#rather than truly accepting wrongdoing and taking accountability

[galedekarios]

the plagiarist posting an "apology" to creators, including myself, who he has ripped for months on end despite us asking him not to while he still has us all blocked is... a choice

[if-pluto-could-dream]

Taurus

Synopsis

Taurus is the Fixed Earth sign, known for its stubbornness, materialism (not a bad thing) and comfort-loving nature. They are also known for their resilience to toxic environments. When undeveloped, they can be ignorant, unwavering, uncompromising, and inconsiderate. Undeveloped Taurus placements tend to have a victim mentality and have trouble taking accountability as well. Instead of proper communication, these placements will hold grudges until the pot overflows and then lay every single wrongdoing before you with a ruthlessness unmatched. This causes their personal relationships with others to be very unstable, which is the opposite of what Taurus energy is all about. They would rather create their own bubble from the world to self-soothe rather than deal with issues head-on. I have some theories about this that I may explain in the future. When developed, they can be sweet, empathetic, loving and nurturing.

Developed Tauruses are full of love and vigour, spreading this around like seeds into fertile soil, sprouting wildflowers everywhere they go. They empower their loved ones, listen to their own needs and the needs of others, as well as being emotionally attuned to those the care about. In some cases, developed Taurus placements can even manifest selflessness.

Taurus represents the urge to stay and plant roots. To be firm. It is ruled by the planet Venus and is symbolised by the Bull. Will charge at you if threatened. Should be feared from afar.

Taurus Sun

The sun is in Peregrine. (a term that means that a planet is not in exaltation, domicile, fall or detriment. Check this post for more details)

The native is a hard worker, but also works smart.

Most Taurus sun natives dedicate their energy to things that society deems inconsequential, and so, are perceived as lazy. In reality, they give their all to the causes they deem necessary.

Sometimes self-sacrificial to a point of detriment. Will agree to suffer so that those they love can prosper, but won't be happy doing it.

Really value their personal space/time, and may need periods away from people to reset. This should not be taken as rudeness or nonchalance.

I know a lot of Taurus Suns are tired of hearing this, but the natives find comfort in their favourite foods. A bad day can be fixed by their favourite bowl of cereal, or a bad mood blown away by a "sorry, I was just hungry".

Taurus Suns are very kind individuals

The native, depending on the upbringing, may have a special interest that they love to talk about and perhaps even teach others.

Often feel responsible for their friends' wellbeing in a way, acting as a protector.

When the native is undeveloped, they can be very rigid in their personality, with an aversion from 'picking sides' during conflict as well.

Taurus Moon

I apologise, as I do not have a lot of information on this placement because I know very few.

Very soft spoken, kind individuals.

People often assume they have a say in the native's life, trying to force them to make decisions without understanding what they're truly going through.

Sometimes cling to toxic beliefs in the name of normalcy, and are often unwilling to accept defeat.

When they have a purpose that they set for themselves (or one that is set for them) they are able to work extremely hard towards that goal.

Matters with the mother may border on a Love-Hate relationship. The mother (figure) or primary caregiver may have prioritized their own joy and pleasure over that of their family and children, which may have strained the relationship between them and the child. The child wishes that their caregiver was more headstrong, or stood up for them when there was conflict at home. This is why Taurus Moons are so comfort seeking: they long to fill the void that was left by the lack of security in the relationship with the primary caregiver.

The family may often depend on the native for emotional support, strength or advice.

Sometimes, the native attracts superficial relationships that do not allow them to explore their deeper emotions.

A lot of Taurus moons I know are quite patient, and usually weigh their options well before making a decision.

Even so, these natives may cling to the pain of the past, and this will hinder their ability to connect with others in the future.

Taurus Mercury

Honestly, the definition of charming. These people have a natural allure (which very few of them acknowledge) that attracts many people, simply from the way they speak and think.

When undeveloped however, this could indicate a superficial personality, or a shallow nature and a boring conversationalist.

Taurus Mercuries often stand by their opinions very strongly, and need a lot of evidence to sway their views.

Most of them are very concise speakers and writers, thriving in essay subjects, public speaking and argumentative positions. This is innate in the native, but needs a lot of hard work and training to become perfect. (influence of earth needs work for there to be harvest)

From afar, the individual may appear introverted or withdrawn, but they have a lot to say. They just say it to people they truly admire or trust.

These Mercury signs may not take critique too well, and may be unwilling to change for growth if they are truly convinced that they are the best.

They often speak out of turn, butting into the business of others or saying insensitive things without considering the weight of their words.

Depending on the 3H Lord and Sign, these natives may be slow speakers. They talk like the viscosity of honey pouring. (E.G However, if someone is an Aries Rising, Taurus Mercury, their 3rd House Sign would be Gemini, indicating that the speed of their communication could be a little fast.)

Taurus Venus

Venus is in Domicile

In my opinion, the most obstinate Taurus placement.

The natives usually have 'iconic' voices, in that you could be able to hear them speaking in a crowd and immediately know that it's them.

They express their love by letting their guard down around you, showing you sides that others have criticized them for.

Are usually very critical of those that they care about, but almost always out of love.

They enjoy receiving gifts and words of affirmation from their partners and friends, but often have a hard time accepting compliments.

Once their trust is broken, it can never be repaired to what it once was.

When they are young or undeveloped, they have a lot of trouble claiming their sexuality and expressing their romantic needs. As they begin to prioritize themselves more, this will ease.

Loyal to those who are loyal to them.

Very patient with broken lovers, but they have a breaking point. Once this point has been reached, they cannot tolerate anything more.

Have a tendency to put the needs of others above their own, at times.

When undeveloped, this placement creates issues out of thin air in order to end relationships, especially if the native doesn't feel that they deserve their partner or friend.

Can become very cynical after rejection of love.

Almost always romantically involved with someone. Have trouble when they're not in a relationship.

Taurus Mars

Mars is in Detriment.

The emotions of the native are often stepped on or glossed over.

People take advantage of this native, especially when they are young.

Most natives like to take an active role in their relationships, but a passive role in the bedroom (if they do engage in s*xual activity)

These natives are usually Serial Procrastinators, but at the end of the day, present very good work. It depends on their passion for the project at hand, but usually, those last few minutes of work will have them perfecting it.

They are also quite bad at dealing with their own conflicts. They have trouble with asserting themselves when they are hurt, and usually just shut themselves off.

Natives engage in a lot of self-sabotaging behaviour after experiencing inconveniences. They have trouble maintaining their self worth. (when undeveloped)

They have a great capacity for love.

Try to hold grudges, but ultimately, end up prioritizing peace.

Have a natural allure that draws people towards them, no matter their persona.

©️ This work is entirely original and should not be reposted without the owner's consent

[isla-04]

| the art of falling in love with a dead girl.

miya atsumu x f!reader | part 2

Summary: love conquers all. a foolish boy will believe in anything just to get you to stay, just for one more day. one more second with you is all he wishes for, a second that you may not have.

word count: 1.5k

warnings: mentions of depressions and suicide

there was only so much time promised for a single person.

some were promised an entire lifetime. some were promised an eternity.

but there were a handful of those of us that were promised much shorter: months, weeks, or even days. sometimes those days weren’t even promised, sometimes our clock would run out much quicker than the time stamp we were given originally. we were forced to watch from the sidelines while others enjoyed their life to the fullest, stretching their days as far as they could. essentially, we’ve become dead men walking. or women, in your case. 

at what point do we decide to accept our fate? at what point do we realize that our time is limited, compared to others who have an entire life to experience all the things we could only dream of doing? truly, there’s no exact point in time, but rather a feeling that we live with until our time is up. it starts off a simple whisper in the back of our head and grows into a fully matured voice that constantly creates conversation in our minds. 

the voice of disappointment, where every little thing you do is no longer good enough for not only yourself but the world around you as well. one of anger, where every wrongdoing that has come your way adds fuel to your fire and eventually burns over your entire body, just waiting to lash out on whoever’s innocent soul is near. a voice of anxiety that feels as if it were crawling through your veins, instilling its poison in your blood to the point where you feel like you can no longer breathe properly. this voice sits in the back of your head, hushed and judgmental, and when you finally acknowledge that its there it will push to the forefront of your mind. dismantling your senses and clouding your vision, this voice becomes another body in your own. a body that has corrupted your soul with its apparent hatred. 

rather than being given both the angel and the devil, the devil sits alone on both shoulders directing your every move. often times, against your will as well. maybe he was the one who stole your time, or maybe it was yourself. maybe you weren’t strong enough to fight off his thoughts, or were they yours? not that it would matter in the end.

once you’ve accepted the fact that there was only a short amount of time assigned to you, you’ve lost the desire to keep living for the rest of that time. there wasn’t much anyways, so why continue? in the end, your efforts would’ve been for nothing if you were no longer going to be here. 

but what others don’t realize is that despite the fact that you’ve accepted your end, life actually seems to become easier. the motivation to get out of bed, shower, clean up, and do normal things returns in that short period of time before you leave. the smile on your face becomes genuine and the laughs you let out, they sound exactly like they did when you were a small child. you become the best you that you’ve ever been because finally, that voice in the back of your head will no longer be there to harm you.

maybe that’s what caused him to fall for you. maybe it was the genuine smile and laughs that you gave him after he told one of his jokes. they were stupid and to others, came off as failed attempts of flirting. but you laughed and you smiled as if he was the greatest comedian of all times. you only ever looked at him with kind and soft eyes, never raised your voice to him, never turned your back. 

if he was excited he would jump circles around you, like a child excited to get ice cream. he would speak at a mile a minute, never pausing to take a breath, but he was too excited to waste a minute on breathing. he needed to tell you about whatever he was excited about, just so he could see your smile and here your voice. that silky voice that made his heart clench every time you spoke. you would be excited right along with him, even if you didn’t quite catch what he said to you in his jumbled sentences that he called english. 

if he was nervous, you would draw spirals on the back of his hands in order to calm him down. “in...out...in...out. do that three more times, okay?” you would say to him before every game, even if he wasn’t nervous. but something about the way you worried for him made him feel safe, like he would always be cared for. like he would always have someone to fall back on.

if he was angry, you would be the first person to ask what was wrong, letting him rant and complain about whatever it was that got him so worked up. you wouldn’t interrupt or try to invalidate how he felt. he could rant for hours or days, and you would be right next to him with open ears. once he’d calm down, you would be right there to help him assess the situation. could he have handled it differently? was he in the right or was he in the wrong? no matter what it was that you suggested, he’d be 100% willing to do it.

but the part of you that he appreciated and would cherish forever, was that you were willing to carry his weight on your shoulders when he couldn’t do it himself. you would be waiting for him with opens arms and he’d collapsed right into them. the first few times you hadn’t properly prepared for him to actually collapse, and you were the poor boy nearly fell onto the concrete sidewalk. as he cried into your chest, you would softly run your hands through his hair and massage his temples; you were no stranger to the headaches that would soon follow after crying this hard. the sweet nothings you would whisper into his ear, affirming that he would be okay and that this would get better, helped him pick himself up again.

you took care of him like a mother took care of her child, but to him, it felt different. he hadn’t been sure before, but when he looked into your bright eyes, he knew; atsumu fell in love with you. he fell in love with your whole being actually, and there was no part of you that he could ever hate. everything about you was perfect to him.

you never judged him or called him out for his pathetic jokes, never shunned him away when he was upset, never ordered him to quiet down when he was too excited or ridiculed him when he got angry; but you didn’t really do much these days. unbeknownst to him, you were one of the few who weren’t promised a lifetime. he had eternity, and you had ‘till the end of the week.

the eyes that he believed held the universe, were the same ones that cried for hours at night in the dark. the same ones that were red and puffy in the mornings after those late night cries. the same ones that needed to constantly hold back their own tears during the day because you felt like the weight of the world would collapse onto you. 

the shoulders that he would cry on were the same ones that slouched whenever you sat down because holding his emotional weight along with your own was beginning to overwhelm you. how were you to help him when you couldn’t even help yourself? the chest atsumu would cry into was the same one that felt empty. it felt like there was a large gaping hole in the middle right where your heart should’ve been. 

but here you were, taking care of him. you did it all on your own account, not because you felt like you owed him anything, but after a while things were not as easy as they used to be. that voice in the back of your head would get louder each year, pushing you further and further into a dark hole. a hole that got deeper over time, one that you never saw an opening to. one that felt infinite, so deep that not even a sliver of light could touch you. the clock that you were assigned at birth was nearing its end and when the big hand hit twelve, a new day would start, one without you.

as much as you cherished your time with atsumu, you knew that it was coming to an end. sooner or later you would have to say goodbye, and not just for the night, but for life. a permanent goodbye that you knew would leave a scar on his heart, but this choice was yours and you made it already. you were ready to leave, ready to go, ready to finally let your conscience rest and ease the aching in your heart. this was it. it was time, so with tears in your eyes you let go.

birdy’s notes: please do not repost, rewrite or claim as yours. thank you!

- this is my first official post and i hope that it was at least decent. i might attempt to make this a tiny series, but i’m not completely sure yet.

[typtnyhra]

Cults can and will look like anything. It helps them get away with it. There are summer camps and yoga studios that are just cults in disguise, and not all of them are blatantly religious or lifestyle centered, or ask you for money. So, here’s a list both from personal experience and a few online resources. Hopefully it helps.

Things to look out for:

Isolation from outsiders, particularly former members    - ”Us vs them” mentality/divide, even lightheartedly    - Former members are a taboo subject and, when discussed, in some way negative (ranging from misguided to a bad influence to blatantly evil)    - Rumors/claims of persecution from outsiders that seem unrealistic and are given no substantiation (particularly when given by the group leader)    - Distancing from family/friends unless they have an interest in the group/can be recruited    - Constant jargon making it difficult for outsiders to understand/easily be involved in discussions about the cult No legitimate reason to “truly” leave    - Members that are not active (but not distanced/disowned by the cult) are still considered a part of the group (”they’ll come back after [obstacle]” as opposed to accepting the departure) OR    - There is little acceptance for leaving the group, and stigma against it; it may even be framed as a betrayal

Obsessiveness around an infallible group/leader    - Little to no meaningful accountability from the leader who has full control of the group/the “final say”    - No criticism is credible/tolerated; any voiced criticism may be met with excuses, praise of the behavior being criticized, or any number of methods of discrediting/ignoring    - Any group/leader behavior can be justified, often with the results (”means to an end” mentality)    - Members can never be “good enough” or hope to compare to the leader    - The group/leader knows best and is always right    - The group/leader is the only way to tell if something is credible (running all decisions or new thoughts by the group/leader before considering them potentially valid)    - Dependency on the group/leader (would this group function with someone else at its head?)    - The message that only this group can provide something you need, and no other group can

Fusion of identity and behavior with the group/leader    - Members of the group aim to act like each other/the leader    - Thinking of oneself first as the part of the group before anything else, joining membership of the group to personal identity    - Conflating attacks on/critiques of the group with attacks on the self    - Prioritizing the goals of the group/leader to the detriment/ignoring of the self    - Challenging of one’s personal identity so that it becomes unanchored and ambiguous when removed from the group    - A member’s only true friends can be other group members/only other group members can truly understand them and their experiences

Constant jargon    - Learning all the jargon the cult uses requires high time investment into the cult    - Jargon can be used in ways making it difficult for members to discuss issues with each other within the cult    - Enough jargon present that discussing the cult with outsiders becomes difficult

More than you signed up for    - The group is pitched initially is low commitment, but as a member gets more involved, the expected commitment level increases    - Even once a member of the group, there are other ways to show further commitment, and members who do so are more highly venerated/given rewards as a result. Those who do not may be demeaned, looked down upon, or treated as lesser in some way    - Demand/expectation that members strive for perfection    - Lack of privacy within the group (including public admission of wrongdoings, sometimes tied in with push for perfection)    - It is normal for participating in the group to result in extreme stress of some sort    - Once in the group, heavy pressure to remain in the group

Personal red flags:

Note: these are similar to those of being in an abusive relationship. Like signs of an abusive relationship, it is not one alone that makes a cult, rather a combination of multiple signs that should encourage you to take a step back and evaluate if the group you are in is healthy for you.

