Contradictory statements about Musk make it unclear who runs DOGE

Contradictory statements about Musk make it unclear who runs DOGE

A White House filing clarified that the department's leader is not Elon Musk.

By Peter Charalambous

February 17, 2025, 7:56 PM

As its influence within the federal government grows daily, one question routinely emerges about the Department of Government Efficiency: Who is in charge?

That answer continues to evade the lawyers tasked with defending President Donald Trump's administration in court.

In an affidavit filed in federal court on Tuesday, a White House official clarified that Elon Musk is not the administrator of the newly formed entity -- seemingly contradicting public statements by Trump.

"I am pleased to announce that the Great Elon Musk, working in conjunction with American Patriot Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead the Department of Government Efficiency," Trump said in December 2024. Since then, and following Ramaswamy's departure from DOGE, he has routinely referred to Musk its leader.

However, according to Office of Administration Director Joshua Fischer, Musk is neither the administrator nor an employee of DOGE. Instead, Musk is a "non career special government employee" who serves as a senior adviser to the president. The filing compared Musk's role to that of Anita Dunn, a longtime political adviser who served as a senior adviser to President Joe Biden.

"In his role as senior advisor to the President, Mr. Musk has no greater authority than other senior White House advisors. Like other senior White House advisors, Mr. Musk has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions," the affidavit said.

The filing comes after Judge Tanya Chutkan – who held a hearing Tuesday in a case that challenges the breadth of Musk's authority – raised concerns about the "unpredictable and scattershot" methods employed by DOGE.

"DOGE appears to be moving in no sort of predictable and orderly fashion," Chutkan said. "This is essentially a private citizen directing an organization that's not a federal agency to have access to the entire workings of the federal government, fire, hire, slash, contract, terminate programs, all without apparently any congressional oversight."

Federal judges are also wrestling with how to define DOGE itself. In an order issued Feb. 14, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that DOGE should be considered an "agency" -- though he noted how the Trump administration is "curiously" avoiding that label.

"This appears to come from a desire to escape the obligations that accompany agencyhood — such as being subject to the Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy Act and the Administrative Procedures Act -- while reaping only its benefits," U.S. District Judge John Bates wrote.

The filing did not provide any information about who oversees DOGE, other than ruling out Musk.

The mystery about DOGE's organization and leadership does not appear limited to members of the public; lawyers for the Trump administration have similarly struggled with the question in court.

After a court hearing on Friday about DOGE's access to sensitive Treasury Department payment systems and records, Christopher Healy, senior adviser to the Treasury Department's general counsel, had little to say when asked about who runs DOGE.

"I don't know the answer to that," he told reporters Friday afternoon outside federal court in New York.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/white-house-claims-elon-musk-doesnt-run-doge/story?id=118913206

AFFIDAVIT

I, Michael P. Perez, at Hill AFB, Davis County, Utah, make the following statement under oath ND OF STATEMENT or affirmation. Pursuant to Public Law 93-579 (Privacy Act of 1974), as an individual supplying information for inclusion in a system of records, I have been informed of the following:

EFFECTS OF NONDISCLOSURE: Military members and civilian employees of the Department of Defense (DoD) and its components and agencies are obligated to cooperate in official investigations and may be subjected to administrative action for failing to do so. If I am not a military member or civilian employee of DoD, the disclosure of information by me is voluntary; however, my failure to respond will result in a recommended disposition of the case on the basis of information available.

AUTHORITY: The authority to collect the information requested by this interview is derived from one or more of the following: Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, Sections 5.2 and 5.3; title 5, United States Code, Sections 1302, 1303, 1304, 3301, and 3302; Executive Order 11478, as amended; Executive Order 10577; and 29 CFR

1614.

PURPOSE AND USES: The information supplied will be used as a part of the record in an equal employment opportunity discrimination complaint or grievance investigation. The record will be furnished to designees of agencies and departments of the Federal Government in order to resolve the complaint or grievance. The record may also be disclosed to any agency of the Federal Government having oversight or review authority with regard to Office of Personnel Management or Department of Defense activities, to the Federal intelligence agencies, or to others as published in the Federal Register.

I am employed as a Program Manager, GS-0301-11, in the 309th Electronic Maintenance Group, Quality Assurance/Product Improvement Division (309 EMXG/QPQC), at Hill AFB UT. I have held that position since February 2004. My immediate supervisor is Stephen M. Thomas. My organizational relationship to the Complainant is that of coworker. My sex is male.

I am the FOD Program manager for our office. AFMC, our parent command, was preparing to issue a new FOD video. We had been involved in its production so it was sent out for us to review and comment on. I was watching it with Mr. Thomas on the computer in my office. I thought it was pretty good but Mr. Thomas commented he thought the attire of the female narrator was inappropriate for the topic and unprofessional. It was a red silk-looking blouse and somewhat low cut but I did not think it was that bad. He did not say anything about the narrator having slept with someone to get the job. I do not recall him making any remarks of a sexual nature about her or the video. The only thing he said about her was that he thought her blouse and a flight suit she wore were inappropriate. I did not know Ms. Dunn could hear us but I have no reason she had anything to do with his comments.

Prior to a staff meeting, I do not recall the exact date, Mr. Thomas asked me if the video had been finalized or if they were going to make any more changes to it. He asked if they were going

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to do anything about the narrator or her attire but he did not make any sexually explicit or derogatory comments about her, Ms. Dunn, or women in general. END OF STATEMENT

I have read the above statement, consisting of 2 pages, and it is true and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief. I understand that the information I have given is not to be considered confidential and that it may be shown to interested parties.

Subscribed and sworn before me

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on this 14 day of September 2006.

Charl A. Forest

Charles H. Forrest

Investigator

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PREFACE of Very Reverend Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, Superior General of the Society of Jesus xi 1. General Congregation 33 (D. 6, 11, 2) mandated that when our own law was being brought into conformity with the requirements of the new universal law of the Church regarding religious institutes (namely, the 1983 Code of Canon Law for the Latin Church and the 1993 Code of Canon Law of the Eastern Churches) we should see to it that the preparations for the complete revision of our own law, to be put into final form by the next general congregation, should be made with appropriate studious effort. For the Society had for some time regarded such a revision of our law as desirable; and studies for getting it ready had already been undertaken some years prior to this at the urging and under the leadership of Reverend Father Pedro Arrupe, although he himself was not able to see these brought to a conclusion. 2. Such a true and substantial renovation of its own law, required by the decree Perfectae Caritatis of Vatican Council II, and regulated by the moto proprio Ecclesiae Sanctae of Paul VI, the Society, for its part, had actually completed by means of General Congregations 31 (1965-66) and 32 (1974-75), which thoroughly adapted the Society s life and apostolate to the new needs of the times, while at the same time retaining a genuine fidelity to its proper character and original mission. None the less, the Society had not yet been able to give a formal, normative structure to the many decrees embodying this renovation and accommodation. And thus the pressing need to undertake such a task without delay. 3. After lengthy deliberation on the part of the Superior General with his consultors about the way for the Society to accomplish this revision most effectively, the following conclusions emerged: a. First of all, it seemed good to make every effort to see that the Constitutions of St. Ignatius, an explication of the Formula of the Institute of the Society of Jesus as approved by the supreme pontiffs Paul III (1540) and Julius III (1550) and a privileged expression of the foundational spiritual and apostolic experience of the first companions, should occupy a central and real place in our law and, through that law, should serve to insp ire and govern ou r entire p resent -d ay lives. Thu s they had to be purged of elements that were obsolete or had been formally abrogated; and it had to be determined which points in them had in the course of time been modified or authentically interpreted. This was to be done, however, with the help of notes that a general congregation authoritatively appended to the original Ignatian text, without making any changes in the latter. Thus it was hoped that the Constitutions could recover their basic and fundamental inspirational and normative force for the life of the Society, without turning out to be a document that was purely spiritual and doctrinal, tied to ages past, and consequently out of tune with the times. b. Those things that in the course of time had been decreed by subsequent general congregations and that seemed appropriate to retain in a modern renewal of our life and apostolate as a genuine and real expression of the spirit contained in the Constitutions should, once all unnecessary or obsolete elements had been removed, be reformulated and arranged according to the order of the Constitutions themselves, and should bear a permanent relationship to those Constitutions, as their Complementary Norms, approved by a general congregation and alterable only by such a congregation. c. Finally, so that the living internal unity that exists between these two parts of our law might shine forth more clearly and their ongoing spiritual identity might be more obvious, the two were, in future, to be published in one and the same volume. The hope, surely, was that the Society could have available an instrument that would be at once legal and spiritual in character, authentically Ignatian, one that could help the Society to proceed ever better in the path of the divine service, according to the nature of our Institute. 4. This manner of proceeding all the provincials discussed at their congregation held in September 1990 at Loyola and approved by general consent, since experts had already prepared a sort of first draft of the project. 5. Consultation was then undertaken with experts from the worldwide Society, nominated by the provincials, in regard to this first draft of the schema. Their discussions generated very many suggestions, which were made available to (and, indeed, provided considerable help to) those who were preparing the new draft. This latter, completed at the beginning of 1993, was sent to the provinces, so that their province congregations could examine it and could send to the general congregation postulata, as well as all manner of related suggestions about the project. 6. Nearly all the provinces scrutinized the schema in one way or other and made known their thinking about it in a very positive fashion. They called for the completion of a revision along the lines of the proposed schema (albeit appropriately revised), so that the general congregation could approve it. Many provinces, however, at the same time, sent along postulata and comments of great import and of great usefulness, which contributed to the fact that a Final Proposal, written by a special commission and incorporating clear improvements, could be offered for the consideration of the general congregation. 7. The task of revising our own law deeply occupied General Congregation 34. For, on the one hand, it reserved certain points of the Final Proposal for its own discussion and decision, those that seemed of greater moment. On the other hand, each commission took on the part of the Final Proposal that it was to consider, along with the material related to it. Finally, a special commission was set up and made aware of all the suggestions that had occurred to everyone (commissions and individuals alike); it prepared the text to be voted upon, and over the space of an entire month proposed it to the congregation for a final vote piece by piece. On March 18 the congregation took a final comprehensive vote, with the greatest consensus and the greatest joy in the Spirit. It thus brought to a happy conclusion work stretching out over several years, in which, in diverse fashion, virtually the entire Society had taken part. 8. Most gladly, then, my dearest brothers, do I now present to you our renewed Constitutions and their Complementary Norms, to be considered in your personal and communal prayer and to be observed in the spirit in which they have been written. Thus, with the help of God, may these, as Master Ignatius proposed, be a certain path to him in our enthusiastic following out of our mission in the Church, as servants of the mission of Christ under the leadership of the Roman Pontiff, for the greater praise and glory of Christ and for the good, the salvation, and the consolation of our fellow men and women, to whom we are sent in any region of the world whatsoever. 

Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J. Superior General of the Society of Jesus Rome, September 27, 1995 

On the 455th anniversary of the papal approval of the Society of Jesus 

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182223/https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf 

Regimini militantis Ecclesiae (Latin for To the Government of the Church Militant) was the papal bull promulgated by Pope Paul III on September 27, 1540, which gave a first approval to the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, but limited the number of its members to sixty.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regimini_militantis_Ecclesiae 

Mae Young's son is the son of Mae Young. He is a caucasian hand. She gave birth to him in the year 2000. Mae Young was born in 1923, making her 77 when she gave birth. She was the girlfriend of Mark Henry (who was 29) and he is attributed to be the father. So this hand may very well be Mark Henry's son as well.

He debuted all grown up (at 12 years old) on Raw 1000 in 2012, bringing his mother to the celebration. AJ Lee and Layla El both saw him. It appears that being only a hand accelerates the aging process, as he had grown a human face (wearing glasses) and appeared to be an adult.

https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Mae_Young%27s_son

Thomas Trace Beatie (born 1974[1]) is an American public speaker, author, and advocate of transgender rights and sexuality issues, with a focus on transgender fertility and reproductive rights.[2]

Beatie came out as a trans man in early 1997. Beatie had gender-affirming surgery in March 2002 and became known as "the pregnant man" after he became pregnant through artificial insemination in 2007.[3] Beatie chose to be pregnant, with donated sperm,[4][5] because his wife Nancy was sterile.

The couple filed for divorce in 2012. The Beatie case is the first of its kind on record, where a documented legal male gave birth within a marriage to a woman, and for the first time, a court challenged a marriage where the husband gave birth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Beatie

Tracing boards are painted or printed illustrations depicting the various emblems and symbols of Freemasonry. They can be used as teaching aids during the lectures that follow each of the Masonic Degrees, when an experienced member explains the various concepts of Freemasonry to new members. They can also be used by experienced members as reminders of the concepts they learned as they went through the ceremonies of the different masonic degrees.[1]

History and development

Floor and table designs

In the eighteenth century Masonic lodges met chiefly in private rooms above taverns, and the symbolic designs used in catechesis were chalked on the table or floor in the centre of the hired room, usually by the Tyler or the Worshipful Master.[2] Evidence suggests that a simple boundary was drawn (usually a square or rectangle, or sometimes a cross) within which various Masonic symbols were added, often of a geometric type (such as a circle or pentagram). In many lodges the boundary shape may have been drawn by the Tyler, with the Master adding the symbolic detail. Later various symbolic objects were incorporated, examples including a ladder, a beehive, and an hourglass, and sometimes drawings were interchangeable with physical objects.[3] At the end of the work a new member was often required to erase the drawing with a mop, as a practical demonstration of his obligation of secrecy.

Though the various Grand Lodges were then generally hostile to the creation of any physical representations of the ritual and symbols of the Craft, the time-consuming business of redrawing the symbols at every meeting was gradually replaced by keeping a removable "floor cloth" on which the various symbols were painted. Different portions might be exposed according to the work being executed.[4] By the second half of the eighteenth century the Masonic symbols were being painted on a variety of removable materials ranging from small marble slabs to canvas, to give a more decorative and elaborate symbolic display.

Painted boards

During the nineteenth century there was a rapid expansion of the use of permanent painted tracing boards, usually painted on canvas and framed in wood. Many artists produced competing designs, and most lodges commissioned sets of bespoke boards which were therefore of a unique design, despite following common themes. Some designs became particularly popular, leading to some repetition of favoured design features. Boards by John Cole and Josiah Bowring were examples of popularly recurring designs.[5]

The English artist John Harris was initiated in 1818 and produced many different series of tracing boards, including a miniature set of 1823 which became popular after Harris dedicated the design to Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE).[6] Eventually the Emulation Lodge of Improvement sought to bring a measure of standardisation in tracing board design, and organised a competition in 1845, to which many different designs were submitted. Harris himself submitted at least two different sets to the competition, but one of his designs was the winner. Harris revised the designs in 1849, and these "Emulation" tracing boards are today considered a definitive design within British and Commonwealth Freemasonry.[7]

Contemporary use

In lodges under the UGLE, and many jurisdictions derived from English Freemasonry, tracing boards are an essential part of lodge furniture, sometimes displayed flat on the floor, and sometimes vertically against a pedestal or on the wall. Sets of three boards, usually of older designs, may often be found in special cases for storage and display within lodge rooms. There are sometimes tracing boards in other degrees.[8] The Royal Arch tracing board has fallen into disuse in most places, and examples are now rare. In the Mark Master Mason and Royal Ark Mariner degrees as administered from London, the tracing boards have experienced a great revival in popularity from the end of the twentieth century, and official rituals for the explanations of these tracing boards are again in regular use in English lodges.

As different Masonic jurisdictions established official, or standard, degree rituals the creation of new tracing boards by artists waned, and has since largely disappeared in favour of standard designs. Nonetheless, some masonic artists have experimented with very modern designs for the twenty-first century.[9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracing_board

Chelsea Elizabeth Manning[3] (born Bradley Edward Manning, December 17, 1987) is an American activist and whistleblower.[4][5][6] She is a former United States Army soldier who was convicted by court-martial in July 2013 of violations of the Espionage Act and other offenses, after disclosing to WikiLeaks nearly 750,000 classified, or unclassified but sensitive, military and diplomatic documents.[7] She was imprisoned from 2010 until 2017 when her sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama.[8] A trans woman, Manning said in 2013 that she had a female gender identity since childhood and wanted to be known as Chelsea Manning.[9]

Assigned in 2009 to an Army unit in Iraq as an intelligence analyst, Manning had access to classified databases. In early 2010, she leaked classified information to WikiLeaks and confided this to Adrian Lamo, an online acquaintance.[10] Lamo indirectly informed the Army's Criminal Investigation Command, and Manning was arrested in May 2010.[11] The material included videos of the July 12, 2007, Baghdad airstrike and the 2009 Granai airstrike in Afghanistan; 251,287 U.S. diplomatic cables;[12] and 482,832 Army reports that came to be known as the "Iraq War Logs"[13] and "Afghan War Diary".[14] The material was published by WikiLeaks and its media partners between April 2010 and April 2011.

Manning was charged with 22 offenses, including aiding the enemy, which was the most serious charge and could have resulted in a death sentence.[15] She was held at the Marine Corps Brig, Quantico in Virginia, from July 2010 to April 2011, under Prevention of Injury status—which entailed de facto solitary confinement and other restrictions that caused domestic and international concern[16]—before being transferred to the Joint Regional Correctional Facility at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where she could interact with other detainees.[17] In February 2013 she pleaded guilty to 10 of the charges.[18] The trial on the remaining charges began on June 3, 2013, and on July 30, she was convicted of 17 of the original charges and amended versions of four others, but acquitted of aiding the enemy.[19] She was sentenced to 35 years at the maximum-security U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth.[20][21] On January 17, 2017, Obama commuted Manning's sentence to nearly seven years of confinement dating from her arrest in May 2010.[8][22][23] After release, Manning makes her living through speaking engagements.[24]

In 2018, Manning challenged incumbent Senator Ben Cardin for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate election in her home state of Maryland.[25] She received 6.1% of the vote; Cardin won renomination with 79.2%.[26]

From March 8, 2019, to March 12, 2020, Manning was jailed for contempt and fined $256,000 for refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.[27][28]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_Manning

Timothy Manning (Irish: Tadhg Ó Mongáin) (November 15, 1909 – June 23, 1989) was an Irish American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Los Angeles from 1970 to 1985, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1973.

Early life and ministry

Timothy Manning was born in Ballingeary, Ireland, to Cornelius and Margaret (née Cronin) Manning.[1] Originally attending Mungret College in Limerick, he followed a call for priests in the United States and entered St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park, California, in 1928.[2] Manning was ordained on June 16, 1934,[3] and then furthered his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, obtaining his doctorate in canon law in 1938.[2]

Upon his return to the States, he did pastoral work in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, also serving as secretary to Archbishop John Joseph Cantwell from 1938 to 1946. Manning was raised to the rank of Privy Chamberlain of His Holiness on April 15, 1943, and later Domestic Prelate of His Holiness on November 17, 1945.[1] He became chancellor for the Archdiocese on March 19, 1946.[1]

Episcopal career

On August 3, 1946, Manning was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles and Titular Bishop of Lesvi by Pope Pius XII. He received his episcopal consecration on the following October 15 from Bishop Joseph Thomas McGucken, with Bishops James Edward Walsh, MM, and Thomas Arthur Connolly serving as co-consecrators.[3]

He became vicar general of the Archdiocese on November 29, 1955, and attended the Second Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965.

Bishop of Fresno

Manning was named the first Bishop of Fresno on October 16, 1967. During his tenure, he supported the organization of a labor union for Central Valley farm workers, and sought to help wine producers and grape pickers reconcile their differences.[2]

Archbishop of Los Angeles

After less than two years in Fresno, Manning was named Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles and Titular Archbishop of Capreae on May 26, 1969. He succeeded James Francis McIntyre as the third Archbishop of Los Angeles on January 21, 1970. While a strong proponent of ecclesiastical authority, Manning took a more gentle style than his predecessor.[4] The end of McIntyre's tenure saw tensions with the clergy and minorities[2] and, following Manning's ascension, the new archbishop stated, "My first reaction was to make it known that I was here to listen."[2] He instituted ministries for blacks and Hispanics, a presbyterial council to grant the clergy greater participation in the governance of the Archdiocese, and an Inter-Parochial Council to extend the same participation to the laity.[2] Shortly after becoming Archbishop, a majority of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who had feuded with McIntyre, left the religious life and founded a lay community.[5] He also supported the 1973 merger of the all-male Loyola University and all-female Marymount College into Loyola Marymount University in 1973; McIntyre had resisted attempts to allow co-education in the Archdiocese's Catholic university and colleges.

Pope Paul VI created him Cardinal-Priest of S. Lucia a Piazza d'Armi in the consistory of March 5, 1973. During the Vietnam War, Manning counseled young men on their right to become conscientious objectors.[2] Staunchly anti-abortion, the Archbishop declared that any Catholic who cooperated in an abortion would suffer excommunication from the Church, including the mother herself.[2] In 1974, in response to the Supreme Court's ruling on Roe v. Wade, he testified before the Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments of the Senate Judiciary Committee, saying, "An amendment is necessary first of all to protect the lives of the unborn children who can be killed—indeed, are being killed at this very moment—in the wake of the Supreme Court's decisions. But it is also needed to restore integrity to the law itself, to make the American legal system once more the guarantor and protector of all human rights and the human rights of all."[6]

Manning was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the conclaves of August and October 1978, which selected Popes John Paul I and John Paul II respectively. Before entering the August conclave, he noted that the Church "has no political support in many places" and called for a pope who could "change people through warmth."[7] In 1981, John Paul II sent him as a special papal envoy to the celebration in Drogheda, Ireland of the third centennial of Saint Oliver Plunkett's martyrdom.[1] He called for a halt to the deportation of Salvadoran civil war refugees in 1983.[2]

Later life and death

After fifteen years in Los Angeles, Manning retired as archbishop on June 4, 1985. He took up residence at Holy Family Parish in South Pasadena.[2]

Manning died on June 23, 1989, at the Norris Cancer Hospital of the University of Southern California, aged 79.[2] He is buried at Calvary Cemetery in East Los Angeles.[1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Manning

Henry Edward Manning

Cardinal Priest of Sts. Andrew and Gregory on the Coelian Hill and second Archbishop of Westminster, b. 15 July, 1808; d. 14 January, 1892.

Henry Edward Manning, who was born at his grandfather's home, Copped Hall, Totteridge, Herts., England, was the son of William Manning, M.P. for Evesham and Lymington and sometime governor of the Bank of England. His father's family was of an old Kentish stock, and though born in Hertfordshire, the future cardinal spent some years of his boyhood at Combe Bank, near Sevenoaks in Kent, whither his father had moved when his son was but seven years old. His mother, William Manning's second wife, was a daughter of Henry Lannoy Hunter, who was of a French Huguenot family originally known by the name of Veneur. His father's mother was a Miss Ryan, whose name betrays her Irish origin, and from some old diaries which have only lately come to life it appears that she was a Catholic and faithfully practiced the duties of her religion. This fact, it would seem, was never known to Cardinal Manning himself, as the diaries have only been discovered since his death.

After learning his first rudiments at home and at a private school at Totteridge, Henry Manning went to Harrow, in 1822, and on leaving school continued his studies for a time under a private tutor. It had at first been his purpose to follow his father in the banking business and to enter Parliament. But the banker having suffered a reverse of fortune, he was fain to take a different course. In 1827 he went up to Oxford and entered at Balliol College. Although he no longer had a parliamentary career in view, he continued to take an interest in political questions, and his natural powers of oratory soon made him conspicuous in the debating of the Union, where he was succeeded by Gladstone in the presidency. In later life he still cherished pleasing recollections of the memorable debate of 1829, when Monckton Milnes and Hallam and Sunderland came from Cambridge to prove the poetical superiority of Shelley to Byron.

These rhetorical distractions, however, did not interfere with his studies, and in 1830 he took a first class in classics. On leaving Oxford, he accepted a subordinate post in the Colonial Office, and devoted his attention to questions of political economy, a study which stood him in good stead when in later years he took a prominent part in the practical discussion of social problems. But though this time was in no wise wasted, he had not yet found his rightful place and his real work in life. He had scarcely relinquished his dreams of political ambition, when he felt himself called to the service of God and his brethren. For this reason he once more went back to Oxford, where, in 1832, he was elected a Fellow of Merton College. After completing the course of reading required for orders, he was ordained to the Anglican ministry later in the same year and preached his first sermon in Cuddesdon Church on Christmas Day. Soon after his ordination he went to act as curate to the Rev. John Sargent, Rector of Lavington-with-Graffham, Sussex, who was stricken with illness, and in taking what seemed to be a temporary work he found what was to be his home for the next seventeen years. On the death of the rector, he was presented to the living in May, 1833, by the patroness, Mrs. Sargent at Lavington, the mother of the Rev. John Sargent. In November of the same year he married Caroline Sargent, the third daughter of his predecessor in the incumbency. His marriage may be said to have had some part, however indirectly, in leading him into the Catholic Church, for it brought him into a family circle that was destined to be strongly affected by the rising Romeward movement. Of the four famous Sargent sisters, Mrs. Henry Wilberforce and Mrs. George Ryder were received into the Church with their husbands and their children; the other two, Caroline Manning, who died in July, 1837, and her eldest sister, the wife of Samuel Wilberforce afterwards Bishop of Winchester, were already dead when the movement had scarce begun; yet one of them eventually gave her husband and the other her daughter to the Church.

In his country parish at Lavington, though Henry Manning had not yet attained to the fullness of the Faith, nor as yet received the sacramental grace and the spiritual powers of the Catholic pastor, he was already, according to the light so far vouchsafed him, serving his Divine master and labouring for the salvation of souls in a true spirit of zeal and generous self-sacrifice, in the spirit that speaks in later days from the pages of his "Eternal Priesthood" and his "Pastoral Office". In 1841, after some years of simple parish work, a wider field was opened to him by his appointment to the office of Archdeacon of Chichester. The office in his case was assuredly no sinecure. The volume of charges delivered on the periodical visitations of the archdeaconry remains to show the intelligent and tireless zeal with which he entered into these new duties. Here also we may find some things that seem to foreshadow his larger work in later years, notably the pages that bear witness to his love for God's poor, his resolute resistance to wrong, and his zeal for reforming abuses. Meanwhile, all this active work was accompanied by a corresponding growth in the knowledge of Catholic truth.

The Oxford Movement was now in full swing, and some of its leaders were already, however unconsciously, well on their way to Rome. Newman had begun to see the light in 1839 (two years before Manning's appointment as archdeacon), but six more years had to elapse before his final submission to the Holy See in 1845. This fact is worth recalling here, for it reminds us that a conversion is often a matter of some time. Between the beginning of difficulties, misgivings, and fears that may prove illusory, and the period when the misgivings become convictions, and duty becomes clear, a considerable time may often elapse. It is difficult to lay down any general rule; some may have little need to seek for outward help in coming to a decision, but where, as so often happens, the process of conviction is slow, and some wise counsel is needed, it may be a duty to confide to some competent adviser fears and misgivings which it would be a crime to proclaim in public. In such a position the most candid and consistent writer must needs speak in a different strain in his confidential letters setting forth his difficulties, and in letters addressed to others to whom it would be wrong to make them known. And the reader who can appreciate this position will readily understand the seeming inconsistency between the language of Manning's private correspondence unfolding conscientious perplexities and that of his public utterances at this time, wherein all doubt is silenced. He has been accused of remaining an Anglican after losing faith in Anglican teachings; and it has been alleged that he became a Catholic for motives of worldly ambition. A change of religion for such unworthy motives is quite out of keeping with the character of the man as revealed in his letters and journals of that date, and is unintelligible if Manning had been the astute and ambitious man imagined by his accusers. When he first began to break away from the Church of England there was no Catholic hierarchy or cardinal archbishop in England, and the position of a vicar Apostolic could not offer any great temptation to an ambitious Anglican archdeacon. And if we once suppose him to be so unprincipled as to change his belief or profession for the sake of preferment, why should he go so far and get so little? There would certainly be less trouble and greater prospect of success in a change of course within the Church of England. An astute and ambitious Archdeacon of Chichester would have broken with the High Church party and taken a line agreeable to the men in high places. The real cause and motive of his conversion to the Church may be plainly seen in the whole history of the Oxford Movement, as well as in his own published writings and his private letters and journals. In common with the Tractarian leaders he had from the first taken hold of great Catholic principles which he found in the writings of the early Fathers. And in his case the truth that came home to him with special force, and dominated and moulded his whole life and character was the abiding presence of the Holy Ghost in the Church of God. This, it may be said, is at once his leading idea in his Anglican sermons, his main motive at the time of his conversion and in the course he took in the Vatican Council, and it forms the favourite theme in his later spiritual and theological writings. At first, like other Anglican divines, he was able to satisfy himself that the Church of England was a part of the one Holy Catholic Apostolic Church of the Creed, and as such was guided and quickened by the presence of the Holy Spirit. For this reason he looked to the Church to guard and cherish the revealed doctrines committed, as he supposed, to her care.

His faith in Anglicanism had already been somewhat shaken by other doctrinal or historical difficulties. It was finally shattered by the Gorham Judgment of 1850, when the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council directed the Dean of Arches to institute a clergyman who was accused of holding unorthodox views on the subject of Baptismal Regeneration. As Newman had said of the Jerusalem Bishopric, this act of the state Church was for Manning "the beginning of the end". Even then he did not act with any undue haste, and joined in an attempt to free the Church of England from a compromising association with heresy. His zeal and devotion to the Establishment caused him at this time to be looked up to as the leader of the High Church party as distinguished from the Tractarians in the Anglican body. On 23 January, 1847, in reply to Dr. Pusey's lament over Canon MacMullen's conversion he had written to him: "You know how long I have to you expressed my conviction that a false position has been taken up by the Church of England. The direct and certain tendency of what remains of the original movement is to the Roman Church. You know the minds of men about us better than I do, and will therefore know how strong an impression the claims of Rome have upon them. . . . It is also clear that they are revising the Reformation; that the doctrine, ritual, and practice of the Church of England taken at its best does not suffice them. . . . I say all this not in fault-finding but in sorrow. How to help to heal it I do not presume to say." Within a few days after the Gorham Judgment (March, 1850) he still clung to the Church of England as a living branch of the Church of Christ, and he was the first to sign a protest calling on the Church to free itself from a heresy imposed on it by the civil power. A bill was introduced in the House of Lords to provide that the ultimate decision as to questions of doctrine should be transferred to the Upper House of Convocation, but was lost by 84 votes to 31, and Manning was driven to consider whether the Church of England could claim to be an unerring guide and teacher of the Faith. He took pains to inform his friends that he was acting with calmness and deliberation. In June, 1850, he wrote from Lavington to his sister, Mrs. Austen: "Let me tell you to believe nothing of me but what comes from me. The world has sent me long ago to Pius IX, but I am still here, and if I may lay my bones under the sod in Lavington Churchyard with a soul clear before God, all the world could not move me." With Wilberforce and Mill he circulated a declaration that the oath of supremacy only obliged the conscience in matters of a civil and not of a spiritual kind; it was sent to 17,000 clergymen, but only about 1800 signed it. When these efforts failed, and the truth was borne in upon him with irresistible force, his own course was at length clear before him. At Michaelmas in the same year he took steps to resign his living, and on Passion Sunday, 6 April, 1851, together with his friend J.R. Hope-Scott, Q.C., he was received into the Catholic Church, by Father Brownbill, S.J.

To those who knew the archdeacon's zeal in the pastoral office for the salvation of souls, there was no doubt of his call to the sacred ministry. It seemed only a matter of course that his submission to the Church should be followed, after the necessary interval of preparation, by his ordination to the Catholic priesthood. Few could have expected that this ordination would come as speedily as it did. Cardinal Wiseman, recognizing that the circumstances of the case were exceptional, decided to let no time be lost, and Henry Edward Manning was ordained priest by his predecessor in the See of Westminster on Trinity Sunday, 14 June, 1851, little more than two months after his reception into the Church. There may seem to be a strange irony of fate in this hurried promotion of one who was to lay so much stress on the importance of due preparation for the priesthood. But the want of preparation in this case was apparent rather than real. Whether we regard the theological learning or the spiritual holiness of life required of candidates for the priesthood, Manning had already made no little progress in preparation. In his final years at Lavington he had made good way in the study of Catholic theology and spiritual literature, and, as his journal with its searching self-examination and generous resolutions bears witness, the other side of that preparation was in no wise wanting. At the same time, it was certainly desirable that some more systematic training should be added to this self-education. For this reason his ordination was followed by a course of studies in Rome. These studies, however, were not allowed to prevent that immediate missionary work which had doubtless been one of Cardinal Wiseman's main motives in hastening the ordination of the neophyte. During these years of Roman study, Manning took advantage of the summer vacation to exercise his pastoral office in London, preaching, receiving converts into the Church, and hearing confessions at the Jesuit church in Farm Street. In this church he had said his first Mass on 16 June, 1851, assisted by Père de Ravignan.

By a significant coincidence his ordination took place on 14 June, the Feast of St. Basil, one of the Fathers who was in a special manner his pattern, and who has left us a great work on the Holy Ghost, and, as he noticed at the time with delight, the Introit of his first Mass (on the feast of St. Francis Regis) was the text: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; wherefore he hath anointed me, to preach the Gospel to the poor he hath sent me" (Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61:1), words that bring before us both his active work for the poor and the devotion to the Holy Ghost, which was, so to say, the soul of all his life and labour. The priestly labours which thus began were continued on a large field and with fresh advantages when, in 1857, he founded at St. Mary of the Angels, Bayswater, the Congregation of the Oblates of St. Charles. This new community of secular priests was in some sort the joint work of Cardinal Wiseman and Manning, for both had independently conceived the idea of a community of this kind, and Manning had studied the life and work of St. Charles in his Anglican days at Lavington and had, moreover, visited the Oblates at Milan, in 1856, to satisfy himself that their rule could be adapted to the needs of Westminster. In the same year that he became superior of this congregation, another office was laid upon him. At the instigation of Dr. Whitty, who was about to enter the Society of Jesus, he was appointed, by Pius IX, provost of the Westminster Metropolitan Chapter. During the eight years of his tenure of these two offices, the provost and superior accomplished a great amount of work both for the diocese and for his own community, and the eloquence which had made him one of the foremost Anglican preachers of the time now helped to spread and strengthen the Catholic Faith in England. His pastoral labour was now no longer hampered by inward struggles or by the uncertainties of doctrinal differences that troubled the Anglican archdeacon.

Though the old time of storm and stress was ended, he was now to have trouble of another kind; and through no fault of his own he found himself involved in a domestic controversy which became the cause of considerable misunderstanding. In the circumstances of the time it was almost inevitable that the new community, partly composed of converts and apparently aiming at a revival in English Catholic ecclesiastical life, should be a subject of some difference of opinion. Men of the old school, who looked with suspicion on any novelties, may be pardoned for feeling alarm at the participation of the new community in the work of the diocesan seminary. Likely enough, neither side quite understood the ideas and motives of the other. Be this as it may, the majority of the Metropolitan Chapter adopted views at variance with those of Wiseman and Manning, and in the controversy that ensued the canons were supported by Archbishop Errington, at that time Cardinal Wiseman's coadjutor "with right of succession" to the see. In the event the Oblates had to retire from St. Edmund's College (1861), where their presence had given offence to the chapter. But the most important outcome of the struggle was the removal of Archbishop Errington from his office of coadjutor cum jure successionis. And as this decision of the Holy See followed upon a controversy in which Manning took a conspicuous part, some critics, imperfectly acquainted with the facts, have regarded him as an ambitious aspirant for office removing a rival from his path. But in this they strangely mistake the situation, and forget or overlook the fact that Manning's part in the controversy was strictly defensive. This can hardly be disputed by any careful and candid student of the documents. For even a reader who shared Archbishop Errington's unfavourable view of the Oblate Community and its position and influence in the diocese could hardly blame the superior of the Oblates for writing a vigorous vindication of himself and his community.

Though this struggle was certainly not of his seeking, and though he clearly had no thought of securing the succession for himself; it is none the less true that this controversy with the chapter and the coadjutor did lead in the event to his own elevation. If the rupture had never come to pass there would have been no vacancy on Cardinal Wiseman's death, since the coadjutor would have succeeded in due course. At the same time, the attack and the vindication had the effect of making Manning's merits and labours better known in Rome, and marked him out as the man most in sympathy with Wiseman's policy, and thus suggested him as a suitable successor. Hence, when the vacancy occurred on Wiseman's death in February, 1865, the natural result followed. This was made more certain when the chapter sent up Archbishop Errington's name at the head of the terna, and the other candidates did their best to secure his appointment. As the Holy See could hardly accept such a reversal of the decision made a few years before, it was inevitable that the names should be set aside; and the pope himself decided to appoint Mgr. Manning. While the matter still hung in the balance, Manning endeavoured to secure the appointment of another, and, in a confidential letter to Mgr. George Talbot in Rome, urged the claims of Bishop Ullathorne and Bishop Cornthwaite. From resolutions which he made as to his future conduct towards the coming archbishop it is clear that he did not anticipate his own appointment.

The new archbishop was consecrated at St. Mary Moorfields, on 8 June, 1865, by Bishop Ullathorne of Birmingham. Later in the year he went to Rome to receive the pallium, returning to England by November, when he was solemnly enthroned, and set himself to the great work that lay before him. If the choice made by the Holy See was naturally received with satisfaction by all who really knew him, others who had not that advantage regarded it with some misgiving. Yet some who had hitherto misunderstood him may possibly have gained a new sense of his power, and of his fitness for the post, from the sermon that he preached at the funeral of Cardinal Wiseman. In that graphic sketch of his predecessor's career, wherein he showed how the man had been fashioned and prepared for the work he was destined to do in England, the discerning reader may see how well the preacher had grasped the needs and hopes of the country, and may moreover be led to reflect how he, too, though in other ways than Wiseman's, had been made ready to carry the Catholic standard forward to further victories. While those who rightly understood Manning's merits may well have had high hopes for the future, few if any can have anticipated anything like the actual accomplishment. For one thing, his age and his apparently frail health gave little promise of such a long lease of active and laborious life. He said himself that he thought he had twelve years of work in him; and some may have considered this over sanguine. Yet he was to have a life full of strenuous and varied labour for more than a quarter of a century.

He inaugurated a memorial to his predecessor Cardinal Wiseman and determined that it should take the form of a cathedral for Westminster. In 1868 he was able to secure a site, but in after years a more favourable one was determined on. His efforts to procure education for the poor Catholic children of London were unceasing; and in his Lenten Pastoral of 1890 he was able to say that the names of 23,599 Catholic children were on the books of his parochial schools, and that during the previous quarter of a century 4542 children had been provided for in the homes of the archdiocese. He was one of the 500 bishops assembled in Rome to take part in the eighteenth centenary of Sts. Peter and Paul, and he was, therefore, present when Pius IX announced his intention of convoking a General Council. He returned to Rome in 1869, arriving for the opening of the Vatican Council, 8 December, and was put on the Committee "De Fide". To this Committee, in March, 1870, was referred the question of Papal Infallibility, and on 18 July the Decree was passed.

On his return to England, Manning protested in the press against the charges made by Mr. Gladstone against Catholics who accepted the Vatican Decrees, and his three pastoral letters published under the title "Petri Privilegium" did much to remove prejudice and misconception even among Catholics. In 1878 his "True Story of the Vatican Council" appeared in "The Nineteenth Century" in reply to incorrect statements that had obtained credence. In 1875 he was summoned to Rome to receive the cardinalate and the title of Sts. Andrew and Gregory, the church on the Coelian, once the home of St. Gregory the Great, whence St. Augustine and his companions had been sent to convert England. In 1878 Cardinal Manning took part in the conclave that elected Leo XIII, receiving a vote or two himself in the scrutiny; and Pope Leo's encyclical "On the condition of labour", to use the words of Bishop Hedley, "owes something to the counsels of Cardinal Manning."

A matter of importance which took up not a little of his time and caused him some anxiety arose at the Low Week meeting of the bishops in 1877, when he proposed that they should prepare a petition to be sent to Rome asking that the pope should determine the relations which ought to exist between the regulars and the episcopate. The main questions at issue affected the right of the bishops to divide missions already in the hands of regulars and the control bishops had over missions served by regulars in matters concerning visitation and the auditing of funds collected intuitu missionis. After some necessary delay the famous Constitution "Romanos Pontifices" was issued in 1881, and in course of time its provisions have been extended to nearly all English-speaking countries. It deals mainly with matters of jurisdiction and discipline, and treats of many subjects involving nice and complicated points of prudence and equity. To his zeal in the cause of elementary religious education, Cardinal Manning's later years saw added his efforts on behalf of the poor and outcast. He was invited to join the commission for the better housing of the working classes, he founded his League of the Cross for the promotion of temperance, and the "Cardinal's Peace" recalls the success of his efforts at mediation between the strikers and their employers at the time of the great London Dock Strike in 1889. Such are some of the salient works of Manning's life. And it may be remarked that while any one of these various lines of activity might have been enough, or more than enough for any ordinary man, all of them together by no means make up the whole life work of Cardinal Manning. Besides these special theological, literary, or social labours, there remain his ordinary pastoral activities. If he had done none of those things that seem at first sight most striking and characteristic, his life would sill have been sufficiently full with the administration of the affairs of his diocese, with his care in training the clergy, his daily "solicitude for all the Churches", with holding ordinations and presiding at diocesan synods, with the building and blessing of new churches. And nothing in the way of special work could make him neglect those primary episcopal duties or perform them in a perfunctory fashion. These, it may be safely said, came first and foremost. For him the Catholic bishop was the father of the flock, solicitous in every way for the welfare of his children. It was, therefore, as a bishop sent by the Holy Ghost, the "Pater pauperum", to rule the Church of God, that he spent himself in works of charity or social reform, or defended the truth against attack from all forms of error, or from the corruptions of an evil life, and spoke in the same spirit, whether addressing dockers in the East End, or agnostics in the Metaphysical Society or bishops and theologians in the Vatican Council.

Theological controversy may be said to hold the first place in the earlier part of his episcopate, culminating in the Vatican Council, and continuing with somewhat abated vigour for a few years longer. Social work gradually becomes more conspicuous in the years after 1876, and reaches its climax in the Dock Strike in 1889. And most of his active work in the League of the Cross and among working men comes after his elevation to the cardinalate in 1875. For the last two years of his life, his failing health made him for the most part a prisoner. At length the end came, after a few days of illness, and he went to his rest on 14 January, 1892. A striking proof of the hold he had on the hearts of the poor and the working people of London was given when thousands thronged to get a last glimpse of him as he lay in state in his house at Westminster, and to follow his funeral to Kensal Green Cemetery. After some years in that field of the dead which he had described so well in his words on Wiseman, he was once more brought back to Westminster and given his last earthly resting place in the crypt of the cathedral.

https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09604b.htm

Chelsea Old Church, also known as All Saints, is an Anglican church, on Old Church Street, Chelsea, London SW3, England, near Albert Bridge. It is the church for a parish in the Diocese of London, part of the Church of England. Inside the Grade I listed building, there is seating for 400 people. There is a memorial plaque to the author Henry James (1843–1916) who lived nearby on Cheyne Walk, and was buried in Cambridge, Massachusetts. To the west of the church is a small public garden containing a sculpture by Sir Jacob Epstein.

History

Norman origins

Chelsea Old Church dates from 1157.[3] It was formerly the parish church of Chelsea, before it was engulfed by London. The building consisted of a 13th-century chancel with chapels to the north and south (c. 1325) and a nave and tower built in 1670.

16th century and Sir Thomas More

Thomas More's statue in front of the Church

The chapels were private property. The one to the north was called the Lawrence Chapel and was owned by Chelsea's Lord of the Manor. The chapel to the south was rebuilt in 1528 as Sir Thomas More's private chapel. The date can be found on one of the capitals of the pillars leading to the chancel, which were reputedly designed by Hans Holbein the Younger. There is a statue of More by Leslie Cubitt Bevis outside the church, facing the river.

17th century

There is a 1669 memorial to Lady Jane Cheyne. It was designed by the son of Gian Lorenzo Bernini and executed by Gian Lorenzo's favourite sculptor Antonio Raggi.[4]

It is the only London church to have chained books. They were the gift of Sir Hans Sloane, Bt, the Anglo-Irish physician, naturalist collector, Member of the British Parliament and President of the Royal Society. The books consist of a copy of the so-called "Vinegar Bible" of 1717 (containing a misprint of the word 'vineyard'), two volumes of Foxe's Book of Martyrs (1684 edition), a 1723 printing of the Book of Common Prayer and a 1683 edition of The Books of Homilies.

19th century

The church appears in several paintings by James McNeill Whistler and J. M. W. Turner, in all cases little more than distant tower; the church was painted white in the 19th century. For example, the church was depicted in the background of Whistler's Nocturne: Blue and Gold - Old Battersea Bridge, painted c. 1872–1875.

Second World War

The church suffered severe bombing damage during the Blitz of the Second World War on 14 April 1941, in which the church and tower were mostly destroyed by a parachute mine.[2][5] The Thomas More Chapel was least affected. Services were held in the adjoining Cheyne Hospital for nine years.[5]

Restoration and rebuilding

In 1950 the More Chapel was reopened, followed by the chancel and Lawrence Chapel in May 1954, after restoration by the architect Walter Godfrey. It was then listed Grade I on 24 June 1954.[2] In May 1958, the entire church was reconsecrated by the Bishop of London in the presence of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, as it had been restored in its entirety on its old foundations. It looks much as it did before World War II. Many of the tombs and monuments inside were salvaged and reconstructed, almost like jigsaw puzzles.[2] Some original 16th-century stained glass was also preserved.[2]

In 1978, Jack Leslau wrote an article in The Ricardian suggesting that one of the Princes in the Tower survived, namely Edward V of England, and was buried in Chelsea Old Church. His evidence depends on a complex interpretation of a painting by Hans Holbein the Younger. Leslau's website expands on this, but no major academic institution has endorsed the thesis.[6] The social reformer The Baroness Courtney of Penwith is buried in the church.[7]

In 2000, the Museum of London Archaeological Services carried out an archaeological dig at the cemetery.[8]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_Old_Church

Dr Chelsea Victoria Clinton (born February 27, 1980) is an American writer. She is the only child of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, a former U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Senator.

Clinton was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, during her father's first term as governor of Arkansas. She attended public schools there until her father was elected president and the family moved to the White House, when she began attending the private Sidwell Friends School. Clinton received an undergraduate degree at Stanford University, later earning master's degrees from University of Oxford and Columbia University and a Doctor of Philosophy in international relations from the University of Oxford in 2014.

In 2007 and 2008, Clinton campaigned extensively on American college campuses for her mother's Democratic presidential nomination bid and introduced her at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. She assumed a similar role in her mother's 2016 presidential campaign, making more than 200 public appearances as her surrogate and again introducing her at the Democratic National Convention.

Clinton has worked for McKinsey & Company, Avenue Capital Group, Columbia University, New York University, and NBC. She serves on several boards, including the board of the Clinton Foundation. Clinton has authored and co-authored best-selling children's non-fiction books and has co-authored a scholarly book for adults on global health policy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_Clinton

Kate Winslet and Kate Middleton's ancestries revealed in online 1911 census

The complete population census of 1911 has been posted online, disclosing that Kate Winslet's ancestors were publicans and Kate Middleton's were members of the Abermarle Club where Oscar Wilde was accused of being a homosexual.

By Aislinn Simpson

17 June 2009 • 6:19pm

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/5560110/Kate-Winslet-and-Kate-Middletons-ancestries-revealed-in-online-1911-census.html 

We are faced with an extremely complex symbol, that of the lion. It is complex because, in view of the present bare state of the stone, we cannot be content with a single explanation. The Wise have given various titles to the lion, either to express the aspect of the substances they were processing or to emphasize a special and preponderant aspect of them. In the emblem of the Griffin (eighth motif), we saw that the lion, king of the earthly beasts, represented the fixed, basic part of a compound, which, when in contact with opposing volatility, lost the better part of itself. That is to say it lost the part which characterized its form, or, in hieroglyphic language, its head. This time we have to study the animal by itself and we do not know in what colour it was originally painted. Generally the lion is the sign of gold, both alchemical and natural. It thus represents the physico-chemical properties of these substances. But the texts give the same name to the matter which is receptive of the universal spirit, the secret fire, during processing of the solvent. In both these cases it represents power, incorruptability and perfection, these being further indicated clearly enough by the warrior with drawn sword, the mail-clad knight, displaying the king of the alchemical bestiary (pl. XV).

The first magnetic agent which is used to prepare the solventdesignated, by some, Alkahest-is called the green Lion, not so much because it is green in colour as because it has not yet acquired those mineral characteristics, which in chemistry distinguish the adult state from the nascent one. It is a green and sour fruit, compared with the red, ripe fruit. It is metallic youth on which Evolution has not yet worked, but which contains the latent germ of real energy, which will be called upon to develop later. It is arsenic and lead in respect of silver and gold. It is present imperfection from which the great future perfection will emerge; the rudiment of our embryo, the embryo of our stone, the stone of our Elixir. Certain Adepts, Basil Valentine among them, have called it green vitriol, in order to reveal its hot, burning and salty nature. Others have called it the Philosophers' Emerald, the Dew of May, the Herb of Saturn, the Vegetable Stone, etc. 'Our water takes the name of the leaves of all the trees, of the trees themselves, and of everything green in colour, in order to mislead the foolish,' says Master Arnold of Villanova.

As for the Red Lion, according to the Philosophers it is nothing more than the same matter, or'the Green Lion, brought by certain processes to this special quality which characterizes hermetic gold or the Red Lion. This has led Basil Valentine to give the following advice: 'Dissolve and nourish the real lion with the blood of the green lion, since the fixed blood of the red Lion is made from the volatile blood of the green one, which makes them both of the same nature.'

Fulcanelli

Mystery of the Cathedrals

http://www.mtanthony13.org/library/Fulcanelli%20-%20The%20Mystery%20of%20the%20Cathedrals.pdf

https://www.facebook.com/billy.dunn.50767/posts/pfbid0fcE2bB77VK6WG92XPtbhrWvvHmAMAFKofUd5bxZGvChTNxRXbyFmY5QmbECFvJ94l

Temple

The Latin form, templum, from which the English temple is derived, originally signified an uncovered area marked off by boundaries; especially the place marked off by the augurs to be excepted from all profane uses. Among the Remans the precincts of a temple were always quadrangular in ground plan; hence the so-called temple of Vesta, one of the most famous sanctuaries in Rome, being circular in plan, was not strictly a temple, but only an oedes sacra, or sacred building. When the augurs had determined the boundaries of a temple-enclosure, the boundaries could not lawfully be interrupted except at one point, which was to serve as an entrance. To mark these boundaries no walls were needed; a formula spoken by the augur was sufficient, and from this ceremony came the phrase effari locum, literally, "to proclaim a place", hence, to define and dedicate.

It is certain that the Indo-Germanic peoples originally had no buildings for the worship of their gods, but worshipped the gods upon mountains, as Herodotus expressly says of the Persians, or believed the supernatural beings were present in groves or trees. Consequently among the ancient Germans the conception of a grove was identified with that of a temple. Among the Greeks, also, the worship of trees seems to be indicated by the word for temple, naos, which according to some authorities originally signified "tree" or "tree trunk". It is certain that the Greeks believed that at Dodona they hear the voice of the gods foretelling the future from the rustling of the sacred oaks. In the Homeric age, the temple as a space set apart and containing an altar, which was perhaps shaded by a group of trees, was more commonly found than the temple built by man. If actual temples are mentioned by Homer, as at Troy and the fabulous city of the Phæacians, the circumstance is probably attributable to oriental influence. The pagan Germans were never able to bring themselves to give up their worship of the gods in groves to any such extent as the Greeks and Remans did under the influence of the East. Still the German peoples were hardly entirely without temples, any more than the Scandinavians, although these temples could only have been of wood. The beginnings of stone temples among the Germans probably go back to the first Christian centuries and are attributable to the influence of their neighbors, the Gauls.

https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14495a.htm

The Vatican Christmas Tree, also called the Saint Peter's Square Christmas Tree, is the decorated tree that is erected annually in the Saint Peter's Square directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City to celebrate the Christmas holiday season.

The tradition of placing a Christmas tree as well as the life-size Nativity scene in Saint Peter's Square started in 1982 during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II,[1] when the Polish-born Pope introduced the northern European symbol of Christmas spirit.[2] The tradition of erecting a Christmas Tree was celebrated in northern and central Europe, also in Poland Pope John Paul II's country of origin, but not in the Vatican at the time.

The first tree came from Italy. Since then, the offering of the Christmas Tree to the Pope has become an honour, and each year the Vatican accepts a tree donated by a different European country or region.[1][3]

The Christmas tree is installed in the centre of Saint Peter's Square, together with a life-size nativity scene that is unveiled on Christmas Eve.[1] The nativity scene has seventeen life-size statues. Of these, nine are the original figures donated in 1842 by Saint Vincent Pallotti for the nativity scene in the Roman church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, and the other eight figures were added over the course of the years. In 2006 the Italian province of Trentino, and the local council of a village of Tesero, have provided a further thirteen sculpted wooden figures and animals, as well as household utensils for the depiction of daily life.[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_Christmas_Tree

Catdependent No More, parodying the title of my book, makes the 1991 Christmas book list here in Minnesota.

Some things have changed. I’ve written four more books, traveled the world, divorced (but not remarried), and paid back the welfare department for the financial help they gave me.

