When I try to explain rock climbing to non climbers I always get the same questions and comments; “You’re insane, that what Tom Cruise did, you must have a death wish” etc.

 

Nothing could be farther from the truth of course.

I could drone on for hours about what I personally get from rock climbing but this image sums it up much better; about 250 feet above the car and with the cell phone turned off, I’m sitting out in the warm sunshine of a late November afternoon enjoying a snack without a care in the world, on a ledge you could park your car on.

 

This is why I rock climb. It’s not about cheating death or any other macho bullshit, it’s about getting out of the house and enjoying some fresh air, and that’s it.

 

Your experience may differ.

 

Welcome to your public lands, now go outside!

 

10 frame HDR from the Powershot running chdk

 

We were happy to have our vehicle washed at the Heritage Christian School car wash; students raising money to fund a trip to Vancouver Island

Leica M9 + Sonnar 5cm f1.5 (nickel)

Aperture: f2

26 July 2019

Amsterdam, Dam ( Square )

Toby, explained!

Just south of Las Vegas, Nelson, Neveda..........in the General Store

Continued from: flickr.com/photos/42093313@N00/51683698952/in/dateposted-...

 

40. Refer all matters to Allah and His Messenger, then defer

 

يٰۤـاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اَطِيۡـعُوا اللّٰهَ وَاَطِيۡـعُوا الرَّسُوۡلَ وَاُولِى الۡاَمۡرِ مِنۡكُمۡ

فَاِنۡ تَنَازَعۡتُمۡ فِىۡ شَىۡءٍ فَرُدُّوۡهُ اِلَى اللّٰهِ وَالرَّسُوۡلِ اِنۡ كُنۡـتُمۡ تُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَالۡيَـوۡمِ الۡاٰخِرِ ؕ

ذٰ لِكَ خَيۡرٌ وَّاَحۡسَنُ تَاۡوِيۡلًا‏

 

O you who believed!

Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those who have been entrusted with authority among you.

Then if you disagree in anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day.

That is the best for you and the best determination.

Surah An-Nisa, Verse 59

 

I had to study the verse in the Tafseer e Jilani. Only Ghaus Pak (ra) would explain what it really meant; obeying!

 

Ya Ayyuhalladina Amino: By bringing faith, being counted among the Momineen, your duty becomes that you obey Allah and you obey His Messenger (peace be upon him).

 

Atiu’ Allah: You obey Allah by acting upon His Commands and avoiding what He has forbidden.

 

Wa Atiu’ Rasool: And you obey the Rasool (peace be upon him), the one He chose Himself as His Khalifa, Vice-regent, for he is the one who guides you towards His One-ness.

 

Wa: And also obey…

 

Ulil Amri Minkum: the ones who decide matters and they are those who establish the Sha’ir ul Islam, the Signs of Islam, amongst you. These people are the ones who are leaders, those who have authority and who are judges, who struggle in the application of orders and finding a solution.

 

I asked Qari Sahib what it means to establish Sha’ir ul Islam – the Signs of Islam. He referred me to the next part of the verse;

 

Fa in Tanaaza’tum: So if there happens to be a dispute between you and the ulil amr, those who have authority over you…

 

Fi Shayin: in a matter of whether something is according to the Shari’a, Islamic Law, or not…

 

Fa rudduhu; return the matter to and turn yourself towards…

 

Ila: Allah’s Book…

 

Allah Wa: and the hadith

 

Ar-Rasool: and present the matter before both of them and find a solution from both of them…

 

In kuntu tu’mino billahi: if you believe in Allah, the One who gives the reward to His Servants for their deeds, be they good or bad…

 

Wal Yaumil Akhira: and you believe in the Last Day, which is the Day prepared for reward or punishment.

 

Dalika: This returning of the matter…

 

Khairun: is better for you than the injustice you will arrive at from your own reflection…

 

Wa ahsanu taweela: and will yield the best result for you, better than the result you arrive at on your own and will be more deserving of praise for the conclusion of the matter than your unfairness.

 

Sheikh Nurjan:

 

“As soon as you say, “ati`oollah, obey Allah,” it has a power and a secret. There are 500 ma’moorat, obligations, that Allah ordered us to fulfill, and 800 manhiyyaat, things which are forbidden, that we must leave. How can one count and follow 500 orders and leave 800 forbidden actions?

 

If you repeat that word alone, “ati`ullah, ati`ullah, ati`ullah,” reminding yourself with it, then Allah Subhan Ta’ala will completely dress you as if you have fulfilled all 500 obligations and left the 800 forbiddens. Allahu Akbar! Then you continue with, “ati`ur-Rasool, obey the Prophet,” and with Allah’s order, Prophet (peace be upon him) will dress you with all his Sunnah, voluntary actions, and in the meaning of Khaatam ar-Rasool, “Seal of Prophets,” as if you have obeyed him from beginning to end!

 

As Grandshaykh and Mawlana Shaykh Nazim said, with every letter of the Holy Qur’an, even if it is repeated hundreds or thousands of times, Allah opens 24,000 oceans of knowledge to His Auliya (the Ulul Amr), which they keep hidden. They give to their followers little by little, as if from a dropper. They give a little bit to the hearts of their listeners and continue to upload that until one day Allah will give permission to fully open it to the hearts of their disciples.

 

The goal is to reach Allah’s Pleasure and enter into the Divinely Presence and it enters within us. It is to make the house and heart of the believer the House of Allah so that His Light and His Grace can emanate from such a heart. That is why in the Quran Allah describes the Ka’ba as ‘wash your heart, clean your heart, circumambulate your heart, which is My House, the Ka’ba.’ That’s why we call Auliya Allah, the Friends of God, Qiblas (directions) and Ka’ba. Their hearts are like the Ka’ba which direct people towards the Divinely Presence. And they are a Qibla in that they give a direction and focus in life.

 

Allah knows we are weak and if we were given a thousand lives, we won’t be able to achieve that without this system Allah has put in place. People may have beliefs and love but to enter into that Divinely Light, Allah has a system to reach the Haqaiq, the Realities of ‘La ilaha Illallah.’

 

So then Allah says ‘ati’ur Rasool’ He is telling us ‘I know you can’t follow Me because that’s the Station of the Messengers. So follow the way and the love of your Beloved Messenger (peace be upon him) who is beloved by Allah and most praised within all of Creation, Sayadna Muhammadan Rasool Ullah (peace be upon him).

 

So then comes the third piece, Ulil Amr, because the Auliya Allah begin to describe that if our goal was to make our house a Ka’ba, the only one who can bring the law and discipline of Allah, the deen (religion) of Allah, the Message of Allah is Muhammadun Rasool Ullah (peace be upon him). The spiritual paths are the schools of guidance.

 

For in the Quran Allah says, ‘there is no guidance except if Allah guides’ and that has many degrees of guidance; something basic, something middle, something high and something very high. There are darajaats, spiritual ranks, of guidance and realities of guidance. The highest rank is Maqam Al Mahmood, the highest heaven is Jannat al Firdaus. These are all in fact existent within the reality and the heart of Sayaddna Muhammad (peace be upon him).

 

So the Auliya Allah, their whole teachings are about only him, Muhammad Ar Rasool Allah (peace be upon him). Through that the heart can be perfected. Allah says in the Quran that the Prophet (peace be upon him) is a guidance. He brings the message, he purifies the believers. He brings lights and blessings into the hearts of the believers. So how does Allah say that? He says if you want to reach Me, following the Prophet (peace be upon him) and I will love you. My Divine Love will emanate from your heart. ”

 

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ

وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

 

Say (O Prophet (peace be upon you)), "If you love God, follow me and God will love you and forgive you your sins for God is Much-Forgiving, a Dispenser of Grace."

Surah Al e Imran, Verse 31

 

You can live a thousand years and a thousand lifetimes and you cannot achieve this without this system. Because Allah is saying come to Me through him. So the perfect line of Tauheed – La ilaha illallah Muhammad ar Rasoolallah – Allah is saying if you want to reach my La ilaha illallah, (Tauheed, My One-ness), come to me through Muhammad ar Rasoolallah. You cannot just say La ilaha illallah. Without Muhammad ar Rasoolallah, you are outside the belief system.”

 

Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chisti Ajmeri (ra) said the same in a different way:

 

If the one who does not believe utters (the words) La Ilaha Illallah, There is no God but God, for a 100 years , he will never attain faith. But if once he says, Muhammad Ar-Rasool Allah, Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His Messenger, he removes from himself a 100 years of apostasy.

 

“So the Ulil Amr are dressed and blessed by Allah to open a door on this Earth and the door must have a tongue in which it teaches, trains and guides, everything based on Muhammad Ar Rasoolallah (peace be upon him).

 

So be wary, when you enter a door and they talk a lot about Allah. Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah, that is not the right door. That is not the right room. For all doors in the Universe, above it is only Muhammad Ar Rasoolallah (peace be upon him). So the Ulil Amr should be talking about him so you can try to reach him for he is who is above them. The one who doesn’t talk about him and cuts him out, only talking about Allah, that’s Hizb ul Shaitaan, the party of Iblis. He is the one who says, ‘I don’t accept any of these Adams, only Allah.

 

So that’s how the student should know; if I enter into a room on the Ulil Amr, their whole existence pivots, like moons, around one sun; the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The moon is guidance. It gives you your time, your coordinates, it nourishes you and raises you. Read the Farmer’s Almanac on what a moon is. The Shams ul Arifeen, the Sun of the Gnostics, is Muhammad Ar Rasoolullah (peace be upon him). It is his light upon them, upon the moons, that makes everything guided and beatific and ripened and sweet.”

 

Subhan Allah!

 

“The room we want to enter is the room that teaches all the realities of the beatific nature of Rasool Allah (peace be upon him) and his creation. Everything they say is about his reality and the realities of his essence – The Muhammadan Reality. So the door to that reality, how will you find it? By picking up a book? No! These people are the Ulil Amri minkum.’

 

Now understand the levels of Ulil Amr. A president is Ulil Amr. Allah has given him that authority. Even if he’s an oppressor, Allah gave him the authority. It doesn’t matter what they believe or not. There are duniya Ulil Amr, who have authority of the matters related to the world. Then there are people who give guidance within religions like the clergy.

 

But the Ulil Amr minkum that Allah is describing are of a different nature and reality. They understand the alif-meem-ra of the word Amr. They are dressed by the Alif which makes them have Izzatullah (Honour of Allah), they’re dressed with the realities of the Meem which is Izzat ur Rusool (the honour of the Messenger (peace be upon him)), the might and majestry and authority of his person and Izzat ul Mo’mineen (the honor of the believers). It is by virtue of these three realities that power is bestowed upon this Earth.

 

The Ulil Amr represent the Honour of Allah on this Earth, they represent the honour of the Rasool (peace be upon him) and they are the Auliya Allah. The authority granted to them does not require speech. It is not from this world but from the World of the Unseen. The Ulil Amr are a door upon this Earth. Our life is to find that door.

 

The Spiritual Masters who can teach that reality, speak to it, they are from that door. They’re from the Ulil Amr. As a result, the doors that are established on this Earth at all time, for all time, Allah will keep guidance on this Earth through them for the sake of the nation of Sayyadna Muhammad (peace be upon him). Some of them have been given blessings but not guidance.

 

Those who have been given guidance are inheritors of the 313 Messengers of Allah. They have been given a support from Allah through their ears, and their eyes, and their breath and their hands and their feet and their Lisaan as Sadeeq – a truthful tongue.

 

41. Who are the Faithful – The Momineen? The Truthful

 

وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦٓ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلصِّدِّيقُونَ ۖ

وَٱلشُّهَدَآءُ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ وَنُورُهُمْ ۖ

 

˹As for˺ those who believe in Allah and His messengers, it is they who are ˹truly˺ the people of truth. And the ones who witness, with their Lord, will have their reward and their light.

Surah Al-Hadeed, Verse 19

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

Alladina a’mano billahi wa rasooli hi: Those who are sincere (akhlasu) in their faith and then attested that sincerity by goodness in their deeds and their ehsaan, which is humility in the presence of Allah…

 

O’laika: these are the lucky ones who are accepted (by God).

 

Humuss siddeeqoon: They are the truthful one, who have reached the highest ranks of truth and have restricted themselves upon sincerity, steadfast and still in the Way of truthful certainty.

 

Wa Shuhuda: They are the ones who unveil, the ones who witness and the ones who are present…

 

I’nda Rabbihim: near their Lord, seeking further submergence in Him through their desire for a prolonging of that meeting.

 

Lahum: For them is in the next life…

 

Ajarhum wa nooruhum: is their reward and their light promised to them from Allah for they don’t want anything other than that.

 

Qari Sahib asked me, “Why are they getting two things, ajr and noor?”

 

As usual I was dumb because as usual I had no idea.

 

The Ajr, reward, is for their deeds and the noor is for their ikhlaas, sincerity. Then there’s a second layering to it; the reward, ajr, is for the faith in Allah, imaan. The noor is for following the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). See the reference:

 

‏يَٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَءَامِنُوا۟ بِرَسُولِهِۦ

يُؤْتِكُمْ كِفْلَيْنِ مِن رَّحْمَتِهِۦ

وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ نُورًۭا تَمْشُونَ بِهِۦ

وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۚ

وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ

 

O you who believe! Be mindful of Allah and believe in His Messenger;

He will give you double portion of His Mercy

and He will make for you a light,

you will walk with it,

and He will forgive you.

And Allah (is) Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Surah Al-Hadeed, Verse 28

  

42. The Healing of the Heart

 

‏يَٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ قَدْ جَآءَتْكُم مَّوْعِظَةٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَشِفَآءٌۭ لِّمَا فِى ٱلصُّدُورِ وَهُدًۭى وَرَحْمَةٌۭ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ‎

 

O Mankind! Verily has come to you an instruction from your Lord,

and a healing for what is in your breasts,

and guidance

and mercy

for the believers.

Surah Yunus, Verse 57

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

Ya Ayyun naas: O Mankind, those who have forgotten their original purpose and their true abode…

 

Qad Ja’atkum: indeed has come to you (a Prophet (peace be upon him) and The Book, 5/15) to awaken you and warn you…

 

Muazzatun: as an admonishment and to remind you…

 

Mir Rabbikum wa shifa ullima fi sudoor: from your Lord. And heal you from your anger and grudges that have taken firm residence in your hearts.

 

Wa hudan: And they will guide you to those who are in the know (about Allah) and bring you before Him.

 

Wa rahmatun: and they are the mercy in abundance which encompasses everything…

 

Lil Momineen: for those who are virtuous and conscious of Allah.

 

43. Allah’s Bounty; the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Quran

 

‏قُلْ بِفَضْلِ ٱللَّهِ وَبِرَحْمَتِهِۦ فَبِذَلِكَ فَلْيَفْرَحُوا۟ هُوَ خَيْرٌۭ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ ‎

 

Say O Prophet (peace be upon him), "In (this) is the Bounty of Allah and His Mercy so in that let them rejoice."

It is far better than what they accumulate.

Surah Yunus, Verse 10

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

Qul: O Messenger (peace be upon him) who completes the Message, say to the one who follows you reminding them and guiding them,

 

Bi fadlillah hi: with Allah’s Bounty and His Best Acceptance and with His endowing of Honour and His Presence…

 

Wa bi rahmatihi: and by His Mercy, which is expansive for everyone and which is for all His Reflections in the Universe, “They should try to attain the blessings (of them both, the person of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Quran) and unveil them.

 

Fa bi dalika: By the delight they will receive from them both, they will attain presence before Allah.

 

Fal yafrahu: So let them rejoice, instead of being of those who do not experience this happiness and do not experience this joy because they prioritize the few moments of their physical, yet perishable desires.

 

Huwa: Your spiritual joy and happiness…

 

Khairun Mimma Yajma’oon: is far better than the lusts of your nafs, your base self, and what it demands from your being, if you are of the sincere and those who possess certainty.

 

44. What is Steadfastness?

 

‏إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ قَالُوا۟ رَبُّنَا ٱللَّهُ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَقَمُوا۟

 

Indeed, those who say, "Our Lord, (is) Allah," then stand firm.

Surah Fussilat, Verse 30

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

Innalladina : The ones who believe in One-ness…

 

Qalu: they say in happiness and in difficulty, in secrecy and openly…

 

Rabbuna Allah: Our Lord is Allah, The One who is One, by Himself, Alone, beyond need who is lam yalid wa lam yulad…

 

Summastaqamu: the ones who then have to prove what they have claimed. And they acknowledge, realize and confess that (claim) through their deeds as well and their states and their intentions in their daily, ordinary actions.  

 

45. All happiness and pain comes from Allah

 

مَآ أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ

وَمَن يُؤْمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُۥ ۚ

وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

 

No calamity befalls anyone except by Allah’s Will.

And whoever has faith in Allah, He will rightly guide their hearts.

And Allah has ˹perfect˺ knowledge of all things.

Surah At-Taghabun, Verse 11

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

Then He said Subhan Ta’ala, to make us steadfast and firm footed for the ones who possess ma’rifat and iqaan, certainty, on the station of entrusting and reliance.

 

Ma asaba: That which comes upon one and what it entails…

 

Min museebati: i.e. whether it is an incidence of happiness that reaches you or of pain…

 

Illa bi idnallah: it doesn’t happen except with Allah’s Permission according to His Order.

 

Wa mayyomin Billahi: And the one who believes in Allah and entrusts his matters to Him and makes Him his Disposer of Affairs and makes Him Sufficient and His Protector…

 

Yahdi qalba hu: He will give guidance to and enlighten his heart and He will show him the Kingdom of Tauheed, One-ness and the symbols of certainty.

 

Wa: and overall

 

Allahu: The One who is fully Aware of what is hidden and what is present…

 

Bi kulli shayan: all that which is under His Control…

 

Aleem un: because His Knowledge is forever present and nothing can be hidden from Him.

 

46. The Door of Truth

 

وَقُل رَّبِّ أَدْخِلْنِى مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍۢ

وَأَخْرِجْنِى مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍۢ

وَٱجْعَل لِّى مِن لَّدُنكَ سُلْطَـٰنًۭا نَّصِيرًۭا

 

And say (in your prayer O Beloved), “O my Sustainer!

Cause me to enter (in whatever I do) in a manner, true and sincere,

and cause me to leave it in a manner true and sincere.

And grant me of from Your Presence, a sustaining support.

Surah Al-Isra’, Verse 80

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

“O my Lord, enter me into the place of being settled, which is the place of Tauheed where everything else vanishes. And place me forever in it without doubt and change within me.

 

And take me out of the demands of egoism and selfish desires towards dissolution in You, that enjoins me to the Honor of Your Eternity, with a meeting to a place without jolts and slippage, all the while when I am embattling my ego and my nafs Ammara is trying to control me, with that which silences them once and for all and never turns me towards them but towards an appearance before You, that helps me against my enemies and rescues me when they attack me.”

 

There is Doer except Allah

 

لا فاعل في الحقيقة و لا مؤثر الا الله

 

There is no doer except Allah and there is no effect except that which is caused by Allah.

Ghaus Pak (ra)

  

47. The Ones given knowledge

 

‏بَلْ هُوَ ءَايَتٌۢ بَيِّنَتٌۭ فِى صُدُورِ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمَ ۚ

 

Nay, it is the verses clear in the breasts of those who are given the knowledge.

Surah Al Ankaboot, Verse 49

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

Bal huwa: The Quran in its essence…

 

Ayatun: has signs and proofs which prove the One-ness of Allah…

 

Bayyinatun: which are so clear that no other evidence, is needed, firm…

 

Fi Sudoor: in the hearts of the ones who are believers of One-ness…

 

Alladina utol ilm: and have been granted Knowledge from Him, which emanates directly from the Knowledge of Allah, and is received by them from His Divine Treasures according to their capacity and ability due to His Bounty and His Favour upon them.

 

Are you an Enemy or a Friend?

 

Hazrat Najmuddin Kubra (ra) says in the Tafseer e Jilani;

 

“When Allah sends a trial or a difficulty, He is testing to see who is an enemy and who is a friend.

 

The one who is a friend and close to Him, in their state of pain, returns to Allah with sighs and remembrance. They rely only upon Him, holding on to the rope of patience and surrender and seeking his Pleasure and firmly holds onto the Support of Allah.

 

Whereas the enemy of God, in the time of difficulty becames impatient and impulsive. They become ungrateful of His Blessings, impatient and do not surrender to the Destiny of His Lord. Then they turn their face away from Allah and start running to people.”

 

48. I am a man like you except...

 

‏قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَنَا۠ بَشَرٌۭ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ

 

Say O Last Messenger (peace be upon you),

“I am only a man like you, to who has been revealed that your God is one God.”

Surah Al-Kahf, Verse 110

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

Qul: O Messenger who completes The Message (peace be upon you), after you have conveyed to them, the Words of Allah, endless, Words which are devoid of trying to show-off and to impress which leads to arrogance. These Words are only for wisdom and intellect.

 

Qari Sahib; Allah never says about him that he is a man. He makes him say it, not Himself; You say it! For it is wisdom and for the intellect.

 

Inna ana basharum mislukum: No doubt, I am a man in appearance like you, accepting of certain knowledge and knowing according to Mankind. There is no difference between me and you in terms of human nature. But there is one difference…

 

Youha illaya: Revelation comes upon me and pours upon me Ilm ul Yaqeen, Ayn ul Yaqeen and Haq ul Yaqeen (Knowledge of the Divine, Witnessing of the Divine and the Truth of the Divine).

 

Qari Sahib; This word yufadu – pouring - reminds me of the hadith when Nabi Kareem (peace be upon you) was praying and he was seeing the grapes of Heaven while he was praying – Ayn ul Yaqeen. He reached his hand upwards as if to break off a bunch – Haq ul Yaqeen.

 

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا ،

قَالَ : خَسَفَتِ الشَّمْسُ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَصَلَّى ،

قَالُوا : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ رَأَيْنَاكَ تَنَاوَلْتَ شَيْئًا فِي مَقَامِكَ ، ثُمَّ رَأَيْنَاكَ تَكَعْكَعْتَ ،

قَالَ : إِنِّي أُرِيتُ الْجَنَّةَ ، فَتَنَاوَلْتُ مِنْهَا عُنْقُودًا ، وَلَوْ أَخَذْتُهُ لَأَكَلْتُمْ مِنْهُ مَا بَقِيَتِ الدُّنْيَا .

 

Narrated by Hazrat `Abdullah bin `Abbas (ratu):

 

Once a solar eclipse occurred during the time of Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him).

 

He offered the eclipse prayer.

 

His companions asked, O Allah's Apostle! We saw you trying to take something while standing at your place and then we saw you retreating.

 

The Prophet answered, “I was shown Paradise and wanted to have a bunch of fruit from it. Had I taken it, you would have eaten from it as long as the world remains.”

 

49. How to receive honour

 

مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ ٱلْعِزَّةَ فَلِلَّهِ ٱلْعِزَّةُ جَمِيعًاۚ إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ ٱلْكَلِمُ ٱلطَّيِّبُ وَٱلْعَمَلُ ٱلصَّلِحُ يَرْفَعُهُۚۥ

 

Whoever for him desires the honor, then for Allah is the Honor all.

To Him ascends the good words, and righteous deeds raises it.

Surah Fatir, Verse 10

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

Man kana yureed ul izzata: The one who wants honour, endless, after which never comes humiliation ever, then he should turn towards Allah and makes his focus His One-ness.

 

Fa lillahe izzatu: For only Allah is the True Owner of Honour, which includes control, eternal majesty and all kingdoms…

 

Jami-an: overt (zahiri) and inner (batini). And the one who desires that Allah bestow upon him honour and control and absolute kingdoms and abundance that remains forever, then he should, in his initial stages toward Allah, praise Him by way of His Perfect Names and Exalted Attributes till his remembrance reaches the stages of their reflection in him.

 

This (the reflection) is the last effort and then he becomes a reflector of Allah’s Being, wanting to unveil the Veils of His Omnipotence, till he becomes present before Him, able to unveil Him and witness the Signs of His Names and Attributes on the surface of the Universe without the distortion created by others. 

 

And overall (in summary), the one who seeks honour should be occupied in the Remembrance by Allah in the early stages because

 

Ilayhi yasadu alkalm at tayyabu: towards Him ascend good words which are the Prefect Names of Allah and His Exalted Attributes, increasing in frequency from the tongues of The Sincere and The Ones who Reflect in Allah’s Blessings and His Bounty…

 

Wal al amal as saleh: and (they should be occupied) in good deeds enjoined with ikhlas, sincerity and tabbatul, devotion to Him (also ascending towards Him)…

 

Yarfa’uhu: (which will be why) He then raises that deed founded upon sincerity and those good words allowing them to reach towards the stages of Closeness with Allah. So for the one whose sincerity in his deed is perfect, then the ranks of his words which are raised towards Allah Subhanahu are the highest and the most supreme to Him.

 

50. The Prayer of Tahajjud

 

‏وَمِنَ ٱلَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِۦ نَافِلَةًۭ لَّكَ

 

And rise from your sleep and pray during the part of the night and extra voluntary prayer,

it may be well that your Lord will raise you (to) a station praiseworthy.

Surah Al Isra’, Verse 79

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

Wa: And if you want even more closeness (to Allah) and blessings, then awaken your heart and body, in the last part…

 

Min al layli: of the night and leave sleep out of desire for the Pleasure of Allah…

 

Fatahajjad bihi: and pray the Prayer of Tahajjud, prolonging your recitation in it so it becomes…

 

Nafilatan: extra…

 

Laka: than the dutied prayers for you. It will increase your Closeness and your honour (before your Lord).

