#I was reading divine restorations & repairs

[ethereal-occultist]

[the-whatcherof-89]

Sir CyberKnife Herald of order.

CR 22 LG Medium Humanoid (Orc, Humanoid)

XP 614,400 (if used as npc for encounter)Advanced Half orc Bard(Negotiator)12 Paladin(Scion of peace)8

Lawful Good Medium humanoid (half orc)

Init +7; Senses Perception +39

AC 36, touch 25, flat-footed 29, (+7Natural, +5Deflect, +6Armor, +5Shield, +7Dexterity, +1Intuition) Hp 225 (12d8+8D10+148)

Fort +33, Ref +33, Will +36

Speed 30 ft. Melee Diplomat3+28/23/18/13 1D6+4, Spells. Ranged Bow of Artaphernes+32/27/22/17 1D8+8, Spells.

Racial Speed 30ft, Darkvision 60ft, Human-raised, sacred tattoo, Orc blood.

Traits Noble Savage.

Class features Hard bargain, Bardic performance(Counter-argument, Fast talk, binding contract, Distraction, Fascinate, Inspire competence, Suggestion, Dirge of doom, Soothing performance), Master of rhetoric 2/day, Well-versed, Jack of all trades, Rogue talents(Finesse rogue, Charmer, Ranged disarm, Slippery mind), Scion’s faith, Egalitarian, Aura of good, Detect evil, Smite evil3/day, Bonded eagle, Lay on hands, Aura of courage, Divine health, Channel positive energy, Mercy(Deceived, Riled), Consensus.

Spellcasting CL12(Bard) Daily 8/8/7/6 CL5th(Paladin) Daily 4/4 DC22.

Known(Bard): 0-Read magic, Mage hand, Prestidigitation, Detect magic, Repair, Message. I-Charm person, Hideous laughter, Grease, Cure light wounds, Animate ropes, Alarm. II-Cure moderate wounds, Calm emotions, Mirror image, Enthrall, Hold person. III-Haste, Good hope, Dispel magic, Charm monster. IV-Hold monster, Summon monster IV-Freedom of movement, Illusory terrain.

Prepared(Paladin): I-Bless, Lesser restoration, Build trust, Detect undead. II-Resist energy, Bull’s strength, Shield other, Zone of truth.

Str 12, Dex 24, Con 24, Int 24, Wis 22, Cha 34

Base Atk +17/12/7/2; CMB +13; CMD +20

Feats Scribe scroll, Combat expertise, Precise shot, Improved disarm, Deadly aim, Adept champion, Outflank, Leadership, Point-blank shot, Spell focus(Enchantment), Greater spell focus(Enchantment).

Skills Acrobatics+30, Appraise+11, Bluff+22, Climb+9, Craft(Calligraphy)+30, Diplomacy+46, Disguise+16, Escape artist+30, Fly+11, Handle animal+16, Heal+12, Intimidate+22, Knowledge (Arcana+29, Dungeon+15, Engineering+15, Geography+15, History+15, Local+21, Nature+15, Nobility+15, The planes+15, Religion+15), Linguistics+4, Perception+29, Perform(Oratory)+35, Profession(Ambassador)+15, Ride+11, Sense motive+45, Sleight of hand+15, Spellcraft+28, Stealth+15, Survival+10, Swim+5, Use magic device+33.

Leadership score (40)Cohort lv17th Followers I-135 II-13 III-7 IV-4 V-2  VI-2 (Special modifications due to the Kingstone)

Languages Common, Orcish, Giant, Abyssal, Draconic, Ignan, Aquan, Necril, Alko, Sylvan, Tongues(via the Kingstone).

Combat gear Diplomat3(Disarming blade+Diplomat’s traveling stick+ Defending rapier+4), Bow of Artaphernes(Adaptive Cunning Allying dispelling Longbow+5), 50+3 Arrows, Clod iron longsword, Uniform of Apollonius(Heavy fortification Iadran dress uniform+3), Ring of protection+5, Ring of tactical precision(Outflank), Amulet of natural armor+5, Quick-block buckler, Staff of bolstering, Headband of mental superiority+6(Escape artist), Belt of physical might+6(Dex, Con), Cloak of Diogenes(Cloak of the diplomat+Cloak of resistance+3), Inquisitor’s monocle, Bracers of steadiness, Bag of holding(Type I), Tome of leadership and influence+3(Used), Ioun stones(Lavender and green ellipsoid, Dusty rose prism), Potions of gaseous form(4), Scrolls: Haste(1), Heroism(1), (Summon monster IV(3), Bard’s kit, 373GP, The Kingstone(Artifact).

The Kingstone(Artifact) Aura(Strong enchantment) CL18th Description: 

This artifact looks like a finely-carved marble sphere with runes of gold inscribed in various languages reciting poems of kings and rulers which changes every day. The stone can be carried by anyone but only those who are worthy can use its powers. Those deemed unworthy will have the stone turned into a cursed artifact known as a Loadstone. However, should one work to find a suitable user, the stone will guide the holder toward the “Ideal King” via prophetic dreams and other means granting the power to use Divine Favor upon itself once per day. Once the stone finds the “Ideal King” it will bestow its powers upon him which includes the following: 1)The user is constantly under the effect of of the following spells: Divine Favor, Tongues and Heroism. 2)All effect of auras, inspiration and Charisma-based skills, abilities and spells double the area which they cover normally, their other effects remain unchanged. 3)Finally, if the user manages to become a ruling figure of a kingdom or to be accepted as a king, the stone allows to the user to project an illusory image of the kingdoms and it will automatically know if there are enemies in the land(such as an invading army). This effect functions as the spell Sand Table. 4)All the authority bonuses increases by +3, furthermore, the user can summon an extra Monstrous Cohort of the appropriate level that serves him once per day for 1 hour which can be divided in 1 minute increments at his request(In this case it’s a Young Silver Dragon). If the cohort is killed, it disappears and can be summoned again after 24h. The more the user becomes famous, the more it becomes closer to turn into the “Ideal King” the ruler of all nations and kingdoms whom will unite all the world under a single banner. It is unknown if this is true or just a myth, but if the holder of the stone wishes to pass the torch of rulership it must find a replacement before giving it away. Common people will come flocking under the holder of the Kingstone seeing him as the true king (Regardless, such situation must be discussed by the DM). Destruction: To destroy the Kingstone it must be buried in the ground of the material plane in a land where no kingdom/nation has been established for at least 100 years and it must stay there for 1000 years untouched. When said time has passed, the stone turns into dust. However, the gods will not stay idle and a new Kingstone is sure to reappear somewhere, somehow to find a new candidate “Ideal King”.

Challenge rating modifiers +1 advanced template, Improved stats, PC equipment.

Background: Very little is known about the one known as Cyberknife(if that is his real name). From what  little snippets of knowledge some attained, he was born in the Nether as all Piglins(Orcs) does. However, as it happens very rarely, the pig inhabitants of the red wastes will give birth to a hybrid: a Hal-feh(half-orc). Even more rarely, these hybrids becomes just better than the more run-of-the-mill gold-obsessed creatures. Of course, the leaders of the various clans will see these as “impure” and/or a danger for their leadership and will most likely try to systematically eliminate the threat before it becomes a real one. Cyberknife was one such case, but as he was about to be sacrificed in a ritual for their god, he succeeded at escaping by causing a Hoglin stampede across the bastion and escaping from an obsidian portal. Although, he did heard that if one of their kin does escape the dimension is turned into a zombie, he knew he was born DIFFERENT. As he left, he felt something change but he was fine; He found a vibrant world completely different from the lava-scarred caves he used to live. He walked the land, and although he had a rocky start(not being accepted by the inhabitants of this land) eventually things took a turn when he was accepted in a traveling circus where he discovered his talent for the bardic arts. He then enrolled into a bardic academy where he was the only one of his kind, not a good thing but he did not care for he had bigger plans in mind: He wanted to change the view the world had on the Nether and reestablish a peaceful relationships with the two dimensions. This was not an easy task but he was DETERMINED. After more years, he left the academy to look for fortune as an adventurer; and one day after a long expedition in an ancient tomb he found that stone: the Kingstone. After that day, it took him little to enroll as an advisor in a battlefield and even less to rise in the ranks and become a commander. With the glory of victory he entered the kingdom a champion, then, with the money that he attained, he founded a political campaign to promote the betterment of the kingdom. The opposition attempted to destroy him, but he was always able to thwart their efforts and won in a landslide. Cyberknife became the ruler of a nation at the young age of 22 and had no intention of stopping. After 10 years of turmoil he succeeded to quell the conflict between 3 more kingdoms and unite them under his banner. Now, from his massive palace he plans for the future… but what future?

First image - made with Heroforge.