I feel more passionately about the importance of healing from our abuse issues. I feel more passionately. I’ve become more spontaneous, embraced my femininity, and learned new lessons along the way—about boundaries, flexibility, and owning my power. And about love. I’m learning to respect men. My relationships have deepened. Some have changed.

The most significant change in my life has been the loss of my son, Shane. As you may have heard or read, in February of 1991, three days after his twelfth birthday, my beloved Shane—so much a part of my life and work—was killed suddenly in a ski accident on the slopes at Afton Alps.

I’m learning about death and life.

Codependent No More

by Melody Beattie

http://dickyricky.com/books/recovery/Codependent%20No%20More%20-%20Melody%20Beattie.pdf

The Jesuit Abuser lives with his Jesuit Provincial

July 12, 2009

tags: Daniel C. O'Connell SJ, Frank Reale SJ, Missouri Jesuits, Phil Steele SJ, Tim McMahon SJ

I learned recently that the abusive Jesuit, Daniel O’Connell, lives with his Jesuit provincial, Tim McMahon.

I thought the Catholic church had already decided that wasn’t a good idea.   Didn’t Cardinal George have a similar kind of problem?

It was important enough for me to ask, six years ago, if the Jesuit abuser was going to live with the provincial.

See, under the legal agreement the abuser cannot be assigned to a Jesuit community with a sponsored work, such as a university or parish.   I asked the province investigator — the provincial’s assistant at the time, Phil Steele — if that meant the perp was going to be living with the provincial.  Oh no, he said, we have other places for him to live.   He added, “And Frank would never allow that.” Frank Reale was provincial number one.

The Missouri province has gone backwards over the past six years.    I’m sure provincial number two, Tim McMahon, has talents.   All I got was his mistakes.

https://reportingajesuit.wordpress.com/2009/07/12/the-jesuit-abuser-lives-with-his-jesuit-provincial/

Himmler used the Jesuits as the model for the SS, since he found they had the core elements of absolute obedience and the cult of the organisation.[59][60] Hitler is said to have called Himmler "my Ignatius of Loyola".[59] As an order, the SS needed a coherent doctrine that would set it apart.[61] Himmler attempted to construct such an ideology, and deduced a "pseudo-Germanic tradition" from history.[61] Himmler dismissed the image of Christ as a Jew and rejected Christianity's basic doctrine and its institutions.[62] Starting in 1934, the SS hosted "solstice ceremonies" (Sonnenwendfeiern) to increase team spirit within their ranks.[63] In a 1936 memorandum, Himmler set forth a list of approved holidays based on pagan and political precedents meant to wean SS members from their reliance on Christian festivities.[64] In an attempt to replace Christianity and suffuse the SS with a new doctrine, SS-men were able to choose special Lebenslauffeste, substituting common Christian ceremonies such as baptisms, weddings and burials. Since the ceremonies were held in small private circles, it is unknown how many SS-members opted for these kind of celebrations.[65]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology_of_the_SS

The large Latin inscription on the façade reads: Clemens XII Pont Max Anno V Christo Salvatori In Hon SS Ioan Bapt et Evang. This abbreviated inscription translates as: "The Supreme Pontiff Clement XII, in the fifth year [of his Pontificate, dedicated this building] to Christ the Savior, in honor of Saints John the Baptist and [John] the Evangelist".[5] The inscription indicates, with its full title (see below), that the archbasilica was originally dedicated to Christ the Savior and, centuries later, rededicated in honor of Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist. Christ the Savior remains its primary dedication, and its titular feast day is 6 August, the Transfiguration of Christ. As the cathedral of the pope as bishop of Rome, it ranks superior to all other churches of the Catholic Church, including Saint Peter's Basilica.

Name

The archbasilica's Latin name is Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris ac Sancti Ioannis Baptistae et Ioannis Evangelistae ad Lateranum,[6] which in English is the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist at the Lateran, and in Italian Arcibasilica [Papale] del Santissimo Salvatore e Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano.[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/.../Archbasilica_of_Saint_John...

From modest beginnings the SS (Schutzstaffel; Protection Squadrons), became a virtual state within a state in Nazi Germany, staffed by men who perceived themselves as the “racial elite” of Nazi future.

In the Nazi state, the SS assumed leading responsibility for security, identification of ethnicity, settlement and population policy, and intelligence collection and analysis. The SS controlled the German police forces and the concentration camp system. The SS conceived and implemented plans designed to restructure the ethnic composition of eastern Europe and the occupied Soviet Union.

From 1939, the SS assumed responsibility for “solving” the so-called Jewish Question; after 1941, its leadership planned, coordinated and directed the so-called Final Solution of the Jewish Question. This “solution” was the annihilation of the European Jews, which we now refer to as the Holocaust

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/ss

2 §1. The character and charism of the Society of Jesus arise from the Spiritual Exercises which our holy father Ignatius and his companions went through. Led by this experience, they formed an apostolic group rooted in charity, in which, after they had taken the vows of chastity and poverty and had been raised to the priesthood, they offered themselves as a HOLOCAUST to God,[2] so that serving as soldiers of God beneath the banner of the cross and serving the Lord alone and the Church his spouse under the Roman Pontiff, the vicar of Christ on earth,[3] they would be sent into the entire world[4] for the defense and propagation of the faith and for the progress of souls in Christian life and doctrine. [5]

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

The ratlines (German: Rattenlinien) were systems of escape routes for German Nazis and other fascists fleeing Europe from 1945 onwards in the aftermath of World War II. These escape routes mainly led toward havens in the Americas, particularly in Argentina, though also in Paraguay, Colombia,[1] Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Bolivia, as well as the United States, Canada, Australia, Spain, and Switzerland.

There were two primary routes: the first went from Germany to Spain, then Argentina; the second from Germany to Rome, then Genoa, then South America. The two routes developed independently but eventually came together.[2] The ratlines were supported by rogue elements in the Vatican, particularly an Austrian bishop and four Croatian clergy of the Catholic Church who sympathized with the Ustaše.[3][4][5] Starting in 1947, U.S. Intelligence used existing ratlines to move certain Nazi strategists and scientists.[6]

While consensus among Western scholars is that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler died by suicide in 1945, in the late 1940s and 1950s the U.S. investigated claims that he survived and fled to South America.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratlines_(World_War_II)

9. Interprovincial Works and Houses in Rome

304 §1. In the spirit of our fourth vow, the Society confirms its commitment to the interprovincial Roman works entrusted to it by the Holy See: the Pontifical Gregorian University and its associated institutes, the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Oriental Institute, as well as the Pontifical Russicum College, the Vatican Radio, and the Vatican Observatory, all of which are common works of the whole Society, placed directly under the superior general. Recognizing the very valuable service that these institutions have offered and continue to offer today, it calls upon major superiors who share Father General s responsibility for them to continue their help through subsidies and especially by training and offering professors and other personnel to them. §2. Also recommended to the care of all the provinces are those other works or houses in Rome that render a service to the entire Society, such as the Historical Institute of the Society of Jesus and the international colleges of the Society in Rome.[142]"

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182223/https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

[529] C. 1The entire purport of this fourth vow of obedience to the pope was and is with regard to missions; 2and this is how the bulls should be understood where they speak of this obedience in all that the sovereign pontiff may command and wherever he may send one, and so on."

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182223/https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

Christopher Michael Benoit (/bəˈnwɑː/ bə-NWAH; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career, but is notorious for murdering his wife and youngest son.

Bearing the nicknames The (Canadian) Crippler alongside The Rabid Wolverine throughout his career, Benoit held 30 championships between World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW – all United States), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW – Japan), and Stampede Wrestling (Canada). He was a two-time world champion, Benoit having reigned as a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and a one-time World Heavyweight Champion in WWE;[7][8] he was booked to win a third world championship at a WWE event on the night of his death.[9] Benoit was the twelfth WWE Triple Crown Champion and the seventh WCW Triple Crown Champion, and the second of four men in history to achieve both the WWE and the WCW Triple Crown Championships. He was also the 2004 Royal Rumble winner, joining Shawn Michaels and preceding Edge as one of the three men to win a Royal Rumble as the number one entrant.[10] Benoit headlined multiple pay-per-views for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) including a victory in the World Heavyweight Championship main event triple threat match of WrestleMania XX in March 2004.[11]

In a three-day double-murder and suicide, Benoit murdered his wife in their residence on June 22, 2007, and his 7-year-old son the next day, before killing himself on June 24.[12][13] The incident profoundly shocked and changed the professional wrestling industry and drew intense mainstream media criticism regarding brain injuries, substance abuse, and the long-term health of athletes in contact sports. Subsequent research undertaken by the Sports Legacy Institute (now the Concussion Legacy Foundation) suggested that depression and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition of brain damage, from multiple concussions that Benoit had sustained throughout his pro-wrestling career were likely contributing factors of the crimes.[14]

Due to his murders, Benoit's legacy in the professional wrestling industry is heavily debated.[15][16] Benoit has been renowned by many for his exceptional technical wrestling ability. Prominent combat sports journalist Dave Meltzer considers Benoit "one of the top 10, maybe even [in] the top five, all-time greats" in professional wrestling history.[17] Benoit was inducted into the Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2003.[18] His WON induction was put to a re-vote in 2008 to determine if Benoit should remain a member of their Hall of Fame. The threshold percentage of votes required to remove Benoit was not met.[19]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Benoit

Ultramontanism was a school of thought of the Catholic Church which promoted supreme papal authority in matters of spirituality and governance. Ultramontanism rejected modern ideals in favour of the supremacy of Catholicism and the Catholic Church in public life. This school of thought was particularly influent in the French-Canadian society during the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ultramontanism

I do further declare that I will help, assist, and advise all or any of His Holiness’s agents, in any place where I should be, in Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Ireland or America, or in any other kingdom or territory I shall come to, and do my utmost to extirpate the heretical Protestant or Masonic doctrines and to destroy all their pretended powers, legal or otherwise. I do further promise and declare that, notwithstanding, I am dispensed with to assume any religion heretical for the propagation of the Mother Church’s interest; to keep secret and private all her agents’ counsels from time to time, as they entrust me, and not to divulge, directly or indirectly, by word, writing or circumstances whatever; but to execute all that should be proposed, given in charge, or discovered unto me by you, my Ghostly Father, or any of this sacred order.

I do further promise and declare that I will have no opinion or will of my own or any mental reservation whatever, even as a corpse or cadaver (perinde ac cadaver), but will unhesitatingly obey each and every command that I may receive from my superiors in the militia of the Pope and of Jesus Christ. That I will go to any part of the world whithersoever I may be sent, to the frozen regions north, jungles of India, to the centres of civilisation of Europe, or to the wild haunts of the barbarous savages of America without murmuring or repining, and will be submissive in all things, whatsoever is communicated to me.

I do further promise and declare that I will, when opportunity presents, make and wage relentless war, secretly and openly, against all heretics, Protestants and Masons, as I am directed to do, to extirpate them from the face of the whole earth; and that I will spare neither age, sex nor condition, and that will hang, burn, waste, boil, flay, strangle, and bury alive these infamous heretics; rip up the stomachs and wombs of their women, and crush their infants’ heads against the walls in order to annihilate their execrable race. That when the same cannot be done openly I will secretly use the poisonous cup, the strangulation cord, the steel of the poniard, or the leaden bullet, regardless of the honour, rank, dignity or authority of the persons, whatever may be their condition in life, either public or private, as I at any time may be directed so to do by any agents of the Pope or Superior of the Brotherhood of the Holy Father of the Society of Jesus.

In confirmation of which I hereby dedicate my life, soul, and all corporal powers, and with the dagger which I now receive I will subscribe my name written in my blood in testimony thereof; and should I prove false, or weaken in my determination, may my brethren and fellow soldiers of the militia of the Pope cut off my hands and feet and my throat from ear to ear, my belly be opened and sulphur burned therein with all the punishment that can be inflicted upon me on earth, and my soul shall be tortured by demons in eternal hell forever.

That I will in voting always vote for a Knight of Columbus in preference to a Protestant, especially a Mason, and that I will leave my party so to do; that if two Catholics are on the ticket I will satisfy myself which is the better supporter of Mother Church and vote accordingly. That I will not deal with or employ a Protestant if in my power to deal with or employ a Catholic. That I will place Catholic girls in Protestant families that a weekly report may be made of the inner movements of the heretics. That I will provide myself with arms and ammunition that I may be in readiness when the word is passed, or I am commanded to defend the Church either as an individual or with the militia of the Pope.

The Jesuit Oath

https://www.jamesjpn.net/religion/the-jesuit-oath/

11 Traditional Wedding Vows to Exchange During Your Ceremony

Opt for a classic with these time-honored scripts.

By Blythe Copeland  Updated on February 26, 2025

If reciting promises you wrote yourself in front of a large group of family, friends, and in-laws sounds more like a public speaking nightmare than a romantic start to a new life with your partner, relying on traditional wedding vows is a time-honored alternative.

Many traditional vows are determined by the religion that underlies your marriage ceremony, though interfaith and non-denominational ceremonies also have their own traditions. From the recited vows to the wording of the ring exchanges, these age-old promises are familiar, constant, and enduring.

You can use our traditional wedding vow scripts below word for word—or you can work with your partner or officiant to identify parts that resonate. Either way, inspiration awaits.

Reciting Traditional Wedding Vows

In many (but not all) religions, the declaration of vows symbolizes the moment when a couple officially becomes one—though the wordings vary according to the specific religion. There are several ways to perform the following monologue-style vows: You can memorize the words ahead of time, repeat them after the officiant, or the officiant can recite them in the form of a question, prompting a response of "I do" or "I will." Your religious official can often accommodate variations on the traditional wording.

At most wedding ceremonies, the exchange of rings immediately follows the recitation of vows and serves to seal those promises, though not all religions or ceremonies include a ring exchange. The ring symbolizes the unbroken circle of love, and, at many ceremonies, more vows are spoken as rings are exchanged.

While in some religious ceremonies (such as Orthodox and some Conservative Jewish weddings) only one partner usually receives a ring, many couples choose to have a double-ring ceremony. This is where both partners give and receive rings, although this practice did not become popular in the United States until after World War II.

Reciting Traditional Wedding Vows

In many (but not all) religions, the declaration of vows symbolizes the moment when a couple officially becomes one—though the wordings vary according to the specific religion. There are several ways to perform the following monologue-style vows: You can memorize the words ahead of time, repeat them after the officiant, or the officiant can recite them in the form of a question, prompting a response of "I do" or "I will." Your religious official can often accommodate variations on the traditional wording.

At most wedding ceremonies, the exchange of rings immediately follows the recitation of vows and serves to seal those promises, though not all religions or ceremonies include a ring exchange. The ring symbolizes the unbroken circle of love, and, at many ceremonies, more vows are spoken as rings are exchanged.

While in some religious ceremonies (such as Orthodox and some Conservative Jewish weddings) only one partner usually receives a ring, many couples choose to have a double-ring ceremony. This is where both partners give and receive rings, although this practice did not become popular in the United States until after World War II.

The Vows

In Jewish ceremonies, vows are recited only when the ring is given (or rings are exchanged).

The Rings

The groom says: "Harey at mekuddeshet li B'taba'at zo k'dat Moshe V'israel," which means, "Behold, thou are consecrated unto me with this ring according to the law of Moses and of Israel." Then the groom places the ring on the bride's finger.

If the wedding is a double-ring ceremony, the bride recites the same words (with changes for gender) and places the ring on the groom's finger.

The phrase, "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine," is often recited in Hebrew, as well.

Catholic Wedding Vows

The Vows

"I, ___, take you, ___, for my lawful [wife/husband/partner], to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. I will love and honor you all the days of my life."

The Rings

The priest will bless each ring one at time, after which each partner should place it on the other's finger. Each says: "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Take and wear this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness."

Episcopal Wedding Vows

The Vows

"In the name of God, I, ___, take you, ___, to be my [wife/husband/partner], to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until parted by death. This is my solemn vow."

The Rings

Before placing the ring on their partner's finger, "___, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am and all that I have, I honor you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

If the wedding is a double-ring ceremony, the other partner does and recites the same.

Presbyterian Wedding Vows

The Vows

"I, ___, take you, ___, to be my [wife/husband/partner], and I do promise and covenant, before God and these witnesses, to be your loving and faithful [husband/wife/partner] in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live."

The Rings

Before placing the ring on their partner's finger, "This ring I give you, in token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love."

If the wedding is a double-ring ceremony, the other partner does and recites the same.

Protestant Wedding Vows

The Vows

"I, ___, take thee, ___, to be my wedded [wife/husband/partner], to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith."

The Rings

After the blessing from the celebrant, one partner says, "I give you this ring as a symbol of my love; and with all that I am and all that I have, I honor you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The ring is then slipped on their love's finger.

If the wedding is a double-ring ceremony, the other partner does the same.

Muslim Wedding Vows

The Vows

"I,___, offer you myself in marriage and in accordance with the instructions of the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him. I pledge, in honesty and with sincerity, to be for you an obedient and faithful [wife/husband/partner]."

The other partner responds: "I,___, in accordance with the instructions of the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him. I pledge, in honesty and sincerity, to be for you a faithful and helpful [wife/husband/partner]."

Hindu Wedding Vows

The Vows

At Hindu weddings, couples recite a set of vows known as saptapadi, or the Seven Steps. This list of promises are recited as the couple walks around a ring of fire to honor Agni, the Hindu god of fire. As they walk, they state the following:

"I take this vow for (1) the fulfillment of the material needs of the family and for prosperity, (2) for the development of physical, mental, and spiritual strength, (3) to acquire wealth by pure and righteous means and to spend it wisely, (4) for a harmonious relationship, (5) to excel in raising strong and virtuous children, (6) for togetherness and compatibility, and (7) for friendship—to be dependable and faithful and for lifelong companionship."

Quaker Wedding Vows

The Vows

"In the presence of God and these our friends, I take thee to be my wife/husband, promising with divine assistance to be unto thee a loving and faithful husband/wife so long as we both shall live."

The Rings

While wedding bands are not part of Quaker wedding tradition, many couples opt to add a ring exchange during (or after) the marriage ceremony.

What to Do With Your Engagement Ring During the Wedding

Unitarian/Universalist Wedding Vows

The Vows

"I, ___, take you, ___, to be my [wife/husband/partner], to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish always."

The Rings

One partner places the ring on their beloved's finger and says: "With this ring, I wed you and pledge you my love now and forever." If the wedding is a double-ring ceremony, the bride does the same.

Interfaith Wedding Vows

The Vows

"I,___, take you, ___, to be my wife/husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life."

The Rings

An interfaith ceremony is designed by the engaged couple and their officiant to accommodate any type or number of religions, so each couple decides individually on the text accompanying the ring exchange.

Nondenominational Wedding Vows

The Vows

"___, I now take you to be my wedded [wife/husband/partner], to live together after God's ordinance in the holy relationship of marriage. I promise to love and comfort you, honor and keep you, and forsaking all others, I will be yours alone as long as we both shall live."

The Rings

A nondenominational wedding can also include the couple's choice of wording during the ring exchange.

https://www.marthastewart.com/7888175/traditional-wedding-vows

The Ring of the Fisherman (Latin: Anulus piscatoris; Italian: Anello Piscatorio), also known as the Piscatory Ring, is an official part of the regalia worn by the pope, who according to Catholic theology is the head of the Catholic Church and successor of Saint Peter, who was a fisherman by trade. It used to feature a bas-relief of Peter fishing from a boat, a symbolism derived from the tradition that the apostles were "fishers of men" (Mark 1:17). The Fisherman's Ring is a signet used until 1842 to seal official documents signed by the pope.[1] Since at least the Middle Ages it has been a tradition for Catholics meeting the pope to show their devotion by kissing the ring.[2]

History

A letter written by Pope Clement IV to his nephew Pietro Grossi in 1265 includes the earliest known mention of the Ring of the Fisherman, which was used for sealing all the pope's private correspondence. Public documents, by contrast, were sealed by stamping a different papal seal onto lead which was attached to the document. Such documents were historically called papal bulls, named after the stamped bulla (seal) of lead.[3]

Use of the Fisherman's Ring changed during the 15th century when it was used to seal official documents called papal briefs. That practice ended in 1842, when the sealing wax was replaced by a stamp which affixed the same device in red ink.[4]

Creation, transfer, and destruction

A new ring is cast for each pope as a general practice in tradition. Around the relief image is the reigning pope's Latin name. During the ceremony of a papal coronation or papal inauguration, the Camerlengo traditionally slips the ring on the ring finger of the new pope's right hand.[5] Benedict XVI had the dean of the College of Cardinals give him the ring, which he then placed upon himself.[6] Pope Francis was bestowed his ring by Cardinal Sodano at his installation.[7]

Upon a papal death, the ring used to be ceremonially destroyed using a hammer in the presence of other cardinals by the Camerlengo.[citation needed] This was done to prevent issuance of forged documents during the sede vacante.[8] Today, the destruction of the ring's device with deep scratches is a symbol of the end of rule of the pope who used to wear that ring.[citation needed] This custom was followed after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI by applying two deep cuts, in the shape of a cross, on the signet with a chisel.[9]

Wear

Pope Benedict XVI wearing his papal ring in 2005

Although Pope Benedict XVI wore his Fisherman's Ring daily, it is no longer the custom for popes to wear it at all. Generally, a new pope will either inherit the daily-wear ring of his predecessor, keep an old ring of his own preference, or will choose a new daily-wear style. Pope John Paul I usually wore a wide gold band similar in design to the mitre-shaped Second Vatican Council ring; in imitation of this, Pope John Paul II wore a wide gold crucifix shaped into a ring that had belonged to Pope Paul VI.[citation needed]

In former times, a special coronation ring was placed on the pope's finger, designed very large since it was worn over the pope's glove. That custom and the use of a coronation ring ended with Pope Paul VI.[citation needed]

Generally, popes of the past wore episcopal rings in keeping with the fashions of the time. Pope Pius XII, for example, often wore a heavily ornate ring set with a stone. Pope Pius IX most often wore a cameo of himself, made entirely of tiny diamonds, whilst Pope Pius X wore a simple, smaller stone-set ring. In keeping with the modern spirit suggested by Pope John XXIII and actually practiced in his later years by Pope Paul VI, Pope Francis only wears a simple gold-plated silver ring for papal ceremonies, preferring to wear a small silver ring from his days as a cardinal.[10]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_the_Fisherman

Thus, it is only after having finished his second course, first as a simple Scholar, and then as an approved Scholar, and if at the end of his course of study as a scholar he is "regarded as highly promising," is the Jesuit Scholar allowed to pass into the third class-the Coadjutors. This later class is divided still into two further chapters-temporal and spiritual. Only the spiritual Coadjutors are admitted into holy orders as priest (Examen 6, sec. 1); the temporal go out into the various trades, vocations and professions to fulfill their assigned roles in the GRAND DESIGN. And note reader, that some, says Wylie, "are retained to minister in the lowest offices: they become college cooks, porters, or purveyors." For the "greater glory of God" it is held expedient that these should be "content to serve the society in the careful office of Martha [a servant]."

On the other hand, the spiritual Coadjutors are sent on the most difficult or important assignments: either as priests to royalty, leaders, and the affluent or as teachers in the best schools, and universities and institutions of PUBLIC POLICY. As priests, the Coadjutors would seek to reach and mold the youth, the wealthy, and the leaders. The work of reason, says Wylie, "he is required to be a priest of adequate learning, that he may assist the Society [the Jesuit Order] in hearing confessions, and giving instructions" in Catholic doctrine. In short, the Coadjutors are top-flight agents, selected for the most difficult assignments."

Chapter 13 "Crack Troops-The Training of a Jesuit"

Codeword Barbelon book One

by P.D. Stuart

SECTION 4:

POVERTY CERTAIN GENERAL PRINCIPLES

157 Voluntary religious poverty is the attempt of fallen human beings, in the radical following of the humble and poor Christ, to achieve that freedom from every inordinate attachment which is the condition for a great and ready love of God and neighbor.[39]

158 The principle and foundation of our poverty is found in a love of the Word of God made flesh and crucified.[40] Therefore in the Society that way of life is to be maintained which is as far as possible removed from all infection of avarice and as like as possible to evangelical poverty, which our first fathers experienced as more gratifying, more undefiled, and more suitable for the edification of the neighbor.[41]

159 §1. Our poverty in the Society is apostolic: our Lord has sent us to preach in poverty. [42] Therefore our poverty is measured by our apostolic purpose, so that our entire apostolate is informed with the spirit of poverty.[43] §2. Efficiency in the apostolate and the witness of apostolic poverty are two values that are closely united and must be held in an ongoing tension; this is a rule for apostolic institutes as well as for individuals.[44]

160 Our poverty is the condition of our apostolic credibility,[45] as the total expression of our trust in God and our freely given service to others,[46] when we are made witnesses of the freely bestowed love of God, who gave his Son for us in the total emptying of the incarnation and the cross.[47]

161 The forms of our poverty must truly suit the mentality, life, and apostolate of our times and give a visible witness to the Gospel. Therefore, our contemporary poverty must be especially characterized by these qualities: sincerity, by which our lives are really poor; devotion to work, by which we resemble workers in the world; and charity, by which we freely devote ourselves and all we have for the service of the neighbor.[48]

162 Let our poverty, sincerely and profoundly renewed,

be simple in community expression and joyous in the following of Christ,

happy in sharing all goods among ourselves and with others,

apostolic in its active indifference and readiness for any service,

inspiring our selection of ministries and turning us to those most in need,

spiritually effective, proclaiming Jesus Christ in our way of life and in all we do.[49]

163 The preferential option for the poor, as proposed by the Church, which the Society wishes to make its own, should find some concrete expression directly or indirectly in the life of every companion of Jesus, as well as in the orientations of our existing apostolic works and in our choice of new ministries.[50]

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182223/https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

Freemason Karl Heinrich Marx, 1818 – 1883 #155

Karl Marx, “the Father of Modern Communism” was himself an occultist and high-level Jewish Freemason, intimately associated with Rome’s Giuseppe Mazzini (1805-1872)—the foremost Freemason on the Continent and founder of the Mafia—and Albert Pike (1809-1891), the foremost Freemason in Fourteenth Amendment America and a leader of the first Ku Klux Klan. He was privately tutored by Jesuits in the huge Reading Room of the British Museum while writing The Communist Manifesto based upon the ten maxims or “planks” the Order had perfected on its Paraguayan Reductions (1609-1767) and its Maryland Reductions (1650-1838). His writings (including The Jewish Question in promoting the Company’s European “Jewish Question Agitation,” Marx claiming, “behind every tyrant stands a Jew, as a Jesuit stands behind every Pope,” and exhorting “the workers of the world to fight and eliminate such a cancer”) were financed by the Society’s wealthy, White Gentile cartel-capitalists, such as John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and J. P. Morgan, also 33rd Degree Freemasons who, being in their doctrines and deeds, were in fact the revived old Order of the crusading Papal Knights Templars. Brought to international fame in 1870 via the Order’s Paris Commune, Marx, a racial Jew, was chosen for this task, the Order intending to blame all the brutal and savage evils of their absolutist, Communist Inquisition on the Semitic/Hebrew/Israelitic/Jewish Race. This masterstroke of Jesuit genius was fulfilled by the Black Pope’s Third Reich with its invasion of Russia during “Operation Barbarossa,” followed by the Order’s SS “extirpation” of “infidel” European and Russian Jewry with the aid of Stalin, Churchill, and FDR pursuant to the bigoted and accursing Council of Trent. Marx and Satan, Richard Wurmbrand, (Westchester, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1986) p. 41. Karl Marx: A Life, Francis Wheen, (New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1999).

Vatican Assassins:

“Wounded In The House Of My Friends”

Third Edition

by Eric Jon Phelps

https://ia802505.us.archive.org/28/items/EricJonPhelpsVaticanAssassins3rdEdition/Eric%20Jon%20Phelps%20-%20Vatican%20Assassins%203rd%20Edition.pdf

Stockholm syndrome is a proposed condition or theory that tries to explain why hostages sometimes develop a psychological bond with their captors.[1][2] Emotional bonds can possibly form between captors and captives, during intimate time together, but these are considered irrational by some in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims. Stockholm syndrome has never been included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the standard tool for diagnosis of psychiatric illnesses and disorders in the United States, mainly due to the lack of a consistent body of academic research and doubts about the legitimacy of the condition.[3]

History

Stockholm bank robbery

Main article: Norrmalmstorg robbery

In 1973, Jan-Erik Olsson, a convict on parole, took four employees (three women and one man) of Kreditbanken, one of the largest banks in Stockholm, Sweden, hostage during a failed bank robbery. He negotiated the release from prison of his friend Clark Olofsson to assist him. They held the hostages captive for six days (23–28 August) in one of the bank's vaults. When the hostages were released, none of them would testify against either captor in court; instead, they began raising money for their defense.[3]

Nils Bejerot, a Swedish criminologist and psychiatrist, invented the term after the Stockholm police asked him for assistance with analyzing the victims' reactions to the 1973 bank robbery and their status as hostages. As the idea of brainwashing was not a new concept, Bejerot, speaking on "a news cast after the captives' release", described the hostages' reactions as a result of being brainwashed by their captors.[3] He called it Norrmalmstorgssyndromet (after Norrmalmstorg Square where the attempted robbery took place), meaning "The Norrmalm Square syndrome"; it later became known outside Sweden as Stockholm syndrome.[4] It was originally defined by psychiatrist Frank Ochberg to aid the management of hostage situations.[5]

However, according to accounts by Kristin Enmark, one of the hostages, the police were acting incompetently, with little care for the hostages' safety. This forced the hostages to negotiate for their lives and releases with the robbers on their own. In the process, the hostages saw the robbers behaving more rationally than the police negotiators and subsequently developed a deep distrust towards the latter.[6] Enmark had criticized Bejerot specifically for endangering their lives by behaving aggressively and agitating the captors. She had criticized the police for pointing guns at the convicts while the hostages were in the line of fire, and she had told news outlets that one of the captors tried to protect the hostages from being caught in the crossfire. She was also critical of prime minister Olof Palme, as she had negotiated with the captors for freedom, but the prime minister told her that she would have to content herself with dying at her post rather than Palme giving in to the captors' demands.[7][8] Ultimately, Enmark explained she was more afraid of the police, whose attitude seemed to be a much larger, direct threat to her life than the robbers.[9]

Olsson later said in an interview that he could have easily killed the hostages in the beginning, but over time it became more difficult, as he developed an emotional bond with them:[9]

It was the hostages' fault. They did everything I told them to. If they hadn't, I might not be here now. Why didn't any of them attack me? They made it hard to kill. They made us go on living together day after day, like goats, in that filth. There was nothing to do but get to know each other.

Patty Hearst

Main article: Patty Hearst

Patty Hearst, the granddaughter of publisher William Randolph Hearst, was taken and held hostage by the Symbionese Liberation Army, "an urban guerrilla group", in 1974. She was recorded denouncing her family as well as the police using her new name, "Tania", and was later seen working with the SLA to rob banks in San Francisco. She publicly asserted her "sympathetic feelings" toward the SLA and their pursuits as well. After her 1975 arrest, pleading Stockholm syndrome (although the term was not used then, due to the recency of the event) did not work as a proper defense in court, much to the chagrin of her defense lawyer F. Lee Bailey. Her seven-year prison sentence was later commuted, and she was eventually pardoned by President Bill Clinton, who was informed that she was not acting by her own free will.[3]

Lima syndrome

An inversion of Stockholm syndrome, termed Lima syndrome, has been proposed, in which abductors develop sympathy for their hostages. An abductor may also have second thoughts or experience empathy towards their victims.[10] Lima syndrome was named after an abduction at the Japanese embassy in Lima, Peru, in 1996, when members of a militant movement took hostage hundreds of people attending a party at the official residence of Japan's ambassador.[11] Lima syndrome is poorly understood, as the main example for research on this variation came from the Japanese embassy hostage crisis in Lima. Two main factors observed in the evaluation were that spending time with the captives may have strengthened the bonds between the captor and captive, however, this had little basis as the majority of captives were released earlier on. Establishing a friendly rapport with a captor could contribute to a positive bond, as most of the captives in this situation were high-level diplomats who were well-versed in their communication skills.

London syndrome

London Syndrome is the opposite of both Stockholm and Lima Syndromes: one or more hostages arouse the kidnappers' antipathy by defying them, trying to escape or, in the case of a political kidnapping, arguing with them, disqualifying their ideology.[12]

The name London Syndrome comes from the 1980 siege of the Iranian Embassy in London, in which 26 hostages were taken. During the siege, one of the hostages repeatedly argued with the captors, despite other hostages asking him to keep quiet. After several days of siege, the captors decided to kill one of the hostages to force compliance with their demands. So they chose the argumentative hostage, shooting him and then throwing his body out into the street. This prompted a special forces attack, during which they rescued all but one of the remaining hostages and killed five of the six hostage-takers.[12]

Symptoms and behaviors

Victims of the formal definition of Stockholm syndrome develop "positive feelings toward their captors and sympathy for their causes and goals, and negative feelings toward the police or authorities".[3] These symptoms often follow escaped victims back into their previously ordinary lives.[13]

Stockholm syndrome is paradoxical because the sympathetic sentiments that captives feel towards their captors are the opposite of the fear and disdain which an onlooker might feel towards the captors.

There are four key components that characterize Stockholm syndrome:

A hostage's development of positive feelings towards the captor.

No previous relationship between hostage and captor.

A refusal by hostages to cooperate with police and other government authorities.

A hostage's belief in the humanity of the captor, ceasing to perceive them as a threat, when the victim holds the same values as the aggressor.[14]

Criticism

Robbins and Anthony (1982)

Robbins and Anthony, who had historically studied a condition similar to Stockholm syndrome, known as destructive cult disorder, observed in their 1982 study that the 1970s were rich with apprehension surrounding the potential risks of brainwashing. They assert that media attention to brainwashing during this time resulted in the fluid reception of Stockholm syndrome as a psychological condition.[15]

FBI law enforcement bulletin (1999)

A 1999 report by the FBI containing more than 1,200 hostage incidents found that only 8% of kidnapping victims showed signs of Stockholm syndrome.[16] When victims who showed only negative feeling toward the law enforcement personnel are excluded, the percentage decreases to 5%. A survey of 600 police agencies in 1989, performed by the FBI and the University of Vermont, found not a single case when emotional involvement between the victim and the kidnapper interfered with or jeopardized an assault. In short, this database provides empirical support that the Stockholm syndrome remains a rare occurrence. The sensational nature of dramatic cases causes the public to perceive this phenomenon as the rule rather than the exception. The bulletin concludes that, although depicted in fiction and movies and often referred to by the news media, the phenomenon actually occurs rarely. Therefore, crisis negotiators should place the Stockholm syndrome in proper perspective.[16]

Namnyak et al. (2008)

A research group led by Namnyak has found that although there is vast media coverage of Stockholm syndrome, there has not been much research into the phenomenon. What little research has been done is often contradictory and does not always agree on what Stockholm syndrome is. The term has grown beyond kidnappings to all definitions of abuse. It stated that there is no clear definition of symptoms to diagnose the syndrome.[17]

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM 5, 2013)

The DSM-5 is widely used as the "classification system for psychological disorders" by the American Psychiatric Association.[3] Stockholm syndrome has not historically appeared in the manual, as many believe it falls under trauma bonding or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and there is no consensus about the correct clarification. In addition, there is no extensive body of research or consensus to help solve the argument,[citation needed] although before the fifth edition (DSM 5) was released, Stockholm syndrome was under consideration to be included under 'Disorders of Extreme Stress, Not Otherwise Specified'.[3]

Allan Wade (2015)

At Dignity Conference 2015, Dr. Allan Wade presented The myth of "Stockholm Syndrome" (and other concepts invented to discredit women victims of violence) after interviewing Kristin Enmark. In this presentation he posits that "Stockholm Syndrome" and related ideas such as "traumatic bonding", "learned helplessness", "battered women's syndrome", "internalized oppression", and "identification with the aggressor/oppressor" shift the focus away from actual events in context to invented pathologies in the minds of victims, particularly women. "Stockholm syndrome" can be seen as one of many concepts used to silence individuals who, as victims, speak publicly about negative social (i.e., institutional) responses.[18][19][20]

Jess Hill (2019)

In her 2019 treatise on domestic violence See What You Made Me Do, Australian journalist Jess Hill described the syndrome as a "dubious pathology with no diagnostic criteria", and stated that it is "riddled with misogyny and founded on a lie"; she also noted that a 2008 literature review revealed "most diagnoses [of Stockholm syndrome] are made by the media, not by psychologists or psychiatrists." In particular, Hill's analysis revealed that Stockholm authorities – under direct guidance from Bejerot – responded to the robbery in a way that put the hostages at greater risk from the police than from their captors (hostage Kristin Enmark, who during the siege was granted a telephone call with Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, reported that Palme told her that the government would not negotiate with criminals, and that "you will have to content yourself that you will have died at your post"); as well, she observed that not only was Bejerot's diagnosis of Enmark made without ever having spoken to her, it was in direct response to her public criticism of his actions during the siege.[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_syndrome

Woodstock College was a Jesuit seminary that existed from 1869 to 1974. It was the oldest Jesuit seminary in the United States.[2] The school was located in Woodstock, Maryland, west of Baltimore, from its establishment until 1969, when it moved to New York City, where it operated in cooperation with the Union Theological Seminary and the Jewish Theological Seminary.

The school closed in 1974.[3] It was survived by the Woodstock Theological Center, an independent, nonprofit Catholic research institute located at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock_College

History of Nevada

Nevada became the 36th state on October 31, 1864, after telegraphing the Constitution of Nevada to the Congress days before the November 8 presidential election (the largest and costliest transmission ever by telegraph). Statehood was rushed to help ensure three electoral votes for Abraham Lincoln's reelection and add to the Republican congressional majorities. Nevada became the second of two states added to the Union during the Civil War (the first being West Virginia) and became known as the “Battle Born State” as a result of when it achieved statehood.

Prior to European contact, Native Americans of the Paiute, Shoshone, and Washoe tribes inhabited the land comprising the modern state. The first Europeans to explore the region originated from Spain. They gave the region the name of Nevada (snowy) due to the snow which covered the mountains at winter. The area formed part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, becoming part of Mexico when that country gained independence in 1821. The United States acquired the territory in 1848 following its victory in the Mexican-American War, and the area was eventually incorporated as part of Utah Territory in 1850. The discovery of silver at the Comstock Lode in 1859 led to a population boom that became an impetus to the creation of Nevada Territory out of western Utah Territory in 1861

Nevada's harsh but rich environment shaped its history and culture. Before 1858 small Mormon settlements along the Utah border sustained their communities through faith, but the secular western section stumbled along until the great silver strikes beginning in 1858 created boom towns and fabulous fortunes. After the beginning of the 20th century, profits declined while Progressive reformers sought to curb rampaging capitalism and its attendant miseries. They imagined a civilized Nevada of universities, lofty idealism, and social reform. But an economic bust during the 1910s and disillusionment from failures at social reform and a population decline of nearly one-fourth meant that by 1920 Nevada had degenerated into a "beautiful desert of buried hopes.” The boom returned when big time gambling arrived in 1931, and with good transportation (especially to California metropolitan areas), the nation's easiest divorce laws, and a speculative get-rich-quick spirit, Nevada had a boom-and-bust economy that was mostly boom until the worldwide financial crisis of 2008 revealed extravagant speculation in housing and casinos on an epic scale.

Nevada is largely desert and semiarid, much of it located within the Great Basin. Areas south of the Great Basin are located within the Mojave Desert, while Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada lie on the western edge. Nevada is also home to the Hoover Dam, which was the single largest public works project in the history of the United States, and Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the country. 

https://jic.nv.gov/About/History_of_Nevada/

TO THE HONEST AND LIBERTY-LOVING PEOPLE OF THE

UNITED STATES,

I also dedicate this book.

Americans! You are sleeping on a volcano, and you do not suspect it! You are pressing on your bosom a viper which will bite you to death, and you do not know it.

Read this book, and you will see that Rome is the sworn, the most implacable, the absolutely irreconcilable and deadly enemy of your schools, your institutions, your so dearly bought rights and liberties.

4Read this book, and you will not only understand that it is to Rome you owe the rivers of blood and the unspeakable horrors of the last civil war: but you will learn that Romanism and Liberty can not live on the same ground. This has been declared by the Popes, hundreds of times.

Read this book: And you will not only see that Abraham Lincoln was murdered by Rome, but you will learn that Romanism, under the mask of religion, is nothing but a permanent political conspiracy against all the most sacred rights of man and the most holy laws of God.

In those pages you will not learn to hate the Roman Catholics. No! But you will learn to be more than ever watchful in guarding the precious treasures of Freedom bestowed upon you by your fathers. You will learn never to let them fall into the hands of those who, with the sacred name of Liberty on their lips, and the mask of Liberty on their faces, are sworn to destroy all Liberty.

TO ALL THE FAITHFUL MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL,

I also, dedicate this book.

Venerable Ministers of the Gospel! Rome is the great danger ahead for the Church of Christ, and you do not understand it enough.

The atmosphere of light, honesty, truth and holiness in which you are born, and which you have breathed since your infancy, makes it almost impossible for you to realize the dark mysteries of idolatry, immorality, degrading slavery, hatred of the Word of God, concealed behind the walls of that modern Babylon. You are too honest to suspect them; and your precious time is too much taken up by the sacred duties of your ministry, to study the long labyrinth of argumentations which form the bulk of the greater number of controversial books. Besides that, the majority of the books of controversy against Rome are of such a dry character that, though many begin to read them, very few have the courage to go to the end. The consequence is an ignorance of Romanism which becomes more and more deplorable and fatal, every day.

It is ignorance which paves the way to the triumph of Rome, in a near future, if there is not a complete change in your views, on that subject.

It is that ignorance which paralyzes the arm of the Church of Christ, and makes the glorious word “Protestant” senseless, almost a dead and ridiculous word. For who does really protest against Rome, to-day? where are those who sound the trumpet of alarm?

When Rome is striking you to the heart by cursing your schools and wrenching the Bible from the hands of your children; when she is not only battering your doors, but scaling your walls and storming your citadels, how few dare go to the breach and repulse the audacious and sacrilegious foe?

Why so? Because modern Protestants have not only forgotten what Rome was, what she is, and what she will forever be: the most irreconcilable 5and powerful enemy of the Gospel of Christ; but they consider her almost a branch of the church whose corner-stone is Christ.

Faithful ministers of the Gospel! I present you this book that you may know that the monster Church of Rome, who shed the blood of your forefathers, is still at work, to-day, at your very door, to enchain your people to the feet of her idols. Read it, and for the first time, you will see the inside life of Popery with the exactness of Photography. From the supreme art with which the mind of the young and timid child is fettered, enchained and paralyzed, to the unspeakable degradation of the priest under the iron heel of the bishop, everything will be revealed to you as it has never been before.

The superstitions, the ridiculous and humiliating practices, the secret and mental agonies of the monks, the nuns and the priests, will be shown to you as they were never shown before. In this book, the sophisms and errors of Romanism are discussed and refuted with a clearness, simplicity and evidence which my twenty-five years of priesthood only could teach me. It is not in boasting that I say this. There can be no boasting in me for having been so many years an abject slave of the Pope. The book I offer you is an arsenal filled with the best weapons you ever had to fight, and, with the help of God, conquer the foe.

The learned and zealous champion of Protestantism in Great Britain Rev. D. Badenoch, who has revised the manuscript, wrote to a friend: “I do not think there is a Protestant work more thrilling in interest and more important at the present time. It is not only full of incidents, but also of arguments, on the side of truth with all classes of Romanists, from the bishops to the parish priests. I know of no work which gives so graphically the springs of Roman Catholic life, and at the same time, meets the plausible objections to Protestantism in Roman Catholic circles. I wish with all my heart that this work would be published in Great Britain.”

The venerable, learned and so well known Rev. Dr. Kemp, Principal of the Young Ladies’ College of Ottawa, Canada, only a few days before his premature death, wrote: “Mr. Chinqiuy has submitted every chapter of his ‘Fifty Years in the Church of Rome’ to me: I have read it with care and with the deepest interest; and I commend it to the public favor in the highest terms. It is the only book I know that gives anything like a full and authentic account of the inner workings of Popery on this continent, and so effectively unmasks its pretence to sanctity. Besides the most interesting biographical incidents, it contains incisive refutations of the most plausible assumptions and deadly errors of the Romish Church. It is well fitted to awaken Protestants to the insidious designs of the arch-enemy of their faith and liberties, and to arouse them to a decisive opposition. It is written in a kindly and Christian spirit, does not indulge in denunciations, and, while speaking in truth, it does so in love. Its style is lively and its English good, with only a delicate flavor of the author’s native French.”

FIFTY YEARS

IN THE

CHURCH OF ROME.

BY

FATHER CHINIQUY,

THE APOSTLE OF TEMPERANCE OF CANADA.

AUTHOR OF “THE MANUAL OF TEMPERANCE,” “THE PRIEST, THE WOMAN, AND THE CONFESSIONAL,”

“PAPAL IDOLATRY,” “ROME AND EDUCATION,” ETC.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/51634/51634-h/51634-h.htm

Abraham Lincoln, Member of Rosicrucian

Abraham Lincoln was a member of Fraternitas Rosae Crucis. Lincoln had a friendship with Paschal Bewerly Randolph an African American who was a medical doctor, occultist, spiritualist, trance medium, and writer. He married his first wife, Mary Jane in 1850 she was African or mixed race. Together, they had three children, only one of whom Cora, born 1854 survived to adulthood. In 1861, Paschal Beverly Randolph, was in Paris as the newly appointed Supreme Grand master for the Western World of the Fraternitas Rosae Crucis. Randolph was a member of the Rosicrucian Council of Three which included Abraham Lincoln.

Dr Paschal Beverly Randolph was also a close friend and confident of President Abraham Lincoln and one occult history stated there are papers in existence inside the Rosicrucian order that Dr. Randolph founded which shows he wrote the famous “The Gettysburg Address” given by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. (Reddit.com)

The best man at Abraham Lincoln’s wedding to Mary Todd was James Matheny, a member of the Springfield Masonic Lodge and a past Master of the Grand Lodge if Illinois.

Thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt select bodies or schools were formed to explore the mysteries of life and learn the secrets of this hidden wisdom. Only sincere students displaying a desire for knowledge and meeting certain tests were considered worthy of being inducted into these mysteries. Over the course of centuries these mystery schools added an initiatory dimension to the knowledge they transmitted. It is further traditionally related that the order’s first member students met in secluded chambers in magnificent old temples, where, as candidates, they were initiated into the great mysteries. Their mystical studies then assumed a more closed character and were held exclusively in temples which had been built for that purpose. Rosicrucian tradition relates that the great pyramids of Giza were the most sacred in the eyes of initiates. Pharaoh Thutmose III, who ruled Egypt from 1500 to 1447 B.C., organised the first esoteric school of initiates founded in the principles and methods similar to those perpetuated today by the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC.*

This can be seen through the so called elite who control all aspects of the world.

Since his early political career, Abraham Lincoln supported the American Colonisation Society, a controversial group whose goal was the removal of free African Americans from the United States. It, and it’s state affiliates, starting in 1820s began settlements in West Africa that would eventually unite to form Liberia. Similarly to Linconia, the name of Liberia’s capital Monrovia was derived from the name of the fifth president of the United States James Monroe.

In 1842, the Great Council of Three was revitalised by the novelist, George Lippard, who rewrote the exoteric ritual, giving it a patriotic Christian basis. During the civil war this great council was composed of Paschal Beverly Randolph, General Ethan Allen Hitchcock, and Abraham Lincoln.

In 1851, Randolph made the acquaintance of Abraham Lincoln. Their friendship was close enough that, when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, Randolph accompanied Abraham Lincoln’s funeral procession in a train to Springfield, Illinois. However, Randolph was asked to leave the train when some objected to the presence of such an African American descent.

Randolph was succeeded as Supreme Grand Master of the Fraternitas, and in other titles, by his chosen successor Freeman B. Dowd.

Randolph died at the age of 49, under disputed circumstances.

https://blackhistory247.wordpress.com/2022/11/03/abraham-lincoln-member-of-rosicrucian/

Rosicrucianism is a theosophy advanced by an invisible order of spiritual knights who in spreading Christian Hermeticism, Kabbalah,

and Gnosis seek to enliven and to preserve the memory of Divine

Wisdom, understood as a feminine flame of love called SOFIA or

Shekhinah, exoterically given as a fresh unfolded rose, yet, more akin to the BLUE FIRE of alchemy, the blue virgin. Rosicrucians have no organisation and there are no recognizable Rosicrucian individuals, but the order makes its presence known by leaving behind engrammatic writings in the genre of Hermetic-Platonic Christianity.

The historical roots of Hermeticism is to be located in Ancient

Egypt. Long before the rise of Christianity, Hermetic texts were structured around the belief that organisms contain sparks of a Divine mind unto which they each strive to attend. Things easily transform into others, thereby generating certain cyclical patterns, cycles that periodically renew themselves on a cosmic scale. These transformations of life and death were enacted in the Hermetic Mysteries in Ancient Egypt through the gods Isis, Horus, and Osiris. In the Alexandrian period these myths were reshaped into Hermetic discourses on the transformations of the self with Thot, the scribal god. These discourses were introduced in the west in 1474 when Marsilio Ficino translated the Hermetic Pimander from the Greek. The story of Christian Rosencreutz can be seen as a new version of these mysteries, specifically tempered by German Paracelsian philosophy on the Lion of the darkest night, a biblical icon for how the higher self lies slumbering in consciousness."

Rose Cross Over The Baltic: The Spread of Rosicrucianism In Northern Europe

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vWI_uTVg5lzNCDm16itq-PLSavozNR_F/view?usp=sharing

Rosa Jesuitica, oder Jesuitische Rottgesellen, das ist, Eine Frag ob die Zween Orden, der ganandten Ritter von der Neerscharen Jesu, und der Rosen-Creuzer ein einiger Ordensen: per J. P. D. a S. Jesuitarum Protectorum. Prague, 1620.” (4to).

This is a truly curious tract upon the “relations of the Jesuits and the Rosicrucians."

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dT28PyPUPfqDfC0iVg7nGFsle8vYBXLf/view?usp=sharing 

PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION 

Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. And the other things on the face of the earth are created for man and that they may help him in prosecuting the end for which he is created. 

From this it follows that man is to use them as much as they help him on to his end, and ought to rid himself of them so far as they hinder him as to it. For this it is necessary to make ourselves indifferent to all created things in all that is allowed to the choice of our free will and is not prohibited to it; so that, on our part, we want not health rather than sickness, riches rather than poverty, honor rather than dishonor, long rather than short life, and so in all the rest; desiring and choosing only what is most conducive for us to the end for which we are created.

PARTICULAR AND DAILY EXAMEN 

It contains in it three times, and two to examine oneself. The first time is in the morning, immediately on rising, when one ought to propose to guard himself with diligence against that particular sin or defect which he wants to correct and amend. The second time is after dinner, when one is to ask of God our Lord what one wants, namely, grace to remember how many times he has fallen into that particular sin or defect, and to amend himself in the future. Then let him make the first Examen, asking account of his soul of that particular thing proposed, which he wants to correct and amend. Let him go over hour by hour, or period by period, commencing at the hour he rose, and continuing up to the hour and instant of the present examen, and let him make in the first line of the G------- as many dots as were the times he has fallen into that particular sin or defect. Then let him resolve anew to amend himself up to the second Examen which he will make. The third time: After supper, the second Examen will be made, in the same way, hour by hour, commencing at the first Examen and continuing up to the present (second) one, and let him make in the second line of the same G------- as many dots as were the times he has fallen into that particular sin or defect. 

FOUR ADDITIONS FOLLOW TO RID ONESELF SOONER OF THAT PARTICULAR SIN OR DEFECT 

First Addition. The first Addition is that each time one falls into that particular sin or defect, let him put his hand on his breast, grieving for having fallen: which can be done even in the presence of many, without their perceiving what he is doing. Second Addition. The second: As the first line of the G------- means the first Examen, and the second line the second Examen, let him look at night if there is amendment from the first line to the second, that is, from the first Examen to the second. Third Addition. The third: To compare the second day with the first; that is, the two Examens of the present day with the other two Examens of the previous day, and see if he has amended himself from one day to the other. Fourth Addition. The fourth Addition: To compare one week with another, and see if he has amended himself in the present week over the week past. Note. It is to be noted that the first (large) G------- which follows means the Sunday: the second (smaller), the Monday: the third, the Tuesday, and so on.

GGGGGG

"The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola

TRANSLATED FROM

THE AUTOGRAPH

BY

FATHER ELDER MULLAN, S.J.

I.H.S.

NEW YORK

P.J. KENEDY & SONS

PRINTERS TO THE HOLY APOSTOLIC SEE

https://ia801306.us.archive.org/8/items/a588350800loyouoft/a588350800loyouoft.pdf 

Representing the Best Interests of Brainwashed and Programmed Children in High-Conflict Child Custody Cases

Ashish S Joshi

Oct 24, 2023 19 min read

   

Child Advocacy Child Welfare Family Law & Children’s Rights Parental Alienation

Summary

A brainwashed child works simultaneously with one parent and against the other parent.

in cases of parental alienation, suspending contact between the child and the target parent often makes the situation worse.

