had an extra day off this week, which allowed for one of Augie's favorite chores: laundry!

 

laundry means lots of trips up & down the stairs, which means ... play time! every 45 minutes is a chance to play ball in the yard, not to mention explore the laundry room. I've had some ideas for the laundry room; there's gorgeous soft light there via ground-level frosted windows.

 

this week, though, is what I see when I occasionally have a long but low throw of the ball, and it rolls beneath the gateway. there's just something about the way this whole scene looks, a kind of yearning watchfulness, perhaps something of anticipation, I knew I wanted to capture it. and so, I did.

 

shot this with my trusty ol' 35mm prime, and cropped a bit of height & width. a challenge to frame, as there isn't a single level, plumb, or straight surface in this whole image.

photo courtesy

 

www.atsnotes.com/catalog/nigeria/nigeria-14.JPG

 

a smart and savvy con

on the soul of the gullible

dickhead born

fast buck spawn

imaginary fortunes

from dead accounts withdrawn

 

nigerian fraud

african fraud

simple aritnetic

no brains or brawn

catching the bull by the horn

those caught in the web of this deceit

their lost fortunes mourn

wondering where

the con artistes from

burkino faso have gone

make hay while the sun shines

just rock on

web crime

ushers in a new dawn

oh dear

hown they fawn

    

The Desk Of : Mr Aziza Karima

BANK OF AFRICA(B.O.A)

OUAGADOUGOU BURKINA-FASO,

WEST AFRICA.

Dear Friend,

 

(PRIVATE/CONFIDENTIAL).

 

I am Mr Aziza Karima the Director in charge of Auditing section Bank Of Africa(.B.O.A)Ouagadougou Burkina-Faso in West Africa. For give my indignation if this message comes to you as a surprise. AS IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW, I GOT YOUR IMPRESSIVE INFORMATION THROUGH THE INTERNET SEARCH HERE IN OUAGADOUGOU BURKINA-FASO. I have decided to contact you on a project that will be very beneficial to both of us. During our auditing in this Bank,I came across some amount of money belonging to a deceased foreigner Mr.Sheu Yuan-dong who died with his wife and their only daughter on February 16,1998 in a plane crash.

 

The fund has been dormant in his account with this Bank without any claim of the fund in our custody from his relation before my discovery to this development. He was the Governor of Taiwan Central(Reserve)Bank. The said amount is U.S $14,000,000(FOURTEEN MILLION UNITED STATE OF AMERICA DOLLAR). I want you to know that I never master minded the death of the deceased fellow. Their death occured Naturally. Please View this website:

www.cnn.com/WORLD/9802/16/taiwan.crash.update2/

FOR YOUR INFORMATION BEEN YOU NOT A TAIWANESE WILL NOT POSE ANY PROBLEM FOR THE SUCESSFUL TRANSFER ON THIS FUND INTO YOUR ACCOUNT. All the whole arrangement to put claim over this fund as the Bonafide next of kin to the deceased has been put in place and directives will be relayed to you as soon as you indicate your interest and willingness to assist me and also benefit your self to this great business opportunity. In this country as a civil servant(A Banker),we are not allowed to operate a foreign account. This is the actual reason why it will require a second party or fellow who will forward claims as the next of kin to the Bank and also present a foreign account where he will need the money to be re-transferred into on his request.

 

Our Banking law stipulates that if such money remained unclaimed after Ten years, the money will be transferred into the Bank treasury as unclaimed fund.The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a Burkinabe cannot stand as next of kin. I dont want this money to go into the Bank treasury as unclaimed Bill. Be assured this transaction is 100% risk free.

 

On conclusion of this Project, you will be entitled to 40% of the total sum as gratification,while 60% will be for me.Please you have been adviced to keep "top secret" as I am still in service and intend to retire from service after I conclude this deal with you. I will fly down to your country for subsequent sharing of the fund according to percentages previously indicated and further investment will be discussed. On your acceptance to be my partner, please email for a brief discussion before we proceed. Please keep this proposal secret, even if you dont want to assist me. I look forward to receive your urgent reply me through this mail (aziza_karima@voila.fr).

Yours faithfully,

Mr Aziza Karima

 

Sample 2

 

Mr.Chris Kabore" Add sender to Contacts

 

Mr.Chris Kabore.

Manager Foreign Remittance Dept.

Bank Of Africa(BOA)

Burkina Faso. Dear Friend, This message might meet you in utmost surprise. However, it's just my

urgent need for foreign partner that made me to contact you for this

transaction. I assured you honesty and reliability to champion this

business opportunity when i prayed to God about you. I am a banker by profession in BURKINA-FASO, WEST AFRICA and currently

holding the post of Manager foreign remittance Dept in our bank. I have the

opportunity of transferring the left over funds ($23.8M) of one of

my bank clients who died along with his entire family in a plane crash. I am inviting you for a business deal where this money can be shared

between us in the ratio of 50/50 if you agree to my business proposal.

Further details of the transfer will be forwarded to you as soon as i

receive your return mail immediately as soon as you receive this letter. Please indicate your willingness by sending the below information for

more clarification and easy communication and call me immediately. (1)FULL NAME

(2)CONTACT ADDRESS

(3)TEL AND FAX NUMBER

(4)OCCUPATION

(5)AGE Hoping to hear from you as soon as possible. Regards

  

sample 3

 

WAITING FOR YOUR URGENT RESPONSEMonday, September 29, 2008 5:28 PM

From: "saniyusuf002@libero.it" Add sender to Contacts To: undisclosed-recipientsAttn:

 

I work as the auditor with African Development Bank Ouagadougou Burkina Faso,I have an Investor under my portfolio with a closing balance of $30 million his first initial deposit.

 

This Investor died 31 july 2000 leaving no WILL or AUTHORIZATION for re-transfer of his Investment and its proceeds to the INHERITOR and because of the laws here in Burkina Faso.

 

I have personally carried out an Investigation on the subject matter that takes me 9 months to finalize and was made to understand that the Family or Relatives of the Investor knows nothing about his Investment and none have any records of all his deposits and investment with us leaving an avenue for claiming of the said funds with its accrued interest on presentation of a trustworthy person that can stand as the INHERITOR to the deceased.

 

Like I said before there is no risk involve as it will pass through international banking laws and all the necessary information will be given to you in later.I do not want any direct link between you and me. My official lines are not secure lines as they are periodically monitored to assess our level of customer care in line with our Total Quality Management Policy. Please observe this instruction religiously. Please, again, note I am a family man, I have wife and children. I send you this mail not without a measure of fear as to what the consequences, but I know within me that nothing ventured is nothing gained and that success and riches never come easy or on a platter of gold. This is the one truth I have learned from my private banking clients. Do not betray my confidence. If we can be of one accord, we should plan a meeting soon.

 

I ask that if you find no interest in this project that you should discard this mail. I ask that you do not be vindictive and destructive. If my offer is of no appeal to you,delete this message and forget I ever contacted you. Do not destroy my career because you do not approve of my proposal. You may not know this but people like myself who have made tidy sums out of comparable situations run the whole private banking sector. I am not a criminal and what I do, I do not find against good conscience, this may be hard for you to understand, but the dynamics of my industry dictates that I make this move. Such opportunities only come ones way once in a lifetime. I cannot let this chance pass me by, for once I find myself in total control of my destiny. These chances wont pass me by. I ask that you do not destroy my chance, if you will not work with me let me know and let me move on with my life but do not destroy me. I am a family man and this is an opportunity to provide them with new opportunities. There is a reward for this project and it is a task well worth undertaking.

 

If you are interested, I can present you as the INHERITOR with all the relevant informations and proper documentation that will qualify you to have the funds claimed and on doing this, our establishment will not question the release of the funds to you as I will make sure that we comply with the laid down rules and laws of claiming the Investment of a deceased Investor in our Establishment. Our sharing ratio will be 60:30 while 10% will be set aside for any kind of expenses along the line.Please contact me for more details breakdown if interested by sending me along with all these information’s bellow,

 

1}Your full name

2}Home and office address

3}Full phone and fax number

4}Marital status

5}Age

6}Nationality

7)Occupation

   

Kindly reply me urgently through this my private email address for confidential reasons : saniyusuf000@sify.com

 

Thanks.

 

Sani Yusuf

    

sample 4

GOODWIN BRUCE & ASSOCIATES

33 Bedford London WC1R 4JH,

LONDON - UK.

TEL:+44-703-590-9978

 

Attention:

 

On behalf of the Trustees and Executor of the estate of Late Engr.Jürge

Krügger. I once again try to notify you as my earlier letter was returned

undelivered. I wish to notify you that late Engr. Jürge Krügger made you a

beneficiary to his WILL. He left the sum of Thirty Million, One Hundred

Thousand Dollars (USD$30,100.000.00) to you in the Codicil and last testament to his WILL.This may sound strange and unbelievable to you, but it is real and true. Being a widely travelled man, he must have been in contact with you in the past or simply you were nominated to him by one of his numerous friends abroad who wished you good. Engr. Jürge Krügger until his death was a member of the Helicopter Society and the Institute of Electronic & amp; Electrical Engineers.According to him this money is to support humanitarian activities and to help the poor and the needy in our society. Please if I reach you as I am hopeful,endeavor to get back to me as soon as possible to enable me conclude my job. I hope to hear from you in no distant time.

Note: You are advise to contact me with my personal email address: Email: goodwinbrucecham@aol.co.uk

 

I await your prompt response.

 

Yours in Service,

Barr. Goodwin David Bruce

 

sample 5

 

yacubuadams01

show details 1:29 am (6 hours ago)

 

I know that this message will come to you as a surprise. I am the Auditing andAccounting section manager with Bank Of Africa Ouagadougou Burkina faso. I Hope that you will not expose or betray this trust and confident that I am about to repose on you for the mutual benefit of our both families.I need your urgent assistance in transferring the sum of ($12.5)million to your account within 10 or 14 banking days. This money has been dormant for years in our Bank without claim.I want the bank to release the money to you as the nearest person to our

deceased customer lateI don't want the money to go into government treasury as an abandoned fund.So this is the reason why I am contacting you so that the bank can release the money to you as the next of kin to the deceased customer. Please I would like you to keep this proposal as a top secret and delete it if you are not interested. Upon receipt of your reply, I will give you full details on how the business will be executed and also note that you will have 40% of the above mentioned sumwhile 50% will be for me, and the other 10% will be for the expences occur in this transaction, if you agree to handle this business with me. I am expecting your urgent

Mr yacubu adams

Bank Of Africa Ouagadougou

Burkina faso.

(B.O.A

  

sample 6

 

The Desk of Mr NIABBA KAMBU

Audit/Remittance Department of

African Development Bank (ADB)

Auagadougou Burkina Faso

phone: 00226-70 642 10

  

Dear Friend,

 

(CONFIDENTIAL)

 

I know that this email will be a big surprise to you, but i want you to calm down and read very carefully.

  

I have a business which will be beneficial to both of us. the amount of money involved is ($5,700:000:00 five million seven hundred thousand us dollars) which i want to transfer out of the country to your bank account, all to my financial benefit and yours too. and also to take my wife abroad for treatment of liver damage.

  

This money is owned by a man called JIN SUN, a business commercialist in west-african regions. he has been dead since six years ago and since then, no claim has been placed on his bank account balance.

  

I want to transfer this money out of the country but such fund cannot be transferred without a next of kin attached to the fund. the fund could be transferred in these way; you shall present yourself as a business associate to the deceased person[JIN SUN) as details shall be that you are the care- taker business associate to mr. jin sun and his properties.

  

I shall make available to you materials and information with which a successful claim shall be placed on the fund. i shall also be your guidiance and instructor throughout the duration of this transaction so as to ensure a swift and sure transfer of the fund to your bank account. as to your benefits,you shall be entitled to 40% of this fund for your co-operation in this transaction while 5% will be set aside for expences incured during the course of this transaction.

  

So if you are interested, send a reply to me immediately and in your reply please include your [private phone and your fax numbers] urgency has to be implied and this business must strictly be a deal between both of us.

   

Waiting for your urgent response so that i can move ahead and give you the indept details concerning this transaction and also the steps to take for a smooth transfer of the fund into your bank account.

   

Best Regards,

Mr.NIABBA KAMBU

  

sample 7

 

FROM: MR SULE MOHAMED

AUDITING / ACCOUNTING DIRECTOR

INTERNATIONAL BANK OF AFRICA(BOA)

BURKINA-FASO WEST AFRICA.

 

My dear I am contacting you in regards to a business transfer of a huge sum

of money from a deceased account. Though I know that a transaction of this

magnitude will make anyone apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you

that

all will be well at the end of the day. I decided to contact you due to the

urgency of this transaction. PROPOSITION; I discovered an abandant sum of

$11.5M

(Eleven Million Five Hundred thousand United states Dollars) in an account

that

belongs to one of our foreign customers who died along with his entire

family.

Since his death, none of his next-of-kin or relations has come forward to

lay

claims to this money as the heir. I cannot release the fund from his

account

unless someone applies for claim as the next-of-kin to the deceased as

indicated in our banking guidelines.

Upon

this discovery, I now seek your permission to have you stand as a next of

kin

to the deceased as all documentations will be carefully worked out by me

for

the funds $11.5M(Eleven Million Five Hundred thousand United states Dollars)

to

be released in your favour as the beneficiary's next of kin.It may interest

you

to note that I have secured from the probate an order of madamus to locate

any

of deceased beneficiaries.

 

Please acknowledge receipt of this message in acceptance of my mutual

business endeavour by

furnishing me with the following;

 

1. Your Full Names and Address.

2. Direct Telephone and Fax numbers.

 

These requirements will enable me file a letter of claim to the appropriate

departments for necessary approvals in your favour before the transfer can

be

made. I shall be compensating you with $4.6 Million Dollars on final

conclusion

of this project, while the rest $6.9Million shall be for me. Your share

stays

with you while the rest shall be for me for investment purposes in your

country. If this proposal is acceptable by you, do not take undue advantage

of the trust I have bestowed in you, I await your urgent email.

Regards, Your;s faithfully,

 

MR SULE MOHAMED

  

sample 8

Jhone Amede to taalklacht, anorrecruiters, hamiltonmuslims, sqrilyas, dr_phirozp, salmanzit, Salmanzit, gargaarblog, editor.blogspot, cfm.yemen, ciberterrorism., changinguppaki., BronxRap, ali.abukashif, me, amelia.laden, rukateja, rachel.sawyer, knockoutsounds, thebigfeedblog

show details 7:33 pm (4 minutes ago)

  

BONJOUR J'AI RENCONTRE VORTE ADRESSE SUR LE NET. JE VOUS FAIT UNE PROPOSITION DE NOTRE PRODUIT D'OR

 

UNION DES COOPERATIVES ORPAILLEURDELWENDE /email/burkinaferme@yahoo.fr

01 BP 1010 OUAGADOUDOUGOU BURINA FASO TEL (00226)76 60 06 01

/SITE:http://www.e-monsite.com/cooperativeorpailleurdelwende

________________________________________

NOUS SOUSSIGNE, MEMBRES DE LA UCB SISE A OUAGADOUGOU DECLARERONT AVOIR DANS NOS LOCAUX UNE QUANTITE D’OR EN POUDRE BRUT DONT LES CARACTERISTIQUE SONT

LES SUIVANT

QUANTITE 175 KG

QUALITE 22CARRATS PLUS

DENSITE 916 MILLIEME

PRIX 16000 DOLLAR/KG

NOUS DEMANDONS A TOUT ACHETEUR DESIREUX DE CETTE MARCHANDISE BIEN VOULOIR SE RENDRE SUR PLACE A OUAGADOUGOU BURINA FASO POUR LE CONTROLE ET LES FORMALITE DE LA TRANSACTION LES FRAIT DE TRANSIT ET TRANSPORT SONT A LA CHARGE DE L’ACHETEUR JUSQU'A LA DESTINATION L’ACHETEUR PAYERA EN AUTRE 30% DE LA VALEUR TOTAL DE LA MARCHANDISE A OUAGADOUGOU AVANT L’EMBARQUEMENT

2 MEMBRES DE LA COOPERATIVE ACCOMPAGNERONT LA MARCHANDISE JUSQUE LA RAFFINERIE LES 70% RESTANTS SERONT VERSER AU ACCOMPAGNATEURS APRES RAFFINERIE LE POIS OBTENU APRES RAFFINERIE SERA POUR LE PAYEMENT DU RELIQUAT TOUT LES DEPENSES FAITES PAR L’ACHETEUR AU COUR DE LA TRANSACTION SERONT DEDUCTIBLES AU PAYEMENT FINAL

RESPONSABLE Mr IBRAHIMA

  

sample 9

 

Dear Friend,

 

This mail might come to you as a surprise and the temptation to ignore it as unserious could come into your mind but please consider it a divine wish and accept it with a deep sense of humility.

 

I am Mr.Mahamsli Odraogo the officer in charge of Auditing department of African Development Bank (ADB)Ouagadougou Burkina Faso in West Africa, with due respect and Regard, I have decided to contact you on a business transaction that will be very beneficial to both of us at the end of the transaction.

 

During our investigation and auditing in this Bank, I came across a very huge sum of money belonging to one of our deceased customer who died on July 30th 2002 of a ghastly motor accident and the fund has been dormant in his account with this bank without any claim of the fund in our Custody either from his family or relation before my discovery to this development.

 

Although personally, I keept this information secret to enable the whole plans and idea be Profitable and successful during the time of execution, the said amount is Twelve million Two Hundred Thousand United States dollars(US$12.2m), as it may interest you to know, I got your impressive information on my search for a reliable partner, I contacted you to be my partner and person to be reliable and capable to champion a business of such magnitude without any problem.

 

Meanwhile all the arrangement to put claim over this fund as the next of kin to the deceased, get the required approval and transfer this money to a foreign account has been put in Place and directives and needed information will be relayed to you as soon as you indicate your interest and willingness to assist me and also benefit your self to this great business opportunity,In fact I could have done this deal alone but because of my position in this country as a civil servant and we are not allowed to operate a foreign account and would eventually raise eye brow on my side during the time of transfer because I work in this bank.

 

This is the actual reason why it will require a second party or fellow who will forward claims as the next of kin with affidavit of trust of oath to the bank and also present a foreign account where he will need the money to be re-transferred into on his request as it may be after due verification and clarification by the correspondent branch of the bank where the whole money will be remitted from to your own designation bank account.

 

I will not fail to inform you that this transaction is 100% risk free, on smooth conclusion of this transaction, you will be entitled to 40% of the total sum as gratification, while 10% will be set aside to take care of expenses that may arise during the time of transfer,while 50% will be for me, please you have been advised to keep "Top Secret" as I am still in service and intend to retire from service after I conclude this deal with you.

 

I will be monitoring the whole situation here in this bank until you confirm the money in your account, and I will come down to your country for subsequent sharing of the fund according to percentages previously indicated and further Investment.

 

Do contact me as soon as you receive this letter througth my private email address:mahamsli@hotmail.com

 

I suggest you get back to me As soon as possible and also include your personal phone/mobile and fax numbers for easy communication.

 

Yours faithfully,

Mr.Mahamsli Odraogo.

The officer in charge of

Auditing department of

African Development Bank (ADB)

   

sample 10

FROM: Dr, Amadu

PRIVATE TELEPHONE; 00226 78 15 47 47

  

Dear Friend,

 

I know that this message will come to you as a surprise..I am a banker

by profession in BURKINA-FASO, WEST AFRICA and presently holding the

post of assistant foreign remittance director in our bank. I need your

urgent assistance in transferring the sum of ($25.200.000)million to

your account within 14 banking days. This money has been dormant for

years in our Bank without claim. I want the bank to release the money

to you as the nearest person to our deceased customer, the owner of

the account died along with his supposed next of kin in an air crash

on December 25th 2003.

  

I don't want the money to go into our Bank treasury as an abandoned

fund. So this is the reason why i contacted you so that the bank can

release the money to you as the next of kin to the deceased customer.

Please I would like you to keep this proposal as a top secret and

delete it if you are not interested.

  

Upon receipt of your reply,i will give you full details on how the

business will be executed and also note that you will have 40% of the

above mentioned sum if you agree to handle this business with

me.Also,indicate your willingness by filling up the following

reqiurements.

 

1.YOUR FULL NAME

2.YOUR AGE

3.YOUR ACCUPATION.

4.YOUR CONTACT ADDRESS

5.YOUR OCCUPATION.

 

Trusting to hear from you urgently.

Amadu Isa.

 

sample no 11FROM MR HASSAN AHMED.

BANK OF AFRICA

OUAGADOUGOU,

BURKINA FASO.

WEST AFRICA.

  

Dear Friend,

   

RE: TRANSFER OF ($7,000.000.00 USD SEVEN MILLION UNITED STATE DOLLARS)

   

I want to transfer to overseas the sum of ($USD7.M) Seven Million United States Dollars) from a Prime Bank in Africa. I would like to ask you to quietly look for a reliable and honest person who will be capable and fit to provide either an existing bank account or to set up a new Bank a/c immediately to receive this money, even an empty a/c can serve as far as it can receive money.

  

I am Mr HASSAN AHMED. an accountant and personal confidant to Dr.George Brumley who died together with his wife in a plane crash on the July 21st 2003 on their way to attend wedding in Boston, he is an American, ECOWAS CONTRACTOR, he died without having any beneficiary to his assets including his account here in Burkina Faso which he opened as his personal savings for the purpose of expansion and developement of his company before his untimely death in 2003.

  

The amount involved is (USD$7.M) Seven Million United States Dollars), no other person knows about this account. I am contacting you for us to transfer this funds to your account as the beneficiary, I want to transfer the whole (USD$7,M) Seven Million United States Dollars) into a safe account abroad, but I don't know any foreigner. I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this money can not be approved to a local person here,But can only be approved to any foreign a/c because the money is in US Dollars and the former owner of the a/c Dr.George Brumley is a foreigner too, and as such the money can only be approved into a foreign a/c.

   

I need your full co-operation to make this work fine because the management is ready to approve this payment to any foreigner who has correct information of this account, which I will give to you, upon your positive response and once I am convinced that you are capable and will meet up with the inheritance procedures.

  

At the conclusion of this business, you will be given 40% of the total amount,55% will be for me, while 5% will be for expenses both parties might have incurred during the process of transferring. You should observe utmost CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECRECY in this transaction, and rest assured that this transaction would be most profitable for both of us because I will require your assistance to invest my share in your country.

   

If you are interested reply me immediately you receive this letter:

 

Trusting to hear from you immediately. i await your urgent. Via Alternative E-mail Address (hassan_48aahmed02@hotmail.com)

   

Sincerely

MR HASSAN AHMED.

Tel / +226 788 771 78

  

sample

 

abrahamyusuf@libero.it"

show details 4:03 am (3 hours ago)

 

Greetings.

I am Joseph Abraham Yusuf a naturalized Briton by birth and a business

merchant based in the U K. I have been diagnosed with Esophageal cancer,Right

now I have only about a few days to live, according to medical experts.I want

to give to alms to those organisation catering for the less privileged around

the world.

 

My deposit of Eight Million US Dollars,that I have in a safe company Abroad,

which I will want you to bestow to charity,reply email :josephabraham.

yusuf@yahoo.co.uk

 

For your time and devotion, I have set aside a 20% of this for you.

May the good lord be with you.

Mr: Joseph Abraham Yusuf.

     

sample

 

ben juban to ...

show details 2:25 am (6 hours ago)

   

Dear Friend,

 

This Message Might Meet You In Utmost Surprise. However, It's Just My Urgent Need For Foreign Partner That Made Me ToContact You For This Transaction. I Am A Banker By Profession From Burkina Faso In West Africa And Currently Holding The Post Of bill and exchange manager In Our Bank.

I Have The Opportunity Of Transferring The Left Over Funds ($15.5Million) Of One Of My Bank Client Late Mr. Morris Thompson ,an American who unfortunately lost his life in the plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261, which crashed on January 31 2000. You may read more about the crash on visiting this C.N.N News

 

internetwebsite:http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/02/01/alaska.airlines.list/ Hence, I am Inviting You For A Business Deal Where This Money Can Be Shared Between Us In The Ratio Of 50/40 / 10% For Any income expenses that will come During the transfer, If You Agree To My Business Proposal,Further Details Of The Transfer Will Be Forwarded To You As Soon As I Receive Your Response.

 

Therefore, to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you as arranged, you must apply first to the bank as next of kin of the deceased. Send me your private telephone and faxnumber for easy and effective communication and location wherein the money will be remitted.

 

1.YOUR FULL NAME...................

2. AGE.................

3. OCCUPATION................

4. FAX...............

5. TELEPHONE................

6. SEX................

7. COUNTRY..............

 

Upon the receipt of your reply, I will send to you by email the text of the application to fill and send to the bank, Have A Great Day.

Your's Faithfully,

ben juban

  

Yumi

The Starts and Stops

 

As long as you believe things come to you from your own power and strength and you rely on that,

nothing will come to you from the Realm of the Unseen.

