#“live free or die” according to WHOM?

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

Hi! Apologies if your inbox is a weird place to drop this, but. I have had an animorphs thought haunting me and just absolutely not enough spoons to do anything with it myself, and you're the only animorphs blog I really know...so I guess I thought I'd maybe offer it up here and hopefully it'll resonate with someone? Anyway, the thought. 47 is a WEIRD book...what could a rewrite of it look like? And from there, I've become obsessed with the idea of yeerks find the hork bajir valley, but instead of what happens canonically, the animorphs & Toby arrive at a horrible possible solution: the yeerks will be there too soon for them to just run & nobody wants to give up their home -> if they leave some behind to fight and stall they'll get infested and the yeerks will know to keep looking -> ...but what if the force they leave behind genuinely doesn't know they're being sacrificed? They fight and die or are infested genuinely believing the rest of the valley is right behind them as reinforcements, while in actuality that group is being evacuated (maybe to return to their ellemist-protected home after the yeerks leave, convinced they've put down the free hork bajir, ymmv on that). The dam & the subsequent breaking of it is a cover to create chaos and really distract anyone from wondering about the numbers too much. I just think it could be a perfect opportunity to explore infestation, choices made to prevent it, etc...plus give a lens for talking about betrayal & lies for the "greater good" and via that, actually address the falling out between Jake and Ax from 46...plus maybe foreshadow that Jake is ultimately going to pull something disturbingly similar with the Auximorphs! like I said, I don't have the spoons to do anything substantial with this concept, but yeah, I wanted to set it loose. I absolutely won't be offended if you decide your blog isn't the venue for this, and regardless, love your writing and I hope you're doing well.

I like this idea, because yeeeaaaah, #47 is a hot mess. And a classic case of "you tried to do antiracism but fumbled it so bad you kind of just circled back around to being condescending about race."

But also, I love how this would actually interrogate the idea of "you're better off dead than a controller." Because the series presents that idea as true, basically without question, and basically without proof. The only time I think Animorphs comes close to questioning it is the end of #28, and even then it's in the midst of Cassie and Ax debating a different point.

Because I'm sure being a controller is awful. And I'm sure there are indeed fates worse than death. But just assuming from the outside that someone is better off dead is a slippery fucking slope. One that causes 100s of disabled people every year to get murdered by their caregivers. You don't get to assume from the outside that someone forfeits their right to life just because you think they'd be "better off dead" than poor or disabled or communist or enslaved.

So I'd love to see an Animorphs plotline where several hork-bajir choose to let themselves be captured and infested, knowing that doing so is necessary for the war effort and that the alternative is dying. (IMHO Toby would never do this without the sacrifices' permission — she isn't Jake.) These would be hork-bajir who have been controllers before, hork-bajir who understand better than Jake ever will how precarious their entire species is. If they say "I will let myself be captured in the hope of rescue once we win the war, rather than dying" then I think there's tremendous courage in that. And I'd love to see it explored.

[fj0t0lf]

a pretty interesting take on seung hui cho's use of the number 88, from @.sscc on the columbine forumotion:

My assumption, given Cho's tendency to speak in biblical terms and his family's Christian beliefs, has always been that this was a biblical reference.

I looked at the bible and the only book that even has an 88th chapter, as far as I can tell, is Psalms. This seems like a possibility.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalm_88 According to Martin Marty, a professor of church history at the University of Chicago, Psalm 88 is "a wintry landscape of unrelieved bleakness." ... Neale and Littledale find it "stands alone in all the Psalter for the unrelieved gloom, the hopeless sorrow of its tone. Even the very saddest of the others, and the Lamentations themselves, admit some variations of key, some strains of hopefulness; here only all is darkness to the close.—Neale and Littledale.

http://www.bible.ca/ef/expository-psalm-88.htm After much thought and study of Psalms 88, the typical commentary appraisal is it is entirely negative, totally given to the expression of grief and despair. True (if you haven't already, read it now), it seems to be a picture of un-alleviated misery, seldom found anywhere in the Scriptures. Often, in the book of Psalms, you will be able to find hope even in between statements of despair. In many of the Psalms there is lamentation and negative emotions honestly expressed, yet they are resolved by some statement of hope and trust. Not in Psalms 88, we may immediately conclude. In Psalms 88, from verse 1 to the end of the chapter expresses the emotions of one who is writing from the pit, deep in despair. Even after you grant the writer literary license to use exaggerated poetic language, this poem cannot be lifted to any level of joy it seems. It is a continuous, bitter expression of one living deep in despair, sometimes with language that may seem to border on reproach against God.

I can see why someone like Cho might be drawn to it. The psalm is all about being abandoned by everyone to suffer, including god himself. KJV Psalm 88 wrote:

88 O lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: 2 Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; 3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. 4 I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength: 5 Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand. 6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. 7 Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah. 8 Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth. 9 Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: Lord, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee. 10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah. 11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction? 12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? 13 But unto thee have I cried, O Lord; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee. 14 Lord, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me? 15 I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted. 16 Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off. 17 They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together. 18 Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.

A more accessible version of the psalm. CEB Psalm 88 wrote:

88 Lord, God of my salvation,     by day I cry out,     even at night, before you— 2     let my prayer reach you! Turn your ear to my outcry 3     because my whole being is filled with distress;     my life is at the very brink of hell. 4 I am considered as one of those plummeting into the pit.     I am like those who are beyond help, 5     drifting among the dead,     lying in the grave, like dead bodies—     those you don’t remember anymore,     those who are cut off from your power. 6 You placed me down in the deepest pit,     in places dark and deep. 7 Your anger smothers me;     you subdue me with it, wave after wave. Selah 8 You’ve made my friends distant.     You’ve made me disgusting to them.     I can’t escape. I’m trapped! 9 My eyes are tired of looking at my suffering.     I’ve been calling out to you every day, Lord—     I’ve had my hands outstretched to you! 10 Do you work wonders for the dead?     Do ghosts rise up and give you thanks? Selah 11 Is your faithful love proclaimed in the grave,     your faithfulness in the underworld? 12 Are your wonders known in the land of darkness,     your righteousness in the land of oblivion? 13 But I cry out to you, Lord!     My prayer meets you first thing in the morning! 14 Why do you reject my very being, Lord?     Why do you hide your face from me? 15 Since I was young I’ve been afflicted, I’ve been dying.     I’ve endured your terrors. I’m lifeless. 16 Your fiery anger has overwhelmed me;     your terrors have destroyed me. 17 They surround me all day long like water;     they engulf me completely. 18 You’ve made my loved ones and companions distant.     My only friend is darkness.

It would be interesting to know if Cho felt some connection to this psalm. His manifesto was full of rage and expressions of righteousness but we know that he was very depressed and alone as well.Could it have been an expression of the deep despair that Cho felt throughout his life? Did he feel abandoned by god?

(Or, assuming that it was relevant to him, could he have been explaining the despair that he hoped to inflict on his victims and the community? Did he want them to wonder where their god was as he was carrying out his massacre? Did he want them to feel that they were abandoned by god?)

Some interpretations say that this psalm is the lament of sinners being punished with the absence of god's mercy. We know that Cho felt that he was attacking "Apostles of Sin." Did he think he was carrying out god's will in destroying them? He certainly seemed to think he was participating in a revolution of the "Weak, Innocent and Defenseless," so was it a holy war in his eyes? Was he acting on behalf of god or was he possibly acting on behalf of a god that had abandoned him and the others like him?

