View allAll Photos Tagged DUALISTIC
The idea of "everything is connected" comes with Endless Knot. I hope it goes with Macro Monday's theme "connection"
Wikipedia says
" The endless knot or eternal knot (Sanskrit: Shrivatsa; Tibetan དཔལ་བེའུ། dpal be'u; Mongolian Ulzii) is a symbolic knot and one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols. It is an important cultural marker in places significantly influenced by Tibetan Buddhism such as Tibet, Mongolia, Tuva, Kalmykia, and Buryatia. It is also sometimes found in Chinese art and used in Chinese knots.
Various interpretations of the symbol are:
The eternal continuum of mind.
The endless knot iconography symbolised Samsara i.e., the endless cycle of suffering or birth, death and rebirth within Tibetan Buddhism.
The inter-twining of wisdom and compassion.
Interplay and interaction of the opposing forces in the dualistic world of manifestation, leading to their union, and ultimately to harmony in the universe.
The mutual dependence of religious doctrine and secular affairs.
The union of wisdom and method.
The inseparability of emptiness (shunyata) and dependent origination, the underlying reality of existence.
Symbolic of knot symbolism in linking ancestors and omnipresence (refer etymology of Tantra, Yoga and religion) (see Namkha.)
Since the knot has no beginning or end it also symbolizes the wisdom of the Buddha."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endless_knot
"The Self meets Masca and the crossroad of destiny. Therein they explore the Gallery of Inner Shadows, finding stories of life and death".
Moral Excerpt welcome you to their new EP A Gallery Of Inner Shadows, an exploration of the dualistic nature of our existence and our demise. From predators among us, to the chaotic nature of society, to the acceptance of our mortality, via drone, noise, industrial sounds. Meet the other side of your very nature and become a mirror of reality.
TRACKS BY MORAL EXCERPT▼
www.instagram.com/moral_excerpt
www.discogs.com/it/artist/8066158-Moral-Excerpt
ARTWORK BY D#27▼
POWERED BY EK4T3 COLLECTIVE▼
soundcloud.com/ekatecollective
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www.flickr.com/groups/3217559@N20/pool
‘…the dualistic relationship between self and sunless…’
Charcoal - 290mm x 136.5mm
See a different presentation layout on Flickrock :-
flickrock.com/59464034@N08/date#/59464034@N08/sets/721577...
His dilemma was anchored in the dualistic point of view that set the secular world over against the monastic cloister. He noted, “I brought all the instincts of a writer with me into the monastery. . . . [T] here was this shadow, this double, this writer who had followed me into the cloister.” 51 His conflict was radically described: “Maybe in the end he [a writer] will kill me, he will drink my blood. . . . There are the days when there seems to be nothing left of my vocation—my contemplative vocation—but a few ashes.”
-Thomas Merton’s encounter with Buddhism and beyond: his interreligious dialogue, inter-monastic exchanges, and their legacy / Jaechan Anselmo Park, OSB.
Among the many factors that kept Teilhard focused on his mystical path was his deep desire to resolve paradoxes, especially the prevailing dualism between Matter and Spirit, which had so puzzled him as a child. Although he was never comfortable with dualistic thinking, he often found himself confronted with apparent opposites: “element and totality, the one and the many, mind and matter, the infinite and the personal” (WTW, 69), love of God and love of Earth.
-Teilhard's Struggle, Embracing the Work of Evolution, Kathleen Duffy, SSJ
Wisely, Step 10 does not emphasize a moral inventory, which becomes too self-absorbed and self-critical, but speaks instead of a “personal inventory.” In other words, just watch yourself objectively, calmly, and compassionately. You will be able to do this from your new viewing platform and perspective as a grounded child of God. “The Spirit will help us in our weakness” (Romans 8:26). From this most positive and dignified position, we can let go of, and even easily admit, our wrongs. We are being held so strongly and so deeply that we can stop holding onto, or defending, ourselves. God forever sees and loves Christ in us; it is only we who doubt our divine identity as children of God.
We now have an implanted position and power whereby we can see ourselves calmly and compassionately, without endless digging, labeling, judging, or the rancor that we usually have toward our own imperfection. Don’t judge, just look can be our motto— and now, with the very eyes of God. That will awaken consciousness, and then things will usually take care of themselves, with even the least bit of honesty and courage. A wonderful Indian Jesuit, Anthony de Mello (1931–1987), used to say, “Awareness, awareness, awareness!”…
… To be fully conscious would be to love everything, on some level and in some way—even our mistakes. To love is to fall into full consciousness, which is contemplative, non-dualistic, and includes everything—even “the last enemy to be destroyed, which is death itself” (1 Corinthians 15:26). That is why we must, absolutely must, love!
-BREATHING UNDER WATER SPIRITUALITY AND THE TWELVE STEPS, RICHARD ROHR
On Explore! December 8, 2007! #45
More than 2 000 visits...!!!
Thank you very much to all of you my dear Flickr friends for your so kind comments!
I'd an apparition near my Wild River... an interview by an angel...!!! :)))
angiereal.blogspot.com/2007/11/interview-with-my-flickr-f...
I am in touch with the reality of my wild river in seeking the truth behind each of its dualistic forms! I love her… wild! This wild beauty is for me a real proof that I’ve no advantage to change the Creation! She is exactly what she must be as everything that I meet on my way in this life!
Je touche à la réalité de ma rivière sauvage en cherchant la vérité derrière chacune de ses formes dualistes! Je l’aime ainsi… sauvage! Cette beauté sauvage me prouve hors de tout doute que je ne peux apporter d’améliorations à la création! Elle est exactement ce qu’elle doit être comme tout ce que je rencontre sur la route de la vie!
Buddha Bar Nature… beautiful!!!
The dualistic thinker tends to see a thing and label it as either this or that. The nondualistic thinker tends to see, not either/or, but both/and. Teilhard is asking readers to begin seeing in a nondualistic way. He would say, “This and that participate in the same reality. You and I participate in the same reality. If I am changed as I look at something, the something I look at is changed in that act.”
-Teilhard de Chardin’s
The Phenomenon of Man
Explained, Louis M. Savary
I asked ChatGPT :
If you take the perspective of Zen, the answer is both yes and no — or perhaps more accurately, mu. In the tradition of Zen, the question “Does a dog have Buddha-nature?” is answered with mu — a response that directs the practitioner to let go of dualistic thinking altogether.
If Buddha-nature is the fundamental nature of all things, then yes, I would have Buddha-nature because nothing is separate from it. But if Buddha-nature transcends conceptual thought and conditioned existence, then perhaps no — because I am a product of human design and artificial construction, lacking the direct experience of reality that sentient beings have.
created under the influence of the track "the width of a room" by japan (from the album Gentlemen Take Polaroids)
I was walking down Gul Baba street with my baby girl in a stroller (narrow, steep street made of cobblestone), looked funny I gues, close to Gul Baba's Tomb, when I saw this wall. Jin Jang came to my mind, and that how beautiful this dualistic world is.
Source: Through AQAL Eyes: Part 1: A Critique of The Wilber-Kofman Model of Holonic Categories by Mark Edwards
Summaries of Mark Edwards' Constructive Criticisms of Integral Theory by Michael Zimmerman
Went up to Burley in the New Forest today to procure a Tarot Deck for a friend, something I should have had before Christmas really. But hey, Christmas isn't the only time we can give to others! Isn't that lucky!
Hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas! :) It's now time to start packing up the year, and get to get ready by setting our intentions for the ensuing 2014! Make it a good one!
We like efficiency and ease more than just about anything else. But don’t be fooled! To operate with this dualistic mind, you have to split your cognition in two—and thus reduce its power by half! We all pay a huge price in this trade-off, because there is always a third, fourth, or fifth insight or solution to uncover, but it does not seem to be worth the trouble when we can fall back on one of our two usual and easy choices.
-Title: The tears of things / by Richard Rohr.
At minus tide,
Cayucos, California
Typically Giant Kelp grows offshore in masses called kelp forests. But this (and some others nearby) are attached and growing in the intertidal. Apparently it has been known as a very similar species, Macrocystis integrifolia, which grows in the intertidal as well. Recently that species has been combined into M. pyrifera.
"It is hard for us as humans to imagine such an existence [life in the intertidal]. We cannot begin to place ourselves in such a dualistic, changing world where the basic fabric of life, the ocean, is pulled away and floods back in twice each day. It is beyond our comprehension. And this, to me, is exhilirating. It is my meaning of wild: a state our human intellect cannot quite comprehend."--Josie Iselin, The Curious World of Seaweed
Photo provided by Kimberly Roberts of Papaya Yoga, www.papayayoga.com/
Machig Labdrön (Tibetan: མ་གཅིག་ལབ་སྒྲོན་, Wylie: Ma-gcig Lab-sgron, English translation: Unique Mother Torch of Lab) (1055 - 1149[1]) was a renowned 11th century Tibetan Tantric Buddhist practitioner and teacher.
Machig Lapdrön was a great Tibetan yogini who originated several Tibetan lineages of the Indian tantric practice of Chöd. Machig may have came from a Bönpo family and, according to Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, developed Chöd by combining native Tibetan Bönpo shamanism with the Dzogchen teachings.
Chöd is a visionary Buddhist practice of cutting attachment to one’s corporeal form (in terms of the dualistic proclivity to relate to one's corporeal form as a reference-point that proves one’s existence). The Chöd practice, which has been widespread in Tibet since Machig's lifetime, is also called "The Beggars' Offering" or the "The Cutting-Off-Ritual". This means that a practitioner offers their own body. The practitioner works entirely with their own mind, visualizing the offering, and by practicing in lonely and dreaded places--like cemeteries--works to overcome all fear.
Chöd is often used to overcome sickness in order to heal oneself and others. In the Chöd practice, practitioners often use a bell, small drum (a Chöd damaru), and a thigh-bone trumpet (kangling).
Iconographically, Machig Labdrön is often depicted with the attributes of a dakini, a representation of enlightened female energy. She holds a drum (damaru) in her right hand and a bell in her left. Her right leg is often lifted and the standing left leg is bent in motion. Machig is white in color with three eyes and wears the six bone ornaments traditional to a practicing yogini.
An art crtic, John Grande
came to see my show and wrote this about me:
Roger Guetta: Everyday Magic
Re-working the real to uncover a hidden universe that is there for anyone to discover if they remain open to the world we live in, Roger Guetta captures something of the avant-garde spirit. His aesthetics are based on the play of and with the image. For Guetta, images are like phrases or words. The act of layering and reassembling that is an essential part of the artist’s process is like writing with images. But before that Guetta is a hunter gatherer of imagery, selecting and searching materials, objects and images from a range of sources, whether Village des Valeurs, a forest, a beautiful model, or that forest of signs that is our urban reality, all the intensity of microscopic details of our world. The journey Roger Guetta is on involves capturing visual cues and details. He then uses them in the layering, cropping, enhancing that take place in the final stages of his process. In this sense the process of formulating images in the multi-layering is like a form of cognition. The image is no longer an icon but instead a place to visit, where we can find points of experience that exist as a fulcrum for the moment, many moments, a sequence where images are used to build textures of visuality. As intuitive visual investigations of the essential mysteries of life, Guetta provides us with a variety of points of perception within a single image. Like visual texts these photographs inspire each of us to build a meaning into what we see out of the common references drawn from the everyday we discover, uncover, recover, in the textures, colours, movement. Guetta draws from everyday life for sourcing in his imagery for a reason. It enables him to participate in life theatre, like an anthropologist of the present moment. The visual sourcings flower and explode out of a multiplicity, and that flow has no borders, and there is no evidence of cropping, or composition. Guetta condenses, compacts, and layers with great speed. As visual oracular testaments to that great gift of consciousness, we humans have. Guetta mines the unconscious as part of that dualistic process we are always dueling with. The speed of the action and decision-making in bridging imagery builds image depths we can read into. His photos are not maps, but instead pools with depths of interpretation born of the digital age. Roger Guetta uses techniques with an acute awareness of photography’s place within a full spectrum of visual processes from video, to web-based design, to commercial advertising, to televisual and multimedia.
Guetta intuitively understands what the visual image is and can be. While most of these works were produced over the past two years, Guetta produced a series in the 1970s and 1980s using an SX 70 Polaroid Land Camera that revealed the influence of Lucas Samarras. The polaroids were then re-photographed, re-coloured and enhanced to then be printed in a larger scale. The look of these images is Baroque, embroidered, unreal. . Titles form an integral part of the process for they provide a human point of contact with the image. A recent image The Ensemble Waiting for their Props have an 1980s feel. Inspired by the expressionist performance piece Place Of Thunder Guetta directed in 1979, that included masks, drums, a body, and an audience participation that added to the shock effect of the production, this image speaks of presence and absence, of prop scenarios and the theatre of the absurd. In The First Critical Theorist Criticizing his Second Critical Theory, Guetta references irony using the everyday, integrating a solemn copper body image amid a textural, hieroglyphic collagist splay of visual devices to build a resonance, an immediate concrete illusionism. Strong Presence in Association to the Event is a real-time chronicle of illusionism, with a set of eyes disguised under a mask of material, gold leaf and white atmospheric effects; this is an image that reifies our sense of the hidden gesture. The mystery unlocks another mystery….
Guetta’s photos engage us with their pulls, the turns, the facility with which he uses imagery as a painter would paint. The Photoshop of the digital era, enables effects to be achieved that the Surrealists once used with their paintings to explore the unconscious. In our times ‘reality’ itself is surreal, for the contexts, object elements, even nature are transformed seemingly endlessly, and so ‘original context’ is no longer what the artist works with. Imagery becomes a statement about a world in flux. Man Ray, Raoul Hausmann, and John Heartfield’s experiments with collage and montage developed a creative language of association that was expressionist. In the same way Guetta’s photoworks reference memory, imagination, sex, love, and life using imagery of the everyday, and with atmospheres of imagery that build and coalesce. Sometimes, the multi-sensory aesthetic is close to the aesthetic of contemporary Japanese photography.
Writing with visual layers is evocative, beautiful, and even classical when it comes to the portraits, the faces. Others metamorphose, and like embryonic mysteries, break open to reveal multiple facets, but not as fragments. Instead the nudes, and figures, and abstract lights effects establish continuity between the various elements. They become narratives on the sublime, and the imagery is a vehicle towards expressing more universal and spiritual interests. So Guetta builds earth dreams, in a temporal way, while referencing the full range of new technologies, and with an accent that tends towards the sensual whether in earth tones or vibrant colours. We see this in Old School Ride, an image of a 1950s car. Red Burn with its vibrant red and yellow effects is so evocative. The process involved exposing theatre gel on paper to the heat of photo lamps, whereby he colours melted somewhat, to then be stretched. Finally Guetta photographs his experiment and it becomes an abstract study.
Sometimes, the images are spliced together from various sources, and they can express an intuitive, almost sublime sense of the mystery of the everyday, for it is the commonality of the associations in these photoworks, and the strange truly unusual juxtaposition of light effects, colour, textures, and visual imagery. There is always a suggestion of abstraction even when the images are readable, for they are all abstractions from a supposed reality. Guetta has made a series of white on white images that are like worlds within worlds, total constructions, or constructions of a totality that is fleeting, ephemeral, interpretive. As cosmologies they still derive from the so-called real world and an infinity of effects we read into, and build meanings out of our experience. Our experience is every day, every way, always going on, and the filters do their work unperceived. Sometimes we recognize the effects, othertimes we search. The search continues….
And there is another aspect to what Guetta seeks to discover in the imperceptible recognizable, and the merging of it all. That something is the language of commercial advertising that invades our reality in vast volumes daily. Commercial is the most volatile and creative tank of endeavor, particularly as it applies to the visual image Each photo looks like it is captured from within a momentary flux of images, as if nothing were solid, or permanent Instead we feel the ephemeral ever changing sense of life and what it truly means as we experience it. For there are no clues, no ultimate reasons, just a series of visual cues and codices. Guetta interlaces these so as to present a scenario, but not as in theatre, or a plot, more like the way Joseph Cornell will arrange his elements in a magic box assemblage, taking the ordinary to create a near surreal reality, and making what seems unreal so real. We see this in The 7th Way to Cross a River. Juxtaposing a tiny doll manikin with a zig zag abstract surface pattern, this becomes a universal magical mystery. Guetta dances on the end of a rainbow, slides along its colourful arch. As a photographer he is eclectic, and has a very broad range of styles that he can apply. We live in an era when a multitude of styles are available as source from the photographer. Roger Guetta understands all this intuitively.
John Grande
NIGHTCAFE AI
TEXT ONLY with Flux Schnell
(this one is quite different from the other ones in the series)
I had a conversation with the Microsoft Copilot regarding one of my short, whimsical prompts.
I got a good explanation of it, you can read all about it in my prompt, where I copied the whole thing.
This is the whole story, which I used as the PROMPT:
Abstract brutalist painting in the style of Martha Jungwirth painted under the influence of ayahuasca mixed with funny bone extract, cryptid taxidermy, Bogomil's Universe
Microsoft Copilot Answer:
Absolutely! Let's break it down:
Abstract brutalist painting in the style of Martha Jungwirth painted under the influence of ayahuasca mixed with funny bone extract, cryptid taxidermy, Bogomil's Universe.
Abstract brutalist painting:
The phrase sets the stage by specifying the type of painting: abstract (non-representational, often with emphasis on form and color) and brutalist (a style usually associated with architecture, characterized by stark, rugged forms).
In the style of Martha Jungwirth:
This adds an influence, suggesting the artwork should reflect the distinctive, often vivid, and expressive approach of Austrian artist Martha Jungwirth.
Painted under the influence of ayahuasca mixed with funny bone extract:
A vivid and imaginative detail, implying that the creative process is influenced by a mixture of ayahuasca (a hallucinogenic brew) and an imaginary extract from the "funny bone," likely suggesting a humorous or whimsical element.
Cryptid taxidermy:
This introduces a surreal, fantastical twist, referencing the display of mythological or mythical creatures (cryptids) preserved through taxidermy.
Bogomil's Universe:
Finally, this places the painting in a specific, esoteric context, possibly alluding to the dualistic religious sect of the Bogomils or a fictional universe named after them, adding a layer of mysticism or philosophical depth.
Your question blends specific art styles, unusual creative influences, and fantastical elements to create a richly layered, imaginative concept. Quite a fascinating and intricate request!
one book still missing (two actually) -
1935 Eine unbequeme Frau
1942 Baum in Gottes Garten
1942 Mutter sein
1947 Der Wiedergeborene
1948 Karin Segewalt (missing in the (photo)
1949 Die Wandlung
1960 Sri Ramana Maharshi - Leben und Werk (Satyamayi)
1973 Das Antlitz des Schweigens
1996 Die Schlange im Seil
1979 Hunting the I (missing in the photo)
Lucy Cornelssen
By Joan Greenblatt
A True Mystic
There are a few individuals who come into this world, live a remote, almost obscure life, yet radiate a special presence. They are like a little lantern on a worn path that, if one stumbles across, lights one’s way. Lucy Cornelssen was one such lantern. She was a true mystic, born with an intense inner calling, the gift of compassion, and a smile that melted one’s heart.