Second image - Art by the fantastic Goatfella: https://www.tumblr.com/goatfellaa/693602368642809856/cyberknife-design?source=share

[dastardly-ethereal-love]

My comment on the last chapter (below) doesn’t capture the amazingness of this fic. It is so rich in detail. The authors have done their research. They have put in the work to create something stunning. This is up there with the greats, I think! Like Old Vines or Shotgun Wedding (What We Make of It) or Romeo in Black Jeans. Haha It’s long with 37 chapters and over 300,000 words but I’m finding the longer fics are just so worth the extra time. I’m in heaven. I could live on a steady diet of this stuff and be content forever? Well, I definitely need Season 3 but until then… thank someone for the talented artists who love GO and create for us!

Oh so charming! You never missed a beat! I love all the subtle and not so subtle references to the book / tv shows and the way their personalities differ but fit together so perfectly.

This has been such a pleasure to read. Even in the darker moments, you filled them with love and hope and gentleness. Aziraphale’s ability to forgive and love is angelic and Crowley’s ability to be vulnerable and trust is superhuman.

Fiction like this will make it impossible for me to be in another relationship, I fear. Haha The standards are being set so impossibly high and yet I feel like only that level of love is what each of them deserve. They seem to aspire to be more for each other and it’s so wonderful.

<3 I love that in 2024, I can see this fic recommended in a GO FB group and enjoy it. Thank you!

[sylwritesstuff]

Tough choices but 18, 22 and 29!

18. Do you enjoy research? Which fic of yours required the most research?

I love to research! It's fun learning new things 💖💖💖

I think the one which required the most was definitely Divine Restorations & Repairs. There's a scene where Crowley is very intently repairing a clock and a few where he's talking about repairs of clocks and old cars and I knew nothing about either before that fic.

22. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

After. Unless something springs forth while I'm in the middle of writing something, it's always me scrambling at that ao3 posting screen when I say "Oh, I forgot a title."

As for how I come up with them, I like to look at poetry first. I love poems a lot. I love how open to interpretation they can be and if I can nab something poignant from one, I will. Goes for songs too!

I also really love quotes. If I can identify an overarching theme for something, I'll search "quotes about theme" and I'll scroll for ages.

If nothing is coming to me, I'll read the work again and see if one of my own metaphors springs to life. Like An Open Suitcase (which I just posted, thank you, Star, for being the final push I needed to do that) comes from a metaphor in the writing.

29. What's something about your writing that you're proud of?

Dialogue! I also really feel like I can get into characters and have them express themselves in believable ways. I like making them feel real 💖 Even if sometimes that makes me feel vulnerable in my own life.

[melodicwitchlight]

cas-ti-fell ☀️ castiel :

the curious prodding of a child has left him momentarily without response–though he figures, it’s only enough time before he deduces his presence as something more, or he’ll be forced to give truth anyhow. he has no desire to send the boy fleeing, as so many do when the shadow of his massive wingspan burns across the earth, though he doubts he harbors a weak will. in the pits of his gaze, through the hollowed halls and broken, shattered reflections of brothers he’ll never meet, he sees the boy, warm and curious through all his matted fur.

“ i suppose there is no use in hiding the truth from you. i am a celestial being. an… an angel. “ his brow scrunches in the slightest. “ humans are delicate, we are not. we learned early, ways to repair, as we’ve always been entrenched in some great war.. the battle of the serpent, and the great beasts… we have always been resourceful–some, more gifted than others.

when i lay my hand upon you, it will simply fade away. “ though it was only the basis of a long, sprawling list of capabilities, it was fundamental. those that destroyed must know how to restore.

he unfurls his hand, fingers bowing to expose the inward curve of jimmy’s cracked palm, bare and naked. “ i don’t mean to do you harm. “ only a child, and his sins are essential..

dean hears the angel? talk to him, as they are at a coffee shop ( jimmy’s diner ). the diner sign was red and glowing, indicating it was open. he had been recently reincarnated in a new vessel, startling when he looked in mirror & that was when he had pulled the sleeve of his shirt up.

he remembered sam had opened the door of motel room, pausing at seeing a teenager boy, thinking he a stranger. ‘ hello, are you okay, kid?’ and upon dean answering with, ‘ sammy, it’s me, dean ‘,

confusion and momentary silence.

and a near fight to the death where dean then sliced his own arm with a silver knife ( sam: ‘ you are a revenant or demon!! ‘) and holy water splashed in face. they had then hugged each other tightly.

he had been filled with fury at seeing his car hot pink sheen painted so by ruby ( the jet black aerosol can he got from the roadhouse helping a little ;; now a lighter pink — he saying and kissing his impala after crying tears salting his freckled cheeks ;; ‘ baby, I can’t stay mad at you. ‘).

he is eating a burger 🍔 ;; lettuce and chicken patty with mayonnaise drizzle ) and hot chocolate in mug.

the concept of angels was still quite an unusual thing for dean, ( reassurance of his mother saying angels were watching over him a warm reminder of her presence more than any divine belief ). even thought he had noted a peculiar divine intervention of a pole coming out of nowhere and spearing a criminal ( when he and sammy were investigating a case of people seeing angels ;; it had turned out to be a late priest’s ghost ).

since being pulled out from hell and seeing the shadowing wings 🪽 blackening the grey walls spray painted with demon sigils, his faith coalescing into something-ness from the black void of endless horror. he had started reading the holy bible more ( due to the real presence of castiel, an angel ).

he had read passages of isaiah ( of the sea speaking to him ) and a story with ephraim and israel on the run in the sandy dunes from god ; whom said they were too much like doves.

he pauses, and shakes his head in disagreement at the angel’s words that the pain will fade away. the splayed out hands of the angel burns and aches on his shoulder.

castiel sees, tilting his head to the side, remembering the strenuous task of pulling this man from the depths of hell ( he had seen the other slumped forward in the heavy chains ; bleeding from dying every day. ) he had cast white light and burned out onto demons’ faces, as he made his way to this broken righteous man.

squeezing his shoulder rather tightly, due to the shackled silver rusted chains that could not yield to human strength. the other, having being tortured for so long, sounds a brief yelp of pain within the rotting calmness of perdition. be gentle, castiel remembered, as humans were fragile beings.

‘ it hasn’t faded away, ‘ the angel hears the human near whisper, whisper that was clear as water to his ears.

dean hadn’t told sam he remembered hell, saying he remembered nothing since that day vicious black dogs had clawed him to death ( the dogs were black and shapeless ;; yet razor sharp white teeth and claws ) ;

yet he did remember, and by the slight narrowing of the other’s blue eyes, he knew castiel hadn’t believed his story like sam ( as castiel was there with him when he told sam ).

‘ which serpent? jormangudar? ‘ he reading that in the bible.

[be-gay-do-heists]

hello yall :) the holy month of elul started last night, which is typically a time for contemplation, so since it is impossible for me to stop thinking about leverage, i decided to write an essay. hope anyone interested in reading it enjoys, and that it makes at least a little sense!! spoilers for leverage redemption

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Leverage, Judaism, and “Doing the Work”: An Essay for Elul

When it comes to Elul and the approaching High Holidays, Leverage might seem like an odd topic to meditate on.

The TNT crime drama that ran from 2008-2012, and which released a new season this summer following its renewal, centers on a group of found-family thieves who help the victims of corporations and oligarchs (sometimes based on real-world examples), using wacky heists and cons to bring down the rich and powerful. In one episode, the team’s clients want to reclaim their father’s prized Glimt piece that had been stolen in the Shoah and never returned, but aside from this and the throwaway lines and jokes standard for most mainstream television, there’s not a ton textually Jewish about Leverage. However, despite this, I have found that the show has strong resonance among Jewish fans, and lots of potential for analysis along Jewish themes. This tends to focus on one character in particular: the group’s brilliant, pop culture-savvy, and personable hacker, Alec Hardison, played by the phenomenally talented Aldis Hodge.

I can’t remember when or where I first encountered a reading of Hardison as Jewish, but not only is this a somewhat popular interpretation, it doesn’t feel like that much of a leap. In the show itself, Hardison has a couple of the aforementioned throwaway lines that potentially point to him being Jewish, even if they’re only in service of that moment’s grift. It’s hard to point to what exactly makes reading Hardison as Jewish feel so natural. My first guess is the easy way Hardison fits into the traditional paradigms of Jewish masculinity explored by scholars such as Daniel Boyarin (2). Most of the time, the hacker is not portrayed as athletic or physical; he is usually the foil to the team’s more physically-adept characters like fighter Eliot, or thief Parker. Indeed, Hardison’s strength is mental, expressed not only through his computer wizardry but his passions for science, technology, music, popular media, as well as his studious research into whatever scenario the group might come up against. In spite of his self-identification as a “geek,” Hardison is nevertheless confident, emotionally sensitive, and secure in his masculinity. I would argue he is representative of the traditional Jewish masculine ideal, originating in the rabbinic period and solidified in medieval Europe, of the dedicated and thoughtful scholar (3). Another reason for popular readings of Hardison as Jewish may be the desire for more representation of Jews of color. Although mainstream American Jewish institutions are beginning to recognize the incredible diversity of Jews in the United States (4), and popular figures such as Tiffany Haddish are amplifying the experiences of non-white Jews, it is still difficult to find Jews of color represented in popular media. For those eager to see this kind of representation, then, interpreting Hardison, a black man who places himself tangential to Jewishness, in this way is a tempting avenue.