I found this photo of Cho's "88" in the manifesto.

The symbol is the "Number of the Anti-Terrorist." The drawing above it is, I assume based on Langman's transcript, "Seer of Veracity. Seal of the Anti-Terrorist." As you can see, the seal includes a cross, which again suggests religious themes.

If you look at the transcript on Langman's website, it seems that on the page before Cho adds these images, he speaks constantly of Jesus Christ and false Christianity, which he equates to terrorism. This is why Cho called himself a martyr and said he would die like Jesus Christ. He was an Anti-Terrorist, one of the innocents who had experienced brutality at the hands of false Christians (sinners, terrorists, descendants of Satan and spillers of blood), and he was sacrificing himself in the hope that the weak, defenseless and innocent would be inspired to inflict their own wrath on the terrorists who had brutalized them.

Considering Psalm 88 in this context, maybe the point would be that only those who have experienced total loss, total despair, without a shred of hope would know to follow in his footsteps of revolution as an Anti-Terrorist. Maybe they hadn't even been abandoned by god but in god's plan, their never-ending despair was intended to help them see the truth ("Seer of Veracity") and like him, become Anti-Terrorist martyrs who, through their own sacrifice, would rid the world of false Christians who torment the innocent. The hedonists were clearly blind to the injustice and abuse so maybe he felt that the despair was the key to seeing the truth. Being subjected to pain so deep would leave no other choice but to inflict the same level of pain on the tormentors in the name of Jesus Christ.

Potentially relevant quotes: Seung-Hui Cho wrote:

As the time approached, I wished for a last minute miracle and discard this mission you’ve given me. Heaven knows I wouldn’t hurt a single leaf of a flower. But when the time came, I did it. I had to. What other choices did you give me? All this time... You never know that a human being is capable of doing until you fuck him to the edge. When you’re raped of everything, you got nothing to lose

By destroying we create. We create the feelings in you of what it is like to be the victim, what it is like to be fucked and destroyed. Because of your annihilations, we create and raise new breeds of Children who will show you fuckers what you have done to us. Like Easter, it will be a day of rebirth. It will be a start of a revolution of the Children that you fucked. You have never felt a single ounce of pain your whole life, thus, by destroying you, by giving you pain, we attempt to show you responsibilities and meanings of other people’s lives.

Only if you could be the victim of your reprehensible and wicked crimes, you Christian Nazis, you would have brute-restrained your animal urges to fuck me. You could be at home right now eating your fucking caviar and your fucking cognac, had you not ravenously raped my soul. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Can you feel the pain that you fucked us in, you Descendants of Satan? Well, can you feel it? All the shit you’ve given me, right back at you with hollow points.

Anyway, that's my muddled theory (or theories or more accurately, my set of questions with no answers).

(And this is completely subjective but when I see the photo of "88" from the manifesto, it reminds me of an abstract drawing of two people embracing. This seems apt for someone who was as alone as Cho was but intending to inspire his "Brothers and Sisters" to follow his lead with this act of mass murder.)

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Deliverance from Bondage

1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

Our Victory in Christ

26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,

“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. — Romans 8 | New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Cross References: Genesis 3:17; Genesis 5:29; Deuteronomy 14:1; 2 Samuel 16:12; 1 Kings 8:57; 2 Chronicles 31:5; Job 37:19; Psalm 139:1; Isaiah 50:8; Jeremiah 12:4; Jeremiah 12:11; Hosea 1:10; Matthew 5:9; Matthew 7:11; Matthew 28:10; Mark 14:36; Mark 16:19; Luke 8:15; Luke 20:36; John 1:12; John 3:16; John 17:22; Acts 3:21; Acts 20:32; Romans 4:18; Romans 5:16; Romans 6:14; Romans 6:21; Romans 6:23; Romans 7:5; Romans 7:18; Romans 8:23; Romans 9:23-24; Romans 11:29; 1 Corinthians 9:27; 2 Corinthians 1:5; 2 Corinthians 4:17; Galatians 2:20; Galatians 5:17; Galatians 5:19; Colossians 2:18; Colossians 3:5; Philippians 3:10; James 4:4; 1 John 2:1

Commentary on Romans 8 by Matthew Henry

No Condemnation by Derek Thomas

[babhard1]

Picture this — a sudden change of the way the plot is.

The original plan to take over the world becomes secondary priority, and Tobi with Deidara stay partners for a much longer time. Dei starts losing his vigilance, and is getting used to Tobi, despite his experience of living in Akatsuki (~6 years), meanwhile Obito’s mind stays the same unbendable, except that one quirk. And this quirk is Tobi’s personality, it is the reason why there’s a crack in Obito’s personality, that was formed because he is imbuled by Deidara’s humanity. Inspite the fact that Deidara participates in Akatsuki, his soul stays free and bright.

Obito has long forgotten such word as "friend", but notices that because of Tsukuri`s arrogance and narcissism sees him as one. But it seems like the "narcissism" of the creator is not the main thing to blame, but the loneliness that was in almost all his life. It's possible that the only person who could make things look family-like for Deidara in Akatsuki is Konan, who could tolerate Deidara's actions, back when he was a teen. And now another friend-ish person appears in his life, which, by the way, is also full copy of his personality few years ago.

Looking at Tobi, Deidara definitely thought something along the lines of: "Oh, dear, have I been acting like THIS for so many years? Poor Konan and Nagato...". And Obito looking at Deidara was like: "Have I actually been this once free and careless?", which would be for the good for their partnership, because it would've brought brand-new atmosphere.

New friend in their life would've made both them think. Or only someone of the two, you gotta remember — Obito be possessed by Black Zetsu. But in the back of his mind, the *real* Obito Uchiha, who was a goofy shinobi in the childhood and everyone always had to save him, despite this, it responded to changes in the social circle where he was treated in this way for the first time.

I think that the "signs" of attention would've been shown by Deidara, because Obito would be die-hard according to the plan. Dei could potentially just break down and start to feel something different, because he never had someone like Tobi before. Sasori is not really an option, because he's an old fart, but Tobi (which over whom Tsukuri could have some "advantage"), is a perfect candidate. It's like, dude just went: "This bug is my perfect little handwork. Don't worry, it won't explode. Wear this to always remember how much of a genius I am.", and in his mind he probably was like "Wow, I'm such a genius! Now he's gonna respect me even more!". And Tobi would've actually carried it around LOL. (it literally canon)

"Well, while I'm Tobi, I think I can... ZETSU, I CAN, RIGHT?"

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Les Misérables 5.4 - Javert Off the Track

I have to say again how well I think the musical expresses the core of this chapter despite having far fewer lines to work with.

Book: Give up Jean Valjean, that was wrong; leave Jean Valjean free, that was wrong. In the first case, the man of authority would fall lower than the man of the galley; in the second, a convict rose higher than the law and set his foot upon it.

Musical: Damned if I live in the debt of a thief! Damned if I yield at the end of the chase!

Book: Javert felt that something horrible was penetrating his soul, admiration for a convict. Respect for a galley-slave, can that be possible? He shuddered at it, yet could not shake it off. It was useless to struggle, he was reduced to confess before his own inner tribunal the sublimity of this wretch. That was hateful.

