View allAll Photos Tagged AFFIRMATION
Life affirmation from good ol' Edgar.
We're Here: Story People
Shameless marketing, stupidly expensive prints and wristbands for the gullible available at Story Poeple
“Through a transformation of energy, a new understanding may appear. It is like a new birth which must be cared for as if it were a child” (Pogson, 1994).
One of many bronze sculptures on the Taliesin West property all by Crista.
I will be your Father, and you will be my Sons, and Daughters, says the Lord Almighty.
--2 Corinthians 6: 18
Those, among us photographers who are against HDR, affirm that HDR is a fake and the image is no longer "real"
My point of view is that there is no "real" image at all
In fact, what you get out of camera is the result of an extremely complex process of manipulation and transformation of the light going through the glass of a lens (who nevertheless manipulates the image) to the surface of a device populated with millions of light sensitive single elements who, in turn, give their own "translation" of a form of energy into another form of energy (an electric signal) who (guess what) will be again converted to be finally assigned a number ( in a process called Analog to Digital Conversion).
If this is not enough so far, just keep in mind that the camera has its own way of storing the millions of single elements (pixels) who make the final Image (think of RAW and JPEG formats as another kind of manipulation)
I'm never satisfied with "straight out of camera" images. They just lack energy, color, depth, vibrance (which is what I look for in a photo), that's why I like HDR and lots of processing
So, where is the limit of manipulation and processing?
I simply do not know but tonight I just felt like I wanted to go a step forward
Here is the result, I hope you'll enjoy it
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11 HDR shots pano (photomatx pro)
Merged and further processed in Photoshop during a sleepless night
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The men clinic's main entrance at Beelitz Heilstaetten (see map)
"Passover affirms the great truth that liberty is the inalienable right of every human being."
- Morris Joseph
"Remember this day, on which you went free from Egypt, the house of bondage, how Adonai freed you from it with a mighty hand... : Exodus 13:3 "
- Moses
As always, I appreciate your visits and comments, my friends. Whatever you celebrate - have a great Holiday week...!
Best seen on black - press L or click on image above.
This is part of my Affirmations Board in my FOCUS section. A selection of fave quotes and phrases written on post-its attached to a transparent flyleaf.
Around 2008, I suppose, I bought a tiny potted Wollemi pine — Wollemia nobilis. Recall that the genus — a single species genus in the family Araucariaceae — was unknown to science until specimens were encountered in 1994 by David Noble and his companions.
Every little while that tiny tree grew bigger and was repotted on and on. Its nurse tree was the holly, then the even bigger loquat. Their role as protectors was not against cold, but exposure to full sun and hot, dry winds. Well adapted, surviving even the almost -10⁰C it occasionally sat through on the worst nights by encapsuling its growing tips in resin, it would awaken and grow again each Spring. As happens, life with constraints became unbearable.
One day, a hardy yeoman and his assistant decanted that tree into a simple hole in the ground. Around its base they installed boulders of granite to anchor it, and as rock mulch does, help with a cool, moist root zone.
This is the consequence, the affirmation of their labours: a healthy female cone. Below and to the right is the russet remnants of its male counterpart.
They call it a "living fossil", in the same way that term is applied to the ginkgo. The ginkgo is said to grow slowly. We'll see. My ginkgo is a mere stripling by comparison, yet is as tall as the wollemi. To be fair, the wollemi has greater girth. We'll see, though I probably won't, who wins this race. Whatever the outcome, I am content that this little one has got so far, and has the chance of a long future.
I signed myself up for 'Picture Fall' on a whim the other day, and this photo was taken for the 'little reminders' prompt from yesterday. I wasn't sure what I was going to do for this but as Tracy mentioned, it turned out to be serendipitous. I had ordered this gorgeous letterpress print on Etsy last week because the message really spoke to me, and it came in the mail yesterday. How's that for karma? :)
Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.
"Roy T. Bennett",
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.
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#bangalore #bangalore_insta #sobangalore #bengaluru #streetphotographyindia #vidhanasoudha #nightclicks #Light #heartofcity #creation #creative #inspiration #inspirational #inspirational_attitude #inspirational_life #inspirational_quotes #inspire #inspiring #life #lifeandliving #life_lessons #life_quotes #living #optimism #optimistic #positive #positive_affirmation #positive_life #positive_thinking #worry
Interior of Iglesia Sobre Piramide (Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remediosa) rests on top of an old pyramid. There was a wedding procession underway.
When Cortés and his men arrived in Cholula in October 1519, some 1,800 years after the pyramid was built, they massacred around three thousand people in a single hour, 10% of the city's entire population, and leveled many of the its religious structures. But they never touched the pyramid, because they never found it.
In 1594, after establishing himself in the city and affirming it is his, a church was built: The Church of Our Lady of the Remedies, on the top of the mountain of the hidden pyramid. Now Cholula has 365 churches - not true by a long shot.
MiPad Pro to you.
To reach it, you have to climb some 850 feet. Its dome is covered with colorful clay Talavera tiles, and it still contains elements of pre-Hispanic cosmology
Sometimes you need a lil reminder.
Full Blog: dasminejam.blogspot.com/2020/09/unicorn-affirmations.html
I don't agree with graffiti in general, and especially out of context but the sentiment is spot on. Much better than any motivational poster. And if you have neither you can at least be polite and honest.
