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Author: Bell, John.
Title: Wanderings of the human intellect; or, A new dictionary of the various sects.
Date: no date
Location & Publisher: Baltimore: Published by Fielding Lucas, Jr.
Dimensions:
Language: English
Click here to see the book in the Loyola online catalogue.
Click here to see all images from this book.
This image was photographed and uploaded as part of the Jesuit Libraries Provenance Project (Loyola University Chicago)
Birmingham Flickr meet, 11th May 2008, Jewellery quarter, Birmingham.
This is the same taxi captured twice: once on an anti-clockwise pan and once on a clockwise pan. Please view at original size if possible.
Title is from "The ultimate poem is abstract" by Wallace Stevens. Petri TTL adapted for slitscans, with Prinz-Galaxy 135mm lens. Ilford FP4+ pulled to 50ASA in Perceptol 1+3. Split toning in the Gimp.
By: Johnson, Rossiter (ed.). Boston: James R. Osgood and Company, 1875.
Binding Description: Bound in green cloth with gold and black stamping on spine and front cover. Blind stamping on back cover.
Binding Decoration: Asymmetrical and diagonal design in black stamping. Title in gold stamping on front cover. Title in gold on spine with elaborate black stamped floral and geometrical design. Back cover is blind stamped with geometrical design.
Happy Easter!
"The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves."
Carl Jung
Wisdom marries intellect and gives birth to vision and imagination with the synergistic alchemy of Rosewood, Rosemary Verbenone, Cedarwood Atlas, Cypress, Sweet Marjoram, Roman Chamomile & Corainder blended into Jojoba Oil. For greatest effect dab a dot on to the center of the forehead and/or at the base of the hairline.
Apply when you need to gain clarity and develop vision, wisdom and intuition.
My Dad passionately talking about one of his paintings (large painting) which he drew in '74 and presented to us as a gift.
Home, Toronto
25 THINGS by Dan Garner, says Karl Hasten, is
A sprawling, ambitious project with 25 songs. It paints a diverse sonic and lyrical landscape that showcases Garner¹s broad diversity of musical influences. At times displaying the perceptive intellect of a Leonard Cohen, at others, exposing a Warren Zevon playful slyness, 25 Things cooks up a gumbo that sacrifices stylistic continuity for an always surprising and satisfying eclectricity. On the opening cut, I Told You Before, Garner attempts to impart world-wizended wisdom to his children, and that lyrical maturity is masterfully counterbalanced with the raw musical energy of a proto-power punk music bed. This is a great device for luring the kids in to listen to the message with music they can relate to.
Garner moves from the energetic power of proto-punk to the realm of sensitive singer/songwriter with effortless ease. In You¹re So Beautiful he tells the object of his affections that you¹re so beautiful, you don¹t even know. This is a subtle but searing romantic line guaranteed to make a heart melt, right up there in a league with you had me at hello. On several notable cut like What Makes The World Go Round² someone Who Can and the unsentimentally nostalgic Bossier Strip, Garner slips into the smooth blues grooves indigenous to this area .
Garner is not only a prolific writer but a well-versed student of the musical history of this area and beyond. Given that talent, Garner references several genre and artists without sounding like he is copying any of them. His vocals do occasionally evoke early Dylan and Nick Drake, even Michael Franks here and there, but he never appears to be doing a cover. And, since he wrote all the songs on the CD, he has kept everything well within the range of his voice. There are some stand out guest stars on 25 Things, including guitarists Mark Griffith, Ron Johnson and Dave Green; background vocalists Cookie Garner and Amelia Blake and The Ever Ready Gospel Singers, to name a few. Ron Johnson¹s fluid, blistering lead work on Someone Who Can channels Stevie Ray Vaughn¹s swagger, and Dave Green adds an alternative and progressive fire to I Told You Before.
Sample Garner's latest at www.myspace.com/25things.
“This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life” ―David Foster Wallace, 2009
“Because here's something else that's weird but true: in the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship--be it JC or Allah, be it YHWH or the Wiccan Mother Goddess, or the Four Noble Truths, or some inviolable set of ethical principles--is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It's the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you. On one level, we all know this stuff already. It's been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, epigrams, parables; the skeleton of every great story. The whole trick is keeping the truth up front in daily consciousness.
Worship power, you will end up feeling weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to numb you to your own fear. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. But the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they're evil or sinful, it's that they're unconscious. They are default settings.
They're the kind of worship you just gradually slip into, day after day, getting more and more selective about what you see and how you measure value without ever being fully aware that that's what you're doing.”
Author: Bell, John.
Title: Wanderings of the human intellect; or, A new dictionary of the various sects.
Date: no date
Location & Publisher: Baltimore: Published by Fielding Lucas, Jr.
Dimensions:
Language: English
Click here to see the book in the Loyola online catalogue.
Click here to see all images from this book.
This image was photographed and uploaded as part of the Jesuit Libraries Provenance Project (Loyola University Chicago)
Thursday, May 26. KYIV – Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Emerging Security Challenges Ambassador Sorin Dukaru, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine for European Integration Mr. Ihor Dolhov took part in an official ceremony of start of Remediation hydrocarbon polluted military site unit 2788 Project under the NATO Science for Peace and Security program. The scientific developers presented the remediation equipment. “The unit where this project is launched is near civil buildings. The cleaning of ground waters will be useful for everyone. This equipment will be used at other facilities of Ukraine,” Ihor Dolhov stressed.
Ambassador Sorin Dukaru: This project is a result of synergy of intellect and knowledge in international cooperation.
“This project organized under the NATO Science for Peace and Security program is a result of synergy of intellect and knowledge in international cooperation. The clean water is a symbol of clean future,” Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Emerging Security Challenges Ambassador Sorin Dukaru said during official ceremony of start of Remediation hydrocarbon polluted military site unit 2788 Project.
У Києві заступник Генсекретаря НАТО та заступник Міністра оборони відкрили проект природовідновлювальних робіт за Програмою НАТО
26 травня, у Києві, за участю заступника Генерального секретаря НАТО з питань нових викликів безпеці Сорін Дукару та заступника Міністра оборони України з питань європейської інтеграції Ігоря Долгова відбулася урочиста церемонія започаткування практичних робіт у рамках проекту “Проведення природовідновлювальних робіт з локалізації та ліквідації нафтохімічного забруднення на території парку військової частини А2788” за Програмою НАТО “Наука заради миру та безпеки”. Захід відбувся на базі однієї з військових частин майже в центрі столиці.
Науковці – розробники проекту презентували роботу ремедіаційного обладнання. Зокрема, схему вилучення нафтопродуктів та забруднених підземних вод із геологічного середовища. При цьому наголошувалося, що в процесі застосовуються різні типи насосів, які в кінцевому результаті дають відокремлену викачку залишків нафтопродуктів та очищеної фільтрованої води.
– Військова частина, на базі якої стартує проект в рамках Програми НАТО “Наука заради миру та безпеки” знаходиться недалеко від житлових будинків цивільних киян. Тому, внаслідок очищення грунтових вод користь буде усім. В подальшому обладнання для очищення буде використовуватися далі, на тих об’єктах України, які цього потребують, – зазначив Ігор Долгов. До речі, ще до призначення заступником Міністра оборони з питань європейської інтеграції, на посаді Голови Місії України при НАТО, Ігор Долгов опікувався цим проектом.
