I really love her outfit. It's one of the main reasons I bought her. I'm loving her neutral make up and nude lip. Her head is very orange tan compared to the other barbie's while her body is the normal complexion. Either way I love it.

302 Pears Soap Butterflies

"Since using PEARS' SOAP for the Hands and Complexion,

I have discarded all others"

Lillie Langtry

I saw him from the corner of my eye as I was heading downtown. Once I processed the lingering image on my retina, I realized he was wearing an interesting “Indiana Jones” hat. He was leaning against a postal box and appeared to be in no hurry. He had a small backpack resting on the box. When I spoke he greeted me with an easy smile and returned the greeting. His green eyes and dark complexion, with the leather hat and jacket made a striking visual presence. I explained my project and he didn’t hesitate to agree. He seemed to welcome my interest. Meet Abbas.

  

Abbas explained that his name is Muslim from Northern India. He was born and raised in Canada but his father was a Trinidadian of Indian ethnicity. He explained there are many Indians and Chinese in Trinidad along with descendants of the African slaves. “There’s a bit of everything in Trinidad, except for the native population. They were pretty much wiped out by the Europeans.” His mother is of Scottish ancestry. It is a fascinating mix, and one that helps explain his distinctive features and eyes.

  

Abbas liked the multicultural emphasis of my project and I suggested we take a few steps to use the yellow brick wall of a public library as a background. I asked his permission to tip his hat brim up just a bit to let the light reach his striking eyes and he was comfortable with that. Hat positioned, I realized a bit more light would help, especially on this damp, overcast day. I reached into my bag and he said “Oh, you’ve got a reflector.” It turned out his grandfather in Trinidad was a photographer and used reflectors. His grandfather sounded fascinating. He was a dentist and professional photographer as well as a goldsmith. “He would fix peoples’ teeth and then take their portraits. His background as a goldsmith fit well with the dentistry.”

  

Photos taken, we proceeded to talk, followed by a few final photos. Abbas was exceptionally warm and friendly and a pleasure to chat with. He was articulate and seemed well-informed on current events. “What were you doing when I interrupted you?” I asked. He said “Oh, I just got back from a four hour shift doing casual labor on a construction site and was taking a little break before going to the library. I like libraries and read a lot.” I asked what he reads and he said “I’m a bit of a political junkie so I read a lot of news.”

  

Abbas is 55 and said he was born in Saskatoon in Western Canada. “I live on my own and do casual work because I have a problem with alcohol.” He told me he’s never been married and that alcohol pretty much ruled that out. He said “I’ve had a few girlfriends who said I was the nicest guy they ever met – until I got drunk.” I’ve met quite a few people whose lives have been held back due to substance abuse and it seemed a shame. The Social Worker in me came out as I asked about his attitude toward getting help. He seemed to know the services, had been in a well-respected program and remained dry for two years, then relapsed. He shrugged after recounting the story. I mentioned another service I am aware of and he said he’s been there, been assessed, and is on the wait list for their program. He remains hopeful.

  

“My grandfather did well as a dentist and photographer. He put my father through university in Canada and my father became a schoolteacher. I went to university for a year but dropped out.” He mentioned that his mother had become a Jehova’s Witness and he and she wound up clashing. He was asked to leave the household at age 17 and has been on his own since then. There are probably two sides to the story, but it sounded as if he could have used more support at an earlier age.

  

Abbas spent five years in the military at some point and wound up getting an apprenticeship for carpentry so he clearly has skills. His message to others is “Live and let live and never give up hope.” I offered some words of encouragement by saying I’ve met people with drinking problems in the past who failed many times in achieving sobriety, and then suddenly were able to leave it all behind. “I hope that happens to you, Abbas, because you seem like a real nice fellow who has more to offer the world. In the meantime, please take good care of yourself and good luck with the program you are waiting for.” Abbas, friendly to the end, gave me a warm handshake and said “It was real nice meeting you Jeff. You should keep doing what you are doing with your camera because what you are doing is a real good thing.”

  

It had been a memorable encounter. It was sad, yet hopeful, and Abbas’ gentle kindness came through from the start of our conversation to the end. I wish him well.

  

This is my 198th submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.

  

You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.

 

"Hygienic Rice Powder, "Hygiene" Co., St. Petersburg"

Himba women are famous for covering their body and hair with a paste made of butter, ochre (hematite powder) and ashes, called otjize, which is supposed to protect them from the sun and the insects. The red complexion it gives to women’s skin, is considered a sign of beauty. Body decoration is important in Himba culture, especially for women. They wear jewelry made of shell, metal, bone or skin. Women usually go topless (as well as men) and wear a skirt made of goat skin. Adult women also wear heavy iron or copper necklaces, that can weigh several kilos, and beaded anklets to protect their legs from venomous animal bites. Himba dress codes and hairstyle rules are very complex. Himba hairstyles are really meaningful as they enable to identify their social status. Pre-pubescent girls wear 2 plaits in front of their faces. Replacing them with many strands hanging all over the head, means the girl is in her puberty period. A girl with long tied back braids is considered ready for marriage. Once married, an « erembe » (a piece of goat leather) is tied to the top of her head.

Although mariage is important in Himba culture, extra marital relations are encouraged. Polygamy is the rule for men and women also, who can have other partners in addition of their husband. This free sexuality in Himba culture might be explained by the fact that, children are needed in order to raise cattle. Sexual relations before marriage are authorized, maybe in order to make polygamy more accepable. Boys are generally circumcised before puberty in (around the age of 7 or 8), to make them eligible for marriage and leave the camp on this occasion during a few days, Girls also leave when they have their first periods. Weddings are arranged when boys are about nineteen and girls around thirteen.

Despite their traditional autarky and remoteness Himbas get in touch with modern culture, and unfortunately with one of its worse plagues : AIDS. The sexual pratices of the Himba increase the risk of infection, a few cases have been reported. HIV virus is spreading mainly through cultural norms. This is all the more worrying for namibian authorities as Himbas are not aware of what AIDS is, and have difficulty understanding they could be ill and even die, as it takes time for the effects of the virus to become apparent in human host. A disease that might kill them in several years is not a major concern for them, especially for the elders.

 

© Eric Lafforgue

www.ericlafforgue.com

We passed each other on Gould St. in downtown Toronto. I kicked myself for having been too slow on the draw to approach her for a street portrait. She would have made an excellent subject with her attractive features and compelling eyes, framed by beautiful wavy red hair. I paused and looked back to see that, rather than disappearing down the street, she had turned into the campus coffee shop. Taking a chance, I entered the shop and approached her as she was contemplating her order. I introduced myself and my project and she listened with friendly interest. “Sure” she said. “That would be fine.” Meet Syd.

 

I apologized for the interruption and she waved off my apology, saying she had time and was glad to help out. I suggested we step out onto the patio for some natural light and explained the project more fully and gave her my contact card with sample photos.

 

Syd was very comfortable as I framed the photos and she was eager to follow my minimal direction as to where to stand. I explained my process of taking a few photos to ensure success and after we viewed the results. She volunteered to move her bangs away slightly when she realized I was focusing on her eyes. I took another few photos and when we viewed them together we were both pleased.

 

Syd is a 19 year old first year university student who was born and raised in Toronto. When I asked how her first semester has gone she said it was going well. She has been too busy to really form a lot of social connections but that will come with time and she has retained friendships from high school. She wants to major in Criminology and would like to work with women caught up in the sex trafficking world. As we chatted I found out she grew up in a rather settled environment and I pointed out that she has chosen to study a very different world. She smiled and said “Yes, but people from any walk of life can experience problems.” How true.

 

Syd’s advice to her younger self was to be more open to new experiences. When I asked about any challenges she has faced in life she responded that she was diagnosed with alopecia at age 11 - a condition that causes one to lose their hair. “This is a wig” she said, indicating her attractive head of coppery red hair. I was surprised and told her that that it suited her to a T. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for a young girl on the brink of adolescence to lose her hair and I asked what had been most helpful to her in coping. She said it was having friends and family were very supportive and didn’t make too big a deal of it. I couldn’t help asking if her wig reflected the color her natural hair had been because she has the lovely, lightly freckled complexion of a redhead. “Yes” she said. “This is very close to the color my natural hair was.” I told her that I know a thing or two about redheads, being married to one, having two redheaded sons.

 

Syd is athletic and used to be passionate about soccer but school life hasn’t left her a lot of time for sports lately. She is, however, interested in drawing and has a part time student job in a butcher shop. Her message to the project was that we all have a duty to make the world a better place. I couldn’t agree more and was impressed by her maturity and her strong social conscience.

 

It had been a particularly enjoyable encounter with the lovely Syd. I told her I was glad she had decided to pause at the coffee shop when she did or we would not have met. I found her refreshingly positive and friendly and I’m sure she will do well in her chosen field and make a difference. We thanked each other with a warm handshake. It was time for her to finally get her cup of coffee and for me to head home on my bicycle.

 

This is my 779th submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.

 

You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.

Fabes 3.0! She's my #40 custom from last year. I invited Fabes back for a redo. She's already been redone twice due to problems with MSC. I used the wrong kind of MSC before (I was using flat instead of UV cut) UV cut is much better for tanned girls btw, much better in general actually. now it's all I use! Her complexion is perfect now :)

January 31 031/365

View On White

  

Not much time today to do a decent selfie...I fell asleep this afternoon and took a much needed nap...

 

Hope your weekend is going well, everyone...Thank you for your visit!

FIRST ASIAN AMERICAN STAR!

Written by PHILIP LEIBFRIED

 

Her complexion was described as "a rose blushing through old ivory;" she was beautiful, tall (5'7"), slender, and Chinese-American. The last fact kept her from attaining the highest echelon among Hollywood's pantheon of stars, but it did not affect her popularity, nor keep her from becoming a household name. She was Anna May Wong, nee Wong Liu Tsong, a name which translates to "Frosted Yellow Willows," and she was born, appropriately enough, on Flower Street in Los Angeles' Chinatown on 3 January 1905, above her father's laundry. Anna May Wong's contribution to show business is a unique one; she was the first Asian female to become a star, achieving that stardom at a time when bias against her race was crushing. With determination and talent allied to her exotic beauty, she remained the only Asian female star throughout her forty-year career, never fully overcoming all prejudices in maintaining that position. Perhaps the rediscovery of her art will elevate her star to the pantheon of great performers and serve as a guiding light to Asian performers who still struggle to find their rightful place. Anna May Wong's life and career is something that is important for all who value greatly the Asian / Asian Pacific American communities' many artists and what we can all contribute!

Excerpt from : That Old Feeling: Anna May Wong

Part II of Richard Corliss' tribute to the pioneer Chinese-American star.

Daughter of the Dragon. Paramount 1931.

Based on a Fu Manchu novel by Sax Rohmer.

Daughter of the Dragon extended the curse sworn by Dr. Fu on the Petrie family to the next generation. Fu Manchu (Warner Oland), long ago injured and exiled in an attempt on Petrie Sr., returns to London and confronts the father: "In the 20 years I have fought to live," he says in his florid maleficence, "the thought of killing you and your son has been my dearest nurse." He kills the father, is mortally wounded himself and, on his deathbed, reveals his identity to his daughter Ling Moy (Wong) and elicits her vow that she will "cancel the debt" to the Fu family honor and murder the son, Ronald (Bramwell Fletcher)... who, dash it all, is madly infatuated with Ling Moy. Ronald has seen "Princess Ling Moy Celebrated Oriental Dancer" perform, and the vision has made him woozy. "I wish I could find a word to describe her," this calf-man effuses. "Exotic that's the word! And she's intriguing, if you know what I mean." In a near-clinch, Ling Moy wonders if a Chinese woman can appeal to a British toff. When he begs her to "chuck everything and stay," she asks him, "If I stayed, would my hair ever become golden curls, and my skin ivory, like Ronald's?" But the lure of the exotic is hard to shake. "Strange," he says, "I prefer yours. I shall never forget your hair and your eyes." They almost kiss ... when an off-camera scream shakes him out of his dream. It is from his girlfriend Joan (Frances Dade), and the societal message is as clear and shrill: white woman alerting white man to treachery of yellow woman. Ling Moy, a nice girl, previously unaware of her lineage, might be expected to struggle, at least briefly, with the shock of her identity and the dreadful deed her father obliges her to perform. But Wong makes an instant transformation, hissing, "The blood is mine. The hatred is mine. The vengeance shall be mine." Just before his death, Fu mourns that he has no son to kill Ronald. But, in a good full-throated reading, Wong vows: "Father, father, I will be your son. I will be your son!" The audience then has the fun of watching her stoke Ronald's ardor while plotting his death. When she is with him, pleading and salesmanship radiate from her bigeyes. But when an ally asks her why she keeps encouraging the lad, she sneers and says, "I am giving him a beautiful illusion. Which I shall crush." As a villainess, she is just getting started. Revealing her mission to Ronald, she tells him she plans to kill Joan "Because you must have a thousand bitter tastes of death before you die." (The ripe dialogue is by Hollywood neophyte Sidney Buchman, whose distinguished list of credits would include Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Here Comes Mr Jordan and The Talk of the Town.) She soon ascends on a geyser of madness as she decides on a new torture: "My vengeance is inspired tonight. You will first have the torture of seeing her beauty eaten slowly away by this hungry acid." An aide holds a hose gadget over Joan's soon-to-be-corroded face, and Ronald cries for Ling Moy to stop. Very well she says. "Ling Moy is merciful." She barks at Ronald: "Kill her!" He must decide if his favorite white girl is to be etched with acid or stabbed to death. Great stuff! Melodrama is the art of knowing how precisely too far to goThe film is a triangle: not so much of Ling Moy, Ronald and Joan as of Ling Moy, Ronald and a Chinese detective, Ah Kee, played by Sessue Hayakawa, the Japanese actor who in the teens was Hollywood's first Asian male star. He's not plausibly Chinese here, and he is in a constant, losing battle with spoken English. But he is a part of movie history, in the only studio film of the Golden Age to star two ethnically Asian actors. And he gives his emotive all to such lines as "It is the triumph of irony that the only woman I have ever deeply loved should be born of the blood that I loathe." And in the inevitable double-death finale neither the villainess nor the noble detective can survive the machinations of Hollywood justice he gently caresses the long hair of the lady he would love to have loved. "Flower Ling Moy," he says, a moment before expiring. "A flower need not love, but only be loved. As Ah Kee loved you."

