular new appearances, which to the vast majority of persons who then go to see, never happen. All this is much to the distress and disgust of the Church hierarchy, who believe that this person is ruining the faith that people have invested in the original event.
But what actually happened back in 1879? I have about as close to zero doubt in my head that the images seen were "real" as described as I'm allowed by my intellectual honesty to have. But still: what was this? From an "objective distance" the phenomenon looks like a piece of displaced space. It is as if a physical set of extremely well-done images were standing somewhere "else" and they and the space surrounding them "slipped" into an interface with our own. What?! Well, it's not exactly unknown as a hypothesis for several other types of anomalistic mysteries. It might explain the sort-of-there sort-of-not-there aspect of this. It might explain the "rain not wetting the images". It might even explain why no one felt that they received any spiritual message during the event.
But I'm way-Out-Proctor now, so there I'll leave it.
Tags: freedom house center for religious freedom raspberry cupcake one hundred years free white magic spells op 01-6 accounting by certain entities including entities with olemnity of mary mother of god