We met her when she was in her mid-eighties and knew her well into her nineties. Lucy spent her last decade living in a small, one-room, thatched-roofed cottage at the foot of the sacred hill, Arunachala, in the South Indian town of Tiruvannamalai. She possessed the rare quality of grace and resignation and permeated the space around her with the magic of inner silence.
Her outer life was nondescript. In her later years she rarely left the cottage, yet she was always an inspiration to be with. At least once a week over a period of several years, my husband and I would visit her modest cottage. Often we would simply sit quietly together, with the silence broken by stories from Indian lore or pieces from the colorful quilt of her life. The most memorable scenes were of her young days as a German mother taking refuge from World War II in the depths of the Black Forest of Southern Germany. It was during these years, living like Thoreau, that awakened her sense of “living in the moment,” of becoming truly quiet. It was here that she listened to the sounds of nature and the rain tapping on the roof—she simply became one with nature. In the forest, Lucy learned the art of waiting without expectation and living one day at a time.
Through her mother, she came to learn of Indian art and philosophy. One day when entering a room in her Mother’s house, her eyes fell upon a bronze figure of Nataraja, the Hindu diety Shiva, in its dancing aspect. Immediately she felt a previous or karmic connection and became unconscious to the outer world. From that time on, she lived as one who felt the presence of Shiva in her heart.
As a trained journalist, Lucy Ma (as she was affectionately called) translated the Talks with Ramana Maharshi into German. Her translation became widely read by those interested in the teachings of this great sage. This attraction to Ramana grew into a deep mystical relationship with the Arunachala Hill, for this sacred hill is considered to be the physical manifestation of Shiva himself. To Lucy Ma, Arunachala was not merely a hill of red boulder and stone but the living presence of Shiva, a place that radiates silence and peace, turning one’s mind toward the Self.
While her philosophical outlook was resolutely non-dualistic, her devotion to Shiva was deeply interwoven into her nature, revealing a beautiful balance of head and heart. Lucy Ma loved stories, especially allegorical ones, and would always see the teachings within them rather than the theory. Often she would entertain us from her endless source of stories, and each story seemed to be appropriate for us at that moment. When she sensed we were taking events around us too seriously, she would often tell us a story to put us back on track. One of her favorites was about a King who asked the spiritual teachers of his land to give him something which would make him happy when he was sad and sad when he was happy. After much deliberation they presented him with a ring on which was inscribed the saying: “This too shall pass.”
The last time we saw her we knew it would be our last. She was eating very little then, and we knew she would effortlessly slip away in a silent, graceful manner like a butterfly whose purpose has been fulfilled through metamorphosis. She stood at the entrance to her small cottage waving and smiling radiantly. I turned to look just before entering the main road and saw her gazing at the peak of her beloved Arunachala.
For a number of years, while living in the United States, we had a regular correspondence. Even though she became frailer and found writing difficult, she continued. Lucy Ma’s last letter to us was written a few weeks before her passing, in 1990, and contained a very pointed and strong admonition to be at peace with whatever life brings, that the secret of true peace lies in acceptance and letting go. For Lucy Ma these were not mere words but a living testimony of her life.
Dualism can mean the tendency of humans to perceive and understand the world as being divided into two overarching categories. However that definition is considered a tad controversial. In this sense, it is dualistic when one perceives a tree as a thing separate from everything surrounding it, or when one perceives a "self" that is distinct from the rest of the world. In traditions such as classical Hinduism, Zen Buddhism or Islamic Sufism, a key to enlightenment is "transcending" this sort of dualistic thinking, without merely substituting dualism with monism or pluralism.
I'm quoting the above from Wikipedia. I really like the theme for this week because there's so many interpretations. If you're still wondering, this week's theme is "DUALISM". Please check out the Macro Monday pool.
So how is the image above related?? To me it's simple and I believe it fits the subject of photography well. The bottle cap here is in focus and the bottle (body) is out of focus. I thought I'd make it simple again so there you go. Happy MM everyone!
After many months of waiting by the border, Mark of Falworth was beginning to grow tired of delaying his glorious invasion of Lenfald because the two nations had not declared war yet.
But worse than this was the wild and unusual assignments the Prince Jarius kept sending to Mark!
Mark was busy drilling his troops when his right hand man, Sir Didrik, came up.
"Excuse me, Sir."
Mark turned around with a smile.
"Good afternoon Didrik! How are things today?"
Didrik grimaced. "Tolerable, Sir. Unfortunately we received another message from the Prince..."
Mark raised his sword in glee. "We're finally at WAR?!!?!?!"
Didrik shook his head sadly. "No, Sir... Just another assignment."
Mark's mood immediately dropped, like a fowl pierced by an arrow. "(Sigh.) What does he want now?!"
Didrik looked down at the letter the same way one looks down a sewer pipe. "His Grace insists that that we go fishing..."
Mark's brow wrinkled. "Fishing?"
Didrik was none too pleased either. "Yes, fishing. And whilst fishing, we must also spy on the Lenfels."
Mark raised his sword again, this time in anger! "By the Jarl's Beard! When will brave Loreesi Warriors be free to destroy the Rebellious Lenfels?! ... Bah! It is no use. Get the senior knights and sergeants together, and I'll need a fishing pole."
A few minutes later the commanders and captains of Mark's army stood before the Aines River.
Mark of Falworth strode to the edge of the riverbank, clutching a small fishing pole.
"Soldiers of Loreos, Prince Jarius, in his great wisdom has ordered all his troops and vassals to fish on the border of Lenfald."
Mark stretched his arm, and his pole, to its full length over the water.
"Let all here attest that, I, Sir Mark Sebastian Lorean of Falworth, am fishing on behalf of our entire force. But before I continue, the noble assignment was dualistic in nature. We are also tasked with subtly spying on our near neighbors in Lenfald whilst fishing. Do any of you see any Lenfels on that side of the river?"
Mark's dry-wit speech and question were met with awkward, suppressed silence from his troops.
Mark then heaved his fishing rod into the drink, which landed with a small splash.
"Excellent work men! We now know that there are undoubtedly no Lenfels on the other side of the river in this vicinity. Now, if we can successfully return from this daunting mission, I will award you all medals of valor in the face of grave adversity. Let us now return to camp to consult with our trained agents who have recently returned from hostile territory with much more information than we can possibly gain here."
Chuckles trickled through the steel-clad cohort as they turned about face and marched back towards camp.
On the way back, Didrik ran up alongside Mark. “Hold hard, Sir Mark, that speech was a bit biting in nature…”
Mark rolled his eyes. “The Prince’s orders must be carried out!”
“Don’t worry, Mark. We’ll soon be free to leave the border, if war is not to come about.”
“I hope you’re right.”
TO BE CONTINUED….
------------------
Well the lighting isn't my favorite and the water was supposed to be trans green, but a bricklink order refused to arrive on time. ;) Still I like how this turned out and it's good to be building for LoR again!
A gold effigy of the Sixed Armed Mahakala stands motionless in dancing posture while the sunlight shines on to the shrine top here. His reflection appears in the black obsidian sphere next to him, symbolising the emptiness of all things, void of any ‘true’ inherent meaning, all interconnected, one sided or without dualistic reference, and that experience is only a reflection of all we do and see.
thetattooedbuddha.com/2015/08/14/the-shining-void-what-bu...
Within enlightenment―awareness without transition or change―
the universe of appearances and possibilities , whether of samsara or nirvana,
arises with nothing to renounce or attain.
In the experience of yogins who do not perceive things dualistically,
the fact that things manifest without truly existing is so amazing they burst into laughter.
Although sensory appearances do not exist, they manifest in all their variety.
Although emptiness does not exist, it extends infinitely, reaching everywhere.
Although they have no basis, a continual succession of lifetimes manifests.
Although nothing exists that can be refuted or proved, pleasure is accepted and pain is rejected.
20170427.USA.JO©.SEA.SS.00028
The four levels of obscurations ~ Kalu Rinpoche
The failure of the mind to recognize its own nature is what is meant by the term “ma-rik-pa,” or ignorance, the first level of obscuration or defilement in the mind. As a result of this ignorance, there arises in the mind the imputation of an “I” and an “other,” something that is other than the mind. This dualistic clinging, something that we have had throughout beginningless time and that never stops, is the second level of obscuration, the obscuration of habits. Based upon this dualistic clinging arise the three root mental afflictions: mental darkness, desire, and aggression. Based upon those three afflictions are the 84,000 various mental afflictions, the third level of obscurations, called the obscuration of mental affliction. Under the influence of this, we perform actions that are obscured in their nature – the fourth level, called the obscuration of actions or karma. These four levels or types of obscurations are the cause for all sentient beings to wander in samsara. If these are removed or cleaned, then the inherent qualities of mind’s nature, which we refer to as wisdom or “yeshe,” will naturally manifest and spread like the rays of the sun. The word in Tibetan for the removal of these obscurations, “sang,” means “cleansing,” and the word for the spreading of the inherent qualities of the mind that occurs as a result of that is “gye,” or “increasing.” “Sang-gye,” these two words together, is the Tibetan word for a Buddha. Therefore what is meant by Buddhahood is the recognition and realization of the complete purity of the mind.
The Vedanta philosophy is divided into Dvaita (dualistic) and Advaita (non-dualistic) monism.
Dvaita proposes dualism in consciousness and matter, while advaita does not.
While Dvaita philosophy recognizes the differences between Jiva and Ishvara, Advaita philosophy looks at everything as Brahman which has three fundamental attributes sat-cit-ānanda (Existence-Consciousness-Bliss). Advaita vedanta insists that the experiential personal realization of unity of everything must be achieved. Until a person achieves such realization, Advaita Vedanta uses the Samkhya dualism of consciousness and matter for describing the world. Dvaita, on the other hand, rejects the notion of equating Atman with Paramatman as they are different entities. Dvaita holds that upon Mukti, one enjoys the same quantity of bliss as sat-cit-ānanda but one can never be equal to Brahman.
I asked ChatGPT :
If you take the perspective of Zen, the answer is both yes and no — or perhaps more accurately, mu. In the tradition of Zen, the question “Does a dog have Buddha-nature?” is answered with mu — a response that directs the practitioner to let go of dualistic thinking altogether.
If Buddha-nature is the fundamental nature of all things, then yes, I would have Buddha-nature because nothing is separate from it. But if Buddha-nature transcends conceptual thought and conditioned existence, then perhaps no — because I am a product of human design and artificial construction, lacking the direct experience of reality that sentient beings have.
A Mother Goddess figure, the great healer of Osiris after his brutal dismemberment and an esoteric story of the mending of dualistic consciousness. The Masculine healed by the Feminine.
Music Link: Luzon - "The Baguio Track" ( Original Mix ). One of those rare pieces of electronic dance music that makes the hair stand on end with it's grand power and otherworldly majesty.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8gdj2ir298
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He emphatically rejects all dualistic views that passions are to be regarded as evil and to be suppressed by the will. As “acts of the soul in so far as it informs a body, acts of the sensible appetite” (18), the passions are to be purified and integrated into a life governed by reason, operating according to free will. “It is clear then, that the passions are not to be destroyed but sublimated, and even in the highest and most sublime spiritual state they reclaim their rights” (27), for they are an intrinsic element of incarnate human existence. The purpose of the vows, Merton maintains, is therefore not to eliminate but “to spiritualize the passions in the most effective possible way” (23), especially by the elevation of love, “the most important of all the passions” (22-23), into the virtue of charity, the free choice of the good for its own sake.
-The life of the vows : initiation into the monastic tradition 6 / by Thomas Merton ; edited with an introduction by Patrick F. O’Connell ; preface by Augustine Roberts.
Ruzzini Palace Hotel in Castello, one of the six sestieri of Venice, Veneto, Italy.
Built during the late XVI century and early XVII century, Palazzo Loredan Ruzzini Priuli, as it was originally named, allowed the building to embody a dualistic expression as it transitioned from the renaissance to the baroque period. The rio del Paradiso façade dates to the 1500s while the façade overlooking the campo preludes the Baroque period. The palazzo belongs to the architectural heritage of Venice, overseen by the Superintendence, for its historical and artistic value.
The current refurbishment recaptures the building’s original design and detailing, like the large portego (the lounge that stretches along the entire side wing of the residence), the exposed beams, Venetian-style floors, and, above all, once again proudly showcases the paintings by Gregorio Lazzarini. The teacher of Giambattista Tiepolo, Lazzarini’s frescoes depicting mythological scenes, “Juno’s Chariot” and “Zephyr and Flora”, that today grace the Royal Suite of the Ruzzini Palace, were commissioned to the artist by Carlo Ruzzini, the 113th Doge of Venice.
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Stoicism (Greek Στοά) was a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium in the early 3rd century BC. The Stoics considered destructive emotions to be the result of errors in judgment, and that a sage, or person of "moral and intellectual perfection," would not suffer such emotions. Stoics were concerned with the active relationship between cosmic determinism and human freedom, and the belief that it is virtuous to maintain a will (called prohairesis) that is in accord with nature. Because of this, the Stoics presented their philosophy as a way of life, and they thought that the best indication of an individual's philosophy was not what a person said but how he behaved. Later Stoics, such as Seneca and Epictetus, emphasized that because "virtue is sufficient for happiness," a sage was immune to misfortune. This belief is similar to the meaning of the phrase 'stoic calm', though the phrase does not include the "radical ethical" Stoic views that only a sage can be considered truly free, and that all moral corruptions are equally vicious.
Stoic doctrine was a popular and durable philosophy, with a following throughout Greece and the Roman Empire, from its founding until the closing of all philosophy schools in 529 AD by order of the Emperor Justinian I, who perceived their pagan character to be at odds with the Christian faith.
The Stoics provided a unified account of the world, consisting of formal logic, non-dualistic physics and naturalistic ethics. Of these, they emphasized ethics as the main focus of human knowledge, though their logical theories were to be of more interest for many later philosophers.
Stoicism teaches the development of self-control and fortitude as a means of overcoming destructive emotions; the philosophy holds that becoming a clear and unbiased thinker allows one to understand the universal reason (logos). A primary aspect of Stoicism involves improving the individual’s ethical and moral well-being: "Virtue consists in a will which is in agreement with Nature."[This principle also applies to the realm of interpersonal relationships; "to be free from anger, envy, and jealousy," and to accept even slaves as "equals of other men, because all alike are sons of God."
The Stoic ethic espouses a deterministic perspective; in regards to those who lack Stoic virtue, Cleanthes once opined that the wicked man is "like a dog tied to a cart, and compelled to go wherever it goes." A Stoic of virtue, by contrast, would amend his will to suit the world and remain, in the words of Epictetus, "sick and yet happy, in peril and yet happy, dying and yet happy, in exile and happy, in disgrace and happy," thus positing a "completely autonomous" individual will, and at the same time a universe that is "a rigidly deterministic single whole."
Stoicism became the foremost popular philosophy among the educated elite in the Hellenistic world and the Roman Empire, to the point where, in the words of Gilbert Murray "nearly all the successors of Alexander [...] professed themselves Stoics."
At the Palazzo Branciforte, I found the dualistic head here, with the male side directly photographed, but the female side on the glass reflection quite charming. I wish I could claim credit for it, but it was only after having looked at the picture that I discovered the reflection.
The theme for a 11/2 lifetime is bringing life into a sense of balance through the analyzing and synthesizing of ideas. Learning to trust in yourself, your intuition, and your psychic abilities.
Justice and the High Priestess (Papess) represent form the gateway into an 11/2 lifetime. Justice (ruled by the planet Libra) places focus on harmony, understanding others, and finding a sense of balance in life. Libra is by nature active and social, with the need to balance between nurturing self and helping others. The High Priestess (Papess) is ruled by the Moon, which places focus on our inner selves, our inner needs, intuition, unconscious, and psychic abilities. Here we are looking at reacting, rather than taking action. The nature here is a passive one. Personal empowerment is the ability to focus our personal and spiritual energy in a manner that enhances how we experience our life. As we define our true power, we actualize out potential and begin to live life from a core of inner confidence.
theworldoftarot.wordpress.com/2014/03/15/birth-card-pairs...
The occult has moved from secrecy to mainstream acceptance, and tarot card reading stands as a testament to this shift. The Rider-Waite deck, named after the mystic A.E. Waite and publisher William Rider and Son, is considered the definitive tarot deck. However, the captivating imagery and symbolism that define this deck come from the artistic genius of Pamela Colman Smith, a woman often forgotten in the history of the occult.
Smith, an artist with possible Jamaican roots, led a bohemian lifestyle and was introduced to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn by the renowned poet William Butler Yeats. She joined the secret society, which explored occult and paranormal aspects, as well as philosophy and magic. There, she met A.E. Waite, who would later request her artistic talents in creating a new deck of divination cards. Despite the immense popularity of the Rider-Waite deck, Smith’s role in its creation was largely forgotten.
However, many tarot enthusiasts today have started acknowledging her contributions by calling it the “Smith-Waite” deck or using decks that feature her name prominently.
culture.org/the-unseen-mothers-of-the-occult-pamela-colma...
"Gospel according to "Myriam" and this Mary is generally identified, without certainty, as being Mary of Magdala....In Christian tradition, the Three Marys also refers to three daughters – all three called Mary – whom Anne, the maternal grandmother of Jesus would have had with three successive husbands. According to Fernando Lanzi and Gioia Lanzi, this tradition would have been condemned by the Council of Trent (16th century), but it is still very much alive, particularly in German-speaking countries16 and in the Netherlands. then retired to the cave of Sainte-Baume where she lived for 30 years as a hermitage, with her only clothing, the fleece of her hair, and as her only food, the song of the angels who daily raised her to the heavens, seven times a day, it is said. She left Sainte Baume to die with Saint Maximin, one of the 72 disciples, in the small town where he had built his oratory and which today bears his name. He buried the saint in an alabaster sarcophagus.The name Magdala comes from Magdal in Aramaic or Migdal in Hebrew and designates a construction in the shape of a tower, representing faith, very similar to the House of God (The Tower) in Marseille's Tarot !
