#hence the gift of the Holy Spirit being gifted to us

[not-so-superheroine]

Jesus is my older brother, not my dad.

other christians don't seem to feel the same?

am i missing something where he insists on such a thing except perhaps with actual little children?

[tamaruaart]

YOU

Grant us your oc’s delicious lore, anything that comes to mind first-

Ah tysm for asking

(btw I apologize for this being long af 😔)

So I feel like I should prep this by saying before I figured out about LMK I was super into OPS's jttw series. So I made Zhao with the context of the book, and the book doesn't sugar coat things so Zhao's backstory is a bit uhhh, mature? There's no nsfw stuff but there is a lot, lot, loottt of angst (even though the backstory is kinda "simple"), so forgive me :'(

I did change up her backstory a bit for the LMK version because it is a kids show and I don't feel like the creators would stick with the dark tone of the original. Whenever I write OCs for sertant shows I try to write it with the context of "How would the creator tackle this if my oc was a Canon character?" Yk? You don't write a depressed, emo, Greek hero for a light hearted magical girl show.

So ye, this first segment will be her JTTW backstory sum-up and I'll note what is changed in the LMK version at the end👍

JTTW/original backstory(this is long, read at your own risk)-

-Zhao wasn't raised in the best household.. Not only was her father a total womanizer with 3 wives (at the time of her birth, by now he has 7) and who knows how many mistresses, but her elder family member were pretty verbally abusive. I mentioned before but Xiaotian and Biao-Qi (Zhao's father and grandfather) wanted Zhao to be born as a male because in their clan its essential for the first born of every generation to be a boy, so when they found out about Zhao being a girl they were really salty and thought of her as "The disgrace" of the family. (hence why Zhaoyan is a name generally given to Chinese boys, which yea Xiaotian is the type of douche-bag to chose the name of the child at the start of his marriage without the mothers approval)

-Zhao was the one basically raising her younger siblings because her parents couldn't be bothered to, Pangfua (Zhao's mom) couldn't even bare to look at Xiaotian's face so the last thing she cared for was some random children of him and his mistresses, and Xiaotian's other wifes didn't really care for the children either. However, Zhao ADORED her siblings because she was always good with little kids. But as time went on and on, with so many children coming in to the household she started getting tired, but what could she do? At the time she was barely a teenage girl, if she complained to her father she could legitimately be at risk to lose her head. Like I said, Xiaotian couldn't care less about Zhao, he doesn't give a damn if she likes taking care of her siblings or not.

-Eventually Zhao grew too tired of her family, and decided to leave. This might seem selfish but holy frick, the girlie felt like a maid, and it's not like she doesn't care for her family, it's that they couldn't care less about her. All of her siblings were old enough to take care of each other and the other family members treated them well, why shouldn't she be able to "go live her own life"?

- The first place she went was to a temple dedicated to the Chinese tiger spirit- Hu Ye. The reason she went to him specifically was because he was sort of the protector/symbol of Zhao's family (for context think about how Apollo was the protector of the Trojans in the Iliad), she prayed to him all night, she asked humbly to become a Jade Maiden that serves Guan Yin (because that was probably the best option. Also just so you have context- Hu Ye blessed the girls in Zhao's family with a healing gift. So basically they could heal any illness, wound, missing limb etc...). But to her surprise Hu Ye saw what she did as "unforgiving". You shouldn't leave your family who loves you so much, not cool >:( (cut him some slack tho, whenever to family would worship him they would make them self's seem like the most perfect people ever). And so in short he gave her flaming orange hair so she never forgets that she is a Tiger Maiden (bcz orange=tigers and he just be petty like that bro).

-Eventually she went to the woods but she was found by Lánhūa- a forest spirit. Lánhūa took pity on her and decided to take her in as one of her nymphs. Because Zhao had the healing gift she was a great addition to the palace Lánhūa lived in, Zhao was always the one making sure everyone was healthy and the worst someone suffered was a common cold, and even those wouldn't last long.

-However one day while she was collecting fruits for the palace she stumbled upon a strange noise near a mountain, she went to check what it was and wouldn't you have guessed its good ol' Sun Wukong. The pair fairly quickly became friends, Zhao would often tell him stories and keep him company and Sun (who was under that damn mountain for 346 years by the time he and Zhao met) would listen and tell her his life stories.

-At the early stages of the jttw Monkey actually did try and convince Zhao to come with him and the other pilgrims, she would be the one taking care of Tripitaka and making sure he stays healthy. Zhao refused at first but after some time she agreed. Her and Tripitaka were very close because they were both kinda the "sane ones" of the group and Zhao took her position very seriously. Sanzang eventually noticed that this was a bit weird considering how layed back the other pilgrims were, so he confronted her and Zhao opened up to him. And that's how I'd show her backstory in the book.

So in short: Girl leaves abusive family and prays to god, god makes her a ginger and she gets adopted by a hot forest spirit. A monkey befriends her and convinces her to give free health care to his friend **emotional**

Holy crap that took so long to write/ Notes on how her backstory would probably be changed in the lmk version:

In the lmk version I think they'd tone down how bad her family was just a bit, again it is a kids show. I think the start would generally be the same but that Hu Ye would grant her wish. But instead of a disciple for Guan Yin I think they'd change it into a Peach Maiden, so that she could meet the brotherhood and befriend Wukong like she did in the original backstory. They'd probably remove Lánhūa as well (because she is a very minor character in Zhao's backstory). So yea in short of what I think the creators of LMK would do with her character: -Hu Ye grants her wish of becoming a Peach Maiden. -Orange would be her natural hair color(bcz tigers woo). -I honestly think they'd give her a sort-of survivor's guilt because of the whole "leaving your family" thing instead of "Ama give u tiger hair so you never forget how you left your family >:(" -She meets the brotherhood through their lil' rebellion -Healing powers would probably be toned down a bit so there's still some risk

So ya-

Again thank you SO much for the question and thank you for coming to my Ted talk

[wisdomfish]

The Substitute

God’s perfectly holy, righteous, and just character demanded that he punish sin, hence sinners, appropriately. In order for sinful human beings to avoid such eternal condemnation God expressed his loving-kindness and chose to punish a fully adequate substitute― exclusively, Jesus Christ―thus allowing sinners to receive mercy.

On the cross Jesus Christ, the willing substitute, became the object of God’s just wrath against sin making it a certainty that the redemption of man clearly came at God’s expense. And like many Christian doctrines, the atonement contains considerable divine mystery. The truth about Christ's sacrifice on the cross is inexhaustible through human reflection. Nevertheless, let's look at some biblical word pictures surrounding the "atonement," with help from Shai Linne;

Regeneration: the Holy Spirit's true work in His love to the elect, who receive new birth from above. Expiation: means God's removed my filthiness Ohe old testament type was the goat into the wilderness. Redemption: we've been freed from slavery to sin and His very own blood is the price He paid, my friend. Propitiation: means since the Lamb has died His work is finished- God's wrath is satisfied. Adoption- means God is now my Father I got the hottest Poppa and by the Spirit holler Abba. Reconciliation: means there's no more enmity God is now a friend to me, and we're no longer enemies. Justification: God declares us righteous. Sanctification: we're being made into His likeness. Glorification: that's what happens at the finish when God conforms believers perfectly to Christ's image!

God's grace is magnificent, He slayed His innocent Son- through faith and repentance we get the benefits.

What is faith? Faith is a gift from God- when we receive this we trust and treasure the person and finished work of Jesus. What is Repentance? Repentance is turning from your sin and trusting Christ as the Spirit cleanses you within. What is grace? Oh, grace is unmerited favor, our inheritance major, 'cause we cherish the Savior.

Right, and if I may quote again, we were doomed with Satan but believers get Jesus' righteousness through imputation.

What is Imputation? God takes Jesus' righteousness amount through faith he credits it into the Christian's account.

Anything else? Well, I guess this overview must suffice but none of this is possible apart from union with Christ.

And finally, once you know the ways of the Lord then the only thing that you can say is Soli Deo Gloria!

The solution to man's greatest problem, the sin that separates a person from God, is found in the perfect life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection of the God-man, Jesus Christ. God's perfect love and justice meet together for all to see in the atonement. As the apostle, John declared:

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. [1 John 4:10]

~ Samples, Kenneth Richard. ‘Without a Doubt: Answering the 20 Toughest Faith Questions

[agapewizard]

➝ The Physiological Expression of the Three Aspects of Consciousness.

Understanding certain basic structures and functionality of the human brain is part of the discovery of self. Many of us do not understand what the components of the brain are, how they work and what they give rise to with respect to qualities of our personality-identity-ego construct. Understanding the human brain is to understand a core aspect of ourselves and is critical for our understanding of what is going on in the world. Our species is gifted simply by possessing a brain of the order and magnitude that we have.

Symbolism operates on many layers, levels and depth. Rigidly applying rules in one direction will prevent us from perceiving greater revelations through the frequencies of color and shape being used. Taking another symbolic look at the components of a Trinity based on the father, mother and child, we can see how the Christian narrative is represented by the hindbrain, limbic and forebrain respectively. The reptile survival hindbrain is the law-obsessed dominator god from the Old Testament. The mammalian emotional brain is the sacred feminine Holy Spirit. The neocortex higher order thinking brain is the Divine savior and Light of the world.

• The Brainstem “Reptile” Hindbrain

The brainstem can be considered the foundation and hence the oldest and lowest part of the brain. The brainstem and cerebellum are responsible for physical activity, motor skills, and the instinct for survival or the fight or flight mechanism. In a dangerous situation, a decision needs to be made between staying and fighting or fleeing to survive. The heart will pump blood towards the areas of the body that require it. Blood will be pumped away from the vital organs of the torso and brain because a fight or flight response of survival to fight or run away requires blood to be sent to the areas of priority which are the extremities. When we are trying to survive we are not going to be thinking about deep higher order conceptual ideas nor do we need to be doing much digestion or other intensive functions of other organs. Our richly oxygenated blood will be sent to our muscles, such as the arms to be yielded as weapons if we have decided to stay and fight, or to the leg muscles for us to be able to flee the situation.

This functionality is effective for fending off an attacker. However, in our modern society we are not in many dangerous situations where we physically need to make a decision to fight of flee, yet this mechanism is activated frequently because we are often engaged in stressful activities. This beneficial survival technique has become a detriment in modern society because we engage and remain in this modality of consciousness for a large portion of the time. Our lifestyle is hectic and busy, from one thing to the next without having much time in between the various activities we occupy our lives with: a job, children, traffic, other people, and other daily activities. Always being busy and having all of your time occupied is also known as stress. This creates a construct whereby responsibilities of adhering to a scheduled way of living traps a person in a survival modality of being with no standard ability to fight or flee from the situation presented. This causes harm to other structures of the brain.

• The Limbic “Mammal” Midbrain

This is the middle-brain that is responsible for the chemical interactions through which we experience our emotions as feelings, and despite emotions not being derived from here, without this “middle chamber” we would not feel emotions. Mammals display physiological reactions of emotional states that reptiles do not show. Reptiles are more instinctual and based in survival and are where we get the term of being a “cold blooded” person.

• The Neocortex “Human” Forebrain

The Neocortex is the most developed part of the brain containing the most neural activity and manages all higher order thinking. The cerebrum is bilaterally symmetrical being divided into the left and right cerebral hemispheres. The left brain is symbolic of the masculine principle and is related to the thought functionality of logic, analysis, science, mathematics, language and the use of words. The right brain relates to the feminine qualities of holistic thought, intuition, creativity, art, music and all other forms of creative expression.

