#The way training for the priesthood might not have

[little-candy-store-of-horrors]

I think the fella screaming is not anyone's Mama but like. Louis. Louis XIV.

[atheneum-of-you]

Priest & Priestesshood

The terms priest, priestess, high priest, and high priestess get tossed around a lot, especially in the hellenism community. But oftentimes, there is very little context or explanation on what it means to be the priest/priestess of a god. I think understanding these terms, their duties, and some very frequent misconceptions are once again an important part of this cared for religion. Because despite what many may tend to treat it as hellenic polytheism is a religion. Not one I would consider organized religion today, but a very real and alive religion and should be treated as such.

Naturally this isn't to say you have to strictly adhere to hellenism, your practice and worships will always be your own. But it is an important thing to remember when dealing with the concept of priest/priestesshood.

As usual, this is my own understanding and research of the topic, always be sure to do your own when needed and double check sources! Additionally, from here out I will exclusively be saying "priestess" and "priestesshood" as I am studying and training to be one, but for the most part (excluding the history) it will also apply to priest/priesthood within the modern day religion.

Ancient Priestesshood

When we talk about modern-day hellenic priestesshood, we can't entirely look at it in its original form in ancient Greece. Back then, priestesshood was a temple station that could be bought by well-off families or something young girls were born into. Girls as young as 7 could be taken into temples on the path of priestesshood, and as they grew older, their ranks/titles within the temple would grow with them. With that said, for the most part priestesses bought their way into the station, having come from financially well-off families. Priestesshood could be seen as an "escape" from the patriarchal household society held at the time, often giving these women significant importance above men. Although how accurate this is, we don't fully know, as young girls would also have been born into a family and encouraged to perform priestly activities at a young age.

These were in the days when our temples stood high and mighty, and the unfortunate truth is that's simply not the case today. That said, hellenism has survived the ages, and we've adopted modern ways of worship, and therefore, priestesshood should be looked at in a similar fashion.

Priestesshood Today

As we today have learned to adapt our worships to modern times while keeping the essence of the gods' importance, priestesshood today has also adapted. While the grand temples from those days are mostly in ruins, we have found ways to construct them in online spaces, and when able, in real life, planned services and congregation. So what does a priestess of a hellenic god do today?

To become the priestess of a god is something I would consider a "full-time devotee." Someone whose life is tasked with acts of devotion in that god's name and honor. A priestess of Aphrodite might become one of her sacred whores or a matchmaker, a priestess of Demeter may live rurally and grow crops to provide and offer, a priestess of Hades may become a death worker (PLEASE heavily research that topic itself if it is a path you choose as not everyone can become one and it is considered a closed practice by degrees) or a baneful worker, etc. Regardless of the gods, a priestess would typically perform duties that align with that god's attributes and associations. It is a dedication to serving that god and performing acts in their name and honor. Priestesshood is a commitment to that god.

How Do You Become a Priestess?

This can be a difficult question to answer. As stated before, priestesshood could be bought or be something you were raised into. However, in our modern day, that's no longer the case. From what I've researched, priestesshood can be obtained through two methods.

Mentorship under an established priestess

An invitation from the god

Mentorship would entail finding a god's priestess and them taking you under their wing and training you personally. Many times, the mentorship will be something paid for, but will give you someone experienced and a solid learning foundation in your future training. Naturally, you should vet the priestess beforehand and ensure they are someone trustworthy and knowledgeable. There are many people who will falsely claim priestesshood, so ensure this is someone truthful in their dedication.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, someone can personally be invited by their god into priestesshood. This in itself can hold a myriad of difficulties, such as initial uncertainty. A lot of divination or fact-checking would be required as well as checking in with that god themself. Another difficulty would be the need to do training on your own. There is no step by step guide for priestesshood for each and every god, and the chances of finding a genuine one for your deity is slim. Training solo would mean researching and practicing on your own, with a great deal of trial and error and constant check-ins with your god.

My path to priestesshood started from an invitation from Hermes, and it took a lot of communication and readings with him to gain true confidence in the decision. It can be confusing, and navigating the path alone can be incredibly scary and difficult.

Can You Become a High Priestess?

A high priestess is a vastly higher title than a normal priestess, and one that, in my opinion, very few can hold. A high priestess's entire life would be spent dedicating themself to that god, continuously in prayer and doing their duties. This is a 24/7 commitment and a lot of the time entails leaving your worldy self behind (including families, friends, ect) to live in dedication for their god. They channel the very essence of their god.

A high priestess is far more than a title, it is the pinnacle of dedication to a god and is not an easy title to obtain. A high priestess's life would entirely belong to that god, and they would spend every possible moment of it channeling the essence of that god through prayers and worship and dedicating acts for the community they have.

It is not a role just anyone can take on, and I highly advise much deeper research into the understanding of that role and what it means/entails.

Common Questions and Misconceptions

So a priestess is just a normal follower?

Not particularly. A priestess would be required to do their devotional duties that align with their station. Priestesses would be leaders, conducting rituals and serving as a conduit for their god. There is a difference between devotional acts and devotional duties, the fine line being whether these devotions were optional or not.

I've only been working with [insert god] for a short amount of time, can I become a priestess?

The gods don't care about how long you've been in service to them. What they look at is devotion and knowledge. So long as you're willing to put in the work and truly dedicated yourself to the role, it doesn't matter if you've been a devotee for 5 years or 5 days. That said, please make sure this is a path you truly wish to walk. It is a very serious role, and the gods won't take kindly to it being treated like a game or an experiment.

I'm still a minor, can I become a priestess?

While in ancient times priestesses would be trained as young as 7, they wouldn't be considered priestesses until they reached the marriage age of 14. So by account, yes, absolutely. But I think it's important to spend your younger years truly studying and gaining knowledge and experience with your god and being certain that this is a path you wish to take. Don't be swayed by social media and other's recounting. Take your time.

But [insert creator] said they're a high priestess!

Are they always on social media? Are they constantly posting? Do they have a large online presence that they manage on their own? Then chances are, they're not a high priestess. A high priestess has no time for these things unless someone else is managing it for them to show what the life of a high priestess is like.

Would a high priestess be an oracle?

While a high priestess can be an oracle and vice versa, the two are not inherently synonymous. I'll make a long post on oracles once I've researched them more but from my current understanding, yes and no.

[serpentface]

Question for Faiza: what does the average day for an Odonii priestess entail?

We wake before dawn, and most of us spend the morning working around the temple. We maintain the shrines and grounds so- tending the hearths and burning the offerings, collecting water from the spring, feeding the lions. And there's always lay visitors milling around the temple while we're doing all this, but our attendants take care of the general public interfacing so. We can mostly focus on our duties.

There's always going to be some pregnant women or the odd soldier stopping in, so you might give out blessings once? Twice? On any given day. Rarely any more than that. But sometimes, you'll be right in the middle of something important- it's always when you're in the middle of something - and then, suddenly, in wanders an entire troupe. And you hear them before you see them. They'll have brought every single weapon and piece of armor they own, so they're clanging loud enough to wake the dead. And you'll just be standing there thinking, well, this is going to be my entire morning now.

...But it's very important work of course, attending our soldiers. Give a man Odomache's blessing, and he fights more bravely alone than twenty without.

Once the temple closes, we usually spend most of the afternoon just preparing the amenchalme. So- grinding the maize, then blessing the maize, then grinding the salt, then blessing the salt, then mixing the wine, then blessing the wine, then mixing the oil, then blessing the oil... It's a little tedious, I won't lie. But I think this is our most important duty, in a way. Out of every rite we perform, day in and day out, this is the one that serves all our people. The amenchalme that blesses a whore's nameless bastard daughter at birth and the amenchalme that blesses a great lord at his wedding is the very same, made by the very same hands. So when I see priestesses shunting the task off to initiates so they can go nap on the grounds or play with their muskets...

I digress.

So, when the rest of our duties are complete, we end the day with training. This is mostly practicing the six dances. Ideally, every Odonii in the temple should be assembled and practicing in unison. But in practice, there's usually some stragglers. So you'll be out in the yard and everyone is following the same drumbeat, but you'll see one group dancing the spear, another dancing the musket, and then another who's already finished and running laps around the grounds just to kill time.

Our core duties are over at sundown, and we're free to do as we please. Dinner is served at the temple, so most of us will spend an hour or two in the hall, you know, socializing, having a little wine, unwinding. I like to go down to the ocean after dinner, when I can. I prefer the quiet.

Uh, so that's an average day for the vast majority of us. It varies throughout the year, of course. Things get busy when we're approaching festivals. Or during wartime. And I'm a senior Odonii and liaison to the Usoma, so-. My duties tend to be considerably more complex, year-round. Sometimes I miss those long afternoons just mindlessly pounding maize, haha.

---

Notes:

-Temples to Odomache are open to the public from dawn until noon, and closed throughout the rest of the day. The temple consists of a great shrine that is publicly accessible by all, inner walled grounds that are prohibited to the public outside of certain festivals (tame lions are kept here), private spaces only Odonii and temple staff can enter (the Odonii's quarters and bathrooms, a dining hall, library), and ritually private spaces that only Odonii can enter (an inner shrine reserved for internal cult practice that is forbidden knowledge for non-Odonii)

-Odonii-attendants are high ranking servants to the priesthood. They start out as child servants given to the order by their fathers who perform most of the basic labor (this is a very attractive position to poor families in particular, as the family is paid until the child comes of age, and the child themself can acquire a degree of security and potential for class mobility that is otherwise difficult to attain). Those who choose to remain with the order upon adulthood (they have no choice in the matter beforehand due to children being under full legal jurisdiction of their fathers) may eventually graduate into attendant positions. This is a well paid and esteemed job, with attendants managing most of the practical logistics of maintaining a temple and interfacing with the public.

Servants to Odonii are only women and eunuchs. Those considered male are forbidden from this role (which entails entering some ritually private spaces, and sometimes seeing them naked in the course of bathing/being armored, etc) - the Odonii's body is sacrosanct and an analogue to the power and the security of the Wardi nation and God Itself, and the male gaze is considered uniquely dangerous to a metaphysically vulnerable female body and thus to be fundamentally violating of this sacred state.

-Outside of certain festivals and rituals, Odonii only perform blessings for royalty, soldiers, and pregnant women. Odonii also bless soldiers' weapons and armor.

