Students return to classroom for growth in wisdom, faith

 

By Ambria Hammel | Aug. 16, 2010 | The Catholic Sun

 

After climbing her way through the ranks, Danage Norwood-Pearson came to orientation day Aug. 9, ready for her senior year at St. Mary’s High School.

 

“I like my classes. They’re going to be fun,” Norwood-Pearson said during break after fourth period.

 

She said theology class should be especially fun because of the students and the fact that the teacher is one of St. Mary’s newest faculty members: Fr. Robert Bolding, campus chaplain.

 

Mixing academics, faith and fellowship is what a Catholic education is all about, administrators and teachers throughout the diocese reminded students when school resumed this month.

 

“If we all pray together and work together, we will all be celebrating together” on graduation day, Suzanne Fessler, principal at St. Mary’s, told the senior class.

 

Classes at some diocesan schools are facing declining enrollment, but that didn’t stop students at every grade level from coming prepared for the demands of a new academic year.

 

Norwood-Pearson was one student among many who had summer homework. She also got right back into athletics as a volleyball player.

 

Others, like Bourgade freshman Megan Burke, who also plans to play volleyball, spent the final weeks of summer vacation organizing school supplies and buying new uniforms.

 

“I try them on about twice a week just for fun,” she said during a campus cleanup day

July 31. Burke, a Ss. Simon and Jude alumna, has worn school uniforms all of her life.

 

Getting back into a uniform was one thing St. Mary’s freshman Daniel Wright dreaded. The public school transfer wore school uniforms through seventh grade and enjoyed free dress last year.

 

Despite the uniform, Wright — who spent his final days of summer in drills with the football team — looks forward to being successful on and off the field.

 

Megan Nestor, a sophomore at Xavier College Preparatory, said her time at cheer camp in early July helped the team grow closer. She looked forward to seeing the rest of her friends too and getting back into the school rhythm.

 

That daily routine is all new for young learners at Our Lady of the Lake Preschool and Kindergarten in Lake Havasu City. The 10-year-old facility welcomed its first kindergarten class earlier this month.

 

“We have been very pleased with the support of our community,” Deacon Jeff Arner, director, said of the expansion, noting the more than $7,000 it raised in start up costs. “The parents just wish their children could just stay here with a pre-K through 12th grade Catholic school.”

 

Deacon Jeff spent the early weeks of summer pushing the June 30 tax credit deadline to help families finance Catholic education. Parishioners contributed more than $36,000 in state tax dollars to the school through the Catholic Tuition Organization of the Diocese of Phoenix.

 

Kathryn Makar called Catholic school “mandatory” for children in today’s social climate where morality appears to take low priority. The long-time Our Lady of Mount Carmel parishioner said she always knew about the school, but admitted, “I didn’t know it was this good until we experienced it.”

 

Makar said families receive loving support in raising their children and the students, like her fourth-grade daughter, Angela, learn about charity and faith.

 

“The best thing is that you make friendships and that they’re faith-filled,” Makar said.

 

The senior class president at St. Mary’s agreed that it’s important to be a faith-filled student. He challenged fellow seniors to take ownership of the school as they all work toward one goal: a relationship with Christ.

 

“He’s above all of your problems. He’s above all of your worries, everything that’s going on in your life,” Estevan Wetzel said during senior orientation. “Seek God in this school. You can find Him.”

 

Students at Most Holy Trinity planned to be Christ for one another this school year, especially its 20 new students. The student council planned ways to welcome them and increase overall school spirit during the first two weeks.

 

“I’m excited for the new students,” said seventh-grader Hayley Brizzee, vice president of the school council. “We’re a really small school, so when new students come in, it’s ‘welcome to our family.’”

 

The students will also welcome three young women religious from the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity to the school later this month. Sisters Mary Emmanuel Schmidt, Alison Marie Conemac and Maria Victoria Tate will teach the preschool students.

 

The gray-habited sisters, two of whom play the guitar, are meant to complement the parish priests from the same order.

 

“We try to show how the vocations work together and they complement one another” including the laity, said Sr. Anne Marie Walsh, SOLT, superior of the order.

 

Fr. John Lankeit, pastor at Ss. Simon and Jude School, touched on the role of the laity, particularly parents, when it comes to instruction in the faith during the TV Mass Aug. 8. Priests and religious are there to support them, he said, but parents are the first teachers of the faith.

 

Fr. Lankeit reminded them that children learn best by example.

 

“Parents, you have been charged with the awesome duty of getting your kids to heaven… You are not just caretakers of children, but stewards of souls,” Fr. Lankeit said. “Is there anything greater to be entrusted with than the immortal souls of your children?”

 

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Upon hearing some excellent news that at this moment has to remain top secret, yet all will be revealed to you ,there was only one thing I could think of: Making the best of oneself so here is the formula:

 

Pour oneself a glass of champagne and add two glace` cherries on a stick (for celebration and indulgence purposes even though its only 9.30am)

 

Cleanse and exfoliate skin.

Shampoo hair and add special lemon conditioning treatment with added Holy water from King Arthurs Chalice Well from Glastonbury. Towel dry and apply terry toweling turban.

 

Apply genorously a sensitive skin mud pack, slice ready two thick slices of cucumber for the eyes.

 

Put meditative music on the cd player, knock back champagne, apply the cucumber on eyes and meditate for ten minutes.

 

Rinse off face pack, rinse off conditioner and allow to dry naturally.

 

(make sure there are no dregs of champagne left in glass)

 

Using cotton wool, wipe face with neat Holy water.

 

Apply ones own special blend: Holy Water and lavender with ones specially hand made cream that is only made on the night of a full moon.

 

Allow to sink in.

 

Finally apply a little Clarins: Eau Lacte`e aut0-Bronzante to face and neck

 

Add a little Samy "Fat Hair zero calories" to palm of hand and work through hair from roots to tips

 

Add Samy Volumizing Mousse and fluff up hair with fingers, allow to dry naturally.

 

(Make sure you really did drink that glass of champagne!)

 

And Why? Because Your`e WORTH IT!

 

Make TODAY your Birthday, go on, after viewing this thinkof what you can use to make yourself look good, feel good within and without, SPOIL yourself.

 

We put the hour forward in England this weekend, why not take a step forward, look forward not back, do whatever you can , however grand or however simple even if it just means drinking from a best cup and saucer or changing your shampoo....allow me to say to you dear friends:

 

"Put Yourselves Forward and Love yourselves Totally!"

 

Today I have just decided: Its "Make yourself Beautiful Day!"

 

And its dedicated...to you ALL with Love!

And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. Ezekiel 47:12

 

In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Revelation 2:22

 

The Ten Commandments

 

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

 

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

 

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. Exodus 20:3-17

 

If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15

 

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Revelation 2:7

www.sermonaudio.com/gallery_details.asp?image=gr-71108102...

 

2 Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began

 

DECREED WITH A PURPOSE

II Timothy 1:9

 

“…who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before theworld began.” KJV

 

I.Introduction. (vocabulary)

 

1.from the previous verse, the context is of God: “according to the power of God, who saved us…”

2.ka-le-san-tos, from the word ka-le-ow, means to call, summon or invite.

3 klei-sei, from the word klei-sis, means a call to the privileges of the gospel.

4.pro-the-sin, from the word pro-the-sis, means a purpose.

5.chro-nown, means time.

6.ai-ow-ni-own, means eternal.

 

II.The Decree of God: biblical doctrine.

 

A.What: The holy calling. Internal call of God.

 

This is the fourth point of Calvinistic belief, the irresistible grace and it is a biblical belief which is according to the word of God.

 

“Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called…” Romans 8:30

Not everyone hear the call of the gospel, for there are some who rejects it when the call goes out in the church or outside the church.

 

There are two calls: the external and internal call.

 

External call is the call made by an evangelist, preacher or a teacher of the bible,

Internal call is the call made by God through the work of the Holy Spirit, for He is the one who convince of our sin, righteousness and judgement.

This call of the Holy Spirit is irresistible, it can not be frustrated because it is the manifestation of God’s grace.

 

Example of a biblical situation is the case of Lydia:

Paul is preaching, the external call and God opened the heart of Lydia,the internal call, “whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.” Acts 16:14

  

B.To Whom: “us”, God elected us.

 

This is the doctrine of “particularism”, election, chosen from among many.

 

“But you are a chosen (generation (genos, race), a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called (same greek word used in Timothy, kalesantos) you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” I Peter 2:9

 

“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called ( kalesas) me through His grace.” Galatians 1:15

 

“But may the God of all grace, who called (kalesas) us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus.” I Peter 5:10

 

C.In whom: In His begotten Son,Christ Jesus. The mediatorship of Christ.

 

We are chosen, called, elected in the name of Jesus Christ, the mediator between God and man.

 

“But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” I Corinthians 1:24

 

“…that a man lay down his life for his friends” John 15:13

 

“For we are His workmanship (poieima, creation) created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand (proeitoimasen) that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

  

D.How: By Grace alone. Sovereign Grace of God.

 

The salvation is not based on our accomplishment but according to His grace.

This salvation is God’s accomplishment.

 

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

 

E.For what: With a purpose. The chief end of man is to glorify God.

 

“To glorify God!” This is the Chief end of man.

 

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to them that love God, to them who are called (kleitois) according to His purpose (prothesin)…” Rom.8:28

 

“for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose (prothesis) of God according to election (eklogein) might stand, not of works but of Him who calls (kalountos).”Romans 9:11

(the most neglected chapter in the bible!!!!!)

 

“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain…”John 15:16

 

“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit…” v. 8

 

There is parallelism between John 15:16 and Ephesians 2:10

 

I have chosen you, created in Christ Jesus, and ordained you, prepared beforehand, that you should walk in them unto good works that you should go and bring forth fruit, that the Father may be glorified.

 

III.Summary.

 

The summary of our study can be taken in the book of Ephesians chapter 1, and let us observe its parallelism, unity, congruency of words used and the ultimate purpose of God.

 

v.4 “Just as He chose (ekseleksato, selection from among many) in Him (Jesus Christ as the context “in Christ” v. 3) before the foundation of the world (means before creation) that we should be holy (the purpose, for His own glory) and without blame before Him, in love.”

 

Also in v. 9 “having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed (proetheto, from the word prothesis) in Himself.”

 

We can also find the same words used in greek, same meaning, same purpose!!!

11 “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated (prooristhentes) according to the purpose (prothesis)of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”

 

“that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ” v. 12 KJV

“that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.” NKJV

 

For the glory of God the Father in Christ Jesus!!

Amen.

 

IV.Application.

 

1.Sovereignty of God in the Salvation of man should not hinder the preaching of the gospel.

David Breinerd who believed that the Red Indians of America as well as white men had souls: “I then had two desires, mine own sanctification, and the gathering of God’s elect.”

1.Let us worship and give glory unto God “who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will”.

2.The gospel of the bible should not be modified and should be ‘thundered’ unto all generations to come for the elect’s sake, like the ‘thunder’ of the old reformers who died preaching the Sovereignty of God!!

3.Let’s reveal unto them “who are without” and also to them whom God ordained beforehand, the mystery of the manifestation of the God-man Jesus Christ who appeared to us for the redemption of His elect!!!

4.Seek the lost sheep whom God through our Lord Jesus Christ procured in the cross of calvary!!!!

5.Proclaim the redemptive power of the blood of Christ continuously to finish the decree of God for the completion of the mystical body of Christ, which is the church, For His glory!!!!!

6.Preach the gospel! Let the Holy Spirit apply the effectual (internal) calling as we go on and perform the external calling of the gospel according to the purpose of His will!!!!!!

7.The decree of God was made known to us in Christ Jesus and its mystery for the glory of God the Father!!!!!!! Be thankful.

 

Glory be to God the Father,

to our Lord Jesus Christ,

and the Holy Spirit.

 

kuriou Ieisous Christou

 

Jesus Christ is Lord

Amen

       

Boleslawa Lament (1862-1946)

Foundress of Missionary Sisters of the Holy Family

 

Boleslawa inherited kind heart from her mother and sternness from her father. These characteristics will allow her to be brave in following ecumenical ideas and defending faith in times of great negation of everything that was polish and catholic.

 

Being very bossy by nature, Boleslawa would often force her will on the siblings whom she helped to raise. Boleslawas parents embraced her with a special care because she had some health problems. Grateful for parents care, Boleslawa returned the favor with pearls of nobleness coming from the riches of her heart. The perfect attitude toward her family was a result of continuous breaking of her will done for the love of God. That attitude was visible in a total obedience.

 

What Boleslawa learned at home, she later enriched by own understanding of the world, great patriotism, and healthy attitude toward religion. Therefore, she was able to survive in an atmosphere of constant negation of polish and catholic spirit in a Russian school in Lowicz. While in school, Boleslawa wasnt free from difficulties in achieving the knowledge as well as dealing with serious religious and national problems. Often she was discriminated by Russian government for her religion and polish nationality. Faced with such problems, Boleslawa solved them by following the statutes of catholic faith. Despite great hardship, Boleslawa graduated with honors. Following parents wish, Boleslawa earned seamstress diploma and opened her own sewing business. During that time she showed great organization, initiative, and perseverance.

 

Participating in closed retreat, Boleslawa recognized that God calls her to live a religious life. At the age of 22, she joined religious congregation called Marys Family. She was a very eager nun with a great gift of prayer, seriousness, and faithfulness in fulfilling all her duties. She worked at the different convents in Warsaw, Petersburg, Odessa, Ilukszta, and Symferopol in Krym. During that time, Boleslawa was a teacher in various elementary schools. Before making the perpetual vows, she felt serious doubts about Gods call. Seeking an advice from her spiritual director, she left the congregation and returned to her family in Lowicz. After death of her father, Boleslawa and her family moved to Warsaw where she devoted her time to social work. Boleslawa became a director of a house for homeless making sure that the material and spiritual needs of homeless people were satisfied.

 

During 11 years of work in Warsaw, she was working eagerly on strengthening her own spiritual life under direction of Father Honorat Kozminski. He suggested that Boleslawa should leave Poland and go to Mohylew in Bialorus. Following his advice, she left native country in 1903 and founded religious congregation, Missionary Sisters of the Holy Family, in Mohylew. As a goal for a new congregation, Boleslawa chose the work toward the unity of Christians.

 

In 1907, Mother Boleslawa, together with sisters, moved to Petersburg where she developed various educational work. Fulfilling her goal, Boleslawa was especially concerned about the youth. She wanted to protect them from losing faith and patriotism. In 1913, Mother Boleslawa organized a boarding school for teenage girls in Wyborg, Finland.

 

After the October Revolution in Russia in 1917, the difficult situation forced Mother Boleslawa to leave Petersburg in 1921 and return to Poland. It was a trial time for Boleslawa since leaving meant unfulfilled desires and plans as well as great material loss. But, Mother Boleslawa always following the will of God, saw everything that happened as a sign from Him.

 

In 1922, Mother Boleslawa established a new convent in Chelmno, the northern part of Poland. Following the goal of the congregation, she chose the eastern territory of Poland as a main area for sisters work. People who lived on those territories were very poor and belonged to the Orthodox church.

 

In 1935, Mother Boleslawa resigned from Mother Generals office. At that time, the congregation consisted of 174 sisters, 26 sisters in novice, and 9 postulates. Sisters lived in 22 convents in Poland. Also, they had convents in Estonia, Russia, and Rome, Italy. The new Mother General sent Mother Boleslawa to Bialystok where she opened two kindergartens, vocational school, and a high school. Following her initiative, sisters started to work in two dorms, shelter for homeless, and prison.

 

The World War II brought enormous loss in all the works of congregation. Most of the convents were resolved. In the ones that still existed, Mother Boleslawa changed the form of the work adjusting it to the needs of that time. One of the houses belonging to the congregation, Boleslawa gave to homeless children. She shared with them the little food that she had. In addition, she organized a polish school in which she supposedly taught only religion and prepared children for the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

 

In 1941, Mother Boleslawa became paralyzed. From being very active, she became a great apostle of prayer and suffering. The supernatural hope was for her the source of joy in the midst of great suffering. She was preparing herself to return home to God. Despite her illness, Boleslawa dictated Dyrectorium which was the explanation of Congregations constitution.

 

In all her active life, Mother Boleslawa wanted to spread the greater glory of God and work for the salvation of all the souls saved by Jesus Precious Blood. She authentically followed Jesus Christ through her kindness and love for every person. She offered herself to the Heart of Jesus as a victim of Love. For mother Boleslawa that act became a source of great strength in the continuous work for God.

 

On January 29, 1946, Mother Boleslawa died without any signs of agony. She was 84 years old and was buried in Ratowo in the crypt of St. Antonys church.

 

On June 5, 1991, the Holy Father John Paul II, beatified Boleslawa Lament during the forth pilgrimage to his homeland. The beatification mass took place in Bialystok.

I was scared to death of death. I suppose everyone is scared of death in some way, but I avoided thinking about it at all costs. When my significant other decided she wanted to get a dog, I loved the idea — except I knew that one day I would have to see it die, and so I resisted as long as I could. We ended up with two dogs, and when the first one died, I happened to be 3,000 miles away, which was a great relief to me.

 

I felt like I had dodged a bullet. The thought of being there when this thing happened was anathema to me. When my grandmother died, I cried for days, and then I talked myself into not going back for the funeral. I couldn’t deal with it.

I was a death-chicken. But I am also a dream worker: I explore individuals’ nightly forays into the realm of the unconscious. I work extensively with people’s nighttime dreams, run workshops at international conferences, have private clients, do occasional radio shows about dreams, and lecture on the subject.

 

When it comes to talking about death in the context of dreams, I am totally open to it and gung-ho about working with it. Death comes up often in dreams, and in my lexicon it is usually about transformation. Dreams speak a symbolic language, and death is an iconic symbol that may indicate change in one’s life, often a radical change. We get shot, beheaded, flattened by an elephant, fall and go splat on the concrete, shoot others, suffocate, get struck by lightning, have our bodies ripped open and all the organs pulled out, and—two of the most common—we drown in a tsunami or we fall to our death off a cliff.

 

It’s an old wives’ tale that if you die in your dream, you will actually die. I have died countless times in my dreams. I have willfully plunged into a vat of acid and felt myself die, I have been shot through the heart with an arrow and turned to stone, I have ridden across the river Styx with the ferryman into Hades, I have been eaten by a bear and died, and then woken up inside the dream realizing that I was inside the smelly bear.

 

It is odd that I was perfectly fine dealing with death in dreams, but in the waking world, I shrank from that reality. I became numb and distracted and made jokes and excuses when the subject came up.

That was my world until I had a pair of dreams that changed the way I saw death forever.

 

In the first dream, it is a warm afternoon and I am cruising on the Ventura Freeway. I get off at my exit and I just miss the light at the bottom, so I am the first in line for the next light. There is a sign that says “No turn on red” so I wait, but I have this strange feeling—something is not quite right. The light turns green, but my foot won’t step on the gas. The people behind me start beeping. I hesitate a second longer and then lurch forward. As I do so, a giant truck comes screaming at high speed across my path, blaring its horn and just missing me. “Oh my God, I would have been flattened for sure if I hadn’t hesitated,” I say out loud.

 

I woke up from that dream and didn’t think much of it. After all, we spend a lot of time driving freeways in Los Angeles, so it stands to reason we’ll dream about them.

 

Two months later, I was crawling east along the Ventura Freeway and I finally got to my exit and just missed the light at the bottom of the exit. I was first in line, and there was a sign that read “No turn on red.”

 

“Hmm…” I thought. “This reminds me of that dream I had!” And there was a red car on my left, just like in that dream. How odd. “But wait,” I told myself. “Big deal. I have been in this spot hundreds of times.” However, the feeling persisted that this was exactly like that dream I had. The light turned green. I started forward, but stopped suddenly, and sure enough, the horns blared. I still hesitated. I looked and didn’t see anything coming. I thought, “This is just silly. Go, you dummy!” I stepped on the gas, and a giant rumble shook my car as the exact same giant truck I dreamed about came screaming through the intersection. He missed me by inches! My heart was racing and I was yelling “Oh my God! Oh my God!” over and over.

 

I moved out into traffic, but suddenly an odd thing happened. My left arm started shaking uncontrollably, and so I pulled off the road into a parking space. Still shaking, I started talking to my body, as if I were working on a dream. “What’s wrong with you? We have had close calls before and you have just shrugged and moved on. What’s wrong with you?” And then my body really betrayed me — I started bawling. I sat there for twenty minutes, with NPR yammering on the radio in the background, as for some unknown reason I broke down in tears.

 

Then I really got it: “That dream saved my life! I would be dead right now if I hadn’t had that dream.” This was not like any close call I had ever had before, for a dream stepped in and saved me! But why all this crying? It slowly dawned on me that this had to do with the connection between dream death and real death.

 

The easy but very deep, even comfortable, way I had dealt with death in the dream realm had suddenly come alive in waking life and smacked me hard across the face. If death in dreams was transformation, perhaps death in life was also transformation. This was a moment of epiphany. I knew that I had to use this to help me deal with my extreme fear of death.

 

After that, I started reading about death. I trudged through the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and various other texts about death — a real investigation into death. But more importantly, when death was mentioned around me, I turned my soul toward it instead of away from it. I let death in.

And then the second dream appeared.

 

In this one, I am at a seminar with the Dalai Lama. It is a lively discussion with great minds and great humor. We are in his living room, which is round, with a Tibetan feel. We finish the seminar, and I fall asleep standing in the doorway while I am waiting for the group to leave. I then have a dream while asleep (a dream within a dream) and when I wake, I ask the Dalai Lama if I can tell him my dream, and he says, “Sure, come to the temple with us and tell your dream there.” The dream inside the dream is about my future. How cool that I might have the answer to what my life is about!

 

Now the strangest image appears. At the bottom of a path that leads to the high mountains sits an enormous vehicle that looks like one of those metal spinning tops that I had in my youth — the type with a handle that you pump up and down and the thing spins madly. Only this one is twenty feet across and has rockets on the sides. It is muted red and black and copper, and it has tassels and filigree work on the side, and gold Tibetan writing. The Dalai Lama and the group climb into this strange vehicle and it starts to spin as the rockets spray fire everywhere. As it whirls, there is a clanging and the sound of Tibetan horns. I am wide-eyed as the spinning top climbs the mountainside up to the temple.

 

I am going to go there also, but there is something I have to do before I go to the temple. I have to help a woman load a car. The car is a station wagon, much like the one my family used to take on summer vacations. The woman is both herself and at the same time she is also a child, a small child who is dressed like the Dalai Lama with those woolen striped clothes and a woolen striped hat with earflaps.

 

The child/woman is very hungry and she needs to eat before we go to the temple. She goes over to a taco truck and stands in line. While we are waiting for the food, I grab the child/woman and dance with her. “Holy, Holy…” We sing as I swing her about. This is fun and we both smile.

 

I notice that the spinning top vehicle is returning now, black and singed from the flames, returning empty to take its place for the next journey. It is late, and I am upset because we have probably missed the ceremony at the temple.

 

As I ponder this, a realization comes over me and shifts my whole mood. My body softens and relaxes. “The Dalai Lama wants to hear my dream and he will wait patiently at the temple. There is no rush to get there. It is totally guaranteed that my dream will be heard,” I say to myself.

 

I am suddenly aware that there is another place that the Dalai Lama and his group have to go. They leave the temple at the top of the mountain and they go to the end place, the place of death — which doesn’t feel like death at all. They are clearly going to death, but there is no fear and no dread. This is my answer, I think. Oh my God, this death thing is not death at all as we think of it! It is just a smiling journey in complete darkness that ends up at another temple. I mean, the Dalai Lama and his kin are headed there and it is no big deal. How cool is that? Death is just another place.

 

I woke up and recorded this dream, and when I got to the part about death being just another place, I had some sort of awakening that has stayed with me ever since. It is difficult to explain, but if you have ever had an experience like this you know how the soul can spend endless time searching for something and then the unexpected answer hits you upside the head like a huge truck. I live with death inside of me now, and it feels fine.

 

Oh, and when the second dog died? Well, I held him gently as they administered the drugs that caused his life to ebb from him. And I was fully present and tuned into what was going on. I saw his tiny spirit rise gently and leave the room. Some day mine will also, because I get it now. Death is just another place, a smiling journey in total darkness.

 

W. B.

 

Deva is the Hindu term for deity; devatas (Devanagari: देवता, Khmer: tevoda (ទេវតា), Javanese, Balinese, Sundanese, Malay and Indonesian: dewata; Philippine languages: diwata), are a kind of smaller more focused devas. The term "devata" also means devas (deva in plural form or the gods). They are male and female devata. There are many kinds of devatas: vanadevatas (forest spirits, perhaps descendants of early nature-spirit cults), gramadevata (village gods), devata of river crossings, caves, mountains, and so on. In Hinduism, the devatas that guard the nine cardinal points are called Devata Lokapala (Guardians of the Directions) or in ancient Java called Dewata Nawa Sanga (Nine guardian gods). Every human activity has its devata, its spiritual counterpart or aspect.

 

Hindu devatas in the Konkan region are often divided into five categories: 1. Grama devatas - or village deities, for example, Hanuman, Kalika, Amba, Bhairava. 2. Sthana devatas - or local deities, for example, those in certain places of pilgrimage like Rama in Nasik, Vithoba in Pandharpur or Krishna at Dwarka. 3. Kula devatas - or family deities, like Khanderai. 4. Ishta devatas - or Chosen deities, 5. Wastu devatas or Gruha devatas - or a class of deities that preside over the house.

 

Some of well-known Hindu-Buddhist heavenly beings belong to the group of devatas, such as apsara or vidhyadari; heavenly maiden that sent by Indra from svarga to seduces the meditating ascetics, and her male counterparts; gandharvas; the heavenly musicians. Devatas often occurred in Hindu epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata, and also some Buddhist holy scriptures. The island of Bali is nicknamed as Pulau Dewata (Indonesian: "islands of devata or island of gods"), because of its vivid Hindu culture and traditions. In Bali, there are many offerings dedicated to hyang, the guardian spirits associated with devata.

_____________________________________________

 

Ta Prohm (Khmer: ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម, pronunciation: brasaeattaproh) is the modern name of the temple at Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara (in Khmer: រាជវិហារ). Located approximately one kilometre east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray, it was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors. UNESCO inscribed Ta Prohm on the World Heritage List in 1992. Today, it is one of the most visited complexes in Cambodia’s Angkor region. The conservation and restoration of Ta Prohm is a partnership project of the Archaeological Survey of India and the APSARA (Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap).

 

HISTORY

FOUNDATION & EXPANSION

In 1186 A.D., Jayavarman VII embarked on a massive program of construction and public works. Rajavihara ("monastery of the king"), today known as Ta Prohm ("ancestor Brahma"), was one of the first temples founded pursuant to that program. The stele commemorating the foundation gives a date of 1186 A.D.

 

Jayavarman VII constructed Rajavihara in honor of his family. The temple's main image, representing Prajnaparamita, the personification of wisdom, was modelled on the king's mother. The northern and southern satellite temples in the third enclosure were dedicated to the king's guru and his elder brother respectively. As such, Ta Prohm formed a complementary pair with the temple monastery of Preah Khan, dedicated in 1191 A.D., the main image of which represented the Bodhisattva of compassion Lokesvara and was modelled on the king's father.

 

The temple's stele records that the site was home to more than 12,500 people (including 18 high priests and 615 dancers), with an additional 800,000 souls in the surrounding villages working to provide services and supplies. The stele also notes that the temple amassed considerable riches, including gold, pearls and silks. Expansions and additions to Ta Prohm continued as late as the rule of Srindravarman at the end of the 15th century.

 

ABANDONMENT & RESTAURATION

After the fall of the Khmer Empire in the 17th century, the temple of Ta Prohm was abandoned and neglected for centuries. When the effort to conserve and restore the temples of Angkor began in the early 21st century, the École française d'Extrême-Orient decided that Ta Prohm would be left largely as it had been found, as a "concession to the general taste for the picturesque." According to pioneering Angkor scholar Maurice Glaize, Ta Prohm was singled out because it was "one of the most imposing [temples] and the one which had best merged with the jungle, but not yet to the point of becoming a part of it". Nevertheless, much work has been done to stabilize the ruins, to permit access, and to maintain "this condition of apparent neglect."

 

As of 2013, Archaeological Survey of India has restored most parts of the temple complex some of which have been constructed from scratch. Wooden walkways, platforms and roped railings have been put in place around the site to protect the monument from further damages due to the large tourist inflow.

 

THE SITE

LAYOUT

The design of Ta Prohm is that of a typical "flat" Khmer temple (as opposed to a temple-pyramid or temple-mountain, the inner levels of which are higher than the outer). Five rectangular enclosing walls surround a central sanctuary. Like most Khmer temples, Ta Prohm is oriented to the east, so the temple proper is set back to the west along an elongated east-west axis. The outer wall of 1000 by 650 metres encloses an area of 650,000 square metres that at one time would have been the site of a substantial town, but that is now largely forested. There are entrance gopuras at each of the cardinal points, although access today is now only possible from the east and west. In the 13th century, face towers similar to those found at the Bayon were added to the gopuras. Some of the face towers have collapsed. At one time, moats could be found inside and outside the fourth enclosure.

 

The three inner enclosures of the temple proper are galleried, while the corner towers of the first enclosure form a quincunx with the tower of the central sanctuary. This basic plan is complicated for the visitor by the circuitous access necessitated by the temple's partially collapsed state, as well as by the large number of other buildings dotting the site, some of which represent later additions. The most substantial of these other buildings are the libraries in the southeast corners of the first and third enclosures; the satellite temples on the north and south sides of the third enclosure; the Hall of Dancers between the third and fourth eastern gopuras; and a House of Fire east of the fourth eastern gopura.

 

REPRESENTATIONAL ART

Ta Prohm has not many narrative bas-reliefs(compared to Angkor Wat or Angkor Thom). One explanation that has been proffered for this dearth is that much of the temple's original Buddhist narrative artwork must have been destroyed by Hindu iconoclasts following the death of Jayavarman VII. At any rate, some depictions of scenes from Buddhist mythology do remain. One badly eroded bas-relief illustrates the "Great Departure" of Siddhartha, the future Buddha, from his father's palace. The temple also features stone reliefs of devatas (minor female deities), meditating monks or ascetics, and dvarapalas or temple guardians.

 

TREES

The trees growing out of the ruins are perhaps the most distinctive feature of Ta Prohm, and "have prompted more writers to descriptive excess than any other feature of Angkor." Two species predominate, but sources disagree on their identification: the larger is either the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) or thitpok Tetrameles nudiflora, and the smaller is either the strangler fig (Ficus gibbosa). or Gold Apple (Diospyros decandra). Indulging in what might be regarded as "descriptive excess," Angkor scholar Maurice Glaize observed, "On every side, in fantastic over-scale, the trunks of the silk-cotton trees soar skywards under a shadowy green canopy, their long spreading skirts trailing the ground and their endless roots coiling more like reptiles than plants."

 

IN POPULAR MEDIA

The temple of Ta Prohm was used as a location in the film Tomb Raider. Although the film took visual liberties with other Angkorian temples, its scenes of Ta Prohm were quite faithful to the temple's actual appearance, and made use of its eerie qualities.

 

Some believe that one of the carvings resembles a stegosaurus.

Imagine I offered you a choice of four gifts:

  

* The original Mona Lisa

  

* The keys to a brand new Lamborghini

  

* A million dollars in cash

  

* A parachute

  

You can pick only one. Which would you choose? Before you decide, here's some information that will help you to make the wisest choice: You have to jump 10,000 feet out of an airplane.

  

Does that help you to connect the dots? It should, because you need the parachute. It's the only one of the four gifts that will help with your dilemma. The others may have some value, but they are useless when it comes to facing the law of gravity in a 10,000-foot fall. The knowledge that you will have to jump should produce a healthy fear in you—and that kind of fear is good because it can save your life. Remember that.

  

Now think of the four major religions:

  

* Hinduism

  

* Buddhism

  

* Islam

  

* Christianity

  

Which one should you choose? Before you decide, here's some information that will help you determine which one is the wisest choice: All of humanity stands on the edge of eternity. We are all going to die. We will all have to pass through the door of death. It could happen to us in twenty years, or in six months, . . . or today. For most of humanity, death is a huge and terrifying plummet into the unknown. So what should we do?

 

Do you remember how it was your knowledge of the jump that produced that healthy fear, and that fear helped you to make the right choice? You know what the law of gravity can do to you. In the same way, we are going to look at another law, and hopefully your knowledge of what it can do to you will help you make the right choice, about life's greatest issue. So, stay with me—and remember to let fear work for you.

  

The Leap...

 

After we die we have to face what is called "the law of sin and death." We know that Law as "The Ten Commandments." So let's look at that Law and see how you will do when you face it on Judgment Day.

 

Have you loved God above all else? Is He first in your life? He should be. He's given you your life and everything that is dear to you. Do you love Him with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength? That's the requirement of the First Commandment.

 

Or have you broken the Second Commandment by making a god in your mind that you're comfortable with—where you say, "My God isn't a God of wrath, he's a God of love and mercy"? That god does not exist; he's a figment of the imagination. To create a god in your mind (your own image of God) is something the Bible calls "idolatry." Idolaters will not enter Heaven.

 

Have you ever used God's name in vain, as a cuss word to express disgust? That's called "blasphemy," and it's very serious in God's sight. This is breaking the Third Commandment, and the Bible says God will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

 

Have you always honored your parents implicitly, and kept the Sabbath holy? If not, you have broken the Fourth and Fifth Commandments. Have you ever hated someone? The Bible says, "Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer."

 

The Seventh is "You shall not commit adultery," but Jesus said, "Whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart" (the Seventh Commandment includes sex before marriage). Have you ever looked with lust or had sex outside of marriage? If you have, you've violated that Commandment. Have you ever lied? Ever stolen anything, regardless of value? If you have, then you're a lying thief. The Bible tells us, "Lying lips are abomination to the Lord," because He is a God of truth and holiness. Have you coveted (jealously desired) other people's things? This is a violation of the Tenth Commandment.

  

Little Jessica....

 

So that is God's moral Law that we each will face. We will be without excuse when we stand before God because He gave us our conscience to know right from wrong. Each time we lie, steal, commit adultery, murder, and so on, we know that it's wrong. So here is the crucial question. On Judgment Day, when God judges you, will you be found innocent or guilty of breaking this Law? Think before you answer. Will you go to Heaven or Hell? The Bible warns that all murderers, idolaters, liars, thieves, fornicators, and adulterers will end up in Hell. So where does that leave you?

 

Perhaps the thought of going to Hell doesn't scare you, because you don't believe in it. That's like standing in the open door of a plane 10,000 feet off the ground and saying, "I don't believe there will be any consequences if I jump without a parachute." To say that there will be no consequences for breaking God's Law is to say that God is unjust, that He is evil. This is why.

 

On February 24, 2005, a nine-year-old girl was reported missing from her home in Homosassa, Florida. Three weeks later, police discovered that she had been kidnapped, brutally raped, and then buried alive. Little Jessica Lunsford was found tied up, in a kneeling position, clutching a stuffed toy.

 

How do you react?...

 

How do you feel toward the man who murdered that helpless little girl in such an unspeakably cruel way? Are you angered? I hope so. I hope you are outraged. If you were completely indifferent to her fate, it would reveal something horrible about your character.

 

Do you think that God is indifferent to such acts of evil? You can bet your precious soul He is not. He is outraged by them. The fury of Almighty God against evil is evidence of His goodness. If He wasn't angered, He wouldn't be good. We cannot separate God's goodness from His anger. Again, if God is good by nature, He must be unspeakably angry at wickedness.

 

But His goodness is so great that His anger isn't confined to the evils of rape and murder. Nothing is hidden from His pure and holy eyes. He is outraged by torture, terrorism, abortion, theft, lying, adultery, fornication, pedophilia, homosexuality, and blasphemy. He also sees our thought-life, and He will judge us for the hidden sins of the heart: for lust, hatred, rebellion, greed, unclean imaginations, ingratitude, selfishness, jealousy, pride, envy, deceit, etc. Jesus warned, "But I say to you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment" (emphasis added).

 

The Bible says that God's wrath "abides" on each of us, and that every time we sin, we're "storing up wrath" that will be revealed on Judgment Day. We are even told that we are "by nature the children of wrath" (emphasis added). Sinning against God comes naturally to us—and we naturally earn His anger by our sins.

 

Instant Death...

 

Many people believe that because God is good, He will forgive everyone, and let all sinners into Heaven. But they misunderstand His goodness.

 

When Moses once asked to see God's glory, God told him that he couldn't see Him and live. Moses would instantly die if he looked upon God. Consider this: [God] said, I will make all my goodness pass before you . . . And it shall come to pass, while my glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with my hand while I pass by.

 

Notice that all of God's glory was displayed in His "goodness." The goodness of God would have killed Moses instantly because of his personal sinfulness. The fire of God's goodness would have consumed him, like a cup of water dropped onto the surface of the sun. The only way any of us can stand in the presence of God is to be pure in heart. Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."11 But as we've seen by looking at the Law, not a single one of us is "pure in heart."

 

These are extremely fearful thoughts, because the God we are speaking about is nothing like the commonly accepted image. He is not a benevolent Father-figure, who is happily smiling upon sinful humanity. In the midst of these frightening thoughts, remember to let fear work for you. The fear of God is the healthiest fear you can have. The Bible calls it "the beginning of wisdom."

 

Again, your knowledge of God's Law should help you to see that you have a life-threatening dilemma: a huge problem of God's wrath (His justifiable anger) against your personal sins. The just penalty for sin—breaking even one Law—is death, and eternity in Hell. But you haven't broken just one Law. Like the rest of us, you've no doubt broken all these laws, countless times each. What kind of anger do you think a judge is justified in having toward a criminal guilty of breaking the law thousands of times?

 

Let's See...

 

Let's now look at those four major religions to see if they can help you with your predicament.

 

Hinduism

 

The religion of Hinduism says that if you've been bad, you may come back as a rat or some other animal. If you've been good, you might come back as a prince. But that's like someone saying, "When you jump out of the plane, you'll get sucked back in as another passenger. If you've been bad, you go down to the Economy Class; if you've been good, you go up to First Class." It's an interesting concept, but it doesn't deal with your real problem of having sinned against God and the reality of Hell.

 

Buddhism

 

Amazingly, the religion of Buddhism denies that God even exists. It teaches that life and death are sort of an illusion. That's like standing at the door of the plane and saying, "I'm not really here, and there's no such thing as the law of gravity, and no ground that I'm going to hit." That may temporarily help you deal with your fears, but it doesn't square with reality. And it doesn't deal with your real problem of having sinned against God and the reality of Hell.

 

Islam

 

Interestingly, Islam acknowledges the reality of sin and Hell, and the justice of God, but the hope it offers is that sinners can escape God's justice if they do religious works. God will see these, and because of them, hopefully He will show mercy—but they won't know for sure. Each person's works will be weighed on the Day of Judgment and it will then be decided who is saved and who is not—based on whether they followed Islam, were sincere in repentance, and performed enough righteous deeds to outweigh their bad ones. So Islam believes you can earn God's mercy by your own efforts. That's like jumping out of the plane, and believing that flapping your arms is going to counter the law of gravity and save you from a 10,000-foot drop. And there's something else to consider.

 

The Law of God shows us that the best of us is nothing but a wicked criminal, standing guilty and condemned before the throne of a perfect and holy Judge. When that is understood, then our "righteous deeds" are actually seen as an attempt to bribe the Judge of the Universe. The Bible says that because of our guilt, anything we offer God for our justification (our acquittal from His courtroom) is an abomination to Him, and only adds to our crimes. Islam, like the other religions, doesn't solve your problem of having sinned against God and the reality of Hell.

 

Christianity

 

So why is Christianity different? Aren't all religions the same? Let's see. In Christianity, God Himself provided a "parachute" for us, and His Word says regarding the Savior, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ." Just as a parachute solved your dilemma with the law of gravity and its consequences, so the Savior perfectly solves your dilemma with the Law of God and its consequences! It is the missing puzzle-piece that you need.

 

How did God solve our dilemma? He satisfied His wrath by becoming a human being and taking our punishment upon Himself. The Scriptures tell us that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. Christianity provides the only parachute to save us from the consequences of the Law we have transgressed

 

Back to the Plane...

 

To illustrate this more clearly, let's go back to that plane for a moment. You are standing on the edge of a 10,000-foot drop. You have to jump. Your heart is thumping in your chest. Why? Because of fear. You know that the law of gravity will kill you when you jump. Someone offers you the original Mona Lisa. You push it aside. Another person passes you the keys to a brand new Lamborghini. You let them drop to the floor. Someone else tries to put a million dollars into your hands. You push the person's hand away, and stand there in horror at your impending fate.

 

Suddenly, you hear a voice say, "Here's a parachute!" Which one of those four people is going to hold the most credibility in your eyes? It's the one who held up the parachute! Again, it is your fear of the jump that turns you toward the good news of the parachute.

 

In the same way, knowledge of what God's Law will do to you produces a fear that makes the news of a Savior unspeakably good news! It solves your predicament of God's wrath. God loves you so much that He became a sinless human being in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.

 

The Savior died an excruciating death on the cross, taking your punishment (the death penalty) upon Himself. The demands of eternal justice were satisfied the moment He cried, "It is finished!" The lightning of God's wrath was stopped and the thunder of His indignation was silenced at Calvary's bloodied cross: "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." We broke the Law, but He became a man to pay our penalty in His life's blood.

 

Then He rose from the dead, defeating death. That means that God can now forgive every sin you have ever committed and commute your death sentence. If you repent and place your trust in Jesus, you can say with the apostle Paul: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

 

So you no longer need to be tormented by the fear of death, and you don't need to look any further for ways to deal with the dilemma of sin and God's wrath. The Savior is God's gift to you. The gospel is unspeakably good news for the entire, sinful human race! God Himself can "justify" you. He can cleanse you, and give you the "righteousness" of Christ. He can make you pure in heart by washing away your sins. He can shelter you from His fierce wrath, in the Rock of Ages that He has cleft for you. Only Jesus can save you from death and Hell, something that you could never earn or deserve.

 

Repent (Luke 13:5) of your sins (turn from them), and put on the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 13:14) as you would put on a parachute—trusting in Him (Psalm 62:8) alone for your salvation. That means you forsake your own good works (Isaiah 64:6) as a means of trying to please God (trying to bribe Him), and trust only in what Jesus has done for you. Throw yourself on the mercy of the Judge. The Bible says that He's rich in mercy (Ephesians 2.4) to all who call upon Him, so call upon Him (Isaiah 55:6) right now. He will hear you if you approach Him (John 6:44) with a humble and sorrowful heart.

 

St Andrew, Great Saxham, Suffolk

 

This is a church I seem to revisit every five years or so, and I'm always left wondering why I don't come back more often. After the longest winter I can remember, and a good five months since my previous church exploring bike ride, I set off from Bury St Edmunds on a bright, cold Saturday morning, and Great Saxham was my first port of call.

 

Nothing much had changed. A large oak tree had fallen near to the fence of the park in a recent storm, but otherwise it was exactly as I remembered. It is always reassuring to cycle off into rural Suffolk to find that England has not entirely succumbed to the 21st Century.

 

But Suffolk has changed in the thirty-odd years I've been living here. There is hardly a dairy farm left, and not a single cattle market survives in the county. Ipswich, Lowestoft, Bury, and even the smaller places, are ringed by out-of-town shopping experiences, and the drifts of jerry-built houses wash against the edges of nearly every village. But the countryside has always been in a state of perpetually change, a constant metamorphosis, and often a painful one. I had been struck by this before while cycling across this parish, and the memory added a frisson to the experience of coming back.

 

For many modern historians, the 19th Century finished on August 4th 1914, and you can see their point. That was the day that the First World War began, and the England that would emerge from the mud, blood and chaos would be quite different. A new spirit was abroad, and rural areas left behind their previous patterns of ownership and employment that were little more than feudalism. Suffolk would never be the same again.

 

No more the Big House, no more the farm worker going cap in hand to the hiring fair, or the terrible grind to keep at bay the horrors of the workhouse. I think of Leonard, remembering the pre-war days in Ronald Blythe’s Akenfield, that passionate account of a 20th century Suffolk village, Charsfield: I want to say this simply as a fact, that Suffolk people in my day were worked to death. It literally happened. It is not a figure of speech. I was worked mercilessly. I am not complaining about it. It is what happened to me. But the men coming home from Flanders would demand a living wage. The new world would not bring comfort and democracy overnight, of course, and there are many parts of Suffolk where poverty and patronage survive even today, to a greater or lesser extent, but the old world order had come to an end. The Age of Empires was over, and the Age of Anxiety was beginning.

 

The English have a love-hate relationship with the countryside. As Carol Twinch argues in Tithe Wars, it is only actually possible for British agriculture to be fully profitable in war time. In time of peace, only government intervention can sustain it in its familiar forms. Here, at the beginning of the 21st century, British farmers are still demanding levels of subsidy similar to that asked for by the mining industry in the 1980s. With the UK's exit from the European Union looming, the answer from the state is ultimately likely to be the same. British and European agriculture are still supported by policies and subsidies that were designed to prevent the widespread shortages that followed the Second World War. They are half a century out of date, and are unsustainable, and must eventually come to an end.

 

But still sometimes in Suffolk, you find yourself among surroundings that still speak of that pre-WWI feudal time. Indeed, there are places where it doesn’t take much of a leap of the imagination to believe that the 20th century hasn’t happened. Great Saxham is one such place.

 

You travel out of Bury westwards, past wealthy Westley and fat, comfortable Little Saxham with its gorgeous round-towered church. The roads narrow, and after another mile or so you turn up through a straight lane of rural council houses and bungalows. At the top of the lane, there is a gateway. It is probably late 19th century, but seems as archaic as if it was a survival of the Roman occupation. The gate has gone, but the solid stone posts that tower over the road narrow it, so that only one car can pass in each direction. It is the former main entrance to Saxham Hall, and beyond the gate you enter the park, cap in hand perhaps.

 

Looking back, you can see now that the lane behind you is the former private drive to the Big House, obviously bought and built on by the local authority in the 1960s. It is easy to imagine it as it had once been.

 

Beyond the gate is another world. The narrowed road skirts the park in a wide arc, with woods off to the right. Sheep turn to look once, then resumed their grazing. About a mile beyond the gate, there is a cluster of 19th century estate buildings, and among them, slightly set back from the road beyond an unusually high wall, was St Andrew.

 

There was a lot of money here in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, so that you might even think it a Victorian building in local materials. But there is rather more to it than that. Farm buildings sit immediately against the graveyard, only yards from the church. When Mortlock came this way, he found chickens pottering about among the graves, and like me you may experience the unnervingly close neighing of a horse in the stables across from the porch.

 

The great restoration of this church was at a most unusual date, 1798, fully fifty years before the great wave of sacramentalism rolled out of Oxford and swept across the Church of England. Because of this, it appears rather plain, although quite in keeping with its Perpendicular origins - no attempt was made to introduce the popular mock-classical features of the day. The patron of the parish at the time was Thomas Mills, more familiar from his ancestors at Framlingham than here. There was another makeover in the 1820s.

 

I've always found this church open, and so it should be, for it has a great treasure which cannot be stolen, but might easily be vandalised if the church was kept locked (I wish that someone would explain this to the churchwardens at Nowton). The careful restoration preserved the Norman doorways and 15th century font, and the church would be indistinguishable from hundreds of other neat, clean 19th century refurbishments if it were not for the fact that it contains some most unusual glass. It was collected by Thomas Mills' son, William, and fills the east and west windows. It is mostly 17th century (you can see a date on one piece) and much of it is Swiss in origin. As at Nowton, it probably came from continental monasteries.

 

The best is probably the small scale collection in the west window. This includes figures of St Mary Magdalene, St John the Baptist and the Blessed Virgin, as well as scenes of the Annunciation, the Coronation of the Queen of Heaven, the Vision of St John, and much more. The work in the east window is on a larger scale, some of it Flemish in origin.

 

There are several simple and tasteful Mills memorials - but the Mills family was not the first famous dynasty to hold the Hall here. Back in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was the home of the Eldred family, famous explorers and circumnavigators of the globe. John Eldred died in 1632, and has one wall-mounted bust memorial on the south sanctuary wall, as well as a figure brass reset in the chancel floor from a lost table tomb. Both are gloriously flamboyant, and might seem quite out of kilter with that time, on the eve of the long Puritan night. Compare them, for instance, with the Boggas memorial at Flowton, barely ten years later. But, although the bust is of an elderly Elizabethan, I think that there is a 17th Century knowingness about them. The inscription beneath the bust reads in part The Holy Land so called I have seene and in the land of Babilone have bene, but in thy land where glorious saints doe live my soule doth crave of Christ a room to give - curiously, the carver missed out the S in Christ, and had to add it in above. It might have been done in a hurry, but perhaps it is rather a Puritan sentiment after all, don't you think?

 

The brass has little shields with merchant ships on, one scurrying between cliffs and featuring a sea monster. The inscription here is more reflective, asking for our tolerance: Might all my travells mee excuse for being deade, and lying here, for, as it concludes, but riches can noe ransome buy nor travells passe the destiny.

 

The First World War memorial remembers names of men who were estate workers here. And, after all, here is the English Church as it was on the eve of the First World War, triumphant, apparently eternal, at the very heart of the Age of Empires. Now, it is only to be found in backwaters like this, and the very fact that they are backwaters tells us that, really, it has not survived at all.

"Yes, Chase?"

The red-headed teenager held the broom handle in front of him, as if making a barrier between himself and his employer. "Dawn, how long do the Outsiders live?"

Dawn gently set down the stack of books she was holding and looked at him as she gathered her thoughts. "It's... hard to say. A long time; maybe forever." Long fingers traced the scar over her left eye. "Their time is not like ours. It's as if they see and experience all of history happening at once. This is how some of them can predict the future. But at the same time; the predictions can be wrong. Which could mean that the warning changed what was going to happen. Or that the event predicted happened exactly that way, but in a parallel universe."

She noticed Chase was giving her a blank look.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't answer your question." Dawn paused, "from our perspective the Outsiders could seem to live thousands of years, when in their home dimension they could live for only a short while and be traveling through both space and time to appear here in different ages. Or perhaps it's only a matter of perception, and they are minor aspects of a force that is eternal."

Chase's lip trembled slightly. "I don't understand."

"How about you tell me what's really on your mind, hmm?"

He twiddled his fingers around the broom, "I was thinking of... asking Klareese... to... marry me."

Dawn just stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. In all her five thousand years, it was quite possibly the strangest thing she'd ever heard.

Then the myriad of chimes and bamboo clunked and jingled against the front door.

An ominous figure entered, a long coat shrouding his spare frame. With each step came faint sounds of scraping, like the grinding of teeth. His garb was black and red beneath, the shirt puffy and laced across bare ribs. The creature held out a bag speckled with dark stains.

"Here you go," Mort said, "fried chicken, coleslaw, fries, ect, ect." His skeletal fingers plucked at blood red laces. "And I'm not wearing this shirt ever again. It looks gay."

Dawn accepted the bag with good grace and walked upstairs to spread the contents on the old kitchen's table. "Suit yourself."

The skeleton turned the sign on the door over and shook off his sodden coat. "Hey, Chase, what's new?"

  

* * * * * *

  

Chase ate his food without a word and then retreated back down to the register.

Mort dematerialized and absorbed meat from a drumstick like someone unrolling a ball of yarn. His deft fingers pulled the substance apart into pure energy.

Sparks of green fire danced in his empty eye sockets; "he wants to do what now?"

Dawn twirled a French fry in her fingers. "He's planning to ask Klareese to marry him."

Mort looked like he'd been stunned; the bone above his brows knitted in a tight knot. "But he's a human being, and she's a moth... woman- creature from another dimension!"

Dawn shrugged. "Yeah well, I'm half death angel, and you're undead. Who are we to judge?"

Mort put down the clean chicken bone. "Please don't say that."

"I'm sorry then, but you know what I mean. We don't have any reason to suspect her of treachery beyond what she was born as. And that's no fault of hers. Obviously I don't want to see Chase hurt. But I also don't want to ruin someone else's chance at happiness. So if he says anything to you, try to stay neutral."

Mort ran a hand though his mop of wavy hair, "I'll try."

Downstairs the door opened and shut, and a lively conversation floated up from the desk. Fiery charged up the stairs like a child home from school; her toaster's bag thumping against her side. She shook off the rain and fluffed her short yellow hair.

Mort grinned, "Hey. There's food if you want some."

