View allAll Photos Tagged COMPASSIONATE
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The USS Constitution, compassionately known as “Old Ironsides,” is a ship constructed in 1794 as the beginnings of the new U.S. Navy. Far from simply being a great American icon, she represented a new path of shipbuilding. She was one of six frigates designed to be more heavily armed and armored than other ships of her size, while still being fast enough to evade enemy men-o-wars.
Her design proved effective and after winning the first victory against the British Navy in the War of 1812, the USS Constitution was kept from the scrapyard. Now, she is the oldest ship still afloat—even sailing under her own sails and performing salutes for special occasions.
Here is your chance to have this world-famous ship sail its way across your desk or perform salutes from your shelf! This model is solidly designed from stem to stern and is highly detailed, allowing you to reenact all of your favorite battles.
Features:
A Full Compliment! The model is roughly to nanofigure scale and comes with several figures representing officers and crewmen.
Head Below! Two separately removable deck sections allow access to the gundeck. That deck is complete for display or play with, stairs, ladders, cannons, carronades, powder kegs, and even bilge pumps.
Stowing Away? A section of the hull may be removed to access the cargo hold belowdecks.
Raise Anchors! Spin the Capstan to raise the anchors. The pulleys are hidden out of sight so as not to distract from play or display.
We’re Going to Need a Bigger Bottle: At nearly 2400 pieces, this model measures 74.1cm (2.4ft) long and 65.3cm (2.1ft) tall without the display base.
So unfurl the mains and set sail with this Eagle of the Sea!
Three orthodox Jews protesting against Israel's continued construction of illegal settlements and its atrocities committed against Palestinians. They had joined other demonstrators, who were angry at the failure of British authorities to arrest Ehud Barak, the butcher of Gaza, who was scheduled to give a talk at the Jewish Community Centre on Finchley Road to promote his memoirs.
[ Just in case anyone is interested I have attached a link to my research on British crimes against both Arabs and Jews in Palestine during the mandate period - 1919-1948. Use the following url and scroll down the list of countries alphabetically for Palestine - roguenation.org/choose-by-country/ ]
The police, instead of arresting Ehud Barak, had been instructed to protect him !
Barrack was Israel's Minister of Defence during Operation Cast Lead (also known as the Gaza massacre) in 2008-9, during which, according to United Nations figures, 1417 Palestinian were killed, the vast majority of them (926) civilians including 344 children, 250 police officers, civil defence works and ambulance drivers.
A passing out parade of police officers was deliberately targeted in the opening surprise aerial assault on 27 December. Civilian infrastructure was also targeted. Over half of Gaza's hospitals were seriously damaged or destroyed as well as tens of thousands of homes, half a million people were deprived of running water and a million people without any electric supply.
It is interesting to note that recently Ehud Barak has himself accused the current Israeli government of having been hijacked by extremists. Last year he wrote a piece for the New York Times observing that "our country now finds its very future, identity and security severely threatened by the whims and illusions of the ultranationalist government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”
The demonstrators were however unwilling to trust a suspected war criminal now portraying himself as a moderate and they were also angry that two weeks earlier, on Monday 14th May 2018, 61 unarmed Palestinians, including several children and a baby, were killed by the Israeli army, most of them shot dead by precision snipers during a demonstration close to Gaza's border fence, although some may also have been killed by the excessive us of CS gas.
Apart from the shocking number of fatalities, over 2,000 Palestinians were injured (including at least eight journalists), over one thousand of them by live ammunition. On the same day, the United States had moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move which is a clear violation of international law. US president Donald Trump called it a "great day for Israel."
On the following day several hundred protesters had gathered in central London opposite Downing Street to protest against both the ongoing Israeli crimes against the population of Gaza and the West Bank and also British diplomatic and military support for Israel. Since 2014, the UK government has exported 445 million dollars worth of arms to the country, including components for fighter aircraft, helicopters and sniper rifles.
People in the demonstration on 15 May had expressed anger at the Israseli army's use of lethal force against unarmed protesters over the previous few weeks, which had resulted in the death of 111 demonstrators and thousands of civilian casualties. Needless to say not a single Israeli soldier had been injured and one of the Palestinians killed, Yasser Murtada, was a well respected journalist who had previously worked for the BBC, and was clearly wearing a PRESS jacket at the moment he was shot in the chest by a carefully aimed sniper's bullet.
He, like others, was also killed some distance from the illegally erected border/prison fence which isolates the population of Gaza from both their family relatives and any chance of gainful economic employment in wealthier areas. That's why the popular anology which compares Israel to South African apartheid is highly misleading because in South Africa, at least the white population needed the blacks as workers, even if they committed appalling atrocities, but in Israel the Palestinian population are neither needed nor wanted by Israeli employees.
Palestinians are treated worse than dogs, to whom humans tend to show some sympathy, but rather as unworthy of any consideration, so much so that past Israeli military operations against Gaza in which the planners know thousands of civilians are likely to die are given the military term "mowing the grass", because the Palestinian civilian population is considered of no more value in importance, than the ants one might tread underfoot when one ventures into the garden.
"The aim of spiritual life is to awaken a joyful freedom, a benevolent and compassionate heart in spite of everything." -Jack Kornfield
Place I Nagpur, Maharashtra
“If the photographer is interested in the people in front of his lens, and if he is compassionate, it’s already a lot. The instrument is not the camera but the photographer.”
~ Eve Arnold
my daughter,,ever compassionate about ALL animals,, picked the frog off the street and put him on the side on the earth ,,we came back with some flowers for him,,,
like i have said many times to my daughter when she takes this nice care of little creatures,, i will be happy if as much fuss is made for me when i die !
Apart from the pulling and hauling stands what I am,
Stands amused, complacent, compassionating, idle, unitary,
Looks down, is erect, or bends an arm on an impalpable certain rest,
Looking with side-curved head curious what will come next,
Both in and out of the game and watching and wondering at it.
My friend asked me last week if I could go back in time, what age would it be… I don’t know … Any age with mama & grandparents. Of course, I can say my 18-inch waist, long hair, the time when I could eat 5 pastries a day and still be 86 pounds, but that would be so superficial—any age where people I love are in my life with me works for me. And never lose your sense of wonder.
Walt Whitman’s inspiration is always my inspiration. To carry that kind of inspiration and persistence throughout his life besides poetry is a gift of its own.
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For,
“Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
and their lips from deceitful speech.
They must turn from evil and do good;
they must seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
[1 Peter 3:8-12 NIV]
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
41/52 “If a photographer cares about the people before the lens and is compassionate, much is given. It is the photographer, not the camera, that is the instrument.” (Eve Arnold)
I was hanging out with my friends Charlyn and Mon one night last week and caught this sweet moment between the two of them. I loved their happy and contented smiles and thought the image fit this weeks theme.