 

51. Seek help through prayer and patience

 

‏وَٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ ۚ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلْخَشِعِينَ

 

And seek help through patience and the prayer.

And indeed it is surely difficult, except for those who are humble.

Surah Al Baqarah, Verse 45

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

Wa: And so Allah commands to ask for help through them both (prayer and patience)…

 

Asta’ino: with (tawajju) focus upon Him and (taqarrab) achieving nearness to Him…

 

Bis sabr: with control of that which creates lust in the body and that which causes attraction to the world…

 

Wa salat: and instead incline yourself towards the focus and the nearness and turn away from everything except Allah. Don’t ignore this Command and don’t take it lightly.

 

Wa innaha la kabeera: Indeed this (turning towards Allah) is heavy and burdensome upon everyone…

 

Illa ala al-Khashiyeen: except the ones whose hearts are in prostration.

 

52. Who are the Khashiyeen? – The ones whose hearts are in prostration

 

‏ٱلَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُم مُّلَقُوا۟ رَبِّهِمْ وَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِ رَجِعُونَ ‎

 

(They are) the ones who believe they will meet their Lord and that they will return to Him.

Surah Al Baqarah, Verse 46

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

Alladeena: They (the Kashiyeen) are the ones who lift the grime of other-ness (from Allah) from the eye (of the heart). And drop the blemish of duality to attain clarity.

 

Yadunoona annahum mulaqu Rabbihim: They believe in the meeting with their Lord in this life because they worship him as if they see Him.

 

Wa: And they know with certainty…

 

Annahum ilayhi: they will, without doubt, towards Him and no one except Him, because there is no one in existence except Him…

 

Raji’oon: return, making their abode in the Hereafter.

 

Then he (Ghaus Pak (ra)) prays: Please Dear Lord, Make us of the one who follow these people and love these people - (who possess certainty of their return to You and worship You as if they see You and make their abode the Hereafter).

 

53. Man is created Weak

 

‏يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ أَن يُخَفِّفَ عَنكُمْ ۚ وَخُلِقَ ٱلْإِنسَنُ ضَعِيفًۭا

 

Allah wishes to lighten your burdens because Man has been created weak.

Surah An-Nisa, Verse 28

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

Yureed Allah u: Allah wishes, as The One who manages your affairs,…

 

Ayyukhaffifa ankum: that He makes it light for you, the ones who are believers – the Momineen - the burdens you carry. For these (burdens) are the reasons for your needs and your state of being dependent on the world.

 

Wa: And the condition is that…

 

Khuliq al Insaan: Man is created, in his original nature…

 

Daeefan: weak. He cannot carry the burden of being needful of the world, just like other animals.

 

Then Ghaus Pak (ra) prays: Dear Lord, Make light for us the weight of our sins by Your Bounty and remove from us the evilness of evils by virtue of Your Generosity and grant us the life of the ones that were devoted to You.

 

54. Man was created in hardship

 

‏لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَنَ فِى كَبَدٍ ‎

 

Certainly, we have created Man to be in hardship.

Surah Al Balad, Verse 4

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

And overall, Allah takes oaths upon so many things (Verses 1-3) because

 

Laqad khalaqnal insaana: Surely, We created Man and revealed his life in this world, to be buried…

 

Fi kabad: in extensive exhaustion and toil, which makes busy his entire external physical being as well as his internal organs so much that (that life) envelops all his internal and external parts. This is caused by the needs of his livelihood and its means.

 

Thus he becomes distracted from Allah and because of those needs, he leaves the affairs of his return to Him. Then begins the gathering of money and the collection of fuel and sins which make him distant from Al Hakeen Al Allaam, The Wise and All Knowing Lord.

 

So he becomes so intensely busy with this world, forgetting the Afterlife and his feet slip from the Path of His Lord.

 

55-57: Time

 

‏وَٱلْعَصْرِ

‏إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَنَ لَفِى خُسْرٍ ‎

‏إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّلِحَتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ ‎

 

The human being is surely in a state of loss

Except those who believe and do righteous deeds and enjoin (each other) to the truth and enjoin (each other) to [the] patience.

Surah Al-Asr, Verses 1-3

 

Wal Asr: Then Allah Suban Ta’ala takes an oath upon time and the ages, the meaning of which is about the Eternal Essence of Allah, from the beginning till the end, timeless and everlasting.

 

Innal Insaana: Indeed, the human being, created such to have a natural propensity towards the nature of ma’rifa, the Recognition of God and imaan, faith according to the his share of the Lahoot, the Realm of the Divine where there is no time and space…

 

Lafe khusr: is in a state of loss, immense and humiliating failure, as a result of their busyiness in that which is useless due to the requirements (and needs) of his physical being, as related to his share of the world of Nasoot, the life in this world.

 

Illa: Except the Muqinoon, those who possess inner certainty…

Alladina Aamami: about the One-ness of Allah Subhan Ta’ala and are conscious, through their steadfastness, in their behaviour continuously in His Kingdom and about His Authority.

 

Wa: And with this faith and certainty…

 

Amilos Sualihaat: they do good deeds which points towards their ikhas, sincerity and their yaqeen, absolute conviction, and niyyat, intention.

 

Wa: And in this condition…

 

Tawasau bil Haq: they enjoin each other towards the Path of God and His One-ness…

 

Wa tawasau: and they also enjoin each other…

 

Bis sabr: towards patience for the practice of matters that require obedience and (patience towards) their tiredness from striving hard and (patience towards) from what they suffer as a result of cutting themselves off from their love of the world and (patience towards) leaving their animalistic desires which are attached to human nature.

 

Then Ghaus Pak (ra) prays: May Allah grant us the ability to be rid of and cut off (from these desires).

  

58. And you (O Beloved (peace be upon you)) indeed, possess the Best of Manners

 

‏وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍۢ ‎

 

And truly you possess the most outstanding manners.

Surah Al Qalm, Verse 4

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

Wa Innaka: Indeed you, O beloved (peace be upon you), who are the personification of the most perfected adoption of Allah’s Akhlaq, Etiquette and Attributes, and proved to be the most truthful and steadfast in fulfilling your friendship with Allah and in being the most exemplary Vice-regent,…

 

La’ala khuliqin azeem: possess the most excellent of manners. No one’s akhlaq, behavior, is better than yours because you have gathered and brought together the etiquettes of all the ones before and all the ones after, in line with the ranks you were granted, which are the most exalted (of anyone in existence).

 

Ikhlas

 

الإخلاص سر من سري استودعته قلب من أحببت من عبادي

 

And Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that Allah Ta’ala said:

 

“Ikhlas, sincerity, is a secret from My Secrets

and I place it in the heart of my servant who is my beloved.”

 

Ikhlas (sincerity) of intention, action and then perseverance on it is the highest station of love and servitude to God. Ikhlas is defined and explained as:

 

• The honourable `arif and the wise wayfarer, Khwajah `Abd Allah al Ansari (qs) says: “Ikhlas means purging action of all impurities.” And the ‘impurities’ mean desire to please oneself and other creatures.

 

• The great scholar Shaykh al-Baha'i (ra) has narrated that the people of the heart (those who love Allah by heart) say that: "Ikhlas means keeping action free from other than God having a role in it and that the performer of an action should not desire any reward for it in the world and the Hereafter."

 

Ikhlas is subsequent to action

 

One must exercise vigilance as it some¬times happens that man carries out an action faultlessly without any shortcoming and performs it without riya' (showing off) or `ujb (self-love) but after the action he becomes afflicted with riya' through mentioning it to others, as pointed out in the following noble hadith:

 

• Imam al Baqir (a) said: "Perseverance in an action is more difficult than the act itself."

 

He was asked, "What is meant by perseverance in action?"

 

He (a) replied, "A man does some kindness to a relative or expends something for the sake of God, Who is One and has no partner. Thereupon the reward of a good deed performed secretly is written for him.

 

Later, he mentions it to someone and that which was written earlier is wiped out and instead the reward of a good deed performed openly is written for him. Later, when he makes a mention of it again, the vice of riya' (showing off) is written for him (instead of the reward written earlier)."

 

The Reality of Action is Intention

 

• It is the sincere intention and pure purpose on which depend the perfection or defectiveness of 'ibadat (worships) and thus their validity or invalidity. Spiritual traits constitute the soul's primary character and intentions, to which actions are subservient, making up its secondary character. And as long as self love remains in the heart and a person remains in the oppressive habitat of the self, he is not a wayfarer toward God (musafir ila Allah); rather, he is one of those who cling to the earth (mukhalladun ila al 'ard).

 

Shirk in `ibadah' that encompasses all its levels is the inclusion of the good pleasure and satisfaction of anyone other than God, whether it is one's own self or someone else. If it is for someone else's satisfaction and for people, it is outward shirk and fiqhi riya'.

 

If it is for one's own satisfaction (rida), it is hidden and inward shirk. In view of the `urafa' (gnostics) this also invalidates the 'ibadah and makes it unacceptable to God. Examples of it are offering the nightly prayer (tahajjud) for increase in one's livelihood, or giving zakat for increase in one's wealth;

 

Although those 'ibadat are valid, and one who performs them is considered to have performed his duty and fulfilled the require¬ments of the shari'ah, they do not amount to the sincere worship of God Almighty, nor are they characterized with sincerity of intention and purity of purpose. Rather, this kind of 'ibadat are aimed to achieve mundane purposes and to seek the objects of lowly desires. Hence the acts of such a person are not rightful.

 

The Steps to Learning

 

And it was indicated to me to read the hadith such that these are the means to gain knowledge not that of the world but of the self.

 

جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى رَسُولِ اَللَّهِ صَلَّى اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اَللَّهِ مَا اَلْعِلْمُ

قَالَ اَلْإِنْصَاتُ

قَالَ ثُمَّ مَهْ

قَالَ اَلاِسْتِمَاعُ

قَالَ ثُمَّ مَهْ

قَالَ اَلْحِفْظُ

قَالَ ثُمَّ مَهْ

قَالَ اَلْعَمَلُ بِهِ

قَالَ ثُمَّ مَهْ يَا رَسُولَ اَللَّهِ

قَالَ نَشْرُهُ

 

The Prophet of God (peace be upon him) was asked:

 

“What is Knowledge?” He replied: “To keep silent”.

 

He was asked: “Then?” He said: “To listen.”

 

He was asked: “Then?” He said: “To remember.”

 

He was asked: “Then?” He said: “To act upon (what is learned).”

 

He was asked: “Then?” He said: “To propagate.”

 

[Ref: Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 2, pg. 28]

 

Said the wise:

 

اَلحِفْظُ فِى الصِّغَرِ كَالنَّقْشِ عَلَى الْحَجَرِ وَ الْحِفْظُ فِى الْكِبَرِ كَالْكِتَابَةِ عَلَى الْمَاءِ

 

''Learning something during one's youth is like engraving in stone,

and learning something when one is old is like writing on the surface of water.’’

 

[Ref : Bihar al-Anwar, v. 1, p. 222, no. 6]

 

The Child

 

The Prophet of God (peace be upon him) said:

 

إنَّ لِكُلِّ شَجَرَةٍ ثَمَرَةً ، وثَمَرَةُ القَلْبِ الوَلَدُ

 

“For every tree there is a fruit and the fruit of the heart is the child.”

 

[Ref: Kanz al-`Ummal, no. 45415]

  

Ghaus Pak (ra) in Al Fath Ar Rabbani:

 

“An incident goes that the people of Bani Israel once were faced with a suffering. They gathered and went to the Prophet of their time. ‘What can we do, O Nabi (as)?’ they asked him. “What is the deed that will please Allah and it becomes the means to deliver us from our hardship?”

 

The Prophet (as) prayed to Allah to unveil to him what that deed would be.

 

Allah Subhan a Ta’ala revealed to his Prophet (as), “Tell them! If you seek My Pleasure, become a cause to bring happiness to the needy. Thus if you bring ease to them, in their happiness I will become pleased with you. And if you displease them, I will remain displeased with you.”

 

59. If you love God, follow me

 

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ

وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

 

Say (O Prophet (peace be upon you)), "If you love God, follow me and God will love you

and forgive you your sins for God is Much-Forgiving, a Dispenser of Grace."

Surah Aal e Imran, Verse 31

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

Qul: Say, O Beloved (peace be upon you), who has been created to reflect Our Appearance, who has been shaped according to the collective standards of Our Names and Attributes, who has been made so as to acquire all of Our Manner, (say) to the one who you wish to guide and make them reach a certain status from amongst Creation…

 

In kuntum: “If you, O one who is wayward and drowning in the sea of heedlessness and being astray,

 

Tuhuboon Allaha: claim love for God, The One who brought you into appearance from nothingness, and you want to focus towards His Being and you want to be in good standing at His Door…

 

Fattabi’ouni: follow me, because it is His Command and His Order…

 

Yuhbibkum Allahu: and Allah will love you i.e. He will allow you nearness of His Essence and He will make you reach the Honour of meeting Him…

 

Wa yaghfir: And He will hide and make disappear…

 

Lakum: for you, from your outer and inner eyes,…

 

Dhunubukum: your sins, which cause you to be veiled from the witnessing of the Beauty of Allah and His Magnificence and the vision of His Names and Attributes.

 

Wallahu: Allah is The Only Guide for you towards Sirat e Tauheed, the Path of His One-ness.

 

Ghafur: And He is Most Forgiving for you, lifting the barriers that prevent you from gaining closeness to Him.

 

Rahim: And Most Affectionate towards you making you reach towards what you desire eagerly.

 

60. Allah is Sufficient for you and the believers who follow you

 

‏يَٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ حَسْبُكَ ٱللَّهُ وَمَنِ ٱتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ‎

 

O Prophet (peace be upon you), Allah is Sufficient for you and those of the believers who follow you.

Surah Al Anfal, Verse 64

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

Ya Ayyuha Nabi: O Communicator of the Hidden (peace be upon you), the one who has been succored by Allah with His Help and victory against the enemies…

 

Hasabaka Allahu: only your Lord is Sufficient for you, who is the Disposer of your affairs…

 

Wa man attaba’ka: and (He is Sifficient) for the one who is obedient to you by the Permission of Allah and His Will…

 

Min al Mo’mineen: from amongst the believers, the ones who possess certainty in the One-ness of Allah, Al Mo’qineen, the ones who are fulfillers of their promises, Al Muwaffaween, the ones who are striving hard and struggling, in His Way, Al Badileen.

  

61. Indeed I am Me, Allah

 

‏إِنَّنِىٓ أَنَا ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَهَ إِلَّآ أَنَا۠ فَٱعْبُدْنِى وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ لِذِكْرِىٓ ‎

 

Indeed, only I am Allah. (There is) no god but I, so worship Me

and establish the prayer for My remembrance.

Surah Taha, Verse 14

 

So let the people know from Me, as My Vice-regent,

 

Innani ana Allah: Indeed, only I am Allah, The Only One, The All Encompassing, gathering all the Ranks and Names.

 

La ilaha: There is no one else who is The Gatherer of these ranks…

 

Illa ana: except Me, The Possessor of All Things, The One Worthy of obedience and being bound by…

 

Fa’budni: so that you worship Me as is rightful of My Worship i.e. with the best of etiquette with Me by being in your manners as My Manners.

 

Wa iqm as-salat: And always be inclined with all your (physical and spiritual) parts…

 

Li dikri: with conscious concentration upon Me with all your (inner and outer) parts so that you can remember Me with all of them and express your gratitude to Me with all of them, till I unveil for you (all your veils), from every part of you, such that I become your hearing and your sight and your body and your feet and everything else in your parts until the Hour of Resurrection comes upon you.

 

And you stand up in front of your Lord and you find your abode in Jannat al Mawa, near Sidrat ul Muntaha, the Lote Tree, where lies the climax of ascension, the ending of your ascent in moving upwards and your advancement.

 

62. The Breaking of the Pact

 

‏بَرَآءَةٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ عَهَدتُّم مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ

 

The disavowal from obligations by Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) from the covenant with the idolators.

Surah Tauba, Verse 1

 

Commentary by Hazrat Najmuddin Kubra (ra) on the verse:

 

The symbolic meaning of the verse is this: The mushrikeen, the idolator, is the wayward and polytheist nafs, the base self, who made desires its lord and master and began to worship the idols of the world. When a person is in their early years, the ruh and qalb, the soul and the heart within the heart which is the Station of Recognition of Allah, made a pact with the nafs.

 

The terms of it being that the ruh and the qalb will not fight and kill the nafs until the person reaches maturity. Similarly, the nafs also makes a pact not to instigate problems with the ruh and the qalb so that the bodily skeleton reaches complete maturity and the physical strength is attained at its peak, which carry the burden of Allah’s Trust and become watchful of Islamic Jurisprudence, the Shari’a.

 

In this time, the aql, the intellect, the power to reason and reflect, becomes strong which can then accept the invitation of Truth and have the ability to answer it. It is this aql that allows the recognition of the Prophets and their miracles. And it is through this aql that the proof of the Presence of Allah is established and it understands the compulsion of His Worship in order to express gratitude towards Him for His Blessings.

Indeed, Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) withdraw from the pact after maturity is gained.

 

Because Man broke the pact which was between the nafs and the ruh and the qalb. Before maturity was gained, the nafs was only focused on eating, drinking and clothing itself so that the body can develop and all its needs are met. To this extent, there was no problem for the ruh and the qalb from the nafs. But once maturity was gained, lust and desires became added to these needs.

 

When the lust appeared along with the need for food and drink, its destruction, created physical desires for a mate. When that lust was aroused and started tempting the body, the qalb and the ruh began to become weak. This was the fatal disease for which the Prophets were sent so as to dispel it.

 

انما بعثت لرفع العادات و ترک الشھوات

 

Just like Nabi Kareem (peace be upon said),

“I have been sent to end the ways of ignorance and to prevail over the desires of lust.”

 

63. God bears Witness that there is no god but Him.

 

‏شَهِدَ ٱللَّهُ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَٱلْمَلَٓئِكَةُ وَأُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمِ قَآئِمًۢا بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۚ

لَآ إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ‎

 

God bears witness that there is no god but Him.

And so do the angels and all who are endowed with knowledge and He is the Upholder of Justice.

There is no God except Him, the All-Mighty and the Truly Wise.

Surah Aal e Imran, Verse 8

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

Shahid Allah: Allah bears witness Himself for His Self that, without doubt, He is…

 

Annahu la ilaha: The Only One Present and there is no being except His and there is nothing else and there is no reality and nor will there be any presence, being or reality and there is nothing lasting…

 

Illa hu: except Him Who is, in fact, The Only One Ever-Living with Truth, The Only One who is the Sustainer of All Existence, The One Alone forever, there is nothing except Him.

Wa: And in the way He proffers evidence about Himself…

 

Al-Malaikatu: so do the angels, which are His Perfect Names and Attributes which exist with the existence of His Essence, because everything is in existence because of His Existence, Unchanging and there is no Authority to resort to except for His.

 

Wa: And in the way that He proffers evidence about Himself…

Ulol ilm: so do the people who were given knowledge, who are from amongst the phenomenon of Creation (created) upon His Appearance that is nourished by His Attributes and His Names. And indeed, the witnessing of each thing is a returning towards His Witnessing so it is as if everything…

 

Qaiman: is made to be forever (because He has made it everlasting)…

 

Bil qist: with His Justice extended across the surface of the Universe from the beginning till the end because…

 

La ilaha: there is nothing that makes a thing appear…

 

Illa huwal Aziz: except The One who is Dominant, All Powerful

upon making all things appear…

 

Al Hakeem: The One who is Perfect in its nurturing and its management, these witnesses say with obedience and with love after they become steadfast in the rank of being worshippers.

  

64. This religion was made according to your nature

 

‏فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًۭا ۚ فِطْرَتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِى فَطَرَ ٱلنَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا ۚ

لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ

ذَلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ‎

 

So set your face steadfastly to the faith, upright, made by Allah according to the nature Mankind was created upon.

There is no changing God’s Creation.

That is the correct religion but most people do not know it.

Surah Ar-Rum, Verse 30

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

And after you heard, O Messenger who completes the Message (peace be upon you), that guidance and being astray, indeed, both are entrusted to Me, The Greatest, The Most Exalted…

 

Faiqm wajhaka: be steadfast and firmly rooted by the focus of your heart, which is a special bestowing from Allah upon you, perfecting your perfection and purifying you from your limitations of being mortal and the shackles of your nature, so that you can reach the Place of One-ness, which is what you have been created for…

 

Liddini: in the religion that was sent upon you from your Lord, to teach you manners (ta’deebun) O Messenger who completes The Message (peace be upon you), and the ones who follow you and to reform your state (islaha-ka) and the states of your followers…

 

Haneefan: so you are the ones who turn away from the religions of falsehood and untrue perceptions in entirety. And be certain, O Messenger who completes The Message (peace be upon you), that indeed…

 

Fitratallaha allati fatarn naasa aliyha: this is the nature established by Allah upon which He has created Mankind and (the nature) set-up by Allah upon which they have been born, originally moulded, which stays in them forever because…

 

La tabdeela: it does not alter and it does not change and it does not transform…

 

Likhalq illah: Allah’s Creation. The One who is All-Wise, All Knowing and His Planning, which is set-up according to His Knowledge and Wisdom as He says, “My Decree does not change - Surah Qaf/29”…

 

Dalika Adeeno: this is the religion that was sent upon you from your Lord, O Messenger who completes The Message (peace be upon you), for safeguarding the original nature, mentioned above. This is the religion…

 

Al Qayyum: that is the Path that is straight, moderate and steadfast, which will connect to the One-ness of Allah, through this Path which is upright without crookedness and inclinations.

 

Wa liknna akthar anaasi: But most people, who have been created upon inability to be attentive and are forgetful…

 

La yalamoon: do not know the reality of this religion. And they do not understand its uprightness and its connection with Allah’s One-ness. So it is dutied upon you all, who follow the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), that you accept the faith and are obedient in everything from that Allah commands and that which He forbids you from.

 

66. What you want (in goodness) is only that which Allah wills

 

‏وَمَا تَشَآءُونَ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّ ٱلْعَلَمِينَ

 

And you cannot will it unless Allah wills it.

Surah At-Takwir, Verse 29

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Wa: And the end of this chapter is this, that indeed…

 

Ma tasha’oona: what you will and what you choose in the way of your conscience and guidance for yourselves…

 

Illa ayyasha Allahu: is not except that which Allah wills for your guidance and gives you ability for with steadfastness and morality, as a favour upon you and His Bounty.

 

Because the deeds performed by you in your routine are only coming from Allah, generated by Him in their origin, because He is the Only One, Glory be to Him…

 

Rabbul Alimeen: The Sustainer of the Universe. There is no Sustainer present except Him and there is no Disposer of Affairs in the apparent realms except Him. And the demand of His Nurturing and making perfect and complete is fulfilled by guiding His Servants and granting them ability towards that which is best for them and what is the most suitable for their situation.

 

Then Ghaus Pak (ra) prays: “Dear Allah! Give us ability to do, by Your Bounty and Your Munificence, that which You love and that which pleases You from us, O Our Protector!

 

Continued at flickr.com/photos/42093313@N00/51722302249/in/dateposted-...

 

The HUGE amount of text to follow here is mainly for my own reference (because I'm having some memory issues at the moment and really don't want to forget this, plus I need to work out the order things happened cause my head was in a rather thick fog at the time....)

I'm writing this like I'm explaining it to you, well because I thought it would make more sense than me just talking to myself... And who knows, it may be of some interest to you if immersive theatre is your kind of thing..........

 

This Saturday saw my return to Temple studios in Paddington for my second visit to Punchdrunks The Drowned Man

 

On my previous visit, I had no idea what the hell was happening!

We were handed white masks, bundled into a lift, told this was a wrap party for the filming of 'the drowned man' and then the lift doors opened and we were let loose.

As soon as we stepped out of the lift we were greeted with the most chilling music that actually made every single one of my hairs stand up on end.

And there we were...

Alone in a dark hall way....

Not knowing where to go or what to do.

We spent most of the first hour rummaging around the set/studio. Wandering (and wondering) around film sets, prosthetic room, wig rooms, Dr's office, cinema, motel rooms, shops in a town, mirror mazes, pitch black mazes, woods, caravan parks (complete with caravans) a masonic temple, a bloody desert!

(I shit you not, this place in it's self is a farking epic! master piece)

We roamed in and out of dark room, full of objects, scripts and pieces of information.

Information we didn't have a clue about...

But saying that, even as bunch of numpties fumbling their way through the dark, trying to piece together clues to a story we knew next to nothing about, the details and attention taken to create this amazingly intricate 4 store set was not lost on us.

We took in every sight, sound and smell around us. And as we continued on our masked journey we slowly started to run into the members of the cast.

The only unmasked people around...

 

That trip I took in various snippets of scenes. The fool and Lila, the psychotic seamstress (with a Frankie fetish), Frankie, the evil Dr doing his experiments on people. A fair bit of story line from Ramola, Faye, Dwayne, Miguel and the ill fated Marshall and Wendy.

But with all the exploring we had done I still didn't have a bloody clue what the hell was going on!

And of course when I came out after the finale, where I'd seen just how many characters I'd missed out on, I knew I had to go back.

I had to know more about what the hell was going on in that place!

I started searching the interweb on the train ride home.

I found various bits of information about the story lines going on within temple studio. Partly based on The day of the locusts and Woyzeck. (yep...read em both)

Then I found the spoiler group on facebook. And that was me hooked!

 

I booked my next show.