This triune component of the brain is setup as a hierarchy of three different aspects of being into one, and information is processed in a certain way if the functionality between these layers is operating correctly. Proper functionality means the cerebral hemispheres are cooperating together, balanced, unified, harmonious, coherent, consistent, and integrated, as can be demonstrated through EEG coherence where neural and synaptic activity is distributed throughout both hemispheres. The forebrain is the executive command center of the whole brain responsible for our reasoning capabilities to determine how we use our actions in harmony with our thoughts and emotions. Having a balanced neocortex without one side dominating over the other allows a person to become capable of higher-order conceptual thinking and reasonable behavior which is governed through our ability to recognize patterns and derive meaning. The neocortex is the most advanced computer that exists and the most complex substance we know of in the universe and therefore our greatest gift. The feminine midbrain that governs emotions sends data upwards to the masculine reasoning-processing center of the brain, both to the logical-analytical masculine left-brain and creative-intuitive feminine right-brain, which then sends signals down to the motor centers of the brain complex referred to as the reptile brain in order for our actions and behavior to be based on higher order reasoning and not automated responses based on instinct and survival.

Failure to understand how we function, as a component of who we are, places us in a position where we are susceptible to manipulation and mind control. Understanding the basic functionality of the brain brings us closer to becoming a being that governs ourselves and less subject to the influence of those attempting to commandeer our mind and behavior.

[sasindi-mga2025mi6021]

Summary of the-

"The Evolution of Making Wishes Through ‘Wishing Wells’"

Drop a coin in the well and make a wish.

In ancient times, people widely believed that heavenly deities or holy spirits dwelled in the water sources and kept the water clean.

Several ancient cultures and religious societies ascribed magical powers to the water.

In many customs, wells remained a symbol of various ritualistic ceremonies that got conducted around them.

 the well waters or water from any other springs remain revered as sacred entities that hold miraculous healing powers.\

 European folklore, people considered the wishing well as a symbol that held the miraculous power of granting wishes.

In ancient European cultures, people viewed underground springs as unique and valued the sacred water as the pious gift to humankind from the heavenly. To hail the deities for their generous gift, people often dropped small appreciative tokens in groundwater springs. As time passed, the use of coins came into play.

 German tribes of Europe, a belief existed around the wishing wells. People believed that spirits had created the water, and hence the water source was the abode of the deities.

Celtic goddess Coventina; the well remained attributed in her name. She is the Romano-British goddess of springs and wells and is associated with childbirth, healing, and abundance.

In Nordic mythology, a “well” belonged to Mimir, the god of wisdom. The water deity “Mimir” drank water from the “well of wisdom” every day that made him the wisest being among all.

[yhwhrulz]

Charles Spurgeon's "Morning & Evening" Devotional for November 29

Morning

“Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.”

Ephesians 4:1-8 , Ephesians 4:11-32

So far from being ashamed of being shut up in a dungeon like a felon, Paul again repeats, as his choice title of honour, the words, “the prisoner of the Lord.” It is inexpressibly delightful to be allowed to suffer for him who suffered to the death for us. Paul uses his afflicted condition as an affectionate plea with the Ephesians to give heed to his counsel.

Ephesians 4:1-6

True believers are one; Christ has only instituted one church, he has quickened it with but one Spirit, and set before it one sole hope. The Lord is the alone Head of the church, she has not two Lords, neither has Jesus revealed more than one faith, or commanded any other than one baptism: hence believers should anxiously maintain unity, and endeavour each one to promote the good of the whole.

Ephesians 4:11-13

All the ascension-gifts come to us for the building up, not of many sects, but of the Lord’s one church. His choicest gifts are holy men, qualified for various gracious works, which they carry on for the perfecting of each believer, and of the whole body of the faithful.

Ephesians 4:24

Being made parts of a new body, of which the Lord Jesus is the head, we cannot act as we once did, or we should belie our profession altogether. Filthiness must be now abhorred, and holiness panted for; is it so with us?

Ephesians 4:26

We may be angry at wrong without sinning thereby, but if anger be a selfish resentment, it is always sinful, and if it lives beyond a day it cannot be justified. One of the hardest things in the world is to be angry and not to sin.

Ephesians 4:28

The cure for dishonesty is industry, and the remedy for a disposition to steal from others, is to learn to give to them.

Ephesians 4:29

Do we always attend to this? Are not some jests which are commonly heard very far from edifying?

Ephesians 4:32

Let this be written up in our chambers, and practised in every room in the house. What a heaven will our family then become.

Fill every part of me with praise,

Let all my being speak

Of thee and of thy love, O Lord,

Poor though I be, and weak.

So shalt thou, Lord, from me e’en me,

Receive the glory due;

And so shall I begin on earth

The song for ever new.

Lost in astonishment I see,

Jesus, thy boundless love to me;

With angels I thy grace adore,

And long to love and praise thee more.

Still may I view thee on the cross,

And all beside esteem but loss;

Here still be fixed my feasted eyes,

Enraptur’d with thy sacrifice.

Grace led my roving feet

To tread the heavenly road;

And new supplies each hour I meet

While pressing on to God.

Grace taught my soul to pray,

And made my eyes o’erflow;

‘Twas grace that kept me to this day,

And will not let me go.

Grace all the work shall crown,

Through everlasting days;

It lays in heaven the topmost stone,

And well deserves the praise.

Bless’d are the pure in heart,

For they shall see our God;

The secret of the Lord is theirs;

Their soul is Christ’s abode.

The Lord, who left the heavens

Our life and peace to bring,

To dwell in lowliness with men,

Their Pattern and their King;

He to the lowly soul

Doth still himself impart,

And for his dwelling and his throne

Chooseth the pure in heart.

Lord, we thy presence seek;

May ours this blessing be;

Give us a pure and lowly heart,

A temple meet for thee.

A fulness resides in Jesus, our Head,

And ever abides to answer our need;

The Father’s good pleasure has laid up in store,

A plentiful treasure to give to the poor.

Whate’er be our wants, we need not to fear;

Our numerous complaints his mercy will hear;

His fulness shall yield us abundant supplies;

His buckler shall shield us when dangers arise.

When troubles attend, or danger or strife,

His love will defend and guard us through life;

And when we are fainting and ready to die,

Whatever is wanting his hand will supply.

Worthy art thou, O dying Lamb?

Worthy, O bleeding Lord;

Eternal, Infinite, I AM,

Ceaseless to be adored!

Fulness of riches is in thee!

From thee all mercies spring:

And grace and love, divine and free,

And power enlivening.

Out of the deep of every heart,

Let praise to thee ascend:

Till thou to heaven shalt us translate,

Where praises never end!

Evening

“Be ye filled with the Spirit.”

Ephesians 5:1-21

Ephesians 5:1

followers or imitators

Ephesians 5:2

Here is a model at once so attractive and so perfect that we may love and copy it at the same time. We may not take the conduct of others for our model, and treat them as they treat us; the only pattern for a Christian is Christ.

Ephesians 5:3 , Ephesians 5:4

Sins of the tongue are fearfully common. Cheerfulness is a virtue, chaste pleasantries are the flowers of conversation, but those unholy allusions and unedifying jests which so often are commended as exceedingly clever should never obtain currency among the followers of the holy Jesus.

Ephesians 5:5

The covetous man is here placed in very disreputable company. This proves that the Holy Spirit judges lust for gold to be as vile a lust as any other; he sets the brand of Cain upon the brow of the greedy. We send missionaries abroad, and yet we do not sorrow over idolaters at home. If a man worships a god of gold, is he not quite as debased as if his idol were made of wood?

Ephesians 5:6-11

Avoid bad company. Choose only those for your friends who are also friends of God. How can we reprove sin if we take those who openly practise it to be our bosom friends?

Ephesians 5:14

Death hides in darkness, life loves light. We, therefore, who have spiritual life should never do anything which we should be ashamed to have published to the whole world. Christ has given us light, let us not hide it, neither let us shut our eyes to it.

Ephesians 5:15

Look all around, and be anxious that your conduct may do harm to no one, from any point of view.

Ephesians 5:19

Men filled with wine call for a song, and when believers are exhilarated by the divine Spirit they also should have their singing, but they must choose the songs of Zion, such as the Lord himself will account to be true melody.

Ephesians 5:20 , Ephesians 5:21

To make God great and ourselves little is our peculiar occupation; we are to give him glory in all that we do, and seek no honour for ourselves, but willingly take the lowest place among our brethren for the Lord’s sake.

Fill thou my life, O Lord my God,

In every part with praise;

That my whole being may proclaim

Thy being and thy ways;

Surrendering my fondest will,

In things or great or small,

Seeking the good of others still,

Nor pleasing self at all.

So shall each fear, each fret, each care,

Be turnèd into song;

And every winding of the way

The echo shall prolong.

Copyright Statement This resource was produced before 1923 and therefore is considered in the "Public Domain".

[writer59january13]

Gloriously luxuriating in eternal sleep...

versus being alive predicated victory videre licet lunatic if Trump trumped Kamala Harris and stole 2024 presidential election, (whereat Musk bribed significant number of voters handing out wads of cash) courtesy underhanded modus operandi and devious and sinister schemes. Forlorn; bereft of golden (slippered) opportunities I weep; Three score and five years replete with mailer daemons, hence mindset adrip with self denouncing expletive filled bleep unwritten expressed recriminations wielded upon figurative head of wimpy blip; decades elapsed at light speed clip

as the world turned days of mein kampf exhibited slow psychologically torturous analogous intravenous slow drip during emerging adulthood approximately half life of mine, when yours truly painstakingly besotted with unrequited love accursed extreme introvertedness severely hobbled coping ability

still reeling after being scammed gobs of greenbacks approximately sixteen months ago gifted at birth with congenital weakness such as being gullible to ruthless conartists mama's boy lacked ways and means integrating himself among peers: no supportive services to equip shy lonely lad devoid of fellowship even as grown man lost in space whereat

maximum head room cramped with obsessive compulsive thoughts social services slated for chopping block if Project 2025 implemented and if father or mother were alive they would flip at the course of political divisiveness sowed by MAGA onymous nasty brute, where palmar hyperhidrosis affected slippery grip

in tandem with being diminutive aiming to experience childhood's end forever son of a gun flailed with dating later in life analogous to psyche subjected to fracking compromising, forsaking, and issuing counter productively undermining potential heterosexual relationships invariably shooting from the hip. Nine different prescription medications allow umpteen combinations to yield against bombardment that fate doth wield delivered, signed and sealed courtesy the grim reaper able, eager, ready and willing to maneuver across pitted minefield accessing exiled soul whisking vis a vis grim reaper same to idyllic place named Edenfield. Oftimes methinks how cessation to breathe spirit buoyed aloft, where garlands wreath to escape hell on Earth, where neurosis and psychosis seethe within mine sixty plus five shades of crumbling sheet rock think scree ming atrophying gray matter symbiotically, dramatically, and alphabetically flourishing at expense of sanity case in point being

anxiety/ panic attacks obsessive compulsive behavior,

schizoid personality disorder,

long in the tooth fellow

his sustenance similar to pablum constituting imperial diet of worms of the Holy Roman Empire - called by Emperor Charles V fit for grown baby,

especially when removing dentures

cuz he must resort to eat soft foods

unless by some miracle I teethe for the third time. Homegrown destructive force muscles, tussles, wrestles,

et cetera within me likened to (but separate from) Intifada, (thus no insinuation this wordsmith linkedin to any militant group) grips mine soul asylum,

a recalcitrant doppelganger within windmills of my mind doth insidiously, poisonously,

and unpleasantly drum

palpably affecting writer of these words to feel glum. No respite whether I repose in deep slumber or lightly awake inescapable melancholic woes

haunts these lonely bones,

whereby system of the down houses reticent persona constituent feature characterized courtesy anhedonia

linkedin with passive suicidal ideation

accentuated when severe crisis erupt analogous to smoldering volcano. Fortunate for me the missus keenly aware plus (despite every now and again contention between us),

she makes crystal clear communicating her displeasure mixed with genuine fear bantering deadpanning facetiously gallows humor I half heartedly asseverate gibberish spouting jargoneer gravely alarms wife helpless to orienteer

conversation away from my demise, thus figuratively switch horses

in mid stream and jockey

to calm her down and lightning verbal exchange by undressing from the waist down revealing laughing stock of skinny legs (easily mistaken for spindleshanks) poking thru underwear charging on imaginary steed

feigning being loco despite NOT smoking weed,

energetic cavorting courtesy

nursing high test coffee, nevertheless ineffective battling fatigue despite flitting to and fro, hither and yon bumbling along (skeletal) joints of mine smoking hot suddenly after sipping strong brew,

I temporarily shuck off lethargy

long enough break to out dancing while simultaneously overtaken

to sing a song of sixpence while wings flutter at the speed of sound buzzfeed appetite for consumption Ecclesiastical History of the English People, one of our best-written sources for early English history authored by Venerable Bede.