And yes I do see the irony in taking a photo of someone's else work when it makes this statement but this is more about showcasing the uncredited graffiti and its viewpoint.
Thank you for any and all views, faves, invites to groups, comments and constructive critique. I’m not keen on: invitations to post 1 award 3; copy and paste comments (you know who you are); or links to your work. If you like my images there is a good chance I will like yours and I tend to reciprocate views as a matter of courtesy and personal interest. All my images are my own original work, under my copyright, with all rights reserved. This means asking the owner's permission, and obtaining it, before using the image for ANY purpose.
~~Le long des quais, l’identité maritime s’affirme : criée, chantiers de constructions navales, pontons accueillant des bateaux de toute nature y compris des voiliers de course le temps d’un départ de transat.
~~Ce port, peu profond, abrita toutefois jusqu'à 600 chaloupes pendant la saison de la sardine et, par la suite, les thoniers vinrent s'y ajouter. Des maisons bourgeoises sont édifiées le long des quais hors de la « Ville close ». Cette dernière devient, en cette période, un quartier populaire abritant matelots et sardinières. La Station de biologie marine de Concarneau est fondée par Victor Coste en 1859. Il s'agit de la plus ancienne station marine du monde.
~~À partir de 1851, les premières conserveries, remplaçant progressivement les fritures et les presses à sardines, apparaissent. Elles sont spécialisées dans la sardine et le thon. Elles feront la fortune de quelques négociants et permettront une élévation du niveau de vie de la population.
~~ En 1877, la ville compte 20 usines dont l'usine Béziers et en 1900 30 usines employant 2 000 ouvrières (qui portent la coiffe penn sardin) sur une population de 7 000 habitants. ~~À partir de 1902, la disparition des grands bancs de sardines plonge Concarneau dans la misère.
Affirmed would go on to win the 1978 Triple Crown, and his place in history. Jockey Steve Cauthen is aboard in this Pimlico classic!
Original shot on Kodachrome 64 slide film, with a Minolta SRT 35mm camera. (My former career as a racing photographer!)
Psalm 113:10 reads: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; prudent are all who live by it. Your praise endures forever.”
______________
August 19, 2008, Feastday
of Saint John Eudes (November 14, 1601 - August 19, 1680) was a French missionary and founder of the Eudists and of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity; author of the liturgical worship of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. At the age of fourteen he took a vow of chastity. For a note of his life work, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Eudes
In Mexico, convents of his nuns run six orphanages for female children without parents or to protect them from sexual abuse and other horrors in their biological homes. I was blessed to assist his Reynosa sisters. They and their girls can be found at www.casaamparo.com
That site is dedicated to serving the children and caretakers of Casa Amparo.
Since 1979, Casa Amparo ala Mujer (House of Mercy for Women) has served as a shelter for abandoned girls in Reynosa, Mexico. The shelter is managed by Catholic nuns who have devoted themselves to providing for the physical, spiritual, emotional and educational needs of these children who have nowhere to turn.
Today, the shelter serves close to 100 girls from age 6 to 17. While the shelter is commonly called an orphanage, most of the children have parents. The reasons for their admission vary and are carefully guarded. Many have suffered sexual abuse. However, most of the girls are at the shelter because their fathers have abandoned the family and their mothers consequently have been forced to fend for themselves, often ending up as prostitutes. The nuns of Casa Amparo become legal guardians of these children who are in desperate need of their help. The shelter becomes a safe haven for these girls to stop the cycle of poverty and prostitution that is so rampant in their community.
The girls at Casa Amparo are happy and well cared for, but their standard of living depends on the generosity of donors. The food and accommodations are modest but sufficient. The girls receive clothing as donations are made. Each day, the girls attend traditional school, have assigned chores and are taught life skills. Additionally, the girls work together to operate a store that helps to support them.
Children are accepted into Casa Amparo regardless of their religious preference nor has any child ever been forced to leave. They receive no funding from the Catholic church
___________________
below is from JuandelaCruz | email: sriddle415 @yahoo.com
A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:
Ezekiel 28:1-10
Deuteronomy 32:26-27ab, 27cd-28, 30, 35cd-36ab
Matthew 19:23-30
For God, All Things Are Possible . . . .
It is difficult for a rich man to get into heaven because he spends his life distracted from what is important. Money becomes his god and he ceases real communion with God. Not always, for Matthew, we can infer, was a wealthy man who returned to the Lord. Joseph of Arimathea is another example. But it is difficult for the wealthy man because of his distraction.
It is easier to go through a low gate on a laden camel, Jesus tells us. (The Eye of the Needle was a low gate in the Jerusalem wall.) But not impossible. And it is not impossible because it does not depend upon our effort. True, we must each of us align ourselves with God's will. We must each learn to live it and share it with all of the world. But our effort is small compared to the great effort of the Cross and resurrection. Our effort is tiny—if we are saved, if we are to enter Heaven, it is through God's work.
And perhaps it would help us to reflect on that, day by day. Salvation is God's work in which even human cooperation is given a divine assist by the Holy Spirit. Salvation isn't something we earn, nor is it something we can take, rather it is wholly a gift of love that radiates out from God Himself. We make it into Heaven, because it is God's will that all should do so. Are some lost? It is certainly possible, perhaps even probable. But God takes every opportunity, looks for every chance to go out and seek the lost and encourage them to come back to His loving embrace.