Musical: How can I now allow this man / To hold dominion over me

Book: “This convict, this desperate man, whom I have pursued even to persecution, and who had me beneath his feet and could have avenged himself, and who ought to have done so as well for his revenge as for his security, in granting me my life, in sparing me, what has he done? His duty? No. Something more.

Musical: This desperate man who I have hunted / He gave me his life, he gave me freedom / I should have perished by his hand / It was his right

Book: But also why had he permitted this man to let him live? He had, in that barricade, the right to be killed. He should have availed himself of that right. To have called the other insurgents to hus aid against Jean Valjean, to have secured a shot by force, that would have been better. His supreme anguish was the loss of all certainty.

Musical: It was my right to die as well / Instead I live, but live in hell!

Book: acts of violence committed by pity upon austerity, respect of person, no more final condemnation, no more damnation, the possibility of a tear in the eye of the law, a mysterious justice according to God going counter to justice according to men. [Note: this is one area where I think the musical errs with Javert - it roots his inflexibility in a (rather Calvinist, for a majority Catholic nation) view of Christianity. That is not the case in the book, where Javert’s religion is the law, the state, order, and in the end that worldview breaks upon the rocks of Christianity.]

Musical: Shall his sins be forgiven? Shall his crimes be reprieved?

Book: He saw before him two roads, both equally straight; but he saw two; and that terrified him - him, who had never in his life known but one straight line.

Musical: And must I now begin to doubt? / Who never doubted all those years

Book: To be granite, and to doubt! to be the statue of penalty cast in a single piece in the mould of the law, and to suddenly percieve that you have under your breast of bronze something preposterous and disobedient which almost resembles a heart!

Musical: My heart is stone and yet it trembles!

Book: To have the unknown over his head, he was not accustomed to that…Now Javert was thrown over backward, and he was abruptly startled by this monstrous apparaition: a gulf on high…

The darkness was complete…A ceiling of cloud concealed the stars. The sky was only an ominous depth

Musical: The world I have known is lost in shadow!…I am reaching, but I fall / And the stars are black and cold / As I stare into the void / Of a world that cannot hold

Book: But how to manage to send in his resignation to God?…

Unnatural state, if ever there was one. There were only two ways to get out of it. One, to go resolutely to Jean Valjean, and to return the man if the galleys to the dungeon. The other –

Musical: I’ll escape now from that world / From the world of Jean Valjean

Book: Could that be endurable? No.

Musical: There is nowhere I can turn / There is no way to go on!

[santmat]

The Karmic Law of the Vegetarian Diet, by Huzur Baba Sawan Singh

Sawan Singh: “I must point out that animal food, even if a single particle is eaten, is detrimental to spiritual progress.” (Spiritual Gems, Letter 21)

“A human being cannot comprehend the existence of God and His creation until he has succeeded in getting his soul free from the bondage of the five Tattwas, the twenty-five Prakritis, the three Gunas, Maya and Mind — all of which are enveloping it here — until he has emancipated his soul from every one of these errors and taken it beyond the sphere of mind and intellect, and opened his internal vision. Only then is the soul able to know itself and understand what it is made of.

“After that, it becomes fit to seek its Creator and to find out the ocean from which it originally descended, as well as the means to regain it. Consequently, before a disciple has succeeded in getting rid of these chains, it shall be sufficient for him to know that this world can be divided into two parts, land and water.

“The creatures of water live upon each other. Nature has not provided them with any other means of subsistence. Big fish are eating the little ones, etc. The same holds true of the land. Lions and tigers eat up wolves and jackals. The latter subsist on the meat of sheep, goats, etc. They, in turn, eat plants. Hawks eat smaller birds. Birds eat insects, and men eat most every form of life, so far as climate and special circumstances of their own countries permit.

“Every grain, every plant, has life in it. Hindu philosophy has acknowledged this fact since very ancient times. Dr. Bose has demonstrated this fact to the European world by his experiments, showing that plants feel and breathe, and have souls. If a ray of light is allowed to penetrate a dark room, the microscope reveals numberless germs floating in the air of that room. The whole room seems to be full of this germ life. When we breathe, these tiny creatures go inside of us and die. When we walk, numberless creatures are killed by contact with us, and countless others are crushed beneath our feet. The same is true when we drink water. The microscope reveals myriads of tiny creatures in a tumbler of water; and these we drink to their death every day. Souls would appear to be literally packed together in all space in our world. If we put down a needle point on the earth, countless germs may be found beneath its point.

“And so, in our world, life is everywhere destroying life. In such a world where one creature is eating up another, it is impossible to expect either justice or peace of mind. (There is no rest or security anymore.) Therefore, when the ancient sages found that in this world creatures were destroying each other, they decided it was better to give up the world. They found that in such a world there could be no peace of mind, and it was impossible to attain bliss until and unless the soul breaks away from the bonds which have kept it enchained; and that it was folly to regard the pleasures of this world as a means to happiness, because they lead to hell and further bind the soul with Karma and dirt.

“They determined that it was impossible to find peace of mind in any worldly object, and that happiness lies within man himself and that ocean of which he is a drop. Therefore, the Sages thought, as long as they were confined in the prison of this world, they would adopt the course which was the least harmful; they would subsist on creatures the killing of which was the least sinful. They discovered that all living beings of this world could be divided into classes as regards the composition of their bodies and the number of elements they contain. By elements they did not mean the ninety or so elements discovered by modern scientists, but the main conditions or divisions of matter.

“There are five such classes of substances. According to their classification, under class one, came all of those creatures in whom all five of these substances are active, that is, man. In the next class came those in which only four substances are active and one dormant, and that is quadrupeds. In them there is no sense of discrimination, because in them the Akash Tattwa is dormant. In the third class fell creatures in which only three substances are active, namely air, water, and fire. They are birds. They lack earth and Akash. The fourth class is made up of insects, in which only two substances are active, air and fire. Then comes the last class, the fifth, in which only one element or substance is active, that is, the vegetable world. In them, water is the only active element. Experts have proved that, in many vegetables, there is as much as ninety-five percent water. When the creatures of the other four classes are killed or injured, they cry out in pain, but not so the vegetables, though they have life. So the Sages concluded that the eating of vegetables was the least sinful, (the least burdened with karma). Although the eating of vegetables produced some karma, yet it was of a light nature, which could be easily worked off by spiritual exercises. They thus chose the course of least resistance, and so abstained from the killing of other forms of life.

“The method of practice of the Sound Current is the only method by which to escape this jail into which we are born. This method is natural, and it was not designed by man. It is as old as the beginning of creation. The Creator is ONE, and therefore the Way to reach Him is ONE, and it is in the interior of every human being. It is incapable of alteration, modification, addition, or improvement. Man is to reach the ocean of his Origin by means of ascending the Sound Current, irrespective of any caste, creed, nationality, or sex. It is a practice for the awakening of powers within us. By slow degrees, our souls will emerge from the grave of the body or vacate it. In the body there are nine openings through which the soul communicates with this world, and these the soul learns to close and to fix its attention at the back of the eyes. Then it begins to traverse higher planes. When it attains Turya Pad (astral), it will acquire control over the mind, senses, lust, anger, avarice, attachment, and egotism. At present the soul is under the control of mind, which itself is under the control of the senses. When we gain the astral, after leaving the material, the soul gains control over the mind. When we get beyond the astral and the heavens and hells which are within the astral, all of these are left behind. The soul will then hold these in contempt, and then it will go to Brahm Lok, or the Causal plane, which contains Mukti, or Salvation planes.

