I believe in karma what you give is what you get returned

I believe you cant appreciate real love until youve been burned

I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side

I believe you dont know what youve got until you say goodbye

~Savage Garden

Comme leurs prédécesseurs chrétiens, les apôtres du néolibéralisme se réclament aujourd'hui d'une idéologie universaliste qui affirme qu'il n'y a qu'une seule voie qui mène au salut. La leur.

.

.

Texte : Fabian Scheidler.

.

Lieu : Petit-Mont-Bonvin, Crans-Montana, Suisse.

#FabianScheidler #valais #CransMontana #suisse #montains #hiking #running #clouds #sky #landscape #colors #saveplanet #yougogreta #naturalclimatesolutions #greenpeace #goodplanet #youthforclimate #moutainworld #collapsologie #allaboutadventures #photoart #dark #mountainslovers #switzerland #artphoto #MountainPlanet #fabricelecoqfoto

Affirmer sa solitude revient à aborder sa peur, surtout la peur de mourir, et à mesurer sa propre puissance.

Jacqueline Kelen

What is marvelous about a photograph is that its possibilities are infinite; there aren’t any subjects ‘done to death’.

Gisèle Freund

HBW!! Ukraine Matters!

hybrid camellia, 'Yume', j c raulston arboretum, ncsu, raleigh, north carolina

La Chevêche d’Athéna (Athene noctua) est un petit rapace nocturne emblématique des campagnes européennes.

De petite taille mais au caractère affirmé, cette chouette possède une silhouette trapue, une grosse tête aplatie et un regard intense souligné par de grands yeux jaunes.

La poitrine est fortement striée de marques verticales brunâtres sur fond clair, créant un motif très contrasté.

Son bec court et crochu, de couleur jaunâtre, est typique des rapaces nocturnes.

Les serres puissantes agrippent fermement le bois mort, témoignant de son adaptation à la chasse.

Malgré sa petite taille, la chouette dégage une impression de force et de détermination.

Contrairement à beaucoup de chouettes, elle est fréquemment active au crépuscule mais aussi en plein jour.

On l’observe souvent perchée sur un piquet, une branche ou une souche, scrutant le sol avant de fondre sur une proie.

Je vous remercie pour votre visite, vos favoris et vos commentaires qui sont toujours très appréciés.

Hi again everyone. I've decided to take a small break from flickr because I have some things to attend to before we start our trek through central Australia in September.

Who would have thought I would find such inspiration from the friends that I've found on flickr? I'm constantly amazed at all of my contacts' and regulars' talent, ability, empathy and kindness. You guys are an affirmation of everything that is wonderful about photography and flickr!

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Commune créée en 1850, unique station thermale d'Île-de-France, avec son lac et son casino, le premier de France en chiffre d'affaires et le seul à moins de cent kilomètres de la capitale, cette ville au caractère résidentiel et commercial affirmé occupe une place à part dans la banlieue nord de Paris.

More info on blog.

Domicile, Saint-Hippolyte, Québec.

Comme je le disais précédemment, j'ai eu beaucoup de travaux inattendus sur la nouvelle maison, principalement à l’extérieur, je laissais donc ma caméra sur le trépied non loin de où je travaillais ou sur la terrasse arrière, et quand je voyais quelque chose d'intéressant , clic… clic… clic, puisque la nouvelle technologie des nouveaux appareils permet des prises jusqu'à 30 et même plus par seconde !!! Beaucoup de triage de photos après une séance OUF … En août, les jeunes sont sortis du nid et c'est fascinant de les observer lorsqu'ils quémandent de la nourriture aux parents. Chez le Chardonneret jaune, ça semble être le père qui fait le gros du travail, et ce serait parfaitement normal puisque la femelle a fait beaucoup. Cependant, je ne peux pas affirmer cette théorie puisque c'est la première fois que j'ai l'occasion d'observer ce rituel de nourrissage des oisillons. Ici, les juvéniles sont presque complètement indépendants,mais, comme tous les ados de ce monde, ils aiment bien profiter de la générosité des parents qui doivent, à un certain point, les abandonner pour qu'ils volent de leurs propres traînes . Une des quelques 500 photos prises lors de cette séance, la suite à venir.