So do not despair of salvation. It is not your work. God has already accomplished it for you through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We triumph through Him, not through our own efforts, even though it is our will, our choice, to choose triumph over ashes.
_______________
contactable at infoenglish@zenit.org
though below I received from zenitenglish@zenit.org
Pope: Friendship With Christ Is Greatest Treasure
Sends Message for Launch of Continental Mission
VATICAN CITY, AUG. 18, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is encouraging the faithful to be missionaries since "there is no greater richness than to enjoy friendship with Christ."
The Pope affirmed this in a message sent to the 3rd American Missionary Congress, held last Tuesday through Sunday in Quito, Ecuador.
The congress gathers more than 3,000 missionaries from 25 countries in the American continent and close to 100 special guests from all five continents. A. U.S. delegation sent 53 people, including three prelates.
At the closing Mass of the congress, the Great Continental Mission was officially launched. The continental mission was called for by the 5th General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean, which Benedict XVI opened near the shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil in May 2007. The mission aims to bring Catholic communities throughout the continent to evangelize and strengthen their faith.
The Holy Father sent a special envoy to the Quito congress, Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez, archbishop of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
"The most important service we can offer our brothers is the clear and humble proclamation of Jesus Christ," the Pope said in his message.
He stressed the importance of a personal encounter with Jesus Christ as the basis of the witness a missionary must offer "so that the Lord will be better known, loved, followed and praised every day in those blessed lands."
"The present time is a providential occasion, as with simplicity, purity of heart and fidelity, we again hear how Christ reminds us that we are not servants but friends," the Holy Father added. "He has conquered sin and death, grants us his forgiveness daily, teaches us to forgive and calls us to live a life free from egoism that enslaves us, and brimming with love that stretches and dignifies us."
Remaining in love
Benedict XVI affirmed that Christians must offer the personal testimony of their relationship with Jesus Christ and their identification with him.
"He instructs us so that we will remain in his love without being conformed to the dictates of this world," he said. "Thus, with our whole life, with the joy of knowing that we are loved by Jesus, whom we can call brother, we will be valid instruments for him to continue to attract all with the mercy that flows from his cross."
The Pope encouraged: "Drink the vivifying water that flows from the side of the Savior and satiates with its crystalline freshness all those who thirst for justice, peace and truth; those who are submerged in the thick fog of sin or the darkness of violence. Feel the consolation of Christ and offer the balm of his love to the afflicted, those who are weighed down by sorrow or who have remained wounded by the coldness of indifference or the scourge of corruption."
Faithful
Benedict XVI clarified, however, that this witness must be coupled with fidelity to the magisterium and ecclesial communion.
"These challenges call for overcoming individualism and isolation and for a strengthening of the sense of ecclesial belonging and loyal collaboration with pastors, in order to form prayerful, harmonious, fraternal and missionary Christian communities," he said.
The mission of evangelization must be joined to "persevering prayer, fervent meditation on the word of God, obedience to the magisterium of the Church, the dignified celebration of the sacraments and the testimony of fraternal charity," the Pontiff added.
Benedict XVI compared the congress to a "continental cenacle" on which the "powerful force of the Holy Spirit has come, who with his gifts and charisms continues to stimulate the Church in proclaiming the Good News of salvation to every person -- especially those who do not know Christ or, perhaps, have forgotten him -- to the ends of the earth."
Best energies
He encouraged them "to share this treasure with others, as there is no greater richness than to enjoy friendship with Christ and to walk beside him. It is worthwhile to consecrate our best energies to this beautiful endeavor, knowing that divine grace precedes, sustains and accompanies us in its fulfillment."
Christ "goes before us on the path of life and helps us to aspire to holiness, so that the missionary that each one bears within himself will awaken and overcome the hesitation and mediocrity that often assails us," the Holy Father said.
"In face of the difficulties of an often hostile environment, of the lack of immediate and spectacular results […] or of the insufficiency of human means, I urge you not to be overcome by fear, defeated by discouragement or pulled down by inertia," Benedict XVI said. "Remember the words of Jesus, the Good Shepherd: 'In the world you will meet with persecution. But, be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.'"
________________
Below I found at
www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/william_shakespeare....
William Shakespeare, English Dramatist Quotes
Born April 26, 1564; Died April 23, 1616
Use every man after his desert, and who should scape whipping?
Virtue is bold, and goodness never fearful.
Virtue itself scapes not calumnious strokes.
We are time's subjects, and time bids be gone.
We cannot conceive of matter being formed of nothing, since things require a seed to start from... Therefore there is not anything which returns to nothing, but all things return dissolved into their elements.
We know what we are, but know not what we may be.
Well, if Fortune be a woman, she's a good wench for this gear.
What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god.
What is past is prologue.
What, man, defy the devil. Consider, he's an enemy to mankind.
What's done can't be undone.
This turned out to be one of the most joyous, life affirming places that we've visited on our travels. The sparkling, late summer sunshine, the arresting modern architecture set amid so much history, the superb collection of early 20th century paintings on the 5th floor, and the throng of tourists and Parisians enjoying themselves on a Saturday combined to make this a most memorable afternoon.