Regardless, all of the above remains fan interpretation, and there was little in the text of the show that seriously tied Judaism into Hardison’s identity. At least, until we got this beautiful speech from Hardison in the very first episode of the renewed show, directed at the character of Harry Wilson, a former corporate lawyer looking to atone for the injustice he was partner to throughout his career:

“In the Jewish faith, repentance, redemption, is a process. You can’t make restitution and then promise to change. You have to change first. Do the work, Harry. Then and only then can you begin to ask for forgiveness. [...] So this… this isn’t the win. It’s the start, Harry.”

I was floored to hear this speech, and thrilled that it explained the reboot’s title, Leverage: Redemption. Although not mentioned by its Hebrew name, teshuvah forms the whole basis for the new season. Teshuvah is the concept of repentance or atonement for the sins one has committed. Stemming from the root shuv/shuva, it carries the literal sense of “return.” In a spiritual context, this usually means a return to G-d, of finding one’s way back to holiness and by extension good favor in the eyes of the Divine. But equally important is restoring one’s relationships with fellow humans by repairing any hurt one has caused over the past year. This is of special significance in the holy month of Elul, leading into Rosh haShanah, the Yamim Noraim, and Yom Kippur, but one can undertake a journey of redemption at any point in time. That teshuvah is a journey is a vital message for Harry to hear; one job, one reparative act isn’t enough to overturn years of being on the wrong side of justice, to his chagrin. As the season progresses, we get to watch his path of teshuvah unfold, with all its frustrations and consequences. Harry grows into his role as a fixer, not only someone who can find jobs and marks for the team, but fixes what he has broken or harmed.

So why was Hardison the one to make this speech?

I do maintain that it does provide a stronger textual basis for reading Hardison as Jewish by implication (though the brief on-screen explanation for why he knows about teshuvah, that his foster-parent Nana raised a multi-faith household, is important in its own merit, and meshes well with his character traits of empathy and understanding for diverse experiences). However, beyond this, Hardison isn’t exactly an archetypical model for teshuvah. In the original series, he was the youngest character of the main ensemble, a hacking prodigy in the start of his adult career, with few mistakes or slights against others under his belt. In one flashback we see that his possibly first crime was stealing from the Bank of Iceland to pay off his Nana’s medical bills, and that his other early hacking exploits were in the service of fulfilling personal desires, with only those who could afford to pay the bill as targets. Indeed, in the middle of his speech, Hardison points to Eliot, the character with the most violent and gritty past who views his work with the Leverage team as atonement, for a prime example of ongoing teshuvah. So while no one is perfect and everyone has a reason for doing teshuvah, this question of why Hardison is the one to give this series-defining speech inspired me to look at his character choices and behavior, and see how they resonate with a different but interrelated Jewish principle, that of tikkun olam. 

Tikkun olam is literally translated as “repairing the world,” and can take many different forms, such as protecting the rights of vulnerable people in society, or giving tzedakah (5). In modern times, tikkun olam is often the rallying cry for Jewish social activists, particularly among environmentalists for whom literally restoring the health of the natural world is the key goal. Teshuvah and tikkun olam are intertwined (the former is the latter performed at an interpersonal level) and both hold a sense of fixing or repairing, but tikkun olam really revolves around a person feeling called to address an injustice that they may have not had a personal hand in creating. Hardison’s sense of a universal scale of justice which he has the power to help right on a global level and his newfound drive to do humanitarian work, picked up sometime after the end of the original series, make tikkun olam a central value for his character. This is why we get this nice bit of dialogue from Eliot to Hardison in the second episode of the reboot, when the latter’s outside efforts to organize international aid start distracting him from his work with the team: “Is [humanitarian work] a side gig? In our line of work, you’re one of the best. But in that line of work… you’re the only one, man.” The character who most exemplifies teshuvah reminds Hardison of his amazing ability to effect change for the better on a huge stage, to do some effective tikkun olam. It’s this acknowledgement of where Hardison can do the most good that prompts the character’s absence for the remainder of the episodes released thus far, turning his side gig into his main gig.

With this in mind, it will be interesting to see where Hardison’s arc for this season goes. Separated from the rest of the team, the hacker still has remarkable power to change the world, because it is, after all, the “age of the geek.” However, he is still one person. For all that both teshuvah and tikkun olam are individual responsibilities and require individual decision-making and effort, the latter especially relies on collective work to actually make things happen. Hardison leaving is better than trying to do humanitarian work and Leverage at the same time, but there’s only so long he can be the “only one” in the field before burning out. I’m reminded of one of the most famous (for good reason) maxims in Judaism:

It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you free to neglect it. (6)

Elul is traditionally a time for introspection and heeding the calls to repentance. After a year where it’s never been easier to feel powerless and drained by everything going on around us, I think it’s worth taking the time to examine what kind of work we are capable of in our own lives. Maybe it’s fixing the very recent and tangible hurts we’ve left behind, like Harry. Maybe it’s the little changes for the better that we make every day, motivated by our sense of responsibility, like Eliot. And maybe it’s the grueling challenge of major social change, like Hardison. And if any of this work gets too much, who can we fall back on for support and healing? Determining what needs repair, working on our own scale and where our efforts are most helpful, and thereby contributing to justice in realistic ways means that we can start the new year fresh, having contemplated in holiday fashion how we can be better agents in the world.

Shana tovah u’metukah and ketivah tovah to all (7), and may the work we do in the coming year be for good!

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(1) Disclaimer: everybody’s fandom experiences are different, and this is just what I’ve picked up on in my short time watching and enjoying this show with others.

(2) See, for example, the introduction and first chapter of Boyarin’s book Unheroic Conduct: The Rise of Heterosexuality and the Invention of the Jewish Man (I especially recommend at least this portion if you are interested in queer theory and Judaic studies). There he explores the development of Jewish masculinity in direct opposition to Christian masculine standards.

(3) I might even go so far as to place Hardison well within the Jewish masculine ideal of Edelkayt, gentle and studious nobility (although I would hesitate to call him timid, another trait associated with Edelkayt). Boyarin explains that this scholarly, non-athletic model of man did not carry negative associations in the historical Jewish mindset, but was rather the height of attractiveness (Boyarin, 2, 51).

(4) Jews of color make up 20% of American Jews, according to statistics from Be’chol Lashon, and this number is projected to increase as American demographics continue to change: https://globaljews.org/about/mission/. 

(5) Tzedakah is commonly known as righteous charity. According to traditional authority Maimonides, it should be given anonymously and without embarrassment to the person in need, generous, and designed to help the recipient become self-sufficient.

(6) Rabbi Tarfon, Pirkei Avot, 2:16

(7) “A good and sweet year” and “a good inscription [in the Book of Life]”

[jessicalprice]

I don’t remember where it was, but I read a beautiful response to Rabbi David Wolpe’s “The Healer of Shattered Hearts” that positioned tikkun olam (drawing on the Kabbalistic concept of shattered vessels and restoring the sparks) as healing God’s shattered heart and this made me think of that.

I was never a Gray’s Anatomy fan, but there’s a lovely scene in one episode where a Jewish patient, who is dying from some extremely patient condition, explains tikkun olam to his lapsed Catholic doctor. He says that the world is broken, crying out in pain and in need, and it’s our job to fix it.

I never expected to hear the personal theology I couldn’t quite articulate spelled out on the sappy doctor show, but YES.

The point of Jewish practice to me, above all else, is to sensitize us. Both to the wonder of existence—the taste of wine and bread, the beauty of the gates of evening opening, the everyday miracles of time and tide—and to the world crying out in pain.

The honey and the sting, the bitter and the sweet. Both of those things are a call: a call to fully experience, a call to protect, and a call to heal.

The world is bounteous and good; the world is broken and crying out in need, and we are called to love it both in humility (in awe, in wonder, we are so small in it) and in exaltation (we are made in the divine image, we have the power to create, we are called upon to heal and build and repair)—that, not sin and salvation, is the core duality of human existence in the Judaism I know.

We call on God as healer often, but that relationship goes both ways.

I mentioned this in the tags of an earlier post, but I wanted to explain a bit more about the alienated, shattered, exiled, othered imagery of the Divine in Judaism, and how that image of the Divine speaks deeply to me as a queer, non-binary Jew.

The Shechinah, the Divine Presence, is described in feminine terms and She goes with the Jewish people into galus, exile, at the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. What does it mean, for us to imagine G-d as being in exile with us? It's a profound image. We are exiled from our land, from the Beis HaMikdash and the closeness to the Divine Presence that it allowed, yes. But we are not totally cut off; the grief we feel is shared by Hashem Herself as we build a sacred remnant together in the diaspora. What does it mean, for the Divine Presence to be in exile with us, instead of whole? What do we learn from the idea that the sacred feminine is broken, exiled, and alienated along with the rest of klal Yisrael from the masculine Malchus? What does it say that the world will only be perfected (takken olam) when Hashem is One and Ha-Shem is One?