Courts have recognized that in an alienation setting, children are impressionable, have social deficits, and could be manipulated.

Representing the Best Interests of Brainwashed and Programmed Children in High-Conflict Child Custody Cases

Irina_Zholudeva via Getty Images

© 2025 American Bar Association, all rights reserved.

https://www.americanbar.org/groups/litigation/resources/litigation-journal/2023-fall/on-sticky-wicket-representing-best-interests-brainwashed-and-programmed-children-highconflict-child-custody-cases/

List of youngest killers

This is a list of children confirmed by reliable sources to have deliberately killed another human being. Individuals in this list are documented to be younger than age 13.

List

Name Age at time of killing(s) Date of killing(s) Country Location Killed Injured Note(s) and citation(s)

Carl Newton Mahan 6 years, 7 months, 26 days[1] May 18, 1929  United States Paintsville, Kentucky 1 0 Mahan shot eight-year-old Cecil Van Hoose.[2] He was sentenced to 15 years in a reformatory, but his sentence was later overturned.[3]

Unnamed boy 6 years February 29, 2000  United States Mount Morris Township, Michigan 1 0 He shot his six-year-old classmate, Kayla Rolland, at Buell Elementary School. His uncle, the gun owner, was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Lizzie Cook 6 years February 27, 1899  United States Birmingham, Alabama 1 0 Cook intentionally set her two-year-old brother's clothes on fire while she was babysitting. The fire burned through the fabric and he died.[4]

Unnamed boy 6 years June 2, 1910  Norway Oslo 1 0 [5]

Unnamed boy 7 years January 2022  United States Smiley, Texas 1 0 He shot 32-year-old Brandon Raspberry. He was not charged due to his age, but was instead sent to a psychiatric hospital.[6]

Virginia Hudson 7 years July 23, 1887  United States Butler Township, South Carolina 1 0 Hudson beat a one-year-old child to death with a board. She was charged with murder.[7]

Robert Robertson 7 years, 6 months June 1907  Australia Forest, Tasmania 1 0 Robertson beat his two-year-old brother with a piece of wood while he was babysitting. He was charged with murder, then put into state care.[8]

Amarjeet Sada 8 years 2007  India Begusarai 3 0 He killed his eight-month-old sister, his nine-month-old cousin, and an unrelated six-month-old baby. He was not charged due to his age, but instead sent to a remand home in Munger.[9]

Unnamed girl 8 years July 4, 1867  United States Cassville, Missouri 1 0 She killed her four-year-old brother and was declared insane.[10]

Unnamed boy 8 years February 7, 2014  Chile Padre Hurtado 1 0 He stabbed his seven-year-old cousin. He was not charged due to his age.[11]

Patrick Knowles 8 years May 1903  United Kingdom Stockton-on-Tees, England 1 2 Knowles buried one-year-old Frederick Hughes and Hughes died of suffocation. Knowles also attempted to drown one-year-old Fanny Lynas,[12] as well as burying another child.[13] He served nine years in prison under His Majesty's pleasure.[14]

Unnamed boy 8 years, 10 months November 5, 2008  United States St. Johns, Arizona 2 0 He shot his 29-year-old father, Vincent Romero, and his father's coworker.[15] He was arrested and pled guilty to negligent homicide. He was sentenced to an indefinite stay at a youth treatment center near Phoenix. He later moved to a group home and then a foster home.[16]

Carroll Cole 9 years 1947  United States Richmond, California 1 0 Cole drowned a nine-year-old boy. The murder was initially ruled an accident until he confessed in adulthood after killing five women. He was executed by lethal injection on December 6, 1985.

Mary Cooper 9 years 1885  United States Scottsville, Virginia 1 0 Cooper hung and beat her seven-year-old cousin Melville Barrett.[17]

Unnamed boy 9 years May 6, 2019  United States Fawn River Township, Michigan 1 0 He shot his 51-year-old adoptive mother.[18]

Cayetano Santos Godino 9 years, 4 months, 29 days – 16 years, 1 month, 3 days March 29, 1906 – December 3, 1912  Argentina Buenos Aires 4 0 The first murder was not discovered until Santos Godino later confessed. He was arrested several times.

Unnamed boy 10 years September 2022  China Haicheng Township 1 0 He strangled his grandmother to death on video.[19]

William York 10 years May 13, 1748  United Kingdom Eyke, England 1 0 York attacked five-year-old Susan Matthew with a knife, killing her. He was sentenced to death, but later pardoned.[20]

Hubbard Harrell 10 years February 3, 1888  United States Savannah, Georgia 3 0 Harrell burned his six-year-old nephew and two unrelated children with boiling water.[21]

James Osmanson 10 years April 12, 1994  United States Butte, Montana 1 0 Osmanson shot his 11-year-old classmate Jeremy Bullock at Margaret Leary Elementary School.[22] He was sent to a residential treatment facility.[23]

Joseph McVay 10 years January 2, 2011  United States Big Prairie, Ohio 1 0 McVay shot his 46-year-old mother Deborah McVay. He was charged with "delinquency by virtue of committing murder."[24] He was sentenced to a juvenile detention center, then a residential treatment facility.[25]

Unnamed girl 10 years September 18, 2010  United States Sandy Springs, Georgia 1 0 She beat two-year-old Zyda White, who she was babysitting. White fell unconscious and later died.[26]

Jane Walker 10 years 1886  United States Aiken County, South Carolina 1 0 Walker poisoned the younger relative she was babysitting. She was charged with murder.[27]

James Arcene 10 years 1872  United States Fort Gibson, Oklahoma 1 0 Arcene, alongside a man named William Parchmeal, shot and beat William Feigel. Arcene was convicted of robbery and murder, then executed.

Robert Thompson 10 years, 5 months, 20 days February 12, 1993  United Kingdom Liverpool, England 1 0 Thompson and Venables abducted two-year-old James Bulger from a shopping center in Bootle. They tortured Bulger before laying him across railway tracks, where he was hit by a train. They both spent eight years in a young offenders' institution. In 2017, Venables was re-incarcerated for possessing child sexual abuse material.

Jon Venables 10 years, 5 months, 30 days

Unnamed boy 10 years August 21, 2013  Canada Broadview 1 0 He beat six-year-old Lee Bonneau to death.[28] He was not charged due to his age.[29]

Joseph Hall 10 years, 10 months, 12 days May 1, 2011  United States Riverside, California 1 0 Hall shot his 32-year-old father, neo-Nazi leader Jeff Hall. He was sentenced to juvenile detention until the age of 23. His stepmother Krista McCary was charged with criminal storage of firearms and child neglect.

Mary Bell 10 years, 11 months, 30 days – 11 years, 1 month, 7 days May 25 – July 31, 1968  United Kingdom Newcastle upon Tyne, England 2 0 Bell strangled four-year-old Martin Brown and three-year-old Brian Howe, killing them both. She served 12 years in prison under Her Majesty's pleasure.

Anton Wood 11 years November 1892  United States Denver, Colorado 1 0 Wood shot Joseph Smith. He was charged with second-degree murder and sentenced to either 25 years of hard labor or life in prison.[30]

Nellie Cornelison 11 years January 15, 1902  United States Wichita, Kansas 1 0 Cornelison slit the throat of her sister Laura Cornelison. She was not charged due to her age.[31]

Nathaniel Jamar Abraham 11 years, 9 months, 10 days[32] October 29, 1997  United States Pontiac, Michigan 1 0 Abraham shot an 18-year-old man. He was tried as an adult and convicted of second-degree murder.[33][34]

Andrew Golden 11 years, 9 months, 27 days March 24, 1998  United States Jonesboro, Arkansas 5 10 Golden, alongside 13-year-old Mitchell Johnson, shot one of their teachers and four of their classmates at Westside Middle School. They were both imprisoned until the age of 21, with Golden serving 9 years and 2 months.

Unnamed girl 11 years June 1, 2004  Japan Sasebo 1 0 She killed her 12-year-old classmate Satomi Mitari at Okubo Elementary School. She was not charged, instead being institutionalized in a reformatory.

Nathan Daniel Faris 12 years, 10 months, 10 days[35] March 2, 1987  United States De Kalb, Missouri 1 0 Faris shot his 13-year-old classmate Timothy Perrin at De Kalb High School. He then committed suicide.[23]

Unnamed boy 12 years January 2000  United Kingdom Bristol, England 1 0 He stabbed his six-month-old brother, cutting off his left hand. He was charged with manslaughter but found unfit to stand trial.[36]

Piedad Martínez del Águila 12 years December 4, 1965 – January 4, 1966  Spain Murcia 4 0 Martínez del Águila poisoned her four brothers.[37][38]

Mary Maher 12 years August 21 – September 8, 1906  Ireland Dunkitt, County Kilkenny 3 1 Maher poisoned her three sisters. She then committed suicide.[39]

Jose Reyes 12 years, 3 months, 19 days October 21, 2013  United States Sparks, Nevada 1 2 Reyes shot one of his classmates and one of his teachers at Sparks Middle School. He then committed suicide.

Lionel Tate 12 years, 5 months, 28 days July 28, 1999  United States Broward County, Florida 1 0 Tate battered his six-year-old cousin Tiffany Eunick to death. He was charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. The sentence was later reduced to one year of house arrest and 10 years of probation. As an adult he was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for armed robbery.

Kristen Pittman 12 years, 7 months, 19 days November 28, 2001  United States Chester, South Carolina 2 0 Pittman shot her grandparents. She was tried as an adult and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Her sentence was later reduced by five years.

Hannah Ocuish 12 years, 9 months July 21, 1786  United States New London, Connecticut 1 0 Ocuish's guilt is disputed. She was hanged for the murder of six-year-old Eunice Bolles.

Evan Savoie 12 years, 3 months, 24 days February 15, 2003  United States Ephrata, Washington 1 0 Savoie and Eakin stabbed and beat their 13-year-old friend Craig Sorger to death. Savoie was convicted of first-degree murder and Eakin was convicted of second-degree murder. Both Savoie and Eakin have since been released.

Jake Eakin 12 years, 3 months, 1 day

Jasmine Richardson 12 years, 6 months, 2 days April 23, 2006  Canada Medicine Hat 3 0 Richardson and her 23-year-old boyfriend Jeremy Steinke stabbed three of her family members. Richardson was charged with first-degree murder. In 2020 her criminal record was expunged.

Unnamed boy 12 years December 2, 2018  China Yuanjiang 1 0 He stabbed his mother. He was not charged due to his age.[40]

Curtis Jones 12 years, 1 month and 6 days January 6, 1999  United States Port St. John, Florida 1 0 Jones and his 13-year-old sister Catherine Jones were charged with second-degree murder. They were both sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Unnamed boy 12 years September 29, 2019  Brazil São Paulo 1 0 He was sentenced to three years in prison.[41][42]

Alex King 12 years November 26, 2001  United States Cantonment, Florida 1 0 King and his 13-year-old brother Derek King killed their father. Alex served six years of his eight year sentence.

Danny Preddie 12 years November 27, 2000  United Kingdom London, England 1 0 Preddie and his 13-year-old brother Ricky Preddie attacked 10-year-old Damilola Taylor with a glass bottle. Danny was sentenced to eight years in prison, but served four additional years for violating his parole.

Unnamed girl 12 years July 15, 2024  United States Humboldt, Tennessee 1 0 She smothered her eight-year-old cousin. She was charged with murder and tampering with evidence.[43]

Unnamed boy 12 years October 18, 2019  Brazil Curitiba 1 0 He stabbed an elderly woman and was temporarily detained for 45 days.[44]

Howard Lang 12 years November 18, 1947  United States Chicago, Illinois 1 0 Lang killed seven-year-old Lonnie Fellick.[45] He was sentenced to 22 years in prison. His sentence was later overturned due to his age. This case was cited in Frederic Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent.[46]

Edwin Carl Debrow Jr. 12 years September 21, 1991  United States San Antonio, Texas 1 0 Debrow shot a man. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison and released in 2019.[47][48][49]

Bailey Kurariki 12 years, 3 months, 28 days September 12, 2001  New Zealand Papakura 1 0 Kurariki killed 40-year-old Michael Choy alongside seven accomplices. He was charged with manslaughter and released on parole in 2008. In 2011, he was sentenced to 14 months in prison for assault and domestic violence.

Jonah Louis Iverson[50] 12 years August 29, 1995  United States Laredo, Texas 1 0 Iverson shot his 12-year-old classmate Lizzy Rivera at Memorial Middle School. He served ten years, firstly in a Texas Youth Commission facility and then in a state prison.[51]

See also

Age of criminal responsibility

Capital punishment for juveniles in the United States

Gun violence in the United States

Gun violence in U.S. schools

Murder in United States law

Trial as an adult

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_youngest_killers

Église St-Pierre de Montmartre

Montmartre & Northern Paris,Paris,France,Europe

Montmartre & Northern Paris

All that remains of the former Benedictine Abbey of Montmartre, this church dates back to the 12th century and is one of the oldest in Paris, though it has been much restored. Built atop a Roman temple to Mars, it was witness to the founding of the Jesuits in 1534, who met in the crypt under the guidance of Ignatius of Loyola.

Some say that the name Montmartre is derived from ‘Mons Martis’ (Latin for Mount of Mars); others prefer the Christian ‘Mont Martyr’ (Mount of the Martyr), a reference to the 3rd-century St Denis, who, according to legend, walked across Montmartre and on to the site of today’s Basilique de St-Denis after having been beheaded by Roman priests."

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/paris/montmartre-and-northern-paris/attractions/eglise-st-pierre-de-montmartre/a/poi-sig/1264286/1323143

Revelation 17

1599 Geneva Bible

17 1 That great whore is described, 2 with whom the Kings of the earth committed fornication. 6 She is drunken with the blood of Saints. 7 The mystery of the woman, and the beast that carried her, expounded. 11 Their destruction. 14 The Lamb’s victory.

1 Then [a]there came one of the seven Angels, which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come: I will show [b]thee the [c]damnation of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters,

2 With whom have committed fornication the kings of the earth, and the inhabitants of the earth are drunken with the wine of her fornication.

3 [d]So he carried me away into the wilderness in the Spirit, and I saw a woman sit upon a [e]scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, which had seven heads, and ten horns.

4 And [f]the woman was arrayed [g]in purple and scarlet, and gilded with gold, and precious stones, and pearls, [h]and had a cup of gold in her hand full of abomination, and filthiness of her fornication.

5 [i]And in her forehead was a name written, A mystery, [j]that great Babylon that mother of whoredoms, and abominations of the earth.

6 [k]And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of Saints, and with the blood of the Martyrs of JESUS: and when I saw her, [l]I wondered with great marvel.

7 [m]Then the Angel said unto me, Wherefore marvelest thou? I will show thee the mystery of that woman, and of that beast that beareth her, which hath seven heads and ten horns.

8 [n]The beast that thou hast seen, [o]was and is not, and [p]shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and shall go into perdition, and they that dwell on the earth, shall wonder (whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world) [q]when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

9 [r]Here is the mind that hath wisdom, The [s]seven heads [t]are seven mountains, whereon the woman sitteth: [u]they are also seven Kings.

10 [v]Five are fallen, [w]and one is, [x]and another is not yet come: and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

11 [y]And the beast that was, and is not, is even [z]the eighth, and is [aa]one of the seven, and [ab]all go into destruction.

12 [ac]And the ten horns which thou sawest, are [ad]ten kings, which yet have not received a kingdom, but shall receive power, as Kings [ae]at one hour with the beast.

13 [af]These have one mind, and shall give their power and authority unto the beast.

14 These shall fight with the [ag]Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of Lords, and King of Kings: and they that are on his side, called, and chosen, and faithful.

15 [ah]And he said unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, [ai]are people, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

16 And the ten [aj]horns which thou sawest upon the beast, are they that shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate, and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

17 [ak]For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to do with one consent for to give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God be fulfilled.

18 And that woman which thou sawest, is that [al]great city which reigned over the kings of the earth.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2017&version=GNV

Arturo Marcelino Sosa Abascal SJ (born 12 November 1948) is a Venezuelan Catholic priest who serves as the 31st and present superior general of the Society of Jesus. He was elected by the Society's 36th General Congregation on 14 October 2016, succeeding Adolfo Nicolás. He is the first person born in Latin America to lead the Jesuits.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arturo_Sosa

AI Overview

Learn more

Meet Arcturus: Guardian of the Bear - Sky & Telescope - Sky ...

Arcturus is a red giant star in the constellation Boötes, which is sometimes depicted as guarding the Great Bear, or Ursa Major. The name Arcturus comes from the Greek words for "guardian" or "keeper of the bear".

Location and visibility

Arcturus is visible in the northern hemisphere during late winter and early spring

It's best seen in the evening

Arcturus is one of the brightest stars in the night sky

How to find Arcturus

Stargazers can use the stars marking the tail of Ursa Major to find Arcturus

The famous saying "follow the arc to Arcturus" describes this method

Other facts about Arcturus

Arcturus is also known as Alpha Boötis

It's the brightest star in Boötes

It's the third brightest star in the night sky

It's part of the Spring Triangle asterism

It's 37 light-years away from Earth

It has a faint orange hue

It was an important navigational star for Polynesians

It's mentioned in the Bible

Generative AI is experimental.

2030-2031 APPARITION CHARACTERISTICS

Another general rule for predicting oppositions of Mars is from the following: the planet has an approximate 15.8-year periodic opposition cycle, which consists of three or four Aphelic oppositions and three consecutive Perihelic oppositions. Perihelic oppositions are also called "favorable" because the Earth and Mars come closest to each other on those occasions. We sometimes refer to this as the seven Martian synodic periods. This cycle is repeated every 79 years (± 4 to 5 days) and, if one were to live long enough, one would see this cycle nearly replicated in approximately 284 years. The 2031 Mars apparition is considered Transitional (between Aphelic and Perihelic) because the orbital longitude at opposition will be 68.4° from the aphelion longitude of 70° Ls and 111.6° Ls from perihelion (250° Ls).

NOTE: Ls is the planetocentric longitude of the Sun along the ecliptic of Mars’ sky. 0° Ls is defined as that point where the Sun crosses the Martian celestial equator from south to north, that is the planet’s northern hemisphere vernal equinox. The other Ls values that define the beginnings of Martian northern hemisphere seasons are: summer, 90° Ls; autumn, 180° Ls; and winter, 270° Ls. For Mars’ southern hemisphere these values represent the opposite seasons. Distance (A.U.) - Distance from Earth to Mars in astronomical units, where one (1) A.U. equals 92,955,807.267 miles or 149,597,870.691 km.

Opposition occurs 11 months after conjunction when Mars is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. At that time, the two planets will lie nearly in a straight line with respect to the Sun, or five weeks after retrogression begins. Opposition will occur at 1157 UT on May 04, 2031 (138.4° Ls) with an apparent planetary disk diameter of 16.7 arcsec. Mars will remain visible for more than twelve months after opposition and then become lost in the glare of the Sun around May 31, 2032 as it approaches the next conjunction (July 11, 2032). The cycle is complete in 780 Earth days.

Closest approach occurs at 0350 UT on May 12, 2031 (142.1° Ls) with an apparent planetary disk diameter of 16.9 at a distance of 0.5533578 astronomical units (AU) or 51,437,823 miles (82,781,152 km). During closest approach in 2031 the apparent diameter of Mars will be 2.4 arcsec larger than it was at the same period in 2029; however, it will be 17.1 degrees lower in the sky - not quite as good for observing the Red Planet for observers in the northern hemisphere. It should also be noted that closest approach between Earth and Mars is not necessarily coincident with the time of opposition but varies by as much as two weeks.

https://www.alpo-astronomy.org/jbeish/2031_MARS.htm

A nova (pl. novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white dwarfs in close binary systems, but causes of the dramatic appearance of a nova vary, depending on the circumstances of the two progenitor stars. The main sub-classes of novae are classical novae, recurrent novae (RNe), and dwarf novae. They are all considered to be cataclysmic variable stars.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova

Nova music festival massacre

On 7 October 2023, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian nationalist organization Hamas, initiated a sudden attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip. As part of the attack, 364 individuals, mostly civilians, were killed and many more wounded at the Supernova Sukkot Gathering, an open-air music festival during the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret near kibbutz Re'im. Hamas also took 40 people hostage, and men and women were reportedly subject to sexual and gender-based violence.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova_music_festival_massacre

CHAPTER SEVEN – SHABTAI, SHIMON AND SHARON – DESTROYING THE JEWS

ALM 1 - THE DEUTSCH DEVILS

Rabbi Marvin Antelman was right all along. Way back in 1974, he identified the source of all the evil against Jews and humanity but his message and style were too unaccessible to get through to anyone but the most advanced students of antisemitism. What he lacked most was simplicity, a common enough failure of thinkers decades in advance of their contemporaries. What he needed was someone to put out a Cliff's Notes simplified explanation of his thesis...and someone, without intention, just did. The name of the book is, 50 Jewish Messiahs by Jerry Rabow (Gefen Publishing, Jerusalem). It is an informative but shallow overview of just what the title says, but in its shallowness lies vital depth. We begin with Chapter 17, about the "most damaging messiah to the Jewish people," Shabbatai Zvi. First we'll read Rabow and then add commentary opening Rabbi Antelman's work to the wide world. Recall that there are various accepted English spellings for Shabtai Tzvi, and the Sabbataians. The spelling presented depends on the writer:

pp 91 - Shabbatai Zvi was born in Smyrna, Turkey on the ninth of Av, 1626. The ninth day of Av is the day of a triple tragedy for the Jewish nation. According to tradition, the First Temple, the Second Temple and Bar Kokhba's Betar fortress all fell on this day.

pp 93 - He changed the holiday celebrations and violated the dietary prohibitions. All of this followed from his declaration that the usual rules were inapplicable to messianic times.

pp 95 - He declared that the coming of the messianic era meant that the biblical commandments were no longer binding. He proclaimed that God now permitted everything. ** This is Rabbi Antelman's central assertion; that Shabbataism was the polar opposite of Judaism. That Shabbatai Zvi's program was to destroy all the tenets of the Torah and replace them with their opposites. Incredibly, more than half the Jews of the world at the time, believed he would be revealed as their promised messiah: **

pp 101 - Then he finally made the announcement for which the Jewish community had been waiting for 1600 years - he would begin the Redemption on the 15th day of the month of Sivan, June 18, 1666. ** There are many who will recognize the significance of the date. June is the sixth month, 18 divided by three is 6+6+6 and 1666 is clear enough. Either he knew what he was doing or the prophesies of the emergence of an evil false messiah or anti-Christ are right, and Shabbatai Zvi was him. **

pp 110 - Through all of this, Shabbatai continued to issue proclamations of the theological changes wrought by the coming of the messianic age. Shabbatai's new prayer was, "Praised be He who permits the forbidden." Since all things would be permitted in the age of the messiah, Shabbatai declared many of the old restrictions of the Torah no longer applicable. He abolished the laws concerning sexual relationships. He eventually declared that all of the thirty six major biblical sins were now permitted and instructed some of his followers that it was their duty to perform such sins in order to hasten the Redemption.

Shabtai Tzvi, Labor Zionism and the Holocaust

by Barry Chamish

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B66Pc9x2hkIrV2Y3QWxPbkpKYWc/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-5ak831cRNQohyyjZYfFKvw

The name Arturo originates from the Italian language and carries the symbolic meaning of Bear. Throughout history, the name Arturo has been linked to various legends, mythology, and noble lineages. It is derived from the Latin name Artorius, which was borne by a heroic figure in British folklore, King Arthur. The name Arturo gained popularity in Italy during the Middle Ages and has since made its way into various cultures and languages globally.

In ancient times, the name Arturo was associated with bravery, strength, and leadership, thanks to the legendary King Arthur. Tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table became popular in medieval literature, cementing the name's significance and ensuring its timeless appeal. As centuries passed, the name Arturo continued to be bestowed upon noble and influential figures in different regions, solidifying its place in history.

https://www.ancestry.com/first-name-meaning/arturo

Sigisbert VI was also known as Prince Ursus. Ursus in Latin means an echo. As subsequently became apparent, he was indeed an echo of Dagobert II. Between 877 A.D. and 879 A.D. Prince Ursus was officially proclaimed King Ursus. He undertook an insurrection against Louis II of France in an attempt to reestablish the Merovingian dynasty. The insurrection, however, failed. Prince Ursus and his supporters were defeated at a battle near Pointiers in 881 A.D. With this setback, the Plantard family lost its possessions in the south of France. Ursus died in Brittany (northwest France), his line allied by marriage with the Breton ducal house. By the turn of the ninth century the Merovingian blood had flowed into the duchies of both Brittany and Aquitaine.

Approximately two centuries before the Crusades the Plantard family sought refuge in England, establishing an English branch of the family called Planta. From this line came Bera VI, nicknamed "the Architect." It is interesting to note that he and his descendants, having found a haven in England under King Atheistan, practiced "the art of building." The authors of Holy Blood state that "Masonic sources date the origin of Freemasonry in England from the reign of King Athelstan. Could the Merovingian bloodline.. .in addition to its claim to the French throne, be in some way connected with something at the core of Freemasonry?

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

https://ia803001.us.archive.org/28/items/ScarletAndTheBeastJohnDaniel1995/Scarlet%20and%20the%20Beast,%20John%20Daniel%20(1995).pdf

Arthur was sometimes known as Ursus - the name means “bear.” The Visigoths knew of a group of stars they called The Chariot of the Skies, the Little Bear, which gave them navigation from the Pole Star. They often used a bear as their emblem and it featured on their flags.

The Merovingians also worshipped the bear of the Great Bear in the skies and their deity eventually became Arduina, the goddess who gave her name to today’s Ardennes hills in northern France where the Merovingians lived. The name “Ursus”, was also adopted by them, from Mérovée to Clovis. Clovis was baptised by St. Rémy the bishop at Reims in 496. Rémy predicted to Clovis; at the end of time, a descendant of the Frankish kings will reign over all the ancient Roman empire. This makes it clear that the #Roman Church and the Roman Empire were one. Merovingian kings ruled from 448 to 750AD. The period of their ascendancy, say the authors of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, coincides with the period of King Arthur, which constitutes the setting for the romances of the so called, Holy Grail narrative (ie. Primordial Tradition)"

https://www.facebook.com/471707109534948/photos/a.573305559375102/618355728203418/

The Carolingian dynasty (/ˌkærəˈlɪndʒiən/ KARR-ə-LIN-jee-ən;[1] known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD.[2] The dynasty consolidated its power in the 8th century, eventually making the offices of mayor of the palace and dux et princeps Francorum hereditary, and becoming the de facto rulers of the Franks as the real powers behind the Merovingian throne. In 751 the Merovingian dynasty which had ruled the Franks was overthrown with the consent of the Papacy and the aristocracy, and Pepin the Short, son of Martel, was crowned King of the Franks. The Carolingian dynasty reached its peak in 800 with the crowning of Charlemagne as the first Emperor of the Romans in the West in over three centuries. Nearly every monarch of France from Charlemagne's son Louis the Pious until the penultimate monarch of France Louis Philippe have been his descendants. His death in 814 began an extended period of fragmentation of the Carolingian Empire and decline that would eventually lead to the evolution of the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire.

Name

The Carolingian dynasty takes its name from Carolus, the Latinised name of multiple Frankish kings including Charlemagne and Charles Martel.[3] The name originates from a common Germanic word, rendered in Old High German as Karl or Kerl,[4] meaning 'man', 'husband', or 'freeman'.[5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolingian_dynasty

PART VI 1THE PERSONAL LIFE OF THOSE ALREADY ADMITTED AND INCORPORATED INTO THE BODY OF THE SOCIETY

SECTION 1: THE APOSTOLIC CHARACTER OF OUR VOWS IN GENERAL

143 §1. Our consecration by profession of the evangelical counsels, by which we respond to a divine vocation, is at one and the same time the following of Christ poor, virginal, and obedient and a rejection of those idols that the world is always prepared to adore, especially wealth, pleasure, prestige, and power. Hence, our poverty, chastity, and obedience ought visibly and efficaciously to bear witness to this attitude, whereby we proclaim the evangelical possibility of a certain communion among men and women that is a foretaste of the future kingdom of God.[1]

§2. Our religious vows, while binding us, also set us FREE:

FREE, by our vow of poverty, to share the life of the poor and to use whatever resources we may have, not for our own security and comfort, but for service;

FREE, by our vow of chastity, to be men for others, in friendship and communion with all, but especially with those who share our mission of service;

FREE, by our vow of obedience, to respond to the call of Christ as made known to us by him whom the Spirit has placed over the Church, and to follow the lead of all our superiors.[2] [1] See GC 32, d. 4, no. 16; see GC 31, d. 16, no. 4; d. 17, no. 2; d. 18, no. 3. [2] GC 32, d. 2, no. 20. 215

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

Borghese

Recorded in many forms including Bourges, Bourgaize, Bourgeois, (France), Burgess, Burges and Burgis (England and Scotland), Borghese, Borgesio and Burgisi (Italy), and others, this interesting surname is of pre 8th century Old French origins. It derives from the word "burgeis", meaning inhabitant and FREEMAN of a fortified town, one which could apply municipal rates, taxes, and duties. A burgeis generally had tenure of land or buildings from a landlord by "burgage", which involved the payment of a fixed money rent. In Scotland, the position of burgess required not only the making of payments, but to be availble to take part in guarding the town. The surname is one of the earliest recorded anywhere in the world. These recordings are from England because this country was the first to adopt both hereditary surnames and to make the necessary registers in which to record them. France was several centuries later, and Italy, not until the 19th century in most areas. Early recordings showing the influence of the Norman-French in England after the Invasion of 1066 include: Ralph le Burgeis, in the Pipe Rolls of the county of Sussex in 1195, and Philip Bourges in the cartulary of Oseney Abbey, Oxford in 1197. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Geoffrey Burgeis, which was dated 1115, in the "Winton Rolls" of Hampshire. This was during the reign of King Henry 1st, known as "The Lion of Justice", 1100 - 1135. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. Over the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop", often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

https://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Borghese

Pope Paul V (Latin: Paulus V; Italian: Paolo V) (17 September 1550 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death, in January 1621. In 1611, he honored Galileo Galilei as a member of the papal Accademia dei Lincei and supported his discoveries.[2] In 1616, Pope Paul V instructed Cardinal Robert Bellarmine to inform Galileo that the Copernican theory could not be taught as fact, but Bellarmine's certificate allowed Galileo to continue his studies in search for evidence and use the geocentric model as a theoretical device. That same year Paul V assured Galileo that he was safe from persecution so long as he, the Pope, should live. Bellarmine's certificate was used by Galileo for his defense at the trial of 1633.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Paul_V

AFA-27 [recorded 03/15/87] | The CIA, the Military & Drugs Part IV

Developing a line of inquiry presented in the preceding broadcast, this program focuses on narco-terrorism in Latin America. Particular emphasis is on intelligence-related elements that figured in the Iran-Contra scandal, anti-Castro Cubans in particular. Much of the discussion centers on activities that took place when George Bush was in charge of the CIA.

After reviewing the Latin American narcotics network of Corsican gangster and Third Reich collaborator Auguste Ricord, the broadcast focuses on the role of Ricord associate Klaus Barbie in the 1980 “Cocaine Coup” in Bolivia. The Gestapo chief of Lyons (France) during the war, Barbie found post-war employment with American intelligence, first with the Army’s Counter Intelligence Corps, and later with the CIA.

With the aid of elements of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Unification Church of Sun Myung Moon, Barbie and a group of fascist terrorists associated with the narcotics trade overthrew the Bolivian government and established a dictatorship under General Garcia-Meza. Under this regime, the business of cocaine kingpin Roberto Suarez thrived, aided by Barbie and his “bridegrooms of death.” Doubling as para-fascist terrorists and enforcers for the government, Barbie and his cutthroats aided the bloody suppression of trade unions and the political left in the coup’s aftermath.

Barbie’s cocaine mercenaries included some interesting individuals. German-born Joachim Fiebelkorn (a neo-Nazi and informant for the Drug Enforcement Agency) was joined with Italian fascists, such as Pierluigi Pagliai (a member of the infamous P‑2 lodge discussed in AFAs 18,19) and the notorious fascist Stefano Delle Chiaie, a principal architect of the “strategy of tension.”

The strategy of tension (a major focal point of AFA-19) was an out-cropping of what Danish journalist Henrik Kruger termed “the International Fascista.” (Kruger is the author of The Great Heroin Coup: Drugs, Intelligence and International Fascism, published in softcover by the South End Press of Boston, copyright 1980. Mr. Emory views the work as the best individual volume ever written on the subject of the intelligence community and the narcotics trade.) A consortium of fascists in Europe and Latin America, International Fascista included numerous Latin death squad elements, elements of U.S. intelligence and the Paladin mercenary group (funded by Libyan dictator Khadafy, as well as the weapons empire of SS officer and sometime CIA operative Otto Skorzeny.) A principal figure in the postwar ODESSA organization, Skorzeny is discussed at considerable length in AFA-22.

One of the major cogs of the International Fascista was CORU, arguably the most militant and deadly of the anti-Castro Cuban organizations. CORU was involved in a string of bombings, assassinations and terrorist attacks in the mid 1970’s, including the 1976 assassination of Orlando Letelier in Washington D.C. CORU’s reign of terror took place when George Bush was director of the CIA, and an element of the agency appears to have been involved with it.

Program Highlights Include: “Operation Condor” (an international assassination consortium of Latin American dictatorships); a number of assassinations and attempted assassinations conducted under “Condor;” Argentine fascist and P‑2 lodge member Jose Lopez Rega; Italian fascist and Skorzeny associate Prince Justo Valerio Borghese; former Goebbels Propaganda Ministry official Gerhard Hartmut Von Schubert (the operating manager of the Paladin group); Paladin’s overlap with Spanish intelligence and the CIA; Operation Condor’s attempts at disguising its acts as left-wing terror; the position of the World Anti-Communist League in the milieu set forth in this broadcast

For more related content, please visit:

http://ourhiddenhistory.org/

https://archive.org/details/@altviewstv-fanclub

https://rumble.com/v4e2vto-dave-emory-anti-fascist-archives-27-the-cia-the-military-and-drugs-part-4-o.html

Since Fulcanelli informs us that the argotique of the green language is based on a cabalistic pattern of meaning, it should be obvious that this pattern is the Tree of Life of his fellow adepts. That it is not obvious is the result of misdirection, conscious or unconscious, on the part of Fulcanelli’s student, Eugène Canseliet. In the “Preface to the Second Edition” of Mystery of the Cathedrals, Canseliet, while displaying his knowledge of the importance of stellar imagery in his master’s work, ends with a major piece of misinformation. He states that the justification for the republication of the book lies in the fact “that this book has restored to light the phonetic cabala, whose principles and applications had been completely lost.” While this is somewhat true, Canseliet goes on to conclude that after his and Fulcanelli’s work, “this mother tongue need never be confused with the Jewish Kabbalah.”24 He continues by asserting that “the Jewish Kabbalah is full of transpositions, inversions, substitutions and calculations, as arbitrary as they are abstruse.” Again this is true for many explications of the kabbalistic mystery, but it does not address the issue of the universality of the Tree of Life itself. Canseliet further muddies the water by suggesting that cabala and Kabbalah are derived from different roots. Cabala, he declares, is derived from the Latin caballus, or “horse,” while Kabbalah is derived from the Hebrew word for tradition. On the surface, this is indeed correct, but Canseliet is skillfully avoiding the deeper meanings of both these words, which leads us ultimately to their common root—kaba, the stone. Fulcanelli never voiced such opinions in the body of the book. In Mystery of the Cathedrals, he obliquely refers to the cabala as the “language of the gods” and scorns the “would-be cabalists . . . whether they be Jewish or Christian,” and “the would-be experts, whose illusory combinations lead to nothing concrete.”25 He goes on to say: “Let us leave these doctors of the Kabbalah to their ignorance,” implying those who claimed to be authorities on the Hebrew Kabbalah. He says nothing against the Kabbalah itself but merely notes that it is misunderstood by almost everyone. By implication, Fulcanelli is also saying that he does understand it properly. As we saw in chapter 2, “Isis the Prophetess” points to a Tree of Life motif for its source of wisdom. The Hebrew spelling of Amnael’s name gives us a clue to its nature. Using Hebrew gematria, the letters in the name add up to 123, the number of the three-part name of God, AHH YHVH ELOHIM, associated with the top three sefirot on the Tree of Life, Kether, Chokmah, and Binah (see fig. 2.9). As noted already, if we break the name into Amn and ael, we get the numbers 91 and 32. These are both references to the Tree of Life, 32 being the total number of paths and sefirot and 91 being the number of the Hebrew word amen, AMN, and the word for “tree,” AYLN. Stirling, in his rediscovery of the ancient canon, concludes that the Tree of Life is the pattern that underlies the secret language of symbolism, which is the language expressed by the liberal arts that accompany Alchemy/Philosophy on the base of the middle pillar of the Porch of Judgment. Fulcanelli himself points to the Tree of Life as the key secret in his description of the dragon’s plinth, going so far as to paraphrase the Sefer Yetzirah. Therefore, why should we, on the basis of Canseliet’s prejudice, associate anything else with Fulcanelli’s kabbalistic image pattern? Fulcanelli also instructs us that language is a reflection of the universal Idea, a clear reference to the Word/World Tree. The kabbalistic origins of the art of light, Fulcanelli reminds us, are but a reflection of the divine light. Fulcanelli is not only making use of this kabbalistic Tree of Life pattern, but he is a master of its symbolic subtleties as well. As he unfolds his array of images and concepts, we see the guiding matrix of the ancient Word, the verbum dismissum or lost word of Western esotericism, revealed as the divine World/Word Tree."

The Mysteries of The Great Cross of Hendaye

Alchemy and The End of Time

Jay Weidner and Vincent Bridges

https://dn790009.ca.archive.org/0/items/the-mysteries-of-the-great-cros-jay-weidner/The%20Mysteries%20of%20the%20Great%20Cros%20-%20Jay%20Weidner.pdf

$500 million Perelman Arts Center opens at World Trade Center site

BY DAVE CARLIN

UPDATED ON: SEPTEMBER 13, 2023 / 6:43 PM / CBS NEW YORK

NEW YORK -- There's a new beacon of light for Lower Manhattan. Added to the World Trade Center site is a $500 million center for performance and creative expression.

CBS New York's Dave Carlin was at the grand opening of Perelman Arts Center (PAC NYC).

The giant cube is dazzling and drawing crowds to a shapeshifting arts space.

The grand opening had VIPs, song and dance. Tony Award winner Gavin Creel was joined by ballet students from the Joffrey School.

The chairman of the board for Perelman Arts Center is former mayor Michael Bloomberg.

"Today, we inaugurate the last major piece of the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site," he said.

The center at 251 Fulton St. is the work of REX architecture firm.

"In the core of the building, the heart of the building, are these really dynamic theaters. There's three, and they are extremely reconfigurable," REX founding principal Joshua Ramos said.

The interior space is by the Rockwell Group.

"The combination of elements -- the memorial, the museum. In the performing arts center, you have to come up the stairs, and you're entering a place that's about creativity and art and possibilities," David Rockwell said.

"We need places like this to give us that sense of hope again," Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

"It renews our spirit," Mayor Eric Adams said.

There is a dazzling difference between day and night -- the thin marble panels and a glowing from within this place full of life.

"Being part of the World Trade Center site is so important to our mission," PAC NYC Executive Director Khady Kamara said. "You can walk in anytime we're open."

"We're going to have Marcus Samuelsson's restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We're going to have free performances on the lobby stage. So I do think just a place to come and hang out," PAC NYC Artistic Director Bill Rausch said.

The theaters are buzzing with activity, setting the stages for the start of performances Sept. 19."

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/perelman-arts-center-world-trade-center/

"Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core." Jude 1:11

Note 281.—"CUBE. The cube is a symbol of truth, of wisdom, of moral perfection The New Jerusalem promised by the Apocalypse is equal in length, breadth, and height,"—Mackey's Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Freemasonry, Article Cube."

Twenty-Fourth Degree; or Prince of the Tabernacle.

INITIATION.

Scotch Rite Masonry Illustrated Volume 2 -The complete Ritual of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite profusely illustrated 1905.pdf - Google Drive

CAABA or KAABA

Arabic word Ka'abah for CUBIC building. The square building or temple in Mecca. More especially the small cubical oratory. within, held in adoration by the Mohammedans, as containing the black stone said to have been given by an angel to Abraham. The inner as well as the outer structure receives its name from Ka'ab, meaning cube (see Allah)."

Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry (phoenixmasonry.org)

When Attalus, the Pontiff and King of Pergamos, died in 133BC, he bequested the Headship of the "Babylonian Priesthood" to Rome. William B. Barker in his book "Lares and Penates cracks open the codeword Pergamos as used by St. John in Revelation 2:13. He writes: "The Chaldean Magi enjoyed a long period of prosperity at Babylon. A pontiff appointed by the sovereign ruled over a college of seventy-two hierophants.... [just as the popes have 70 Cardinals] the defeated Chaldeans fled to Asia Minor, and fixed their central college at Pergamos, and too the Palladium of Babylon, the CUBIC stone [believed to represent Cybele or Kybele, the mother goddess] with them. Here, independent of state control, they carried on the rites of their religion, and plotted against the peace of the Persian Empire, caballing with the Greeks for that purpose."

Thus we see that the Chaldeans continued to wield political and religious influence, injecting thier presence into the next world empire. When the city was later given to Rome (Rome acquired the city of Pergamos by decree of Attalus III, bequething his kingdom to the Roman Caesar), the priesthood of Pergamos moved to the new power center on the Italian peninsula."

page 504-505

"Kingdom of God or Masterpiece of Satan?-The Secret Doctrine"

Codeword Barbelon book One

by P.D. Stuart

Pope Francis at 9/11 memorial: ‘We can never forget them’

Catherine E. Shoichet

By Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN

 4 minute read

Updated 7:42 PM EDT, Fri September 25, 2015

New York

CNN

 —

He calls his church a field hospital for the spiritually wounded. And on Friday, Pope Francis spoke to hundreds who are still trying to heal.

Praying with families of victims of the September 11 attacks at a ground zero memorial and speaking at an interfaith service, Francis offered a message of hope at a place of horror.

“The name of so many loved ones are written around the towers’ footprints. We can see them, we can touch them, and we can never forget them,” Francis said.

“Here, amid pain and grief, we also have a palpable sense of the heroic goodness which people are capable of. … Hands reached out, lives were given.

“This place of death became a place of life, too, a place of saved lives, a hymn to the triumph of life over the prophets of destruction and death, to goodness over evil, to reconciliation and unity over hatred and division,” Francis said.

On Friday, his first full day in New York and his fourth day in the United States, Francis spoke at the UN General Assembly, sang with children at a school in Harlem, rumbled through Central Park in his Popemobile and celebrated a Mass with thousands of Catholics at Madison Square Garden.

His visit to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum was billed as a moment to pause and reflect in a day packed with large events in the public eye.

‘This really is the beginning’

At a place that’s often the site of somber memorials, the arrival of Pope Francis brought a chorus of cheers and chants.

Outside the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, about 1,000 family members of victims of the 2001 terror attack greeted the Pope.

Standing steps away from where their relatives perished, they lined up along guard railings to catch a glimpse of Francis.

Some got the chance to talk with him one-on-one. Others watched from behind barriers, trying to catch his attention.

A man shouted: “Francisco! Our whole family’s here! A blessing, please!”

It wasn’t long before the crowd joined him: “Our blessing, please! Francisco! Francisco! Francisco!”

Nixia Mena-Alexis held a bouquet of yellow roses in one hand and wore a photograph of her sister pinned to her shirt.

The flowers, she said, symbolize the Catholic Church – and hope. She said she hoped to give some to the Pope and place some beside her sister’s name – one of thousands surrounding the reflecting pools at the memorial.

Diarelia Mena worked in IT for Cantor Fitzgerald. She had just turned 30 and had a 2-year-old daughter when she was killed on September 11.

“She was full of life and her laughter was contagious,” her sister said as her eyes filled with tears.

The lifelong Catholic said coming here fills her with a mix of emotions. But Mena-Alexis knew she wanted to be here when the Pope came.

“To me, he symbolizes peace, and that’s part of what we’re striving for after what happened here,” she said. “This is sacred ground, so I wanted to be present when he came.”

Jean Colaio, 50, lost her two brothers on 9/11. Both worked at Cantor Fitzgerald.

Being in the Pope’s presence, she said, will help heal her family.

“We were here on that day and witnessed everything and evacuated. We had our horrible experience here,” Colaio said. “And this really is the beginning. We’ve been working on our healing. But I think this really has propelled it.

“I feel close and connected to my brothers because he’s here.”

Marjorie Kane, whose father was killed on 9/11, said she felt differently after seeing the Pope than she ever had at the site.

“It’s honestly the first time I can recall being on this ground and feeling this peace and calm,” she said. “I’m usually full of such sorrow and such sadness coming here.”

Papal power

It wasn’t just Catholics who said they were inspired by the Pope’s message.

Dr. Gunisha Kaur, who offered a Sikh prayer onstage at the ceremony, is pregnant and asked the Pope to bless her baby.

Onstage, before the crowd, he placed his hand on her belly.

“That is the power of this pope, that he means something to all religions,” her husband, Simran Jeet Singh, said after the service.

Kaur said she was moved by Francis – and all the faiths that were part of the program.

“During prayers that were in languages that I don’t know, I I found myself singing along,” she said. “It really felt like we were all there praying together.”

https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/25/us/pope-francis-united-nations-friday/index.html

Happy National Bird Day - Koko B. Ware sings "Bird Bird Bird": Prime Time Wrestling, Sept. 11, 1989

WWE

98.6M subscribers

78,363 views Jan 5, 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvBEvG8XShY

Jorge is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name George. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish [ˈxoɾxe]; Portuguese [ˈʒɔɾʒɨ].

It is derived from the Greek name Γεώργιος (Georgios) via Latin Georgius; the former is derived from γεωργός (georgos), meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker".[1]

The Latin form Georgius had been rarely given in Western Christendom since at least the 6th century. The popularity of the name however develops from around the 12th century, in Occitan in the form Jordi, and it becomes popular at European courts after the publication of the Golden Legend in the 1260s.

The West Iberian form Jorge is on record in Portugal as the name of Jorge de Lencastre, Duke of Coimbra (1481–1550).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge

Pope Francis[b] (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio;[c] 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State. He is the first pope from the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit Order), the first from the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere, and the first born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century Syrian pope Gregory III.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bergoglio was inspired to join the Jesuits in 1958 after recovering from severe illness. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969; from 1973 to 1979, he was the Jesuit provincial superior in Argentina. He became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. He led the Argentine Church during the December 2001 riots in Argentina; the administrations of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner considered him to be a political rival.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Francis

A plan was hatched by a joint collaboration of the Pope and the Jesuits to blow up the House of Lords during the state opening of Parliament on 5th November 1605. Robert Catesby was the leader of a group of English Catholics who plotted to assassinate the protestant King James 1 in the failed gunpowder plot.

Guy Fawkes, a key member of the group was chosen to bomb the parliament owing to his experience as a soldier in the Spanish army. He smuggled 36 barrels of gun powder into a cellar directly below the Parliament which was enough to obliterate the entire building thereby killing all the key members of the state including the king and high ranking officials.

However, through Divine providence, an anonymous letter was sent to a Catholic called William Parker who was a member of the Parliament. The letter warned him to stay away from the opening of the Parliament. Alarmed by this, he brought this to the attention of King James who then ordered a search of the basement of Parliament. Guy Fawkes was found hiding in one of the cellars guarding a stash of gunpowder and explosives. After being tortured, Guy Fawkes revealed that this was a preplanned Jesuit led Catholic conspiracy to annihilate England’s Protestant government and replace it with a Catholic one.

https://www.secretsunlocked.org/bible/bible-history/guy-fawkes-day-the-jesuit-treason-and-the-gunpowder-plot

Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 2024.[a] The Republican Party's ticket—Donald Trump, who was the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, and JD Vance, the junior U.S. senator from Ohio—defeated the Democratic Party's ticket—Kamala Harris, the incumbent vice president, and Tim Walz, the 41st governor of Minnesota.[6][7]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_States_presidential_election

Pope Addresses Congress

Blesses crowd outside the Capitol

Pope Francis addressed a joint session of Congress on Thursday, Sept. 24.

The Pope, who became the first pontiff to address Congress, thanked lawmakers for their warm welcome.

"I am most grateful for your invitation to address this joint session of Congress," he said.

"Each son or daughter of a given country has a mission, a personal and social responsibility. Your own responsibility as members of Congress is to enable this country, by your legislative activity, to grow as a nation. You are the face of its people, their representatives."

Before the speech, House Speaker John Boehner met with Pope Francis in a room outside the House chamber, where the Pope complimented the Speaker's green tie, saying it was the "color of hope."

After his remarks, Pope Francis stopped in Statuary Hall, where he blessed a statue of Junipero Serra, an 18th century Spanish missionary, whom the Pope had canonized the previous evening. Serra is the first saint to be canonized on U.S. soil and his statue is one of two California has in the Capitol collection.

Pope Francis, Speaker Boehner, Vice President Joe Biden, and other Congressional leaders then stepped out onto the Speaker's balcony, where the Pope blessed a crowd who cheered "papa, papa."

Speaking in Spanish, he greeted the crowd with "Buenos Dias."

"I am so grateful for your presence," he told the crowd via a translator.

http://www.speaker.gov/pope [ Link changed in new Congress, content kept for historical reasons. ] Speaker Boehner's behind-the-scenes photos and video on his website of the Pope's visit.

https://www.house.gov/feature-stories/2015-9-24-pope-addresses-congress

How The Vatican Won With A Trump Presidency

Whether or not Donald Trump and Pope Francis see eye-to-eye is irrelevant. What matters is, whether Francis' papacy benefit by Trump's election. Francis knows that. That's all that matters to the Vatican!

This was why Francis issued a 2016 American election "Revolution" values guide, called "Revolution of Tenderness: A Pope Francis 2016 citizens as to the election of the leader, or president of their country?

Notice also the word "Revolution" in the elections "Guide". Francis is a very dangerous man! Using that caption from this voters' "Guide" Trump's Catholic election advisors, like Steve Bannon, began touting that Trump would bring about a 'revolution" in America. He would do so by tearing down the wall of separation between church and state.

You see, "The Canon law of the Roman Church savagely denounces separation of Church and State..." And Mr. Trump has already shown he is willing to pass religious laws and make amendments that favour the Catholic religion having a greater say in politics and the affairs of state.

So, let us not assume that because Trump and Francis appear publicly to be at loggerheads, that they are enemies. After all, Donald Trump once attended the Jesuit Fordham University in New York. In this regard, it is interesting to note the comments of a Jesuit writing for The National Catholic Reporter who reveals: "... To advance the church's mission, the Jesuits have SHAPED generations of minds through universities such as Georgetown, Fordham and Boston College." Donald Trump may be in greater sync with Pope Francis than he himself realises. Indeed, Trump's selection of a Catholic Advisory Board shows that Jeremiah Crowley was spot on when he said, "Non-Catholic politicians... [and] candidates must receive the approval of Rome and the Knights [of Columbus] before they dare nominate them for either dog pound or presidency...

Trump not only received the approval of the Church's bishops, his wife, Melania, is a Roman Catholic. This fact came to light after she had her rosary blessed by Francis, in May 2017, when the couple visited the Pope in Rome. While President Trump claims he is a Presbyterian, Melania's religion has hardly been commented on in public. Following her meeting with Pope Francis, First Lady Melania confirmed that she is a practicing Catholic. Reports of the couple's 2005 wedding state that Melania is so devouted to Catholicism that she carried a rosary said to be a "family heirloom" in place of a traditional bouquet. Melania is the first openly Catholic person to live in the White House since former President John. F. Kennedy and his Jackie.

When Trump met in private with Francis on May 24, 2017, did he tell the Pope what to do? Or did he as, "What will you have me to do? Reader, Trump will not cancel DACA; he will not build a wall; he will not stop the flow of Latino immigration. But he will equivocate and prevaricate. How do I know? His base is Catholic (see p. 453 anti), he has a Catholic Advisory Board, and the Pope does not like border walls!

Trump is dividing and weakening America from within, all the while boasting he is making America "Great Again." Francis, no doubt is delighted, for a nation divided against itself cannot stand. As Jesuit Prof. Malachi Martin revealed in The Keys of This Blood, it is the intention of the Vatican to control the next "one-world government," which inevitably means the weakening, and 'takeover' of the U.S.A. In Donald J. Trump, we are witnessing the final stages of what Avro Manhattan called "the conquest of the President of the United States of America."

In The Vatican in World Politics, Manhattan states on pages 384 and 385 (concerning Catholic priest Father Coughlin, whose ideology is mirrored in Trump's America First "Christian Revolution"):

"Father Coughlin and the leaders of this movement had already made plans to transform "AMERICA FIRST" by amalgamation of members with the million of his radio followers, into a mighty political party.... a kind of private army which was screened behind the formation of the "CHRISTIAN FRONT".... the Catholic Church in the United States of America could not support this campaign too openly. It was in its interest even to disown Father Coughlin at times.... [but] In 1936 Bishop Gallagher, Coughlin's superior, on his return from a visit to the Vatican, made so that he could discuss, with the Pope, Coughlin's activities, declared: "Father Coughlin is an outstanding priest, and his voice... is the voice of God..." [in 1942 Father Edward Brophy said] "The days are coming WHEN THIS COUNTRY WILL NEED A COUGHLIN and need him badly."

