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Unlike last year’s submissions, when I challenged myself to triple alliterations and puns, this year I simply tried to make a quadrant kaleidoscopes out of each picture from last year. It worked for all but 2 of last year’s photos, so I found 2 new subjects.
La colina real de Ambohimanga comprende una ciudadela y una necrópolis reales, así como un conjunto de lugares sacros. Revestido de un carácter sagrado y estrechamente vinculado al sentimiento de identidad nacional, este sitio es objeto de veneración entre la población desde hace unos cinco siglos y sigue siendo, hoy en día, un lugar de culto al que acuden peregrinos de toda la isla de Madagascar y otras partes del mundo.
The Royal Hill of Ambohimanga consists of a royal city and burial site, and an ensemble of sacred places. It is associated with strong feelings of national identity, and has maintained its spiritual and sacred character both in ritual practice and the popular imagination for the past 500 years. It remains a place of worship to which pilgrims come from Madagascar and elsewhere.
La Colina real de Ambohimanga es un sitio arqueológico en el lugar de Ambohimanga Rova, comuna de Antananarivo Avaradrano, provincia de Antananarivo, Madagascar. El área contiene las ruinas de una ciudad, tumbas y lugares sagrados. Es un lugar de significado histórico y religioso en la cultura del pueblo malgache. Como resultado de este significado, la Colina real de Ambohimanga fue declarada Patrimonio de la Humanidad de la Unesco en el año 2001.
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colina_real_de_Ambohimanga
Ambohimanga is a hill and traditional fortified royal settlement (rova) in Madagascar, located approximately 24 kilometers (15 mi) northeast of the capital city of Antananarivo. It is situated in the commune of Ambohimanga Rova.
The hill and the rova that stands on top are considered the most significant symbol of the cultural identity of the Merina people and the most important and best-preserved monument of the precolonial Merina Kingdom. The walled historic village includes residences and burial sites of several key monarchs. The site, one of the twelve sacred hills of Imerina, is associated with strong feelings of national identity and has maintained its spiritual and sacred character both in ritual practice and the popular imagination for at least four hundred years. It remains a place of worship to which pilgrims come from Madagascar and elsewhere.
The site has been politically important since the early 18th century, when King Andriamasinavalona (1675–1710) divided the Kingdom of Imerina into four quadrants and assigned his son Andriantsimitoviaminiandriana to govern the northeastern quadrant, Avaradrano, from its newly designated capital at Ambohimanga. The division of Imerina led to 77 years of civil war, during which time the successive rulers of Avaradrano led military campaigns to expand their territory while undertaking modifications to the defenses at Ambohimanga to better protect it against attacks. The war was ended from Ambohimanga by King Andrianampoinimerina, who successfully undertook negotiations and military campaigns that reunited Imerina under his rule by 1793. Upon capturing the historic capital of Imerina at Antananarivo, Andrianampoinimerina shifted his royal court and all political functions back to its original locus at Antananarivo's royal compound and declared the two cities of equal importance, with Ambohimanga as the kingdom's spiritual capital. He and later rulers in his line continued to conduct royal rituals at the site and regularly inhabited and remodeled Ambohimanga until French colonization of the kingdom and the exile of the royal family in 1897. The significance of historical events here and the presence of royal tombs have given the hill a sacred character that is further enhanced at Ambohimanga by the burial sites of several Vazimba, the island's earliest inhabitants.
The royal compound on the hilltop is surrounded by a complex system of defensive ditches and stone walls and is accessed by 14 gateways, of which many were sealed by stone disc barriers. The gateways and construction of buildings within the compound are arranged according to two overlaid cosmological systems that value the four cardinal points radiating from a unifying center, and attach sacred importance to the northeastern direction. The complex inside the wall is subdivided into three smaller rova. Mahandrihono, the largest compound, was established between 1710 and 1730 by King Andriambelomasina; it remains largely intact and contains the royal tombs, house of King Andrianampoinimerina, summer palace of Queen Ranavalona II, and sites that figured in key royal rituals such as the sacrificial zebu pen, royal bath and main courtyard. Original buildings no longer remain in the compound of Bevato, established before 1710 by Andriamborona, and the Nanjakana compound, built for King Andrianjafy in the late 18th century. The hill and its royal fortified city were added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2001 and represent Madagascar's only cultural site following the destruction by fire in 1995 of its historic sister city, the Rova of Antananarivo, shortly before the latter's intended inscription to the list. Numerous governmental and civil society organizations support the conservation of Ambohimanga by restoring damaged features and preventing further degradation.
Canon EOS 80D + Orion SkyQuest XT10 + Tele Vue 2.5x Powermate (giving an effective focal length of 3,000 mm).
Broadstairs, December 2019.
The previous name (West Venture) had been blanked out with green tape at the time I took the picture. Originally entitled "Anonymous Tug".
Unlike last year’s submissions, when I challenged myself to triple alliterations and puns, this year I simply tried to make a quadrant kaleidoscopes out of each picture from last year. It worked for all but 2 of last year’s photos, so I found 2 new subjects.