Він також підкреслив, що в Україні проблема очищення ґрунтових вод від залишків рідких нафтопродуктів існувала давно, адже у нашій державі небуло такого поєднаного процесу очищення. За сприянням програми НАТО “Наука заради миру та безпеки” це стало можливим. Він побажав, що на майбутньому об’єкті буде враховано досвід робіт, й завдяки роботі талановитих науковців процес буде ще більш кращим, ефективнішим та економічно вигідним.
Сорін Дукару та Ігор Долгов перерізали символічну стрічку та дали старт проекту.
На завершення заходу відбулася передача повноважень українській стороні щодо реалізації практичної фази проекту та вручення відповідних сертифікатів НАТО.
“Презентований сьогодні проект – результат поєднання інтелекту й знань у міжнародній співпраці” – заступник Генсекретаря НАТО Сорін Дукару
– Проект очищення грунтових вод від залишків рідких нафтопродуктів на базі військової частини, що відбувається в рамках Програми НАТО “Наука заради миру та безпеки”, яскраво демонструє які чудові досягнення можуть стати результатом поєднання інтелекту й знань у міжнародній співпраці. У нього ще є символічне значення – та очищена вода, яка буде після проекту, символізує очищення бруду минулого й створення чистого майбутнього, – наголосив заступник Генерального секретаря НАТО з питань нових викликів безпеці Сорін Дукару під час урочистої церемонії започаткування практичних робіт у рамках проекту “Проведення природовідновлювальних робіт з локалізації та ліквідації нафтохімічного забруднення на території парку військової частини А2788”. Захід відбувся на базі однієї з військових частин Збройних Сил України майже в центрі столиці.
Сорін Дукару зазначив науковцям – розробникам проекту, що хоча НАТО пишається своєю роллю у проекті “Наука заради миру та безпеки”, це вони його створили, це їх дітище, яке несе користь людству.
Довідка. Програма НАТО “Наука заради миру та безпеки” (НМБ) є інструментом політики, спрямованої на поглиблення співпраці та діалогу з усіма партнерами на основі наукових досліджень та інновацій цивільного характеру, з метою сприяння досягненню ключових цілей Альянсу та розв’язання питань, що належать до пріоритетних галузей діалогу та співробітництва, визначених у новій політиці партнерства.
Пріоритети наукових досліджень пов’язані зі стратегічними завданнями НАТО і зосереджуються на проектах, що безпосередньо спрямовані на підтримку операцій НАТО, а також на тих, що сприяють захисту від тероризму та вирішенню питань щодо інших загроз безпеці. Дані проекти включають заходи, спрямовані: на виявлення вибухових речовин та пристроїв; фізичний захист від хімічних, біологічних, радіологічних та ядерних речовин; забезпечення готовності до надзвичайних ситуацій; кібер-захист та екологічної безпеку.
Започаткована у 1950-х роках як Наукова програма НАТО, Програма НМБ пропонує гранти на виконання проектів співпраці, проведення практичних семінарів та заходів підготовки, в яких беруть участь науковці з країн-членів та країн-партнерів НАТО.
An ode to the psychological push-and-pull between warm and cool tones, where emotion and intellect visually collide.
fotografiert am 1. April 2007 in Ohr
Text der Inschrift:
"Frei ist der Geist und ohne Zwang der Glaube"
(free translated) "free is the intellect and without enforcement the faith"
"Mehrere Kirchengemeinden bilden zusammen einen Kirchenkreis (in der allgemeinen Verwaltung einem Landkreis vergleichbar), an dessen Spitze ein Superintendent (in zwei Kirchenkreisen mit dem Titel Propst) steht. Die Kirchenkreise sind ebenfalls Körperschaften des öffentlichen Rechts und haben als Organe den Kirchenkreistag, mit Kirchenkreistagsvorstand und den Kirchenkreisvorstand. Die Mitglieder des Kirchenkreistags werden von den jeweiligen Kirchenvorständen der Kirchengemeinden zum Ende des ersten Amtsjahres i. d. R. auf sechs Jahre bestimmt. Die Verwaltung der Kirchenkreise und ihrer Kirchengemeinden erfolgt im Kirchenkreisamt, geleitet durch den Kirchenkreisamtsleiter. Die Kirchenkreisämter sind teilweise für mehrere Kirchenkreise zuständig. Die Synode hat 2005 beschlossen, die Anzahl der Kirchenkreisämter zu halbieren. Derzeit gibt es etwa 40, in Zukunft soll dies auf max. 21 zurückgefahren werden. Dies wird zu einer Zentralisierung der Aufgaben führen." Quelle und weitere Informationen: Wikipedia: Ev.-Luth. Landeskirche Hannovers / Verwaltung der Landeskirche
Es gibt derzeit keinen Wikipediaartikel zum Dorf Ohr der Gemeinde Emmerthal nahe Hameln.
Weiterführende Links:
Flickr-Fotos St. Martinskirche
www.emmerthal.de/ -> Menüpunkt Die Gemeinde | Orts- und Straßenverzeichnis | Ohr mit Details zur Geschichte des Orts.
Die ev.-luth. Kirchengemeinde St. Martin Ohr ist Teil des Kirchenkreises Hameln-Pyrmont. Ebenso ist die Martinsgemeinde Mitglied des Ökumenischen Kirchenzentrums Hameln-Klein Berkel.
Kathy is a news anchor. She frequents Betty Jo's salon for her weekly perm. Men fear her icy stare and intimidating intellect.
MPs' EXPENSES: Tory MP David Willetts claimed £115 for 25 light bulbs
Formidable intellect he may be, but David 'Two Brains' Willetts struggles with changing a lightbulb.
The Tory innovation, universities and skills spokesman billed the taxpayer £115 plus VAT for workmen to replace 25 lightbulbs at his second home in West London.
Mr Willetts charged another £80 to 'change lights in bathroom,' on a £2,191.38 invoice for odd jobs that included cleaning a shower head.
Officials agreed to reimburse him for most of the work but cut over £1,000 from the bill, ruling out paying for a dog enclosure. and a shed base
Mr Willetts said the lights were faulty and needed to be seen by an electrician.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1180393/Tory-MP-David-Wi...
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Ganesha, also spelled Ganesh, and also known as Ganapati and Vinayaka, is a widely worshipped deity in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains, Buddhists, and beyond India.
Although he is known by many attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes him easy to identify. Ganesha is widely revered as the remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences and the deva of intellect and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rituals and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked as patron of letters and learning during writing sessions. Several texts relate mythological anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits and explain his distinct iconography.
Ganesha emerged as a distinct deity in the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta Period, although he inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors. He was formally included among the five primary deities of Smartism (a Hindu denomination) in the 9th century. A sect of devotees called the Ganapatya arose, who identified Ganesha as the supreme deity. The principal scriptures dedicated to Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa.
ETYMOLOGY AND OTHER NAMES
Ganesha has been ascribed many other titles and epithets, including Ganapati and Vighneshvara. The Hindu title of respect Shri is often added before his name. One popular way Ganesha is worshipped is by chanting a Ganesha Sahasranama, a litany of "a thousand names of Ganesha". Each name in the sahasranama conveys a different meaning and symbolises a different aspect of Ganesha. At least two different versions of the Ganesha Sahasranama exist; one version is drawn from the Ganesha Purana, a Hindu scripture venerating Ganesha.
