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cavegirlpoems · 8 months ago

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The Beast & The Church in 'Black Death Rising'

I'm writing a religious horror rpg, in which the End Of Days is in full swing in 15th century Europe. I figured it'd be worth it to talk about that game's religious perspective.

So I'm going to do something inadvisable, and talk about religion from a christian perspective. (religious/setting design ramblings under the cut)

Some context. I'm a quaker; for those less invested in minor christian dissenter sects, I'll give a brief summary. Quakers are a sect going back to the 17th century, with a strong focus on egaletarianism and individual conscience. No clergy or heirarchy, no formalised doctrines, and - historically and currently - a lot of focus on social justice issues. Honesty, equality, pacifism and simplicity as core value. So that's the overview.

This is, you will note, a stark contrast to a lot of what Christianity is currently, and has historically been. Which is to say, quite often on the side of the wealthy, the societally entrenched, and the oppressive.

I am also, as it happens, very openly and obviously queer. As you can imagine, this makes me really quite uncomfortable in a lot of 'christian spaces'.

So. Let's turn our attention to the Book of Revelations, as the various ideas in there are a lot of the game's inspiration. Revelations is written extremely abstractly, with dense metaphorical language rather than a direct accounting of events. There are, needless to say, a wide variety of ways to interpret the text, but I will focus on my own.

A key feature of Revelations is the subversion of religion; the idea of a false prophet turning religion away from its moral/spiritual purpose, and making it a tool for politics, leading to the rise of 'the beast' to power. It's made clear that as the beast seizes power, it goes on to use that power to persecute the outgroup (with whom the text's sympathies lie) and that a church controlled by and reverent of the beast becomes evil and totalitarian, leading to widespread suffering.

The parallels to the state of christianity in the modern day are, to my mind, quite apt. A wide faction - 'conservative christianity' to be polite about it, or christian nationalism to be more blunt - aligns itself with the oppresser over the oppressed, concerns itself with worldly wealth and power, and is actively and openly and inexorably tied to dangerous political forces. That mainstream christianity frequently acts in support of fascism is hard to miss.

There is a particular horror, I think, to seeing representations of one's faith hollowed out and distorted, emptied of their spiritual value and instead becoming a tool for evil. The perversion of what should be sacred has a huge potential for horror.

This is, after all, a particular horror one encounters in a regular basis in the real world. I mean, fuck, one simply needs to see Kenneth Copeland speak for 30 seconds to get a sense of something deeply, deeply wrong.

So, this is the horror the game seeks to capture and accentuate. The sense of what should be holy having been emptied out and used for evil. The twisting of faith to become a tool for fascism.

To this end, the game treats aspects of Revelations quite literally. The Beast is, in fact, the leader of a vast and horrible fascist empire that is the cause of misery on a vast scale. Key to this is the total cooption of the church. The 'pope' is a reanimated corpse issueing proclamations at the Beast's direction, and the church is an engine of propaganda and inquisition that serves to enforce the empire's orthodoxy and stoke hatred against the Empire's outgroups.

This is not to say that faith is absent, but those possessing true spiritual conviction (and with it, in some cases, the ability to perform miracles) are definitively outside the church; actual faith is the domain of religious dissenters and heretics. PC clerics are not members of the church, they're actively persecuted by that church for - essentially - their refusal to spiritually sell out.

(Also, critically, miracles are not the sole domain of christianity; the game treats Jewish and Muslim figures as equally capable of performing miracles, and grants relics associated with those religions equal potency to christian ones; what matters is spiritual conviction, not one's specific denomination).

Other aspects of The Beast's Empire followed from this. Inquisitors and paramilitary agents are common enemies, and the 'seven heads and ten horns' are taken to represent The Beasts inner circle of most powerful servants.

In particular, I've given the Beast's empire it's own form of magic, Defixion, with the name taken from old roman curse-tablets. Defixion is, essentially, the magic of spiritually selling out. In exchange for eroding the user's soul, they become bound to The Beast and his empire; this gives him incredible power over them, but also grants them power based on their position within the Empire's heirarchy. Importantly, it's totally, one-hundred-percent off limits to player characters; playing as the fascists simply exists outside the scope of the game. Instead, Defixion is an explanation for why the Empire's agents have scary monster stat-blocks.

The choice of what to make The Mark Of The Beast was surprisingly easy; it's a cross, the same one that is embraced by fascist groups such as Stormfront.

(This also ties in with the use of the inverted cross as a counter-cultural icon; it's historically been a symbol of humility before God, and in the modern age is associated with strongly anti-church sentiments. In a setting where the church has turned away from God and towards hateful political power, those two meanings can go hand in hand.)

In conclusion: "I know writers who use subtext, and they're all cowards."

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a-small-batch-of-dragons · 3 months ago

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Worship

Hello!!! I thought I'd throw an idea out there :3 So I absolutely love god aus, but obviously you don't have to do that, just a thought, I'm just thinking of Janus or Virgil suffering in some way and Roman doing something to protect them, since they're always the ones comforting him? Might be fun to switch it up If you do decide to do this have fun! If not no worries :3 :3 – anon

Read on Ao3

Warnings: none

Pairings: prinxiety

Word Count: 2232

In a world of many gods and goddesses, one of the lesser-known deities goes without a name, simply known as the Storyteller. Virgil is one of their few followers, living on the outskirts of a densely populated city. His is not an extravagant faith, but it is a potent one.

It's the same as it always is. Candles knocked over and his books scattered on the floor. At least they didn't rip any pages out this time.

Virgil sighs, crouching down. He sets his basket on the ground and focuses on making sure none of the pages have creased beyond repair. A few of the books landed on their splayed pages and he winces at the marring of the fading ink, but for the most part, everything looks to be intact. He gathers them to his chest and begins to rearrange them on the small plinth, careful to keep the covers turned toward the flames to reduce the risk of fire. When the books have been arranged just so, he picks up the candles too and reaches into his pocket for his flint and steel.

Out of the many shrines in the city, it's always the ones down at this end that constantly get ruined. Possibly because it's closest to the busy end of the alley, more likely because these gods do not carry the worship of the state. These are the ones that have smaller sects, no grand churches or temples or holy sites, and so they are the ones that require more constant upkeep. Virgil doesn't mind. He has an agreement with some of the people that worship the gods at neighboring shrines. He lets them know when the altar's been ruined, they let him know when his has been. Granted, he's not the only worshiper around here, but he is the most predictable.

At some point, he'll sit back and wonder why it is that this one is the one that seems to be destroyed most often, but that's something he can wonder when his fresh food from the market is not in danger of being swiped by cunning little mouths.

He gets word that the statue on the cliffside had been defaced, and he packs a small bag to take with him. The path is lined with old rocks laden with moss and cracks. Small flowers take root and grow along the edge of the stone steps. At the top of the cliff overlooking the water, there is a circle of stones around the statue. Virgil winces at the crude glyphs painted over the statue's face, hands, and the book it holds aloft.

He sets down his bag and fetches the rag and water. The types of soap he would typically use to clean this are too harsh for the old limestone, and even the water he tries to use sparingly so he won't damage the statue's features. Wind and rain have worn away the details, leaving only the vague outline of a mouth, open in speech, a nose, and kind eyes watching the story weave itself together. As he works, he can help glancing behind himself every so often.

Was this a place where stories were told often? Was it only for special occasions?

Is there a more special occasion than being alive?

The words drift back to him and he smiles, turning his attention back to the statue. As he works, he tells the little stories of being alive. About the cats that run through the alley, begging for scraps. About the new merchants that have come to sell their jewelry and all the other stalls had seen fewer customers that day. About the new recipe his friend had tried and how good it had tasted. Small stories. Short stories. Stories that make up the patchwork of a life.

He wonders if that was the sort of story that would make it into any book, no matter how insignificant. He cleans the statue's hands and wonders if it would be willing to hold such a book.

These were originally sung.

Virgil turns the page in the old book and squints at the faded words. It had been a chance find by an old friend, a book from ages long past that only Virgil had wanted in the end, for he was the only one who could recognize the god's name. He'd taken the fragile thing home wrapped in a cloth and thin string of twine, unwrapping it carefully by his own tiny shrine and reading by the light of the candle. There were words he didn't recognize, words he had no idea how to pronounce, and stories woven in tongues he could never hope to understand.

You could say, then, he was shocked when the thought that they were to be sung occurred to him.

What for? They didn't match any meter or pattern of any song he recognized, nor did he have any inclination as to what the tune was supposed to be. And even if he did, that was no guarantee he'd be able to sing it. No one had ever had the courage to say he was very musically inclined, let alone be able to sing songs of a god that had not been breathed since the book was last opened.

