View allAll Photos Tagged devotion
This is one of many devotees and priests during Thiapusam. There was a lot of smoke from the fires about when I took this shot but forunately most of it appears in the background.
The significance for affixing marks upon the forehead is considered the seat of latent wisdom and mental concentration, and is very important for worship. This is the spot on which yogis meditate to become 'one' with the Lord and also indicates the point at which the spiritual eye opens. All thoughts and actions are thought to be governed by this spot.
I am personally fascinated by the different cultures and religions of this world and their history. The distinctive traditions and beliefs buried deep within the philosophies and ideologies of a religion are very interesting to learn, from the sophistication of the Mayan civilisation to the teachings of Guru Nanak within Sikhism.
One more photo from this beautiful place. This time about devotion, friendship and love between human and dog.
Taken with Sigma 16mm 1.4, love this lens.
Flying Legends' Corsair D-FCOR prepares for take off from Fairford, having been part of the static display at the 2024 Royal International Air Tattoo.
Aircraft: US Marine Corps Chance-Vought F4U-5NL Corsair 123176/WF-19 "Devotion" (D-FCOR).
Location: RAF Fairford (FFD/EGVA), Gloucestershire, UK.
Graceful Devotion.
Dialectique Prefatory combinant démonstration essentielle appréciable finie,
succeeding convenientes ultimum iustificatus partes eius orantem prosyllogosm affirmatur,
утвердительные положительные помещения дополнительные гармоники субстрат знаний наглядные истины,
Prüfung Argumente Argumentation vertraut Errungenschaften Irrtümer Widerlegungen Weisheit lauscht,
συμμετοχές υπόθεση καλοσύνη αναγκαστικά τον καθορισμό των ουσιών κατανόηση επιβεβαιώσεις αποτελείται,
stanziate formulati differenze distinti concetti evidenti significa amore eterno,
saol spioradálta nithe ordlathach contemplative gníomhartha teagaisc físeanna infirmities neamhaí glanta,
אמונה שלווה מסתורית מכריזה אהבה אינסופית גאולה ישו כל,
الشكر ذكرى مجيدة أعلى سلطة صلاة لا تنتهي الرحيم الأبدي الله,
zbawienie wieczne królestwo radości ujawniające przebaczenie ukochane serca wspaniałe śpiewać,
燃える宝物素晴らしい威厳祝福聖なる勝利天国の天使たちが聖徒たちが守る勝利します.
Steve.D.Hammond.
The Golden Temple, Amritsar. The Hari Mandir Sahib (or Durbar Sahib) stands in the middle of the sacred pool, Amrit Sarovar, (Pool of Nectar), which gave the town its name.
“……………………………………”
“…………………………………..”
-----------------------------------------------------------------
click to activate the icon of slideshow: the small triangle inscribed in the small rectangle, at the top right, in the photostream;
or…. Press the “L” button to zoom in the image;
clicca sulla piccola icona per attivare lo slideshow: sulla facciata principale del photostream, in alto a destra c'è un piccolo rettangolo (rappresenta il monitor) con dentro un piccolo triangolo nero;
oppure…. premi il tasto “L” per ingrandire l'immagine;
www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-...
www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...
…………………………………………………………………
This is a photographic story of two traditional Sicilian feasts that have in common the devotion to St. Philip, He is depicted in "black" color because a legend sees him as the protagonist in a fight in the Underworld against Lucifer, from whose fight He came out covered in soot . St. Philip is much celebrated in Sicily, but also in the Salerno area, in Calabria (following a path he made in life) up to Malta. The proximity to "my" Taormina with the towns of Calatabiano and Limina made my task easier, both as regards the feast of Calatabiano (CT), which I present here "on the descent", then eight days later "the ascent" of the Saint, that the feast of Limina (ME), and which I will present next time, “with the Saint taken to the Murazzo village", then eight days later "with the Saint taken up to Calvario mountain”. In the town of Calatabiano St. Philip acquires the appellation of "Siriaco", infact He came from Syria, while in the town of Limina he acquires the appellation "d'Agira", from the name of the town, in the province of Enna, where he will die, but it is always the same Saint. In this story done in Calatabiano (Catania) there are photographs of the "Calata (descent)" and of the "Acchianata (ascent), inserted not using a "chronological criterion", but according to a criterion that I would dare to define as "emotional-dynamic narrative" . Now a few brief notes on the life of this Saint, also to try to understand how the cult of Him was born in these (but also other) countries. There are two sources talking about of St. Philip, called "the