#Prayers Review

[maxdurden]

i figured out my order of the penguins embroidery pattern!!!

it took a lot of tweaking and experimentation, but i think i'm happy with it now lol. i've also finally decided on my color scheme for the project!

ᵃˡˢᵒ ᶦ ᶠᶦᵍᵘʳᵉᵈ ᵒᵘᵗ ʷʰᵃᵗ ʷᵃˢ ʷʳᵒⁿᵍ ʷᶦᵗʰ ᵐʸ ᵖʳᶦⁿᵗᵉʳ ˢᵒ ᵗʰᵃᵗ'ˢ ʰᵘᵍᵉ

warning: bad embroidery and rambling under the cut

i did have a reference photo for what the medals looked like,,, but they were carved on the bottom of a tin can over a hundred years ago so

if anyone has thoughts on what the words are here, pleeaassse let me know,, max van rysselberghe made the medals, so i'd assume they'd be in french, but one of the only clear words here is Ølsen??

i took artistic liberties obviously lol (some of which were inspired by the medal of the knights of the order of leopold), and chose to do the carving of "Speed! Deprivation!" in french bc i thought it'd be lame to have it in english lol

i originally envisioned it with a different font, but the font just didn't translate well to being embroidered the size i wanted things

i did some 'doodling' to see what worked best border

i used colors i was fine with wasting for this lol, but i'm gonna make multiple changes in the final product. i tried satin stitches with six strands of floss in the head of the cross, but didn't really like how it looked so i tried again on the right with three strands.

in the final project i'm gonna cut out the blue entirely and instead do the entire 'medal' in grey, and outline the penguins in grey as well. then i'll use the red for the cross and berries, and green for the leaves/stems.

i also think i'm going to change the outer medal outline from a chain stitch to a split stitch

ᵃˡˢᵒ ᶦᶠ ᵃⁿʸᵒⁿᵉ ʷᵃⁿᵗˢ ᵃ ᶜᵒᵖʸ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᶦˢ ᵖᵃᵗᵗᵉʳⁿ ʷᶦᵗʰ ᶜᵒˡᵒʳˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ˢᵗᶦᵗᶜʰᵉˢ ˡᵃᵇᵉˡᵉᵈ, ˡᵐᵏ. ᶦ ᶜᵃⁿ ᵐᵃᵏᵉ ᵒⁿᵉ,, ᶦ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᶠᶦᵍᵘʳᵉᵈ ⁿᵒ ᵒⁿᵉ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ʷᵃⁿᵗ ᶦᵗ ˢᵒ ᶦ ᵈᶦᵈⁿ'ᵗ ᵖᵘᵗ ᶦⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᵉᶠᶠᵒʳᵗ :³

this man simply will not let me have peace

[patron-saint-of-lesbeans]

Please pray for a religious order I was discerning entering. They had a review by the Vatican and as a result of the findings they cannot accept postulants for three years and are under a mother superior from outside the order with a very different charism and the authority to nullify their constitution. Pray for the sisters that they may accept and grow from this oversight, and for my own discernment.

[sbeana]

love anti american things sometimes. we just booked a room to stay in france for very cheap despite the location and amenities and we asked the owner oh how come and she said "americans are too lazy to walk up the stairs. us europeans remember our legs"

[ome-magical-ramblings]

Review: Spiritual Cleansing by Draja Mickaharic

If there's one book I would always go back to or always look back to or recommend to others it is this book! Seriously, that's how good this book is. To start with, this book is the best because it is direct, to the point, and only 100ish pages. I honestly have to put the following "warning" that the author himself puts in the start of the book:

Because some of these things sound simple and interesting, don't get an idea to “do a variation.” When you try to work “magic” using only your own enthusiasm you are treading in dangerous waters.

How do I sell you on this book? that's a funny way of me saying that this is the best book you will have in your library as a starting beginner. First let me mention some stuff from the book, which is evil eye being the first chapter and get dealt with so swiftly with a beer bath and there's no extra mystification or complicated procedure being given. As this whole book the procedures are simple but application of them consistently will proves their benefits. In the Arbatel itself we find the following:

God and Nature have ordained all things to a certain and appointed end: so that for examples sake, they who perform cures with the most simple herbs and roots, do cure the most happily of all. And in this manner, in Constellations, Words and Characters, Stones, and such like, do lie hid the greatest influences or vertues in deed, which are in stead of a miracle.