“Brahm is also the servant of Par-Brahm. Therefore, leaving Brahm, the soul should go to the ParBrahm, where it will be freed from all its shackles. On reaching Par-Brahm, all the material, astral, and causative coverings of mind and matter that envelope the soul are removed. Then the soul is pure spirit. This is self-realization. Here there is no form, no cover, no shape, no youth nor old age — only the soul, shining in its pure radiance — a drop of existence, knowledge, and bliss, capable of comprehending the Great Ocean, its Creator. Now the drop tries to reach and mingle with the Ocean.

“So, it is here, in Par-Brahm, that one begins to realize the full significance of Sant Mat. Hence, the only medicine for all of our ailments is the practice of the Holy Sound together with the Master’s spiritual help and guidance. The Master is not a body only. He is the Power which guides and helps us at every stage and in every region during our inward spiritual journey. When we are in the physical body, He instructs us in His physical form. When we go inward to the Astral Planes, He is in the Astral Form, and, as we proceed further, He assumes the form of each region all the way up to Sach Khand (our true home).”

— Huzur Baba Sawan Singh — Published by Ruhani Satsang

Also See: The Karmic Law of the Vegetarian Diet Podcast @ Youtube: 

https://youtu.be/jqJkO_sxbxI

Sant Mat Radhasoami Blog Archive: 

https://SantMatRadhasoami.blogspot.com

Blog Archive RSS Feed: 

https://SantMatRadhasoami.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

[mariacallous]

One of Nemtsov’s killers is now freed from prison and living comfortably in occupied Mariupol

Journalists at Novaya Gazeta Europe report that Temirlan Eskerkhanov — one of the five men from Chechnya convicted of organizing opposition leader Boris Nemtsov’s assassination in February 2015 — has been stationed comfortably and safely in the occupied city of Mariupol. On August 9, Russia’s state media revealed Eskerkhanov’s release from prison and pardon for enlisting with the Russian military. He reportedly went free in March 2024, supposedly to join dangerous combat operations with an assault unit in the Donbas. 

The Defense Ministry reportedly changed policies earlier this year and began enlisting Chechen prisoners, whom they’d previously avoided freeing from prison to fight in Ukraine. Unlike Eskerkhanov, many released Chechen prisoners quickly die in battle. Sources told Novaya Gazeta that these soldiers’ relatives are pressured to sign documents falsifying their cause of death, which denies their families veterans’ benefits and subsidized military burials.

Novaya Gazeta reports that Eskerkhanov left prison and was immediately assigned to serve under Vakha “Ranger” Geremeyev, an adviser to Ramzan Kadyrov and the brother of Federation Council Senator Suleiman Geremeyev. “Ranger” and his men allegedly control Mariupol’s illegal scrap metal business, looting the factories destroyed and abandoned in Russia’s capture of the city. Eskerkhanov regularly travels back and forth to his hometown in Chechnya where he’s “greeted like a hero.” According to Novaya Gazeta, the Kadyrov regime is now lobbying to secure a similar release for Zaur Dadaev, the gunman who actually shot and killed Nemtsov.

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Daily Devotionals for April 29, 2024

Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living

Devotional Scripture:

Proverbs 15:10-12(KJV): 10 Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die. 11 Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more than the hearts of the children of men? 12 A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go unto the wise. Proverbs 15:10-12(Amp): 10 There is severe discipline for him who forsakes God's way, and he who hates reproof will die (physically, morally, and spiritually). 11 Sheol (the place of the dead) and Abaddon (the abyss, the final place of the accuser Satan) both are before the Lord; how much more than the hearts of the children of men? 12 A scorner has no love for one who rebukes him, neither will he go to the wise (for counsel).

Thought for the Day

Verse 10 - Correction and reproof keep a man on the path of life. Just as a child requires correction to learn the things that will help him grow and mature properly, we all need the correction of our heavenly Father to avoid the things that can destroy us. Notice that the death spoken of is physical, moral, and spiritual. All who are without Christ are spiritually dead, though they do not know it. Only with Christ and by His guidance can we safely journey through this life.

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" (Ephesians 2:1-6).

Verse 11 - If hell and the place of the dead are visible to God, how much more are men's hearts visible to Him? We may be able to deceive people into thinking that we are good Christians, but God sees our hearts. If we are not walking in the truth, He knows it. We will reap what we sow. If we belong to Christ, our lives should show it.

Verse 12 - Fools despise correction and their pride keeps them from coming to the wise ones for guidance. Their lusts and desires lead them. If they do not repent and turn to Jesus, their end will be hell. The Lord does not desire that anyone should perish, but because He has given each of us the gift of free will, we choose whom we serve, either God or Satan. We may think we can choose to serve ourselves, but this is not an option. If we serve ourselves, we are serving Satan. God has given us, His children, the task of sharing the Gospel with those around us so that they will have the opportunity to accept Christ as their Savior and escape hell (2 Peter 3:9). May we welcome the Lord's correction so that we will not open the door for Satan to attack us through our rebellion and sin. May we also pray for and witness to the lost so that they may be saved and escape the torments of hell.

Prayer Devotional for the Day

Father God, thank you that You are a good Father to me. Deliver me of any rebellion that would cause me to ignore Your leading in my life. Strengthen and help me, so that I will always be an obedient child. I do appreciate Your patience toward me. Give me patience with those around me who do not know You. Let me share the gospel in love with each of them. Thank you, for delivering me from hell. I am grateful for the promise of Your presence with me in this life and the promise of heaven to come. Lord, watch over all of Your children and keep us from evil. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen. From: Steven P. Miller @ParkermillerQ,  gatekeeperwatchman.org Founder of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Groups, Sunday, April 28, 2024, Jacksonville, Florida., USA.  X ... @ParkermillerQ #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO, #Ephraim1, #IAM, #Sparkermiller, #Eldermiller1981 GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Sparkermiller.JAX.FL.USA

[stoicbreviary]

Xenophon, Memorabilia of Socrates 31 

Socrates had two ways of dealing with the difficulties of his friends: where ignorance was the cause, he tried to meet the trouble by a dose of common sense; or where want and poverty were to blame, by lessoning them that they should assist one another according to their ability.

And here I may mention certain incidents which occurred within my own knowledge. How, for instance, he chanced upon Aristarchus wearing the look of one who suffered from a fit of the "sullens," and thus accosted him. 

Socrates: "You seem to have some trouble on your mind, Aristarchus; if so, you should share it with your friends. Perhaps together we might lighten the weight of it a little." 

Aristarchus answered: "Yes, Socrates, I am in sore straits indeed. Ever since the party strife declared itself in the city, what with the rush of people to Piraeus, and the wholesale banishments, I have been fairly at the mercy of my poor deserted female relatives. Sisters, nieces, cousins, they have all come flocking to me for protection. I have fourteen freeborn souls, I tell you, under my single roof, and how are we to live? 

