#and then like these holy sacred members are put into their ranks and they are fucked up
Photo
Thunderclan’s little angels 💗
#biblicallyaccurate!warriors#jayfeather#lionblaze#my art#warriors#fanart#warrior cats#this AU is mostly aestetics but i like the idea of the clans worshipping starclan#and then like these holy sacred members are put into their ranks and they are fucked up#and not what they expected#this is brought to you by biblically accurate angel brainrot during finals week </3#also i dont really like this one but figured i should post it anyways#ms paint
2K notes
·
View notes
Text
"The Sign of the Upright." Introduction to the Vasudeva Upanishad, the Exploration of the Mysteries of the Horse.
The Vasudeva Upanishad was written around 300 BCE. It numbers 77 of 108, and is contained in the Sama Veda. Horses in Vedanta as in other religions are not positive omens. Without a skilled rider, they have the connotation of being as wild as demons.
The Horse called Vasudeva was said to have been the mount of Lord Krishna, an incarnation of the god Skanda, the god of justice who came to earth to deal with a king who cheated his way to his crown. This resulted in the recitation of the Bhagavad Gita to his kingdom and then subsequent slaughter of everyone who supported the cheater.
It is my hope to encourage the same thing to Donald Trump and every Republican who helped him cheat his way into office after the debacle with Blue State Digital in 2016. As in Krishna's day, the Department of Justice and the contender need to get up off their asses and fight.
Everyone associated with the first Trump Campaign and Administration that knew about those fraudulent election proceedings must be put to death. Donald Trump must be made an example of. There are no excuses for interfering with election results or allowing a man who was not legally elected to become the president or to pretend all is well and allow him to run for election again.
This along with Donald Trump's unfathomable popularity are signs the human race is in grave danger from corruption and something has to be done.
The Vasudeva Upanishad begins with an analysis of what is called an Urdhvapundra, "the mark of the upright", which is worn by persons who have entered the priesthood and are decorated in preparation for temple proceedings.
The Pundra proceeds from a dot, the mind, and emanates three rays of light, one each for the Holy Trinity of Hinduism, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, "Adoration, Grace, and Kindness."
Om. The God like sage Narada saluted Lord Vasudeva and requested him, “Oh God, please teach me the rules of Urdhva Pundra (the religious mark of Vaishnavas which is vertical and points upward)”.
God Vasudeva addressing him told as follows:
2. The Brahmachari (unmarried student of Vedas) and Grahastha (householder) after reciting the following prayer: “Oh God who holds the wheel, mace and conch, Oh Achyutha who is staying in Dwaraka, Oh Govinda, Oh Lotus eyed one, please protect me, who has surrendered to you.” should apply Urdhva Pundra in his forehead and other 12 places with his pure finger (finger next to the little finger) reciting either the Vishnu Gayathri or the 12 names of the Lord viz., Kesava, Narayana, Madhava, Govinda, Vishnu, Madhusudana, Trivikrama, Vamana, Sreedhara, Hrishikesa, Padmanabha and Damodhara.
A Vaishnava is a member of a school of Hinduism who studies the Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita along with other texts closely associated with Rama, Krishna, and stories of their worldly pursuits. A Shaivite studies a slightly different approach but both kinds of priests believe in one non-dual Holy Spirit that animates the universe out of Great Grace.
The Upanishad mentions there are 12 names one must understand in order to consecrate the mind to the Self of this Holy Being.
Kesava: long hair or anything that belongs to Krishna.
Narayana: the Sustainer.
Madhava: sweetness.
Govinda: the chief herdsman.
Vishnu: the All-Pervasive.
Madhusudana: destroyer of the honey demon.
Trivikrama: master of the three kinds of order.
Vamana: pain of vomiting, the better half of humanity that is retained after it renounces evil.
Sreedhara: the highest rank.
Hrishikesa: Lord of the Faculties.
Padmanabha: the Lotus Naveled. Hndus believe the tingly place under the belly button has special significance.
Damodhara: master of the sacred thread, the red thread of the priesthood.
All twelve names pertain to aspects of the ways the Upanishad mark the mind and turn it into a vessel that is pure, fit for the duty of service in the Name of the Most High.
The Upanishad will continue.
0 notes
Text
Supernatural Crack🩹tober
Day 12 - Moondorsonas
Tomorrow was very important. The culmination of an entire year, what every faithful citizen under Moondoor’s banner looked forward to. A celebration of rebirth and renewal, where they prepare for harvest days now that the last bit of chill faded from the breeze. And Castiel, as Archchancellor, was tasked with making sure this festival ran as it had for centuries. Perfectly, without a hitch.
He’d be more confident, though, if Castiel could speak with Her Royal Highness.
Being the Archchancellor, Castiel delegated many of his church’s emissaries with tasks so he could focus on the main event. The ritual where, under the heavenly glow of their goddess's full moon, Castiel invoked sacred prayers in the ancient tongue. Bathing in her mercy. Asking for protection. Bartered humble, righteous service for help making this summer’s crops more bountiful than last. As it would be his first time, Castiel spent many days and nights in training alongside fulfilling his other duties. There were never enough hours in his life for it all, so help was required.
However, not every emissary was successful. Like Brother Samandriel, whose only duty was getting the Queen’s signature on papers detailing the expenses for the Celestial Carnival. That way, when Ellen from the Treasury Chamber yelled at him for how much gold they used, he could present her with those papers and direct her towards the Queen for questioning.
Except Samandriel returned with unmarked sheets. “They wouldn’t let me speak with her,” he said, “that I didn’t rank high enough.”
Castiel snorted, flicking his way through robe after robe. Thinking about which he should wear for the festival. “That doesn’t sound like the Queen,” Castiel told him, “who pulled rank on you?”
“Her Majesty’s Handmaiden.”
He stilled, strangling the silver fabric in his hands. Castiel turned, exchanging the robe for Samandriel’s papers, and set off down the hall. Temple pounding at the same pace his sandals slapped across the stone flooring. Barreling towards the Queen’s royal offices. Tan cloak billowing behind him, looking almost like wings. Their flapping scaring poor servants and maids who he happened upon in his fury.
The only one who hadn’t flinched on sight, is the same man who keeps him from completing this simple task. Talks in endless circles and wasting his time.
Queen Charlene’s Most Favored Handmaiden, Sir Dean Winchester. Like he knew Castiel was incoming, Dean waited outside her doors. Leaned on them, blocking his path. Arms folded over a leather tunic while he wore his most smug expression that Dean knew Castiel hated. “His Holy Archchancellor,” Dean greeted, “What purpose is it that you would grace us with your divine presence?”
“I need to speak with Her Majesty.”
“…Why?”
Fifteen minutes later, Castiel was nowhere closer to getting past him. While he commanded the holy light of the goddess, Amara, the other man’s supernatural ability of being annoyingly stubborn proved indomitable.
“Dean,” he sighs, pinching his brow, “I really don’t have time for this.”
“You never have time for anything.”
“I’m to meet with members of the MacLeod Court within the hour,” he explains, “and if I’m even a second late you know how unbearable the Lady Rowena will be. With her being this year’s goddess conduit, I need her at least somewhat agreeable.”
Dean scoffs, waving Castiel’s concerns off. “I can send Sam down there and distract her. You know how crazy she is about him.”
“Please don’t,” Castiel says, “we’re on a very tight schedule as it is. I can’t have her flitting off with your brother to the deepest sections of the library.” He stepped closer, toes brushing the tops of Dean’s boots. “Is Queen Charlene in such an important meeting that she cannot take five minutes to sign a few pages?”
He hopes the earnest sincerity he wove throughout his voice works. That, paired with the wide eyes and trembling lip, always worked on the other man in younger years. Getting him to roll over like a well-trained hound. While Castiel hadn’t used tricks such as those for a while, they still hold. Dean relents, dropping his façade.
“She’s just in there writing stories about characters from this story she likes,” Dean confesses, “the one her fool, Gabriel, tells.”
Irritation wounds him, stabbing sharply at his side. “Then why have you been putting me through this?”
“Because we’re finally having a conversation!” Ice rushes through Castiel’s veins at the admission, stumbling backwards. Body uncooperative for the moment. Dean carries on, ignorant of Castiel’s reaction. “Ever since you took over for that bastard Ishim as Archchancellor, I barely see you anymore outside of our bedchambers, and even then I feel…” His gaze dips, lips trembling as he stops shouting. “I feel like you aren’t there with me.”
“Dean…”
“I just – I miss those days when you would skip your daily meditations, and I’d say I was doing parole. Lying to our superiors, even though I’m sure Charlie knew where I was going… and we’d meet in our special alcove. Talk and kiss and… you know.” Dean sighs, swiping at his nose. “I can’t remember the last time we kissed, let alone when we were intimate with one another.”
There are a lot of sad truths Castiel realizes. That his newer responsibilities did weigh on him greatly, pulling Castiel at all hours. He would enter their room exhausted, barely uttering a single word before passing out atop the bed. And as Archchancellor, he could not sneak off like in the early days of their courtship. His superior hung in the sky every night – there was no lying to her. But Dean hadn’t deserved such dismissals. Being left behind, unknowingly. Underappreciated. Unvalued. There was no excuse for Castiel’s actions. Dean was important to him, as much as his faith was.
Castiel reaches forward, cupping Dean’s cheek in his hand. Forcing his gaze onto Castiel’s face. “Oh, Dean,” he sighs, “I apologize. Truly. For not making you feel as important as you are to me.”
Dean offers a pitiable smile, shrugging. “S’okay,” he mutters, “I’m just… these past few weeks have been rougher than usual, because of the festival. Plus, there’s this whole conflict on the Southern Border that Charlie’s worried might grow into something larger if not dealt with I… it was just terrible timing, I guess.” He steps aside, gesturing at the door. “Go. You have things to do, better things than comforting my sorry ass.”
“You’re forgetting, Dean Winchester,” Castiel grins, following him. Loops his arms over Dean’s shoulders. “I’ve seen your ass, and there is nothing you should feel sorry for. Amara did bless you mightily in that regard.”
Their foreheads touch, Dean mirroring Castiel’s expression. “She blessed me by allowing you to find your way to me.”
Castiel agrees with a kiss, pressing against him in a way they haven’t fit for a while. As they break for air, panting, Castiel hugs Dean tighter. “I promise, in the new year, I’m going to find a balance. Make more time for you, whenever I can. And if whatever I do isn’t enough – please let me know. Because I will try harder.”
“I will,” he promises, “thank you, Cas.”
They part after one last kiss, Castiel sliding his hand down Dean’s arm until their fingers tangle. “I should really get these papers signed,” he says.
“Yeah.”
Castiel cannot leave. Not yet. An idea strikes, like lightning. Inspiration so divine he thinks his goddess bestowed it as a gift. “You know,” he starts, swinging their hands, “after the ritual, I’m supposed to be in attendance of a grand feast.”
“Yeah, I know,” Dean says, “So am I.”
“The thing is… I’m supposed to be adorned in full regalia.” Castiel squeezes Dean’s hand, “The hat… the necklace… gloves and mask.” By Dean’s glinting eyes and curling smirk, Castiel knows he understands. Yet he continues. “Actually, anyone could be dressed in that outfit and they’ll assume it’s me. Brother Samandriel owes me a favor, anyway… do you think you could delay your arrival to the feast?”
Dean nods, “I’m sure I could… but where would we go? The castle will be brimming with the usual ghosts and curious guests.”
“There’s always our alcove.”
“Yeah… our alcove.”
Castiel lets go, returning to his role. “I’ll see you later tonight,” he says, “And we can rehearse for tomorrow.”
Dean cheekily bows. “Holding you to that, Holy Archchancellor.”
“You’re mistaken Dean,” Castiel finally opens the door, “it’ll be me doing the holding.” As beautiful as the papal bells, his beloved’s laughter fills the space. Trailing after him even through the closed doors. Charlene glances up from her musings, smiling. “Hello Charlie,” Castiel says, grabbing for the papers in his cloak pocket, “can I have a moment of your time…?”
(Day 11 - American Pie)
#supernatural#spn#cracktober#profoundnet#castiel#dean winchester#destiel#deancas#destiel fanfic#deancas fanfic#moondor au
28 notes
·
View notes
Text
The Choir: Chloral Madmen or Misguided Fools?
Spoilers for Bloodborne below for the entire post:
So, for my first lore post here, I wanted to keep it within the season. Believe it or not, the Choir is quite a scary prospect of Yharnam when you look at it in depth. First of all, what is the job of the Choir? As their set states outright:
“Members of the Choir are both the highest-ranking clerics of the Healing Church, and scholars who continue the work that began at Byrgenwerth.“
This means the choir continues in Eldritch Knowledge and the pursuit of ascension in the path of Master Willem and not Laurence. The origin of the Choir is also explicitly stated with the Orphanage Key:
“Key to the Orphanage, birthplace of the Choir.
The Orphanage, shadowed by the Grand Cathedral, was a place of scholarship and experimentation, where young orphans became potent unseen thinkers for the Healing Church.
The Choir, that would later split from the Healing Church, was a creation of the Orphanage.“
This explicitly tells us that the Choir are just Orphans who grew up and were taught to essentially experiment on people their whole lives, along with a lot of Eldritch Knowledge. If you’re wondering where the rest of the Choir is well, presumably they’re in the third floor of the Upper Cathedral Ward main building. It’s a fact that some of them are there, given that singing can be heard, arias specifically. These aria’s are supposed to be religious-like thing, given by the Rosmarinus’ description:
“A special weapon used by the Choir, high-ranking members of the Healing Church.
Sprays a cloud of sacred mist, created by using blood-imbued Quicksilver Bullets as a special medium.
Arias are heard wherever sacred mist is seen, proving that the mist is a heavenly blessing.
‘Oh, fair maiden, why is it that you weep?’”
It is seen as something of the heavens, the heavens being something the Choir, or really the church believe in. These heavens might be the Nightmare realms in the other planes of existence. The mist is made from Quicksilver Bullets, aka Mercury and Mercury in Bloodborne deserves its own post but it’s essentially Mercury gas, in which Oedon loves Mercury. The last line “Oh, fair maiden, why is it that you weep?” this maiden is the Great One below in the cave, but we’ll get to her later. Now, what do the Choir do? Well, they experiment on people to, as Fauxsefka puts it “Surpassing our own stupidity.” these experiments create Kin. These experiments are the Celestial Emissaries. And why are they called “Emissaries” well, it’s presumable they are used to contact Great Ones. How do we know this? Well, they drop communion. The boss does anyways. Meaning that they have contacted a higher truth. All the places we find communion, minus +5 vials, is in relation to some sort of religious place/person. Where communion has or could take place.
The Choir also is said to now be separated from the Healing Church itself and with this they have just become a separate name. They are still apart of it, just not the Healing Church conglomerate. This means that the Choir gets their “patients” from the Church who of course, just kidnap Yharnamites. Another faction that has separated from the church is the School of Mensis, who preform a similar function to the choir, but they do not experiment on people in the same way, their wish is though, is to reach Kos and end the Curse of Hunters. The Choir is very suspicious of the School, sending a spy, Edgar to the school in hopes of sharing secrets, though, due to the Mensis ritual, he got stuck in the Nightmare Realm. The choir’s suspicions aren’t for naught though, Mensis is doing something and killed an entire village to try and create an artificial Great One, which worked half-way.
Another aspect of the Choir to note is their clothing. Which the cap is the most interesting part.
“Attire of the Choir, high-ranking members of the Healing Church. Members of the Choir are both the highest-ranking clerics of the Healing Church, and scholars who continue the work that began at Byrgenwerth. Together with the left behind Great One, they look to the skies, in search of astral signs, that may lead them to the rediscovery of true greatness.“
This states that the Choir outfits are inspired by Willem, why they choose not to see is a common concept. It’s not rare in Yharnam to cover ones eyes so that you can gain eyes on the inside and ascend. Their attire looks very special and like Choir wear, nothing special there but it is apart of the Choir.
Another interesting part of the Choir is their tools. Their tools include: Rosmarinus, Choir Bell, A Call Beyond and Augur of Ebrietas. Minus the Rosmarinus, they are all Arcane items. Meaning they are understood by few, but they also incorporate, for the lack of a better word, magic in their use. The Choir Bell is based on a larger bell that can send a sound across multiple planes of existence. This one just uses its sound to raise vigor/heal someone. A Call Beyond was created when the Healing Church failed to contact the greater Cosmos using Phantasms, but instead summoned a small exploding star. Finally, the Augur of Ebrietas uses a similar tactic to A Call Beyond. It uses a phantasm but it uses it to partially summon Ebrietas, using one of her tentacles to shoot out of ones hand. All of these weapons use the cosmos and are the latter two are considered secrets, for good reason. They do use it in combat, Yurie, Fauxsefka and Edgar all use it. Along with Micolash(Who would’ve been apart of the Choir but split in Mensis).
Another thing the Choir is continuously said to do is look at the sky or mention how the sky is one with the Cosmos. This, of course, is also something they most likely took from Willem as when we find him in Byrgenwerth, he is literally staring at the sky forever. Doing this seemingly does do something as Willem is growing some sort of Fungus on his neck which isn’t natural. He’s also lost his ability to speak in a normal human tongue. Though, the Choir either haven’t done it long enough or as expected, have just used other methods to achieve this. Of course, the experiments are these ways. Once you understand that in this world that these Gods exist, you’re either afraid or in awe. How the people of Bloodborne even figured out you can transcend is beyond me, but. They figured it out and now they wish to do so. Multiple ways of doing it have been shown in the game whether it be drinking God Blood, Water, Eating Organs or becoming too Enlightened. And all of this, as we know are connected to Aliens. Beings from Space. There is a reason the Moon Presence is called the Moon Presence after all, did she come from the Moon? Who knows, but she always descends from it, meaning she is not from Earth and comes from space. Not to mention some aspects of the Choir magic as listen above are well, space related. Stars. Yes, it is strange they just realized that the sky leads into space but it helps in the fact they most definitely worship the moon a lot. Hell, they even have statues of the Moon Presence.
These can be found in Lumenflower Gardens and most definitely suggest that the Choir worship or really appreciate her in which one makes sense over the other. With this, and other descriptions, the Choir are really obsessed with the Moon, in the same theme of the Lumenflower Gardens, the flowers open in full Moonlight. We also know the church has always participated in rituals with a Great One, mostly the Moon. So this obsession with space, Great Ones, it’s all religious. It’s sacred, holy, divine, etc... This isn’t surprising of course, all Great Ones are considered Gods. The Choir themselves have a connection to one of these Gods, Ebrietas.
Now, since we are talking about the Choir and Isz and Ebrietas are apart of the Choir, I will 1. Talk about them as if they are the same(Isz less so) and 2. Go into full detail about them.