Ghaus Pak (ra)

 

When I studied tajweed, the rules of recitation of the Quran, a few years ago I only memorized the shorter surahs in the end. Then this Ramadan I memorized a longer one. It was Surah Yaseen. Well, almost! I’m shy a few verses. It had been suggested to me for eons but I had not been able to do it. Primarily out of laziness. But in all honesty I was not being granted the ability. Probably because of the laziness.

 

Last month, for the 12th of Rabbul Awal, I wrote a piece through which I learnt that, according to the Quran, the heart, as opposed to the mind, is the seat of intellect and understanding. Just as I continued to learn it, I had also been reciting the Surah Yaseen every day so I didn’t forget it. Now each time I came to the following verse, the thought of the uncomprehending heart crossed my mind.

 

لِّيُنذِرَ مَن كَانَ حَيًّۭا َ

 

It warns those who are alive (of heart) – Surah Yaseen, Verse 70

 

So I knew. The state of my heart was the reason why my spiritual journey was in endless starts and stops. I knew the starts came when I followed the Friends of God. I wanted to uncover the root of the stops. What was making me also not obey them? I asked my teacher, Qari Sahib, to devote a class to it.

 

He began with a verse from Az-Zumar, The Troops.

 

أَفَمَن شَرَحَ ٱللَّهُ صَدْرَهُۥ لِلْإِسْلَـٰمِ فَهُوَ عَلَىٰ نُورٍۢ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ ۚ

فَوَيْلٌۭ لِّلْقَـٰسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُم مِّن ذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ

أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ فِى ضَلَـٰلٍۢ مُّبِينٍ

 

Is the one whose heart God has opened to submit to Him with willingness so he is illuminated by a light from His Lord (the same as the one whose heart rejects God)?

 

So woe unto those whose hearts are hardened against remembrance of Allah.

 

They are clearly lost in error – Surah Az-Zumar, Verse 22

 

“So what is happening here?” Qari Sahib began. “The light from Allah is for the one who surrenders willingly. Islam is submission yes but it is submission with a willingness that matters to God.”

 

“Jo marzi se aaye,” is what he said exactly. “The one who comes wanting to.” It reminded me of a lecture by Uzair I had just finished hearing. He had touched on the same subject so to speak, willingness, but from the opposing angle, refusal. When it was allowed and when it bore penalty.

 

Uzair’s lecture was titled “Quran, Hadith and Hadith Qudsi.” It was one of the best lectures I have heard in my life. I thought I already knew how to define the three but he put it so concisely I was reminded of the words “fasahat” and “balaghat” – the deepest meaning expressed in the least number of words. It was one of the gifts bestowed upon Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) by his Lord.

 

‏ أُعْطِيتُ مَفَاتِيحَ الْكَلِمِ، وَنُصِرْتُ بِالرُّعْبِ، وَبَيْنَمَا أَنَا نَائِمٌ الْبَارِحَةَ

إِذْ أُتِيتُ بِمَفَاتِيحِ خَزَائِنِ الأَرْضِ حَتَّى وُضِعَتْ فِي يَدِي ‏

 

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “I have been given the keys of eloquent speech and given victory with awe (cast into the hearts of the enemy), and while I was sleeping last night, the keys of the treasures of the Earth were brought to me till they were put in my hand.”

 

I memorized Uzair’s definitions: “The Quran, Hadith and hadith Qudsi, all three are the kalam, the spoken word, of the Prophet (peace be upon him). I want to tell you the differences between the three for they are subtle.

 

Let’s start with the Quran: the ilm (knowledge) is Allah’s, the topics (mazameen) are chosen by Him and it is His Words (alfaaz).

 

In hadith the ilm is still Allah’s, the words and topics are chosen by the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the thought is the Prophet’s (peace be upon him).

 

For Hadith Qudsi, the knowledge is again Allah’s, the topic is also chosen by Allah but the words are those of Mustafa (peace be upon him).

 

So the weight, the significance, of the Quran and the Hadith Qudsi is in fact the same. The only difference is in the words. Allah chooses them in the former, Huzoor chooses them in the latter on behalf of Allah.”

 

Midway through his lecture, Uzair touched on refusal while giving the reason people were going to be sent to Heaven or Hell.

 

“Allah uses polarity, opposites, to describe the signs of the two groups of people. He says, ‘If you don’t want to land in Hell, don’t do these two things; don’t be arrogant and don’t be unjust. And if you want to go to Heaven, be humble to the point of appearing weak and don’t be of those who exert power over others.’”

 

Then he delved into the idea of pride. I knew it was the fountainhead of all sin for it was the first sin. Iblis had refused to obey the Command to bow before the Prophet Adam (as) out of pride. Uzair explained the nuances within the concept of refusal using his example. Refusal was allowed in the faith. Or perhaps expected. It was just when it was soaked in pride that it brought God’s Wrath upon one.

 

“When Allah created the Universe, He wanted to give His Trust (amana’t) to it and He asked if there was a taker. For it was a burden.

 

إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا ٱلْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱلْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَن يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ ظَلُومًۭا جَهُولًۭا

 

Indeed, We offered the burden of Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains,

but they refused to bear it and they feared from it but bore it Man. Indeed, he was unjust and foolish – Surah Al-Ahzab, Verse 72

 

‘But they refused,’ the verse says. But did Allah become angry with them? Did he destroy them? No. It is only when the refusal is tinged with arrogance that Allah becomes angry. When Allah asked Iblis why he wouldn’t bow, He even told him that Adam was different from all other Creation.

 

قَالَ يَـٰٓإِبْلِيسُ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَن تَسْجُدَ لِمَا خَلَقْتُ بِيَدَىَّ ۖ أَسْتَكْبَرْتَ أَمْ كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلْعَالِينَ

 

He said, “O Iblis! What prevented you that you don’t prostrate to whom I created with My Hands? Are you arrogant or are you of the exalted ones?” – Surah As-Sad, Verse 75

 

For everything else came into being because Allah said a word, ‘Kun.’ Be and ‘fayakun,’ it is! But in the case of human beings, He says He made him with His Hands. Which He doesn’t have but it is to set his creation apart from all else.

 

But Iblis responded, ‘You made me from fire and him from earth.’”

 

Uzair ended the point on this note: “Human beings are in a state of refusing God all day along. If we were punished for it each time, existence would not be possible. It is refusal with arrogance which causes all goodness to become null in an instant. Be it ours or Iblis’ countless years of worship.”

 

Qari Sahib had once shed light on the daily aspects of pride’s interference in one’s life unforgettably. He was relating one of his favourite incidents from his years in the Madrassa.

 

“My teacher used to tell us this story of Hazrat Mujjadid al Fisani (ra), a Master of the Naqshbandi path, and his advice to a young man.

 

So he said to his disciple, “Rabb na bani te rasool na bani.” (Don’t become God and don’t become a Prophet!)

 

The student’s jaw dropped with amazement as did mine.

 

“How can I possible ever think to become God or a Prophet?” he exclaimed.

 

“You will see you do it all the time,” Hazrat Mujjadid al Fasani (ra) replied.

 

Then he went on to explain. “‘Whatever I want should happen’ – human beings start thinking like that but it is only Allah Subhan Ta’ala whose Will always prevails. ‘Whoever denies me is munkir, is kafir, the denier of truth’ becomes a regular response, covert if not overt, in times of disagreements but only a Prophet of God can claim thus.”

 

The words were striking. Everyone seemed to want what they wanted to happen all the time. More and more since instant gratification was becoming the norm. I wonder if that contributed to people’s distance from the Afterlife. It was so far away. Who cared what happened then. I confess I found myself in category two most of the time. Nothing I wanted ever came about so I had let go of that. It was the contradiction to ideas that in all fairness weren’t mine but those I had studied, by those who knew nothing most of the time that made me think of them as munkirs and kafirs. It happened instantly and it felt infuriating.

 

Going back to the lecture, Qari Sahib quoted another verse to explain the first one about the heart and willingness.

 

“Let’s go back a step. What is necessary to accept Islam willingly, to surrender one’s self to Allah?” He answered the question himself through the Quran. “Guidance!”

 

فَمَن يُرِدِ ٱللَّهُ أَن يَهْدِيَهُۥ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُۥ لِلْإِسْلَـٰمِ ۖ

 

And whoever God wills to guide, He opens wide his breast to self-surrender (unto Him).

– Surah Al-An’am, Verse 125

 

“Note the sequence in the verse: First comes the Will of Allah (irada) to guide, then He opens the heart to surrender to Him. Then light enters it and it is no longer dark.”

 

I mapped it for clarity: Will – guidance – light!

 

مَا كُنتَ تَدْرِى مَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ وَلَا ٱلْإِيمَـٰنُ وَلَـٰكِن جَعَلْنَـٰهُ نُورًۭا نَّهْدِى بِهِۦ

مَن نَّشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا ۚ

 

You did not know what the Book was nor the faith but We have made it a light whereby we guide whom We will of Our Servant – Surah Ash-Shu’ra, Verse 52

 

“But why did it become dark in the first place, the heart?” I asked. Was it simply the reverse? No guidance was received because Allah did not will it? What was my role then? That was what concerned me all the time.

 

I was in a continual effort these days to curb my over the top reactions to two categories of people in my life; the ignorant and the sad. Both were unaware of their states. I was acutely aware of mine. Yet my response towards them remained unchanging. It was frustrating. They both drove me nuts. One would think my cognizance of the differences between us would render me some control but my nafs was overpowering. I was desperate to hone in on what aspect of my nafs was so overwhelmingly, enshrouding me so completely. After all “the evil that befell me was my own doing.”

 

“The heart is dark because of the absence of light.” Qari Sahib repeated what he had told me often before. “Where is the nur?”

 

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَءَامِنُوا۟ بِرَسُولِهِۦ يُؤْتِكُمْ كِفْلَيْنِ مِن رَّحْمَتِهِۦ

وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ نُورًۭا تَمْشُونَ بِهِۦ

وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ

 

O ye who believed! Remain conscious of God and believe in His Messenger (peace be upon him) and He will grant you doubly of His Mercy.

 

And He will make for you a (nur) light, you will walk with it.

 

And He will forgive you. For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful – Surah Al-Hadid, Verse 28

 

“Where was my nur?” I thought.

 

In the Surah At-Taghabun translated as The Haggling, The Cheating, The Mutual Disillusion, Ghaus Pak (ra) explains why something goes right and why it goes wrong.

 

هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ فَمِنكُمْ كَافِرٌۭ وَمِنكُم مُّؤْمِنٌۭ ۚ

وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ

 

It is He who created you. Yet some of you deny the truth and some of you believe in it.

 

And Allah sees all that you do – Surah At-Taghabun, Verse 2

 

In his tafseer (exegesis of the Quran) I found my answer as to why Allah limits ability (taufeeq) for some and renders them without guidance and therefore without light. Ability is confined to kufr, limited to hiding or denying the truth. either because we are inspired by Iblis’ whisperings or succumbing to the desires of our own ego, the nafs. Both of which veil a person from the sun of the reality of Truth.

 

That day I let two words from the beginning of Qari Sahib’s last verse addressed to the believers spin in my head. To be counted amongst them, one had to be a possessor of taqwa and imaan according to the Arabic in the verse. I was familiar with both.

 

Begin excerpt The Softest Heart

 

The exalted category of the Mo’mineen in Mankind, the believers, are in fact unknown to each other and even to themselves. Most people confuse being of the believers with simply being Muslim. It is critical to understand there is a significant difference. Becoming a Muslim, at least overtly, only requires the utterance of a single line, the Kalima Tauheed (Declaration of One-ness of God):

 

لَآ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُوْلُ اللّٰهِؕ

 

There is no God but Allah and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His Messenger.

 

That’s it! Entering the religion, Islam, has this sole marker. Anyone Muslim who has ever had a female friend or relative marrying outside the faith knows that the utterance of that one line by the to-be spouse is desperately sought by the family.

 

Imaan on the other hand, faith, has no measures that a human can apply and then tick off. For themselves or anyone else! It lies inside the heart where only one has access, its Creator. In the Quran, all the verses in which those who Allah decrees possess imaan start in the same way. Allah calls out to them:

 

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا

 

Ya Ayyoha-Alladina Amino.

 

O Ye who believed!

O Ye who attained to faith!

 

Since everything about the language and the Book pivots on precision, what Allah Ar-Rahman, The Beneficent, says in each of these verses and in what order becomes supremely significant. I decided to study the first address for it would then be the most so.

 

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقُولُوا رَاعِنَا

وَقُولُوا انظُرْنَا وَاسْمَعُوا ۗ وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

 

O Ye who believed! Say not (to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him)), "Ra'ina" but say, "Unthurna" and listen. And for the Disbelievers is a painful punishment - Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 104

 

With Qari Sahib, I read three tafaseer (exegesis of the Quran) of the verse by Imam Razi, Naeemi and Tibyan al Quran to understand what Allah Al-Quddus, The Most Sacred, was saying in this, His First Saying to the Believers. I discovered the following:

 

“At the time of the first sermons of the Prophet (peace be upon him), some of the Muslims used to use the word Ra’ina which means, “Please excuse us while we understand.” In essence they were asking for more time, leeway, in coming about to his Message. Some of the Jews, when speaking to the Prophet (peace be upon him) started using a word from the Hebrew, also sounding like Rai’na, that was disrespectful and lacking regard. The meaning of that word is to “Hear and be not heard.” Taking advantage of the word being used by the Muslims, they laughed amongst themselves in having the opportunity to mock the Prophet (peace be upon him).

 

One day, upon hearing the utterance from them, Hazrat Saad Bin Muaz (ratu) cursed those who used it and warned them that if he heard the word from their mouths again, he would cut off their necks. They retorted that the Muslims used the word as well so why didn’t he go and kill them. In this moment the verse was revealed:

 

O you who believed, say not (to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him)), ‘Ra'ina’ but say, ‘Unthurna’ and listen. And for the Disbelievers is a painful punishment.”

 

Majestically, Allah Al-Muhaymin, The Preserver of Safety, steps in for the Prophet (peace be upon him), ending the charade for anyone who claimed at least to believe, by forbidding the address altogether, giving its replacement instead, Unthurna.

 

Thus, the first time Allah directly speaks to His Creation (and those of us who aspire to be counted amongst the Believers one day), He clearly delineates two things: the mark of the Believer is regard for His Beloved (peace be upon him) and anyone deviating from a show of respect for him, compulsory, is deserving of a painful punishment.

 

The following verse from the Quran explains the idea exactly:

 

مِّنَ الَّذِينَ هَادُوا يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَاضِعِهِ

وَيَقُولُونَ سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا وَاسْمَعْ غَيْرَ مُسْمَعٍ

وَرَاعِنَا لَيًّا بِأَلْسِنَتِهِمْ وَطَعْنًا فِي الدِّينِ ۚ

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا وَاسْمَعْ وَانظُرْنَا لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ

وَأَقْوَمَ وَلَٰكِن لَّعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

 

Among those of the Jewish faith are they who distort words from their (proper) usages and say, "We hear and disobey" and "Hear but be not heard" and "Ra'ina," twisting their tongues and defaming the religion.

 

And if they had said (instead), "We hear and obey" and "Wait for us (to understand)," it would have been better for them and more suitable. But Allah has cursed them for their disbelief, so they believe not, except for a few - Surah An-Nisa, Verse 46

 

The verse serves another purpose, hugely significant.

 

If from a good act can arise something evil, then to avoid the evil, leave the supposed good act.

 

وَلَا تَسُبُّوا الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ فَيَسُبُّوا اللَّهَ عَدْوًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۗ

 

And do not insult those they (the Disbelievers) invoke other than Allah, lest they insult Allah in enmity without knowledge - Surah Al-An’am, Verse 108

 

Thus, in the first verse of 89 verses beginning with O Ye who believed, Allah Al-Hafiz, The Guarding One, sets the foundation of all relationships for humanity as well. Respect is the essential ingredient. Manners and therefore behavior are the manifestation of it. In the absence of either, nothing else is sustainable, least of all love. No other emotion, no matter how pure, can carry a relationship forward without regard, without a sensitivity for the state of another’s heart.

 

As far as teaching His Creation something Himself, Allah Al-Wakeel, The Universal Trustee, in His first lesson commands regard for His Beloved Messenger (peace be upon him) and nothing for Himself per se. Not piety or generosity or patience or gratitude, not softness or kindness, not prayer or any other ritual of worship that He solely receives. The first step in obedience, in being considered a person of faith before Him, is respect for His Beloved (peace be upon him).

 

End Excerpt The Softest Heart

 

And so the verses addressing the “believers” continue one by one, some extremely easy to abide to, others much more difficult. Taqwa had its own layering:

 

Begin excerpt The Softest Heart

 

I understood that it was the lack of purification (tazkiya) that separated my zahir overt from my baatin, inner being, occupying the giant abyss that prohibited the union of the two. There seemed to be two aspects to it. The tafseer of Surah An-Nas allowed me to focus on not just being acutely aware of what they were but of their cleansing: the erasure of the doubts and the paranoia, the elimination of irrational fear. Then my thoughts, my intentions which governed my deeds would emanate from a single point. There would be fusion of the overt and the hidden. Once the clouds of doubt were lifted, then perhaps knowledge could become manifest in deed, not just remain isolated in my head.

 

I came upon the second aspect of tazkiya in a lecture by Uzair. He explained that according to hikmat, wisdom, there are five main motivators of actions for a human being: need, desire, lust, emotion and finally, the soul. They lie in a pyramid-like structure and the layering begins with need forming the base of the pyramid. Then comes desire which dominates need. Then is lust which over-rides desire. Fourth is emotion which prevails over the other three: lust, desire and need. Atop all of them is the soul. If one gains access to it, and it’s a big if, the soul over-rides everything else. That is nirvana!

 

Uzair explained that all humans experienced all four states of need, desire, lust and emotion while alive. Suppressing them entirely was not possible. On top of that I read that ending a desire was itself a desire, hence desire could never be gotten rid of entirely by one’s own self! What was needed was for the four variables to be in a state of balance, to exist within limits, a hadd. I was reminded again of the verses in the Quran endlessly pointing to the ones who only indulge every whim and emotion and remain stuck in a perpetual state of darkness. The punishment was severe: obedience of indulgence rendered one undeserving of aid from where it was essential, God.

 

وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَنزَلْنَاهُ حُكْمًا عَرَبِيًّا ۚ

وَلَئِنِ اتَّبَعْتَ أَهْوَاءَهُم بَعْدَمَا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ مَا لَكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلَا وَاقٍ

 

Thus have We revealed it, a decisive utterance in Arabic, and if you should follow their desires after that which has come unto you of knowledge, then truly would you have from Allah no protecting friend nor defender - Surah Ar-Ra’d, Verse 37

 

Hence was made clear that the one who made their likes and dislikes their master, their gods, became incapable of receiving guidance. The thought made me shudder. My weakness predominantly lay in the fourth rung: my emotions were usually running abound unchecked, indulged by me to no end.

 

فَإِن لَّمْ يَسْتَجِيبُوا لَكَ فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يَتَّبِعُونَ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ

 

If they do not respond to you (O Beloved (peace be upon you)), then know that they follow only their own desires - Surah Al-Qassas, Verse 50

 

For the one who was on a path of spirituality, the dominance of the soul over the rest was the ultimate goal. Listening to the soul, doing what it says, what it wants, that was the way to live in order to be close to Allah Al-Haqq, The One who is the Truth. For the soul was in a permanent state of attachment to Him.

 

فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِي فَقَعُوا لَهُ سَاجِدِينَ

 

And when I have formed him fully and breathed into him of My Spirit, fall, you (the angels), down before him in prostration! - Surah As-Sad, Verse 72

 

Uzair explained that to control need, desire, lust and emotion one had to exercise refraining. And that ceasing from obedience to the motivators of action, that was taqwa. It was to safeguard oneself from what is deemed harmful as well as forbidden, both in physical action as well as in thought. The one who practices taqwa is the Muttaqi whose status is the highest in the Quran. The first verse of the first Surah, Al-Baqarah, states exactly that:

 

ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ

 

This Divine Writ, let there be no doubt about it is (meant to be) a guidance for all the God-conscious (the Muttaqeen) - Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 2

 

Seems strange to be told something in the very beginning and only get to it in the end! Since, as previously stated, the order of the verses form their significance, guidance from the Quran was only set aside for those who attempted to check their motivators of action thus tapping into the soul.

 

For that rendered them to be receptors of guidance.

 

وَالَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا زَادَهُمْ هُدًى وَآتَاهُمْ تَقْوَاهُمْ

 

And for those who are (willing to be) guided, He increases their (ability to follow His) Guidance and causes them to grow in their consciousness of God - Surah Muhammad, Verse 17

 

But I knew taqwa could not be rooted in fear, the word it is translated into most often. Taqwa could only come about from a state of awareness of God that wanted to increase.

 

In that state of resonance with The Divine, far from being a driving force, the fear of retribution, of punishment and Hell was absent altogether. In any case, fear was too easily ignored at will. Indulgence easily and almost always prevailed over it. It could also not be about living a life devoid of sin. Who amongst us was sure they would never commit any kind of wrongdoing ever again? It wasn’t even possible.

 

From all I read and heard, taqwa was being in a state of sincere consciousness of God, a consciousness which caused one to feel ashamed to disappoint Him, to feel ungrateful to go against that which Allah Ar-Rahman, The Most Beneficent, willed. But if it wasn’t fear then what would become the reason to abandon one’s own will for His? I discovered that it would be the awareness, the ability, to be informed about the source of one’s own wellbeing.

 

The only sustainable cause to give up that which was a source of pleasure once, despite being harmful, despite being forbidden, was to differentiate between one’s state of peace and calm versus one of anxiety and distress as result of it. Only when the source of the restlessness was known could it be abandoned.

 

إِيَّاكُمْ وَحَزَّازَ الْقُلُوبِ وَمَا حَزَّ فِي قَلْبِكِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَدَعْهُ

 

Beware of what disturbs the hearts. If something unsettles your heart, then abandon it.

 

Therefore to take effect, taqwa could only be rooted in love. If not love of God or His Beloved (peace be upon him), at least love for one’s own self. That is why every spiritual journey only really starts with a discovery of one’s own self-esteem.

 

After hearing the lecture on the motivators of action, I kept wondering when I would be able to listen to my soul? I knew somewhere the secret lay in surrender! Surrender of everything to the care of Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him), the appointed Purifier, and through him, God. It had to be in one’s own surrender as well as that of loved ones, worrying for whom could so easily eat away at one’s peace of mind and harden the heart. For then each and every thing chosen by Allah and His Beloved (peace be upon him) would come into play. Whether it felt difficult or unfair, there was nothing better than that which they would ordain.

 

وَعَسَىٰ أَن تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰ أَن تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ ۗ

وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

 

But it may well be that you hate a thing the while it is good for you, and it may well be that you love a thing the while it is bad for you and God knows, whereas you do not know - Surah Al Baqarah, Verse 216

 

But what surrendering actually entailed, I did not know.

 

Then in the spring of 2019 I landed in Fes per my annual schedule of travel. I chose tazkiya, purification, for the topic of my study. I wanted to learn about it deeply in case I came upon something that I had missed. As it turned out I had missed it all!

 

We started the class with the definitions of purification. All people of faith trying to “do good”, “be good” know two of them. The first is deepening possessed virtue, if any, and striving to acquire positive attributes previously absent. The second is limiting and eventually discarding from habit, and therefore behaviour, that which is forbidden or marked as detrimental, both physically and emotionally.

 

My teacher, Ustad Ahmed, offered a third.

 

“I didn’t know there was third definition,” I said. The surprise in my tone was clear.

 

“Yes there is and it’s everywhere in the Quran.”

 

He paused. I paused too. I read the Quran but it was almost always a forced read (then). I didn’t understand the translations. I didn’t get anything out of the Arabic. I just read it to read it, to “do good” and “be good.” Only when I studied it with a teacher through tafaseer did its secrets become apparent to me, did I learn anything. Ustad Ahmed continued:

 

“The third and perhaps most subtle condition for purification is that one should not praise their own selves, their ego, their nafs.”

 

I stared at the words on the page we were reading. Verse after verse from the Quran was echoing the same.

 

فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنفُسَكُمْ ۖ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقَىٰ

 

Do not, then, consider yourselves pure. He knows best as to who is conscious of Him - Surah An-Najm, Verse 32

 

I felt confused but I didn’t know why so I didn’t say anything. On the way home, the words swam in my head. Except they weren’t so much floating as hitting my heart like arrows. How could such a simple statement have such a devastating consequence? There could not be any purification and therefore knowledge could never transfer to deed just because a person ascribed any goodness to themselves!

 

At first I thought the whole idea was terribly unfair. Wasn’t there a clear catch 22 in the first two definitions? If I was actively, perhaps on occasion successfully, trying to acquire an attribute I didn’t possess or deepen one I already had, as well as giving up things I had done for too long just because they were forbidden, how could I not feel like I was worthy of at least a tiny bit of praise?

 

Why wouldn’t I notice the achievement and acknowledge it? Wasn’t I at least entitled to a pat on the back for my effort, if not success if there was any? How could anyone avoid that trap? But rules are rules. If there is one thing I learnt in the years I tried to gain spiritual knowledge, it was that. Either a rule was followed exactly or it was broken to suit one’s own preferences and therefore its altered application never had any effect.