There is another image of the Divine that I've described here before, the holy darkness. The sacred dark that was before the beginning, that begins our days with ma'ariv, and that teaches us the lessons of infinity as the backdrop of the universe. To me it is a beautiful image, this idea that we are all sheltering under the wings of the Shechinah - that our darkness is the protective dark of an embrace. That we are held in a sukkat shalom - a shelter of peace. Like our sukkot, this does not mean we are safe or protected from the elements, but more that our home - our true home - is under the stars, and that no matter what, we are not alone. This article had a lot more fascinating things to say about this as well.

And finally, this image of a hidden G-d, a G-d that weeps for our suffering in G-d's hidden place (mistarim), who speaks silently, in the still small voice within our hearts. There's a drash that I'm still trying to track down about this because it was from several years ago, but it was about this hidden place of Hashem that G-d retreats to in order to grieve the sorrows of the world and how, if we truly want to be close to G-d, we will sit silently in that hidden place alongside Him.

These images and metaphors for G-d are not what is typically imagined. Most concepts of G-d are majestic in scope and elevated in stature. They are filled with the piercing bright light of clarity and gilded with the gold of the Mishkan, the First Temple, and the Second Temple. But we live in a humbler time. Hashem is Avinu Malkeinu - our compassionate, forgiving Father and the Ruler of the Universe, but what does that divine concept do for us when we live in a broken and unredeemed world? How can that traditional understanding of G-d speak to us when we are calling out to G-d from the depths? And especially for those of us who are seen as broken, dwelling in darkness, often hiding our true selves, and exiled from where we belong, how much more powerful is an understanding of G-d that goes into that exile with us and holds us in our grief and hard-won joy, as we endure together?

[paganimagevault]

Statues of Mount Nemrut 62 BCE. The bottom picture is an artistic representation of what the monuments would look like restored. Left to right: Apollo, Tyche (fertility Goddess of the Commagene's), Zeus, Antiochus I Theos, and Herakles. The other images are the statues in their current state. The monuments were ordered constructed by Antiochus I Theos of Commagene, who was half Greek half Iranian. There are more images and descriptions on my blog, link at bottom.

"A large inscription is carved into the back of the colossal statues at the East- and West-Terrace. At the back of the Zeus statue, you can read the letters N O M O [ (Nomos). Here, the Holy Law of Antiochos begins. The Nomos of the Nemrud can be regarded as the testament of Antiochos.

...

The Great King Antiochos, the God, the Righteous One, the Manifest (Deity), the Friend of the Romans and the Greeks, the Son of King Mithridates Kallinikos and of Laodike the Brother-loving Goddess, the Daughter of King Antiochos Epiphanes, the Mother-loving, the Victorious, has recorded for all time, on consecrated pedestals with inviolable letters the deeds of his clemency.

I have come to believe that, for mankind, of all good things piety is both the most secure possession and also the sweetest enjoyment. This judgment became, for me, the cause of fortunate power and its blessed use; and during my whole life I have appeared to all men as one who thought holiness the most secure guardian and the unrivaled delight of my reign (or kingdom). By this means I have, contrary to all expectations, escaped great perils, have easily become master of hopeless situations, and in a blessed way have attained to the fullness of a long life. After taking over my father’s dominion, I announced, in the piety of my thought, that the kingdom subject to my throne should be the common dwelling place of all the Gods, in that by means of every kind of art I decorated the representations of their form, as the ancient lore of Persians and of Greeks–the fortunate roots of my ancestry–had handed them down (to us), and honoured them with sacrifices and festivals, as was the primitive rule and the common custom of all mankind; in addition my own just consideration has further devised still other and especially brilliant honors. And as I have taken forethought to lay the foundation of this sacred tomb, which is to be indestructible by the ravages of time, in closest proximity to the heavenly throne, wherein the fortunately preserved outer form of my person, preserved to ripe old age, shall, after the soul beloved by God has been sent to the heavenly thrones of Zeus Oromasdes, rest through immeasurable time,

…. so I chose to make this holy place a common consecrated seat of all the Gods; so that not only the heroic company of my ancestors, whom you behold before you, might be set up here by my pious devotion, but also that the divine representation of the manifest deities might be consecrated on the holy hill and that his place might likewise not be lacking in witness to my piety.

Therefore, as you see, I have set up these divine images of Zeus-Oromasdes and of Apollo-Mithras-Helios-Hermes and of Artagnes-Herakles-Ares, and also of my all-nourishing homeland Kommagene; and from one and the same quarry, throned likewise among the deities who hear our prayers, I have consecrated the features of my own form, and have caused the ancient honor of great deities to become the coeval of a new Tyche. Since I thereby, in an upright way, imitated the example of the divine Providence, which as a benevolent helper has so often been seen standing by my side in the struggles of my reign. Adequate property in land and an inalienable income therefrom have I set aside for the ample provision of sacrifices; an unceasing cult and chosen priests arrayed in such vestments as are proper to the race of the Persians have I inaugurated, and I have dedicated the whole array and cult in a manner worthy of my fortune and the majesty of the Gods. I have decreed the appropriate laws to govern the sacred observances thus established for everlasting, so that all the inhabitants of my realm may offer both the ancient sacrifices, required by age-old common custom, and also new festivals in honor of the Gods and in my honor. The birthday of my natural body, the sixteenth of Audnaios, and the tenth of Loos, the day of my accession to the throne, I have consecrated to the manifestation of the great deities, who were my guides in a prosperous beginning and have been the source of universal blessing for my whole kingdom.

Because of the multitude of offering and the magnificence of the celebration I have consecrated two additional days, each of them as an annual festival. The population of my empire I have divided up for the purpose of these assemblies, festival gatherings, and sacrifices, and directed them to repair by villages and cities to the nearest sanctuaries, whichever is most conveniently located for the festival observance. Moreover, I have appointed under the same title that, in addition to the observance just named, my birth on the sixteenth and my accession on the tenth shall be observed every month by the priests. Now that these regulations have been established, to be observed continually as the pious duty of men of understanding, not only in my honor but also in the blessed hope of their own good fortune, I have, in obedience to the inspiration of the Gods, ordered to be inscribed upon sacred, inviolable stelae a holy law, which shall be binding upon all generations of mankind who in the immeasurable course of time, through their special lot in life, shall successively be destined to dwell in this land; they must observe it without violation, knowing that the stern penalty of the deified royal ancestors will pursue equally the impiety occasioned by neglect as that occasioned by folly and that disregard of the law decreed for the honor of the heroes brings with it inexorable penalties. For the pious it is all a simple matter, but godlessness is followed by backbreaking burdens. This law my voice has proclaimed, but it is the mind of the Gods that has given it authority. NOMOΣ – LAW The priest who is appointed by me for these Gods and heroes, whom I have dedicated at the sacred tomb of my body, on the topmost ridges of the Taurus range, and who shall at a later time hold this office, he, set free from very other duty, shall without let or hindrance and with no excuse for evasion keep watch at his memorial and devote himself to the care and the proper adornment of these sacred images. On the birthdays which I have established forever as monthly and annual festivals of the Gods and of my own person, throughout the whole year he shall, himself decently garbed in Persian raiment, as my benefaction and the ancestral custom of our race have provided, crown them all with the gold crowns which I have dedicated as the sacred honors due the deified ancestors; and out of income from the villages, which I have designated for the sacred honors of the heroic race, he shall offer on these altars rich additional offerings of incense and aromatic herbs, and also splendid sacrifices in honor of the Gods and in my honor,

….. in worthy wise setting up sacred tables with appropriate foods and filling jars from the winepress with precious drink (that is, wine mixed with water). He shall hospitably welcome the whole of the assembled people, both the native and the foreigners who stream hither, and he shall provide for the common enjoyment of the feast by the assembled multitudes, in that, as is the custom, he shall take for himself a portion, as a gift in honor of the priestly office, and then distribute the rest of my benefaction to the others for their free enjoyment, so that during the holy days everyone may receive a never failing sustenance and may thus be able to celebrate the festival without running the risk of malicious calumny. The drinking cups, which I have dedicated, are to be used by them as long as they remain in the holy place and participate in the general assembly for the feast.

The group of musicians whom I have chosen for the purpose and those who may later be consecrated, their sons and daughters, and also their descendants shall all learn the same art and be set free from the burden of every other responsibility; and they are to devote themselves to the observances which I have established to the end, and without any evasion are to continue their services as long as the assembly requests it. No one, no king or ruler, no priest or official shall ever make slaves of these hierodules, whom I have, in accordance with the divine will, consecrated to the Gods and to my own honors, or their children or the descendants of their children, who shall continue their family to all later time; he shall neither enslave them to himself nor alienate them to anyone else in any way, nor injure one of them, nor deprive him of this ministry; but the priests shall take care of them, and the kings, officials, and all private persons shall stand by them, and the favor of the Gods and heroes will be laid up for them as a reward for their piety.