First off we have Isz, a land that the Choir themselves consider to be in touch with the Cosmos. It is a land that is filled with Moon Larvae(Most likely where most of the ones in Upper Cathedral Ward come from) Celestial Emissaries and other Kin. It’s infested with a blue hue and arcane tree roots. This of course, going along with the themes of Bloodborne proves that well, all of this has already played out. Isz has already done what the Choir has done, the Choir is just repeating Isz. There’s even a human(or Pthumerian; Iszian?) who has become a Great One, but we’ll get to her later. But yes, this is just proof everything is repeating, like Loran and Yharnam. It is also notable that Isz houses most Great Ones we see as bosses, which brings to effect 1. These Chalices are Pocket Dimensions, Rom has no place being here. 2. These Chalices are existing so the Great Ones shall keep their forms stored so they cannot die, they can revert back to their other form and regenerate so to speak and then come back. Isz just seems to possibly be the main hub for that. Regardless, that is Isz. And relation to the Choir, well, they found the chalice and explored it and then came into contact with Ebrietas.
Now we have Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos. She is called a Great One in many places, but is she? Well, it’s confusing. All true Great Ones bleed red, like Humans. But, all Kin bleed White, Mercury. But, what does Ebrietas bleed? Red and White. What does Rom bleed? Red and White. What is Rom? A Human who has transformed into a failed Great One. From the previous paragraph, we established cycles in Bloodborne. This isn’t a joke or false, this is true. Think about it; Loran, Old Yharnam and now Yharnam all were infected by the Beast Plague. It happens again and again. Isz and now the Choir, it’s happening again and again. The Fishing Hamlet and now Mensis with Mergo, again and again. If this isn’t proof, well, I don’t know what to tell you. This is even more explicit than Dark Souls. Anyways, along with this would be another failed attempt at a Great One, right? Well, of course, why couldn’t it? Ebrietas is like Rom, she can cast her own magic and looks like a Great One. Anyways, take that theory with what you will. So, what does Ebrietas do in our current story? Well, she was found in Isz by the Choir. It’s said she was left behind, if you believe my theory you’ll know why. She’s not like the others, she cannot ascend to other planes like the others can because she’s not full, so to speak. So, she was found and luckily for the Choir, she wanted to coexist with humans. Why she does isn’t known but, she soon became a thing for the Choir to study, but presumably they did nothing bad to her and even gained a good relationship with her. She stays in a cave below the Grand Cathedral, called the “Altar of Despair” and currently she’s weeping over a dead corpse of a giant Spider.
And, this is where I deviate from current lore to cut content, well. See, that Giant Spider is Rom. It’s honestly, should I say an extremely bad mess up, like really, really bad. Because in current game, it makes no sense. This giant spider that looks like Rom is here but it’s not really Rom? And you can reverse Annalise’s death here? What? Well, if you want to know, it’s Rom and the Altar used to be below Byrgenwerth, Rom would fall and then Ebrietas would be sad her “sister” is dead. There’s also a cutscene associated with her corpse, but nevertheless, there we go. You might be asking, “Why is this important” well, there’s no good explanation for it other than to explain why it’s there when the area was being developed.
But that’s the end of the rant, so the Choir are children who have been raised to experiment on people and elevate humanity. Of course, they aren’t the only ones who do so but they definitely are making progress. If you read all the way through, thank you! Feedback and RB’s are appreciated!
16 notes
·
View notes
Text
By My Oath - Personal Plot for Paladins
Knights in shining armor. Lawful stupid. A moral compass. A pain in the ass.
Paladins have been part of the D&D game for a long time, first appearing in the Greyhawk supplement for original D&D. All the way through 3rd edition, they had to be Lawful Good, which made a lot of people dislike them, since they were often the one preventing the party from torturing or killing prisoners, fighting dishonorably, stealing and looting, and other fun activities. The portrayal of Sir Osric the Chaste in the movie Gamers: Dorkness Rising is a classic "Lawful Stupid" paladin, and the other players clearly hate having him along. As of 4th edition, paladins can be of any alignment, which might have helped people get over their dislike of them. In 5th edition especially, however, they are still bound by an Oath that defines their behaviors and powers.
Each Oath is so different from the others that each one is likely to have its own sort of quests to follow. In this article, unlike previous personal plots, we'll take a look at each Oath and give a few ideas for storylines that might fit that concept.
The Oath of Devotion is very much a classic knight in shining armor, calling for the paladin to act very much as a chivalrous member of Arthur's Round Table. I think this is the perfect place to begin looking for inspiration. An Oath of Devotion paladin could be going on quests for a liege lord, defeating evil knights, rescuing those in need, seeking out lost holy relics, and the like. You might decide that there are orders of knighthood in your campaign, perhaps taking inspiration from Dragonlance's Knights of Solamnia. Perhaps your paladin wants to work up through the orders, achieving higher ranks of knighthood, eventually becoming one of the king's "peerless companions" or something of the like.
An Oath of Conquest paladin is almost the opposite of this ideal. They could be the lawful evil version of the same, following a tenet of might makes right, a lawful neutral knight who wants to wipe chaos out altogether, or a lawful good knight who truly believes that by establishing an iron rule over others, they can make the world a better place. Quests for such a paladin could involve vanquishing the forces of chaos, defeating other knights in order to conquer their lands, putting down rebellions for their liege lord, or seeking things that will make them more powerful - the better to bring order to the world.
Oath of Redemption paladins have a crazy road ahead, because they've chosen to seek violence only as a last resort. Their powers and spells are much more geared for defense and protection. I could see a Redemption paladin working as a diplomat, trying to make treaties with goblins, orcs, and the like. They could be atoning for something in their past...perhaps they were a villainous character or minion, but now they have forsworn that path for a new one. Perhaps there is a holy quest, such as recovering the Cup and Talisman of Al'Akbar and returning it to a shrine of Lathander, that will ultimate guide them to their own redemption, freeing them from the bonds of an infernal contract. It's worth noting that the party should probably be aware of the presence of such a paladin and be cool with it. It definitely calls for a different style of gaming than the norm.
The Oath of the Ancients Paladin fights for the green, living world, kindling hope and protecting beauty. These paladins can definitely raid the Druid's wheelhouse for plot elements, protecting sacred groves, slaying forces that seek to corrupt the natural world, and protecting those around them. Perhaps an Oath of the Ancients paladin serves a fragile elven kingdom, seeking to protect it from any encroaching evil that haunts its woods. Quests against hags would seem to be a particularly appropriate choice for these paladins.
A paladin who follows the Oath of the Crown is tied strongly to civilization, serving a king, a nation, or law in general. They could be called upon at low levels to pacify a group of bandits, to slay a marauding monster that threatens a small village, or to rescue a local lord from the forces that threaten his rule. As they gain in levels, they might break up slaver rings, face an encroaching army of gnolls head on, or champion a king's cause in a tourney. At the highest levels, they should face threats that threaten the kingdom, if not reality itself. Chaotic primordials, demons, and the like make excellent foes for such a paladin.
THe Oath of Venegeance has story built into its very core. What was the event that caused the paladin to swear such an oath? What is the core wrong that such a paladin longs to right? I jokingly call this the Batman oath, because I could easily see a character modeled after the Dark Knight. Perhaps the vengeance that needed taking has long since been taken - the parents are avenged or what not. Perhaps that brought the paladin no satisfaction, and now they ride to bring vengeance for the sake of everyone who could not get it for themselves. A town raided by worgs, a family who lost a loved one to drow kidnappers, or a community suffering under a tyrannical dragon can all expect aid from an Oath of Vengeance paladin.
I hope this has you thinking about plot for the Paladin in your game. Paladins are great, flavorful characters who deserve love...and plot.
#d&d#dungeons and dragons#dungeon master#dungeons & dragons#d&d 5e#dnd 5e#dnd#dnd stuff#d&d 5th edition#dnd shenanigans#dm advice#gm advice
230 notes
·
View notes
Text
[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (128/?)
Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation. This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.
Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.
[6 August 233 Before Age. Interstellar Space]
Immediately after the battle on Zenj I, Luffa underwent another round of mycotherapy treatment. It was a radical application of synthetic fungal DNA, which Dr. Topsas had devised as a way to heal all of Luffa's injuries as quickly as possible. Luffa's very first session lasted three days, but he had managed to refine the process since then, and this time Luffa only had to stay immersed in the stasis fluid for two.
Zatte counted down the hours and minutes until she could see her wife again. In recent days, she had comforted Luffa while she rested after a battle. It had been a very spiritual experience for her, and even if Luffa didn't share in that aspect of it, the lovemaking was great too. This time there would be a delay, but Zatte didn't see why anything else needed to change. And yet, when Zatte went to find her on the third day, Luffa had already left the sickbay, and had gone to the ship's gymnasium.
The entire star-yacht belonged to Luffa, a "gift" from a wealthy deathmatch promoter who desperately wanted her to go away. But Luffa usually slept in the gym, rather than any of the ship's luxurious cabins. She would spend time in Zatte's quarters, especially after they were married, but the gym was where she went to be alone, and Luffa generally preferred to sleep alone.
As Zatte entered the gym, she ignored the toppled exercise machines and torn mats. The place had been a mess for years, as Luffa used this space to let off steam. Now, she was lying on the pile of mats and towels she used for her bed, staring pensively at the ceiling.
"There you are," Zatte said. "I thought you'd head straight for my room, but I guess you wanted me to find you..."
She knelt down on the deck beside Luffa, who slowly rose to a sitting position.
"Hey," Luffa said, kissing Zatte on the cheek.
"What's wrong?" Zatte asked. What she really wanted to ask was: "Is that all? We're apart for three days and all I get is a lousy kiss on the cheek?"
"Nothing, I'm just... I'm tired, and I needed to think."
"I thought you'd want to... discuss what I did on Planet Zenj," Zatte said.
Luffa took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, you saved that kid," she said. "Hell of a job. I'm proud of you."
"It was nothing," Zatte said. "I... I meant what I said back there. I can't die without you. I'm sure of it. And when I'm around you, I feel like I can do anything."
Zatte was sure that Luffa would jump up and push her against the wall. Not too rough, but not too gently either. And Luffa would have some stern words for her about being more careful, and Zatte would fire back with some stern words about picking up the pace, and this would go on until they were too busy kissing to talk. Instead, Luffa just made a weary smile and squeezed Zatte's hand.
"Sorry, I'm just not in the mood, right now, Zattie," Luffa said.
"Oh. No problem. I figured you'd want to spar later on, but we can skip straight to that if you want."
"I can't spar with you for a while," Luffa said. "That mycotherapy junk worked pretty well, but Doc wants me to heal up from the last beating I took."
"Well, I won't tell him if you don't," Zatte offered with a smile.
"Sorry," Luffa said. "I'm playing it his way this time. It's been working out pretty well so far. I'm starting to think these medical types had the right idea all along."
"Okay, but you only use a tiny fraction of your strength when you spar with me," Zatte said. "What's the harm?"
"Probably none, but he told me to rest and that's what I'm doing. Dotz thinks the next attack will be a few days from now, and I need to be ready."
"Come on," Zatte said. She gestured toward her legs, which were clad in form-fitting black fabric adorned with neon purple highlights. "I wore your favorite training gear."
"Hey, if you want to train on your own for a while, that's fine by me," Luffa said. She rose to her feet and walked slowly to the door. "But I think I'm gonna soak in the hot tub for a while, so drop by if you need me."
She walked around Zatte to proceed on her way, but Zatte grabbed her by the arm to stop her. Luffa was somewhat surprised by how forcefully she pulled.
"I do need you," Zatte said. "For sparring."
"Zattie, I can't right now--"
"Don't give me that 'doctor's orders' bull. You'd do it if you wanted to."
Luffa raised an eyebrow. "What is this?" she asked. "I thought you only put up with the sparring sessions before. Now you're demanding it?"
"I'm part of this war too," Zatte said. "I'm here to support you, and I can't do that properly if I'm not at my best--"
"And the only way you can improve is by sparring with me personally?" Luffa asked. "That's crap, and you know it. There's other ways to train."
"Physically, but not spiritually," Zatte insisted.
"Spiritually?!" Luffa asked.
"The work you make me do," Zatte said. "Sensing your ki up close. It's a purifying experience that helps me--"
"You mean on top of the incense in the bedroom? And the litanies you recite before and after we... well... you know."
"When we have sex," Zatte finished for her. "Just say it. We have sex. Honestly, you can be such a child sometimes."
"Me? You're the one who keeps turning our whole marriage into a shrine! What's the matter? You don't trust Providence to make sure I'm doing their work right?"
"It's me I'm trying to improve!" Zatte said. "I have to consecrate myself as much as I can for the next time we go into action. I thought you understood that."
"I thought I did too, but lately you've been taking it to a whole other level. Frankly it's gotten pretty ridiculous. Are you going to follow me into the head and sing hymns every time I flush?"
"Very funny," Zatte said. "I'm just a joke to you now."
"What do you expect from someone as childish as I am?" Luffa snorted.
"Are you going to spar with me or not?" Zatte asked.
"No," Luffa said, "I'm not." And then she walked out the door.
Left alone in the gym, surrounded by broken machines, Zatte considered taking out some frustrations of her own.
*******
[7 August, 233 Before Age. Nagaoka.]
Guwar was finally happy. He had everything he ever wanted, and more. Once, he had been a below-average warrior, but thanks to the wonders of Jindan, he had become one of the strongest Saiyans alive.
He wasn't the strongest, by any means. The Legendary Super Saiyan still held that rank, though Luffa was an enemy to the cult, and its leaders preached that she was a heretic and an impostor. Guwar wasn't entirely sure how Luffa could be both of those things at one, or why exactly she was evil incarnate, but Luffa was a threat to everything he had achieved in the cult, and that was enough for him.
After Luffa, there was Trismegistus, the founder and leader of the cult, and the inventor of the Jindan technique. One of the advanced rituals for cult members was the Trial of Revelation, where Trismegistus would meet with initiates and reveal that he was actually the Rehval III, the Saiyan monarch who evacuated his throneworld and vanished without a trace. Perhaps for some of the cultists, this was a bitter pill to swallow, but Guwar had found the whole thing anticlimactic. He had always tried to steer clear of the Saiyan Kingdom in the past, but that was mostly because he didn't think they had anything to offer him. If he had known the king was an alchemist with the power to make Guwar stronger, he would have thrown in with Rehval a long time ago.
After Luffa and Rehval, there were other mighty Saiyans, all of them enhanced by Rehval's magic potions. Many of the Jindan Priesthood were immensely strong, though not all of them.
Then there were the Executants, a group of elite Jindan warriors charged with special missions for Trismegistus. Guwar had been promoted to this level. He wasn't the strongest of the Executants, but he wasn't the weakest either, and simply holding the position was enough to satisfy him. Before the cult, Guwar had been a nobody. Now, he was one of their heroes. He was their champion.
Having returned from a recent assignment, Guwar strode confidently through the underground halls of the Jindan Sanctuary, their sacred base of operations. His brothers and sisters in the alchemical faith nodded reverently to him as he passed. He took his meals in the Holy Refectory, along with the others who had earned the privilege, and he was permitted to eat meat and drink wine, a special dispensation for those who demonstrated exceptional loyalty.
Then there were the women. Trismegistus forbade monogamous pairings within the cult. Instead, he had devised communal breeding pits, and arranged for certain groups of participants to make use of them. Guwar didn't understand most of it. Rehval claimed that he had the means to determine which Saiyans would produce the most powerful offspring, but he never shared his methods with Guwar. All Guwar knew was that he had been sorted into Eugenic Group Red, and he was authorized to procreate with anyone else in Groups Red, Purple, and White. The other colors were off-limits to him, but this only meant that he couldn't sire children with them. As an Executant, Guwar had special permission to help himself to any lower-ranking cultists he found pleasing. It had bothered him at first. Saiyans were a notoriously prudish species, and even the mere mention of intimacy was enough to make them uneasy, but somehow Rehval had made it all seem quite normal. You had your assigned breeding duties, you went where you were sent, and you did what was asked of you, for the good of the cult. Guwar rather enjoyed it this way. It took a lot of the awkwardness out of sex.
There were, of course, some things denied to him. Guwar had never thought of himself as greedy, but somehow his thoughts always drifted to what he couldn't have. It was as though having more only inspired him to want more. As he entered the corridor leading to the Executants' quarters, he passed his own cabin and knocked on the door of another, the irony of his desires seemed especially poignant.
"You're back already?" asked the woman who answered the door.
"It was an easy assignment," Guwar said. "The man I was supposed to kill had lousy security. I'd have finished even sooner, but Trismegistus wanted me to keep a low profile."
"Mm-hmm," she said as she put her hands on his arms. "And now I suppose you've come to collect your reward for a job well done, is that it?"
"You're not my first choice," Guwar said, but you're a fine woman, Zhidarr. "And you seemed to enjoy it well enough the last few times..."
"Well, you're not my first choice either," she said, but you smell nicer than most of the ones I end up with, so that's something at least." She led him inside and began removing parts of her uniform. "Let's make it quick, though. I have my own missions, you know. I'm leaving for Dubois III in a few hours."
"Dubois?" Guwar sat on the side of her bed and started pulling off his boots. "What the hell's in the Dubois system?"
"Beats me," Zhidarr said. "I haven't been briefed yet. Hopefully it's full of Federation soldiers. I'm itching to get into the war."
"No one's come back from Federation territory since the fighting started," Guwar said. "I wouldn't be so eager to volunteer."
"And that's why you're sharing a cot with me instead of Endive," Zhidarr scolded him. "Come on, don't deny it. You'd be knocking on her door right now if you could. But she outranks you, which means you have no right to request her for procreation privileges."
"So what?" Guwar asked. "For her I should go to the front and get killed by Luffa?"
"You should go to the front and get promoted," Zhidarr said. "Think about it: the first one to fight in Federation space and return alive. You'd be hailed as a miracle. Let's face it, it's the only way you'll ever outshine Endive. She's so far above the rest of us it's ridiculous."
"Well, thanks for the advice," Guwar said, "but I can't have sex with her if I'm dead."
Zhidarr tossed her body armor to the floor and approached the bed. "Well, you won't be spending so much time with me once I get sent to the Federation," she said. "I've decided. As soon as I'm promoted ahead of you, I'm cutting you off. No offense, but I've got better things to do with my time than keep you warm."
"Too bad," Guwar said with a smirk. "Of course, if you die on the front, Trismegistus will have to promote someone else to replace you. Maybe she'll enjoy my company a little more."
"The others died because they were weak," Zhidarr insisted as she climbed onto the bed and mounted him. "Their bodies were too flawed to make full use of the Jindan power. That's why the master sends them to their deaths, you know."
"'The Federation is a crucible,'" Guwar said, repeating the sermon he had heard from the priests when the first reports from the war came in. "'Many are sent, but only the worthy will return.'"
"You say that as if you don't believe it," Zhidarr said.
"I believe Trismegistus knows what he's doing," Guwar said. "Our power comes from him, so it's his right to use us as he sees fit. If he wants to purge the rolls, so be it. I just don't understand it from a strategic sense. How do we win a war if all our soldiers die?"
"You talk like an outsider sometimes, Guwar," Zhidarr said. She kissed him and patted him on the cheek. "Trismegistus has a plan for us all. None can understand his ways, not even his loyal servants. If it made perfect sense to me, then I'd be scared. If I could figure it out, so could our enemies. All we can do is trust, and place our faith in his wisdom."