"Centre Georges Pompidou commonly shortened to Centre Pompidou; also known as the Pompidou Centre in English) is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil and the Marais. The Place Georges Pompidou in front of the museum is noted for the presence of street performers, such as mimes and jugglers. In the spring, miniature carnivals are installed temporarily into the place in front with a wide variety of attractions: bands, caricature and sketch artists, tables set up for evening dining, and even skateboarding competitions.
The nearby Stravinsky Fountain (also called the Fontaine des automates), on Place Stravinsky, features sixteen whimsical moving and water-spraying sculptures by Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint-Phalle, which represent themes and works by composer Igor Stravinsky. The black-painted mechanical sculptures are by Tinguely, the colored works by de Saint-Phalle. The fountain opened in 1983.
It houses the Bibliothèque publique d'information (Public Information Library), a vast public library, the Musée National d'Art Moderne, which is the largest museum for modern art in Europe, and IRCAM, a centre for music and acoustic research. Because of its location, the Centre is known locally as Beaubourg. It is named after Georges Pompidou, the President of France from 1969 to 1974 who commissioned the building, and was officially opened on 31 January 1977 by President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
The sculpture, Horizontal by Alexander Calder, a free-standing mobile that is twenty-five feet high, was placed in 2012 in front of the Centre Pompidou.
The Centre was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano; British architect Richard Rogers; and Italian architect Gianfranco Franchini, assisted by Ove Arup & Partners.The project was awarded to this team in an architectural design competition, whose results were announced in 1971. It was the first time in France that international architects were allowed to participate. World-renowned architects Oscar Niemeyer, Jean Prouvé and Philip Johnson made up the jury which would select one design out of the 681 entries.
National Geographic described the reaction to the design as "love at second sight." An article in Le Figaro declared "Paris has its own monster, just like the one in Loch Ness." But two decades later, while reporting on Rogers' winning the Pritzker Prize in 2007, The New York Times noted that the design of the Centre "turned the architecture world upside down" and that "Mr. Rogers earned a reputation as a high-tech iconoclast with the completion of the 1977 Pompidou Centre, with its exposed skeleton of brightly coloured tubes for mechanical systems. The Pritzker jury said the Pompidou "revolutionized museums, transforming what had once been elite monuments into popular places of social and cultural exchange, woven into the heart of the city.".
Initially, all of the functional structural elements of the building were colour-coded: green pipes are plumbing, blue ducts are for climate control, electrical wires are encased in yellow, and circulation elements and devices for safety (e.g., fire extinguishers) are red."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_Georges_Pompidou
...
This turned out to be one of the most joyous, life affirming places that we've visited on our travels. The sparkling, late summer sunshine, the arresting modern architecture set amid so much history, the superb collection of early 20th century paintings on the 5th floor, and the throng of tourists and Parisians enjoying themselves on a Saturday combined to make this a most memorable afternoon.
"Centre Georges Pompidou commonly shortened to Centre Pompidou; also known as the Pompidou Centre in English) is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil and the Marais. The Place Georges Pompidou in front of the museum is noted for the presence of street performers, such as mimes and jugglers. In the spring, miniature carnivals are installed temporarily into the place in front with a wide variety of attractions: bands, caricature and sketch artists, tables set up for evening dining, and even skateboarding competitions.
The nearby Stravinsky Fountain (also called the Fontaine des automates), on Place Stravinsky, features sixteen whimsical moving and water-spraying sculptures by Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint-Phalle, which represent themes and works by composer Igor Stravinsky. The black-painted mechanical sculptures are by Tinguely, the colored works by de Saint-Phalle. The fountain opened in 1983.
It houses the Bibliothèque publique d'information (Public Information Library), a vast public library, the Musée National d'Art Moderne, which is the largest museum for modern art in Europe, and IRCAM, a centre for music and acoustic research. Because of its location, the Centre is known locally as Beaubourg. It is named after Georges Pompidou, the President of France from 1969 to 1974 who commissioned the building, and was officially opened on 31 January 1977 by President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
The sculpture, Horizontal by Alexander Calder, a free-standing mobile that is twenty-five feet high, was placed in 2012 in front of the Centre Pompidou.
The Centre was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano; British architect Richard Rogers; and Italian architect Gianfranco Franchini, assisted by Ove Arup & Partners.The project was awarded to this team in an architectural design competition, whose results were announced in 1971. It was the first time in France that international architects were allowed to participate. World-renowned architects Oscar Niemeyer, Jean Prouvé and Philip Johnson made up the jury which would select one design out of the 681 entries.
National Geographic described the reaction to the design as "love at second sight." An article in Le Figaro declared "Paris has its own monster, just like the one in Loch Ness." But two decades later, while reporting on Rogers' winning the Pritzker Prize in 2007, The New York Times noted that the design of the Centre "turned the architecture world upside down" and that "Mr. Rogers earned a reputation as a high-tech iconoclast with the completion of the 1977 Pompidou Centre, with its exposed skeleton of brightly coloured tubes for mechanical systems. The Pritzker jury said the Pompidou "revolutionized museums, transforming what had once been elite monuments into popular places of social and cultural exchange, woven into the heart of the city.".