The Personal Anna May Wong

This 5'7 beauty loved to study and could speak in an English accent, as well as being fluent in German and French with more than a passing knowledge of other tongues including Italian and Yiddish. For exercise she rode horses, played golf, and tennis. She liked to cook and regaled her guests with succulent Chinese dishes at frequent dinner parties. She preferred casual clothes, wearing slacks and sweaters at home, but cultivated an oriental motif in her very smart formal wardrobe. She studied singing with Welsh tenor Parry Jones before she participated in the film Limehouse Blues as George Raft's mistress. Anna loved to dance to contemporary music. Anna was quoted as saying, "I think I got my first chance because they thought I was peculiar. But, now I like to believe that the public are fond of me because they think I'm nice."

The story of Anna May Wong’s life traced the arc of triumph and tragedy that marked so many of her films. Wong's youthful ambition and screen appeal got her farther than anyone else of her race. But her race, or rather Hollywood's and America's fear of giving Chinese and other non-whites the same chance as European Americans, kept her from reaching the Golden Mountaintop. We can be startled and impressed by the success she, alone, attained. And still weask: Who knows what Anna May Wong could have been allowed to achieve if she

had been Anna May White?

Anna May Wong passed away on Feb. 3rd 1961 she was 56 years old.

  

Filmography:

The Red Lantern. Metro 1919. The First Born. Robertson Cole 1921.

Shame. Fox 1921. Bits of Life. Assoc. First National 1921.

The First Born. Robertson Cole 1921. Thundering Dawn. Universal 1923

The Toll of the Sea. Metro 1922 Drifting. Universal 1923 Fifth Avenue. PRC 1926.

Lillies of the Field. Assoc. First National 1924. The Thief of Bagdad. United Artists 1924

The Fortieth Door. Pathé serial 1924. The Alaskan. Paramount 1924.

Peter Pan. Paramount 1924. Forty Winks. Paramount 1925.

The Silk Bouquet/The Dragon Horse. Hi Mark Prod. 1926 The Desert's Toll. MGM 1926.

A Trip to Chinatown. Fox 1926. The Chinese Parrot. Universal. 1927.

Driven from Home. Chadwick 1927. Mr. Wu. MGM 1927.

Old San Francisco. Warner Bros. 1927. Why Girls Love Sailors. Pathé short 1927.

The Devil Dancer. United Artists 1927. Streets of Shanghai. Tiffany 1927.

Across to Singapore. MGM 1928. Pavement Butterfly (aka City Butterfly).

The City Butterfly. German 1929. Across to Singapore. MGM 1928.

The Crimson City. Warner Bros. 1928. Song. German 1928

Chinatown Charlie. First National 1928. Piccadilly, British International 1929.

Elstree Calling. British International 1930. The Flame of Love. British International 1930.

Hay Tang. German 1930. L'Amour Maitre Des Choses. French 1930.

Daughter of the Dragon. Paramount 1931. Shanghai Express. Paramount 1932.

A Study in Scarlet. World Wide 1933. Tiger Bay. Associated British 1933.

Chu Chin Chow. Gaumont 1934. Java Head. Associated British 1934.

Limehouse Blues. Paramount 1934. Daughter of Shanghai. Paramount 1937.

Hollywood Party. MGM short subject 1937. Dangerous to Know. Paramount 1938.

The Toll of the Sea. Metro 1922. The Thief of Bagdad 1924

 

Shanghai Express 1932

Hey glam guys! It’s been a while! Back with another bomb release for you guys

 

3 new lelutka male skins are avaliable @ Glamocracy Mainstore

Includes -

-eyebrow / no eyebrow

 

“TAE” Lelutka Skin is compatible to complexion body appliers avaliable in mocha & espresso

Includes

- eyebrow / no eyebrow

“ZAK” Lelutka Skin is compatible to complexion body appliers avaliable in mocha & espresso

 

“ROD” Lelutka Skin is compatible to complexion body appliers avaliable in mocha & espresso

Includes

- eyebrow / no eyebrow

 

LM : maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Kangean%20Star/174/90/5

Checking out the soaps and fragrances at Granville Island Market. She stuck out from the crowd!

Kristin Stubbs - Waverly senior 2015 - gorgeous girl

The rain came down in Torrents today, so I stayed in except for a little historical round to admire the small placque just up my street dedicated to highly romantic but at the same time independent María Josepha Petrona de Todos los Santos Sánchez de Velazco y Trill de Thompson y Mandeville (1786-1868). It was in her salon here on Florida 271-3 that the national anthem of Argentina was first performed. A contemporary gushes about the ambiance and concludes with a telling fact of society at that time: 'numerosos esclavos que servían el chocolate', presumably as Liberty was being sung.

Her childhood sweetheart was dashing Martín Jacobo Thompson (1777-1819), founder of the Argentine Naval Prefecture. Their love was frowned upon by her parents not only was she not even 16 but also Martín ranked rather 'beneath' them with his swarthy complexion. Regardless, with her father dead they married happily. He died young; she remarried and continued a feminist avant la lettre. Their stories and lives are the stuff of which romances are made. There are a couple in Spanish but none, as far as I know, in English.

No, they didn't take to Nightshade, nor did they as Shakespeare's lovers in the Famous Play lick the poison from each other's lips...

She has that smallish placque; but he - a man, of course - a very handsome bronze bust opposite the Prefecture building.

Anyway, here's an endemic flowering shrub of much of South America. It's all over that great Costanera Sur as well: Granulate Nightshade, Solanum granulo-leprosum. Botany moves forward but still today the great authority on Nightshades is Michel Felix Dunal (1789-1856). He described this plant in 1852.

 

PS Please forgive my tardiness in comments. My web-connection in this hotel is quite awful... Thanks.

Pentacon Six TL w/ Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 120mm f/2.8 and Kodak Tri-X 400TX (Kodak HC-110 dil. B, Ilford rapid fixer). f/8, 1/60s. Epson V600 and EpsonScan @ 4800 dpi, downsized to 2400 dpi. Retouched and cropped.

 

I really like how Tri-X in combination with HC-110 brings out the glow of the model's dark complexion.

 

I definitely prefer the look of HC-110 over D76 (1:1) when it comes to Tri-X. That HC-110 is a liquid and last forever is also two big benefits. Not saying that D76 goes bad quickly, or can't be used when it looks discoloured.

 

Model: Ivy.

 

Instagram | Website

Picture hat- perfect for a right royal occasion!

 

Windsmoor shows versatility! Add a charming little picture-

hat ready for the Spring, soft light being VERY flattering for mature complexions. But Windsmoor also meant all-over warmth to keep away any chill!

 

Just PERFECT for any formal outdoor occasion that you are invited to attend…. A ROYAL GARDEN PARTY perhaps?! ….as well as your weekly visiting choices and occasional duties, of course.

 

(‘From the tales of an occasional mannequin:

“As a quality brand, a Windsmoor presentation would be for ‘exacting’ audiences, some quite probably, I was told, with honourable titles (!) …. so expecting a stately walk and graceful posing.

 

A very smart, good-length, well-cut suit was chosen for me to present, with these confidential words regarding the audience: ‘Designed for THE BEST POSSIBLE FIGURE LINE - and flattering even for the stoutest of matrons…. PERFECT for you! A word in your ear: for best impression, do wear your smoothest foundation, won’t you?…..’

( Image owned by the account holder)

And it proved to be good advice…….!! Some VERY CONFIDENTIAL gossip was later passed on by a close and dear friend of the time……

 

A LEADING venue director was heard to say ‘sotto voce’ - or as someone explained it me ‘in a low tone’ (!), ‘I don’t know where she hails from but when she takes the stage for her little display she certainly makes a most queenly poseur! VERY Balmoral!’

 

It was SAID to have been about my good self! Did not know WHERE to look, but cheered up later- probably a COMPLIMENT, I was assured.

 

Oh tea! How lovely! Just one sugar please- I must be careful! Is that Angel Cake? Oh, just one slice, then.”)

  

Snowed in, trapped in my room last winter... yet, amazing how the reflection of sun off snow through a window works on my complexion. A simple cellphone selfie...

 

(Now, if I could just carry 8" of snow and bright sunlight around in my compact case, I could skip the powder!)

The capability to ignore nasty contention,

when the silver dollar has lost its complexion,

the dun can get disorienting, when picked out,

some feelings do remain so distressed, tough,

that's when pesters hold on to feuding spout!

 

7 Days with Flickr - Wednesdays : Macro or close-up

 

Macro Mondays theme "Plastic"

 

I don’t need water, except for an occasional wash. I don’t need the sun neither. In fact , it is bad for my complexion. I think I am pretty. I can see it by the way you look at me and in your smile. Yes, I am made of plastic. And if you take good care of me, I will be there for you forever.

 

This yellow plastic flower is 2.5” in diameter and is actually part of a pen.

 

Thank you everyone for your visits, faves, and kind comments

I can't seem to stop playing with this old shot of my son-in-law's daughter. She was only eleven or twelve here. (I've been applying a range of software packages. I lost track of which ones, but definitely Viveza 2, Color Efex Pro IV and Snapseed.)

 

HSS!

website | copyright

 

Audrae in blond. Trying out a new wig for her to really brighten up her complexion.

The secondary peak of Mt. Smolikas is composed of ophiolitic rock, giving a dark complexion unlike any other Greek mountain

Poison Ivy

I saw her as I was about to enter Toronto’s downtown mall, the Eaton Center, on this cold late afternoon. She was chatting with someone on the sidewalk and looked as if she belonged in the project. I apologized for interrupting the conversation and explained my request and the 100 Strangers project. “Sure” was her response. He nodded in agreement. Hands were shaken. Meet Lana.

 

Luckily, the polished marble wall of the shopping centre was just around the corner and I knew Lana’s fair complexion and dark outfit would fit nicely with the marble and the late afternoon light was cold but soft. Although her rhinestone-studded sunglasses helped complete her look, I was happy when she took them off without being asked. The three of us chatted about identity theft (her friend was in the process of having his ID replaced) and then she and he exchanged contact information.. After he left, I said “You just met?” I asked. Lana replied with a twinkle in her eye “Yeah, and he’s really cute. I hope we’ll be in touch again.” The streets of Toronto can be a friendly place.

 

Lana posed very comfortably and we then had our chat. Lana is 28 and was born in Newfoundland, one of Canada’s Maritime Provinces. She has called Toronto home for about eight years. She is a hairdresser, which helps explain her trendy look, and was just on her way to pay her phone bill when I met her. When I asked if she had a message of advice to the project photographers she said “It would just be to enjoy life and treat others the way you would like to be treated. I’ve known difficult times in the past and I know the value of kindness.”

 

Lana went on to describe having been homeless and an addict in her younger years but now has a job and an apartment and has her life together. When I asked what created the turning point for her, she said “You have to have a reason to change.” When I asked what her own reason for change was she said “My daughter. I had her in my teens and didn’t want her to see me as that kind of person.” When I asked how her daughter is now, a thin cloud came over her eyes and she said “She’s with my mother, but I see her every week and she’s doing nicely.” She went on to explain that her mother gained custody several years ago and once Lana had pulled things together, she didn’t want to disrupt the adjustment her daughter had made to life with grandma. She said it was a difficult decision but she made it for her daughter and can hardly wait for each visit.

 

I told Lana I thought her story of recovery from drugs and homelessness was inspiring and asked if anything she had shared with me was too private to be mentioned in the photo story. Her immediate response was “Oh no. I’m an open book. Hey, I’m not proud of who I was back then, but I am proud of who I am now. You can share my story.” She said meeting had been really interesting and that she’d never been stopped for a photograph before. I am a bit surprised.

 

We exchanged contact information so I can send her a copy of the photo and shook hands goodbye. Thank you Lana for taking the time to participate in 100 Strangers. You are #713 in Round 8 of my project. Enjoy life.

 

Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by the other photographers in our group at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page.

 

She's such beatiful complexion so I think I should add color picture as well. I hope this time I'm doing her justice. :)

"Let me dissolve you in the traqulity of my complexion"

[...] I have great comfort from this fellow: methinks he hath no drowning mark upon him; his complexion is perfect gallows. Stand fast, good Fate, to his hanging: make the rope of his destiny our cable, for our own doth little advantage. If he be not born to be hanged, our case is miserable. [...]

[...] L’aspetto di costui mi riconforta: sulla faccia non ha marcato il crisma d’uno che deve morire affogato; piuttosto d’uno nato pel capestro; e tu, destino amico, per favore, non desistere più da tal proposito, e fa’ che la sua corda d’impiccato sia la gomena nostra di salvezza, perché credo davvero che la nostra questa volta non ci sarà d’aiuto. Se quello non è nato per la forca, allora il nostro caso è disperato [...]

 

-- Excerpt from "The Tempest" by William Shakespeare, 1611

 

Eolian islands, Italy (September, 2004)

1/5 A quick pictures of Miss Sally Rice to show how lovely she is.... Her hair color is yummy and her complexion is so beautiful. If some of you're hesitating about getting her... She's really beautiful :)

“There are certain shades of limelight that can wreck a girl's complexion.” - Audrey Hepburn

 

Prompts: Audrey Hepburn.

Made with #midjourney #photoshop

 

Thank you for your visit, faves, and kind comments. 😊

 

Salty tears streamed down the pale complexion of a young girl, leaving sticky trails in their wake.

 

The girl ran out into the cold wintery air, bare footed, mud sloshing between her toes and rain hailing onto her face.

 

The ground slid from beneath her feet, and before the girl could grip her bearings, she was on her back side, mud leaking into her clean, white dress. Her neatly braided hair fell from its place, now tangled and unruly, her red ribbon discarded in the mud.