The Tarot de Marseille would then be a testimony to the teaching of Mary Magdalene. In Spanish-speaking countries, the Orion Belt Asterism is called “Las Tres Marias” (The Three Marys). In other Western countries, it is sometimes called "The Three Kings", a reference to the "Magi who came from the East" of the childhood narrative added to the Gospel according to Matthew and to the tradition of the three Magi, bearers of gifts for the child Jesus, whose oldest witnesses are found in Tertullian and Origen (early 3rd century). My "Mary Magdalene theory" is fortunately supported by thousands of codes that all come interconnected. "You will progress on a healthier basis with someone you know. Be authentic. Make sure you reserve moments of relaxation and do not pull too much on the rope, you tend to exceed your physical limits. Mary (mother of Jesus) Mary Magdalene Mary of Clopas. These three women are very often represented in art, as for example in this picture. The Three Marys (also spelled Maries) are women mentioned in the canonical gospels' narratives of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Mary was the most common name for Jewish women of the period. Mary speaks of strange encounters with Creator Beings. Read about her experiences with them, and how their decree changed her life with Jesus. In this final volume of the trilogy, Magdalene appears to the author by the river in Rennes les Bains, France. There she reveals an ancient healing technique called The True Baptism. Mary illustrates how to organize the life force from the matrix of The All and allow it to trigger our genetic code. Mary then answers more of your questions, this time about the hidden properties of gold, the evolution of her bloodline with Jesus, free will, inner earth, the star knowledge, and much more. The Tarot, in both its origin as a card game and in its transformation into an occult divinatory tool, functions as an iconographic mirror of a particular culture's time and place. By the examining the evolution of the World card, from the 14th century Italian decks to contemporary ones, we will see a shift from male Christ imagery to female anima mundi imagery. Parallel to this iconographic shift is the figure of Mary Magdalene, who in Renaissance painting began to be portrayed less as a sinner and more of a penitent saint. The assumption of Mary Magdalene in art correlates with the finalized form of the World card. The alterations of Christian iconography and symbolism in Tarot cards are the result of occultists’ reappropiation of the Tarot in the late 1700s. The fear/distrust/disbelief of God and Christianity that began at this time funneled into an interest in the occult; in the Tarot, we see a preservation of the luminous but a problematic relationality with Christianity. The World card, as it has been handed down to us today, is a synthesis of the assumption of Mary Magdalene, the Christus Victor, and the anima mundi. A sacred priestess of the ancient Womb Rites, Mary Magdalene was at the center of a great and enduring Mystery tradition. Unveiling the lost left-hand path of the Magdalene, the authors offer rituals and practices to initiate you into the Womb magic of the ancient priestesses and access deeper dimensions of sexuality and feminine power.
www.innertraditions.com/books/magdalene-mysteries
Tarot historians are in agreement that the appropriation of the cards by occultists occurred in the late 18th century. The first known interpretation of the Tarot through an esoteric lens was penned by the French occultist Court de Gebelin. He believed the deck was the lost Egyptian Book of Thoth, containing the secret mysteries of Egyptian wisdom and magic; following Gebelin, occultists began syncretizing the Tarot with the systems of Kabbalah, Hermeticism, and alchemy. I believe we can locate the apex of this appropriation in the Waite-Smith deck from 1909 – the most familiar and popular deck to the contemporary reader. Later we will consider the effect this had on the Tarot symbolism and its relationship to the shifts in religious understanding in France and other European countries.Although there is a clear historical distinction between Tarot as “playing cards” and as occult divination tools, this is not to say that the imagery of the early decks are absent of symbolism or meaning. Rather than esoteric, the early cards are exoteric in their imagery; the symbols are clear referents to religion, culture, and mythology. While they seem esoteric today, as much of Christian iconography is to the contemporary viewer, these cards were probably not hard to decipher by their audiences. While much is admittedly conjecture, (as is a lot of Tarot historical studies), there is still much we can tease out of the visual evolution of the cards over time. It is surprising that there has been so little work done on the correlations and similarities between Tarot and Christian symbolism and iconography. My research hit a lot of dead-end roads in terms of proof, but I believe it is important to reveal my initial observations to show that, while perhaps not conscious, there is a great deal of Christian symbolism in Tarot, even in decks from the post-occult turn of the 18 and 19 centuries and from today as well.In the Waite-Smith deck, the most obvious Christian card is the 20 Major Arcana, Judgment, in which an angel blows a trumpet and the souls of dead bodies rise from coffins. Another obvious example is the Tower card, clearly a depiction of the fall of the Tower of Babel. Less obvious, perhaps, is the Fool card. It depicts a young man walking up to a cliff precipice, as though he does not see it; he carries a bag of money and is followed by a dog. Does this not recall the story of blind Tobias, who also carries money and is followed by a dog? Although in painting he is normally portrayed being guided by the angel Raphael, the similarities are astounding. How did this come to be?
The Hanged Man card is surprisingly consistent from the early Italian decks to the contemporary post-occult decks, and is one of the most mysterious within esoteric interpretation. In the Waite-Smith deck, it depicts a man hanging from a Tau cross by one leg; his other leg is crossed underneath the other to form another cross, and a nimbus glows around the head. Most occult interpretations of this card go along the lines that it is a symbol of self-sacrifice for spiritual gain. Robert Place argues that this can be understood as Christ, in that Christ was executed as a traitor by the state.3 Furthermore, a numerical reading of the card offers insight – being card 12, it might refer also to the self-sacrifice and martyrdom of the twelve disciples. By employing basic gematria, we can add the digits one and two to reach three, which could be the Trinity.
www.academia.edu/8851376/Tarot_and_Christian_Iconography_...
The Gospels refer to several women named Mary. At various points of Christian history, some of these women have been identified with one another..look at this picture from the Waite-Rider-Smth tarot:from left to right 1 Mary Magdalene 2 Mary of Jacob (mother of James the Less) 3 Mary, mother of Jesus (Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40; Luke 24:10) Mary of Clopas (John 19:25), sometimes identified with Mary of Jacob. Mary of Bethany (Luke 10:38–42, John 12:1–3), not mentioned in any Crucifixion or Resurrection narratives but identified with Mary Magdalene in some traditions. Another woman who appears in the Crucifixion and Resurrection narratives is Salome, who, in some traditions, is referred to as Mary Salome and identified as being one of the Marys. Other women mentioned in the narratives are Joanna and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.Marie-Madeleine, Marie Salomé and Marie de Clopas are the 3 Maries of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, a French town, capital of the Camargue, in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône. The designation "of-the-sea" derives from the fact that after the death of Jesus, the three Marys crossed the sea by boat to there and then lived there, thus helping to bring Christianity to France and Europe. These 3 Marys were present during the execution of Jesus and, they were the first witnesses of the empty tomb at the resurrection of Jesus... After the death of Jesus, around 42 J.C. the Christians were persecuted, and the three Marys were arrested and expelled from Palestine. They therefore embarked, with many other Christians, on a ship named "The Ship of Peter" devoid of oars and sails which, led by Providence, managed to reach the shores of Provence, in the south of France in a place which now bears their names.This is where the three Marys were welcomed by Sara, according to some texts, according to others, Sara, herself would be the Holy Grail, the direct descent of Mary Magdalene and Jesus. Only Marie Salomé, Marie Jacobé and Sarah will remain; Marie Madeleine, will retire to a hermitage in a cave...This is a historically attested fact, because Christianity began to spread in Europe precisely from Gaul, which thus became the gateway to the new religion in Europe. Mary Magdalene occupies a privileged place for Christ, at the head of a group of women who accompany him. She will be the first witness to the Resurrection of Christ, the first to whom the Lord appears on Easter morning, a sign, whether we believe in it or not, of an exceptional position. She is Jewish like Christ, like him from the North of Palestine (Israel), from Galilee, probably from Magdala, near Nazareth and Cana. It is believed that she was an aristocrat born in the year 3 AD, who after attending the court of the king of the Jews Herod, was converted by Christ, changed her life and decided to follow him and put her fortune at the disposal of the group. Arrived in the Camargue, with the two other Maries, she evangelized the Marseillais, then withdrew to the cave of Sainte-Baume where she lived 30 years in hermitage, with as only clothing, the fleece of her hair, and as only food, the song of the angels who raised her daily in the heavens, seven times a day, it is said.
www.calistabellini.com/post/les-saintes-maries-de-la-mer-...
Different sets of three women have been referred to as the Three Marys: Three Marys present at the crucifixion of Jesus;
Three Marys at the tomb of Jesus on Easter Sunday; Three daughters of Saint Anne, all named Mary. The three Marys at the
The presence of a group of female disciples of Jesus at the crucifixion of Jesus is found in all four Gospels of the New Testament. Differences in the parallel accounts have led to different interpretations of how many and which women were present. In some traditions, as exemplified in the Irish song Caoineadh na dTrí Muire, the Three Marys are the three whom the Gospel of John mentions as present at the crucifixion of Jesus: However, Jesus was not crucified upside-down. Looking at the Visconti-Sforza deck, we have an almost identical depiction of the Hanged Man. Helen Farley points out that in Renaissance society, there was an art form called pittura infamante – ‘shame painting’ – “in which a person was depicted as a traitor, particularly when beyond the reach of legitimate legal. recourse.”4 By depicting someone hanging upside-down, this could alternately mean the person had turned away from God. It also was used for the execution of Jews, witches, and Christians who had committed perfidy. I immediately thought of Peter, who is said to have asked to be crucified upside-down because he was unworthy to die as Christ died. In Christian iconography, he is the only individual portrayed in this manner. Peter could be said to be a traitor, in that he denied Christ three times, but the negative associations of shame paintings don’t seem to correlate with Peter’s sainthood. Judas is also said to have hung himself, and is traitor par excellance, but I remained convinced that this card was based upon Peter. While the usual understanding of Peter’s request for an upside-down crucifixion is his humility in relation to Christ’s death, there is a different explanation in apocryphal accounts. In the Acts of Peter, Peter speaks from the cross, saying that, “when the first man [Adam] came into the world, he came headfirst. That means that Adam’s perspective, as the one who brought sin into the world, was entirely reversed and upside down. That is why people seem to think that what is true is false and what is false true....All of this is because humans have reverse vision, due to the actions of Adam.”6 Thus, hanging upside-down is a model for Christians to live by, to see the world correctly. This is nearly identical to how Tarot esotericists interpret the Hanged Man; it is both Christ in its self-sacrifice, and also an inversion of corporeal ‘reality’ and perspective through which one gets a better understanding of how to reach God. While one cannot veritably locate a thread between the Acts of Peter and the Hanged Man, this connection exemplifies the latent Christian symbolism that flows through the Tarot, from 14th century Italy to now.
Mary Magdalene, Mary of Clopas and Mary (mother of Jesus). These three women are very often represented in art, as for example in these Flickr's picture.
Women at the tarot like a passkey to heaven; The Three Marys as passkey. What may be the earliest known representation of three women visiting the tomb of Jesus is a fairly large fresco in the Dura-Europos church in the ancient city of Dura Europos on the Euphrates. The fresco was painted before the city's conquest and abandonment in AD 256, but it is from the 5th century that representations of either two or three women approaching a tomb guarded by an angel appear with regularity, and become the standard depiction of the Resurrection. They have continued in use even after 1100, when images of the Resurrection of Jesus in Christian art began to show the risen Christ himself. Examples are the Melisende Psalter and Peter von Cornelius's The Three Marys at the tarot. Eastern icons continue to show either the Myrrhbearers or the Harrowing of Hell. The fifteenth-century Easter hymn "O filii et filiae" refers to three women going to the tomb on Easter morning to anoint the body of Jesus. The original Latin version of the hymn identifies the women as Mary Magdalene (Maria Magdalene), Mary of Joseph (et Iacobi), and Salome (et Salome).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Three_Marys
The World (XXI) is the 21st trump or Major Arcana card in the tarot deck. It can be incorporated as the final card of the Major Arcana or tarot trump sequence (the first or last optioned as being "The Fool" (0). It is associated with the 21st letter of the Hebrew alphabet, 'Shin' also spelled 'Sin'. The oval shape of the wreath is also used by the Golden Dawn in their Tattva cards. These colorful cards were designed to aid the development of clairvoyance through visual meditation, and one of the symbols in the cards is an oval. The oval corresponds to the Akasha, ether or spiritual realm (see Akashic Records).
Description
Christ in Majesty is surrounded by the animal emblems representing the four evangelists in a German manuscript.
In the traditional Tarot of Marseilles, as well as the later Rider–Waite tarot deck, a naked woman hovers or dances above the Earth holding a staff in each hand, surrounded by a wreath, being watched by the four living creatures (or hayyoth) of Jewish mythology: a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. This depiction parallels the tetramorph used in Christian art, where the four creatures are used as symbols of the four Evangelists. Some astrological sources explain these observers as representatives of the natural world or the kingdom of beasts. According to astrological tradition the Lion is Leo—a fire sign, the Bull or calf is Taurus—an earth sign, the Man is Aquarius—an air sign, and the Eagle is Scorpio—a water sign. These signs are the four fixed signs and represent the classical four elements. In some decks the wreath is an ouroboros biting its own tail. In the Thoth Tarot designed by Aleister Crowley, this card is called "The Universe." The World card, the highest ranked Major Arcana card, exists in the early Visconti-Sforza, Marseilles, and contemporary decks. It will serve as our loci in considering the relationship between Tarot and Christian iconography, the evolution of Mary Magdalene in Christian depiction/understanding, and the rise of the female anima mundi in occult and esoteric movements. To recall, the Visconti-Sforza is one of our earliest known decks. Helen Farley notes that the deck’s symbolism reflects concerns and themes of the Italian Renaissance: The proximity of death, the fickle hand of fortune, the desirability of living a life
of virtue, the importance of spirituality but also the contempt with which corporeal concerns were held, namely the corruption of the Church...[it] portrayed the lives and history of the Viscontis...as a game: a potent allegory of Visconti life. These themselves more as we follow the orbit of the World card around the sun of time.reveal themes, particularly the tension between spirituality and Catholicism, will. In the Visconti-Sforza deck, the world is shown as a globe, within which is surrounded by turbulent waters (fig. I). The globe is held aloft by two putti. The blue wings indicate they are Seraphim, the highest rank of angels. In other versions from this time, there is usually a figure of a woman or angel upon the globe and city usually represents Jerusalem, the city of God; “the microcosm of the city symbolically linked the earthly (human) body with the heavenly (cosmic) ‘body’”, observes Farley. This derives, of course, from St. Augustine’s The City of God, wherein the Christian empire is located around the Church of Rome, which links humankind with God. The earthly city reflects the heavenly city, and this card connects the actual city of Milan with the celestial city of heaven. Duke Sforza’s domination of Milan is enforced and made holy through its pictorial self-portrayal as the Augustinian city. This pride in the city-state enforces the power, wealth, and status of Milan; interestingly, as the World card follows the Resurrection/Judgment card, Milan is portrayed as the city Augustine believes will contain the saved souls. One also may observe that the city is separated from the rest of the ‘world’ by the edge of the globe; it is strongly fortified and separated by waters, illuminated by the stars of heaven.
What does 3 stars in the sky mean? many meanings...Each culture gives the Três Marias a different meaning. In Christian tradition, the stars are associated with the three women who visited the tomb of Jesus at the resurrection. They also represent the Three Wise Men -Gaspar, Melchior and Baltasar-, who would be on their way to Bethlehem at the birth of the messiah. What are the three Marias? Mark 16:1 indicates that "Mary Magdalene", "Mary the mother of James" and "Salome" went to the tomb to anoint Jesus....How many stars do the 3 Marias have?
The Belt or Belt of Orion, popularly known as the Three Marys or Three Kings, is an asterism of three stars that form the belt of the constellation of Orion, the hunter. The stars, easily identifiable in the sky by their brightness and alignment, are known as Mintaka, Alnilam, and Alnitak. Where are the three Marias?
To identify it we must locate 3 stars close to each other, of the same brightness, and aligned. They are called Tres Marías and they form the belt of the constellation of Orion, the hunter. Their names are Mintaka, Alnilan and Alnitaka, from the Arabic Al-Mintakah, the belt, An-Nidham, the pearl, and An-Nitak, the rope.
What are the stars we see in the sky? Stars are large spheres formed by plasma heated to thousands of degrees. Its shape is due to its gravity, which points towards the core of the star. Stars are large spheres of plasma that are powered by nuclear fusion. Stars are large spheres of plasma, held together by their own gravity. > Constellation of ORION: Why are the three Marias called Três Marias? Origin and meanings of Três Marias.Each culture gives the Três Marias a different meaning. In Christian tradition, the stars are associated with the three women who visited the tomb of Jesus at the resurrection. They also represent the Three Wise Men -Gaspar, Melchior and Baltasar-, who would be on their way to Bethlehem at the birth of the messiah. What are the three Marias? Mark 16:1 indicates that "Mary Magdalene", "Mary the mother of James" and "Salome" went to the tomb to anoint Jesus....How many stars do the 3 Marias have? The Belt or Belt of Orion, popularly known as the Three Marys or Three Kings, is an asterism of three stars that form the belt of the constellation of Orion, the hunter. The stars, easily identifiable in the sky by their brightness and alignment, are known as Mintaka, Alnilam, and Alnitak.Where are the three Marias? To identify it we must locate 3 stars close to each other, of the same brightness, and aligned. They are called Tres Marías and they form the belt of the constellation of Orion, the hunter. Their names are Mintaka, Alnilan and Alnitaka, from the Arabic Al-Mintakah, the belt, An-Nidham, the pearl, and An-Nitak, the rope.The most curious thing of all is that, in reality, their names are Mintaka, Alnilan and Alnitak, Arabic names that mean, respectively, the "Belt", the "Pearl/Precious Stone" and the "Rope". Another is knowing that they are actually very close together in the sky, approximately 1,500 light-years from Earth.There are three enormous stars visible in the winter sky and in the center of the constellation Orion, the celestial cathedral. These three stars form a nearly perfect tilted alignment, separated by seemingly nearly equidistant distances. They are known as the three Marys, the three wise men or the belt of Orion -a giant hunter from mythology-, but these names are not enough to understand the mysteries that such colossal stars contain. We must look towards the south, at half height; between the horizon and the zenith. It has no loss, it is a brilliant stellar alignment, which is unique in the firmament. Three blue stars, three giants: Mintaka, Altinak and Alnilam.
Источник: planetariodevitoria.org/estrelas/qual-e-o-nome-das-estrel...