-Amenchalme is the basic material used in public rites for blessing and purification. The finished product is a paste that is daubed on the body to give blessings, and consecrates animals/humans for sacrifice. It is exclusively produced by Odonii, but used in a broad variety of contexts.

-'Nameless' in the context of 'nameless bastard daughter' means not having a family name - ie an orphan of unknown parentage, or not being claimed by one's father, and therefore not having access to and the protection of the family as the foundational social unit in Wardi society. Namelessness itself is stigmatized, and its implications invariably entail ostracization and lowered status. Faiza saying 'whore's nameless bastard daughter' is her conjuring up like, the lowest possible status Wardi citizen she can imagine.

-The six dances are the core weapons-dances used in rites and for combat training, centered around the key weapons techniques- spear, sword, handgun, musket, spear and shield, sword and shield. Bow dances are still practiced by most soldiers (given that firearms are limited enough in access to have not fully replaced them) but are no longer part of the Odonii's core retinue.

-Faiza privately ascribes to a niche quasi-atheist strain of Wardi philosophy that posits that God fully died during creation and can no longer directly affect the world, and thus does not believe that the majority of rites her Entire Life is built on performing have any intrinsic divinely sourced effects. She is very good at not letting any of this slip, but tends to frame the benefits of rites around their practical effects (ie- soldiers who believe they are protected by God fight more bravely).

Her emphasis on the importance of amenchalme as is partly rooted in sincere conviction that all* (*Imperial Wardi citizen) people should receive the practical benefits of the state's religion regardless of class and she finds the ubiquity of the substance to be an equalizer, and partly because she absolutely believes in bad luck, ghosts, and evil spirits, and amenchalme protects people from those.

[v1smokewife]

defile me

Sanji brings home an urn which seems to be harmless but ends up being home to a demon called Zoro. Instead of stealing Sanji's soul, Zoro wants something more...permenant from the priest. Inspired by hunnismokah on tumblr as they do amazing priest!sanji artwork on tumblr.

The treasure in which the demon came from had been found by complete accident. In all places, it had been found on a religious pilgrimage. It hadn’t seemed like much which was why most of the people there seemed to ignore the item. It had been a rather small urn. Nothing overly sinister about it. It just looked like an urn that someone would put a loved one’s ashes in. It wasn’t anything overly conspicuous. It seemed small. Meaningless.  

But not to Sanji.  

Sanji had been struggling with his faith recently. Something that priests do sometimes go through. He had decided that a pilgrimage might make him feel more in touch with his inner faith. He went to visit many religious locations of interest. However, the urn at this public statue seemed to be the most inconspicuous thing. He shouldn’t have taken it, but it felt like the urn was talking to him. Beckoning him to pick it up and take it home.  

At first, he didn’t take it home. It was so stupid. It was just an urn. What importance would this urn have to him other than sitting in his home? Besides...it was likely containing someone’s dead relative which would be incredibly weird if he did take it home. It wasn’t very Christain to him. Which was part of the reason why he was here was to re-find his faith so that stopped him from picking it up and taking it back.  

However, the days he stayed after, he thought about that urn. A voice in his head telling him to go back for it. Beckoning, begging him on the ground. He heard the voice in his sleep. He didn’t know if this was a spiritual thing. Was this God speaking to him? Did God want him to have this? Maybe his lack of faith was bringing him to take this urn. He went back for it. When no one was around, he went back for the urn and placed it in his bag. He didn’t look at it again until he was back home. When he returned from his pilgrimage, he was back at the church with a newfound determination to spread the love of God.  

Being back in the city felt different. Running away from his family, he had trained much of his adolescence training for this moment right here. Before going on the pilgrimage, Sanji spent his life in church. There were reasons for it. A lot of guilt in his heart. He watched women with lust in his eyes when he was out in public. This had been a concern of his fellow God Brothers before his induction into Priesthood and it didn’t change after he had because he yearned for the company of another woman.  

The church was in the middle of the city and Sanji had to listen to the sounds of people enjoying themselves. Women’s voices infected his brain like a parasite eating its way into his soul. The feeling of sin creeping into his heard was incredibly invasive and perversive.  

Which is hard when you want to show your devotion to God.  

Sanji was often there till close. Sleeping, making sure everything was fine for tomorrow. Since he was new in the town, he didn’t have much of a life in this place. He was in the hall and when he was walking by the alter, he noticed the statue of Christ. He sighed, looking up.  

"I wish you would send me an angel, God" Sanji muttered under his breath while he stood before the statue of Christ.  

Sanji was truly alone. His family were estranged, and he had no friends. All he wanted was a friend. He would often try and kid himself that God was enough, but God wasn’t enough. He wanted a physical person he could hold and love. He wanted a friend. He hoped that God would hear his cries and would send him an Angel to be friends with.  

Instead of God hearing his cry, the urn heard it. The urn had been by the alter. If nothing, it was a decoration. It had no ashes inside, so he didn’t feel as weird about taking it away from the statue. It lay there and he didn’t know what to do with it. He had taken it to religious scholars who had nothing to do with it. Sanji had forgotten about it since it had been a few days since he had been back, and he didn’t know what to do with it. It was placed at the alter as a pretty decoration.  

He was brought out of his thoughts and turned from the statue of Christ when he heard the clatter. The urn had been knocked over and the lid fell off. He stared at it for a moment, waiting for his breath to settle. There wasn’t a draft. Was there a rat scuttering across the floor that he didn’t, see? He didn’t know but he took a step towards the urn only to tick it up. It had no bumps or cracks. The pads of his fingers ran across the indents of the language written on the front that he didn’t even understand.  

The candles suddenly blew out and it caused Sanji to drop the urn all over again. He stood up and rushed to the alter to grab the lighter. He turned a few candles on around the alter to light it up like a holy experience. The statue of Christ lit in the holy light. Sanji looked around but felt his breath began to quicken. The air felt suffocating, and he suddenly felt the need to leave. He walked backwards but before he could turn around, he felt two very strong arms grab him from behind.  

“Wha-”  

“Shush,” The deep tones came as it gripped him harder. Sanji almost seemed paralysed by what was going on that he froze for a moment before he tried to turn around to see what was going on.  

It was a man. However, there was something incredibly wrong with him. He had an awful glow about him. Green hair, black eyes and pointed ears as well as pointed teeth. Teeth that could tear through skin.  

It didn’t take Sanji to understand what this was. Sanji knew exactly what this was.  

A demon.  

But Sanji didn’t even know if he believed in demons. Demons, from his interpretation seemed to be more of a metaphorical thing. However, right standing there was a demon. A musclebound demon was gripping onto him tightly.  

“Wha...what do you want?” Sanji tried to push himself away from this demon. However, he now noticed the sharp nails that started to dig into his skin. A toothy grin as the demon twisted Sanji around so they could look at each other. They got a better look at each other.  

“You woke me from my nap,”  

Sanji seemed to be speechless. Vampires, monsters and aliens never came into the picture, but one was standing right in front of him, “Hm. I’ve barely done anything, and you seem to be scared. Are you really that pathetic?”  

He wanted to defend himself. Push himself away from the demon in question but the demon reached his hand up and grabbed Sanji’s face. Tilting it to one side, and then the other, “What a shame. You’re like a frightened dog. I did want to say thank you for letting me leave. If you hadn’t taken my prison home, I would have stayed sleeping in there,”  

Sanji’s breath hitched.  

It was his fault. A demon was in his home. A demon was grabbing at him. A hand reached up over his chest, grasping his robes.  

“And... you did ask for an angel...didn’t you?” Demons were basically angels? Right. The idea was abhorrent to him.  

“I meant...a friend...someone I can talk to. Not...whatever you are,” He reached up to try and grab the demons hands and push them away from his face but instead, he got pushed more. His back was leaning now against the alter.  

“That’s a shame,” The demon seemed to consider something for a moment. The hand that was on his chin moved down his face onto his neck. His fingers feeling the arteries and veins in his neck. The demon tilted his head as he admired the anatomy of this particular priest. He wasn’t one usually for messing around with religious figures like this. But this one... “I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with you yet...”  

He knew one thing. He wanted those robes off.  

“I am Zoro. If you can guess, I lived in the urn,” So the demon had a name; Zoro. Sanji watched as Zoro gripped more at is robes. He felt like he was going to froze up. Surely the demon wasn’t trying to...undress him.  

“Hey!” Sanji started to fuss by moving his body around to get himself free as Zoro rustled with the robes suddenly, “What are you doing?”  

“What does it look like?” Zoro snapped as he pulled at the robes, “I want to taste you, priest,” And that was made even more clear by the fact he licked his lips. Zoro became rather impatient and... annoyed at Sanji who was kicking him and throwing his arms out at him to let go, “It’s either this...or I take your soul and force you to become my minion for centuries...” Although Zoro knew very well that he could let Sanji go...there was nothing stopping him from just leaving right now but...the blonde was pretty, and it would be such a wasted trip.  

“Wait no... stop,” This couldn’t be happening. A demon was wanting to have sex with him. A priest. Sanji raised his arms to stop him and surprisingly, Zoro actually stopped and watched him, “I... I can’t do that... I’m not supposed to... fuck, can’t you bother someone out on the street if you are that horny?”  

“I could...but I see you first,” Zoro replied, shrugging before leaning in and smelling the priests neck. There was that smell of...well, he was quite surprised actually...which made Zoro laugh, “I’ve seen into your heart since I saw you at that statue. You’re kidding yourself if you think this life is for you,” As his mouth moved down, his nails began to tear through the very clothes that Sanji wore. First the robes and then what was underneath, “I see your heart for what it is. You ogle women like a common lecher. You’re nothing but a pathetic pervert dressing as a priest.  

Even though, Sanji knew it in his heart that those words were true. He was not fit for the robes he wore. He was nothing better than the common person who walked outside, drunk and grabbing women like they were treats in a candy shop. He knew he wasn’t any better but still... not this way. But then, something else seemed to stir in him. That very lust he felt when he watched a women on the street came true from his words and he could feel his pants becoming tighter and tighter by the minute.  

Well, shit.  

The demon tore at his clothes until very little was left. It was only then that Zoro noticed that the blonde was finding this just as every bit arousing as he was. In fact, the feeling of his own cock appearing from its sheath was exciting too. However, he could have laughed at the fact that the human was getting excited over his words.  

“Hm. Must be true then. That you are a disgusting pervert hiding behind his religion...”  