 

She could no longer ‘sit and look pretty’; as so many had told her to do.

 

Was this the destiny of a woman? To look prim and proper, forever the shadow and slave of a man?

 

Her sex had been labelled as dumb, pretty and weak. How had they sunken so low, so far as to never be worthy of a voice, and purely a pleasure for a man?

 

She stood out in the rain, letting it wash away any trail of weakness that had once leaked from her eyes.

 

‘Liliana! Get in here!’, a voice demanded.

 

The girl clenched her jaw and folded her arms. Lifting her chin from where it had sunken, she stomped inside defiantly.

 

She would not be pushed around again.

______________________________________________________________________________

 

Gabbi de la Torre- Bamber © 2013

Week 4/52

  

Hey guys- check out my new website!! gabbidelatorrephotography.webstarts.com/

 

Vishnu (/ˈvɪʃnuː/; Sanskrit: Viṣṇu) is a popular Hindu deity, the Supreme God of Vaishnavism (one of the three principal denominations of Hinduism) and one of the three supreme deities (Trimurti) of Hinduism. He is also known as Lord Narayana and Lord Hari. As one of the five primary forms of God in the Smarta tradition, He is conceived as "the Preserver or the Protector" within the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the divinity.

 

In Hindu sacred texts, Vishnu is usually described as having dark complexion of water-filled clouds and as having four arms. He is depicted as a blue being, holding a padma (lotus flower) in the lower left hand, the Kaumodaki gada (mace) in the lower right hand, the Panchajanya shankha (conch) in the upper left hand and the discus weapon Sudarshana Chakra in the upper right hand.

 

Adherents of Hinduism believe Vishnu's eternal and supreme abode beyond the material universe is called Vaikuntha, which is also known as Paramdhama, the realm of eternal bliss and happiness and the final or highest place for liberated souls who have attained Moksha. Vaikuntha is situated beyond the material universe and hence, cannot be perceived or measured by material science or logic. Vishnu's other abode within the material universe is Ksheera Sagara (the ocean of milk), where he reclines and rests on Ananta Shesha, (the king of the serpent deities, commonly shown with a thousand heads). In almost all Hindu denominations, Vishnu is either worshipped directly or in the form of his ten avatars, the most famous of whom are Rama and Krishna.

 

The Puranabharati, an ancient text, describes these as the dashavatara, or the ten avatars of Vishnu. Among the ten described, nine have occurred in the past and one will take place in the future as Lord Kalki, at the end of Kali Yuga, (the fourth and final stage in the cycle of yugas that the world goes through). These incarnations take place in all Yugas in cosmic scales; the avatars and their stories show that gods are indeed unimaginable, unthinkable and inconceivable. The Bhagavad Gita mentions their purpose as being to rejuvenate Dharma, to vanquish those negative forces of evil that threaten dharma, and also to display His divine nature in front of all souls.

 

The Trimurti (three forms) is a concept in Hinduism "in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by the forms of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the maintainer, preserver or protector and Shiva the destroyer or transformer." These three deities have also been called "the Hindu triad" or the "Great Trinity", all having the same meaning of three in One. They are the different forms or manifestation of One person the Supreme Being or Narayana/Svayam Bhagavan.

 

Vishnu is also venerated as Mukunda, which means God who is the giver of mukti or moksha (liberation from the cycle of rebirths) to his devotees or the worthy ones who deserve salvation from the material world.

 

ETYMOLOGY

The traditional explanation of the name Vishnu involves the root viś, meaning "to settle" (cognate with Latin vicus, English -wich "village," Slavic: vas -ves), or also (in the Rigveda) "to enter into, to pervade," glossing the name as "the All-Pervading One". Yaska, an early commentator on the Vedas, in his Nirukta, (etymological interpretation), defines Vishnu as viṣṇur viṣvater vā vyaśnoter vā, "one who enters everywhere". He also writes, atha yad viṣito bhavati tad viṣnurbhavati, "that which is free from fetters and bondages is Vishnu".

 

Adi Shankara in his commentary on the Sahasranama states derivation from viś, with a meaning "presence everywhere" ("As he pervades everything, vevesti, he is called Vishnu"). Adi Shankara states (regarding Vishnu Purana, 3.1.45): "The Power of the Supreme Being has entered within the universe. The root viś means 'enter into'." Swami Chinmayananda, in his translation of Vishnu Sahasranama further elaborates on that verse: "The root vis means to enter. The entire world of things and beings is pervaded by Him and the Upanishad emphatically insists in its mantra 'whatever that is there is the world of change.' Hence, it means that He is not limited by space, time or substance. Chinmayananda states that, that which pervades everything is Vishnu."

 

SACRET TEXTS - SHRUTI & SMRITI

Shruti is considered to be solely of divine origin. It is preserved as a whole, instead of verse by verse. It includes the four Vedas (Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda) the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and the Upanishads with commentaries on them.

 

Smṛti refers to all the knowledge derived and inculcated after Shruti had been received. Smrti is not 'divine' in origin, but was 'remembered' by later Rishis (sages by insight, who were the scribes) by transcendental means and passed down through their followers. It includes the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana which are Sattva Puranas. These both declare Vishnu as Para Brahman Supreme Lord who creates unlimited universes and enters each one of them as Lord of Universe.

 

SHRUTI

 

VAISHNAVA CANON

The Vaishnava canon presents Vishnu as the supreme being, rather than another name for the Sun God, who also bore the name Suryanarayana and is considered only as a form of Vishnu.

 

VEDAS

In the Yajur Veda, Taittiriya Aranyaka (10-13-1), Narayana suktam, Lord Narayana is mentioned as the supreme being. The first verse of Narayana Suktam mentions the words "paramam padam", which literally mean "highest post" and may be understood as the "supreme abode for all souls". This is also known as Param Dhama, Paramapadam, or Vaikuntha. Rig Veda 1:22:20a also mentions the same "paramam padam". This special status is not given to any deity in the Vedas apart from Lord Vishnu/Narayana.[citation needed] Narayana is one of the thousand names of Vishnu as mentioned in the Vishnu Sahasranama. It describes Vishnu as the All-Pervading essence of all beings, the master of - and beyond - the past, present and future, one who supports, sustains and governs the Universe and originates and develops all elements within. This illustrates the omnipresent characteristic of Vishnu. Vishnu governs the aspect of preservation and sustenance of the universe, so he is called "Preserver of the universe".

 

Vishnu is the Supreme God who takes manifest forms or avatars across various ages or periods to save humanity from evil beings, demons or Asuras. According to the extant Hindu texts and traditions, Lord Vishnu is considered to be resident in the direction of the "Makara Rashi" (the "Shravana Nakshatra"), which is about coincident with the Capricorn constellation. In some of the extant Puranas, and Vaishnava traditions, Vishnu's eye is considered to be situated at the infinitely distant Southern Celestial Pole.

 

Following the defeat of Indra and his displacement as the Lord of Heaven or Swarga, Indra asks Lord Vishnu for help and thus Lord Vishnu takes his incarnations or avatars to Earth to save mankind, thus showing his position as Supreme God to all of creation.

 

In the Puranas, Indra frequently appears proud and haughty. These bad qualities are temporarily removed when Brahma and/or Shiva give boons to Asuras or Rakshasas such as Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu and Ravana, who are then able to defeat Indra in wars between Devas and Asuras. The received boons often made Asuras virtually indestructible.

 

Indra has no option but to seek help from Vishnu. Indra prays before Vishnu for protection and the Supreme Lord obliges him by taking avatars and generating himself on Earth in various forms, first as a water-dweller (Matsya, fish), then as an amphibious creature (Kurma avatar or Tortoise), then as a half-man-half-animal (Varaha the pig-faced, human-bodied Lord, and Narasimha the Lord with lion's face and claws and a human body). Later, Vishnu appears as human beings (Vamana the short-heighted person), Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha and finally as Kalki for performing his task of protecting his devotees from demons and anti-religious entities.

 

Vishnu's supremacy is attested by his victories over those very powerful entities. It is further attested by the accepted iconography and sculptures of Vishnu in reclining position as producing Brahma emerging from his navel. Brahma the creator is thus created in turn by Vishnu out of his own person. Instead Vishnu takes various avatars to slay or defeat those demons. But it is to be noted that Vishnu also provided boons to Akupresura, a bear faced demon who was destroyed by Lord Shiva.

 

Vishnu's actions lowered Indra's ranking among Hindu deities and led to the ascendancy of Vishnu.

 

Few temples are dedicated to the Sun or Suryanarayana, nor indeed Indra, nor does Indra figure largely in the Hindu religion.

 

Indra is almost completely absent from the deities considered as the chief or most important deity.

 

RIGVEDA

In the Rigveda, Vishnu is mentioned 93 times. He is frequently invoked alongside other deities, especially Indra, whom he helps in killing Vritra and with whom he drinks Soma. His distinguishing characteristic in the Vedas is his association with light. Two Rigvedic hymns in Mandala 7 are dedicated to Vishnu. In 7.99, Vishnu is addressed as the god who separates heaven and earth, a characteristic he shares with Indra.

 

The Rig Veda describes Vishnu as younger brother to Indra as Vamana. In Vaishnava canon the 'Vishnu' who is younger brother to Indra is identified as Vamana, Avatar of Vishnu, hence referred to as Vishnu by Vaishnavites. Vishnu is the Supreme God who lives in the highest celestial region, contrasted against those who live in the atmospheric or terrestrial regions. Vishnu is content with mere prayer, unlike almost all of the other gods who receive sacrificial offerings such as Havis, which is given using clarified butter, or Soma. Later foreign translators have view that Vedas place Indra in a superior position to Vishnu's Avatar of Vamana but in fact Vamana helps Indra by restoring his Kingdom.

 

An alternate translation is provided by Wilson according to Sayana:

 

When Thy (younger brother) Viṣṇu (Vamana) by (his) strength stepped his three paces, then verily thy beloved horses bore thee. (Rigveda 8:12:27)

 

Wilson mentions Griffith's possible translation as a footnote. However the following verse from Rigveda renders the above translation by Wilson more probable.

 

Him whose three places that are filled with sweetness, imperishable, joy as it may list them, Who verily alone upholds the threefold, the earth, the heaven, and all living creatures. (Rig veda 1:154:4)

 

Wilson offers an alternate translation for Rigveda 10:113:2:

 

Viṣṇu offering the portion of Soma, glorifies by his own vigor that greatness of his. Indra, the lord of heaven, with the associated gods having slain Vritra, became deserving of honour. (Rigveda 10:113:2)

 

This verse sees Vishnu as one who is glorified by his own strength, while Indra became deserving of honor after having slain Vritra only in association with other gods.

 

However Vishnu's praise for other gods does not imply worship. Wilson translates:

 

Viṣṇu, the mighty giver of dwellings praises thee, and Mitra and Varuna; the company of Maruts imitates thee in exhilaration. (Rigveda 8:15:9) (page 280)

 

The following verses show categorically Vishnu as distinguished from other gods in Rigveda.

 

He who presents (offering) to Viṣṇu, the ancient, the creator, the recent, the self-born; he who celebrates the great birth of that mighty one; he verily possessed of abundance, attains (the station) that is to be sought (by all). (Rigveda 1:156:2) (page 98)

 

No being that is or that has been born, divine Viṣṇu, has attained the utmost limit of thy magnitude, by which thou hast upheld the vast and beautiful heaven, and sustained the eastern horizon of Earth.(Rigveda 7:99:2) (page 196)

 

The divine Viṣṇu, the best of the doers of good deeds, who came to the pious instituter of rite (Indra), to assist (at its celebration), knowing (the desires of the worshiper), and present at the three connected period (of worship), shows favor to the Arya, and admits the author of the ceremony to a share of the sacrifice. (Rigveda 1:156:5) (page 99)

 

Jan Gonda, the late Indologist, states that Vishnu, although remaining in the background of Indra's exploits, contributes by his presence, or is key to Indra's success. Vishnu is more than a mere companion, equal in rank or power to Indra, or sometime the one who made Indra's success possible.

 

Descriptions of Vishnu as younger to Indra are found in only the hymns to Indra, but in a kathenotheism religion like that of the Rigveda, each god, for a time, is supreme in the mind of the devotee.

 

In the Rig Vedic texts, the deity or god referred to as Vishnu is the Sun God, who also bears the name 'Suryanarayana'. By contrast, the 'Vishnu' referred to in 'Vishnu Purana', 'Vishnu Sahasranamam' and 'Purusha Sooktham' is Lord Narayana, the Consort of Lakshmi. Vaishnavites make a further distinction by extolling the qualities of Vishnu by highlighting his differences from other deities such as Shiva,[citation needed] Brahma or Surya.

 

THREE STEPS

Hymn 7.100 refers to the celebrated 'three steps' of Vishnu (as Trivikrama) by which he strode over the universe and in three places planted his step. The 'Vishnu Suktam' (RV 1.154) says that the first and second of Vishnu's strides (those encompassing the earth and air) are visible to men and the third is in the heights of heaven (sky). This last place is described as Vishnu's supreme abode in RV 1.22.20:

 

The princes evermore behold / that loftiest place where Vishnu is / Laid as it were an eye in heaven.(trans. Griffith)

 

Griffith's "princes" are the sūri, either "inciters" or lords of a sacrifice, or priests charged with pressing the Soma. The verse is quoted as expressing Vishnu's supremacy by Vaishnavites.

 

Though such solar aspects have been associated with Vishnu by tradition as well as modern-scholarship, he was not just the representation of the sun, as he moves both vertically and horizontally.

 

In hymns 1.22.17, 1.154.3, 1.154.4 he strides across the earth with three steps, in 6.49.13, 7.100.3 strides across the earth three times and in 1.154.1, 1.155.5,7.29.7 he strides vertically, with the final step in the heavens. The same Veda also says he strode wide and created space in the cosmos for Indra to fight Vritra. By his stride he made dwelling for men possible, the three forming a symbolic representation of the dwelling's all-encompassing nature. This nature and benevolence to men were Vishnu's enduring attributes. As the triple-strider he is known as Trivikrama and as Urukrama, for the strides were wide.