Still, now that the thought's occurred to him, it's almost impossible to get out of his head. So, he starts humming. No melody, not really a rhythm either, just reading the book and letting it decide when he should change notes. He just reads and hums and does his best to let them wash over him. Even if he can't understand it, maybe he can feel what it might have been like to hear them sung.

The candles flicker a little as the sun sets. The book doesn't look as though it's any different, but slowly it occurs to Virgil that he shouldn't be able to see as well in this level of light as he had when the sun was still out. He glances at the candles, then back at the book, and turns the page. Sure enough, the words stand out as easily as they ever have…in fact, they might be a little bit clearer.

He continues humming with a smile on his face.

'Your god should be your focus, your life, your purpose. You should devote your life to theirs, as they have spent their existence to ensure you have yours.'

A lot of people like to talk about their gods like that. There is one house of worship that Virgil journeys past every moon devoted to a dark god—he's not exactly sure what the god's powers are, nor what domain he represents, all he knows are the black tentacle-like tattoos the acolytes wear and the fact that the god, apparently, prefers blondes. Every time he passes, he sees one of the priestesses surveying the courtyard—as if she were its ruler, not the god the temple was devoted to, but her—and the way she looks at him makes him hold his cloak a little tighter around his body. As though he were doing something wrong by not wearing his worship of his god on his skin as brazenly as they did.

Others talk about their gods. All the time. Every sentence, every little thing that happens, is because of their god. The rain, the sun, the harvest, the storm, the way their neighbor smiled at them this morning, the way a bird came and landed on their roof last night. Everything was attributed to some divine message, leaving no room for the quietness of life to breathe. Virgil feels exhausted just imagining that—what would be the point of being so controlling if you didn't have the time to breathe and enjoy the security of it?

And then there were those that thought he didn't worship. Not that they frowned upon him for it, but sometimes the way they talked…as though he couldn't understand what it was like to believe in a higher power. As though he didn't have the discipline to worship, as though he didn't have the faith. As though the shrine in his house didn't exist, as if the hours he spent writing his own story in a leather-bound notebook he'd saved every coin for wasn't worth it, as though he didn't believe.

But his worship isn't for them. It's for him, and his god, and that was enough. And if he arrived home to find a small pot of ink when he'd thought he'd run out yesterday, well, that was between him and his desk drawer.

The thing about stories is that they're meant to be shared. Virgil is many things, but a man with a large group of friends, he is not.

In some ways, he is content not to share his worship. There's something unique, he's found, in storytelling. You can tell a lot about a person by the type of stories they read, or the types of stories they tell. Even if you don't believe so at first, over time, if you hear enough of them, you get to know that person quite well. Virgil is not keen on being so known, not by the sorts of people that he would share this worship with. Because they wouldn't understand, he tells himself, or it wouldn't be fair. He would have to show them how it feels by lying himself bare, with no hope of whether they would understand and do the same.

But sometimes, sometimes he gets…lonely.

His home is small. Humble. His bed has just enough room for his clothes in a trunk underneath. His kitchen is barely more than a stove and a small set of cabinets. He has a tiny desk, crammed into the space under his shrine. He has a few things on the walls, one old bundle of cloth wrapped around his traveling gear in the corner by the firewood. On cold nights, he sleeps right by the fire, and even then, he doesn't feel warm enough.

In the pages of the books, he reads about the importance of companionship. That nights are cold and colder alone, that we were made to warm each other and there is no other warmth quite like it. Sometimes he curls up with one of them, just to read about it and imagine it. He thinks that might be his most poignant worship: a strange yearning, a longing that worries itself into his bones and makes him ache tenderly. His is not a god that values pain and suffering, but he thinks his god might have a soft spot for wanting.

He does not doubt, but he would like to see for himself. Just once.

+1.

There is a man outside his door.

He opens it, a little stunned. Partly because there is no reason for someone to show up as his door unannounced, and partly because this stranger is sublime.

He invites the stranger in, belatedly, and sheepishly offers to cook. It's around that time of day anyways, and he has a little extra of the nice meat from the butcher because he did them a favor last week. The stranger smiles, thanks him, asks if Virgil needs help. Virgil shakes his head and offers the good chair, the one that doesn't creak when you sit on it, and carefully pours a cup of mead too. The stranger takes it and thanks him again.

Virgil tries to keep himself focused on the cooking, but he can't help glancing over his shoulder every once in a while to see what the stranger does. He spends a fair amount of time looking around, at the fireplace, at Virgil's desk, at the shrine, but mostly, he's watching Virgil. To the point where Virgil just starts talking, just so that it makes a little more sense as to why he's being looked at so by someone so…so.

The stranger listens perfectly. Laughs in the right places, hums in the right places, asks questions and offers comments when Virgil pauses for breath. Virgil asks questions of his own, and receives vaguer answers, more cryptic answers, though all delivered with some secret smile like there's a joke the two of them share. When the food has been eaten, Virgil expects the stranger to tell him who he is, or what he's doing here, but nothing comes. Instead, the stranger helps him clean up, and when Virgil says that it's alright, he's capable of doing it, please, make yourself comfortable, wanders toward the shrine. No small lump appears in Virgil's throat as the stranger reaches out to take one of the books.

Do you know, I think you're the only one who tried to sing them.

And Virgil…stares. Because no one should know that. No one does know that. The only way this stranger could know that is if…if…

His eyes widen. The stranger looks at him with a soft smile, and then the book is set down and Virgil's suddenly backed against the wall with that soft smile so, so close.

Oh, God.

The stranger laughs. It sounds like music.

For you, Virgil, you can call me Roman.

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#dragonbabbles #fic #sanders sides #virgil sanders #roman sanders

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liviawildrose · 28 days ago

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𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐭

since i’m getting my first-ever tarot deck, i decided to go deep into its history, its power, and all the ways it can change your life. if you’re curious about tarot whether as a beginner or someone already deep in the craft this is everything you need to know.

the history of tarot (aka how the cards found us)

the tarot didn’t originally start off as some mystical tool of divination. it actually began as a playing card game in the 1400s in europe mainly italy and france. it was called tarocchi in italian and was mostly for the rich elites to flex their money. the cards were hand-painted, luxurious, and honestly more bougie than magical at first.

the deck had suits like swords, cups, wands, and pentacles (sound familiar?), plus the trump cards which we now know as the major arcana. these cards eventually started to carry deeper symbolic meanings, often based on christian, pagan, and astrological influences.

fast forward to the 18th century and shit got esoteric. a bunch of mystics, occultists, and secret societies (like the hermetic order of the golden dawn) started connecting tarot to kabbalah, alchemy, astrology, numerology, and the “hidden knowledge” of the universe. that’s when tarot stopped being a game and started becoming a spiritual tool. people believed the cards were connected to the akashic records, the collective unconscious, and were essentially a mirror to the soul.

1300s: the pre-tarot era (a little mysterious, a little cloudy)

this is where the tarot vibe starts to bubble, but the actual cards aren’t here yet. people across europe, especially in italy, spain, and france, were playing with basic playing cards brought in from the islamic world via trade routes. these decks had four suits (like our modern hearts, clubs, etc.) and originated from mamluk cards from egypt.

these early playing cards were often seen as symbols of gambling and pleasure, but their popularity exploded in both the courts of the wealthy and the streets. divination wasn’t part of the picture yet, but the archetypes (like kings, queens, knights) were already starting to form.

1400s: the birth of tarot as a game (italy goes off)

welcome to the renaissance, baby. this is where the first tarot decks appear—not as a spiritual tool but as a luxury game called trionfi or tarocchi. these decks were made for the elite, often hand-painted, and used in a trick-taking card game (a bit like bridge).

notable decks:

• Visconti-Sforza tarot (mid-1400s): the OG tarot deck. commissioned by the Duke of Milan’s family. 78 cards, including the major arcana we know today (like the fool, death, the lovers, etc.). it wasn’t mystical yet but the symbolism was rich.

these decks were basically rich people flexes status symbols more than spiritual tools. but their illustrations were deeply allegorical, reflecting virtues, vices, astrology, and classical philosophy.

the aesthetic was already witchy.

1500s: the spread begins (and the church side-eyes)

tarot starts spreading across europe, especially france and switzerland. it’s still a card game, but now it’s catching the eyes of mystics, philosophers, and eventually the church, who starts calling it “the devil’s game” because… drama.

the iconography of the cards (especially death, the devil, the tower) made people nervous. some players began attaching superstitions and local folk beliefs to the cards, especially in more rural areas.

divination was still not officially a thing, but seeds were being planted.

the church’s war on tarot – demonic or divine?

