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There's a touch of Upstairs, Downstairs in this book about a roughly raised poor girl who is sent to the king's castle to work as a scullery maid when she is only seven. Little by little, she learns to get along with the castle staff and do a good job. Her one encounter with royalty makes it clear that princes are snobs. But she rolls up her sleeves and gets back to scrubbing the pots, encouraged in her endeavors by her friend Tobias, the donkey boy. In time Molly is promoted to silver polisher, and her life path seems plain. She ignores the fact that she sometimes sees visions of people's deaths, telling herself she simply imagined them.
Except-it turns out the royal family has been cursed, and the irrepressible Molly learns she has a strange connection to the events of the cursing. But first the king and his sons suffer greatly, until the entire castle worries what might happen next. And Molly starts seeing more visions in the great silver bowl she has been assigned to polish by Thomas, the keeper of the castle's silver. Molly had believed what she was told as a child, that her mother was crazy, but was she really just a witch? And is Molly a witch, too?
When things get bad for Alaric, Molly and Tobias take a series of huge risks to protect him. I like the way their cleverness and practicality makes them perfectly capable of handling a horrible situation. Under pressure, Molly and her friend's qualities shine like polished silver.
Part mystery, part fairy tale, part reconciliation of class differences, The Silver Bowl is altogether satisfying as the pieces come together. Molly uses her visions from the bowl to help solve the mystery, though she has difficulty figuring out who the true villain might be, to her great peril. Fortunately, Tobias is there to help, and even Alaric begins to contribute usefully and a bit more humbly to their plans. Stanley builds suspense as Alaric becomes the last royal standing and his common-born friends turn out to be the only ones capable of saving his throne from his greedy cousins and the shadowy figure of the curse-maker.
Here's an excerpt from a scene early in the book, when Tobias takes Molly upstairs in the castle:
"We must be silent as ghosts, Molly. And if one of them should come into the room, look down in a very respectful manner, and do not meet their eyes, for they don't wish to be reminded we are about."
"Why? If I had a castle full of servants, I'd be glad to be reminded of it."
"Well, they are not. We are as common as lice to them, and just as interesting."
I enjoyed the interactions between Molly and Tobias, which ripen rather unsurprisingly late in the book into romance, though that's not a major focus. Stanley does leave the door open for a sequel featuring these two characters.
I wasn't quite sold on the denouement, but for the most part, this book flows nicely. And of course, Alaric learns his lesson as both his life and his kingdom are saved by two of his lowly servants. Yet Diane Stanley's message doesn't distract from the sweep of her storytelling in this well-written fantasy. I recommend it to fans of
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Recently, some friends and I were discussing the Protestant claim of relying on the Bible alone as the source of authority for our faith and how that differs from the Roman Catholic view. For those unfamiliar with the issue, the Roman Catholic position holds that Scripture and sacred tradition are dual sources of authority. It is this sacred tradition that gives the Pope his status and influences their beliefs on many issues.1
One friend brought up a claim made by a Catholic on an Internet discussion board. He said that Protestants depend on tradition as well, at least in some sense, since they depend on the traditional selection of How do we know that the Table of Contents at the beginning of our Bibles is "accurate" (that is, that all the I think we need to be careful in our assessment of how we got our Bible. So much hinges on a proper grasp of why we view certain documents as inspired, since the Bible's authority hinges directly on whether or not the scriptures do indeed have their origin in God.
The first thing one must remember when discussing the inclusion of documents as scripture: no church or council ever appointed certain works as inspired and others as not inspired. This is so important, I want to repeat it. NO CHURCH OR COUNCIL EVER APPOINTED CERTAIN WORKS AS INSPIRED AND OTHERS AS NOT INSPIRED. All the early church, beginning with the apostles, maintained that one does not declare a writing to be the word of God, but one recognizes that the word of God has been given and treats it appropriately. It's similar to the laws of nature. For example, one does not decide that gravity is a law of nature. It's not as though someone declared that the earth should exert a forced pulling us downward and that somehow made gravity came true. They simply observe its effects and state that the law exists.