Like Donald Trump, Father Coughlin, "the radio priest" was preaching the doctrine of "AMERICA FIRST". It is also interesting that twenty-seven years after Father Coughlin died (1979), a 2016 article in the Washington Weekly Standard, titled "The Day Trump Went Full Father Coughlin," makes a direct link between this extreme right wing-fascist Catholic priest and Donald Trump, showing that Trump was merely parroting the extreme rhetoric of Father Coughlin! Is that a mere coincidence? Here is part of the article, "While there was little doubt where his sympathies lay, it was not until Thursday that Donald Trump fully and publicly embraced the most conspiratorial aspects of right-wing American politics. Witness his speech in West Palm Beach Florida, in which Trump engaged in the sort of rhetoric once associated   with the likes of 'Father Coughlin' figure predicted by the priest Father Brophy.

On page 130 of his 1957 book and page 385 of his 1949 work, best-selling author Avro Manhattan quotes Father Coughlin as follows: "... WE PREDICT, LASTLY, THE END OF DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA..."

Manhattan wrote, "The Vatican designs to conquer the United States of America, not only as such, but also as the leader of the Americas....

Said Manhattan, "... The groundwork for the launch of a full-blooded Fascism in North America had been successfully done. With the blessing of the Vatican, the money of the big dinosaurs, and the support of a great proportion of the American masses there was now initiated... [an] even cleverer design: the conquest of the President of the United States of America." That "conquest" of the Presidency continues in Donald Trump! Like Obama, he will lick the dust off the Church's feet.

Moving on. Who do you think was at Trump's and Melania's wedding in 2005? Hillary and Bill! Among the 450 guests were the Clintons, Katie Couric, Rudy Giuliani, Star Jones, Simon Cowell, and Barbara Walters. While, I have little regard for the morals or the politics of the Clintons, one if left wondering, "When did Hillary become "crooked Hillary" in Mr. Trump's moral universe? At what point did Bill become a woman abuser in Trump's eyes? All the allegations Trump has leveled against the Clintons were known to him before his 2005 wedding. The Monica Lewinsky sex scandal came to light in 1998, and Bill was disbarred from presenting cases before the United States Supreme Court in 2001. Trump's wedding was in 2005! In the words of Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live, these Democrats and Republicans are like professional wrestlers."

Perhaps if the Media pundits, Talk Show Hosts on both sides of the political divide, the likes of Savage, Limbaugh, and others,-on the one hand-and 'The Young Turks', Bill Maher, Howard Stern, on the other hand, knew of the facts herein, they would stop 'unwittingly' advancing the political interests of the Church of Rome in 'hacking' at each other.

These men do not see clearly; they see only 'the shadows on the wall.' It is not that they are always wrong in their assessment of the otherside's position, but they fail to see the hands of the 'Jesuits', 'Left' and 'Right,' Conservative and Liberal. Having 'fingered' the wrong enemy, they attack phantoms with their cacophony! In their 'rage' against each other, they are fermenting a 'renaissance' of hate, aiding what Rome desires: the 'dismantling' of the USA. The Jesuits and their 'students' (that is, incognito-see pages 80, 89, 134-136, 154, 283) are stirring the dregs in American politics! Jesuits use thesis-antithesis ('Left' and 'Right'); and they have their 'revolutionaries' (like Obama), schismatics, Media hacks and agitators (like Bannon and Hannity-the modern 'Father Coughlin,' of the Right)! It is a classic Jesuit strategem to divide and conquer! As the Jesuit Voce della Verita states: "We shall soon see all Christendom DIVIDED INTO TWO CAMPS; on the one side the champions of Christ and His Church; on the other the servants if Belial. We shall pass through severe conflicts, but the history of eighteen centuries ASSURES US OF FINAL VICTORY"! (cited in James Shaw's, The Roman Conflict..., (1878), p.514).

If you doubt what is implied by the above photographs and then one on the next page, then consider the words of these two distinguished gentlemen. Firstly, Professor Arthur S. Miller of George Washington University Law School who wrote:

"... those who formally rule take their signals and commands, not from the electorate as a body, but from a small group of men... the Establishment. It exists even though that existence is stoutly denied; it is one of the secrets of the American social order. A second secret is the fact that the existence of the Establishment-the ruling class- is not supposed to be discussed. A third secret is implicit in what has been said-that THERE IS REALLY ONLY ONE POLITICAL PARTY OF AN CONSEQUENCE IN THE UNITED STATES... the 'Property Party.' The Republicans and the Democrats are in fact two branches of the same (secret) party. [words in round brackets in original]

Next we have Bill Clinton's Jesuit professor, Carrol Quigley, who revealed that in the late nineteenth century, a plan was developed that would allow them control of both major political parties in the United States by means of finacial contributions, and have those parties ALTERNATE POWER so that the public would think it had a choice.

This confirms what Professor Miller said about the "Republicans and the Democrats... [being] in fact two branches of the same (secret) party."

Like they says, "It's a game." But who is doing the playing?

We must never lose sight of the fact that Catholicism is a broad tent and has many in its camp. There are Catholics, in good and regular standing with the Church who are pro-abortion, such as the Kennedy family. The Jesuits have an even broader tabernacle than the Church itself. It was the Jesuit University of Notre Dame that gave the liberal Barrack Obama his honorary degree and allowed him to speak at its campus, despite his views on abortion, gay marriages, etc. And Nancy Pelosi, the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, a staunch Roman Catholic, is the ultimate left-wing America, Georgetown University. He was a Jesuit pawn.

Clinton was a Rhodes Scholar. The Rhodes society was founded on the Constitutions of the Jesuits [[https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf]].

William T. Stead (Cecil Rhode's closest collaborator and mentor) confirms, "Mr. Rhodes was more than the founder of a dynasty. He aspired to be the creator of one of those vast semi-religious, quasi-political associations... like the Society of Jesus [the Jesuits]... To be more strictly accurate, he wished to found an Order... and while he lived he dreamed of being both its Caesar and its Loyola...'

In the America Review of Reviews, May 1902, page 556, William Stead quotes directly from Mr. Rhodes in a letter (written in 1890):

"Please remember the key of my idea discussed with you is a Society, copied from the Jesuit as to organization." And Carroll Quigley, Bill Clinton's Jesuit professor, informs us that, "In his 'Confession of Faith' Rhodes outlined the types of persons who might be useful members of this secret society." Thus, Clinton must have been 'useful' to Rhodes secret society that was admittedly based on the Jesuit organization.

In closing this chapter, the reader will notice that I have refrained from making comments about the Presidency of Donald Trump; I need not do so, as his actions tell their own compelling story: his hiring of KellyAnne Conway, a Catholic lawyer, as his political strategist; of Sean Spicer, another Roman Catholic (since 'fired'); of Steve Bannon, another Catholic and a graduate of the Jesuit Georgetown University (recently 'fired' by Trump); and lastly his August 2017 pardoning of former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, a Roman Catholic, convicted for racial profiling (and who left out in questioning Obama's Birth Certificate). In pardoning Arpaio, Trump symbolically pardoned himself.

Trump nominated and had appointed U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions to be attorney general (the nation's chief law enforcement officer, responsible for upholding its laws), despite the fact that Sessions clearly lacks respect for the constitutional principle of the 'Separation of church and state,' which he has called an "extra-constitutional doctrine" and "a recent thing that is unhistorical and unconstitutional". Sessions is so 'zealous' that he has rebuked the former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary that he has rebuked the former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy, because he swore in witnesses without requiring them to use the phrase "So help me, God." Sessions also said that a justice of the Supreme Court must be "religious enough" in order "to do" his or her "job well." Reader, under Trump, we will see direct attacks on the separation of church and state. In rejecting the evils of 'Obamarism,' Americans have replaced one assault on religious freedom by liberal-secularists for another by Evangelicals and Catholics!

Are you ready for this onslaught by the Christian Supremacist?

American constitutional values will be turned upside down, inside out!

Reader, what we shall see and hear from President Trump, if he avoids impeachment, will be deliberately disjointed and disruptive as any movie by a certain Catholic film producer, who has admitted that the films are " a lot of dumb stuff"! On the international front, he will use the same flamboyant (and hyperbolical) language to threaten his and on the home front, when his presidency is under threat, he will use 'enemies' as he would when 'forcing' through a major property 'deal" ; and on the home front, when his presidency is under threat, he will use Twitter to rally his 'base' being under influence of the Jesuits, will stir up internal divisions, push for the uniting of church and state, thereby weakening American democracy. Soon, the real power in America will come to the fore. As I said before, the Jesuits always come up  'trumps'! No pun intended!

Avro Manhattan warned us years ago:

"... The Catholic Church, SEEMINGLY preoccupied only with its religious tasks, is feverishly engaged in a race for the ultimate spiritual CONQUEST OF THE WORLD!... Not a single event of importance that has contributed to the PRESENT CHAOTIC STATE OF AFFAIRS has occurred WITHOUT THE VATICAN TAKING AN ACTIVE PART IN IT...."

On page 395, Manhattan explained what he calls the Vatican's "campaign for the ultimate conquest of the United States of America," as being "conducted simultaneously along four main lines: "(A) Alliance with the United States of America in the struggle against world Communism. (B) The lulling of Protestant opposition within the United States of America... The assumption of the role of the first and foremost Christian Knight against the Red Dragon [an allusion to liberal socialism]. (C) Intensification of the process of Americanizing Catholicism inside and outside America. (D) Unobtrusive efforts to batter certain clauses in the political structure of the United States of America... which would ULTIMATELY GIVE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH A PRIVILEGED STATUS vis-a-vis other Churches."

Ellen Harmon warned of the same in these words: "Marvelous in her shrewdness and cunning is the Roman Church. She can read what is to be... SHE BIDES HER TIME.... History testifies of her artful and persistent efforts to insinuate herself into the affairs of nations... to further her own aims....

To achieve that end, the Jesuits have reduced Machiavellianism to a theory, jobbing into office men they have poisoned with their maxims!

Both educated by the Jesuits, Trump and Obama (who had a personal Jesuit mentor) have deeply divided America: in the red corner the champion of extreme un-Christian fundamentalism, and in the blue corner the avant-garde of a bold and 'unholy liberalism.' No wonder John Adams, 2nd President of the United States, in a letter dated May 16, 1822, to Thomas Jefferson said: "I have recently read Pascal's letter over again, and four volumes of history of the Jesuits. If ever any congregation of men could merit eternal perdition on earth and in hell, according to these historians... it is this company of Loyola... if they do not put THE PURITY OF OUR ELECTIONS TO A SEVERE TRIAL IT WILL BE A WONDER"!

The Jesuit journal Voce della Verita boldly says that in the Jesuit Order we are not dealing with a mere society of priests, but "with a power capable of forming the boldest scheme-a scheme worthy of the crisis that has come upon her-and which the courage to execute it.

We have to do with a power WHICH SLOWLY RIPENS HER PLANS, BIDES HER TIME, and then SUDDENLY LEAPS OUT OF THE DARKNESS to wrap cities IN CIVIL WAR and kingdoms in revolution."

Reader, these are the words of the Jesuit organ in Rome! This is a confession of the true sentiments of the Jesuitical elements.

As Professor Luther Twonsend of Boston University observed,

"Under the leadership of this Jesuitical order, the Roman Catholic Church will be found TO SIDE WITH ONE PARTY, THEN WITH ANOTHER, until each is so weakened that she can rule both. She will join hands with infidels against Protestants, but having gained her object, she will consign both allies and foes to contempt or to flames. She will make contracts and compacts, any number of them, BUT WHEN SHE BELIEVES HERSELF POWERFUL ENOUGH TO TRAMPLE THEM UNDER FOOT, she will do so... without hesitation or scruple."

Reader, the Jesuit Order in America is a sword buried  in its scabbard waiting to be unsheathed; and when the time is right, they will 'leap out of the darkness "to wrap [American] cities IN CIVIL WAR and... in revolution (to use the language of the Jesuit Voce della Verita)!"

"The Letter Donald Trump wrote Catholic Leaders"

Pope Francis Lord of the World

by P.D. Stuart

https://www.facebook.com/billy.dunn.50767/posts/pfbid0388NCwAcrVnk47FWNjgiAApLyoRBT5Z9RogBDAS1rt2quJRkinKnqzqjDQ3uwfT7Wl

Oregon's attempt to control our kids, a $1 billion accounting error and more

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Senator Daniel Bonham Unsubscribe

Tue, Mar 11, 8:32 AM (1 day ago)

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banned books

Democrats push once again to take control of our children's education … and innocence 

Oregon’s Democrat lawmakers are once again trying to take local control away from parents and local school districts by pushing a bill that would prevent any “book bans” in schools. This latest effort is part of a broader national trend where political elites believe they, not parents, should have the final say over what children are exposed to in the classroom.

Let’s be clear: this is not about banning books. It’s about whether parents and local communities should have a say in what’s appropriate for their children. Oregon schools already struggle with academic performance, yet the priority in Salem seems to be making sure no book—no matter how graphic or controversial—is ever questioned.

To give some examples of book content being pushed in this nationwide movement to sexualize our children -- explicit sexual content between young children, content explaining child molestation and incest, and “sexual exploration between young boys”. Further, this content is being considered for ELEMENTARY-age students. 

Oregon schools rank near the bottom in literacy and math scores, yet this is where, once again, the Legislature is spending its time. Instead of prioritizing education policies that actually help our kids succeed, Democrats are more concerned with pushing their political agenda in the classroom.

Parents, not politicians, should be the ultimate decision-makers in their children’s education and how they choose to share this type of sensitive information with their children. I will continue to oppose this bill and fight to bring common sense back to the classroom. Our children deserve better.

2nd amendment

More gun control bills: Oregon’s latest attack on the Second Amendment

A new slate of gun control bills in the legislature proves once again the supermajority is more focused on restricting law-abiding citizens than actually addressing crime. This package includes efforts to reinstate parts of the failed Measure 114—one of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation, which has been tied up in legal battles ever since its passage.

Their new proposals would:

🔹 Bring back a mandatory permit to buy a gun -- adding more bureaucratic red tape for law-abiding citizens.

🔹 Limit magazine capacity -- despite no evidence that this reduces crime.

🔹 Restrict ammunition purchases -- making it harder for gun owners to train and defend themselves.

Meanwhile, Oregon is seeing record crime levels, law enforcement shortages, and an explosion in illegal gun activity. Instead of addressing criminal behavior, Democrats are focused on punishing responsible gun owners, who simply want to protect themselves in a time of rising crime in our state. 

We’ve seen this strategy before—targeting law-abiding citizens while ignoring real problems. Instead of criminalizing responsible gun owners, lawmakers should be focusing on real solutions—like enforcing existing laws, supporting our law enforcement, and making our communities safer. 

accounting error

ODOT’s $1 billion accounting error—you read that right

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) just admitted to a $1 billion budget blunder, throwing the state’s transportation funding into chaos.

How does a government agency lose track of a billion dollars? Simple—zero accountability, reckless spending, and complete mismanagement. ODOT’s mistake means that road projects could be delayed or canceled, new taxes and fees and zero reflection on how to ensure this doesn’t happen moving forward. 

In the real business world- something of this level could be considered a white-collar crime. 

This isn’t the first time ODOT has mismanaged taxpayer money and it won’t be the last. Oregonians deserve real financial oversight, not an agency that loses a billion dollars and then comes to taxpayers for more money. We need to fix this bureaucratic train wreck BEFORE we put more “gas” in it. 

While everyday Oregonians are struggling with high costs and affordability, the state continues to throw money around at government projects with no questions asked. 

Before anyone in Salem asks for more of our hard-earned money, they need to answer for this mess. I call on our supermajority to do a deeper dive in to these “accounting errors” before we move forward on any funding conversations. 

Until next time, 

Daniel signature

State Senator Daniel Bonham

Oregon Senate District 26

www.oregonlegislature.gov/bonham

Case No. 24 PO 00116.30

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F

AM 9:0

IN THE JUSTICE COURT OF DAYTON TOWNSHIP

IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF LYON, STATE OF NEVADA

JULIA ANN BYSE

VS.

10 WILLIAM FRANCIS DUNN IV

Applicant,

Adverse Party,

NOTICE FOR HEARING TO EXTEND THE ORDER FOR PROTECTION

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13

14

15

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UPON MOTION OF the Applicant to EXTEND the Order for Protection and GOOD CAUSE appearing

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that a hearing will be held in DAYTON JUSTICE COURT located at 235 MAIN STREET, DAYTON NEVADA 89403 on 08/20/2024 at 3:00 pm, to determine

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whether or not to EXTEND the ORDER FOR PROTECTION against the above-named Party.

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ANY ORDER FOR PROTECTION WILL CONTINUE IN EFFECT UNTIL SUCH HEARING AND FURTHER ORDER OF THIS COURT.

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A copy of the Motion for Hearing, Affidavit, and a copy of this Notice shall be served on the other party by PERSONAL SERVICE.

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24

Dated: Wednesday, August 14, 2024

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26

27

Clerk of the Court

IN THE JUSTICE COURT OF DAYTON TOWNSHIP

COUNTY OF LYON, STATE OF NEVADA2 13 1

Case Number: 200116.36

JULIA ANN Byse

Vs.

Applicant,

WILLIAM FRQUCIS DUNNIV

1.

2.

3.

Adverse Party,

M

MOTION TO:

JUSTIC BY like CLE

D

MODIFY

DISSOLVE

EXTEND

ENFORCE PROTECTION ORDER

This motion is filed by: (check one) Applicant/ Adverse Party.

This motion concerns a current protection order regarding: (check one)

Domestic Violence (NRS 33.030 et. seq.)

Stalking/Harassment (NRS 200.575/200.571)

Sexual Assault (NRS 200.366)

Protection of Minor Child(ren) (NRS 33.400 et. seq.) High Risk Protection Order (NRS 33.500 et. seq.)

I would like the court to do the following: (check one)

Cancel the protection order.

Change the protection order.

Extend the protection order.

Enforce the protection order.

Issue an order to show cause regarding contempt for violation of the order.

Explain in detail what you are asking for and why:

I want to extend to 2 years

He StILL RECORDS ANd any one that comes

to our House

Still taking pictures.

papers which

the posted my adott hat is Right

I did not think

Protection Order - Motion to Modify/Dissolve/Extend

Page 1 of 2

Revised 2023

my

My Sisters

my

mother's ORIVER LINSO

His mother's

Piltuck

OF A FRIC

He Posted

at OUR Hous.

picture of the TPO

AND He used my House as His PROFILE Back GROWN ON FACE BOOK-

He get kick OFF Face BooK FOR 30 Days

(attach more pages if you need more room)

I respectfully ask the Court to modify, dissolve, or extend the protection order as the Court finds appropriate.

6. This document does not contain the personal information of any person as defined by NRS 603A.040.

I declare under penalty of perjury under the law of the State of Nevada that the foregoing

is true and correct.

DATED 8-13-2024

2024

Submitted By: (your signature) Julia and Byse

(print your name) JukiA ANN Byse

Page 2 of 2

Protection Order - Motion to Modify/Dissolve/Extend Revised 2023

This is a list of children confirmed by reliable sources to have deliberately killed another human being. Individuals in this list are documented to be younger than age 13.

List

Name Age at time of killing(s) Date of killing(s) Country Location Killed Injured Note(s) and citation(s)

Carl Newton Mahan 6 years, 7 months, 26 days[1] May 18, 1929  United States Paintsville, Kentucky 1 0 Mahan shot eight-year-old Cecil Van Hoose.[2] He was sentenced to 15 years in a reformatory, but his sentence was later overturned.[3]

Unnamed boy 6 years February 29, 2000  United States Mount Morris Township, Michigan 1 0 He shot his six-year-old classmate, Kayla Rolland, at Buell Elementary School. His uncle, the gun owner, was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Lizzie Cook 6 years February 27, 1899  United States Birmingham, Alabama 1 0 Cook intentionally set her two-year-old brother's clothes on fire while she was babysitting. The fire burned through the fabric and he died.[4]

Unnamed boy 6 years June 2, 1910  Norway Oslo 1 0 [5]

Unnamed boy 7 years January 2022  United States Smiley, Texas 1 0 He shot 32-year-old Brandon Raspberry. He was not charged due to his age, but was instead sent to a psychiatric hospital.[6]

Virginia Hudson 7 years July 23, 1887  United States Butler Township, South Carolina 1 0 Hudson beat a one-year-old child to death with a board. She was charged with murder.[7]

Robert Robertson 7 years, 6 months June 1907  Australia Forest, Tasmania 1 0 Robertson beat his two-year-old brother with a piece of wood while he was babysitting. He was charged with murder, then put into state care.[8]

Amarjeet Sada 8 years 2007  India Begusarai 3 0 He killed his eight-month-old sister, his nine-month-old cousin, and an unrelated six-month-old baby. He was not charged due to his age, but instead sent to a remand home in Munger.[9]

Unnamed girl 8 years July 4, 1867  United States Cassville, Missouri 1 0 She killed her four-year-old brother and was declared insane.[10]

Unnamed boy 8 years February 7, 2014  Chile Padre Hurtado 1 0 He stabbed his seven-year-old cousin. He was not charged due to his age.[11]

Patrick Knowles 8 years May 1903  United Kingdom Stockton-on-Tees, England 1 2 Knowles buried one-year-old Frederick Hughes and Hughes died of suffocation. Knowles also attempted to drown one-year-old Fanny Lynas,[12] as well as burying another child.[13] He served nine years in prison under His Majesty's pleasure.[14]

Unnamed boy 8 years, 10 months November 5, 2008  United States St. Johns, Arizona 2 0 He shot his 29-year-old father, Vincent Romero, and his father's coworker.[15] He was arrested and pled guilty to negligent homicide. He was sentenced to an indefinite stay at a youth treatment center near Phoenix. He later moved to a group home and then a foster home.[16]

Carroll Cole 9 years 1947  United States Richmond, California 1 0 Cole drowned a nine-year-old boy. The murder was initially ruled an accident until he confessed in adulthood after killing five women. He was executed by lethal injection on December 6, 1985.

Mary Cooper 9 years 1885  United States Scottsville, Virginia 1 0 Cooper hung and beat her seven-year-old cousin Melville Barrett.[17]

Unnamed boy 9 years May 6, 2019  United States Fawn River Township, Michigan 1 0 He shot his 51-year-old adoptive mother.[18]

Cayetano Santos Godino 9 years, 4 months, 29 days – 16 years, 1 month, 3 days March 29, 1906 – December 3, 1912  Argentina Buenos Aires 4 0 The first murder was not discovered until Santos Godino later confessed. He was arrested several times.

Unnamed boy 10 years September 2022  China Haicheng Township 1 0 He strangled his grandmother to death on video.[19]

William York 10 years May 13, 1748  United Kingdom Eyke, England 1 0 York attacked five-year-old Susan Matthew with a knife, killing her. He was sentenced to death, but later pardoned.[20]

Hubbard Harrell 10 years February 3, 1888  United States Savannah, Georgia 3 0 Harrell burned his six-year-old nephew and two unrelated children with boiling water.[21]

James Osmanson 10 years April 12, 1994  United States Butte, Montana 1 0 Osmanson shot his 11-year-old classmate Jeremy Bullock at Margaret Leary Elementary School.[22] He was sent to a residential treatment facility.[23]

Joseph McVay 10 years January 2, 2011  United States Big Prairie, Ohio 1 0 McVay shot his 46-year-old mother Deborah McVay. He was charged with "delinquency by virtue of committing murder."[24] He was sentenced to a juvenile detention center, then a residential treatment facility.[25]

Unnamed girl 10 years September 18, 2010  United States Sandy Springs, Georgia 1 0 She beat two-year-old Zyda White, who she was babysitting. White fell unconscious and later died.[26]

Jane Walker 10 years 1886  United States Aiken County, South Carolina 1 0 Walker poisoned the younger relative she was babysitting. She was charged with murder.[27]

James Arcene 10 years 1872  United States Fort Gibson, Oklahoma 1 0 Arcene, alongside a man named William Parchmeal, shot and beat William Feigel. Arcene was convicted of robbery and murder, then executed.

Robert Thompson 10 years, 5 months, 20 days February 12, 1993  United Kingdom Liverpool, England 1 0 Thompson and Venables abducted two-year-old James Bulger from a shopping center in Bootle. They tortured Bulger before laying him across railway tracks, where he was hit by a train. They both spent eight years in a young offenders' institution. In 2017, Venables was re-incarcerated for possessing child sexual abuse material.

Jon Venables 10 years, 5 months, 30 days

Unnamed boy 10 years August 21, 2013  Canada Broadview 1 0 He beat six-year-old Lee Bonneau to death.[28] He was not charged due to his age.[29]

Joseph Hall 10 years, 10 months, 12 days May 1, 2011  United States Riverside, California 1 0 Hall shot his 32-year-old father, neo-Nazi leader Jeff Hall. He was sentenced to juvenile detention until the age of 23. His stepmother Krista McCary was charged with criminal storage of firearms and child neglect.

Mary Bell 10 years, 11 months, 30 days – 11 years, 1 month, 7 days May 25 – July 31, 1968  United Kingdom Newcastle upon Tyne, England 2 0 Bell strangled four-year-old Martin Brown and three-year-old Brian Howe, killing them both. She served 12 years in prison under Her Majesty's pleasure.

Anton Wood 11 years November 1892  United States Denver, Colorado 1 0 Wood shot Joseph Smith. He was charged with second-degree murder and sentenced to either 25 years of hard labor or life in prison.[30]

Nellie Cornelison 11 years January 15, 1902  United States Wichita, Kansas 1 0 Cornelison slit the throat of her sister Laura Cornelison. She was not charged due to her age.[31]

Nathaniel Jamar Abraham 11 years, 9 months, 10 days[32] October 29, 1997  United States Pontiac, Michigan 1 0 Abraham shot an 18-year-old man. He was tried as an adult and convicted of second-degree murder.[33][34]

Andrew Golden 11 years, 9 months, 27 days March 24, 1998  United States Jonesboro, Arkansas 5 10 Golden, alongside 13-year-old Mitchell Johnson, shot one of their teachers and four of their classmates at Westside Middle School. They were both imprisoned until the age of 21, with Golden serving 9 years and 2 months.

Unnamed girl 11 years June 1, 2004  Japan Sasebo 1 0 She killed her 12-year-old classmate Satomi Mitari at Okubo Elementary School. She was not charged, instead being institutionalized in a reformatory.

Nathan Daniel Faris 12 years, 10 months, 10 days[35] March 2, 1987  United States De Kalb, Missouri 1 0 Faris shot his 13-year-old classmate Timothy Perrin at De Kalb High School. He then committed suicide.[23]

Unnamed boy 12 years January 2000  United Kingdom Bristol, England 1 0 He stabbed his six-month-old brother, cutting off his left hand. He was charged with manslaughter but found unfit to stand trial.[36]

Piedad Martínez del Águila 12 years December 4, 1965 – January 4, 1966  Spain Murcia 4 0 Martínez del Águila poisoned her four brothers.[37][38]

Mary Maher 12 years August 21 – September 8, 1906  Ireland Dunkitt, County Kilkenny 3 1 Maher poisoned her three sisters. She then committed suicide.[39]

Jose Reyes 12 years, 3 months, 19 days October 21, 2013  United States Sparks, Nevada 1 2 Reyes shot one of his classmates and one of his teachers at Sparks Middle School. He then committed suicide.

Lionel Tate 12 years, 5 months, 28 days July 28, 1999  United States Broward County, Florida 1 0 Tate battered his six-year-old cousin Tiffany Eunick to death. He was charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. The sentence was later reduced to one year of house arrest and 10 years of probation. As an adult he was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for armed robbery.

Kristen Pittman 12 years, 7 months, 19 days November 28, 2001  United States Chester, South Carolina 2 0 Pittman shot her grandparents. She was tried as an adult and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Her sentence was later reduced by five years.

Hannah Ocuish 12 years, 9 months July 21, 1786  United States New London, Connecticut 1 0 Ocuish's guilt is disputed. She was hanged for the murder of six-year-old Eunice Bolles.

Evan Savoie 12 years, 3 months, 24 days February 15, 2003  United States Ephrata, Washington 1 0 Savoie and Eakin stabbed and beat their 13-year-old friend Craig Sorger to death. Savoie was convicted of first-degree murder and Eakin was convicted of second-degree murder. Both Savoie and Eakin have since been released.

Jake Eakin 12 years, 3 months, 1 day

Jasmine Richardson 12 years, 6 months, 2 days April 23, 2006  Canada Medicine Hat 3 0 Richardson and her 23-year-old boyfriend Jeremy Steinke stabbed three of her family members. Richardson was charged with first-degree murder. In 2020 her criminal record was expunged.

Unnamed boy 12 years December 2, 2018  China Yuanjiang 1 0 He stabbed his mother. He was not charged due to his age.[40]

Curtis Jones 12 years, 1 month and 6 days January 6, 1999  United States Port St. John, Florida 1 0 Jones and his 13-year-old sister Catherine Jones were charged with second-degree murder. They were both sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Unnamed boy 12 years September 29, 2019  Brazil São Paulo 1 0 He was sentenced to three years in prison.[41][42]

Alex King 12 years November 26, 2001  United States Cantonment, Florida 1 0 King and his 13-year-old brother Derek King killed their father. Alex served six years of his eight year sentence.

Danny Preddie 12 years November 27, 2000  United Kingdom London, England 1 0 Preddie and his 13-year-old brother Ricky Preddie attacked 10-year-old Damilola Taylor with a glass bottle. Danny was sentenced to eight years in prison, but served four additional years for violating his parole.

Unnamed girl 12 years July 15, 2024  United States Humboldt, Tennessee 1 0 She smothered her eight-year-old cousin. She was charged with murder and tampering with evidence.[43]

Unnamed boy 12 years October 18, 2019  Brazil Curitiba 1 0 He stabbed an elderly woman and was temporarily detained for 45 days.[44]

Howard Lang 12 years November 18, 1947  United States Chicago, Illinois 1 0 Lang killed seven-year-old Lonnie Fellick.[45] He was sentenced to 22 years in prison. His sentence was later overturned due to his age. This case was cited in Frederic Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent.[46]

Edwin Carl Debrow Jr. 12 years September 21, 1991  United States San Antonio, Texas 1 0 Debrow shot a man. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison and released in 2019.[47][48][49]

Bailey Kurariki 12 years, 3 months, 28 days September 12, 2001  New Zealand Papakura 1 0 Kurariki killed 40-year-old Michael Choy alongside seven accomplices. He was charged with manslaughter and released on parole in 2008. In 2011, he was sentenced to 14 months in prison for assault and domestic violence.

Jonah Louis Iverson[50] 12 years August 29, 1995  United States Laredo, Texas 1 0 Iverson shot his 12-year-old classmate Lizzy Rivera at Memorial Middle School. He served ten years, firstly in a Texas Youth Commission facility and then in a state prison.[51]

See also

Age of criminal responsibility

Capital punishment for juveniles in the United States

Gun violence in the United States

Gun violence in U.S. schools

Murder in United States law

Trial as an adult

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_youngest_killers

Representing the Best Interests of Brainwashed and Programmed Children in High-Conflict Child Custody Cases

Ashish S Joshi

Oct 24, 2023 19 min read

   

Child Advocacy Child Welfare Family Law & Children’s Rights Parental Alienation

Summary

A brainwashed child works simultaneously with one parent and against the other parent.

in cases of parental alienation, suspending contact between the child and the target parent often makes the situation worse.

Courts have recognized that in an alienation setting, children are impressionable, have social deficits, and could be manipulated.

Representing the Best Interests of Brainwashed and Programmed Children in High-Conflict Child Custody Cases

Irina_Zholudeva via Getty Images

Jump to:

Brainwashing and Programming: Not Quite Cricket

Brainwashing and Programming Detection Factors

Ten Tips on Interviewing Brainwashed and Programmed Children

Conclusion

Consider this scenario: You are appointed as the guardian ad litem (GAL) in a high-conflict child custody litigation. The nine-year-old child has aligned with her father and is refusing to spend any time with her mother. Despite a significant history of maternal love and care, the child claims that the mother has “abandoned us” and, with no evidence in support, alleges that her mother has a “drinking problem.” When speaking of her mother, the child, who is otherwise polite, respectful, and well behaved, uses words like “slut,” “whore,” and “sinner.” Court-ordered parenting time and visitation with the mother are routinely and consistently violated. Child-exchange transitions between the parents turn into nightmarish scenarios as the child demonstrates hysterical behavior and refuses to go with the mother. There is a history of multiple police interventions and child protective services investigations. The frustrated mother keeps demanding court intervention, and the court appoints you to investigate the matter and advocate for the child’s best interests.

During your interview of the child, she tells you sordid tales about her mother in an uncharacteristic, unchildlike manner: Mom is “abusive,” “never cared for ‘us’,” yells “for hours,” “drinks like a fish,” “violates my boundaries,” and “sins.” You spend significant time reviewing the child protective services’ reports, which have found no evidence to substantiate abuse allegations against the mother. You review the records of the child’s therapy—session after session spent in “therapy” with the therapist listening to the child’s tirades against her mother. You wade through the maze of legal filings that the parties have filed, with the father accusing the mother of being abusive and the mother accusing the father of alienating, brainwashing, and programming the daughter. Legal fees and costs have spiraled out of control. Something must give. Amid this chaos, given the child’s adamant refusal to see her mother, the father requests that you listen to the “voice of the child” and recommend to the court a “cooling off” period; that is, to suspend the mother’s parenting time and give the child some space to process her feelings and emotions. The suggestion, as innocuous it sounds, appears reasonable to you and you are seriously thinking of making that recommendation to the court.

Guardian, be careful. Be very careful. You could be dealing with a brainwashed and programmed child; and as every cricket afficionado knows, you could be playing on a dangerously deceptive sticky wicket—the damp, slippery pitch on which the ball bounces in front of the batsman in unpredictable ways.

Brainwashing and programming are the processes that may lead to parental alienation, the result of such processes. Parental alienation is a form of emotional abuse and a result of tactics and strategies employed by one parent trying to undermine and destroy to varying degrees the relationship that the child has with the other parent. It is an unjustified campaign of denigration against a parent, often referred to as the “target parent.” Alienation is not the same as estrangement, where the child’s rejection of a parent is due to the parent’s abusive, neglectful, or seriously deficient parenting. The critical factor that separates alienation from estrangement is that the child’s rejection of the target parent is based on a false or unreasonable belief that is significantly disproportionate to the child’s actual experience.

Professional literature, clinical experience, and judicial case law all teach us that in cases of parental alienation, suspending contact between the child and the target parent often makes the situation worse. With a “cooling off” period, the child ceases to have contact with the target parent and is completely vulnerable to the insidious influence of the alienating parent. Under the influence of the alienator, the child may not be cognitively or psychologically able to express a custodial preference in his or her best interests. Courts have recognized that in an alienation setting, children are impressionable, have social deficits, and could be manipulated. See Harner v. Harner, 2018 Mich. App. LEXIS 184 (Mich. Jan. 23, 2018). In such cases, a GAL, prior to making a recommendation to the court, should strive to assess whether the child’s perception of the target parent is a result of brainwashing and programming by the alienating parent or based on the child’s own experience with the target parent.

Brainwashing and Programming: Not Quite Cricket

The terms “brainwashing” and “programming,” like the related term “alienation,” have been acknowledged and used by courts. See Bhama v. Bhama, 169 Mich. App. 73 (1988). The term “brainwashing” originates from the words “hsi nao”—which means “to wash the brain”—used by a Chinese informant who spoke of mind control tactics employed in China following the Communist takeover. In their informative and insightful book, Children Held Hostage, Dr. Stanley Clawar and Brynne Rivlin discuss the concepts and processes of “brainwashing” and “programming,” along with their findings from studying over 1,000 families over 20 years. The authors—a forensic sociologist and a clinical social worker—describe the processes of brainwashing and programming whereby a parent attempts to limit, damage, and interfere with the love, contact, and image of the target parent. See Clawar & Rivlin, Children Held Hostage: Identifying Brainwashed Children, Presenting a Case and Crafting Solutions (ABA 2d ed. 2013). The processes are socio-psychological in scope, could be intentional or not, and where employed, could result in severe social, cognitive, and emotional distortion in the child’s perception and experience of the target parent. Let’s look at how the process works.

In programming a child, the parent provides a “program”—a set of instructions or directions to assist the child in organizing and interpreting the “data” he or she is perceiving. For instance, a programmed child observing a dad who is late for pickup may perceive him as “uncaring” or “incompetent” and not be open to other possibilities, such as rush-hour traffic or a stop on the way to fill up the car’s gas tank. Brainwashing, in contrast, involves the action component: techniques, processes, and methods to reinforce the “program.” To continue with the above example, it may involve the mom telling the child, “I hate it how he’s always late in picking you up. Just shows how uncaring he is. He doesn’t deserve you.” Together, these processes involve the rewriting of history, the reorganization of experiences, and ultimately, the remaking of the person—the child, who slowly but steadily loses the ability to think critically and rely on his or her own experience of the target parent. The attempt is to remake the thought process of the child in a way that the child becomes ideologically aligned with the brainwashing and programming parent and perceives the target parent in a false, skewed, and distorted light.

Brainwashed and programmed children mimic signs and behaviors of victims of religious cults who have been stripped of their identity and independent thought, and indoctrinated into a mindset that is conducive to the goals and objectives of the programmer parent. Brainwashing results in the three Ds: debility, dependency, and dread. See Joel Dimsdale, Dark Persuasion: A History of Brainwashing from Pavlov to Social Media 77 (Yale 2021). Brainwashed children end up having diminished capacity because they are dependent on the brainwashing and programming parent, deprived of neutral social support. They come to dread contact with the target parent.

Brainwashing and programming processes occur over time and involve repetitious use of particular techniques, procedures, and methods until the child begins to reinterpret reality and comes to question his or her original understanding, thoughts, feelings, emotions, and experience of the target parent. Clawar and Rivlin describe eight stages in the process of brainwashing and programming, which begins with an ideological component and ends with maintenance, tweaking and reinforcement of the brainwashing and programming techniques once the child has succumbed to the process. A brainwashed and programmed child puts a GAL on the back foot and poses a dilemma for this professional who is entrusted with the job of speaking with the child, investigating the controversy, and thereafter making recommendations to a family judge. GALs are required to consider a child’s custodial preference and the child’s perception, feelings, and experiences of the parents. But how to differentiate between a child whose perception of a parent is based on his or her own experience and a brainwashed and programmed child? How to figure out whether the angry nine-year-old sitting in your office, with the flushed face and carrying on a campaign of denigration against a parent, has been subjected to brainwashing and programming processes?

You start by taking baby steps: by having a conversation with the child.

Brainwashing and Programming Detection Factors

Interviewing a child reveals valuable information that could help detect whether the child has been subjected to brainwashing and programming tactics. Clawar and Rivlin have identified 25 detection factors from their detailed and repeated observations of children in forensic, clinical, and therapeutical settings. Of these 25, below are some of the detection factors that I have repeatedly encountered when litigating cases involving brainwashed and programmed children in family courts across the country.

Contradictory statements or behaviors. Brainwashed children often represent confused thinking: The child’s ideas, desires, feelings, and emotions are at odds and in conflict. For instance, a child who says that she “hates” a parent and “would rather kill myself than go and live with the parent,” but then runs over to hug the parent, is exhibiting contradictory words and behavior. It is important that the GAL pay careful attention to what the child does in the presence of the target parent versus what the child says about the parent. Is the child who complains of the parent being a “tyrant” and “abusive” relaxed and at ease with the parent during a home visit—even to the extent that the child feels comfortable in teasing or challenging the allegedly “abusive” parent? Is there contradiction between what the child says to one parent versus the other? For example, a conflicted child could ask the target parent, “Can we order a pizza and have a movie night,” but later report to the negative or hostile parent that the other parent “made” her eat “junk food” and “watch boring TV all evening.”

Privy to inappropriate information. Human nature being what it is, it is not uncommon for divorcing parents to occasionally slip and make some unflattering comments about the other parent. In fact, as observed by an experienced domestic relations judge in New York, in the real world of post-divorce parenting, a parent who always takes the high ground, without ever succumbing to an occasional temptation to criticize the other parent, is worthy of “mythical ex-spousal sainthood.” J.F. v. D.F., 61 Misc. 3d 1226(A), 112 N.Y.S.3d 438, at *25 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2018). But a brainwashing parent is a zebra of a different stripe. That parent engages in a consistent pattern of disseminating inappropriate, harmful information, true or false, without any sense of boundaries. That parent insists on brutal and total honesty, regardless of how it may affect a vulnerable child devoid of the emotional maturity needed to process such “honest” information. And often the insistence on honesty is a self-serving rationale to assuage guilt or shift blame. In a case in which I represented a target father, the mother testified that she had discussed her extramarital affair with her teenage son to “take that issue away from him [the father].” She confided in her son about her search for a “strong man” and why she “built relationships with other men while still married” to his father. Her son reported to the therapist that his mother “was looking for love,” as he was becoming aligned with his mother in her vendetta against the father.

Collusion or a one-sided alliance. A brainwashed child works simultaneously with one parent and against the other parent. The child is simply unable to see anything positive in the target parent. The child views the broken, divorced family in terms of “us” versus “him” or “her.” Any positive gesture from the target parent is rebuffed, distorted, and ascribed to nefarious motives. A Christmas or birthday present is characterized as a “bribe.” An offer to go to the mall for shopping together prompts a statement such as “Why are you wasting my college tuition on such frivolous expenses?” Time spent together planting tomatoes in the garden is later described as “Mom ordered us to work in the garden like slaves. She just had us so that she can get free labor.”

Spying on the target parent. Brainwashers overtly request that a child spy on the other parent. It could be to retrieve financial information, confidential legal communications, or social information that could be used against the parent, such as information about the parent’s romantic or dating partners. The child spy secretly examines the handbag; opens mail; looks through checkbooks; scrolls through emails, text messages, and photographs saved in a smartphone; and dutifully reports back to the other parent. I have watched home security video footage of children going through the target parent’s bedroom closet and drawers while the other parent was on a speaker phone providing step-by-step instructions on what exactly to look for and photograph for use in litigation.

Unchildlike statements. Brainwashed children make statements that are at odds with their cognitive and emotional maturity. For instance, an eight-year-old spoke of his mom’s “sinning” and used words such as “whore,” “slut,” and “promiscuous.” Another young child claimed his dad is a “pathological liar” and utters “lies after lies after lies.” When questioned further as to what these words mean, these children avoid eye contact, lack emotion, and cross their hands in front of their chest. Their interest in the conversation veers away. Brainwashed children also demonstrate black-and-white thinking and polarization. They have an unusually rigid, all-encompassing negative view of the target parent. They refuse to see anything good or positive in the target parent. When shown photographs of his dad coaching his middle school soccer team, a 12-year-old left me stumped by dismissing it as “fake evidence.” Also indicative of programming is the use of adult language that is not consistent with the child’s normal choice of words. So, where most young children would use the words “hit,” “spank,” or “push” to describe an incident of parental discipline, a programmed child may speak of how the parent “abused me” or “violated my boundaries” but without being able to provide detail.

The martyr parent. Here, the child is brainwashed and programmed into viewing one parent as being more aggrieved and as a victim, which creates a sympathetic alliance with the parent. The brainwashing parents portray themselves as selfless martyrs who have “sacrificed” their lives to prioritize the child’s needs. So, if the father chooses to remarry, the mother is the one who has made the child “life’s priority” (never mind that the mother may be embittered, obsessed with the post-divorce litigation, may suffer from chronic depression, or may be a workaholic incapable of engaging in enriching social interactions). These “martyrs,” unable to maintain boundaries and separate their identify from the child’s, portray the other parent as having not only hurt the brainwasher but also the child—“if he really loved us, he wouldn’t have divorced us.” The child’s repeated use of the words “we,” “us,” “them,” and “ours” when speaking of the favored parent and the other parent is a cause for concern and should be carefully explored in the interviews. It could be an indicator of the loyalty bind that the child faces.

Irrational fear of the other parent. A GAL should carefully investigate the validity of a child’s fearfulness of a parent and its antecedents, and should juxtapose them with the historical relationship that the child has had with that parent. Some fears have no basis and are irrational and induced through brainwashing and programming tactics. It is not necessary that the brainwashing parent intentionally or consciously cause a child to make statements indicating fearfulness of the other parent. Children are highly suggestible and can be influenced to behave in a way that will please a parent and meet his or her needs. For instance, in reviewing the therapy records of a child who had expressed a strong fear of her father in a post-divorce custody dispute case, I came across multiple session notes where the mother had brought the child to the therapist and told the therapist—in front of the child—“Little Susie has tremendous anxiety and fear about seeing her dad. What can we do to help her?” It was not surprising that once the mother left the child with the therapist, having set the stage, Little Susie played to the mother’s expectations and spoke of her fear of her father and how “traumatic” it was to spend the weekend with him.

Borrowed scenarios or scripted views. An eight-year-old “remembered” how his father locked him a dark bathroom, refused to give him food, and yelled at him “for hours.” He had made these same complaints to his therapist, who had accepted the narrative without any inquiry or corroboration. But when I gently tried to go beyond the superficial but emotionally powerful narrative of the father’s abusive parenting, the child was unable to give specific detail. When did the father do this? “I don’t know.” How often did he do this? “I don’t know.” Was anyone else present in the home when this happened? “I don’t remember.” Finally, the child blurted out, “I know this happened because my mom told me all about it and I have it written down somewhere!” Brainwashed children convincingly speak of incidents that they have never witnessed or experienced but have repeatedly been told about. On the flip side, children who have witnessed scenes that they have described in detail later express doubt and assert a new narrative of the original scenario after the brainwashing. A five-year-old reported to the police that she had witnessed her father push her mother to the ground. A few weeks later, the child reported that she had witnessed the mother slip and fall to the ground and that the father was nowhere around. Further questioning revealed that the father had convincingly confused his daughter by rewriting history and telling her that she was too far away from the incident and upset by the mother’s “accident” to remember anything. And, for a good measure, he had added, “You don’t want Daddy to go jail, do you? You will never see me again.”

Inexplicable unmanageability. Brainwashed and programmed children demonstrate unmanageability for no apparent reason. The brainwasher parent may overtly give a child permission not to obey the rules or expectations of the target parent. These children are shockingly rude and disrespectful toward the target parent, refuse to follow the house rules, engage in name calling, and create overall chaos in the parent’s home. But outside of the target parent’s home, the child appears to be well adjusted, conforms to the norms of society, and rescues little kittens. The unmanageability and the borderline sociopathic behaviors happen only at the target parent’s home, which then leads the brainwasher to come to the rescue by saying, “This never happens at my house,” and offering a solution: Give the child a break and suspend visitation with the target parent. Suspending contact between the child and the target parent entrenches alienation further: The child is left with the brainwasher to continue to be exposed to the propaganda and is bereft of any contact with the target parent, who is then unable to try to counter the negative propaganda of the brainwashing parent. Nevertheless, the target is caught in a “damned if I do, damned if I don’t” dilemma. An attempt to discipline the unmanageable child is seen as “authoritarian” parenting, but ignoring the child’s behavior is seen as too lenient or enabling.

Evidence of brainwashing and programming could be gleaned from a thorough and systematic review of the case file, which could include legal pleadings, audio and video recordings, emails and text communications, photographs, witness interviews, therapy records, police and protective services reports, medical records, and children’s interviews. But the most persuasive evidence of brainwashing and programming can be obtained by comprehensive and careful interviews with and observations of the child.

Ten Tips on Interviewing Brainwashed and Programmed Children

As you walk out to bat on a sticky wicket, here are 10 tips on interviewing children suspected of being brainwashed and programmed.

Avoid getting clean bowled in the very first over of the match. A brainwashed and programmed child is a loyal foot soldier of the hostile, negative parent. Your interview style should be nonconfrontational, nonjudgmental, supporting, and matter-of-fact. More along the lines of “Can you help me understand why you said . . . ?” rather than “You are too young to understand. Don’t you see . . . ?” Do not attempt to convince the child how he or she has it all wrong. That will almost always result in the child reporting the content to the brainwasher/programmer, who may sabotage the investigation or contaminate the process.

Do not skimp on net practice. Skilled batsmen and bowlers who shine in the field spend countless hours perfecting their cricketing techniques. Prepare thoroughly for the interview. Do not let the fact that you are interviewing “just a child” lull you into complacency. Before your interview, read the relevant case material. If the child’s statements against the target parent have been memorialized in third-party reports, such as police reports or therapy notes, it is important to review them prior to the interview. Try to learn about the “baseline” relationship that the child had with the parent who is now being rejected. Did the child always have a tension-filled or fractured relationship with the parent? Or was the relationship normative and “good enough” prior to the separation or divorce of the parents?

Do not try to hit for six on the first ball. Get to know the child gradually to build trust and rapport. These interviews are stressful and strange experiences for the child, who may be under tremendous pressure to make a case against the target parent. Sharpen your listening and observational skills when interviewing children. What they say can be revealing and provide clues to overt and covert brainwashing and programming techniques at play. But also watch out for nonverbal communication: the child’s body language, affect, presence or absence of eye contact, shift in mood, sensitivity toward certain issues or topics.

Ask open-ended questions. If the child is resistant to having contact with the target parent and complains of that parent’s parenting style or home environment, ask the child to tell you about the child’s routine, day-to-day experience with the parent. “Tell me about your day when you last saw your dad” or mom. What did the child do throughout the day or weekend? Were there any good interactions? Any fun activity? Any meaningful engagement between the child and the parent? Will the child acknowledge that some part of the visit was good?

If an opportunity presents, go for the pull shot—one of the deadliest shots played by batsmen when the ball delivery is between waist and shoulder height. Depending on the age of the child and the rapport that you have built, it may be helpful to ask pointedly, “Is there anything you were told to tell me [or not tell me]?” The child’s answer or nonverbal communication may expose the loyalty bind that the child is experiencing as a result of brainwashing and programming.

Watch out for shutdown messages. Clawar and Rivlin describe these as “messages implanted by the programming/brainwashing parent in order to prevent deprogramming.” They include ideas such as “Don’t let anybody tell you. . . ,” or “If you tell anybody that I said or did this, I could be in serious trouble.” You can tell that a shutdown experience is taking place when the child is willing to talk but abruptly shuts down for no apparent reason. The child avoids talking about a particular incident or issue. Identify the issue for the child, and then invite the child to gently explore it together.

Be careful to maintain neutrality regarding both parents. Adopt a problem-solving attitude, instead of finding who is at fault. Clawar and Rivlin provide an insightful example of an interview between a judge and a 10-year-old child, in which the judge tells the child that “sometimes it’s helpful to play detective to kind of figure things out,” and requests the child’s help rather than forcing a position.

Observe the child with each parent in each parent’s home. Take note of the child’s nonverbal communication with the target parent. Is the child who alleges fear of the parent at ease with the parent outside of the other parent’s presence? Watch what parents say (or don’t say) about each other in the child’s presence. Look for nonverbal communication as well. Does the dad turn away from the child when the child speaks of the mom, or does the mom have a facial expression of disgust, anger, or anxiety when the child speaks of the dad? Does the child’s room have photos with, mementos of, or gifts from parent A at parent B’s home and vice versa?

Watch out for a googly—a deceptive delivery, where the ball spins after pitching and goes in a different direction than where the batsman was expecting. If the favored parent makes claims of encouraging and facilitating the child’s relationship with the rejected parent, are such claims supported by evidence? Ask to see texts, emails, voicemails between the child and the parents. You may find, as did a Tennessee trial judge, that a father’s claims to foster a relationship between the child and the mother was disingenuous and duplicitous, where the father sent texts to the child stating the mother was “mentally ill,” that “nobody likes her,” “the bible tells us clearly that mental illness is a spiritual problem,” and “you have a right to be ugly to her.” McClain v. McClain, 539 S.W.3d 170, 194–95 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2017).

Avoid being duped by a yorker—a ball that hits the pitch around the feet of the batsman, making it difficult for the batsman to play the delivery. Look closely at what may superficially appear to be a close parent-child relationship but may be a sign of enmeshed parent-child dyad. Enmeshment leads to a breakdown of healthy parent-child boundaries, role corruption, and role reversal. It may take form of parentification, in which the parentifying adult enlists the child to fulfill his or her need to be cared for. For instance, a nine-year-old child being visibly upset during a home visit by a GAL because her mother has not taken her daily dose of medicine. Or it may take the form of adultification, which is characterized by a parent’s enlistment of a child in a partner-like role in which the child becomes the parent’s “buddy,” confidant, and ally. Such as a father sharing the details of the mother’s extramarital affair with the children because he believes in “honesty” and that the “children have a right to know the truth.” Both parentification and adultification are forms of child psychological maltreatment.

Conclusion

Brainwashing and programming cases, like those involving parental alienation, are hard to litigate. As a GAL, you will not only have to learn the science but also be prepared to educate the court and debunk several fallacies and misconceptions that prevail in these cases. See Richard Warshak, Ten Parental Alienation Fallacies That Compromise Decisions in Court and in Therapy, 46 Prof. Psychol.: Res. & Prac., no. 4, 235, passim (Aug. 2015). Your job is to make recommendations in the best interests of the child, not based on what the child wishes for or appears to want. Your recommendations to the court could result in major life-altering decisions for a child, save a precious parent-child relationship, and help the child get appropriate mental health treatment. The wicket is sticky, but with preparation, practice, and perseverance, you will hit the ball for a six and knock it beyond the boundary.