 

BRAHMANAS

The Brahmanas are commentaries on the Vedas and form part of the Shruti literature. They are concerned with the detail of the proper performance of rituals. In the Rigveda, Shakala Shakha: Aitareya Brahmana Verse 1 declares: agnir vai devānām ava mo viṣṇuḥ paramus, tadantareṇa sarvā anyā devatā - Agni is the lowest or youngest god and Vishnu is the greatest and the highest God.

 

The Brahmanas assert the supremacy of Lord Vishnu, addressing him as "Gajapati", the one whom all sacrifices are meant to please. Lord Vishnu accepts all sacrifices to the demigods and allots the respective fruits to the performer In one incident, a demonic person performs a sacrifice by abducting the Rishis (sages), who meditate by constantly chanting God's name. The sacrifice is meant to destroy Indra. But the rishis, who worship Indra as a demigod, alter one pronunciation of the Veda Mantra, reversing the purpose of the sacrifice. When the fruit of the sacrifice is given and the demon is on the verge of dying, he calls to Vishnu, whom he addresses as Supreme Godhead and "the father of all living entities including himself".

 

Aitareya Brahmana 1:1:1 mentions Vishnu as the Supreme God. But in the Vaishnava canon, in different ages, with Vishnu in different avatars, his relationship with the asuras or demons, was always adversarial. The asuras always caused harm, while the sages and devas or celestial beings, did penance and called to Vishnu for protection. Vishnu always obliged by taking an avatar to vanquish the asuras. In the Vaishnava canon, Vishnu never gave or granted any boons to the asuras, distinguishing him from the gods Shiva and Brahma, who did. He is the only God called upon to save good beings by defeating or killing the asuras.

 

Sayana writes that in Aitareya Brahmana 1:1:1 the declaration agnir vai devānām ava mo viṣṇuḥ paramus,tadantareṇa sarvā anyā devatā does not indicate any hierarchy among gods. Even in Rigveda Samhita, avama and parama are not applied to denote rank and dignity, but only to mark place and locality.

 

In Rigveda 1:108:9,: yadindrāghnī avamasyāṃ pṛthivyāṃ madhyamasyāṃ paramasyāmuta sthaḥ | i.e., in the lowest place, the middle (place), and the highest (place). Agni, the fire, has, among the gods, the lowest place; for he resides with man on the earth; while the other gods are either in the air, or in the sky. Vishnu occupies the highest place. The words avama and parama are understood as 'First' and 'Last' respectively. To support this claim, Sayana adduces the mantra (1,4. As'val. Sr. S. 4, 2), agnir mukham prathamo devathanam samathanam uttamo vishnur asit, i.e., Agni was the first of the deities assembled, (and) Vishnu the last.

 

In the Kausitaki Brahmana (7.1) Agni is called Aaradhya (instead of avama), and Visnu parardha(instead of parama),i.e., belonging to the lower and higher halves (or forming the lower and higher halves). The Vishnu Purana gives tremendous importance to the worship of Vishnu and mentions that sacrifices are to begin only with both the lighting of fire or 'Agni', pouring of sacrificial offerings to Vishnu in 'Agni' so that those offerings reach and are accepted by Vishnu. Worship of Vishnu through Yajnas (or Homams) and other rituals, will not achieve the desired result if Agni's role is neglected.

 

Muller says "Although the gods are sometimes distinctly invoked as the great and the small, the young and the old (Rig veda 1:27:13), this is only an attempt to find the most comprehensive expression for the divine powers, and nowhere is any of the gods represented as the subordinate to others. It would be easy to find, in the numerous hymns of the Veda, passages in which almost every single god is represented as supreme and absolute."

 

However this notion is not completely correct as per the following verses, which shows Rigveda describe one or more gods as subject to other god(s).

 

Him whose high law not Varuna nor Indra, not Mitra, Aryaman, nor Rudra breaketh, Nor evil-hearted fiends, here for my welfare him I invoke, God Savitar, with worship. (Rigveda 2.038.09)

 

I invite to this place, with reverential salutations, for my good, that divine Savita, whose functions neither Indra, nor Varun.a, nor Mitra nor Aryaman nor Rudra nor the enemies (of the gods), impede. (Rigveda 2.038.09)

 

SMRITI

 

VISHNU SMRITI

The Vishnu Smṛti, is one of the later books of the Dharmashastra tradition of Hinduism and the only one that focuses on the bhakti tradition and the required daily puja to Vishnu, rather than the means of knowing dharma. It is also known for its handling of the controversial subject of the practice of sati (self-immolation of a widow on her husband's funeral pyre). The text was composed by an individual or group. The author(s) created a collection of the commonly known legal maxims that were attributed to Vishnu into one book, as Indian oral culture began to be recorded more formally.

 

BHAGAVATA PURANA

Vishnu is the only Bhagavan as declared in the Bhagavata 1:2:11 in the verse: vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate, translated as "Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this non-dual substance as Brahman, Paramātma and Bhagavan."

 

VISHNU PURANA

In the Vishnu Purana (6:5:79) the personality named Parashara Rishi defines six bhagas:

 

aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ

jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva ṣannāḥ bhaga itīṇganā

 

Jiva Gosvami explains the verse in Gopala Champu (Pūrva 15:73) and Bhagavata Sandarbha 46:10:

 

jñāna-śakti-balaiśvarya-vīrya-tejām.sy aśeṣataḥ

bhagavac-chabda-vācyāni vinā heyair guṇādibhiḥ

 

"The substantives of the word bhagavat (bhagavat-śabda-vācyāni) are unlimited (aśeṣataḥ) knowledge (jñāna), energies (śakti), strength (bala), opulence (aiśvarya), heroism (vīrya), splendor (tejas), without (vinā) objectionable (heyair) qualities (guṇādibhiḥ)."

 

SANGAM LITERATURE

Tamil Sangam literature (300BCE to 500CE) mentions mAyOn, or the dark one, as the supreme deity who creates, sustains and destroys the universe. Paripadal 3 describes the glory of Thirumal in the most superlative terms.

 

Paripadal by kaduvan iLaveyinanAr:

 

"thIyinuL theRal nI poovinuL naaRRa nI kallinuL maNiyu nI sollinuL vaaymai aRaththinuL anbu nI maRaththinuL mainthu nI vEthaththu maRai nI boothaththu madhalu nI vencudar oLiyu nI thingaLuL aLiyu nI anaiththu nI anaiththinut poruLu nI"

 

The last line states that Lord Vishnu is the supreme deity who is the inner controller (Antaryamin) of the entire universe. This is one of the Lord's glories, which is first mentioned in Vedas and later propounded by Alwars in Prabhandams and Sri Vaishnavaite Acharyas in various commentaries

 

The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple and Vishnu, Lakshmi is mentioned in Tamil works of literature of the Sangam era, including the epic Silapadikaram (book 11, lines 35–40):

 

āyiram viritteḻu talaiyuṭai aruntiṟaṟ

 

pāyaṟ paḷḷip palartoḻu tētta viritiraik kāviri viyaṉperu turuttit tiruvamar mārpaṉ kiṭanta vaṇṇamum

 

On a magnificent cot having a thousand heads spread out, worshipped and praised by many, in an islet surrounded by Kaveri with bellowing waves, is the lying posture of the one who has Lakshmi sitting in his chest.

 

THEOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES

The actual number of Vishnu's auspicious qualities is countless, although his six most-important "divine glories" are:

 

Jnana (Omniscience); defined as the power to know about all beings simultaneously;

Aishvarya (Sovereignty), derived from the word Ishvara which means unchallenged rule over all;

Shakti (Power or Energy), the capacity to make the impossible possible;

Bala (Strength), the capacity to support everything by will and without any fatigue;

Virya (Vigour), the power to retain immateriality as the Supreme Spirit or Being in spite of being the material cause of mutable creations;

Tejas (Splendor), which expresses self-sufficiency and the capacity to overpower everything by spiritual effulgence.

 

Other important qualities attributed to Vishnu are Gambhirya (inestimatable grandeur), Audarya (generosity), and Karunya (compassion). Natya Shastra lists Vishnu as the presiding deity of the Sṛngara rasa.

 

The Rigveda says: Vishnu can travel in three strides. The first stride is the Earth. The second stride is the visible sky. The third stride cannot be seen by men and is the heaven where the gods and the righteous dead live. (This feature of three strides also appears in the story of his avatar Vamana/Trivikrama.) The Sanskrit for "to stride" is the root kram; its reduplicated perfect is chakram (guņa grade) or chakra (zero-grade), and in the Rigveda he is called by epithets such as vi-chakra-māņas = "he who has made 3 strides". The Sanskrit word chakra also means "wheel". That may have suggested the idea of Vishnu carrying a chakra.

 

FIVE FORMS

In Shree Vaishnavism, another school dating from around the 10th century AD, Vishnu assumes five forms:

 

In the Para Form, Para is the highest form of Vishnu found only in Sri Vaikunta also called Moksha, along with his consort Lakshmi, (and Bhumi Devi and Nila devi, avatars of Lakshmi) and surrounded by liberated souls like Ananta, Garuda, and a host of Muktas (liberated souls).

In the Vyuha form, Vishnu assumes four forms, which exercise different cosmic functions and controls activities of living beings.

In the Vibhava form, Vishnu assumes various manifestations, called Vibhavas, more popularly known as Avataras from time to time, to protect the virtuous, punish evil-doers and re-establish righteousness.

In the Antaryami; "Dwelling within" or "Suksma Vasudeva" form, Vishnu exists within the souls of all living beings and in every substance.

In the Arcavatara or Image manifestation, Vishnu is visible and therefore easily approachable by devotees since Para, Vyuha, Vibhava and Antaryami forms can only be imagined or meditated upon because they are beyond our reach. Such images can be

Revealed by Vishnu, for example, a self-manifested (Swayambhu) icon (murti), e.g. The Mahavishnu Temple at Tirunelli, The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, The Tirumala Venkateshwara Temple, etc.; or

Installed by Devas or celestial beings such as such as Guruvayur Temple installed by Vayu; or

Installed by humans, and consecrated according to Vaishnava Agama shastras or scriptures such as Lord Jagannatha of Jagannath Temple (Puri) at Puri.

 

RELATIONS WITH OTHER DEITIES

 

SHIVA

The three gods of the Trimurti clan are inseparable and in harmony in view of their common vision and universal good. They are perfectly ideal in all respects.

 

Both Asuras and Devas played supportive roles in this story by keeping company with Vishnu in his incarnated forms. Hanuman is a vanara who is completely dedicated to Rama. He gives Vishnu company and obeys his command, while playing an important part in Rama's life. He is regarded in Vaishnava canon because it is through blessings that Hanuman is born. Thus, Hanuman, Vishnu's constant companion, with his idol appearing temples of Rama, Krishna and Narasimha, i.e. all of Vishnu's avatars, is considered by Vaishnavas.

 

Syncretic forces produced stories in which the two deities were shown in cooperative relationships and combined forms. Harihara is the name of a combined deity form of both Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Hara). This dual form, which is also called Harirudra, is mentioned in the Mahabharata.

 

LAKSHMI

Vishnu's consort is Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth (also known as Maya). The Samvit (the primary intelligence/dark matter) of the universe is Vishnu, while the other five attributes emerge from this samvit and hence Maya or dark energy of the universe is Lakshmee is his ahamata, activity, or Vishnu's Power. This power of God, Maya or Shakti, is personified and has multiple names: Shree, Lakshmi, Maya, Vishnumaya or Mahamaya. She is said to manifest as Kriyashakti, (Creative Activity) and Bhutishakti (Creation). This world requires Vishnu's creativity. He therefore needs Lakshmi to always be with Him. Her various avatars as Lord Vishnu's consorts are Varahavatar (Bhoodevi) or Bhoomi, Ramavatar Seeta, Krishnavatar Rukmini)

 

SARASWATI & GANGA

According to Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Lord Vishnu had three wives Lakshmi, Saraswati and Ganga. Due to their constant quarrelsome nature among them. Once Ganga tried to be close with Vishnu, this rebuked Saraswati but Lakshmi tried to pacify them but faced a curse rather. As per the curse, Lakshmi to appear as Tulasi. Sarawati cursed Ganga to run as a river in the world and Saraswati was cursed to run as a river in the netherworld. After this, Lord Vishnu transformed and became Brahma and Shiva to pacify Saraswati and Ganga.

 

GARUDA

Vishnu's mount (Vahana) is Garuda, the eagle. Vishnu is commonly depicted as riding on his shoulders.

 

ICONOGRAPHY

According to various Puranas, Vishnu is the ultimate omnipresent reality and is shapeless and omnipresent. However, a strict iconography governs his representation, whether in pictures, icons, or idols:

 

He has four arms and is male: The four arms indicate his all-powerful and all-pervasive nature. His physical existence is represented by the two arms in the front, while the two arms at the back represent his presence in the spiritual world. The Upanishad Gopal Uttartapani describes the four arms.

The Shreevatsa mark is on his chest, symbolizing his consort Lakshmi.

He wears the auspicious "Kaustubha" jewel around his neck and a garland of vaijayanti flowers (Vanamala). Lakshmi dwells in this jewel, on Vishnu's chest.

A crown adorns his head: The crown symbolizes his supreme authority. This crown sometimes includes a peacock feather, borrowing from his Krishna-avatar.

He wears two earrings: The earrings represent inherent opposites in creation — knowledge and ignorance; happiness and unhappiness; pleasure and pain.

He rests on Ananta, the immortal and infinite snake.

 

Vishnu is always to be depicted holding four attributes:

 

A conch shell or Shankha, named Panchajanya, is held by the upper left hand. It represents Vishnu's power to create and maintain the universe. Panchajanya represents the five elements or Panchabhoota – water, fire, air, earth and sky or space. It also represents the five airs or Pranas that are within the body and mind. The conch symbolizes that Vishnu is the primeval Divine sound of creation and continuity. It also represented as Om. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna avatara states that of sound vibrations, 'He is Om'.