She waved away the offer politely, but accepted a place at the table. "I'm glad I caught you," she said, and unfolded a drawing onto the table. "What can you tell me about this?"

Mort leaned forward as Dawn stared at the image. It seemed to be a compass rose with each point ending in an arrow.

"Initially I thought it was just a repetition of the Norse rune Teiwaz, but apparently it's something new," Fiery mused.

"Good observation," Dawn replied. She laid the sketch flat on the table. She steepled her fingers, "it's the symbol for Chaos Magick."

"Never heard of it."

Dawn leaned back in her chair. "That's not surprising. The concept is both simple and difficult, and the definition is different depending on who you ask."

Mort cocked an eye ridge, "so what's your interpretation?"

"Well... it's about belief. I decide to believe in an entity, deity, or idea with my whole heart for the duration of whatever I'm trying to accomplish. And then when I finish, I can retain that belief, or adopt a completely contrary one for the next task. It takes either strict discipline or complete insanity to perform the trick perfectly.

And because Chaos is a little bit of everything, you could choose to believe in a fictional entity and the power of your conviction would make the spell work anyway."

Mort waved a hand in the air and Fiery snickered. "Let me get this straight..." he said. "If I decided to believe that the holy spirit of Godzilla will smite my enemy, and I set myself to worshipping him and putting Qi towards that goal... it would actually happen?"

Dawns lip twisted in a half smile. "Yes. Yes it would."

He shook his head in wonderment. "But that's insane!" Fiery sputtered.

The scarred woman shrugged theatrically. "That's Chaos; bereft of rhyme or reason. It makes everything work if you believe. I myself could count as a practitioner. Because I use aspects of many different magickal systems, and hold in high regard Gods and Goddesses from multiple pantheons.

The really interesting thing is that it can be used in reverse as well. One can create an energy being with focus and belief, or you can boost the power of a human practitioner in the same fashion."

Dawn leaned forward, her eyes boring into their souls. "If you don't believe in my power it does not make me weak, especially if I care nothing for the opinions of others. But if you believe I can work miracles; it can increase my abilities tenfold in your presence." She smiled and Mort shuddered involuntarily. Her voice was barely a whisper; "and if millions believed..."

Chase gave a loud yelp from downstairs that caused Fiery and Mort to jump in their seats. Dawn just chuckled softly and pushed the piece of paper back towards Fiery.

Fiery gulped; "I'm going to go check on Chase."

Mort looked at his lover. "That's a lot to take in."

Dawn's gaze was abstracted. "It's a difficult path when you believe in things that no one else does. Major religions offer a support network if you stumble or have questions. It takes a lot of self-confidence to walk alone."

Mort smiled softly, "you're not alone."

"Thank you."

The green stars twinkled in his eye sockets. "Besides, your position is unique. Your God comes to you personally."

She flushed a deep scarlet. "Don't say that. Even Azrael has a divine master."

Mort laid a skeletal hand across hers. "He loves you, you know? I've seen the way he looks at you. There's pride in that gaze, like a father watching his child."

Dawn smiled, entertaining a fleeting thought. The great and terrible angel of Death pushing her on a swing set, watching her onstage, seeing her wed, and rocking a grandchild in his arms. But it was absurd, and she let the vision go.

She stood up, "we should check on Chase. They're being awfully quiet down there."

   

to be continued.

 

[All writing is copyright by author. [Myself, Domain.]

 

I bind and sell my own books and this is an except from my eighth book which is still a work in progress. Anyone interested in such need only ask. And synopses for six of the other seven volumes as well as a price list are posted here-

 

dawnrazor.blogspot.com/

Dedicatory Prayer

 

Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple, October 13, 1996

 

O God our Eternal Father, thanks be to Thee, Thou great Elohim, in whose service we are honored to labor.

 

In these sacred precincts we bow before Thee in humble prayer to present unto Thee the gift of Thy people whose consecrated tithes and offerings have made possible the erection of this beautiful house.

 

Thou hast conferred upon us Thy Holy Priesthood. In that authority, and in the name of Thy Beloved Son, our Redeemer, even the Lord Jesus Christ, we dedicate this, the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple, and consecrate it unto Thee and unto Thy Son as Thy holy house, praying that Thou wilt accept it and honor it with Thy presence.

 

We dedicate the ground on which it stands with its trees, lawns, shrubbery, and flowers. We dedicate the structure from the footings to the figure of Moroni. We dedicate all of the rooms and facilities found herein, and in a particular way those rooms which will be used for the administration of sacred ordinances which Thou hast revealed unto Thy people.Here, in the beautiful font, baptisms will be performed by living proxies in behalf of the dead. Here with repentant hearts we will be made clean before Thee and stand clothed in robes of spotless white.

 

Here we will be instructed in the things of eternity and enter into solemn covenants with Thee. Here at sacred altars we will be joined as husband and wife, as parents and children under the authority of the eternal Priesthood, in bonds and covenants that will endure forever.

 

We acknowledge with thanksgiving the marvelous blessings here to be gained and pray that all who enter the portals of this Thy house may do so with clean hands and pure hearts, with love for Thee and Thy Son, and with faith in Thine everlasting promises made unto us.

 

May this in very deed be "a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God" (D&C 88:119).

 

May its beauty never be marred by evil hands. May it stand strong against the winds and storms that will beat upon it. May it be a beacon of peace and a refuge to the troubled. May it be an holy sanctuary to those whose burdens are heavy and who seek Thy consoling comfort.We thank Thee for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, that in this the dispensation of the fulness of times Thou didst appear with Thy Beloved Son to the boy Joseph Smith. We thank Thee that following that glorious manifestation Thou didst send Moroni with the Book of Mormon as another testament of the Lord Jesus Christ; that Thou didst send John the Baptist, and Peter, James, and John to restore the authority of Thy Holy Priesthood; that Thou didst send Moses, Elias, and Elijah to bring again to earth those grand keys which unlock the door of eternal life to all who shall become partakers of Thy promised blessings.

 

Dear Father, please forgive our sins and remember them no more against us. Give us strength and discipline to walk above our weaknesses. Grant us the companionship of Thy Holy Spirit and the directing power of the Holy Ghost in our lives at all times and under all circumstances, that we may serve Thee faithfully and well in Thy great work of bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of Thy sons and daughters.

 

We thank Thee for this favored season in the history of Thy work. Renew our appreciation for our faithful forebears, who were driven from their homes and came with trust in Thee to these mountain valleys. These desert lands have become fruitful and have blossomed as the rose, in fulfillment of prophecy.

 

Thy people have been gathered from over the earth, and they and their posterity continue to walk in faith before Thee. Please accept of their consecrations, and open the windows of heaven and shower down blessings upon the faithful as Thou hast promised.

 

Touch the hearts of Thy Saints that they may work with outreaching love in this holy edifice in behalf of their forebears.

 

May they seek after their kindred dead, and do for them what must be done if they are to be released from the bondage in which they have been kept for so long. Touch the hearts of Thy people with the spirit of the Prophet Elijah, that the hearts of the fathers may be turned to the children and the hearts of the children may be turned to the fathers, that the purposes of the earth may not be frustrated, but may all be fulfilled.

 

Father, we plead with Thee that Thou wilt overrule among the nations that doors may be opened for the preaching of Thine eternal word. Wilt Thou touch the hearts of rulers, and men and women of government, that they may unlock the gates of those lands which have been previously closed to Thy faithful servants. Bless in a special way Thy messengers who go forth as missionaries to the people of the earth that they may do so with power "to reprove the world of all their unrighteous deeds and...teach them of a judgment which is to come" (D&C 84:87). Let Thy Spirit go before them. May Thy watch care be over them. May they be magnified and led to those who will hear the glad tidings of salvation as they have been restored in this dispensation.

 

Bless Thy Church and kingdom, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that it shall "come forth out of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners" (D&C 109:73).

 

Bless Thy servants whom Thou hast called and ordained to stand as leaders in Thy Church in these days of great opportunity. Sustain them, give them strength, speak through them according to Thy divine will, and uphold them before the people. Bless all who serve in this temple and throughout Thy Church, that each may be faithful and that each may be possessed of a great desire to strengthen Thy work and build testimony in the hearts of others.

 

Father, we invoke Thy blessings upon this nation, the United States of America, where Thy work was restored in this dispensation. May those who stand in places of leadership look to Thee and be guided by Thee that liberty and freedom may be preserved and enhanced, and that because of the strength and goodness of the people of this nation, Thy work may be assisted as it moves across the earth.

 

Now, our Beloved Father and our God, we bow in reverence before Thee. We worship Thee in spirit and in truth. We love Thee. We love Thy gracious Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We love Thy work. Help us to live with respect and kindness one toward another as should all of those who are partakers of Thy bounteous goodness.

 

May we on this day of dedication, rededicate ourselves and reconsecrate our talents and our means to Thy service and to the blessing of Thy sons and daughters everywhere and through all generations, we humbly pray in the name of our great Redeemer, the Lord Omnipotent, even Jesus Christ, amen.

I was asked a few weeks back, if I fancied meeting up with friends, Simon and Cam for a few bears and a crawl round Ipswich.

 

Seemed a great idea, but checking Network Rain this week, I found that there were replacement buses out of Liverpool Street to Whitham and out of Cambridge. The first added an hour to the trip to Ipswich, the second, 90 minutes.

 

Jools said she would enjoy a trip out and a walk around Manningtree, so we could go in the car, I would drive up, she would drive back, and we would both have some exercise and I would meet friends.

 

Perfect.

 

Although we had planned to go to Tesco first, in the end we had breakfast and set off at half seven, eager to get some miles under our belts before traffic really built at Dartford.

 

Up the A2 in bright sunshine, it was a great day for travel, but also I thought it might have been good for checking out orchid woods back home. But a change is always good, and it has been nearly 9 years since Simon invited me for a tour round historic Ipswich, showing there was almost as much history there than in Norwich to the north.

 

Into Essex before nine, and arriving in Ipswich before ten, we decided to find somewhere for breakfast first before going our separate ways.

 

A large breakfast later, we split up, and I went to wander north to St Margaret's church, which I had been into on that trip 9 years back, but my shots not so good.

 

I found many interesting places in-between the modern buildings and urban sprawl, timber framed houses, Tudor brick and much more beside.

 

Sadly, St Margaret was locked. I could see the notice on the porch door, so I didn't go up to see what it said.

 

I wandered back, found St Mary le Tower open, so went in and took over a hundred shots, soaking in the fine Victorian glass and carved bench ends, even if they were 19th century and not older.

 

In the south chapel, a group were talking quietly, so I tried not to disturb them, only realising how loud the shutter on the camera was.

 

The font took my eye first, as it is a well preserved one from the 15th century. Though these are common in East Anglia, not so in deepest Kent, so I snapped it from all directions, recording each mark of the carver's tools.

 

The clocked ticked round to midday, and so I made my way to the quayside where I was to meet my friends.

 

Simon lives in Ipswich, but Cam and David had come down on the train from the Fine City. We met at the Briarbank Brewery Tap where I had a couple of mocha porters, which were very nice indeed.

 

From there we went to the Dove where we had two more beers as well as lunch.

 

And finally a walk to The Spread Eagle for one final beer before I walked back to Portman Road to meet Jools at the car.

 

Jools drove us back to the A12, and pointed the car south. As we drove, dusk fell and rain began to fall. Not very pleasant. But at least traffic was light, so in an hour we were on the M25 and twenty minutes later over the river and back in Kent.

 

Rain fell steadily as we cruised down the M20, past the familiar landmarks until we were back in Dover. Where we had to make a pit stop at M and S, as we needed supplies, and something for supper.

 

Not sure that garlic bread and wine counts as a meal, but did for us, so at half nine, we climbed the hill to bed.

 

--------------------------------------------------

 

Ipswich is the county town of Suffolk, and is also probably the longest continuously occupied town in England. Here on the River Gipping, in the south of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of East Anglia, a number of 7th Century industrial villages grew together, and since then Ipswich has always been an industrial and commercial town, processing the produce of the land round about, and exporting it up the River Orwell to other parts of England and the continent. It was wealthy in the late medieval period, but it suffered from being cut off from its European markets by the outfall from the Reformation. A strongly puritan town in the 17th Century, a quiet backwater in the 18th Century, it was not until the Industrial Revolution that it rose to commercial prominence again, with heavy industry producing agricultural machinery, vehicles and other ironwork. It would continue to be important industrially until the 1980s, but then most of the factories closed, and the town has not yet recovered.

The townscape is punctuated by church towers and spires, for Ipswich has twelve surviving medieval churches. Remarkably, six of them are still in use, and of these St Mary le Tower is the biggest and most prominent. Its spire rises sixty metres above the rooftops, making it the second tallest building in the town after the Mill apartment block on the Waterfront. There was a church here in 1200, when the Borough of Ipswich came into being in the churchyard by the declaration of the granting of a charter. The medieval church had a spire until it came down in the hurricane of 1661. When the Diocese of Norwich oversaw the restoration of the church in the mid-19th Century the decision was taken for a complete rebuild in stone on the same site. It is almost entirely the work of diocesan surveyor Richard Phipson, who worked on it over a period of twenty years in the 1850s and 1860s, including replacing the spire, and so this is East Anglia's urban Victorian church par excellence. The rebuilding was bankrolled by the wealthy local Bacon banking family. It is a large church, built more or less on the plan of its predecessor, full of the spirit of its age. One could no more imagine Ipswich without the Tower than without the Orwell Bridge.

 

The length of the church splits the churchyard into two quite separate parts, the south side a public space, the walled north side atmospheric and secretive. The large cross to the south-west of the tower is not a war memorial. It remembers John Patteson, Bishop of Melanesia, murdered by some of his flock in the 1870s. Treated as a martyr by the press of the day, Patteson appears to have had no local connection, but the Pattesons had intermarried with the Cobbolds, an important local family, and Patteson Road by Ipswich docks also remembers him. There never was a north door, and the west doors are beautiful and liturgically correct but perhaps not useful, since they are below street level and the path merely leads round to the south, allowing processions but no access from Tower Street. The flushwork is exuberant, and makes you think that being a flint-knapper must have been a good living in the 1860s. As with the medieval predecessor, the entrance is through the tower which forms a porch on the south side, in common with about thirty other East Anglian churches. Until the 1860s there was a further castellated porch on the south side of the tower, something in the style of the Hadleigh Deanery tower, but this was removed. You can see it in as photograph at the top of this page. And looking at this photograph, it is hard not to think that Phipson retained at least part of the lower stage of the tower.

 

There is a small statue of the church's patron saint in the niche above the entrance, by the sculptor Richard Pfeiffer. Away to the east, the same sculptor produced St John the Evangelist and St Mary of Magdala on the end of the chancel, and there is more of his work inside. You step into the tower porch under vaulting. A small door in the north-east corner leads up into the ringing chamber and beyond that the belfry, with a ring of twelve bells. The south doorway into the church has stops representing the Annunciation, with the angel to the west, and Mary at her prayer desk to the east. As part of a Millennium project this doorway was painted and gilded. It leads through into the south aisle, beyond which the wide nave seems to swallow all sound, a powerful transition from the outside. Polished wood and tile gleam under coloured light from large windows filled with 19th Century glass. At one time the walls were stencilled, but this was removed in the 1960s. The former church was dark and serious inside, as a drawing in the north aisle shows, so it must have made quite a contrast when the townspeople first entered their new church.

 

The font by the doorway is the first of a number of significant survivals from the old church. It's one of the 15th Century East Anglian series of which several hundred survive, all slightly different. It is in good condition, and you can't help thinking that this is ironically because Ipswich was a town which embraced protestantism whole-heartedly after the Reformation, and it is likely that the font was plastered over in the mid-16th Century to make it plain and simple. The lions around the pillar stand on human heads, and there are more heads beneath the bowl. The next survival that comes into view is the pair of 15th Century benches at the west end of the nave. The bench ends are clerics holding books, and above them memorable finials depicting two lions, a dragon and what might be a cat or a dog.

  

The box pews were removed as part of Phipson's restoration and replaced with high quality benches. The front row are the Borough Corporation seats, a mace rest and a sword rest in front of them. The carvings on the ends of the benches are seahorses, the creatures that hold the shield on the Ipswich Borough arms, and on the finials in front are lions holding ships, the crest of the Borough. As you might expect in Ipswich these are by Henry Ringham, whose church carving was always of a high quality, and is perhaps best known at Woolpit and Combs. His workshop on St John's Road employed fifty people at the time of the 1861 census, but by the following year he was bankrupt, and so the work here is likely some of the last that he produced. He died in 1866, and Ringham Road in East Ipswich remembers him.

 

Moving into the chancel, the other major survival is a collection of late 15th and early 16th Century brasses. Altogether there are ten large figures, but in fact some of them represent the same person more than once. The most memorable is probably that of Alys Baldry, who died in 1507. She lies between her two husbands. The first, Robert Wimbill, is on the right. He died in about 1477. He was a notary, and his ink pot and pen case hang from his belt. Her second husband, Thomas Baldry, is on the left. He died in 1525. He was a merchant, and his merchant mark is set beneath his feet next to Alys's five daughters and four sons.

 

Alys Baldry, Robert Wimbill and Thomas Baldry are all depicted in further brasses here. The best of these is that to Robert. It was commissioned by his will in the 1470s. He lies on his own with a Latin inscription which translates as 'My hope lies in my heart. Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on me.' His ink pot and pen case hang from his belt again, and between his feet are a skull and scattered bones, an early memento mori. Thomas Baldry's own brass memorial shows him lying between his two wives, Alys who we have already met, and his second wife Christian. The other group of three figures depicts Thomas Drayll, a merchant, with his wives Margaret and Agnes. Thomas died in 1512. The arms of the Cinque Ports are set above him, and a large merchant mark is beneath his feet. Several inscriptions are missing, and we know that when the iconoclast William Dowsing visited the church on 29th Janary 1644 he ordered the removal of six brass inscriptions with Ora pro nobis ('pray for us') and Ora pro animabus ('pray for our souls'), and Cujus animae propitietur deus ('on whose soul may God have mercy') and pray for the soul in English.

 

The spectacular sanctuary with its imposing reredos, piscina and sedilia was clearly designed for shadowy, incense-led worship. A lush Arts and Crafts crucifixion surmounts the altar. East Anglian saints flank the walls. James Bettley, revising the Buildings of England volume for East Suffolk, records that it was the work of Somers, Clarke & Micklethwaite in the 1880s. The chancel is only lit from the east window, emphasising the focus from the rest of the church. The set of twelve apostles and twelve angels on the choir stalls are also by Pfeiffer. You can see his signature on the back of St Luke's icon of the Blessed Virgin. This sanctuary is the ultimate expression of late 19th Century Tractarianism in Suffolk. Back in the nave, the early 18th Century pulpit speaks of a different liturgical age, when this church was a preaching house rather than a sacramental space. James Bettley credits its carving to James Hubbard, and notes its similarity to that in the Unitarian Meeting House a few hundred yards off. The 19th Century screen that stood in the chancel arch and separated these two liturgical ages was moved to the east end of the north aisle as an organ screen some time in the 20th Century.

 

Another screen separates off the Lady Chapel from the south aisle and the chancel. The chapel is a pleasing period piece, furnished sentimentally. The reredos, by Arthur Wallace in 1907, depicts the Supper at Emmaus flanked by Moses and Elijah in an echo of the Transfiguration. The early 20th Century paintings on the south wall are lovely, especially the infant Christ as he plays at the feet of St Joseph. But the overwhelming atmosphere of this church comes from its extensive range of 19th Century glass, the largest collection in Suffolk. It provides a catalogue of some of the major 19th Century workshops over a fairly short period, from the 1850s to the 1880s. Much of it is by Clayton & Bell, who probably received the commission for east and west windows and south aisle as part of Phipson's rebuilding contract. Other major workshops include those of William Wailes, the O'Connors and Lavers, Barraud & Westlake. A small amount of 1840s glass in the north aisle was reset here from the previous church. There are photographs of the glass at the bottom of this page.

 

As was common in major 19th Century restorations, the memorials that once flanked the walls were collected together and reset at the west end of the nave. At St Mary le Tower this was a major task, for there are a lot of them. The most famous is that to William Smart, MP for Ipswich in the late 16th Century. It is painted on boards. His inscription is a long acrostic, and he kneels at the bottom opposite his wife. between them is a panoramic view of the Ipswich townscape as it was in 1599, the year that he died, a remarkable snapshot of the past. Other memorials include those of the 17th Century when Ipswich was the heartland of firebrand protestant East Anglia. Matthew Lawrence, who died in 1653, was the publike preacher of this towne. There are more memorials in the north chancel aisle, now divided up as vestries. The best of these is to John and Elizabeth Robinson. He died in 1666. They kneel at their prayer desks, and below them are their children Thomas, John, Mary and Elizabeth, who all predeceased their mother. Also here are memorials to a number of the Cobbold family, who were not only important locally but even provided ministers for this church.

 

There are more Cobbold memorials in the nave, including one in glass at the west end of the north aisle. It is dedicated to Lucy Chevallier Cobbold, and depicts her with her daughter at the Presentation in the Temple. The Cobbold family embraced Tractarianism wholeheartedly, being largely responsible for the building of St Bartholomew near their home at Holywells Park. They probably had an influence over the Bacon family, whose wealth went towards the rebuilding, and whose symbol of a boar can be seen in the floor tiles. A good set of Stuart royal arms hangs above the west doorway.

 

I can't imagine what the 17th Century parishioners would make of this church if they could come back and see it now. Trevor Cooper, in his edition of The Journals of William Dowsing, recalls that the atmosphere in the town was so strongly puritan that in the 1630s the churchwardens were excommunicated for refusing to carry out the sacramentalist reforms of Archbishop Laud. The reforms demanded that the altar be returned to the chancel and railed in, but this was considered idolatrous by the parishioners. When the visitation commissioners of the Bishop of Norwich came to the church in April 1636 to see if the commands had been carried out, the churchwardens refused to give up the keys... verbally assaulting them and and confronting them with 'musketts charged, swords, staves and other weapons'.

 

Frank Grace, in his 'Schismaticall and Factious Humours': Opposition in Ipswich to Laudian Church Government, records a number of other incidents both here and in other Ipswich churches in the late 1630s, including an attack on 'a conformable minister' (that is to say one faithful to the Bishop) by a mob as well as a stranger who was invited by the town bailiffs to preach a very factious and seditious sermon in Tower church to a large congregation against the authority of the incumbent, who no doubt was held at bay while the ranting went on. As with all the Ipswich churches, the iconoclast William Dowsing was welcomed with open arms by the churchwardens here on his visit of January 1644. Looking around at Phipson's sacramental glory, it is hard to imagine now.

  

Simon Knott, December 2022

 

www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/stmaryletower.htm

A framed York Rite illustration.

 

Link: www.royalarchmasons.on.ca

 

Ontario Districts.

 

Cookstown: District 9.

 

York Rite of Masonry - Oldest Freemason Branch

 

The symbolic degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason, as conferred in Canada, are degrees of the York Rite.

 

York Masonry is the oldest and best known of all Masonic Rites.

 

It takes its name from York, England, where the earliest known record of Masonry exists, dating from about A.D. 923.

 

Masonry´s first written record is centered around York, the seat of the Ancient York Grand Lodge. In 1813, this Grand Lodge merged with another group called the Modern Grand Lodge, to form the United Grand Lodge of England. This is the basis upon which our present system of Symbolic Lodge Masonry is built.

You, as a Master Mason, have received the first three degrees of the York Rite. Having begun your Masonic work in the York Rite, it is natural that you should want to continue with it.

According to Masonic legend, every man raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason received “substitute secrets”, as the “true secrets” were lost. It may prove a surprise to the average man, believing his work is completed, to be told that the secrets pertaining to the ceremony will not be given to him! This is unfortunate, but the veil is lifted in the degree of the Royal Arch, and in that degree only. Hence, no man actually becomes a Master Mason until he is exalted to that holy order.

 

Some would have the newly raised Master Mason believe that he can receive the secrets and word in a degree other than the Royal Arch. This is not true, historically or otherwise. The mother Grand Lodge of England was so emphatic regarding the necessity of the Royal Arch degree that many years ago, it set forth this as Paragraph One (1) of its Laws and Regulations:

“By the solemn act of the union between the two Grand Lodges of Freemasons of England in December, 1813, it was declared and pronounced that Pure Ancient Masonry consists of three degrees and no more, viz: those of the Entered Apprentice, the Fellowcraft, and the Master Mason, INCLUDING THE SUPREME ORDER OF THE HOLY ROYAL ARCH.”

 

On the North American Continent, there are additional degrees in the system, supplementing the work of the Lodge, Chapter, and Council, and the Orders conferred in the Commandery have been arranged into a system or Rite referred to as the American, Canadian, or York Rite of Freemasonry. It is American in structure, as it is a democratic organization in which every member has a voice and a right to be heard.

 

2. ROYAL ARCH MASONRY

 

The various local Chapters operate under the jurisdiction of the “Grand Chapter” of Province - Royal Arch Masons of Canada in the Province of Ontario. There is also the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons International. The General Grand Chapter constitutes the largest Masonic Body in the world though it is not recognized by the Province.

 

The Chapter confers four degrees (Capitular Degrees), giving a complete story of Masonic symbolism, in the following order:

 

Mark Master

 

Past Master (Virtual) (International not Ontarian)

 

Most Excellent Master

 

Royal Arch

 

The Mark Master degree is perhaps the oldest Masonic degree, and is one of the most highly respected. It teaches practical lessons for everyday living. This degree supplements the Fellowcraft Degree.

 

The Past Master degree teaches the candidate the important duties and responsibilities of the Oriental Chair, and is qualification for advancement.

 

It is commonly known that the symbolism of Freemasonry surrounds the building of the Temple. In symbolic Free-Masonry, the Temple is never completed. In the Most Excellent Master degree, we are taught the lessons of the completion and dedication of the Temple.

 

In the degree of the Royal Arch, the epitome of Masonic symbolism is found. It has been said “the Royal Arch is the root, heart and marrow of Masonry, without knowledge of which the Masonic character cannot be complete”.

 

The Royal Arch degree is the completion of the whole system of Freemasonry. Having begun regular advancement through the Symbolic Lodge, it is the duty of each Master Mason to complete the degree series. He who has sought further Masonic education should return to the Symbolic Lodge, retrace his steps and advance through the Rite until he can receive the climax of Masonic symbolism, as taught in the Royal Arch.

Only those who have attained the Royal Arch may be said to have completed their Masonic Work.

 

3. CRYPTIC MASONRY

 

The Councils of Cryptic Masons operate under the jurisdiction of the Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of each state and most Grand Councils operate under the General Grand Council of the United States. They confer the following three degrees:

 

Royal Master

 

Select Master

 

Super Excellent Master

 

Without the Royal and Select Master degrees, neither the Master Mason degree nor the Royal Arch degree is complete. These two degrees account for the concealment and preservation of the treasures revealed in the Royal Arch.

 

The Super Excellent Master is an honorary degree, qualifications for which are fulfilled by virtue of being in good standing in a Council. This degree is the most dramatic and spectacular of all Masonic systems.

 

4. KNIGHT TEMPLAR MASONRY

 

Local Commanderies are governed by the Grand Commandery of each jurisdiction.

 

In the Commandery, the Chivalric Orders of Christian Knighthood are conferred as follows:

 

The Illustrious Order of the Red Cross

 

The Order of Knight of Malta

 

The Order of the Temple

 

The Illustrious Order of the Red Cross is founded upon Truth – a divine attribute, the foundation of every virtue.

 

Knights of Malta. First called Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem are known to have been in existence as early as 1099 A.D. It was the first organized body whose avowed purpose was the aid and care of those injured on a battlefield. The teaching of Christian applications of Masonic precepts begins with this Order.

 

The Order of the Temple is the crowning glory of York Rite Masonry. It is widely regarded as the most solemn and impressive experience in Masonry. Here the aspirant progresses in the footsteps of Jesus of Nazareth. At the empty tomb grows a sprig of acacia, teaching that we shall dwell forever in the realms of life and light eternal.

 

Freemasonry demands only a belief in a monotheistic God, where Hindu, Muslim, Jew and Gentile may together worship around its alters. The Christian Freemason alone has at his disposal a branch of the fraternity where he is free to interpret the teachings of the Symbolic Lodge according to his religious belief. The Masonic Orders of Christian Knighthood are the logical outcome of the Christian Mason´s belief in Christ as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. That Mason believes Christ´s hand will raise the dead to life, and in His Holy Name the True Word is found and restored at last. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”.

 

WHAT DOES YORK RITE MASONRY OFFER?

 

The noble heritage of York Masonry is yours to take. The regular meetings of the various grades are conducive to firmer relationships and a closer spirit of brotherly love. Being a York Rite Mason does not mean you are elevated to a “higher rank´. It is an educational tool to help you realize the Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of Man in your own life. We trust the foregoing has increased your interest in the York Rite.

 

York Rite of Masonry - Oldest Freemason Branch

 

The symbolic degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason, as conferred in Canada, are degrees of the York Rite.

 

York Masonry is the oldest and best known of all Masonic Rites.

 

It takes its name from York, England, where the earliest known record of Masonry exists, dating from about A.D. 923.

 

Masonry´s first written record is centered around York, the seat of the Ancient York Grand Lodge. In 1813, this Grand Lodge merged with another group called the Modern Grand Lodge, to form the United Grand Lodge of England. This is the basis upon which our present system of Symbolic Lodge Masonry is built.

You, as a Master Mason, have received the first three degrees of the York Rite. Having begun your Masonic work in the York Rite, it is natural that you should want to continue with it.

 

According to Masonic legend, every man raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason received “substitute secrets”, as the “true secrets” were lost. It may prove a surprise to the average man, believing his work is completed, to be told that the secrets pertaining to the ceremony will not be given to him! This is unfortunate, but the veil is lifted in the degree of the Royal Arch, and in that degree only. Hence, no man actually becomes a Master Mason until he is exalted to that holy order.

Some would have the newly raised Master Mason believe that he can receive the secrets and word in a degree other than the Royal Arch. This is not true, historically or otherwise. The mother Grand Lodge of England was so emphatic regarding the necessity of the Royal Arch degree that many years ago, it set forth this as Paragraph One (1) of its Laws and Regulations:

“By the solemn act of the union between the two Grand Lodges of Freemasons of England in December, 1813, it was declared and pronounced that Pure Ancient Masonry consists of three degrees and no more, viz: those of the Entered Apprentice, the Fellowcraft, and the Master Mason, INCLUDING THE SUPREME ORDER OF THE HOLY ROYAL ARCH.”

 

On the North American Continent, there are additional degrees in the system, supplementing the work of the Lodge, Chapter, and Council, and the Orders conferred in the Commandery have been arranged into a system or Rite referred to as the American, Canadian, or York Rite of Freemasonry. It is American in structure, as it is a democratic organization in which every member has a voice and a right to be heard.

 

Christian Chivalry and Freemasonry

 

Rarely does one connect Chivalry with Freemasonry, yet there is one branch of the fraternity which places great stress on Christian Chivalry and those virtues which go to make up chivalric character.

 

We refer to that great Order known as Knights of the Temple, or Knights Templar.

 

The original Knights of the Temple were Christian warriors; they were men of Faith, inspired with love of God and the Church. The story of their exploits, their adventures, their self-sacrifice, and their accomplishments, read as a page from a story book.

 

There is nothing so appealing in all history as the story of the great Crusades, sponsored by the Church, but actually carried on through the great chivalric orders of that day. The object of the Crusades was to wrest the Holy Land and the sacred places of Christian history from the Moslem.

 

The Crusade period marked a new era in the life of the world. It brought the Eastern and Western worlds together. The evils and virtues of the East were brought to the West and vice versa. But the greatest thing which emerged through these conflicts of Christian and Saracen was the virtue of Charity. The Knights of the Temple and the Knights Hospitaler were the Red Cross organization of that day. For the first time in the history of war; men began to think of aiding others. Many are the deeds of Charity recounted, not only between those of the faith, but extending from Christian to Moslem.

 

Thus did this era usher in those homely virtues of Charity, Hospitality and Universal Benevolence.

 

Today the warlike character of the Knights has disappeared; no more is it thought necessary to engage in useless struggle over holy sites and places; no more is it believed necessary to fight men of other nations in order to convert them to our way of thinking.

 

But the same feelings of Love, and Truth, and Charity, and Hospitality, and Universal Benevolence still remain in the human heart, and the world at large is benefited by any group which encourages such essential needs of mankind.

 

Thus has grown the modern Order of the Temple. Knights of today claim no direct legal descent from those ancient knights of old, yet they do claim to carry on the virtues for which they fought, bled and died. No longer is it necessary to fight with material weapons, for today "the pen is mightier than the sword", and the weapon of a knight is the influence of a good life carried out as set forth in the New Dispensation - that we love one another.

 

And you ask: "Just what place does the Templar Order hold in respect to other branches of Freemasonry?"

 

And we reply: "A most important part". To the Christian Freemason it represents the summit of the teachings of the Craft. While in no way minimizing the teachings of the symbolic degrees, yet to him the Order of the Temple conveys the essence of Masonic teachings, and is the Christian interpretation of the Symbols of ancient Craft Masonry.

 

Sanctioned by Grand Lodge

 

The Grand Lodge of York, in 1780, gave its sanction to the working of five separated degrees or orders:

 

The Entered Apprentice.

 

The Fellowcraft.

 

The Master Mason.

 

The Royal Arch.

 

The Knight Templar.

 

The United Grand Lodge of England, the Mother of regular and legitimate Freemasonry in the world, set forth at the time of the Union the following: "It is declared and pronounced that pure and Ancient Craft Masonry consists of three degrees and no more, namely, those of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason, including the Holy Royal Arch.

 

And that the Grand Lodge might not create any misconstruction of their declaration, it was added:

 

"This article is not intended to prevent any Lodge or Chapter from holding meetings in any of the degrees of Chivalry, according to the Constitution of said Order."

 

Thus, the Order of the Temple was given an official place and standing in the structure of Masonry.

 

During the early and unwritten history of the Masonic Fraternity, there was a strong tone of Christianity which ran throughout the Symbolic structure, but by the time Anderson published his Constitutions, Christianity was virtually taken out of the ritual and Constitutions, because of a great desire to make the fraternity such as might be acceptable to men of any religion who subscribe to a belief in a Supreme Being.

 

Removal of Christian Symbolism

 

This was truly unfortunate for those who interpreted the Lodge symbols as Christian doctrines. To deprive Freemasonry of the Ancient Craft of its Christian symbolism in an attempt to make it more universal, was, to them, unmasonic, and characterized as being compared to "removing a Masterpiece of Art from a gallery, or depriving a Crown of its Most Precious Jewel.

 

And the Christian Freemason sought out an Order which interpreted his Freemasonry in the Light of the New Dispensation.

 

He ended his search when he entered any asylum of Knights Templar.

 

It was Dr. William F. Kuhn, the great Masonic thinker, who said: "Freemasonry is not a series of degrees to give those who have the money to purchase them, certain titles and decorations, for even in Freemasonry 'a fool may be a belted Knight', and an Entered Apprentice may have a clearer conception of God and man's relation to Him, than he who wears the insignia of the highest rank. Moral conception does not exist merely in believing but in believing and doing. The Stoics of Rome persuaded themselves to believe that they were of Divine Essence and elaborated a finely spun system of philosophy, but they permitted the poor to lie starving at their doors."

 

Templars believe in practice; their charities may not be proclaimed from the house tops, but the records of the smallest preceptor of Knights Templar should prove that Charity and Hospitality are yet the grand characteristics of this great Christian Order. Templary realizes that it is hypocritical to profess and teach great platitudes without making an honest effort to practice what is professed. Our governing body (Sovereign Great Priory) administers a substantial fund known as The Knights Templar Charitable Foundation, contributed to by all members and administered without ostentation. This fund originally designed for orphans of deceased Knights Templar is also used for many deserving welfare cases and education of deserving students, including those for the ministry.

 

What are the Chivalric Orders?

 

We have referred to the Orders conferred by a Preceptory. In Canada the work of the Preceptory is divided into three parts:

 

The Order of the Red Cross.

 

The Orders of Mediterranean Pass and Malta.

 

The Orders of the Temple.

 

The Red Cross Order is not, strictly speaking, a Christian Order. Its value in the Templar system is its bridging of the gap between the Royal Arch degree and the Order of the Temple. It is a story founded upon an important period in Hebrew history and stresses Faith in God, the importance of Truth, and the value of Liberty and Justice.

 

The Order of Malta brings to the novitiate the story of another of the great Chivalric Orders, whose deeds of heroism fill the pages of history, and whose Christian character forms a bright page in religious history.

 

The most striking degree or Order in Masonry in the opinion of most expert ritualists is the Order of Consecration as set out in the Canadian Work. It is rightly described as the "ne plus ultra" of the Masonic system and is especially appreciated by all Christian Freemasons. We cannot describe its beauty or the impressions which are created in the mind of the Candidate. It must be seen to be appreciated.

 

Rise up, 0 Men of God

Have done with lesser things

Give Heart and Soul and Mind and Strength

To serve the King of Kings.

Lift high the Cross of Christ

Tread where His feet have trod

As brothers of the Son of Man

Rise up, O Men of God.

 

To Royal Arch Masonry has been given the WORD. To Knights Templar is given the INTERPRETATION.

  

I took this picture in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. A huge display just inside the reception area celebrated the Chinese New Year. I thought this was so odd because it was about the weekend of Valentine's Day, and I figured Vegas would capitalize on it, i.e. all of the wedding chapels galore. Instead, a huge approximately 40 foot Chinese idol with massive looking gold coins strewn beneath it was the focus. The only place we found in town celebrating Valentine's Day was Walmart.

 

Though my hubby and I enjoyed the short vacation we took in Vegas through many of the sights and sounds that were family friendly, this aspect of blatant idol worship disturbed me. Though the displays all over town celebrating this festival were very alluring as noted above in this picture I took, those things that it represented to me is perhaps the core of humankind's separation from God--the love of money and sin. When I read these passages listed below during one of my devotions, I was reminded of the pictures I shot in Vegas and decided to post them on my flickr site:

 

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. (Psalm 135:15-18, NIV)

 

The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts. (Revelation 9:20-21, NIV)

 

The result of of the love of money and sin brought to mind these like passages:

 

He said to me, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters, and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." (Revelation 21:6-8, NIV)

 

Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

 

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star. (Revelation 22:14-16, NIV)

 

Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:14-15, NIV)

 

The Good News after reading these very convicting passages can be found in passages like these that sum up the whole purpose of the Lord, bringing to light our many failings:

 

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

 

But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:19-24, NIV)

 

For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. (Romans 11:32, NIV)

 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

 

The cool thing about this grace and righteousness given freely to us as a gift is that it has a wonderful side effect: We no longer desire or love to sin because His power touches us and are inclined instead to desire to do good and love (Romans 6:1 to 8:14 and Deuteronomy 5:29). This effect does not come by reading and studying and memorizing Scripture, though it is most certainly advantageous: Through it, we discover what sin is in order to agree with Him that it is wrong and it encourages us to do good and to love and to show ourselves approved and to fellowship with Him and others along with exhorting and rebuking us in Him, etc. (1 Corinthians 1:17 to 2:16). This new desire/inclination, instead, comes through His power poured on us through His Heavenly Waterfall and His Blood and His Breath (John 19:34-35, 1 John 5:7-8, John 3:3-18, Acts 8:15-17, Acts 10:47-48, Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 19:1-7, John 20:21-22, Acts 1:5-8, Acts 2:1-4, Matthew 3:11).

 

Thus, the love of money (or that which is worldly) and sin within us dies

and the love to do good and to love comes to life within us, making us new creatures in Him. We no longer feel, then, when someone tells us something is sin through Scripture that he/she is trying to ruin our fun. Rather, we see it as though we are being called on by God to be in agreement with Him and that He is looking out for us because we believe He is Good. Though we may still end up sinning, the important thing is that we no longer desire/love to sin (Romans 7:15-16). The benefit of this dying and cleansing of the old sinfully desirous self is that we inherit eternal life in Christ Jesus in this life and when we physically die because we will be resurrected in both spirit and then body as Jesus was (Romans 6:23, Romans 8:17, Romans 10:9-13, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 and 12-2 and 35-57, 1 John 4:2-3, John chapters 20-21, Luke chapter 24, Mark chapter 16, Matthew 28:1-10, Acts 1:1-3) .

 

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Prayer of Salvation and Fullness

 

If anyone reading this post has not accepted Jesus in this way to be cleansed from the love/desire of money (the worldly) and sin, may I implore the reader to do so now. If he/she doesn't know how, one may just pray something like this:

 

Dear, Heavenly Father, I believe You and Your Word that I have sinned. I'm so sorry for loving that which You hate and now agree with you that sin is not fun but harmful and that You are only trying to look out for me. I realize now that You are Good...so Good, in fact, that you sent Your Only Begotten Son Christ Jesus to take my place in punishment for this sin I have committed against You and others, past, present, and future. Please forgive me and cleanse me from all of this sin through Jesus' Heavenly Water and Blood poured down on me miraculously from You.

 

Dear, Christ Jesus, thank You for living a sinless life for me, for being tortured and tormented and crucified for me, for dying for me, and for being resurrected for me and for ascending for me--all You have so lovingly done for me. Thank You for saving me through Your Heavenly Water and Blood that You shed on the Cross for just this purpose. Please come and Breathe new life in me and fill my mouth with Your life-giving manna to bless me with being joined to You, as a branch into the True Vine, so that I may enjoy the waves of love from the Heavenly Father through You and be blessed with Your Living Waters, the Holy Spirit, in my belly and heart. Please come and live within me and live through me now because I can do no real good apart from You and Your Spirit. Also please baptize me with the Holy Spirit and with Your Fire.

 

Dear, Holy Spirit, please come and live through me, be my Counselor and Comforter, and lead and guide me into all truth and lead and guide me to glorify Jesus and worship God in Spirit and Truth. Thank You.

 

In all of these things, please just mercifully and graciously give me all of the fullness of spiritual blessings that You have in store for me, to inherit all that You Jesus so lovingly and diligently worked for. In Christ Jesus' Name, I ask You for all of this and thank and praise You for doing so.

 

Many people think that this kind of prayer is not necessary in receiving Christ Jesus. However, just like a marriage ceremony (or what used to be an engagement ceremony in Old Testament times) is not absolutely necessary to be married, it helps humans to have a particular event signify a new direction in life as a kind of anchor or compass in order to hold fast to a commitment made to another. I hope and pray anyone reading this post will be moved to do so.

 

© 4-30-2009 Victoria Tribby

What’s the real problem with America?

 

Satan wants us to think it's all about Politics.

 

Man also wants to make this about politics. it's not. America's problem is the same problem the whole world is dealing with. It started in the Garden of Eden, when God who is Jesus, created man in his own image, man and woman created he them. They were created spiritually alive, and Adam walked and talked with God in the Garden for a time. But something happened.

 

God only had ONE RULE, you may eat of any tree in the Garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat. He place the tree of LIFE and the tree of Knowledge in the midst of the Garden in close proximity to one another. Nobody was standing guard over either of those trees. Yet the only one that seem to catch anybodies eye was the one they were forbidden to eat? Is that shocking, is that not human nature to desire what you should not have?

 

Life my friends is all about choices. Remember what Joshua told the children of Israel?

 

"14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14-15)

 

If you in your life have chosen to serve the Lord through Faith, you’ll either vote Republican, the conservative ticket, if the candidate is in Christ, or not at all. Why is that? Because the Republican Party is the party of Christians, always has been. Doesn’t mean everybody that votes Republican are Christians or that everybody running on that ticket are in fact Christians. However the democrat party has ALWAYS been the party of Slavery, the KKK, Jim Crow, the party that got the Supreme Court to deem black people NON-HUMAN, claiming they were mere animals and only partially human and their for had no rights. Kinda makes you wonder why any black person would ever vote for a democrat, doesn't it? But the fact of the matter is, if you’re not chosen to put Faith in Jesus, you are spiritually dead, separated from God, and the knowledge that comes from God. You can’t have rational thought if you’re spiritually dead, everything is clouded in their minds. Regardless of how well educated you maybe. It doesn’t matter if you’ve more degrees than a thermometer, if you’re spiritually dead and in need of Life, we really are only partially human after all. Because it's the spiritually LIFE of Christ Jesus living in and through you, through the power of the Holy Spirit of God that makes us fully human as God had intended us to be. The Holy Spirit is the teacher, the only one that can lead us into ALL TRUTH! Without the Spirit that's from God directing our thoughts and minds we are on our own, without God in this world.

 

So let’s stop making this what it is not, a political choice, we are actually choosing Good over Evil. Jesus over Satan, its’ that simple, don’t allow satan or his minions to cloud the real issue. Face it, the party that invented Abortion Rights with the help of their father SATAN, doesn’t have ANY connection with God. Period! They are only sub-human, like we were, before the Spirit of God came to live in us through FAITH in Jesus. You can only be as Adam was created, both alive physically and spiritually alive if God lives in you. Helping the otherwise spiritually blind to see and make the right decisions and choices for our lives.

 

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in 21 the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

 

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW CREATION: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, NOT COUNTING MEN'S SIN'S AGAINST THEM. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had NO sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (Corinthians 5:17-21)

 

So what’s the real problem with America, as well as the world? Spiritual death and without God in this world.

 

WE who claim to KNOW GOD, yet refuse to do what God has instructed us to do. Rather than rating and raving, as I sometimes do, about all the evil in the world, because without God we can't be anything but evil.

 

How, may I ask can evil people say and do all the things they are doing? DAH! Like they have a choice in the matter. If your dead you are going to STINK. Dirty deeds are merely symptoms of the real problem of spiritual death. Death is a much greater problem than sinning, or voting for the wrong candidate. Satan doesn’t want people to realize they're dead and on the wide road to hell, so he tries to confuse the issues, and get us preoccupied with causes and issues. Satan wants you to focus on the symptoms, not the solution. He doesn’t want to lose any of his people, to Life in Christ, so he keeps everybody off balance and focused on symptoms.

 

He doesn’t want people to see how EASY it is to come ALIVE in Christ. So he keeps us, even God’s people, fighting shadows and symptoms of their condition of spiritual death. NOBODY has to go to HELL, NOBODY. Each of us make a conscious decision to go to hell, by rejecting the ONLY solution to our condition of death. If we reject Jesus, we merely remain as we were born, dead. We send ourselves to hell. Is that not clear? Hell wasn’t created for man, it was created for Satan and his angles. Satan is desperately trying to take as many people as he can with him when he is thrown into the bottomless pit FOREVER. People aren't our enemies, and we shouldn't be theirs. They enemy is satan who is keeping them spiritually blind. Our job is to bring them the message of Salvation through Faith in Jesus.

 

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)

 

Satan’s the enemy, most don’t see it because they’ve been blinded because of unbelief. Check this out;

 

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the DEVIL and his ANGELS. (Matthew 25:41)

 

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

"Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,

and the authority of his Christ.

For the accuser of our brothers,

who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.

11 They overcame him

BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB

and by THE WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY;

they did not love their lives so much

as to shrink from death.

12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens

and you who dwell in them!

But woe to the earth and the sea,

because the devil has gone down to you!

He is filled with fury,

because he knows that his time is short.”

(Revelation 12:10-12)

 

God say’s to the world;

 

“Come now, let us settle the matter,”

says the Lord.

 

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red as crimson,

they shall be white like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

 

Those people you think are the problem, are in the exact same condition we were before we came to FAITH in Jesus and asked him to come and live his life in and through us. We are all people, all born spiritually dead and in need of life. And at some point in our lives we chose Jesus. He is the ONLY SOLUTION to spiritual death, Jesus Life living in and through YOU. THANK YOU JESUS!

 

This is a matter of Life and Death, not who we're going to vote for in the next election! If GOD lives in US, you won’t vote for SATAN’S CANDIDATE, PERIOD. We are going to be controlled by the LOVE OF GOD, we can’t do that if GOD DOESN”T LIVE IN US. How hard is this to understand? Do the work of an evangelist, IF, you really are a Christian? Not merely one of the millions that are providing lip-service to God, and are dead as a hammer on the inside. If you are dead, you’ll just continue to ignore God.

 

LIFE is all about choices. If you’re in Christ, America isn’t your end game, heaven is. Heaven is our home, we are merely ambassadors for Christ here on earth.

If God isn't judging the world, and isn't counting man's sins against him, neither should we who claim to be his children. God only has one objective, to bring people to salvation through faith in his son Jesus. That should be our objective as well, not pointing out people's faults. Pointing people to Jesus is the only lasting solution for any of us.

 

------------------------ JESUS ✝️ SAVES -------------------------

 

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father in the Lord Jesus Christ, FOREVER! Through Faith in Jesus!

 

10 The thief comes only to STEAL and KILL and DESTROY; I have come that they may have LIFE, and have it to the FULL. (John 10:10)

 

Jesus came to bring spiritual LIFE to the spiritually dead and set the captives FREE! FREE from RELIGION, ERROR and outright LIES, so they might serve THE LIVING GOD! In SPIRIT and in TRUTH!

 

For the best Biblical teaching in the last 2 centuries! Please listen to and down load these FREE audio files that were created with YOU in mind. It's ALL FREE, if you like it, please share it with others. ❤️ ✝️ ❤️

 

archive.org/details/PeopleToPeopleByBobGeorgeFREE-ARCHIVE...

 

www.revealedinchrist.com

 

CLICK THE LETTER "L" TO ENLARGE THE IMAGE.

 

My THANK'S to all those who have taken the time to view, fave, comment or share my photo's with others. I really appreciate it! ❤️

Image courtesy Google Images

 

This mornings Times Of India May 27 2007 an article by Chidanand Rajghatta..TNN Excerpts

“Boy charged with Hate crime.

 

Washington :A Pakistani high school student who admitted to cops that he forcibly cut the hair of a Sikh classmate despite knowing its religious significance has been charged with hate crime.”

“Umair Ahmed was arrested on charges of second degree unlawful imprisonment as a hate crime , and a second degree menacing as a hate crime, as well as criminal possession of a weapon and aggravated harassment.”

 

What you are fed at home s what you spew in public , this is my take , I am a father of three kids, but the kids have been bought up under the strict guidance of their mother.Strict is not anything aggressive, but the basic of Islamic foundations, respect for human life, exactly as other parents too would teach their kids.

Nothing out of the world.Parents are the most important influence on a childs life.

But sadly there are times when parental neglect, causes the kid to be influnced by surrogate parenthood, of his relatives , friends ..its only a guess.

This kid who cut the Sikh boys hair, is a bully, badly bought up kid, he deserves a stringent punishment, condoning his act as a youngster ,will goad him to commit similar crimes of hate in his adulthood.His parents are completely to blame for his upbringing.. no one else.

This is not an aberration, ragging or childish prank, this is bigotry that he learnt at home, the food of hate that he was fed , he spewed out in public ,premediated..

He knows the religious bearing of the Sikhs hair, yet nothing not even the ensuing consequences stopped him, this is a dangerous streak.A very anti social pure Pakistani streak..they do the same in the home country..to the minority Hindus Sikhs and Christians and get away with it .

This boys mates should be punished too..

Why do migrants in America do all this beats me, than in retaliation the Americans do it to the migrants does not beat me..

 

“There is but One God, His name is Truth, He is the Creator, He fears none, he is without hate, He never dies, He is beyond the cycle of births and death, He is self illuminated, He is realized by the kindness of the True Guru. He was True in the beginning, He was True when the ages commenced and has ever been True, He is also True now.” Guru Nanak..