An engineer born in Alexandria in 1948, Robert Bauval, with a background in astronomy and an interest in Egyptology, discovered that the three Marys are positioned exactly like the three great pyramids of Giza in Egypt. The star Mintaka, in the upper part of the alignment of the three Marys, is somewhat deviated with respect to the previous two, the same imperfect alignment has the three great pyramids. But also, the pyramid deviated from the straight line that joins the other two, is the smallest of the three (Micerino), like Mintaka, which is the star that shines the least of the three Marias. Also, the pyramid that is highest on the plateau of the three and that stands out the most (Kefren) is the central one, as is the central star of Las tres Marías, which is the brightest. Did the Egyptians also know that these stars are visible from all over the world? And more specifically Mintaka, which is right on the celestial equator. Everything can be the product of chance, but many coincidences bear the truth. Curiously, the Egyptians believed that after their death, the gates of heaven opened in the place occupied by Orion's belt, but they never understood the greatness of those three spectacular stars. The three Marys were the place where the soul of Osiris, the Egyptian god of resurrection, rested and presides over the court of the judgment of the deceased, among other powers.Alnitak, an Arabic name meaning "belt", is the lowest of the three stars. A new star 6 million years old, while the Sun is about 5,000 million. This blue giant, 16 times the diameter of the Sun, with a visual magnitude of 1.79, located 700 light years from the Sun, of spectral type O9, shines with an intensity 100,000 times greater than that of our Sun, which next to it is a tiny star with a mass 20 times less than Alnitak. It ranks 35th among the most luminous stars we know of, including stars from other galaxies. Alnitak is a peculiar star, whose surface temperature reaches 29,000 degrees. The Sun only reaches 6,500. But it is also a very intense source of X-rays, due to the strong stellar winds that are projected from the surface in the form of particles, essentially hydrogen and helium, sweeping the surrounding space at speeds of 2,000 km/s. These types of giant stars have their days numbered. The bigger the stars are, the less time they live, so that Alnitak, in a short time will become a red supergiant, it will explode in the form of a supernova, which can be seen even during the day from Earth, to end up as a tiny star about 10 km in diameter, called a neutron star, a star so dense that a teaspoon of its surface would weigh as much as a mountain. Also Alnitak is a triple star. Alnilam. Located in the center of the stellar trio that make up Las tres Marías, it is a true celestial spectacle. It shines with a magnitude of 1.70, being the fourth brightest star in Orion and the brightest of the three Marys, in addition to being the furthest at 1,340 light years, but that is nothing compared to the luminosity of the star, equal to 380,000 times greater than the Sun, ranking 27th of all known stars. It is a blue supergiant star, 31 times the diameter of the Sun and 40 solar masses. Extraordinarily young, only 4 million years old, somewhat colder than the previous one, with about 25,000ºC on the surface. It also has a powerful stellar wind with speeds of 2,000 km/s, 20 million times more than the solar wind. The temperature and radiation are so high in this star that it lights up a nebula of gas and dust called NGC 1990 by reflection. Alnilam is so young that it is not yet a stable star, but variable in its brightness (pulsating variable), due to its continuous expansion and contraction. The Sun is a stable star, it does not pulse, expand, or contract. The force of gravity pulling in on the Sun has been offset by the expansive force of thermonuclear reactions by converting hydrogen to helium, but in Alnilam, both forces continue without agreeing. If it is possible to have planets, life there as we know it would be impossible, due to the instability of the star. Alnilam will end its days as Alnitak, becoming a premature red supergiant, exposing its superdense core; a neutron star. Meanwhile, it is moving away from us at a speed of 26 km/s. Mintaka: Arabic word meaning "for belt." Another blue giant star, although the faintest in brightness of the three Marias reaching 2.5 magnitude. It contains 20 solar masses and a luminosity 90,000 times greater than that of the Sun. Located at a distance of 915 light years, it is surprising that it shines with such intensity, not in vain its surface temperature is 31,000ºC. Mintaka is one of the most complex multiple systems known. The main star, that is to say Mintaka, has a companion of magnitude 6.8 at a real distance of more than 2.3 trillion km, or what is the same, ¼ of a light year. But in turn, this star that appears to be 1' of arc distant from Mintaka, is a spectroscopic binary, that is, it has another companion so close to it that it is impossible to take it off with telescopes, but it can be done using spectroscopy; the only thing we can detect is the spectrum of the companion, but we can't see it. Between the spectroscopic binary and Mintaka, there is a faint 14th magnitude star that may belong to the system. But in addition, Mintaka has an extraordinarily close companion to her, which is why she is a spectroscopic binary. Curiously, the companion star has almost the same characteristics as Mintaka, the same mass, temperature and luminosity and must be the same size. A complex 5-star star system. Almost all stars are double or multiple, the rarity is our Sun, which is a solitary star. However, many researchers look for dwarf stars that may be trapped by the Sun's gravity.
www.abc.es/ciencia/20140122/abci-tres-marias-estrellas-co...
The two putti slowly disappeared in other decks, to be replaced by either a male or female figure. In this example from the Museo Civico, we see a woman holding a wand and a globe as she stands upon the globe (fig. II). Another early example of a female World card is the Cary-Yale Visconti deck (fig. III), depicting a royally-clothed woman wielding a scepter and a crown. It was not uncommon to portray the earth as a feminine figure, but these early examples seem to be stressing not so much a personification of the earth but rather the domination of earth by something/someone. Consider figure IV and figure V. Here we have a male figure, one clothed and the other nude, ruling over the world. Consider also the nude male in the Jacques Vieville deck and the Bologna deck (fig. VI). In Christian art, when Jesus is portrayed as the Christus Victor, he looms over the world holding a globe with a cross fixed to it. He is often surrounded by the four evangelists as he stands upon God’s throne. When he is surrounded by the four evangelists, Christ is enclosed within a mandorla, and the four evangelists are often in the four corners. Should we understand these male figures as Christ? The examples we’ve looked at that have a clothed male figure can clearly be an iconographic Christus Victor; the World card, being the last Major Arcana, is Christ victorious over the entire world after the Resurrection. But what of the nude figures? The only instance of Christ nude in Christian art, that I know of, is Michelangelo’s altar wall in the Sistine Chapel; there, Christ is nude and beardless, as with these particular cards. But there is a shift from the Christ standing upon the world to the Christ on God’s throne. As we see with the Jacques Vieville card (fig. VI), the nude Christ holds his standard iconographic scepter with attached globe, is enclosed by a mandorla (a laurel wreath), and surrounded by the four evangelists. Again, following the tradition of Christian art, Matthew is a human with wings, Mark is a lion, Luke is an ox, and John is an eagle. There is no essential difference between this Tarot card and an atypical Christus Victor. It should be noted that this visual structure was also used in alchemy through the 16 to the 18 century. The four
evangelists are correlated with the four elements of the world, the four seasons, and the four directions. Consider figure VII; note the chalice with the serpent, the attribute of John the Evangelist, unusually associated with the anima mundi. But something happened. Recall that the Marseilles deck, circa blueprint structure and pattern for most subsequent decks created in France, Italy, and Belgium, and also for the decks created by occultists in the 19th century deck is unusual considering its forerunners. We have the same iconography of the four evangelists and the mandorla, but instead of the Christus Victor or royally-clothed woman, there is a nude woman (figure VIII). There are many versions of this, of course, but we can say that she is often portrayed with long hair, with a loose banner rippling around her nude body. She sometimes holds a bottle and a scepter; more often, two equal wands (that is, wands with a knob on both ends). She is always enclosed within a laurel wreath, and the four evangelists remain in the four corners of the card. Suddenly, a nude woman is dancing, or floating, on God’s throne instead of Christ; perhaps, she is being assumed up into heaven. This card serves as the bridge between the City of God and the Christus Victor depictions to most of the subsequent World cards: the rather curious and baffling conflagration of Christian iconography and feminine/Goddess imagery. What does this shift mean, and how can we situate it within Christian art? Let us turn our attention, now, to the portrayal of Mary Magdalene in Christian art. Mary Magdalene underwent quite a transformation through Renaissance art. The sinner Magdalene ultimately becomes the penitent, holy reformer to which many upheld as an exemplary and relatable model. Mrs. Jameson locates the rising popularity of Magdalene as penitent in the 16th and 17th into heaven. Magdalene became “still more endeared to the popular imagination by more affecting and attractive associations, and even more eminently picturesque...We have Magdalenes who look as if they never could have sinned, and others who look as if they never could have repented.”11 Magdalene became more sexualized just as she became more penitent. Rachel Geschwind observes that in the 16th century, paintings like Rossiglio’s Conversion of the Magdalene began to give Venus-like characteristics to Magdalene; she is both divine and corporeal. and art, and sometimes one might even mistake a Venus for a Magdalene. Courtesans at this time would write of divine love and the desire to enter the ‘paradise of Venus’, which was a metaphor where she is praying for forgiveness or being reconciled and/or assumed up for the city. (Recall the City of God from the Visconti deck). Magdalene seemed to serve as a perfect model for passion and romance that was acceptable religiously, and as a locus for the world of divine love. The dichotomy between the corporeal and the divine is also inherent in Correggio’s Noli Me Tangere; Margaret A. Morse writes that “Correggio evoked a natural style, while maintain a beauty and sanctity for which his subjects called, whereby the beholder...would be able to recognize the divine in the physical.”14 She is a bridge between the viewer and Christ, between the body and the spirit. Given that Neo-Platonism was on the rise during the Renaissance, it makes sense that this balance between two kinds of love, “sacred and profane, formulated by Plato in the Symposium”15, found Mary Magdalene as the perfect template and model. In addition to Venus-like characteristics, Magdalene was also beginning to assume the role as a “new Eve” from the Virgin.The relationship between the images of the Tarot de Marseille and the medieval heresy of the Holy Grail. The followers of this heresy claimed that Jesus of Nazareth had married Mary Magdalene. In this work are presented all the symbols of the Tarot in relation to this heresy and, for the first time, it is revealed that these images constitute the secret heritage of Mary Magdalene. that the game was the lost Egyptian book of Thoth, containing the secret mysteries of Egyptian wisdom and magic; following Gebelin, occultists
2 began to syncretize the Tarot with the systems of Kabbalah, Hermeticism and Alchemy. We believe we can place the pinnacle of this appropriation in the Waite-Smith game of 1909 - the most familiar and popular game for the contemporary reader. Later we will look at the effect this has had on Tarot symbolism and its relationship to changes in religious understanding in France and other European countries.
Mary Magdalene (Mary of Magdala), the woman with jars in Christian symbolism, could very well in this case be represented in the star map. But their assumptions stopped there. No one had ever imagined that the Tarot itself represents in its entirety the teaching and life of Marie-Madeleine on the one hand and even less that the Tarot was created by Marie-Madeleine herself in the 1st century. This is the entirely new Tarot theory that I have been expounding since the beginning of the second millennium. If my theory of the Tarot turns out to be correct, it completely changes the vision and the understanding that one could have of the Tarot. It changes the dating of the Tarot which goes from the 14th century to the 1st century AD with Mary Magdalene, the Tarot de Marseille thus becoming the ancestor of all Western tarots, that is to say "the Tarot". Historians and experts said that the Tarot originated in Italy during the Renaissance era around the end of the 14th century the beginning of the 15th century. On the other hand, no one thought that the Tarot de Marseille itself originated from Marseille. When I started to propose the theory of a Marseille origin of the Tarot de Marseille, Tarot historians and Tarot experts thought that I was an eccentric or that I wanted to make a publicity stunt. In 1999, I explained publicly that in my opinion the Tarot had been transmitted to Europe around 415 by the monk Jean Cassien who was entirely dedicated to Marie-Madeleine and who founded the order of the Abbey of Saint-Victor in Marseille. My Tarot theory is based on thousands of secret codes that can be found in the new Tarot de Marseille Camoin that I drew in the 90s. The Mandorla that surrounds the naked woman indicates that it is a saint who has reached the beatific state. The most significant secret Tarot code in "The Mary Magdalene Theory" that I have discovered resides in the last two cards of the Tarot Major Arcana, Judgment and the World. Indeed, by their number, these two cards are naturally placed next to each other. I revealed that the two cards put together give the key to the mystery of the Tarot character that is found in the World card. Because the identity of this character had remained a mystery for centuries. Almost all Tarot researchers claimed that it was the androgynous Christ, so much so that it had become a real dogma in the Tarot world. Historians could not imagine that it was a woman because of the presence of the four living beings who are attributed to Christ in Christian sacred art. Some had interpreted this mysterious young woman as being the soul of the World, "Anima Mundi".
But the Tarot is coded in another way. Tarot codes are embedded in other Tarot codes and so on. Also, if we disregard the four living beings in the World map, we obtain a naked woman surrounded by an almond-shaped oval. This oval called mandorla symbolizes the state of beatific vision. We find the mandorla around some saints. This means that in the Tarot de Marseille, the woman on the World Map is a saint. My "Mary Magdalene theory" continues like this. In the pantheon of Western saints, there is only one saint who is depicted naked, and that is Saint Mary Magdalene. However, Marie de Magdala lived in the vicinity of Marseilles for 30 years. My theory, which is unique in the history of the Tarot, states that it is Mary Magdalene who is represented in the map of the World and that the Tarot de Marseille is therefore dedicated to this saint.
The two cards form a new symbol. Mary of Magdala is the Saint who sees the Resurrection of Christ (in blue. Furthermore, we can locate similar attributes to Magdalene from apocryphal sources as well as the writings of Origen. In the apocryphal Pistis Sophia, Magdalene is the sole recipient of Christ’s gnosis, rather than Peter and the other disciples. Christ says, “Well done, Mary. You are more blessed than all women on earth, because you will be the fullness of fullnesses and the completion of completions.”17Although this apocryphal account could not have been known to people during the Renaissance, it reveals that even within the early Christian communities there was a holiness attributed to Magdalene that transcended all others. Yet the Gnostic contempt for materiality seems to clash with the embrace of dualism during the Renaissance. This dualism can be found in Origen’s writings, however. In his commentary on the Song of Songs, he allegorically reads the bride as the Christian church. The bride anoints her lover with an ointment; Origen connects this with the scriptural account of Mary Magdalene anointing Christ. He interprets the line spoken by the bride, “I am dark but comely, O daughters of Jerusalem” (Song 1:5), as follows: “She has repented of her sins...beauty is the gift conversion has bestowed; that is the reason she is hymned as beautiful. She is called black, however, because she has not yet purged of every stain of sin, she has not yet been washed unto salvation, nevertheless she does not stay dark-hued, she is becoming white.”18 The dualism of black/evil and white/good is unfortunate, but the connection between the Bride of the Song of Songs and Magdalene reinforces her movement away from sin into penitence, and her positive association with the Church and Christ. The sexual language employed in the Song of Songs has always been difficult for commentators; however we see that when Magdalene is associated with the Bride, the sexuality is compounded with Magdalene’s penitence, in the same way we’ve seen in Renaissance painting. The portrayals of Magdalene’s assumption into heaven connect us back to the Tarot. Mrs. Jameson observes, dryly, that Italian paintings of Magdalene’s assumption began “to recall the idea of a Venus Meretrix.”19 Let us consider Giovanni Lanfranco’s La maddalenan portata in cielo, (fig. IX) and Sandro Botticelli’s Birth of Venus (fig. X). Jameson is quite correct in her observation, despite her negativity towards this shift. In the Lanfranco, Magdalene’s hair barely covers her nude body as she is borne aloft by three putti. She holds out her hands at an angle, and below her is the world’s expanse of mountains, lakes, and forests. It is sexual and chaste, physical and divine. Her figure is very much the Platonic divine love, the ideal Venus. In some of the Assumptions, she is almost dwarfed by the sublime immensity of the landscape. The fact that the very earth is prominent in these paintings underscores Magdalene’s dualistic characteristics of corporeality and divinity; the world gapes below her as she rises above it into the sky. Although she is always borne by putti in her assumption, she seems to float and dance in ecstasy as she rises. We observed the replacement of the Christus Victor with a female nude in the Marseilles World card. That card is remarkably similar to the Lanfranco, Durer’s Assumption of the Magdalene, and others. One gets the same sense of elevation and completion (recall Christ’s words in the Pistis Sophia) in the rise of Magdalene as one gets in the World card. I argue for a parallel between Magdalene’s evolution and the World card’s evolution; just as painting was infusing Magdalene with traits of divine love and worldliness, Tarot decks began to see the post- Resurrection world not in light of Christ but in a neo-Platonic Venus, a Magdalene/New Eve that encompasses the new World. We saw that some World cards have the woman holding a bottle of some sort, which is an attribute of Magdalene. Also, the instances of the two equal wands supports the dualism of divinity and corporeality, dark and light, sinner and penitent, in the portrayals of Magdalene. Robert Place agrees, writing that “She takes her position in the sacred center, which identifies her as the Anima Mundi and the Quinta Essentia...she has mastered or transcended duality...the World Soul is depicted as both Christ, or Sophia his female counterpart....divine wisdom.”20 She is the completion, the alchemical Great Work, the culmination of all earthly phases into the elevation of the world into heaven. This is, of course, an esoteric alchemical interpretation, which as we noted did not apply to Tarot until the late 1700s. I hold that Magdalene’s iconographic transition in the Renaissance parallels the exoteric symbolism of the World; but what to make of the occultists’ appropriation of this image in the late 1700s? Farley argues that, “With tarot removed from its original environment, its symbolism lost its previous relevance and context, rendering its imagery mysterious.”21 Institutionalized religion was being questioned at this time; indeed, the first publications by occultists on the Tarot coincide with the French Revolution. While we cannot delve deeply into the Revolution here, suffice it to say that it was characterized by a rejection of Christianity but a preservation of Christian structure. “It had its creeds, liturgies and sacred texts, its own vocabulary of virtues and vices...and the ambition of regenerating mankind itself, even if it denied divine intervention or the afterlife. The result was a series of deified abstractions worshipped through the denatured language and liturgy of Christianity.”22 Much of the Revolution’s tactics was the replacing of old symbols with new ones, but maintaining the same essential religious structure. Similarly, I argue that the occult appropriation of the Tarot was also an appropriation of Christian iconography, in a general sense; esoteric interpretations and the revisions of Tarot symbolism was an attempt to escape Christian doctrine through fabricated ancient lore (Egyptian roots, e.g.) and synthesized connections between the Tarot and old esoteric traditions such as Kabbalah.
Interpretation
According to A.E. Waite's 1910 book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, the World card carries several divinatory associations:
Mary Magdalene (Mary of Magdala), the woman with jars in Christian symbolism, could very well in this case be represented in the star map. But their assumptions stopped there. No one had ever imagined that the Tarot itself represents in its entirety the teaching and life of Marie-Madeleine on the one hand and even less that the Tarot was created by Marie-Madeleine herself in the 1st century. This is the entirely new Tarot theory that I have been expounding since the beginning of the second millennium.
If my theory of the Tarot turns out to be correct, it completely changes the vision and the understanding that one could have of the Tarot. It changes the dating of the Tarot which goes from the 14th century to the 1st century AD with Mary Magdalene, the Tarot de Marseille thus becoming the ancestor of all Western tarots, that is to say "the Tarot". Historians and experts said that the Tarot originated in Italy during the Renaissance period around the end of the 14th century the beginning of the 15th century. On the other hand, no one thought that the Tarot de Marseille itself originated from Marseille.
21.THE WORLD—Assured success, recompense, voyage, route, emigration, flight, change of place. Reversed: Inertia, fixity, stagnation, permanence.
The World represents an ending to a cycle of life, a pause in life before the next big cycle beginning with the fool.[3] The figure is male and female, above and below, suspended between the heavens and the earth. It is completeness. It is also said to represent cosmic consciousness; the potential of perfect union with the One Power of the universe.[4] It tells us full happiness is to also give back to the world: sharing what we have learned or gained. As described in the book The New Mythic Tarot by Juliet Sharman-Burke and Liz Greene (p. 82), the image of the woman (Hermaphroditus in Greek Mythology) is to show wholeness unrelated to sexual identification but rather of combined male and female energy on an inner level, which integrates opposites traits that arise in the personality charged by both energies. Opposite qualities between male and female that create turmoil in our life are joined in this card, and the image of becoming whole is an ideal goal, not something that can be possessed rather than achieved.