The Chakra, a sharp, spinning, discus-like weapon, named "Sudarshana", is held by the upper right hand. It symbolizes the purified spiritualized mind. The name Sudarshana is derived from two words – Su, which means good, superior, and Darshana, which means vision or sight; together. The Chakra represents destruction of ego in the awakening and realization of the soul's original nature and god, burning away spiritual ignorance and illusion, and developing higher spiritual vision and insight to realize god.

A mace or Gada, named "Kaumodaki", is held by the lower right hand. It symbolizes that Vishnu's divine power is the source of all spiritual, mental and physical strength. It also signifies Vishnu's power to destroy materialistic or demonic tendencies (Anarthas) that prevent people from reaching god. Vishnu's mace is the power of the Divine within us to spiritually purify and uplift us from our materialistic bonds.

A lotus flower or Padma is held by the lower left hand. It represents spiritual liberation, Divine perfection, purity and the unfolding of Spiritual consciousness within the individual. The lotus opening its petals in the light of the Sun is indicative of the expansion and awakening of our long dormant, original spiritual consciousness in the light of god. The lotus symbolizes that god is the power and source from which the universe and the individual soul emerges. It also represents Divine Truth or Satya, the originator of the rules of conduct or Dharma, and Divine Vedic knowledge or Jnana. The lotus also symbolizes that Vishnu is the embodiment of spiritual perfection and purity and that He is the wellspring of these qualities and that the individual soul must seek to awaken these intrinsic Divine qualities from Vishnu by surrendering to and linking with Him.

 

To this may be added, conventionally, the vanamaala flower garland, Vishnu's bow (Shaarnga/Kodand) and his sword Nandaka. A verse of the Vishnu Sahasranama stotram states;vanamālī gadhī shārngī shanki chakri cha nandaki / shrīmān nārāyaņo vişņo vāsudevo abhirakşatu//; translation: Protect us Oh Lord Narayana who wears the forest garland,who has the mace, conch, sword and the wheel. And who is called Vishnu and the Vasudeva.

 

In general, Vishnu's body is depicted in one of the following three ways:

 

Standing on a lotus flower, often with Lakshmi, his consort, beside him on a similar pedestal.

Reclining on the coiled-up thousand-hooded Shesha Naga, with Lakshmi seated at his feet; the assemblage rests on the "Kshira Sagar" (ocean of milk). In this representation, Brahma is depicted as sitting on a lotus that grows out of Vishnu's navel.

Riding on the back of his eagle mount, known as Garuda. Another name for Garuda is "Veda atma"; Soul of the Vedas. The flapping of his wings symbolizes the power of the Divine Truth of Vedic wisdom. Also the eagle represents the soul. Garuda carrying Vishnu symbolizes the soul or jiva atma carrying the Super soul or Param atma within it.

 

AVATARS

Ten avatars (dashavatara) of Vishnu are the most prominent: Apart from the most prominent incarnations there are believed to more.

 

The most commonly believed incarnations of Vishnu are:

 

Matsya, the fish that kills Damanaka to save the vedas and also saves Manu from a great flood that submerges the entire Earth.

Kurma, the turtle that helps the Devas and Asuras churn the ocean for the nectar of immortality.

Varaha, the boar that rescues the Earth and kills Hiranyaksha.

Narasimha, the half-lion half human, who defeats the demon Hiranyakashipu.

Vamana, the dwarf that grows into a giant to save the world from King Bali.

Parashurama, "Rama of the battle axe", a sage who appeared in the Treta Yuga. He killed Kartavirya Arjuna's army and clan and then killed all the kshatriyas 21 times.

Rama, the prince and king of Ayodhya who killed the Demon King Raavan.

Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu, who takes part in the Mahabharata epic. Krishna is worshipped as the Supreme Avatar of Vishnu (Supreme Personality of Godhead) in Gaudiya-Vaishnava philosophy.

Buddha, the ninth avatar of Vishnu.

Kalki, the tenth Avatar of Vishnu and said to be the harbinger of the end Kali Yuga. This avatar of Vishnu is yet to come.

 

Some versions of the above list include Hayagreeva among the Dashavataras while some include Buddha as ninth avatar of Vishnu. Another 22 avatars are given in Chapter 3, Canto 1 of the Bhagavata Purana, although it states that "the incarnations of the Lord are innumerable, like rivulets flowing from inexhaustible sources of water".

 

BEYOND HINDUISM

 

SIKHISM

Guru Granth Sahib of Sikhism mentions Vishnu, one verse goes:

 

The true Vaishnaav, the devotee of Vishnu, is the one with whom God is thoroughly pleased. He dwells apart from Maya. Performing good deeds, he does not seek rewards. Spotlessly pure is the religion of such a Vaishnaav; he has no desire for the fruits of his labors. He is absorbed in devotional worship and the singing of Kirtan, the songs of the Lords Glory. Within his mind and body, he meditates in remembrance on the Lord of the Universe. He is kind to all creatures. He holds fast to the Naam, and inspires others to chant it. O Nanak, such a Vaishnaav obtains the supreme status.

 

BUDDHISM

While some Hindus consider Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu, Buddhists in Sri Lanka venerate Vishnu as the custodian deity of Sri Lanka and protector of Buddhism. Lord Vishnu is also known as upulvan, or uthpala varna, meaning "Blue Lotus coloured". Some postulates that Uthpala varna was a local deity who later merged with Vishnu while another belief is that Uthpala Varna was an early form of Vishnu before he became a supreme deity in Puranic Hinduism. According to Chronicles "Mahawamsa", "Chulawamsa" and folklore in Sri Lanka, Buddha himself handed over the custodianship to Vishnu. Others believe that Buddha entrusted this task to Sakra(Indra) and Sakra delegated this task of custodianship to god Vishnu. In contrary to vedic Hinduism, in assimilation of Hindu god Vishnu into Sinhalese Buddhism, Vishnu becomes a mortal being and a Bodhisattva aspiring Buddhahood. Additionally, Vishnu is considered as the god of home and hearth representing mercy, goodness, order and stability. Many Buddhist and Hindu shrines are dedicated to Vishnu in Sri Lanka. In addition to specific Vishnu "Kovils" or "devalayas", all Buddhist temples necessarily house shrine rooms (Devalayas) closer to the main Buddhist shrine dedicated to Vishnu. John Holt in his groundbreaking study examines the assimilation, transformation, and subordination of the Hindu deity Vishnu within the contexts of Sri Lankan history and Sinhala Buddhist religious culture. He then explores the role and rationale of medieval Sinhala kings in assimilating Visnu into Sinhala Buddhism. According to Holt the veneration of Vishnu in Sri Lanka is evidence of a remarkable ability, over many centuries, to reiterate and reinvent culture as other ethnicities have been absorbed into their own. Though the Vishnu cult in Ceylon was formally endorsed by Kandyan kings in early 1700s, Holt states that vishnu images and shrines are among conspicuous ruins in the medieval capital Polonnaruwa. In Buddhist mythology, when Vishnu failed to traverse the universe in three steps, he was given the title "Ardha Vishnu (Half-Vishnu)" and when Vishnu banished demons from the Vaishali (Vishala)in India, he became "Mulu Vishnu or Whole Vishnu". The extreme significance of god Vishnu in Sinhala society is reflected in recitals of the traditional "Offerings to dwarfs and crossing the door frame (bahirwayanta dola pideem saha uluwahu peneema)" that starts with Sri Vishnu invocation.In the recitals,mentioning of the aspiring Buddhahood of Vishnu which is of prime importance to Buddhists and wishes for him to live five thousand and more years highlight the central role of Vishnu in the psyche of Sri Lankan Buddhists.

 

OTHERS

James Freeman Clarke, Richard Leviton, James Cowles Prichard, and others have noted the similarities between Vishnu and Ancient Egyptian God Horus.

 

During an excavation in an abandoned village of Russia in the Volga region, archaeologist Alexander Kozhevin excavated an ancient idol of Vishnu. The idol dates from between the 7th and 10th centuries. In the interview Kozhevin, stated that, "We may consider it incredible, but we have ground to assert that Middle-Volga region was the original land of Ancient Rus. This is a hypothesis, but a hypothesis, which requires thorough research"

 

THOUSAND NAMES OF VISHNU

Vishnu's many names and followers are collected in the Vishnu Sahasranama, (Vishnu's thousand names) from within the larger work Mahabharata. The character Bheeshma recites the names before Krishna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, praising him (Vishnu) as the supreme god. These Sahasranama are regarded as the essence of all Vedas by followers of Vaishnavism, who believe sincere chanting of Vishnu Sahasranama results in spiritual well-being and a greater awareness of God.

 

The names are generally derived from the Anantakalyanagunas (meaning: infinite auspicious attributes).

 

According to the Siddhartha-samhita there are twenty-four forms of Lord Vishnu. The twenty-four forms are

 

Vasudeva

Sankarshana

Pradyumna

Anirudha

Keshava

Narayana

Madhava

Govinda

Vishnu

Madhusudana

Trivikrama

Vamana

Sridhara

Hrishikesha

Padmanabha

Damodara

Purushottama

Achyuta

Narasimha

Janardana

Hari

Krishna

Adhokshaja

 

Upulvan, Uthpala Varna - In Sri Lanka, Vishnu is also referred to as Upulvan ( Blue Lotus Coloured)

 

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VIRTUE: OBEDIENCE/SUBMISSION TO GOD"S WILL

 

Excerpt: Mystical City of God by Venerable Maria de Jesus of Agreda

 

Thereupon His Majesty announced to all the other Angels that the time of the Redemption had come and that He had commanded it to be brought to the world without delay; for already, in their own presence, the most holy Mary had been prepared and adorned to be His Mother, and had been exalted to the supreme dignity. The heavenly Spirits heard the voice of their Creator, and with incomparable joy and thanksgiving for the fulfillment of His eternal and perfect will, they intoned new canticles of praise, repeating therein that hymn of Sion: "Holy, holy, holy art Thou, God and Lord Sabaoth (Is. 6, 3). Just and powerful art Thou, Lord our God, Who livest in the highest (Ps. 112, 5) and lookest upon the lowly of the earth. Admirable are all Thy works, most high and exalted in Thy designs."

 

The supernal prince Gabriel, obeying with singular delight the Divine command and accompanied by many thousands of most beautiful Angels in visible forms, descended from the highest Heaven. The appearance of the great prince and legate was that of a most handsome youth of rarest beauty; his face emitted resplendent rays of light, his bearing was grave and majestic, his advance measured, his motions composed, his words weighty and powerful, his whole presence displayed a pleasing, kindly gravity and more of godlike qualities than all the other Angels until then seen in visible form by the heavenly Mistress. He wore a diadem of exquisite splendor and his vestments glowed in various colors full of refulgent beauty. Encased on his breast, he bore a most beautiful cross, disclosing the mystery of the Incarnation, which He had come to announce. All these circumstances were calculated to rivet the affectionate attention of the most prudent Queen. The whole of this celestial army with their princely leader holy Gabriel directed their flight to Nazareth, a town of the province of Galilee, to the dwelling place of most holy Mary. This was an humble cottage and her chamber was a narrow room, bare of all those furnishings which are wont to be used by the world in order to hide its own meanness and want of all higher goods. The heavenly Mistress was at this time fourteen years, six months and seventeen days of age; for her birthday anniversary fell on the eighth of September and six months seventeen days had passed since that date, when this greatest of all mysteries ever performed by God in this world, was enacted in Her.

 

The bodily shape of the heavenly Queen was well proportioned and taller than is usual with other maidens of her age; yet extremely elegant and perfect in all its parts. Her face was rather more oblong than round, gracious and beautiful, without leanness or grossness; its complexion clear, yet of a slightly brownish hue; her forehead spacious yet symmetrical; her eyebrows perfectly arched; her eyes large and serious, of incredible and ineffable beauty and dove-like sweetness, dark in color with a mixture tending toward green; her nose straight and well shaped; her mouth small, with red-colored lips, neither too thin nor too thick. All the gifts of nature in Her were so symmetrical and beautiful, that no other human being ever had the like. To look upon Her caused feelings at the same time of joy and seriousness, love and reverential fear. She attracted the heart and yet restrained it in sweet reverence; her beauty impelled the tongue to sound her praise, and yet her grandeur and her overwhelming perfections and graces hushed it to silence. In all that approached Her, She caused Divine effects not easily explained; She filled the heart with heavenly influences and Divine operations, tending toward the Divinity.

Her garments were humble and poor, yet clean, . . . arranged and worn without pretense, but with the greatest modesty and propriety. At the time when, without her noticing it, the embassy of Heaven drew nigh unto Her, She was engaged in the highest contemplation concerning the mysteries which the Lord had renewed in Her by so many favors during the nine preceding days. And since, as we have said above, the Lord himself had assured Her that His Only-begotten would soon descend to assume human form, this great Queen was full of fervent and joyful affection in the expectation of its execution and inflamed with humble love, She spoke in her heart: "Is it possible that the blessed time has arrived, in which the Word of the eternal Father is to be born and to converse "with men? (Barauch 10, 38). That the world should possess Him? That men are to see Him in the flesh? (Is. 40, 5). That His inaccessible light is to shine forth to illumine those who sit in darkness? (Is. 9, 2). O, who shall be worthy to see and know Him! O, who shall be allowed to kiss the earth touched by His feet!"

 

"Rejoice, ye heavens, and console thyself, O earth (Ps. 95, 11); let all things bless and extol Him, since already His eternal happiness is nigh! O children of Adam, afflicted with sin, and yet creatures of My Beloved, now shall you raise your heads and throw off the yoke of your ancient servitude! (Is. 14, 25). O, ye ancient Forefathers and Prophets, and all ye just, that are detained in Limbo and are waiting in the bosom of Abraham, now shall you be consoled and your much desired and long promised Redeemer shall tarry no longer! (Agg. 2, 8). Let us all magnify Him and sing to Him hymns of praise! O who shall be the slave of Her, whom Isaias points out as His Mother (Is. 7, 4); O Emmanuel, true God and Man! O key of David, Who art to unlock Heaven! (Is. 22, 22). O eternal Wisdom! O Lawgiver of the new Church! Come, come to us, O Lord, and end the captivity of Thy people; let all flesh see Thy salvation!" (Is. 40, 5).