Guwar couldn't argue with this. Rehval's military plans were bewildering to him, but so far he had done right by Guwar. Others may have been killed, perhaps needlessly, but Guwar was still alive, still powerful, still successful and admired among his peers. As long as Guwar prospered, it didn't really matter to him how Trismegistus prosecuted the war.
Or did it?
*******
"Ah, Guwar, there you are."
Guwar had only visited Trismegistus' inner sanctum a few times. Most of his orders had come down through official channels, or Trismegistus had come to him. The first time he had visited this room was when the Thrice-Blessed chose to reveal his true identity to him. Guwar shrugged and wondered why it mattered. Of course King Rehval would want to hide from Luffa. It only made sense for him to create a new identity, a new secret base, and a process to carefully vet his followers. The only real surprise was that their shadowy leader was a Saiyan himself, since Saiyans weren't known to dabble in alchemy, but Guwar was a mathematician himself, and never so he never paid much heed to stereotypes.
"Reporting as ordered, Master," Guwar said as he lowered himself to one knee.
"I have something new for you," Rehval said. "And I thought I should brief you on this personally."
"A new mission?" Guwar asked. This is it, he thought to himself, he's sending me to the front.
"Relax, Guwar, I'm not sending you back into the field already," Rehval said with a chuckle. "You just returned from Thoall, after all. I take it you've already helped yourself to your rewards?"
"Um, yes sir," Guwar said, awkwardly thinking back to Zhidar's cabin.
"Good man," Rehval said. "Zhidar or Potei?"
"Uh, Zhidar, sir."
"I thought so. Always one or the other. You should really broaden your horizons, Guwar." Rehval rose from his dais and gestured for Guwar to stand. As he did, Rehval approached him and clapped his hand on Guwar's back. "There are some excellent women in the technician section that I think you'd enjoy."
It had been easier for Guwar to discuss this sort of thing when he hadn't known that Trismegistus was a fellow Saiyan. Abasing himself was one thing, and talking openly about sex was another, but what was truly disturbing how easily it came to King Rehval. Guwar had often heard talk of the king wanting to force the Saiyan culture to be more like the rest of the galaxy, and now he was finally beginning to see just how cosmopolitan he really was.
"I, uh, well... once I've found something that works, I like to stick with it, sir," Guwar said. "Less disappointment that way. Uh, you mentioned an assignment?"
"Right," Rehval said with a grin. "You pull this one off for me, Guwar, and you can have anyone you want, whenever you want. I know you've had your eye on Endive since before you joined us. She's always been out of your league, right? Well, not for much longer, I think. Here."
He picked up a portable data drive and handed it to Guwar. "I've ordered one of the ships to be prepared for your personal use," he explained. "Not that you'll be going anywhere for this job, but I think you'll need its computer core. And I've assigned some acolytes to assist you while you work."
"I don't understand," Guwar said. He held the drive in his hand and stared at it closely, as though expecting its plastic surface to offer some clue about its contents.
"Of course not," Rehval said. "The war doesn't make any sense, Guwar, not to anyone but myself. I send my followers into Federation space, and they all die, one by one. The only reason Luffa hasn't gone on the offensive is because she doesn't know where to find me, and she can't conduct a search without leaving her territory undefended." He walked idly across the room, pausing to wipe the dust off of a shelf full of old scrolls. It was strange to see him without the heavy crimson robes he normally wore. His simple red shirt and linen shorts seemed unworthy of his stature. Guwar supposed that this was a sign of how much Rehval trusted him.
"The answers," Rehval continued, "are contained in that drive you're holding. This isn't a war for territory, or something that can be measured in casualties or starships. This is a holy war, Guwar. You do understand that much, don't you?"
"Of course, Master," Guwar said.
"You used galactic ley lines to find this planet," Rehval said. "That's why I hid my world from the universe. Not out of cowardice, but to challenge my followers to find me. Only the resourceful could discover my truth. For instance, you used your mathematics background to devise an algorithm for interpreting geomantic signals. That's why I needed you for this work, Guwar. You're the only one I can count on to check my calculations."
"Calculations?"
"You'll find it all in that drive," Rehval said. "Our goal is not just to empower ourselves with Jindan, Guwar. We aren't just trying to win the war, either. You are all the essence of the divine reagent, which I will use to transmute the entire universe. That is why my body remains here, on Nagaoka, while my earthen avatars fight Luffa in my place. The true victory lies here. This is where the blessed reaction will begin. If Luffa were to destroy this planet, it would upset my plans. That's the other reason I've worked so hard to keep its location secret."
"This has something to do with the galactic ley lines," Guwar said. "I never understood what they were or how they worked, but I got the impression that they were like a network of pipes running through every star and planet, and there was some sort of power coursing through them."
"That's not too far off," Rehval said. "Except the lines don't exactly channel power in the conventional sense. More like... possibility. Things are possible on Nagaoka that can't be done anywhere else. The lines that converge here give this planet immense alchemical potential, and if we can direct more lines towards Nagaoka, there may be no limit to what we can accomplish."
Guwar liked the sound of that. If Rehval could become even more powerful than he already was, then there would be nothing that could stand in their way. Not even the Super Saiyan would be a threat. And as Rehval's power increased, how much more generously would he reward his servants...
"My work is based on an algorithm designed by the original Trismegistus," Rehval said. "I named myself after that ancient master to honor him, and to claim his legacy. He had found ways to manipulate ley lines, but he lacked the raw power to attempt anything on a large scale. That is why I need you to go over his work, and build a more robust mathematical model."
"I'll get started right away," Guwar said.
"I knew I could count on you, Guwar," Rehval said. "As much as I prize Endive's service, this task will be more important than anything she's ever done for me. Consider this your path to becoming the First Executant."
Guwar liked the sound of that even more. He could have Endive whenever he wanted. Not to mention a few other high-ranking Executants he wouldn't mind socializing with. They would all adore him for his great service to the cause. And all he would have to do is ply his trade for a few hours. A day at most. He had drawn up mathematical models in his spare time for fun. How hard could this be?
*******
[7 August, 233 Before Age. Interstellar Space.]
Zatte stewed in her frustrations for a full day, and when she was ready to face Luffa again, she found her in the star-yacht's hot tub. Dr. Topsas had restricted Luffa from so many activities, it was just about the only thing left for her to do. Luffa didn't look up at her, and she didn't know how to begin, so she just started talking.
"I wanted to apologize for yesterday," Zatte said.
Luffa glanced up at her. "I shouldn't have mocked your faith," she said. "It defines you as a warrior."
"No, you were right," Zatte said. "I have been going overboard lately. Receiving training from you is... well, it's important to me. It makes me feel like I'm actively doing something to prove my support."
"Sometimes, you have to do nothing," Luffa said. "I'm not soaking in this thing because it's fun, you know. I wanted worthy opponents to fight, and now I've got more than I can handle. I have to play this carefully or I'll let them win."
"You're right," Zatte said.
"Doc doesn't even want me cooking for a few days," Luffa said. "I hate that."
"We've got enough leftovers to last a while," Zatte said. "And there's always the backup rations."
"You guys deserve better than rations," Luffa said. "But I have to play this smart. I learned that from you."
You learned it from Keda, Zatte thought to herself. The Dorlun child was much more sensible than either of them, but the pain of her death was still sorely felt, and so the two of them had a tendency to avoid speaking of her.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" Zatte asked. "Anything at all?"
Luffa shrugged. "I don't think so," she said. "You're welcome to stick around, but I think what you really want is a place to channel all that pent up energy. I don't think I can help you there. Not for a while, anyway."
"Sounds like we both have the same problem," Zatte said. "We might as well be miserable together."
She sat down at the edge of the tub and took off her boots, then dipped her ankles into the bubbling water. "Is this what it's like to be you?" Zatte asked after a few minutes. "I mean, being so riled up and not being able to cut loose?"
"I was going to ask you the same question," Luffa said. "For the first time in years, I'm having to conserve my strength and wait for the right moment. And there's no clear path to victory. Best I can hope for is to go from one battle to the next."
"Huh. I guess we've got a lot more in common than I thought," Zatte said.
*******
[15 August, 233 Before Age. Nagaoka.]
Blusser didn't know what Guwar's assignment was, but she was deeply honored to assist him while he carried it out. All she really knew was that he had boarded a scientific research vessel which the Jindan Cult had captured several months ago. At first, she assumed they would be flying the craft to some distant star system, but instead the ship went nowhere, and Blusser and her fellow acolytes were tasked with standing guard on the tarmac to make sure he wasn't disturbed. On occasion, they went inside to serve him meals. She had done this herself yesterday afternoon, and she was impressed with his charming disposition. Executants like Guwar represented the finest warriors the cult had to offer, and everyone spoke so highly of Guwar. On top of that, he was a scholar too. Blusser never had much interest in math, but somehow he was able to explain complex ideas in a way that made them easy to follow, even if she didn't remember most of it. He was a fascinating man.
Her relief arrived at the shipyard, carrying a crate containing his dinner. Blusser took the crate and went inside the ship to deliver the meal before leaving. She had to perform some rituals with the priests, and then she would turn in and report to the shipyard the next morning to do it all over again. But the priests weren't expecting her for another hour, so she hoped to spend some more time enjoying Guwar's company.
The ship was designed for a crew of three, but it had a rather spacious common area. There, Blusser found a large triangular table with papers scattered across the surface. Three computer terminals were located at each corner of the table, although one of them had been torn off of its mounting and was now embedded in the wall. Guwar was nowhere to be found. Blusser guessed that he was in the head, or perhaps taking a nap in one of the cabins on the deck above. She laid the crate down on the deck and started arranging the dishes on the table for him. When she finished, and he still didn't show himself, she began to worry, and so she searching the rest of the ship.
At last, she found him in the engine room, seated at its single workstation, his face buried in his folded arms. There were papers here as well, some of them crumpled up into little balls.
"Uh, Executant Guwar?" she said, unsure how to proceed. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, but I wanted to let you know that your dinner is ready."
He looked up at her, his expression weary and frustrated. He seemed to be a completely different man than the one she had spoke with yesterday.
"What?" he asked. Then: "Oh, yes. Fine. Whatever."
"Is everything all right, sir?" Blusser asked.
"Everything's fine," he said, not even trying to hide his insincerity. "You can go now."
She put her hands together and looked away from him awkwardly. "Well, I was just thinking, if you had the time, I'd like to hear more about that theorem you were telling me about yesterday. I--"
"I said you can go now," Guwar snarled. "Can't you see that I'm busy?!"
He grabbed a tool from the desk and threw it at her. Blusser dodged it easily enough, but decided to leave before he could try again.
As she hurried out of the ship, she passed by her relief, standing guard outside.
"Better give him plenty of space," she warned her. "That job he's working on must be a lot tougher than we thought!"
NEXT: Proof by contradiction.
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
Raised by Wolves: Mithraism and Sol Explained
https://ift.tt/3hY0iEv
The following contains spoilers for Raised By Wolves.
HBO Max’s new sci-fi series Raised By Wolves, created by Aaron Guzikowski and executive produced by Ridley Scott, sees humanity (and their androids) reduced to two warring religious factions; Atheists, and the “Mithraic”, who follow a religion dedicated to the sun god Sol.
The Mithraic get their name from an ancient religious cult of the god Mithras. The god Mitra originally came from ancient Persia (modern Iran). At the height of the Roman Empire, he began to be worshipped as Mithras in a Roman mystery cult. The cult became very popular, especially with soldiers. The sun god Sol was originally a separate god, but Mithras was often worshipped together with “Sol Invictus”, the conquering sun. This is why in the show, the two gods have been blended into one and the Mithraists, or “Mithraic”, worship a single god called Sol, who is associated with “the Light”. It’s also why the Mithraic characters wear sun emblems and sun pendants in the same way Christians might wear crosses.
Why did the creators of Raised By Wolves choose Mithriasm as the basis for their futuristic religion? Well, the show makes no secret of the fact that the “Mithraic” are standing in for strands of Christianity. Much of their imagery is drawn straight from Roman Catholicism – the priests’ robes and the long, belted robes worn by the young boys assisting them are clearly based on Roman Catholic robes for priests and altar boys and girls. In Episode 2, we see characters Caleb and Mary being offered what looks like Roman Catholic communion, in the form of round wafers of unleavened bread and a drink (presumably wine) from a silver chalice.
The cult of Mithras is a particularly useful choice for a comparison with Christianity, especially Roman Catholicism, because several elements of Mithraic religion were adopted by early Christians (the clue is in the name – it’s a Roman religion!). Ancient Mithraists shared a ritual meal of bread and wine, just like early Christians (though the Christian detail of the unleavened bread comes from the Jewish Passover). Both Mithras and Jesus were associated with light and the sun. The early Christians deliberately took over Mithras’ birthday on the 25th December to celebrate the birthday of Jesus instead, a date conveniently close to the Roman winter festival of Saturnalia (17-23 December), though nowhere near where the Christian gospels would place the birth of Jesus (if there were shepherds out all night watching sheep and lambs, it must have been spring). And, like most mystery cults, Mithraism offered personal salvation in this life and the next, just as Christianity did. In 1882, a historian called Ernest Renan actually suggested that if Christianity had not taken over the Roman world, Mithraism would have done – most modern historians would disagree with that, but the association has stuck.
However, some elements of the “Mithraic” religion in the show would be completely unrecognizable to an ancient follower of Mithras. Ancient Mithraism was not a monotheistic religion. The mystery cults included cults to the Egyptian goddess Isis, the Anatolian goddess Cybele, the Greek god Dionysus and the Greek hero Orpheus, and they weren’t rivals to ancient pagan religion in general; they were add-ons. Everyone in the Roman Empire (except Jews) was expected to worship the main state gods – Jupiter, Juno, Neptune and so on – as well as the cult of the emperors who had become gods (i.e. the ones who hadn’t been assassinated).
We call them “mystery cults” because the rituals they practiced, the “mysteries” or “secret rites”, were kept secret from anyone who wasn’t initiated into the cult. They were members-only clubs, which you had to pay to join, and go through an initiation ritual. We don’t know exactly what these were like because, of course, they were a secret! Only members could learn the secrets of the god or goddess and take part in the secret ceremonies. Like modern Freemasonry, ancient Mithraism also allowed members to rise through the ranks of the cult, gaining different levels as they went. Also like Freemasonry, and unlike the other mystery cults, membership was usually restricted to men.
All this means that a lot of the attitudes of the “Mithraic” on the show would sound completely weird to ancient Mithraists. They would be especially confused by the Mithraic reliance on a book of “Scriptures”, since it was forbidden on pain of death to write down anything about the sacred mysteries or the secrets of the cult. Most of what we know about ancient Mithraism, we’ve put together from images and inscriptions from inside the secret chamber of the Mithraeum. This was a place of worship designed to look like a cave, which only people who had been initiated into the cult were allowed to enter, so no one outside the cult would see the images or know the cult’s secrets. The idea that any group would only be allowed to hear stories from “Scriptures” represents an extreme minority even for Christianity, but would have been completely confusing to ancient Mithraist.
Read more
TV
Raised by Wolves Review (Spoiler-Free)
By Natalie Zutter
Ancient Mithraists were also extremely unlikely to get involved in any kind of holy war. Because the cult was an add-on to the worship of many gods, the members of the cult would be involved in worshipping lots of other gods anyway, with Mithras as an added personal extra. Ancient people often weren’t too keen on atheists, as any refusal to sacrifice to the gods might endanger everyone if the gods got angry about it, so a holy war against atheists might be more likely than one against another religion, but it wouldn’t be because they thought the atheists should all worship their one specific god.
Although they didn’t start any holy wars, a lot of members of the cult of Mithras were in the army. It was against the law to meet in small groups unless it was for religious purposes in the Roman Empire, because the emperors were afraid that people might conspire against them. So if a group of soldiers all joined the same cult, they could meet together and socialize and bond in a way that was more difficult without the excuse of religion. In Raised By Wolves, all human survivors are expected to be “Mithraic”, but there is still a heavy military sense to it, thanks to the fact they’ve been fighting a war.
Whether the “Mithraic mysteries” that their prophet is expected to lead them to will have anything in common with the ancient mysteries remains to be seen. Mithras’ myth centred around the killing of a bull – in fact, this was the symbol shown in all the Mithraeums in a similar way to images of Jesus on the cross in Catholic churches, so really a bull might have been a better choice of emblem than a sun! Watch out for references to bulls in later episodes, and listen out for everybody’s names, too. When Mother gives her name in Episode 1, she says it’s Lamia, a child-eating monster from Greco-Roman mythology, so that’s something to bear in mind!
If you’re interested in learning more about ancient Mithraism, we’d recommend The Roman Cult of Mithras, by Manfred Clauss, translated by Richard Gordon, which is available for Kindle or in paperback from Amazon.
The post Raised by Wolves: Mithraism and Sol Explained appeared first on Den of Geek.
from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/32Z9emy
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Observations on the Hierarchy Of the Guard of Priwen
The Guard of Priwen largely remains a mystery to us as the player throughout Vampyr. No matter how openly we see them patrol the streets as some form of underground night watch, we only see glimpses of their true, and supposedly resurrected power, let alone witness the history of what they were before the schism from their “cowardly” brothers, the Brotherhood of St. Paul’s Stole. As Lady Ashbury parts with us, the Guard of Priwen is a secret society, one of many in the dreary and eerie vampire underworld.
I have other plans to delve deeper into the militaristic madness that is the Guard of Priwen’s inner workings and possible historical backgrounds, but I first wanted to share this small piece regarding the one detail that is most obvious in the game: the several Mobs we encounter with their logos splattered all across it. Therefore, this will be a shorter analysis solely dedicated to the possible hierarchy within Priwen, combining datamined research, the lore, and some fun historical notes behind each and every rank!
As per usual, this analysis will have spoilers, this time all the way through! All parts of this post will discuss Vampyr’s lore in detail, so please skip if you do not wish to be spoiled!
Tagging @comfycheesecakes, @orionali, @cursedbethechoice as I imagine some of this may be to each of your interests.
To preface a starting point point: Usher elaborates on the history of Priwen’s conception when Jonathan speaks to him in the West End inside his crypt:
Usher also writes of them in the Collectible “Laughing at the Guard”, explaining their origins and beliefs from a historical point. The Collectible helps to detail the inner turmoils that founded the Brotherhood as well as the detailed purpose behind its creation:
Full screenshot
Full screenshot
This gives us a starting point to Priwen’s possible background and development. 1801 places the birth of the Guard of Priwen in the Georgian Era, beginning from 1714 to circa 1830 - 1837.
You will also see a militant trend following Priwen which is also an obvious fact in game but characters like Archer Woodbead in The Docks or Dorothy Crane in Whitechapel, both in Districts with the highest concentration of Priwen, this is a very visible trend for those around them:
Dorothy’s exchange occurs if you Spare her as Jonathan, revealing a harrowing fact about Priwen’s encroaching behaviour in their fanatical fear of keeping any sign of vampire activity eradicated. Beforehand, Priwen guards burst in to the Dispensary regardless of your Pillar Choice as Jonathan, with the patients downstairs being shot to death should you check again with Senses. The bodies no longer have visible heartbeats.