Adi Shankaracharya - Kalabhairava Ashtakam,
(With Meaning )
देवराजसेव्यमानपावनांघ्रिपङ्कजं
व्यालयज्ञसूत्रमिन्दुशेखरं कृपाकरम् ।
नारदादियोगिवृन्दवन्दितं दिगंबरं
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे ॥१॥
Deva-Raaja-Sevyamaana-Paavana-Angghri-Pankajam
Vyaala-Yajnya-Suutram-Indu-Shekharam Krpaakaram |
Naarada-[A]adi-Yogi-Vrnda-Vanditam Digambaram
Kaashikaa-Pura-Adhinaatha-Kaalabhairavam Bhaje ||1||
1.1: (Salutations to Sri Kalabhairava) Whose Lotus-Feet is Served by Indra, the King of the Devas.
1.2: Who has a Snake as His Sacrificial Thread, Moon on His Head and Who is Extremely Compassionate.
1.3: Who is Praised by sage Narada and other Yogis, and Who is Digambara (Clothed by Sky, signifying that He is Ever-Free).
1.4: Salutations to Sri Kalabhairava Who is the Supreme Lord of the City of Kashi.
भानुकोटिभास्वरं भवाब्धितारकं परं
नीलकण्ठमीप्सितार्थदायकं त्रिलोचनम् ।
कालकालमंबुजाक्षमक्षशूलमक्षरं
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे ॥२॥
Bhaanu-Kotti-Bhaasvaram Bhavaabdhi-Taarakam Param
Niila-Kannttham-Iipsita-Artha-Daayakam Trilocanam |
Kaala-Kaalam-Ambuja-Akssam-Akssa-Shuulam-Akssaram
Kaashikaa-Pura-Adhinaatha-Kaalabhairavam Bhaje ||2||
2.1: (Salutations to Sri Kalabhairava) Who has the Brilliance of a Million Suns, Who Rescues us from the Ocean of Worldly Existence and Who is Supreme.
2.2: Who has a Blue Throat, Who Bestows us with Worldly Prosperity which we Wish for and Who has Three Eyes.
2.3: Who is the Death of the Death [i.e. beyond death], Who is Lotus-Eyed, Whose Trident Supports the Three Worlds and Who is Imperishable.
2.4: Salutations to Sri Kalabhairava Who is the Supreme Lord of the City of Kashi.
शूलटङ्कपाशदण्डपाणिमादिकारणं
श्यामकायमादिदेवमक्षरं निरामयम् ।
भीमविक्रमं प्रभुं विचित्रताण्डवप्रियं
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे ॥३॥
Shuula-Tanka-Paasha-Danndda-Paannim-Aadi-Kaarannam
Shyaama-Kaayam-Aadi-Devam-Akssaram Nir-Aamayam |
Bhiimavikramam Prabhum Vichitra-Taannddava-Priyam
Kaashikaa-Pura-Adhinaatha-Kaalabhairavam Bhaje ||3||
3.1: (Salutations to Sri Kalabhairava) Who has Trident, Hatchet, Noose and Club in His Hands and Who is the Primordial Cause of the Universe.
3.2: Whose Body is Dark, Who is the Primordial Lord, Who is Imperishable and Who is beyond Diseases [of the World],
3.3: Who is the Lord with Terrific Prowess and Who Loves the Strange, Vigorous Tandava Dance.
3.4: Salutations to Sri Kalabhairava Who is the Supreme Lord of the City of Kashi.
भुक्तिमुक्तिदायकं प्रशस्तचारुविग्रहं
भक्तवत्सलं स्थितं समस्तलोकविग्रहम् ।
विनिक्वणन्मनोज्ञहेमकिङ्किणीलसत्कटिं
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे ॥४॥
Bhukti-Mukti-Daayakam Prashasta-Caaru-Vigraham
Bhakta-Vatsalam Sthitam Samasta-Loka-Vigraham |
Vi-Nikvannan-Manojnya-Hema-Kinkinnii-Lasat-Kattim
Kaashikaa-Pura-Adhinaatha-Kaalabhairavam Bhaje ||4||
4.1: (Salutations to Sri Kalabhairava) Who is the Giver of Worldly Prosperity and Liberation and Who has an Auspicious Pleasing Form.
4.2: Who is Kind and Loving to His Devotees and Who Stands Firm as the Deity of All the Lokas.
4.3: Who has Shining Golden Bells around His Waist which Jingles Creating a Variety of Pleasing Sounds.
4.4: Salutations to Sri Kalabhairava Who is the Supreme Lord of the City of Kashi.
धर्मसेतुपालकं त्वधर्ममार्गनाशकं
कर्मपाशमोचकं सुशर्मदायकं विभुम् ।
स्वर्णवर्णशेषपाशशोभिताङ्गमण्डलं
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे ॥५॥
Dharma-Setu-Paalakam Tva-Adharma-Maarga-Naashakam Karma-Paasha-Mocakam Su-Sharma-Daayakam Vibhum |
Svarnna-Varnna-Shessa-Paasha-Shobhitaangga-Mannddalam
Kaashikaa-Pura-Adhinaatha-Kaalabhairavam Bhaje ||5||
5.1: (Salutations to Sri Kalabhairava) Who Guards the Established Institution of the Eternal Dharma and Destroys the Path of Adharma which are averse to the Eternal Dharma (by leading the devotee towards the Eternal Dharma).
5.2: Who is the Lord who Frees us from the Fetters of Karma (binding impressions of work on our minds accumulated during several births) thereby Giving us [by Revealing] the Great Joy [of the Soul].
5.3: Who is Adorned with Golden-Coloured Serpents encircling His Body.
5.4: Salutations to Sri Kalabhairava Who is the Supreme Lord of the City of Kashi.
रत्नपादुकाप्रभाभिरामपादयुग्मकं
नित्यमद्वितीयमिष्टदैवतं निरंजनम् ।
मृत्युदर्पनाशनं करालदंष्ट्रमोक्षणं
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे ॥६॥
Ratna-Paadukaa-Prabhaabhi-Raama-Paada-Yugmakam
Nityam-Advitiiyam-Isstta-Daivatam Niramjanam |
Mrtyu-Darpa-Naashanam Karaala-Damssttra-Mokssannam
Kaashikaa-Pura-Adhinaatha-Kaalabhairavam Bhaje ||6||
6.1: (Salutations to Sri Kalabhairava) Whose Charming Beautiful Pair of Feet Shine with Sandals Studded with Gems.
6.2: Who is the Eternal, Non-Dual, Ishtha Devata and Who is Stainless and Pure.
6.3: Who Destroys the Pride of Death (manifested as Fear within us) and Whose Large Terrible Fangs Liberate us (from the Fear of Death).
6.4: Salutations to Sri Kalabhairava Who is the Supreme Lord of the City of Kashi.
अट्टहासभिन्नपद्मजाण्डकोशसंततिं
दृष्टिपातनष्टपापजालमुग्रशासनम् ।
अष्टसिद्धिदायकं कपालमालिकाधरं
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे ॥७॥
Atttta-Haasa-Bhinna-Padmaja-Anndda-Kosha-Samtatim
Drsstti-Paata-Nasstta-Paapa-Jaalam-Ugra-Shaasanam |
Asstta-Siddhi-Daayakam Kapaala-Maalikaa-Dharam
Kaashikaa-Pura-Adhinaatha-Kaalabhairavam Bhaje ||7||
7.1: (Salutations to Sri Kalabhairava) Whose Loud Terrific Laughter Shatters the Continuity of the Sheath of Creation (delusion of our mind) of the Lotus-Born Brahma from the Primeval Egg.
