Sarah Michelle Gellar Knows the Best Spot for Martinis in Florence

Sarah Michelle Gellar Knows the Best Spot for Martinis in Florence

By Sarah Rappaport

April 1, 2025 at 7:06 AM PDT

The Buffy star shares her tips for having the best European summer vacation.

Sarah Michelle Gellar is partial to a train trip. Photographer: Mat Hayward/Getty Images

Corrected April 3, 2025 at 8:01 AM PDT

Sarah Michelle Gellar says she loves to dive deep into research when it comes to planning her next vacation.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-01/sarah-michelle-gellar-loves-to-travel-7-of-her-best-tips

The history of the Giglio of Florence

August 16, 2013 9:25 am 27018

Giglio of Florence: The story behind the lily that turned out not be a lily at all.

The city of Florence has proudly carried the Giglio of Florence on her coat of arms for almost a thousand years. The origin of the lily symbol however is even more ancient and can be traced back to the ruling class of the Roman Empire. It is possible that the Florentine version was derived from that symbol, but there are also other legends surrounding the origin.

One of the stories tells that Florence was founded in 59 BC by the Romans in the period of the flower celebrations in honor of the goddess Flora and another that the city was named after its founder Florinus da Cellino: Florentia (Latin for flowering).

The simplest explanation for the symbol of Florence is that it was derived from the flower that traditionally grows in the area around the city: Iris Fiorentina.

One thing is certain: the Giglio of Florence (Florentine lily) is not a lily, but a stylized iris.

This beautiful white flower was first applied to the city’s coat of arms in the 11th century; it was white on a red background. After the bloody battle between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines, which ended in 1250 with a victory for the Guelphs, they switched the colors as a sign of their power, thus creating the famous symbol of the red giglio on a white background.

In the Divine Comedy Dante Alighieri describes the eve of this event as follows: ‘The lily of the flagpole was not yet reversed and not colored red by division…’

The new arm was so important to Florence that in 1252 it graced the first Florin that was ever created.

In 1811, Napoleon tried to banish the giglio from Florence, but this led to such violent protests that he soon decided to give the Florentines their beloved symbol back.

Il Giglio Fiorentino can be found on countless places in the city. On old coats of arms on historic buildings, but also on the numerous (company) logos like that of the municipality of Florence, the Fiorentina football club and the ice cream parlor around the corner from my home.

Florence and her giglio have been inseparable for 10 centuries and that is not going to change any time soon.

https://www.intoflorence.com/history-giglio-florence/

The oldest written evidence of rose cultivation comes from a tablet discussing the Akkadian king Sargon I’s military campaign to the west. Sargon brought rosebush saplings with him on the campaign so rose cultivation could begin in these newly acquired territories soon after his conquest. It was an act of supreme confidence and evidence of roses’ importance to Akkadian culture.

https://deathscent.com/2022/02/18/rosalia/

Rosalia was proposed as the patron saint of evolutionary studies in a paper by G.E. Hutchinson.[13] This was due to a visit he paid to a pool of water downstream from the cave where St. Rosalia's remains were found, where he developed ideas based on observations of water boatmen.[14]

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

Early Female Transgender Identity after Prenatal Exposure to Diethylstilbestrol: Report from a French National Diethylstilbestrol (DES) Cohort

by Laura Gaspari 1,2,3,†,Marie-Odile Soyer-Gobillard 4,5,†ORCID,Scott Kerlin 6,Françoise Paris 1,2,3 andCharles Sultan 1,*

1

Unité d’Endocrinologie-Gynécologie Pédiatrique, CHU Montpellier, University Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France

2

INSERM 1203, Développement Embryonnaire Fertilité Environnement, University of Montpellier, 34295 Montpellier, France

3

CHU Montpellier, University Montpellier, Centre de Référence Maladies Rares du Développement Génital, Constitutif Sud, Hôpital Lapeyronie, 34295 Montpellier, France

4

Laboratoire Arago, Observatoire Océanologique, Sorbonne University, CNRS, 75016 Paris, France

5

Association HHORAGES-France, 66100 Perpignan, France

6

DES International Information and Research Network, Livermore, CA 94551, USA

*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

J. Xenobiot. 2024, 14(1), 166-175; https://doi.org/10.3390/jox14010010

Submission received: 28 November 2023 / Revised: 8 January 2024 / Accepted: 10 January 2024 / Published: 12 January 2024

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in the Human Health)

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Abstract

Diagnostic of transsexualism and gender incongruence are terms to describe individuals whose self-identity does not match their sex assignment at birth. A transgender woman is an individual assigned male at birth (AMAB) on the basis of the external or internal genitalia who identifies and lives as a woman. In recent decades, a significant increase in the number of transgender people has been reported. Although, its etiology is unknown, biological, anatomical, genetic, environmental and cultural factors have been suggested to contribute to gender variation. In XY animals, it has been shown that environmental endocrine disruptors, through their anti-androgenic activity, induce a female identity. In this work, we described four XY individuals who were exposed in utero to the xenoestrogen diethylstilbesterol (DES) and were part of the French HHORAGES cohort. They all reported a female transgender identity starting from childhood and adolescence. This high prevalence of male to female transgenderism (1.58%) in our cohort of 253 DES sons suggests that exposure to chemicals with xenoestrogen activity during fetal life may affect the male sex identity and behavior.

Keywords: sexual identity; diethylstilbestrol (DES); prenatal exposure

1. Introduction

Gender identity defines each individual’s deeply held personal sense of their own gender as male or female or something else [1]. Moreover, gender diversity and variance are umbrella terms used to describe the wide range of gender identifications outside the conventional gender categories [2]. Gender dysphoria [3] relates to the distress and unease experienced by individuals who are discontent with their assigned gender and identify with a gender other than the one associated with their birth sex [4]. A transgender man or woman is a person born phenotypically female or male, assigned female or male at birth on the basis of their external or internal genitalia, who identifies and lives as a male or a female. Actually, for many experts [5] this definition should be enlarged to Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) individuals, people with disorders of sex development (DSDs) and people assigned male (AMAB) or female at birth (AFAB) [6].

All studies on secular trends have reported a dramatic increase in the number of transgender people in recent decades [7]. A temporal change in the age of presentation is another notable phenomenon [8]. Quoting Hassler et al. [8] in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5), signs of transgender in children include: “A repeated desire to be the other sex or an assertion that they are the other sex; a belief that their assigned sex will change on its own (e.g., thinking they will grow a penis or that their penis will come off when they get older); wanting to change their name to a name typically associated with another gender, or a gender-neutral name; a preference for presenting as another gender (e.g., a child assigned male at birth who prefers long hair and wearing dresses, or a child assigned female at birth who prefers short hair and wearing gender-neutral clothing); resistance or distress when made to present as a gender they do not identify with (such as a ‘girl’ throwing a tantrum over having to wear a dress or a ‘boy’ crying after having to get a haircut); assuming the role of another gender in fantasy games or make-believe; an intense desire to participate in the games and activities typical of the other gender (such as an assigned-male child playing with Barbie and an assigned-female child playing contact sports); a preference for playmates of another gender”.

Hassler et al. also wrote [8]: “In adolescence, signs of transgender includes: feelings of panic or severe discomfort concerning puberty and body changes (e.g., refusing to acknowledge or admit that changes are occurring, refusing to look at their body, or becoming distressed or uncomfortable with body development, menstruation, or ejaculation); discomfort or distress with certain forms of gender presentation, such as disliking long hair or certain types of clothing; increased bullying at school due to differences in acting out one’s perceived gender or lack of self-confidence; isolation from peers due to lack of connection or fear of bullying; depression and/or anxiety as a result of confusion over gender identity or not fitting in with peers; be aware that some adolescents may try to repress their true gender due to outside pressure, such as from family and peers, even if they previously expressed their true gender as a child”.

The literature on the prevalence of transgender people is heterogeneous, depending on the geographic area, inclusion criteria and age at presentation [9]. Specialized centers that manage transgender people estimate a prevalence between 17 and 33/100,000 individuals [10]. Actually, people who identify as transgender represent a sizable proportion of the general population, from 0.1% to 2% [11,12].

Although the biological basis of transgenderism/incongruence is unknown, biological, anatomical, genetic and environmental factors have been suggested to contribute to gender identity [13,14]. The role of sex hormones and genetics in sexual development was described by studies published between 1948 and 2019, and the implication of endogenous steroids in brain sexual differentiation has been widely studied [14,15,16,17,18]. According to the accepted dogma, high levels of fetal testosterone organize the brain towards a male phenotype [19]. Any exogenous chemical that can reduce testosterone action during fetal life can affect the differentiation of genitalia and sex behavior.

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a molecule that has strengthened the concepts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and the fetal basis of adult diseases [20]. It is well known that in utero exposure to DES, a compound with estrogenic and anti-androgenic activity, induces a wide range of reproductive tract/function abnormalities in the so-called ‘DES daughters’, e.g., alterations to Müllerian duct development, fertility problems, ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages, premature births and cancers, especially clear cell adenocarcinoma (CCA) of the vagina and cervix in girls and young women [21]. In ‘DES sons’, epididymal cysts, hypospadias, cryptorchidism, hypoplastic testes and micropenises have been observed [22,23,24,25,26]. In addition, although less studied, in utero exposure to synthetic sex hormones, particularly DES, can cause psychological disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, eating disorders and suicidal behavior [27]. Interestingly, some studies in patients exposed in utero to DES with psychotic disorders identified methylome changes that affect the expression of ZFP57 and ADAMTS9, two genes implicated in neurodevelopment regulation [28], with potential multigenerational and transgenerational effects [29,30].

In this work, we first describe four transgender women identified among the 253 sons exposed in utero to DES included in the HHORAGES-France cohort (a French National patient association). This high prevalence of male-to-female transgender individuals among DES sons (1.58%) strongly suggests that exposure of male fetuses to this xenoestrogen during fetal life may affect future male sex identity and behavior.

2. Patients and Methods

This study was based on a French national retrospective cohort of DES-treated women (HHORAGES-France Association) (n = 1200) and their families. Detailed standard questionnaires were obtained from all DES mothers when they joined the HHORAGES-France Association and all DES children were already adults at this time. The answers to this online questionnaire were used to select women who met the following inclusion criteria: (1) at least two pregnancies with two viable male babies (same father) among whom the first child was not exposed in utero to DES (pre-DES), followed by one or more children with fetal exposure to DES (DES); (2) confirmed data on the total DES dose (health record or physician’s observation). The cumulative dose D administered to the French pregnant mothers was 4050 mg < D < 7300 mg. This is considered a medium-low-dose cohort, in accordance with the observations by Tournaire et al. [31] and compared with the higher doses administered in the United States (7550 mg < D < 12,742 mg). The answers to the questionnaires were also used to identify women with a DES son who presented female gender variance. We then contacted all DES sons with female gender variance and we carried out an individual interview with them.

The local university hospital ethics committee approved this study (ID IRB No. 202301531), and all patients gave their informed consent through the HHORAGES-France Association (CNIL: J B/EM/DC042793, N° 1006460).

All DES sons who identified as transgender women underwent karyotyping at their local hospital at the moment of transition.

https://www.mdpi.com/2039-4713/14/1/10

The word "rosary" and the name "Rosalia" both stem from the Latin word "rosarium," meaning "rose garden" or "crown of roses". The rosary, a string of beads used in Catholicism, is named after this Latin term, while Rosalia is a feminine given name and the name of an early saint, also connected to the rose. 

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

"Rosarium" (Latin):

This word, meaning "rose garden" or "crown of roses," is the root of both "rosary" and "Rosalia". 

"Rosary":

The Catholic rosary, a string of beads used for prayer, is named after the Latin "rosarium," signifying a garland or crown of roses. 

"Rosalia" (given name):

This feminine name, meaning "rose," is also derived from the Latin "rosarium". 

Saint Rosalia:

Saint Rosalia, a patron saint of Palermo in Italy, is also named after the rose. 

Rosalia (festival):

In Imperial-era Macedonia, inscriptions mention the Rosalia as a commemorative festival, funded by bequests to groups such as a vicianus, a village or neighborhood association, or thiasos, a legally constituted association, often having a religious character. 

Generative AI is experimental.

In the 6th century, a "Day of Roses" was held at Gaza, in the Eastern Roman Empire, as a spring festival that may have been a Christianized continuation of the Rosalia.[196] John of Gaza wrote two anacreontic poems that he says he presented publicly on "the day of the roses", and declamations by the Christian rhetorician Procopius[197] and poetry by Choricius of Gaza are also set at rose-days.[198]

Roses were in general part of the imagery of Early Christian funerary art,[199] as was ivy.[200] Martyrs were often depicted or described with flower imagery, or in ways that identified them with flowers.[29] Paulinus of Nola (d. 431) reinterpreted traditions associated with the Rosalia in Christian terms for his natal poem (natalicium) about Saint Felix of Nola, set January 14:[201]

Sprinkle the ground with flowers, adorn the doorways with garlands. Let winter breathe forth the purple beauty (purpureum) of spring; let the year be in flower before its time, and let nature submit to the holy day. For you also, earth, owe wreaths to the martyr’s tomb. But the holy glory of the doorway to the heavens encircles him, flowering with the twin wreaths of war and peace.[202]

At one of the earliest extant martyr shrines, now part of the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio in Milan, a mosaic portrait dating perhaps as early as 397–402 depicts Saint Victor within a classically inspired wreath of lilies and roses, wheat stalks, grapes on the vine, and olive branches: the circular shape represents eternity, and the vegetation the four seasons.[203] In the Christian imagination, the blood-death-flower pattern is often transferred from the young men of Classical myth—primarily Adonis and Attis—to female virgin martyrs.[204] Eulalia of Mérida is described by Prudentius (d. ca. 413) as a "tender flower" whose death makes her "a flower in the Church's garland of martyrs": the flow of her purple blood produces purple violets and blood-red crocuses (purpureas violas sanguineosque crocos), which will adorn her relics.[205] The rose can also symbolize the blood shed with the loss of virginity in the sacrament of marriage.[206]

Drawing on the custom of floral crowns as awards in the Classical world, Cyprian (d. 258) described heavenly crowns of flowers for the faithful in the afterlife: lilies for those who did good works, and an additional crown of roses for martyrs.[207] In one early passion narrative, a martyr wears a rose crown (corona rosea) at a heavenly banquet.[208] For Ambrose (d. 397), lilies were for virgins, violets for confessors of the faith, and roses for martyrs;[209] of these, the imagery of the violet has no biblical precedent.[210] In a passage influenced by Vergilian imagery, Ambrose enjoins young women who are virgins to "Let the rose of modesty and the lily of the spirit flourish in your gardens, and let banks of violets drink from the spring that is watered by the sacred blood."[211] In the description of Jerome (d. 420), "a crown of roses and violets" is woven from the blood of Saint Paula's martyrdom.[212] Dante later entwines Classical and Christian strands of imagery in his Paradiso, linking the garland of saints with the rose corona of Ariadne, whom he imagines as translated to the heavens by it.[213] The use of the term "rosary" (Latin rosarium, a crown or garland of roses) for Marian prayer beads was objected to by some Christians, including Alanus de Rupe, because it evoked the "profane" rose wreath of the Romans.[214]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalia_(festival)

Rosalia Lombardo (13 December 1918 – 6 December 1920)[1] was a Palermitan child who died of pneumonia, resulting from the Spanish flu,[2] one week before her second birthday. Rosalia's father, Mario Lombardo, grieving her death, asked Alfredo Salafia, an embalmer, to preserve her remains.[3] Sometimes called "Sleeping Beauty",[4] hers was one of the last corpses to be admitted to the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo in Sicily.

Embalming

Lombardo's body in 2012.

Thanks to Salafia's embalming techniques, the body was well-preserved. X-rays of the body show that all the organs are remarkably intact.[5] Rosalia Lombardo's body is kept in a small chapel at the end of the catacomb's street and is encased in a glass covered coffin, placed on a wooden pedestal. A 2009 National Geographic photograph of Rosalia Lombardo shows the mummy is beginning to show signs of decomposition, most notably discoloration. Her body is starting to take on a yellow waxy skin texture.[6] To address these issues, the mummy was moved to a drier spot in the catacombs, and her original coffin was placed in a hermetically sealed glass enclosure with nitrogen gas to prevent decay.[7] The mummy remains one of the best preserved bodies in the catacombs.

While there are claims that Capuchin catacombs curator Dario Piombino-Mascali and his associates were the first to discover Salafia's unpublished manuscripts, Professor Umberto Di Cristina and co-author were the first to discover the unpublished manuscript in their book La Dimora delle Anime, which was published in February 2007, two years before Dario Piombino-Mascali and his colleagues published their work. An English translation by the authors of "The discovery of the Salafia handwritten manuscript and formula. Chronological and biological considerations" note 21, p. 90 from the book La Dimora delle Anime by Di Cristina et al., 2007:"Alfredo Salafia studied the process of mummification of the bodies and dedicated his life to the research of the methods to preserve the corpses by the use of pharmacological substances and chemical preparations. He wrote a treatise entitled Nuovo Metodo Speciale per la conservazione del cadavere umanointero alla stato permanentemente fresco (New Special Method for the Preservation of the Entire Human Cadaver in the State of Permanent Freshness). It consists of around 30 handwritten pages where Salafia performs a concise description of the mummification techniques from the Egyptians to the Capuchins, and provides information on the European and American studies in the first years of the twentieth century; in his treatise he describes his own (embalming) method and describes the history of the embalming procedures of some illustrious personages, (whose bodies were) well-preserved thanks to his method: among those (are), Francesco Crispi, the cardinal Michelangelo Celesia, Archbishop of Palermo, and the Senator Giacomo Armò»." The authors state that "there are no published documentary, archival or photographic sources which support the claim that Alfredo Salafia embalmed Rosalia Lombardo" [8] The embalming formula, as stated by Dario Piombino-Mascali et. al, is described as "one part glycerin, one part formalin saturated with zinc sulfate and zinc chloride, and one part of an alcohol solution saturated with salicylic acid", and was entered into the body through a single-point injection, most likely into the femoral artery via a gravity injector.[1][9] Rossella Lorenzi of Discovery News reported that the formalin was used to kill bacteria, the glycerin used to prevent desiccation, and the salicylic acid used to eliminate any fungi within the flesh, with the purpose of the zinc salts being petrifaction.[9]

The mummy has achieved further notoriety for a phenomenon in which her eyes appear to open and close several times a day, revealing her intact blue irises.[10] In response to speculation about her moving eyelids, Piombino-Mascali stated that "It's an optical illusion produced by the light that filters through the side windows, which during the day is subject to change ... [her eyes] are not completely closed, and indeed they have never been".[11]

In 2021, a German heavy metal band Under The Night Sky released an EP called Rosalia (1918-1920).[12][13][14]

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

Ellen G. White in a group at Reno, Nevada, camp meeting 1888.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ellen_G._White_in_Reno_camp_meeting_(1888).jpg

The history of the name Ellen began when it was derived from the given name Alan, which is thought to mean "little rock" or "headstone." The name was popular among the Breton followers of William the Conqueror due to St. Alan, a 5th-century bishop from Quimper, Brittany; during the Middle Ages, parents often named their children after saints in the hope that the child would be blessed or protected by the saint.

https://www.houseofnames.com/ellen-family-crest

14 And deceived them that dwell on the earth by the signs which were permitted to him to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make the [t]image of the [u]beast, which had the wound of a sword, and did live.

Revelation 13:14

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

Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 – November 7, 2016) was an American lawyer and public official who served as the first female and 78th United States attorney general. Reno, a member of the Democratic Party, held the position from 1993 to 2001, making her the second-longest serving attorney general, behind only William Wirt.

Reno was born and raised in Miami, Florida. After leaving to attend Cornell University and Harvard Law School, she returned to Miami where she started her career at private law firms. Her first foray into government was as a staff member for the Judiciary Committee of the Florida House of Representatives. She then worked for the Dade County State Attorney's Office before returning to private practice. She was elected to the Office of State Attorney five times and was the first woman to serve as a state attorney in Florida. President Bill Clinton appointed her attorney general in 1993, a position she held until Clinton left office in 2001.

The following Department of Justice actions occurred during Reno's tenure:

The 51-day Waco siege standoff and resulting 76 deaths—the Branch Davidians—in Waco, Texas. (The standoff began on February 28, 1993, twelve days before Reno was installed as attorney general). Reno stated in congressional testimony that she authorized the FBI assault on the Branch Davidians because of reports that militia groups were en route to Waco during the standoff "either to help [Branch Davidian leader David] Koresh or to attack him."[48] The FBI had also, erroneously, reported to Reno that children were being abused at the compound.[49] Reno publicly expressed her regret of the decision to storm the compound, and accepted full responsibility for the loss of life.[50]

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

Ellen Gould White (née Harmon; November 26, 1827 – July 16, 1915) was an American author and co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Along with other Adventist leaders such as Joseph Bates and her husband James White, she was instrumental within a small group of early Adventists who formed what became known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church. White is considered a leading figure in American vegetarian history.[2] Smithsonian named her among the "100 Most Significant Americans of All Time".[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_G._White

Scottish doctor Alexander Wood is credited with inventing the modern hypodermic syringe in 1853. His goal was to treat pain in just one area of the body. He attached a hollow needle, an earlier invention by Irish doctor Francis Rynd, to a plunger.

Using his newly invented hypodermic syringe he was able to inject pain relief medicine to the area which was causing pain. His first patient was a woman experiencing neuralgia, which causes intense pain after nerve damage. She was injected at the site of her pain with the pain relief medicine morphia. Morphia was a mixture of sherry and morphine, a powerful pain relief medicine.

https://medicine.uq.edu.au/blog/2018/12/history-syringes-and-needles

Word play or wordplay[1] (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phonetic mix-ups such as spoonerisms, obscure words and meanings, clever rhetorical excursions, oddly formed sentences, double entendres, and telling character names (such as in the play The Importance of Being Earnest, Ernest being a given name that sounds exactly like the adjective earnest)."

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

Microsoft deploys new state of matter in its first quantum computing chip

Published Wed, Feb 19 202511:00 AM ESTUpdated Wed, Feb 19 20256:01 PM EST

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Jordan Novet

@jordannovet

Key Points

Microsoft’s Majorana 1 chip includes eight topological quantum bits.

Microsoft claims that building its first quantum-computing chip required that it create a new state of matter, which it is referring to as a topological state.

Majorana 1 won’t be available through Microsoft’s Azure cloud, but it opens the door to future models with greater capacity that likely will be, an executive told CNBC.

Microsoft

 on Wednesday announced Majorana 1, its first quantum computing chip.

The achievement comes after the company spent nearly two decades of research in the field, but Microsoft claims that building Majorana 1 required that it create an entirely new state of matter, which it is referring to as a topological state.

Microsoft’s quantum chip employs eight topological qubits using indium arsenide, which is a semiconductor, and aluminum, which is a superconductor.

“The difficulty of developing the right materials to create the exotic particles and their associated topological state of matter is why most quantum efforts have focused on other kinds of qubits,” the company said in a blog Wednesday.

Understanding topological matter and getting it to work in building a quantum-computing chip required that Microsoft spray atom by atom to get the materials to line up perfectly, the company wrote in the blog.

“Ironically, it’s also why we need a quantum computer — because understanding these materials is incredibly hard,” said Krysta Svore, Microsoft technical fellow, in the blog. “With a scaled quantum computer, we will be able to predict materials with even better properties for building the next generation of quantum computers beyond scale.”

A new paper in the journal Nature describes the chip in detail.

Technologists believe quantum computers could one day efficiently solve problems that would be taxing if not impossible for classical computers. Today’s computers use bits that can be either on or off while quantum computers employ quantum bits, or qubits, that can operate in both states simultaneously.

Google

 and IBM

 have also developed quantum processors, as have smaller companies IonQ

 and Rigetti Computing

.

Microsoft won’t be allowing clients to use its Majorana 1 chip through the company’s Azure public cloud, as it plans to do with its custom artificial intelligence chip, Maia 100. Instead, Majorana 1 is a step toward a goal of a million qubits on a chip, following extensive physics research.

Rather than rely on Taiwan Semiconductor

 or another company for fabrication, Microsoft is manufacturing the components of Majorana 1 itself in the U.S. That’s possible because the work is unfolding at a small scale.

“We want to get to a few hundred qubits before we start talking about commercial reliability,” Jason Zander, a Microsoft executive vice president, told CNBC.

In the meantime, the company will engage with national laboratories and universities on research using Majorana 1.

Despite the focus on research, investors are fascinated by quantum.

IonQ shares went up 237% in 2024, and Rigetti gained nearly 1,500%. The two generated a combined $14.8 million in third-quarter revenue. Further gains came in January, after Microsoft issued a blog post declaring that 2025 is “the year to become quantum-ready.”

Microsoft’s Azure Quantum cloud service, which lets developers experiment with programs and algorithms, offers access to chips from IonQ and Rigetti. It’s possible that a Microsoft quantum chip might become available through Azure before 2030, Zander said.

“There’s a lot of speculation that we’re decades off from this,” he said. “We believe it’s more like years.”

Rather than exist as a stand-alone category, quantum computing might end up boosting other parts of Microsoft. For example, there’s Microsoft’s AI business, which has an annualized revenue run rate that exceeds $13 billion. Quantum computers could be used to build data used to train AI models, Zander said.

“Now you can ask it to invent some new molecule, invent some new drug, something that really would have been impossible to do before,” Zander said.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/19/microsoft-reveals-its-first-quantum-computing-chip-the-majorana-1.html

In quantum computing, a qubit (/ˈkjuːbɪt/) or quantum bit is a basic unit of quantum information—the quantum version of the classic binary bit physically realized with a two-state device. A qubit is a two-state (or two-level) quantum-mechanical system, one of the simplest quantum systems displaying the peculiarity of quantum mechanics. Examples include the spin of the electron in which the two levels can be taken as spin up and spin down; or the polarization of a single photon in which the two spin states (left-handed and the right-handed circular polarization) can also be measured as horizontal and vertical linear polarization. In a classical system, a bit would have to be in one state or the other. However, quantum mechanics allows the qubit to be in a coherent superposition of multiple states simultaneously, a property that is fundamental to quantum mechanics and quantum computing.

Etymology

The coining of the term qubit is attributed to Benjamin Schumacher.[1] In the acknowledgments of his 1995 paper, Schumacher states that the term qubit was created in jest during a conversation with William Wootters.

Bit versus qubit

A binary digit, characterized as 0 or 1, is used to represent information in classical computers. When averaged over both of its states (0,1), a binary digit can represent up to one bit of information content, where a bit is the basic unit of information. However, in this article, the word bit is synonymous with a binary digit.

In classical computer technologies, a processed bit is implemented by one of two levels of low direct current voltage, and whilst switching from one of these two levels to the other, a so-called "forbidden zone" between two logic levels must be passed as fast as possible, as electrical voltage cannot change from one level to another instantly.

There are two possible outcomes for the measurement of a qubit—usually taken to have the value "0" and "1", like a bit. However, whereas the state of a bit can only be binary (either 0 or 1), the general state of a qubit according to quantum mechanics can arbitrarily be a coherent superposition of all computable states simultaneously.[2] Moreover, whereas a measurement of a classical bit would not disturb its state, a measurement of a qubit would destroy its coherence and irrevocably disturb the superposition state. It is possible to fully encode one bit in one qubit. However, a qubit can hold more information, e.g., up to two bits using superdense coding.