Chronicles of Eusebio d'Agira" and "the Chronicles of Athanasius", these chronicles are largely discordant with each other, except for the descriptions on His characteristics as a priest and miracle worker, on His ability to perform exorcisms by driving out demons from the possessed (a metaphor of his latter ability is precisely in the movements of the devotees, who " that make the float dance and pirouette” with the saint at Limina, while in Calatabiano the same meaning is ascribed to the speed imprinted on the heavy float). He was probably born in Thrace (south-eastern region of the Balkan peninsula in 40 AD (?), at the time it was a Roman province, in the time of Arcadius, Eastern Roman emperor, born of a Syrian father and a Roman mother, during his childhood he was educated to the principles of Christianity which was spreading also in those territories. He comes from Thrace to Rome, is ordained a priest by Peter, and He is sent by Him to Sicily (pagan land under Roman rule), with the task of evangelizing those places and to perform exorcisms; He lands at “Capo Faro” in Messina starting His mandate immediately, then He travels the eastern part of Sicily heading south (hence Limina and Calatabiano, affected by his passage, thanks to His abilities as a healer and exorcist , they become devoted to Him); thus he reaches the town of Agira (Enna), where He dies there after forty years of Apostolate on the island. Let's go back to today's times, this "double descent-ascent story", was realized in the month of May of this year 2022, every year (except last two years due to the pandemic) during the Saturday eve of the third Sunday of May, in the church of “SS. Cross to the Castle”, there are the women who take care of the dressing, at dawn on Saturday they go to the church and decorate the float with flowers that will remain until the end of the feast, when the devotees will take them away with them, because they are blessed flowers; the “calata (descent)” comes to life at 18.30 sharp, it is a spectacular descent, certainly not without dangers, complicated both by the very heavy float (13 quintals) bearing the reliquary bust of the Saint supported by the devotees, and by the long and very steep - tortuous - slippery - very steep, path, which is traveled at a brisk pace (every year the greater or lesser speed of the gait is commented on), which foresees a very angled curve along the tormented path, and since in the past in this point the very heavy float skidded until it overturned, killing a young "carrier", since then this point, marked with a small altar, has been called by the popular imagination "death curve" (here the float must be able to make a sharp turn at the end of the steepest and steepest path and which shows all the expertise of the bearers, always with the leader of the float in the lead, who gives orders to his bearers; the float thus reaches the gates of the town, in the place called "of the First Cross", where the race ends here with a brief stop during which the Saint is dressed in gold, then the float is taken to the Mother Church of the town of Calatabiano. The following Sunday, the so-called "octave" (similar to the feast of San Filippo d'Agira of Limina - Messina) the ritual comes back to life, with the bearers who, at 7.00 pm sharp, leave from the Mother Church to go up to the top of Castle Mountain (so called due to the presence of a well-preserved Norman medieval castle), thus bringing the very heavy float back to its Church of the SS. Cross, located immediately below the castle. The "calata" and "l'acchianata" respectively the "descent" and the "ascent", are carried out at a brisk pace (it is not a race, as it is sometimes defined) to echo the vehemence of the Holy Exorcist in casting out demons. The devotees awaiting the descent and ascent crowd the hill above the path, many of them adorn themselves with intertwined ribbons of the three colors red-yellow-green (every year the colors of the bearers' shirts change, reporting each time one of the three colours), these ribbons or "measures" represent the hair of the Saint's beard, in fact legend has it that the young Philip descended into the Underworld to bind the devil with the hair of his beard.
The statue of the Saint is depicted with a book in his left hand, one is led to think that that book is the Gospel, in reality it is a manuscript released to Him by Pope Peter, with an "apotropaic" meaning (which cancels or removes evil influences) to help Him in his mandate in Sicily against the Evil Spirits, instead the raised right hand can have the double meaning of imparting the blessing or the culminating moment in performing an exorcism.
…………………………………………………………….