• the catholic church labeled tarot as demonic, especially during the inquisition.

• the devil card in tarot was often cited as proof that tarot was satanic.

• in the 15th century, some places banned tarot readings, linking them to witchcraft and heresy.

• but here’s the twist: some say the church itself used tarot in secret, especially in gnostic and esoteric sects that hid forbidden knowledge from the masses.

1700s: the mystics take over (aka the esoteric awakening)

okay this is the era where tarot gets its magical glow-up.

• 1781: Antoine Court de Gébelin, a french occultist. he claimed tarot cards held the secret teachings of ancient egypt, hidden in plain sight. he believed tarot was a book of wisdom disguised as a game.

• he was delulu, but influential. his ideas shaped the future of tarot like crazy.

then comes Jean-Baptiste Alliette, aka Etteilla (his name backwards because… why not). he’s the first person to professionally read tarot and write a guide to using the cards for divination. he even designed the first tarot deck specifically for fortune telling in 1789.

this is when tarot shifts from game → divination tool. people are now pulling cards to connect with spirit, fate, the future, and the divine.

many women were executed or persecuted for divination, fortune-telling, or witchcraft and in those cases, if tarot had been part of their practice, it could’ve absolutely contributed to their persecution.

1400s–1700s: the witch hunt era (especially in europe)

this era saw thousands of women (and some men) being tortured and killed for anything vaguely “supernatural”:

• owning herbs

• practicing midwifery

• being single or widowed (yep)

• “talking to spirits”

• fortune-telling, palm reading, astrology

• even just being a little too confident or beautiful

so… if tarot had already been linked to divination in this era, it absolutely would’ve been used as evidence of witchcraft. but again, during the height of the witch trials (especially in salem or germany), tarot wasn’t yet widely used for mystical purposes.

romani women & persecution

a lot of romani (or “traveller”) women were powerful diviners who used playing cards and tarot-like imagery for readings. they were:

• exoticized by the rich

• blamed for crime

• feared by the church

• and often violently policed

they very likely used tarot or cartomancy in their work and many faced imprisonment, abuse, or worse.

• these women were doing divination, healing, and spiritual work LONG before any white men made it trendy.

• they used herbs, spirits, dreams, and yes, playing cards or early forms of tarot to give people guidance.

• they were demonized, sexualized, and burned alive.

• even when they were accurate, insightful, helpful? society didn’t care — they were seen as threats.

why did the men get away with it?

• privilege + education: men like Etteilla and de Gébelin were educated and seen as “respectable intellectuals,” not “dangerous witches.”

• misogyny: women’s magic was seen as emotional, chaotic, and demonic, while men’s mysticism was seen as scientific or philosophical.

• whitewashing: tarot’s magical history was sanitized by white european men who made it marketable for upper class europeans—meanwhile, the women who had been keeping the spiritual traditions alive for generations were cast out, imprisoned, or killed.

✨ men got to be called “esoteric scholars.” women got called “witches,” jailed, or murdered. ✨

1800s: occult tarot enters its dark feminine era

this century is when tarot becomes full-blown mystical, magical, and very extra.

• secret societies like the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (yes, like something out of a court of thorns and roses) start incorporating tarot into their occult rituals.

• tarot gets fused with kabbalah, numerology, alchemy, astrology, and ancient mystery traditions. it’s no longer just about fortune telling—it’s about unlocking spiritual truth and tapping into cosmic knowledge.

big names:

• Eliphas Levi: french occultist who connects tarot with the Tree of Life from kabbalah and sees it as a book of universal symbols.

• Papus: writes occult books on tarot as a map of the soul.

1900s: tarot goes mainstream (the spiritual awakening era)

this century changes everything.

• 1909: Rider-Waite-Smith deck is born—created by Arthur Edward Waite (occultist) and Pamela Colman Smith (a black/mixed-race illustrator and absolute queen). this deck becomes the most iconic tarot deck of all time. it’s the one you probably see all over tiktok, tumblr, and pinterest.

this man was born in 1857 in Brooklyn, but moved to England when his dad died (classic tragic backstory).

• he was a mystic, scholar, and self-proclaimed occultist.

• waite was obsessed with all things hidden: the kabbalah, alchemy, divination, rosicrucianism, freemasonry, and… tarot.

• he didn’t just want to dabble, he wanted to decode the entire universe.

THE HERMETIC ORDER OF THE GOLDEN DAWN

aka: the occult secret society in the UK during the late 1800s.

this secret society:

• was founded in 1887.

• had three levels of initiation (mental, astral, and magical).

• dabbled in astrology, ritual magic, astral projection, angelic communication, and of course tarot.

waite’s role?

• he joined in the 1890s and eventually became a big-time ritualist there.

• but get this: he thought the society was too obsessed with actual magic and power rituals.

• waite wanted more ✨ “spiritual illumination” ✨ vibes.

• so he left and made his own thing: the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross in 1915 (more mellow, more meditative, still weird af).

THE RIDER-WAITE DECK ORIGIN STORY

so in 1909, waite teamed up with pamela colman smith (an absolute LEGEND) to make a tarot deck that was less fortune-teller-y and more mystical-symbolic-alchemical-kabbalistic.

he wanted tarot to reflect universal spiritual truths, not just give yes/no answers.

but here’s the story

• pamela was the artist behind all the cards, and waite was the “occult consultant”.

• she was also a golden dawn member and deeply intuitive.

• waite gave her the meanings/symbolism he wanted, and pamela channeled the rest.

and yet?

the deck was named:

• “Rider” = the publishing company

• “Waite” = the dude who gave the notes

• pamela? the girl who literally illustrated the ENTIRE FUCKING DECK? yeah, her name wasn’t even on the box.

make it make sense.

now we call it the Rider-Waite-Smith deck to honor her, but even now, people forget her name. (and yes, she was a bisexual jamaican woman who deserved a monument, not erasure.)

what makes it special:

• full illustrations on all 78 cards (not just major arcana).

• every symbol is intentional, magical, and layered.

• it’s easy to read intuitively, which made tarot way more accessible.

other major moments:

• 1970s-80s: tarot explodes during the new age movement. crystals, astrology, yoga, witchcraft everything’s trendy again.

• books, indie decks, and readers start showing up everywhere.

• feminism + queer culture start embracing tarot as a tool for healing, empowerment, and rebellion.

some believe tarot didn’t start in italy—it was secretly preserved knowledge from:

• ancient egypt → linked to the book of thoth, a mystical text said to contain the secrets of the universe.

• jewish kabbalah → the tarot’s 22 major arcana cards match the 22 paths of the tree of life.

• hermeticism & alchemy → tarot might’ve been used as a coded system to pass down hidden spiritual wisdom.

• witchcraft & divination → the church banned tarot in many places, saying it was used for communing with spirits.

so was tarot just a card game that became spiritual later? or was it always meant to be a powerful divination tool that was disguised as a game to survive religious persecution?

the structure of tarot cards & how they actually work

okay so let’s talk about tarot cards. like really talk.

not just the aesthetic side of it but the actual bones, spirit, and power of what this deck does. tarot isn’t just about “telling the future” it’s about unlocking the subconscious, channeling energy, and syncing with divine frequencies. it’s psychological, magical, intuitive, and energetic all at once.

a standard tarot deck: the breakdown

every tarot deck, no matter the theme, follows this same sacred structure:

• 78 cards total

• 22 major arcana

• 56 minor arcana

• broken into 4 suits: wands, cups, swords, pentacles

• each suit has 10 number cards (ace to ten) + 4 court cards (page, knight, queen, king)

the major arcana: the fool’s journey

these 22 cards represent the big, life-shifting energies. fate. transformation. spiritual evolution. each card is like a major chapter in your soul’s growth we’re talking divine awakenings, tower moments, karmic cycles, shadow work, rebirths.

starts with 0 - the fool (new beginnings, divine trust)

ends with 21 - the world (wholeness, soul completion)

together, they tell a story called the fool’s journey basically your higher self going through all levels of awakening. when a major arcana card shows up in a reading, it’s like the universe screaming, “hey babe, something bigger is going on.”

the minor arcana: everyday energy

the other 56 cards zoom in on the day-to-day stuff your feelings, situations, interactions, thoughts, and choices. they’re like the scene-by-scene details in your life’s storyline.

they’re split into 4 suits:

wands – fire – action, passion, drive

wands are the suit of energy, movement, and ambition. they rule creativity, personal projects, sexuality, and the pursuit of goals. when wands appear, they ask you to act, to ignite, to move. they carry that fiery essence of spring new beginnings, budding desires, and the push to birth something new into the world. this suit is bold, impulsive, and alive.