A bit is always completely in either one of its two states, and a set of n bits (e.g. a processor register or some bit array) can only hold a single of its 2n possible states at any time. A quantum state can be in a superposition state, which means that the qubit can have non-zero probability amplitude in both its states simultaneously (popularly expressed as "it can be in both states simultaneously"). A qubit requires two complex numbers to describe its two probability amplitudes, and these two complex numbers can together be viewed as a 2-dimensional complex vector, which is called a quantum state vector, or superposition state vector. Alternatively and equivalently, the value stored in a qubit can be described as a single point in a 2-dimensional complex coordinate space. Similarly, a set of n qubits, which is also called a register, requires 2n complex numbers to describe its superposition state vector.[3][4]: 7–17 [2]: 13–17

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

The cubit is an ancient unit of length based on the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger.[1] It was primarily associated with the Sumerians, Egyptians, and Israelites. The term cubit is found in the Bible regarding Noah's Ark, the Ark of the Covenant, the Tabernacle, and Solomon's Temple. The common cubit was divided into 6 palms × 4 fingers = 24 digits.[2] Royal cubits added a palm for 7 palms × 4 fingers = 28 digits.[3] These lengths typically ranged from 44.4 to 52.92 cm (1 ft 5+1⁄2 in to 1 ft 8+13⁄16 in), with an ancient Roman cubit being as long as 120 cm (3 ft 11 in).

Cubits of various lengths were employed in many parts of the world in antiquity, during the Middle Ages and as recently as early modern times. The term is still used in hedgelaying, the length of the forearm being frequently used to determine the interval between stakes placed within the hedge.[4]

Etymology

The English word "cubit" comes from the Latin noun cubitum "elbow", from the verb cubo, cubare, cubui, cubitum "to lie down",[5] from which also comes the adjective "recumbent".[6]

Ancient Egyptian royal cubit

Main article: Ancient Egyptian units of measurement

The ancient Egyptian royal cubit (meh niswt) is the earliest attested standard measure. Cubit rods were used for the measurement of length. A number of these rods have survived: two are known from the tomb of Maya, the treasurer of the 18th dynasty pharaoh Tutankhamun, in Saqqara; another was found in the tomb of Kha (TT8) in Thebes. Fourteen such rods, including one double cubit rod, were described and compared by Lepsius in 1865.[7] These cubit rods range from 523.5 to 529.2 mm (20+5⁄8 to 20+27⁄32 in) in length and are divided into seven palms; each palm is divided into four fingers, and the fingers are further subdivided.[8][7][9]

Early evidence for the use of this royal cubit comes from the Early Dynastic Period: on the Palermo Stone, the flood level of the Nile river during the reign of the Pharaoh Djer is given as measuring 6 cubits and 1 palm.[8] Use of the royal cubit is also known from Old Kingdom architecture, from at least as early as the construction of the Step Pyramid of Djoser designed by Imhotep in around 2700 BC.[10]

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

The Seed of the Fourfold Black Cube

Updated: Dec 28, 2020

Continuing the journey through the 13 Fold Black Flower we explored the Five Greats as the first Five Petals or the major spheres or the Circle. And we saw how the Minor Three Petals or the minor spheres have the higher honor due to their position in making the higher spheres accessible and representing the Triangle. Together both the major and the minor spheres form the 8 pointed morning Star.

The subjacent Four Petals on the Black Flower, as the Square, come in pairs: AL Heu’ely (الهيولي) and Al Ka'yal (الخيال) opens first then Al Na’fas (النَفَسْ) and Al Zi’LL (الظل) follow.

the coupling between the first pair (الهيولي) the chaos un-manifest yearning as femaleness yearns to maleness, the shadow cosmic substance of Al Ka'yal (الخيال) to or as polarity: electric and magnetic: interpret despite any social confusion or indulging sensitivities surrounding cosmic forces and their misinterpretations.

the second couple: Na’fas (النَفَسْ) the divine breath, the vapor steam by which all spirit made conscious and the power by which man have dominion over other. And Zi’LL (الظل) is the living separate independent consciousness Double matter made realized in substance and animated.

The first of these four also correlates to the third by polar opposition

while the fourth and the second correlates through optimum evolutionary state. If the first is the opposite point at the end of a line then the second set is the evolution and optimum expression of the point extended along its spreading direction.

the crisscrossing of the four: the cosmic matter substance, image, shadow and the vapor steam circulating the body spins the cosmic Cube; realized.

So far we mentioned twelve of the thirteen petals of the Black Flower, leaving Al AQ’ul (العقل), the universe mental mind, to be discussed. After which actual applications of Sufic Craft will be introduced. The nature of disclosure will be built on what has been introduced, and our brief narrative of the thirteen petaled flowering darkness would prove very helpful in familiarizing any interested party with Sufic Sorcery and Dark Sufic Lore."

https://www.alhashashin.com/post/the-seed-of-the-fourfold-black-cube

 The Fourfold Nature of Man

 Like most ancient peoples, the Hebrews saw man as a 

copy of the universe.   He thus contains all the potencies 

thereof : spiritual, vital, material.   Hence, Qabbalistic phi

losophy pictures each human being as comprising a number 

of elements:

 when the Holy One created man He took the dust of the 

lower Sanctuary, but for the making of his soul He chose 

the dust of the upper Sanctuary.   Just as in the formation 

of man’s body from the dust of the lower Sanctuary, three 

cosmic elements [air, fire, water] were combined, so in the 

formation of his soul from the dust of the upper Sanctuary, 

further elements, to the number of three, were mingled, and 

so man was completely formed.

 —   Zohar 3:24 b, Sperling 3:82

 Generally, Qabbãlãh divides the human constitution 

into four aspects.   The highest element is nêshãmãh, meaning 

“breath, spirit, wind.”     This spirit or divine breath is equiva

lent to the pneuma of the Greeks (from pneõ, “to breathe”), 

the Latin spiritus (from spiro, “to breathe”), and the Sanskrit 

ãtman (from an, “to blow, to breathe”).    Nêshãmãh is the es

116 / Theosophy in the Qabbãlãh

 sential consciousness, the first “breath” from ¿ÿin sõf, which 

animates the rest of the human being.   Sometimes it has 

been mistaken for the vital principle in the human body 

( ×ai ) because it is spoken of as the breath of God.   The vital 

essence of the lower part of the human constitution is the 

reflection of nêshãmãh, much as in theosophy the prã²as 

are the representation on the lower planes of ãtma-buddhi 

in the human being.    After death nêshãmãh “goes up direct 

to the very inner” (Zohar 2:142 a, Myer, p. 394). 

The second element is rûa×, also “breath,” the spiritual 

soul.   It is comparable to the Greek nous, the Latin mens, 

and to buddhi-manas or spiritual soul.   It is ruled by and 

forms the throne or vehicle of nêshãmãh.   In connection 

with ¿elohîm, rûa× denotes the mental quality of the gods, 

regarded in Genesis as moving over the waters of space or 

chaos at creation.   Equivalent to the third Logos, it operates 

through the universe, producing what is noble and good in 

human beings and leading them to virtue.   A similar mean

ing implies exceptional soul powers, as in the inspired ruler 

or prophet, hence the prophetic spirit, often represented as 

passing from one person to another.   After death the rûa× 

goes up to Eden, but not so high as the nêshãmãh.

 The third element is nefesh, the “vital breath” or lower 

human soul.   It corresponds to the psuchÿ of the Greeks, the 

Latin anima, and modern theosophy’s lower mind   —   kãma

prã²a with the breath of manas (mind) upon it.  Being 

closely associated with the physical body, it has no light of 

its own.   It is the throne of rûa× which rules and lights it 

and forms its crown.   After death the nefesh or lower soul 

“remains in the grave Below” (ibid.). 

The Fourfold Nature of Man / 117

 These three breaths find expression on earth in gûf, the 

physical body, which corresponds to the sthûla-…arîra, the 

Latin corpus, and the Greek sõma.

 It is significant that the first three aspects   —   nêshãmãh, 

rûa×, and nefesh   —   should all be derived from words mean

ing “breath” or “wind.”   The Qabbalist understood the eso

teric lining of truth, for all are manifestations in degree of 

the one fundamental breath of  Being: nêshãmãh, the breath 

of divinity; rûa×, the breath of spiritual mentation; and nef

esh, the breath of psychic vitality.   These three breaths each 

has its field of action in one of the three higher ¡õlãmîm 

above the fourth world of qêlîppõth or shells, where gûf is 

at home.   Each is sustained by the element above it.

 From observing these grades of the soul, one obtains an 

insight into the higher Wisdom, and it is wholly through 

Wisdom that in this way certain mysteries are connected 

together.   

—   Zohar 1:83b, Sperling 1:278

 Nêshãmãh, rûa×, and nefesh may be looked at in several 

ways.   Nefesh and rûa× are sometimes seen as two aspects 

of one grade, and when nêshãmãh

 enters into them and they cleave to it, and when it domi

nates, such a man is called holy, perfect, wholly devoted to 

God.   “Soul” (nefesh) is the lowest stirring, it supports and 

feeds the body and is closely connected with it.   When it 

sufficiently qualifies itself, it becomes the throne on which 

rests the lower spirit (rua×), . . . When both have prepared 

themselves sufficiently, they are qualified to receive the 

higher spirit (neshamah), to which the lower spirit (rua×) 

becomes a throne, and which is undiscoverable, supreme 

over all.     

—   Ibid.

118 / Theosophy in the Qabbãlãh

 Using the analogy of the flame, nefesh is likened to the 

blue light at the bottom of the flame, which is attached to 

and exists through the wick ( gûf  ).

 When fully kindled it becomes a throne for the white light 

above it.   When both are fully kindled, the white light be

comes a throne for a light which cannot be fully discerned, 

an unknown something resting on that white light, and so 

there is formed a complete light.   

—   Ibid. 

When we are born we are endowed with nefesh “from 

the primordial ‘animal’ sphere, the sphere of purity, . . . the 

supernal order of angels,” also referred to as the perennial 

celestial stream.  When we achieve purity in this aspect, 

we will be endowed with rûa× “which appertains to the 

sphere of the Holy Hayoth [living beings].”    Rûa× forms a 

crown to nefesh.   These two principles are intertwined, and 

if we do not strive after spiritual things, that is the extent 

of our being.   But those of greater merit are endowed with 

nêshãmãh “from the region of the Throne” (Zohar 3:94b, 

Sperling 3:283-4).  The nêshãmãh descends to the nefesh 

and rûa×, so that all three combine harmoniously to form 

a unity in those who serve the Divine:

 the neshamah resides in a man’s character   —   an abode which 

cannot be discovered or located.   Should a man strive to

wards purity of life, he is aided thereto by a holy neshamah, 

whereby he is purified and sanctified . . .

 —   Zohar 1:62 a, Sperling 1:203

 Over the body and the three souls is a fourth, supernal soul, 

which is 

inscrutable and unknowable.   Everything is dependent upon 

The Fourfold Nature of Man / 119

 it, and it is veiled in a covering of exceeding brightness.   

It drops pearls which are linked together like the joints 

of the body, and it enters into them and displays through 

them its energy.   It and they are one, and there is no separa

tion between them. —   Zohar  2:245 a, Sperling 2:378-9

 Sometimes the highest principle “which remains above” 

is called the tsûrãh or divine “prototypal form.”    This tsûrãh 

is equivalent to the spiritual monad.    It produces the nêshã

mãh as its reflection, and they are connected by a vital spiri

tual thread up which the nêshãmãh aspires to rise to perfect 

union with its prototype.  Another term for this highest 

part of the human being is yê×îdãh (the one, the only, the 

unique), the indivisible individuality of the human consti

tution.   This term is comparable to the Greek word monas, 

meaning “one.”

 A further aspect of manifested beings is brought out in 

this striking statement:

 Over all these stars and constellations of the firmament there 

have been set chiefs, leaders, and ministers, whose duty is to 

serve the world each one according to his appointed station.   

And not the tiniest grass-blade on earth but has its own ap

pointed star in heaven.  Each star, too, has over it a being 

appointed who ministers before the Holy One as its repre

sentative, each according to his order.   All the stars in the 

f

 irmaments keep watch over this world: they are appointed 

to minister to every individual object in this world, to each 

object a star.   Herbs and trees, grass and wild plants, cannot 

f

 lourish and grow except from the influence of the stars who 

stand above them and gaze upon them face to face, each ac

cording to his fashion. —   Zohar 4:171 b, Sperling 4:92-3

120 / Theosophy in the Qabbãlãh

 The doctrine of reincarnation appears in the Zohar as 

the teaching of gilgûlîm (wheels), the revolution of souls, 

but it is more implied than explicit.    Also implied is the idea 

that everything exists in divine form before birth.   Qabbal

ists hold that the soul after death goes through a series of 

whirlings, which apply both to the transmigration of the 

physical and other atoms, and to the reimbodiment of souls 

(cf. SD 1:568 n).

 The soul puts on garments appropriate to the sphere 

which it is to enter.   Before birth it wears cloaks of higher 

light (¿õr).   All is hidden in the divine form before it takes 

birth; hence the soul is the expression of its past karma 

within its divine form.   All the forms of the earthly world 

were originally fashioned of supernal light in the Garden of 

Eden, the habitation of holy spirits.

 After birth, while in gûf, the soul wears a cloak of skin or 

blindness (¡õr).    At death the soul removes the lower cloak 

of blindness and ascends into the inner worlds.   The body 

has returned to dust and the soul is clothed in luminous 

garments.   The nefesh disintegrates with the body, the rûa× 

stays in the Garden of Eden, and the nêshãmãh “ascends 

to the place where all delights are concentrated” (Zohar 

2:226a-b, Sperling 2:326).  When it leaves the Garden to 

imbody, the soul takes off its celestial garment and puts on 

an earthly body.   Then when it leaves the earth, the Angel 

of Death takes off the earthly body so it can again put on 

the celestial garments in the Garden of Eden that it had 

left behind there.

 There are two lines of human evolution: (1)  recession 

of spiritual capacity as “cloaks of higher light” (¿õr, r/a) be

The Fourfold Nature of Man / 121

 come veiled through material descent; and (2)  the expansion 

of a physical “cloak of blindness,” of matter (¡õr, r/[).

 Adam then arose and realised that he was both of heaven 

and of earth, and so he united himself to the Divine and 

was endowed with mystic Wisdom.    Each son of man is, 

after the same model, a composite of the heavenly and the 

earthly.   

—   Zohar 2:130 b, Sperling 2:20

https://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/gfk-qab/qab10_the_fourfold_nature_of_man.pdf 

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

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

Exoteric Masonry, which is only the husks of the Mystic Order formed by the Sons of Cain has in modern times attracted the masculine element with its positively polarized physical vehicles, and educated them in industry and statecraft, thus controlling the material development of the world. The sons of Seth, constituting themselves the Priestcraft have worked their spell over the positive vital bodies of the feminine element to dominate the spiritual development. And whereas, the sons of Cain working through Freemasonry and kindred movements, have openly fought for the temporal power, the Priestcraft has fought as strenuously and perhaps more effectively, by stealth, to retain their monopoly upon the spiritual development of the feminine element. To the casual onlooker it would seem as if there were no decided antagonism between these two movements at the present time, but though Freemasonry of today is but a shell of its true ancient mystic self, and though Catholicism has been terribly tarnished by the touch of time, in that one thing there is no difference, the war is as keen as ever, the efforts of the Church are not concentrated upon the masses however as much as upon those who are seeking to live the higher life, so that they may gain admission to the Mystery Temple and learn how to make the Philosophers’ Stone. As mankind advances in evolution, the vital body becomes more permanently positively polarized giving to both sexes a greater desire for spirituality, and though we change from the masculine to feminine in alternate embodiment, positive polarity of the vital body is becoming more pronounced regardless of sex, and this accounts for the growing tendency towards Altruism which is even being brought out by the suffering entailed by the great war we are now fighting, for all agree that they are seeking to obtain a lasting peace where the swords may be made into plowshares, and the spears into pruning hooks. In the past humanity has been claiming universal brotherhood as a great ideal, but we must come closer than that to be in full accord with the Christ. He said to his Disciples “ye are my friends.” Among brothers and sisters hate and enmity may exist, but friendship is the expression of love and cannot exist apart from that. This is therefore the magic word which will eventually level all distinctions, bring peace upon earth and goodwill among men. This is the great Ideal proclaimed by the Rosicrucian Fellowship, an Ideal which points the shortest way to the New Heaven and the New Earth, where the sons of Cain and the sons of Seth will eventually be united.

FREEMASONRY AND CATHOLICISM

by MAX HEINDEL

https://dn720206.ca.archive.org/0/items/freemasonryandca017137mbp/freemasonryandca017137mbp.pdf

Lucile Randon DC (French: [ly.sil ʁɑ̃.dɔ̃]; 11 February 1904 – 17 January 2023), also known as Sister André (French: Sœur André), was a French supercentenarian who, until her death at the age of 118 years, 340 days, was the world's oldest verified living person following the death of Kane Tanaka on 19 April 2022. She is the fourth-oldest verified person ever,[1] as well as the oldest confirmed survivor of the COVID-19 pandemic, having tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 a month before her 117th birthday.[2][3]

As a young adult, Randon converted to Roman Catholicism and worked as a governess, teacher, nun, and missionary before retiring at the age of 75 in 1979. She lived in a nursing home in Toulon, France from 2009 until her death.

Personal life

Randon was born on 11 February 1904 in Alès, France to Paul Randon and Alphonsine Delphine Yéta Soutoul. Her living siblings included three older brothers and a twin sister named Lydie, who died a year after they were born.[4][5] Lucile became a governess to three children in Marseille when she was twenty years old in 1924. She took on more responsibility when she was hired as both a governess and teacher by a prominent family, the Peugeots, at Versailles in 1928.[6][7] Her work as a governess and teacher at Versailles lasted until 1930 when she became governess for the Borionne family in Paris and then in Ardèche until 1944.[6][7]

Randon as a young woman c. 1920s

Randon grew up in a Huguenot Protestant family and her paternal grandfather Casimir Randon (1822–1908) was a pastor.[5] She converted to Catholicism in 1923 at the age of 19.[5] She later joined the Catholic order Daughters of Charity in 1944, taking the name Sister André in honour of her elder brother.[4][5] After World War II ended, Randon went on a mission to a hospital in Vichy, where she served orphans and elders. Her mission lasted 18 years until she was sent to another hospital at La Baume-d'Hostun, Drôme, for night duty in 1963.[7] Randon retired from full-time work in 1979 and entered the EHPAD in the Marches at Savoie, where she continued to care for the elderly until she was 100 years old.[8] She moved to the Ste. Catherine Labouré retirement home in Toulon on 25 October 2009, at the age of 105.[4][9]

Health and longevity

Randon was blind and used a wheelchair from the early 2010s.[5] In January 2021, she tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in an outbreak at her retirement home. She was asymptomatic and tested negative days before her 117th birthday, making her the oldest known survivor of the COVID-19 pandemic.[10][2][11]

After the death of Honorine Rondello on 19 October 2017, she became the oldest living person in France.[12] When she turned 115 in 2019, Pope Francis sent her a personal letter and blessed rosary.[4] In 2021, she said she was happy at her home, although she wished to join her grandparents and brother André in heaven.[4]

On her 118th birthday in February 2022, Randon received a birthday note from the French president, Emmanuel Macron.[13] On 19 April 2022, she became the world's oldest verified living person after the death of Kane Tanaka.[14] She felt this was a "sad honour", saying: "I feel I would be better off in heaven, but the good Lord doesn't want me yet." At that time, she was reported to still eat chocolate and drink a glass of wine each day.[13]

Randon died in her sleep from natural causes at her nursing home on 17 January 2023 at the age of 118 years and 340 days as the fourth-oldest verified person ever.[15][16][17] Maria Branyas then became the world's oldest validated living person. Branyas was born in 1907, and as such Randon was the last living person born in 1904.[18]

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

Gilda Susan Radner (June 28, 1946 – May 20, 1989) was an American actress and comedian. She was one of the seven original cast members of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from its inception in 1975 until her departure in 1980. In her routines on SNL, she specialized in parodies of television stereotypes, such as advice specialists and news anchors. In 1978, Radner won an Emmy Award for her performances on the show. She also portrayed those characters in her highly successful one-woman show on Broadway in 1979. Radner's SNL work established her as an iconic figure in the history of American comedy.

She died of ovarian cancer in 1989. Her autobiography dealt frankly with her life, work, and personal struggles, including her struggles with the illness. Her widower, Gene Wilder, carried out her wish that information about her illness would be used to help other cancer victims, founding—and inspiring the founding of—organizations that emphasize early diagnosis, attention to hereditary factors and support for cancer patients.

Posthumously, Radner won a Grammy Award in 1990, was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1992, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003.

Early life

Radner was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Jewish parents, Henrietta (née Dworkin), a legal secretary, and Herman Radner, a businessman.[1][2] In Radner's autobiography she stated, “I was named after my grandmother whose name began with G, but 'Gilda' came directly from the movie with Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth.”[3] Through her mother, Radner was a second cousin of business executive Steve Ballmer.[4] She grew up in Detroit with a nanny, Elizabeth Clementine Gillies, whom she called "Dibby" (and upon whom she based her famous character Emily Litella),[5] and an older brother, Michael. She attended the exclusive University Liggett School in Detroit.

Toward the end of her life, Radner wrote in her autobiography, It's Always Something, that during her childhood and young adulthood she had battled numerous eating disorders: "I coped with stress by having every possible eating disorder from the time I was nine years old. I have weighed as much as 160 pounds and as little as 93. When I was a kid, I overate constantly. My weight distressed my mother and she took me to a doctor who put me on Dexedrine diet pills when I was ten years old."[6]

Radner was close to her father, who operated Detroit's Seville Hotel, where many nightclub performers and actors stayed while performing in the city.[7] He took her on trips to New York to see Broadway shows.[8] As Radner wrote in It's Always Something, when she was 12, her father developed a brain tumor. The first symptoms came on suddenly: he told people that his glasses were too tight.[9] Within days, he was bedridden and unable to communicate, and remained in that condition until his death two years later.[9]

In 1964, Radner graduated from Liggett and enrolled at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor,[10] where she planned to get a degree in education.[11]

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

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

Donald Trump’s Jesuit Education

by Meg Stapleton SmithAugust 1, 2020 10:44 am

When I was an undergraduate at Boston College,  the Campus Ministry office sold “Educated by Jesuit” T-shirts to help fundraise for retreats and service trips. On the front of the shirt is the emblem of the Society of Jesus, and on the back a list of famous people who were educated by Jesuits at either the university or high school level. The list contains a host of celebrities, authors, actors, actresses, politicians, and activists. The names include Voltaire, James Joyce, Monsignor Oscar Romero, Bill Clinton, Tim Russert, “Tip” O’Neil, Salma Hayek, Amy Poehler, Alfred Hitchcock, and Maria Shriver.  To this list we could add Pope Francis, Fr. Greg Boyle, and some of our country’s most current politicians, namely John Kerry, the former Secretary of State, and Tim Kaine, the former vice presidential candidate. Tim Kaine’s Jesuit background, for example, did not go unnoticed by the media during the 2016 election. This points out that being Jesuit educated does in fact make a huge difference for how you see the world and your role in shaping it. Kaine unabashedly pronounced that his Catholic faith and Jesuit education helped to influence his political stances on the environment, gay marriage (pro), gay adoption (pro), abortion (pro-choice), and the death penalty (anti). Conservative members of the faith in turn attacked his Jesuit education as emblematic of his “radical roots” , questioning whether or not his Jesuit education was truly Catholic and in accordance with Church teaching.

Fordham_Logo_Print.gif

To state that Jesuit education plays a part in forming our political views seems obvious. Jesuit education prides itself on its commitment to justice and the practice of solidarity with those on the margins. If you read the Mission statement from any of the 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States, you will come across pledges to “form men and women of conscience and compassion” (Creighton), to “foster in [students] ethical and religious values and a sense of social responsibility” (Fairfield), and to “prepare students for ethical leadership” (Loyola New Orleans).  The task of Jesuit education is thus to integrate the ethical, the moral, the intellectual, and the religious, as well as to produce men and women who exist not for themselves but for others in the creation of a more just and humane world.  The hope is that the men and women who come out of a Jesuit university — no matter what their chosen career path or vocation — will have instilled in them a sense of social responsibility, particularly one that is attuned to the plight of the oppressed.

What if on the back that T-shirt we added the name of one other famous current politician? Donald Trump was educated by Jesuits too. He attended Fordham University for two years (1964-1966), before transferring to the real estate studies program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

The reality that Donald Trump attended Fordham for two years is not something that is often talked about in the circles of Jesuit higher education. This fact is often comically dismissed, principally because Donald Trump did not graduate from Fordham. So too is it disregarded because (the argument goes) Jesuit universities can’t expect everyone who attends their institution to become leaders in the fight against injustice. We don’t want to deal with the fact that a man who attended Fordham is the same man who proposed an expansion of the prison at Guantánamo, reversed plans to save wetlands and protect waterways from coal waste. We also don’t want to acknowledge that a man who attended a Catholic university is the same man who (while maintaining the most lavish lifestyle in presidential history) has overseen a response to the COVID pandemic that has killed over 150,000 Americans. Nearly every single proposal and administrative act put forth by Donald Trump and his administration runs contrary to the core Catholic social teaching (and Trump’s espoused Christian faith) to promote the human dignity of every human being.

trump_flickr.jpg

The point is not so much that Donald Trump was present on a Catholic, Jesuit university campus — but the courses he took and what he gained from them. Every Jesuit college or university in the United States offers an iteration of the same core curriculum. And although Trump won’t release his college transcripts there is a slim chance he would have been able to finagle his way out of certain required courses. That means that during either his freshman or sophomore year, Donald Trump would have had to take a required course in either theology or philosophy. He likely took both.

This is that we have to deal with if we want to understand the role that the Jesuit university has in organizing on behalf of the common good today.  Our inability to address the fact that Donald Trump likely sat in a theology class at Fordham, mimics our inability to address both the ways that Jesuit universities are complicit in injustice and that what we teach in theology and philosophy classrooms often supports this complicity.

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Ignacio Ellacuria, 1982

The question thus becomes, as Ignacio Ellacuria asked in his 1982 Commencement Speech at Santa Clara University, “How does a university transform the social reality of which it is so much a part?”  Too often, Jesuit universities blend in to the status quo rather than embody an alternative to it. Thus, the problem is not solely Donald Trump. Rather, the problem is that he is a product of the ways our Jesuit universities are not living up to their inherent Ignatian values. I worry that Jesuit universities will fail to organize against Trump’s unjust policies, if they do not first address the ways that the university has justified hierarchical, patriarchal, heteronormative, and racist ways of thinking. So we must then ask — are our institutions leading the fight against global poverty? Offering just wages and health care benefits to their faculty members? Supporting the unionization of its workers? Are we creating syllabi inclusive of authors from a variety of backgrounds? Are we having honest conversations about racism, and how universities have often fostered an attitude of white supremacy and domination rather than seeking to decimate it?