Questo è un racconto fotografico di due feste tradizionali siciliane che hanno in comune la devozione verso San Filippo, egli viene raffigurato di colore “nero” poiché una leggenda lo vede protagonista di una lotta negli Inferi contro Lucifero, dalla cui lotta ne venne fuori ricoperto di fuliggine. San Filippo è molto festeggiato in Sicilia, ma lo è anche nel salernitano, in Calabria (seguendo un suo percorso fatto in vita) fino ad arrivare al suo culto presente nell’isola di Malta. La vicinanza con la “mia” Taormina coi paesi di Calatabiano e di Limina, mi ha facilitato il compito; la festa di Calatabiano (CT) si svolge in due giornate, la prima viene chiamata “la Calata” (la discesa), poi a otto giorni di distanza c’è “a Acchianata” (la risalita) della vara delSanto, analogamente per la festa di Limina (ME), che presenterò la prossima volta, ci sarà anche li una prima giornata col Santo portato “al borgo Murazzo”, poi a otto giorni di distanza, col Santo portato fino al “Monte Calvario”. Nel paese di Calatabiano San Filippo acquista l’appellativo di “Siriaco”, cioè proveniente dalla Siria, mentre nel paese di Limina Egli acquista l’appellativo “d’Agira”, dal nome del paese, in provincia di Enna, dove egli morirà: è sempre lo stesso santo. In questo attuale racconto fatto a Calatabiano (Catania) vi sono sia le fotografie della “Calata (discesa)” che della “Acchianata (salita), inserite non utilizzando un “criterio cronologico”, ma secondo un criterio che vorrei definire “narrativo emozionale-dinamico”. Ora qualche breve cenno sulla vita di questo santo, anche per cercare di capire come nasce il suo culto in questi (ma anche in altri) paesi. Le fonti che parlano di San Filippo sono due, chiamate “le Cronache di Eusebio d’Agira” e “le Cronache di Atanasio”, queste cronache tra loro sono in buona parte discordanti, tranne le descrizioni sulle sue caratteristiche di sacerdote e di taumaturgo, sulle sue capacità di compiere esorcismi scacciando i demoni dagli impossessati (su quest’ultima sua capacità una metafora è proprio nelle movenze dei devoti, che “fanno ballare-piroettare” la vara col santo a Limina, mentre lo stesso significato a Calatabiano è legato alla velocità impressa alla pesante vara). Egli nacque probabilmente in Tracia (regione sud-orientale della penisola balcanica nel 40 d.C. (?), all’epoca era una provincia romana, ai tempi d’Arcadio, imperatore romano d’Oriente, nato da padre siriano e da madre romana, nella sua infanzia fu educato ai principi del Cristianesimo che andava propagandosi anche in quelle terre. Egli giunge dalla Tracia a Roma, viene ordinato sacerdote da Pietro, ed è proprio da Lui che viene mandato in Sicilia (terra pagana sotto il dominio Romano), col compito di evangelizzare quei luoghi e compiere esorcismi; sbarca a Capo Faro a Messina iniziando fin da subito il suo mandato, poi percorre la fascia orientale della Sicilia dirigendosi a sud verso l’Etna (ecco che Limina e Calatabiano, interessati dal suo passaggio, grazie alle sue capacità di guaritore ed esorcista, gli divengono devoti); giunge così al paese di Agira (Enna), dove lì muore dopo quarant’anni di Apostolato nell’isola. Torniamo ai tempi odierni, questo “doppio racconto discesa-risalita”, è stato realizzato nel mese di maggio di quest’anno, ogni anno (ad eccezione della pandemia che ha fermato questa tradizione per due anni), durante il sabato vigilia della terza domenica di Maggio, nella chiesa del SS. Crocifisso al Castello, la mattina le donne salgono per adornare con fiori la vara, i cui fiori alla fine della tradizionale discesa e poi quando avverrà la risalita, vengono presi dai devoti poiché sono fiori benedetti; alle 18,30 in punto del sabato, dopo che sono stati sparati “tre colpi a cannone” inizia l’avventurosissima “Calata”, si tratta di una spettacolare discesa, non certo esente da pericoli, complicata sia dal pesantissimo fercolo (13 quintali) recante il busto reliquiario del Santo sostenuto dai devoti, sia dal lungo e ripidissimo, tortuoso, scivoloso, molto scosceso, sentiero, che viene percorso a passo molto sostenuto (ogni anno viene commentata la maggiore o minore velocità dell'andatura), che prevede lungo il tormentato percorso una curva molto angolata, e poiché in passato in questo punto la pesantissima vara sbandò fino a ribaltarsi, uccidendo un giovane “portatore”, da allora questo punto, segnato con un piccolo altare, viene chiamato dalla fantasia popolare “curva della morte” (qui la vara deve poter compiere una brusca virata al termine del percorso più ripido e scosceso e che mostra tutta la perizia dei portatori, con sempre in testa il capovara, che impartisce ordini ai suoi portatori; la vara giunge così alle porte del paese, nel luogo denominato "della Prima Croce", ove qui la corsa termina con una breve sosta durante la quale il Santo viene vestito con oro, poi il fercolo viene portato alla Chiesa Madre del paese di Calatabiano. La domenica successiva, la cosiddetta "ottava", riprende vita il rito, coi portatori che, alle 19,00 in punto partono dalla Chiesa Madre per risalire fin sopra al Monte Castello (così chiamato per la presenza di un ben conservato castello medioevale Normanno), riportando così il pesantissimo fercolo nella sua Chiesa del SS. Crocifisso, ubicata subito sotto il castello. I devoti in attesa della discesa e della risalita, si assiepano numerosissimi sulla collina sovrastante il percorso, moltissimi di loro si adornano con dei nastrini intrecciati dei tre colori rosso-giallo-verde (ogni anno i colori delle magliette dei portatori cambiano, riportando ogni volta uno dei tre colori), tali nastrini o "misure" rappresentano i peli della barba del Santo, infatti la leggenda narra che il giovane Filippo discese negli Inferi per legare il demonio coi peli della sua barba.