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Sikhism

 

History of Sikhism

Dharmic religions

Sikh beliefs

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The Sikh Gurus

 

Sikh Bhagats

 

Other Important People

 

Philosophy

Beliefs and principles

Underlying values · Prohibitions

Technique and methods

Other observations · Bani

 

Sikh practices · List

 

Scripture

Guru Granth Sahib

Adi Granth · Dasam Granth

 

Categories

Practices

History · Family of the Sikh Gurus

Gurdwara · Places · Politics

 

List of articles on Sikhism

Portal: Sikhism

 

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Sikhism Portal

Sikhism (IPA: [’siːkɪz(ə)m] (help·info) or [’sɪk-] (info); Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖੀ, sikkhī, IPA: [’sɪk.kʰiː] (info)) is a religion that began in fifteenth century Northern India with the teachings of Nanak and nine successive human gurus. This system of religious philosophy and expression has been traditionally known as the Gurmat (literally the teachings of the gurus) or the Sikh Dharma. Sikhism comes from the word Sikh, which in turn comes from the Sanskrit root śiṣya meaning “disciple” or “learner”, or śikṣa meaning “instruction.”[1][2] Sikhism is the fifth-largest religion in the world, and is generally considered the fifth largest organized religion, depending on how one defines an “organized religion”.[3]

 

The principal belief in Sikhism is faith in Vāhigurū—represented using the sacred symbol of ēk ōaṅkār. Sikhism advocates the pursuit of salvation through disciplined, personal meditation on the name and message of God. The followers of Sikhism are ordained to follow the teachings of the ten Sikh gurus, or enlightened leaders, as well as the holy scripture—the Gurū Granth Sāhib—which includes the selected works of many authors from diverse socioeconomic and religious backgrounds. The text was decreed by Gobind Singh, the tenth guru, as the final guru of the Khalsa Panth. Sikhism’s traditions and teachings are distinctly associated with the history, society and culture of the Punjab. Adherents of Sikhism are known as Sikhs (students or disciples) and number over 23 million across the world. However, most Sikhs live in the state of Punjab in India; prior to partition, millions of Sikhs lived in what is now the Punjab province of Pakistan.

 

Sikh religious philosophy has roots in the religious traditions of northern India.[4] The Sant Mat traditions are fundamental to the teachings of Sikhism’s founder, Nanak. Especially important to the connection with Sikhism were the teachings of some of the saints such as Ravidas and Kabir. Sikhism is also inspired by the emphasis on devotion to God in the traditions of Vaishnavism, especially through the Bhakti movement, as well as influences of Sufism. However, Nanak’s teachings diverge significantly from Vaishnavism in their rejection of idol worship, the doctrine of divine incarnations and a strict emphasis on inward devotion; Sikhism is professed to be a more difficult personal pursuit than Bhakti.[5] The evolution of Nanak’s thoughts on the basis of his own experiences and study have also given Sikhism a distinctly unique feature.

 

Scholars have presented Sikhism as a distinct faith. Some scholars have presented it as a syncretic religion which combines some elements of Hinduism and Islam. Sikhs maintain that their religion was directly inspired by God, and many of them consider the notion that Sikhism is a syncretic religion to be offensive.

 

In Sikhism, God — termed Vāhigurū — is formless, eternal, and unobserved: niraṅkār, akāl, and alakh. Nanak interpreted Vāhigurū as a single, personal and transcendental creator. The beginning of the first composition of Sikh scripture is the figure “1″ — signifying the unity of God. To achieve salvation, the devotee must develop an intimate faith in and relationship with God.[5] God is omnipresent and infinite, and is signified by the term ēk ōaṅkār. Sikhs believe that prior to creation, all that existed was God and his hukam (will).[6] When God willed, the entire cosmos was created. From these beginnings, God nurtured “enticement and attachment” to māyā, or the human perception of reality.[7]

 

While a full understanding of God is beyond human beings,[5] Nanak described God as not wholly unknowable. God is omnipresent (sarav viāpak) in all creation and visible everywhere to the spiritually awakened. Nanak stressed that God must be seen from “the inward eye,” or the “heart,” of a human being: devotees must meditate to progress towards enlightenment. Nanak emphasised the revelation through meditation, as its rigorous application permits the existence of communication between God and human beings.[5] God has no gender in Sikhism, though translations may incorrectly present a masculine God. In addition, Nanak wrote that there are many worlds on which God has created life.[

 

Nanak’s teachings are founded not on a final destination of heaven or hell, but on a spiritual union with God which results in salvation. The chief obstacles to the attainment of salvation are social conflicts and an attachment to worldly pursuits, which commit men and women to an endless cycle of birth — a concept known as reincarnation.

 

Māyā — defined as illusion or “unreality” — is one of the core deviations from the pursuit of God and salvation - people are distracted from devotion by worldly attractions which give only illusive satisfaction. However, Nanak emphasised māyā as not a reference to the unreality of the world, but of its values. In Sikhism, the influences of ego, anger, greed, attachment and lust — known as the Five Evils — are believed to be particularly pernicious. The fate of people vulnerable to the Five Evils is separation from God, and the situation may be remedied only after intensive and relentless devotion.[9]

 

Nanak described God’s revelation — the path to salvation — with terms such as nām (the divine Name) and śabad (the divine Word) to emphasise the totality of the revelation. Nanak designated the word guru (meaning teacher) as the voice of God and the source and guide for knowledge and salvation.[10] Salvation can be reached only through rigorous and disciplined devotion to God. Nanak distinctly emphasised the irrelevance of outwardly observations such as rites, pilgrimages or asceticism. He stressed that devotion must take place through the heart, with the spirit and the soul.

 

A key practice to be pursued is nām simraṇ: remembrance of the divine Name. The verbal repetition of the name of God or a sacred syllable is an established practice in religious traditions in India, but Nanak’s interpretation emphasised inward, personal observance. Nanak’s ideal is the total exposure of one’s being to the divine Name and a total conforming to the divine Order. Nanak described the result of the disciplined application of nām simraṇ as a “growing towards and into God” through a gradual process of five stages. The last of these is sac khaṇḍ (The Realm of Truth)—the final union of the spirit with God.[10]

 

Nanak stressed kirat karō: that a Sikh should balance work, worship, and charity, and should defend the rights of all creatures, and in particular, fellow human beings. They are encouraged to have a caṛdī kalā, or optimistic, view of life. Sikh teachings also stress the concept of sharing — vaṇḍ chakkō — through the distribution of free food at Sikh gurdwaras (laṅgar), giving charitable donations, and working for the betterment of the community and others (sēvā).

 

The term guru comes from the Sanskrit gurū, meaning teacher, guide or mentor. The traditions and philosophy of Sikhism were established by ten specific gurus from 1507 to 1708. Each guru added to and reinforced the message taught by the previous, resulting in the creation of the Sikh religion. Guru Nanak Dev was the first guru and appointed a disciple as successor. Guru Gobind Singh was the final guru in human form. Before his death, Gobind Singh decreed that the Gurū Granth Sāhib would be the final and perpetual guru of the Sikhs.[11]

 

# Name Date of Birth Guruship on Date of Death Age

1 Nanak Dev 15 April 1469 20 August 1507 22 September 1539 69

2 Angad Dev 31 March 1504 7 September 1539 29 March 1552 48

3 Amar Das 5 May 1479 26 March 1552 1 September 1574 95

4 Ram Das 24 September 1534 1 September 1574 1 September 1581 46

5 Arjan Dev 15 April 1563 1 September 1581 30 May 1606 43

6 Har Gobind 19 June 1595 25 May 1606 28 February 1644 48

7 Har Rai 16 January 1630 3 March 1644 6 October 1661 31

8 Har Krishan 7 July 1656 6 October 1661 30 March 1664 7

9 Teg Bahadur 1 April 1621 20 March 1665 11 November 1675 54

10 Gobind Singh 22 December 1666 11 November 1675 7 October 1708 41

 

After Guru Nanak Dev’s passing, the most important phase in the development of Sikhism came with the third successor, Guru Amar Das. Guru Nanak Dev’s teachings emphasised the pursuit of salvation; Guru Amar Das began building a cohesive community of followers with initiatives such as sanctioning distinctive ceremonies for birth, marriage and death. Guru Amar Das also established the manji (comparable to a diocese) system of clerical supervision. [10]

 

The interior of the Akal Takht.Guru Amar Das’s successor and son-in-law Ram Das founded the city of Amritsar, which is home of the Harimandir Sahib and regarded widely as the holiest city for all Sikhs. When Guru Ram Das’s youngest son Guru Arjun Dev succeeded him, the line of male gurus from the Sodhi Khatri family was established: all succeeding gurus were direct descendants of this line. Guru Arjun Dev was responsible for compiling the Sikh scriptures. Guru Arjun Dev was captured by Mughal authorities who were suspicious and hostile to the religious order he was developing.[12] His persecution and death inspired his successors to promote a military and political organisation of Sikh communities to defend themselves against the attacks of Mughal forces.

 

The Sikh gurus established a mechanism which allowed the Sikh religion to react as a community to changing circumstances. The sixth guru, Guru Har Gobind Sahib, was responsible for the creation of the Akal Takht (throne of the timeless one) which serves as the supreme decision-making centre of Sikhdom and sits opposite the Harimandir Sahib. The Sarbat Ḵẖālsā (a representative portion of the Khalsa Panth) historically gathers at the Akal Takht on special festivals such as Vaisakhi or Diwali and when there is a need to discuss matters that affect the entire Sikh nation. A gurmatā (literally, guru’s intention) is an order passed by the Sarbat Ḵẖālsā in the presence of the Gurū Granth Sāhib. A gurmatā may only be passed on a subject that affects the fundamental principles of Sikh religion; it is binding upon all Sikhs.[13] The term hukamnāmā (literally, edict or royal order) is often used interchangeably with the term gurmatā. However, a hukamnāmā formally refers to a hymn from the Gurū Granth Sāhib which is given as an order to Sikhs.

 

History of Sikhism

 

Sikhism Introduction

 

Sikhism on the Net

 

God is love and love is God. As God cannot be confined, restricted or limited to any particular

creed, cult, race, similarly Religion of love cannot

be restricted or confined in geographical limits

and boundaries. Sri Guru Nanak Sahib’s Religion

of Love is cosmic and universal in its appeal,

holy folds and dimensions.

 

It is a Religion of perfect and universal Love

totally free from man-made barriers of colour, caste, creed and status. It is a Religion which radiates with a deep thirst for the Divine and

with the highest gospel of purity of heart,

mind, body, speech and deeds.

 

It is a Religion which establishes brotherhood of

the whole global community irrespective of colour, caste, creed, race and nationality purely on the basis and foundation of love and equality,

all being the children of the same lovable God.

 

Sikhism

Basic Articles Main Principles Sword in Sikhism Duties of the Khalsa

click here for Glossary of Terms Commonly Used In Sikh Writings

 

Sikhism

 

1) Sikhism is a practical religion. It does not consist in a certain set of beliefs or mere words. Religion does not imply wandering to shrines and tombs, or following austerities of Yogis. Sikhism is a way of life, something to be lived according to a pattern. Its main virtue is simplicity. There is no supernaturalism or mythology on which it rests. It does not believe in devils or angels or heavenly spirits.

 

2) Sikhism is a universal religion.

 

3) Sikhism is opposed to all ritualism and formalism.

 

4) Sikhism does not enjoin blind faith. Blind obedience to an external authority is dis-couraged. The death of the intellect can not be a condition of the life of the spirit. Faith does not start with surmises or absurdities.

 

5) Sikhism is a faith of hope and cheer. Though it affirms Karma, it recognises the possibility of the modification of one’s Karma with the grace of the Guru or God. It does not lead to despair and defeatism.

 

6) Sikhism is a democratic religion. The decisions of the Sangat are regarded as resolutions having the force of law (Gurmatta) Guru Gobind Singh Sahib vested the authority of the organisation in the Panth.

 

Basic Articles Main Principles Sword in Sikhism Duties of the Khalsa

 

Everything in the known universe about sikhism

 

May 27th, 2007

 

photographerno1.wordpress.com/2007/05/27/nanak-naam-jahaz...

Bl. James Alberione (1884-1971)

 

Founder of the Pauline Family

 

Fr. James Alberione, Founder of the Pauline Family, was one of the most creative apostles of the 20th century. He was born in San Lorenzo di Fossano (Cuneo), Italy, on 4 April 1884 and baptized the following day. The profoundly Christian and hard-working Alberione family, made up of Michael and Teresa Allocco and their six children, were farmers.

 

Little James, the fourth child of the family, felt the call of God early in life. When questioned by his first-grade teacher as to what he wanted to be when he grew up, he replied, “I want to be a priest!”. His childhood years were directed to this goal.

 

When the Alberione family moved to Cherasco, in the Alba diocese, the parish priest of St. Martin's Church, Fr. Montersino, helped young James to reflect on God's call and respond to it. At the age of 16, James entered the seminary of Alba and immediately met Canon Francesco Chiesa, who would be his father, guide, friend and advisor over the next 46 years.

 

At the end of the Holy Year of 1900, James, who had read and reflected deeply on Pope Leo XIII's encyclical, Tametsi Futura, underwent an experience that would give direction to the rest of his life. On the night of 31 December 1900, the night that divided the 19th and 20th centuries, he prayed for four hours before the Blessed Sacrament and contemplated the future in the light of God. A “particular light” seemed to come from the Host and roused in him a sense of obligation “to do something for the Lord and for the people of the new century”: he felt “obliged to serve the Church” with the new instruments provided by human ingenuity.

 

James continued his intensive study of philosophy and theology and on 29 June 1907 he was ordained a priest. His time as assistant pastor in Narzole (Cuneo) was brief but decisive from the perspective of pastoral experience. In Narzole he met little Giuseppe Giaccardo, who would be to him as Timothy was to the Apostle Paul. It was also in Narzole that Fr. Alberione came to a clearer understanding of what women could do in the apostolate.

 

Fr. Alberione served as spiritual director to both the major and minor seminarians in the Seminary of Alba, where he also taught various subjects. He helped out with preaching, catechesis and giving conferences in the various parishes of the diocese. In addition to this, he devoted much time to studying the civil-ecclesial situation and the newly-emerging needs of society.

 

He came to understand that the Lord was guiding him toward a new mission: to preach the Gospel to all peoples, in the spirit of the Apostle Paul, using the modern instruments of communication. This is confirmed by two books he wrote: Notes on Pastoral Theology (1912) and Woman Associated to Priestly Zeal (1911-1915).

 

For the sake of charism and continuity, such a mission needed to be carried out by consecrated persons because “the works of God are performed by men and women of God.” Thus, on 20 August 1914, while Pope Pius X lay dying in Rome, Fr. Alberione initiated the Pauline Family in Alba by founding the Pious Society of St. Paul. The Institute was born in utter poverty, according to the divine pedagogy: “always begin from Bethlehem.”

 

The human family—to which Fr. Alberione turned for inspiration—is made up of brothers and sisters. The first woman to follow Fr. Alberione was 21-year-old Teresa Merlo from Castagnito (Cuneo). With her help, Fr. Alberione began a second Congregation in 1915: the Daughters of St. Paul. Slowly the “Family” grew, both masculine and feminine vocations increased, and the apostolate began to take shape.

 

In December 1918, his first “daughters” left for Susa, where the work they initiated forms part of the courageous story of faith and enterprise that gave rise to what came to be called the “Pauline” lifestyle. But progress came to an abrupt halt in 1923 when Fr. Alberione fell gravely ill and the doctors despaired of his recovery. However the Founder was able to miraculously resume his journey, later saying, “St. Paul healed me.” During that period, the words Fr. Alberione had received in a dream or revelation from the Divine Master were first inscribed on the walls of the Family's chapels: “Do not be afraid. I am with you. From here I want to enlighten. Be sorry for sin.”

 

The following year, a second feminine Congregation came into being: the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, whose members would carry out the Eucharistic, priestly and liturgical apostolate. To guide this Institute, Fr. Alberione chose the young Sr. M. Scholastica Rivata, who died at the age of 90 in a state of holiness.

 

On the apostolic level, Fr. Alberione promoted the printing of popular editions of the Bible and used the swiftest instrument of the time—periodicals—to help the message of Christ reach even those furthest away. He had already begun the magazine Vita Pastorale (The Pastoral Life) in 1912 for parish priests. In 1931 he launched Famiglia Cristiana, (Christian Home) a weekly magazine to nourish the Christian life of families. Other periodicals followed: (Madre di Dio) Mother of God (1933), “to reveal the beauty and greatness of Mary to people”; Pastor Bonus (Good Shepherd) (1937), a monthly magazine in Latin; Via, Verità e Vita (Way, Truth, Life) (1952), a monthly dedicated to the teaching of Christian doctrine; (Vita in Cristo nella Chiesa) Life in Christ and in the Church (1952), to help people “get to know the treasures of the Liturgy, disseminate the things that serve it, and live it according to the mind of the Church.” Turning his attention to young people, Fr. Alberione began the weekly children's magazine, Il Giornalino (The Little Newspaper).

 

The Founder also built the magnificent Church of St. Paul in Alba, followed by two Churches to the Divine Master (in Alba and Rome) and the Sanctuary of the Queen of Apostles (Rome). Above all, he strove to reach beyond local and national borders. In 1926, he established a branch house in Rome, followed over the years by many foundations in Italy and abroad.

 

Meanwhile, Fr. Alberione's spiritual “edifice” was growing. He inculcated in his followers a spirit of dedication by means of deeply apostolic devotions: to Jesus Master and Shepherd “Way, Truth and Life,” to Mary Mother, Teacher and Queen of Apostles, and to St. Paul the Apostle. In fact, it was this reference to the Apostle that gave his new institutes their identity as the “Pauline Family.” The goal that Fr. Alberione wanted his sons and daughters to pursue above all was complete conformation to Christ: to embrace the whole Christ Way, Truth and Life with one's entire being: mind, will, heart and physical energies. This orientation was codified in his small book, Donec Formetur Christus in Vobis (That Christ Be Formed in You) (1932).

 

In October 1938, Fr. Alberione founded a third feminine Congregation: the Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd or “Pastorelle Sisters,” to assist parish priests in their work.

 

During the enforced “break” of World War II (1940-1945), Fr. Alberione did not suspend his spiritual itinerary but continued to embrace the light of God more and more, in a climate of adoration and contemplation. Witness to this can be found in the Founder's spiritual notebooks, in which he jotted down his inspirations and the means he adopted to correspond to the plan of God. This spiritual milieu nurtured the meditations he guided every morning for his sons and daughters, as well as his directives for the apostolate and the numerous retreats and courses of spiritual exercises he preached (the conferences of which were collected together into various volumes). Fr. Alberione's primary focus remained unswerving: to help everyone understand that “the first concern of the Pauline Family should be holiness of life; the second, holiness of doctrine.” It is in this light that he forged ahead with his Project for an Encyclopedia on Jesus Master (1959).

 

In 1954, to celebrate the 40 anniversary of foundation of the Pauline Family, Fr. Alberione for the first time allowed something about himself to be written down (the material appears in the book Mi protendo in avanti - “I Strain Ahead”), and he also complied with the request to jot down some thoughts concerning the beginnings of his foundations. Thus came into being the small book, Abundantes divitiae gratiae suae, “a charismatic history of the Pauline Family.” This Family was completed between 1957-1960 with the foundation of a fourth feminine Congregation, the Queen of Apostles Institute for vocations (Apostoline Sisters), and several secular institutes for the consecrated life: St. Gabriel the Archangel, Our Lady of the Annunciation, Jesus Priest, and the Holy Family. Ten institutes (including the Pauline Cooperators), united by the same ideal of holiness and apostolate: to bring Jesus Christ Way, Truth and Life to the world through the instruments of social communication.

 

From 1962-1965, Fr. Alberione was a silent but attentive protagonist in Vatican Council II, attending its sessions daily. But at the same time troubles and sufferings were not lacking: the premature deaths of his first collaborators, Timothy Giaccardo and Thecla Merlo; worry for the Pauline communities abroad that were going through difficulties and, on the personal level, an excruciatingly painful condition of scoliosis that tormented him day and night.

 

Fr. Alberione lived to the age of 87. Having completed the work God had entrusted to him, he left this earth on 26 November 1971 to take his place in the house of the Father. In his last hours, he was comforted by the visit and blessing of Pope Paul VI, who had never hidden his admiration and veneration for the Founder. In fact, in an audience with the Pauline Family on 28 June 1969, the Pope spoke these moving words about Fr. Alberione, who was then 85 years old:

 

“There he is: humble, silent, tireless, always vigilant, recollected in his thoughts, which run from prayer to action; always intent on scrutinizing the ‘signs of the times,' that is, the most creative ways to reach souls. Our Fr. Alberione has given the Church new instruments with which to express herself, new means to give vigor and breadth to her apostolate, new capacities and a new awareness of the validity and possibilities of his mission in the modern world with modern means. Dear Fr. Alberione, allow the Pope to rejoice in your long, faithful and tireless work and in the fruits it has produced for the glory of God and the good of the Church.”

 

On 25 June 1996, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the future Blessed.

Quotes About Shiva

 

Quotes tagged as "shiva" (showing 1-19 of 19)

Amish Tripathi

“Don't turn blue all over now.”

― Amish Tripathi, The Immortals of Meluha

 

“Fire is His head, the sun and moon His eyes, space His ears, the Vedas His speech, the wind His breath, the universe His heart. From His feet the Earth has originated. Verily, He is the inner self of all beings.”

― Anonymous,

“The faithful of Shiva or Dionysus seek contact with those forces which...lead to a refusal of the politics, ambitions and limitations of ordinary social life. This does not involve simply a recognition of world harmony, but also an active participation in an experience which surpasses and upsets the order of material life.”

― Alain Daniélou,

Renee Ahdieh

“The moment I saw him running toward you that morning, I knew you were going to save him, just as he saved you.”

― Renee Ahdieh, The Rose & the Dagger

 

“Listen, O lord of the meeting rivers,

things standing shall fall,

but the moving ever shall stay.”

― Basava, The Lord of the Meeting Rivers: Devotional Poems of Basavanna

 

Robin Rumi

“I am Shakti, as well as Shiva. I am everything male and female, light and dark, flesh and spirit. Perfectly balanced in one single moment lasting an eternity...”

― Robin Rumi, Naked Morsels: Short Stories of Spiritual Erotica

 

“The rich will make temples for Siva. What shall I, a poor man, do? My legs are pillars, the body the shrine, the head the cupola of gold.”

― Basava

 

“Lord Shiva, you my sunshine, my soul, Sivoham.”

― Usha Cosmico

 

Aporva Kala

“Jai Shiv shambu, shiv shankar, Jai Bhole..”

― Aporva Kala, Life... Love... Kumbh...

 

“When Shiva beats his DAMRU- Evil Shakes !! while the Wise Awakes!”

― True Krishna Priya, End of Humanity-3rd World War- The Great Revolution- Mass Dna Upgrade- Nwo of Yogic Elite

 

Sushil Singh

“i am here and now in all this Omnipresent , i am the universe.”

― Sushil Singh

 

Satyen Nabar

“I screwed up guys, real big time; holy great grandmother of all screw-ups!”

― Satyen Nabar, A Bolt of Lightning

 

Balajinnatha Pandita

“Starting from the source of vibrant Consciousness, the first two tattvas of Shaivism are (1) Shiva tattva and (2) Shakti tattva. It is important to understand at the beginning that these two tattvas are only linguistic conventions and are not actually part of creation. According to the deep yogic experience of the sages of this philosophy, there is no difference between Shiva tattva and Shakti tattva. They are both actually one with Paramasiva. They are considered to be two tattvas only for the convenience of philosophical thinking and as a way of clarifying the two aspects of the one absolute reality, Paramasiva. These two aspects are Shiva, the transcendental unity, and Shakti, the universal diversity. The changeless, absolute and pure consciousness is Shiva, while the natural tendency of Shiva towards the outward manifestation of the five divine activities is Shakti. So, even though Shiva is Shakti, and Shakti is Shiva, and even though both are merely aspects of the same reality called Paramasiva, still, these concepts of Shiva-hood and Shakti-hood are counted as the first two tattvas. These two tattvas are at the plane of absolute purity and perfect unity.

 

— B. N. Pandit, Specific Principles of Kashmir Shaivism (3rd ed., 2008), p. 73.”

― Balajinnatha Pandita, Specific Principles of Kashmir Saivism

 

Balajinnatha Pandita

“The essential nature of samvit is the subtle stir of spanda. The introverted and extroverted movements of spanda cause samvit to manifest itself in both the noumenal and phenomenal aspects of creation. These two aspects of samvit are known in Shaivism as Shiva (transcendent) and Shakti (universal). Shiva and Shakti are the two names given to the monistic Absolute (Paramasiva) when it is being considered in its dual aspects of eternal and transcendent changelessness (Shiva), and the ever-changing and immanent manifestation of universal appearances (Shakti).

 

— B. N. Pandit, Specific Principles of Kashmir Shaivism (3rd ed., 2008), p. 17–18.”

― Balajinnatha Pandita, Specific Principles of Kashmir Saivism

tags: kashmir-shaivism, paramashiva, samvit, shakti, shiva, spanda 3 likes Like

Balajinnatha Pandita

“It is important to understand that, according to Kashmir Shaivism, this analysis of all phenomena into thirty six tattvas is not an absolute truth. It has been worked out by the authors of the philosophy as a tool of understanding for the ever-active and inquiring mind and as a form for contemplative meditation. Through further analysis, the number of tattvas can be increased to any level. Similarly, through synthesis, they can be decreased down to one tattva alone. In fact this has been done in the Tantraloka, where one can find doctrines of contemplation on fifteen, thirteen, eleven, nine, seven, five, and as few as three tattvas as well. The practitioners of the Trika system use only three tattvas in the process of a quick sadhana: Shiva representing the absolute unity, Shakti representing the link between duality and unity, and Nara representing the extreme duality. [Shakti is the path through which Shiva descends to the position of Nara and the latter ascends to the position of Shiva.] Finally, a highly advanced Shiva yogin sees only the Shiva tattva in the whole of creation. However, since the contemplative practice of tattvadhvadharana used in anava upaya includes meditation on all thirty sex tattvas, that is the number commonly accepted by the Shaivas of both northern and southern India.

 

— B. N. Pandit, Specific Principles of Kashmir Shaivism (3rd ed., 2008), p. 79.”

― Balajinnatha Pandita, Specific Principles of Kashmir Saivism

 

“Sivtatva’ and ‘Saktitatva’ (Lord Shiva and Holy Mother Kali) – Father’s semen in mother’s womb, both combined. Next I am born – ‘Sadasiva’ which means a continuous hilarity within my body. Next comes ‘Iswartatwa’ – Man becomes God and he is so made (One is All); ‘Sadvidyatatva’ – All these I am – All is One – I am all these, which is in action. What is that? Suppose in the spiritual world whatever will reveal within the brain will be flashed among the human race and by such phenomenon the world will get real benefit.”

― Sri Jibankrishna or Diamond

 

Sushil Singh

“OM NAMAH SHIVAYA

 

prayer of Five Element which i(universe) Exist.”

― Sushil Singh

 

“Only when you go beyond Mind, will you be able to respect the energy that inhabits us; until then you will either exploit others with your energy or will deplete your energy, leading a purposeless life!”

― Ramana Pemmaraju

 

Sushil Singh

“On the Sivaratri day after performing the routine, the devotee shall go to the temple of Siva and perform worship.”

― Sushil Singh

Quotes About Shiva

 

Quotes tagged as "shiva" (showing 1-19 of 19)

Amish Tripathi

“Don't turn blue all over now.”

― Amish Tripathi, The Immortals of Meluha

 

“Fire is His head, the sun and moon His eyes, space His ears, the Vedas His speech, the wind His breath, the universe His heart. From His feet the Earth has originated. Verily, He is the inner self of all beings.”

― Anonymous,

“The faithful of Shiva or Dionysus seek contact with those forces which...lead to a refusal of the politics, ambitions and limitations of ordinary social life. This does not involve simply a recognition of world harmony, but also an active participation in an experience which surpasses and upsets the order of material life.”

― Alain Daniélou,

Renee Ahdieh

“The moment I saw him running toward you that morning, I knew you were going to save him, just as he saved you.”

― Renee Ahdieh, The Rose & the Dagger

 

“Listen, O lord of the meeting rivers,

things standing shall fall,

but the moving ever shall stay.”

― Basava, The Lord of the Meeting Rivers: Devotional Poems of Basavanna

 

Robin Rumi

“I am Shakti, as well as Shiva. I am everything male and female, light and dark, flesh and spirit. Perfectly balanced in one single moment lasting an eternity...”

― Robin Rumi, Naked Morsels: Short Stories of Spiritual Erotica

 

“The rich will make temples for Siva. What shall I, a poor man, do? My legs are pillars, the body the shrine, the head the cupola of gold.”

― Basava

 

“Lord Shiva, you my sunshine, my soul, Sivoham.”

― Usha Cosmico

 

Aporva Kala

“Jai Shiv shambu, shiv shankar, Jai Bhole..”

― Aporva Kala, Life... Love... Kumbh...

 

“When Shiva beats his DAMRU- Evil Shakes !! while the Wise Awakes!”

― True Krishna Priya, End of Humanity-3rd World War- The Great Revolution- Mass Dna Upgrade- Nwo of Yogic Elite

 

Sushil Singh

“i am here and now in all this Omnipresent , i am the universe.”

― Sushil Singh

 

Satyen Nabar

“I screwed up guys, real big time; holy great grandmother of all screw-ups!”

― Satyen Nabar, A Bolt of Lightning

 

Balajinnatha Pandita

“Starting from the source of vibrant Consciousness, the first two tattvas of Shaivism are (1) Shiva tattva and (2) Shakti tattva. It is important to understand at the beginning that these two tattvas are only linguistic conventions and are not actually part of creation. According to the deep yogic experience of the sages of this philosophy, there is no difference between Shiva tattva and Shakti tattva. They are both actually one with Paramasiva. They are considered to be two tattvas only for the convenience of philosophical thinking and as a way of clarifying the two aspects of the one absolute reality, Paramasiva. These two aspects are Shiva, the transcendental unity, and Shakti, the universal diversity. The changeless, absolute and pure consciousness is Shiva, while the natural tendency of Shiva towards the outward manifestation of the five divine activities is Shakti. So, even though Shiva is Shakti, and Shakti is Shiva, and even though both are merely aspects of the same reality called Paramasiva, still, these concepts of Shiva-hood and Shakti-hood are counted as the first two tattvas. These two tattvas are at the plane of absolute purity and perfect unity.

 

— B. N. Pandit, Specific Principles of Kashmir Shaivism (3rd ed., 2008), p. 73.”

― Balajinnatha Pandita, Specific Principles of Kashmir Saivism

 

Balajinnatha Pandita

“The essential nature of samvit is the subtle stir of spanda. The introverted and extroverted movements of spanda cause samvit to manifest itself in both the noumenal and phenomenal aspects of creation. These two aspects of samvit are known in Shaivism as Shiva (transcendent) and Shakti (universal). Shiva and Shakti are the two names given to the monistic Absolute (Paramasiva) when it is being considered in its dual aspects of eternal and transcendent changelessness (Shiva), and the ever-changing and immanent manifestation of universal appearances (Shakti).

 

— B. N. Pandit, Specific Principles of Kashmir Shaivism (3rd ed., 2008), p. 17–18.”

― Balajinnatha Pandita, Specific Principles of Kashmir Saivism

tags: kashmir-shaivism, paramashiva, samvit, shakti, shiva, spanda 3 likes Like

Balajinnatha Pandita

“It is important to understand that, according to Kashmir Shaivism, this analysis of all phenomena into thirty six tattvas is not an absolute truth. It has been worked out by the authors of the philosophy as a tool of understanding for the ever-active and inquiring mind and as a form for contemplative meditation. Through further analysis, the number of tattvas can be increased to any level. Similarly, through synthesis, they can be decreased down to one tattva alone. In fact this has been done in the Tantraloka, where one can find doctrines of contemplation on fifteen, thirteen, eleven, nine, seven, five, and as few as three tattvas as well. The practitioners of the Trika system use only three tattvas in the process of a quick sadhana: Shiva representing the absolute unity, Shakti representing the link between duality and unity, and Nara representing the extreme duality. [Shakti is the path through which Shiva descends to the position of Nara and the latter ascends to the position of Shiva.] Finally, a highly advanced Shiva yogin sees only the Shiva tattva in the whole of creation. However, since the contemplative practice of tattvadhvadharana used in anava upaya includes meditation on all thirty sex tattvas, that is the number commonly accepted by the Shaivas of both northern and southern India.

 

— B. N. Pandit, Specific Principles of Kashmir Shaivism (3rd ed., 2008), p. 79.”

― Balajinnatha Pandita, Specific Principles of Kashmir Saivism

 

“Sivtatva’ and ‘Saktitatva’ (Lord Shiva and Holy Mother Kali) – Father’s semen in mother’s womb, both combined. Next I am born – ‘Sadasiva’ which means a continuous hilarity within my body. Next comes ‘Iswartatwa’ – Man becomes God and he is so made (One is All); ‘Sadvidyatatva’ – All these I am – All is One – I am all these, which is in action. What is that? Suppose in the spiritual world whatever will reveal within the brain will be flashed among the human race and by such phenomenon the world will get real benefit.”

― Sri Jibankrishna or Diamond

 

Sushil Singh

“OM NAMAH SHIVAYA

 

prayer of Five Element which i(universe) Exist.”

― Sushil Singh

 

“Only when you go beyond Mind, will you be able to respect the energy that inhabits us; until then you will either exploit others with your energy or will deplete your energy, leading a purposeless life!”

― Ramana Pemmaraju

 

Sushil Singh

“On the Sivaratri day after performing the routine, the devotee shall go to the temple of Siva and perform worship.”

― Sushil Singh

St Mary, Aldham, Suffolk

 

I pass this church often. Traffic rushes along the busy Ipswich to Sudbury road not far off, but there is a quieter, parallel road which not many people seem to know about. It leaves Ipswich via Bramford, and you can get all the way to Sudbury on it, taking in the likes of Burstall, Kersey and Waldingfield on the way. Aldham as a village is little more than a straggle of houses, but they lie along this road, and just beyond a cluster of houses you take a sudden turn to the left, on to a pretty track to Aldham Hall. Down through fruit trees you descend, until the walls become older, and there at the end are the farm buildings. Beyond them, is this pretty church.

 

If the church is pretty, the view from it is doubly so - to the south, the land drops away alarmingly, into a valley full of sheep. You may even think you recognise it, and you could well be right, for the second season of the popular TV series The Detectorists was filmed here, as a small display in the porch of the church reminds you. The church appeared in the opening credits of each programme, the two main characters searching for buried treasure in Aldham Vale below the churchyard.

 

This is lovely, and splendidly English. Nothing could be more peaceful. But beyond, the land rises to a dark sea of trees, the mysteriously named Wolves Wood, now an RSPB reserve. Looking along to the right, the other hilltop is where the Protestant preacher Roland Taylor was burned at the stake in the 1550s, a site of pilgrimage for his many American descendants - and, more unhappily, for extremist protestants. Ian Paisley, the late former leader of the Democratic Ulster Unionists, was a regular visitor. Whatever your reading of the English Reformation, Taylor's burning was a terrible event. One imagines the villagers gathered outside this church, watching the flames and smoke rise.

 

I remembered the first time I came here, back in the 1990s. We arrived on one of those humid, overcast summer days, on our way to the Bildeston Beer Festival. My young children scattered off to play hide and seek with their mother in the precipitous graveyard. An elderly man was pottering about, looking at 19th century graves, so I apologised for my family (as you do). But he seemed genuinely pleased that they were running about like mad things. He was tracing his family, and had come down from Norfolk to look for a particular grave of an ancestor. And he'd found it. He was pretty pleased about that, too. He was also following up a theory that his ancestor had been a Rector of this parish. His address had been Aldham Rectory. Did I have any idea how he could find out? I suggested that the church might have a board of 'Rectors of this Parish'. Many do. These are a pleasant Victorianism, intended to overcome the 16th century breach by claiming a history of the CofE that extended back before the Reformation. We could go inside, and take a look. And we did - the church was militantly open, the inner door wedged wide. We found the board - but the name wasn't there. So, the mystery remained unsolved.

 

This church was derelict by the mid 19th century, and underwent a fairly late restoration, in 1883. The tower was rebuilt, as was the south wall of the nave. The roofs were replaced, giving an overwhelmingly Victorian appearance - although Mortlock detected the Norman, and possibly Saxon, ancestor. The hill itself suggests a very early foundation, perhaps on a site of pagan worship.

 

The architect was W. M. Fawcett, and there was another restoration of the inside in the early 20th century under the eyes of diocesan architect and renowned antiquarian H Munro Cautley. The resulting interior is one of those neat and shiny jobs that is certainly grand, and pleasant enough, but rather dated now. Our early 21st Century spirituality seems to respond more to dusty, ancient interiors than to these Victorian ritualisations. But I had a sense of a church that is much loved, well-cared for, and used regularly.

 

And that is still so today. Now, Aldham parish have gone one further than a wedged-open door, and a big sign has been erected at the bottom of the lane proclaiming that Our Church is Always Open, and so it is easy to step into its prayerful interior. And it is not without its medieval survivals, a couple of which are fascinating. For a start, there is the chancel, with its original roof, some fine windows, and a piscina in the sanctuary. But best of all are two bench ends. These are unlike anything else I've seen in Suffolk, and their primitive quality suggests a local origin. The one to the west apparently shows a bear, or possibly a lion. My first impulse was that it was some kind of heraldic device, but on reflection I thought differently. Note the shaved off object it holds in its mouth. And is the pattern emerging from beneath the head really fur? Back in 1999, my six year old took one look at it and decided that the creature isn't eating the bird, but the bird is flying out of its mouth. Could it be a dove? And could the three objects issuing from beneath the head actually be tongues of fire? In which case, could this be some strange composition representing Pentecost, and the descent of the Holy Spirit?

 

In the spandrel above the bear, or whatever it is, there is a lily, the symbol of the Annunciation. But it is also a symbol of the crucifixion. It calls to mind the rare lily crucifixes, of which just two are known to survive in Suffolk, at Long Melford and Great Glemham. Could this be an unrecorded third? The other bench end is probably easier to read. The crown is obvious enough. The star and crescent are familiar from representations of the crucifixion. The pike is a familiar instrument of the Passion. And, if you look in the spandrel above, you'll see a crown of thorns, so this may well be a composition representing the Passion.

 

A third bench end, to the east, shows just a simple spiked tool, that looks as if it might have been used in thatching. So, what's it all about? They are all a bit of a mystery, really. Coming back in 2019 I found no obvious or easy answers to offer.

 

And what of the font? This is mysterious too. It appears to be Norman, but a second glance finds it too elegant, too finely detailed. The pillars are almost Classical in design, and the whole piece has a touch of the 18th century about it. Was it brought here from somewhere else in the 1880s? Or is it a Victorian recutting of a Norman predecessor? Whatever, the revealed brickwork of the late medieval tower arch looks most fitting behind it. The doors are, presumably, part of the 1930s interior restoration - indeed, they have a touch of Cautley about them.

 

To see Cautley's work in its full glory, step up into the chancel, for the reredos and flanking niches. It looks like something out of a French cathedral. Cautley was usually a safe pair of hands in these churches he loved so well, but I wonder what he had been thinking to impose this triumphalism on this pretty little country church. Alfred Wilkinson's contemporary glass above it suits it well, but even so it is rather hard to imagine the same thing happening today. Postdating it by a couple of decades is a set of arms for Elizabeth II above the south doorway. Unusual, East Anglia has no more than half a dozen sets, and these ones are rather good.

 

Standing in the nave and looking east, the splendour of the reredos imposing itself on our view, it is hard to imagine the real glory that once was here. But John Nunn contacted me, to tell me about a will he has a copy of. In 1525, his ancestor Robert Clifford declared: I bequeath I will have the rood there upon the candlebeam set up higher and Mary & John and two new angels and the breast under the rood korvyn and when that is done I will have all this painted and guilt whatsoever the cost. I will have bought two standards of brass stand in the choir and I will my executors bestow therein 40/-. I will my executors shall buy four candlesticks of brass for the candlebeam, I give six kine unto the church of Aldham to keep my obit with as long as the world stand.

 

What does all this mean? Firstly, you have to remember that England was a devoutly Catholic country in 1525, and the fittings of the church were for the actions of the Catholic liturgy. In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, all Suffolk churches had a rood in place. This was a representation of the crucifixion, set above the chancel arch. On the left hand side of the cross always stood the Virgin Mary, and on the other side stood St John. Often, the wall behind was painted. The rood either hung on the wall, or was supported by a beam. However, there was always a beam that ran below it for candles to be lit on. This was called the candlebeam, or rood beam. The candles were placed on it by individuals or gilds as part of the process of prayer - particularly prayer for the souls of the dead. A rood loft ran beside it for access, and the space beneath was infilled with a rood screen. To make the rood even more glorious, the roof above was panelled, and the panels were painted blue, with gold stars, and perhaps Marian monograms. This was called the canopy of honour, or more simply, the coving (rendered delightfully in Suffolk dialect as Korvyn above.)

 

Robert Clifford was paying for a simple rood to be made more glorious. He was going to have it placed higher, with a new canopy of honour. He was paying for brass candlesticks to replace wooden candlestocks.

 

Why? Simply, the medieval economy of grace depended upon the living praying for the dead, and the dead praying for the living. In donating glorious things to his church, Clifford was ensuring that he would be remembered. The roodscreen would have a dedicatory inscription with his name on. He was saying - I won't forget you, don't you forget me. The Catholic liturgy formalised prayers for the dead in the form of obit masses.These were said on the anniversary of someone's death in perpetuity. The proceeds of the sale of the six cows (kine) would be invested, probably in land to be rented, to pay a priest to say these masses - as long as the world shall stand; that is, for ever.

 

Unfortunately, 'for ever' didn't last very long. Prayers for the dead were declared illegal by the protestant reformers in the late 1530s. By 1547, every single rood in the land had been toppled and burned. The rood lofts were hacked down, along with many of the candle beams (although about ten beams survive in Suffolk) and most of the rood screens were also destroyed (about 50 survive in Suffolk).

 

Nothing of Robert Clifford's gifts survive at Aldham. All the gilt would have been stripped, the brass candlesticks melted down, and the proceeds sequestered by the King's commissioners. The collected glory of all the churches of England was squandered by Henry VIII on high living, and on the expensive and pointless siege of Boulogne. A sad thought.

 

When I first came here in 1999, I remember the graveyard was full of wild thyme and especially sorrel, which we gathered in handfuls and ate later in the day with fresh trout and new potatoes. Twenty years have passed since then, and it was too early for the sorrel this year. Instead I just stood, and looked out across the gentle valley, the sheep cropping their way slowly westward. It was easy to recognise the opening of The Detectorists in the vale below. And I looked beyond to Wolves Wood, and the site of Roland Taylor's martyrdom. Hard to imagine such history happening to such a modest little parish.

Early Christmas presents for Birmingham’s homeless

 

Nobody was forgotten at St George’s Hub in central Birmingham on the Saturday before Christmas. All dinner guests received an early present. Over 200 of the city’s homeless came along to the Open House and were treated to a festive feast of turkey and all the trimmings. There was no shortage of festive entertainment either, with music from a group of Birmingham Gospel singers.

 

One guest said: “Thank you so much for Christmas dinner and getting me a Christmas present. I cannot remember the last time anyone got me a present – thank you again and Merry Christmas.”

 

Another guest who used the free O2 mobile phone service said that he had not spoken to his parents for over 8 years. He could not thank the helpers enough for enabling him to call home to Latvia to wish his mother and father a Happy Christmas.

 

Steve Martin, Coordinator of the event said: “We could not have wished for a better day. Over 50 volunteers from our St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) and 3 other parishes provided great food and great entertainment. It was a great team effort to help those most in need.”

 

The SVP based at the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Redditch supported by parishioners from St Anne’s and St Catherine’s in Birmingham served a Christmas dinner to the many men and women finding themselves alone and or homeless this Christmas. The event was put on in partnership with another Christian Church from South Birmingham.

 

Ends

For photos from the event

 

Earlier story

 

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release – 19 December 2014

 

Free Christmas dinner for homeless in the city of Birmingham

 

On Saturday 20th December, St George’s Hub in Birmingham will open its doors to around 200 homeless guests for a free Christmas dinner and all the trimmings.

 

The St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) based at the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Redditch supported by parishioners from both St Anne’s and St Catherine’s in Birmingham will serve dinner to the many men and women finding themselves alone and or homeless this Christmas. Working in partnership with another Christian Church from South Birmingham more than 40 volunteers are looking forward to making this a day to remember for all involved. As well as Christmas dinner, everyone will receive a present and be treated to a Gospel Choir singing carols and Christmas music. There will also be party games and a clothes/footwear stall.

 

O2 have kindly donated a mobile phone for 24 hours to enable guests to call home and wish their friends and family a Happy Christmas wherever they are in the world.

 

In the months leading up to Saturday’s event, the SVP has been knocking on the doors of local businesses and Catholic schools to help finance the day. Thanks to the generosity of many people, the money was easily raised – a number of Catholic Schools donated their Advent nativity collections to the event. The first school to pledge support of five hundred pounds was ‘Holy Souls Primary’ in Birmingham. The headteacher Mr Kevin Kelly said: “Steve visited the school to talk to the children about SVP’s work with the homeless in Birmingham city centre. Our childrens’ response was to take part in Nativity performances with great enthusiasm to proclaim the great joy of Jesus’ birth.”

 

Two parish schools also supported this event - St Bede’s middle school wrapped nearly 200 presents, put together by a young lady who had witnessed the work of an SVP soup kitchen in Birmingham. She was so moved by what she saw that she set up a facebook campaign and with the support of a network of friends working from home and others belonging to a social club in Acocks Green, this generous team of helpers bought and packed present bags for Saturday’s guests.

 

St Augustine’s high school donated £1150 from a sponsored walk. Both schools are committed supporters of the work of the SVP.

 

Monsignor Pat Browne, parish priest at St. Anne's, Digbeth, Birmingham and a soup kitchen helper said: "It is great to see so many people involved in helping with this Christmas project. Over the last year or so many people have been helping with soup kitchens and outreach in the city centre which has helped to build up contacts with homeless and people living alone. The Christmas meal brings these people and many others from the local communities together to benefit from the goodness and wonderful spirit of people, organisation and businesses.

 

Ends

Steve Martin – 07956 474 302

The.martin.gang@btinternet.com

   

"The Virgin Mary teaches us what it means to live in the Holy Spirit and what it means to welcome the newness of God in our life. She conceived Jesus by the work of the Spirit, and every Christian, each one of us, is called to welcome the Word of God, to welcome Jesus in ourselves and then bring him to everyone. Mary invoked the Spirit with the Apostles in the upper room: every time that we come together in prayer, we are supported by the spiritual presence of the Mother of Jesus, to receive the gift of the Spirit and to have the ability to bear witness to the risen Jesus."

 

– Pope Francis.

 

The refurbishment of the parish hall of St Paul and St Barnabas in York Street, Belfast, means the church’s extensive range of outreach activities can continue to grow, benefiting the entire community.

 

The Bishop of Connor, the Rt Rev George Davison, rededicated the hall when he preached at the parish Harvest Thanksgiving Service on Sunday October 18. The Bishop also dedicated a number of new windows.

 

The Rev Dr Isobel (Isy) Hawthorne–Steele, priest–in–charge, said the hall, based in the old St Paul’s Schoolhouse at the back of the church in the Tiger’s Bay area, is extensively used by the community. The building is 186 years old and a famous past pupil is the flautist James Galway.

 

The hall was in serious need to refurbishment to make it fit for purpose, and shortly before lockdown in March this year, a number of the groups moved their activities into the main church, and work got underway.

 

Isy said the refurbishment had been a tremendous success. “The facilities we can now offer include a high standard of health and safety provision; a place where all ages can meet in comfort in properly heated and ventilated spaces; an excellent hygienic kitchen facility with comfortable seating areas for small group work; a very large fully functioning sports hall; and a large conference style room that can easily be adapted to suits the needs of breakout groups or café symposiums.”

 

She added that during the work, nine windows were exposed fully and were found to be arched. The parish decided it wished to keep these, and the windows, all sponsored by parishioners in memory of loved ones, were dedicated by Bishop George when he visited.

 

OUTREACH

 

A range of groups have applied to use the hall in future. “This will not only fulfil our priority aim of outreach into the local community, but will provide an income in order to maintain the parish hall to a high standard of upkeep,” said Isy. “It will also help us with future plans such as fundraising towards the installation of a lift, expanding storage space, and a breakthrough to join the church premises with the hall.”

 

Isy said that according to NISRA statistics, the church is located in an area of high deprivation and is therefore a much–needed facility.

 

Outreach activities already established at St Paul and St Barnabas include the Blaze Project which works with local schools, sharing the gospel with children through the medium of drama.

 

The project encourages all primary schools in the area to have a more proactive role in its programme of social cohesion, and plays a lead role in promoting the development of spiritual understanding and supporting curriculum themes, including Learning about Church. It brought primary school children into the church to fulfil their curriculum aims.

 

“This provided us with an opportunity to show children each aspect of worship in the church building, explaining function and purpose,” said Isy. “This was supported by the Ulster University Widening Access Community Development Programme which provided learning packs. Many members of our congregation are involved in this project, preparing fun and interesting activities, and manning each aspect of the church, ie baptismal font, pulpit, lectern, etc, teaching the children what we do and why we do it.

 

WELCOMING

 

“Often this is the only opportunity these children have to come inside church. Our aim is to make it less of an imposing building in their community, and a friendly, welcoming, fun and interesting learning place to be, to encounter Jesus.”

 

St Paul and St Barnabas has also being running an AQE tuition project which has had an 80 per cent success rate. “This is a service for children that is based upon the ethos of an inclusive educational access for all children, particularly those who are economically disadvantaged,” said Isy. “This is widely recognised throughout the community and schools as being a highly valued educational project, servicing a real need to disadvantaged children.”

 

Children and families in the area have also enjoyed Messy Church at St Paul and St Barnabas, organised by members of the church. “The response was very encouraging as we had a full capacity turnout of young people each session, and the fun, fellowship and teaching biblical truths proved very worthwhile,” said Isy.

 

The church and hall is used by the church’s HOPE professional counselling project, which receives referrals from clergy and other professional counselling agencies and organisations.

 

“This project is in need of expansion and indeed discussions have taken place with local MPs and councillors, and funding applications sought in order to keep this very valuable project afloat,” Isy said. “The current extremely high rates of mental health problems, and specifically, the very high of suicide and suicide attempts in this demographic region, indicate a high level of need.”

 

The parish has also formed a strong partnership with All Nations Ministry, and this has grown considerably since the church’s first cultural diversity celebration two years ago, and now a recurring event. Activities have taken place both on site and off site, and the project has established a drop–in centre which is open to everyone in the community. It is attended primarily by asylum seekers, refugees and migrants and their families and operates a foodbank and clothes bank for this group.

 

RELATIONSHIPS

 

Isy said the parish has cultivated good relationships with the community PSNI, who provide weekly sports activities for young people. “This has been offered to the wider community and initially has been with the All Nations Group,” she said. “This has been very successful with spin–off trips organised. This partnership is the beginning of a relationship that we hope to further promote and extend.”

 

The parish also has a collaborative relationship with Ulster University’s Widening Access Community Development Programme which aims to raise the self–confidence and self–esteem of participants by exploring barriers to formal learning and looking at various learning styles and techniques.

 

“The exercises and assignments are aimed at giving students an opportunity to learn academic writing skills and prepare them for advanced learning with an access route to university degree level four,” said Isy.

 

This programme was offered firstly to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, and it the subject of an article: ‘Breaking the Cultural Silence Imposed upon Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrants: A Snapshot of the Current Faith–Based Project in Tiger’s Bay (North Belfast),’ The authors of this article were students from the BScHons Community Development Programme at Ulster University who worked on the project with Isy, and it was published in Adult Learner: The Irish Journal of Adult and Community Education in 2018.

 

The parish’s Storyboards and Drama Project was formed specifically to help asylum seekers, refugees and migrants to infuse into local community life. Around 16 participants worked through storyboards, telling their story of leaving their home country, the experience they lived through travelling to this country, and their experience of trying to begin a new life within the local community. The stories were recorded and dramatized.

 

POWERFUL

 

Isy said this ‘powerful project’ was therapeutic, and in many cases provided a much–needed ‘sounding board’ for traumatic experiences to be shared and support and help sought.

 

“The next phase of this project is planned with young people, and the idea is to bring this into youth forums in schools, youth clubs and churches to share,” she said. “Hopefully, those listening will engage with these young people and recognise the added pressure of adolescences coping with their transition into adulthood, with the additional pressures of being in an alien and often hostile environment.”

 

St Paul and St Barnabas has developed a logo – incorporating the five windows of the church and the cross to illustrate Christ at the centre of worship and activities – and its strapline – TLC (Transforming, Loving, Caring) – was drawn from the parish mission statement.

 

The parish employed a children and family worker who worked closely with local primary schools and initiated the parent and toddler group ‘Little Lambs.’ A project manager was appointed, whose role included securing further funding to renovate hall to make it fit for purpose. The parish also employed a family visitor who made further intergenerational connections within local area.

 

FOOTFALL

 

“The impact of the projects has been realised in the increased footfall and new partnerships forged with schools and local groups such as the migrant, asylum seekers and refugees,” said Isy.