   - You feel as if you cannot talk to others in your group about your true feelings.    - You feel reliant upon the group/leader for validation and social connection.    - An unusual (for you) amount of anxiety over fitting in/complying to the group’s norms.    - Most members of the group are in a vulnerable demographic (disproportionate number of marginalized groups, abuse survivors, or isolated people with a small potential support structure) (double and triple “this is only a red flag if there are other red flags”)    - the reason it is one is because these kinds of vulnerable groups are often targeted by cults).    - Ignoring/encouraging setting aside one’s health/goals for the benefit of the group, be it overtly or not, and punishing those who do not contribute “enough”    - Unacknowledged power dynamic (like with bosses, group leaders being your “friend” means they can push boundaries that may normally be unacceptable, if there is an unacknowledged or downplayed power dynamic present)    - Not expecting the truth from group leaders/being lied to often (control of information within the group)

Cults have evolved with society. We are not immune to propaganda - neither are we immune to the tactics used to form cults. And, I cannot stress this enough, it is not a person’s fault if they end up in a cult. People aren’t all stupid, these tactics are just not often taught and even harder to spot in the moment. Please treat people with respect, and good luck out there.

[iheartbookbran]

in what world has Jaime done as many shitty things as Cersei... he's totally done shitty things, but Cersei is really out here having people tortured, abusing her children, killing babies, raping her teenage cousin, the list goes on? by all means let's hold Jaime to account but this saying he's done 'as many shitty things as Cersei' is honestly like comparing Theon to Euron

Hi anon! I think you’re referring to this post I reblogged about Cersei, in which I said in the tags that Tyrion and Jaime are objectively as shitty.

Ok listen, full on disclaimer here, but I’m not the biggest Jaime fan out there, and I’m by no means an expert on his character, so (in general) take everything I say about him with a grain of salt, but, while Jaime may not have as much blood in his hands as Cersei, I’ll concede you that point, he’s also not a king regent, like Cersei, with huge amounts of liberty—at least at first— to commit war crimes to his hear’s content. He really hasn’t had that much agency in general across the books, with him being a prisoner of war and then being dragged around the Riverlands by Brienne or being taken hostage... again. What readers trend to forget about Jaime is that when does have the agency, as of the start of aGoT, he’s more than a willing participant in Cersei’s schemes.

Yeah sure, he feels bad about it, and he justifies it by saying that he does it because he loves Cersei and wants to protect her, but to that I have to say...

Also I’m gonna disagree in one of the things you listed Cersei has done and Jaime hasn’t.

That is “killing babies” because Jaime doesn’t really show any qualms about harming children? Bran being the biggest example, of course. The only reason he isn’t dead is because he’s got big plot armor. Still, I feel this often gets ignored when discussing Jaime’s character because Bran didn’t die while ignoring the physical and emotional damage he’s suffering as a result, including deep depression. And just because an attempted murder failed doesn’t negate the fact that Jaime still pushed a 7 year old child out of a window with the clear intention of killing him.

He’s also not opposed to maiming children. He was more than willing to cut off Arya’s hand after the Trident incident:

"Do you see that window, ser?" Jaime used a sword to point. "That was Raymun Darry's bedchamber. Where King Robert slept, on our return from Winterfell. Ned Stark's daughter had run off after her wolf savaged Joff, you'll recall. My sister wanted the girl to lose a hand. (...) The king was passed out snoring on the Myrish carpet. I asked my sister if she wanted me to carry him to bed. She told me I should carry her to bed, and shrugged out of her robe. I took her on Raymun Darry's bed after stepping over Robert. (...) "As I was fucking her, Cersei cried, 'I want.' I thought that she meant me, but it was the Stark girl that she wanted, maimed or dead." The things I do for love. "It was only by chance that Stark's own men found the girl before me. If I had come on her first . . ."—aFoC, Jaime IV.

And yeah, he again justifies it on his need to please Cersei, but that’s not good enough for me, not by a long shot.

Same as this....

Edmure raised his hands from the tub and watched the water run between his fingers. "And if I will not yield?"

Must you make me say the words? (...) "You've seen our numbers, Edmure. You've seen the ladders, the towers, the trebuchets, the rams. If I speak the command, my coz will bridge your moat and break your gate. Hundreds will die, most of them your own. Your former bannermen will make up the first wave of attackers, so you'll start your day by killing the fathers and brothers of men who died for you at the Twins. The second wave will be Freys, I have no lack of those. My westermen will follow when your archers are short of arrows and your knights so weary they can hardly lift their blades. When the castle falls, all those inside will be put to the sword. Your herds will be butchered, your godswood will be felled, your keeps and towers will burn. I'll pull your walls down, and divert the Tumblestone over the ruins. By the time I'm done no man will ever know that a castle once stood here." Jaime got to his feet. "Your wife may whelp before that. You'll want your child, I expect. I'll send him to you when he's born. With a trebuchet."

Silence followed his speech. Edmure sat in his bath. (...) With a trebuchet, Jaime thought. If his aunt had been there, would she still say Tyrion was Tywin's son?—aFoC, Jaime VI.

Charming lol. Don’t forget that he’s doing all this while he tells himself that he’s keeping the oath he made to Catelyn about not harming her kin, and the riverlords as an extension, and at the same time defending and giving legitimacy to a hideous unlawful act that Jaime himself, deep down, condones, and yet there he is, waging war against the Tullys. And threatening to trebuchet Edmure’s baby while he’s at it.

I think that my biggest problem with Jaime is exactly that, his willingness to be complicit in all of his family’s wrongdoings and even rationalize his involvement. Like you also mentioned Cersei raping her teenage cousin, and that 100% should not be ignored (though funnily enough, Jaime uses Cersei “infidelity” if you can call it that to slut-shame her lmao, but their relationship is messed up like that). Now Jaime is one of the only male characters that acknowledge marital rape is a thing, that’s good, but at the same time his hold on concent is... shaky at best imo.

With his relationship with Cersei there are some glaring examples:

“Stop it,” she said. “Stop it, stop it, oh please…” But her voice was low and weak, and she did not push him away.—aGoT, Bran II.

“No,” she said weakly when his lips moved down her neck. “Not here. The septons…”

“The Others can take the septons.” He kissed her again, kissed her silent, kissed her until she moaned.—aSoS, Jaime VII.

This is a problem with Cersei as well. Both twins have issues accepting that no means no. And even going beyond that, there’s the whole Tysha fiasco and Jaime’s involvement on it.

"She was no whore. I never bought her for you. That was a lie that Father commanded me to tell. Tysha was . . . she was what she seemed to be. A crofter's daughter, chance met on the road."

Tyrion could hear the faint sound of his own breath whistling hollowly through the scar of his nose. Jaime could not meet his eyes. Tysha. He tried to remember what she had looked like. A girl, she was only a girl, no older than Sansa. "My wife," he croaked. "She wed me."

"For your gold, Father said. She was lowborn, you were a Lannister of Casterly Rock. All she wanted was the gold, which made her no different from a whore, so . . . so it would not be a lie, not truly, and . . . he said that you required a sharp lesson. That you would learn from it, and thank me later . . ."—ASOS, Tyrion XI.

Yes, Jaime, and she was also a teenage girl, who was gang raped on your father’s command, in front of your 13 year old brother who later was forced to participate (and people forget Tyrion was a victim here too).

I mean Jaime is a victim of his father’s abuse the same way his siblings are, but he’s also a full grown adult, more than capable of recognizing right from wrong, yet he still chosen to side with his family and be complicit to their crimes. Sometimes you can be guilty of what you don’t do, not only of what you do.

Of course, it’s kinda unfair to make a complete judgment just yet because his story is not finished, so he might make a turn in that regard, but that really hasn’t happened as far as the books go? Other than him deciding not to go to Cersei because he feels betrayed that she slept with other men. Oh the irony of him turning on her the one time she legitimately needs him to protect her from an actual injustice instead of him inflicting terror on others per her wishes.

I think it’s interesting that GRRM even gives Jaime this opportunity to grow, while he never extends the same courtesy to Cersei. That Jaime spents so much time away from his family—and by extension of Cersei—is a huge factor in that, but I do wonder what would have happened if he didn’t have the fallout with Cersei, if he had been in that position of power to continue the affair with his sister, to what lengths he would have gone to keep her, and that’s why I, personally, believe that he can be, or rather is, as bad as Cersei.

[ariainstars]

Star Wars or Why Rebellions Are Necessary

There was a lot that irritated me with the ending of the Star Wars sequels, among other things considering that they were supposed to be a wrap-up of the saga. But you know what… Looking back now, one of the things most I miss is the rebellion.

In many ways, the saga is a coming-of-age story through three generations; but it seems that in the case of the third generation, the journey to adulthood was aborted. (Is it a coincidence that the erstwhile Rebellion, under Leia Organa’s leadership, is called not Rebellion but Resistance?)

Every generation - this also applies to our own world - has and needs dynamics of some kind. The world keeps changing, and we need to change accordingly. Many people unfortunately adopt some mindset or other (of their own, or instilled into them by people they trust) and stick with it for the rest of their lives. This is one of the main reasons why children and their new, fresh points of view are so extremely important.

“I believe that you are redeemed by your children.” George Lucas

Prequels

Anakin Skywalker is often accused of being a whiny, perpetually dissatisfied brat both by the Jedi Council and by the audience.

But on watching the prequels again, after some years and distance, the Old Republic gave me the distinct impression of a stagnant society on the verge of its breakdown, very far removed from the peaceful world Obi-Wan Kenobi had described to Luke when they first talked on Tatooine. And Anakin rebels against it right from the start. 

Anakin repeatedly chafes against the restrictions of the world around him. He wants to be free and also to free his mother; the Jedi’s strict code of non-attachment paired with their conviction of being always right drives him downright mad. This reaches a painful peak on the terrible night he has to watch his mother die a cruel, senseless death.

The unpopular truth is that Anakin is right when he accuses Obi-Wan of holding him back. This may be jealousy the way he claims (and indeed Anakin repeatedly proves to be stronger than his master); in any case, Obi-Wan is clearly not much inclined to compassion. He is a dutiful man and he knows that the Jedi’s eyes are on him as the master of the boy they didn’t want in the first place. He and the other Jedi know almost nothing besides their Code, having grown up in the Order from infancy. So, they struggle to keep things under control and to preserve the world they know the way it is. 

But this world also contains a lot of injustice: the Separatists do not want to leave the Republic without reason. The Jedi use the Force for their own purposes, instead of teaching the populations of the galaxy faith in it. Anakin is deliberately held back, kept down and even humiliated by the Jedi, the cunning Palpatine being the only one who shows him some respect. In the end, he is even denied the title of “master”, although he more than earned it (apart from everything else: risking his life over and over on the missions they sent him to). It is not hard to see that “he is too young” is only a lame excuse contrived by the Jedi to hide what Anakin suspected all along: that they don’t trust him. Anakin has an uncanny talent for seeing through the Jedi’s hypocrisy, and being both honest and bold, he often says what they don’t want to hear.

Created by the Force to bring Balance, Anakin derives his enormous power from both the Light and the Dark Side. The Jedi, who have made it their task to dedicate themselves to the Light Side only (completely ignoring the Dark Side), fear and shun him and never seem to ask themselves what is actually meant with the “Balance” of the old prophecy and why this must be “brought” from the outside. Obi-Wan’s last words to Anakin clearly say that according to him, the Dark Side has no right to exist. 

“You were supposed to destroy the Sith, not join them!” Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith 

The Jedi seem to have forgotten that the Force actually does not belong to them but the other way around; meaning that the Jedi are not automatically the Light Side and the Sith the Dark Side. They derive their power from these, but they do not embody the Force at any moment. 

The only act of rebellion Anakin manages to perform is his secret marriage to the woman he loved ever since he was a little boy. It is an insubordination that would cost him his status of a Jedi if it was known. Anakin, having lost his compassionate mother who taught him always to help others, and being is repeatedly told that he must do what the Jedi order him no questions asked (mostly actions designed to make them preserve their status and their political power) instead of helping who is actually in need, chooses to marry a woman who is compassionate herself.

This leads at least to some years of balance for him, and the children he generates are the future hopes of the galaxy; so Anakin’s rebellion to the Jedi Code, though secret, causes a lot of good.

The trouble is not Anakin’s rebellious nature; it is, like with most teenagers, not that he sees what is going on but that he doesn’t quite understand why ongoing things are never to be questioned, and that he doesn’t find the right words or actions to articulate his anger and disappointment. Nor does he know what needs to be done to make things better. In the end, the only tragic solution he comes up with is literally burning the house down.

At the other end of the scale, there is Padmé: the daughter of an influential and obviously affluent family of Naboo, she is not a rebel because she sees no need for rebelling. She does want to make things better, though not in such a harsh way as her husband: and this is where they ultimately clash. While Anakin sees through the evils of the Republic and the Jedi and decides to put a radical end to them, Padmé begins to doubt the justice of her mission just shortly before the world she knew is destroyed by the hand of the very person whom she loves most. 

“What if the democracy we thought we were serving no longer exists, and the Republic has become the very evil we have been fighting to destroy?” - Padmé in Revenge of the Sith 

Anakin, though, had his own ideas about rebellion: he executes Order 66 as per Palpatine’s order, but when his wife comes to find him on Mustafar he tells her what he actually wanted all along, which was not, ultimately, to be the Chancellor’s minion. 

Anakin: “I am more powerful than the Chancellor, I can overthrow him. And together you and I can rule the galaxy. Make things the way we want them to be!“

Padmé: “I can’t believe what I’m hearing!” Revenge of the Sith 

The most powerful couple of the galaxy breaks apart over their different ideologies. Anakin is misusing his newfound powers, and his appalled wife must learn that he expects her to be on his side. He believes his care for her is leading him, when in truth it’s his fear; if he truly cared for her so much, he would not do things which he ought to know she would utterly disdain and be horrified by. 

