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1 Kings 2:1-24
We need to remember how those in God's word behaved. They are our examples.
David told Solomon- To prove that he was a Man he had to follow the ways of the Lord. -We have to understand without the help of the Holy Spirit it is not an easy thing to walk in God's ways.
Know where you are going. Be sure that you are headed to Heaven. God has a mansion with your name on it waiting on you.- book of Enoch, John 14- Be sure your name has been written in the Lambs book of life.
Do you have discernment? In these days and times we have to know the truth from a lie. They are doing all they can to shut up Holy Spirit filled preachers. Don't believe everything they tell you. Any day now they will be saying our alien brothers are here to help. we've made contact. Don't believe it know the truth.
Remember EVERYTHING you have you were loaned. Naked you came into this world and naked you will leave. Your soul is all that w9ll go with you, not your house, not your car, not your kids, not your family. Know that your heart is right before God.
1 Kings 2:7- Ref 2 Sam 17:27-29 Absalom saw David as a man- with less respect then the King deserved.
vs 11- David reigned 40 years - what numeric significance is there elsewhere in the bible with 40 years?
vs 24- He was going to be punished for trying to manipulate the King. In those days the judgements were harsher, and immediately done.
- David represented judgement and righteousness in the earth at that time. He was a type in the natural of what Jesus would be in the spiritual now.
1 Peter 4:17-Judgement has begun at the house of the Lord. God is bringing His children into Holiness, and Sanctification.- This is the season of The Holy Spirit- If you are being obedient to the word of God, he will abide with you. God is going to show up and show out for His children. Watch your words, actions, what you allow to go on around you and God's glory will reside with you.
Its time to Live ready, be ready, act ready, stay ready! Separate yourselves from ungodly people. If you have tried to share the good news of Christ with them and they are rejecting it you have done your part. Bad company corrupts good morals. Yes they will talk about you. so! Keep your focus, God will judge us all in the end. If they reject Him, he will play back the times you tried to share with them to them. Then they will be sorry they didn't listen. Pray for them. God can call anyone, It is He who has to do the calling, man can save no one, Only Jesus can save you.
1 Cor 15:51 We shall all be changed. They will see then. We are to be as kings and priests unto God-Revelation 5:10`- Time to slap the devil down! This is not a baby ministry or for baby Christians.
John 10:13-22
vs 20- many said Jesus had a Devil so if they are talking about you don't be offended.
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Don't live you life as Lots wife- looking backwards- No Looking back- move forward with Jesus. Press in and focus on Him. Don't let anybody get between you and Jesus. Have to have constant communication with Jesus. let go of your grudges. FORGIVE! Stay open before God. Confess your sins get right before Him.
John 12:21-36,44-50
Moses was a representative of Jesus in the earth. He cried before God on the peoples behalf often. Remember the children of Israel. Don't see yourself as just an ordinary person. The Jesus we serve is extraordinary. Be extraordinary. If you have the Holy Spirit truly the Love of Christ should be shed abroad in your heart.
Think on Heaven. None of this junk down here will be in Heaven. Rev 21 No drama in heaven. Sad to think the devil knows the whole bible & he will be burning in Hell. Its more then just reading and knowing the words. We have to have a relationship. The devil if fighting so hard and soo angry because he can't go back to heaven.
John 14:24
Acts 3:1-8
Acts 3:4- They told him to look at them not their hands. We have to remember to continue to look to the giver( God) not at the gifts.
That man was EXPECTING. Every day he was expecting. He didn't know the divine appointment God had set up for Him that day. He was expecting everyday. When you come together with another believer. Get together in expectation.
Source: http://wiccancommunity.blogspot.com
This poem and painting made me think for quite some time. I felt a strong connection to what my fiance and I have been sharing on a daily basis in Nature. We bless the trees and the Elements through spellcraft with our love for each other and for Gaia. We desire that the life within us will transfer to Gaia to heal and give Her life. So reading this made me reflect upon how much Gaia needs the love and life of each person in order to survive, for both Her good and our suvival.