 

In order that the mystery of the Most High might be fulfilled, the holy Archangel Gabriel, in the shape described in the preceding chapter and accompanied by innumerable Angels in visible human forms and resplendent with incomparable beauty, entered into the chamber, where most holy Mary was praying. It was on a Thursday at six o'clock in the evening and at the approach of night. The great modesty and restraint of the Princess of Heaven did not permit Her to look at him more than was necessary to recognize him as an Angel of the Lord. Recognizing him as such, She, in her usual humility, wished to do him reverence; the holy princes would not allow it; on the contrary he himself bowed profoundly as before his Queen and Mistress, in whom he adored the heavenly mysteries of his Creator. At the same time he understood that from that day on the ancient times and the custom of old whereby men should worship Angels, as Abraham had done (Gen. 38, 2), were changed. For as human nature was raised to the dignity of God Himself in the person of the Word, men now held the position of adopted children, of companions and brethren of the Angels, as the Angel said to Evangelist Saint John, when he refused to be worshipped (Apoc. 19, 10).

 

The holy Archangel saluted our and his Queen and said: "Ave gratia plena, Dominus tecum, benedicta tu in mulieribus" (Luke 1, 28). Hearing this new salutation of the Angel, this most humble of all creatures was disturbed, but not confused in mind (Luke 1, 29). This disturbance arose from two causes: first, from her humility, for She thought Herself the lowest of the creatures and thus in her humility, was taken unawares at hearing Herself saluted and called the "Blessed among women;" secondly, when She heard this salute and began to consider within Herself how She should receive it, She was interiorly made to understand by the Lord, that He chose Her for His Mother, and this caused a still greater perturbance, having such an humble opinion of Herself. On account of this perturbance the Angel proceeded to explain to Her the decree of the Lord, saying: "Do not fear, Mary, for thou hast found grace before the Lord (Luke 1, 30); behold thou shalt conceive a Son in thy womb, and thou shalt give birth to Him, and thou shalt name Him Jesus; He shall be great, and He shall be called Son of the Most High," and the rest as recorded of the holy Archangel.

 

Our most prudent and humble Queen alone, among all the creatures, was sufficiently intelligent and magnanimous to estimate at its true value such a new and unheard of sacrament; and in proportion as She realized its greatness, so She was also moved with admiration. But She raised her humble heart to the Lord, Who could not refuse Her any petition, and in the secret of her spirit She asked new light and assistance by which to govern Herself in such an arduous transaction; for, as we have said in the preceding chapter, the Most High, in order to permit Her to act in this mystery solely in faith, hope and charity, left Her in the common state and suspended all other kinds of favors and interior elevations, which She so frequently or continually enjoyed. In this disposition She replied and said to holy Gabriel, what is written in Saint Luke: "How shall this happen, that I conceive and bear; since I know not man?" At the same time She interiorly represented to the Lord the vow of chastity, which She had made and the espousal, which His Majesty had celebrated with Her.

 

The holy prince Gabriel replied (Luke 1, 24) : "Lady, it is easy for the Divine power to make Thee a Mother without the co-operation of man; the Holy Spirit shall remain with Thee by a new presence and the virtue of the Most High shall overshadow Thee, so that the Holy of holies can be born of Thee, Who shall Himself be called the Son of God. And behold, thy cousin Elisabeth has likewise conceived a son in her sterile years and this is the sixth month of her conception; for nothing is impossible with God. He that can make her conceive, who was sterile, can bring it about, that Thou, Lady, be His Mother, still preserving thy virginity and enhancing thy purity.

 

With these and many other words the ambassador of Heaven instructed the most holy Mary, in order that, by the remembrance of the ancient promises and prophecies of holy Writ, by the reliance and trust in them and in the infinite power of the Most High, She might overcome her hesitancy at the heavenly message. But as the Lady herself exceeded the Angels in wisdom, prudence and in all sanctity, She withheld her answer, in order to be able to give it in accordance with the Divine will and that it might be worthy of the greatest of all the mysteries and sacraments of the divine power. She reflected that upon her answer depended the pledge of the most blessed Trinity, the fulfillment of his promises and prophecies, the most pleasing and acceptable of all sacrifices, the opening of the gates of Paradise, the victory and triumph over Hell, the Redemption of all the human race, the satisfaction of the Divine justice, the foundation of the new law of grace, the glorification of men, the rejoicing of the Angels, and whatever was connected with the Incarnation of the Only-begotten of the Father and His assuming the form of servant in her virginal womb (Philip 2, 7).

 

A great wonder, indeed, and worthy of our admiration, that all these mysteries and whatever others they included, should be entrusted by the Almighty to an humble Maiden and made dependent upon her fiat. But befittingly and securely He left them to the wise and strong decision of this courageous Woman (Prov. 31, 11), since She would consider them with such magnanimity and nobility, that perforce His confidence in Her was not misplaced. The operations, which proceed within the Divine Essence, depend not on the co-operation of creatures, for they have no part in them and God could not expect such co-operations for executing the works ad intra, but in the works ad extra and such as were contingent, among which that of becoming man was the most exalted, He could not proceed without the co-operation of most holy Mary and without her free consent. For He wished to reach this acme of all the works outside Himself in Her and that we should owe this benefit to this Mother of wisdom and our Reparatrix.

 

Therefore this great Lady considered and inspected profoundly this spacious field of the dignity of Mother of God (Prov. 21, 16) in order to purchase it by her fiat; She clothed Herself in fortitude more than human, and She tasted and saw how profitable was this enterprise and commerce with the Divinity. She comprehended the ways of His hidden benevolence and; adorned Herself with fortitude and beauty. And having conferred with Herself and with the heavenly messenger Gabriel about the grandeur of these high and Divine sacraments, and finding Herself in excellent condition to receive the message sent to Her, her purest soul was absorbed and elevated in admiration, reverence and highest intensity of Divine love. By the intensity of these movements and supernal affections, her most pure heart, as it were by natural consequence, was contracted and compressed with such force, that it distilled three drops of her most pure blood, and these, finding their way to the natural place for the act of conception, were formed by the power of the Divine and holy Spirit, into the Body of Christ our Lord. Thus the matter, from which the most holy humanity of the Word for our Redemption is composed, was furnished and administered by the most pure heart of Mary and through the sheer force of her true love. At the same moment, with a humility never sufficiently to be extolled, inclining slightly her head and joining her hands, She pronounced these words, which were the beginning of our salvation: "Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum" (Luke 1,31).

 

At the pronouncing of this "fiat," so sweet to the hearing of God and so fortunate for us, in one instant, four things happened. First, the most holy Body of Christ our Lord was formed from the three drops of blood furnished by the heart of most holy Mary. Secondly, the most holy Soul of the same Lord was created, just as the other souls. Thirdly, the Soul and the Body united in order to compose His perfect humanity. Fourthly, the Divinity united Itself in the Person of the Word with the humanity, which together became one composite being in hypostatical union; and thus was formed Christ true God and Man, our Lord and Redeemer. This happened in springtime on the twenty-fifth of March, at break or dawning of the day, in the same hour, in which our first father Adam was made and in the year of the creation of the world 5199, which agrees also with the count of the Roman Church in her Martyrology under the guidance of the Holy Ghost. This reckoning is the true and certain one, as was told me, when I inquired at command of my superiors. Conformable to this the world was created in the month of March, which corresponds to the beginning of creation. And as the works of the Most High are perfect and complete (Deut. 32, 4), the plants and trees come forth from the hands of his Majesty bearing fruit, and they would have borne them continually without intermission, if sin had not changed the whole nature. The Divine Child began to grow in the natural manner in the recess of the womb, being nourished by the substance and the blood of His most holy Mother, just as other men; yet it was more free and exempt from the imperfections, to which other children of Adam are subject in that place and period. For from some of these, namely those that are accidental and unnecessary to the substance of the act of generation, being merely effects of sin, the Empress of Heaven was free. She was also free from the superfluities caused by sin, which in other women are common and happen naturally in the formation, sustenance and growth of their children. For the necessary matter, which is proper to the infected nature of the descendants of Eve and which was wanting in Her, was supplied and administered in Her by the exercise of heroic acts of virtue and especially by charity. By the fervor of her soul and her loving affections the blood and humors of her body were changed and thereby Divine Providence provided for the sustenance of the Divine Child. Thus in a natural manner the humanity of our Redeemer was nourished, while His Divinity was recreated and pleased with her heroic virtues. Most holy Mary furnished to the Holy Ghost, for the formation of this Body, pure and limpid blood, free from sin and all its tendencies. And whatever impure and imperfect matter is supplied by other mothers for the growth of their children was administered by the Queen of Heaven most pure and delicate in substance. For it was built up and supplied by the power of her loving affections and her other virtues. In a like manner was purified whatever served as food for the heavenly Queen. For, as She knew that her nourishment was at the same time to sustain and nourish the Son of God, She partook of it with such heroic acts of virtue, that the angelic Spirits wondered how such common human actions could be connected with such supernal heights of merit and perfection in the sight of God.

 

Thus adorned and deified by the Divinity and its gifts, the most holy soul of Christ our Lord proceeded in its operations in the following order: immediately it began to see and know the Divinity intuitively as It is in Itself and as It is united to His most holy humanity, loving It with the highest beatific love and perceiving the inferiority of the human nature in comparison with the essence of God. The Soul of Christ humiliated Itself profoundly, and in this humility It gave thanks to the immutable being of God for having created It and for the benefit of the hypostatic union, by which, though remaining human, it was raised to the essence of God. It also recognized that His most holy humanity was made capable of suffering, and was adapted for attaining the end of the Redemption. In this knowledge it offered itself as the Redeemer in sacrifice for the human race (Ps. 39, 8), accepting the state of suffering and giving thanks in His Own name and in the name of mankind to the eternal Father. He recognized the composition of His most holy humanity, the substance of which it was made, and how most holy Mary by the force of her charity and of her heroic virtues, furnished its substance. He took possession of this holy tabernacle and dwelling; rejoicing in its most exquisite beauty, and, well pleased, reserved as His Own property the soul of this most perfect and most pure Creature for all eternity.

 

He praised the eternal Father for having created Her and endowed Her with such vast graces and gifts; for having exempted Her and freed Her from the common law of sin, as His Daughter, while all the other descendants of Adam have incurred its guilt (Rom. 5, 18). He prayed for the most pure Lady and for Saint Joseph, asking eternal salvation for them. All these acts, and many others, were most exalted and proceeded from Him as true God and Man. Not taking into account those that pertain to the Beatific Vision and love, these acts and each one by itself, were of such merit that they alone would have sufficed to redeem infinite worlds, if such could exist.

 

Even the act of obedience alone, by which the most holy humanity of the Word subjected itself to suffering and prevented the glory of His Soul from being communicated to His Body, was abundantly sufficient for our salvation. But although this sufficed for our salvation, nothing would satisfy His immense love for men except the full limit of effective love (John 13, 1); for this was the purpose of His life, that He should consume it in demonstrations and tokens of such intense love, that neither the understanding of men nor of Angels was able to comprehend it. And if in the first instant of His entrance into the world He enriched it so immeasurably, what treasures, what riches of merits must He have stored up for it, when He left it by His Passion and Death on the Cross after thirty-three years of labor and activity all Divine! O immense love! O charity without limit! O mercy without measure! O most generous kindness! and, on the other hand, O ingratitude and base forgetfulness of mortals in the face of such unheard of and such vast benefaction! What would have become of us without Him? How much less could we do for this our Redeemer and Lord, even if He had conferred on us but small favors, while now we are scarcely moved and obliged by His doing for us all that He could? If we do not wish to treat as a Redeemer Him, Who has given us eternal life and liberty, let us at least hear Him as our Teacher, let us follow Him as our Leader, as our guiding light, which shows us the way to our true happiness.

 

These operations of Christ our Lord in the first instant of His conception were followed, in another essential instant, by the Beatific Vision of the Divinity, . . for in one instant of time many instants of essence can take place. In this Vision the heavenly Lady perceived with clearness and distinction the mystery of the hypostatic union of the Divine and the human natures in the Person of the eternal Word, and the most holy Trinity confirmed Her in the title and the rights of Mother of God. This in all rigor of truth She was, since She was the natural Mother of a Son, Who was eternal God with the same certainty and truth as He was man. Although this great Lady did not directly co-operate in the union of the Divinity with the humanity, She did not on this account lose her right to be called the Mother of the true God; for She concurred by administering the material and by exerting her faculties, as far as it pertained to a true Mother; and to a greater extent than to ordinary mothers, since in Her the conception and the generation took place without the aid of a man. Just as in other generations the agents, which bring them about in the natural course, are called father and mother, each furnishing that which is necessary, without however concurring directly in the creation of the soul, nor in its infusion into the body of the child; so also, and with greater reason, most holy Mary must be called, and did call Herself, Mother of God; for She alone concurred in the generation of Christ, true God and Man, as a Mother, to the exclusion of any other natural cause; and only through this concurrence of Mary in the generation, Christ, the Man-God, was born.

 

But She was especially persistent and fervent in her prayer to obtain guidance of the Almighty for the worthy fulfillment of her office as Mother of the Only-begotten of the Father. For this, before all other graces, Her humble heart urged Her to desire, and this was especially the subject of her solicitude, that She might be guided in all her actions as becomes the Mother of God. The Almighty answered Her: "My Dove, do not fear, for I will assist thee and guide thee, directing thee in all things necessary for the service of My Only-begotten Son." With this promise She came to Herself and issued from her ecstasy, in which all that I have said had happened, and which was the most wonderful She ever had. Restored to her faculties, her first action was to prostrate Herself on the earth and adore her holiest Son, God and Man, conceived in her virginal womb; for this She had not yet done with her external and bodily senses and faculties. Nothing that She could do in the service of her Creator, did this most prudent Mother leave undone. From that time on She was conscious of feeling new and Divine effects in her holiest soul and in her exterior and interior faculties. And although the whole tenor of her life had been most noble both as regards her body as her soul; yet on this day of the incarnation of the Word it rose to still greater nobility of spirit and was made more godlike by still higher reaches of grace and indescribable gifts.