It is equally not permitted for anyone to appropriate or to alienate the villages which I have dedicated to these Gods, to sell them or to devote them to some other purpose, or in any way to injure those villages; or to reduce the income from them, which I have dedicated to the Gods as an inviolable possession. Nor shall anyone go unpunished who shall devise in his mind against our honor some other scheme of violence or of disparaging or suspending the sacrifices and festal assemblies which I have established. Whoever shall presume to rescind or to injure or guilefully to misinterpret the just tenor of this regulation or the heroic honors which an immortal judgment has sanctioned, him the wrath of the daemons and of all the Gods shall pursue, both himself and his descendants, irreconcilably, with every kind of punishment.

A noble example of piety, which it is a matter of sacred duty to offer to Gods and ancestors, I have set before the eyes of my children and grandchildren, as through many other, so too through this work; and I believe that they will emulate this fair example by continually increasing the honors appropriate to their line and, like me, in their riper years adding greatly to their personal fame. For those who do so I pray that all the ancestral Gods, from Persia and Macedonia and from the native hearth of Kommagene, may continue to be gracious to them in all clemency. And whoever, in the long time to come, takes over this reign as king or dynast, may he, if he observes this law and guards my honor, enjoy, through my intercession, the favor of the deified ancestors and all the Gods. But if he, in his folly of mind, undertakes measures contrary to the honor of the Gods, may he, even without my curse, suffer the full wrath of the Gods."

-The Nomos: The Holy Law of King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene

More images (tumblr only lets me upload 10 per post):

https://paganimagevault.blogspot.com/2020/04/statues-of-mount-nemrut-62-bce.html

[archesa]

to give you a whole bunch of character asks (should you want them), have 1, 12, 13, 29, and 38 for two beebs of your choosing! :D @kerra-and-company

Thanks a lot for that second round!! :D For the record, I will never not want character asks ^^ I considered for a while which character I wanted to do that with, but those who came the most naturally (the questions fit them) are Elianora and Anwen!

1 - what kind of clothing does your character like to wear? do they have a style? anything they avoid wearing?

Elianora will often try and reconcile style and comfort. She's not opposed to showing a little skin and wearing extravagant clothes but only if they remain practical and comfortable (she's a feral goblin who can't stand still in one place, so she needs the leeway!) She's not one to spend fortunes on clothing (money was scarce when she was young, remember) but she will renew her wardrobe every once in a while if something strikes her fancy.

As for colours, she wears mainly teal and purple, and while she enjoys brighter colours, yellow and oranges are quite a clash with her carnation and hair colour!

Anwen has worn the exact same set of armour since she first took her vow and she's not about to change now! She goes great lengths to have her armour restored or to have identical pieces crafted when the original are beyond repair or lost (her first set of pauldrons did not survive her fight against the elemental at Shaemoor, and the ones Faren offered her as a gift to celebrate her feat are now lost, abandonned in the heart of thorns along with her sunken chestplate, courtesy of Faolain!) As for her clothes when she's not on the battlefield, she will wear ample shirts, blue or violet vests, dark breeches... Comfortable clothes above all else, even if she might, albeit reluctantly, don a dress or a ballgown should the occasion arise.

All her clothes have been bought from the same tailor since Faren and her were old enough to walk. The artisan was even actually the one of the first who picked on their complementarity and subtly influenced their colour schemes, Faren wearing red and oranges while his sister donned purple and blue.

12 - what color would they paint their room? would there be a design on the ceiling?

Elianora has a stellar map painted on her ceiling. The constellations are not perfectly accurate, but it's a perfect excuse to point the mistakes, and climb on the roof to stargaze.

Anwen has coils of ivy and wisteria painted on the ceiling of the master bedroom of her manor in Divinity's Reach, and real wisteria running on the ceiling in her bedroom in Caer Aval.

13 - what helps them fall asleep when they're having trouble doing so?

Cuddling! Knowing the person they love is there, safe, with them, listening to their heartbeat or their breathing, laying her head on Trahearne's shoulder to read with him for Anwen, listening to Lucius' humming or his tales for Elianora... But in the rare case their loved one is not there to lull them to sleep...

Elianora will have tea or cinnamon spiced milk and stargaze until slumber claims her.

Anwen will either read or write a letter to Trahearne if he's away (one she'll actually send!), telling him what's she'd done during her day, what made her think of him, that she misses him and 'oh I managed to garner a cutting of that fire orchid you liked from my last letter, I hope it will survive the journey and we can have it take root in the greenhouses, heat and humidity don't seem to bother it, so it might do well in the southern parts of the archipel! and contrary to most of the species we’ve reintroduced it’s actually geographically close, so chances are it originally grew in Orr before the cataclysm!'.

29 - if they wear any, where did they get their jewelry?

Elianora got hers from Dalor's workshop - the apple and the leaf.

Anwen wears the broken half of her birthparents' amulet, the only thing that was found of them after the attack of their convoy (the other half, the one the White Mantle used to trick her into meeting their assassin in the Palace Gardens, she has put away in a lockbox and never worn). In the distant future, she will also wear a vine of the Pale Tree on her left hand.

38 - do they bother to clean ink/chalk/gunpowder/etc off of their fingers? are they likely to forget it's there and smudge their nose?

Elianora’s very careful with her appearance -- the fall from grace of her family and slander they were dragged in made her painfully aware that the tiniest little detail would be mocked and taken against her family’s already fragile reputation. She’s developped a wee little inferiority complex there, and tried to maintain an air of dignity and manners fit for a lady of her rank.

When those were mocked too, she retorted to casually using wind to dishevel, earth to loosen the cobblestones and water for mud to form juuuust right where said cobble would make the other trip. Nothing more satisfactory than seeing a sneering noble ruin an outfit that’s probably worht more than the house you inhabit because a gust of wind threw them off their sedan chair. (did I mention she’s a feral gremlin and a shrewd one at that?)

Anwen is quite the contrary. She’ll be very neat with her weapons and armour, and spend lots of time polishing her blade, or oiling the leather of her armour to keep it supple and the fastens secure (you really don’t want to get your armour stuck in an awkward angle in a fight, or your sword to dull or rust in its scabbard!). But otherwise, she’ll blattantly ignore ink stains, or chalk, electing to brush her hands on her sleeve or the leg of her breeches if there’s dust on them. Honestly, not that much of a flaw, when most of her time away from the field is spent gardening!

And bonus round because I had started answering this one for Anwen before I realised it was n°39 and not 38, soooo... (did anyone say adhd?)

39 - do they keep working even when their wrists start to cramp? if they do, do they give themselves a break when the work is done?

Anwen has spent many days and nights in the libraries of the Priory, studying the artefacts Sieran was set on treasure hunting, Orrian history when the Pact was first created and Fort Trinity built, or justreading about botany when sleep would fail to claim her.

On these study sessions, cramping was not scarce! As for ignoring the cramp, it will depend on how important the work is, or how urgent the thought. If she’s in a noisy environment, where she’s at risk of losing track of her thoughts, she will overcome pain and keep writing, just to get the thing on paper and then stop and either flick her wrist till the cramp is gone or take a break and get some fresh air.

[notalostcausejustyet]

All of OP's pics are excellent reads. Seriously, so good. I'm going to hop on here and add a couple of my favorite also educational fics!

Chemistry by @twilightcitysky is absolutely a roller coaster of feelings. Buckle up and learn all about neurochemistry and anatomy friends. How your limbic system works and the physical effects of chemical reactions in the body. I've re-read this one a few times. Author is a bona-fide neuroscientist and it's an amazing and heart touching read. Smut is also delicious.

Second is Divine Restorations & Repairs, a joint project. You learn odds and ends about book binding, clock repair, carpentry, leather work and ceramic repair as well as a tiny bit of mechanic stuffs. This was the second long GO fic I read after Pray for us Icarus murdered me and it was like a warm hug. Bonus is you get Crowley quoting poetry during sexy times!

Stalwart Sun, Wily Moon! A proper heist fic, probably one of my fave reads ever in any genre. Learn all about art restoration and authentication! This one is just so much fun! And the art is just gorgeous.

(Recommended) GOOD OMENS FICS THAT TEACH YOU STUFF

Was inspired by @maaikeatthefullmoon who posted a fic rec list, and I wanted to do something similar.

Because I like to learn while I read. Sometimes I’ll read a fic and had no idea that Things Could Be Like That, and I’m just floored, thinking about it for days, googling and crying. As I haven’t the best memory, I might have forgotten some, and I might add more later. Everything is rated E or M because I only read the slick and sloppy.

THE LIST

1: For Loving One (AU) - World War II has never really interested me, and I didn’t know much about what it was like to be queer back then. I just assumed almost everyone was out to get you (and I wasn’t wrong), but I just didn’t have any reference material. Now I do, as it’s clear the author knows a lot about this topic. This is a beautiful story, well researched, with just enough happy and just enough angst. I’ve learned a lot, entirely without meaning to.

2: Epistolary - one of my favorite tropes, which is Crowley finding and reading Aziraphale’s diary and stumbling upon very private thoughts and YearningTM throughout history. There are plagues, there are Aztec ritual sacrifices, there’s a long-haired, sleeping Crowley in a cave and Aziraphale losing his mind yearning over (literally over) said sleeping Crowley.