 

“We are currently seeking other funds to progress to the next stage. The current Covid–19 restrictions have affected our roll–out, however we continue to support our HOPE counselling project which is a vital resource for the local community during this pandemic.”

 

The re–dedication of the parish hall and dedication of the windows by Bishop George took place just weeks before Isy steps down from her role as curate–in–charge of St Paul and St Barnabas on November 1.

 

“I feel I have taken this project as far as I can,” said Isy. “As a leader, I think it is really important to listen to the Holy Spirit and to know when it’s time to make way for God’s chosen leader/s to continue to work out his plan.

 

“There is so much potential here, the members of the church are loving and full of God’s grace. They are a praying people and that is the key to any missional work. I know God has a great plan of revival in this area.”

 

The projects run by St Paul and St Barnabas Parish Church have received funding from the following:

 

- Church of Ireland Priorities Fund;

- Church of Ireland Children & Orphans Society;

- St James’ Endownment Fund;

- BIFFA (grant scheme for ‘community hub’ project refurbishment).

O God, we also have a livelihood or work that we may meet our human needs,

And that we may also partake in the blessings You have given to others.

Please bless us with an honorable livelihood.

We meet in places called markets that we may exchange things with something in return,

But You have taught us that God’s praise are for those who share for Free,

And those who protect the Spiritual Health of others through honesty and Truth. –

Always to seek the greatest Spiritual benefit of the receivers for Holy Virtues.

 

Please bless those in markets, that God’s blessings may also be shared amongst them.

That they shall realize that through the Holy Spirit of Generosity –

God’s blessings on Earth really abound and are to be shared equally.

May our efforts not only be poured in earning for our livelihood,

But our Spirit of Diligence towards doing as many generous good deeds as possible.

 

For even the Poor and the Needy may be filled with Care and Compassion –

From those who are more blessed.

That material things of food, clothing and shelter is not what God truly judges,

But the Holy Spirit of Sacrifice by using these to help others for Free.

 

As God does not judge how much money we have or the ability to earn in our livelihood,

But how much lives we have saved through the resources we have.

The same way that our Life, sunshine from the Sun, planet Earth as the home of Humanity,

The land we can live on and cultivate our food supply, waters to obtain other sources of food,

And air to breathe - are amongst the many blessings given to Humanity, for Free.

 

And so does all natural resources need to be shared generously and equally to all –

As the True “image and likeness” of God.

And all that God asks of us is that Holy Spirit of Generosity –

By being kind and generous also amongst each other, most specially the least.

Amen.

 

Architect: Sigurd Lewerentz (1885-1975),

Built in 1966

 

The Christening font

The christening area is located at the church entrance. It is shaped as a rock and the floor bends upward. The crack in the floor represents episode when Moses cracked the rock with his staff making water flow from it. At the christening, the priest stands in a place on the floor marked with a cross. The Christening font is made of a white mussel from the Indian Ocean. The never ending drip reminds us of God’s never ceasing Grace. See the entire Christening font

 

The Architect

The architect, Doctor of Technology, Sigurd Lewerentz (1885-1975) was 77 years old when he was asked to create St. Petri church. He had behind him, in addition to studies at Chalmers’ university, many years of collected experience, which he could now draw on. Full of life, knowledgeable, independent of all architectural traditions and styles he set about his task. He concentrated all his artistic passion on this task. What he created is not a product of a drawing-board. The placing of every brick is determined directly by him on the spot or indirectly by the instructions he gave to the artisans. The watchful eye of the architect constantly followed the work on the site.

 

Facts

The church was consecrated on 27th of November, 1966 by Bishop Martin Lindström. The nave is built according to “circumstantes”, the idea of the central place of worship. The area is quadratic, 18 x 18 meter. The height is 6 meter in the east and 5 meter in the west. The nave rests on and is built around a cross of iron (the T-cross or the Antonius-cross). The cross should be essential in the preaching and activity of the church as well as in human life. The ceiling is formed as archs and is a symbol of human spirit life as a waving movement. The building has no arched windows. The window-glasses are directly mounted on the outside of the wall with brackets, which gives a feeling of missing windows. All electric wiring and water pipes are mounted directly on the walls – nothing should be hidden into the church. The middle aisle corresponds to the holy way (via sacra) of old days which leads to the Holy Communion table. The walls are built up with the dark-brown brick from Helsingborg, which is made by hand craft as well as machine-made. No bricks are adjusted to suit – man is good enough to be used by God even if she is “odd, rough or not adjusted to suit”. The bricks are partly picked by the architect Lewerentz himself from a scrap-yard. Even human beings, who by others are considered as “scrap”, are suitable for the Lord. The daylight and the illumination are sparse. Too much natural light disturbs the full feeling according to the architect. Therefore the lamps must be lightened during service. Architect Lewerentz wanted to create a soft and warm surrounding with quiet and devotion. While sitting for a while in the church the details are coming forward. The chairs are from Denmark and originally designed for the Grundtvig-church (1940) in Copenhagen. Portable chairs in churches are an old tradition and give the opportunity to rearrange the furniture.

 

Source: Leaflet – Sankt Petri Church in Klippan – A Masterpiece by Sigurd Lewerentz

 

The church was renovated between the years 1979-1981 under the direction of architect Bengt Edman and the church copper roof has been changed during 2011.

 

More pictures of Sigurd Lewerentz’ work

 

Images of other architects' works

 

More information at the St. Petri web page

Masonic Mosaic Pavement and Masonic Altar - facing East.

 

The hanging letter 'G'.

 

The masonic letter G

Source: Masonic Vibes

by Paul Foster Case

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. St. John 1:1

All in all that is all there is to the letter G. But I have found that if you make things to simple people tend to take them as unimportant.

I have not been able to determine when the letter G was introduced into Speculative Masonry as a symbol.

The letter G is not derived from the Operative Masons of the Middle Ages, and formed no part of the architectural decoration of old cathedrals.

LetterG.jpeg

 

Whether it entered the symbolism under the influence of those Rosicrucian’s and Qabalists who joined the Order during the last half of the 17th century, or whether it was introduced at some time subsequent to 1717, when the first Grand Lodge was established at the Apple-tree Tavern in London, is impossible to tell.

The letter G is the initial of Geometry. This makes it a symbolic summary of the entire Masonic system. The heart of Freemasonry is a doctrine founded on the science of geometry. In the old Masonic Constitutions it is specifically stated that Masonry and Geometry are one and the same.

It is no secret that the letter G is a symbol for the Deity. It so happens that God is the English name of the Grand Architect of the Universe. The fact that G is the first letter of God is not the only connection between the symbol and the Deity.

Its Greek equivalent is the initial of Gaia, the earth Mother, eldest born of Chases, whose name is the root of the noun geometria, geometry.

Gimel, the Hebrew correspondence to G, is the initial of gadol, majesty, and of gebur, strong, words used to designate the Deity throughout the Hebrew sacred writings. Gimel itself is regarded by the wise men of Israel as being the alphabetical sign of the sacred wisdom which is founded on the science of geometry.

So basically we are back to St. John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

When I was raised to a Master Mason, I was told to learn the following lesions:

The Pot Of Incense Symbolizes man, the pot being the physical body, the Incense being the mind of man, and when they are lit, the heat given off being the spirit of man as given to him by God.

The Beehive Symbolizes unity of purpose, with just one leader, for life and just one goal, the betterment of the hive.

The Anchor And Ark The Anchor is an emblem of Jesus Christ who gave his life to ensure us a safe harbor to find rest in. The Ark is an emblem of God, that divine ark that carries us through a lifetime of trials and tribulations, and finally to our Heavenly home.

The 47th Problem of Euclid Is commonly excepted to represent the physical body, the psyche, and the spiritual, and this figure being the complete man. Let us just suppose the 47th problem of Euclid represented the life spirit, the human spirit, and the divine spirit. The life spirit being Friendship, the human spirit being Morality, and the divine spirit being Brotherly Love. This figure could represent the perfect man.

The Hour Glass Is an emblem of human life. Like the hour glass, when the first grain of sand falls it is a fact that the last grain of sand will fall too. When man is born it is a fact that he will also die. The difference being that man has control over how he lives his life and the sand only falls down.

The Sword Reminds us that we should be ever watchful and guarded in our thoughts, words, and actions, because all of these will be recorded in the Great Book of Life, that all men are judged by when" they die.

The Scythe Is used as an emblem of Death but it is in reality an emblem of transition from one life to another. Because as this mortal life comes to an end it brings with it the beginning of a spiritual life.

When I went through York Rite Masonry, it was explained to me the meaning of all these lesions.

When I went through my reception into Scottish Rite Masonry, even more lesions were taught and explained to me.

When I was admitted to the Thirty-Third Degree, came the Surprise of my life. No more lesions, no more explanations, I was only told to remember a few simple facts and to do one thing, which changed my whole outlook on life.

1. Any man who fails, in his duties to God, fails mankind and himself.

2. While you live, you should work to secure for all people their rights and voice in its government.

3. You must labor to enlighten and teach mankind.

4. To teach the people their power and their rights.

5. To let the enemies of mankind be your enemies.

6. Come to no terms with them, but complete surrender of their ways.

7. That even though I been exalted to the Thirty-Third Degree, I would still be among my equals in every Blue Lodge and that all “worthy” Master Masons are my Brothers.

Now the one thing that changed my life was, I was informed that it was not enough to just know or just understand the lessons of Masonry, I had to live the lessons of Masonry.

Believing this I feel that I will be “A life time Apprentice” my whole life. When the time comes to return this physical body back to the ground from wince it came.

The sprit that lived in this body will be returned to God as a “Fellow Craft” and then at the feet of God the labors of my sprit will be judged by God.

Then and only then, if God finds the work of my sprit as “true work, good work”, will my sprit be raised from a dead level to a living perpendicular on the angle of a square by God.

In this belief, I will live my life as “A life time Apprentice”, always trying to subdue my passions and learning to improve myself.

 

Masonic Mosaic Pavement and Star.

The lodge room: www.flickr.com/photos/21728045@N08/8101810367/in/set-7215...

 

www.masonicforum.ro/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=73&amp....

 

The Mosaic Pavement

by GABRIEL VASILE OLTEAN

Expert Inspector of NGLR for Western Region; Past Worshipful Master, ZAMOLXIS Lodge, No. 182, Deva

 

"The interior decoration of a masonic lodge comprises ornaments, accessories and insignia. The ornaments are: the mosaic on the floor - respresenting spirt and matter, the shining star and the laced edge, which remind us always the first of the presence of God and the second of the protective wall" - cites Charles W Leadbeater from the ritual of mixed masonry in his work "Freemasonry - Rites and Initiations."

In the center of the Temple, on the ground, there is a rectangular floor, with black and white tiles, called the mosaic pavement (theoretically, cubes seen perspectivally), where a relgaion obtains between the sides, either 2:1 (the long square) or 1.618.../1 (the golden number), thus coming up with a surface proportional to the total area of the Lodge. Thus we see that practically the moasica, placed in the center of the Lodge is a microcosmic representation of the whole of creation and is by itself a sacred central area - whence the interdiction to ever step on the mosaic when the work of the Lodge is underway. The pavement symbolizes the indisociable operative complementarity of the two cosmic principles: the initiate must know how no longer let himself be dominated by the confrontation between positive and negative forces, to know (it is indispensable) how to use it, to master it so as to work constructively.

In Ancient Egypt, the mosaic was never stepped on except by a candidate and the masters of ceremony, and only at precise moments (by the Past Worshipful Master for the fulfilment of his tasks, by the First Expert when he took the light of the sacred fire, or by the sexton when he spread frankincense on the altar of the Temple. An extremely important aspect of the mosaic pavement is that, being placed in the middle of the Temple, framed by the three colonettes (which represent the Worshipful Master, the Senior and Junior Wardens), must be avoided by walking in a square, in a symbolic sense. The current of energy cross the floor, some along the length, some along the width, in lines that remind of the warp of a canvas.

Upon opening the work, the Trestle Board is depicted on this pavement, which varies with the first three degrees. The mosaic pavement signifies different things according to the traditional mode of work in the lodge, or the masonic rite employed.

The French Rite specifies that the pavement adorned the threshold of the geat porch of the Temple and showed that this is one of the ornaments of the Lodge, being the emblem of the intimate union among masons. Here it was explained to the Apprentice that he "could not stand on the mosaic pavement to contemplate the interior of the edifice". This started above from the seventh step, as we can well conclude by an attentive research of the Trestle Boards of the first two degrees.

The Rectified Scottish Rite speaks too little of this pavement, noting that "the mosaic pavement adorns the threshold of the great veranda of the Temple. It covers the entry to the subterranean part of the Temple between the two columns, to a crypt that held holy idols and especially the pledge of the alliance between the chosen people and the Creator: the Royal Ark (Ark of the Covenant).

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite does not describe in any way this ornament. As to the decoration of the Lodge, it is said however "the floor of the lodge is the pavement in alternative black and white squares. When it is thus decorated, a pavement is achieved wit the shape of a long square, placed in the center of the Lodge, decorated on the model of the latter".

The York Rite affirms that "the mosaic pavement represents the floor of the Temple of Solomon", having the added laced edge. It is obvious enough that it is about a symbolic contribution in what regards the floor of the Lodge, because in the Bible the floor of the Temple isn't described as an series of black and white squares: "and the floor of the Temple was made from cypress planks" (3 Kings 6:15).

Whereas in the Emulation Rite (the Anglo-Saxon Rites are more precise in their descriptions) specifies that "the mosaic pavement may rightly be considered the wondrous tiling of a freemason Lodge due to its diversity and regularity. Thus the diversity of beings and objects in the world surfaces, as well the ensouled ones as those that are not". In the complementary course of the Rite of Emulation (in the fifth part) it is specified: "our lodge is adorned with mosaic pavement to mark the uncertainty of all terrestrial vanities... as we step on this mosaic, our thought must return to the original idea that we imitate and act as honorable men and masons". Mosaic pavement is presented as an image of faith, harmony, understanding..

Outside the definitions offered by different masonic rites, the mosaic pavement may be approached under many aspect, two of which seem edifying to us:

• The floor of the Lodge,

• The route of squares for the tracing of planes,

When we approach the mosaic pavement as floor of the Lodge, we are forced to distinguish between the pavement of operative and speculative Lodges.

In the first case, we specify that Lodges were usually annexes to the construction site, attached to the construction on the Southern side of the Work (to receive more light and to have the wall of the edifice for protection. It is extremely clear and evident that in this case no floor was imposed (nor would any be functional). The tiling that constitutes the mosaic is fragile in contradiction with the dimensions (weight) of the tools of freemasons (sledgehammers were very heavy). If we are talking about a surface for permanent cutting and polishing of rock, we can easily imagine that the floor of such a place was permanently covered by fragments, remains, abrasive dust. Not in the last place, we must note the fact that mosaic was principally fixed in especially prepared mortar in which designs were first marked that etched the image or drawing that was the purpose of the mosaic.

In the other approach, that of the speculative Lodges, a symbolic rug laid in squares may be laid on the floor, or it may be build from alternating black and white tiles, the decision being that of the Lodge. The notionc of mosaic pavement cannot be discussed before the appearance of Grand Lodges.

As a route of squares - as network of right angles - to trace planes is another mode of approach specific to operative lodges, which must distinguish:

A directory route of the edifice that must be understood after we describe the Medieval constructin site at the beginning of the work: on a leveled and cleared surface (treated with charcoal), a scheme of the main lines of the edifice was traced with the help of a rope covered in chalk. There

are documents to this effect that attest the describe practice, which reminds of certain answers from the masonic catechism. To the question: "how do you serve your Master?", there is the answer: "with charcoal, chalk and clay".

A technical assistance set of squares would be another variant of this approach. An amenably arranged surface, spread in regular squares through lines traced for inumerable uses, the first and most important being that of assembly table. It also served to establish easily a series of angles, in an approximate way that was sufficient for a mason (taking four divisions on a line, and on the perpendicular seven at one extremity, a reasaonbly 60° angle is obtained). In fact, we can imagine the banal math copybook paper that has helped us trace with more facility (and more precision) the geometrical shapes that tortured (or didn't) us in the geometry problems in elementary school.

The black and white, chessboard-like pavement is thus the mosaic pavement. In what pertains to the term "mosaic", there are two different opinions, one refering to Moses and one to the technique of decoration. Each school has its pros and cons, more or less logical and valid.

"The canvas of ours lives is a mixed thread, the good together with the bad" wrote Shakespeare. Anything is characterized by a combination of good and bad, light and shadow, joy and sadness, positive and negative, yin and yang. What is good for me may be bad for you, pleasure is generated by pain, etc.

Following the thread of the current Paper, we may say with certainty that the mosaic is not mart of the elements of Judaic architecture and that the mosaic pavement is a contribution of modern speculative Masonry, operative lodges never having been squared this way. It is obvious that the current exposition is not and does not wish to be an exhaustive work. It is a somewhat complex approach of an important symbol in the decoration of the masonic Temple and it wishes in fact to the a paper addressing an open question:

- The mosaic pavement is the floor of the Lodge (as the rituals consider it) or is it the space limited by the three pillars Power, Wisdom, and Beauty?

A good thought accompanied by the triple brotherly accolade!

 

Copyright Forum Masonic

 

The blazing star pattern used, is usually that of the

"pentalpha", or five pointed star with intermediate flames. This

star is primarily the symbol of divine providence and can be found

in our mosaic pavement. The five points should remind us also of

other masonic "fives". The five orders of arch itecture, the five

points of fellowship, the five senses and the five who must be

present in order for a Lodge to be held. The star is also said to

represent the Morning Star which is yet another symbol of rebirth

which is so significant to each of us.

I should point out that there is a six pointed star or hexalpha

which is also known as the "Glory". This six pointed star is the

Seal of Solomon and also the Star of David. This star is also

represented on the carpet at times and there is distinct confusion

in the texts over which star is THE star to use. The primary

symbolic meaning of the six pointed star is the universe as an

entity.

Once we reunite we will have the chance to finally get to know one another truly. Love will show each of us the way to the other. I am your soul sister, your bride. I am Kiara, the woman that you will naturally love by the powers above we were created to be forever in love; you are my soul man, my groom I have awaited your return. You are to be my everlasting husband the man that I crave to spend everlasting life with on planet earth. My prayers have been directed continually to the Ancient of Days that your soul may be persevered alive through the greatest tribulation that is soon to occur on planet earth. Jehovah has had it made known through His Son that His name is the most high above the earth and that Christ Jesus' name is the highest on earth. Through the name of the Son of God there is true salvation by His Father God because Jesus is the Mediator between humankind and His God the Father of Christ. God repeatedly throughout His Word the bible identifies Himself as Jehovah the only God infinitely till time indefinite. The ancient biblical scriptures reveal throughout the sixty-six little books Jehovah to be known as the only true God of heaven & earth. He calls Himself Jehovah God of Armies.

 

I have been found by the Shepherd King, His Father sent Shiloh to bring me to Him; upon my arrival the Almighty God of celestial Armies commissioned me to be the one to journey a far in search of you my dear one. I have prayed to be only yours so here I am in search of my dear one with the Lion of Judah (Jesus Christ) by my side invisible. Shiloh is invisible to the human eye because he has been resurrected into a spirit having a celestial soul (body) seen only by those knowing the true God. These ones exercise faith in the Only Begotten Son of God. Therefore, understand all understanding are the ones taught by Jehovah. It takes the eyes of the heart by discernment to recognize the true living Christ Jesus, the same Christ who has always been with His Father God except for the time he lay dead in the heart of the earth by his impalement in the flesh once for all times. Come find me once again my beloved boy-companion by awakening to true Love's calling.

 

Twenty years have gone by and still I believe true love will not fail us my dear one. I am writing you Charlie, that you may one day remember me; we saw each other at Prizzi Piazza on Franklin Avenue in Hollywood West. I was the girl with the long blond hair in shapes that wove its wondrous mass of wild curls in all directions under the smoked skies of Hollywood West.

 

You were that guy that just stared forever into my eyes. I haven't seen you since that day because I made a choice to turn away. It still was not the right time and I new this my life was in an opposite direction back then as if I was in an invisible maze looking through back into you I saw us in the future that is now the present days.

 

Twenty years is a long time to await true love yet when I first saw you it was an answered prayer in which I had simply prayed to see the man God had chosen for me in a glance. You appeared on that day in mid July your eyes bringing me into yours forever till the end of time. Love is strong yet gentle. Love is courageous as it is humble, meek and mild is all that I am my lover, my husband till the end of time. Love Kiara.

 

Let us free each other every day my dear Charles by learning to always love the other in loving ways. Let us live together in love faithfully; beautiful and strong is what we will be. I have asked God the Grand Creator to bring me home to you wherever you are residing upon this earth. Charlie, call out to me that I may hear your welcoming voice. Call out to me with your heart that I may recognize true love. True love is rewarding. "God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love you showed for his name." Hebrews 6:10.

 

I remember your hand gentle upon my aching soul, healed by a patient wisdom slow. I remember you, you are my deepest of love as I am to you endless love, love Kiara. My greatest interests are all the wonderful things that life was meant to be. I am still discovering the wonders of life. I wait patiently to be with the man I walked with once on earth. He searched me with a glance, his eyes filtering the deepest parts of me. I await your return with a patient wisdom slow my darling Charlie. Love Kiara Chelsea Reese.

 

I remember his face and the way his soft honey amber eyes searched into me deeply and I wonder if he remembers me? Twenty-one years since that day in mid July on Franklin avenue West. The ocean captivates me. I am drawn to it by its perfect beauty and daydream of the day we meet face to face with true love in our embrace. The true God only knows who and where my dear one is. My first words written to him would be by the spirit of truth. God to Charlie: "the spirit of Jehovah will become operative upon you, God to Charlie: "you will certainly speak as a prophet and be changed into another man." 1 Samuel 10:6. I believe true love will conquer all because love never fails.

 

The good news of the Kingdom of God is what I will share with my Soul-mate. “There are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.” 2 Peter 3:13.

 

I wonder what we will say to each other when once again we meet. Twenty years ago so many words were left unsaid when only our eyes met. Prizzi's piazza is where our eyes first met. It was but for a moment, a moment never forgotten in a memory embedded for a lifetime. Kiara. God’s theocratic points of prophecy are made clear throughout this shared letter of love, life and hope. Charlie: [the spirit Jehovah will become operative upon you, you will certainly speak as a prophet and be changed into another man.] Kiara.

 

Charlie, the most powerful love of all is the love I give to you in this eternal love letter it is the love of agape. Forever & always Kiara. Love letters in the Sand letters from Kiara by JasMine Snow are sent to you as God's free gift in spirit & in truth for your heart to feel the hope by the rescue of the good news.

 

Let not true love pass you by, hear the spirit of truth. God will have His Day of Fury and Glory in Sanctifying His holy name. My dear one, may your heart reside with the truth of the good news.

 

I listen as you sing your songs, enjoying the underlying harmonious sounds of your music embracing me like wings of a dove. Young as the gazelles we both were running fast and free towards the mountain of spice to find refreshment by God's creations under the sun.

 

Beloved one, I am Kiara, coming to you in love so that I may feed you the heavenly manna that will strengthen you in your time of need. Upon our mountain we played as children in a sandbox filled of cinnamon, ginger, and mint, tamed by the love growing in each of our hearts. Minute by minute deeper we delve into this journey of love discovering joy, peace of mind & happiness even if words are still unspoken.

 

It was you standing there not far from me with love struck hearts we shared from innocents and with love intertwining us. My dear one has eyes like a forest of toffee haven. "His eyes are like doves by the channels of water, "His appearance is like Lebanon". I once laid eyes upon the man that was to be my forever. God, my helper and my comfort, return him to me as a God fearing prince reflecting God’s Christ.

 

Sweeter than the nightingales voice, I hear my boy companion calling out to me. Charlie Yohnah's song of love in search of true love sings out to me echoing in my ears like summer nights gentle breeze in its wind song on this night. My dear one I can hear him. It is my boy-companion on his bass guitar high in the hills of West Hollywood strumming his melancholy cry in search of me. He sends his song out across the universe. His voice carrying far into the midnight skies, his songs of love’s lullabies are sung, fingers strumming out notes I see him in the far distance across the seas on his base guitar. Far above the Hollywood hills, his guitar gently weeps into my open heart.

 

Kiara speaks aloud: "My dear one has answered and said to me, rise up, you girl companion of mine, my beautiful one, and come away. . . . Blossoms themselves have appeared in the land, the very time of vine trimming has arrived, and the voice of the turtledove itself has been heard in our land. As for the fig tree, it has gained a mature color for its early figs; and the vines are abloom, they have given [their] fragrance. Rise up, come, O girl companion of mine, my beautiful one, and come away." Charlie speaks aloud: "O my dove in the retreats of the crag, in the concealed place of the steep way, show me your form," Charlie continues to speak aloud: "let me hear your voice, for your voice is pleasurable and your form is comely.’” Song of songs 2: 10-14.

 

My dear one has asked me: “Place me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; because love is as strong as death is, insistence on exclusive devotion is as unyielding as She´ol is. Its blazings are the blazings of a fire, the flame of Jah." Song of songs 8:6.

[my first thought when Penner suggested he knew what Jesus was praying all the time was "hogwash", but at the end when penner revealed the prayer, I realized he was right..its a prayer that we shhould ALL pray all the time..and I say it myself frequently..in fact its the only thing I ask for in prayer these days..my acronym is twilabd..find out what it is..] 4/17/11 cblog A 3-WORD PRAYER THAT IS GUARANTEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL ; crystal cathedral [for the entire blog, go to cblogs.posterous.com/41711-cblog-a-3-word-prayer-that-is-... ] "Today..palm Sunday..they cried 'hosanna hosanna'..then they turned on him,..5 days later, they crucified him..tomorrow night..seder meal..those who want to join us..6 pm..meal..celeb..how Jesus completed passover, ..prayer for morn offering..lord god Jesus..think what it must have been like for u, take steps on donkey, ..in midst of hosannas,,u knew every step brought u neaarer to the cross..let cup pass, but not my will....soo grateful, how can we say thank u..hearts overflowing..lives overflow w/ your love, mercy gratitude..[vid clip from building houses in mexico]...guests..3 fitzgeralds.."taking step of faith..coming for a reason, blessing after blessing...monty..what stands out..people ready to work..full of joy..what..for u .."...level foundation..using rock to..and though build house on rock..foundation, ephesian 20 build life on foundation..remembered window people versus mirror people.., son mark..do u feel this made a difference? "..we actually slept in the...sleeping bags..small..but these familes were so grateful..rained Friday night..true ? Came on fri morn..raining..still raining sat morn..wondering what we would do..but the sun broke thru..that last night they had to sleep in the rain ...thank u mark megan & monty...in prep for pastor jim's message, amazing grace..

 

Jim Penner's Message: "how we get so stressed up..10,000 ..years..and we get so stressed with our junk..this drummer..pick on him,,smiles..the house I was on..3 little kids..neighborhood..given paint brushes..she's painting..climbs on panel that she just pained..pain everywhere..found this on internet.."to whom may concern...resign my responsib as an adult..want to be 6 again..and thank mcdonalds is a four-star restaurant..want to believe in power of smiles..limitless imagination" oh to be 6 once again..think.."unless u become like a child..." as 6 yo u have a sense that anything possible..u understand trust..found out from responses that a lot of people struggle with trust..psalm 23 "surely goodness & mercy.." god is consistent, does not waver..god is always god, malachi 3.6 "for I am the lord, I do not change..." that's what god says about himself..pop over to hebres.."jesus christ same, ystrday, today, and forever" say same..ystrday today forever..hammering home..time does not change god..does not diminish majesty or authority..god never changes..understand embrace...3 key words fr psalm "surely, shall, & forever"..I remember a reporter..hollywood..asked people if they r going to heaven..most said, "not sure, maybe.."..I wanted to yell "wake up.."..then question.."how know surely, shall forever, mean exactly that..matt 7.7 "ask & shall be given, seek find, knock..will open.."..what man among u..man asks for fish u give serpent? Jesus own words..love this..my daughter called..she's in college locally..asked for help w/ spread sheet..suddenly I had nothing better to do..if I know how to give good gifts to a child, how much more will god give to u..2 promises..1 god, 2 verses..tie together.."goodness mercy.."surely goodness mercy because god loves to give good gifts..matt 7...re spiritual & physical needs..I don't see the distinction..every one of your physical needs has a spiritual answer..jesus saying "u want goodness & mercy..ask"..when u pray what's ...2 prayers guaranteed..1) for salvation 2)..tell u ..dr schuller has been able to live a life..b/c he prays the prayer..and sheila prays the prayer..I grw up in denver went to bear creek hs ..our chief rival was columbine..one shot was rachel..shot..he went to her pulled up her by hair said "do u stll believe in god?" She said " u know I do.."..rachel scott prayed that samr prayer..the prayer is simple "thy will be done"..I remember board meeting dr schuller said "this chair is empty for Jesus"..prayer..amen amen.."

  

I think all of us have two sides to our personalities: sometimes we are out going and sometimes we like to be alone; sometimes we like classical music and other times we just want to listen to electric guitar; sometimes we like change and sometimes we don’t. Generally speaking I love routine, I don’t like change (at all, if you ask people close to me); however, in my relationship with God I like change for many reasons:

 

1) The word ‘relationship’ is an active and dynamic word to me. For example, we cannot have a meaningful conversation with someone—and know that person personally--if we keep repeating the same dialogue to them every day.

 

2) God’s goal for our lives, and it should be our goal too, is to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ. And we all know He is perfect and so if we keep growing spiritually every day for the rest of our lives, it would still not be enough to reach His awesome holiness. How about if we don’t even change—if we just continue living our routine lives?!

 

3) I’ve found that no matter how much I think I know spiritually and how much spiritual wisdom I possess, there is always something deep (or sometimes something that seems so simple but I’ve completely missed) God wants to teach me and reveal about Himself that I didn’t know.

 

And so I often pray that God makes me uncomfortable, shakes me emotionally and spiritually, and to do whatever it takes to change me or motivate me to seek change…even if it means He sends very painful trials in my life. And He usually honours that prayer and does send painful trials to draw us closer to Him, conform us to the likeness of His Son, teach more about who He is, and glorify Himself through us and our responses to our trials.

 

Currently, I am in the midst of a very painful trial—and have been for sometime now; it is something I had prayed for few years ago, and so when I went through it some time ago and one day was complaining about it in prayer the Holy Spirit reminded of that prayer I had prayed few years ago (which I had forgotten all about) and I understood that He was just responding to my prayer through this painful trial—as usual He is being faithful by answering my prayer for my own good and His glory. And one day when I see its end, God’s way that is, I will share it with you. I usually don’t like to quote people in my writings—I’d rather quote scripture—but I think those quotes are supported by the Bible’s teachings:

 

"Whatever brings you to your knees in weakness carries the greatest potential for your personal success and spiritual victory." (Charles Stanley)

 

"No one enjoys feeling weak, whether it is emotionally, spiritually or physically. There is something within the human spirit that wants to resist the thought of weakness [or pain]. Many times this is nothing more than our human pride at work. Just as weakness carries a great potential for strength, pride carries an equally great potential for defeat." (Charles Stanley)

 

“Adversity is always unexpected and unwelcomed. It is an intruder and a thief, and yet in the hands of God, adversity becomes the means through which His supernatural power is demonstrated.” (Charles Stanley)

 

“Yieldedness [pain has its very effect way of breaking our self centeredness, disobedience, and self will] and is vital in listening to what He has to say.” (Charles Stanley)

 

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." (C.S Lewis)

 

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However, recently God has also been sending me encouragement to change through the messages of (what I believe) a very faithful servant of His and godly man, and that is: Paul Washer.

 

As soon as I saw those fruits I remembered the verses I have posted on the capture, and so I photographed them. I do realize some Christians may feel uncomfortable with those verses (I certainly was before; and even know there are verses that I don’t understand and make me uncomfortable), but that’s the whole point of this topic: feel uncomfortable, be uncomfortable, so you let God do His work in changing you. That’s why I dedicated this whole photograph to the sermons of Paul Washer. My hope and prayer is that you seriously consider listening to them, but before you listen to them that you pray the Holy Spirit use them to conform you to the likeness of your Lord and Saviour, and to honour the Father through your life—through the change He is going to do in your life.

 

Paul Washer - Shocking Message (full length)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuabITeO4l8

 

Isn't it Enough? (Paul Washer's Secret)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=J471VobaZks

 

We Have Forgotten that the Way is Narrow - Paul Washer

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_hGBFVzYZ4

 

"I'm Not Ashamed of the Scandal." (Paul Washer)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=teLvofaVeEA

 

Be a Man... Biblically (Paul Washer)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ0kJW3nz4

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My last words are those: Do you suffer from an addiction? May be it is a sexual sin, uncontrollable anger, or deep rooted pride? Do you hate the fact that you have not changed for the better—become more like Jesus-- in a while? Do you desire God to do His work in your life, to fulfill His purpose in your life? I challenge you to pray asking Him to do whatever it takes--even sending you through very painful trials--to change you, free, heal you, and glorify Himself through your life.

 

(Toronto, ON; summer 2008.)

   

Architect: Sigurd Lewerentz (1885-1975),

Built in 1966

 

The Christening font

The christening area is located at the church entrance. It is shaped as a rock and the floor bends upward. The crack in the floor represents episode when Moses cracked the rock with his staff making water flow from it. At the christening, the priest stands in a place on the floor marked with a cross. The Christening font is made of a white mussel from the Indian Ocean. The never ending drip reminds us of God’s never ceasing Grace. See the entire Christening font

 

The Architect

The architect, Doctor of Technology, Sigurd Lewerentz (1885-1975) was 77 years old when he was asked to create St. Petri church. He had behind him, in addition to studies at Chalmers’ university, many years of collected experience, which he could now draw on. Full of life, knowledgeable, independent of all architectural traditions and styles he set about his task. He concentrated all his artistic passion on this task. What he created is not a product of a drawing-board. The placing of every brick is determined directly by him on the spot or indirectly by the instructions he gave to the artisans. The watchful eye of the architect constantly followed the work on the site.

 

Facts

The church was consecrated on 27th of November, 1966 by Bishop Martin Lindström. The nave is built according to “circumstantes”, the idea of the central place of worship. The area is quadratic, 18 x 18 meter. The height is 6 meter in the east and 5 meter in the west. The nave rests on and is built around a cross of iron (the T-cross or the Antonius-cross). The cross should be essential in the preaching and activity of the church as well as in human life. The ceiling is formed as archs and is a symbol of human spirit life as a waving movement. The building has no arched windows. The window-glasses are directly mounted on the outside of the wall with brackets, which gives a feeling of missing windows. All electric wiring and water pipes are mounted directly on the walls – nothing should be hidden into the church. The middle aisle corresponds to the holy way (via sacra) of old days which leads to the Holy Communion table. The walls are built up with the dark-brown brick from Helsingborg, which is made by hand craft as well as machine-made. No bricks are adjusted to suit – man is good enough to be used by God even if she is “odd, rough or not adjusted to suit”. The bricks are partly picked by the architect Lewerentz himself from a scrap-yard. Even human beings, who by others are considered as “scrap”, are suitable for the Lord. The daylight and the illumination are sparse. Too much natural light disturbs the full feeling according to the architect. Therefore the lamps must be lightened during service. Architect Lewerentz wanted to create a soft and warm surrounding with quiet and devotion. While sitting for a while in the church the details are coming forward. The chairs are from Denmark and originally designed for the Grundtvig-church (1940) in Copenhagen. Portable chairs in churches are an old tradition and give the opportunity to rearrange the furniture.

 

Source: Leaflet – Sankt Petri Church in Klippan – A Masterpiece by Sigurd Lewerentz

 

The church was renovated between the years 1979-1981 under the direction of architect Bengt Edman and the church copper roof has been changed during 2011.

 

More pictures of Sigurd Lewerentz’ work

 

Images of other architects' works

 

More information at the St. Petri web page

The most famous Islamic site in Jerusalem is the Dome of the Rock (Qubbat

as-Sakhrah). An impressive and beautiful edifice, the Dome of the Rock can be

seen from all over Jerusalem. It is the crowning glory of the Haram es-Sharif

("Noble Sanctuary"), or Temple Mount.

The Dome of the Rock is not a mosque, but a Muslim shrine. Like the Ka'ba in

Mecca, it is built over a sacred stone. This stone is believed to be the place

from which the Prophet Muhammad ascended into heaven during his Night Journey to

heaven.

The Dome of the Rock is the oldest Islamic monument that stands today and

certainly one of the most beautiful. It also boasts the oldest surviving mihrab

(niche indicating the direction of Mecca) in the world.

History

The sacred rock over which the Dome of the Rock is built was considered holy

before the arrival of Islam. Jews believed, and still believe, the rock to be

the very place where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac (an event which Muslims

place in Mecca). In addition, the Dome of the Rock (or the adjacent Dome of the

Chain) is believed by many to stand directly over the site of the Holy of Holies

of both Solomon's Temple and Herod's Temple.

The Dome of the Rock was built by the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik from 688 to

691 AD. It was not intended to be a mosque, but a shrine for pilgrims. According

to tradition, the Dome of the Rock was built to commemorate Muhammad's ascension

into heaven after his night journey to Jerusalem (Qur'an 17). But there seems to

have been more to it than this, since the Dome of the Ascension was later built

nearby.

Actually, according to the Oxford Archaeological Guide to the Holy Land, "Abd

al-Malik's purpose was more complex and subtle." He wished to erect a beautiful

Muslim building that could compete with the majestic churches of Christendom and

would be a symbolic statement to both Jews and Christians of the superiority of

the new faith of Islam. "His building spoke to Jews by its location, to

Christians by its interior decoration." [1]

In the 10th century, the Jerusalem visitor Mukaddasi wrote of the magnificent

structure:

At dawn, when the light of the sun first strikes the dome and the drum catches

the rays, then is this edifice a marvellous sight to behold, and one such than

in all of Islam I have not seen the equal; neither have I heard tell of

anything built in pagan times that could rival in grace this Dome of the Rock.

[2]

By the 11th century, several legends had developed concerning the Dome of the

Rock and its sacred stone, including the following:

They say that on the night of his Ascension into Heaven the Prophet, peace and

blessing be upon him, prayed first at the Dome of the Rock, laying his hand

upon the Rock. As he went out, the Rock, to do him honor, rose up, but he laid

his hand on it to keep it in its place and firmly fixed it there. But by

reason of this rising up, it is even to this present day partly detached from

the ground beneath. [3]

In the Middle Ages, Christians and Muslims both believed the dome to be the

biblical Temple of Solomon. The Knights Templar made their headquarters there

during the Crusades and later patterned their churches after its design. [4]

The exterior mosaics that once adorned the Dome of the Rock suffered from

exposure to Jerusalem winters. They were repaired in the Mamluk period, and then

completely replaced with tiles by Sulieman the Magnificent in 1545. At the same

time, he created the parapet wall with its intricate inscription by filling up

the thirteen small arches that originally topped each facade. The windows of the

Dome of the Rock date from this period as well. The tiling was completely

replaced in the last major restoration in 1956-62.

What to See

The extraordinary visual impact of the Dome of the Rock is in part due to the

mathematical rhythm of its proportions. All the critical dimensions are related

to the center circle that surrounds the sacred stone. For example, each outer

wall is 67 feet long, which is exactly the dome's diameter and exactly its

height from the base of the drum.

The same principles were used in Byzantine churches of Italy, Syria, and

Palestine, but none compare to the integration of plan and elevation seen in the

Dome of the Rock.

The great golden dome that crowns the Dome of the Rock was originally made of

gold, but was replaced with copper and then aluminum. The aluminum is now

covered with gold leaf, a donation from the late King Hussein of Jordan. [6]

The dome is topped by a full moon decoration which evokes the familiar crescent

moon symbol of Islam. It is aligned so that if you could look through it, you

would be looking straight towards Mecca.

The beautiful multicolored Turkish tiles that adorn the shrine's exterior are

faithful copies of the Persian tiles that Suleiman the Magnificent added in 1545

to replace the damaged originals. The lower half of the exterior is white

marble.

The Arabic inscription around the octagonal part of the Dome of the Rock are

verses from the Qur'an. The inscription dates from the renovation under

Suleiman. The tiled area just below the golden dome is the drum. Its glazed

tiles were made in Turkey, and its Arabic inscription tells of the Night Journey

of Muhammad as described in the Qur'an (surah 17).

Inside the shrine, an arched wall called the octagonal arcade or inner octagon

follows the exterior shape. An open space between this and the central circle

forms the inner ambulatory around the Rock, carpeted in lush red. The area

between the inner octagon and outer octogan (exterior wall) forms a smaller,

outer ambulatory, carpeted in green. The two ambulatories recall the ritual

circular movement of pilgrims around the Ka'ba in Mecca.

The cupola, the interior of the great golden dome, features elaborate floral

decorations in red and gold, as well as various inscriptions. The main

inscription in the cupola commemorates Saladin, who sponsored extenstive

restoration work on the building.

The mosaics of the interior feature both realistic and stylized representations

of vegetation and related themes (Muslim law forbids the representation of

living beings in art). The mosaics evoke an exotic garden, perhaps the gardens

of Paradise. Rich jewelry is also depicted in abundance, including breastplates,

necklaces, and a Persian crown with features gathered at the base. The caliph

Omar had conquered Persia in 637, and the mosaics symbolize the Persian crowns

he sent to hang in Mecca.

The founding inscription is a monumental 240-meter long line of Kufic script

running along the top of both sides of the octagonal arcade inside the Dome of

the Rock. On the outer side of the arcade, the inscription quotes Quranic verses

glorifying God.

On the eastern side, an inscription gives credit for the building's construction

to the Abbasid caliph al-Mamun in the year 72 AH (691 AD). However, al-Mamun

reigned from 813-33 AD, so the inscription clearly represents an Abbasid effort

to claim credit for the achievement of the previous dynasty.

Much of the inscription on the inner side of the octagonal arcade exhorts

Christians to depart from error of the Trinity and recognize the truth of Islam:

O People of the Book! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught

concerning God save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a

Messenger of God, and His Word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from

Him. So believe in God and His messengers, and say not 'Three' - Cease! (it

is) better for you! - God is only One God. Far be it removed from His

transcendent majesty that He should have a son. ... Whoso disbelieveth the

revelations of God (will find that) lo! God is swift at reckoning! [5]

The columns supporting the inner octagon and the center circle are of different

sizes; they were recycled from previous structures. The crosses on some show

them to have been taken from churches. The carved ceilings on either side of the

inner octagon were not part of the original design; they first appeared in the

14th century and have been restored since then. The Mamluk star is the dominant

motif.

The small, flat mihrab (niche showing the direction of Mecca) belongs to the

original building, and is the oldest mihrab preserved in the Islamic world. The

wooden screen around the sacred rock was donated by the Ayyubid sultan al-Aziz

in 1198. The Crusaders protected the rock from relic-snatching pilgrims by

erecting a wrought-iron screen between the columns of the circle; it remained in

place until 1960 and is now on display in the Islamic Museum.

The sacred rock that is the central focus of the shrine is a large, ancient rock

that may have once stood in the center of Solomon's Temple. For Jews, it is the

rock on which Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac. For Muslims, it is the rock

from which Muhammad's winged horse leapt into the sky, accompanied by the

Archangel Gabriel, on the "Night Journey" into heaven (Qur'an 17). The rock is

said to bear the horse's imprint. Muslim tradition holds that an angel will come

to the rock to sound the trumpet call of the Last Judgment at the end of the

world. [7]

The reliquary next to the rock dates from the Ottoman period and contains a hair

of Muhammad's beard.

The cavity beneath the rock, accessible by a staircase near the south entrance,

is known as Bir el-Arwah, the "Well of Souls." It is said that here the voices

of the dead mingle with the falling waters of the lower rivers of paradise as

they drop into eternity.

Another legend says that the dead meet here twice a month to pray. In earlier

days, those who prayed here after having walked around the rock were given a

certificate entitling them admission to paradise; it was to be buried with them.

 

Visited 1995

The fortifications of Famagusta are a series of defensive walls and other fortifications which surround the city of Famagusta in Northern Cyprus. The walls were built by the Lusignan Kingdom of Cyprus in the 14th century, and redesigned by Republic of Venice in 15th and 16th centuries before the siege of Ottoman Empire in 1571. The fortifications of Famagusta withstood an 11-month siege before the city capitulated to the Ottoman Empire in August 1571.

 

In the 13th century, Famagusta's harbour was defended by a tower, and it is possible that some form of fortification existed earlier. In the 14th century, the Lusignans built the Othello Castle to defend both the harbour and the town. Famagusta fell to the Genoese in 1373, and in 1489 it was taken over by the Republic of Venice along with the rest of Cyprus.

 

While Famagusta was under Venetian rule, the city was essentially a military base. The Othello Castle was modernized, and fortifications surrounding the entire city began to be built. The fortifications were designed by a number of military engineers, including Michele Sanmicheli and his nephew Giovanni Girolamo Sammichele. The latter arrived in Famagusta in around 1550, and he designed the Martinengo Bastion, which served as a prototype for various other fortifications in Europe and America. He died in Famagusta in 1559, while the fortifications were still under construction.

 

The Fourth Ottoman–Venetian War broke out in 1570, when an Ottoman force invaded Cyprus and took control of most of the island including Nicosia within a few months. On 15 September, Ottomans surrounded Famagusta, which was the last Venetian stronghold on the island, and began the Siege of Famagusta. The city held out until August 1571, when the Venetians asked for terms of surrender. Although terms were agreed and the inhabitants began to evacuate the city, at the surrender ceremony Lala Mustafa Pasha learned that some Muslim prisoners had been killed and he had the Venetian commander Marco Antonio Bragadin mutilated and flayed alive, and the remaining Christians in the city were massacred.

 

The Ottomans repaired the damaged parts of the walls, but did not make any major alterations. The city began to expand outside its walls in the late Ottoman period, and this increased after Cyprus fell under British rule.

 

Although many buildings within the old city of Famagusta is in a state of disrepair, the fortifications are still in relatively good condition.

 

The fortifications of Famagusta consist of an enceinte which is surrounded by a rock-hewn ditch on the landward side, and the harbour on the seaward side. Like the fortifications of Rhodes, which were built by the Knights Hospitaller between the 14th and 16th centuries, the walls of Famagusta show the transition between medieval fortification and the bastioned fortifications of the early modern period.

 

Famagusta is a city on the east coast of the de facto state Northern Cyprus. It is located east of Nicosia and possesses the deepest harbour of the island. During the Middle Ages (especially under the maritime republics of Genoa and Venice), Famagusta was the island's most important port city and a gateway to trade with the ports of the Levant, from where the Silk Road merchants carried their goods to Western Europe. The old walled city and parts of the modern city are de facto part of Northern Cyprus as the capital of the Gazimağusa District.

 

The city was known as Arsinoe or Arsinoë (Greek: Ἀρσινόη, Arsinóē) in antiquity, after Ptolemy II of Egypt's sister and wife Arsinoe II.

 

By the 3rd century, the city appears as Ammochostos (Greek: Ἀμμόχωστος or Αμμόχωστος, Ammókhōstos, "Hidden in Sand") in the Stadiasmus Maris Magni.[5] This name is still used in modern Greek with the pronunciation [aˈmːoxostos], while it developed into Latin Fama Augusta, French Famagouste, Italian Famagosta, and English Famagusta during the medieval period. Its informal modern Turkish name Mağusa (Turkish pronunciation: [maˈusa]) came from the same source. Since 1974, it has formally been known to Turkey and Northern Cyprus as Gazimağusa ([ɡaːzimaˈusa]), from the addition of the title gazi, meaning "veteran" or "one who has faught in a holy war".

 

In the early medieval period, the city was also known as New Justiniana (Greek: Νέα Ἰουστινιανία, Néa Ioustinianía) in appreciation for the patronage of the Byzantine emperor Justinian, whose wife Theodora was born there.

 

The old town of Famagusta has also been nicknamed "the City of 365 Churches" from the legend that, at its peak, it boasted a church for every day of the year.

 

The city was founded around 274 BC, after the serious damage to Salamis by an earthquake, by Ptolemy II Philadelphus and named "Arsinoe" after his sister.[6] Arsinoe was described as a "fishing town" by Strabo in his Geographica in the first century BC. In essence, Famagusta was the successor of the most famous and most important ancient city of Cyprus, Salamis. According to Greek mythology, Salamis was founded after the end of the Trojan War by Teucros, the son of Telamon and brother of Aedes, from the Greek island of Salamis.

 

The city experienced great prosperity much later, during the time of the Byzantine emperor Justinian. To honor the city, from which his wife Theodora came, Justinian enriched it with many buildings, while the inhabitants named it New Justiniania to express their gratitude. In AD 647, when the neighboring cities were destroyed by Arab raiding, the inhabitants of these cities moved to Famagusta, as a result of which the city's population increased significantly and the city experienced another boom.

 

Later, when Jerusalem was occupied by the Arabs, the Christian population fled to Famagusta, as a result of which the city became an important Christian center, but also one of the most important commercial centers in the eastern Mediterranean.

 

The turning point for Famagusta was 1192 with the onset of Lusignan rule. It was during this period that Famagusta developed as a fully-fledged town. It increased in importance to the Eastern Mediterranean due to its natural harbour and the walls that protected its inner town. Its population began to increase. This development accelerated in the 13th century as the town became a centre of commerce for both the East and West. An influx of Christian refugees fleeing the downfall of Acre (1291) in Palestine transformed it from a tiny village into one of the richest cities in Christendom.

 

In 1372 the port was seized by Genoa and in 1489 by Venice. This commercial activity turned Famagusta into a place where merchants and ship owners led lives of luxury. By the mid-14th century, Famagusta was said to have the richest citizens in the world. The belief that people's wealth could be measured by the churches they built inspired these merchants to have churches built in varying styles. These churches, which still exist, were the reason Famagusta came to be known as "the district of churches". The development of the town focused on the social lives of the wealthy people and was centred upon the Lusignan palace, the cathedral, the Square and the harbour.

 

In 1570–1571, Famagusta was the last stronghold in Venetian Cyprus to hold out against the Turks under Mustafa Pasha. It resisted a siege of thirteen months and a terrible bombardment, until at last the garrison surrendered. The Ottoman forces had lost 50,000 men, including Mustafa Pasha's son. Although the surrender terms had stipulated that the Venetian forces be allowed to return home, the Venetian commander, Marco Antonio Bragadin, was flayed alive, his lieutenant Tiepolo was hanged, and many other Christians were killed.

 

With the advent of the Ottoman rule, Latins lost their privileged status in Famagusta and were expelled from the city. Greek Cypriots natives were at first allowed to own and buy property in the city, but were banished from the walled city in 1573–74 and had to settle outside in the area that later developed into Varosha. Turkish families from Anatolia were resettled in the walled city but could not fill the buildings that previously hosted a population of 10,000. This caused a drastic decrease in the population of Famagusta. Merchants from Famagusta, who mostly consisted of Latins that had been expelled, resettled in Larnaca and as Larnaca flourished, Famagusta lost its importance as a trade centre. Over time, Varosha developed into a prosperous agricultural town thanks to its location away from the marshes, whilst the walled city remained dilapidated.

 

In the walled city, some buildings were repurposed to serve the interests of the Muslim population: the Cathedral of St. Nicholas was converted to a mosque (now known as Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque), a bazaar was developed, public baths, fountains and a theological school were built to accommodate the inhabitants' needs. Dead end streets, an Ottoman urban characteristic, was imported to the city and a communal spirit developed in which a small number of two-storey houses inhabited by the small upper class co-existed with the widespread one-storey houses.

 

With the British takeover, Famagusta regained its significance as a port and an economic centre and its development was specifically targeted in British plans. As soon as the British took over the island, a Famagusta Development Act was passed that aimed at the reconstruction and redevelopment of the city's streets and dilapidated buildings as well as better hygiene. The port was developed and expanded between 1903 and 1906 and Cyprus Government Railway, with its terminus in Famagusta, started construction in 1904. Whilst Larnaca continued to be used as the main port of the island for some time, after Famagusta's use as a military base in World War I trade significantly shifted to Famagusta. The city outside the walls grew at an accelerated rate, with development being centred around Varosha. Varosha became the administrative centre as the British moved their headquarters and residences there and tourism grew significantly in the last years of the British rule. Pottery and production of citrus and potatoes also significantly grew in the city outside the walls, whilst agriculture within the walled city declined to non-existence.