[foxbox23232]

What is the difference between a medium/ psychic and prophetic person?

I used to wonder this a lot before I knew anything about any of that. Like, how can you ever solidify or get answers about something like that anyways. I went to a psychic when I was pagan, once at a pagan festival, another at a graduation party, probably even more times I don’t recall. Everything they would tell me was odd and true. At the pagan festival in 2015? He pulled out a card and told me I was backstabbed and many other things which corresponded to when my stepsister did in fact backstab me and we stopped being friends. At a graduation party a psychic also pulled out a card she knew I was going away for awhile. This was right before I left for army.

My grandma knew a medium, which is a person who could see spirits, my mom used to see but as you resist it they flee like the Bible tells you. “Resist the devil he will flee” James 4:7. So my mom wasn’t seeing them a lot back then. My mom has also never told anyone besides me because she doesn’t want people to think less of her, and tbh she never wanted it. But I remember I went to the mediums haunted house tour and thought it was odd things were moving. I kind of just assumed it was all plotted. But one time she came over because weird stuff was happening to my mom. When she walked in my house suddenly felt like a haunted house and our house lights were malfunctioning. She knew things about the people of the house who died and the area. And after that I must’ve been like 9 years old I realized ghosts were real. Which I think I knew deep down because I was experiencing weird things too even by like age 3-4.

At a prophetic church, they told me someone I knew backstabbed me. I had (it was either knives or arrows I don’t recall) in my back they needed to come out. I told them “What? Who?” And they replied a family member. Suddenly I remembered a few weeks ago one of my stepsisters did backstab me and my brother, and called us really horrible things to my stepdad behind our back. My stepdad ended up telling my mom and my mom told me. They told me I needed to forgive her in a very specific way, and the back pain went away after that. This is just one example.

So, they both know things so how can you tell the difference? The difference is the source. It’s either holy or unholy. The Bible warns against mediums and psychics and tells you to stay away from them. But why? Because they are associating with demons. I am around prophetic seers and am friends with many seers online and I can 100% guarantee you they do not see ghosts or aliens lol only angels and demons. Just like prophecy demons counterfeit fake gifts as well. Which have become honestly the norm, hence psychics. Demons also have access to a lot of information if they aren’t truly saved and because of the bloodline. Leeches need a host and so do demons they are pretty much the same. This is complex but bible explains everything.

I have another fun story. A witch came to our bible study once. But we don’t fear the bogeyman lol. We “stomp on the heads of snakes and scorpions.” So even if you are around a witch with God there is nothing to fear. So anyways, we didn’t know she was a witch at first but things got weird. And I love my bible study people because they are very wise with the things that they say. The witch told us, “my ancestors say there is a lot I can learn from you guys and to thank you” It got so silent. I asked her, “Are you a medium?” She said yes, and that her Grandpa was in the room with them. Little did she know she got invited to the most spiritual bible study she will probably ever encounter. My spiritual mom said,” that thing that came in with you was not your grandpa” and the whole room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. She started to reveal a lot of things very suddenly. Her spell magic, how she makes money from it, tarot cards, astrology, she wanted to be called a different name and I think I ended up realizing there was a reason for that. My spiritual moms son started having visions and he knew she was backstabbed and her heart was broken. You know I am not sure if I have ever seen an active witch cry in person before. But tears were shed and we ended the night singing and dancing to worship music. Some of which she even suggested.

Holy Spirit will always lead you to peace. To the Bible. The Bible will confirm itself. Because it’s the word of God. Witchcraft cannot mend your broken heart. It wants you to stay broken. Mend yourself, even though you aren’t God and have no idea how to. People often use witchcraft for revenge because their hearts are sick and full of hatred. But it’s dangerous and can kill people including the person casting the spells. It’s like a disease that makes you sick sometimes instantly sometimes over time. I can’t tell you why. But I can tell you it’s dangerous. And I am just talking about the act itself, I am not even talking about the spells. It doesn’t matter if they are a “good” or “bad” witch. Rotten fruit is rotten fruit which means the source is ultimately bad. I can almost guarantee you they are mentally unwell or suicidal, along with probably many other unbiblical signs of bad fruit. So the solution? Cut down the whole tree. Their “good” spells I can guarantee you are making them and others sick even if they don’t realize it. If your “Grandpa” leaves when you command it to by the name of Jesus that’s probably not your Grandpa. The devil is so sneaky, because he knows this confuses people and people perish from their lack of knowledge. New age is introducing new forms of spirits which involve “angels” and “guides” once you reach “enlightenment” lol. Which is really just summoning the demonic through their rituals. All about the self and what the self wants and desires, seems pretty easy if you think about it. Like eating junk food. Man following God now that is enlightenment. Much harder.

I also have plenty of testimony because I performed witchcraft as a child and also a few years ago. It does make you sick and unfortunately I did experience physical attacks and they wanted to kill me. It’s kind of interesting to me how the devil would always try to hypnotize me and draw me closer. He promised me a lot of earthly fleshly things too. But “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Matthew 16:26. Even as a kid the devil tracked me down and tried to get me to go the wrong way. And I was stupid and I did. But I think God knew my true heart deep down and knew eventually I would choose the right way.

Sometimes mediums and psychics are born that way because of their bloodline that hasn’t been healed yet. Typically it’s accessed. Which is the same with prophecy. The Bible says “Seek and you will find” Matthew 7:7-8. Except prophecy happens naturally to the seeking Christian and the source is God. I’m unsure if mediums/psychics even remotely have a book like the Bible or if they just have to guess check literally everything, although it wouldn’t be surprising. I used to pray for answers like this, because it would’ve helped me believe even more. And I finally did receive my answers. And it makes me feel so bad for people still caught up in that new age rabbit hole. Never ending! The lies never end I swear. But pray to Jesus for answers he will show you the truth and give you the gift of discernment. Pray for knowledge, discernment, wisdom, and truth to be revealed.

I pray if you go seeking for this stuff be careful… Have God by your side always. Ask for Gods protection through everything. Psalm 91. Ephesians 6 Armor of God. Everyday. They are all over the internet, Gods people and witches. They are in churches where you can meet prophetic for free or the witches run their own shops to con you, cast spells on you, and have you come crying back to them to spend even more money. Play safe and know that God loves you and doesn’t want to see you get hurt. He said in the Bible stay away from mediums and psychics.

Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:31

How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand, when I awake, I am still with you. Psalm 139:17-18

My lips praise you because your faithful love is better than life itself! Psalm 63:3

[wolint]

FRESH MANNA

ARISE AND SHINE

Isaiah 9:2

Believers aren't meant to remain in darkness as 1 Peter 2:9 says, we are chosen and called out of darkness into light. Darkness is the state of being devoid of light, nightfall, a secret, closedness, blindness, evil, a place of punishment and a spiritual term for cast-offs, eternal damnation or loss.

So many people are stumbling about in the dark, some out of confusion, some because they are lost, for others, it’s indecision while so many chose to deliberately remain in the dark, closed off to the love and light of God because of a misguides belief that either God doesn't want or love them or they are not worthy to be in the light or yet again because they enjoy the pleasures of the dark.

Why would one deliberately choose to be in the dark when the glorious light of God is on offer? Simple, deception!

God knows the importance of light hence the reason the bible opens with God saying in Genesis 1:3-5, "Let there be light," and there was light”. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

In between God setting light in its place, humanity decided to step back into darkness.

Now, the people are walking in darkness, in lies and deception and immorality. They are walking in unbelief and doubt, refusing to acknowledge and accept Christ as Lord and Saviour and rejecting the Holy Spirit.

People like those who refused the Lord’s invitation and appeal in Isaiah 2:5 saying “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD”

The Lord is still beckoning us to come out of the dark and step into His marvellous light but as usual, we keep resisting and refusing the Lord’s appeal. Why are we so hard-hearted and stubborn to the Lord’s leading?

God has a reason for everything He does, it’s always for His glory and to our benefit. One of the reasons the Lord wants us to step out of darkness and into the light may be found in

Isaiah 60:1-3.

ARISE: Get up and out of whatever afflictions have held you back and down, rise up and out of mourning and captivity.

Let the blind receive sight to see physically and spiritually.

Let every closed door become open.

Let every secret, hidden treasure be unveiled and revealed.

SHINE: Be enlightened; for the light of God has come on you; the light in you that can impact others, the light that establishes the glory of the Lord on us and makes a clear distinction between those who belong to the Father.

The light gives revelation and insight.

Some of us have been in the dark for too long and the Lord is saying it’s time to step out of the darkness and into the light.

Whatever darkness we’re facing is the enemy using it as a veil to keep us hidden from the purpose, plans, love and grace of the father.

Darkness has become a chain for many. Holding them down, and stopping them from actively moving, progressively and boldly living as soldiers of Christ.

It’s a hiding place that never allows our gifts and graces to shine through and be used for kingdom business.

He has and will deliver us!

Just as God rescued his people who were in the gross darkness of slavery in Egypt in Exodus 6:6; He continues to deliver us from the domain of darkness, from Satan and the powers of evil.

Darkness is an excuse to not follow the Lord wholeheartedly and is a crutch many use to limp between desires while claiming disability. God’s searchlight is turned on you as stated in Psalm 18:28. The Lord has already delivered you according to Colossians 1:13.

Time to step out and step in!

PRAYER: Father, help me walk in your light, your well-lit path, amid a crooked and twisted generation, among whom I can shine as lights in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Shalom

WOMEN OF LIGHT INT. PRAYER MIN.

[graciousheaven]

Deliverance from the Sting of Death

God has set eternity in the heart of man. Hence, although some skeptics reject the everlasting nature of the human soul – a fact affirmed and evidenced by the Holy Scriptures – the manner of life of people of all nations, ethnicities and languages, even when they are pagans, reveals a keen interest in the afterlife. However, although many unbelievers admit that life after death is a reality, they fully miss the point. Their perspective on the matter is totally deceptive; for what they envision is nothing but a fantasy utterly disconnected from biblical truths. This fallacy is rooted in their rejection of the One True and Living God and his revealed truth. They refuse to admit the sinfulness of sin and its deadly consequences, they do not acknowledge man’s total depravity. This is a blatant scorn of the person of God, an utter blasphemy of his holy name, since God clearly affirms that all people are sinful (cf. Rom. 3:10-19,23; Is. 53:6).