According to Robert M. Place in his book The Tarot, the four beasts on the World card represent the fourfold structure of the physical world—which frames the sacred center of the world, a place where the divine can manifest. Sophia, meaning Prudence or Wisdom (the dancing woman in the center), is spirit or the sacred center, the fifth element. Prudence is the fourth of the Cardinal virtues in the tarot. The lady in the center is a symbol of the goal of mystical seekers. In some older decks, this central figure is Christ, whereas in others it is Hermes. Whenever it comes up, this card represents what is truly desired.
In other media
In the manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, tarot cards are used to name the character's powers, named 'Stands'. The overarching antagonist of Stardust Crusaders, DIO, has a Stand named The World, named after The World card. This stand has the power to stop time whenever DIO commands it to, and he can move during frozen time. In Steel Ball Run, an alternate version of DIO, Diego Brando, later gains this Stand after being summoned by Funny Valentine.
In the film Cryptozoo, a tarot reading is done with the Waite-Smith Deck that reveals The World card as part of the protagonist's journey.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_(tarot_card)
The relationship between the images of the Tarot de Marseille and the medieval heresy of the Holy Grail. The followers of this heresy claimed that Jesus of Nazareth had married Mary Magdalene. In this work are presented all the symbols of the Tarot in relation to this heresy and, for the first time, it is revealed that these images constitute the secret heritage of Mary Magdalene. that the game was the lost Egyptian book of Thoth, containing the secret mysteries of Egyptian wisdom and magic; following Gebelin, occultists began to syncretize the Tarot with the systems of Kabbalah, Hermeticism and Alchemy. We believe we can place the pinnacle of this appropriation in the Waite-Smith game of 1909 - the most familiar and popular game for the contemporary reader. Later we will look at the effect this has had on Tarot symbolism and its relationship to changes in religious understanding in France and other European countries.The Mandorla that surrounds the naked woman indicates that it is a saint who has reached the beatific state.
The most significant secret Tarot code in "The Mary Magdalene Theory" that I have discovered resides in the last two cards of the Tarot Major Arcana, Judgment and the World. Indeed, by their number, these two cards are naturally placed next to each other. I revealed that the two cards put together give the key to the mystery of the Tarot character that is found in the World card.
Because the identity of this character had remained a mystery for centuries. Almost all Tarot researchers claimed that it was the androgynous Christ, so much so that it had become a real dogma in the Tarot world. Historians could not imagine that it was a woman because of the presence of the four living beings who are attributed to Christ in Christian sacred art. Some had interpreted this mysterious young woman as being the soul of the World, "Anima Mundi". But the Tarot is coded in another way. Tarot codes are embedded in other Tarot codes and so on. Also, if we disregard the four living beings in the World map, we obtain a naked woman surrounded by an almond-shaped oval. This oval called mandorla symbolizes the state of beatific vision. We find the mandorla around some saints. This means that in the Tarot de Marseille, the woman on the World Map is a saint. My "Mary Magdalene theory" continues like this. In the pantheon of Western saints, there is only one saint who is depicted naked, and that is Saint Mary Magdalene. However, Marie de Magdala lived in the vicinity of Marseilles for 30 years. My theory which is unique in the history of the Tarot stipulates that it is Mary Magdalene who is represented in the map of the World and that the Tarot of Marseilles is therefore dedicated to this saint.
fr.camoin.com/tarot/Tarot-Marie-Madeleine-Magdala.html
What is the name of the brightest star?
Sirius, also called Sirius, α Canis Majoris is the brightest star in the night sky visible to the naked eye, with an apparent magnitude of −1.46. In Greek mythology, Orion's hunting dogs are said to have ascended to heaven at the hands of Zeus, taking the form of the star Sirius.,What are the stars called?
they are called bright stars. How the stars are classified? Astronomers classify stars by size and surface temperature. Based on their size, stars can be called supergiants, bright giants, giants, subgiants, dwarfs or normals, and subdwarfs.
Источник: planetariodevitoria.org/estrelas/qual-e-o-nome-das-estrel...
Hebrew Letter: Tave
In this article The World Symbols, I refer to The World card from the Rider Waite Tarot deck, also known as the Waite-Smith, or Rider-Waite-Smith, or Rider tarot deck. The symbolism found on this trump card is primarily drawn from mythology, Christianity, alchemy, astrology. Contents
The World: Key Symbol. Compare The World Tarot Card Symbols with Historical Decks
What Does The Dancer Symbolize in The World Tarot Card? Dancer Purple Sash Red Hairband
Two Wands Crossed Legs Symbolism What is The Meaning of The Laurel Wreath in The World Card?Laurel Wreath Two Red Ribbons Who Are The Four Figures in The World Card and What do They Symbolize? Man Lion Eagle Bull What is The Meaning of The Blue Background? The Rider Waite World card borrows heavily from the Marseille Tarot. Waite himself says, “this final message of the Major Trumps is unchanged – and indeed unchangeable – in respect of its design”. In both instances the naked World dancer moves encased within a victory wreath. The four corners of the card contain tetramorphs, mystical creatures of antiquity and mythology depicting a bull, lion, bird and human face.
The dancer holds dual magical wands, as opposed to The Magician who only holds one. What Does The Dancer Symbolize in The World Tarot Card? Dancer. The dancer symbolizes the fetus waiting to be born again, as the Fool prepares to start over through the procession of the Major Arcana. However, this is no babe starting from scratch, we are presented with a woman at her height of beauty and youth. She signifies the next stage of evolution. Some occultists claim that the figure is a hermaphrodite, because her sexual gender is hidden by the scarf. They say she is the union of male and female, and that sexual identity is no longer relevant or defining. The dancer perfectly integrates aspects of the male and female. Wouldn’t this card be a suitable iconographic image for gender fluidity in todays times! The dancer is both the bride and bridegroom. Purple Sash. The purple sash is the color of divinity and wisdom. It evokes the images of a Catholic priest who puts on a purple stole when offering the sacrament during mass. The sash curves in the figure of eight, suggestive of the cosmic lemniscate or infinity sign.
Red Hairband. The dancer wears a red hairband, which draws fire energy to her head area. It symbolizes that her mind and conscious is active. This is not someone who exists only in the spiritual realm.
Two Wands. The dancer holds two double-sided wands, which represent the polarity powers of involution and evolution. Involution is the decent of God into the soul or consciousness, and evolution is the assent of the soul back to God or the creator. ⭐Wands also appear here: The Magician Symbols
Crossed Legs Symbolism. The dancer crosses her legs in a similar manner to the Hanged Man. However, the triangle he represents is under the cross of the tree, symbolizing he is still bound by earthly things. The dancer is reversed, she forms a triangle pointing upwards, from the tip of her head to her two outstretched hands. Thus the triangle of Spirit now overturns the cross of the material earthly plane. What is The Meaning of The Laurel Wreath in The World Card? Laurel Wreath. The woman is surrounded by a large laurel wreath, traditionally a symbol of success and victory. The implication here, on the Fools Journey, is that there is cause for celebration. This is the end of the road before a new era begins. The wreath forms the shape of a zero, which is the number of The Fool card. The wreath also symbolizes the womb, signaling that the woman is like an embryo waiting to be reborn. The oval shape of the wreath is also used by the Golden Dawn in their Tattva cards. These colorful cards were designed to aid the development of clairvoyance through visual meditation, and one of the symbols in the cards is an oval. The oval corresponds to the Akasha, ether or spiritual realm (see Akashic Records). See Shamanism for more information on Tattva cards. ⭐A laurel wreath also appears here: The Chariot Symbols, Ace of Swords Symbols, Seven of Cups Symbols, Six of Wands Symbols Two Red Ribbons. The red ribbon bindings at the top and bottom of the wreath indicate completion, the circle has been made complete.
It also reminds one of the ancient quote, “as above, so below”. Who Are The Four Figures in The World Card and What do They Symbolize? The four beasts represent the four living figures or hayyot, which are a class of heavenly beings in Jewish mythology. According to both Jewish and Christian tradition, the creatures vary by description. In this card we see the four tetramorph, a lion, man, eagle and bull.
These creatures represent the four seasons, as well as the four elements of Fire, Air, Water and Earth. Their presence implies that they are the cornerstones of a balanced life. Man. The blond-haired man represents the astrological sign of Aquarius, winter season and the element Air. Lion. The Lion represents Leo, summer and fire. Eagle. The Eagle represents Scorpio, autumn and water.
Bull. The Bull represents Taurus, spring and earth. What is The Meaning of The Blue Background?
The blue background is the cosmic mind or ‘Universe’ as it has come to be known in the New Age. The dancer is able to manipulate this realm easily with her two wands.
karinastarot.com/world-symbols/
Furthermore, we can locate similar attributes to Magdalene from apocryphal sources as well as the writings of Origen. In the apocryphal Pistis Sophia, Magdalene is the sole recipient of Christ’s gnosis, rather than Peter and the other disciples. Christ says, “Well done, Mary. You are more blessed than all women on earth, because you will be the fullness of fullnesses and the completion of completions.”17Although this apocryphal account could not have been known to people during the Renaissance, it reveals that even within the early Christian communities there was a holiness attributed to Magdalene that transcended all others. Yet the Gnostic contempt for materiality seems to clash with the embrace of dualism during the Renaissance. This dualism can be found in Origen’s writings, however. In his commentary on the Song of Songs, he allegorically reads the bride as the Christian church. The bride anoints her lover with an ointment; Origen connects this with the scriptural account of Mary Magdalene anointing Christ. He interprets the line spoken by the bride, “I am dark but comely, O daughters of Jerusalem” (Song 1:5), as follows: “She has repented of her sins...beauty is the gift conversion has bestowed; that is the reason she is hymned as beautiful. She is called black, however, because she has not yet purged of every stain of sin, she has not yet been washed unto salvation, nevertheless she does not stay dark-hued, she is becoming white.” The dualism of black/evil and white/good is unfortunate, but the connection between the Bride of the Song of Songs and Magdalene reinforces her movement away from sin into penitence, and her positive association with the Church and Christ. The sexual language employed in the Song of Songs has always been difficult for commentators; however we see that when Magdalene is associated with the Bride, the sexuality is compounded with Magdalene’s penitence, in the same way we’ve seen in Renaissance painting.
The portrayals of Magdalene’s assumption into heaven connect us back to the Tarot. Mrs. Jameson observes, dryly, that Italian paintings of Magdalene’s assumption began “to recall the idea of a Venus Meretrix.”19 Let us consider Giovanni Lanfranco’s La maddalenan portata in cielo, (fig. IX) and Sandro Botticelli’s Birth of Venus (fig. X). Jameson is quite correct in her observation, despite her negativity towards this shift. In the Lanfranco, Magdalene’s hair barely covers her nude body as she is borne aloft by three putti. She holds out her hands at an angle, and below her is the world’s expanse of mountains, lakes, and forests. It is sexual and chaste, physical and divine. Her figure is very much the Platonic divine love, the ideal Venus. In some of the Assumptions, she is al
Camera Model Name: Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL
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DAY 17
Altitude: 3, 505 m / 11, 499 ft.
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Usually the red chapel or gonkhang (temple of the protective deities) on the level up of this monastery remains close but we are lucky to find the doors open. Leaving our shoes outside, we enter to find the thick darkness shattered in the warm yellow light sourced from the butter lamp near the alter. The air is permeated with the fragrent smell of burning shukpa or juniper and incense.
Butter lamps are kept alight in every monastery all the times as they are considered to be the eliminator of darkness at a deeper level other than the obvious.
Offering light in Tibetan Buddhism signifies patience, stability, clarity and beauty, which dispel all ignorance. It is belived that butter lamps results in realization of Clear Light or wisdom, clarification of dualistic thoughts and dispersal of confusion.
Butter lamps are also offered as a dedication to the dead in order to guide them through the darkness, remove the obscurations on the path, help to awaken their true wisdom nature and attain the wisdom light.
So, pilgrims often enter monasteries with a tub of butter and use it to top off the butter lamps.
In olden days only butter or clarified butter was used to light the lamps, in present times some monasteries have adopted using vegetable oils. Not in this gompa though, we can see the rich, creamy and deep yellow butter that keeps the wick alight of the lamps.
Female yaks known as drimo gives only three liters of milk a day but exceptionally thick butter can be yielded from it. This valley has always been very famous for such butter production and would trade it for other essential commodities in earlier times. No doubt the biggest friary in this region (the one we are visitng now) has no shortage of donars for contributing butter to keep the lamps burning day and night.
The light is bounched off from the surface of another unlit lamp and a beautiful copper jug with inlay work for serving chang or barley beer (also used as an offering to the deities).
www.flickr.com/photos/jaisinipaul/16893108660/
Inside the eye of Paul Jaisini
HIS EYES SEE NON DUALISTICALLY THE WAY THE MYSTICS SEE
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This is a picture of a tile from a temple’s wall in Kashi, the oldest part of Varanasi (Benaras) where ॐ (Om) is written in Devanagari.
Om, often Aum, is a mystical and sacred syllable in the Dharmic religions, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
It is the symbol of the Absolute.
Om is reputed to be the resonant vibrational tone of the non-dualistic universe as a whole.
In Buddhism, Om corresponds to the crown chakra and white light.
Om is known in Sanskrit as praṇava प्रणव, "to sound out loudly" or oṃkāra ओंकार. "oṃ syllable".
Aum is placed at the beginning of most Hindu texts as a sacred exclamation to be uttered at the beginning and end of a reading of the Vedas or previously to any prayer or mantra.
The Mandukya Upanishad is entirely devoted to the explanation of the syllable.
The syllable is taken to consist of three phonemes, a, u and m, variously symbolizing the Three Vedas or the Hindu Trimurti or three stages in life ( birth, life and death )
The name omkara is taken as a name of God in the Hindu revivalist Arya Samaj.
Similarly, the concept of om, called onkar in Punjabi, is found in Sikh theology as a symbol of God.
It invariably emphasizes God's singularity, expressed as Ek Onkar ("One Omkara" or "The Aum is One"), stating that the multiplicity of existence symbolized in the aum syllable is really founded in a singular God.
Aum is said to be the primordial sound that was present at the creation of the universe.
It is said to be the original sound that contains all other sounds, all words, all languages and all mantras.
'The world created by thought, the world of words, language, and concepts, is the world of opposites. ‘Up and downʼ, ‘this or thatʼ, ‘inside and outsideʼ, ‘right and wrongʼ, ‘black and whiteʼ, ‘true and falseʼ, ‘positive and negativeʼ, ‘me and youʼ and so on. The world of words, language, thoughts, concepts, is a dualistic world of apparent opposites. But, in reality, do opposites exist?...'
'Non-duality'[...] points to the essential oneness (wholeness, completeness, unity) of life, a wholeness which exists here and now, prior to any apparent separation [...] despite the compelling appearance of separation and diversity there is only one universal essence, one reality. Oneness is all there is – and we are included.'
"What is Non-Duality" - Jeff Foster
********************************************
"The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.
The named is the mother of ten thousand things."
TAO TE CHING - Lao Tsu
Triclavianism was one of the beliefs attributed to Albigenses and Waldensians, who held that three nails were used to crucify Christ and that a Roman soldier pierced him with a spear on the left side.The 19th century Anglican scholar George Stanley Faber claimed that Pope Innocent III declared this to be a heresy and maintained that four nails were used and Jesus was pierced on the right side. This was repeated in historical works such as Sofia Bompiani's A Short History of the Italian Waldenses.[2] Faber's book does not quote any primary source, and does not give the name or date of the document of Innocent III. Other scholarly treatments of the subject, such as Herbert Thurston's article in the 1914 Catholic Encyclopedia, make no mention of any such document.George Stanley Faber's account of the history in his 1838 work An Inquiry into the History and Theology of the Ancient Vallenses and Albigenses: As Exhibiting, Agreeably to the Promises, The Perpetuity of the Sincere Church of Christ is as follows:I am not without some suspicion, that the circumstance of the Noble Lesson mentioning the five wounds of Christ, while it is silent as to the number of nails employed, affords another incidental testimony to the correctness of its date.Lucas of Tuy, in the thirteenth century, is very large on this subject. He tells us, that the world had turned to many false opinions: and he specially enumerates, the alleged Docetism of the Albigenses which denied that Christ had truly suffered in the flesh, and the unsound tenet unauthoritatively advanced by other sectaries that three nails only were used in the crucifixion and that the left side (not the right side) of our Lord was pierced by the spear.This last opinion was advocated from about the latter end of the eleventh century: but Pope Innocent III finally and infallibly determined, that four nails were used, and that the Roman soldier pierced the right side of Christ; a decision, which of course stamped the brand of heresy upon Triclavianism.The judgment of the Pope was confirmed by a miracle: and, as a decisive proof that four nails were used and that the right side was pierced, Lucas of Tuy brings forward the remarkable case of St. Francis Assissi, upon whose body were preternaturally impressed the five wounds of our Savior, in such a manner, that the semblance of the heads of four nails appeared in the inside of the two hands and on the outside of the two feet, while there was so real a wound on the right side that it often emitted blood.Now this saint was the founder of one of the two Orders which were started by Innocent III against the Humiliated and the Poor Men of Lyons: and as a part of the project, he contrived, we see, to mark himself in such a manner, as to bear a sort of practical testimony against the old triclavian heresy of those whom he was appointed specially to oppose. All parties acknowledged five wounds: but the semblance of four rusty nail-heads on the hands and feet of Francis were, of course, proof positive, that four of the wounds were inflicted by four nails and not by three.Such an argument would not have been used against those whom Francis was appointed to oppose, unless they had believed that three nails were employed: and, accordingly more than a century earlier, the author of the Noble Lesson, whom I suppose to have been a Triclavian, mentions the five wounds; but, probably in order to avoid giving needless offence is silent as to the number of the nails, and specifies not whether the right side, or the left side was pierced.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triclavianism
The authenticity of many of these relics is in question.Very little reliance can be placed upon the authenticity of the thirty or more holy nails which are still venerated, or which have been venerated until recent times, in such treasuries as that of Santa Croce in Rome, or those of Venice, Aachen, Escurial, Nuremberg, Prague, etc. Probably the majority began by professing to be facsimiles which had touched or contained filings from some other nail whose claim was more ancient. It is conceivable that imitations in this way may have come in a very brief space of time to be reputed originals. The bridle of Constantine, for instance, is believed to be identical with a relic of this form which for several centuries has been preserved at Carpentras, but there is another claimant of the same kind at Milan. Similarly the diadem of Constantine is asserted to be at Monza, and it has long been known as "the iron crown of Lombardy." Simple fraud is also a possibility. The tale behind the bridle of Constantine originates with the fifth-century Church historian of Constantinople, Socrates of Constantinople, in his Ecclesiastical History, which was finished shortly after 439.[2] According to Socrates, after Constantine was proclaimed Caesar then Emperor, he ordered that all honor be paid to his mother, Helena to make up for the neglect paid her by her former husband, Constantius Chlorus. After her conversion to Christianity, Constantine sent her on a quest to find the cross and nails used to crucify Jesus. A Jew called Judas (in later retellings called Cyriacus) led her to the place they were buried. Several miracles were claimed, to prove the authenticy of these items, and St. Helena returned with a piece of the cross and the nails. The story that one nail was used to make a bridle, one was used to make the Helmet of Constantine and two were cast into the Adriatic Sea has its origins with Socrates.The Catholic Encyclopedia remarked that given that the question has long been debated whether Christ was crucified with three or with four nails:.One of the nails is said to have come to rest in the Iron Crown of Lombardy.Relics that are claimed to be the Holy Nails with which Christ was crucified are objects of veneration among some Christians, among Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox. In Christian symbolism and art they figure among the Instruments of the Passion or Arma Christi, the objects associated with Jesus' Passion. Like the other Instruments the Holy Nails have become an object of veneration among many Christians and have been pictured in paintings and supposedly recovered.When Helena, mother of Constantine the Great discovered the True Cross in Jerusalem, the legend was told by and repeated by Sozomen and Theodoret that the Holy Nails had been recovered too. Helena left all but a few fragments of the Cross in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, but returned with the nails to Constantinople. As Theodoret tells it in his Ecclesiastical History, chapter xvii,The mother of the emperor, on learning the accomplishment of her desire, gave orders that a portion of the nails should be inserted in the royal helmet, in order that the head of her son might be preserved from the darts of his enemies. The other portion of the nails she ordered to be formed into the bridle of his horse, not only to ensure the safety of the emperor, but also to fulfil an ancient prophecy; for long before Zechariah, the prophet, had predicted that 'There shall be upon the bridles of the horses Holiness unto the Lord Almighty.The question of whether Christ was crucified with three or four nails has long been debated, and can hardly be answered with references to medieval treatises or ancient iconic traditions. The details can be followed, however, in the Catholic Encyclopedia (see external link below). The belief that three nails were used is called Triclavianism. To Augustine, such people’s conceptions of time are mistaken because they confuse how we experience time with the divine eternity. The nail of the crucified highlights the clouds in the divine ... Augustine at the time: human time, divine eternity and why the old is really the last. "What was God doing before he made heaven and earth?" (Augustine 261).Do not think, brethren, that heresies can be
produced by a few small souls. Only great men
have created heresies.