The name Ganesha is a Sanskrit compound, joining the words gana, meaning a group, multitude, or categorical system and isha, meaning lord or master. The word gaņa when associated with Ganesha is often taken to refer to the gaņas, a troop of semi-divine beings that form part of the retinue of Shiva. The term more generally means a category, class, community, association, or corporation. Some commentators interpret the name "Lord of the Gaņas" to mean "Lord of Hosts" or "Lord of created categories", such as the elements. Ganapati, a synonym for Ganesha, is a compound composed of gaṇa, meaning "group", and pati, meaning "ruler" or "lord". The Amarakosha, an early Sanskrit lexicon, lists eight synonyms of Ganesha : Vinayaka, Vighnarāja (equivalent to Vighnesha), Dvaimātura (one who has two mothers), Gaṇādhipa (equivalent to Ganapati and Ganesha), Ekadanta (one who has one tusk), Heramba, Lambodara (one who has a pot belly, or, literally, one who has a hanging belly), and Gajanana; having the face of an elephant).
Vinayaka is a common name for Ganesha that appears in the Purāṇas and in Buddhist Tantras. This name is reflected in the naming of the eight famous Ganesha temples in Maharashtra known as the Ashtavinayak (aṣṭavināyaka). The names Vighnesha and Vighneshvara (Lord of Obstacles) refers to his primary function in Hindu theology as the master and remover of obstacles (vighna).
A prominent name for Ganesha in the Tamil language is Pillai. A. K. Narain differentiates these terms by saying that pillai means a "child" while pillaiyar means a "noble child". He adds that the words pallu, pella, and pell in the Dravidian family of languages signify "tooth or tusk", also "elephant tooth or tusk". Anita Raina Thapan notes that the root word pille in the name Pillaiyar might have originally meant "the young of the elephant", because the Pali word pillaka means "a young elephant".
In the Burmese language, Ganesha is known as Maha Peinne, derived from Pali Mahā Wināyaka. The widespread name of Ganesha in Thailand is Phra Phikhanet or Phra Phikhanesuan, both of which are derived from Vara Vighnesha and Vara Vighneshvara respectively, whereas the name Khanet (from Ganesha) is rather rare.
In Sri Lanka, in the North-Central and North Western areas with predominantly Buddhist population, Ganesha is known as Aiyanayaka Deviyo, while in other Singhala Buddhist areas he is known as Gana deviyo.
ICONOGRAPHY
Ganesha is a popular figure in Indian art. Unlike those of some deities, representations of Ganesha show wide variations and distinct patterns changing over time. He may be portrayed standing, dancing, heroically taking action against demons, playing with his family as a boy, sitting down or on an elevated seat, or engaging in a range of contemporary situations.
Ganesha images were prevalent in many parts of India by the 6th century. The 13th century statue pictured is typical of Ganesha statuary from 900–1200, after Ganesha had been well-established as an independent deity with his own sect. This example features some of Ganesha's common iconographic elements. A virtually identical statue has been dated between 973–1200 by Paul Martin-Dubost, and another similar statue is dated c. 12th century by Pratapaditya Pal. Ganesha has the head of an elephant and a big belly. This statue has four arms, which is common in depictions of Ganesha. He holds his own broken tusk in his lower-right hand and holds a delicacy, which he samples with his trunk, in his lower-left hand. The motif of Ganesha turning his trunk sharply to his left to taste a sweet in his lower-left hand is a particularly archaic feature. A more primitive statue in one of the Ellora Caves with this general form has been dated to the 7th century. Details of the other hands are difficult to make out on the statue shown. In the standard configuration, Ganesha typically holds an axe or a goad in one upper arm and a pasha (noose) in the other upper arm.
The influence of this old constellation of iconographic elements can still be seen in contemporary representations of Ganesha. In one modern form, the only variation from these old elements is that the lower-right hand does not hold the broken tusk but is turned towards the viewer in a gesture of protection or fearlessness (abhaya mudra). The same combination of four arms and attributes occurs in statues of Ganesha dancing, which is a very popular theme.
COMMON ATTRIBUTES
Ganesha has been represented with the head of an elephant since the early stages of his appearance in Indian art. Puranic myths provide many explanations for how he got his elephant head. One of his popular forms, Heramba-Ganapati, has five elephant heads, and other less-common variations in the number of heads are known. While some texts say that Ganesha was born with an elephant head, he acquires the head later in most stories. The most recurrent motif in these stories is that Ganesha was created by Parvati using clay to protect her and Shiva beheaded him when Ganesha came between Shiva and Parvati. Shiva then replaced Ganesha's original head with that of an elephant. Details of the battle and where the replacement head came from vary from source to source. Another story says that Ganesha was created directly by Shiva's laughter. Because Shiva considered Ganesha too alluring, he gave him the head of an elephant and a protruding belly.
Ganesha's earliest name was Ekadanta (One Tusked), referring to his single whole tusk, the other being broken. Some of the earliest images of Ganesha show him holding his broken tusk. The importance of this distinctive feature is reflected in the Mudgala Purana, which states that the name of Ganesha's second incarnation is Ekadanta. Ganesha's protruding belly appears as a distinctive attribute in his earliest statuary, which dates to the Gupta period (4th to 6th centuries). This feature is so important that, according to the Mudgala Purana, two different incarnations of Ganesha use names based on it: Lambodara (Pot Belly, or, literally, Hanging Belly) and Mahodara (Great Belly). Both names are Sanskrit compounds describing his belly. The Brahmanda Purana says that Ganesha has the name Lambodara because all the universes (i.e., cosmic eggs) of the past, present, and future are present in him. The number of Ganesha's arms varies; his best-known forms have between two and sixteen arms. Many depictions of Ganesha feature four arms, which is mentioned in Puranic sources and codified as a standard form in some iconographic texts. His earliest images had two arms. Forms with 14 and 20 arms appeared in Central India during the 9th and the 10th centuries. The serpent is a common feature in Ganesha iconography and appears in many forms. According to the Ganesha Purana, Ganesha wrapped the serpent Vasuki around his neck. Other depictions of snakes include use as a sacred thread wrapped around the stomach as a belt, held in a hand, coiled at the ankles, or as a throne. Upon Ganesha's forehead may be a third eye or the Shaivite sectarian mark , which consists of three horizontal lines. The Ganesha Purana prescribes a tilaka mark as well as a crescent moon on the forehead. A distinct form of Ganesha called Bhalachandra includes that iconographic element. Ganesha is often described as red in color. Specific colors are associated with certain forms. Many examples of color associations with specific meditation forms are prescribed in the Sritattvanidhi, a treatise on Hindu iconography. For example, white is associated with his representations as Heramba-Ganapati and Rina-Mochana-Ganapati (Ganapati Who Releases from Bondage). Ekadanta-Ganapati is visualized as blue during meditation in that form.
VAHANAS
The earliest Ganesha images are without a vahana (mount/vehicle). Of the eight incarnations of Ganesha described in the Mudgala Purana, Ganesha uses a mouse (shrew) in five of them, a lion in his incarnation as Vakratunda, a peacock in his incarnation as Vikata, and Shesha, the divine serpent, in his incarnation as Vighnaraja. Mohotkata uses a lion, Mayūreśvara uses a peacock, Dhumraketu uses a horse, and Gajanana uses a mouse, in the four incarnations of Ganesha listed in the Ganesha Purana. Jain depictions of Ganesha show his vahana variously as a mouse, elephant, tortoise, ram, or peacock.