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Ashish S Joshi

I am a litigator, author, and an educator. My work focuses in the areas of complex child custody, child psychological maltreatment, intimate partner violence / domestic violence, child abuse, and international child...

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What the Christmas Tree Symbolizes

March 9, 2020

The Christmas tree is the iconic symbol of Christmas. From the enormous glittering tree in Rockefeller Center, to Charlie Brown’s humble bending branch, you can’t separate the Christmas tree from the holiday. Decorations of trees vary from culture to culture—glittering ornaments and lights to popcorn and cranberry garlands to cobwebs (in the Ukraine) and elaborate little sculptures made from radishes (in Mexico). But where did the tradition of the Christmas tree originate, what does it symbolize and how did it become the central symbol of Christmas?

The Christmas tree has a long, rich history rooted, some think, as far back in ancient Egyptian and Roman culture. An evergreen branch over the door was used to ward off evil spirits and to symbolize life and growth during a dormant season. The Celts decorated their temples with green pine branches which symbolized everlasting life. In the 16th century, devout Christians brought evergreen trees into their homes in Germany. It is thought that on a wintery walk through the woods, Martin Luther saw twinkling lights through the trees and recreated the look with his own family in his home for Christmas. He is even credited as the first person who decorated a tree with lights. Most likely they were candles, and thankfully they were extinguished before not only burning the tree, but the whole house down. 

In the early 19th century, the Christmas tree wasn’t popular in America, and many Christians saw this as a pagan symbol of Christmas, but German immigrants decorated their homes with them, and they began to rise in popularity. Queen Victoria catapulted the popularity of the Christmas tree when a detailed sketch of she and her German husband, Prince Albert, and their children around their own decorated Christmas tree, was printed in the Illustrated London News. They were very popular royals, so the Christmas tree was firmly established as popular and fashionable not only in Britain, but also on the east coast in America. By 1890, Christmas ornaments were being imported from Germany into the U.S. And, though smaller, four-foot trees were popular in Europe, the American “go big or go home” attitude influenced even Christmas tree selection, and many Americans liked oversized, floor-to-ceiling trees. With the electric light, trees could shine every hour of the day, and soon Christmas trees were a common sight in city centers, churches, and towns across the U.S.

The symbol of the Christmas tree was adopted from the pagan tradition and adopted into the Christian tradition. Because Christmas is the holiday that celebrates the birth of Christ, as a light in the dark world, the lit tree was a reminder of that light. The Christmas tree also represents the Tree of Life, commonly recognized as the most important tree in the garden of Eden. Some people decorate with apples or apple ornaments, or a single apple ornament, which symbolized knowledge and reminded the devout Christian of original sin, and the lights symbolized Christ’s dealing with sin and turning darkness into light. 

Whether Christmas is a holiday to express religious belief or a time to celebrate with family and friends with good food, laughter and gifts or both, the Christmas tree is central to many family’s celebrations. At Old World Christmas, we love it when our ornaments create personal symbols and meaning for your Christmas tree and for the tree’s of the people you love the most. 

https://oldworldchristmas.com/blogs/the-yule-blog/what-the-christmas-tree-symbolizes

The Western Schism, also known as the Papal Schism, the Great Occidental Schism, or the Schism of 1378 (Latin: Magnum schisma occidentale, Ecclesiae occidentalis schisma), was a split within the Catholic Church lasting from 1378 to 1417 in which bishops residing in Rome and Avignon both claimed to be the true pope, and were joined by a third line of Pisan claimants in 1409. The schism was driven by personalities and political allegiances, with the Avignon Papacy being closely associated with the French monarchy.

The papacy had resided in Avignon since 1309, but Pope Gregory XI returned to Rome in 1377. The Catholic Church split in 1378 after Gregory XI's death and Urban VI's election. A group of French cardinals declared his election invalid and elected Clement VII as pope. After several attempts at reconciliation, the Council of Pisa (1409) declared that both rivals were illegitimate and elected a third purported pope. The schism was finally resolved when the Pisan claimant Antipope John XXIII called the Council of Constance (1414–1418). The Council arranged the renunciation of both Roman pope Gregory XII and Pisan antipope John XXIII. The Avignon antipope Benedict XIII was excommunicated, while Pope Martin V was elected and reigned from Rome.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Schism

On October 31, 1517, legend has it that the priest and scholar Martin Luther approaches the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, and nails a piece of paper to it containing the 95 revolutionary opinions that would begin the Protestant Reformation.

In his theses, Luther condemned the excesses and corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, especially the papal practice of asking payment—called “indulgences”—for the forgiveness of sins. At the time, a Dominican priest named Johann Tetzel, commissioned by the Archbishop of Mainz and Pope Leo X, was in the midst of a major fundraising campaign in Germany to finance the renovation of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Though Prince Frederick III the Wise had banned the sale of indulgences in Wittenberg, many church members traveled to purchase them. When they returned, they showed the pardons they had bought to Luther, claiming they no longer had to repent for their sins.

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/martin-luther-posts-95-theses

Martin Luther OSA (/ˈluːθər/ LOO-thər;[1] German: [ˈmaʁtiːn ˈlʊtɐ] ⓘ; 10 November 1483[2] – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and Augustinian friar.[3] Luther was the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation, and his theological beliefs form the basis of Lutheranism. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Western and Christian history.[4]

Luther was ordained to the priesthood in 1507. He came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, in particular the view on indulgences. Luther attempted to resolve these differences amicably, first proposing an academic discussion of the practice and efficacy of indulgences in Ninety-five Theses, which he authored in 1517. In 1520, Pope Leo X demanded that Luther renounce all of his writings, and when Luther refused to do so, excommunicated him in January 1521. Later that year, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V condemned Luther as an outlaw at the Diet of Worms. When Luther died in 1546, Pope Leo X's excommunication was still in effect.

Luther taught that salvation and, consequently, eternal life are not earned by good deeds; rather, they are received only as the free gift of God's grace through the believer's faith in Jesus Christ. Luther's theology challenged the authority and office of the pope by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge,[5] and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood.[6] Luther's translation of the Bible into German from Latin made the Bible vastly more accessible to the laity, which had a tremendous impact on both the church and German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation,[7] and influenced the writing of an English translation, the Tyndale Bible.[8] His hymns influenced the development of singing in Protestant churches.[9] His marriage to Katharina von Bora, a former nun, set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant clergy to marry.[10]

In two later works, Luther expressed anti-Judaistic views, calling for the expulsion of Jews and the burning of synagogues.[11] These works also targeted Roman Catholics, Anabaptists, and nontrinitarian Christians.[12] Based upon his teachings, despite the fact that Luther did not directly advocate the murder of Jews,[13][14][15] some historians contend that his rhetoric contributed to the development of antisemitism in Germany and the emergence, centuries later, of the Nazi Party.[16][17][18]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther

The Teutonic Order, or Teutonic Knights of St. Mary’s Hospital at Jerusalem, grew out of the establishment of a field hospital during the siege of Acre in the winter of 1190-91, by pious merchants of Bremen and Lubeck. When these merchants returned to Germany in 1191 they turned over the hospital to the chaplain Conrad and the chamberlain Burkhard.

With the model of the Hospitallers or Knights of St. John the Baptist, later known as Knights of Malta, before them, these men together with other Germans, formed a brotherhood, adopted the rules of the Hospitallers, and named their hospital “The Hospital of St. Mary of the Germans in Jerusalem” “in the hope and confidence that when the Holy City was reconquered they would there establish a house which should become the mother, head and mistress of the entire Order.” The new Order was confirmed by popes Clement III in 1191 and Celestine in 1196; it won as a patron the emperor, Henry VI, who bestowed upon it its first possessions in the West. In 1198 it was changed into a military Order by the adoption of the rules of the Knights Templars in addition to those of the Hospitallers. Unlike both of these older Orders, the Teutonic Knights were a strictly national organization, none but Germans of noble birth being admitted to it. “Like the knights of other orders, the Teutonic Knights lived a semimonastic life under the Augustinian rule, and in the same way they admitted priests and half-brothers (servientes) into their ranks. Like the other two orders, the Teutonic Order began as a charitable society, developed into a military club, and ended as something of a chartered company, exercising rights of sovereignty on the troubled confines of Christianity. Even in its last phase the Order did not forget its original purpose: it maintained several great hospitals in its new home on the southeast shore of the Baltic, in addition to an hotel des invalides at Marienburg for its sick or aged brethren.” F550 Under its fourth grand master, Hermann von Salza, 1210-39, the Order grew rapidly and made the most important advance in its history. After having aided the king of Hungary against the Comans, and receiving from the king the district of Burzenland in Transylvania, which it did not long retain, the Order was invited to assist in subduing the heathen Prussians. A Cistercian monk named Christian had succeeded in establishing the Church among the Prussians, and in 1212 was made bishop of Prussia. When the heathen arose and destroyed his churches, Christian called upon the Teutonic Knights for help and bestowed upon them Kulm, some of the frontier towns and such lands as they should conquer (1228). After driving the enemy out of Kulm and founding the cities of Kulm, Thorn and Marienwerder, the Order began the task of conquering and Christianizing Prussia. In 1235 it absorbed the Order of Dobrzin, which had been founded by bishop Christian, and in 1237 the Knights of the Sword of Livonia, founded by Albert, bishop of Riga, became a province of the Order.

Its successes in Prussia changed the character of the Teutonic Order. It lost all connection with the East, its grand master moved his seat from Acre, first to Venice in 1291, then in 1308 to Marienburg on the Vistula. The Order became a governing aristocracy, its statutes were altered to suit the new conditions. “The Order was at once supreme ecclesiastical and political authority .... The lay subjects of the Order consisted of two classes: on the one hand there were the conquered Prussians, in a position of serfdom, bound in time of war to serve the brethren in foreign expeditions; on the other hand there were the German immigrants, both urban and rural, along with the free Prussians, who had voluntarily submitted and remained faithful.” f551 By the middle of the fourteenth century the Teutonic Knights had become a world power. Their cities belonged to the Hanseatic League and shared in its power; Poland had been deprived of its outlet on the Baltic; the ships of the Order were a power on the sea; Marienburg with its brilliant court was not merely a school of chivalry, but for a time a literary center. Yet the downfall of the Order was close at hand. It alienated its subjects, who allied themselves with Poland; its missionary work was completed when the Lithuanians became Christians and also made common cause with Poland; the Slav reaction made the Germanizing efforts of the Knights still more unpopular. Internally the success of the Order brought with it a secularization which was disastrous. Poland regained a foothold on the Baltic. The Prussian League was formed in 1440 with the real purpose of opposing the Knights, and in 1454 offered Prussia to the Polish king. The peace of Thorn, 1466, left to the Order only East Prussia and made the knights vassals of Poland. But the German master and the Landmeister for Livonia would not serve Poland, and the Order in East Prussia adopted the policy of electing German princes as grand masters in the hope of again regaining independence, without success. The first of these German grand masters was Frederick of Saxony, 1498 to 1511. He was succeeded by Albert of Brandenburg. f552 Albert became involved in a devastating war with Poland, which was provisionally ended by a four years’ truce made in 1521. In September of that year Albert suggested the possibility of a revision of the statutes of the Order by Luther, probably in harmony with the plans outlined in the Open Letter to the German Nobility. So far as known Luther was not consulted at that time. Albert continued to take his place with the Roman Catholic princes. But when in April, 1522, he returned to Germany he came under the influence of Lazarus Spengler and Andreas Osiander and was won for the evangelical party. During the Diet at Nuremberg, 1522- 23, he protested that it was not the proper way to proceed against Luther, “if evident truth be condemned and books burned.”

Pope Hadrian VI urged upon Albert a reformation of the Order. In June, 1523, Albert secretly turned to Luther for advice concerning the reformation of the Order in head and members. On November 29th the two met at Wittenberg, and Luther advised Albert “to throw aside the foolish and absurd rules of the Order, to marry, and to convert the religious state into a secular state, either a principality or a duchy.” Melanchthon, who was present at the interview, gave the same advice. The grand master smiled and said nothing. But “with that evangelical protestant advice Luther laid the foundations for the development of the Prussian state, of the Prussian kingdom, and of the German empire which is inseparable from the development of the Prussian kingdom.” f554 Soon after this meeting Luther prepared the following treatise, intended, as Kawerau suggests, to be a “feeler, which should test the attitude of the knights of the Order as well as of the Prussian bishops, and prepare them for coming events.” The older collected editions of Luther’s works date the treatise March 28, 1523. But, as Kawerau points out, it is improbable that the treatise was written before the last month of 1523, and the date may be a mistake for December 12th. The original prints are undated; the editors may have confused the festivals of the Annunciation and of the Conception of the Virgin Mary, the latter of which may have been the date attached to the manuscript.

After the evangelical principles had been gradually introduced into Prussia by the two bishops, Georg von Polentz and Erhard von Queiss, the grand master returned to Prussia and carried out Luther’s suggestion. Peace was made with Poland, Prussia was converted into a duchy held as fief of the king of Poland and hereditary in the family of Albert. July 1, 1526, Albert was married to Dorothea, the daughter of the Danish king, and thus was founded the evangelical house of the Hohenzollern.

The progress of the Gospel in Prussia gave Luther much joy. In 1525 he wrote to the Bishop of Samland, Georg von Polentz: “Behold the wonder!

In rapid course, with full sails, the Gospel hastens to Prussia, whither it was not called, and where it was not sought after, while in Upper and Lower Germany, whither it came of its own accord, it is blasphemed, repelled and put to flight with all rage and madness.” f556 The Teutonic Order in its German and Livonian branches continued to exist, and laid claim to the rights of the Order in Prussia. It was finally suppressed in 1809, and its lands passed into the hands of the secular princes within whose territories they lay. But in 1840 the Order was resuscitated in Austria, and again engaged in hospital service, in which it is presumably active during the present war. But this Teutonic Order is not the same as that which became secularized at the time of the Reformation.

The Prussian branch passed into the Prussian kingdom, not into the restored Order. A Protestant branch exists in the ancient bailiwick of Utrecht, the members of which must profess the Calvinistic faith, and are dispensed from celibacy. See Catholic Encyclopedia, xiv, 542.

The subject of the monastic vows and of the marriage of monks had been discussed at great length before this treatise was written. For the development of that discussion we must refer here to the introduction to the Treatise on Monastic Vows, which was excluded from this volume because of its size. But the careful student will find that Luther has not merely repeated older arguments nor restated older positions. He has gone farther, his position is more advanced. In fact, upon the advance beyond the position taken in the Formula Missae Kawerau bases an argument for the later date of our treatise. “For the writing of this treatise immediately after the FormuIa Missae we find an argument in the remarkable agreement between the statements in the two concerning those who want to wait for decrees of a council and desire permission to be given them (to use the two kinds in the Lord’s Supper, or, in the later treatise, to marry) by such decrees. He who reads the analogous portions in the two treatises will easily recognize in the Exhortation to the Teutonic Knights the bold heightening of the thought to a paradox, and thus see in the Formula Missae the older form.” f558 The German text is found in Weimar Ed., xii, 232-244; Walch Ed., xix, 2157-76; Erlangen Ed., xxix 16-33; St. Louis Ed., xix, 1730-45; Berlin Ed., iv, 32-47. Literature : Introduction by KAWERAU in Weimar Ed., xii, 228-31; Prot. Realencyklopadie, 3d ed., Arts., Albrecht von Preussen, I, 310-23; Deutschorden, iv, 589-95; Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed., Arts., Albert, i, 497, and Teutonic Order, xxvi, 676-9. The literature is given fully in all these articles. Compare also Schaff, Church History, vi, 588-600, and Kostlin-Kawerau, Martin Luther, i, 620-623. W. A. LAMBERT. LEBANON,PA.

WORKS OF MARTIN LUTHER - TO THE KNIGHTS OF THE TEUTONIC ORDER AN EXHORTATION THAT THEY LAY ASIDE FALSE CHASTITY AND TAKE UPON THEM THE TRUE CHASTITY OF WEDLOCK (godrules.net)

https://www.godrules.net/library/luther/NEW1luther_c8.htm

Pope Adrian IV (Latin: Adrianus IV; born Nicholas Breakspear (or Brekespear);[1] c. 1100[note 1] – 1 September 1159, also Hadrian IV)[3] was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 4 December 1154 to his death in 1159. He is the only Englishman to have been pope.

Adrian was born in Hertfordshire, England, but little is known of his early life. Although he does not appear to have received a great degree of schooling, while still a youth he travelled to the south of France where he was schooled in Arles, studying law. He then travelled to Avignon, where he joined the Abbey of Saint-Ruf. There he became a canon regular and was eventually appointed abbot. He travelled to Rome several times, where he appears to have caught the attention of Pope Eugene III, and was sent on a mission to Catalonia where the Reconquista was attempting to reclaim land from the Muslim Al-Andalus. Around this time his abbey complained to Eugene that Breakspear was too heavy a disciplinarian, and in order to make use of him as a papal legate as well as to pacify his monks, he was appointed Bishop of Albano some time around 1149.

As bishop, Breakspear was soon sent on another diplomatic mission, this time to Scandinavia. In the middle of a civil war, Breakspear reorganised the Church in Norway and then moved on to Sweden. Here, he was very much acclaimed by the people, and when he left, chroniclers called him a saint. Breakspear returned to Rome in 1154; Eugene's successor Pope Anastasius IV had died only a few weeks previously.

For reasons now unknown, but possibly at his predecessor's request, Breakspear was elected next pope by the cardinals. He was unable to complete his coronation service, however, because of the parlous state of politics in Rome, which at the time was a den of 'heresy' and republicanism. Adrian decisively restored the papal authority there, but his other major policy issue—relations with the newly crowned Holy Roman emperor, Frederick I—started off badly and got progressively worse. Each party, as a result of a particular aggravating incident, found something to condemn the other for. As a result, Adrian entered into an alliance with the Byzantine emperor, Manuel I Komnenos who was keen to re-assert his authority in the south of Italy, but was unable to do so due to the Norman kings' occupation of the region, now under William I of Sicily.

Adrian's alliance with the Byzantine emperor came to nothing, as William decisively defeated Manuel and forced Adrian to come to terms at the Treaty of Benevento. This alienated Emperor Frederick even more, as he saw it as a repudiation of their existing treaty. Relations soured further when Frederick laid claim to a large swathe of territory in northern Italy. Adrian's relations with his country of birth, however, seem to have remained generally good. Certainly, he showered St Albans Abbey with privileges, and he appears to have forwarded King Henry II's policies where he could. Most famously, in 1158 Adrian is supposed to have granted Henry the papal bull Laudabiliter, which is thought to have authorised Henry to invade Ireland. Henry did not do so, however, for another 14 years, and scholars are uncertain whether the bull ever existed.

Following Adrian's death at Anagni, there was uncertainty as to who to succeed him, with both pro- and anti-imperial cardinals voting for different candidates. Although Pope Alexander III officially took over, the subsequent election of an antipope led to a 22-year-long schism. Scholars have debated Adrian's pontificate widely. Much of a positive nature—his building programme and reorganisation of papal finances, for example—has been identified, particularly in the context of such a short reign. He was also up against powerful forces out of his control, which, while he never overcame them, he managed effectively.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Adrian_IV

Domesday Book (/ˈduːmzdeɪ/ DOOMZ-day; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of King William the Conqueror.[1] The manuscript was originally known by the Latin name Liber de Wintonia, meaning "Book of Winchester", where it was originally kept in the royal treasury.[2] The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle states that in 1085 the king sent his agents to survey every shire in England, to list his holdings and dues owed to him.[3]

Written in Medieval Latin, it was highly abbreviated[a] and included some vernacular native terms without Latin equivalents. The survey's main purpose was to record the annual value of every piece of landed property to its lord, and the resources in land, labour force, and livestock from which the value derived.

The name "Domesday Book" came into use in the 12th century.[4] Richard FitzNeal wrote in the Dialogus de Scaccario (c. 1179) that the book was so called because its decisions were unalterable, like those of the Last Judgment, and its sentence could not be quashed.[5]

The manuscript is held at the National Archives at Kew, London. Domesday was first printed in full in 1783, and in 2011 the Open Domesday site made the manuscript available online.[6]

The book is an invaluable primary source for modern historians and historical economists. No survey approaching the scope and extent of Domesday Book was attempted again in Britain until the 1873 Return of Owners of Land (sometimes termed the "Modern Domesday")[7] which presented the first complete, post-Domesday picture of the distribution of landed property in the United Kingdom.[8]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesday_Book

AI Overview

The surname Breakspear comes from the Middle English words breken meaning "to break" and spere meaning "spear". It may have been used to describe someone who was successful in a battle or tournament.

Examples of the name in use:

Stephen Bruselaunce: In 1308 in Ramsey Abbey Court Rolls (Suffolk)

Martin Briselaunce: In 1312 in London Letter Books D

Richard Brekeswerd: In 1195 in Pipe Rolls (Lincs)

Similar surnames:

Creaser, Brashear, Greaser, Treaster, Reasner, Breaker, and Reaser.

Related information:

You can learn more about the Breakspear family history at Ancestry.com.

You can learn more about the Breakspear name meaning and family history at FamilySearch.

You can learn more about the Breakspear surname origin, meaning, and family tree at Findmypast.

Generative AI is experimental.

THE CONFLICT: PRIORY OF SION VERSUS KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Secret societies by virtue of their very secrecy have often kept historians at bay, and the historians, reluctant to confess their ignorance, prefer to diminish the consequence of their subject. Freemasonry.. is of vital importance to any social, psychological, cultural or political history of eighteenth-century Europe, and even to the founding of the United States; but most history books don't even mention it. It is almost as if an implicit policy obtained: If something cannot be exhaustively documented, it must be irrelevant and thereby not worth discussing I at all. Investigators of the Holy Grail' Freemasonry, French and English, as we know it today, finds its loots in two organizations of the Middle Ages - the Priory of Sion and the Order of the Knights Templar. What follows is the fascinating, if sometimes complicated and obscure history, of how these two modern, anti-Christian secular secret societies - English and French Freemasonry - developed from two groups that themselves had roots in the occult. We will see how the Priory of Sion desired to rule the world from the throne of David in Jerusalem through its counterfeit Jewish Merovingian bloodline, and how its own creation, the Knights Templar, moved beyond its role as police and protector of Sion to financial masters of medieval Europe. We will trace the alliance of Sion and the Templars, their dispute over the discovery of Solomon's treasures, and the terrible intrigues which followed that led to the undoing of the Templars in their struggle over wealth, power, and politics. We will reveal the beliefs of these two groups: that Jesus fathered children by Mary Magdalene; that a spiritual god of good (Satan) battles a material god of evil; that Lucifer, not Jesus, deserves worship; that a "Spear of Destiny" (later sought and possessed by Hitler) allows the holder to rule the world. We will also present data about the whereabouts of King Solomon's wealth, the plan to one day return it to Jerusalem, and reveal that the ultimate goal of these two groups is world government, and that their descendants, English and French Freemasonry, desire the same. The Historical Trail: The Priory of Sion and the Holy Grail In 1982 and 1986 three secular revisionist authors, Michael Baigent~ Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln published Holy Blood, Holy Grail followed by The Messianic Legacy. These two books dramatically reveal a secret order structured in the manner of Freemasonry, and founded in Europe twelve centuries before the Grand Lodge was officially formed in 1717. This order protects both the Holy Grail and the Merovingian bloodline, which bloodline carried Mystery Babylon into the Catholic Church in 496 A.D. 56 The Holy Grail, of course, is the so-called cup from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper. The Merovingians, owners of the Holy Grail, teach that Jesus fathered children by Mary Magdalene. The Merovingians claim to be the offspring of that "holy" union, and as such, assert they are Jews of the Davidic line.

In Revelation 17:3-5 the apostle John describes a vision, which Rev. J. R. Church in Guardians of the Grail believes is fulfilled in the Grail legend. The Whore of Babylon is holding in her hand a golden cup full of blasphemy. Church believes the cup is the blasphemous Holy Grail Another element of the Grail legend is the spear supposed to have pierced the side of Jesus, also known as the Spear of Longinus or the Spear of Destiny. Whoever possesses this spear, so the legend goes, will rule the world. The Merovingians, whose descendants are the Habsburg pretenders to the Austrian throne today, are in possession of the spear. It is on display in the Habsburg museum in Vienna, Austria~ No one, however, knows the location of the Holy Grail. At least no one is telling. Although heretical, this secret society should not be discounted, for it is alive and well today. In fact, in 1956, an Order calling itself the Prieure de Sion, or Priory of Sion, registered itself publicly for the first time with the French government. (Sion is French for Zion.) It is from this Order that the legend of the Holy Grail originated five centuries after Christ's death. Rev. Church remarks of this organization: This mysterious group is presently made up of over 9,000 men, including Protestants, Roman Catholics, Jews, and Moslems. The members of this secret sect should be considered unfaithful to their respective beliefs, for in reality they are neither Christian nor Catholic, they are neither Jew nor Moslem. Their doctrine sidesteps the basic tenets of those beliefs and replaces them with the teachings of their greatest prophet - whom they believe to be Buddha.2 From this secret order J. R. Church believes will come the Anti-Christ, for he writes, "Their ultimate goal is world government!'"

Scarlet and the Beast by John Daniel

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zCd0nFuvnM4OYWuVW5QUBCpsTfBv5bYx/view?usp=sharing

The Vatican Christmas Tree, also called the Saint Peter's Square Christmas Tree, is the decorated tree that is erected annually in the Saint Peter's Square directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City to celebrate the Christmas holiday season.

The tradition of placing a Christmas tree as well as the life-size Nativity scene in Saint Peter's Square started in 1982 during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II,[1] when the Polish-born Pope introduced the northern European symbol of Christmas spirit.[2] The tradition of erecting a Christmas Tree was celebrated in northern and central Europe, also in Poland Pope John Paul II's country of origin, but not in the Vatican at the time.

The first tree came from Italy. Since then, the offering of the Christmas Tree to the Pope has become an honour, and each year the Vatican accepts a tree donated by a different European country or region.[1][3]

The Christmas tree is installed in the centre of Saint Peter's Square, together with a life-size nativity scene that is unveiled on Christmas Eve.[1] The nativity scene has seventeen life-size statues. Of these, nine are the original figures donated in 1842 by Saint Vincent Pallotti for the nativity scene in the Roman church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, and the other eight figures were added over the course of the years. In 2006 the Italian province of Trentino, and the local council of a village of Tesero, have provided a further thirteen sculpted wooden figures and animals, as well as household utensils for the depiction of daily life.[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_Christmas_Tree

Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus II; Polish: Jan Paweł II; Italian: Giovanni Paolo II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła, Polish: [ˈkarɔl ˈjuzɛv vɔjˈtɨwa];[b] 18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his death in 2005.

In his youth, Wojtyła dabbled in stage acting. He graduated with excellent grades from an all-boys high school in Wadowice, Poland, in 1938, soon after which World War II broke out. During the war, to avoid being kidnapped and sent off to a German forced labour camp, he signed up for work in harsh conditions in a quarry. Wojtyła eventually took up acting and developed a love for the profession and participated at a local theatre. The linguistically skilled Wojtyła wanted to study Polish at university. Encouraged by a conversation with Adam Stefan Sapieha, he decided to study theology and become a priest. Eventually, Wojtyła rose to the position of Archbishop of Kraków and then a cardinal, both positions held by his mentor. Wojtyła was elected pope on the third day of the second papal conclave of 1978, and became one of the youngest popes in history. The conclave was called after the death of John Paul I, who served only 33 days as pope. Wojtyła adopted the name of his predecessor in tribute to him.[9]

John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI in the 16th century, as well as the third-longest-serving pope in history after Pius IX and St. Peter. John Paul II attempted to improve the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the spirit of ecumenism, holding atheism as the greatest threat. He maintained the Church's previous positions on such matters as abortion, artificial contraception, the ordination of women, and a celibate clergy, and although he supported the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, he was seen as generally conservative in their interpretation.[10][11] He put emphasis on family and identity, while questioning consumerism, hedonism and the pursuit of wealth. He was one of the most-travelled world leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate. As part of his special emphasis on the universal call to holiness, John Paul II beatified 1,344 people,[12] and canonised 483 saints, more than the combined tally of his predecessors during the preceding five centuries. By the time of his death, he had named most of the College of Cardinals, consecrated or co-consecrated many of the world's bishops, and ordained many priests.[13]

He has been credited with fighting against dictatorships for democracy and with helping to end communist rule in his native Poland and the rest of Europe.[14] Under John Paul II, the Catholic Church greatly expanded its influence in Africa and Latin America and retained its influence in Europe and the rest of the world. On 19 December 2009, John Paul II was proclaimed venerable by his successor, Benedict XVI, and on 1 May 2011 (Divine Mercy Sunday) he was beatified. On 27 April 2014, he was canonised together with John XXIII.[15] He has been criticised for allegedly, as archbishop, having been insufficiently harsh in acting against the sexual abuse of children by priests in Poland,[16] though the allegations themselves have been criticised.[17][18] Posthumously he has been referred to by some Catholics as Pope St. John Paul the Great, though that title has no official recognition.[19]

Under John Paul II, two of the most important documents of the contemporary Catholic Church were drafted and promulgated: the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which revised and updated the 1917 Code of Canon Law, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the first universal catechism to be issued since the Roman Catechism.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II

The Carolingian dynasty (/ˌkærəˈlɪndʒiən/ KARR-ə-LIN-jee-ən;[1] known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD.[2] The dynasty consolidated its power in the 8th century, eventually making the offices of mayor of the palace and dux et princeps Francorum hereditary, and becoming the de facto rulers of the Franks as the real powers behind the Merovingian throne. In 751 the Merovingian dynasty which had ruled the Franks was overthrown with the consent of the Papacy and the aristocracy, and Pepin the Short, son of Martel, was crowned King of the Franks. The Carolingian dynasty reached its peak in 800 with the crowning of Charlemagne as the first Emperor of the Romans in the West in over three centuries. Nearly every monarch of France from Charlemagne's son Louis the Pious until the penultimate monarch of France Louis Philippe have been his descendants. His death in 814 began an extended period of fragmentation of the Carolingian Empire and decline that would eventually lead to the evolution of the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire.

Name

The Carolingian dynasty takes its name from Carolus, the Latinised name of multiple Frankish kings including Charlemagne and Charles Martel.[3] The name originates from a common Germanic word, rendered in Old High German as Karl or Kerl,[4] meaning 'man', 'husband', or 'freeman'.[5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolingian_dynasty

Benedict XVI was born on Holy Saturday and died in the Octave of Christmas. The pictures of his body laid out beside the Christmas tree were seen around the world. In light of last year’s events, do you look at Christmas differently this year?

Since last year, the Christmas season has been inextricably linked to Benedict’s death in my mind. This has a strong influence on how things make me feel. Born on Holy Saturday, died in the Octave of Christmas: There’s a certain providential coincidence to be seen in this that in retrospect casts his entire life in a particular light. The most important dates of his life coincide with the most important dates of his faith: Easter and Christmas. The birth, passion, death, and resurrection of Our Lord are reflected in the dates of Joseph Ratzinger’s life. Pope Benedict XVI spent his entire life in this great “Octave of Faith”.

The custom of a “year of mourning” is based on the idea that mourning takes time. What are the phases of grief that you’ve experienced? How did you deal with them spiritually? Has it changed you personally? That is, has it changed your faith, your spiritual life?

My spiritual life has absorbed the painful days of mourning and given them stability and substance. I grieved like people who grieve for a departed loved one, but even stronger was the knowledge that God, not death, has the final word. As a human being I have suffered, and still do, from the fact that Pope Benedict is physically no longer present. In my faith, however, I have experienced consolation, confidence, and inner strength. This has deepened my spiritual life.

 

Sarg von Papst Benedikt XVI. mit geöffnetem Evangelium. Im Hintergrund sieht man die Menschenmassen.

Vatican News

At the time of the funeral ceremonies for Benedict XVI, Rome was still celebrating the Christmas season. Born on a Holy Saturday, died in the Octave of Christmas: “The most important dates of his life coincide with the most important dates of his faith: Easter and Christmas. The birth, passion, death, and resurrection of Our Lord are reflected in the dates of Joseph Ratzinger’s life. Pope Benedict XVI spent his entire life in this great ‘Octave of Faith’,” explains Archbishop Georg Gänswein.

Do you talk to Pope Benedict XVI in prayer? Do you see him as an intercessor for certain intentions?

I pray to him every day. He had become one of my greatest intercessors, especially when it comes to personal intentions.

Benedict XVI approached his death very consciously. He wrote about it on several occasions in his final years, and talked about how he was in the final stage of his earthly pilgrimage. Did he prepare for his death in a particular way?

He had been doing so ever since he resigned from the Petrine Office. It was not so much that there were particular activities he did to prepare himself for death, but rather that Benedict approached his last day more “deliberately”, allowing himself to be more consciously involved in the process of dying. He said yes to his diminishing strength and placed himself in God’s good hands, which he knew would support and sustain him. His preparation for his death consisted above all in being more conscientious about his day-to-day work and entrusting the time he had left more thoroughly to the guidance of God.

From things Benedict XVI said, one gets the impression that he was looking forward to meeting the Lord at the end of his days. Does a Pope die more easily than a simple believer? 

That he was preparing to meet the Lord and was looking forward to it is something I’m quite convinced of. Whether someone dies more easily or not does not depend on their position. As the saying goes, a person dies the way they lived. Benedict XVI lived in God, for God, and for Christ. And that was the mindset in which he died. So perhaps this did make it easier for him to put his life back into the hands of Christ.

Leichnam von Papst emeritus Benedikt XVI. / Jospeh Ratzinger.

Vatican News

Following his death the Pope Emeritus was initially laid to rest in the chapel at Mater Ecclesiae monastery, where Benedict XVI had lived since his resignation with a small household community.

In February of 2022, Benedict XVI, then very advanced in years, wrote a letter in which he considered the approaching end of his life: “Even though, as I look back on my long life, I can have great reason for fear and trembling, I am nonetheless of good cheer, for I trust firmly that the Lord is not only the just judge, but also the friend and brother who himself has suffered for my shortcomings, and is thus also my advocate, my ‘Paraclete’. In light of the hour of judgement, the grace of being a Christian becomes all the more clear to me. It grants me knowledge, and indeed friendship, with the judge of my life, and thus allows me to pass confidently through the dark door of death.” To be able to have such a deep trust in the mercy of God while facing the hour of one’s death—is that a gift of faith? Is it something that can be learned? Is it something people have to work on?

I consider the ability to trust in the mercy of God in the face of death to be a great gift of faith. Consciously allowing oneself to encounter the Lord while trusting in the mercy of God at the hour death—this is something that we can practice. That means listening to the Word of the Lord ever more intently and allowing his presence to enter us. Giving Him more priority, believing more deeply; this gives us greater hope. Practicing trust in the merciful Judge gives us consolation and inner peace.

 

It is said that the last words of Benedict XVI were “Lord, I love you!”. Does this one simple sentence sum up the life’s work of this Pope?

I am utterly convinced that the words you quoted were the theological and personal “leitmotif” of his entire life. This encompassed every stage of his work, reaching its climax during his pontificate.

You worked very closely with Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI for many decades: at the CDF, during his pontificate, and during his time as Pope Emeritus. In all those years, what was the greatest challenge for you?

In all the stages of life you mentioned, the greatest challenge for me was to live up to the tasks assigned to me and to carry them out in such a way that I could be a real source of support and assistance to the one who entrusted me with these tasks. It definitely wasn’t always easy, it was sometimes exhausting, but I was always glad to do it and put my entire heart into it. In Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI, I had a “boss” who was as gentle as he was wise. He showed me a lot of understanding, great sensitivity, and human sympathy. That really inspired and motivated my work.

What are you particularly grateful for? 

I am grateful for the many years I was able to work at his side. They have enriched my life and deepened my faith. There were many experiences that allowed me to grow in maturity. I am particularly grateful for the experience of not throwing in the towel even when things got very difficult, but persevering in faithfulness, joyful confidence, and firm trust in God. In the end, joy always prevailed.

 

In psychology there’s this thing called the “deathbed test”: On your deathbed you suddenly realize what really matters in life, what is essential and what is not. Applying this to the debates and arguments over matters of theology and faith: What truly counts in the end? What endures, even beyond the threshold of death? What is essential?

There’s a passage from the Second Epistle to Timothy that comes to mind, in which the Apostle Paul says that he has finished the race, fought the good fight, and kept the faith. No matter how intense the arguments over theological and ecclesiastical matters might get, what counts in the end is our love for Christ and faithfulness in following him. What is essential is that when I approach the threshold of death, my faith does not waver, but withstands everything. That my trust in the Savior sustains me, and that I do not lose sight of the goal of eternal life.

What do you imagine heaven is like?

A little child once asked Pope Benedict this exact question at a large public event. He answered that he imagined heaven was like being at home with his family, with his mother and father, his sisters and brothers, and everyone who loves one another. What he meant was the idea of living together in great harmony. And not for a few moments, but once and for all time. That’s how I imagine heaven too: A “being together” with God in complete harmony that knows no end.

How will you observe the anniversary of Benedict XVI’s death?

On New Year’s Eve there will be a memorial mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, which I will preside over. Afterwards we will pray the Stations of the Cross at the tomb of Pope Benedict XVI. I will spend the day with friends in memory of the late Pope. This is bound to bring back lots of memories that have touched my life in recent years.

What do you think Benedict XVI would have wanted later generations to remember about him and his life’s work?

The last words he spoke in this world: “Lord, I love you.” In that sentence is contained everything he wrote, preached, witnessed, and believed as a theologian, priest, bishop, and Pope. This declaration is his testament.

https://www.benedictusxvi.com/this-experience-accompanies-me-wherever-i-go?q=%2Fthis-experience-accompanies-me-wherever-i-go&cHash=7a32bf0069e6760fc968c633fe4e63be

Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first of which is A Game of Thrones. The show premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and concluded on May 19, 2019, with 73 episodes broadcast over eight seasons.

Set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, Game of Thrones has a large ensemble cast and follows several story arcs throughout the course of the show. The first major arc concerns the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros through a web of political conflicts among the noble families either vying to claim the throne or fighting for independence from whoever sits on it. The second major arc focuses on the last descendant of the realm's deposed ruling dynasty, who has been exiled to Essos and is plotting to return and reclaim the throne. The third follows the Night's Watch, a military order defending the realm against threats from beyond the Seven Kingdoms' northern border.

Game of Thrones attracted a record viewership on HBO and has a broad, active, and international fan base. Many critics and publications have named the show one of the greatest television series of all time. Critics have praised the series for its acting, complex characters, story, scope, and production values, although its frequent use of nudity and violence (including sexual violence) generated controversy. The final season received significant criticism for its reduced length and creative decisions, with many considering it a disappointing conclusion. The series received 59 Primetime Emmy Awards, the most by a drama series, including Outstanding Drama Series in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. Its other awards and nominations include three Hugo Awards for Best Dramatic Presentation, a Peabody Award, and five nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama.

A prequel series, House of the Dragon, premiered on HBO in 2022. A second prequel currently in production, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is scheduled to debut in 2025.

Premise

Plot

See also: Synopsis of A Song of Ice and Fire and World of A Song of Ice and Fire

Game of Thrones is roughly based on the storylines of the A Song of Ice and Fire book series by George R. R. Martin, set in the fictional Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and the continent of Essos.[5][6] The series follows several simultaneous plotlines.[7] The first story arc follows a war of succession among competing claimants for control of the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, with other noble families fighting for independence from the throne. The second concerns the actions of the exiled scion to reclaim the throne; the third chronicles the threat of the impending winter, as well as the legendary creatures and fierce peoples of the North.[8]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_Thrones

Matthew 21:42

1599 Geneva Bible

42 Jesus said unto them, Read ye never in the Scriptures, The stone which the [a]builders refused, the same is [b]made the [c]head of the corner? [d]This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Matthew 21:42 Master builders, which are chief builders of the house, that is, of the Church.

Matthew 21:42 Began to be.

Matthew 21:42 The chiefest stone in the corner is called the head of the corner, which beareth up the couplings or joints of the whole building.

Matthew 21:42 That matter (in that the stone which was cast away, is made the head) is the Lord’s doing, which we behold and greatly marvel at.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2021%3A42&version=GNV

https://www.facebook.com/billy.dunn.50767/posts/pfbid02vV3yMxxE3YmJrfzekqvoMuPwbUhpcPR85AZwYQYZeoLUR38rbrZ5jDSdCPSuFhXl

Melody Beattie

March 3 at 8:03 AM  · 

On February 27, at 10 pm, just as the new moon fell into Pisces, my beautiful mother, Melody Beattie, passed away. She died peacefully at home, surrounded by family and loved ones. My mother was never afraid to die. “Why should I be? I’m going to see God, I’ll be reunited with your brother, and I’ll finally get to meet my favorite person, Moses.” Her fearlessness was a great comfort to me in her final weeks. During one of our last conversations, I leaned in close to her and asked, “Where are you going, Mom?” She turned toward me and smiled. “I’m going on a miraculous new adventure.” I’ll miss you. Godspeed, Mel.

—Nichole Beattie

https://www.facebook.com/writermelodybeattie/posts/pfbid026GmWWgjrMzBq87TCG4f5wrErH1TBK6Hy8NWmZHo1nFrnU7MhFrmRt2PCS5UHuX7al

FISH GOD (NIMROUD), FIGURE NEAR AN ENTRANCE (KOUYUNJUK).

Fish God (Nimroud), Figure Near an Entrence (Kouyunjuk). From Austen Henry Layard. A Second Series of the Monuments of Nineveh. London: Murray, 1853, pl. 6.

https://isaw.nyu.edu/library/images/Dagon.jpg/view

The Papal mitre is entirely different from the mitre of Aaron and the Jewish high priests. That mitre was a turban. The two-horned mitre, which the Pope wears, when he sits on the high altar at Rome and receives the adoration of the Cardinals, is the very mitre worn by Dagon, the fish-god of the Philistines and Babylonians. There were two ways in which Dagon was anciently represented. The one was when he was depicted as half-man half- fish; the upper part being entirely human, the under part ending in the tail of a fish. The other was, when, to use the words of Layard, "the head of the fish formed a mitre above that of the man, while its scaly, fan-like tail fell as a cloak behind, leaving the human limbs and feet exposed." Of Dagon in this form Layard gives a representation in his last work, which is here represented to the reader (Fig. 48); and no one who examines his mitre, and compares it with the Pope's as given in Elliot's Horoe, can doubt for a moment that from that, and no other source, has the pontifical mitre been derived. The gaping jaws of the fish surmounting the head of the man at Nineveh are the unmistakable counterpart of the horns of the Pope's mitre at Rome. Thus was it in the East, at least five hundred years before the Christian era. The same seems to have been the case also in Egypt; for Wilkinson, speaking of a fish of the species of Siluris, says "that one of the Genii of the Egyptian Pantheon appears under a human form, with the head of this fish." In the West, at a later period, we have evidence that the Pagans had detached the fish-head mitre from the body of the fish, and used that mitre alone to adorn the head of the great Mediatorial god; for on several Maltese Pagan coins that god, with the wellknown attributes of Osiris, is represented with nothing of the fish save the mitre on his head (Fig. 49); very nearly in the same form as the mitre of the Pope, or of a Papal bishop at this day. Even in China, the same practice of wearing the fish-head mitre had evidently once prevailed; for the very counterpart of the Papal mitre, as worn by the Chinese Emperor, has subsisted to modern times. "Is it known," asks a well-read author of the present day, in a private communication to me, "that the Emperor of China, in all ages, even to the present year, as high priest of the nation, once a year prays for and blesses the whole nation, having his priestly robes on and his mitre on his head, the same, the very same, as that worn by the Roman Pontiff for near 1200 years? Such is the fact." In proof of this statement the accompanying figure of the Imperial mitre (Fig. 50) is produced - which is the very fascimile of the Popish Episcopal Mitre, in a front view. The reader must bear in mind, that even in Japan, still farther distant from Babel than China itself, one of the divinities is represented with the same symbol of might as prevailed in Assyria--even the bull's horns, and is called "The ox-headed Prince of Heaven." If the symbol of Nimrod, as Kronos, "The Horned one," is thus found in Japan, it cannot be surprising that the symbol of Dagon should be found in China." 

The Two Babylons 

by Alexander Hislop

With regard to self-immolation, it should be pointed out that, unlike Jainism, Buddhism is generally against religious suicide350 and self-mutilation (Sheth, 2012: 73-74), but there are exceptions both in Theravada as well as in Mahāyāna. The Theravāda Jātaka tales relate several instances of religious suicide in some of the previous lives of Gautama Buddha. The Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra, the most important and well-known Mahāyāna Scriptural text and often referred to briefly as the Lotus Sutra, extols the case of the Bodhisattva Bhaiṣajyarāja, who previously, as the Bodhisattva Sarvasattvapriyadarśana, burnt his own body as an act of honor (pūjā) accorded to the Buddha Candrasūryavimalaprabhāsaśri and to the Lotus Sutra. It also mentions that youth who burn some part of their body at the relic chambers of the Buddhas gain immense merit (Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra, ch. 22, pp. 237, 240). Such examples are adduced in order to justify exceptional cases of heroic, altruistic and sublime self-sacrifice of one’s life. For Thich Nhat Hahn self-immolation is neither good nor bad. It transcends the question whether self-immolation is good strategy in peace activism. But we must make an effort to put ourselves in the shoes of the immolators and try to see things with their eyes. They intend to enkindle the awareness of people and awaken them (Nhat Hahn 1975: 62). We had begun our social justice trip in India. Even though we now move on to Tibet, yet, in consonance with the cyclic worldview of Buddhism, we actually return to India: the reason is that the Dalai Lama has established a Tibetan Government in Exile in India.

The Buddha & Jesus

An Anthology of Articles by Jesuits engaged in

Buddhist Studies and Inter-religious Dialogue

Edited by

Cyril Veliath, SJ

Faculty of Global Studies

Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan

https://web.archive.org/web/20220929093250/https://jcapsj.org/the-buddha-jesus/

On 11 June 1963, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc self-immolated outside the Cambodian embassy in the city of Saigon in Vietnam. Journalists were notified in advance to show up, but had not been told what would happen. The US journalist Malcolm Browne photographed the scene. His photograph became an enduring worldwide image of Buddhist protest.

Many in the US assume that the self-immolation was a protest against the war in Vietnam, paralleling anti-war protestors at home. This idea fits nicely into the popular association of Buddhism with peace. It is, however, wrong. Quang Duc’s self-immolation and the others that followed were a protest against the South Vietnamese Ngo Dinh Diem administration and its allies in the West. Vietnamese Buddhists felt persecuted by the Vietnamese administration’s pro-Catholic stance. Their self-immolations were acts to defend Buddhism.

Buddhists have always been involved in civil disobedience movements and peace-making agendas, such as the Sarvodaya movement in Sri Lanka. Further, Buddhist meditations have proven incredibly helpful in the rehabilitation of criminals. In short, Buddhism, to its practitioners, is not an ‘accoutrement’ to life or ‘just’ a philosophy – it is a full-bodied religion whose adherents are eager to protect. The myth of Buddhism as a wholly peaceful religion ignores Buddhists’ agency and diversity – and the fact that they will go to great lengths to defend their religion, whether by way of pistol-bearing monks or self-immolating protesters.

Recently, Buddhists in Myanmar and Sri Lanka have also called for violence. In 2013, Time magazine placed the Burmese Buddhist monk U Wirathu on their cover with the headline ‘The Face of Buddhist Terror’. U Wirathu has been a fiery critic of Burmese Muslims, particularly those who identify as Rohingya. The 2014 Myanmar census found that Buddhists make up 89 per cent of the population, compared with Muslims at 4.3 per cent. Nevertheless, U Wirathu and his counterparts argue that both Burmese Buddhism and Myanmar itself are threatened by the ‘Islamification of Asia’. In well-attended sermons, U Wirathu has repeatedly derided Muslims and Islam, accusing them of seeking to destroy Burmese culture and the future of Buddhism. In one sermon, he likened Muslims to the African carp, explaining that they are inherently violent, prone to breed quickly, and want to eat their own kind.

U Wirathu is a member of the 969 movement. This movement and the Ma Ba Tha (the Patriotic Association of Myanmar) retain significant influence over the Buddhists of Myanmar. They distribute pamphlets and taped sermons that warn about the threat of Islam. Their work to foment fear of Muslims helps to propel Burmese Buddhists toward violence, as in the murderous anti-Muslim riots in the central city of Meiktila in 2013, where at least 40 people died. Before these, there were powerful precursors from the western Rakhine state. Since 2012, nearly 140,000 Rohingya have been displaced from their homes in Rakhine. Most of these Rohingya have been deported from homes into special internment camps. Due to the terrible conditions in these camps, journalists such as Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times argue that the Buddhist treatment of the Rohingya constitutes genocide.

In 2015, the two Burmese Buddhist organisations successfully lobbied for the passage of pro-Buddhist legislation. Many international human-rights groups argue that these new laws are discriminatory against minority groups, particularly Muslims. U Wirathu continues to develop connections not only with Thailand’s Buddhist monks, but also with Sri Lankan Buddhist monks.

The Buddhist organisation ran an incendiary campaign, calling for a boycott on stores selling halal-certified meat

From 1983, Sri Lanka was engaged in a civil war. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam fought to separate and form their own independent state of Tamil Eelam. The Sri Lankan government opposed this, both through secular language and Buddhist rhetoric. Buddhist monks fiercely argued against negotiations, and for fighting to keep Sri Lanka ‘whole’. For these monks, Sri Lanka is the true land of Buddhism and it was under attack. Monks were straightforward political players, delivering incendiary speeches, joining political parties (such as the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna), and taking part in violent clashes.

The civil war ended in 2009, but Sri Lankan Buddhist monks have continued to push their political agendas. Since 2011, there have been further escalations in violent rhetoric by Sri Lankan Buddhist nationalist organisations such as the Sinhala Ravaya (The Roar of the Sinhalese), the Ravana Balaya (Ravana’s Force) and the Bodu Bala Sena (The Army of Buddhist Power). Often, the rhetoric is directed at businesses, for example against halal provision for Muslims. In early 2013, the Bodu Bala Sena ran an incendiary campaign, calling for a boycott against stores that provided halal-certified meat. The Buddhist organisation falsely alleged that Muslims were slaughtering young calves (an illegal practice), and accused the governing body for halal-certification, the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama, of taking steps to bring about Sharia law in Sri Lanka.

Similar to their counterparts in Myanmar, these Sri Lankan Buddhist groups have incited anti-Muslim riots, as in Aluthgama in 2014. Buddhist groups have been implicated in the assassination of politicians and peace activists. The growing influence of these hyper-nationalist Buddhist organisations, together with the Sri Lankan government’s tacit support (through a lack of response) has spurred NGOs and local communities to protest. In November 2016, 367 Sri Lankan citizens submitted a collective complaint about the inaction of the police to protect minorities from the persistence of Buddhist monk-led attacks.

No religion has a monopoly on ‘violent people’, nor does any one religion have a greater propensity for violence. Rather, social conditions such as poverty and societal upheavals generate violent behaviour, regardless of religion. It is no coincidence that poorer regions and neighbourhoods suffer higher crime rates. When people find the world changing around them, they turn to their religion to make sense of things. Some look to religion as a means to preserve what they have, and religion provides a way of understanding one’s place in the world and, more importantly, one’s duty.

In order to comprehend such people’s justifications for violence, it is important to explore their worldview, namely, the way in which Buddhists understand and protect what is sacred to them. Although Buddhism is incredibly diverse, all Buddhists venerate the Triple Jewels: Buddha, Dharma (doctrine) and Sangha (monastic community). As long as these jewels remain in the world, humanity still has a way of escaping the vicious cycle of rebirth. Buddhists, along with Hindus, Jains and Sikhs, believe that time is cyclical, and that there is a decline before the end of each great cycle.

According to Buddhists, their doctrine provides rulers with justice, societies with equilibrium, and individuals with a path to salvation. Its attenuation, therefore, is one sign of the decline. Another is the absence, or dwindling numbers, of the sangha. When there are no more monks, Buddhist End Times will begin.

Buddhist scriptures measure internal time by how many breaths you take, and external (cosmic) time through the rotation of four kalpas, or aeons. Unlike in Abrahamic religions, time in Buddhism has no beginning. It is a constant cycle. There is no definitive amount of time given for each kalpa, but Buddhist scriptures provide suggestive analogies. In the Prajnaparamita Sutra, one kalpa lasts longer than the time required to wear away an 18,000-square-metre rock by brushing it with a piece of cloth once every 100 years.

The first kalpa is a formative and chaotic period. In the second kalpa, the chaos continues to unfold. It is only in the third kalpa in which the chaos declines, and the world enters into a rapid stage of evolution. The fourth and final kalpa is called the Age of Destruction. It ends with an apocalyptic rainfall that destroys all life and sparks the beginning of the first kalpa. Buddhists believe that we are living in the fourth and final section of the last kalpa. The end of the kalpa will inevitably come and, when it does, a new Buddha will emerge: Maitreya, the Buddha-to-be. But Buddhists can forestall the end. The longer the Buddhist monks and their doctrine remain strong, then the slower the pace toward the end of the kalpa.