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James Cone, author of The Cross and the Lynching Tree

Should Jesuit universities truly want to be a social force for good in an era of Trump, they must begin precisely where Christ began his ministry – on the margins. When Trump was named as President-elect, many theologians began naming this current historical moment as “our Bonhoeffer moment.” These words are of course polemical, insinuating that what was ahead in the Trump presidency is comparable to life in Nazi Germany. The problem I have with this statement is that Bonhoeffer is situated as the paramount theological voice. Although I affirm that Bonhoeffer emulated authentic discipleship in his prose and present action, he was still a straight, privileged, white male. And my opinion stands that this is not the theological voice who should be at the forefront of our movements to protest. In its efforts to organize, resist, and protest, Jesuit universities must not be guided by the voices of the elites, but by the voices on the margins of society. Texts that come from the traditions of oppressed persons and groups of persons are perhaps the only light that can and should lead the way in efforts to build the Kingdom of Heaven. We need womanist theology, black liberation theology, Latina/latino liberation theology, mujerista theology, queer theology, and Asian liberation theology. These are the texts that will unsettle. These are the texts that will disturb. Can we imagine a different world had Donald Trump been given the opportunity to read Dolores Williams, James Cone, Gustavo Guiterrez, Ivone Gebarra, or Marcella Althaus-Reid? Of course, he could have glanced over the words and not let their content sink in. But he would not have been able to fully escape it if the university was embodyig the vision that these authors present.

I will conclude with the profound words of Pedro Arrupe, S.J.:

First, let me ask this question. Have we Jesuits educated you for justice? You and I know that many of your Jesuit teachers will answer, in all sincerity and humility:  No, we have not.  If the terms “justice” and “education for justice” carry all the depth of meaning which the Church gives them today, we have not educated you for justice.

…What does this mean?  It means that we have work ahead of us.  We must help each other to repair this lack in us, and above all make sure that in future the education imparted in Jesuit schools will be equal to the demands of justice in the world.  It will be difficult, but we can do it. 

We can do it because, despite our historical limitations and failures, there is something which lies at the very center of the Ignatian spirit, and which enables us to renew ourselves ceaselessly and thus to adapt ourselves to new situations as they arise. What is this something?  It is the spirit of constantly seeking the will of God.  It is that sensitiveness to the Spirit which enables us to recognize where, in what direction, Christ is calling us at different periods of history, and to respond to that call.

https://dailytheology.org/2020/08/01/donald-trumps-jesuit-education-2/

I began by attending Fordham University in the Bronx, mostly because I wanted to be close to home. I got along very well with the Jesuits who ran the school, but after two years, I decided that as long as I had to be in college, I might as well test myself against the best. I applied to the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and I got in. At the time, if you were going to make a career in business, Wharton was the place to go. Harvard Business School may produce a lot of CEOs—guys who manage public companies— but the real entrepreneurs all seemed to go to Wharton: Saul Steinberg, Leonard Lauder, Ron Perelman—the list goes on and on."

Donald Trump The Art of the Deal

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DLcbnLrl6moQT7nGj1JitG6AiQ6qgK0y/view?usp=sharing

University of Scranton welcomes President Biden

The university has illuminated its Class of 2020 Gateway in red and blue lights.

Author: WNEP Web Staff

Published: 10:52 PM EDT October 19, 2021

Updated: 10:52 PM EDT October 19, 2021

SCRANTON, Pa. — In preparation for President Joe Biden's visit, a university lit up their lights in his honor.

The University of Scranton has illuminated its Class of 2020 Gateway in blue and red with the number 46 prominently displayed to welcome the 46th president."

University of Scranton welcomes President Biden | wnep.com

https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/university-of-scranton-welcomes-president-biden-gateway-lights/523-cdba68b1-822b-4747-94be-4cd7e4de9d67

"His son, Hunter Biden, 38, is a longtime federal lobbyist for the Jesuit university located in his father's hometown, Scranton PA. According to federal disclosures, Hunter Biden has been earning about $80,000 a year since 2006 to lobby for this university. Senator Biden himself has lectured at the Jesuit University of Scranton, and received an honorary degree from the same university, in 1976." 

Codeword Barbelon 

by P.D. Stuart

Updated Nov. 22, 2023

Why Ivana Trump Was Buried at Bedminster Golf Course: 3 Theories

Portrait of Margaret Hartmann

By Margaret Hartmann, senior editor for Intelligencer who has worked at New York since 2012

Ivana Trump, former president Donald Trump’s first wife, died on July 14, 2022 at the age of 73, owing to injuries she suffered in an accidental fall on the “grand curving staircase” at her Upper East Side townhouse. Her funeral drew about 400 people and featured a gold-hued coffin, Secret Service agents, and loving remembrances from her three adult children as well as several friends. Then this icon of ’80s glamour and New York tabloid drama was laid to rest … at a New Jersey golf course?

Many found the decision to bury Ivana at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster puzzling. She is the first person to be buried at the former president’s New Jersey property, and the ground had to be consecrated so she could have a traditional Catholic burial.

A New York Post photographer scoped out the site shortly after Ivana was laid to rest and found that while her grave isn’t literally on the golf course, the whole vibe is surprisingly understated:

Photos taken by The Post Thursday show Trump’s grave alone against a bucolic scenery of trees and shrubbery. The grave looks upon a sprawling green space upon the country club’s vast estate.

The plot where Ivana was buried has a bouquet of more than two dozen white flowers and a plaque that reads in all capital letters Ivana Trump with the dates she was born and died.

The grave is in a place where golfers would not see it as they tee off for a round of golf. The small section of the club is below the backside of the first tee.

A little over a year later, the mystery persists. Photographs published by The Daily Mail on August 12, 2023 show that Ivana’s grave is marked with a small headstone, which “has become overgrown with grass and is barely visible.”

So what exactly is going on here? I have a few theories.

Theory 1: Trump really loves northern New Jersey.

If Trump National Golf Club Bedminster held a special place in Ivana’s heart, there’s no record of it. Donald bought the property in 2002, a full decade after their divorce was finalized. While Ivana maintained a friendship with her ex-husband through her final days, and her daughter, Ivanka, was married at the club, it does not appear that Ivana ever publicly praised the property.

There is, however, ample evidence that Donald Trump thinks Bedminster is a phenomenal place to be laid to rest. “Wouldn’t you want to be buried here?” he mused to The Wall Street Journal in 2015. The idea has been on his mind for at least 15 years. Back in 2007, Trump filed paperwork to build a windowless wedding chapel at Bedminster that would later be converted into a mausoleum for himself and his family.

Drawings filed with the Somerset County township called for what NJ.com described as a “19-foot-high, classical-style stone structure” with “four imposing obelisks surrounding its exterior and a small altar and six vaults inside. Locals balked at the proposal, which they deemed gaudy, and Trump withdrew the plan. Five years later, he came back with a new idea: Instead of a mausoleum, he would be buried at a large cemetery with more than 1,000 graves. “The idea, apparently, was that Trump’s golf-club members would buy the other plots, seizing the chance at eternal membership,” the Washington Post reported.

Facing continued opposition to his ghoulish ambitions, Trump revised his plans once again. In 2014, the Trump Organization filed paperwork to build two graveyards at Bedminster. One would have 284 lots for sale to the public, while the other would consist of just ten plots for Trump and his family near the first tee. The company’s filing with the state said Trump “specifically chose this property for his final resting place as it is his favorite property.”

In an October 2023 interview, Eric Trump revealed it was his father’s idea to have his mother laid to rest at the “family funeral plot.” “He was the one to say, you know, ‘I want her with us,’” Eric said. “It was pretty amazing again, you know, kind of a wife long removed — ex-wife long removed. He’s an incredible man. He’s got a heart of gold.”

Theory 2: Trump is running an elaborate tax scheme.

Some remain skeptical that Trump actually considers this the most fabulous piece of property he owns:

The Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on July 31. Photo: Jared C. Tilton/LIV via Getty Images

The average person might say Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s seaside Florida resort, is more spectacular, but they’re not looking at Bedminister through the eyes of a person with an alleged passion for tax avoidance. This tweet from Brooke Harrington, a professor of sociology at Dartmouth, sparked speculation that Bedminster’s real appeal as a graveyard lies in New Jersey tax law.

As a tax researcher, I was skeptical of rumors Trump buried his ex-wife in that sad little plot of dirt on his Bedminster, NJ golf course just for tax breaks.

So I checked the NJ tax code & folks...it's a trifecta of tax avoidance. Property, income & sales tax, all eliminated. pic.twitter.com/VDZBlDyuhQ

— Brooke Harrington (@EBHarrington) July 31, 2022

Indeed, as Insider reported, there are some surprising perks to being the proprietor of a New Jersey graveyard:

Under New Jersey state tax code, any land that is dedicated to cemetery purposes is exempt from all taxes, rates, and assessments. Cemetery companies are also specifically exempt from paying any real estate taxes, rates, and assessments or personal property taxes on their lands, as well as business taxes, sales taxes, income taxes, and inheritance taxes.

And the Trump family has definitely been pursuing the tax advantages of cemetery ownership. A document published by ProPublica shows that the Trump Family Trust sought to designate a property in Hackettstown, New Jersey, about 20 miles from Bedminster, as a nonprofit cemetery company back in 2016.

But there is reason to question this too-Trumpy-to-be-true allegation. First, all this cemetery business is unnecessary because he has already found a way to drastically reduce his Bedminster tax burden. When the Post’s David Farenthold looked into Trump’s cemetery obsession in 2017, he concluded it wouldn’t be very profitable as a business venture or a tax-avoidance scheme:

… the savings would hardly be worth the trouble. That’s because Trump had already found a way to lower his taxes on that wooded, largely unused parcel. He had persuaded the township to declare it a farm, because some trees on the site are turned into mulch. Because of pro-farmer tax policies, Trump’s company pays just $16.31 per year in taxes on the parcel, which he bought for $461,000.

According to a 2019 HuffPost analysis, Trump slashed his Bedminster tax bill by about $88,000 a year by keeping eight goats and farming 113 acres of hay on the property.

Is is possible that the cemetery business is some kind of backup tax- avoidance scheme? I suppose, but it doesn’t make a ton of sense to this humble TurboTax user.

Theory 3: Trump is just keeping it weird.

“It’s always been my suspicion that there’s something we don’t know” about Trump’s cemetery plan, Bedminster land-use board member Nick Strakhov told Farenthold in 2017.

It does seem we’re missing a key piece of the boneyard puzzle. But there is one thing we know about Trump now that wasn’t quite as apparent back then: He is a super-weird guy. He has managed to be weird with various kinds of paper, toilet bowls, aircraft carriers, and “dangerous fruit,” to name just a few of his proclivities. The thought of our inevitable demise brings out strange feelings and behavior in most people. Some of the rich plan to freeze themselves or shoot their remains into space; is it any surprise that Trump has some grandiose idea about how he and his family should be laid to rest?

“It’s never something you like to think about, but it makes sense,” Trump told the New York Post during his first attempt to make Bedminster a cemetery in 2007. “This is such beautiful land, and Bedminster is one of the richest places in the country.”

Trumpy commentary on the wealth of northern New Jersey aside, that sounds astonishingly well adjusted.

This piece was updated to include Eric Trump’s comments on his mother’s gravesite.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/ivana-trump-buried-bedminster-3-theories.html

Sibel Edmonds' Boiling Frogs Post updated their cover photo.

September 9, 2022  ·

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=568148648330235&set=a.568148608330239

Sibel Edmonds, along with others, formed NewsBud,[37] supported by Kickstarter donations. Sibel Edmonds's primarily solo Boiling Frogs Post featuring articles and videos is being merged and absorbed into NewsBud – so BFP content is becoming NewsBud content and NewsBud content occasionally appears as a BFP heading or website.[7]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibel_Edmonds#NewsBud

Sufism (Arabic: الصوفية‎, romanized: al-Ṣūfiyya or Arabic: التصوف‎, romanized: al-Taṣawwuf) is a mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic purification, spirituality, ritualism, and asceticism.[1]

Six Sufi masters, c. 1760

Practitioners of Sufism are referred to as "Sufis" (from صُوفِيّ, ṣūfīy),[2] and historically typically belonged to "orders" known as tariqa (pl. turuq) — congregations formed around a grand wali (saint) who would be the last in a chain of successive teachers linking back to Muhammad, with the goal of undergoing tazkiya (self purification) and the hope of reaching the spiritual station of ihsan.[3][4][5] The ultimate aim of Sufis is to seek the pleasure of God by endeavoring to return to their original state of purity and natural disposition, known as fitra.[6]

Sufism emerged early on in Islamic history, partly as a reaction against the expansion of the early Umayyad Caliphate (661–750) and mainly under the tutelage of Hasan al-Basri. Although Sufis were opposed to dry legalism, they strictly observed Islamic law and belonged to various schools of Islamic jurisprudence and theology.[7] Although the overwhelming majority of Sufis, both pre-modern and modern, remain adherents of Sunni Islam, certain strands of Sufi thought transferred over to the ambits of Shia Islam during the late medieval period.[8] This particularly happened after the Safavid conversion of Iran under the concept of irfan.[8] Important focuses of Sufi worship include dhikr, the practice of remembrance of God. Sufis also played an important role in spreading Islam through their missionary and educational activities.[7]

Rabia Basri, one of the earliest sufi mystics

Despite a relative decline of Sufi orders in the modern era and attacks from fundamentalist Islamic movements (such as Salafism and Wahhabism), Sufism has continued to play an important role in the Islamic world.[9][10] It has also influenced various forms of spirituality in the West and generated significant academic interest.[11][12][13]

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

Aladdin (/əˈlædɪn/ ə-LAD-in; Arabic: علاء الدين, romanized: ʻAlāʼu d-Dīn/ʻAlāʼ ad-Dīn, IPA: [ʕalaːʔ adˈdiːn], ATU 561, 'Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with One Thousand and One Nights (often known in English as The Arabian Nights), despite not being part of the original text; it was added by the Frenchman Antoine Galland, based on a folk tale that he heard from the Syrian storyteller Hanna Diyab.[1]

Sources

Further information: Hanna Diyab

Known along with Ali Baba as one of the "orphan tales", the story was not part of the original Nights collection and has no authentic Arabic textual source, but was incorporated into the book Les mille et une nuits by its French translator, Antoine Galland.[2]

John Payne quotes passages from Galland's unpublished diary recording Galland's encounter with a Maronite storyteller from Aleppo, Hanna Diyab.[1] According to Galland's diary, he met with Hanna, who had travelled from Aleppo to Paris with celebrated French traveller Paul Lucas, on March 25, 1709. Galland's diary further reports that his transcription of "Aladdin" for publication occurred in the winter of 1709–10. It was included in his volumes ix and x of the Nights, published in 1710, without any mention or published acknowledgment of Hanna's contribution.

Payne also records the discovery in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris of two Arabic manuscripts containing Aladdin (with two more of the "interpolated" tales). One was written by a Syrian Christian priest living in Paris, named Dionysios Shawish, alias Dom Denis Chavis. The other is supposed to be a copy Mikhail Sabbagh made of a manuscript written in Baghdad in 1703. It was purchased by the Bibliothèque Nationale at the end of the nineteenth century.[3] As part of his work on the first critical edition of the Nights, Iraq's Muhsin Mahdi has shown[4] that both these manuscripts are "back-translations" of Galland's text into Arabic.[5][6]

Ruth B. Bottigheimer[7] and Paulo Lemos Horta[8][9] have argued that Hanna Diyab should be understood as the original author of some of the stories he supplied, and even that several of Diyab's stories (including Aladdin) were partly inspired by Diyab's own life, as there are parallels with his autobiography.[10]

Plot

Aladdin is an impoverished young ne'er-do-well, dwelling in "one of the cities of Ancient China." He is recruited by a sorcerer from the Maghreb, who passes himself off as the brother of Aladdin's late father, Mustapha the tailor, convincing Aladdin and his mother of his good will by pretending to set up the lad as a wealthy merchant. The sorcerer's real motive is to persuade young Aladdin to retrieve a wonderful oil lamp (chirag) from a booby-trapped magic cave. After the sorcerer attempts to double-cross him, Aladdin finds himself trapped in the cave. Aladdin is still wearing a magic ring the sorcerer has lent him. When he rubs his hands in despair, he inadvertently rubs the ring and a genie appears and releases him from the cave, allowing him to return to his mother while in possession of the lamp. When his mother tries to clean the lamp, so they can sell it to buy food for their supper, a second, far more powerful genie appears; this one is bound to do the bidding of the person holding the lamp.

With the aid of the genie of the lamp, Aladdin becomes rich and powerful and marries Princess Badroulbadour, the sultan's daughter (after magically foiling her marriage to the vizier's son). The genie builds Aladdin and his bride a wonderful palace, far more magnificent than the sultan's.

The sorcerer hears of Aladdin's good fortune, and returns; he gets his hands on the lamp by tricking Aladdin's wife (who is unaware of the lamp's importance) by offering to exchange "new lamps for old". He orders the genie of the lamp to take the palace, along with all its contents, to his home in the Maghreb. Aladdin still has the magic ring and is able to summon the lesser genie. The genie of the ring is too weak to directly undo any of the magic of the genie of the lamp, but he is able to transport Aladdin to the Maghreb where, with the help of the "woman's wiles" of the princess, he recovers the lamp and slays the sorcerer, returning the palace to its proper place.

The sorcerer's more powerful and evil brother plots to destroy Aladdin for killing his brother by disguising himself as an old woman known for her healing powers. Badroulbadour falls for his disguise and commands the "woman" to stay in her palace in case of any illnesses. Aladdin is warned of this danger by the genie of the lamp and slays the impostor.

Aladdin eventually succeeds to his father-in-law's throne.

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

15 Paul Sedir and Rene Guenon argue that the Rose symbolism of Dante is of

Sufi origin and that Dante delivers essentially the same message as that of the

Rosicrucians. Doubts are raised by Umberto Eco (1991) and also in this book, but

not because the argument would depend on misreadings of Dante’s text.

Rose Cross Over The Baltic The Spread Of Rosicrucianism In Northern Europe

by Suzanne Ackerman

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

The Roseville Yard Explosion | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror

Apr 2, 2024

"On the 28th of April, 1973, fire chief Lloyd Patterson made his way to the small town of Antelope in California..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyzw-1yuUB0

The oldest written evidence of rose cultivation comes from a tablet discussing the Akkadian king Sargon I’s military campaign to the west. Sargon brought rosebush saplings with him on the campaign so rose cultivation could begin in these newly acquired territories soon after his conquest. It was an act of supreme confidence and evidence of roses’ importance to Akkadian culture.

https://deathscent.com/2022/02/18/rosalia/

Sargon

SARGON sär’ gŏn (סַֽרְגֹ֖ון; Akkad. šarrukēn, “the king is legitimate”).

The name is found only once in the Bible (Isa 20:1) where it refers to Sargon II of Assyria (721-705 b.c.). This Sargon was the son of Tiglath-pileser III, successor to his brother Shalmaneser V, and father of Sennacherib. His reign is amply known from his inscrs. at Khorsabad and from letters and historical texts found at Nineveh and Nimrud. Although he is named only once in the OT, his campaigns are of importance for understanding the historical background of the prophecies of Isaiah.

Sargon II claimed the fall of Samaria (721 b.c.), which had been besieged by his predecessor Shalmaneser V for three years (2 Kings 17:5, 6) until his death in 722 b.c. According to Sargon’s records, he deported 27,290 people from the area of Samaria to Mesopotamia. During the first part of his reign he faced serious domestic problems which were settled only by grant of privileges to the citizens of Assur. In the following year (720 b.c.) Ilu-bihdi of Hamath led Arpad, Damascus, and Pal. into revolt. Sargon defeated this anti-Assyrian coalition near Qarqar in N Syria. In 720 b.c. the kingdom of Judah, under Ahaz, together with Philistia, Edom, and Moab, submitted to vassalage and paid tribute. In the following years, people deported from Babylonia, Hamath, and elsewhere were resettled in Samaria; these, with others brought in later, mingled with the surviving Israelite population, and their descendants years later were known as the Samaritans.

Sargon had scarcely completed the reduction of Samaria when he was greeted by a rebellion in Babylonia in 720 b.c. led by the Chaldean prince Marduk-apal-iddina (Biblical Merodach-baladan who ruled 721-711 b.c.) in Babylonia not simply as a barbarian chieftain but as a great Mesopotamian monarch who left behind traces of his building activities in various cities. Although backed by Humbanigash, king of Elam, an indecisive battle was fought at Der, between the Tigris and the Zagros, making it expedient for Sargon to leave Merodach-baladan as king in Babylonia. Thus Sargon lost control of Babylonia and did not regain it for c. twelve years.

Meanwhile, other campaigns claimed his attention. In Asia Minor, Mita (Midas), king of the Phrygian Mushki, proved a troublesome foe. A rebellion by the vassal state of Carchemish in Syria (717 b.c.) provoked Sargon to destroy that ancient center of Hitt. culture and deport its population, and subsequently to make various campaigns into Asia Minor. Sargon also turned on Urartu, already weakened by Tiglath-pileser III and now gravely threatened by the incursions of an Indo-Aryan barbarian people called the Cimmerians who were moving down from the Caucasus. Seizing the opportunity, Sargon broke the power of Urartu completely, thus removing an ancient rival—and Assyria’s strongest dike against the barbarian tide at the same time.

After 720 b.c. Sargon conducted no major campaign in Pal. This may have encouraged the restless vassals to imagine that he was a man who could be trifled with. By 713 b.c. Ashdod rebelled and other Philistine towns were drawn into the revolt and, as Sargon told it, Judah, Edom, and Moab were invited to join. That Egyp. aid had been promised is clear both from the Assyrian texts and the Bible (Isa 20). In fact, according to Isaiah 18, ambassadors of the Ethiopian king himself waited on Hezekiah, hoping to enlist his cooperation. Opinions were divided in Judah: to go or not. Isaiah was bitterly opposed, both calling on his king to give the Ethiopian envoys a negative answer, and symbolically illustrating (Isa 20) the folly of trusting in Egypt by walking about Jerusalem barefoot and clad only in a loincloth.

Sargon at this time was at the peak of power and preparing to reconquer Babylon. Ashdod, the center of revolt, was quickly taken by storm, and Judah, Moab, and Edom paid homage to the conqueror. The expected Egyp. aid failed completely to materialize and Judah was held in subjection. Later Hezekiah revolted against Sargon’s son, Sennacherib.

At the beginning of 710 b.c., Sargon was everywhere victorious. The whole of Syria-Pal. and most of the Zagros range were firmly in Assyrian hands; Urartu was dressing its wounds; the Egyptians were friendly; the Elamites and Phrygians were hostile but peaceful. Babylon, under Merodach-baladan, remained a thorn in the side of Assyria, and in 710 b.c. Sargon attacked it for the second time in his reign. It was a smashing victory, with Merodach-baladan fleeing to Elam for refuge, and the fame of Sargon continued to grow. The repeated efforts made by its enemies to undermine the Assyrian empire had been of no avail; at the end of Sargon’s reign it was larger and apparently stronger than ever.

As a war chief, Sargon liked to live in Kalḫu (Nimrud), the military capital of the empire, where he occupied, restored, and modified Ashurnasirpal’s palace. Moved by great pride, he soon decided to have his own palace in his own city. In 717 b.c. he laid the foundations of “Sargon’s fortress,” Dur-Sharrukin, a hitherto virgin site twelve m. NE of Nineveh, near the modern village of Khorsabad.

Ten years later the workmen completed a town which was square in plan, each side measuring c. one in. The palace itself stood on a sixty-ft. high platform overriding the city wall and comprised more than 200 rooms and thirty courtyards. The royal abode was richly decorated and the gates of the town were guarded by colossal bull-men. Evidence, however, indicates that the city was scarcely inhabited and almost immediately abandoned at the king’s death. One year after Dur Sharrukin was officially inaugurated, Sargon was killed (705 b.c.). His successors preferred Nineveh, and Khorsabad, deserted, fell slowly to ruins.

Bibliography Malamat, “The Historical Setting of Two Biblical Prophecies on the Nations,” IEJ, 1 (1950/51), 150ff.; G. Roux, Ancient Iraq, 257-262; H. W. F. Saggs, Iraq, 17 (1955), 146-149; H. Tadmor, “The Campaigns of Sargon II of Assyria,” JCS 12 (1958), 22-40; 77-100; W. W. Hallo, “From Qarqar to Carchemish: Assyria and Israel in the Light of New Discoveries,” BA, 23 (1960), 50-56.

https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Sargon

Isaiah 20

1599 Geneva Bible

20 2 The three years captivity of Egypt and Ethiopia described by the three years going naked of Isaiah.

1 In the year that [a]Tartan came to [b]Ashdod, (when [c]Sargon king of Assyria sent him) and had fought against Ashdod, and taken it,

2 At the same time spake the Lord by the hand of Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go, and loose the [d]sackcloth from thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.

3 And the Lord said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years as a sign and wonder upon Egypt, and Ethiopia,

4 So shall the king of Assyria take away the captivity of Egypt, and the captivity of Ethiopia, both young men and old men, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

5 And they shall fear, and be ashamed of [e]Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their [f]glory.

6 Then shall the inhabitants of this [g]isle say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we fled for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria, and how shall we be delivered?

Footnotes

Isaiah 20:1 Who was captain of Sennacherib, 2 Kings 18:17.

Isaiah 20:1 A city of the Philistines.

Isaiah 20:1 The Hebrews write that Sennacherib was so called.

Isaiah 20:2 Which signifieth that the Prophet did lament the misery that he saw prepared, before the three years that he went naked and barefooted.

Isaiah 20:5 In whose aid they trusted.

Isaiah 20:5 Of whom they boasted and gloried.

Isaiah 20:6 Meaning, Judea, which was compassed about with their enemies, as an isle with waters.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2020&version=GNV

Clinton visits state flood victims

By Steven A. Capps,

OF THE EXAMINER STAFF

Jan 18, 1995

1995-01-18 04:00:00 PDT CALIFORNIA -- ROSEVILLE, Placer County - President Clinton met with flood victims here in their homes as part of a two-day swing through California to offer solace to those stricken by last week's flood and last year's Northridge earthquake.

More than 300 homes were damaged in Roseville when a creek rose over its banks, sending a 6-foot cascade of water through a middle-class neighborhood a block from Interstate 80. Damage has been estimated at about $8 million.

Clinton also visited Rio Linda in Sacramento County, where some residents had to be rescued by helicopter from their rooftops after last week's flood. He saw an emergency aid station during Tuesday's tour and made a surprise stop at a nearby drive-in restaurant, where he ordered a cup of homemade chili and a diet soft drink.

The meal was on the house, said employee Caroline Michalek.

Clinton had scheduled a trip to California before the floods to mark the first anniversary of the Northridge quake in Los Angeles. He had to cancel a centerpiece event of that commemoration, a tour of Cal State Northridge, after three devices resembling pipe bombs were found on campus. They were later determined not to be bombs.

Clinton's staff insisted the trip was not for campaign purposes, although California is a key state in his re-election bid. But they did not discount the positive publicity the president might gain by visiting the state.

"Good politics is showing that government is doing its job and doing its job well," said Michael McCurry, Clinton's press secretary. "People will gain some confidence that government has its act together. It's not so much that people want government out of their lives. They want it to be fair, inexpensive and non-bureaucratic."

In brief remarks in Roseville, Clinton announced that another $15 million in federal aid would be provided to California for emergency road repairs. He praised the work already done in the Roseville neighborhood and in 38 counties that have been declared disaster areas, making them eligible for federal relief to clean up the estimated $300 million in flood damage.

"We were deeply moved by what we saw," Clinton said.

"Don't give up."

Tom Wilson was among 15 residents who had a private discussion with the president in the back yard of a home.

People expressed frustrations about the lack of flood control measures, he said.

"Improper planning has caused this; I don't really want to live here any longer," Wilson said. "I don't want to watch that creek rise. If you live next to a river, you expect this."