 

Sadly because I got ill I had to postpone until last weekend (which is probably lucky or else I know I would have tried to fit in a 3rd maybe a 4th visit before it closes it's doors next week.... (yes...it's THAT good!) )

And of course because the way I am physically (and mentally) affected at the moment, I now had to take into account that running up and down 3 flights of stairs trying to follow characters would probably fucking kill me (or kick off the paralysis....not sexy at all.)

 

Running up to the weekend just gone I was on the hunt for information. Without wanting to know too much. But still needing to know more.

In simple terms, the whole story line is an hour long. Then it resets, runs for another hour and resets a final time before the big finale.

That gave me time to work out which parts I was interested in seeing.

Funnily enough I wasn't interested in pursuing the 4 main characters William and Mary (William kills Mary for her infidelity) and Wendy and Marshall (Wendy kills Marshall for his infidelity)

You're given a card at the beginning with their story line on it, so I kinda knew that part all ready.

But there were 2 certain dance scenes that were kind of the main scenes for those character, that also involved a lot of the cast so I figured those were a good place to start.

If I could make it to the Orgy for one loop where Wendy kills Marshall, and then to the hoedown for the second loop I'd see Mary cheating on William as well

Ta da a plan of attack!

(3rd loops just mill around and rest....)

So I went to the 5000 strong group of spoilers (some of whom have been over 30 times!!!!) and asked which characters I could follow that wouldn't be too energetic for me (no way I was I gonna miss this last visit because my damn brain fucking hates me! Screw you brain!!!!!)

And with their help I had a set route and characters to follow.

 

Saturday arrived and I woke up feeling like shit.

My heart was feeling really tight in my chest (don't know why it does that, but it does) my speech was fucked and my left hand side was not in the mood to function without great effort (and pain)

Great..... Just what I need......

I then spent the rest of the day trying to chill the fuck out.

I became a master of Zen.

I meditated like a bad ass mother fucker!

I became completely anti social and drowned the world out with the most chilled music I could get my mitts on.

And you know what...

I actually worked!

By the time it was time to head to Paddington I was pretty functional.

Ok, so my head was cloudy as fuck. My speech was painfully slow and my left arm still ached.... I owned the underground that day!

I owned sitting on the floor while queuing.

And despite my heart pounding away in my chest (nerves I guess?) I made it in! :D

 

I have my plan. I'm going to get out of the lift, head to the town and follow the green grocer.

Only the lift takes us to the basement....

DAMN!

That's 2 flights of stairs I need to get up!!!

Rushing is just not an option at this point.

I head into the masonic temple. And there are weird masked people (not with masks like we have on, weird bald headed mask, kind of like the president masks in point break)

And then there is Stanford.

The head of the studio.

If I were such a spaz I'd be following him cause he is pure evil! And dark personalities have always intrigued me...

I may as well stick around and see whats going on.

The 3 masked people have baseball bats and are dancing around the black and white checkered floor harassing Frankie (the studio's up and coming star)

They start beating him, shove an orange in his mouth and as the music reaches it's crescendo Stanford pulls out and gun, shoves it in Frankie's face and.......

They all laugh.

This is Frankie's initiation into the evil that is temple studio.

YAY! I'd actually really wanted to see that scene because those masked characters appear on the guide book(?) thingie. Ha ha ha!

I decide I'll make my way up to the 2nd floor and see if I can play catch up with the grocer who I need to follow for the Hoedown.

On my way towards the town I run into (quite literally as he was storming towards me) a man in a suit (no mask)

No one is following him....

SCORE!

I whole actor to myself!!!!!!!!

(this is hard to find especially later on with the amount of people around)

Now I haven't mentioned yet that the characters interact with the white masked audience. We had witnessed it the first show, when the Dr took a woman into the room and locked the door on all her friends. And when the toy shop owner did the same

Which is why I'm so excited to have this dude (whoever he is) all to myself.

Who knows... Maybe I'll get lucky and land a bit of interaction with him...?

I follow him into the board room

He has a collection of pictures of Frankie with him and spreads them all over the table where he dances and writhes around on top of them.

When he is done he tidies them up and then stares me straight in the eye.

He looks kind of pissed at me, like I'm there invading his private moment.

As he slowly moves around the room he is still holding my gaze (I feel like I'm in a stare out, no way I'm looking away first! Even though he is very intimidating)

He exits and I'm right behind him striding down the corridors.

 

Holy crap he is bloody fast!

Uh oh....

 

From this moment on my mind has blurred all the events into a kind of mash of happening, so I'm using a cheat sheet for his loop to help me piece it all back together in order....

 

We go into a studio and he watches Frankie and Andrea dancing/auditioning, then somehow (and I can't quite remember how) we are chasing Frankie down the stairs, where suited man seems to sexually harass Frankie, who eventually gives in and the pair full on snog at the bottom of the stairs right under a spotlight (perfectly timed and positioned if I say so myself!)

Then we're back in the masonic temple for the orgy. Oh my gosh I LOVED this scene!

The choreography and music are amazing!

It's a good scene to see as it help me figure out the cast members I don't know the names of.

Delores seduces Marshall as Wendy watches on horrified.

When the orgy is done and the other characters have left the suited man tries to seduce Frankie again, and seems to spurn him this time.

So that's that, we're off at a trot again (fuck it, I'm not giving up now!)

He leads us (cause I'm not alone with him anymore. Other white masks have joined us) to a corridor with head shots of the 'stars' all over the floor.

He stops and has a little dance over them, then we're off to a room full of the head shots with their eyes cut out. (cause that's not creepy at all.....)

He's looking really fucked off now.

He find a picture of Frankie.

He comes towards me and places the picture up against my mask and starts to slow rip it.....

When he rips it down past my eye I can see that he is right up against me, his face nearly touching my mask.....

His eyes are intensely staring into mine again and he looks crazed!!!!

Yet again I dare not blink, or take my eyes from his.

He takes the ripped up picture and stuff it in my pocket.

 

Then we're off again!

By now I am so hyper reflexive that EVERY little noise is making me jump. Even the ones I can see coming (like doors opening and closing. It's mental!)

My heart is BANGING double time in my chest and I'm vaguely aware my left arm hurts.

I'm guessing my speech has fucked off my this point, but that's cool cause we're supposed to be silent the whole time, so who cares!

My head is so fuzzy the whole thing feels like a dream. Like I'm somewhere else watching what is going on.

 

We're in the snow set now (I forgot to mention earlier there is bloody snow as well! They have EVERYTHING in this place!)

He's watching Andrea dance. (She's Wendy's friend I think)

He goes up the snow hill through an open door and behind a wall where I can't see him.

I honestly thought I'd lost him at this point.

And have to admit I felt a little sad.

But no!

He's still in that little snow filled room, standing in front of a bright light, making the huge shadow of his hand move slowly and menacingly towards Andrea who's laid on the floor.

He comes back down, picks her up and takes her off to the dressing room.

I remember being in the dressing room, seeing the fool from the corner of my eye, but for the life of me can't remember what the hell he did in there.

It may have been where he gave Andrea and Wendy the invite to the orgy (insuring that Wendy see's Marshall infidelity with Delores)

Damn.

Such a shame I can't remember.

 

Now we're in the casting office with Alice Estee. And finally I learn that he is in fact Claude Estee (her husband I'm guessing)

The pair of them are characters taken from The day of the locust and dropped into the world of temple studio.

They are an evil pair, who are laughing and joking about the fact that they are rooting through piles of head shots dismissing almost all of them.

Until they get to Frankie.

They seem to really LOVE him.

After they have done a very cleverly choreographed chair dance, he heads out into the hall way off somewhere else.

And of course I'm hot on his heels.

He suddenly stops.

Turns and makes eye contact with me again.

He starts slowly moving towards me, holding my gaze all the while.

He pushed me up against the wall.

His face right up to mine.

His eyes burning into mine again

All I can think is 'damn it Elana, unfold you hands, they're going to be touching his balls if he gets any closer!!!!'

I manage to get them unfolded and down by my side just in time as he then pins me against the wall, puts his lips right on my ear and hisses something about me having talent, and that I should come find him later...

Makes all my hairs stand on end.....

Damn!

He pressed himself against me so hard he left a sweat patch behind!

maybe I should have grabbed his balls after all! ha ha ha ha ha!

 

And just like that he turns away, and we're off again.

 

This time he's with Stanford.

The pair look so threatening together as poor Faye comes in for an audition (I met Faye a few times last visit and she's quite a big part of The day of the locust)

I actually feel quite sorry for her, which is odd because before I didn't really like her as she was such a tease and rather irritating wanna be (even more so in the book!)

But the presence of the evil, unblinking, poker faced Stanford and the lecherous Claude makes me feel for the poor girl.

 

yep... I'm getting right into this story line now!

 

I guess Stanford and Faye leave, cause now it's Claude's turn in the big bosses chair.

He goes straight for me again, with those penetrating eyes

(I swear he could see me blushing under my mask he was staring that hard!)

He motions for me to move into the middle of the room (which is surrounded by white masks most of whom were watching the last scene)

He then motions for me to turn around.

Ha ha ha ha!

Cause I'm not already dizzy as fuck, hyper reflexive and completely fuzzy headed.

I make a rather lame attempt at giving him a twirl (which is more of a shuffle round in a rather lame circle)

He gets up, comes right up to me so his lips are once again on my ear and whispers 'I remember you.... You've got talent'

Seriously, he is such a slimy character and played so well it made me shudder!

While I recover from my public humiliation (damn I wish I'd put a bit more effort into that twirl....) Andrea comes in for her audition.

William is there as well, and Claude (still in the bosses chair) watches them audition for a scene that is dictated by the amazing disembodied voice of Stanford (even when that man's not present somewhere, he still manages to be everywhere.....)

 

We're in a hallway again and Claude bumps into the Dr and they have a pill together.

(Cause why the hell not I suppose, guess they are all into the drugging thing together)

Then we're off to the dressing room again.

Delores is in there and she and Claude do a little dance number. Which ends in him mocking her and telling her that she's getting old.

Off to another part of the set, where Alice is with Frankie auditioning him.

The 3 of them do a dance number.

I miss nearly the whole thing because there are LOADS of people and I'm way to short to see over their heads. So I sit it out.

After that Claude and Alice ask Frankie if he wants to meet the boss.

They rush down the stairs.

Claude disappears into a room and materialize

wearing the creepy point break mask just as the rest music sounds telling me I've just unknowingly and unintentionally followed his whole loop!

And a hell of a loop it was as well.

 

I oh so slowly make my way up their two flights of stairs to seek out the town where I know I can go sit and watch the drugstore girl for a bit. (Kinda hoping she'll offer me a drink cause I feel like I'm going to die!!!!)

 

In the town I finally find the drugstore (totally missed it first time round)

She's there behind the counter so I park my arse on a stool and watch her for a bit.

She's reading a script, I would read it, but my brain is beyond fucked now.

I'd be surprised if I'd manage to read the first line of it!

She heads out of the drugstore, I figure I'll follow. (I've sat down long enough, and if I stop any longer I'll start noticing my symptoms kicking in)

As luck would have it she goes to see the grocer and gives him an invite to the hoe down.

I'm guessing he got ready and went straight there (cause I'm fucked if I can remember him doing anything else)

And there we have the hoedown. Another beautifully choreographed scene with kick ass music!

William see's Mary cheating on him with Dwayne goes a little mental.

I'm wanting low impact after Claude's loop, so follow the grocers back to his store.

Back in his shop he turns to me.

Stares at me long and hard and then hold out his hand for me to take.

He leads me into his back room and locks the door behind us.

Pushes me against the door and fiddles about for a bit, before taking me around the shoulders and leading me through a low dark tunnel.

He sits me down and takes my mask off.

He then hands me a script to read (ahahahahaha! Are you kidding me, My brain stop cooperating waaaaay back with bloody Claude)

I manage to read the first few line.

I could be hallucinating at this point, but I'm pretty sure there is a voice (Stanford maybe) narrating what he is doing and what he is doing is exactly what's in the script....

My mind is fucked anyway so I just give up on pretending to read whats on the script.

He sits opposite me and takes my hands.

He starts to tell me a sad story about a boy who had a dream his mother died and he was left with his cruel father.

He seems really heart broken so I assume he is telling me his story.

He leans forward and gives me a really long sweaty hug.

I feel for the bloke so I give him a hug back and do the whole 'there, there' back pat thing (he's upset, what else was I gonna do, offer him a kleenex from my bra?)

Can't fucking remember the rest of what he said, but as he lead me back out of the dark tunnel he said some more stuff. Told me that his name is Eugene and that this is all a dream. They are stuck inside a dream and not to get stuck too.....

Which ties in with something the fool had said about it all being a dream when I saw him with Lila the first time round.

 

Fuck me, the old wheels started turning after that!

 

After he emerges out of the room he lead me into I follow him to the drugstore where he has a script for the drugstore girl.

They sit down and read it together.

They are acting out what is on the script and what is on the script is being said by the voice of (Stamford again) they repeat the scene over and over again and both seem to realize that they are trapped inside this loop.

Both aware yet unable to stop doing what is in the script and what Stanford is saying!

The drugstore girl gets up goes over to the phone box and falls down dead (of an overdoes apparently)

Eugene sadly and knowingly walks over moves her body (as he has done a thousand times before) and leaves.

 

He leads us downstairs to the birthday tent in the woods.

Where he strips down to his underwear.

Plus out a red sequin dress, wig, heels and red lipstick and starts to dress himself up.

He puts the red lipstick on and takes me hand. Plus me close and kisses my mask.

Just then Delores and Frankie turn up.

It's Delores's birthday and Eugene is the entertainment. Impersonating her.

Wendy and Marshall rock up to the party as well.

Eugene gives them a bit of a show and then pulls Wendy up on stage.

He and Frankie distract her by dressing her up in Eugene's red sequin frock, while Delores seduces Marshall.

Eugene and Frankie finish, Wendy is all dressed up, looking ridiculous and laughing at how funny she looks.

She see's that Marshall is looking very comfortable with Delores, and Delores begins to laugh as well.

A nasty cruel laugh, at Wendy.

From there they all go off and the orgy scene happens not long after.

I've already seen that, so I hang around to see the rest of Eugene's loop.

Alice Estee comes into the tent just as Eugene has put his normal clothes back on.

She looks at the heels and wig and scoffs at him.

She then says she has a part for him.

A grocer!

He seems hesitant to take the role and she tells him that he will be the grocer.

He agrees and takes the script from her and heads back up to the shop.

'Abe's general store.'

Guess that's why he wanted me to know his name. Because he's not really Abe. He knows his real name and is trying to hang on to that before he becomes nothing more than the role he has been given in the script, on a constantly repeating loop in a tragic dream he can't get out of...

This time he takes someone else into the back room, I dig out the script from the draw.

And sure enough, it's his script. All the things I have seen him do as the grocer (he dusts off peas a lot and served some customers as well while I was in the shop) and sure enough, the scene with the drugstore girl is in there. exactly as it played out. So he must know in advance that she is going to die.

I'm curious if the script she was reading when I went in to the drugstore is the same one as this now only with her story inside in it....

 

Then the reset music sounds again and it's the third loop.

 

Time to head up to the top floor desert to get some sand in my shoes and see if I can find the dust which, who I have yet to see in any shape or form even during the finale!

First I bump into Mary (who I haven't seen before) she's dancing with someone on a car.

Don't know who it was! ha!

Getting really tired now and not giving much of crap about where I'm heading.

I head up to the sand dunes to find Miguel, who is having a fight with Dwayne.

I already know what's going to happen because I caught this scene on my first visit, so instead I have a nose around to see if I can find the secret tunnel in the sand dune.

Go in there, have a nose around.

No dust witch.

Miguel heads down to the hoedown.

I've already seen that as well so I go into the town to see if anyone of any interest is about.

And sure as shit there is a big crowd around the toy shop because the owner Mr Tuttle is about.

White masks love him!

Mainly because he drags you into the back of his shop for a 1 on 1, much like I had with Eugene, but does a whole load of batshit crazy stuff and then covers your mask in blood (red paint)

This time hes off out on a mission.

He heads to where the car is with his pot of paint and must be finishing off some graffiti he has been doing in his previous loops. 'Beware. the red moon is rising'

No idea what that means (I'll ask the spoilers at some point) I'm guessing there is a shit ton of red moon shaped clues and objects around this place. It's bound to make sense to the folk who have searched for the stuff (in their 30 odd visits....)

The security guard sees him and comes running over and chases him (I'm not fucking running, so I miss what is said between the 2 of them)

Tuttle heads back to his shop and Miguel and Faye come out of the hoedown. I decide to pick up following Miguel.

The have a little sexy, flirty dance and Faye leads him off the a motel room.

He lays on the bed. She starts taking her clothes off.

Something suddenly catches his attention outside so he bolts.

Faye sits and starts to cries. I get the fuck outta there to follow Miguel into the street, where he is holding tarot card. Couldn't see what it had on it though I'm guessing death?

He starts saying 'Mary' over and over. Then leaves the card in the rafters of William and Mary's house before heading up to the sand dunes.

I'm moving at a crawl now so kind miss what hes doing in the shack up there.

My guess is this is usually when Mary get's kill by William, as Miguel was repeating her name a hell of a lot.

But this is the end of the 3rd loop which means that we are discreetly lead away and back down to the wooded area where the finale of Wendy killing Marshall (with scissors) takes place.

I search the entire cast on the stage for the dust witch. Still can't see her!

Oh well.

 

And that...

 

Is what I can only describe as another mind boggling final trip to temple studios to see the breathtaking, bewildering master piece that is the drowned man.

I'll be fucking amazed if anyone has read up to here! ha ha!

  

I guess now I'm going to have to resort to go and read all the spoilers for all the characters, and read all the conspiracy theories that surround this to see if anyone has worked the whole thing out.... ( though I highly doubt it)

   

In a previous post, I explained why a “blood moon” eclipse is tinted red… this image of a sunrise might explain it a little better. This was taken at the East Fork Overlook at milepost 418.3 along the Blue Ridge Parkway. On the tripod, the camera was at an elevation of nearly exactly 5,000 feet… that makes the horizon where the Sun popped up roughly 85 miles away from the lens. This was shot fullframe with a 400 mm lens, so the distance is compressed, but it shows the effect of denser atmosphere concerning the penetration of sunlight.

 

Officially, according to the European Space Agency, Earth’s atmosphere extends to 60 miles straight overhead. The atmosphere consists of gasses, mostly nitrogen and oxygen, water vapor, and dust. On a clear day, sunlight when the Sun is at zenith is not merely white but scattered throughout the color spectrum. The reason a leaf on a tree is green is because that leaf absorbs all wavelengths of light except green, which is reflected. The sky is blue not because it’s reflecting blue, but rather that it absorbs only blue light and is transparent… of all the colors, blue has the shortest wavelength of visible light. All the longer wavelengths just shoot right through.

 

Looking directly to the horizon as in this image, the depth of the atmosphere is nearly 145 miles… more atmosphere absorbs more light, yet the longer wavelength of red light easily affects the visible light of this sunrise. The red band on the Sun is due to a layer of vapor in the distance which scatters just about all visible light but red. Red pouring off that Sun sitting on the distant ridge looks quite like a beacon… it’s bright enough that the fog between mountaintops is reflecting it a bit. Other than evident vapor in the air to the east, there was no cloud cover in that direction on this morning. There’s a steep cliff to my back as I shot this, so I couldn’t tell about cloud coverage in that direction… but if there were clouds in that direction, they would have reflected the deep red light apparent here, and perhaps even more as they would be even further from the horizon. I hope this makes sense.

Minolta X-500 with Minolta MD 3.5/28

(Minolta X-570 in USA)

 

The same flea market, another day, another camera bag. The seller immediately offered it for 5 €, a look into it explained why: one lens in two parts, another one with shattered front element, I had my very doubts whether this X-500 was in working order. But then I found this nice 3.5/28 in an acceptable condition, and since I have a weakness for those slow wide angle lenses I eventually purchased that bag.

 

After (a lot of) cleaning and testing it turned out, that the camera was fully working. The X-500 is ranged between the simple X-300 and the top model X-700 and meanwhile it is no insider tip any more that it is the preferred model of this series for many photographers. It has more features than the X-300 (DOF-preview, TTL-flash, interchangeable back, viewer indication of f-stop) and some small advantages over the X-700, like a better flash management and the fact, that in manual mode the set shutter speed is indicated in the viewfinder in addition to the metered one. And it seems, that most users don't miss the programmed AE mode of the X-700 at all.

It was introduced in April 1983, and in my opinion, it is one of the best amateur cameras of its time and still worth a recommendation today. It fits my hand very well and its not that miniaturized like a Pentax Super A or Yashica FX-D. Afaik, all three Minolta X-cameras were offered until 1999. BTW, I like the writing of my German instruction manual, with sentences like "man nimmt die LED-Anzeigen nur als ungefähren Anhaltspunkt bzw. beachtet sie einfach nicht" which roughly means "take the LEDs as approximate clue or just ignore them". Imagine that in a Nikon manual. Interesting to know, how faithful the translation is from the Japanese origin.

 

My idea about those slow wide angle lenses is, that the image quality might be not perfect, but very homogeneous over the whole frame, and meanwhile I have a couple of those. There is a nice site about Minolta lenses and its author supports my thoughts, he would prefer the 3.5/28 over the 2.8/28.

 

lensqaworks.com/2018/01/14/minolta-md-28mm-3-5/

 

The lens here is the third MD version (MDIII) with a lockable f/22. Fortunately its former owner protected the front lens element with a skylight filter, so it doesn't look that battered like the rest. Also nice is, that the snap-on lens hood of my Minolta 4/35-70 AF seems to fit perfectly, that's continuity. With some luck you can get that lens on *bay for only 15 €.

 

Baltimore wandering

I was waiting for the bus, when I saw a young guy approaching. I was quite in my own thoughts, lighting a cigaret when he ask me, if I had been waiting long for the bus?

 

I answered him in my very own male voice, that I had been waiting QUITE a while, so that it should soon be coming... Perhaps I should explain that I never ”twist” my vocal cords to sound female, but just as well, I try to refrain from growling and reaching the low tones and notes of normal speech. But this time I half forgot, or half didn't really care (even I don't know which)? Very unlike me really! Anyway, he did seem sligthly chocked, but I was puzzled to find him keeping the conversation going!? ”Is it time for the night busses already?” He said and I answered, though in my more usual ”Lisa way” now. He even sad down close to me in the bus and we talked on the ride towards the city of this and that, going out, nightbusses and so forth. At a time he said ”... Im just going to hang out with some friends, I seldom really go out as there is usually problems with ID... ”. I was confused.. ”But... problems with ID... but how so..?” .”How old do you think I am?” he asked, I guessed ”21... perhaps 23” I said and was QUITE surprised when he said he was only 16 years old. I was VERY surprised I must admit, so much it obviously showed, which made him proud he even said :o) ”Just wait!!” I smiled in return, ”soon enough, you will wish to be guessed YOUNGER than you are! :o)”

 

How insight full of you :o) how DO you do it? Read my mind this way, that is? But yes, of cause I could not help my self, asking him to guess my age?...though... the expression on his face made me wish I my self had brought an ID. I seriously doubt he belived me. Anyway, when the time came for him to get of the bus, he gallantly presenting me his hand, wishing me a good evening. He was.. EXTREMELY sweet, kind and empathic. Just a kid really, but with more wisdom than could be added together, from 3 average society adults.

 

I am so used to idiots, that these... human beacons of kindness, wisdom and light, never cease to amaze me, when they leisurely wander across my path in life. - I wonder.. if they in fact feel the same way as I do, about me I mean, those human beacons? Perhaps they do, in fact! Quite possibly, really!

 

A good start on the evening though, especially as the ”dress up” part was a little stressed with time. (I HATE that)

 

I was going to ”Queer party” at Warehouse 9. An event where one is sure to meet quite interesting people and I was not disapointed.

 

These 2 ”guys” (on the pictures)...I call them ”guys” as the one said -”To day I am Benjamin” -, was the incarnation of, femininity, in every little movement and gesture. The guy on the right, made a casual dance so nymph like, while just talking on the phone totally unaware, that I was stunned in admiration. Benjamin (the one on the left) at a time, took off his T-shirt, presenting a stomach and waist so slim and feminin, even I can not come close. He was wearing a black bra and it looked only, feminine!!! He even talked with a voice so velvet smooth, one thought only of one thing the second he opened his mouth and started pronunciation words :oP WOW!

  

These 2 ”guys” I have not seen before in Denmark. Obviously they are quite young and again I am filled with hope for the future, as they (much as I) had an invisible sign to every little thought and movement they made that said, ”This is me, try me, see if I give a fuck what you think!”

 

Then... a woman (she said she was a lesbian) started hitting on me.. I hate it when they do that.. Especially when I clearly sense, that in male form they wouldn't spare me a word or a second glance. But I did also meet a most charming and intelligent young guy, they DO exist, but again very very young was he, perhaps a little too.... :o)

 

All in all a good evening and I got to walk rather long through the city, in my super white ”walkability” 10 (though only 4 inch) leather stiletto heels. LOVE that, just walking down the street... Ok I admit it, you don't have to look at me that way.. I LOOOOVE it, when the cars honked their horn passing by, in salute to my feminin contribution to the streetview, all five times in fact ;o)

 

To be honest, it usually flatters me in such a degree I smile involuntarily, in bliss and thanks.. Though I try my best not to look in the direction of the cars, as it happenes I am quite familiar with the male system of comunication and content.

 

One can smile, blush and look down. But smiling facing a person, is a tiny, small invitation.

 

Transvestit København Danmark

By now it was raining quite hard, so I grabbed a couple of shots from the other side of the road before going in.