Home, Saint-Hippolyte, Quebec.

As I said before, I had a lot of unexpected work on the new house, mainly outside, so I left my camera on the tripod not far from where I was working or on the back terrace, and when I saw something interesting, click… click… click, since the new technology of the new cameras allows shots up to 30 and even more per second!!! Lots of sorting of photos after a session OUF… In August, the young came out of the nest, and it is fascinating to watch them when they beg for food from the parents. In the case of the American Goldfinch, it seems to be the father who does most of the work, and this would be perfectly normal since the female has done a lot. However, I cannot affirm this theory since this is the first time I have had the opportunity to observe this ritual of feeding the chicks. Here, the juveniles are almost completely independent, but, like all teenagers in this world, they like to take advantage of the generosity of their parents, who must, at a certain point, abandon them so that they can fly on their own. One of some 500 photos taken during this session, more to come.

Genesis 2:17 King James Version (KJV)

17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

affirmation:

i have no body

i have no mind

i have no spirit

i am just the breath of God

the breath of life

breath of life

breath of God

in spanish

afirmación:

no tengo cuerpo, no tengo mente, no tengo espíritu

soy solo el aliento de Dios, aliento de vida

aliento de Dios, aliento de vida

my favorite affirmation given by my yoga teacher; yogi bhajan

AFFIRMATION

May an Angel’s love surround you

Each and every day

May an Angel’s breath keep you warm

And tempt you to stay

May an Angel’s wings protect you always

When your life becomes difficult and hard

When the light seems increasingly dark

And you need help to find your way

May an Angel’s love surround you

Each and every day

*****

Blessings to you all,

Shelley.

Thank you to each and every one of you who has supported and shared your lives and thoughts with me this year.

I cannot thank you enough, as you have kept a light burning for me as well in difficult times.

Even semi-human Angels need love to know they are needed...

I write often of spiritual love, but some days we need to feel real tangible love.

I seek ways out of the darkness, and I hope you will continue to fly with me into the New Year.

Forgive my lateness in replying to comments and faves from my last batch of work, I will get to you...life is demanding and even Angels have to sleep....sometimes..haha!

Angels drive cars and have to get them fixed and sort out dodgy freezers right before Xmas. Angels have family and they sometimes need your surety.

But Angels also have friends on Flickr who have supported them and commented, faved and viewed with astounding generosity.

Thank you, thank you, with all my heart.

*****

This image is a detail from a stained glass window in St. Mary's, Eastbourne, East Sussex, UK.

Angels like it here a lot.

If you would like to see more of my work have a look at my website at:

www.shelleyturnerpoetpix.com

Completely unlike the fleur-de-lys, the lush dark red lily in the silver field of the coat of arms is a proud emblem of beautiful Florence. The presence of such a lily in the coat of arms explains the magnificent motto: «A flower in full bloom - so flourishes the blooming Florence.»

Anatole France used the image of the "red lily" as the title of his novel. "Red Lily" is a novel about love in the world of politicians and prudent businessmen.

The play based on this novel made a huge impression on the young Marcel Proust. The red lily, which gave the title of the novel, is not just a flower, but a symbol of Florence, where the love of the social beauty Countess Marten-Bellemm and the talented sculptor Jacques Deschartre blossomed.

Зовсім не схожа на fleur-de-lys пишна темно-червона лілія у срібному полі герба — горда емблема прекрасної Флоренції. Наявність у гербі такої лілії пояснює чудовий девіз: «Квітка у повному кольорі – так процвітає квітуча Флоренція».

Анатоль Франс використав образ «червона лілія» як назву для свого роману. "Червона лілія" - роман про кохання у світі політиків та розважливих ділків.

Поставлена ​​за цим романом п'єса справила величезне враження на юного Марселя Пруста. Червона лілія, що дала назву роману, - це не просто квітка, а символ Флоренції, де розквітла любов світської красуні графині Мартен-Беллем та талановитого скульптора Жака Дешартра.

Герб Флоренції є овальним геральдичним щитом срібного кольору, на щиті зображена червона лілія. Лілія є старовинним символом Флоренції. Зображення геральдичної лілії карбувалося на аверсі флорентійських золотих флоринів з 1252 року.