Initially, all of the functional structural elements of the building were colour-coded: green pipes are plumbing, blue ducts are for climate control, electrical wires are encased in yellow, and circulation elements and devices for safety (e.g., fire extinguishers) are red."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_Georges_Pompidou
...
Jakob sourit :
- Vous croyez si fort en moi, père. Comment cela est-il possible ?
- Tu es mon fils et le porteur de l’anneau de feu. Alors je sais que tu vas réussir à vaincre les forces du mal, même si cela prendra du temps. Ce n’est pas une question de durée, c’est une question de foi. Et Marie t’aidera, j’en suis persuadé. Je sais qu’elle a le caractère suffisamment affirmé pour cela. C’est toi qui manques de confiance, mon garçon. Pourtant, le Ciel et les forces célestes veillent sur toi et sur ta dulcinée, ils vous protègent tous deux et vous guident. Alors qu’est-ce qui te tracasse tant ?
- Le pouvoir d’Oswald m’angoisse. Ce qu’il a fait à mère, à mes frères, à vous et à tous ces royaumes et ces jeunes gens est véritablement abominable. Et je ne sais pas si j’aurai la force et le pouvoir suffisants pour détruire cette magie maléfique qu’il déploie. Et puis...il y a pire...Je...c’est sans doute idiot mais...je me suis rendu compte que le mal n’était pas forcément si radical. Qu’il était le plus souvent le résultat de souffrances, de peurs...En discutant avec Ulf, le chef des vampires, j’ai entrevu quelque chose qui m’a troublé. Comme un espace où il n’y aurait finalement ni bien ni mal, mais plutôt des circonstances malheureuses...J’ai compris que c’était le cas pour Ulf et en arrivant ici, je me suis aussi posé la question pour Oswald. Que lui est-il arrivé pour qu’il devienne aussi maléfique ?
- Il n’a jamais connu ni son père ni sa mère. La fille d’Osmond est morte moins d’un an après sa naissance. D’une mauvaise fièvre que son père n’a pas su guérir. Alors Osmond s’est enferré dans toutes sortes de magie et a elevé Oswald à son image et selon ses codes.
- Et son père ?
- Je crois que personne ne sait qui il était exactement...Oswald a considéré son grand-père comme père et mère tout à la fois. Tout en ayant peur de lui déplaire, peur de sa magie aussi. C’est pourquoi il souhaite tout contrôler autour de lui. Tout posséder et dominer. C’est un être en perpétuelle quête de sécurité. Et la sécurité qu’il souhaite, c’est le pouvoir suprême. Une sorte de Saint Graal, un entêtement maladif pour soulager ses angoisses. Mais une fois qu’il l’aura, ce pouvoir ne pourra que le détruire.
- Alors pourquoi ne pas le lui donner tout de suite ?
- Parce que ce pouvoir suprême s’il tombait entre ses mains maléfiques nous tuerait tous.
Est-ce vraiment cela que tu souhaites, fils ?
-Non, évidemment, mais je cherchais une solution alternative qui…
-Puisse fonctionner sans l’affronter directement, c’est cela ?
- Oui...vous savez à quel point je déteste toute forme de violence.
- Pourtant tu sais bien que dans certains cas, c’est inévitable, même si je n’aime pas plus que toi ce genre de solution. Depuis mon internement et ton arrivée à Kalamine, n’as-tu pas été confronté à ce genre d’extrémité ?
- Si, une fois. Lorsque Tito le serpent et sa bande de brigands, la voleuse d’âmes voulaient s’en prendre à moi et à Gontrand...Mais croyez bien que je n’ai pas fait cela de gaieté de coeur et si Gontrand n’avait pas été là, de même que Ulf pour me pousser à l’action, je pense que je n’aurais pas été jusqu’à leur destruction.
- Et tu ne serais peut-être plus là pour nous en parler. Réfléchis à ça, Jakob, je t’en prie. Au besoin parles-en avec Marie. A présent, c’est ensemble que vous devez affronter Oswald et pas seulement individuellement, chacun de votre côté.
- Ton père a raison, intervint le triton. Ta fiancée peut t’aider à prendre la bonne décision. Ce n’est pas la fille d’Héloïse Smiroff pour rien. Fais lui confiance et confies-toi à elle. A deux, vous trouverez la juste attitude. Ca et ton poudrier magique, ça devrait t’ôter le doute et te remettre dans de bonnes dispositions. Maintenant, en échange de nos précieux conseils, je vais te demander un service, jeune homme ! Pourrais-tu t’arranger avec Chariot pour que Marie vienne nous rendre visite également ? Je sais que c’est un peu risqué, mais...même si ça n’est pas possible avant quelques jours…
Hélas, au moment où le triton faisait cette requête, Chariot démarra la chanson d’alerte et Jakob sursauta :
- Ecoutez, ce sera avec plaisir, mais je ne peux rien vous promettre. D’autant que je dois m’en aller si je ne veux pas être surpris ici par le corbeau ou Oswald lui-même. Père, tenez bon, jusqu’à ce que je trouve le moyen de vous délivrer. Le reste, je m’en charge, vous pouvez compter sur moi.
- Je t’aime mon fils...prends soin de toi ! Murmura le roi des elfes, avec un sanglot dans la voix.
Jakob inclina la tête, lui aussi très ému. Puis saluant les autres prisonniers, il s’éclipsa hors du cachot.