Continuing astro-projected journey of out-of-body&lens experience on wast cityscapes amidst deep space Blue Hour... :-)
Ensign, take course on CN Tower on WARP 7. Engage!
Here's to another exciting experiment of zoom-long exposure magic ;-)
Part of Astro Projection series.
UPDATE: This image was featured at Vistek's Flickr Friday Gallery www.flickr.com/photos/vistek/galleries/72157626106484517
Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., and with roughly 35,000 people in just under 2 square miles (5 km2), it is also one of the most densely populated.
As a geographic feature, Capitol Hill rises near the center of the District of Columbia and extends eastward. Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant, as he began to develop his plan for the new federal capital city in 1791, chose to locate the "Congress House" (the Capitol building) on the crest of the hill at a site that he characterized as a "pedestal waiting for a monument". The Capitol building has been the home of the Congress of the United States and the workplace of many residents of the Capitol Hill neighborhood since 1800.
The Capitol Hill neighborhood today straddles two quadrants of the city, Southeast and Northeast. A large portion of the neighborhood is now designated as the Capitol Hill Historic District.
The name Capitol Hill is often used to refer to both the historic district and to the larger neighborhood around it. To the east of Capitol Hill lies the Anacostia River, to the north is the H Street corridor, to the south are the Southeast/Southwest Freeway and the Washington Navy Yard, and to the west are the National Mall and the city's central business district.
The Capitol building is surrounded by the Capitol Hill Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The Capitol Hill Historic District was expanded in 2015 to the north to include the blocks bordered by 2nd Street, F Street, 4th Street, and just south of H Street, NE, collectively known as the Swampoodle Addition.
Capitol Hill's landmarks include not only the United States Capitol, but also the Senate and House office buildings, the Supreme Court building, the Library of Congress, the Marine Barracks, the Washington Navy Yard, and Congressional Cemetery.
It is, however, largely a residential neighborhood composed predominantly of rowhouses of different stylistic varieties and periods. Side by side exist early 19th century manor houses, Federal townhouses, small frame dwellings, ornate Italianate bracketed houses, and the late 19th century press brick rowhouses with their often whimsical decorative elements combining Richardsonian Romanesque, Queen Anne, and Eastlakian motifs. In the 1990s, gentrification and the booming economy of the District of Columbia meant that the neighborhood's non-historic and obsolete buildings began to be replaced. New buildings, which have to comply with height limits and other restrictions, are often done in a decorative modernist style, many by Amy Weinstein, whose designs feature polychrome brickwork set in patterned relief.
There are multiple schools within the boundaries, including Brent Elementary School, the main primary school, St. Peter's School on Capitol Hill, the only Catholic school, Capitol Hill Day School, Stuart-Hobson Middle School, Elliot-Hine Jr.High School, Eastern High School and many others. Compared to other DC neighborhoods, it has an abnormally large number of schools.
The main non-residential corridor of Capitol Hill is Pennsylvania Avenue, a lively commercial street with shops, restaurants and bars. Eastern Market is an 1873 public market on 7th Street SE, where vendors sell fresh meat and produce in indoor stalls and at outdoor farmers' stands. It is also the site of an outdoor flea market every weekend. After a major fire gutted the main market building on April 30, 2007, it underwent restoration and reopened on June 26, 2009. One of the most beloved stores, Fragers Hardware, has been based on Pennsylvania Avenue for nearly 100 years before it suffered a fire similar in destructiveness to the Eastern Market fire. It has successfully rebuilt on the same location.
Barracks Row (8th Street SE), so called because of its proximity to the U.S. Marine Barracks, is one of the city's oldest commercial corridors. It dates to the late 18th century and has recently been revitalized.
A new addition to Capitol Hill is a community center named Hill Center. Hill Center is housed in the restored Old Naval Hospital at the corner of 9th and Pennsylvania Avenue SE. The rehabilitation of the Old Naval Hospital combines the restoration of a historically significant landmark with the cutting edge technologies of modern “green” architecture. Hill Center is a vibrant new home for cultural, educational, and civic life on Capitol Hill.
from Wikipedia
St. Hilda’s By The Sea is a small Anglican church in Sechelt. Set among the verdant green trees of the temperate rainforest, it is an eclectic mix of old and new: retired British pensioners polish the altar crystal and set out flowers for Sunday services, presided over by a gay Chinese-Canadian priest. Tai chi mixes with Celtic mysticism in a melange that is somehow stronger than its parts. And isn’t that what community is all about?
From the official website:
Walking the labyrinth is an ancient spiritual act that is being rediscovered during our time.
Usually constructed from circular patterns, labyrinths are based on principles of sacred geometry. Sometimes called “divine imprints”, they are found around the world as sacred patterns that have been passed down through the ages for at least 4,000 years. When a pattern of a certain size is constructed or placed on the ground, it can be used for walking meditations and rituals.
Labyrinths and their geometric cousins (spirals and mandalas) can be found in almost every religious tradition. For example, the Kabbala, or Tree of Life, is found in the Jewish mystical tradition. The Hopi Medicine Wheel, and the Man in the Maze are two forms from the Native American labyrinth traditions. The Cretan labyrinth, the remains of which can be found on the island of Crete, has seven path rings and is the oldest known labyrinth (4,000 or 5.000 years old).
