#best study bible online

[anushaarticles]

I heard about different ways mentioned in the Bible in my Church. This has inspired me to get this article to all of you. When i revised the message i heard i understood there are ways which we need to avoid and to follow…let's read more in detail.

[not-that-syndrigast]

I also want to do this

[jessicaclancyperseveres]

Exploring the Literary Stars: Famous Authors from Houston City and the USA

Rounding out our list of famous authors from Houston is Attica Locke. Locke is the author of several bestselling mystery novels, including “Bluebird, Bluebird” and “Heaven, My Home.” Her gripping storytelling and complex characters have earned her numerous awards, including the Edgar Award for Best Novel.

Email: JessicaClancyPerseveres@gmail.com

Address: New York United States

[ly7k1nchan]

Stephen Griffiths

(Request by @malibumalice )

Stephen Griffiths, also known as The Crossbow Cannibal and Ven Pariah as an online alias, committed 3 acts of murder, 1 attempted murder, and 1 hostage. He claims to have killed more than just 3, but that has yet to be proven over the past 15–14 years since the murders. Griffiths victims names: Susan Rushworth, Shelley Armitage, and Suzanne Blamires, all known as female prostitutes. He committed the murders in Bradford, United Kingdom.

Griffiths personality was misanthropic. In an interview, Griffiths would go on to say he was "misanthropic and didn't have much time for the human race." Griffiths was also a shy student who studied criminology and was an eccentric, self-styled demon and a misogynist. 

Griffiths would post on his myspace and say things like he was a self-proclaimed "misanthrope who brought hate into heaven." And would post photos of himself then saying things such as "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides." That would be quoting the Bible, Ezekiel 25:17, and would go on to post, "Humanity is not merely a biological condition; it is also a state of mind. On that basis, I am a pseudohuman being at best. A demon at worst."

I will say he was another case of a copycat killer. He looked up to the Yorkshire Ripper, which is not surprising since his murders were extremely similar to the Yorkshire Ripper's killings. Not to mention the Yorkshire Ripper was also committing murders in Bradford, United Kingdom. He also looked up to the Moors Murderers, the Acid Bath Murderer, and Jack the Ripper, but not as much as he did the Yorkshire Ripper.

He seemed to seek fame off of his murders, recording them and bringing attention to them. He clearly craved the attention of being known. I think he didn't want to be forgotten; he wanted to be known as a serial killer and also be looked up to by others who would go on to kill, but that's just my opinion. 

I will say I do not have much to go on for his case since I wasn't given a certain topic to focus on. It would be appreciated if you could request a topic for me to focus on as I write due to the fact that I like to do deep dives into the topics that people crave to know about more. I apologize for the late reply to the request; I really do. I am 14, and I find it hard to find free time to write, but please do note that I am trying my hardest.

It's 16:46 p.m. when I finish my writing, and I'm extremely disappointed in the lack of information. I am truly sorry if you want me to rewrite about Stephen Griffiths; please do tell. I'm going to fix up a few things and go ahead and post this.

 

[thepatristictradition]

Orthodoxy is Catholic

Orthodox people (converts especially) often hear, see, and read; even think, say, and believe, that to be Orthodox, you must adopt the clothing, practices, and language of some culture that is foreign to your own.

This is not something a priest will ever tell you, Thanks be to God, but it is an overall impression that people can gather online, at coffee hour, or at Bible study. It always happens the coolest guy there is studying koine Greek.

Evangelists online, with only the best of intentions (probably a recent seminary student) will recommend converts brush up on their Greek or Church Slavonic. Female ortho-personalities will recommend women not just veil, but wear a pavlovo posad. Be sure to use the liturgical calendar to plan all events, religious or otherwise! The more niche evangelists (Antiochians) will make you learn classical Arabic and grow a beard.

All of these things are well and Good. It is good to learn the liturgical languages. Women should veil and the pavlovo posad is as fine a way as any, and I love the Julian calendar as much as the next girl. I too am studying classical Arabic and beards have my stamp of approval. But none of these are necessary to be Orthodox.

No one needs to make themselves into a Russian, Syrian, or Greek to be Orthodox. I find the accusation that you do to be particularly gross because our whole Liturgical theology goes against this-- our whole evangelistic history goes against this. We have our liturgy in the vernacular for a reason! Saint Herman of Alaska evangelized the way he did for a reason!

Our Church is Catholic. It is Universal. You ought to love the people that God allowed you to be born into.

[fan-goddess]

Hello my love!! For your kinktober event, could I request modern!Aemond with religious guilt?? 👁️🫦👁️

Authors Note: Oooh I will definitely try for you baby! I don’t know much about the topic of religion due to me being raised in a non-religious household, but I will certainly try my best!

I’ve made merged Christianity and the religion of the seven together and I talk about religion a lot in this, but like I said I don’t know a lot about the topic, so if I get any certain terminology wrong or anything like that, please don’t hesitate to let me know so I can try and do my best to correct myself and add it into the one-shot! I will not be offended at all!

Warnings: Religious guilt, m masturbation, blasphemy, a lot of religious guilt, sort of religious trauma maybe???, lying to a priest, most likely incorrect quotes from the bible, I think I got Adam and eves story wrong on that last bit, (if I miss anything like I know I probably will or if just you want me to add anything let me know!”

Taglist: @valeskafics, @sofiyathecunt , @marvelgirl123 , @sylasthegrim, @mochi-rose, @humanpurposes, @watercolorskyy, @blue-serendipity, @omgbrcat

Please read the authors note before reading if you haven’t already!