Clinton toured two homes in the neighborhood. One belonged to Ron and Carol Hayes.

"He was completely astonished at the power of the flood," said Ron Hayes, who said the torrent had picked up a 7-foot hot tub and swept it across his yard.

"The president said he would do everything possible to help us," said Hayes, a 54-year-old retired police officer.&lt;

Jan 18, 1995

Steven A. Capps

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/clinton-visits-state-flood-victims-3153059.php

As a Rose

Bible study on eternal life.

I moved to Thomasville, with my family, in July of 1993. So, this year's Rose Festival was our first since moving to Thomasville. It was marvelous to finally witness the beautiful roses and participate in the festival. We marched in a parade, watched a parade, attended several events, and even petted a horse. Our weekend pleasantly ended with a friend giving us a single beautiful rose in a vase which has refreshed our senses.

For weeks prior to the festival until now, I have been thinking about writing an article comparing the life of a rose to human life. Now, I consider myself to be ignorant when discussing roses, but there are parallels we can draw from anything possessing temporal beautiful. The word rose, denoting a type of shrub and particularly the flower, appears in the Bible two times. In Song of Solomon 2:1, the rose of Sharon represents beauty as it does in Isaiah 35:1. But, the rose is also depicted in Isaiah as a beautiful flower that blossoms.

A rose that comes forth and blossoms is like the birth of a child. It is beautiful, innocent of any wrong, and loved. It grows and matures, blossoming into a mature adult. But, as no rose is perfect, so no human is perfect. The rose bush has a nurseryman as a child has a parent. The rose bush is watered, fertilized, and pruned to stimulate new growth much like we encourage, educate, and chastise our children to stimulate new grow - shedding poor behavior to give way to further blossoming of greater character.

Likewise, the flower of a rose bush dies and is reborn again the next season. We too must die to be reborn and acceptable to God. This is called the rebirth. As a flowering rose dies and is reborn the following season, a man must die and be reborn while living on earth so that death has no effect apart from human existence. Jesus says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again" (John 3:5-7).

A rose is born, blossoms, matures, and then fades away until being overcome by death. So with human existence, we are born, blossom from infancy to childhood, grow into mature adults, and then fade away until captured by death. As the life of a rose is fleeting, human existence is fleeting. James says: "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." (James 4:14) The greek word translated vapor denotes a mist. One's life is like a mist that is here for a moment and then disappears and is forgotten. So, human life is here one day and gone the next without remembrance of the one who walked through the vale of death.

And ironically, as a rose returns to dust, so this human tent must also return to dust. Our corruptible tent in which human existence consists has been formed from natural elements and returns to that from which it had been formed. How appropriate that we bury ourselves in the ground since it is to the ground our flesh returns - from dust to dust.

But for Christians, there is a blossom is our heart that never fades, grows old, nor vanishes away. It is the blossom of eternal life. In the passage quoted below Paul explains that those in Christ have eternal life and that they are to reckon themselves to be alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer having dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; that the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 6:3-11).

So a Christian is like a rose in beauty and splendor, but unlike a rose in one respect. Unlike a rose, a Christian's inner-man never fades nor sees corruption. A Christian lives forever to enjoy the rose of Sharon - eternal life in the kingdom of God.

Eternal life is precious. Jesus asks in Matthew 16:26: "For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" As I type these words, I am introspective regarding my life, my service to God, the brevity of human existence, and the certainty of eternal judgement. Have I sold my soul? Is there anything in life worth exchanging my soul? What will I think of the life I am living today as I lie upon tomorrow's paralyzing bed of death and look back on today? These are indeed frightful questions, but I conclude that it is better to look into my life today since I may improve only upon today. But, as for yesterday, I may only feel remorse.

https://m.biblestudyguide.org/articles/personal-reflection/as-rose.htm

The Rose Garden

A unique sensory experience, thanks to the roses with their scents and colors, and a stunning view that goes from the Palatine Hill to the bell tower of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, the dome of the Synagogue and the Vittoriano, up to the Monte Mario observatory.

Rome's rose garden is located on the slopes of the Aventine Hill, in a place that was dedicated to flowers ever since the III century B.C. Roman historian Tacitus, in his Annales, speaks of a temple dedicated to the goddess Flora, whose celebrations, the "floralia", took place in the spring in Circus Maximus. Covered with gardens and vineyards until the end of the 16th century, in 1645 it became the Jewish Vegetable Garden and a small community cemetery was annexed to it.

From 1934, when the Jewish cemetery was moved to the Verano monumental cemetery, the area was designated as a park by Rome’s general master plan. It remained uncultivated, however, until 1950, when it became the site of the new municipal rose garden. As a thank-you to the Jewish community that had made it possible to recreate the rose garden in a sacred place, a stele was placed at the entrance to the garden in remembrance of the previous destination, and the paths dividing the flowerbeds in the collection area took on the shape of the menorah, the seven-branched candelabra which a symbol of Judaism.

The Roseto is home to around 1,100 species of roses from all over the world, even from China and Mongolia. Among the most curious, the Rosa Chinensis Virdiflora, with green petals, the Rosa Chinensis Mutabilis, which changes color with the passing of the days and the Rosa Foetida, a smelly rose. In the largest area is the collection of botanical roses, both ancient and modern.

The lower section of the garden hosts the roses participating in the Premio Roma (by invitation) and the collection of the roses that have won this prestigious event since 1933 (the year of the first edition that was held on Colle Oppio).

https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/rose-garden

What is Rosicrucianism?

Answer

The true origin of Rosicrucianism is unknown. Today there are two groups which claim to be representative of Rosicrucianism, the Rosicrucianism Fellowship in Oceanside, Calif., and the rival organization, the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC) in San Jose, Calif. The latter group is adamant about being the faithful Rosicrucianism order.

The earliest authentically Rosicrucianism writings come from the 17th century. These anonymous works set forth the travels of the alleged founder of the order, one Christian Rosenkreutz. As the story goes, Rosenkreutz learned secrets about medicine and magic while on a trip to the Near East. Upon his return to Europe, he founded a secret fraternity whose members communicated in secret-coded writings.

The Rosicrucianism Order is syncretistic, meaning that it borrows ideas and beliefs from various other religions in an attempt to unify them under a central theme—wisdom about life after death has been preserved through the ages and is revealed only to the secret brotherhood (the Rosicrucians). There are strongly occultic teachings in Rosicrucianism, including ESP, clairvoyance, and spiritism. This goes right along with the secretive nature of Rosicrucianism because these activities are the playground of Satan and his demons, and Satan always shuns the light.

Regarding the principle Christian doctrines found in the Bible, the Rosicrucians believe the following:

Jesus Christ: According to Rosicrucianism, He was born of Gentile parents, did not die on the cross, did not ascend to heaven, and retired to the monastery in Carmel to carry on secret missions with His apostles.

Salvation: Rosicrucianism denies that a person must trust Christ as the only Savior. Their system is one of self-effort, their motto being “TRY.”

The Bible: Rosicrucianism rejects the divine authorship of the Bible and does not hold Scripture in any special favor.

As is the case with all false religion, Rosicrucianism is a lie from the father of lies, Satan, and as such it has many things in common with other false systems. First, it denies the authority of Scripture. We know from 2 Timothy 3:16 that “all scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Every word of the Bible is inspired by God Himself (literally God-breathed), who moved the very hands and minds of each of the writers. Second, none of the claims regarding Jesus Christ conform to the Bible. Matthew 1:1-18 and Luke 3:23-28 affirm the long Jewish, not Gentile, ancestry of Jesus. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:17 that “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” Acts 1:9-11 and Matthew 24:30 confirm Christ’s ascension into heaven and His eventual return. The Jesus of the Rosicrucians is not the Jesus of the Bible.

As for the Rosicrucianism doctrine of self-effort, the Bible teaches that man is sinful from birth (Jeremiah 17:9) and incapable of doing enough good works to make him acceptable to a holy and perfectly righteous God. “For no human being will be justified in His sight by works of the law” (Romans 3:20). Man is, simply put, in desperate need of a Savior to do that for him. God has provided that Savior in His Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to pay the penalty of our sin and make us acceptable to God. He exchanged His perfect life for our sinful ones: “For He has made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Finally, the secretive nature of Rosicrucianism is in direct contrast with the true faith, Christianity, which seeks to shout the message of Jesus Christ from the roof tops, as the Bible exhorts us: “What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light, and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops” (Matthew 10:27).

https://www.gotquestions.org/Rosicrucianism.html

1 Corinthians 15

1599 Geneva Bible

15 1 The Gospel that Paul preached. 3 The death and resurrection of Christ. 8 Paul saw Christ. 9 He had persecuted that Church, whereof afterward he was made a minister. 12 Christ first rose again, and we all shall rise by him. 26 The last enemy, death. 29 To be baptized for dead. 32 At Ephesus Paul fought with beasts. 35 How the dead are raised. 45 The first Adam. The last Adam, 47 The first and second man. 51 We shall all be changed, we shall not all sleep. 55 Death’s sting. 57 Victory. 58 Constancy and steadfastness.

1 Moreover [a]brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which ye have also received, and wherein ye [b]continue,

2 And whereby ye are saved, if ye keep in memory, after what manner I preached it unto you, [c]except ye have believed in vain.

3 For first of all, I delivered unto you that which I received, how that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures,

4 And that he was buried, and that he arose the third day, according to the Scriptures,

5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the [d]twelve.

6 After that, he was seen of more than five hundred brethren at [e]once: whereof many remain unto this present, and some also are asleep.

7 After that, he was seen of James: then of all the Apostles.

8 [f]And last of all he was seen also of me, as of one born out of due time.

9 For I am the least of the Apostles, which am not meet to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God.

10 But by the grace of God I am that I am: and his grace which is in me, was not in vain: but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which is with me.

11 Wherefore, whether it were I, or they, so we preach, and so have ye believed.

12 ¶ [g]Now if it be preached, that Christ is risen from the dead, how say some among you, that there is no resurrection of the dead?

13 [h]For if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:

14 [i]And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

15 And we are found also false witnesses of God: for we have testified of God, that he hath raised up Christ: whom he hath not raised up, if so be the dead be not raised.

16 [j]For if the dead be not raised, then is Christ not raised.

17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain: [k]ye are [l]yet in your sins.

18 [m]And so they which are asleep in Christ, are perished.

19 [n]If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most miserable.

20 [o]But now is Christ risen from the dead, [p]and was made the [q]firstfruits of them that slept.

21 [r]For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be [s]made alive.

23 [t]But every man in his own order: the firstfruits is Christ, afterward, they that are of Christ, at his coming shall rise again.

24 [u]Then shall be the [v]end, when he hath delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he hath put down [w]all rule, and all authority and power.

25 For he must reign till he hath put all his enemies [x]under his feet.

26 The [y]last enemy that shall be destroyed, is death.

27 For he hath put down all things under his feet. (And when he saith that all things are subdued to him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put down all things under him.)

28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, [z]then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him, that did subdue all things under him, that [aa]God may be all in all.

29 [ab]Else what shall they do which are baptized [ac]for dead? if the dead rise not at all, why are they then baptized for dead?

30 [ad]Why are we also in jeopardy every hour?

31 By your [ae]rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

32 [af]If I have fought with beasts at Ephesus [ag]after the manner of men, what advantageth it me, if the dead be not raised up? [ah]let us [ai]eat and drink: for tomorrow we shall die.

33 [aj]Be not deceived: evil speakings corrupt good manners.

34 Awake to live righteously, and sin not: for some have not the knowledge of God, I speak this to your shame.

35 [ak]But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body come they forth?

36 [al]O fool, that which thou sowest, is not quickened, except it die.

37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare corn as it falleth, of wheat, or of some other.

38 [am]But God giveth it a body at his pleasure, even to every seed his own body.

39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another of fishes, and another of birds:

40 There are also heavenly bodies, and earthly bodies: but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another.

41 There is another glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

42 [an]So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is [ao]sown in corruption, and is raised in incorruption.

43 It is sown in [ap]dishonor, and is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness, and is raised in [aq]power.

44 [ar]It is sown a natural body, and is raised a spiritual body: there is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

45 [as]As it is also written, The [at]first man Adam was made a living soul: and the last Adam was made a [au]quickening spirit.

46 [av]Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual: but that which is natural, and afterward that which is spiritual.

47 The first man is of the earth, [aw]earthly: the second man is the Lord from [ax]heaven.

48 [ay]As is the earthly, such are they that are earthly: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

49 And as we have born the [az]image of the earthly, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly.

50 [ba]This say I, brethren, that [bb]flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

51 [bc]Behold, I show you a [bd]secret thing, We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In [be]a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet: for the trumpet shall blow, and the dead shall be raised up incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption: and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible hath put on incorruption, and this mortal hath put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying, that is written, Death is swallowed up into victory.

55 O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin: and the strength of sin is the Law.

57 But thanks be unto God, which hath given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 [bf]Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, abundant always in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the [bg]Lord.

Footnotes

1 Corinthians 15:1 The sixth treatise of this Epistle, concerning the resurrection: and he useth a transition, or passing over from one matter to another, showing first that he bringeth no new thing, to the end that the Corinthians might understand that they had begun to swerve from the right course: and next that he goeth not about to entreat of a trifling matter, but of another chief point of the Gospel, which if it be taken away, their faith must needs come to nought. And so at the length he beginneth this treatise at Christ’s resurrection, which is the ground and foundation of ours, and confirmeth it first by the testimony of the Scriptures, and by the witness of the Apostles, and of more than five hundred brethren, and last of all his own.

1 Corinthians 15:1 In the profession whereof you continue yet.

1 Corinthians 15:2 Which is very absurd, and cannot be, but that they believe, must reap the fruit of faith.

1 Corinthians 15:5 Of those twelve picked and chosen Apostles, which were commonly called twelve, though Judas was put out of the number.

1 Corinthians 15:6 Not fewer all times, but together and at one instant.

1 Corinthians 15:8 He maintaineth by the way, the authority of his Apostleship, which was requisite to be in good credit among the Corinthians, that this Epistle might be of force and weight amongst them. In the mean season he compareth himself to such sort after a certain divine art with certain others, that he maketh himself inferior to them all.

1 Corinthians 15:12 The first argument to prove that there is a resurrection from the dead: Christ is risen again, therefore the dead shall rise again.

1 Corinthians 15:13 The second by an absurdity, If there is no resurrection of the dead, then is not Christ risen again.

1 Corinthians 15:14 The proof of that absurdity by other absurdities: If Christ be not risen again, the preaching of the Gospel is in vain, and the credit that you gave unto it is vain, and we are liars.

1 Corinthians 15:16 He repeateth the same argument taken of an absurdity, purposing to show how faith is in vain if the resurrection of Christ be taken away.

1 Corinthians 15:17 First, seeing death is the punishment of sin, in vain should we believe that our sins were forgiven us, if they remain: but they do remain, if Christ rose not from death.

1 Corinthians 15:17 They are yet in their sins, which are not sanctified, nor have obtained remission of their sins.

1 Corinthians 15:18 Secondly, unless that this be certain that Christ rose again, all they which died in Christ, are perished. So then what profit cometh of faith?

1 Corinthians 15:19 The third argument, which is also taken from an absurdity: for unless there be another life, wherein such as trust and believe in Christ shall be blessed, they were the most miserable of all creatures, because in this life they are the most miserable.

1 Corinthians 15:20 A conclusion of the former argument: Therefore Christ is risen again.

1 Corinthians 15:20 He putteth the last conclusion for the first proposition of the argument that followeth. Christ is risen again, Therefore shall we the faithful (for of them he speaketh) rise again: Then followeth the first reason of this consequent: for Christ is set forth unto us, to be considered of, not as a private man apart and by himself, but as the firstfruits: And he taketh that which was known, to all men, to wit, that the whole heap is sanctified in the firstfruits.

1 Corinthians 15:20 He alludeth to the firstfruits of corn, the offering whereof sanctified the rest of the fruits.

1 Corinthians 15:21 Another confirmation of the same consequent: for Christ is to be considered as opposite to Adam, that as from one man Adam, sin came over all, so from one man Christ, life cometh unto all: that is to say, that all the faithful, as they die, because by nature they were born of Adam, so because in Christ they are made the children of God by grace, they are quickened and restored to life by him.

1 Corinthians 15:22 Shall rise by the virtue of Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:23 He doeth two things together: for he showeth that the resurrection is in such sort common to Christ with all his members, that notwithstanding he far passeth them, both in time (for he was the first that rose again from the dead) and also in honor, because that from him and in him is all our life and glory. Then by this occasion he passeth in the next argument.

1 Corinthians 15:24 The fourth argument, wherewith also he confirmeth the others, hath a most sure ground, to wit, because that God must reign. And this is the manner of his reign, that the Father will be showed to be King in his Son who was made man, to whom all things are made subject (the promiser only except) to the end that the Father may afterward triumph in his Son the conqueror. And he maketh two parts of this reign and dominion of the Son, wherein the Father’s glory consisteth: to wit, the overcoming of his enemies (whereof some must be deprived of all power, as Satan and all the wicked, be they never so proud and mighty, and others must be utterly abolished as death) and a plain and full delivery of the godly from all enemies, that by this means God may fully set forth the body of the Church, cleaving fast to their head Christ, his kingdom and glory as a king in his subjects. Moreover he putteth the first degree of this kingdom in the resurrection of the Son, who is the head: and the perfection, in the full conjunction of the members with the head, which shall be in the latter day. Now all these tend to this purpose, to show that unless the dead do rise again, neither the Father can be King above all, neither Christ be Lord of all: for neither should the power of Satan and death be overcome, nor the glory of God be full in his Son, nor his Son in his members.

1 Corinthians 15:24 The shutting up and finishing of all things.

1 Corinthians 15:24 All his enemies which shall be spoiled of all the power they have.

1 Corinthians 15:25 Christ is considered here, as he appeared in the form of a servant, in which respect he ruleth the Church as head, and that because this power was given him of his Father.

1 Corinthians 15:26 The shutting up of the argument, which is taken from the whole to the part: for if all his enemies shall be put under his feet, then must it needs be that death also shall be subdued under him.

1 Corinthians 15:28 Not because the Son was not subject to his Father before, but because his body, that is to say, the Church which is here in distress, and not yet wholly partaker of his glory, is not yet fully perfect, and also because the bodies of the saints which be in the graves shall not be glorified until the resurrection: but Christ as he is God, hath us subject to him as his Father hath, but as he is Priest, he is subject to his father together with us. Augustine, book 1, chap. 8, of the Trinity.

1 Corinthians 15:28 By this high kind of speech, is set forth an incomprehensible glory which floweth from God, and shall fill all of us, as we are joined together with our head, but yet so, that our head shall always reserve his preeminence.

1 Corinthians 15:29 The fifth argument taken of the end of Baptism, to wit, because that they which are baptized, are baptized for dead, that is to say, that they may have a remedy against death because that Baptism is a token of regeneration.

1 Corinthians 15:29 They that are baptized, to this end and purpose, that death may be put out in them, or to rise again from the dead, whereof baptism is a seal.

1 Corinthians 15:30 The sixth argument: Unless there be a resurrection of the dead, why should the Apostles so daily cast themselves into danger of so many deaths?

1 Corinthians 15:31 As though he said, I die daily, as all the miseries I suffer can well witness, which I may truly boast of, that I have suffered amongst you.

1 Corinthians 15:32 The taking away of an objection: but thou Paul, didst ambitiously, as commonly men are wont to do, when thou didst fight with beasts at Ephesus: That is very like, saith Paul, for what could that advantage me, were it not for the glory of eternal life which I hope for?

1 Corinthians 15:32 Not upon any godly motion, nor casting mine eyes upon God, but carried away with vain glory, or a certain headiness.

1 Corinthians 15:32 The seventh argument which dependeth upon the last: if there be no resurrection of the dead, why do we give ourselves to anything else, save to eating and drinking?

1 Corinthians 15:32 These are speeches that Epicureans use.

1 Corinthians 15:33 The conclusion with a sharp exhortation, that they take heed of the naughty company of certain: from whence he showeth that this mischief sprang: warning them to be wise with sobriety unto righteousness.

1 Corinthians 15:35 Now that he hath proved the resurrection, he discovereth their doltishness, in that they scoffingly demanded, how it could be that the dead should rise again, and if they did rise again, they asked mockingly, what manner of bodies they should have. Therefore he sendeth these fellows which seemed to themselves to be marvelous wise and witty, to be instructed of poor rude husbandmen.

1 Corinthians 15:36 Thou mightest have learned either of these, saith Paul, by daily experience: for seeds are sown, and rot, and yet notwithstanding so far it is off, that they perish, that contrarywise they grow up far more beautiful: and whereas they are sown naked and dry, they spring up green from death by the virtue of God: and doth it seem incredible to thee that our bodies should rise from corruption, and that endued with a far more excellent quality?

1 Corinthians 15:38 We see a diversity both in one and the selfsame thing which hath now one form and then another, and yet keepeth its own kind, as it is evident in a grain which is sown bare, but springeth up far after another sort: and also in divers kinds of one selfsame sort, as amongst beasts: and also among things of divers sorts, as the heavenly bodies and the earthly bodies: which also differ very much one from another. Therefore there is no cause why we should reject either the resurrection of the bodies, or changing of them into a better state, as a thing impossible, or strange.

1 Corinthians 15:42 He maketh three manner of qualities of the bodies being raised: Incorruption, to wit, because they shall be sound, and altogether of a nature that cannot be corrupt: Glory, because they shall be adorned with beauty and honor: Power, because they shall continue everlasting without meat, drink, and all other helps, without which this frail life cannot keep itself from corruption.

1 Corinthians 15:42 Is buried, and man is hid as seed in the ground.

1 Corinthians 15:43 Void of honor, void of glory, and beauty.

1 Corinthians 15:43 Freed from the former weakness, whereas it is subject to such alteration and change, that it cannot maintain itself without meat and drink, and such otherlike helps.

1 Corinthians 15:44 He showeth perfectly in one word, this change of the quality of the body by the resurrection, when he saith, that of a natural body, it shall become a spiritual body, which two qualities being clean different, the one from the other, he straightway expoundeth and setteth forth diligently.

1 Corinthians 15:45 That is called a natural body, which is quickened and maintained by a living soul only, such as Adam was, of whom all we are born naturally: and that is said to be a spiritual, which together with the soul is quickened with a far more excellent virtue: to wit, with the Spirit of God, which descendeth from Christ the second Adam unto us.

1 Corinthians 15:45 Adam is called the first man, because he is the root as it were from which we spring: and Christ is the latter man: because he is the beginning of all them that are spiritual, and in him we are all comprehended.

1 Corinthians 15:45 Christ is called a Spirit, by reason of that most excellent nature, that is to say, God who dwelleth in him bodily, as Adam is called a living soul, by reason of the soul which is the best part in him.

1 Corinthians 15:46 Secondly he willeth the order of this double state or quality to be observed, that the natural was first, Adam being created of the clay of the earth: and the spiritual followed and came upon it, to wit, when the Lord being sent from heaven, endued our flesh which was prepared and made fit for him, with the fulness of the Godhead.

1 Corinthians 15:47 Wallowing in dirt, and wholly given to an earthly nature.

1 Corinthians 15:47 The Lord is said to come down from heaven by that kind of speech, whereby that which is proper to one is touched of another.

1 Corinthians 15:48 He applieth both the earthly naturalness of Adam (if I may so say) to our bodies, so long as they are naturally conversant on earth, to wit, in this life, and in the grave: and also the spirituality of Christ to the same our bodies, after that they are risen again: and he saith, that that goeth before and this shall follow.

1 Corinthians 15:49 Not a vain and false image, but such an one as had the truth with it indeed.

1 Corinthians 15:50 The conclusion: We cannot be partakers of the glory of God, unless we put off all that gross and filthy nature of our bodies subject to corruption, that the same body may be adorned with incorruptible glory.

1 Corinthians 15:50 Flesh and blood are taken here for a living body, which cannot attain to incorruption, unless it put off corruption.

1 Corinthians 15:51 He goeth further, declaring that it shall come to pass that they which shall be found alive in the latterday, shall not descend into that corruption of the grave, but shall be renewed with a sudden change, which change is very requisite: and that the certain enjoying of the benefit and victory of Christ, is deferred unto that latter time.

1 Corinthians 15:51 A thing that hath been hid, and never known hitherto, and therefore worthy that you give good care unto it.

1 Corinthians 15:52 He showeth us that the time shall be very short.

1 Corinthians 15:58 An exhortation taken from the profit that ensueth, that seeing they understand that the glory of the other life is laid up for faithful workmen, they continue and stand fast in the truth of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Through the Lord’s help and goodness working in us.

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‘Buffy’ and ‘Gossip Girl’ star Michelle Trachtenberg hits back at criticism over her looks: ‘This is my face’

By Nika Shakhnazarova

Published Jan. 22, 2024, 4:57 a.m. ET

60 Comments

‘Buffy’ and ‘Gossip Girl’ star Michelle Trachtenberg hits back at criticism over her looks: ‘This is my face’‘Buffy’ and ‘Gossip Girl’ star Michelle Trachtenberg hits back at criticism over her looks: ‘This is my face’

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Michelle Trachtenberg has hit out at “haters” who have expressed their concern over her health.

The “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” alum, 38, fired back at critics who addressed her appearance on social media, sparking concerns over her wellbeing.

Last week, Trachtenberg posted a selfie with “Spy Kids” star Alexa PenaVega, writing, “These kids….now adults getting our roots/hair done! Love this girl @vegaalexa.”

But the “Gossip Girl” star’s comments section was flooded with endless messages from concerned fans, some of which said she looked “sick.”

“Explain to me how I look sick,” the “Ice Princess” actress responded. “Did you lose a calendar and not realize I’m not 14. I’m 38. How sad for you to leave such a comment.”

The fan soon apologized, saying they meant “no disrespect” by the comment, and that it was a genuine concern.

Michelle Trachtenberg in a selfie shared on Instagram.

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Michelle Trachtenberg has hit out at “haters” who have expressed their concern over her health.

Instagram / Michelle Trachtenberg

Michelle Trachtenberg in a selfie shared on Instagram.

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The “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” alum, 38, fired back at critics who addressed her appearance on social media, sparking concerns over her wellbeing.

Instagram / Michelle Trachtenberg

Trachtenberg shared yet another selfie later that day, writing, “I’ve received several comments recently about my appearance. I have never had plastic surgery I am happy and healthy. Check yourself haters.”

But the post only encouraged more fans to express concerns over the actress’s health.

After being hit with more comments, Trachtenberg returned to the social media platform to share another selfie of her new hairstyle.

Michelle Trachtenberg and "Spy Kids" star Alexa PenaVega in a selfie shared on Instagram.

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The “Gossip Girl” star’s comments section was flooded with endless messages from concerned fans, some of which said she looked “sick.”

Instagram / Michelle Trachtenberg

“Fun fact. This is my face,” she captioned the Instagram pic. “Not malnutrition no problems. Why do you have you hate? Get a calendar.”

Actress Kristin Chenoweth commented, “Ignore the hate baby! You’re stunning!!!”

Trachtenberg is arguably best known for her work as Buffy’s (Sarah Michelle Gellar) younger sister Dawn Summers, nicknamed “The Key,” in the hit drama “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” which ran from 2000 to 2003.

Michelle Trachtenberg in a selfie shared on Instagram.