In Europe, the Celts and later the early Christian Celtic Church revered labyrinths and frequently built them in natural settings. Sacred dances would be performed in them to celebrate solar and religious festivals. During the Middle Ages, labyrinths were created in churches and cathedrals throughout France and Northern Italy. These characteristically flat church or pavement labyrinths were inlaid into the floor of the nave of the church.
The Chartres Labyrinth
The labyrinth constructed at St. Hilda’s is an 11-circuit labyrinth. It is a replica of the one embedded in the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France. The design of this labyrinth, and many of the other church labyrinths in Europe, is a reworking of the ancient labyrinth design in which an equal-armed cross is emphasized and surrounded by a web of concentric circles. As with many Christian symbols, this was an adaptation of a symbol; that is known to have predated the Christian faith. This medieval variation is considered a breakthrough in design because it is less linear than the preceding, more formal, Roman design that developed from quadrant to quadrant. The medieval design made one path as long as possible, starting at the outer circumference and leading to the centre. Fraught with twists and turns, the path’s meanderings were considered symbolic representations of the Christian pilgrim’s journey to the Holy City of Jerusalem and of one’s own journey through life. This classical design is sometimes referred to as “the Chartres Labyrinth” due to the location of its best known example. The labyrinth was built at Chartres in the early 13th century (~ 1215 A.D.). No one knows the source of this classical 11-circuit labyrinth design, and much of its spiritual meaning and use has been lost.
The Chartres Labyrinth is located in the west end of the nave, the central body of the cathedral. When you walk in the main doors and look towards the high altar, you see the center of the labyrinth on the floor about 50 feet in front of you. It is approximately 42 feet in diameter and the path is 16 inches wide. At Chartres, the center of the Rose Window mirrors the center of the labyrinth. The cathedral is perfectly proportioned, so that if we put the west wall of the cathedral on hinges and folded it down on the labyrinth, the Rose Window would fit almost perfectly over the labyrinth.
Labyrinth or Maze?
The difference between a labyrinth used for meditation and mazes can be confusing. Mazes often have many entrances, dead-ends and cul-de-sacs that frequently confound the human mind. In contrast, meditation labyrinths offer only one path. By following the one path to the center, the seeker can use the labyrinth to quiet his or her mind and find peace and illumination at the center of his or her being. “As soon as one enters the labyrinth, one realizes that the path of the labyrinth serves as a metaphor for one’s spiritual journey. The walk, and all that happens on it, can be grasped through the intuitive, pattern-discerning faculty of the person walking it. The genius of this tool is that it reflects back to the seeker whatever he or she needs to discover from the perspective of a new level of conscious awareness.”
The Labyrinth is a Universal Meditation Tool
Anyone from any tradition or spiritual path can walk into the labyrinth and, through reflecting in the present moment, can benefit from it. A meditation labyrinth is one of many tools that can be used for spiritual practice. Like any tool, it is best used with a proper, good, intention. A church or temple can be used simply as a refuge from a rainstorm, but it can be so much more with a different intention. The same is true of the labyrinth. The seeker is only asked to put one foot in front of the other. By stepping into the labyrinth, we are choosing once again to walk the contemplative spiritual path. We are agreeing to let ourselves be open to see, to be free to hear, and to becoming real enough to respond. The labyrinth is a prayer path, a crucible of change, a meditation tool, a blueprint where psyche meets soul.
The best way to learn about the labyrinth is to walk a well-constructed one a few times, with an open heart and an open mind. Then allow your experience to guide you as to whether this will be a useful spiritual tool for you.
The Chartres Labyrinth and the Pilgrim’s Journey
Pilgrims are persons in motion – passing through territories not their own – seeking something we might call completion, or perhaps the word clarity will do as well, a goal to which only the spirit’s compass points the way.
Richard R. Niebuhr in Pilgrims and Pioneers
“The tradition of pilgrimage is as old as religion itself. Worshippers on pilgrimage traveled to holy festivals whether to solstice celebrations, to Mecca to gather around the Ka’aba for the high holy days of Islam, or to Easter festivals in the Holy City of Jerusalem. Pilgrimages were a mixture of religious duty and holiday relaxation for the peasant, the commoner and rich land owner alike. The journey was often embarked on in groups with designated places to stay at night. The pilgrims were restless to explore the mystical holy places, and many were in search of physical or spiritual healing.
The Christian story, which emphasized the humanity of Christ, fascinated the pilgrims. In the Middle Ages, most people did not read. As a result, they were much more oriented to the senses than we are today. They learned the story by traveling to Jerusalem to walk where Jesus walked, to pray where he prayed, and to experience, in a solemn moment, where he died. Unlike today, Pilgrims encountered the truth of the Christian mystery through an ongoing intimacy with all their senses.