I hope it will bless you also.
As it lay in the sun, the snake dreams of Life,
Filled with much killing, bloody wars, and strife.
Of human's cruel who think they rule the land -
The lives they have ended, lay countless like sand.
The Great Spirit weeps in the Heavens above;
It cries for the world it created with love,
A world that is breaking like harsh words break heart,
A world that mourns the death of each spark.
Each spark that is taken equals a life,
A life that is ended now bloodshed is rife.
The wise serpent it lay asleep in the sun;
It dreams of how evil this world has become.
As father kills wife and mother kills child,
As brother kills brother, and animal wild,
As tractors tear down the old ancient tree;
The serpent it writhes in a dream's agony.
When babies are murdered in mother's womb
The walls of her temple are now baby's tomb.
When clouds in the sky no longer give rain;
No more crystal chimes, just a hissing refrain.
When money is worshipped more than the Highest
Then dark times are here, and black deeds at their direst.
Gaia, she now shudders, and moans in her sleep.
There is pain at her centre; it strikes at her deep.
Her cries, the wise serpent, it hears in its mind,
It tries to console and wondrous thing find.
Things that will show there are some who are just,
Something that is living, not ashes and dust.
It shows her first love; it shows her new life.
It shows gentle creatures that live free of strife.
It shows her the humans who call out for peace;
Pure souls with great hearts who wish wars to cease.
But is Gaia listening, the serpent's unsure.
Can it convince grieving Gaia that some seek to cure,
Before she takes measures and does rid herself,
Of these wretched humans who damage her health.
Who murder her children and ravage the land;
Who have killed so many as countless as sand.
Wise serpent it wonders if its prayer will be heard
Before nature it strikes, avenging like sword.
For that day is coming, it is coming with speed;
Will the humans they hear? Will the humans they heed?
Credits image and poem:
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I love posting Touched by Pagan Culture Tuesday! almost as much as I love getting awards from my Wicked Darlings. Today, I feel double lucky because I get to do both at the same time. WoooHooo!
I don't know if it is spring or what, but Pagan Culture continues to get more Beautiful by the minute, and if that wasn't enough The Wickedest Witch of New York seems to have become a Blogger Buddy. I want to thank Spirit Phoenix: The Fire Within and Analae from As Within for reiterating that the creator of Pagan Culture is hot beautiful, that makes me feel all nice and warm inside. Want to know what else makes me feel nice and warm inside? Lavender tea and an award that says that I'm a Blogger Buddy. Thanks Melissa aka Equidae, I'm honored to know that the goddess of The Lotus Page considers me a blogger buddy.
Here are the rules of the beautiful blogger award:1. Thank the person who gave you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.The Blogger Buddy Award says that you have to pass it to 10 bloggers, who I presume you consider your buddies. Well my loves, you know me; I've been known for my rule breakage tendencies. So here it goes:7 things about me:
* I'm trying a new lavender tea and it tastes like soap.
* My butt is numb; I should probably change positions.
* My bra is killing me, which makes me wonder why in the Gods' names am still wearing the damn thing!
* I brush my teeth with children, strawberry flavored, toothpaste.
* I'm falling in love with Jean Toomer's writing.
* I think people with pointy canines, that are slightly longer than the rest of their teeth, have very SEXY smiles.
* I really LOVE riding the Staten Island Ferry!
Now to the "rule breakage". I'm forwarding the Beautiful Award to 2 interesting bloggers I found recently, and the Buddy Award to 11 bloggers who have won a special place in my heart. Yes, that makes my lucky 13!
2 Beautiful Bloggers I found recently:
* Mermaid Gallery Nelson
* The Play of Light and Shadow
11 Blogger Buddies:
* Cogent Ascending
* Peek-A-Boo
* Me vs. College
* One Pink Fish
* Piexie's Faerie Art
* Judy's Photos
* Hysterical Jugglings
* Written In Earth
* SueAnn's Journey
* Soulstrings
* A College Girl's Days
This was a very difficult award to give, for each of you has claimed a bit of my heart; the 11 I mentioned are just really greedy!