7.2: Whose Terrific Glance Destroys the Net of the Powerful and Mighty Rule of Sins (in our mind).
7.3: Who Bestows the Eight Siddhis and Who Wear a Garland of Skulls.
7.4: Salutations to Sri Kalabhairava Who is the Supreme Lord of the City of Kashi.
भूतसंघनायकं विशालकीर्तिदायकं
काशिवासलोकपुण्यपापशोधकं विभुम् ।
नीतिमार्गकोविदं पुरातनं जगत्पतिं
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे ॥८॥
Bhuuta-Samgha-Naayakam Vishaala-Kiirti-Daayakam
Kaashi-Vaasa-Loka-Punnya-Paapa-Shodhakam Vibhum |
Niiti-Maarga-Kovidam Puraatanam Jagatpatim
Kaashikaapuraadhinaathakaalabhairavam Bhaje ||8||
8.1: (Salutations to Sri Kalabhairava) Who is the Ruler of Ghosts and Goblins and Who Bestows Great Glory to us (by revealing the Glory of the Self).
8.2: Who is the Lord who Purges both the Merits and the Sins of the Persons Dwelling in Kashi (thus revealing the Self in its pristine beauty).
8.3: Who is Skilled in Guiding us in the Path of Righteousness and Who is the most Ancient (i.e. Eternal) Lord of the Universe.
8.4: Salutations to Sri Kalabhairava Who is the Supreme Lord of the City of Kashi.
कालभैरवाष्टकं पठंति ये मनोहरं
ज्ञानमुक्तिसाधनं विचित्रपुण्यवर्धनम् ।
शोकमोहदैन्यलोभकोपतापनाशनं
प्रयान्ति कालभैरवांघ्रिसन्निधिं नरा ध्रुवम् ॥९॥
Kaalabhairavaassttakam Patthamti Ye Manoharam
Jnyaana-Mukti-Saadhanam Vicitra-Punnya-Vardhanam |
Shoka-Moha-Dainya-Lobha-Kopa-Taapa-Naashanam
Prayaanti Kaalabhairava-Amghri-Sannidhim Naraa Dhruvam ||9||
9.1: (Salutations to Sri Kalabhairava) Those who Read the Eight Verses on Sri Kalabhairava with Devotion which is Heart-Stealing and Charming,
9.2: Will be Lead straight to the Goal of Knowledge and Liberation and Will result in the Rise of Various Auspicious Qualities.
9.3: And Which Destroys (mental) Sorrows and Afflictions, Delusions and Infatuations, Wretchedness and Depressions, Passions and Anger and (mental) Heat and Burns.
9.4: And after Death the Devotee will Surely Attain the Feet of Sri Kalabhairava.
" ...patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.”
― Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching
Holga 120N, Kodak Tri-X, expired 1987, shot with a Holga red, soft surround filter. Developed in R09 One Shot (Rodinal), 1+50, 14 minutes using the R09 developing method of 1 minute of continuous agitation, then 1 inversion every 30 seconds thereafter.
Orville Spencer
Early 1950s
Oil on wood
I do not know whether the artist named this piece. I gave it a name for compassionate reasons.
---------------------------------------------
Today I came across paintings by an obscure and very local artist. The occasion was the 20th Finnish American Festival at the school in historic Naselle, Washington. The place was a classroom full of logging memorabilia, where six or so yellowing paintings on board rested against the wall behind a rope line of plastic chains.
I will let this 1971 article about the artist from the Longview Daily News of Longview, Washington, speak for itself:
--------------------------------------
"Where is artist Orville Spencer?"
By Richard Spiro
Daily News Staff Writer
NASELLE - Where is Orville Spencer now?
He was a logger. a decade or more ago in the Deep River area. A logger, and something more - Spencer was also an artist who took the scenes that were part of his everyday life and painted them on wood. Those familiar with such things refer to his work as "primitive .. style, and it is probable that he had no formal training. Yet he painted in great detail, as a camera would record the scene.
Varnished to preserve them, a half dozen of his works hang on the walls of the Naselle Cafe. Owner Larry Howell said Spencer had turned out the paintings in the early 1950s and that he had been offered $500 for just one of them.
His paintings are there but Orville Spencer has vanished. Some who knew him say he retired and moved to Astoria, but a check of various municipal records failed to locate him. And someone else in Naselle thought he had gone East.
The fact is we didn't locate anyone who was very familiar with this logger-painter. But if matters run true to form, this account might just turn up any number of people who know all about him.
Perhaps even Spencer himself.
Longview Daily News , Longview, Washington. Monday 15, November 15, 1971.
#1 Ar-Rahman
The All-Compassionate
The Most Gracious has imparted this Qur'an unto man.
He has created man: He has imparted unto him articulate thought and speech.
At His behest the sun and the moon run their appointed courses; before Him prostrate themselves the stars and the trees.
And the skies has He raised high, and has devised for all things a measure, so that you too, O men, might never transgress the measure of what is right: weight, therefore, your deeds with equity, and cut not the measure short!
and the earth has He spread out for all living beings, with fruit thereon, and palm trees with sheathed clusters of dates, and grain growing tall on its stalks, and sweet-smelling plants.
Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?
Ar-Rahman 55:1-13, tr. Asad
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
-Psalm 103:8
I was meditating on this verse this morning at church. And I just wanted to post the definitions of some of these words.
Compassionate
Adjective
Feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others.
Synonyms
merciful - sympathetic - pitiful - tender-hearted
Gracious
Adjective
Courteous, kind, and pleasant, esp. toward someone of lower social status.
Synonyms
kind - merciful - kindly - benignant
Abounding
Verb
Exist in large numbers or amounts
Love
Noun
GOD
"Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty."
– 2 Cor 8:9.
Painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus from the church of the Holy Family in Mexico City. June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart.
& compassionately pink for the cure
clicking here each day ❤ provides mammograms
love you * and hope to be back visiting You on your streams starting this weekend.. xox
If the photographer is interested in the people in front of his lens, and if he is compassionate, it's already a lot. The instrument is not the camera but the photographer. - Eve Arnold
364 / 366
december 30, 2012
someone asked me "in the last year what have you learned that you want in a partner"
i think the obvious answers are compassionate, vegan friendly, honest, kind, and have a mostly positive outlook. someone who loves to travel, works hard and doesn't want kids.
i also think i learned more of what i DON'T want in a mate.
passive aggressive doesn't work for me. fighting through text message, constant arguing, not having my back, being too passive, and long distance also won't work for me. i can't be in a relationship where i'm planning this FUTURE fairytale. that just doesn't work for me.
so that's what i learned relationship wise this year.