 

Hello I said to the churchwarden, we've come to photograph the church.

 

Oh I don't know if that's possible, you might be journalists. What do you want the pictures for?

 

I explained about the website and liking churches and that we had come from Dover to see this church. I gave he my Moo card, and she said it was OK. And then would not shut up, she told us all about the history of the church, the town, businesses. All nice, but I wanted to snap the church.

 

In the end, Jools took over and I set about snapping. And very fine it is too.

 

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A huge church that is accessed most days through the coffee shop next door. Saxon in its origins it was extended many times as befits a market town on the main London-Dover road. Today it consists of nave and chancel with aisles and chapels. Much remodelled in the nineteenth century (by Blomfield) and again late in the 20th it may lack atmosphere, but it certainly does not lack appeal.... or its part in national history. The body of Henry V rested here overnight on its journey back from France in 1422. Behind the painting in a medieval vestry, itself a rarity. There are lots of brasses and a large monument to John Spilman who introduced papermaking here in the seventeenth century. In the south chapel is a huge wall painting of St. George - the largest medieval painting in Kent.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Dartford+1

 

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DARTFORD

LIES the next parish eastward from Crayford, on the high road from London to Dover, about fifteen miles from the former. It was called in Saxon Derentford, in Latin Derenti Vadum, signifying the forde or passage over the river Derent. (fn. 1) In Domesday it is written Tarentefort.

 

THIS PARISH takes within its bounds almost the whole both of Dartford-heath and the Brent. It contains about 4300 acres of land. The town has about four hundred houses and about two thousand five hundred inhabitants. The upland parts of the parish are but thin and gravelly, the crops of which are greatly increased by the culture of turnips; the vallies are a sertile and rich loam, the northern part of the parish is marsh land, which reaches to the Thames, containing about eight hundred acres, none of which is ever ploughed. The town of Dartford is situated in a valley, between two hills, which rise suddenly and sleep at each end of it. On that at the western extremity are chalk pits, which have been worked underneath to a considerable extent, and have rather a fearful and dangerous appearance to travellers; the opposite hill is a deep sandy loam. Dartford is at present a handsome and wealthy town, still increasing in size and inhabitants, the principal street of which is the great thoroughfare from London to Dover, on which there are built several good inns. From this street southward branches off the high road through Farningham to Sevenoke, in which stands Horseman's-place, now used, with the gardens, by a public gardener; northward from the high street is the Water-lane (so called from the little stream, the Cranford, which rises about a mile and a half southward of the town, at Hawley, which runs through it) and leads to the wharss at the water side, not far distant from which stands the Place-house, formerly the priory, with the buildings belonging to it, now used as a farm house and offices, adjoining to which is a piece of land, inclosed with a wall, formerly belonging to the priory, exceeding rich, which has been for many years been made use of as a public garden ground. The artichokes growing in it are noted for being the largest and best flavoured of any brought to the London markets, and are called, for distinction sake, the Dartford artichoke.

 

There is a good market for corn and provisions here on a Saturday, weekly; and a fair yearly, on the 2d and 3d of August. The old market house and shambles stood very inconveniently in the middle of the high street, but they were removed some years ago, and the present market place and shambles were built more commodiously elsewhere, by public subscription, to the great embellishment of the town, and the satisfaction of all travellers; at the same time the old uneasy pavement through the town was removed, and a new road of gravel made in its room, with a handsome footway of curbed stone on each side; near the east end of it stands the church, almost adjoining to the river Darent, which here crosses the high road under a handsome bridge. In king Edward III.'s reign there appears to have been no bridge here, the passage or ferry over the Darent at this place being valued among the rents of the manor; however, there was one built before the end of king Henry VI.'s reign, but it was one most narrow, steep, and dangerous for travellers, which continued so till not many years since it was altered to its present more commodious state, at the public charge of the county. A little below this bridge, the Darent becomes navigable for barges; and at the distance of about two miles, receiving the Cray into its channel, at a like distance empties itself into the Thames. On this creek there was formerly a considerable fishery, as appears by the records before mentioned; for so late as king James I.'s reign, the royal manor of Dartford received for the fishery six salmons yearly, a kind of fish now unknown here; and the manor of Dartford priory received a yearly rent of fifty pounds for a fishery likewise here at the same time; but no fishery at this time exists, nor has for many years past.

 

The trade and manufacture carried on by the several mills on the Darent contribute much to the flourishing state this town is in at present; for besides the powder-mills, first erected by Sir John Spilman as a paper mill, as before mentioned, situated a quarter of a mile above the town; there is a paper mill at a small distance below it, where there was one so early as 1590, erected by one Geoffry Box of Liege, for the cutting of iron bars into rods, being the first supposed to be erected for this purpose in England, and for the more easy converting of that metal to different uses; lower down, at the east end of the town, are two corn mills, and farther below bridge the ruins of the mill, employed as a cotton manufactory, which was burned down in 1796, and now lies in ruins. It was before made use of as a sawing mill, and before that as a brasel mill, for the slitting of iron bars into rods, nails, &c. being first erected for that purpose by John Browne, soon after the death of king Charles I. Near this is the public wharf, to which hoys and barges come up from the Thames. To this wharf is brought the produce of the woods in this neighbourhood, which are of considerable extent, and the manufactures, which are here shipped for the London market, as are the goods for the subsistence of the town and vicinity of it from the metropolis.

 

In the return of the survey, made of the several maritime places, in this county, by order of queen Elizabeth, in her 8th year, Dartford is said to contain houses inhabited, 182; persons lacking habitation, 6; keys or landing places; 4; ships and boats, 7; three of three tons, one of six, two of ten, one of fifteen; persons for carriage from Dartford to London, and so back again, 14; Sir Thomas Walsingham, steward of the town; Mr. Asteley, keeper of the queen's house; John Beer's; the wardens of Rochester-bridge.

 

In the reign of king Henry III. the archbishop of Cologne was sent hither, with several noblemen, by the emperor Frederick, to demand Isabella, the king's sister, in marriage, which was solemnised by proxy in this town, and she was then delivered to them, to be carried over. In 1331, king Edward III. at his return from France, held a famous tornament in this town. In the 5th year of king Richard II. a great commotion of the common people begun at this place, occasioned by Wat Tyler's having beat out the brains of one of the collectors of the poll tax, on account of his insolent behaviour to his daughter. The people, who were in general discontented, being inflamed by this circumstance, broke out into open rebellion, and he soon found himself at the head of one hundred thousand men. (fn. 2)

 

Thus attended, he marched directly to London, freeing, in the mean time, the prisoners detained in the public goals; among these was a priest, in the neighbourhood of Maidstone, one John Ball, vulgarly called John Straw, who, by his seditious sermons, had raised the people's sury to the utmost heighth, insomuch that, in conformity to his maxims, they resolved to destroy all the nobility and lawyers in the realm, for he had persuaded them that all men, being the sons of Adam, there ought to be no distinction; and, confequently, it was their duty to reduce the world to a perfect equality; in consequence of which he preached to the people on these rhymes:

 

"When Adam delse, and Eve span,

"Who was then a gentleman ?"

 

The king, hearing they were advanced as far as Blackheath, sent to know their demands, to which, returning a most insolent answer, they immediately marched towards London, and took possession of the borough of Southwark; and the gates of London bridge being thrown open to them by the citizens, they entered the city, where they committed every scene of barbarity that could be expected from such a body, guided solely by their sury. They then seized on the Tower, where they sound the archbishop and the lord treasurer, whom they immediately beheaded. Upon this the king, dreading the consequences of so powerful a body, repaired to Smithfield, with some few attendants, and sent a knight to Tyler, to come there and confer with him, which this rebel, with much deliberation, at last complied with. At this conference he behaved with such insolence, that William Walworth, lord mayor of London, who attended the king, without considering the consequences that would attend it, discharged such a blow at the rebel's head with his sword, that he instantly fell dead at his feet. However, contrary to expectation, the multitude were so terrified, that they threw down their arms, and sued for mercy; and were all, in the space of a few minutes, dispersed, without the effusion of any blood, except of their leader. (fn. 3)

 

About a mile south-westward from the town is the large plain, called DARTFORD. HEATH, containing about 500 acres of land. It lies high, and on a fine gravelly soil; on it there are a great many of those pits and holes so frequent in these parts. Some of these reach below the gravel as low as the chalk, others no farther than the sand and gravel; many of them have been stopped up of late years, to prevent the frequent accidents which happen of men and cattle falling into them. The occasion of their being first dug has been already explained, under the adjoining parish of Crayford. This heath has been much noted of late, as being the spot chosen by the corps of Toxopbilites, under the appellation of the Royal Kentish Bowmen, for whose use a house has been fitted up at the western side of the heath, not far from Baldwin's, and is now distinguished by the name of the Lodge, being the scene of their exercise and recreation; at which times, on their gala days, butts, apartments, and company, have made the most splen did and costly appearance. It is as delightful and pleasant a spot as any in these parts.

 

Less than half a mile eastward from the town, the high road to Rochester crossing it, lies another heath, called DARTFORD-BRENT, vulgarly the BRIMPT. This place is famous for the encampment of the army of Richard Plantagenet, duke of York, in 1452, whilst he waited to obtain a parley with king Henry VI. who then lay encamped on Blackheath. In the year 1648 General Fairfax's army rendevouzed here.

 

The ROMAN-ROAD shews itself very conspicuously on the south side of the high road between Dartford and the Brent, and when it comes to the latter, it shapes its course more to the south south-east, leaving the high road at a greater distance, on the lefthand, and entering among the inclosures and woods, in its way to a hamlet called Stonewood, it goes on to Wingfield-bank, and thence to Shinglewell, towards Rochester.

 

At a small distance southward from the Romanroad on the Brent, close to the road to Greenstedgreen, are three small barrows, which seem to have been plundered of their contents.

 

¶The gravel-pit at the entrance of the Brent from Dartford was, whilst the affizes were held in this town, which was frequently, at the latter end of queen Elizabeth's reign, the place for the public execution of criminals; and in 1772, in digging for gravel here, eight human skeletons were sound, lying contiguous to each other; most probably the remains of some of those unhappy convicts. This spot was likewise made use of in the reign of queen Mary, for the execution of those who suffered for religion.

 

Our HERBALISTS have taken notice of several scarce plants and herbs sound here:

 

The camæpytis, herb ivy, or ground pine, not only here, but in the adjoining parishes.

 

Ruta muraria five salvia vitæ, stone rue, or rue maidenbair, on the wall of the church-yard.

 

Aphaca, small yellow fetch, in the corn-fields about this place.

 

Buckthorne, in the bedges of this place.

 

The juniper tree grows in plenty on the downs southward of Dartford-brent.

 

Mentastrum, horse mint; valde ramosum flore violaceo rubro.

 

Orchis five tragorchis max. the greatest goat stones, between Crayford and Dartford.

 

Orchis hermaphroditica, the butterfly satirion; testiculus vulpinus spegodes, the humble bee orchis; orchis melittias, the bee orchis; orchis myodes, the fly satirion; are found on the downs, southward of Dartford brent.

 

The lizard orchis, has been found in the lane between Dartford and Darent.

 

Several forts of the orchis ornithophora are found in the meadows adjoining the river Darent, southward of this town.

 

Trisolium stellatum glabrum, smooth starry headed tresoil, in Dartford salt marshes. (fn. 4)

 

Charities.

THOMAS AUDITOR, alias BARNARD, gave by will, in 1536, an annuity of 3s. to buy peas, to be distributed among the poor, in the first week in Lent, payable out of four acres of land, called Docklincrost, which bequest has not been paid for many years.

 

WILLIAM VAUGHAN gave by deed, in 1596, a rent, to be distributed quarterly to the most poor inhabitants of Dartford, out of a house and garden, vested in trustees, and of the annual produce of 13l. 4s.

 

JEROME WARRAM gave by will, in 1570, for the use of the poor, a house and garden, in the occupation of Mrs. Bugden, of the annual produce of 5s.

 

MRS. CATHARINE BAMME gave by deed, in 1572, among other charitable bequests, 20s. to the poor of this parish, to be paid out of an messuage and lands in Gillingham, vested in Edward Taylor, of the annual produce of that sum.

 

JOHN BYER gave by will, in 1572, for the habitation of the poor of this parish, nine alms houses, in Lowfield, adjoining southward to Horseman's-place, and endowed them with a barn and several pieces of land, in the occupation of Mrs. Glover and Mr. Fleet; the former at 17l. the latter at 5l. annual rent, and for the habitation of four poor aged people, and 20d. to be paid quarterly to each of them; now inhabited by paupers; annual produce 1l. 6s. 8d.

 

JOHN BARTON gave by will, in 1613, the interest of 130l. yearly, to be bestowed on bread, and distributed to the poor by the vicar and churchwardens. N. B. With this money, in 1623, the parish purchased by deed, of Francis Goldsmith and others, thirteen acres of land in Crayford parish, and a house in Dartford, the former vested in William Flint and others, at 12l. per annum rent; the latter in William Nettlefold, at 11l. 10s. per annum; on condition that 20s. should be yearly distributed to the poor on Shrove Sunday, as his gift, out of the rents of the lands purchased of him by Barton's money. He agreed to abate 15l. out of the purchase money; annual produce 1l.

 

WILLIAM REYNOLDS and WILLIAM HARRISON gave by will, in 1623, the interest of 50l. and 10l. to be laid out in bread, and distributed among the poor every Sunday in the year,

 

N. B. With these two gifts were purchased a house and piece of land belonging to it, which house has been taken down, and four new houses have been built on the ground, with monies borrowed upon them, which money the rents have discharged. The houses are let to several tenants, at the yearly rent of 5l. each; 2s. worth of bread have been yearly distributed every Sunday, out of the rent of these houses, as was stipulated when they were purchased; the annual produce 20l. per annum.

 

ROBERT ROGERS gave by deed, in 1629, rent to be distributed among the poor on Easter Monday, payable out of a house and yard, vested in Mrs. Catharine Tasker; annual produce 4l.

 

JONATHAN BRETT gave by deed, in 1629, for the relief of the poor inhabitants of this parish, four acres of land, vested in Mr. George Hardres, of the annual produce of 9l.

 

THOMAS COOPER in 1629, gave an annuity, to be distributed to the poor in bread, payable out of woodland in Bexley parish, in the occupation of James Craster, of the annual produce of 1l.

 

ANTHONY POULTER gave by will, in 1629, an annuity of 20s. to be distributed by the minister and churchwardens on Easter day, payable out of a house in Dartford, occupied by Mrs. Pettit, of the annual produce of 1l.

 

JOHN TWISLETON, esq. gave by deed, in 1660, certain rent, to be applied, one-third of it to the alms houses, and the other twothirds to be given to the poor, issuing out of three acres of land, in the occupation of Edward Rawlins, of the annual produce of 5l. 6s. 3d.

 

JOHN ROUND, in 1682, gave an annuity, to be distributed among the poor on Christmas day, payable out of the Bell inn, in Dartford, in the occupation of John Elliot, of the annual produce of 1l.

 

THE REV. CHARLES CHAMBERS gave by will, in 1745, the sum of 50l. vested in the 3 per cents. the interest to be distributed by the minister on Christmas day, among twenty-four poor persons, twenty of whom to be widows, annual produce 1l. 10s.

 

JOHN RANDALL gave by will, in 1771, 200l. now vested in the 3 per cent. the interest to be distributed among poor housekeepers and widows, at 5s. each; annual produce 7l. 8s. 6d. and he gave 100l. since, vested in like manner, the interest to be laid out in bread, and distributed to the poor on Sundays; annual produce 3l. 14s. 3d.

 

A PERSON UNKNOWN gave three houses for poor parishioners, to dwell in, now inhabited by paupers.

 

A PIECE OF LAND, on part of which the present workhouse was erected in 1728, by voluntary subscriptions; the other part, used as a garden to it, was given by a person unknown.

 

This land was let in 1720, for the use of the poor at 1l. per ann.

 

CHRISTOPHER HEATH gave lands to the next of kin of Ellen Sherrington, on condition that they should pay yearly out of them, to the use of the poor, 1l. 6s. 8d. and to the churchwardens and their successors, to the reparation of the church, 1l. 13s. 4d.

 

JOHN BEALE, of Swanscombe, devised 40s. per annum, towards the maintenance of a schoolmaster in Dartford, to be paid out of a messuage, called Hamanslay's, in Halsted, formerly occupied by William Watson.

 

THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the deanry of Dartford, and diocese of Rochester. The church, which is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, stands near the east end of the town, and is a large handsome building, consisting of three isles' and two chancels. In 1793, the whole church was repaired and beautified by the parishioners, at the expence of twelve hundred pounds. The pavement within the altar rails, with the painting and gilding over it, was done at the charge of Charles Manning, gent. in 1702. The tower is at the west end of it, in which there is a clock and a good ring of bells; one of which, of the smaller size, used till of late to be constantly rung, as of old custom, at four o'clock every morning, and again at the time of curfew at night.

 

The church yard formerly surrounded it, but some few years ago that part of it, which was on the southerin side, was given to the public to make the road more commodious for passengers. There is another burying-ground belonging to this church at some little distance from it, adjoining the high London road at the top of the hill, eastward of the town, of which further mention will be made. It is situated on so high an eminence, that it overlooks even the top of the tower of the church.

 

Among other monuments and inscriptions in this church, are the following: In the great chancel, on the north side of the altar is a monument for Sir John Spilman, inclosed with iron railing; on it are his essigies in armour and that of his lady, kneeling at a desk, each with a book open, and over their heads, on a tablet of black marble, with an inscription in German text for both of them; he died in 1607; on the top of the monument his arms, Or, a serpent wreathed in pale azure, crested, gules, on a mount in base, vert, two slaunches, gules, each charged with three lions passant, or; beneath, on the tomb, are two coats, Spilman, as above, impaling argent, a man cloathed sable, with a long cap on, holding in his hand an olive branch proper, and standing on a mount, inverted, gules. On the south side of the chancel, an altar tomb, inclosed with rails, and inscription, for Clement Petit, esq. of Joyes, in this parish, whose paternal seat was at Dentelion, in Thanet, obt. 1717. Before the rails of the altar, on a grave stone, are the figures of a man and woman, in brass, under a canopy, with labels from their mouths; round the verge of the stone is an inscription in brass, in part torn away, for Richard Martyn, of Dartford, who died in 14 . . . . she died in 1402. Near it is another stone, which had the figure of a man, with a label from his mouth, and an inscription round the verge, all in brass, now lost; but an inscription in brass still remains, on a plate, for John Hornley, S. T. B. who died in 1477. On another adjoining, are the figures in brass of a woman and six children, that of the man is lost; beneath on a plate, is an inscription for capt. Arthur Bostocke, gent. who married Francis, second daughter of Francis Rogers, esq. he died in 1612. On a grave stone, before the step of the chancel, is the figure in brass, of a woman, and inscription, for Agnes, daughter of John Appleton, wife of Wm. Hesilt, one of the barons of the exchequer of Henry VI. afterwards of Robert, brother of Sir Tho. Molyngton, baron of Wemme; she died in 1454. On the south side of the chancel, a monument for Wm. Burgess, late citizen and salter of London, obt. 1640; arms, a sess sret between three rooks. On the same side, before the altar rails, a memorial for Nicholas Tooke, gent. of Dartford, obt. 1672, æt. 90; arms, Tooke, argent, on a chevton, sable, three plates of the field between three greyhounds heads erased, sable collared, or; but this is cut here very erroneous. On the north side, a memorial for Mr. Mark Fielder, 1753, æt. 91; on the south side, a memorial for Mr. Wm. Tasker, of this parish, ob. 1732; and for Wm. Tasker, jun. their second son, ob. 1733. In the south chancel, a mural monument for John Twisleton, esq. of Horseman's-place, son and heir of John Twisleton, esq. of Drax, in Yorkshire, who was uncle and heir of Sir Geo. Twisleton, bart. of Barley, in that county, the antient paternal seat of the family. A memorial for John Twisleton, esq. late of Horseman's-place, ob. 1721. At the east end an altar tomb, inclosed with wooden rails, and on the south of it an inscription for John Beer, of Dartford, who had Nicholas, Anne, and Dorothy; for Nicholas, who had Clement and Edward, and for Clement Beer, who had John and Clement, who both died, s. p. Edward Beer, their uncle, was their heir, and lived unmarried fifty-nine years, and died in 1627. On the north side, an inscription, shewing, that Christopher Twisleton, esq. of Barley, in Yorkshire, married Anne Beer, by whom he had George Twisleton, who had John Twisleton, and Edward Beer, dying, s. p. gave all his lands in Kent to John Twisleton above mentioned, who erected this monument in 1628. On the west side are two shields, one quarterly, 1st and 4th, quarterly, a canton ermine; 2d and 3d, on a fess, three garbs; the other the same arms, impaling a chevron. A grave stone, having a brass plate for John Beer, esq. of Dartford, and Alice and Joan, his wives, and also for Henry Beer, his son and heir, who married Anne Beer, widow of Rich. Howlett, gent. deceased, and had by her a son, Wm. Beer, deceased, which John Beer died in 1572, and Henry in 1574; above, are two coats in brass, both, a bear rampant, on a canton, five escallop shells. On a grave stone, the figures of a man and his two wives, with children and their shields of arms in brass, all of which are lost, excepting the second wife and four children, and a plate with the inscription, for Wm. Rothele, of Dartford, who died in 1464, and Beatrix and Joane, his wives, and their children. Another on the north side, on which were the figures of a man and woman, in brass, now lost, but part of the inscription remains, for Katryn Burlton, who died 1496, and Rich. Burlton, jantilman, her husband, who died 15 . . . the rest torn off. A mont for Margaret, relict of John Pitt, esq. predent of the S. Sea company at Vera Crux, ob. 1731, æt. 49, arms, Pitt impaling a chevron, ingrailed, betw. three eagles heads erased. In the middle isle, are several memorials of Manning; a grave stone in the south cross isle, having the figures in brass of a man between his two wives, and underneath those of fifteen children, with inscription in black letter, for Wm. Death, gent. principal of Staple's inn, who had two wives, Elizabeth and Anne, by the former he had ten sons and six daughters, ob. 1590, Elizabeth, 1582; above a shield of arms, being death, a grissin passant between three crescents, quartering four other coats. (fn. 46) In the north isle are memorials for the Round's, Woodin, Poulter, Dalling, and Chambers, all of this parish. There are many more memorials and tombs of respectable inhabitants of this populous town and parish, as well in the church as the two church yards, but they are by far too numerous for insertion in this place.

 

In the 7th year of king Edward III. Thomas de Woldham, bishop of Rochester, caused a new window to be made in the chancel of the church.

 

William the Conqueror confirmed the gift which Hamo his steward had made of the church of Tarentford, in the king's manor, to the church of St. Andrew of Rochester; (fn. 47) which king Henry I. confirmed, with the churches appendant to it, and the tithes of this parish in corn, pannage, cattle, money, and in all other things, in like manner as St. Austin held the church of Middleton, with the tithes of that parish, in the time of his father, (fn. 48) and also the tithes of his mills in Darenteford.

 

Gundulph, bishop of Rochester, who was elected to that see in the reign of the Conqueror, having recovered the manors and possessions of his church, which had been dissipated and made away with, separated his own maintenance from that of the monks, in which division he allotted this church, among others, to the support of the almonry, belonging to the convent. (fn. 49) The monks did not continue long in the possession of it, for bishop Gilbert de Glanvill, who came to the see in 1185, on pretence that his predecessor had impoverished the see by his too large donations to the priory, divested them of all right to this church, which he restored to the see of Rochester; however, he reserved and confirmed to the monks their antient pension from it. (fn. 50)

 

Laurence, bishop of Rochester, in 1253, reserving the tithes of sheaves, and of every kind of hay, demised this church, and all the small tithes, oblations, and obventions, and the tithes of sheaves arising in gardens and curtileges not being ploughed, to the convent of Rochester, at the rent of thirty-eight marcs per annum, on condition that they supplied the cure, and they were to deduct their pension of ten marcs, paid by the rector, out of it. (fn. 51) He afterwards obtained pope Innocent IV.'s leave to appropriate this church, during his life, to the use of his table, which he complained was so slenderly provided for; that he and his family had not at times common necessaries for food; the clear receipts for the bishop's table being but five hundred marcs, which were not more than sufficient for half the expence of it, and the receipts from his manors not exceeding sixty marcs per annum. (fn. 52) This was confirmed to the bishop and his successors by pope Alexander IV. and again by Clement IV. Bishop Laurence, on the appropriation, endowed the vicarage of this church, with the small tithes of it, excepting hay, with two acres of arable, and one of meadow; and also with the tithes of sheaves growing from land dug up with the foot, as well for the support of the vicar, as the discharge of the ordinary burthens of his vicarage, and the payment of the above pension to the monks, the profits of the vicarage being then sound by a jury to be worth forty marcs sterling per annum, communibis sannis; which endowment being lost, bishop Thomas de Woldham, in 1299, confirmed it; and as the vicar had no house belonging to his vicarage, he granted him one standing on the soil belonging to the church, as a vicarage house for himself and his successors; and further, the tithe of twenty-one acres of meadow, called King's-marsh, in Dartford, heretofore taken by the bishop and his predecessors, and he decreed, that the vicar and his successors should keep and maintain the books, vestments, and other ornaments of the church, in a proper state and order, and should sustain and acknowledge all other ordinary burthens of it.