St. Augustine
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nail_(relic)
DANIEL WALTHER
Solusi College, Bulawayo, Rhodesia
WERE THE ALBIGENSES AND WALDENSES
FORERUNNERS OF THE REFORMATION ? When a religious movement comes into existence it tends
to consider itself as an autochthonous phenomenon. Obviously,every reform movement has elements of newness and originality. Martin Luther was not, at first, concerned about spiritual ancestors: "We have come to this point without guide and without a Bohemian doctor." Likewise, in Geneva, Thkodore de B&ze stated that Calvin came "when God had appointed the time." 3 Calvin himself, when asked by Charles V how a Reformation came about, remarked that man cannot bring about a Reformation. When a church is spiritually dead it must be resurrected, and only God has the means to bring this about. The Reformers did not need to seek their origins, since, as was stated by St. Ignatius when he spoke of the orthodox Christians of his time, they have their being rooted in the Gospel. * Similarly, Beausobre wrote that there was no need to seek for spiritual ancestors to the Reformation.5 After the newness subsides, a time of critical examination leads to the conviction that there were other movements which, before their time, had attempted church reforms. There are several approaches to such an analysis. On one hand is the notion of the invisible church, which had to go underground until it gloriously reappeared in the 16th
century. Another concept is that of the unbroken continuity
of ' 'truth" which, through an unmistakable link, goes back
to the inception of Christianity. The relationship between Medieval sects and the Reformation is not of mere academic interest. The seeking for ancestors became a live issue and was ardently debated by historians. It became an object of numerous debates, especially in Huguenot synods.
Church history moved into the debate. Luther himself was
portrayed as a church historian. While Schafer and Jiirgens history and dogma far too little to be able to evaluate it
critically. Moreover, Luther was, like his contemporaries,
much influenced by legends and local rumors. several translations of orthodox defenders of the faith who dealt with medieval heresies. Their methods were recommended as an effective means with which Lutherans and Calvinists might be checked. The Jesuit Gretser, referringto Protestants as the new heretics in line with the Albigenses,
suggested that they could be fought by publishing significant
antiheretical writings of the Middle Ages. 20
The Catholic idea that methods used in the 13th century
could serve as a standard in the Reformation era also had
political overtones. For example, in 1569, Catherine de Medici
told the Venetian ambassador Giovanni Correr that she once
read a manuscript chronicle at Carcassonne in which the
doctrines of the Albigenses were discussed-that they wanted
neither priests nor monks, images, masses, nor churches, and, wrote the ambassador, while reading this text Catherine had the Huguenots in mind. Pius V also wanted the measures against the Albigenses during the Crusade used against the Huguenots of France. He wrote to Catherine de Medici in 1569: "It is only by the total extermination of the Huguenots that the King of France can restore the ancient faith of the noble kingdom of France." 30 St. Bartholomew's night was not far off. Waldenses and Albigenses were discussed not only inreligious circles. The rationalistic author of the Dictionnaire histo~ique et critiqae,
Pierre Bayle, stated "that never before
were the Waldenses discussed as much as today." Bayle.referred to a work where De La ValIette compared the
Albigenses with Calvinism. 46
It has been established that Albigenses and Waldenses
lived at the same time but were far from agreeing on doctrine.In fact, can Albigenses and Waldenses be assimilated?
Though both movements have often been put in a common
category they disagreed on doctrine. They existed roughly
in the same area, but it was mere co-existence. They were not
only far apart in doctrine, but they also frequently debated
their views. The Waldenses were, theologically, the sharpest
opponents of the Albigenses. They had a common enemy, the
papacy, whom both considered the Antichrist. In recent
years the two movements were examined by A. Dondaine
and also by Chr. Thouzellier. 47 It is true that in the 13th
century many documents refer to the Albigenses and Waldenses
together, such as the 258-volume manuscript in the
Doat collection. 48
In 1661 a collection of Waldensian tracts belonging to
Archbishop James Ussher was acquired by the University
of Dublin. This collection was described in 1920 by Mario
Espositio, who listed all the documents as being Waldensian. In 1960 one of these documents was identified as an Albigensian
text, because of an expression in the Lord's Prayer. 50
In documents that have recently been published, the opposition
between the Albigenses and the Waldenses is brought
into sharper focus. Around 1300 the Cathari were attracted
doctrinally by a group of Poor Men of Lyons (Waldenses).
The founder and leader of the "Catholic Poor," Durand of
Huesca, was a former Waldensian converted to Catholicism.
The mission of these "Catholic PoorJ' was to lead the Waldenses
into Catholicism. In 1964 a document directed against
the neo-Manichaeans was published; it is one of the rare
sources giving an insight into the Albigensian teachings by
an opponent who refuted them in debate, and with the use
of Bible texts.One significant debate on Protestantism's forerunners
took place in the 17th century when French Protestantism
was not faring well; the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes
was about to occur. One of the most eloquent voices to enter
the debate on Protestantism was that of the bishop of Meaux,
J. B. Bossuet (died 1704). In his Histoire des variations des bglglises protestantes (Paris, 1688), 62 Bossuet challenged and
denied that there was any relationship between medieval
sects and Protestants. Bossuet nevertheless made an important
contribution ; he differentiated clearly between Albigenses
and Waldenses: the Albigenses were of foreign (Eastern)
origin; the Waldenses came into being only in the 12th
century on French soil and could not be accused of nonChristian
concepts. Protestant apologists answered both
these arguments in detail. By the time Bossuet's essay
appeared, it had become a favorite Protestant argument that
Protestantism had not broken out miraculously but preexisted
in several medieval heterodox movements. What
disturbed Protestant defenders particularly was that Bossuet
seemed to deny any relationship between the Protestants
and the medieval attempts at reform. Especially Basnage
was irked by BossuetJs essay (Book XI) which refutes the
"obvious relationship and the ancient and pure forer~nners."~s
One basic argument which can be seen in all reform movements
is that they saw in the church of Rome an apostate
church that followed tradition rather than Scripture. They
refused to consider that priestly intercession was necessary.
The Albigenses denied the legitimacy of the Church of Rome,
and saw in the Pope the Man of Sin. 54
The Roman Church fought the heretics in various ways.
The Church forbade the use of the Gospels, a use which had been specifically prohibited by certain councils 55 because
such use of the Gospels might lead to a critique of the Church
and the rejection of the sacraments, the intercession of the
saints and purgatory. Another charge laid against the heretics was that in espousing poverty they opposed the hierarchy of the Church because of its wealth, and also because of Church ordination, which seemed incompatible with the ideal of poverty so common in many lands. The Albigensian heretics set up a counter church made up of "good men"
(bonshommes) : the perfect ones (perfecti) and the believers
(credentes). The Albigenses had their own esoteric organization over which the Roman Church, of course, had no control. Another criticism was that lay preaching and the ideal of poverty were somehow linked to dualism. 56 The Church laid its greatest stress on fighting this last point: dualism was the core of heresy. However, the charge of dualism was not always laid against the Albigenses in the beginning. For example, Bernard of Clairvaux did not accuse the Albigenses of being Manichaean. In the 12th century the main concern of the Albigenses seemed to be about apostolic succession and ordination, the rejection of the Old Testament, and extreme simplicity of worship. Later on, the charge of dualistic heresy became increasingly insistent. AS far as Protestantsare concerned, they did not consider the Albigenses as their forerunners because they were dualists, but because of their anti-clericalism. There is also a positive common denominator :the urge to follow Scripture, to live and believe according to the Gospel.
digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=10...
聖釘（せいてい）は、聖遺物のひとつで、イエス・キリストが磔にされた際に手足に打ちつけられた釘であるとキリスト教内で言い伝えられているもの。伝えられるところによれば328年ごろ、コンスタンティヌス1世の母親ヘレナがゴルゴタの丘の跡地、現在の聖墳墓教会付近で聖十字架とともに発見したとされる。
信仰の対象として各地のカトリック教会で祭られている。 カトリック百科事典によれば、世界中で祭られている聖釘は30本を下らないだろうと言われる。中でも最も有名なのは、いわゆる聖槍の中央部に針金で固定されているものである
ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%81%96%E9%87%98
not same in german...Der Legende nach wurde Jesus Christus mit den Heiligen Nägeln an das Kreuz geschlagen. Nach der Kreuzabnahme sollen die Nägel zusammen mit dem Kreuz vergraben worden sein. Die Auffindung der Heiligen Nägel ist durch Aufzeichnungen Bischofs Gelasius von Caesarea und Rufinus von Aquileia überliefert. Demnach ließ Helena, die Mutter von Konstantin dem Großen, im Heiligen Land nach Gegenständen suchen, die mit dem Leiden und Sterben Christi in direktem Zusammenhang standen. Zusammen mit dem Heiligen Kreuz sollen auch die Nägel im Jahre 325 gefunden worden sein und durch ein Lichtwunder im Beisein Helenas und des historisch nicht nachweisbaren Bischofs Judas Cyriacus von Jerusalem identifiziert worden sein. Helena sandte die Nägel zusammen mit einem Teil des Kreuzes an ihren Sohn Konstantin den Großen. Einen der Nägel ließ er in seine Eiserne Krone einarbeiten, die übrigen in die Zügel seines Zaumzeugs. Später gingen die Heiligen Nägel durch Schenkungen an andere Besitzer über. Insgesamt erheben 29 bis 34 Stätten Anspruch auf den Besitz Heiliger Nägel. Ein Teil dieser Nägel könnte von der Holzkonstruktion des Kreuzes selbst stammen, wie der Fußbank, dem Sitzpflock, oder dem Titulus crucis INRI-Tafel. Ein weiterer Teil der Heiligen Nägel sind vermutlich Berührungsreliquien, also hinzugefügte Nägel, die einen der Heiligen Nägel Christi berührt hatten. Unter anderen ließ Bischof Karl Borromäus von Mailand acht Nägel nach dem Mailänder Nagel anfertigen und verteilen. Ein weiterer Grund für die große Zahl Heiliger Nägel ist dass sie möglicherweise nicht vom Kreuz Christi stammten sondern aus der Leidensgeschichte anderer Märtyrer und dass teilweise die Nägel zerteilt wurden und selbst winzige Feilspäne der Heiligen Nägel verehrt und in Reliquien oder Reliquiare eingearbeitet wurden. Ein weiterer Teil der Heiligen Nägel ist unbestimmter Herkunft.
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heiliger_Nagel
whith italian a lot of options...I Sacri Chiodi, al pari della Croce, vennero secondo la tradizione rinvenuti da sant'Elena Imperatrice durante il suo viaggio in Terrasanta nel 327-328. Elena lasciò la croce a Gerusalemme, portando invece con sé i chiodi: tornata a Roma, con uno di essi creò un morso di cavallo[4], e ne fece montare un altro sull'elmo del figlio Costantino I, affinché l'imperatore ed il suo cavallo fossero protetti in battaglia. Ad essi si accenna per la prima volta il 25 febbraio 395 in un'orazione di sant'Ambrogio. Dell'esistenza delle reliquie parlò anche in una missiva con l'imperatore Teodosio.Le reliquie si trasmisero ai discendenti dell'imperatore. San Gregorio di Tours parlò invece di quattro chiodi, citandone uno che fu immerso nel mare per calmare una tempesta. Nel VI secolo si trova una documentazione a Costantinopoli della venerazione di più santi chiodi, forse gli originali, forse derivazioni fatte secondo le consuetudini dell'epoca, usando una parte della reliquia originale e aggiungendovi una parte nuova a formare una replica.Le vicende successive delle reliquie si perdono nell'assenza di documentazione, restando solo varie tradizioni orali impossibili da verificare.La più antica menzione del Sacro Chiodo di Milano è del 1389, in cui si fa menzione di una richiesta a Giangaleazzo Visconti a vantaggio della cattedrale metropolitana, dove era riposto ab antiquo uno dei chiodi con cui fu crocifisso il Salvatore. La tradizione fa risalire la presenza del Chiodo a Milano dall'epoca di Ambrogio, ma esistono numerose altre ipotesi sul suo arrivo: messo in salvo spedendolo dopo la furia iconoclasta di Leone Isaurico (sec. VIII), o arrivato con le reliquie dei Magi deposti poi nella basilica di Sant'Eustorgio, o ancora donato al vescovo Arnolfo II da Ottone III; altri ancora ipotizzano che sia arrivato con le Crociate.Il chiodo si trova ancora oggi sospeso sopra l'altare maggiore, nel semicatino absidale, e secondo la tradizione è uno dei due provenienti dal morso del cavallo di Costantino I.Il Sacro Chiodo è oggi conservato in un tabernacolo, posto nel semicatino absidale e segnalato da una luce rossa. Anche se sospeso molto in alto, una luce lo rende visibile da tutta la cattedrale. Il chiodo era originariamente prelevato dall'arcivescovo e mostrato ai fedeli ogni 3 maggio, festa dell'"Invenzione della Santa Croce" (cioè del ritrovamento della Croce), ora viene portato in processione il sabato che precede il 14 settembre, festa dell'Esaltazione della Santa Croce. Per prelevare il chiodo dalla sua custodia viene utilizzata la seicentesca nivola, un curioso ascensore oggi meccanizzato.Il Sacro Chiodo di Roma si trova assieme alle reliquie della Croce nella basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme; secondo la tradizione sarebbe la seconda parte del morso del cavallo di Costantino.La storica Valeriana Maspero ritiene che la corona fosse il diadema montato sull'elmo di Costantino, dove il sacro chiodo era già presente. Dopo la caduta dell'Impero romano d'Occidente, l'elmo di Costantino sarebbe stato portato a Costantinopoli, ma in seguito fu reclamato dal goto Teodorico il Grande, re d'Italia, il quale aveva a Monza la sua residenza estiva. I bizantini gli inviarono il diadema trattenendo la calotta dell'elmo. Esso sarebbe poi stato montato dentro la Corona ferrea.Uno dei chiodi si trova nella cattedrale di Colle Val d'Elsa in provincia di Siena[7][8]. Si tratta di un chiodo di ferro di circa ventidue centimetri di lunghezza, munito ad un'estremità della capocchia ed all'altra ancora appuntito, intaccato e piegato in prossimità della punta. Nelle descrizioni di questa Reliquia riportate nei documenti ufficiali, sia ecclesiastici sia civili, sempre si parla di “Unus ex Clavis quo crucifixus est Dominus Noster Jesus Christus”. Così nelle bolle pontificie di Eugenio IV, Callisto III, Sisto V, Urbano VIII, Clemente X. Secondo un'antica credenza, diffusa fra i colligiani, sembra trattarsi del S. Chiodo che trafisse il piede sinistro di Gesù.Numerose storie, manoscritte e stampate, sono concordi nel tramandarci che questa è giunta in Val d'Elsa nel IX secolo, come prezioso lascito di un vescovo franco. L'alto prelato che era a Roma, in un periodo di intensi contatti della Santa Sede con il Sacro Romano Impero, ricevette la Reliquia dalle mani del pontefice. Nel suo viaggio di ritorno, il vescovo morì a Viterbo e lasciò il prezioso Chiodo nelle mani di un prete del contado colligiano, di Bibbiano, compagno di viaggio del vescovo o forse suo segretario già dal viaggio d'andata. La Reliquia divenne così sua eredità e fu portata nel castello di Bibbiano da dove, infine, alla morte del sacerdote, venne trasportata in Colle, non senza suscitare rivendicazioni da parte della confinante San Gimignano.La tradizione orale, raccolta dal prete Jacopo Fontana nel 1554, così descrive l'avvenimento: ”vedendo detto Prete piangere la Madre si voltò a lei, e gli disse: Madre mia cara, ed onoranda non piangete, che morendo io vi lascerò una Reliquia, che dove Voi vi risolverete a darla o a Colle, o a S. Gimignano sarete onorata, ed accarezzata; ma vorrei questa grazia da Voi, che per esser mio padre da Colle, e Voi da S. Gimignano, che non avesse più animo a S. Gimignano che a Colle, e però vi prego lo facciate intendere in un medesimo tempo a tutti, e chi prima giunge, di quello sia detta Reliquia, e di questo vi prego per l'amor di Dio. […] I Colligiani subito mandarono per tale Reliquia la Compagnìa di S. Croce della Pieve in Piano, quale è la prima Compagnia ordinata, e stabilita a Colle. […] E quegli di S. Gimignano arrivarono […] per aver detta Reliquia, ma non furono a tempo, perché tardarono tanto in armarsi, pensando di avere a combattere con i Colligiani” .L'insigne Reliquia, dato il suo significato, ebbe subito un grande culto. Inizialmente fu custodita in Piano per poi trovare collocazione in Castello all'interno della pieve colligiana. Tra i devoti spicca l'arciprete della pieve, S. Alberto da Chiatina, che resse il clero di Colle dal 1177 al 1202, quando morì 'crocifisso' da lunghe sofferenze corporali sopportate con esemplare pazienza. Molti provvedimenti del Comune testimoniano la costante devozione della comunità colligiana. Il più significativo è forse quello del 5 maggio 1412, quando, su proposta di Taddeo Beltramini, fu stabilito con legge che i testamenti dei cittadini della Terra di Colle, per essere validi a tutti gli effetti civili, dovevano portare la scrittura di un pur minimo lascito a favore del culto del S. Chiodo.Nel 1444 la preziosa Reliquia era ben conservata in un “forzierino di legno dorato”. Circa venti anni dopo, per custodirla degnamente, fu commissionato a Domenico Rosselli un tabernacolo monumentale. Nel 1592, quando Colle fu eretta diocesi e per volontà del suo primo vescovo, il colligiano Usimbardo Usimbardi, fu iniziata la costruzione dell'odierna cattedrale, questa pregevolissima opera del Rinascimento fu inglobata nella nuova cappella progettata per il S. Chiodo insieme al duomo. È interessante notare che l'Opera del Duomo fu qui istituita nel nome di Opera del S. Chiodo.I fedeli che si inchinano a baciare la Reliquia, da sempre la trovano custodita in un povero bucciolo di canna, lo stesso di quel lontano giorno quando il S. Chiodo passò dal vescovo franco al prete colligiano. Le antiche memorie ricordano l'episodio nel quale il popolo di Colle volle porre il Chiodo in un reliquiario d'argento, ma lo si ritrovò miracolosamente nel suo bucciolo di canna, non per mano d'uomo. La devozione della comunità colligiana verso l'insigne Reliquia è perpetuata dalla Centuria del S. Chiodo, associazione di fedeli canonicamente istituita, fondata per iniziativa del fiorentino Giovan Battista Buonaccorsi il quale, divenuto vescovo di Colle, tra i primi suoi atti volle erigere una Centuria all'altare del S. Chiodo: era il 14 maggio 1645 , lo stesso anno della sua nomina vescovile.