Спочатку герб прикрашала біла лілія на червоному тлі. Однак у 1251 році гвельфи, вигнавши з Флоренції гібеллінів, змінили забарвлення герба, зробивши квітку червоною, а фон білим.

Affirmation - www.youtube.com/watch?v=peXeXadf1D4

Check out all the details on my blog @ : Nothing to Wear SL

I will be your Father,and you will be my sons and daughters, say the Lord Almighty..

2 Corinthians 6:18

I am very beautiful.

I am very cute.

I am very adorable.

I am very smart.

I deserve lots of love.

I deserve many more treats.

And everybody loves me.

"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.”

–Stuart Smalley (Al Franken)

Saturday Night Live, 1991 debut

Happy Caturday!

AN AFFIRMATION OF SELFLESS LOYALTY

My fearless heart

Of diamond clarity

Where expression and thought

Are proof of your bravery, justice and swiftness

That cut through ignorance and malcontent

To reveal the pristine awareness of being

Where the freedom of the mind

Is like the sweet chorus of the birds

*****

Sometimes the reinforcement of gracious qualities and love can be a good thing.

So I decided to start an Album on Flickr doing just that.

I like to take shots of the things I have collected over the years that are sharing their presence with me in my home.

Some of my Grail shots have this quality, but often the poem ends up being longer than an affirmation, to me they end up more like a prayer. You can see the Album that contains those works in my Flickr account as well.

But in a sense this is the same principle, as the things I have collected over the years often have a sacred presence or meaning, so I thought I would start to share them here.

On rainy days or when I am not in a writing mood, it is good to still keep working, using the camera in this way, and it is not only enjoyable, it is an opportunity to appreciate these wonderful sacred items and sculptures all over again, and listen to what they have to say.

This Garuda is a modern piece, but the history, energy and protective instinct is the same as from his first incarnation.

This shot is from where he resides, in my glass cabinet, where I keep many other precious things..

Hi Secrets!😘♥

It feels special and rare, that fairy tale soulmate vibe. it's playful, intimate and affirming all at once.

The One and Only

Available now at TMD

✈

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/TMD/121/134/22

This is a photo of the shadow of my left arm and hand on the door of the fridge.

I didn’t become who I am alone.

The people I’ve let close - the rare few - have shaped my architecture. Some challenged me and forced me to grow sharper; some offered quiet stability and taught me how to rest without vanishing; some widened the inner horizon I didn’t know could hold so much light.

And others, in their own ways, taught me refinement through fracture; not because they intended harm - though sometimes they did - but because not everyone is capable of seeing someone clearly, even when standing right in front of them. Every bond - tender, volatile, brief, or breathtaking - has become part of my design.

I still believe in beauty, not as decoration, but as something constructed with intention, protected with discernment, and chosen again and again in spite of everything that may try to dismantle it.

Dew and Stripes

Description: This beetle belongs in the order Coleoptera, suborder Polyphaga, infraorder Cucujiformia, superfamily Tenebrionoidea, family Tenebrionidae, subfamily Stenochiinae (syn: Coelometopinae), tribe Stenochiini (syn: Coelometopini) and subtribe Stenochiina.

They use mimetism to mimic Eryotelids, often being misidentified as so. To my knowledge, they can be found in Argentina and in Brazil, but I'm unaware if they can be found elsewhere as I couldn't find much information on this genus. Adult Priotelus (Erotylidae) and Poecilesthus sp. both resemble the adult of E. macularis. Priotelus sp. are remarkably like E. macularis in color and markings while Poecilesthus sp. are less so in elytral markings. Poecilesthus occurs in low density areas and it's likely that the mimicry in these beetles is Müllerian in nature, but the mimetic role of Poecilesthus sp. is unknown. The possibility of Poecilesthus spp. members being Müllerian mimics is due to their association with fungi and because they are Tenebrionids. The exposed feeders of fungi are visibly colorful and probably distasteful to predators, which may aid the Poecilesthus as a defensive mechanism. The Poecilesthus feeds on fungi, possibly the same ones as the very Tenebrionids they mimic, and possibly vegetable matter, but it's difficult to affirm this.

Species identification by Celso Godinho Jr.