"We can get nothing out of the soil—that is in the hands of the enemy; nothing from my house property, for there is scarcely a living soul left in the city; my furniture? no one will buy it; money? there is none to be borrowed—you would have a better chance to find it by looking for it on the road than to borrow it from a banker. 

"Yes, Socrates, to stand by and see one's relatives die of hunger is hard indeed, and yet to feed so many at such a pinch impossible."

After he listened to the story, Socrates asked: "How comes it that Ceramon, with so many mouths to feed, not only contrives to furnish himself and them with the necessaries of life, but to realize a handsome surplus, whilst you being in like plight are afraid you will one and all perish of starvation for want of the necessaries of life?" 

Aristarchus: "Why, bless your soul, do you not see he has only slaves and I have freeborn souls to feed?" 

Socrates: "And which should you say were the better human beings, the freeborn members of your household or Ceramon's slaves?" 

Aristarchus: "The free souls under my roof without a doubt."

Socrates: "Is it not a shame, then, that he with his baser folk to back him should be in easy circumstances, while you and your far superior household are in difficulties?" 

Aristarchus: "To be sure it is, when he has only a set of handicraftsmen to feed, and I my liberally-educated household." 

Socrates: "What is a handicraftsman? Does not the term apply to all who can make any sort of useful product or commodity?" 

Aristarchus: "Certainly." 

Socrates: "Barley meal is a useful product, is it not?" 

Aristarchus: "Preeminently so." 

Socrates: "And loaves of bread?" 

Aristarchus: "No less." 

Socrates: "Well, and what do you say to cloaks for men and for women—tunics, mantles, vests?" 

Aristarchus: "Yes, they are all highly useful commodities." 

Socrates: "Then your household do not know how to make any of these?" 

Aristarchus: "On the contrary, I believe they can make them all." 

Socrates: "Then you are not aware that by means of the manufacture of one of these alone—his barley meal store—Nausicydes not only maintains himself and his domestics, but many pigs and cattle besides, and realizes such large profits that he frequently contributes to the state benevolences; while there is Cyrebus, again, who, out of a bread factory, more than maintains the whole of his establishment, and lives in the lap of luxury; and Demeas of Collytus gets a livelihood out of a cloak business, and Menon as a mantua-maker, and so, again, more than half the Megarians by the making of vests." 

Aristarchus: "Bless me, yes! They have got a set of barbarian fellows, whom they purchase and keep, to manufacture by forced labor whatever takes their fancy. My kinswomen, I need not tell you, are freeborn ladies." 

Socrates: "Then, on the ground that they are freeborn and your kinswomen, you think that they ought to do nothing but eat and sleep? Or is it your opinion that people who live in this way—I speak of freeborn people in general—lead happier lives, and are more to be congratulated, than those who give their time and attention to such useful arts of life as they are skilled in? 

"Is this what you see in the world, that for the purpose of learning what it is well to know, and of recollecting the lessons taught, or with a view to health and strength of body, or for the sake of acquiring and preserving all that gives life its charm, idleness and inattention are found to be helpful, whilst work and study are simply a dead loss? 

"Pray, when those relatives of yours were taught what you tell me they know, did they learn it as barren information which they would never turn to practical account, or, on the contrary, as something with which they were to be seriously concerned some day, and from which they were to reap advantage? Do human beings in general attain to well-tempered manhood by a course of idling, or by carefully attending to what will be of use? Which will help a man the more to grow in justice and uprightness, to be up and doing, or to sit with folded hands revolving the ways and means of existence? 

"As things now stand, if I am not mistaken, there is no love lost between you. You cannot help feeling that they are costly to you, and they must see that you find them a burden? This is a perilous state of affairs, in which hatred and bitterness have every prospect of increasing, whilst the preexisting bond of affection is likely to be snapped.

"But now, if only you allow them free scope for their energies, when you come to see how useful they can be, you will grow quite fond of them, and they, when they perceive that they can please you, will cling to their benefactor warmly. 

"Thus, with the memory of former kindnesses made sweeter, you will increase the grace which flows from kindnesses tenfold; you will in consequence be knit in closer bonds of love and domesticity. If, indeed, they were called upon to do any shameful work, let them choose death rather than that; but now they know, it would seem, the very arts and accomplishments which are regarded as the loveliest and the most suitable for women; and the things which we know, any of us, are just those which we can best perform, that is to say, with ease and expedition; it is a joy to do them, and the result is beautiful. 

"Do not hesitate, then, to initiate your friends in what will bring advantage to them and you alike; probably they will gladly respond to your summons." 

"Well, upon my word," Aristarchus answered, "I like so well what you say, Socrates, that though hitherto I have not been disposed to borrow, knowing that when I had spent what I got I should not be in a condition to repay, I think I can now bring myself to do so in order to raise a fund for these works."

Thereupon a capital was provided; wools were purchased; the good man's relatives set to work, and even whilst they breakfasted they worked, and on and on till work was ended and they supped. 

Smiles took the place of frowns; they no longer looked askance with suspicion, but full into each other's eyes with happiness. They loved their kinsman for his kindness to them. He became attached to them as helpmates; and the end of it all was, he came to Socrates and told him with delight how matters fared; "and now," he added, "they tax me with being the only drone in the house, who sit and eat the bread of idleness." 

To which Socrates: "Why do not you tell them the fable of the dog? Once on a time, so goes the story, when beasts could speak, the sheep said to her master, 'What a marvel is this, master, that to us, your own sheep, who provide you with fleeces and lambs and cheese, you give nothing, save only what we may nibble off earth's bosom; but with this dog of yours, who provides you with nothing of the sort, you share the very meat out of your mouth.'

"When the dog heard these words, he answered promptly, 'Ay, in good sooth, for is it not I who keep you safe and sound, you sheep, so that you are not stolen by man nor harried by wolves; since, if I did not keep watch over you, you would not be able so much as to graze afield, fearing to be destroyed.' 

"And so, says the tale, the sheep had to admit that the dog was rightly preferred to themselves in honor. And so do you tell your flock yonder that like the dog in the fable you are their guardian and overseer, and it is thanks to you that they are protected from evil and evildoers, so that they work their work and live their lives in blissful security." 

—from Xenophon, Memorabilia 2.7 

IMAGE: Anton Mauve, Shepherd and Sheep (c. 1880) 

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Romans 8

God’s Word Translation

God’s Spirit Makes Us His Children

1 So those who are believers in Christ Jesus can no longer be condemned. 2 The standards of the Spirit, who gives life through Christ Jesus, have set you free from the standards of sin and death. 3 It is impossible to do what God’s standards demand because of the weakness our human nature has. But God sent his Son to have a human nature as sinners have and to pay for sin. That way God condemned sin in our corrupt nature. 4 Therefore, we, who do not live by our corrupt nature but by our spiritual nature, are able to meet God’s standards in Moses’ Teachings.

5 Those who live by the corrupt nature have the corrupt nature’s attitude. But those who live by the spiritual nature have the spiritual nature’s attitude. 6 The corrupt nature’s attitude leads to death. But the spiritual nature’s attitude leads to life and peace. 7 This is so because the corrupt nature has a hostile attitude toward God. It refuses to place itself under the authority of God’s standards because it can’t. 8 Those who are under the control of the corrupt nature can’t please God. 9 But if God’s Spirit lives in you, you are under the control of your spiritual nature, not your corrupt nature.