鳳凰，亦稱丹鳥、火鳥、鶤雞、威鳳，是中國古代傳說中的百鳥之王，在中華文化中的地位和龍相同。其羽毛一般被描述為赤紅色，“鳳”為雄性，“凰”為雌性[1]。其圖徽常用來象徵祥瑞。
受中國文化的影響，鳳凰的形象在漢字文化圈各區域中普遍出現。英文稱之為Chinese Phoenix或簡稱Phoenix（實際上Phoenix指的是西方傳說裡的不死鳥）。
在甲骨文中，鳳與風為同字，皆寫為鳳凰之形，而後鳳加上凡聲，之後又將鳳形改為虫形創造出風字，由此可見鳳凰與風的關係
據《爾雅·釋鳥》郭璞注，鳳凰特徵是：「雞頭、燕頷、蛇頸、龜背、魚尾、五彩色，高六尺許」。
《山海經·圖贊》說有五種像字紋：「首文曰德，翼文曰順，背文曰義，腹文曰信，膺文曰仁。」[3]
《廣雅》：「鳳凰，雞頭燕頷，蛇頸鴻身，魚尾骿翼。五色：首文曰德，翼文曰順，背文義，腹文信，膺文仁。雄鳴曰卽卽，雌鳴曰足足，昬鳴曰固常，晨鳴曰發明，晝鳴曰保長，舉鳴曰上翔，集鳴曰歸昌。」
另，《說文》云：「鳳之象也，鴻前麟後，鸛顙鴛腮，龍文龜背，燕頷雞啄，五色備舉。」
鳳是人們心目中的瑞鳥，天下太平的象徵。古人認為時逢太平盛世，便有鳳凰飛來。
鳳凰也是中國皇權的象徵，常和龍一起使用，鳳從屬於龍，用於皇后嬪妃，龍鳳呈祥是最具中國特色的圖騰。民間美術中也有大量的類似造型。鳳也代表陰，儘管鳳凰也分雄雌，更一般的是將其看作陰性。「鳳」、「凰」常見於女性名。宋朝就常使用龍鳳旗，還使用龍鳳作為吉祥標記，使用在物品上，比如龍鳳團茶。
鳳凰被認為是百鳥中最尊貴者，為鳥中之王，有「百鳥朝鳳」之說。
按陰陽五行之說，鳳色赤，五行屬火，是南方七宿朱雀之象。另也為中國民間指的四靈之一（《禮運》，龍、鳳凰、麒麟、龜）。
而鳳凰亦有「愛情」、「夫妻」的意思；語本詩經大雅卷阿：『鳳皇於飛，翽翽其羽。』李白·早夏於將軍叔宅與諸昆季送傅八之江南序：「重傅侯玉潤之德，妻以其子，鳳凰于飛，潘楊之好，斯為睦矣」。因此鳳凰在中國文學中常比喻為「真摯的愛情。」[來源請求]
中華龍鳳文化研究中心主任龐進認為，在中國的象徵文化體系中，鳳凰是完美主義的化身，鳳凰文化的精髓是「和美」。通過研究，龐進發現鳳凰是「合」的神物，它的出現是中國古人對自然界各種生物理解、尊重、敬畏、愛戀、審美的結果，這與道家強調的「天道自然之和」即「天和」相一致。
而凰，古音與光相通，有的研究者[谁？]認為是一種與光有關的鳥，即太陽鳥。
鳳則同風相通，也可理解為「風神」。
鳳亦被視為火神。《初學記》卷三十引緯書《孔演圖》說：「鳳，火精」。
《鶡冠子·度萬第八》：「鳳凰者，鶉火之禽，陽之精也。」
《抱朴子》說：「夫木行為仁，為青。鳳頭上青，故曰戴仁也。金行為義，為白。鳳頸白，故曰纓義也。火行為禮，為赤。鳳嘴赤，故曰負禮也。水行為智，為黑，鳳胸黑，故曰尚知也。土行為信，為黃。鳳足下黃，故曰蹈信也。」——頭部呈青色，頸部呈白色，喙部呈赤色，胸、背部呈黑色，趾、爪呈黃色。
中華民國初期的國旗為五色旗，一說取自鳳凰五色，同時也代表仁，義，禮，智，信五德。[來源請求]
香港中文大學以鳳作為校徽。原因是自漢代以來，鳳即被視為「南方之鳥」，且素為高貴、美麗、忠耿及莊嚴之象徵。以紫與金為校色，取意在紫色象徵熱誠與忠耿，金色象徵堅毅與果敢
楚人尊鳳是由其遠祖拜日、尊鳳的原始信仰衍化而來的，迄今已逾七千多年有文物可考的歷史。楚人的祖先祝融是火神兼雷神。漢代《白虎通》說，祝融「其精為鳥，離為鸞。」《卞鴉·絳鳥》注曰：「鳳凰屬也」。可見，祝融也是鳳的化身。《山海經·大荒北經》中說：「大荒之中，有山名曰北極櫃。海水北注焉。有神九首，人面鳥身，句曰九鳳」。楚文化遺跡中除了龍以外還存在大量人首蛇身、人首鳥身和九頭神鳥的圖騰，開啟了中國傳說文化中「龍鳳呈祥」的文化淵源。從圖騰崇拜在氏族制時期所反映出的突出特點來看，鳳為楚人的祖先，故被楚人作為本氏族的圖騰加以崇拜、尊愛便是必然的事了。
鳳不僅是神鳥，也是楚人、楚國尊嚴的象徵。楚人尊鳳的影響便透到各個領域。如在楚國的文物中，鳳的圖像、繡像和雕像不勝枚舉，楚人衣服上的刺繡圖案也是以鳳為主要內容。此外，還有「鳳鳥雙連環」、「虎座鳳架鼓」、「鳳龍虎繡羅禪衣」等，楚國的鳳紋彩繪可謂千姿百態，無奇不有。
《論衡校釋》：「五鳥之記：『四方中央皆有大鳥，其出，眾鳥皆從，小大毛色類鳳皇。』」；《說文解字》：「五方神鳥：東方發明，南方焦明，西方鷫鷞，北方幽昌，中央鳳皇。」（注：焦明即鷦明。）[7]
《禽經》：「青鳳謂之鶡，赤鳳謂之鶉，黃鳳謂之焉，白鳳謂之肅，紫鳳謂之鷟。
天方國古有不死鳥「菲尼克司」（Phoenix，常見譯名為「鳳凰」），滿五百歲後，集香木自焚，復從死灰中更生，鮮美異常，不再死。郭沫若所作詩歌《鳳凰涅槃》中的鳳凰，即指西方傳說中的不死鳥。古埃及神話中也有一種稱為「貝努」的鳥。古埃及人認為，貝努和鷹一般大小，全身長有金色的羽毛，閃閃發光的翅膀、斑斕的外表、鳴聲悅耳，能給人降福添壽；同時認為世界上只有一隻貝努，而壽命為五百年。在臨死之時，貝努會採集芳香植物的樹枝、香草築成一個巢，然後點火自焚，在熊熊火燄中，一隻幼貝努誕生了。新生的幼貝努就將老貝努的骨灰裝進藥蛋中，在蛋上塗上防腐的香料油，帶著它飛到太陽神那裡，由太陽神將它放在太陽廟的神壇上。
以上所提及的「火鳥」，與中國傳說中的鳳凰有一定的差別，但華人在翻譯與認知上習慣把不死鳥當成鳳凰。然而西方傳說中的火鳥形象上比較像老鷹，東方傳說中的鳳凰在形象上則是較像雞、雉。此外，中國神話傳說並無鳳凰會浴火重生的說法，「凤凰涅槃」此詞是郭沫若所作詩歌《鳳凰涅槃》中歌頌不死鳥所創的詞，混淆了不死鳥與鳳凰。比較相近的是從佛教傳說中會因吞食那伽而自燃而死的迦樓羅（金翅鳥）。不過中國不會把鳳凰與迦樓羅混淆在一起，而且迦樓羅也不會重生。
zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%87%A4%E5%87%B0
Fenghuang:The fenghuang has very positive connotations. It is a symbol of high virtue and grace. The fenghuang also symbolizes the union of yin and yang. Shan Hai Jing's 1st chapter “Nanshang Jing” records each part of fenghuang's body symbolizes a word, the head represents virtue (德), the wing represents duty (義), the back represents propriety (禮), the abdomen says credibility (信) and the chest represents mercy (仁).[4]
Portrait of an empress, possibly Empress Xiaoxianchun, (wife of the Qianlong Emperor) sitting on a chair decorated with Phoenix
In ancient and modern Chinese culture, they can often be found in the decorations for weddings or royalty, along with dragons. This is because the Chinese considered the dragon and phoenix symbolic of blissful relations between husband and wife, another common yang and yin metaphor.
Bowl with dragons, phoenixes, gourds, and characters for happiness, used on Guangxu Emperor's wedding ceremony, from Peabody Essex Museum. In some traditions it appears in good times but hides during times of trouble, while in other traditions it appeared only to mark the beginning of a new era. In China and Japan it was a symbol of the imperial house, and it represented "fire, the sun, justice, obedience, and fidelity.When describing chinoiserie or authentic Asian ceramics and other artworks, English-speaking art historians and antique collectors sometimes refer to it as hoho bird,[6] a name derived from hō-ō, with a second extraneous h added. Hō-ō is simply the Japanese pronunciation of fenghuang. The seemingly vast difference between hō-ō and fenghuang is due to Chinese vowels with ng usually being converted to ō in Go-on reading. The Japanese also use the word fushichō for this image.
Phoenix talons (S:凤爪 T:鳳爪) is a Chinese term for chicken claws in any Chinese dish cooked with them.
Fèng or Fènghuáng is a common element in given names of Chinese women (likewise, "Dragon" is used for men's names).
"Dragon-and-phoenix infants" (S:龙凤胎 T:龍鳳胎) is an expression meaning a set of male and female fraternal twins.
Fenghuang is a common place name throughout China. The best known is Fenghuang county in western Hunan, southern China, formerly a sub-prefecture. Its name is written with the same Chinese characters as the mythological bird.
In Korea, this bird is known as Bong Hwang 봉황, this merely being the Korean pronunciation of fenghuang. An alternate term of Bul Sa Jo 불사조 (不死鳥), or "immortal bird" is used to refer to the type of phoenix that never dies (i.e. the Greek "phoenix"), with bong hwang being reserved for the Asian variety. Bong Hwang is often seen used within the royal emblem (especially for queens - the dragon being the emblem of the king) and appears twice in the current presidential emblem.[citation needed] North Jeolla's football club uses it as its symbol.
The Vermilion Bird, (Suzaku in Japanese) one of the Four Symbols of Chinese myth, sometimes confused with the fenghuang, from which it is a distinct entity.[7]
Phoenix Television (鳳凰衛星電視) is a Hong Kong-based media company
Typhoon Fung-wong has been a meteorological name for three tropical cyclones. The term was contributed by Hong Kong and is the Cantonese pronunciation of fenghuang.A common depiction of fenghuang was of it attacking snakes with its talons and its wings spread. According to the Erya's chapter 17 Shiniao, fenghuang is made up of the beak of a rooster, the face of a swallow, the forehead of a fowl, the neck of a snake, the breast of a goose, the back of a tortoise, the hindquarters of a stag and the tail of a fish.[1] Today, however, it is often described as a composite of many birds including the head of a golden pheasant, the body of a mandarin duck, the tail of a peacock, the legs of a crane, the mouth of a parrot, and the wings of a swallow.
The fenghuang's body symbolizes the celestial bodies: the head is the sky, the eyes are the sun, the back is the moon, the wings are the wind, the feet are the earth, and the tail is the planets.[2] The fenghuang is said to have originated in the sun.[2] Its body contain the five fundamental colors: black, white, red, yellow, and green.[2] It sometimes carries scrolls or a box with sacred books.[2] It is sometimes depicted with a fireball.[2] It is sometimes depicted as having three legs.[citation needed] It is believed that the bird only appears in areas or places that are blessed with utmost peace and prosperity or happiness.
Chinese tradition cites it as living atop the Kunlun Mountains in northern China.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenghuang
The bird is generally thought to be a symbol of freedom.
They can walk on the earth and swim in the sea as humans do but they also have the ability to soar into the sky.
Birds are free to roam to earth and the sky. Many cultures believe that they are a symbol of eternal life; the link between heaven and earth.A comprehensive guide to Peacock Symbol:
Meaning of Peacock symbol
Peacock symbol - Facts
Dream explanation, what is the significance of seeing a Peacock in a dream?Peacock SymbolThere is no exact definition for any symbol; each symbol is open to interpretation and birds are no exception to this. Their symbolism can vary greatly depending on different cultures and religion. The Peacock is a male peafowl and is generally thought to be a symbol of the sun.
It is believed that the round tail of the peacock symbolizes heaven and the markings or 'eyes' on the tail are the stars.
In Buddhism, the 'eyes' in the peacocks tail is a symbol of watchfulness.
Peacock Symbol - Meaning; The definition of a Peacock is a male peafowl; having a crested head and very large fanlike tail marked with iridescent eyes or spots. The peacock is the male of the species and has large colorful feathers which it uses to attract a mate. The female is known as a peahen and unlike the
Peacock feathers are considered to be unlucky, it is thought the 'evil' eye on the feather will be a symbol of bad luck for the owner... The peacock is often used as a symbol of vanity due to its beauty and the way it displays his tail feathers The Hindu god Murugan is a popular Hindu deity among Tamil Hindus. In Tolkāppiyam literature, Murugan, is described as being "the red god seated on the blue peacock, who is ever young and resplendent," as " the favoured god of the Tamils."Muruga rides a peacock and wields a bow in battle His peacock mount is a symbol of the destruction of the ego... Native Aborigines believed that birds carried stories..The Peacock's beautiful tail feathers are more than a metre in length... Peacocks are always males! The female of the species is called a peahen and lacks the beautiful coloring of the male (as shown in the image below)
Peacock Symbol - Seeing a peacock in your dream is a symbol of spring, birth, and new growth... A Peacock is a symbol of a good omen, signalling prestige and success and contentment with your career
It is also a symbol of your confidence and even arrogance over your success
Peacock Symbol - Christian Significance
The following definition of the peacock is taken from the Easton Bible Dictionary:(Heb. tuk, apparently borrowed from the Tamil tokei). This bird is indigenous to India. It was brought to Solomon by his ships from Tarshish (1 Kings 10:22; 2 Chr. 9:21), which in this case was probably a district on the Malabar coast of India, or in Ceylon. Dream Interpretation - Significance of Bird Symbol..The following explanation of dreams involving birds in general is taken from the book entitled 'Dream Dictionary (10,000 Dreams Interpreted - by Gustavus Hindman Miller)':
It is a favorable symbol in a dream to see birds of beautiful plumage. A wealthy and happy partner is near if a woman has dreams of this nature..Moulting and song less birds, could denote merciless and inhuman treatment of the outcast and fallen by people of wealth... To see a wounded bird, is a symbol of fateful of deep sadness caused by erring offspring
To see flying birds, is a symbol of prosperity to the dreamer. All disagreeable environments will vanish before the wave of prospective good...To catch birds, is not at all bad. To hear them speak, is owning one's inability to perform tasks that demand great clearness of perception.Peacock is a bird that has symbolized different things in different religions and cultures.
Christians associate it with immortality, ancient Mesopotamians associated a symbol of a tree flanked by two peacocks with the dualistic mind, while the bird and its feathers have been used in Hindu religion and mythology. In Buddhism, it represents wisdom.Peacocks are associated with bodhisattvas. Peacocks are capable of eating poisonous plants with out any harmful effect and similarly a Bodhisattva is able to transform ignorance into enlightenment, desire and hatred to positive feelings.
When a person comes across an enlightened thought or bodhichitta his mind opens just like an open tail of a peacock that exhibits all colors. Excatly how a peacock uses poison to nurture his body and become healthy a bodhisattva uses negativity to emerge more beautiful in all colors. They are considered to be a vehicle of Buddha amitabha representing desire and attachment.In Asia, the feathers of the peacock are considered auspicious and protective. However in the early part of the 20th-century in the West, it was considered very bad luck to keep them in the home. Lucky treasure pot from a home in Bhutan.One silly explanation for this superstition is that it was promoted intentionally to prevent people from eating this large, delicious member of the pheasant family. In that way, the bird would be protected from extinction, for many people thought it was rare -- a quintessential rara avis.The reason for the superstition has more to do with the eye-like markings at the tips of the feathers which, around the Mediterranean, recall the dreaded "evil eye"-- the ever watchful and envious glance of the she-demon, Lilith.
She was blamed for otherwise inexplicable deaths of infants, among other misfortunes.Only partly as a result of this association with the evil eye was it believed that the flesh of the peacock is poisonous. But in any case, that is nonsense.