Protection while asleep, psychic, attacks, and stuff related to sleep and protecting your loved ones can be seen here where you can help someone who can't help themselves like a child or someone who's too weak to protect themselves at night.

My Favorite Chapter(4) is the bath/spiritual baths chapter. Every part of the bath from beginning to end is filled with gems and wisdom that you will not regret. 4 Cleansing baths, 12 herbal bath, 6 household items baths, 2 love baths, and 4 nut baths, like what's MORE I can say except mention the bath he got the most testimony out of! To add ¼ cup bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to the regular bath water is an amazing cleansing bath both physically and spiritually :) of course praying, doing it with the instructions and so on is the best you can do!

Special mentions go to chapter 6 for teaching how to cleanse with an egg and not making it some tiktokized or 30 seconds or 2 minutes version of it. What can I say more is that it is a VERY amazing chapter, for all kind of cleansing emotional or spiritual, for eyestrain, for protection while asleep, cleansing your home, cleansing the sick, and cleansing your pet!

I will jump over chapter 7 and 8 despite them being EXTREMELY good and mention that chapter 9 is a MUST READ. Mainly these methods of washing the head or feeding the head are used to work with the non-physical part of the human mentation, not exactly a replacement for psychology or psychiatry or medical treatment of mental illnesses but it is an AMAZING addition to anyone who's healthy but feel slightly "off".

The last chapter and appendix is about finding spiritual practitioner to help you, and what Draja describe as "Recommended System of Treatment for General Therapy", I am honestly just going to say good read the book, it isn't that long and the weight of it is in gold with how much jam-packed it is with technique you would pick up from here or there. Go buy it, pirate it, I don't know just get it and see for yourself!

[fictionadventurer]

The worst part about reading in a genre where you have low expectations (in this case, Christian historical fiction) is that when a book impresses you, you have no idea if it's actually good or if you're just overly impressed because it was a fraction of a degree better than the usual garbage.

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

I am returned! Crazy things happened on hiatus, and here is a play-by-play:

Spent the bulk of September with our dogs at my great-aunt's lake cottage (which is a 15-hr drive from here), due to the abundance of birthdays this month.

Shortly after arriving, I got a cold from my sister, which as per usual, turned into bronchitis, which lasted the entirety of the vacation (I still have the cough).

Around midnight on the eve of our departure, I had a gallbladder attack (first one since early spring).

Except it was way worse. Like, I couldn't breathe, couldn't speak, couldn't even cry.

Called 911, got in the ambulance, and the pain suddenly vanished in the space of a minute.

The wee mountain hospital didn't have imaging equipment beyond a CT scan and the Dr. was like "If the pain is gone, you shouldn't expose yourself to that much radiation" (which I appreciated)

My labs were normal, so we conclude this must've been the passing of the gallstone. Big, if true.

I take hydrocodone and we all go to sleep.

In the morning, my mom and sister pack my stuff for me and my parents and I drive the 15 hours back home so that dad can make it to a job interview the next day.

During the last 45 minutes of the journey, my mom's very very old & frail chihuahua experiences a sharp decline in his already poor constitution.

I'm knocked out on hydrocodone, but my dad is up all night with the dog, and in the morning, he takes him to the vet to be put down.

My mom is devastated, this dog was adopted to be her bedside companion during chemo twelve years ago.

My dad's interview goes well.

I still have bronchitis.

Two days later, my sister (who stayed longer at the lake house to clean up) drives back to her home in Southern GA, but for hurricane Helene reasons, the highway is closed and she gets lost.

She finally makes it home to find her power is out, for hurricane Helene reasons (it's still out)

Three days later (last night), I have another brutally painful attack (clearly I'd NOT passed the stone), so my parents drive me to the ER.

Am able to get an ultrasound there, which confirms I still have either many gallstones or one huge one, but my labs are still normal.

Unfortunately, this makes sense because I underwent some rapid drastic weight loss after my attack in the spring.

ER Dr. thinks my pain is instead being caused by gastritis for genetic reasons (which reminded my mom that as a teenager she passed out at work from gastritis).

He prescribes me a trio of gastritis drugs.