zodiac associations: aries, leo, sagittarius.

cups – water – emotions, love, intuition

cups are all about the heart. they speak of love, friendship, intuition, and emotional undercurrents. when cups show up, they’re pointing to your feelings, relationships, dreams, or spiritual connection. they vibe with summer warmth, deep emotional bonds, and the fluidity of the soul.

zodiac associations: cancer, scorpio, pisces.

swords – air – thoughts, communication, conflict

swords slice through the bullshit. they represent the mind, truth, clarity, and sometimes, pain. this suit speaks of decisions, conflict, justice, anxiety, and intellectual power. swords are like the chill of autumn brisk, piercing, honest. they’re not afraid to tell you what’s up.

zodiac associations: gemini, libra, aquarius.

pentacles – earth – money, body, reality

pentacles ground you. they deal with your material world—money, home, health, career, and long-term stability. these cards are slow and steady, like the winter soil prepping to bloom. they remind you to invest wisely, nurture yourself, and build something that lasts.

zodiac associations: taurus, virgo, capricorn.

the court cards: people + energy types

each suit has four court cards:

• page = young energy, messages, learning something new

• knight = action, intensity, pursuit

• queen = internal mastery, nurturing power, wisdom

• king = external authority, control, success

they can represent:

• people in your life

• energies you’re embodying (or need to)

• different versions of yourself

• roles you’re stepping into

etc etc etc

here’s what happens when you read tarot:

• you’re not just pulling cards — you’re tapping into your energy field and subconscious

• tarot acts as a mirror, reflecting your current vibration + emotional state

• the deck connects with your higher self + spirit guides

• the cards show you the probable path you’re on, based on your energy right now

“aka, tarot isn’t fixed fate. it’s quantum possibility.

pulling a card doesn’t mean something will happen.

it means it’s likely to happen if your energy, choices, and direction stay the same.

but guess what? you can shift all that. the cards aren’t bossing you around. they’re showing you where the fuck you’re heading — so you can course correct, realign, or lean in harder.”

why tarot isn’t random: energy meets intention

when you shuffle your cards, your energy moves through your body and into the deck. the cards that fall out, flip over, or call to you? they’re aligned with your current vibration. they hold the message you’re meant to hear.

you’re syncing your intuition with divine signals your deck literally becomes your spiritual translator.

numerology + suits: the combo cheat sheet

you can decode the meanings of cards even deeper by understanding what numbers mean, across all suits:

ace – beginnings, potential, divine spark

ace is pure magic. it’s the seed, the idea, the emotional spark, the first whisper from the universe. every ace is like a portal opening raw potential begging to be shaped. when an ace drops, the message is clear: something new is being born. whether it’s love, a dream, a shift in mindset, or a fresh opportunity this is the cosmic green light.

two – duality, choice, connection

two is all about balance and decisions. it’s when energy meets another energy. the beginning was you, but now there’s someone or something else to consider. two is the mirror, the contrast, the crossroads. it often speaks of partnerships, internal debates, or emotional bonds forming. you’re no longer alone you’re responding, reflecting, deciding.

three – creation, growth, expansion

three is where things start to bloom. the decision has been made, the idea is moving, and now growth is happening. this is collaboration, teamwork, the first signs of success. it’s the universe saying, “okay, i see you, let’s take this to the next level.” three is joyful, creative, and full of forward motion.

four – foundation, stability, pause

four is solid. grounded. unmoving. it’s where things settle sometimes a good thing, sometimes a stuck thing. it represents structure, rest, and evaluation. in love, it can mean emotional security or boredom. in career, it’s a stable paycheck or a plateau. four asks you: are you building or are you stagnating?

five – chaos, change, challenge

five is the shake-up. this number is a mess sometimes—and that’s the point. it brings friction, competition, grief, loss, tension. but it also teaches. five is here to evolve you. it’s the breaking point, the wake-up call, the shadow. it says: what will you do when everything falls out of place?

six – harmony, healing, balance restored

six is the light after the storm. it’s love returned, help arriving, peace being made. it’s when the chaos softens and understanding flows. it’s nostalgia, kindness, balance. six shows you that you’re still held. it’s emotional restoration and karmic harmony. breathe again—this is the softness after the sharp edges of five.

seven – introspection, assessment, mystery

seven is spiritual. it’s the “pause and go within” number. it’s about evaluation, digging deeper, resisting temptation, or needing to trust your intuition. there’s often confusion with seven—but it’s a call to slow down and figure out what the hell you actually want. it’s the seeker, the lone wolf, the soul traveler.

eight – mastery, power, momentum

eight brings motion. you’ve learned the lessons, and now it’s time to do the damn thing. this number rules strength, authority, repetition, and control. it’s about putting in the work, whether that’s emotional effort, physical grind, or intellectual discipline. eight says: prove it. you have the tools. now use them.

nine – nearing the end, reflection, solitude

nine is a deep breath. it’s you, standing alone at the edge of everything you’ve built. there’s wisdom here, but also weariness. nine asks you to integrate, to sit with your growth and your wounds. in many decks, nine holds emotional maturity, inner light, and a call to protect your space. you’re almost there don’t quit now.

ten – completion, wholeness, closure

ten is the full circle. it’s where the story ends, and a new one is waiting. there’s reward, endings, legacy, sometimes even overwhelm. it can be fulfillment or collapse. it depends on the journey you’ve had. ten is both death and rebirth. when this number appears, something has run its course and you’re about to level up.

in short:

• tarot is an energetic tool, not a fortune cookie

• it helps you decode your present and navigate your future

• it speaks through archetypes, symbols, numbers, and elements

• when you bond with your deck and use it with pure intention, it will feel like your soul is talking back

this is your mirror. your journal. your spirit bestie. and it will show up for you every damn time.

direct energy grids + tarot: the hidden circuitry of fate

this might sound wild, but hear me out tarot is connected to energy fields, just like crystals, rituals, or sacred geometry. the earth has ley lines, which are energetic pathways running across the planet (think of them like spiritual wifi lines). many ancient sites like stonehenge and the pyramids are built directly on these.

when you read tarot especially in a sacred space, near crystals, or under moonlight you’re kind of plugging into this ancient, universal network of knowledge. tarot becomes a tool to navigate the grid. your cards can absorb, respond to, and reflect energies that are local, global, cosmic, ancestral, or even past life based.

tarot doesn’t exist in a vacuum. every card you pull is part of a much, much larger grid of energetic blueprints a multi-dimensional etheric map that you plug into the moment you shuffle your deck with intention.

energy grids are real. they’re ancient. think: the way ley lines pulse through earth, or how crystal grids hold vibrational frequencies. when you sit with tarot, light a candle, and pull cards, you’re aligning your intention with an invisible, cosmic WiFi that connects:

• your higher self

• the collective unconscious

• your guides + ancestors

• the timeline you’re currently vibrating on

• the timeline you’re meant to be on

every card is a node. every spread is a circuit. every intention you set is a frequency being broadcast.

this is why it’s so important to charge your space, cleanse your deck, and keep your energetic field protected. if your vibration is off or static, the signal gets fuzzy. the more clear, raw, and open you are, the stronger the alignment becomes. this is the secret sauce behind readings that feel so accurate it feels like you’re getting spiritually bitch-slapped.

what you can ask your deck (spoiler alert: almost anything)

you can ask tarot about literally everything. love, career, friendship drama, soul purpose, spiritual awakening, whether your crush is obsessed with you, if your manifestation is close, etc.

some fave categories:

• how someone feels about you

• what energy surrounds you right now

• what’s blocking you

• what you’re not seeing

• how to align with your highest timeline

• advice from your spirit team

• energy check-ins

• what you need to heal

• your future self’s message

• past life insight

• creative breakthroughs

• shadow work

• how to protect your energy

• signs, omens, and red flags

tarot is basically your higher self holding a mirror to you like “baby this is the vibe rn, don’t play yourself.”

what not to ask your tarot deck (especially when you’re just starting out)

some no-no’s or at least “be careful” zones:

• exact times/dates: time is fluid in the spirit world. tarot gives time frames, not deadlines. “what date will i get famous?” babes, the cards aren’t a damn clock. they speak in energy, seasons, and cycles. not google calendar.

• anything you already asked 3x in a row bc you didn’t like the answer (don’t test the deck like that, she’ll ghost you).

• asking for info about someone else without their permission (aka tarot spying—it can backfire). that’s manipulation. don’t make the spirits side-eye you. ahem ahem ahem rather ask “what kinda things he/she likes bahahahahaha” i partially hailey bieber understand guys

• stuff that would be better asked to a licensed pro (like medical or legal advice).