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“Explain to me how I look sick,” Trachtenberg responded to a critic. “How sad for you to leave such a comment.”

https://pagesix.com/2024/01/22/entertainment/buffy-and-gossip-girl-star-michelle-trachtenberg-hits-back-at-criticism-over-her-looks-this-is-my-face/

§2. We must cooperate with the media, so that the Church s true FACE can appear and the Gospel can be inculturated in this new mass culture as well. Though we remain always loyal to the truth, our Ignatian sense of sentire cum ecclesia will lead us to present what is praiseworthy in the Church.[140]

§3. In no way detracting from the general formation to be given to all, according to no. 96, §2, in order that we may more efficaciously use the socialcommunications media in a way that is adapted to the needs and opportunities of our apostolate in fulfilling our mission, major superiors should in good time choose and assign some men endowed with a religious spirit and other gifts, so that after they have become expert at various levels of specialization and have acquired academic degrees, they may become competent in practicing these skills and in directing others.[141]

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

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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]"

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

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/

Michelle Trachtenberg's death leaves Hollywood stunned: Blake Lively, Rosie O'Donnell lead tributes

The actress, 39, was known for 'Gossip Girl,' 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'Harriet the Spy'

Brie Stimson By Brie Stimson Fox News

Published February 26, 2025 7:47pm EST

Tributes began pouring in from Michelle Trachtenberg's former co-stars Wednesday after the news of her death broke.

The actress was just 39 years old.

Blake Lively, who starred with Trachtenberg on the teen drama "Gossip Girl," called her "fiercely loyal" in a lengthy post on her Instagram stories.

Along with a photo of her with Trachtenberg, which she said was their first day on set together, she called the actress "big and bold and distinctly herself … She was a kind person, through and through," and added that "she was electricity."

"Time passes," she wrote. "You take for granted that you get the chance to see an old friend. To paraphrase, the real tragedies in life are the ones that blindside you on an idle Tuesday."

She continued, "Hold those you love and have loved dear. The world lost a deeply sensitive and good person in Michelle. May her work and her huge heart be remembered by those who were lucky enough to experience her fire."

Rosie O’Donnell, who starred with Trachtenberg in 1996’s "Harriet the Spy," called the news "heartbreaking" in a statement to Fox News Digital.  

"I loved her very much," she said. "She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped."

Melissa Gilbert shared a picture from their 1996 movie, "A Holiday for Love," on her Instagram, writing, "Oh Michy…and we lived so close to one another…..my heart aches for your family and all those who loved you so… @michelletrachtenberg#ripsweetgirl"

Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, creators of "Gossip Girl" in which Trachtenberg played villain Regina Sparks, told NBC News they were "deeply saddened by the news of Michelle’s passing."

"Michelle was so funny, kind and talented. Her portrayal of Georgina Sparks was an iconic fan favorite and grew from a one-season villain to a beloved character who returned over the course of six seasons," they said. "She was a delight to have on set and will be deeply missed. Our thoughts are with her family."

Ed Westwick, who also starred with Trachtenberg on "Gossip Girl," wrote on his Instagram story, "So sad to hear of the passing of @Michelletrachtenberg Sending prayers." He added prayer and heart emoji.

David Boreanaz, who starred with Trachtenberg on Sarah Michelle Gellar’s "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," wrote on his Instagram story, "So very sad …horrible news," along with a photo of Trachtenberg. "RIP and prayers to her and her family."

James Marsters shared a photo of the two of them on his Instagram, writing that his "heart is heavy today."

"We have lost a beautiful soul," Marsters wrote. "Michelle was fiercely intelligent, howlingly funny, and a very talented person. She died much too young, and leaves behind scores of people who knew and loved her.

"My heart goes out to her family who are good people, and are suffering the greatest loss anyone could bear. I hope everyone can give them space to heal in this most difficult time. Godspeed Michelle. You are missed."

HOLLYWOOD STARS WHO DIED IN 2025

"Sex and the City" star Kim Cattrall, who played Trachtenberg’s figure-skating coach in the 2005 film "Ice Princess," shared a photo of them from the film on her Instagram, writing, "Rest in peace sweet Michelle," along with a broken heart emoji.

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On X, she posted, "This is Heartbreaking. So talented, much too young. RIP Sweet Beauty. Xo."

Michelle Trachtenberg died in New York City on February 26, 2025.

Trachtenberg was found dead in a New York City apartment Wednesday, Fox News Digital confirmed. Trachtenberg is seen here at the "InStyle Awards" in 2017.  (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for InStyle)

"Saturday Night Live" cast member Kenan Thompson shared a video on his Instagram of a 1990s Nickelodeon event in which she was commentating while Thompson was competing in "mega mini golf."

"Our first Nick movie star has departed us!!" he wrote. "She was my friend and now she rests!! Check on your people!!!" He added a prayer and a heart emoji.

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Michelle Trachtenberg at an event

Authorities found Trachtenberg at a home after responding to a 911 call around 8 a.m. She is pictured here at the Art Of Elysium's 13th Annual Celebration - Heaven in 2020. (Leon Bennett/WireImage)

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"Mrs. Doubtfire" child star Mara Wilson called Trachtenberg her "childhood friend," adding that her "heart is breaking."

"Your memory will be a blessing, Michelle," she added, along with a photo of Trachtenberg.

Melissa Joan Hart shared a video on her Instagram of Trachtenberg’s guest-starring part on Nickelodeon’s "Clarissa Explains it All" when she played a mischievous little girl Clarissa was babysitting.

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"I'm heartbroken to hear of the passing of @michelletrachtenberg!!" the 48-year-old actress wrote. "So young, so talented and so sweet! Here is a fun scene from when she was on #ClarissaExplainsItAll. I think this was about 1992 and the episode was an idea I had about babysitting a total nightmare. But Michelle was nothing like her character and even this young, we got along wonderfully. #gonetoosoon #RIP #GodBlesstheFunnyPeople."

"Harriet the Spy" star J. Smith-Cameron told People magazine Trachtenberg was "so excited" for her "first lead film role" in the 1996 movie.

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"Her natural ebullient nature was ratcheted up into giddiness as she tried to learn how to handle all that came with that," Smith-Cameron, who played Trachtenberg’s mother, said. "She was a very charming little girl. Years later we found each other on social media and connected briefly. She was always very warm toward me. I feel very shocked and unsettled to hear of her passing."

"Glee" star Chris Colfer wrote on his Instagram, "Michelle was the absolute sweetest and one of the most supportive people I knew. I’m so lucky I got to be her friend."

Trachtenberg was found dead in a New York City apartment Wednesday, Fox News Digital confirmed.

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Authorities found Trachtenberg at a home after responding to a 911 call around 8 a.m. The actress was unconscious and unresponsive, according to the New York Police Department. Trachtenberg's death is not being investigated as suspicious, and the cause of death will be determined by a medical examiner.

Police sources told ABC7 Trachtenberg had recently undergone a liver transplant and may have been experiencing complications.

Trachtenberg's representative also confirmed the actress's death.

"The family requests privacy for their loss," Gary Mantoosh told Fox News Digital. "There are no further details at this time."

Fox News Digital's Lori Bashian, Lauryn Overhultz and Tracy Wright contributed to this report.

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Head:

1. See Illness, mental

2. The superior general, head of the Society [666]"

page 463

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

Constitution of the Society of Jesus Papal Bull, 1540

THE PLAN of the proposed rule follows and is this: In our society, which we wish to be called by the name Jesus, let whoever desires to fight under the sacred banner of the Cross, and to serve only God and the Roman pontiff, His vicar on earth, after a solemn vow of perpetual chastity,-let him keep in mind that he is part of a society, instituted for the purpose of perfecting souls in life and in Christian doctrine, for the propagation of the faith through public preaching, ministering the word of God, spiritual macerations, works of charity, and especially through the teaching of the young and uninstructed in the Christian precepts; and lastly for giving consolation to believers in hearing their confessions. Let him think first of God, then of the rule of this order, which is the way to Him; and let him follow after the end proposed by God with all his strength. Let each one, nevertheless, rest in the grace given him by the Holy Spirit, and in the proper grade of his calling, and lest anyone use zeal but not discretion, let the deciding of the grade of each, of the offices, and whole arrangement be in the hands of the general or prelate selected through us, in order that the harmony so necessary in all well-governed institutions may be preserved. Let this general, with the council of his associates, have the power in council to draw up rules suitable for the end proposed, the majority of all voters of the society always having the right of deciding. Let it be understood that there be consultation in regard to the more important or permanent questions, the majority of the whole society, that can conveniently be convoked; in the case of less important or transient matters, all those that are present where the general lives. The right of carrying out laws, however, belongs only to the general. Let all members know, and let it be not only at the beginning of their profession, but let them think over it daily as long as they live, that the society as a whole, and each of them, owes obedience to our most holy lord, the pope, and the other Roman pontiffs, his successors, and to fight with faithful obedience for God. And however much he may be learned in the Gospel, and however we may be taught in the orthodox faith, let all Christians profess themselves under the Roman pontiff as leader, and vicar of Jesus Christ. For the greater humility of our society, and toward the complete self-mortification of each one, and in order to aid the abnegation of our own wills to the greatest extent, let each one, besides that common obligation, be devoted to this by special vow. So that whatever the present or other Roman pontiffs order that concerns the saving of souls and the spread of the faith, and to whatever provinces he shall wish to send us, this let us strive to accomplish as far as in us lies, without any turning back or excuse; whether he shall send us to the Turks, or to any other infidels, even those living in the lands that are called the Indies; or to any heretics or schismatics, or believers, whatever. Wherefore let those that are about to join us consider long and well, before they put their shoulders to this task, whether they have enough grace for good deeds to mount this citadel at the command of their superiors; that is, whether the Holy Spirit that urges them promises to them enough grace to enable them with God’s help to bear the weight of this calling. And after they have given their name, at the inspiration of the Lord, to the service of Jesus Christ, having thus girded up their loins, they will be prompt to fulfill this grand vow. Lest in some way there arise ambition or jealousy in regard to such missions or provinces, let all agree never either directly or indirectly to interfere with the Roman pontiff in this regard, but let them leave all such concern to God, and to the pontiff himself, His vicar, and to the general of the society. And let the general himself promise the same as the others, not to take upon himself a mission in any direction unless by the council of the society, with the agreement of the pontiff."

Given at Rome at St. Mark’s, in the year of Incarnation of our Lord 1540, the fifth before the Kalends of October, in the sixth year of our pontificate."

http://www.catholiclawyersmalaysia.org/sites/default/files/constitution_of_the_society_of_jesus.pdf

Juliet Landau

 is with Amber Lee Monica and

15 others

.

11h  ·

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We live in very intense and changing times. The mission of Re-Vamped is to make you smile, bring info you have never heard before, new entertainment, and highlight what Buffy means to YOU, me and the rest of our powerful community, or should I say… The ultimate Scooby Gang we are building together. (Though Dru, who is becoming a bit of a diva, says it is in fact, “The Scooby Dru Gang!”)

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Juliet Rose Landau (born March 30, 1965)[1][2][3][4] is an American actress, director, producer, and ballerina best known for her role as Drusilla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff show Angel, the latter appearance earning her a Saturn Award nomination. She is also known for co-starring as Loretta King in Tim Burton's Ed Wood.

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

STELLA ROSE

GAHAN

Stella Rose introduced “Eyes of Glass”, her debut album in 2023, on the heels of two well-received singles “muddled man” and “angel”, establishing the artist a poetic for and powerful singer. Recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Yves Rothman, “Eyes of Glass” combines the poetic soul of Stella Rose’s lyrics with the serpentine sound she and Rothman have developed. In addition, to earning praise for her work from outlets including Rolling Stone UK, Brooklyn Vegan or Paper, she’s been embraced by like-minded artists appearing in Hedi Slimane’s “Diary”, Céline 19 Women’s Summer 24 Campaign, the Buffalo Hotel Chelsea Issue 16 photographed by Richard Kern, walking in Enfants Riches Déprimés AW23 during PFW and shooting major features for magazines including Pop, Behind the Blinds, Reserved or Fraulein Magazine. The Rising songstress has prevailed as a force to be reckoned with in NYC’s live space, creating an underground scene reminiscent of Patti Smith, however, Stella Rose recently made her way to the mainstage opening for Depeche Mode at Madison Square Garden.

https://fordmodels.com/paris/profile/stella-rose-gahan/?board=talent

A stele (/ˈstiːli/ STEE-lee) or stela (/ˈstiːlə/ STEE-lə)[note 1] is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected in the ancient world as a monument. The surface of the stele often has text, ornamentation, or both. These may be inscribed, carved in relief, or painted.

Stelae were created for many reasons.[1] Grave stelae were used for funerary or commemorative purposes. Stelae as slabs of stone would also be used as ancient Greek and Roman government notices or as boundary markers to mark borders or property lines. Stelae were occasionally erected as memorials to battles. For example, along with other memorials, there are more than half-a-dozen steles erected on the battlefield of Waterloo at the locations of notable actions by participants in battle.[2]

A traditional Western gravestone (headstone, tombstone, gravestone, or marker) may technically be considered the modern equivalent of ancient stelae, though the term is very rarely applied in this way. Equally, stele-like forms in non-Western cultures may be called by other terms, and the words "stele" and "stelae" are most consistently applied in archaeological contexts to objects from Europe, the ancient Near East and Egypt,[3] China, and sometimes Pre-Columbian America.

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

Lady Eveningstar or Lady Ikʼ Skull[pronunciation?] (704-751), was a Maya queen and possible regent, wife of Itzamnaaj Bʼalam III, a Maya king of Yaxchilan. Their son, Yaxun Bʼalam IV - "Bird Jaguar", succeeded his father as king. She was possibly a regent between 742 and 751.

Biography

Lady Eveningstar came to Yaxchilan from Calakmul. She was a secondary wife to Shield Jaguar the Great (Itzamnaaj Bʼalam II).[1]

Although a secondary wife, Lady Ikʼ Skull may have ruled for a short time in Yaxchilan's history until her son Yaxun Bʼalam IV was old enough to take the throne.[2] A review of the dynastic history of Yaxchilan during Itzamnaaj Bahlam's reign indicates that he had three wives: his aunt Lady Xoc, Lady Sak Bʼiyaan and Lady Ikʼ Skull, with Lady Xoc as the primary wife.[3] Upon the death of Itzamnaaj Bahlam, the right to the throne would traditionally go to his heir through Lady Xoc's line; however, this is not what happened and nearly ten years after his death it is his son from Lady Ikʼ Skull that took the throne.[4]

There is a great deal of speculation as to why the son of a secondary wife took the throne and did so after the king had been dead for ten years. The current thinking is that the rightful heir through Lady Xook's lineage may have been her son, or perhaps a nephew or brother,[5] but that this individual was captured during a conflict with Dos Pilas in 745.[6] Information regarding this "interregnum" period tends to be conflicting. In their second revised edition, Martin and Grube note that at Piedras Negras there is mention of a new king at Yaxchilan, Yopaat Bahlam II, who may have ruled for part or all of this period. However, supporting evidence for this is unknown from Yaxchilan. On the other hand, Josserand notes that Lady Ikʼ Skull ruled as regent during this time and that it was not until her death that Bird Jaguar IV took the throne.[2]

A monument which refers to Lady Ikʼ Skull is stela 35.

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

The word "star" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "h₂stḗr" also meaning star, but further analyzable as h₂eh₁s- ("to burn", also the source of the word "ash") + -tēr (agentive suffix). Compare Latin stella, Greek aster, German Stern. Some scholars[who?] believe the word is a borrowing from Akkadian "istar" (Venus). "Star" is cognate (shares the same root) with the following words: asterisk, asteroid, astral, constellation, Esther.[3]

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

SpaceX Roadster is not a natural celestial object, but rather a man-made object launched by SpaceX in February 2018 as part of the Falcon Heavy test flight. It is a red sports car owned by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, and was launched as a demonstration of the Falcon Heavy's capabilities. The Roadster is not in a stable orbit around the Sun, but is instead on a heliocentric orbit that will take it to the asteroid belt and then back to the inner Solar System in the future. The Roadster also carries a mannequin named Starman, dressed in a spacesuit, in the driver's seat. The name "Roadster" refers to the type of car that is used as the payload for the Falcon Heavy, while "SpaceX" is the name of the private space exploration company founded by Elon Musk in 2002.

SpaceX Roadster (Starman) is in the constellation of Capricornus, at a distance of 378,137,117.9 kilometers from Earth. The current Right Ascension is 20h 58m 30s and the Declination is -17° 02’ 53” (apparent coordinates). The magnitude of SpaceX Roadster (Starman) is 29.15 (data provided by JPL Horizons).

https://theskylive.com/roadster-info

416 Finally, those means that are proposed by our holy father Saint Ignatius in Part X of the Constitutions for the preservation and development not only of the body or exterior of the Society but also of its spirit, and for the attainment of the objective it seeks, which is to aid souls to reach their ultimate and supernatural end, [10] are to be observed eagerly and diligently by all, with a truly personal sense of responsibility for its increase and development, for the praise and service of our God and Lord Jesus Christ, and the help of souls. [11]

L. D. S. "

The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus and Their Complementary Norms

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

A red giant is a luminous giant star of low or intermediate mass (roughly 0.3–8 solar masses (M☉)) in a late phase of stellar evolution. The outer atmosphere is inflated and tenuous, making the radius large and the surface temperature around 5,000 K [K] (4,700 °C; 8,500 °F) or lower. The appearance of the red giant is from yellow-white to reddish-orange, including the spectral types K and M, sometimes G, but also class S stars and most carbon stars.

Red giants vary in the way by which they generate energy:

most common red giants are stars on the red-giant branch (RGB) that are still fusing hydrogen into helium in a shell surrounding an inert helium core

red-clump stars in the cool half of the horizontal branch, fusing helium into carbon in their cores via the triple-alpha process

asymptotic-giant-branch (AGB) stars with a helium burning shell outside a degenerate carbon–oxygen core, and a hydrogen-burning shell just beyond that.

Many of the well-known bright stars are red giants because they are luminous and moderately common. The K0 RGB star Arcturus is 36 light-years away, and Gacrux is the nearest M-class giant at 88 light-years' distance.

A red giant will usually produce a planetary nebula and become a white dwarf at the end of its life.

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

Solar flares are not directly related to the Earth's mantle, but they can have a significant impact on Earth if they are directed towards it:

Explanation

Solar flares are explosions on the Sun that release magnetic energy and cause a burst of radiation. They can occur in active regions of the Sun, often around sunspots.

Classification

Solar flares are classified by their peak brightness in X-ray wavelengths, with X-class flares being the most intense and A-class flares being the least intense.

Effects on Earth

When a solar flare is directed at Earth, it can cause a geomagnetic storm that can interfere with power grids, communications, and navigation systems. The severity of the interference depends on the intensity of the storm.

Monitoring

NASA, NOAA, and the US Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) monitor the Sun for solar flares and their associated magnetic storms

https://www.google.com/search?q=solar+flares+mantle&oq=solar+flares+mantle&gs_lcrp=EgRlZGdlKgYIABBFGDsyBggAEEUYOzIKCAEQABiABBiiBDIKCAIQABiABBiiBNIBCDM3ODNqMGoxqAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Revelation 16:8

1599 Geneva Bible

8 [a]And the fourth Angel poured out his vial on the sun, and it was given to him to torment men with heat of fire,

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Revelation 16:8 The history of the fourth Angel, who throweth the plague upon the heaven and upon the Sun, of which Luke 21:26 the effects whereof are noted two. The one peculiar, that it shall scorch men with heat, in this verse. The other proceeding accidentally from the former, that their fury shall so much the more be enraged against God in the next verse, when yet (O wonderful mercy and patience of God) all other creatures are first stricken often and grievously by the hand of God before mankind by whom he is provoked: as the things beforegoing [do] declare.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2016%3A8-10&version=GNV

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

Head:

1. See Illness, mental

2. The superior general, head of the Society [666]"

page 463

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

Can. 666 In the use of means of social communication, necessary discretion is to be observed and those things are to be avoided which are harmful to one’s vocation and dangerous to the chastity of a consecrated person."

TITLE II. RELIGIOUS INSTITUTES (Cann. 607 - 709)

CODE OF CANON LAW

https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib2-cann607-709_en.html

Civil Twilight:  

Begins in the morning, or ends in the evening, when the geometric center of the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon.  Therefore morning civil twilight begins when the geometric center of the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon, and ends at sunrise.  Evening civil twilight begins at sunset, and ends when the geometric center of the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon.  Under these conditions absent fog or other restrictions, the brightest stars and planets can be seen, the horizon and terrestrial objects can be discerned, and in many cases, artificial lighting is not needed. Civil Twilight is also known as Civil Dawn and Civil Dusk.

Nautical Twilight:

Begins in the morning, or ends in the evening, when the geometric center of the sun is 12 degrees below the horizon.  In general, the term nautical twilight refers to sailors being able to take reliable readings via well known stars because the horizon is still visible, even under moonless conditions.  Absent fog or other restrictions, outlines of terrestrial objects may still be discernible, but detailed outdoor activities are likely curtailed without artificial illumination. Nautical Twilight is also known as Nautical Dawn and Nautical Dusk.

Astronomical Twilight:

Begins in the morning, or ends in the evening, when the geometric center of the sun is 18 degrees below the horizon.  In astronomical twilight, sky illumination is so faint that most casual observers would regard the sky as fully dark, especially under urban or suburban light pollution.  Under astronomical twilight, the horizon is not discernible and moderately faint stars or planets can be observed with the naked eye under a non light polluted sky.  But to test the limits of naked eye observations, the sun needs to be more than 18 degrees below the horizon.  Point light sources such as stars and planets can be readily studied by astronomers under astronomical twilight.  But diffuse light sources such as galaxies, nebula, and globular clusters need to be observed under a totally dark sky, again when the sun is more than 18 degrees below the horizon.

https://www.weather.gov/fsd/twilight

BULL of Pope Boniface VIII promulgated November 18, 1302

For, according to the Blessed Dionysius, it is a law of the divinity that the lowest things reach the highest place by intermediaries. Then, according to the order of the universe, all things are not led back to order equally and immediately, but the lowest by the intermediary, and the inferior by the superior. Hence we must recognize the more clearly that spiritual power surpasses in dignity and in nobility any temporal power whatever, as spiritual things surpass the temporal. This we see very clearly also by the payment, benediction, and consecration of the tithes, but the acceptance of power itself and by the government even of things. For with truth as our witness, it belongs to spiritual power to establish the terrestrial power and to pass judgement if it has not been good. Thus is accomplished the prophecy of Jeremias concerning the Church and the ecclesiastical power: ‘Behold to-day I have placed you over nations, and over kingdoms‘ and the rest. Therefore, if the terrestrial power err, it will be judged by the spiritual power; but if a minor spiritual power err, it will be judged by a superior spiritual power; but if the highest power of all err, it can be judged only by God, and not by man, according to the testimony of the Apostle: ‘The spiritual man judgeth of all things and he himself is judged by no man‘ [1 Cor 2:15]. This authority, however, (though it has been given to man and is exercised by man), is not human but rather divine, granted to Peter by a divine word and reaffirmed to him (Peter) and his successors by the One Whom Peter confessed, the Lord saying to Peter himself, ‘Whatsoever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound also in Heaven‘ etc., [Mt 16:19]. Therefore whoever resists this power thus ordained by God, resists the ordinance of God [Rom 13:2], unless he invent like Manicheus two beginnings, which is false and judged by us heretical, since according to the testimony of Moses, it is not in the beginnings but in the beginning that God created heaven and earth [Gen 1:1]. Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff."

https://www.papalencyclicals.net/bon08/b8unam.htm

AI Overview

Learn more

Astronomers estimate that there are about 200 billion trillion stars in the observable universe. That's 200 sextillion stars, or 200,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

Explanation

To estimate the number of stars in the universe, astronomers:

Measure the color and brightness of starlight from our galaxy, the Milky Way

Use that information to estimate how many stars are in the Milky Way

Multiply the number of stars in the Milky Way by the number of galaxies in the universe

However, this is only a rough estimate because not all galaxies are the same. For example, spiral galaxies can have over a trillion stars, while giant elliptical galaxies can have 100 trillion stars.

Other ways to put it

The number of stars in the universe is so large that it's hard to imagine. It's about 10 times the number of cups of water in all the oceans of Earth.

Missions to learn more

The European Space Agency's Gaia mission is mapping about 1 billion stars in the Milky Way. The mission's data will help astronomers better understand the structure and evolution of our galaxy.

Generative AI is experimental.

In physics, string theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings. String theory describes how these strings propagate through space and interact with each other. On distance scales larger than the string scale, a string acts like a particle, with its mass, charge, and other properties determined by the vibrational state of the string. In string theory, one of the many vibrational states of the string corresponds to the graviton, a quantum mechanical particle that carries the gravitational force. Thus, string theory is a theory of quantum gravity.

String theory is a broad and varied subject that attempts to address a number of deep questions of fundamental physics. String theory has contributed a number of advances to mathematical physics, which have been applied to a variety of problems in black hole physics, early universe cosmology, nuclear physics, and condensed matter physics, and it has stimulated a number of major developments in pure mathematics. Because string theory potentially provides a unified description of gravity and particle physics, it is a candidate for a theory of everything, a self-contained mathematical model that describes all fundamental forces and forms of matter. Despite much work on these problems, it is not known to what extent string theory describes the real world or how much freedom the theory allows in the choice of its details.

String theory was first studied in the late 1960s as a theory of the strong nuclear force, before being abandoned in favor of quantum chromodynamics. Subsequently, it was realized that the very properties that made string theory unsuitable as a theory of nuclear physics made it a promising candidate for a quantum theory of gravity. The earliest version of string theory, bosonic string theory, incorporated only the class of particles known as bosons. It later developed into superstring theory, which posits a connection called supersymmetry between bosons and the class of particles called fermions. Five consistent versions of superstring theory were developed before it was conjectured in the mid-1990s that they were all different limiting cases of a single theory in eleven dimensions known as M-theory. In late 1997, theorists discovered an important relationship called the anti-de Sitter/conformal field theory correspondence (AdS/CFT correspondence), which relates string theory to another type of physical theory called a quantum field theory.

One of the challenges of string theory is that the full theory does not have a satisfactory definition in all circumstances. Another issue is that the theory is thought to describe an enormous landscape of possible universes, which has complicated efforts to develop theories of particle physics based on string theory. These issues have led some in the community to criticize these approaches to physics, and to question the value of continued research on string theory unification.

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

A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events.

Chain reactions are one way that systems which are not in thermodynamic equilibrium can release energy or increase entropy in order to reach a state of higher entropy. For example, a system may not be able to reach a lower energy state by releasing energy into the environment, because it is hindered or prevented in some way from taking the path that will result in the energy release. If a reaction results in a small energy release making way for more energy releases in an expanding chain, then the system will typically collapse explosively until much or all of the stored energy has been released.

A macroscopic metaphor for chain reactions is thus a snowball causing a larger snowball until finally an avalanche results ("snowball effect"). This is a result of stored gravitational potential energy seeking a path of release over friction. Chemically, the equivalent to a snow avalanche is a spark causing a forest fire. In nuclear physics, a single stray neutron can result in a prompt critical event, which may finally be energetic enough for a nuclear reactor meltdown or (in a bomb) a nuclear explosion.

Another metaphor for a chain reaction is the domino effect, named after the act of domino toppling, where the simple action of toppling one domino leads to all dominoes eventually toppling, even if they are significantly larger.

Numerous chain reactions can be represented by a mathematical model based on Markov chains.