Buddhist traditions have different ways of identifying the signs of deterioration. According to legend, on the eve of the Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) becoming awakened, he was tempted by Mara, the embodiment of desire, death and rebirth. Although he conquered his desires and vanquished Mara, many Buddhists have believed that the re-appearance of Mara is a sign that the End Times have arrived. Others think that the erosion of their sacred Three Jewels signals the beginning of the end. In order to forestall the quickening of the End Times, Buddhists have fought against the manifestations of Mara and to preserve the integrity of their practices and doctrine.

For instance, in sixth-century China, the Buddhist monk Faqing led a revolt and declared the arrival of a new Buddha. He marshalled 50,000 men to fight, promising them that, with each kill, they would reach a higher stage in the bodhisattva path. In ninth-century Tibet, Emperor Langdarma was assassinated by a Tibetan lama. According to Tibetan sources, Langdarma had become possessed by demonic forces (gdon). He destroyed monasteries and began to attack the Buddhist establishment. Things were changing and not in the right direction. The murder of Langdarma ‘saved’ Buddhism in Tibet. It has become such an important event that the Tibetans commemorate the murder in their Cham dance, which offers moral instructions through performance.

Japanese fighter planes carried images of the Buddhist embodiment of compassion, Avalokiteshvara

During the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese emperor strengthened support for Shintoism, and began to dismantle Buddhist institutions that were not favourable to the state. Buddhist monks had a choice of either complying with the state, or leaving the monkhood. Many remained and supported the onset of Japanese imperialism. During the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-05, Rinzai Buddhist monks spoke out in favour of the military campaign. For them, the war was a fight for the preservation of civilisation and the Buddhist doctrine – a fight for the world.

The Buddhist call-to-arms reoccurred throughout the Second World War. Japanese fighter planes carried images of the Buddhist embodiment of compassion, Avalokiteshvara. Zen and Pure Land Buddhist monks argued that the Second World War was justified in order to preserve ‘true’ Buddhism. The Buddhist traditions in places such as China, Korea and Singapore had become corrupt and faulty. It was a sign of decay.

As humanity moves closer to the Buddhist End Times, the Buddhist doctrine explains that it will become harder for a person to become enlightened. In recent years, many Buddhists have turned to Pure Land Buddhism. These Buddhists believe that our world is now fraught with a multitude of obstacles to becoming fully awakened. To avoid this, a follower practices uttering Amitabh’s name (nianfo) and visualizing him. In this way, the follower ensures a rebirth in Pure Land, where he can receive the teachings from the Bodhisattva Amitabha to reach enlightenment. Pure Land Buddhism is one of the largest populated traditions in East Asia, and is quickly expanding its numbers globally. While some Buddhists turn to traditions such as Pure Land Buddhism, others fight to preserve what they believe is true Buddhism, such as in southern Thailand, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

Over the centuries, there have been tremendous changes to Buddhism. Indeed, change is one of the foundational principles in Buddhism: all is impermanent. Some changes are in concert with modernity, others are in reaction. Each Buddhist tradition has transformed with the times – and the times are always changing. But there are persistent patterns that keep pace with these changes. Buddhist monks in the early sixth-century China led revolts to defend Buddhism. Today, monks in Thailand, Burma and Sri Lanka continue to fight – violently – for their religion and to call their followers to action. The cycle of violence continues in this final stage of the cycle of time: the Kali Yuga, the Age of Destruction.

Monks with guns

Westerners think that Buddhism is about peace and non-violence. So how come Buddhist monks are in arms against Islam?

https://aeon.co/essays/buddhism-can-be-as-violent-as-any-other-religion

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Pali Buddha (“the Awakened One, the Enlightened One”), from buddha (“awakened, enlightened”), from Sanskrit बुद्ध (buddha, “awakened, enlightened”), past participle of बोधति (bodhati, “to wake, to awaken”). Distantly related to English bid and bede. Also cognate with Russian будить (buditʹ, “to wake up”)." 

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Buddha

Alumbrado, (Spanish: “Enlightened”, ) Italian Illuminato, plural Illuminati, a follower of a mystical movement in Spain during the 16th and 17th centuries. Its adherents claimed that the human soul, having attained a certain degree of perfection, was permitted a vision of the divine and entered into direct communication with the Holy Spirit. From this state the soul could neither advance nor retrogress. Consequently, participation in the liturgy, good works, and observance of the exterior forms of religious life were unnecessary for those who had received the “light.” The Alumbrados came primarily from among the reformed Franciscans and the Jesuits, but their doctrines seem to have influenced all classes of people. The extravagant claims made for their visions and revelations caused them to be relentlessly persecuted. The Inquisition issued edicts against them on three occasions (1568, 1574, and 1623)." 

https://www.britannica.com/event/Alumbrado

Entries linking to gautama

Buddha (n.)

an epithet applied to the historical founder of Buddhism, 1680s, from Pali, literally "awakened, enlightened," past participle of budh "to awake, know, perceive," which is related to Sanskrit bodhati "is awake, observes, understands," from PIE root *bheudh- "be aware, make aware." Title given by his adherents to the man who taught this path, Siddhartha Gautama, also known to them as Sakyamuni "Sage of the Sakyas" (his family clan), who lived in northern India 5c. B.C.E."

https://www.etymonline.com/word/gautama

Gautama surname of the Buddha, from Sanskrit Gotamah, properly a patronymic, literally "descendant of the greatest ox," from superlative of gauh "ox, bull, cow."

https://www.etymonline.com/word/buddha

In the bull, UNAM SANCTAM, promulgated by Pope Boniface VIII, on November 18, 1302, we find the following: "Christi Vicarius... Petrique successor," meaning "Vicar of Christ... the successor of Peter." And in the book Crossing the Threshold of Hope Pope John Paul II confirmed that the popes still make this claim. In the first chapter, titled The Pope: A scandal and a Mystery, page 3, John Paul II writes: "The Pope is considered the man on earth... who 'takes the place' of the Second Person of the omnipotent God of the Trinity." Takes the place of Jesus? We need not say anything about ths audacious claim of the Pope, for as Calvin once said: there is no need to take trouble in refuting things, which, by their extreme absurdity, plainly refute themselves. Nor need we say anything of the still greater absurdities that are babbled by the canonists to justify this claim. One word will do preposterous!

On page 3 of his book John Paul II also says the pope 'represents the Son of God" on earth. This phrase is taken directly from the Latin Vicarius Filii Dei-an appellation that for centuries has been read as a title of the pope. The use of this expression by John Paul II in his book is significant because in November 1914 someone wrote to the Editor of the official Journal of the Catholic Church in America. Our Sunday Visitor, with a serious question. The question was this:

"Is it true that the words of the Apocalypse [i.e. the book of Revelation] in the 13the chapter, 18th verse refers to the popes? The words referred to are these: "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number Six hundred threescore and six."

The enquirer explained what he meant by stating:

"The title of the Pope in Rome is VICARIUS FILII DEI. This is inscribed on his mitre; and if you take the letters of his title which represent Latin numerals... add them together they come to 666."

In other words, the enquirer was asking the Editor whether 666 had anything to with the pope's Latin title. You will recall that Matthew Henry and Adam Clark revealed that 'it was a method of practice among the ancients to denote names by numbers." and that "Representing numbers by letters of the alphabet gave rise to a practice among the ancients of representing names also by numbers." Leaving aside, for now, the issue of 666, did the pope's Mitre ever bear the inscription Vicarius Filii Dei?

Six months after the enquiry about the pope's title, in the November 15, 1914 issue of Our Sunday Visitor, another question was put to the Editor, this time in the April 18, 1915 issue of Our Sunday Visitor:

"What are the letters supposed to be in the Pope's crown, and what do they signify, if anything?" The Editor, Rev. John F. Noll, answered the inquirer's question as follows, which answer I quote verbatim:

"The letters inscribed in the Pope's miter are these: Vicarius Filii Dei which is the Latin for Vicar of the Son of God. Catholics hold that the church, which is a visible society, must have a visible head...., as head of the church, was given the tile, 'VICAR OF CHRIST.'"

Note that the Editor was asked about the pope's crown, but chose to give an answer about the pope's Miter. This distinction is significant, as we shall discover. Nonetheless, he admitted to the Vicarius Filii Dei."

"What Does Vicarius Filii Dei Have To Do With 666? As we saw above, 1915 the Catholic Church admitted that Vicarius Fili Dei was "inscribed in the Pope's miter." And prior to that, in the November 15, 1914 issue of Our Sunday Visitor, page 3, someone wrote in to the Editor asking whether 666 had anything to do with the pope's Latin tit (Vicarius Filii Dei). The enquirer quoted Revelation 13:18 which says: "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding COUNT the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six." In other words of the enquirer was suggesting that the pope's title, Vicarius Filii Dei added to 666. You will recall that Matthew Henry and Adam Clark said: "it was a method of practice among the ancients to denote names by numbers," and "Representing numbers by letters of the alphabet gave rise to a practice... of representing names also by the numbers." The Hebrew, Chaldean, Latin, Greek and Arab languages have numerical value for some of the letters of their alphabets. Take for instance the original Roman letters: I, V, X, L, C, D (the letter M was added later, and thus was not a part of the original system). Added together we get: I(1) V(5) X(10) L(50) C(100) D(500) = 666 Many of the ancient names, or the appellations used for the sun god in the various Pagan religions also added to 666! Roy A. Anderson writes: "Amulets called "Sigilla Solis," or the sun seal... were worn by the pagan priests, and the contained all the numbers from 1 to 36... the veneration of the ancients had for the sun-god.. in [a figure in the Berlin Museum there are] 36 squares arranged [with] the numerals 1 to 36 in such a way that adding the numbers of any column either horizontally or vertically, and also the two diagonals crossing the square, the total is the same-111. The sum of the six columns, computed either horizontally or vertically, is 6x111, or 666." Likewise, all the avatars or emanations (incarnations) of the sun-god are called Buddhas, or Rasees of the Sun (Siun). "The Greek word for Buddha is Xiuv, or XIUM (wisdom of the Sun), and adds to 666: X(600) I(10) U(6) V(50) = 666 

"VICARIUS FILII DEI: "SIX HUNDRED, THREE SCORE, AND SIX" 

Codeword Barbelon book One 

by P.D. Stuart 

Head:

1. See Illness, mental

2. The superior general, head of the Society [666]"

The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary  Norms

https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

The Origin of the Pope's Mitre, or Fish Head Turban

What is the origin of the Pope's other main article of dress, the mitre? As with the pallium, nowhere in the Bible are we told that Christ, Peter or any other apostle wore a mitre. So, why is it a requirement of the Catholic Church for its popes and bishops to don this head-piece?

In the records of the ancient Assyrian tablets, there is something quite amazing! Dr. Inman in his illustrated work, Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism, on page 64 shows a readily recognisable picture of the head-gear, as worn today by the alleged successor of St. Peter, being worn by gods of ancient Assyria (Barbelon). Says Dr. Inman: " ... as the Romanists adopted the mitre and the tiara from 'the cursed brood of Ham,' so they adopted the Episcopalian crook [or scepter] from the augurs (soothsayers) of Etruia...."

J.F. Walvoord writes that archaeological finds show "Crowns in the shape of a fish head were worn by the chief priests of the Babylonian cult to honor the fish god. The crowns bore the words 'Keeper of the Bridge'... This... [comes from] the Latin title 'Pontifex Maximus,' ... the same title was later used by the bishop of Rome. The pope is called the 'Pontiff' whic comes from Pontifex." Francis accepted this title in March 2013. His Twitter account is "Pope Francis (@Pontifex).

Similarily, in the cave of Elephantine of Egypt, there is a figure of a priest destroying a crowd of infants, carrying a crux ansata, Mitre and a crozier, or Abacus (like the Pope's staff).

The next picture shows the mitred Dagon, or fish-god, engraved on a stone relief from a temple laver (basin) of ancient Assyria, housed in the Pergamum Museum in Berlin. The second syllable in the name Dag-on ("on") is Egyptian for sun. Today the fish-head shaped mitre of the sun-god is worn by Pope Francis and bishops of the Church. This is the origin of Sunday Worship in the Catholic Church. This is why the Catholic Church calls for workers' right to "Sunday rest"! This is why Francis called for Sunday rest in Laudato Si! "The Earth... is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth." "On Sunday, our participation in the Eucharist has special importance... motivates  us to greater concern for nature and the poor." (Laudato Si, paras. 21 & 237). " "Suggested "Reformation": Francis Pallium And "Fish-Head Turban'" Pope Francis Lord of the World by P.D. Stuart

"Still the Sovereign Pontiff of Rome, even after the Etruscan idolatry was absorbed into the Roman system, was only an offshoot from the grand original Babylonian system. He was a devoted worshipper of the Babylonian god; but he was not the legitimate representative of that God. The true legitimate Babylonian Pontiff had his seat beyond the bounds of the Roman empire. That seat, after the death of Belshazzar, and the expulsion of the Chaldean priesthood from Babylon by the Medo-Persian kings, was at Pergamos, where afterwards was one of the seven churches of Asia. * There, in consequence, for many centuries was "Satan's seat" (Rev 2:13). There, under favour of the deified ** kings of Pergamos, was his favourite abode, there was the worship of Aesculapius, under the form of the serpent, celebrated with frantic orgies and excesses, that elsewhere were kept under some measure of restraint. 

* BARKER and AINSWORTH'S Lares and Penates of Cilicia. Barker says, "The defeated Chaldeans fled to Asia Minor, and fixed their central college at Pergamos." Phrygia, that was so remarkable for the worship of Cybele and Atys, formed part of the Kingdom of Pergamos. Mysia also was another, and the Mysians, in the Paschal Chronicle, are said to be descended from Nimrod. The words are, "Nebrod, the huntsman and giant--from whence came the Mysians." Lydia, also, from which Livy and Herodotus say the Etrurians came, formed part of the same kingdom. For the fact that Mysia, Lydia, and Phrygia were constituent parts of the kingdom of Pergamos, see SMITH's Classical Dictionary. 

** The kings of Pergamos, in whose dominions the Chaldean Magi found an asylum, were evidently by them, and by the general voice of Paganism that sympathised with them, put into the vacant place which Belshazzar and his predecessors had occupied. They were hailed as the representatives of the old Babylonian god. This is evident from the statements of Pausanias. First, he quotes the following words from the oracle of a prophetess called Phaennis, in reference to the Gauls: "But divinity will still more seriously afflict those that dwell near the sea. However, in a short time after, Jupiter will send them a defender, the beloved son of a Jove-nourished bull, who will bring destruction on all the Gauls." Then on this he comments as follows: "Phaennis, in this oracle, means by the son of a bull, Attalus, king of Pergamos, whom the oracle of Apollo called Taurokeron," or bull- horned. This title given by the Delphian god, proves that Attalus, in whose dominions the Magi had their seat, had been set up and recognised in the very character of Bacchus, the Head of the Magi. Thus the vacant seat of Belshazzar was filled, and the broken chain of the Chaldean succession renewed. 

At first, the Roman Pontiff had no immediate connection with Pergamos and the hierarchy there; yet, in course of time, the Pontificate of Rome and the Pontificate of Pergamos came to be identified. Pergamos itself became part and parcel of the Roman empire, when Attalus III, the last of its kings, at his death, left by will all his dominions to the Roman people, BC 133. For some time after the kingdom of Pergamos was merged in the Roman dominions, there was no one who could set himself openly and advisedly to lay claim to all the dignity inherent in the old title of the kings of Pergamos. The original powers even of the Roman Pontiffs seem to have been by that time abridged, but when Julius Caesar, who had previously been elected Pontifex Maximus, became also, as Emperor, the supreme civil ruler of the Romans, then, as head of the Roman state, and head of the Roman religion, all the powers and functions of the true legitimate Babylonian Pontiff were supremely vested in him, and he found himself in a position to assert these powers. Then he seems to have laid claim to the divine dignity of Attalus, as well as the kingdom that Attalus had bequeathed to the Romans, as centering in himself; for his well-known watchword, "Venus Genetrix," which meant that Venus was the mother of the Julian race, appears to have been intended to make him "The Son" of the great goddess, even as the "Bullhorned" Attalus had been regarded. * 

* The deification of the emperors that continued in succession from the days of Divus Julius, or the "Deified Julius," can be traced to no cause so likely as their representing the "Bull-horned" Attalus both as Pontiff and Sovereign. 

Then, on certain occasions, in the exercise of his high pontifical office, he appeared of course in all the pomp of the Babylonian costume, as Belshazzar himself might have done, in robes of scarlet, with the crosier of Nimrod in his hand, wearing the mitre of Dagon and bearing the keys of Janus and Cybele. * 

* That the key was one of the symbols used in the Mysteries, the reader will find on consulting TAYLOR'S Note on Orphic Hymn to Pluto, where that divinity is spoken of as "keeper of the keys." Now the Pontifex, as "Hierophant," was "arrayed in the habit and adorned with the symbols of the great Creator of the world, of whom in these Mysteries he was supposed to be the substitute." (MAURICE'S Antiquities) The Primeval or Creative god was mystically represented as Androgyne, as combining in his own person both sexes (Ibid.), being therefore both Janus and Cybele at the same time. In opening up the Mysteries, therefore, of this mysterious divinity, it was natural that the Pontifex should bear the key of both these divinities. Janus himself, however, as well as Pluto, was often represented with more than one key. 

Thus did matter continue, as already stated, even under so-called Christian emperors; who, as a salve to their consciences, appointed a heathen as their substitute in the performance of the more directly idolatrous functions of the pontificate (that substitute, however, acting in their name and by their authority), until the reign of Gratian, who, as shown by Gibbon, was the first that refused to be arrayed in the idolatrous pontifical attire, or to act as Pontifex. Now, from all this it is evident that, when Paganism in the Roman empire was abolished, when the office of Pontifex Maximus was suppressed, and all the dignitaries of paganism were cast down from their seats of influence and of power, which they had still been allowed in some measure to retain, that was not merely the casting down of the Fiery Dragon of Rome, but the casting down of the Fiery Dragon of Babylon. It was just the enacting over again, in a symbolical sense, upon the true and sole legitimate successor of Nimrod, what had taken place upon himself, when the greatness of his downfall gave rise to the exclamation, "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning"! " 

The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop

https://ia802609.us.archive.org/9/items/thetwobabylonsor00hisluoft/thetwobabylonsor00hisluoft.pdf

The MITRE Corp. is a major defense contracting organization headed by the former Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), Dr. James Rodney Schlesinger. Schlesinger, who was reportedly made DCI at the request of Henry Kissinger in 1973, later served as Secretary of Defense.

Schlesinger, a former director of strategic studies at the RAND Corp., was described in a 1973 biography as a "devout Lutheran," although he was born in New York in 1929 to immigrant Jewish parents from Austria and Russia. Schlesinger earned three degrees from Harvard University. Schlesinger's father, an accountant, founded the accounting firm Schlesinger & Haas, and was a trustee and chairman of the budget of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue. His father was also a member of the New York State Grand Lodge of Masons.

The MITRE Corp., of which Schlesinger is chairman of the board of trustees, is connected to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), MIT's Lincoln Laboratory, and Mitretek Systems of Falls Church, Va.

Schlesinger is a senior advisor for the Lehman Brothers investment firm and a member of the Defense Policy Board and advisory council for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The MITRE Corp. has provided computer and information technology to the FAA and the U.S. Air Force since the late 1950's. MITRE is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) for the Dept. of Defense, the FAA, and the Internal Revenue Service.

The chairman of the board of trustees of Mitretek Systems, a spin-off of MITRE Corp., is Martin R. Hoffmann, who served as Secretary of the Army when the "perfect terrorist plan" was reportedly prepared in 1976.

MITRE's Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I) FFRDC for the Dept. of Defense was established in 1958. The C3I "supports a broad and diverse set of sponsors within the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. These include the military departments, defense and intelligence agencies, the combatant commands, and elements of both the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff," according to MITRE's website.

"Information systems technology," it says, "coupled with domain knowledge, underpin the work of the C3I FFRDC."

The U.S. Air Force maintains its Electronic Systems Center (ESC) at the Hanscom AFB in Bedford, Mass. The ESC manages the development and acquisition of electronic command and control (C2) systems used by the Air Force."

"MITRE's Bedford headquarters are located near Boston's Logan airport where the two planes that struck the World Trade Center supposedly originated. Bedford lies directly under the flight path of westbound flights leaving Logan.

MITRE developed the technology "to aid controllers in solving problems while keeping aircraft close to their route, altitude, and speed preferences." Shearman was unable to say why the MITRE technology apparently failed on 9/11.

Indira Singh, an "IT consultant" who previously worked on a Defense Advanced Research Project, and who was employed by J.P. Morgan on 9/11, in risk management, pointed to MITRE's role at the FAA during the 9/11 Citizens' Commission hearings in New York last September.

"Ptech was with MITRE Corporation in the basement of the FAA for two years prior to 9/11," Singh said. "Their specific job is to look at interoperability issues the FAA had with NORAD and the Air Force in the case of an emergency. If anyone was in a position to know that the FAA - that there was a window of opportunity or to insert software or to change anything - it would have been Ptech along with MITRE."

A representative of Ptech could not be reached. [Ptech appears to have been a Mossad front company created to provide insecure Trojan Horse software to the U.S. military and intelligence agencies. Ptech has the typical Arab owners and financiers - and Mossad operators.]"

Is MITRE Corp. The Trojan Horse of 9/11? 

By Christopher Bollyn, American Free Press 

1 April 2005

Is MITRE Corp. The Trojan Horse of 9/11? (facts-are-facts.com)

https://www.facts-are-facts.com/news/is-mitre-corp-the-trojan-horse-of-9-11-

François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand[a] (26 October 1916 – 8 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former Socialist Party First Secretary, he was the first left-wing politician to assume the presidency under the Fifth Republic.

Due to family influences, Mitterrand started his political life on the Catholic nationalist right. He served under the Vichy regime during its earlier years. Subsequently, he joined the Resistance, moved to the left, and held ministerial office several times under the Fourth Republic. Mitterrand opposed Charles de Gaulle's establishment of the Fifth Republic. Although at times a politically isolated figure, he outmanoeuvred rivals to become the left's standard bearer in the 1965 and 1974 presidential elections, before being elected president in the 1981 presidential election. He was re-elected in 1988 and remained in office until 1995.

Mitterrand invited the Communist Party into his first government, which was a controversial decision at the time. However, the Communists were boxed in as junior partners and, rather than taking advantage, saw their support eroded, eventually leaving the cabinet in 1984.

Early in his first term, Mitterrand followed a radical left-wing economic agenda, including nationalisation of key firms and the introduction of the 39-hour work week. He likewise pushed a progressive agenda with reforms such as the abolition of the death penalty, and the end of a government monopoly in radio and television broadcasting. He was also a strong promoter of French culture and implemented a range of costly "Grands Projets". However, faced with economic tensions, he soon abandoned his nationalization programme, in favour of austerity and market liberalization policies. In 1985, he was faced with a major controversy after ordering the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace vessel docked in Auckland. Later in 1991, he became the first French President to appoint a female prime minister, Édith Cresson. During his presidency, Mitterrand was twice forced by the loss of a parliamentary majority into "cohabitation governments" with conservative cabinets led, respectively, by Jacques Chirac (1986–1988), and Édouard Balladur (1993–1995).

Mitterrand’s foreign and defence policies built on those of his Gaullist predecessors, except in regard to their reluctance to support European integration, which he reversed. His partnership with German chancellor Helmut Kohl advanced European integration via the Maastricht Treaty, and he accepted German reunification.

Less than eight months after leaving office, he died from the prostate cancer he had successfully concealed for most of his presidency. Beyond making the French Left electable, Mitterrand presided over the rise of the Socialist Party to dominance of the left, and the decline of the once-dominant Communist Party.[b]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Mitterrand

Pope Francis (Latin: Franciscus; Italian: Francesco; Spanish: Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio;[b] 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State. He is the first pope from the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit Order), the first from the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere, and the first born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century papacy of the Syrian pope Gregory III.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bergoglio worked for a time as a bouncer and a janitor before training to become a chemist and working as a technician in a food science laboratory. After recovering from a severe case of pneumonia and cysts, he was inspired to join the Jesuits in 1958. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969; from 1973 to 1979, he was the Jesuit provincial superior in Argentina. He became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. He led the Argentine Church during the December 2001 riots in Argentina; the administrations of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner considered him to be a political rival.

Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on 13 March. He chose Francis as his papal name in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi. Throughout his public life, Francis has been noted for his humility, emphasis on God's mercy, international visibility as pope, concern for the poor and commitment to interreligious dialogue. He is known for having a less formal approach to the papacy than his predecessors by, for instance, choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guest house rather than in the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by previous popes.[2]

Francis has made women full members of dicasteries in the Roman Curia.[3][4] He maintains that the Catholic Church should be more sympathetic toward members of the LGBT community and has stated that while blessings of same-sex unions are not permitted, the individuals can be blessed as long as blessings are not given in a liturgical context.[5] Francis is a critic of unbridled capitalism, consumerism, and overdevelopment;[6] he has made action on climate change a leading focus of his papacy.[7] He is widely interpreted as denouncing the death penalty as intrinsically evil[8] and has termed it "an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person" and "inadmissible", stating additionally that the Catholic Church is committed to its abolition.[9] There can be "no going back from this position", he observed.[10]

In international diplomacy, Francis has criticized the rise of right-wing populism, called for the decriminalization of homosexuality (though still considering same-sex acts as sinful),[11] helped to restore full diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba, negotiated a deal with China to define how much influence the Communist Party has in appointing Chinese bishops, and has supported the cause of refugees during the European and Central American migrant crises. He has called on the Western world to increase immigration levels significantly.[12][13] In 2022, he apologized for the Church's role in the "cultural genocide" of the Canadian indigenous peoples.[14] On 4 October 2023, Francis convened the beginnings of the Synod on Synodality which was described as the culmination of his papacy and the most important event in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council.[4][15][16] Pope Francis is the first pope to publish a memoir, Hope, which was released on 14 January 2025.[17]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Francis

https://www.facebook.com/billy.dunn.50767/posts/pfbid0F9FvNgCHLtmzc2p4MK6i4rm9D2uyGm9oUFqztydUfqszEBNLPYBTE35RNsprJrSRl

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Living in a democracy is about recognizing that our point of view won't always win out, but continuing to fight for the change we believe in.

Since the last election, the foundational principles of our democracy have been challenged, and it would be easy to give in to fear and despair.

But the change we seek -- the change we need -- will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time.

The best way to make a difference is to get up and do something. Don't wait for the next election. Go out and make a difference right now.

Because through your action, you will fill others with hope. And you might just fill yourself with hope.

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In the face of steep odds, it’s always been the people who love this country who change it. Thank you for reading, and for your action today.

Barack Obama

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Remarks by President Obama and His Holiness Pope Francis at Arrival Ceremony

South Lawn

9:32 A.M. EDT

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Good morning.  

AUDIENCE:  Good morning!  (Applause.)  

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  What a beautiful day the Lord has made.  Holy Father, on behalf of Michelle and myself, welcome to the White House.  (Applause.)  I should explain that our backyard is not typically this crowded -- (laughter) -- but the size and spirit of today’s gathering is just a small reflection of the deep devotion of some 70 million American Catholics.  (Applause.)  It reflects, as well, the way that your message of love and hope has inspired so many people across our nation and around the world.  So on behalf of the American people, it is my great honor and privilege to welcome you to the United States of America.  (Applause.)   

Today, we mark many firsts.  Your Holiness, you have been celebrated as the first Pope from the Americas.  (Applause.) This is your first visit to the United States.  (Applause.)  And you are also the first pontiff to share an encyclical through a Twitter account.  (Laughter.)    

Holy Father, your visit not only allows us, in some small way, to reciprocate the extraordinary hospitality that you extended to me at the Vatican last year.  It also reveals how much all Americans, from every background and every faith, value the role that the Catholic Church plays in strengthening America.  (Applause.)  From my time working in impoverished neighborhoods with the Catholic Church in Chicago, to my travels as President, I’ve seen firsthand how, every single day, Catholic communities, priests, nuns, laity are feeding the hungry, healing the sick, sheltering the homeless, educating our children, and fortifying the faith that sustains so many.  

And what is true in America is true around the world.  From the busy streets of Buenos Aires to the remote villages in Kenya, Catholic organizations serve the poor, minister to prisoners, build schools, build homes, operate orphanages and hospitals.  And just as the Church has stood with those struggling to break the chains of poverty, the Church so often has given voice and hope to those seeking to break the chains of violence and oppression.  

And yet, I believe the excitement around your visit, Holy Father, must be attributed not only to your role as Pope, but to your unique qualities as a person.  (Applause.)  In your humility, your embrace of simplicity, in the gentleness of your words and the generosity of your spirit, we see a living example of Jesus’ teachings, a leader whose moral authority comes not just through words but also through deeds.  (Applause.)   

You call on all of us, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, to put the “least of these” at the center of our concerns.  You remind us that in the eyes of God our measure as individuals, and our measure as a society, is not determined by wealth or power or station or celebrity, but by how well we hew to Scripture’s call to lift up the poor and the marginalized -- (applause) -- to stand up for justice and against inequality, and to ensure that every human being is able to live in dignity –- because we are all made in the image of God.  (Applause.)  

You remind us that “the Lord’s most powerful message” is mercy.  And that means welcoming the stranger with empathy and a truly open heart –- (applause) -- from the refugee who flees war-torn lands to the immigrant who leaves home in search of a better life.  (Applause.)  It means showing compassion and love for the marginalized and the outcast, to those who have suffered, and those who have caused suffering and seek redemption.  You remind us of the costs of war, particularly on the powerless and defenseless, and urge us toward the imperative of peace.  (Applause.)  

Holy Father, we are grateful for your invaluable support of our new beginning with the Cuban people -- (applause) -- which holds out the promise of better relations between our countries, greater cooperation across our hemisphere, and a better life for the Cuban people.  We thank you for your passionate voice against the deadly conflicts that ravage the lives of so many men, women and children, and your call for nations to resist the sirens of war and resolve disputes through diplomacy. 

You remind us that people are only truly free when they can practice their faith freely.  (Applause.)  Here in the United States, we cherish religious liberty.  It was the basis for so much of what brought us together.  And here in the United States, we cherish our religious liberty, but around the world, at this very moment, children of God, including Christians, are targeted and even killed because of their faith.  Believers are prevented from gathering at their places of worship.  The faithful are imprisoned, and churches are destroyed.  So we stand with you in defense of religious freedom and interfaith dialogue, knowing that people everywhere must be able to live out their faith free from fear and free from intimidation.  (Applause.)  

And, Holy Father, you remind us that we have a sacred obligation to protect our planet, God’s magnificent gift to us.  (Applause.)  We support your call to all world leaders to support the communities most vulnerable to changing climate, and to come together to preserve our precious world for future generations.  (Applause.)

Your Holiness, in your words and deeds, you set a profound moral example.  And in these gentle but firm reminders of our obligations to God and to one another, you are shaking us out of complacency.  All of us may, at times, experience discomfort when we contemplate the distance between how we lead our daily lives and what we know to be true, what we know to be right.  But I believe such discomfort is a blessing, for it points to something better.  You shake our conscience from slumber; you call on us to rejoice in Good News, and give us confidence that we can come together in humility and service, and pursue a world that is more loving, more just, and more free.  Here at home and around the world, may our generation heed your call to “never remain on the sidelines of this march of living hope.”

For that great gift of hope, Holy Father, we thank you, and welcome you, with joy and gratitude, to the United States of America.  (Applause.)

HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS:  Good morning.

AUDIENCE:  Good morning!

HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS:  Mr. President, I am deeply grateful for your welcome in the name of the all Americans.  As a son of an immigrant family, I am happy to be a guest in this country, which was largely built by such families.  (Applause.)

I look forward to these days of encounter and dialogue in which I hope to listen to and share many of the hopes and dreams of the American people.  During my visit, I will have the honor of addressing Congress, where I hope, as a brother of this country, to offer words of encouragement to those called to guide the nation’s political future in fidelity to its founding principles.  I will also travel to Philadelphia for the eighth World Meeting of Families to celebrate and support the institutions of marriage and the family at this critical moment in the history of our civilization.  (Applause.) 

Mr. President, together with their fellow citizens, American Catholics are committed to building a society which is truly tolerant and inclusive, to safeguarding the rights of individuals and communities, and to rejecting every form of unjust discrimination.  (Applause.)  With countless other people of good will, they are likewise concerned that efforts to build a just and wisely ordered society respect their deepest concerns and the right to religious liberty.  (Applause.)  That freedom reminds one of America’s most precious possessions.  And, as my brothers, the United States Bishops, have reminded us, all are called to be vigilant, precisely as good citizens, to preserve and defend that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it.  (Applause.)  

Mr. President, I find it encouraging that you are proposing an initiative for reducing air pollution.  (Applause.)  Accepting the urgency, it seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to our future generation.  (Applause.)  When it comes to the care of our common home, we are living at a critical moment of history.  We still have time to make the change needed to bring about a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change.  (Applause.)  

Such change demands on our part a serious and responsible recognition not only of the kind of world we may be leaving to our children, but also to the millions of people living under a system which has overlooked them.  Our common home has been part of this group of the excluded, which cries out to heaven and which today powerfully strikes our homes, our cities, our societies.  To use a telling phrase of the Reverend Martin Luther King, we can say that we have defaulted on a promissory note, and now is the time to honor it.  (Applause.) 

We know by faith that the Creator does not abandon us; He never forsakes his loving plan or repents of having created us. Humanity has the ability to work together in building our common home.  As Christians inspired by this certainty, we wish to commit ourselves to the conscious and responsible care of our common home.

Mr. President, the efforts which were recently made to mend broken relationships and to open new doors to cooperation within our human family represent positive steps along the path of reconciliation, justice and freedom. 

I would like all men and women of good will in this great nation to support the efforts of the international community to protect the vulnerable in our world and to stimulate integral and inclusive models of development -- (applause) -- so that our brothers and sisters everywhere may know the blessings of peace and prosperity which God wills for all his children.

Mr. President, once again I thank you for your welcome, and I look forward to these days in your country.  God bless America.  (Applause.)  

END 

9:53 A.M. EDT

https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/09/23/remarks-president-obama-and-his-holiness-pope-francis-arrival-ceremony

Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word Σείριος (Latin script: Seirios), meaning lit. 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbreviated α CMa or Alpha CMa. With a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46, Sirius is almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next brightest star. Sirius is a binary star consisting of a main-sequence star of spectral type A0 or A1, termed Sirius A, and a faint white dwarf companion of spectral type DA2, termed Sirius B. The distance between the two varies between 8.2 and 31.5 astronomical units as they orbit every 50 years.[25]

Sirius appears bright because of its intrinsic luminosity and its proximity to the Solar System. At a distance of 2.64 parsecs (8.6 ly), the Sirius system is one of Earth's nearest neighbours. Sirius is gradually moving closer to the Solar System and it is expected to increase in brightness slightly over the next 60,000 years to reach a peak magnitude of −1.68. Coincidentally, at about the same time, Sirius will take its turn as the southern Pole Star, around the year 66,270 AD. In that year, Sirius will come to within 1.6 degrees of the south celestial pole. This is due to axial precession and proper motion of Sirius itself which moves slowly in the SSW direction, so it will be visible from the southern hemisphere only. [26] After that time, its distance will begin to increase, and it will become fainter, but it will continue to be the brightest star in the Earth's night sky for approximately the next 210,000 years, at which point Vega, another A-type star that is intrinsically more luminous than Sirius, becomes the brightest star.[27]

Sirius A is about twice as massive as the Sun (M☉) and has an absolute visual magnitude of +1.43. It is 25 times as luminous as the Sun,[18] but has a significantly lower luminosity than other bright stars such as Canopus, Betelgeuse, or Rigel. The system is between 200 and 300 million years old.[18] It was originally composed of two bright bluish stars. The initially more massive of these, Sirius B, consumed its hydrogen fuel and became a red giant before shedding its outer layers and collapsing into its current state as a white dwarf around 120 million years ago.[18]

Sirius is colloquially known as the "Dog Star", reflecting its prominence in its constellation, Canis Major (the Greater Dog).[19] The heliacal rising of Sirius marked the flooding of the Nile in Ancient Egypt and the "dog days" of summer for the ancient Greeks, while to the Polynesians, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, the star marked winter and was an important reference for their navigation around the Pacific Ocean.

Observational history

X1

N14 M44

Sirius

Spdt

in hieroglyphs

As the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius appears in some of the earliest astronomical records. Its displacement from the ecliptic causes its heliacal rising to be remarkably regular compared to other stars, with a period of almost exactly 365.25 days holding it constant relative to the solar year. This rising occurs at Cairo on 19 July (Julian), placing it just before the onset of the annual flooding of the Nile during antiquity.[28] Owing to the flood's own irregularity, the extreme precision of the star's return made it important to the ancient Egyptians,[28] who worshipped it as the goddess Sopdet (Ancient Egyptian: Spdt, "Triangle";[a] Ancient Greek: Σῶθις}, Sō̂this), guarantor of the fertility of their land.[b]

The ancient Greeks observed that the appearance of Sirius as the morning star heralded the hot and dry summer and feared that the star caused plants to wilt, men to weaken, and women to become aroused.[30] Owing to its brightness, Sirius would have been seen to twinkle more in the unsettled weather conditions of early summer. To Greek observers, this signified emanations that caused its malignant influence. Anyone suffering its effects was said to be "star-struck" (ἀστροβόλητος, astrobólētos). It was described as "burning" or "flaming" in literature.[31] The season following the star's reappearance came to be known as the "dog days".[32] The inhabitants of the island of Ceos in the Aegean Sea would offer sacrifices to Sirius and Zeus to bring cooling breezes and would await the reappearance of the star in summer. If it rose clear, it would portend good fortune; if it was misty or faint then it foretold (or emanated) pestilence. Coins retrieved from the island from the 3rd century BC feature dogs or stars with emanating rays, highlighting Sirius's importance.[31]

The Romans celebrated the heliacal setting of Sirius around 25 April, sacrificing a dog, along with incense, wine, and a sheep, to the goddess Robigo so that the star's emanations would not cause wheat rust on wheat crops that year.[33]

Bright stars were important to the ancient Polynesians for navigation of the Pacific Ocean. They also served as latitude markers; the declination of Sirius matches the latitude of the archipelago of Fiji at 17°S and thus passes directly over the islands each sidereal day.[34] Sirius served as the body of a "Great Bird" constellation called Manu, with Canopus as the southern wingtip and Procyon the northern wingtip, which divided the Polynesian night sky into two hemispheres.[35] Just as the appearance of Sirius in the morning sky marked summer in Greece, it marked the onset of winter for the Māori, whose name Takurua described both the star and the season. Its culmination at the winter solstice was marked by celebration in Hawaii, where it was known as Ka'ulua, "Queen of Heaven". Many other Polynesian names have been recorded, including Tau-ua in the Marquesas Islands, Rehua in New Zealand, and Ta'urua-fau-papa "Festivity of original high chiefs" and Ta'urua-e-hiti-i-te-tara-te-feiai "Festivity who rises with prayers and religious ceremonies" in Tahiti.[36]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius

In ancient Roman religion, Ceres (/ˈsɪəriːz/ SEER-eez,[1][2] Latin: [ˈkɛreːs]) was a goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships.[3] She was originally the central deity in Rome's so-called plebeian or Aventine Triad, then was paired with her daughter Proserpina in what Romans described as "the Greek rites of Ceres". Her seven-day April festival of Cerealia included the popular Ludi Ceriales (Ceres' games). She was also honoured in the May lustration (lustratio) of the fields at the Ambarvalia festival: at harvesttime: and during Roman marriages and funeral rites. She is usually depicted as a mature woman.

Ceres is the only one of Rome's many agricultural deities to be listed among the Dii Consentes, Rome's equivalent to the Twelve Olympians of Greek mythology. The Romans saw her as the counterpart of the Greek goddess Demeter,[4] whose mythology was reinterpreted for Ceres in Roman art and literature.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_(mythology)

In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus (Latin: [ˈroːmʊlʊs], [ˈrɛmʊs]) are twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the founding of the city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his fratricide of Remus. The image of a she-wolf suckling the twins in their infancy has been a symbol of the city of Rome and the ancient Romans since at least the 3rd century BC. Although the tale takes place before the founding of Rome around 750 BC, the earliest known written account of the myth is from the late 3rd century BC. Possible historical bases for the story, and interpretations of its local variants, are subjects of ongoing debate.

Overview

Romulus and Remus were born in Alba Longa, one of the many ancient Latin cities near the Seven hills of Rome. Their mother Rhea Silvia, also known as Ilia,[2] was a Vestal Virgin and the daughter of former king Numitor, who had been displaced by his brother Amulius. In some sources, Rhea Silvia conceived them when the god Mars visited her in a sacred grove dedicated to him.[3]

Seeing them as a possible threat to his rule, King Amulius ordered them to be killed and they were abandoned on the bank of the river Tiber to die. They were saved by the god Tiberinus, Father of the River, and survived with the care of others at the site of future Rome. In the best-known episode, the twins were suckled by a she-wolf in a cave now known as the Lupercal.[4] Eventually, they were adopted by Faustulus, a shepherd. They grew up tending flocks, unaware of their true identities. Over time, they became natural leaders and attracted a company of supporters from the community.

When they were young adults, they became involved in a dispute between supporters of Numitor and Amulius. As a result, Remus was taken prisoner and brought to Alba Longa. Both his grandfather and the king suspected his true identity. Romulus, meanwhile, had organized an effort to free his brother and set out with help for the city. During this time, they learned of their past and joined forces with their grandfather to restore him to the throne. Amulius was killed and Numitor was reinstated as king of Alba. The twins set out to build a city of their own.

After arriving back in the area of the seven hills, they disagreed about the hill upon which to build. Romulus preferred the Palatine Hill, above the Lupercal; Remus preferred the Aventine Hill. When they could not resolve the dispute, they agreed to seek the gods' approval through a contest of augury. Remus saw 6 auspicious birds, but Romulus saw 12 and claimed to have won divine approval. They disputed the result; Remus insulted Romulus' new city and was killed, either by Romulus or by one of his supporters.[5] Romulus then went on to found the city of Rome, its institutions, government, military, and religious traditions. He reigned for many years as its first king.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romulus_and_Remus

In Canaanite mythology there were twin mountains as a recurring motif. W. F. Albright, for example, says that El Shaddai is a derivation of a Semitic stem that appears in the Akkadian shadû ('mountain') and shaddā'û or shaddû'a ('mountain-dweller'), one of the names of Amurru. Philo of Byblos states that Atlas was one of the elohim, which would clearly fit into the story of El Shaddai as "God of the Mountain(s)". Harriet Lutzky has presented evidence that Shaddai was an attribute of a Semitic goddess, linking the epithet with Hebrew šad, 'breast', as "the one of the breast". The idea of two mountains being associated here as the breasts of the Earth, fits into the Canaanite mythology quite well. The ideas of pairs of mountains seem to be quite common in Canaanite mythology. The late period of this cosmology makes it difficult to tell what influences (Roman, Greek, or Hebrew) may have informed Philo's writings.

Mythology

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In the Baal Cycle, Ba'al Hadad is challenged by and defeats Yam using two magical weapons (called "Driver" and "Chaser") made for him by Kothar-wa-Khasis. Afterward, with the help of Athirat and Anat, Ba'al persuades El to allow him a palace. El approves, and the palace is built by Kothar-wa-Khasis. After the palace is constructed, Ba'al gives forth a thunderous roar out of the palace window and challenges Mot. Mot enters through the window and swallows Ba'al, sending him to the underworld. With no one to give rain, there is a terrible drought in Ba'al's absence. The other deities, especially El and Anat, are distraught that Ba'al had been taken to the underworld. Anat goes to the underworld, attacks Mot with a knife, grinds him up into pieces, and scatters him far and wide. With Mot defeated, Ba'al is able to return and refresh the Earth with rain.[9]

List of deities

A group of deities in a four-tier hierarchy headed by El and Asherah[a][b] were worshipped by the followers of the Canaanite religion; this is a detailed listing:[12]

Aglibol, god of the moon and brother of Malakbel. Part of a trio of gods of Palmyra, Syria, along with Bel and Yarhibol. Also part of another trio with Baalshamin and Malakbel.

Anat, virgin goddess of war and strife, sister and putative mate of Baʿal Hadad.

Arsay, goddess of the underworld, one of the three daughters of Ba'al Hadad.

Arsu, god of the evening star and twin brother of Azizos.

Asherah, queen consort of El (Ugaritic religion), Elkunirša (Hittite religion), Yahweh (Israelite religion), Amurru (Amorite religion), Anu (Akkadian religion) and 'Amm (Religion in pre-Islamic Arabia)[13] Symbolized by an Asherah pole in the Hebrew Bible.

Ashima, goddess of fate.

Ashtar-Chemosh, wife of Chemosh and goddess of the Moabites.

Astarte, goddess of war, hunting and love.

Atargatis, wife of Hadad, goddess of fertility and the chief goddess of northern Syria.

Attar, god of the morning star ("son of the morning") who tried to take the place of the dead Baal and failed. Male counterpart of Athtart.

Azizos, god of the morning star and twin brother of Arsu.

Ba'alah, the wife or female counterpart of Ba'al (also Belili).[14]

Ba'alat Gebal, goddess of Byblos, Phoenicia.

Ba'al Hammon, god of vegetative fertility and renewer of all energies of Ancient Carthage.

Ba'al Hermon, titular local deity of Mount Hermon.

Ba'al Shamin also called Baal Shamem and Baal Shamaim, supreme sky god of Palmyra, Syria whose temple was destroyed on 23 August 2015 by ISIL. His attributes were the eagle and the lightning bolt. Part of trinity of deities along with Aglibol and Malakbel.[15]

Ba'al Zebub, the lord of flies, more commonly known as Beelzebub. Worshiped by the inhabitants of Ekron, this deity was associated with vermin and pestilence.

Ba'al Zephon or Baʿal Ṣaphon, lord of the north. Alternate form of Ba'al Hadad as lord of Mount Zaphon.

Bel, or Bol,[16] was the chief god of Palmyra, Syria whose temple was destroyed on August 30, 2015, by ISIL.[17]

Bethel, who became popular during the Neo-Babylonian Empire in the Syria region and in the Samarian-Judean diaspora settlement of Elephantine, Egypt.

Chemosh, possibly one of the sons of El, a god of war and destruction and the national god of the Moabites and the Ammonites.

Dagon (Dagan) god of crop fertility and grain, father of Ba'al Hadad.

El, also called 'Il or Elyon ("Most High"), god of creation, husband of Athirat.[c][d]

Eshmun, god, or as Baalat Asclepius, goddess,[citation needed] of healing.

Gad, god of fortune.

Gupan and Ugar, messenger gods of the weather god Baal, who always appear as a pair.

Hadad, often known as Baʿal "Lord", god of storms, thunder, lightning and air. King of the gods. Uses the weapons Driver and Chaser in battle. Often referred to as Baalshamin.[19]

Haurun, an underworld god, co-ruler of the underworld, twin brother of Melqart, a son of Mot. Bethoron in Israel, takes its name from Horon.[citation needed]

Išḫara, a goddess of Eblaite origin.

Ishat, goddess of fire, wife of Moloch. She was slain by Anat.[20][21][22]

Kotharat, seven goddesses of marriage and pregnancy.

Kothar-wa-Khasis, the skilled god of craftsmanship, created Yagrush and Aymur (Driver and Chaser) the weapons used by the god Ba'al Hadad.

Lotan, the twisting, seven-headed serpent ally of Yam.

Malakbel, god of the sun, vegetation, welfare, angel of Bel and brother of Agilbol. Part of a trinity of deities in Palmyra, Syria along with Aglibol and Baalshamin.

Manuzi, god of weather and husband of Liluri. Bulls were sacrificed to both of them.

Marqod, god of dance.

Melqart, "king of the city", god of Tyre, the underworld and cycle of vegetation in Tyre, co-ruler of the underworld, twin brother of Horon and son of Mot.

Milcom, national god of the Ammonites.

Misor, twin brother of Sydyk.

Moloch, putative god of fire, husband of Ishat,[24] may be identified with Milcom.

Mot or Maweth, god of death (not worshiped or given offerings).

Nikkal-wa-Ib, goddess of orchards and fruit.

Pidray, goddess of light and lightning, one of the three daughters of Ba'al Hadad.[25]

Qadeshtu, lit. "Holy One", putative goddess of love, desire and lust. Also a title of Asherah.

Qos, national god of the Edomites.

Resheph, god of plague and of healing.

Shadrafa, god of medicine or healing.

Shachar and Shalim, twin mountain gods of dawn and dusk, respectively. Shalim was linked to the netherworld via the evening star and associated with peace.[26]

Shapash, also transliterated Shapshu, goddess of the sun; sometimes equated with the Mesopotamian sun god Shamash,[23](p418) whose gender is disputed. Some authorities consider Shamash a goddess.[27]

Sydyk, the god of righteousness or justice, sometimes twinned with Misor, and linked to the planet Jupiter.[28][29]

Tallai, the goddess of winter, snow, cold and dew, one of the three daughters of Ba'al Hadad.[30]

Yahweh (YHWH), national god of the Israelites and central figure of worship in Yahwism.

Yam (lit. 'sea-river') the god of the sea and rivers,[31] also called Judge Nahar (judge of the river).[32][33][34][full citation needed]

Yarhibol, solar god and "lord of the spring". Part of a trinity of co-supreme gods of Palmyra, Syria along with Aglibol and Bel.

Yarikh, god of the moon and husband of Nikkal. The city of Jericho was likely his cultic center.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canaanite_religion

Benben

In the creation myth of the Heliopolitan form of ancient Egyptian religion, Benben was the mound that arose from the primordial waters Nu upon which the creator deity Atum settled. The Benben stone (also known as a pyramidion) is the top stone of the pyramid. It is also related to the obelisk.

Primeval mound

In the Pyramid Texts, e.g. Utterances 587 and 600, Atum himself is at times referred to as "mound". It was said to have turned into a small pyramid, located in Heliopolis (Egyptian: Annu or Iunu), within which Atum was said to dwell. Other cities developed their own myths of the primeval mound. At Memphis, the god Tatenen, an earth god and the origin of "all things in the shape of food and viands, divine offers, all good things", was the personification of the primeval mound.

Benben stone

The Benben stone, named after the mound, was a sacred stone in the temple of Ra at Heliopolis (Egyptian: Annu or Iunu). It was the location on which the first rays of the sun fell. It is thought to have been the prototype for later obelisks, and the capstones of the great pyramids were based on its design. The capstone (the tip of the pyramid) is also called a pyramidion. In ancient Egypt, these were probably gilded so they shone in sunlight.[citation needed]

Many Benben stones, often carved with images and inscriptions, are found in museums around the world.

The bird deity Bennu, which was probably the inspiration for the phoenix, was venerated at Heliopolis, where it was said to be living on the Benben stone or on the holy willow tree.

According to Barry Kemp, the connection between the benben, the phoenix, and the sun may well have been based on alliteration: the rising, weben, of the sun sending its rays towards the benben, on which the bennu bird lives. Utterance 600, § 1652 of the Pyramid Texts speaks of Atum as you rose up, as the benben, in the Mansion of the Bennu in Heliopolis.[1]

Historical development

From the earliest times, the portrayal of Benben was stylized in two ways; the first was as a pointed, pyramidal form, which was probably the model for pyramids and obelisks. The other form was round-topped; this was probably the origin of Benben as a free standing votive object and an object of veneration.[2]

During the Fifth Dynasty, the portrayal of benben was formalized as a squat obelisk. Later, during the Middle Kingdom, this became a long, thin obelisk.

In the Amarna Period tomb of Panehesy, the benben is seen as a large, round-topped stela standing on a raised platform.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benben

A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically higher elevation on any surface. Artificial mounds have been created for a variety of reasons throughout history, including habitation (see Tell and Terp), ceremonial (platform mound), burial (tumulus), and commemorative purposes (e.g. Kościuszko Mound).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mound 

Bennu /ˈbɛnuː/[1] is an ancient Egyptian deity linked with the Sun, creation, and rebirth. He may have been the original inspiration for the phoenix legends that developed in Greek mythology.

According to Egyptian mythology, Bennu was a self-created being said to have played a role in the creation of the world. He was said to be the ba (personality component of the soul) of the sun deity Ra, and to have enabled the creative actions of Atum.[2] The deity was said to have flown over the waters of Nun that existed before creation, landing on a rock and issuing a call that determined the nature of creation. He was also a symbol of rebirth and, therefore, was associated with Osiris.[3]

Some of the titles of Bennu were "He Who Came Into Being by Himself",[2] and "Lord of Jubilees"; the latter epithet referring to the belief that Bennu periodically renewed himself like the sun was thought to do.[3] His name is related to the Egyptian verb wbn, meaning "to rise in brilliance" or "to shine".[2]

Depiction

The Pyramid Texts, which date to the Old Kingdom, refer to the 'bnw' as a symbol of Atum, and it may have been the original form of Bennu. In this word the shape of a bird used is definitely not that of a heron, but a small singing bird. The German Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache (Dictionary of the Egyptian Language) surmised that this might have been a Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava), but no clear reason is given.[2] However, the same bird is used in the spelling of a word 'bn.t' in a painted limestone relief wall fragment from the suntemple of the Vth Dynasty Old Kingdom king Niuserre. This hieroglyph clearly shows traces of blue-grey paint on much of the bird body, indicating that it referenced a different bird species. The shape and colour seem to point rather to a (Mediterranean) Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) for which, however, another name was in use: 'hn.t<y' (lit. 'the one of the canal'). It could be surmised that a Kingfisher flying low over water and shrieking loudly would be a reasonable mythical basis for the creator deity Atum of Heliopolis as having risen from the first dark waters, called Nun, in order to start his creation of the world. If so, the Kingfisher 'bnw' or 'bn.t' is a good match for the mythical and cultic Nile goose (I.e. 'smn') of the creator deity Amun in later periods, imagined to have been honking loudly in the primeval dark above the still waters in order to bring forth all creation by its voice.[citation needed]

New Kingdom artwork shows Bennu as a huge grey heron with a long beak and a two-feathered crest. Sometimes Bennu is depicted as perched on a benben stone (representing Ra and the name of the top stone of a pyramid) or in a willow tree (representing Osiris). Because of the connection with Osiris, Bennu sometimes wears the Atef crown,[3] instead of the solar disk.