I'll be going to a trusted functional medicine doctor next month because my dad got the job (an amazingly good job, praise God) and we can afford it at last. My hope is that this Dr. can point to causes beyond genetics for the gastritis and also get rid of the stones once and for all, even if that means going on Ursodiol.

My dad's new job requires him to move to the Middle East in three weeks.

Oh, and my personal Instagram account (which was about to become the cornerstone of my small business) was inexplicably terminated during my hiatus and I have no means of getting it back besides writing to the state Attorney General.

[knewknow]

A Pslam For The WIld Built | A Prayer For The Crown Shy

The first book that I completed in 2025 is a little bit of carry over from 2024. The monk and robot series by Becky Chambers is a love letter to science fiction and spirituality; two worlds that don't often collide. The first book of two, currently written, I finished in November of 2024.

"This book is about to be my whole personality. I wish I were Dex… I already have the dread, all I need is the beautiful solar punk moon life and robot friend! 🤖🍵"

A Psalm for the Wild Built opens with Dex, a monk for the diety Allalae - the god of small comforts, who feels lost in their current role. Seeking the sound of crickets lost to the city life they inhabit, they set off on a journey of self-discovery. One aspect that I like, which if I'm correct, draws from the author's personal life is that Dex is a non-binary lead. Referred to as Sibiling Dex, using they/them pronouns, the novella already starts with a diverse voice.

The world-building is immaculate. Prior to the current timeline with Dex, robots had become sentient and decided to run off to the wilderness. Making this moon colony a solar-punk dreamscape. Idyllic, picturesque, and whimsical, Chambers paints the multiple biomes in this world with lush/flowery language.

Another thing that took this story and knocked it out of the park, was the pacing and conversations. Well-structured, each conversation/encounter was perfectly placed to add deeper meaning to the surface-level plot.

"What do people need?"

________

"Amazing, this little series is thought-provoking and full of hope. It touched on issues I’ve been struggling with, in a way that makes me want to ruminate further. hopeful to grow and expand my emotional knowledge. Just as atmospheric and beautiful as the first one."

The second book A Prayer for the Crown Shy, moves the reader from spiritual concepts of the self to interpersonal connections. The beauty of community, companionship, and family are all subjects that are touched on.

I loved this one as it forced me to re-evaluate some connections I've put on the back burner. Dex has a somewhat tumultuous relationship with their family. They love them, but keep them at arm's length. It's tough to admit, but I've kept my parents on the periphery in a similar manner. I fear the worry or pity that can come with a parent becoming a passive observer in a life they once had control over. A subject I wasn't prepared to connect with in a book as small as this one.

Mosscap, who I've yet to speak about is also the most delightful character. It ( yes it, a decision made with its autonomy) is youthful and full of joy, yet hundreds of years old. Not jaded by human life, Mosscap still wonders at the small joys and comforts that go by unnnoticed by the average joe. As it enjoys Dex's guidance through their world, it brings up conversations about what truly makes us human.

In both A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, Becky Chambers creates a world that is as heartwarming as it is thought-provoking. The series effortlessly blends science fiction with spirituality, exploring not only the self but also the beauty of connection with others. Through Dex and Mosscap's journey, readers are invited to reflect on their own relationships, values, and place in the world.

With lush descriptions, meaningful dialogue, and a deeply empathetic narrative, the Monk and Robot series feels like a comforting cup of tea—both soothing and stimulating. Chambers has given us a story that doesn't just entertain but also inspires us to grow emotionally, foster deeper connections, and find solace in small comforts. This series isn’t just a book—it’s a meditation on what it means to live a fulfilling life. If the rest of 2025 brings stories half as beautiful as this, it will be a remarkable year of reading.

[permanentreverie]

@ everyone who went to uni out of state/province: how long did you guys hear back after submitting your high school grades??

[leonieanderson]

For a while, we just held each other. Whatever this moment is called, I’ll remember it forever.

aftermath by Leonie Anderson ©️2024

[andijaart]

+++ 🙏🏻God Bless🕊️ +++

Orthodox Book of Psalms Made In Monastery By Nuns, The Pocket Size Psalter in Russian, Handmade, natural leather, paper box, Blessed

💫 International Orthodox Art Corporation Andcross

May the blessing of the Lord be upon you!