Another thing, Lora from fever, posted this really interesting game and I wanted to play (I just hate to feel left out). The game is supposed to help her analyze people through their handwriting. Here are the rules:
write the following
1) Your name/blog name.
2) Right-handed, left-handed, or ambidextrous?
3) Favorite letters to write.
4) Least favorite letters to write.
5) Write "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."
6) Write the following words in capital letters:
- CRAB
- HUMOR
- KALEIDOSCOPE
- PAJAMAS
- GAZILLION
7) Write your favorite song lyric.
8) Tag people!
9) Any special note or picture.
And now to get Touched by Pagan Culture Tuesday! you need to do the following:
1. Be one of my Wicked Darlings (Follow the blog).2. Comment on this posts.*If you follow through Facebook ONLY, make sure to point that out after your comments.
For extra entries:*Twitter about this post and leave me a comment with the link (Twitter daily, each day is worth an entry!).*Become a follower of one of the nominees and leave me a comment telling me why you chose him/her.*Analyze my handwriting and leave me a comment telling me what you've discovered about my inner Witch.
The Wicked Darling to be Touched will be chosen April 1st, no joke ;-D
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A true Sufi is universally the one who has seasoned the passage which has led him close to the path can illustrate the journey. The majority who claims sufi"s are the ones who are followers. A true Sufi with a Lineage and an occurrence with the Divine can unfold it best than in the least. These are rare to encounter.. and when you sense that over there is one, it's tough to judge as critics advance in the way of manifestation of truth.
The true knowledgeable Sufi is most time void of the transmutation that is taking place within the internal entity. The ones bestowed with the powers can be perhaps an individual who may not possess eternally desired to walk the path. It is a traumatic path for the nearly all who have walked ahead. These attributes are not given on a serving dish. They go through a painful journey as the prime half of their life. The journey commences very before time for some. The life occurrence is further of a teaching. The direction in all characteristics of pain one can contemplate. It continues until the innermost self is vacuumed Along with the pain inflicted is in all areas one can imagine. However, there also is a synchronic path which is of testing too. To arrive at the end of the prime journey one has to give the infinite test in addition to the life occurrences. Many fail as the war within yourself, the disagreement with the community, the row with the whole world and the mysterious is severe. Nevertheless, winning against the temptation of the satan is not an easy task to achieve. The scores are given by the supreme. Therefore, the examination is written from the heart. This is again why it formulates into the religion of the heart as during the early stages a Sufi mystic is an instinctive and makes all the life decision based on the message of the heart rather than scriptures.
to be contd
May the blessings of the God Almighty be alive your guidance,
love, serenity ">Gulsha Fawzia Salman Chishty
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Still focused on the scene at the Rochester, NY airport, this series continues to showcase the reality of the supernatural expressed in the natural, the unseen in what is seen. At some point you have to grasp the realities behind what is being physically modeled in the environment. If you're able to engage your rational mind here you're becoming less able to dismiss the notion that these things are merely groundless superstitions, the stuff of fiction and fantasy. There is no pretending or make-believe when WHAT YOU KNOW IN YOUR HEART as present reality is so perfectly expressed in these excessively redundant modelings. This is the stuff of a grand conspiracy, not that of mere men but of the gods who rule them and their ancestors before them.
To "kick off" this post, consider how a coin toss decides who does what first at the start of many athletic competitions. This is a nod to Hermes, the god of contests. Really.
I left off in part 10 with a presentation of "The Council" as a wishing well. The coins tossed into it are sacrifices and prayers offered to the gods in the water. Like every other element in the scene, the coins have an inherent reproductive feature. Twenty-three characters are common to each denomination minted by the Federal Reserve, found on the face of each 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 cent piece. LIBERTYINGODWETRUST appears plus the four digit year during which the coin was minted. That's review from the previous post. Here's the rest of the model, as I understand it.