• questions that come from fear or desperation. tarot picks up on energy—if you’re panicking, the reading will reflect that chaos.

how to make your tarot deck your bestie

• introduce yourself to the deck. literally say hi.

• cleanse it when you get it. smoke, moonlight, sound, or intention.

• sleep with it under your pillow or beside you to bond.

• pull a card daily to start building trust + connection.

• keep it in a pouch or silk cloth, treat it like royalty.

• talk to it like it’s a friend, thank it after readings.

• journal every reading and reflect. it helps the connection deepen.

• charge it with crystals like rose quartz (for love energy), jade (for abundance), or prehnite (for divine connection and healing). amethyst too (for intuition) or clear quartz,

• use the deck with intention. don’t just play with it when you’re bored—respect the energy.

closing thoughts (aka chaos + cosmos)

someone on tumblr once told me to embrace chaos when reading tarot—and i felt that in my soul. tarot isn’t about knowing everything. it’s about dancing with the unknown, trusting the signs, reading between the lines, and using your magic to create the life you deserve.

it’s a ritual. it’s therapy. it’s manifestation. it’s storytelling. it’s shadow work. it’s self-love.

and now, it’s part of you.

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loneberry · 1 month ago

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"[Jacques] Roubaud suggests that there were many trobairitz [women troubadours] in Occitanie, and that the Church destroyed their work during the Catholic Inquisition that was carried out in the region from 1229 until 1329. For Glissant this Inquisition, and the 1209–29 crusade against the Cathars, constitute the beginning of the political construction of the defensive concept of a bordered, exclusive, rationalist and racialised Europe, and also the start of European colonial destruction of local cultures, languages and peoples. Ostensibly aiming at the military destruction of the Cathar heresy, a radical mystic sect antithetical to the Catholic Church, the Albigensian crusade served more broadly to root out heretical thought and practices from a Europe just then beginning to construct a universalist regime that organised itself around King and Church. Glissant stresses that the heretical, mystical strains of thought that had flourished within a heterodox Europe were, in the medieval period, separated out from the official thought systems precisely in order to be expunged from Europe’s self-representation. ‘All the dramas of mystic or heretical thought in the Middle Ages are truly dramas, meaning that they end badly. This means that this is a thought that was either devastated, as they did to the Cathars, or castrated, as they did to Abelard, who they reproached less for his amorous relationship than his spiritual exchange with Héloïse, as they did to all the women tied to the stake, up to and including Joan of Arc, and as they did to all who found pleasure in obscure thought...’ Glissant says. As for the troubadours, Roubaud concludes that the crusade was responsible for the end of the two-century flourishing of a culture of song. ‘Song was born, and was killed’, he states. So the culture of troubadour song, heretically marginal to authority, was part of Europe ’s self-inflicted loss." —Lisa Robertson, Anemones: A Simone Weil Project

Love this Robertson book but am still confused about how the Cathar disdain for the material world (à la the gnostics) can be squared with the troubadour philosophy of love... I can definitely see the influence of Arabic poetry and Andalusian mysticism on the troubadour tradition, though.

#lisa robertson #edouard glissant #glissant #jacques roubaud #cathars #troubadour poetry #mysticism #literature #poetry #heresy #gnosticism

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whencyclopedia · 2 months ago

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Zwingli's Persecution of the Anabaptists

Huldrych Zwingli (l. 1484-1531) broke with the Church in 1522 and defended his beliefs at the First Disputation in 1523, encouraging many people in Zürich to embrace his teachings. Among his followers was a group, soon known as Anabaptists, who felt he had compromised himself at the Second Disputation, and they were then persecuted for their convictions.

Zwingli advocated for rejection of Catholic doctrine and practice and strict adherence to the authority of the scriptures. Zwingli's 67 Articles, presented at the First Disputation at which he denounced the Church as unbiblical, inspired a number of his adherents to take his claims to their natural conclusion that the Bible should be understood literally as God's word and its precepts followed faithfully without picking and choosing only what suited one's interests. When the Bible stated, "Thou Shalt Not Kill", they claimed, it meant a Christian should not take the life of another no matter the circumstances and, further, since there was no mention of infant baptism in the Bible, this practice should be rejected in favor of adult baptism. Zwingli rejected both of these challenges.

At the Second Disputation of 1523, Zwingli compromised on a number of points including infant baptism, alienating some of his more ardent supporters including Conrad Grebel (l. c. 1498-1526) and Felix Manz (l. c. 1498-1527) who formed their own Christian community, the Swiss Brethren, notable for their practice of adult baptism. Their opponents, who included Zwingli, called them Anabaptists (rebaptizers), and considered them dangerous radicals as they refused military service, denounced tithes, and challenged both civil and ecclesiastical authority.

When the city council of Zürich condemned them through a mandate, and when four of them were executed as heretics in 1527, including Manz, Zwingli made no objection. He had already spoken out against them as extremists who threatened the success of his movement, and he seems to have been relieved when the Anabaptist community left Zürich after the executions. Their exodus was only the beginning of the Anabaptist reform movement, however, which continued to spread throughout Europe despite severe persecution from religious and secular authorities. The Anabaptist sect went on to influence the development of others still practicing today, including the Amish and Mennonites.

Disputation & Division

Zwingli began his reform movement in 1519, as soon as he was appointed the people's priest of the Grossmünster (Great Church) in Zürich, by rejecting the Church's liturgy in Latin and reading from the Gospel of Matthew in the vernacular while interpreting and commenting on it. This encouraged members of his congregation to form their own Bible-study groups, which met in members' homes and applied Zwingli's teachings to interpret scripture.

In 1522, Zwingli broke with the Church over an event known as the Affair of the Sausage, when some members of his congregation (with Zwingli in attendance) broke the Lenten fast and the prohibition on eating meat by serving sausage at dinner. Zwingli defended this practice, denouncing Lenten fasting – and Lent itself – as unbiblical. He defined his stand in two sermons, Regarding the Choice and Freedom of Foods and On Rejecting Lent and Protecting Christian Liberty from Man-Made Obligations, and then further clarified his views through his 67 Articles delivered at the First Disputation with Catholic delegates in January 1523.

Zwingli's stand at the First Disputation inspired his more zealous supporters to fully embrace his call for the supremacy of biblical authority over any other, ecclesiastical or civil, and the Bible study led by Conrad Grebel and Felix Manz began advocating for a radical revision of Christian practice completely in accordance with scripture. Scholar Randolph C. Head comments:

Zwingli's sermons unleashed powerful responses from his audiences, which included Zurich's population, rich and poor, and clergy and laity from the surrounding areas…the broad (though by no means unanimous) support Zwingli's movement enjoyed by 1525 suggests many listeners found his sermons persuasive. Zwingli's impact was amplified by a number of Bible-study circles that formed in Zurich, whose participants often became proselytizers for increasingly bold reform projects. (Rublack, 170-171)

Although Zwingli had inspired this movement, he rejected their proposals as too extreme. At the Second Disputation in 1523, Zwingli completely rejected the views of Grebel and Manz and compromised on various issues with the Zürich city council. Head notes, "among the most pressing issues were clerical celibacy, the use of images in ceremonies, and the economic obligations of the laity to the church, especially tithes" (Rublack, 171). Zwingli agreed with Grebel and the others on the first two points but not on tithes, and he also rejected their claim that infant baptism was unbiblical and condemned them as dangerous rebels.

Grebel, Manz, and others in their circle, including George Blaurock (l. c. 1491-1529), felt betrayed by Zwingli and formed the Swiss Brethren, a counter- – and more extreme – reform movement to his own. Zwingli met with them in 1524 to reconcile, but no compromise could be reached. In response, Zwingli published his sermon Whoever Causes Unrest, denouncing the new movement as divisive – the same charge the Catholics had brought against Zwingli at the First Disputation – and this led to another disputation in early January 1525 to resolve the issue. Zwingli won this debate as he had the others, especially on the point of infant baptism. The city council then issued a mandate that anyone refusing to have their babies baptized must leave the city.