[ilikereadingactually]

Monk and Robot

A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

please read these books. like right now, request them from your library, order them from your local indie, borrow them from a friend. they're swift and bright and breathtaking. they brought me, for a little while, to a world so quiet and gentle it's almost impossible to imagine--and even in this softest future, being human still comes with pains and sorrows, existential and mundane. these books comforted me the way Dex the tea monk comforts everyone who comes to them for a tailored brew and a cathartic conversation; these books comforted me the way the robot Mosscap comforts Dex in a moment of crisis. these books comforted me the way Dex and Mosscap comfort each other, because even when we think we need for nothing, we're still struggling with the need to understand ourselves, and to be understood.

as you might imagine, i cried a lot. i want to mail a copy of these to every person with the political or financial or positional power to make significant change in the ways we treat our environment. i want to become a disciple of Allalae, the god of small comforts. i want to tuck these books into bed with me and rest.

the deets

how i read it: i read both of these from the library via Libby, but i'm adding them to my definitely-buying list. i regret not buying both the last time i was in a bookstore, i want them in my hands more fiercely than most other books right now.

try this if you: want to imagine a better post-apocalypse, long for beautiful books where not a lot happens (this is what i said to my best friend, right before she told me to read these), enjoy thinking about the human condition, or are tired.

a line i really liked: read: a line that made me weep lavishly

Dex would never forget. "You walked out of the woods, and you said, 'What do you need, and how can I help?'"

Mosscap smiled at this. "I remember, yes."

"Well, I didn't know then," Dex said, "and I still don't. But what I do know is...you help. You're helping me figure it out. Just by being here. You help."

"Then we have the same answer," Mosscap said. "I don't know, either. But you are my best help, Sibling Dex."

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Interview from The Paris Review

W. S. Merwin, The Art of Poetry No. 38 Issue no. 102 (Spring 1987)

INTERVIEWER

Do you see a connection between poetry and prayer?

MERWIN

I guess the simple answer is yes, if only because I think of poetry as an attempt to use language as completely as possible. And if you want to do that, obviously you’re not concerned with language as decoration, or language as amusement, although you certainly want language to be pleasurable. Pleasure is part of the completeness. I think of poetry as having to do with the completeness of life, and the completeness of relation with one’s experience, completing one’s experience, articulating it, making sense of it.

[Follies of God]

[goood-books1]

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[ome-magical-ramblings]

My Review of The Greatness of Saturn

A Therapeutic Myth

The frequency of my writing have been decreasing as I have had my focus on my life, deepening my practice and so on. I hope that this review serve as a initial summary and representation of everything I got out of this myth without spoilering it...because why would I? it would ruin the story for you! In Any case I wanted to start this on a good start. The whole book is surrounding the Sade Sati Period or 7 and a half years where Saturn goes the sign before, in, and after the moon's natal placement, that means it spend 2.5 years in each sign. Saturn is slow and he makes it very apparent when he goes into it. For reference this is focused on the jyotish/sidereal astrological period and not on the usual less gloomy Saturn's return.

I am honestly surprised by how powerful myths can mesh and seep into our life that they become these forces that's almost a channel or a gateway for the deities and spirits to reach us through, it honestly make me think of the stories of prophets, and other mythological stories which moves us and where we really need to throw ourselves head first into them to really feel what they mean, their sorrows, happiness, and all the emotions of the stories to really be there. Anyway back to the book itself, I was mind blown by it's effect on me and my life as I started to get into the myth itself I was genuinely HOOKED during my travel and in the airplane I felt like I was seized/possessed by it and couldn't put it down almost like the spirit within the whole myth was carrying me with it. It definitely had a lot of impact considering the personal situations I was going during the time of reading it. The invocation of delay, slowness, and wanting to move but not being able to move was apparent to say the least, Saturn really makes time slow down to a halt and whatever seemed like a small time start expanding to feel like an eternity, but enough of that. The stories of the planets from Sun to the lunar nodes was quite a thriller from first chapter until the ninth then it took a very sudden turn. The Begging of the universe were Bali the asura(and future Indra) gave the land back to the devas it felt like it was setting up the scene for the theme of Time, the theme of inevitability but not of fatalism. The whole story took a very dark turn for the protagonist of the story (King Vikrama) and everything about it was about accepting the conditions, working with them, and so on. Again it is this consciously aware of the situation and the wavering faith that made King Vikrama fall into that situation even though he did the proper astrological remedies he regretted and felt uncertain of what he was doing, he really accepted his fate and fell into fatalism that threw him into that.