 

Archbishop Robert Winchelsea further endowed this vicarage with the tithe of hay, to the value of forty shillings, in satisfaction of which the whole tithe of hay, arising from the great salt march in Dartford, (excepting to the bishop of Rochester for the time being, the yearly sum of four shillings, due from the Knights Hospitallers to the bishop, as rector of this church) was decreed to the vicar, by the desinitive sentence of Walter, archbishop of Canterbury, in the year 1315, as an augmentation of his endowment.

 

Thomas de Woldham, bishop of Rochester, in the above year, granted in mortmain, to Robert Levee, vicar of Dartford, and his successors, a messuage, with its appurtenances, in Overe-street, in Dartford, which the bishop had purchased of Robert de Levee, of Frindsbury. (fn. 53) At the dissolution of the priory of Rochester, in the 32d year of king Henry VIII. the above pension of ten marcs, or 6l. 13s. 4d. was, by the king, in his 33d year, granted, among other pre emises, to his new erected dean and chapter of Rochester, who continue possessed of it at this time. The parsonage and advowson of the vicarage still remain part of the possessions of the bishop of Rochester. (fn. 54)

 

In the antient valuation of the bishop's revenues, this church was valued at 40l. and the bishop's mill and rent here, at 100s. In the 15th year of king Edward I.'s reign, the church was valued at forty-five marcs, and the vicarage at 100s. In the 33d of king Edward III. the church was valued at the like sum. (fn. 55)

 

By virtue of a commission of enquiry, in 1650, it was returned, that Dartford was a vicarage, with a house and glebe, all worth, with the privy tithes, seventy pounds per annum, master Charnock then incumbent. (fn. 56) It is a discharged living in the king's books, of the clear yearly certified value of 45l. 5s. 10½d. the yearly tenths of which are 1l. 17s. 1½d. (fn. 57)

 

This vicarage was, in 1736, augmented by the governors of queen Anne's bounty; at which time the Rev. Mr. Charles Chambers, vicar of Dartford, contributed one hundred pounds for that purpose. (fn. 58)

 

Bishop Laurence de St. Martin seems to have purchased, in the reign of king Henry III. several of the rents which now constitute the greatest part, if not the whole of the MANOR OF DARTFORD RECTORY, from Robert and Richard de Ripa, John Badecock, William de Wilmington, and others. (fn. 59)

 

This manor extends over both sides of the Highstreet, in Dartford, from the scite of the old marketplace to the church, and southward, in Lowfield, as far as the house of correction; all which is called the Bishop's liberty. At the leet of this manor, a constable and a borsholder are annually chosen for the liberty. There are several tenants which hold of it in socage, at small quit-rents.

 

In the 21st year of king Edward I. on a Quo warranto, the jury found that the bishop was feild, in right of his church, of view of frank pledge, and assize of bread and ale of his tenants in Dartford and Stone; and that the bishops, his predecessors, had been possessed of the same beyond memory.

 

There were TWO CHANTRIES, founded for divine services, in this parish; that of St. Edmund the Martyr, and of St. Mary, otherwise called Stampit. The former stood in the upper burial ground of this parish, which was a cimetary to it, and under this building was a charnel house. This chapel was suppressed at the same time with all other such endowments, and presently sell to ruin; but the cimetary was granted to the parish, as a place of burial for the parishioners, and continues so at this time. The advowson of this chantry was granted to the prioress and convent of Dartford priory, in the 46th year of king Edward III. at their first endowment.

 

John Bykenore endowed this chapel with five marcs, payable out of lands and tenements in Dartford, for the support of the chaplain of it. This chapel was under the jurisdiction of the archdeacon of the diocese.

 

¶The latter chantry of the Blessed Virgin St. Mary was subject to the official of the diocese. (fn. 60) It was founded by Thomas de Dertford, alias Art Stampett, vicar of this parish, in 1338, for one chaplain, to celebrate divine offices daily in the parish church of Dartford, in honour of the Blessed Virgin, and for the health of his soul, &c. and he appointed Ralph de Felthorpe the first chaplain of it, and endowed it with several lands and tenements, to the amount of one hundred and twenty acres, (fn. 61) in Dartford, the chaplain paying twelve pence yearly to the vicar of Dartford and his successors; and he gave the patronage of it, and the nomination of a chaplain to it in future, to the bishop of Rochester and his successors; which was confirmed by the bishop and the prior and chapter of Rochester the same year. (fn. 62) In the year 1553, Robert Bacon, incumbent of this chantry, had a pension of six pounds per annum.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol2/pp286-328

The work of ESA's 'Mars Yard' for planetary rover testing, part of ESTEC’s Planetary Robotics Laboratory, explained to visitors during the Sunday 4 October 2015 ESTEC Open Day by Gianfranco Visentin, head of ESA’s Automation and Robotics section (far left).

 

Credit: ESA-G. Porter CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Damien Hirst's installation at the Lever House, Park Avenue, New York. According to the New York Times he was paid $10 MILLION for this project. Titled - School: The Archeology of Lost Desires, Comprehending Infinity, and The Search For Knowledge. Dead sheep symbolize students - the sheep are suspended in the tanks, mounted on autopsy tables and have intravenous tubes suspended above. It's all rather complicated but the curator, Richard D. Marshall, explains it all very well in a two page statement that is available at the exhibit. On view from 12 November 2007 through 9 Febraury 2008.

Danielle Paterson and Harrison Cole in 'Guy Fawkes It Up!" by Laughing Mirror theatre company, at this year's Edinburgh Fringe.

 

The play was directed by Chad Porter. I know both Harrison and Chad from last year's Fringe when they were in 'The Baffling Adventures of Question-Mark Man'.

Christof: "We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented, it's as simple as that." The Truman Show, movie by Peter Weir, starring Jim Carrey. 1998.

 

Character Creation

 

Illyana Nikolaievna Rasputina (Russian: Ильяна Николаевна Распутина) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, the character first appeared in the Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975). llyana Rasputin is a member of a fictional species of humanity known as mutants, who are born with superhuman abilities. She is known under the codename Magik.

 

llyana Rasputin is the younger sister of the Russian X-Men member Colossus and X-Men enemy Mikhail Rasputin. She became a powerful sorceress due to her time imprisoned in (and later ruling) Limbo. Her mutant power, which first manifested in that Limbo, is the ability to teleport via stepping discs utilizing that dimension's magic. Following her escape from Limbo, she became part of the New Mutants. She later joined the X-Men.

 

The character has been featured in various Marvel-licensed products, including video games, animated television series, and merchandise. Anya Taylor-Joy portrayed Illyana Rasputin in the 2020 film The New Mutants.

 

Publication history

 

llyana Rasputin debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975), created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum. Her first name was not revealed until The Uncanny X-Men #145 (May 1981). For the first eight years of the character's existence, she was an infrequently appearing background character known as Colossus' little sister. The means of changing this was set in The Uncanny X-Men #160 (August 1982), in which she ages seven years while in a paranormal dimension called Limbo, becomes a sorceress, and develops the mutant ability to create "teleportation discs." These changes were not immediately explored or explained, and for the next year she remained essentially a background character.

 

In December 1983, the limited series Magik (Illyana and Storm) was launched, chronicling Illyana's years in Limbo, which is also her origin story. Magik #1 (December 1983) is her first cover appearance as young Illyana, her second full appearance and the first time she get the name Magik. Magik #2 (Jan. 1984) is her first cover appearance as adult Magik. Immediately following the end of the series, she was added to the cast of the New Mutants, appearing regularly in that comic from The New Mutants #14 (April 1984), the first cover appearance of adult Magik in costume, to The New Mutants #77 (July 1989), in which she returns to her family in Russia after having reverted to childhood. As the younger sister of Colossus and a member of the New Mutants, she also sporadically appeared as a guest star in Uncanny X-Men.

 

In The Uncanny X-Men #303 (1993), she dies of the Legacy Virus. Other than flashbacks and alternate realities, she was absent from regular publication for most of the 1990s, though she does appear as a time-traveler in The New Mutants: Truth or Death #1-3 (1997). After being resurrected by Belasco, she returned to regular publication in 2007, in New X-Men #38-41 (2007), X-Infernus #1-4 (2009), X-Men: Hellbound #1-3 (2010) and New Mutants vol. 3 #1-29 (2009-2011). As a member of Cyclops' Extinction Team, she appears in The Uncanny X-Men vol. 2 #1-20 (2012), Avengers vs. X-Men #1-12 (2012), AVX: Versus #3 (2012), and AVX: Consequences #1-5 (2012). She appears in All-New X-Men, The Uncanny X-Men vol. 3, Extraordinary X-Men, and The New Mutants: Dead Souls (2018), as a regular character. She appears in Strange Academy #1 (2020) as a teacher in Dr. Strange's Sorcerer School.

 

Origin

 

To simply be a mutant didn't quite make you as different as it once would have. What made someone different was the type of mutant that they were. Specifically, their power level that would show their potential or ability as a mutant. The Rasputin children, Mikhail, Piotr, and Illyana, were all mutants. Each of them would have gifts that would/could affect many, even on a global level. Their futures would see them all go very different ways; their genetics ensured whichever way they chose to go, huge repercussions could be expected. These three mutant siblings would be no exception. From Mikhail's ability to manipulate matter on the subatomic level and his dimensional teleporting powers to Illyana's immensely powerful magical might and teleporting powers and even Piotr, who seemingly appears much weaker in comparison, but is prophesied to be the sole individual responsible for the destruction of an entire planet, Breakworld, and all of its inhabitants.

 

On the outward appearance it may seem that it must be purely coincidental that Illyana and her two older brothers, Mikhail and Piotr (Colossus), would all have massively powerful mutant powers and all be born to one family. But, not all is as it seems. These three siblings were born to a family that had been manipulated to ensure these outcomes. A bloodline refined to create power. Not only just Illyana, Mikhail and Piotr would have these substantial gifts, but all children born within the Rasputin bloodline would. Each would have the same genetics, share the same bloodline and lineage, each with the possibility to wield powerful mutant gifts. This was not a coincidence at all. This is all due to the manipulation, on a grand scale, by one of the foremost masters in genetics by the name of Nathaniel Essex, better known as Mr. Sinister.

 

Character Evolution

 

Illyana Nikolievna Rasputin, the indomitable mutant known as Magik, is a super-humanly powerful mutant with the power of teleportation, as well as being an unbelievably powerful and gifted sorceress. She has a potential that has yet to be reached. In her short life, she has seen and been through many things. From the experience of being kidnapped at a very young age by the evil Belasco, to life in a "Hell" dimension named Limbo for 7 years. Her gifts were exploited, and her soul was corrupted by black magic, turning a portion of it evil. After becoming the first victim to die of the Legacy Virus, she was eventually resurrected by her former master several years later. She is currently a member of the New Mutants. During the events of Avengers vs X-men, she has tasted even greater power; that of the Phoenix Force.

 

Major Story Arcs

 

Before Her Time...

 

More than 100 years ago, the patriarch of the Rasputin bloodline, the legendary Grigory Rasputin, would be the first to meet Sinister. The two would make unlikely allies. After their encounter, the Rasputin family would never be the same. When Grigory was younger, around the time of the emergence of his own mutant powers, Sinister would give him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Sinister or the "Pale Man" as Grigory referred to him as, would offer Grigory the chance to create a bloodline from his DNA that would lead a race of super humans. Grigory's importance to Sinister was quite simple. He was a mutant, and based on the time one of the few firsts. Not only was he a mutant, but a powerful one. Grigory was aware of his gifts or the "miraculous occurrences" that surrounded him. He enjoyed them and used them regularly. Though unrevealed, it’s assumed that Grigory may have had matter manipulating abilities. These powers seemed similar to that of his future descendant, Mikhail. Powerful or not, Sinister's offer appealed to him and he accepted promptly after. Sinister would go to work immediately.

 

He would seek out females similar to Grigory, mutants with special powers. Sinister would find around 15-20 women and impregnate them all by crossing their genes with that of Grigory's. Sinister would experiment on the unborn babies, with many dying in the process. There was one woman though that was a prefect match for Grigory, a woman by the name of Elena. Once Sinister found that the two could produce the outcome that he wished for he would put introduce the two. Shortly after meeting, two would marry each other. Elena would be his soon-to-be wife and bearer of his future army of super powered children. This would culminate with Grigory taking part in a mystical ceremony, led by Sinister, transferring his essence into his pregnant wife’s womb. His last words were that he promised to return to the world when the world was ready for him. With Elena giving birth to her baby months later, it would be the beginning of the powerful mutant bloodline that would lead to the eventual birth of one Illyana Nikolievna Rasputin.

 

Innocent Beginnings

 

Nikolai Rasputin and Alexandra Rasputin had three children, two boys, named Mikhail and Piotr and, their youngest, a girl named Illyana. Mikhail was already an adult when Illyana was born. He wanted more than a farmer's life and decided to become a cosmonaut working for the Russian government. As a result Illyana would never have the opportunity to meet her eldest brother and unfortunately never would as reports would come indicating that Mikhail had died while in duty. The reality was that his mutant powers manifested and the government decided to use him as a guinea pig. They wanted to see if they could find a way to harness his gift. Basically they were exploiting him, with no intention of releasing him. Illyana's family grieved, but she was relatively unaffected partially due to her age and she really didn't know him. Beyond that she had a fairly normal early childhood. She had a close-knit family, more love then she could ever know and a bond between her brother and her that death couldn't break, literally. The Rasputins would thrive and continue to live their lives as best they could. They managed to achieve a little normalcy in their lives right when another mutant would make their self known.

 

Professor X & the X-Men

 

Mikhail wouldn't be the only of his sibling to have mutant powers. Piotr would also have his powers emerge. Though he would attempt to keep his mutant gifts hidden, he would be forced to reveal them in a much unexpected way. Illyana was playing alone when an unmanned tractor came barreling in her direction. No one was near or had the ability to help her, save Piotr. He reacted instinctively, running to her aid and unconsciously activating his mutant powers. In a bright flash of light his entire body turned into that of a silver, shiny, armored giant. Standing in the way of the tractor, it would hit him and go no further as it would be destroyed upon impact. Like a knight in shinning armor, he was able to save his "Little Snowflake," as he referred to her. Relieved that he was able to protect his sister, he never noticed that a visitor had arrived and had watched the entire event unfold.

 

A man that would change not only Piotr's life, but that of his little sister, Illyana's as well. This man was Professor Charles Xavier and he had arrived wanting to speak with Piotr, hoping to recruit him as one of his new X-Men. After much conversation Piotr would accept and begrudgingly leave his family to start a new one in the United States. While a member of the team he took the codename Colossus and became one of the vaunted X-Men. As a member of the X-Men he would save the world many times over. But for Piotr it was a rough transition. He missed his family. He often suffered from homesickness, and as such he tended to stay alone and withdrawn. While on missions he often hid his feelings. Hiding them as he might, nothing could prepare him for the following events.

 

Abduction

 

The X-Men would do battle with many a foe, but one of the oddest was the eccentric, murderous Arcade. An assassin for hire and creator of Murderworld he was one of the best at what he did, but would bite off too much when Doctor Doom was involved. Arcade became involved in dealings that went bad with Doctor Doom. As a result he was held captive with no means of freedom. An associate of Arcade's, Miss Locke, would devise a plan that would have the X-Men do all the hard work and free Arcade for her. Of course they would never do this willingly, she would have to force them somehow. Miss Locke decided that she would blackmail them by kidnapping numerous members of each of the X-Men's family, this would include Piotr's little sister Illyana, and force them to assist.

 

And they did. The X-Men sent in two units, sending the larger of their forces in to get Arcade and the few remaining to free their captive loved ones. The X-Men would find themselves to be successful and would return home. Colossus though would make a decision that would change his little sister's life permanently.

 

He decided that Illyana should stay with them and not return to Russia. He felt that it would be safer for her as he and the X-Men could protect her better, so that another incident like her being abducted could never happen again. Professor X agreed with the decision. He even telepathically taught all of his X-Men how to speak the Russian language so that Illyana would feel more comfortable in her new environment. He, too, wanted to test Illyana to see if she had the mutant gene, like her brothers feeling that there was a strong chance that she would be one. A discussion would follow but it would be decided to not test her. Feeling that she had many more years before her potential mutant powers would emerge based on her age. Illyana's stay would be granted by a special student visa. She would attend tutored classes by Professor X while at the X-mansion.

 

While there she brought a happiness to Colossus, one that he hadn't felt in a long time since he left his home long ago. Illyana would get close to all the X-Men, but especially Kitty Pryde. Kitty would read her bedtime stories and interact with her a lot. This would be the start of a bond that would only grow over time.

 

Abducted by Balasco

 

Illyana stayed with the X-Men all the time, save when they embarked on missions. This included when they were in need of a new temporary headquarters. Due to a recent battle it had sustained major damage and Xavier's Institute had been destroyed. The X-Men with no other choice would be forced to take up base elsewhere. They would find and inhabit an island that Magneto once used as a base. It was a strange alien city on an island in the Bermuda Triangle. Coming to this island would be the event that would lead to Illyana's destiny and future self.

 

Illyana was a child, only 7 years old, when the X-Men came to the island. Having been on the island for only a couple of days the X-Men had managed to settle themselves in; though they were still held doubts over their new location. Storm, the field leader, deciding they needed to release some stress, had the X-Men participate in a training exercise while Illyana would play alone a short distance away so as to not get hurt.

 

However, when no one was paying attention, the young Illyana began to walk away as if she was being guided. Unable to control herself she would continue on until she reached a temple, which she entered without hesitation. Of all the other X-men it was only Kitty who had noticed her missing, and began to follow with the X-Men not too far behind. Illyana would reach her destination in the back of the dimly lit tunnel inside of the dilapidated temple. She stood in the middle of a circular shape with glowing yellow and white lights and disappeared. The X-Men would follow and also get teleported to another dimension, one of the many splintered realms of Hell. This one was called Limbo.

 

Limbo

 

As soon as Illyana arrived she was whisked away to the side of Belasco. He tempted her with many wonderful things, including a glorious future. All the while the X-Men made their way to Limbo as well. Through a string of events they were informed, by a second set of X-Men, that they had to leave in order for their Illyana to survive. The second set of X-Men, those stuck in Limbo, attempting to rescue their Illyana, were successful but they themselves found themselves unable to return; they too were stuck in Limbo. Immediately after, the X-Men were spirited away back to Earth and Illyana was left to fend for herself. Meanwhile, back with Illyana, Belasco had brought her to an altar and began a spell to withdraw the first of 5 pieces of Illyana's soul.

 

Effectively taking the first piece of her soul, it was transformed into a "Bloodstone" and he placed it into what he called the Beatrice Amulet. The Amulet once opened had a 5-pointed star with open holes. The first Bloodstone filled the spot of one of those points. Belasco's intentions for Illyana was to slowly take all 5 portions of her soul and turn them into bloodstones to complete the Beatrice Medallion. He needed time to further corrupt her soul, all the while step by step consecrating her to evil and making her the instrument of Belasco's masters the Elder Gods. He would also use her to free him from Limbo and allow him to roam Earth once again, where he would take over and rule supreme. He would leave immediately after the Bloodstone was removed and allowed time to take place.

 

Girl Interrupted

 

Still on the altar, Illyana would be saved and taken in by an older alternate Storm and an alternate version of Kitty Pryde, now calling herself Cat. Both were very different; Cat actually had been transformed in to a cat/human hybrid by Belasco and as a result hated magic. Differing from her mainstream counterpart, winds no longer listened to the elderly Storm, so she could not control the weather anymore and instead she focused purely on magic. Ororo attempted to break Illyana free of the link she had with Belasco immediately after saving her. After a trip to the astral plane, she finds that a part of Illyana was now and forever belonging to the side of evil, specifically to Belasco. When in Illyana's mind, the "evil" part of Illyana would attack and try to kill the elderly Ororo, but Ororo luckily would survive. Once back Ororo devised a plan to help the young Illyana. Wanting to equip Illyana for her future, Ororo decided to teach Illyana all the white magic she knew by making Illyana her magical apprentice.

 

The goal was to teach Illyana so that she would be enabled to keep her dark side at bay with white magic. All of her lessons would take place in Ororo's magic garden, from there they would proceed to administer the classes on the astral plane. Illyana was trained and became quite adept at white magic, tapping into her ancestral magical lineage. Storm felt it necessary to teach Illyana so that she was prepared for her next confrontation with Belasco. What Illyana didn't know, was that Belasco had once attempted to use both Storm and Cat to draw bloodstones from but was unsuccessful. Storm knowing this would only further her want to protect the young child. Cat disagreed partially because she despised magic, but also because she felt that Storm would be doing Belasco’s dirty work for him. She felt that Storm was making a huge mistake. Regardless, Storm began teaching Illyana white magic. While there she taught Illyana about life, white magic and the creation of life itself.

 

Their Illyana stayed for an entire year and learned everything that Storm could teach. Illyana learned fast but was quite angered by the fact that, try as she might, each and every spell she would cast would always be tainted by darkness. Where Ororo would magically have the ability to create life such as plants (or her entire garden), Illyana's attempts always seemed to fail. Though her spells were done properly and she had the magical aptitude to make them work, they would always turn out in a negative way.

 

Once the year was complete, in the middle of the night Cat would wake Illyana up and convince her to come with her leaving Ororo's garden. Cat was attempting to return Illyana to her home. During that night Illyana and Cat would get into a heated argument and during this time, Illyana's mutant powers first manifested. She accidentally created a stepping disc and fell through it. When she arrived she was still in Limbo, but here is when she first meets her future servant and enemy, S'ym. He taunts her and begins to attack her. She luckily is saved by Cat and together they escape from S'ym. While seeking a way to send Illyana home they came upon a desert and were informed that at the end of the desert would be the wall of Limbo.

 

Where if Cat used her phasing powers she could take Illyana through and free her from Limbo. Their trek through the desert would take two long years. Through that time Cat would teach Illyana how to fight, use a sword and survival skills. At the end of the 2 years they would finally reach their destination only to find that they were misled by one of Belasco's illusions. Belasco would first transform Cat even further into a cat-like being and took the young Illyana with him as his pupil. It would be during this time that Belasco would create his second Bloodstone out of Illyana's soul, effectively tainting the essence of the child even further making her even more evil. Illyana followed Belasco to his palace, worried but accepting her situation. She fully understood that Cat would no longer be able to provide help to her. Belasco's spell halted Cat's ability to think for herself and she was now bound to Belasco doing his every bidding. In the 3 years that followed, Belasco made Illyana his pupil, teaching her all that he knew.

 

Illyana learned the darkest of dark magic and the blackest of black magics. She took to it quite quickly, and unlike the spells that Ororo taught her, Illyana could produce all the black spells with ease, without error. She realized that the reason why she was unable to produce spells that created life was because her soul was permanently tainted with darkness. She would never produce white magic spells without them going awry. One day, while Illyana was brainstorming a way to get out of Limbo, she inadvertently activated her latent mutant powers of teleportation. Now a few years old, she had so much control learned from her magic teachings that she was able to practice her mutants powers without being afraid of them.

 

She began creating stepping discs and decided to walk through one to see where she would go. Her stepping disc took her to the future, unknown to her. Here she witnessed the arrival of her future teammates the New Mutants. Although at this point she had no clue who they were. The New Mutants were teleported to that very spot by a future Illyana. Seeing all she wanted to she, she created yet another stepping disc and teleported herself away. The disc this time sent her to the past. Here she witnessed a battle that took place many years ago in Limbo. The fight was between Belasco and a very young magician Storm.

 

Illyana watched as Storm was able to successfully defeat Belasco. As Storm was to make her killing stroke, she was taken over by darkness. In attempting to kill Belasco, Storm tainted her own soul, changing her. Scarred by what she saw, Illyana opened yet another disc and teleported to the current time. As she arrives, she sees yet another battle. The opponents were the same, but now Storm was very aged. The elderly Storm had attacked Belasco's palace in an attempt to free Illyana. Illyana immediately ran to Storm's aid but was cut off by the demonic Cat. They battled for a few short minutes but Illyana could tell that Cat was simply trying to hold Illyana back from helping Storm. Angered by this, Illyana lunged at Cat and snapped her neck, killing her immediately. When she finally gets to Storm she realizes that Storm too had fought against Cat and was dealt a mortal wound.

 

The elderly Storm was dying. Realizing it was all a trap, Illyana tried to take Storm when she found out that Belasco planned to used Storm's soul and life essence to create a 3rd Bloodstone. Not wanting to help Belasco get any closer to his goal she mercy-kills Storm, putting a halt to Belasco's plan. Belasco sees what Illyana has done and became enraged, but put plan B into play. Instead of using Storm for the 3rd Bloodstone, he would use Illyana to create it. She immediately teleports away using her mutant powers and reappears in Russia on the farm she grew up on directly in front of the house of her parents.

 

Overcome with happiness when she realized that she could use her power to leave Limbo, she ran to her parents' door and knocked. Her happiness would soon end when she sees her parents and tells them who she was. They, of course, did not recognize her and turned her away, under the assumption that their daughter was safe with their son Colossus in America and was a 6 year old little girl. Giving up she turned around and saw the corpses of the Limbo X-Men animated their to take her back to Limbo. When she gets back to Limbo, Belasco would quickly draw a 3rd Bloodstone from Illyana, even further tainting her soul and making it more demonic, and would exile her to the garden that the elderly Ororo taught her in many years ago. He would bind her powers disabling her use of her magics and mutant powers. Timing could not have been worse as it was the beginning of a harsh winter one that Illyana, likely, would not survive.