i've had a pretty rough year. i went through the worst breakup of my life. gut wrenching. didn't think i was going to live through that one. my grandma had to go through surgery - which was super hard on me emotionally... many hours spent in the hospital with her... and then i broke my grandmother's heart by deciding to move from new york - she had to move into assisted living. had SO much extended family drama. started a new relationship that was wonderful while it lasted. there were many factors as to WHY it didn't work, but i don't regret one minute of it. that relationship was pretty much the highlight of 2012. i only have happy memories. i was robbed (caught the robbers in action clearing out my u-haul) which i lost $10,000 worth of computers, kitchen appliances and personal belongings. and the pictures & music on the externals is not replaceable. :o( spent a month or two in bed crying. insomnia and PTSD plagued me. became super depressed and anxious. almost gave up on this project. moved in with my parents at 33 years old. felt (still feel) like a total loser. had to buy a car and am now back in debt. fun fun fun. had a horrible breakup with the long distance relationship. blah blah blah. the year was full of stress, sadness and drama.
but 2012 DID have it's high points too. i traveled a bit... road trip from new york to florida in february, weekend in brooklyn with nikki, went kayaking in the keys with my friend josh. had many good times with friends, started a new job at marlins park where i met some amazing new friends, went to chicago to photograph my best friends courthouse wedding / engagement, traveled to detroit and met vic & rachel!!!!, and started riding bikes with a boy.
some terrible things happened to me this year, but i have to focus on the great things i experienced instead of harping on the bad. i'm so happy 2012 is over. let the new year begin! thank you to my friends and flickr friends for all of the encouraging words through it all. i love you guys and wouldn't have made it through this year without you.
♥
stephanie
photo rights reserved by B℮n
Wat Si Phan Ton, also known as the Temple of a Thousand Kilns, is a Buddhist temple located in Nan, a province in northern Thailand. This unique temple is known for its extraordinary architecture and the use of ceramic tiles that come from ancient pottery kilns. The temple is made of bricks and ceramic pieces, including vases, plates and other objects produced in the past. Over the years, the temple has experienced wear and tear and damage. Fortunately, efforts have been made to preserve and restore the temple, preserving its unique architecture and artwork for future generations. Buddhist monks live in Wat Si Phan Ton, including the venerable monk Chao Abbot. In Thai temples such as Wat Si Phan Ton, monks perform several roles: Prayer and Meditation, Buddha's Teachings, Community Service, and Almsgiving. Monks may be involved in community service, such as providing spiritual guidance to those in need, attending ceremonial events, and providing moral support. They follow a strict set of precepts and devote their lives to the pursuit of spiritual development, meditation and spreading the Buddha's teachings. Monks spend a significant portion of their time in prayer and meditation. This enables them to achieve inner peace and gain profound insights. Monks can be involved in community service, such as providing spiritual guidance to those in need, attending ceremonial events, and providing moral support. In Buddhism, it is considered virtuous to give food and donations to monks. Monks often enter the community early in the morning to receive alms as a way to promote spiritual connection. Monks lead a simple lifestyle and have minimal material possessions. They wear traditional orange robes and shave their heads as a sign of renunciation of worldly vanity. Wat Si Phan Ton is not only a place of worship, but also a cultural and historical site.
Venerable Monk Chao Abbot, residing at Wat Si Phan Ton temple in Nan, humbly accepts alms from the community. His serene presence and profound spiritual wisdom endear him to many. As the custodian of the temple, he plays a vital role in imparting the teachings of Buddha to seekers. Beyond his religious responsibilities, he provides moral support and guidance to those in need, compassionately lightening the burdens of others.
Wat Si Phan Ton, ook wel bekend als de Temple of a Thousand Kilns, is een boeddhistische tempel gelegen in Nan, een provincie in het noorden van Thailand. Deze unieke tempel staat bekend om zijn buitengewone architectuur en het gebruik van keramische tegels die afkomstig zijn van oude aardewerkovens. De tempel is gemaakt van bakstenen en keramische stukken, waaronder vazen, borden en andere voorwerpen die in het verleden zijn geproduceerd. Door de jaren heen heeft de tempel te maken gehad met slijtage en beschadiging. Gelukkig zijn er inspanningen geleverd om de tempel te behouden en te restaureren, zodat de unieke architectuur en kunstwerken bewaard blijven voor toekomstige generaties. Er wonen boeddhistische monniken in Wat Si Phan Ton zo ook de eerbiedwaardige monnik Chao Abt. In Thaise tempels zoals Wat Si Phan Ton, vervullen monniken verschillende rollen: Gebed en Meditatie, de leer van Boeddha, Gemeenschapsdienst en Aalmoezen. Monniken kunnen betrokken zijn bij gemeenschapsdienst, zoals het bieden van spirituele begeleiding aan mensen die dat nodig hebben, het bijwonen van ceremoniële gebeurtenissen en het bieden van morele ondersteuning. Ze volgen een reeks strikte leefregels en besteden hun leven aan het nastreven van spirituele ontwikkeling, meditatie en het verspreiden van de leer van Boeddha. Monniken besteden een aanzienlijk deel van hun tijd aan gebed en meditatie. Dit stelt hen in staat om innerlijke vrede te bereiken en diepgaande inzichten te verwerven. Monniken kunnen betrokken zijn bij gemeenschapsdienst, zoals het bieden van spirituele begeleiding aan mensen die dat nodig hebben, het bijwonen van ceremoniële gebeurtenissen en het bieden van morele ondersteuning. In het Boeddhisme wordt het als deugdzaam beschouwd om voedsel en donaties te schenken aan monniken. Monniken gaan vaak in de vroege ochtend de gemeenschap in om aalmoezen te ontvangen als een manier om spirituele verbondenheid te bevorderen. Monniken leiden een eenvoudige levensstijl en hebben minimale materiële bezittingen. Ze dragen traditionele oranje gewaden en scheren hun hoofd als teken van verzaking van wereldse ijdelheid. Wat Si Phan Ton is niet alleen een plek van aanbidding, maar ook een culturele en historische plek.
Beginning with the 2nd century B.C., and continuing into the 6th century A.D., the paintings and sculptures in the caves of Ajanta and Ellora, inspired by Buddhism and its compassionate ethos, unleashed a surge of artistic excellence unmatched in human history. These Buddhist and Jain caves are ornately carved, yet seem quiet and meditative and exude a divine energy and power.
About 107 km from the city of Aurangabad in Maharashtra, are the rock-out caves of Ajanta nestled in a panoramic gorge, in the form of a gigantic horseshoe. A set of 29 caves, Ajanta is among the finest examples of some of the earliest Buddhist architecture, cave paintings and sculptures. These caves comprise Chaitya halls or shrines, dedicated to Lord Buddha and Viharas or monasteries, used by Buddhist monks for meditation and the study of Buddhist teachings. The paintings that adorn the walls and ceilings of the caves depict incidents from the life of lord Buddha and various Buddhist divinities. Among the most interesting paintings are the Jataka tales, illustrating diverse stories relating to the previous incarnations of the Buddha as Bodhisattava, a saintly being who is destined to become the Buddha. These elaborate sculptures and paintings stand in impressive grandeur in spite of withstanding the ravages of time. Amid the beautiful images and paintings are sculptures of Buddha, calm and serene in contemplation.