#History #1522 #1525 #Anabaptist #WHE #[#]

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drchucktingle · 2 years ago

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DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #4

here we are again talkin on camp damascus and unwrapping every little secret and hidden layer of this book. think of this time together like an old time ENGLISH CLASS where the dang teacher says 'well by THIS SYMBOLISM the author was actually commenting on how good chocolate milk is' only this time we get to talk on TINGLERS and your teacher is the buckaroo himself, chuck tingle.

as man name of chuck i have a lot of easter eggs in my books, and this post is just ONE OF MANY where we pull apart every layer. if you have a reading club for this book it might be a fun companion to trot through once you are all finished. if that is the case you should start with the first deconstructing damascus post. i will leave links to them all here IN ORDER

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #1

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #2

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #3

HOWEVER these deconstructing damascus posts SHOULD NOT BE READ UNLESS YOU ARE DONE WITH THE BOOK. there are heckin spoilers EVERYWHERE in these posts so do not peek at them until you are ready.

alright below this line the dang spoilers begin. BIG TIME SPOILER WARNING. lets trot

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #4: BIBLICAL CAPITALISM

we have taken lots of time to discuss the various layers of symbolism in this book, but for FINAL POST of deconstructing damascus i would like to talk about the literal layer, specifically ONE BIG THEME that weaves throughout the story of rose, saul, willow and kingdom of the pine.

that theme is CAPITALISM.

kingdom of the pine, the church in this story, is intentionally NOT THAT STRANGE in their beliefs. it would be very easy for me to write a book where the christian sect are revealed as some twisted monsters performing all kinds of dark rituals in the name of evil itself, but when the big reveal comes it is something much more HORRIFIC and unexpected.

kindgom of the pine members are not snarling, oozing, otherworldly, creatures. the members are just people, and their beliefs are horrifically STANDARD. kingdom of the pine worships CAPITALISM.

these church members believe in the traditional tenants of CHRISTIANITY along with the traditional tenants of BUSINESS. what makes them scary is that they whole heartedly believe that 'the ends justify the means'

lets start with prophet cobel, the founder of the church. his visions came during THE INDUSTREAL REVOLUTION, occuring when he was injured by a manufacturing machine and lost his hand. the coma from prophet cobels accident is where he received his message from god. he realized that, for a church to succeed, it needed to act like a BUSINESS.

many buckaroos have asked 'WHY is the church called kingdom of the pine?' and this is EXACTLY WHY. many churches are named for spiritual aspects. this sect could have easily been 'kingdom of the holy word' 'kingdom of the spirit' 'kingdom of HIS name' EXCEPT prophet cobel knew the importance of MATERIAL and CURRENCY and GOODS. he is not just worshipping JESUS, he is worshipping THE CROSS ITSELF. so 'the pine' in kingdom of the pine is symbolic of worshipping through a PRODUCT, in this case the little wooden cross that you might sell during a fundraiser. not kingdom of the son, the father, or the holy spirit, but kingdom of the PINE. THE WOOD ITSELF. THE PRODUCT.

by combining christianity and capitalism, prophet cobel created a monster, but not one that creeps through a dark swamp with sharp teeth and red eyes. he created something much more existentially dangerous AND not all that unheard of in reality. this isnt an imaginary monster that lurks under your bed. IT IS A MONSTER THAT IS ALREADY HERE.

capitalism is the answer for ANOTHER big question regarding camp damascus: why are the demons wearing red polos?

demons in this story are dressed like minimum wave workers at a big box story because THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE. yes they spend their time torturing unfortunate folks in their dungeon, but NOBODY IS FREE FROM THE CAPITALISTIC SYSTEM NOT EVEN ON OTHER TIMELINES LIKE HECK ITSELF. the demons are AT WORK. some buckaroos do not notice that kingdom of the pine counselors are always in green and white (the pine material GREEN and the holy spirit WHITE, like we talked on earlier). meanwhile demons are in RED because they are contracted out. THEY HAVE BEEN HIRED IN THEIR OWN WAY and when you consider the collars around their necks, THEY ARE NOT TREATED FAIRLY BY THEIR EMPLOYERS. THEY ARE CONTROLLED IN A SYSTEM OF THEIR OWN AND COMPELLED TO WORK.

this is why they have name tags. THEY ARE AT WORK.

this is why they are constantly smiling until the collars come off. THEY HAVE CUSTOMER SERVICE SMILES.

okay buds. thank you for reading the deconstructing damascus series it was very fun for me to go deep on this book for anyone who enjoys this kind of analysis. i hope it puts a little more joy into your trot, and now if someone says 'this part of camp damascus didnt make sense to me' you can said 'LETS TALK BUD'. i am very much looking forward to doing this again when my next horror novel BURY YOUR GAYS comes out. keep a dang eye out for that one.

i will end with one more thing that did not really fit into the other catagories.

question of: is there any meaning behind willow being a big wu tang fan?

you mean besides her being the crocodile (which has ticking clock in mouth in peter pan) so rhythm itself is a very important part of her character? (as shown in her steady clicking camera shutter and the steady beat of her musical preferences?)

WHY YES CHUCK BESIDES THAT.

well now that we've discussed the theme of INFANTILIZATION in deconstructing damascus part one, and how all the young people in kingdom of the pine are kept childlike as long as possible as the FOREVER CHILDREN of never never land, i will point you towards this iconic quote from the wu tang clans ODB at the 1998 grammy awards:

youtube

LOVE IS REAL thank you for reading buckaroos - chuck

#love is real #chuck tingle #tingleverse #camp damascus #horror #queer #actually autistic #art analysis #wu tang clan #Youtube

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girlactionfigure · 11 months ago

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WHAT IS ANTI-ZIONISM?

To understand what anti-Zionism is, we must first understand what Zionism is. Zionism is the movement for Jewish self-determination in the Land of Israel. In practical terms, this translates to support for the establishment and continued existence of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel.

In the First Zionist Congress, the participants defined Zionism as “Zionism seeks to establish a home for the Jewish people in Eretz Israel [the Land of Israel] secured under public law.”

Zionism is not support for any Israeli government, Israeli policies, or even any particular solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Likewise, anti-Zionism is not opposition to any Israeli government, Israeli policies, or any particular solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. In other words, it’s an “anti” ideology that’s not necessarily “for” anything — other than to oppose Zionism. That means that virtually anyone who opposes Zionism is an anti-Zionist, whether they be Ilhan Omar or David Duke.

Just as Zionism is not support for any Israeli government, Israeli policies, or even any particular solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, anti-Zionism is not opposition to any Israeli government, Israeli policies, or any solution to the conflict. Rather, it’s opposition to Jewish sovereignty in Israel in and of itself.

THE FIRST ANTI-ZIONISTS

Early anti-Zionism can be divided into two categories: Jewish anti-Zionism and non-Jewish anti-Zionism.

Zionism was, initially, of very little consequence to the non-Jewish world, which paid little attention, or regarded it cynically as a “Jewish trick.” But it was cause for rigorous debate among Jews. Jewish anti-Zionism itself can be divided into two categories. First were some Orthodox Jews, who believed a Jewish state should only be established upon the coming of the Messiah. Some fringe Orthodox sects, like the Satmar (not to be confused with the Neturei Karta), still believe this. The second group were those who believed that Zionism was a far-fetched, “reactionary” idea, and that the best course of action for Jewish survival would be for Jews to integrate into full members of their societies.

The earliest non-Jewish anti-Zionists were European antisemites. Wilhelm Marr, the antisemite who coined the word “antisemitism,” wrote of the First Zionist Congress, “the entire matter is a foul Jewish swindle, in order to divert the attention of the European peoples from the Jewish problem.”

The Catholic Church responded to the First Zionist Congress by invoking ancient antisemitic tropes: “According to the Sacred Scriptures, the Jewish people must always live dispersed and vagabondo [vagrant, wandering] among the other nations, so that they may render witness to Christ not only by the Scriptures...but by their very existence.”

Most notably, the First Zionist Congress inspired the writing of The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, the most influential antisemitic hoax in history, which purported to document the minutes of the First Zionist Congress.

EARLY ARAB ANTI-ZIONISM

Until the 1917 Balfour Declaration, most Arabs had never actually heard of Zionism. The Balfour Declaration was a British document that stated, “His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.” While the Balfour Declaration never specified the exact nature of this Jewish national home, it seemed to contradict the promise that the British made to the Arabs just a year prior, in which they promised them a unified Arab state in Greater Syria, which included Palestine.

That said, in 1899, the Arab mayor of Jerusalem, Yousef al-Khalidi, wrote to the chief rabbi of France, “Who can deny the rights of the Jews to Palestine? Good lord, historically it is your country!…But in practice you cannot take over Palestine without the use of force…” The chief rabbi of France forwarded al-Khalidi's letter to Theodor Herzl, who was quick to send a reply, assuring al-Khalidi that the Zionist movement had no intention of displacing the Muslim and Christian populations. It’s also worth noting that during this time period, Palestine experienced a mass influx of immigrants from other Jewish countries. Thus, it wasn’t immigration that al-Khalidi opposed, but rather, Jewish immigration.