These heretics deny man’s alienation from God by sin, refuse to acknowledge man’s inability to find peace with God by human design, and thus reject the means ordained by God to reconcile all things to Himself. Since they have a high view of man and hold God in low esteem, they do not understand the holiness of God, nor consider his righteousness and sovereignty over all creation; because they are blinded by the spirit of the age, the devil. Therefore, they deny the existence of hell. For they do not see the judgments of the Lord of hosts, nor do they consider his righteous wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of man. They deny any possibility of an afterlife in eternal, conscious torment for the ungodly, and view the afterlife as ‘a rest in peace’ opportunity for all who die, good and evil alike. In fact, they fantasize about a heaven where there is no God.

There is no such thing as heaven without God – heaven is the abode of God. Ps. 103:19 says, “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his Kingdom rules over all.” “Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool” (Is. 66:1). And “There is no peace,” Says my God, “for the wicked” (Is. 57:21). Therefore, since no one is righteous, there is a need for all to be reconciled to God; for our iniquities have alienated us all from his glorious presence. To borrow the words of Isaiah the prophet, our iniquities have made a separation between us and our God, and our sins have hidden his face from us. We are all dead in trespasses and sin from the moment of our conception, thus candidates for hell. All the world stands guilty before the holy God, and He “does not leave the guilty unpunished” (Ex. 34:7). On the other hand, no one can be justified before Him by the deeds of the flesh. For all our righteousnesses are filthy rags before the Lord (cf. Is. 64:6).

Therefore, no one can overcome the grim reality of the second death by his own design. Ps. 49:7-9 says this about those who put their trust in what they possess, “Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit.” That is to say, our works can never save us from the pit of hell. No matter how hard we labour, we can never achieve enough to redeem our souls. For we do not possess a righteousness of our own; rather we are inherently evil. We can only be justified by the righteousness of God. For it is God who graciously provides us a righteousness on the basis of our faith in his Son Jesus Christ, not according to our works – “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20) – and from that moment we are declared righteous by God. Eph. 2:8-9 reads, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Salvation is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone.

God is sovereign, He has a supreme rule over death. He alone can save sinners from destruction. No one is able to save himself from the sting of death. Ps. 89:49 asks the following questions, “What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?”  God alone can deliver our souls from the power death; for He is the source of our righteousness. God is the only just and the justifier of repentant sinners who put their trust in his Son. “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:3-4). God sent his Son into the world to be its Saviour. Christ came and obeyed the precepts of God’s law. He kept all the requirements, i.e., the righteous deeds, the righteous thoughts and the righteous words required by God’s moral law, thus fulfilling God’s demand for absolute righteousness on behalf of those who would put their trust in Him. Christ also sacrificed his life for sinners to be justified – to use the words of 1 John 2:2, “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” I.e., on the basis of Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross, the sins of those who believe in Him are forgiven, and they are declared just by God.

Through Christ’s incarnation, perfect obedience and substitutionary death on the cross, God satisfied his demand for justice without compromising his righteous character. On the basis of Christ’s merits, God graciously justifies repentant sinners who have faith in his Son. So no man can be justified by his own doings. Rom. 3:21-26 reads, “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it – the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

After the fall, God promised the redemption of sinful humanity through the Seed of the woman (cf. Gen. 3:15). Generations after, He reiterated this promise multiple times through his prophets to the people of Israel, through whom salvation would eventually be available to all flesh. For instance, Is. 25:6-8 reads, “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And He will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people He will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.” Ps. 98:2-3, “The Lord has made known his salvation; his righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his mercy and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”

This promise has been fulfilled in God’s own Son, the Lord and saviour Jesus Christ; for in Him grace was given to us before time began (cf. 2 Tim. 1:9). I.e., in eternity past God predetermined the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross in order to redeem humanity from the bondage of corruption and death. And when the appointed time, as ordained by the sovereign Lord, had come, Christ the Lamb of God willingly “gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Tit. 2:14). God sent Him to bless us by turning away every one of us from our iniquities. “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his cross” (Col. 1:19-20).

Christ is the only One who can save sinners from spiritual deadness and help them escape eternal destruction. He is the means designated by God to reconcile all things to Himself. “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die”, declares the Lord in John 11:25-26. Christ is the source of both physical and spiritual life. It is He who created all things, for “He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:2-4). Christ is the Prince of life, the Author of life, the Supreme Being in Whom all things dwell; nothing came into being apart from Him. He gives us the breath of life, and He alone saves us from spiritual corruption by cleansing us from our sins. Christ raises us from spiritual deadness. He will also raise the dead bodies of all people on the last day; and to those who died believing in Him, as well as to believing Christians who will see his return, He will give eternal life, thus saving them from eternal destruction. But those who reject Christ in this life remain spiritually dead, and at the second coming of our Lord, they will face the second death, the eternal torment in hell. All the ungodly who have died will be raised for judgement and cast into hell with their fellow unbelievers who will still be alive when the Lord returns to judge the world.  

God sent his Son into this world to ransom us from the evil ways we inherited from our forefathers. He came to fulfill the law of God on our behalf, and He died for the sins of all those who would ever believe in Him, that they might be set free from the bondage of corruption and escape eternal destruction. As Paul writes in Gal. 1:4, Christ “gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” “He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12). Therefore, “In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7). Col. 1:13-14, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love, in Whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

Christ is the greatest revelation of God’s grace and love to mankind. As the Apostle Paul writes in Gal. 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.” “God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10).

It is only through the Lord Jesus Christ that one can be restored to life and overcome the grim reality of the second death. Ps. 68:20-21 reads, “Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death. But God will strike the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.” Christ is the means by which sins are forgiven and reconciliation with God possible. He is the life and the light of men (cf. John 1:4); He came to rescue those who sit in darkness, to help them pass from death to life. 1 John 5:11-12 reads, “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

In Christ we no longer bear the guilt of sin and we no longer incur the penalties for violating God's law. This does not mean, however, that Christians have the right to sin against God. Rather, it means that what was once held against us has been atoned for. For the full penalties for the sins of all who would put their trust in Christ were paid for by Him through his death on the cross, and his righteousness was imputed to them. Being cleansed and justified before God by his precious blood, we pass from death to life. Christ graciously imputes to those who have faith in Him his own righteousness, and they are no longer guilty before God. As Paul writes in Rom. 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” But all unbelievers are held captive by spiritual death; there is no life in them. Therefore, they will end up in the fire of hell, where they will feed on the wrath of God forever, because they have rejected his Son. John 3:18 reads, “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

If you have not yet repented of your sins, I urge you to do so right now and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Do not be caught up in lies and deceptions. Hell is real, judgement is coming. Do not be fooled by those who think that man can earn access to heaven by his good works. Also, don't be seduced by those who claim that because God is love, He cannot send people to hell. It is true that God is love, but God is also holy and righteous. As a holy God, He has established a standard of absolute holiness to which all men must conform. And to escape divine condemnation, you must conform to this standard of absolute holiness. For any violation, any sin brings about judgement in time and eternity.

Furthermore, God’s holiness and perfect love justify his hatred toward sins and unrepentant sinners. Thus, God punishes anyone who refuses to abandon their evil ways. Nah. 1:1-2 reads, “The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.” V.6-8, “Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by Him. The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him. But with an overflowing flood He will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.” In Ps. 5:4-6 we read this testimony concerning God, “For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; You hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.”

Anyone who spurns the incarnate Word of God, anyone who despises the Gospel of Christ, condemns himself to eternal destruction. Christ came and fulfilled all righteousness by his perfect life, He satisfied God’s holy justice by his substitutionary death on the cross, that sinners through faith in Him might be forgiven and reconciled to God. This was ordained in eternity past by the Father (cf. 2 Tim. 1:9; Tit. 1:2; 1 Cor. 2:7). Whoever wants to escape judgement, whoever seeks life, whoever desires to overcome the grim reality of the second death, must embrace the way of righteousness designed by God, i.e., repentance and faith in his Son. For sinners are saved by the work and merit of Christ the Lord alone.

If you are an unrepentant sinner, you stand guilty before God, the King of the universe against Whom you have sinned. And the price for your sins is too high for you to afford. I urge you to humble yourself before God, seek forgiveness in the name of his Son, and He will give you life. Stop shaking your fists in the face of God, stop clinging to your good works, lest you wake up one day in hell. There is no hope for those who dishonour or deny the existence of God. Anyone who rejects God’s Son and reviles his Spirit is without excuse. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Rom. 1:18). What awaits those who reject the Son of God is the second death, an everlasting, conscious torment in the pit of hell. Christ is the only way to salvation. “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Call upon the name of the Lord today, acknowledge that you are a sinner and that you cannot save yourself. Cast yourself on the mercies of Christ. Do not hold onto your pride. Do not cherish the sinful desires and lustful passions of your flesh, lest you be held by the sting of death forever. For to live, one must die to sin and embrace Christ as Lord and Saviour. “For (as Paul writes in Rom. 8:6-8) to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

It is only in Christ that one can be justified before God and escape hell. I urge you not to despise the grace of God and his love revealed to us in his Son Jesus Christ, lest God’s curse remain on you forever. There is no forgiveness for those who trample underfoot the precious blood of God’s Son. God sent his Son to redeem sinners from all lawlessness, to save them from judgement, divine wrath and hell. Anyone who despises Him will perish. There is no escape for those who rebel against God and despise his Son, those whose god is their natural desires. Borrowing the language of Acts 13:40-41, I declare to you today, if you have not yet embraced Christ as Lord and Saviour, “Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you: ‘Behold, you despisers, marvel and perish! For I work a work in your days, a work which you will by no means believe, though one were to declare it to you.’”

https://www.faithintheoneaboveall.com/post/to-live-one-must-die

[lailoken]

‘:Formulae:’ [Pt. 2]

“Jewell'd Waters of Radiance.

A Sacred Bath For Women; being a most excellent preparation for the rites of any sylvan goddess, nymph, female spirit or deific form. The Balneum requires generous amounts of fresh flowers, hence several hours should be allotted for gathering, being ever mindful of the spirits to be honour'd.

Leaf of Raspberry, dry. 35 g.

Rose Petals, fresh. 35 g.

Cherry Blossoms, fresh. 35 g.

Blossoms of Honeysuckle, fresh. 35 g.

Orange Flower Water. 350 ml.

Rose Absolute. 13 drops.

Let a cold infusion of the fresh blossoms be made, allowing them to steep in large seal'd vessels of well or spring water. Make a hot infusion of the Berry Leaves, with sufficient boiling water to cover. Seal in a stopper'd jar and steep for 30 minutes. When the Bath is drawn, strain the Leaf infusion decoction into the water, along with the Orange flower water and Rose Absolute. Add double the amount of Salt of Lilith to the ablution, and agitate the waters. Finally, pour in the cold infusions, leaving the fresh flowers to float freely. Let the Spirit to Be Honour'd be invoked with the Wand of Quickening, and the bath-chamber lit with candles.

Aqueum Liliya.

A lustral sacrifice for ritual conveyance of the benedictions of Lilith in her fully waxed, angelic, and tutelary lunation. The bath may be modified for succubi, nymphs, or water-spirits. All flowers should be fresh-gathered in Her name.