Ever since Aemond could remember, it had been customary for him and his family to go to church every Sunday, without any arguments.

Each time Aegon, Helaena and himself would be dressed in their Sunday bests, which all held some variation of green in them, and greet the pastor with only pure respect.

His mother though also expected him and his siblings to go into the confession box, and confess their sins weekly to the pastor.

One time when Aemond was seven, he wanted an extra cookie after dinner, but his mother has said a firm no and told him off. However, ignoring his mothers advice, Aemond decided to climb onto the counter later that evening to sneak another from the tin, even when his mother said no.

When she found him, she smacked him three times on his rear with her hand for a punishment and when Sunday came about, she all shoved him inside the confession box, where he was forced to confess his sins to the man on the other side.

The moment stayed with him for years. It imbedded something inside of him. A fear of god. A fear of those sins the pastor would preach about confessing over.

That fear at the current moment seemed to be very directed at you. It had been years since the cookie incident, as he was a college boy now. A man even. Studying the philosophical and physical history of the world.

He thought they were safe subjects to pick to satisfy his ever hungry mind. Yet the safety vanishes when he locked eyes on you in a gorgeous light blue summer dress one innocent morning.

The straps were thinner than the dresses he’d seen before, and the one you wore went well above your knees, stopping closer to the middle of your upper thighs.

When you crossed your legs during class, Aemond had seen so much skin that he practically felt lightheaded at the sight, his fist curling so much his knuckles turned white from how tighty he clenched them.

He could feel the sinfulness of his thoughts curling up into one large glutinous monster begging for scraps.

The thoughts of being with you as a married couple do. Him coming home to you where you would greet him at the door, pregnant with his child. Taking you on his and your wedding night on the bed, naked as the day you were born.

It made his head spin dreadfully. As he’d never even spoken to you before that day, let alone noticed you. But maybe, maybe this was some sort of test by the seven? A temptation he must resist to prove himself faithful to what he believes.

The thought comes to him that night as he fucks his fist to the thought of you.

Aemond had never done so before. It never felt right thinking about the sinful women online who paraded their bodies for the world. Yet why did it feel so good when he thought of you?

The thought stayed with him constantly over the couple months. He’d see you in class. Now devoted to sitting behind you when possible to get a glimpse of you where you couldn’t see him.

Only his plan to stay in the dark didn’t go to plan. When one Sunday after church, and his family’s eating dinner together, he gets a text from an unknown number on his phone.

His eyebrow raised on its own in surprise, and as he texts asking who it, and gets an swift answer back not even a minute later, he can feel his heart practically going into cardiac arrest. Because it’s your name that responds to his question.

Aemond doesn’t answer your question though till early next morning. It had felt strange to text you that day. For him to talk to this temptation of his on a holy day. So he waited for it to turn 00:01 so the weighing on his conscious would leave him for now.

And when he saw your text the next morning agreeing on the time, the strange feeling that blooms in his chest gets pushed back as much as it could.

Yet the feeling only came back even quicker and harsher when he met you in the library that day.

His hands would find themselves clenching by his side whenever you folded your arms in annoyance, and his eyes would find themselves drawn to your accentuated boobs. His nails would dig into his palms so harshly a couple times Aemond felt as though he needed to check for fresh blood. Yet even if he did draw blood, he wouldn’t care. It was his penance for his sins.

When you finished the homework, he can remember the feeling of your body on his as you hugged him suddenly. Too shocked and surprised to even think about hugging you back. Not that he felt like he even deserved it in the first place.

“Thank you so much Aemond! I seriously was thinking I was gonna fail this on my own! How can I make it up?” You asked, looking up at with shining eyes.

“You don’t need to do anything for me. I was just being a good classmate.” Aemond learnt the hard way as a child to not bring up anything to do with religion when this sort of stuff came up.

“Are you sure? It doesn’t need to be big! You could make me give you another hug if you wanted? Or I could maybe bake you something? Seriously if you don’t want anything now I’ll probably end up doing all these things trying to make it up to you!” You beg, your eyes looking unusually stern at him.

He feels torn.

On the one hand, he feels as though if he took anything in return, he will be seen by the gods as being eager to be righteous. In the holy book, it was said "Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them.” There is always the possibility that this is one of your tests. Testing his willingness and eagerness for recognition from the gods.

But there is a sense of greed within him that urges for him to accept this temptation. A horrible greedy think that wants to take and take and take until there is nothing left.

It’s a horrible war inside of him. But in the end, the devil has his arm locked tightly.

“Fine. I’ll take a hug or something.” It’s said with so little emotion, and yet when he feels your arms around him the warmth in his chest reminds him of the flames of hell.

Where he belongs after what he did that night.

That night, Aemond held his erect cock in his hand and thrusted into it until his hot seed spilled all over his stomach. It felt sinful as when he was fondling himself, only images of you filled his head. The feeling of your warmth as you held him earlier that day fresh in his head as he couldn’t contain himself.

It felt so wrong afterwords, and yet whilst he was on the verge of cumming, the thought of you being there whilst he did this and helping him to complete himself was what sent him over the edge. And afterwards, the shame hit him hard.

He confessed it all when he went to confession that Sunday, and yet the pastor did little to help him achieve the advice he wanted. The penance in Aemonds mind was not enough.