Sanji felt his world spinning. Part of him didn't’ want this. He wanted to remain strong to his faith and fight against the feeling for God but the other part of him wanted to give into this demon which...scared him. Was this a test? Was this supposed to be a test of his faith? Whatever it was, it was scaring him.  

“Heh. Your little human cock is adorable....” The demon purred, purposely making sure Sanji could see his own. Sanji’s breath caught in his throat as he saw Zoro’s massive cock. It didn’t like typically human either. Although phallic in nature, it was an odd shape. It had a massive knot on the end of it. Sanji could only watch in absolute horror.  

“Relax...”  

“What the hell do I have to relax over?” Sanji was pissed at the absolute audacity of this demon telling him to relax after discovering that he may or may not have a thing for being humiliated and he really didn’t have time to unpack all of that right here and right now. That made him feel awfully uncomfortable.  

“You’ll enjoy this more if you stop being a little bitch about it,” The demon sniggered. He ran his teeth across Sanji’s jugular. Normally, he would have bitten his throat out and be done with it, but this priest was appetising. He wanted to take him and ruin him before marking him as his own property. Killing Sanji would be an absolute waste of his time.  

But getting the priest naked now. Before Sanji could do anything, the demon grabbed him by his thighs and threw him up onto the table and forced Sanji’s legs apart so before there were any protests.  

Sanji looked up at him with what looks like a look of guilt and resistance. Zoro could feel the resistance and religious guilt radiating off him and to Zoro...it would delicious. Yes, he wanted to make this priest renounce his God and pray to him and him alone. He wanted to become his God and Master. A brand-new religion.  

“You don’t belong here, and you know it,”  

Before Sanji could do anything, Zoro dropped down to his knees. Instinctively, Sanji tried to close his legs as Zoro was looking straight between his legs which was highly embarrassing, especially since he could see how hard he was. He was perhaps harder than he had ever been for any woman in his life. Zoro was forever fascinated by human cocks; they were so small and dainty. Adorable. Simply adorable. Zoro pressed his finger up against Sanji’s cock which at once got a hitched breath from the priest.  

“Are you as innocent as you pretend to be?” Zoro asked, tilting his head which doesn’t get a response at first, “Or....do you act on your urges towards women?”  

“Never...I’ve never...” This was so embarrassing especially since Zoro was staring at him right there. Right between his legs.  

“Good. I want to be the first,”  

And with that, Zoro grabbed his hips and pulled them forward so Zoro got better access to him. His tongue slipped out (which was longer than a human tongue and more serpent like than man as it went against Sanji’s hole.  

Oh, sweet God.  

It felt so weird for Sanji and at first, he hated it. He wanted Zoro to stop as he pressed his hands to his face as he could feel the flush cover his cheeks and then his neck. It wasn’t bad. It was weird but the guilt that washed over his body nearly made him want to cry. Tears were pricking his eyes as Zoro dived in. Everything he worked hard for. His home. His place. His people. He failed them. He failed God because he allowed this to happen to him. It wasn’t bad but the guilt and shame he felt in his body was awful.  

Zoro’s tongue was used to get his hole nice and wet for him. The priest tasted amazing. Virgins always tasted better. They just had a much better taste to them which made it much better. Sanji was perfect to Zoro. He wanted to break him down. Make him get rid of his faith and join him in sin. Zoro genuinely believed he would go mad without being able to taste him again.  

His fascination with human cock didn’t leave as he started to stroke Sanji who bucked his hips likely from the lack of experience. His long serpent tongue slipped inside Sanji’s hole. It was long enough to press against his spot which made the tears start to fall from the blonde’s face as his hips bucked more and more. There it was... that guilt and shame of falling from grace. That was what Zoro wanted. His lips sucked on the rim of Sanji’s hole as the priests' hips were pushing up even more. Needy and wanting him all the same.  

It what felt like it was too early, Sanji came from the pressure against his prostate. The priest was seeing stars as he came hard and very quickly, ropes of cum across his waist as he felt himself being spoilt. He was ruined... damaged.  

And that was when Zoro noticed him crying. Zoro pulled his tongue out, licking his lips only to look and see the blonde’s face was stained with tears from merely being eaten out.  

“There there...” Zoro’s clawed fingers reached up to touch his face as he stood up. His large, knotted cock rubbing against the blonde’s hole as Zoro’s hand was reaching up to stroke the blonde’s face, “Didn’t you enjoy that...?”  

Sanji didn’t say anything at first but eventually after a few minutes, he looked up and watched Zoro.  

“I... I’m ruined now...”  

Zoro merely let out a laugh at that, “And didn’t you enjoy that? I think you did...more than you want to admit...” He stroked his face in an almost loving way, “And I doubt that God would want you now as you were...and what would those in your circle think if they were to see you like this...being defiled in such a way....and on the alter too?” It seemed as if Zoro was trying to rub the salt in...and he was also trying to make a point to Sanji, “So. we might as well continue. What do you have to lose?”  

Sanji looked at Zoro and tried to think about something he could say but honestly what could he say...it wasn’t even as if he could argue. Sanji had already been defiled and he could hardly concentrate with that cock rubbing against his hole. He was absolutely done for as it was... Why should he refuse? Zoro didn’t wait for an answer before he was pushing his cock inside his hole without any warning whatsoever.  

It wasn’t as if his tongue had done anything to measure up to how big and thick, he was. In hindsight, maybe he should have stretched Sanji out before nestling himself inside of him and Sanji was tiny compared to Zoro’s cock. How would Zoro even fit inside of him?  

“Good boy...”  

Sanji’s heart swelled some more as Zoro pushed more of his cock inside of him. Stretching him, filling him. Implanting him with his sin and depravity. He wanted to watch Sanji break and then build him back up into his perfect slave. Oh, he would take care of the priest. He would make sure he wanted for nothing, but he wanted him to bend to every single one of his needs. It was all he wanted. He wanted to break him repeatedly only to keep building him up. It took him a while to get there but he managed to get into Sanji from the hilt. There was a little bump in Sanji’s stomach where the head of his cock was pressing against his stomach and... that was hot.  

“That’s it...you are doing so good for me,” Zoro said, smoothly with his voice only hitching a little due to how tight Sanji was around his cock and he was tight. He watched the blonde intently for his reaction but could only see Sanji’s eyes fill with more tears.  

Something about Zoro calling him a good boy was filling him with so much want and desire. He didn’t know it was possible for him, but he wanted to just give in. Enjoy himself being fucked in front of the alter. Denounce his faith and worship this demon entirely. Become a slave to this demon’s desires.  

“I...”  

Sanji couldn’t get a word out but that was because Zoro pulled himself out only to push himself back in. When he had pulled out, Zoro had missed the feeling of the human wrapped around him. Sanji didn’t realise that this could feel so good. If he was brutally honest, he never thought about anal sex like this; only thought of how nice it would be to feel the warmth of a woman’s walls wrapped around him.  

Well, this was entirely different.  

Sanji let a moan escape his mouth after Zoro had done this a few times. Zoro grinned with a toothy smile. He knew he had the priest right where he wanted him, so he began to set a brutal pace watching the priest arch his back.  

“That’s it...forget your faith...” Zoro reached up and grabbed Sanji by his hair and held him for a while, watching his tear-stained face as he began to fuck him brutally, “Say it...say you denounce God. I’m your God now,”  

“I...I...” Sanji couldn’t speak for being overwhelmed but it was starting to feel like it was all becoming a lot. He couldn’t deny how he felt now. He couldn’t deny it. He had been questioning his faith for a while. He didn’t belong to the robes. He was stained, dirty and rotten now but he was about to be reborn into something much better... something brand new, “....I... I Fuck...I don’t want to belong to God anymore. I want to belong to you,”  

Zoro couldn’t hold back to moan that came out of his mouth at those words. His pace quickened as he began to brutally fuck Sanji on his cock. The head of his cock rapidly outlining in his stomach as he bounced the human roughly and with purpose. To chase his own orgasm and make him belong to him.  

“That’s it...you belong to me now...” He couldn’t believe it. He managed to get this human priest to submit to him. How happy they were going to be together, “You’re going to be my little pet, priest. My fuck toy...my slave... you’re going to want for nothing,” So overwhelmed with wanting and happiness that he managed to get the priest to submit to him, Zoro leaned down and with his teeth bit hard into Sanji’s shoulder. The blood spilled out over Sanji’s collar bone as Sanji grunted and groaned. In fact, the sensation of Zoro biting him caused Sanji to let go of all of his wants entirely and as pleasure spread throughout his body in the most numbing way, Sanji came against their bodies. What Sanji didn't’ know was that Zoro had just claimed him. Now his essence is part of him. Sanji would never be able to go anywhere without Zoro knowing. Not that it would ever happen because Sanji would belong to him body and soul now.  

“Good boy...Fuck...”  

Zoro was close. He kept fucking Sanji hard before he slipped his knot inside Sanji even more. The outline of Zoro’s large cock pressing hard against his stomach and making him feel full. It was then that Zoro came hard, pumping out large volumes of cum inside his stomach. How he wished Sanji had a womb in this moment. How wonderful it would be to pump him full of cum and make him carry his demon seed only to do it all over again when he was done? The thought nearly made Sanji’s mouth water but...perhaps that was something for another day.  

As they were there panting, Zoro slipped his arms around Sanji in a protective embrace. Sanji’s breathing was heavy, but he seemed really out of it which made Zoro feel proud but protective.  

“You’re mine now...”  

Zoro neeeded to take Sanji away so they were somewhere save. With a flick of his wrist, he brought up some sort of portal. He held Sanji in his arms, he seemed to be slipping out of it. Well, he meant what he said. He was taking Sanji back to his world. After all...he was his.  

“I’m going to look after you now...”  

[imsoveryveryconfusedatlife]

I started my WIP! I did the thing! It’s only about 500 words but I did the thing!

“I’m dead.”

“How astute.” A cold, monotonous voice rang loud in his ear.

“You look distressed.” The voice sounded like it was trying to sound sympathetic. It was failing, miserably. It put stress on all the wrong syllables, spoke too slowly and sounded more condescending if anything, “Would you like to take on a form similar to your mortal one?”

“I suppose.” He spoke slowly. He knew better than to make deals with strange, mysterious things but the lack of a physical body made him feel lightheaded, despite having no head to speak of. He never realised how much he liked having a body. He hadn’t been dead for long but he already missed the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest and he loved the feeling of his lungs expanding when he took a deep breath. After poking and prodding and making sure his body was fully in tact, he took a few deep breaths before tentatively asking “Who are you?”