 

New residential areas were built to accommodate the increasing population towards the end of the British rule,[11] and by 1960, Famagusta was a modern port city extending far beyond Varosha and the walled city.

 

The British period saw a significant demographic shift in the city. In 1881, Christians constituted 60% of the city's population while Muslims were at 40%. By 1960, the Turkish Cypriot population had dropped to 17.5% of the overall population, while the Greek Cypriot population had risen to 70%. The city was also the site for one of the British internment camps for nearly 50,000 Jewish survivors of the Holocaust trying to emigrate to Palestine.

 

From independence in 1960 to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus of 1974, Famagusta developed toward the south west of Varosha as a well-known entertainment and tourist centre. The contribution of Famagusta to the country's economic activity by 1974 far exceeded its proportional dimensions within the country. Whilst its population was only about 7% of the total of the country, Famagusta by 1974 accounted for over 10% of the total industrial employment and production of Cyprus, concentrating mainly on light industry compatible with its activity as a tourist resort and turning out high-quality products ranging from food, beverages and tobacco to clothing, footwear, plastics, light machinery and transport equipment. It contributed 19.3% of the business units and employed 21.3% of the total number of persons engaged in commerce on the island. It acted as the main tourist destination of Cyprus, hosting 31.5% of the hotels and 45% of Cyprus' total bed capacity. Varosha acted as the main touristic and business quarters.

 

In this period, the urbanisation of Famagusta slowed down and the development of the rural areas accelerated. Therefore, economic growth was shared between the city of Famagusta and the district, which had a balanced agricultural economy, with citrus, potatoes, tobacco and wheat as main products. Famagusta maintained good communications with this hinterland. The city's port remained the island's main seaport and in 1961, it was expanded to double its capacity in order to accommodate the growing volume of exports and imports. The port handled 42.7% of Cypriot exports, 48.6% of imports and 49% of passenger traffic.

 

There has not been an official census since 1960 but the population of the town in 1974 was estimated to be around 39,000 not counting about 12,000–15,000 persons commuting daily from the surrounding villages and suburbs to work in Famagusta. The number of people staying in the city would swell to about 90,000–100,000 during the peak summer tourist period, with the influx of tourists from numerous European countries, mainly Britain, France, Germany and the Scandinavian countries. The majority of the city population were Greek Cypriots (26,500), with 8,500 Turkish Cypriots and 4,000 people from other ethnic groups.

 

During the second phase of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus on 14 August 1974 the Mesaoria plain was overrun by Turkish tanks and Famagusta was bombed by Turkish aircraft. It took two days for the Turkish Army to occupy the city, prior to which Famagusta's entire Greek Cypriot population had fled into surrounding fields. As a result of Turkish airstrikes dozens of civilians died, including tourists.

 

Unlike other parts of the Turkish-controlled areas of Cyprus, the Varosha suburb of Famagusta was fenced off by the Turkish army immediately after being captured and remained fenced off until October 2020, when the TRNC reopened some streets to visitors. Some Greek Cypriots who had fled Varosha have been allowed to view the town and journalists have been allowed in.

 

UN Security Council resolution 550 (1984) considers any attempts to settle any part of Famagusta by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible and calls for the transfer of this area to the administration of the UN. The UN's Security Council resolution 789 (1992) also urges that with a view to the implementation of resolution 550 (1984), the area at present under the control of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus be extended to include Varosha.

 

Famagusta's historic city centre is surrounded by the fortifications of Famagusta, which have a roughly rectangular shape, built mainly by the Venetians in the 15th and 16th centuries, though some sections of the walls have been dated earlier times, as far as 1211.

 

Some important landmarks and visitor attractions in the old city are:

The Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque

The Othello Castle

Palazzo del Provveditore - the Venetian palace of the governor, built on the site of the former Lusignan royal palace

St. Francis' Church

Sinan Pasha Mosque

Church of St. George of the Greeks

Church of St. George of the Latins

Twin Churches

Nestorian Church (of St George the Exiler)

Namık Kemal Dungeon

Agios Ioannis Church

Venetian House

Akkule Masjid

Mustafa Pasha Mosque

Ganchvor monastery

 

In an October 2010 report titled Saving Our Vanishing Heritage, Global Heritage Fund listed Famagusta, a "maritime ancient city of crusader kings", among the 12 sites most "On the Verge" of irreparable loss and destruction, citing insufficient management and development pressures.

 

Famagusta is an important commercial hub of Northern Cyprus. The main economic activities in the city are tourism, education, construction and industrial production. It has a 115-acre free port, which is the most important seaport of Northern Cyprus for travel and commerce. The port is an important source of income and employment for the city, though its volume of trade is restricted by the embargo against Northern Cyprus. Its historical sites, including the walled city, Salamis, the Othello Castle and the St Barnabas Church, as well as the sandy beaches surrounding it make it a tourist attraction; efforts are also underway to make the city more attractive for international congresses. The Eastern Mediterranean University is also an important employer and supplies significant income and activity, as well as opportunities for the construction sector. The university also raises a qualified workforce that stimulates the city's industry and makes communications industry viable. The city has two industrial zones: the Large Industrial Zone and the Little Industrial Zone. The city is also home to a fishing port, but inadequate infrastructure of the port restricts the growth of this sector. The industry in the city has traditionally been concentrated on processing agricultural products.

 

Historically, the port was the primary source of income and employment for the city, especially right after 1974. However, it gradually lost some of its importance to the economy as the share of its employees in the population of Famagusta diminished due to various reasons. However, it still is the primary port for commerce in Northern Cyprus, with more than half of ships that came to Northern Cyprus in 2013 coming to Famagusta. It is the second most popular seaport for passengers, after Kyrenia, with around 20,000 passengers using the port in 2013.

 

The mayor-in-exile of Famagusta is Simos Ioannou. Süleyman Uluçay heads the Turkish Cypriot municipal administration of Famagusta, which remains legal as a communal-based body under the constitutional system of the Republic of Cyprus.

 

Since 1974, Greek Cypriots submitted a number of proposals within the context of bicommunal discussions for the return of Varosha to UN administration, allowing the return of its previous inhabitants, requesting also the opening of Famagusta harbour for use by both communities. Varosha would have been returned to Greek Cypriot control as part of the 2004 Annan Plan but the plan had been rejected by a majority(3/4) of Greek Cypriot voters.

 

The walled city of Famagusta contains many unique buildings. Famagusta has a walled city popular with tourists.

 

Every year, the International Famagusta Art and Culture Festival is organized in Famagusta. Concerts, dance shows and theater plays take place during the festival.

 

A growth in tourism and the city's university have fueled the development of Famagusta's vibrant nightlife. Nightlife in the city is especially active on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights and in the hotter months of the year, starting from April. Larger hotels in the city have casinos that cater to their customers. Salamis Road is an area of Famagusta with a heavy concentration of bars frequented by students and locals.

 

Famagusta's Othello Castle is the setting for Shakespeare's play Othello. The city was also the setting for Victoria Hislop's 2015 novel The Sunrise, and Michael Paraskos's 2016 novel In Search of Sixpence. The city is the birthplace of the eponymous hero of the Renaissance proto-novel Fortunatus.

 

Famagusta was home to many Greek Cypriot sport teams that left the city because of the Turkish invasion and still bear their original names. Most notable football clubs originally from the city are Anorthosis Famagusta FC and Nea Salamis Famagusta FC, both of the Cypriot First Division, which are now based in Larnaca. Usually Anorthosis Famagusta fans are politically right wing where Nea Salamis fans are left wing.

 

Famagusta is represented by Mağusa Türk Gücü in the Turkish Cypriot First Division. Dr. Fazıl Küçük Stadium is the largest football stadium in Famagusta. Many Turkish Cypriot sport teams that left Southern Cyprus because of the Cypriot intercommunal violence are based in Famagusta.

 

Famagusta is represented by DAÜ Sports Club and Magem Sports Club in North Cyprus First Volleyball Division. Gazimağusa Türk Maarif Koleji represents Famagusta in the North Cyprus High School Volleyball League.

 

Famagusta has a modern volleyball stadium called the Mağusa Arena.

 

The Eastern Mediterranean University was founded in the city in 1979. The Istanbul Technical University founded a campus in the city in 2010.

 

The Cyprus College of Art was founded in Famagusta by the Cypriot artist Stass Paraskos in 1969, before moving to Paphos in 1972 after protests from local hoteliers that the presence of art students in the city was putting off holidaymakers.

 

Famagusta has three general hospitals. Gazimağusa Devlet Hastahanesi, a state hospital, is the biggest hospital in city. Gazimağusa Tıp Merkezi and Gazimağusa Yaşam Hastahanesi are private hospitals.

 

Personalities

Saint Barnabas, born and died in Salamis, Famagusta

Chris Achilleos, illustrator of the book versions on the BBC children's series Doctor Who

Beran Bertuğ, former Governor of Famagusta, first Cypriot woman to hold this position

Marios Constantinou, former international Cypriot football midfielder and current manager.

Eleftheria Eleftheriou, Cypriot singer.

Derviş Eroğlu, former President of Northern Cyprus

Alexis Galanos, 7th President of the House of Representatives and Famagusta mayor-in-exile (2006-2019) (Republic of Cyprus)

Xanthos Hadjisoteriou, Cypriot painter

Oz Karahan, political activist, President of the Union of Cypriots

Oktay Kayalp, former Turkish Cypriot Famagusta mayor (Northern Cyprus)

Harry Luke British diplomat

Angelos Misos, former international footballer

Costas Montis was an influential and prolific Greek Cypriot poet, novelist, and playwright born in Famagusta.

Hal Ozsan, actor (Dawson's Creek, Kyle XY)

Dimitris Papadakis, a Greek Cypriot politician, who served as a Member of the European Parliament.

Ṣubḥ-i-Azal, Persian religious leader, lived and died in exile in Famagusta

Touker Suleyman (born Türker Süleyman), British Turkish Cypriot fashion retail entrepreneur, investor and reality television personality.

Alexia Vassiliou, singer, left here as a refugee when the town was invaded.

George Vasiliou, former President of Cyprus

Vamik Volkan, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry

Derviş Zaim, film director

 

Famagusta is twinned with:

İzmir, Turkey (since 1974)

Corfu, Greece (since 1994)

Patras, Greece (since 1994)

Antalya, Turkey (since 1997)

Salamina (city), Greece (since 1998)

Struga, North Macedonia

Athens, Greece (since 2005)

Mersin, Turkey

 

Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. It is recognised only by Turkey, and its territory is considered by all other states to be part of the Republic of Cyprus.

 

Northern Cyprus extends from the tip of the Karpass Peninsula in the northeast to Morphou Bay, Cape Kormakitis and its westernmost point, the Kokkina exclave in the west. Its southernmost point is the village of Louroujina. A buffer zone under the control of the United Nations stretches between Northern Cyprus and the rest of the island and divides Nicosia, the island's largest city and capital of both sides.

 

A coup d'état in 1974, performed as part of an attempt to annex the island to Greece, prompted the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. This resulted in the eviction of much of the north's Greek Cypriot population, the flight of Turkish Cypriots from the south, and the partitioning of the island, leading to a unilateral declaration of independence by the north in 1983. Due to its lack of recognition, Northern Cyprus is heavily dependent on Turkey for economic, political and military support.

 

Attempts to reach a solution to the Cyprus dispute have been unsuccessful. The Turkish Army maintains a large force in Northern Cyprus with the support and approval of the TRNC government, while the Republic of Cyprus, the European Union as a whole, and the international community regard it as an occupation force. This military presence has been denounced in several United Nations Security Council resolutions.

 

Northern Cyprus is a semi-presidential, democratic republic with a cultural heritage incorporating various influences and an economy that is dominated by the services sector. The economy has seen growth through the 2000s and 2010s, with the GNP per capita more than tripling in the 2000s, but is held back by an international embargo due to the official closure of the ports in Northern Cyprus by the Republic of Cyprus. The official language is Turkish, with a distinct local dialect being spoken. The vast majority of the population consists of Sunni Muslims, while religious attitudes are mostly moderate and secular. Northern Cyprus is an observer state of ECO and OIC under the name "Turkish Cypriot State", PACE under the name "Turkish Cypriot Community", and Organization of Turkic States with its own name.

 

Several distinct periods of Cypriot intercommunal violence involving the two main ethnic communities, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, marked mid-20th century Cyprus. These included the Cyprus Emergency of 1955–59 during British rule, the post-independence Cyprus crisis of 1963–64, and the Cyprus crisis of 1967. Hostilities culminated in the 1974 de facto division of the island along the Green Line following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The region has been relatively peaceful since then, but the Cyprus dispute has continued, with various attempts to solve it diplomatically having been generally unsuccessful.

 

Cyprus, an island lying in the eastern Mediterranean, hosted a population of Greeks and Turks (four-fifths and one-fifth, respectively), who lived under British rule in the late nineteenth-century and the first half of the twentieth-century. Christian Orthodox Church of Cyprus played a prominent political role among the Greek Cypriot community, a privilege that it acquired during the Ottoman Empire with the employment of the millet system, which gave the archbishop an unofficial ethnarch status.

 

The repeated rejections by the British of Greek Cypriot demands for enosis, union with Greece, led to armed resistance, organised by the National Organization of Cypriot Struggle, or EOKA. EOKA, led by the Greek-Cypriot commander George Grivas, systematically targeted British colonial authorities. One of the effects of EOKA's campaign was to alter the Turkish position from demanding full reincorporation into Turkey to a demand for taksim (partition). EOKA's mission and activities caused a "Cretan syndrome" (see Turkish Resistance Organisation) within the Turkish Cypriot community, as its members feared that they would be forced to leave the island in such a case as had been the case with Cretan Turks. As such, they preferred the continuation of British colonial rule and then taksim, the division of the island. Due to the Turkish Cypriots' support for the British, EOKA's leader, Georgios Grivas, declared them to be enemies. The fact that the Turks were a minority was, according to Nihat Erim, to be addressed by the transfer of thousands of Turks from mainland Turkey so that Greek Cypriots would cease to be the majority. When Erim visited Cyprus as the Turkish representative, he was advised by Field Marshal Sir John Harding, the then Governor of Cyprus, that Turkey should send educated Turks to settle in Cyprus.

 

Turkey actively promoted the idea that on the island of Cyprus two distinctive communities existed, and sidestepped its former claim that "the people of Cyprus were all Turkish subjects". In doing so, Turkey's aim to have self-determination of two to-be equal communities in effect led to de jure partition of the island.[citation needed] This could be justified to the international community against the will of the majority Greek population of the island. Dr. Fazil Küçük in 1954 had already proposed Cyprus be divided in two at the 35° parallel.

 

Lindley Dan, from Notre Dame University, spotted the roots of intercommunal violence to different visions among the two communities of Cyprus (enosis for Greek Cypriots, taksim for Turkish Cypriots). Also, Lindlay wrote that "the merging of church, schools/education, and politics in divisive and nationalistic ways" had played a crucial role in creation of havoc in Cyprus' history. Attalides Michael also pointed to the opposing nationalisms as the cause of the Cyprus problem.

 

By the mid-1950's, the "Cyprus is Turkish" party, movement, and slogan gained force in both Cyprus and Turkey. In a 1954 editorial, Turkish Cypriot leader Dr. Fazil Kuchuk expressed the sentiment that the Turkish youth had grown up with the idea that "as soon as Great Britain leaves the island, it will be taken over by the Turks", and that "Turkey cannot tolerate otherwise". This perspective contributed to the willingness of Turkish Cypriots to align themselves with the British, who started recruiting Turkish Cypriots into the police force that patrolled Cyprus to fight EOKA, a Greek Cypriot nationalist organisation that sought to rid the island of British rule.

 

EOKA targeted colonial authorities, including police, but Georgios Grivas, the leader of EOKA, did not initially wish to open up a new front by fighting Turkish Cypriots and reassured them that EOKA would not harm their people. In 1956, some Turkish Cypriot policemen were killed by EOKA members and this provoked some intercommunal violence in the spring and summer, but these attacks on policemen were not motivated by the fact that they were Turkish Cypriots.

 

However, in January 1957, Grivas changed his policy as his forces in the mountains became increasingly pressured by the British Crown forces. In order to divert the attention of the Crown forces, EOKA members started to target Turkish Cypriot policemen intentionally in the towns, so that Turkish Cypriots would riot against the Greek Cypriots and the security forces would have to be diverted to the towns to restore order. The killing of a Turkish Cypriot policeman on 19 January, when a power station was bombed, and the injury of three others, provoked three days of intercommunal violence in Nicosia. The two communities targeted each other in reprisals, at least one Greek Cypriot was killed and the British Army was deployed in the streets. Greek Cypriot stores were burned and their neighbourhoods attacked. Following the events, the Greek Cypriot leadership spread the propaganda that the riots had merely been an act of Turkish Cypriot aggression. Such events created chaos and drove the communities apart both in Cyprus and in Turkey.

 

On 22 October 1957 Sir Hugh Mackintosh Foot replaced Sir John Harding as the British Governor of Cyprus. Foot suggested five to seven years of self-government before any final decision. His plan rejected both enosis and taksim. The Turkish Cypriot response to this plan was a series of anti-British demonstrations in Nicosia on 27 and 28 January 1958 rejecting the proposed plan because the plan did not include partition. The British then withdrew the plan.

 

In 1957, Black Gang, a Turkish Cypriot pro-taksim paramilitary organisation, was formed to patrol a Turkish Cypriot enclave, the Tahtakale district of Nicosia, against activities of EOKA. The organisation later attempted to grow into a national scale, but failed to gain public support.

 

By 1958, signs of dissatisfaction with the British increased on both sides, with a group of Turkish Cypriots forming Volkan (later renamed to the Turkish Resistance Organisation) paramilitary group to promote partition and the annexation of Cyprus to Turkey as dictated by the Menderes plan. Volkan initially consisted of roughly 100 members, with the stated aim of raising awareness in Turkey of the Cyprus issue and courting military training and support for Turkish Cypriot fighters from the Turkish government.

 

In June 1958, the British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, was expected to propose a plan to resolve the Cyprus issue. In light of the new development, the Turks rioted in Nicosia to promote the idea that Greek and Turkish Cypriots could not live together and therefore any plan that did not include partition would not be viable. This violence was soon followed by bombing, Greek Cypriot deaths and looting of Greek Cypriot-owned shops and houses. Greek and Turkish Cypriots started to flee mixed population villages where they were a minority in search of safety. This was effectively the beginning of the segregation of the two communities. On 7 June 1958, a bomb exploded at the entrance of the Turkish Embassy in Cyprus. Following the bombing, Turkish Cypriots looted Greek Cypriot properties. On 26 June 1984, the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktaş, admitted on British channel ITV that the bomb was placed by the Turks themselves in order to create tension. On 9 January 1995, Rauf Denktaş repeated his claim to the famous Turkish newspaper Milliyet in Turkey.

 

The crisis reached a climax on 12 June 1958, when eight Greeks, out of an armed group of thirty five arrested by soldiers of the Royal Horse Guards on suspicion of preparing an attack on the Turkish quarter of Skylloura, were killed in a suspected attack by Turkish Cypriot locals, near the village of Geunyeli, having been ordered to walk back to their village of Kondemenos.

 

After the EOKA campaign had begun, the British government successfully began to turn the Cyprus issue from a British colonial problem into a Greek-Turkish issue. British diplomacy exerted backstage influence on the Adnan Menderes government, with the aim of making Turkey active in Cyprus. For the British, the attempt had a twofold objective. The EOKA campaign would be silenced as quickly as possible, and Turkish Cypriots would not side with Greek Cypriots against the British colonial claims over the island, which would thus remain under the British. The Turkish Cypriot leadership visited Menderes to discuss the Cyprus issue. When asked how the Turkish Cypriots should respond to the Greek Cypriot claim of enosis, Menderes replied: "You should go to the British foreign minister and request the status quo be prolonged, Cyprus to remain as a British colony". When the Turkish Cypriots visited the British Foreign Secretary and requested for Cyprus to remain a colony, he replied: "You should not be asking for colonialism at this day and age, you should be asking for Cyprus be returned to Turkey, its former owner".

 

As Turkish Cypriots began to look to Turkey for protection, Greek Cypriots soon understood that enosis was extremely unlikely. The Greek Cypriot leader, Archbishop Makarios III, now set independence for the island as his objective.

 

Britain resolved to solve the dispute by creating an independent Cyprus. In 1959, all involved parties signed the Zurich Agreements: Britain, Turkey, Greece, and the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, Makarios and Dr. Fazil Kucuk, respectively. The new constitution drew heavily on the ethnic composition of the island. The President would be a Greek Cypriot, and the Vice-President a Turkish Cypriot with an equal veto. The contribution to the public service would be set at a ratio of 70:30, and the Supreme Court would consist of an equal number of judges from both communities as well as an independent judge who was not Greek, Turkish or British. The Zurich Agreements were supplemented by a number of treaties. The Treaty of Guarantee stated that secession or union with any state was forbidden, and that Greece, Turkey and Britain would be given guarantor status to intervene if that was violated. The Treaty of Alliance allowed for two small Greek and Turkish military contingents to be stationed on the island, and the Treaty of Establishment gave Britain sovereignty over two bases in Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

 

On 15 August 1960, the Colony of Cyprus became fully independent as the Republic of Cyprus. The new republic remained within the Commonwealth of Nations.

 

The new constitution brought dissatisfaction to Greek Cypriots, who felt it to be highly unjust for them for historical, demographic and contributional reasons. Although 80% of the island's population were Greek Cypriots and these indigenous people had lived on the island for thousands of years and paid 94% of taxes, the new constitution was giving the 17% of the population that was Turkish Cypriots, who paid 6% of taxes, around 30% of government jobs and 40% of national security jobs.

 

Within three years tensions between the two communities in administrative affairs began to show. In particular disputes over separate municipalities and taxation created a deadlock in government. A constitutional court ruled in 1963 Makarios had failed to uphold article 173 of the constitution which called for the establishment of separate municipalities for Turkish Cypriots. Makarios subsequently declared his intention to ignore the judgement, resulting in the West German judge resigning from his position. Makarios proposed thirteen amendments to the constitution, which would have had the effect of resolving most of the issues in the Greek Cypriot favour. Under the proposals, the President and Vice-President would lose their veto, the separate municipalities as sought after by the Turkish Cypriots would be abandoned, the need for separate majorities by both communities in passing legislation would be discarded and the civil service contribution would be set at actual population ratios (82:18) instead of the slightly higher figure for Turkish Cypriots.

 

The intention behind the amendments has long been called into question. The Akritas plan, written in the height of the constitutional dispute by the Greek Cypriot interior minister Polycarpos Georkadjis, called for the removal of undesirable elements of the constitution so as to allow power-sharing to work. The plan envisaged a swift retaliatory attack on Turkish Cypriot strongholds should Turkish Cypriots resort to violence to resist the measures, stating "In the event of a planned or staged Turkish attack, it is imperative to overcome it by force in the shortest possible time, because if we succeed in gaining command of the situation (in one or two days), no outside, intervention would be either justified or possible." Whether Makarios's proposals were part of the Akritas plan is unclear, however it remains that sentiment towards enosis had not completely disappeared with independence. Makarios described independence as "a step on the road to enosis".[31] Preparations for conflict were not entirely absent from Turkish Cypriots either, with right wing elements still believing taksim (partition) the best safeguard against enosis.

 

Greek Cypriots however believe the amendments were a necessity stemming from a perceived attempt by Turkish Cypriots to frustrate the working of government. Turkish Cypriots saw it as a means to reduce their status within the state from one of co-founder to that of minority, seeing it as a first step towards enosis. The security situation deteriorated rapidly.

 

Main articles: Bloody Christmas (1963) and Battle of Tillyria

An armed conflict was triggered after December 21, 1963, a period remembered by Turkish Cypriots as Bloody Christmas, when a Greek Cypriot policemen that had been called to help deal with a taxi driver refusing officers already on the scene access to check the identification documents of his customers, took out his gun upon arrival and shot and killed the taxi driver and his partner. Eric Solsten summarised the events as follows: "a Greek Cypriot police patrol, ostensibly checking identification documents, stopped a Turkish Cypriot couple on the edge of the Turkish quarter. A hostile crowd gathered, shots were fired, and two Turkish Cypriots were killed."

 

In the morning after the shooting, crowds gathered in protest in Northern Nicosia, likely encouraged by the TMT, without incident. On the evening of the 22nd, gunfire broke out, communication lines to the Turkish neighbourhoods were cut, and the Greek Cypriot police occupied the nearby airport. On the 23rd, a ceasefire was negotiated, but did not hold. Fighting, including automatic weapons fire, between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and militias increased in Nicosia and Larnaca. A force of Greek Cypriot irregulars led by Nikos Sampson entered the Nicosia suburb of Omorphita and engaged in heavy firing on armed, as well as by some accounts unarmed, Turkish Cypriots. The Omorphita clash has been described by Turkish Cypriots as a massacre, while this view has generally not been acknowledged by Greek Cypriots.

 

Further ceasefires were arranged between the two sides, but also failed. By Christmas Eve, the 24th, Britain, Greece, and Turkey had joined talks, with all sides calling for a truce. On Christmas day, Turkish fighter jets overflew Nicosia in a show of support. Finally it was agreed to allow a force of 2,700 British soldiers to help enforce a ceasefire. In the next days, a "buffer zone" was created in Nicosia, and a British officer marked a line on a map with green ink, separating the two sides of the city, which was the beginning of the "Green Line". Fighting continued across the island for the next several weeks.

 

In total 364 Turkish Cypriots and 174 Greek Cypriots were killed during the violence. 25,000 Turkish Cypriots from 103-109 villages fled and were displaced into enclaves and thousands of Turkish Cypriot houses were ransacked or completely destroyed.

 

Contemporary newspapers also reported on the forceful exodus of the Turkish Cypriots from their homes. According to The Times in 1964, threats, shootings and attempts of arson were committed against the Turkish Cypriots to force them out of their homes. The Daily Express wrote that "25,000 Turks have already been forced to leave their homes". The Guardian reported a massacre of Turks at Limassol on 16 February 1964.

 

Turkey had by now readied its fleet and its fighter jets appeared over Nicosia. Turkey was dissuaded from direct involvement by the creation of a United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) in 1964. Despite the negotiated ceasefire in Nicosia, attacks on the Turkish Cypriot persisted, particularly in Limassol. Concerned about the possibility of a Turkish invasion, Makarios undertook the creation of a Greek Cypriot conscript-based army called the "National Guard". A general from Greece took charge of the army, whilst a further 20,000 well-equipped officers and men were smuggled from Greece into Cyprus. Turkey threatened to intervene once more, but was prevented by a strongly worded letter from the American President Lyndon B. Johnson, anxious to avoid a conflict between NATO allies Greece and Turkey at the height of the Cold War.

 

Turkish Cypriots had by now established an important bridgehead at Kokkina, provided with arms, volunteers and materials from Turkey and abroad. Seeing this incursion of foreign weapons and troops as a major threat, the Cypriot government invited George Grivas to return from Greece as commander of the Greek troops on the island and launch a major attack on the bridgehead. Turkey retaliated by dispatching its fighter jets to bomb Greek positions, causing Makarios to threaten an attack on every Turkish Cypriot village on the island if the bombings did not cease. The conflict had now drawn in Greece and Turkey, with both countries amassing troops on their Thracian borders. Efforts at mediation by Dean Acheson, a former U.S. Secretary of State, and UN-appointed mediator Galo Plaza had failed, all the while the division of the two communities becoming more apparent. Greek Cypriot forces were estimated at some 30,000, including the National Guard and the large contingent from Greece. Defending the Turkish Cypriot enclaves was a force of approximately 5,000 irregulars, led by a Turkish colonel, but lacking the equipment and organisation of the Greek forces.

 

The Secretary-General of the United Nations in 1964, U Thant, reported the damage during the conflicts:

 

UNFICYP carried out a detailed survey of all damage to properties throughout the island during the disturbances; it shows that in 109 villages, most of them Turkish-Cypriot or mixed villages, 527 houses have been destroyed while 2,000 others have suffered damage from looting.

 

The situation worsened in 1967, when a military junta overthrew the democratically elected government of Greece, and began applying pressure on Makarios to achieve enosis. Makarios, not wishing to become part of a military dictatorship or trigger a Turkish invasion, began to distance himself from the goal of enosis. This caused tensions with the junta in Greece as well as George Grivas in Cyprus. Grivas's control over the National Guard and Greek contingent was seen as a threat to Makarios's position, who now feared a possible coup.[citation needed] The National Guard and Cyprus Police began patrolling the Turkish Cypriot enclaves of Ayios Theodoros and Kophinou, and on November 15 engaged in heavy fighting with the Turkish Cypriots.

 

By the time of his withdrawal 26 Turkish Cypriots had been killed. Turkey replied with an ultimatum demanding that Grivas be removed from the island, that the troops smuggled from Greece in excess of the limits of the Treaty of Alliance be removed, and that the economic blockades on the Turkish Cypriot enclaves be lifted. Grivas was recalled by the Athens Junta and the 12,000 Greek troops were withdrawn. Makarios now attempted to consolidate his position by reducing the number of National Guard troops, and by creating a paramilitary force loyal to Cypriot independence. In 1968, acknowledging that enosis was now all but impossible, Makarios stated, "A solution by necessity must be sought within the limits of what is feasible which does not always coincide with the limits of what is desirable."

 

After 1967 tensions between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots subsided. Instead, the main source of tension on the island came from factions within the Greek Cypriot community. Although Makarios had effectively abandoned enosis in favour of an 'attainable solution', many others continued to believe that the only legitimate political aspiration for Greek Cypriots was union with Greece.

 

On his arrival, Grivas began by establishing a nationalist paramilitary group known as the National Organization of Cypriot Fighters (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston B or EOKA-B), drawing comparisons with the EOKA struggle for enosis under the British colonial administration of the 1950s.

 

The military junta in Athens saw Makarios as an obstacle. Makarios's failure to disband the National Guard, whose officer class was dominated by mainland Greeks, had meant the junta had practical control over the Cypriot military establishment, leaving Makarios isolated and a vulnerable target.

 

During the first Turkish invasion, Turkish troops invaded Cyprus territory on 20 July 1974, invoking its rights under the Treaty of Guarantee. This expansion of Turkish-occupied zone violated International Law as well as the Charter of the United Nations. Turkish troops managed to capture 3% of the island which was accompanied by the burning of the Turkish Cypriot quarter, as well as the raping and killing of women and children. A temporary cease-fire followed which was mitigated by the UN Security Council. Subsequently, the Greek military Junta collapsed on July 23, 1974, and peace talks commenced in which a democratic government was installed. The Resolution 353 was broken after Turkey attacked a second time and managed to get a hold of 37% of Cyprus territory. The Island of Cyprus was appointed a Buffer Zone by the United Nations, which divided the island into two zones through the 'Green Line' and put an end to the Turkish invasion. Although Turkey announced that the occupied areas of Cyprus to be called the Federated Turkish State in 1975, it is not legitimised on a worldwide political scale. The United Nations called for the international recognition of independence for the Republic of Cyprus in the Security Council Resolution 367.

 

In the years after the Turkish invasion of northern Cyprus one can observe a history of failed talks between the two parties. The 1983 declaration of the independent Turkish Republic of Cyprus resulted in a rise of inter-communal tensions and made it increasingly hard to find mutual understanding. With Cyprus' interest of a possible EU membership and a new UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1997 new hopes arose for a fresh start. International involvement from sides of the US and UK, wanting a solution to the Cyprus dispute prior to the EU accession led to political pressures for new talks. The believe that an accession without a solution would threaten Greek-Turkish relations and acknowledge the partition of the island would direct the coming negotiations.

 

Over the course of two years a concrete plan, the Annan plan was formulated. In 2004 the fifth version agreed upon from both sides and with the endorsement of Turkey, US, UK and EU then was presented to the public and was given a referendum in both Cypriot communities to assure the legitimisation of the resolution. The Turkish Cypriots voted with 65% for the plan, however the Greek Cypriots voted with a 76% majority against. The Annan plan contained multiple important topics. Firstly it established a confederation of two separate states called the United Cyprus Republic. Both communities would have autonomous states combined under one unified government. The members of parliament would be chosen according to the percentage in population numbers to ensure a just involvement from both communities. The paper proposed a demilitarisation of the island over the next years. Furthermore it agreed upon a number of 45000 Turkish settlers that could remain on the island. These settlers became a very important issue concerning peace talks. Originally the Turkish government encouraged Turks to settle in Cyprus providing transfer and property, to establish a counterpart to the Greek Cypriot population due to their 1 to 5 minority. With the economic situation many Turkish-Cypriot decided to leave the island, however their departure is made up by incoming Turkish settlers leaving the population ratio between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots stable. However all these points where criticised and as seen in the vote rejected mainly by the Greek Cypriots. These name the dissolution of the „Republic of Cyprus", economic consequences of a reunion and the remaining Turkish settlers as reason. Many claim that the plan was indeed drawing more from Turkish-Cypriot demands then Greek-Cypriot interests. Taking in consideration that the US wanted to keep Turkey as a strategic partner in future Middle Eastern conflicts.

 

A week after the failed referendum the Republic of Cyprus joined the EU. In multiple instances the EU tried to promote trade with Northern Cyprus but without internationally recognised ports this spiked a grand debate. Both side endure their intention of negotiations, however without the prospect of any new compromises or agreements the UN is unwilling to start the process again. Since 2004 negotiations took place in numbers but without any results, both sides are strongly holding on to their position without an agreeable solution in sight that would suit both parties.

  

AT the time when every one had left the neighbourhood of the Cross, and a few guards alone stood around it, I saw five persons, who I think were disciples, and who had come by the valley from Bethania, draw nigh to Calvary, gaze for a few moments upon the Cross, and then steal away. Three times I met in the vicinity two men who were making examinations and anxiously consulting together. These men were Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. The first time was during the Crucifixion (perhaps when they caused the clothes of Jesus to be brought back from the soldiers), and they were then at no great distance from Calvary. The second was when, after standing to look whether the crowd was dispersing, they went to the tomb to make some preparations. The third was on their return from the tomb to the Cross, when they were looking around in every direction, as if waiting for a favourable moment, and then concerted together as to the manner in which they should take the body of our Lord down from the Cross, after which they returned to the town.

 

Their next care was to make arrangements for carrying with them the necessary articles for embalming the body, and their servants took some tools with which to detach it from the Cross, as well as two ladders which they found in a barn close to Nicodemus’s house. Each of these ladders consisted of a single pole, crossed at regular intervals by pieces of wood, which formed the steps. There were hooks which could be fastened on any part of the pole, and by means of which the ladder could be steadied, or on which, perhaps, anything required for the work could also be hung.

   

282

 

The woman from whom they had bought their spices had packed the whole neatly together. Nicodemus had bought a hundred pounds’ weight of roots, which quantity is equal to about thirty-seven pounds of our measure, as has been explained to me. They carried these spices in little barrels made of bark, which were hung round their necks, and rested on their breasts. One of these barrels contained some sort of powder. They had also some bundles of herbs in bags made of parchment or leather, and Joseph carried a box of ointment; but I do not know what this box was made of. The servants were to carry vases, leathern bottles, sponges, and tools, on a species of litter, and they likewise took fire with them in a closed lantern. They left the town before their master, and by a different gate (perhaps that of Bethania), and then turned their steps towards Mount Calvary. As they walked through the town they passed by the house where the Blessed Virgin, St. John, and the holy women had gone to seek different things required for embalming the body of Jesus, and John and the holy women followed the servants at a certain distance. The women were about five in number, and some of them carried large bundles of linen under their mantles. It was the custom for women, when they went out in the evening, or if intending to perform some work of piety secretly, to wrap their persons carefully in a long sheet at least a yard wide. They began by one arm, and then wound the linen so closely round their body that they could not walk without difficulty. I have seen them wrapped up in this manner, and the sheet not only extended to both arms, but likewise veiled the head. On the present occasion, the appearance of this dress was most striking in my eyes, for it was a real mourning garment. Joseph and Nicodemus were also in mourning attire, and wore black sleeves and wide sashes. Their cloaks, which they had drawn over their heads, were both wide and long, of a common grey colour, and served to conceal everything that they were carrying.

   

283

 

They turned their steps in the direction of the gate leading to Mount Calvary. The streets were deserted and quiet, for terror kept every one at home. The greatest number were beginning to repent, and but few were keeping the festival. When Joseph and Nicodemus reached the gate they found it closed, and the road, streets, and every corner lined with soldiers. These were the soldiers whom the Pharisees had asked for at about two o’clock, and whom they had kept under arms and on guard, as they still feared a tumult among the people. Joseph showed an order, signed by Pilate, to let them pass freely, and the soldiers were most willing that they should do so, but explained to him that they had endeavoured several times to open the gate, without being able to move it; that apparently the gate had received a shock, and been strained in some part; and that on this account the archers sent to break the legs of the thieves had been obliged to return to the city by another gate. But when Joseph and Nicodemus seized hold of the bolt, the gate opened as if of itself, to the great astonishment of all the bystanders.

 

It was still dark and the sky cloudy when they reached Mount Calvary, where they found the servants who had been sent on already arrived, and the holy women sitting weeping in front of the Cross. Cassius and several soldiers who were converted remained at a certain distance, and their demeanour was respectful and reserved. Joseph and Nicodemus described to the Blessed Virgin and John all they had done to save Jesus from an ignominious death, and learned from them how they had succeeded in preventing the bones of our Lord from being broken, and how the prophecy had been fulfilled. They spoke also of the wound which Cassius had made with his lance. No sooner was the centurion Abenadar arrived than they began, with the deepest recollection of spirit, their mournful and sacred labour of taking down from the Cross and embalming the adorable body of our Lord.

   

284

 

The Blessed Virgin and Magdalen were seated at the foot of the Cross; while, on the right-hand side, between the cross of Dismas and that of Jesus, the other women were engaged in preparing the linen, spices, water, sponges, and vases. Cassius also came forward, and related to Abenadar the miraculous cure of his dyes. All were deeply affected, and their hearts overflowing with sorrow and love; but, at the same time, they preserved a solemn silence, and their every movement was full of gravity and reverence. Nothing broke the stillness save an occasional smothered word of lamentation, or a stifled groan, which escaped from one or other of these holy personages, in spite of their earnest eagerness and deep attention to their pious labour. Magdalen gave way unrestrainedly to her sorrow, and neither the presence of so many different persons, nor any other consideration, appeared to distract her from it.

 

Nicodemus and Joseph placed the ladders behind the Cross, and mounted them, holding in their hands a large sheet, to which three long straps were fastened. They tied the body of Jesus, below the arms and knees, to the tree of the Cross, and secured the arms by pieces of linen placed underneath the hands. Then they drew Out the nails, by pushing them from behind with strong pins pressed upon the points. The sacred hands of Jesus were thus not much shaken, and the nails fell easily out of the wounds; for the latter had been made wider by the weight of the body, which, being now supported by the cloth, no longer hung on the nails. The lower part of the body, which since our Lord’s death had sunk down on the knees, now rested in a natural position, supported by a sheet fastened above to the arms of the Cross. Whilst Joseph was taking out the nail from the left hand, and then allowing the left arm, supported by its cloth, to fall gently down upon the body, Nicodemus was fastening the right arm of Jesus to that of the Cross, as also the sacred crowned head, which had sunk on the right shoulder. Then he took out the right nail, and having surrounded the arm with its supporting sheet, let it fall gently on to the body. At the same time, the centurion Abenadar, with great difficulty, drew out the large nail which transfixed the feet. Cassius devoutly received the nails, and laid them at the feet of the Blessed Virgin.

   

285

 

Then Joseph and Nicodemus, having placed ladders against the front of the Cross, in a very upright position, and close to the body, untied the upper strap, and fastened it to one of the hooks on the ladder; they did the same with the two other straps, and passing them all on from hook to hook, caused the sacred body to descend gently towards the centurion, who having mounted upon a stool received it in his arms, holding it below the knees; while Joseph and Nicodemus, supporting the upper part of the body, came gently down the ladder, stopping at every step, and taking every imaginable precaution, as would be done by men bearing the body of some beloved friend who had been grievously wounded. Thus did the bruised body of our Divine Saviour reach the ground.

 

It was a most touching sight. They all took the same precautions, the same care, as if they had feared to cause Jesus some suffering. They seemed to have concentrated on the sacred body all the love and veneration which they had felt for their Saviour during his life. The eyes of each were fixed upon the adorable body, and followed all its movements; and they were continually uplifting their hands towards Heaven, shedding tears, and expressing in every possible way the excess of their grief and anguish. Yet they all remained perfectly calm, and even those who were so busily occupied about the sacred body broke silence but seldom, and, when obliged to make some necessary remark, did so in a low voice. During the time that the nails were being forcibly removed by blows of the hammer, the Blessed Virgin, Magdalen, and all those who had been present at the Crucifixion, felt each blow transfix their hearts. The sound recalled to their minds all the sufferings of Jesus, and they could not control their trembling fear, lest they should again hear his piercing cry of suffering; although, at the same time, they grieved at the silence of his blessed lips, which proved, alas too surely, that he was really dead. When the body was taken down it was wrapped in linen from the knees to the waist, and then placed in the arms of the Blessed Virgin, who, overwhelmed with sorrow and love, stretched them forth to receive their precious burden.

  

I was asked a few weeks back, if I fancied meeting up with friends, Simon and Cam for a few bears and a crawl round Ipswich.

 

Seemed a great idea, but checking Network Rain this week, I found that there were replacement buses out of Liverpool Street to Whitham and out of Cambridge. The first added an hour to the trip to Ipswich, the second, 90 minutes.

 

Jools said she would enjoy a trip out and a walk around Manningtree, so we could go in the car, I would drive up, she would drive back, and we would both have some exercise and I would meet friends.

 

Perfect.

 

Although we had planned to go to Tesco first, in the end we had breakfast and set off at half seven, eager to get some miles under our belts before traffic really built at Dartford.

 

Up the A2 in bright sunshine, it was a great day for travel, but also I thought it might have been good for checking out orchid woods back home. But a change is always good, and it has been nearly 9 years since Simon invited me for a tour round historic Ipswich, showing there was almost as much history there than in Norwich to the north.

 

Into Essex before nine, and arriving in Ipswich before ten, we decided to find somewhere for breakfast first before going our separate ways.

 

A large breakfast later, we split up, and I went to wander north to St Margaret's church, which I had been into on that trip 9 years back, but my shots not so good.

 

I found many interesting places in-between the modern buildings and urban sprawl, timber framed houses, Tudor brick and much more beside.

 

Sadly, St Margaret was locked. I could see the notice on the porch door, so I didn't go up to see what it said.

 

I wandered back, found St Mary le Tower open, so went in and took over a hundred shots, soaking in the fine Victorian glass and carved bench ends, even if they were 19th century and not older.

 

In the south chapel, a group were talking quietly, so I tried not to disturb them, only realising how loud the shutter on the camera was.

 

The font took my eye first, as it is a well preserved one from the 15th century. Though these are common in East Anglia, not so in deepest Kent, so I snapped it from all directions, recording each mark of the carver's tools.

 

The clocked ticked round to midday, and so I made my way to the quayside where I was to meet my friends.

 

Simon lives in Ipswich, but Cam and David had come down on the train from the Fine City. We met at the Briarbank Brewery Tap where I had a couple of mocha porters, which were very nice indeed.

 

From there we went to the Dove where we had two more beers as well as lunch.

 

And finally a walk to The Spread Eagle for one final beer before I walked back to Portman Road to meet Jools at the car.

 

Jools drove us back to the A12, and pointed the car south. As we drove, dusk fell and rain began to fall. Not very pleasant. But at least traffic was light, so in an hour we were on the M25 and twenty minutes later over the river and back in Kent.

 

Rain fell steadily as we cruised down the M20, past the familiar landmarks until we were back in Dover. Where we had to make a pit stop at M and S, as we needed supplies, and something for supper.

 

Not sure that garlic bread and wine counts as a meal, but did for us, so at half nine, we climbed the hill to bed.

 

--------------------------------------------------

 

Ipswich is the county town of Suffolk, and is also probably the longest continuously occupied town in England. Here on the River Gipping, in the south of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of East Anglia, a number of 7th Century industrial villages grew together, and since then Ipswich has always been an industrial and commercial town, processing the produce of the land round about, and exporting it up the River Orwell to other parts of England and the continent. It was wealthy in the late medieval period, but it suffered from being cut off from its European markets by the outfall from the Reformation. A strongly puritan town in the 17th Century, a quiet backwater in the 18th Century, it was not until the Industrial Revolution that it rose to commercial prominence again, with heavy industry producing agricultural machinery, vehicles and other ironwork. It would continue to be important industrially until the 1980s, but then most of the factories closed, and the town has not yet recovered.

The townscape is punctuated by church towers and spires, for Ipswich has twelve surviving medieval churches. Remarkably, six of them are still in use, and of these St Mary le Tower is the biggest and most prominent. Its spire rises sixty metres above the rooftops, making it the second tallest building in the town after the Mill apartment block on the Waterfront. There was a church here in 1200, when the Borough of Ipswich came into being in the churchyard by the declaration of the granting of a charter. The medieval church had a spire until it came down in the hurricane of 1661. When the Diocese of Norwich oversaw the restoration of the church in the mid-19th Century the decision was taken for a complete rebuild in stone on the same site. It is almost entirely the work of diocesan surveyor Richard Phipson, who worked on it over a period of twenty years in the 1850s and 1860s, including replacing the spire, and so this is East Anglia's urban Victorian church par excellence. The rebuilding was bankrolled by the wealthy local Bacon banking family. It is a large church, built more or less on the plan of its predecessor, full of the spirit of its age. One could no more imagine Ipswich without the Tower than without the Orwell Bridge.

 

The length of the church splits the churchyard into two quite separate parts, the south side a public space, the walled north side atmospheric and secretive. The large cross to the south-west of the tower is not a war memorial. It remembers John Patteson, Bishop of Melanesia, murdered by some of his flock in the 1870s. Treated as a martyr by the press of the day, Patteson appears to have had no local connection, but the Pattesons had intermarried with the Cobbolds, an important local family, and Patteson Road by Ipswich docks also remembers him. There never was a north door, and the west doors are beautiful and liturgically correct but perhaps not useful, since they are below street level and the path merely leads round to the south, allowing processions but no access from Tower Street. The flushwork is exuberant, and makes you think that being a flint-knapper must have been a good living in the 1860s. As with the medieval predecessor, the entrance is through the tower which forms a porch on the south side, in common with about thirty other East Anglian churches. Until the 1860s there was a further castellated porch on the south side of the tower, something in the style of the Hadleigh Deanery tower, but this was removed. You can see it in as photograph at the top of this page. And looking at this photograph, it is hard not to think that Phipson retained at least part of the lower stage of the tower.

 

There is a small statue of the church's patron saint in the niche above the entrance, by the sculptor Richard Pfeiffer. Away to the east, the same sculptor produced St John the Evangelist and St Mary of Magdala on the end of the chancel, and there is more of his work inside. You step into the tower porch under vaulting. A small door in the north-east corner leads up into the ringing chamber and beyond that the belfry, with a ring of twelve bells. The south doorway into the church has stops representing the Annunciation, with the angel to the west, and Mary at her prayer desk to the east. As part of a Millennium project this doorway was painted and gilded. It leads through into the south aisle, beyond which the wide nave seems to swallow all sound, a powerful transition from the outside. Polished wood and tile gleam under coloured light from large windows filled with 19th Century glass. At one time the walls were stencilled, but this was removed in the 1960s. The former church was dark and serious inside, as a drawing in the north aisle shows, so it must have made quite a contrast when the townspeople first entered their new church.

 

The font by the doorway is the first of a number of significant survivals from the old church. It's one of the 15th Century East Anglian series of which several hundred survive, all slightly different. It is in good condition, and you can't help thinking that this is ironically because Ipswich was a town which embraced protestantism whole-heartedly after the Reformation, and it is likely that the font was plastered over in the mid-16th Century to make it plain and simple. The lions around the pillar stand on human heads, and there are more heads beneath the bowl. The next survival that comes into view is the pair of 15th Century benches at the west end of the nave. The bench ends are clerics holding books, and above them memorable finials depicting two lions, a dragon and what might be a cat or a dog.

  

The box pews were removed as part of Phipson's restoration and replaced with high quality benches. The front row are the Borough Corporation seats, a mace rest and a sword rest in front of them. The carvings on the ends of the benches are seahorses, the creatures that hold the shield on the Ipswich Borough arms, and on the finials in front are lions holding ships, the crest of the Borough. As you might expect in Ipswich these are by Henry Ringham, whose church carving was always of a high quality, and is perhaps best known at Woolpit and Combs. His workshop on St John's Road employed fifty people at the time of the 1861 census, but by the following year he was bankrupt, and so the work here is likely some of the last that he produced. He died in 1866, and Ringham Road in East Ipswich remembers him.

 

Moving into the chancel, the other major survival is a collection of late 15th and early 16th Century brasses. Altogether there are ten large figures, but in fact some of them represent the same person more than once. The most memorable is probably that of Alys Baldry, who died in 1507. She lies between her two husbands. The first, Robert Wimbill, is on the right. He died in about 1477. He was a notary, and his ink pot and pen case hang from his belt. Her second husband, Thomas Baldry, is on the left. He died in 1525. He was a merchant, and his merchant mark is set beneath his feet next to Alys's five daughters and four sons.

 

Alys Baldry, Robert Wimbill and Thomas Baldry are all depicted in further brasses here. The best of these is that to Robert. It was commissioned by his will in the 1470s. He lies on his own with a Latin inscription which translates as 'My hope lies in my heart. Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on me.' His ink pot and pen case hang from his belt again, and between his feet are a skull and scattered bones, an early memento mori. Thomas Baldry's own brass memorial shows him lying between his two wives, Alys who we have already met, and his second wife Christian. The other group of three figures depicts Thomas Drayll, a merchant, with his wives Margaret and Agnes. Thomas died in 1512. The arms of the Cinque Ports are set above him, and a large merchant mark is beneath his feet. Several inscriptions are missing, and we know that when the iconoclast William Dowsing visited the church on 29th Janary 1644 he ordered the removal of six brass inscriptions with Ora pro nobis ('pray for us') and Ora pro animabus ('pray for our souls'), and Cujus animae propitietur deus ('on whose soul may God have mercy') and pray for the soul in English.

 

The spectacular sanctuary with its imposing reredos, piscina and sedilia was clearly designed for shadowy, incense-led worship. A lush Arts and Crafts crucifixion surmounts the altar. East Anglian saints flank the walls. James Bettley, revising the Buildings of England volume for East Suffolk, records that it was the work of Somers, Clarke & Micklethwaite in the 1880s. The chancel is only lit from the east window, emphasising the focus from the rest of the church. The set of twelve apostles and twelve angels on the choir stalls are also by Pfeiffer. You can see his signature on the back of St Luke's icon of the Blessed Virgin. This sanctuary is the ultimate expression of late 19th Century Tractarianism in Suffolk. Back in the nave, the early 18th Century pulpit speaks of a different liturgical age, when this church was a preaching house rather than a sacramental space. James Bettley credits its carving to James Hubbard, and notes its similarity to that in the Unitarian Meeting House a few hundred yards off. The 19th Century screen that stood in the chancel arch and separated these two liturgical ages was moved to the east end of the north aisle as an organ screen some time in the 20th Century.

 

Another screen separates off the Lady Chapel from the south aisle and the chancel. The chapel is a pleasing period piece, furnished sentimentally. The reredos, by Arthur Wallace in 1907, depicts the Supper at Emmaus flanked by Moses and Elijah in an echo of the Transfiguration. The early 20th Century paintings on the south wall are lovely, especially the infant Christ as he plays at the feet of St Joseph. But the overwhelming atmosphere of this church comes from its extensive range of 19th Century glass, the largest collection in Suffolk. It provides a catalogue of some of the major 19th Century workshops over a fairly short period, from the 1850s to the 1880s. Much of it is by Clayton & Bell, who probably received the commission for east and west windows and south aisle as part of Phipson's rebuilding contract. Other major workshops include those of William Wailes, the O'Connors and Lavers, Barraud & Westlake. A small amount of 1840s glass in the north aisle was reset here from the previous church. There are photographs of the glass at the bottom of this page.