Let's look at a few points that show how we can observe the inspirational nature of Scripture:
IDENTIFYING SCRIPTURAL AUTHORITY
The claim was "There is no such thing as a sola scripturist. For it is impossible to demonstrate that Scripture is scripture by only using Scripture!"
This claim isn't true. Remember, the Bible isn't a single writing, but 66 separate documents written by different authors over 1500 years. Therefore it is not circular to argue that when the New Testament authors refer to the Old Testament as Scripture it is supportable.
The two main identifying characteristics of scripture are 1) they derive from authoritative sources (God's prophet, apostolic authority, etc.) and 2) they hold predictive prophecy (ref Deut. 18:22).
DIVINE AUTHORITY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
Both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, claims of divine inspiration are made directly. The Old Testament prophets say over and over again "Thus saith the Lord" claiming to speak God's message to the people. They supported this claim with various prophetic predictions. This is why Peter writes "But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."
Jesus also directly authenticates the Old Testament in its entirety. In Luke 24:44 Jesus says, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." Thus Jesus is saying that the Old Testament is the prophetic Word of God. He also references "The blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah" encapsulating the first and last martyr of the Hebrew Scriptures.
Ultimately, we can form the argument this way:
* Jesus claimed to have divine authority to speak on behalf of God
* Jesus said that his resurrection from the dead would authenticate his authority
* We have good historic evidence that Jesus rose from the dead
* Therefore, Jesus' statements on the inspiration of Scripture have authority
The writer to Hebrews put it this way: "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds" (Heb1:1). God's word is His Son, so His word is authoritative in authenticating other areas of Scripture.
We've gone rather quickly through the main points in discussing the initial claim of Scriptural authority. If you'd like a more detailed study of the concept of Biblical inspiration, get a copy of our audio teaching "How We Can Know the Bible is REALLY from God".
REFERENCES
1. See
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Woah there, slow down - You cannot do it all in one day, or one week, or even in one year! In fact, most authentic Wiccans study for a MINIMUM of "a year and a day" before they can even be Initiated.
It is NOT a good idea to attempt spellcraft until you have MASTERED the BASICS (of psychic skills) - ie Centering, Grounding, psychic Cleansing, Shielding, creating sacred Space (casting Circle), Visualizations, etc -
And stop worrying about getting tools (like a wand) just yet - Right now, you need to focus on learning and mastering the BASICS of information and skills. I would most strongly advise you to find a good High Priest or High Priestess Teacher and Coven - that's the best way to learn (traditional) Wicca; only the most superficial information is even avaialable publically in
You also need to know that being accepted as a student is not necessarily a foregone conclusion, either - Again, you must REQUEST training, and the teacher will probably want to talk with you and get acquainted a bit, before deciding to accept (or reject) you as a student - It very much depends upon your maturity, wisdom, self-discipline, willingness to work hard, take instruction, study, etc.
RESOURCES ON WICCA:
1. CoG - Covenant of the Goddess -
- a Pagan (not just Wiccan) Sanctuary, working farm, and Learning Center. It offers training, workshops, festivals, networking, and sponsors other organizations (notably, "Lady Liberty League" (
- One of the better Yahoo groups with several High Priests and Priestess members, so there are lots of good discussions and good information available in both the online discussions, and the Files section.
B.
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The Disciple is called by Jesus to heal others. I have wondered about her because she believes her god to be omnipotent and all knowing. If so, why does He need her to pray for healing? Surely, she is not needed to call the sick to His attention. Of course, my vision of the perpetual unfolding of perfection is not the same as but certainly comparable to her viewpoint and therefore, I have questioned my healing abilities. Why are they needed? If all is perfect, is correction necessary?
I have reached the conclusion that healing is not the service being offered. Instead, the healing act is one of fostering unity. It teaches that two separate individuals are one. The slightest of healings can teach this. Soul readings share it at a deeper level than any of the healing I perform for body or mind because the soul structure is closer to the core of who we are.