“I am No One.” The voice did not care to clarify. 

“No One, you say?” Well that’s helpful,“Is that some sort fanciful title?”

“I am No One.” The voice repeated itself again, but slowly, as if speaking to a child. 

“Fine. Where am I, No One?”

“Where do you think you are?” He almost thought he heard a hint of amusement in that robotic voice. 

“… I’m dead.” He trailed off shakily,“I’m dead which means that this is the Ati ai Sun.”

“Two for two. Keep it up, mortal.” It drawled. It’s mocking me. Does it even have the emotional capacity to do that?

“I thought that once you died, you met the Xir.” While he may have spent the last years of his life doing anything but, he used to be a pious believer and he knew that much at least. 

“You do.” 

“I thought it was immediate.”

“It is.”

“But that means-“ his eyes widened and he fell to his knees in reverence, “Nain Xir!”

“‘My God’? That’s ironic.” 

“Naitën nain Xir fäti naimif Xir shi bu peisu sunfa” A familiar prayer left his lips. He’d hardly realised how ingrained his priesthood training was until the words spilled forth in his native tongue, a testament to his years of subservience and austerity. 

“There’s no need for all that. After all, I am not the Xir.” He couldn’t see the voice but he could just feel it smirking at him. 

His eyes snapped up in confusion,“You’re…not?” 

“No. I told you: I am No One”

His confusion turned to quiet rage,“But you knew your words were misleading.”

“I was aware it could be interpreted that way, yes.”

 “So why?”

“To amuse myself.” He almost burst a blood vessel. The voice continued, unfazed, “Brace yourself. Soon, you will be faced with the, what would you call it, ‘Itë’ itself.” The voice sighed loudly, “Well, I have nothing more to say to you. I wish you good luck, now and for eternity. And for what it’s worth, mortal?”

“Yes?”

“You were a visionary. I truly hope someone else takes up the mantle of your cause.”

—

Unfortunately, writing is a skill that I have maintain otherwise I get bad at it, so I might rewrite this at some point but this is progress. Yay!

[theprayerfulword]

November 19

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Deuteronomy 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or no.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.

Ephesians 6:18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.

May you not try to withstand or refute the Lord, for He will turn you around and take you along as He determines, bringing you from where you are to where He decides, making you powerless and removing your resources, to show you what is in your heart and give you opportunity to turn to Him in repentance and be saved, or continue to resist and reject the Lord, ending up in destruction, knowing, in either case, that God is the Lord. Ezekiel 39

May you believe that the Lord will make known His holy name to you, no longer letting His holy name be profaned and all the powers of the nations will know that the Lord God is the Holy One in Israel on that day which will surely take place, for He has spoken it. Ezekiel 39

May you come to understand that when the Lord gives you the victory over His enemy, you will be able to use for good that which the enemy intended for your harm. Ezekiel 39

May you realize that after you overcome the enemy in your life, receiving and walking in the immediate victory that God gives you through the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony, that the cleansing of the land of your soul, your thoughts and your feelings, will have to be walked out with diligence and vigilance. Ezekiel 39

May you never forget that the glory of the Lord will be shown among the nations, and they will know that it was His hand that was laid upon them. From every family, tribe, clan, tongue, people, and nation, will He draw those whose hearts are toward Him and willing to submit to Him when they see the righteousness of God toward His people. For as He deals with their uncleanness and offenses, and pours out His mercy toward them in love, He will restore them with acceptance to live safely in His blessing, leaving none behind and pouring out His Spirit when His discipline is received and His training walked out. Ezekiel 39

May you remain attentive to all that the Lord has to tell you when He pulls you aside from your routine, not allowing distractions from the flesh, the world, or the enemy to intrude, but sharing His entire message with those He has placed before you. Ezekiel 40

May you be able to demonstrate your faith by what you do, for that will separate you from all evil-doers. James 2

May your faith and your actions work together, with your faith being made complete by what you do, that when you believe God and do His works, it will be credited to you as righteousness. James 2

May you realize that faith without deeds is dead, just as the body without the spirit is not alive. James 2

My child, do not be disturbed if recognition does not come to you as you do My work, but rejoice and be glad that others learn of My Name and hear of My deeds and find their way to Me in their time of need. Do you have the answers they seek? Can you support them when the waters of despair grow deep? Will you be able keep the fire of hope strong in their hearts so that it endures the storms that are raging in their lives? I know you inside and out, My precious one, and I treasure who you are in Me, gladly speaking your name before My Father. What benefit can society give to those they favor which can compare to the Father's treasures of peace and riches of mercy which He gives willingly and abundantly to you? Those favored by man will soon be forgotten and replaced by others, but those known to God are eternally satisfied by the joys found in His presence. Do not seek to be known by any but God, My dear one, and seek not to know others except through God.

May you recall that those who teach will be judged more strictly, and because we all stumble in many ways, we should not all presume to be teachers, only those whom God has gifted and called. James 3

May you show your wisdom and understanding by your good life and by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom, not harboring bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts. James 3

May you seek after the wisdom that comes from heaven, for it is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. James 3

May you give thanks to the Lord, for He is good and His love endures forever. Psalm 118

May you cry to the Lord when you are in anguish, for He will answer by setting you free; since the Lord is with you, there is no need to fear, for man cannot cause you true or permanent harm when the Lord gives you help. Psalm 118

May you take refuge in the Lord rather than trust in man or princes, for then you will look in triumph on the enemy of your soul. Psalm 118

May you cut off the principalities and powers that surround you on every side, like swarming bees, in the name of the Lord, for you will see them die out as quickly as burning thorns. Psalm 118

May you make the Lord your strength and your song, for when you are pushed back and about to fall, the Lord will help you and become your salvation. Psalm 118

May you proclaim with shouts of joy and victory among the righteous the mighty things the Lord's right hand has done as He lifts it high, for you will not die but live since, though He chastens you severely, He does not give you over to death. Psalm 118

[innerchorus]

Okay, instead of making a million disjointed Gurgin posts like I’m constantly tempted to do, it occurs to me that I can just... put them all in the same post.

Two thoughts that are breaking my brain at the moment; 1. the fact that Nakamura’s manga made me consider a blonde Gurgin (it’s like the sequel to blonde Isfan but worse... though if I have to imagine them with light hair then they can both have silver/grey because blonde just does not work for me, lmao) and 2. trying to picture Gurgin wearing white back when he was training to become a priest...

(He was MADE for wearing black. I do sometimes think about what he would wear if he left Team Zahhak and their typical attire behind, but it’s hard to see him wearing a lot of colour even then.)

(This is funny though because in the novels Team Zahhak wear dark grey.)

Do you ever come across a reference to something historical or whatever and just think ‘that has to be included in an AU somehow’ because that happened to me most recently with the Castle of Oblivion. It’s in Khuzestan, like the Temple of Mithra. I think I’m going to incorporate it into Gurgin’s backstory somehow, like maybe he and his brother and Farangis visited its ruins together once when they were at the temple together, but (unbeknownst to them) way back in the day it used to be used by the priesthood to imprison users of magic / those suspected of following Zahhak. Nowadays they just kill them instead. That’s another thing that the temple trio don’t know about (at least, not yet). Who knows, maybe even the Master himself was familiar with this place!

I’m... really tempted to give Gurgin a different eye colour in every AU I imagine him in. Is this because I’m indecisive and can’t quite settle on one? Maybe. But I also kind of like the idea of this one inconsequential visual difference between all of the different ‘versions’ of Gurgin and his story that I like to think about.

(Interlude aka Magical Healing AU is the only one that has much of anything actually written for it, and his eye colour there is a grey-green, but I do like the thought of a pale blue-grey too, or even brown like his brother, though that might be too similar as they both have dark hair and I like the thought that their eye colour sets them apart distinctly... having said that I was considering a deep reddish-brown/mahogany colour for Mage Hunt AU, I’m not sure why.)

I feel I should admit to the fact that I think about Mage Hunt AU and the eventual Zandeh/Gurgin all the time... like, why yes, Zandeh, you will end up deeply in love with the man you once called a “slimy little freak”. You will love him with your whole heart. You will love his mind, his body and his soul, and you will not want to imagine a future without him by your side. (And thankfully, you won’t have to. This one has a happy ending!)

I was indulging myself recently by imagining Gurgin reuniting with Aghriras in the afterlife, since the novels do seem to indicate that one exists and this is possible. Yeah, I know, it’s absolutely delusional to think that Gurgin would be allowed into Parsian heaven lmao, but... maybe eventually? Just imagining Aghriras wordlessly holding him in a tight hug.

Revisiting some of the content regarding Zahhak’s blood and its mind-control powers in the novels recently has actually been very relevant to my interests in that recently I’d started considering yet another AU (probably like an eventual bad end for well past the events of Interlude, where Gurgin is still firmly Team Zahhak, tries to have it all and ends up suffering the consequences). I would personally describe it as ‘averting canon horror by committing AU atrocities’ but to be more specific, Gurgin ends up saving Zandeh’s life by giving him Zahhak’s blood, and it’s not going to end well. (Sorry, Gurgin. He’ll probably kill you in the end.)

The fact that Gurgin most likely knows exactly where Zandeh is in the second half is just so useful to me. You can’t tell me that this little snake wouldn’t have been reading Namard and Kermine’s letters whenever he got the chance.

Also I am 👀 at the fact that Gurgin recognises that Kermine’s love for Namard would have caused problems for Team Zahhak in the future if he’d lived, while Ghundi is totally oblivious (and annoyed at Gurgin for not telling him before). Gurgin seems surprised that Ghundi doesn’t know. Perhaps he thought it was obvious; however, he may also have deliberately kept quiet about it and is now making a jab at his comrade (like ‘I can’t believe you didn’t notice it, you really don’t know?’). Anyway, this is definitely of interest to me, because I wonder if he’s not been with Team Zahhak for long enough for his perceptiveness of such things to be completely deadened.

Also poor guy, at this point he’s totally sleep deprived and exhausted from the constant racket that the winged apes have been making

(My little headcanon is that back in the time when he and Zandeh were both in Ecbatana, he would sometimes go and sleep in Zandeh’s bed during the day.)

