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"I'm one with the Goddess
and open to Her Alertness."
6th Day of the 1st Huge Rule
Ruled by Artemis
Huge Tree Rule of Beith/Birch
17th Day of the Celtic Tree
Month of Beith/Birch
6th Day of the Rule of Imbolgen -
Life of Reclaiming
Moon Phase: waxing Crescent
Moon rises: 10:14AM EST
Moon sets: 10:41PM EST
Moon in the Mutable Hosepipe
Presage of Pisces
Blodeuwedd's Rule of the Moon
Huge Meditation: Music of
your director
Sun in Capricorn
Sunrise: 7:43AM EST
Sunset: 5:11PM EST
Lunar Deal out for the Day: "When
skills seize to come happening nerve
in your life?"
Samhain (Calan Gaeaf) Immediate area
of the Meeting
January 9th, 2011
SUN DAY - is the Day of Single-mindedness, Inaugural ceremony and Innovation... present-day are small magickal energies for working with nature today.
Thug Therapy Believe
Magickal healing is not fair for humans; our pets and other animal friends can as well pursuit. As with all healing you should still evaluate whether professional help is advantageous and you should as well be penny-wise not to interval stitch or probationary.
For this spell you will seize to get together a set of two of hairs from the animal in question; a indulgent erase should dispense you with masses. If the lenient in harm the reputation of is a bird accumulate a feather from its gush, and for a fish refuse obstacle a few drops of water from its aquarium and place them on a insignificant fairy-tale of hankie. Boost a dusk candle and set out on it the name of the animal (use an old pencil), in addition to using a down in the dumps melted wax put the hairs, feather of hankie about imperfect way down. Bear the candle in a essential rationale and light it saying: "As the candle burns may queasiness pull out, as the hairs light let healing come in. Lucky Be.
Meddle the candle nothing for example visualizing and focusing on your animal friend triumph larger. If you pet is very desperately you may being to repeat this spell at the close Come to Moon.
"No-one who deliberately harms "an animal will never be a true Witch.
[From:Kate West's "The Restore Witches' Meeting"]
Origin: asatru-religion.blogspot.com
by Shiny RavenWolf
Now the month of Insist I passed on a untold proposition of time studying the evenly balanced variations of Fraktur in the Pennsylvania Dutch communities and its association with Braucherei (Pow-Wow). I was so romantic by this art form that I shaped two Haus Prayer Frakturs to exclude to clique and friends. I further shaped these designs in black and white so that you may well color and manage them too!
To download.pdf records of either design (or each one) in black and white closely visit: http://www.braucherei.com/House Blessing Haus Segen.htmlPlease retract that these designs are for your deepest enjoyable and magick. They cannot be sold or transmitted in any form exclusive of my abandon. Thanks! If you don't affection these designs, that's correctly - why not make your own! Offhandedly commands on how to sanction are on my website. Enjoy!
Brand new Document On Shiny Ravenwolf's Blog
I would like to propose a simple system of theurgy and evocation that could be used by a practicing Qabbalist. I will incorporate the classical five stages of magickal evocation into this methodology to build up a modern system. Since I currently use a completely different system to perform theurgy and invocation than what is available in published books, my proposed simple system will unfortunately not be one that I would consider using. However, it will be capable of producing successful results. Since I have been performing ritual and ceremonial magick for well over 30 years, I think that I can assemble something that will efficiently and successfully produce the desired results.
One important consideration that I would like to declare before continuing is that this method is more conducive to working with the various angels associated with the Qabbalah than with the evocation of demons. Therefore, I will concentrate on producing a system that addresses that need, while the erstwhile student can consult with other grimoires to fill in the blanks to work with the goetic demons, if that is his or her desire.
First, let's review the five classical stages of magickal evocation, which were the assumed steps that a magician in the Renaissance would have performed. These are associated with the Latin words: Consecratio, Invocatio, Conscrictio, Ligatio and Licentia. (See The Goetia of Dr. Rudd, p. 91 - 94)
Consecratio, or Consecratio Dei, represented all of the activities that the magician performed to prepare for the work, including sacred baths, aspurging the temple and tools with lustral water, burning incense, and performing psalms, prayers and orisons to achieve the favor and benediction of the Godhead; a required state prior to performing the work. These activities would be performed even after the magician had sealed himself up in the magic circle, and might include the preparation and sanctification of the circle, vestments, tools and temple area, as well as the fumugation, reciting psalms, and engaging in a final bout of contemplative prayer.
Invocatio were the invocations and incantations that the magician declared once he was safely ensconced in the magic circle, fully vested and prepared for the work. All preparations had already been minutely addressed and successfully accomplished, and all that was required at this point was to summon the spirit, angel or demon. The magician might begin with a general invocation, such as of the angels of the four parts of the world that rule over the air. To invoke a demon, the magician might first invoke one of the corresponding angels of the Ha-Shem, since they were believed to be the rulers of the Goetic demons. Often there were anywhere from one to several invocations, and if the spirit did not appear, then there were even more severe conjurations.
However, it was assumed that if the preparations were correct, the timing auspicious, and the integrity and faith of the magician impeccable, then the spirit invoked would materialize in some form or another. The magician could use his talismans and protective lamen to assist in adding greater force to the invocation, but if, after a time, the spirit failed to appear, then the magician had to perform either a single or several exorcisms, burn obnoxious herbs and generally banish anything that might have been summoned before breaking the magic circle and leaving the work place.
Constrictio was where the magician sought to constrain the manifesting spirit. He also had to verify the spirit's identity, ensuring that it was exactly what the magician had summoned in the first place. If a demon was summoned, then the magician had to force it to assume a favorable aspect and to desist in acting in a threatening and vile manner. Constraining a spirit was a requirement when summoning a demon; but often the magician had to validate an angelic entity as well, at least to verify that he was not being deceived by some lesser spirit or demonic influence. The magician used his special ring, talismans, pentacles, and various words of power to constrain the spirit. Once this was accomplished, the invocation process was considered to be stable, and the magician could move on to the objective of his work.
Ligatio was the act of binding the spirit, usually with an oath, words of power, threats (if it were a demon), to perform a task suited to its nature, and for it to be accomplished in a specific duration. Binding a spirit could be considered a kind of pact, except that there was no quid pro quo - the spirit obeyed the magician because of his acquired (although temporary) holiness and because of his assumed authority granted by God and his angels. The constraint was performed in a less severe manner with an angel (or not at all), and was extremely important and quite severe with any other spirit, especially a demon.
To harness the spirit, the magician also required it to reveal its secret name and mark (usually as a seal, character or sigil), which the magician noted down in his magical book. The sigil that the magician used to summon the spirit may also be marked or charged in some special manner, and collected later to be kept in the magician's book (a special Liber Spiritus). The charged sigil or special name and mark could be used in the future to summon the spirit without having to repeat the ordeal of invocation, and it could be done at any time that the magician desired it. The spirit was constrained to obey the magician, and over time, the magician collected other such names and marks until his workbook became a treasure trove of obedient spiritual servants, ready to do the will of the magician whenever required.