Ganesha is often shown riding on or attended by a mouse, shrew or rat. Martin-Dubost says that the rat began to appear as the principal vehicle in sculptures of Ganesha in central and western India during the 7th century; the rat was always placed close to his feet. The mouse as a mount first appears in written sources in the Matsya Purana and later in the Brahmananda Purana and Ganesha Purana, where Ganesha uses it as his vehicle in his last incarnation. The Ganapati Atharvashirsa includes a meditation verse on Ganesha that describes the mouse appearing on his flag. The names Mūṣakavāhana (mouse-mount) and Ākhuketana (rat-banner) appear in the Ganesha Sahasranama.
The mouse is interpreted in several ways. According to Grimes, "Many, if not most of those who interpret Gaṇapati's mouse, do so negatively; it symbolizes tamoguṇa as well as desire". Along these lines, Michael Wilcockson says it symbolizes those who wish to overcome desires and be less selfish. Krishan notes that the rat is destructive and a menace to crops. The Sanskrit word mūṣaka (mouse) is derived from the root mūṣ (stealing, robbing). It was essential to subdue the rat as a destructive pest, a type of vighna (impediment) that needed to be overcome. According to this theory, showing Ganesha as master of the rat demonstrates his function as Vigneshvara (Lord of Obstacles) and gives evidence of his possible role as a folk grāma-devatā (village deity) who later rose to greater prominence. Martin-Dubost notes a view that the rat is a symbol suggesting that Ganesha, like the rat, penetrates even the most secret places.
ASSOCIATIONS
OBSTACLES
Ganesha is Vighneshvara or Vighnaraja or Vighnaharta (Marathi), the Lord of Obstacles, both of a material and spiritual order. He is popularly worshipped as a remover of obstacles, though traditionally he also places obstacles in the path of those who need to be checked. Paul Courtright says that "his task in the divine scheme of things, his dharma, is to place and remove obstacles. It is his particular territory, the reason for his creation."
Krishan notes that some of Ganesha's names reflect shadings of multiple roles that have evolved over time. Dhavalikar ascribes the quick ascension of Ganesha in the Hindu pantheon, and the emergence of the Ganapatyas, to this shift in emphasis from vighnakartā (obstacle-creator) to vighnahartā (obstacle-averter). However, both functions continue to be vital to his character.
BUDDHI (KNOWLEDGE)
Ganesha is considered to be the Lord of letters and learning. In Sanskrit, the word buddhi is a feminine noun that is variously translated as intelligence, wisdom, or intellect. The concept of buddhi is closely associated with the personality of Ganesha, especially in the Puranic period, when many stories stress his cleverness and love of intelligence. One of Ganesha's names in the Ganesha Purana and the Ganesha Sahasranama is Buddhipriya. This name also appears in a list of 21 names at the end of the Ganesha Sahasranama that Ganesha says are especially important. The word priya can mean "fond of", and in a marital context it can mean "lover" or "husband", so the name may mean either "Fond of Intelligence" or "Buddhi's Husband".
AUM
Ganesha is identified with the Hindu mantra Aum, also spelled Om. The term oṃkārasvarūpa (Aum is his form), when identified with Ganesha, refers to the notion that he personifies the primal sound. The Ganapati Atharvashirsa attests to this association. Chinmayananda translates the relevant passage as follows:
(O Lord Ganapati!) You are (the Trinity) Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesa. You are Indra. You are fire [Agni] and air [Vāyu]. You are the sun [Sūrya] and the moon [Chandrama]. You are Brahman. You are (the three worlds) Bhuloka [earth], Antariksha-loka [space], and Swargaloka [heaven]. You are Om. (That is to say, You are all this).
Some devotees see similarities between the shape of Ganesha's body in iconography and the shape of Aum in the Devanāgarī and Tamil scripts.
FIRST CHAKRA
According to Kundalini yoga, Ganesha resides in the first chakra, called Muladhara (mūlādhāra). Mula means "original, main"; adhara means "base, foundation". The muladhara chakra is the principle on which the manifestation or outward expansion of primordial Divine Force rests. This association is also attested to in the Ganapati Atharvashirsa. Courtright translates this passage as follows: "[O Ganesha,] You continually dwell in the sacral plexus at the base of the spine [mūlādhāra cakra]." Thus, Ganesha has a permanent abode in every being at the Muladhara. Ganesha holds, supports and guides all other chakras, thereby "governing the forces that propel the wheel of life".
FAMILY AND CONSORTS
Though Ganesha is popularly held to be the son of Shiva and Parvati, the Puranic myths give different versions about his birth. In some he was created by Parvati, in another he was created by Shiva and Parvati, in another he appeared mysteriously and was discovered by Shiva and Parvati or he was born from the elephant headed goddess Malini after she drank Parvati's bath water that had been thrown in the river.
The family includes his brother the war god Kartikeya, who is also called Subramanya, Skanda, Murugan and other names. Regional differences dictate the order of their births. In northern India, Skanda is generally said to be the elder, while in the south, Ganesha is considered the first born. In northern India, Skanda was an important martial deity from about 500 BCE to about 600 CE, when worship of him declined significantly in northern India. As Skanda fell, Ganesha rose. Several stories tell of sibling rivalry between the brothers and may reflect sectarian tensions.
Ganesha's marital status, the subject of considerable scholarly review, varies widely in mythological stories. One pattern of myths identifies Ganesha as an unmarried brahmacari. This view is common in southern India and parts of northern India. Another pattern associates him with the concepts of Buddhi (intellect), Siddhi (spiritual power), and Riddhi (prosperity); these qualities are sometimes personified as goddesses, said to be Ganesha's wives. He also may be shown with a single consort or a nameless servant (Sanskrit: daşi). Another pattern connects Ganesha with the goddess of culture and the arts, Sarasvati or Śarda (particularly in Maharashtra). He is also associated with the goddess of luck and prosperity, Lakshmi. Another pattern, mainly prevalent in the Bengal region, links Ganesha with the banana tree, Kala Bo.
The Shiva Purana says that Ganesha had begotten two sons: Kşema (prosperity) and Lābha (profit). In northern Indian variants of this story, the sons are often said to be Śubha (auspiciouness) and Lābha. The 1975 Hindi film Jai Santoshi Maa shows Ganesha married to Riddhi and Siddhi and having a daughter named Santoshi Ma, the goddess of satisfaction. This story has no Puranic basis, but Anita Raina Thapan and Lawrence Cohen cite Santoshi Ma's cult as evidence of Ganesha's continuing evolution as a popular deity.
WOSHIP AND FESTIVALS
Ganesha is worshipped on many religious and secular occasions; especially at the beginning of ventures such as buying a vehicle or starting a business. K.N. Somayaji says, "there can hardly be a [Hindu] home [in India] which does not house an idol of Ganapati. [..] Ganapati, being the most popular deity in India, is worshipped by almost all castes and in all parts of the country". Devotees believe that if Ganesha is propitiated, he grants success, prosperity and protection against adversity.
Ganesha is a non-sectarian deity, and Hindus of all denominations invoke him at the beginning of prayers, important undertakings, and religious ceremonies. Dancers and musicians, particularly in southern India, begin performances of arts such as the Bharatnatyam dance with a prayer to Ganesha. Mantras such as Om Shri Gaṇeshāya Namah (Om, salutation to the Illustrious Ganesha) are often used. One of the most famous mantras associated with Ganesha is Om Gaṃ Ganapataye Namah (Om, Gaṃ, Salutation to the Lord of Hosts).