When a person committed his or her life to Christ in the early Middle Ages, they sometimes made a vow to make a pilgrimage to the Holy City of Jerusalem. However, by the 12th century when the Crusades swept across Europe and the ownership of Jerusalem was in tumultuous flux, travel became dangerous and expensive. In response to this situation, the Roman Church appointed seven pilgrimage cathedrals to become “Jerusalem” for pilgrims. Consequently, in the pilgrimage tradition, the path within the labyrinth was called the Chemin de Jerusalem and the center of the labyrinth was called “New Jerusalem”.
The walk into the labyrinth marked the end of the physical journey across the countryside and served as a symbolic entry-way into the spiritual realms of the Celestial City. The image of the Celestial City – taken straight out of the Book of Revelation to John – captivated the religious imagination of many during the Middle Ages. The wondrous Gothic cathedrals, with painted walls either in bright, even gaudy colours, or else white-washed, were designed to represent the Celestial City. The stained glass windows – when illuminated by the sun – created the sense of colourful, dancing jewels, allowing the pilgrim to experience the awesome mystery of the City of God.”
The Journey of Life
A fundamental approach to the labyrinth is to see it as a metaphor for life’s journey. The labyrinth reminds us that all of life, with its joys, sorrows, twists and turns, is a journey that comes from God (birth) and goes to God (death). It is a physical metaphor for the journey of healing, spiritual and emotional growth and transformation. Following the path is like any journey. Sometimes you feel you are at or nearing your destination, and at other times you may feel distant or even lost. Only by faithfully keeping to the path will you arrive at the physical center of the labyrinth, which signifies God, the center of our lives and souls.
Applying the Three Fold Mystical Tradition to the Labyrinth
In the Christian mystical tradition, the journey to God was articulated in the three stages. These stages have become recognized as being universal to meditation: to release and quiet; to open and receive; and to take what was gained back out into the world.
The Three Stages
The first part of the Three- Fold Mystical Path is Purgation. This archaic word is from the root word “to purge”, meaning to cleanse, to let go. Shedding is another way of describing the experience. The mystical word is empting or releasing. It is believed that monks journeyed the first part of the labyrinth Purgation on their knees as a penitential act. This was not done for reasons of punishment as we might think, but as a way to humble oneself before God.
The second stage of the Three-Fold Path, Illumination, is found in the center of the labyrinth. Usually it is a surprise to reach the center because the long winding path seems “illogical” and cannot be figured out by the linear mind. After quieting the mind in the first part of the walk, the center presents a new experience: a place of meditation and prayer. Often people at this stage in the walk find insight into their situation in life, or clarity about a certain problem, hence the label “illumination”. As one enters the
center, the instruction is simple: enter with an open heart and mind; receive what there is for you.
The third stage, Union, begins when you leave the center of the labyrinth and continues as you retrace the path that brought you in. In this stage the meditation takes on a grounded, energized feeling. Many people who have had an important experience in the center feel that this third stage of the labyrinth gives them a way of integrating the insights they received. Others feel that this stage stokes the creative fires within. It energizes insight. It empowers, invites, and even pushes us to be more authentic and confident and to take risks with our gifts in the world. Union means communing with God.
The Monastic Orders experienced a union with God through their community life by creating a fulfilling balance between the work that was assigned, sleep and the many hours of worship attended daily. Our times present a similar challenge: we struggle to find balance between work, sleep, family and friends, leisure and spiritual life. The lack of structured communities in which people share work responsibilities and the “every person for himself or herself” mentality (or every family for itself) prevalent in our highly individualistic society makes the task of finding balance even more difficult.
Monastic communities offered a mystical spirituality that spoke to highly intuitive and intensely introverted people and (paradoxically to some) at the same time provided an economic structure throughout Europe. Monasteries during the Middle Ages provided schools and hospitals managed by monks; yet, at the same time, cloistered life helped the monks stay inwardly directed. Today, without any reliable structure directing us, the way of union needs to be re-thought. Our times call for most of us to be outer-directed. We are called to action in every aspect of our society in order to meet the spiritual challenges that confront us in the 21st century. Gratefully, there are still people in religious orders holding the candle for deep contemplation, but the majority of people involved in the spiritual transformation are searching for a path that guides them to service in the world in an active, extroverted, compassionate way. The third stage of the labyrinth empowers the seeker to move back into the world replenished and directed – which makes the labyrinth a particularly powerful tool for transformation.
Walking the Labyrinth: The Process
The purpose of all spiritual disciplines – prayer, fasting, meditation – is to help create an open attentiveness that enables us to receive and renew our awareness of our grounding and wholeness in God.
The Experience of Walking Meditation
Many of us have trouble quieting our minds. The Buddhists call the distracted state of mind the “monkey mind”, which is an apt image of what the mind is frequently like: thoughts swinging like monkeys from branch to branch, chattering away without any rhyme or conscious reason. When the mind is quiet, we feel peaceful and open, aware of a silence that embraces the universe.