Petals of White Roses. 200

Blossom of Jasmine. 200

Blossom of Gardenia. 100

Blossom of Lily. 3

Blossom of Angel's Trumpet. 1

Place into the Working Basin and cover with 4 litres of cold spring water. Knead the blossoms gently between the fingers for several moments while a graven image of the Lady is silently focused upon with Eye and Heart. Let stand for three hours prior to use in a quiet, sheltered place, away from the light, with a single white candle lit for the Lady before her Idol. During the rite wherein the lustration is to be employed, the Lady should be invoked with a wand of Crooked Willow or Tamarisk, and the branch employed to quicken the florid waters. The petals should be left in the waters and the lustration sprinkled upon the crowns, brows, and palms of those who would receive the Lady's goodness.

Waters of Magnetism.

An excellent bath for increasing Charisma or one's natural Charms, ideal for attracting a mate or other sexual glamours. The Balneum may also be used prior to gambling. Owing to the seasonal nature of Cherry and Quince, the Bath is best employ'd in Spring. Cherry blossoms are rarely found at the local apothecary. Thus, one must gather one's own in Spring. One may also employ blossoms of Apple, Plum, Pear, or Peach for like effect.

Cherry Blossoms, fresh or dried. 200

Blossoms of Flowering Quince, fresh. 100

Chamomile Blossoms, fresh or dried. 100

Rose Buds, fresh. 30

Steep in enough boiling water to cover. Let the infusion sit for 10 minutes. Strain into bathwater, washing the Herb material through several times. Immerse oneself for at least 30 minutes and allow the waters to air-dry on the skin after emerging.

Lustration of Mercurius.

A bath appropriate for invoking the patron of magic, and alchymic wisdom. This Bath of the Wise grants especial gifts prior to labours of the spiritual laboratory.

Lavender Blossoms. 30 g.

Essential Oil of Lavender. 8 drops

Essential Oil of Sandalwood. 8 drops

Kosher Salt. 60g.

Epsom Salt. 60 g.

Infuse Lavender Blossoms in 1.5 litres boiling water for the space of 30 minutes. Strain and add to a 300 litre bath and stir in, adding salt and oils. For best results, soak for at least 40 minutes and drip dry afterward.

Warrior's Ablution.

A stimulating brew to lend power during confrontations with enemies, the law, or for use prior to negotiations.

Leaf of Rosemary, fresh. 70 g.

Cinnamon chips. 30 g.

Bloom of Chamomile, dry. 30 g.

Flowers of Broom. 30 g.

Add Rosemary and Cinnamon to a cooking vessel with enough water Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. In a separate vessel, steep the Broom and Chamomile blossoms in 1 litre boiling water. Strain both infusion and decoction and discard Herbal material, adding the liquids to the bathwater. cover.

Earthing Bath.

For drawing stray powers back into the Corpus, centering the Mind, and subduing quarrelsome spirits.

Linden blossom, dried. 60 g.

Oak, leaves and twigs, dried and crumbl'd. 60 g.

Leaf of Wormwood. 33 g.

Infuse the Linden and Wormwood in 1.5 litre boiling water for 20 minutes. As it is steeping, simmer Oak leaves in 1 litre of water for 20 minutes. Strain both fluids into the bath tub and soak as long as is needed.

Midsummer Gold.

A Solar infusion made from traditional Herbs for washing the body and clearing and fortifying the aethyric orb.

Herb of St. Johnswort, dry. 30 g.

Herb of Vervain, dry. 30 g.

Leaf of Mugwort, dry. 25 g.

On the morning of the Summer Solstice, seal each of the Herbs in a separate steeping jar with enough water to completely fill the vessel. Allow to steep for at least four hours in the sunlight, absorbing the Solar Genius at the peak of its power. During this time of steeping, the very Fires of the Sun should be invoked and beseech'd into the Womb of the Waters of the Moon. In this conjunctio the Fruits of Our Labour arise. The exhausted plant matter is then strained out, and the resulting infusions mixed. The potentiated wash may be poured on the head while holding clear in the Imaginal Eye the Solar virtues cleansing the crown, and gradually seeping into the entirety of the aethyric orb. The wash may also be added to bathwater for extended soaking.

Floor Wash.

A general but potent Encharmed Solution for cleansing the oratory or home of Noxious Spirits or in the wake of an unpleasant event.

Leaf of Vervain, dry. 40 g.

Leaf of Sagebrush, dry. 30 g.

Leaf of Thyme. 20 g.

Root of European Mandrake. 7 g.

Steep Vervain, Sagebrush and Thyme in 1 litre boiling water, leaving to stand in an airtight jar for 7 hours before filtering. In a separate cooking vessel, add Mandrake to 400 ml. water and bring to a boil. Simmer 20 minutes. Filter and reserve liquid, burying the boil'd Root in an honourable location and with a coin and thanks. Add to Herbal infusion when it has been strained.

Purification Bath.

A relaxing bath excellent for quieting and realigning the disrupted psyche, as well as nourishing and envigorating the bastions of spiritual defence. Our Fair Decoction may be simmered longer than the 15 minutes given, up to 25. The resulting brew may be used for a cold bath as well, omitting the salts and oil.

Fir Needle. 50 g.

Atlas Cedar. 33 g.

Epsom Salt. 30 g.

Root of Valerian, chopped. 25 g.

Root of Calamus, chopped. 25 g.

Essential Oil of Sandalwood. 5 drops.

Bring 1 litre of water to a boil. Add Fir, Cedar, Calamus and Valerian. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and add to hot bath water, along with essential oil and salt. For cases of extreme disruption, double the amount of Fir, Salt, and True Oil of Sanders.

Mist of Dispersion.

For banishing rude spirits or flocculum abomini. Mix all ingredients in 4 oz. atomizer bottle and agitate before use.

Essential Oil of Palmarosa. 5 drops.

Essential Oil of Fir. 4 drops.

Essential Oil of Juniper Berry. 3 drops.

Essential Oil of Atlas Cedar. 2 drops.

Essential Oil of Birch. 1 drop.

Water. 75 ml.

Perfumer's Alcohol or 100 proof spirit. 40 ml.

Asperge Sylvaticus.

A suitable brew for asperging brethren prior to Congregational works of sorcery. The ingenium derives from a subtil congressus of the Lord and Lady of the Desert, the Lord of the Forest, and the Lady of the Garden.

Leaf of Sagebrush, crumbl'd. 33 g.

Leaf of Douglas Fir, Larch, or Hemlocks, chopp'd. 30 g.

Leaf of Scent'd Geranium. 30 g.

Leaf of Wormwood. 5

Make a strong decoction of the Fir, Hemlock or Larch with 1 litre of water in a covered cauldron, simmered for fifteen minutes. Pour the hot decoction over the remaining ingredients in a steeping vessel and let stand seal'd for half an hour. Strain and asperge with a branch of the evergreen employ'd. Tincture of Myrrh may also be added in small amounts to enhance the cleansing virtue.

Mist of Severity.

Another Compound'd Mist for the more potent workings of Exorcism or in instances of stubborn hauntings. Mix all ingredients and store in 4 oz. atomizer bottle, shaking before use.

Essential Oil of Hyssop. 5 drops.

Essential Oil of Cajeput. 4 drops.

Essential Oil of Juniper Berry. 4 drops.

Essential Oil of Black Peppercorn. 3 drops.

Water. 75 ml.

Perfumer's Alcohol or 100 proof spirit. 40 ml.

The Viridian Broom.

A potent asperge for sprinkling, using a fresh bough of Cypress.

Sprig of Douglas Fir, chopp'd. 35 g.

Herbe of Pennyroyal, whole flowering. 35 g.

Leaves of Cypress. 28 g.

Berries of Juniper, crush'd well. 25.

Place Douglas Fir, Cypress and Juniper Berries in the Wort-Cauldron with 1 litre of water, and bring to a boil. Simmer, cover'd, for 20 minutes. Remove from Heat and add the Pennyroyal. Strain when cool.

Sorcerer's Hand Wash.

For hand-anointing prior to works of the Magical Arte. Place 11 Devil's Shoestrings, along with a slice of the very best Galangal Root, a twig of True Cinnamon, a pinch of Sweet Tobacco, and a small slice of True Mandrake in a bottle of dark glass and fill with 151 Proof Rum. Stopper, storing in a dark place. Gems or minerals sympathetic to the magician may also be added as desired.

Balneum of the Wayfarer.

A blessed wash especially for the feet prior to Sojourning forth in the Greenwood, or for such as wander long in lonely places, giving invigoration and purpose to the stride. Fresh-harvest'd Rhizome of Wild Ginger (Asarum spp.) may be substituted for Ginger.

Root of Ginger, fresh, sliced. 90 g.

Leaf of Bay, fresh. 50.

Leaf of Holy Basil, fresh. 40 g.

Make strong decoctions of the Ginger and Bay in separate vessels. Pour both over the Basil into a large Hermeticus and steep for ten minutes. Pour wash without straining into a basin and soak feet for 30 minutes prior to Sojourn.”

—

Ars Philtron:

Concerning the Aqueous Cunning of the Potion and its Praxis in the Green Arte Magical

by Daniel A. Schulke

[mx-metronome]

Sky Theory: The Light and The Darkness

A post about my thoughts on light, darkness, how they react to one another, and (possibly) what it all implies regarding the Eye of Eden. (Spoilers ahead!)

I wrote a post about the civilization we see rise and fall, but today we're going to delve a little deeper into how the story might really be going, from the conflict to the climax to a possible resolution.

To quote the game's story (from the updated Isle of Dawn):

"With the stars united, our light was infinite...and together, we lived in harmony."

It is well established that light is a valuable resource that the spirits relied on, and way back at the beginning, it was also a renewable one: Winged Light fell from the sky continuously, a symbol of innocence and purity as a gift from the Megabird. Because it was infinite, the spirits all flourished, and there was no squabbling over a scarcity.

"As spirits, we soon became many...creating our home here in the clouds."

Here is where the civilization really starts to grow, specifically in the Daylight Prairie stage. The spirits' needs are all met every day of every year. But somewhere down the line, their basic need wasn't enough for them anymore. As they grew in number, so too did they grow in curiosity and want.

"But darkness came and the stars fell...

This sentence here sums up the remainder of our story, although what take place over the course of this sentence is an entire age. Here's how I feel it goes down:

The darkness coming literally refers to darkstone being discovered, and how its potential in advancing the people tempts them away from the comfort of their infinite light. The spirits did not have the light ripped away from them: they chose the darkness over light and turned away willingly, severing themselves from the stars. The Winged Light stop falling and become a precious commodity.

So they toy with this newly discovered darkstone and find that it reacts to light: as light is applied to any kind of darkness, it gives off energy, a rudimentary sort of power generation. There are several pieces of evidence to confirm this:

Darkstone technology only activates when you apply your light to it.

In fact, whenever you activate a darkstone door in the Hidden Forest, you recharge a little bit of cape energy, suggesting excess energy is produced in the reaction.

Darkness plants, when exposed to light, are used up in the process (as they are less dense than darkstone), but they release candle wax in the reaction, a concentrated form of energy.

However, as mentioned above, you need light for the darkness to be of any use to advancements, and now that supply is finite. The spirits must now find alternate sources of light, and the only source available to them at this time is the creatures of light.

The prairie begins transporting butterflies en masse to the forest to be broken down, and their light is channeled through their dark machinations to keep things running. As the butterflies become scarce, they look to mantas instead, and so on.

The civilization continues to grow and with it their demand for light, but the supply continues to dwindle. The scarcity of light is now threatening the people, and an ultimatum must be reached. They need a reliable, renewable source of power, one that can run almost indefinitely, so the King has one built, for the future of his people and their way of life. That's right: the Eye of Eden was never a weapon, but a near-infinite energy source, like a nuclear plant.