 

While in the garden Illyana used the skills taught to her by the now deceased Cat, managing to thrive in the unbearable cold. She also continued to practice the magic that the elderly Ororo taught her, attempting to find a way to free herself of the garden. Time and time again she was unable to produce magic that allowed creation, always coming out tainted as her soul was. She then had an epiphany; she was not able to produce magic like Ororo because they had differing motives. Ororo was attempting to help Illyana, Illyana's motive was quite simply revenge. She reconfigured the spell and used a small portion of her untainted, pure soul and a bright light grew directly in front of her. When she reached in she pulled out her Soulsword. Shortly after, she headed to Belasco and with the use of her newly created weapon, she battled and defeated Belasco. Just prior to her killing stroke she stopped, not wanting to become any more dark, any more like Belasco. She then exiled him from Limbo.

 

Due to this defeat, Illyana was now the unquestioned ruler of Limbo. And due to the 6 years of teaching she received while there, she had the ability to fight for her title if need be. Finally gaining confidence she would create a "stepping disc" and would return herself to home. When she arrived it would only be seconds from when they originally lost the younger Illyana. After a small conversation they believed her and took her to Professor X for further examination. He found that he was unable to probe her very much but did see, for the most part, that what she claims happened, did.

 

She would stay at the mansion with the rest of the X-Men uneventfully for a short while. She would be roomed with Kitty Pryde. They became quick friends and would lay the foundation for a relationship as best friends that would be unending. But even to Kitty she revealed nothing. She made sure not to tell anyone of her magical or mutant powers, wanting to keep them a secret. Illyana was attempting to try and cope with all the events and changes she went through while in Limbo. Try as she might, Illyana could not hide forever and her secrets would be revealed.....well one of them at least.

 

An unexpected arrival of Belasco would force her to use her mutant powers to teleport the New Mutants (mutant students who attend the Xavier Institute) to Limbo for their safety. Coincidentally, this would be what she saw when she was stuck in Limbo many years ago. When all was said and done the New Mutants were returned to Earth unharmed. Illyana would use a forgetting spell ensuring the New Mutants would not remember any of what occurred except for the fact that Illyana was a mutant. Once Professor X was informed of Illyana's mutant nature, she would be granted to ability to study with and join the New Mutants, which she gladly did.

 

Enter the New Mutants

 

While apart of the New Mutants, Illyana would finally allow herself to let her guard down....a little. In a short time she became a powerful and valued member of the team. Although they knew she was a mutant, she still guarded her magical side intensely. Due to the barriers she kept up she sometimes felt misunderstood and alone but the others truly cared for her. As a team, the New Mutants would go through more than their fair share of battles. Though they had many successes, they too had many great loses. First Professor X stepped down and left the school in the hand of the villainous Magneto. Magik and the New Mutants were none too happy about this change. Amidst the ups and downs of life Illyana finally revealed her magical side to her teammates, receiving mixed reviews. Shortly after that they would suffer yet another lose, this time the death of teammate Douglas Ramsey (Cypher).

 

As if that wasn't enough, the New Mutants all would then have their lives snuffed out by the Beyonder during the Secret Wars. He made it as if they never existed. The Beyonder was bent on the idea of humanity and the attempt to gain one. He would have a machine created that if working properly give one life or bring one back to life. Needing guinea pigs he would test it on the recently departed members of the New Mutants. Though they were alive again, the experiences of their deaths and resurrections was far too traumatic for them. They were all severely mentally affected by their experiences. Magik and the New Mutants were mere husks of their former selves and showed no human emotions. Once they returned to the Institute, Magneto would decide to send his students to Emma Frost, the White Queen of the Hellfire Club and leader of the Hellions. Emma was to use her vast telepathic powers to help repair the already damaged psyches of each of the New Mutants.

 

While under the care of Emma Frost, the New Mutants enrolled at her school and were recruited into her team of Hellions. This was her true plan all along. To her surprise, though, once Magik and the New Mutants were healed they would returnimmediately to the Xavier Institute.

 

The Inferno

 

During a standard trip through Limbo, something went wrong and the New Mutants were stuck. Illyana's evil and demonic side started to take over her body. The demons there wanted her to become the full lord of Limbo. When she tried to escape, the demon N'astirh used this as a way to open a huge teleportation disc between Earth and Limbo, which started an invasion of Earth by the demons of Limbo. Magik then managed to defeat the powerful demon S'ym . After the battle the New Mutants examined the remains of Magik's armor and found the seven-year old Illyana inside it. However, she still possessed the bloodstone amulet. The 7 year old Illyana was then brought home and returned to Russia where she lived with her parents until they were murdered by the Russian government in order to make sure Illyana had her abilities to defeat a powerful psionic being, which posed a threat to Russia. After this, Illyana returned to the X-Mansion.

 

Death

 

Illyana was brought back to America and the X-mansion. However, shortly afterward, Illyana caught the Legacy Virus, a deadly and incurable disease that only affected mutants. At this time, the young X-woman Jubilee and Illyana made a special friendship. Although she was a fighter, and her brother was at her side almost always, Illyana succumbed to the virus a few weeks later and died in the X-Mansion. This happened at a time during which her brother was on a mission with the X-Men, something he would never forgive himself for. She was buried at the Xavier Institute and was mourned by everybody, especially by her brother and good friend Kitty Pryde. Her spirit would later go on to visit Wolverine and her brother, Piotr.

 

Magik Returns

 

During the House of M storyline, the Scarlet Witch used her reality-warping abilities to recreate the world as we knew it, transforming it into way she wished it was. Illyana came back to life and joined many of the new X-Men as students at S.H.I.E.L.D. She was placed in the Hellions training squad and, during their last mission, was told to take a group of mutated humans somewhere safe. She teleported just as chaos took over, and the House of M came to an end reverting back to the way it was before. In a world where Illyana was no longer alive. No one remembers ever meeting Magik because none of them remembered the House of M. Later, the evil Belasco came looking for Magik, as he sensed her presence that was left behind during the House of M, and used his powers to take most of the students at the school prisoner. He smelled Magik on them but none of them remembered meeting her. All clues began to point to Magik being alive.

 

A group of free students on the run in Limbo ran into a version of Illyana in her Darkchild self. She revealed that she was recreated by Belasco, but in body and mind only. Her soul resided in her Soulsword, and that had been lost. She sought to create a new soulsword, and five new bloodstones of power, from the pure soul of Pixie. The process was only partially successful, resulting in only one bloodstone being created. Pixie ended up with a soul dagger instead of a soul sword. Illyana then taught Pixie a teleportation spell, which allowed the students to reach Belasco's castle which lead to their confrontation with Belasco. In the ensuing fight, Pixie stabbed Belasco with the dagger, allowing Illyana to use the bloodstone's power to presumably destroy Belasco. With Belasco defeated, she once again became queen of Limbo. Despite an emotional reunion with her brother, Piotr, she banished the X-Men from Limbo and sealed it off, not content to rest until she recovered her soul and became whole once again.

 

Divided We Stand

 

llyana wants her soul back, thinking back to the ones she once loved, like Kitty and Piotr she tries to reclaim her soul through these connections and teleports to the Xavier Institute only to find it destroyed and abandoned after the events of Messiah Complex. Angrily she decides that she will not get her soul back through love but through hate and suffering and she will target those who have wronged her and make them pay with their souls.

 

Infernus

 

Infernus is the Quest for Illyana to regain her soul and to later rejoin the X-Men. The story begins with Illyana in Limbo searching for the Beatrice Amulet. Flustered that she can't find it, she sends hordes of Limbo Demons to search the earth and find it. Meanwhile, the X-Men are back in their danger room and Pixie goes crazy and stabs Nightcrawler. After she stabs him with her Souldagger, she pulls the weapon from his body cavity and out comes Illyana's Soulsword with it. Nightcrawler is unharmed by the Souldagger, and the Soulsword that his ex girlfriend Amanda Sefton (another ruler of Limbo), locked inside of him for safe keeping. Instantly back in Limbo, Illyana feels her Soulsword emerge and teleports to the Danger Room to reclaim what is rightfully hers.

 

Everyone is shocked to see Illyana again, as most believed her to be dead. Illyana demands her sword, promising that no one will be hurt if they just hand it over to her. The X-Men refuse and one by one are struck down by Illyana. First Rockslide, then Mercury, followed by Beast. Then Pixie comes along and starts a fight against Illyana but loses, so Illyana takes her Soulsword back and she changes, becoming more human but still incomplete so she runs away to Limbo again only to find out that Witchfire, Belasco's daughter is there and wants her head. The X-men go to Limbo after her and encounter demons but Pixie feels her soul and goes to the castle. The mutants go after her only to be taking down by Witchfire who has Illyana in chains and starts to take another piece of Pixie's soul. Nightcrawler stabs Illyana with the Souldagger and pull out the Soulsword. He calls Pixie and tells her that she is the only one that can save them all. She frees Illyana and together they banish Witchfire but she took along Illyana's and Pixie's soul, that make the young X-Men fly away. Illyana takes everybody back to the Danger Room and there Illyana decides to stay with them.

 

Back to the New Mutants

 

After another brief disappearance, Illyana reappears at the X-Men's new San Francisco home, exhausted and injured. Disoriented and sounding more than a little insane than usual, she gets fellow New Mutants Cannonball, Sunspot and Magma to help her find Dani and Shan, who she says will die soon if aid doesn't come quickly. She goes with her old friends to Colorado, where Dani and Shan had gone earlier based on reports that a young mutant there might have been endangering the local populace. On the way there, she plays mind games with Amara, teasing her that she can cure Empath of the injury caused by Pixie's Souldagger. Once there, she splits up with Amara to track down a missing little girl, empathizing acutely with her as she was also kidnapped in her youth.

 

Tracking her down to a certain home, Illyana and Amara think they've found Shan being held prisoner. But when they open the small cell, they instead find a grinning Legion waiting inside. Conferring with Sam and Bobby, who had found Shan's body in another location, they find out that Shan is inside Legion's mind with a benign little girl personality, but are being chased by the more violent personalities in David Haller's mindscape. When Shan and the little girl are overwhelmed, the violent persona take over. One with superhuman strength punches Amara away, and another one uses an energy blast to down Illyana. The mutant sorceress quickly recovers, and tells Sam and Bobby to find Dani. As one of the beings who previously tried to "fix" David Haller's mind, Dani has become one of Legion's intended targets.

 

Meanwhile, Sam and Bobby find Dani imprisoned in a local jail, about to be attacked by Legion. Bobby knocks Legion away from Dani's cell before she can be harmed, but Sam leaves her inside, thinking that she will be safer. Sam realizes his mistake when Legion uses another of his powers to manipulate the earth in Dani's cell in a second attempt to kill her. That attempt is stopped when Magik and Magma arrive. Magma melts the earth golem Legion created, preventing Dani from being strangled. Furious at Sam, Dani punches him, then leaves to arm herself in order to be useful when they bring the fight back to the insane mutant.

 

Determined to put an end to the threat and save Shan, Illyana teleports to Shan's body and touches it, initiating a transfer of her mind into Legion's. Once there, Illyana shows that she means business by threatening harm if they didn't release Shan to her immediately. When she is accused of bluffing, Illyana manifests her soul sword and, ignoring Sam's plea not to harm any of Legion's personalities, proceeds to cleave and decapitate three of Legion's personas in short order. When a fourth persona attempts to stop Illyana and fails, the remaining personalities acquiesce and lead her to where they're holding Shan and the little girl prisoner. Illyana frees them both, and in the process also frees David Haller's base personality. Guided by David, Illyana discovers that the doll, named "Moira," is the basis for conscious control of Legion's body. Illyana takes the doll away from the remaining hostile personalities just in time to save Dani and the others.

 

Second Coming and Hellbound

 

When Cable returns to the present timeline with Hope Summers in tow, Illyana is dispatched along with a group of other X-Men to retrieve the pair and return them to the safety of the island nation of Utopia. Unfortunately, Bastion's forces nearly kill the trio in an explosion, but Illyana manages to take the brunt of the attack. Before she can use magic to mend herself, Illyana is dragged into Limbo via a stepping disc by demons, much to Colossus's dismay. The next day, Colossus confronts Cyclops, and demands that he be allowed to rescue his sister. Cyclops declines his request, explaining that he needs him by his side, and that he has already ordered Cannonball to form a team of X-Men to retrieve the teleporter from the hellish dimension. They include Northstar, Anole, Pixie, Trance, Dazzler, and Gambit. Although some of the mutants are more willing to help than others, they are all teleported to Limbo thanks to the spell Magik taught Pixie during the events of Quest For Magik. They are quickly attacked by the monstrous hordes belonging to the demon N'astirh, and Gambit succumbs to the realm's evil mystical influence.

 

Facing seemingly insurmountable odds, Dazzler and Northstar both fall victim to Gambit's corruption, and proceed to attack the remaining X-Men sent to aid illyana. Meanwhile, Pixie is visited by N'astirh, and given a choice. He offers to restore the portion of her soul that has been corrupted by Magik. All she has to do is use her Souldagger to kill Magik, and retrieve the Soul Sword for him. Pixie seems reluctant, but allows the demon to take her to Magik. Magik pleads with Pixie to take her life, and end her suffering, but Pixie tricks N'astirh, and stabs the demon with her weapon. With the aid of Cannonball and Anole, The trio manage to free Magik from her imprisonment, and liberate Gambit, Dazzler, and Northstar from Limbo's wicked influence. Magik explains that the reason she hates the new crop of X-Men so much is that they remind her of the monster she has become, and of everything she has lost since Inferno.

 

Once Pixie and the X-Men free Magik, the pair use their weapons to stab N'astirh, and Illyana reclaims Limbo as her own realm. Illyana makes a tentative pact with Pixie to work together in order to reclaim what they have lost as the result of dark magic. Magik and her teammates then leave Limbo to rejoin the rest of the X-Men, and combat the threat posed to mutankind during the events of Second Coming.

 

Avengers vs. X-Men

 

During the conflict, Magik becomes one of the mutants empowered by the Phoenix Force to help defeat the Avengers. Magik intervenes during a battle between Rogue and the Avenger Ms. Marvel, using her powers to gag the heroine and trap her in Limbo. Upon Namor's defeat, Magik, along with her brother, Cyclops and Emma are empowered by Namor's portion of the Phoenix Force. Magik and Colossus defeat Thor and they throw him into a portion of Limbo that Magik raised into the Earthly plane that they are using a prison for the Avengers. The Rasputin siblings end up fighting the Avengers trying to break their team out. In order to buy some time for the Avengers to break the team free, Spider-Man stands up to the two of them. Colossus punches him telling him he does not wish to harm anyone. Magik tells him that he should kill him now and Colossus tells her he does not like what the Phoenix Force is doing to her, and them in general. Spider-Man tricks the two into fighting each other. The Rasputins clash in a fiery blaze of the flaming cosmic energy and both are knocked out and lose their respective portions of the Phoenix Force which then goes to the remaining avatars, Emma and Cyclops. Magik teleports Colossus and herself away to Siberia. In a dark moment for Colossus where he feels doomed, Magik reveals that she planned Colossus becoming the Juggernaut from the beginning. She wanted him to truly understand how she felt when she was a demon from his own demonic experience. In his anger, he attacks her as the Juggernaut but she teleports away leaving him with her final gift; regret.

 

Illyana later returns to her brother with the aim of finishing their 'business'. As Colossus attacks her, she teleports the both of them to Limbo and, being empowered there, removes Cyttorak's corruption from her brothers soul. When asked if she could have done this any time, she replies that she could put that she wanted her brother to learn both of her experiences and to not sacrifice someone who "simply does not deserve it". Colossus threatens to kill her if he ever sees her again and, satisfied that he learned that lesson, Illyana teleports away again.

 

She is next seen at the Jean Grey School For Higher Learning. She hides in Storm's room and upon seeing her, gives her a letter with her brothers location and the suggestion to arrest him. When Storm finds Colossus she is shocked by his animosity he has for the very image of his sister.

 

All New X-Men and the New Revolution

 

Illyana plays a crucial role in the breakout that frees Cyclops, summoning demonic arms to tear away the wall of his cell. She is also seen banishing prisoners murdered a mutant inmate to her dimension of Limbo.

 

Now known as a public enemy to the US Magik has joined Cyclops' team of renegade X-Men alongside with Emma Frost and Magneto. Magik plays a pivotal role in the new All New X-Men series. Magik helps teleport the team around saving innocent mutants from mutant hate groups and law enforcements.

 

Due to the Phoenix Force's influence on the hosts, their powers have been altered and Magik's have been upgraded. Her, Magneto, Cyclops, Emma Frost, and the two new students named Eva Bell and Christopher Muse, show up to save a new mutant by the name of Fabio Medina. During the rescue, the team is attacked by a horde of sentinels and Magik destroyed a massive one with utter ease. After Cyclops lays waste to the rest, Magik teleports the new mutant to the New Xavier Institute where they will be taught how to control their powers. Magik attends the meeting with the other veteran X-Men where they go over the new institute lay-out with the new students and explain the current world's mutant situation. Eva Bell wishes to go home to check on her mother so Magik volunteers to take her and the others, but the whole group goes save for Magneto. Once in Australia, Magik keeps an out for trouble and eventually a group of the Avengers led by Captain America make their way to the scene.

 

Cyclops' team show up the Avengers on live TV by having Scott's team appear as victims of persecution and Eva freezing the Avengers in a temporal bubble. Magik continues to be their primary source of transportation as she teleports the team to the Jean Grey Institute where Cyclops attempts to clear the air and offer a chance for the younger mutants to join his school. When they leave and return home, Magik's powers show her broken side-effects as she writhes in pain, disappears in a hellish portal, and the reemerges with a burst of flames before running off on her own. Her powers act up a second time when the team returns once again with new students in the Stepford Cuckoos and the original, younger version of Angel.

 

Magik is pulled into Limbo after discovering Dormammu has tried taking over. Dormammu forces Magik back into Limbo, along with the rest of the team, and is held captive by the demon as he forces her to watch as his teammates fight for their lives against the mindless ones. Magik manages to break free and casts the team out of the dimension, all the while she absorbs the entirety of Limbo into herself. She then finds the demon in the desolate Limbo and is suggested to have killed him. With her revelation and after absorbing Limbo, Illyana decides she needs help and finds a Dr. Strange back in time before he ever becomes an Avenger to help her control her powers.

 

Magik and the Cuckoos rescue and recruit a new mutant by the name of David Bond. After receiving word of Fabio's kidnapping at the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D., Magik is one of the team members that helps rescue him. Magik is seen training with Eva, but gets caught in Eva's bubble and displaced somewhere in time before coming back. Magik joins the X-Men team to a pro-Cyclops rally, but the team is suddenly attacked by a new sentinel called the blockbuster sentinel. Since the Blockbuster sentinel attack, Magik has helped in training the students and fighting with the alternate timeline versions of the X-Men during the Battle of the Atom event. When the X-Men get a notification of a new mutant, it turns out to be a trap from more sentinels. Thinking it is SHIELD, Cyclops tries to get a distraction going when he learns the sentinel is somehow disabling their mutant abilities. Illyana taps into her training from Dr. Strange and unleashes a magical dragon attack that destroys a bunch of the sentinels. The large one ends up fleeing and the team declares war on whoever is sending these sentinels, whether it be SHIELD or someone using SHIELD.

 

The Last Will & Testament of Charles Xavier

 

When lawyer Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk, received the last will and testament of Charles Xavier, she left for the Jean Grey School to read it to the X-Men listed by Xavier, who also included Scott Summers on the list. In order to have the will read, Scott needed to be contacted and brought to the school. Hank McCoy revealed that he'd always known where Scott's secret base was, but he never told anyone else, not wanting his life to be directed by Scott Summers any longer. The X-Men flew to the New Charles Xavier School for Mutants in the Canadian wilderness, and were greeted by the Uncanny X-Men. The situation was explained, and Magik quickly teleported to JGS and back to verify the story. Scott, Emma, Illyana, Kitty, and Ali teleported to JGS for the reading of the will. It was revealed that Charles Xavier had married Mystique, and that he'd covered up the discovery of an omnipotent mutant by the name of Matthew Malloy. He'd suppressed the boy's memories in order to suppress his powers, but it was all beginning to become undone. He charged the X-Men with the final task of finding and suppressing this mutant. Scott left along with Storm and Rachel Grey to find the mutant. With a wave of his hand, Malloy destroyed a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, and proved to be telepathically immune to Rachel's provocations. He teleported the X-Men away, back to their respective schools. Scott had Magik teleport him back to Malloy, and made a deal with the man. Together, the trio teleported away to Devil's Tower. Scott ordered Magik to give him time to talk to Malloy. During this time, Magneto intervened telling Scott that he'd gone too far, and needed to back down. Malloy, angered, teleported Magneto away and continued his conversation with Scott.

 

In the meantime, Magik visited Doctor Strange in the past again, and, after interrupting one of his more private sessions with a woman, asked if he knew of a way to stop someone as powerful as Malloy. Strange gave Magik the Eye of Agamotto to use on Malloy. Teleporting back to the present, Magik attempted to explain how she would use the artifact, when SHIELD attack forces appeared and blew the entirety of Devil's Tower to smithereens, resulting in the unfortunate and untimely demise of Scott Summers, Matthew Malloy, and Illyana, herself.

 

Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: The Black Vortex

 

Responding to a distress call from her friend and teammate Kitty Pryde, Illyana takes the All-New X-Men and teleports to the Jean Grey School. Once there, she is able to quickly and vaguely inform Storm and Beast that there is a problem that requires their attention. She teleports the group to a the planet Spartax where Kitty and her boyfriend, Peter Quill aka the Legendary Star-Lord are waiting for them with the Guardians of the Galaxy. They have gathered to discuss the dangers of the mysterious Black Vortex, and begin to argue over what should be done with it. While some, like Gamora, want to use the artifact, others, like Storm, want to destroy it. The cosmically empowered Slaughter Lords working for Mister Knife attack the assembled heroes to steal back the Black Vortex. While they battle, Gamora uses the Vortex to enhance herself. With her new skills, she easily battles all of the Slaughter Lords at once, giving Magik time to teleport everyone away. Once safely spirited away by Magik, an argument erupts once again over what should be done, with Kitty spearheading the argument against using the Black Vortex. During the commotion, Beast uses it and becomes cosmically empowered. He agrees with Gamora. All his questions have been answered. He urges the others to use the artifact, tilting the mirror so that they can see what they would look like if cosmically empowered by the Black Vortex.

 

Powers and Abilities

 

Illyana has two very distinctive powers, one is her mutant power to generate spacial/temporal warps in the form of stepping discs, the other is her magic, learned while she was in Limbo. As more and more of her soul was removed, it was replaced and filled with Black Magic granting vast mystical abilities. The two powers will be described separately below.

 

Mutant Power

 

Stepping Disc

Illyana Rasputin has the mutant ability to create and control teleportation energies in the form of "stepping discs". These yellow rings of glowing light, once created, provide the ability to teleport. Not only just herself but a group of individuals as well, to a multitude of different places including destinations in both time and space. The only limitation to her teleportation power is that she must use Limbo as her stopping point prior to her final destination, wherever that may be. Magik can also teleport herself or others into her domain, Limbo or "Hell" dimension or out of it. As Limbo is her domain, Illyana is able to mentally scan Limbo, while on Earth in order to locate whomever she wishes to teleport to Earth from it. Magik has succeeded in teleporting herself and another person across a continent on one occasion, and to travel through time on a few others.

 

However, Magik has not yet mastered her teleportation ability. The greater the distance over which she teleports, the greater the possible margin of error in terms of her arriving at the point in time she desires. Hence, when she once teleported herself and a friend from New York to California, hoping to arrive within seconds of the time she left, Magik and her friend instead arrived one week later, having accidentally traveled into the future. Magik is continuously practicing the use of her teleportation power in order to master it. Although already quite adept in the use of the mutant powers she still has a lot to learn especially considering how new she is to them.

 

In terms of potential Illyana's is nearly limitless. She was once told by Dr. Strange that she had the potential for great feats of manipulating time on a very wide scale. Never one to accept the status quo, Illyana continuously and regularly practices the use of her mutant powers in order to master them and have them grow in strength.

 

Ever since having her powers altered by the Phoenix Force, Magik has undergone an upgrade. She has been shown to be able to conjure and project powerful blasts of energy from her Limbo dimension as an extension of her powers rather than her magic. She has been shown consistently adept at teleporting people away before others can react. Since Dormammu attempted to take over Limbo, Illyana has absorbed the entire dimension into her body.

 

Magical Power

 

Sorceress

As a result of the time Illyana was forced to spend in Limbo, she was permanently changed both physically and mentally. She would spend a total of 6 years in Limbo during which she would learn valuable skills and abilities taught to her by different teachers that would help her in becoming the future Sorceress Supreme & Ruler of Limbo, that she was destined to become. During her first year in Limbo, Illyana was an apprentice to an alternate reality version of Storm. One who unfortunately was stuck in Limbo and lost the ability to control the weather instead becoming a powerful magician highly skilled in the use of white magic. So skilled was she, that she was nearly able to best Belasco in their very first battle only faltering in the very end. During Illyana's time with the now elderly Ororo, she was taught in the uses and practices of white magic. Different from black magic, white magic usually helped rather then hurt when used. She was also taught about life, the creation of it and astral projection. It would be during the time that she would spend with the elderly Ororo that Illyana would learn, much later master, the ability to mystically heal herself. She would spend an entire year apprenticing under the tutelage of the elderly Ororo.