An anti-Zionist Palestinian Christian newspaper, Falastin, was first published in 1911. It’s worth noting that while Falastin claimed to differentiate between Zionists and Jews, it dabbled in antisemitic conspiracies from the Elders of Zion, described Hitler as “Innocent and Noble, strong and beloved by his people,” threatened the Jewish communities of the rest of the Muslim world should a Jewish state be established, and opposed the Nuremberg Trials.

It was in the 1920s, under the influence of Haj Amin al-Husseini, that Arab anti-Zionism grew into the mainstream. Al-Husseini mobilized the Palestinian Arab population with false threats that the Jews intended to take over Al Aqsa mosque to rebuild the Temple. This incitement led to a series of massacres.

NAZI ANTI-ZIONISM

Since the 1960s, there has been a concerted propaganda effort to portray Zionism as a continuation of Nazism. The Nazis, however, made their anti-Zionism no secret from the beginning.

Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf, “For while the Zionists try to make the rest of the world believe that the national consciousness of the Jew finds its satisfaction in the creation of a Palestinian state, the Jews again slyly dupe the dumb Goyim. It doesn’t even enter their heads to build up a Jewish state in Palestine for the purpose of living there; all they want is a central organization for their international world swindle…”

Shortly after the Nazis came to power, they began breaking up Zionist meetings in Berlin; for example, a 1934 Jewish Daily Bulletin headline reads, “Nazi Officials Raid Zionist B’nai B’rith Meeting in Berlin.”

In 1937, a Nazi document on foreign policy read, “(1) The formation of a Jewish state or a Jewish-led political structure under British mandate is not in Germany’s interest…(2) Germany therefore has an interest in strengthening the Arab world as a counterweight against such a possible increase in power for world Jewry.”

By 1941, the Nazis officially banned all Zionist activities in Germany.

Also in 1941, Hitler personally assured Palestinian Arab nationalist leader Haj Amin al-Husseini that Germany “supports an uncompromising struggle against the Jews…[this] would include, of course, opposition to a Jewish homeland in Palestine, which is nothing more than a national hub for the destructive influence of Jewish interests.”

ISLAMIST ANTI-ZIONISM

Islamism is, in essence, political Islam. Islamists believe that the doctrines of Islam should be congruent with those of the state. Islamists work to implement nation-states governed under Islamic Law (Sharia), emphasize pan-Islamic unity (in most cases, hoping for an eventual worldwide Islamic Caliphate, or empire), support the creation of Islamic theocracies, and reject all non-Muslim influences. For this reason, Islamists tend to portray themselves as “anti-imperialist,” while in truth they are striving to swap western imperialism with Islamic imperialism.

Despite what many might expect, the antisemitism at the core of Islamist movements did not originate as a response to Zionism or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Instead, Islamists justify their antisemitism because of the Prophet Muhammad’s initial conflict with the Jewish tribes of the Arabian Peninsula in the seventh century.

Nevertheless, Islamists believe Zionism and Israel are “proof” that Jews are in an eternal struggle with Islam.It’s not uncommon for Islamists to conflate the past, such as the Arabian Jewish tribes’ rejection of Islam in the seventh century, with the present, such as Israeli policies they find unfavorable.

Finally, Islamists see Zionist Jews and the State of Israel as “usurpers” of what they consider to be rightfully Islamic land, belonging to a future Islamic Caliphate.

"ANTI-ZIONIST" AS AN IDENTITY

In the 1870s, Wilhelm Marr coined the word antisemitism to replace the previously-used term, “Jew-hatred.” This was at the height of the scientific racism movement, when being “anti” the so-called “Semitic race” would be considered a positive thing. As in, “I’m not a Jew-hater, I’m an antisemite!” Surely this sounds familiar.

In the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust, the gruesome images emerging from Nazi death camps shocked the world. Open antisemitism became associated with the evils of Nazism. So the Soviets, who’d long expressed antisemitic views, switched strategies.

In 1969, the United Nations passed the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Both the United States and Brazil wanted to add a clause including antisemitism. The Soviet Union, which had been heavily oppressing its Jewish population since the 1950s, worried that such a clause would be used to rebuke them for persecuting Soviet Jews. As such, they included a counter proposal, which was a clause that equated Zionism to Nazism. That way, they could say that they were (rightfully) anti-Zionists, not antisemites. Neither clause passed.

But the Soviets were never covert about the fact that their “anti-Zionism” was actually just antisemitism. In the 1960s, Soviet propaganda made blatantly antisemitic claims, including: “The character of the Jewish religion serves the political aims of the Zionists,” “Zionism is inextricable from Judaism, rooted in the idea of the exclusiveness of the Jewish People,” comparisons of Judaism to the Italian mafia, and claims that Israel was merely a means to an end of Jewish imperialism and world domination.

To strengthen their sphere of influence over Arab and African nations, the Soviets launched a covert operation against Israel, named Sionistskiye Gosudarstva, meaning “Zionist Governments.” According to KGB chairman Yuri Andropov (1967-1982), “We had only to keep repeating our themes—that the United States and Israel were ‘fascist, imperial-Zionist countries’ bankrolled by rich Jews.’”

As the Soviets gained increasing influence over the Palestinian cause in the 1960s, the Palestinian leadership, too, shifted from the overt expressions of Nazi-esque antisemitism of the 1940s to the language of anti-Zionism.

POST-HOLOCAUST JEWISH ANTI-ZIONISM

The predominant debate of pre-Holocaust Jewish Europe was whether Jews should pursue their own national aspirations (Zionism) or whether it was best to try to assimilate into their host nations as full citizens, as Jews had only recently become emancipated in Europe. The Holocaust shattered any illusion of integration.

Today, young Jewish anti-Zionists tend to glorify the General Jewish Labor Bund, the predominant anti-Zionist — or arguably non-Zionist — Jewish group in pre-World War II Europe. The Bund was officially disbanded in the 1920s, as the Soviet Union cracked down on its Jewish population, but its legacy continued through the International Jewish Labor Bund. After the Holocaust, Bundists in Displaced Persons camps advocated for Jewish refugee migration to Palestine. However, the Bund opposed partition, advocating for a binational state instead (something that the Arab leadership of Palestine itself rejected multiple times between 1939 and 1947).

A minority of ultra-Orthodox sects continue to reject a Jewish state before the coming of the messiah. However, one extremely fringe group, the Neturei Karta, seems to always steal the spotlight. The Neturei Karta are not just religious anti-Zionists but vicious antisemites who have closely allied themselves with the murderous Islamic Republic of Iran, blame Zionists for the Holocaust, and more, so much so that another religious anti-Zionist sect, the Satmar, issued a cherem (“censure,” similar to excommunication) against them.

Of course, today, there are a number of anti-Zionist left wing Jewish groups, such as Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow. I’ve talked about both those groups at length in other posts. Polls consistently show that between 80-97% of Jews are Zionists.

WHEN FAR-RIGHT, FAR-LEFT, AND ISLAMIST ANTI-ZIONISM CONVERGE

Recently some people expressed shock that “pro-Palestine” influencer Sneako and journalist Sulaiman Ahmed met with white supremacists Nick Fuentes, Jake Shields, and former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke. To me, this is entirely unsurprising. People who openly hate Jews will naturally have unfavorable views of a Jewish state. It’s not shocking that they would find common ground with allegedly non-antisemitic anti-Zionists.

Islamist-Nazi collaboration dates back to the 1930s, when the Nazis helped fund the Muslim Brotherhood. Similarly, the alliance between the Nazis and the father of Palestinian nationalism, Haj Amin al-Husseini, is well-documented. Al-Husseini spent World War II in Berlin working as a Nazi propagandist, visited the concentration camps as the Holocaust was unfolding, and met with both Hitler and Mussolini.

During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, both Palestinian Arab paramilitaries — the Army of the Holy War and the Arab Liberation Army — were trained by former German Nazis.The Nazis even formed their own legion, Black International, to fight alongside the Palestinian Arabs against the Zionists. Fawzi al-Qawugji, the leader of the Arab Liberation Army, had severed in the Nazi forces himself.

In the 1950s, the Soviets, who loudly proclaimed themselves “anti-Zionists,” exported Nazi propaganda films to the Arab world to “inflame” anti-Israel sentiment. These were films that had been produced by the Nazis in Germany during the Nazi regime.

Wolfgang Abramowski and Willi Pohl, two German neo-Nazis, helped the Palestinian terrorist “anti-Zionist” group Black September plan the 1972 Munich Massacre.They provided weapons, forged passports and other documents, and drove the terrorists around as they planned their attack.

rootsmetals

no it’s not shocking pro-Palestine influencers met w a former Grand Wizard of the KKK!