Juste à temps pour éviter de croiser la corneille, qui ayant fini son jeu de dupes avec la psyché d’Oswald, venait s’enquérir de l’avancée du ménage de l’apprenti sorcier.
- Tu as déjà terminé ? Croassa le volatile en jouant l’inspecteur du laboratoire.
Il passa en revue toutes les étagères et tables et ne voyant rien à redire, il fixa le jeune garçon avec intérêt et déclara :
Eh bien...tu dois être un apprenti méticuleux...et c’est une qualité que le maître apprécie. Tu as passé la première épreuve, la plus facile. Mais attends-toi à une prochaine un peu plus épineuse et difficile...J’ai faim ! Que fait donc Oswald ?
- Si tu veux, je peux t’apporter une poignée de grains d’orge...cela te fera attendre, suggéra Chariot. Moi aussi j’ai faim et je suppose que l’apprenti sorcier est sur le même ressenti . Alors je vous invite tous deux à la cuisine. Nous dînerons ensemble au lieu de manger seuls chacun devant son assiette.
- Sans le maître ? S’offusqua le corbeau .
- De toute façon, il dîne toujours seul, alors qu’est-ce qu’il pourrait trouver à y redire.
Vaincu par cet argument de Chariot, et poussé par la faim, l’oiseau ne se fit plus prier pour suivre Jakob à la cuisine.
Ce qui permit au jeune garçon, d’observer les usages de la maisonnée et les rapports sociaux qu’entretenait le corbeau avec le domestique.
La vie au sein de la tour semblait assez morne et triste en dehors des coups de colère et d’éclat d’Oswald et du mimétisme de son favori qui ne voyait que par son maître et répétait comme un automate le même discours pervers que le sorcier, sans même forcément le comprendre.
Intérieurement, Jakob, tout en mangeant, espérait que ce dîner soit très court, juste pour apaiser leur faim pour échapper au tourbillon volubile du corbeau. Chariot semblait résigné et habitué à subir cet incessant monologue. Une fois de plus, Jakob eut pitié du vieux cuisinier et même s’il ne pouvait lui faire aucune confidence de crainte d’une trahison, résolut de l’aider à sortir de l’emprise d’Oswald.
Il pensait à Marie aussi...Marie, dont il avait peur de la réaction, suite à leur rendez-vous manqué de la veille.
Aurait-il droit à sa bienveillance et sa compréhension ? Ou bien aurait-elle une réaction de colère et un sentiment de trahison vis à vis de son absence ?
Il avait beau se convaincre qu’elle l’aimait et qu’elle lui pardonnerait volontiers son échappée belle de la nuit dernière avec Ulf, il n’arrivait pas à se trouver tout à fait tranquille en pensant à leurs retrouvailles.
Et ce doute creusait la mélancolie sur son jeune visage comme une rivière creuse un lit dans la terre et la mousse tendre.
C’est avec ce visage plein d’incertitudes qu’il apparut à Oswald, rentré de sa journée forestière avec Marie. La jeune femme, toute aussi contrariée qu’il l’était lui-même sans pour autant que ce soit pour les mêmes raisons, ne fit aucun cas de sa présence et regagna sa chambre rapidement, sous le regard inquiet d’Oswald.
- Qu’ai-je fait encore pour lui déplaire ? Maugréa le sorcier. Je savais que les femmes étaient de nature capricieuse, mais celle-là dépasse tous les records en la matière. Elle devrait pourtant être contente que j’ai utilisé des sorts pour faire pousser plus vite ses graines. Au moins nous économiserons de l’eau et du travail…
Jakob se mordit la lèvre pour ne pas répliquer et Chariot en écho soupira.
Ce silence éloquent, pas même rompu par la corneille qui fixait le sorcier d’un air ébahi, finit par indisposer Oswald qui cherchait une explication logique au comportement de son épouse et n’en trouvait pas. Avisant son nouveau jeune apprenti, il lui lança :
- Et toi ? Qu’as-tu donc fait durant mon absence ? Le laboratoire est-il en ordre et propre ?
- Je pense que vous devriez être satisfait.
- Tu penses...cela veut donc dire que tu as des doutes sur la qualité de ton travail ? Attention, Matthias, si tu m’as trompé, je le saurai...Je te l’ai dit, je n’ignore rien de ce qui se passe ici et sur mes terres.
Jakob sourit.
- Voyez par vous-même…
Le sorcier se dirigea lentement vers le laboratoire et quelle ne fut pas sa surprise lorsqu’il constata, en lieu et place d’un espace en désordre et sale, un laboratoire propre et rangé. Sans pour autant que les potions aient diamétralement changé de place.
Furieux, il passa plusieurs fois entre les allées, mais constatant que tout avait été bien fait, il interpella son apprenti et déclara :
- Très bien, l’épreuve était sans doute trop simple pour toi. Alors dès demain, je te mettrai à la fabrication d’une potion. Que tu devras tester devant moi après avoir appris par coeur la recette.
Et gare à toi si le dosage n’est pas respecté. As-tu un grimoire ?
- Oui, bien sûr...et je l’ai amené avec moi. Il doit être dans mon baluchon.
- Fais voir…
Jakob alla chercher le livre où Erminie avait écrit en imitant l’écriture de Jakob quelques formules magiques assez sommaires et le tendit à Oswald.