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

2 Peter 3:10

1599 Geneva Bible

10 [a]But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a [b]noise, and the elements shall melt with heat, and the earth with the works that are therein shall be burnt up.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

2 Peter 3:10 A very short description of the least distinction of the world, but in such sort as nothing could be spoken more gravely.

2 Peter 3:10 With the violence as it were of a hissing storm.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Peter%203%3A10&version=GNV

A TRULY MYSTIC SEAL

THE GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES AND ITS MYSTIC SIGNIFICANCE

Most Americans have a dim idea that the Great Seal of their country shows an eagle, a constellation of stars, an olive branch signifying peace, and a set of thirteen arrows which probably means war in case of necessity, but few have ever seen the reverse side of the seal or even suspected its existence. Nor has the reverse side ever been cut, a strangely restraining hand having seemingly been laid upon every attempt to bring it before the public. When the large painting of the reverse side which was ordered made together with the familiar obverse, for the government display at the Chicago World's Fair, was to be hung, those in charge exclaimed: "What a peculiar design: Why were we given this inartistic symbol?" and once more the white stone was rejected, the painting was turned face to the wall and only the obverse side displayed. But the time has now come when the full knowledge of her seal shall be made known to her people, for America must henceforth stand before the world as its teacher, leader and the promulgator of a new and perfect system of ethics, religious leadership, a citizenship that is efficient and free, a just industrial democracy, and a justice and generosity to other nations that shall emphasize the brotherhood of man and the Fatherland of God. Late in the afternoon of July 4th, 1776, the new Continental Congress "Resolved, that Dr. Franklin, Mr. J. Adams and Mr. Jefferson be a committee to prepare a device for the Seal of the United States of America." That committee was identical save for the omission of Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman with that which had drawn up the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration had been signed about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and Congress desired to at once complete the evidences of the independence of the United States by formally adopting an official sign of sovereignty and a national coat of arms.

The arms of England, the mother country, expressed the union of Judah's lion, with the unicorn of "Lost Israel" in accordance with the Science of Heraldry, but the young republic had finished with thrones and crowns and must blaze a new path through the forest of liberty, which should express her descent from all christian nations and hold open a door for all other races which should seek help and shelter upon her shores. A knowledge of heraldy was considered a part of an education in the early colonial days, and it was through William Barton son of the rector of St. James Episcopal church of Philadelphia, learned in heraldry, and through Baron Prestwich, of England, that the designs expressive of American destiny were given and drawn. Yet other dabblers in heraldry failed utterly to understand the mystic meaning of the seals. Professor Charles Elliott Norton, of Harvard, regretted its lack of art, and complained it could never be other than a dull masonic emblem, while a Mr. Wilson, considered a great historical scholar, declared the reverse side "in very bad taste, unintelligent and commonplace, and if it can be laid away and kept in the dark why not keep it so!" Even the constellation of thirteen stars came in for criticism, as "very bad heraldically." Again and again the pyramid with the white cope stone and the glory, were rejected, until in 1916 members of the Rose Cross Order, Illuminati, and others of the six pointed star of the seal, hung it officially in their class rooms and declared it as expressive of their philosophy-religion; the Bible wisdom of the common people rather than of the collegian. In the two sides of our seal are expressed in heraldry countless ages of the evolution of man, from the time of his socalled fall, through his progress in Egypt (eagleland), where for a time a wondrous race incarnated to build astounding monuments, receding, but returning again as the Hebraic Confederation to receive the knowledge of ancient Atlantis in the shade of its ancient altar, the Great Pyramid, uniting in a blaze of glory in the building of Solomon's Temple, parting, the northern tribes to leaven, though lost to history, all Europe, Judah and part of Benjamen and Levi, returning to hold Jerusalem until the Master Jesus should be born, journey down into 'Egypt to the ancient altar and receive light yet left in that land of darkness. "In that day shalt there be an altar to the Lord a pillar in the midst of Egypt, upon the borders thereof, and it shall be for a sign and a witness unto the Lord," said Isaiah. It is needless for learned historians to tell us, who hold the records, that the Great Pyramid is but six thousand years old, for we know it to have been built when the morning stars sang together and the "Sons of God" shouted for joy, in that far Edenic period, when Atlantis the mighty stood in her purity, where in part America now stands. Built at the center of the earth, as a temple of the highest initiation, symbolic of a perfect man, foursquare in body, mind, soul and spirit, with its white copestone, symbol of complete immortality, it represents the measure of the earth, as well as that of the universe, and the evolution of man through those countless ages of reincarnation now drawing to a close. Thither the Atlantians went for instruction in its galleries and rooms at the hands of mighty priests of the Priests of Melchisidek'''' and Osirian Brotherhoods, and throughout the succeeding ages those who would attain self mastery have turned their footsteps toward the ancient centers. "The last Cumaen Song now comes," wrote Virgil, who prophesied that a race should arise which would be offspring of all races and bring to an end the ages of iron (war) and usher in the Golden Age. Hence it was fitting that the mottos upon the reverse side of our seal above and below the pyramid should be taken from Virgil, "Annuit Coeptis," "Prosper us in our daring," and "Novus ordo seclorum," "a new and select order," which many of us have now the honor to have entered, and whose door we hold open to all who will accomplish the spiritual work necessary. "The day of freedom dawned upon the earth."

FUNDAMENTAL LAWS

A Report of the 68th Convocation of the Rosa Cross Order

https://ia600308.us.archive.org/24/items/fundamentallawsr00rose/fundamentallawsr00rose.pdf

Independence Day, known colloquially as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States which commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America.

The Founding Father delegates of the Second Continental Congress declared that the Thirteen Colonies were no longer subject (and subordinate) to the monarch of Britain, King George III, and were now united, free, and independent states.[1] The Congress voted to approve independence by passing the Lee Resolution on July 2 and adopted the Declaration of Independence two days later, on July 4.[1]

Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts,[2] baseball games, family reunions, political speeches, and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the national day of the United States.[3][4][5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(United_States)

The Pyramid and the All-Seeing Eye The founding of the Illuminati in the year 1776 has significant esoteric and numeric implications. Likewise, the Seal of the Illuminati is esoterically important in that it symbolically communicates to the initiated the assignment given this Luciferian order. The Seal is pictured as a 13-layered unfinished pyramid with its capstone missing. Hovering above is a sun-rayed triangle, as if waiting to be lowered to complete the structure. In mystery religions the triangle symbolizes power, such as a throne or kingdom, and is sometimes pictured as a horn. The triangle is also a symbol of the dwelling place of the pagan higher power, representing a mountain top in hilly country, a pyramid in Egypt, or a ziggurat in Mesopotamia. The ancients called the ziggurat Hill of Heaven, or Mountain of God.26 Numbers 22:41 and Deuteronomy 12:2 refer to these pagan shrines as "high places." When Weishaupt designed the sun-rayed triangle, he placed in it an eye like the eye of man - known to Masons as the All-Seeing Eye. This symbol is a rendition of the Egyptian eye of Osiris.27 Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry explains how Masonry adopted this symbol from ancient pagan religion:

"All-Seeing eye: An important symbol of the Supreme Being, borrowed by the Freemasons from the nations of antiquity.... [T]he Egyptians represented Osiris, their chief deity, by the symbol of an open eye, and placed this hieroglyphic of him in all their temples. His symbolic name, on the monuments, was represented by the eye accompanying a throne, to which was sometimes added an abbreviated figure of the god, and sometimes what has been called a hatchet, but which may as correctly be supposed to be a representation of a square [the symbol of a Masonic Lodge]" 28

That the eye is positioned in a triangle hovering above an unfinished pyramid has symbolic significance to the Illuminist conspiracy. First, the eye represents Weishaupt. Salem Kirban in Satan's Angels Exposed explains that "Weishaupt's mutual spying system was an integral part of his program to keep his associates in line. The eye symbolized a Big Brother controlling his domain. "29 Second, the eye represents the Priory of Sion (Sion had taken the same symbol from the Egyptians), and the triangle the power of the European Merovingian thrones. The thirteenstepped unfinished pyramid commemorates the work assigned the Knights Templar. In Masonic symbology, the Seal of the Illuminati simply means the Templars have been given the task of building a world government under the watchful eye of the Priory of Sion. When Sion, protector of the Merovingian thrones, lowers the sun-rayed Merovingian capstone in place, the world government will be complete. Strangely, the Seal of the Illuminati was adopted by American Freemasonry two months after it was created. Stranger still - it became part of the Great Seal of the United States. The Illuminati was founded in 1776 apparently to coincide with the American Revolution. Equally apparent, Weishaupt was instructed to design the Seal of the Illuminati as part of the Great Seal of the United States. Since 1934 the Illuminati Seal has adorned the left-reverse side of our one dollar bill. Above the pyramid are the Latin words (with a count of 13 letters) Annuit Coeptis, meaning Announcing the Birth. Below is Novus Ordo Seclorum, meaning New Secular Order, also translated New World Order. Superimposed in Roman numerals on the bottom layer of bricks is the year 1776, the year the Illuminati was founded, as well as the year the American colonies declared independence.

The thirteen layers of brick in the pyramid are obviously symbolic of the 13 American colonies. Thirteen is also the most sacred number of the Knights Templar, representing its 13 degrees of initiation and commemorating the day Templar persecution began - Friday the 13th, 1307. The Masonic symbology in the Seal of the Illuminati, when incorporated as part of the Great Seal of the United States, put the world of secret societies on notice that the Templars were beginning to build in America the base of Sion's long desired New World Order.30"

Scarlet and the Beast by John Daniel

Microsoft Word - SCARLET AND THE BEAST (archive.org)

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

Thirteenth Rule. To be right in everything, we ought always to hold that the white which I see, is black, if the Hierarchical Church so decides it, believing that between Christ our Lord, the Bridegroom, and the Church, His Bride, there is the same Spirit which governs and directs us for the salvation of our souls. Because by the same Spirit and our Lord Who gave the ten Commandments, our holy Mother the Church is directed and governed."

The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YC_luOfFWl0Bm0BWkbANKZGC1kkmdHQf/view?usp=sharing

Sarah Michelle Gellar

February 25, 2021 

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=272962064191307&set=a.272962030857977

1990s: Mainstream breakthrough and rise to prominence

Gellar portrayed 13-year-old Mollie in the initial production of Neil Simon's play Jake's Women, which ran at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California, from March to April 1990.[45] In 1991, she was cast as a young Jacqueline Bouvier in A Woman Named Jackie. The miniseries won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series. Gellar obtained her first leading role, as a mayor's manipulative daughter, in the 1992 syndicated teen serial Swans Crossing, which chronicled the lives of a group of wealthy teenagers. She felt that playing a "villainous" character gave her the call for "better and more varied acting skills", while the gig's weekly payment proved a financial aid for Gellar and her mother.[16] The series ran for a 65-episode season and earned her two Young Artist Award nominations for Best Young Actress.[46]

Gellar made her debut on the ABC soap opera All My Children in 1993, playing Kendall Hart, the long-lost teenage daughter of character Erica Kane (Susan Lucci). As she got the role, Gellar was complimented as having the acting talent and the "forceful personality" needed to go up against Lucci's experience; Kendall was supposed to be like a younger version of Erica.[47] Her stint on the show was successful as "longtime fans of the soap saw her as the second coming of Erica".[48] Writers showcased her more after her initial reception and she became a household name to the soap opera medium.[48] In 1995, at the age of eighteen, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series for the role.[49] The same year, Gellar left the show and moved to Los Angeles to pursue other acting opportunities.[50][51] She next played a spoiled adolescent in the Walt Disney television film Beverly Hills Family Robinson, which aired on ABC in January 1997.

After reading the script for Joss Whedon's television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which follows Buffy Summers, a teenager burdened with the responsibility of fighting occult foes and supernatural occurrences, Gellar screen tested for the role of Cordelia Chase.[52] Whedon then asked her to come back in and audition for the title role.[53][16][54] The show premiered in March 1997, to widespread critical and popular acclaim.[55] Gellar's Buffy, created to subvert the stereotypical female horror movie victim,[56] was described by Entertainment Weekly as one of the 100 greatest female characters in American television.[2][57] Buffy ran for seven seasons and 144 episodes,[58] and during its broadcast, earned Gellar five Teen Choice Awards, the Saturn Award for Best Genre Television Actress and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress – Television Series Drama.[59] She sang during the series' musical episode "Once More, with Feeling", which spawned an original cast album, released in 2002.[60][61]

During the early airing of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gellar made her first major film appearances in two successful slasher films. In I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), she took on the role of ill-fated beauty queen Helen Shivers.[62] Washington Post found the cast to be "solid",[63] in what San Francisco Chronicle described as a "competent but uninspired" film.[62] Budgeted at US$17 million, the film made US$125 million globally.[64][65][66] For her part, Gellar earned a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actress – Horror and a MTV Movie Award nomination for Best Breakthrough Performance.[67][68] In Scream 2 (1997),[69] Gellar played a likewise ill-fated vain character, this time that of Sorority sister Cici Cooper. She filmed her scenes in between shots of Buffy and had only recently finished work on I Know What You Did Last Summer. Despite the hectic scheduling, she agreed to perform in Scream 2 without having read the script, on the basis of the success of the first film.[70] Scream 2 grossed over US$172 million worldwide.[71][72]

In January 1998, Gellar hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time.[73] She returned as a host in May 1999 and October 2002, and made two cameo appearances in May 2000, including one in which she introduced Britney Spears' performance of "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know". In 1998, she also provided her voice for the Gwendy Doll in Small Soldiers,[74] and for the character of Marie in the King of the Hill episode "And They Call It Bobby Love".[25] Gellar's cameo as a girl sitting in the high school cafeteria in the sleeper hit She's All That (1999)[75] was soon followed by her first top-billing film role, as a struggling restaurant owner, in the romantic comedy Simply Irresistible (1999).[76][77] The film received negative reviews and flopped at the box office,[78] but Roger Ebert found her to be "lovely" in what he described as an "old-fashioned" comedy.[79]

In Roger Kumble's Cruel Intentions (1999), a modern-day retelling of Les Liaisons dangereuses, Gellar portrayed Kathryn Merteuil, a cocaine addict with an appetite for manipulating people.[80] In his review for the film, Ebert felt that she is "effective as a bright girl who knows exactly how to use her act as a tramp",[81] and in an interview with Chicago Tribune, Kumble described her as "the most professional actor I ever worked with".[16] The film was a hit at the box office, grossing US$75 million worldwide, and went on to become a cult classic.[82][83][84] Gellar and co-star Selma Blair obtained the Best Kiss award at the 2000 MTV Movie Awards.[85][86][87] In Angel, a spin-off series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gellar reprised her titular role for a three-episode arc, starting in 1999.[88]

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

The First Evil (usually called The First) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The First Evil first appeared in the third season episode "Amends", and became the main antagonist of the seventh and final season.

A being manifested from all evil in existence, the First is an incorporeal entity that can assume the appearance of any person who has died (however briefly) – including vampires and humans who have been resurrected. Over the course of the series, and depending upon its audience, it takes various guises as a method of deception and manipulation – for example, the First usually appears as Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) to the Slayer and her allies, but it also assumes the forms of Warren Mears, Spike, Drusilla and Jonathan Levinson on multiple occasions, among a variety of other forms taken less frequently.

Its only real weakness is that it is non-corporeal, and therefore cannot cause any real physical damage. It is expert at psychological manipulation, and can act through its servants, such as the Bringers, Turok-Han, Caleb or whatever person it can manage to influence.

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

First Order

The First Order or the Order of Friars Minor, or Seraphic Order[11] are commonly called simply the Franciscans. This order is a mendicant religious order of men, some of whom trace their origin to Francis of Assisi.[12] Their official Latin name is the Ordo Fratrum Minorum.[13] Francis thus referred to his followers as "Fraticelli", meaning "Little Brothers". Franciscan brothers are informally called friars or the Minorites.[14]

The modern organization of the Friars Minor comprises three separate families or groups, each considered a religious order in its own right under its own minister general and particular type of governance. They all live according to a body of regulations known as the Rule of Saint Francis.[12]

The Order of Friars Minor, also known as the Observants, are most commonly simply called Franciscan friars,[12] official name: Friars Minor (OFM).[14]

The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin or simply Capuchins,[12] official name: Friars Minor Capuchin (OFM Cap.).[14]

The Order of Friars Minor Conventual or simply Minorites,[12] official name: Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv.).[14]

Second Order

The Second Order, most commonly called Poor Clares in English-speaking countries, consists of one branch of religious sisters. The order is called the Order of St. Clare (OSC), but prior to 1263 they were called "The Poor Ladies", "The Poor Enclosed Nuns", and "The Order of San Damiano".[15]

Third Order

The Franciscan third order, known as the Third Order of Saint Francis, has many men and women members, separated into two main branches:

The Secular Franciscan Order, OFS, originally known as the Brothers and Sisters of Penance or Third Order of Penance, try to live the ideals of the movement in their daily lives outside of religious institutes.

Members of the Third Order Regular (TOR) live in religious communities under the traditional religious vows. They grew out of the Secular Franciscan Order.

Membership

The 2013 Annuario Pontificio gave the following figures for the membership of the principal male Franciscan orders:.[16]

OFM: 1,915 communities; 12,476 members (including 8,512 priests)

OFM Conv.: 572 communities; 3,981 members (including 2,777 priests)

OFM Cap.: 1,542 communities; 10,355 members (including 6,796 priests)

TOR: 147 communities; 813 members (including 581 priests)

The coat of arms that is a universal symbol of Franciscan "contains the Tau cross, with two crossed arms: Christ's right hand with the nail wound and Francis' left hand with the stigmata wound."[1]

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

Sera

GenderFeminine

Pronounced/ˈsɛɹ.ə/  [key·simplify]

Meaning & History

Expand Links

Either a variant of Sarah or a short form of Seraphina.

Related Names

Family Tree·Details

VariantsSara, Sarah

DiminutivesSadie, Sal, Sallie, Sally, Sarina

Other Languages & CulturesSara(Albanian) Sara(Amharic) Sara, Sarah(Arabic) Sarah(Biblical) Sarrha(Biblical Greek) Sara(Biblical Hebrew) Sara, Sarra(Biblical Latin) Sara(Bosnian) Sara(Catalan) Sara(Croatian) Sára(Czech) Sara, Sarah(Danish) Sara, Sarah, Saar, Sarina(Dutch) Saara, Saija, Salli, Sara, Sari(Finnish) Sara, Sarah, Séraphine(French) Sara(Galician) Sara, Sarah, Sarina, Seraphina(German) Sara(Greek) Kala(Hawaiian) Sara, Sarah, Sarit(Hebrew) Sára, Sári, Sárika(Hungarian) Sara(Icelandic) Sara, Serafina, Fina(Italian) Seraphina(Late Roman) Sara(Macedonian) Sara, Sarah(Norwegian) Sara(Persian) Sara(Polish) Sara, Serafina(Portuguese) Sara(Romanian) Serafima(Russian) Sara(Serbian) Sára(Slovak) Sara(Slovene) Sara, Serafina, Fina, Sarita(Spanish) Sara, Sarah, Sassa(Swedish) Sara(Tigrinya) Sare(Turkish) Suri, Tzeitel(Yiddish)

https://www.behindthename.com/name/sera

Introduction to Angels, Seraphim and Cherubim

by Teresa Seputis

Introduction

I never thought much about angels in my early days of Christianity. They just were not a part of my everyday Christian life. I knew the bible talked about angels, but I had never met one and I never expected to meet one. I knew they existed but they were not a part of my life, so I did not think about them.

After I had been saved 3 or 4 years, I had a dream where I met what I think may have been a real angel. He did not have wings -- his appearance was very much like a man. He was cleaner and brighter than your average person, and there was something about his eyes that I cannot describe. His eyes were deeply penetrating, but at the same time full of love. My whole being was filled with joy when He spoke to me, bringing me a message from God. It was just a dream, but it seemed more real than any dream I'd had before. When I woke up from that dream, I knew that this person was an angel. I searched the bible for some sort of precedence of angels bringing messages from God in a dream. To my surprise, I found that angels in the bible actually did things like that... for instance the angel that spoke to Joseph, Jesus' step-father, spoke to Joseph and gave him instructions in dreams.

That dream encounter got me intensely curious about angels. But back in the late 70s, there were not a whole lot of resource books on the subject of angels. I eventually found one book written by Billy Graham on angels. That was helpful but it did not satisfy my curiosity. I was frustrated for a long time and cried out to God to teach me more about His angels. But He did not seem to answer my prayer. I finally gave up and stopped asking. Little did I realize that it would be 20 to 25 years before He was to answer that prayer.

I share my (above) story because I have discovered that angels are a mystery to the average Christian. We know that they exist, that they are powerful spirit beings who serve God, but many of us don't know much more about them. We may have a vague idea that they are involved in certain types of activities. For instance, angels seem to sometimes play a role in the prophetic. We know that some of the "big name" prophets have publicly shared how they have gotten some of their prophetic stuff from angels. So we realize that angels play some sort of role in the prophetic. But most of us don't really understand precisely what role angels play in that. In fact, most of us don't understand or know very much about angels.

This teaching series is written to help people understand more about angels, the roles they play in our lives and how we can work successfully with them. Most of these insights shared in this series come directly from scripture. The bible is very rich in information about angels. Most of us have never really harvested that information, but there is quite a bit there about angels. Part of the teaching will be from personal experiences with angels (mine and some other people's).

The series will focus on the various roles of angels. But angels are not the only creatures that compose the heavenly hosts. The bible talks a lot about angels. It also mentions two other types of beings: Seraphim and Cherubim. We will spend the next several lessons looking at angels. But let us first look briefly at the Seraphim and Cherubim.

Seraphim

These are six-winged beings who live in the presence of God. Their ministry appears to be before God's throne and they tend to hover (fly) around God and sing worship to Him. They seem to be closely tied to God's holiness. When they ministered to Isaiah, their ministry was in the area of forgiveness and purification. Seraphim are only mentioned twice in the Bible, both in Isaiah 6.

Isaiah 6:1-7 says, "In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of His robe filled the Temple. Hovering around Him were mighty Seraphim, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with the remaining two they flew. In a great chorus they sang, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty! The whole earth is filled with His glory!' The glorious singing shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke. Then I said, 'My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!' Then one of the Seraphim flew over to the altar, and he picked up a burning coal with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, 'See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven'" (NLT).

This is the only passage where we gain definitive insight about Seraphim. We do not have any indication from Isaiah 6 that they ever leave the heavenly realm and interact with man in our world. They may reside only in God's throne room. However, a words study of the original Hebrew indicates that God may sometimes send them out to bring judgment for unholiness.

The Hebrew word for Seraphim is "saraph" (pronounced saw-rawf', Strongs number 08314). It comes from the root word meaning "to burn." The same word (saraph) is translated twice into Seraphim (a transliteration of the original Hebrew word saraph) to refer to the majestic heavenly beings that hover around God's throne and sing of His holiness. However, the same Hebrew word is translated as "fiery serpent" and is used in reference to God bringing judgment against sin to the children of Israel (Num 21:6, Num 21:8, Is 30:6).

The passage in Numbers 21 is particularly interesting because when the Children of Israel sinned by grumbling against God in the wilderness, God responded by sending fiery serpents to bite them. And everyone who was bitten died. The people realized this was a righteous judgment of God, so they repented of their sin and asked for God to spare them. In response, God had Moses make a bronze statue of a serpent and raise it on a high pole and those who looked at it after they were bitten were spared. Could the statue of the serpents being raised up be symbolic of the Seraphim flying and hovering over God's throne? Is it possible that this judgment (poisonous snakes killing people) was the dispensed activity of the Holy Seraphim? The same Hebrew word is used in both cases. If so then the Seraphim, which represent the holiness of God, may also be involved in executing the righteous judgments of God against sin.

The Hebrew word Saraph is also used in Isaiah 14:29, which is in a judgment passage against Philistia. The verse says, "Do not rejoice, all you of Philistia, because the rod that struck you is broken; for out of the serpent's roots will come forth a viper, and its offspring will be a fiery flying serpent" (NKJV).

This is purely speculation on my part, but we see the word "fiery serpent" used in an evil way, arising out of a serpent. In the garden of Eden, Satan choose the form of a serpent to appear to Adam and Eve. In other words, the "Saraph" of Is 14:29 may be demonically influenced, and sent forth by Satan's direction as part of his mission to kill, steal and destroy. (Of course, God is allowing this because He desires for judgment to come on Philistia. We know that God sometimes uses Satan and his demons as an agent for executing that judgment.) The same Hebrew word for Seraphim is used to describe the heavenly creatures and is used allegorically to describe demonic activity -- could it be that Satan and some of his demons were Seraphim before they fell? We know that Satan (a.k.a. Lucifer) is a fallen angel from Isaiah 14:14-15. Perhaps Satan used to be a Seraphim before he fell?

Cherubim

These are two winged angels that guard things (such as the entrance to the garden of Eden in Gen 3:24) and that usher in the presence of God. Gold plated statues of Cherubim were on the ark of the covenant. There are several references to God being enthroned between the Cherubim, and it may be that the Cherubim actually guard God's throne. Also, Cherubim are majestic in appearance and not the cute chubby baby-faced beings that medieval church artists made so popular.

In the book of Ezekiel, Cherubim appeared to be on top of some sort of vehicle that had four wheels and the Cherubim in Ezekiel's vision had four faces. But the statues of Cherubim on the ark had no wheels and only one face. However, the Cherubim carved on the temple walls had 2 faces (Ez 41:18).

There are 63 references to Cherubim in the NIV version of the bible, and 58 references in the New King James version. Only one of those references is in the New Testament (Heb 9:5). The majority of the Old Testament references to Cherubim are from Ezekiel's vision (recorded in the book of Ezekiel) or in detailed instructions for the tabernacle and temple decorations.

The word Cherubim comes from the Hebrew k'ruwb (pronounced ker-oob). K'ruwb is used 91 times in scripture with the following meanings:

an heavenly being

as guardians of Eden

as flanking God's throne

as an image form hovering over the Ark of the Covenant

as the chariot of Jehovah (figuratively)

Most of the bible accounts of angels interacting with men were not about the Cherubim. They seem to be strongly associated with God's presence, but do not appear to function in a messenger capacity.

https://www.gatewaysofhislight.com/supsc/ps23/1/

Angel is an American supernatural television series, a spinoff of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffy's creator, writer and director Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt. It aired on The WB from October 5, 1999, to May 19, 2004, consisting of five seasons and 110 episodes. Like Buffy, it was produced by Whedon's production company, Mutant Enemy.

The show details the ongoing trials of Angel, a vampire whose human soul was restored to him by a Romani curse as a punishment for the murder of one of their own. After more than a century of murder and the torture of innocents, Angel's restored soul torments him with guilt and remorse. Angel moves to Los Angeles, California, after it is clear that his doomed relationship with Buffy, the vampire slayer, cannot continue. During the majority of the show, he works as a private detective in Los Angeles, where he and a variety of associates work to "help the helpless", restoring the faith and saving the souls of those who have lost their way.[5] While he must also battle his own demonic nature, he typically battles with evil demons or humans allied to them, primarily related to Wolfram & Hart, a law firm supported by occult practices which is an extension of otherworldly demonic forces.