Aemond remembers what he said to the man well. “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It’s been one week since my last confession, and I have been lead to temptation. I have been thinking of a person who belongs not to the church, and I have been thinking of her sexually. The thoughts do not stop father, how do I make the temptations stop?”

“My son,” The priest began, “The sins you tell me of I have seen before. Please, tell this woman of your thoughts so you can confess to her of your challenge, and in the meantime, pray to the gods for forgiveness every night before then. Give thanks to the Lords and ladies for They are good.”

Aemond hated to respond and end this moment, but he couldn’t stop the automatic response. “Their mercy endures forever.”

“Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace.”

Aemond was not in peace, and if anything the war inside of him was as hardening as ever.

“Thanks be to the Gods…” Aemond murmurs before leaving and shutting the door behind him.

Aemond that night sins again. And again the next night, and even the night after that. Aemond fists his hard cock and cums to the thought of your body every night till his next confession, where Aemond for the first time in his life lies to his priest about his sins. He does not mention that he never talked to you about him fucking himself to the thought of you, even when the priest mentions it, asking Aemond whether he has asked for your forgiveness. The lie felt like tar on his tongue when he uttered yes.

Everything within him in fact felt like there was a war inside him, a war that raged between the good and the bad.

When he talks to you innocently enough asking if you wanted some more help with the subject, Aemond makes use of each syllable you say and how you say it to complete himself later that day.

It’s sinful, it’s wrong, and yet it feels so fucking right when he does it.

One night whilst Aemond reread his worn down bible, he got to the section of Adam and Eve and though with a sick thrill that he was Adam, and you were his Eve. He was living in innocent bliss whilst you tried to tempt him with your apple of sins.

Aemond reads the verse thoroughly, and in the place of Adam and Eves faces he sees his and your own. It’s a horrible thing, but he imagines the scenario of you tempting him under the apple tree while his hand is on his cock.

Your back is to the tree, and Aemond is taking what is his from you whilst you moan at the feeling. Him and you experiencing pleasure and desire for the first time in yours’ lives and you can’t get enough of it as you whine and moan for more.

He even imagines afterwards, when him and you wonder earth whilst your stomach is swollen with his babe. It’s what makes him spill himself all over his stomach and hand, and what makes him realise what a sinner he is.

He will never tell you, he will never tell his priest, and Aemond is certain he will never tell the Gods on what he has done. Yet he doesn’t have to, for the Gods are omnipresent and omniscient.

They already knows where he belongs.

[a-d-nox]

web of wyrd: lesson from the fatherly energy in your life / what inspires your growth as a person

the number we are focusing on today is based on the SUM OF YOUR PUBLIC ENERGY NUMBER AND YOUR HIGHEST SELF NUMBER (ex: my public energy number is 9 and my highest self number is 10: 9 + 10 -> 19 (recall that numbers must be summed a second time if they total 23 (i.e. 2 + 3 -> 5) and above)).

but what does this number mean?

this number represents what inspires our character growth in this lifetime. this number can help us to balance our public energy and our highest self energy - it essentially helps to provide continuity between our character. as my alma mater says, "be who you are and be that well." and as i say, "say what you mean and mean what you say." that is to say this number can help us become more genuine in day to day life when practiced. it is also the first number in our "male generational line"; often it is symbolic of the first male energy we interact with in life which is typically our fathers - so this is the biggest lesson we learn from our father figures as well.

so let's talk about some examples:

3 - the empress

rider-waite smith's empress is a regal lady sits on red (passion) cushions in a fertile forest where strong trees and wheat crops flourish. she is at one with nature. a heart shaped stone with the glyph of venus (what she represents) is beneath her cushions - she appears at ease with the possibly uncomfortable seating conditions. she stares are the viewer (confrontational) of the card, dressed in a white (innocence) pomegranate-patterned (pomegranates -> passion, fertility, and cyclicality of life) dress. she is adorned with a crown (has 12 stars - alluding to the 12 zodiacs) and a scepter showing her strength as a matriarch.

3s are inspired to grow when they learn to be patient, sit back, and receive rather than chase after answers/objects. hobbies that inspire patiences are meditation, yoga, gardening, writing, cooking/baking, reading, learning new languages, fishing, quilting, crochet, knitting, adult coloring books, puzzles, etc. it is important that 3s stay relaxed and follow their passions (with the 12-starred crown these people tend to be passionate/inspired by astrology) while creating what they desire most (any medium of art is also good).

3s are likely to be closer with their father than to their mother. their father is likely to illustrate to them unconditional love either for them or model it around them in some other area. they also could be a creative that lets the 3 explore their passions. 3s could learn to see the world through rose-colored glasses from their fatherly figure. their father can also be very granola - they can encourage going outside to become one with nature or they may be naturalists/naturopaths.

10 - wheel of fortune

click here for the card description of the wheel of fortune found in my 2nd wyrd web post.

10s are inspired to grow when they learn to connect with spirituality (so many occult symbols are present in this card, don't be afraid to search beyond just one belief). these people need something to connect with when times are rough - they need something to believe in. belief is a powerful tool that often boosts morale in the best way possible. to better connections with spirituality try joining a bible study, following a daily devotional online, going on a nature walk, joining a yoga/meditation group, journaling, volunteering in the community, planting a tree, practicing tai chi, etc. they also need to be around constant change so that they do not feel stagnant - outdoor exercise (or in a gym facility) is probably the best hobby for these people so they can build physical strength and endurance as they do they same emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. they should also pick up a hobby that is unpredictable as they need to realize that not all things can be controlled: practice one random act of kindness a week, manage a bonsai tree, take a different route on the drive home, try any random/new hobby/activity/workshop, surprise someone with a gift, make conversation with a stranger, go to a psychic, etc.