Tanaka: 'In the past, in addition to the Holy Master there were eight people in this room; now only two remained. The anxiety and loneliness of the mages was deeply felt.’ 😢

Weirdest thing I have researched for Sacrifice AU so far: what happens if someone drinks heavy water (yeah, Gurgin... don’t drink from that weird underground well...)

I want to make a Gurgin playlist... I will accept suggestions!

[asgard-segun-elcadejos]

Asgard según El Cadejos

Asgardian Society

As an overview, I divide them in royalty, nobility, and commoners.

Royalty

By classifying Asgard as a principality, it means that “Princess” is already the hightest nobility rank within it, so Hilda is the current ruler of this land, not awaiting to be crowned. Asgardian Royalty is expected to be generous with their people, ensuring food, clothing, and shelter is available to all. In episode 77, Hilda apologizes to Thor for not being able to fulfill this by herself.

Since ancient times, the firstborn is always a girl, and given the name of a valkyrie to honor their ancestor. She receives vast training in both combat (with and without cosmo) and priesthood, since the Princess of Asgard is also Odin’s Representative. Younger siblings receive this training too, but less intensely. They are commonly focused on becoming ambassadors for the realm, and frequently handle political matters with foreign countries.

Characters: Hilda, Freyja

Nobility (jarls)

Old families (some wealthier than others), descendants of the God Warriors from ancient times, that oversee the different Asgardian regions. Ideally, they assist the Royal family looking after the people living there, though this is not always the case. Most prefer to just live comfortably till the end of their days between balls, tournamens, and other social gatherings.

Per law, neither they nor the Royal family have slaves. All members of their staff must receive a living wage and appropriate housing/clothing/tools to perform their tasks. If there are children in the household that serve as the noble’s child’s companion, they must have strict, defined schedules that include school, (their own) household responsibilities, and personal time. It also not uncommon for nobles to send their heirs for a season or two to other noble households for them to learn from and grow with their peers.

Characters: Siegfried, Sigmund, Syd*, Hagen, Alberich, Mime, (Fenrir), Folkner, Frodi, Utgard

Commoners (karls)

Bourgeois: those who are wealthy, but do not belong to a noble family. This group is very interested in bringing Asgard closer to its Nordic neighbours (in several fronts like technology and transport) and have ocassionally found like-minded nobles to help them.

General: those who don’t have wealth to spare, and might or might not be able to sustain their lifestyle.. Most of their jobs focus on direct needs like woodcutting, hunting, fishing, masonry, blacksmithing, baking, butchery, etc. This leads to tightly knitted villages where it is essential to support each other in order to survive the harsh life in Asgard.

Characters: Thor, (Bud), Sannfrid (Bud’s adoptive father), Artica and her family

Slaves (þræll)

Like other Norsemen, Asgard did have a history of raiding and trading during the Viking Age. However, it has long been outlawed and in the present age, there are no slaves in the Asgardian Principality.

-----------------------

Gender roles

There aren’t any. Life in Asgard is already hard enough; people will be allocated where they are useful, and that’s it. They aren’t immune to the influence of foreign individuals, but Asgardian society itself doesn’t enforce any particular gender role.

-----------------------

Perspective on sexuality

Open (literally not an issue in my Asgard).

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

*Syd and Bud’s family seems to have a higher status than other nobles. The way Syd dresses is more similar to how Hilda and Freyja (and Alberich having world domination dreams) dress than to how the other noble characters do so. It is also curious to note that Syd, Bud, and Folkner are the only characters to use a cape, even though the others are also recognized as Asgardian warriors. For reference, the characters that belong to commoner backgrounds (or don’t even belong in human society, like Fenrir) wear simpler clothes.

Sources: http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/society/text/social_classes.htm

[scrollsfromarebornrealm]

If you’re alright with multiple

🖊️ Sebastian Astrayalas(apologies if I spelled it wrong)

🖊️ Maythe Bishop

(That's okay!)

Sebastian's only shown it to Riven and the others, but he has a rather keen ear for music and musical theory. Unfortunately this was a hobby his abusive ex bullied him out of, and it's been taking gentle nudging by Riven and the rest of the Bro Squad for him to get back into it. A trip to Gridania post-Endwalker where he was honored for his services in protecting the Shroud (EW Tank Role Quest) had a Bard stone fall into his path, and he's been taking lessons. Slowly.

(it helps like Riven and the others, he's a fast learner. And yes, before anyone asks, the current Bard escapades are one Holder Of The Brain Cell Gay and the Disaster Gay Couple)

During Ishgard's isolation, Mathye was singlehandedly responsible for helping a small faction of Ishgardian conjurers gain more influence and respect within the city. This was due to the fact that he was the first Ishgardian to be sent outside the city for White Mage training.

warning, personal headcanon ahead

Native Ishgardian conjury (I headcanon that the practices differ in each country) had been completely assimilated by the Church, with more focus put on magical healing than listening to the elements. While recovering from the injury that resulted in his medical discharge from active service as a dragoon...the following happened.

Mathye could hear the elementals and he had the raw magical power, so he was dragged into the church's study for conjury. And because of the Calamity and the enteral freeze, nobody's giving a shit about the elements anymore

There was very small vocal minority who are trying to push about this--but were failing.

Then Mathye one day in his studies, comes across a white mage stone. It gets confiscated but guess what, it keeps popping back up on him, around him, and so forth and so on

There's some higher ups who do some research and go 'hmm, having a white mage might be good for the cause', there's other sycophants screaming 'Heresy!!!!', but the crux of the matter is, anything white magic is Gridania, and as Ishgard is (for me in theory anyway) heavily reliant on Gridania being a partial breadbasket for them, this May Become A Problem.

Mathye being Mathye, who wants to study at the Gridanian conjurer's guild, wants to master this stone, basically goes 'better to seek forgiveness than ask permission' and fucks off to Gridania

Naturally This Causes More Problems.

E-Sumi is going 'what the fuck' at this Ishgardian who has a soul stone that's like 'i'm not fuckin movin' and is a walking talking sheer fount of raw magical power and just is like 'He needs training. He needs actual, proper, training that isn't religious rite and rote' because again, Ishgardian conjury is no longer what it used to be. He needs training because he's going to have to deal with ice and wind elementals howling bloody fucking murder and he needs the fortitude to stop his ears up against that. He needs training because there probably will have plants that desperately are needed for food or medicine in a greenhouse and the church has nobody who has the knowledge to help them grow quickly and safely and with respect and care using magic. He needs training because he's probably going to hear an ice elemental raging with a blizzard on the way and that's probably the only warning you're going to get. Pray to Halone all you want but she's not going to make the crops in your greenhouse grow.

So the Church had to relent.

Mathye sucks up as much secular knowledge (including alchemy lessons from Ul'dah) as he can before he's got to go back home. He returns, and has to take the path to priesthood even though he's serving as a Knight-Dragoon healer, because there are some who are drooling over the idea of a living, breathing, white mage being used against the Dravanians.

Fortunately for Mathye, so much shit gets kicked off that there's very little focus paid to that particular idea.

[corupriesthood]

Hi! I've followed the priesthoods social media (here and FB) for probably 5 years or more at this point. I live on the East cost so I'm unable to participate in most rituals/gatherings and have found it incredibly hard to find information about particular practices/methodologies/philosophies the priesthood holds. I understand you don't have any training or educational programs specifically for aspiring clergy but what about followers?

Hello! :D It's true we don't provide clergy training, but depending on what kind of information, education, or resources you're looking for more specifically, there are some options:

Irish and other Celtic polytheisms in general? You can check out our resource page on our site or this response post. We base a lot of our own practices on what we can find in more academic folklore, archaeological, and literature studies and then extrapolate from there to accommodate modern needs, limitations, ethics, magical and spiritwork methodologies, etc.

We're currently discussing possibilities for virtual community-oriented events, too, which would allow more verbal conversations about polytheistic practice for those of us who like to geek out about that sort of thing. TBA!

What the Coru itself does? We did publish a very short book on some of the stuff we do, but disclaimer: we're not making any claims that its content is universally applicable or authoritative. It's just what works for us. :) Folks can use as much or as little as they like from it.

Clergy skills? I'm going to insert my personal opinion here and say that the best way to learn clergy skills is to prioritize training (and, if possible, actual experience) less in spiritually-specific skills like divination but firstly in "secular" areas: nonviolent communication skills, peer counseling, domestic violence and sexual assault education, basic mental health first aid, etc. Being an incredible medium or diviner doesn't mean anything if a person doesn't know how to talk to people appropriately or how to manage the power differential and consent issues between provider/client. You'll use peer counseling skills in pastoral service much more often (basically every time you meet with a client or talk to community in a pastoral capacity, really) than you'll use spiritually specific ones like divination.

Macha's Justice is a resource which has some deeper conversation about becoming a spiritual service provider. (Transparency note: MJ is unaffiliated with the Coru, but I'm MJ's founder and later joined the Coru, so this isn't an unbiased recommendation.)

In-person contacts and/or community? If you're looking for specific types of practitioners on the East Coast, we'd be happy to provide the contact info of anyone we happen to know who might be more accessibly closer to you. Drop us a line at info@corupriesthood.com and we can try crowdsourcing some contacts. :)

~ mc

[rita-rae-siller]

On Garmoran Religious Hierarchy

As the name implies, the Holy Garmoran Empire is, at its core, a theocracy. The temples and their customs dominate every aspect of life, from work schedules to the color and style of clothing, even dictating when and how certain foods are prepared.

Garmoran religion is a hodgepodge of gods and customs from the many cultures within and outside of its borders. At its center is Gora, king of the gods, and the only true Garmoran deity. The rest have been appropriated in order to encourage religious compliance of the subjugated masses. Most temples offer initiate status to any and all, but some are exclusive to men or women only.

The temple structures are organized much in the same way as the Catholic Church. At the very top, you have the Holy Emperor, Garmora's version of the Pope. Like the Egyptian Pharaohs, he is believed to be a physical incarnation of their chief god, Gora. He bears the title of "Most Holy."

Below him, the College of Cardinals advises him on the will of the gods, and use their vast networks to help him run the empire. A Cardinal rules over every temple of their respective deity. Most but not all are also Archbishops. They bear the title of "Your Eminence".

Below them, you have the rank of Archbishop. They oversee the most illustrious and powerful territories, most of which are within the wealthiest provinces of Garmora and Rahtma, and the city-states of Leto and Oboran. Called "Your Grace" or "Your Excellency", or "Most Reverend".