 

The next day in class brought everything home in terms of the real cause behind the prohibition of self-praise. The line was uttered by Iblis before God:

 

قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلَّا تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْتُكَ ۖ

قَالَ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ

 

(Allah) said, "What prevented you that you did not prostrate when I commanded you?" (Iblis) said, "I am better than him. You created me from fire and You created him from clay.” - Surah Al-A’raf, Verse 12

 

أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ

 

Ana khairun min-hu!

 

Five words: I am better than him.

 

In the spiritual theory of knowledge, if you are not practicing something you know and understand as knowledge, then in reality you do not possess that knowledge either.

 

In those six weeks while I roamed the city that I love, I realized that all the while I was trying feverishly to be a believer, a Mo’min, I had entirely forgotten to first be a Muslim. Then my friend Tashu sent me an excerpt from a book she was reading as she often does. It was spectacular in terms of shedding light on the process of self-reflection, of what was happening behind the scenes:

 

Maulana Rum (ra) says in The Sufi Path of Love: The Prophets and Saints call people to God and Paradise, while Iblis and his followers call them to Hell. So these two groups perform opposite functions in the world. But all opposites are correlative terms and ultimately manifest a single reality. Hence from another point of view, the Prophets and Iblis are performing a single task: making the Hidden Treasure manifest by inciting people to display their inward natures. Those who follow the Prophets and Saints show that within them the Attribute of Gentleness predominates while those who follow Satan reveal that they are primarily manifestations of the Attribute of Severity.

 

What was the ratio of gentleness to severity for me? I felt like I was at a point where I didn’t want to know anymore, to seek anything anymore. I just wanted to be led and not take a single step in any direction of my own volition. The admission that I knew nothing about everything was a first!

 

End excerpt The Softest Heart

 

Qari Sahib started adding more dots to the design in the verses. Nur, light from God, was the goal. It came when Allah willed guidance upon one. The guidance was bestowed to the one who surrendered, then sought an increase in their imaan and practiced taqwa.

 

“There is something else you should know that Allah is mentioning each time He says the heart is unable to comprehend. He says the ears also cannot hear.”

 

وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَسْتَمِعُ إِلَيْكَ ۖ

وَجَعَلْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَن يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًۭا ۚ

وَإِن يَرَوْا۟ كُلَّ ءَايَةٍۢ لَّا يُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِهَا ۚ

 

And among them are those who listen to you, O Prophet (peace be upon you), but we have placed over their heart coverings so they do not understand it, and in their ears deafness.

 

And even if they see every sign, they will not believe in it – Surah Al-An’am, Verse 25

 

وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن ذُكِّرَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ رَبِّهِۦ

فَأَعْرَضَ عَنْهَا وَنَسِىَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاهُ ۚ

إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَن يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًۭا ۖ

وَإِن تَدْعُهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْهُدَىٰ فَلَن يَهْتَدُوٓا۟ إِذًا أَبَدًۭا

 

And who is more unjust than the one who is reminded of his Lord’s Messages but turns away from them, forgetting what he has done? We have placed veils over their hearts, so they do not understand and deafness in their ears. If you ask them to be guided, they will never be guided – Surah Al-Kahf, Verse 87

 

Deafness!

 

The verses were overwhelming to say the least. I knew Hell was not a pit of fire for me in the Afterlife. It was a burning right here in this world. It was being deprived of God which was in fact a state of humiliation (ruswai). It was not seeing His Signs, in the world or in the Quran with its layering of secrets and signs. It was not feeling His Presence. It was missing the point of being in the world. It was a perpetual state of denial of truth. By the heart, the eyes, the ears.

 

But it was the ears unable to hear that I found myself fixating upon. Qari Sahib summed it up in a line:

 

“Until the heart changes, listening is useless.”

 

It made sense from an entirely new angle why a person like me who read the Quran for years, took classes to understand its meaning for years, prayed for years and heard sermons for years remained stuck. The heart was still dark so the ears were listening but not. The truth of content in a speech or lecture might be undeniable. In the moment of hearing the speaker the words could induce a calm. The soul would feel happy.

 

Then as soon as the moment ended and life resumed, the dead heart took over everything again. It was like the listening didn’t even happen. I was on the giving and receiving end of that experience for a while. I used to share knowledge through lectures but then I stopped speaking before others and confined myself to writing. There seemed less falseness in that although I wonder about that too.

 

The other aspect of deadness of the heart that I became obsessed with had to do with good deeds becoming null and void. All people I knew, whether they were of a faith or not, especially the Muslims, we all had the impression that a good deed was a good deed and therefore it had merit that was assigned to it which held a reward and therefore would be given to all. Then one day recently by chance I was reading the Surah Muhammad. And verse after verse was stating the exact opposite of that hypothesis.

 

In a state of defiance, good deeds were in fact worthless.

 

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمُ ٱتَّبَعُوا۟ مَآ أَسْخَطَ ٱللَّهَ وَكَرِهُوا۟ رِضْوَٰنَهُۥ فَأَحْبَطَ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ

 

This is because they pursue what God condemns and hate what pleases Him. So he made their good deeds come to naught - Surah Muhammad, Verse 28

 

Tafseer e Jilani: “They deny guidance and turn their faces from it. There is no careful deliberation of the Quran’s lessons and advice beneficial in it for them. For the Quran is what connects with guidance and deliverance from the threats of the Day of Judgement so that one returns and turns away from the pursuit of sin. And doesn’t even take a step towards them. But their hearts are sealed with locks so there is no effect upon them from the Quran and its warnings.

 

They followed that which angered God, by turning away from the Path of Truth and not following the followers of the faith. They behaviour was based on their false desires. Instead of following Allah’s Wishes which He has sent upon His Prophets and His Books, they went against them.

 

Therefore it was the Right of God per His Wrath and Anger that the ability to approach the level of rewards for the good deeds was taken from them. So they fall short of the level where their reward is promised.”

 

I was fixated on the words for the translation of “ahbata” in reference to the deeds: “the coming to nothing.” Other words in translations were void, worthless, of no avail, failed, wasted, fruitless. What did it mean? I asked Qari Sahib.

 

First he gave me an example of a Prophet and his son. It was the Prophet Noah (as).

 

“The flood was going to hit the Earth and Hazrat Nuh’s (as) was not amongst those chosen to be saved from it. So the Prophet reminded God of it. What would happen to his boy? And Allah said:

 

قَالَ يَـٰنُوحُ إِنَّهُۥ لَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ عَمَلٌ غَيْرُ صَـٰلِحٍۢ ۖ فَلَا تَسْـَٔلْنِ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ ۖ

إِنِّىٓ أَعِظُكَ أَن تَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ

 

O Noah! Indeed he is not of your family for he was unrighteous in his conduct.

 

So do not ask me of which you don’t have knowledge. Indeed I admonish you lest you be of those who are unaware (of what is right) – Surah Hud, Verse 46

 

I looked up the Tafseer e Jilani to make sure I was reading it right. Allah was telling his beloved Prophet that his son was not of his family since he had rejected his faith. Why was he excluded from being from his clan? “Because the one who denies the truth (kafir) and the one who is a believer of it (mo’min) will not have sustained closeness or affection between them.”

 

The line gave me pause.

 

The relationships I was struggling with were ones where once we had been close. Then somewhere along the path of faith we parted. Now when I hung out with the same people, I was mostly sitting on eggshells that they would say something that would rile me. Not to do with religion but about anything. It wasn’t even so much what they said but the bravado they said it with that disturbed me. For hours later, if not days, I would be struggling with my feelings of negativity towards them. It wasn’t fun being in their company anymore and I had distanced myself from them. It was true. The affection for them was dissipating on my end.

 

Ghaus Pak (ra) says that the one who is not happy with you is not happy with God. So, he says, if one is not happy with their Creator, how can you expect them to be happy with anyone else? I inverted the words upon myself. If I was not happy with them anymore, beyond our differences, was I in some way also disconnected from God? If so, I knew the reason. Pride! It was my condescension towards them. At least my hardness towards them eased a little when I honed in on my own self. That was a plus!

 

Then God warned His Prophet to not ask him of which his knowledge is limited whereas Allah’s Knowledge possesses the reality of all. The Prophet Noah’s (as) response to the admonishment is one of my favourite prayers that I try to recite every day.

 

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّىٓ أَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أَسْـَٔلَكَ مَا لَيْسَ لِى بِهِۦ عِلْمٌۭ ۖ وَإِلَّا تَغْفِرْ لِى وَتَرْحَمْنِىٓ أَكُن مِّنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ

 

He, the Prophet Noah (as), said, “Oh my Lord! Indeed I seek refuge from You from asking of You anything of which I cannot have knowledge.

 

And unless You forgive me and You have mercy upon me, I will be among the lost. – Surah Hud, Verse 47

 

Qari Sahib went back to explaining why good deeds would bear no fruit if the doer of them was in a state of defiance. He gave me an excellent example: “Here in Pakistan, you have to get x marks in order to get admission into medical colleges. If you miss that entry by a single number, one mark, do you get in? No. You do not. All your years of study are wasted as far as the result you sought from them from it. It’s exactly the same thing. You worked, you tried but you did not reach the level that Allah has set in order to be rewarded.”

 

A few verses later again came the voiding of deeds.

 

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَصَدُّوا۟ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَشَآقُّوا۟ ٱلرَّسُولَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلْهُدَىٰ لَن يَضُرُّوا۟ ٱللَّهَ شَيْـًۭٔا وَسَيُحْبِطُ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ

 

Indeed those who are bent on denying the truth and barring others after guidance has been manifested upon them, never will they harm Allah and He will cause all their deeds to come to naught – Surah Muhammad, Verse 32

 

And again I read the exegesis of the verse in the Tafseer e Jilani: “They turn away while denying the truth in their zahir (overt) and batin (inner being). They accuse the Messenger (peace be upon him) of lying despite being given clear guidance in the form of the Quran revealed upon his heart and his miracles. But they cannot harm or benefit Allah for He is above it. So their deeds will be made of no value. The blessing they thought they would receive from their deeds is what is lost. For every deed has a reward or punishment.”

 

“But I thought all good deeds held some intrinsic value? How are they going to zero?” I found myself harping on, reminding Qari Sahib that he once gave me the verse that said just that.

 

فَٱسْتَجَابَ لَهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ أَنِّى لَآ أُضِيعُ عَمَلَ عَـٰمِلٍۢ مِّنكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ ۖ

 

Then responded to them their Lord, "Indeed, I will not waste deeds of the doer among each of you (whether) male or female – Surah Aal e Imran, Verse 195

 

“Yes that is correct,” replied Qari Sahib. “But there is a condition for it.”

 

In Surah Al-Furqan, after the verse where punishment, disgrace and humiliation was promised for those who commit adultery, murder, and associate someone with God, definitely the major sins (Gunah e Kabeera), follows this one:

 

إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًۭا صَـٰلِحًۭا فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ ٱللَّهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ حَسَنَـٰتٍۢ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۭا

 

Except those who repent and attain to faith and do righteous deeds. Then for those Allah will replace their evil deeds with good ones. And Allah is Ever Forgiving, Most Merciful - Surah Al-Furqan, Verse 70

 

“Repentance (tauba) and bringing faith (imaan) are the conditions. Then the deeds might be converted. The deeds of those are lost who remain steadfast on the path of denial and die in that state.”

 

إِنَّمَا ٱلتَّوْبَةُ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلسُّوٓءَ بِجَهَـٰلَةٍۢ ثُمَّ يَتُوبُونَ مِن قَرِيبٍۢ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يَتُوبُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًۭا

 

God’s acceptance of repentance is for those who do evil out of ignorance and then repent soon after. Then they will receive Allah’s Forgiveness upon them. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise – Surah An-Nisa, Verse 17

 

Ghaus Pak says that the key to repentance is that a person feel ashamed and regretful. Regret only comes when the heart acknowledges the wickedness of disobedience. That is the tauba, the repentance, God accepts. This repentance comes from those who have faith but pursue sin. They are unaware of the harmful consequences of their acts and when they do become conscious of their error, they immediately repent and turn towards God. They do not wait till their dying breath.

 

Qari Sahib circled back to the beginning.

 

“The secret behind why this kind of repentance (nearing death) is not acceptable to God is that the tauba, the turning towards God has to come willingly.” But then he stressed, “And it is not for you and me to judge another’s willingness. It is Allah’s Prerogative and His alone.”

 

Ghaus Pak defines the willingness: “Repentance has to come intentionally with want for it to be accepted before God. The expression of repentance that comes out of compulsion (iztarar) and lack of choice (majboori) comes from a state in which the person does not possess the attribute of being a worshipper of Allah and being obedient to Him. Nor is there a desire for closeness to Him. In fact there is no difference between such a person who claims faith and an outright denier of truth who dies in a state of being an infidel. The torment then on the Day of Judgment is their deprivation of God’s Essence and His Rejection of them.”

 

While writing this piece, I shared my findings with one of my most spiritually elevated friends, Rashiqay, who was visiting me from Karachi. As an infant she was in an accident. As a result she lives with a physical disability in one leg and one hand. Then just this year she suffered two strokes. One of them left her in a wheelchair. The other caused facial paralysis. Six months later she was walking again. Her face was more gorgeous than ever. She was one of the most incredible human beings I have known in my life.

 

“The Quran says the reason the heart does not understand is that the person is missing faith and taqwa, which is not crossing boundaries defined by God. It seems the latter is harder…,” the Maulvi (clergy person in Islam) in me was about to drone on.

 

She didn’t even let me finish my sentence.

 

“No,” she said assuredly. “It’s both. They’re equally important.”

I was about to dive into my spiel of why it was not so much the first, since people claimed or at least believed they were of faith, when she stopped me dead in my tracks.

 

“The problem is not that people don’t believe in God. It is that people don’t have faith in themselves. The faith to change, to be different, in believing in themselves, in accepting that everything, good or bad, comes from God and must be borne without complaint. They want to do it. Often they even come across a way but then they just don’t see it happening for themselves. That makes them stuck where they are. They don’t move.”

 

I wonder if she even knew she was touching on a verse in the Quran.

 

مَآ أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٍۢ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِىٓ أَنفُسِكُمْ إِلَّا فِى كِتَـٰبٍۢ مِّن قَبْلِ أَن نَّبْرَأَهَآ ۚ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ يَسِيرٌۭ

 

No misfortune occurs either on Earth on in your selves unless it is laid down in a decree before we bring it into being. Indeed for Allah that is easy – Surah Al-Hadid, Verse 22

 

لِّكَيْلَا تَأْسَوْا عَلَىٰ مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلَا تَفْرَحُوا بِمَا آتَاكُمْ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُور

 

“We let you know this” so you do not grieve over what has passed you by nor do you exult over what you have gained. For God does not like the vain and the arrogant – Surah Al-Hadid, Verse 23

 

“Look at it this way,” Rashiqay continued. “You’re born. You have a set of parent. They bring you up a certain way. If you believe in the fact that you want better then you will go out of the house to achieve that betterment. Only when you widen your horizons then can you say, this decision was wrong.

You’ve lived it. Now you can address where it went south. But people don’t like to reverse decisions. Normally you would think that when you something doesn’t work, you try something different. But many people don’t. Think about it. What changed your life for you?”

 

I knew the answer to that. The first time my stuckness had shifted it was because of the Prophet (peace be upon him). It was when, as decades passed, I began seeing the aspects of my behaviour which were unchanging and rendering me misery. Not to mention others. I started studying the exact same aspect entirely missing in mine but present clear as day in Nabi Kareem’s (peace be upon him) person; in his words, his actions, his reactions. I began to study what I had been taught was his Sunnah in Arabic in Fes with my teacher.

 

Through that reading over years I understood the layering of different attributes and their application. It was how my journey of emulation of him began. In starts and stops!

Unsurprisingly in Surah Muhammad I also read that in his emulation lay the antidote for not making one’s deeds void. If one was aspiring for the title of mo’min, believer!

 

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَطِيعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا۟ ٱلرَّسُولَ وَلَا تُبْطِلُوٓا۟ أَعْمَـٰلَكُمْ

 

O ye who believed! Obey Allah and obey His Messenger (peace be upon him) and let not your deeds be in vain - Surah Muhammad, Verse 33

 

It was not lost on me that Allah was declaring the nullification of deeds, no matter what they were, as naught repeatedly in the Surah named after His Beloved (peace be upon him).

Then during Rabul Awwal this November, again courtesy of Uzair, I learnt in an entirely new way what the Sunnah of the Prophet was, beyond the narrow manner in which it is commonly defined.

 

“Sunnah is defined as propensity, deed. That is the traditional view. But it has a deeper spiritual dimension. More so that what the Prophet (peace be upon him) did. Let’s start with a verse from the Quran that is well known (ma’roof):

 

لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌۭ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلْيَوْمَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَ وَذَكَرَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرًۭا

Certainly, is for you in (the) Messenger (of) Allah an example good for one who has hope (in) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much – Surah Al-Ahzab, Verse 21

 

Now the verse has been translated in the last 50 years with the addition of “his life” in brackets in many instances. Those who know Arabic know that the example lies not in his life, but in his essence (zaat). It’s not in the deed of the Prophet (peace be upon him), it’s in his entire being (wujood).

 

The Sufis give a beautiful example of this: the Sahaba, his Companions, used to wait ardently for Sharia’t (Islamic Law) to come so that they would follow it and become closer to God, be accepted by him. But the Sufis say that while the Companions waited for Sharia’t to come, Sharia’t itself waited for the Prophet of God (peace be upon him) to do something so that it would be granted creation (through his deed).”

 

Subhan Allah! No one seems to hold a deeper romantic sensibility than the Sufis when it came to love.

 

“The Quran is saying the exact same thing in the verse (above). Rasool is uswa e hasna, the best example. Then the Quran also says the same thing about the Prophet Ibrahim (as). And the Allah uses the exact same words. The best example is in his (the Prophet Ibrahim’s) essence, in his being and those who are with him (ma’hu).

 

قَدْ كَانَتْ لَكُمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌۭ فِىٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَٱلَّذِينَ مَعَهُۥٓ

 

Indeed, there is for you an example good in Ibrahim and those with him – Surah Al-Mumtahinah, Verse 4

 

And then Allah says the same again a verse later, the best example also lies in “fihim,” “those with him.”

 

لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِيهِمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌۭ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلْيَوْمَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَ ۚ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْغَنِىُّ ٱلْحَمِيدُ

 

Here is a good example in them for you all, for anyone, who ties their hopes to God and the Last Day.

 

But if anyone turns away, God is Rich beyond Need, the Praiseworthy - Surah Al-Mumtahinah, Verse 6

 

And so the most excellent model is also in those who have their hopes tied to God (yarju Allah) and the Day of Judgement.”

 

I looked up the tafseer of the verse to understand a little more what having one’s hopes tied to God really meant. What was the expectation of the Day of Judgement?

 

Tafseer e Jilani: “The example is in those who is hopeful of standing in the ranks of those who Allah counts as the ones seeking His Pleasure and are in utter surrender before Him. And they believe that on the Last Day they will receive from God all that they have been promised by Him.”

 

Qari Sahib gave me an example of who these “others” were.

 

“Look what happened what Hazrat Ibrahim had a dream in which he saw himself slaughtering his only son. He shared the dream with Hazrat Ismail and what did his son so young say to him?”

 

فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ ٱلسَّعْىَ قَالَ يَـٰبُنَىَّ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰ فِى ٱلْمَنَامِ أَنِّىٓ أَذْبَحُكَ فَٱنظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَىٰ ۚ

قَالَ يَـٰٓأَبَتِ ٱفْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ ۖ سَتَجِدُنِىٓ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ

 

Then when he reached with him the age of sharing his endeavours, the Prophet Ibrahim said, “O my son! Indeed, I have seen in the dream that I am sacrificing you, so see what you think.”

 

He, the Prophet Ismail (as) said, “O my father! Do what you are commanded.

 

You will find me, if wills Allah, of the patient ones.” – Surah As-Saffat, Verse 102

 

“He didn’t blink an eyelid. He simply acquiesced to what he thought was his Lord’s Pleasure even though it was for him to be killed.”

 

Uzair returned to the verse about Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) to decode it; who amongst us was going to gain anything and benefit from this perfect manifestation of Allah’s Essence. He was highlighting the words in the verse which were the same as for Hazrat Ibrahim (as) and those with him: hope in Allah and the Last of days.

 

لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌۭ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلْيَوْمَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَ وَذَكَرَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرًۭا

 

Certainly, is for you in the Messenger of Allah an example good for one who has hope in Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much – Surah Al-Ahzab, Verse 21

 

“The Prophet of God (peace be upon him) will only be the exemplary model for those i.e. he will only be followed by those i.e. only those will be able to obey him who

 

1. Have their hopes tied with Allah alone

2. Believe in the Afterlife (the Day of Judgement)

3. Are conscious of God often

 

It is necessary to keep these conditions in your mind at all times. If you want to be amongst those who are even allowed his emulation.”

 

Suddenly it was apparent, the reason for the confining of ability (taufeeq)!

 

“Ability is confined to kufr, limited to hiding or denying the truth, either because we are inspired by Iblis’ whisperings or succumbing to the desires of our own ego, the nafs. Both of which veil a person from the sun of the reality of Truth.”

 

I had read the verse from Surah Al-Ahzab about Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) as the one to emulate many times. I had used it in many of my pieces, more prominently in the preface of “The Softest Heart.” I had not known the same verse was in the Quran for Hazrat Ibrahim (as), nor those who were in his company. When Uzair stressed the need to remember the conditions that allow for emulation, I concentrated on them.

 

Somewhere in those three conditions is where I failed when my actions fell short and I fell into disobedience. Maybe if I could pin exactly where, I could be better in my effort. I had a feeling it was not being in a state of consciousness of God more often, more deeply.

 

Uzair explained the philosophy behind the concept: “So Sunnah is the zaat, the essence of the person. The basis of Sunnah is deed (amal). The basis of deed is intention (niyyat). The basis of intention is knowledge (ilm). The basis of ilm is understanding (shaoor). The basis of understanding is revelation (wahi). Or in inverse:

 

God – revelation – understanding – knowledge – intention – deed – Sunnah

 

So the way that I, Uzair, define Sunnah is that it is the Mercy (Rahmat) of God being sent to Creation through the being, the way of the Prophet (peace be upon him). There is a physical dimension since he was a human being. There is a spiritual dimension.”

 

Then he related a hadith.

 

وَعَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ سُنَّتِهِ فَقَالَ

الْمَعْرِفَةُ رَأْسُ مَالِي

وَالْعَقْلُ أَصْلُ دِينِي

وَالْحُبُّ أَسَاسِي

وَالشَّوْقُ مركبي

وَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَنِيسِي

وَالثِّقَةُ كَنْزِي

وَالحُزْنُ رَفِيقِي

وَالْعِلْمُ سِلَاحِي

وَالصَّبْرُ رِدَائِي

وَالرِّضَاءُ غَنِيمَتِي

وَالْعَجْزُ فَخْرِي

وَالزُّهْدُ حِرْفَتِي

وَالْيَقِينُ قُوَّتِي

وَالصِّدْقُ شَفِيعِي

وَالطَّاعَةُ حَسْبِي

وَالْجِهَادُ خُلُقِي

وَقُرَّةُ عَيْنِي فِي الصَّلَاةِ

 

Hazrat Ali (ratu) asked the Prophet (peace be upon him), “What is your Sunnah?”

 

Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) mentioned 17 things in his answer. Uzair highlighted three:

 

1. Al-hubbo asasi – Love is my foundation

2. Al-aqlo aslo deeni – The power to reflect is the source of my religion

3. Al-shauqo markabi – I ride the horse of longing (towards the meeting with my Lord)

 

“This brings me to when did Sunnah start and when did it end? And did it even end? Scholars think it started when he first received revelation at 40 and ended when he passed 23 years later. But I don’t agree with this. Of course we have the hadith:

 

I was a Prophet when Adam (as) was between clay and water

 

But let’s go back to the Quran to confirm the timeline of his being:

 

وَإِذْ أَخَذَ ٱللَّهُ مِيثَـٰقَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ لَمَآ ءَاتَيْتُكُم مِّن كِتَـٰبٍۢ وَحِكْمَةٍۢ ثُمَّ جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولٌۭ مُّصَدِّقٌۭ لِّمَا مَعَكُمْ لَتُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهِۦ

وَلَتَنصُرُنَّهُۥ ۚ قَالَ ءَأَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَخَذْتُمْ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكُمْ إِصْرِى ۖ

قَالُوٓا۟ أَقْرَرْنَا ۚ قَالَ فَٱشْهَدُوا۟ وَأَنَا۠ مَعَكُم مِّنَ ٱلشَّـٰهِدِينَ

 

And lo! God made His Covenant with the Prophets:

"If, after all the revelation and the wisdom which I have vouchsafed unto you, there comes to you an apostle, (the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)), confirming the truth already in your possession, you must believe in him and succour him.”