10's fatherly figure tends to teach them that fate can lead them anywhere. their fatherly figure can teach them that if they understand something and believe, they can accomplish anything that they want to. they could also teach them that there are patterns in life - a cycle - so they should never fear what comes nexts. trust what the universe has in store for everyone.

19 - the sun

click here for the card description of the sun found in my 2nd wyrd web post.

19s are inspired to grow when they learn to embrace their inner child. inner child work is extremely important to becoming anyone's best self, but for this person it is extremely beneficial to be around children and to get to understand the people around them and their inner children as well. because the truth is we are all children in spirit. practice hobbies that allow reconnection with the inner child: shadow work, make a mess - bake / paint / play dress up and do make up, buy a cute stuffed animal, throw a themed daytime party - i.e. a fairy themed picnic, play outside - garden / forage, volunteer to read to children at your local library, have a sleepover with your friends, pick up something you used to do when you were little - hula hoop / hatch butterflies, make your favorite childhood meal, try mantras/manifestation, etc. by practicing any of these things it will help to bring in to focus what productivity means to them. it could renew clarity towards life (perhaps you have been taking life too seriously), and/or it could make them feel alive again.

19's father figures likely taught them what it means to be healthy inside and out. it might be that they are able to see that youth, sadness, health, and/or illness is all temporary. these people's father could be childish themselves (perhaps 19s grew up too fast to enjoy childhood the first time around as well) and modeled what it is to embrace the energy of the sun card. they could also model for 19s what passion is when it comes to hobbies.

that's all for today. the next number we will be looking at is the right-most number, who we are destined to be.

like what you read? leave a tip and state what post it is for! please use my "suggest a post topic." button if you want to see a specific pac/pile next! if you'd like my input on how i read a specific card or what i like to ask my deck, feel free to use the ask button for that as well.

click here for the masterlist

click here for more web of wyrd related posts

want a personal reading? click here to check out my reading options and prices!

© a-d-nox 2023 all rights reserved

[itsawritblr]

An Ask about Editing.

"I am seeing mixed information regarding editing and when to attempt to submit to a publisher. I was under the impression that the publishers provide editors, but some online sources are telling me that it is typical to hire your own editor and pay them before you send the novel off to publishers."

All publishers have editors. If they have websites they'll have the editors' names listed there. Example: The Random House Team.

It's not typical at all to hire an editor to work on your manuscript. You're supposed to know how to edit your own work. Some people hire them because they think it'll give them an advantage. However, the question is:

How good is the editor?

There are people who fake being editors. They take your money and do a few changes on your manuscript.

There are people who are mediocre at editing, but will take your money and do a few changes to your manuscript.

If you don't know how to edit, you can't tell who's a charlatan, who's mediocre, or who's excellent.

It's your job as a writer to learn how to edit your own work. If a publisher acquires your book their editor will work with you to improve it. But they prefer to have a manuscript that's as polished and as close to perfect as possible, because that means less work for them and a shorter period from editing to published book.

"Is there a substantial risk of stolen ideas or anything like that when someone hires their own editor?"

OK . . . . *inhale*

Your word for word manuscript is automatically copyrighted from the moment it's written/typed/scrawled in crayon. It's yours. You do not need to file for Copyright and spend whatever the fee is these days. In the highly unlikely case of plagiarism, you have as proof your original ms (manuscript) and your notes, etc., which you used to create your work. And you can prove that the editor saw your manuscript before they published whatever they did.

But ideas can't be copyrighted.

Example: Both A Bug's Life and ANTZ have similar ideas. But they're not copies.

Example: If your story has a short, scruffy detective who smokes a cigar and drives a beater, but he's English and lives in a Detroit townhouse, your idea doesn't legally rip-off Columbo. Everyone will think you ripped it off and think less of you, as they should, but no one can sue you because the ideas are so alike. Well, they can try, but it'll more than likely be a waste of their time and money.

Plagiarism is much more likely to occur if you put your work online, because anyone can see your work and there are a shit-ton of unscrupulous wanna-be writers out there. But no publishing house's first reader -- the person who reads your ms before moving it on to an editor who'll decide if your ms is good enough for them to buy it -- is going to steal your work.

As for a hired editor, it's very, very unlikely.

"My second question would be if you have any examples of perhaps a page or two of a novel where I can read the original version from the author, and then the version after the editor has taken a crack at it and then updated with the editors changes and recommendations? I tried searching for this but didn’t get much luck. I suppose I am looking for a concrete example of how much an editor puts in."

I don't do that. Unless you pay me $$$$.

Editors are essential to publishers. But again, they don't touch your ms unless the publisher decides to buy it. And they won't want it unless you've edited the fuck outta it first.

What you need to do, what all writers need to do, is learn how to be your best editor.

Get a copy of this:

This is a writer's Bible. I suggest owning a copy so you can study it and make notes if needed. You can get cheap, readable used copies from eBay, Abebooks, or your local used bookstore.

You can download this pdf and print it:

The Elements of Style.

Also get this. It's great for fiction writers as well as nonfiction writers.

This also has an online pdf: The Elements of Editing.

There are tons of books about editing. A simple Google search will find them.