Whoever doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ doesn’t belong to him. 10 However, if Christ lives in you, your bodies are dead because of sin, but your spirits are alive because you have God’s approval. 11 Does the Spirit of the one who brought Jesus back to life live in you? Then the one who brought Christ back to life will also make your mortal bodies alive by his Spirit who lives in you.

12 So, brothers and sisters, we have no obligation to live the way our corrupt nature wants us to live. 13 If you live by your corrupt nature, you are going to die. But if you use your spiritual nature to put to death the evil activities of the body, you will live. 14 Certainly, all who are guided by God’s Spirit are God’s children. 15 You haven’t received the spirit of slaves that leads you into fear again. Instead, you have received the spirit of God’s adopted children by which we call out, “Abba!  Father!” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 If we are his children, we are also God’s heirs. If we share in Christ’s suffering in order to share his glory, we are heirs together with him.

God’s Spirit Helps Us

18 I consider our present sufferings insignificant compared to the glory that will soon be revealed to us. 19 All creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal who his children are. 20 Creation was subjected to frustration but not by its own choice. The one who subjected it to frustration did so in the hope 21 that it would also be set free from slavery to decay in order to share the glorious freedom that the children of God will have. 22 We know that all creation has been groaning with the pains of childbirth up to the present time.

23 However, not only creation groans. We, who have the Spirit as the first of God’s gifts, also groan inwardly. We groan as we eagerly wait for our adoption, the freeing of our bodies from sin. 24 We were saved with this hope in mind. If we hope for something we already see, it’s not really hope. Who hopes for what can be seen? 25 But if we hope for what we don’t see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

26 At the same time the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we don’t know how to pray for what we need. But the Spirit intercedes along with our groans that cannot be expressed in words. 27 The one who searches our hearts knows what the Spirit has in mind. The Spirit intercedes for God’s people the way God wants him to.

Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love

28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God—those whom he has called according to his plan. 29 This is true because he already knew his people and had already appointed them to have the same form as the image of his Son. Therefore, his Son is the firstborn among many children. 30 He also called those whom he had already appointed. He approved of those whom he had called, and he gave glory to those whom he had approved of.

31 What can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 God didn’t spare his own Son but handed him over ⌞to death⌟ for all of us. So he will also give us everything along with him. 33 Who will accuse those whom God has chosen? God has approved of them. 34 Who will condemn them? Christ has died, and more importantly, he was brought back to life. Christ is in the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne. Christ also intercedes for us. 35 What will separate us from the love Christ has for us? Can trouble, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or violent death separate us from his love? 36 As Scripture says:

“We are being killed all day long because of you. We are thought of as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 The one who loves us gives us an overwhelming victory in all these difficulties. 38 I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love which Christ Jesus our Lord shows us. We can’t be separated by death or life, by angels or rulers, by anything in the present or anything in the future, by forces 39 or powers in the world above or in the world below, or by anything else in creation.

[theprayerfulword]

June 18

1 John 5:4 Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Ephesians 5:15-17 Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Philippians 2:13 For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose

John 17:9 I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.

2 Corinthians 3:17 …and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Though you may fear for your life when the enemy threatens, may God provide you strength and meet with you in a quiet place, hearing you and giving you wisdom, understanding, and direction, not allowing you to be distracted by outside events. 1 Kings 19

May you know with certainty that honest work and hard labor does not disqualify you from God's calling, for if your heart is open to Him, you will recognize His voice when He speaks to you, so seek Him daily, draw near through His Word and pray without ceasing lest you be distracted and inattentive when the moment comes. 1 Kings 19

May you be willing to accept the call and anointing of God when it comes, embracing the changes and counting the cost as not being worthy to be compared to the glory which is soon to be manifested in you. 1 Kings 19, Romans 8

May you be confident in the Lord, trusting His care and provision, accepting His will and purpose for you, even when circumstances constrain you, for through the grace of the Father and the prayers of the saints, you will be brought out into a broad and open place where you can stand firm in the Lord and be about the Lord's business. Acts 12

My child, I have opened the way for you to come before the Father. The separating walls have been removed, the obscuring veil has been rent, the forbidding statutes have been fulfilled, that you may approach the mercy seat and find grace to help in times of need, joy to strengthen in times of fellowship, and authority to overcome in times of battle. Do not back off or be reticent to approach, for you are fully accepted in Me, the Beloved of the Father. You are clothed in My righteousness, which is not of obedience to the law, but of faith in Me; you are right that you have not earned it, but only pride would insist that you must. Humble yourself as a servant, acknowledge you own nothing of worth and possess nothing of value, and that the only things you have which are of any use come from your Lord and Master; then realize that because all which you have has come from Me, the salvation, the redemption, the sanctification, the faith, the fruit of the Spirit, the righteousness, the armor and weapons, the wisdom and understanding, you have the best, the strongest, the most efficacious there is in heaven and earth and under the earth. There is no place for proud refusal or false modesty, simply honest acceptance and obedient progress. Just as the moon willingly uses the light of the sun to have dominion over the night, so My Body, and each member individually, faithfully stewards the light of My grace with those in need, and the radiance of My glory to push back the works of darkness, not claiming it as your own, or trying to hold on it for later, for the sun has no shortage of light. My love for you, My child, is not based on performance. You are of Me, My precious one, created in My heart, shaped by My hands, ever in My thoughts. Even if a mother could forget her child, still I could not forget you or stop caring for you. Trust Me for My promises toward you, even as you have accepted My works for you. I do not change, and My compassion for you will never die. All that I am, king, priest, prophet, shepherd, captain, physician, even man, is for you and to your benefit. Do not hesitate to call on Me for all you need, and keep calling as often as you need, for there is no one who cares for you as I do.

May you give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His love endures forever. Psalm 136

May you give honor to the God of gods and the Lord of lords, Who alone does great wonders and, by His understanding, has made the heavens and spread out the earth upon the waters, placing the sun and moon to govern the day and night. Psalm 136

May you humbly revere and respectfully obey the One who destroyed the strength of the world's system in your life and redeemed you out of it with a mighty hand and outstretched arm, making a way where there was no way and leading you through it, closing off and cutting free all ties with the enemy which tried to reclaim you. Psalm 136

May you joyfully and gratefully follow your Commander, the Captain of the hosts of heaven, into battle as He trains you in the desert, striking down great powers and disarming mighty principalities, giving you His victory as your inheritance, making you more than a conqueror. Psalm 136

May you walk in the temperance and self-control of the Spirit, demonstrating the meekness and humility of a child of God about his Father's business, for against the fruit of the Spirit there is no law. Proverbs 17:14

May you walk in agreement with the judgment of God, for two cannot walk together except they be agreed. Proverbs 17:15

[grokebaby]

EVIL ARTEFACTS

Chalice of perishment - a small, innocuous looking chalice that is a pure, matte black color. It has the ability to make liquids into powerful potions - or poisons. It only works on bodily fluids such as tears or blood. It needs to come from a living source, since the Chalice uses the emotions and life source to power it's effects. The reason for it's name containing perishment is due to the fact that, at the cost of making, the Chalice will start slowly draining whoever it receives it's liquids from, which can result in severe bodily corruption or even death. There's a catch to this, however, as the person who donated the liquid to the Chalice, has the most success using the resulting potion or poison - thus making the use of living sacrifices undesirable. Simple potions still remain some potency when used by someone else, but for anything serious, it either loses most effect or may even result in disaster if used by someone other than the source person. [Was in the possession of and briefly used by Dark lord Evilicus, currently confiscated by the Galactic alliance of public safety]