The cave temples and monasteries at Ellora, excavated out of the vertical face of an escarpment, are 26 km north of Aurangabad. Sculptors, inspired by Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism, created elaborate rock carvings. Extending in a linear arrangement, the 34 caves contain Buddhist Chaityas or halls of worship, Viharas or monasteries and Hindu and Jain temples. Spanning a period of about 600 years between the 5th and 11th century A.D., the earliest excavation here is of the Dhumar Lena (Cave 29). The most imposing excavation is, without doubt, that of the magnificent Kailasa Temple (Cave 16) which is the largest monolithic structure in the world. Known as Verul in ancient times, it has continuously attracted pilgrims through the centuries to the present day.
Declared as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO since 1983, the paintings and sculptures of Ajanta and Ellora, considered masterpieces of Buddhist religious art, have had a great influence in the development of art in India. The creative use of colour and freedom of expression used in depicting human and animal forms makes the cave paintings at Ajanta one of the high watermarks of artistic creativity. The Ellora preserved as an artistic legacy that will continue to inspire and enrich the lives of generations to come. Not only is this cave complex a unique artistic creation and an excellent example of technological exploit but also, with its sanctuaries devoted to Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism, it illustrates the spirit of tolerance that was characteristic of ancient India.
even in dream worlds
When truly compassionate and benevolent, good people may unknowingly hurt you harshly. For their ways have you grasp what evil besieges you, perhaps lays within you. Yet you shall welcome this enlightening gift of theirs.
Only one shot, in a park, low light again (rainy day). A few textures, mines but more importantly one by the wonderful SolSol on DeviantArt, AKA Solitaire Miles here on Flickr.
I don't remember the sculptor's name but I'll go back to find out and give due credit.
"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’" – Luke 6:36-38, which is today's Gospel.
Stained glass window from the National Shrine of St Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, MA.
“There is a saying, “Your own experience need to be treated as knowledge.”
For example if you had gone through some sort of hardships or difficulties in life, you should treat people nicely, instead of feeling, “I had a very difficult time, so I should make life of others difficult too.”
From the view of Bodhisattva or Bodhicitta practice, you should not feel or act like this.
Your experience should be treated as a knowledge, and this knowledge should really make you a more compassionate, more loving and kinder person”
(His Holiness Jigme Pema Wangchen, the Twelfth Gyalwang Drukpa)
This pillar stands in a temple room of the ancient palace in Leh, the capital of Ladakh in the Himalayan hills, which was modeled on the Potala Palace in Lhasa (Tibet) and is the highest building in the world of his own times.
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Dorothea Lange (1895-1965), often called the "compassionate recorder", used her photographic skills to draw America's attention to the poor and forgotten during the dark days of the "Great Depression". Her stirring images of migrant farmers and the unemployed, while working for the Farm Security Administration, have become universally recognized symbols of the Depression-era. Lange was an influential photographer and photojournalist who profoundly influenced the development of documentary photography.
Starting in 1935, the fledgling Farm Security Administration sent photographers across the country to take pictures in an effort to document the lives of Americans hardest hit by the Depression and drum up support for President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. From Delta cotton fields to rough-looking Ozark homesteads, photographer Dorothea Lange and others captured the everyday struggles of some of Arkansas' poorest residents.....people who had been suffering years before the 1929 stock market crash sent the country into the Great Depression.
" How is one to live a moral and compassionate existence when one is fully aware of the blood, the horror inherent in life, when one finds darkness not only in one's culture but within oneself? If there is a stage at which an individual life becomes truly adult, it must be when one grasps the irony in its unfolding and accepts responsibility for a life lived in the midst of such paradox. One must live in the middle of contradiction, because if all contradiction were eliminated at once life would collapse. There are simply no answers to some of the great pressing questions. You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light."
- Barry Lopes in Arctic Dreams -
[ Explore #381, May 28, 2009 ] - of course, this couldn't have been possible without all my great and supportive friends, so thank you all!
...need compassionate actions.
PS! Treat yourself to Dressed in Black but remember to press F11 for full screen viewing!
"The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love.
The Lord is good to all, compassionate to every creature. ***
The Lord supports all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down."
Psalm 144
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below from: www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/albert_camus.html
are a few quotes from Albert Camus, French Philosopher
Born November 7, 1913: January 4, 1960 Died
The desire for possession is insatiable, to such a point that it can survive even love itself. To love, therefore, is to sterilize the person one loves.
The evil that is in the world almost always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding.
The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back of its own weight. They had thought with some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor.
EXPLORE #228 on Tuesday, May 20, 2008; # 290 on Sunday, May 18, 2008
Compassionate Communities author's talk poster on a billboard at the Smoke Bluff Coffee House, Squamish, B.C.
Proud to promote my wife Anna's book, a finalist at the 2020 Whistler book awards:
www.amazon.com/Seven-Year-Summer-Anna-Byrne/dp/1793482438
iPhone SE
4.15mm ƒ/2.2 back camera
St. Hilda’s By The Sea is a small Anglican church in Sechelt. Set among the verdant green trees of the temperate rainforest, it is an eclectic mix of old and new: retired British pensioners polish the altar crystal and set out flowers for Sunday services, presided over by a gay Chinese-Canadian priest. Tai chi mixes with Celtic mysticism in a melange that is somehow stronger than its parts. And isn’t that what community is all about?
From the official website:
Walking the labyrinth is an ancient spiritual act that is being rediscovered during our time.
Usually constructed from circular patterns, labyrinths are based on principles of sacred geometry. Sometimes called “divine imprints”, they are found around the world as sacred patterns that have been passed down through the ages for at least 4,000 years. When a pattern of a certain size is constructed or placed on the ground, it can be used for walking meditations and rituals.
Labyrinths and their geometric cousins (spirals and mandalas) can be found in almost every religious tradition. For example, the Kabbala, or Tree of Life, is found in the Jewish mystical tradition. The Hopi Medicine Wheel, and the Man in the Maze are two forms from the Native American labyrinth traditions. The Cretan labyrinth, the remains of which can be found on the island of Crete, has seven path rings and is the oldest known labyrinth (4,000 or 5.000 years old).
In Europe, the Celts and later the early Christian Celtic Church revered labyrinths and frequently built them in natural settings. Sacred dances would be performed in them to celebrate solar and religious festivals. During the Middle Ages, labyrinths were created in churches and cathedrals throughout France and Northern Italy. These characteristically flat church or pavement labyrinths were inlaid into the floor of the nave of the church.
The Chartres Labyrinth
The labyrinth constructed at St. Hilda’s is an 11-circuit labyrinth. It is a replica of the one embedded in the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France. The design of this labyrinth, and many of the other church labyrinths in Europe, is a reworking of the ancient labyrinth design in which an equal-armed cross is emphasized and surrounded by a web of concentric circles. As with many Christian symbols, this was an adaptation of a symbol; that is known to have predated the Christian faith. This medieval variation is considered a breakthrough in design because it is less linear than the preceding, more formal, Roman design that developed from quadrant to quadrant. The medieval design made one path as long as possible, starting at the outer circumference and leading to the centre. Fraught with twists and turns, the path’s meanderings were considered symbolic representations of the Christian pilgrim’s journey to the Holy City of Jerusalem and of one’s own journey through life. This classical design is sometimes referred to as “the Chartres Labyrinth” due to the location of its best known example. The labyrinth was built at Chartres in the early 13th century (~ 1215 A.D.). No one knows the source of this classical 11-circuit labyrinth design, and much of its spiritual meaning and use has been lost.