Devotees offer Ganesha sweets such as modaka and small sweet balls (laddus). He is often shown carrying a bowl of sweets, called a modakapātra. Because of his identification with the color red, he is often worshipped with red sandalwood paste (raktacandana) or red flowers. Dūrvā grass (Cynodon dactylon) and other materials are also used in his worship.
Festivals associated with Ganesh are Ganesh Chaturthi or Vināyaka chaturthī in the śuklapakṣa (the fourth day of the waxing moon) in the month of bhādrapada (August/September) and the Gaṇeśa jayanti (Gaṇeśa's birthday) celebrated on the cathurthī of the śuklapakṣa (fourth day of the waxing moon) in the month of māgha (January/February)."
GANESH CHATURTI
An annual festival honours Ganesha for ten days, starting on Ganesha Chaturthi, which typically falls in late August or early September. The festival begins with people bringing in clay idols of Ganesha, symbolising Ganesha's visit. The festival culminates on the day of Ananta Chaturdashi, when idols (murtis) of Ganesha are immersed in the most convenient body of water. Some families have a tradition of immersion on the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, or 7th day. In 1893, Lokmanya Tilak transformed this annual Ganesha festival from private family celebrations into a grand public event. He did so "to bridge the gap between the Brahmins and the non-Brahmins and find an appropriate context in which to build a new grassroots unity between them" in his nationalistic strivings against the British in Maharashtra. Because of Ganesha's wide appeal as "the god for Everyman", Tilak chose him as a rallying point for Indian protest against British rule. Tilak was the first to install large public images of Ganesha in pavilions, and he established the practice of submerging all the public images on the tenth day. Today, Hindus across India celebrate the Ganapati festival with great fervour, though it is most popular in the state of Maharashtra. The festival also assumes huge proportions in Mumbai, Pune, and in the surrounding belt of Ashtavinayaka temples.
TEMPLES
In Hindu temples, Ganesha is depicted in various ways: as an acolyte or subordinate deity (pãrśva-devatã); as a deity related to the principal deity (parivāra-devatã); or as the principal deity of the temple (pradhāna), treated similarly as the highest gods of the Hindu pantheon. As the god of transitions, he is placed at the doorway of many Hindu temples to keep out the unworthy, which is analogous to his role as Parvati’s doorkeeper. In addition, several shrines are dedicated to Ganesha himself, of which the Ashtavinayak (lit. "eight Ganesha (shrines)") in Maharashtra are particularly well known. Located within a 100-kilometer radius of the city of Pune, each of these eight shrines celebrates a particular form of Ganapati, complete with its own lore and legend. The eight shrines are: Morgaon, Siddhatek, Pali, Mahad, Theur, Lenyadri, Ozar and Ranjangaon.
There are many other important Ganesha temples at the following locations: Wai in Maharashtra; Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh; Jodhpur, Nagaur and Raipur (Pali) in Rajasthan; Baidyanath in Bihar; Baroda, Dholaka, and Valsad in Gujarat and Dhundiraj Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Prominent Ganesha temples in southern India include the following: Kanipakam in Chittoor; the Jambukeśvara Temple at Tiruchirapalli; at Rameshvaram and Suchindram in Tamil Nadu; at Malliyur, Kottarakara, Pazhavangadi, Kasargod in Kerala, Hampi, and Idagunji in Karnataka; and Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh.
T. A. Gopinatha notes, "Every village however small has its own image of Vighneśvara (Vigneshvara) with or without a temple to house it in. At entrances of villages and forts, below pīpaḹa (Sacred fig) trees [...], in a niche [...] in temples of Viṣṇu (Vishnu) as well as Śiva (Shiva) and also in separate shrines specially constructed in Śiva temples [...]; the figure of Vighneśvara is invariably seen." Ganesha temples have also been built outside of India, including southeast Asia, Nepal (including the four Vinayaka shrines in the Kathmandu valley), and in several western countries.
RISE TO PROMINENCE
FIRST APEARANCE
Ganesha appeared in his classic form as a clearly recognizable deity with well-defined iconographic attributes in the early 4th to 5th centuries. Shanti Lal Nagar says that the earliest known iconic image of Ganesha is in the niche of the Shiva temple at Bhumra, which has been dated to the Gupta period. His independent cult appeared by about the 10th century. Narain summarizes the controversy between devotees and academics regarding the development of Ganesha as follows:
What is inscrutable is the somewhat dramatic appearance of Gaņeśa on the historical scene. His antecedents are not clear. His wide acceptance and popularity, which transcend sectarian and territorial limits, are indeed amazing. On the one hand there is the pious belief of the orthodox devotees in Gaņeśa's Vedic origins and in the Purāṇic explanations contained in the confusing, but nonetheless interesting, mythology. On the other hand there are doubts about the existence of the idea and the icon of this deity" before the fourth to fifth century A.D. ... [I]n my opinion, indeed there is no convincing evidence of the existence of this divinity prior to the fifth century.
POSSIBLE INFLUENCES
Courtright reviews various speculative theories about the early history of Ganesha, including supposed tribal traditions and animal cults, and dismisses all of them in this way:
In the post 600 BC period there is evidence of people and places named after the animal. The motif appears on coins and sculptures.
Thapan's book on the development of Ganesha devotes a chapter to speculations about the role elephants had in early India but concludes that, "although by the second century CE the elephant-headed yakṣa form exists it cannot be presumed to represent Gaṇapati-Vināyaka. There is no evidence of a deity by this name having an elephant or elephant-headed form at this early stage. Gaṇapati-Vināyaka had yet to make his debut."
One theory of the origin of Ganesha is that he gradually came to prominence in connection with the four Vinayakas (Vināyakas). In Hindu mythology, the Vināyakas were a group of four troublesome demons who created obstacles and difficulties but who were easily propitiated. The name Vināyaka is a common name for Ganesha both in the Purāṇas and in Buddhist Tantras. Krishan is one of the academics who accepts this view, stating flatly of Ganesha, "He is a non-vedic god. His origin is to be traced to the four Vināyakas, evil spirits, of the Mānavagŗhyasūtra (7th–4th century BCE) who cause various types of evil and suffering". Depictions of elephant-headed human figures, which some identify with Ganesha, appear in Indian art and coinage as early as the 2nd century. According to Ellawala, the elephant-headed Ganesha as lord of the Ganas was known to the people of Sri Lanka in the early pre-Christian era.
A metal plate depiction of Ganesha had been discovered in 1993, in Iran, it dated back to 1,200 BCE. Another one was discovered much before, in Lorestan Province of Iran.
First Ganesha's terracotta images are from 1st century CE found in Ter, Pal, Verrapuram and Chandraketugarh. These figures are small, with elephant head, two arms, and chubby physique. The earliest Ganesha icons in stone were carved in Mathura during Kushan times (2nd-3rd centuries CE).
VEDIC AND EPIC LITERATURE
The title "Leader of the group" (Sanskrit: gaṇapati) occurs twice in the Rig Veda, but in neither case does it refer to the modern Ganesha. The term appears in RV 2.23.1 as a title for Brahmanaspati, according to commentators. While this verse doubtless refers to Brahmanaspati, it was later adopted for worship of Ganesha and is still used today. In rejecting any claim that this passage is evidence of Ganesha in the Rig Veda, Ludo Rocher says that it "clearly refers to Bṛhaspati—who is the deity of the hymn—and Bṛhaspati only". Equally clearly, the second passage (RV 10.112.9) refers to Indra, who is given the epithet 'gaṇapati', translated "Lord of the companies (of the Maruts)." However, Rocher notes that the more recent Ganapatya literature often quotes the Rigvedic verses to give Vedic respectability to Ganesha .