In a similar fashion, I have contemplated justice. Vengeance (punishment) is not justice for such human judgements cannot equate the damages done by the crime and punishment. True justice is a healing act. The victim, perpetrator and those effected all receive the measure of healing needed. With that healing, we again understand how we unified in the process and all is one.
All actions of spirit, prayer, magick, compassion, kindness are healing/unifying actions. There is but one perfection and but one right action, unifying works.
Origin: http://asatru-religion.blogspot.com
This is a Charm for protection from enemies; it is a spell to be kept in your home. The charms is said to work to dispel enemy problems and to silence them if they are trying to create any kind of trouble for you; including black magic, blackmail or defamation.
This Charm has to be prepared on any Thursday by engraving it on a piece of thick copper. Then it has to be worshiped with offerings of white flowers. Then it has to be cleaned with a white colored cloth and hung on the wall of your house, facing the main door. The charm has to be always kept clean by wiping it with a white colored cloth.
Charm for protection from enemies
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Foxe's Book of Martyrs. According to this SUMMARY FROM CHRISTIAN BOOK SUMMARIES,
Writing in the mid-1500s, John Foxe was living in the midst of intense religious persecution at the hands of the dominant Roman Catholic Church. In graphic detail, he offers accounts of Christians being martyred for their belief in Jesus Christ, describing how God gave them extraordinary courage and stamina to endure unthinkable torture.
From the same link, the book's purpose was fourfold:
* Showcase the courage of true believers who have willingly taken a stand for Jesus Christ throughout the ages, even if it meant death,
* Demonstrate the grace of God in the lives of those martyred for their faith,
* Expose the ruthlessness of religious and political leaders as they sought to suppress those with differing beliefs,
* Celebrate the courage of those who risked their lives to translate the Bible into the common language of the people.
THE THIRD PERSECUTION, UNDER TRAJAN, A.D. 108
In the third persecution Pliny the Second, a man learned and famous, seeing the lamentable slaughter of Christians, and moved therewith to pity, wrote to Trajan, certifying him that there were many thousands of them daily put to death, of which none did any thing contrary to the Roman laws worthy of persecution. "The whole account they gave of their crime or error (whichever it is to be called) amounted only to this-viz. that they were accustomed on a stated day to meet before daylight, and to repeat together a set form of prayer to Christ as a God, and to bind themselves by an obligation-not indeed to commit wickedness; but, on the contrary-never to commit theft, robbery, or adultery, never to falsify their word, never to defraud any man: after which it was their custom to separate, and reassemble to partake in common of a harmless meal."
In this persecution suffered the blessed martyr, Ignatius, who is held in famous reverence among very many. This Ignatius was appointed to the bishopric of Antioch next after Peter in succession. Some do say, that he, being sent from Syria to Rome, because he professed Christ, was given to the wild beasts to be devoured. It is also said of him, that when he passed through Asia, being under the most strict custody of his keepers, he strengthened and confirmed the churches through all the cities as he went, both with his exhortations and preaching of the Word of God. Accordingly, having come to Smyrna, he wrote to the Church at Rome, exhorting them not to use means for his deliverance from martyrdom, lest they should deprive him of that which he most longed and hoped for. "Now I begin to be a disciple. I care for nothing, of visible or invisible things, so that I may but win Christ. Let fire and the cross, let the companies of wild beasts, let breaking of bones and tearing of limbs, let the grinding of the whole body, and all the malice of the devil, come upon me; be it so, only may I win Christ Jesus!" And even when he was sentenced to be thrown to the beasts, such as the burning desire that he had to suffer, that he spake, what time he heard the lions roaring, saying: "I am the wheat of Christ: I am going to be ground with the teeth of wild beasts, that I may be found pure bread."
Trajan being succeeded by Adrian, the latter continued this third persecution with as much severity as his predecessor. About this time Alexander, bishop of Rome, with his two deacons, were martyred; as were Quirinus and Hernes, with their families;
Zenon, a Roman nobleman, and about ten thousand other Christians.