The Chartres Labyrinth is located in the west end of the nave, the central body of the cathedral. When you walk in the main doors and look towards the high altar, you see the center of the labyrinth on the floor about 50 feet in front of you. It is approximately 42 feet in diameter and the path is 16 inches wide. At Chartres, the center of the Rose Window mirrors the center of the labyrinth. The cathedral is perfectly proportioned, so that if we put the west wall of the cathedral on hinges and folded it down on the labyrinth, the Rose Window would fit almost perfectly over the labyrinth.
Labyrinth or Maze?
The difference between a labyrinth used for meditation and mazes can be confusing. Mazes often have many entrances, dead-ends and cul-de-sacs that frequently confound the human mind. In contrast, meditation labyrinths offer only one path. By following the one path to the center, the seeker can use the labyrinth to quiet his or her mind and find peace and illumination at the center of his or her being. “As soon as one enters the labyrinth, one realizes that the path of the labyrinth serves as a metaphor for one’s spiritual journey. The walk, and all that happens on it, can be grasped through the intuitive, pattern-discerning faculty of the person walking it. The genius of this tool is that it reflects back to the seeker whatever he or she needs to discover from the perspective of a new level of conscious awareness.”
The Labyrinth is a Universal Meditation Tool
Anyone from any tradition or spiritual path can walk into the labyrinth and, through reflecting in the present moment, can benefit from it. A meditation labyrinth is one of many tools that can be used for spiritual practice. Like any tool, it is best used with a proper, good, intention. A church or temple can be used simply as a refuge from a rainstorm, but it can be so much more with a different intention. The same is true of the labyrinth. The seeker is only asked to put one foot in front of the other. By stepping into the labyrinth, we are choosing once again to walk the contemplative spiritual path. We are agreeing to let ourselves be open to see, to be free to hear, and to becoming real enough to respond. The labyrinth is a prayer path, a crucible of change, a meditation tool, a blueprint where psyche meets soul.
The best way to learn about the labyrinth is to walk a well-constructed one a few times, with an open heart and an open mind. Then allow your experience to guide you as to whether this will be a useful spiritual tool for you.
The Chartres Labyrinth and the Pilgrim’s Journey
Pilgrims are persons in motion – passing through territories not their own – seeking something we might call completion, or perhaps the word clarity will do as well, a goal to which only the spirit’s compass points the way.
Richard R. Niebuhr in Pilgrims and Pioneers
“The tradition of pilgrimage is as old as religion itself. Worshippers on pilgrimage traveled to holy festivals whether to solstice celebrations, to Mecca to gather around the Ka’aba for the high holy days of Islam, or to Easter festivals in the Holy City of Jerusalem. Pilgrimages were a mixture of religious duty and holiday relaxation for the peasant, the commoner and rich land owner alike. The journey was often embarked on in groups with designated places to stay at night. The pilgrims were restless to explore the mystical holy places, and many were in search of physical or spiritual healing.
The Christian story, which emphasized the humanity of Christ, fascinated the pilgrims. In the Middle Ages, most people did not read. As a result, they were much more oriented to the senses than we are today. They learned the story by traveling to Jerusalem to walk where Jesus walked, to pray where he prayed, and to experience, in a solemn moment, where he died. Unlike today, Pilgrims encountered the truth of the Christian mystery through an ongoing intimacy with all their senses.
When a person committed his or her life to Christ in the early Middle Ages, they sometimes made a vow to make a pilgrimage to the Holy City of Jerusalem. However, by the 12th century when the Crusades swept across Europe and the ownership of Jerusalem was in tumultuous flux, travel became dangerous and expensive. In response to this situation, the Roman Church appointed seven pilgrimage cathedrals to become “Jerusalem” for pilgrims. Consequently, in the pilgrimage tradition, the path within the labyrinth was called the Chemin de Jerusalem and the center of the labyrinth was called “New Jerusalem”.
The walk into the labyrinth marked the end of the physical journey across the countryside and served as a symbolic entry-way into the spiritual realms of the Celestial City. The image of the Celestial City – taken straight out of the Book of Revelation to John – captivated the religious imagination of many during the Middle Ages. The wondrous Gothic cathedrals, with painted walls either in bright, even gaudy colours, or else white-washed, were designed to represent the Celestial City. The stained glass windows – when illuminated by the sun – created the sense of colourful, dancing jewels, allowing the pilgrim to experience the awesome mystery of the City of God.”
The Journey of Life
A fundamental approach to the labyrinth is to see it as a metaphor for life’s journey. The labyrinth reminds us that all of life, with its joys, sorrows, twists and turns, is a journey that comes from God (birth) and goes to God (death). It is a physical metaphor for the journey of healing, spiritual and emotional growth and transformation. Following the path is like any journey. Sometimes you feel you are at or nearing your destination, and at other times you may feel distant or even lost. Only by faithfully keeping to the path will you arrive at the physical center of the labyrinth, which signifies God, the center of our lives and souls.
Applying the Three Fold Mystical Tradition to the Labyrinth
In the Christian mystical tradition, the journey to God was articulated in the three stages. These stages have become recognized as being universal to meditation: to release and quiet; to open and receive; and to take what was gained back out into the world.
The Three Stages
The first part of the Three- Fold Mystical Path is Purgation. This archaic word is from the root word “to purge”, meaning to cleanse, to let go. Shedding is another way of describing the experience. The mystical word is empting or releasing. It is believed that monks journeyed the first part of the labyrinth Purgation on their knees as a penitential act. This was not done for reasons of punishment as we might think, but as a way to humble oneself before God.
The second stage of the Three-Fold Path, Illumination, is found in the center of the labyrinth. Usually it is a surprise to reach the center because the long winding path seems “illogical” and cannot be figured out by the linear mind. After quieting the mind in the first part of the walk, the center presents a new experience: a place of meditation and prayer. Often people at this stage in the walk find insight into their situation in life, or clarity about a certain problem, hence the label “illumination”. As one enters the
center, the instruction is simple: enter with an open heart and mind; receive what there is for you.
The third stage, Union, begins when you leave the center of the labyrinth and continues as you retrace the path that brought you in. In this stage the meditation takes on a grounded, energized feeling. Many people who have had an important experience in the center feel that this third stage of the labyrinth gives them a way of integrating the insights they received. Others feel that this stage stokes the creative fires within. It energizes insight. It empowers, invites, and even pushes us to be more authentic and confident and to take risks with our gifts in the world. Union means communing with God.
The Monastic Orders experienced a union with God through their community life by creating a fulfilling balance between the work that was assigned, sleep and the many hours of worship attended daily. Our times present a similar challenge: we struggle to find balance between work, sleep, family and friends, leisure and spiritual life. The lack of structured communities in which people share work responsibilities and the “every person for himself or herself” mentality (or every family for itself) prevalent in our highly individualistic society makes the task of finding balance even more difficult.