Possible animal model

Remains of a giant, human-sized heron species, thought to have gone extinct around 1500 BC, were discovered in the United Arab Emirates in 1977.[4][5] It lived on the Arabian Peninsula and shared many characteristics with Bennu, and scientists believe it may have been the animal model for the deity. In reference to this, archaeologist Dr. Ella Hoch from the Geological Museum at Copenhagen University named it the Bennu heron (Ardea bennuides).[6]

Worship

Like Atum and Ra, Bennu was probably worshipped in the deitys’ cult centre at Heliopolis.[3] Bennu also appears on funerary scarab amulets as a symbol of rebirth.[2]

Connection with the Greek phoenix

The Greek historian Herodotus, writing about Egyptian customs and traditions in the fifth century BC, wrote that the people at Heliopolis described the "phoenix" to him. They said it lived for 500 years before dying, resuscitating, building a funerary egg with myrrh for the paternal corpse, and carrying it to the temple of the Sun at Heliopolis.[7] His description of the phoenix likens it to an eagle with red and gold plumage, reminiscent of the sun.[3]

Long after Herodotus, the theme of the fire, pyre, and ashes of the dying bird, ultimately associated with the Greek phoenix, developed in Greek traditions.

The name "phoenix" could be derived from "Bennu", and its rebirth and connections with the sun resemble the beliefs about Bennu; however, Egyptian sources do not mention a death of the deity.[2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennu 

Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster,[1][2] and, by extension, for the clock tower itself,[3] which stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England.[4] Originally known simply as the Clock Tower, it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The clock is a striking clock with five bells.[5]

The tower was designed by Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin in a Perpendicular Gothic Revival style and was completed in 1859. It is elaborately decorated with stone carvings and features symbols related to the four nations of the United Kingdom and the Anglo-Welsh Tudor dynasty. A Latin inscription celebrates Queen Victoria, in whose reign the palace was built.[6] The tower stands 316 feet (96 m) tall, and the climb from ground level to the belfry is 334 steps. Its base is square, measuring 40 feet (12 m) on each side. The dials of the clock are 22.5 feet (6.9 m) in diameter.

The clock uses its original mechanism and was the largest and most accurate four-faced striking and chiming clock in the world upon its completion.[7] It was designed by Edmund Beckett Denison and George Airy, the Astronomer Royal, and constructed by Edward John Dent and Frederick Dent. It is known for its reliability, and can be adjusted by adding or removing pre-decimal pennies from the pendulum. The Great Bell was cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry and weighs 13.5 long tons (13.7 tonnes; 15.1 short tons).[4] Its nickname is derived from that of Sir Benjamin Hall, who oversaw its installation, although it is sometimes attributed to heavyweight boxing champion Benjamin Caunt. There are four quarter bells, which chime on the quarter hours.

Big Ben is a British cultural icon. It is one of the most prominent symbols of the United Kingdom and parliamentary democracy,[8] and it is often used in the establishing shot of films set in London.[9] The clock tower has been part of a Grade I listed building since 1970 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.[10] The clock and tower were renovated between 2017 and 2021, during which the bells remained silent with few exceptions.[11]

Tower

History

Elizabeth Tower, originally named the Clock Tower, and popularly known as "Big Ben",[12] was built as a part of Charles Barry's design for a new Palace of Westminster after the old palace was largely destroyed by fire on 16 October 1834.[13] Although Barry was the chief architect of the neo-gothic palace, he turned to Augustus Pugin for the design of the Clock Tower, which resembles earlier Pugin designs, including one for Scarisbrick Hall in Lancashire.[14] Construction of the tower began on 28 September 1843. The building contractors were Thomas Grissell and Morton Peto. An inscribed trowel in the Parliamentary Archives records that Emily, sister of Peto's daughter-in-law, was given the honour of laying the first stone.[15] It was Pugin's last design before his descent into mental illness and death in 1852, and Pugin himself wrote, at the time of Barry's last visit to him to collect the drawings: "I never worked so hard in my life for Mr Barry for tomorrow I render all my designs for finishing his bell tower and it is beautiful".[16]

Design

Completed in 1859, the tower is designed in Pugin's Gothic Revival style and is 316 feet (96.3 m) high, making it the third tallest clock tower in the UK. Its dials (at the centre) are 180 feet (54.9 m) above ground level. The tower's base is square, measuring 40 feet (12.2 m) on each side,[17] resting on concrete foundations 12 feet (3.7 m) thick.[18] It was constructed using bricks clad on the exterior with sand-coloured Anston limestone from South Yorkshire, topped by a spire covered in hundreds of cast iron rooftiles.[19] There is a spiral staircase with 290 stone steps up to the clock room, followed by 44 to reach the belfry, and an additional 59 to the top of the spire.[17]

Above the belfry and the Ayrton Light are 52 shields decorated with national emblems of the four countries of the UK: the red and white rose of England's Tudor dynasty, the thistle of Scotland, shamrock of Northern Ireland, and leek of Wales. They also feature the pomegranate of Catherine of Aragon, first wife of the Tudor king Henry VIII; the portcullis, symbolising both Houses of Parliament;[20] and fleurs-de-lis, a legacy from when English monarchs claimed to rule France.[21]

A ventilation shaft running from ground level up to the belfry, which measures 16 feet (4.9 m) by 8 feet (2.4 m), was designed by David Boswell Reid, known as "the grandfather of air-conditioning". It was intended to draw cool, fresh air into the Palace of Westminster; in practice this did not work and the shaft was repurposed as a chimney, until around 1914.[22] The 2017–2021 conservation works included the addition of a lift (or elevator) that was installed in the shaft.[23]

Its foundations rest on a layer of gravel, below which is London Clay.[18] Owing to this soft ground, the tower leans slightly to the north-west by roughly 230 mm (9.1 in) over 55 m height, giving an inclination of approximately 1⁄240. This includes a planned maximum of 22 mm increased tilt due to tunnelling for the Jubilee line extension.[24] In the 1990s, thousands of tons of concrete were pumped into the ground underneath the tower to stabilise it during construction of the Westminster section of the Jubilee line.[25] It leans by about 500 mm (20 in) at the finial. Experts believe the tower's lean will not be a problem for another 4,000 to 10,000 years.[26]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben

phoenix

mythological bird

Phoenix, in ancient Egypt and in Classical antiquity, a fabulous bird associated with the worship of the sun. The Egyptian phoenix was said to be as large as an eagle, with brilliant scarlet and gold plumage and a melodious cry. Only one phoenix existed at any time, and it was very long-lived—no ancient authority gave it a life span of less than 500 years. As its end approached, the phoenix fashioned a nest of aromatic boughs and spices, set it on fire, and was consumed in the flames. From the pyre miraculously sprang a new phoenix, which, after embalming its father’s ashes in an egg of myrrh, flew with the ashes to Heliopolis (“City of the Sun”) in Egypt, where it deposited them on the altar in the temple of the Egyptian god of the sun, Re. A variant of the story made the dying phoenix fly to Heliopolis and immolate itself in the altar fire, from which the young phoenix then rose.

The Egyptians associated the phoenix with immortality, and that symbolism had a widespread appeal in late antiquity. The phoenix was compared to undying Rome, and it appears on the coinage of the late Roman Empire as a symbol of the Eternal City. It was also widely interpreted as an allegory of resurrection and life after death—ideas that also appealed to emergent Christianity.

In Islamic mythology the phoenix was identified with the ʿanqāʾ (Persian: sīmorgh), a huge mysterious bird (probably a heron) that was originally created by God with all perfections but thereafter became a plague and was killed."

https://www.britannica.com/topic/phoenix-mythological-bird 

The Story of the Vatican Obelisk

Saint Peter’s Square in front of Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican is one of the most famous landmarks in the world. Over 100,000 people have been known to squeeze into Saint Peter’s Square on occasions like Easter or midnight mass or after a conclave takes place and a new Pope makes his first appearance to the massive crowds on the square. However right in the center of Saint Peter’s Square, you will find a monument that is impossible to miss called an Egyptian Obelisk. These Obelisks were taken from Egypt by the Ancient Romans so it is rather ironic that right in the center of Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican is a stolen object. So what is an Egyptian Obelisk and why does the Vatican have one?

What is an Obelisk?

An Obelisk is a four-sided monument ending with a pyramid-like shape at the top which is traditionally carved out of one block of stone. Obelisks originally came from Ancient Egypt and were built to represent the immortality of the Pharaohs. They were usually placed in pairs at the entrance of Ancient Egyptian Temples. Although there are 28 ancient Obelisk’s in the world there are only six remaining in Egypt today. This is mainly because in Ancient Roman times the Roman Emperors ordered them to be taken from Egypt and brought back to Rome. Thirteen obelisks are scattered throughout Rome today where eight of them are originally from Ancient Egypt and five of them were built by the Ancient Romans with the largest being the Lateranense Obelisk in Piazza Di San Laterano in Rome. There are also Obelisks in New York, London, Istanbul, and most famously at the Place De La Concorde in Paris known as the Luxor Obelisk which was given as a gift in 1829 by the city of Rome.

The first obelisk that was taken from Egypt by the Ancient Romans is known as the Flaminian Obelisk and was placed on the Circus Maximus. The granite monument was taken from a temple in Heliopolis created in 1280 B.C under Ramses II. It was found buried at the Circus Maximus in 1587 and today stands in Piazza Del Popolo in Rome’s historic center.

The word “obelisk” is a Greek rather than an Egyptian word meaning a four-sided pillar. It was the Greek traveler Herodotus who was the first classical writer to describe these objects.

The Vatican Obelisk

The obelisk at the Vatican is right in the middle of Saint Peter’s Square and is said to be around 4,500 years old making it over 1,500 years older than the city of Rome. It is traditionally known as Caligula’s Obelisk as it was Caligula who in 37 A.D took the monument from Alexandria to have it placed in the Circus Caligula was constructing and which was later completed by Emperor Nero. The Circus was later known as the Circus of Nero where chariot races and many executions took place. In fact, it is in this area where the first Pope, Saint Peter, was crucified upsidedown in 64 A.D. under Nero’s reign. The Circus of Nero was built almost exactly where Saint Peter’s Basilica and Saint Peter’s Square are located today.

The Vatican Obelisk was moved to its current location between 1585 and 1586 under Pope Sixtus V and it is the only Obelisk that has remained standing since Ancient Roman times. Although the Obelisk was transported only a couple of hundred meters from its original location at the Circus of Nero to where it stands today it took 900 men and 140 horses five months to complete the task under the supervision of Domenico Fontana. The Vatican Obelisk is 83.6 feet (25.5 meters) tall and weighs 326 tonnes. The base is adorned with four lions and bronze eagles which were added in 1713.

St. Peter’s Square is free to visit so you can admire the obelisk at any time. If you want to see the original location of the Vatican obelisk and learn more about the Circus of Nero, you must take a Scavi Tour. This tour will bring you underneath Saint Peter’s Basilica and to the tomb of Saint Peter, passing by the center of the old circus along the way.

https://vaticantips.com/vatican-obelisk/

The Two Pillars

@emmandhook​ posted a very interesting analysis of Killian and Henry positioned as two pillars to Emma, which motivated me to make a quick research on the imagery and symbolism of it. I found such a rich material with so many possibilities, I’m impressed and will share some of them here (I find the High Priestess between two Pillars particularly endearing and fascinating)

“The concept of twin pillars standing at the gates of sacred places can be traced back to ancient civilizations of Antiquity (some claim from Atlantis, the lost source of Hermetic knowledge).

A Gateway

The symbol of the twin pillars have, since time immemorial, guarded the gateways to holy places and mysterious realms. They mark the passage towards the unknown and the otherworldly. In ancient Greece, The Pillars of Hercules was the phrase that was applied to the promontories that flank the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. The northern Pillar is the Rock of Gibraltar in the British territory of Gibraltar.

The Pillars of Hercules guarding the passage towards the unknown.

According to Plato’s account, the lost realm of Atlantis was situated beyond the Pillars of Hercules, in effect placing it in the realm of the Unknown. Renaissance tradition says the pillars bore the warning Nec plus ultra (also Non plus ultra, “nothing further beyond”), serving as a warning to sailors and navigators to go no further. Symbolically, going beyond the Pillars of Hercules can mean leaving the foulness of the material world to reach a higher realm of enlightenment.

The two columns called the “Pillars of Hercules” in Ancient Greece stood at the gateway to the sphere of the enlightened

The frontispiece of Francis Bacon’s “New Atlantis” featuring the Pillars of Hercules as a gateway to a new world. According to occult lore, Atlantis is the civilization from which all hermetic knowledge emerged. The rebirth of this lost kingdom has been the dream of Mystery schools for centuries.

“The city of the philosophic elect rises from the highest mountain peak of the earth, and here the gods of the wise dwell together in everlasting felicity. In the foreground are the symbolic pillars of Hercules which appear on the title page of Bacon’s Novum Organum, and between them runs the path which leads upward from the uncertainties of earth to that perfect order which is established in the sphere of the enlightened.”

In Freemasonry

The Masonic usage of the terms Jachin and Boaz originates from the Biblical account of King Solomon’s Temple. The master builder of the Temple of Solomon was Hiram Abiff, a prominent figure in Masonic ritual. The verses 1 Kings 6:1-38, 1 Kings Chapter 7, and Chapter 8 describe the dimensions, the construction and the dedication of the Temple under Solomon. One passage describes more specifically the twin pillars standing in front of King Solomon’s Temple.

15 For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about.

16 And he made two chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one chapiter was five cubits, and the height of the other chapiter was five cubits:

17 And nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other chapiter.

18 And he made the pillars, and two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the chapiters that were upon the top, with pomegranates: and so did he for the other chapiter.

19 And the chapiters that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the porch, four cubits.

20 And the chapiters upon the two pillars had pomegranates also above, over against the belly which was by the network: and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about upon the other chapiter.

21 And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz.

22 And upon the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished.

– 1 Kings Chapter 7

The account of Solomon’s Temple is of great importance in Freemasonry as each detail of the building holds an important esoteric meaning. The Twin pillars act as a “portal to the Mysteries” by standing on each side of the entrance to a sacred place.

“According to the ancient Rabbins, Solomon was an initiate of the Mystery schools and the temple which he built was actually a house of initiation containing amass of pagan philosophic and phallic emblems. The pomegranates, the palm-headed columns, the Pillars before the door, the Babylonian cherubim, and the arrangement of the chambers and draperies all indicate the temple to have been patterned after the sanctuaries of Egypt and Atlantis.” 

For this reason, Jachin and Boaz are prominently featured on Masonic buildings, monuments and documents. Here is Albert Pike’s description of the pillars in a text intended for new Masons:

“You entered the Lodge between two columns. They represent the two which stood in the porch of the Temple, on each side of the great eastern gateway. These pillars, of bronze, four fingers breadth in thickness, were, according to the most authentic account–that in the First and that in the Second Book of Kings, confirmed in Jeremiah– eighteen cubits high, with a capital five cubits high. The shaft of each was four cubits in diameter. A cubit is one foot and 707/1000. That is, the shaft of each was a little over thirty feet eight inches in height, the capital of each a little over eight feet six inches in height, and the diameter of the shaft six feet ten inches. The capitals were enriched by pomegranates of bronze, covered by bronze net-work, and ornamented with wreaths of bronze; and appear to have imitated the shape of the seed-vessel of the lotus or Egyptian lily, a sacred symbol to the Hindus and Egyptians. The pillar or column on the right, or in the south, was named, as the Hebrew word is rendered in our translation of the Bible, JACHIN: and that on the left BOAZ. Our translators say that the first word means, “He shall establish;” and the second, “In it is strength.”

These columns were imitations, by Khurum, the Tyrian artist, of the great columns consecrated to the Winds and Fire, at the entrance to the famous Temple of Malkarth, in the city of Tyre. It is customary, in Lodges of the York Rite, to see a celestial globe on one, and a terrestrial globe on the other; but these are not warranted, if the object be to imitate the original two columns of the Temple. The symbolic meaning of these columns we shall leave for the present unexplained, only adding that Entered Apprentices keep their working-tools in the column JACHIN; and giving you the etymology and literal meaning of the two names.

The word JACHIN, in Hebrew, probably pronounced Ya-kayan, and meant, as a verbal noun, He that strengthens; and thence, firm, stable, upright.

The word Boaz is Baaz which means Strong, Strength, Power, Might, Refuge, Source of Strength, a Fort. The prefix means “with” or “in,” and gives the word the force of the Latin gerund, roborando–Strengthening The former word also means he will establish, or plant in an erect position–from the verb Kun, he stood erect. It probably meant Active and Vivifying Energy and Force; and Boaz, Stability, Permanence, in the passive sense.”

The High Priestess of the Tarot sitting between Boaz and Jachin.

Esoteric Meaning

As with most occult symbols, the Masonic twin pillars conceal multiple layers of meaning, some intended for the profane and others divulged in higher degrees of Freemasonry. However, it is generally accepted that the Jachin and Boaz represent the equilibrium between two opposite forces.

“These were the names [Jachin and Boaz] of the two pillars cast from brass set up on the porch of King Solomon’s Temple. They were eighteen cubits in height and beautifully ornamented with wreaths of chainwork, nets, and pomegranates. On the top of each pillar was a large bowl – now erroneously called a ball or globe – one of the bowls probably containing fire and the other water. The celestial globe (originally the bowl of fire), surmounting the right-hand column (Jachin), symbolized the divine man; the terrestrial globe (the bowl of water), surmounting the left-hand column (Boaz), signified the earthly man. These two pillars respectively connote also the active and the passive expressions of Divine Energy, the sun and the moon, sulfur and salt, good and bad, light and darkness. Between them is the door leading into the House of God, and standing thus at the gates of Sanctuary they are a reminder that Jehovah is both an androgynous and an anthropomorphic deity. As two parallel columns they denote the zodiacal signs of Cancer and Capricorn, which were formerly placed in the chamber of initiation to represent birth and death – the extremes of physical life. They accordingly signify the summer and the winter solstices, now known to Freemasons under the comparatively modern appellation of the ‘two St. Johns.’”

“Alef is man; Bet is woman; 1 is the principle; 2 is the word; A is the active; B is the passive; the monad is BOAZ; the duad is JAKIN. In the trigrams of Fohi, unity is the YANG and the duad is the YIN.

BOAZ and JAKIN are the names of the two symbolical Pillars before the principal entrance of Solomon’s Kabalistic Temple. In the Kabalah these Pillars explain all mysteries of antagonism, whether natural, political or religious. They elucidate also the procreative struggle between man and woman, for, according to the law of Nature, the woman must resist the man, and he must entice or overcome her. The active principle seeks the passive principle, the plenum desires the void, the serpent’s jaw attracts the serpent’s tail, and in turning about upon himself, he, at the same time, flies and pursues himself. Woman is the creation of man, and universal creation is the bride of the First Principle.”

The permanent alliance of reason and faith will result not from their absolute distinction and separation, but from their mutual control arid their fraternal concurrence. Such is the significance of the two Pillars of Solomon’s Porch, one named JAKIN and the other BOAZ, one white and the other black. They are distinct and separate, they are even contrary in appearance, but if blind force sought to join them by bringing them close to one another, the roof of the temple would collapse. Separately, their power is one; joined, they are two powers which destroy one another. For precisely the same reason the spiritual power is weakened whensoever it attempts to usurp the temporal, while the temporal power becomes the victim of its encroachments on the spiritual. Gregory VII ruined the Papacy; the schismatic kings have lost and will lose the monarchy. Human equilibrium requires two feet; the worlds gravitate by means of two forces; generation needs two sexes. Such is the meaning of the arcanum of Solomon, represented by the two Pillars of the Temple, JAKIN and BOAZ.”

The union of the two pillars is said to generate a third pillar, one in the middle, which esoterically represents man and mankind.

“When the two columns find equilibrium between them it will signify the union of the Sushumna and the Kundalini. This sacred marriage will create a “Fire-Mist” to radiate throughout the human body, filling it will divine Light. It is then that humanity will become the third column of the Temple Wisdom. He/She will be a column formed by the combined forces of Strength (Jachin) and Beauty (Boaz). This act forms the Lost Word in the vibratory system of the soul’s physical embodiment.”

Qabbalistic Meaning

In Qabbalistic teachings, Jachin and Boaz represent the two pillars of Sepiroth, the Tree of Life.

“In the mysterious Sephirothic Tree of the Jews, these two pillars symbolize Mercy and Severity. Standing before the gate of King Solomon’s Temple, these columns had the same symbolic import as the obelisks before the sanctuaries of Egypt. When interpreted Qabbalistically, the names of the two pillars mean “In strength shall My House be established. “In the splendor of mental and spiritual illumination, the High Priest stood between the pillars as a mute witness to the perfect virtue of equilibrium – that hypothetical point equidistant from all extremes. He thus personified the divine nature of man in the midst of his compound constitution – the mysterious Pythagorean Monad in the presence of the Duad. On one side towered the stupendous column of the intellect; on the other, the brazen pillar of the flesh. Midway between these two stands the glorified wise man, but he cannot reach this high estate without first suffering upon the cross made by joining these pillars together. The early Jews occasionally represented the two pillars, Jachin and Boaz, as the legs of Jehovah, thereby signifying to the modern philosopher that Wisdom and Love, in their most exalted sense, support the whole order of creation – both mundane and supermundane.

The column on the right, which is called Jachin, has its foundation on Chochmah, the outpouring Wisdom of God; the three globes suspended from it are all masculine potencies. The column at the left is called Boaz. The three globes upon it are feminine and receptive potencies, for it is founded in Understanding, a receptive and maternal potency. Wisdom, it will be noted, is considered as radiant or outpouring, and Understanding as receptive, or something which is filled by the flowing of Wisdom. The three pillars are ultimately united in Malchuth, in which all the powers of the superior worlds are manifested.”

https://freechoicedreamer.tumblr.com/post/151623585409/the-two-pillars

Pope Francis Visits For Historic Multireligious Gathering

Pope Francis was joined by leaders from various religious traditions in a historic Multireligious Meeting for Peace at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum on Friday, September 25, 2015.

“I feel many different emotions standing here at ground zero, where thousands of lives were taken in a senseless act of destruction," said Pope Francis. “Here grief is palpable."

Pope Francis arrived just before 11:15 a.m. and met with a group of relatives of some of the nearly 3,000 victims on the 9/11 Memorial and offered condolences and prayers for healing. Pope Francis was then welcomed into the museum’s foundation hall by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York. Standing adjacent to the last column and with the slurry wall as his background, a symbol of this country’s resilience after 9/11, Pope Francis addressed the crowd with a prayer of remembrance for the victims of the September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993 terror attacks.

Pope Francis said, "God of love, compassion and healing look on us, people of many different faiths and religious traditions, who gather today in this hallowed ground, the scene of unspeakable violence and pain, we ask you in your goodness to give eternal light and peace to all who died here: the heroic first responders: our firefighters, police officers, emergency service workers, and Port Authority personnel, along with all the innocent men and women who were victims of this tragedy simply because their work or service brought them here on September 11, 2001."

As part of the program, reflections and meditations were read by a group of selected religious leaders. The Young People’s Chorus of New York City performed the song “Let there be peace on Earth.”

Before leaving the Museum, the Pope viewed some inspirational artifacts within the museum's historical exhibition, including an intersecting steel column and crossbeam known as the Cross at Ground Zero.

After lunch, Pope Francis will head to Our Lady Queen of Angels School in east Harlem where he will meet schoolchildren. He will then proceed through Central Park before conducting mass at Madison Square Garden. On Saturday, the Pope is scheduled to depart from NYC for Philadelphia.

By Hannah Coffman, Digital Content Manager

https://www.911memorial.org/connect/blog/pope-francis-visits-historic-multireligious-gathering

"Ignatius Loyola, a Catholic Priest, theologian and founder of the Jesuit Order of the Catholic Church in the 16th Century, said, among his many inspiring sayings, “Go forth and set the world on fire."

"Inferno (Italian: [iɱˈfɛrno]; Italian for "Hell") is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy. It is followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso. The Inferno describes Dante's journey through Hell, guided by the ancient Roman poet Virgil. In the poem, Hell is depicted as nine concentric circles of torment located within the Earth; it is the "realm ... of those who have rejected spiritual values by yielding to bestial appetites or violence, or by perverting their human intellect to fraud or malice against their fellowmen".[1] As an allegory, the Divine Comedy represents the journey of the soul toward God, with the Inferno describing the recognition and rejection of sin.[2]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferno_(Dante)

A Look at the Museum’s Memorial Hall 

“No Day Shall Erase You From the Memory of Time.”

This quote from Book IX of "The Aeneid" by the Roman poet Virgil suggests the transformative potential of remembrance and is indicative of the museum’s mission to honor and remember the victims of the attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. Each letter was forged from pieces of recovered World Trade Center steel by New Mexico artist Tom Joyce.These words are part of a larger art installation in the 9/11 Memorial Museum created in 2014 by artist Spencer Finch, titled “Trying to Remember the Color of the Sky on That September Morning.” The installation is the focal point for Memorial Hall, the area between the two main exhibitions at bedrock in the museum.Every one of the 2,983 watercolor squares is its own shade of blue – one for each of the 2001 and 1993 attack victims – and the artwork as a whole revolves around the idea of memory. Our own perception of the color blue might not be the same as that of another person. But, just like our perception of color, our memories share a common point of reference.By Jordan Friedman, 9/11 Memorial Research and Digital Projects Associate "

A Look at the Museum’s Memorial Hall | National September 11 Memorial & Museum (911memorial.org)

https://www.911memorial.org/connect/blog/look-museums-memorial-hall

"Rosicrucianism is a theosophy advanced by an invisible order of spiritual knights who in spreading Christian Hermeticism, Kabbalah, and Gnosis seek to enliven and to preserve the memory of Divine Wisdom, understood as a feminine flame of love called Sofia or Shekhinah, exoterically given as a fresh unfolded rose, yet, more akin to the BLUE fire of alchemy, the BLUE virgin. Rosicrucians have no organisation and there are no recognizable Rosicrucian individuals, but the order makes its presence known by leaving behind engrammatic writings in the genre of Hermetic-Platonic Christianity.1 The historical roots of Hermeticism is to be located in Ancient Egypt. Long before the rise of Christianity, Hermetic texts were structured around the belief that organisms contain sparks of a Divine mind unto which they each strive to attend. Things easily transform into others, thereby generating certain cyclical patterns, cycles that periodically renew themselves on a cosmic scale. These transformations of life and death were enacted in the Hermetic Mysteries in Ancient Egypt through the gods Isis, Horus, and Osiris. In the Alexandrian period these myths were reshaped into Hermetic discourses on the transformations of the self with Thot, the scribal god. These discourses were introduced in the west in 1474 when Marsilio Ficino translated the Hermetic Pimander from the Greek. The story of Christian Rosencreutz can be seen as a new version of these mysteries, specifically tempered by German Paracelsian philosophy on the Lion of the darkest night, a biblical icon for how the higher self lies slumbering in consciousness.2" Rose Cross Over The Baltic by Suzanne Ackerman

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vWI_uTVg5lzNCDm16itq-PLSavozNR_F/view?usp=sharing

"Around 1530, more than eighty years before the publication of the first manifesto, the association of cross and rose already existed in Portugal in the Convent of the Order of Christ, home of the Knights Templar, later renamed Order of Christ. Three bocetes were, and still are, on the abóboda (vault) of the initiation room. The rose can clearly be seen at the center of the cross.[34][35] At the same time, a minor writing by Paracelsus called Prognosticatio Eximii Doctoris Paracelsi (1530), containing 32 prophecies with allegorical pictures surrounded by enigmatic texts, makes reference to an image of a double cross over an open rose; this is one of the examples used to prove the "Fraternity of the Rose Cross" existed far earlier than 1614.[36]"

Rosicrucianism - Wikipedia 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosicrucianism 

“Rosa Jesuitica, oder Jesuitische Rottgesellen, das ist, Eine Frag ob die Zween Orden, der ganandten Ritter von der Neerscharen Jesu, und der Rosen-Creuzer ein einiger Ordensen: per J. P. D. a S. Jesuitarum Protectorum. Prague, 1620.” (4to). This is a truly curious tract upon the “relations of the Jesuits and the Rosicrucians."

Rosa jesuitica, oder, Jesuitische Rottgesellen (1620) - Google Drive 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dT28PyPUPfqDfC0iVg7nGFsle8vYBXLf/view 

"The Knight’s Templar was expelled from the Papacy in 1312 by Pope Clement V and Philip IV of France. The few Templars who escaped went to the powerful kingdom of Aragon and became known as the Order of the Calatrava, who would later align with the the Montessa. In 1534, a Spanish nobleman by the name of Ignatius Loyola would revive the Templars and call them the "Society of Jesus." Loyola was a Templar, and a member of a secret society called the "Alumbrados."  The third Superior General and co-founder of the order was Francis Borgia. The Borgia bloodline is part of the notorious "Black Nobility" which dates back to the ancient Ptolemaic period in history."

Exposing the Jesuits and the Papacy: The Jesuits are the revived Knights Templar (jesuitinquisition.blogspot.com) 

http://jesuitinquisition.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-jesuits-are-revived-knights-templar.html 

"The Order of Calatrava (Spanish: Orden de Calatrava, Portuguese: Ordem de Calatrava) was one of the four Spanish military orders and the first military order founded in Castile, but the second to receive papal approval. The papal bull confirming the Order of Calatrava was given by Pope Alexander III on September 26, 1164. Most of the political and military power of the order had dissipated by the end of the 15th century, but the last dissolution of the order's property did not occur until 1838.'

"Modern TimesIn 1931, once again unilaterally, the Second Spanish Republic suppressed the Spanish Orders. To survive, they had to resort to the Ley de Asociaciones Civiles ("Law of Civil Associations"), leading a precarious existence until the Concordat of 1953 recognized the Priory. Afterward, by the papal bull Constat militarium, the Priory was reduced to a mere title of the Bishop of Ciudad Real.In 1980, upon request by his august father, who was appointed Dean President of the Council, King Juan Carlos I by royal initiative caused the rebirth of the Orders. Under the Apostolic Pastoral Tertio millennio adveniente, the Spanish Orders began their renewal in 1996.Today, the aim of the Spanish Orders is basically the same as they had when founded: the defense of the Catholic faith. The sword has been put aside, but their doctrine, example, self-sanctification, and divine worship remain active, aside from their cultural and social activities.Their two hundred and fifty members guard the spirit and life of the Orders of Santiago, Calatrava, Alcántara, and Montesa under their Grand Master, King Felipe VI, and the Real Consejo de las Órdenes (Royal Council of the Orders) presided over by his Royal Highness Pedro of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria.[4]The Swiss luxury watchmaker Patek Philippe took the cross of the order in 1887 and established it as its company logo as a tribute to the knights, which remains until today.[5][6]""

Order of Calatrava - Wikipedia 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Calatrava

"The Oculus was positioned as part of the World Trade Center masterplan by Daniel Libeskind and designed by SANTIAGO CALATRAVA. The structure’s white metal-clad steel ribs reach up and out in a monumental move symbolic of a hand releasing a dove.The structure's orientation serves as a lasting reminder of the attacks of September 11, 2001. It is in alignment with the sun’s solar angles on each September 11, from 8:46 am, when the first plane struck, until 10:28 am, when the second tower collapsed. Its central skylight fits this alignment and washes the Oculus floor with a beam of light."

World Trade Center Oculus 

50 Church Street New York, NY 10007

Oculus Transportation Hub | World Trade Center (officialworldtradecenter.com) 

https://www.officialworldtradecenter.com/en/local/learn-about-wtc/oculus-transportation-hub.html 

Eataly NYC Downtown - Italian restaurant

101 Liberty St

New York, NY 10007

Bread-themed branch of the famed Italian market, offering counters, restaurants & cooking demos.

(212) 897-2895

Closed ⋅ Opens 7 AM Sat 

Eataly: authentic Italian products, restaurants, cooking classes | Eataly https://www.eataly.com/us_en

"Todd Morgan Beamer was an American passenger aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked and crashed as part of the September 11 attacks in 2001. He was one of the passengers who attempted to regain control of the aircraft from the hijackers."

"Following this, the passengers and flight crew decided to act.[1] According to accounts of cell phone conversations, Beamer, along with Mark Bingham, Tom Burnett, and Jeremy Glick, formed a plan to take the plane back from the hijackers.[10] They were joined by other passengers, including Lou Nacke, Rich Guadagno, Alan Beaven, Honor Elizabeth Wainio, Linda Gronlund, and William Cashman, along with flight attendants Sandra Bradshaw and CeeCee Lyles, in discussing their options and voting on a course of action, ultimately deciding to storm the cockpit and take over the plane.[1] Beamer told Jefferson that the group was planning to "jump on" the hijackers and fly the plane into the ground before the hijackers' plan could be followed through.[7][8] Beamer recited the Lord's Prayer and the 23rd Psalm with Jefferson, prompting others to join in. Beamer requested of Jefferson, "If I don't make it, please call my family and let them know how much I love them." After this, Jefferson heard muffled voices and Beamer clearly answering, "Are you ready? Okay. Let's ROLL." These were the last words spoken by Beamer heard by Lisa Jefferson.[1][8][9]"

Todd Beamer - Wikipedia 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Beamer

Jefferson Airplane - House at Pooneil Corners - Manhattan Rooftop Concert (1968) - YouTube 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuwMEiNg3B8 

"Jet Fuel Can't Melt Steel Beams" is an assertion made by September 11th, 2001 attack conspiracy theorists that the burning fuel from crashed planes would not have been able to melt the supporting beams of the World Trade Center. The claim is widely mocked online for being based on flawed evidence."

Jet Fuel Can't Melt Steel Beams | Know Your Meme 

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/jet-fuel-cant-melt-steel-beams 

"Six months after the Twin Towers fell, they returned in the form of two blue beams of light illuminating the Manhattan skyline. Since then, they have lit the sky annually as a Sept. 11 commemoration known as Tribute in Light. The tradition will continue this year to remember the 14th anniversary of the attacks."

A Look at Tribute in Light | National September 11 Memorial & Museum (911memorial.org) 

https://www.911memorial.org/connect/blog/look-tribute-light 

"A Blue Mass is a Mass celebrated annually throughout the United States[1] in the Catholic Church for those employed in the "public safety field" (i.e. police officers, firefighters, correctional officers, 911 operators and EMS personnel).[2] The color blue relates to the blue-colored uniforms predominantly used by these services.[3] Similar to the Red Mass, the service honors those who have died in the line of duty and those currently serving as first responders.[4] The Mass is an opportunity for the community to show gratitude to first responders and their families.[5]"

Blue Mass - Wikipedia 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Mass 

The story behind this image of slain Davis police officer Natalie CORONA

By Lisa Fernandez and KTVU Published January 12, 2019 Updated December 28, 2020 California KTVU FOX 2

DAVIS, Calif. (KTVU) - In the image, she's wearing a royal BLUE gown, carrying a black-striped American flag with a thin blue line streaked across it.

Her heels are high. Her hair is done. Her smile is beaming. And she's standing in the middle of Leesville Grade Road next to a field in Williams, Colusa County, population 21,000, in California's Central Valley, where her father was a sheriff's deputy and now a county supervisor.

It's this compelling photograph of slain Davis police officer Natalie Corona that circulated throughout the country on Friday, hours after the 22-year-old was shot to death by a suspect identified on Saturday as Kevin Douglas Limbaugh, 48. A note found on his bed inside his home, where he later killed himself, stated that he believed Davis police bombarded him with ultrasonic waves." 

The story behind this image of slain Davis police officer Natalie Corona (ktvu.com) 

https://www.ktvu.com/news/the-story-behind-this-image-of-slain-davis-police-officer-natalie-corona 

"Serge Monast (1945 – 5 or 6 December 1996[1][2]) was a Canadian investigative journalist, poet, essayist and conspiracy theorist. He is known to English-speaking readers mainly for the originating the conspiracy theory Project BLUE BEAM, which concerns an alleged plot to facilitate a totalitarian world government by destroying traditional religions and replacing them with a new-age belief system using NASA technology.[3][unreliable source?]"

Serge Monast - Wikipedia 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serge_Monast

SEPTEMBER 11, 1990 | CLIP OF PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS ON PERSIAN GULF 

George H.W. Bush describes the New World Order in his address to the US Congress on the Crisis in the Persian Gulf.

User Clip: George Bush defines the New World Order | C-SPAN.org 

https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4528359/user-clip-george-bush-defines-world-order 

"ROLLback of governments hostile to the U.S. took place during World War II (against Fascist Italy in 1943, Nazi Germany in 1945, and Imperial Japan in 1945), Afghanistan (against the Taliban in 2001), and Iraq (against Saddam Hussein in 2003). When directed against an established government, rollback is sometimes called "regime change".[2]"

Rollback - Wikipedia 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rollback  

"In 1917, the Virgin appeared in Fatima. "The Mother of God" was a smashing success, playing to overflow crowds. As a result, the Socialists of Portugal suffered a major defeat. "Roman Catholics world-wide began praying for the conversion of Russia and the Jesuits invented the Novenas to Fatima which they could perform throughout North Africa, spreading good public relations to the Muslim world. The Arabs thought they were honoring the daughter of Muhammad, which is what the Jesuits wanted them to believe. "As a result of the vision of Fatima, Pope Pius XII ordered his Nazi army to crush Russia and the Orthodox religion and make Russia Roman Catholic." A few years after he lost World war II, Pope Pius XII startled the world with his phoney dancing sun vision to keep Fatima in the news. It was great religious show biz and the world swallowed it. "Not surprisingly, Pope Pius was the only one to see this vision. As a result, a group of followers has grown into a BLUE Army world-wide, totaling millions of faithful Roman Catholics ready to die for the blessed virgin. "But we haven't seen anything yet. The Jesuits have their Virgin Mary scheduled to appear four or five times in China, Russia, and major appearance in the U.S.

"What has this got to do with Islam? 

Note Bishop Sheen's statement: "Our Lady's appearances at Fatima marked the turning point in the history of the world's 350 million Muslims. After the death of his daughter, Muhammad wrote that she "is the most holy of all women in Paradise, next to Mary." 

"He believed that the Virgin Mary chose to be known as Our Lady of Fatima as a sign and a pledge that the Muslims who believe in Christ's virgin birth, will come to believe in His divinity. 

"Bishop Sheen pointed out that the pilgrim virgin statues of Our Lady of Fatima were enthusiastically received by Muslims in Africa, India, and elsewhere, and that many Muslims are now coming into the Roman Catholic Church."

How the Vatican created Islam (remnantofgod.org) 

http://www.remnantofgod.org/books/docs/how-the-vatican-created-islam.pdf

EX-MAID: DIANA IS BURIED IN FORMER DOG CEMETERY

By

PUBLISHED: July 7, 1998 at 4:00 a.m. | UPDATED: July 29, 2021 at 9:16 p.m.

LONDON – Princess Diana is buried on land used for years as a pet cemetery and known to the staff at her childhood home as “Dog Island,” a former housekeeper for her family said in an article published on Monday. The leafy Oval Island at Althorp, the Spencer family’s rural estate, was used as a place to bury hunting dogs that belonged to Diana’s grandfather Jack, Maudie P ...

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1998/07/07/ex-maid-diana-is-buried-in-former-dog-cemetery/

THEY'VE BURIED DIANA ON DOG ISLAND; EXCLUSIVE: ALTHORP HOUSEKEEPER'S SHOCKING REVELATION; It was graveyard for Spencer family pets.

Link/Page Citation

IT WAS supposed to be the sacred final resting place of the Queen of Hearts.

In the coming months, 150,000 mourners will visit the leafy Oval Island at Althorp to pay their last respects to Princess Diana.

The island has been portrayed as a tranquil, unspoilt haven - a fitting memorial to a much-loved icon.

The shocking truth, reveals former Althorp housekeeper Maudie Pendrey today, is that the Princess is buried on land used for years as a pet cemetery.

For decades, the family's hunting dogs were interred in the makeshift graveyard, known to staff as Dogs' Island.

Maudie tells how headstones marking up to five animals belonging to Diana's grandfather Jack were removed to make way for her memorial.

She says: "I cannot believe Earl Spencer could be so heartless as to bury his sister in a dog burial ground. It is a desecration."

It is ten months since the flower-decked iron gates of Althorp closed on the waiting crowd as the funeral cortege entered. Since that day, Maudie, 74, has kept a sad, angry silence.

Now, as Earl Spencer charges pounds 9.50 for a glimpse of the island and a tour of the museum, she believes the public have a right to know.

For, as well as the site's disturbing background, she doubts that the Princess would have wanted to be buried at a stately home which held few happy memories for her. The sprawling estate reminded Diana only of the trauma of her parents' broken marriage and her lonely childhood, says Maudie.

Fighting back tears, she says: "Diana wanted to be with her father, whom she adored, in the family chapel at St Mary The Virgin in Great Brington.

"She was a real daddy's girl -- his favourite - and she never felt truly at home at Althorp. She really only lived here for a few years when she was a teenager.

"I knew her from the age of six and watched Diana with love and wonder as her compassion, beauty and determination made her the most famous woman in the world.

BUT she had left Althorp a long way behind her and I don't think she would have wanted to go back.

"The Princess always stayed in touch and never forgot my husband and I. But never once did she hint that she missed Althorp."

For more than 22 years, Maudie and butler husband Ainslie worked for the Spencer family. During that time, the island was always known as "Dogs' Island" because of the animals interred there.

A spokesman for Earl Spencer said: "We have identified from records in the house where three or four pets were buried on the island." But Maudie says there was no need to look up records because the gravestones were on the island until recently.

"I saw them. There were five dogs gravestones with their names on them. They were about 21/2ft high. Earl Jack was deeply sentimental about his dogs which is why he put up headstones.

"I understood there were other dogs buried there as well but without headstones.

"I saw the graves numerous times from the bank. They were very clear when the foliage fell in winter."

Even the Diana temple has a questionable history, says Maudie. During the Fifties, the 5th Earl Spencer, who was First Lord Of The Admiralty, bought the temple from Admiralty House gardens in London to stand on the banks of the lake.

Maudie says: "The temple originally cost about pounds 5. It was disused Government property.

"An ancestor paid a token sum so that it could not be suggested that he pinched it . Then it was dismantled and brought to Althorp."

Maudie was stunned when she first learned that the pet cemetery was to be consecrated by the Bishop of Peterborough, two days before Diana's burial: "My heart sank and I felt sick, knowing what had already been buried there."

If Diana could not lie in peace in the family church, Maudie says she should have been buried in London.

"Diana loved life in London from when she moved there as a teenager. I was surprised when Earl Charles said one of the reasons for burying her at Althorp was that it was her 'family home'.

APART from the fact she hardly lived there, he seemed to imply Althorp was a place of family peace, love and tranquillity. Not in the 22 years I was there.

"It was more a fiery, emotional, family frontline.

"Diana would often come with me to take the dogs for a walk. More than anything else she loved to walk around the grounds.

"But to my knowledge, she never once went on to the island or took any interest in it. She certainly never expressed any desire to be buried there." The ultimate irony, says Maudie, is that her brother Charles turned down Diana's request for a house on the estate to use as an "escape" six months after her separation from Prince Charles.

Yet he still chose a spot on it to bury her. Maudie says: "I am sure Diana would have given one of her knowing smiles at the irony of it all,

"There was a lack of welcome at Althorp when she was alive yet she is welcome there now she's dead."

Maudie first met Diana when she came with her father, sisters and brother for the weekend to see their grandfather.

"She was so sweet, polite and respectful. All four were, but Ainslie, my husband, picked out Diana. There was something as well as her shyness that touched him.

"They were all delightful but over the years as we watched Diana, she became even more of a favourite.

"It was her thoughtfulness as well as her shyness and vulnerability that appealed to us. When the old Earl died and Diana's father inherited Althorp, he had no idea how to run a stately home. His father had told him nothing so the new Earl said to my husband: 'We'll run it together'.

"It was obvious the new Earl loved his children. He had custody of them following his bitter divorce.

"There was no mother in the house so Diana became a bit closer to us than she might have done.

SHE was away at school but had weekends and holidays at Althorp. There would also be phone calls from her at school. We would know it was Diana when the operator asked: 'Will you accept reverse charges'?'

"She would have spent her allowance and be on the line with: 'Sorry, I've no money. Is it all right?'

"She would want to talk to her dad. More than once she said: 'I've got to go to a special party. Could I have some more money for a new dress?'

"Of course, he would say 'yes', because he adored Diana. It was always Daddy this and Daddy that. But she never took anyone or anything for granted.

"Home from school, she would appear at the butler's pantry - or Pen's pantry as she called it. She would say: 'I haven't got any money and I can't ask Daddy for any more'. So Pen - actually my husband - would give her some out of his own pocket.

"She slept in a black, old-fashioned iron bed in the nursery, which she picked out herself. We'd put fruit and flowers in her room and light a coal fire as it was not centrally heated."

From the house window, Maudie would often spot Diana peddling around the grounds on her bicycle.

"Two or three times when Diana was whizzing around Althorp on her bicycle. I would say: 'Do be careful, Lady Diana'. Once she said: 'Don't worry, Mrs Pendrey. Someone is looking after me up there'."

Years later, when old furniture from the house was being sold and Diana was a Princess, Maudie spotted the bike for sale for just pounds 10.

"I snapped it up instantly and I still ride it around the village," she says.

"It's as good as new and reminds me of happier times for Diana at Althorp."

https://www.thefreelibrary.com/THEY%27VE+BURIED+DIANA+ON+DOG+ISLAND%3B+EXCLUSIVE%3A+ALTHORP+HOUSEKEEPER%27S...-a060667315

Anubis (/əˈnjuːbɪs/;[3] Ancient Greek: Ἄνουβις), also known as Inpu, Inpw, Jnpw, or Anpu in Ancient Egyptian (Coptic: ⲁⲛⲟⲩⲡ, romanized: Anoup), is the god of funerary rites, protector of graves, and guide to the underworld, in ancient Egyptian religion, usually depicted as a canine or a man with a canine head.[4]

Like many ancient Egyptian deities, Anubis assumed different roles in various contexts. Depicted as a protector of graves as early as the First Dynasty (c. 3100 – c. 2890 BC), Anubis was also an embalmer. By the Middle Kingdom (c. 2055–1650 BC) he was replaced by Osiris in his role as lord of the underworld. One of his prominent roles was as a god who ushered souls into the afterlife. He attended the weighing scale during the "Weighing of the Heart", in which it was determined whether a soul would be allowed to enter the realm of the dead. Anubis is one of the most frequently depicted and mentioned gods in the Egyptian pantheon; however, few major myths involved him.[5]

Anubis was depicted in black, a color that symbolized regeneration, life, the soil of the Nile River, and the discoloration of the corpse after embalming. Anubis is associated with Wepwawet, another Egyptian god portrayed with a dog's head or in canine form, but with grey or white fur. Historians assume that the two figures were eventually combined.[6] Anubis' female counterpart is Anput. His daughter is the serpent goddess Kebechet.

Name

"Anubis" is a Greek rendering of this god's Egyptian name.[7][8] Before the Greeks arrived in Egypt, around the 7th century BC, the god was known as Anpu or Inpu. The root of the name in ancient Egyptian language means "a royal child." Inpu has a root to "inp", which means "to decay." The god was also known as "First of the Westerners," "Lord of the Sacred Land," "He Who is Upon his Sacred Mountain," "Ruler of the Nine Bows," "The Dog who Swallows Millions," "Master of Secrets," "He Who is in the Place of Embalming," and "Foremost of the Divine Booth."[9] The positions that he had were also reflected in the titles he held such as "He Who Is upon His Mountain," "Lord of the Sacred Land," "Foremost of the Westerners," and "He Who Is in the Place of Embalming."[10]

In the Old Kingdom (c. 2686 BC – c. 2181 BC), the standard way of writing his name in hieroglyphs was composed of the sound signs inpw followed by a jackal[a] over a ḥtp sign:[14]

i n

p w C6

A new form with the jackal on a tall stand appeared in the late Old Kingdom and became common thereafter:[14]

i n

p w E16

Anubis' name jnpw was possibly pronounced [aˈna.pʰa(w)], based on Coptic Anoup and the Akkadian transcription ⟨a-na-pa⟩ (𒀀𒈾𒉺) in the name <ri-a-na-pa> "Reanapa" that appears in Amarna letter EA 315.[15][16] However, this transcription may also be interpreted as rˁ-nfr, a name similar to that of Prince Ranefer of the Fourth Dynasty.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anubis

Diana

c. 1200, ancient Italian goddess of the moon, patroness of virginity and hunting, later identified with Greek Artemis, and through her with eastern goddesses such as Diana of Ephesus. From Late Latin Diana, on Old Latin Jana. The name is explained as *Diwjana, from *diw-yo-, from PIE root *dyeu- "to shine," in derivatives "sky, heaven, god," in reference to the shining moon, or from dius "godly."

also from c. 1200

https://www.etymonline.com/word/Diana

Deanna

Either a variant of Diana or a feminine form of Dean. This name was popularized by the Canadian actress and singer Deanna Durbin (1921-2013), whose birth name was Edna. Her stage name was a rearrangement of the letters of her real name.

https://www.behindthename.com/name/deanna

"Candle in the Wind" is a threnody written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was originally written in 1973, in honour of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier.[1]

In 1997, John performed a rewritten version of the song, "Candle in the Wind 1997", as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine listed the original version of the song at No. 347 of its 500 greatest songs of all time.[2]

Original version

The original version, which is in the key of E major appeared on John's 1973 album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and was released as a single in 1974. The lyrics of the song are a sympathetic portrayal of the life of Marilyn Monroe. The song's opening line "Goodbye, Norma Jean" refers to Monroe's real name, Norma Jeane (more commonly spelled Jean) Baker. Taupin was inspired to write the lyrics after hearing the phrase "candle in the wind" used by Clive Davis in tribute to Janis Joplin: "I just kept hearing this term [and] I thought, what a great way of describing someone’s life".[3]

In the Eagle Vision Classic Albums documentary on the making of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Taupin said the song is about "the idea of fame or youth or somebody being cut short in the prime of their life. The song could have been about James Dean, it could have been about Montgomery Clift, it could have been about Jim Morrison ... how we glamorise death, how we immortalise people."[4] Taupin has noted that the theory about him being a "rabid Marilyn Monroe fanatic" has been a common misconception: "It's not that I didn't have respect for her. It's just that the song could just as easily have been about James Dean or Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf. I mean, basically, anybody, any writer, actor, actress, or musician who died young and sort of became this iconic picture of Dorian Gray, that thing where they simply stopped aging. It's a beauty frozen in time."[3]

In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2014, Taupin disputed the implication that he was a Monroe fan: "She is absolutely not someone I admired a lot as a kid or anything. She was just a metaphor for fame and dying young, and people sort of overdoing the indulgence, and those that do die young". On the song itself, he stated: "I think it's one of the best marriages of lyric and melody that Elton and I have ever put together. But it doesn't change the fact that I wasn't particularly enamored by Marilyn Monroe."[5]

The single release of the original song reached No. 11 in the UK charts in 1974. At the time, it was not released as a single in the United States as "Bennie and the Jets" was chosen instead.

Legacy

This version was ranked No. 347 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004. In 2010, the ranking dropped to No. 356.[6]

During a concert on 7 April 1990 at Farm Aid IV, John dedicated the song to Ryan White, who had been suffering from AIDS. White died of AIDS complications the next day. John performed the song "Skyline Pigeon" at White's funeral.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candle_in_the_Wind

CHAPTER THE TWENTY-SECOND. OMINOUS CHARACTER OF THE COLOUR “WHITE” TO ENGLISH ROYALTY.