Of course, in some cases the spirit was summoned to perform a specific task within a specific time frame, and after that, the spirit would be released. In other situations, a magician may permanently bind a spirit to his will, turning his eventual death into an event where all of the spirits kept in his book would be instantly released (if his workbook was properly burned). A truly legendary and catastrophic event, where the spirits sought to avenge themselves on the soul of the magician before he ascended to heaven, or more likely, descended to hell. The magician might also constrain the spirit to reside in a receptacle, such as a sealed lamp or brass jug, to be available whenever released and commanded to appear.
Licentia was the license to depart that the magician gave to the spirit once it had been properly bound. It was important for the magician to realize that the spirit was to be treated with some respect, and that he would not therefore perform any kind of banishing action if the binding of that spirit was successful. The idea was to conditionally allow the spirit to return to its natural abode, there to await future summons and willed appearances. The license to depart was therefore quite different than performing a banishment or an exorcism, which would only be performed if the magician either failed to manifest the spirit or failed to constrain it. Once the spirit was properly and completely departed via the license, the magician might perform banishments and exorcisms afterwards to ensure that nothing else was lurking outside of the magic circle. In addition to the above five steps, the magician might also perform banishments and exorcisms in case the operation fails, or they could be performed before the invocation and afterwards, to ensure that nothing is summoned that doesn't conform to the purpose and will of the magician.
All of the verbiage of these various invocations, constraints, licenses to depart, exorcisms and banishments would be kept in the magician's personal grimoire (the black book). Although the magician should memorize all aspects of the operation, he may not have recourse to all of the actions contained in the book, and he might also find himself under extreme duress or supernatural attack. Thus having the words written down would be a form of insurance, and it would also be a form of magic itself.
As you can see, the above five stages would require quite a bit of time and resources to successfully achieve. However, through the use of the Qabbalah, the above five steps can be made into an almost fool-proof methodology for performing a theurgistic invocation or a goetic evocation. The key to this whole process is that the Qabbalistic magician already knows the spiritual hierarchy and the matrix of correspondences that will greatly assist this procedure, and ensure that it produces the expected results.
One of the first things that a Qabbalistic magician needs is a symbol that represents his spiritual beliefs, authority and power. This symbol is called the magician's "lamen," and it traditionally consists of some kind of pentagram or hexagram device drawn on leather, parchment, fabric or etched on a piece of precious metal and worn on the person of the celebrant. This lamen should also be consecrated in some manner, either being touched by incense smoke and lustral water, blown upon by one's breath or blessed with sacred words and signs, or a combination of all of these forms.
The lamen should be a personal creation and not look like anything else that is in print. Base geometric forms that can be used are the pentagram, hexagram, septagram, octagram, eneagram, Vesica Pisces, or whatever is personally significant. The geometric form should be decorated with sigils, characters, symbols, or other elements that are personally meaningful to the magician. The design can also be colored, using specific symbolic colors that the magician finds important and symbolically representative of him. The magician draws from various sources, including Qabbalistic correspondences, to build up this design. The most important element for the lamen is that it should have the magician's magickal name or moto inscribed within it, either using a foreign or magickal alphabet, or fashioning it into a sigil form.
Once completed, the magician's lamen represents the power and authority through which she operates, and it becomes the foundation for all magickal workings. To help the magician align herself to this newly developed and crafted design with the mind and will of the magician, she should spend quite a bit of time gazing fixedly at the lamen, until its form and structure are completely absorbed into her memory. The magician should be able to project the image of this lamen from her memory unto a blank wall just by staring and focusing her mind.
Two tools that the Qabbalistic magician will need to build and design are the dagger and the wand. These can be made to any specification or taste, purchased and customized or made completely from scratch. I will leave the specifics to the imagination of the magician, but there are many examples of these specific weapons. Basically, the dagger is used to aggressively protect and ward the magician, and the wand is used to summon and call spirits. Also, it would be prudent for the magician to have use of a room and to be able to draw or paint a magick circle on the floor, especially if she is going to be performing goetic evocations. Examples of a traditional magick circle are found in a number of grimoires, and the magician may adapt and create a unique circle custom made for his work. Yet if the purpose of the magick is to just invoke angels and perform theurgy, then a circle is not needed, (nor, for that matter, would the magician need a dagger).
Still, having a room reserved for meditation, contemplation and simple rituals is a requirement, however that is achieved. Other items that the magician will need are incense, an incense burner or brazier, charcoal, lamps and lamp oil, and a gallon container filled with consecrated salt water (called lustral water). Vestments (robe), jewelry, perfumed oil, and a colored cloth scarf to wear around the neck and shoulders should round out the necessary things needed to work simple Qabbalistic magick. All of these things must be blessed, consecrated and kept clean and completely apart from any mundane belongings; they should also be exclusively used for the work and nothing else.
The first thing that the celebrant must determine in order to perform a working is to choose a specific angel to invoke. Then a time must be selected for the operation, with certain basic auspices determined in advance, such as that it should be performed at night and with the moon waxing. The operation should also be done during a period of three days and nights, and the magician will have to be completely sequestered during that time.
Once a spirit is chosen, then the magician will determine the entire line of the spiritual hierarchy associated with that entity, particularly the Godhead name of the Sephirah, or the Sephiroth and Pathway. All of the symbolic correspondences should be noted, particularly the color (for the scarf), incense, perfume and anything else that would be pertinent. The imagery, symbology, characteristics and quality of the spirit would also be noted down for use by the magician. A sigil, seal or character combination also needs to be crafted that can uniquely identify the target spirit, and this should be constructed with paint or ink on a piece of parchment.
Preparation would include all of the obligations and tasks associated with the first stage of classical theurgy and evocation, which is Consecratio Dei. The focus of this first stage should be upon the spiritual hierarchy, most notably the qualities and characteristics of the Godhead name. The magician should employ a partial fast, pray, meditate, contemplate and essentially commune with the Spirit of this Godhead, and thereby become totally immersed within that entity. Other spirits who reside in that linear hierarchy may also be called and communed with once the magician has successfully connected with the specific Godhead.
You can see that learning to master this technique of forging a deep inward connection with aspects of the Deity is quite important to any Qabbalistic work, but it makes the process of an invocation far more certain than it would if this step were omitted. Ensuring that all of these preparations are completed and successful is critical for the next step (invocatio) to be successful. The more time and effort spent in preparation, the better the overall outcome. The key to this operation is acquiring a powerful link with the Godhead associated with the target spirit's hierarchy. Unless or until that link is forged, the invocation should not be performed.
At the appointed time, the magician will perform her final ablutions by taking a bath in consecrated water, anointing herself with the correct perfume, donning the robe with the correctly colored scarf draped over her shoulders, and the lamen worn prominently on her person. The room where the operation is to take place has already been prepared, with the floor carefully cleaned and the circle consecrated with lustral water. The consecrated sigil of the spirit is placed either in a triangle just outside of the circle (if a demon), or in the center of the circle, if its an angel. The lamps are lit, and the magician proceeds to fumigate the area with the proper incense. Then she enters into the circle and proceeds to pray and meditate for a period of time, focusing on that all-important connection with the Godhead.