The finest engineers gather at the capital city and splice together mass quantities of darkstone into one megalith, only requiring enough light to kickstart a chain reaction. The reaction would cause a feedback loop: the energy emitted by the light-dark reaction would be enough light to perpetuate the reaction for an extended period of time, and any excess energy can be harvested or siphoned off and used to power the grid.

The people have spread far and wide and into different factions, each jealously guarding what little light they have left, knowing the King has intent to seize it. Skirmishes turn into battles turn into a full scale war. The desperation of each front has them all take the glorious darkness and turn it into weapons, and in this production of arms the people are failing to realize the true long-term side effects of utilizing darkness: pollution.

The weapons are produced as close to the front lines as the people could safely manage, hence the heavy pollution in the Golden Wasteland, just outside the capital. The water becomes thick and near impossible to sail through; the light from the light creatures begins to react to the darkness in the air and water, hence the presence of krill and dark crabs twisted by the corrupting dusts. The people try to infiltrate the capital city to seize the light that the King was hoarding. Perhaps some of the elders were even privvied to the King's plan and were working to defend him to save their own factions of people. Perhaps some of the elders even fought each other over differing ideals regarding the new generator.

As a last-ditch effort, the King moves the generator to as close to the sky as he can in a futile attempt to harness the holy light of the stars they had turned away from ages before. He hopes that the reaction will reach high enough to begin drawing in star power, slowly draining the heavens to keep his people alive.

He gathers any light left in the capital city and sends it through the machine, and the reaction kicks off in an instant. The power is greater than the engineers had calculated, and it is too great for them to harness; the wave of energy is massive enough to wipe out most of the denizens in the city within the first few seconds. The displacement of energy creates fierce winds and kicks up poisonous dust clouds, even scooping up entire bricks and boulders and flinging them through the air.

The mighty capital begins to crumble under the weight of this blazing light, and the flinging rocks tear down surrounding cities, picking up more debris as it grinds away at buildings. The dark dusts scatter across the land, settling over what few survivors remain, reacting to their inner Light and encasing them in stone, leaving them with no light left to return to Orbit whence they came.

The people had fallen to the darkness and its powerful properties, using up all their precious light to maintain their mortal existence. Now there is no light left and no way home. All that is left of their existence is husks of darkness, broken bones of old cities, and a radioactive storm with an unholy hybrid of light and darkness at it center that will run its course for thousands of years more.

"...and with their light we faded away."

...But not without one last plea.

"A long time has passed. Now we call to you."

In their last few moments, some groups of people, those who still had faith that they'd rejoin the stars, began to pray. They stated prophecies, chanted incantations into the sky, erected shrines with candles, hoping that their selfless offerings of light would grant them grace. That somehow Megabird would hear their cries and send them a chance at redemption, a chance at attaining Her inner Light once again.

And so the Megabird sent down the Winged Light again, hoping it would be enough to begin healing the land. But She did not quite understand the inner workings of this darkness, for it was beyond Her: this Light was fragile, and couldn't stand up against the darkness that swallowed the sky. She needed a vessel able to carry this Light safely into the heart of darkness where Her people slumbered.

So She learned of the darkness and how it cancelled out Light, and in response, she created the first sky kids.

"Go forth, child. Return our spirits to the stars."

Sky kids are different from spirits in many ways. Firstly, spirits are also creatures of light in that they originate from Orbit. It was their go-to source of energy and sustenance. But that connection between the spirits and all the light they'd ever need was so easily broken by the want that darkness produced, and their sensitivity to this darkness made them fall prey easily when it fell out of control.

By contrast, sky kids were created as instruments of the Megabird, shells carrying Her fragile Light within. They are not beings of pure light, but that's the point: they were designed to withstand darkness, and granting them a corporeal form provides more protection for Her Light from darkness than otherwise.

So the first sky kids go and deliver their inner Light to what fallen spirits they can find. The elders see the coming of the sky kids as Megabird's answer to their pleas, as Her Light is within them, and as the sky kids present their Light to the elders, they are able to reconnect with the stars and send up the spirits freed from darkness. So begins the pilgrimage back to Orbit, spearheaded by an army of children.

The first sky kids free some of the spirits and then head to the capital where light and darkness collide, the point nearest the stars. Megabird's intent was for the collected Winged Light in the hands of the sky kids to be enough pure Light to dispel the storm, but the darkness is too great, and as the Light was torn from them, they had no Light left to keep away the darkness, and they fell at the summit with no way of returning to Her.

So She sent more sky kids, thinking greater numbers would aid Her will. But two things began to happen, things She did not foresee: the sky kids, blank slates with no discernable emotions or features, learned from the spirits they saved: they learned how to wave hello, they learned how to laugh, how to cry, how to cheer, and so on. They even began taking on some of the fashions from the spirits! They presented individuality, suggesting that Megabird's Light was more than just pure Light: it was also a soul in its own right, much like the spirits that came before.

The second thing that happened was at the summit of the Eye of Eden, as it came to be called: when the sky kids realized their Winged Light wouldn't survive the Storm, they passed it on to fallen sky kids instead so that they may ascend back to Orbit and rejoin Megabird, at the cost of their own ascension. This soul of Light each sky kid carried not only established a personality, but also compassion, as Her Light was always meant to do. Sky kids were drawn to one another, and they started to work like teams and help one another out. They gave each other offerings of light as symbols of friendship and acceptance, not unlike the spirits' desperate offerings of light and candles to Megabird.

The Eye of Eden is the purest, most powerful light colliding with the purest, most potent darkness, which makes it an ideal euphemism for death: suffering and then release. It is the door to Orbit, but their possessions - their Winged Light - will be left behind. They only carry their deeds in their darkest time, which they are rewarded for after the fact.

When they came to Orbit at last, Megabird lauded them for their sacrifice and kindness, and invited them to remain with Her. But many of them expressed distress and dismay for all the sky kids still down in the clouds that needed help, and all the friends that they would miss. So She sent them back with two boons: additional Light granted by the spirits they helped ascend, and the knowledge needed to guide other sky kids back to Her.

Even if not everyone would rejoin Her in the Light, it brought Her comfort that Her Light was spread across an aching kingdom, sharing hope and peace to those who couldn't be near to Her.

[madame-mimsy]

Theory Behind the Reward Tier Levels in Janus’ Corridor.

Has someone done this, already? Probably. But nothing says mental exhaustion like procrastinating on schoolwork by over analyzing the levels of tiers in Janus’ Corridor of Stored Rewards.

So with the release of the amazing art by James von Hollen (@ignoreitforever on Instagram) of each of the tiers (and the honestly delightfully terrifying images of Janus ripping through a wall like the Shining), I’ve had some thoughts on what the levels mean in relation to them because I am a Fander and we cannot leave well enough alone gdi.

See, at first I liked the idea going around that Janus was just giving tiers based on people he liked, as he’s stated that he prefers Remus over the others in livestreams. But the thing is, he obviously does NOT like Virgil, so that doesn’t quite fit to me. And the idea that it’s just giving preferential treatment to the Dark Sides made sense to me, until the new images came out and we had padlocks galore.

Instead, my theory is that each tier is based on how deep into the secrets he’s promised in his Corridor you go. The further along the more he WANTS to keep them secret, and thus the more money it takes, meta-wise, to pry those secrets loose, and why there is no Janus level tier. There’s no way he’d want to reveal everything he knows, no matter the amount. He (Janus) even got downright angry when people tried bugging him for spoilers in streams.

So instead he has the tiers listed by how willing he is to make that Side “public” or not. (Longwinded theory under the cut)

So first we have the Logan tier: the Federal Education Budget 

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From the Snake’s Own Mouth:

“Ohhh, so you decided to share with us? Then, I suppose I can share with you.”

Honestly, this startled me because of the fact that it looks so arcane and mystical, which doesn’t match how I imagine Logan at all. My friend @onnastik​ pointed out that the creature on the right, surrounded by sigils, is the demon Baur, who among other things is said to “teach natural and moral philosophy, (and) logic...” which fits the bill pretty perfectly. 

Speaking of a bill, the name for the tier fits Logan perfectly, too, to me. The Federal Education Budget is not only the budget used in the American system to make sure kids have free education until the highschool level, but is also part of the college loan system. It signifies public education, and that’s why I feel that Logan is the lowest, and thus most accessible, tier. Janus considers him bland, safe for public consumption, and maybe even wants to put up a front of logical intelligence first and foremost, to make even the broadest view of Thomas seem as intelligent as possible. 

And look at how much the basic tier gives! That’s a huge amount for just the lowest tier, and gives you plenty to enjoy. That fits the ideal of something like a broad education system, and gives a very open feel. Logan’s tier is literally an “Open Book” of all sorts of delights.

And with that horrible pun, we move to Patton’s tier:  The Monthly Allowance.

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From the Snake’s Own Mouth:

“That not enough for you? Fine. I'll give you everything from that last tier, PLUS...”

For all that it is creepy as heck, the fact that Patton’s tier is also a pun is perfect. The candles heat must surely make this... heartwarming. And the addition of blooper reels in the rewards, and the commentary, feel more personal than Logan’s open tier. Which is why I don’t think Patton was the first tier.

Patton wears his heart on his sleeve too much for Janus’ tastes, I bet. All of those emotions just out there where anyone could see? Those bloopers that showcase how imperfect Thomas and the crew are? Yikes. That is definitely something a certain snek wouldn’t want to be the most public option, though, at the same time, Patton’s gentle qualities and general love of the fandom also mean he’s a good symbol to push closer to the front of the Corridor, and doesn’t need to be as hidden as some of the others.

Also the fact that Patton’s tier has a sticker as a reward is absolutely perfect and you can’t tell me otherwise. Can’t you just imagine him going “Thank you so much, kiddo! Let’s watch some bloopers and play with sticker books! I’ll get the cocoa”? He’s the good goofy dad and stickers are fun. Bloopers and being silly are fun. It’s perfect for the sweet lad.

Then we have the illustrious Roman’s tier: A Prince’s Ransom.

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From the Snake’s Own Mouth:

“You want more? Really?? … You can only half tell, but I’m blushing over the fact that we’re worth this much to you. How about, everything in that last tier AND...”

Hooo boi there’s suddenly a lot more to unpack here. This is in no way an insult to the lovely Crew as a whole, but doesn’t it feel like this tier has more bribery going on than the last two? More self-centered reasons to join? It’s not just your name in the credits like Patton offered: it’s your name as a writer. That T-shirt (which I 100% leaped at when I saw this because holy heck it’s so pretty), and of course the mysterious Writer’s Room.

This tier feels very creative as well: look at all the stuff about influencing the show, the art of the shirt, etc. This is all about being showy and creative like our wonderful prince. But it’s not the first tier, even though Thomas is very much a creator. Why? Why is the tier for the showiest, flashiest Side just randomly tucked in the middle, not even the highest for show?

Because Janus doesn’t want Roman to be the first thing everyone sees. Our sweet boy is definitely eye-catching, but he can also be vain to the point of pompous, even annoying. And his fragile ego isn’t something that Janus likely wants to show off. Janus’ statement about “blushing” and “being worth that much to you” even feels like it matches that pride and ego. 

And that fragility is in the crown’s design, too. At first glance it seems fine. Very fantastic, with Roman’s sun symbol in lovely display. But a longer look reveals cracks, broken sections and fissures. And a slight, odd green shine, too. Hmm.

No, Roman couldn’t be made the first tier because of his pride, but his is also the last tier to not have any outright locks on it...