 

WORDS of the QUEEN

 

My dearest daughter, many times I have confided and manifested to thee the love burning within my bosom: for I wish that it should be ardently re-enkindled within thy own, and that thou profit from the instruction, which I give thee. Happy is the soul, to which the Most High manifests His holy and perfect will; but more happy and blessed is he, who puts into execution, what he has learned. In many ways God shows to mortals the highways and pathways of eternal life: by the Gospels and the holy Scriptures, by the Sacraments and the laws of the holy Church, by the writings and examples of the Saints, and especially, by the obedience due to the guidings of its ministers, of whom His Majesty said: "Whoever hears you, hears Me;" for obeying them is the same as obeying the Lord Himself. Whenever by any of these means thou hast come to the knowledge of the will of God, I desire thee to assume the wings of humility and obedience, and, as if in ethereal flight or like the quickest sunbeam, hasten to execute it and thereby fulfill the Divine pleasure.

 

Besides these means of instruction, the Most High has still others in order to direct the soul; namely, He intimates His perfect will to them in a supernatural manner, and reveals to them many sacraments. This kind of instruction is of many and different degrees; not all of them are common or ordinary to all souls; for the Lord dispenses His light in measure and weight (Wis. 11, 21). Sometimes He speaks to the heart and the interior feelings in commands; at others, in correction, advising or instructing: sometimes He moves the heart to ask Him; at other times He proposes clearly what He desires, in order that the soul may be moved to fulfill it; again He manifests, as in a clear mirror, great mysteries, in order that they may be seen and recognized by the intellect and loved by the will. But this great and infinite Good is always sweet in commanding, powerful in giving the necessary help for obedience, just in His commands, quick in disposing circumstances so that He can be obeyed, notwithstanding all the impediments which hinder the fulfillment of His most holy will.

 

In receiving this Divine light, my daughter, I wish to see thee very attentive, and very quick and diligent in following it up in deed. In order to hear this most delicate and spiritual voice of the Lord it is necessary, that the faculties of the soul be purged from earthly grossness and that the creature live entirely according to the spirit; for the animal man does not perceive the elevated things of the Divinity (1 Cor. 2, 14). Be attentive then to His secrets (Is. 34, 16) and forget all that is of the outside; listen, my daughter, and incline thy ear; free thyself from all visible things (Ps. 44, 11). And in order that thou mayest be diligent, cultivate love; for love is a fire, which does not have its effect until the material is prepared; therefore let thy heart always be disposed and prepared. Whenever the Most High bids thee or communicates to thee anything for the welfare of souls, or especially for their eternal salvation, devote thyself to it entirely; for they are bought at the inestimable price of the Blood of the Lamb and of Divine love. Do not allow thyself to be hindered in this matter by thy own lowliness and bashfulness; but overcome the fear which restrains thee, for if thou thyself art of small value and usefulness, the Most High is rich (1 Pet. 1, 18), powerful, great, and by Himself performs all things (Rom. 10, 12). Thy promptness and affection will not go without its reward, although I wish thee rather to be moved entirely by the pleasure of thy Lord.

Modèle: Nirvan'Art

 

© 2015 DigitRegards Photographie

Facebook / Website / 500px / Flickr

I finally have the time to post more pictures of my Momoko collection as I actually have six of them but have only shared pictures of three so far.

 

This is my beautiful custom Momoko with rerooted hair and changed eyecolor and lipcolor, as done by the great doll customizer Sylvie Cola. She was originally 'Momoko as Kana' with the yellow fluffy hairdo (Official page). :) Her new haircolor is a lovely pale blond with no yellow tint in it, her eyes are blue-green and her lips pinkish.

 

I've sent Sylvie a graphic showing exactly which shade I'd like the new make-up colors and hair to be and she did such a perfect job! What a transformation! The new Nylon hair is much easier to handle than Momoko's default and drier hair. It's fun to style because it's so long and fine in texture. Her deep, dark eyes give her a soulful look. She's almost otherwordly on some pictures... *happy sigh* Thank you, Slyvie!

 

Her looks resemble Baby Blue Labyrinth's a bit. :) I've always liked that Momoko!

 

I'm glad how wonderful the haircolor turned out to be because I wasn't quite sure how the exact shade looked like but I was intrigued by a blond shade that has no yellow in it, yet it isn't completely white either. It photographs beautifully and looks great against her rather pale complexion. The customizations make her look delicate and gentle, basically just the way I like lots of my dolls. ♥

 

I've named her Nellie and her favourite colors are white, off-white, beige and pastels. She has delicate skin, a light step and long graceful fingers of a pianist. She likes Victorian romance novels, knitting and classical music.

 

I went downtown a half hour early for my class, hoping to stroll around a meet a new stranger for my project. This Toronto winter day turned out to be colder than I had expected so I started thinking of back-up strategies. I went to the Communications Building where my class was to be held and headed for a spot where a glassed-in passageway links two halves of the building, allowing good light with a darker background (one of my favorite combinations). At least equally important was the warmth this location offered. I thought someone with dark clothing but a light complexion would work out well but (I’m not usually this fussy, honest!) I hoped to avoid having the hair get lost in the dark background. Voila! Who should come by but this attractive young student who was even thoughtful enough to be wearing a light-colored hat to separate her hair from the background. Meet Sydney.

 

Obviously, she agreed to participate in my project and I explained the concept. She was very helpful and put down the things she was carrying along with her purse and followed my suggestion that she bring her hair forward on one side to match the other. I don’t offer a lot of direction, so this was a bit different for me. It worked out fine. For a change, I didn’t even pull out my reflector. I didn’t think the photo would need it and I don’t think it would have contributed much anyway in this light.

 

Sydney came across as rather quiet and a bit shy but very kind. She is 19 and was born and raised in Toronto. She is studying Communications (hence my meeting her in this building) and isn’t sure yet of her career goals but thinks perhaps Advertising or Marketing. I was able to connect with her a bit through having taken a History of Advertising course last year and finding it actually quite interesting. She had a small piece of equipment with her which turned out to be a miniature microphone she was going to use for a project she is doing. I wish I’d asked her what the project was and will do so when I send her the photo. When I asked about her outside interests she said she’s pretty much a nose-in-the-books student and spends most of her time studying. She does, however, like fashion – which I should have guessed from her put-together look.

 

The biggest challenge she’s facing right now? Stress. “I tend to worry a lot about my studies and about doing well and it stresses me out.” “So, how are you coping with the stress?” “Well, I try to take regular study breaks and make time to socialize with my friends.” I know a bit about stress management and told her that I thought she was using very good strategies and that one other technique is exercise. She agreed. Her advice to the project photographers? “Everything happens for a reason so if we can accept that and try to understand the reason and learn from it, we’ll manage.” Great advice, Sydney.

 

Thank you Sydney for taking a few minutes to meet and participate in 100 Strangers. You are #717 in my project. I wish you success in your studies (and try not to stress out too much!)

 

Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by the other photographers in our group at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page.

 

MURSTON.

THE next parish westward from Tong is Murston, usually called Muston, which takes its name from its vicinity to the marshes.

 

The PARISH is almost all of it situated on the north side of the high Dover road, to the left of the hill next beyond Sittingborne, a very small part of it only extending southward of the road, where, near the boundaries of the parish is the parsonage, with the glebe belonging to it, and the only small wood within it. It extends northward across the marshes and salts, as far as the waters of the Swale, which separates the main land from the Isle of Shepey. The village is situated midway between the London road and the marshes, and the church and court-lodge at no great distance from it. The parish contains about one thousand acres of land, of which about thirty are wood. Its situation is most unpleasant as well as unhealthy, even in the highest grounds of it, but the greatest part lying so exceeding low and watry, enveloped by creeks, marshes and salts, the air is very gross, and much subject to fogs, which smell very offensive, and in winter it is scarce ever free from them, and when most so, they yet remain hovering over the lands for three or four feet or more in height, which, with the badness of the water, occasions severe agues, which the inhabitants are very rarely without, whose complexions from those distempers become of a dingy yellow colour, and if they survive, are generally afflicted with them till summer, and often for several years, so that it is not unusual to see a poor man, his wife, and whole family of five or six children, hovering over their fire in their hovel, shaking with an ague all at the same time; and Dr. Plot remarks, that seldom any, though born here, continuing in it, have lived to the age of twenty-one years. This character of unhealthiness extends to the neighbouring parishes on the northern side of the road, which, however, is not peculiar to this county, as all other parts of the kingdom in a like situation, are subject to the same satality. The lands in this parish, like those of Tong and Bapchild before-described, are very rich and fertile for corn, and there is some good hop-ground in it; was it not for this prospect of gain, and high wages given for the hazard of life itself, these situa tions would probably be nearly deserted of inhabitants, but this temptation draws them hither in preference to the healthy country among the poor and barren hills, but a few miles distance from them.

 

In Frid wood, southward of Murston parsonage, and likewise in the neighbourhood of Faversham, there are several hollow caves dug in the ground, much like those at Crayford, mentioned in the second volume of this history, p. 266, which seem to have been hiding places in the time of the Saxons, where the inhabitants secured their wives, children and effects, from the ravages and cruelty of their enemies.

 

A small part of this parish, consisting of some acres of arable and wood, lies at some distance from the rest of it, entirely surrounded by the parish of Luddenham, several other parishes intervening; it seems formerly to have been of some account, and in antient records to have been mentioned by the name of the manor of Herst-hall, in Herst; part of it in Bizing wood belongs to the glebe of this rectory.

 

The MANOR, after William the Conqueror had seized on the bishop of Baieux, his half-brother, for his seditious and turbulent behaviour, in the year 1084, with his other estates became confiscated to the crown, after which the king granted this manor to Hugh de Port, who held it of the king in capite by barony, as of the castle of Dover, by the tenure of castle guard for the defence of it, of him and of his descendants, the St. John's, this manor was again held by a family which took their name from their residence at it.

 

Bartholomew de Murston is in the list of those Kentish gentlemen, who assisted king Richard I. at the siege of Acon, in Palestine; and his descendant John de Murston held it in the reign of king Edward III. in the 20th year of which he paid aid for it, as one knight's fee.

 

But before the end of the next reign of Richard II. this family was become extinct here, when Walter, lord Fitzwalter, was become the possessor of it, whose descendant Walter, lord Fitzwalter, likewise possessed it in the reign of king Henry VI. bearing for his arms, Or, a fess between two chevrons, gules.

 

He seems to have alienated this manor to Sir William Cromer, lord mayor in the years 1413 and 1423, and he died possessed of it anno 1433. After which this manor continued in his descendants in like manner as Tunstall before-described, till it came with that manor, by a female coheir, in marriage to John, eldest son of Sir Edward Hales, of Tenterden, knight and baronet. In whose descendants this manor continued down to Sir Edward Hales, bart. of St. Stephen's, near Canterbury, (fn. 1) who sold it some few years since to Rebecca, the widow of Sir Roger Twisden, bart. of Bardbourn, and she is the present possessor of it. (fn. 2)

 

East-HALL is an estate in this parish, which was once accounted a manor. It was in early times possessed by a family which assumed its surname from it; one of whom, Joane de Easthall, is recorded in the leiger book of Davington priory, as having been a good benefactor to the nuns there, in the reign of king Henry III. After this name was extinct here, it came into the possession of the De la Pines, who bore for their arms, Sable, three pine apples, or. One of whom, James de la Pine, was sheriff of Kent in the 26th, and part of the 27th years of king Edward III. and died possessed of this manor in the 37th year of that reign, then holding it of the king in capite, by the tenth part of one knight's fee.

 

His son and heir Thomas de la Pine, about the beginning of king Richard II.'s reign, conveyed this manor to Thomas St. Leger, second son of Sir Ralph St. Leger, of Ulcomb, who resided at Otterden. He left a daughter Joane, who marrying Henry Aucher, esq. of Newenden, entitled her to the possession of it. She survived him, and afterwards married Robert Capys, to whom Henry Aucher, esq. her only son and heir by her first husband, in the 19th year of Henry VI. confirmed a life-estate in East-hall and other places.

 

From him it passed into the name of Eveas; for Humphry Eveas was found by inquisition to die possessed of the manor of Esthall in the 32d year of king Henry VI. as did his son John Eveas in the 4th year of king Henry VII. and was buried with his wife in the north chancel of this church. His wife Mildred, daughter of Bartholomew Bourne, seems to have survived him, and afterwards to have married Lewis Clifford, esq. of Bobbing. She died in the 20th year of king Henry VII. possessed of this manor with its appurtenances, in the parishes of Murston, Tong, Bapchild, and Elmele, held in capite by knight's service. At length her grandson, Humphry Eveas, dying in the 27th year of Henry VIII. leaving four daughters his coheirs, one of them Alicia, carried it in marriage to Thomas Hales, whose son Christopher Hales, in the 5th year of Edward VI. alienated it to Sir Anthony Aucher, of Otterden, who the next year passed it away by sale to Thomas Gardyner, and he, in the 10th year of queen Elizabeth, transmitted it by sale to Mr. John Norden, who in the 17th year of that reign, levied a fine of it; and afterwards alienated it to William Pordage, esq. of Rodmersham, in whose descendants it continued till it was at length sold to Iles, by a daughter of which name it went in marriage to Hazard, from which name it passed into that of shard, and thence again to Seath, in which it still continues, Rich. Seath, esq. being the present owner, who resides in it.

 

MERE-COURT is an estate in this parish, once esteemed a capital mansion, and seems to have been so named from its low watery situation, near the marshes; for it does not appear to have had any owners of that surname.

 

Thomas Abelyn held this manor in the reign of Edward I. in the 4th year of which he died, holding it of the king in capite. His grandson Thomas Abelyn, at length succeeded to it, and left his widow Isolda surviving, who, in the 21st year of that reign, married Henry de Apulderfield, which being without the king's leave, he paid his fine, and had then possession of his wife's land here and elsewhere.