Ce dernier, après avoir feuilleté l’ouvrage le rendit à son propriétaire avec une pointe de mépris :
- D’après ce que je vois, tu ne sais quasiment rien de la magie maléfique ou presque. Il me faudra donc tout t’apprendre. Et pourtant, tu sembles instruit...et très habile aussi. Et tu as réussi instinctivement à contourner les pièges semés dans mon laboratoire pour le nettoyer. Tu es décidément très intriguant, jeune Matthias. Mais je te dresserai et je finirai par percer tes mystères.
Sois en persuadé !
- Mais j’y compte bien, seigneur Oswald. Cela me permettra d’en apprendre davantage sur mes capacités car en vérité, je ne sais comment ni pourquoi j’agis comme cela. Si donc votre seigneurie veut bien me donner quelques lumières et maléfices, j’en serai ravi.
Le sorcier plissa les yeux en considérant le jeune garçon. Matthias le séduisait mais il l’agaçait aussi. Il était comme le sable qu’on ne parvient pas à emprisonner dans sa main et qui, infatigable, continue de couler jusqu’à disparition. Ce garçon lui rappelait un peu Marie son épouse, dont il ne parvenait pas à décoder ni les changements d’humeur ni la personnalité. Deux êtres qui s’ignoraient superbement, ne se connaissaient pas, mais pareillement indéchiffrables, brouillant les pistes quant à leur caractère et leur identité.
- Allons, finit-il par conclure, il est peut-être temps d’aller dormir. Chariot t’amenera à ta chambre. Mais ne t’attends pas à plus qu’il ne convient. Et sois exact demain à 7H30 au laboratoire. J’y serai déjà et je te montrerai ce que tu auras à faire.
- Bien, maître. Alors à demain, dormez bien !
Oswald eut un rictus : il ne dormait que très rarement. Et encore moins depuis qu’il voulait retrouver l’anneau de feu et conquérir tous les pouvoirs…
Chariot amena Jakob dans une petite pièce qui ressemblait à un couloir, percé d’une porte et d’une petite lucarne qui donnait sur la forêt et apportait un peu de fraîcheur à la chambre, quand on l’ouvrait.
- Je suis content que le maître t’ ait accordé cet endroit. Ce n’est pas grand, mais toujours mieux que partager avec moi et les ustensiles de ménage, le réduit sous l’escalier.
- Assurément. Sais-tu si je pourrais avoir une petite table avec un nécessaire pour écrire les maléfices et feuilleter et annoter mon grimoire ?
- Ca devrait pouvoir s’arranger. Mais pas avant demain. D’ici là, je vais t’apporter un broc d’eau douce, un cuveau et un peu de savon, une grande serviette et tu pourras te mettre au lit. Je viendrai te réveiller demain pour t’éviter une réprimande. Le maître est toujours matinal et si tu ne réponds pas immédiatement à l’appel, il s’arrange pour nous pourrir la journée…
- Compris, je tâcherai de ne pas l’oublier. Merci pour ton aide…
- Ca fait partie de mon travail ici. Et puis, je te l’ai dit, tu m’es sympathique. Alors si je peux faciliter ton acclimatation…Mais ne montre pas trop de courtoisie à mon égard. Oswald déteste les amitiés particulières et il y voit toujours un motif de rébellion. A cela aussi tu dois faire attention. Et surtout, un dernier conseil : n’essaie pas de communiquer avec l’épouse du maître. Oswald est terriblement jaloux. Et si jamais il apprenait que sa prisonnière principale s’entretient en privé avec son apprenti, il serait capable du pire, aussi bien contre elle, que contre toi.
Jakob hocha la tête et soupira :
- De toute façon, cette dame n’a même pas remarqué ma présence. Elle a l’air seulement triste, presque autant que toi.
- Les apparences sont trompeuses, crois-moi. Marie est une créature charmante et enjouée. Mais la compagnie du maître n’est pas pour favoriser sa bonne humeur. C’est même tout le contraire. J’espère seulement qu’elle finisse par triompher de son geôlier et retourner dans son royaume qu’elle n’aurait jamais dû quitter. Un jour, peut-être…Elle est comme toi, jeune et déterminée à tenir tête à Oswald et à imposer ses vues. Alors le Ciel ne devrait pas rester indifférent à vos détresses…
Jakob sourit :
- Tu crois en Dieu ?
- Plus qu’en la magie qui fait souvent plus de mal que de bien, si elle vient des forces du mal. Et encore moins lorsqu’elle se retourne contre toi...Mais Dieu lui, ne t’enfermera pas dans une loi du triple retour et Il te fera progresser sur ton chemin, si tu demandes Son Aide et celle des anges.
- Je n’ai jamais vraiment prié mais...peut-être parce que je n’en jamais eu l’occasion ni le besoin jusque là.
- Alors c’est le moment d’essayer. Si tu as des intentions particulières, confie-les simplement sans mantra ni salamalecs. Dieu se fiche des rituels. Ce qui compte, c’est l’ouverture de ton coeur et de ton âme. Et la foi que ta prière est déjà exaucée à peine l’auras-tu formulée…
En entendant ces paroles vibrantes, Jakob considéra le cuisinier avec un peu de circonspection mais sentant intuitivement que son interlocuteur avait vérifié concrètement ce qu’il affirmait avec tant d’assurance, il répondit :
- Après tout...qui ne tente rien, n’a rien. Et au moins pour réussir la seconde épreuve, j’aurai besoin d’aide divine. Alors je vais suivre ton conseil. Et s’il me réussit, tu me raconteras comment tu as découvert Dieu ?