When Jonathan begins to gain access to the rich streets of the West End, it, too, struggles to avoid Priwen’s influence with not only their guard presence, but also their criminal presence!
Inspector Charles Jerome Albright will speak to Jonathan about the recent happenings and murders in London, claiming that there are:
Jonathan has the option to then report a possible suspect, one of these being Geoffrey McCullum, the current leader of Priwen:
If you choose McCullum, Jonathan calls Priwen a group of “vigilantes”; a vigilante is someone, or a group, who attempts to enforce laws (or their ideas of what is law) without the authority to do so.
With this very worrying trend now established, let us fully move onto dissecting Priwen’s inner workings!
GUARD OF PRIWEN
What’s interesting to note is that a lot of the current enemies in GoP have different names depending on where you look—from either the canonical versions in the game themselves, to the game files, or even the concept art. I will be looking at all three sources for any comparisons!
PRIWEN
To begin dissection—I will first begin with the titular names of each organisation for each of their respective sections, beginning with the Guard of Priwen. “Priwen” is a reference to Geoffrey of Monmouth’s (Latin: Galfridus Monemutensis, Galfridus Arturus, Welsh: Gruffudd ap Arthur, Sieffre o Fynwy) Arthurian legend titled “The History of the Kings of Britain”, or “De gestis Britonum” (On the Deeds of the Britons) or Historia regum Britanniae”, written circa. 1136.“Priwen” is the name of King Arthur’s shield, hence, the Guard of Priwen:
“Without a moment’s delay each man present, inspired by the benediction given by this holy man, rushed to put on his armour and to obey Dubricius’ orders. Arthur himself put on a leather jerkin worthy of so great a king. On his head he put a golden helmet, with a crest carved in the shape of a dragon; and across his shoulders a circular shield called Priwen, on which there was painted a likeness of the Blessed Mary, Mother of God, which forced him to be thinking perpetually of her.” — Legends of Arthur, Richard Barber, 2003.
Arthurian myth utilized in several aspects of Vampyr, with this being one of the more prominent examples. The symbol of Priwen is also referencing this myth, as it resembles a Latin cross with a circle to represent a shield:
LEADER
This is relatively standard, but we do know that the head of the Guard of Priwen is always referred to as “leader”, as the notes done by Geoffrey McCullum and Carl Eldritch thus far are denoted by “leader”; the only exception is reserved for Kendall Stone who is also denoted as “Founder”. “Leader” is rather self-explanatory, as it simply means “someone who leads a group”. Interestingly, it also seems to be used for those who are not the head of Priwen either, as we see in the scouting note during Thelma’s side-quest: a female “team leader” who went by Amanda Tilton. This seems to indicate there is no specific or official title to discern the head of Priwen, perchance making “leader” more of slang or casual terminology that merely stuck through the generations. The below are either written manuscripts by the leaders themselves, or copies from another.
Full screenshot
Kendall Stone’s denotation and signature:
Full screenshot
Carl Eldritch’s denotation and signature:
Full screenshot
Geoffrey McCullum’s denotation and signature:
Full screenshot
CHAPLAIN/SHEPHERD/PREACHER
(For the purpose of relevancy, I will mostly be focusing on the Chaplain terminology as that is the canonical one we see in-game, but will still be examining the Chaplain’s alternative terms and their origins.)
Chaplains are curious. You do not see them until much later in the game (other than certain exceptions regarding side-quests), there are two versions of them according to the game files, that being the Shepherd_Preacher and the Shepherd_Fanatic, but only one model, the Fanatic, remains in the game. Shepherd_Preacher is the first version of the Chaplain which we see in the E3 2017 Trailer. Their enemy busts are below; the model shown in the game files is only of the Fanatic:
Concept art also reveals them being originally labelled as “Preacher”, with a single exception being that sometimes, the loading screen within the game will use the title:
Florent Auguy
The word “chaplain” is borrowed from Old French “chapelain”, which in-turn stems from the Medieval-to-late Latin “cappellānus” that also hails from a Medieval Latin to Late Latin word read as “cappella”. Notably, “cappella” is defined as a chapel or a choir. The story of chaplains themselves hail from a 4th-century practice:
In the 4th century, chaplains (Latin cappellani) were so called because they kept St. Martin’s famous half cape (cappella, diminutive of cappa). This sacred relic gave its name to the tent and later to the simple oratory or chapel where it was preserved. To it were added other relics that were guarded by chaplains appointed by the king during the Merovingian and Carolingian periods, and particularly during the reign of Charlemagne, who appointed clerical ministers (capellani) who lived within the royal palace. In addition to their primary duty of guarding the sacred relics, they also said mass for the king on feast days, worked in conjunction with the royal notaries, and wrote any documents the king required of them. In their duties chaplains thus gradually became more identified with direct service to the monarch as advisers in both ecclesiastical and secular matters.
In modern usage, a chaplain holds a strange position within the religious circle they reside in, most notably because the definition of a “chaplain” is a cleric who is assigned to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military forces, universities, and so on.
n. A member of a religious body (often, but not always, of the clergy) officially assigned to give pastoral care at an institution, group, private chapel, etc.
A person without religious affiliation who carries out similar duties in a secular context.
…
Clergy and ministers appointed to a variety of institutions and corporate bodies—such as cemeteries, prisons, hospitals, schools, colleges, universities, embassies, legations, and armed forces—usually are called chaplains.
Often they are considered a religious leader or some form of a figurehead, with some chaplains previously being leaders of a chapel before their assignment to a different institution. Given Priwen’s circumstance of being an underground militia, the usage of the word makes perfect sense as the Chaplains of Priwen seem to hold the same responsibilities of real-life, in this case, military chaplains (as they are called) who serve in the armed forces (the concept of allowing religious figures into battle, to this day, still holds much controversy), or we can at least assume they do some of the following which are:
A chaplain performs basically the same functions in most armed forces. A chaplain in the U.S. military must furnish or arrange for religious services and ministrations, advise his commander and fellow staff officers on matters pertaining to religion and morality, administer a comprehensive program of religious education, serve as counselor and friend to the personnel of the command, and conduct instruction classes in the moral guidance program of his service.
Beyond that, a “shepherd” has a variety of religious messages but to keep it short: “shepherd” stems from the Middle English word “schepherde” to the Old English “sċēaphierde” which is a mixture of the two words “sċēap” (”sheep”) and “hierde” (”herdsman”). A female version of the word is a “shepherdess”. The word itself has multiple sorts of definitions, with a rather funny one to think about at times:
n.
A person who tends sheep, especially a grazing flock.
(figuratively) Someone who watches over, looks after, or guides somebody.
(figuratively) The pastor of a church; one who guides others in religion.
(poetic) A swain (”young man”); a rustic male lover.
A “preacher” is as it sounds: someone who spreads their worldview or philosophy. In this case, it would be perhaps a gospel or a sermon. From the Old French “preecheor” (”prêcheur”), to Latin “praedicator” (”public praiser”, “proclaimer”). A female preacher is known as a “preacheress”.
EXECUTIONER/TRAPPER
Executioners, or Trappers as the concept art referred them as (see above), are the crossbow snipers wearing red, hooded garbs, able to throw gas grenades and flaming bolts, bereft of any melee resistance whatsoever. According to the game files, there are three types of Executioners. Here are the files:
Alongside their respective busts labelled Chemical, Fire, and Wood, their models are instead labelled CrossBow, FireCrossbow, and Sniper:
The word “executioner” is a combination of the words “execution” , which is borrowed from Old French “exécution” (c. 1360) of the Latin “executio”, an agent noun (a word deriving from another word that denotes an action of some sort), of “exequi” (”to follow out”) which stems from “ex” (out) and “sequor” (”follow”) and of course, “-er”, from Middle English “-er” and “-ere”, as well as Old English “-ere”, and Proto-Germanic “-ārijaz” used as a suffix. “Executioner” is also a fairly self-explanatory definition; it literally means “one who executes”, but to ensure that we are being thorough:
n
An official person who carries out the capital punishment of a criminal.
(archaic) Executor (one who conducts a task).
A hit man, especially being in some organization.
An “executioner” was historically seen as a “hangman” or “headsman”—a reference to the practice of execution via. means of public decapitation. This, alongside the file name of “Sniper”; the fact that the Executioner is only ranged, defined as “hit man, especially being in some organization” and that beheading would often result in instantaneous death, the choice of title is very distinct. Like beheadings, a sniper aims to kill with a single action—an underleveled Jonathan will easily be one-shot by an Executioner from afar, making their name strikingly fitting. The fact that they are a part of Priwen, an “organization” of sorts that specializes in executions of the undead, is simply a fond, bloody coincidence.
In comparison, a “trapper” is, well, one who “traps” something, often animals for their hides or other precious materials. This may be an insinuation that literal traps of some kind were going to be added to the final product but were inevitably cut out. It does, however, fit Priwen’s perception of vampires—that they are feral animals to entrap and be rid of.
INVESTIGATOR
This will be short, as it is a term used in the game files and concept art for three ranks od Priwen, which happen to be the most squishy of mobs: Priwen Rookies (Rookie), Priwen Cadets (Veteran), and Priwen Gunners (Range).
“Investigator” is also self-explanatory: “one who investigates”, which is to say:
v.
(transitive) To inquire into or study in order to ascertain facts or information.
to investigate the causes of natural phenomena
(transitive) To examine, look into, or scrutinize in order to discover something hidden or secret.
to investigate an unsolved murder
(intransitive) To conduct an inquiry or examination.
Said to have derived from the mid-1500s, from Latin “investigator” which hails from “investigare”. Interestingly, we know that female versions of each of these models exist in the game files apart from NPCs, confirmation of a female “leader” as shown above, as well as hearing female voices in the Prologue of Vampyr when Jonathan must escape the mass grave at dawn. Women were shown in the Alpha iterations of the game. Elwood confirms the presence of women in Priwen if you speak to him soon after Edgar’s kidnapping:
The feminine usage of this word is known as “investigatrix”, from Latin “investīgātrix”.
ROOKIE
Rookies are the most numerous types of enemies within the game as well as the first one you encounter within the Prologue. They only use melee weapons and hold resistance to Ranged Attacks. The sheer amount of them you find are most likely a reference to the Guard’s revitalized state in the wake of the Skal Epidemic. Ashbury mentions that Priwen was “almost gone” before Priwen began its new wave of mass recruitments:
Jonathan will frequently hear references to this mass recruitment when wandering around idle Guards:
“Rookie” is also a rather simple word to dissect: an altering of the word “recruit” and “-ie”. There is also a possibly Dutch origin from the word “broekie”, short for “broekvent”, lit. meaning “a boy still in short trousers”, which explains why “rookie” is often used as a sort teasing term. To be technical:
n. plural “rookies”
An inexperienced recruit, especially in the police or armed forces.
A novice.
As the first definition shows, it does have some bearing to Priwen’s overall trend of having a nomenclature relating to militaristic forces.
The Rookie’s respective enemy UI portrait and model:
CADETS/VETERANS
Cadets, or Veterans as the game files name them, are essentially Rookies with guns or flaming torches, only being somewhat tougher than fresh-blooded Rookies. This can be inferred as a progression in rank—a Rookie that’s survived their first couple of nights on patrol. They certainly look more well-garbed, and the term “veteran” also fits with this idea of experience alongside surviving the dreary, vampiric-ridden streets.
The Cadet’s enemy UI and model:
An interesting feature to note at this point about each of Priwen’s enemies is that the majority of them seem to have an undercut. At the time (and even now), undercuts were done on men deployed to the war as the militaristic style of the era—Jonathan and McCullum share ones of their own. This hints to Priwen’s military connections that many NPCs remark on (as shown above) and that some of Priwen’s members do hail from military backgrounds which are demonstrated in their extreme firepower and access to various parts of the city.
“Cadet” stems from French “cadet” from a southwestern French known as Gascon Occitan “capdet”, further back into the Late Latin “capitellum” (”headling”) shortened version of “caput” (”head”), sharing English form by 1634. “Cadet”, unsurprisingly, is also a term with military usage. The female version would be spelt “cadette”. It also holds a definition for “junior”:
n. plural cadets
A student at a military school who is training to be an officer.
(largely historical) A younger or youngest son, who would not inherit as a firstborn son would.
(in compounds, chiefly in genealogy) Junior. (See also the heraldic term cadency.)
a cadet branch of the family
“Veteran” is borrowed from Middle French “vétéran”, of Late or Vulgar Latin “veterānus” of the word “vetus” (”old” or “aged”). It is a rather official word referencing one who has served in the military or armed forces, most specific to older soldiers or those who have seen long years of service. While the age of Priwen’s Guards can certainly be up for debate—Cadets, while relatively squishy, seem to be what Rookies advance to should they survive their first nights at the mercy of patrols, facing whatever awaits them during it.
GUNNER
Gunners are another frequent, early mob of Priwen that you encounter. They are about as numerous as Rookies and equal in their frailty, only they seem to be Rookies with more additions to their design and opt to only use Ranged Attacks, much like their fellow Executioners. The portrait shows no difference as it is a reused UI bust, but their outfits differ slightly.
“Gunner” sounds straightforward but does hold a military usage. One can literally define “gunner” as “someone who uses a gun”, but the word itself is a rank used in the British Army Royal Artillery. It is abbreviated as “Gnr”, and is equivalent to the military rank of a “Private”, which makes sense. They hold similar stats to Rookies, Rookies are stated to essentially be new recruits—privates usually act as the lowest, entry-level rank in the military after training has completed, which means that Gunners, too, are on par with Rookies in terms of Priwen’s hierarchy.
BRAWLER/ENFORCER
Brawlers are quite the mixed bag of things. There are three different variations of them in the game files, are seen relatively early in the game, and serve as the brutish powerhouses Jonathan has to face when running into more of Priwen’s hordes. We seem them with heavy guns, a shield on their left arm, gas, and flames. A wide assortment of anti-vampire materials is cast onto a single kind of member, which proves interesting.
In the game files, they are known as Enforcers with three names: Flamer, Ram, and Shield (”Tank” seems to be used generally amongst all of them for clothing files).
“Brawlers” is defined as “one who brawls”, which is to say: “fight or quarrel”—of Middle English “braule” and “brall” (”brawl, squabble”) of earlier “braulen” and “brallen” (”to clamour, boast, quarrel”). Similar words from Middle High German (”prālen”; “to boast, flaunt”)), Low German (”brallen”; “to brag”), Dutch (”brallen”; “to boast”), and Danish (”bralle”; “chatter, jabber”) have also been considered, whose meanings make sense. Priwen’s guards hold no shortage of leech-related insults, but the Brawlers have quite the large assortment of them out of every other Guard member. A show of their imposing sizes and statures, I would wager. However, their large array of weapons, brute force, and usage of miniature bosses imply that Brawlers are quite high on the ranking list. Chaplains are the only thing larger than them, and it has been established that Chaplains are sort of seen as pious, leading figures. Consider this when taking a look at the game files term for Brawlers: Enforcers.
“Enforcers” is a combination of “enforce” and “-er”, with “enforce” coming from Old French “enforcier”, of the Late Latin “infortiāre”, from “in-” and “fortis” ((physically)“strong”)). I emphasize this word for the Brawler for one definition in particular:
n.
One who enforces.
The member of a group, especially of a gang, charged with keeping dissident members obedient.
Ram is also a reference to a battering ram (and the ability in which they charge at you) used in the British Police Forces. The second definition is specific to a Mob Enforcer. Priwen has access to multiple parts of London, with heavy access to firepower, large numbers, and seemingly free reign once night comes, kept entirely away from law enforcement. This is what discerns Priwen from a gang per say—their power and influence put them upwards to that of a Mob, or a “traditional gang” which is essentially a gang with overarching influence upon a region, to the point that they nearly act as the local law enforcement. Multiple mobs/traditional gangs existed, some of notable fame, throughout the Victorian Era well into the World Wars, many of which centred in the East End much like Priwen is: Peaky Blinders, Birmingham Boys, the “Sabini” gang, Hoxton Gang, The Yiddishers, and several others.
Brawlers essentially being Mob Enforcers must mean they hold a lot of trust within Priwen to both be given the position of watching the other men, as well as proving they can also follow through with said position.
With all of what we know of Priwen now defined, here is a chart of what I believe to be the hierarchical structure within the Guard of Priwen from what we have gathered:
Full image
As Ashbury says: like all good societies, Priwen is still very much a secretive one even with such open recruitment. There may be inner workings we are unaware of, and what we have been revealed to may only be scratching the surface of what truly hides within the esoteric, fanatic-hunting organised Mob that Priwen has built itself into. Worse more is the mystery behind their schism with the Brotherhood: a once united group, now a duality that remains incessantly at odds. The way the current Brotherhood organises themselves is much more esoteric and theological than that of militaristic Priwen, a further representation of their dichotomy being at odds.
CREDITS:
None of this data collection would have been possible without the informative help of @wolfsirius and @orionali. Of course, I will never write a post without thanking @cursedbethechoice for their initial, contributive works to the lore of this fandom and for continuing to inspire me throughout.
The tool I used to view these files was from Gildor’s Umodel Viewer.
EXTRA COMMENTS:
This essay is exactly 3,724 words long!
It’s been quite a long while since I’ve written anything despite being active on the blog. Nearly a year now! I’m hoping this small introduction allows me to ease my way back to the projects I wanted to share (which are a lot) both here in full, and show peeks of on Twitter! Thank you to those who have continued to follow this blog despite the time gap. I hope to be much more frequent with Lore posts here!
You may notice a tag at the bottom labeled “secret societies series”. That is because I intend to have a small series of analyses dedicated to the three major factions we witness in Vampyr: The Guard of Priwen, The Brotherhood of St. Paul’s Stole, and The Ascalon Club. This will be the catch-all tag for any analyses relating to those topics! …With a possible mention of the Druid Order (mentioned in the “Blood Goddess Heresy” Collectible).
Other “series” are still in the works!
Full screenshot
Full screenshot
ALL SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY (in no particular order):
Legends of Arthur, Richard Barber, 2003
“GANGS”, Bill Sanders, February 2016 — Oxford University Press
Chaplain, ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA
Oxford English Dictionary
Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary
Wiktionary
Online Etymology Dictionary
The British Army Website’s British Army Structure
London Metropolitan Police’s Article of the Enforcer
Wikivisually’s Article on the Enforcer (battering ram)
Etymology of “Chaplain” – Traditional & Professional, Rev. Dr. Michael G. Maness, 1998, revised 2015, formerly published as “Meaning of Chaplaincy”
The etymology of “rookie” in Wikitionary
The etymology of “chaplain” in Wikitionary
The etymology of “brawl” in Wikitionary
The etymology of “enforce” in Wikitionary
Online Etymology’s Dictionary’s Page on “enforce”
The Mob Museum in Las Vegas—National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement
Online Etymology’s Dictionary’s Page on “veteran”
Online Etymology’s Dictionary’s Page on “shepherd”
Online Etymology’s Dictionary’s Page on “preacher”
The etymology of “shepherd” in Wikitionary.