Sources:

entomology.si.edu/StaffPages/Erwin/Erwin_updated_pub_PDFs...

www.researchgate.net/publication/280567991_Insetos_do_oes...

PROJECT NOAH (Português): www.projectnoah.org/spottings/233676459

I may not be the pretty skinny girl who has her picture gawked at, but I am me. I am a human being, and I am happy with myself. I have curves, and I don't wear a size 2. Call me what you want, I know I truly am.

I believe the sun should never set upon an argument

I believe we place our happiness in other people's hands

I believe that junk food tastes so good because it's bad for you

I believe your parents did the best job they knew how to do

I believe that beauty magazines promote low self esteem

I believe I'm loved when I'm completely by myself alone

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned

I believe you can't appreciate real love 'til you've been burned

I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side

I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye

I believe you can't control or choose your sexuality

I believe that trust is more important than monogamy

I believe your most attractive features are your heart and soul

I believe that family is worth more than money or gold

I believe the struggle for financial freedom is unfair

I believe the only ones who disagree are millionaires

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned

I believe you can't appreciate real love 'til you've been burned

I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side

I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye

I believe forgiveness is the key to your own happiness

I believe that wedded bliss negates the need to be undressed

I believe that God does not endorse tv evangelists

I believe in love surviving death into eternity

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned

I believe you can't appreciate real love 'til you've been burned

I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side

I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye

Until you say goodbye

-Savage Garden "Affirmation"

Night without a DAY

Day without a NIGHT🌙

Somebody wanders maybe into my DREAMS 💭

•

♫ www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH9vdvK9Xwo - Gaia MESIAH

Everything is as it was, as it should be.

Great painters affirm that they have never seen anything ugly in nature. An artist lends us his eyes so we can see a fragment in which the Whole is nonetheless present, as the sun is reflected in a drop of dew. Like a living person, the world turns toward us, speaks to us, sings to us, shows us its secret colors, and fills us with an overwhelming joy; our solitude is thus broken. We commune with the beauty of a countryside, with a face or with poetry in the same way we commune with a friend. We feel a strange relation with a reality that seems to be our soul’s homeland, once lost but now found. Art “dephenomenalizes” present reality, and as a result the whole world opens up to mystery.

-THE ART OF THE ICON A Theology of Beauty by Paul Evdokimov translated by Fr. Steven Bigham

Miraflores, Lima

of a coldness to the touch with the fingers

of hurting and healing simultaneously

in the familiarity of a warm heart

Kaya Project ft.Randolph Matthews ~ Playful New World

You are amazing! Yes - You :-).

I just love this video by the Duirwaigh team.

uk.youtube.com/watch?v=f4CG18FPCj0

www.duirwaighgallery.com/

"When inspiration knocks - open the door."

“Both the grand and the intimate aspects of nature can be revealed in the expressive photograph. Both can stir enduring affirmations and discoveries, and can surely help the spectator in his search for identification with the vast world of natural beauty and wonder surrounding him.” - Ansel Adams

Our distinctive, velvety Rosa Gallica have already produced their first blooms; they bring us so much joy and flower three times a year!

[Porst Color Reflex Auto 55mm / 1.4]

Have a lovely day!

All images and textures are my own.

PhotoAwardsCounter

Click here to see the awards count for this photo. (?)

Thank you for your visit....!

Santa Elena Augusta

Flavia Julia Helena Augusta

Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady on Thorns (Aranzazu)

Municipality of San Mateo

Province of Rizal

Philippines

SantaCruzang Bayan 2008

May 25, 2008

About SAINT HELENA

Venerated in:

Roman Catholicism

Eastern Orthodoxy

Oriental Orthodoxy

Lutheran

Anglicanism

Canonized:

Her canonization precedes the practice of formal Canonization by the Pope or the relevant Orthodox and Lutheran churches.

Feast:

Roman Catholic: August 18

Lutheran: May 21

Orthodox: May 19

Coptic Orthodox: 9 Pashons

**Finding of the True Cross: May 03

Symbol: Cross

Derivatives: St. Helena of Constantinople, St. Helen, St. Eleanor

Patronage: archeologists, converts, difficult marriages, divorced people, empresses

Flavia Julia Helena Augusta, also known as Saint Helena, Saint Helen, Helena Augusta or Helena of Constantinople (ca. 250 – ca. 330) was consort of Constantius Chlorus, and the mother of Emperor Constantine I. She is traditionally credited with finding the relics of the True Cross.