The show is considered by many critics as one of the best TV spin-off series of all time, with praise for its darker tone, characters and performances.[6][7][8][9][10]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_(1999_TV_series)

The Angelus (/ˈændʒələs/; Latin for "angel") is a Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation of Christ. As with many Catholic prayers, the name Angelus is derived from its incipit—the first few words of the text: Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ ("The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary"). The devotion is practised by reciting as versicle and response three Biblical verses narrating the mystery, alternating with the prayer "Hail Mary". The Angelus exemplifies a species of prayers called the "prayer of the devotee".[1]

The devotion is traditionally recited in Roman Catholic churches, convents, monasteries and by the faithful three times a day:[2] in the morning, at noon and in the evening (usually just before or after Vespers). The devotion is also observed by some Western Rite Orthodox, Lutheran, and Anglican churches.[3]

The Angelus is usually accompanied by the ringing of the Angelus church bells, which is a call to prayer and to spread goodwill to everyone. The angel referred to in the prayer is Gabriel, a messenger of God who revealed to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive a child to be born the Son of God (Luke 1:26–38).[4] In Eastertide, the Angelus is replaced by the Regina Coeli.

History

According to Herbert Thurston, the Angelus originated with the 11th-century monastic custom of reciting three Hail Marys at the evening, or Compline, bell.[5]

The first written documentation stems from the Italian Franciscan friar Sinigardi di Arezzo (died 1282).[6] Franciscan friaries in Italy document the use in 1263 and 1295. The current form of the Angelus prayer is included in a Venetian Catechism from 1560. The older usages seem to have commemorated the resurrection of Christ in the morning, his suffering at noon, and the annunciation in the evening.[6] In 1269, St Bonaventure urged the faithful to adopt the custom of the Franciscans of saying three Hail Marys as the Compline bell was rung.[7]

The Angelus is not identical to the "noon bell" ordered by Pope Calixtus III (1455–58) in 1456, who asked for a long midday bell-ringing and prayer for protection against the Turkish invasions of his time. In his 1956 Apostolic Letter Dum Maerenti Animo about the persecution of the Catholic church in Eastern Europe and China, Pope Pius XII recalls the 500th anniversary of the "noon bell", a prayer crusade ordered by his predecessors against what they considered to be dangers from the East. He again asks the faithful throughout the world, to pray for the persecuted Church in the East during the mid-day Angelus.[citation needed]

The custom of reciting it in the morning apparently grew from the monastic custom of saying three Hail Marys while a bell rang at Prime. The noon time custom apparently arose from the noon time commemoration of the Passion on Fridays. The institution of the Angelus is by some ascribed to Pope Urban II, by some to Pope John XXII in the year 1317.[7] The triple recitation is ascribed to Louis XI of France, who in 1472 ordered it to be recited three times daily.[8] The form of the prayer was standardised by the 17th century.[7]

The manner of ringing the Angelus—the triple stroke repeated three times, with a pause between each set of three (a total of nine strokes), sometimes followed by a longer peal as at curfew—seems to have been long established. The 15th-century constitutions of Syon monastery dictate that the lay brother "shall toll the Ave bell nine strokes at three times, keeping the space of one Pater and Ave between each three tollings".[9] The pattern of ringing on Irish RTÉ Radio One and television, RTÉ One, consists of three groups of three peals, each group separated by a pause, followed by a group of nine peals, for a total of eighteen rings.[10][11]

In his Apostolic Letter Marialis Cultus (1974), Pope Paul VI encouraged the praying of the Angelus considering it important and a reminder to faithful Catholics of the Paschal Mystery, in which by recalling the incarnation of the son of God they pray that they may be led "through his passion and cross to the glory of his resurrection."[12]

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

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.

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 LGBTQ 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] stating that the Catholic Church is committed to its abolition.[9] In international diplomacy, Francis has criticized the rise of right-wing populism, called for the decriminalization of homosexuality,[10] 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. He has called protection of migrants a "duty of civilization" and criticized anti-immigration politics, including those of U.S. President Donald Trump.[11][12] In 2022, he apologized for the Church's role in the "cultural genocide" of the Canadian Indigenous peoples.[13] Francis convened 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][14][15]

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

295 In the elaboration and expression of our theogical views and in our choice of pastoral options, we must always actively seek to understand the mind of the hierarchical Church, having as our goal the Society s objective to help souls. At the same time we must try to articulate the sensus fidelium and help the magisterium discern in it the movements of the Spirit in accord with the teaching of Vatican II.[125]

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

Sarah Michelle Prinze (née Gellar /ˈɡɛlər/ GHEL-ər; born April 14, 1977) is an American actress. After being spotted by a talent agent as a young child, she made her film debut at age six in the television film An Invasion of Privacy (1983). She had a leading role in the short-lived teen drama series Swans Crossing (1992), which was followed by her breakthrough as Kendall Hart on the ABC soap opera All My Children (1993–1995), for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award.

Gellar achieved international recognition for her portrayal of Buffy Summers on the WB/UPN supernatural series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003), which earned her a Saturn Award, and nominations for a Golden Globe and a TCA Award.[2] Her films have grossed over US$570 million at the worldwide box office,[3] with credits including I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), Scream 2 (1997), Cruel Intentions (1999), Scooby-Doo (2002), Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), The Grudge (2004), Southland Tales (2006), TMNT (2007), and Do Revenge (2022).

In television, Gellar headlined The CW's Ringer (2011–2012), CBS's The Crazy Ones (2013–2014), and Paramount+'s Wolf Pack (2023), as well as providing voice work for Robot Chicken (2005–2018), Star Wars Rebels (2015–2016), and Masters of the Universe: Revelation (2021). In 2015, she co-founded Foodstirs, an e-commerce baking company.[4] She released her own cookbook, Stirring Up Fun with Food, in 2017.

Early life

Gellar was born in New York City on April 14, 1977. She is the only child of Rosellen (née Greenfield), a nursery school teacher, and Arthur Gellar, a garment worker.[5][6] Both of her parents are Jewish.[7][8] In 1984, when she was seven, her parents divorced and she was raised by her mother on Manhattan's Upper East Side.[9] While growing up, she lost contact with her father, from whom she remained estranged until his death in 2001.[10][11][12] She once described him as "non-existent",[13] and stated: "My father, you can just say, is not in the picture. I'm not being deliberately evasive about him, it's just that there's so little to say."[12][14][15] Gellar was a competitive figure skater, once finishing in third place at a New York State regional competition,[16] as well as having a black belt in taekwondo.[16]

With her single mother working "just above the poverty line",[17] Gellar received a partial scholarship to study at the Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, where she experienced bullying.[16][18] She remarked: "I was different and that's the one thing you can't be at school, because you're ostracised. I didn't have the money these kids had".[19] As a working child actress, she was not present in class for a considerable amount of time, and recalled having "more absences in the first month than you're supposed to have for an entire year".[16] She then briefly attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, but dropped out due to acting obligations.[16] Gellar graduated from the Professional Children's School[16][20][21] in 1994 as a "straight A" student with a 4.0 grade average.[22][23][24] As she spent significant time working on All My Children while "trying to graduate",[25] the majority of her senior year was completed through guided study.[26]

[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

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

Career

1980s: Acting beginnings

At the age of four, Gellar was spotted by an agent in a restaurant in Upper Manhattan.[27] Two weeks later, she auditioned for a part in the television film An Invasion of Privacy. At the audition, she read both her own lines and those of Valerie Harper, impressing the directors enough to cast her in the role.[16] The film aired on CBS in January 1983.[28]

While growing up, Gellar appeared in numerous television commercials for such brands as Shake 'n Bake, Avon, and Burger King.[29] A 1982 television spot, in which she claimed Burger King made larger and better tasting burgers than competitor McDonald's, was arguably the first attack ad introduced in the fast food industry.[30] Executives at McDonald's parent company were so enraged that they sued all parties involved, naming Gellar and reportedly banning her from eating at the food chain.[31][32][33] In a 2004 interview, she recalled: "I wasn't allowed to eat there. It was tough because, when you're a little kid, McDonald's is where all your friends have their birthday parties, so I missed out on a lot of apple pies."[34][35] She also worked as a model for Wilhelmina.[16][36]

During the 1980s, Gellar played minor roles in the films Over the Brooklyn Bridge (1984), Crossroads (1986), and Funny Farm (1988), though her scenes in the latter two were cut.[37] She obtained a larger role as the daughter of a prostitute in the B thriller High Stakes (1989).[38][39][40] Gellar appeared in a safety skit during the November 11, 1985 episode of Late Night with David Letterman,[41] and guest starred in various television series, such as Spenser: For Hire and Crossbow. At the age of nine, she acted in the off-Broadway production The Widow Claire,[16][42][43] as well as in the Kids Klassics Sing Along videos Camp Melody and USS Songboat. In 1989, she briefly served as a co-host of the syndicated teen talk show Girl Talk.[44]

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

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

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

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

Geller (/ˈɡɛlər/ GHEL-ər) is a surname. Depending on one's ancestors' origins, the name may derive from a place name (Geldern in Germany or Gelderland in the Netherlands) or the German word gellen ('to yell'; Middle High German geln, gëllen)[1] meaning 'one who yells'; less probably from the Yiddish word gel ('yellow') meaning the 'yellow man', or the Yiddish word geler, an expression for a redheaded man. It may also be a Russianized respelling of Heller or a variant of the Hungarian first name Gellért. The name appears with some frequency in northwestern Germany, near the city of Aachen.

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

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

Claire Elise Boucher (/buːˈʃeɪ/;[2] born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer.[3][4] Her lyrics often touch on science fiction and feminist themes. The visuals in her videos are elaborate and sometimes have fantasy themes. She has released five studio albums.

Born and raised in Vancouver, Grimes began releasing music independently after moving to Montreal in 2006.[5] She released two albums, Geidi Primes and Halfaxa, in 2010 on Arbutus Records, before signing with 4AD and rising to prominence with the release of her 2012 album, Visions. The album received the Canadian music industry Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year,[6] and yielded two singles: "Genesis" and "Oblivion". Following this, her fourth studio album, Art Angels, was released in 2015, and several publications named it the best album of the year.[7] Her fifth studio album, Miss Anthropocene, was released in 2020.

Outside of music, Grimes had a voice role in the 2020 action role-playing video game Cyberpunk 2077 and was a judge on the music competition game show Alter Ego. She has three children with Elon Musk.

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

King Charles has revealed his favourite songs. Here’s the full playlist

His most-loved songs include ‘Crazy in Love’ and ‘The Loco-Motion’

Tony Jones

Monday 10 March 2025 10:50 EDT

King Charles has released his personal playlist to mark Commonwealth Day – and there are some unexpected bops among the tracks.

The playlist was released as part of The King’s Music Room, a one-off show on Apple Music 1.

It was recorded at the King’s offices at Buckingham Palace.

The playlist is eclectic and spans from disco to reggae to opera. It features artists from throughout the Commonwealth.

‘Crazy in Love’ by Beyonce and ‘The Loco-Motion’ by Kylie Minogue are among the hits.

The show sees the King share stories about meeting some of the featured artists and speak about how the songs have brought him joy.

“Throughout my life, music has meant a great deal to me. I know that is also the case for so many others,” Charles previously said.

“It has that remarkable ability to bring happy memories flooding back from the deepest recesses of our memory, to comfort us in times of sadness, and to take us to distant places.

“But perhaps, above all, it can lift our spirits to such a degree, and all the more so when it brings us together in celebration. In other words, it brings us joy.”

Charles meets Beyonce during the Fashion Rocks For The Prince’s Trust event at the Royal Albert Hall in 2003, where she performed Crazy in Love

Charles meets Beyonce during the Fashion Rocks For The Prince’s Trust event at the Royal Albert Hall in 2003, where she performed Crazy in Love (PA Archive)

Here is the full playlist:

1. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Could You Be Loved

2. Millie Small – My Boy Lollipop

3. Kylie Minogue – The Loco-Motion

4. Al Bowlly – The Very Thought of You

5. Grace Jones – La Vie En Rose

6. Raye – Love Me Again

7. Daddy Lumba – Mpempem Do Me

8. Davido – Kante (feat Fave)

9. Miriam Makeba – The Click Song

10. Jools Holland & Ruby Turner – My Country Man

11. Anoushka Shankar – Indian Summer

12. Siti Nurhaliza – Anta Permana

13. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa – E Te Iwi E (Call to the People)

14. Michael Buble – Haven’t Met You Yet

15. Arrow – Hot Hot Hot

16. Beyonce – Crazy in Love (feat Jay-Z)

17. Diana Ross – Upside Down

The King’s Music Room aired at 6am on Monday March 10 and is available on demand with an Apple Music subscription.

https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/home-news/king-charles-playlist-favourite-songs-music-room-b2712009.html

"Dog Days Are Over" is a song by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine from their debut album Lungs (2009). It was originally scheduled for release on 24 November 2008 through Moshi Moshi Records in the UK as the album's second single, but was later pushed back for release on 1 December 2008. A day later on 2 December 2008 the single was released in download and seven-inch vinyl format through IAMSOUND Records in the US. The B-side to the single is a cover of "You Got the Love" by The Source featuring Candi Staton which later was confirmed as a track on their debut album and the band's fifth single. The single reached the top 30 in Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

A demo version of "Dog Days Are Over" is featured on disc two of the deluxe edition of Lungs. A six-minute, forty-second-long Optimo remix of "Dog Days Are Over" has also been made available.[4] An acoustic version of the song was performed live on BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. The track has been performed at a great number of high-profile festivals through 2008 and 2009, including the Reading and Leeds festivals. The band also performed the song on the Mercury Prize 2009 awards show and BBC Introducing. In 2023, the song appeared in the finale of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and re-entered some charts almost 15 years after its release.

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

‘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

open image in gallery

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

open image in gallery

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

One of the many names for Sirius is the 'Dog Star'.  Of course Sirius is the primary star of the constellation Canis Major, the large dog, but this is far from the entire story.  Sirius seems to have a very ancient and a very wide spread association with dogs and wolves.  The most familiar of these traditions come from ancient Rome and Greece.  For example, the familiar term 'Dog Days of Summer' has a Roman origin that refers to the long hot days of late summer which the Romans associated with the arrival of Sirius in the morning sky at that time of year.  The Greeks also had numerous beliefs and legends which linked dogs and Sirius.  For example, on the Greek island of Ceos coins were imprinted with the image of a dog surrounded by radiant spikes, again commemorating the late summer arrival of Sirius in the morning sky.

A 3rd Century BC coin from Ceos showing a canine Sirius (Sear 3079, Michael Molnar Collection)

There are other much older traditions of Sirius and dogs which originate in places seeming unrelated to Greece and Rome.  For example, the ancient Chinese called Sirius Tsien Lang, the 'Heavenly Wolf'.   It was associated with an old constellation called the Bow and Arrow, with the arrow pointed at Sirius, the wolf.   This same constellation, with virtually the same stars, was also known in ancient Mesopotamia, where Sirius had names associated with dogs.  Perhaps most intriguing of all such traditions is found among many of the native peoples of North America.   Here there exist a remarkable number of occurrences of names for Sirius and legends about the star having to do with dogs and wolves.   A few examples include: 'Moon Dog' (Alaskan Inuit); 'dog-face' (Blackfoot); 'Wolf Star' (Pawnee); and 'Wolf that hangs by the side of Heaven' (Northern Osage).   Such appellations are not universal, many counter examples exist from other Native American groups.  Nevertheless, it is intriguing to wonder if perhaps many of these canine-related names and stories involving Sirius could have a common origin from some long forgotten source on the Eurasian Continent, perhaps as long ago as the last Ice Age.  Then again it could all be coincidence, we will probably never know.

Further Reading:

Chapter 2 Dog Star  in Sirius: The Brightest Diamond in the Night Sky

Miller, Dorcus, S. 1997, Stars of the First People; Native American star myths and constellations, Pruett

Allen, Richard Hinckley, 1963, Star Names Their Lore and Meaning, Dover Publications, 117-129

http://vega.lpl.arizona.edu/sirius/A1.html

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/

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

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/

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/

PART X THE PRESERVATION AND INCREASE OF THE SOCIETY

410 §1. As a sign of gratitude and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, let that feast be solemnly celebrated; and on that day is to be renewed the consecration by which the Society on January 1, 1872, dedicated and consecrated itself totally and perpetually.

§2. The consecration to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary is to be renewed each year on the feast of the Immaculate Heart.[1]

411 The sense of belonging and responsibility that each individual one of Ours has toward the whole Society should be manifested in a knowledge of our spirituality, our history, our saints, our apostolic labors, and our men, especially of those who are suffering difficulties for the sake of Christ; it is to be manifested as well by maintaining Ignatian mobility and flexibility with a view to helping any region of the Society whatsoever.[2]

412 §1. All our members should have at heart a shared concern for attracting new members to the Society, especially by prayer and the example of their lives as individuals and in community.[3]

§2. Therefore, we must do everything possible actively to present the Society in such a way that those whom God calls will know and appreciate who and what we are and what is our distinctive way of proceeding in the following of Christ.[4]

§3. We must also promote vocations as widely as possible, in order to reflect the culture and experience of those we seek to serve, including minority cultures, immigrants, and indigenous people.[5]

413 The Society should always show itself bound to its benefactors in charity and gratitude. Superiors should ensure that prayers are offered for them and other appropriate signs of our gratitude are shown them.[6]

414 In the perfect observance of all the Constitutions and in the particular fulfillment of our Institute, our formed members should excel, setting a good example and spreading the good odor of Christ, keeping before their eyes the serious obligation they have of giving edification especially to our younger members.[ 7]

415 All by earnest reading and meditation (in particular, at the time of the annual Spiritual Exercises, renewal of vows, monthly recollection, beginning of the year, and so forth) should strive ever to know, esteem, and love better our Constitutions and the special nature of our Institute,[ 8] which are to be faithfully observed, and which for each and all of us are the one, true, and safe way that surely leads to the perfection to which our Lord calls and invites all sons of the Society.[9] §2. Major superiors, especially at the time of the annual visitation, should see that this is faithfully observed.

416 Finally, those means that are proposed by our holy father Saint Ignatius in Part X of the Constitutions for the preservation and development not only of the body or exterior of the Society but also of its spirit, and for the attainment of the objective it seeks, which is to aid souls to reach their ultimate and supernatural end, [10] are to be observed eagerly and diligently by all, with a truly personal sense of responsibility for its increase and development, for the praise and service of our God and Lord Jesus Christ, and the help of souls.[11]

L. D. S.

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

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)

The Gita in the title of the Bhagavad Gita means "song". Religious leaders and scholars interpret the word Bhagavad in several ways. Accordingly, the title has been interpreted as "the song of God", "the word of God" by theistic schools,[19] "the words of the Lord",[20] "the Divine Song",[21][page needed][22] and "Celestial Song" by others.[23]

The Sanskrit name is often written as Shrimad Bhagavad Gita or Shrimad Bhagavadgita (श्रीमद् भगवद् गीता or श्रीमद् भगवद्गीता). The prefix shrimad (or shrimat) denotes a high degree of respect. The Bhagavad Gita is not to be confused with the Bhagavata Puran, which is one of the eighteen major Puranas dealing with the life of the Hindu God Krishna and various avatars of Vishnu.[24]

The work is also known as the Iswara Gita, the Ananta Gita, the Hari Gita, the Vyasa Gita, or the Gita.[25]

Dating and authorship

Dating

The text is generally dated to the second or first century BCE,.[3][4][5][6]

According to Jeaneane Fowler, "the dating of the Gita varies considerably" and depends in part on whether one accepts it to be a part of the early versions of the Mahabharata, or a text that was inserted into the epic at a later date.[26] The earliest "surviving" components therefore are believed to be no older than the earliest "external" references we have to the Mahabharata epic. The Mahabharata – the world's longest poem – is itself a text that was likely written and compiled over several hundred years, one dated between "400 BCE or little earlier, and 2nd century CE, though some claim a few parts can be put as late as 400 CE", states Fowler. The dating of the Gita is thus dependent on the uncertain dating of the Mahabharata. The actual dates of composition of the Gita remain unresolved.[26]

According to Arthur Basham, the context of the Bhagavad Gita suggests that it was composed in an era when the ethics of war were being questioned and renunciation of monastic life was becoming popular.[27] Such an era emerged after the rise of Buddhism and Jainism in the 5th century BCE, and particularly after the semi-legendary life of Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. Thus, the first version of the Bhagavad Gita may have been composed in or after the 3rd century BCE.[27]

An old torn paper with a painting depicting the Mahabharata war, with some verses recorded in Sanskrit.

A manuscript illustration of the battle of Kurukshetra, fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, recorded in the Mahabharata. c. 1700 – c. 1800 CE

Winthrop Sargeant linguistically categorizes the Bhagavad Gita as Epic-Puranic Sanskrit, a language that succeeds Vedic Sanskrit and precedes classical Sanskrit.[28] The text has occasional pre-classical elements of the Vedic Sanskrit language, such as aorists and the prohibitive mā instead of the expected na (not) of classical Sanskrit.[28] This suggests that the text was composed after the Pāṇini era, but before the long compounds of classical Sanskrit became the norm. This would date the text as transmitted by the oral tradition to the later centuries of the 1st-millennium BCE, and the first written version probably to the 2nd or 3rd century CE.[28][29]

Kashi Nath Upadhyaya dates it a bit earlier, but after the rise of Buddhism, by which it was influenced. He states that the Gita was always a part of the Mahabharata, and dating the latter suffices in dating the Gita.[30] based on the estimated dates of Mahabharata as evidenced by exact quotes of it in the Buddhist literature by Asvaghosa (c. 100 CE), Upadhyaya states that the Mahabharata, and therefore the Gita, must have been well known by then for a Buddhist to be quoting it.[30][note 1] This suggests a terminus ante quem (latest date) of the Gita be sometime before the 1st century CE.[30] He cites similar quotes in the dharmasutra texts, the Brahma sutras, and other literature to conclude that the Bhagavad Gita was composed in the fifth or fourth-century BCE.[32][note 2]

Vāsudeva-Krishna, on a coin of Agathocles of Bactria c. 180 BCE.[34][35] This is "the earliest unambiguous image" of the deity.[36]

Authorship

In the Indian tradition, the Bhagavad Gita, as well as the epic Mahabharata of which it is a part, is attributed to the sage Vyasa,[37] also known as Krishna Dvaipayana and as Veda-Vyasa.[38] A Hindu legend narrates that Vyasa composed it, and Ganesha, who broke one of his tusks, used this tusk to write down the Mahabharata along with the Bhagavad Gita.[9][39][note 3]

Scholars consider Vyasa to be a mythical or symbolic author, in part because Vyasa is also a title or generic name for the compiler of a text, and Vyasa is also regarded by tradition as the compiler of the Vedas and the Puranas, texts dated with a time-differencd of circa two millennia.[9][e]

According to Alexus McLeod, a scholar of Philosophy and Asian Studies, it is "impossible to link the Bhagavad Gita to a single author", and it may be the work of many authors.[9][10] This view is shared by the Indologist Arthur Basham, who states that there were three or more authors or compilers of Bhagavad Gita. This is evidenced by the discontinuous intermixing of philosophical verses with theistic or passionately theistic verses, according to Basham.[11][note 4]

J. A. B. van Buitenen, an Indologist known for his translations and scholarship on Mahabharata, finds that the Gita is so contextually and philosophically well-knit within the Mahabharata that it was not an independent text that "somehow wandered into the epic".[42] The Gita, states van Buitenen, was conceived and developed by the Mahabharata authors to "bring to a climax and solution the dharmic dilemma of a war".[42][note 5]

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

"Once More, with Feeling" is the seventh episode of the sixth season of the supernatural drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003), and the only one in the series that is a musical. It was written and directed by series creator Joss Whedon and originally aired on UPN in the United States on November 6, 2001.

"Once More, with Feeling" explores changes in the relationships of the main characters, using the plot device that a demon—credited as "Sweet" but unnamed in the episode—compels the people of Sunnydale to break into song at random moments to express hidden truths. The musical format allowed characters to stay true to their natures while they struggled to overcome deceit and miscommunication, fitting with the sixth season's themes of growing up and facing difficulties in adulthood.[2][3]

All of the regular cast performed their own vocals, although two actors were given minimal singing at their request. "Once More, with Feeling" is the most technically complex episode in the series, as extra voice and dance training for the cast was interspersed with the production of four other Buffy episodes. It was Whedon's first attempt at writing music, and different styles—from 1950s sitcom theme music to rock opera—express the characters' secrets in specific ways. The episode received critical acclaim, particularly for the organic integration of the musical format and its humor and wit. It is considered one of the most effective and popular episodes of the series, and one of the best episodes of television. Prior to a financial dispute in 2007, it was shown in theaters with the audience invited to sing along.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_More,_with_Feeling_(Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer)

https://www.facebook.com/4williamdunn/posts/pfbid026xeHABgp5o667Wi3mgXmywA7GBavnA7Pdh5oSEe2XihPRWAPgqRr4PEFyYVhfiXdl

Inah Canabarro Lucas (born 8 June 1908)[1] is a Brazilian nun and supercentenarian who, at the age of 116 years, 300 days, has been the world's oldest verified living person since the death of Tomiko Itooka on 29 December 2024,[2] as well as the world's oldest living nun since the death of Lucile Randon on 17 January 2023.[3][4][5]

Biography

Canabarro was born on 8 June 1908[a] in São Francisco de Assis, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil to João Antonio Lucas and Mariana Canabarro.[6] She is the great-granddaughter of General David Canabarro, who fought in the Ragamuffin War.[7] She had a younger brother, Rube (1909–1987), who served as a Lieutenant Colonel Aviator in the Brazilian Air Force.[8] As a child, she was very skinny, and many in her community did not think she would survive into adulthood.[9] She worked as a kindergarten teacher at Santa Tereza de Jesus High School, having taught João Figueiredo, the 30th president of Brazil.[10]

Pope Francis sent a message of congratulations to her on her 110th birthday.[11]

She became the oldest living person in Brazil following the death of Antonia da Santa Cruz (1905–2022) on 23 January 2022.[12] In May 2023, the local archdiocese celebrated her 115th birthday.[a][13]

She became the oldest living person in the world following the death of Tomiko Itooka on 29 December 2024.[14][15]

She is the second-oldest nun in history, behind Lucile Randon.[6][16]

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

Pope Pius X (Italian: Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto;[a] 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, and for promoting liturgical reforms and Thomist scholastic theology. He initiated the preparation of the 1917 Code of Canon Law, the first comprehensive and systemic work of its kind, which would ultimately be promulgated by his successor. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.

Pius X was devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Confidence; while his papal encyclical Ad diem illum took on a sense of renewal that was reflected in the motto of his pontificate.[4] He advanced the Liturgical Movement by formulating the principle of participatio actuosa (active participation of the faithful) in his motu proprio, Tra le sollecitudini (1903). He encouraged the frequent reception of Holy Communion, and he lowered the age for First Communion, which became a lasting innovation of his papacy.[5]

Like his predecessors, he promoted Thomism as the principal philosophical method to be taught in Catholic institutions. He vehemently opposed various 19th-century philosophies that he viewed as an intrusion of secular errors incompatible with Catholic dogma, especially modernism, which he critiqued as the synthesis of every heresy.[6]

Pius X was known for his firm demeanour and sense of personal poverty, reflected by his membership of the Third Order of Saint Francis.[7] He regularly gave sermons from the pulpit, a rare practice at the time.[b] After the 1908 Messina earthquake he filled the Apostolic Palace with refugees, long before the Italian government acted.[7] He rejected any kind of favours for his family, and his close relatives chose to remain in poverty, living near Rome.[7][8] He also undertook a reform of the Roman Curia with the Apostolic Constitution Sapienti consilio in 1908.