“investigate” in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
“investigate” in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
King Arthur: The Mystery Unravelled By Chris Barber
Journey to Avalon: The Final Discovery of King Arthur By Chris Barber, David Pykitt
The Welsh Academy Encyclopædia of Wales. John Davies, Nigel Jenkins, Menna Baines and Peredur Lynch (2008) pg. 668
#vampyr#vampyr game#guard of priwen#dontnod#essay#secret societies series#it's been a while#good to be back!#mine
71 notes
·
View notes
Text
>>Faking a marriage before God?<< - Not “Just a lesson from the Courtroom” but an answer from the life experience of a Christian minister
“Stühle” by Hans
Consolation and Hope for the hurting hearts.
Everything under the line.
As I have taken up to comment on several things concerning OL in the past under the title “Just some lessons from the courtroom”, I have decided to comment on a post I read around the “happenings” and rumors of the last weekend - this time from the viewpoint of my other profession.
As many of my followers know, I worked for several decades at one of the biggest district courts of my country (mainly as a Senior Administrator for International Legal Assistance in Criminal Law). But I am also an ordained minister and certified counselor of the Christian faith for (this year exactly)
30 years. And since 1991 I always worked both jobs - one as my 7 am to 3:30 pm job, the other one in the evenings and on weekends.
In the said post, a person asked:
“But would they really fake a marriage before God?”*
The moment I read the said question, I could feel the horror behind it. I sensed sorrow and hurt.
Before I comment on that question, let me explain the following: When I came to the OL fandom on Tumblr, I was surprised by a large number of people who - after I got to know them - revealed themselves as people of deep faith and spirituality to me. I met people from all religious backgrounds, different denominations, etc. And let me make this very clear:
I respect all of you, every single one. Even if we don’t share the same convictions, the same kind of faith. I respect you all - and I also respect every person who calls himself/herself an atheist. Because faith, in my conviction, is a very personal decision and only a personal decision. Having said that, I like to comment on the last weekend and the said question. For an introvert like me, it is not an easy thing to post such personal things here. Please don’t think I want to preach at you. All I want is to give you the consolation that was given to me:
1. A hard truth
First I have to state a very hard truth. 30 years of ministry have taught me, that everything holy to God and men, can and will be faked. Let me give you some examples:
I saw a man faking the Christian confession and baptism - before God! - because he wanted to marry a lady of deep faith.
I saw a man faking the Christian walk of faith, showing a very pious lifestyle - before God! and the whole parish - while he was beating his wife at home regularly.**
I saw several men and women faking a marriage before God, speaking their vows but never taking them seriously.
I saw a man faking the Christian walk of faith - before God! -, calling himself and his church “the only elect of God” while offending and humiliating foreigners and people of a different faith.
These are only four of my many personal observations. We could go on and mention all those men (and some women too!) who called themselves “servants of God” while they were sexually abusing innocent children. We could mention the superiors of these people, who tried to hide these criminal acts before state authorities - a behavior that enabled the predators to molest and destroy even more innocent lives. We could mention the leaders of a distinct megachurch who were not willing to open their multi-million-dollar-building to help the victims of a hurricane. We could mention a high-ranking representative of “the only church of God”, flying to India first class for visiting the poor while building himself a villa for 35 million Euros in Germany (paid by the financial support of the common church member). We could mention all of those Christians, who believe they need killing machines (aka automatic weapons) because the Almighty God, they confess their faith in, obviously isn’t mighty enough to save His followers. These (and other people) have no problem to fake sacred things before God because - honestly - they only believe in two idols: themselves and the money they can get.
All of this contradicts the Christian faith, the gospel, the teaching of Christ. All this is fake before God. All this is shameful and hurting for those, who believe and honestly and humbly walk by their faith. But there is
2. No Need for Despair, but consolation for the hurting heart
We have to face the truth. If we don’t do it and if we shamefully try to hide it, we are in danger of becoming “Fakers of the Faith” ourselves. That is absolutely no alternative! Remember that Christ taught us, that the truth has the power to set us free (John 8:32).
Seeing, experiencing, that people fake all kinds of holy things before God, has hurt and saddened me deeply, but I am not in despair. I didn't lose my faith, no, contrary, my faith in God became even stronger. Why?
The answer lies in the teaching of Christ, especially in the parable, which is called “The Parable of the Tares” (Matthew 13, 24 ff.)
In this prophetic parable, Christ makes it clear to His disciples, that in later times there will be two kinds of people in the realm of faith: Those, who are like genuine wheat and those who are pseudo-wheat. I know, many bible translations use the word “tares” or “weed”. But if you do an in-depth study of the background of this parable, you will find that the difference is not between “wheat” and “weed”/”tares”, but between “wheat” and “pseudo-wheat”. The word, used in the original Greek of the New Testament, is “ζιζάνιον” (zizanion). It is the Greek name for a plant also known under the Latin name “Lolium temulentum”, “poison darnel” in English or “Taummelloch” in German.
This plant looks like true wheat, but it can’t bear the real fruit. It is nothing but a fake! When you eat from this plant, it unfolds a poisonous effect. This can lead to dizziness, blindness and in the worst case even to death. That is exactly the spiritual effect fake-believers can have: their fake-Christianity will confuse you, tries to blind you for the truth and tries to kill your faith.
3. But how should we react to fake-faith and pseudo-believers?
From the said parable we learn first and foremost: Never concentrate on fake-faith or pseudo-believers! Concentrate on the truth and on the all-knowing God, who loved us so much that He warned us before it happened. God is not surprised and you shouldn't be either. Therein lies my greatest consolation. The God who knew all of this before (including the last weekend fake) is still able to change everything.
Don’t react with hate, hateful speech or with a judgemental spirit! Be aware, that by giving room to these kinds of feelings, you betray your own values and the truth you stand for. Jesus, knowing that these questions would arise, answered them in the parable:
“So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.“ (Matthew 13, 28 ff.)
It is not mine nor your duty, to judge who is true/honest and who just fake’s it. Neither you nor I know the hearts like God does. Therefore God is the only One who can justly judge everyone and trust me, He will do it. But there are also several things for you and me to do:
Don’t let the pseudo-wheat blind your eyes for the truth or for the power of God. Don’t let all of this discourage you. God in His love warned us before it happened. He is not surprised. He is still the same God, mighty to help. He can’t be shaken and He still owns tomorrow. Nothing is hopeless, nothing is lost until the last day of this dispensation of grace has ended.
Live the truth humbly, walk in the truth daily.
Care for the fakers. They are in a dangerous place. Why? In 30 years of service, I have witnessed it again and again: Living a lie always leads to more lies and that leads away from true joy, true peace, and true happiness. One lie calls for another lie and in the end, all these lies lead to despair. Therefore, care for the fakers from depths of your heart! These people need you and your prayers! Pray for them and don’t stop doing so. Pray that the truth will reach and fill their heart again. Pray that they don’t miss the mercy and grace of God, that will lead them back not only to the path of righteousness, but to true life, true joy, and true peace.
Take the words of this promise to heart: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.“ (Galatians 6:9)
3. A last word about the last weekend
I don’t believe, that means I’m not convinced, that a real wedding has taken place last weekend. I will expound the reasons for my conviction in another post. This will take some time. Right now, I am busy because I stepped in for a friend who had to have emergency surgery and is still in rehab. But I will try to post my thoughts on that around Sunday/Monday.
I know this is a long post and I thank everyone who read it. Feel free to comment on this post, tell me what you think, send me your criticism, questions, etc. I might not be able to answer immediately, but I will do so asap.
As always -
from Prussia with much love,
DoP
Notes:
* I’m sorry, but because my week was very busy I forgot to reblog or screencap the post. I remember the ask was in a reblog. If anyone of my readers has screen caped it or a link, please let me know.
** When I got notice of this, I informed the authorities and they put a stop on it.
66 notes
·
View notes
Photo
item # K13B40
Pra Bodhisattva Luang Phu Tuad, Wat Sabayoi, Nua Wan Sa-buu-leuat. A figurine of Pra Bodhisattva Luang Phu Tuad made from holy powder and Din Kakyayak (sacred earth), blended with juice of Wan Sa-buu-leuat, made by Wat Sabayoi, Songkla Province in BE 2539 (CE 1996). Pra Archan Nong of Wat Sai Kaao, Phattani Province was Master of all ceremonies, supervised and blessed this Batch of amulets.
……………………………………………
Wan Sa-buu-leuat / Stephania venosa is a sacred herb believed to have a magic power of “Kongkraphan” , an invulnerability to all kinds of weapon attack includes gunshot. The triad (underground society) gang members would mix red liquid of Wan Sa-buu-leuat in their tattoo ink for their esteem “Kongkraphan” ability.
……………………………………………
In Thailand, LP Tuad amulet is believed to be a “Pra Nirantarai” means LP Tuad will push you away from all danger!
*It was certified by Por Tek Tung Charitable Foundation who help the injured and to collect the dead bodies at the scenes of road accident in Bangkok that they NEVER find people who were killed by road accident have LP Tuad amulets.
……………………………………………
BEST FOR: Klawklad Plodpai (brings safety, and pushes you away from all danger), Kongkraphan (makes you invulnerable to all weapon attack), Maha-ut (stops gun from shooting at you), Metta Maha Niyom (helps bring loving, caring, and kindness, and compassion from people all around you to you), Maha Larp (brings Lucky Wealth),and Kaa Kaai Dee (helps tempt your customers to buy whatever you are selling, and it helps attract new customers and then keep them coming back. It wards off evil spirits, bad omens, bad spells and curses, and brings happiness and longevity.
……………………………………………
DIMENSION: 2.50 cm high / 1.70 cm widest / 1.20 cm thick
……………………………………………
HISTORY OF LUANG PHU TUAD OR LUANG PHU THUAT
Hundreds of years ago, there were four great revered Buddhist monks from Southern Thailand who earned the title of Somdet rank. These four great holy monks are listed as follow:
1. Somdet Chao Koh Yor
2. Somdet Chao Koh Yai
3. Somdet Chao Chom Thong
4. Somdet Chao Phra Kho - Luang Pu Thuat
In this instant, we solely base the history of Somdet Chao Phra Kho “ Luang Pu Thuat ”. According to legend, Somdet Chao Phra Kho attained his rank from King Maha Thammaraja of Ayutthaya and he was bestowed the official title Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan. Luang Pu Thuat was born on Friday in the year of snake, March 1582 AD at Baan Suan Chan, Chom Phol sub-district of Sathing Phra District, Songkhla Province. His father Hu and his mother Chan named him Pu, Pu was the couple first child. Hu and Chan were very poor couple who works and lived in a farm house belongs to their wealthy landlord. When Pu was few days old, Chan took her little baby Pu out to the paddy field with her husband, before they start to work, Chan put her little baby Pu to sleep and leave him alone under a tree where she and her husband tended the paddy field, after working for a while Chan turned around and was shock to see her little baby Pu bringing curled up by a huge snake, whereupon she shouted her husband for help, with her crying voice, peasants nearby rush to see what is the commotion but were hold back by this fierce huge snake and none of them dared to go near and are helpless to do anything to help little Pu that were wrapped up by this huge creature. As a faithful Buddhist, Hu and Chan just hope and prays by offering food and flowers to this huge creature hoping that it would not harm and release little baby Pu, as they will waiting and wishing for miracle, they could see and sense that this huge snake clasped their beloved little baby Pu like a guarding angel. Soon after, this huge Snake released little Pu and disappeared into the bushes leaving behind a crystal ball beside little Pu. Hu and Chan was relieved of their ordeal and they went back home with Pu together with the crystal ball. When the landlord heard and learned about the crystal ball, he asks Hu and Chan to give it to him, the couple could not refuse the request and handed the crystal ball to him. The landlord was so happy to own and possessed the crystal ball but abnormal incidence started to happen to his family and his health condition keep him worrying, by then, he realized that he should not possessed the crystal ball that doesn’t belong to him, cause he believes by keeping it, there would be more disasters befall on him. Therefore, he decided to return the crystal ball to the Hu’s family, thereafter this unusual incidence ceased to happen to the landlord again and because of this bad incident, the landlord has changed his attitude and treated kindly to the Hu’s family.
When Pu turned seven year old of age, his parent took him to Wat Di Luang school for his primary education, he was the most smartest and cleverest student compared to other children in his classes, once Pu turned fifteen, the chief abbot of Wat Di Luang ordained Pu as a novice and later on brought him to Wat Si Yang to under studies Buddhism with Phra Kru Lattham Rangsri. At Wat Si Yang there was a group of monk’s educator from Krung Sri Ayutthaya who came to teach at Wat Si Yang where they found out Pu was a fast learner and very distinctive from other novices, Pu was elevated to higher level where he completed his Buddhist studies under Phra Kru Chuang guardianship. To achieve another level of Buddhist studies, Pu have to move to Wat Sri Ma Muang at Nakhon Sri Thammarat province to further his studies with Phra Kru Gha Ther. When Pu reaches the age of twenty he was ordained as a full status monk and was given the new title named Sameramo but many villagers tended to called him Sameram. The ordination ceremony were held at a small canal and were done on the raft which made of four small sampan tied up together. Later that small canal was named Klong Tha Pair to the present day.
The young monk Sameramo “Pu” completed his Dhammapada Boriboon within three years under Phra Kru Gha Ther supervision, whereupon Sameramo “Pu" requested Phra Kru Gha Ther permission to allow him to further his studies in Tripitaka and Dhamma at Krung Sri Ayutthaya. After listening to Sameramo “Pu” request, Phra Kru Gha Ther arrange and requested Khun Inn the ship owner to take Sameramo “Pu" onboard to travel with him to Krung Sri Ayutthya, Khun Inn had no objection and agreed to take Sameramo “Pu” there, before the ship depart Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Khun Inn invited Sameramo “Pu” to pay respect to the sacred stupa “ Buddhist Pagoda” this is the tradition for all seafarers for safe journey before heading to the open sea, the first three days of sea voyage was smooth navigating, but the following day the weather and sea conditions turned rough and stormy whereas the ship cannot go on any further and has to stayed anchored waiting for the weather condition to turn better. During this time, the ship rations and water happen to run out and Khun Inn was very enraged and blamed the whole incident on the monk Sameramo “Pu” because Khun In ship journey never encounter such a bad weather condition, and as such he instruct his sailors to let down a small boat and ousted the monk Sameramo “Pu” and ask his men to send him back to shore, While the monk Samaramo “Pu’ sat on board the small boat, he put one of his foot into the sea and start to recite, after a short time he ask one of the sailor to scoop up some sea water to taste it, when the sailor tasted the water he was alarm that the sea salt water had turned into fresh drinking water by screaming to his fellowmen and say that the sea water are really fresh for consumption. On hearing such miracle news, the ship owner Khun Inn and the crews rushed to fetch the water within the parameter where the monk Sameramo “Pu” was seated. After drinking and collected adequate water, the ship owner Khun Inn feel regretted for what he has done to monk Sameramo “Pu” and ask for his forgiveness. Monk Sameramo “Pu” was invited back on board the ship, with the weather and sea condition started to change better, the ship owner Khun Inn ordered his men to start the ship to complete their final destination toward Krung Sri Ayutthaya City. When the ship arrived at Krung Sri Ayutthaya port, Khun Inn invited monk Sameramo “Pu” to visit the inner city but monk Sameramo “Pu” decline the invitation and say that he preferred to stay outside the Krung Sri Ayutthaya city at Wat Raja Nuworn located outside the city wall where there is more peace and serenity.
One day the king of Krung Sri Ayutthaya urgently summons his subordinate Srithanonchai Sangkhakiri to his palace and instructed him to invite every knowledgeable high priest from around the kingdom to decipher and translate all the gold seeds sacred scripture presented by the Sri Lanka envoy or else Krung Sri Ayutthaya kingdom has to come under the administration of King Wattakaminee of Sri Lanka. The King of Sri Lanka loved to bargain and wager instead of war to expand his kingdom, therefore he ordered and instruct his goldsmith to produce 84,000 pieces of gold seeds engrave with sacred alphabets with the size of tamarind seed. The completed sacred gold seed of 84,000 pieces and other valuable treasures were handed to seven highly respected Brahmin envoy and to be transported by seven ships, all the treasures and 84,000 pieces of sacred gold seed scripts are be presented to King Maha Thammaraja of Krung Sri Ayutthaya directly with message from the King of Sri Lanka. When King Maha Thammaraja read the royal message from the King of Sri Lanka, he realised it was a challenge for him to decipher and translate the sacred alphabets into a book of Dhamma within seven days, if King Maha Thammaraja could not accomplish this undertaking within the stated time, Krung Sri Ayutthaya has to pay tribute and come under the control of Sri Lanka, and if King Maha Thammaraja could accomplish this translation, he can have all the treasures and keep the sacred gold seeds sacred scripts in Krung Sri Ayutthaya.
On the sixth day, King Maha Thammaraja was very worried because none of the highly invited priests could translate the gold seed sacred scripts, which means his kingdom sovereignty will fell under the administration of Sri Lanka. Later that night he has dreamt of a great white elephant from the west stepping on his throne in the royal palace and then roars out loud into four directions, King Maha Thammaraja woke up and feels very anxious where he could not sleep till dawn. Early in morning, King Maha Thammaraja went into common court room and summons the whole astrologers to interpret his dream, after checking all the details thoroughly the astrologers told King Maha Thammaraja that his dream meant no harm to him but expressed that the elephant from the west suggest that there could be a knowledgeable monk residing in the west that may solve and translate the gold seeds sacred scripts. With that perspective in mind, King Maha Thammaraja ordered Srithanonchai Sangkhakiri to seek out a monk from the west where Wat Raja Nuworn was situated, after inquiring around in Wat Raja Nuworn compound, he chance upon a young monk and asks where he was from and the young monk reply to Srithanonchai Sangkhakiri that he is from Loong city ( Presently Phatthalung Province ) and is here to studies for his Tripitaka degree, on hearing the answers, Srithanonchai Sangkhakiri told the young monk of the dilemma and request made by King Maha Thammaraja and asked whether he could help solve and translate the gold seed sacred scripts, and without any hesitation, Phra Sameramo agree to try but would not guarantee that he will success in translating the gold seed sacred scripts. Srithanonchai Sangkhakiri then brought Phra Sameramo back to the palace’s Phra Viharn hall where senior Sangha already assembled, before entering the Phra Viharn hall, Phra Sameramo stepped onto one of the laterite staircase that suddenly broke into two. After Phra Sameramo entered the Phra Viharn hall, King Maha Thammaraja ordered his servant to lay down a carpet for the young monk to be seated, and before he start to translate the gold seeds sacred scripts from Sri Lanka, he recites some of the Dhamma manuscript in front of the seven Sri Lanka Brahmin with all sort of gesticulations. Meanwhile, the seven Sri Lanka Brahmin exchange word among themselves and wonder is this the young monk who is going to translate the gold seeds sacred scripts into a Dhamma book and wondering why the young monk acted so strange in front of them. The young monk Sameramo started to laugh and asked the seven Brahmin “ Have you all not seen any of my actions that made before in your homeland ? all the Brahmins were very curious but did not respond to the question asked. Subsequently, each of the seven Brahmin handed the bucket filled with the gold seeds sacred scripts to the young monk Sameramo, after taking over all the buckets from the seven Brahmin, Phra Sameramo started to vow for success in translating the gold seeds sacred scripts to save his country and peoples from disasters and aggression. With good faith and will powers to assist him, he emptied all the buckets and lines all the gold seeds sacred scripts in orderly manner without difficulties and began to recite all the gold seeds sacred scripts but then again he recognized there were seven missing seeds with the words of Su, Vi, Ta, Pu, Ga, Ya and Pa to complete the final sentences, with his stunning powers and ability, he turned around and asks the seven Brahmin envoy have they kept the seven missing seeds to deterred him from completing the whole interpretation, with his word of queries the seven Brahmin feel remorseful and handed over the remaining seven gold seeds to Phra Sameramo where he successfully completed the whole Dhamma interpretation into book within the agreed day and time, Immediately King Maha Thammaraja and his Royal court officials resounded in jubilation, at that moment the seven Sri Lakan Brahmin envoy presented all the treasures and the gold seeds to Phra Sameramo but he in turned offer all the gifts to King Maha Thammaraja.