Family Life: Helena's birthplace is not known with certainty. The sixth-century historian Procopius is the earliest authority for the statement that Helena was a native of Drepanum, in the province of Bithynia in Asia Minor. Her son Constantine renamed the city "Helenopolis" after her death in 328, giving rise to the belief that the city was her birthplace. Although he might have done so in honor of her birthplace, Constantine probably had other reasons for doing so. The Byzantinist Cyril Mango has argued that Helenopolis was refounded to strengthen the communication network around his new capital in Constantinople, and was renamed to honor Helena, not to mark her birthplace. There is another Helenopolis, in Palestine, but its exact location is unknown. This city, and the province of Helenopontus in the Diocese of Pontus, were probably both named after Constantine's mother.

The bishop and historian Eusebius of Caesarea states that she was about 80 on her return from Palestine. Since that journey has been dated to 326–28, Helena was probably born in 248 or 250. Little is known of her early life. Fourth-century sources, following Eutropius' Breviarium, record that she came from a low background. Ambrose was the first to call her a stabularia, a term translated as "stable-maid" or "inn-keeper". He makes this fact a virtue, calling Helena a bona stabularia, a "good stable-maid". Other sources, especially those written after Constantine's proclamation as emperor, gloss over or ignore her background.

It is unknown where she first met her future partner Constantius. The historian Timothy Barnes has suggested that Constantius, while serving under Emperor Aurelian, could have met her while stationed in Asia Minor for the campaign against Zenobia. Barnes calls attention to an epitaph at Nicomedia of one of Aurelian's protectors, which could indicate the emperor's presence in the Bithynian region soon after 270. The precise legal nature of the relationship between Helena and Constantius is unknown: the sources are equivocal on the point, sometimes calling Helena Constantius' "wife", and sometimes calling her his "concubine". Jerome, perhaps confused by the vague terminology of his own sources, manages to do both. Some scholars, such as the historian Jan Drijvers, assert that Constantius and Helena were joined in a common-law marriage, a cohabitation recognized in fact but not in law. Others, like Timothy Barnes, assert that Constantius and Helena were joined in an official marriage, on the grounds that the sources claiming an official marriage are more reliable.

Helena gave birth to Constantine I in 272. In 293, Constantius was ordered by emperor Diocletian to divorce her in order to qualify as Caesar of the Western Roman Empire, and he was married to the step-daughter of Maximian, Theodora. Helena never remarried and lived in obscurity, though close to her only son, who had a deep regard and affection for her.

Constantine was proclaimed Augustus of the Roman Empire in 306 by Constantius' troops after the

latter had died, and following his elevation his mother was brought back to the public life and the imperial court, and received the title of Augusta in 325. Helena died in 330 with her son at her side. Her sarcophagus is on display in the Pio-Clementino Vatican Museum. During her life, she gave many presents to the poor, released prisoners and mingled with the ordinary worshippers in modest attire, exhibiting a true Christian spirit.

Sainthood: She is considered by the Orthodox and Catholic churches as a saint, famed for her piety. Her feast day as a saint of the Orthodox Christian Church is celebrated with her son on May 21, the Feast of the Holy Great Sovereigns Constantine and Helen, Equal to the Apostles. Her feast day in the Roman Catholic Church falls on August 18. Her feast day in the Coptic Orthodox Church is on 9 Pashons. Eusebius records the details of her pilgrimage to Palestine and other eastern provinces (though not her discovery of the True Cross). She is the patron saint of archaeologists. The names "Saint Eleanor" and "Saint Eleanora" are usually synonymous for Saint Helen.

Relic Discoveries: In 325, Helena was in charge of a journey to Jerusalem to gather Christian relics, by her son Emperor Constantine I, who had recently declared Rome as a Christian city. Jerusalem was still rebuilding from the destruction of Hadrian, a previous emperor, who had built a temple to Venus over the site of Jesus's tomb, near Calvary.