3: exodus2 (canon compliant AU - yes, it’s possible) - Ezra and Crowley, programming students in their early 20s, meet at university in a totalitarian European state, and both have an interest in banned media and causing some trouble. You’ll learn some Hebrew, some Yiddish and Scandinavian - and how to start an insurrection against the State. And, there are (banned) book recommendations!

4: A Godawful Small Affair - What if Vince Taylor wasn’t Bowie’s inspiration for Ziggy Stardust? A fic that placed me firmly in a music scene I’ve never immersed myself in, in a decade I somehow skipped over. Yes, I know, I’m weird - but I’ve learned a lot! It’s sweet and it really feels probable.

5: Rough Enough for Love (AU) - As an AFAB person, I’ve learned so much about… uh, the subjective intricacies of AMAB anatomy. Also, it’s nice to skip the yearning sometimes and just read them having their cake and eating it too.

6: The False and the Fair (AU) - I knew nothing about West Virginia, nor about coal mining. It has all the feels and if this was about anyone other than the ineffables I wouldn’t have read it and I would have missed out. I’ve learned so much about a society and a setting so far from everything I thought I was interested in. Don’t miss out!

7: A Gift of Words - Okay, it’s not slick and sloppy - but VERY sweet, and I learned a lot about Gutenberg and the printing press. Crowley changes the world for his angel, by giving him (arguably) his most favorite thing.

—

Let me know if YOU wrote a fic in which you teach the reader about something you have special knowledge of! I’d like to read, learn and link to it.

As a treat: a picture of a peacock because I’m on holiday in Portugal.

And yes, one of my fics is in there. Not ashamed. Hah!

[one-with-the-floor]

Friday Fic Rec: Divine Restorations & Repairs

New thing I’m trying! I’ve been reading more fic again recently and a lot of it’s amazing, so every week I’ll pick one to talk about here!

This week’s fic is Divine Restorations & Repairs by @sylwritesstuff and @skimmingmilk​! It’s Aziraphale/Crowley, about 300k, and E rated BUT the authors are exceptionally wonderful people and added links to the text so that you can skip over the E rated sections very easily.

Divine Restorations & Repairs is a human AU with absolutely gorgeous detail and a very compelling plot. A lot of pining and angst, domestic fluff a little farther in, and just a touch of physical danger to get you on the edge of your seat by the end. (I read this whole fic in about a week, when I haven’t managed to finish anything this long in months.)

A very down on his luck Crowley picks up and goes looking for a new start, when his car breaks down outside of a small town. But an angel with an umbrella comes and rescues him from the rain, and by the time his car is fixed up, neither of them is sure if they want him to leave.

The fic mostly takes place in Aziraphale’s family restoration shop, where he restores old books alongside a beautifully cast set of secondary characters.  (Seriously, this is one of my favorite Anathemas I’ve ever read in a fic. She’s spunky and vocal, but we also get to see her vulnerable side, and the way she pushes Aziraphale to take action is so clever.) The amount of research that went into describing the repair processes is mind boggling—I don’t know anything about book or clock repair, but I was never lost or bored by the details scattered into the story. It’s all done so casually that it flows right into the writing.

Make sure you check the tags before diving into this one—Crowley’s past was not a good one, and Aziraphale’s family is downright horrible to him. But there is a lovely happy ending, and even in the worst of moments Aziraphale and Crowley are always supportive of each other.

10/10, highly recommend, if it sounds like your cup of tea go check it out!

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Devotional Hours Within the Bible

by J.R. Miller

The Visit to Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30)

Christ never forgot the place where He had spent His childhood years. We are not given many facts of His life there. Nothing indicates that there was anything unusual in the story of the thirty years He spent there. The more we think of His life at Nazareth as simply natural, without anything unusual - the nearer shall we come to the true picture of the boy and young man - who grew up in the lowly village of Nazareth. Our passage today tells of His visit to His old home after He had been away for many months.

"He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up." It was not an easy place for Jesus to visit. Everybody knew Him. He had lived there for thirty years. He had been playmate and schoolmate with the children of His own age. He had been a carpenter, doing work for many years in the shop and about the town. The young men of Nazareth thought themselves as good as He was, and were not in any mood to receive instruction from Him. It is easy for us to understand the prejudice and envy with which people listened to Jesus, as He spoke to them that day in their synagogue.

There are some lessons to be taken, however, from our Lord's example in thus going back to Nazareth. One is that we ought to seek the good of our own neighbors and friends. Many young men go away from plain country or village homes, and in other and wider spheres rise to prominence and influence. Such ought not in their eminence, to forget their old home. They owe much to it. It is pleasant to hear of rich men giving libraries or establishing hospitals or doing other noble things for the town in which they were born. Among our first obligations, is that which we owe to our old friends and neighbors .

Another lesson is, that as young people - we ought to live so carefully that when we grow up - we may be able to go back to our old home and, in the midst of those who have know us all our life, witness for God. There are some men, good and great now; who's preaching would have but small effect where they were brought up - because of the way they lived during their youth. Sins of youth - break the power of life's testimonies in later years. A blameless youth-time, makes one's words strong in mature days.

"And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath Day, and stood up to read" (Luke 4:16). Here we have a glimpse of our Lord's religious habits. From childhood, His custom had been to attend the synagogue service on the Sabbath. Here are good shoe prints for young people to set their feet in. The time to begin to attend church-is in youth. Habits formed then - stay with us all our life. If our custom is to stay away then from church services, we will be very apt to keep up that custom when we get older. On the other hand, if we go to church regularly from childhood, the custom will become so wrought into our life - that in after years we shall not incline to stay away. And the value of such a habit is very great.

"He opened the book, and found the place where it was written." The book was part of the Old Testament. Some people have the feeling that the Old Testament is dry and uninteresting. But we see here what precious things Jesus found in it, that day in the synagogue. The passage which He quoted drips with the sweetness and tenderness of divine love. It is a great honeycomb of gospel grace !

Some men were about to tear down an old frame house, long unoccupied. When they began to remove the outer boarding, they found a mass of honey. As they removed the boards at different points they discovered the whole side of the house, between the weather boarding and the plastering, was filled with honey. People regard the Old Testament as an old, worn-out book, a mere relic of old ceremonial days. But when they begin to open it - they find honey, and as they look into it at other points they find that all the passages, in among the histories, the chronicles of war, and the descriptions of ceremonial rites - are full of sweetest honey! Here is a bit of dripping honey-comb, and there are hundreds more, which are just as rich. We do not know what we lose - when we do not study the Old Testament.

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed ." These are the special classes of people - to whom Jesus was sent. What a picture this is of humanity! Some people ridicule what the bible says about Adam and Eve's FALL. They tell us there never was a fall, and that the world is all right. They talk eloquently about the grandeur of human life. But this eighteenth verse certainly looks very much like the picture of a very bad ruin. Read the description - poor, prisoners, blind, oppressed. There is not much grandeur in that. Anyone who goes about and looks honestly at life - knows that the picture is not over-drawn. On every hand we see the wreck and ruin caused by sin. Then suffering and sorrow follow, and hearts and lives are crushed and bruised!

But there is something here a great deal brighter than this sad picture. Light breaks on the ruin - as we read that it was to repair such moral desolation as we see here that Jesus came. He came "to preach good news to the poor; to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed." He saw in all these ruins of humanity, something that by His grace - He could make beautiful enough for heaven and glory. Christ is a restorer. There are men who take old, dimmed, effaced, almost destroyed pictures - and restore them until they appear nearly as beautiful as when they first came from the artist's hand. So Christ comes to ruined souls, and by the power of His love and grace - He restores them until they wear His own beauty in the presence of God!

"To preach the acceptable year of the Lord." For the Jews this "acceptable year" closed with the condemnation of the Messiah. Jesus stood on Olivet and looked down upon the city and wept over it and said, "If you had known, even you, the things which belong unto your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes!" (Luke 10:42). When He spoke these words, amid the rush of tears and with loud outcry of grief, "the acceptable year" closed. After that - the doom hung over the beautiful city, which in forty years burst upon it in all its woe and terribleness. This is history.

But there is another way to look at this matter. There is an "acceptable year" for each soul. It begins when Christ first comes to us and offers salvation. It continues while He stands at our door and knocks. It closes when we drive Him away from our door by utter and final rejection - or when death comes upon us unsaved and hurries us away forever from the world of mercy. Since the past is gone and there is no certain future to anyone, the "acceptable year" to us all is NOW. Shall we allow it to pass and close - while we remain unsaved?

"Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." Seven hundred years before, had the words been written. Now Jesus reads them and says to the people: "I am the One to whom the description refers! I am the One the prophet meant!" The whole Old Testament was full of Christ; and the New Testament is full of fulfillments of the Old Testament.