 

As was common in major 19th Century restorations, the memorials that once flanked the walls were collected together and reset at the west end of the nave. At St Mary le Tower this was a major task, for there are a lot of them. The most famous is that to William Smart, MP for Ipswich in the late 16th Century. It is painted on boards. His inscription is a long acrostic, and he kneels at the bottom opposite his wife. between them is a panoramic view of the Ipswich townscape as it was in 1599, the year that he died, a remarkable snapshot of the past. Other memorials include those of the 17th Century when Ipswich was the heartland of firebrand protestant East Anglia. Matthew Lawrence, who died in 1653, was the publike preacher of this towne. There are more memorials in the north chancel aisle, now divided up as vestries. The best of these is to John and Elizabeth Robinson. He died in 1666. They kneel at their prayer desks, and below them are their children Thomas, John, Mary and Elizabeth, who all predeceased their mother. Also here are memorials to a number of the Cobbold family, who were not only important locally but even provided ministers for this church.

 

There are more Cobbold memorials in the nave, including one in glass at the west end of the north aisle. It is dedicated to Lucy Chevallier Cobbold, and depicts her with her daughter at the Presentation in the Temple. The Cobbold family embraced Tractarianism wholeheartedly, being largely responsible for the building of St Bartholomew near their home at Holywells Park. They probably had an influence over the Bacon family, whose wealth went towards the rebuilding, and whose symbol of a boar can be seen in the floor tiles. A good set of Stuart royal arms hangs above the west doorway.

 

I can't imagine what the 17th Century parishioners would make of this church if they could come back and see it now. Trevor Cooper, in his edition of The Journals of William Dowsing, recalls that the atmosphere in the town was so strongly puritan that in the 1630s the churchwardens were excommunicated for refusing to carry out the sacramentalist reforms of Archbishop Laud. The reforms demanded that the altar be returned to the chancel and railed in, but this was considered idolatrous by the parishioners. When the visitation commissioners of the Bishop of Norwich came to the church in April 1636 to see if the commands had been carried out, the churchwardens refused to give up the keys... verbally assaulting them and and confronting them with 'musketts charged, swords, staves and other weapons'.

 

Frank Grace, in his 'Schismaticall and Factious Humours': Opposition in Ipswich to Laudian Church Government, records a number of other incidents both here and in other Ipswich churches in the late 1630s, including an attack on 'a conformable minister' (that is to say one faithful to the Bishop) by a mob as well as a stranger who was invited by the town bailiffs to preach a very factious and seditious sermon in Tower church to a large congregation against the authority of the incumbent, who no doubt was held at bay while the ranting went on. As with all the Ipswich churches, the iconoclast William Dowsing was welcomed with open arms by the churchwardens here on his visit of January 1644. Looking around at Phipson's sacramental glory, it is hard to imagine now.

  

Simon Knott, December 2022

 

www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/stmaryletower.htm

Quotes About Shiva

 

Quotes tagged as "shiva" (showing 1-19 of 19)

Amish Tripathi

“Don't turn blue all over now.”

― Amish Tripathi, The Immortals of Meluha

 

“Fire is His head, the sun and moon His eyes, space His ears, the Vedas His speech, the wind His breath, the universe His heart. From His feet the Earth has originated. Verily, He is the inner self of all beings.”

― Anonymous,

“The faithful of Shiva or Dionysus seek contact with those forces which...lead to a refusal of the politics, ambitions and limitations of ordinary social life. This does not involve simply a recognition of world harmony, but also an active participation in an experience which surpasses and upsets the order of material life.”

― Alain Daniélou,

Renee Ahdieh

“The moment I saw him running toward you that morning, I knew you were going to save him, just as he saved you.”

― Renee Ahdieh, The Rose & the Dagger

 

“Listen, O lord of the meeting rivers,

things standing shall fall,

but the moving ever shall stay.”

― Basava, The Lord of the Meeting Rivers: Devotional Poems of Basavanna

 

Robin Rumi

“I am Shakti, as well as Shiva. I am everything male and female, light and dark, flesh and spirit. Perfectly balanced in one single moment lasting an eternity...”

― Robin Rumi, Naked Morsels: Short Stories of Spiritual Erotica

 

“The rich will make temples for Siva. What shall I, a poor man, do? My legs are pillars, the body the shrine, the head the cupola of gold.”

― Basava

 

“Lord Shiva, you my sunshine, my soul, Sivoham.”

― Usha Cosmico

 

Aporva Kala

“Jai Shiv shambu, shiv shankar, Jai Bhole..”

― Aporva Kala, Life... Love... Kumbh...

 

“When Shiva beats his DAMRU- Evil Shakes !! while the Wise Awakes!”

― True Krishna Priya, End of Humanity-3rd World War- The Great Revolution- Mass Dna Upgrade- Nwo of Yogic Elite

 

Sushil Singh

“i am here and now in all this Omnipresent , i am the universe.”

― Sushil Singh

 

Satyen Nabar

“I screwed up guys, real big time; holy great grandmother of all screw-ups!”

― Satyen Nabar, A Bolt of Lightning

 

Balajinnatha Pandita

“Starting from the source of vibrant Consciousness, the first two tattvas of Shaivism are (1) Shiva tattva and (2) Shakti tattva. It is important to understand at the beginning that these two tattvas are only linguistic conventions and are not actually part of creation. According to the deep yogic experience of the sages of this philosophy, there is no difference between Shiva tattva and Shakti tattva. They are both actually one with Paramasiva. They are considered to be two tattvas only for the convenience of philosophical thinking and as a way of clarifying the two aspects of the one absolute reality, Paramasiva. These two aspects are Shiva, the transcendental unity, and Shakti, the universal diversity. The changeless, absolute and pure consciousness is Shiva, while the natural tendency of Shiva towards the outward manifestation of the five divine activities is Shakti. So, even though Shiva is Shakti, and Shakti is Shiva, and even though both are merely aspects of the same reality called Paramasiva, still, these concepts of Shiva-hood and Shakti-hood are counted as the first two tattvas. These two tattvas are at the plane of absolute purity and perfect unity.

 

— B. N. Pandit, Specific Principles of Kashmir Shaivism (3rd ed., 2008), p. 73.”

― Balajinnatha Pandita, Specific Principles of Kashmir Saivism

 

Balajinnatha Pandita

“The essential nature of samvit is the subtle stir of spanda. The introverted and extroverted movements of spanda cause samvit to manifest itself in both the noumenal and phenomenal aspects of creation. These two aspects of samvit are known in Shaivism as Shiva (transcendent) and Shakti (universal). Shiva and Shakti are the two names given to the monistic Absolute (Paramasiva) when it is being considered in its dual aspects of eternal and transcendent changelessness (Shiva), and the ever-changing and immanent manifestation of universal appearances (Shakti).

 

— B. N. Pandit, Specific Principles of Kashmir Shaivism (3rd ed., 2008), p. 17–18.”

― Balajinnatha Pandita, Specific Principles of Kashmir Saivism

tags: kashmir-shaivism, paramashiva, samvit, shakti, shiva, spanda 3 likes Like

Balajinnatha Pandita

“It is important to understand that, according to Kashmir Shaivism, this analysis of all phenomena into thirty six tattvas is not an absolute truth. It has been worked out by the authors of the philosophy as a tool of understanding for the ever-active and inquiring mind and as a form for contemplative meditation. Through further analysis, the number of tattvas can be increased to any level. Similarly, through synthesis, they can be decreased down to one tattva alone. In fact this has been done in the Tantraloka, where one can find doctrines of contemplation on fifteen, thirteen, eleven, nine, seven, five, and as few as three tattvas as well. The practitioners of the Trika system use only three tattvas in the process of a quick sadhana: Shiva representing the absolute unity, Shakti representing the link between duality and unity, and Nara representing the extreme duality. [Shakti is the path through which Shiva descends to the position of Nara and the latter ascends to the position of Shiva.] Finally, a highly advanced Shiva yogin sees only the Shiva tattva in the whole of creation. However, since the contemplative practice of tattvadhvadharana used in anava upaya includes meditation on all thirty sex tattvas, that is the number commonly accepted by the Shaivas of both northern and southern India.

 

— B. N. Pandit, Specific Principles of Kashmir Shaivism (3rd ed., 2008), p. 79.”

― Balajinnatha Pandita, Specific Principles of Kashmir Saivism

 

“Sivtatva’ and ‘Saktitatva’ (Lord Shiva and Holy Mother Kali) – Father’s semen in mother’s womb, both combined. Next I am born – ‘Sadasiva’ which means a continuous hilarity within my body. Next comes ‘Iswartatwa’ – Man becomes God and he is so made (One is All); ‘Sadvidyatatva’ – All these I am – All is One – I am all these, which is in action. What is that? Suppose in the spiritual world whatever will reveal within the brain will be flashed among the human race and by such phenomenon the world will get real benefit.”

― Sri Jibankrishna or Diamond

 

Sushil Singh

“OM NAMAH SHIVAYA

 

prayer of Five Element which i(universe) Exist.”

― Sushil Singh

 

“Only when you go beyond Mind, will you be able to respect the energy that inhabits us; until then you will either exploit others with your energy or will deplete your energy, leading a purposeless life!”

― Ramana Pemmaraju

 

Sushil Singh

“On the Sivaratri day after performing the routine, the devotee shall go to the temple of Siva and perform worship.”

― Sushil Singh

and banquo was a urhardt..urhqharts go like the we are the sum of our parts

 

what could cesar do to me He's good bloke cubli the camel with the beard you're not the only kahn..MADLINE kahn and the witherspoon a duaghter of the revolution stateside..SEE what I can do now...married "IN"

 

oh securito...is that why i owe you the money a "stop" missing where did the money go..and in goodfellas we don't pay for any thing baordadmin many are getting WHAM gettiong Bored with "IT" FUNNY PAGES...and clint eastwood says if i see another movie with men in tights..cowboys what the JOker was good? in the method...and then great spirit POM's and samerian solution and jesus laughed and hug me the great feast what cesar do to me that far in the past bendict..is there a scribe he I blew my melbourne cup bet the more you do this They whink I"M stewpid..and the goodfellas don't pay for anything..which has always been an issue with the marf...here's how many years unapid RENT pay the rent aboboriginals in the block ALL OF it 1/2 back

 

they don't pay for anything and in boardwalk empire IF i find any money in and crazed he cut a priest dick up like pealing a cucumber and they obsess over cap laughing Nothing much has change and then middle managers making work for them selves AUSTRLIAN passsport off 1800 phone in line BARRED collect all there names CONVICTS jailed..didn't get on board just transpfer it back I want all the names do i can apoligise ghettoing 100 and 1000 just so I don't want to be a senator..stewpid look at the smile JUMP "it" LOU and they grab their balls...And i RAIL all for shand...and rup gets a divorce cause dang said wait till they contact chinese intell then POH first wife don't forget your first wife is sent away for making too much fun of him..and the holy spirit falls on me whait a sec back bone "bend" I can't feel this stuff any more ST MARK blessing why didn't it BEND when i said sick fuck after ab fab blowing in you pants you better check you hands and advance version of a trannie gioving you head skip trace those names...expletive..that suspious cauuse fuck is legal in GUILD it should of bend and then IS there a scribe around that's supious..

(W.Bro.) SE Brian Aikins was very welcoming!

 

Links:

Royal Arch Principals No.1 - Zerubbabel: youtu.be/Lp5gYXhHJYs

  

www.royalarchmasons.on.ca/

 

www.torontomasons.com/york_rite_freemason.htm

 

www.torontomasons.com/york_rite_freemason.htm

 

www.knightstemplar.ca/links.html

 

ul705.com/a-royal.htm

 

York Rite of Masonry - Oldest Freemason Branch

 

The symbolic degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason, as conferred in Canada, are degrees of the York Rite.

 

York Masonry is the oldest and best known of all Masonic Rites.

 

It takes its name from York, England, where the earliest known record of Masonry exists, dating from about A.D. 923.

 

Masonry´s first written record is centered around York, the seat of the Ancient York Grand Lodge. In 1813, this Grand Lodge merged with another group called the Modern Grand Lodge, to form the United Grand Lodge of England. This is the basis upon which our present system of Symbolic Lodge Masonry is built.

You, as a Master Mason, have received the first three degrees of the York Rite. Having begun your Masonic work in the York Rite, it is natural that you should want to continue with it.

 

According to Masonic legend, every man raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason received “substitute secrets”, as the “true secrets” were lost. It may prove a surprise to the average man, believing his work is completed, to be told that the secrets pertaining to the ceremony will not be given to him! This is unfortunate, but the veil is lifted in the degree of the Royal Arch, and in that degree only. Hence, no man actually becomes a Master Mason until he is exalted to that holy order.

 

Some would have the newly raised Master Mason believe that he can receive the secrets and word in a degree other than the Royal Arch. This is not true, historically or otherwise. The mother Grand Lodge of England was so emphatic regarding the necessity of the Royal Arch degree that many years ago, it set forth this as Paragraph One (1) of its Laws and Regulations:

“By the solemn act of the union between the two Grand Lodges of Freemasons of England in December, 1813, it was declared and pronounced that Pure Ancient Masonry consists of three degrees and no more, viz: those of the Entered Apprentice, the Fellowcraft, and the Master Mason, INCLUDING THE SUPREME ORDER OF THE HOLY ROYAL ARCH.”

 

On the North American Continent, there are additional degrees in the system, supplementing the work of the Lodge, Chapter, and Council, and the Orders conferred in the Commandery have been arranged into a system or Rite referred to as the American, Canadian, or York Rite of Freemasonry. It is American in structure, as it is a democratic organization in which every member has a voice and a right to be heard.

 

2. ROYAL ARCH MASONRY

 

The various local Chapters operate under the jurisdiction of the “Grand Chapter” of Province - Royal Arch Masons of Canada in the Province of Ontario. There is also the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons International. The General Grand Chapter constitutes the largest Masonic Body in the world though it is not recognized by the Province.

 

The Chapter confers four degrees (Capitular Degrees), giving a complete story of Masonic symbolism, in the following order:

 

Mark Master

 

Past Master (Virtual) (International not Ontarian)

 

Most Excellent Master

 

Royal Arch

 

The Mark Master degree is perhaps the oldest Masonic degree, and is one of the most highly respected. It teaches practical lessons for everyday living. This degree supplements the Fellowcraft Degree.

 

The Past Master degree teaches the candidate the important duties and responsibilities of the Oriental Chair, and is qualification for advancement.

 

It is commonly known that the symbolism of Freemasonry surrounds the building of the Temple. In symbolic Free-Masonry, the Temple is never completed. In the Most Excellent Master degree, we are taught the lessons of the completion and dedication of the Temple.

 

In the degree of the Royal Arch, the epitome of Masonic symbolism is found. It has been said “the Royal Arch is the root, heart and marrow of Masonry, without knowledge of which the Masonic character cannot be complete”.

 

The Royal Arch degree is the completion of the whole system of Freemasonry. Having begun regular advancement through the Symbolic Lodge, it is the duty of each Master Mason to complete the degree series. He who has sought further Masonic education should return to the Symbolic Lodge, retrace his steps and advance through the Rite until he can receive the climax of Masonic symbolism, as taught in the Royal Arch.

Only those who have attained the Royal Arch may be said to have completed their Masonic Work.

 

3. CRYPTIC MASONRY

 

The Councils of Cryptic Masons operate under the jurisdiction of the Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of each state and most Grand Councils operate under the General Grand Council of the United States. They confer the following three degrees:

 

Royal Master

 

Select Master

 

Super Excellent Master

 

Without the Royal and Select Master degrees, neither the Master Mason degree nor the Royal Arch degree is complete. These two degrees account for the concealment and preservation of the treasures revealed in the Royal Arch.

 

The Super Excellent Master is an honorary degree, qualifications for which are fulfilled by virtue of being in good standing in a Council. This degree is the most dramatic and spectacular of all Masonic systems.

 

4. KNIGHT TEMPLAR MASONRY

 

Local Commanderies are governed by the Grand Commandery of each jurisdiction.

 

In the Commandery, the Chivalric Orders of Christian Knighthood are conferred as follows:

 

The Illustrious Order of the Red Cross

 

The Order of Knight of Malta

 

The Order of the Temple

 

The Illustrious Order of the Red Cross is founded upon Truth – a divine attribute, the foundation of every virtue.

 

Knights of Malta. First called Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem are known to have been in existence as early as 1099 A.D. It was the first organized body whose avowed purpose was the aid and care of those injured on a battlefield. The teaching of Christian applications of Masonic precepts begins with this Order.

 

The Order of the Temple is the crowning glory of York Rite Masonry. It is widely regarded as the most solemn and impressive experience in Masonry. Here the aspirant progresses in the footsteps of Jesus of Nazareth. At the empty tomb grows a sprig of acacia, teaching that we shall dwell forever in the realms of life and light eternal.

 

Freemasonry demands only a belief in a monotheistic God, where Hindu, Muslim, Jew and Gentile may together worship around its alters. The Christian Freemason alone has at his disposal a branch of the fraternity where he is free to interpret the teachings of the Symbolic Lodge according to his religious belief. The Masonic Orders of Christian Knighthood are the logical outcome of the Christian Mason´s belief in Christ as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. That Mason believes Christ´s hand will raise the dead to life, and in His Holy Name the True Word is found and restored at last. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”.

 

WHAT DOES YORK RITE MASONRY OFFER?

 

The noble heritage of York Masonry is yours to take. The regular meetings of the various grades are conducive to firmer relationships and a closer spirit of brotherly love. Being a York Rite Mason does not mean you are elevated to a “higher rank´. It is an educational tool to help you realize the Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of Man in your own life. We trust the foregoing has increased your interest in the York Rite.

 

York Rite of Masonry - Oldest Freemason Branch

 

The symbolic degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason, as conferred in Canada, are degrees of the York Rite.

 

York Masonry is the oldest and best known of all Masonic Rites.

 

It takes its name from York, England, where the earliest known record of Masonry exists, dating from about A.D. 923.

 

Masonry´s first written record is centered around York, the seat of the Ancient York Grand Lodge. In 1813, this Grand Lodge merged with another group called the Modern Grand Lodge, to form the United Grand Lodge of England. This is the basis upon which our present system of Symbolic Lodge Masonry is built.

You, as a Master Mason, have received the first three degrees of the York Rite. Having begun your Masonic work in the York Rite, it is natural that you should want to continue with it.

According to Masonic legend, every man raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason received “substitute secrets”, as the “true secrets” were lost. It may prove a surprise to the average man, believing his work is completed, to be told that the secrets pertaining to the ceremony will not be given to him! This is unfortunate, but the veil is lifted in the degree of the Royal Arch, and in that degree only. Hence, no man actually becomes a Master Mason until he is exalted to that holy order.

 

Some would have the newly raised Master Mason believe that he can receive the secrets and word in a degree other than the Royal Arch. This is not true, historically or otherwise. The mother Grand Lodge of England was so emphatic regarding the necessity of the Royal Arch degree that many years ago, it set forth this as Paragraph One (1) of its Laws and Regulations:

“By the solemn act of the union between the two Grand Lodges of Freemasons of England in December, 1813, it was declared and pronounced that Pure Ancient Masonry consists of three degrees and no more, viz: those of the Entered Apprentice, the Fellowcraft, and the Master Mason, INCLUDING THE SUPREME ORDER OF THE HOLY ROYAL ARCH.”

 

On the North American Continent, there are additional degrees in the system, supplementing the work of the Lodge, Chapter, and Council, and the Orders conferred in the Commandery have been arranged into a system or Rite referred to as the American, Canadian, or York Rite of Freemasonry. It is American in structure, as it is a democratic organization in which every member has a voice and a right to be heard.

 

Christian Chivalry and Freemasonry

 

Rarely does one connect Chivalry with Freemasonry, yet there is one branch of the fraternity which places great stress on Christian Chivalry and those virtues which go to make up chivalric character.

 

We refer to that great Order known as Knights of the Temple, or Knights Templar.

 

The original Knights of the Temple were Christian warriors; they were men of Faith, inspired with love of God and the Church. The story of their exploits, their adventures, their self-sacrifice, and their accomplishments, read as a page from a story book.

 

There is nothing so appealing in all history as the story of the great Crusades, sponsored by the Church, but actually carried on through the great chivalric orders of that day. The object of the Crusades was to wrest the Holy Land and the sacred places of Christian history from the Moslem.

 

The Crusade period marked a new era in the life of the world. It brought the Eastern and Western worlds together. The evils and virtues of the East were brought to the West and vice versa. But the greatest thing which emerged through these conflicts of Christian and Saracen was the virtue of Charity. The Knights of the Temple and the Knights Hospitaler were the Red Cross organization of that day. For the first time in the history of war; men began to think of aiding others. Many are the deeds of Charity recounted, not only between those of the faith, but extending from Christian to Moslem.

 

Thus did this era usher in those homely virtues of Charity, Hospitality and Universal Benevolence.

 

Today the warlike character of the Knights has disappeared; no more is it thought necessary to engage in useless struggle over holy sites and places; no more is it believed necessary to fight men of other nations in order to convert them to our way of thinking.

 

But the same feelings of Love, and Truth, and Charity, and Hospitality, and Universal Benevolence still remain in the human heart, and the world at large is benefited by any group which encourages such essential needs of mankind.

 

Thus has grown the modern Order of the Temple. Knights of today claim no direct legal descent from those ancient knights of old, yet they do claim to carry on the virtues for which they fought, bled and died. No longer is it necessary to fight with material weapons, for today "the pen is mightier than the sword", and the weapon of a knight is the influence of a good life carried out as set forth in the New Dispensation - that we love one another.

 

And you ask: "Just what place does the Templar Order hold in respect to other branches of Freemasonry?"

 

And we reply: "A most important part". To the Christian Freemason it represents the summit of the teachings of the Craft. While in no way minimizing the teachings of the symbolic degrees, yet to him the Order of the Temple conveys the essence of Masonic teachings, and is the Christian interpretation of the Symbols of ancient Craft Masonry.

 

Sanctioned by Grand Lodge

 

The Grand Lodge of York, in 1780, gave its sanction to the working of five separated degrees or orders:

 

The Entered Apprentice.

 

The Fellowcraft.

 

The Master Mason.

 

The Royal Arch.

 

The Knight Templar.

 

The United Grand Lodge of England, the Mother of regular and legitimate Freemasonry in the world, set forth at the time of the Union the following: "It is declared and pronounced that pure and Ancient Craft Masonry consists of three degrees and no more, namely, those of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason, including the Holy Royal Arch.

 

And that the Grand Lodge might not create any misconstruction of their declaration, it was added:

 

"This article is not intended to prevent any Lodge or Chapter from holding meetings in any of the degrees of Chivalry, according to the Constitution of said Order."

 

Thus, the Order of the Temple was given an official place and standing in the structure of Masonry.

 

During the early and unwritten history of the Masonic Fraternity, there was a strong tone of Christianity which ran throughout the Symbolic structure, but by the time Anderson published his Constitutions, Christianity was virtually taken out of the ritual and Constitutions, because of a great desire to make the fraternity such as might be acceptable to men of any religion who subscribe to a belief in a Supreme Being.

 

Removal of Christian Symbolism

 

This was truly unfortunate for those who interpreted the Lodge symbols as Christian doctrines. To deprive Freemasonry of the Ancient Craft of its Christian symbolism in an attempt to make it more universal, was, to them, unmasonic, and characterized as being compared to "removing a Masterpiece of Art from a gallery, or depriving a Crown of its Most Precious Jewel.

 

And the Christian Freemason sought out an Order which interpreted his Freemasonry in the Light of the New Dispensation.

 

He ended his search when he entered any asylum of Knights Templar.

 

It was Dr. William F. Kuhn, the great Masonic thinker, who said: "Freemasonry is not a series of degrees to give those who have the money to purchase them, certain titles and decorations, for even in Freemasonry 'a fool may be a belted Knight', and an Entered Apprentice may have a clearer conception of God and man's relation to Him, than he who wears the insignia of the highest rank. Moral conception does not exist merely in believing but in believing and doing. The Stoics of Rome persuaded themselves to believe that they were of Divine Essence and elaborated a finely spun system of philosophy, but they permitted the poor to lie starving at their doors."

 

Templars believe in practice; their charities may not be proclaimed from the house tops, but the records of the smallest preceptor of Knights Templar should prove that Charity and Hospitality are yet the grand characteristics of this great Christian Order. Templary realizes that it is hypocritical to profess and teach great platitudes without making an honest effort to practice what is professed. Our governing body (Sovereign Great Priory) administers a substantial fund known as The Knights Templar Charitable Foundation, contributed to by all members and administered without ostentation. This fund originally designed for orphans of deceased Knights Templar is also used for many deserving welfare cases and education of deserving students, including those for the ministry.

 

What are the Chivalric Orders?

 

We have referred to the Orders conferred by a Preceptory. In Canada the work of the Preceptory is divided into three parts:

 

The Order of the Red Cross.

 

The Orders of Mediterranean Pass and Malta.

 

The Orders of the Temple.

 

The Red Cross Order is not, strictly speaking, a Christian Order. Its value in the Templar system is its bridging of the gap between the Royal Arch degree and the Order of the Temple. It is a story founded upon an important period in Hebrew history and stresses Faith in God, the importance of Truth, and the value of Liberty and Justice.

 

The Order of Malta brings to the novitiate the story of another of the great Chivalric Orders, whose deeds of heroism fill the pages of history, and whose Christian character forms a bright page in religious history.

 

The most striking degree or Order in Masonry in the opinion of most expert ritualists is the Order of Consecration as set out in the Canadian Work. It is rightly described as the "ne plus ultra" of the Masonic system and is especially appreciated by all Christian Freemasons. We cannot describe its beauty or the impressions which are created in the mind of the Candidate. It must be seen to be appreciated.

 

Rise up, 0 Men of God

Have done with lesser things

Give Heart and Soul and Mind and Strength

To serve the King of Kings.

Lift high the Cross of Christ

Tread where His feet have trod

As brothers of the Son of Man

Rise up, O Men of God.

 

To Royal Arch Masonry has been given the WORD. To Knights Templar is given the INTERPRETATION.

had not been to Lincoln for some seven years, and back then I had little entrance in churches. But all that is different now, but I guess even then I knew there was something special about how the cathedral and church sat atop their hill with the ancient Steep Hill leading the way up from the river.

 

Of course, as I visit more and more fine buildings and churches, I notice more and more things, and so take more and more photos, so for those of you not interested in churches, I suppose this could be a tad dull? I hope not, Lincoln was splendid, and well worth a trip, or even a return.

 

-------------------------------------------------------

 

Lincoln Cathedral (in full The Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, or sometimes St. Mary's Cathedral) is a cathedral located in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. Building commenced in 1088 and continued in several phases throughout the medieval period. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 238 years (1311–1549).[1][2][3] The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt. The cathedral is the third largest in Britain (in floor space) after St Paul's and York Minster, being 484 by 271 feet (148 by 83 m). It is highly regarded by architectural scholars; the eminent Victorian writer John Ruskin declared: "I have always held... that the cathedral of Lincoln is out and out the most precious piece of architecture in the British Isles and roughly speaking worth any two other cathedrals we have."

 

Remigius de Fécamp, the first Bishop of Lincoln, moved the episcopal seat (cathedra) there "some time between 1072 and 1092"[4] About this, James Essex writes that "Remigius ... laid the foundations of his Cathedral in 1088" and "it is probable that he, being a Norman, employed Norman masons to superintend the building ... though he could not complete the whole before his death."[5] Before that, writes B. Winkles, "It is well known that Remigius appropriated the parish church of St Mary Magdalene in Lincoln, although it is not known what use he made of it

 

Up until then St. Mary's Church in Stow was considered to be the "mother church"[7] of Lincolnshire[8] (although it was not a cathedral, because the seat of the diocese was at Dorchester Abbey in Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire). However, Lincoln was more central to a diocese that stretched from the Thames to the Humber.

 

Bishop Remigius built the first Lincoln Cathedral on the present site, finishing it in 1092 and then dying on 9 May of that year,[9] two days before it was consecrated. In 1141, the timber roofing was destroyed in a fire. Bishop Alexander rebuilt and expanded the cathedral, but it was mostly destroyed by an earthquake about forty years later, in 1185 (dated by the BGS as occurring 15 April 1185).[6][10] The earthquake was one of the largest felt in the UK: it has an estimated magnitude of over 5. The damage to the cathedral is thought to have been very extensive: the Cathedral is described as having "split from top to bottom"; in the current building, only the lower part of the west end and of its two attached towers remain of the pre-earthquake cathedral.[10] Some (Kidson, 1986; Woo, 1991) have suggested that the damage to Lincoln Cathedral was probably exaggerated by poor construction or design; with the actual collapse most probably caused by a vault collapse.[10]

 

After the earthquake, a new bishop was appointed. He was Hugh de Burgundy of Avalon, France, who became known as St Hugh of Lincoln. He began a massive rebuilding and expansion programme. Rebuilding began with the choir (St Hugh's Choir) and the eastern transepts between 1192 and 1210.[11] The central nave was then built in the Early English Gothic style. Lincoln Cathedral soon followed other architectural advances of the time – pointed arches, flying buttresses and ribbed vaulting were added to the cathedral. This allowed support for incorporating larger windows. There are thirteen bells in the south-west tower, two in the north-west tower, and five in the central tower (including Great Tom). Accompanying the cathedral's large bell, Great Tom of Lincoln, is a quarter-hour striking clock. The clock was installed in the early 19th century.[12] The two large stained glass rose windows, the matching Dean's Eye and Bishop's Eye, were added to the cathedral during the late Middle Ages. The former, the Dean's Eye in the north transept dates from the 1192 rebuild begun by St Hugh, finally being completed in 1235. The latter, the Bishop's eye, in the south transept was reconstructed a hundred years later in 1330.[13] A contemporary record, “The Metrical Life of St Hugh”, refers to the meaning of these two windows (one on the dark, north, side and the other on the light, south, side of the building):

 

"For north represents the devil, and south the Holy Spirit and it is in these directions that the two eyes look. The bishop faces the south in order to invite in and the dean the north in order to shun; the one takes care to be saved, the other takes care not to perish. With these Eyes the cathedral’s face is on watch for the candelabra of Heaven and the darkness of Lethe (oblivion)."

 

After the additions of the Dean's eye and other major Gothic additions it is believed some mistakes in the support of the tower occurred, for in 1237 the main tower collapsed. A new tower was soon started and in 1255 the Cathedral petitioned Henry III to allow them to take down part of the town wall to enlarge and expand the Cathedral, including the rebuilding of the central tower and spire. They replaced the small rounded chapels (built at the time of St Hugh) with a larger east end to the cathedral. This was to handle the increasing number of pilgrims to the Cathedral, who came to worship at the shrine of Hugh of Lincoln.

 

In 1290 Eleanor of Castile died and King Edward I of England decided to honour her, his Queen Consort, with an elegant funeral procession. After her body had been embalmed, which in the 13th century involved evisceration, Eleanor's viscera were buried in Lincoln cathedral and Edward placed a duplicate of the Westminster Abbey tomb there. The Lincoln tomb's original stone chest survives; its effigy was destroyed in the 17th century and replaced with a 19th-century copy. On the outside of Lincoln Cathedral are two prominent statues often identified as Edward and Eleanor, but these images were heavily restored in the 19th century and they were probably not originally intended to depict the couple.

 

Between 1307 and 1311 the central tower was raised to its present height of 271 feet (83 m). The western towers and front of the cathedral were also improved and heightened. At this time, a tall lead-encased wooden spire topped the central tower but was blown down in a storm in 1549. With its spire, the tower reputedly reached a height of 525 feet (160 m) (which would have made it the world's tallest structure, surpassing the Great Pyramid of Giza, which held the record for almost 4,000 years). Although there is dissent,[1] this height is agreed by most sources.[14][15][16][17][18] Other additions to the cathedral at this time included its elaborate carved screen and the 14th-century misericords, as was the Angel Choir. For a large part of the length of the cathedral, the walls have arches in relief with a second layer in front to give the illusion of a passageway along the wall. However the illusion does not work, as the stonemason, copying techniques from France, did not make the arches the correct length needed for the illusion to be effective.

 

In 1398 John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford founded a chantry in the cathedral to pray for the welfare of their souls. In the 15th century the building of the cathedral turned to chantry or memorial chapels. The chapels next to the Angel Choir were built in the Perpendicular style, with an emphasis on strong vertical lines, which survive today in the window tracery and wall panelling.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Cathedral

Servant of God, Sister Consolata Betrone (1903-1946) -Mystic and Victim Soul

 

“There is a beautiful supplication, a quick prayer that our Lord gave to Sister Maria [Consolata] Betrone. It says- ‘Jesus and Mary, I love You. Save souls.’ It is very simple, but oh it carries a lot of weight.” -Mother M Angelica of EWTN

 

Birth and early life

Sister Consolata Betrone was born in Saluzzo, Italy on April 6, 1903, and was named Pierina Betrone. She was the daughter of Pietro Betrone and Giuseppina Nirino, who were the owners of a bakery in Saluzzo, who later became managers of a restaurant in Airasco (Turin). Pierina was the second of six daughters born of her father's second marriage.

 

Nothing in the early life and background could foretell that this young girl would become one of Jesus’ beloved victim souls. She seemed to live a normal childhood up until the age of 13 when one remarkable day our Lord cast His loving gaze upon her. It so happened that while she was hurrying to do her errands in the village when, unexpectedly, an intense prayer suddenly came forth from her heart: "My God, I love you!" and a unusual spiritual fervor overcame her. It was the beginning of her extraordinary experiences with the Lord.

 

On December 8 1916, which was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Pierina dedicated herself to the Virgin. After receiving Holy Communion, she distinctly heard within her the words "Do you want to be Mine?"

Deeply moved by this extraordinary grace, she wept with tears of emotion, and without understanding the extent of the question, she replied “Yes” to Jesus, entrusting herself to Him.

 

As the weeks and months progressed, Pierina began to feel God calling her to the religious life. During the same time, and continuing for several years, she began a period of spiritual doubts, dryness and temptations, which were surely sent by the Lord to purify her soul. Our Lord first led her out into the spiritual desert in order to prepare her for her mission as victim soul.

 

Three failed attempts at entering the religious life

It was not until she was age 21 before she was finally able to realise the religious vocation that God was calling her to.

"Nothing attracts me about the Capuchins", she said, after three failed attempts to take the veil in “open” religious orders [ie- not cloistered], It was her confessor, Don Accomasso, who, enlightened by God as all sincere confessors are, advised her to enter the Convent of the Poor Clares (Order of Franciscan Capuchins) in Turin, Italy. This was an on April 17, 1929. After the normal period of preparation and discernment she gratefully received the Veil on February 28, 1930, taking the name of Sister Maria Consolata,

 

The new name, “Consolata”, chosen by young Pierina is indicative of the spiritual path and life that Jesus was calling her to, for the word “Consolata” means consoler, and it was she who soon became the consoler of the Heart of Jesus. On this very day of the Ceremony of taking the Veil, she received an inner locution from Jesus that indicated to her what His will was for her. Jesus said-

"I do not call you for more than this: an act of continual love." And for more than 16 years of enclosed Capuchin life this “act of continual love” would be the foundation on which she concentrated all her spiritual efforts.

On April 8 1934, she took her perpetual vows, working in the convent as a humble cook, doorkeeper and cobbler. She was transferred on July 22 1939 to the new foundation of Moriondo, Moncalieri Turin, where she was also a nurse and secretary. Her exterior life was one lived out in daily sacrifices, penances and self denial, hidden to the world, in fulfilment of the tasks assigned her by her superiors. Although her exterior life was similar to her fellow religious sisters, in her interior life she was receiving exceptional and extraordinary graces from God, which unfolded unnoticed in the intimacy of her spirit. She became the confidante of Jesus and His Sacred Heart.

 

The confidante of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

On November 9, 1934 Sister Consolata writes:

"Jesus reveals to me the intimate sufferings of His Heart caused by the faithlessness of souls consecrated to Him". After this, she began to have a burning desire to make reparation for the sins of the world, and to lead sinners to Jesus. And thus began the intense spiritual relationship, and intimacy between Jesus and Consolata: together in love, together in pain, together to deliver a countless number of souls to the Father, who seeks them in His infinite love, mercy and compassion. After all it was the Lord Himself who told her:

"Do not think of me as a harsh God, because I am foremost the God of love!".

 

Jesus, Mary, I love You! Save souls!

It was then that our Lord also inspired Sister Consolata with this important universal prayer, "Jesus, Mary, I love you! Save souls!"

Remembering what Jesus had told her on the day that she took the Veil-

"I do not call you for more than this: act of continual love”, Sister Consolata began to thus repeat this one prayer, over and over again, during all her waking hours, in every form of work as she went about her daily duties. For it was Christ himself, who instructed her in the practice of what He called the “unceasing act of love” expressed in the words- "Jesus, Mary, I love you! Save souls!"

Concerning this prayer, our Lord said,

"Tell me, what more beautiful prayer do you want to offer me? ---'Jesus, Mary, I love you! Save souls!'--- Love and souls! What more beautiful prayer could you desire?’"

 

Her littleness and humility

Though Sister Consolata was blessed with these extraordinary interior enlightenment's by God, she remained very humble and still felt small, and she saw herself as the “even smaller one” which Saint Therese of Lisieux had referred to in her diary. This feeling of littleness that Consolata felt within her soul was confirmed by our Lord in the following words:

"I have found that still weaker soul who has abandoned herself with complete faith to My infinite mercy: it is you, Consolata, and through you I will perform marvels which will far exceed your fondest desires."

 

And later Jesus tells her: -‘You are to love. You are too small to climb to the summit: I will carry you on My shoulders'

 

Here are some of the revelations given to her by Jesus:

  

‘Write this down Consolata, for I demand it of you under obedience, that for one act of love from you, I would create heaven.’

 

‘The soul that is dearest to Me is the one who loves me the most.’

 

‘Transform everything that is disagreeable to you into little roses, and gather them with love, and then offer them to Me with love”

 

‘See Consolata, the enemy will make every effort to shake your blind faith in me. But you must never forget that I am and love to be always kind and merciful. Understand my heart Consolata; understand my love, and never permit the enemy to gain entrance into your soul, even for an instant, with a thought of a lack of confidence in Me. Believe Me, I am solely and always kind; I am solely an always like a parent to you! So, imitate the children who at every little scratch of the finger, run at once to mother to have it bandaged. You should always do the same and remember that I will always cancel out and repair your imperfections and faults, just as a mother will always bandage the child's finger, whether it is really hurt or only seems so in his imagination. And if the child were to really hurt his arm, or his head, how tenderly and affectionately would he be cared for and bandaged by the mother! Well, I do this very same thing with regard to your soul when you fall, even though I may do so in silence. Do You understand Consolata? Therefore, never, never, never have even a shadow of doubt; a lack of confidence wounds My heart to the quick, and makes Me suffer.

 

“Love Me and you will be happy, and the more you love Me the happier you will be. Even when you will find yourself in utter darkness, love will produce light; love will produce strength, and love will produce joy.”

 

“I prefer an act of love, and a Communion of love to any other gift. I thirst for love”

  

"I delight to work in a soul. You see, I love to do everything Myself; and from this soul I ask only that she love Me."

 

"You see, even in good thoughts which creep in, there is always a bit of self-love, of complacency; and it is easy to see how they will spoil the act of love. But if you will complete trust in Me, that I am attending to everything and will continue to do so, and if you will not permit even one other thought to enter, then your act of love will possess a virginal purity."

 

"You see, Consolata, sanctity means self-forgetfulness in everything, in thoughts, desires, words....Allow Me to do it all! I will do everything; but you should, at every moment, give Me what I ask for with much love!"

 

"Consolata, place no limits on your confidence in Me, then I will place no limits on My graces for you!"

 

"Trust always in Jesus! If you only knew how much pleasure that gives Me! Grant Me this solace to trust in Me even in the shadow of death."

 

‘When suffering is accepted with love, it is no longer suffering, but is changed into joy.”

  

"If you are in Me and we are one then you will bring forth much fruit and will become strong, for you will disappear like a drop of water in the ocean; My silence will pass into you, and My humility, My purity, My charity, My gentleness, My patience, My thirst for suffering, and My zeal for souls whom I wish to save at all costs!"

 

"You must think only of loving Me! I will think of everything else, even to the smallest details!"

 

“ ‘Jesus, Mary, I love You. Save souls’ encompasses everything, the souls in Purgatory and the souls in the Militant Church; the innocent soul and the guilty soul; the dying, the atheist, etc… Do not lose time; remember that every act of love is a soul. Of all the gifts, the best gift you can offer me is a day full of love. I desire an uninterrupted Jesus, Mary I love You, save souls! from when you get up in the morning till when you go to bed at night.”

 

Her holy death

In June 1939 she wrote "It is my fate to die in little pieces". In November 1944 she noted:

"For many days my soul has halted on this divine phrase - 'sacrificial victim for the Sacrificial Victim'". It is in this way that, for the peace of the world [for World War II was raging], for the dying and for the conversion of souls she many times repeated the offer of herself as the sacrifice of expiation for the sins of humanity

 

In the winter of 1944 her corpse-like color betrayed her. In obedience to her Suprior she subjected herself to a visit from the doctor. The doctor's reply was : "This sister is not ill, she is destroyed". On September 24 1945 Sister Consolata asked for half a day of rest and she laid down. The Mother Abbess took her temperature --39° C (102.2 F)! ‘How long has she been carrying on like this?’ it was asked. On October 25, 1945 and X-ray was taken revealing damage to her lungs; thus she was officially diagnosed with tuberculosis. On November 4, 1945 she left for the sanatorium. She remained there until July 3 1946, when an ambulance returned her, in the last stages of consumption, to the Convent of Moriondo. Now, "everything was finished", except to begin a new and eternal life forever united with God in Heaven. Sister Consolata died at dawn on July 18, 1946 in the Convent of the Sacred Heart of Moriondo Moncalieri Turin, Italy.

~Servant of God Sr. Consolata Betrone, pray for us!

 

Anna Schäffer (1882 – 1925)

Mystic and Stigmatist

 

Schäffer's father, a carpenter, died at the age of 40, leaving his family in great poverty. Anna dropped out of school and worked as a maid from the age of fourteen, hoping eventually to be able to enter a religious order. But with family obligations she could barely make ends meet. In 1898, she had a vision from Christ that she was destined to endure long and painful suffering.

 

On February 4, 1901, while working at a laundry, Schäffer slipped and fell while reattaching a stovepipe and boiled her legs in the washing machine. She was taken to hospital, but nothing could be done about the painful burns. More than thirty surgical operations followed, and the wounds had to be carefully dressed, which also caused much pain. Despite the constant care of her doctor, Dr. Waldin, skin grafts did not succeed and Schäffer became completely immobile. She was therefore forced to abandon her longtime dream of entering a religious order. Her mother was to care for her until the end of her life.

 

Schäffer never lost her optimism and became even more devoted to her faith while ongoing constant suffering. She was often unable to sleep, but continued to express her adoration of Christ and her veneration of Mary. She had a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. A local abbot would bring her the Eucharist daily. She wrote:

 

"I cannot write by pen how happy I am every time after Holy Communion. Ah, I forget my earthly suffering and the longing of my poor soul draws me every moment to adore my God and Saviour hidden in the Blessed Sacrament!"

 

She considered her suffering, her writing, and her ability to knit clothes for her friends the three "keys" by which she could enter Heaven. Her beatific attitude made her a beloved figure in town and people would often visit her to hear her comforting words of faith. A French writer says of her that "those who were the most prejudiced against Anna did not fail to be impressed by her patience and her kindness." Even her irreligious brother eventually came to her support.

 

From 1910 seemingly mystical phenomena developed around her, including what could be described as stigmata, which she did her best to conceal from the public, and occasional waking visions which made her ecstatic. These developments brought no change in her attitude, though: she remained selfless, and promised prayers and letters for anyone who wanted them.

In 1925, she contracted colon cancer, and her paralysis spread to her spine, making it difficult to speak or write. On the morning of October 5, she received her final Holy Communion, and suddenly spoke: "Jesus, I live for you!" She died minutes later. At her funeral many already believed that they had known a saint.

 

After her death it became common to visit her grave to have prayers answered. Since 1929, more than 15,000 miracles attributed to such prayers have been reported. In 1998, 551 miracles allegedly obtained through her intercession were recorded in the parish of Mindelstetten.

 

Schäffer was proposed for beatification in 1973. Over 20,000 letters and testimonies were collected as part of a detailed examination of her case.

 

During her beatification, 7 March 1999, Pope John Paul II said: "If we look to Blessed Anna Schäffer, we read in her life a living commentary on what Saint Paul wrote to the Romans: 'Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us' (Rom. 5:5). She most certainly was not spared the struggle to abandon herself to the will of God. But she was given to grow in the correct understanding that weakness and suffering are the pages on which God writes His Gospel ... Her sickbed became the cradle of an apostolate that extended to the whole world."

In 2012, her notebook, entitled Thoughts and memories of my life of illness and my longing for the eternal homeland, was translated into English. On October 21, she was canonized Saint Anna by Pope Benedict XVI.

A Work in Progress ~ Babylon, will be destroyed in her entirety, she will be the first to be destroyed. This is prophecy in action fulfillment is in our day.

At Pentecost we know that Jesus Christ's ransom sacrifice had been "approved by God". Charlie: Upon

our reunion you will say: “Behold, God is my salvation. God's only Begotten Son Christ Jesus' life was ransomed to pay back what Adam had lost. Thank-you Almighty Yahweh: "You are my salvation. You are the

eternal ancient King, the Omega & the Alpha. I thank you dearly God of heaven and earth for our Lord Jesus whom you gave to us as our lifesaver to him alone you have given the Keys of Hades. Christ Jesus conquered the world of this system of things upon his rising from the dead. He also was given the keys of the abyss on the day of his resurrection by the Creator of the universe. Thank-you Almighty God for the incredible gifts you have given the ones exercising faith in your

resurrected Christ. You have made him our life-saving king by the powers of your Love we are able to reach God by the Amen God's anointed king Jesus Christ. “Who is the man that is delighting in life, That is loving

enough days to see what is good?” ancient Scroll

 

"For his mouth of discretion a man will be praised, but one who is twisted at heart will come to be for

contempt." Proverbs 12:8. In these days known as the

end of days, I will not fear. My trust is in the very counsel of the true God and what He declares to be truth. Do not despair my dear one, you have yet much to learn from the true God & the greatest teacher

that once walked on the earth. Love will save us my dear one. Become courageous one-heart. Hear what the Almighty spirit is saying by the spirit of truth delivered to you.

 

By hope, faith & love I am to continue my search for my dear one. Tall, firm & beautiful I am by God who has renewed my strength & my vigor. By hope, faith &

love I am to continue my search for my dear one. my vigor. We will soon be together my dear one love Kiara. Tall, firm & beautiful I am by God who has renewed my strength & my vigor to continue till the end a living quest of a spiritual journey. Love came to our rescue here in the old system of things. Love has been removing the blinding veil in which the ruler of the world blinds his victims.

 

Let love give you back your sight beloved Charles & learn to utilize the great powers of discernment. Love is guiding all who seek divine truth through the Amen. Amen. It is through Jesus Christ we see the light. Man’s quest in the past has been for fire, man’s quest in the present day is to defeat Death is it not? Imagine defeating death, an ultimate victory. God is Love. By the power of God's love, He has prophesied death to be conquered in the end. Do you believe death could be conquered? Have you ever considered God's love to be the ultimate love which will have victory over diminishing death to its end?

 

Man is unable to save one human life from the jaws of death. Still man with his technology & scientific advancements, discoveries & moon walking only prove

men to be limited in their capabilities. Does it belong to mortal man to posses the powers of creation? Who has the sovereign right to Create? Is it God's right to be Creator? Can man harness the gift of everlasting life by means of their modernized scientific knowledge? God

has taken out His paintbrush from the beginning of time coloring all things throughout the universe, our planet and the people.

 

All life form comes from God according to God's Word in the bible. Life started in the heavens and then God created man on earth. Christ Jesus tells of his pre-human life as God's first born of creation throughout the bible. I'll teach you all that's beautiful my beloved Charlie. You will not be disappointed. God's Son's life was offered up as our sacrifice. It is the light of God’s Son that has conquered the world. And by this light we can find our way into the new earth to build up

paradise. Everlasting life, my love, can be ours. We have been promised a chance at the real life.

 

Charlie, come walk with me as my eternal mate forever under the new heavens. Your Kinswoman Kiara.

Everlasting life and the resurrection of the dead has not been kept secret. Divine truth is revealing all things before they take place. Our Maker, revealing truth. He is slow to anger awaiting for us to prepare. A great & fear inspiring day, a war is to occur in our lifetime.

Everlasting life comes not from this world. Life everlasting is from God. He is divine & heavenly. He is our Creator. God is love. Charlie, come walk with the true God & take me by the hand my dear one. I send love out to you on this night from your Soul-mate Kiara.

 

I pray to our Creator that your heart will soon be healed through the Amen. Amen. Se´lah. Be patient with me beloved one, I am in search of you. Let it be God to bring me to you wherever you are on this earth.

How much longer must I suffer without my love my dear God, how much longer? O' Jehovah: "When I call, answer me, O my righteous God.In the distress you must make broad space for me.Show me favor and hear my prayer." "So take knowledge that Jehovah will certainly distinguish his loyal one; Jehovah himself will hear when I call to him." Psalms 4:1,3,7,8.

 

"You will certainly give a rejoicing in my heart

Greater than in the time when their grain and their new wine have abounded. . . ."In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For you yourself alone, O Jehovah, make me dwell in security." Ancient scroll the bible. The greater wisdom belongs to God. God's wisdom is given to the ones seeking truth by God. The hope through one faith is by love. Babylon the Great is a religious empire, it already has fallen (She is in God’s disfavor by her false doctrines) '“She has fallen! Babylon the

Great has fallen, and she has become a dwelling place of demons . . .Babylon is judged: "and a lurking place of every unclean exhalation and a lurking place of every unclean and hated bird!" Revelation 18: 2.

 

What does it mean that she has fallen? The Great Harlot Babylon, will be destroyed in her entirety. Babylon, will be destroyed in her entirety, she will be the first to be destroyed. This is prophecy in action

fulfillment is in our day. Fulfillment of this prophesy on Babylon is to take place at the time when all the World’s Religions will be banned. Babylon’s final destruction will be observed here on earth as the God of heaven has put it into the hearts of men to do so. The bible prophesies speak of all religions will become inactive by men’s laws stemming from the united-one-world government. The united-one-world government,

established on earth by mortals has been biblically described in the bible to be the Eighth-world king.

 

Acting as one-international-government-the eighth king puts an end to religion. This united government biblically known as the eighth king considers all religion to be responsible for all of societies conflicts. Jesus said: “For the sake of your tradition, you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do

they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’” Matthew 15:6-9, RS. That applies with equal force to those in Christendom today who advocate human traditions in preference to the truths of God’s Word.

 

Serious questions & choices confront each one of us today. According to the bible we are all given forewarning of what is to occur on earth. Once

we get to know the divine truth of ancient prophecy are we willing to make the effort to act accordingly to God's requirements? Do we sincerely love the truth and do we really want an approved relationship with God? Jesus said in prayer to his Father-God: “This means

everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.” John 17:3, NW

 

Psalms 144:15 states: “Happy is the people whose God is Jehovah!”-NW. Divine warning to the ones deceived by Men of Lawlessness (the Clergy class of Christendom) False teachings and man made doctrines do not teach God's biblical divine prophetic teachings says God's Word as "God cannot lie but all men are liars." the True God says this to the followers of the

Great Harlot. Hear the Word: “And I heard another voice out of heaven say: Get out of her, my people, if YOU do not want to share with her in her sins, and if YOU do not want to receive part of her plagues.”

Revelation 18:4.

 

God is declaring into all nations and to all people His Word as He is saying: “The God that made the earth and all the things in it, being, as this One is, Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in handmade temples neither is he attended to by human hands as if he needed anything, because he himself gives to all [persons] life and breath and all things. And he made out of one [man] every nation of men, to dwell upon the entire surface of the earth, and he decreed the

appointed times and the set limits of the dwelling of [men], for them to seek God, if they might grope for him and really find him, although, in fact, he is not far off from each one of us.” Acts 17: 24-27.

 

Prophecies from the Bible continue to foretell us that the destruction of all religious, political, commercial, economical, and all social systems will end according to God's hour as well as the end of all wickedness. Once these opposing structures are eliminated they will be replaced by a New Earth; a society of people prepared in advance in the Old World. The prepared people are a people taken out from amongst all nations as these are the ones responding to God's truth & His requirements.

 

This is what God has proposed by taking a people out of all nations for His name sake. He says at Acts 15:14: “Sym´e·on has related thoroughly how God for the first time turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name. And these people have “Washed their robes in the blood of the lamb”-symbolically speaking, they have been living

in accordance to God’s standards by putting on the New Personality.