According to legend, Helena entered the temple with Bishop Macarius, ordered the temple torn down and chose a site to begin excavating, which led to the recovery of three different crosses. Refused to be swayed by anything but solid proof, a woman from Jerusalem, who was already at the point of death from a certain disease, was brought; when the woman touched a cross suddenly recovered and Helena declared the cross with which the woman had been touched to be the True Cross. On the site of discovery, she built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, while she continued building churches on every Holy site.

She also found the nails of the crucifixion. To use their miraculous power to aid her son, Helena allegedly had one placed in Constantine's helmet, and another in the bridle of his horse. Helena left Jerusalem and the eastern provinces in 327 to return to Rome, bringing with her large parts of the True Cross and other relics, which were then stored in her palace's private chapel, where they can be still seen today. Her palace was later converted into the Santa Croce in Gerusalemme.

The reliquary of Jerusalem was committed to the care of Saint Macarius and kept with singular care and respect in the magnificent church which Saint Helen and her son built there. Saint Paulinus relates that, though chips were almost daily cut off from it and given to devout persons, yet the sacred wood suffered thereby no diminution. It is affirmed by Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, twenty-five years after the discovery, that pieces of the cross were spread all over the earth; he compares this wonder to the miraculous feeding of five thousand men, as recorded in the Gospel. The discovery of the cross would have happened in the spring, after navigation began on the Mediterranean Sea, for Saint Helen went the same year to Constantinople and from there to Rome, where she died in the arms of her son on the 18th of August of the same year, 326.

Reference:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_of_Constantinople

magnificat.ca/cal/engl/05-03.htm

"I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble." Augustus.

Of all the temples of the Roman Empire that have survived to this day, none has been preserved in such good conditions as the spectacular Pantheon in Rome. Although the first Pantheon was built in the year 27 b.C. in this same place by the general Agrippa, right hand of the emperor Augustus, and whose name is in the frieze of the portico, that first temple was destroyed by a fire. For what the architectural jewel that has arrived until our days is a posterior reconstruction commissioned by the emperor Hadrian, almost 150 years after the first temple was inaugurated.

The name of its architect is not totally clear, but many historians attribute its construction to the work of the great master Apollodorus of Damascus. When you enter the building, the first thing that leaves you astonished is its immense dome, which was the largest in the world until Brunelleschi raised the one in the Cathedral of Florence in 1436. In the center of it, the oculus will not go unnoticed by anyone, it lets the light pass during the day and through it the rain falls inside the temple, leaving through some strategically placed holes in the ground. And as we look down, the fascination continues with the brightly colored walls and marble floors, with the columns and their perfect capitals, with the niches that now house statues of saints as they once did with the Roman deities and with every detail of the decoration.

The Pantheon, unlike most Roman pagan temples, has reached our days almost intact due to its conversion into a church in 608. A twist of fate that allows us to marvel even today with its almost supernatural perfection, with which believers and atheists will surely agree to affirm that it honors their initial consecration as a place of worship for all the gods.

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

"Encontré Roma como una ciudad de ladrillo y la dejé como una ciudad de mármol." Augusto.

De entre todos los templos del Imperio Romano que han llegado hasta nuestros días, ninguno se ha conservado en tan buenas condiciones como el espectacular Panteón de Roma. A pesar de que el primer Panteón fue construido en el año 27 a.C. en este mismo lugar por el general Agripa, mano derecha del emperador Augusto, y cuyo nombre se encuentra en el friso del pórtico, ese primer templo fue destruido por un incendio. Por lo que la joya arquitectónica que ha llegado hasta nuestros días es una reconstrucción posterior encargada por el emperador Adriano, casi 150 años después de que el primer templo se inaugurara.

No se sabe a ciencia cierta el nombre del arquitecto, pero muchos historiadores atribuyen su construcción al trabajo del gran maestro Apolodoro de Damasco. Cuando se entra en el edificio lo primero que nos deja estupefactos es su inmensa cúpula, que fue la más grande del mundo hasta que Brunelleschi levantó la de la Catedral de Florencia en 1436. En el centro de ella, para nadie pasará desapercibido el óculo, que deja pasar la luz durante el día y a través del cual la lluvia cae dentro del templo, marchándose por unos agujeros estratégicamente situados en el suelo. Y al bajar la vista, la fascinación continúa con las paredes y el suelo de mármol de vivos colores, con las columnas y sus perfectos capiteles, con los nichos que hoy albergan estatuas de santos como en su día hicieron con las deidades romanas y con cada detalle de la decoración.