When someone tosses in a coin, something more happens beyond the sacrifice and wish or prayer to the gods in the water, more than a general enhancement of the power of the fertility ritual in which one has participated. Look into the water and see each coin in the pool as an individual's contribution of 23 chromosomes. SEE THIS AS THE NEPHILIM "GENE POOL"! The Beast kingdom is composed of the Beast as the head plus each member of the body, pooled or networked together spiritually and linked genetically as sibling spawn in one family.
Now, flip each coin over and examine it. Common to each is the Latin phrase, "E Pluribus Unum." Counting the characters, you'll discover that E Pluribus Unum has 13. "Thirteen" signifies "rebellion" and is a popular Beast number! If you look into the Nephilim gene pool, you'll see some of the coins are signaling 23 and all the others, 13. Get it? Picture the Nephilim gene pool next time you're tempted to throw a coin into a fountain or body of water.
As the flocks and herds of travelers pass by and sacrifice to the gods, their coins pile up on the bottom of the pool. Each stack of mixed metals will resemble the statue of Daniel 2 - even right down to the dust and dirt sediment that compares to miry clay on the bottom!
Each metallic coin features a 23 and the face of a man (or god - Mercury dime) on one side and 13 on the other. As such it represents the image of the Beast. Now, consider just what's being modeled if you have such a coin. You are a 23+23 chromosome Adam/clay being, value-enhanced with a metallic 23/13 item that facilitates buying and selling. While handling the object, would you be holding it in your right hand? Mark of the Beast signaling, clearly.
A couple of scriptures come to mind. The love of money is the root of all evil. Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, and unto God that which is God's. (Compare George Washington's back-of-the-neck dangle to Antiochus "the antichrist" Epiphanes image and picture the apotheosis scene on the Capital Dome.) Would you like an investement strategy tip? Invest yourself in serving God and divest yourself of serving mammon.
"While the public has been made to believe E PLURIBUS UNUM refers to United States citizenship being made up of various ethnicity, what becomes clear when this phrase is interpreted within the mystical context of the Great Seal symbolism is that it could easily refer to one god represented by many names-a god known by various ancient cultures as having walked the earth 'many' times under 'many' names, yet was 'one,' or-E Pluribus Unum. This concept gains persuasion when harmonized with the other two mottoes-Annuit coeptis and Novus ordo seclorum-also taken from ancient texts What I believe "E Pluribus Unum" means is related to Tom Horn's insight. Because it's embossed upon each coin minted it's found more frequently in this than in any other context. This thirteen character Latin phrase that translates to "Out of many, One" speaks to me of the Beast (Apollo) kingdom. The many are the component members of the body and the one is the whole, the completed anti-messianic pyramid with the Beast established as its capstone head. In sum total it is then one, unified with the empowering Unholy Father serpent-dragon entity. In this form he is at the peak of his power and will war against the sovereign God - one army against the other. What will manifest as "E Pluribus Unum" is the antitypical "Army of One."
12) The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.
13) These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.
14) These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.
Revelation 17:12-14
I believe the "Pluribus" members will be those with the mark of the beast. I believe there will come a genetic union with the gods that formerly walked the earth as the fallen angels and as their offspring with the daughters of men. I believe this is the testimony of the Bible, of extra-biblical literature, historical artifacts and such as the scene at the Rochester Airport roundabout and the gateway to High Falls. If Apollo, Hermes and Aphrodite are not at work as sub regents of the fallen Satan, what other explanation could be offered. If they have not bent the will and backs of those largely responsible for the environment in which we find ourselves today, we have surely altogether lost our minds.
"The Council" pictures the spirits of the Nephilim being released from their prison where they have been bound under chains of darkness. The sentence of seventy generations duration for what was done prior to the flood of Noah's day having been served, the day has come for carrying out the appointed judgment in the earth. They rise out of the bottomless pit, the watery abyss, incarnating into freshly prepared bodies. Those on earth who pitch their 23/13 into the gene pool donate their souls to the cause and their bodies are duly recycled. "CHA-CHING!" Doubt it? Open your eyes and look around.