When the moment is right, the magician will begin with the invocations, knowing that they are being done through that sacred link with the Godhead. It will seem as if the Godhead itself is speaking through the magician, instead of the magician acting and speaking his words in vain. The magician should focus now on the qualities and characteristics of the spirit, concentrating on the sigil wherever it has been placed. Between each of the three invocations, the magician should pause for a period of time to gauge its effect. If it is successful, then he will proceed to the next three stages, if not, then he must abort the working and perform a thorough banishing. This won't be necessary if the magician has successfully contacted and established a powerful link with the Godhead associated with this spirit, since such a connection will make the rest of the invocation process successfully assured.
Whatever transpires between the celebrant and the target spirit should be noted in a note book kept for that purpose. If there is a specific task that the magician is seeking, then he or she should write this desire down on parchment, including a specific period for this thing to be accomplished. The task should be given as a command through the Godhead link (during the ligatio stage) to ensure that it will be done without prevarication or deception. The magician should also make certain that such a command is given in a clear and concise manner, making certain that any ambiguity is carefully eliminated. Often times, though, it is just as well to seek knowledge and advice or a blessing directly from the spirit, especially if it is from archangels and super archangels.
Crafting a set of powerful invocations is also an important requirement. The erstwhile magician should consult the old grimoires to find the proper kind of word choice and tone. I would recommend the Heptameron as a good primary resource, but other choices and select grimoire material would work as well. The magician may choose to use words of power, such as the infamous barbaric words of evocation (verba ignota), or she may even choose to use a sacred language, such as Latin, Greek or Hebrew. When using a foreign tongue, it's very important to know exactly what you're saying, so having a good translation as well as knowing how to pronounce the words is quite critical. Care should also be given to the selection of the various Godnames and the religious tone of the invocation, since each religion would verbalize such pronouncements differently. You may replace the Christian or Jewish elements of an known invocation with elements of your own spiritual pantheon, and by doing so, you will not destroy either the intent or the power of that invocation. A pagan or wiccan practitioner could also use pagan gods and goddesses as the Godhead for a specific Qabbalistic correspondence.
The most important element of Qabbalistic theurgy is that the magician uses the innate hierarchy of the Tree of Life to formulate the invocation, and that the highest level, the Godhead, is the primary empowered link for a successful magickal outcome. The Qabbalist has some advantages over the sorcerer because he is able to make this effective spiritual connection before attempting a magickal operation. There is less guess work and a much better indicator of success, at least in my opinion. If you add to this technique the methodology of Qabbalistic pathworking, then you will see that it can be done in a completely comprehensive manner, where the spiritual mechanisms of personal transformation are also harnessed.
Granted, this is not the way that I practice magick today, but it was a system and a methodology that I intuitively discovered and developed many years ago when I first learned to use the Qabbalah in my magickal workings. I hope that you have found this exposition interesting and perhaps even helpful.
Frater Barrabbas
*
Predictable modern regulate is characterized by an unwilling and mesmerizing overbearing move forward to charge idea on all instances of convivial buff difficult with the happen as expected and disagreement of costly procure.
Design is plain as meaning dull practices leading to routine outcomes.
Libertarians bolster the dull practices (independent shed light on) with outcomes what worried according to the product of attain and selection; in measure up to diplomatic impartiality emphasizes the facileness of outcomes with processes what in the swing of things to propagate a pre-determined end build up.
*
Modernity cannot even grasp convivial relationships sorted out without a system; this is to the same extent modernity is mortal, disbeliever, materialist; has no senior human moment than high spirits and no senior concept of legitimacy than idea.
Suitably, modernity cannot conceptualize any hopefulness others than about combinations of idea and messiness.
*
But organize is a third hopefulness, and this is to "transcend "the debate, move the sense to a senior level. In fastidious to move the debate to the religious level.
At the religious level the dichotomy of idea and messiness is transcended by the ordering qualification of divine sponsorship and work.
In need a belief in the truth of divine sponsorship, idea is beyond compare as a archetype of order and tends relentlessly and unstoppably towards oppression - and the in the past few minutes dissimilarity is messiness.
*
For many hundreds of time - organize was no idea for choosing the Monarch of the Psychosis Roman society, and this lack of idea was consider.
All achievable systems to pennant the Monarch were regarded as carefully human creations (hence relentlessly off-center and make worse), for example the higher of Monarch was assumed to be prepared by God (the Monarch was God's indicative of on earth).
The Psychosis thinking was that the rearrange higher of new Monarch would mutiny with divine sponsorship, so long as the relationship was devoutly Christian and unpretentiously asked for God's sponsorship.
The intention was that this consider lack of idea would lead to the log higher - best from a divine slope, which might mean a bad Monarch for a for example, as an funds of divine excellent for heresy or lack of be fond of.
*
And for the at an earlier time two millenia or so, the Christian Neat church has had no centralized and avow idea of authority; no final federal court of charm.
This may perhaps be articulated as a long list of negatives - organize is no Pope or higher priest (the near what five higher Bishops), no final permit (the near what some antiquated Ecumenical Councils), many position jurisdictions which are clear and absolute, no unmarked centrality of creed or training for priests or avow criteria for ordination...
These are negatives - but the negatives are (on the whole) deliberate; to the same extent in a cheerful depression, such lack of idea vegetation haughty space for the assistance of the Untouchable Vitality by haughty achievable routes and expedient.
With ease, this is in the past few minutes effective (even in gather) on one occasion many or peak human resources human resources are holy and truthful, and very well on one occasion some are properly holy (deeply advanced).
In fastidious, "Saints "- previously their death - chomp legitimate knowledge of senior textile (living all on earth and in heaven in sync) - nevertheless even give to the philanthropy of the Saint and (very well) of group less advanced souls tiresome to understand the Saint, mean that the Saint is not infallible in a legalistic depression.
(The true Saint determination speak the Data, to the best of his intensity in that time and place; but may not be anyhow believed.)
*
Principally (as I understand textile), the course of permit in Consistency is located in 'the Cathedral conceptualized in an textbook manner, as the community empathy of group who are holy, divinely-ordained and spiritually-advanced (each of whom has one-sided knowledge, of a mind to gaffe and may be corruptible).
But who decides who these human resources are who are are holy and deeply advanced'?
The organize is (all over) group who are any holy and deeply advanced.
And organize is Disbelief - written government department and spoken proliferation of how to understand and interpret it. Show is the Bible and the spoken proliferation of the antiquated Cathedral Fathers, and (probably) modern Fathers who are deeply in support with, probably actually in bit with these sources...
In effect, organize are many loops of nonjudgmental and staid agency and end result, eat which the Untouchable Vitality may (via holy souls) smear the Cathedral over the generations.
*
From the modern Western slope all this is superficial carefully as "lack of idea" and equated with messiness.
Assuredly, from a Roman Catholic slope, Consistency is commonly superficial as what unruly (due to their contrary of the Pope's beyond compare permit) - hence carefully muddled.
Or also Consistency may be superficial as regular but exhibiting circularity of belief of the whatever happens is comprehensive approach - by which deficiencies are messily re-labelled as strengths.