Books About Editing Books. This list is for books about editing books and the craft of writing (mostly fiction).

There's Writer's Digest Magazine. They have lots of articles by editors and writers. Read it online and look for copies at your nearby library. Warning: There are ads for editing "services" and that kind of shit. Ads are how the magazine makes its money (that and subscriptions). Ignore these ads.

If you have a local library, ask the reference librarian for the section with books about writing and editing. If it's a small section, or there isn't one at all, ask for an Inter Library Loan (ILL). This is when the librarian requests the title your looking for from any library in the U.S. and often abroad, and it will be sent to her library, for free.

I can't emphasize this enough: The library is your best friend. Librarians are there to help. There are tons of writers who thank librarians in their Acknowledgements, including Christopher Paul Curtis, Anthony Horowitz, and me. Get to know your librarians. (OK, some librarians are assholes. Find the ones who aren't.)

If you don't have access to a library, either public or college/university, look in a used bookstore. If you don't have a used bookstore, cheap, readable copies can be found online.

If possible, take a course in editing and writing. But only if you can easily afford it, and only if the instructor is a professional editor or writer.

You need to be the best editor for your work. No one will be as invested in your book as your are.

I repeat: No one will be as invested in your book as you are.

Learn to edit well, then send off your ms. If you write fiction, you'll need a literary agent (there are a few boutique and small press publishers who don't require agents). An agent wants to see polished work. But, if she's even half-way good, she'll help edit your ms to a level where it's ready for a publisher to see it.

Now, you caught me on a slow day, and I'm feeling generous (I was a newbie too. Got my first rejection at age 11, from Alfred A. Knopf Publishing). But I'm not answering any more questions from anybody, because I have a ms to finish.

If anyone ignores this statement and tries to get more help from me, my response is:

I'm outta here.

[allegraforchrist]

Hi, my (middle) name is Allegra, and it means jovial and lively- as the Italian musical term “Allegro”.

♡ I’m 18

♡ she/her

♡ female

♡ favorite verses is Lamentations 3:25-27.

♡ Favorite colors are pink, red, black and white.

♡ BLESS and FREE ISRAEL 🇮🇱

This is my blog, and I’m very excited to be on here and share God’s gospel and the teachings of Jesus Christ.

I want to make a note that, if you do not like my blog, you can ignore it and scroll on. There’s no need to be hateful or aggressive.

My blog is a non-judgemental, safe space for all Christians, youth and older, tall or shorter, all ethnicities and cultural backgrounds, all persons and those who are newer followers of Christ.

My blogs purpose is not to:

-> ‘indoctrinate’ or force opinions

-> be exclusionary or bigoted

-> express hateful or ‘guilt-trippy’ beliefs

-> suppress or oppress any minorities or marginalized communities/religions/cultures

💕 I’m sharing my love of God on a platform, and will not exercise hypocritical judgement on those who aren’t followers of Christ, and I hope the same attitude and respect can be shown towards me. I value all with respect, humility, and kindness.

🙏 Curiosity, questions, and all topics are welcome, however arrogance, and prejudice are not. I will stand strongly for my faith but I do not need to validate it to those who do not share it.

🩰 I post scriptures, Bible Study Notes, songs, art, podcasts and vents about Jesus and God, to elevate, praise and worship them. None of what I talk about is to be taken as criticism for whomever’s lifestyle choices, beliefs or practices- it is not about you.

🌸 A lot of what I post about comes from personal struggles with my sexuality, my connection to the Church, my mental health, religious affliction, and all ways that Jesus saved me. I don’t identify as bisexual or use they/them pronouns anymore, as my identity is in Christ, and I’m a woman of God. However, that doesn’t mean my page is welcome to homophobia, transphobia, queerphobia; or xenophobia, antisemitism, Islamophobia, or hate toward other Christian denominations. Nor will I tolerate allegations of hatefulness towards other communities.

🤍 Lastly, I do not aimed to be liked or respected by the masses, as I live for the approval and wisdom of God. If you don’t like that, please, as much as any opinion is valued, keep your condescension to yourself. Christian or not, there are boundaries I have.

🪽 Please Note: I cannot make any monetary donations, online or internationally via PayPal or such apps. I do not reside in the US, and I do not have independent access to funds that I could give. I want to donate and assist the best I can, however I can only petition, reblog and pray for you- as far as my current liberty goes.

Thank you so much.

Jesus loves you!!!

[anushaarticles]

What does it mean to be The Virtuous Woman? In this article, we see the characterstics of Virtous woman explained in brief. Stay tuned for more…

[tchaikovskyed]

Hi! I am an Arthurian prof and I saw your post about Malory Daily. I have a few suggestions on editions!

Most scholarship these days focuses on the Winchester Manuscript version of the Morte, whereas most popular modern English editions use the Caxton version as their source. Any public domain versions of the Morte will use Caxton. Winchester is considered closer to Malory's original text (but it's not The original), since Caxton (often heavily) edited the text to better serve his mercantile audience. For example, he makes heavy cuts to the Roman War as well as the Pentecostal Oath. If you're looking to include scholarship with each day's post, I recommend taking this into account, as most contemporary scholarship is going to focus primarily on Winchester!