Complete quiet in the mind is not a realistic goal for most of us. Instead, the task is to dis-identify with the thoughts going through our minds. Don’t get hooked by the thoughts, let them go. Thomas Keating, a Cistercian monk who teaches Centering Prayer (meditation) in the Christian tradition, described the mind as a still lake. A thought is like a fish that swims through it. If you get involved with the fish (“Gee what an unusual fish, I wonder what it is called?”), then you are hooked. Many of us have discovered through learning meditation how difficult it is to quiet the mind; yet, the rewards are great.
In the labyrinth, the sheer act of walking a complicated, attention demanding path begins to focus the mind. Thoughts of daily tasks and experiences become less intrusive. A quiet mind does not happen automatically. You must gently guide the mind with the intention of letting go of extraneous thoughts. This is much easier to do when your whole body is moving – when you are walking. Movement takes away the excess charge of psychic energy that disturbs our efforts to quiet our thought processes.
Two Basic Approaches to the Walk
One way to walk the labyrinth is to choose to let all thought go and simply open yourself to your experience with gracious attention. Usually – though not always – quieting happens in the first stage of the walk. After the mind is quiet, you can choose to remain in the quiet. Or use the labyrinth as a prayer path. Simply begin to talk to God. This is an indication that you are ready to receive what is there for you, or you allow a sincere part of your being to find its voice.
A second approach to a labyrinth walk is to consider a question. Concentrate on the question as you walk in. Amplify your thoughts about it; let all else go but your question. When you walk into the center with an open heart and an open mind, you are opening yourself to receiving new information, new insights about yourself.
Guidelines for the Walk
Find your pace. In our chaotic world we are often pushed beyond a comfortable rhythm. In this state we lose the sense of our own needs. To make matters worse, we are often rushed and then forced to wait. Anyone who has hurried to the bank only to stand in line knows the feeling. Ironically, the same thing can happen with the labyrinth, but there is a difference. The labyrinth helps us find what our natural pace would be and draws our attention to it when we are not honouring it.
Along with finding your pace, support your movement through the labyrinth by becoming conscious of your breath. Let your breath flow smoothly in and out of your body. It can be coordinated with each step – as is done in the Buddhist walking meditation – if you choose. Let your experience be your guide.
Each experience in the labyrinth is different, even if you walk it often in a short period of time. The pace usually differs each time as well. It can change dramatically within the different stages of the walk. When the labyrinth has more than a comfortable number of seekers on it, you can “pass” people if you want to continue to honour the intuitive pace your inner process has set. If you are moving at a slower pace, you can allow people to pass you. At first people are uncomfortable with the idea of “passing” someone on the labyrinth. It looks competitive, especially since the walk is a spiritual exercise. Again, these kinds of thoughts and feelings, we hope, are greeted from a spacious place inside that smiles knowingly about the machinations of the human ego. On the spiritual path we meet every and all things. To find our pace, to allow spaciousness within, to be receptive to all experience, and to be aware of the habitual thoughts and issues that hamper our spiritual development is a road to self-knowledge.
Summary of How to Walk the Labyrinth
Pause at the entry way to allow yourself to be fully conscious of the act of stepping into the labyrinth. Allow about a minute, or several turns on the path, to create some space between yourself and the person in front of you. Some ritual act, such as a bow, may feel appropriate during the labyrinth walk. Do what comes naturally.
Follow your pace. Allow your body to determine the pace. If you allow a rapid pace and the person in front of you is moving slower, feel free to move around this person. This is easiest to do at the turns by turning earlier. If you are moving slowly, you can step onto the labyrs (wide spaces at the turns) to allow others to pass.
The narrow path is a two-way street. If you are going in and another person is going out, you will meet on the path. If you want to keep in an inward meditative state, simply do not make eye contact. If you meet someone you know, a touch of the hand or a hug may be an important acknowledgement of being on the path together.
Symbolism and Meanings Found in the Chartres Labyrinth
Circles and Spirals
The circle is the symbol of unity or union and it is the primary shape of all labyrinths. The circle in sacred geometry represents the incessant movement of the universe (uncomprehensible) as opposed to the square which represents comprehensible order. The labyrinth is a close cousin to the spiral and it, too, reflects the cyclical element of nature and is regarded as the symbol of eternal life.
The labyrinth functions like a spiral, creating a vortex in its center. Upon entering, the path winds in a clockwise pattern. Energy is being drawn out. Upon leaving the center the walker goes in a counter clockwise direction. The unwinding path integrates and empowers us on our walk back out. We are literally ushered back out into the world in a strengthened condition.
The Path
The path lies in 11 concentric circles with the 12th being the labyrinth center. The path meanders throughout the whole circle. There are 34 turns on the path going into the center. Six are semi-right turns and 28 are 180° turns. So the 12 rings that form the 11 pathways may symbolically represent, the 12 apostles, 12 tribes of Israel or 12 months of the year. Twelve is a mystical number in Christianity. In sacred geometry three represents heaven and four represents earth. Twelve is the product of 3 x 4 and, therefore, the path which flows through the whole is then representative of all creation.
The obvious metaphor for the path is the difficult path to salvation, with its many twists and turns. Since we cannot see a straight path to our destination, the labyrinth can be viewed as a metaphor for our lives. We learn to surrender to the path (Christ) and trust that he will lead us on our journey.