The Strange Dark Son’s tier: OK, Now You’re Making Me Feel Guilty...

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From the Snake’s Own Mouth:

“PLEASE, don’t give us any more money! I don’t know what we could possibly do with it! But alright… since I like you, you can have everything in the last tier, and I'LL THROW IN...”

“Now you’re making me feel guilty” is absolutely what I would expect Virgil to think about someone giving him money because they enjoyed Thomas’ content. He’d freak out, and want to make sure to do something equally nice in return, to say thank you. Hence the thank-you video. 

NGL I can also imagine him panicking and rushing around his room to pick up a random mug and just thrust it out at the gifter in return too, before hiding away in an anxious mess, but anyway. xD

The artwork for this seems to very much be in homage to the Annabelle Doll: a supposedly haunted ragdoll, kept locked in a case at an occult museum.

Something interesting about this doll’s story, though...

Wiki: “According to the Warrens, a student nurse was given the doll in 1970. They said that the doll behaved strangely, and that a psychic medium told the student that the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a deceased girl named "Annabelle". The student and her roommate tried to accept and nurture the spirit-possessed doll, but the doll reportedly exhibited malicious and frightening behavior.”

Huh. Who else do we know that when confronted with too much coddling responds by lashing out?

And this is the first tier with a lock. The glass is chipped (from inside or out?) but the lock is holding. The doll is inert and doesn’t seem likely to do anything unless disturbed, if it matches the original story. Which seems to fit Virgil relatively well. Sure, he’ll make you anxious (maybe those cracks are where the influence leeches free), but doesn’t seem intent on outright harm. Also the cracks and the creepy living doll cabinet as a whole made me think of spider webs and our boi’s Halloween decor, so I thought that was excellent, honestly.

This tier is hidden behind Roman’s shining pomp. It’s outright locked away, as if to keep it from seeing the light of day. The Dark Side tiers both seem this way: hidden from prying eyes by the splendor of the first few tiers.

And the most hidden one of all... Gross Profit.

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From the Snake’s Own Mouth:

“Oh you bougie rascal, you! Your generosity is seen and I truly thank you for it… but a few kind words from me aren't enough, I'm sure... so how about, you get everything from the last tier ALONG WITH...”

Firstly we have exclusive tier level gifts that Janus won’t even reveal. Meta-wise, this is likely more because the team has to decide what those gifts ARE, and how to safely ship them, but the way it sounds in the description not only feels super secretive, but also very much like Remus to me, as well. I’m pretty sure any and all gifts from him are a surprise in some way. Whether that is pleasant is debatable, but it’s still a surprise!

The highest tier also looks to have the highest security. Look at that sturdy, metal bound chest and huge padlock. Not only that but it also has chains wrapped around it to hold it shut, and even then, the contents are actively seeking to escape, like our delightful trashman would. Even the shuggoth-like appearance matches his presence as a shifting, terrifying and likely quite gloopy entity, capable of squeezing even where he’s not wanted.  Even the green fabric below looks stained with mud or blood or something equally as upsetting. The image does a great job of showing how hard it is to contain Intrusive Thoughts, as a whole, and is likely a main reason Janus drinks so much “juice” on his birthdays. 

Unlike the last image, this one is outright trying to break containment, and oddly, it almost seems like someone left a golden key in easy reach for just that purpose... A key which also looks rather oddly shaped, to me.

It’s hard to tell from the angle, but it doesn’t look like the eye is a simple circle, but that it has a point, like a heart almost. Or even the ornate letter D from the Corridor logo?

I can’t be sure of that, but what I can definitely be sure of is the sheer amount of lock, key, and chain symbolism our Snekky Fren has to his name.

While Janus has no tier, the entire SITE has his symbol, like a brand. 

Every post, the icon, the about page, it’s there. And the snake isn’t trapped by the lock, but guarding it. It looks to have a green highlight around where a chip is (hmm), but other than that, it looks quite solid, and well-guarded by watchful creatures that never blink.

The shape of the lock looks like it could be heart-shaped as well, like that golden key allowing the Remus tentacles to wriggle free.

They also do a heckin blep and honestly what could possibly be better? 

So yeah, that’s my way overly long ramble about the tier levels and what I think they mean. Maybe if I’m not too lazy I’ll do one on the pictures of Janus playing peekaboo with my nightmares on the about page. 

God but this art is amazing and y’all need to go preesh the artist holy heck. 

[yhwhrulz]

Charles Spurgeon's "Morning & Evening" Devotional: October 9th

Morning

“Your sorrow shall be turned into joy.”

John 16:16-33

Our Lord continued to cheer and warn the little band around him, telling them of the sorrows they might expect, and of the consolations which would be given them.

John 16:16

Because the Holy Spirit would enlighten them, they would see him in the truest sense, and would be prepared in a little while to see him for ever in glory.

John 16:20

When the Lord was gone they were full of grief, but as soon as his great representative, the Comforter, had come to them, they were filled with holy joy, triumphing greatly because the Lord had ascended and had bestowed gifts upon men.

John 16:21 , John 16:22

No longer do the saints sorrow over the departure of their Lord, for they see the joyful result of his death, resurrection, and ascension, and are filled with a sacred delight which cannot be damped by persecution.

John 16:23

They would be so well instructed that they would put no more childish questions to him, being led by the Spirit into the mysteries of the kingdom.

John 16:23

Blessed assurance, sealed with a double Verily! Who will dare to doubt the efficacy of prayer?

John 16:24

They had not yet learned the power of the name of Jesus, but when taught of the Spirit they would plead the name of Jesus with great prevalence.

John 16:25-31

He reminded them by this question that their faith was not so strong as they imagined. When we are not under immediate trial we fancy our faith to be far greater than it really is.

John 16:33

We have found our Lord’s words to be true, for tribulation has been our portion; let us be confident that the rest of his words are true also.

O love of God, our shield and stay,

Through all the perils of our way;

Eternal love, in thee we rest,

For ever safe, for ever blest!

Evening

“I have glorified thee on the earth.”

John 17:1-12

We have listened to our Lord’s farewell sermon, let us now attend to his farewell prayer. Melancthon says of it, “There is no voice which has ever been heard either in heaven or on earth, more exalted, more holy, more fruitful, more sublime than this prayer offered by the Son of God himself” Beyond all other forms of supplication it deserves to be known as “the Lord’s Prayer.” Our time will only permit us to read one half of it on this occasion, but we will meditate upon the remainder when next we gather at the family altar.

John 17:1

Our Lord, with holy calmness, looked into the face of the Father, and John, who seldom records the gestures of his beloved Lord, saw the upward glancing of his eye, and never forgot that impressive look. As Jesus looked up he prayed

John 17:1

This the Father knew, but Jesus loved to have fellowship with his Father in that knowledge. Prayer is not only the asking for favours, it is the intercourse of the soul with God, the drawing near of the heart to the Lord. Our Lord went on to cry

John 17:2

All men are in the hands of the Mediator here is the universality of his redemption; he will, however, save only his own people here is the speciality of it.

John 17:3

Do we know by experience what this eternal life is? Do we know the only true God and Jesus Christ the sent one? Let conscience answer. It is worthy of note that this is the only place in which our Lord applies to himself the compound name of Jesus Christ the Anointed Saviour.

John 17:9

The special blessings sought for by our Lord would not be prized by the ungodly world even could they obtain them, hence our Lord does Hot ask his Father to give such boons to any but his own disciples. He specially pleads that his beloved ones may be kept from the evil of the world, a prayer which evidently could not be offered for those who are themselves the cause of the evil and are living in it.

John 17:11

This is, as it were, a prayer from within the veil. The Saviour pleads as if he were already entered into the heavens.

John 17:12

The Redeemer’s petition is, that his people may be kept from sin. How carefully ought we to behave ourselves lest we go astray into that which would grieve his heart. If he pleaded with God that we might be kept from sin, God forbid that we should take pleasure in it.

There is a Shepherd kind and strong,

Still watchful for his sheep;

Nor shall the infernal lion rend

Whom he vouchsafes to keep.

Blest Jesus, intercede for us,

That we may fall no more;

Oh, raise us, when we prostrate lie,

And comfort lost restore.

Thy sacred energy impart,

That faith may never fail:

But under showers of fiery darts,

That temper���d shield prevail.

Copyright Statement This resource was produced before 1923 and therefore is considered in the "Public Domain".

[umbralstars]

Sothis, the Church of Seiros and Byleth: A Pagan Reading

Due to L!Byleth and the minor hyperfixation he caused I decided to make a whole discussion on how I personally view Sothis, the Church of Seiros as a whole, and examine Byleth's role in the story.

So just some ground rules before I begin:

This is just how I personally viewed the story as I played it, and my own perspective on the plot and meaning behind certain things. I am open to discussion in the comments and reblogs, and if you disagree with my opinion that's perfectly fine. Also so much of this is going to read like headcanons/assumptions loosely supported by canon's thin red strings and I am ok with that.

If any in-game quotes are used they will mostly come from the Church Library since it's easy to check but I'll paraphrase important scenes that I can remember.

Also after compiling a timeline of events best I can understand it I have made a few assumptions: worship of Sothis existed before the Church of Seiros (perhaps even going as far back as pre-Calamity times) and thus Church doctrine and beliefs is largely based upon previously established beliefs about the Goddess. This doesn't have too much to do with the analysis itself, but I just wanted to say it as I quote The Book of Seiros parts a few times and the writings in those books I hold to have a basis in that pre-Church faith.

With those in place, allow me to begin.

The Sothis/Church of Seiros Meta:

While there have been many metas comparing Sothis and the Church to medieval Christianity, I have always looked at them both through a distinctly non-Christian, Pagan lense. 

I myself am a syncretic polytheist who has a complicated history with Southern Baptists. These two core aspects of my spiritual life does color my perceptions of the religion presented in this game and I am fully aware of that. Three Houses came at a time in my life where I was finally seperating myself from my latent Christianity, and exercising my Pagan goggles on this was a major step I took towards that. My intention here isn't to say that Christian coding doesn't exist, but to simply give my ideas and perspective on the religion presented in this game.

First, allow me to give the define the Gods through the lense of a Pagan as it's important to the framing of my ideas:

"The Gods are real, sentient, disembodied minds with awesome greatness and powers beyond what we humans can currently explain with science."

This is the simplest, shortest definition of the Gods I can give and Sothis, beyond a shadow of a doubt, hits all of the criteria as she is presented in the game. The Pagan conception of the Gods does not require any pretense of tri-omnism, and I believe it's best to look at Sothis, and many other FE Gods, through this lense. Sothis, when she was alive and even when she is "dead," is capable of amazing feats such as creating life, turning back time in a limited capacity, and restoring entire continents to life after calamity. While she is not tri-omni, she does not need to be so to be a Goddess and one worthy of worship and reverence.  

Church doctrine itself also exhibits other fundamental aspects of Pagan practice and belief that are important to me and many others: animism and the reciprocity cycle. As stated by The Book of Seiros, Part 1,

"The Revelation.The Goddess is all things. She is heaven above and the land below. She is eternity incarnate. She is the present, the past, and the future. Her eyes see all. Her ears hear all. Her hands receive all."

Obvious allusions to omnipresence aside, another reading of this passage is a far more esoteric, and hard to put into words, aspect of Pagan belief about the Gods. In a sense , the Gods are not limited by the physical constraints of the world and their bodies are inherently an aspect of the very universe itself. They are not omnipresent at all times, but they can be wherever they wish to be especially wherever their presence and power is strongest. That is actually the purpose of idols, alters, and temples. The Gods are not idols or are bound by them, those things are simply repositories to allow us humans to connect with and worship them. 