Golgon('s) sword - A large ancient sword forged by and for an ancient demonic ruler by the name of Golgon. The sword's handle is decorated by mysterious patterns that resemble pawprints to the untrained eye, and it has a huge white gem at the base of the blade. If, when hit by the sword, it pierces flesh, a terrible ailment is inflicted on the injured person. It causes the flesh of the victim to begin drying up in painful, charred blisters beginning from the infection site, and eventually spreading onto the whole body. There is currently very few known antidotes. Once the infection has taken over the entire body there are two possible outcomes that are affected by the victims mental state upon the final moments of infection. If the victim has been able to come to terms with their terrible fate, and is at peace with death, they simply die in a pile of ash. However in the case of the opposite, where the victim attempts to fight their ailment and feels fear of it, they turn into a mindless entity, a metaphorical shadow of their former self who will only obey the sword's wielder. It is theoretically possible to free the victim of their state after this, however any known instances of this have not been recorded with tangible proof of the method and thus it remains debated. To prevent the sword from rapidly changing wielders, when found by someone whom it deems worthy, it attaches itself to the wielders arm and forms a sort of semi symbiotic relationship with them. It is very difficult to detach the sword from it's wielder, and the prospect of it becomes more risky the longer the sword and wielder are connected together. Depending on the length of time, potential side effects of detachment include short to long term nerve damage, rashes, burn scars, sensitivity to sunlight or necrosis. [Was in the possession and use of the Dark lord Evilicus, confiscated later by the galactic alliance of public safety]

(X) Null's hideout key - A mysterious key that is said to open the hatch to Nulls hideout. Null, known by many names (all of which include the word Null somewhere), is a cryptic entity who's known to wield strange unexplainable powers. Though it is possible to make a deal with it, x will most of the time still do however it pleases, and has been known to become unreliable or unpredictable. It's powers aren't necessarily solely destructive nor creative, and thus it's freedom tends to split opinions. X is a surreal lifeform who operates beyond the concepts of logic or physics and is thus difficult - but not impossible to challenge. According to various nursery rhymes, Null is said to suck out all whimsy and "imagination" from anything x touches, which manifests in various ways depending on subject, however vast majority of the time it's powers are transformative and don't significantly harm the subject of it's tricks.

Most info of Null originates from old children's tales or nursery rhymes and thus are the only consistent source on x. According to a story, a group of heroes sealed Null away to protect all the fun and beauty of the world, and placed a spell on the key to cause it to be constantly playing hide n seek. There exist no clues as to where the key is, and according to the story, the only way to find it is to start randomly counting down from 10, while looking for it. This is said to work regardless of location, person, or amount of participants. The chances of finding it still seem slim, so many seekers have been left to count down over and over again to no avail. Due to all this, Null's existence is heavily debated.

Void ores - a type of metal that is largely found in shadow dimensions and various underworlds. It's a popular - Though hard to find material for demonic entities to forge armor or weapons out of. Information around It's functions are closely guarded from humans or "Overworld" entities In fear of exposing vulnerabilities. Once subtracted, forged and fine-crafted, any piece of armor made from this ore becomes stronger each time it's exposed to blood - anyone's blood. The metal is considered intelligent in ways that inanimate objects often aren't (or shouldn't be), and it seems to cooperate with it's so called "Master" in (most) everything they do. It can be worn over long periods of times - even a lifetime, as it forms a sort of exoskeleton around it's master and grows and adapts with them. The metal is considered highly risky however, since any attempt to separate it from it's master causes it to act in dangerous ways and harm any living matter it touches, thus making removal near impossible and sometimes even fatal. Thus, it is advised that one make armor out of it only if they are fully willing to make a lifetime commitment, because you can't be guaranteed a safe removal. Methods of forgery seem to vary too much for there to be any one reliable source, so it is suspected that each demonic lifeform has their own, closely guarded method. [Notable example of an armor like this is the one currently worn by The Dark lord Evilicus]

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

18th May >> Fr. Martin's Reflections / Homilies on Today's Mass Readings (Inc. John 21:20-25) for Saturday, Seventh Week of Eastertide: ‘What about him, Lord?’.

Saturday, Seventh Week of Eastertide

Gospel (Except USA) John 21:20-25 This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and we know that his testimony is true.

Peter turned and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them – the one who had leaned on his breast at the supper and had said to him, ‘Lord, who is it that will betray you?’ Seeing him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘What about him, Lord?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to stay behind till I come, what does it matter to you? You are to follow me.’ The rumour then went out among the brothers that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus had not said to Peter, ‘He will not die’, but, ‘If I want him to stay behind till I come.’

This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and has written them down, and we know that his testimony is true. There were many other things that Jesus did; if all were written down, the world itself, I suppose, would not hold all the books that would have to be written.

Gospel (USA) John 21:20-25 This is the disciple who has written these things and his testimony is true.

Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved, the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper and had said, “Master, who is the one who will betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.” So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die. But Jesus had not told him that he would not die, just “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours?”

It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.

Reflections (3)

(i) Saturday, Seventh Week of Easter

The final verses of the Acts of the Apostles, from which we have been reading for the seven weeks of Easter, portrays Paul under house arrest in Rome. The one who had been travelling thousands of miles to preach the gospel since his call on the road to Damascus is now confined for two years. Yet, even in these restricted circumstances, he remains true to his vocation, ��proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ’. Whether a free man or a prisoner of Rome, Paul remained true to his deepest identity. The circumstances of our own lives may not be all we desire them to be, but we can still remain true to what is deepest and best in us, to the Lord’s call, ‘Follow me’, in the words of today’s gospel reading. Just prior to our gospel reading, Jesus had commissioned Peter to shepherd his flock. This was how Peter was to follow Jesus. In the gospel reading, Peter seems preoccupied by the Lord’s plans for the beloved disciple, ‘What about him, Lord?’ Jesus had to bring Peter back to basics, ‘Follow me’. The beloved disciple’s way of following Jesus would be different to Peter’s way. The preaching and teaching of this disciple would become the basic source of the gospel that we now know as John’s gospel. ‘This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and has written them down’, or has caused them to be written down. We are each called to follow the Lord in accordance with our own unique temperament and set of gifts and limitations. We spend our lives trying to be true to that calling, no matter how unfavourable the circumstances of our lives, declaring with Saint Paul, ‘I can do all things through him who strengthens me’ (Phil 4:13)

And/Or

(ii) Saturday, Seventh Week of Easter

This is the final weekday of the Easter season. The season of Easter concludes with tomorrow’s feast of Pentecost. We are back to Ordinary Time on Monday. As we conclude the Easter Season the two readings of today’s Mass are also conclusions. The first reading is the conclusion of the Acts of the Apostles from which we have been reading since Easter Sunday. It speaks of the arrival of Paul in Rome as a prisoner of the Roman authorities. Yet, even while under house arrest, Luke describes him as continuing to do what he had been doing since his meeting with the risen Lord on the road to Damascus, ‘proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ’. The gospel reading is the conclusion of John’s gospel, from which we have also been reading since Easter Sunday. Two other key figures in the early church feature in that conclusion, Peter and the beloved disciple. Peter has just been given his work by the risen Lord of shepherding the Lord’s flock. It just remains for the work of the beloved disciple to be clarified. His work was causing the gospel to be written that we have come to know as the gospel of John. This gospel is his legacy to the church. These three very different figures were key people in the Lord’s work in the world. Yet, we all have a part to play in that work, in accordance with our gifts and our abilities. To each of us, Jesus says what he said to Peter in today’s gospel reading, ‘You are to follow me’.