El Panteón, a diferencia de la mayoría de templos paganos romanos, ha llegado a nuestros días casi intacto debido a su conversión en iglesia en el año 608. Un giro del destino que nos permite aún hoy maravillarnos con su casi sobrenatural perfección, la cual tanto creyentes como ateos seguramente estarán de acuerdo en afirmar, que hace honor a su consagración inicial como lugar de culto para todos los dioses.

Our spirits are eternally free and invincible.

Daniela Norris

Affirmation Club

Affirmations positives...

Sticker on a random storefront in Washington DC

La ficaire fait le printemps

Cette affirmation rappelle un proverbe à propos d’un autre symbole du printemps, l’hirondelle (sous-entendu l’hirondelle rustique, l’espèce qui niche au plus près des hommes dans les fermes et arrive dès les premiers jours d’avril). Effectivement, il existe un lien avec cet oiseau via le nom anglais de la ficaire : lesser celandine ; lesser de nouveau pour « petite » mais celandine dérive du vieux français célidoine, la chélidoine. On recroise aussi cette dernière dans un autre nom ancien de la ficaire : Chelidonium minus, la petite chélidoine. Or, chélidoine dérive lui-même de chelidôn, l’hirondelle, que l’on retrouve dans le surnom d’herbe à l’hirondelle (swallow-wort en anglais). Cette association remonte à Dioscoride, le célèbre botaniste grec de l’Antiquité, qui déclarait que la chélidoine fleurissait à l’arrivée des hirondelles et mourrait quand elles partaient ; là-dessus est venu se greffer une légende : les hirondelles récoltaient des feuilles de chélidoine pour frotter les yeux collés de leurs oisillons et leur rendre la vue (on retombe sur les propriétés médicinales ophtalmiques !). Par déformation, ce nom a donné au Moyen-âge « coeli donum », don du ciel d’autant que l’hirondelle représente un oiseau céleste (qui reste en l’air) et est associé au soleil et au ciel. Ainsi, ficaire et chélidoine se trouvent à jamais unies pour saluer l’arrivée du printemps !

Plusieurs des surnoms de la ficaire renvoient à sa couleur jaune d’or brillante dont jauneau ou pot au beurre. Ce dernier nom, outre l’allusion directe à la couleur jaune, rappelle une pratique connue des enfants d’autrefois à la campagne (j’en fais partie !!) : on place une fleur de ficaire (ou de renoncule : voir paragraphe suivant) sous le menton d’un(e) ami(e) et on lui demande « Aimes-tu le beurre ? » et la réponse s’écrit immédiatement sur le menton sous la forme d’un halo jaune doré projeté par la fleur magique ! Cette capacité de réfléchir un faisceau de lumière jaune intrigue depuis longtemps les biologistes et le mécanisme physique commence seulement à être pleinement compris (1) : il implique la structure cellulaire de l’épiderme des pétales. La lumière traverse la couche superficielle épidermique transparente chargée de pigment tandis qu’une coloration diffuse jaunâtre provient de la dispersion de la lumière par une couche sous-jacente chargée de grains d’amidon. Une mince couche d’air qui sépare ces deux couches explique la réflexion orientée du faisceau lumineux. L’ensemble donne cette apparence si brillante, intense qui doit certainement jouer un rôle dans l’attraction des insectes pollinisateurs (voir ci-dessous). Cette illumination dégage de la chaleur et fait de ces fleurs en sous-bois des sites chauffés pour les visiteurs et donc plus attractifs.

badly decaying music room at the long abandoned Oddfellows Complex in Liberty,MO.The complex was once one of the biggest in the US,boasting a hospital,school,retirement home,and an orphanage closed for good in the '70s . This was shot in the old nursing home which,according to employees and paranormal investigators, is the most haunted of the remaining buildings. There is a morgue in the basement here, and if I had known that, I might have walked a little faster while I was "exploring in there...