 

Said He (Allah), “Do you acknowledge and accept My Bond on this condition?"

 

They (the Prophets) answered, "We do acknowledge it."

 

Allah said, "Then bear witness (thereto), and I shall be your Witness.”

 

فَمَن تَوَلَّىٰ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ

 

And, henceforth, all who turn away (from this pledge),

it is they, they who are truly wicked!" - Surah Aal e Imran, Verse 81-82

 

Mufassareen have been confused about this verse as to when this moment happened. Was it on the Night of Mairaj when the Prophet lead the 124,000 prophets in Masjid e Aqsa? Was it before the creation of the Universe in the Realm of the Souls (Alam e Arwah)? Because Allah is saying they have to bring faith upon the Prophet (peace be upon him) and help him. But they all came after him so how are they supposed to help him?”

 

Here Uzair made a point that has millions in the Ummah tied up in knots; the asking of help from a person who is a Friend of God, who is no longer in the world.

 

“So if all the other Prophets have died and Allah is saying they have to help His Beloved (peace be upon him), then it means that asking for help from those who have passed is not apostasy, shirk, as so many preach today. In fact their not helping would be wrong as they clearly have been endowed from God Himself the means to help.

 

And if we assume it happens in the Realm of the Souls, then the verse testifies that the Sunnah of the Prophet begins before the Creation of the Universe.”

 

Remainder of piece at: www.flickr.com/photos/42093313@N00/50652933661/in/datepos...

By day we're dormant

Because it's too hot outside now

Nocturnal notions (as we leave or cocoons)

Antennae tuned to inhuman vibrations

Shading the cities of the world to come

 

I listen to the sound, the endless construction

Inside the termite mound

 

I walked past the nursery

All the children have gone now

(The rules we taught them are what they've become)

Move past the people (they make me feel so indifferent)

Serving their purpose

It's their purpose to serve

A thousand lights from this honeycombed labyrinth

These winding tunnels lead to my place of desire

Bars and bazaars of self-gratification

Live to consume

Live for momentary pleasures

 

I listen to the sound, the endless construction

Inside the termite mound

 

KJ - Extremities, Dirt And Various Repressed Emotions Album

Excuse my self gratification but here is my pride and joy, my Leica double stroke M3, Leitz Summaron f/3.5, Luigi half case, Gordy strap and still kicking Leicameter MR.

 

It's also sporting a custom cover from Cameraleather.com but I have mixed feelings about it. It looks good in a Hermes M9 sort of a way but it took 3 months to arrive and several emails without reply to receive it. The rear door section also didn't quite fit either. I ended up fitting a piece from aki-asahi there instead, a company with less choice but far superior service.

 

I bought the M3 from ebay and it took a good service from CRR Luton to bring it back up to scratch. The lens I sourced from Red Dot Cameras in London, another great shop.

 

This camera just feels right in my hands and as such, it is right.

Twenty20 seems to have been around forever, and cricket's movers and shakers are now showing almost indecent haste in their collective attempts to milk the format for all it's worth. But Twenty20, the brainchild of ECB marketing manager Stuart Robertson, only made its first appearance on June 13, 2003.

  

The competition was launched to general suspicion on November 13, 2002, although trial matches had taken place earlier in the year. In general they had gone well, although early plans to incorporate a golden over, in which runs would count double, were quietly shelved. The ECB struggled to find a sponsor until late in the day, and sceptics were quick to point out that the launch was set to be on a Friday the 13th.

 

On the eve of the first batch of five matches, the media was unsure what to make of it. Most decided it would attract crowds, few believed it would turn out to be anything more than a bit of a giggle.

 

"The only way to approach the whole adventure is with an open mind," wrote Christopher Martin-Jenkins in The Times. "Like many a novelty, given fair weather, it will succeed at first. My guess, however, is that it will, in the end, have a negligible effect on crowds, finance, standards or interest. The general impression that these are "fun" events will serve the purpose of attracting young people who are used to noise, spectacle and instant gratification; but the game's intrinsic qualities will remain its chief attraction."

 

Simon Barnes, also in The Times was hardly any more enthusiastic, with the noise his main objection. "It's the trappings I can't stand. The garnish. The gimmicks. The wrapping, the ribbons, the packaging. The noise. Music should be banned from all sporting occasions, live and televised. Never mind keeping politics out of sport; if we can keep music out, I'll be happy."

  

In The Sun, John Ethridge had a warning. "The traditional cricket followers might be advised to stay away for fear of choking on their gin and tonics. But the new generations of children and families are welcome with open arms."

 

"If it does not come off, there is nowhere else to go," Mike Selvey wrote in The Guardian before offering a prescient prediction. "When the idea was first floated, a natural response was to predict that star players, many of whom already complain of overwork, would take the opportunity to sit out the competition. That would be unforgivable. New heroes could be created here.

 

"Those who might dismiss the format as pot noodle cricket that will destroy techniques could be way off the mark. Two weeks or so is not going to do any lasting damage and, besides, this is a competition that can be utilised to improve one-day skills."

 

Derek Pringle in The Daily Telegraph was not so sure. "Like baseball, a game lasts three hours, which should not tax the modern attention span too much. Slotting in mostly after-work hours during the week, the competition at least gives itself a chance, though rival events such as television soaps, homework and dinner may prove beyond sacrifice for some."

 

Cricinfo's Andrew Miller was upbeat but not without a note of caution. "Unless the teams themselves can put aside the razzmatazz, and knuckle down for some hard-fought competition, the whole fortnight will have the glib sterility of a graduate-recruitment fair."

 

Paul Dews in the Yorkshire Evening Post was the positive of them all, railing against those pouring scorn on Twenty20 before it had even started. "Quite why so many people are waiting to destroy a competition that hasn't even started remains a mystery, because the ECB should be applauded for breaking with tradition and giving something new a go. Twenty20 certainly isn't the future of cricket, but it could help the long-term planning of the game and should be judged on its crowd-pulling merits."

   

Most of the counties joined in the fun. Nottinghamshire, tongue firmly in cheek, got their more toned players to pose topless on posters as they billed games as Girls' Nights Out. The models were Kevin Pietersen, Chris Cairns, Paul Franks and Gareth Clough (not a regular but he sneaked in by virtue of having the chest most admired by the female marketing staff). Worcestershire placed a Jacuzzi on the boundary edge; Gloucestershire warned their committee that if any of them turned up wearing a tie they would be kicked out; Yorkshire sold tickets at £2; Glamorgan asked fans to turn up in pyjamas.

  

There were a few glitches. Middlesex abandoned Lord's for more rural settings after the local council stuffily rejected requests for music to be allowed, while Derbyshire's forward-thinking plan to involve cheerleaders fell foul of the political-correctness lobby who ensured that there were no IPL-style youngsters but a more middle-aged selection.

 

The first uncontrollable obstacle, the weather, was superb for the opening round of games. The Sky TV cameras were at The Rose Bowl, along with 9000 spectators, Hampshire's second largest crowd ever. Viewers at home enjoyed a more relaxed style, commentators in the players' dugouts and interaction with fielders via microphones taped uncomfortably to their ears.

 

Around 10,000 flocked to The Oval, twice the expected gate, which caused long queues at the bars; Durham, Taunton and Worcester also reported excellent sales. In all, 30,050 turned up for the arrival of a new era.

 

"Anything less would have been a failure given the novelty of the matches and the intensive marketing effort that has gone into them," noted Martin-Jenkins. The ECB had ploughed more than £200,000 into market research to, as Etheridge, observed "come up with the unbelievable revelation that cricket is watched mainly by white, middle-class, middle-aged men."

  

"Welcome to Cricket Like You've Never Seen It," Selvey quipped. "Well, not since a National League match reduced under the Duckworth-Lewis method anyway."

 

The demographic surprised many. "There were children yesterday - lots of them," reported Tanya Aldred at Southampton. "There were toddlers. And there were women. It was no revolution but, compared to the average four-day county match, it was the Clothes Show Live at the NEC. The Guinness van was selling glasses of Pernod and Martini, the beer tent offered a special offer on Bacardi Breezers."

 

The Mirror touched on the same theme. "The traditionalists stayed away, the kids came out to play, and maybe, just maybe, cricket took a genuine step towards reversing its dwindling popularity.

 

If the public and media didn't know what to expect, neither did the players. "We're going to bowl first," explained Surrey captain Adam Hollioake on winning the toss against Middlesex, "because I haven't got a clue what's going to happen."

 

Fears it would be a flash in the pan, a decent turn-out from the curious before a return to the more usual smattering of spectators, proved unfounded. The following night the crowds were as good. The weather remained glorious throughout and the Twenty20 Cup was a hit. Even so, few had any inkling of quite what an impact Robertson's idea was going to have.

 

Martin Williamson

Runnymede is a water-meadow alongside the River Thames in the English county of Surrey, and just over 20 miles (32 km) west of central London. It is notable for its association with the sealing of Magna Carta, and as a consequence is, with its adjoining hillside, the site of memorials. Runnymede Borough is named after the area, Runnymede being at its northernmost point.

 

Topography

 

The name Runnymede refers to land in public and National Trust ownership in the Thames flood plain south-west of the river between Old Windsor and Egham. The area includes (to the west of A308 road) the Long Mede and Runnymede, which together with Coopers Hill Slopes is managed by the National Trust. There is also a narrower strip of land, east of the road and west of the river, known as the Yard Mede. Slightly further downstream from the area shown on the map are (inter alia): a recreational area with a car park; a number of private homes; a large distribution centre; and an hotel.

 

The landscape of Runnymede is characterised as "Thames Basin Lowland", urban fringe. It is a gently undulating vale of small fields interspersed by woods, shaws, ponds, meadows, and heath. The National Trust area is a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI) which contains a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Both sites are overseen by Runnymede Borough Council.

 

The National Trust holding includes:

 

188 acres (0.76 km2) donated in 1929 set behind a narrow riverside park with occasional benches on the southern river bank, with car and coach parking;

110 acres (0.45 km2) of broadleaved woodland on Coopers Hill Slopes, given in 1963 by the former Egham Urban District Council.

Long Mede is a meadow north of the ancient "mede" (meadow) of Runnymede towards Old Windsor and has been used for centuries to provide good-quality hay from the alluvial pasture. Runnymede itself lies towards Egham. It is likely that Runnymede proper was the site of the sealing of Magna Carta, although the Magna Carta Memorial (see below) stands on Long Mede, and the event is also popularly associated with Magna Carta Island, on the opposite bank of the Thames.

 

Near the Island, on the north-east flood plain, in parkland on the eastern bank of the river, are Ankerwycke and the ruins of the 12th century Priory of St Mary's. The Thames has changed course here occasionally, and these areas may once have been an integral part of Runnymede. Both were acquired by the National Trust in 1998.

 

History

Runnymede's historical significance has been heavily influenced by its proximity to the Roman Road river crossing at nearby Staines-upon-Thames.

 

The name Runnymede may be derived from the Anglo-Saxon runieg (regular meeting) and mede (mead or meadow), describing a place in the meadows used to hold regular meetings. The Witan, Witenagemot or Council of the Anglo-Saxon Kings of the 7th to 11th centuries was held from time to time at Runnymede during the reign of Alfred the Great. The Council met usually in the open air. This political organ was transformed in succeeding years, influencing the creation of England's 13th century parliament.

 

The water-meadow at Runnymede is the most likely location at which, in 1215, King John sealed Magna Carta. The charter indicates Runnymede by name as "Ronimed. inter Windlesoram et Stanes" (between Windsor and Staines). Magna Carta had an impact on common and constitutional law as well as political representation also affecting the development of parliament.

 

Runnymede's association with ideals of democracy, limitation of power, equality and freedom under law has attracted placement there of monuments and commemorative symbols.

 

The last fatal duel in England took place in 1852, on Priest Hill, a continuation of Cooper's Hill by Windsor Great Park.

 

The National Trust land was donated in 1929 by Cara Rogers Broughton and her two sons. The American-born widow of Urban Hanlon Broughton, she was permitted by letter from George V to join her son's new peerage in tribute to her husband and this gift and be officially styled Lady Fairhaven. The gift was given in memory of Urban Broughton. At the time the New Bedford Standard-Times commented "It must be a source of gratification to all Americans, and especially to us here and in Fairhaven, that the presentation of this historic spot as public ground has been brought about by an American woman, an appropriate enough circumstance considering that the great charter underlies the USA's conception of government and human rights."

 

Features

 

Urban H. Broughton Memorials

After the death of Urban Broughton in 1929, Sir Edwin Lutyens was commissioned to design a set of twin memorials consisting of large kiosks and posts or "piers" with stone blocks crowned with laurel wreaths and formalised urns at the Egham end and with lodges and piers at the Windsor end. Lutyens also designed a low wide arch bridge to carry the main road over the Thames to the north, integrating the road layout and bridge design into his plans for the memorials. The southern kiosks were moved to their present location when the M25 motorway was constructed.

 

There are two octagonal kiosks with piers facing each other across the A308 towards Egham. These piers are a shorter version of those adjacent to the lodges either side of the same road towards Old Windsor in the Long Mede. The lodges show typical Lutyens design features with steeply angled roofs, large false chimneys and no rainwater gutters at the eaves.

 

The piers carry similar inscriptions. On one face is the inscription:

 

“ In these Meads on 15th June 1215 King John at the instance of Deputies from the whole community of the Realm granted the Great Charter the earliest of constitutional documents whereunder ancient and cherished customs were confirmed abuses redressed and the administration of justice facilitated new provisions formulated for the preservation of peace and every individual perpetually secured in the free enjoyment of his life and property. ”

and on the other the words:-

 

“ In perpetual memory of Urban Hanlon Broughton 1857 – 1929 of Park Close Englefield Green in the county of Surrey Sometime Member of Parliament These meadows of historic interest on 18th December 1929 were gladly offered to the Nation by his widow Cara Lady Fairhaven and his sons Huttleston Lord Fairhaven and Henry Broughton ”

The memorials were opened in 1932 by the Prince of Wales (Edward VIII) and are Grade II listed buildings.

 

Langham Pond SSSI

  

Langham Pond was created when the meandering River Thames formed an oxbow lake. Its status as a wetland Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) was first notified in 1975 and later reviewed under Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 when the protected area was extended to 64 acres (260,000 m2) within Runnymede as managed by the National Trust.

 

The pond and associated meadow form a habitat considered unique in Southern England and of international importance for nature conservation. The flora and fauna include nationally scarce plants and insects including a species of fly unrecorded elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

 

Air Forces Memorial

The Air Forces Memorial commemorates the men and women of the Allied Air Forces who died during the Second World War and records the names of the 20,456 airmen who have no known grave.

 

From the top of the tower visitors can see long views over Windsor, the surrounding counties and aircraft taking off and landing at Heathrow. On a good day visitors can see as far as the Wembley Arch and even the Gherkin in the City of London. The memorial was designed by Sir Edward Maufe, architect of Guildford Cathedral.

 

John F. Kennedy Memorial

The British memorial for U.S. President John F. Kennedy was jointly dedicated in May 1965, by Queen Elizabeth II and Jacqueline Kennedy, prior to a reception for the Kennedy family at Windsor Castle. The memorial consists of a garden and Portland stone memorial tablet inscribed with the famous quote from his Inaugural Address:

 

“ Let every Nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend or oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and success of liberty. ”

Visitors reach the memorial by treading a steep path of irregular granite steps, intended to symbolise a pilgrimage. There are 50 steps in total. Each step is different from all others, with the entire flight made from 60,000 hand-cut granite setts.[10] Landscape architect Geoffrey Jellicoe designed the garden; sculptor Alan Collins designed and carved the stone inscription. The area of ground on which the memorial is situated was given as a gift to the United States of America by the people of Britain. (Though property ownership was transferred to the federal government of the United States, the area remains under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom.) It is maintained by the Kennedy Memorial Trust, which also sponsors educational scholarships for British students to attend university in the United States.

 

In 1968 the 7-ton stone was damaged by a bomb during a time of anti-Vietnam war demonstrations; it was later repaired by the sculptor.

 

Magna Carta Memorial

Situated in a grassed enclosure. on the lower slopes of Cooper's Hill, this memorial is of a domed classical style monopteros, containing a pillar of English granite on which is inscribed "To commemorate Magna Carta, symbol of Freedom Under Law". The memorial was created by the American Bar Association (ABA) to a design by Sir Edward Maufe R.A., and was unveiled on 18 July 1957 at a ceremony attended by American and English lawyers.

 

Since 1957 representatives of the ABA have visited and rededicated the Memorial, renewing pledges to the Great Charter. In 1971 and 1985 commemorative stones were placed on the Memorial plinth. In July 2000 the ABA came:

 

“ to celebrate Magna Carta, foundation of the rule of law for ages past and for the new millennium. ”

In 2007, on its 50th anniversary, the ABA again visited Runnymede. During its convention it installed as President Charles Rhyne, who devised Law Day, which in the USA represents an annual reaffirmation of faith in the forces of law for peace.

 

In 2008 floodlights were installed to light the memorial at night.

 

In 2015, in anticipation of the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta, the two wooden benches at the memorial were replaced by stone benches. On 15 June, the anniversary day, the ABA, accompanied by US Attorney General Loretta Lynch, rededicated the memorial in a ceremony led by HRH The Princess Royal in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen and other members of the Royal family.

 

The Magna Carta Memorial is administered by the Magna Carta Trust, which is chaired by the Master of the Rolls.

 

Ceremonial Tree Plantings

The Duke of Kent together with David K. Diebold, a Minister-Counselor at the US Embassy in London, planted an oak tree adjacent to the Magna Carta Memorial in 1987, as did P. V. Narismha Rao, Prime Minister of the Republic of India. The Prime Minister left a plaque reading:

 

“ As a tribute to the historic Magna Carta, a source of inspiration throughout the world, and as an affirmation of the values of Freedom, Democracy and the Rule of Law which the People of India cherish and have enshrined in their Constitution. March 16, 1994 ”

In 1987 two further oak trees were planted near the Memorial. One, planted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, marked National Tree Week. Another, planted by John O. Marsh, Secretary of the Army of the USA, has a plaque which reads:

 

“ This oak tree, planted with soil from Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the New World, commemorates the bicentenary of the Constitution of the United States of America. It stands in acknowledgement that the ideals of liberty and justice embodied in the Constitution trace their lineage through institutions of English law to the Magna Carta, sealed at Runnymede on June 15th, 1215. ”

The Jurors

   

The Jurors artwork was commissioned by Surrey County Council and the National Trust to mark the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta. The sculptor Hew Locke created 12 bronze chairs each of which is decorated with symbols of past and present struggles for freedom, equality and the rule of law. The artist / sculptor invites participants to sit, reflect upon and discuss the themes represented. In the image the back of the chair nearest the viewer is a representation of Nelson Mandela's prison cell on Robben Island, South Africa. The portrait seen of the further chair is of Lillie Lenton wearing insignia related to the imprisonment and activism of suffragettes.

 

The installation was inaugurated at Runnymede by Prince William during the Magna Carta 800th Anniversary celebrations.

 

Cooper's Hill House

A large house on Cooper's Hill, overlooking Runnymede and the River Thames, has played a number of roles – as the Royal Indian Engineering College; wartime Post Office headquarters; storage for the Statue of Eros during World War II; an emergency teacher training college; Shoreditch College – a centre for craft and handiwork education – and most recently, Brunel University's design school (has removed to Uxbridge Main Campus).

 

Ankerwycke Yew

The revered +1,400 year old Ankerwycke Yew, on the left bank of the river, is also a possible site where Magna Carta may have been sealed. The sacred tree could have been the location of the Witan council and influenced the founding of St Mary's Priory there. This religious site may well have been the preferred neutral meeting place of King John and the barons.

 

Land development proposals threatening the yew led to action resulting in the tree and surrounding estate passing into the protection of the National Trust in 1998.

 

Henry VIII is said to have met Anne Boleyn under the tree in the 1530s.

 

In 1992, botanist and environmental campaigner David Bellamy led a dedication at the yew, stating:

 

“ We the free people of the islands of Great Britain on the 777th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta do:

Look back and give thanks for the benefits that the signings, sealing and swearing of oaths on that document handed down to us. Look forward to a new age of freedom through sustainability by granting the following rights to all the sons of plants and animals with which we share our islands and our planet.

 

”

There followed ten pledges to sustain all life forms.

 

Location and access

Runnymede is 20 miles (32 km) west by southwest of the centre of London. It is owned by the National Trust and is open 24 hours, seven days a week, at no charge.

 

Runnymede is accessed via the road or river towpath on foot or by bicycle, or by motor vehicle via the A308 road near Egham about 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Windsor. Two car parks (on the A308) adjoin the Windsor entrance (these may be closed in winter due to flooding etc.). Runnymede is also along the Thames Path National Trail. The nearest railway station is Egham. One of the Lutyens lodges at the Windsor entrance to the meadow houses a popular tea room.

 

The Anckerwycke area on the other bank of the river is accessible from the B376 between Wraysbury and Staines (nearest station Wraysbury).

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runnymede

 

 

The interfaces that lead us into cyberspace prove that one cannot detach technology from desire. Digital technologies promise to transcend familiar reality and to connect us to the paradise that reality has taken from us. Down with the detours and delays of reality: let us have instant gratification! What we cannot have in reality, we can have via the fantasy screen. As a “consensual hallucination” cyberspace would be the utopic, new ideal world.

Interface Fantasy: A Lananian Cyborg Ontology – Andre Nusselder

In the virtual world of Second Life, where status is often accrued by having the best collection of sexually appealing avatars, desire and its ultimate physical endpoint, sex (or in this case cybersex), prevails. Cybersex is “more than role play it is the creation of a shared fantasy.” Avatars are hollow – avatars are pure, avatars are clean, avatars have no orifices. They do not leak, shit, sweat, rot – there is no inconvenience to their bodies. And if an avatar has no orifices then sex in Second Life is safer than in real life – the user is “freed from the burden of the body.” Many criticisms have been levelled at Second Life for its high number of sex, porn and exotic dance Sims. Contemporary art critic and curator Domenico Quaranta said of in world existence, “life revolves around the banal repetition of real-life rituals (having sex, going dancing, and attending parties, openings and conferences) and the same principles: private property, wealth and consumption.” As the promotional video for dedicated cybersex virtual world “The Red Light Center” attests, “Be who you want to be…without the hassle”. Cybersex or ‘getting off online’, in Second Life is a form of immersive role play – a mixed reality happening in that it more often than not, one could imagine, elicits physical action in its users offline.

 

Whilst filming the “sex-scene” for this work my mind flickered between the ridiculousness of two digital bodies’ glitching against each other and the surreal feeling that behind that bunch of pixels a real person is operating and text chatting or, somewhat disturbingly, perhaps even masturbating. In the end I created two avatars – one my own and one an idealised male – and operated them both simultaneously using two computers to create the desired film output for projection. It was quite fitting as in the end, playing dolls, are we not just virtually fucking ourselves anyway? Can we really create intimacy in these new manufactured spaces?

 

the club, has had a remarkable career. She asserts she has had at least a dozen separate existences. Theosophically considered, the earliest inkling of her goes back to 1200 B. C., when she and Mme. Blavatsky had a pastoral sojourn in Egypt.

  

Daughter of a Rum Seller

As far as plain history is concerned, Mrs. Tingley was born in Newburyport, Mass. about fifty-five years ago. Her father was named Westcott, and his saloon and hotel were conducted in such a manner as to bring down upon him the displeasure of the community. The authorities eventually refused to renew the license for the place.

The daughter of this establishment obtained an insight into life far different from the peaceful existence in the valley of the Nile, for she was then a reckless hoyden. She has some recollection of being sent to a convent in Montreal, but the historians, who have no esoteric notions, fail to find any time in her life which could have been devoted to religious training.

  

Mrs. Tingley a Printer's Wife

She fled to New Orleans and married Richard Cooke, a compositor, by whom she had one child, which she said she adopted. This child, Flossie, was beautiful and her photograph has frequently been produced on Easter cards and mottoes. She is generally depicted as carrying lilies.

Mrs. Tingley’s second husband was George W. Parent, a detective and later a saloon-keeper, and it is not known whether or not she had any children by him. She adopted two boys, however, who have been known by various names. Her first two husbands obtained divorces on the ground of desertion.

Mrs. Tingley was in Boston for a few years, and then she made her appearance in New York. There, under the direction of Prof. Paul McCarthy, Mrs. Tingley studied hypnotism. As the professor once stated, he greatly improved her psychic gifts. There can be no doubt of Mrs. Tingley’s powers of hypnotism, and she used them with great advantage.

The manner in which the woman seized the leadership of the cult was remarkable. After the death of Judge Ernest T. Hargrove, a young English barrister of good family had been called over to New York, and had made the president of the theosophical society.

The seizure of the machinery of government of the society was one of the rarest bits of generalship in the history of such organizations. Mrs. Tingley convinced certain members, many of whom were men and women of education and attainments, that though Hargrove might be all well in his way as the nominal president, she was really the secret head of the organization, the adept whose personality was not to be revealed until one year after the death of Judge.