It is interesting that despite the chasm in their attitudes, their emotional bond still stays strong. Padmé manages to reach through to her husband’s heart one last time, almost succeeding to make him leave Mustafar with her. Then unfortunately Obi-Wan interferes, pushing Anakin into his head again: he realizes that Padmé loves him despite his choices, not because of them, and that Obi-Wan wants to take him to account. Seeing his rebellious acts coming apart, Anakin lashes out setting the final seal on his destiny. 

And this is where Palpatine, the future Emperor, steps in. He neither openly rebelled nor tried to improve the galaxy’s order while preserving it, but planned his putsch on the long run for decades. His usurpation at last puts an end to the clone wars, which is why the former Republic, tired of the fighting, destruction and deaths, welcomes him as a peacemaker before realizing that it exchanged one evil for another, much worse one. 

  Classics 

The original trilogy is the story of a rebellion at its very core. By the time Luke and Leia are grown the Empire has become so powerful and ruthless that the populations of the galaxy feel oppressed and welcomes Luke and Leia’s, and their allies’, struggles to overthrow it. 

Leia speaks up against Tarkin, Emperor Palpatine’s deputy, and Darth Vader right from the start, without even knowing that Vader is her biological father. She does not need this knowledge to be aware of his wrongdoings. Leia’s rebellion is justified and her own adoptive parents, a queen and a senator, actively assist her with it.

At first, Luke rebels against staying on his desert planet without any prospects for the future; then he is sucked into the vortex of politics (Rebellion) and religion (Jedi) and dedicates himself to both.

Luke rebels against his father to the last: even trapped, maimed, isolated and traumatized he chooses rather to jump into an abyss, narrowly escaping death, than accepting to be his ally.

His ultimate act of rebellion takes place before the Emperor: again, Luke faces almost certain death rather than the corruption of his ideals. 

“You lost, your highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me.” Return of the Jedi 

Though Darth Vader does have plans of his own (corrupting his son and overthrowing the Emperor), he always obeys his master. Only at the very last moment he rebels, saving his son at the cost of his life. 

Whatever they do, Luke and Leia never give up on rebelling. Before Tarkin, Vader, Palpatine or Hutt, they always speak their minds and if they are afraid, they do not show it in their least. Their faith in their ideals makes them bold. 

Rebellion wins. A family is formed, peace ensues and stays in the galaxy for many years.

 Rogue One, Solo, The Mandalorian

 “Rebellions are built on hope.” Rogue One

The heroes of Rogue One rebel because, each in his own way, they have nothing left to lose; contrarily to Anakin who had everything to lose. But that is not entirely true: we see glimpses of friendship and love in the members of the Rogue One mission, and they all still have their lives. But instead of making something of what they have, they all decide to risk (and indeed lose) what little they have for a greater good.

The world needs rebels because it needs hope. Without hope, there is only the stagnancy which we can so clearly see in the Old Republic before its fall. Yet Rebellion does not only need a cause, it also needs an aim.

Han, whose story mirrors Rogue One’s, knew he wanted to escape from slavery and later he found out what he wanted to do with his new freedom: help Luke and Leia, to whom he had become attached. It is not coincidental that he’s the most mature of the bunch.

This is what we can see in The Mandalorian: he belongs to the guild of bounty hunters and then he also rebels - though he ought not to take interest in a bounty and not to ask any questions, he stands up against leaving the unprotected Child behind.

  Sequels

The first person we see rebelling in the sequels is Finn. Appalled by the ruthlessness of the First Order, he decides to leave. His choice at first is a selfish one though, he only thinks of escape, not of any greater good. He has to meet Rose and DJ and to make his experiences at Canto Bight to understand that it is important to rebel for a cause.

Phasma: “You always were scum.” Finn: “Rebel scum.” The Last Jedi

Though commonly seen as modeled upon Luke’s character, Rey lacks one major trait that he had: instead of actively looking for her fate, she remains passive, merely surviving, her attitude and looks the same she had when she was a little girl.

Rey is not willing and impatient to leave her home world and embrace her destiny. On the contrary, she waits and waits for a family which, as we later learn, she unconsciously knew would never come back to her.

Ironically it is Kylo Ren, the alleged bad guy, who is the main rebel of the sequel trilogy. We learn that he is our hero’s son and nephew and that he turned his back on them for unknown reasons; and he always has his own agenda. His temper tantrums are not there for a good joke: they show that he is interiorly conflicted and not really committed to the First Order. All of his acts are rebellious in one way or another.

Kylo searches for the map leading to Luke because he wants to confront him by himself: Snoke’s intentions only happen to have the same aim. (He indeed kills Snoke when he no longer needs him, the way Vader had wanted to do with Palpatine.)

Kylo unexpectedly kidnaps Rey on Takodana, and at first, instead of reading the map in her mind he tries to get to know her.

Kylo kills Han, coerced by Snoke, and we see him unhinged and deeply upset right afterwards, showing how he hated what he did.

 On seeing him first in The Force Awakens, I remember thinking repeatedly: “What’s the matter with this guy?”

Kylo (Ben) only has one chance to open up to Rey and tell her at least a part of his story from his own point of view, i.e. the fatal night at Luke’s temple, during one of their Force connections. And that is not nearly enough. One of the sequel’s biggest mistake was, in my opinion, telling us next to nothing about what had happened to the Skywalker-Organa-Solo family after the rebellion had ended in victory.

The other big mistake was not to show the road for a better future for the galaxy. Ben Solo comes back “home” in death, which is not a satisfying conclusion for his story. He is practically regressing to childhood, and his rebellious acts led to nothing except pain and death and ultimately, the rise of the girl of Palpatine blood.

Now this would still be acceptable if Rey had proven to be a deserving heir to the Skywalker family’s legacy. But she isn’t.

Why?

Because whatever Rey may be, she’s not a rebel. She was introduced to us as a scavenger, and she remained one to the very last - searching for old artifacts and legends and cherishing them never knowing their actual meaning and history.

For me, this is one of the many reasons why she ends alone on a desert planet. Rey did not grow up. She did not experience the painful but necessary process of coming of age that the heroes of the classic trilogy went through. If anything, it’s still ahead of her.

Rey wanted a family, though obviously not one of her own with a partner and children. The only person we ever see her feeling anything intimate for is Kylo / Ben; but with few exceptions, she adamantly pushes him away. He obviously terrifies and angers her, although since she is a child of Darkness herself, she ought to have no reason for that. Also, she quickly realizes that she is not powerless before him; that he both wants to keep her near and that he acknowledges her power and listens to her. But he always brings out her true self apart from the “good little girl” she wants to be; the good sides together with the bad sides. 

“You need a teacher - I could show you the ways of the Force!” The Force Awakens 

And Rey’s own authenticity frightens her. She seems afraid not so much of Kylo but of her own burgeoning adulthood and femaleness. Having been sold into slavery, she did not get the chance to have a normal, protected childhood and adolescence; her personality did not grow into womanhood, and she is aware of this lack, searching in all places for parental figures who will ��show her her place in all this”. 

Rey briefly glimpsed a different kind of life sometimes, like on Takodana, or Pasaana (an odd symphony with the planet’s names, too) where she realized she wanted to live on a green planet, and to have children of her own. Also, Kylo saw her dreaming of an ocean. However, those remained vague dreams.

Unpopular opinion: maybe Rey did not want her dreams to come true. Hers is the story of a girl who first and foremost has needs, not dreams. When we first met her she was alone, enslaved, abandoned, overworked and hungry. As the audience, we expect as a matter of course to see a protagonist following his dreams and reaching them, and she didn’t. Rey’s needs were fulfilled during the course of this story, the way she wanted; nothing more. 

  Sacrifice Is Necessary, Too

So the question is, why does the saga end like this? It doesn’t feel like a fitting ending to a story that was always about rebellion. As I already said, rebelling itself is not enough: one must also know to what end, and the sacrifices one is ready to make.

The Jedi, as well as Padmé and Anakin, wanted to keep their cake and eat it, making a better world without having to give up anything that was dear to them.

The middle generation of Skywalkers did rebel but did not follow rebellion through: they longed for the seemingly beatific Republic before the rise of the Empire. Yet watching the prequels, as the audience we clearly see that it wasn’t quite that good. So our heroes fought, unknowingly, with the aim of restoring something that would have needed to be improved in their first place, and their “happy ending” did not last very long.

Luke read the ancient Jedi texts and wanted to rebuild the Jedi Order the way it was. Leia, the princess, probably learned about the Old Republic from her adoptive father, Senator Bail Organa, and wanted to restore it. But when we see them again, both twins are disillusioned and tired. Their own son and nephew destroyed whatever they had achieved with their efforts - and at least Luke is aware that he was partially responsible for it.

So the question arises, what are rebellions good for if they lead to no better future? What good is fighting for without asking how things could come so far in the first place, and without wondering about how to make things better? Ben Solo is repeatedly depicted as someone who has doubts, but it is also obvious that his doubts were not taken seriously and that he was just expected, both by his family and Snoke, to meet expectations. And like his grandfather, he had other things in mind: something new. Ever since their first Force vision (when Rey touched Luke’s light sabre in Maz’ castle) he knew that Rey was his other side in the Force. The moment he learned she was on Takodana he relentlessly pursued her, and no matter what happened, and despite everything she did to him, he was adamant to keep her by his side.

“We can rule together and bring a new order to the galaxy!” Kylo Ren in The Last Jedi

Rey rejects his offer, disappointed that he will not turn the way she expected him to. Maybe she was afraid that he was trying to lure her to the Dark Side; but given the wording, he wasn’t. Ben knew that with Rey he could find Balance, and he wanted to do so and to offer this Balance to the galaxy. At no time did he speak to her about the “power of the Dark Side” the way Vader had with his son; Ben obviously appreciated Rey’s strengths and did not want her to turn for him but to stay by his side, to create something new. Rey, ever the scavenger, does not want anything new; she longs for the past, so she unknowingly turns her back on Balance.

The sequel trilogy ends without leaving anyone with a feeling of hope exactly because the coming of age of both protagonists failed: Ben’s rebellion came to no satisfying conclusion, and Rey’s rebellion didn’t even get started. Though many fans interpreted her as such, she is not and never was a new interpretation of Luke Skywalker but his inversion: first she did not want to leave her desert planet and now she is on another.

By the time The Rise of Skywalker comes to a closure, Kylo / Ben, the last of the Skywalker blood, has not brought Balance to the Force; Ben’s journey ends because he has learned to let go. Anakin learned this important lesson only when he had already been Vader for many years; Luke learned letting go much earlier - losing his home on Tatooine, his mentor Obi-Wan, giving up his crush on Leia realizing that she had fallen in love with Han. But Rey did not; we never see her give up anything or anyone dear to her. Her journey feels unfinished and even more - it feels like it didn’t begin yet.

“Ben is someone who has hope. ... For the first time, someone who has never had the answer, now finally knows his purpose or destiny. He has to let her (Rey) know that they’re together. But I don’t know that he entirely is sure of what’s going to happen from there, nor do I think he cares. I think, it’s so long as he is with her, he is on the right path.” (Adam Driver)

Ben, who was named after Obi-Wan Kenobi, princess Leia’s “only hope”, the rightful heir of the Chosen One, is supposed to be dead and gone for good right after having found his way? Sorry, I can’t believe it.

Also, given the parallels between Padmé and Rey, it is to be hoped that maybe Rey will go her way - that she will want to make a better world without using violencev.

And I for my part wholeheartedly rebel to believe that this is supposed to be the ultimate ending. 😊

[e-louise-bates]

Been thinking about Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and its nature as a story about journeys. Not just the physical journey the ship is on, but the inner journeys each of our main characters experiences. Lewis even described it as a spiritual journey, with Reepicheep as the main example. It’s a pilgrimage that changes each of them.

Reepicheep and Eustace are the most obvious examples here. Reepicheep is questing for Aslan’s Country, and when he reaches it in the end, he throws away his sword, the very symbol of who he is (well, that and his tail), in order to be unencumbered on the final stage.

Then there’s Eustace, who first transforms into the worst version of himself, an literal, physical dragon to match his dragonish inside, and then is transformed by Aslan into a human, whose journey afterward is one of steady upward growth. He’s not magically perfect, but he consistently tries to do better, even if it’s in small ways and even if his attempts fail at times (breaking Caspian’s second-best sword on the sea serpent ...)

But what about the other three? What is their inward journey that matches up with their outward one?

For Caspian, it’s growing into his kingship. It’s learning to accept responsibility. It’s growing less like Miraz, and more like Aslan. We see him in all his pomp and glory in rescuing the other and ending the slave trade in the Lone Islands, but ultimately sailing off and leaving them to clean up after him. Then comes Deathwater, where he falls right into temptation, sliding oh-so-easily into pride, selfishness, and greed. He recovers from that, but the effects linger, leading him to the ultimate struggle as they near the World’s End, when he attempts to abrogate his kingly responsibility in order to pursue a personal quest. Here, the ultimate good for Reepicheep is shown to be not the ultimate good for Caspian--he has to learn how to behave as a king. He is even described as looking like Miraz at one point during the argument, and it isn’t until he sees Aslan’s face that he truly repents and accepts the whole burden of kingship--going back when you’d rather go forward; being responsible when you’d rather have an adventure; following duty even if it means saying goodbye to your friends. That’s Caspian’s journey.

Lucy’s is a bit more subtle. We know that she still “needs” something from Narnia when they arrive, or she wouldn’t have had the adventure. Likewise, we know that she gained whatever it was she needed by the end, or she wouldn’t have been told her time in Narnia was at an end. So what was it? I think it’s fairly obvious that her crisis, the turning point of her journey, came on the Dufflepuds’ Island, with perhaps a secondary crisis at the Dark Island. So let’s look at those.

We see the courage of Queen Lucy the Valiant when she takes the Dufflepuds’ challenge to undo the invisibility spell. And then we see something interesting: she faces an enormous temptation to make herself beautiful/desirable. When she sees Aslan’s face in the middle of the spell, she resists that temptation, but falls to a lesser one, to find out what her friends really think of her. Shortly after that, she makes Aslan visible, shows her true beauty in her joy at seeing him, repents of her wrongdoing, is forgiven and also accepts the consequences. So what’s the underlying theme here? The Disney movie would have it that Lucy needs to love herself. Accepting yourself and not comparing yourself to others is certainly laudable, and certainly Lucy needs to learn the difference between false worth and true worth, but I don’t think that’s the only thing Lewis is getting at here. I think that for Lucy, growing up is bringing a whole lot of new challenges that she hasn’t had to face before, and her particular struggle is seeing Aslan even when it looks like he’s not there. Keeping her focus on him even when she’s tempted to fall into the trap of wanting worldly approval, of finding value in other people’s opinion of her rather than finding her value in Aslan alone. This need to see Aslan even when it looks like he isn’t there is emphasized by the Dark Island, where she is tempted to fall into despair, but retains enough faith to call upon Aslan--and he comes to lead them out of the pit of nightmares. In Prince Caspian Lucy learned to follow Aslan even when no one else could see him: now she has learned to follow him even when she can’t see him.