And/Or

(iii) Saturday, Seventh Week of Easter

There are three characters in this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus, Peter and the beloved disciple. Jesus had just given Peter an important role in the church, ‘Feed my lambs, feedmy sheep’. Peter then asks Jesus about the beloved disciple, ‘What about him, Lord?’ he said. In reply Jesus seems to say, ‘Look I have other plans for him. You follow me, in keeping with the role I have just given you’. Peter and the beloved disciple each had their own particular calling, and they were quite different. Peter was the chief shepherd of the church who gave his life for Jesus in the city of Rome where he was martyred. The beloved disciple inspired the writing of the fourth gospel and seems to have lived to an old age. The Lord had a different calling for each of them, just as his call to each of us is unique to each of us. There is something each of us can do for the Lord that no one else can do. Rather than looking over our shoulders at others, as Peter was inclined to do in today’s gospel reading, we have to try and discern the particular calling the Lord has given us and then be as faithful and as generous in our response to that call as we can. We cannot be someone else; we can only be ourselves. The Lord wants us to be ourselves because he has a unique role in his work for each one of us. There is some task that we alone can do for the Lord that no one else can.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[hoztthespunkieball]

The Court of Thorns and Roses: Chapter 4 Recap (Spoilers)

This is when the story gets really good. It's the moment Feyre goes on an adventure and leaves her family behind.

My takes:

The beast (Fae) is looking for the one who killed the wolf, as it turns out they were friends and it was a Fae in a wolf form. You know, the one Feyre gutted and sold to the Big Muscle Mommy? Yeah, that's the one.

Nesta and Elain are rightfully terrified, because they are pussies whom never learnt how to fight and relied on Feyre's survival skills their entire lives. *Alexa play Bad Idea by Girl in Red.*

The father firstly is like 'Fuck dude, what do I do?'. But then when Feyre confesses to killing the wolf he finally decides to grow a pair and bravely says 'It's me you're looking for. I killed the wolf.' The beast looks at him, then at his crippled leg, then back at him and shots him a side- eye before turning back to Feyre.

The beast gives Feyre two options: 1. She'll be brutally gutted right here, right now. And 2. Feyre will go with the beast to the Fae land and face the High Fae Court for her crime. If she survives then she can live there with the beast.

Confused Feyre asks the beast why he showed her mercy, he didn't reply. Which is an important later on, because Fae can NOT lie. They are obligated to tell the truth, however they are allowed to choose how much information they reveal, because apparently not sharing information is not the same as lying. (It's an opinion for sure.)

Feyre is understandably confused as fuck and not sure what to do. If she goes her family will survive, but she has no idea what is going to happen to her, she can not trust the beast that just tried to kill her. OR she can die right here and now in front of her family.

During her existential crisis her father chimes in and offers the beast money in exchange for his daughter's life. The beast politely asks 'How much is your daughter's life worth according to you then?' And he couldn't answer his question. He would have to borrow money from other people and spend the rest of his lifetime paying off his debt. Alternatively he could name a low price he could pay, inevitably insulting Feyre. So he did the next best thing (according to him). He very dramatically grabbed Feyre and said 'Go my daughter, save yourself. And if you manage to escape never come back, live your life, be free.' Which basically translates to 'I don't want to see you being ripped to shreds right now, so go, so I can say that I gave you up in order to save you. Also, I told you not to come back because your chances of survival are lower than my self- esteem and not knowing how you're doing is better than having your death on my consciousness.'' Asshole.

Not having much choice Feyre agreed to go. Before she left though she told her fam that if they need help they should go to Isaac (the fuck buddy) since she taught him how to hunt one year prior. And told Nesta NOT to marry Tomas. His dad regularly practices MMA on his wife and their GROWN bitch ass sons never do anything about it. So, unless Nesta wants to become next Kenny (Southpark) she shouldn't marry this dude.

Then Feyre and the beast took off.

Once again, I love the pacing. The chapters are fairly short and easy to follow (I'm just kinda stupid sometimes). In chapter five some shit is about to go down.

[hiswordsarekisses]

“So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭12‬-‭23‬

[readingsquotes]

"

UNRWA’s role in documenting the genocide, as well as providing food and aid to the Palestinians, infuriates the Israeli government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused UNRWA after the ruling of providing false information to the ICJ. Already an Israeli target for decades, Israel decided that UNRWA, which supports 5.9 million Palestinian refugees across the Middle East with clinics, schools and food, had to be eliminated. Israel’s destruction of UNRWA serves a political as well as material objective. 

The evidence-free Israeli accusations against UNRWA that a dozen of the 13,000 employees had links to those who carried out the attacks in Israel on Oct. 7 did the trick. It saw 16 major donors, including the United States, the U.K., Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Estonia and Japan, suspend financial support for the relief agency on which nearly every Palestinian in Gaza depends for food. Israel has killed 152 UNRWA workers and damaged 147 UNRWA installations since the attacks inside Israel by Hamas and other resistance groups on Oct. 7 that killed some 1,200 Israelis. Israel has also bombed UNRWA relief trucks. 

More than 27,708 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, some 67,000 have been wounded and at least 7,000 are missing, most likely dead and buried under the rubble.

More than half a million Palestinians – one in four – are starving in Gaza, according to the U.N. Starvation will soon be ubiquitous. Palestinians in Gaza, 1.7 million of whom have been internally displaced, lack not only sufficient food, but clean water, shelter and medicine. There are few fruits or vegetables. There is little flour to make bread. Pasta, along with meat, cheese and eggs, have disappeared. Black market prices for dry goods such as lentils and beans have increased 25 times from pre-war prices. A bag of flour on the black market has risen from $8.00 to $200 dollars. The healthcare system in Gaza, with only three of Gaza’s 36 hospitals left partially functioning, has largely collapsed. Some 1.3 million displaced Palestinians live on the streets of the southern city of Rafah, which Israel designated a “safe zone,” but has begun to bomb. Families shiver in the winter rains under flimsy tarps amid pools of raw sewage. An estimated 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes.

“There is no instance since the Second World War in which an entire population has been reduced to extreme hunger and destitution with such speed,” writes Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation at Tufts University and the author of “Mass Starvation: The History and Future of Famine,” in the Guardian. “And there’s no case in which the international obligation to stop it has been so clear.”

The United States, formerly UNRWA’s largest contributor, provided $422 million to the agency in 2023. The severance of funds ensures that UNRWA food deliveries, already in very short supply because of blockages by Israel, will largely come to a halt by the end of February or the beginning of March.

Israel has given the Palestinians in Gaza two choices. Leave or die. "