So it was that in May, 1896, the reincarnation of Mme. Blavatsky became “The Great Unknown.” She officiated as a veiled priestess at a remarkable ceremony, at which Claude Falls Wright, then secretary of the society, and Miss Laura Leoline Leonard were married.

  

Seizes Control of Society

At that time her portly form, swathed in draperies, stood upon a platform in front of a stump, supposed to symbolize the tree of life. When her identity as the head of the order was revealed Mrs. Tingley tood actual control. Hargrove was driven back to Temple Bar. Many of the prominent theosophists were alienated, and the society passed into the hands of a clique headed by Mrs. Tingley.

The name of the organization was changed to that of the Universal Brotherhood. The public was asked to contribute to the purple pence fund, and with the proceeds Mrs. Tingley and half a dozen of her cult started on a crusade around the world which consisted principally of sightseeing.

  

From Hypnotism to Theosophy

From spiritualism Mrs. Tingley turned her attention to theosophy, which was attracting much attention. She made the acquaintance of William Q. Judge, whom she seems to have impressed by her powers as a hypnotist.

In his writings after his death were found several fragmentary references to her. She pieced these together, and upon them advanced a claim that she was the reincarnation of Mme. Blavatsky, and had been chosen as the successor of Mr. Judge.

Her remarkable personality so impressed Dr. Wood of Providence, R. I. that he built the Raja Yoga school for theosophists at Point Loma. This is a superb tract of 1,600 acres, adorned with magnificent buildings. The total value of the tract and the buildings is estimated at $2,500,000. The theosophists are possessed of other property, which in all forms is worth close to $9,000,000.

The colony at Point Loma has been the center of innumerable scandals and sensations since Mme. Tingley became its ruler. Four years ago it passed its worst crisis, when a rebellion in the brotherhood threatened its disruption.

  

She Has Absolute Power

Soon after firmly establishing her leadership over the cult Mme. Tingley engineered a reorganization and obtained the adoption of a constitution that gives her absolute power over every individual member of the Universal Brotherhood and over every penny of its funds.

Instead of giving out theosophical teachings after the manner of her predecessors she contested herself with pumpint “vibrations” and “generating currents” upon the inner planes, if any one can guess what that means.

She chose purple for her royal color, wore gowns of it, and called herself by the name of it until now among the faithful name of Tingley is almost unspoken. To them she is “Purple” or “Purple Mother.”

She selected a “cabinet” of twelve of the ablest men she could find – and richest. Their term of office begins and ends with her pleasure.

She removed the headquarters of the organization, bag and baggage, to a point which had been discovered in her great crusade around the world to be the esoteric center of the earth, and here, with weird ceremonies, she laid the cornerstone of a School for the Revival of Lost Mysteries.

  

Rebellion Breaks Out

Her arbitrary rule provoked a rebellion, which reached a climax in the resignation of Dr. Jerome A. Anderson, for years one of her strongest supporters. Dr. Anderson for fifteen years was a devoted theosophist and one of the most influential members of the society. His resignation was followed by a score of others in San Francisco, and there is no means of knowing how many in other places deserted the cult.

Dr. Anderson was a member of the inner circle or cabinet of the high priestess. At the time of his revelations he gave as his reasons:

“I left the Universal Brotherhood simply because I lost all confidence in its leader, Mrs. Katherine A. Tingley. I have seen the organization which she took over from W. Q. Judge, both large and enthusiastic, dwindled away in lodges and membership until it is now little more than a mere handful of her personal admirers; I have seen ‘loyalty’ to all her whims and caprices made the supreme test of membership.”

“I have yet to know of a prominent person leaving the ranks who has not been accused of having done so from base and unworthy motives, and of whom many have been most unmercifully slandered as to their private characters. I have seen theosophy travestied, and substituted for philosophy, and a worldwide organization degenerated into 150 cooped up at Point Loma, with not a man, woman, or child of them daring to oppose her slightest whim.”

“In fact, she has reduced the organization to the degree that it has become only one among a score of similar hamburgs, with a ‘leader’ at the head whom all must adore. I have seen able, learned men and women clothe themselves in ridiculous costumes and go through absurd ceremonies at her bidding; I have seen money extravagantly wasted; I have seen honest energy wantonly dissipated; I have seen her favors follow, and follow only upon flattery and fawning; I have heard her called to her face a ‘planetary spirit’ by one of her chief flatterers without protest, and with evident gratification; I have known meetings after meeting held by her, at which she was present during which all teaching was disregarded and every word uttered was in personal laudation of her and of the imaginary great deeds she had accomplished.”

“Everything at the Point is show and pretense; even when strangers are permitted to see the children at their play the curtain rises on as carefully prepared a ‘situation’ as at any theater. The buildings are shams – filmay, stuccoed, or cemented structures that present an imposing appearance, but which one could go through by hacking his way with a hatchet almost as fast as one could walk.”

  

Life in Lomaland Is Weird

The life lived by members of the Point Loma colony, which Mr. Gage will adopt, is one one succession of weird ceremonies.

Lomaland is astir before sunrise. From the window you can see a procession moving toward the hill that is known as the sacred ground. The men are dressed somewhat as Greeks and Romans were wont to array themselves, in white undershirts, a sort of pajamas, reaching the knee, below which the leg is bare, and draped about the shoulders a place of cheesecloth.

Passing into the sacred ground these men range themselves facing the sun. There is a short reading, perhaps from teh “Ghita,” perhaps one of Spots’ letters, which this inspired dog contributes regularly to the brotherhood publications (you can only guess, for sound does not travel so far), and then each one stoops down and picks up a little handful of dirt and tosses it back again. That is all.

The procession retraces its steps and the men take off their Greek garments, for some of them are guards and guides, and there must be no sign of short pajamas, bare legs, and cheesecloth togas when the gates are open to the public at 10 o’clock.

This is the daily ceremony of the Sons of the Rising Sun. While it is in progress another ceremony is taking place at the Homestead. Men and women, some in regular clothes, some in cheesecloth robes, all barefooted, have circled around the Homestead three times, and stopping on the eastern veranda, have chanted the praises of Lomaland.

  

No Prying Allowed

If you chance to step out upon the balcony to see what is going on you will be politely requested to withdraw. Not-even a member of the society is allowed the privilege of looking on.

Starvation is a feature of the theosophists’ regime. By degrees Mme. Tingley has cut down their rations, and she comforts those who get a quarter of an egg a piece, a slice of toast, a walnut or two and a few raisins by saying this is an “ideal” breakfast and will make those who eat it more refined and spiritual.

But she does not join the early worshipers of the sun. Late in the morning she finishes her nap and is ready for a good square meal. The faithful believe that in the early hours her spirit has left her body and is away attending to national affairs. But later a woman of breeding and refinement, trembling with hunger after her “ideal” breakfast and weak from overwork, bears to the high priestess a tray stacked with everything the market affords and the best of its kind.

  

Gage’s Garb to Be Scanty

Mr. Gage also, when he becomes a full fledged member of the cult, will have to forgo many of the garments he has been in the habit of wearing.

In the libel suit brought by Mme. Tingley against a Pacific coast paper recently, which has just resulted in a $7,500 verdict in her favor, the evidence established many weird customs and dress of her subjects.

One of the witnesses described the reception given Mr. Spalding when he arrived at Point Loma with his bride. All the inmates, children included, assembled near the Spalding residence and rendered Greek songs, tripped through Homeric dances and other fancy steps, all of which, in the dark night, was especially picturesque.

The costumes for the bridal ceremony as described by Dr. Jerome A. Anderson, who resigned from Mme. Tingley’s cabinet, gave the scene a most ghostlike appearance. Participants in the Spalding bridal ceremony were dressed in a costume supposed to be like that of the ancient Greeks.

“It was something,” said Dr. Anderson, “like a loose skirt tied with a cord. I wore underclothing underneath, but I saw many who did not. It was, to say the least, a chilly costume when worn out of doors.”

  

Doesn’t Like Term “Mother”

The women wore costumes of similar character, but Mrs. Tingley’s attire was more elaborate than the others. She had donned her large embroidered robe of purple, whence she is known among the cult as “The Purple.” Formally she was called “Mother,” but she forbade that title.

Excommunicated Tingleyites state that in her dog Spot, Mme. Tingley found the reincarnated soul of William Q. Judge, former high priest of the Universal Brotherhood and founder of the American school of theosophy. Spot is carefully tended and has several suits of clothes to protect him from the changes in the weather; for, if he should die, the intelligence of William Q. Judge might reappear in some animal thousands of miles from Lomaland, and the Universal Brotherhood would lose one of its most valuable advisors.

In appearance Mrs. Tingley is a small, rather plump woman of genial, yet decided manner. She keeps much of herself, conducts a vast correspondence, and personally attends to all the business of the Raja Yoga school. She exacts implicit obedience from everyone at Lomaland.

  

Gage’s Secretary Denies All

New York, July 8 – [Special] – Lyman, J. Gage left New York on a western trip during the last week in April of this year. All that time the report gained credence that he was to join Mme. Tingley’s colony in California. His secretary, H. S. Morrison, entered this denial:

“Mr. Gage left New York a week ago Tuesday for the west. He spent a day in Chicago, where his son Eli lives, then went to Denver, where he planned to spend some time visiting his sister, Mrs. Brainerd. According to what he told me before he left, I expect him back within a month.”

“Of course, Mr. Gage is a member of the Society of Psychical Research, and like many other thoughtful men of today, he is much interested in psychical subjects. I believe he has met Mrs. Tingley and thinks her a remarkable woman. He admires the work she is doing in her colony at Point Loma. But he does not believe in theosophy, as far as I know, and he never had nor has now any intention of joining Mrs. Tingley’s colonies.”

“There was some sort of absurd report current some years ago about Mr. Gage joining Dowie’s colony, I believe. It arose from Dowie going to see Mr. Gage in Washington about letting some lace making immigrants for his colony into the county. That was all there was to it.”

“The fact that Mr. Gage has been working hard for fifty-five years and now has retired from active work, to be at liberty to do what he pleases and go where he pleases, I expect he will start soon for Europe.”

On his retirement from the cabinet, Secretary Gage came to New York and took up the duties of president of the United States Trust company. He filled this position until a short time ago. On March 19, he announced his coming retirement and in explanation added:

“I have been working fifty-five years and am nearly 70 years old now. If I’m ever going to take any leisure it is about time for me to begin. I have been obeying other people’s wishes for a long time. Now I am going to do just as I please. As a private citizen I will have the right to follow my own inclinations entirely.”

“Have you made any plans for the future?” he was asked.

“None, except that I will travel,” he replied.

“Has there been any disagreement between yourself and the officers of the company, or has there been any other business reason for your retirement?”

“None at all,” he said. “Everything has been harmonious and satisfactory.”

Gage said the United States Trust company was about the only concern in which he was actively engaged, so his retirement practically will be from all business activity.

“I have been in the public eye for some time,” Gage added, “and I am glad to get out of it.”

  

From Office Boy to President

From office boy up the long and difficult ladder to the presidency of the First National bank of Chicago, an institution which he practically created, then to the high post of secretary of the treasury under President McKinley, an office he filled with conspicuous honor and distinction – such in its briefest form is the record of Lyman J. Gage.

Mr. Gage was 70 years old in June. He was born in De Ruyter, N. Y., in June 1836. The first money he earned was $5 a month he received as a clerk in the Rome (N. Y.) post office after he left school.

In 1884 he first took up the profession in which he became distinguished, when he entered the Oneida Central bank at a salary of $100 a year. It was the insufficiency of this salary and chance that contributed chiefly to a train of circumstances that developed one of the world’s greatest bankers. He sought an increase. It was refused. Then young Gage did what so many other self-made Americans did in their youth, struck out for Chicago.

  

Enters Chicago in 1855

He came to Chicago in 1855, when he was 19 years old.

A career of conquest did not immediately open before him. Indeed, he had only stepped upon the threshold of a way that led to success afar off and through many vicissitudes.

The banks and other institutions in which he sought employment in the line of his experience had no vacancies that he could fill, but there remained other lines of industry in which he thought that he could make a living, and he found a chance to work hard for small pay in a lumber yard and planing mill, where bookkeeping formed a part of his duty. This was not what he had sought, but he went at it with alacrity, and for three years followed it industriously and without complaint.

It was not till 1858 he was given, his first position in a Chicago bank. The Merchants Savings, Loan and Trust company, wanting a bookkeeper set him at work at a salary of $500 per year. He regarded himself as fairly started now upon a road of life that led upward.

  

Is Advanced Rapidly

Events proved the good grounding of his hope. He laid hold of his new labor with a will and worked with that effectiveness that usually results in an occupation for which a man has natural ability. In less than six months he was promoted to paying teller, at a salary of $1,200, and at the expiration of a year was further advanced to assistant cashier, at a salary of $2,000.

At the end of another year he was given the post of cashier, which he held until 1868 when, having served the institution a complete decade, he severed his connection with it to assume a more advantageous connection with the First National bank of Chicago.

He went into this great financial institution on most alluring terms as its cashier, his abilities having been readily recognized some years before by its management. He soon gave evidence unmistakable of the possession of a high order of banking genius. His services did much toward extending the popularity of the bank, and in 1882, when a new charter was procured and a reorganization effected, he was elected vice president and manager. He filled these offices for nine years with the entire satisfaction in the directors and stockholders, and after discharging the active duties of the executive for several years, he was selected president of the bank in January, 1891.

  

Interested in Public Works

He was president of the bankers’ section of the World’s Progress and one of the chief promoters of the Art Institute and later of the Field Columbian museum.

When in Chicago Mr. Gage’s humanitarian interests led him into the study of economics, especially the relations of capital to labor, and he has taken prominent part in labor, and he has taken a prominent part in the discussion of questions growing out of those relations, and has sought to advance plans for their mutual benefit. Every great problem of labor or reform – for the moral and material well being of his fellowmen – has had in him an earnest student and strong worker.

He was in the forefront in the battle waged by the Civic federation, of which he was president, for the purification of the city of Chicago, and was a frequent speaker and wielded a large influence in the monster meeting s which were held by that body to purge the city of gambling houses and other evils.

Mr. Gage never held a political office, though frequently asked to become a candidate. He declined the nomination for the office of mayor of Chicago twice. Feb. 15, 1897, he resigned the presidency of the bank to enter President McKinley’s cabinet as secretary of the treasury. He was appointed March 4, and confirmed March 5, 1897, and immediately took the oath of office.

He was married in Denver in 1887 to Mrs. Lloyd D. Gage, his brother’s widow. She died May 17, 1901. In recent years Mr. Gage devoted himself to the Central Trust company, New York, where he resided. He resigned this post a few months ago.

   

Bridge

George Rogers City Park, Lake Oswego, OR

 

April 28, 2013 - Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day

 

7 exposures

ADOX MCP 312 B/W RC paper, variable contrast, matte - used as paper negative.

Exposure: 8 seconds

 

Shot with custom large format pinhole camera designed and built in collaboration with master camera maker Kurt Mottweiler.

I needed a little dolly instant gratification, I had somehow completely forgotten that Pullipstyle was a Luts dealer and they had a small selection of Tiny Delfs in stock so this happened ^^;

"Originally, property was the basic institution of self-maintenance, while marriage functioned as the unique institution of self-perpetuation. Although food satisfaction, play, and humor, along with periodic sex indulgence, were means of self-gratification, it remains a fact that the evolving mores have failed to build any distinct institution of self-gratification. And it is due to this failure to evolve specialized techniques of pleasurable enjoyment that all human institutions are so completely shot through with this pleasure pursuit. Property accumulation is becoming an instrument for augmenting all forms of self-gratification, while marriage is often viewed only as a means of pleasure. And this overindulgence, this widely spread pleasure mania, now constitutes the greatest threat that has ever been leveled at the social evolutionary institution of family life, the home.

 

The violet race introduced a new and only imperfectly realized characteristic into the experience of humankind—the play instinct coupled with the sense of humor. It was there in measure in the Sangiks and Andonites, but the Adamic strain elevated this primitive propensity into the potential of pleasure, a new and glorified form of self-gratification. The basic type of self-gratification, aside from appeasing hunger, is sex gratification, and this form of sensual pleasure was enormously heightened by the blending of the Sangiks and the Andites.

 

There is real danger in the combination of restlessness, curiosity, adventure, and pleasure-abandon characteristic of the post-Andite races. The hunger of the soul cannot be satisfied with physical pleasures; the love of home and children is not augmented by the unwise pursuit of pleasure. Though you exhaust the resources of art, color, sound, rhythm, music, and adornment of person, you cannot hope thereby to elevate the soul or to nourish the spirit. Vanity and fashion cannot minister to home building and child culture; pride and rivalry are powerless to enhance the survival qualities of succeeding generations.

 

Advancing celestial beings all enjoy rest and the ministry of the reversion directors. All efforts to obtain wholesome diversion and to engage in uplifting play are sound; refreshing sleep, rest, recreation, and all pastimes which prevent the boredom of monotony are worth while. Competitive games, storytelling, and even the taste of good food may serve as forms of self-gratification. (When you use salt to savor food, pause to consider that, for almost a million years, man could obtain salt only by dipping his food in ashes.)

 

Let man enjoy himself; let the human race find pleasure in a thousand and one ways; let evolutionary mankind explore all forms of legitimate self-gratification, the fruits of the long upward biologic struggle. Man has well earned some of his present-day joys and pleasures. But look you well to the goal of destiny! Pleasures are indeed suicidal if they succeed in destroying property, which has become the institution of self-maintenance; and self-gratifications have indeed cost a fatal price if they bring about the collapse of marriage, the decadence of family life, and the destruction of the home—man’s supreme evolutionary acquirement and civilization’s only hope of survival."

 

The Chief of Seraphim stationed on our planet (Urantia), the Urantia Book, conclusion of paper 84

Window display.

Runnymede is a water-meadow alongside the River Thames in the English county of Surrey, and just over 20 miles (32 km) west of central London. It is notable for its association with the sealing of Magna Carta, and as a consequence is, with its adjoining hillside, the site of memorials. Runnymede Borough is named after the area, Runnymede being at its northernmost point.

 

Topography

 

The name Runnymede refers to land in public and National Trust ownership in the Thames flood plain south-west of the river between Old Windsor and Egham. The area includes (to the west of A308 road) the Long Mede and Runnymede, which together with Coopers Hill Slopes is managed by the National Trust. There is also a narrower strip of land, east of the road and west of the river, known as the Yard Mede. Slightly further downstream from the area shown on the map are (inter alia): a recreational area with a car park; a number of private homes; a large distribution centre; and an hotel.

 

The landscape of Runnymede is characterised as "Thames Basin Lowland", urban fringe. It is a gently undulating vale of small fields interspersed by woods, shaws, ponds, meadows, and heath. The National Trust area is a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI) which contains a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Both sites are overseen by Runnymede Borough Council.

 

The National Trust holding includes:

 

188 acres (0.76 km2) donated in 1929 set behind a narrow riverside park with occasional benches on the southern river bank, with car and coach parking;

110 acres (0.45 km2) of broadleaved woodland on Coopers Hill Slopes, given in 1963 by the former Egham Urban District Council.

Long Mede is a meadow north of the ancient "mede" (meadow) of Runnymede towards Old Windsor and has been used for centuries to provide good-quality hay from the alluvial pasture. Runnymede itself lies towards Egham. It is likely that Runnymede proper was the site of the sealing of Magna Carta, although the Magna Carta Memorial (see below) stands on Long Mede, and the event is also popularly associated with Magna Carta Island, on the opposite bank of the Thames.

 

Near the Island, on the north-east flood plain, in parkland on the eastern bank of the river, are Ankerwycke and the ruins of the 12th century Priory of St Mary's. The Thames has changed course here occasionally, and these areas may once have been an integral part of Runnymede. Both were acquired by the National Trust in 1998.

 

History

Runnymede's historical significance has been heavily influenced by its proximity to the Roman Road river crossing at nearby Staines-upon-Thames.

 

The name Runnymede may be derived from the Anglo-Saxon runieg (regular meeting) and mede (mead or meadow), describing a place in the meadows used to hold regular meetings. The Witan, Witenagemot or Council of the Anglo-Saxon Kings of the 7th to 11th centuries was held from time to time at Runnymede during the reign of Alfred the Great. The Council met usually in the open air. This political organ was transformed in succeeding years, influencing the creation of England's 13th century parliament.

 

The water-meadow at Runnymede is the most likely location at which, in 1215, King John sealed Magna Carta. The charter indicates Runnymede by name as "Ronimed. inter Windlesoram et Stanes" (between Windsor and Staines). Magna Carta had an impact on common and constitutional law as well as political representation also affecting the development of parliament.

 

Runnymede's association with ideals of democracy, limitation of power, equality and freedom under law has attracted placement there of monuments and commemorative symbols.

 

The last fatal duel in England took place in 1852, on Priest Hill, a continuation of Cooper's Hill by Windsor Great Park.

 

The National Trust land was donated in 1929 by Cara Rogers Broughton and her two sons. The American-born widow of Urban Hanlon Broughton, she was permitted by letter from George V to join her son's new peerage in tribute to her husband and this gift and be officially styled Lady Fairhaven. The gift was given in memory of Urban Broughton. At the time the New Bedford Standard-Times commented "It must be a source of gratification to all Americans, and especially to us here and in Fairhaven, that the presentation of this historic spot as public ground has been brought about by an American woman, an appropriate enough circumstance considering that the great charter underlies the USA's conception of government and human rights."

 

Features

 

Urban H. Broughton Memorials

After the death of Urban Broughton in 1929, Sir Edwin Lutyens was commissioned to design a set of twin memorials consisting of large kiosks and posts or "piers" with stone blocks crowned with laurel wreaths and formalised urns at the Egham end and with lodges and piers at the Windsor end. Lutyens also designed a low wide arch bridge to carry the main road over the Thames to the north, integrating the road layout and bridge design into his plans for the memorials. The southern kiosks were moved to their present location when the M25 motorway was constructed.

 

There are two octagonal kiosks with piers facing each other across the A308 towards Egham. These piers are a shorter version of those adjacent to the lodges either side of the same road towards Old Windsor in the Long Mede. The lodges show typical Lutyens design features with steeply angled roofs, large false chimneys and no rainwater gutters at the eaves.

 

The piers carry similar inscriptions. On one face is the inscription:

 

“ In these Meads on 15th June 1215 King John at the instance of Deputies from the whole community of the Realm granted the Great Charter the earliest of constitutional documents whereunder ancient and cherished customs were confirmed abuses redressed and the administration of justice facilitated new provisions formulated for the preservation of peace and every individual perpetually secured in the free enjoyment of his life and property. ”

and on the other the words:-

 

“ In perpetual memory of Urban Hanlon Broughton 1857 – 1929 of Park Close Englefield Green in the county of Surrey Sometime Member of Parliament These meadows of historic interest on 18th December 1929 were gladly offered to the Nation by his widow Cara Lady Fairhaven and his sons Huttleston Lord Fairhaven and Henry Broughton ”

The memorials were opened in 1932 by the Prince of Wales (Edward VIII) and are Grade II listed buildings.

 

Langham Pond SSSI

  

Langham Pond was created when the meandering River Thames formed an oxbow lake. Its status as a wetland Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) was first notified in 1975 and later reviewed under Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 when the protected area was extended to 64 acres (260,000 m2) within Runnymede as managed by the National Trust.

 

The pond and associated meadow form a habitat considered unique in Southern England and of international importance for nature conservation. The flora and fauna include nationally scarce plants and insects including a species of fly unrecorded elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

 

Air Forces Memorial

The Air Forces Memorial commemorates the men and women of the Allied Air Forces who died during the Second World War and records the names of the 20,456 airmen who have no known grave.

 

From the top of the tower visitors can see long views over Windsor, the surrounding counties and aircraft taking off and landing at Heathrow. On a good day visitors can see as far as the Wembley Arch and even the Gherkin in the City of London. The memorial was designed by Sir Edward Maufe, architect of Guildford Cathedral.

 

John F. Kennedy Memorial

The British memorial for U.S. President John F. Kennedy was jointly dedicated in May 1965, by Queen Elizabeth II and Jacqueline Kennedy, prior to a reception for the Kennedy family at Windsor Castle. The memorial consists of a garden and Portland stone memorial tablet inscribed with the famous quote from his Inaugural Address:

 

“ Let every Nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend or oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and success of liberty. ”

Visitors reach the memorial by treading a steep path of irregular granite steps, intended to symbolise a pilgrimage. There are 50 steps in total. Each step is different from all others, with the entire flight made from 60,000 hand-cut granite setts.[10] Landscape architect Geoffrey Jellicoe designed the garden; sculptor Alan Collins designed and carved the stone inscription. The area of ground on which the memorial is situated was given as a gift to the United States of America by the people of Britain. (Though property ownership was transferred to the federal government of the United States, the area remains under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom.) It is maintained by the Kennedy Memorial Trust, which also sponsors educational scholarships for British students to attend university in the United States.

 

In 1968 the 7-ton stone was damaged by a bomb during a time of anti-Vietnam war demonstrations; it was later repaired by the sculptor.

 

Magna Carta Memorial

Situated in a grassed enclosure. on the lower slopes of Cooper's Hill, this memorial is of a domed classical style monopteros, containing a pillar of English granite on which is inscribed "To commemorate Magna Carta, symbol of Freedom Under Law". The memorial was created by the American Bar Association (ABA) to a design by Sir Edward Maufe R.A., and was unveiled on 18 July 1957 at a ceremony attended by American and English lawyers.

 

Since 1957 representatives of the ABA have visited and rededicated the Memorial, renewing pledges to the Great Charter. In 1971 and 1985 commemorative stones were placed on the Memorial plinth. In July 2000 the ABA came:

 

“ to celebrate Magna Carta, foundation of the rule of law for ages past and for the new millennium. ”

In 2007, on its 50th anniversary, the ABA again visited Runnymede. During its convention it installed as President Charles Rhyne, who devised Law Day, which in the USA represents an annual reaffirmation of faith in the forces of law for peace.

 

In 2008 floodlights were installed to light the memorial at night.

 

In 2015, in anticipation of the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta, the two wooden benches at the memorial were replaced by stone benches. On 15 June, the anniversary day, the ABA, accompanied by US Attorney General Loretta Lynch, rededicated the memorial in a ceremony led by HRH The Princess Royal in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen and other members of the Royal family.

 

The Magna Carta Memorial is administered by the Magna Carta Trust, which is chaired by the Master of the Rolls.

 

Ceremonial Tree Plantings

The Duke of Kent together with David K. Diebold, a Minister-Counselor at the US Embassy in London, planted an oak tree adjacent to the Magna Carta Memorial in 1987, as did P. V. Narismha Rao, Prime Minister of the Republic of India. The Prime Minister left a plaque reading:

 

“ As a tribute to the historic Magna Carta, a source of inspiration throughout the world, and as an affirmation of the values of Freedom, Democracy and the Rule of Law which the People of India cherish and have enshrined in their Constitution. March 16, 1994 ”

In 1987 two further oak trees were planted near the Memorial. One, planted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, marked National Tree Week. Another, planted by John O. Marsh, Secretary of the Army of the USA, has a plaque which reads:

 

“ This oak tree, planted with soil from Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the New World, commemorates the bicentenary of the Constitution of the United States of America. It stands in acknowledgement that the ideals of liberty and justice embodied in the Constitution trace their lineage through institutions of English law to the Magna Carta, sealed at Runnymede on June 15th, 1215. ”

The Jurors

   

The Jurors artwork was commissioned by Surrey County Council and the National Trust to mark the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta. The sculptor Hew Locke created 12 bronze chairs each of which is decorated with symbols of past and present struggles for freedom, equality and the rule of law. The artist / sculptor invites participants to sit, reflect upon and discuss the themes represented. In the image the back of the chair nearest the viewer is a representation of Nelson Mandela's prison cell on Robben Island, South Africa. The portrait seen of the further chair is of Lillie Lenton wearing insignia related to the imprisonment and activism of suffragettes.

 

The installation was inaugurated at Runnymede by Prince William during the Magna Carta 800th Anniversary celebrations.

 

Cooper's Hill House

A large house on Cooper's Hill, overlooking Runnymede and the River Thames, has played a number of roles – as the Royal Indian Engineering College; wartime Post Office headquarters; storage for the Statue of Eros during World War II; an emergency teacher training college; Shoreditch College – a centre for craft and handiwork education – and most recently, Brunel University's design school (has removed to Uxbridge Main Campus).

 

Ankerwycke Yew

The revered +1,400 year old Ankerwycke Yew, on the left bank of the river, is also a possible site where Magna Carta may have been sealed. The sacred tree could have been the location of the Witan council and influenced the founding of St Mary's Priory there. This religious site may well have been the preferred neutral meeting place of King John and the barons.

 

Land development proposals threatening the yew led to action resulting in the tree and surrounding estate passing into the protection of the National Trust in 1998.

 

Henry VIII is said to have met Anne Boleyn under the tree in the 1530s.

 

In 1992, botanist and environmental campaigner David Bellamy led a dedication at the yew, stating:

 

“ We the free people of the islands of Great Britain on the 777th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta do:

Look back and give thanks for the benefits that the signings, sealing and swearing of oaths on that document handed down to us. Look forward to a new age of freedom through sustainability by granting the following rights to all the sons of plants and animals with which we share our islands and our planet.

 

”

There followed ten pledges to sustain all life forms.

 

Location and access

Runnymede is 20 miles (32 km) west by southwest of the centre of London. It is owned by the National Trust and is open 24 hours, seven days a week, at no charge.

 

Runnymede is accessed via the road or river towpath on foot or by bicycle, or by motor vehicle via the A308 road near Egham about 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Windsor. Two car parks (on the A308) adjoin the Windsor entrance (these may be closed in winter due to flooding etc.). Runnymede is also along the Thames Path National Trail. The nearest railway station is Egham. One of the Lutyens lodges at the Windsor entrance to the meadow houses a popular tea room.

 

The Anckerwycke area on the other bank of the river is accessible from the B376 between Wraysbury and Staines (nearest station Wraysbury).

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runnymede

 

I went shopping at this Asian market in Cherry Hill, NJ. Very clean and had a great selection of Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Indonesian and Chinese items.

 

[Corner of 20th and Market]

 

Postcard Caption: "To the Members, Second Presbyterian Church, Greeting: Church work will be fully resumed next Sabbath morning. It will prove a blessing to the Church and be a gratification to me to have every member present at that service. A full attendance will give momentum to our work at once. The sermon will be appropriate and it is hoped will sound the keynote for the year. Sincerely, your pastor, Charles M. McDonald. Sept. 3d, 1908."

 

Second Presbyterian Church in Wheeling was named a West Virginia endangered property in 2013 by the WV Preservation Alliance: "Constructed in 1850, the church reflects a checkered past for antebellum Virginia and the complexity of Wheeling’s population. The church founders included secessionists from both the First Presbyterian Church and the United States. One of the church’s founders, Mr. John Goshorn, was a slave-owner. As the church congregation grew, a tide favoring Abolitionism was evident. The church sexton, Mr. John Gaunt, was a free black man, and the Second Presbyterian Church was the site of the Freedmen’s Association meeting in 1865."

 

The Near Earth Object Foundation (NEO) purchased the church in 2007 and had been working toward restoring the building as an adaptive re-use project to create an urban observatory, educational facility, and performing arts center. At 4:32 am on the morning of February 29th, 2016, it was reported that the back wall of the church collapsed, causing catastrophic damage to the building. The 166 year old building was razed shortly afterward in March 2016.

 

-image from the Postcard Collection of the Ohio County Public Library Archives. Donated by Erin Rothenbuehler.

 

[Postcard info: No publisher listed | no production number | postmark date SEP 4, 1908 | divided back ]

 

➤ Learn more about Second Presbyterian Church in Wheeling

➤ Visit the Library's Wheeling History website

 

The photos on the Ohio County Public Library's Flickr site may be freely used by non-commercial entities for educational and/or research purposes as long as credit is given to the "Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV." These photos may not be reproduced in any format for profit or other presentation without the permission of the Ohio County Public Library.

➤ Contact the Ohio County Public Library to request permission for use or publication of materials.

White Lotus 5th anniversary party, Cocoon Club, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

 

Both pictures of Alicia Whitten here on my photostream have been merely posted to prove that sex sells much better than anything else, even if it is artificially inflated and looks as if she was having a headache.

 

I expect these two pictures to get much more attention than the rest of the stream. That may be human nature, but it is quite sad to see how much stronger the urge for instant, fleeting gratification is compared to the appreciation of thoughtful art.

 

by Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

 

[Puri, India: August 7, 2004]

 

Come with me to the bank of the Godavari River, where Sri Raya Ramananda and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are about to have their confidential discussion.

 

Yesterday I explained that on his way to Godavari, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructed everyone He met to chant the names of Lord Krsna and to follow the teachings of Bhagavad-gita. Mahaprabhu gradually came to the temple of Jiyada-nrsimha and offered prayers:

 

sri nrsimha, jaya nrsimha, jaya jaya nrsimha

prahladesa jaya padma-mukha-padma-bhrnga

 

[“All glories to Nrsimhadeva! All glories to Nrsimhadeva, who is the Lord of Prahläda Maharaja and, like a honeybee, is always engaged in beholding the lotuslike face of the goddess of fortune.” (Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 8.5)]

 

ugro ’py anugra evayam

sva-bhaktanam nr-kesari

kesariva sva-potanam

anyesam ugra-vikramah

 

[“Although very ferocious, the lioness is very kind to her cubs. Similarly, although very ferocious to nondevotees like Hiranyakasipu, Lord Nrsimhadeva is very, very soft and kind to devotees like Prahlada Maharaja. (Caitanya-caritamrta 8.6)”]

 

He prayed, “Although you are very ferocious, you are very kind. You are ferocious towards those who give problems to your devotees, but you are very kind to your devotees. In that way, you are like a lioness.” A lioness is very affectionate to her cubs, and if anyone tries to harm them, she becomes like death personified. In the same way, Lord Nrsimhadeva cannot tolerate any disturbance to His devotees. When Hiranyakasipu was perpetrating atrocities against other people, Lord Nrsimhadeva did not appear. However, when he tried to torture Prahlada Maharaja, the Lord appeared and killed him – and Prahlada Maharaja prayed for his father’s deliverance.

 

Lord Nrsimhadeva protects anyone who will take shelter of Him. Sudarsana-cakra protects the devotees, and this cakra is Sri Nrsimhadeva himself. Therefore, worship of the cakra is performed by offering the prayers of Lord Nrsinghadeva. This is why we worship Lord Nrsimhadeva – because He gives protection to the devotees.

 

In Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Krsna dasa Kaviraja describes that the pujari of Jiyada-nrsimha temple gave the maha-prasada garland of Lord Nrsimhadeva to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and then Mahaprabhu continued on His way. While traveling, Sriman Mahaprabhu did not accept alms from just anyone, because many people ate meat, fish, eggs, onions and garlic, and therefore they were not pure. He would only eat at the homes of those whose behavior was appropriate for pure Vaisnavas.

 

Nowadays, many persons who are born in brahmana families do not follow the rules and regulations meant for brahmanas and pure Vaisnavas. By accepting foodstuff from such persons, many obstacles will appear in our attempt to perform bhajana, and we will not be able to make advancement. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would accept prasadam only from qualified persons – those who had properly prepared and offered the foodstuffs to their Deities. By His personal behavior and example, He taught many Vaisnava principles to those under His guidance.

 

Before leaving any place, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would tell the people there:

 

yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa

amara ajnaya guru hana tara’ ei desa

 

[“Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Sri Krsna as they are given in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.” (Caitanya-caritamrta Madya-lila 7.128)]

 

Mahaprabhu instructed, “Tell whomever you meet the instructions of Krsna. On my order, become guru and deliver everyone you meet.” If anyone said, “I am not qualified”, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, “No; ‘amara ajnaya’. On My order, if you follow My instructions, I will give you power and inspiration. You will not fall down into the waves of sense gratification.”

 

Continuing on His journey, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to the banks of the Godavari – absorbed in transcendental emotion. As stated in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madya-lila 17.55-56):

 

vana dekhi’ bhrama haya ei – ‘vrndavana’

saila dekhi’ mane haya – ei ‘govardhana’

yahan nadi dekhe tahan manaye –‘kalindi’

maha-premavese nace prabhu pade kandi’

 

[“When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu passed through the Jharikhanda forest, He took it for granted that it was Vrndavana. When He passed over the hills, He took it for granted that they were Govardhana. Similarly, whenever Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw a river, He immediately accepted it as the river Yamuna. Thus while in the forest He was filled with great ecstatic love, and He danced and fell down crying.”]

 

Traveling here and there, whenever Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw a forest He would think, “This is Vrndavana.” When He would see a hill, He would actually experience, “This is Giriraja Govardhana.” If He saw a river like Godavari, he thought, “This is Yamuna.” In this way He was absorbed in maha-prema. This was also true when He was in Jagannatha Puri. There, when He saw Cataka Parvat, He thought it to be Giriraja Govardhana. Of course it was not Giriraja Govardhana, but He would see it in that way – by His mood. Everywhere He would look, at any hill, river or forest, they would remind Him of the pastime places of Lord Krsna like Vamsi-vata and Yamuna.

  

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu sees Cataka Parvata as Govardhana

 

Also, thinking Himself to be Radha and the singer to be another gopi, He once went forward to embrace a devi-dasi who was singing “Mangalam-gitam”, and was stopped by His servant Govinda:

 

srita kamalakuca mandala! dhrta kundala! e

kalita-lalita-vanamala! Jaya jaya deva! hare

 

[“O You who take shelter at the breasts of sarva-laksmi-mayi Srimati Radhika! O You who wear fish-shaped earrings and a charming garland of forest flowers! Deva! Hare! All glories to You! (Sri Mangala-Gitam, verse 1)]

 

This behavior of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu cannot be imitated. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would do parikrama, He would have a direct vision of the pastimes of Srimati Radhika and Sri Krsna. So we cannot imitate Him. This stage will come naturally if we follow the process of bhakti. Do not try to jump over the stages in the progressive development of bhakti – sraddha, bhajana kriya, anartha nivritti, nista, ruci, asakti and bhava. In this way some realization will begin to come.

 

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to Vraja Mandala for parikrama and He saw Giriraja Govardhana, He saw the pastimes of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna.

 

pramada-madana-lilah kandare kandare te

racayati nava-yunor dvandvam asminn amandam

iti kila kalanartham lagnakas tad-dvayor me

nija nikata-nivasam dehi govardhana! tvam

 

[“O Govardhana, please grant me a dwelling near your side so that I can easily witness and serve the youthful lovers Sri Sri Radha-Krsna as They perform newer and newer secret, amorous lilas within your many caves where They become completely maddened from drinking prema. You are present and making everything possible.” (Sri Govardhana-Vasa-Prarthana-Dasakam, verse 2)]

 

He saw that Krsna was playing with His friends in all Govardhana’s caves and kunjas. He especially saw how Krsna would meet with Srimati Radhika. He saw all the pastimes described in the Srimad Bhagavatam, and many confidential pastimes that have not been disclosed by Srila Sukadeva Gosvami. All of our Gosvamis, including Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Sanatana Gosvami and others – especially Srila Kavi Karnapura, in his book Ananda Vrndavana Campu and Srila Jiva Gosvami in his Sri Gopal Campu – have revealed many confidential pastimes that Srila Sukadeva Gosvami only hinted at.

 

Don’t waste your time trying to learn Sanskrit, because by associating with the bona fide guru and Vaisnavas, hearing and chanting under their guidance, all knowledge of Sanskrit and all the confidential meanings of the verses of Srimad Bhagavatam – which can never be understood by any amount of scholarship – will awaken automatically and naturally.

 

Those who follow the path of scholarship will think, “I have not completed my study. So I will have to study more.” And then later they will think, “I have still not completed my study – I will have to study more.” In this way, until they are old and their teeth are falling out, until their life is fully wasted without performing bhajana, they will go on studying. We should not be derailed by the allurement of maya (the illusory material energy), chasing after scholarship.

 

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu finally arrived at the ghat (bathing place), at the Godavari River, where many devotees were taking bath. He took His bath, sat down on the bank of the river, and began to chant.

 

Sometimes He was absorbed in the song “Sri Harinama-sankirtana”:

 

hari haraye namah krsna yadavaya namah

yadavaya madhavaya kesavaya namah

 

[“Krsna is Himself Hari and He is also Yadava. He is in the dynasty of both Nanda Baba and of Vasudeva; all are Yadavas, the dynasty of Yadu. So my dandavat-pranama to the lotus feet of svayam Hari who is Yadava-Krsna. Namah means giving up all kinds of worldly relations and offering our everything to the lotus feet of Krsna.” (Nama-Sankirtana, verse 1)]

 

gopala govinda rama sri madhusudana

giridhari gopinath madana-mohana

 

Sometimes He chanted:

 

krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna he

krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna he

krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna raksa mam

krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna pahi mam

rama raghava rama raghava rama raghava raksa mam

krsna kesava krsna kesava krsna kesava pahi mam

 

O Krsna! O Kesava! O Rama! Please protect me; please nourish me.”

 

Superior to this, and superior to all other mantras, is the maha-mantra: “Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.” Uttering Sri Krsna’s names, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu became completely absorbed in transcendental emotion. He was not absorbed in the mood as being Paramatma or God, the supreme omniscient controller, for He was performing laukika-lila, human-like pastimes.

 

Sri Raya Ramananda arrived there at that time. He was employed as a governor of Vidyanagara in the government of Sri Prataparudra Maharaja. He was not an ordinary person. He was coming to take bath, riding on a palanquin that was carried by many servants. He was also accompanied by numerous brahmanas, who were uttering the mantras of the Vedas, such as Purusa-sukta, Sri Sukta and others. He was also surrounded by many ministers, guards, soldiers and musicians. He was very powerful. Everyone would see him like a king, and he had the power of a king, to chastise and punish anyone.

 

When he arrived at the Godavari River, Ramananda Raya followed all the rules and regulations for visiting and bathing at a holy tirtha. The sastras enjoin that when one comes to a holy place (tirtha), one should shave his head, fast, bring a mala, wear pure cloth and take darsana of Thakurji (the Deities). After that one can take some maha-prasadam. When we come to a holy tirtha, we fill our belly, and then we go and have darsana of the Deities in the same clothes we were wearing the previous night. Sri Ramananda Raya, on the other hand, followed all the Vedic rules and regulations.

 

After bathing, Ramananda Raya distributed charity to the brahmanas, and then he noticed that a sannyasi was sitting and chanting on the bank of the river – as effulgent as the sun. That beautiful sannyasi was dressed in saffron cloth, and His body had all the symptoms of a maha-purusa or an incarnation of God.

 

ajanu-lambita-bhujau kanakavadatau

sankirtanaika-pitarau kamalayataksau

visvambharau dvija-varau yuga-dharma-palau

vande jagat-priya-karau karunavatarau

 

[“I worship the incarnations of mercy, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu, whose arms extend to Their knees, whose complexions are a resplendent yellow and very enchanting like the hue of gold, who inaugurated the sankirtana movement, whose eyes are large like lotus petals, who nourish the entire universe, who appeared in the families of exalted brahmanas, who protect the yuga-dharma, and who bestow the highest auspiciousness upon the residents of the material world.” (Sri Caitanya-bhagavata)

 

The sannyasi’s arms were very long, reaching down to his knees, His eyes were very broad like lotus flowers, and He measured three and half times the length of How lower arm. These are called nyagrodha- parimandala, the symptoms of a maha-purusa or an incarnation of God.

 

When Srila Raya Ramananda saw Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he was thoroughly astonished by the Lord’s beauty. Approaching Him, he thought, “I’ve never seen anyone so attractive in my entire life.” When he arrived at His side, he very humbly offered obeisances to Him, following the regulations of Vedic culture. In Vedic tradition one must offer obeisances, even to one’s mother and father, and what to speak of a qualified person in the renounced order? Seeing Raya Ramananda offering obeisances, Mahaprabhu lifted him up and asked, “Are you Raya Ramananda?” Raya Ramananda replied, “I am simply your servant. I am a sudra. My intelligence and mind are dull. I am a despicable, fallen person.”

 

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu humbly inquired about Ramananda Raya’s identity, and Raya Ramananda very humbly replied. Pure Vaisnavas consider themselves to be most insignificant. When they meet together, their meeting is very sweet, like this.

 

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then embraced Raya Ramananda, at which time all sattvika-bhavas – such as trembling, tears flowing from the eyes, perspiration, faltering of the voice and fading of the bodily complexion manifested on their bodies – and they both fainted.

 

This is called svabhavika-prema, natural love. Raya Ramananda is Visakha sakhi and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Sri Krsna Himself. In this pastime they are meeting for the first time, but they are naturally overwhelmed with love. Natural love refers to that love which is coming out from ones heart due to ones constitutional position. Constitutionally, Raya Ramananda is the most beloved of Sri Krsna, and therefore their love naturally flowed. All other love is artificial.

 

When the brahmanas present saw Mahaprabhu and Raya Ramananda embrace and become overwhelmed, they were astonished. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was a sannyasi, who was meant to be very grave, and Ramananda Raya was naturally also very grave, and very learned in all sastras. Raya Ramananda was by caste a sudra, and this sannyasi was a brahmana. The brahmanas thought, “How is it that this sannyasi is embracing a sudra? And how is it that this sudra, who is very grave, is becoming overwhelmed with so many emotions?” Because the brahmanas were not pure Vaisnavas, they could not understand the appearance of sattvika-bhavas. They were not very close to Mahaprabhu and Raya Ramananda, and they had a somewhat unfavorable mood.

 

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu composed Himself and His emotions subsided, He said, “I’ve come here just to meet with you; not for anything else.” He explained that He was sent by Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, who had praised Raya Ramananda, and to that Raya Ramananda replied, “Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya considers me his servant. Therefore, in all ways, directly or indirectly, he always acts to bring about my welfare. He has sent You to meet with me for my welfare.”

 

If one has sadhu-sanga – if one is under the guidance of a sadhu – he will have some realization of krsna-bhakti and his life is successful. On the other hand, without having qualified association and guidance, one lives like an animal. He will also die like an animal, and in his next life he will become an animal, like a dog or a hog. His life is completely wasted. We should try to take shelter of a self-realized guru and harinama-sankirtana and gradually progress through the stages of sraddha (faith), anartha nivrtti (freedom from unwanted habits, nistha (steadiness), ruci (taste in bhajana), asakti (attachment to Krsna), bhava and prema, and thus make our lives successful.

 

Outwardly one may be situated in his social position and perform his many external duties, but the rest of the time he should be strongly engaged in doing bhajana, and gradually his life will become successful.

 

Raya Ramananda said, “I understand that Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya is so merciful to me, that he has sent You and You have embraced me.” He then uttered a verse from Srimad Bhagavatam:

 

mahad vicalanam nrnam

grhinam dina cetasam

nihsreyasya bhagavan

kalpate nanyatha kvacit

 

[“O my lord, O great devotee, persons like you move from one place to another not for their own interests but for the sake of poor-hearted grhasthas [householders]. Otherwise they have no interest in going from one place to another.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.8.4)]

 

This verse was previously told by Nanda Maharaja, soon after Lord Krsna was born. Vasudeva Maharaja had secretly sent Gargacarya from Mathura to Gokula, to perform the nama-samskara, (name giving ceremony) of Lord Krsna and Lord Balarama. At that time Nanda Maharaja met with Gargacarya, a great Vaisnava, and addressed him with this verse. He told him, “You are mahat”.

 

Krsna is the greatest of the great and the smallest of the small. He is greatest in all respects. Those who are the servants of that great personality are also mahat (great). Those great personalities wander here and there for the benefit of those who are attached to their household life and would otherwise have no opportunity to meet with a sadhu.

 

Nanda Baba is not an ordinary person. He is Lord Krsna’s father birth after birth – the eternal father of Krsna – yet he honored Gargacarya by these words. Such great personalities come to meet with those whose consciousness is very low, due to their being attached to temporary household life. Pure devotees go to their homes to meet with them. They have no desire for self-gain. They don’t come for any other purpose than to help the householders.

 

I have one request for all of you. Today, Lord Jagannatha and Bimala Devi (Lord Jagannatha’s consort) have sent very delicious prasadam – rice, sweet dahl, dahlma, malpura, kichori and many other preparations. So today, if you do not honor that prasadam, you are most unfortunate. You should all take prasadam here. After evening arati you can immediately sit here, and prasadam will be served.

 

Gaura Premanande!

  

Editorial advisors: Sripad Madhava Maharaja and Sripad Brajanatha dasa

Transcriber: Ranga devi dasi

Typist and proofreader: Vasanti dasi

Editor: Syamarani dasi

HTML: Bhutabhavana dasa

  

Holga

In memory of

Annie Maria

The beloved wife of

Noah WOOD

Who died April….

Aged 45 years

Also

Noah WOOD

Beloved husband of the above

Died 11th Sept. 1920

Aged 80 years

“A good name rather to be …

Than great riches…

 

According to Auckland Council libraries site, Annie died 4 April 1890 and is buried here also with her sons George Herbert WOOD died 23 December 1870 aged 11 months and Harold Shanott [sic] WOOD died 6 January 1874 aged 10 months

Other information on the grave physically is also mentioned.[4]

  

Noah arrived in Auckland 1 December 1863 on board The Green Jacket [24]

 

Married Annie Maria SHARROTT c1865 [5]

 

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXI, Issue 2557, 28 September 1865, Page 4

On September 26, by the Rev A. Macdonald, at Mr Jeffcoat’s, Clyde street, Noah, second son of Mr Thomas WOOD of Grendon, to Annie Maria, youngest daughter of Mr Joseph SHARROTT, of Polesworth, both of Warwickshire, England – Home papers please copy [23]

 

They had issue:

Charlotte Annie bc1867

Married c1891 to Herbert Frames KNIGHT [see family info below]

 

George Herbert bc1869 died 1879

Auckland Star, Volume I, Issue 299, 24 December 1870, Page 2

WOOD on 23rd December, George Herbert, son of Noah WOOD, aged 14 months[8]

The funeral will take place on Friday, 28th inst., at 2 p.m.[1]

 

Mary Ethel bc1871

Married John Houghton GARLICK December 18 1895 at her fathers house “Grendon”, Mt Albert.[27]

 

Percy Hindostan bc1875

Born after their return to NZ. Died aged 13 months. His middle name after the boat his parents left NZ on earlier. He would have been conceived around the time they left NZ, approximately April 1874].

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXXI, Issue 5541, 27 May 1875, Page 2

WOOD on May 26, at Ponsonby, Percy Hindostan, only son of Noah Wood; aged 13 months.

 

Albert Henry bc1877

Frederick bc1879

Thomas Joseph bc1881

Lawrence Edwin bc1884

Violet Nora bc1887

 

Noah married secondly Laura CAPPER c1894 [6]

 

A newspaper articles states he was Superintendent of Congregational Sabbath School, Newton from March 1866[3] however another newspaper reports this as Enoch WOOD but also mentions Noah Wood in other capacities [7]

 

1872 article states Noah is Secretary of the Newton Congregational School [10]

 

Occupation December 1865: Clerk in Messrs. Thornton, Smith and Firth[2]

Occupation June 1876: Butcher [19]

Occupation March 1877: Butcher [20] Was this occupation for years.

 

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVII, Issue 4180, 6 January 1871, Page 7

The Domain on January 2 was the scene of a most pleasant gathering, no less than 1,200 children, attenders at the various Sabbath schools, having assembled within its precincts to spend the day in amusement. Swings, French tig [sic], buns, milk, tea, lollies, merry-go-round, &c., afforded endless sources of gratification…. Newton School (Independent), 140 scholars, Mr. Noah Wood, manager for the day. [9]

 

1871 Noah and Enoch WOOD mentioned in the drinking reform issues

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

 

New Zealand Herald, Volume X, Issue 2868, 8 April 1873, Page 2

“A musical and literary entertainment, in connection with the Newton Band of Hope was held in the Newton Congregational School-room last evening. The room was comfortably filled by an attentive and appreciative audience. The Rev. G. H. Turner presided. The first portion of the musical entertainment was sacred the second secular. Mr. Noah Wood gave an original reading entitled, "Auckland in 1883," in which he showed what a great amount of good the passing of the Permissive Bill had done for this province after it had been in operation for five years. At the conclusion of the reading Mr. Wood was greeted with continued applause.” (I wonder how close to the truth his vision of the effects of drink on society in 1883 were?!) [11]

 

Noah decided to leave NZ and return to England as an advert appears for the whole of his household furniture for sale at his residence, Collingwood Street on 31 March 1874 [12]

 

Auckland Star, Volume V, Issue 1292, 28 March 1874, Page 2

We observe that Mr Noah Wood and family will be among the passengers homeward bound by the good ship Hindostan, commanded by Captain Robert Peek. Mr Wood leaves on account of ill health, thinking that the colder climate of his native land may possibly improve his physical constitution. It is due to Mr Noah Wood to say that he has been most assiduous while in Auckland in his endeavours to advance the public good by advocating the principles of sobriety and imparting religious instruction in Sunday schools. It is meet, therefore, that his friends should publicly recognise his labours previous to his departure from these shores.[13]

 

Auckland Star, Volume V, Issue 1293, 30 March 1874, Page 2

We understand that yesterday afternoon the teachers and children of the Newton Congregational Sunday School presented Mr Noah Wood (who is leaving for England) with a beautiful and valuable collection of New Zealand ferns in a handsomely carved case of mottled kauri, as a token of their respect, and as a recognition of his services in connection with the school, and more especially for the part he took in the erection of their present comfortable schoolroom in Edinburgh-street. The young men's class also presented him with an album bound in morocco, and containing their portraits. Mr Wood has for many years past been secretary of the school, and also teacher of the Young Men's class. We are sure Mr Wood must feel an inward satisfaction that his past efforts have been successful in no small degree. He carries with him not only any special tokens of appreciation, but from everyone who has come in contact with him, expressed or unexpressed regret at his removal. Not only has the church in Newton lost an eminent worker, but in many other matters in the city, which bore in a christian direction in which he was specially useful, must lose considerably. He leaves in a few days for England, and we hope the result of his labours in Auckland will bear much fruit.[14]

 

Also sold “a superior riding mare 12 years old, bred by R. Gaham, Esq. She is very quiet, ad broken to carry a Lady.[15]

  

New Zealand Herald, Volume XI, Issue 3866, 3 April 1874, Page 2

Shipping

Weather, April 2: Fine

Wind, April 2: Calm

Hindostan passenger list…Mr and Mrs Noah Wood, Charlotte and Ethel Wood. [16]

 

Noted as leaving on 4 April and travelling in the second cabin [17]

 

He was obviously back in to airing his views on the abolition of alcohol. He is mentioned in this article as a rate payer of Auckland:

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

  

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1803, 25 November 1875, Page 3

PONSONBY FAMILY MEAT DEPOT

In thanking my customers, and the residents of Ponsonby and neighbourhood generally, for the encouragement given me during the past six months, beg to assure them that, in the future, no effort will be spared to make my establishment second to none in Auckland, for quality, cleanliness, attention, and cheapness.

The quality hitherto supplied will be continued.

New residents on leaving their orders, will receive prompt attention.

NOAH WOOD

November 25, 1875 [18]

(This indicates that Noah and family were back in NZ at least by May 1875, therefore only out of NZ for approximately a year). He further places an advert in April 1877 stating he had been in business in Ponsonby for 2 years [21]

  

March 1878 signed a public notice along with others, agreeing to use a slaughterhouse contemplated to erect on a Western Springs property provided accommodation afforded is sufficient and the fees to be charged do not exceed any that are current.[22]

 

Noah wood and the Newton Band of Hope:

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

and a long letter to the Editor, 1872

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

 

1896 Noah built a house on what is now 20 Alexis Avenue, Mt Eden[25]

 

Noah’s probate is available. He is described as a retired tradesman:

archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=21457089

  

Family information:

 

Knight, Herbert Frames, Dental Surgeon, Bank of New Zealand Buildings, Queen Street, Auckland. Telephone 1038. Mr. Knight was born at Tewkesbury, England, in 1864. He arrived in Auckland with his parents in 1881, when he commenced to study for his profession, and, having passed the necessary examinations, he was registered on the 30th of October, 1890. Mr. Knight practised in New Plymouth till 1897, when he left on a tour of the American and English colleges for further study and information in the arts of dentistry. He returned about the end of 1898, and established his present practice. As a Freemason he is attached to Lodge Ara, No. 1. Mr. Knight is a brother of Dr. Knight, of Auckland. He was married, in 1891, to a daughter of Mr. Noah Wood, of Mount Albert, and has one son and one daughter.

     

SOURCES:

[1]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[2]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[3]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[4]

www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll?AC=QBE...

[5]

NZ Dept Internal Affairs Historic BDM Indexes: marriage registration 1865/3962

[6]

NZ Dept Internal Affairs Historic BDM Indexes: marriage registration 1894/1285

[7]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[8]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[9]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[10]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[11]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[12]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[13]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[14]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[15]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[16]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[17]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[18]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[19]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[20]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[21]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[22]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[23]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...

[24]

nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bre01Whit-t1-body-d...

[25]

mtalberthistoricalsociety.org.nz/media/MAHS%20Newsletter%...

[26]

nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cyc02Cycl-t1-body1-...

[27]

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=NZ...

 

weightless, like human beings in space.

 

Like oxygen, life, and wings take flight

 

The hurricane and wind force stronger than any natural disaster

scorched earth lighting struck

 

stuck

watching paint and plaster dry

All who consume are willing to die for it

obsessed by thoughts of you...like money, the need is happiness, self gratification, forgetting, and shame.

 

Taste salty like blood

sticks & stones

soul in the mud.

While she greets you as your honor... I beseech thee to kill the pain inside brains- veins better than oxycontin

It's haunting non-stopping

tick-tockin.

blogged here

 

The interfaces that lead us into cyberspace prove that one cannot detach technology from desire. Digital technologies promise to transcend familiar reality and to connect us to the paradise that reality has taken from us. Down with the detours and delays of reality: let us have instant gratification! What we cannot have in reality, we can have via the fantasy screen. As a “consensual hallucination” cyberspace would be the utopic, new ideal world.

Interface Fantasy: A Lananian Cyborg Ontology – Andre Nusselder

In the virtual world of Second Life, where status is often accrued by having the best collection of sexually appealing avatars, desire and its ultimate physical endpoint, sex (or in this case cybersex), prevails. Cybersex is “more than role play it is the creation of a shared fantasy.” Avatars are hollow – avatars are pure, avatars are clean, avatars have no orifices. They do not leak, shit, sweat, rot – there is no inconvenience to their bodies. And if an avatar has no orifices then sex in Second Life is safer than in real life – the user is “freed from the burden of the body.” Many criticisms have been levelled at Second Life for its high number of sex, porn and exotic dance Sims. Contemporary art critic and curator Domenico Quaranta said of in world existence, “life revolves around the banal repetition of real-life rituals (having sex, going dancing, and attending parties, openings and conferences) and the same principles: private property, wealth and consumption.” As the promotional video for dedicated cybersex virtual world “The Red Light Center” attests, “Be who you want to be…without the hassle”. Cybersex or ‘getting off online’, in Second Life is a form of immersive role play – a mixed reality happening in that it more often than not, one could imagine, elicits physical action in its users offline.

 

Whilst filming the “sex-scene” for this work my mind flickered between the ridiculousness of two digital bodies’ glitching against each other and the surreal feeling that behind that bunch of pixels a real person is operating and text chatting or, somewhat disturbingly, perhaps even masturbating. In the end I created two avatars – one my own and one an idealised male – and operated them both simultaneously using two computers to create the desired film output for projection. It was quite fitting as in the end, playing dolls, are we not just virtually fucking ourselves anyway? Can we really create intimacy in these new manufactured spaces?

 

Search Engine Masturbation = Google Search + Live Search + Yahoo Search + RSS

 

Concept

Instead of daily vanity/ego search, create a Yahoo Pipe to search simultaneously using Google, Live and Yahoo and turn them into an RSS feed. In other words, instead of turning yourself into a bot to monitor the bots' activities, spend your time to create relevant content be indexed instead!

 

1. SML Flickr: SEM: Source

2. SML Flickr: SEM: Run Pipe

3. SML Flickr: SEM: Run Pipe: See-ming Lee

 

SML Pro Blog: Yahoo Pipes: Search Engine Masturbation

 

Related SML Universe

SML Ask

SML Clusty

SML Flickr

SML Google

SML GYM = SML + Google + Yahoo + MSN

SML LinkedIn

SML Live

SML Pipes

SML Pro Blog: Domain names = My one-line poetry

SML Pro Blog: SML SEO = See-ming Lee + Search Engine Optimization

SML RSS

SML Search

SML SEM

SML SEO

 

SML Copyright Notice

Copyright 2007 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / Search Engine Masturbation.

This work is licensed under a

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Scored a couple of boxes of Polaroid 669 that expired in 2008 for $5/box! Definitely can't find it at those prices on "the Bay"! So naturally, I loaded them up and threw the packs through my handy-dandy Polaroid Land 420 camera for some early afternoon shooting. Since the film was expired and originally a slower 75 ASA, much exposure compensation was needed to retain some detail in the highlights and yellow channel.

 

Expired Polaroid 669 unknown storage

Polaroid Land 420

Dial +3 lighten

Bulb exposure for 5 sec.

Host of Gun For Hire Radio podcast. www.gunforhireradio.com/

Playing around just before Xmas, I borrowed a snazzy little Polaroid Spectra Close-Up kit from Mr. Michael Raso of the Film Photography Podcast. WARNING: This closeup kit + Impossible Project film needs A LOT of light! But when you can nail down the "pull string" focusing, you'll be rewarded with great shots.

 

Polaroid Spectra SE

Closeup Attachment w/ "pull string"

Impossible PZ 680

Polaroids taken with converted 110 Pathfinder and expired film via Impossible Project.

Thank you, Zappos, for the instant gratification of these things that I loved as a child. I feel better already. And a certain someone for the poodle socks!

www.redcarpetreportv.com

 

Mingle Media TV and our Red Carpet Report team were invited to cover the Celebrity Connected Honoring The Emmys Luxury Gifting Suite at the Great Room of the W Hotel Hollywood.

 

What Celebs Found at this Awesome Gift Suite

From Little Tipsy (spiked) Cakes to sweet potato apple chips by Seneca, Shut Your Pie Hole pie in a jar and the vegan and gluten free Yoga.urt were a good place to start but then we stopped at The Curious Creamery and we learned how to make our own ice cream without a machine needed. Then there was the Blast Ice Cream, LA's first liquid nitrogen ice cream mobile food truck, can you say instant gratification?

 

There were more gourmet food products from Corine's Cuisine with some amazing sauces and recipes. And of course you need some kitchen accessories to make those amazing recipes, right? There were green friendly vendors, from reusable food wraps by Nil, reusable cake and loaf liners by Unstick which we love. Mora Wines poured their Cabernet Franc and Valpo, and gifted hand painted bottles.

 

Wearable items made a statement: ‘I care about Fair Trade and the planet.’ The Casery had protective gear for the Iphone 7. Japanese designer Akiko Shinto had their retro-chic and modern Asian edge Vivon eyewear collection. Uashmama, had a line of cross body bags and home accessories made from high-grade paper that looks and wears like leather.

 

Jafra was there with their unforgettable royal jelly lipsticks, along with other wellness products like Theramu’s restorative cream and sublingual pain remedies to Haiku Organics’ soaps, DeP’s two-month face mask treatments (with reusable chic leopard print mask), Elyptol hand sanitizers, the UK’s PureSkin by Vanessa Blake, French company Bioderma, and Washdolly’s reusable make-up remover towels.

 

There were also natural products from social good Toronto-based the Pink House, founded by sisters Tracy Olesen and Karen Sjöberg. Sjöberg had been diagnosed with breast cancer and realized there was a need for simple but luxurious beauty products crafted without hazardous chemicals.

 

Get the Story from the Red Carpet Report Team, follow us on Twitter and Facebook at:

• twitter.com/TheRedCarpetTV

• www.facebook.com/RedCarpetReportTV

• www.youtube.com/MingleMediaTVNetwork

 

About Celebrity Connected

Celebrity Connected helps create the best marketing strategy for your business by utilizing the power of celebrity to elevate the visibility and popularity of your brand. With a Celebrity Connected gifting lounge or gifting suite, attendees should expect an occasion where celebrities freely mingle with various brands, the spaces are large enough for elaborate displays, photographers and videographers capture a massive range of content, and about 50 brands from a variety of industries all around the world show their best. For more info please visit: www.celebrityconnected.net. www.facebook.com/celebrityconnected

 

For more of Mingle Media TV’s Red Carpet Report coverage, please visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook here:

www.facebook.com/minglemediatvnetwork

www.flickr.com/MingleMediaTVNetwork

www.twitter.com/minglemediatv

 

Extrait de "Motivation, plaisir et gratification" : www.francoisguite.com/2005/05/motivation-plaisir-et-grati...

 

by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Gosvami Maharaja

 

hawaii_sbvnm.jpg - 14922 Bytes[A lecture given at the home of Vrndavana dasa in Oahu, Hawaii on May 11, 2002

Every day, Srila Maharaja is usually surrounded by hundreds of devotees in the West, and hundreds or thousands every day in India. From mid-April to mid-May, however, he was externally almost alone in Hawaii, accompanied only by a few assistants, so that he could concentrate on his translation of Sri Rupa Gosvami's Sri Ujjvala-nilamani and his translation of our acaryas' commentaries of that literature. He only gave one public class, and the transcription of that class is presented herein.]

Srila Swami Maharaja inspired me to go to Western and Eastern countries to preach the same mission that he preached, and I am happy that by the combined mercy of Srila Swami Maharaja and my diksa-guru, Srila Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, I am doing so. Srila Swami Maharaja preached everywhere by his books.

 

The words we speak in classes may disappear into the sky, but what is written as a document, in books like Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and the books of the Gosvamis will remain forever and help for millions of years.

 

Srila Swami Maharaja used to come to this island to write, for it is very favorable here, and I am also doing a great deal of writing here. I have been totally absorbed in that for the last three weeks, and I have not been giving classes during that time. Do you know why? I am concentrating on my translation work so that I can give document writings to the world...

 

On this island I am totally absorbed in writing about the very elevated moods of Srila Rupa Gosvami; moods that were inspired in him by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself. Mahaprabhu ordered Srila Rupa Gosvami to write about the deep moods of the gopis, as well as the process by which we can achieve similar moods.

 

Most of you are not qualified to hear or read about this, what to speak of follow, and yet we are writing. Otherwise, if we do not do so, these moods will be lost to the world. We must record this for future generations. These moods of the gopis have not been clearly written about even in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, except in a hidden way, but Srila Rupa Gosvami has given definitions of each of them in Sri Ujjvala-nilamani.

 

We see that in this world, those who have lust, anger, and other bad qualities cannot advance in sadhana-bhajana, what to speak of entering the transcendental realm. If a person cannot remove all the anarthas delineated in first sloka of Upadesamrta, like vaco vegam manasah krodha-vegam, jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam, he cannot advance in bhakti.

 

On the other hand, we see that there is quarreling in Goloka Vrndavana. Srimati Radhika has a somewhat jealous mood towards Candravali, and Candravali has the same mood towards Radhika.

 

It seems that they also quarrel. Why is this so in that sphere? Actually, the gopis are transcendental, Krsna is transcendental, their love and affection is transcendental, and their quarreling is also transcendental. You should know that their quarreling is not worldly. Rather, it is an expression of love and affection, to increase the pleasure of Krsna.

 

If the above-mentioned moods were not present in their pure forms in the transcendental world they could not exist in this world, and Srila Rupa Gosvami has written about all the gopis' moods for our benefit. He has explained why they are sulky and so on, and I am giving you a very slight taste of their moods in my translation and writing.

 

Jealous of Candravali, Srimati Radhika told Lalita, Visakha, and all Her sakhis, "Candravali does not know even the ABC's of love and affection. Since she has no real mana (transcendental loving anger due to jealousy), no sulky mood, how can she please Krsna? She will never be able to please Him." The prema of Candravali is called grta-sneha. Grta means ghee. It has the quality of being very soft and smooth, but it is not sweet. The prema of Radha is called madhu-sneha. Madhu means honey, which is both soft and smooth, and also sweet. Even if Radhika abuses Krsna, or even if she is in maan, Her mood is very attactive and wonderful. All become happy to see Her activities, and their love becomes more intense. Therefore, in all situations, Her madhu-sneha prema can be called "soft and sweet." Radhika continued, "Candravali is very soft in her dealings with Krsna. Even if she sees that Krsna has committed an offense to her lotus feet and, in front of her, He is meeting with other gopis, she will generally not become sulky. She may sometimes do so, but not often. Without this sulky anger, no one can serve Krsna, or please Him. She does not have a trace of love and affection, so I don't even want to hear her name. Never mention her name in My assembly."

 

Candravali likewise told her sakhis, "I don't want to hear the name of Radhika. I don't even want to hear the name of the star constellation called anuradha. Why not? Neither the experts on the subject of love, nor the great sages and munis, appreciate the mood of Radhika; nor do the yogis and rsis meditate on the mood of Radhika, nor do they appreciate Her name. Those rsis who always meditate upon Krsna's lotus feet never attract Radha to their hearts. Those who want to peacefully meditate on the lotus feet of Krsna become disturbed if they think about the moods of Srimati Radhika. In fact, Her name alone makes then tremble and become disturbed. That very same Krsna fell at the feet of Radhika, and still She rejected Him and said, 'I don't want You here. O black Krsna, get out of My kunja.' So don't utter Her name, and don't even utter the word anuradha."

 

Radhika and Candravali both speak in this way, but Radhika's love and affection is superior. The highest truths of Radhika's madhu-sneha prema have been described, in minute detail, in Srila Rupa Gosvami's Ujjvala Nilamani. They have not been disclosed in Srimad Bhagavatam, or in the books of Sri Jayadeva Gosvami, or by previous acaryas. Only Srila Rupa Gosvami has revealed these intimate moods, in Vidagda-Madhava, Lalita-Madhava, and here in Ujjvala Nilamani.

 

Except for works like these, there are no other descriptions of these moods, and my mind and activities are absorbed in writing here in Vrndavana dasa's house in Hawaii. The topics in Ujjvala Nilamani are very elevated subject matters, which you would never be able to imagine even in thousands of births. I am translating this most valuable literature for the future, and those who will be qualified will experience a new life by reading it. Although I have little formal education, I am so fortunate that by the mercy of my guru-parampara, this ability to translate and write commentary is coming automatically.

 

[Sripad Madhava Maharaja: (Madhava Maharaja is engaged as the editor of Srila Narayana Maharaja's translation and commentary of Sri Ujjvala-nilamani, and now he is requested by Srila Maharaja to give some hint about the subject matter therein.)]You have heard from Srila Gurudeva why he came to Hawaii and what he is doing here. He is now translating the commentaries of Srila Jiva Gosvami and Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura on Ujjvala Nilamani, and on his previous tour he completed the writing of his own commentary.

 

Once, a sakhi of Srimati Radhika asked Her, "O Radhike, why are you jealous of Candravali? What is the fault that Candravali has the same desire? You want to make Krsna happy and Candravali has the same desire. So what is the harm if She takes some of your workload? Let her do so." Radhika replied, "Yes, you are speaking the truth, but Candravali does not know at all what will please Krsna and make Him more and more happy. I'm bound to be jealous of her and in competition; otherwise Krsna will never be happy."

 

Once Krsna wanted to enjoy with Radhika and the other gopis who were on the bank of Manasi Ganga. Whoever has been on Vraja Mandala Parikrama in Govardhana has seen Manasi Ganga. there was a boat there, called vilasa-taraa, and Krsna wanted to have fun on that boat with the help of the gopis. Krsna invited Radhika, "O Srimati Radhike, tarani uttistha; please come and sit in this boat." According to Sanskrit grammar, tarani is the seventh case ending and it has more then one meaning.

 

Taruni means "on the tree," and it also means "on the boat." Krsna was inviting Radhika to be seated inside the boat, but Radhika replied, "Oh, I am unable to climb the tree." Krsna meant one thing and Radhika replied with another meaning. Then Krsna told Her, "O Radhike, you are quite ignorant! You could not understand what I wanted to tell You. I am saying boat and You are hearing tree.

 

Why? Oh, I think you must be very clever." He then again said, "Taruni uttistha." Taruni means "boat" and also "the Sun-god." This time Radhika replied, "I have no love for the Sun-god; I have love for You. Why are You asking Me to love the Sun-god? I don't like this."

 

Krsna was defeated by Radhika, but He did not want to accept defeat. He said, "You think You are the most clever person in the entire world. Now I am telling You, "Naukam uttistha. Naukam means boat. This word does not have two meanings. What will You say now?" Radhika replied, "Oh, according to the rules of Sanskrit grammar, nau is the sixth case ending of the root word asmad. Nau means the dialogue between You and Me for meeting.

 

There was no dialogue between You and Myself for meeting. I never proposed to meet with You, so why are You saying, 'Naukam uttistha'? I'm not satisfied with Your words." Thus, Krsna was defeated again by Radhika, and He began to smile.

 

Srila Rupa Gosvamipada has explained how Radhika and Krsna joke with each other, and how Krsna is always defeated by Radhika.

 

When Srila Dasa Gosvamipada was absorbed in an inner mood, he saw this pastime in trance and wrote the verse: "Vak yukta keli katu kejit. When will that day come for me that I will be able to see the debate between Radha and Krsna in which Krsna is defeated by Radhika, all the sakhis rejoice and clap, and Radhika's lotus face looks very happy? When will I be able to see all this?"

 

We pray to Srila Gurudeva that although we are very unqualified to even discuss such topics, the day will come by his causeless mercy that we will be able to serve the Divine Couple.

 

[Srila Narayana Maharaja:] In his Bhajana Rahasya, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has explained how to do bhajana for attaining these moods, and to that end he quoted Srila Rupa Gosvami's Sri Upadesamrta:

 

utsahan niscayad

dhairyat tat-tat-karma-pravartanat

sanga-tyagat sato vrtteh

sadbhir bhakti prasidhyati.

["There are six principles favorable to the execution of pure devotional service: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavoring with confidence, (3) being patient, (4) acting according to regulative principles [such as sravanam, kirtanam, visnu smaranam [SB 7.5.23] – hearing, chanting and remembering Krsna], (5) abandoning the association of nondevotees, and (6) following in the footsteps of the previous acaryas. These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete success of pure devotional service."]

 

Before this, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had written that if you really want to have bhakti and be a guru, you must follow this instruction of Srila Rupa Gosvami:

vaco vegan manasah krodha-vegan

jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam

etan vegan yo visaheta dhirat

sarvamapiman prthivit sa sisyat

You should try to control your mind, tongue, speech, belly, and the other urges. Otherwise, you cannot do bhajana. The guru is one who has controlled all six urges, and without such control one is bound to fall down. It is for this reason that so many sannyasis have fallen down.

The second sloka of Sri Upadesamrta states:

 

atyaharah prayasas ca

prajalpo niyamagrahah

jana-sangah ca laulyam ca

sadbhir bhaktir vinasyati.

["One's devotional service is spoiled when he becomes too entangled in the following six activities: (1) eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required; (2) overendeavoring for mundane things that are very difficult to obtain; (3) talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters; (4) Practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake of following them and not for the sake of spiritual advancement, or rejecting the rules and regulations of the scriptures and working independently or whimsically; (5) associating with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Krsna consciousness; and (6) being greedy for mundane achievements."]

 

I have explained all these principles to you before, and they are all important, but now I wish to discuss the particular sloka beginning "Utsahan niscayad dhairyat," with consideration of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura's the explanation.

From past births' impressions, you are somehow or other coming in touch with pure devotees like Srila Swami Maharaja, who traveled everywhere to help so many. By this, sraddha comes, and one somehow takes the shelter of a guru. However, if one is chanting, remembering Krsna, and hearing hari-katha, but he has not yet come to the stage of ruci, taste in these devotional practices and taste in serving guru, Vaisnavas, and Krsna, he will certainly be weak. This is the case with those who have fallen down. This stage is very critical, and I think most of you are in this stage.

 

We know very well, intellectually, that by chanting and remembering Krsna we will be happy. We will realize Krsna and then we will be happy. Still we have anarthas, however, and if they are not removed, they are very dangerous to our devotional life. We know we should not have lust, but lust is there, and we cannot remove these material desires by our efforts alone. We must have the mercy of Krsna and His devotees, but we must also try to follow the orders of our gurudeva and try to control our senses.

 

Srila Thakura Bhaktivinoda is thus explaining in his Bhajana Rahasya the instructions of Srila Rupa Gosvami. Utsahan means enthusiasm. We think that we should work 24 hours a day for worldly things, to make money and have a position, and we labor very hard at our jobs. But do we have the taste to work for Krsna 24 hours, seven hours, one hour, or even one minute? If taste will come, we will automatically serve Krsna. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is telling us that as long as we are in this world we will have to maintain our life, but we will also have to practice our bhakti-yoga.

 

Do you understand what I have said? If not, then I am speaking to the sky. Not all of you are hearing attentively, so why am I speaking? If you cannot pay attention in class, it would be better for you to go out and perform nagara-sankirtana. But since you have come, then please give two or three minutes to me. Don't let your mind wander here and there, to your children and everywhere else. You have enough time to look after your children and all other things at other times.

 

If you are in this world and you want to have bhakti, then both are necessary. First, you will have to somehow maintain your life, otherwise you cannot do bhakti. At your present stage of development, maintenance of your lives is the first priority.

 

However, when you advance, bhakti will be the priority and life's maintenance will be secondary. In fact, the effort for it will be very insignificant at that time. Life's maintenance will be done automatically.

 

Prahlada Maharaja has also said, tat-prayaso na kartavyo yata ayur-vyayah param: ["Endeavors merely for sense gratification or material happiness through economic development are not to be performed, for they result only in a loss of time and energy, with no actual profit." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.6.4] "Why are you wasting your time in maintaining your life? Even if you render a little devotional service, Krsna will arrange everything; your maintenance will come automatically." This is the case with me. I never engage in any activity for life's maintenance, but so many devotees are engaged in bringing me whatever I require.

 

Some are giving fruits, some vegetables, some rice, some dahl, and some anything else; and some give their houses and other very costly possessions. I think that living in Hawaii, and especially in Honolulu, is more costly than living on the mainland of America. Nonetheless, along with my companions, I am living here without any cost. We have a free house, a free garden and free vegetables, and so many things like Govinda's juices. Everything is free. Also, my daughters bring many jack-fruits and other vegetables.

 

I am not doing anything for maintenance. Rather, I am totally absorbed in Krsna consciousness, and I will not worry about maintenance for the rest of my life. If no maintenance comes, then Krsna is bound to carry what I need on His head.

 

Similarly, if you have ruci, your bhajana will develop and you will be happy forever. You should note down this very important principle in your heart and keep this precious understanding in your pocket. Don't concentrate on your maintenance. Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura tell us that both are necessary, and that in your stage there is a prominence of endeavor for maintenance of your life, but at the same time you should try to follow the principles of bhakti: sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada sevanam arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam.

 

Especially, try to follow the five most important items of bhakti: sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavat-sravana, mathura-vasa, and sri murtira sraddhaya sevana. ["One should associate with devotees, chant the holy name of the Lord, hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, reside at Mathura and worship the Deity with faith and veneration." (Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 22.128)] [sakala-sadhana-srestha ei panca anga, krsna-prema janmaya ei pancera alpa sanga. "These five limbs of devotional service are the best of all. Even a slight performance of these five awakens love for Krsna." (Caitanya-caritamrta Madya-lila 22.129)]

 

These five are very powerful; they can give you krsna-prema at once. So try to give some time for this; otherwise you will be weak. Try to remember all these truths. Maintenance is not so important. You can see for yourselves: Don't do anything for seven days, simply chant Hare Krsna, and you will see whether or not your maintenance is coming. Even if you sit idle, still your maintenance will come. A python does not do anything, but his maintenance automatically comes; so try to be like that. Be somehow engaged in bhakti. Be very strong and tolerant.

 

Editorial advisors: Pujyapad Madhava Maharaja and Sripad Brajanatha dasa

Transcriber: Yasoda-gopi dasi

Editor: Syamarani dasi and Krsna Bhamini dasi

Typist: Premavati dasi

HTML: Bhutabhavana dasa

  

www.bvml.net/SBNM/lectures/20020511agosun.html

 

Sri Ujjvala-Nilamani

 

by Srila Rupa Gosvami

 

www.bvml.net/SRG/SriUjjvalaNilamani.html

Pain 100% and Death (in a coffin shaped package)!

We all expect instant gratification - but that's not the case when you take a hard drive to have someone attempt a recovery. First a diagnosis - well, first pass at that failed (and I already had done those steps so I knew it was coming but we all hope for a miracle). So now it's with technical where I'll get a quote for how much my carelessness will cost me. Just like with my cat, there's a $ mark where I say forget it - just put it out of its misery. So I'm waiting to see if like the cat, the drive knew just how far to push the limit. Yes, the cat's worth far more to me than the USB drive, after all he's family, but I've realized from experience that prolonging the suffering of a four-legged friend becomes abuse.

 

I will say, if you're in the Houston area and need computer or drive work then you should think first of Northrock Computer. Very nice people and they're not out to rob you of your home and grandkids. They got Small Business of the year for NW Houston Area and I can easily see why!

 

Take my advice or ignore it. The risk is yours. I've already bought one drive and I'll decide on a second. I need to make up my mind how to set up a backup. I'm leaning toward a small 2 T portable USB for my new photos and using the 3 T USB drive I bought for backup.

Sex is deeper than few inches of deeper penetration, it is a mental and emotional activity that combines two souls. Everyone enjoys that moment when your body floats in emotion around each other and provides maximum gratification is the ultimate goal. But what now, is your growing age coming in the middle of your sexual healthy life? Are you continuously suffering from frequent erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, and low libido? If the answer is yes, then I would suggest you to use Supercharge Male Enhancement from today only to get rid of all these problems. These problems are very stubborn and deteriorate your sexual health more and more with each leading days.

Visit here: www.wellnessfact.org/supercharge-male-enhancement/

The Courier Mail

Sat 27 Nov 1937

 

Old Town Hall a Link With Early Days

 

The old Town Hall was completed in 1865 at a cost of £25,000, and the civic fathers of that distant day had every reason for self-gratification.

 

Every to-day the old building is regarding as one of the finest examples of Italian Renaissance architecture to be seen in Australia. For more than 70 years it classic facade has looked out upon an ever-changing scene in Queen-street. Through the decades demolition and reconstruction attended the relentless march of time.

 

When the freestone for its construction was excavated from the old Breakfast Creek quarry, the long low front of the convict barracks was still standing on the present site of Allan and Stark's premises. The adjoining site to the south was occupied by a shingle shanty, used as Brisbane's one and only Post Office.

 

The construction of what was an ambitious building for those times envinced the courage of the civic pioneers and the faith they possessed in the future of the old city. When the old Town Hall was built the municipal council had an income less than £60,000 a year.

 

At this time Parliament was engaged in railway construction and in preparing a home for itself on the present site at the foot of George Street. The municipality of Brisbane had been constituted just before Separation by a proclamation which the Governor of New South Wales had issued in compliance with a petition signed by 420 householders. The first election of a mayor and aldermen took place in October 1859, immediately before the establishment of Queensland as a colony.

  

Queensland State Archives Item ID 436348, Photographic material

ANAL PLAY – ARE YOU READY?

  

Anal sex is a very sensitive subject (pun intended!).  Some love anal play, some are dying to try it.  It is like the "last frontier"; the mountain you never climbed.  And for some, the mountain you never plan to climb!

  

But for...

 

loveworks.com/anal-play/

Got a pack of slightly expired Polaroid Sepia 1500 from The Impossible Project NYC space and wanted to test it out. And since shooting 3000 has been so difficult for me with my Polaroid Land 420 camera, I just threw the film through the Hasselblad 500C where precise metering and exposure could take place. LOVING the results!! ^__^

 

P.S. If you're interested in purchasing any of this awesome film, hurry up and do it ASAP! This film was supposed to be completely sold out, but TIP may have a few boxes lying around.

 

shop.the-impossible-project.com/shop/film/type100/fi_100_...

 

Hasselblad 500C + 80mm f/2.8 T*

1/30th @ f/8 w/ closeup filter attached

Polaroid Sepia 1500

Finally the rest of the Polaroids from my show at Aperture: A Photography and Variety Store in Cleveland, OH have started making their way onto Flickr!

 

www.aperturetremont.com

 

Next up continuing my mini-series of artists on Polaroid is a professional photographer and videographer by day, and analog photographer by night, Timothy Logan. Though digital is all the rage, and his studio work is beautiful, whenever he gets the chance, you can find Tim shooting an SX-70 or his brand new Crown Graphic! Check out more of his work at:

 

www.flickr.com/photos/13181641@N00//

 

timothylogan.blogspot.com/

 

Polaroid SLR 680

Polaroid 779 film, Expired 03/09

Exposure Dial set to +1 (lighten)

Flash Disabled

 

www.matmarrash.com

memorial to William Wilson by J. Waddilove Jnr of London. Erected by his son, William Wilson, Esq. with the following inscription:

 

"To the Memory of WILLIAM WILSON, ESQ. He derived his DESCENT from a respectable FAMILY; AFFLUENCE and CREDIT from his VIRTUES and ABILITIES, How fully these were displayed With what GALLANTRY and JUDGEMENT they were exerted The THANKS which he received on different OCCASIONS From the COURT of DIRECTORS of the Honourable the EAST INDIA COMPANY Were ample TESTIMONIES. Retiring from an active Scene, He passed the remainder of his Life in this Village, Where, during TWENTY-SIX Years, PHILANTHROPY and strict INTEGRITY actuated his Conduct as a MAGISTRATE; Exemplary PIETY as a CHRISTIAN. On this Tablet Affection with Truth must record, That, in every Situation deservedly esteemed, He possessed all the amiable and social Qualities Which must endear the HUSBAND, the PARENT, and the FRIEND. THE ALMIGHTY, Whose gracious Protection he often experienced And on whom alone he had ever relied, Was pleased to remove him from this Life On the 5th June, 1795. Aged 80."

 

From John Graves' History of Cleveland

 

" WE have been favoured with the following brief memorials of the late William Wilson, Esq. of Ayton, which we here present to our readers, as a tribute of respect to the memory of departed merit. It may, perhaps, be objected by some, that as the subject of this biographical sketch was not a native of Cleveland, he cannot, with propriety, claim a place in the history of that district: but, when it is considered that, after the active part of life spent in the services of the first commercial company in Europe, in which he wad eminently distinguished for his worth and talents, he chose Ayton for his retirement, where, during the evening of his days,

his virtues shone forth in the milder lustre of private life, we trust we shall be excused, if we annex to the history of this parish, the following brief particulars of his life and character.

CAPT. WILSON was descended from a very respectable Yorkshire family; his father was an inhabitant of London, and proprietor of considerable glass-works there; but, from some embarrassment in his affairs, left this, his third and only surviving son at an early age, to promote his own interest; and to form himself for the future service of his country in the school of adversity, which gradually established his character, and afterwards enabled him to meet the most trying circumstances with heroic fortitude.

HE was born in the year 1715; and after an education that peculiarly qualified him for the profession of a sailor, he entered at the early age of 14, from his own choice into the sea-service of the Hon. East India Company. After having,

in the course of 15 years, passed though the different gradations of rank, with great credit to himself, principally under Capt. Westcot, of the Scarborough, and Capt. Crompton, of the Duke of Loraine, he was advanced in the year 1744, to the command of the Great Britain, a private ship of war, of 30 guns, 12 and 18 pounders, 250 men, and three Lieutenants; the gentlemen, who accompanied Capt. Wilson in this capacity, were Messrs. Norway*, Hutton, and Curlet, all belonging to the service of the East-India Company.

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

*MR. NORWAY was afterwards the commander of the Britannia, East Indiaman.

He sailed in the Great Britain, from the Downs on the 10th November; and on the 17th fell in with a Spanish frigate, of superior force, which he obliged to steer off, and would probably have captured her, had not the disabled state of his ship’s rigging put it out of his power to prevent her escape.

ON the 22nd December following, he took a Spanish sloop of war, carrying dispatches, and with ten thousand pounds of specie, on board. He, soon after this, fell in with and engaged three French West Indiamen, furnished with letters of marquee, and mounting from 20 to 24 guns each; two of which he captured, after sustaining considerable damage in his ship’s rigging, &c.

ON relinquishing the command of the Great Britain, in the beginning of the year 1746, Captain Wilson re-entered the service of the East India Company; and in the year following was sworn into the command of the Suffolk, East Indiaman. For some years after Capt. Wilson’s appointment to this command, nothing remarkable seems to have occurred, till, in his last voyage in this ship, in the year 1756, he was overtaken, in his outward passage, of the Macclesfield Shoals, by one of those dangerous and tremendous storms, known by the name of tuffons or tyfongs. Capt. Wilson, in describing the astonishing violence of this hurricane, has been heard to say, that “the fury of the elements was far beyond conception, and that a faint idea only in their rage could be conveyed perhaps by saying, that it seemed as if heaven and earth were coming together.”

DURING his stay at China in the year 1757, there being every reason to conclude that a war with France had already broken out, Capt,. Wilson, having taken care to have his ship furnished with the best means of defence, was ordered to proceed to England, as commanding officer, with the ships, then ready to sail. Nothing remarkable occurred, till he reached the latitude of 35.4” fourth, and 6.30” to the eastward of the Cape of Good Hope; when on the 9th March, being supported by the Hon. Capt. Walpole of the Houghton, and Capt. Hutchinson of the Godolphin, the only ships then in the company: Capt. Wilson had the courage to encounter, and the skill, conduct, and good fortune, to beat off the Compte de Provence, a French ship of the line of 74 guns, commanded by Monsieur de la Chaise, together with the Sylphide frigate of 36 guns.

IN the month of June following, the Suffolk, Houghton, and Godolphin, arrived safe at Leith; and soon afterwards sailed for the river, with his Majesty’s ship, the Southampton. While at Leith, Capt. Wilson received the following letter from Mr. Cleveland, Secretary of the Admiralty:

“Admiralty-Office, 4th June, 1757.

SIR,

I HAVE received and read to my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, your letter of the 24th past, giving an account of your having in company with the Houghton and Godolphin, Indiamen, engaged two French men of war, in your passage home from the Cape of Good Hope; and I am to acquaint you, that your behaviour with that of the other officers, has given the Lords very great satisfaction.

I am, Sir, your very humble servant,

J. CLEVELAND.”

ON this occasion Capt. Wilson also received the thanks of the Court of Directors of the East-India Company, who presented him with a gold-medal, of one hundred guineas value, in testimony of the sense the members of that Court entertained of his gallant conduct.

WHEN Capt. Wilson accepted the command of the Great Britain, to which he was appointed in the year 1744, he had, at the same time, an officer of a ship in the East-India service; but, he made choice of the former, as being a situation which would afford him opportunity of devoting a greater portion of his time to the acquisition of professional knowledge. The period was now arrived, when he was called upon to fill a situation, which would allow scope for the display of that ability, which, from motives the most laudable, he had fought and acquitred with no inconsiderable share of peril and fatigue. It being judged expedient by the Court of Directors of the East-India Company, for the better protection of their trade to fit out a ship of war, Capt. Wilson was solicited to accept the command, as being an officer highly qualified for such an appointment.

ALTHOUGH the fortune he had acquired, amounted only to a very moderate competency, yet, as it was, in some measure equal to the moderation of his desires, he had now begun to turn his thoughts towards the gratification of a wish ha had long cherished, of passing the remainder of his life in retirement, and in the bosom of his friends. But, the amor patriæ which glowed within his breast, and the wish he gratefully entertained of justifying the deference paid to himself, as being the person, best qualified to discharge the duties of so arduous a trust, determined him to relinquish every private consideration, and to accept the appointment;* and being constituted (by a special commission bearing date 23rd December, 1757) commodore and commander of all ships and vessels in the service of the English East-India Company, he took his departure the year following, in the Pitt,**, a ship of war of 54 guns and 250 men; and having received on board Colonel Sir William Draper, and Major Brereton, with some troops under their command, he sailed from St. Helen’s on the 7th of March, in company with his Majesty’s ship, the Grafton of 74, and the Sunderland of 60 guns, having seven East-Indiamen under convoy. After landing these officers and troops at Fort St. George, he sailed from thence to China by a route till then unknown; and returning by the same tract, proved this passage to be practicable at all seasons of the year.

THE straits, through which he passed from the Indian seas, into the pacific Ocean, the islands which form them, together with some of their capes and headlands, retain, to this day, the names they received from him.

FOR this important discovery, and the facility, which the successful exertion of his bold and enterprising spirit thus obtained to eastern commerce and navigation, Commodore Wilson, was on his return to England, again unanimously voted the thanks of the Hon. Court of Directors; and was also presented with a gold-medal, commemorative of his meritorious services.

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

*As a proof that the conduct of Commodore Wilson did ample credit to the judgment with which this honourable and important commission was bestowed, it is recorded that “on his arrival in the East-Indies he volunteered his ship, and his services to Admiral Sir George Pococke; in the Bay of Bengal he chased, and brought to action a French ship of the line, greatly superior to his own, in rate and force; and at Batavaria he vindicated the rights of his country against the Dutch, and by his firmness and spirit compelled the Governour-General to acknowledge, that the English had a right to navigate, wherever it had pleased God to send water.” See the Naval Chronical for August 1805.

**THE Pitt was originally a French ship of 64 guns, called the Pondicherry; and received this new name from Commodore Wilson, as a testimony of respect to the illustrious Earl of Chatham; under whose auspices the whole naval department had prospered, and become gloriously formidable.

HAVING achieved what no other officer in the service had ever dared to undertake, Commodore Wilson, resigned his commission in the year 1762; and uninfluenced by vain ambition, or the desire of courting empty popularity ( having in the year 1755, married Rachael, third daughter of George Jackson, Esq. of Hill-House, Richmond, Yorkshire), he retired to the village of Ayton; where, practicing those virtues, which come within the reach of general imitation, he gave dignity to the walk of private life, y the pursuits of genius, the exertions of philanthropy, and the example of integrity

SUCH was Commodore Wilson; who, (having inculcated both by precept and example, that our country’s interest is the noblest impulse of the truly brave) departed this life on the 5th day of June, in the year 1795, and in the 80th year of his age.- He was buried within the parish church of Ayton, where a marble monument of elegant workmanship has been lately erected by his son, William Wilson, Esq. with the following inscription:

To the Memory of

WILLIAM WILSON, ESQ.

He derived his DESCENT from a respectable FAMILY;

AFFLUENCE and CREDIT from his VIRTUES and ABILITIES,

How fully these were displayed

With what GALLANTRY and JUDGEMENT they were exerted

The THANKS which he received on different OCCASIONS

From the COURT of DIRECTORS of the Honourable the EAST INDIA COMPANY

Were ample TESTIMONIES.

Retiring from an active Scene,

He passed the remainder of his Life in this Village, Where, during TWENTY-SIX Years,

PHILANTHROPY and strict INTEGRITY actuated his Conduct as a MAGISTRATE;

Exemplary PIETY as a CHRISTIAN.

On this Tablet

Affection with Truth must record,

That, in every Situation deservedly esteemed,

He possessed all the amiable and social Qualities

Which must endear the HUSBAND, the PARENT, and the FRIEND.

THE ALMIGHTY,

Whose gracious Protection he often experienced

And on whom alone he had ever relied,

Was pleased to remove him from this Life

On the 5th June, 1795.

Aged 80.

  

From Genuki

 

"In the church is a monument of elegant workmanship, to the memory of William Wilson, Esq. formerly commodore and commander-in-chief of the marine force of the English East India Company, in which situation "he displayed one continued series of acts of disinterested patriotism and distinguished services."

 

William Wilson was in the service of the East India Company in the 1750s and 1760s. He was Captain of the "Pitt" which sailed from Madras to Canton in 1758-9.

 

5/6/1764

 

Died at Ayton age 80, Cpt William WILSON. A commodore and commander-in-chief of the marine force of the East India Company, he performed various distinguished services, for which he was presented by the directors with a gold medal, commemorative of the same.

 

Christopher Barrow on genforum writes

 

"Commodore William Wilson (born 1715, died 1795). He was born in London the son of a glass manufacture also called William(?). Commodore Wilson married Rachel Jackson in 1755 and they had 9 children:

 

Henry, born 1756

Hannah, born 1758 married William Blackburn

Rachel, born 1758

Esther, born 1761

George, born 1764 married Juliet Chitty

William, born 1772

3 children were still born

 

He went to sea with the East India Company in 1729 aged 14, became a captain by 1744 and was promoted to Commodore 1758. He retired to Great Ayton, Yorkshire."

  

Edited from Wikipedia

 

"The Pitt was a 775 burthen ton convict ship dispatched in 1792 from England to Australia. She was built in 1780 on the River Thames for George Mackenzie Macauley.

 

She was employed for the services of the East India Company on various occasions between 1786 and 1798. Under the command of Edward Manning, she sailed from Yarmouth Roads, England on 17 July 1791, with 352 male and 58 female convicts and arrived at Port Jackson, New South Wales on 14 February 1792. Twenty male and nine female convicts died during the voyage. Five male convicts escaped during the voyage. She departed Port Jackson in March 1792 for England."

 

From Ords History of Cleveland

 

"The late Captain Wilson, of Ayton, sprang from a respectable Yorkshire family; but owing to embarrassment in his father’s affairs, commenced life with very slender means. At the age of 14, he entered the East India Company’s service; and having passed through the usual gradations of rank, was appointed, in 1744, to the command of the Great Britain, of 30 guns, and 250 men. In sailing from the Downs, he fell in with a Spanish frigate, of superior force, which he obliged to sheer off; and a month afterwards he captured a Spanish sloop of war, with £10,000, in specie on board. He afterwards engaged three French West Indiamen, and took two of them. Returning from China (1746), in the Suffolk East Indiaman, he fell in with a French ship of the line, Compte de Provence, 74 guns, and the Sylphide, 36 guns, and beat them off; for which heroic action he received the thanks of the Lords of the Admiralty, and the Court of Directors, who presented him with a gold medal, worth 100 guineas. In the same year, he was appointed by the directors to the Pitt ship of war, of 54 guns, and 250 men, and constituted “commodore and commander of all the ships and vessels in the Company’s service.” In the Bay of Bengal, he brought to action a French ship, greatly superior to his own in rate and force; and at Batavia, compelled the Dutch governor to acknowledge, that “the English had a right to navigate wherever it had pleased God to send water.”.

 

"Port Jackson was named after George Jackson, one of the secretaries within the Admiralty. The Jackson family came from North Yorkshire and Captain Cook encountered them several times during his career. One of George Jackson's sisters was Rachel, who married Commodore William Wilson of the Honourable East India Company. When Wilson retired from the HEIC they moved north to live at Great Ayton in Yorkshire. At the end of the Endeavour voyage, when Cook visited Great Ayton to see his elderly father, he and Mrs Cook stayed at Ayton Hall as guests of William and Rachel Wilson." Cliff Thornton

Hope Ashwin does not reject this because not in philter kaapi form.

 

Try white background today

My latest album takes its name from the side of the car featured in the second picture in the album.

 

I had spotted French's/The Auto Clinic on my inward journey to Yucca Valley and planned to photograph the three Beetles I had seen outside on the way back. I stopped to ask for permission and was greeted warmly by a member of staff and the beautiful dog, Diesel. To my enormous surprise and gratification, I was given access to the yard which is an enthusiasts delight, a VW graveyard where old cars give up their parts to keep others on the road. The philosophy of the business is to repair with genuine parts.

 

There was so much to see that the pictures in this album will have to speak for themselves without detailed text.

 

Thank you to the staff for allowing me access to your property.

 

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