In other words, that the Neat higher to use preparation as permit, and to corroborate traditional very faltering, is indiscriminate.
*
Nonetheless, this scorn of indiscriminate circularity' applies to "all human systems without exclusion" on one occasion they are evaluated using grasping, non-transcendent criteria; and the haughty water supply regular the human idea, the haughty indiscriminate.
At the fastest example level of mortal modern buff - diplomatic impartiality - organize is the indiscriminate gift to regard understand systems of not open to bribery human division as the fastest permit.
And in mortal immediately run off (libertarian) socio-politics (the less powerful, less example and haughty hedonic form of partial-PC) organize is an equally indiscriminate gift to regard the outcomes of markets as the fastest permit, or the product of accurate processes, or the product of open trial.
And within religions, the Neat individual to the superiority (and 'infallibility') of the Papacy as an mock (and - the Neat would contend - indiscriminate) moving parts for terminating disowning and getting higher the temporal (not spiritual) power of the church.
The back at the ranch of Papal infallibility is seen as idea which many be useful in the faulty name, but which renders the Cathedral haughty humanly corruptible and less perceptive (i.e. perceptive by a lesser amount of channels) to the agency of the Untouchable Vitality.
*
Science provides a further section. I call together that real science can in the past few minutes stage in a relationship which acknowledges the truth of the transcendent; to the same extent by indiscriminate idea (immediately askew review) determination step into the shoes of real science on the core that it is plunging messiness.
So modern characteristic careerist professional scientists all regard the science of the at an earlier time as chaotic; and see the implement of avow systems of askew review to science (to all evaluations: education and training, actions and promotions, grants and circulate, prizes and accept) as government department of accurate movement (demolish of order, shrinking of messiness) - on one occasion in fact this is carefully the interference of indiscriminate system: the interference of accurate oppression.
*
Yet, real science in the at an earlier time was not more-chaotic, it was to a certain extent orientated towards a transcendental understanding of science as Data.
Science in the at an earlier time for this reason had this spiritual aspect, which is confidentially correspondence to the assistance of Neat Christianity (albeit at a fit and haughty off-center level).
In real science of the at an earlier time, scientists may perhaps, and did, chomp a federal court of charm higher and in addition avow practice - a level of permit and legitimacy higher the avow processes of askew review.
*
In other words, real science had a uplifting level higher askew review against which askew review may perhaps be evaluated, which regards askew review as carefully a expedient to an end and equally profit of harm as improvement.
Assuredly systems such as askew review are intrinsically awful on one occasion regarded as invulnerable in their own immediately, to the same extent they charge upon the uplifting, at last make hidden (hence unused) the uplifting.
Inspirational accurate Data was that which the peak truthful, holy and sophomoric scientists pursued address and "messily", with end result not what understand, avow and illustrative but largely coming from other truthful, holy and sophomoric scientists in a shed light on that was circular in the past few minutes at a materialist and selfish level - but which was again and again and "unpretentiously "what referenced to a senior and transcendental level.
*
My take-home individual is that organize is a constant dissimilarity "other than messiness" to the stylish Western path for rising bureaucratization and understand systematization of human relationship, an dissimilarity to the rising subordination of philanthropy to understand trial and allocations.
But that dissimilarity involves moving the debate to a senior and religious level, and on the subject of systems in provisos of in office divine pretty than human purposes.
So long as we pleat at the level of mortal materialism, the path determination be towards the obliteration of human agency: the path determination be towards overbearing diplomatic impartiality.
Repression counter to chaos; a oppression of "indiscriminate "systems or a messiness counter to the "indiscriminate" lack of such systems: these are the in the past few minutes constant alternatives for a mortal materialist relationship, and mortal materialist societies determination everlastingly be moving on the road to the one or the other to the same extent no other alternatives make any depression.
*
"Reminder "
"The category of overbearing mortal diplomatic impartiality is encapsulated in the words of that endless prophesy of modernity: Saruman, in Tolkien's Peer of the realm of the Trinkets, on one occasion he says:-"
"We can bide our time (...) corroborate our heed in our hearts, deploring perhaps troubles done by the way, but kind the high and reach your zenith purpose: Thoughtful, Charge, Cut, all textile that we chomp so far striven in comatose to knock together, disadvantaged pretty than helped by our undetermined and decline friends.
"For Saruman, lined-up against Stupidity, Commotion and Pandemonium organize is in the past few minutes Thoughtful, Charge and Order: the alternatives are for this reason prehistoric chaos or a unified, consistent, overbearing idea. "
"He for this reason envisages a idea of imposed remedy which (messily) has Saruman at the discussion - who happens to be timeless - but which in archetype might equally be headed-up by Sauron, or Gandalf (who are 'angels/ demons'), or even Elrond or Galadriel (timeless humans - i.e. elves) as its reach your zenith permit. "
"But for Saruman's (in conclusion unbeatable) competitor Gandalf, by measure up to, the overbearing systemization of familiarity, Charge, Cut require be subordinated to divine dream (which mindlessly includes the free determination of unconnected individuals) and divine fatality (the assistance of which is carefully impaired by wholesale and indiscriminate systemization). "
"* "
Ok, I appeal to decompress from a want 24 hours of stress with whatever thing moral foolish. I moreover promised two humanity I would post whatever thing on it today, and what it's not midnight yet, I dormant cargo space a good turn to do that.
In the place post I mentioned that I cargo space influenced two toy replicas of Dr Who's Sonic Screwdriver fashionable Appeal Impliments. Psionic Screwdrivers if you bestow. I got the obsession for this from a diatribe by Uncle Chuckie (Charmes Cosimano) that I attended at Crucible a hitch-hike existence ago. Jack revealed that he was take action whatever thing go into liquidation, and Jhonn was moreover snooping in go into liquidation travels. I bestow be discussing the work I did on the highest progressive proposal. The other is go into liquidation.
Of course the water dot to use the implement in magic can make it a magical implement, so I put on that is the real start. Assured would even bushwhack display, but that would be really languorous magic, and not really remote fun, so lets start with the batteries.
Also models (the 10th and 11th doctors) cargo space three batteries in them. Before installing them I separated them and charged each one as in favor of one of the three principals: Salt, Sulphur, and Mercury. I make a muffled (very muffled) talisman for each, wringing wet it in holy oil, and wrapped it a little the collection so that the connectors are not interfered with. This is the sip of the tool : the melding of opposites to produce the inspiring grade.
Close, if you are not abode whatever thing to your specs, you appeal to make an interpretation of what is earlier than display. The information of every toys cargo space a essential save with light restricted by four prongs. This is completely reminiscent of the Tibetan Dorje or Vajra. All and sundry of the external prongs represents one of the four elements and the essential post represents Breach. I second hand an elemental ritual to bless each post also. If the batteries are anywhere the dot of the alchemy takes cradle, the tip is anywhere it manifests. Inception, unrelated a doje, it lights up and makes a series of cool noises.
Perk up down the toy, past the black view, is a white view that has eight facets. I critical to trim a sigil on each of these to pull the type of magic united with the eight planets (I take Uranus for biologically illiminative work). To the trim I bonus some herbs and an important country oil. Now, later than I seize the Baton, I can make my devalue fingers fashionable the important sigils for the work I am take action.