 

People of the New Earth begin to walk in the counsel of God’s Word and continue to endure till the end of this system of things. The New Heavens is God’s Kingdom, a government established by God with His King, Christ Jesus is he whom God has chosen. Christ has been reigning as king in heaven since 1914. The year

"Kingdom against kingdom & nation against nation" rose into a world Daniel 7:14

 

"And to him there were given rulership and dignity and kingdom, that the peoples, national groups and languages should all serve even him. His rulership is an indefinitely lasting rulership that will not pass away,

and his kingdom one that will not be brought to ruin. The upright are the ones that will reside in the earth, and the blameless are the ones that will be left over in it. As regards the wicked, they will be cut off from the very earth; and as for the treacherous, they will be torn away from it.” Proverbs 2:21, 22.

 

Persons prepared by God are through His Son Christ Jesus. These are the ones that the prophecies

speak of as not tasting death but go on walking through the great tribulation at Armageddon. “Yet Jehovah’s day will come as a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a hissing noise, but the elements being intensely hot will be dissolved, and earth and the works in it will be discovered. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought YOU to be in holy acts of conduct and deeds of godly devotion, awaiting and keeping close in mind the presence of the day of Jehovah, through which [the] heavens being on fire will be dissolved and [the] elements being intensely hot will melt! But there

are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell. Hence, beloved ones, since YOU are awaiting these things, do YOUR utmost to be found finally by him spotless and unblemished and in peace.” 2 Peter’s 3: 10-14.

 

Armageddon is a selective war by God. Armageddon's purpose is to cleanse the earth of the ones ruining it, removing the world of ungodly ones not wanting to know God. Prophecy foretells only the meek and mild are to inherit Earth. God’s people are prophesied to be the new society of the new earth as they are becoming spiritually & morally cleansed.

 

God is a spirit & requires His people to worship Him in spirit & in truth. We need to take in knowledge of the bible if we are to learn about God's requirements in how He is to be worshiped correctly. God requires people to worship Him in spirit and truth as His Word is truth.

"Jehovah is not slow respecting his promise, as some people consider slowness, but he is patient with YOU because he does not desire any to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance. . . .By their fruits YOU will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they?

Likewise every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit; . ..The Bible itself says: “All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man [or woman] of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.” Peter 3:9; Matthew 7:16-17;2 Timothy 3:16, 17.

St Mary has been that I have tried to get into several times. Eastry lies on my route to work, although the Sandwich road goes round the village, I can see it's tower and I often wondered what delights would lay inside.

 

So after getting into Minster, I thought, lets try Eastry, not really holding out much hope. But, after parking up and walking down a narrow path, we came to the church and entered the unusual porch. I tried the main door and it swung open.

 

Revealing a warden vacuuming. She was very kind, stopped working so i could get my shots, and filled us in with the details, and especially about the Dominical Circle, a carving used to calculate the date of easter, and very rare as well as being 13th century.

 

Most noticeable were the wall paintings over the naive, a description of which should appear below:

  

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Set away from the main street but on one of the earliest sites in the village, flint-built Eastry church has an over restored appearance externally but this gives way to a noteworthy interior. Built in the early thirteenth century by its patrons, Christ Church Canterbury, it was always designed to be a statement of both faith and power. The nave has a clerestory above round piers whilst the east nave wall has a pair of quatrefoils pierced through into the chancel. However this feature pales into insignificance when one sees what stands between them - a square panel containing 35 round paintings in medallions. There are four deigns including the Lily for Our Lady; a dove; Lion; Griffin. They would have formed a backdrop to the Rood which would have been supported on a beam the corbels of which survive below the paintings. On the centre pier of the south aisle is a very rare feature - a beautifully inscribed perpetual calendar or `Dominical Circle` to help find the Dominical letter of the year. Dating from the fourteenth century it divides the calendar into a sequence of 28 years. The reredos is an alabaster structure dating from the Edwardian period - a rather out of place object in a church of this form, but a good piece of work in its own right. On the west wall is a good early 19th century Royal Arms with hatchments on either side and there are many good monuments both ledger slabs and hanging tablets. Of the latter the finest commemorates John Harvey who died in 1794. It shows his ship the Brunswick fighting with all guns blazing with the French ship the Vengeur. John Bacon carved the Elder this detailed piece of work.

 

kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Eastry

 

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Eastry is a large and interesting village situated just off the A256 approximately 2 miles from Sandwich, 9 miles from Dover and 12 miles from Canterbury.

 

The name, meaning Eastern district, originated in the 7th Century, when the village was the capital of the most easterly of the provinces of the Kingdom of Kent, the Lathe of Eastry.

 

Here the Saxon kings had a Royal Hall on the site north of the Church, now occupied by Eastry Court, which was reputedly the scene of the murder in 665 of the two young princes, Etheldred and Ethelbert. Two Saxon burial sites in the village date from this period.

 

On the south side of the Church lies the former Tithe Barn (rebuilt 1832), now Aumbry Cottages, and the Parsonage Farm now known as the Aumbry (rebuilt 1825) from its having belonged to the Almonry of the Prior and Convent at Canterbury from the 12th Century.

 

The village was the birthplace of Henry of Eastry, Prior of Christ Church, Canterbury 1285-1333, in whose honour the Cathedral tower bears the name Bell Harry.

 

In Lower Street on the west side is Fairfield a 15th century aisled hall house, and in Mill Lane, the former Union Workhouse (1835) which became Eastry Hospital and which is now closed.

 

Beneath the garden of Beckets on the west side of Woodnesborough Lane are the Caves (now closed), a long series of galleries excavated in the last century by the Foord family in the course of extracting chalk for lime burning.

 

The Old Vicarage in Church Street was in use as the Vicarage until 1980 and stands on a site appropriated to that purpose in 1367.

 

In the 19th century the village possessed four windmills, only one of which now remains, as a private residence.

 

The Church dates from c.1230. It was built lavishly in the early English style of architecture by the monks of Christ Church Abbey, Canterbury who owned the Eastry Manor at that time.

 

This Norman church almost certainly replaced a Saxon building, since Eastry boasted a Royal Palace for the Kings of Kent as early as 660 AD. The origins of Christian worship on this site are lost in antiquity.

 

The beautiful church of St. Mary's Eastry, a place associated with the notable Prior of Canterbury, Henry of Eastry (after whom the "Bell Harry Tower" of Canterbury Cathedral is named), contains a most unique feature, restored during 1987.

 

Above the Chancel Arch, enclosed within a rectangular frame, are rows of seven "medallion" wall paintings; the lower group was discovered in 1857 and the rest in 1903. They remained in a rather dilapidated state until the Canterbury Cathedral Wall Paintings Department brought them back to life.

 

The medallions are evidently of the 13th Century, having been painted while the mortar was still wet. Each medallion contains one of four motifs:

 

The trefoil flower, pictured left, is perhaps a symbol of the Blessed Virgin Mary to whom the church is dedicated; or symbolic of Christ.

 

The lion; symbolic of the Resurrection.

 

Doves, either singly, or in pairs, represent the Holy Spirit.

 

The Griffin represents evil, over which victory is won by the power of the Resurrection and the courage of the Christian.

 

www.ewbchurches.org.uk/eastrychurchhistory.htm

St Andrew, Great Saxham, Suffolk

 

This is a church I seem to revisit every five years or so, and I'm always left wondering why I don't come back more often. After the longest winter I can remember, and a good five months since my previous church exploring bike ride, I set off from Bury St Edmunds on a bright, cold Saturday morning, and Great Saxham was my first port of call.

 

Nothing much had changed. A large oak tree had fallen near to the fence of the park in a recent storm, but otherwise it was exactly as I remembered. It is always reassuring to cycle off into rural Suffolk to find that England has not entirely succumbed to the 21st Century.

 

But Suffolk has changed in the thirty-odd years I've been living here. There is hardly a dairy farm left, and not a single cattle market survives in the county. Ipswich, Lowestoft, Bury, and even the smaller places, are ringed by out-of-town shopping experiences, and the drifts of jerry-built houses wash against the edges of nearly every village. But the countryside has always been in a state of perpetually change, a constant metamorphosis, and often a painful one. I had been struck by this before while cycling across this parish, and the memory added a frisson to the experience of coming back.

 

For many modern historians, the 19th Century finished on August 4th 1914, and you can see their point. That was the day that the First World War began, and the England that would emerge from the mud, blood and chaos would be quite different. A new spirit was abroad, and rural areas left behind their previous patterns of ownership and employment that were little more than feudalism. Suffolk would never be the same again.

 

No more the Big House, no more the farm worker going cap in hand to the hiring fair, or the terrible grind to keep at bay the horrors of the workhouse. I think of Leonard, remembering the pre-war days in Ronald Blythe’s Akenfield, that passionate account of a 20th century Suffolk village, Charsfield: I want to say this simply as a fact, that Suffolk people in my day were worked to death. It literally happened. It is not a figure of speech. I was worked mercilessly. I am not complaining about it. It is what happened to me. But the men coming home from Flanders would demand a living wage. The new world would not bring comfort and democracy overnight, of course, and there are many parts of Suffolk where poverty and patronage survive even today, to a greater or lesser extent, but the old world order had come to an end. The Age of Empires was over, and the Age of Anxiety was beginning.

 

The English have a love-hate relationship with the countryside. As Carol Twinch argues in Tithe Wars, it is only actually possible for British agriculture to be fully profitable in war time. In time of peace, only government intervention can sustain it in its familiar forms. Here, at the beginning of the 21st century, British farmers are still demanding levels of subsidy similar to that asked for by the mining industry in the 1980s. With the UK's exit from the European Union looming, the answer from the state is ultimately likely to be the same. British and European agriculture are still supported by policies and subsidies that were designed to prevent the widespread shortages that followed the Second World War. They are half a century out of date, and are unsustainable, and must eventually come to an end.

 

But still sometimes in Suffolk, you find yourself among surroundings that still speak of that pre-WWI feudal time. Indeed, there are places where it doesn’t take much of a leap of the imagination to believe that the 20th century hasn’t happened. Great Saxham is one such place.

 

You travel out of Bury westwards, past wealthy Westley and fat, comfortable Little Saxham with its gorgeous round-towered church. The roads narrow, and after another mile or so you turn up through a straight lane of rural council houses and bungalows. At the top of the lane, there is a gateway. It is probably late 19th century, but seems as archaic as if it was a survival of the Roman occupation. The gate has gone, but the solid stone posts that tower over the road narrow it, so that only one car can pass in each direction. It is the former main entrance to Saxham Hall, and beyond the gate you enter the park, cap in hand perhaps.

 

Looking back, you can see now that the lane behind you is the former private drive to the Big House, obviously bought and built on by the local authority in the 1960s. It is easy to imagine it as it had once been.

 

Beyond the gate is another world. The narrowed road skirts the park in a wide arc, with woods off to the right. Sheep turn to look once, then resumed their grazing. About a mile beyond the gate, there is a cluster of 19th century estate buildings, and among them, slightly set back from the road beyond an unusually high wall, was St Andrew.

 

There was a lot of money here in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, so that you might even think it a Victorian building in local materials. But there is rather more to it than that. Farm buildings sit immediately against the graveyard, only yards from the church. When Mortlock came this way, he found chickens pottering about among the graves, and like me you may experience the unnervingly close neighing of a horse in the stables across from the porch.

 

The great restoration of this church was at a most unusual date, 1798, fully fifty years before the great wave of sacramentalism rolled out of Oxford and swept across the Church of England. Because of this, it appears rather plain, although quite in keeping with its Perpendicular origins - no attempt was made to introduce the popular mock-classical features of the day. The patron of the parish at the time was Thomas Mills, more familiar from his ancestors at Framlingham than here. There was another makeover in the 1820s.

 

I've always found this church open, and so it should be, for it has a great treasure which cannot be stolen, but might easily be vandalised if the church was kept locked (I wish that someone would explain this to the churchwardens at Nowton). The careful restoration preserved the Norman doorways and 15th century font, and the church would be indistinguishable from hundreds of other neat, clean 19th century refurbishments if it were not for the fact that it contains some most unusual glass. It was collected by Thomas Mills' son, William, and fills the east and west windows. It is mostly 17th century (you can see a date on one piece) and much of it is Swiss in origin. As at Nowton, it probably came from continental monasteries.

 

The best is probably the small scale collection in the west window. This includes figures of St Mary Magdalene, St John the Baptist and the Blessed Virgin, as well as scenes of the Annunciation, the Coronation of the Queen of Heaven, the Vision of St John, and much more. The work in the east window is on a larger scale, some of it Flemish in origin.

 

There are several simple and tasteful Mills memorials - but the Mills family was not the first famous dynasty to hold the Hall here. Back in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was the home of the Eldred family, famous explorers and circumnavigators of the globe. John Eldred died in 1632, and has one wall-mounted bust memorial on the south sanctuary wall, as well as a figure brass reset in the chancel floor from a lost table tomb. Both are gloriously flamboyant, and might seem quite out of kilter with that time, on the eve of the long Puritan night. Compare them, for instance, with the Boggas memorial at Flowton, barely ten years later. But, although the bust is of an elderly Elizabethan, I think that there is a 17th Century knowingness about them. The inscription beneath the bust reads in part The Holy Land so called I have seene and in the land of Babilone have bene, but in thy land where glorious saints doe live my soule doth crave of Christ a room to give - curiously, the carver missed out the S in Christ, and had to add it in above. It might have been done in a hurry, but perhaps it is rather a Puritan sentiment after all, don't you think?

 

The brass has little shields with merchant ships on, one scurrying between cliffs and featuring a sea monster. The inscription here is more reflective, asking for our tolerance: Might all my travells mee excuse for being deade, and lying here, for, as it concludes, but riches can noe ransome buy nor travells passe the destiny.

 

The First World War memorial remembers names of men who were estate workers here. And, after all, here is the English Church as it was on the eve of the First World War, triumphant, apparently eternal, at the very heart of the Age of Empires. Now, it is only to be found in backwaters like this, and the very fact that they are backwaters tells us that, really, it has not survived at all.

Gautama Buddha, also known as Siddhārtha Gautama, Shakyamuni, or simply the Buddha, was a sage on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. He is believed to have lived and taught mostly in northeastern India sometime between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE.

 

The word Buddha means "awakened one" or "the enlightened one". "Buddha" is also used as a title for the first awakened being in a Yuga era. In most Buddhist traditions, Siddhartha Gautama is regarded as the Supreme Buddha (Pali sammāsambuddha, Sanskrit samyaksaṃbuddha) of the present age. Gautama taught a Middle Way between sensual indulgence and the severe asceticism found in the śramaṇa movement common in his region. He later taught throughout regions of eastern India such as Magadha and Kosala.

 

Gautama is the primary figure in Buddhism and accounts of his life, discourses, and monastic rules are believed by Buddhists to have been summarized after his death and memorized by his followers. Various collections of teachings attributed to him were passed down by oral tradition and first committed to writing about 400 years later.

 

CONTENTS

HISTORICAL SIDDHARTA GAUTAMA

Scholars are hesitant to make unqualified claims about the historical facts of the Buddha's life. Most accept that he lived, taught and founded a monastic order during the Mahajanapada era during the reign of Bimbisara, the ruler of the Magadha empire, and died during the early years of the reign of Ajasattu, who was the successor of Bimbisara, thus making him a younger contemporary of Mahavira, the Jain tirthankara. Apart from the Vedic Brahmins, the Buddha's lifetime coincided with the flourishing of other influential śramaṇa schools of thoughts like Ājīvika, Cārvāka, Jainism, and Ajñana. It was also the age of influential thinkers like Mahavira, Pūraṇa Kassapa , Makkhali Gosāla, Ajita Kesakambalī, Pakudha Kaccāyana, and Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta, whose viewpoints the Buddha most certainly must have been acquainted with and influenced by. Indeed, Sariputta and Moggallāna, two of the foremost disciples of the Buddha, were formerly the foremost disciples of Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta, the skeptic. There is also evidence to suggest that the two masters, Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta, were indeed historical figures and they most probably taught Buddha two different forms of meditative techniques. While the general sequence of "birth, maturity, renunciation, search, awakening and liberation, teaching, death" is widely accepted, there is less consensus on the veracity of many details contained in traditional biographies.

 

The times of Gautama's birth and death are uncertain. Most historians in the early 20th century dated his lifetime as circa 563 BCE to 483 BCE. More recently his death is dated later, between 411 and 400 BCE, while at a symposium on this question held in 1988, the majority of those who presented definite opinions gave dates within 20 years either side of 400 BCE for the Buddha's death. These alternative chronologies, however, have not yet been accepted by all historians.

 

The evidence of the early texts suggests that Siddhārtha Gautama was born into the Shakya clan, a community that was on the periphery, both geographically and culturally, of the northeastern Indian subcontinent in the 5th century BCE. It was either a small republic, in which case his father was an elected chieftain, or an oligarchy, in which case his father was an oligarch. According to the Buddhist tradition, Gautama was born in Lumbini, nowadays in modern-day Nepal, and raised in the Shakya capital of Kapilavastu, which may have been in either present day Tilaurakot, Nepal or Piprahwa, India. He obtained his enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, gave his first sermon in Sarnath, and died in Kushinagar.

 

No written records about Gautama have been found from his lifetime or some centuries thereafter. One Edict of Asoka, who reigned from circa 269 BCE to 232 BCE, commemorates the Emperor's pilgrimage to the Buddha's birthplace in Lumbini. Another one of his edicts mentions several Dhamma texts, establishing the existence of a written Buddhist tradition at least by the time of the Maurya era and which may be the precursors of the Pāli Canon. The oldest surviving Buddhist manuscripts are the Gandhāran Buddhist texts, reported to have been found in or around Haḍḍa near Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan and now preserved in the British Library. They are written in the Gāndhārī language using the Kharosthi script on twenty-seven birch bark manuscripts and date from the first century BCE to the third century CE.

 

TRADITIONAL BIOGRAPHIES

BIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES

The sources for the life of Siddhārtha Gautama are a variety of different, and sometimes conflicting, traditional biographies. These include the Buddhacarita, Lalitavistara Sūtra, Mahāvastu, and the Nidānakathā. Of these, the Buddhacarita is the earliest full biography, an epic poem written by the poet Aśvaghoṣa, and dating around the beginning of the 2nd century CE. The Lalitavistara Sūtra is the next oldest biography, a Mahāyāna/Sarvāstivāda biography dating to the 3rd century CE. The Mahāvastu from the Mahāsāṃghika Lokottaravāda tradition is another major biography, composed incrementally until perhaps the 4th century CE. The Dharmaguptaka biography of the Buddha is the most exhaustive, and is entitled the Abhiniṣkramaṇa Sūtra, and various Chinese translations of this date between the 3rd and 6th century CE. The Nidānakathā is from the Theravada tradition in Sri Lanka and was composed in the 5th century by Buddhaghoṣa.

 

From canonical sources, the Jataka tales, the Mahapadana Sutta (DN 14), and the Achariyabhuta Sutta (MN 123) which include selective accounts that may be older, but are not full biographies. The Jātakas retell previous lives of Gautama as a bodhisattva, and the first collection of these can be dated among the earliest Buddhist texts. The Mahāpadāna Sutta and Achariyabhuta Sutta both recount miraculous events surrounding Gautama's birth, such as the bodhisattva's descent from the Tuṣita Heaven into his mother's womb.

 

NATURE OF TRADITIONAL DEPICTIONS

In the earliest Buddhists texts, the nikāyas and āgamas, the Buddha is not depicted as possessing omniscience (sabbaññu) nor is he depicted as being an eternal transcendent (lokottara) being. According to Bhikkhu Analayo, ideas of the Buddha's omniscience (along with an increasing tendency to deify him and his biography) are found only later, in the Mahayana sutras and later Pali commentaries or texts such as the Mahāvastu. In the Sandaka Sutta, the Buddha's disciple Ananda outlines an argument against the claims of teachers who say they are all knowing while in the Tevijjavacchagotta Sutta the Buddha himself states that he has never made a claim to being omniscient, instead he claimed to have the "higher knowledges" (abhijñā). The earliest biographical material from the Pali Nikayas focuses on the Buddha's life as a śramaṇa, his search for enlightenment under various teachers such as Alara Kalama and his forty five year career as a teacher.

 

Traditional biographies of Gautama generally include numerous miracles, omens, and supernatural events. The character of the Buddha in these traditional biographies is often that of a fully transcendent (Skt. lokottara) and perfected being who is unencumbered by the mundane world. In the Mahāvastu, over the course of many lives, Gautama is said to have developed supra-mundane abilities including: a painless birth conceived without intercourse; no need for sleep, food, medicine, or bathing, although engaging in such "in conformity with the world"; omniscience, and the ability to "suppress karma". Nevertheless, some of the more ordinary details of his life have been gathered from these traditional sources. In modern times there has been an attempt to form a secular understanding of Siddhārtha Gautama's life by omitting the traditional supernatural elements of his early biographies.

 

Andrew Skilton writes that the Buddha was never historically regarded by Buddhist traditions as being merely human:

It is important to stress that, despite modern Theravada teachings to the contrary (often a sop to skeptical Western pupils), he was never seen as being merely human. For instance, he is often described as having the thirty-two major and eighty minor marks or signs of a mahāpuruṣa, "superman"; the Buddha himself denied that he was either a man or a god; and in the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta he states that he could live for an aeon were he asked to do so.The ancient Indians were generally unconcerned with chronologies, being more focused on philosophy. Buddhist texts reflect this tendency, providing a clearer picture of what Gautama may have taught than of the dates of the events in his life. These texts contain descriptions of the culture and daily life of ancient India which can be corroborated from the Jain scriptures, and make the Buddha's time the earliest period in Indian history for which significant accounts exist. British author Karen Armstrong writes that although there is very little information that can be considered historically sound, we can be reasonably confident that Siddhārtha Gautama did exist as a historical figure. Michael Carrithers goes a bit further by stating that the most general outline of "birth, maturity, renunciation, search, awakening and liberation, teaching, death" must be true.

 

BIOGRAPHY

CONCEPTION AND BIRTH

The Buddhist tradition regards Lumbini, in present-day Nepal to be the birthplace of the Buddha. He grew up in Kapilavastu. The exact site of ancient Kapilavastu is unknown. It may have been either Piprahwa, Uttar Pradesh, present-day India, or Tilaurakot, present-day Nepal. Both places belonged to the Sakya territory, and are located only 15 miles apart from each other.

 

Gautama was born as a Kshatriya, the son of Śuddhodana, "an elected chief of the Shakya clan", whose capital was Kapilavastu, and who were later annexed by the growing Kingdom of Kosala during the Buddha's lifetime. Gautama was the family name. His mother, Maya (Māyādevī), Suddhodana's wife, was a Koliyan princess. Legend has it that, on the night Siddhartha was conceived, Queen Maya dreamt that a white elephant with six white tusks entered her right side, and ten months later Siddhartha was born. As was the Shakya tradition, when his mother Queen Maya became pregnant, she left Kapilvastu for her father's kingdom to give birth. However, her son is said to have been born on the way, at Lumbini, in a garden beneath a sal tree.

 

The day of the Buddha's birth is widely celebrated in Theravada countries as Vesak. Buddha's Birthday is called Buddha Purnima in Nepal and India as he is believed to have been born on a full moon day. Various sources hold that the Buddha's mother died at his birth, a few days or seven days later. The infant was given the name Siddhartha (Pāli: Siddhattha), meaning "he who achieves his aim". During the birth celebrations, the hermit seer Asita journeyed from his mountain abode and announced that the child would either become a great king (chakravartin) or a great sadhu. By traditional account, this occurred after Siddhartha placed his feet in Asita's hair and Asita examined the birthmarks. Suddhodana held a naming ceremony on the fifth day, and invited eight Brahmin scholars to read the future. All gave a dual prediction that the baby would either become a great king or a great holy man. Kondañña, the youngest, and later to be the first arhat other than the Buddha, was reputed to be the only one who unequivocally predicted that Siddhartha would become a Buddha.

 

While later tradition and legend characterized Śuddhodana as a hereditary monarch, the descendant of the Suryavansha (Solar dynasty) of Ikṣvāku (Pāli: Okkāka), many scholars think that Śuddhodana was the elected chief of a tribal confederacy.

 

Early texts suggest that Gautama was not familiar with the dominant religious teachings of his time until he left on his religious quest, which is said to have been motivated by existential concern for the human condition. The state of the Shakya clan was not a monarchy, and seems to have been structured either as an oligarchy, or as a form of republic. The more egalitarian gana-sangha form of government, as a political alternative to the strongly hierarchical kingdoms, may have influenced the development of the śramanic Jain and Buddhist sanghas, where monarchies tended toward Vedic Brahmanism.

 

EARLY LIFE AND MARRIAGE

Siddhartha was brought up by his mother's younger sister, Maha Pajapati. By tradition, he is said to have been destined by birth to the life of a prince, and had three palaces (for seasonal occupation) built for him. Although more recent scholarship doubts this status, his father, said to be King Śuddhodana, wishing for his son to be a great king, is said to have shielded him from religious teachings and from knowledge of human suffering.

 

When he reached the age of 16, his father reputedly arranged his marriage to a cousin of the same age named Yaśodharā (Pāli: Yasodharā). According to the traditional account, she gave birth to a son, named Rāhula. Siddhartha is said to have spent 29 years as a prince in Kapilavastu. Although his father ensured that Siddhartha was provided with everything he could want or need, Buddhist scriptures say that the future Buddha felt that material wealth was not life's ultimate goal.

 

RENUNCIATION AND ASCETIC LIFE

At the age of 29, the popular biography continues, Siddhartha left his palace to meet his subjects. Despite his father's efforts to hide from him the sick, aged and suffering, Siddhartha was said to have seen an old man. When his charioteer Channa explained to him that all people grew old, the prince went on further trips beyond the palace. On these he encountered a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and an ascetic. These depressed him, and he initially strove to overcome aging, sickness, and death by living the life of an ascetic.

 

Accompanied by Channa and riding his horse Kanthaka, Gautama quit his palace for the life of a mendicant. It's said that, "the horse's hooves were muffled by the gods" to prevent guards from knowing of his departure.

 

Gautama initially went to Rajagaha and began his ascetic life by begging for alms in the street. After King Bimbisara's men recognised Siddhartha and the king learned of his quest, Bimbisara offered Siddhartha the throne. Siddhartha rejected the offer, but promised to visit his kingdom of Magadha first, upon attaining enlightenment.

 

He left Rajagaha and practised under two hermit teachers of yogic meditation. After mastering the teachings of Alara Kalama (Skr. Ārāḍa Kālāma), he was asked by Kalama to succeed him. However, Gautama felt unsatisfied by the practice, and moved on to become a student of yoga with Udaka Ramaputta (Skr. Udraka Rāmaputra). With him he achieved high levels of meditative consciousness, and was again asked to succeed his teacher. But, once more, he was not satisfied, and again moved on.

 

Siddhartha and a group of five companions led by Kaundinya are then said to have set out to take their austerities even further. They tried to find enlightenment through deprivation of worldly goods, including food, practising self-mortification. After nearly starving himself to death by restricting his food intake to around a leaf or nut per day, he collapsed in a river while bathing and almost drowned. Siddhartha was rescued by a village girl named Sujata and she gave him some payasam (a pudding made from milk and jaggery) after which Siddhartha got back some energy. Siddhartha began to reconsider his path. Then, he remembered a moment in childhood in which he had been watching his father start the season's ploughing. He attained a concentrated and focused state that was blissful and refreshing, the jhāna.

 

AWAKENING

According to the early Buddhist texts, after realizing that meditative dhyana was the right path to awakening, but that extreme asceticism didn't work, Gautama discovered what Buddhists call the Middle Way - a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification, or the Noble Eightfold Path, as was identified and described by the Buddha in his first discourse, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. In a famous incident, after becoming starved and weakened, he is said to have accepted milk and rice pudding from a village girl named Sujata. Such was his emaciated appearance that she wrongly believed him to be a spirit that had granted her a wish.

 

Following this incident, Gautama was famously seated under a pipal tree - now known as the Bodhi tree - in Bodh Gaya, India, when he vowed never to arise until he had found the truth. Kaundinya and four other companions, believing that he had abandoned his search and become undisciplined, left. After a reputed 49 days of meditation, at the age of 35, he is said to have attained Enlightenment. According to some traditions, this occurred in approximately the fifth lunar month, while, according to others, it was in the twelfth month. From that time, Gautama was known to his followers as the Buddha or "Awakened One" ("Buddha" is also sometimes translated as "The Enlightened One").

 

According to Buddhism, at the time of his awakening he realized complete insight into the cause of suffering, and the steps necessary to eliminate it. These discoveries became known as the "Four Noble Truths", which are at the heart of Buddhist teaching. Through mastery of these truths, a state of supreme liberation, or Nirvana, is believed to be possible for any being. The Buddha described Nirvāna as the perfect peace of a mind that's free from ignorance, greed, hatred and other afflictive states, or "defilements" (kilesas). Nirvana is also regarded as the "end of the world", in that no personal identity or boundaries of the mind remain. In such a state, a being is said to possess the Ten Characteristics, belonging to every Buddha.

 

According to a story in the Āyācana Sutta (Samyutta Nikaya VI.1) - a scripture found in the Pāli and other canons - immediately after his awakening, the Buddha debated whether or not he should teach the Dharma to others. He was concerned that humans were so overpowered by ignorance, greed and hatred that they could never recognise the path, which is subtle, deep and hard to grasp. However, in the story, Brahmā Sahampati convinced him, arguing that at least some will understand it. The Buddha relented, and agreed to teach.

 

FORMATION OF THE SANGHA

After his awakening, the Buddha met Taphussa and Bhallika — two merchant brothers from the city of Balkh in what is currently Afghanistan - who became his first lay disciples. It is said that each was given hairs from his head, which are now claimed to be enshrined as relics in the Shwe Dagon Temple in Rangoon, Burma. The Buddha intended to visit Asita, and his former teachers, Alara Kalama and Udaka Ramaputta, to explain his findings, but they had already died.

 

He then travelled to the Deer Park near Varanasi (Benares) in northern India, where he set in motion what Buddhists call the Wheel of Dharma by delivering his first sermon to the five companions with whom he had sought enlightenment. Together with him, they formed the first saṅgha: the company of Buddhist monks.

 

All five become arahants, and within the first two months, with the conversion of Yasa and fifty four of his friends, the number of such arahants is said to have grown to 60. The conversion of three brothers named Kassapa followed, with their reputed 200, 300 and 500 disciples, respectively. This swelled the sangha to more than 1,000.

 

TRAVELS AND TEACHING

For the remaining 45 years of his life, the Buddha is said to have traveled in the Gangetic Plain, in what is now Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and southern Nepal, teaching a diverse range of people: from nobles to servants, murderers such as Angulimala, and cannibals such as Alavaka. Although the Buddha's language remains unknown, it's likely that he taught in one or more of a variety of closely related Middle Indo-Aryan dialects, of which Pali may be a standardization.

 

The sangha traveled through the subcontinent, expounding the dharma. This continued throughout the year, except during the four months of the Vāsanā rainy season when ascetics of all religions rarely traveled. One reason was that it was more difficult to do so without causing harm to animal life. At this time of year, the sangha would retreat to monasteries, public parks or forests, where people would come to them.

 

The first vassana was spent at Varanasi when the sangha was formed. After this, the Buddha kept a promise to travel to Rajagaha, capital of Magadha, to visit King Bimbisara. During this visit, Sariputta and Maudgalyayana were converted by Assaji, one of the first five disciples, after which they were to become the Buddha's two foremost followers. The Buddha spent the next three seasons at Veluvana Bamboo Grove monastery in Rajagaha, capital of Magadha.

 

Upon hearing of his son's awakening, Suddhodana sent, over a period, ten delegations to ask him to return to Kapilavastu. On the first nine occasions, the delegates failed to deliver the message, and instead joined the sangha to become arahants. The tenth delegation, led by Kaludayi, a childhood friend of Gautama's (who also became an arahant), however, delivered the message.

 

Now two years after his awakening, the Buddha agreed to return, and made a two-month journey by foot to Kapilavastu, teaching the dharma as he went. At his return, the royal palace prepared a midday meal, but the sangha was making an alms round in Kapilavastu. Hearing this, Suddhodana approached his son, the Buddha, saying:

 

"Ours is the warrior lineage of Mahamassata, and not a single warrior has gone seeking alms."

 

The Buddha is said to have replied:

 

"That is not the custom of your royal lineage. But it is the custom of my Buddha lineage. Several thousands of Buddhas have gone by seeking alms."

 

Buddhist texts say that Suddhodana invited the sangha into the palace for the meal, followed by a dharma talk. After this he is said to have become a sotapanna. During the visit, many members of the royal family joined the sangha. The Buddha's cousins Ananda and Anuruddha became two of his five chief disciples. At the age of seven, his son Rahula also joined, and became one of his ten chief disciples. His half-brother Nanda also joined and became an arahant.

 

Of the Buddha's disciples, Sariputta, Maudgalyayana, Mahakasyapa, Ananda and Anuruddha are believed to have been the five closest to him. His ten foremost disciples were reputedly completed by the quintet of Upali, Subhoti, Rahula, Mahakaccana and Punna.

 

In the fifth vassana, the Buddha was staying at Mahavana near Vesali when he heard news of the impending death of his father. He is said to have gone to Suddhodana and taught the dharma, after which his father became an arahant.The king's death and cremation was to inspire the creation of an order of nuns. Buddhist texts record that the Buddha was reluctant to ordain women. His foster mother Maha Pajapati, for example, approached him, asking to join the sangha, but he refused. Maha Pajapati, however, was so intent on the path of awakening that she led a group of royal Sakyan and Koliyan ladies, which followed the sangha on a long journey to Rajagaha. In time, after Ananda championed their cause, the Buddha is said to have reconsidered and, five years after the formation of the sangha, agreed to the ordination of women as nuns. He reasoned that males and females had an equal capacity for awakening. But he gave women additional rules (Vinaya) to follow.

 

MAHAPARINIRVANA

According to the Mahaparinibbana Sutta of the Pali canon, at the age of 80, the Buddha announced that he would soon reach Parinirvana, or the final deathless state, and abandon his earthly body. After this, the Buddha ate his last meal, which he had received as an offering from a blacksmith named Cunda. Falling violently ill, Buddha instructed his attendant Ānanda to convince Cunda that the meal eaten at his place had nothing to do with his passing and that his meal would be a source of the greatest merit as it provided the last meal for a Buddha. Mettanando and Von Hinüber argue that the Buddha died of mesenteric infarction, a symptom of old age, rather than food poisoning. The precise contents of the Buddha's final meal are not clear, due to variant scriptural traditions and ambiguity over the translation of certain significant terms; the Theravada tradition generally believes that the Buddha was offered some kind of pork, while the Mahayana tradition believes that the Buddha consumed some sort of truffle or other mushroom. These may reflect the different traditional views on Buddhist vegetarianism and the precepts for monks and nuns.

 

Waley suggests that Theravadin's would take suukaramaddava (the contents of the Buddha's last meal), which can translate as pig-soft, to mean soft flesh of a pig. However, he also states that pig-soft could mean "pig's soft-food", that is, after Neumann, a soft food favoured by pigs, assumed to be a truffle. He argues (also after Neumann) that as Pali Buddhism was developed in an area remote to the Buddha's death, the existence of other plants with suukara- (pig) as part of their names and that "(p)lant names tend to be local and dialectical" could easily indicate that suukaramaddava was a type of plant whose local name was unknown to those in the Pali regions. Specifically, local writers knew more about their flora than Theravadin commentator Buddhaghosa who lived hundreds of years and kilometres remote in time and space from the events described. Unaware of an alternate meaning and with no Theravadin prohibition against eating animal flesh, Theravadins would not have questioned the Buddha eating meat and interpreted the term accordingly.

 

Ananda protested the Buddha's decision to enter Parinirvana in the abandoned jungles of Kuśināra (present-day Kushinagar, India) of the Malla kingdom. The Buddha, however, is said to have reminded Ananda how Kushinara was a land once ruled by a righteous wheel-turning king that resounded with joy:

 

44. Kusavati, Ananda, resounded unceasingly day and night with ten sounds - the trumpeting of elephants, the neighing of horses, the rattling of chariots, the beating of drums and tabours, music and song, cheers, the clapping of hands, and cries of "Eat, drink, and be merry!"

 

The Buddha then asked all the attendant Bhikkhus to clarify any doubts or questions they had. They had none. According to Buddhist scriptures, he then finally entered Parinirvana. The Buddha's final words are reported to have been: "All composite things (Saṅkhāra) are perishable. Strive for your own liberation with diligence" (Pali: 'vayadhammā saṅkhārā appamādena sampādethā'). His body was cremated and the relics were placed in monuments or stupas, some of which are believed to have survived until the present. For example, The Temple of the Tooth or "Dalada Maligawa" in Sri Lanka is the place where what some believe to be the relic of the right tooth of Buddha is kept at present.

 

According to the Pāli historical chronicles of Sri Lanka, the Dīpavaṃsa and Mahāvaṃsa, the coronation of Emperor Aśoka (Pāli: Asoka) is 218 years after the death of the Buddha. According to two textual records in Chinese (十八部論 and 部執異論), the coronation of Emperor Aśoka is 116 years after the death of the Buddha. Therefore, the time of Buddha's passing is either 486 BCE according to Theravāda record or 383 BCE according to Mahayana record. However, the actual date traditionally accepted as the date of the Buddha's death in Theravāda countries is 544 or 545 BCE, because the reign of Emperor Aśoka was traditionally reckoned to be about 60 years earlier than current estimates. In Burmese Buddhist tradition, the date of the Buddha's death is 13 May 544 BCE. whereas in Thai tradition it is 11 March 545 BCE.

 

At his death, the Buddha is famously believed to have told his disciples to follow no leader. Mahakasyapa was chosen by the sangha to be the chairman of the First Buddhist Council, with the two chief disciples Maudgalyayana and Sariputta having died before the Buddha.

 

While in the Buddha's days he was addressed by the very respected titles Buddha, Shākyamuni, Shākyasimha, Bhante and Bho, he was known after his parinirvana as Arihant, Bhagavā/Bhagavat/Bhagwān, Mahāvira, Jina/Jinendra, Sāstr, Sugata, and most popularly in scriptures as Tathāgata.

 

BUDDHA AND VEDAS

Buddha's teachings deny the authority of the Vedas and consequently [at least atheistic] Buddhism is generally viewed as a nāstika school (heterodox, literally "It is not so") from the perspective of orthodox Hinduism.

 

RELICS

After his death, Buddha's cremation relics were divided amongst 8 royal families and his disciples; centuries later they would be enshrined by King Ashoka into 84,000 stupas. Many supernatural legends surround the history of alleged relics as they accompanied the spread of Buddhism and gave legitimacy to rulers.

 

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

An extensive and colorful physical description of the Buddha has been laid down in scriptures. A kshatriya by birth, he had military training in his upbringing, and by Shakyan tradition was required to pass tests to demonstrate his worthiness as a warrior in order to marry. He had a strong enough body to be noticed by one of the kings and was asked to join his army as a general. He is also believed by Buddhists to have "the 32 Signs of the Great Man".

 

The Brahmin Sonadanda described him as "handsome, good-looking, and pleasing to the eye, with a most beautiful complexion. He has a godlike form and countenance, he is by no means unattractive." (D, I:115)

 

"It is wonderful, truly marvellous, how serene is the good Gotama's appearance, how clear and radiant his complexion, just as the golden jujube in autumn is clear and radiant, just as a palm-tree fruit just loosened from the stalk is clear and radiant, just as an adornment of red gold wrought in a crucible by a skilled goldsmith, deftly beaten and laid on a yellow-cloth shines, blazes and glitters, even so, the good Gotama's senses are calmed, his complexion is clear and radiant." (A, I:181)

 

A disciple named Vakkali, who later became an arahant, was so obsessed by the Buddha's physical presence that the Buddha is said to have felt impelled to tell him to desist, and to have reminded him that he should know the Buddha through the Dhamma and not through physical appearances.

 

Although there are no extant representations of the Buddha in human form until around the 1st century CE (see Buddhist art), descriptions of the physical characteristics of fully enlightened buddhas are attributed to the Buddha in the Digha Nikaya's Lakkhaṇa Sutta (D, I:142). In addition, the Buddha's physical appearance is described by Yasodhara to their son Rahula upon the Buddha's first post-Enlightenment return to his former princely palace in the non-canonical Pali devotional hymn, Narasīha Gāthā ("The Lion of Men").

 

Among the 32 main characteristics it is mentioned that Buddha has blue eyes.

 

NINE VIRTUES

Recollection of nine virtues attributed to the Buddha is a common Buddhist meditation and devotional practice called Buddhānusmṛti. The nine virtues are also among the 40 Buddhist meditation subjects. The nine virtues of the Buddha appear throughout the Tipitaka, and include:

 

- Buddho – Awakened

- Sammasambuddho – Perfectly self-awakened

- Vijja-carana-sampano – Endowed with higher knowledge and ideal conduct.

- Sugato – Well-gone or Well-spoken.

- Lokavidu – Wise in the knowledge of the many worlds.

- Anuttaro Purisa-damma-sarathi – Unexcelled trainer of untrained people.

- Satthadeva-Manussanam – Teacher of gods and humans.

- Bhagavathi – The Blessed one

- Araham – Worthy of homage. An Arahant is "one with taints destroyed, who has lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, reached the true goal, destroyed the fetters of being, and is completely liberated through final knowledge."

 

TEACHINGS

TRACING THE OLDEST TEACHINGS

Information of the oldest teachings may be obtained by analysis of the oldest texts. One method to obtain information on the oldest core of Buddhism is to compare the oldest extant versions of the Theravadin Pali Canon and other texts. The reliability of these sources, and the possibility to draw out a core of oldest teachings, is a matter of dispute. According to Vetter, inconsistencies remain, and other methods must be applied to resolve those inconsistencies.

 

According to Schmithausen, three positions held by scholars of Buddhism can be distinguished:

 

"Stress on the fundamental homogeneity and substantial authenticity of at least a considerable part of the Nikayic materials;"

"Scepticism with regard to the possibility of retrieving the doctrine of earliest Buddhism;"

"Cautious optimism in this respect."

 

DHYANA AND INSIGHT

A core problem in the study of early Buddhism is the relation between dhyana and insight. Schmithausen, in his often-cited article On some Aspects of Descriptions or Theories of 'Liberating Insight' and 'Enlightenment' in Early Buddhism notes that the mention of the four noble truths as constituting "liberating insight", which is attained after mastering the Rupa Jhanas, is a later addition to texts such as Majjhima Nikaya 36

 

CORE TEACHINGS

According to Tilmann Vetter, the core of earliest Buddhism is the practice of dhyāna. Bronkhorst agrees that dhyana was a Buddhist invention, whereas Norman notes that "the Buddha's way to release [...] was by means of meditative practices." Discriminating insight into transiency as a separate path to liberation was a later development.

 

According to the Mahāsaccakasutta, from the fourth jhana the Buddha gained bodhi. Yet, it is not clear what he was awakened to. "Liberating insight" is a later addition to this text, and reflects a later development and understanding in early Buddhism. The mentioning of the four truths as constituting "liberating insight" introduces a logical problem, since the four truths depict a linear path of practice, the knowledge of which is in itself not depicted as being liberating:

 

[T]hey do not teach that one is released by knowing the four noble truths, but by practicing the fourth noble truth, the eightfold path, which culminates in right samadhi.

 

Although "Nibbāna" (Sanskrit: Nirvāna) is the common term for the desired goal of this practice, many other terms can be found throughout the Nikayas, which are not specified.

 

According to Vetter, the description of the Buddhist path may initially have been as simple as the term "the middle way". In time, this short description was elaborated, resulting in the description of the eightfold path.

 

According to both Bronkhorst and Anderson, the four truths became a substitution for prajna, or "liberating insight", in the suttas in those texts where "liberating insight" was preceded by the four jhanas. According to Bronkhorst, the four truths may not have been formulated in earliest Buddhism, and did not serve in earliest Buddhism as a description of "liberating insight". Gotama's teachings may have been personal, "adjusted to the need of each person."

 

The three marks of existence may reflect Upanishadic or other influences. K.R. Norman supposes that these terms were already in use at the Buddha's time, and were familiar to his listeners.

 

The Brahma-vihara was in origin probably a brahmanic term; but its usage may have been common to the Sramana traditions.

  

LATER DEVELOPMENTS

In time, "liberating insight" became an essential feature of the Buddhist tradition. The following teachings, which are commonly seen as essential to Buddhism, are later formulations which form part of the explanatory framework of this "liberating insight":

 

- The Four Noble Truths: that suffering is an ingrained part of existence; that the origin of suffering is craving for sensuality, acquisition of identity, and fear of annihilation; that suffering can be ended; and that following the Noble Eightfold Path is the means to accomplish this;

- The Noble Eightfold Path: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration;

- Dependent origination: the mind creates suffering as a natural product of a complex process.

 

OTHER RELIGIONS

Some Hindus regard Gautama as the 9th avatar of Vishnu. The Buddha is also regarded as a prophet by the Ahmadiyya Muslims and a Manifestation of God in the Bahá'í Faith. Some early Chinese Taoist-Buddhists thought the Buddha to be a reincarnation of Lao Tzu.

 

The Christian Saint Josaphat is based on the Buddha. The name comes from the Sanskrit Bodhisattva via Arabic Būdhasaf and Georgian Iodasaph. The only story in which St. Josaphat appears, Barlaam and Josaphat, is based on the life of the Buddha. Josaphat was included in earlier editions of the Roman Martyrology (feast day 27 November) — though not in the Roman Missal — and in the Eastern Orthodox Church liturgical calendar (26 August).

 

Disciples of the Cao Đài religion worship the Buddha as a major religious teacher. His image can be found in both their Holy See and on the home altar. He is revealed during communication with Divine Beings as son of their Supreme Being (God the Father) together with other major religious teachers and founders like Jesus, Laozi, and Confucius.

 

In the ancient Gnostic sect of Manichaeism the Buddha is listed among the prophets who preached the word of God before Mani.

 

WIKIPEDIA

Last autumn, we felt confident enough to start arranging things in the new year. One of these was a show by Chinese acrobats that Jools wanted to see. She got Jen, Sylv and a friend to go. And yesterday was the day of the show. I made it clear it wasn't for me, but I would go up to rephotograph some City churches and we would meet up afterwards for a meal before coming home.

 

When we arrange things, we don't know what slings and arrows fate might throw at us. In Tuesday's case, it was a Tube drivers strike, and no last minute talks fixed that. I could arrange my trip to avoind using public transport other than the train up and back home, which were unaffected. Jools thought they would be OK, as their tickets were for the Odeon, which she thought was in Leicester Square, but it turned out was the old Hammersmith Apollo. Now, usually this would not have been a problem, but on Tuesday it was.

 

They arranged to leave an hour earlier than planned and try to get a taxi, which they did after waiting in line for an hour, getting to the theatre just half an hour before showtime, leaving them only time to get a snack.

 

Their journey up was done outside rush hour, the show ened at five, and they had to get back to St Pancras. Which would prove to be an adventure.

 

For me, however, it was a walk in the park. And to add to the pleasure of the day, I would meet up with my good friend, Simon, owner of the Churches of East Anglia website, just about every word and picture done by his own hand. His website also covers the City of LOndon churches, so I asked if he wanted to meet up; he did, so a plan was hatched to meet and visit a few churches, one of which, King Edmund, he had not been inside. He wouldn't arrive until jsut after ten to get the offpeak ticket prices, I would get up early as a couple of the churches would be open before nine.

 

A plan was made, and I had a list of chuches and a rough order in which to visit them.

 

The alarm went off at five, and we were both up. I having a coffee after getting dressed and Jools was to drop me off at the station, and as we drove in the heavy fog that had settled, I realised there was a direct train to Cannon Street just after seven, could I make it to avoid a half hour layover at Ashford?

 

Yes I could.

 

Jools dropped me off outside Priory station, I went in and got my ticket, and was on the train settled into a forward facing seat with three whole minutes to spare.

 

The train rattled it's way out of the station and through the tunnel under Western Heights, outside it was still dark. So I put my mask on and rested my eyes as we went through Folkestone to Ashford, an towards Pluckley, Headcorn, Marden to Tonbridge, Sevenoaks and so onto south east London. The train filled up slowly, until we got to Tonbridge which left few seats remaining, and at Sevenoaks, it was standing room only, but by then its a twenty minute run to London Bridge.

 

After leaving London Bridge station, the train took the sharp turn above Borough Market and over the river into Cannon Street. I was in no hurry, so enoyed the peace and space of an empty carriage before making my way off the train then along the platform and out onto the street in front. A heavy drizzle was falling, so I decided to get some breakfast and another coffee. Just up Walbrook there was an independent sandwich place, so I went in and asked what I wanted: faced with dozens of choices, all made to order, I had no idea.

 

I decided on a simple sausage sandwich and a coffee and watched people hurrying to work outside. I had all the time I wanted.

 

I check my phone and find that opening times were a little different, but St Mary Aldermary was open from half eight, so I check the directions and head there.

 

It was open, mainly because there is a small cafe inside. I ask if I could go in, they say yes, so I snap it well with the 50mm lens fitted, and decide that something sweet was called for. They recommended the carrot cake, so I had a slice of that and a pot of breakfast tea sitting and admiring the details of the church. Once I had finished, I put on the wide angle lens and finished the job.

 

Just up the lane outside was St Mary-le-Bow, which should also be open.

 

It was. Also because they had a cafe. I skipped another brew, and photographed that too, and saw that the crypt was open too, so went down the steps to that. Simon tells me that the church got it's name because of the brick arched crypt: bowed roof.

 

-------------------------------------------

 

One of the best-known of the City churches, standing proudly among the modern shops and offices of Cheapside with its former burial ground now a square to the west of it. The medieval church was also well-known, its great tower a prominent sight to anyone approaching the city. It was lit up with lanthorns at night. And the bells, of course, are also some of the City's best-known, remembered for supposedly calling, in about the year 1390, the young Richard Whittington back to London as he slinked sorrowfully out of town up Highgate Hill:

Turn again, Whittington, once Lord Mayor of London!

Turn again, Whittington, twice Lord Mayor of London!

Turn again, Whittington, thrice Lord Mayor of London!

 

Richard Whittington was a fabulously wealthy mercer, an early capitalist who benefited from the radical restructuring of the English economy in the years after the Black Death. In fact, he was Lord Mayor of London four times - in 1407, he was Lord Mayor of both London and Calais at the same time - and financed a number of public projects, such as drainage systems in poor areas of medieval London, and a hospital ward for unmarried mothers. He passed a law prohibiting the washing of animal skins by apprentices in the River Thames in cold, wet weather. In the absence of heirs, Whittington left £7,000 in his will to charity, equivalent to about £300 million in today's money. Among other things, it was used to rebuild Newgate Prison and Newgate, build the first library in the Guildhall, repair St Bartholomew's Hospital and install London's first public drinking fountains.

 

Under the circumstances, it is not surprising that he should be celebrated. The English folk tale Dick Whittington and his Cat was based on his life, and it has often been used as the basis for stage pantomimes and other adaptations. It tells of a poor boy in the 14th century who becomes a wealthy merchant and eventually the Lord Mayor of London because of the ratting abilities of his cat. The character of the boy is based on Richard Whittington, but the real Whittington did not come from a poor family and there is no evidence that he owned a cat. Although, of course, he probably did. The large tenor bell of St Mary le Bow, which begins the ring at the start of each line of Turn Again, Whittington, is also the Great Bell of Bow mentioned in the old nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons:

 

Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clement's

You owe me five farthings, say the bells of St. Martin's

When will you pay me? say the bells of Old Bailey

When I grow rich, say the bells of Shoreditch

When will that be? say the bells of Stepney

I do not KNOW, says the great bell of Bow.

 

And to be born within the sound of Bow bells is the definition of being a cockney. So here we have a church which was central to the Myth of London long before the Great Fire and Sir Christopher Wren came along. When he did, it was to rebuild the burned-down church on spectacular lines, the most obvious of which is the tower, perhaps the City's best, thoroughly assured in its Classical self-confidence. Wayland Young notes that Wren used as a foundation for it a Roman causeway he found eighteen feet below ground. He also excavated under the medieval ruins a vaulted crypt, and because of the Roman bricks used in the arches he assumed that this was Roman too. As Young points out, it is in fact 11th Century, and probably the arches gave St Mary its epithet, for St Mary de Arcubus can be translated as St Mary of the Bow.