Two verses in texts belonging to Black Yajurveda, Maitrāyaṇīya Saṃhitā (2.9.1) and Taittirīya Āraṇyaka (10.1), appeal to a deity as "the tusked one" (Dantiḥ), "elephant-faced" (Hastimukha), and "with a curved trunk" (Vakratuņḍa). These names are suggestive of Ganesha, and the 14th century commentator Sayana explicitly establishes this identification. The description of Dantin, possessing a twisted trunk (vakratuṇḍa) and holding a corn-sheaf, a sugar cane, and a club, is so characteristic of the Puranic Ganapati that Heras says "we cannot resist to accept his full identification with this Vedic Dantin". However, Krishan considers these hymns to be post-Vedic additions. Thapan reports that these passages are "generally considered to have been interpolated". Dhavalikar says, "the references to the elephant-headed deity in the Maitrāyaṇī Saṃhitā have been proven to be very late interpolations, and thus are not very helpful for determining the early formation of the deity".
Ganesha does not appear in Indian epic literature that is dated to the Vedic period. A late interpolation to the epic poem Mahabharata says that the sage Vyasa (Vyāsa) asked Ganesha to serve as his scribe to transcribe the poem as he dictated it to him. Ganesha agreed but only on condition that Vyasa recite the poem uninterrupted, that is, without pausing. The sage agreed, but found that to get any rest he needed to recite very complex passages so Ganesha would have to ask for clarifications. The story is not accepted as part of the original text by the editors of the critical edition of the Mahabharata, in which the twenty-line story is relegated to a footnote in an appendix. The story of Ganesha acting as the scribe occurs in 37 of the 59 manuscripts consulted during preparation of the critical edition. Ganesha's association with mental agility and learning is one reason he is shown as scribe for Vyāsa's dictation of the Mahabharata in this interpolation. Richard L. Brown dates the story to the 8th century, and Moriz Winternitz concludes that it was known as early as c. 900, but it was not added to the Mahabharata some 150 years later. Winternitz also notes that a distinctive feature in South Indian manuscripts of the Mahabharata is their omission of this Ganesha legend. The term vināyaka is found in some recensions of the Śāntiparva and Anuśāsanaparva that are regarded as interpolations. A reference to Vighnakartṛīṇām ("Creator of Obstacles") in Vanaparva is also believed to be an interpolation and does not appear in the critical edition.
PURANIC PERIOD
Stories about Ganesha often occur in the Puranic corpus. Brown notes while the Puranas "defy precise chronological ordering", the more detailed narratives of Ganesha's life are in the late texts, c. 600–1300. Yuvraj Krishan says that the Puranic myths about the birth of Ganesha and how he acquired an elephant's head are in the later Puranas, which were composed from c. 600 onwards. He elaborates on the matter to say that references to Ganesha in the earlier Puranas, such as the Vayu and Brahmanda Puranas, are later interpolations made during the 7th to 10th centuries.
In his survey of Ganesha's rise to prominence in Sanskrit literature, Ludo Rocher notes that:
Above all, one cannot help being struck by the fact that the numerous stories surrounding Gaṇeśa concentrate on an unexpectedly limited number of incidents. These incidents are mainly three: his birth and parenthood, his elephant head, and his single tusk. Other incidents are touched on in the texts, but to a far lesser extent.
Ganesha's rise to prominence was codified in the 9th century, when he was formally included as one of the five primary deities of Smartism. The 9th-century philosopher Adi Shankara popularized the "worship of the five forms" (Panchayatana puja) system among orthodox Brahmins of the Smarta tradition. This worship practice invokes the five deities Ganesha, Vishnu, Shiva, Devi, and Surya. Adi Shankara instituted the tradition primarily to unite the principal deities of these five major sects on an equal status. This formalized the role of Ganesha as a complementary deity.
SCRIPTURES
Once Ganesha was accepted as one of the five principal deities of Brahmanism, some Brahmins (brāhmaṇas) chose to worship Ganesha as their principal deity. They developed the Ganapatya tradition, as seen in the Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana.
The date of composition for the Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana - and their dating relative to one another - has sparked academic debate. Both works were developed over time and contain age-layered strata. Anita Thapan reviews comments about dating and provides her own judgement. "It seems likely that the core of the Ganesha Purana appeared around the twelfth and thirteenth centuries", she says, "but was later interpolated." Lawrence W. Preston considers the most reasonable date for the Ganesha Purana to be between 1100 and 1400, which coincides with the apparent age of the sacred sites mentioned by the text.
R.C. Hazra suggests that the Mudgala Purana is older than the Ganesha Purana, which he dates between 1100 and 1400. However, Phyllis Granoff finds problems with this relative dating and concludes that the Mudgala Purana was the last of the philosophical texts concerned with Ganesha. She bases her reasoning on the fact that, among other internal evidence, the Mudgala Purana specifically mentions the Ganesha Purana as one of the four Puranas (the Brahma, the Brahmanda, the Ganesha, and the Mudgala Puranas) which deal at length with Ganesha. While the kernel of the text must be old, it was interpolated until the 17th and 18th centuries as the worship of Ganapati became more important in certain regions. Another highly regarded scripture, the Ganapati Atharvashirsa, was probably composed during the 16th or 17th centuries.
BEYOND INDIA AND HINDUISM
Commercial and cultural contacts extended India's influence in western and southeast Asia. Ganesha is one of a number of Hindu deities who reached foreign lands as a result.
Ganesha was particularly worshipped by traders and merchants, who went out of India for commercial ventures. From approximately the 10th century onwards, new networks of exchange developed including the formation of trade guilds and a resurgence of money circulation. During this time, Ganesha became the principal deity associated with traders. The earliest inscription invoking Ganesha before any other deity is associated with the merchant community.
Hindus migrated to Maritime Southeast Asia and took their culture, including Ganesha, with them. Statues of Ganesha are found throughout the region, often beside Shiva sanctuaries. The forms of Ganesha found in Hindu art of Java, Bali, and Borneo show specific regional influences. The spread of Hindu culture to southeast Asia established Ganesha in modified forms in Burma, Cambodia, and Thailand. In Indochina, Hinduism and Buddhism were practiced side by side, and mutual influences can be seen in the iconography of Ganesha in the region. In Thailand, Cambodia, and among the Hindu classes of the Chams in Vietnam, Ganesha was mainly thought of as a remover of obstacles. Today in Buddhist Thailand, Ganesha is regarded as a remover of obstacles, the god of success.
Before the arrival of Islam, Afghanistan had close cultural ties with India, and the adoration of both Hindu and Buddhist deities was practiced. Examples of sculptures from the 5th to the 7th centuries have survived, suggesting that the worship of Ganesha was then in vogue in the region.
Ganesha appears in Mahayana Buddhism, not only in the form of the Buddhist god Vināyaka, but also as a Hindu demon form with the same name. His image appears in Buddhist sculptures during the late Gupta period. As the Buddhist god Vināyaka, he is often shown dancing. This form, called Nṛtta Ganapati, was popular in northern India, later adopted in Nepal, and then in Tibet. In Nepal, the Hindu form of Ganesha, known as Heramba, is popular; he has five heads and rides a lion. Tibetan representations of Ganesha show ambivalent views of him. A Tibetan rendering of Ganapati is tshogs bdag. In one Tibetan form, he is shown being trodden under foot by Mahākāla, (Shiva) a popular Tibetan deity. Other depictions show him as the Destroyer of Obstacles, and sometimes dancing. Ganesha appears in China and Japan in forms that show distinct regional character. In northern China, the earliest known stone statue of Ganesha carries an inscription dated to 531. In Japan, where Ganesha is known as Kangiten, the Ganesha cult was first mentioned in 806.