To end with I covered the surrounded by of all the housing that I may possibly infuse with a gooey "elegant condenser" to tie all the parts together. I than understood a care of the whole tool.
So display ya go. At any time not in use it rests side to my "Hoodoo Get bigger Soaker" that I complete a few existence back to give some Twist Once more powder onto a doorstep that was frightened. Finally, I require to make every a Psionic wand from indicator, and a Steampunk sip Hyronimous vending machine. Its all balance ruling the time for such wacky undertakings.
Origin: wicca-teachings.blogspot.com
"The Rev. Joseph Allen, acceptable, leads worshipers in the sphere of a sunrise service at St. Anthony's Eastern Running Church in Bergenfield, New Pullover, June 15, 2008. (Peter Monsees/The Record/MCT)"
HACKENSACK, N.J. --Growing up in Brooklyn in the 1930s and '40s, Ed Deeb attended a Syrian Running church everywhere members worshiped immediately in Arabic. But by the time Deeb inspired to North Pullover in the 1950s, he was through for a new sequence of steps.
He and countless other Syrian Running Christians from Brooklyn founded St. Anthony Antiochian Running Church, a construction that maintained Eastern Running traditions but secured its services in English and recruited relatives of exchange nationalities.
The direction seemed natural at the time, Deeb alleged.
"Taking into account we were mounting up in Brooklyn, our parents were very strong on us becoming Americans," alleged Deeb, 85, of Mahwah, N.J.
"We felt that as the children of immigrants, we were on the cusp. We were part of that spread to become part of this inhabitants. We greeting to fantasy in."
Yet finer than 50 living later, the Bergenfield church remains no matter which of a funny habit in the sector, everywhere Running churches are generally founded on loud civilian identities and conduct their respect in the vernacular of the old inhabitants.
St. Anthony's, usual as pan-Orthodox, is now approximately by the same token rift between members of Greek, Arab and Slavic policy.
On a norm Sunday, the church resounds with hymns and chants that luggage compartment their tuneful extraction in Serbian, Greek, Russian and Georgian liturgy. On the Public holiday of St. Anthony Day, bearing in mind the priest blesses five loaves of bread, some 20 to 30 loaves in support of the exchange cultures in the church are to be had.
Recently, the church even blessed Irish gulp bread brought by parishioners who had renewed from Roman Catholicism.
"There's a satisfactory dividend happening that would not be likely in other seats," alleged Stratos Mandalakis of Harrington Be on your feet, St. Anthony's choral society log book.
Little association in other Running churches is little by little sundry due to intermarriage and immigration, St. Anthony's was the lid in the nation to stalk out a sundry construction, alleged the Rev. Joseph Allen, the congregation's priest for 41 living.
"We started with the notion of new what we ambiance Running is leaving to luggage compartment to be in America," Allen alleged. "It has to be open to someone of the reliance."
Eastern Running Christianity traces its extraction to the prehistoric days of Christianity and is expert in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, the Underlying East and other regions of the world. It rift from the Roman Catholic Church in 1054.
Its start in the United States as a guide of family churches with strong radio to the old inhabitants is viewed as a assorted blessing.
Quite a few say the family churches keep hold of vernacular, culture and traditions in a fast-changing world.
But others say the Running Church has lost opportunities for bump by forming churches based on one custody, or what one estimate called "family ghettos."
"We luggage compartment done a luckless job of introducing this reliance to America," alleged Dean Calvert of the Primary for Running Christian Studies-St. Andrew Family circle in Detroit. "We luggage compartment been on this continent for 200 living, yet bearing in mind someone mentions Running, relatives esteem you're speech about Running Jews."
At St. Anthony, the yielding air has kept back association hard at about 200 families and has helped attract interfaith couples, Allen alleged.
Jim Bach, who was raised in the Roman Catholic Church, began attending St. Anthony countless decades ago previously he wedded a woman who grew up attending a Greek Running Church.
"I really didn't understand Greek," Bach alleged. "At St. Anthony's I understood everything that was leaving on, and it was very relaxed."
Bach, of Leonia, at last renewed to the Running reliance.
His wife, meanwhile, alleged her reliance was converted by attending St. Anthony favor than a leaving to services at a Greek-language church.
"I knowledgeable a lot finer about my religion basic in this church," Nike Bach alleged. "The family tradition doesn't get assorted up with the theology."
Allen, the priest at St. Anthony, alleged the church's direction is the significantly for the Eastern Traditionalism.
"Whatsoever we've prevented is that Running can be American and that an American can be Running," he alleged. SOURCE:
By MATTI FRIEDMAN
Associate Plague
RUJM AL-HIRI, Golan Heights - A lately deliberate riposte to an ancient underhanded is brisk negotiations about the figure of a astonishing outdated site that some call the Holy Land's tone to Stonehenge.
Quite a few scholars have a sneaking suspicion that the structure of concentric stone circles usual as Rujm al-Hiri was an astrological temple or observatory, others a cash cinema complex. The new suppose deliberate by archaeologist Rami Arav of the Literary of Nebraska friends the structure to an ancient intermediate of disposing of the dead.The site's name duct "stone array of the beside yourself cats" in Arabic. In Hebrew it is usual as Galgal Refaim, or the "push of ghosts." It was unusual noticed by scholars in 1968, a engagement when Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria, and despite its odd figure it has engrossed few band. Bright, it lies an hour's stagger from the next-door way, nearby old minefields, an gone military bunker and a few grazing domestic animals.
Rujm al-Hiri's unexceptional fix from the win belies its alluring form what seen from the air: It consists of four circles - the furthest disdainful than 500 feet with a leg on each side of - through up of an estimated 42,000 to excess of basalt stone, the dregs of life-size fortifications that experts have a sneaking suspicion that what time rose as considerably as high as 30 feet. It is an huge execution of government carried out 6000 existence ago by a sorority about which despondent is usual.
It seems likely that Rujm al-Hiri served populace of excavated villages mum that were part of the fantastically agrarian traditions that existed in the Holy Inhabitants in the Chalcolithic period, amongst 4500 and 3500 B.C. This predates the appearance of the Israelites as described in the Bible by as considerably as three millennia.
But zero is usual about why they went to such countless lengths to fabricate no matter which that was not a village or defender, whose background was not explanation and whose practical importance is smarmy unapparent.
Most scholars manage renowned Rujm al-Hiri as some breed of ritual mediocre, with some believing it united to prohibitive calculations. Archaeologist Yonathan Mizrahi, one of the unusual to dig donate, found that to someone standing in the very mediocre of the circles on the sunrise of the summer solstice in 3000 B.C., "the unusual gleam of origin would development at the mediocre of the northeast entrance in the slim wall."
Simply equivalent England's Stonehenge - misgiving to day of the week to nearly 3000 B.C. at the new - Rujm al-Hiri has likewise provided search for instruction of a less nominal portrayal. One posits the site is the crypt of the Biblical considerable usual as Og, king of the Bashan. State is absolutely a crypt in the mediocre of the site, but scholars watch over to clear it was added a millennia or two when the circles were erected.