- C’est promis.
Un peu plus tard, après s’être délassé dans un bon bain et allongé sur son lit, Jakob repensa à la prière suggérée par Chariot. Et parce qu’il avait peur de ne pas retrouver Marie, qu’elle ne soit pas au rendez-vous de la nuit, il murmura en chantonnant:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnHoqHscTKE
Après cette étrange prière, curieusement un peu plus apaisé, mais aussi épuisé par ce premier jour chez Oswald, Jakob cligna des paupières et ne tarda pas à s’endormir. Il ne savait pas si Marie le rejoindrait dans son sommeil, mais il n'avait plus peur de sa réaction. L'invocation lui avait rendu espoir et foi en leur mutuelle affection.
Silencieux, dissimulé dans l’ombre de la chambrette et heureux d'un tel dénouement, l’ange de l’anneau de feu, souriait...
“The more I am able to affirm others, to say “yes” to them in myself, by discovering them in myself and myself in them, the more real I am. I am fully real if my heart says yes to everyone.
I will be a better Catholic, not if can refute every shade of Protestantism, but if I can affirm the truth in it and still go further.
So, too, with the Muslims, the Hindus, the Buddhists, etc. This does not mean syncretism, indifferentism, the vapid and careless friendliness that accepts everything by thinking of nothing. There is much that one cannot “affirm” and “accept,” but first one must say “yes” where one really can.
If I affirm myself as Catholic merely by denying all that is Muslim, Jewish, Protestant, Hindu, Buddhist, etc. in the end I will find that there is not much left for me to affirm as a Catholic, and certainly no breath of the Spirit with which to affirm it.”
- Thomas Merton from Conjectures of Guilty Bystander p. 129
Photo taken at 76 Minds Studios - October 2019
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If you're feeing down, you can go to this restaurant in the Rino district to be consoled.
Denver, CO
This was made for a Challenge on the Three Muses site. My beloved grandfather taught me lots of old songs and he often sang 'Into each life a little rain must fall'. I just added the rainbow quote as well. He was a great influence on my life and I think of him every day! xxx
This turned out to be one of the most joyous, life affirming places that we've visited on our travels. The sparkling, late summer sunshine, the arresting modern architecture set amid so much history, the superb collection of early 20th century paintings on the 5th floor, and the throng of tourists and Parisians enjoying themselves on a Saturday combined to make this a most memorable afternoon.
"Centre Georges Pompidou commonly shortened to Centre Pompidou; also known as the Pompidou Centre in English) is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil and the Marais. The Place Georges Pompidou in front of the museum is noted for the presence of street performers, such as mimes and jugglers. In the spring, miniature carnivals are installed temporarily into the place in front with a wide variety of attractions: bands, caricature and sketch artists, tables set up for evening dining, and even skateboarding competitions.
The nearby Stravinsky Fountain (also called the Fontaine des automates), on Place Stravinsky, features sixteen whimsical moving and water-spraying sculptures by Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint-Phalle, which represent themes and works by composer Igor Stravinsky. The black-painted mechanical sculptures are by Tinguely, the colored works by de Saint-Phalle. The fountain opened in 1983.
It houses the Bibliothèque publique d'information (Public Information Library), a vast public library, the Musée National d'Art Moderne, which is the largest museum for modern art in Europe, and IRCAM, a centre for music and acoustic research. Because of its location, the Centre is known locally as Beaubourg. It is named after Georges Pompidou, the President of France from 1969 to 1974 who commissioned the building, and was officially opened on 31 January 1977 by President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
The sculpture, Horizontal by Alexander Calder, a free-standing mobile that is twenty-five feet high, was placed in 2012 in front of the Centre Pompidou.
The Centre was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano; British architect Richard Rogers; and Italian architect Gianfranco Franchini, assisted by Ove Arup & Partners.The project was awarded to this team in an architectural design competition, whose results were announced in 1971. It was the first time in France that international architects were allowed to participate. World-renowned architects Oscar Niemeyer, Jean Prouvé and Philip Johnson made up the jury which would select one design out of the 681 entries.
National Geographic described the reaction to the design as "love at second sight." An article in Le Figaro declared "Paris has its own monster, just like the one in Loch Ness." But two decades later, while reporting on Rogers' winning the Pritzker Prize in 2007, The New York Times noted that the design of the Centre "turned the architecture world upside down" and that "Mr. Rogers earned a reputation as a high-tech iconoclast with the completion of the 1977 Pompidou Centre, with its exposed skeleton of brightly coloured tubes for mechanical systems. The Pritzker jury said the Pompidou "revolutionized museums, transforming what had once been elite monuments into popular places of social and cultural exchange, woven into the heart of the city.".
Initially, all of the functional structural elements of the building were colour-coded: green pipes are plumbing, blue ducts are for climate control, electrical wires are encased in yellow, and circulation elements and devices for safety (e.g., fire extinguishers) are red."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_Georges_Pompidou
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