La statua del Santo viene raffigurata con un libro nella mano sinistra, si è portati a pensare che quel libro sia il Vangelo, in realtà è un manoscritto rilasciatogli dal Papa Pietro, dal significato "apotropaico" (che annulla o allontana gli influssi maligni) per aiutarlo nel suo mandato in Sicilia contro gli Spiriti Demoniaci, invece la mano destra alzata può avere il doppio significato di chi imparte la benedizione oppure il momento culminante di chi esegue un esorcismo nel momento in cui scaccia via il Maligno.
300mm +1.4 tc
my chocolate labrador waiting patiently whilst i was sitting for ages trying to photograph a kingfisher that didnt appear,i think he knew i was wasting my time
Volto Santo translates literally from Italian to "Holy Face" or "Sacred Face". The term primarily refers to two famous, highly venerated religious objects and traditions in Italy that are deeply tied to the miraculous depiction of the face of Jesus Christ
i'll do anything to be happy
cause blue skies are coming
but i know that it's hard
cause it's time to leave those feelings behind.
e non lasciarti dietro sassolini, molliche di pane, plettri d'osso, setole di sangue.
non c'è bisogno di ritrovarsi stavolta, cercarsi, attendersi, confondersi, lasciarsi fili rossi o appannare vetri per risvegliarli, per disegnarci addosso vecchie storie, nuove promesse, le stesse paure di sempre.
ora, no.
distenditi qui, che ti racconto.
'Headpiece' might not be the correct name for this sophisticated combination of earring, chains and pendant, but it will have to do.
You have to admire the craftmanship here.
Grandad & Grandaughter. Perfect together, happy together & mutual devotion personified. Just a joy to record.
Glass jewelry design: AMP Lasismi/Joonas
Finishing: Ivary Vimm
Hair & Make Up: Miia Leppäaho
Model: Sara
Assist: Marko O
Santo Condestável Church - Campo de Ourique - Lisbon
Nikon F100
Nikkor 1/1.8 50mm series E (pancake)
f22 - 30seg
Rollei RPX 100
R09 - One Shot (Rodinal) 1/50 @ 20 celcius
16 minuts - 1 Agitation every 30s
Scanned on Epson V750 Pro gray 16 bits Tiff @ 6400 dpi
Photoshop CS6 Portable clean dust, and convert to JPG
For two Marches in a row, I ended up in Varanasi. This year I am not going. Yet today I am feeling nostalgic, theres a want to go and yet not go. Varanasi is something else. you'll need to be there to understand.
Photographed by
Visithra
visithra(@)gmail.com
V-Eyez Imagery on Facebook
Ellora Cave 16: the Kailasanatha Temple. 8th century.
Mesmerising. This does not even begin to describe what i felt when i first saw this work of art. I do get emotional when i get to see good engineering - good engineering is also great art - but this was something else altogether. I remember repeating 'oh my god, oh my god', as I circumbulated the stucture in awe.
Dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, this temple is a vertical excavation of a single rock, meaning that the artisans started at the top of the original rock, and excavated downward, and scooped out all through from outside to inside. The temple covers an area of over 60000 square feet, and at its tallest point is about 90 feet high.
It is considered one of the most remarkable cave temples in India because of its size, architecture and sculptural treatment.