And Edmund? Edmund is even harder to read than Lucy, in large part because he faced his major spiritual crisis back in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and he’s only continued to grow in steadfast faith ever since. Yet clearly, as with Lucy, there was something more he needed to take from Narnia before he was ready to leave it behind for his own world. We don’t see much of the story from Edmund’s perspective: when Eustace is undragoned is about it. The only other times he’s not wholly in the background are at Deathwater, on Ramandu’s Island, and chiding Caspian at the end. I will admit it’s difficult for me to pick up on any kind of thread that holds these four instances together. We see him at his best with Eustace, reassuring him and pointing him toward Aslan. He’s at his worst with Caspian on Deathwater, holding his position as one of the ancient Four above the other king’s head. His past with the White Witch makes it hard for him to trust Ramandu’s Daughter, especially with the Witch’s knife reminding him of that past, and then we see him as not a king but a counselor, a mentor, reminding Caspian of his duty, at the World’s End. So what’s Edmund’s journey? The best I can come up with is moving from a kingly role to a priestly role, letting go of past glories to stand as a guide to others; but I’ll admit that doesn’t seem to take into account his discomfort on Ramandu’s Island. If anyone else has any ideas, I’ll gladly hear them.

The other crucial bit about VDT is the sun motif, Sol in the medieval cosmology, that which transforms all baser metals to purest gold. (I am heavily influenced here by Michael Ward’s Planet Narnia.) Even as Deathwater transformed living things to deadly gold, so Aslan’s influence throughout the story transforms all the characters to living gold--people who live in the brightness of the true Sun all the rest of their days. Reepicheep gives up earthly glory for eternal bliss. Eustace accepts the painful transformation offered by Aslan to be reborn into a new person. Caspian lets go of false pride and lust for adventure to become a true king. Lucy turns from false promises of worldly value for the value found in following Aslan. Edmund, if nothing else, becomes a little more like Aslan on this journey.

So it is that the voyage of the Dawn Treader is also a voyage of sanctification for the people aboard it, and that far from being a disjointed series of meaningless vignettes, there is a strong thread of transformation holding it all together.

[lotusillustration]

i know there’s a hnk tarot deck which i own and ADORE but here’s my take

I tried to keep this based off the rider-waite deck, but I’ve used some interpretations from my personal favourite deck too.

mobile users: I’m so fucking sorry

0. The Fool - Phosphophyllite Upright, The Fool represents new beginnings and innocence. It’s numbered 0 as it’s the beginning of the journey through the Arcana. The Fool encourages a free spirit and diving into the unknown. Reversed, The Fool represents being unprepared, taking too many risks. “What am I getting myself into?” could be an interpretation if you draw this card, and that you should reign back the once carefree energy.

I. The Magician - Euclase Upright, The Magician represents power and resourcefulness. To draw this card may mean that your current plans are in order, and ready to be acted upon. It represents clarity and focus. Reversed, The Magician means you may be unsure how to act upon a situation. To draw it may mean the universe wants to to reign back, and you’re out of touch with yourself.

II. The High Priestess - Lapis Lazuli The High Priestess signifies one’s subconcious mind, which constrasts The Magician’s focus on the concious mind. She represents that the world is not all it seems, and can be a fascination with higher powers, and unseen events. She essentially represents enlightenment and psychic insights.Reversed, she represents withdrawal and silence. She can represent manipulation, secrecy and hidden agendas - even when that knowledge should be shared.

III. The Empress - Red Beryl The Empress is a difficult card to explain to non-tarot users, as the “base” for her is femininity. In this sense, femininity is not being a feminine person, but rather represents traits such as creativity and connecting with your senses. The Empress sees beauty in all things. Reversed, The Empress may show you’re throwing yourself into your work too much. You may be neglecting your own needs. Red Beryl is the only gem who creates clothing for the gems - that’s their only purpose in life. Rx, The Empress suggests you take time for self love, enjoying beauty for oneself rather than the world around you.

IV. The Emporer - Kongo The Emporer is the perfect card to describe Kongo-sensei. In a literal sense, The Emporer represents a father figure. The Emporer is a strong, powerful man, who status and respect come naturally to him. He also represents a social system, a strict way of living, and order. He also signifies knowledge and expertise. I don’t to go too far past these literal meanings of The Emporer, since he already reflects Kongo perfectly. Reversed, however, he can represent a system that has too many strict rules. To pull The Emporer rx, you may be struggling with a person in power over you, you could be struggling where you’re the person in power and don’t know how to act. It could mean unhealthy and unequal relationships that, over time, become toxic.

V. The Hierophant -  Yellow Diamond Upright, The Hierophant could show that oneself is seen as a mentor, the one who people look to for adivce, for teachings. He represents someone with strict family traditions, who will pass these traditions down generation to generation. The reversed Hierophant is a card that isn’t nessicarily bad, like many other rx cards. It may show you that you need to assess your own wants and needs, to teach yourself before others. It encourages one to really think about the world they live in, and challenge the status quo if deemed appropriate.

VI. The Lovers - Rutile Upright, The Lovers represent passion and how one chooses to interact with those around them. While it can represent a close one-on-one relationship, it can represent relationships in general. To go deeper, The Lovers represent one's personal values, and carrying out tasks that are most important, and making difficult descisions. To draw The Lovers, it is a sign that one should focus on self love first. Reversed is where this gets juicy. Reversed, the Lovers represents an imbalance in relationships, communication is difficult and ones values may change or no longer match. To pull The Lovers rx, you may be facing a difficult choice, perhaps with no perfect outcome. One may be having severe inner conflicts, unsure of current values, and disharmony within oneself. Interestingly, The Lovers rx are encouraged to seek out The Hierophant's advice.

VII. The Chariot - Cairngorm Upright, The Chariot shows determination and willpower, potentially for a specific project. Once one decides on their project, they will try, to no end, to complete it. Ignore those trying to block you, move forward. In an incredibly literal sense, The Chariot can represent moving from one place to another Inversed, however, The Chariot is a warning to stop. Your plan is failing, you may have lost motivation. You're focused too much on yourself, and ignoring your Higher Self and what the Universe wants for you. You may find yourself controlled by another person, or controlled by your own thoughts in a negative way.

VIII. Strength - Diamond & Bortz Strength is often depicted with an image of a ferocious lion, being tamed by a gentle woman (in my deck, it depicts the constellation Leo). Upright, Strength represents raw power, internally (this contrasts to the external powers of The Chariot). To draw Strengh, it shows that you have a lot of raw energy and, well, strength, However, you need to control, or “tame” this raw energy, which is why I’ve included Dia. Strength reversed may better depict Dia, to draw it means you’re full of self doubt, unsure of your power and overall lacking in self confidence. As a side note, Strength rx can also depict explosive anger.

IX. - The Hermit - Cinnabar I'll start with the inverse Hermit for this one. Inverse, The Hermit represents taking too much time to yourself, hiding away, and ignoring the Higher Self. In a relationship sense, one might be withdrawing aggressively, despite the reaching out of another. Upright, The Hermit is representative of a more healthy self reflection - stepping back from "real life" to focus on yourself for a little. Upright, The Hermit appears at a pivotal point in one's life, an important changing point. At this point, one may need to stop withdrawing in order for personal growth. Priorities and understanding of the Higher Self may be deeply improved, and one may move away from an unhelpful society.

X. The Wheel of Fortune - Ventricosus The main reason I selected an Admirabilis for the Wheel of Fortune is that this card can represent the fleetingness of life. Upright, the Wheel of Fortune represents rapid change and the cycle of life. The Admirabilis are the only species in the series with a “regular” lifespan, and their society behaves as such. The Wheel of Fortune can also relate to karma and lovingness. For the Gems and Lunarians - the world is not in a state of constant change, while the Admirabilis live and die.  To draw the Wheel of Fortune, one may have a difficult choice on their plate and urgency to change. The Wheel of Fortune urges one to believe in the Universe’s plan, and may represent critical turning points in life. To draw the Wheel of Fortune reversed asks you to step back from taking matters you shouldn’t into your own hands, and can flip the balance of your Higher Self. In order for good karma to come back to you, you must accept responsibilty for your wrongdoings.

XI. Justice - Jade Justice, of course, represents justice. Digging deeper, though, it represents one's alignment with the Higher Self and how one interacts with others. Justice tried to keep others in order, possibly even trying to distract from the negative in the world. Justice is a search for the truth, despite adversity. Reversed, Justice can reflect your inner self, and not believing in a choice you've made, or been forced to make. One may be at conflict with themself due to actions they've taken, or even unwilling to take accountability for the poor choices one has made. Justice rx can also represent a severe inner critic, or, again, facing a descision with no truly "good" outcome.

XII. The Hanged Man - Benito The Hanged Man represents taking a break, a step back to assess your situation. Thing is: these pauses may be voluntary or involuntary. The Universe may be at play, allowing you time to take a break, reassess yourself and your life. He can also represent feeling "stuck" with oneself.  Reversed, The Hanged Man can show a resistance to change, filling your life with distraction, ignoring the real issues. Inversely, The Hanged Man rx could mean your life is already on pause, and has been for a long time. One could be frustrated by this, wanting to live again. Benito feels “boring” or “normal”, but this is one of the most positive traits a gem can have.

XIII. Death - Morganite & Goshenite (both old and new) Death upright can mean sudden, unexpected change, and as a whole the card represents death, rebirth, transformation and transition. The deaths of the original Morga and Goshe were sudden, unexpected - but needed. To throw in a headcanon, I believe they chose to die together - opening death with open arms - which is a very literal interpretation of the card. The birth of new Morga and Goshe also came as a shock, restarting the cycle of the beryl-class gems. Inversed, Death represents a need for change, a need for a restart and a need for deeply meaningful change. To draw Death rx, the card offers one a chance to restart, be reborn, on their own terms. The card can often also mean one is going through a massive personal transformation, and often requires a follow up card to be drawn for context.

XIV. Temperance - Red Diamond To draw Temperance (upright) enourages one to bring more balance to your life, and take the middle road. Red Diamond was the first Gem, the one who started it all, and the one who gave Kongo a new purpose in “life”. Temperance is all about changing, combining and mixing one’s life - Kongo and Red had to mix their traits to create a space for themselves and the future Gems to live.  Temperance inverse isn’t quite the opposite, and rather signifies the end of a time period - to keep the balance in order, To draw Temperance rx one should evaluate themself and the life they’ve lived, and try to restore the balance. Perhaps, Red Diamond’s death was all part of the balance.

XV. The Devil - Aechmea I did initially want to not be generic and not assign The Devil to Aechmea, but it really fits him more than anyone. The Devil is deeply representitive of the Shadow Self, and could certainly be related to the cardinal sins. To draw The Devil it may represent that you’re controlled by your impulses; greed, lust, etc. It represents addiction and obsession, as well as close personal bonds that are still in the “honeymoon phase” To draw The Devil reversed, it urges you to let go of unhealthy obsessions, addictions, and sins in order to reach the Higher Self. Obviously, this can be taken quite literally for Aechmea.

XVI. The Tower - Alexandrite The Tower is representative of change and disaster. In most cards, it’s depicted as a tower - a stable structure - built on the top of a small clifface, indicating that it’s fall is near. One bolt of lightning hits the tower, and it falls. The Tower is another card that represents change, however it’s change is one of chaos and violence. You might pull The Tower if you’re experiencing trauma or massive, chaotic change. The best way to cope with The Tower’s symbolism is simply to let it fall, so you can rebuild and start anew. To pull The Tower inverse, the chaotic energy is caused by an internal trigger, rather than external. You may also be resisting change, which makes the inevitable change even worse.

XVII. The Star - Ghost Quartz Again, I’ll start with the reversed meaning. The Star reversed is a symbol of loss of hope, overwhelmingness and may test your faith in the Universe. It represents one who was once full of hope, and had it all crashing down upon you. Upright, The Star follows The Tower, and is the glimmer of hope in the aftermath. The Star upright symbolises coming to terms with yourself and the future. The main symbol of The Star is hope, and rediscovering your sense of meaning (such as Ghost gaining more purpose upon being paired with Phos)   XVIII. The Moon - Zircon The Moon represents fear and illusion, which I think fits Zircon well, being tossed around between partners and feeling inadequete. Fears from the past become projected into the future, and descision making becomes hard. The Moon should ask for advice from The Empress, as they may be losing touch with their “femininity”. Interestingly, The Moon is often depicted with two towers in the image, still coping from the stress of The Tower. Reversed, The Moon often means these insecurities are beginning to fade, and one is able to put their fears aside. One may also be recieving messages from the Universe, but unable to quite comprehend them. XIX. The Sun - Watermelon Tourmaline The upright and reversed meanings of The Sun are quite similar. Upright, it is indicative of success and happiness, while inverse it can indicate one’s inner child. We know that Melon is a younger Gem, and with recent parts of the manga we can see how their “inner child” has been warped and manipulated. The Sun can represent a longing for an easier time, a time in one’s life where they felt more carefree and happy.

XX. Judgement - Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Alexandrite, Amethyst 84, New Goshenite (think I got them all - the Gems currently on the moon) Judgement can definitely tell a bit of a story about the Gems on the moon. Upright, the card is indicative of new hopes and life-changing descisions. To draw Judgement upright, a pivotal life event could be on the horizon. Reversed Judgement, however, indicates self doubt, fear, and regrets. When one pulls judgement, they may be ignoring a descision that needs to be made. Getting too comfortable in putting off the descision can become dangerous. (side note: I just noticed some lotus root symbolism in my personal card)

XXI. The World - Phosphophyllite, Euclase I didn’t particularly want to reuse characters so much, but these two fit in for The World perfectly. For Phos, the story started with them, and should end with them. For Euclase - the figure depicted in The Magician is the same as the figure depicted in The World, The Magician has reached their enlightenment. To draw The World, upright, is to show that one’s journey is near completion. Euclase is the last character Gem to be worried about Phos, to even remember them. For Phos, their determination to finish what they started may be nearing it’s end. Reversed, The World is about seeking closure. Perhaps one is seeking out shortcuts rather than completing the task.  It represents nearing closure, but some sort of barrier being in the way.

anyway thanks 4 coming 2 my ted talk if u actually read it

[r3-97-blog]

Hunter X Hunter Anime Plot

The Hunter Exam itself is just the principal bend of Hunter x Hunter, taking up around the initial twenty scenes, of which there are one hundred and forty-eight (forty-six on the off chance that you avoid the recap), and that is on the grounds that the Hunter Exam isn't Hunter x Hunter. It is the start of Hunter x Hunter, the minor venturing stone for the whole excursion to come. The arrangement handles numerous accounts, huge and little, over the degree of its run, brought together by the consideration of in any event a few these four characters, and these accounts grow the arrangement's class, tone and topical strengths ten times.