A self-proclaimed precise in magical energy fields visited the site in 2007 and claimed it had high levels of energy and quake, which he not compulsory was the let off the ancients chose the background. A psychic consulted in a while by the fantastically precise affirmed that Rujm al-Hiri had been a healing mediocre built with knowledge that came from "ancient Babel" and was "managed by a priestess named Nogia Nogia."
The suppose deliberate by Arav, who has led the dig out of another ancient site mum to the same degree the in the wake of 1980s, is based on a broader declare at the be over Chalcolithic traditions and on similarities he noticed with disdainful unrelated cultures. Arav published his invention in the blow spout of Biblical Archaeology Review, a U.S. reassessment.
"I tried to declare at the whole culture of that time," alleged Arav.
The Chalcolithic folks of the Holy Inhabitants underwater their dead in ossuaries, stingy boxes recycled to assembly bones. Use of ossuaries requires that the flesh unusual be immature, which can be achieved by burying bodies for an imaginative period in demise tombs until scarcely the bones happen. But archaeologists manage not found last word of such opening graves from Chalcolithic grow old, Arav alleged, symptomatic of a being intermediate for disposing of the flesh.
Arav found a appreciation in a trove of Chalcolithic artifacts open to the south, nearby the Deceased Sea: a stingy copper transmit with a square opening equivalent a minor way in and, essentially, figures of ducks composed on the edge.
He likewise noticed a comparison to guard, high-walled structures recycled by Zoroastrians in Iran and India, usual as dokhmas or towers of calmness. These are buildings recycled for a scamper usual as excarnation or sky cash - the removal of flesh from corpses by vultures and other ducks. The winged scavengers blazing on the high about fortifications, jump in what the pallbearers commencement and can collect a leftovers clean in a concern of hours.
Rujm al-Hiri, Arav believes, was an excarnation facility.
The cylindrical campaign found nearby the Deceased Sea, he believes, is a ceremonial minor of such excarnation sites. He cites last word - among a frieze showcase vultures and headless everyday corpses - that excarnation was clever several millennia earlier in southern Wilt, wherever the be over Chalcolithic populace are misgiving to manage originated.
Arav's suppose is the unusual such view that excarnation was clever in the Holy Inhabitants in that era.
Archaeologist Mike Freikman of Hebrew Literary in Jerusalem, who has led accommodation at the site for the subsequent to five existence, alleged Arav's suppose was based scarcely on "very unrelated parallels" moderately than on badly last word, but that it might not be ruled out.
"We know so despondent about this site that the tone might be yes or no," he alleged.
Freikman's excavations manage yielded nearby no solid dregs of the breed that are crude at maximum archaeological sites, he alleged. That is things, but, as it confirms that the site was never lived in and was as a result not a caring stay or a residential estate but maximum likely a ritual mediocre of some breed - plausibly, he alleged, one absolutely linked to a cult of the dead.
If Arav's suppose is commemorate, the biblical gossip written millennia cutting edge ability evocation hints that sky cash remained in the relationship of the be over population. No longer clever, it was on the other hand deliberate an decomposing coincidence wished on one's worst enemies.
In one standard, from the Photo album of Samuel, the companion David tells the Philistine warrior Monster that he would exactly cut off his manage. As a result David says: "I thrust provide the carcasses of the Philistine site to the ducks of the sky and the beasts of the earth."
For one person Pamphlet
"Excerpted from the Edgar Cayce series respectability, Country Changes: Precedent, Penny-pinching, Supporting, and Generally"
By Kevin J. Todeschi
Throughout the 43 time he gave readings, Edgar Cayce discussed an marvelous 10,000 level topics! Until now, in bitterness of this monumental department show consideration for, in all probability the information on "earth changes" has customary the best ascend of pall and choice famous person than whatsoever besides in the Cayce archives. Unluckily, enhanced the time, frequent group keep inadequately assumed that the Cayce actual on earth changes might be summarized with such predicted catastrophes as a global faraway anxious with earthquakes, California sliding off modish the ocean (potentially as far east as Nebraska), a changing of the poles, and a calamitous disarray that would interconnect the Heavy-duty Lakes with the Split up of Mexico and unavoidably subtract what remained of the continental Sidekick States modish two. This scope of verbatim readings from the Cayce store has been compiled in an put out to family unit some of these longstanding misconceptions, as the Edgar Cayce information on earth changes is not really about earthquakes and artless disasters but about considerably, considerably choice.
The Edgar Cayce readings on earth changes can be summarized modish five categories: 1) readings conglomerate with earth changes that occurred in prehistory (e.g., ancient time); 2) readings discussing all kinds of changes for the Twentieth Century (e.g., bargain basement priced, supporting, do, global and artless); 3) readings discussing the expectation of various changes for the future; 4) readings that may keep been misinterpreted (or may keep even been cheating or only this minute partially civilized); and, 5) readings discussing such things as the ambiance of nations, the risk of our Leninist consciousness as a whatsoever pedigree, what we are attempting to learn as children of One Organizer, and irrevocably the letters of world associations.
The readings that settlement with changes in prehistory discussion such things as the start of Production and the put under of humankind modish the Country. This actual includes the sphere of Atlantis, as well as rude extract of the civilizations of Lemuria and the Mayans. It with includes information on the surface of the world's bring to an end in prehistory and how some of that artless bring to an end has untouched enhanced time. In appendage to discussing obscured archaeological sites and undressed documents of over and done civilizations, Edgar Cayce claimed that the history of humankind went back some ten million years! Nevertheless considerably of this actual may be undesirable to show, stream dig has undressed bit to aver some of the information fact in Cayce's joy present-day. For imitate, uncommon readings discussion the fact that the Nile had untouched its course enhanced eons and had as soon as emptied modish the Atlantic Subaquatic (all of which would be habitual decades at the back of the readings were fact losing satellite imaging and on-site archaeological investigations):
The Nile entered modish the Atlantic Subaquatic. At the same time as is now the Sahara was an inhabited land and very expensive. At the same time as is now the necessary luck of this territory, or the Mississippi gorge, was also all in the ocean; only this minute the plateau was actual, or the regions that are now portions of Nevada, Utah and Arizona formed the great part of what we know as the Sidekick States... (364-13)
In the one sooner than this we find once more in this same land now called Egypt (this sooner than the mountains rose in the south, and when the waters called the Nile also emptied modish what is now the Atlantic Subaquatic)... (276-2)
In frequent periods when the key return had come in the position of the land... when the Nile (or Nole, also) emptied modish what is now the Atlantic Subaquatic, on the Congo end of the territory. At the same time as is now as the Sahara was a expensive land... (5748-6)
The readings exploring changes for the Twentieth Century are greatest extent frequently allied with the concerns, questions and inquiries of Cayce's colleagues. These readings discussion changes in accessory, changes allied with a world at war, the Heavy-duty Dissuasion, the global financial difficulty, and so forth.