Monastic communities offered a mystical spirituality that spoke to highly intuitive and intensely introverted people and (paradoxically to some) at the same time provided an economic structure throughout Europe. Monasteries during the Middle Ages provided schools and hospitals managed by monks; yet, at the same time, cloistered life helped the monks stay inwardly directed. Today, without any reliable structure directing us, the way of union needs to be re-thought. Our times call for most of us to be outer-directed. We are called to action in every aspect of our society in order to meet the spiritual challenges that confront us in the 21st century. Gratefully, there are still people in religious orders holding the candle for deep contemplation, but the majority of people involved in the spiritual transformation are searching for a path that guides them to service in the world in an active, extroverted, compassionate way. The third stage of the labyrinth empowers the seeker to move back into the world replenished and directed – which makes the labyrinth a particularly powerful tool for transformation.
Walking the Labyrinth: The Process
The purpose of all spiritual disciplines – prayer, fasting, meditation – is to help create an open attentiveness that enables us to receive and renew our awareness of our grounding and wholeness in God.
The Experience of Walking Meditation
Many of us have trouble quieting our minds. The Buddhists call the distracted state of mind the “monkey mind”, which is an apt image of what the mind is frequently like: thoughts swinging like monkeys from branch to branch, chattering away without any rhyme or conscious reason. When the mind is quiet, we feel peaceful and open, aware of a silence that embraces the universe.
Complete quiet in the mind is not a realistic goal for most of us. Instead, the task is to dis-identify with the thoughts going through our minds. Don’t get hooked by the thoughts, let them go. Thomas Keating, a Cistercian monk who teaches Centering Prayer (meditation) in the Christian tradition, described the mind as a still lake. A thought is like a fish that swims through it. If you get involved with the fish (“Gee what an unusual fish, I wonder what it is called?”), then you are hooked. Many of us have discovered through learning meditation how difficult it is to quiet the mind; yet, the rewards are great.
In the labyrinth, the sheer act of walking a complicated, attention demanding path begins to focus the mind. Thoughts of daily tasks and experiences become less intrusive. A quiet mind does not happen automatically. You must gently guide the mind with the intention of letting go of extraneous thoughts. This is much easier to do when your whole body is moving – when you are walking. Movement takes away the excess charge of psychic energy that disturbs our efforts to quiet our thought processes.
Two Basic Approaches to the Walk
One way to walk the labyrinth is to choose to let all thought go and simply open yourself to your experience with gracious attention. Usually – though not always – quieting happens in the first stage of the walk. After the mind is quiet, you can choose to remain in the quiet. Or use the labyrinth as a prayer path. Simply begin to talk to God. This is an indication that you are ready to receive what is there for you, or you allow a sincere part of your being to find its voice.
A second approach to a labyrinth walk is to consider a question. Concentrate on the question as you walk in. Amplify your thoughts about it; let all else go but your question. When you walk into the center with an open heart and an open mind, you are opening yourself to receiving new information, new insights about yourself.
Guidelines for the Walk
Find your pace. In our chaotic world we are often pushed beyond a comfortable rhythm. In this state we lose the sense of our own needs. To make matters worse, we are often rushed and then forced to wait. Anyone who has hurried to the bank only to stand in line knows the feeling. Ironically, the same thing can happen with the labyrinth, but there is a difference. The labyrinth helps us find what our natural pace would be and draws our attention to it when we are not honouring it.
Along with finding your pace, support your movement through the labyrinth by becoming conscious of your breath. Let your breath flow smoothly in and out of your body. It can be coordinated with each step – as is done in the Buddhist walking meditation – if you choose. Let your experience be your guide.
Each experience in the labyrinth is different, even if you walk it often in a short period of time. The pace usually differs each time as well. It can change dramatically within the different stages of the walk. When the labyrinth has more than a comfortable number of seekers on it, you can “pass” people if you want to continue to honour the intuitive pace your inner process has set. If you are moving at a slower pace, you can allow people to pass you. At first people are uncomfortable with the idea of “passing” someone on the labyrinth. It looks competitive, especially since the walk is a spiritual exercise. Again, these kinds of thoughts and feelings, we hope, are greeted from a spacious place inside that smiles knowingly about the machinations of the human ego. On the spiritual path we meet every and all things. To find our pace, to allow spaciousness within, to be receptive to all experience, and to be aware of the habitual thoughts and issues that hamper our spiritual development is a road to self-knowledge.
Summary of How to Walk the Labyrinth
Pause at the entry way to allow yourself to be fully conscious of the act of stepping into the labyrinth. Allow about a minute, or several turns on the path, to create some space between yourself and the person in front of you. Some ritual act, such as a bow, may feel appropriate during the labyrinth walk. Do what comes naturally.
Follow your pace. Allow your body to determine the pace. If you allow a rapid pace and the person in front of you is moving slower, feel free to move around this person. This is easiest to do at the turns by turning earlier. If you are moving slowly, you can step onto the labyrs (wide spaces at the turns) to allow others to pass.
The narrow path is a two-way street. If you are going in and another person is going out, you will meet on the path. If you want to keep in an inward meditative state, simply do not make eye contact. If you meet someone you know, a touch of the hand or a hug may be an important acknowledgement of being on the path together.
Symbolism and Meanings Found in the Chartres Labyrinth
Circles and Spirals
The circle is the symbol of unity or union and it is the primary shape of all labyrinths. The circle in sacred geometry represents the incessant movement of the universe (uncomprehensible) as opposed to the square which represents comprehensible order. The labyrinth is a close cousin to the spiral and it, too, reflects the cyclical element of nature and is regarded as the symbol of eternal life.
The labyrinth functions like a spiral, creating a vortex in its center. Upon entering, the path winds in a clockwise pattern. Energy is being drawn out. Upon leaving the center the walker goes in a counter clockwise direction. The unwinding path integrates and empowers us on our walk back out. We are literally ushered back out into the world in a strengthened condition.
The Path
The path lies in 11 concentric circles with the 12th being the labyrinth center. The path meanders throughout the whole circle. There are 34 turns on the path going into the center. Six are semi-right turns and 28 are 180° turns. So the 12 rings that form the 11 pathways may symbolically represent, the 12 apostles, 12 tribes of Israel or 12 months of the year. Twelve is a mystical number in Christianity. In sacred geometry three represents heaven and four represents earth. Twelve is the product of 3 x 4 and, therefore, the path which flows through the whole is then representative of all creation.
The obvious metaphor for the path is the difficult path to salvation, with its many twists and turns. Since we cannot see a straight path to our destination, the labyrinth can be viewed as a metaphor for our lives. We learn to surrender to the path (Christ) and trust that he will lead us on our journey.
The path can also be viewed as grace or the Church guiding us through chaos.
The Cruciform and Labyrs
The labyrinth is divided equally into four quadrants that make an equal-armed cross or cruciform. The four arms represent in symbol what is thought to be the essential
structure of the universe for example, the four spatial directions, the four elements (earth, wind, water and fire), the four seasons and, most important, salvation through the cross. The four arms of the cross emerging from the center seem to give order to the would-be chaos of the meandering path around it.