Also Check List Of Bleach Fillers

It begins entirely bright, even wacky, feeling precisely as you would envision a shounen tale about high school young men following their fantasies to be, yet after some time, it veers away from that straightforward on the off chance that engaging story to turn into a mission to support a companion, at that point a battling competition, at that point a wrongdoing spine chiller, at that point a computer game, at that point a zoological odyssey that I don't have a clue how to satisfactorily consolidate and speak with words yet it is stunning. There's not actually ever an exact defining moment, the arrangement just shows signs of improvement and better, and pulls you more profound and more profound. The tone gets darker, truly, and a darker tone isn't naturally better (you can have a dim and awful show simply as a joyful and astounding one) at the same time, it works quite well with the story that is being told here, and the messages, and the scores of character improvement, that are being introduced.

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On the off chance that you converse with any Hunter x Hunter fan, the one major bend that will consistently come up is Chimera Ant, and Chimera Ant is… abnormal. It's acceptable, great (a few scenes "oh my goodness" great), however it's abnormal. It is a 60 scene plotline that contains the close to sum of Hunter x Hunter's last half, and one that drops pretty much every other earlier settled character other than Gon and Killua for new clashes and another cast. Without giving an excess of away, the circular segment is basically about Chimera, or beastmen (consequently the name), in a wide, peculiar story that devours truly a large number of lives. It turns into a startlingly passionate and human story, with multitudinous scenes deserving of applause. I do have bandy with Chimera Ant, that I will positively address later, however all in all, it is an extraordinary encounter, as are a large portion of the other last story curves. Along these lines, in the event that you are not or were not excessively intrigued by the initial scenes of Hunter x Hunter, which is reasonable, continue onward. Try not to stop. I don't know any individual who traversed the later circular segments without conceding "no doubt, that was truly damn strong".

Savvy Shounen

What's more, obviously, every bend in Hunter x Hunter, from the most basic up to Chimera Ant, has fights. Not insignificant takes on - conflicts. A battle can be nevertheless a fight, a tossed clench hand or two, a deftly set punch or cut, while fights infer something more fantastic, something with system and strategies and something beyond overwhelming your rival. Tracker x Hunter has battles, obviously, however the greater part of its activity, particularly later in the arrangement, is mind boggling, unpredictable fights.

Outline for article titled Grexs iHunter x Hunter/i(2011) Review

The absolute first scene, in the absolute first scene, sets up how this is all going to go down. This isn't a shounen anime where kinship naturally bests all, where the principle characters will by one way or another draw a deus ex machina out of their aggregate asses to make all the difference essentially by excellence of putting stock in one another. This is an anime where cerebrums are similarly as significant as sturdiness. Toward the start of Episode 1, to persuade his temporary mother Mito-san that he is prepared for the Hunter test, Gon must catch the "Ruler of the Lake", or a monster fish. Normally, Gon finishes the undertaking as usual, however he doesn't simply shout as loud as possible, pull energetically, put stock in himself and blast. One mammoth fish angled. No, he utilizes strategies. Gon, in the wake of snaring the monster, circles the line around a tree, working the power of contact to further his potential benefit and making the catch sensibly conceivable.

It's such a straightforward arrangement, yet it establishes the pace for how Hunter x Hunter moves toward all contention going ahead. It's infrequently as simple as having a solid capacity; you need to arrange the solid capacity, work it into your battle style, lure the adversary, think about their restricting technique. On the off chance that you charge in without intuition, you will lose, and regardless of whether you do stop to figure, you may lose at any rate, in light of the fact that the adversary thinks slightly better. Scene 32 was the main scene that truly dazzled me in such manner, being a competition fight with arranging and readiness that ran profound enough to make triumph everything except guaranteed for one of the warriors. A long round of dodgeball around Episode 70 is another (and no, I'm dead serious).

Outline for article titled Grexs iHunter x Hunter/i(2011) Review

However, the most clear and most noteworthy activity grouping to discuss would be the peak of Chimera Ant, an extended length of time beginning at Episode 112, and going on for some increasingly from that point forward, in which the customary quick beliefs of "activity" are tossed out the window, getting us gigantic yet edible measures of inward system monologs or straight free portrayal, only moves, counter-moves, and counter-counter-moves as a wide number of characters with a wide assortment of capacities conflict. It is at about that moment that I understood how wonderful Hunter x Hunter was, on the grounds that what it was doing was so one of a kind thus intriguing that I needed it to keep going forever. (Unfortunately, it doesn't, however we'll return to that.)

The Quartet (and Especially The Duo)

Obviously, solid story development and introduction doesn't really correspond to solid characters as well (as last time's Shin Sekai Yori would verify), however for this situation, it does. The early arrangement of Hunter x Hunter would persuade that it is a show about the four Hunter candidates, Gon, Killua, Leorio and Kurapika, which is… not so much evident. In fact it is a show about just Gon and Killua, with Kurapika accepting significant concentration in just a solitary circular segment and Leorio being pretty much only a huge side character the entire time.

Outline for article titled Grexs iHunter x Hunter/i(2011) Review

Which isn't to state that I detest both of them, since that would be false. Kurapika, as I referenced in the reason, is a figuring youthful individual, harboring a specific heartlessness and fierceness after the butcher of his clansmen, the Kurta, on account of a gathering of desperados called the Phantom Troupe. His quest for retribution describes his, er, whole character, reaching a crucial stage around Episode 50, which is the bend I referenced where he really gets center, a circular segment which closes at Episode 60 with the mysterious articulation "We'll see him once more". (Definitely, no you won't.) Kurapika is likewise striking for his exceptionally gender ambiguous physical appearance, to the point that I actually thought he was a young lady until the show disclosed to me in any case (which isn't helped by the way that he is voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro). The absence of an articulated bust, wore by each other female character right off the bat in the story, should've been obvious looking back, however… I don't know. Be that as it may, nothing, I surmise, so...

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On to Leorio! He's the "typical person" of the gathering. He isn't truly striking in a battle, or especially keen, or bold, or just, or a lot of anything truly. He's only a person, one who can be uproarious and frequently lets his feelings defeat him, despite the fact that he is certainly kind on a fundamental level. Unquestionably the most straightforward character of the group of four, however one I despite everything discovered agreeable and remarkably engaging.

Discussing straightforward, we have Gon. Gon, by configuration, is entirely run of the mill, unremarkable, even conventional, at the story's start. In a world with super powers like hyper vision, smoke control and teleportation, Gon after some time builds up a method that is viably a solid punch. This is the sort of child we're managing here. A kind nature, honest and cheerful. He declines to ever forsake his companions, and in every case determinedly holds fast to his own beliefs. Truth be told, right off the bat I discovered his sheer bone-headedness rather disturbing, putting on a show of being prideful, even egotistical, continually demanding reasonable triumph, declining to simply take a success or settle for anything short of undeniable triumph.

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When Gon in the long run gets his Hunter Badge (spoiler alert: truly, Gon turns into a Hunter), he doesn't utilize it, on the grounds that (because of the conditions of the test), he doesn't feel he's "earned" it, and to exacerbate the situation, the plot rewards him for his rehashed selflessness and idiocy... for some time. In the long run, it raises the genuine peril of taking Gon's perspectives to the sensible extraordinary. His sentiments of sympathy for other people and hating for the individuals who might do hurt become sufficiently able to whip him into what must be portrayed as a blood rage. He'd now and then get things done to make me think he was truly crazy, showing the perils of falling excessively far into the "shounen hero" outlook. You can revile malevolence and fortune your companions, sure, however on the off chance that you don't remove yourself to a degree, and venture once more from the circumstance, you can wind up with exclusive focus, disregarding anything that is going on for your prompt objective, which is a snare that, before the end, Gon falls into rather excessively.

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Inverse Gon is Killua, a kid professional killer who begins the arrangement brimming with abhor and demonstrate hatred for. He is a messed up, dangerous child, legitimate and fight situated nearly to say the least, discovering little comfort in kinships and as a rule picking savagery when met with resistance. Killua is traditionally viewed as one of the stronge

[cienie-isengardu]

karagin12 said to Remember Almec...

She was clueless, she believed her side's propaganda, she actually believed that ALL of the Mandalorians wanted peace, when in fact they didn't.

But did she really believe that? What Duchess (the ruler of Mandalore) said to Obi-Wan - an official emissary of Republic / Jedi Council in Throne Room:

Satine: My shining Jedi Knight to the rescue once again.

Kenobi: After all these years, you're even more beautiful than ever.

Satine:Kind words from a man who accuses me of treachery.

Kenobi: I would never accuse you of personal wrongdoing, Duchess. However, a Separatist saboteur attacked one of our Republic cruisers, A Mandalorian saboteur. *shows evidence*

Almec: You must be mistaken. No Mandalorian would engage in such violence. Not anymore. Where is this prisoner now?

Kenobi: He took his own life rather than submit to questioning. I know these commandos fought in many wars, often against the Jedi.

Satine: Every one of my people is as trustworthy as I am.

Merrik: I know we sound Defensive, but-- Satine: -- clearly your investigation was ordered because the Senate is eager to intervene in our affairs.

is not 100% the same as what Satine said to him in much less formal walking around the palace:

Satine: It's so good to see you again, Obi-wan, despite the circumstances.

Kenobi: Your peaceful ways have paid off. Mandalore has prospered since the last time I was here.

Satine: Not everyone on Mandalore believes that our commitment to peace is a sign of progress. There is a group that calls Itself Death Watch. I imagine these are the renegades you're looking for. They idolize violence and the Warrior Ways of the past. There are those among us, certain officials who are working to root out these criminals. It has been an ongoing investigation.

Kenobi: How widespread is this Death Watch movement?

Satine: It's hardly a movement. It's a small group of hooligans who choose to vandalize public places, nothing more. We shall soon have them In custody. We have tracked them down to our moon, Concordia.

Kenobi: I hope you're right, Duchess.

Satine knows not everyone wants peace and there is still a group of unhappy Mandalorians who wish to back to Warrior Ways. She is aware about their activity and even managed to form an “alliance” between Mandalore and Concordia represented by Pre Vizsla, an independent from her governor (and maybe worked with other planets of system/sector) to investigate and arrest those she sees as criminals (and if they truly devastated public places or did anything else in conflict with applicable law, they yes, she may call them criminals). But she admits that only when she and Kenobi aren’t involved in formal discussion like before - even here, I’m not sure how much Satine believe in her own words and how much she lessen the danger. Is she underrated Death Watch because she doesn’t see them as a real threat or is she doing this on purpose to satisfy Kenobi’s curiosity yet not pick up his interest in the matter? 

Kenobi, as an official emissary of Republic Senate / Jedi Order came to Mandalore with evidence for Mandalorian Warrior(s) working for Separatist - something that Satine, Almec and Merrik denied, because this is Mandalore government’s official statement: there is no warriors between New Mandalorians. When Kenobi brought up Mandalore’s past, how Mandalorian warriors fought many times agains Jedi, thus accussed (not so suble hinted the possibility for) Satine’s people. What she was supposed to say then? Yeah I know, between my people are those who would kill Jedi and/or pay back Republic for the Mandalorian Extinction from 700 year ago, but we are good, you can trust us, sure...? That is now how diplomatic / politics work. Satine’s response is to show her people are trustworthy the same as she is, which comes down about trust (or lack of therefore) between her and Republic Senate. What Duchess accused Kenobi; that he is there only because Council / Senate want to intervene in Mandalore’s affairs because they don’t accept Mandalore’s neutrality in war.

Satine’s stubborn pursuit of what she believes to be right was not fair towards people with a different opinion, I agree with that. The fact she keeps call them criminals and renegade is a proof she doesn’t take their opinions & feelings  into account and there is a lot to say about that problem. But I do not agree with the statement she believed everyone wants a peace and was clueless about Death Watch. She knows that to some extent. How much is another question though.

[pamphletstoinspire]

The Church's Year - INSTRUCTION OF THE FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS - (September 14)

From what does this feast derive its name?

From the yearly commemoration of the erection of the holy cross, at Jerusalem, by Constantine the Great, son of St. Helena.

When was this festival celebrated with especial solemnity?

When the Cross which Cosroes, King of the Persians, had captured at the conquest of Jerusalem, and had for forty years in his power, was recaptured by the Emperor Heraclius, who carried it himself on his own shoulders to Mount Calvary into the Church of the Holy Cross.

What miracle occurred on this occasion?

When the emperor wished to carry the Cross on his own shoulders to Jerusalem, at the entrance of the city he stopped suddenly, finding it impossible to proceed. The patriarch Zachary suggested to him to lay aside his im­perial garments which did not accord with the humble ap­pearance which Christ made when He bore His cross through the streets of that city. Hereupon the emperor laid aside his purple, crown and shoes, and devoutly proceeded with the cross to its appointed place.

Let us learn from this, how the divine Saviour dislikes extravagance in dress, and how in all humility and poverty we should follow Him who was poor and humble.

[For further Instruction on the Holy Cross, as also the Epistle of this day, see the Festival of the Finding of the Holy Cross.]

COLLECT O God, who dost gladden us this day with the yearly solemnity of the exaltation of the Holy Cross: grant, we beseech Thee, that as we have learnt to know its mystery on earth, so we may merit to taste in Heaven the reward of its redemption. Thro.' &c.

GOSPEL (John XII. 31-36) AT THAT TIME, Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews: Now is the judg­ment of the world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself. (Now this he said, signifying what death he should die.) The multitude answered him: We have heard out of the law, that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou: The Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man? Jesus therefore said to them: Yet a little while, the light is among you. Walk whilst you have the light, that the darkness overtake you not: and he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. Whilst you have the light, believe in the light, that you may be the children of light.

SHORT INSTRUCTION ON THE WAY OF THE CROSS

What is meant by the Way of the Cross?

THE Way of the Cross is a devotion, approved by the Pope, by which we meditate upon the passion and death of Christ, and especially upon His last way of sor­row to Mount Calvary.

How did this devotion originate?

The pathway which our Lord Jesus Christ had to fol­low from Jerusalem to Mount Calvary, was the real Way of the Cross. His holy Mother, and other pious women, as also the beloved disciple St. John, followed Him on this painful journey; (Matt, XXVII. 56. John XIX. 25, 26.) and the apostles and early Christians animated by veneration for these places, made sacred by the sufferings and death of Jesus, often traversed the same pathway. In the same spirit, in later times, many came from the most distant countries to Jerusalem to visit these sacred places to in­crease their devotion. In time, pictures, representing different scenes of the sufferings of our Lord, were erected along this route, and were called Stations; when the Sar­acens conquered the Holy Land, in consequence of which visits to it became dangerous, almost impossible, the Roman pontiffs permitted the erection of stations of the cross in other countries. The first to erect stations in their churches were members of the Franciscan Order, and by degrees this devotion, sup­ported by the Roman pontiffs and favored by indulgences, spread throughout the entire Church. A pathway was sought which led to elevated ground; this elevation was called the Mount of the Cross or Mount Calvary, and along the route pictures representing our Lord's sufferings, as related by the evangelists, or made known by tradition, were erected, or else the pictures were hung in churches, and the place where they stood, or the pictures themselves, were called stations; of these there are fourteen.