Below that are Bishops, which oversee districts of local temples on a slightly smaller, less illustrious scale. They oversee much of the training of the clergy and oversee mass at their specific resident temples. Referred to by the title of "You Excellency" or "Most Reverend"

The next step down is the general priesthood. They bear the titles of Reverends and Reverend Mothers. They oversee much of the day to day operations of the temple, from swearing in initiates, giving sermons, and attending to their bishop if one resides in the specific temple they serve in.

There are dozens of recognized gods and hundreds of temples, but not all of them share power equally. Only 7 temples have membership in the College of Cardinals, and their holy days are recognized across the empire.

In order of power and importance, they are listed as follows:

Gora, God of Might, Domination, Masculinity, and War. The ancient Akarii people, the predecessors to modern Garmorans, brought their warrior king with them when a group of soldiers were blown far off shore from their old home of Akarr. Currently, the temple is ruled by Cardinal Laemos, an old and shriveled man that rose to power through deception and murder. Many of his constituents within the temple whisper that he clings to life through the use of dark magic. He shows no sign of dying any time soon, despite his poor health. He has a deep-seeded hatred for Emperor Diocaletus, and is bound and determined to see him replaced with someone more... malleable by any means necessary.

Silus, Goddess of Shadows, Magic, and Subterfuge, and believed to be the mother of Gora. She is a bastardized goddess adapted from the high elves of Stygaera in the north. Her Morvaaran counterpart, Eyre, is also the goddess of the Wild, and patroness of the Råthvali half-elves of the Novalis, in the Frozen Sea. She is a dark and feared figure across the entire continent. Cardinal Lathima is the current ruler of this temple. She is the eldest member of the College, and her influence is felt across the empire. She's in far better health than Laemos, but her position within her own temple is currently in question. A secret battle for power between her and an order of female warriors devoted to Silus has the temple torn in two.

Itep, God of the Dead and King of the Underworld. He is a god of the native Rauma people of the Carythean coastline. They are the first people the old Akkari encountered when they landed in Morvaara, and many of the gods within their pantheon belong to them and the sister nations that inhabit the southern portion of the continent. Death, like in ancient Egypt, is a big part of everyday life. The priesthood tends to the burial crypts, overseeing the mummification and preservation of the dead. The more richly adorned the tomb, the higher the status in the afterlife. Currently, Cardinal Movarth oversees this temple. He isn't the most powerful of his constituents politically, but he wields immense wealth.

Satmet, Goddess of the Heavens, the Sun, Motherhood, and Childbirth. Another Raumai god. She is Queen of the Gods, Gora's unwilling bride that was offered to him in appeasement by the other gods. More symbolism to display Garmora's total domination of their new homeland. Her temple is strictly run by women. Men are forbidden within the temple interior, but all are welcome to attend her sermons and worship her. Fire is viewed as a purifying energy in Garmoran culture, so most of the priesthood is trained in the art of healing. Cardinal Iseane uses the wealth brought in by the healing services her temple provides to fund her political agendas. Underestimating the youngest member of the College isn't a wise choice for anyone, especially her fellow Cardinals.

Sodek, God of the Moon and Stars, also known as the Wild Huntsman. He is yet another Raumai god of the Garmoran Pantheon, and brother to Satmet. He is a patron of archers and hunters everywhere. His sacred order, the Silver Strings, are blessed with Night Eye or Eagle Eye. Though both blessing provide superior sight, they have their drawbacks. Those possessing Night Eye have difficulty seeing during the day, and must wear protective lenses to block out the light of the sun. Those with Eagle Eye have keen vision, but are notorious for being far sighted. Up close, the blessed may struggle to see more than a few inches in front of their faces. This temple, beyond the Silver Strings being part of the military, has little in the way of influence. Cardinal Eudiclese, the reigning leader of the temple, is one of the youngest in the College. He may not have the emperor's attention, but his loyalty to Laemos as an ally ensures he keeps his position secured.

Aru, Goddess of Dreams and Visions, and considered the Divine Messenger of the Gods. She is considered the daughter of Satmet, and Gora. Originally, she was the patron goddess of the Astariin of the Riverlands in the northern empire, the newest addition to imperial territory. Her temple wields fairly little power, but the service it offers to the emperor ensures its continued position of esteem. Her priests can speak to one another while under the influence of a sacred herb that puts the devout into a trance. This almost instantaneous communication has been key to the empire's success. Without the need for letters, military plans can be relayed without a paper trail, leaving nothing tangible for the enemy to tamper with. Cardinal Hakke knows her station well within the College, and heeds whatever command the emperor gives her. She is one of the only Cardinals that is truly loyal to the Throne.

Aedon, God of the Forge, Wealth, and Riches, patron god of Traders, Craftsmen, and Merchants. A chief god of the Aramahn people of Rahtma. His temple is the final member of the College, and considered to be the weakest of the lot. His temple serves the emperor by providing monetary services. This temple almost acts as his personal bankers. They have great influence over the financial decisions made by the Magistracy, and provide a sizable percentage of the funding to the imperial army. Beyond this, their power is limited. Cardinal Orphean is also loyal to the throne, largely out of fear of the emperor.

WIP Masterpost

For more world lore, click here!

[deathbind]

NOTEWORTHY TRAITS.

Here is an overview of some of Serot’s noteworthy traits. These are the ones people will be able to notice pretty easily. Traits marked with * might require them to pay attention, but otherwise, one doesn’t have to dig too hard to pick up on these.

NO LIFE UNMARKED.

Serot has a couple of scars, not many. The most notable runs thick through the right side of his lips. He would love to say it was the result of one of his grand adventures. The truth is he tripped and split his lip while investigating the kheprer's point of origin. Because he was in a place no other would dare enter, he had to do his best to patch it up himself, Healing was not helped by the Negative Energy in which that place was steeped, but heal it did, leaving behind a scar. It does not otherwise affect him.

INDIGO TATTOOS.

Serot has a few tattoos, all inked in indigo. He has three lines on his left temple, and a geometric patterning on the tops of his fingers. Scarabs adorn his palms, and a lotus blooms over his throat. Each of these have meaning. The lines on his temple represent mental fortitude and are meant to ward off migraines + mental intrusions. The patterning on his fingers represents quick and nimble fingers. The scarabs on his palms were part of how he controlled kheprer, and have since become an initiation for Anactaci. The lotus on the throat is now also customary for the Anactaci but it is shared with the Manthu, indicating a higher-ranking member of the Soshist priesthood. He was tattooed thus when the two officially merged.

TOWARD THE LIGHT.

In addition to his tattoos, Serot has a few markings that gleam with golden light. Some were originally a different color and were altered by his rebirth. On his forehead winks a rayed eye, indicating he was the Hegemon of the Anactaci. It is believed this symbol allows them to peer past the very veil of death. His left ring finger is likewise encircled in gold. This is his “wedding band” with Refhremmit. Normally it appears like a dark birthmark; it’s one of the ways his reincarnations are identified. Finally, a line of runes stretches across his throat. It was here that his throat was slit in his life as Neheb, renewing his bond with Refhremmit (and Meresankh, though no one knew that at the time).

PEACE OF THE GRAVE*.

Serot has an unusual connection to death. A number of factors play into this: his history as a ghul lord, his role as founder of the Anactaci, his dominion over kheprer, his bonds with Refhremmit and Meresankh, the cycle of reincarnation ensnaring him. As a result, those in close proximity will sense an odd energy waft off him. It isn’t uncomfortable or disconcerting. On the contrary, it is so natural, so sweet, so calm. Anyone concentrating on it may say it is the peace one only experiences when at rest in their grave. This aura has no supernatural influence on people. Whether they lean into it is entirely their choice. He himself is hardly aware of it.

THE REAPER’S SCYTHE.

Serot has never called on the Weave to cast. Rather he draws directly from the Plane of Death. This has a few consequences. One, he can only cast necromantic spells and spells in keeping with the nature of the Plane of Death*. He can draw on no other source of magic, and when his spells layer those drawn from other sources, they explode. Literally. Furthermore, his spells put a strain on his very life*. The more he casts, the worse his health becomes, although it will regenerate. He will even take on a cadaverous appearance after a point, although again this will reverse with a break from casting.

KHEPRER’S CALL.

Serot has a unique relationship with the kheprer. It was he who first tamed them, and he set them as guardians of Meket’s oldest Houses of Eternity. They still bend to his will more easily than any other’s. Others, properly trained, may ward them off, but toward him, they are almost affectionate. This relationship manifests even in aspects of his magic that do not concern them. When he casts a spell, they can be heard singing regardless of whether there are any nearby. How loud and how long this lasts depends on the spell.

ALL HUNGER CEASE*.

Being reborn affects more than Serot’s memory. He requires neither food nor drink. He can consume them. Neither their taste nor the functioning of his organs have altered. It is only that he does not require them. He eats for pleasure or to avoid uncomfortable questions, but in circumstances where resources are tight, he’ll refrain.

ETERNAL REST*.

The side effect of his rebirth he finds most disconcerting is that he cannot sleep. It is not that he doesn’t require sleep. It is that he cannot sleep. Not even magic may have this effect on him. This has raised questions for him about the state of his immortal soul. He soothes himself that his bonds with Refhremmit and Meresankh prove he is still in possession of one. As for the state of it . . . he would prefer not to dwell on it too long.

FINAL BREATH*.

It takes Serot longest to discover he does not need to breathe. He still does by reflex and has no desire to alter that reflex. However, he does not need to.

[yessadirichards]

Scorsese’s gods of the streets: From ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ to ‘Silence,’ faith is rarely far off in his films

DAYTON, Ohio

A widely circulated still from the set of Martin Scorsese’s latest film, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” shows the director sitting in a church pew. Next to him is Lily Gladstone, who plays the role of Mollie Kyle, an Osage woman whose family is targeted as part of a broader conspiracy by white Americans to steal the tribe’s wealth, to the point of marrying and killing its members.

In the photograph, Scorsese appears to hold rosary beads, a common devotional object for many Catholics. Mollie is Catholic, so the rosary makes sense as a prop. But as a scholar of religion and film, I’m struck by how it calls to mind the director’s own complex Catholicism and its imprint on his decades of filmmaking.

Scorsese stands in a long line of Catholic American filmmakers, stretching back to the 1930s and 1940s – one that includes Irish Americans John Ford and Leo McCarey, and Italian immigrant Frank Capra. At a time when Catholicism still seemed foreign to many Americans, those directors helped normalize the faith, making it seem like part of a shared American story.