WHAT ARE HUMAN BEINGS WITHOUT ANIMALS?
IF ALL THE ANIMALS CEASED TO EXIST,
HUMAN BEINGS WOULD DIE OF A GREAT LONELINESS OF THE SPIRIT.
FOR WHATEVER HAPPENS TO THE ANIMALS
WILL HAPPEN SOON ALSO TO HUMAN BEINGS.
...ALL THINGS CONNECT
CHIEF SEATTLE
Interpretation key:
human being: daughters of men - the "Adam tree"
animals: sons of god - the "serpent tree"
"What happened to us at the great flood will happen soon to you. As we were disembodied and imprisoned, now we will disembody and imprison you. What comes around goes around."
We have been warned. Some of us are paying attention.
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My intention was to write a post detailing the numerous pros and cons of consuming unusual dairy products: obscure international cheeses; pints of udder stout; creamed streptococcus thermophilus; oxen nadger curd; and so on. But what can be said about oxen nadger curd that has not already be said?
A cynical attempt to attract more female readers was to be made by highlighting the
I also planned to debate the controversial issues of full-fat versus non-fat yogurt; plain versus flavored; fruit on the bottom versus fruit already mixed in; and Greek yogurt versus yogurt from economically stable countries.
Then there was the whole flan equation that I wanted to discuss. A freshly served flan, as the physicists Gustavo Taht and Ernst Karamull both noted, vibrates at a rate of eighty million kilopuddings per microsecond. An eminently disputable statistic such as this obviously raises many questions, even if none of them are actually worth answering.
So why is no post about dairy products appearing this week? Well, much like Salem witches cast evil spells to make their neighbors milk go sour, an evil hex as fallen upon my dairy ruminations: the ancient and powerful curse of boredom.
In short, I am sick and weary of the subject before Ive even considered writing the first word of the first sentence. This is a great shame since I have already expended a great deal of mental effort thinking about the subject, as you can see from the brief paragraph outlines above.
If only it were possible to take all those uncoordinated, unorganized thoughts and magically transform them into publishable blog form without actually sitting down at my computer and completing all that tedious typing. If only I had a secretary to act as a 200WPM milkmaid for the rich cream of my creativity, then I could pace around and pontificate to my hearts content while she tapped away.
Alas, I am but a humble scribe with no means to support such luxuries. The only office aides I have at my disposal are grim determination and black coffee.
Reference: http://modern-wiccan.blogspot.com
When asked the other day what Sempter Fi meant(after an episode of NCIS-Naval Criminal Investigative Service), the answer was "always faithful". That as a quick answer. Lt.Carey H Cash explains in his book A Table In His Presence, 2005 Presidio Press, New York.: " Sempter Fidelis is the official motto of the United States Marine Corps, and it means 'Always Faithful'.
The most closely
God's faithfulness never gives up the search for the lost and counts no sacrifice too costly to redeem a man's heart."
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I am exceptionally proud of my kids. What mother isn't? Both have been through so much in their young lives, both have been seriously ill and still continue to grab life by the ears and shout in it's face.
My eldest, Amy, as been battling with a condition called HSP (Henoch-Schonlein purpura) since she was 8 years old and has nearly died a couple of times from it. When she gets a virus such as a throat infection, her HSP kicks in and it makes her very ill. She bleeds internally into her bone joints and has twice bled into her stomach. Although it is a mainly a children's illness, at 14 she should have grown out of it, but alas no and now she seeming to be getting ill quicker and quicker each time. This is why I am going grey early! lol The photo accompanying this blog post is the rash that HSP comes up with. It's not nice - Amy has had it like this 3 times and the pain is excruciating.