 

¶This manor afterwards came into the possession of the family of Savage, of Bobbing, one of whom, Sir Arnold Savage, of Bobbing, died possessed of it in the 49th year of king Edward III. anno 1374. His grandson of the same name dying s. p. his sister Eleanor became his heir, she married William Clifford, esq. and entitled him to this estate, among the rest of her inheritance, and in his descendants it probably continued till it was alienated to Crosts, whose descendant Mr. Daniel Crofts died in the 22d year of queen Elizabeth, leaving one son John, and two daughters, Helen and Margaret, and they, upon the death of their brother, who was an ideot, becoming joint heirs to this estate, sold it, in the 42d year of that reign, to Mr. Stephen Hulks, (fn. 3) whose descendant Mr. Nathaniel Hulks dying without issue male, devised it by will to his two daughters and coheirs, Mary and Anne; the former of whom carried her part of this estate in marriage to Mr. John Austen, of St. Martin's hill, near Canterbury, who died possessed of it in 1770. She survived her husband, and again became entitled to this share of Mere-court in her own right, and afterwards, by the death of her sister Anne, who died unmarried, to her share of it likewise, of both which she died possessed in 1781, since which it has been sold by her heirs to Mr. John Lemmey, the present owner, who now resides in it.

 

Charities.

WILLIAM HOUSSON, gent. gave by will in 1783, for the instruction of poor children of this parish, Tong, and Bapchild, the interest to be equally divided between them in money, 200l. vested in the 4 per cent. consolidated annuities, trustees the incumbents of the three parishes, now of the annual product of 10l. 13s. 6d.

 

The number of poor constantly relieved are about eighteen; casually about fifteen.

 

MURSTON is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Sittingborne.

 

The church, dedicated to All Saints, is a large building, of three isles and three chancels, having a square tower, with a wooden turret, in which are three bells.

 

The advowson of Murston was always an appendage to the manor, and as such continued in the same owners, till Sir Edward Hales, bart. sold it to Thomas Leigh, clerk, rector of this parish, whose son the Rev. Egerton Leigh, likewise rector, died possessed of it in 1788, and his heirs are now entitled to it.

 

It is valued in the king's books at 10l. 14s. 2d. the yearly tenths of which are 1l. 1s. The value of it is now computed to be about two hundred and sixty pounds per annum. In 1578 there were forty-two communicants, and ten houses in this parish.

 

There are about forty acres of glebe land, the greatest part of which lie in Bizing-wood, near Ospringe, entirely surrounded by Luddenham.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol6/pp143-150

"Dear Miss: I'm just your size and complexion, I'm going in your direction. So, if you have no objection, I'd like to be your protection. P.W.S."

New playthrough anyone? C;

 

I've been modding on and off for the past week or so, trying to get a new set of mods as my old set started to feel a little stale.

 

ANYWAY, may I present to you this new character I'm working on, I'm thinking of releasing her on the Nexus as a Racemenu preset idk.

 

Plus I lost all my old presets ;-;

 

Mods Used:

 

Caffeine ENB with RevoLUTion ENB Color Toolbox

SG Hairs

Fair Skin Complexion (as a base)

Skin Textures from the Bijin NPCs Mod

Maevan2's Brows

Citrus Head Mesh

The Eyes of Beauty

TiddyMcButtEnhanced Body

Halo's High Poly Feet and Hands

 

After working in Hollywood for a number of years, Anna May Wong moved to Europe in 1928, and appeared in German and British films as well as on the London stage. This beautiful image is from that period. Recto: Signed "To Alee Rose, With every good wish Anna May Wong," with Chinese characters below. "Paul Tanqueray, London" printed in the lower left corner.

FIRST ASIAN AMERICAN STAR!

Written by PHILIP LEIBFRIED

 

Her complexion was described as "a rose blushing through old ivory;" she was beautiful, tall (5'7"), slender, and Chinese-American. The last fact kept her from attaining the highest echelon among Hollywood's pantheon of stars, but it did not affect her popularity, nor keep her from becoming a household name. She was Anna May Wong, nee Wong Liu Tsong, a name which translates to "Frosted Yellow Willows," and she was born, appropriately enough, on Flower Street in Los Angeles' Chinatown on 3 January 1905, above her father's laundry. Anna May Wong's contribution to show business is a unique one; she was the first Asian female to become a star, achieving that stardom at a time when bias against her race was crushing. With determination and talent allied to her exotic beauty, she remained the only Asian female star throughout her forty-year career, never fully overcoming all prejudices in maintaining that position. Perhaps the rediscovery of her art will elevate her star to the pantheon of great performers and serve as a guiding light to Asian performers who still struggle to find their rightful place. Anna May Wong's life and career is something that is important for all who value greatly the Asian / Asian Pacific American communities' many artists and what we can all contribute!

Excerpt from : That Old Feeling: Anna May Wong

Part II of Richard Corliss' tribute to the pioneer Chinese-American star.

Daughter of the Dragon. Paramount 1931.

Based on a Fu Manchu novel by Sax Rohmer.

Daughter of the Dragon extended the curse sworn by Dr. Fu on the Petrie family to the next generation. Fu Manchu (Warner Oland), long ago injured and exiled in an attempt on Petrie Sr., returns to London and confronts the father: "In the 20 years I have fought to live," he says in his florid maleficence, "the thought of killing you and your son has been my dearest nurse." He kills the father, is mortally wounded himself and, on his deathbed, reveals his identity to his daughter Ling Moy (Wong) and elicits her vow that she will "cancel the debt" to the Fu family honor and murder the son, Ronald (Bramwell Fletcher)... who, dash it all, is madly infatuated with Ling Moy. Ronald has seen "Princess Ling Moy Celebrated Oriental Dancer" perform, and the vision has made him woozy. "I wish I could find a word to describe her," this calf-man effuses. "Exotic that's the word! And she's intriguing, if you know what I mean." In a near-clinch, Ling Moy wonders if a Chinese woman can appeal to a British toff. When he begs her to "chuck everything and stay," she asks him, "If I stayed, would my hair ever become golden curls, and my skin ivory, like Ronald's?" But the lure of the exotic is hard to shake. "Strange," he says, "I prefer yours. I shall never forget your hair and your eyes." They almost kiss ... when an off-camera scream shakes him out of his dream. It is from his girlfriend Joan (Frances Dade), and the societal message is as clear and shrill: white woman alerting white man to treachery of yellow woman. Ling Moy, a nice girl, previously unaware of her lineage, might be expected to struggle, at least briefly, with the shock of her identity and the dreadful deed her father obliges her to perform. But Wong makes an instant transformation, hissing, "The blood is mine. The hatred is mine. The vengeance shall be mine." Just before his death, Fu mourns that he has no son to kill Ronald. But, in a good full-throated reading, Wong vows: "Father, father, I will be your son. I will be your son!" The audience then has the fun of watching her stoke Ronald's ardor while plotting his death. When she is with him, pleading and salesmanship radiate from her bigeyes. But when an ally asks her why she keeps encouraging the lad, she sneers and says, "I am giving him a beautiful illusion. Which I shall crush." As a villainess, she is just getting started. Revealing her mission to Ronald, she tells him she plans to kill Joan "Because you must have a thousand bitter tastes of death before you die." (The ripe dialogue is by Hollywood neophyte Sidney Buchman, whose distinguished list of credits would include Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Here Comes Mr Jordan and The Talk of the Town.) She soon ascends on a geyser of madness as she decides on a new torture: "My vengeance is inspired tonight. You will first have the torture of seeing her beauty eaten slowly away by this hungry acid." An aide holds a hose gadget over Joan's soon-to-be-corroded face, and Ronald cries for Ling Moy to stop. Very well she says. "Ling Moy is merciful." She barks at Ronald: "Kill her!" He must decide if his favorite white girl is to be etched with acid or stabbed to death. Great stuff! Melodrama is the art of knowing how precisely too far to goThe film is a triangle: not so much of Ling Moy, Ronald and Joan as of Ling Moy, Ronald and a Chinese detective, Ah Kee, played by Sessue Hayakawa, the Japanese actor who in the teens was Hollywood's first Asian male star. He's not plausibly Chinese here, and he is in a constant, losing battle with spoken English. But he is a part of movie history, in the only studio film of the Golden Age to star two ethnically Asian actors. And he gives his emotive all to such lines as "It is the triumph of irony that the only woman I have ever deeply loved should be born of the blood that I loathe." And in the inevitable double-death finale neither the villainess nor the noble detective can survive the machinations of Hollywood justice he gently caresses the long hair of the lady he would love to have loved. "Flower Ling Moy," he says, a moment before expiring. "A flower need not love, but only be loved. As Ah Kee loved you."

The Personal Anna May Wong

This 5'7 beauty loved to study and could speak in an English accent, as well as being fluent in German and French with more than a passing knowledge of other tongues including Italian and Yiddish. For exercise she rode horses, played golf, and tennis. She liked to cook and regaled her guests with succulent Chinese dishes at frequent dinner parties. She preferred casual clothes, wearing slacks and sweaters at home, but cultivated an oriental motif in her very smart formal wardrobe. She studied singing with Welsh tenor Parry Jones before she participated in the film Limehouse Blues as George Raft's mistress. Anna loved to dance to contemporary music. Anna was quoted as saying, "I think I got my first chance because they thought I was peculiar. But, now I like to believe that the public are fond of me because they think I'm nice."

The story of Anna May Wong’s life traced the arc of triumph and tragedy that marked so many of her films. Wong's youthful ambition and screen appeal got her farther than anyone else of her race. But her race, or rather Hollywood's and America's fear of giving Chinese and other non-whites the same chance as European Americans, kept her from reaching the Golden Mountaintop. We can be startled and impressed by the success she, alone, attained. And still weask: Who knows what Anna May Wong could have been allowed to achieve if she

had been Anna May White?

Anna May Wong passed away on Feb. 3rd 1961 she was 56 years old.

  

Filmography:

The Red Lantern. Metro 1919. The First Born. Robertson Cole 1921.

Shame. Fox 1921. Bits of Life. Assoc. First National 1921.

The First Born. Robertson Cole 1921. Thundering Dawn. Universal 1923

The Toll of the Sea. Metro 1922 Drifting. Universal 1923 Fifth Avenue. PRC 1926.

Lillies of the Field. Assoc. First National 1924. The Thief of Bagdad. United Artists 1924

The Fortieth Door. Pathé serial 1924. The Alaskan. Paramount 1924.

Peter Pan. Paramount 1924. Forty Winks. Paramount 1925.

The Silk Bouquet/The Dragon Horse. Hi Mark Prod. 1926 The Desert's Toll. MGM 1926.

A Trip to Chinatown. Fox 1926. The Chinese Parrot. Universal. 1927.

Driven from Home. Chadwick 1927. Mr. Wu. MGM 1927.

Old San Francisco. Warner Bros. 1927. Why Girls Love Sailors. Pathé short 1927.

The Devil Dancer. United Artists 1927. Streets of Shanghai. Tiffany 1927.

Across to Singapore. MGM 1928. Pavement Butterfly (aka City Butterfly).

The City Butterfly. German 1929. Across to Singapore. MGM 1928.

The Crimson City. Warner Bros. 1928. Song. German 1928

Chinatown Charlie. First National 1928. Piccadilly, British International 1929.

Elstree Calling. British International 1930. The Flame of Love. British International 1930.

Hay Tang. German 1930. L'Amour Maitre Des Choses. French 1930.

Daughter of the Dragon. Paramount 1931. Shanghai Express. Paramount 1932.

A Study in Scarlet. World Wide 1933. Tiger Bay. Associated British 1933.

Chu Chin Chow. Gaumont 1934. Java Head. Associated British 1934.

Limehouse Blues. Paramount 1934. Daughter of Shanghai. Paramount 1937.

Hollywood Party. MGM short subject 1937. Dangerous to Know. Paramount 1938.

The Toll of the Sea. Metro 1922. The Thief of Bagdad 1924

 

Shanghai Express 1932

I've always been of pale complexion, so a little sun on the legs would be good? (A little less exposure on the camera settings would be better? At least my eyes look blue...)

#60 Highest Position In Explore

  

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Hey Guyz =P ..

What's Up ?

 

XD XD XD ..

I Can't Believe I Finally Shot Her Like This !

My God .. Every Time I Pull Out the Camera, She Comes Crawling To Me And Just Wants To Hold it.

And I Can't Capture Anyphotos That Way --" ..

 

XD .. So Have Fun .. Sorry 4 The Short Description Again =P ..

 

PRIVATE : ='(

 

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Cheers

Her complexion is hard to describe. Very light skin of course but it has an interesting and very pretty undertone.

My Kiss Me True is here! She has lovely soft hair and beautiful blush. Her complexion is very pink.

 

Her special green eyechips are a little lighter than stock green.

The Miko Tropical sold in Venezuela is quite different from the Tropical Miko sold in the US. She has a much darker cinnamon complexion and uses the Superstar Barbie/Christie face sculpt.

 

Swimsuit is Tagged Autentico Barbie, Made in Venezuela.

{ What a wonderful experience I had to customize my very first Blythe. This little one was very patient with me as carved, scraped and sanded away…damn, I know the feeling when I sometimes get a Micro- dermabrasion! Ouch!

  

Well, we all have to agree that it is worth it the end to exfoliate and discover a new beautiful complexion below the surface! She still however has to be patient with me a little while longer as I torture her still. I have to find pull strings to attach to her eye mechanism and I am possibly considering butching these long pink hairs into a cute Vidal Sassoon Bob haircut….so we shall see?

  

Well, I can finally hear her heart beating and I am anxious for her to awaken into this amazing dolly world very soon! <3 Andie from Little Ditzies​ }

Portraits and headshots with a friend and colleague. Yes her complexion is THAT good! Natural light.

My daughter (above) has spent the past hour wandering around the house with a facepack. Apparently, it's good for removing toxins and stuff from one's complexion. What response would this 50-something Dad attract if he did the same?