 

The Victorians did their best to ruin St Mary le Bow - after all, it was an important civic church. They tore out the galleries, and filled the windows with dull, ponderous glass. But the church was destroyed on the night of Sunday 29th December 1940. Only the tower and outer walls were left standing, the tower with a noticeable slant. The decision was taken, as at St Bride and St Vedast, to rebuild but not to replicate the furnishings that were there before, or indeed those which had been there in Wren's time. The architect chosen for the restoration was Laurence King, and it took place between 1956 and 1964. The result is a large space full of wonderful light, enhanced by the genius of John Hayward's glass. The furnishings are all Hayward's and King's, the rood in the customary light oak style of the day, and a detail easily missed is the Blessed Sacrament chapel shoehorned in to the right of the sanctuary.

 

Towards the end of this period King also took on the reconstruction of Little Walsingham church in Norfolk, which had been gutted by fire, and there are obvious lessons there learned here, not least that John Hayward was a good man to have on the job. Both churches are full of Festival of Britain confidence, the rich simplicity of post-war Anglo-catholicism, sure of itself but not yet dogmatic. And yet there is never any doubt standing inside St Mary le Bow that this is a Wren church, a civic church with a sense of dignity and gravitas. As, conversely, there is a medieval spirit at King's contemporarily refurbished Little Walsingham church. It was a tremendously successful result for both.

 

Not long after photographing this church, and being buoyed up again by its sheer feelgood factor, I was excited to find a copy of Charles Cox's English Church Fittings, Furniture and Accessories in a Suffolk book shop. A large hardback volume published by Batsford in 1923, fairly rare nowadays, it was a seminal work for those looking to restore some of the damage caused by Victorian enthusiasm. Turning to the front of it, I found Laurence King's bookplate. It had been his copy. I leave you, the reader, to decide quite how excited I was as I carried the book home.

 

Simon Knott, December 2015

 

www.simonknott.co.uk/citychurches/043/church.htm

 

Geltrude Comensoli (1847-1903)

 

Foundress of the Sacramentine Sisters of Bergamo

 

GELTRUDE COMENSOLI was born in Bienno in Val Camonica, Brescia, on January 18, 1847, the fifth of ten children. On the same day of her birth, her parents, Carlo and Anna Maria Milesi, took her to the parish Church to be baptized and she was given the name of Caterina. During her childhood, Caterina experienced the joys of innocence and light-heartedness typical of that age. However, the Lord instilled within her the necessity of being intimately united to Him: she was often drawn by a strong desire to pray and meditate deeply. To those who asked her what she was doing she would answer: “I am thinking”.

 

At the age of seven, unable to resist any longer the pressing invitation of Jesus, one day, in the very early morning, she wrapped herself in her mother’s black shawl and went to the nearby Saint Mary’s Church. Standing at the balustrade, she secretely made her First Communion. Caterina experienced a “heavenly” feeling and swore eternal love to Jesus. The child became more serious, meditative and more absorbed in the thought of Jesus present in the Eucharist who, she realized, was often left alone for many days. While still young, she became an Apostle of the Eucharist: she would have liked to take Jesus present in the Holy Sacrament onto the top of a high mountain so that everyone could see and adore Him.

 

She chose some among the girls she knew to establish the Guard of Honour. Her ideal was Jesus. The motto: “Jesus, loving You and making others love You”, became the programme of her life. Attracted by a more perfect life, she left her family in 1862 and joined the convent of the Sisters of Charity, founded by St. Bartolomea Capitanio in Lovere, Brescia. Everyone had the highest hopes for her but the wonderful and mysterious ways of Providence were different. The Postulant became seriously ill and was dismissed from the Institute.

 

After her recovery, she left her village due to the financial situation of her family and, surely not by chance, entered into domestic service, first with Rev. G. B. Rota, parish priest of Chiari, who a few years later was to become the Bishop of Lodi, and afterwards with the Countess Fé-Vitali. These meetings and experiences were to be very important to Caterina. During the Christmas season of 1876 she reaffirmed her dedication to Jesus and wrote a very demanding way of conducting her life, to which she remained faithful.

 

On the Feast of Corpus Christi of 1878, with the permission of her confessor, she made the vow of chastity, which she had made on the morning of her secret Comunion, perpetual. Without neglecting her duties as a domestic servant, Caterina decided to educate the children of San Gervasio, Bergamo, guiding them towards an honest life of christian and social virtues.

 

By means of assiduous prayer, mortification, an intense interior life and the practice of the deeds of charity, Caterina prepared herself to accept the will of the Lord. Freed from family responsibilities after her parents’ death, the young woman sought a way to achieve her Eucharistic ideal.

 

She opened her heart to the Bishop of Bergamo Mgr Speranza, who was, at that time, in Bienno as a guest of the Fé-Vitali’s. He encouraged and assured her that her plans were the will of God.

 

In 1880, while in Rome with the Fé-Vitali’s, she succeeded in speaking with Pope Leo XIII about her plans to establish a religious institute devoted to the adoration of the Eucharist. The Pope changed them by inviting her to include the education of young female factory workers as well.

 

Supported by the new Bishop of Bergamo, Mgr Guindani, and by her “Father and Superior”, Rev. F. Spinelli, on December 15, 1882, Caterina, together with two of her friends began the Congregation of the Sacramentine Sisters of Bergamo with the first adoration hour of the Blessed Sacrament. On December 15, 1884 she took the name of Sister Geltrude of the Blessed Sacrament.

 

The new Congregation revealed itself to be God’s work. In fact, like all God’s work, it endured many adversities which sorely tried the “tender little plant”. However, this plant had already spread its deep roots into the rich soil of prayer, mortification and humility. It mattered little that Sister Geltrude and her Sisters, advised by the Bishop of Bergamo, Mgr Camillo Guindani, successor to Mgr Speranza, had to abandon their first “nest” in order to take refuge in Lodi. Mgr Rota, Bishop of Lodi, welcomed them and generously gave them a house in Lavagna di Comazzo, which temporarily became the Mother House of the Institute.

 

When innumerable difficulties had been overcome, Mgr Rota, with the Decree of September 8, 1891, gave canonical recognition to the Institute. On March 28, 1892, Mother Geltrude returned to Bergamo, the birthplace of the Congregation. There she gave it decisive and strong direction. God’s work was fulfilled!

 

The Foundress had guaranteed by then the continuation of the perpetual and public adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and had instilled her precious ideas into her Sisters. Hers was a spirit of prayer, sacrifice, mortification, obedience, humility and charity mainly towards the poor. Therefore, she could approach her godly Bridegroom. On February 18, 1903, at midday, Mother Geltrude, bowing her head towards the Church of Adoration, began her eternal adoration. The news of her death quickly spread. Those who had known her, especially the poor and the humble, who were her favourite people, declared her a saint. On August 9, 1926, her venerable remains were taken from the cemetery of Bergamo to the Mother House of the Institute which she had established. There she lies in a special chapel next to the Church of Adoration.

 

By request of numerous people, on February 18, 1928, the Ordinary Process on the reputation of Mother Geltrude’s sanctity, her virtuous life as well as miracles, granted by God through Mother Geltrude’s intercession, began. It ended in 1939.

 

In the same year, Pius XII authorized the preliminary investigation of the Apostolic Process in the Cause of Mother Geltrude.

 

On April 26, 1961, the General Congregation of the then Congregation of Sacred Rites was held in the presence of Pope John XXIII. His Holiness promulgated the Decree on the heroic virtuous life experienced by Mother Geltrude Comensoli, who was then given the title of “Venerable”.

 

On October 1, 1989, Pope John Paul II declared her a Blessed Soul.

 

On April 26, 2009 Pope Benedict XVI entered her on the register of Saints.

Dedicatory Prayer

 

Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple, October 13, 1996

 

O God our Eternal Father, thanks be to Thee, Thou great Elohim, in whose service we are honored to labor.

 

In these sacred precincts we bow before Thee in humble prayer to present unto Thee the gift of Thy people whose consecrated tithes and offerings have made possible the erection of this beautiful house.

 

Thou hast conferred upon us Thy Holy Priesthood. In that authority, and in the name of Thy Beloved Son, our Redeemer, even the Lord Jesus Christ, we dedicate this, the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple, and consecrate it unto Thee and unto Thy Son as Thy holy house, praying that Thou wilt accept it and honor it with Thy presence.

 

We dedicate the ground on which it stands with its trees, lawns, shrubbery, and flowers. We dedicate the structure from the footings to the figure of Moroni. We dedicate all of the rooms and facilities found herein, and in a particular way those rooms which will be used for the administration of sacred ordinances which Thou hast revealed unto Thy people.Here, in the beautiful font, baptisms will be performed by living proxies in behalf of the dead. Here with repentant hearts we will be made clean before Thee and stand clothed in robes of spotless white.

 

Here we will be instructed in the things of eternity and enter into solemn covenants with Thee. Here at sacred altars we will be joined as husband and wife, as parents and children under the authority of the eternal Priesthood, in bonds and covenants that will endure forever.

 

We acknowledge with thanksgiving the marvelous blessings here to be gained and pray that all who enter the portals of this Thy house may do so with clean hands and pure hearts, with love for Thee and Thy Son, and with faith in Thine everlasting promises made unto us.

 

May this in very deed be "a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God" (D&C 88:119).

 

May its beauty never be marred by evil hands. May it stand strong against the winds and storms that will beat upon it. May it be a beacon of peace and a refuge to the troubled. May it be an holy sanctuary to those whose burdens are heavy and who seek Thy consoling comfort.We thank Thee for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, that in this the dispensation of the fulness of times Thou didst appear with Thy Beloved Son to the boy Joseph Smith. We thank Thee that following that glorious manifestation Thou didst send Moroni with the Book of Mormon as another testament of the Lord Jesus Christ; that Thou didst send John the Baptist, and Peter, James, and John to restore the authority of Thy Holy Priesthood; that Thou didst send Moses, Elias, and Elijah to bring again to earth those grand keys which unlock the door of eternal life to all who shall become partakers of Thy promised blessings.

 

Dear Father, please forgive our sins and remember them no more against us. Give us strength and discipline to walk above our weaknesses. Grant us the companionship of Thy Holy Spirit and the directing power of the Holy Ghost in our lives at all times and under all circumstances, that we may serve Thee faithfully and well in Thy great work of bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of Thy sons and daughters.

 

We thank Thee for this favored season in the history of Thy work. Renew our appreciation for our faithful forebears, who were driven from their homes and came with trust in Thee to these mountain valleys. These desert lands have become fruitful and have blossomed as the rose, in fulfillment of prophecy.

 

Thy people have been gathered from over the earth, and they and their posterity continue to walk in faith before Thee. Please accept of their consecrations, and open the windows of heaven and shower down blessings upon the faithful as Thou hast promised.

 

Touch the hearts of Thy Saints that they may work with outreaching love in this holy edifice in behalf of their forebears.

 

May they seek after their kindred dead, and do for them what must be done if they are to be released from the bondage in which they have been kept for so long. Touch the hearts of Thy people with the spirit of the Prophet Elijah, that the hearts of the fathers may be turned to the children and the hearts of the children may be turned to the fathers, that the purposes of the earth may not be frustrated, but may all be fulfilled.

 

Father, we plead with Thee that Thou wilt overrule among the nations that doors may be opened for the preaching of Thine eternal word. Wilt Thou touch the hearts of rulers, and men and women of government, that they may unlock the gates of those lands which have been previously closed to Thy faithful servants. Bless in a special way Thy messengers who go forth as missionaries to the people of the earth that they may do so with power "to reprove the world of all their unrighteous deeds and...teach them of a judgment which is to come" (D&C 84:87). Let Thy Spirit go before them. May Thy watch care be over them. May they be magnified and led to those who will hear the glad tidings of salvation as they have been restored in this dispensation.

 

Bless Thy Church and kingdom, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that it shall "come forth out of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners" (D&C 109:73).

 

Bless Thy servants whom Thou hast called and ordained to stand as leaders in Thy Church in these days of great opportunity. Sustain them, give them strength, speak through them according to Thy divine will, and uphold them before the people. Bless all who serve in this temple and throughout Thy Church, that each may be faithful and that each may be possessed of a great desire to strengthen Thy work and build testimony in the hearts of others.

 

Father, we invoke Thy blessings upon this nation, the United States of America, where Thy work was restored in this dispensation. May those who stand in places of leadership look to Thee and be guided by Thee that liberty and freedom may be preserved and enhanced, and that because of the strength and goodness of the people of this nation, Thy work may be assisted as it moves across the earth.

 

Now, our Beloved Father and our God, we bow in reverence before Thee. We worship Thee in spirit and in truth. We love Thee. We love Thy gracious Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We love Thy work. Help us to live with respect and kindness one toward another as should all of those who are partakers of Thy bounteous goodness.

 

May we on this day of dedication, rededicate ourselves and reconsecrate our talents and our means to Thy service and to the blessing of Thy sons and daughters everywhere and through all generations, we humbly pray in the name of our great Redeemer, the Lord Omnipotent, even Jesus Christ, amen.

Chakra Medical Medicine Thangka -Thanka painting Himalayan art.

 

What Chakra's Are For.

 

My dear friends...

  

Did you know that the chakras of the body have a function and a purpose that most people do not understand? Last week in this space we took our first look at the human experience of “yearning” as a tool of awareness. Our exploration of this continues this week by describing this sensation in a way that opens the door to a larger understanding of the use and function, purpose and role of your body’s chakra centers. We have heard much about these centers in our body over the years, but seldom, if ever, have we heard how they “operate,” or why they are there. Let’s use the experience of “yearning” to take a look at this.

  

While yearning is a mental process, it can, like all mental processes, produce physical experiences. Yearning can produce a sensation in the stomach; what we might call “jitteriness” or a “jumpy tummy.” Deep and sad yearning can even cause a dull pain there. This is because yearning is an energy, and there is an energy center in the area of your body where your stomach is located. This energy center is called a chakra, and it is one of seven such centers in your body.

  

Energy centers translate the spiritual into the physical, the invisible into the visible, or, more broadly, what is thought into what is felt.

  

In short, chakras are the mechanisms that turn Knowing into Experience.

  

It is fascinating that, given how vital these energy centers are, millions of people are not even aware of them, or don’t believe that they exist. They do exist, and they can be utilized to bring us the physical experience of our spiritual identity. This is done by working with energy (what is called chi or ki in some Eastern traditions).

  

Here is how energy can work:

  

Deep and sad yearning is an energy. It is a thought, created in the Mind. It is a physical energy formulation. It is your personal information—or, more accurately, YOU, in formation.

  

You are a three-part being: Body, Mind, and Spirit. What you know in your Spirit you will yearn for in your Mind, and you will experience that yearning in your Body. For instance, you know in your Spirit that you are One with everything. When you become self-aware, you become aware of what your Spirit Knows. You will then yearn for this in your Mind, and you will experience this yearning in your Body.

  

It is the function of your energy centers to translate the Soul’s Knowing into the Body’s Experience. A fully awakened Mind does so purely, without distortion. A Mind that is not fully awake may, by virtue of its sleepfulness, by virtue of its forgetfulness, distort the Pure Energy of your True Knowing, producing a physical experience that is less than Pure.

  

It is along the chakra system of the body that the Life Energy flows, physicalizing spirituality along the way. The chakra system does this by translating one form of energy into another. This process of translation is what some of you call transformation.

  

Thus, the non-physical energy of a deep and sad yearning can produce the very physical energy of an aching heart. I don’t mean this as a metaphor. I am referring to an actual physical aching.

  

Positive or happy yearning can, by contrast, produce an upliftment and an enlivening of the physical senses, resulting in an actual improvement in physical health. It is not uncommon for a person to feel better all over when experiencing a positive yearning. Yearning to meet one’s God, or deep devotion to the Divine Being and the Divine Principle, is a very good example. Masters (such as Paramahansa Yogananda) have told us that living within such a yearning produces inner peacefulness and physical well-being.

  

Ultimately, yearning for Divinity leads to the Holy Experience, for yearning always produces the experience for which it yearns.

 

By Neale Donald Walsh.

Info from. www. The Spirit Guides.co.uk

 

I hope this ex plane's a lot and helps you on your path.

I should have been on my way to Norwich.

 

And then a party was arranged for Jools's sister, Cath, and there was no time to get back from the fine city unless I left before two, meaning I would have had less than three hours there, and so I had to say I would not go.

 

Meanwhile, a friend had been asking about a visit to Kent and some churches during the summer, so I was able to say suddenly a date had become free, could he make it this week?

 

He could.

 

Meanwhile, Rob, our sometime gardener, said he could do our hedges on Saturday. So I had to go out to the bank to get some cash, and on the way back grab two breakfast butties from the van outside B&Q.

 

There was just time to make and drink a big brew, eat the sarnie before it was time to meet him at Dover Priory.

 

Graham appeared, so I got out of the car and waved. He came over, we shook hands, and I said, shall we get to it?

 

We shall.

 

Off through the town, up Whitfield Hill and then down Lydden Hill to the tiny church, tucked away on a side road, overlooking farmland.

 

Half a mile of the A2, and yet so peaceful.

 

We disturbed the warden cleaning the church for the weekend's service, but we received a fine welcome, and a sitrep on the church: electricity, but too expensive to have running water connected.

 

Its an ancient church, the years hang heavy on it, and the 19th century restoration came in the 1840s, and was done with a very light touch.

 

We took shots and make our excuses. Many more churches to see.

 

Back up Lydden Hill, across the A2 and through Shepherdswell, where the parked traffic around the Co-Op gets no better, then out across the fields to the jewel in Kent's churches: Barfrestone.

 

More of the supporting wall has come down as the church slips down the slope, but the church itself is in good condition.

 

Graham marvels at the carvings, corbels and interior decoration, but as we couldn't find the lights, was too dark inside for photography.

 

A short drive away is Patrixbourne: Barfrestone's non-identical twin, with another "wheel window", but the marvel here is the tympanum. And sadly, not for the first time, the church is locked.

 

I take us along Old Palace road, beside and through the Nailbourne, stopping so he could see Bekesbourne's tower poking above the trees. It would be locked, so we move on.

 

Back to Bridge, crossing over the dry Nailbourne bed via the bridge in Bridge, stopping at the church, which is always open.

 

We drive down the Elham Valley to Elham, parking in the picturesque square, with St Mary towering on the southern side, and the fine Kings Arms opposite.

 

The church is open, of course, and there is a book sale. A massive book sale, so get a guide to Cypress and leave a couple of quid.

 

A few miles on is Lyminge.

 

The church sits on a hill, from the base of which, the Nailbourne emerges from the ground. At this time of the year, its just a trickle. In some winters it gushes out from several places, and St Ethelburga's Well sits above.

 

The church is one of my favourites, with its single flying buttress holding up the east wall of the chancel, and the path to the porch goes under the arch.

 

I show Graham the outline of the Saxon chapel in the path as we approach the church.

 

Sadly, (probably) the Victorians removed the plaster from the wall, exposing the flints making up the structure, looks ancient, but it was not like this through most of its life.

 

It was a bit of a drive to the next church: Brook. Along narrow lanes, meeting many vehicles coming in the opposite direction, meaning squeezing by, or reversing to a passing place.

 

Brook sits on the single street of the village, a bourne sometimes runs past it, so you have to cross a small bridge to reach the church.

 

I point out the almond shaped opening, possible hagioscope for an anchorite cell, before we go in, and in the Chancel, the stone altar and wall paintings behind making it seem very old indeed.

 

We skirted the edge of Ashford to reach the Romney Marsh.

 

Ashford is a new, new town, and traffic is dreadful. The actions of the drivers even worse.

 

I was glad to head out towards Rye, traffic thinning out until we reached the Marsh beyond Ham Street.

 

I turn off down the narrow lane to Snave, but there is no sign as to where the church is. The trees that surround it now hide the church from view, and on a second pass, I spotted the pale blue sign down a track.

 

We park and walk up, finding the church yard overgrown, but the church open.

 

We take shots, the silence hung heavy as we went about snapping.

 

Back to the car, and thoughts turned to lunch.

 

I thought the best pub would be at Ivychurch, where the Bell Inn sits beside the "cathedral of the Marsh", St George.

 

Graham treats me to a pint of London Pride, as sadly there was no Kentish beers on off, and lunch of chilli nachos, which we eat in the beer garden, as the sun tried to break through the cloud cover.

 

Maybe we lingered too long supping, so the last two visits were flying: first to Brookland and its triple stage "candle snuffer" bell tower, locked of course. Inside I point out the lead font.

 

Finally, nearly in Sussex, we drive to Fairfield.

 

But there's a wedding party there, having photographs taken. We decide not to disturb them, and with three o'clock having rolled round, I took Graham to Ashford for a train back to London, and me to drive home so to be back for the party.

 

Norwich had already won at Portsmouth, 2-1, so it was pleasant to listen to the radio babbling away, with a confusing mix of teams and players, some new at their clubs, so no idea who had scored until the reporter made it clear.

 

Back home for a shower and change.

 

In the garden the hedges were shorn, and the clippings lay in piles. Jobs for the rest of the weekend, and maybe into next week.

 

To Jen's then, for a Chinese banquet and wish Cath happy birthday as its midweek, and she would be working.

 

Beer and wine flowed, at least for Jen and myself.

 

Jools drive us back through the gloaming, now that the clouds had cleared, a golden evening. And nearly chilly.

  

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A mainly thirteenth century church restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott. There is a high window which originally shed light onto the Rood figures (see also Capel le Ferne). Some medieval glass survives in the heads of the windows in the chancel showing angels holding crowns. The west window was designed by Morris and Co in 1874 to commemorate a former Rector, whilst the south chapel has a set of continental glass brought here by the Beckingham family from their house in Essex. Above the nave arcade is a good set of murals including a figure of St Nicholas. The famous Elizabethan theologian Richard Hooker is commemorated in the chancel.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Bishopsbourne

 

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Bishopsbourne is another example of a parish church belonging to the church (the archbishop, in this case), which was totally rebuilt on a large(r) scale in the 13th century (cf. Chartham). The chancel, as rebuilt, was as wide as the nave, and there is no chancel arch (and probably never has been).

The nave and chancel both show at least two phases of work of about the mid to later 13th century, so it seems likely that a rebuilding programme was being carried on in stages during the 2nd half of the 13th century (no sign exists, above-ground, of the earlier church).

Perhaps the earliest visible work are the two pairs of two-light windows on either side of the chancel. They have geometrical tracery and all sit on an internal moulded string course (there is medieval glass at the top of all these windows). This string course rises up in the east wall, and has on it the five-light east window, within trefoiled lancets, which is perhaps slightly later in date. There is also a late 13th century piscina at the east end of the south wall (though with a 19th century back wall). Externally the N.E. and S.E. corners of the chancel have angle buttresses, but these are heavily restored. It is also just possible that there were further geometrical windows further west in the chancel, which were covered/removed when the 15th century additions were made.

In the nave, as John Newman has pointed out, the two slender arcades have slight differences (N. capitals more complex than the S. ones). Also that the nave abaci are undercut, while the chancel string course is not. Originally the south arcade was at least three bays long (ie. longer than the present nave), but on the north this is not so clear. The aisles themselves are very narrow, with shed roofs continuing the slope of the main nave roof (though this shape may only be 15th century when the aisles were remodelled). The only surviving feature of the 13th century in the outer aisle walls (again heavily restored externally in the 19th century) is the north doorway with its niche (called a stoup by some writers, but not necessarily one) immediately to the east. This doorway has slightly projecting pilasters on either side, and the whole was covered by a porch until 1837.

The second main phase of work took place in the later 15th century. First, the whole of the west end of the church was demolished and a new tower was constructed with diagonal buttresses. The tower is of three main stages with the top stage rendered. The whole of the south face is mostly rendered. As this was being built, short walls were erected from the eastern diagonal buttresses to the 13th century arcade (ie. leaving the western ends of the aisles outside). (This is perhaps due to a population decrease in the parish). New west walls (containing two light perpendicular square headed windows) to the shortened aisles were also built, and four new 2-light perpendicular windows were inserted into the outer aisle walls. Along the top of the inside of the aisles walls a new moulded timber stringcourse was made (the roofs were perhaps also remade, but they are hidden beneath plaster in the aisles, and the main nave roof was replaced in 1871). At the west end of the nave the new short north and south walls contain five 3-light windows with perpendicular tracery under a 2-centred arch in their heads. On the upper nave walls, above the arcade, are remains of some fine painted figures on a painted 'ashlar' background. These were perhaps painted after the 15th century rebuilding (a date of around 1462 for the rebuilding is perhaps suggested by the will of William Harte (see below). At the extreme west end of the nave are two areas (N. and S.) of in situ medieval floor tiles. It is just possible that they predate the tower building work. (They must continue eastwards under the pews). There is also a 15th cent. octagonal font bowl (on a 1975 base). The southern chapel (the Bourne Pew after the Reformation) with its diagonal buttresses and 3-light east window is also 15th century but it was very heavily restored in c. 1853 (date over new S. door). It has a separate roof (and plaster ceiling). The rectangular N. addition with a plinth is also 15th century and was perhaps built as a vestry. It had an external door and only a small door into the chancel until the rebuilding of 1865, when a massive new arch was put in to accommodate a new organ (earlier the organ was under the tower arch). At this time also a totally new pitched roof was built over the vestry, perhaps replacing a low pitched 15th century roof. There is a high up window on the north side above the pulpit, with some old glass in it.

A new boiler house was dug under the western half of the vestry (in the 1880s - date on radiator), and its N.W. corner was rebuilt, incorporating a fireplace and chimney. The cut through N. chancel wall (and foundation) can be seen in the boiler room below.

The door into the Rood loft is in the S.E. corner of the nave.

In 1871-2 a major restoration took place under Scott, when the boarded wagon roofs were put in (nave and chancel) and new pews were installed (and choir stalls). The c. 18th century pulpit was remodelled and has its larger tester removed. The west window contains 1874 Morris & Co glass with figures by Burne Jones. There is also much c. 1877 mosaic work on the lower chancel walls and a large Reredos. The chancel floor was also raised.

 

BUILDING MATERIALS (Incl. old plaster, paintings, glass, tiles, etc.):

The main building materials are flintwork with Rag and Caenstone quoins/jambs, etc. However much of this has been removed externally by the heavy 19th century restoration. The nave arcades are of Reigate stone. The 15th century tower has fine large quoins of Kent Rag (Hythe/Folkestone stone with boring mollusc holes), and a few reused pieces of Caen, Reigate and Roman brick.

The south chapel was "partly of brick" in 1846 (Glynne) but this has now gone in the Restoration. There is also some fine early post-medieval glass in the east window of this chapel.

 

(For medieval glass, wall paintings and floor tiles ,see above).

 

(Also 15th century choir stalls, see below). There are also the arms and Cardinals Cap of Cardinal Morton (hence 1494-1500) in the S.W. chancel window.

 

There are now 4 bells (2 J Hatch of 1618; Christopher Hodson 1685 and Robert Mot 1597). The later from St. Mary, Bredman, Canterbury was installed in 1975 (a cracked bell was 'discarded').

 

A late medieval brass (of John and Elizabeth Colwell) lies under the organ - another of 1617 (John Gibon) is under the choir stalls.

 

EXCEPTIONAL MONUMENTS IN CHURCH To Richard Hooker (1633) - originally on N chancel wall and moved to S chancel will c. 1865.

 

Also John Cockman (+1734) - also on N. chancel wall and moved to E. wall of N. aisle c. 1865 (when the organ was put under new vestry arch).

 

Also a fine Purbeck marble (14th century) grave slab under the N.E. corner of the tower.

 

There are also two fine 15th century (c. 1462) stall fronts in the chancel with carved panels and ends (and 'poppy heads'). The added Victorian choir stalls copy them.

 

CHURCHYARD AND ENVIRONS:

Shape: Rectangular

 

Condition: Good

 

Earthworks:

enclosing: drop on N. and W. sides (?Ha-Ha) into Bourne Park adjacent:

 

Building in churchyard or on boundary: Lychgate of 1911

 

HISTORICAL RECORD (where known):

Earliest ref. to church: Domesday Book

 

Evidence of pre-Norman status (DB, DM, TR etc.):

 

Late med. status: Rectory

 

Patron: The Archbishop

 

Other documentary sources: Test. Cant. (E. Kent 1907) 23 mentions 'one piece of that stone on which the Archangel Gabriel descended when he saluted the 'BVM' to the Image of the BVM of the church of Bourne. Towards the work of the Church of Bourne, of the stalls and other reparations, 4 marcs. Wm. Haute (1462). Also 'Beam, now before altar of B. Mary in the church' (1477) and Lights of St. Mary, St. Katherine and St. Nicholas (1484) and light of Holy Cross (1462) and 'The altar of St. Mary and St. Nicholas in the nave' (1476).

 

SURVIVAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL DEPOSITS:

Inside present church: Good - main nave and chancel floor raised in 19th century (earlier levels should be intact beneath (except where burials, etc.).

 

Outside present church: Drainage trench cut round outside of church.

 

Quinquennial inspection (date\architect): October 1987 David Martin

 

ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL ASSESSMENT:

The church and churchyard: A fine 13th and 15th century church, with an impressive collection of medieval wall paintings, stained glass, floor tiles and pew fronts inside. The 13th century architectural details of the chancel windows and nave arcade are very good. There are, no doubt, the remains of the earlier church beneath.

 

The wider context: One of a group of fine later 13th century rebuildings (cf. Hythe, Chartham, Adisham, etc.)

REFERENCES: Notes by FC Elliston Erwood, Arch. Cant. 62 (1949), 101-3 (+ plan) + S. R. Glynne Notes on the Churches of Kent (1877), 130-1 (He visited in 1846); Hasted IX (1800), 335-7; Newman BOE (N.E. and E Kent) (3rd ed. 1983) 144-5.

 

Guide book: by Miss Alice Castle (1931, rev. 1961, 1969, 1980) - no plan.

 

Plans & drawings: Early 19th century engraving of interior looking W. NW (before restoration).

 

DATES VISITED: 25th November 1991 REPORT BY: Tim Tatton-Brown

 

www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/01/03/BIS.htm

 

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BISHOPSBORNE

LIES the next parish eastward from Bridge, described before, in the hundred of that name. It is called in Domesday, Burnes, that is, borne, from the bourn or stream which rises in it, being the head of the river, called the Lesser Stour; and it had the name of Bishopsborne from its belonging to the archbishop, and to distinguish it from the several other parishes of the same name in this neighbourhood. There is but one borough in this parish, namely, that of Bourne.

 

THIS PARISH lies about five miles eastward from Canterbury, just beyond Bridge, about half a mile from the Dover road, and the entrance of Barham downs in the valley on the left hand, where the church and village, the parsonage, the mansion and grounds of Bourne place, and the seat of Charlton at the opposite boundary, with the high hills behind them, topped with woods, from a most pleasing and luxuriant prospect indeed. In this beautiful valley, in which the Lesser Stour rises, and through which the Nailbourne at times runs, is the village of Bourne-street, consisting of about fifteen houses, and near it the small seat of Ofwalds, belonging to Mr. Beckingham, and now inhabited by his brother the Rev. Mr. Beckingham, and near it the church and court-lodge. On the rise of the hill is the parsonage, an antient building modernized, and much improved by the present rector Dr. Fowell, and from its whiteness a conspicuous object to the road and Barham downs. About a mile distant eastward, in the vale, close to the foot of the hills, is Charlton, in a low and damp situation, especially when the nailbourne runs. On the opposite side of the church westward, stands the ornament of this parish, the noble mansion of Bourne-place, (for several years inhabited by Sir Horace Mann, bart. but now by William Harrison, esq.) with its paddocks, grounds, and plantations, reaching up to the downs, having the bourn, which is the source of the Lesser Stour, which rises here in the front of it, directing its course from hence to Bridge, and so on by Littleborne, Ickham and Wickham, till it joins the Greater Stour river. This valley from this source of the bourn upwards, is dry, except after great rains, or thaws of snow, when the springs of the Nailbourn occasionally over flow at Liminge and Elham, and directing their course through this parish descend into the head of the bourn, and blend their waters with it. From this valley southward the opposite hills rise pretty high to the woodland, called Gosley wood, belonging to Mr. Beckingham, of large extent, and over a poor, barren and stony country, with rough healthy ground interspersed among it, to the valley at the southern boundary of the parish, adjoining to Hardres; near which is the house of Bursted, in a lonely unfrequented situations, hardly known to any one.

 

THE MANOR OF BOURNE, otherwise Bishopsborne, was given by one Aldhun, a man of some eminence in Canterbury, from his office of præfect, or bailiff of that city, (qui in hac regali villa bujus civitatis prafectus suit), (fn. 1) to the monks of Christ-church there, towards the support of their refectory. After which, anno 811, the monks exchanged it, among other estates, with archbishop Wlfred, for the manor of Eastry, and it continued part of the possessions of the see of Canterbury, at the time of taking the survey of Domesday, in which it is thus entered, under the title of the archbishop's lands:

 

In Berham hundred, the archbishop himself holds Burnes in demesne. It was taxed for six sulings. The arable land is fifty carucates. In demesne there are five carucates, and sixty-four villeins, with fifty-three borderers having thirty carucates and an half. There is a church, and two mills of eight shillings and six pence, and twenty acres of meadow. Wood for the pannage of fifteen hogs. Of herbage twenty-seven pence. In its whole value, in the time of king Edward the Confessor, and afterwards, it was worth twenty pounds, now thirty pounds.

 

The manor of Bishopsborne appears by the above entry to have been at that time in the archbishop's own hands, and it probably continued so as long as it remained part of his revenues, which was till the 35th year of king Henry VIII. when archbishop Cranmer, by an act specially passed for the purpose, exchanged this manor with the park, grounds and soil of the archbishop in this parish, called Langham park, with Thomas Colepeper, sen. esq. of Bedgbury, who that year alienated it to Sir Anthony Aucher, of Otterden, who gave this manor, with the rest of his possessions in this parish, to his second son Edward. Since which it has continued in the same line of ownership as Bourne-place, as will be more particularly mentioned hereafter, down to Stephen Beckingham, esq. the present owner of it. A court leet and court baron is held for this manor.

 

BOURNE-PLACE, formerly called the manor of Hautsbourne, is an eminent seat in this parish, for the manor has from unity of possession been for many years merged in the paramount manor of Bishopsborne. It was in very early times possessed by a family who took their name from it. Godric de Burnes is mentioned in the very beginning of the survey of Domesday, as the possessor of lands in it. John de Bourne had a grant of free-warren and other liberties for his lands in Bourne and Higham in the 16th year of king Edward I. He left an only daughter Helen, who carried this estate in marriage to John de Shelving, of Shelvingborne, whose grandson, of the same name, died anno 4 Edward III. at which time this manor had acquired from them the name of Shelvington. He left an only daughter and heir Benedicta, who carried it in marriage to Sir Edmund de Haut, of Petham, whose son Nicholas Haut gave to William, his youngest son, this estate of Bishopsborne, where he afterwards resided, and died in 1462, having been knight of the shire and sheriff of this county. From him it descended down to Sir William Haut, of Hautsborne, sheriff in the 16th and 29th year of king Henry VIII. whose son Edmund dying unmarried in his life-time, his two daughters, Elizabeth, married to Thomas Colepeper, esq. of Bedgbury, and Jane, to Sir Thomas Wyatt, of Allington-castle, became his coheirs, and on the division of their estates, this of Hautsborne was allotted to the former, and her hus band Thomas Colepeper, in her right, became possessed of it, and having acquired the manor of Bishopsborne by exchange from the archbishop, anno 35 Henry VIII. immediately afterwards passed away both that and Hautsborne to Sir Anthony Aucher, of Otterden, whose family derived their origin from Ealcher, or Aucher, the first earl of Kent, who had the title of duke likewise, from his being intrusted with the military power of the county. He is eminent in history for his bravery against the Danes, in the year 853. They first settled at Newenden, where more of the early account of them may be seen. He at his death gave them to his second son Edward, who afterwards resided here at Shelvington, alias Hautsborne, as it was then called, whose great-grandson Sir Anthony Aucher was created a baronet in 1666, and resided here. He left surviving two sons Anthony and Hewitt, and two daughters, Elizabeth, afterwards married to John Corbett, esq. of Salop, LL. D. and Hester, to the Rev. Ralph Blomer, D. D. prebendary of Canterbury. He died in 1692, and was succeeded by his eldest son, who dying under age and unmarried, Hewitt his brother succeeded him in title and estate, but he dying likewise unmarried about the year 1726, the title became extinct, but his estates devolved by his will to his elder sister Elizabeth, who entitled her husband Dr. Corbett afterwards to them, and he died possessed of the manor of Bishopsborne, with this seat, which seems then to have been usually called Bourneplace, in 1736, leaving his five daughters his coheirs, viz. Katherine, afterwards married to Stephen Beckingham, esq. Elizabeth, to the Rev. Thomas Denward; Frances, to Sir William Hardres, bart. Antonina, to Ignat. Geohegan, esq. and Margaret-Hannah-Roberta, to William Hougham, esq. of Canterbury, the four latter of whom, with their respective husbands, in 1752, jointed in the sale of their shares in this estate to Stephen Beckingham, esq. above-men tioned, who then became possessed of the whole of it. He married first the daughter of Mr. Cox, by whom he had the present Stephen beckingham, esq. who married Mary, daughter of the late John Sawbridge, esq. of Ollantigh, deceased, by whom he had an only daughter, who married John-George Montague, esq. eldest son of John, lord viscount Hinchingbrooke, since deceased. By his second wife Catherine, daughter of Dr. John Corbet, he had two daughters, Charlotte and Catherine, both married, one to Mr. Dillon and the other to Mr. Gregory; and a son John Charles, in holy orders, and now rector of Upper Hardres. They bear for their arms, Argent, a sess, crenelle, between three escallop shells, sable. He died in 1756, and his son Stephen Beckingham, esq. above-mentioned, now of Hampton-court, is the present owner of the manor of Bishopsborne, and the mansion of Bourneplace.

 

BURSTED is a manor, in the southern part of this parish, obscurely situated in an unfrequented valley, among the woods, next to Hardres. It is in antient deeds written Burghsted, and was formerly the property of a family of the same name, in which it remained till it was at length sold to one of the family of Denne, of Dennehill, in Kingston, and it continued so till Thomas Denne, esq. of that place, in Henry VIII.'s reign, gave it to his son William, whose grandson William, son of Vincent Denne, LL. D. died possessed of it in 1640, and from him it descended down to Mr. Thomas Denne, gent. of Monkton-court, in the Isle of Thanet, who died not many years since, and his widow Mrs. Elizabeth Denne, of Monktoncourt, is the present possessor of it.

 

CHARLTON is a seat, in the eastern part of this parish, which was formerly the estate of a family named Herring, in which it continued till William Herring, anno 3 James I. conveyed it to John Gibbon, gent. the third son of Thomas Gibbon, of Frid, in Bethers den, descended again from those of Rolvenden, and he resided here, and died possessed of it in 1617, as did his son William in 1632, whose heirs passed it away to Sir Anthony Aucher, bart. whose son Sir Hewitt Aucher, bart. in 1726, gave it by will to his sister Elizabeth, and she afterwards carried it in marriage to John Corbett, LL. D. of Salop, who died possessed of it in 1735, leaving his window surviving, after whose death in 1764 it came to her five daughters and coheirs, who, excepting Frances, married to Sir William Hardres, bart. joined with their husbands in the sale of their respective fifth parts of it in 1765, to Francis Hender Foote, clerk, who resided here. Mr. Foote was first a barrister-at-law, and then took orders. He married Catherine, third daughter of Robert Mann, esq. of Linton, by whom he had three sons, John, mentioned below, who is married and has issue; Robert, rector of Boughton Malherb, and vicar of Linton, who married Anne, daughter of Dobbins Yate, esq. of Gloucestershire, and Edward, in the royal navy; and three daughters, of whom two died unmarried, and Catherine, the second, married first Mr. Ross, and secondly Sir Robert Herries, banker, of London. Mr. Foote died possessed of them in 1773, leaving his wife Catherine surviving, who possessed them at her death in 1776, on which they descended to their eldest son John Foote, esq. of Charlton, who in 1784, purchased of the heirs of lady Hardres, deceased, the remaining fifth part, and so became possessed of the whole of it, of which he is the present owner, but Mr. Turner now resides in it.

 

Charities.

MRS. ELIZABETH CORBETT, window, executrix of Sir Hewit Aucher, bart. deceased, in 1749, made over to trustees, for the use and benefit of the poor, a tenement called Bonnetts, and half an acre of land adjoining, in this parish; now occupied by two poor persons, but if rented, of the annual value of 3l.

 

The poor constantly relieved are about eleven, casually seven.

 

THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Bridge.

 

¶The church, which is dedicated to St. Mary, is a large building, consisting of three isles and three chancels, having a tower steeple at the west end, in which are four bells. This church is a large handsome building, but it is not kept so comely as it ought to be. In the chancel is a monument for Richard Hooker, rector of this parish, who died in 1600; on it is his bust, in his black gown and square cap. A monument for John Cockman, M. D. of Charlton. His widow lies in the vault by him, obt. 1739; arms, Argent, three cocks, gules, impaling Dyke. Memorial for Petronell, wife of Dr. John Fowell, the present rector, second daughter of William Chilwich, esq. of Devonshire, obt. 1766. She lies buried in a vault under the altar. A large stone, twelve feet long, supposed to be over the remains of Mr. Richard Hooker. A memorial on brass for John Gibbon, gent. of this parish, obt. 1617; arms, Gibbon, a lion rampant-guardant, between three escallops, impaling Hamon, of Acrise, quartering Cossington. Memorials for Mrs. Jane Gibbon, his wife, obt. 1625, and for William Gibbon, gent. obt. 1632. A memorial for William Gresham, obt. 1718. In one of the windows are the arms of the see of Canterbury impaling Warham. In the middle isle, in the south wall, above the capital of the pillar, opposite the pulpit, is a recess, in which once stood the image of the Virgin Mary, the patron saint of this church, to which William Hawte, esq. by will anno 1462, among the rest of his relics, gave a piece of the stone on which the archangel Gabriel descended, when he saluted her, for this image to rest its feet upon. On the pavement near this, seemingly over a vault, is a stone with an inscription in brass, for William, eldest son of Sir William Hawt. A memorial for Farnham Aldersey, gent. of this parish, only son of Farnham Aldersey, gent. of Maidstone, obt. 1733. Memorials for several of the Dennes, of this parish. In a window of the south isle, are the arms of Haut, impaling Argent, a lion rampant-guardant, azure. The south chancel is inclosed and made into a handsome pew for the family of Bourne-place, under which is a vault appropriated to them. The window of it eastward is a very handsome one, mostly of modern painted glass; the middle parts filled up with scripture history, and the surrounding compartments with the arms and different marriages impaled of the family of Beckingham. On each side of this window are two ranges of small octagon tablets of black marble, intended for the family of Aucher, and their marriages, but they were not continued. In the church-yard, on the south side, is a vault for the family of Foote, of Charlton, and a tomb for Mrs. Elizabeth Corbett, obt. 1764; arms, Corbett, which were Or, two ravens, sable, within a bordure, gules, bezantee. At the north-east corner of the church-porch are several tombs for the Dennes.

 

The church of Bishopsborne, with the chapel of Barham annexed, was antiently appendant to the manor, and continued so till the exchange made between the archbishop and Thomas Colepeper, in the 35th year of king Henry VIII. out of which the advowson of this rectory was excepted. Since which it has continued parcel of the possessions of the see of Canterbury to the present time, his grace the archbishop being the present patron of it.

 

This rectory, (including the chapel of Barham annexed to it) is valued in the king's books at 39l. 19s. 2d. and the yearly tenths at 3l. 19s. 11d. In 1588 here were communicants one hundred. In 1640 one hundred and forty-eight, and it was valued, with Barham, at two hundred and fifty pounds per annum.

 

Church of Bishopsborne with the Chapel of Barhan annexed.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol9/pp328-337

 

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Richard Hooker (March 1554 – 3 November 1600) was an English priest in the Church of England and an influential theologian.[2] He was one of the most important English theologians of the sixteenth century.[3] His defence of the role of redeemed reason informed the theology of the seventeenth century Caroline Divines and later provided many members of the Church of England with a theological method which combined the claims of revelation, reason and tradition.[3] Scholars disagree regarding Hooker's relationship with what would later be called "Anglicanism" and the Reformed theological tradition. Traditionally, he has been regarded as the originator of the Anglican via media between Protestantism and Catholicism.[4]:1 However, a growing number of scholars have argued that he should be considered as being in the mainstream Reformed theology of his time and that he only sought to oppose the extremists (Puritans), rather than moving the Church of England away from Protestantism.

 

This sermon from 1585 was one of those that triggered Travers attack and appeal to the Privy Council. Travers accused Hooker of preaching doctrine favourable to the Church of Rome when in fact he had just described their differences emphasising that Rome attributed to works "a power of satisfying God for sin;..." For Hooker, works were a necessary expression of thanksgiving for unmerited justification by a merciful God.[11] Hooker defended his belief in the doctrine of Justification by faith, but argued that even those who did not understand or accept this could be saved by God.

 

Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie is Hooker's best-known work, with the first four books being published in 1594. The fifth was published in 1597, while the final three were published posthumously,[2] and indeed may not all be his own work. Structurally, the work is a carefully worked out reply to the general principles of Puritanism as found in The Admonition and Thomas Cartwright's follow-up writings, more specifically:

 

Scripture alone is the rule that should govern all human conduct;

Scripture prescribes an unalterable form of Church government;

The English Church is corrupted by Roman Catholic orders, rites, etc.;

The law is corrupt in not allowing lay elders;

'There ought not to be in the Church Bishops'.[12]

Of the Lawes has been characterised as "probably the first great work of philosophy and theology to be written in English."[13] The book is far more than a negative rebuttal of the puritan claims: it is (here McAdoo quotes John S. Marshall) 'a continuous and coherent whole presenting a philosophy and theology congenial to the Anglican Book of Common Prayer and the traditional aspects of the Elizabethan Settlement."[14]

 

Quoting C. S. Lewis,[15] Stephen Neill underlines its positive side in the following terms: Hitherto, in England, "controversy had involved only tactics; Hooker added strategy. Long before the close fighting in Book III begins, the puritan position has been rendered desperate by the great flanking movements in Books I and II. . . . Thus the refutation of the enemy comes in the end to seem a very small thing, a by-product."[16]

 

It is a massive work that deals mainly with the proper governance of the churches ("polity"). The Puritans advocated the demotion of clergy and ecclesiasticism. Hooker attempted to work out which methods of organising churches are best.[2] What was at stake behind the theology was the position of the Queen Elizabeth I as the Supreme Governor of the Church. If doctrine were not to be settled by authorities, and if Martin Luther's argument for the priesthood of all believers were to be followed to its extreme with government by the Elect, then having the monarch as the governor of the church was intolerable. On the other side, if the monarch were appointed by God to be the governor of the church, then local parishes going their own ways on doctrine were similarly intolerable.

 

In political philosophy, Hooker is best remembered for his account of law and the origins of government in Book One of the Politie. Drawing heavily on the legal thought of Thomas Aquinas, Hooker distinguishes seven forms of law: eternal law ("that which God hath eternally purposed himself in all his works to observe"), celestial law (God's law for the angels), nature's law (that part of God's eternal law that governs natural objects), the law of reason (dictates of Right Reason that normatively govern human conduct), human positive law (rules made by human lawmakers for the ordering of a civil society), divine law (rules laid down by God that can only be known by special revelation), and ecclesiastical law (rules for the governance of a church). Like Aristotle, whom he frequently quotes, Hooker believes that humans are naturally inclined to live in society. Governments, he claims, are based on both this natural social instinct and on the express or implied consent of the governed.

 

The Laws is remembered not only for its stature as a monumental work of Anglican thought, but also for its influence in the development of theology, political theory, and English prose.

 

Hooker worked largely from Thomas Aquinas, but he adapted scholastic thought in a latitudinarian manner. He argued that church organisation, like political organisation, is one of the "things indifferent" to God. He wrote that minor doctrinal issues were not issues that damned or saved the soul, but rather frameworks surrounding the moral and religious life of the believer. He contended there were good monarchies and bad ones, good democracies and bad ones, and good church hierarchies and bad ones: what mattered was the piety of the people. At the same time, Hooker argued that authority was commanded by the Bible and by the traditions of the early church, but authority was something that had to be based on piety and reason rather than automatic investiture. This was because authority had to be obeyed even if it were wrong and needed to be remedied by right reason and the Holy Spirit. Notably, Hooker affirmed that the power and propriety of bishops need not be in every case absolute.

 

King James I is quoted by Izaak Walton, Hooker's biographer, as saying, "I observe there is in Mr. Hooker no affected language; but a grave, comprehensive, clear manifestation of reason, and that backed with the authority of the Scriptures, the fathers and schoolmen, and with all law both sacred and civil."[17] Hooker's emphasis on Scripture, reason, and tradition considerably influenced the development of Anglicanism, as well as many political philosophers, including John Locke.[2] Locke quotes Hooker numerous times in the Second Treatise of Civil Government and was greatly influenced by Hooker's natural-law ethics and his staunch defence of human reason. As Frederick Copleston notes, Hooker's moderation and civil style of argument were remarkable in the religious atmosphere of his time.[18] In the Church of England he is celebrated with a Lesser Festival on 3 November and the same day is also observed in the Calendars of other parts of the Anglican Communion.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Hooker

Photos: J.D. Long-García/CATHOLIC SUN

 

Supporters crowd Our Lady of Mount Carmel for concert

Benefit for Hillebrand, Mills family raises over $30K

 

By Joyce Coronel | Oct. 1, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

 

TEMPE — When word spread that 11-year-old Julia Hillebrand, the daughter of local Catholic composer and recording artist Paul Hillebrand, had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, fellow musicians banded together to hold a benefit concert.

 

They hoped to attract about 1,000 people to the Sept. 29 event at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish. More than an hour before the concert was set to begin, however, the line to get into the church stretched well into the parking lot as friends, family and supporters waited for the doors to open.

 

With the likes of big-name Catholic music stars Matt Maher, Tom Booth, Tim and Julie Smith, Jaime and Kari Cortez, and others, the crowd swelled to nearly double what organizers had hoped.

 

So many people turned out in response to the plight of Julia Hillebrand and Ethan Mills, a teenage cancer sufferer and longtime Hillebrand family friend, the parish hall had to be opened up to accommodate the overflow crowd.

 

Inside the church, Fr. John Bonavitacola marveled at the scene he said reminded him of Easter Sunday and Christmas morning services.

 

“When God’s people pray together,” he told the crowd, “anything can happen. We pray that whatever God’s will might be, that we would be in acceptance of that. Faith can move mountains.”

 

Tim Smith had a special message for the Hillebrand and Mills families.

 

“We want you to know that you are loved and not only that, right here is our shoulder — lean on it.” And with that, the standing-room only throng swayed, clapped and sang along with the Smiths’ rendition of “Lean On Me.”

 

Bob Mulhern, who has known the Mills and Hillebrand families for 30 years and served as emcee for the event, told those gathered of 18-year-old Ethan Mills’ courage in the face of recurring cancer.

 

“Ethan calls himself ‘The Tumor-nator,’ he said. “There are 51 guys out there who have all shaved their head in support of him.”

 

Ethan’s mother, Nancy, was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support by the concert-goers. “I’ve never been so blown-away by anything,” she said. “Ethan is a real hero in our lives. When I breathe, I pray. We put our trust in Jesus no matter what.”

 

Matt Maher told the young cancer patients, “You’re not alone. If you’ve got bad news, you’ve got good news, because God holds everything together.”

 

Some in the crowd brushed away tears as Paul Hillebrand sang “We are body of Christ” and thanked them for their support.

 

“Thank you for the sacrifices you’ve made,” he said. “Come, Holy Spirit, heal us all, for we believe all shall be well.”

 

Julia and Ethan each stood briefly and the crowd responded with a standing ovation.

 

Julia, a sixth-grade student at St. Timothy Catholic School, was diagnosed with a tumor on her brain stem on Aug. 21 and is undergoing radiation.

 

Ethan, a graduate of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic School, had planned to attend Arizona State University this fall until the cancer he battled 14 years ago returned.

 

Organizers said the concert and silent auction brought in more than $30,000 for the two families, who have been hit with huge medical bills as well as time away from work due to the children’s illnesses.

 

More: www.catholicsun.org

 

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