After a week of being poorly and her feeling quite sad about it, she sat down today and wrote a 'Letter to the Universe' and added it to Facebook for the world to see. Today she took a stand against the bullies at school, against people in her life who want it all in their terms and most importantly, against her illness. This is what she wrote:
"AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, I'VE BEEN ILL THIS LAST WEEK, AND WAS ILL 7 WEEKS AGO - BOTH TIMES WITH TONSILLITIS. MOST OF YOU KNOW, I HAVE HSP (IF YOU DON'T KNOW HERE'S WHAT IT IS - HTTP://WWW.DRGREENE.COM/QA-ARTICLES/HENOCH-SCHONLEIN-PURPURA/). UNFORTUNATELY ANY TYPE OF INFECTIONS, SUCH AS TONSILLITIS, CAN CAUSE IT TO FLARE UP. THIS HAPPENED BOTH TIMES WITH ME, SO INSTEAD OF SIMPLY TRYING TO FIGHT OFF A THROAT INFECTION, I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH MY HSP FLARING UP AS WELL. WHEN SUFFERING WITH HSP, AN ADULT IS SAID TO BE ANYONE OVER THE AGE OF 12, AND THIS IS WHEN THINGS CAN GET VERY DANGEROUS, AND CAN BE FATAL. SINCE I'VE BEEN GETTING ILL MORE FREQUENT, I'VE REALISED THAT I CANNOT WASTE ANY MORE TIME. SO TO ANYONE WHO IS LISTENING, INCLUDING THE UNIVERSE, I AM NOT GOING TO WASTE TIME AND I AM GOING TO DO THE THINGS THAT I WANT TO DO. THIS INCLUDES FINALLY PASSING MY SINGING EXAM WHICH WAS MEANT TO BE TODAY. THIS INCLUDES PASSING ALL MY OTHER EXAMS WITH GREAT MARKS (A/A* WOULD BE NICE!) I WILL FINALLY STAND UP FOR MYSELF TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO CONTROL ME OR TRY AND PUT ME DOWN. I WILL NOT HIDE WHO I AM - I AM DIFFERENT AND VERY PROUD OF IT. I WILL ACHIEVE ANYTHING IN LIFE THAT I WANT, AND I WILL BE ANYTHING THAT I WANT TO BE. SO I WILL BECOME A TEACHER AND TRAIN EVEN MORE DOWN THE SPECIALIST ROUTES OF EITHER FORENSIC SCIENCE OR ASTROPHYSICS. I WILL HAVE A FAMILY AND BE A GOOD MUM. I WILL NOT SUBMIT TO EMOTIONAL BLACKMAIL ANYMORE. I WILL NOT LET PEOPLE PLAY MIND GAMES WITH ME. I WILL NO LONGER LET PEOPLE PHYSICALLY OR MENTALLY BULLY ME. "
"I AM A WITCH. I AM GINGER. I AM FEMALE. I AM A FREAK OR A WEIRDO. I AM POSH. I AM TOO SENSITIVE. "I AM ALL THOSE THINGS - BUT I'M STRONG AND I AM AMY. I AM NOT WEIRD - I'M JUST LIMITED EDITION. "SO THIS IS WHAT I WILL DO. I WILL OVERCOME HSP ONE DAY, AND OVERCOME ANYONE WHO WANTS TO PUT OBSTACLES IN MY WAY. I CAN OVERCOME ANYTHING, AND IF I CAN DO SOMETHING - I WILL DO SOMETHING. AND IF YOU ARE READING THIS AND THINKING THAT IT IS ABOUT YOUTHEN IT MOST LIKELY IS."
I am always proud of my girls, but tonight, I am *extra* proud
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COMMEMORATED ON MARCH 9
In the year 313 St Constantine the Great issued an edict granting Christians religious freedom, and officially recognizing Christianity as equal with paganism under the law. But his co-ruler Licinius was a pagan, and he decided to stamp out Christianity in his part of the Empire. As Licinius prepared his army to fight Constantine, he decided to remove Christians from his army, fearing mutiny.