#JewishLivesMatter #EndAntisemitism #EndJewHatred

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unsoundedcomic · 4 months ago

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Are there any sects of Ssaelism that interpret rejecting the gods’ cruel world by helping others? A sort of “the gods are cruel, and we must be *better* than that” philosophy?

Ssaelism is a very unified religion, doctrinally, because it's so small and persecuted. There's not much room in there for competing sects. When norms are broken, the church comes down hard because solidarity is so important. More and more so as numbers have gone down.

With that said, Ssaelism isn't inherently cruel and heartless; it's just very bootstrappy, and since it subscribes to reincarnation, it's built on a foundational idea that you generally deserve what you get in life, and will have a chance for something better next go-around. It's not sinful to help others, but Ssael didn't demand it nor base his Way upon it. The unwillingness to proselytize has also curbed this since there's no need to woo converts in with charity. Curbing it even more is the Gefendur stance that all the Twins' children are deserving of help and mercy, which aided in the religion's spread just as much as the heathen smiting. Ssaelism wants to contrast itself, and play up the dignity of hard work and asceticism and willing suffering for the sake of upholding a pact.

I really like these two religions, they are fun to think about.

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accord-vn · 1 year ago

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Major Players in the War Against the Firmament

The Republic of Stauros

The Republic of Stauros is a global superpower that controls the Americas and much of eastern and southern Africa, its imperialist agenda funded by the exploitation of abundant natural resources. This influx of resources means that they have been able to rapidly advance technology, particularly in bio-science, engineering, and materials science fields, and their advanced technology in turn makes for political capital with which they can bully nations into being subsumed by the Republic.

Stauros is a meritocratic oligarchy with republican structures, and presents itself as being a place where the best can rise to the top. It is centrally governed in its capital of Etorios, by a council of (what were originally) six departments that oversee facets of government such as treasury, military, agriculture, etc. These department heads are chosen from among a democratically elected parliament that makes up the upper levels of each department by the previous council. In short, the system rejects change very stubbornly as those who are eligible to lead have been entrenched in the system for a very long time. This entrenchment means that the Republic, while founded on progressive ideals, has now fully embraced the authoritarian streak that has haunted it since its inception.

Most prominent in Stauros's war against the Firmament is the ExoCorps, the executive arm of the Department of the Exterior. The Dept of the Exterior was created in order to protect Stauros's offplanet interests, however in the decades since they have come to rival the power of the Dept of Military, even surpassing it in many instances. The most notable example of this power imbalance is in the ExoCorps' development of Synaptic Transfer technology and the resulting Janissary program.

The Sophic Church

The Sophic Church originated as part of the Third Awakening, a reactionary revival in religiosity coupled with anti-Christian sentiment and strong undercurrents of paranoia brought about by a sharp rise in conspiratorial thought. What were several grassroots Gnostic revival movements came together to form a single ecclesiastical society, united in their desire to dismantle current institutions and build something new. These movements, originally different sects, syncretized their beliefs, though after several decades of transformation, their doctrine has evolved into a largely ahistorical conflation of Valentinianism and Sethianism alongside some entirely new ideas.

The Sophic Church played a key role in the formation of the Republic and rose alongside it, shaping it in the process, and as a result, within Stauros there is a strong presumption that most residents of the Republic are a part of the church.

Naturally, due to this relationship the Church has amassed a large amount of wealth and influence, and has invested this wealth into a number of corporate assets. The most prominent among these is Ascension, a corporation with child companies for mining, manufacturing, logistics, pharmaceuticals, and many other industries.

As a result, the Sophic Church has control over a substantial amount of the economy not just of Stauros, but the rest of the world as well.

The Stereomatos

In 2068, Olympia, Stauros's first permanent Martian research base, collapsed due to mismanagement. Due to the nature of the Stauros Dept of Research's control over the research base, while researchers lived permanent lives on base and even raised families there, leadership was not only appointed from a bureaucracy located on Earth, but also frequently rotated. As a result, most Directors of Operations viewed the position only as a temporary station, and ultimately failed to carry out their duties.

This culminated in 2067, when a failure in the water system caused dozens of people to become ill and 14 deaths. Civil unrest had already started to stir, but now was in full swing.

A nearby ExoCorps detachment was then stationed inside the colony to dissuade uprising, but the additional strain on resources that they caused served only to exacerbate discontentment. Before any violence broke out, the base was declared no longer fit for human habitation and disbanded, its residents either returned to earth or stationed in other colonies. The base was leveled shortly thereafter.

A mere two years later, Synesia was founded on Olympia's ruins. Synesia was intended to serve as a colony and an experiment in autonomous government, as well as a center for Stauros' civic operations offplanet. This quickly expanded into a semi-autonomous satellite state, granted nominal independence by Stauros in return for serving as the governing body for bases and offplanet stations too large and too distant from Earth in order to be effectively managed by a planetary bureaucracy.

In practice, the Stereomatos is a puppet state. Most of its leadership is either beholden or sympathetic to Stauros, and lives under constant threat of dismantlement. Stauros maintains exclusive trading rights with the Stereomatos, and uses the leverage of their monopoly on space infrastructure as means of controlling the nation.

The Firmament

The Firmament is a revolutionary movement across the Stereomatos with the ultimate goal of eliminating Stauros control over space.

The movement is comprised of several cells across both inner sphere and outer sphere colonies and stations, which frequently work together to improve the living conditions of Stereomatos citizens, smuggle goods and resources across planetary boundaries, and wage asymmetric warfare against Stauros.

The Firmament's immediate strategy is to hold Stauros at resource-point through piracy and targeted attacks on military installations so that they'll agree to several key conditions:

The right to self-govern independent of Stauros control, including reforming the government from a parliamentary republic into a syndical state.

Better access to tertiary industry, including the means to utilize synaptic transfer tech

Access to Stauros trade networks in order to carry out trade with other nations with minimal interference

The Stereomatos as a whole may be generally divided in their opinion on the Firmament's methods, however it is an unspoken rule to side with them whenever possible, because the Firmament represents hope for a freer future and an end to overcrowding and military police actions. Even those ideologically opposed tend to avoid speaking out, because the members of the Firmament are ultimately members of their community. A number of Stereomatos politicians have direct connections to Firmament leadership, and work to achieve the movement's aims through diplomatic means.

On Earth, however, the opinion is generally much more divided. Typically the details of their actions are largely reduced to the effect that they've had on Stauros, and are branded terrorists due to civilian casualties from their attacks. Within Stauros, media is sufficiently skewed that those who are aware of them despise them. Outside of Stauros, the Stereomatos is shown more sympathy, and even those who skew more conservative are open to the idea of free trade with the Stereomatos.

Federated Oceania

As climate change ravaged the global south, Aotearoa (formerly New Zealand) successfully pushed back the encroaching ocean with a sea wall, reclaiming additional land in the process. Having secured their new position as a safe haven for climate refugees, they pushed Australia into adopting a similar strategy. As a means of allowing displaced people to retain their sovereignty as well as protect against the threat of a subjugation-hungry Stauros on the horizon, the bloc of Federated Oceania was formed.

With a vested interest in environmental sciences and sustainable energy, Oceania rose to prominence by implementing the first viable fusion reactor and selling off excess energy from successive plants. This paved the way to further successes until it became the non-Stauros leader in technology on a global stage, and served as the first country to challenge Stauros's self-proclaimed "monopoly on space".

As a staunch rival of Stauros, Oceania is one of the few terrestrial nations to openly provide support the Firmament.

The Archon Program

The disappearance of the Caesarea is a mainstay of conspiracy circles system-wide. From independent blogs hosted on the clearnet to chatrooms on planetside LITEs to forums and message boards maintained on Firmnet servers in the belt, no hushed whisper passes through the internet's lips without mentioning its name, and the Caesarea is rarely mentioned without the words "Archon program" in its wake.

However, there is little consensus on what those words mean.

They say that Archon Program is run by the Dept of the Exterior— no, by the Sophic Church— no, it's the secret Dept of Suppression— as a psyop— actually, it's in order to crush unions (the IPU has NEVER been able to touch Ascension)— no, to serve as a counter to the Firmament's dark matter bomb— and eventually, to dominate the world— utilizing heinous machines that are larger than any Cataphract, that bleed, that drive their enemies and pilots to madness.

When asked for proof, however, the stories converge. A would-be whistleblower from Ascension Aerospace, killed when lightning struck her complex as she was uploading the leak, severing the connection and her life at once. All that was uploaded was the first gigabyte of a single file, titled Archon Program, completely blank except for the image of an A with an ouroboros divided into seven pieces.

Nothing more is known by the public.

#accord #visual novel #worldbuilding

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