 

Following Illyana's first year with Ororo, Illyana then was trained by Cat. Cat was an alternate reality version of Kitty Pryde. No longer fully human in appearance, due to an interaction with Belasco, she had been transformed into a cat-like hybrid making her more animal in nature. As a result of the magical transformation forced on Cat, she had a hate for magic and wanted Illyana to have nothing to do with it. Illyana would train with Cat for 2 years, during which she would be taught how to fight, specifically, unarmed-combat and in the effective use of bladed weapons. Initially Cat taught Illyana how to use a dagger then moved on to that of swords. Illyana would become quite comfortable in the use of both weapons; comfortable and very effective. It was during her time with Cat that she was also taught valuable survival skills allowing her to thrive in the most unlikely places. Illyana would grow to become best friends with Cat and look at her like family, willing to do anything to protect her.

 

It would be during her time with Limbo's, then, ruler Belasco that Illyana would learn and be changed the most. It was Belasco's goal to transform all 5 parts of Illyana's soul into Bloodstones. This was for two very different reasons. Firstly, with the 5 Bloodstones, Belasco could complete the magical Beatrice Medallion thus allowing him the ability to traverse to and from Limbo. An ability he had lost when he was exiled to Limbo by his masters the Elder Gods, for failing them. As a result of her soul being removed, it would be filled completely with black magic and would permanently make her a tool of both his, Belasco, and that of his evil masters the Elder Gods. This would make her a being of pure evil and thus helping the Elder Gods take over the Earth dimension.

 

Belasco would be unsuccessful in his ploy to remove all 5 parts of Illyana's soul. In the 3 years that she would learn under his tutelage, he would only manage to take 3/5 of her soul. This would still permanently taint her soul and as a result give her a partial demonic soul instead. It would be during her time as a pupil of Belasco's that he would teach her the darkest of the dark arts and the blackest of black magic. While at his palace she, too, had full access to Belasco's library of books of magic, that he had collected through this long, unnatural life. Belasco taught the young Illyana everything he knew. As a result of this, Illyana could produce virtually any and all spells that Belasco could and would be able to manipulate the forces of magic for a variety of effects to include.

 

-Mind Control (both humans and animals)

 

-Metamorphing (herself, others or objects. living or otherwise)

 

-Astral Projection

 

-Necromancy

 

-Generate and release concussive bolts of pure magic energy

 

-Creation of magical force fields

 

-Inter-dimensional travel

 

-Ability to generate and manipulate fire

 

-Mental Possession

 

-Dark force manipulation

 

-Creation of constructs purely of magical energies

 

As a result of Illyana's diverse training and multiple years learning while in Limbo, she gained an aptitude for sorcery and control over magic that was unlike no other. She had created a unique blend of both white and black magic that she would wield. Additionally, due to her now partially demonic soul, Illyana had also naturally gained formidable psionic shielding granting her immunity to mental probing. This shielding was effective enough to hinder the vaunted telepathic abilities of both Professor X and Marvel Girl (Rachel Summers) arguably two of the most powerful mutant minds the world has seen.

 

After Illyana bested Belasco in battle, she chose to exile him from the Limbo, allowing him to live rather than kill him. As the winner, Illyana, was granted the title of Sorceress Supreme of Limbo. The full extents of her powers have not yet been fully defined. It have been stated that in Limbo, Illyana's power is unmatched and her word is law. With but a single thought she can completely alter the physical appearance of Limbo. As stated previously, she too, potentially, could cast all spells that Belasco could have. This especially since she has unlimited access to Balesco's sorceress knowledge.

 

For this reason and more Illyana is most powerful during her time in Limbo. This is clearly a result of her should being connected to the dimension, allowing for the two being intertwined by the very essences that they are created from. On the flip side, while on the Earth dimension, cut off from Limbo, Illyana's magical prowess and abilities are dramatically reduced. Illyana has preformed a handful of magical skills on Earth but nothing comparable to that of what she can do in Limbo. While on Earth, Illyana has effectively preformed; Astral projection, an abilities to sense magical presences and the ability to magically scan her Limbo dimension, allowing her to track and/or see all that occurs in Limbo while she is away. Illyana's most notable power while on Earth though are largely limited to her magical weapon, of her own making, called the Soulsword.

 

Recently,Illyana has been using her abilities to travel back in time to Dr. Strange before he became an Avenger to help train her in her magical abilities.

 

The Soulsword

 

The Soulsword is the ultimate embodiment of Illyana's magical strength that was forged during a time of great need and despair. Illyana was desperate to find a way to free herself of Belasco and find a way to leave Limbo.

 

⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽

_____________________________

 

A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.

 

Secret Identity: Illyana Nikolaievna Rasputina

 

Publisher: Marvel

 

First appearance: As Illyana Rasputina: Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975)

As Magik: Magik (Storm and Illyana) #1 (December 1983)

 

Created by:

Illyana Rasputina:

Len Wein (Writer)

Dave Cockrum (Artist)

 

Magik:

Chris Claremont (Writer)

Sal Buscema (Artist)

 

Illyana has not been seen on the Bijou Planks stage prior to this, but she has been seen outside the theater, such as in Paprihaven issue 1269!

www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/27683661579/

can yel3ab fee sha3ar e5ta leen tesharbak sha3arha lol 7aram

note the different seals

AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4E PF VR on Nikon 1 J5 using FT1 adaptor. 60 frame focus stack shot as JPEG Basic Small with Nikon Z6 and AF-S Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G.

Sony a7ii

Voigtlander 15mm f4.5 III - VM-E Close Focus Adapter

PSE

NIK Silver Efex

ok, i guess i'm supposed to explain this. took lots of shots of her with the ring. most were, i'd say, more typical of me....the ring around her lips, close up; her holding the ring. this is when she went into fed-up mode and i like the longness of it, the atmosphere. yeah, it's really high-contrast. i like it.

Made with Repix (repix.it)

A soidier in uniform circa 1850 liexplains cannon operations to the crowd during sArmy Days at Fort Tejon in Kern County California.

for some reason i can't explain this is in Explore

What is supersymmetry? What does it predict?

Taken with the Super Takumar 50 1.4 vintage lens

 

I have to explain this one -

There is one large rock quite close to the shore between Rivaz and Cully. Every morning, my train passes by and I see a few cormorants and maybe a heron standing there still as statues. For the past few days, my train goes past just after the sun has risen and shines on the lake, and I see the cormorants stretching out their wings to dry them.

So, every morning, I sit in the train, camera poised, trying to get a photo of them. Every time, I have ended up with a lot of lake and a small black blob. So today, I tried with the zoom. I caught the cormorants the way I wanted, but somehow a bush got in the way.

But, well, there's something I like about it, and I clicked on the I feel lucky thing in picasa, and this is how it came out.

 

I just looked up the proper term for a group of cormorants and found gulp, flight, paddling or sunning - I thought "sunning" the best of all.

Someone explain to me how a cat ingests helium.

 

I was laughing the entire time trying to take this picture. Habanero was at my feet while I was tossing his toy in the air, and just making this kitty grunting noise. So funny. He's almost meowing and grunting at the same time trying to say "give me my god damn toy and stop taking pictures!!"

 

I feel like I've been out of the Flickr loop for over a week... bah, sorry about the lack of comments guys, I'll get back to it soon here....

 

Combined about 10 stock images from sxc.hu to get the background.

.. how scientific claims behind cancer, vaccines, psychiatric drugs and GMOs are nothing more than corporate funded science fraud

Sadly, what often passes for “science” today in the world of health is little more than “Scientism” — a dangerous cult founded on...

 

www.hopegirlblog.com/the-cult-of-scientism-explained/

Or he's about to grab something.

The following day Vincent reached out to Aiden to let him know that the next day's lessons would be his last. With a pleased smile, Vincent assured Aiden that he had exceeded his expectations and he was ready! He also explained that the following day was when Damien and he had opted to go flying. They'd be going in the evening. Once Aiden assured his captain that he had a few inns in mind to stay at already, Vincent resisted the urge to stay in his presence longer and left Aiden to take care of further business in town.

The next day at lessons, they were joined by not only by the now-recovered Abigail but by Bernadette as well! And with this unexpected visitor, instead of lessons, the four of them quickly found themselves seated together just chatting away while getting lost in listening to music and smoking the herb. They were having such a splendid time together!

As the afternoon shifted towards evening, Vincent declared his last round of smoking. He needed to be wrapping this up soon because he needed to be meeting Damien at the ship. Aiden mentioned needing to go with him to pick up his bag as well for the evening.

As soon as the sisters discovered that Aiden would be heading towards an inn for the rest of the night after grabbing something to eat, they looked at each other. They simultaneously came up with an idea.

Abigail smiled warmly and turned to Aiden and asked him, "Never mind having to go out! How would you like to join us and the family for dinner? It's been a while since we've had you over, and this way we can get Eugene back to you! I swear if that crab stays with us any longer he'll become the family pet!"

Aiden looked between Bernadette and Abigail and their hopeful smiles and pleading eyes; eyes that mirrored his beloved captain's. How was he supposed to resist them? As if that weren't enough to convince him, he vividly recalled Mrs. Faris' divine cooking and the warm welcome he'd received from the Dubois family. While the idea of going there without Vincent intimidated him, he wasn't about to decline Abigail's invitation!

And while Aiden agreed and spoke to Bernadette, Abigail stood and went to walk around the back of Vincent's seat. She'd seen the look of trepidation in his eyes. She placed her hand upon his shoulder and gave it a gentle pat before speaking quietly in his ear, "He'll be fine. I'll keep an eye on things."

After bidding the others a quick farewell, Abigail took her leave to let the family know they would be having company for the evening. Even though Vincent may think her a small villain right now, she knew exactly what she was doing! His subtle reaction was exactly what she had hoped for. While Vincent may be fooling himself, he wasn't fooling her, his closest friend and confidante. It was enough just to hear Bernadette's recollections of the two together during Vincent's initial recovery. But now that Abigail bore witness, herself, over the past few weeks? Oh ho! This was better than theater! Of course she didn't want to upset her cousin in any way but sometimes he needed a little kick in the ass!

...

Upon his arrival back at Leon's Claw, Aiden went below deck to quickly grab his overnight bag while Bernadette waited patiently for him. Then after a quick farewell to Vincent, Aiden and Bernadette departed together. Vincent's gaze followed after them wistfully until they were no longer in his sight.

Ever since Aiden had been invited to dinner, Vincent's mood started to sink. Now he was feeling downright sour. He knew that it was perfectly acceptable for Aiden to be invited over to dinner. In fact, at this point he almost expected it. He was officially a family friend and everyone adored him! It was just...it came down to Charlotte. And despite knowing Abigail and Aunt Jennifer would be there to chaperone, Vincent still felt anxious and...and the idea of Charlie and Aiden in the same room irritated the fuck out of him!

What the Hell was Abigail playing at?! Surely, after this, Charlotte would want to introduce Aiden to her father who was coming home next week! She'd likely think that Aiden was coming back to see her; not the whole family. But wait...what if he WAS going so he could see her? Shouldn't he be happy if Charlie found someone as wonderful as Aiden? Maybe so, but instead the idea was...actually starting to piss him off.

But in the end, with no real valid reason to go chasing after Aiden and summon him back, Vincent tried to push it out of his mind (of which he was unsuccessful), and began to get Leon's Claw ready for her evening adventure. Something told him it was going to be a long night...

...

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.

Staring out the window of the family's sitting room, Charlotte nibbled her lower lip while fidgeting nervously. She had already changed into a more flattering dress for dinner and was now waiting impatiently for her elder sister and their guest to arrive. After these past couple of weeks with no contact, she'd begun to think that maybe Aiden wasn't interested in her after all. He'd not come despite her invitation. Yet when Abigail announced that Aiden was coming tonight after his dance lessons, Charlotte's fears dissipated on the spot. Of course he'd been busy preparing for the masquerade! It made sense now why he'd not come to see her until now!

"He's here!" Charlotte exclaimed excitedly as she made haste out the door to greet the carriage coming down the driveway. Meanwhile, Dionne rolled her eyes as she looked up from her notes of cooking recipes and leaned against her mother wearily. She then whined, "I can't wait for her to finally get married! She keeps going from happy to mopey...to happy again! It's always 'Aiden this' and 'Aiden that.' A few months ago it was 'Edward this' and 'Edward that' She's so annoying!"

Lady Dubois gave a soft chuckle and wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders and squeezed gently. She told her with a knowing smile, "That is normal for young ladies, I'm afraid. I remember sitting by the window for hours eagerly waiting for your father to arrive. Ah, my darling, you will see for yourself soon enough once you fall in love."

"No, I won't! That's so boring! Ugh! I'm not sure I even want to fall in love!"

"I think it's romantic! I can't wait to fall in love!" cut in Emele as she looked up from her romance novel. She sighed dreamily, causing her twin to make a face and stick her tongue out in disgust. Lady Dubois couldn't help but laugh harder as she motioned for the girls to come along to greet their dinner guest.

"It's so good to see you," Charlotte was telling Aiden as Lady Dubois and the twins made it to the entrance hall. "I was wondering when you'd be stopping by again!" Already, she had her hands comfortably wrapped around Aiden's arm and was guiding him inside as Mr. Faris held the door open for them. Bernadette followed behind them, thanking Mr. Faris and looking mildly put off as she huffed slightly at her sister who wasn't paying attention. She only had eyes for their fine guest.

"It's good to see you too. I've been wanting to come visit everyone again," Aiden replied with a sincere smile which made Charlotte smile wider. "I've been distracted with lessons the past few weeks."

"So I've heard! Mama, look who's here!"

After a quick round of pleased greetings with Lady Dubois and the twins, Aiden found himself in the dining room where Abigail and the rest of the family waited eagerly for their guest’s arrival. It didn't take very long for everyone to get settled and sit down for dinner. This time Aiden found himself seated beside Charlotte. She seemed to be taking it upon herself to be Aiden's hostess this evening.

Mrs. Faris had made yet another delicious meal: shepherd's pie! It was savory and hit all the right notes. Dinner was a fairly quiet affair; a testament to how much everyone was enjoying their meal. But as dinner drew to a close, conversation started becoming more lively as Lady Dubois inquired about the lessons that she'd been hearing so much about.

Aiden glanced towards Abigail who smiled and quirked her eyebrow at him with a little smile; gesturing for him to go ahead and elaborate. Aiden took a quick sip of his wine with a small smile as he turned his attention back to the lady of the house.

"I was offered an invitation to the coming masquerade ball so your daughter and nephew have been kind enough to teach me how to dance and proper etiquette. This is- heh, well I never dreamed I'd attend an event such as that! But we've been meeting and I've been practicing my dancing."

"And you're doing wonderfully," Abigail praised his efforts as she lifted her wine glass and gave it a gentle swirl. "It's a shame there wasn't enough time to teach you more. You are a quick learner!"

"Aw shucks. Thank you!"

"But there's still time. Why stop early?" Lady Dubois wondered aloud as she tilted her head curiously at her eldest daughter. Abigail licked her lips and replied, "Vincent seemed to think Aiden had learned enough." She gave a small shrug and added, "Just as well. There is much to do before the ball."

"You know, Aiden," Charlotte spoke up with a suggestive smile as she leaned a touch closer and placed her hand on his forearm, "I'm quite the dancer, if I do say so, myself. If you'd like more time to prepare, I'd be happy to offer myself as your practice partner. Perhaps after dinner? If Mama or one of my sisters would be willing to chaperone, of course."

Bernadette and Abigail were already internally groaning. Abigail thought to herself how she should have known Charlotte would pull something like this! And to make matters worse, Aiden was suddenly perking up and nodding his agreement!

"You know what? I'd like that," Aiden agreed with a grin. Maybe if things worked out practicing with her this evening, he could ask to come back a few more times before the masquerade and get more practice in! He couldn't wait to show off his improved skills to Vincent at the ball. After all, his big plans to finalize his sneaky courting of Vincent were to come to a head there!

With Aiden's motives unknown to them, Bernadette's brow furrowed as she glanced towards Abigail uncertainly. But her sister was discreetly, yet keenly, observing Aiden and Charlotte as she sipped her wine. And as Lady Dubois readily agreed to chaperone, Abigail spoke up and offered to assist as their dance instructor. She had promised Vincent she'd keep an eye on Aiden after all. As much as she didn't want to admit it, if Aiden decided to choose Charlotte, there wasn't much anyone could say. In the end, Vincent would likely remain none the wiser as to what could have been.

But as the evening progressed, Abigail would see that their concerns were unfounded after all; at least where Aiden was concerned. Even with the most desired and eligible young woman this side of town in his arms with eyes only for him, Aiden could not stop bringing up Vincent! Bless him! It was obvious, at least to Abigail, that he was completely smitten. Abigail was actually beginning to wonder if Aiden was even aware of Charlotte's growing feelings for him.

However Charlotte, in her infatuation, seemed unphased by Aiden's favorite topic of discussion. She gladly listened to his adventures and the funny stories and enjoyed his conversation. From an outside perspective the two appeared well-matched and looked good together. Anyone would believe that something was growing between them.

The hour was starting to get late when Lady Dubois cleared her throat softly and offered a nightcap. Aiden hadn't realized how late it was and began to apologize but Lady Dubois graciously dismissed his apology by telling him it was a pleasure to have him. Here, Abigail regretfully needed to excuse herself. She was, first and foremost, a mother and she needed to see about putting her son and the other little ones to bed. It left Aiden to sit with Charlotte and her mother to share a drink before parting for the night. Once Lady Dubois poured the drinks, she went to sit nearby as the young couple took a seat on the sofa.

"You really dance wonderfully!" Charlotte praised Aiden as she took a seat comfortably beside him on the sofa and offered him his drink. Aiden blushed and smiled shyly as he brought the glass to his lips and took a small sip. She took a sip as well then told him, "I'd seriously never have guessed you'd only started learning a couple weeks ago!"

"Thank you. I didn't realize how much I'd enjoy it. Heh, Vincent says I'm a quick learner."

"I'd say you are! Your partner is going to be a lucky lady!"

"My partner?"

"For the masquerade? You said you had an invitation, yes?"

"Oh, right," Aiden responded as realization suddenly hit him and he lowered his drink and stared at it with a slight furrowed brow. His invitation DID mention he was invited as well as a plus one.

"Vincent invited me. I didn't realize I had to bring anyone."

"Wait. So you're going with Vincent?"

"No. He's...he's going with Damien." God, saying that aloud felt like he was swallowing acid. "He just got me the invitation."

"Well it is not required, per se. But it IS expected," Charlotte explained thoughtfully. He didn't have anyone to go with! This had to be divine planning! With a light nibble of her lower lip and looking as sweet as possible, she gazed up at him with pleading eyes and suggested in a soft tone, "What if...we went together? I haven't found anyone to go with, myself. It is a bit last minute, I know. At least you know we're very compatible on the dance floor?" She gave a soft laugh and quickly added, "We could even practice more ahead of time if you'd like."

"That would be brilliant!"

"Excellent. So it's settled!" Charlotte smiled happily as she raised her glass towards him. "We'll be sure to get plenty of practice in and dazzle the whole lot of them!"

Aiden chuckled at her enthusiasm and raised his glass to gently clink against hers in agreement. If it was expected that he brought someone then why hadn't Vincent mentioned that? Perhaps he just didn't want to put unnecessary pressure on Aiden? Charlotte had a valid point: they were compatible on the dance floor and this way at least they had a friend to go with. She was fun to be around and he did like her. And this would give him the opportunity to keep practicing dancing like he wanted! It was kind of her to offer.

A short time later Charlotte and Lady Dubois were bidding Aiden a fond farewell outside the front door. The Dubois family carriage was waiting to take him to the inn for the evening; a generous offer by Lady Dubois. Aiden said goodnight to the two ladies and tucked Eugene the mechanical hermit crab safely in his pocket. Then he took his leave until his planned return to practice with Charlotte.

Charlotte waved to Aiden as the carriage pulled away. Once it was by the road she sighed happily and looked at her mother with a dreamy little smile before heading back inside. And as she did, she began to hum to herself; a sign of a happy woman.

Lady Dubois quirked her brow and chuckled softly with a small shake of her head. Though before she turned to go back inside, herself, she paused with a touch of doubt and cast her gaze back towards the carriage as it turned onto the main road. While she thought Aiden and Charlotte would make a lovely match, something wasn't quite right. She couldn't quite put her finger on it...

'He's...he's going with Damien,' Aiden had told them. While she respected that Damien was one of Vincent's best friends and a loyal crewmate, she wasn't quite sure how to feel about this...situation. Damien was....he was just... And if she was being honest with herself there was something in Aiden's tone that suggested he was displeased with that notion as well.

And one couldn't deny that little smile that crept up on Aiden's face whenever Vincent was mentioned all those times. Call it a mother's intuition, but something told her that there was definitely more to all this than what meets the eye. She didn't sense there were any ulterior motives from Aiden, but why spend all this time with Charlotte if he was infatuated with Vincent?

But even Lady Dubois had to admit that there had been no mention of actual courting between Aiden and her daughter. They'd simply agreed to spend time together practicing much like Abigail had done with Aiden. However, Abigail didn't see Aiden as a potential suitor whereas Charlotte did. She just really, really hoped that Charlotte kept her wits about her as whatever was to come would come.

  

---

NEXT PART:

www.flickr.com/photos/153660805@N05/54173438307/in/datepo...

  

To select another chapter (or even start from the beginning), here's the album link:

www.flickr.com/photos/153660805@N05/albums/72157717075565127

 

***Please note this is a BOY LOVE (LGBTQ+) series. It is a slow burn and is rated YOUNG ADULT!***

 

Special thank you to my husband Vin for collaborating with me on this series and co-starring as The Captain!

  

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By now it was raining quite hard, so I grabbed a couple of shots from the other side of the road before going in.

 

Hello I said to the churchwarden, we've come to photograph the church.

 

Oh I don't know if that's possible, you might be journalists. What do you want the pictures for?

 

I explained about the website and liking churches and that we had come from Dover to see this church. I gave he my Moo card, and she said it was OK. And then would not shut up, she told us all about the history of the church, the town, businesses. All nice, but I wanted to snap the church.

 

In the end, Jools took over and I set about snapping. And very fine it is too.

 

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A huge church that is accessed most days through the coffee shop next door. Saxon in its origins it was extended many times as befits a market town on the main London-Dover road. Today it consists of nave and chancel with aisles and chapels. Much remodelled in the nineteenth century (by Blomfield) and again late in the 20th it may lack atmosphere, but it certainly does not lack appeal.... or its part in national history. The body of Henry V rested here overnight on its journey back from France in 1422. Behind the painting in a medieval vestry, itself a rarity. There are lots of brasses and a large monument to John Spilman who introduced papermaking here in the seventeenth century. In the south chapel is a huge wall painting of St. George - the largest medieval painting in Kent.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Dartford+1

 

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DARTFORD

LIES the next parish eastward from Crayford, on the high road from London to Dover, about fifteen miles from the former. It was called in Saxon Derentford, in Latin Derenti Vadum, signifying the forde or passage over the river Derent. (fn. 1) In Domesday it is written Tarentefort.

 

THIS PARISH takes within its bounds almost the whole both of Dartford-heath and the Brent. It contains about 4300 acres of land. The town has about four hundred houses and about two thousand five hundred inhabitants. The upland parts of the parish are but thin and gravelly, the crops of which are greatly increased by the culture of turnips; the vallies are a sertile and rich loam, the northern part of the parish is marsh land, which reaches to the Thames, containing about eight hundred acres, none of which is ever ploughed. The town of Dartford is situated in a valley, between two hills, which rise suddenly and sleep at each end of it. On that at the western extremity are chalk pits, which have been worked underneath to a considerable extent, and have rather a fearful and dangerous appearance to travellers; the opposite hill is a deep sandy loam. Dartford is at present a handsome and wealthy town, still increasing in size and inhabitants, the principal street of which is the great thoroughfare from London to Dover, on which there are built several good inns. From this street southward branches off the high road through Farningham to Sevenoke, in which stands Horseman's-place, now used, with the gardens, by a public gardener; northward from the high street is the Water-lane (so called from the little stream, the Cranford, which rises about a mile and a half southward of the town, at Hawley, which runs through it) and leads to the wharss at the water side, not far distant from which stands the Place-house, formerly the priory, with the buildings belonging to it, now used as a farm house and offices, adjoining to which is a piece of land, inclosed with a wall, formerly belonging to the priory, exceeding rich, which has been for many years been made use of as a public garden ground. The artichokes growing in it are noted for being the largest and best flavoured of any brought to the London markets, and are called, for distinction sake, the Dartford artichoke.

 

There is a good market for corn and provisions here on a Saturday, weekly; and a fair yearly, on the 2d and 3d of August. The old market house and shambles stood very inconveniently in the middle of the high street, but they were removed some years ago, and the present market place and shambles were built more commodiously elsewhere, by public subscription, to the great embellishment of the town, and the satisfaction of all travellers; at the same time the old uneasy pavement through the town was removed, and a new road of gravel made in its room, with a handsome footway of curbed stone on each side; near the east end of it stands the church, almost adjoining to the river Darent, which here crosses the high road under a handsome bridge. In king Edward III.'s reign there appears to have been no bridge here, the passage or ferry over the Darent at this place being valued among the rents of the manor; however, there was one built before the end of king Henry VI.'s reign, but it was one most narrow, steep, and dangerous for travellers, which continued so till not many years since it was altered to its present more commodious state, at the public charge of the county. A little below this bridge, the Darent becomes navigable for barges; and at the distance of about two miles, receiving the Cray into its channel, at a like distance empties itself into the Thames. On this creek there was formerly a considerable fishery, as appears by the records before mentioned; for so late as king James I.'s reign, the royal manor of Dartford received for the fishery six salmons yearly, a kind of fish now unknown here; and the manor of Dartford priory received a yearly rent of fifty pounds for a fishery likewise here at the same time; but no fishery at this time exists, nor has for many years past.