One of the military commanders of that time in the Armenian city of Sebaste was Agricola, a zealous champion of idolatry. Under his command was a company of forty Cappadocians, brave soldiers who had distinguished themselves in many battles. When these Christian soldiers refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, Agricola locked them up in prison. The soldiers occupied themselves with prayer and psalmody, and during the night they heard a voice saying, "Persevere until the end, then you shall be saved."
On the following morning, the soldiers were again taken to Agricola. This time the pagan tried flattery. He began to praise their valor, their youth and strength, and once more he urged them to renounce Christ and thereby win themselves the respect and favor of their emperor.
Seven days later, the renowned judge Licius arrived at Sebaste and put the soldiers on trial. The saints steadfastly answered, "Take not only our military insignia, but also our lives, since nothing is more precious to us than Christ God." Licius then ordered his servants to stone the holy martyrs. But the stones missed the saints and returned to strike those who had thrown them. One stone thrown by Licius hit Agricola in the face, smashing his teeth. The torturers realized that the saints were guarded by some invisible power. In prison, the soldiers spent the night in prayer and again they heard the voice of the Lord comforting them: "He who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live (John 11:25). Be brave and fear not, for you shall obtain imperishable crowns."
On the following day the judge repeated the interrogation in front of the torturer, but the soldiers remained unyielding.
It was winter, and there was a severe frost. They lined up the holy soldiers, threw them into a lake near the city, and set a guard to prevent them from coming out of the water. In order to break the will of the martyrs, a warm bath-house was set up on the shore. During the first hour of the night, when the cold had become unbearable, one of the soldiers made a dash for the bath-house, but no sooner had he stepped over the threshold, than he fell down dead.
During the third hour of the night, the Lord sent consolation to the martyrs. Suddenly there was light, the ice melted away, and the water in the lake became warm. All the guards were asleep, except for Aglaius, who was keeping watch. Looking at the lake he saw that a radiant crown had appeared over the head of each martyr. Aglaius counted thirty-nine crowns and realized that the soldier who fled had lost his crown.
Aggias then woke up the other guards, took off his uniform and said to them, "I too am a Christian," and he joined the martyrs. Standing in the water he prayed, "Lord God, I believe in You, in Whom these soldiers believe. Add me to their number, and make me worthy to suffer with Your servants." Then a fortieth crown appeared over his head.
In the morning, the torturers saw with surprise that the martyrs were still alive, and their guard Aggias was glorifying Christ together with them. They led the soldiers out of the water and broke their legs. During this horrible execution the mother of the youngest of the soldiers, Meliton, pleaded with her son not to persevere until death.
They put the bodies of the martyrs on a cart and committed them to fire. Young Meliton was still breathing, and they left him to lay on the ground. His mother then picked up her son, and on her own shoulders she carried him behind the cart. When Meliton drew his last breath, his mother put him on the cart with the bodies of his fellow sufferers. The bodies of the saints were tossed in the fire, and their charred bones were thrown into the water, so that Christians would not gather them up.
Three days later the martyrs appeared in a dream to St Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, and commanded him to bury their remains. The bishop together with several clergy gathered up the relics of the glorious martyrs by night and buried them with honor.
There is a pious custom of baking "skylarks" (pastries shaped like skylarks) on this day, because people believed that birds sing at this time to announce the arrival of spring. Forty "skylarks" are prepared in honor of the Forty Martyrs.
TROPARION-TONE 1
Together let us honor the holy company united by faith, Those noble warriors of the Master of all. They were divinely enlisted for Christ, And passed through fire and water. Then they entered into refreshment praying for those who cry: Glory to him who has strengthened you! Glory to him who has crowned you! Glory to him who has made you wonderful, O holy Forty Martyrs!
KONTAKION-TONE 6
You abandoned all earthly armies, cleaving to the heavenly Master, O Forty Martyrs of the Lord. Having passed through fire and water, O Blessed Ones, you have fittingly received heavenly glory and many crowns.
SOURCE:: http://witch-selena.blogspot.com