Yet in his films, Scorsese has taken a much more personal approach to exploring Catholic faith and experience. He doesn’t feel the need to defend the religion or burnish its image. His movies are steeped in Catholic sensibilities, but embrace painful questions that often accompany belief: what it means to hold on to religious commitment in a world where God can seem absent.

From altar boy to auteur

Scorsese has often spoken of his Catholic background. Born in New York City’s Little Italy, he went to Catholic schools and served as an altar boy at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, which appeared in his early masterpiece “Mean Streets.” Scorsese even began seminary training, but he quickly realized the priesthood was not for him.

Yet the church proved influential. Scorsese has described St. Patrick’s as a spiritual alternative to the violence in the streets around his neighborhood. A priest introduced the young Scorsese to classical music and books that widened his cultural horizons.

A similar tension runs through many of his films: Catholic devotion, mystery and ritual interwoven with ruthless crime. Indeed, the struggle with faith amid brutality is a theme Scorsese returns to over and over, asking what religion might have to offer the world as it actually exists, with all its cruelties, greed and despair.

Presence and absence

That struggle can be described as one between “presence” and “absence,” to use the terms of religious studies scholar Robert A. Orsi.

Religious presence refers to all the ways people experience their gods’ existence in the world and in their lives. For Catholics, for example, the Eucharist is not just a symbol of Christ; the consecrated bread and wine in Communion actually become Jesus’ flesh and blood, according to Catholic teaching.

Orsi describes religious absence, on the other hand, as the experience of doubt and spiritual struggle about a god not felt directly on Earth.

Both presence and absence shape Scorsese’s rendering of religion. God’s absence takes the form of violence and greed in his films. But some characters also carry their gods with them in the world. This is most dramatically seen in “Silence,” released in 2016, which was based on the novel by Japanese Catholic writer Shusaku Endo.

“Silence” is the story of two Jesuit missionaries who travel to 17th century Japan in search of their mentor, another Jesuit who is believed to have renounced the faith during a wave of violent persecutions. One of them, Father Rodrigues, profoundly questions his own faith after witnessing the torture of Japanese Christians.

Why, he wonders, does God allow such suffering? Eventually he himself will renounce his faith in order to save the lives of those to whom he ministers.

The silence of God is the film’s major preoccupation, yet it is filled with devotional imagery. At the climax of the film, Rodrigues tramples on an image of Christ in order to end the torture of other Christians. But just at that moment, he experiences the presence of his God.

The very final scene depicts his burial, years after the film’s main events – a small crucifix clasped in his hand.

Penance ‘in the streets’

This preoccupation with Catholicism stretches back to Scorsese’s 1973 breakthrough film, “Mean Streets.” Harvey Keitel plays a young Italian American man, Charlie, who grapples with his faith in the unforgiving world of New York’s Lower East Side.

Presence, as Orsi points out, is often as much a burden as a solace. Indeed, part of the emotional power in “Mean Streets” lies in Charlie’s own impatience toward Catholic practices and rules. He wants the freedom to be Catholic in his own way.

“You don’t make up for your sins in the church,” he insists in the opening voice-over. “You do it in the streets. You do it at home. The rest is bullshit, and you know it.”

Over the years, Scorsese’s own ambitions have led him far beyond the streets of Little Italy. A number of his films have little to do with religion. Yet movies such as “Casino,” “The Aviator” and “The Wolf of Wall Street” elaborate the same basic question as “Mean Streets”: What is important in a world that so often feels dominated by absence, money and violence? Through a long career, Scorsese has framed both the sacred and profane as compelling but competing forces of human desire.

Shortly before the release of “Silence,” Scorsese visited St. Patrick’s during an interview with The New York Times. “I never left,” he said. “In my mind, I am here every day.”

One might take him at his word. Even in his most recent movie, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” a Catholic sensibility sneaks through in numerous ways. Characters attend Mass at parish churches and  bury their dead on consecrated Catholic ground.

Further, the film’s attention to Osage religious practices demonstrates Scorsese’s sensitivity to the power of ritual and devotion. The movie opens with the burial of a ceremonial pipe, highlighting how objects can assume sacred significance. As Mollie’s mother dies, she has a vision of the elders.

But the questions that haunt Scorsese hang over moments that hardly feel religious, too.

Toward the end of the film, when Mollie asks her duplicitous husband, Ernest, to come clean, his refusal to fully confess the harm he did to her and her family epitomizes the depths of his ethical emptiness. Her silence as she gets up and leaves, with an FBI agent standing quietly in the corner, offers a more powerful moral indictment than any legal sentence. The refusal to pay for one’s sins at home and in the streets has rarely looked so damning.

[circlecast]

What is Your Code of Conduct

Roman code or Mos Maiorum

Mos maiorum means the way of the elders

8 virtues

Fideas - Be trust worthy

The Latin word fides encompasses several English words, such as trust/trustworthiness, good faith/faithfulness, confidence, reliability, and credibility. It was an important concept in Roman law, as oral contracts were common. 

Pietas - Be respectful

Pietas was the Roman attitude of dutiful respect towards the gods, homeland, parents, and family, which required the maintenance of relationships in a moral and dutiful manner. 

Religio and Cultus - Be religious

Related to the Latin verb religare, "to bind", religio was the bond between gods and mortals, as carried out in traditional religious practices for preserving the pax deorum (“peace of the gods”). Cultus was the active observance and the correct performance of rituals. Religious practice, in this sense, is to be distinguished from pietas and its inherent morality. See religion in ancient Rome and imperial cult (ancient Rome).

Disciplin - Be diciplined

The military character of Roman society suggests the importance of disciplina, as related to education, training, discipline, and self-control.

Gravitas and constantia - Self Control or Temperance

Gravitas was dignified self-control. Constantia was steadiness or perseverance. In the face of adversity, a good Roman was to display an unperturbed façade. Roman myth and history reinforced this value by recounting tales of figures such as Gaius Mucius Scaevola, who in a founding legend of the Republic demonstrated his seriousness and determination to the Etruscan king Lars Porsenna by holding his right hand in a fire.

Virtus - Core values

Derived from the Latin word vir ("man"), virtus constituted the ideal of the true Roman male. Gaius Lucilius discusses virtus in some of his work and says that it is virtus for a man to know what is good, evil, useless, shameful, or dishonorable.

Dignitas and auctoritas - serve others with dignatity

Dignitas and auctoritas were the end result of displaying the values of the ideal Roman and the service of the state, in the forms of priesthoods, military positions, and magistracies. Dignitas was a reputation for worth, honor and esteem. Thus, a Roman who displayed their gravitas, constantia, fides, pietas and other values of a Roman would possess dignitas among their peers. Similarly, by that path, a Roman could earn auctoritas ("prestige and respect").

Us military Code of Conduct

The Code of Conduct provides guidance for the behavior and actions of members of the Armed Forces of the United States. This guidance applies not only on the battlefield but also in the event that the service member is captured and becomes a prisoner of war (POW). The Code is delineated in six articles.

Article I:

I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.

Article II:

I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.

Article III:

If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.

Article IV:

If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.

Article V:

When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give my name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.

Article VI:

I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

Spartan code of Honor

The Spartan hoplite followed a strict laconic code of honor. No soldier was considered superior to another.

Suicidal recklessness, misbehavior, and rage were prohibited in the Spartan army, as those behaviors endangered the phalanx. Recklessness could also lead to dishonor, as in the case of Aristodemus.

Spartans regarded those who fight, while still wishing to live, as more valorous than those who don't care if they die.

They believed that a warrior must not fight with raging anger but with calm determination.

Spartans must walk without any noise and speak only with a few words in the laconic way of life.

 Other ways for Spartans to be dishonored include dropping the shield (rhipsaspia), failing to complete the training, and deserting in battles. Dishonored Spartans were labeled as outcasts and would be forced to wear different clothing for public humiliation.

 In battles, the Spartans told stories of valor to inspire the troops and, before a major confrontation, they sang soft songs to calm the nerves.

Bushido code

Righteousness (義 gi). Justice is the most important virtue for the samurai. A true samurai does not attack the enemy without an important reason.

Loyalty (忠義 chūgi). Loyalty is the 2nd most important thing in life. The samurai should always be loyal to his master. The samurai should also believe his duty to protect his master is the meaning of life.

Honor (名誉 meiyo). A life without honor is not a life. If a samurai makes a mistake, he should honor his name by committing suicide. (Example: The story of 47 samurai (the Ako Incident).

Respect (礼 rei). A samurai should always respect his enemy. A samurai respects his opponent before and after the fight. Even if a samurai kills his opponent, he is very respectful to the corpse.

Honesty ( 誠 sei). A samurai never lies. “Deception” does not exist in the Book of a Samurai.

Courage (勇 yū). A samurai fights until the end. A samurai is never afraid of anything. He is not afraid of death. A samurai is always brave because he fights for something he believes in.

Consistency (誠 makoto ). A samurai never change their path. He is like a dragonfly, he always moves forward, he never moves back.

What is your code?

Why do you need a code?

What is in a code?

00:00:00 Exploring Different Societal Codes of Conduct 00:00:37 Introduction to Relaxed Male and its purpose 00:10:52 The impact of parental expectations and disappointment 00:14:30 The erosion of respect and the need for a code of conduct 00:16:44 The importance of discipline in education and self-control 00:19:13 Virtus: knowing what is good, evil, and honorable 00:19:59 Roman Values: Dignitas, Auctoritas, and Core Virtues 00:24:53 Spartan Code of Honor: Equality and Prohibited Behaviors 00:26:18 Valor and Calm Determination: The Spartan Code of Conduct 00:28:17 Inspiring Troops and Calming Nerves: Singing in Battle 00:30:16 The Bushido Code: Values of the Japanese Samurai 00:33:19 Building Your Own Code: Why You Need a Code of Conduct 00:36:27 Importance of Writing and Displaying Core Values

Newest podcast episode to change your Mindset

[steveezekiel]

GOD'S OWN SPECIAL PEOPLE 2

9. BUT YOU ARE A CHOSEN GENERATION, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, HIS OWN SPECIAL PEOPLE, that you may PROCLAIM THE PRAISES OF HIM who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

10. WHO ONCE WERE NOT A PEOPLE BUT ARE NOW THE PEOPLE OF GOD, who had NOT obtained mercy BUT NOW HAVE OBTAINED MERCY."

1 Peter 2:9,10 (NKJV)

• A chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy Nation, His own special person or people would be treated differently.