The Chartres labyrinth cross or cruciform is delineated by the 10 labyrs (labyr means to turn and this is the root of the word labyrinth). The labyrs are double-ax shaped and visible at the turns and between turns. They are traditionally seen as a symbol of women’s power and creativity.
The Centre Rosette
In the Middle Ages, the rose was regarded as a symbol for the Virgin Mary. Because of its association with the myths of Percival and the Holy Grail at that time, it also was seen as a sign of beauty and love. The rose becomes symbolic of both human and divine love, of passionate love, but also love beyond passion. The single rose became a symbol of a simple acceptance of God’s love for the world.
Unlike a normal rose (which has five petals) the rosette has six petals and is steeped in mysticism. Although associated with the Rose of Sharon, which refers to Mary, it may also represent the Holy Spirit (wisdom and enlightenment). The six petals may have corresponded to the story of the six days of creation. In other mystical traditions, the petals can be viewed as the levels of evolution (mineral, plant, animal, humankind, angelic and divine).
The Lunations
The lunations are the outer ring of partial circles that complete the outside circle of the labyrinth. They are unique to the Chartres design.
Celtic Symbols on the St. Hilda’s Labyrinth
The Celtic peoples have given us seven enduring spiritual principles:
1. A deep respect of nature, regarding creation as the fifth Gospel.
2. Quiet care for all living things.
3. The love of learning.
4. A wonder-lust or migratory nature.
5. Love of silence and solitude.
6. Understanding of time as a sacred reality and an appreciation of ordinary life, worshipping God through everyday life, and with great joy.
7. The value of family and clan affiliation, and especially spiritual ties of soul friends.
To show our respect for such wisdom, two Celtic designs adorn the St. Hilda’s labyrinth.
To mark the entrance to the labyrinth is a Celtic zoomorphic design painted in red. Traditionally, Celtic monks used intricate knotwork and zoomorphic designs (odd animals intertwined in uncomfortable ways) as mere filler for their illuminated gospel texts. They had no discernible meaning.
However, because of their unique design components, zoomorphs are now associated with transformations.
Transformation, change, action, and passion are also associated with red, the colour of fire. Therefore, this entrance symbol may well be an appropriate sign for the journey ahead.
At the labyrinth’s centre is a Celtic triquetra. This interlocked knotwork design of three stylized fish (whales) is often interpreted as the Trinity knot. It is a perfect representation of the concept of "three in one" in Christian trinity beliefs. Having the design enclosed within the centre circle further emphasizes the unity theme.
The triquetra can also be considered to represent the triplicities of mind, body, and soul, as well as the three domains of earth- earth, sea, and sky.
Final Reflection: The Labyrinth as a “Thinning Place”
In Celtic Christianity, places where people felt most strongly connected with God’s presence were referred to as thin places. It was these places in nature (forest groves, hilltops and deep wells) that the seen and unseen worlds were most closely connected, and the inhabitants of both worlds could momentarily touch the other. Today our churches, temples and sacred sites are the new thin places to meet the Divine. Here, at St Hilda’s, we have opportunities to encounter many thinning places – whether it be during Eucharistic or Taize services, while singing or praying, or through the love of a welcoming inclusive community. The labyrinth is a welcome addition; and with the right intent can also become a new thinning place for the modern pilgrim/spiritual seeker.This outward journey is an archetype with which we can have a direct experience. We can walk it. It can serve to frame the inward journey – a journey of repentance, forgiveness and rebirth, a journey that seeks a deeper faith, and greater holiness, a journey in search of God.
This 360° High Dynamic Range panorama was stitched from 66 bracketed photographs images with PTGUI Pro, tone-mapped with Photomatix, processed with Color Efex, and touched up in Aperture.
Original size: 20000 × 10000 (200.0 MP; 1.04 GB).
Location: St. Hilda’s By The Sea Anglican Church, Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada
Soldier returning to Iraq after compassionate leave.
Phone call overheard before we chatted: 'Tracy? I'm on my way back to Iraq. I've changed my will and I'm leaving everything to my daughter.' The glorious land
He said he had no option but to return to his station, and that it was mostly just endlessly tedious in Iraq.
I struggle with touch specifically being touched by other people, it startles me and makes me uncomfortable. Lets hear it for counseling and finding healing paths. Oddly enough I love having hair played with and my face stroked. So I showed up for me today
My sons are great with all my dogs, loving, compassionate and helpful in their care when we need them, but Kiera has always been my son Zakary's favorite. He makes no bones about it. Kiera herself knows it and lights up when he walks in the door. But living an almost 21 year olds lifestyle has put a cramp in that relationship. College, 2 part time jobs and a serious girlfriend means Zak is not home like he used to be, and I think Kiera feels it. He was "loving on her" this morning and to me, her face is saying, "Ok, but I am not going to get up, but I AM going to ignore you a bit and make you pay for your absence"
It was a nice moment, and my firstborn, who is vehemently camera shy, allowed this shot to be taken. That in itself makes it a very special moment captured.
The vet appointment went beyond my expectations. The woman that came were very knowledgeable, kind and so compassionate and gentle in dealing with Magoo. They were able to do a cystocentisis , extract and check for clogs and discharge in his man part, micro chip and do the rest of the physical. They were very impressed w/ his behavior. He stayed still, didn't hiss, bite or scratch. And to my surprise by the end of their time together he actually rubbed up against their legs!!!!!!! My heart soared! He is so loving w/ me , but has yet to be anything but frozen in fear w/ other people. He still was very skittish after the rubs but they said he very much wants to trust and will be a super affectionate kitty when he gets there. All of his health checked out good. His viral eye problem may just be a life long thing and i am awaiting the results from the urine. On physical exam and looking at the urine there appeared to be no blood. Crossing fingers!! Tre also got his micro chip and as usual was a wonderful patient. :))))
oh i have to add that she had her pet baby Boer goat in the van!!!!! The mama rejected her so she is being bottle fed. What a sweetheart! She let her out on a blinged out purple leash so she could go potty . I LOVE goats. So it was an extra treat for me to give her kisses and hold her. :)))))
More PicMOnkey fun!
"The White Queen"
How compassionate or malevolent a queen you are perceived to be depends on who your subjects are, and who you call your enemies.
-Wig and polar bear from Tuneful87. Ice throne made by Tuneful87
We've passed halfway at flickr advent www.flickr.com/groups/2886725@N20/
Day 4/100 Happy Days. My daughter's caring and compassionate hands. I am so glad she chose Nursing as her profession. These hands care for the sick and hold the hand of the dying. They are there in a patient's darkest hour. I am so proud of you Jessica and love you dearly xo.
Long before you entered nursing
The Lord had played His part,
Planting seeds of love and kindness
In the portals of your heart.
For it's clear that you've been gifted
With a sympathetic ear,
And blessed from the beginning
With a willingness to cheer.
And the people who you care for
Are better off by far,
When they're touched by your compassion,
By the person that you are.
For in times of woe and worry
When they're frightened or they're blue,
No one could be more consoling than the friend they'll find in you