With such a great an achievement, King Maha Thammaraja bestowed and elevated Phra Sameramo rank and title to Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan and at the same time offered Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan a new residence plus 25% percents of the city land, Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan only stayed three days at the new places and he nonetheless returned all the gifts given to him by the King and went back to reside at Wat Raja Nuworn to continues his Tripitaka and Dhamma studies.
Years later, a deadly disease were spreading around Krung Sri Ayutthaya where large number of general population felled sick and were unable to find any antidotes to contain the diseases, the King was very concerned for his subjects well-being and with infections that are transmitting in the kingdom, he urgently summons all the court officials to discussed what are their contingency plans in containing the diseases. Out of a sudden, the king recalls Phra Sameramo “ Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan “ and instantly ordered Srithanonchai Sangkhakiri to invite Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan to the palace to meet him, when Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan was inform and learned of the contagious diseases he started to reciting the Buddhist sutra by holding onto a very huge earthen vessel that contained the lustral waters, thereafter he set off to the township and begin to distribute and splattered the holy waters around Krung Sri Ayutthaya and the outer vicinity. Eventually the whole epidemics decreased gradually. After learning the miracles of lustral waters produced by Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan, the Kings begin to have more faith on Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan and publicised that whatever request or essential items Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan required, he promised that all his requests will be deliver and be make available to him.
Since leaving his hometown for a long time, Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan decided to return to the South because his age is catching up. The revered Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan went to seek permission to leave from King Maha Thammaraja and yet the King was very reluctant to let the revered monk go, in spite his pleads and appealed, revered Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan stilled insist of leaving, despite the fact, King Maha Thammaraja felts very sad but can only do his best by sending the revered monk off to the end of the city gate with guard of honour and general public lining the street biding farewell and wish that the revered monk will come back one day. The Kings last word to Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan is “ Please do not leave me and people of Krung Sri Ayutthaya forever “
Along the way to the South, whatever places Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan passed or stayed, that location has became a sacred place which drawn many villagers attentions until this day. Case in point is Pakpanang district in Nakhon Sri Thammarat province where villagers build a Stupa in remembrance of him and the Stupa still stand there till to this day. Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan ended his journey at Wat Ratchapraditsathan or Wat Pha Kho where he was well received by villagers who learnt of his reputation and his mystical powers in helping the people of Krung Sri Ayutthaya that made him a household name. From that onward villagers started to addressed him Somdet Chao Phra Kho, and Wat Phra Kho also known as Wat Ratchapraditsathan till to this present day.
According to record, Wat Ratchapraditsathan or Wat Pha Kho was built by three famous monks in the old day. They were:
1. Phra Narai Mui
2. Phra Maha Anomatassi
3. Phra Dhamma Ghawa
According to history, Phra Maha Anomatassi was the one who brought back the Buddha relics from India whereas Phraya Thamma Rungkul the governor of Phra Sathing district of that time built a 40 metres high Stupa for Wat Pha Kho to store the Buddha relics where the Stupa stilled stand today.
After staying at Wat Ratchapraditsathan or Wat Pha Kho for a period, Revered Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan notice that the Monastery was in such a debilitated conditions that require repair and reconstruction, ftherefore he decided to go back to Krung Sri Ayutthaya to seek King Maha Thammaraja assistant for Wat Pha Kho rebuilding, after listening attentive and without hesitation, King Maha Thammaraja ordered his son to gathered all necessary building materials and workforces in preparation for Wat Pha Kho rebuilding construction, moreover, the Kings even ordered his royal craftsman to go down South with revered Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan or Somdet Chao Phra Kho to restored Wat Pha Koh back to its original condition, the reconstruction progress takes number of years before it was fully completed. Meanwhile, King Maha Thammaraja also donated a large piece of land around Wat Pha Kho to Phrarajchamuni Sameeram Khunupanachan where the land faced toward four directions.
1. The North : Facing the direction of Peninsula of Chom Phut.
2. The South : Facing the direction of Peninsula of Leam Soon.
3. The East : Facing the direction of Gulf of Thailand.
4. The West : Facing the direction of Thale Luang Lake Shore.
While Staying at Wat Pha Kho, Somdet Chao Phra Kho has carried out his daily routines mission by propagating Dhamma and Buddha teaching to many of his disciples as well as villagers. He became a centred figure in near and afar city. During that time, there was a novice monk who is very keen of learning the Dhamma and Buddhist scripture, he vowed and wish that one day he would like to meet Phra Sri Arriya “ Bodhisattva Buddha ” then one night this young novice has a dream of an old man who gave him a flower and says this flower is from the heavenly world and it would stayed fresh forever, the old man too also mentions that Phra Sri Arriya “ Bodhisattva Buddha “ has reborn into this world and is helping the souls of the human being presently in this world. Before the old man depart, he told the young novice that if he wish to meet Phra Sri Arriya “ Bodhisattva Buddha “ all he has to do is presented the flower to whoever that can divulges the name of the flower, then that holy person will be Phra Sri Arriya “ Bodhisattva Buddha ”, after the end of the conversation, the old man just disappeared.
Next morning, the young novice went to see the abbot of his temple and request for permission to leave the temple where he began his journey in pursuit of his dream in seeking out the Bodhisattva Buddha, he went to many places with the flower in hand, but nobody were able to give him an answers. Then one day, he reached Wat Ratchapraditsathan or Wat Pha Kho in the full moon night where all the monks are preparing to enter the sermon hall doing their evening incantation. The young novice just stood outside the sermon hall waiting to see is there any absent monks that still not yet presence in the sermon hall, he then make inquiries with one of the monk, whether is all the monks already in the sermon hall? And the monk replied that there is an old monk still not in sermon hall yet but told the young novice to look at the old living quarter where the senior old monk resided. With that information, the young novice headed toward the direction of the old living quarter, over there he saw an old monk standing in front of the collapsible wooden gate of the living quarter, whereupon he kneels down to pay respect to the old monk. When Somdet Chao Phra Kho saw the flower in the young novice’s hand he said that this Montatip flower can only be found at the heavenly world, then again Somdet Chao Phra Kho asks the young novice who gave him the flower? By then the young novice realized that he has met the enlighten Bodhisattva Buddha as he recalled the old man telling him on his dream. Without second thought the young novice placed both his hands in a lotus shape on his forehead and kneel down again to pay his full respect with the offering of heavenly flower to Somdet Chao Phra Kho, after receiving the flower, Somdet Chao Phra Kho stood silently liked meditation for a while, then invited the young novice to go into his living quarter together with him, once inside Somdet Chao Phra Kho closed the door and from that onward no one ever heard or see both Somdet Chao Phra Kho and the young novice again. Both were vanished without a trace from that night and at the same time some very unusual phenomenon lighted up the sky in and around that area where villagers saw a fireball circling three round above the full moon night sky before heading east till no one eyes could follow the fireball light. From that day onward, everyone believed Somdet Chao Phra Kho and the young novice has attained nirvana and has returned to the heavenly world, and the only things left behind by Somdet Chao Phra Kho ” Somdet Luang Pu Thuat “ were his Crystal Ball and Twisted Walking Cane that is still on displayed at Wat Pha Kho, Sathing Phra district, Songkhla province.
Source : http://watchanghai.weebly.com/history-of-luang-pu-thuat.html
……………………………………………
item # K13B40
Price: price upon request, pls PM and/or email us [email protected]
100% GENUINE WITH 365 DAYS FULL REFUND WARRANTY
Item location: Hong Kong, SAR
Ships to: Worldwide
Delivery: Estimated 7 days handling time after receipt of cleared payment. Please allow additional time if international delivery is subject to customs processing.
Shipping: FREE Thailandpost International registered mail. International items may be subject to customs processing and additional charges.
Payments: PayPal / Western Union / MoneyGram /maybank2u.com / DBS iBanking / Alipay / Wechat Pay
*****************************************
1 note
·
View note
Text
Goddess Minerva
“Minerva’s themes are earth and home. Her symbols are owls, snakes, olive trees and geraniums. This Etruscan/Italic Goddess blended the odd attributes of being a patroness of household tasks, including arts and crafts, and also being the patroness of protection and of war. Today She joins in pre-spring festivities by helping people prepare their lands for sowing and embracing the figurative lands of our hearts, homes and spirits with Her positive energy.
In ancient times, this was a day to bless one’s land and borders. Gifts of corn*, honey and wine were given to the earth and its spirits to keep the property safe and fertile throughout the year. In modern times, this equates to a Minerva-centered house blessing.
Begin by putting on some spiritually uplifting music. Burn geranium-scented incense if possible; otherwise, any pantry spice will do. Take this into every room of your home, always moving clockwise to promote positive growing energy. As you get to each room, repeat this incantation:
‘Minerva, protect this sacred space
And all who live within
By your power and my will
The magic now begins!’
Wear a geranium today to commemorate Minerva and welcome Her energy into your life.”
* Corn is the name for whatever cereal grain is in common use. The Roman cereal crops were wheat and barley, and they also used millet.
(Patricia Telesco, “365 Goddess: a daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess”.)
Minerva (Etruscan: Menrva) was the Roman Goddess whom Romans from the 2nd century BCE onwards equated with the Greek Goddess Athena. She was the virgin Goddess of poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, weaving, dyeing, crafts, the arts, science, and magic. She is also believed to be the inventor of numbers and instruments. She is often depicted with Her sacred creature, an owl usually named as the “owl of Minerva“, which symbolizes Her ties to wisdom.
Stemming from an Italic moon goddess Meneswā ‘She who measures’, the Etruscans adopted the inherited Old Latin name, Menerwā, thereby calling Her Menrva. Menrva was part of a holy triad with Tinia and Uni, equivalent to the Roman Capitoline Triad of Jupiter-Juno-Minerva. Extrapolating from Her Roman nature, it is assumed that in Etruscan mythology, Minerva was the Goddess of wisdom, war, art, schools and commerce. She was the Etruscan counterpart to Greek Athena. Like Athena, Minerva was born from the head of Her father, Jupiter. It is possible that such a Goddess was “imported” to both Greece and Italy from beliefs originating in the Near East during the extreme antiquity. The very few extant Lemnian inscriptions suggest that the Etruscans may have originated in Asia Minor, in which case subsequent syncretism between Greek Athena and Italic Minerva may have been all the easier.
As Minerva Medica, She was the Goddess of medicine and doctors. As Minerva Achaea, She was worshipped at Luceria in Apulia where votive gifts and arms said to be those of Diomedes were preserved in Her temple.
Her worship as a Goddess of war encroached upon that of Mars. The erection of a temple to Her by Pompey out of the spoils of his Eastern conquests shows that by then She had been identified with the Greek Athena Nike, bestower of victory. Under the emperor Domitian, who claimed Her special protection, the worship of Minerva attained its greatest vogue in Rome. [1]
In Fasti III, Ovid called Her the “Goddess of a thousand works.” Minerva was worshipped throughout Italy, though only in Rome did She take on the warlike character shared by Athena. Her worship was also taken out to the empire — in Britain, for example, She was conflated with the local wisdom Goddess Sulis.
The Romans celebrated Her festival from March 19 to March 23 during the day which is called, in the neuter plural, Quinquatria, the fifth after the Ides of March, the nineteenth, an artisans’ holiday. A lesser version, the Minusculae Quinquatria, was held on the Ides of June, June 13, by the flute-players, who were particularly useful to religion.
In 207 BCE, a guild of poets and actors was formed to meet and make votive offerings at the temple of Minerva on the Aventine hill. Among others, its members included Livius Andronicus. The Aventine sanctuary of Minerva continued to be an important center of the arts for much of the middle Roman Republic.
Minerva was worshipped on the Capitoline Hill as one of the Capitoline Triad along with Jupiter and Juno, at the Temple of Minerva Medica, and at the “Delubrum Minervae” a temple founded around 50 BCE by Pompey on the site now occupied by the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva facing the present-day Piazza della Minerva.
Minerva Roman Goddess of Wisdom
Areas of Influence: Minerva was the Goddess of wisdom and crafts.
Only in Rome was she worshipped as the Goddess of war.
This Goddess represented the application of intellect to everyday tasks. As the Goddess of wisdom she was accredited with inventing spinning, weaving, numbers and music. Her attributes were so numerous that Ovid described her as the "Goddess of a thousand works."
She is also the patron of Goddess of medicine.
Origins and Genealogy: The name of this Goddess is said to be of Etruscan origin.
Her parents were Jupiter and Métis. Elements of the myths surrounding her birth however have been poached from Greek Goddess Athena, as she too is born fully grown, from her father's head.
She was considered third among the Gods and Goddesses and was part of the Capitolian triad alongside Juna and Jupiter.
Strengths: Wisdom, creativity and strength.
Weaknesses: Out of touch with emotions.
Minerva's Symbolism
The Roman Goddess of wisdom is depicted in full battle dress with a coat of mail, a helmet and a spear.
Sacred Animal/Insect: Owl and the spider.
Sacred Plants: Her sacred plants were the olive, mulberry and alder trees.
Festivals: The main festival celebrating this Goddess took place March 19th - 23rd.
A smaller festival occurred later in the year on the 13th of June.
Greek Equivalent: Athena
Minerva's Archetypes
The Teacher/ Inventor
The Teacher and Inventor communicates knowledge, experience and wisdom.
In it's shadow aspect, the Teacher may manipulate and mislead their students by indoctrinating them with negative beliefs and destructive behaviours.
This is Minerva's primary Archetype as she teaches humans how to spin and weave. She is also accredited in Roman mythology for inventing numbers and medicine.
The Warrior
Archetype represents physical strength, and the ability to protect and fight for your rights and those of of others.
The shadow side of the Warrior reflects the need to win at all costs, abandoning ethical principles to prove your supremacy.
Although Roman mythology borrows heavily from it's Greek counterparts, it is only in Rome that Minerva is worshipped as the Goddess of war, despite always being depicted in full battle dress. This is why I have ranked this Archetype as only of secondary importance for this Goddess.
Please follow this link to the Archetypes page to discover which other Goddess Archetypes resonate with you.
How To Work With These Archetypes
The Teacher/Inventor
This Archetype may suggest a love of passing on wisdom and learning to others.
This Goddess wise counsel can also be called upon to help you see a way through any present difficulties or to help you to master a new skill.
The shadow aspect of this stereo type is also a reminder that whenever we find ourselves in a teaching or mentoring role we must aim to be a positive role model, encouraging others to reach their full potential.
The Warrior
If you are drawn to work with this Goddess you may require her Warrior spirit to help you to stand up for your rights and set firm personnel boundaries. This Goddess can be a great stereotype to work with if you want to take control in your life, and wish to no longer play the role of the victim.
You may also wish to call upon this Goddess to champion the cause of others.
Conversely this Goddess may appeal to you if you have a very strong sense of self and are proud of the victories you have achieved. The shadow side may be asking you to reflect honestly on the cost of these victories. Have they been at the expense of others or your principals?