The path can also be viewed as grace or the Church guiding us through chaos.
The Cruciform and Labyrs
The labyrinth is divided equally into four quadrants that make an equal-armed cross or cruciform. The four arms represent in symbol what is thought to be the essential
structure of the universe for example, the four spatial directions, the four elements (earth, wind, water and fire), the four seasons and, most important, salvation through the cross. The four arms of the cross emerging from the center seem to give order to the would-be chaos of the meandering path around it.
The Chartres labyrinth cross or cruciform is delineated by the 10 labyrs (labyr means to turn and this is the root of the word labyrinth). The labyrs are double-ax shaped and visible at the turns and between turns. They are traditionally seen as a symbol of women’s power and creativity.
The Centre Rosette
In the Middle Ages, the rose was regarded as a symbol for the Virgin Mary. Because of its association with the myths of Percival and the Holy Grail at that time, it also was seen as a sign of beauty and love. The rose becomes symbolic of both human and divine love, of passionate love, but also love beyond passion. The single rose became a symbol of a simple acceptance of God’s love for the world.
Unlike a normal rose (which has five petals) the rosette has six petals and is steeped in mysticism. Although associated with the Rose of Sharon, which refers to Mary, it may also represent the Holy Spirit (wisdom and enlightenment). The six petals may have corresponded to the story of the six days of creation. In other mystical traditions, the petals can be viewed as the levels of evolution (mineral, plant, animal, humankind, angelic and divine).
The Lunations
The lunations are the outer ring of partial circles that complete the outside circle of the labyrinth. They are unique to the Chartres design.
Celtic Symbols on the St. Hilda’s Labyrinth
The Celtic peoples have given us seven enduring spiritual principles:
1. A deep respect of nature, regarding creation as the fifth Gospel.
2. Quiet care for all living things.
3. The love of learning.
4. A wonder-lust or migratory nature.
5. Love of silence and solitude.
6. Understanding of time as a sacred reality and an appreciation of ordinary life, worshipping God through everyday life, and with great joy.
7. The value of family and clan affiliation, and especially spiritual ties of soul friends.
To show our respect for such wisdom, two Celtic designs adorn the St. Hilda’s labyrinth.
To mark the entrance to the labyrinth is a Celtic zoomorphic design painted in red. Traditionally, Celtic monks used intricate knotwork and zoomorphic designs (odd animals intertwined in uncomfortable ways) as mere filler for their illuminated gospel texts. They had no discernible meaning.
However, because of their unique design components, zoomorphs are now associated with transformations.
Transformation, change, action, and passion are also associated with red, the colour of fire. Therefore, this entrance symbol may well be an appropriate sign for the journey ahead.
At the labyrinth’s centre is a Celtic triquetra. This interlocked knotwork design of three stylized fish (whales) is often interpreted as the Trinity knot. It is a perfect representation of the concept of "three in one" in Christian trinity beliefs. Having the design enclosed within the centre circle further emphasizes the unity theme.
The triquetra can also be considered to represent the triplicities of mind, body, and soul, as well as the three domains of earth- earth, sea, and sky.
Final Reflection: The Labyrinth as a “Thinning Place”
In Celtic Christianity, places where people felt most strongly connected with God’s presence were referred to as thin places. It was these places in nature (forest groves, hilltops and deep wells) that the seen and unseen worlds were most closely connected, and the inhabitants of both worlds could momentarily touch the other. Today our churches, temples and sacred sites are the new thin places to meet the Divine. Here, at St Hilda’s, we have opportunities to encounter many thinning places – whether it be during Eucharistic or Taize services, while singing or praying, or through the love of a welcoming inclusive community. The labyrinth is a welcome addition; and with the right intent can also become a new thinning place for the modern pilgrim/spiritual seeker.This outward journey is an archetype with which we can have a direct experience. We can walk it. It can serve to frame the inward journey – a journey of repentance, forgiveness and rebirth, a journey that seeks a deeper faith, and greater holiness, a journey in search of God.
This 360° High Dynamic Range panorama was stitched from 66 bracketed photographs images with PTGUI Pro, tone-mapped with Photomatix, processed with Color Efex, and touched up in Aperture.
Original size: 20000 × 10000 (200.0 MP; 1.04 GB).
Location: St. Hilda’s By The Sea Anglican Church, Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada
This is made entirely of vintage fabric and is one quadrant of a pattern I found called "Obsession".
Taken with an old Vokar camera (not the sharpest lens).
This lower-quadrant dwarf had no green "clear" aspect, only amber "restricting" and red "stop" aspects.
This was taken on the Jersey Central's Newark and New York Branch, at the junction with the Newark Branch to Elizabethport. At one time, trains had a direct route from here to the Communipaw ferry terminal in Jersey City. At the time of this photo, shuttle passenger trains still ran from Broad Street, Newark to Kearney or Elizabethport.
V/Line's Clyde-rebuilt A62 passes under the photogenic signal gantry at Benalla with an Up Albury broad gauge service on 6 August 1989. This was a bonus shot as we were actually waiting for 'Flying Scotsman' to turn up.