In Mount Ararat many were crucified, crowned with thorns, and spears run into their sides, in imitation of Christ's passion. Eustachius, a brave and successful Roman commander, was by the emperor ordered to join in an idolatrous sacrifice to celebrate some of his own victories; but his faith (being a Christian in his heart) was so much greater than his vanity, that he nobly refused it. Enraged at the denial, the ungrateful emperor forgot the service of this skilful commander, and ordered him and his whole family to be martyred.
At the martyrdom of Faustines and Jovita, brothers and citizens of Brescia, their torments were so many, and their patience so great, that Calocerius, a pagan, beholding them, was struck with admiration, and exclaimed in a kind of ecstasy, "Great is the God of the Christians!" for which he was apprehended, and suffered a similar fate.
Many other similar cruelties and rigors were exercised against the Christians, until Quadratus, bishop of Athens, made a learned apology in their favor before the emperor, who happened to be there and Aristides, a philosopher of the same city, wrote an elegant epistle, which caused Adrian to relax in his severities, and relent in their favor.
Adrian dying A.D. 138, was succeeded by Antoninus Pius, one of the most amiable monarchs that ever reigned, and who stayed the persecutions against the Christians.
What a fellow believer Ignatius was. Oh, Lord, may I be always reminded of Ignatius: strengthening others even as a death sentence lay over his head. May I learn to serve You better through edifying other believers, not thinking of myself, but only of Your glory.
Credit: http://magical-poetry.blogspot.com
Accepting responsibility for your own actions is essential to your spiritual growth and power. As described in Law #3 of this blog, what you send out is what you get in return.
All of us have our short comings and failures to be moral. When I first began my journey into witchcraft, I failed to understand the Law of Three. To me, love was a good emotion and there was someone in my life that I loved and from what she said, she loved me. Even despite the fact that our relationship had crumbled around us and she was seeing my former best friend, we remained close friends and did many things together.
So in my ignorance, I perceived my former friend as being the evil one since he was a manipulator and managed to wiggle his way into our relationship. I went to my local pagan supplier and purchased some items I needed for a love sachet to draw her love back to me. The person who was there was not a regular employee and I tried to get "approval" that this spell was not wrong to do and received it. I used rose quartz, an earring that she left behind the last night I was with her, some rose petals and other herbs I will not describe here. I purchased a silver chain to support the sachet around my neck. I performed a powerful love spell the day of the full moon for three hours, then the next day and the next after that repeating what I did on the first day including disassembling my sachet before the ritual and reassembling it during the ritual.
I wore it openly in front of her and when she asked me about it, I informed her it was to draw love to me. I did not explain the intentions. The next three months became a nightmare. She began to become very confused between my old friend and I and it was tearing her apart. She kept thinking of me and dreaming of me until eventually, she broke away from him to have a relationship with me.
The conditions of our reunion was that she was not to see him ever again and if she did, our relationship would never continue. She followed it blindly until he called her to have lunch with her. She went and came straight to me afterward. I was devastated and then I realized that I was the source of the issues at hand.
I removed my sachet from my neck and looked her straight in the eye. I grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the top of it off and said, "I release you from my magic."
She didn't understand what was going on, but as I let the contents of the bag fall to the table, she noticed hear earring. But what she didn't understand is that the white crystal in front of her was originally pink when I made the bag!
That's when I knew my spell was powerful. And I told her my story, just as I did here. At first she began to resent me, but then she accepted her part and my old friend's part in all of it and we all accepted responsibility for all of our actions. This healed each of us in ways that we are all still unable to phantom.
So, I made a huge mistake, but looking back, I realized that I knew deep down that it was wrong even with someone telling me it wasn't.
The devil does exist and in some religions such as Christianity, he is a true entity. That is perfectly ok for those who chose that belief in their life path.
I urge you to not consider the outside influences and blame them for your weakness. I challenge you to look the devil that is you and within you and understand that you are human and mistakes are essential keys to spiritual growth and will accelerate your life path in the right direction if you accept your failures as what they are.
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