14 notes
·
View notes
Text
TERMINOLOGY OF THE IMPERIUM (A-D)
A ABA: loose robe worn by Fremen women; usually black. ACH: left turn: a worm steersman’s call. ADAB: the demanding memory that comes upon you of itself. AKARSO: a plant native to Sikun (of 70 Ophiuchi A) characterized by almost oblong leaves. Its green and white stripes indicate the constant multiple condition of parallel active and dormant chlorophyll regions. ALAM AL-MITHAL: the mystical world of similitudes where all physical limitations are removed. AL-LAT: mankind’s original sun; by usage: any planet’s primary. AMPOLIROS: the legendary “Flying Dutchman” of space. AMTAL or AMTAL RULE: a common rule on primitive worlds under which something is tested to determine its limits or defects. Commonly: testing to destruction. AQL: the test of reason. Originally, the “Seven Mystic Questions” beginning: “Who is it that thinks?” ARRAKEEN: first settlement on Arrakis; long-time seat of planetary government. ARRAKIS: the planet known as Dune; third planet of Canopus. ASSASSINS’ HANDBOOK: Third-century compilation of poisons commonly used in a War of Assassins. Later expanded to include those deadly devices permitted under the Guild Peace and Great Convention. AULIYA: In the Zensunni Wanderers’ religion, the female at the left hand of God; God’s handmaiden. AUMAS: poison administered in food. (Specifically: poison in solid food.) In some dialects: Chaumas. AYAT: the signs of life. (See Burhan.) B BAKKA: in Fremen legend, the weeper who mourns for all mankind. BAKLAWA: a heavy pastry made with date syrup. BALISET: a nine-stringed musical instrument, lineal descendant of the zithra, tuned to the Chusuk scale and played by strumming. Favorite instrument of Imperial troubadors. BARADYE PISTOL: a static-charge dust gun developed on Arrakis for laying down a large dye marker area on sand. BARAKA: a living holy man of magical powers. BASHAR (often Colonel Bashar): an officer of the Sardaukar a fractional point above Colonel in the standardized military classification. Rank created for military ruler of a planetary subdistrict. (Bashar of the Corps is a title reserved strictly for military use.) BATTLE LANGUAGE: any special language of restricted etymology developed for clear-speech communication in warfare. BEDWINE: see Ichwan Bedwine. BELA TEGEUSE: fifth planet of Kuentsing: third stopping place of the Zensunni (Fremen) forced migration. BENE GESSERIT: the ancient school of mental and physical training established primarily for female students after the Butlerian Jihad destroyed the so-called “thinking machines” and robots. B.G.: idiomatic for Bene Gesserit except when used with a date. With a date it signifies Before Guild and identifies the Imperial dating system based on the genesis of the Spacing Guild’s monopoly. BHOTANI JIB: see Chakobsa. BI-LA KAIFA: Amen. (Literally: “Nothing further need be explained.”) BINDU: relating to the human nervous system, especially to nerve training. Often expressed as Bindu-nervature. (See Prana.) BINDU SUSPENSION: a special form of catalepsis, self-induced. BLED: flat, open desert. BOURKA: insulated mantle worn by Fremen in the open desert. BURHAN: the proofs of life. (Commonly: the ayat and burhan of life. See Ayat.) BURSEG: a commanding general of the Sardaukar. BUTLERIAN JIHAD: see Jihad, Butlerian (also Great Revolt). C CAID: Sardaukar officer rank given to a military official whose duties call mostly for dealings with civilians; a military governorship over a full planetary district; above the rank of Bashar but not equal to a Burseg. CALADAN: third planet of Delta Pavonis; birthworld of Paul-Muad’Dib. CANTO and RESPONDU: an invocation rite, part of the panoplia propheticus of the Missionaria Protectiva. CARRYALL: a flying wing (commonly “wing”), the aerial workhorse of Arrakis, used to transport large spice mining, hunting, and refining equipment. CATCHPOCKET: any stillsuit pocket where filtered water is caught and stored. CHAKOBSA: the so-called “magnetic language” derived in part from the ancient Bhotani (Bhotani Jib—jib meaning dialect). A collection of ancient dialects modified by needs of secrecy, but chiefly the hunting language of the Bhotani, the hired assassins of the first Wars of Assassins. CHAUMAS: (Aumas in some dialects): poison in solid food as distinguished from poison administered in some other way. CHAUMURKY (Musky or Murky in some dialects): poison administered in a drink. CHEOPS: pyramid chess; nine-level chess with the double object of putting your queen at the apex and the opponent’s king in check. CHEREM: a brotherhood of hate (usually for revenge). CHOAM: acronym for Combine Honnete Ober Advancer y Mercantiles—the universal development corporation controlled by the Emperor and Great Houses with the Guild and Bene Gesserit as silent partners. CHUSUK: fourth planet of Theta y Shalish; the so-called “Music Planet” noted for the quality of its musical instruments. (See Varota.) CIELAGO: any modified Chiroptera of Arrakis adapted to carry distrans messages. CONE OF SILENCE: the field of a distorter that limits the carrying power of the voice or any other vibrator by damping the vibrations with an image-vibration 180 degrees out of phase. CORIOLIS STORM: any major sandstorm on Arrakis where winds across the open flatlands are amplified by the planet’s own revolutionary motion to reach speeds up to 700 kilometers per hour. CORRIN, BATTLE OF: the space battle from which the Imperial House Corrino took its name. The battle fought near Sigma Draconis in the year 88 B.G. settled the ascendancy of the ruling House from Salusa Secundus. COUSINES: blood relations beyond cousins. CRUSHERS: military space vessels composed of many smaller vessels locked together and designed to fall on an enemy position, crushing it. CRYSKNIFE: the sacred knife of the Fremen on Arrakis. It is manufactured in two forms from teeth taken from dead sandworms. The two forms are “fixed” and “unfixed.” An unfixed knife requires proximity to a human body’s electrical field to prevent disintegration. Fixed knives are treated for storage. All are about 20 centimeters long. CUTTERAY: short-range version of lasgun used mostly as a cutting tool and surgeon’s scalpel. D DAR AL-HIKMAN: school of religious translation or interpretation. DARK THINGS: idiomatic for the infectious superstitions taught by the Missionaria Protectiva to susceptible civilizations. DEATH TRIPOD: originally, the tripod upon which desert executioners hanged their victims. By usage: the three members of a Cherem sworn to the same revenge. DEMIBROTHERS: sons of concubines in the same household and certified as having the same father. DERCH: right turn; a worm steersman’s call. DEW COLLECTORS or DEW PRECIPITATORS: not to be confused with dew gatherers. Collectors or precipitators are egg-shaped devices about four centimeters on the long axis. They are made of chromoplastic that turns a reflecting white when subjected to light, and reverts to transparency in darkness. The collector forms a markedly cold surface upon which dawn dew will precipitate. They are used by Fremen to line concave planting depressions where they provide a small but reliable source of water. DEW GATHERERS: workers who reap dew from the plants of Arrakis, using a scythelike dew reaper. DICTUM FAMILIA: that rule of the Great Convention which prohibits the slaying of a royal person or member of a Great House by informal treachery. The rule sets up the formal outline and limits the means of assassination. DISTRANS: a device for producing a temporary neural imprint on the nervous system of Chiroptera or birds. The creature’s normal cry then carries the message imprint which can be sorted from that carrier wave by another distrans. DOORSEAL: a portable plastic hermetic seal used for moisture security in Fremen overday cave camps. DRUM SAND: impaction of sand in such a way that any sudden blow against its surface produces a distinct drum sound. DUMP BOXES: the general term for any cargo container of irregular shape and equipped with ablation surfaces and suspensor damping system. They are used to dump material from space onto a planet’s surface. DUNE MEN: idiomatic for open sand workers, spice hunters and the like on Arrakis. Sandworkers. Spiceworkers. DUST CHASM: any deep crevasse or depression on the desert of Arrakis that has been filled with dust not apparently different from the surrounding surface; a deadly trap because human or animal will sink in it and smother. (See Tidal Dust Basin.)
2 notes
·
View notes
Link
“Some of the world’s largest religions emerged during the Iron Age, and the rules in their sacred texts likely helped families and communities (or at least some subset) to thrive under Iron Age conditions. Today, we live under very different conditions. We know things our ancestors didn’t. We hold powers and face challenges they could not have imagined.
Here are a few of the moral mandates from the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) that some people still practice on religious grounds but that a growing number of others consider morally dubious given our current circumstances and knowledge.
Hitting children—The Hebrew Bible instructs parents to beat their children, most explicitly in Proverbs 23: “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die. Punish them with the rod and save them from death.” Traditional Muslim teachings exhort parents to beat boys if they don’t pray regularly by the age of seven.
Research in psychology contradicts this advice, pointing to few if any developmental benefits and an increased risk of aggression in children who are hit. Parenting experts suggest better means of raising children and managing misbehavior. Even religious leaders who may feel obliged to approve spanking because it is endorsed in their sacred texts (some of whom fiercely defend the god-given right of parents to hit their kids) now tend to send mixed messages and encourage other forms of discipline first.
Teaching children to rely on faith— Religions often treat faith or even religious certitude as a virtue. In fact, in Protestant Christianity it is the ultimate virtue, the one that sends people to heaven or hell. Believe and be saved, says the Christian New Testament, and one of the tenets of the Reformation was sola fide—by faith alone. Defenders of Christianity may marshal logic or evidence to support belief, but when backed into a corner, many default to I just know—and they teach children to do the same.
By contrast, modern cognitive science recognizes the sense of knowing as a feeling state that can be triggered under a wide variety of circumstances, not all of which have a basis in reality. Advocates for secularism argue that faith, by definition, means committing to a set of beliefs that are poorly grounded—or even contradict the best available evidence. We humans are prone to confirmation bias, for example, or self-serving “motivated” reasoning.
In belief-based religions like Christianity and Islam, doubt is seen as a sign of weakness or a moral failing, a sin. But knowing what we now know about human cognition, faith increasingly looks like a bad epistemology, a not-very-effective way of sifting what is real from what is not. By contrast, the scientific method has been called “What we know about how not to fool ourselves,” because it forces us to ask the questions that could show us wrong. Unlike faith in received dogma, the scientific method promotes a growth mindset. This is one reason that a growing number of people see religious indoctrination of children as an abuse of trust.
Restrictions on women’s movement and attire – Religious modesty and virginity rules for women emerged when a person’s place in society depended on paternal lineage. Women and men had no way of managing their fertility other than abstinence; and mama’s baby, papa’s maybe could create social havoc. Societies had a strong investment in controlling female fertility.
Modernity values people based on who they are, not on their lineage; and women now have reliable means to manage their fertility. Our life course need not be defined by the form of our genitalia. But male ownership of girls and women is so foundational in the Abrahamic traditions that conservative believers often find themselves most comfortable with gender hierarchy. Conservative Christians promote “male headship”—a version of separate-but-equal; conservative Muslims rationalize veiling—which (though it can mean different things to different believers) is rooted in male ownership of female sexuality; Orthodox Jews demand that women shave their heads and ride on separate sides of the bus.
Fortunately, although religions may slow cultural evolution, they rarely succeed in stopping it altogether. Even within conservative religious communities, leaders often claim that restrictive practices elevate women and offer them genuine equality. Their thinking may be Orwellian, but it is a far cry from that of the men who wrote the sacred texts, for whom male dominance and control of females was simply a given.
Pronatalism – “Be fruitful and multiply,” God tells man in the book of Genesis. Throughout the Bible, sons are seen as signs of God’s favor, the more the better. In the Christian New Testament book of 1 Timothy, readers are told that women, who brought sin into the world, will be saved by childbearing (2:15). The Roman Catholic Church, when it emerged, promoted a high birthrate—not among priests, which would have been a drain on church assets—but among lay practitioners, which added to the ranks of the faithful.
Today some devout Catholics and quiver-full Protestants (along with ultra-orthodox Jews and fundamentalist Muslims) still see bearing many children as a form of righteous submission to God’s will. They eschew family planning, taking a “let go and let God” approach to birth control. But as world population approaches eight billion, putting increasing pressure on natural resources and other species, many people now view large families the same way they might view gluttony. Most, including most religious believers, think it is more moral to take excellent care of a few children than to produce as many as possible.
Proselytizing mandates – Christianity tells believers to “make disciples of every creature,” and over the centuries Christians have sent missionaries to the far reaches of the planet, some willing to kill or die in order to win a “harvest” of converts. They have been celebrated as saints and martyrs, or in modern times as altruistic heroes. But many people now see cross-cultural proselytizing as a form of imperialism that disrespects the complexity of indigenous and foreign cultures.
To make matters more morally dubious, missionaries often leverage their superior access to information and wealth—enticing conversion by bundling evangelism with desperately-needed food, medical care, education or crisis services. To a missionary who sees the threat of hell as the ultimate risk and the promise of heaven as the ultimate good, the ends may justify the means; but outsiders see exploitation of power differentials, which most ethical codes discourage. Some countries now limit or constrain missionary activities to protect vulnerable communities and people.
Kosher slaughter rules – In the Torah, God commands that animals be slaughtered according to religious rules, and over time Jewish scholars fleshed these out. The animal is to have its throat slit with a very sharp knife that has no defects. It must be conscious at the time of the cut and must die from blood loss. These rules may have originally had health value for humans or animal welfare value for livestock, but with the availability of modern stunning, they have become controversial. Stunning animals immediately before slaughter can reduce suffering. Many Muslims think that Halal slaughter rules similarly prohibit stunning, but there is disagreement among Muslim scholars about this. Some animal welfare watchdog groups in Europe and the U.S. have advocated the banning of Kosher and Halal slaughter, while others are working to improve the practices in ways that reduce fear or suffering before and during slaughter.
Capital punishment – The human history of killing offenders goes back almost to the beginnings of written history. Death by axe, death by being thrown into a quagmire, death by beheading (which is where we get the term capital punishment), by boiling, by stoning . . . Over the millennia, all manner of death has been meted out for all manner of offences. The Hebrew Bible prescribes death for almost 30 transgressions ranging from murder and kidnapping to blasphemy and sassing, and the Quran is similarly enthusiastic about execution. (You can compare both texts here, or find out here if you deserve death according to the Bible.) Building on the Abrahamic tradition of blood atonement, the central premise of New Testament Christianity is structured around the idea that punishment by death can set things right.
For two hundred years, opponents of the death penalty have worked to reduce the number of capital offenses and the cruelty of execution methods or to advance philosophical and practical reasons for abolishing state-sanctioned killing altogether. Some of this opposition has been lead by devoutly religious people, and it has shifted thinking in a wide variety of cultures. Over 100 countries have abolished the death penalty.
Intolerance of other religions – In order to recruit and retain members, religions often make exclusive truth claims and promise exclusive rewards. Many also threaten those who fail to join or who choose to leave with punishments in this life or the next. Islam’s prescription of death for apostates is just an extreme version of this broader dynamic.
Inquisitions and holy wars have been seen by past generations as righteous because they compelled people to live according to the one right law. Even short of bloodshed, religious teachings can be profoundly divisive. Calvinist Christianity teaches that human beings are “utterly depraved” and can be redeemed only by accepting the crucifixion of Jesus as a personally-transforming gift. Believers learn to mistrust others, who by definition lack any basis for morality.
But this one-way mentality doesn’t seem as righteous to many as it once did. Today, when faith is compelled through holy war and purges—as under the Taliban or ISIS–most people are morally appalled, and people increasingly see religious tolerance as a virtue rather than the vice our ancestors believed it to be.
– – – – –
Some people believe that the moral rules handed down by our ancestors came from a supernatural deity and should not be questioned or changed. The gods know best, and even if their rules may not entirely make sense, ours is not to question why. In the Evangelical community where I grew up, people sometimes tried to find practical explanations for biblical rules. But when that failed, “because the Bible says so” was reason enough.
By contrast, secular ethics teach that the timeless part of morality is not the rules themselves, nor the authority of the rule-giver, but rather an underlying principle. Morality, in this view, seeks to promote the wellbeing of sentient beings, especially human beings but also other animals. Actions that reduce suffering and harm or increase wellbeing are moral. To maximize wellbeing, rules have to change, because what promotes thriving in one situation may cause harm in another...”
https://valerietarico.com/2018/07/22/when-religious-teachings-become-immoral/
Valerie Tarico is a psychologist and writer in Seattle, Washington.
10 notes
·
View notes
Photo
A Padre Pio Inspirational Story
“I think people remember this great man, Padre Pio because he was a great saint. He lived the life of a saint. What he did during his life touches all nations. I think the world needs Padre Pio.” – Padre Clemente da Santa Maria in Punta
During World War II, I was a member of the American 15th Air Force stationed in Foggia. While in Italy, I visited Padre Pio and Mary Pyle in San Giovanni Rotondo. I had the honor of serving Mass for Padre Pio and being in the vestry when he put on his vestments for Mass. While there, I asked to be kept safe through the war if it was God’s will. The next day I was to fly on a very dangerous mission. That night, I developed a severe ear infection. The air force doctor refused to let me fly the next day. I pleaded with him to let me fly with my friends but he said absolutely not. I tried in every way to fly but was stopped. How sad to say that the flyer that took my place on this mission was killed by a direct hit by an anti-aircraft shell. If I had been permitted to fly that day, I would have died. – Dr. Patrick Dignam
______________________________
Padre Pio and his Friends from New Jersey
Joe Revelas who currently lives in Clarksboro, New Jersey, met Padre Pio in 1944 when Joe was in the U.S. 15th Air Force division, stationed near Cerignola, Italy during World War II. One day Joe’s chaplain told him that there was a priest named Padre Pio living in a monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo, who had the wounds of Christ. Joe decided that he had to visit him. Public transportation was not readily available during war times so Joe hitchhiked to the monastery. When he arrived, the first person he met was Mary Pyle. Joe told Mary that he intended to go to Padre Pio’s Mass the following day, Sunday, but she insisted that he go at once to the monastery to meet Padre Pio. Joe did not feel prepared and the idea intimidated him. “I am sure Padre Pio has more important things to do than to meet me,” Joe said to himself. Nevertheless, he did what Mary suggested. In the monastery, a priest greeted Joe and asked him the reason for his visit. Joe said he was planning on attending Padre Pio’s Mass the following day. The priest left for a moment and returned with Padre Pio. Joe was feeling very nervous by now but Padre Pio smiled at him and put him at ease. He was friendly and asked Joe about his life and his work in the military. When they said good bye to each other and as Joe was leaving, he looked back and saw that Padre Pio had knelt down to pray, facing the altar of the church.
At the Mass the next day, Joe and the other soldiers who were present were allowed to be in the sanctuary of the church, very close to Padre Pio. Joe noticed his deep recollection during the Mass. At the consecration, Padre Pio stared intently at the host and tears fell from his eyes. There was complete silence in the little 16th century church of Our Lady of Grace. Joe saw clearly the wounds in his hands. “I could feel the presence of Jesus on the altar,” Joe said. “It was awesome. It was like being present at Calvary at the crucifixion. It was the most beautiful Mass I ever attended in my life. I will never forget it.” Although the Mass lasted for two hours, it did not seem long. Afterward, Padre Pio blessed Joe’s crucifix, kissing it reverently before giving it back to him.
Joe, who is now 84 years old, sleeps with the crucifix that Padre Pio blessed, under his pillow every night. Although it was more than 60 years ago when he met Padre Pio, the experience remains very vivid in his memory. “Padre Pio has helped me all these years to stay close to God. I thank God for allowing me to encounter Padre Pio,” Joe said.
______________________________
Mary Pyle wrote the following letter to Joe Revelas on Oct. 20, 1949:
Dear Joe,
This is just a short little note to tell you that I have sent you 100 little Sacred Heart cards with a novena which Padre Pio says every day with the whole community for all of those who ask for his prayers. I thought that it would be nice for all of his far away spiritual children to join their prayers to his. Let us pray with him and according to his intentions.
Padre Pio is becoming more wonderful every day. Consequently the crowds who come to him for help increase and it is a real problem to be able to approach him. Two weeks ago, he healed a paralyzed woman, who had been carried into the church and went away walking without help. You can imagine the excitement, but still more wonderful are the conversions and there are many of them. Do let us try to do our little bit in helping him with our poor little prayers.
As ever, in Jesus Christ, St. Francis, and Padre Pio,
Mary Pyle
______________________________
Memories of Padre Pio
Living close to Padre Pio for so many years, Mary Pyle heard many beautiful testimonies from the visitors who came to San Giovanni Rotondo. The following testimony is one that was told to Mary by a woman who lived in Foggia, Italy:
:During the war the woman went to confession several times to Padre Pio. When her brother came back from the war he could not decide whether to continue on in the military or to go into business. She wrote a letter to Padre Pio asking for advice for her brother but gave no information regarding his name, address, or military rank.
Almost immediately, her brother got a response back from Padre Pio which included his name, address, officer’s rank, and regiment. Padre Pio told him that it didn’t matter what work he chose to do because our Lord would treat him in the very same way he had treated his soldiers during the war.
The woman was amazed at the words of Padre Pio. She made enquiries and learned that her brother had been more of a father than a superior to the men he was in charge of. He personally looked after his soldiers with paternal affection when they were sick. All of the soldiers adored him. The woman added that after the war, her brother met with success in all of his undertakings, just as Padre Pio had predicted.
______________________________
Padre Pio received many gifts of the Holy Spirit including the gift of prophecy, as the following story reveals:
In 1916, while in Foggia, Padre Pio and his little nephew one day visited the home of Serafina Pipoli. He asked Serafina to call her nephew and allow the two boys to play together. She has a great veneration for Padre Pio and immediately agreed and so Michelino came to play with Padre Pio’s nephew. When Padre Pio came back to collect his nephew, Michelino’s mother, Rosa, was there also. She asked Padre Pio to pray for her husband as he has been called up to military service once again and was a soldier in the war. Padre Pio said, “I will pray a great deal. But let us all pray to Our Lady because when Michelino grows up there will be another war, and he, too, will go.” Padre Pio’s prophecy came true for in 1940 Italy went to war and Michelino was called up and took part in it.