The natural world as well can be the "body" of a God. Places where their spirits decide to dwell. Natural phenomenon one can feel their presence in. They are not limited to these places, but upkeep of them is necessary to maintain their power and spirit. In this way that passage can be read as Fodlan and the Blue Sea Star being the places where Sothis' spirit chooses to reside along with her actual remains needing to be maintained to keep her spirit maintained. Her sacred body likely extends across all of Fodlan and her spirit resides most strongly as the Blue Sea Star.

Gods in FE also, more often than not, have a physical body that is important for their connection to the physical world. FE Gods are not incapable of interacting with or watching over the physical world from the spiritual, but have much more free reign when their physical body is alive. The places where their bodies are buried are where their power is most heavily felt, and their spirits the strongest, as evidenced by the Mila Tree and the Good Ending of Future Past in Awakening. This what I believe the true purpose of the Sealed Forest to be. Given how protective Rhea is of the place, the strange alter and Crest of Flames that is just there, and that being where Byleth awakens and Sothis remembers, either parts or the entire rest of Sothis' physical body must be buried there and not actually in the Holy Tomb.

As an aside, the remains of the Nabateans can also be seen through this lense but to a lesser degree. It's obvious that parts of their souls and power remain with their bodies, and thus, maintaining the Relics, Crestsones, and the other Nabatean remains not fashioned into weapons would be of utmost importance to Rhea. Because, if they were to be lost or damaged her kin's spirits may forever be lost to the physical world. 

Fodlan being the sacred body of Sothis is also why I believe the Church of Seiros to be an ethnic religion and a henotheistic one to the people of Fodlan. The Goddess is only ever credited in the creation story and a lot of other Church doctrines as having created and choosing Fodlan as her sacred ground. The people of Fodlan likewise are seen as her sacred people. Nothing in Church doctrine says that Sothis is the only God to exist and I truly cannot remember a single instance where anyone says other religions outside the Church are false ones. Hence why I say Fodlanders are henotheistic, where they do not deny the existence of other Gods, but Sothis is the most important and only one worshipped by them. To the people of Fodlan as long as foreigners do not deny her existence and those of Fodlandic descent worship her as they should there is no cause for an uproar.

This is not to say other religions can be practiced freely on Sothis' sacred ground, as evidenced by the women in Abyss who says she worships there "because Abyss is where it is allowed." Along with Atheism among Fodlanders to be a taboo in their societies. Whilst I don't see the Church to be a beacon of religious tolerance (or that Fodlanders don't believe their religion to be the best), I also do not believe them to be proselytizers to places outside of Fodlan. 

The reciprocity cycle also has a place within Church doctrine. The Book of Seiros, Part V describes the various commandments Sothis gave to her people and how if they abide by them the Goddess pays the people back with blessings and gifts. Textbook reciprocity is doing something for the Gods, such as sacrifice or ritual, and gaining something back in return or the Gods do something for you and you give back to them in turn. Reciprocity can be as simple as giving thanks for the blessings the Gods give or complex as full ritual, sacrifice, and or prayer to gain a blessing/aid or give thanks for one. The best case of reciprocity I see in game is the restoration quest for the Saint Statues. Whilst the Saints are complicated in how I believe their divinity is handled there is no doubt the player receives blessings from them for restoring their icons. 

(While I would like to devote an entire section to them and the Nabateans in general like 80 - 90% of my ideas are headcanon that I'm still not sure of. I don't think the Nabateans are Gods like Sothis is however immortal or long-lived they may be. I also still don't know whether the Saints would be worshiped or venerated in the Church, as I still don't understand the distinction of those two things myself, so I don't want to make a judgement call).

What about Byleth?

Byleth...is tricky. Now, I must preface, that all of this is my opinion. Some of it may not be supported by the game, but this is how I personally write him and his status regarding everything we see in game.

Byleth is, for all intents and purposes, the 13th potential vessel for Sothis to return to the world as they were given Sothis' Creststone on the request of Sitri. Here's the thing. I personally do not believe that Sothis is truly dead or that Byleth manifested her consciousness on happenstance.  It has been my personal belief ever since playing the game for the first time that Sothis' spirit does indeed reside in the heavens and that the piece of Sothis that resides in Byleth until his awakening is only a fragment. Along with that I believe that Sothis' consciousness and power manifested in Byleth specifically because Sothis wished for it to be so.

My ideas are centered around a few aspects of the game that have always stood out to me as rather strange if kept in line with the larger context.

Why after all this time and Rhea's many attempts did Sothis manifest in a stillborn child?

How was Sothis able to speak to Byleth and wake him after his 5 year coma?

Why does Byleth loose the Goddess' power at the end of Crimson Flower?

How was Sothis able to speak to Byleth if you choose to S-Support her?

How exactly was Byleth able to dream about something that happened long after Sothis' death even if he can access her memories?

These sticking points have always struck as odd given everything that Sothis says before Byleth's awakening. Sothis should not be able to speak to Byleth at all, but still does so only a few chapters later and comments on the war that Byleth was only privy to the very beginning of.

Hence my belief that Sothis' spirit as the Goddess of Fodlan does reside in the heavens, watching over the continent, and only able to interact with it and its people in subtle ways. Some of her spirit and power laid within her Creststone as it passed from vessel to vessel. One way or another, she was able to foresee the coming war that would change Fodlan fundamentally forever and chose to manifest that piece of her consciousness when the opportunity presented itself. It's why Byleth can dream of a battle that happened long after Sothis' death because he's remembering something experienced by the Creststone and knowledge given by the Goddess soul who resides in heaven.

I also believe that Byleth and Sothis as we saw them during the game was a mistake in some way. Byleth as his own entity was likely not supposed to be and the piece of Sothis' soul that was supposed to manifest wasn't supposed to be amnesiatic or at the very least not separate from Byleth. There were a few times pre-time skip where Sothis would be talking and Byleth's model would be moving and his facial expression changing. Almost like their thoughts were so intertwined that they were practically the same even before the awakening. It's very likely to me that Byleth's memory issues, lack of ability to properly express emotions, and other aspects of their character to be directly connected to the fact that Sothis' soul manifested incorrectly.

The Sothis he hears before waking from his coma and the one he speaks to during his S support is likely the full spirit of the Goddess communicating with him through great effort and only able to because he's her avatar. She knows of the pain Fodlan is experiencing because she can see it and feel it even as Byleth slumbers. Same thing for why Byleth would lose her power and soul piece on Crimson Flower, as Sothis may have interpreted siding with Edelgard as a rejection of being her avatar and simply deciding to be human instead (I don't wish to speak too long on a route I don't particularly like, but I felt that strange ending should be addressed).

My experience as someone who follows a Kemetic path leads me to not see Sothis' soul being split in this way as strange. In this particular religion, as I understand it, the soul is encompassed as multiple different parts all combining to make a singular being. Both Gods and humans have multiple parts to their souls, so one residing in the Creststone, later manifesting in Byleth, and another part residing in the heavens is plausible to me. Also if I wanted to compare Byleth to another FE character, his situation reminds me most of Nagi from FE 11 & 12 who is an amnesiac and likely an incarnation of Naga to aid Marth on his quest. Nagi doesn't get much characterization in those games, but it does show that incarnations/avatar of Gods, who aren't the confusing mess of Robin and Grima for instance, isn't a new concept in series for Byleth.

In terms of what happens after Byleth awakens I do believe that Byleth himself becomes a God or at the very least a demi-god in his own right. As it was Byleth absorbing the piece of Sothis' soul into his own, the Goddess' power was inherited by him alone. The inner turmoil caused by two souls sharing one body finally ceased and Byleth was fundamentally changed becoming, well, an Enlightened One. As the game doesn't really explore Sothis and Byleth much post-Time Skip, due to the war taking precedence and Byleth's unfortunate existence as a silent protag, how exactly he changes is up to personal interpretation. I personally believe he gained not only Sothis' power but some of Sothis' memories and insight that the Creststone soul piece had. He also gained greater control and range of emotional expression and probably took on some of the characteristics Sothis had. 

Byleth is both an avatar of the Goddess and his own person at the same time. He is and is not Sothis.

[writer59january13]

Gloriously luxuriating in eternal sleep

Forlorn; bereft of golden (slippered) opportunities I weep; Three score and four years replete with mailer daemons, hence mindset adrip with self denouncing expletive filled bleep unwritten expressed recriminations wielded upon figurative head of wimpy blip; decades elapsed at light speed clip as the world turned days of mein kampf exhibited slow psychologically torturous analogous intravenous slow drip during emerging adulthood approximately half life of mine, when yours truly painstakingly besotted with unrequited love accursed extreme introvertedness severely hobbled coping ability gifted at birth with congenital weakness mama's boy lacked ways and means integrating himself among peers,

no supportive services to equip shy lonely lad devoid of fellowship palmar hyperhidrosis affected slippery grip in tandem with being diminutive aiming to experience childhood's end forever son of a gun flailed with dating later in life compromising, forsaking, and issuing counter productively undermining potential heterosexual relationships invariably shooting from the hip. Eight different prescription medications allow umpteen combinations to yield against bombardment that fate doth wield delivered, signed and sealed courtesy the grim reaper able, eager, ready and willing to maneuver across pitted minefield accessing exiled soul whisking same to idyllic place named Edenfield. Oftimes methinks how cessation to breathe spirit buoyed aloft, where garlands wreath to escape hell on Earth, where neurosis and psychosis seethe within mine sixty plus shades of gray matter symbiotically flourishing at expense of sanity case in point being: anxiety/ panic attacks obsessive compulsive behavior,

schizoid personality disorder,

long in the tooth fellow

his sustenance similar to pablum constituting imperial diet of worms of the Holy Roman Empire - called by Emperor Charles V fit for grown baby,

especially when removing dentures

cuz he must resort to eat soft foods

unless by some miracle I teethe for the second time. Homegrown destructive force muscles, tussles, wrestles,

et cetera within me likened to (but separate from) Intifada, (thus no insinuation this wordsmith linkedin to any militant group) grips mine soul asylum,

a recalcitrant doppelganger within windmills of my mind doth insidiously, poisonously,

and unpleasantly drum

palpably affecting writer of these words to feel glum. No respite whether I repose in deep slumber or lightly awake inescapable melancholic woes

haunts these lonely bones,

whereby system of the down houses reticent persona constituent feature characterized courtesy anhedonia

linkedin with passive suicidal ideation

accentuated when severe crisis erupt analogous to smoldering volcano. Fortunate for me the missus keenly aware plus (despite every now and again contention between us),

she makes crystal clear communicating her displeasure mixed with genuine fear bantering deadpanning facetiously gallows humor I half heartedly asseverate gibberish spouting jargoneer gravely alarms wife helpless to orienteer

conversation away from my demise, thus figuratively switch horses

in mid stream and jockey

to calm her down and lightening verbal exchange by undressing from the waist down revealing laughing stock of skinny legs (easily mistaken for spindleshanks) poking thru underwear charging on imaginary steed

feigning being loco despite NOT smoking weed,

energetic cavorting courtesy

nursing high test coffee, nevertheless ineffective battling fatigue despite flitting to and fro, hither and yon bumbling along (skeletal) joints of mine smoking hot suddenly after sipping strong brew,

I temporarily shuck off lethargy

long enough break to out dancing while simultaneously overtaken

to sing a song of sixpence while wings flutter at the speed of sound buzzfeed appetite for consumption Ecclesiastical History of the English People, one of our best-written sources for early English history authored by Venerable Bede.