With that in mind, I have a few recommended editions, although these are not in the public domain:

For Middle English (ME), PJC Field's edition through DS Brewer is the only (as in best) option. There's a paperback edition that costs ~$25 that is a BRICK but it is the best bang for your buck while also just straight up being the best version. There's also a hardcover set of the Morte and accompanying notes that is like $350 and is considered the scholarly standard, but the paperback edition is the exact same thing minus the notes. If you haven't read ME before, Malory is a great place to start because it is VERY LATE ME. He was writing in the century after Chaucer, and it's much easier to read than good ol Geoff. This is the version that most scholarship will be citing; the journal Arthuriana requires all Malory quotes to be from this version. Field in general is a great expert on all things Malory as well.

For modern English, I recommend the translation by Armstrong from Parlour Press. I believe it's also ~$25. Dorsey Armstrong is currently the editor of Arthuriana and she quite literally wrote the book on gender in the Morte. Her translation is really accessible and sticks extremely close to the ME. In my opinion, this is going to give you the closest experience to reading the ME without having to read the ME.

Future editions: at some point a translation from Whetter and Tolhurst is going to come out. K.S. Whetter is one of the big names working directly with the Winchester Manuscript (literally wrote the book on it too, studied under Field, etc) so this is bound to be a great version for anyone who wants an experience closest to the manuscript.

I hope this is helpful!

Thank you so much for this, it's been extremely helpful! I was going to make a short post about different editions but this has been 100% more coherent than anything I was going to write, and I will include all your notes in the blog's about page!

Unfortunately because I'm not too sure about copyright issues, it's easiest for the Substack to include a public domain version (more specifically the version on Project Gutenberg), with an accompanying post comparing the differences between this version and the Oxford World Classics Helen Cooper (which I'll make available online via a big ol' resources GDrive) and the Complete Works edited by Eugene Vinaver (which I have a physical copy of).

Seconded on the P.J.C Field edition which was my bible when I was writing my dissertation, although I've had a look online and it's close to impossible to access unless you are affiliated with a university in some way. I had no idea a new edition was in the works but that is really exciting!

[jessicaclancyperseveres]

Key Importance of Reading and Making It a Habit for All Ages

Did you know that a book by a professional author Houston serves as the basis for the majority of well-known TV series and films? So why not immerse yourself in reading and partake in the original form of entertainment? Above all, you can use your Markham Public Library card to access it for free.

Email: JessicaClancyPerseveres@gmail.com

Address: United States

[study-with-aura]

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

My brother called me today, and he has time this weekend to play our online game together! I am so happy, and I cannot wait!

Tasks Completed:

Geometry - Learned about indirect proofs + practice + read about why proofs are important

Lit and Comp II - Studied vocabulary + read Chapters 28 and 29 of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer + began working on my literary analysis

Spanish 2 - Reviewed vocabulary + listened to native Spanish speakers + answered questions

Bible I - Read Genesis 44-45

World History - Read about Africans' contribution to Rome + reviewed key terms + learned about Saint Peter

Biology with Lab - Completed lab report on osmosis lab

Foundations - Read more about creativity + took a quiz on Read Theory + watched a video on procrastinating + watched a video on studying for a test

Practice - 60-minute piano lesson

Khan Academy - Completed Unit 1: Lesson 9 of World History + completed Unit 2: Lesson 2 of High School Geometry

Duolingo - Completed at least one lesson each in Spanish, French, and Chinese

Activities of the Day:

Ballet

Pointe

Journal/Mindfulness

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What I’m Grateful for Today:

I am grateful that my brother called me today to see how I was doing with schoolwork thus far and to schedule a time to play our online game together this weekend!

Quote of the Day:

What a wonderful thought that some of the best days of our lives haven't even happened yet.

-Anne Frank

🎧Un Sospiro - Franz Liszt

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

Is THIS what happened to the Catholic Church: Shepherds for Sale

Megan Basham blows the biggest whistle on corrupt evangelical pastors, bible study teachers & news outlets in her New York Times best seller, "Shepherds For Sale"

These same male influencers who wanted a hero cookie in 2020 for their stance on "female empowerment" and racial justice in the church, are publicly dragging a sister in Christ to the online woodshed because she had the balls to call out their grift.

I remember years ago when whistleblowers began to sound an alarm that soros-esq cash was infiltrating America's churches. Allegedly these para-church ministries were being funded with dirty money, but whose money and why? Suddenly several "Evangelical" females were all-in for illegal immigration while normies (such as myself) just couldn't figure out what in the world was happening. Well now we know...

I finally purchased Basham's New York Times Best Seller: "Shepherd's For Sale" and I hope you will too.

[nicosraf]

Maybe this is going to sound so stupid AKFKKRKEKFKFKF but where do you start learning about angels? Any particular sources that you recommend? I want to expand my knowledge on ✨👼🪽a n g e l l o r e ✨👼🪽 without accidentally falling from some tradcath's attempt at making church look cooler than it really is

Youre not stupid!! and I don't want to start coming off as The Authority on angels or anything - I'm just a guy. I think I'm really wary of others positioning themselves as an authority on angels (or theology generally) when they make videos/tiktoks explaining angel forms/hierarchies/etc. hence my frustrations

Unfortunate boring answer but: I think the best place to start is the Bible, reading the (few!) scenes where angels are present, examining how they act and how they speak. Read the scene where Jacob wrestles the angel, or the one where angels rush over to comfort Jesus after his days in the desert, or the angel that shakes Elijah awake then feeds him (then does it another time). (Book of Tobit, too, if you want to see Raphael!)