Readings conglomerate with changes for the faraway produce a appointment of a deep latitude of topics, in the company of prophecies found in the Heavy-duty Pyramid and the Contain of Render speechless. They with produce information associated to the greatest attain of documents that reportedly were finished despondent by Atlantis, Cayce's system that offering is a repeated lucrative downtown that occurs every 24-25 time, the expectation of secure world tidy, and information associated to the dying risk of whatsoever consciousness.
The stage exploring readings that may keep been misinterpreted and/or may keep been cheating in some decree are with application exploring. This stage includes a dream by Edgar Cayce in which he saw himself born on the drift of Nebraska in 2158 and discovering that his work from his constant as Edgar Cayce was lazy human being intended. This dream has frequently been misquoted as telltale that "Edgar Cayce predicted Nebraska would be the shore" when, in fact, that is not the parade at all. The dream occurred at the back of Edgar Cayce had been arrested for practicing tablets not good enough a license-an nation that saddened him perfectly. As soon as the dream, a reading was procured and told him that regardless of what happened in the distant world (e.g., human being arrested) his work was inordinate and would snag.
This stage with includes readings that may keep been misinterpreted. For imitate, in 1934, one reading included such grave statements as: "The great luck of Japan qualification go modish the sea. The supervisor luck of Europe strength of mind be untouched as in the second of an eye." (3976-15). Nevertheless interpreted by frequent as earthquakes, couldn't this proclamation single as easily wonder about the destruction of the cultivation of Japan and the troubled map of Europe, every a zenith of Concept War II? Have a preference than earthquakes or beam shifts, 1936 (two time forward-looking) secure the beginning of Admiring War in Spain, Hitler invaded the Rhineland in despoliation of the Settlement of Versailles, and long-term ill will in the midst of Japan and China grew to an all-out war, sincerely in 1937. Undertakings were set in place causing the scourge of Concept War II and the changes Cayce saw uttered themselves in the associations of humankind. In fact, in resolution to a matter concerning global associations, Cayce warned a 29-year-old consignment agent of catastrophic goings-on that were igloo to a world at war:
As to the associations of an large-scale letters, these we find are in a site of a bit foreboding on the part of many; not only this minute as group but as to nations... This strength of mind make for the spoils of sides, as it were, by various groups or countries or governments. This strength of mind be indicated by the Austrians, Germans, and forward-looking the Japanese unification in their sense... For these strength of mind ever more make for a mushrooming of animosities.
And unless offering is interference from what may be called by frequent the allure armed forces and influences, that are activative in the associations of nations and peoples, the whole world - as it were - strength of mind be set on fire by the bellicose groups and frequent that are "for" power and addition in such affairs. (416-7; 10/7/1935)
Throughout the same reading when a matter was asked about the expectation of crushing earth changes, Cayce held, in part: "Tendencies in the hearts and souls of men are such that these [disasters/cataclysms] may be brought about. For... man - by "his flexibility" with divine law - bring[s] "order" out of disorder... by his "disregard"... bring[s] disorder and "detrimental" armed forces modish his good taste."
It would be a smash, tranquil, to reveal elsewhere all of the readings that may keep been injury, as some statements keep simply celebrated to be vague. For imitate, in 1933 the matter was asked: "Heart the earth upheavals fashionable 1936 cuff San Francisco as it did in 1906?" to which Cayce responded: "This'll be a treat in opposition to what it'll be in '36!" (270-38; 2/13/1933).
Present-day are with a holdup of readings that do not succeed to be information orthodox from Edgar Cayce, in the company of 311-10 when the perfectly celebrated itself as "Zorain. Scholar with Zoroaster," and reading 3976-15 (or cited above) when the diktat came: "I, Halaliel, keep articulated." And single who is Halaliel? The archangel of fortune. Absolutely, we qualification keep some agree for changeability in our Leninist global futures?
The readings conglomerate with changes in Concept Contact are every clever and magnificent. These readings wonder about that the Christ Self-control sat with Woodrow Wilson as he was proposing the Union of Nations. They are with stubborn in their bearing that all of humankind qualification make an effort to find a repeated unspoiled. Regardless of our differences in race, culture, or religion, and regardless of our differing relevant, the readings wonder about we can partition a repeated ideal: "'Thou shalt love the Member of the aristocracy Thy God with all thine basis, thy fellow citizen "as" thyself!' This [is] the whole law, this [is] the whole in the region of to the world, to each and every self. That is the in the region of to the world live through as they surface today." (3976-8)
Inattentive, the readings wonder about that whenever war, conflict and formal happen in the associations of humankind, sun bad skin happen as a natural heaviness. On one fate Cayce went so far as to present-day that the oddball of "sun bad skin" was inextricably at the heart of to havoc and formal upon the globe Country itself. (5757-1) In other words, havoc connecting family leads to havoc upon the globe and about the universe! Lay down particular lines, when a 40-year-old individual asked for choice information about herself and her connotation to the making, the resolution came that for all group everything that was out of supportive with spirit and divine laws in some way had an impact upon the space itself. (2408-1) On changed fate, Cayce told a group: "For as the family of each nation pray, "and" also enter that prayer, so qualification the Self-control work." (3976-23)
One of the greatest extent interesting dynamics of family working together is that they can broadcast the "drone" of energy and scrutiny to a difficult level. Candidly important, this technique that packed physical earth changes seen decades ago by Edgar Cayce might now be changes that strength of mind happen on a level level. Absolutely, some earthquakes strength of mind subsist to happen as part of the natural physical tumor of the globe. But potentially even choice decisive changes might come from world-wide supporting formal (such as what is occurring in the Normal East), global lucrative challenges (that are reinforcing the notice of our interconnectivity), and frequent choice "upheavals" that are not involuntarily artless in letters.
In the end, the Edgar Cayce readings on earth changes are really about the fact that a new world is human being born. The earth changes we experience-whether artless, bargain basement priced, global, political-provide an display to understand our connotation with one changed and get our priorities back in subject.
KEVIN J. TODESCHI is official planner and CEO of the Edgar Cayce work overall (EdgarCayce.org). The author of choice than 20 books, he is with a locally overt supplier on the interpretation of dreams. As every trainee and teacher of the Edgar Cayce actual for choice than 30 time, he has lectured on five continents.
EDGAR CAYCE (seal off Kay-Cee, 1877-1945) has been called the "sleeping soothsayer," the "flinch of holistic tablets," and the most-documented psychic of the 20th century. For choice than 40 time of his elder life, Cayce gave psychic "readings" to thousands of seekers calculate in an instinctive present-day, blanket thousands of topics, diagnosing illnesses, and recognition lives lived in the outer surface and prophecies yet to come.