From Wikipedia, a reason for its vertical excavation:
"... the local king suffered from a severe disease. His queen prayed to the god Ghrishneshwar (Shiva) at Elapura to cure her husband. She vowed to construct a temple if her wish was granted, and promised to observe a fast until she could see the shikhara (top) of this temple. After the king was cured, she requested him to build a temple immediately, but multiple architects declared that it would take months to build a temple complete with a shikhara. One architect named Kokasa assured the king that the queen would be able to see the shikhara of a temple within a week's time. He started building the temple from the top, by carving a rock. He was able to finish the shikhara within a week's time, enabling the queen to give up her fast... "
Conceptualizing an idea that would take 200 years to complete, take 7500 people to finish, with buy-in from 10 generations of stake holders, detailing it to the T (a house of god cannot have a wrong cut), excavating 400000 tonnes of rock, all of these could only have been possible because of the sheer brilliance, love and devotion of those involved.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kailasa_temple,_Ellora
Ellora Caves Album:
Friendship
The dictionary defines a friend as one attached to another by mutual affection and esteem, a preferred companion. In Scripture, friendship is close companionship, the experience of mutual kindness, devotion, or affection, often raised to a spiritual level. It is close in meaning to “brotherly love.” Jesus refers to those who obediently follow him as friends in John 15:14–15.
1. Reasons for having good friends:
WE ALL NEED SOMEONE WHO “HAS OUR BACK,” PROVIDING STRENGTH AND SUPPORT
Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. (NLT)
Ecclesiastes 4:12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. (NLT)
WE NEED THOSE WHO WILL HELP US WALK WISELY
Proverbs 13:20 Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble. (NLT)
WE NEED MUTUAL ENCOURAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. (NASB)
Hebrews 10:24
GOOD FRIENDS WILL KEEP US SHARP AND “ON THE CUTTING EDGE.”
Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. (NLT)
Ecclesiastes 10:10
2. Our choice in friends is critical. We must avoid:
THOSE WHO USE OTHERS FOR PERSONAL ADVANCEMENT OR GAIN
Proverbs 19:4–7 Wealth adds many friends, but a poor man is separated from his friend. A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells lies will not escape. Many will seek the favor of a generous man, and every man is a friend to him who gives gifts. All the brothers of a poor man hate him; how much more do his friends abandon him! He pursues them with words, but they are gone. (NASB)
Proverbs 14:20
THOSE WHO ARE PRONE TO ANGER AND RAGE
Proverbs 22:24–25 Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared. (NIV)
THOSE WHO WOULD LEAD US INTO SIN
Proverbs 12:26 The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. (NIV)
Exodus 23:2
THOSE WHO DRINK AND EAT TOO MUCH
Proverbs 23:20 Don’t associate with people who drink too much wine or stuff themselves with food. (GNT)
3. Marks of a good friend include:
LOYALTY
Psalm 15:1–3 O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend. (ESV)
Proverbs 18:24 There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother. (NLT)
Romans 12:10
SUBMITTING TO GOD IN OBEDIENCE
Psalm 119:63 I am a friend to anyone who fears you—anyone who obeys your commandments. (NLT)
GIVING ONE’S LIFE FOR ANOTHER
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (NIV)
OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST, A PART OF WHICH IS LOVE FOR OTHERS
John 15:12, 14 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.… You are my friends if you do what I command. (NIV)
MUTUAL ACCEPTANCE
Romans 15:7 Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. (NASB)
MUTUAL BURDEN BEARING
Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. (NASB)
4. There are times when earthly friends will fail us, but our heavenly Father will not.
Psalm 55:12–14 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, then I could bear it; nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, my companion and my familiar friend; we who had sweet fellowship together walked in the house of God in the throng. (NASB)
Psalm 41:9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. (ESV)
Jeremiah 20:10 For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! “Denounce him! Let us denounce him!” say all my close friends, watching for my fall. (ESV)
Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:9; 21:45
5. We need to work at maintaining and, if necessary, restoring our friendships.
Romans 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. (NASB)
Proverbs 19:11 Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense. (ESV)
Ephesians 4:3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (NIV)
Matthew 5:23–24; Ephesians 4:32; Philippians 2:1–2
Biblical Narratives
• Job, his friends/critics, Job 2:11; 12:4; 16:20; 19:14
• God and Abraham, their friendship, 2 Chronicles 20:7; James 2:23
• Jonathan, his sacrificial efforts for David, 1 Samuel 18–20
• Paul and Timothy, their friendship
Practical Steps
• Be proactive about being a good friend. Show interest in the interests of others. Keep up on current happenings in the things your friend enjoys, such as sports teams, hunting and fishing, investments.
• Seek out older, mature Christians as friends. Seek advice in mutual need areas. Be praying for each other.
• Develop relationships by participating in a men’s Bible study.
• Think through and write a list of qualities you look for in friends. Do you have these qualities?
• Take the initiative to befriend someone who seems to have few friends. Getting to know him could be a positive adventure.
Keith R. Miller, Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling Men (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014), 146–150.