Unlike last year’s submissions, when I challenged myself to triple alliterations and puns, this year I simply tried to make a quadrant kaleidoscopes out of each picture from last year. It worked for all but 2 of last year’s photos, so I found 2 new subjects.
London United DT26, a Dennis Dart with Duple 'Dartline' bodywork pictured in a traffic jam on The Quadrant in Richmond Surrey on 28th April 1990. At the time, the bus was brand new having been just delivered to London United that very month. The Dartline body was only used on the Dennis Dart chassis, however, Duple only produced the Dartline during 1990, before the designs were sold onto Carlyle for continued production in 1990/1. To be honest, I quite liked the asymmetric look of these buses when they first arrived on the scene, especially as they appeared a little different from the offerings of other body builders of the time.
In January 2000, this bus and sister bus DT16 (G516VYE) were sold to Southern Vectis for further service. I believe that this particular vehicle has since been acquired by the West Wight Bus Group on the Isle of Wight, as a preservation project:
Quadrant Carette 2x3 Tricycle (1904) Engines 2 x 369cc (792cc)
Registration Number Unknown
Quadrant were one of the first British bicycle manufacturers to branch out into Motorcycle and Tricycle production. In the early years of the 20th century the tricar held a special position in the market: in comfort, ease of control and economy it stood between a car and a motorcycle.
In 1904 Quadrant introduced their 6hp Carette model, to a favourable reception. An unusual feature was its twin separate mirrored engines. Advertised as smart and comfortable the ad noted that the driver sat in a comfortable position in a Brooks bucket seat and controls the machine with a steering wheel rather than handlebars. The platform upon which the driver’s feet rest is spring-insulated, and powerful pedal-applied brakes act on the steering wheel hubs and the engine countershaft. The open-backed frame and sprung bucket seat will be appreciated by tricyclists, while the well-known spiral suspension-spring insulation of the Quadrant Tricycle has been retained for the fore-carriage. Twin engines of 3 HP, air-cooled, drive through a two speed gearbox
Diolch yn fawr am 69,709,650 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mwynhewch ac arhoswch yn ddiogel
Thank you 69,709,650 amazing views, enjoy and stay safe
Shot 02.03.2019 at the National Motorcycle Museum, Ref 138-174
IMG_0606v
www.thelightcanvas.com/un-orologio-rivoluzionario-a-chiva...
"Un giorno diviso in 10 ore, ogni ora in 100 minuti e ogni minuto in 100 secondi (tutti, ovviamente,più lunghi di quelli del tempo vecchio).
Il quadrante di questo orologio presenta le cifre da 1 a 10 in caratteri romani, e tra ciascuna sono indicate le tacche di suddivisione dei minuti decimali.
Le cifre dei minuti sono invece indicate di dieci in dieci con numeri arabi. La sfera delle ore compie un solo giro al giorno, e quella dei minuti un giro a ogni ora nuova, e quindi dieci giri al giorno.
Per cui, ad esempio, a mezzogiorno solare l'orologio indica le 5 in punto, e a mezzanotte le 10, con le due lancette sovrapposte; non si tiene conto dell'ora legale.
Se oggi in un giorno contiamo 60 x 24 e cioè 1.440 minuti, su questo particolare orologio ne scorrono 10 x 100 e cioè 1.000; per cui un minuto decimale è 1,44 volte più grande di quello sessadecimale; e un'ora decimale è ovviamente 2,4 volte più lunga di quella a cui siamo abituati."
"Nulla è più vecchio, e invecchia più facilmente, del termine "nuovo "…
Unlike last year’s submissions, when I challenged myself to triple alliterations and puns, this year I simply tried to make a quadrant kaleidoscopes out of each picture from last year. It worked for all but 2 of last year’s photos, so I found 2 new subjects.
John Wilcox used this quadrant on his voyages from Madison to New York and the Connecticut River in the early 1800's to about 1860. A quadrant was a forerunner of the sextant and measured the altitude of heavenly bodies for navigation.
Brass and ivory fitted ebony frame with the maker's name and compass degrees engraved on ivory set into the frame. Colored glass filters used in the sighting device. Quadrant fits into oak box with partial label of William Davenport, instrument dealer in Philadelphia. Cut side of box is painted yellow and has faint traces of a star and "JOHN WILCOX" painted on it. Made by Spencer, Browning & Rust, London England c. 1800.
Found in collection.
15" X 13 3/4" X 3 1/2"
ACC# 79.680.1-2
See more museum items at flic.kr/s/aHskgxX9We.
(Photo credit Bob Gundersen www.flickr.com/photos/bobphoto51/albums)
Unlike last year’s submissions, when I challenged myself to triple alliterations and puns, this year I simply tried to make a quadrant kaleidoscopes out of each picture from last year. It worked for all but 2 of last year’s photos, so I found 2 new subjects.
Vancouver, BC Canada
c. 1966 Signal IV
c. 2001 Sea Imp XV
c. 2012 Quadrant Recruit
Year Built: 1966
Place: New Westminster, BC
Measurement:29.3' x 12.9' x 6.3'
Builder: John Manly Ltd.