Is the practice of this devotion of the Way of the Cross of great value?

Next to the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and holy Com­munion, there is certainly no devotion which represents better to us the sufferings and death of Christ than the Way of the Cross. St. Albertus Magnus says: "A simple remembrance of Christ's sufferings is worth more than fast­ing on bread and water every Friday for a year, and scourg­ing one's self unto blood." St. Bernard gives us the reason of this, when he says: "Who can consider the sufferings of Christ and be so void of religion as to remain un­touched; so proud that he will not humble himself; so vin­dictive that he will not forgive; so fond of pleasure that he will not abstain from it; so hard-hearted that he will not repent of his sins?" And St. Augustine says: "What pride, what avarice, what anger can be cured otherwise than by the humility, the poverty, the patience of the Son of God? All these virtues are found in carefully med­itating on that way of pain which our Saviour went, and along which we should follow Him." On this account sev­eral of the Popes, among others Clement XII. and Bene­dict XIV., have granted many indulgences to the perform­ance of this devotion; indulgences which may be applied to the suffering souls in purgatory.

[For the manner of meditating on the sufferings of Christ, see the In­struction on Good Friday.]

It has frequently been said that Good Friday is meaningless without Easter Sunday. Certainly this statement is true for, as St. Paul explains, if Christ has not risen, our faith is in vain (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:14). We must not overlook the fact, however, that Easter Sunday is not possible without Good Friday. As much as we dislike the notion, we must look intently at the face of Him who underwent abject, unjust suffering. The Christ of Good Friday challenges us to willingly accept suffering in love to attain the freedom and join of the Risen Christ of Easter.

Bearing the Sins of Others

We all suffer because of other people’s sins and failings. Sometimes this suffering is quite obvious: an abusive spouse, victims of rape or violence. Most of the time though, we suffer in small ways because of other’s sins. Perhaps a friend betrayed your confidence or said something in haste that hurt you. It might even be something as small as getting cut off in traffic because the other driver was texting.

We can all probably think of some wound we bear from our past, wounds that occurred through no fault of our own. There is nothing we can really do about these wounds of the past. It is easy to grumble or even be angry about it. In some sense, that gut reaction has some truth to it. There is something unjust about essentially being punished for someone else’s wrongdoing.

I recall taking to prayer a wound from my past. Even though I had forgiven this person, I was still angry because it was impacting my exterior life many years later. I told Jesus, “This isn’t fair! It’s not my fault that this incident happened to me. Yet, here am I being hurt by it still. Why should I have to bear the burden of this other person’s failings?”

Then it hit me: that’s exactly what Christ did. He who was perfect and sinless suffered excruciating pain, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, because of my sinfulness and faults. When I reflect on the sufferings I experience because of others’ faults, I can come to understand, in some small way, what Christ endured on Good Friday.

The Suffering Servant

We hear in the first reading for Good Friday that “it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured…He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins.” (Isaiah 53:4, 5) Isaiah’s words highlight the reality that the agony, passion, and death that Christ endured was rightfully ours. Though perfect and purely faultless, Jesus bore our sufferings. His sufferings on the cross were not an impersonal historical event; rather, they are intensely personal to every person who has lived and will ever live.

The idea of Christ suffering because of our sins is highlighted in the Improperia for the Good Friday liturgy. The Improperia, also known as the Reproaches, is a series of antiphons and responses between Christ and His people. It begins: “My people, what have I done to you? How have I offended you? Answer me!” It then goes on to recall the salvific acts of God during the exodus compared to the treatment given to Christ in his passion and death. For example, one antiphon says, “I opened the sea before you, but you opened my side with a spear.” On one hand, God’s loving concern for us is manifest in bringing forth the miraculous actions. On the other hand, mankind’s spurning of God is shown in the horrific treatment of Jesus.

Good Friday calls us to embrace those pains we face because of another’s failings for that is what Christ has done for us. As Christ suffered for our sins, we too are called to do the same.

Embracing Suffering

That reality is hard to truly comprehend. Our interior passions often want to run away from suffering whenever we can. Even images of suffering make us want to advert our eyes. When we have been hurt by another, we want to get even with the person who offended us, or, at the very least, to make our grievance loud and clear.

Even if we manage to keep silent about our suffering, it is often through gritted teeth. We avoid complaining only because we know it will only make things worse or we would feel guilty if we complained. Reluctantly, then, we put up with suffering simply because we have no alternative.

Christ gives us a different example. He, who could calm the storms, could have easily grabbed whips scourging him, yet, Christ did not. The very hands which raised Lazarus from the dead chose to remain nailed to the hard wood of the cross. Those passing by along with the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, daring Him to come down from the cross. (cf. Matthew 27:39-42)

But Christ didn’t come down from the cross for He said, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” (John 12:32) In embracing suffering and death, Christ dies the death for each and every person. As He is emptied of blood and water, Christ draws all humanity into Himself.

Following the Example of Christ

It is one thing to comprehend intellectually the agony which Christ underwent on Good Friday for love of each of us. It is a much more difficult thing to allow that reality to penetrate our hearts. Doing so forces us to confront the fact that God really desires union with us so much that even our sins against Him and against our neighbor cannot stop the tidal wave of His love.

If we begin to appreciate this even fractionally, we are compelled to imitate Christ in embracing suffering to draw more souls to Him. In her diary, St. Faustina writes, “I saw the Lord Jesus nailed upon the cross amidst great torments. A soft moan issued from His heart. After some time He said “I thirst. I thirst for the salvation of souls. Help Me, My daughter, to save souls. Join your sufferings to My Passion and offer them to the heavenly Father for sinners.” (Entry 1032) Christ invites us to share in some small way in His redemptive work via our suffering.

The notion of redemptive suffering may bring to mind someone saying, “Offer it up.” Blindly “offering up” one’s suffering is difficult. The pain is still there; nothing seems to have changed. The phrase, practically speaking, is not particularly instructive or useful.

Love Impels Us

It is easier to think of “offering it up” as being willing to undergo something unpleasant out of love for someone else. A husband is willing to pick up groceries when his wife is ill even if he detests shopping because he loves her. Parents are willing to read their child the same story repeatedly, not because parents derive pleasure from doing so but because they love their child. It is love of another that propels us to do the difficult things.

This is also true on a supernatural level. If I truly love another, I should be willing to suffer for their good. The ultimate good is eternal life. So when someone speaks sharply to me without reason or I am misunderstood, I can join those little sufferings with Christ for the salvation of someone I love. These little acts of prayer can help draw those we love closer to the Lord.

Love has the power to transform suffering from something that stifles our souls to something that brings life. When we resent suffering, it becomes a point of fear and anxiety. It causes us to gloss over the Christ of Good Friday. When we willingly accept suffering as an act of love, it is freeing. It allows us to unite with the Christ of Good Friday and so to partake in the joy of Easter morning.

[spindleprick]

I reacted to being misled by someone in a very petty way. I thought in my head if I get them to understand and feel the hurt they caused they’d hold themselves accountable. Of course something like that isn’t in my control, but I got triggered. I don’t make excuses for my mistakes but I don’t let them define my character even if someone else chooses to. In the event that this person may decide to bring it up, or trash my name years later would it be a healthy response to not respond at all?

i think if you still have contact with the person in the other end of this situation, i would reach out to them now and essenially explain what you have here more than anything else. you’re clearly capable of acknowledging that your reaction was immature and unnecessary, which is a good sign -- we all do make mistakes, certainly, but more than anything we can prove we are better than them and capable of improving as people by letting those we hurt know that we understand our wrongdoings and feel remorse for it. this is not to say that you aren’t potentially owed an apology by the other party, as of course i don’t know the situation, but we can only be responsible for our actions and response -- for yourself as much as them, reach out if you haven’t already. taking initiative before there’s pressure from an outside force (them coming to you, a public post, etc) will mean a lot more than waiting for said pressure. just as a personal instance, there was an individual that plagiarised from my work years ago. it was handled privately, and while the other person did not fully admit to what they had done at the time, just last week, they messaged me with a heartfelt apology and not only was i surprised and overjoyed, i just couldn’t think higher of them as a person for it. don’t underestimate how much just an acknowledgement and apology can do! if such a ‘callout’ post is made or the other person speaks to others about the situation, it is up to you how you react, but i would recommend responding. do so in a way that doesn’t centre yourself, but rather addresses any issues potentially brought. you can, of course, explain the why -- that you felt misled and triggered, but the fact of the matter is that intention (to make them understand your hurt) does not outweigh impact (that the other party was inevitably hurt too). in these situations it’s best to say that you know you were wrong, and that you accept criticism and make no excuses. from there let people know you intend to show positive growth through your future actions! again, i truly recommend communicating with the other person as soon as possible if you have the capability -- i think it would heal not only them, but you too (i know i feel better when i can say i’ve done all i can to right my wrongs). i wish you all the best!

[yogeshjadhav]

Best of Data 7 Data Film’s

 Data science and machine learning are ground-breaking advancements developing the world in ways that occasionally appear to be straight out of a science fiction film. The present machines are fit for dull assignments, yet in addition utilizing complex science to make sense of how to diagram a way for a rocket to follow or making climate expectations dependent on verifiable data.

What better stage to investigate the enchantment of data science and machine learning than movies?

Moneyball

Prescient examination is unbelievably ground-breaking, as "Moneyball" appears. With an insignificant spending plan, Oakland A's head supervisor Billy Beane must figure out how to procure new players so as to fabricate a triumphant group. He does as such by utilizing PC produced investigation of verifiable data and prescient displaying, making a victor baseball crew with practically zero extra money related help.

A Beautiful Mind

An Oscar-winning exemplary, "A Beautiful Mind" is notable for its delineation of John Nash, a Nobel laureate in financial aspects. His progressive work on game hypothesis changed the very texture of the science of financial matters, bringing to the table a creative method for utilizing arithmetic to demonstrate key collaborations between lose-lose situations. His work has been applied intensely in the field of software engineering, among others, totally changing the game, regardless of the way that Nash himself experienced Schizophrenia even before his milestone disclosure—having bizarre mental trips for an incredible duration, up until his demise in 2015.

  Ex Machina

The title originates from the Latin expression "deus ex machina," interpreted as "god from the machine." In the film, Caleb, a developer at one of the biggest web organizations on the planet, is chosen to take an interest in the greatest examination of the century. His job? To work without any preparation a computerized reasoning framework utilizing individual data accumulated from person to person communication destinations. This film investigates a darker theme, investigating humankind's entitlement to security close by the intensity of machine learning and data analysis.

 Minority Report

In many employments of data science, current data is utilized to extrapolate new data—however not in "Minority Report." Rather, PreCogs, a gathering of people talented with clairvoyant capacities, give the police power the who, where, and what of wrongdoings and their geniuses. Utilizing visual data and other data gave by these PreCogs, it's up to the PreCrime police unit to utilize future data to nail down the better subtleties in a wrongdoing so as to forestall it. With this, the intensity of data science is fortified.

Pi

The film Pi is about maths and how we can utilize it for forecasts. It represents the intensity of science, PCs and examination through it's characters.

The scientific virtuoso, Max accepts that science is the language of universe and from nature to financial exchange, he can foresee anything on the off chance that he can discover designs and the way in to the bedlam. It would appear that a data researcher's joy.

21

Truly innovation isn't a "malevolent" instrument ordinarily; rather, it's pliant to its client's will. "21" investigates the math and science of card tallying and Las Vegas club. Utilizing code talk, hand signals, and a sharp eye, the film investigates the genuine story of how six MIT understudies had the option to take Vegas gambling clubs for millions.

The Imitation Game

Alan Turing, otherwise called the dad of present day software engineering, is notable as the mathematician that "broke the riddle." Utilized by the Germans to encode their messages, the Puzzle was a key piece of the Nazi technique to securely conceal indispensable data on display. To break the code, Turing made a crude PC that would consider all stages at a quicker rate than any human could. That helped the Partnered powers guarantee their triumph. In truth, this film doesn't simply recount to the account of Turing's brain, yet additionally portrays the way toward making the first-historically speaking machine of its sort and brings forth not just the craft of coding and making machines, yet in addition that of cryptography and cybersecurity.

[the-other-bouleyne-boy]