The canonical literature of Jainism does not mention the worship of Ganesha. However, Ganesha is worshipped by most Jains, for whom he appears to have taken over certain functions of Kubera. Jain connections with the trading community support the idea that Jainism took up Ganesha worship as a result of commercial connections. The earliest known Jain Ganesha statue dates to about the 9th century. A 15th-century Jain text lists procedures for the installation of Ganapati images. Images of Ganesha appear in the Jain temples of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
WIKIPEDIA
intellect is like a major city
laden with concrete and metal
advanced modes of transportation
shining buildings and fenced-in parks
spirit is the mountains, forest
wilderness and vast countryside
that surrounds it
too many people live in the city
struggling day to day
for mere existence
most have forgotten
how to live off the land
they only experience nature
on class trips and short term vacations
for those that live in the country
cities are like amusement parks
with high prices and temporal satisfaction
at the end of the day
they are tired
ready to go home
to relieve their ringing ears
this is a photograph of my grandma (right) joanne and one of her very best friends. taken in the 1930's. i remember nothing of her except when i was four years old, it was my birthday and she had passed earlier that week but her package had arrived with a bright purple jumpsuit and a card saying she loves me. i wish i had more memories, but these old photographs will have to suffice. i have reason to believe she was an amazing woman, and i hope wherever she is now, that she's happy.
photo © by juliette e. lacour (or someone in the LaCour family), poem © by saul williams
"I think that the leaf of a tree, the meanest insect on which we trample, are in themselves arguments more conclusive than any which can be adduced that some vast intellect animates Infinity."
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating.
Taken with a Canon 60D and a Tamaron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens.
How shall we live in these times?
How shall we respond to the awareness of what is happening in our world?
Perhaps the first step is to acknowledge honestly: we don’t know.
We may have our guidelines, our intentions, our beliefs about what is helpful and what is not. But do any of us see a clear path from the mess we’ve created on our planet to a peaceful sustainable world? No, we don’t.
We don’t, because we can’t. The process we’re involved in today is not one that the human
intellect is capable of penetrating. Like the dance of subatomic particles, it’s multidimensional, mysterious, and impossible for our minds to grasp.
Once we come to grips with this fact, we can let go of the crippling assumption that we should know what to do—or that, at the very least, someone should know. Since nobody does, this can leave us feeling panicky and overwhelmed.
I believe that solutions do exist to our problems.
But will we find them? That’s another question. As Einstein said, problems can never be resolved at the level at which they were created. The environmental crisis was caused by the human mind—or more accurately, by the ways in which we habitually use it. But problems created by the mind cannot be resolved by the mind.
We are used to turning to the mind for guidance, and when it can’t make out the path, we tend to feel hopeless. Yet if we can make peace with the fact that our mind is not in control of this journey, then we can open to the possibility of what some might call a miracle.
We usually think of miracles as events that contradict the laws of nature, as when Jesus turned water into wine.
But the kind of miracle I’m talking about here does not contradict nature. Rather, it’s guided by the intelligence of nature herself, who is the ultimate miracle worker.
Of course, life is a continuous miracle, in the face of which we can’t help but bow down in gratitude and awe. Yet among all the feats of natural magic, one of the most extraordinary is
surely the transformation of caterpillars into butterflies. You probably already know that when a caterpillar is ready to shape-shift, it forms a cocoon. But did you know that within that cocoon, it quite literally liquefies? It dies, and dissolves into a mass of separate cells.
Then, however, something truly amazing happens. Within that cellular goo, some of the old
caterpillar cells begin to mutate into what biology calls imaginal cells—imaginal, because they
carry within them the image of the butterfly-to-be. Nobody can predict which cells are going to transform, nor do we know what triggers the process.
Yet no sooner do the imaginal cells begin to appear than they come under attack from the old caterpillar cells. . . . Interestingly, the imaginal cells don’t even bother fighting back— they’re far too busy working on their crazy butterfly project. Nonetheless, in the end, they emerge victorious. Some die, but most survive, and continue on their way, driven by their overwhelming desire to experience life in a butterfly body.
Do they know how to go about accomplishing this? Absolutely not. They don’t have a clue.
But they do know how to attune themselves to nature’s intelligence, and let themselves be
guided by her. . . . And so, they connect, and together, they begin to weave the
matrix out of which one day a butterfly will emerge . . .
We too are imaginal cells, weavers of a new world.
Listening to the news, the idea of creating a peaceful, sustainable human civilization might seem like a mad fantasy. There are far too many challenges, all of them serious and potentially devastating. . . .
Yet like the imaginal cells, we too are many—far more than most of us realize. And in recent years, we too have been connecting, and have begun to weave the matrix of a new world. . . .
Imaginal cells aren’t given an instruction manual. Nobody tells them what to do. Rather, they are guided from within. We too, can only attune ourselves to the vast consciousness that created our cosmos by quieting ourselves, turning inwards, and listening.
I am not referring to meditation, although meditation certainly is a powerful tool for detaching from the mind. Rather, I am speaking, quite simply, of listening. Let us turn to the
source of guidance within, ask our questions, from the most mundane to the cosmic, and listen to the responses that rise up. . . .
Can we, like the imaginal cells, make ourselves available to serve as agents of nature’s infinite wisdom? If so, we may yet enable a planetary transformation no less miraculous than that of a caterpillar into a butterfly.
~ Jalaja Bonheim
Embassy of Brazil in London on January 20th, 2012
This event was hosted by UKTI and Intellect and focused on the trading opportunities existing between the UK and Brazil in the hi-tech sector. The slides I used during my own presentation can be found here:
Embassy of Brazil in London on January 20th, 2012
This event was hosted by UKTI and Intellect and focused on the trading opportunities existing between the UK and Brazil in the hi-tech sector. The slides I used during my own presentation can be found here:
St Oswald, Ashbourne, Derbyshire.
Carrara marble monument to Penelope Boothby (1785-1791).
Daughter of Sir Brooke Boothby, Baronet & his wife Susannah.
By Thomas Banks (1735-1805), 1793.
The inscription is in four different languages - English, Latin, French & Italian, all of which Penelope spoke.
"She was in form and intellect most exquisite. The unfortunate parents ventured their all on this frail bark and the wreck was total.”
Thomas Banks (1735-1805) was apprenticed to a London mason, but also spent time working alongside the sculptor Peter Scheemakers (1691-1781). He enrolled in the life classes held at the St Martin's Lane Academy, and later at the Royal Academy Schools. In 1772 he became the first sculptor to win the Royal Academy's three-year travelling stipend, and went with his wife to Rome, where he eventually spent seven years. He specialised in ideal works, most of which were executed in Rome for British patrons, although he continued to produce similar work after his return to London. He was made a Royal Academician in 1786. Banks was one of the most original British Neo-classical sculptors, who dedicated his work to the antique spirit rather than to the fashionable classical style alone.