Hull:Steel
Gross Tonnage:12.48
Type 1: Tug
Registered Tonnage: 8.49
Engine: 220bhp diesel engine (1966)
Propulsion: Screw
In 1966-1973 she was owned by Signal Towing Ltd., New Westminster BC.
In 1974-1990 she was owned by Empire Tug Boats Ltd., New Westminster BC.
In 1991-1993 she was owned by Roman Wengryniuk, North Vancouver BC.
In 1994 she was owned by Sandra L. Leblanc, Sechelt BC.
In 1995-1999 she was owned by Susan A. Reynolds, Black Creek BC.
In 2001-2012 she was owned by Catherwood Towing Ltd., Mission BC.
In 2013-2019 she was owned by Quadrant Investments Ltd., Coquitlam BC.
Reference: nauticapedia.ca
This image is best viewed in Large screen.
Thank-you for your visit, and any faves or comments are always greatly appreciated.
Sonja
Gabriele D'Annunzio
La Sabbia del tempo
"Come scorrea la calda sabbia lieve
Per entro il cavo della mano in ozio,
Il cor sentì che il giorno era più breve.
E un'ansia repentina il cor m'assalse
Per l'appressar dell'umido equinozio
Che offusca l'oro delle piagge salse.
Alla sabbia del Tempo urna la mano
Era, clessidra il cor mio palpitante,
L'ombra crescente d'ogni stelo vano
Quasi ombra d'ago in tacito quadrante."
(COME: mentre, quando.
IL COR...BREVE: il cor avvertì che i giorni si erano accorciati.
E UN'ANSIA...PER L'APPRESAR: il cuore del poeta, come ci ha fatto intuire il bel verso precedente, è afferrato da un'improvvisa angoscia, dal presentimento che l'autunno avanza.
DELL'UMIDO EQUINOZIO: dell'equinozio di settembre, detto umido perchè prelude alle piogge autunnali. Esso segna la fine della calda estate così luminosa e smagliante e perciò il poeta sente tremare in cuore un ansia repentina.
CHE OFFUSCA...SALSE: questo specialmente rattrista il poeta innamorato della bella estate inondata dal sole: l'autunno che avanza veloce spegnerà lo splendore aureo (l'oro) della sabbia lungo le spiagge marine (salse= impregnate di salsedine).
ALLA SABBIA...ERA: la sua mano era come l'urna in cui era raccolta la sabbia. Nell'età antica si misurava il tempo dal passare della sabbia da un vaso all'altro della clessidra. Era l'orologio a sabbia.
CLESSIDRA...PALPITANTE: il cuore sgomento del poeta era la clessidra perché misurava il trascorrere del tempo.
L'OMBRA ...QUADRANTE: l'ombra di ogni arbusto (stelo), la quale s'allunga con l'avanzare della stagione, è come l'ombra dello gnomone (l'ago della meridiana) in un quadrante silenzioso. Ancora una nota triste sull'inesorabile e silenzioso scorrere del tempo.)
- www.kevin-palmer.com - I went to Bear Butte, South Dakota, to try to capture the Quadrantid Meteor Shower. But it was cloudy most of the night. I did see a few between 2 and 3 AM when the sky cleared briefly. I later learned the meteor shower peaked earlier than expected, which favored observers in Europe.
SFU Academic quadrant. Designed by Arthur Erickson. Commonly referred to as a "concrete prison" design by people, its controversial because it's designed by the award winning Arthur Erickson in 1965.
Detail of one of the doors of the Archbishop`s palace in Passau. Rich wood tones contrast with the gilt door furniture.
3.10.2015.
With lower quadrant signalling, chocolate and cream stock and a fresh coat of paint, GWR Modified Hall 4-6-0 No 6990 'Witherslack Hall' looks the part as it approaches Swithland with the 12.00 off Loughborough.
GCR Autumn Gala.
Vancouver, BC Canada
c. 1966 Signal IV
c. 2001 Sea Imp XV
c. 2012 Quadrant Recruit
Year Built: 1966
Place: New Westminster, BC
Measurement: 29.3' x 12.9' x 6.3'
Builder: John Manly Ltd.
Hull:Steel
Gross Tonnage:12.48
Type 1: Tug
Registered Tonnage: 8.49
Engine: 220bhp diesel engine (1966)
Propulsion: Screw
In 1966-1973 she was owned by Signal Towing Ltd., New Westminster BC.
In 1974-1990 she was owned by Empire Tug Boats Ltd., New Westminster BC.
In 1991-1993 she was owned by Roman Wengryniuk, North Vancouver BC.
In 1994 she was owned by Sandra L. Leblanc, Sechelt BC.
In 1995-1999 she was owned by Susan A. Reynolds, Black Creek BC.
In 2001-2012 she was owned by Catherwood Towing Ltd., Mission BC.
In 2013-2019 she was owned by Quadrant Investments Ltd., Coquitlam BC.
Reference: nauticapedia.ca
This image is best viewed in Large screen.
Thank-you for your visit, and any faves or comments are always greatly appreciated.
Sonja