July 31, 1998 Numerology Associations: Self and Art Tarot Associations: The World and Stars Animal Associations: Rabbit and Hawk Deity Associations: Apollo and Neptune Neptune and Moon Dominant Water Dominant Key Personality Traits: Compassionate, Energetic, Hard-Working,  Artistic, Spontaneous, Dedicated Sun Sign: Leo Shows: The Basic Personality  Can come off a bit prideful. Hates showing weakness in any form, likely not a mushy person in the slightest. VERY business savvy, incredible common sense. One of the best senses of humor of the whole zodiac. Constantly moving on to the next best thing. Loves spoiling his friends. Moon Sign: Scorpio Shows: The Emotional Aspects, The True Soul  He isn’t necessarily intensely emotional, however there is something very intense here. He can see beyond facades and cut right to the core of a person. There can be a deep-seated need for transformation and rebirth that can manifest itself in different ways. This person seems to attract emotional upheaval, however this doesn’t need to be dramatic or overwhelming. In some way, he will seek out intense experiences. There can be an unconscious need to test his own strength. High energy of self-awareness exists here. Doing things halfway or having meaningless relationships simply doesn’t fulfill him. He may often have a strong fear of betrayal, thus he will seek out commitment. Once committed, he can be the most loyal and protective partner.  This person spends a lot of time controlling and mastering his emotions. His intuition is outstanding, although it can be self-serving at times. He radiates strength. Even in the absence of experience, he may “just know”. It would be difficult to shock or scare him away in the face of emotional honesty. Some people instinctively want to lean on him. This ability to understand human motivation and nature can be too close for comfort for some, and very comforting for others. Mercury Sign: Leo Shows: Communication Style, Intelligence  Mercury in Leo speaks with style and authority. Some may come across as know-it-alls, but they really just want to share their knowledge with everyone else. They have a talent for seeing the big picture; but may miss the details. They are very persuasive, using warmth and goodwill. .They hold their opinions very dear and take pride in their beliefs. They tend to be idealistic. Mercury in Leo has a good intellect, and they love to express themselves. In fact, creativity is very important to them. They excel in presenting themselves with drama and style. Passionate and enthusiastic when speaking, Mercury Leo is usually successful in getting their point across.They may be oversensitive to anything they consider less than praise. They can appear rather cold due to their natural detachment. Mercury in Leo has their ego tied to their intellect and craft, which sometimes makes it difficult for them to separate fact from fiction. Venus Sign: Cancer Shows: Relationship Style, Values.   Cancer Venus wants a committed, predictable relationship. They are sensitive and crave security, comfort and love. They show their love for their partner by taking care of them. They are more attentive to their partner's feelings than their words. They may be a bit moody, and may resort to pouting or the silent treatment. They don't like a lot of rationalization and they don't like impersonal treatment. Emotional confrontations don't scare them at all, yet they are frequently afraid they will be left. Cancer Venus has a long memory, and it is difficult for them to forget an injury. Sometimes they will retreat into themselves, and it can be difficult to get them to come back out into the open. A Venus in Cancer person loves to snuggle and they appreciate sentimental gestures. They are closely attached to their “home”. Rejection is one of their biggest fears, and they can try some very frustrating ploys to find out if you love them or not. They need to feel secure and cared for. When these needs are met, they are patient, loving and dependable.  Mars Sign: Cancer Shows: Sexual Desire, Energy, Action With Mars in Cancer, your will to act is at the mercy of your intense moods.  But when you find ways to act in sync with your emotions, you move others, to tears or laughter. Mars Cancer people play on and with emotions, making many of them natural performers. Indifference hurts them more than anything else. Mars in Cancer can be manipulative and argumentative. Emotional displays will occur if they feel threatened. They can be over-sensitive, but when they are confident, they are helpful, dependable and protective of those they love. They prefer peaceful solutions. They are not very assertive or demanding, and prefer to work on their own where they are in control. Cancer Mars may change direction or even their goals in order to pursue security. They are loyal and devoted.Mars in Cancer is passionate and creative. They are in tune with their own wants and desires, and they are sensitive to the needs of those around them. They have a good memory, and they are dedicated enough to see things through to the end. They have a great imagination that serves them well when it is not imagining terrible scenarios that hurt their feelings of security.They may be moody, but this is because their emotions are so intense. This intensity may affect their digestion or cause anger deep within them. They try to suppress it, only to suffer physically because of it. It can be difficult for Cancer Mars to be objective, and they tend to make decisions based on their mood at that moment, which they may regret late Jupiter Sign: Pisces Shows: Sense of Purpose, Reactions to Difficulty Jupiter in Pisces attracts good luck when they are tender, devoted, giving and compassionate. They love to care for those less fortunate than themselves. Helping others fills a need deep within them.Pisces Jupiter is empathic; they can feel the world's pain. They desire to do all they can to relieve this pain and make it better. They are imaginative and creative; they may express themselves using the arts. They can be very talented with healing arts of all kinds. They are drawn to fantasy and the occult.Jupiter in Pisces is content to remain behind the scenes to help. They don't seek the spotlight. They are very sensitive, but easy going. They may not be very ambitious. They don't need a lot of material things to be content in life. They may closely follow a religion or mystical practices. They may be prone to being taken advantage of due to their compassionate nature. They like seclusion.. Saturn Sign: Taurus Shows: Responsibilities, Commitment , Serious Nature Saturn in Taurus has a deep need to feel secure; both emotionally and financially. They like to keep a strict control over their daily tasks. Unfortunately for them, nothing comes easy. They have to work hard for everything they get. They tend to be thrifty. They are patient and disciplined, with a matter-of-fact attitude. While they are not very spontaneous, they are more than willing to work as hard as necessary to attain their goals. Uranus Sign: Aquarius Shows:Self-Discovery Uranus in Aquarius has great intuitive skills and original ideas. They tend to work towards bettering humanity. They are devoted friends and truly want to help those in need. This unselfish behavior helps them to gain what they want in life. They may also be gifted with mechanical skills. Neptune Sign: Aquarius Shows: Dreams, Idealism, Illusions Neptune in Aquarius dreams of independence and freedom. They may be a bit unconventional, yet idealistic. They are loyal to their friends and their beliefs. They may appear rather eccentric. Sensitive and passionate, they have plenty of zeal to fuel their aspirations.Aquarius Neptune at their best is altruistic. They wish to save the entire world from their ills. They may be seen as dreamers or visionaries. At their worst, they tend to bring everything they touch into disgrace. Pluto Sign : Sagittarius Shows: Self-Empowerment He may be drawn to activities that will involve him emotionally. Intensity is the key word. He knows how to bring things that are hidden out into the light. He fights for human rights and has a talent for helping the unconventional become accepted. There is a strong sexual aura here as well. Lilith Sign: Libra Shows: Dark-side   Tries to carefully maintain an image of purity, but often comes off with tones of elitism. Tends to look down on others, sees himself as untouchable and just in all things. Has difficulties accepting not only reality, but their own wrongdoings. Can be a tempter, and often gives in to temptation themself. Has troubled relationships, often due to a selfish nature. Has a tendency to rely on others, and hide behind them. Lilith in Libra tips the scales in their own favor, and lies often. . Houses: 1st: Pluto Shows: First Impressions With Pluto in the First House, you view the world in a transformative way. Natives are intimidating, intense, secretive, powerful and psychic. They need to be the head of the wolf pack because of their deep desire for power and authority. Since natives want to be seen as powerful, they hide their true feelings from others. Revealing too much about themselves is a huge “no no”. In that sense, people view natives as polarizing, mysterious and alluring. 2nd: Jupiter Shows: Environment, Money, Possessions the native can become gluttonous, wasteful, or frivolous. They are very generous & innately understand the worth of things, though they can exaggerate it. Typically “run out” because they expect not to. tend to buy A LOT. Useless shit, exotic things, extravagant gifts, whatever, they buy it. They have this unconscious idea that everything will be okay tomorrow, so they try to help meanwhile: giving loans to everyone, spending in gifts for their friends, giving fancy parties, etc. They just don’t care, because they bank accounts are constantly full, for some reason. 3rd: Saturn Shows: Communication, Siblings, Friends, Community this placement makes for a serious student, maybe a stern sibling. you often appear older than your age, because of your quiet, sometimes cold manner. you study hard and take in a lot from those around you, listening very carefully to your peers and family. because of this, you learn a lot throughout your younger years, and may be quite wise for your age. the only trouble with early wisdom is it can feel like a burden, making your days heavy and gloomy. it’s important that you try to find enjoyment in little things, learn about what interests you, and make the most of your amazing talent for listening; people will love you for being able to hear them out fully, and that way, you won’t have to do too much talking yourself! this placement often shows talent and wisdom but difficulty showing it, so try to trust yourself and let go a little! 4th: Neptune Shows: Home, Family Pluto in the 4th house individuals may of had to deal with a mother that was plutonic herself. She may have taken her emotions out on her children, been very restrictive, possessive, domineering, obsessive, or there could have been something to cause all of this in her - a death in the family, mostly, because Pluto rules death. Death can mean a lot of things though. Divorce, actual death, the endings to things can all mean death. The childhood may have been very complex, dark and twisty, and many traumas may have been felt or occurred in the childhood (by the mother, probably). These individuals with Pluto residing in the 4th house may have had to grow up fast, and became wise at a very young age, feeling as if they’ve felt the world’s pain just inside their own household. 5th: Mars Shows: Self-Expression  Active, infectious, and generally pleasant to be around, however there is a trouble with long-term commitment.  6th: Venus Shows: Fear fear of love. this usually indicates abandonment issues.  7th: Venus Shows: Relationships, Marriage you naturally feel comfortable with each other. your relationship has to seem beautiful and at times can be a bit superficial. equality is important and enjoy doing things together. doing favors for each other is easy. if someone feels like the relationship is unfair however, it can cause heavy disagreements in negotiation. you could be marriage material to the other. 8th: Mercury Shows: Social Social anxiety!  9th: Moon Shows: Morals and Comforts The more you push the limits of your life by looking for new experiences, the happier you are. You have an active imagination and a desire for knowledge. You may explore many religions and philosophies before finding the one that will satisfy you. Journeys soothe your soul .   Midheaven: Mercury Shows: Career Artist,Animator, Counselor, HR, Musician, Social Work 11th: Venus Shows: Social Life humanitarian, unique, individualistic,  disorganized social circles at times, overly talkative every now and then 12th: Pluto Shows:  Area of Healing and Emotional Comfort Emotional comfort through art and self-discovery

[live4thelord]

St. Benedict’s Preface on Humility

St. Benedict begins by noting that Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted (literally Luke 14:11, fragment of Luke 18:14) and that those who want to reach the highest summit of humility must shun pride and exaltation, and just as well that our actions will be like a ladder to heaven which Jacob saw in his dream in Genesis 28 where the angels ascended and descended. St. Benedict writes that to ascend the ladder of humility to Heaven one must lower himself and to descend the ladder away from Heaven one would have to exalt himself. This is the principle figure then in regarding for St. Benedict that to ascend the ladder of humility the soul must travel through different stages and levels of humility.

The First Step of Humility: The fear of God

St. Benedict writes, “The first step of humility, then, is that a man keeps the fear of God always before his eyes (Psalm 36:2) and to never forget what God has commanded of us. Bearing before our minds the notion that those who despise God in their sinfulness will burn in Hell on account of their lack of love and on their turning away from Him is how man is to understand and fear God’s judgment. Though we must just as well say that the fear of God is that reverence we are to have of offending God who is the very principle of life and existence for all things. To offend Him ought to offend us, and so we must keep sure to guard our vices of thought or hold our tongue. Hence in order to hold ourselves true to God we must have the humility to withhold our own will in every act, but instead look to God Who’s will we pray in the Our Father to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. All of our desires, our thoughts, our willful actions must be on guard and willing to lovingly offer up our entire selves up to God for Him to lead us and guide us to keep His commandments. And so we must be vigilant every hour as if our guardian angel came down to have us report to God how we have spent our day and night every single day of our lives.

Hence to summarize this step it is to consider the commandments of God and fear trespassing against God in our day to day actions.

The Second Step of Humility: Not my will, But Yours O Lord

“The second step of humility is that a man loves not his own will nor takes pleasure in the satisfaction of his desires; rather he shall imitate by his actions that saying of the Lord: I have come not to do My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me.” (John 6:38) says St. Benedict. In addition he writes of a motto, of an unknown source to me, “Consent merits punishment; constraint wins a crown” meaning that to consent to temptation is to deserve a punishment and to restrict yourself from giving in to a constraint we can win a crown. Briefly said then, St. Benedict’s second step of humility is to everywhere hold restraint from our own temptations and desires but rather to seek the will of God. Thus taking into mind the commandments of God in step one, we progress further by seeking to fulfill that commandment and not our own ways in the second step of humility.

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The Third Step of Humility: He was obedient even unto death (Philippians 2:8)

The third step of humility regards obedience to our superiors. In the case of us lay people this means to be obedient to our priest, our bishop, our parents, lawful authorities, etc. all for the love of God. In this step we must submit ourselves to the yoke of Christ which He Himself bore in humility and obedience, even obedience unto death, death on a cross. And so then we must submit ourselves to God’s care, especially to the care of those who are our superiors.

The Fourth Step of Humility: Embrace Suffering Patiently and Obediently

“The fourth step of humility is that in this obedience under difficult, unfavorable, or even unjust conditions, his heart quietly embrace suffering and endures it without weakening or seeking escape.” To which St. Benedict adds from Scripture, Anyone who perseveres to the end will be saved (Matt 10:22) and to which we might add “24 Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For he that will save his life, shall lose it: and he that shall lose his life for my sake, shall find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25) that is to say that to take up your cross and follow Christ is to save your life by choosing to give it away in servility and difficulty, but to spare ourselves from humility is to miss the entire point of our creatureliness which is the glorification of God and the honor to which we enjoy by being part of His Creation and of His holy image. Those who do not understand their place and the great benefit to have and keep a righteous and just place in God’s Creation is to throw their lives away and to lose it. Those who lose and give their life for His sake shall find it, eternally present in Him. This is the great blessing of the monastic life or those who get up and follow Him, for they have Him present in their hearts and maintain Him there by His great love in life everlasting. The saints then say, St. Benedict writes, “But in all this we overcome because of Him who so greatly loved us” (Romans 8:37) and “O God, you have tested us , you have tried us as silver is tried by fire; you have led us into a snare, you have placed afflictions on our backs” (Psalm 66:10-11) and this is greatly praised just as those who when stricken turn the other cheek to be stricken again, or when deprived of their coat offer their cloak as well, or when required to go one mile, offer to go two miles. To undergo these humiliations or sufferings patiently is to understand the depth of love of Christ’s love for us and to willingly embrace and reciprocate this love for His sake.

The Fifth Step of Humility: Confess thy Sins and Faults

The fifth step of humility is to regularly confess one’s sins, and in St. Benedict’s rule it is clear that he writes that monks confess directly to their abbot any sinful thoughts that they have in their hearts or any secret wrongdoings that they have committed against him or others. For us, this step of humility is to regularly enter into the Sacrament of Penance to confess our sins to the Lord and to the Church so that the Body of Christ, the Church, might through its ministry and binding and loosing, bring us ever close into communion with the Body of Christ so that we might one day have life everlasting with Him, the Head, Jesus. Of the same account, those seeking to fulfill this step of humility ought regularly to confess to others where they have thought poorly and unjustly of others, and in no way offer back- biting, snarky comments, or flared tempers against others. Simply thus one must avoid judging others for their sins and recognize their own sinfulness all the more strongly when

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witnessing a brother or sister in Christ fall into temptation. Their humility will reach out to these fallen sinners, relating to them their own faults and encouraging them by their own example to take up the Cross once again and walk the path of humility and love.

The Sixth Step of Humility: Content Yourself with Lowliness

The litany of humility reads, That I should not desire to be approved, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it, and so the sixth step of humility is to content ourselves with lowliness and to accept the lowest ranks and treatment that others have to offer. We recognize our sinfulness and our frailty and in such a manner recognize that of our own selves, left to our own devices, we are of little value, and yet not of no value because God saw in us a precious value so as to atone for our sins and bring us into His life. We are of little value because of our sins but of great value on account of the image we behold of Him. Thus we must sing with the Psalmist, “I am insignificant and ignorant, no better than a beast before You, yet I am with You always.” (Psalm 73:22-23)

The Seventh Step of Humility: Interior Mediocrity

The seventh step of humility is that we recognize and admit not only with our voice but with the fullness of our heart that we are inferior to all because of how we have been given specific, unique, and beloved gifts of God which we have squandered. They were specific to us and beautifully made for us specifically, but we spoiled God’s gifts and abused them. For this, we ought to consider ourselves inferior to others on account of how we abused ourselves through our sins and how we abused God’s gifts. To this we sin as in Psalm 22, “I am truly a worm, not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.” And just as well “I was exalted, then I was humbled and overwhelmed with confusion.” (Psalm 88:16) or also “It is a blessing that you have humbled me so that I can learn Your commandments” (Psalm 119:71, 73). This then is to understand the fullness of why God humbles us, to learn His commandments and to join ourselves to His own nature of Self- Giving, Self-Abandoning, Self-Emptying Love. Let humility pierce our very hearts as we seek after His own Meek and Humble Heart.