SUCH a people would not be allowed for a loose living, living a carefree life.

NOTE: If it seems the way God treats you is hard, compares with other people, even other Believers. It is because He loves you. God corrects and chastises those whom He loves (Hebrews 12:5,6).

- There are some in their relationship with God that He disciplines almost immediately, whenever they do anything wrongly. He also uses the life of such Believers to prove a point.

- This usually would not be the experience of every believer, even some so-called Ministers might not experience this.

- What God permitted Job to pass through may not be allowed in the life of every average Believer.

- If some were permitted to go through that, they may deny God and curse Him to His face (Job 1:11; 2:9).

GOD, however, knew Job would be able to handle it, that was why He did allow him to be tested the way he was:

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL, WHO WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO BE TEMPTED BEYOND WHAT YOU ARE ABLE, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV).

READ: Job 1:13-19; 2:7-10

- Job's life is a message, blessing, and testimony to countless numbers of people in the world today.

MANY have found solace; comfort and peace, reading through what Job did pass through and the end he eventually had (Job 42:10-16).

- The person of Job and what he did pass through have been a Joy of many generations because he yielded himself to be used of God, for His Divine Purpose, to teach and reveal God's pattern of doing things to many generations.

- If you do allow God, what He would do through your life would be a lesson that would strengthen, edify, and bless many generations after you.

• Now, it is like such people who are severely treated do not have any breathing space or respite, they are spanked almost immediately when things are done wrongly by them.

- If you are experiencing what is just shared above, know that God is building you, training you, and is jealous of you, He would not want you to be spoiled.

- He possibly has a great purpose or plan for your life which He wanted you to fulfil and you are being prepared towards it. Thus, He would not want you to be like others (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

- God may permit or condone some things done wrongly by others, but may not on your case.

- Those who's Christian life or journey are fraught with difficulties and challenges are peculiar and are being prepared for special purposes.

- Do not be despaired, it is for your good, you will later thank and appreciate God for taking you through that route or path—for causing you to have such an experience.

- Some other Believers who are not treated thus would think your case is strange and weird.

THEY will think your life is not right, that is, you are living in Sin secretly, that is why your life has been filled with unpleasant experiences (Job 4:7-9; 11:5,6).

- Whilst some other people would want to believe you are a wicked person, that the things happening to you are the results of the evils you have done in the past. THAT the law of retribution is transpiring, or is coming up against you.

- When Paul was bitten by a venomous snake after a Sea hazard, the people of that Island, Malta, said he must have been an evil person for that to have happened to him: 3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, A VIPER CAME OUT BECAUSE OF THE HEAT, AND FASTENED ON HIS HAND. 4 So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “NO DOUBT THIS MAN IS A MURDERER, WHOM, THOUGH HE HAS ESCAPED THE SEA, YET JUSTICE DOES NOT ALLOW TO LIVE" (Acts 28:3,4 NKJV).

- A precious life would definitely be preyed upon by the enemy, the devil. YOU are precious in the sense that you are being prepared for a special assignment, and you are holding a strategic and significant position in the programme of God for His Kingdom on earth. Thus the devil would not want that to be, he would wants to obstruct the plan of God.

• "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy Nation, His own special people..." (1 Peter 2:9).

- Being the fact that you are a peculiar or special person, God may not condone in your life what a natural person would do which He usually does overlook. He would not want you to soil your garment with Sin (1 Corinthians 2:12-14).

- If you know who you are, you will appreciate your place in God (Ephesians 1:17-19).

YOUR relationship with God will be important to you than any other thing.

- If you live holy and you are being persecuted, know that the persecutors are doing it because they desire to live for God but could not discipline their flesh and appetites for worldly things, to do it (1 Peter 4:4).

- Keep yourself from Sin, do not compromise, even when you are being persecuted. Your life is a sign and a message to the people around you (2 Corinthians 3:2,3).

- You are the light in that place where you are (Matthew 5:14-16).

YOUR light is exposing the things they are doing secretly. They are not living Right!

- Believers are the light of the world, and light exposes darkness. Things hidden in the darkness are exposed by the light (Ephesians 5:11).

- Shine on where you are and show forth or proclaim the Praises of Him who has called you out of darkness to His marvelous light: in the neighborhood where you live, where you work, in the School you attend, and wherever you may find yourself (Isaiah 60:1; 1 Peter 2:9).

• The secret of the people of God is the obedience to the instructions given to them by Him (Hebrews 11:8).

- Know who you are in God and keep the terms of the covenant He made with you in His Word.

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.

Peace!

[jacquelinemerritt]

Horror Media Reviews: The Exorcist (1973)

Originally posted September 21st, 2016

A memorable film that often works against its own strengths.

This review is part of a weekly series of pieces on classic horror films. See them all here!

What exactly can be expected of a film that is popularly conceived of as the greatest horror film of all time?1

My expectations for great films in any genre tend to be pretty high, and I tend to hold horror to an even higher standard, because unlike in other genres, a single formal element falling out of place can ruin the entire experience.

There are few formal elements that feel out of place in The Exorcist. It’s a tightly directed and structured thriller that shows characters who slowly descend into desperation within a plot that still maintains a breakneck pace.2 It’s also a very personal film, focusing very carefully on the internal lives of two characters who both are forced to come to terms with the existence of supernatural forces that they had ceased believing in.

Yet The Exorcist doesn’t aspire to anything beyond this personal tale. It has themes relating to the loss and renewal of faith, but it never attempts to say anything about faith beyond claiming that it is still necessary in the modern world. What’s more, the vulgarity of the possession is tonally dissonant from the grounded storytelling of the majority of the film, and distracts from the most compelling parts of the narrative for the sake of superficial “shock value.”

The Exorcist’s plot follows the two separate stories that join in the third act: that of Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), an actress shooting a film in Georgetown, and that of Father Karras, a psychiatrist and priest who is struggling with his continued faith. Chris’s daughter, Regan (Linda Blair), begins behaving strangely, and after a team of doctors fail to find an explanation for Regan’s increasingly violent and deranged actions, Chris calls on Father Karras to perform an exorcism as a last-ditch attempt to cure her daughter.

Narratively,3 the film seeds the importance of the priesthood and existence of the supernatural by opening with a sequence in Iraq wherein Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) discovers the carving of a demon’s head at an archeological dig site, whose full size statue appears as a silhouette during the exorcism.

This heavy handed seeding could put the film in a position where we are given information that would make Chris’s exhaustion of scientific explanations and potential cure seem truly unreasonable, but Ellen Burstyn saves the film from that pitfall through her naturalistic performance. She’s a very ordinary woman who is deeply concerned about her daughter, and when it is finally clear to her that the only explanation for Regan’s behavior is demonic possession, it causes her to break down in tears as she asks Father Karras how she might get an exorcism for her daughter.

Karras is a man who has grown to doubt the existence of the supernatural, however. He openly questions his faith in God when having dinner with another priest, and he is further shaken by the loss of his mother, who dies alone in a mental hospital. Karras’ guilt over not being with his mother as she passed wracks him, and visions of his mother calling to him from a train station he cannot reach fill his dreams every night, pushing him deeper into a state of guilt and depression.

Karras’ encounter with the demon that possesses Regan is colored entirely by his guilt. The demon even channels the spirit of his dead mother to taunt him further, showing Karras an image of his mother sitting on Regan’s bed as it begs with his mother’s voice to know why he left her alone. Yet this taunting, combined with the death of Father Merrin, leads Karras to embrace his guilt, driving him to take the demon into himself and destroy it by taking his own life. The way you feel about this final act of his will vary a bit, depending on how you feel about suicidal self-sacrifice, but it’s framed as an incredibly heroic act, simultaneously freeing Regan and proving the strength of Karras’ faith.

While the progression of these characters’ stories is handled beautifully, the progression of Regan’s possession is handled with far less care and nuance. Almost all of the blame for this can be laid at the feet of William Friedkin, the film’s director, as he chose to emphasize the impossibility and unnatural nature of the possessed Regan through over-the-top visual effects. When Regan spider-walks down a staircase in an instant and begin spewing blood from her mouth, it’s very clear that what’s going on cannot be scientifically explained, which cuts against the film’s otherwise successful attempts to make Regan’s possession plausible as a neurological disorder (the same issue is present in the scene where her bed shakes violently and the scene where she flings herself up down her bed violently).

Regan’s possession is also tonally at odds with the careful, and often quiet tone much of the film takes. When the demon begins to show its personality through Regan by shouting “Let Jesus fuck you,” and “Your mother sucks cocks in hell,” the desired effect seems to be the shock of the juxtaposition of such vulgar language with an innocent girl who obviously would never say those things. Perhaps such a juxtaposition has lost its shock value now thanks to the clear vulgarity of young teenagers we’re aware of thanks to the freedom of the internet, but I would argue that it’s also ineffective because the combined juxtaposition of the demon’s separate voice with the vulgar language means that we know very clearly that the thing speaking through Regan’s mouth is not actually Regan.

Still, none of these flaws can undermine how phenomenal the exorcism sequence is. Thanks to the early seeding of the supernatural, the film has built up our anticipation for this sequence in a way that makes it feel inevitable without undermining that character work that makes it a fundamentally desperate act. The scene also would not be as strong without Max von Sydow, whose presence dominates the sequence (he is likely the only actor in the film capable of matching Mercedes McCambridge, the voice of the demon, in projection and vocal strength). The film may have no grand thematic aspirations, but this sequence feels grand. Holy, even. The might, intangible though it might be, of God, is very present throughout this sequence, and it is that might and Karras’ sacrifice that finally bring Regan peace.

Rating: 4/5

The Exorcist can be streamed on Netflix and rented via Amazon and Google Play.

1My source here is a poll taken on HitFix, though metrics on this kind of thing obviously vary from place to place (it’s only the #8 rated horror film on IMDb, for example).

2I’d argue that the spider-walk scene is the only moment of descent that feels forced, as nothing that strange happens to Regan until much later in the film.

3Meta-textually this is seeded as well, given the title of the film (as well as its current ubiquity in popular culture).

Critical Eye Criticism is the work of Jacqueline Merritt, a trans woman, filmmaker, and critic. You can support her continued film criticism addiction on Patreon.