 

The trade and manufacture carried on by the several mills on the Darent contribute much to the flourishing state this town is in at present; for besides the powder-mills, first erected by Sir John Spilman as a paper mill, as before mentioned, situated a quarter of a mile above the town; there is a paper mill at a small distance below it, where there was one so early as 1590, erected by one Geoffry Box of Liege, for the cutting of iron bars into rods, being the first supposed to be erected for this purpose in England, and for the more easy converting of that metal to different uses; lower down, at the east end of the town, are two corn mills, and farther below bridge the ruins of the mill, employed as a cotton manufactory, which was burned down in 1796, and now lies in ruins. It was before made use of as a sawing mill, and before that as a brasel mill, for the slitting of iron bars into rods, nails, &c. being first erected for that purpose by John Browne, soon after the death of king Charles I. Near this is the public wharf, to which hoys and barges come up from the Thames. To this wharf is brought the produce of the woods in this neighbourhood, which are of considerable extent, and the manufactures, which are here shipped for the London market, as are the goods for the subsistence of the town and vicinity of it from the metropolis.

 

In the return of the survey, made of the several maritime places, in this county, by order of queen Elizabeth, in her 8th year, Dartford is said to contain houses inhabited, 182; persons lacking habitation, 6; keys or landing places; 4; ships and boats, 7; three of three tons, one of six, two of ten, one of fifteen; persons for carriage from Dartford to London, and so back again, 14; Sir Thomas Walsingham, steward of the town; Mr. Asteley, keeper of the queen's house; John Beer's; the wardens of Rochester-bridge.

 

In the reign of king Henry III. the archbishop of Cologne was sent hither, with several noblemen, by the emperor Frederick, to demand Isabella, the king's sister, in marriage, which was solemnised by proxy in this town, and she was then delivered to them, to be carried over. In 1331, king Edward III. at his return from France, held a famous tornament in this town. In the 5th year of king Richard II. a great commotion of the common people begun at this place, occasioned by Wat Tyler's having beat out the brains of one of the collectors of the poll tax, on account of his insolent behaviour to his daughter. The people, who were in general discontented, being inflamed by this circumstance, broke out into open rebellion, and he soon found himself at the head of one hundred thousand men. (fn. 2)

 

Thus attended, he marched directly to London, freeing, in the mean time, the prisoners detained in the public goals; among these was a priest, in the neighbourhood of Maidstone, one John Ball, vulgarly called John Straw, who, by his seditious sermons, had raised the people's sury to the utmost heighth, insomuch that, in conformity to his maxims, they resolved to destroy all the nobility and lawyers in the realm, for he had persuaded them that all men, being the sons of Adam, there ought to be no distinction; and, confequently, it was their duty to reduce the world to a perfect equality; in consequence of which he preached to the people on these rhymes:

 

"When Adam delse, and Eve span,

"Who was then a gentleman ?"

 

The king, hearing they were advanced as far as Blackheath, sent to know their demands, to which, returning a most insolent answer, they immediately marched towards London, and took possession of the borough of Southwark; and the gates of London bridge being thrown open to them by the citizens, they entered the city, where they committed every scene of barbarity that could be expected from such a body, guided solely by their sury. They then seized on the Tower, where they sound the archbishop and the lord treasurer, whom they immediately beheaded. Upon this the king, dreading the consequences of so powerful a body, repaired to Smithfield, with some few attendants, and sent a knight to Tyler, to come there and confer with him, which this rebel, with much deliberation, at last complied with. At this conference he behaved with such insolence, that William Walworth, lord mayor of London, who attended the king, without considering the consequences that would attend it, discharged such a blow at the rebel's head with his sword, that he instantly fell dead at his feet. However, contrary to expectation, the multitude were so terrified, that they threw down their arms, and sued for mercy; and were all, in the space of a few minutes, dispersed, without the effusion of any blood, except of their leader. (fn. 3)

 

About a mile south-westward from the town is the large plain, called DARTFORD. HEATH, containing about 500 acres of land. It lies high, and on a fine gravelly soil; on it there are a great many of those pits and holes so frequent in these parts. Some of these reach below the gravel as low as the chalk, others no farther than the sand and gravel; many of them have been stopped up of late years, to prevent the frequent accidents which happen of men and cattle falling into them. The occasion of their being first dug has been already explained, under the adjoining parish of Crayford. This heath has been much noted of late, as being the spot chosen by the corps of Toxopbilites, under the appellation of the Royal Kentish Bowmen, for whose use a house has been fitted up at the western side of the heath, not far from Baldwin's, and is now distinguished by the name of the Lodge, being the scene of their exercise and recreation; at which times, on their gala days, butts, apartments, and company, have made the most splen did and costly appearance. It is as delightful and pleasant a spot as any in these parts.

 

Less than half a mile eastward from the town, the high road to Rochester crossing it, lies another heath, called DARTFORD-BRENT, vulgarly the BRIMPT. This place is famous for the encampment of the army of Richard Plantagenet, duke of York, in 1452, whilst he waited to obtain a parley with king Henry VI. who then lay encamped on Blackheath. In the year 1648 General Fairfax's army rendevouzed here.

 

The ROMAN-ROAD shews itself very conspicuously on the south side of the high road between Dartford and the Brent, and when it comes to the latter, it shapes its course more to the south south-east, leaving the high road at a greater distance, on the lefthand, and entering among the inclosures and woods, in its way to a hamlet called Stonewood, it goes on to Wingfield-bank, and thence to Shinglewell, towards Rochester.

 

At a small distance southward from the Romanroad on the Brent, close to the road to Greenstedgreen, are three small barrows, which seem to have been plundered of their contents.

 

¶The gravel-pit at the entrance of the Brent from Dartford was, whilst the affizes were held in this town, which was frequently, at the latter end of queen Elizabeth's reign, the place for the public execution of criminals; and in 1772, in digging for gravel here, eight human skeletons were sound, lying contiguous to each other; most probably the remains of some of those unhappy convicts. This spot was likewise made use of in the reign of queen Mary, for the execution of those who suffered for religion.

 

Our HERBALISTS have taken notice of several scarce plants and herbs sound here:

 

The camæpytis, herb ivy, or ground pine, not only here, but in the adjoining parishes.

 

Ruta muraria five salvia vitæ, stone rue, or rue maidenbair, on the wall of the church-yard.

 

Aphaca, small yellow fetch, in the corn-fields about this place.

 

Buckthorne, in the bedges of this place.

 

The juniper tree grows in plenty on the downs southward of Dartford-brent.

 

Mentastrum, horse mint; valde ramosum flore violaceo rubro.

 

Orchis five tragorchis max. the greatest goat stones, between Crayford and Dartford.

 

Orchis hermaphroditica, the butterfly satirion; testiculus vulpinus spegodes, the humble bee orchis; orchis melittias, the bee orchis; orchis myodes, the fly satirion; are found on the downs, southward of Dartford brent.

 

The lizard orchis, has been found in the lane between Dartford and Darent.

 

Several forts of the orchis ornithophora are found in the meadows adjoining the river Darent, southward of this town.

 

Trisolium stellatum glabrum, smooth starry headed tresoil, in Dartford salt marshes. (fn. 4)

 

Charities.

THOMAS AUDITOR, alias BARNARD, gave by will, in 1536, an annuity of 3s. to buy peas, to be distributed among the poor, in the first week in Lent, payable out of four acres of land, called Docklincrost, which bequest has not been paid for many years.

 

WILLIAM VAUGHAN gave by deed, in 1596, a rent, to be distributed quarterly to the most poor inhabitants of Dartford, out of a house and garden, vested in trustees, and of the annual produce of 13l. 4s.

 

JEROME WARRAM gave by will, in 1570, for the use of the poor, a house and garden, in the occupation of Mrs. Bugden, of the annual produce of 5s.

 

MRS. CATHARINE BAMME gave by deed, in 1572, among other charitable bequests, 20s. to the poor of this parish, to be paid out of an messuage and lands in Gillingham, vested in Edward Taylor, of the annual produce of that sum.

 

JOHN BYER gave by will, in 1572, for the habitation of the poor of this parish, nine alms houses, in Lowfield, adjoining southward to Horseman's-place, and endowed them with a barn and several pieces of land, in the occupation of Mrs. Glover and Mr. Fleet; the former at 17l. the latter at 5l. annual rent, and for the habitation of four poor aged people, and 20d. to be paid quarterly to each of them; now inhabited by paupers; annual produce 1l. 6s. 8d.

 

JOHN BARTON gave by will, in 1613, the interest of 130l. yearly, to be bestowed on bread, and distributed to the poor by the vicar and churchwardens. N. B. With this money, in 1623, the parish purchased by deed, of Francis Goldsmith and others, thirteen acres of land in Crayford parish, and a house in Dartford, the former vested in William Flint and others, at 12l. per annum rent; the latter in William Nettlefold, at 11l. 10s. per annum; on condition that 20s. should be yearly distributed to the poor on Shrove Sunday, as his gift, out of the rents of the lands purchased of him by Barton's money. He agreed to abate 15l. out of the purchase money; annual produce 1l.

 

WILLIAM REYNOLDS and WILLIAM HARRISON gave by will, in 1623, the interest of 50l. and 10l. to be laid out in bread, and distributed among the poor every Sunday in the year,

 

N. B. With these two gifts were purchased a house and piece of land belonging to it, which house has been taken down, and four new houses have been built on the ground, with monies borrowed upon them, which money the rents have discharged. The houses are let to several tenants, at the yearly rent of 5l. each; 2s. worth of bread have been yearly distributed every Sunday, out of the rent of these houses, as was stipulated when they were purchased; the annual produce 20l. per annum.

 

ROBERT ROGERS gave by deed, in 1629, rent to be distributed among the poor on Easter Monday, payable out of a house and yard, vested in Mrs. Catharine Tasker; annual produce 4l.

 

JONATHAN BRETT gave by deed, in 1629, for the relief of the poor inhabitants of this parish, four acres of land, vested in Mr. George Hardres, of the annual produce of 9l.

 

THOMAS COOPER in 1629, gave an annuity, to be distributed to the poor in bread, payable out of woodland in Bexley parish, in the occupation of James Craster, of the annual produce of 1l.

 

ANTHONY POULTER gave by will, in 1629, an annuity of 20s. to be distributed by the minister and churchwardens on Easter day, payable out of a house in Dartford, occupied by Mrs. Pettit, of the annual produce of 1l.

 

JOHN TWISLETON, esq. gave by deed, in 1660, certain rent, to be applied, one-third of it to the alms houses, and the other twothirds to be given to the poor, issuing out of three acres of land, in the occupation of Edward Rawlins, of the annual produce of 5l. 6s. 3d.

 

JOHN ROUND, in 1682, gave an annuity, to be distributed among the poor on Christmas day, payable out of the Bell inn, in Dartford, in the occupation of John Elliot, of the annual produce of 1l.

 

THE REV. CHARLES CHAMBERS gave by will, in 1745, the sum of 50l. vested in the 3 per cents. the interest to be distributed by the minister on Christmas day, among twenty-four poor persons, twenty of whom to be widows, annual produce 1l. 10s.

 

JOHN RANDALL gave by will, in 1771, 200l. now vested in the 3 per cent. the interest to be distributed among poor housekeepers and widows, at 5s. each; annual produce 7l. 8s. 6d. and he gave 100l. since, vested in like manner, the interest to be laid out in bread, and distributed to the poor on Sundays; annual produce 3l. 14s. 3d.

 

A PERSON UNKNOWN gave three houses for poor parishioners, to dwell in, now inhabited by paupers.

 

A PIECE OF LAND, on part of which the present workhouse was erected in 1728, by voluntary subscriptions; the other part, used as a garden to it, was given by a person unknown.

 

This land was let in 1720, for the use of the poor at 1l. per ann.

 

CHRISTOPHER HEATH gave lands to the next of kin of Ellen Sherrington, on condition that they should pay yearly out of them, to the use of the poor, 1l. 6s. 8d. and to the churchwardens and their successors, to the reparation of the church, 1l. 13s. 4d.

 

JOHN BEALE, of Swanscombe, devised 40s. per annum, towards the maintenance of a schoolmaster in Dartford, to be paid out of a messuage, called Hamanslay's, in Halsted, formerly occupied by William Watson.

 

THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the deanry of Dartford, and diocese of Rochester. The church, which is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, stands near the east end of the town, and is a large handsome building, consisting of three isles' and two chancels. In 1793, the whole church was repaired and beautified by the parishioners, at the expence of twelve hundred pounds. The pavement within the altar rails, with the painting and gilding over it, was done at the charge of Charles Manning, gent. in 1702. The tower is at the west end of it, in which there is a clock and a good ring of bells; one of which, of the smaller size, used till of late to be constantly rung, as of old custom, at four o'clock every morning, and again at the time of curfew at night.

 

The church yard formerly surrounded it, but some few years ago that part of it, which was on the southerin side, was given to the public to make the road more commodious for passengers. There is another burying-ground belonging to this church at some little distance from it, adjoining the high London road at the top of the hill, eastward of the town, of which further mention will be made. It is situated on so high an eminence, that it overlooks even the top of the tower of the church.

 

Among other monuments and inscriptions in this church, are the following: In the great chancel, on the north side of the altar is a monument for Sir John Spilman, inclosed with iron railing; on it are his essigies in armour and that of his lady, kneeling at a desk, each with a book open, and over their heads, on a tablet of black marble, with an inscription in German text for both of them; he died in 1607; on the top of the monument his arms, Or, a serpent wreathed in pale azure, crested, gules, on a mount in base, vert, two slaunches, gules, each charged with three lions passant, or; beneath, on the tomb, are two coats, Spilman, as above, impaling argent, a man cloathed sable, with a long cap on, holding in his hand an olive branch proper, and standing on a mount, inverted, gules. On the south side of the chancel, an altar tomb, inclosed with rails, and inscription, for Clement Petit, esq. of Joyes, in this parish, whose paternal seat was at Dentelion, in Thanet, obt. 1717. Before the rails of the altar, on a grave stone, are the figures of a man and woman, in brass, under a canopy, with labels from their mouths; round the verge of the stone is an inscription in brass, in part torn away, for Richard Martyn, of Dartford, who died in 14 . . . . she died in 1402. Near it is another stone, which had the figure of a man, with a label from his mouth, and an inscription round the verge, all in brass, now lost; but an inscription in brass still remains, on a plate, for John Hornley, S. T. B. who died in 1477. On another adjoining, are the figures in brass of a woman and six children, that of the man is lost; beneath on a plate, is an inscription for capt. Arthur Bostocke, gent. who married Francis, second daughter of Francis Rogers, esq. he died in 1612. On a grave stone, before the step of the chancel, is the figure in brass, of a woman, and inscription, for Agnes, daughter of John Appleton, wife of Wm. Hesilt, one of the barons of the exchequer of Henry VI. afterwards of Robert, brother of Sir Tho. Molyngton, baron of Wemme; she died in 1454. On the south side of the chancel, a monument for Wm. Burgess, late citizen and salter of London, obt. 1640; arms, a sess sret between three rooks. On the same side, before the altar rails, a memorial for Nicholas Tooke, gent. of Dartford, obt. 1672, æt. 90; arms, Tooke, argent, on a chevton, sable, three plates of the field between three greyhounds heads erased, sable collared, or; but this is cut here very erroneous. On the north side, a memorial for Mr. Mark Fielder, 1753, æt. 91; on the south side, a memorial for Mr. Wm. Tasker, of this parish, ob. 1732; and for Wm. Tasker, jun. their second son, ob. 1733. In the south chancel, a mural monument for John Twisleton, esq. of Horseman's-place, son and heir of John Twisleton, esq. of Drax, in Yorkshire, who was uncle and heir of Sir Geo. Twisleton, bart. of Barley, in that county, the antient paternal seat of the family. A memorial for John Twisleton, esq. late of Horseman's-place, ob. 1721. At the east end an altar tomb, inclosed with wooden rails, and on the south of it an inscription for John Beer, of Dartford, who had Nicholas, Anne, and Dorothy; for Nicholas, who had Clement and Edward, and for Clement Beer, who had John and Clement, who both died, s. p. Edward Beer, their uncle, was their heir, and lived unmarried fifty-nine years, and died in 1627. On the north side, an inscription, shewing, that Christopher Twisleton, esq. of Barley, in Yorkshire, married Anne Beer, by whom he had George Twisleton, who had John Twisleton, and Edward Beer, dying, s. p. gave all his lands in Kent to John Twisleton above mentioned, who erected this monument in 1628. On the west side are two shields, one quarterly, 1st and 4th, quarterly, a canton ermine; 2d and 3d, on a fess, three garbs; the other the same arms, impaling a chevron. A grave stone, having a brass plate for John Beer, esq. of Dartford, and Alice and Joan, his wives, and also for Henry Beer, his son and heir, who married Anne Beer, widow of Rich. Howlett, gent. deceased, and had by her a son, Wm. Beer, deceased, which John Beer died in 1572, and Henry in 1574; above, are two coats in brass, both, a bear rampant, on a canton, five escallop shells. On a grave stone, the figures of a man and his two wives, with children and their shields of arms in brass, all of which are lost, excepting the second wife and four children, and a plate with the inscription, for Wm. Rothele, of Dartford, who died in 1464, and Beatrix and Joane, his wives, and their children. Another on the north side, on which were the figures of a man and woman, in brass, now lost, but part of the inscription remains, for Katryn Burlton, who died 1496, and Rich. Burlton, jantilman, her husband, who died 15 . . . the rest torn off. A mont for Margaret, relict of John Pitt, esq. predent of the S. Sea company at Vera Crux, ob. 1731, æt. 49, arms, Pitt impaling a chevron, ingrailed, betw. three eagles heads erased. In the middle isle, are several memorials of Manning; a grave stone in the south cross isle, having the figures in brass of a man between his two wives, and underneath those of fifteen children, with inscription in black letter, for Wm. Death, gent. principal of Staple's inn, who had two wives, Elizabeth and Anne, by the former he had ten sons and six daughters, ob. 1590, Elizabeth, 1582; above a shield of arms, being death, a grissin passant between three crescents, quartering four other coats. (fn. 46) In the north isle are memorials for the Round's, Woodin, Poulter, Dalling, and Chambers, all of this parish. There are many more memorials and tombs of respectable inhabitants of this populous town and parish, as well in the church as the two church yards, but they are by far too numerous for insertion in this place.

 

In the 7th year of king Edward III. Thomas de Woldham, bishop of Rochester, caused a new window to be made in the chancel of the church.

 

William the Conqueror confirmed the gift which Hamo his steward had made of the church of Tarentford, in the king's manor, to the church of St. Andrew of Rochester; (fn. 47) which king Henry I. confirmed, with the churches appendant to it, and the tithes of this parish in corn, pannage, cattle, money, and in all other things, in like manner as St. Austin held the church of Middleton, with the tithes of that parish, in the time of his father, (fn. 48) and also the tithes of his mills in Darenteford.

 

Gundulph, bishop of Rochester, who was elected to that see in the reign of the Conqueror, having recovered the manors and possessions of his church, which had been dissipated and made away with, separated his own maintenance from that of the monks, in which division he allotted this church, among others, to the support of the almonry, belonging to the convent. (fn. 49) The monks did not continue long in the possession of it, for bishop Gilbert de Glanvill, who came to the see in 1185, on pretence that his predecessor had impoverished the see by his too large donations to the priory, divested them of all right to this church, which he restored to the see of Rochester; however, he reserved and confirmed to the monks their antient pension from it. (fn. 50)

 

Laurence, bishop of Rochester, in 1253, reserving the tithes of sheaves, and of every kind of hay, demised this church, and all the small tithes, oblations, and obventions, and the tithes of sheaves arising in gardens and curtileges not being ploughed, to the convent of Rochester, at the rent of thirty-eight marcs per annum, on condition that they supplied the cure, and they were to deduct their pension of ten marcs, paid by the rector, out of it. (fn. 51) He afterwards obtained pope Innocent IV.'s leave to appropriate this church, during his life, to the use of his table, which he complained was so slenderly provided for; that he and his family had not at times common necessaries for food; the clear receipts for the bishop's table being but five hundred marcs, which were not more than sufficient for half the expence of it, and the receipts from his manors not exceeding sixty marcs per annum. (fn. 52) This was confirmed to the bishop and his successors by pope Alexander IV. and again by Clement IV. Bishop Laurence, on the appropriation, endowed the vicarage of this church, with the small tithes of it, excepting hay, with two acres of arable, and one of meadow; and also with the tithes of sheaves growing from land dug up with the foot, as well for the support of the vicar, as the discharge of the ordinary burthens of his vicarage, and the payment of the above pension to the monks, the profits of the vicarage being then sound by a jury to be worth forty marcs sterling per annum, communibis sannis; which endowment being lost, bishop Thomas de Woldham, in 1299, confirmed it; and as the vicar had no house belonging to his vicarage, he granted him one standing on the soil belonging to the church, as a vicarage house for himself and his successors; and further, the tithe of twenty-one acres of meadow, called King's-marsh, in Dartford, heretofore taken by the bishop and his predecessors, and he decreed, that the vicar and his successors should keep and maintain the books, vestments, and other ornaments of the church, in a proper state and order, and should sustain and acknowledge all other ordinary burthens of it.

 

Archbishop Robert Winchelsea further endowed this vicarage with the tithe of hay, to the value of forty shillings, in satisfaction of which the whole tithe of hay, arising from the great salt march in Dartford, (excepting to the bishop of Rochester for the time being, the yearly sum of four shillings, due from the Knights Hospitallers to the bishop, as rector of this church) was decreed to the vicar, by the desinitive sentence of Walter, archbishop of Canterbury, in the year 1315, as an augmentation of his endowment.

 

Thomas de Woldham, bishop of Rochester, in the above year, granted in mortmain, to Robert Levee, vicar of Dartford, and his successors, a messuage, with its appurtenances, in Overe-street, in Dartford, which the bishop had purchased of Robert de Levee, of Frindsbury. (fn. 53) At the dissolution of the priory of Rochester, in the 32d year of king Henry VIII. the above pension of ten marcs, or 6l. 13s. 4d. was, by the king, in his 33d year, granted, among other pre emises, to his new erected dean and chapter of Rochester, who continue possessed of it at this time. The parsonage and advowson of the vicarage still remain part of the possessions of the bishop of Rochester. (fn. 54)

 

In the antient valuation of the bishop's revenues, this church was valued at 40l. and the bishop's mill and rent here, at 100s. In the 15th year of king Edward I.'s reign, the church was valued at forty-five marcs, and the vicarage at 100s. In the 33d of king Edward III. the church was valued at the like sum. (fn. 55)

 

By virtue of a commission of enquiry, in 1650, it was returned, that Dartford was a vicarage, with a house and glebe, all worth, with the privy tithes, seventy pounds per annum, master Charnock then incumbent. (fn. 56) It is a discharged living in the king's books, of the clear yearly certified value of 45l. 5s. 10½d. the yearly tenths of which are 1l. 17s. 1½d. (fn. 57)

 

This vicarage was, in 1736, augmented by the governors of queen Anne's bounty; at which time the Rev. Mr. Charles Chambers, vicar of Dartford, contributed one hundred pounds for that purpose. (fn. 58)

 

Bishop Laurence de St. Martin seems to have purchased, in the reign of king Henry III. several of the rents which now constitute the greatest part, if not the whole of the MANOR OF DARTFORD RECTORY, from Robert and Richard de Ripa, John Badecock, William de Wilmington, and others. (fn. 59)

 

This manor extends over both sides of the Highstreet, in Dartford, from the scite of the old marketplace to the church, and southward, in Lowfield, as far as the house of correction; all which is called the Bishop's liberty. At the leet of this manor, a constable and a borsholder are annually chosen for the liberty. There are several tenants which hold of it in socage, at small quit-rents.

 

In the 21st year of king Edward I. on a Quo warranto, the jury found that the bishop was feild, in right of his church, of view of frank pledge, and assize of bread and ale of his tenants in Dartford and Stone; and that the bishops, his predecessors, had been possessed of the same beyond memory.

 

There were TWO CHANTRIES, founded for divine services, in this parish; that of St. Edmund the Martyr, and of St. Mary, otherwise called Stampit. The former stood in the upper burial ground of this parish, which was a cimetary to it, and under this building was a charnel house. This chapel was suppressed at the same time with all other such endowments, and presently sell to ruin; but the cimetary was granted to the parish, as a place of burial for the parishioners, and continues so at this time. The advowson of this chantry was granted to the prioress and convent of Dartford priory, in the 46th year of king Edward III. at their first endowment.

 

John Bykenore endowed this chapel with five marcs, payable out of lands and tenements in Dartford, for the support of the chaplain of it. This chapel was under the jurisdiction of the archdeacon of the diocese.

 

¶The latter chantry of the Blessed Virgin St. Mary was subject to the official of the diocese. (fn. 60) It was founded by Thomas de Dertford, alias Art Stampett, vicar of this parish, in 1338, for one chaplain, to celebrate divine offices daily in the parish church of Dartford, in honour of the Blessed Virgin, and for the health of his soul, &c. and he appointed Ralph de Felthorpe the first chaplain of it, and endowed it with several lands and tenements, to the amount of one hundred and twenty acres, (fn. 61) in Dartford, the chaplain paying twelve pence yearly to the vicar of Dartford and his successors; and he gave the patronage of it, and the nomination of a chaplain to it in future, to the bishop of Rochester and his successors; which was confirmed by the bishop and the prior and chapter of Rochester the same year. (fn. 62) In the year 1553, Robert Bacon, incumbent of this chantry, had a pension of six pounds per annum.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol2/pp286-328

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