It's after this that I think you can start getting into the "sources." I would recommend reading the Book of Enoch - it's short, the summaries of it online are not good imo, and it's pretty simple. One translation I've been enjoying atm is George Schodde's ! Next, I would suggest moving onto the real "angelologists."

So, of course - Pseudo-Dionysius' The Celestial Hierarchy. Books like Thomas Heywood's Hierarchie of the Blessed Angells, and dictionaries about angels/demons. Here is where all the "fun" stuff is! I'm a boring loser so I usually read up on these, before or after, on JSTOR (or at least I did until I graduated) because you can learn a lot about the context in which they were written, and why you might not want to take what's in this umbrella of angelology/theology at face value. (Remember that these type of books/studies were often commissioned by powerful people.)

Around here or after this, you can move onto the writing about angels that isn't trying to convince you it's actual theology – so Milton's Paradise Lost or William Blake's work generally. I love William Blake, he's probably the only guy more in love with Lucifer than I am.

I wish I had a singular "Angels" book that I recommend but, as of now, not yet! I've hardly touched modern full-length books on angels, just articles (and those don't feel introductory enough to recommend, i think?)

But honestly? Just do whatever you want! No one is the authority on angels, just have fun with them fr <33

[thejackofalltrades42069]

The parallels between the Epic of Gilgamesh and Berserk. Is Griffith’s dream a fool’s errand?

Griffith and Guts in the Golden Age Arc.

*note: this post was incomplete when I first uploaded it, a lot of text was not copied correctly (it's corrected now).

Intro.

This post will be a bit different from my other posts, it’s for people who have watched, read, or are interested in Berserk or in myths in general.

Berserk, is one of the stories that has been more impactful and important for me, it is as important as for other people were the myths of their cultures, as the Bible is for some people (maybe not to that degree, but I’ll explain my point).

Many people don’t think about the old myths from our cultures or about the stories in religions much, I believe this is because we have too many new stories that occupy that need we have for tales, as Carl Jung said, myths and stories are of a therapeutic nature, that’s perhaps the reason we create and consume so many stories over and over in the form of movies, series, books, comics, music, and so on. They serve many purposes, the main one could be that we identify ourselves as a hero from the story, we learn things, and at least temporarily we feel empowered and are distracted from our daily lives that can be overwhelming at times. There can be many other uses for stories, for example, comedy can help us feel better, it’s proven that laughing often is good for health overall (I’m getting off track here, just making a point).

There are many things to be learned from Berserk, as there are many things to be learned from any good story, but Berserk is particularly impactful and important for many people. I’ve read online about a bunch of people who said they had depression and that reading Berserk helped them to fight their depression and feel better, same with other manga like Vagabond or Vinland Saga. Another example are the people who are going through bad times and find meaning and strength to go on in stories from the Bible (as mentioned earlier, stories can have a therapeutic nature and use. I remember a friend was told by his therapist he should watch and analyze the movie Batman Begins, it blew my mind, because for me that’s a movie that has many insightful teachings, best Batman movie IMO).

A Summerian representation of Gilgamesh (or believed to be so).

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The parallels between the Epic of Gilgamesh and Berserk.

The brand of sacrifice from Berserk looks just like the cuneiform symbol that Sumerians used (image taken from Wikipedia, it seems that symbol can mean something like heaven, sky, or something related to the gods). Kentaro Miura was greatly inspired (in part) by Sumerian myths and culture for the creation of Berserk.

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The parallels between the Epic of Gilgamesh and Berserk.

Recently I listened to a couple podcasts about the Epic of Gilgamesh (read it on Wikipedia), that same night and the following days I realized how similar the story and relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu was to Griffith and Guts (at least during the Golden Age Arc), this was intriguing to me. It’s well known that the author, Kentaro Miura was inspired by Japanese, American, European, and more stories and comics, as well as in myths and in many different cultures, he was also inspired by different philosophers like Nietzsche and Carl Jung. Anyhow, he knew a bunch of things and did massive research before and during the writing of Berserk.

I would say that he was directly inspired by Epic of Gilgamesh when creating the relationship between Griffith and Guts, I don’t think this was unconscious, there are too many parallels between the 2 characters that are not seen in many stories or myths in that same way, but I also believe in the possibility that he did this unconsciously after studying Sumerian and other myths, and as he created the characters and worked the story details, he drew a lot of inspiration from that specific myth without realizing it (the brand of sacrifice is obviously inspired by Sumerians).

Art created for the soundtrack of the 1997 Berserk series adaptation.

Similarities I found:

· When Guts meets Griffith, they have a duel, Griffith beats Guts and earns his respect, Guts joins Griffith’s mercenary band (same as Gilgamesh and Enkidu, Griffith being parallel to Gilgamesh, Guts to Enkidu).

· They become friends, and not just friends, Guts is the only person that ever mattered to Griffith, the rest of the people for Griffith were just means to an end (it’s my interpretation that Griffith first admired Guts and saw his potential to be his equal, at least in fighting, and then Guts became his friend. Because he was his only friend and the only person he was close to, Guts became essential to him), Enkidu was the only friend and considered his equal by Gilgamesh.

· Griffith changes after he meets Guts, he actually starts caring about someone (perhaps for the first time in his life), and even if he uses him to achieve his goals, he worries about Guts, he risks his life twice for him, and in one very interesting scene, Griffith asks Guts if he believes he’s vile, something he probably wouldn’t have even thought had he not met Guts. Gilgamesh becomes more humble after meeting Enkidu, and after learning new things from their adventures together, and then, his adventure alone (that happened because of the death of Enkidu).