For more information see:-
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penelope_Boothby
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Brooke_Boothby,_6th_Baronet
St Oswald’s Church, Ashbourne
Grade I Listed
Early foundation. Present church is mainly Early English from circa 1220 but a few remnants of earlier Norman work survive and a Saxon cross shaft (part) in the south aisle. The church is believed to stand on the site of a pagan holy well, now thought to be concealed beneath tyre crossing. The tower and spire circa 1330. The spire, which has been rebuilt several times, has a height of 215ft. Perpendicular additions and alterations circa 1520. The battlements to the chancel were added by Sir G G Scott in 1878 and the church was restored by Cottingham earlier in the C19. Some fine monuments from C14, of which the most famous is probably the figure of Penelope Boothby 1791, by Thomas Banks. Some mediaeval glass remains. In 1644, the church was fired on by Parliamentarians and the marks are still visible in the west wall.
Nos 38, 40 and 72, together with Pegg's Almshouses, Owlfield's Almhouses, The Mansion, the Summerhouse and the cobbled pavements form a group with the parish Church of St Oswald and the churchyard gate piers, gates and walls.
Listing NGR: SK1763146443
Sarah Palin opens mouth to change feet. After yanking down her bulls-eye "target democrats" web graphic, Palin offered to pray for the victims of an anti-government madman. She forgot to apologize for saturating her end of the political discourse with gun imagery, calls for "second amendment remedies," and thinly veiled incitements to violence.
History
The John Rogers who bought Riverhill in 1840 was an only child, with a modest fortune, and a fine intellect. He became a classics scholar, a scientist and a friend of Charles Darwin. He was one of the first members of the Royal Horticultural Society and a patron of the plant collectors of the day.
He chose Riverhill because its sheltered situation offered an ideal lime free hillside where he could hope to establish newly introduced trees and shrubs. From his garden notebook, it can be seen that planting started in 1842. Subsequent generations, continued the planting and in 1910 Colonel John Middleton Rogers created what is now known as ‘The Wood Garden’ a fine collection of Japanese Maples, Rhododendrons and Azaleas. His wife, the infamous Muriel, created many additions including the now hidden Rock Gardens.
Until the beginning of the 2nd World War, eight full time gardeners kept Riverhill looking immaculate. Since the war years, however, a shortage of manpower and a lack of money has meant that the garden was allowed to deteriorate, with many parts of the original planting lost to everyday use and visitors.
Today, four generations of the Rogers family live at Riverhill,
The estate is managed by Edward Rogers (Great-great-great-grandson of the John Rogers who bought Riverhill in 1840) and his wife, Sarah.
Moral strength and a keen intellect enabled Franklin (Peter) Fleeks, the son of former slaves, to excel as a teacher and direct his children and many pupils to attain higher education and positions of leadership. A college graduate, Fleeks taught in various Houston County Schools for 52 years. He donated land for the Gudeblye School Building in 1908. Farmer, businessman, and beloved educator, Fleeks was buried in Hopewell where he lived his entire life. (1994) (Marker No. 11202)
Embassy of Brazil in London on January 20th, 2012
This event was hosted by UKTI and Intellect and focused on the trading opportunities existing between the UK and Brazil in the hi-tech sector. The slides I used during my own presentation can be found here:
The road to romance is covered with roadkill hearts and solitary love.
Much time can go with us taking the same tedious activities that get us the same lousy outcomes over and over. How can one get the alternate desires popping?
Just look at more appealing parts of them and fill your soul with adoring caring reflections. Special ladies will have a great time during the consideration!
Speaking of looks, dress adequately each time you hit the road. Primary looks are all judgment skills in action! That is valid for both genders.
Puzzled at having nothing to express yourself? Listen painstakingly for small details as you both talk. a great opportunity for meeting 95% of qualified ladies is showing interest in their passions. A good share of the best connections occurred amid chance experiences at the daily normal transport bus stop.
Complete Article:
Lapis Lazuli expands the intellect, wisdom, and leadership qualities, as well as helping in legal matters that arise.
Embassy of Brazil in London on January 20th, 2012
This event was hosted by UKTI and Intellect and focused on the trading opportunities existing between the UK and Brazil in the hi-tech sector. The slides I used during my own presentation can be found here:
The real story comes from a love-source
that cannot be understood with intellect, but
known only as a person is known.
-----Coleman Barks
"That's no moon, that's a spaceship!"
- Capt. A. Guinness, UNS Falcon, on first sighting the High Prosperity, 2255
No intellect-built object in the known galaxy is as large as a Salvation Worldship. Not even the largest category 5 Arthonid nest can rival the sheer mass of these gargantuan constructs. First sighted in 2255 by a Sol Expeditionary Fleet, the exact age of the Salvations is unknown but believed to be at least several centuries based on long range laser carbon-dating.
Populated by the Vaxtrans, a reclusive and secretive alien race, Worldships are entirely self-sufficient, able to produce their own substenance, fuel, atmosphere and industry. From what little information is available, it appears Worldships were built a long time ago to escape the Enemy, who had destroyed (or overtaken, depending on the translation) the Vaxtran homeworld. Since that time, the Vaxtrans have wandered space on their great ships, trading precious metals in exchange for technology.
While Worldships, whose exact number is unknown, are vast, they are also very crude. Metal-penetrating radar imaging has revealed that Worldships are built from the center out, their size increasing as more and more components are added to them over the years. Newer modules are simply welded over older ones, scrap metal stripped and fused in haphazard ways to various sections to augment armour. Generally speaking, the front of a Worldship is a giant mass of armour, behind which is storage, followed by industrial and recreational areas. Behind these are the living quarters for the ships' population, often numbering in the millions, followed by the multiple power cores and ending with the engines.
This crude building technique is indicative of the Vaxtrans' lack of sophisticated technology. They have no shields powerful enough to cover an entire Worldship, so only critical areas are given coverage. Their space-fold FTL drives, while incredibly fast, take weeks of dedicated charging to power, and are inherently dangerous. The Plentiful Bounty was torn apart by the forces of a space-fold in 2317. True to form, two other Worldships, the High Prosperity and the Infinite Unity salvaged and repurposed the pieces.
While armed with many low-yield plasma cannons and large-bore coilguns, the sheer size of a Salvation Worldship reduces the effective concentration of these weapons, leaving Worldships vulnerable to attack.
While many nations will defend Worldships, as the Sol Union Navy did during the New Paris War, many others see Worldships as juicy targets. The Vaxtrans appear to be a doomed race, cursed to wander the stars, their only hope of salvation a planetary presence which their collective trauma and tradition will never allow.
This is the entrance to Beihai Park in Beijing. It's a beautiful lake with a small islet and surrounding garden. The White Dagoba is the centerpiece and climbing the stairs to the top gives a reasonable view of the Forbidden City to the south east.
For more pictures of Beihai Park and for ideas on ways to improve your travel photography, check out Postcard Intellect .
For more information on our visit to Kiev and to learn how to take pictures like these, please visit Postcard Intellect
The Ginger Cat enjoying the basket of Fang the dog.
(Photo: Elsie Esq - see more of his photos at www.flickr.com/photos/elsie/)
Jack Tremblay ’94
Intellect, emotion, wealth, status, death, and infinity
How we play our cards gives us our best chance vs the inevitable. There are no guarantees, but why not give all you can to become a good player.
Embassy of Brazil in London on January 20th, 2012
This event was hosted by UKTI and Intellect and focused on the trading opportunities existing between the UK and Brazil in the hi-tech sector. The slides I used during my own presentation can be found here: