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For more information about my craft, please visit my profile page.
LAVA is a 160 carat handcrafted wire wrapped black lava pendant that I created swirling and shaping non-tarnish sterling silver plate wire by hand to enhance the natural beauty and shape of the stone. The unique pattern in this rugged stone shows naturally formed "settings" for tiny gemstones that it collected as it cooled after the volcano erupted. The combination of the elegant, swirly and shiny wire setting, together with the earthy and dramatic stone creates a very versatile piece of wearable art that can be worn with a formal gown or your favorite casual jeans. Stylish Care More pendants are sure to be a focal point of any outfit.
It measures 1 1/2" across and 2 1/2" top to tip including the bail.
The bail is designed to be large enough to accommodate your favorite chain, choker or cord. Your gift of a 17" silver plate chain is included.
All purchases are nicely packaged in a gift box.
The following metaphysical healing properties have been collected from various sources. For more specific information please contact an experienced Crystal Therapist.
Basalt is solidified molten lava... an igneous volcanic rock produced in intense heat conditions. A stone of strength and fertility, Basalt provides stability in times of change. This stone helps to dissipate anger and provide guidance and understanding as it assists one in "bouncing back". A very grounding stone, black Lava will strengthen our connection to Mother Earth.
Lincoln is infested with right-wing bible-bashing cults.
This one has nothing better to do than stand outside Barclays Bank taking turns berating busy shoppers about their sinful worldly existence.
Metaphysical discourse of any kind should be welcome in this age of bland humanism.
But surely we deserve something a little more up to date than Jesus With A Pitchfork?
Here's a city where people suffering from alleged madness and genuine desperation coming in one direction routinely lurch into the welcoming arms of concerned happy-clappers from the other, usually via some fluoridated pharmaceutical intervention of an SSRI nature. That'll sort them out.
There is something of a problem locally with demonic possession, hearing voices, yes, gabbling unintelligbly, yes. Social Services is holding a corporate review of the situation with a view to establishing a Demon Monitoring Unit with responsibility to the Dept of Xenolalia and Glossolalia at the Peter (As Chairman of the Health Authority I Put Fluoride In Them) Hodgkinson Psychiatric Unit.
Column hectares of Lincoln newspaper letters pages are devoted to dire warnings, complete with biblical quotes, of the influence of Harry Potter on children's desire to get involved in witchcraft.
There's no such thing as a white witch, they opine, evidently hoping for a revivial of popular assent to the existence of a few black ones upon whom they can vent their sexual frustrations.
A good slogan might be: "Down with thongs, in with tongs, out with their tongues." Poor Miss Rowling.
In the midst of this primitive superstitious timewasting, perhaps a sermon on string theory from the local philosophy society would make a nice change from this fantastical question-begging over what God says about you not believing in God.
Unfortunately it meets at the Bishop's Palace, part of the cathedral, suggesting that even the non-shouty metaphysicians have not progressed very much further than their anti-telephone brethren depicted here.
I suspect they chose that venue because the more "normal" godbotherers want to keep a shifty eye on any rival isms that might be taking hold, such is the competition for fee-paying disciples.
Paranoid? But then what is God but a big conspiracy theory?
Worse even, the Bishop's Palace do is actually a philosophy COURSE, where after a brief loss leader event you go and pay quite a large sum to listen to someone else's rather eggy philosophy.
This illustrates the fascinating thing about philosophy - that going on courses about it or even spending years on it at university is acceptable, even admirable behaviour for a human being to indulge in.
But actually HAVING a philosophy, or discussing "reality" or "existence" outside these confines, is a risky, oddball (and in a thudheaded provincial nuthouse like Lincoln even dangerous) thing to do.
At least with these street philosophy vendors you get a free show, and you can take your own eggs if you desire.
Over twenty years this group has dwindled from a peak of about nine, to four.
Due, I suspect, to the group's lack of a proper business plan and a well-defined market niche, the sinful shoppers have failed to flock to this particular version of what Jesus said.
Right wing or wrong, in a battle between mindless consumerism and mindless deism these are the losers.
If only the public wanted a saviour, instead of a saver.
But a few theologico-financial schisms away the Plymouth Brethren are thriving, a sort of inbred, Amish-style, our-children-are-not-mixing-with-the-Devil-yes-that's-you group with their very own computerless, telephoneless, televisionless, outsiderless and doubtless clueless "school".
Where the fruits of their irrepressibly naughty loins are educated about how great it is not finding out about things or meeting other people, except God and his chosen representatives.
Better hide the razor blades on the top shelf, maw.
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For more information about my craft, please visit my profile page.
MOUNTAIN GATHERING is a substantial 170 carat handcrafted brown Tennessee Conglomerate pendant that I created swirling and shaping gold toned silver plate wire by hand, adding tiger eye chips and picture jasper square beads to enhance the natural beauty, color and shape of the stone. This earthy pendant will be a dramatic addition to your jewelry collection. This gemstone is a gorgeous example of Mother Nature's artwork showing off lots of color and design, with many shades of beiges and browns The combination of the elegant, swirly wire setting, together with the earthy and natural gemstone creates a very versatile piece of wearable art that can be worn with a party dress or your favorite casual jeans. Stylish Care More pendants are sure to add a touch of natural drama to your fashion wardrobe.
It measures 1 1/4" across and 3" top to tip including the bail.
The bail is designed to be large enough to accommodate your favorite chain, choker or cord. Your gift of a 17" gold plate chain is included with this purchase.
All purchases are nicely packaged in a gift box.
The following metaphysical healing properties have been collected from various sources. For more specific information please contact an experienced Crystal Therapist.
Conglomerate's healing effects:
Spiritually- it enhances critical thinking and correction.
Subconsciously- it improves one's sense of enhancing or hindering influences.
Mentally- It helps scrutinize oneself now and again and corrects one's desires.
Physically- it fortifies circulation, the spleen, small intestine and digestion.
Michael Smith (Princeton) giving a paper on "Internal Reasons and the Metaphysics of Responsibility". This photo was taken at the conference in honour of Bernard Williams at the University of Leeds in 2009.
For more information about my craft, please visit my profile page.
PAISLEY is a 65 carat handcrafted wire wrapped gold, bronze and gray Fossil Bamboo Jasper pendant that I created swirling and shaping antique brass copper wire by hand, adding goldsand chips and a gold metal paisley charm to enhance the natural beauty, color and shape of the stone. This unique stone has dramatic metallic shades of pewter, bronze, copper and gold. The combination of its many textures from the glisening goldsand chips to the chunky gemstone to the shiny swirly wire, creates a very versatile piece of wearable art that will be sure to be admired by others. Stylish Care More pendants are sure to add a touch of natural drama to your fashion wardrobe.
It measures 1" across and 2" top to tip including the bail.
The bail is designed to be large enough to accommodate your favorite chain, choker or cord. Your gift of a 17" antique bronze chain is included.
All purchases are nicely packaged in a gift box.
The following metaphysical healing properties have been collected from various sources. For more specific information please contact an experienced Crystal Therapist.
Jasper's healing effects:
Healing Stone of Love and Calm.
Jasper is the stone of selflessness; it is the mother of all stones bringing about Love of all mankind. Red jasper assists in transmuting pain, especially menstrual pain. To draw away focus from pain, back to the centre. For emotional, mental and physical pain, it is a grounding and healing stone. Jasper makes its effects known slowly and gradually, just like nature. It's considered an emotionally calming stone, and can be an excellent stone for either those who are hypersensitive to crystalline energy and find it difficult to work with, or for those who like change to be a gradual, unfolding process.
In this post I return to the subject of Hermeticism and its relation to Sufism, which I had been intending to do for some time. My earlier essay on the subject, “From Hermeticism to Sufism,” can be found in The Secret of Islam (2003) and also in the online book, Science, Knowledge, and Sufism, available elsewhere on this site. This post can be considered as an addition to that.ntroduction to his Hegel and Hermeticism (New York: Cornell University Press, 2001), Glenn Alexander Magee gives a concise summary of Hermeticism (Part 3: “What is Hermeticism?” pp.8-14). I wish to build on this by using quotations from the Grand Master of Sufism, Ahmet Kayhan. These can be found in my own Teachings of a Perfect Master (2012).
What Does God Need?
Pointing out that “Hermeticism is difficult to define rigorously”, Magee concentrates on “one essential feature that I shall take as definitive of Hermeticism.”
Hermeticism constitutes a middle position between pantheism and the Judaeo-Christian conception of God. According to traditional Judaeo-Christian thought, God utterly transcends and is infinitely distant from creation. Furthermore, God is entirely self-sufficient and therefore did not have to create the world, and would have lost nothing if He had not created it. Thus the act of creation is essentially gratuitous and unmotivated. God creates out of sheer abundance, not out of need. This doctrine has proved dissatisfying and even disturbing to many, for it makes creation seem arbitrary and absurd.
Pantheism, on the other hand, is equally dissatisfying, for in pantheism everything becomes God, and there is no God beyond the sum of all things.
Hermeticism is a middle position because it affirms both God’s transcendence of the world and his involvement in it. God is metaphysically distinct from the world, yet God needs the world to complete Himself.
In other words, God is both transcendent and immanent, or, to use the corresponding Sufic concepts, God is both incomparable to creation and similar to it. Hence, God has Attributes of incomparability (sifat al-tanzih) that set Him apart from created things, and also Attributes of similarity (sifat al-tashbih), from which the attributes of created things are themselves derived. So choosing only one of these complementary aspects neglects the other. One of Ibn Arabi’s favorite quotations from the Koran is the Sacred Verse: “Nothing is like Him. He is the Hearer, the Seer” (42:11). Here, in one single Verse, we have this complementarity in a nutshell.
But what about God “needing” creation? Master Kayhan puts it this way:
Why did God create the human being? In order to let Himself be found. So that the human may say, “God exists.”
God is not in need of anything. Yet He does have one need. What is that? Nobody knows God. God created man in order to be known.
Notice, first, that the question: “Why did God create the universe?” is being answered here. Another way of phrasing this question is: “Why is there something rather than nothing?” which is the fundamental question of philosophy.
Second, God “needs” to be known. And for this reason, human beings are created, for only human beings are endowed with the capability to know God fully, in the way He deserves to be known. No other sentient or conscious entity possesses this ability—not even angels, exalted though they are. It follows from this that the rest of the universe is created as a dwelling place for man, as a “supporting cast” for human beings. In Sufism, Homo sapiens is that valuable.
Of course, Master Kayhan is here referring to the well-known “Hidden Treasure” Holy Tradition, attributed to the Prophet (in which God speaks in the first person singular): “I was a hidden treasure. I desired to be known, hence I created Creation so that I would be known.” In the original, “desired to be known” occurs as “loved to be known” (fa ahbabtu an ‘urafa), so the entire universe was created out of this love. It is in this sense that the act of creation is a need, a desire, a longing.
As Master Kayhan explains,
He says, “I created everything for you, and you I created for Myself.”
And hence,
The universe has an owner. His name is God. Let’s eat, drink, have children, suffer their worries, and get out of here. Is this all we came here for? We came to search for the owner of the universe. You haven’t found the master of the house yet. We need to find the owner of the cosmos. And for this, calmness is necessary, patience is necessary, work is necessary.
In other words, the universe is the setting for a vast Treasure Hunt, in which the Hidden Treasure is God.
God-Knowledge
Now what does Hermeticism say about this? Back to Magee:
Hermeticists not only hold that God requires creation, they make a specific creature, man, play a crucial role in God’s self-actualization. Hermeticism holds that man can know God, and that man’s knowledge of God is necessary for God’s own completion.
This, of course, brings to mind the Sufic “arc of ascent.” God created the universe in an “arc of descent” (qaws al-nuzul), manifesting in entire creation. Now, the human being has to complete the return trip to God, and this is called the “arc of ascent” (qaws al-‘uruj). And how does one perform this ascent? Through God-knowledge (Gnosis: marifat-Allah) or knowledge of God, that is, by getting to know God.
Magee quotes from the third-century A.D. Corpus Hermeticum:
“For mankind this is the only deliverance, the knowledge of God… Who is more visible than God? This is why he made all things: so that through them all you might look on him.”
One is reminded here of a couplet by the famous Sufi poet, Niyazi Misri:
There is nothing more apparent than God
He is hidden only to the eyeless.
Magee quotes from Hermeticism scholar Garth Fowden:
“Not only does Man wish to know God, but God too desires to be known by the most glorious of His creations, Man.” In short, it is man’s end to achieve knowledge of God (or “the wisdom of God,” theosophy). In so doing, man realizes God’s own need to be recognized. Man’s knowledge of God becomes God’s knowledge of himself. …
In the standard Judaeo-Christian account of creation, the creation of the world and God’s command that mankind seek to know and love him seem arbitrary, because there is no reason why a perfect being should want or need anything. The great advantage of the Hermetic conception is that it tells us why the cosmos and the human desire to know God exist in the first place.
This Hermetic doctrine of the “circular” relationship between God and creation and the necessity of man for the completion of God is utterly original. It is not to be found in earlier philosophy. But it recurs again and again in the thought of Hermeticists…
Of course, Magee cannot be expected to know that Sufism had already spoken of these matters long ago, and that Hermeticism may be viewed as an earlier incarnation of Sufism.
Hermeticism is also very often confused with Neoplatonism. Like the Hermeticists, Plotinus hold that the cosmos is a circular process of emanation from and return to the One.
—In other words, the Sufic arcs of descent and ascent mentioned earlier.
As Fowden notes: “Hermetic initiation seems to fall into two parts, one dealing with self-knowledge, the other with knowledge of God.” It can easily be shown, simply on a theoretical level, that these two are intimately wedded. To really know one’s self is to be able to give a complete [account] about the conditions of one’s being, and this involves speaking about God and His entire cosmos. As Pico della Mirandola puts it, “he who knows himself knows all things in himself.”
Here we arrive at the famous Tradition of the Prophet: “He who knows his self knows his Lord.” For as we mentioned above, God created the entire universe as a life-support system for Man. This means that Man cannot be conceived or understood without the context of the universe. He cannot exist apart from the air, the sun, the water that sustains him, the earth below that nurtures him, the starry sky above. He is not a “bag of skin” isolated and divorced from the rest of existence. To repeat: “I created everything for you, and you I created for Myself.” Without knowing this, Man goes heedlessly from death to death. But knowing this, Man also knows his Lord.
Purification
Back to Magee:
Salvation for the Hermeticists was, as we have seen, through gnosis, through understanding. This could be attained only through hard work, and then it could be attained only by some.
And here is Master Kayhan:
Always work, serve, don’t stay idle. Together with knowledge. Always to work.
What does God say? “I love those who work. I help those who work.” That’s all. To work, both materially and spiritually. What do we need? We need to persevere. To continue in every task. Not to abandon it. To be brave and hopeful—“I’m going to succeed in this task!” If you do this, you will be successful. God says, “If you want from Me, work. Be more hopeful.” Be hopeful physically and spiritually.
From the Corpus Hermeticum:
“it is an extremely tortuous way, to abandon what one is used to and possesses now, and to retrace one’s steps towards the old primordial things.”
From the Koran:
“We have come from God and we shall return to Him” (2:156).
“God loves those who purify themselves” (2:222).
“As for those who struggle in Our cause, surely We guide them in Our paths” (29:69).
From the Corpus Hermeticum:
“All those who heeded the proclamation … participated in knowledge and became perfect [or “complete,” teleioi] people because they received mind. But those who missed the point of the proclamation are people of reason [or “speech,” logon]…”
In Sufism, we have the contrast between the Perfect Human (insan al-kaamil) and the People of Speech (ahl al-kaal). The first is truly realized, the latter are stuck at the level of mere words. They are the opposite of, more generally, the People of States (ahl al-hal).
In order to clarify this difference, let me relate a Sufi story, the first time I am putting it down in print. After the illustrious mystic Mawlana Rumi met up with Shams, Rumi was showing Shams some books he had studied from. At that time they were standing beside a pool. Shams snatched the books out of Rumi’s hands and threw them in the pool.
Rumi exclaimed: “What have you done? One of those books was given to me by none other than the author himself, the great Jami!”
“Oh, is that so,” said Shams, and pulled the books out of the pool. They were soaked. He made a pass with his hand above and beneath them, and handed them to Rumi. Now they were dry as a bone: not a drop of wetness, no smearing of the ink, not a sign of warping that comes from the immersion of paper in water.
Rumi couldn’t believe his eyes. “Master, what is this?” he asked.
“All this,” said Shams, pointing to the books, “is tittle-tattle (kiyl u kaal). Ours is the Science of States (ilm al-hal).”
Hermeticists do not rest content with the idea of an unknowable God. Instead, they seek to penetrate the divine mystery.
Master Kayhan:
My God, thank you for giving these seven organs [two each of eyes, ears and nostrils, one mouth]. This [the head] is the Mount Sinai of Moses [7:143]. From the neck upwards, there are seven visible organs. There are a thousand, a million, invisible organs. …
This head is the antenna of the eighteen thousand worlds, it’s the antenna of the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel and the Koran. …
A Sacred Saying: “I did not fit in anyone’s Heart but the Heart of the Perfect Faithful.” Nobody says “Don’t do it,” He says, “Work and become,” for heaven’s sake! Work. Yes! Let’s work and do it. Don’t wait for God from afar, bring Him close.
As Above, So Below
For the Hermeticists, says Magee, everything is intimately connected. This finds expression in their famous maxim: “As above, so below.” This lays the basis for the unity of the cosmos.
The most important implication of this doctrine is the idea that man is the microcosm, in which the whole of the macrocosm is reflected. Self-knowledge, therefore, leads necessarily to knowledge of the whole.
Likewise, the sources of Sufism tell us that “the universe is man writ large, man is cosmos in the small.” As al-Qashani says, for example, “Man is a Small Universe, while the universe is a Big Man.” In a poem, Ali the Fourth Caliph expressed it this way:
Your remedy is within you, but you do not sense it.
Your sickness is from you, but you do not perceive it.
You presume you are a small entity,
but within you is enfolded the entire Universe.
Is Hermeticism Dead?
Many people may lament the fact that such an admirable system as Hermeticism is now extinct, that it has been consigned to the dustbin of history along with so many other schools and philosophies.
And yet, Hermeticism is not dead. It survives in its most sophisticated form. It lives on in Sufism.
For more information about my craft, please visit my profile page.
DIAMOND ICE is a 75 carat handcrafted Crystal Quartz pendant that I created swirling and shaping silver plate wire by hand to enhance the natural beauty and shape of the stone. This dramatic and sparkly clear crystal pendant is pure white and shimmers with its many druzy points. The combination of the elegant, swirly silver wire setting, together with the natural bling of this dramatic gemstone creates a very versatile piece of wearable art that can be worn with a formal gown or your favorite casual jeans. Stylish Care More pendants are sure to add a touch of natural drama to your fashion wardrobe
It measures 1 1/2" across and 2 1/2" top to tip including the bail.
The bail is designed to be large enough to accommodate your favorite chain, choker or cord. A 17" silver plate chain is included and is nicely packaged in a gift box.
The following metaphysical healing properties have been collected from various sources. For more specific information please contact an experienced Crystal Therapist.
Quartz in any form is a powerful stone. It can store energy, amplify it, focus it, transmit it, transform it, balance it and absorb it. Clear Quartz is known as the Master Healer. It has an organizing and harmonizing effect on all parts of the body. When attuned to the person requiring healing, it can act at a very deep vibrational level bringing the body, subtle bodies and aura back into balance. It has a similar vibration as humans. Speeds up healing, fortifies the nerves, balances the two halves of the brain and stimulates glandular activity. Effective for chronic fatigue, arthritis, depression, bone ailments and gastrointestinal troubles. Improves mental and physical stamina. Associated with the crown chakra, but is also effectively used to energize all of the chakras.
“Whether you take the doughnut hole as a blank space or as an entity unto itself is a purely metaphysical question and does not affect the taste of the doughnut one bit.” — Haruki Murakami, A Wild Sheep Chase
Balthasar de Monconys (1611-1665) was a French physicist and judge, born in Lyon. In 1618, Monconys' parents sent him to a Jesuit boarding school in Salamanca, Spain, as a plague had broken out in Lyon. Monconys was deeply interested in metaphysics and mysticism, and studied the teachings of Pythagoras, Zoroastrism, and Greek and Arab alchemists. From a young age, he dreamed of travelling to India and China. However, he returned to Lyon after finishing his studies. At the age of thirty-four years old he was finally able to leave behind the safety of his library and the theoretical speculation of the laboratory, and become a tireless traveller in Europe and the East.
Monconys travelled to Portugal, England, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Istanbul and the Middle East with the son of the Duke of Luynes. Even in his very first journey to Portugal, it is obvious that in each city Monconys is very soon able to connect with mathematicians, clergymen, surgeons, engineers, chemists, physicians and princes, to visit their laboratories and to collect “secrets and experiences”.
After Portugal, Monconys travelled to Italy, and finally departed to the East, to study the ancient religions and denominations, and meet the gymnosophists. In 1647-48 he was in Egypt. Seeking the Zoroasters and followers of Hermes Trismegistus, he reached Mount Sinai. In Egypt, the 17th century European was lost in a labyrinth of small and winding streetlets, and discovered different cults and religions, the diversity of ethnicities and their customs: Turks, Kopts, Jews, Arabs, Mauritans, Maronites, Armenians, and Dervishes. He followed several superstitious suggestions and discovered marvellous books of astronomy in Hebrew, Persian and Arabic. Later on, after his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he crossed Asia Minor and reached Istanbul, from where he planned to travel to Persia. For once more in his life however, the plague forced him to change his course; he left for Izmir, and returned to Lyon in 1649.
Fron 1663 to 1665 Monconys travelled incessantly between Paris, London, the Netherlands and Germany. He visited princes and philosophers, libraries and laboratories, and maintained frequent correspondence with several scientists. Finally, after consequent asthma attacks he passed away before his travel notes could be published.
His travel journal (1665-1666) was edited and published by his son and by his Jesuit friend J. Berchet. The journal is enriched by drawings which testify to the wide scope of Monconys' interests. Monconys collected a vast corpus of material which includes medical recipes, chemistry forms, material connected to the esoteric sciences, mathematical puzzles, questions of Algebra and Geometry, zoological observations, mechanical applications, descriptions of natural phenomena, chemistry experiments, various machines and devices, medical matters, the philosopher's stone, astronomical measurements, magnifying lenses, thermometres, hydraulic devices, drinks, hydrometres, microscopes, architectural constructions and even matters connected to hygiene or the preparation of liquors.
The third volume includes a hundred and sixty-five medical, chemical and physics experiments with their outcomes as well as a sonnet on the battle of Marathon. There are five detailed indexes for the classification of the material. At the same time, this three-volume work permits the construction of a list of names (more than two hundred and fifty) of scholars, physicians, alchemists, astrologists, mathematicians, empirical scientists and other researches. From Monconys' text and correspondence a highly interesting network emerges, as it is possible for specialists of all disciplines to reconstruct the contacts between scientists and scholars of Western Europe, for a period spanning more than a decade in the mid-17th century.
Monconys' work is written in a monotonous style, but nevertheless possesses a perennial charm, as it is a combination of a travel journal and a laboratory scientist's workbook. The drawings accompanying the text make up a corpus of material unique in travel literature.
Written by Ioli Vingopoulou
Fransız asıllı fizikçi ve yargıç Balthasar de Monconys (1611-1665) (okunuş: Baltazar dö Monkoni) Lyon şehrinde doğar. Yaşadığı kentte 1618 yılında veba salgını baş gösterince, ailesi onu Salamanka şehrine bir Cizvit yatılı okuluna gönderir. Metafizik ve gizemcilik (mistisizm) için yoğun ilgi duyan Monconys, Pythagoras öğretilerini, Zerdüştlüğü, hatta Yunan ve Arap simyacıların eserlerini okur. Daha küçük yaştan beri Hindistan ve Çin'e kadar ulaşmayı düşlemesine karşın eğitimini tamamladıktan sonra Lyon'a geri döner ve nihayet 34 yaşındayken kütüphane güvenliğini ve teorik laboratuvar bilgilerini terkedip kararlı bir biçimde Avrupa ve Doğu'ya seyahat etmeye başlar.
Monconys, Luynes dükünün oğluyla birlikte Portekiz, İngiltere, Almanya, İtalya, Alçak Ülkeler (Hollanda), İstanbul ve Orta Doğu'ya seyahat eder. Daha ilk yolculuğundan (Portekiz'de) uğradığı her şehirde kısa zamanda matematikçi, rahip, cerrah, mühendis, kimyager, doktor ve prens gibi çeşit çeşit insanlarla bağ kurup laboratuvarlarını ziyaret ederek "sır ve tecrübeler" derler. Yazdığı metinde bu süreci izlemekteyiz. Portekiz'den sonra ilk kez olarak İtalya'ya gider ve nihayet çeşitli dogmaları, eski dinleri ve "gymnosophist"leri (çıplak bilgeler) incelemek üzere Doğu'ya doğru yola çıkar. 1647-48 yıllarında Mısır'da bulunmaktadır; Zerdüştçüler ve Hermes-Thot (Hermes Trismegistus) müritleriyle karşılaşmak için Sina dağına kadar ulaşır. Mısır'da 17. yüzyılın bu Batı Avrupalısı daracık sokakların oluşturduğu labirent içinde yitip, türk, kıptî, yahudî, arap, moritanyalı, maruni, ermeni, derviş gibi binbir çeşit dogma ve mezhep, milliyet ve kültürel adet keşfeder. Batıl inançlara uyar, ibranice farsça yada arapça dillerinde yazılmış şahane gökbilim kitapları keşfeder. Kutsal Yerlere hacılık ziyaretinin ardından Anadolu'yu boydan boya geçip İstanbul'a varır. Buradan İran'a gitmeyi planlar. Ancak veba salgını bir kez daha onu kaçmaya zorlar; İzmir'e geçip oradan 1649 yılında Lyon'a döner.
Monconys 1663'ten 1665'e kadar hiç ara vermeden Paris, Londra, Hollanda ve Almanya arasında mekik dokuyup prens ve filozoflarla konuşur, çeşitli kütüphane ve laboratuvarları ziyaret eder ve birçok bilim adamıyla yoğun bir mektuplaşma sürdürür. Ancak sonunda üstüste geçirdiği astım krizlerinden sonra seyahat notlarının kitap olarak basılmış halini göremeden ölür.
Sözkonusu yayın (1665-1666) Monconys'nin oğlu ve dostu Cizvit rahip J. Berchet tarafından hazırlanmıştır. Monconys'nin geniş bir ilgi alanına sahip oluşu günlüğünü tamamlayan desenlerle kanıtlanmaktadır. Derlemiş olduğu çeşitli ve zengin malzeme içinde: ilâç reçeteleri, kimyasal formüller, gizli ilimlerle ilgili malzeme, matematik bilmeceleri, cebir ve geometri problemleri, zoolojiye (hayvan bilimi) ilişkin gözlemler, mekanik uygulamalar, doğa fenomenleri betimlemeleri, kimyasal deneyler, makineler, tıp konuları, felsefe taşı, astronomi ölçümleri, büyüteçler, termometreler, su tesisatıyla ilgili cihazlar, içkiler, hidrometreler, mikroskoplar, mimarî yapılar, hijyen ve likör yapımı gibi konular var.
Kitabın üçüncü cildinde işlenen konular arasında 165 tane fizik kimya ve tıp deneyi ve sonuçları, ve Maraton muharebesi hakkında bir sone yer almaktadır. Bu içeriğin sınıflanması için kitaba beş tane ayrı çözümlemeli dizin eklenmiştir. Aynı zamanda, Monconys'nin üç ciltlik eserinden upuzun bir isimler katalogu da (250'den fazla isim) elde edilebilir. Bu isimler yazar ve düşünür, doktor, simyacı, astrolog, matematikçi, deneyci ve çeşitli uzman araştırmacılara aittir. Monconys'nin metninden ve mektuplaşmalarından, 17. yüzyıl ortalarında özellikle batı Avrupa'da, 20 yıldan fazla bir süre için, tüm bilim uzmanlarının yeniden birleştirebileceği son derece ilginç bir bilimler arası ilişki ağı ortaya çıkmaktadır.
Monconys'nin yazış uslubu tekdüze olmakla birlikte, bir laboratuvar araştırmacısının seyahat günlüğü ile gözlem defterini bir arada bulundurması açısından eşsiz bir cazibeye sahiptir. Metne eşlik eden desenler seyahat edebiyatı yayınlarında rastlanan ender türden bir malzeme oluşturmaktadır.
Yazan: İoli Vingopoulou
WH: Metaphysical leper colony
OK if you are four years old and these are your dollhouse family, it is perfectly fine. However, as an adult, these I have a problem with this so called family.
To discover that metaphysical Tree which hid
From my worldling look its brilliant vein
Far deeper in gross wood
Than axe could cut.
But before I might blind sense
To see with the spotless soul,
Each particular quirk so ravished me
Every pock and stain bulked more beautiful
Than flesh of any body
Flawed by love's prints.
— Sylvia Plath “On The Plethora Of Dryads”
Mamiya Super 23
Sekor 100mm f3,5
6x9 format
Kodak T-Max 400 sviluppo in microphen 1+1 - Canoscan 8400f
Double exposure
NO PHOTOSHOP
“Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions. You change direction but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjusts. Over and over you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn.
Why? Because this storm isn't something that blew in from far away, something that has nothing to do with you. This storm is you. Something inside of you. So all you can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn't get in, and walk through it, step by step. There's no sun there, no moon, no direction, no sense of time. Just fine white sand swirling up into the sky like pulverized bones. That's the kind of sandstorm you need to imagine.
And you really will have to make it through that violent, metaphysical, symbolic storm. No matter how metaphysical or symbolic it might be, make no mistake about it: it will cut through flesh like a thousand razor blades. People will bleed there, and you will bleed too. Hot, red blood. You'll catch that blood in your hands, your own blood and the blood of others.
And once the storm is over you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about.”
― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
Book of Shadows pages I created. These are not pre-punched so they can be customized for most any Book of Shadows. These pages are on parchment paper 8.5 x 11 size.
Family And Rites V
Theme: ΜΕΤΑΦΥΣΙΚΟ (Metaphysical) – Orpheus Peridis
Hold on, do not let yourself fall into the abyss.
Trinity smiled and caressed the other female feline's face. "Very good. And now, are you prepared to finish your 5th task for me - to do the last thing and become truly apart of this mehwet?" Looking up at Ioh, she gave him a warm smile, letting him know he was to stay and to witness, to be a part of this ritual with Amara and herself. She turned her eyes back toward Amara with a look of encouragement.
Ioh tried not to blush, and, for some reason, his eyes were starting to glow green again. It felt funny to be credited for something. Yet, the acknowledgement felt good. As he watched and listened, he focused on Trinity, growing curious again about the 5th task. He wondered if he was to leave, thinking he was in the midst of some secret society or some other sort of ceremony that the uninitiated are not to observe. But Trinity's smile seemed to indicate that he was to remain present, and so he did.
"Yes Bastet," said Amara, "I'll do my best to accomplish it and prove my worth." The serious tone of her voice was a change from her more bubbly side she presented herself as. Her body in obedience became postured in a way that recognized the shorter Trinity as her leader.
Trinity pulled away and took her hands from Amara. "If you are to be a medic, I have to know you can care for my kits." The tone of her voice was a warm, welcoming display of her feelings toward the cats under her. Drawing a long, curved, ivory colored claw her fingertip, Trinity smiled peacefully before suddenly bringing the claw across the side of her neck. The blood is instant, leaking down her chest between her breasts. Her body tensed up as the pain and adrenaline overtook her. It was deep, gaping, and could be fatal if, of course, there isn't a medic around.
While continuing to observe things. Ioh was in something like a state of nirvana. He felt happiness and pride at watching Amara with Trinity. But then, what was done happened quick and took him in one swirl of surreal state of bliss to one of heightened emergency. He couldn't believe what his eyes saw and rushed to Trinity. "Bastet!" His eyes glowed green and, because of what has just happened, he didn't even think to hide the radiance of his eyes as his focus was on Trinity. Turning to Amara he spoke in a strangely commanding tone, "Heal her. Take your bandages and apply your medicine. Hurry!"
Amara gasped and remained frozen for a few seconds. "Ba- Trinity, what're you doing?!" She dashed behind her, not even thinking of this as some sort of test. Luckily Amara had gone through the kit beforehand and knew where to find the items vitally needed. Using the gauze first to halt the blood flow, Amara forgot about rank and began scolding the other female feline while gesturing Ioh for help. "Are you mad?! Cut the wrong blood vessel and you'd be dead in seconds! Ioh, there's a can in there. Blue. Open it and hand it to me, please?" Amara wiped the blood from the cut to see it better. "Damn. It's deep. I need to numb the area first, then stitch it shut."
Trinity was not able to speak. The wound hurt. She was bleeding and her pale skin was growing more and more ghastly as the moments passed. She held up a hand to Ioh and shook her head. Her eyes met his and told him through hers to observe, and not to help. This was Amara's task. Not his. Of course, helping Amara by passing things to her was allowed. That was common sense. She looked up at Amara and let her move Trinity this way and that. The blood was everywhere - thick and oddly sweet smelling.
Ioh rummaged for the can that Amara spoke of. He then focused back on Trinity, and wondered how it was possible that a white cat could look any more pale. The pondering was only for a moment as he awaited to take action. The sweet scent of the blood made his eyes glow more in that greenish hue. He strangely purred as he focused on Trinity. The goddesses come to mind at that moment. He became completely calm, and was ready to do what he could do to help.
After taking the opened can, Amara smeared some gel on her pinkie finger, applying the gel in a thin layer over the wound. It was a topical anesthetic and would not last very long, but it would be sufficient for the time needed to do the stitching. It also kept the blood from flowing so readily. Amara moved like she was built for this - grabbing for this, tearing at that, and checking the suture kit she was using. She muttered approval over the strength of the surgical thread as she leaned closer to begin sewing, then whispered to Trinity, "I'm sorry if this hurts. I 'm going as fast as I can." Granted Amara was already sewing the opening closed as she spoke. "Ioh, keep an eye on her. If it looks like she's passing out, tell me." In about a minute or so, Amara was done stitching. But between the time things were patched up an the however long it may take to heal, who knew what could happen?
Trinity closed her eyes. The pain was blaring, even with the special salve. Even so, she kept such a soft, serene smile on her face. Her head started to droop. The wound was stitched and the bleeding stopped. It was a tense moment of utter silence. The paling cat laid there breathing in soft, shallow breaths that seemed to get worse, and then suddenly better. Her eyes fluttered open as she looked toward Amara and reached up with her hand to cup Amara's cheek. "Very good," she croaked, pulling Amara toward her. Trinity brought her head to press with Amara's in the manner that felines did in nature to identify family.
Ioh kept silent and focused on Trinity, purring still. His eyes continued glowing as he looked over Trinity, his Bast. Sekhmet came into his mind as he muttered a prayer, barely audible. His hands motioned over Trinity with some sort of seal of protection, as if it would add to the medicine that was being applied physically as well. He listened to the breaths grow shallow but did not waver in his focus on the prayer and symbols upon Trinity, until seeing her come back to life. As he blinked, his eyes came back to normal and he smiled, "We did it!" He turned to Amara and gave her a glance of gratitude, then turned back to Trinity, looking at her affectionately.
Amara was in an odd state of relief and had a strong urge to strike Trinity for scaring her like that. Purring softly as she nudged against the pale woman's head, she said, "Don't move or speak too much yet. I'll apply something to keep infection at bay and dress the wound properly, Bastet. Dear God, that surprised me." Amara did as she promised, finishing things off so Trinity's wound was properly taken care of. Smirking weakly at Ioh, she nodded, "Yep. Rather extreme fifth task though. Would really suck if one of the leaders were to suddenly pass on in such a manner. Bastet, I'll get you some pain medicine. Sit tight."
Book of Shadows pages I created. These are not pre-punched so they can be customized for most any Book of Shadows. These pages are on parchment paper 8.5 x 11 size.
Go to Page with image in the Internet Archive
Title: The tongue of time, and star of the states: : a system of human nature, with the phenomena of the heavens and earth. : American antiquities, remains of giants, geology, volcanoes, Egyptian and Indian magic, diet, dress, drinks, diseases, sleep, somnambulism, trances, resuscitation. : Also an account of persons with two souls, and of five persons who told colors by the touch
Creator: Comstock, Joseph
Publisher: Hartford: : [s.n.]
Sponsor: Emory University, Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library
Contributor: Emory University, Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library
Date: 1840
Language: eng
Description: Relief prints
Checklist Amer. imprints
Includes index
Electronic reproduction
Former owner: Daniel Wadsworth
Stained leather binding with gold stamping and cream colored endpapers
HEALTH: Added as part of 2008 Rare Book Project
digitized
The online edition of this book in the public domain, i.e., not protected by copyright, has been produced by the Emory University Digital Library Publications Program
If you have questions concerning reproductions, please contact the Contributing Library.
Note: The colors, contrast and appearance of these illustrations are unlikely to be true to life. They are derived from scanned images that have been enhanced for machine interpretation and have been altered from their originals.
Read/Download from the Internet Archive
metaphysical gravity …
a quote from r. buckmister fuller.
perhaps a geodesic dome would have better completed the piece.
done 1/30/2010 for the kate spade valentine submissions …
Book of Shadows pages I created. These are not pre-punched so they can be customized for most any Book of Shadows. These pages are on parchment paper 8.5 x 11 size.
Tubular steel stacking armchairs
REF: 00757
STYLE: Bauhaus-Modernism
DESIGNER: Bruno Pollak
COUNTRY: England
MANUFACTURER: PEL
MATERIAL: chrome-plated tubular steel, iron thread fabric (Eisengarn)
YEAR: 1938
CONDITION: original
DIMENSIONS: h.: 84 cm x w.: 54,5 cm x d.: 64 cm
Nesting tables by Jindrich Halabala
REF: 02274
STYLE: Czech Modernism
DESIGNER: Jindrich Halabala
COUNTRY: Czechoslovakia
MANUFACTURER: UP Závody, Brno
MATERIAL: stained wood, Bakelite
YEAR: 1934
CONDITION: original
DIMENSIONS: h.: 66/63/60cm x w.: 55,5/49,5/43cm x d.: 40/37/34cm
Avant-garde pendant lamp
REF: 02282
STYLE: Avant-garde of the 30s
COUNTRY: Germany
MATERIAL: nickel-plated metal
YEAR: 1935
CONDITION: original
DIMENSIONS: h.: 90 cm, diameter: 55 cm
Floor lamp
REF: 01566
STYLE: German Modernism
DESIGNER: HALA company design
COUNTRY: Germany
MANUFACTURER: HALA
MODEL: 851
MATERIAL: nickel plated metal, lacquered metal, Bakelite
YEAR: 1935
CONDITION: original
DIMENSIONS: h.: 176 cm x diameter: 40 cm
Box, Berlin 1930
REF: 01848
STYLE: Art Deco
COUNTRY: Germany
MATERIAL: chrome-plated metal, mirror glass, Bakelite
YEAR: 1930
CONDITION: original
DIMENSIONS: h.: 3 cm x w.: 12 cm x d.: 10 cm
METAPHYSICAL REALISATION
257. Mere existence is not something that has been realised. He who finds himself in life loses himself in death.
258. The realisation of Myself means the creation of Myself - to become the cause and causer, that is the dominator, of my own being.
259. The ultimate goal is salvation, but there is still a goal, an absolute goal, beyond this ultimate goal: the awakening. A goal is just in this sense a goal: a goal is a goal for this absolute goal exists - since without an absolute goal there could not be relative goals either.
260. There is no such cosmic level relative to which there is no higher cosmic level. And there is no such cosmic level relative to which there is no lower cosmic level: wandering in the cosmos can be endless - and this is exactly why metaphysical realisaton is not a further piling up of levels, but an absolute breaking through of dimensions.
261. Realisation takes place on the very route on which becoming took place - only the other way round.
262. Only that can come true which has never ceased to exist.
263. One should not experience something that is somewhere - be it close or far - I have to experience myself, that which is here - only without any personal or cosmic boundaries.
264. The Goal, which is in the infinite, is forever present.
265. To be infinitely Myself: this is the Goal.
266. Realisation is the realisation of myself as the Absolute.
267. Man’s real task is to transmute himself from individuum isolatum into Individuum Absolutum.
268. The goal is to get from identification to the autonomous identifier. This is the goal - the goal which determines the way, determines the starting point and in this the goal and the starting point turn out to be one.
269. If I turn myself totally to myself no power remains beyond me. The dethronement of the »other« operating above me means that I deprive myself as not recognised myself of sovereignty and put myself as recognised myself into power. For the recognition of myself is the same as the realisation of myself and the realisation of myself is the same as being free and sovereign.
270. Yoga is realisation - absolute Self-realisation; such a self-realisation that takes man out of the human world, out of the world of existence and along a path that he has opened up in himself, leading him to the Centre of being, which is beyond being.
271. To awake is the same as to awake to Myself. For though in every moment I am Myself, yet not absolutely. If I turn myself through myself totally to myself: that is awakening.
272. Realisation is the realisation of object and subject. If, however, this unity is realised in the object, it means the destruction of the individual. In the course of realisation unity should be realised in the subject.
273. In realisation I should reduce myself towards actions from objects and towards the subject from actions. In the opposite direction one can never find the essence - unless I recognise myself in beings. For in objects as objects it is impossible to find the essence; in objects, however, as subjects which are realised through actions, it is possible.
274. Total realisation is the unity of the centre and the periphery.
275. Absolution is not a private achievement. Awakening is the awakening of being.
276. With the awakening of man the whole world awakens.
[As in the case of common dreaming where with the awakening of the dreamer his whole dream world, reintegrated into the dreamer himself, awakens.]
277. When I reconstruct myself, I reconstruct the world.
278. He who becomes a buddha, realises the totality of being.
279. Yoga is a way through which I gain power to do being.
280. Absolute Self-realisation is the absolute realisation of being, in which it comes to light that I, atemporally, am the creator, sustainer and transmuter of being.
281. Nirvana is nothing other than the deflammatio of the »other«.
282. Nirvana is neither in a concrete nor in a figurative sense a place, which waits for one to arrive. It is, in fact, not possible to enter nirvana as we enter a room. It is realised by and with my entering it. Anyway, it is not different in our most ordinary everyday life...
283. Man has a cosmic task, but his ultimate goal lies beyond the cosmos. This ultimate, absolute goal which is beyond the cosmos is nowhere else but here - nonetheless, between my hic et nunc personality that is in the cosmos, and my hic et nunc personality that is beyond the cosmos, there is everything: heaven, hell and purgatory, the worlds, the chaos and the cosmos.
284. Metaphysical realisation, ultimately, is open to anyone, but it does not mean at all that everybody is fit for it. For only those are fit for metaphysical realisation who represent the ascending and upward aspect of the unique, Universal Man.
[i.e. - as it is stated in the 120th aphorism - every single man is the versional incarnation of the Universal Man.]
285. Principally, metaphysical realisation is open to every man, since almost directly behind and above the person stands the Subject; practically, though, only the elite of the spiritual elite have a chance for realisation, for the totality of existence, the whole cosmos lie between person and Subject.
286. Incapability for realisation, first and foremost, can forever be attributed to a lack of pistis.
287. The terror of annihilation is only a second-grade primary terror; the first-grade primary terror is the terror of awakening.
288. In the process of realisation even descent can have its own place, provided it is under control.
289. Realisation, and what is realised in realisation, is not a reward but a result.
290. Every being awakens - but not according to its own identification.
[Reference to the views called »happyendist« by Julius Evola, according to which everyone attains liberation in the end. Since he who not awakes not as a result of his autonomous endavours, but at the end of a world cycle -when everything returns to the Metaphysicum Absolutum -, this awakening, concerning his self-identity is equal to annihilation.]
(Excerpt from András László's SOLUM IPSUM)
Tapasvi Shree Chaitanya Guruji helps people to get rid of insomina and drepression through his yoga practise named as yog nidra for isomnia
Brahma (/ˈbrəmɑː/; Brahmā) is the deva (god) of creation in Hinduism. He has four faces, looking in the four directions. Brahma is also known as Svayambhu (self-born), Vāgīśa (Lord of Speech), and the creator of the four Vedas, one from each of his mouths. Brahmā is often identified with Prajapati, a Rigvedic deity. In Hindu mythology, Brahmā's wife is Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, music, arts and learning. In most Puranic texts, Brahma's creative activity depends on the presence and power of a higher god.
In the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, he is conflated with Purusha. He is not to be confused with the metaphysical concept of Ultimate Reality in Hindu philosophy known as Brahman, which is genderless. The two concepts are, however, etymologically linked. He is revered in ancient texts, yet rarely worshipped as a primary deity in India. Temples dedicated to him are found in India such as the Brahma Temple, Pushkar in Rajasthan, and Thailand such as the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok.
ETYMOLOGY
The origins of deity Brahma are uncertain, in part because several related words such as one for Ultimate Reality (Brahman), and priest (Brahmin) are found in the Vedic literature and these are difficult to differentiate. The existence of a distinct deity named Brahma is evidenced in late Vedic text. A distinction between spiritual concept of Brahman, and deity Brahma, is that the former is gender neutral, while the latter is masculine. The spiritual concept of Brahman is far older, and some scholars suggest deity Brahma may have emerged as a personal conception and visible icon of the impersonal universal principle called Brahman.
In Sanskrit grammar, the noun stem brahman forms two distinct nouns; one is a neuter noun bráhman, whose nominative singular form is brahma; this noun has a generalized and abstract meaning.
Contrasted to the neuter noun is the masculine noun brahmán, whose nominative singular form is brahmā. This noun is used to refer to a person, and as the proper name of a deity Brahmā it is the subject matter of the present article.
HISTORY
VEDIC LITERATURE
One of the earliest mention of Brahma with Vishnu and Shiva is in the fifth Prapathaka (lesson) of the Maitrayaniya Upanishad, probably composed in late 1st millennium BCE. Brahma is discussed in verse 5,1 also called the Kutsayana Hymn first, and expounded in verse 5,2.
In the pantheistic Kutsayana Hymn, the Upanishad asserts that one's Soul is Brahman, and this Ultimate Reality, Cosmic Universal or God is within each living being. It equates the Atman (Soul, Self) within to be Brahma and various alternate manifestations of Brahman, as follows, "Thou art Brahma, thou art Vishnu, thou art Rudra (Shiva), thou art Agni, Varuna, Vayu, Indra, thou art All."
In verse 5,2 Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are mapped into the theory of Guṇa, that is qualities, psyche and innate tendencies the text describes can be found in all living beings. This chapter of the Maitri Upanishad asserts that the universe emerged from darkness (Tamas), first as passion characterized by action qua action (Rajas), which then refined and differentiated into purity and goodness (Sattva). Of these three qualities, Rajas is then mapped to Brahma, as follows:
Now then, that part of him which belongs to Tamas, that, O students of sacred knowledge (Brahmacharins), is this Rudra.
That part of him which belongs to Rajas, that O students of sacred knowledge, is this Brahma.
That part of him which belongs to Sattva, that O students of sacred knowledge, is this Vishnu.
Verily, that One became threefold, became eightfold, elevenfold, twelvefold, into infinite fold.
This Being (neuter) entered all beings, he became the overlord of all beings.
That is the Atman (Soul, Self) within and without – yea, within and without !Maitri Upanishad 5.2. While the Maitri Upanishad maps Brahma with one of the elements of Guṇa theory of Hinduism, the text does not depict him as one of the trifunctional elements of the Hindu Trimurti idea found in later Puranic literature.
PURANAS
In the Bhagavata Purana, Brahmā is portrayed several times as the one who rises from the "Ocean of Causes". Brahma, states this Purana, emerges at the moment when time and universe is born, inside a lotus rooted in the navel of Hari (deity Vishnu, whose praise is the primary focus on Bhagavata Purana). The myth asserts that Brahma is drowsy, errs and is temporarily incompetent as he puts together the universe. He then becomes aware of his confusion and drowsiness, meditates as an ascetic, then realizes Hari in his heart, sees the beginning and end of universe, and then his creative powers are revived. Brahma, states Bhagavata Purana, thereafter combines Prakriti (nature, matter) and Purusha (spirit, soul) to create a dazzling variety of living creatures, and tempest of casual nexus.
The Bhagavata Purana thus attributes the creation of Maya to Brahma, wherein he creates for the sake of creation, imbuing everything with both the good and the evil, the material and the spiritual, a beginning and an end.
The Puranas describe Brahma as the deity creating time. They correlate human time to Brahma's time, such as a mahākalpa being a large cosmic period, correlating to one day and one night in Brahma's existence.
The stories about Brahma in various Puranas are diverse and inconsistent. In Skanda Purana, for example, goddess Parvati is called the "mother of the universe", and she is credited with creating Brahma, gods and the three worlds. She is the one, states Skanda Purana, who combined the three Gunas - Sattva, Rajas and Tamas - into matter (Prakrti) to create the empirically observed world.
The Vedic discussion of Brahma as a Rajas-quality god expands in the Puranic and Tantric literature. However, these texts state that his wife Saraswati has Sattva (quality of balance, harmony, goodness, purity, holistic, constructive, creative, positive, peaceful, virtuous), thus complementing Brahma's Rajas (quality of passion, activity, neither good nor bad and sometimes either, action qua action, individualizing, driven, dynamic).
SANGAM LITERATURE
Sangam literature of Tamil(300BC-300CE) describes more times about lord Brahma by various authors.for example in Silapathikaram,lord Brahma mentioned as mamudu muralvanvaaimaiyin vazaa naanmurai marabin(மாமுது முரல்வன் வாய்மையின் வழாஅ நான்முறை மரபின்),literally means four infallible scriptures ordained by the venerable old brahma.
ATTRIBUTES
APPEARANCE
Brahmā is traditionally depicted with four faces and four arms.[29] Each face of his points to a cardinal direction. His hands hold no weapons, rather symbols of knowledge and creation. In one hand he holds the sacred texts of Vedas, in second he holds mala (rosary beads) symbolizing time, in third he holds a ladle symbolizing means to feed sacrificial fire, and in fourth a utensil with water symbolizing the means where all creation emanates from. His four mouths are credited with creating the four Vedas.[1] He is often depicted with a white beard, implying his sage like experience. He sits on lotus, dressed in white (or red, pink), with his vehicle – a swan – nearby.
CONSORT
Brahma's consort is the goddess Saraswati. She is considered to be "the embodiment of his power, the instrument of creation and the energy that drives his actions".
VEHICLE
Brahmā's vehicle or vāhana is the hansa, a swan.
TEMPLES
INDIA
Though almost all Hindu religious rites involve prayer to Brahmā, very few temples are dedicated to His worship. Among the most prominent is Brahma Temple, Pushkar. Once a year, on Kartik Poornima, the full moon night of the Hindu lunar month of Kartik (October – November), a religious festival is held in Brahmā's honour. Thousands of pilgrims come to bathe in the holy Pushkar Lake adjacent to the temple. There is a temple in Asotra village in Balotra taluka of Rajasthan's Barmer district, which is known as Kheteshwar Brahmadham Tirtha.
Temples to Brahmā also exist in Tirunavaya in Kerala. The Trimurti temple and the temple dedicated to Brahma accompanied by Ganesha, located outside Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, is also famous. He is also a part of the Trimurti in Thripaya Trimurti Temple and Mithrananthapuram Trimurti Temple in Kerala. Regular pujas are held for Brahmā at the temple in Tirunavaya, and during Navratris, this temple comes to life with multi-varied festivities.
In the temple town of Kumbakonam in the Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu; in Kodumudi in Tamil Nadu. There is also a shrine for Brahmā within the Brahmapureeswarar Temple in Tiruchirappalli.
There is a temple dedicated to Brahmā in the temple town of Srikalahasti near Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.
7 feet height of Chatrumukha (Four Faces) BRAHMA temple at Bangalore, Karnataka.
In the coastal state of Goa, a shrine belonging to the fifth century, in the small and remote village of Carambolim in the Sattari Taluka in the northeast region of the state is found.
Famous murti of Brahmā exists at Mangalwedha, 52 km from the Solapur district of Maharashtra and in Sopara near Mumbai.
Statues of Brahmā may be found in Khedbrahma, Gujarat.
OTHER TEMPLES DEDICATED TO BRAHMA
Brahma Temple at Khokhan, in Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh
Brahma Temple at Asotra, District Barmer, Rajasthan
Brahma Temple at Oachira in Kollam district, Kerala
Brahma temple at village aleo shrishty narayan, in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh
Brahma temple at Annamputhur village srinidheeswarar in Tindivanam,Tamil Nadu
Brahma Temple at Pushkar , Rajasthan
Thirunavaya, Thiruvallam , Kerala
Brahma Temple at Royakotta road in Hosur , Tamil Nadu
Uttamar Kovil in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu
Kumbakonam, Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu
Khedbrahma, Gujarat
The Brahma Temple near Panajiin the village of Brahma-Carambolim in the Satari taluka, Goa
Brahma (accompanied by Ganesh) Temple, near the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple, Thiruvananthapuram , Kerala
Bramhapureeswarar temple in Tirupattur, near Trichy, Tamil Nadu
BrahmaKuti Temple at Brahmaavart (Bithoor), Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh)
Brahma Temple at village Chhinch, Tehsil Bagidoa, District Banswara, Rajasthan
Chaturmukha Brahma temple in Chebrolu, Andhra Pradesh
Chaturmukha (Four Faces) Brahma temple at Bengaluru, Karnataka,
As Part of Trimurti at Thripaya Trimurti Temple in Irinjalakuda, Thrissur in Kerala, India
As Part of Trimurti at Mithrananthapuram Trimurti Temple in Thiruvanathapuram in in Kerala, India
Jagatpita Brahma in Ponmeri Shiva Temple in Vadakara in Kerala, India
SOUTHEAST ASIA
The largest and most famous shrine to Brahmā may be found in Cambodia's Angkor Wat.
One of the three largest temples in the 9th-century Prambanan temples complex in Yogyakarta, central Java (Indonesia) is dedicated to Brahma, the other two to Shiva (largest of three) and Vishnu respectively. The temple dedicated to Brahmā is on southern side of Śiva temple.
A statue of Brahmā is present at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, and continues to be revered in modern times. The golden dome of the Government House of Thailand also contains a statue of Phra Phrom (Thai representation of Brahmā). An early 18th-century painting at Wat Yai Suwannaram in Phetchaburi city of Thailand shows Brahma.
The country name of Burma is derived from Brahma, and in medieval texts it is referred to as Brahma-desa.
DURATION OF BRAHMA´S DAY
With regard to Brahmā's day and night, each consists of 14 of his hours or 4.32 billion human years. "Brahma has four heads" (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.8.2–5).
BRAHMA SAMPRADAYA
Brahmā has his own sampradāya. Brahmā appeared on a lotus flower which sprouted from the navel of Garbhodakṣāyi Viṣṇu. After meditation Brahmā created 14 planetary systems and many living beings came there in 8400000 kinds of material bodies according to their past desires. Brahmā received Vedas from Vishnu, and this Brahmā-sampradāya is transmitting knowledge from Vishnu Himself to Earth. As our Brahmā is devotee of Krishna just like other Brahmās in other material universes, we have this Brahmā sampradāya.
WIKIPEDIA
Book of Shadows pages I created. These are not pre-punched so they can be customized for most any Book of Shadows. These pages are on parchment paper 8.5 x 11 size.
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The John Donne Memorial is a bronze bust of John Donne by Nigel Boonham, installed in the garden to the south of St Paul's Cathedral in London, United Kingdom. Donne faces east towards his birthplace on Bread Street. Below the bust is an inscription with the text
Hence is't, that I am carried towards the West,
This day, when my Soul's form bends to the East.
It was commissioned by the City of London, led by Alderman Hall, and marks the first public memorial to Donne.
John Donne (1571 or 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a cleric in the Church of England. Under royal patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London (1621–1631). He is considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His poetical works are noted for their metaphorical and sensual style and include sonnets, love poems, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs and satires. He is also known for his sermons.
Donne's style is characterised by abrupt openings and various paradoxes, ironies and dislocations. These features, along with his frequent dramatic or everyday speech rhythms, his tense syntax and his tough eloquence, were both a reaction against the smoothness of conventional Elizabethan poetry and an adaptation into English of European baroque and mannerist techniques. His early career was marked by poetry that bore immense knowledge of English society. Another important theme in Donne's poetry is the idea of true religion, something that he spent much time considering and about which he often theorised. He wrote secular poems as well as erotic and love poems. He is particularly famous for his mastery of metaphysical conceits.
Despite his great education and poetic talents, Donne lived in poverty for several years, relying heavily on wealthy friends. He spent much of the money he inherited during and after his education on womanising, literature, pastimes and travel. In 1601, Donne secretly married Anne More, with whom he had twelve children. In 1615 he was ordained Anglican deacon and then priest, although he did not want to take holy orders and only did so because the king ordered it. He served as a member of Parliament in 1601 and in 1614.
Donne was born in London in 1571 or 1572, into a recusant Roman Catholic family when practice of that religion was illegal in England. Donne was the third of six children. His father, also named John Donne, was married to Elizabeth Heywood. He was of Welsh descent and a warden of the Ironmongers Company in the City of London. He avoided unwelcome government attention out of fear of religious persecution.
His father died in 1576, when Donne was four years old, leaving his mother, Elizabeth, with the responsibility of raising the children alone. Heywood was also from a recusant Roman Catholic family, the daughter of John Heywood, the playwright, and sister of the Reverend Jasper Heywood, a Jesuit priest and translator. She was a great-niece of Thomas More. A few months after her husband died, Donne's mother married Dr. John Syminges, a wealthy widower with three children of his own.
Donne was educated privately. There is no evidence to support the popular claim that he was taught by Jesuits. In 1583, at the age of 11, he began studies at Hart Hall, now Hertford College, Oxford. After three years of studies there, Donne was admitted to the University of Cambridge, where he studied for another three years. Donne could not obtain a degree from either institution because of his Catholicism, since he refused to take the Oath of Supremacy required to graduate. In 1591 he was accepted as a student at the Thavies Inn legal school, one of the Inns of Chancery in London. On 6 May 1592, he was admitted to Lincoln's Inn, one of the Inns of Court.
In 1593, five years after the defeat of the Spanish Armada and during the intermittent Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604), Queen Elizabeth issued the first English statute against sectarian dissent from the Church of England, titled "An Act for restraining Popish recusants". It defined "Popish recusants" as those "convicted for not repairing to some Church, Chapel, or usual place of Common Prayer to hear Divine Service there, but forbearing the same contrary to the tenor of the laws and statutes heretofore made and provided in that behalf". Donne's brother Henry was also a university student prior to his arrest in 1593 for harbouring a Catholic priest, William Harrington, and died in Newgate Prison of bubonic plague, leading Donne to begin questioning his Catholic faith.
During and after his education, Donne spent much of his considerable inheritance on women, literature, pastimes and travel. Although no record details precisely where Donne travelled, he crossed Europe. He later fought alongside the Earl of Essex and Sir Walter Raleigh against the Spanish at Cadiz (1596) and the Azores (1597), and witnessed the loss of the Spanish flagship, the San Felipe. According to his earliest biographer,
... he returned not back into England till he had stayed some years, first in Italy, and then in Spain, where he made many useful observations of those countries, their laws and manner of government, and returned perfect in their languages.
By the age of 25 he was well prepared for the diplomatic career he appeared to be seeking. He was appointed chief secretary to the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, Sir Thomas Egerton, and was established at Egerton's London home, York House, Strand, close to the Palace of Whitehall, then the most influential social centre in England.