Ducunt volentem fota, nolentem trahunt

The fates lead him who will; him who won't they drag.

Had he accepted Saturn in the beginning, the king would never have had any problems (or at least they would have been fewer), for once he accepts, all is well. It was necessary though that someone be dragged through the depths of Saturn's "play," that the rest of us who can learn from his example might be exempted from the worse of it. Like Jesus, who was crucified that we might be saved, King Vikrama asks that others be spared his Misery.

I know, I haven't really said anything about the story or what not because I really want you to read it and go through it yourself. Other than that the aspect of the Graha/planetary forces become more of this apparent and conscious relation with the planets, we start to become more aware of it and thus more receptive to positive possession instead of being negatively possessed by it. In the end we are all getting possessed by all the forces and a thousand thing in a way, and just like that maybe we want to get possessed by positive forces instead of letting whatever come through pass through us. In a way I want to finish this review that this book have pulled forces in my life I wouldn't have been able to pull with my own ritualistically consecrated hands nor would I conceive of a way that would let me wrangle and subjugate the forces myself, the great supreme power of the myth was shown to me in action, in real life, and in words.

Salutation to Lord Saturn, I bow to him who's great Kona (the Angle), Antaka (the Terminator), Raudra (the Fierce), Yama (Death), Babhru (the Tawny), Krishna (the Black), Shani (the Slow), Pingala (the Tawny). Manda (the Slow), Sauri (the Sun's Son); reverence to that Son of the Sun who, when thus constantly remembered (by these names), removes all Afflictions. May Lord Saturn have mercy on us.

[elliepassmore]

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: cozy scifi, character-led stories, LGBTQ+ characters A Psalm for the Wild-Built review Dex and Mosscap have returned to civilization in this book and are now on their way to visiting the numerous cities and towns interested in meeting Mosscap. I liked getting to see more of the world the characters inhabit. We saw some of it in Monk & Robot 1, but Dex and Mosscap travel much more in this one and we get to see forest villages and the sea and Dex's family. One thing I really enjoyed about the last book that comes back in this one setting-wise is that each town adapts itself to its environment. It was neat getting to see the different adaptations and how different villages had different beliefs about how to live. Dex is more satisfied in this one, having found a place of peace in Monk & Robot 1. That being said, being back among other people puts their ability to sit and just be to the test. When they traveled before it was as a tea monk, and now that they're traveling again, Dex feels the responsibility to continue being a tea monk even if that's not what they want at that point in time. I will say, I did enjoy the tea monk aspect of book 1, but I also understand that Dex is on a journey to figure out how they fit in the world and how to exist for the sake of existing rather than to exist for a purpose/cause (a continuation of their dilemma from book 1). Mosscap continues to be its curious and funny but wise self. I liked seeing how it approached these new environments and new people, especially since Dex is really the only person Mosscap has engaged with. Mosscap itself has some existential questions to deal with in this one, and I actually thought it was quite interesting to read. For me, and for Dex, the dilemma is nothing, but for Mosscap it poses genuine questions about growth and decay and what's natural (especially for a human vs a robot). I liked getting to meet Dex's family in this one. We're only with them for a short time, but it was cool to see the environment and people Dex grew up around and the way they interacted with their family. I also think it's always interesting to see what people close to the main characters say/think about them, so that was a good addition too. Overall this was a good addition to the Monk & Robot saga and I do hope we get more books since I enjoy reading about Dex and Mosscap's adventures and really love the cozy scifi nature of the books.

[nats-reads-reviews]

My Darkest Prayer by S.A. Cosby 4/5 ⭐️

This is the third book by S.A. Cosby I've read and though all his books have similar themes - prejudice, small southern towns, justice, race, and crime - each story is unique and pulls me in so quickly. He has such a good way of making the reader feel like you know the characters personally. All his books have had the ability to make me laugh in the most unexpected ways - this one was no different. I really liked the characters and plot. I thought Nathan, the main character, was a very balanced hero. He’s not perfect, he’s done wrong, but ultimately he seeks justice through the means that are accessible to him. I loved his friendships with his cousin Walt and his friend Skunk. His romantic relationship with Lisa was refreshing in the sense that not all love stories need to turn into something serious - sometimes it’s just the right person entering your life at the right time. S.A. Cosby is undoubtedly one of my favorite authors.