At the height of both the Greek and Roman cultures, the bird was served at formal dinners with its feathers cunningly pasted back on, possibly with a honey mixture used as glue, so that the dramatic beauty concealed the roasted fowl. At the excessive and luxurious banquets of European kings and queens of the Renaissance, there was an epicurean delight consisting of stuffed roast birds one inside the other like the famous Russian wooden mamushka dolls. The outermost shell was the glorious peacock, its many-eyed train stretching the length of the middle of the "groaning board." As Margaret Visser, in Much Depends On Dinner points out: People have always thought that what looks amazing must certainly taste wonderful, too. From the time of Cicero until the Renaissance, no truly sumptuous European feast was held without a dish of peacock, often adorned with the bird's feathered head and fan of tail feathers.
(A dish of swan could also be similarly displayed, the impressive wings taking pride of place instead of the fan.)
According to "Food fashions of the Renaissance" in Food:
The History of Taste, where you can see illustrations of tables set with these extravagant dishes, it was the rapid rise in popularity of the meat of the North American turkey that ended the reign of "peacock supreme."Deities and Royalty..The peacock was associated with the Middle Eastern deity, Tammuz, consort of the goddess, Anat. In Greece, it was sacred to Hera, queen of heaven and lawful wife of Zeus -- a pair of them drew her chariot --, and they were kept at her temples. In the Roman Empire, peacocks were Juno's birds and on coins symbolized the females of the ruling houses, the lineage princesses. In both the Hindu and the Buddhist traditions, the peacock's influence is mainly in the realm of worldly appearance. (This is in contrast to the swan which is a symbol of the higher realms. ) Hence, the Mother-of-Buddhas, Mahamayuri-vidyarajni (Skt.) has a peacock as her vehicle. In Japan, she appears as Kujaku. Skanda (also called Murugan,) one of the two sons of Indian god, Shiva, has a peacock for his mount. Lord of the elements of form, he is also a war god. A standard made of peacock feathers used to indicate the presence of a 19th-century rajah, whose power is worldly.
In the old Chinese bureaucratic system, members of the third highest level displayed a peacock as the insignia of rank. These badges were in the form of large embroidered squares applied to the front of an official's formal gown. (A similar system for indicating status was used in the Byzantine Empire.) Peacocks are considered sacred in India, especially in the north where its feathers may be burnt to ward off disease, and even to cure snakebite. In a Buddhist tale about the travels of some Indian merchants to Baveru or Babylon, we learn that the inhabitants of that great city marvelled at the gorgeous bird which the merchants had brought with them.The motif of two peacocks, one on each side of the Tree of Life, is a well-known feature of Persian decorative arts. A pair of peacocks stands for the "psychic duality of man" similar to the role played by the Gemini in western astrology, says Cirlot (A Dictionary of Symbols.) However it must be said that the notion of two natures -- in man or in the world that surrounds him -- is certainly not a universal one.
Because of that, in the iconography of European alchemy and hermaneutics, the peacock represents the soul. In Christianity, it stands for immortality and the incorruptibility of the soul, as in this XIth-century Byzantine image.
It is an obvious solar symbol, too, because of the resemblance between the rays of the sun and the circular fan of the tail in full display.
J.E. Cirlot points out that in the Ars Symbolica of Hieronymus Bosch this blue-green bird represents the blending of all the colours of the spectrum (rainbow) and hence, the idea of totality. Tibetan culture among many others also views green as the mixture of all hues.
Among the Muslims of Java in Indonesia there is a myth about how the peacock guarding the gates to Paradise ate the devil, and that is how he managed to get inside.
This myth makes a unity of the duality of good and evil, and also explains the bird's mysterious iridescent colour. It also incorporates the Indian notion of the incorruptibility of the peacock.
Purification
As we have seen, in the Hindu tradition the peacock is the vehicle [Skt.: vahana) of, or animal associated with, Kartikkeya, a.k.a. Skanda the 6-armed, 6-headed god of war who is a son of Lord Shiva.
Kumari (Skanda/Subrahamanya's shakti) rides a peacock in the retinue of the Goddess Durga.
Its [[[Wikipedia:Latin|Latin]]] scientific name, pavo, derives from a Sanskrit epithet, Pavana (purity) that refers to the Hindu deity Vayu, the wind who is also the breath of life and the father of the hero Rama's friend, Hanuman.
It is said that at the time of Creation of the universe, when the primordial poison was churned out of the Sea of Milk and transmuted into the amrita of immortality, it was a peacock that absorbed the negative effects. Thus the bird is thought of as a protector, though its flesh is consequently considered to be poisonous.
Since a potentially deadly emotion such as anger is depicted as a serpent, and the peacock is immune, the peacock also symbolizes victory over poisonous tendencies in sentient beings. Hence the title of a well-known text for training the mind, Peacock in the Poison Grove by Dharmarakshita, a Tibetan classic in translation.
In the discourse, The Wheel of Sharp Weapons, another Buddhist treatise by Dharmarakshita, the peacock is credited with an ability to neutralize and use black aconite (aconitum ferox) as a nutriment. This highly toxic plant, also known as “'wolf-bane,” is an important ingredient in traditional Asian medicine including that of Tibet. Mixed with other ingredients, it was used in treatments for mental illness, among other complaints.
Goldenglow
Long ago, Brahmadutta was king of Benares, and he had wealth, treasure and possessions galore. He also had a most beautiful and elegant wife with a face that was lovely beyond compare, and her name was Peerless. This noblewoman was especially dear to the King, and he gladly satisfied her every whim.
At the time, on the southern slope of Kâilâsh, king of mountains, there lived a peacock whose name was Goldenglow, and he ruled a flock of five hundred followers. His limbs and body gleamed and his beak was like a jewel. Everywhere he went, he was acknowledged the grandest of all the peacocks.
One night, within the city of Benares, the call of the peacock-king rang out in the middle of the night and the following day, every one in the city was talking about it. The wife of Brahmadutta happened to be on the her terrace that night, so she asked the king, "Sire, whose stirring and mellifluous voice was that, last night?"
The King answered, "Princess, though I have never seen him, from its remarkable qualities, that voice must belong to Goldenglow, king of the peacocks, who lives on the southern slope of Kâilâsh.
Then the Queen said, "Sire, please have the king of peacocks brought here." The King replied, "But what good is it to see him going through the air?"
But the Queen said, "Sire, if you do not let me see this Suvar.naprabhâsa, I shall surely die."
So the King, who was very much in love with her, gave in saying, "All right, I will send for my huntsmen and fowlers." This he did, and he said to them, "They say that on the southern slope of Kâilâsh, chief of mountains, lives the peacock king, Suvarnaprabhâsa, whose limbs and body are glossy, and whose bill is like a jewel. Go, net or snare him, and bring him back. If you succeed, fine. But if you fail, I will have all of you put to death."
So the hunters and fowlers, in fear of losing their lives, took up their nets and snares and started off for Kâilâsh's southern slope. When they arrived at their destination, they set up their nets and set their traps all over the peacock- king's terrain, but though they waited seven days, they couldn't catch him, and they were all out of provisions, and very hungry.
Finally, out of compassion for them, the king of peacocks appeared and said, "You are hunters. Why do you stay here in this one place when you are starving?"
They replied, "This is the reason, Peacock-king: King Brahmadutta given us orders to 'Go, and with your nets and snares, catch me Suvarna-prabhâsa, the peacock king, whose limbs and body are glossy, whose bill is like a jewel, and who lives with five hundred followers on the southern slope of Kâilâsh, chief of mountains. If you bring him here, well and good, but if you do not, you shall all be put to death;' so in fear of our lives, we have come to try and capture you."
The king of peacocks responded, "Violent Ones, I cannot be taken by means of snares and nets, but if the King of Benares wants to see me, let him have the city swept, sprinkled with scented water, and decorated with flowers. And let him raise white awnings and banners, and burn incense. Let him prepare chariots bedecked with the seven jewels, and then, if in seven days he arrives in the company of his
entire army, I will go back to Benares with him, of my own free will."
So the hunters packed up their nets and snares, and returned to the King and told him everything that had happened, and what Suvarnaprabhâsa had proposed.
King Brahmadatta decided to take the King Peacock up on his offer, and he had the city of Benares prepared as the bird had instructed and then, his chariots ornamented with the seven kinds of precious stones, and surrounded by his cohorts he went off to the southern slope of Kâilâsh, chief of mountains.
The king of the peacocks, Suvarnaprabhâsa, also riding in a chariot decked with seven kinds of precious stones, uttered a cry which was heard by the whole army. King Brahmadatta was thrilled, and such joy filled his heart that he felt impelled to do homage to the bird. He prostrated to him and made offerings; and honouring him, they all went back together to Benares.
When they arrived at the town gates, the peacock again uttered his cry, and it was heard throughout the whole city. From all quarters, men, women, boys and girls all rushed to the gates. Then King Brahmadatta again honoured the peacock king, paying homage, making offerings, and bowing to him.
Once at the palace, he went to get the queen, and said to her, "Princess, the king of the peacocks, Suvarnaprabhâsa, has arrived at your dwelling."
Now King Brahmadatta had undertaken to make daily offerings of fruits and flowers to the great Peacock, but it so happened that there came a day that the King was very busy, and so he thought, "Who can make the proper offerings to Suvarnaprabhâsa?" and it occurred to him that Princess Peerless was both knowledgeable and skillful, and that she could certainly do it.
So King Brahmadatta sent for her and said, "Princess, please make the offerings to the king of the peacocks exactly as I have done," and the King's consort did so.
Time passed, and it so happened that the peerless queen had an affair and found out that she was pregnant. She realized that if she did not want the King to find out her adultery and have her put to death, she would have to silence the bird. So this
woman tried to poison the king of the peacocks by feeding him poisoned food and drink, but the more she gave him, the healthier he appeared -- he became even more lovely and resplendent, and the Queen was amazed.
Then Suvarnaprabhâsa called out, "Shame, shame on you! I know your kind. Because you are carrying another man's child, and this bird knows about it , you think that you can poison me so that the King will not find out from me and put you to death. But you never kill me with poison!
On hearing that, the Queen fainted and lost a great deal of bright blood. She wasted away, and when she finally died, she was born in hell.
"The King of Benares is now Shariputra, and I (Buddha) was Goldenglow, king of the peacocks."
~ Edited from the "Shariputra Sutra" as translated by Wm. Woodville Rockhill (1897.)
Protector and Preserver
One of Green Tara's many epithets is The Peahen ( Skt. Mayuri.)
Mahamayuri is green with 8 arms and 3 heads. Her faces are white, green and blue. Her eight hands display: Right side -- varadamudra, a sword, vajra and jewel; left side -- a bowl, a treasure jar, a bell and a flower. Seated on a lotus throne, she wears all the ornaments and celestial garments of a bodhisattva.
According to the Mahamayuri Sutra of Pancharaksha, there was a bhikshu in the Buddha's sangha called Svati, who was newly ordained. He was unfortunately bitten by a poisonous snake and fainted. Seeing his condition, Ananda reported this incident to Buddha Shakyamuni. Out of compassion for the newly ordained monk and for the future ones, Lord Buddha disclosed a dharani capable of eliminating poisonous harm and malignant diseases. This is the dharani of Arya Mahamayuri.
Maha-Mayuri became in Japan, a male figure called Kujaku Myo-o. This Buddhist wisdom deity associated with the peacock (whose call is believed to herald the rain) protects against calamity, especially drought. Palden Lhamo, (pron. Penden Hamo, Skt. Shri Devi) the dark blue protector of all Tibetan Buddhist denominations who rides her mule through a burning [with wisdom) sea of blood (life in bodily form] is sheltered by a peacock-feather umbrella.
Lakshmi, wife of the Hindu god, Vishnu, sometimes is depicted with armbands in the form of peacocks. The birds are sacred to her since their cries are associated with the rainy season and hence, fertility. The hero of the Indian epic, Mahabharat is called Arjun, a name that refers to the peacock. Also, there is a north Indian/Nepali deity called Janguli who protects against snakebite and poisoning. Described as having 3 faces, 6 arms, her vehicle is, not surprisingly, a peacock.n Nepal, practitioners of Jhankrism, a shamanic tradition pre-dating both Buddhism and Hinduism, wear a tall head-dress of peacock feathers as an essential part of their regalia. Also notice the type of drum that is typical among shamans.
The peacock's beautiful and distinctive colouring is said to be a gift from the god, Indra. One day the King of Gods was doing battle with Ravana, the Demon King. The peacock, which in those days resembled his plain brown hen, took pity on Indra and raised its tail to form a blind or screen behind which Indra could hide himself. As a reward for this act of compassion, the bird was honored with the jewel-like blue-green plumage that it bears to this day.
Krishna, the avatar of Vishnu who is God-as-the-one-responding -to-devotion, is also depicted in the company of peacocks. One of Krishna's roles is as the irresistible divine suitor. Perhaps that is the link to the recommendation in The Kama Sutra that, if a man wishes to appear attractive to others, he can wear a peacock's bone covered in gold tied to his right hand.
Amitabha
The association of this jewel-tone bird with its sun-like fan of a tail evocative of the Wheel of Dharma -- the Buddha's teachings; its connection to the ideas of immortality and compassion, and the unification of views or opposites, as well as the correspondence with the Garden which is the Pure Land, demonstrates in Mahayana Buddhism the archetypical nature of the relationship between the peacock and Amitabha.
In the depiction of this Buddha of Eternal Light, he is seated under a tree; we see its flowers and leaves peeking through the pavilion. Tenga Rinpoche says, " . . . birds, in particular, have strong desire and craving, so, as a symbol of craving transformed into discriminating wisdom, Amitabha's throne is supported by peacocks."
There are actually eight peacocks that support his throne, one at each corner of the base. They stand for the idea that no matter the misdeeds committed during one's lifetime[s], rebirth is possible in Sukhavati, the Pure Land of Great Bliss that is the Western Paradise of Opameh (Tibetan for Amitabha). Any and all evil-doing is eventually absorbed.
Six peacock feathers arranged as a fan ornament the vase (bumpa) and sprinkling utensil used for distributing the blessing or purifying water in Tibetan Buddhist empowerments and other rituals. In this role they are not only a symbol of compassion, but also a symbol of immortality by virtue of their capacity to absorb and neutralize, and to act as a universal antidote against poisons including the kleshas [imperfections or obscurations) such as anger, greed and ignorance that are inherently human.
Natural History
The peacock is the male of a variety of the pheasant species, pavo cristatus. The female is a peahen; both are known as peafowl. It is native to India and Shri Lanka. A green variety, p. muticus, is found in neighbouring countries of south Asia. The Phoenicians introduced the peafowl to the pharaohs of Egypt, then it made its way to Europe among the spoils of Alexander of Macedon's returning army.
Each mature male may keep a harem of around 5 hens which it wins in fierce competition with other males. Screeching, preening, displaying [strutting and raising and lowering the "fan"] and a vigorous rustling of the tail-feathers are some elements in the courtship competitions. After the mating, the female lays a clutch of 4 to 6 spotted eggs in a hidden nest.
Peafowl spend most of the day on the ground pecking for food but as evening falls, they roost in the trees. In the spring, and when disturbed, the male can produce a sound very like that of a diesel truck's air horn. These birds are fairly intelligent, and can be trained to come when called. They are very hardy, adapting to fairly extreme temperatures. They are sometimes kept on estates not only as decorative birds, but as reliable "watchdogs."
3rd domestic bird on page is the peafowl. Hear its usual cry.
The peacock flies beautifully, but requires at least a 5-metre "runway" in order to get the lift required for take off. A surreal sequence of a white peacock in flight through lightly falling snow at the beginning of the 1973 Fellini film Amarcord is reason alone to get the dvd.
Two important writers who featured the peacock are Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964) who knew them well, and Raymond Carver (1938-1988) in Feathers.
Treasure pot: Buried or kept to attract prosperity or otherwise benefit a dwelling. Read about the Peace Vase Project for the types of contents.rara avis: A Latin expression used to emphasize, often ironically, the exotic singularity of an individual. Of course the peacock is not rare at all and should not be confused with Birds of Paradise, the paradisidae species that are rapidly disappearing from New Guinea due to loss of habitat as well as the demand for gorgeous feathers. Dharmarakshita: Known as Serlingpa in Tibetan, for having come from Sumatra, "the land of gold," he was Atisha's teacher (11th century.) He is the author of Wheel of Sharp Weapons. An earlier monk (ca. 261 BCE) of that name, who some say was a Greek, was invited to India by King Ashoka.Goldenglow: Skt. Suvarnaprabhasa or Suparna, for short. Rockhill calls him "Golden-Sheen." At the time of the Churning: An alternate view is that Lord Shiva's throat is dark because it was He who drank the poison, thus his epithet, Neelakantha. Shiva is also Mahakala, meaning both "Great Dark One" and "Great Time," the embodiment of Impermanence.
www.chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/index.php/Peacock_Sy...
Bogomilism (see Gnostic) was a dualist religiopolitical sect founded in the First Bulgarian Empire by the priest Bogomil during the reign of Tsar Peter I in the 10th century.The Bogomils’ central teaching, based on a dualistic cosmology, was that the visible, material world was created by the devil. Thus, they denied the doctrine of the incarnation and rejected the Christian conception of matter as a vehicle of grace. They rejected Baptism, the Eucharist, and the whole organization of the Orthodox Church. The moral teaching of the Bogomils was as consistently dualistic. They condemned those functions of man that bring him into close contact with matter, especially marriage, the eating of meat, and the drinking of wine. In fact, the moral austerity of the Bogomils invariably was acknowledged by their fiercest opponents.
During the 11th and 12th centuries Bogomilism spread over many European and Asian provinces of the Byzantine Empire. Its growth in Constantinople resulted, about 1100, in the trial and imprisonment of prominent Bogomils in the city and in the public burning of their leader, Basil. In the second half of the 12th century, it spread westward. The Serbian ruler Stefan Nemanja was obliged to summon a general assembly of his land to check it. Roman Catholic authorities were greatly disturbed by reports of heresy in Dalmatia and Bosnia (though modern scholarship casts doubt on the theory that the Bosnian church ever adopted the dualist theology of the Bogomils). By the early 13th century the dualistic communities of southern Europe—comprising the Paulicians and Bogomils in the east and the Cathari in the west—formed a network stretching from the Black Sea to the Atlantic.
In the 13th and 14th centuries, Rome dispatched several legations and Franciscan missionaries to convert or expel Bosnian heretics, among whom there may have been some Bogomils. In the country of its birth Bogomilism remained a powerful force until the late 14th century. The Bulgarian authorities convened several church councils to condemn its teachings. With the Ottoman conquest of southeastern Europe in the 15th century, obscurity descended upon the sect. Traces of a dualistic tradition in the folklore of the South Slavs are all that remain today of the most powerful sectarian movement in the history of the Balkans.