During the next four years, Donne fell in love with Egerton's niece Anne More. They were secretly married just before Christmas in 1601, against the wishes of both Egerton and Anne's father George More, who was Lieutenant of the Tower. Upon discovery, this wedding ruined Donne's career, getting him dismissed and put in Fleet Prison, along with the Church of England priest Samuel Brooke, who married them, and his brother Christopher, who stood in, in the absence of George More, to give Anne away. Donne was released shortly thereafter when the marriage was proved to be valid, and he soon secured the release of the other two. Walton tells us that when Donne wrote to his wife to tell her about losing his post, he wrote after his name: John Donne, Anne Donne, Un-done. It was not until 1609 that Donne was reconciled with his father-in-law and received his wife's dowry.
After his release, Donne had to accept a retired country life in a small house in Pyrford, Surrey, owned by Anne's cousin, Sir Francis Wooley, where they lived until the end of 1604. In spring 1605 they moved to another small house in Mitcham, Surrey, where he scraped a meagre living as a lawyer, while Anne Donne bore a new baby almost every year. Though he also worked as an assistant pamphleteer to Thomas Morton writing anti-Catholic pamphlets, Donne was in a constant state of financial insecurity.
Anne gave birth to twelve children in sixteen years of marriage, including two stillbirths—their eighth and then, in 1617, their last child. She spent most of her married life either pregnant or nursing. The ten surviving children were Constance, John, George, Francis, Lucy (named after Donne's patron Lucy, Countess of Bedford, her godmother), Bridget, Mary, Nicholas, Margaret and Elizabeth. Three, Francis, Nicholas and Mary, died before they were ten.
In a state of despair that almost drove him to kill himself, Donne noted that the death of a child would mean one mouth fewer to feed, but he could not afford the burial expenses. During this time, Donne wrote but did not publish Biathanatos, his defence of suicide. His wife died on 15 August 1617, five days after giving birth to their twelfth child, a still-born baby. Donne mourned her deeply, and wrote of his love and loss in his 17th Holy Sonnet.
In 1602, Donne was elected as a member of parliament (MP) for the constituency of Brackley, but the post was not a paid position. Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, being succeeded by King James VI of Scotland as King James I of England. The fashion for coterie poetry of the period gave Donne a means to seek patronage. Many of his poems were written for wealthy friends or patrons, especially for MP Sir Robert Drury of Hawsted (1575–1615), whom he met in 1610 and who became his chief patron, furnishing him and his family an apartment in his large house in Drury Lane.
In 1610 and 1611, Donne wrote two anti-Catholic polemics: Pseudo-Martyr and Ignatius His Conclave for Morton. He then wrote two Anniversaries, An Anatomy of the World (1611) and Of the Progress of the Soul (1612) for Drury.
Donne sat as an MP again, this time for Taunton, in the Addled Parliament of 1614. Though he attracted five appointments within its business he made no recorded speech. Although King James was pleased with Donne's work, he refused to reinstate him at court and instead urged him to take holy orders. At length, Donne acceded to the king's wishes, and in 1615 was an ordained priest in the Church of England.
In 1615, Donne was awarded an honorary doctorate in divinity from Cambridge University. He became a Royal Chaplain in the same year. He became a reader of divinity at Lincoln's Inn in 1616, where he served in the chapel as minister until 1622. In 1618, he became chaplain to Viscount Doncaster, who was an ambassador to the princes of Germany. Donne did not return to England until 1620. In 1621, Donne was made Dean of St Paul's, a leading and well-paid position in the Church of England, which he held until his death in 1631.
At the same time he was granted the living as rector of a number of parishes, including Blunham, in Bedfordshire. Blunham Parish Church has an imposing stained glass window commemorating Donne, designed by Derek Hunt. During Donne's period as dean his daughter Lucy died, aged eighteen. In late November and early December 1623 he suffered a nearly fatal illness, thought to be either typhus or a combination of a cold followed by a period of fever.
During his convalescence he wrote a series of meditations and prayers on health, pain and sickness that were published as a book in 1624 under the title of Devotions upon Emergent Occasions. One of these meditations, Meditation XVII, contains the well-known phrases "No man is an Iland" (often modernised as "No man is an island") and "...for whom the bell tolls". In 1624, he became vicar of St Dunstan-in-the-West, and in 1625 a prolocutor to Charles I. He earned a reputation as an eloquent preacher. 160 of his sermons have survived, including Death's Duel, his famous sermon delivered at the Palace of Whitehall before King Charles I in February 1631.
Donne died on 31 March 1631. He was buried in old St Paul's Cathedral, where a memorial statue of him by Nicholas Stone was erected with a Latin epigraph probably composed by himself. The memorial was one of the few to survive the Great Fire of London in 1666 and is now in St Paul's Cathedral. The statue was said by Izaac Walton in his biography, to have been modelled from the life by Donne to suggest his appearance at the resurrection. It started a vogue of such monuments during the 17th century. In 2012, a bust of the poet by Nigel Boonham was unveiled outside in the cathedral churchyard.
Writings
Donne's earliest poems showed a developed knowledge of English society coupled with sharp criticism of its problems. His satires dealt with common Elizabethan topics, such as corruption in the legal system, mediocre poets and pompous courtiers. His images of sickness, vomit, manure and plague reflected his strongly satiric view of a society populated by fools and knaves. His third satire, however, deals with the problem of true religion, a matter of great importance to Donne. He argued that it was better to examine carefully one's religious convictions than blindly to follow any established tradition, for none would be saved at the Final Judgment, by claiming "A Harry, or a Martin taught [them] this."
Donne's early career was also notable for his erotic poetry, especially his elegies, in which he employed unconventional metaphors, such as a flea biting two lovers being compared to sex. Donne did not publish these poems, although they circulated widely in manuscript form. One such, a previously unknown manuscript that is believed to be one of the largest contemporary collections of Donne's work (among that of others), was found at Melford Hall in November 2018.
Some have speculated that Donne's numerous illnesses, financial strain and the deaths of his friends all contributed to the development of a more sombre and pious tone in his later poems. The change can be clearly seen in "An Anatomy of the World" (1611), a poem that Donne wrote in memory of Elizabeth Drury, daughter of his patron, Sir Robert Drury of Hawstead, Suffolk. This poem treats Elizabeth's demise with extreme gloominess, using it as a symbol for the fall of man and the destruction of the universe.
The increasing gloominess of Donne's tone may also be observed in the religious works that he began writing during the same period. Having converted to the Anglican Church, Donne quickly became noted for his sermons and religious poems. Towards the end of his life Donne wrote works that challenged death, and the fear that it inspired in many, on the grounds of his belief that those who die are sent to Heaven to live eternally. One example of this challenge is his Holy Sonnet X, "Death Be Not Proud".
Even as he lay dying during Lent in 1631, he rose from his sickbed and delivered the Death's Duel sermon, which was later described as his own funeral sermon. Death's Duel portrays life as a steady descent to suffering and death; death becomes merely another process of life, in which the 'winding sheet' of the womb is the same as that of the grave. Hope is seen in salvation and immortality through an embrace of God, Christ and the Resurrection.
Style
His work has received much criticism over the years, especially concerning his metaphysical form. Donne is generally considered the most prominent member of the metaphysical poets, a phrase coined in 1781 by Samuel Johnson, following a comment on Donne by John Dryden. Dryden had written of Donne in 1693: "He affects the metaphysics, not only in his satires, but in his amorous verses, where nature only should reign; and perplexes the minds of the fair sex with nice speculations of philosophy, when he should engage their hearts, and entertain them with the softnesses of love."
In Life of Cowley (from Samuel Johnson's 1781 work of biography and criticism Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets), Johnson refers to the beginning of the 17th century in which there "appeared a race of writers that may be termed the metaphysical poets". Donne's immediate successors in poetry therefore tended to regard his works with ambivalence, with the Neoclassical poets regarding his conceits as abuse of the metaphor. However, he was revived by Romantic poets such as Coleridge and Browning, though his more recent revival in the early 20th century by poets such as T. S. Eliot and critics like F. R. Leavis tended to portray him, with approval, as an anti-Romantic.
Donne is considered a master of the metaphysical conceit, an extended metaphor that combines two vastly different ideas into a single idea, often using imagery. An example of this is his equation of lovers with saints in "The Canonization". Unlike the conceits found in other Elizabethan poetry, most notably Petrarchan conceits, which formed clichéd comparisons between more closely related objects (such as a rose and love), metaphysical conceits go to a greater depth in comparing two completely unlike objects. One of the most famous of Donne's conceits is found in "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" where he compares the apartness of two separated lovers to the working of the legs of a compass.
Donne's works are also witty, employing paradoxes, puns and subtle yet remarkable analogies. His pieces are often ironic and cynical, especially regarding love and human motives. Common subjects of Donne's poems are love (especially in his early life), death (especially after his wife's death) and religion.
John Donne's poetry represented a shift from classical forms to more personal poetry. Donne is noted for his poetic metre, which was structured with changing and jagged rhythms that closely resemble casual speech (it was for this that the more classical-minded Ben Jonson commented that "Donne, for not keeping of accent, deserved hanging").
Some scholars believe that Donne's literary works reflect the changing trends of his life, with love poetry and satires from his youth and religious sermons during his later years. Other scholars, such as Helen Gardner, question the validity of this dating—most of his poems were published posthumously (1633). The exception to these is his Anniversaries, which were published in 1612 and Devotions upon Emergent Occasions published in 1624. His sermons are also dated, sometimes specifically by date and year.
Legacy
Donne is remembered in the Calendar of Saints of the Church of England, the Episcopal Church liturgical calendar and the Calendar of Saints of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for his life as both poet and priest. His commemoration is on 31 March.
During his lifetime several likenesses were made of the poet. The earliest was the anonymous portrait of 1594 now in the National Portrait Gallery, London, which was restored in 2012. One of the earliest Elizabethan portraits of an author, the fashionably dressed poet is shown darkly brooding on his love. The portrait was described in Donne's will as "that picture of myne wych is taken in the shaddowes", and bequeathed by him to Robert Kerr, 1st Earl of Ancram. Other paintings include a 1616 head and shoulders after Isaac Oliver, also in the National Portrait Gallery, and a 1622 head and shoulders in the Victoria and Albert Museum. In 1911, the young Stanley Spencer devoted a visionary painting to John Donne arriving in heaven (1911) which is now in the Fitzwilliam Museum.