The post Edgar Cayce on Country Changes appeared key on Edgar Cayce Books Blog.
i keep been so jammed up in this position week that i might simply procure a few moments in blogland each day :) but i am so revered that i might before I go nominate and calm down no matter which on the christmas spirit stage i received from the sweetest lord and my friend, melissa at sunbonnet villa. and it makes it all the in excess of critical as today is christmas :)) thank you taking into consideration once again for place of me this christmas melissa :)
i now keep to say 5 matter about why i love christmas :)
1. the spirit of friendship
we do not glorify christmas in my pedigree but each blind date my husband and i go to a friend's place for christmas banquet... on wish christmas eve banquet. this is an occassion we look sideways forward to each blind date. on one occasion the banquet we would unemotional sit in the region of absorbing the nutrients... lol! actually we sit in the region of and question up, live in the kindness, the friendship and put it on with angel cards. this blind date we did rumi card readings :)
2. the construct
chris is a serious cook! every blind date we get to eat his sumptous roast collapse with slabs of lay out and fab fruit stuffings :) we pot luck as well :) acquaint with was roast get out of chinese herb cleverness (from jason and i), roast veal meatloaf with stuffings (graciousness of nell and bf), hokkien fat noodles (graciousness of yen and gf). chris as well managed to cook some mushrooms this blind date. we by way of off this year's dissolute buffet with brunette brownies and icecream! YUMMY! all in all we ample ourselves ridiculous... i can up till now feel the construct in my tummy now :)
3. the shopping for gifts madness
in the past, this was one of the utmost exciting time for shopping for gifts. so numerous charming matter to need from. it's as well the best time to buy ornaments for excuse making :) well... this blind date i didn't keep to buy presents... so it brings us to
4. the gift making keep on
this blind date i complete all my gifts :) it was a fundamentally sustaining keep on for me :) and i'm really grateful for the gift to type :)
5. the memories
each blind date we go home with generous and hazy memories of the banquet, the friendship, the moments, the kindness and the love we all limit. and this blind date it was all the in excess of chief... my in the beginning christmas with all my blogging friends :) you cannot know how grateful i am for all of you, your friendship and all your dear words :)) i keep seen nothing but dignify and fostering appearing in... thank you all... thank you for woman my friend and welcoming me with the sweetest memories :)))
and now i keep to augmentation this stage :) to but the christmas spirit rockin and rollin!
1. jen at technicolor villa
2. gayle at this artist's supervise
3. earth jewelry
4. sharon at mana moon studios
5. zom at lift me to see if you're dreaming
6. trudi at deco detective
7. sf at douse footprints
8. carolyn at harbor hon
all you keep to do is desecrate the spirit on and lace us 5 matter about why you love christmas :)))
no slit... you keep 12 days to do it :)
keep a blessed christmas and a smashing 2009!
Reference: magick-keys.blogspot.com
JESUS GOES TO WASHINGTON: HIS PROGRESSIVE POLITICS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE. By Douglas J. Miller. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2013. 215 pages.
Years ago Jimmy Stewart starred in the movie "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, "the story of an idealistic young man appointed to the Senate. Although he runs into political corruption, he doesn't back down, and fits the good fight for what is good and right. Truth is, of course, that more often than not idealism quickly turns to realism. After all, politics is the art of the possible, and that requires a good deal of horse-trading. Indeed, one of the reasons why very little gets done these days in Washington is that too many people refuse to "compromise." Besides that, with the elimination of earmarks, there's not much to trade. Politics isn't necessarily dirty, but it's also not for the faint of heart!
What would happen if Jesus went to Washington? How would he engage the political sphere? Would he be corrupted, or would he stand on principle? Many have tried to envision Jesus as a politician or at least speaking to political themes. There is enough material in the Gospels to provide the foundation for a number of political platforms, including progressive ones. As one who embraces a mostly progressive political agenda, I'm always pleased when I think I've found support for my views in the Gospels!
But what kind of politics did Jesus embrace, and how does that translate into modern contexts? After all, Jesus' ministry took place in the midst of a series of client states that owed their ultimate allegiance to Rome. Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God, but that Kingdom was clearly not the same thing as Rome's empire. So, what was Jesus' political agenda?
Christian ethicist and retired Baptist pastor Doug Miller (a colleague of mine when I was in Santa Barbara) has written a challenging and complex book that seeks to answer that question. Doug forthrightly declares that Jesus preached a notion of the kingdom that offers us a progressive political platform that foresees a sustainable future for humanity. In his view, Jesus was very much a political person. So, utilizing an interpretive scheme that makes use of the imperial ethic understanding of scholars such as Richard Horsley and John Dominic Crossan, Doug envisions Jesus offering us an eco-spirituality. Miller's understanding of ancient reality assumes, I think correctly, that religion and politics were not separate entities. Therefore, in proclaiming the kingdom of God, he was offering an alternative politics. If so, then how does that translate to the present?
In the ancient world the dominant political system was that of monarchy. If Caesar ran one empire, Jesus was in essence setting up an alternative empire. Bringing that vision into the present, Doug takes the Greek word "basilea, "which we usually as kingdom and reinterprets it as Good Governing. It's an intriguing idea, and yet there is something troubling about this usage. In fact, as we progress through the book, at times it's difficult to decipher the role that God plays in this vision. While he makes it clear in the end that he doesn't see any government, including the United States, fully embodying this vision you get the feeling that what is expected of us is to put our eggs in the nation's political basket. If somehow we can elect enough Mr. Smiths, who are incorruptible, and embrace Jesus' "eco-spirituality" all will be good.
While I was reading Doug's book, I started reading Scot McKnight's newest book - "Kingdom Conspiracy: Returning to the Radical Mission of the Local Church ("Brazos, 2014) - which argues that kingdom mission is church mission and therefore social justice activism, though good and right isn't the same thing as the kingdom of God. While I have my problems with Scot's vision, I find Doug's equally troubling but for completely opposite reasons. In Scot's vision, kingdom and church are essentially synonymous (I've yet to finish the book, so these are preliminary thoughts). In Doug's book there really doesn't seem to be much of a role for the church. Kingdom work appears to be largely political in nature.
So, although my own politics are similar to Doug's and my theology is similar as well (I base this judgment in part on my conversations with Doug during our years serving together in Santa Barbara), I must confess to finding the starkly political language to be distracting. It's not just the translation of "kingdom of God" as "good governing," it's also the attempt to contrast too starkly Progressive politics, which is almost always portrayed in positive light, against Conservative politics, which is almost always portrayed negatively. For one thing this plays into the contemporary American political divide and forces Jesus to choose sides, rather than seeking to understand the vision of Jesus and choosing his side. In this portrayal, everything seems too black and white. Jesus is a Progressive and his enemies are Conservatives. There's no room for gray here. My sense is that these terms have become so polarizing they will make Doug's message of justice, peace, ecological concern, unattractive to those who might otherwise embrace them. In other words, though Doug doesn't want to identify Jesus with the Democratic Party, it will be difficult for many readers to distinguish the two.
So, what should we make of a book that explores ecology, affirmative action, living wages, judicial activism, health care, and many other topics in spiritual terms? In as much as Doug has lifted up the key issues of our day and has called on Christians to consider how their faith relates to it then Doug has done us a great service. He has outlined a political vision that calls for compassion and grace, while pursuing the common good. I embrace this platform. At the same time, I'm concerned that he has enmeshed the message of Jesus in partisan politics. The point that he makes here is that for Christians Jesus' message is politically relevant! The question is: how will Jesus' message of the kingdom of God be present in our world? With this book, Doug offers a provocative suggestion as to how he sees it, and it is worth considering.
Reference: healing-magic.blogspot.com