It is pleasant, too, to take this particular passage and show how Christ indeed fulfilled in His life and ministry - the mission which the prophet marked out for Him. He preached to the poor, He healed the broken - hearted. Wherever He went, the sorrowing and the troubled flocked about Him. As a magnet draws steel filings to itself - out of a heap of rubbish; so did the heart of Christ draw to Him the needy, the sad, the suffering, and the oppressed. He was the friend of sinners. He brought deliverance to sin's captives, setting them free and breaking their chains. He opened blind eyes ; not only blind natural eyes to see the beautiful things of this world - but also blind spiritual eyes to see spiritual things. Then He lifted the yoke off the crushed and oppressed, inviting all the weary to Himself to find rest. His whole life was simply a filling out of this outline sketch !

They "rose up, and thrust Him out of the city, and led Him unto the brow of the hill… that they might cast Him down." Their envy grew into murderous rage. We see first, the danger of allowing envious feelings to stay in our hearts; they are sure to grow into greater bitterness, and may lead us into open and terrible sin. We should instantly check every thought or motion of envy, anger or hatred - and cast it out of our heart.

This act shows also the natural hatred of God which is in human hearts. We talk severely of the Jews' rejection of their Messiah - but this opposition to God is not exclusively a Jewish quality. Is it not the same with all of us? So long as the divine teaching runs along in lines that are pleasing to us, we assent, and applaud the beauty of God's truth. But when the teaching falls against our own tendencies and dispositions and opinions - we wince, and too often declare our disbelief. They tried to kill Him; is not the rejection of many people now just as violent? They would kill Him if they could!

His word was with authority. His words are always with authority. We remember how all things hearkened to His words and obeyed them. Diseases fled at His command. The winds and waves were quieted and hushed at His word. The water changed to wine at His bidding. The dead in their graves heard His call and answered. Evil spirits owned His lordship. Nothing for a moment resisted His authority. Shall we not take Christ's Word as the rule of our faith and of our conduct? Shall we not yield to His authority?

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #87: Fionn mac Cumhaill

Today on Fate and Phantasms, we’re making the golden King of Spooks, Fionn mac Cumhaill! Finn mcCool knows the shape of water, and can use it to smack around enemies or heal allies. He also knows everything, as long as he’s biting his thumb.

Check out Fionn’s build breakdown below the cut, or his character sheet over here!

Next up: Bring me the biggest spear you have. No, not “a big spear”, the biggest you have.

Race and Background

Fionn’s a Human, giving him +1 to all ability scores. He’s also a Knight of Fianna, or more generally, a Knight of the Order. This gives him proficiency in Persuasion and Arcana. He has plenty of magic knowledge on top of his magic fish knowledge, so he should be able to know some stuff even without biting his thumb.

Ability Scores

Fionn’s smart, but we’re going with Strength as his highest stat. We won’t focus on it too hard, so it’s important that it starts off strong. Second is Intelligence; Fionn’s surprisingly intelligent, and trained in spellcasting. Third is Constitution: you hit people with a sharpened stick to fight, you’ve got to be prepared for some pushback. Your Wisdom is a little low, considering your classes, but we’ll fix it in post. Your Dexterity is also low, but you can get away with that; you actually wear armor. Sometimes. Dump Charisma, you’re famous for your marital problems.

Class Levels

1. Fighter 1: You are a lancer, your main method of combat is Sharp Stick A Goes in Enemies 1-3, and that means you’re a fighter. At first level, fighters get a Fighting Style, and Dueling will help balance out your spear’s damage between one- and two-handed modes. You also get a Second Wind, letting you spend a bonus action to heal yourself 1d10+your fighter level.

2. Fighter 2: At second level, you can use an Action Surge once per short rest to add an extra action to your turn, for when you really need to push yourself.

3. Fighter 3: At third level, you get a fighter subclass, and the Eldritch Knight will pick us up a couple spells that we wouldn’t be able to get otherwise. They use Intelligence as their casting modifier. You also learn how to make a Weapon Bond. It takes an hour but can be done while resting, and bonding with a weapon lets you summon it as a bonus action if it’s on the same plane, and you can’t be disarmed unless you’re incapacitated. You can have up to two bonded weapons at a time, but can only summon one per action.

For your spells, Shape Water, Ray of Frost, and Frost Fingers will give you some useful ways to use water, whether for utility or combat. There aren’t really that many damaging water-based spells, so we have to reflavor ice instead. Also pick up Shield, because everyone deserves a good shield, and Healing Elixir from the Unearthed Arcana “Starter Spells” to create a healing potion that lasts up to 24 hours. This is the most accurate version of your healing water we’ll get, but there’ll be plenty of other healing options later as well.

4. Cleric 1: Your powers of wisdom came to you from a fish, but it isn’t nearly as needy as a warlock patron, so a Knowledge Cleric is your closest alternative. At first level you can cast and prepare Spells using your Wisdom. You also get a Blessing of Knowledge, giving you doubled proficiency in History and Nature. 

For your spells, Guidance and Resistance help you figure out ability checks and saving throws respectively, adding 1d4 to the next one the target does while you’re concentrating on the spell. Light creates light to help your dumb human eyes see in the dark. You also get first level spells, including the domain spells Command and Identify, which don’t count towards the number of spells you can prepare per day. The former is part of your subclass’s mind control spells, which don’t fit your build at all, but the latter lets you bite your thumb to find out more about a magical item you’re touching, or the spells affecting whatever it is you’re touching.

For other spells to prepare, Create and Destroy Water and Purify Food and Drink both give you more water creation spells, and Healing Word is another way to use your water to heal someone as a bonus action. Just hope somebody else has prestidigitation so they can dry off afterwards.

5. Cleric 2: Second level clerics get Channel Divinity options. Turn Undead forces all undead near you to make a wisdom save (8+your wisdom modifier + proficiency) or be forced to run away from you until they take damage. The more in-character option is Knowledge of the Ages. Spending an action biting your thumb gives you proficiency in one skill or tool for 10 minutes. Regardless of which one you choose, you can only use them once per short rest.

6. Cleric 3: Third level clerics get second level spells, including the domain spells Augury and Suggestion. Again, ignore the mind-control and check out how Augury lets you determine how a strategy you’re about to put into action will turn out within the next 30 minutes. Everything you got before this point only helps you determine things that already happened, now it’s time for some true wisdom. 

For non-domain spells, Lesser Restoration and Protection from Poison both increase your ability to to heal and protect your party members.

7. Cleric 4: At level seven we finally get our first Ability Score Improvement. Round up your Intelligence and Wisdom for stronger spells and more prepared cleric spells.

Speaking of spells, pick up Mending to help yourself repair your armor when it inevitably gets cut up by your next marital spat.

8. Cleric 5: At fifth level, your Turn Undead becomes Destroy Undead, automatically killing any undead of CR 1/2 or lower that fails your wisdom save. You also get third level spells, like your domain spells, Nondetection and Speak with Dead. Sometimes even your thumb doesn’t have the answers-check in with the local skeleton for another shot at figuring out what’s going on.

You could also use Clairvoyance to see other areas, or Spirit Shroud for your first new offensive option since level three. It wraps your weapon in water for extra cold damage, and slows down enemies starting their turn within 10 feet of you.

9. Cleric 6: You can now Channel your Divinity twice per long rest, and you can use it to force a creature to make a wisdom save. On a failure, you can Read their Thoughts for up to a minute, or until you end the effect to cast Suggestion on them for free, and without a saving throw. This probably isn’t really in the Salmon of Wisdom’s wheelhouse, but it’s your campaign, use what you’ve got.

10. Cleric 7: Seventh level clerics gain access to fourth level spells. Arcane Eye lets you create an invisible spy drone that lasts for up to an hour and has unlimited range. You also get Confusion.

For out-of-domain spells, Divination gives you an even more powerful augury, with a time limit of a week instead of 30 minutes. You could also use Locate Creature to lock onto a target, or Control Water to, you guessed it, control water. This lets you create a flood, part the water, redirect the flow, or create a whirlpool within 100′ cube of water. The spell lasts for up to 10 minutes, and you can change or continue your chosen effect each turn.

11. Cleric 8: Use your next ASI to bump up your Strength for a stronger spear. Also, your Destroy Undead kills creatures of CR 1 or lower, and you gain Potent Spellcasting, adding your wisdom modifier to the damage of any cleric cantrip you cast. If only you knew any...

12. Cleric 9: Ninth level clerics get fifth level spells, like Legend Lore and Scrying as part of your domain. The former gives you information about things you already know about as long as it’s legendary, and the latter lets you spy on a creature that fails a wisdom saving throw or location you have seen before. As long as you can stand the taste of your own thumb, you’re truly omniscient.

Pretty much every other spell we’re interested in past this point is another kind of healing, so I won’t keep pointing them out to you. 

13. Cleric 10: Tenth level clerics can get Divine Intervention; as an action, you can roll a d100, and if you roll equal to or lower than your cleric level, your god descends from on high to aid you. You can use this once per long rest, with a seven day cooldown after a success. I’m not sure how much a tasty salmon will be able to help, but maybe you need help distracting some bears? You also pick up Spare the Dying, in case your healing hasn’t been enough already.