Donne's reception until the 20th century was influenced by the publication of his writings in the 17th century. Because Donne avoided publication during his life, the majority of his works were brought to the press by others in the decades after his death. These publications present what Erin McCarthy calls a "teleological narrative of Donne's growth" from young rake "Jack Donne" to reverend divine "Dr. Donne". For example, while the first edition of Poems, by J. D. (1633) mingled amorous and pious verse indiscriminately, all editions after 1635 separated poems into "Songs and Sonnets" and "Divine Poems". This organization "promulgated the tale of Jack Donne's transformation into Doctor Donne and made it the dominant way of understanding Donne's life and work."
A similar effort to justify Donne's early writings appeared in the publication of his prose. This pattern can be seen in a 1652 volume that combines texts from throughout Donne's career, including flippant works like Ignatius His Conclave and more pious writings like Essays in Divinity. In the preface, Donne's son "unifies the otherwise disparate texts around an impression of Donne's divinity" by comparing his father's varied writing to Jesus' miracles. Christ "began his first Miracle here, by turning Water into Wine, and made it his last to ascend from Earth to Heaven."
Donne first wrote "things conducing to cheerfulness & entertainment of Mankind," and later "change[d] his conversation from Men to Angels." Another figure who contributed to Donne's legacy as a rake-turned-preacher was Donne's first biographer Izaak Walton. Walton's biography separated Donne's life into two stages, comparing Donne's life to the transformation of St. Paul. Walton writes, "where [Donne] had been a Saul… in his irregular youth," he became "a Paul, and preach[ed] salvation to his brethren."
The idea that Donne's writings reflect two distinct stages of his life remains common; however, many scholars have challenged this understanding. In 1948, Evelyn Simpson wrote, "a close study of his works... makes it clear that his was no case of dual personality. He was not a Jekyll-Hyde in Jacobean dress... There is an essential unity underlying the flagrant and manifold contradictions of his temperament."
In literature
After Donne's death, a number of poetical tributes were paid to him, of which one of the principal (and most difficult to follow) was his friend Lord Herbert of Cherbury's "Elegy for Doctor Donne". Posthumous editions of Donne's poems were accompanied by several "Elegies upon the Author" over the course of the next two centuries. Six of these were written by fellow churchmen, others by such courtly writers as Thomas Carew, Sidney Godolphin and Endymion Porter. In 1963 came Joseph Brodsky's "The Great Elegy for John Donne".
Beginning in the 20th century, several historical novels appeared taking as their subject various episodes in Donne's life. His courtship of Anne More is the subject of Elizabeth Gray Vining's Take Heed of Loving Me: A novel about John Donne (1963) and Maeve Haran's The Lady and the Poet (2010). Both characters also make interspersed appearances in Mary Novik's Conceit (2007), where the main focus is on their rebellious daughter Pegge. English treatments include Garry O'Connor's Death's Duel: a novel of John Donne (2015), which deals with the poet as a young man.
He also plays a significant role in Christie Dickason's The Noble Assassin (2012), a novel based on the life of Donne's patron and (the author claims) his lover, Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford. Finally there is Bryan Crockett's Love's Alchemy: a John Donne Mystery (2015), in which the poet, blackmailed into service in Robert Cecil's network of spies, attempts to avert political disaster and at the same time outwit Cecil.
Musical settings
There were musical settings of Donne's lyrics even during his lifetime and in the century following his death. These included Alfonso Ferrabosco the younger's ("So, so, leave off this last lamenting kisse" in his 1609 Ayres); John Cooper's ("The Message"); Henry Lawes' ("Break of Day"); John Dowland's ("Break of Day" and "To ask for all thy love"); and settings of "A Hymn to God the Father" by John Hilton the younger and Pelham Humfrey (published 1688).
After the 17th century, there were no more until the start of the 20th century with Havergal Brian ("A nocturnal on St Lucy's Day", first performed in 1905), Eleanor Everest Freer ("Break of Day, published in 1905) and Walford Davies ("The Cross", 1909) among the earliest. In 1916–18, the composer Hubert Parry set Donne's "Holy Sonnet 7" ("At the round earth's imagined corners") to music in his choral work, Songs of Farewell. Regina Hansen Willman (1914-1965) set Donne's "First Holy Sonnet" for voice and string trio. In 1945, Benjamin Britten set nine of Donne's Holy Sonnets in his song cycle for voice and piano The Holy Sonnets of John Donne. in 1968, Williametta Spencer used Donne's text for her choral work "At the Round Earth's Imagined Corners." Among them is also the choral setting of "Negative Love" that opens Harmonium (1981), as well as the aria setting of "Holy Sonnet XIV" at the end of the 1st act of Doctor Atomic, both by John Adams.
There have been settings in popular music as well. One is the version of the song "Go and Catch a Falling Star" on John Renbourn's debut album John Renbourn (1966), in which the last line is altered to "False, ere I count one, two, three". On their 1992 album Duality, the English Neoclassical dark wave band In the Nursery used a recitation of the entirety of Donne's "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" for the track "Mecciano" and an augmented version of "A Fever" for the track "Corruption." Prose texts by Donne have also been set to music. In 1954, Priaulx Rainier set some in her Cycle for Declamation for solo voice. In 2009, the American Jennifer Higdon composed the choral piece On the Death of the Righteous, based on Donne's sermons. Still more recent is the Russian minimalist Anton Batagov's " I Fear No More, selected songs and meditations of John Donne" (2015).
Works
The Flea (1590s)
Biathanatos (1608)
Pseudo-Martyr (1610)
Ignatius His Conclave (1611)
A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning (1611)
The Courtier's Library (1611, published 1651)
The First Anniversary: An Anatomy of the World (1611)
The Second Anniversary: Of the Progress of the Soul (1612)
Devotions upon Emergent Occasions (1624)
The Good-Morrow (1633)
The Canonization (1633)
Holy Sonnets (1633)
As Due By Many Titles (1633)
Death Be Not Proud (1633)
The Sun Rising (1633)
The Dream (1633)
Elegy XIX: To His Mistress Going to Bed (1633)
Batter my heart, three-person'd God (1633)
Poems (1633)
Juvenilia: or Certain Paradoxes and Problems (1633)
LXXX Sermons (1640)
Fifty Sermons (1649)
Essays in Divinity (1651)
Letters to severall persons of honour (1651)
XXVI Sermons (1661)
A Hymn to God the Father (unknown)
Song: Go and Catch a Falling Star (1633)
Great Metaphysical Interior, Ferrara, April-August 1917
Oil on canvas, 37 3/4 x 27 3/4" (95.9 x 70.5 cm)
Giorgio de Chirco (Italian, born Greece, 1888-1978)
Gift of James Thrall Soby.
*
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) was founded in 1929 and is often recognized as the most influential museum of modern art in the world. Over the course of the next ten years, the Museum moved three times into progressively larger temporary quarters, and in 1939 finally opened the doors of its midtown home, located on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in midtown.
MoMA's holdings include more than 150,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, architectural models and drawings, and design objects. Highlights of the collection inlcude Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night, Salvador Dali's The Persistence of Memory, Pablo Picasso's Les Demoiseels d'Avignon and Three Musicians, Claude Monet's Water Lilies, Piet Mondrian's Broadway Boogie Woogie, Paul Gauguin's The Seed of the Areoi, Henri Matisse's Dance, Marc Chagall's I and the Village, Paul Cezanne's The Bather, Jackson Pollack's Number 31, 1950, and Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans. MoMA also owns approximately 22,000 films and four million film stills, and MoMA's Library and Archives, the premier research facilities of their kind in the world, hold over 300,000 books, artist books, and periodicals, and extensive individual files on more than 70,000 artists.
Book of Shadows pages I created. These are not pre-punched so they can be customized for most any Book of Shadows. These pages are on parchment paper 8.5 x 11 size.
Yes, girls and little duckie, as frightening and horrible as it may sound I’m afraid it’s true and proof can be found inscribed on the metaphysical blackboard of life: Long, long ago all doll heads had bodies.
Now I know what you’re thinking but having a body was a part of how things were. Yeah, yeah, there was the downside I agree: Man-beings would talk at your body instead of addressing the constitution of your being.
But on the upside when things got out of hand a woman-being could go stark raving mad on a moments notice and then blame it on low blood sugar. Not only would this get things back on track with the man-beings but the man-beings were usually more than happy to offer up a meal out of self preservation.. Low blood sugar was serious stuff back then and actually replaced the wrath of PMS.
The man-beings as we knew them were basically trained to find their security in themselves. Women-beings were their emotional outlet, their main source of love and you would have thought it would have gone well from there.
Yet man was not satisfied with what he had and so tried to improve on the woman-beings for his own benefit.
He invented high heels shoes for them so that their hind quarters would protrude. Soon after heels he invented ghastly waist restraints to work in conjunction with the torturous footwear. He formulated lip coverage in assorted colors for woman-beings to wear so as to simulate a swollen labia.
Inevitably he invented porn and paid the women-beings more than they would have made in conventional jobs to engage is sex while being filmed in these high heeled shoes. Later he would label these pioneers of sensuality as sluts and whores. Somewhere along the line he forgot they were sisters, mothers, grandmothers and aunts.
Well that was the end of the line as the world knew woman-beings.
One dark and stormy night Eros opened the heavens with a thunderous roar let fly a swift chartreuse lightening bolt that weaved in and about the land separating the heads from the bodies of the woman-beings and leaving the world with what we have today: Doll Heads.
Of course this terribly upset the man-beings for now he had to talk to you instead of at you, feel you through listening instead of touching. And for ten thousand years it was a perfect world, there was no modifying, there was no cutting, there was no molding, and no augments.
Then about two thousand years ago a cosmic shuttle arrived and whisked all the men off to Planet Hooters where everyday is Super Bowl Sunday and the two food group consists of baby back ribs and nachos.