Griffith asking Guts if he finds him vile after having him commit murder and killing more people in his way.

· Griffith and Guts battle together in the search for glory (the glory Griffith searched, just like Gilgamesh), and not only they fought together, similar to Gilgamesh and Enkidu, they fight a monster together, Zodd (Gilgamesh and Enkidu fight against Humbaba the ogre giant and against the Bull of Heaven).

· When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh is completely devastated, he holds Enkidu’s body for days until it starts to rot, and then he rips off his own clothes and hair and goes away from the city he ruled to become a vagabond. When Guts leaves Griffith’s side, Griffith has a tremendous breakdown, he never did anything dumb in the whole story until that moment, he commits something incredibly stupid because of what he was feeling that brings an end to his plan that he’d been working for years, he seduces the king’s daughter and has intercouse with her without the king’s consent, he’s then incarcerated and tortured for a whole year, to the point where he won’t be able to walk, talk or use his arms anymore, ever (later he agrees on a pact with evil gods to sacrifice his whole mercenary band and be reborn as a god himself).

Griffith after Guts leaves The Band of the Hawk.

Is Griffith’s dream a fool’s errand?

This last parallel is just my point of view (and my guess to the ending of Beserk), it’s not literally a fool’s errand, but it could be seen that way, we’ll see.

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, after Gilgamesh becomes a vagabond for some time, he decides he will go and search for the man who became immortal, Utnapishtim (Enkidu suggested for him to do this before dying). Shamash, one of the gods that helped/ guided Gilgamesh, tells him he should go back to rule his city because this task could result dangerous and a fruitless, he’s told he might not find what he’s looking for, but he doesn’t listen and goes searching for Utnapishtim. Gilgamesh has some dangerous adventures, meets some people and monsters in the way, in the end he finds Utnapishtim, and finds out that there is no way that he can become immortal too, Utnapishtim had become immortal due to very specific circumstances that were not going to be repeated. Gilgamesh is told a few times in the Epic that he should go back to his city and live his life as a human, after all, he’s not an immortal being, and looking for immortality was after all an impossible quest (it turns out his quest wasn’t completely pointless because he learned many things in the way, and became a better ruler because of that).

Now, Griffith’s dream was to have his own kingdom eventually, he started a mercenary band, then he did so well that he was hired by an important king, and he was even made a nobleman, then he messed up his entire plan because Guts left him. Later on, he was reborn as a god, then he was reborn again in the human world, became the king of the demons that inhabited earth (to put simply), he became the savior of many people (a plan orchestrated by himself), and then he actually got his own kingdom, now it seems he’s on a quest to rule the whole world (Guts said that Griffith would not stop, having his own kingdom wasn’t enough).

For Griffith to achieve his dream, he had to kill thousands of people, endure awful things, sacrifice all of his mercenary band, lose his only friend, and for what? He will get killed at the end of Berserk, not only his sole friend wants to kill him now, everyone who’s not on his side want to kill him (I know Berserk’s events happen because of causality, almost all events are being manipulated by a¿the greater god of Berserk, but that’s beyond the point I’m making here).

Griffith’s greatest inner demon was probably having a dream that’s way too big. Even after having achieved it, he wasn’t satisfied, and he won’t be happy even if he controls the whole world. I can guess dissatisfaction is another recurrent touble in Griffith’s mind (as it is for people according to Buddhists, they say this is something we must fight, and learn to feel satisfied with what we have). If he doesn’t get killed at the end of Berserk, he will just be a forever miserable god-king with no friends (unless he has some sort of revelation that changes him, but that won’t happen in this story).

Falconia, Griffith’s kingdom.

Conclusion.

Gilgamesh learned his lesson when the tale ends, he became a better person, and a better ruler for his kingdom. Most of the time, we must leave our comfort zone, have new experiences and fail miserably in order to learn, that’s in big part how we learn things, as long as we dare to try again with the new knowledge we have acquired. But sometimes it’s too late, for Griffith, it is too late, he can’t take back what he did or apologize, he’s doomed. His dream was so huge, it had to involve hurting too many people and himself in order to achieve it, and, it will have a tragic ending (as many workaholics do too, they end up with high levels of stress, disease, and an early death).

This is why I believe it’s better to take small steps towards any kind of dream or goal, and we can stop if we see it’s not a good idea to keep pushing in that direction (I’ve stopped trying to learn Japanese for now, I do too many things and it was stressing me out a bunch). Griffith could have stayed happy having become a nobleman and live and enjoy the rest of his life with an important amount of peace and with his friend, perhaps even making new friends and doing whatever else instead of chasing something much worse than a fool’s errand that will only end badly for him.

I think many can learn and try and enjoy present life more and stop thinking so much about certain goals and pushing themselves too hard, after all, we won’t be here forever, we’re not like Utnapishtim.

Berserk is not all about tragic events (as many people seem to believe, perhaps they believe so because of the ending of the 1997 anime, or because of all the tragedy in the story), the main character Guts is a great tool that teaches us to keep fighting and not giving up, no matter what.

Thanks for reading 😊

Links.

I found a podcast on Spotify named Mythology by Spotify that makes an incredible work, there’s where I heard the Epic of Gilgamesh, highly recommended.

If you’re interested on Berserk, the 1997 series is on Netflix, it’s a great intro to Berserk. The manga is available online, it won’t be hard to find.

xoxo