WE beg to premise that the following fears are not our belief, but that they are educed from old traditions—old as England. It is a very ancient idea, derived from the highest antiquity, that the colour “white”—which, considered in the mystic and occult sense, is feminine in its origin—is fateful in its effects sometimes; and that, as a particular instance of its unfortunate character, it is an unlucky colour for the royal house of England—at all events, for the king or queen of England personally— singular as the notion would appear to be. We are not aware whether this sinister effct of the ominous colour white is supposed to extend to the nation generally. It is limited, we believe, to the prince or sovereign of England, and to his immediate belongings. The name John, which comes from Iona, a remote feminine root, has also been reckoned unfortunate from the king’s name both in England and in France. The reason of this does not appear to be anywhere stated. The origin of the prophecy, also, as to the formidable character of the colour white to England is unknown; but it is imaginged to be at least as old as the time of Merlin. Thomas de Quincey, who takes notice of the prophecy of the “White King,” says of King Charles the First, that the foreboding of the misfortunes of this “White King” were supposed to have been fulfilled in his instance, because he was by accident clothed in white at his coronation; it being remembered afterwards that white was the ancient colour for a victim. This, in itself, was sufficiently formidable an omen. De Quincey’s particular expressions are, “That when King Charles the First came to be crowned, it was found that, by some oversight, all the store in London was insufficient to furnish the purple velvet necessary for the robes of the king and for the furniture of the throne. It was too late to send to Genoa for a supply; and through this accidental deficiency it happened that the king was attired in white velvet at the solemnity of his coronation, and not in red or purple robes, as consisted with the proper usage.” As an earlier instance of this singular superstition, the story of that ill-fated royal White Ship occurs to memory, as the vessel was called wherein Prince William, the son of King Henry the First, the heir-apparent, with his natural sister, the Countess of Perche, and a large company of the young nobility, embarked on their return to England from Normandy. It might be supposed that the misfortunes of King Charles the First, which were accepted, at that time of monarchical dismay, as the reading (and the exhaustion) of this evil-boding prophecy, were enough; but there are some reasons for imagining that the effects are not—even in our day—altogether expended. The fatalities of the colour “white” to English royalty certainly found their consummation, or seemed so to do, in the execution of King Charles the First, who was brought out to suffer before his own palace of “Whitehall”—where, again, we find “white” introduced in connection with royalty and tragical events. Whitehall is the Royal “White” Palace of England. The “White Rose” was the unfortunate rose (and the conquered one) of the contending two Roses in this country. This is again a singular fact, little as it has been remarked. We will pursue this strange inquiry just a little further, and see if the lights of Rosicrucianism will not afford us a measure of help; for it is one of the doctrines of the Rosicrucians that the signatures, as they call them, of objects have a magical marking-up and a preternatural effect, through hidden spiritual reasons, of which we have no idea in this mortal state,—in other words, that magic and charming, through talismans, is possible; common sense being not all sense. The colour white is esteemed both of good and of bad augury, according to the circumstances and the periods of its presentation. However (to speak a few strange words), in relation to the use of the name “Albert Edward,” in a possible future time, which every loyal subject will hope to be remote enough, we would advise (supposing so humble a voice as ours should reach, or could attain, to the quarters where such a change might be effected) a variation of our future king’s name, and an avoidance of this supposedly unfortunate prefix “Albert” in favour of “Edward” only. This name of Edward is an historical, triumphant, and auspicious name; for all our Edwards, except the weak King Edward the Second, have been powerful or noteworthy men. Now, very few people have had occasion to remark, or have recalled the fact as significant and ominous in the way we mean, that the word “Albert” itself means “White.” The root of “Albert” is, in most languages, to be found in “white:” albus, white; alp, white; Albania, the “white” country. We here recall the “snowy camese,” to which Byron makes reference as worn in Albania. “Albion” (of the “white” cliffs), Alb, Al, El, Æl, all mean “white.” Examples might be multiplied. Alfoj, alsi, albus, “white,” are derived from the Celtic alp; and from thence came the word “Alps,” which are mountains always white, as being covered with snow. “Albus,” white, certainly comes from the Celtic alp, or alb,” says the historian Pezron; “for in that language, as well as in many others, the b and the p frequently interchange; from whence the ancient Latins, and the Sabines themselves, said Alpus for white. I consider it therefore as certain,” continues Pezron, “that from Alpus the word Alps came, because the mountains are always white, as being covered with snow; the words ‘Alp’ or ‘Alb,’ and their compounds, meaning white everywhere. I conclude, also, that from the Pen of the Celtæ, Umbrians, and Sabines, which signifies a ‘head,’ ‘top,’ or ‘high place,’ they made Penninus Mons, the Apennines, vast mountains in Italy. Thus these celebrated words proceed certainly from the Gaulish tongue, and are older by several ages than the city of Rome.” The following are all Teutonic or German words: alb, alf (Qy. Alfred?), and alp,—which all signify “white,” as their original root. Thus much for white. White is also a colour not auspicious to the Prussian royal family, although, again, in a contradictory way, the ensigns of Prussia (Borussia, or “of the Borussi”) are, as armorists well know, the original “white and black” of the Egyptians, which were adopted by the Teutons and the Templars. These white and black tinctures are heraldically argent and sable: Luna, or pearl, for “tears;” Saturn, or diamond, for “sadness, penance, and ashes.” In these strange senses, the Rosicrucians accepted colours as in themselves talismanic, powerfully operative through their planetary “efficients,” or “signatures,” as the astrologers call them. These ideas, more or less pronounced, have prevailed in all ages and in all countries, and they lurk largely in suspicion through our own land. We are all aware, in England, of the objection to the colour “green” in certain cases. It is the spirit-colour, a magic colour, the colour of the “fairies,” as the cabalistic, tutelary, miniature spirits are called, who are supposed to be very jealous of its use. In Ireland, green is universally regarded with distrust; but with veneration, in the spiritual sense. It is the national colour; for the Patroness of Ireland is the female deity, the Mother of Nature, known in the classic mythology as Venus,—equally Venus the graceful and Venus the terrible, as the Goddess of Life and of Death. The various verts, or greens, are the “colour-rulers” in the emblazonry of the Emerald Isle. The presiding deity of the Land of Ierna, or of Ireland, is the mythic “Woman” born out of the fecundity of nature, or out of the “Great Deep.” This is the genius (with certain sinister, terrible aspects, marked out grandly in the oldforms) who is “impaled” or “crucified”—in its real, hidden meaning-upon the stock, or “Tree of Life,” indicated by the Irish Harp. Her hair, in the moment of agony, streams Daphne-like, as “when about to be transformed into the tree,” behind her in the wind, and twines, in the mortal, mythical stress, into the seven strings of the magic Irish Harp, whose music is the music of the spheres, or of the Rosicrucian, assumed penitential, visible world. These seven strings stand for the seven vowels, by means of which came speech to man, when the “new being,” man (this is cabalistic again, and therefore difficult of comprehension), “opened his mouth and spake.” The seven strings of the Irish Harp, it will be remembered, are blazoned “Luna,” or the “Moon”—the feminine moon—according to the practice of the old heralds, in regard to all royal or ruling achievements, which are blazoned by the names of the planets. The seven strings of the Irish harp mean also the seven pure tones in music; these, again, stand for the seven prismatic colours; which, again, describe the seven vowels; and these, again, represent their seven rulers, or the seven planets, which have their seven spirits, or “Celestial Flames,” which are the seven Angels or Spirits of God, who keep the way round about “the Throne of the Ancient of Days.” There is in most countries an objection to Friday, although it is the Mohammedan sacred day or Sabbath. Friday is the day of the “Green.” Emeralds, or smaragds, are proper to be worn on Friday, and bring good fortune, as exercising occult influences on this particular day.* This is the day on which all green gems, and the colour green, should be universally used. Friday is the “woman's day” of the sevenfold weekly period; and therefore, as some illnatured people might say, it is the unlucky day. Certain it is, however, that although it presents the exact contradiction of being especially the woman's day, few or no marriages would be celebrated on this day, as popularly bearing the mark of ill-luck, which supposition few would like openly to defy, or, according to the familiar expression, “fly in the face of.” May is also forbidden for marriages, although it is the “woman's month,” or month in which “May-day” occurs, and in which “May-poles” used to be set up everywhere. (See figures of May-poles later in our book.) But to return to the ill-omened colour to England, white, and to the important (in this sense, formidable) shape in which we find it to appear in the name borne by our Prince of Wales—“Albert Edward;” inheriting his name “Albert” from perhaps the most lovable prince whom this country has ever known as casting in his destinies, by marriage, with it, but whose end—in the prime of life, and in the fulness of his influence—was surely unfortunate enough, when the eyes of hope of all Europe, in various respects, were fixed upon him! Let us, then, suggest that the name “Albert” be passed over in the person of the Heir to the Throne as a name laid aside; and let us hope that by and by (in distant days we trust) he will be known as king by the name—the propitious name—of Edward only, “Edward the Seventh,”—a period whose oncome, because of the royal disappearance which it will imply, we most earnestly and religiously deprecate. But the time must come; and we may be forgiven the thought sometimes obtruding. For it is of England and of her destinies we speak,—fanciful and strange as our unexpected allusions, and remote, legendary speculations, may appear; far off the beaten tracks of this hard, common-sense, mechanical, every-day world, in which the lot of thinkers, if of unusual bent, really seems most injuriously cast, and even cruelly cast. But men are men, and thoughts are thoughts: whether the thoughts of the “Conquest,” or of those of the reign of Victoria, all are alike in their reality at the time that they arise in the mind. The “White Lady of Berlin,” and her mysterious appearances from time to time, are well known to the writers of modern romantic biographical story. Whom she is supposed to represent seems to be unknown to all. Those who have recorded her fitful revelations of herself venture no surmise; but she is considered in some way the evil genius of the Hohenzollern family, much in the same manner as the unaccounted-for figure might have been regarded who revealed himself to Brutus on the Plains of Philippi, and who announced the crowning misfortunes of the next day. The Irish have a name for this supernatural appearance in the “banshee,” or the speaker, or exponent, of fate. The “White Lady of Berlin” is supposed to be seen by some person in the palace before any pre-eminent disaster supervenes, occurring to a member of the royal house. The glimpses of this White Lady are only momentary and delusive,—so vague, indeed, as to be readily contradicted or explained away (perhaps willingly) even by the supposed seers themselves. It is also a fact not a little curious, when we come to consider it by the side-glance, as it were, that the colour white (the English unfortunate colour), besides being that of the “White Rose” and of “Whitehall,” is that white of the unlucky Stuarts, whose history through centuries, both in Scotland and in England, was but one long catalogue of mishaps, woes, and disasters. Prince Charles Edward and his famous “white cockade,” and the evil fortunes of all his followers and of the Jacobite cause in general in 1715 and 1745, emblemed in the virgin, holy colour white, supply a touching—nay, tragical—page in public and in private history. Lastly, we may adduce as a supposed exemplification of the terrible general effects.of this evil-boding name albus, and colour white, in France, the history of all the Bourbons, whose colour is white in particular, from the first of that name who displayed his snowy banner, and who fell by the dagger of an assassin, to the last Bourbon in modern history, whose fate we will not attempt to forecast, nor in any manner to seem to bespeak. Merlin, whose prophecy of the dangers, at some time, of “white” to the kingdom of England was supposed to refer to the invasion of this country by the pale Saxons, whose device or token was the “white horse,” until further associations of white and misfortune in England came to dispel the idea, may even still have his original prophetic forecast unfulfilled. The colour white, or some strange, at present unimagined, associations of “white,” may yet lie, like a dream, perdu in the future (of the chances of which no man can speak), to justify Merlin at once, and to astonish and bewilder, by the long-delayed evolvement of the centuries in which at last the realisation and the misfortune become simultaneously apparent: for which, and for the possibilities of which, we will terminate in the adjuration of the sublime Romans, those masters in the art of augury and of divination, “Absit omen!” But thus much we have chosen to explain about the colour white, in justification of the ideas of the Rosicrucians as to the supernatural power of colours; and as to the magical qualities of those occult influences which they determined, in their philosophical vocabularies, strangely and mysteriously to call the “signatures of things.""

The Rosicrucians Their Rites and Mysteries

by Hargrave Jennings

https://ia800904.us.archive.org/31/items/rosicruciansthei00jenn/rosicruciansthei00jenn.pdF

‘The drone corgi has made my year’: Viewers react to light show at Party at the Palace

An image of the Queen’s favourite dog breed lit up Buckingham Palace

Saman Javed

Sunday 05 June 2022 06:47 EDT

Audiences have praised the “phenomenal” drone display during BBC’s Party at the Palace on Saturday evening, which saw the sky light up with images of the Queen’s corgis, horses and a teapot.

As night fell around Buckingham Palace on Saturday 4 June and the live performances came to an end, crowds enjoyed a light show which paid tribute to some of the Queen’s hobbies and interests.

Organised by light show company SkyMagic, drones took the shape of the 96-year-old monarch’s favourite dog breed, the corgi.

The pup was pictured with its tongue out, and a bone next to one of its paws.

Other images created by the drones included the Queen’s signature Launer handbag, the number “70” with a crown in the centre of the “0”, and a union jack flag.

The show also delivered a subtle nod to the Queen’s love of horse riding and her daily afternoon tea.

The number 70 lit up over the palace

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The number 70 lit up over the palace (PA)

Social media users praised the display, with some declaring it the highlight of the show.

“The production values on the #PlatinumPartyatthePalace have been brilliant but the drone corgi absolutely topped it off,” one person wrote.

The Queen’s signature handbag

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The Queen’s signature handbag (AP)

Another said: “The drones, lighting and graphics were absolutely phenomenal during the #PlatinumPartyatthePalace. A monumental effort from all involved! What a show!”

Others expressed their delight at seeing the huge corgi.

“Shut up, it’s a giant corgi made of drones. This is absurd,” one Twitter user said.

Another wrote: “The drone corgi above Buckingham Palace has made my year.”

“There is a giant drone corgi over Buckingham Palace and this is the best country on earth,” a third person said.

The Queen’s love of corgis has been well-documented, and the dog breed has played a key role in celebrations during the 96-year-old’s platinum jubilee.

The monarch’s love affair with the corgi began in 1933. Their father – then the Duke of York – gifted the then-Princess Elizabeth and her sister, Princess Maragret, a corgi named Dookie.

Earlier this month, the Royal Family’s official Twitter account unveiled a new emoji of a crown-wearing corgi called PJ.

With his tongue sticking out, PJ wears a purple and platinum coloured-crown, and automatically appears when Twitter users use celebratory Jubilee hashtags.

https://www.the-independent.com/life-style/royal-family/drone-corgi-light-show-party-at-the-palace-b2094253.html

2030: The Year of the Metal Dog

In addition to being associated with a zodiac animal, each new lunar year also aligns with one of the five traditional Chinese elements. These elements are known in Chinese as the 五行 (wǔxíng).

While we won’t delve into the details of this aspect of zodiac philosophy due to its complexity, keep in mind that each lunar year consists of a combination of 10 heavenly stems (干 gàn) and 12 earthly branches (支 zhī). These unite to form a system of 60 stem-branch combinations. Each combination is symbolized by one of the five elements (fire, water, wood, metal and earth).

According to this system, 2030 is the Year of the Metal Dog.

For anyone interested in diving deeper into doctrines of Chinese astrology, the internet provides a great database of resources for continued study.

https://studycli.org/chinese-zodiac/year-of-the-dog/

The Wandering Jew (occasionally referred to as the Eternal Jew, an antisemitic calque from German "der Ewige Jude") is a mythical immortal man whose legend began to spread in Europe in the 13th century.[a] In the original legend, a Jew who taunted Jesus on the way to the Crucifixion was then cursed to walk the Earth until the Second Coming. The exact nature of the wanderer's indiscretion varies in different versions of the tale, as do aspects of his character; sometimes he is said to be a shoemaker or other tradesman, while sometimes he is the doorman at the estate of Pontius Pilate.

Name

An early extant manuscript containing the legend is the Flores Historiarum by Roger of Wendover, where it appears in the part for the year 1228, under the title Of the Jew Joseph who is still alive awaiting the last coming of Christ.[3][4][5] The central figure is named Cartaphilus before being baptized later by Ananias as Joseph.[6] The root of the name Cartaphilus can be divided into kartos and philos, which can be translated roughly as "dearly" and "loved", connecting the legend of the Wandering Jew to "the disciple whom Jesus loved".[7]

At least from the 17th century, the name Ahasver has been given to the Wandering Jew, apparently adapted from Ahasuerus (Xerxes), the Persian king in the Book of Esther, who was not a Jew, and whose very name among medieval Jews was an exemplum of a fool.[8] This name may have been chosen because the Book of Esther describes the Jews as a persecuted people, scattered across every province of Ahasuerus' vast empire, similar to the later Jewish diaspora in countries whose state and/or majority religions were forms of Christianity.[9]

A variety of names have since been given to the Wandering Jew, including Matathias, Buttadeus and Isaac Laquedem, which is a name for him in France and the Low Countries in popular legend as well as in a novel by Dumas. The name Paul Marrane (an anglicized version of Giovanni Paolo Marana, the alleged author of Letters Writ by a Turkish Spy) was incorrectly attributed to the Wandering Jew by a 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article, yet the mistake influenced popular culture.[10] The name given to the Wandering Jew in the spy's Letters is Michob Ader.[11]

The name Buttadeus (Botadeo in Italian; Boutedieu in French) most likely has its origin in a combination of the Vulgar Latin version of batuere ("to beat or strike") with the word for God, deus. Sometimes this name is misinterpreted as Votadeo, meaning "devoted to God", drawing similarities to the etymology of the name Cartaphilus.[7]

Where German or Russian is spoken, the emphasis has been on the perpetual character of his punishment, and thus he is known there as Ewiger Jude and vechny zhid (вечный жид), the "Eternal Jew". In French and other Romance languages, the usage has been to refer to the wanderings, as in le Juif errant (French), judío errante (Spanish) or l'ebreo errante (Italian), and this has been followed in English from the Middle Ages as the Wandering Jew.[5] In Finnish, he is known as Jerusalemin suutari ("Shoemaker of Jerusalem"), implying he was a cobbler by his trade. In Hungarian, he is known as the bolyongó zsidó ("Wandering Jew" but with a connotation of aimlessness).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wandering_Jew

A famous Jesuit General Michael Angelo Tambourini once boasted, in 1720, to the Duke of Brissac: " See, My Grace  [my Lord], from this room, I govern not only Paris, but China; not only China, but the whole world, without anyone knowing how it is managed."

"Andrew Steinmetz, History of the Jesuits, Vol. 1 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Lea and Blanchard Publ.,/New York: Richard Bentley, 1848), pp.107, 168-169; see also, Constitution of the Jesuits, edited by Paris Paulin (1843); Eugene Sue (Marie Joseph), The Wandering Jew, (London: Chapman and Hall, 1844/ New York; Harper & Brothers,, 1845), Bk I, Chap. XV, P. 183; see also, p. 618, and Bk. II, p. 21; Abrige de I'Hist. Eccles. de Racine, Chap. xii. P. 77." page 129 Chapter XII "Unhesitating Obedience: The General And The Holy Office" Codeword Barbelon book One by P.D. Stuart

"Steinmetz was fourteen years a Jesuit; see also, Constitutions of the Jesuits, ed. by P. Paulin (1843); Morale Pratique Des Jesuites: Histoire De La Persecution De deux Saints, Vol. I (Cologne, 1669), pp. 50 and 51." "Epilogue-For Such A Time As This"

Pope Francis Lord of the World by P.D. Stuart

Dracula 2000 (also known as Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000 and internationally as Dracula 2001)[3] is a 2000 American vampire film co-written and directed by Patrick Lussier and produced by Joel Soisson. Starring Gerard Butler in the title role along with Christopher Plummer, Jonny Lee Miller, Justine Waddell, Omar Epps, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Jeri Ryan and Jennifer Esposito, the plot follows Dracula, who arrives in New Orleans, Louisiana in the 21st century and seeks out Mary Heller, the daughter of Abraham Van Helsing.

Dracula 2000, under its promotional title Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000, builds upon Bram Stoker's original 1897 novel Dracula, with Count Dracula resurrected in contemporary America. The film was a critical and commercial failure, though two direct-to-video sequels, both written and directed by Lussier, were produced.

Plot

In 2000 London, Matthew Van Helsing, a descendant of 19th-century physician Abraham Van Helsing, owns an antique shop built over the site of Carfax Abbey. One night, Van Helsing's secretary, Solina, her boyfriend Marcus, and their companions Trick, Nightshade, Dax, and Eddie break into the shop's underground vault, believing it must contain valuables. Instead, they discover a sealed silver coffin. While attempting to open the coffin, Eddie and Dax are impaled by spikes, spraying the coffin with blood and alerting Van Helsing to their presence. Assuming the coffin must contain his valuables, the group escapes with it aboard a plane to New Orleans, and Van Helsing arranges a flight to pursue them, unwittingly accompanied by his apprentice, Simon Sheppard.

Aboard their plane, Nightshade unlocks the coffin, revealing the withered body of Dracula. Having been awakened by the blood on his coffin, Dracula attacks and vampirizes Solina and her group. Rejuvenated, Dracula has a vision of a young woman, Mary Heller, who simultaneously sees him. After the plane crashes in a Louisiana swamp, the seemingly deceased passengers are taken to a makeshift morgue, while Dracula vampirizes Valerie Sharpe, a presenter reporting on the crash. He then travels to New Orleans to find Mary. Estranged from her family, Mary has recently been experiencing vivid dreams about Dracula, unaware of who he is.

Van Helsing and Simon arrive in New Orleans and destroy most of Dracula's newborn vampires. Afterward, Van Helsing confesses to Simon that he is the Abraham Van Helsing, who defeated Dracula in 1897, and has extended his own life by regularly injecting Dracula's blood. In the century since, Van Helsing has failed to find a method of permanently killing Dracula. All that is known, is that Dracula is enraged by God and Christian iconography, and has a vulnerability to silver. Van Helsing also reveals that Mary is his daughter. She was conceived after Van Helsing began his injections and thus shares a connection to Dracula. Van Helsing's wife left with Mary after learning of what he had done.

Dracula is led to Mary's home by her friend Lucy, whom he seduces and vampirizes. There, he later confronts and kills Van Helsing. On her return, Mary finds her father's bloodied corpse and is ambushed by Dracula and his brides: Solina, Valerie, and Lucy. Simon arrives just in time to save her from Dracula's beast form. The pair briefly escape into a church cemetery, but Dracula soon catches and abducts Mary. Dracula explains that he has spent centuries searching for someone like him, but born rather than vampirized like his thralls.

On a rooftop, Dracula transforms Mary and reveals that he is Judas Iscariot, the Apostle who betrayed Jesus to the Romans for a bribe of thirty pieces of silver. After Jesus was crucified, Judas hanged himself in atonement at sunset, but was revived and turned into the first vampire. Dracula reveals his intent to spite Jesus by spreading his vampiric immortality to humanity and corrupting them with forbidden pleasures. Mary suggests that Dracula cannot die because he has not sought God's forgiveness, but Dracula refuses to ever submit to Jesus or God again. After Simon kills Valerie, he is subdued by Solina and Lucy and brought to Dracula, who offers his blood to Mary. She feigns the bite before she and Simon kill the remaining brides, and stab Dracula to avenge her father.

An enraged Dracula attacks Mary, who wraps some retaining cable from a large crucifix around his neck and drags him over the roofedge. As dawn breaks, and Dracula looks up at the image of Jesus on the crucifix, the sunlight immolates him. He releases Mary from her vampirism before perishing. Sometime later, Mary has taken her father's role guarding Dracula's remains, to ensure that he remains dead.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula_2000

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (or simply New Moon) is a 2009 American romantic fantasy film directed by Chris Weitz from a screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, based on the 2006 novel New Moon by Stephenie Meyer.[2] The sequel to Twilight (2008), it is the second installment in The Twilight Saga film series. The film stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, reprising their roles as Bella Swan, Edward Cullen, and Jacob Black, respectively.[3]

Summit Entertainment announced it had greenlit the film on November 22, 2008, following the early success of Twilight.[4] Principal photography began on March 23, 2009, in Vancouver, Canada,[5][6][7] and ended in Montepulciano, Italy on May 29.[8][9]

The Twilight Saga: New Moon premiered in Los Angeles on November 16, 2009, and was theatrically released in the United States on November 20, by Summit Entertainment. The film received mixed to unfavorable reviews from critics, who criticized its story, pacing, Weitz' direction, its darker tone, and Lautner's performance, but praised its visual effects, Pattinson and Stewart's performances, and Desplat's musical score.[10][11] Despite the reviews, it grossed $711 million worldwide, becoming the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2009. It set domestic box office records as the biggest midnight opening in the United States and Canada, grossing $26.3 million, which was superseded by its sequel, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. This led to the highest single-day domestic gross on an opening day, with $72.7 million,[12] until it was beaten by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011).[13] The film also became the widest independent release, playing in 4,024 theaters, until it was surpassed by The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.[14] New Moon was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on March 20, 2010.[15] As of July 2012, the film has grossed $184.9 million in North American DVD sales, selling more than 8.8 million units,[16] four million of which were sold within its first weekend, beating Twilight's 3.8 million units sold in its first two days.[17]

The film received three sequels, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, in 2010, 2011, and 2012, respectively.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twilight_Saga:_New_Moon

April 2030 - Moon Phase Calendar

This is a calendar of future Moon Phases that will occure in 5 years and 1 month . The month will begin on Monday, April 1st with a Waning Crescent phase that will be 1.0% illuminated. Explore this April Moon Phase Calendar by clicking on each day to see detailed information on that days phase. Also see more information about the Full Moon and New Moon in April 2030 including local viewing times.

https://www.moongiant.com/calendar/april/2030/

The Arab Spring (Arabic: الربيع العربي, romanized: ar-rabīʻ al-ʻarabī) or the First Arab Spring (to distinguish from the Second Arab Spring) was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in Tunisia in response to corruption and economic stagnation.[1][2] From Tunisia, the protests then spread to five other countries: Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain. Rulers were deposed (Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia in 2011, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya in 2011, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt in 2011, and Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen in 2012) or major uprisings and social violence occurred including riots, civil wars, or insurgencies. Sustained street demonstrations took place in Morocco, Iraq, Algeria, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Sudan. Minor protests took place in Djibouti, Mauritania, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and the Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara.[3] A major slogan of the demonstrators in the Arab world is ash-shaʻb yurīd isqāṭ an-niẓām! (Arabic: الشعب يريد إسقاط النظام, lit. 'the people want to bring down the regime').[4]

The wave of initial revolutions and protests faded by mid-2012, as many Arab Spring demonstrations were met with violent responses from authorities,[5][6][7] pro-government militias, counterdemonstrators, and militaries. These attacks were answered with violence from protesters in some cases.[8][9][10] Multiple large-scale conflicts followed: the Syrian civil war;[11][12] the rise of ISIL,[13] insurgency in Iraq and the following civil war;[14] the Egyptian Crisis, election and removal from office of Mohamed Morsi, and subsequent unrest and insurgency;[15] the Libyan Crisis; and the Yemeni crisis and subsequent civil war.[16] Regimes that lacked major oil wealth and hereditary succession arrangements were more likely to undergo regime change.[17]

A power struggle continued after the immediate response to the Arab Spring. While leadership changed and regimes were held accountable, power vacuums opened across the Arab world. Ultimately, it resulted in a contentious battle between a consolidation of power by religious elites and the growing support for democracy in many Muslim-majority states.[18] The early hopes that these popular movements would end corruption, increase political participation, and bring about greater economic equity quickly collapsed in the wake of the counter-revolutionary moves by foreign state actors in Yemen,[19] the regional and international military interventions in Bahrain and Yemen, and the destructive civil wars in Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Yemen.[20]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Spring

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They were created with the aim of "peace and prosperity for people and the planet..."[1][2][3] – while tackling climate change and working to preserve oceans and forests. The SDGs highlight the connections between the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development. Sustainability is at the center of the SDGs.[4][5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_Development_Goals

Elon Musk: “We’re going straight to Mars. The Moon is a distraction.”

Eric Berger – Jan 3, 2025 9:28 AM |  1.1k

https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/01/elon-musk-were-going-straight-to-mars-the-moon-is-a-distraction/

Spring 2030 in United States

Spring Starts: Wednesday, Mar 20 6:51 am PDT

https://www.calendardate.com/spring_2030.htm

Easter in 2030

Date: April 21, 2030

Day: Sunday

Historical Basis for Believing Jesus was Crucified in AD 30

by Avatar photoJim Liles

6 years ago

[Editor’s note: I asked Jim for clarification on his belief about this since I’ve encountered people equally sure of the years 29, 30, and 33 AD for the death and resurrection of Christ. This article is his response.

Although such a topic may seem far afield from our usual creation vs. evolution discussions, it is still at the intersection of the Bible and science. It may not change anything about how you interact with others, but it can strengthen your confidence that we have not believed cleverly devised fables, but historically verifiable reality!]

Is 30 AD the Year of the Crucifixion?

To answer this question, I will combine information from Scripture as well as extra-biblical material on which there is much, but not total, agreement.  Let’s begin with the year of Jesus birth:

Year of Birth: We know from Scripture that Jesus is born at the time of the first Roman census (Luke 2:1-2Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)) when Quirinius was Governor of Syria. A review of Roman documents describe this time frame as late October or November of 5 BC. We know that the second census, 10 years later, was in 6 AD at the same time of year when Caesar Augustus ruled.

Year of Baptism: This birth date above would mean that Jesus was 12 years old at Passover in 9 AD as described in Luke 2:41-52Open in Logos Bible Software (if available). From these two dated events we can determine that Jesus is about 33.5 years old twenty-one years later at Passover in 30 AD. This is consistent with the Baptism of Jesus in August or September of 26 AD, in the fifteenth year of Tiberius (Luke 3:1-23Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)) whose reign began in July of 11 AD. This is followed by a public ministry lasting a little over three-and-a-half years ending on Passover in 30 AD.

Date of Crucifixion: The year of the Crucifixion is confirmed by several historians due to the darkness that occurred from noon until 3:00 PM on Nisan 14-Passover in 30 AD. It is important to note that the term ‘Passover’ can refer to Nisan 14, the Preparation for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, or Nisan 15-the first day of seven for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The historians Phlegon, Thallus, Africanus and Tertullian all mention this three hour period of darkness that does not have a scientific explanation. It was neither a lunar or solar eclipse for many reasons. Eclipses do not last three hours and cannot happen during the full moon of Passover.

Julius Africanus, writing about the historian Thallus states:

Upon the whole world there came a most fearful darkness.  Many rocks were split in two by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down.

It seems very unreasonable to me that Thallus, in the third book of his histories, would try to explain away this darkness as an eclipse of the sun. For the Jews celebrate their Passover on the 14th day according to the moon, and the death of our Saviour falls on the day before the Passover. But an eclipse of the sun can only take place when the moon comes under the sun, how then could an eclipse have occurred when the moon is directly opposite the sun? (Scientifically it is impossible to have a full moon on the same day that there is an eclipse of the sun.)

The Roman historian Phlegon is mentioned by Origen who describes a darkening of the sun in the eighteenth year of Tiberius on Nisan 14-Passover which would be 30 AD. A few people have used this Roman history report stating the year of the Crucifixion is 33 AD. They mistakenly start Tiberius’ reign in 14 AD after the death of Augustus instead of the start of his joint reign in 11 AD.

On the Gregorian-Hebrew solar calendar found in ESC, the date of the Crucifixion is Friday April 5-Nisan 14, 30 AD. On this Hebrew solar calendar Nisan 14-Passover always falls on April 5 in a non-leap year and April 3 in a leap or special year on the Gregorian calendar we use today. This is clearly new information about the accuracy and inerrancy of the specific dates in Scripture.

This type of assessment of the Bible’s accuracy was only possible in recent years with computers, Excel spreadsheets, Bible software, and calendar converters like www.rosettacalendar.com.

Resources:

ESC = Earth’s Sacred Calendar: The Dated Events of the Old Testament by Jim Liles; Pub 2014.

CARM: Is there non-biblical evidence of a day of darkness at Christ’s death?

Bible History.net The Crucifixion Darkness

https://thecreationclub.com/historical-basis-for-believing-jesus-was-crucified-in-ad-30/

14We ought to act on the principle that everyone who lives under obedience should let himself be carried and directed by Divine Providence through the agency of the superior 15as if he were a lifeless body, which allows itself to be carried to any place and treated in any way; or an old man s staff, which serves at any place and for any purpose in which the one holding it in his hand wishes to employ it. 16For in this way the obedient man ought joyfully to employ himself in any task in which the superior desires to employ him in aid of the whole body of the religious order; 17and he ought to hold it certain that by so doing he conforms himself with the divine will more than by anything else he could do while following his own will and different judgment.[3]"

page 221

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182223/https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

Fourteenth Rule. Although there is much truth in the assertion that no one can save himself without being predestined and without having faith and grace; we must be very cautious in the manner of speaking and communicating with others about all these things.

The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YC_luOfFWl0Bm0BWkbANKZGC1kkmdHQf/view?usp=sharing

AI Overview

Learn more

When someone says "2000 years of age," it means a period of time spanning 2,000 years, often used in historical or astrological contexts to refer to a specific era or "age" like the "Age of Pisces" which is considered to have lasted for 2,000 years in some interpretations.

Key points about "2000 years of age":

Astrological usage:

In astrology, different "ages" are associated with different zodiac signs, and each age is often calculated as lasting around 2,000 years based on the Earth's axial precession.

Example:

Currently, many astrologers consider the "Age of Aquarius" to be starting around the year 2000, signifying a new era.

Not perfectly accurate:

While 2,000 years is often used for simplicity, the actual length of an astrological age based on precession is closer to 2,160 years.

https://www.google.com/search?q=age+meaning+2000+years&sca_esv=813837a4ab300c6b&sxsrf=ADLYWIIlFsM6w2q46pw2FDIKPtl6eHh4KA%3A1735980154611&ei=evR4Z4uCJdejkPIP2Oay2A4&ved=0ahUKEwiLp8-D1tuKAxXXEUQIHVizDOsQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=age+meaning+2000+years&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiFmFnZSBtZWFuaW5nIDIwMDAgeWVhcnMyCBAAGIAEGKIEMggQABiABBiiBDIIEAAYgAQYogQyCBAAGIAEGKIEMggQABiABBiiBEjKEVCTCVjSDXACeAGQAQCYAW6gAf8CqgEDMy4xuAEDyAEA-AEBmAIGoAKRA8ICChAAGLADGNYEGEfCAggQABgHGAgYHsICCBAAGAgYDRgewgILEAAYgAQYhgMYigXCAgoQIRigARjDBBgKmAMAiAYBkAYIkgcDNS4xoAfoFA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

2030-2031 APPARITION CHARACTERISTICS

Another general rule for predicting oppositions of Mars is from the following: the planet has an approximate 15.8-year periodic opposition cycle, which consists of three or four Aphelic oppositions and three consecutive Perihelic oppositions. Perihelic oppositions are also called "favorable" because the Earth and Mars come closest to each other on those occasions. We sometimes refer to this as the seven Martian synodic periods. This cycle is repeated every 79 years (± 4 to 5 days) and, if one were to live long enough, one would see this cycle nearly replicated in approximately 284 years. The 2031 Mars apparition is considered Transitional (between Aphelic and Perihelic) because the orbital longitude at opposition will be 68.4° from the aphelion longitude of 70° Ls and 111.6° Ls from perihelion (250° Ls).

NOTE: Ls is the planetocentric longitude of the Sun along the ecliptic of Mars’ sky. 0° Ls is defined as that point where the Sun crosses the Martian celestial equator from south to north, that is the planet’s northern hemisphere vernal equinox. The other Ls values that define the beginnings of Martian northern hemisphere seasons are: summer, 90° Ls; autumn, 180° Ls; and winter, 270° Ls. For Mars’ southern hemisphere these values represent the opposite seasons. Distance (A.U.) - Distance from Earth to Mars in astronomical units, where one (1) A.U. equals 92,955,807.267 miles or 149,597,870.691 km.

Opposition occurs 11 months after conjunction when Mars is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. At that time, the two planets will lie nearly in a straight line with respect to the Sun, or five weeks after retrogression begins. Opposition will occur at 1157 UT on May 04, 2031 (138.4° Ls) with an apparent planetary disk diameter of 16.7 arcsec. Mars will remain visible for more than twelve months after opposition and then become lost in the glare of the Sun around May 31, 2032 as it approaches the next conjunction (July 11, 2032). The cycle is complete in 780 Earth days.

Closest approach occurs at 0350 UT on May 12, 2031 (142.1° Ls) with an apparent planetary disk diameter of 16.9 at a distance of 0.5533578 astronomical units (AU) or 51,437,823 miles (82,781,152 km). During closest approach in 2031 the apparent diameter of Mars will be 2.4 arcsec larger than it was at the same period in 2029; however, it will be 17.1 degrees lower in the sky - not quite as good for observing the Red Planet for observers in the northern hemisphere. It should also be noted that closest approach between Earth and Mars is not necessarily coincident with the time of opposition but varies by as much as two weeks.

https://www.alpo-astronomy.org/jbeish/2031_MARS.htm

Elon Musk: “We’re going straight to Mars. The Moon is a distraction.”

What to make of Musk's comments that are critical of NASA's lunar plans?

Eric Berger – Jan 3, 2025 9:28 AM

Although SpaceX founder Elon Musk is known for outspokenness and controversial comments on his social media site X, he has been relatively restrained when it comes to US space policy in recent years.

For example, he has rarely criticized NASA or its overall goal to return humans to the Moon through the Artemis Program. Rather, Musk, who has long preferred Mars as a destination for humans, has more or less been a team player when it comes to the space agency's lunar-focused plans.

This is understandable from a financial perspective, as SpaceX has contracts worth billions of dollars to not only build a Human Landing System as part of NASA's Artemis Program but also to supply food, cargo, and other logistics services to a planned Lunar Gateway in orbit around the Moon.

But privately, Musk has been critical of NASA's plans, suggesting that the Artemis Program has been moving too slowly and is too reliant on contractors who seek cost-plus government contracts and are less interested in delivering results.

Silent on policy no longer

During the last 10 days, Musk has begun airing some of these private thoughts publicly. On Christmas Day, for example, Musk wrote on X, "The Artemis architecture is extremely inefficient, as it is a jobs-maximizing program, not a results-maximizing program. Something entirely new is needed."

Then, on Thursday evening, he added this: "No, we’re going straight to Mars. The Moon is a distraction."

These are definitive statements that directly contradict NASA's plans to send a series of human missions to the lunar south pole later this decade and establish a sustainable base of operations there with the Artemis Program.

It would be one thing if Musk was just expressing his opinion as a private citizen. But since playing a significant part in the election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States last year, Musk has assumed an important advisory role for the incoming administration. He was also partly responsible for the expected nomination of private astronaut Jared Isaacman to become the next administrator of NASA. Although Musk is not directing US space policy, he certainly has a meaningful say in what happens.

So what does this mean for Artemis?

The fate of Artemis is an important question not just for NASA but for the US commercial space industry, the European Space Agency, and other international partners who have aligned with the return of humans to the Moon. With Artemis, the United States is in competition with China to establish a meaningful presence on the surface of the Moon.

Based upon conversations with people involved in developing space policy for the Trump administration, I can make some educated guesses about how to interpret Musk's comments. None of these people, for example, would disagree with Musk's assertion that "the Artemis architecture is extremely inefficient" and that some changes are warranted.

With that said, the Artemis Program is probably not going away. After all, it was the first Trump administration that created the program about five years ago. However, it may be less well-remembered that the first Trump White House pushed for more significant changes, including a "major course correction" at NASA.

"I call on NASA to adopt new policies and embrace a new mindset," then-Vice President Mike Pence said in May 2019. "If our current contractors can't meet this objective, then we'll find ones that will." (Speaking of the vice president, it's unlikely that the National Space Council will be reconstituted under JD Vance).

To a large extent, NASA resisted this change during the remainder of the Trump administration, keeping its core group of major contractors, such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin, in place. It had help from key US Senators, including Richard Shelby, the now-retired Republican from Alabama. But this time, the push for change is likely to be more concerted, especially with key elements of NASA's architecture, including the Space Launch System rocket, being bypassed by privately developed rockets such as SpaceX's Starship vehicle and Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket.

Not one, but both

In all likelihood, NASA will adopt a new "Artemis" plan that involves initiatives to both the Moon and Mars. When Musk said "we're going straight to Mars," he may have meant that this will be the thrust of SpaceX, with support from NASA. That does not preclude a separate initiative, possibly led by Blue Origin with help from NASA, to develop lunar return plans.

Isaacman, who is keeping a fairly low profile ahead of his nomination, has not weighed in on Musk's comments. However, when his nomination was announced one month ago, he did make a germane comment on X.

"I was born after the Moon landings; my children were born after the final space shuttle launch," he wrote. "With the support of President Trump, I can promise you this: We will never again lose our ability to journey to the stars and never settle for second place. We will inspire children, yours and mine, to look up and dream of what is possible. Americans will walk on the Moon and Mars and in doing so, we will make life better here on Earth."

In short, NASA is likely to adopt a two-lane strategy of reaching for both the Moon and Mars. Whether the space agency is successful with either one will be a major question asked of the new administration.

https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/01/elon-musk-were-going-straight-to-mars-the-moon-is-a-distraction/

In ancient Roman religion and mythology, Mars (Latin: Mārs, pronounced [maːrs])[4] is the god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome.[5] He is the son of Jupiter and Juno, and was pre-eminent among the Roman army's military gods. Most of his festivals were held in March, the month named for him (Latin Martius), and in October, the months which traditionally began and ended the season for both military campaigning and farming.[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_(mythology)

SpaceX Insurance

Beyond the Horizon: HSC Insurance and the Final Frontier

Bank Street

Service Description

In an age where the realms of science fiction increasingly become science fact, HSC Insurance Limited once again demonstrates its pioneering spirit by venturing into one of the most awe-inspiring domains of human achievement: space. Embracing the challenges of the final frontier, HSC has expanded its comprehensive suite of insurance solutions to include special risks associated with goods carried by SpaceX rockets and spaceships, marking a significant milestone in the annals of general insurance.

This bold initiative by HSC Insurance is not merely an expansion of coverage; it is a testament to the company's visionary approach and its commitment to supporting the vanguard of human exploration and commerce beyond the Earth's atmosphere. With the commercial space industry experiencing unprecedented growth, fueled by the endeavors of companies like SpaceX, the need for specialized insurance solutions has never been more critical.

HSC Insurance stands at the forefront of this new era, offering bespoke insurance products designed to mitigate the unique risks associated with space travel and cargo transport. From the launch pad to the vastness of space and back, HSC provides a safety net that encompasses a wide array of potential perils, including but not limited to, launch failures, in-orbit collisions, and re-entry risks. This comprehensive coverage ensures that the pioneering spirit of space exploration and commerce can continue to soar, backed by the confidence and security that only HSC can provide.

Moreover, HSC's foray into space insurance underscores its understanding of the evolving nature of global trade and the increasing role that space travel will play in the future of human endeavors. By covering goods transported by SpaceX rockets and spaceships, HSC is not just insuring physical items; it is safeguarding the aspirations of humanity as we reach for the stars, ensuring that the monumental risks of space exploration are matched by equally robust protection.

In partnering with entities engaged in the cutting-edge field of space transport, HSC Insurance Limited is not only expanding its portfolio but also contributing to the infrastructure of a new frontier in commerce. This initiative reflects a profound belief in the potential of space to open up new pathways for trade, innovation, and cooperation across the globe and beyond.

Contact Details

level 18, 40 Bank Street, London, UK

https://www.hscinsurance.com/service-page/spacex-insurance

Solomon and 666 (revelation 13.18)

Abstract

The present article argues that 666 in Rev 13.18 is best related to the notice of Solomon receiving 666 talents of gold (1 Kgs 10.14//2 Chr 9.13), which is, in turn, an important notice of this king's wayward and unjust practices: His inordinate wealth, exploitation of his own people and eschewing of God's law.

Type

Journal article

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/23577

Published Version (Please cite this version)

10.1017/S0028688519000523

Publication Info

Bodner, K, and BA Strawn (2020). Solomon and 666 (revelation 13.18). New Testament Studies, 66(2). pp. 299–312. 10.1017/S0028688519000523 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/23577.

https://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/items/e8febe87-db7c-4566-b657-0c8f5f1624e9

Should a Christian get insurance?

Answer

Christians sometimes struggle with the question of whether or not to get insurance—does a Christian with insurance demonstrate a lack of faith? This is a healthy struggle, and believers need to examine the Scriptures and come up with an answer they can defend biblically.

First, let us agree that insurance for Christians is not specifically mentioned in the Bible. If something is not specifically mentioned in the Word of God, then we must draw principles from the teaching of the whole of Scripture. Different believers may come to different personal convictions, and that’s okay. Romans 14 says that such situations call for respect of others’ convictions. Believers have a responsibility to make up their own minds (Romans 14:5). Verse 23 states that whatever we decide must be based on faith. A Christian’s getting insurance is a matter of conviction; a Christian with insurance should be personally convinced that God wants him to have insurance, and a Christian without insurance should be personally convinced otherwise.

Here are some of the biblical principles to guide us: we are to obey the authorities over us. Thus, when we are required by law to have insurance, such as auto liability, we must comply. Also, we are to take care of our families. Thus, Christians should plan ahead for the future benefit of their families, and having insurance can be a part of that. Planning ahead could also include preparing for the unforeseeable early demise of a family member. Life insurance can be seen as a lack of faith or a love of money by some, or as prudent planning and a wise stewardship of funds by others. Each person’s conditions and convictions may differ in these areas. God certainly advocates planning ahead. The story of Joseph and his wise planning not only saved the nation of Egypt but also the people of Israel and the lineage of Christ (Genesis 41).

The bottom line is we must study the Word of God and call out to Him, asking what He would have us do in this and all areas of life. God desires to provide us with wisdom (James 1:5). Hebrews 11:6 states that without faith it is impossible to please Him. This is the real question: “Will this please my Father in heaven?” Another verse to consider is James 4:17, which says that, if we have a chance to do good, we must do it, or else we sin. Another verse that addresses this issue is 1 Timothy 5:8, which states that, if we want to minister to others, we should start with our own families. A Christian can view insurance as a tool to assist him in achieving these goals.

https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-insurance.html

James 1

1599 Geneva Bible

The [a]General Epistle of James

1 4 He entreateth of patience, 6 of faith, 10 and of lowliness of mind in rich men. 13 That tentations come not of God for our evil, 17 because he is the author of all goodness. 21 In what manner the word of life must be received.

1 James a servant of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve Tribes, which are [b]scattered abroad, salutation.

2 [c]My brethren, [d]count it exceeding joy, [e]when ye fall into divers tentations,

3 [f]Knowing that the [g]trying of your faith bringeth forth patience,

4 [h]And let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.

5 [i]If any of you lack [j]wisdom, let him ask of God, which giveth to all men liberally, and reproacheth no man, and it shall be given him.

6 But let him ask in faith, and [k]waver not: [l]for he that wavereth, is like a wave of the sea, tossed of the wind, and carried away.

7 Neither let that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.

8 A double minded man is unstable in [m]all his ways.

9 [n]Let the brother of [o]low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:

10 [p]Again, he that is [q]rich, in that he is made low: [r]for as the flower of the grass, shall he vanish away.

11 For as when the sun riseth with heat, then the grass withereth, and his flower falleth away, and the goodly shape of it perisheth: even so shall the rich man wither away in all his [s]ways.

12 [t]Blessed is the man, that endureth [u]tentation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

13 [v]Let no man say when he is [w]tempted, I am tempted of God: [x]for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.

14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own concupiscence, and is enticed.

15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth [y]sin, and sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

16 [z]Err not my dear brethren.

17 Every good giving and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the [aa]Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither [ab]shadow of turning.

18 [ac]Of his own [ad]will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be as the [ae]firstfruits of his creatures.

19 Wherefore my dear brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.

20 For the wrath of man doth not accomplish the [af]righteousness of God.

21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness, and superfluity of maliciousness, and receive with [ag]meekness the word that is grafted in you, which is able to save your souls.

22 [ah]And be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, [ai]deceiving your own selves.

23 [aj]For if any hear the word, and do it not, he is like unto a man, that beholdeth his [ak]natural face in a glass.

24 For when he hath considered himself, he goeth his way, and forgetteth immediately what manner of one he was.

25 But who so looketh in the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he not being a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, shall be blessed in his [al]deed.

26 [am]If any man among you seem religious, and refraineth not his tongue, but deceiveth his [an]own heart, this man’s religion is vain.

27 [ao]Pure religion and undefiled before God, even the Father, is this, to [ap]visit the fatherless, and widows in their adversity, and to keep himself unspotted of the world.

Footnotes

James 1:1 That is, written to no one man, city or country, but to all the Jews generally, being now dispersed.

James 1:1 To all the believing Jews, of what Tribe soever they be, and are dispersed through the whole world.

James 1:2 The first place or part touching comfort in afflictions, wherein we ought not be cast down and be fainthearted, but rather rejoice and be glad.

James 1:2 Seeing their condition was miserable in that scattering abroad, he doth well to begin as he doth.

James 1:2 The first argument, because our faith is tried through afflictions: which ought to be most pure, for so it is behoovable for us.

James 1:3 The second, Because patience, far passing and most excellent virtue, is by this means engendered in us.

James 1:3 That wherewith your faith is tried, to wit, those manifold temptations.

James 1:4 The third argument propounded in manner of an exhortation, that true and continual patience may be discerned from fained and for a time. The cross is as it were the instrument wherewith God doth polish and [re]fine us. Therefore the work and effect of afflictions, is the perfecting of us in Christ.

James 1:5 An answer to a privy objection: It is easily said, but it is not so easily done. He answereth that we need in this case a far other manner of wisdom, than the wisdom of man, to judge those things best for us, which are most contrary to the flesh: but yet we shall easily obtain this gift of wisdom, if we ask it rightly, that is, with a sure confidence of God, who is most bountiful and liberal.

James 1:5 By wisdom he meaneth the knowledge of that doctrine whereof mention was made before, to wit, wherefore we are afflicted of God, and what fruit we have to reap of affliction.

James 1:6 Why then what need other Mediator?

James 1:6 A digression or going aside from his matter, against prayers which are conceived with a doubting mind, whereas we have a certain promise of God, and this is that second part of the Epistle.

James 1:8 In all his thoughts and his deeds.

James 1:9 He returneth to his purpose, repeating the proposition, which is, that we must rejoice in the cross, for it doth not press us down, but exalt us.

James 1:9 Who is afflicted with poverty, or contempt, or with any kind of calamity.

James 1:10 Before he concludeth, he giveth a doctrine contrary to the former: to wit, how we ought to use prosperity, which is plenty of all things: to wit, so that no man therefore please himself, but be so much the more void of pride.

James 1:10 Who hath all things at his will.

James 1:10 An argument taken of the very nature of the things themselves, for that they are most vain and uncertain.

James 1:11 Whatsoever he either purposeth in his mind, or doeth.

James 1:12 The conclusion: Therefore we must patiently bear the cross: and he addeth a fourth argument, which comprehendeth the sum of all the former, to wit, because we come by this way to the crown of life, but yet of grace according to the promise.

James 1:12 Affliction whereby the Lord trieth him.

James 1:13 The third part of this Epistle, wherein he descendeth from outward tentations, that is, from afflictions, whereby God trieth us, to inward, that is, to those lusts whereby we are stirred up to do evil. The sum is this: Every man is the author of these temptations to himself, and not God: for we bear about in our bosoms that wicked corruption, which taketh occasions by what means soever, to stir up evil motions in us, whence out at length proceed wicked doing, and in conclusion followeth death the just reward of them.

James 1:13 When he is provoked to do evil.

James 1:13 Here is a reason showed, why God cannot be the author of evil doing in us, because he desireth not evil.

James 1:15 By sin is meant in this place actual sin.

James 1:16 Another reason taken of contraries: God is the author of all goodness, and so, that he is always like himself; how then can he be thought to be author of evil?

James 1:17 From him who is the fountain and author of all goodness.

James 1:17 He goeth on in the metaphor: for the sun by his manifold and sundry kinds of turning, maketh hours, days, months, years, light and darkness.

James 1:18 The fourth part concerning the excellency and fruit of the word of God. The sum is this: we must hear the word of God most carefully and diligently, seeing it is the seed, wherewith God of his free favor and love hath begotten us unto himself, picking us out of the number of his creatures. And the Apostle condemneth two faults, which do greatly trouble us in this matter, to wit, for that we so please ourselves, that we had rather speak ourselves than hear God speaking: yea, we snuff and are angry when we are reprehended: against which faults, he setteth a peaceable and quiet mind, and such an one as is desirous of purity.

James 1:18 This is it which Paul calleth gracious favor, and good will, which is the fountain of our salvation.

James 1:18 As it were an holy kind of offering, taken out of the residue of man.

James 1:20 That which God appointeth.

James 1:21 By meekness, he meaneth modesty, and whatsoever is contrary to an haughty and proud stomach.

James 1:22 Another admonition. Therefore is God’s word heard, that we may frame our lives according to the prescript thereof.

James 1:22 He addeth reasons, and those most weighty: first, because they that do otherwise, do very much hurt themselves.

James 1:23 Secondly, because they lose the chiefest use of God’s word, which correct not by it the faults that they know.

James 1:23 He alludeth to that natural spot, to which is contrary that purity whereunto we are born again, the lively image whereof we behold in the Law.

James 1:25 Behaving himself so: for works do show faith.

James 1:26 The third admonition: The word of God prescribeth a rule not only to do well, but also to speak well.

James 1:26 The fountain of all brabbling, and cursed speaking, and sauciness, is this, that men know not themselves.

James 1:27 The fourth: the true service of God standeth in charity toward our neighbors (especially such as need others’ help, as the fatherless and widows), and purity of life.

James 1:27 To have a care of them, and to help them as much as we can.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%201&version=GNV

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