______________________________
I was honored to meet Padre Pio when I was in the military as a pilot stationed in Foggia, Italy. I had one engine blow up as I was flying a twin engine fighter known as a P38. The black smoke was pouring out but after a time the smoke died down and I returned to the base on one engine. The next day I was checking with the head mechanic and he said, “I have been here a long time and I have seen many things, but that was an act of God if ever I saw one.” When I met Padre Pio he had put his hand on my head and he did the same to the others who were with me. He gave us his blessing that we would all return home safe. – Ray Neameyer
________________________________
Padre Pio’s Words of Faith
“Let us always keep before our eyes the fact that here on earth we are on a battlefield, and that in paradise we shall receive the crown of victory; that this is a testing ground and the prize will be awarded up above; that we are now in a land of exile while our true homeland is heaven to which we must continually aspire. Let us live, then, . . . with a lively faith, a firm hope and an ardent love, with eyes fixed on heaven and the keenest desire, as long as we are travelers, to dwell one day in heaven whenever this is pleasing to God. Let us keep our thoughts, I say, continually fixed on heaven, our true homeland of which this earth is merely an image.” – St.Pio of Pietrelcina – Letters II
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
Happy Anniversary, Summoners!
The Fire Emblem Heroes game was released one year ago today, and to celebrate the anniversary, some of the Fire Emblem Heroes team members in the Treehouse got together to reflect on the first year since the game launched. Read on to see what they had to say!
Kris: It’s amazing how much Fire Emblem Heroes has evolved since launch. Many of us on the team play the game heavily outside of work as well, so each time a new option like Inherit Skill or the Weapon Refinery is added, we’re eager to play it on our own devices with our own teams.
But first, we’ve got to localize the content and get it out there, and on the loc side of things, there are aspects of the project that haven’t changed—mainly the amount of research involved. It’s a lot of fun digging into our archives for past games. The Heroes come from every main-series title, so we’ve put together a script database of all the games, including those not released in North America, to help us keep everything aligned.
The Treehouse “Fire Emblem Shrine” is not just for decoration. It’s part of our research!
Matthew: Even the early Famicom games like Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light have scripts that were quite lengthy for the time, so it really took a lot of work to get that all organized into something we could use as a reference. I mean, there are 15 games in the main Fire Emblem series alone!
Kris: It was worth the effort, though. The database allows us to research basic things, like item names or the way a character laughs, as well as deeper references. Most Heroes reference conversations from whatever game they’re from, whether word for word or just in passing.
Frederick does his best to serve his liege…
…and tries to help the Order, too. Sort of.
Kris: When we come across these lines, sometimes they have to be tweaked for their new context, both in Japanese and in English. A line that was once used angrily in battle might now be recast for general conversation. A critical-attack line might now be the voice used when you tap a Hero during battle. Very often, a line originally directed to a different character might now be directed to you, the Summoner. It's an interesting balance of keeping the link to the source material while fitting a new context and not confusing any players who are new to the series. I get excited when people post online about a reference they got, like the various bonus audio lines for the first round of Choose Your Legends characters.
Matthew: Yeah, it’s always great to see when people pick up on those references. As for me, while I’ve played every game in the Fire Emblem series, Genealogy of the Holy War is still my favorite. I loved how complex the world was in that game, and, of course, that complexity brought about some great drama. When we were asked to work on localizing those characters for Fire Emblem Heroes, I was honored to help out. Sigurd is a very unique lord and Arvis is a very unique villain in the Fire Emblem series. It was important for Christian and I to do their characters justice through the dialog and voice.
Sigurd professing his love to Deirdre in the Super Famicom original game.
Here they reference events from the original game in Fire Emblem Heroes.
Christian: Genealogy of the Holy War originally came out for the Super Famicom, and it was never localized into English. Given how great that game’s characters are, figuring out how to properly render their stories in English was both a challenge and an opportunity. I wanted to get things just right.
I put a lot of thought into how to portray their speech in a style that could successfully bring across the 1990s dark-fantasy style of the original writing while preserving the complexity of the storytelling and characterization for the modern era. In Fire Emblem Heroes, there’s not much dialogue for each character, but it usually cuts to the bone of what makes that character special—and there’s a lot of info that you need to understand to get it right. Matt’s insight was invaluable there.
Matthew: In one of my main teams, Sigurd and Deirdre are together and share an S rank bond. (It’s canon after all, right?) Genealogy wasn’t the first game to give bonuses to characters when they were near someone dear to them, but it expanded the concept greatly and even introduced things famous to the series, like the weapon triangle and skills! There is a lot I want to say, but…since many players have yet to experience the game, I won’t spoil anything about the story here. Let’s just say that it’s much easier to increase the bond between Seliph and Julia in Fire Emblem Heroes than it was in the original game.
(By the way, I’m definitely using these characters for the Illusory Dungeon—that’s a rhythm-based dungeon in which you tap on the screen to attack enemies. And it releases in Fire Emblem Heroes later this month!)
Christian: One thing that has made me very happy is the positive response to these characters—both from fans who played the original Super Famicom game, as well as those who never encountered these characters before they appeared in Fire Emblem Heroes but now consider them to be invaluable parts of their teams. Just a year ago, a lot of Fire Emblem players in the West had no idea who Arden was!
Here, in Genealogy of the Holy War, Arden is about to find a special ring!
That same ring gives Arden a unique skill in Fire Emblem Heroes as well!
Tim: While I appreciate the history of the older games like Genealogy of the Holy War, the greatest joy I’ve experienced in playing Fire Emblem Heroes during its first year has been the evolution of my beloved #TeamLucina. Lucina was, luckily enough, one of my first summons when the game launched. Since then I’ve been blessed with summoning Special Hero Spring Lucina, obtaining a handful of masked Lucinas (or “Marths”) from the Tempest Trials (thusly merged into a single +4), and the Lucina I got as my Choose Your Legends free Hero.
Matthew: That’s two blues and two reds. Is that team actually any good?
Tim: Imbalanced as #TeamLucina may seem, it’s a surprisingly solid squad—and it all came down to masked Lucina, who arrived upon my shores with naught but Falchion to her name.
Number 6 in my list, but number 1 in my heart.
Kris: We’ve seen a lot of fans online create their own #Team based on a character, artist, or voice actor. Masked Lucina is a great blank slate to work with, too. What did you do with yours?
Tim: I’ve been able to utilize features such as Inherit Skill and Sacred Seals to turn her into the team medic, and a rather efficient one at that. First, I used Inherit Skill to give her Reciprocal Aid, Renewal, and Breath of Life; eventually she earned the Breath of Life Sacred Seal, so whenever she swings her mighty Falchion, adjacent allies receive a whopping 14 HP. Moreover, she’s sitting pretty at 45 HP, meaning she can heal practically any ally to full with Reciprocal Aid. And just a few turns later, or at the start of the next round in the case of a Tempest Trial, she’ll earn 20 HP back thanks to Renewal and Falchion.
Christian: What about her A Skill and Special Skill?
Tim: I gave her Death Blow and Glimmer to further bolster her already staggering attack power of 52.
Matt: You monster.
My one regret is missing the 5 ★ version from the very first Tempest Trial.
Tim: Throw Ally Support into the mix, and #TeamLucina is truly a force to be reckoned with. I pity the poor soul who encounters it in the Arena.
Kris: In the meantime, I’ll just be over here working on my +10 Frederick. Leveling the duplicates to merge should go quick thanks to the Special Training maps releasing later this month, since they let you train your units based on their type for an easier way to earn Exp and SP.
That’s all for this time, but from all of us on the Fire Emblem Heroes team here in the Treehouse, we hope you all continue to enjoy the game!
Good luck, Summoners!
—Kris C., Matthew N., Christian N., Tim M.
234 notes
·
View notes
Text
the sacred truth of Love isn’t trying to be “cool” with the world.
it will just keep being True no matter what people think of it.
and for our part it takes humility to Love our Creator, and not all surrender to this.
Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 4th chapter of the Letter of Ephesians:
[Our Divine Calling]
As a prisoner of the Lord, I plead with you to walk holy, in a way that is suitable to your high rank, given to you in your divine calling. With tender humility and quiet patience, always demonstrate gentleness and generous love toward one another, especially toward those who may try your patience. Be faithful to guard the sweet harmony of the Holy Spirit among you in the bonds of peace, being one body and one spirit, as you were all called into the same glorious hope of divine destiny.
For the Lord God is one, and so are we, for we share in one faith, one baptism, and one Father. And he is the perfect Father who leads us all, works through us all, and lives in us all!
And he has generously given each one of us supernatural grace, according to the size of the gift of Christ. This is why he says:
“He ascends into the heavenly heights
taking his many captured ones with him,
and gifts were given to men.”
He “ascended” means that he returned to heaven, after he had first descended from the heights of heaven, even to the lower regions, namely, the earth. The same one who descended is also the one who ascended above the heights of heaven, in order to begin the restoration and fulfillment of all things.
And he has appointed some with grace to be apostles, and some with grace to be prophets, and some with grace to be evangelists, and some with grace to be pastors, and some with grace to be teachers. And their calling is to nurture and prepare all the holy believers to do their own works of ministry, and as they do this they will enlarge and build up the body of Christ. These grace ministries will function until we all attain oneness into the faith, until we all experience the fullness of what it means to know the Son of God, and finally we become one into a perfect man with the full dimensions of spiritual maturity and fully developed into the abundance of Christ.
And then our immaturity will end! And we will not be easily shaken by trouble, nor led astray by novel teachings or by the false doctrines of deceivers who teach clever lies. But instead we will remain strong and always sincere in our love as we express the truth. All our direction and ministries will flow from Christ and lead us deeper into him, the anointed Head of his body, the church.
For his “body” has been formed in his image and is closely joined together and constantly connected as one. And every member has been given divine gifts to contribute to the growth of all; and as these gifts operate effectively throughout the whole body, we are built up and made perfect in love.
So with the wisdom given to me from the Lord I say: You should not live like the unbelievers around you who walk in their empty delusions. Their corrupted logic has been clouded because their hearts are so far from God—their blinded understanding and deep-seated moral darkness keeps them from the true knowledge of God. Because of spiritual apathy, they surrender their lives to lewdness, impurity, and sexual obsession.
But this is not the way of life that Christ has unfolded within you. If you have really experienced the Anointed One, and heard his truth, it will be seen in your life; for we know that the ultimate reality is embodied in Jesus!
And he has taught you to let go of the lifestyle of the ancient man, the old self-life, which was corrupted by sinful and deceitful desires that spring from delusions. Now it’s time to be made new by every revelation that’s been given to you. And to be transformed as you embrace the glorious Christ-within as your new life and live in union with him! For God has re-created you all over again in his perfect righteousness, and you now belong to him in the realm of true holiness. So discard every form of dishonesty and lying so that you will be known as one who always speaks the truth, for we all belong to one another.
But don’t let the passion of your emotions lead you to sin! Don’t let anger control you or be fuel for revenge, not for even a day. Don’t give the slanderous accuser, the Devil, an opportunity to manipulate you! If any one of you has stolen from someone else, never do it again. Instead, be industrious, earning an honest living, and then you’ll have enough to bless those in need.
And never let ugly or hateful words come from your mouth, but instead let your words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; do this by speaking words of grace to help them.
The Holy Spirit of God has sealed you in Jesus Christ until you experience your full salvation. So never grieve the Spirit of God or take for granted his holy influence in your life. Lay aside bitter words, temper tantrums, revenge, profanity, and insults. But instead be kind and affectionate toward one another. Has God graciously forgiven you? Then graciously forgive one another in the depths of Christ’s love.
The Letter of Ephesians, Chapter 4 (The Passion Translation)
Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 8th chapter of the book of Jeremiah that warns the people because of their lies:
Eternal One: When that sad day comes, the graves of My people will be desecrated. The remains of Judah’s kings and her leaders, of priests and prophets, of the citizens of My city Jerusalem will be pulled from their graves. Their bones will be spread out over the ground, exposing them to the sun, moon, and the stars of heaven, the heavenly hosts, which our enemies loved, served, chased after, sought out, and worshiped. These bones will not be gathered or buried again, but they will be scattered like dung on the ground. As for the survivors of this wicked nation, they will prefer death to life in all the places where I have driven them.
The Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, has spoken!
Eternal One (to Jeremiah): Tell My people that these are My words:
“When people stumble and fall, don’t they get up again?
When people are lost, don’t they try to find their way back?
So why have these people turned away from Me
and refused to come back?
They hang onto lies that lead them further away
instead of embracing the truth and coming home to Me.
I listen intently for someone, anyone, to speak the truth.
But it never happens. No one corrects his lies.
No one regrets his evil, saying, ‘What have I done?’
Instead, everyone keeps running farther down that path, away from Me,
Like a horse charging into a battle.
Even the stork in the sky knows her time to migrate.
The dove, the swallow, and the crane
All take flight when the time is right.
But not so with My people.
They do not know or care about the Eternal’s commands.”
How can any of you say, “We are wise, because we have the Eternal’s law”?
How little you care about the truth!
A pen in the hand of your teachers drips nothing but lies.
The day is coming when these so-called wise teachers will be put to shame;
their lives will be shattered when they are captured and taken away.
Why will this happen? Because they have rejected and perverted My word.
Are these the works of wise men?
This is why I will give their wives away to intruders
and their property to invaders.
Greed has corrupted this culture, from the least to the greatest:
everyone is tainted with this lust for what they don’t deserve.
The prophets and priests are no better.
Their lives reek with deceit.
To heal the brokenness of My people, they offer superficial words.
They say, “Peace, peace” as if all is well, but there is no peace.
Do they feel any shame for their disgraceful deeds?
Absolutely not. My very own have forgotten how to blush.
And so it is that they will fall among the fallen and be defeated:
when the time comes, they will stumble beneath the weight of My punishment;
The harvest will soon be gone, a thing of the past.
There will be no grapes on the vine, no figs in the tree;
Even the leaves will wither and fall.
For what I have given so generously, I will now take away.
People: Why are we still sitting here, exposed and waiting for death to come?
Let’s get together and run to the walled cities and die there.
We are without hope because the Eternal our God has pronounced our judgment.
He has given us a cup of bitter poison to drink because we have sinned against Him.
We were counting on peace, but none came.
We waited for a time of healing, but now all we have is terror.
We can hear the snorts of their warhorses as they charge into Dan;
at the thunder of their hoofs and noise of their neighs the whole land trembles.
They have come to devour us—our land and everything in it,
the city and all her citizens.
Eternal One: Look, I have released an army of serpents against you;
they slither like vipers across the land.
There is no hope of charming them.
There is no escape from their deadly bite.
Jeremiah: There is no cure for my grief.
My heart breaks for what I see and hear.
Listen, my Lord, don’t You hear the daughter of our people weeping, crying out to You from exile?
“Is the Eternal no longer in Zion? Does her King no longer reside there?”
Eternal One: But Jeremiah, why have they provoked Me with their dark and evil practices?
Why do they worship these handcrafted idols, these worthless gods?
Jeremiah: The harvest is over, summer has ended,
and we are not saved.
And because the daughter of my people is being ripped apart, I am ripped apart.
From within, a dark and cold hurt arises.
From without, I am strangled by the horror of it all.
Is there no healing medicine in Gilead, no balm that could help my people?
Is there no physician who can help?
Why is there no healing for the wounds inflicted on my people?
The Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 8 (The Voice)
A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for Saturday, August 21 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms
A post by John Parsons that looks at the suffering we experience in life and our response to it:
How we choose to deal with trouble and suffering (i.e., tzuris) makes all the difference. We may be tempted to bitterness over our lives, but then what? To paraphrase Soren Kierkegaard, the way of life is how more than it is what. You may be powerless to control reality, but you are nevertheless responsible for how you respond to it. Check your attitude. Do you chose to live in lament over a healing that has not yet happened, or perhaps regard yourself as a hapless victim? Or will you attempt to justify your suffering as a means of personal atonement, accepting it passively as a "good child" or martyr? Does your suffering stretch your heart, or does it cause you to shrink back in fear or self-pity?
In this connection, recall that when the Jews came to Marah, they “could not drink the water because it was bitter” (Exod. 15:23). The Hebrew, however, could be read, “they could not drink the water because they (i.e., the people) were bitter (כִּי מָרִים הֵם). The problem is often not “out there” but within the heart (Matt. 15:19-20). How we choose to see, in other words, says more about us than it does the external world. If you make the mistake of reading the daily news and taking it seriously, you will see only ugliness, and you run the risk of becoming hardhearted. Worldly despair eclipses apprehension of the Presence of God....
We have to use ayin tovah, "a good eye," whenever we encounter the inevitable (and ubiquitous) adversities of life. Instead of seeing ourselves as victims of undeserved trouble, and instead of harboring resentment over the past and entertaining fear of the future, we must learn to see adversity in the light of faith that teaches lessons about finding resilience and hope. Faith affirms that adversity has an end that is ultimately good. Faith will not bow the knee to dark visions and live in dread of worldly fate.
It's been said, "hurt people hurt people," which means that if healing is not found for our woundedness, our pain will likely “leak out” as depression and hostility toward others... Finding inner peace is therefore crucial lest we become poisoned through a "root of bitterness" that defiles many (Heb. 12:15). The worst sort of prison is the one we make for ourselves, by choosing to be taken captive by fear and anger. May the Lord show us mercy and help us grow in grace and in the knowledge of his heart in all things. Amen. [Hebrew for Christians]
8.20.21 • Facebook
Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research
August 21, 2021
Sealed by the Holy Spirit
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14)
From very ancient times it has been the custom to confirm and guarantee an agreed-on purchase by sealing the contract with a seal that could only be broken by the buyer when he was ready to take possession of his purchase.
The marvelous transaction seen by John at God’s throne in heaven was in reference to this practice. There, only the Lamb is found worthy to open the seven-sealed scroll on which is recorded the title to the whole creation. “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the [scroll], and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood” (Revelation 5:9). The purchase price had been paid on Calvary, and the resurrected Lamb had come to claim His possession.
And we are part of that possession! The price has been paid for our redemption from sin’s bondage, but we have not yet entered on the inheritance which our great Redeemer has promised us. In the meantime, our individual title deed, as it were, has been sealed by none other than the Holy Spirit. He is not only the seal, but also the “earnest”—that is, the down payment, the earnest money—who guarantees the total “redemption of the purchased possession.”
His personal presence in our lives is our assurance that the full promise will be fulfilled, and we are urged to “grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). He “hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 1:22). HMM
A tweet by illumiNations:
@IlluminationsBT: With your prayers and gifts, the Urdu speakers will gain access to Scripture in their own language!
Learn more at: https://bit.ly/3gdTnY5
8.21.21 • 12:01pm • Twitter
0 notes
Last Seen Blogs
crumb-crumblet-s-crumbington
crumblet
million-deets
MillionDeets
chickshottest
The Hottest Chicks
citizenies
anything muscle