14. Cleric 11: Eleventh level clerics see their Destroy Undead kill creatures of CR 2 or lower, and they get 6th level spells. Unfortunately, it’s more healing- you’ll just have to upcast your damaging spells if you want them to keep up.

15. Cleric 12: Use this ASI to empower your Wisdom for more and stronger cleric spells. 

16. Cleric 13: Use your seventh level spell slots for Regenerate, or even higher casted spells.

17. Cleric 14: Your Destroy Undead reaches its penultimate form, killing creatures CR 3 or lower.

18. Cleric 15: You gain 8th level spells for even more healing. Frankly, the dearth of cold spells in general is appalling, but especially so at higher levels.

19. Cleric 16: Anyway, use your last ASI for more Constitution, for better concentration checks and more health.

20. Cleric 17: Your capstone level is a pretty sweet one. Your Destroy Undead increases in power, destroying undead of CR 4 or lower. You also gain Visions of the Past, letting you meditate for at least one minute to receive visions of the recent past. You can either meditate on an object, learning about the most recent owner of the object (other than you, obviously), and learning about another owner for each extra minute you spend. You can also meditate on an area, seeing a different significant event in the area for each minute you meditate. In both cases, you only see visions from up to a number of days equal to your wisdom score ago, and you can use this feature once per short rest.

You also get access to ninth level spells, like Power Word Heal, the most powerful healing magic you could have.

Pros:

You’re a solid Healer, like most clerics are if they want to be.

As a knowledge cleric, you’re probably the most learned member of your party. with the ability to be proficient in any skill you need to be and your ability to learn the impossible, very few mysteries will stay that way for long while you’re around.

You’re also pretty hard to kill as a front-line fighter. Combining your weapon skills with your amount of healing means you can last a long time in combat.

Cons:

Your eldritch knight spells make up very little of your spell list, but they’re also the majority of your magical damage, so that splits up your casting modifiers and makes it harder to level either one up as high as you could otherwise.

Multiclassing into fighter gives you extra martial options, but it comes at the cost of missing out on a guaranteed divine intervention at level 20 of cleric.

There aren’t that many spells that do cold damage in the cleric spell list, especially at high levels, so your ability to deal damage doesn’t grow with you as you level up.

[itsscottiesstark]

Yes, this post was inspired by a fic I'm reading.

Aziraphale was warm and comfortable, pressing down on him in some perfect combination of pillow and weighted blanket. Crowley was fairly certain those weren’t the right words to use, so stroked his back and picked simpler ones. Metaphors had never been his strong suit anyway. “You feel good. Dunno how many different ways I have to tell you I like you. I like thisss.” He squeezed, gentle but meaningful. “You’re not too heavy. You’re fine. You’re bloody beautiful, and I want you to stay right where you are.”

“Oh.” Aziraphale hugged him back a little tighter, dropping a quick kiss to his shoulder. Crowley said it so simply. Like it was ridiculous to even fathom anything contrary. Even the way he held him, clung to him, like he’d have something more to say about it if Aziraphale dared to take his warmth and weight away. “I think I quite like your different ways of telling me,” he admitted, pressing his smile to his skin. “And I quite like you as well.”

Divine Restorations & Repairs, by @sylwritesstuff and @skimmingmilk

10/10, wonderful stuff

Not to be horny on main but seeing people writing fanfiction!Aziraphale with insecurities about his weight makes me so sad cause I know it's unfortunately based on reality but then I see Crowley's reaction to Aziraphale's body and I'm like yes gurl you're absolutely right I agree with Crowley's sentiment wholeheartedly, get it.

[shinymoonbird]

“UMASAHASRAM” AND ITS COMPOSITION

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“Uma Sahasram” is a 1000-verse poem on the Divine Mother Parvati / Uma, Composed by Vaśiṣṭha Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni.

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Articulated by Sri K. Natesan in Collected Works of Vasishtha Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni.

It is customary in our spiritual tradition to endow the nameless, formless, qualityless Absolute Brahman with a thousand names (sahasranama) or with three hundred names (trishati), and also with one hundred and eight names (ashtottarashatanama). It is a unique experience to worship the Lord with these Divine names.

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"Umatrishati'', three hundred names of goddess Uma, is a most beautiful composition of the seerpoet Kavyakantha. This is one of his powerful, potent mantric utterances. The sound OM consists of three letters A U M. The word UMA too has these three letters in a transposed manner. This is the name of the Primordial Shakti, the Mother Goddess of the universe. In tantrashastra, Uma is considered to be the shaktapranava. Therefore, the trishati befittingly starts with the names Uma and Haimavati. The stories of Devi Mahatmyam find a place in this namavali (garland of names). The names of Navadurga; the ten cosmic powers of the Goddess, Dasha Mahavidya; the Saptamatrka (various incarnations of the goddess) are described in this poem. The saguna (with form) attributes of the Goddess from the tresses on her head down to her feet are also briefly narrated in some elegant verses. The trishati is an exceedingly terse composition. The poet says in the concluding verse that he has churned the ocean of all the vedas and shastras, taken the essence, the cream, which is the nectar in the form of the ``Three Hundred Names of Uma''. A recital of these names of Uma restores a person's poise in the Self and also dispels the fear of enemies, diseases, death and all other obstacles. 

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In Umashatakam goddess Uma, the Mother of the Universe, is adored in a hundred verses distributed over ten sections, each having ten verses. The first section explains the svarupa (characterstic nature) of Uma. The second and third deal with surrender. The fourth one is a prayer. Apitakuchamba, the consort of Arunachala, is praised in the fifth. The sixth extols the glory of the names of goddess Uma. The poet exhibits his genius in versification in both the seventh and eighth sections. In the eighth section the ten incarnations of Vishnu are also mentioned. The poet praises the compassionate glance of the Goddess in the ninth, and the spiritual aspect of the Goddess is extolled in the concluding ten verses.

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Umaksharamala extolls goddess Uma in fifty verses arranged in Sanskrit alphabetical order. All the vowels and consonants of the Sanskrit alphabet have been made use of in this poem.

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Umasahasram is the magnum opus of the Muni which he wrote after he accepted Sri Ramana Maharshi as his guru. He composed the Umasahasram as a part of his tapas, in gratitude to the great Goddess Uma for having given him the Maharshi as his Master. After the momentous meeting with the Maharshi in 1907, the Muni wanted to continue his tapas. At the suggestion of Sri Maharshi he repaired to the Mango Tree Cave in the Arunachala hills. Here he decided to compose a thousand verses in praise of goddess Uma, and the Maharshi gave his tacit approval and blessings. The Muni took a vow that he would complete the thousand verses in twenty days and started the composition on 26.11.1907. But no sooner did he begin the work an obstacle took place: a severe whitlow on the writing finger of his right hand afflicted him. But by the grace of the Goddess the finger healed miraculously and he resumed his writing.

On the last day (15.12.1907) he had yet to compose more than 200 verses. Resolutely facing the situation, he engaged five scribes and feverishly dictated all the required verses in the night. The Maharshi sat by his side with his eyes closed. It was midnight and all the verses of the Umasahasram were completed. The Maharshi then slightly opened his eyes and asked: ``Have you written down all that was said?'' ``With your abounding grace I have completed the task,'' replied the Muni, realizing that he owed to the Maharshi the sudden flurry of inspiration that seized him, enabling him to complete his immortal poem on Uma. As a result, each verse of Umasahasram has the potency of a mantra. A devoted recital or even the mere reading of it can bestow all happiness on the devout aspirant. As part of his tapas, the poet revised this sacred text seven times. A copy of the final text, in Ganapati Muni's own handwriting, was presented to Sri Aurobindo, before they met.

The text is divided into forty cantos, each having twentyfive verses. All the verses in each canto are of the same meter. In all, the poet has used twentynine different meters in this work. The first verse of each canto is a benedictory verse, extolling the smile of the Goddess Uma. The last verse in each canto mentions the name of the meter employed in the canto. The process of creation, the supreme form of the Empress of all, the manifestation of the Vedic and Tantric deities, the means to win their grace, yogic experiences resulting from their upasana, the truth of the ten great vidyas, the way of their adoration, the relevant sadhanas in the Upanishads such are the profound truths presented by the seerpoet in sublime poetry, drawing from the deep reservoir of his personal spiritual experiences. Umasahasram is a living synthesis of the Veda, the Upanishads and the Tantra, built out of his lifelong realization in Yoga. Each verse opens the door to spiritual experience.

https://sanskritdocuments.org/sites/umasahasram/composeumasahasram.html

Ramana sat in silence, then asked the Muni – “Did you write down all I spoke?” Jane Adams Art

[thegoodomensdumpster]

i just saw the wonderful Crowley art with dreidels and wanted to know if you've read divine restorations & repairs on ao3? there's an amazing jewish crowley and Aziraphale is SO SOFT

No, I don’t think I’ve read this one ! Only Four Cups of Wine, as I mentionned. I’m going to bookmark it for later, I’m already drowning in things to read right now, but thanks for the rec anon ! links: Four Cups of Wine Divine Restorations & Repairs