The Eighth Step of Humility: To Keep the Rule

St. Benedict writes that the eighth step of humility is for a Benedictine monk to uphold the common rule of the monastery and to follow the example of his superiors. So too is it with us that we seek to keep peace in the Church, following the common example and good-will of our parish priests and bishops and this ought to be our interpretation of how to keep the rule of our parish community and of the Church as a whole.

The Ninth Step of Humility: Silence and Solitude

A monk, St. Benedict writes, ought only speak when questioned by his superiors or by others, and in all other matters hold his tongue. Do we avoid speaking ill of others, or embrace silence and solitude whenever God provides for us? Do we avoid listening to too much music or videos so as to keep our internal tongue (our mind’s tongue) silent and awaiting the contemplation of God in every moment? Remain silent in the heart and in the tongue, for God’s first language, St. John of the Cross says, is silence. So too then embrace

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a calm and peaceful desire for solitude, only seeking to speak when spoken too, or of pressing manners, not wasting our tongue on things that do not need to be said or saying things that ought not be said. All of St. James’ 3rd chapter in his epistle ought to be read on this matter:

1 Be not many masters, my brethren, knowing that you receive the greater judgment. 2 For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man. He is able also with a bridle to lead about the whole body. 3 For if we put bits into the mouths of horses, that they may obey us: and we turn about their whole body. 4 Behold also ships, whereas they are great and are driven by strong winds, yet are they turned about with a small helm, wherever the force of the governor wills. 5 Even so the tongue is indeed a little member and boasts great things. Behold how small a fire kindles a great wood. 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is placed among our members, which defiles the whole body and inflames the wheel of our nativity, being set on fire by hell. 7 For every nature of beasts and of birds and of serpents and of the rest is tamed and has been tamed, by the nature of man. 8 But the tongue no man can tame, an unquiet evil, full of deadly poison. 9 By it we bless God and the Father: and by it we curse men who are made after the likeness of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. 11 Does a fountain send forth, out of the same hole, sweet and bitter water? 12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear grapes? Or the vine, figs? So neither can the salt water yield sweet.

13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge, among you? Let him show, by a good contestation, his work in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter zeal, and there be contention in your hearts: glory not and be not liars against the truth. 15 For this is not wisdom, descending from above: but earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and contention is: there is inconstancy and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom that is from above, first indeed is chaste, then peaceable, modest, easy to be persuaded, consenting to the good, full of mercy and good fruits, without judging, without dissimulation. 18 And the fruit of justice is sown in peace, to them that make peace.

And just as well St. Benedict quotes, Psalm 140:12, “A talkative man goes about aimlessly on earth and also “In a flood of words you will not avoid sinning” (Proverbs 10:19)

The Tenth Step of Humility: Keep Your Peace in Times of Laughter

The tenth step of humility is to avoid excessive laughter. This may sound excessive, but there is a certain extent to which jocularity, that is joking around too much, or acting a fool can be a major distraction and even arise to use making fun of holy things. Laughing at people or things which are not humorous or good-natured is to show a sort of superiority over a thing, to point to the silliness of a thing and to place one above it. So then for the lay person we must be careful not to laugh at things such as people falling down, or to put people down in our astonishment of their failures. One is entitled to joy and laughter, but

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not a condescending laughter which ruins humility and meekness. This is why St. Benedict enjoins, “Only a fool raises his voice in laughter” (Sirach 21:23) noting that those who are given to laughter easily often are the ones who take too lightly to the world, when their mission is divine and holy perfection.

The Eleventh Step of Humility: Speak Calmly and Modestly

As the tongue is difficult to control and lends us over to quick decisions, so we must train the heart and the tongue to speak modestly, without laughter, gently, lovingly, endearingly, and forever to be conscious of our divine destination. A wise man is known by his few words says St. Benedict. There was a Desert Father, if I recall correctly, to whom a certain bishop was coming and one monk asked him if he was not going to say something to the bishop for spiritual advice, but the Desert Father replied that if he could not teach the bishop by his own silence and contemplation that there would be nothing for him to teach the bishop with words and by speaking. This then is the model life of becoming a living word, like the Word, shining forth through example and speaking very little so as to embrace God and to show others the extent and depth to which God can occupy our minds and hearts. Desire more solitude and quietness so that you might embrace God more readily and more fully.

The Twelfth Step of Humility: Everlasting Humility and Meekness

The final step of humility is to bear all these things in one’s heart at all manners of the night and day. And in this manner the work of God will be manifest to others, and though the monk prays secretly in his closet and not publicly or does pricks his face so as to not appear to be fasting to others, his deeds and holiness will shine forth as a bright fabric and bright white shirt might readily appear to us. His holiness will shine forth, and his contrition for his sins will forever be on his mind, though he will be mindful of the great gifts God has given him, taking care not to squander them. No matter what ordinary or small deed the humble man does it will all be done with the greatest care and offering up to the Lord. In this manner then, perfect love is bloomed, says St. Benedict, a love that casts out all fear, that is to say that what was once toil and suffering has been transformed in Christ to become great joy and comfort to do the will of God. This then is the life of the soul who’s heart is united to God.

Concluding Remarks

And so we might see that the humility of the heart is the foundation of love for the Christian, and in being humble we compare ourselves not only to what we ought to have been with what God gave us, but also look to Jesus, the prime example of life lived for God, for in His taking on our human nature, in all things except sin, He showed us the Way, that is His Sacred Heart held the way of humility. Thus we must take up our crosses and follow Him, for only in humility can we embrace Christ’s Incarnation for our own sakes, walk His loving Passion, and in the hope of our union to Him, rise up with Him to life everlasting. Take hold of the humble life, ask for God’s help. May the Lord guide us into the secret chambers of His Sacred Heart, where we will be enlightened in virtue, in love, in mercy, and in the splendor of the contemplation of His very Self.

St. Benedict pray for us!

[citizentruth-blog]

We Don’t Need You Back, Kevin Spaceys of the World

Kevin Spacey may be a fine actor, but we don't need his ilk in Hollywood. Rather than accepting admitted abusers back into the limelight, we should strive to find new talent, especially as it concerns women, people of color, and other underrepresented groups. (Photo Credit: Richard Cooper/CC-BY-SA-3.0) In advance of Christmas, Kevin Spacey released a video entitled "Let Me Be Frank" on his YouTube channel. Beyond it being strange enough news that Kevin Spacey has a YouTube channel in the first place, the three-minute clip was deeply weird. In the video, Spacey, speaking in the manner of his persona Frank Underwood from House of Cards, directly addresses the viewer, as he did in character within the context of the show. His remarks are as follows: I know what you want. Oh, sure, they may have tried to separate us, but what he have is too strong, it's too powerful. I mean, after all, we shared everything, you and I. I told you my deepest, darkest secrets. I showed you exactly what people are capable of. I shocked you with my honesty, but mostly I challenged you and made you think. And you trusted me—even though you knew you shouldn't. So we're not done no matter what anyone says. And besides, I know what you want: you want me back. Of course, some believed everything and have just been waiting with bated breath to hear me confess it—they're just dying to have me declare that everything said is true, that I got what I deserved. Wouldn't that be easy—if it was all so simple? Only you and I both know it's never that simple—not in politics and not in life. But you wouldn't believe the worst without evidence, would you? You wouldn't rush to judgment without facts, would you? Did you? No, not you. You're smarter than that. Anyway, all this presumption made for such an unsatisfying ending, and to think it could've been such a memorable send-off. I mean, if you and I have learned nothing else these past years, it's that in life and art, nothing should be off the table. We weren't afraid—not of what we said, not of what we did, and we're still not afraid. Because I can promise you this: if I didn't pay the price for the things we both know I did do, I'm certainly not going to pay the price for the things I didn't do. Oh, of course, they're going to say I'm being disrespectful, not playing by the rules—like I ever played by anyone's rules before. I never did—and you loved it. Anyhow, despite all the poppycock, the animosity, the headlines, the impeachment without a trial, despite everything—despite even my own death—I feel surprisingly good. And my confidence grows each day that, soon enough, you will know the full truth. Oh, wait a minute. Now that I think of it, you never actually saw me die, did you? Conclusions can be so deceiving. Miss me? In his indirectness, his comments are questionable in their true application. Is Spacey talking about another season of House of Cards involving him despite the apparent end of the series without him? Or, more probably, is he speaking through Underwood in a thinly-veiled set of allusions to his accused sexual misconduct, taking a shot at the producers of the show and its perceived dip in quality in its final eight episodes? Whatever Spacey's motivations, the conflation of his character's darkness with his own seeming defense of his real-life behavior is an odd one. It's like Ted Cruz making jokes about himself being the Zodiac Killer as if to make him more likable. Who associates himself with a soulless politician who will stop at nothing in his bid for power so as to make his suspected sexual misconduct and pedophilia more palatable? Who does that? Apparently, Kevin Spacey does, and what's more, he may be partially right about people wanting him back. Back in November, Sophie Gilbert, staff writer at The Atlantic, penned an article about the notion that, for all the attention of #MeToo and Time's Up to holding men in power accountable for their actions, not only has the comeuppance for many offenders been short-lived, but a disparity in on-screen and off-screen representation for women remains. In the case of Kevin Spacey, mentioned specifically in Gilbert's piece, the weight of his legal troubles may be enough to deep-six his career as we have known it. But for others? Charlie Rose? James Franco? Louis C.K.? Matt Lauer? Despite admissions of guilt or multiple accusations of wrongdoing, these men are either working on comebacks or continue to find work. Hell, even Roman Polanski keeps directing films. As for women being creators, directors, and the like as well as garnering screen time, Gilbert notes that these opportunities declined in the year preceding her column's publication, citing statistics from Women and Hollywood, an advocacy group. And this is on top of the belief held by some that, owing to how pervasive sexual harassment and other forms of misconduct are alleged to be in Hollywood (and other industries), if the punishments were truly indicative of the crimes, so to speak, a lot more dudes would be losing their jobs. Gilbert closes her piece on a bit of a sobering note detailing the "paradox" of the #MeToo/Time's Up movements: Since the Weinstein allegations were first published, the entertainment industry has taken measurable steps to help fight instances of abuse, harassment, and predatory behavior. It’s committed time and money to helping women and men who’ve been harassed receive the emotional and legal support they need. A handful of high-level executives accused of harassment and abuse (Amazon Studios’s Roy Price, CBS’s Les Moonves) have been replaced. At the same time, though, studio heads and producers have been relatively quick to welcome back actors, directors, and writers who’ve been accused of harassment and assault, particularly when their status makes them seem irreplaceable. It’s a dual-edged message: Don’t abuse your power, but if you do, you’ll still have a career. Part of the confusion comes down to the fact that these men are seen as invaluable because the stories they tell are still understood to have disproportionate worth. When the slate of new fall TV shows is filled with father-and-son buddy-cop stories and prison-break narratives and not one but two gentle, empathetic examinations of male grief, it’s harder to imagine how women writers and directors might step up to occupy a sudden void. When television and film are fixated on helping audiences find sympathy for troubled, selfish, cruel, brilliant men, it’s easier to believe that the troubled, brilliant men in real life also deserve empathy, forgiveness, and second chances. And so the tangible achievements one year into the #MeToo movement need to be considered hand in hand with the fact that the stories being told haven’t changed much at all, and neither have the people telling them. A true reckoning with structural disparities in the entertainment industry will demand something else as well: acknowledging that women’s voices and women’s stories are not only worth believing, but also worth hearing. At every level. For Gilbert, the slow and incomplete taking to task of men who abuse their fame and power is inextricably linked to societal attitudes that place men, their feelings, and their drive for success above those of women. Moving outside the purview of Hollywood—though, noting his courtroom shenanigans, perhaps with the same performative flair—that Brett Kavanaugh could even be defended as a viable Supreme Court candidate who was being "attacked" as part of a "witch hunt" is beyond absurd. And yet, GOP senators did it with a straight face, eventually casting their votes in favor of his confirmation. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. If this pudding doesn't prove Gilbert's point, I'm not sure what does. Returning to Kevin Spacey's insistence that we're eagerly anticipating his return and my suggestion that he may be, in part, right, it's worth noting that some Internet commentators have expressed dismay that they may not be able to see him act more in the future or have advanced the thought "we haven't heard his side of the story." As Spacey will have his day in court, we undoubtedly will, or at least will have the testimony of his accuser(s) cross-examined. There would seem to be ample time for "his side" to be made public. Theoretically speaking, the truth should set him free. I admittedly think Spacey is a fine actor. His award wins and nominations, as far as I know or am concerned, were well deserved. Owing to his talent, people indeed may want him acting again. But do we need him and his ilk in Hollywood? I submit no. Perhaps I am underestimating the gifts that certain creative minds at the peak of their craft bestow upon their audiences. My supposition, however, is that individuals like Spacey are eminently replaceable. Literally. His scenes in the film All the Money in the World were re-shot with Christopher Plummer in his place, an effort that earned Plummer an Academy Award nomination. If a two-time Academy Award winner like Spacey can be replaced, why not others accused of misconduct? Are we that deficient on acting and other artistic ability? Spacey's attitude and that of critics of the #MeToo movement exist in stark contrast to comments made by actor Idris Elba on the subject. In an interview for an article in the British newspaper The Times, Elba opined that #MeToo is "only difficult if you're a man with something to hide." He received a lot of adulation on social media from prominent women in entertainment. Less so in conservative circles, but as is often heard on The Sopranos, eh, whaddya gonna do? It shouldn't take Shonda Rhimes's enthusiastic agreement, though, to convince us of the veracity of Elba's statement—woman or man, famous or not. Protests of #MeToo and Time's Up as "witch hunts" continue the trend of Donald Trump—who is certainly not above reproach given his remarks about women over the years and multiple alleged instances of sexual misconduct—and others robbing this phrase of its significance. Moreover, that Elba is the conduit for these thoughts conveys the sense that we can yet have performers of a high caliber grace our screens and maintain a clear conscience about whether the rights of women and survivors, in general, can be respected. As for women having more speaking time on screen and having more chances to direct, edit, produce, serve as lead photographer, and write, this also should not be the obstacle it presently is. If Black Panther, a movie with a predominantly black cast and black director, or Crazy Rich Asians, a movie with an all-Asian cast directed by an Asian, can do exceedingly well commercially, why can't we have more creative works in which women play central roles, behind and in front of the lens? Ocean's 8, for example, as derivative as it is, was a box-office success. If the story is a compelling one, the ethnicity or gender or sexual orientation or any similar identifying characteristic of the people involved shouldn't matter. Shouldn't we raise our expectations? Kevin Spacey's "Let Me Be Frank" video has amassed more than 9.5 million views on YouTube since first being uploaded as of this writing. I viewed it only to transcribe what he said. Others, I hope, only watched it because of a similar need to report on its contents or because, like seeing a flaming car wreck on the side of the road, they couldn't help but look away. If they viewed it because they wanted to see more of Spacey and think his talent outweighs his alleged misdeeds, however, I would consider that supremely disappointing. We don't need the Kevin Spaceys of the world back, and we'll be all the better for that realization.   Read the full article