After his death, a strong cult of devotion followed his reputation for piety and holiness. He was beatified in 1951 and canonized in 1954 by Pope Pius XII.[8] A statue bearing his name stands within Saint Peter's Basilica, and his birth town was renamed Riese Pio X after his death.

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

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

Pope Benedict XV (Latin: Benedictus XV; Italian: Benedetto XV); born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, Italian: [ˈdʒaːkomo ˈpaːolo dʒoˈvanni batˈtista della ˈkjɛːza]; 21 November 1854 – 22 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in 1922. His pontificate was largely overshadowed by World War I and its political, social, and humanitarian consequences in Europe.

Between 1846 and 1903, the Catholic Church had experienced two of its longest pontificates in history up to that point. Together Pius IX and Leo XIII ruled for a total of 57 years. In 1914, the College of Cardinals chose della Chiesa at the relatively young age of 59 at the outbreak of World War I, which he labeled "the suicide of civilized Europe". The war and its consequences were the main focus of Benedict XV. He immediately declared the neutrality of the Holy See and attempted from that perspective to mediate peace in 1916 and 1917. Both sides rejected his initiatives. German Protestants rejected any "Papal Peace" as insulting. The French politician Georges Clemenceau regarded the Vatican initiative as being anti-French.[3] Having failed with diplomatic initiatives, Benedict XV focused on humanitarian efforts to lessen the impacts of the war, such as attending prisoners of war, the exchange of wounded soldiers and food deliveries to needy populations in Europe. After the war, he repaired the difficult relations with France, which re-established relations with the Vatican in 1921. During his pontificate, relations with Italy improved as well, as Benedict XV now permitted Catholic politicians led by Don Luigi Sturzo to participate in national Italian politics.

In 1917, Benedict XV promulgated the Code of Canon Law, which was released on 27 May, the creation of which he had prepared with Eugenio Pacelli (the future Pope Pius XII) and Pietro Gasparri during the pontificate of Pope Pius X. The new Code of Canon Law is considered to have stimulated religious life and activities throughout the Church.[4] He named Gasparri to be his Cardinal Secretary of State and personally consecrated Nuncio Pacelli on 13 May 1917 as Archbishop. World War I caused great damage to Catholic missions throughout the world. Benedict XV revitalized these activities, asking in Maximum illud for Catholics throughout the world to participate. For that, he has been referred to as the "Pope of Missions". His last concern was the emerging persecution of the Catholic Church in Soviet Russia and the famine there after the revolution. Benedict XV was devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary and authorized the Feast of Mary, Mediatrix of all Graces.[5]

After seven years in office, Pope Benedict XV died on 22 January 1922 after battling pneumonia since the start of that month. He was buried in the grottoes of Saint Peter's Basilica. With his diplomatic skills and his openness towards modern society, "he gained respect for himself and the papacy."[4]

Diplomatic agenda

In the post-war period, Pope Benedict XV was involved in developing the Church administration to deal with the new international system that had emerged. The papacy was faced with the emergence of numerous new states such as Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Finland, and others. Germany, France, Italy, and Austria were impoverished from the war. In addition, the traditional social and cultural European order was threatened by right-wing nationalism and fascism as well as left-wing socialism and communism, all of which potentially threatened the existence and freedom of the Church. To deal with these and related issues, Benedict engaged in what he knew best, a large scale diplomatic offensive to secure the rights of the faithful in all countries.[citation needed]

Italy

Leo XIII already had agreed to the participation of Catholics in local but not national politics. Relations with Italy improved as well under Benedict XV, who de facto reversed the stiff anti-Italian policy of his predecessors by allowing Catholics to participate in national elections as well. This led to a surgence of the Italian People's Party under Luigi Sturzo. Anti-Catholic politicians were gradually replaced by persons who were neutral or even sympathetic to the Catholic Church. King Victor Emmanuel III himself gave signals of his desire for better relations, when, for example, he sent personal condolences to the Pontiff on the death of his brother.[48]

Benedict XV, along with most traditional Catholics of his time, opposed voting rights for women in principle, on the grounds that it would take them out of their "natural sphere".[49] However, he was pragmatic and recognized female suffrage could be a "social necessity in some countries...in order to counter the generally subversive views of the socialists with the supposedly conservative votes of women", believing that women would help support traditional Catholic positions if granted suffrage.[50]

France

Benedict XV also attempted to improve relations with the anti-clerical Republican government of France, and canonized the French national heroine Saint Joan of Arc. In the mission territories of the Third World, he emphasized the necessity of training native priests to quickly replace the European missionaries, and founded the Pontifical Oriental Institute and the Coptic College in the Vatican. Pius XI would entrust the "Orientale" to the Jesuits and make it a part of the Jesuit's Gregorian Consortium in Rome (along with the Gregorian University and the Biblicum).[51] In 1921, France re-established diplomatic relations with the Vatican.[52]

Soviet Union

Main article: Holy See–Soviet Union relations

Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri

The end of the war caused the revolutionary development, which Benedict XV had foreseen in his first encyclical. With the Russian Revolution, the Vatican was faced with a new, so far unknown, situation.[citation needed]

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

Can. 666 In the use of means of social communication, necessary discretion is to be observed and those things are to be avoided which are harmful to one’s vocation and dangerous to the chastity of a consecrated person.

TITLE II. RELIGIOUS INSTITUTES (Cann. 607 - 709)

CODE OF CANON LAW

https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib2-cann607-709_en.html

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

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[666] 6. 1On the side of the superior general, what will aid toward this union of hearts are the qualities of his person [G], to be treated in Part IX [723-25], with which he will perform his office, 2which is to be for all the members a head from which the influence required for the end sought by the Society ought to descend to them all. 3It is thus from the general as head that all authority of the provincials should flow, from the provincials that of the local superiors, and from the local superiors that of the individual members. 4And from this same head, or at least by his commission and approval, should likewise come the appointing of missions. And the same should apply to communicating the graces of the Society. 5For the more the subjects are dependent upon their superiors, the better will the love, obedience, and union among them be preserved." page 333

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

Jeremiah 17:9

1599 Geneva Bible

9 [a]The heart is deceitful and wicked above all things, who can know it?

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Footnotes

Jeremiah 17:9 Because the wicked have ever some excuse to defend their doings, he showeth that their own lewd imaginations deceive them, and bring them to these inconveniences: but God will examine their deeds by the malice of their hearts, 1 Sam. 16:7; 1 Chron. 28:9; Ps. 7:10; Jer. 11:20 and 20:12; Rev. 2:13.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2017%3A9&version=GNV

The union of minds and hearts: with respect to: performing the task of the head on behalf of the entire Society [666]; governing subjects well [667-69]; exempting Ours from obedience [663]; preparing for, summoning, and directing congregations [681, 682, 686, 689, 690, 691, 712, 716, 718, 755], 332. See also Formulas of congregations " page 512

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

Revelation 17:9-13

1599 Geneva Bible

9 [a]Here is the mind that hath wisdom, The [b]seven heads [c]are seven mountains, whereon the woman sitteth: [d]they are also seven Kings.

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

11 [h]And the beast that was, and is not, is even [i]the eighth, and is [j]one of the seven, and [k]all go into destruction.

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

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

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Footnotes

Revelation 17:9 An exhortation preparing unto audience, by the same argument, with that of Christ: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Wherefore, for mine own part, I had rather read in this place, Let there be here a mind, etc. So the Angel passeth fully unto the second place of this description.

Revelation 17:9 Very children know what that seven hilled city is, which is so much spoken of, and whereof Virgil thus reporteth, And compasseth seven towers in one wall: that city it is, which when John wrote these things had rule over the kings of the earth: It was and is not, and yet it remaineth this day, but it is declining to destruction.

Revelation 17:9 This is the painting out of the beast by things present (as I said before) whereby S. John endeavored to describe the same, that he might both be known of the godly in that age, and be further observed and marked of posterity afterwards. This delineation hath one type, that is, his heads, but a double description or application of the type: one permanent from the nature of itself, the other changeable, by the working of men. The description permanent, is by the seven hills, in this verse, the other that fleeteth, is from the seven kings, verses 10, 11. And here it is worthy to be observed, that one type hath sometimes two or more applications, as seemeth good unto the holy Ghost to express either one thing by divers types, or divers things by one type. So I noted before, of the seven spirits, Rev. 1:4. Now this woman that sitteth upon seven hills, is the city of Rome, called in times past of the Greeks, … i. of seven tops or crests, and of Varro, septiceps, i. of her seven heads (as here) of seven heads, and of others, septicollis, i. standing upon seven hills.

Revelation 17:9 The beginning of these Kings or Emperors is almost the same with the beginning of the Church of Christ, which I showed before, Rev. 11:1. Namely from the year 35, after the passion of Christ, what time the Temple and Church of the Jews was overthrown. In which year it came to pass by the providence of God that that saying The beast was and is not, was fulfilled before that the destruction of the Jews immediately following came to pass. That was the year from the building of the city of Rome, 109, from which year S. John both numbered the Emperors which hitherto hath been, when he wrote these things, and foretelleth two others next to come: and that with this purpose, that when this particular prediction of foretelling of things to come, should take effect the truth of all other predictions in the Church might be the more confirmed. Which sign God of old mentioned this in the Law, Deut. 18, and Jeremiah confirmeth, Jer. 28:8.

Revelation 17:10 Whose names are these: the first, Servius Sulpicius Galba, who was the seventh Emperor of the people of Rome, the second Marcus Salvius Otho, the third Aulus Vitellius, the fourth, Titus Flavius Vespasianus, the fifth, Titus Vespasianus his son of his own name.

Revelation 17:10 Flavius Domitian son of the first Vespasian. For in the latter end of his days S. John wrote these things, as witnesseth Irenaus, Lib. 5 adversus hareses.

Revelation 17:10 Nerua. The Empire being now translated from the family of Flavius. This man reigned only one year, four months, and nine days, as the history writers do tell.

Revelation 17:11 This is spoken by the figure synecdoche, as much to say as that head of the beast which was and is not, because it is cut off, and Nerua in so short time extinguished. How many heads there were, so many beasts there seemed to be in one. See the like speech in Rev. 13.3

Revelation 17:11 Nerua Traianus, who himself in divers respects is called here the seventh and the eighth.

Revelation 17:11 Though in number and order of succession he be the eighth, yet he is reckoned together with one of these heads, because Nerua and he were one head. For this man obtained authority together with Nerua, and was Consul with him, when Nerua left his life.

Revelation 17:11 Namely, to molest with persecutions the Churches of Christ, as the histories do accord, and I have briefly noted, Rev. 2:10.

Revelation 17:12 The third place of this description as I said, verse 18, is a prophetical prediction of things to come which the beast should do, as in the words following S. John doth not obscurely signify, saying, which have not yet received the kingdom, etc. For there is an Antithesis or opposition between these kings, and those that went before. And first the persons are described, in this verse, then their deeds in the two verses following.

Revelation 17:12 That is, arising with their kingdoms out of the Roman beast: at such time as that political Empire began by the craft of the Popes greatly to fall.

Revelation 17:12 Namely, with the second beast whom we called before a false prophet, which beast, ascending out of the earth got unto himself all the authority and power of the first beast, and exerciseth the same before his face, as was said, Rev. 14:11, 12. For when the political Empire of the West began to bow downwards, there both arose those ten kings, and the second beast took the opportunity offered to usurp unto himself all the power of the former beast. These kings long ago, many have numbered and described to be ten and a great part of the events plainly testifieth the same in this our age.

Revelation 17:13 That is, by consent and agreement, that they may conspire with the beast, and depend upon his beck. Their story is divided into three parts, counsels, acts, and events. The counselors some of them consist in communicating of judgments and affections: and some in communicating of power, which they are said to have given unto this beast in this verse.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=revelation%2017%3A9-13&version=GNV

The consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by a reigning pope was requested during a Marian apparition by Our Lady of Fátima on 13 July 1917, according to Lúcia dos Santos (Sister Lúcia), one of the three visionaries who claimed to have seen the apparition. Sister Lucia said that at different times the Blessed Virgin Mary had given her a message of promise that the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary would usher in a period of world peace.

Popes Pius XII, Paul VI and John Paul II all consecrated Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, although without specifically referencing Russia or the USSR. On March 25, 2022, Pope Francis consecrated Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, alongside Ukraine, with both countries mentioned for the first time. This occurred during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1]

Background

Consecration of Russia

Russian priest and pilgrims in the Sanctuary of Fátima, in Portugal.

According to Sister Lúcia, the Virgin Mary requested the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart both at Fatima in 1917 and, later, more explicitly at Pontevedra in 1929.[2]

In two letters she sent in May 1930 to Father Gonçalves, her confessor, Sister Lúcia linked the consecration of Russia with the Devotion of the Five First Saturdays, which she had first discussed in context of the apparitions she had purportedly experienced previously as a postulant at Pontevedra in 1925. The Church has issued no decision regarding the reported visions at Pontevedra.[3] In August 1941, Sister Lúcia wrote her memoir in which she described the apparition of 13 July 1917. She said that the Blessed Virgin Mary told them:[4]

"God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The [First World] war is going to end; if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that He is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father. To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the communion of reparation on the first Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace. If not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world."

Some Catholics who support the position of the Catholic Church claim that the apparitions at Fátima took place after the February Revolution of 1917 that deposed Tsar Nicholas II from power and the April 16 return of Vladimir Lenin to Russia.[5]

Categorised as private revelation

The alleged message given by the Virgin Mary at Fatima is considered a private revelation.[6]

The teaching of the Roman Catholic Church distinguishes between "public Revelation" and "private revelations". The term "public Revelation" finds its literary expression in the Bible and "reached its fulfilment in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ".[7] In this regard, Catechism of the Catholic Church quotes John of the Cross:

"In giving us his Son, his only Word (for he possesses no other), he spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word—and he has no more to say... Any person questioning God or desiring some vision or revelation would be guilty not only of foolish behavior but also of offending him, by not fixing his eyes entirely upon Christ and by living with the desire for some other novelty."[8]

Consecrations

20th century

Main article: Pope Pius XII 1942 consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

In 1942, Pope Pius XII consecrated the whole of humanity, which implicitly included Russia but not by name, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This consecration was made in the context of the reported messages from Jesus and the Virgin Mary received by Alexandrina of Balazar and communicated to her spiritual director, the Jesuit priest Mariano Pinho. In 1952, he consecrated "the peoples of Russia" to the Immaculate Heart in Sacro vergente anno, although it was notably not done in communion with bishops worldwide (as requested by Our Lady of Fátima).[9][10][11][12]

In 1964, Pope Paul VI also consecrated humanity, and thus implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the end of the third session of Vatican II.[10][13][14][15]

In 1981 and 1982, Pope John Paul II also consecrated the whole human race to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.[9][10]

All those previous consecrations were done not in communion and coordination with the Catholic bishops of the world.[9]

In 1983, Pope John Paul II set out to rectify any errors that had occurred with the previous consecrations; and on December 8, 1983, he sent a letter to all bishops worldwide, Catholic and Orthodox, asking them to join him in March 1984 for an Act of Entrustment to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.[16] Before doing the consecration, the pope consulted Sister Lúcia so as to make sure this consecration of Russia would be valid. However, on March 25, 1984, Pope John Paul II did not mention Russia when he declared an act of consecration of "those men and nations who are in special need of this entrustment and consecration."[17] After John Paul II's consecration, Sister Lúcia stated numerous times that the 1984 consecration had been done the way the Virgin Mary wanted it to be.[9][10]

21st century

At the formal request of the Episcopal Conference of Ukrainian Catholic Bishops, the Holy See announced on 15 March 2022 that Pope Francis would consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on 25 March 2022 at Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. The 25 March date is the same date as when John Paul II consecrated Russia to the Immaculate Heart in 1984. A consecration ceremony was also scheduled in Fátima, Portugal by the papal almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski.[18][19] Accordingly, the Pope sent a letter to invite all the Catholic bishops to join with him in the consecration, by their own volition, at the same designated time the consecration by the pope was to take place.[20][10] He also invited all Catholic communities and all the faithful to join him in the consecration.[21] The text of the consecration contains explicit mentions of "Russia and Ukraine" in the consecration formula.[22]

The Saint Peter's Basilica consecration took place in conjunction with a penitential service, with Francis stating: "Mother of God and our mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the church and all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine". Cardinal Krajewski made a similar consecration in Portugal.[23][24][25]

The text of the consecration contains the title "Earth of Heaven" to refer to Virgin Mary in some of its versions. This title raised concerns among some Catholics. The Holy See explained the origin of the title was "taken from a Byzantine-Slavic monastic hymn, and it poetically signifies the union of heaven and earth that we can contemplate in Virgin Mary assumed bodily into Heaven".[26]

Conversion of Russia

In 1946, during a gathering of youth at Fátima, Sister Lucia was asked by a young Russian girl, Natacha Derfelden, as to how the conversion of Russia would be accomplished. Sister Lucia responded that the conversion of Russia would come through the Eastern Orthodox Church and "the Oriental rite",[27][28] seemingly meaning the conversion implied reconciliation and reunion between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. A theological commentary written by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger on the Fátima secret cites it as a "conversion of the heart".[29]

In 2003 and 2014, the Theotokos Derzhavnaya and the Theotokos of Port Arthur icon, were brought for veneration to the Portuguese city of Fatima,.[30] where, according to Lucia dos Santos, Our Lady of Fatima predicted in 1917 that post-revolutionary Russia would, "spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church."[31]

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

World, the: 1. It is proper to our vocation: to go to diverse places and live in whatever part of the world and to be sent wherever the greater service of God and the help of souls can be hoped for [82, 92, 304, 308, 588, 603, 605, 626, 749]; to this purpose is directed the vow of special obedience to the supreme pontiff regarding missions, FI no. 3 [603, 605], 2 §1; consequently a complete availability, mobility, and universality are necessary, 110, 121 4°, 242 §3, 246 7°, 248, 259, 411; at the service of which is chastity, 144 §2; consequently our community is a community for dispersion, 255 §1, 312, 314 §2, 315, 317; thus also the need for communicating with different cultures of the world and for insertion into them, 99 §2, 106 §2, 110, 111, 246 2°; and for promoting that perfect and open cooperation among the members of the entire Society, of whatever province or region they may be, 396 §2. See also Cooperation, interprovincial and supraprovincial; Culture(s); Insertion 2. God is present in the world: exercising the ministry of healing and reconciliation, 246 4°; thus he is there to be sought and found, 223 §§3-4; the world, in great part afflicted with atheism and injustice and increasingly divided by diverse economic, social, and ethnic systems and by other sources of division and opposition, 59 §2, 223 §3, 246 4° 3. The world, as distinguished from religious life: is to be left behind, trampled underfoot, and renounced [30, 50, 53, 61, 66, 297]; it is to be despised because of the love for and imitation of Christ [101]; contempt for it assists in the union of minds and hearts [671]: customs which smack of the world are not to be introduced, 322.

The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus and Their Complementary Norms

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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

How the Vatican created Islam

How the Vatican created Islam. The astonishing story from an ex-Jesuit priest, Alberto Rivera,

which was told to him by Cardinal Bea while he was at the Vatican.

By Alberto Rivera | cloakanddagger .de

Article from: http://www.davidicke.com/content/view/744/48/. From "The Prophet":

http://www.choosinglife.net/Islam.htm (website disabled)

This information came from Alberto Rivera, former Jesuit priest after his conversion to

Protestant Christianity. It is excerpted from "The Prophet," published by Chick Publications, PO

Box 661, Chino CA 91708. Since its publication, after several unsuccessful attempts on his life,

he died suddenly from food poisoning. His testimony should not be silenced. Dr. Rivera speaks

to us still ...

"What I'm going to tell you is what I learned in secret briefings in

the Vatican when I was a Jesuit priest, under oath and induction. A

Jesuit cardinal named Augustine Bea showed us how desperately

the Roman Catholics wanted Jerusalem at the end of the third

century. Because of its religious history and its strategic location,

the Holy City was considered a priceless treasure. A scheme had to

be developed to make Jerusalem a Roman Catholic city.

"The great untapped source of manpower that could do this job was the children of Ishmael. The

poor Arabs fell victim to one of the most clever plans ever devised by the powers of darkness.

Early Christians went everywhere with the gospel setting up small churches, but they met heavy

opposition. Both the Jews and the Roman government persecuted the believers in Christ to stop

their spread. But the Jews rebelled against Rome, and in 70 AD, Roman armies under General

Titus smashed Jerusalem and destroyed the great Jewish temple which was the heart of Jewish

worship...in fulfillment of Christ's prophecy in Matthew 24:2.

"On this holy placed today where the temple once stood, the Dome of the Rock Mosque stands

as Islam's second most holy place. Sweeping changes were in the wind. Corruption, apathy,

greed, cruelty, perversion and rebellion were eating at the Roman Empire, and it was ready to

collapse. The persecution against Christians was useless as they continued to lay down their lives

for the gospel of Christ.

"The only way Satan could stop this thrust was to create a counterfeit "Christian" religion to

destroy the work of God. The solution was in Rome. Their religion had come from ancient

Babylon and all it needed was a face-lift. This didn't happen overnight, but began in the writings

of the 'early church fathers'.

"It was through their writings that a new religion would take shape. The statue of Jupiter in

Rome was eventually called St. Peter, and the statue of Venus was changed to the Virgin Mary.

The site chosen for its headquarters was on one of the seven hills called 'Vaticanus', the place of

the diving serpent where the Satanic temple of Janus stood.

"The great counterfeit religion was Roman Catholicism, called 'Mystery, Babylon the Great, the

Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth'- Revelation 17:5. She was raised up to block

the gospel, slaughter the believers in Christ, establish religions, create wars and make the nations

drunk with the wine of her fornication as we will see.

"Three major religions have one thing in common - each has a holy place where they look for

guidance. Roman Catholicism looks to the Vatican as the Holy City. The Jews look to the wailing

wall in Jerusalem, and the Muslims look to Mecca as their Holy City. Each group believes that

they receive certain types of blessings for the rest of their lives for visiting their holy place. In

the beginning, Arab visitors would bring gifts to the 'House of God', and the keepers of the

Kaaba were gracious to all who came. Some brought their idols and, not wanting to offend these

people, their idols were placed inside the sanctuary. It is said that the Jews looked upon the

Kaaba as an outlying tabernacle of the Lord with veneration until it became polluted with idols.

"In a tribal contention over a well(Zamzam) the treasure of the Kaaba and the offerings that

pilgrims had given were dumped down the well and it was filled with sand - it disappeared.

Many years later Adb Al-Muttalib was given visions telling him where to find the well and its

treasure. He became the hero of Mecca, and he was destined to become the grandfather of

Muhammad. Before this time, Augustine became the bishop of North Africa and was effective in

winning Arabs to Roman Catholicism, including whole tribes. It was among these Arab converts

to Catholicism that the concept of looking for an Arab prophet developed.

"Muhammad's father died from illness and sons born to great Arab families in places like Mecca

were sent into the desert to be suckled and weaned and spend some of their childhood with

Bedouin tribes for training and to avoid the plagues in the cities.

"After his mother and grandfather also died, Muhammad was with his uncle when a Roman

Catholic monk learned of his identity and said, "Take your brother's son back to his country and

guard him against the Jews, for by god, if they see him and know of him that which I know, they

will construe evil against him. Great things are in store for this brother's son of yours."

"The Roman Catholic monk had fanned the flames for future Jewish persecutions at the hands of

the followers of Muhammad. The Vatican desperately wanted Jerusalem because of its religious

significance, but was blocked by the Jews.

"Another problem was the true Christians in North Africa who preached the gospel. Roman

Catholicism was growing in power, but would not tolerate opposition. Somehow the Vatican had

to create a weapon to eliminate both the Jews and the true Christian believers who refused to

accept Roman Catholicism. Lookng to North Africa, they saw the multitudes of Arabs as a

source of manpower to do their dirty work. Some Arabs had become Roman Catholic, and could

be used in reporting information to leaders in Rome. Others were used in an underground spy

network to carry out Rome's master plan to control the great multitudes of Arabs who rejected

Catholicism. When 'St Augustine' appeared on the scene, he knew what was going on. His

monasteries served as bases to seek out and destroy Bible manuscripts owned by the true

Christians.

"The Vatican wanted to create a messiah for the Arabs, someone they could raise up as a great

leader, a man with charisma whom they could train, and eventually unite all the non-Catholic

Arabs behind him, creating a mighty army that would ultimately capture Jerusalem for the pope.

In the Vatican briefing, Cardinal Bea told us this story:

'A wealthy Arabian lady who was a faithful follower of the pope played a tremendous part in this

drama. She was a widow named Khadijah. She gave her wealth to the church and retired to a

convent, but was given an assignment. She was to find a brilliant young man who could be used

by the Vatican to create a new religion and become the messiah for the children of Ishmael.

Khadijah had a cousin named Waraquah,, who was also a very faithful Roman Catholic and the

Vatican placed him in a critical role as Muhammad's advisor. He had tremendous influence on

Muhammad.

'Teachers were sent to young Muhammad and he had intensive training. Muhammad studied the

works of St. Augustine which prepared him for his "great calling." The Vatican had Catholic

Arabs across North Africa spread the story of a great one who was about to rise up among the

people and be the chosen one of their God.

'While Muhammad was being prepared, he was told that his enemies were the Jews and that the

only true Christians were Roman Catholic. He was taught that others calling themselves

Christians were actually wicked impostors and should be destroyed. Many Muslims believe this.

'Muhammad began receiving "divine revelations" and his wife's Catholic cousin Waraquah

helped interpret them. From this came the Koran. In the fifth year of Muhammad's mission,

persecution came against his followers because they refused to worship the idols in the Kaaba.

'Muhammad instructed some of them to flee to Abysinnia where Negus, the Roman Catholic king

accepted them because Muhammad's views on the virgin Mary were so close to Roman Catholic

doctrine. These Muslims received protection from Catholic kings because of Muhammad's

revelations.

'Muhammad later conquered Mecca and the Kaaba was cleared of idols. History proves that

before Islam came into existence, the Sabeans in Arabia worshiped the moon-god who was

married to the sun-god. They gave birth to three goddesses who were worshipped throughout the

Arab world as "Daughters of Allah" An idol excavated at Hazor in Palestine in 1950's shows

Allah sitting on a throne with the crescent moon on his chest.

'Muhammad claimed he had a vision from Allah and was told, "You are the messenger of Allah."

This began his career as a prophet and he received many messages. By the time Muhammad

ied, the religion of Islam was exploding. The nomadic Arab tribes were joining forces in the

name of Allah and his prophet, Muhammad.

'Some of Muhammad's writings were placed in the Koran, others were never published. They are

now in the hands of high ranking holy men (Ayatollahs) in the Islamic faith.'

"When Cardinal Bea shared with us in the Vatican, he said, these writings are guarded because

they contain information that links the Vatican to the creation of Islam. Both sides have so much

information on each other, that if exposed, it could create such a scandal that it would be a

disaster for both religions.

"In their "holy" book, the Koran, Christ is regarded as only a prophet. If the pope was His

representative on earth, then he also must be a prophet of God. This caused the followers of

Muhammad to fear and respect the pope as another "holy man."

"The pope moved quickly and issued bulls granting the Arab generals permission to invade and

conquer the nations of North Africa. The Vatican helped to finance the building of these massive

Islamic armies in exchange for three favors:

1. Eliminate the Jews and Christians (true believers, which they called infidels).

2. Protect the Augustinian Monks and Roman Catholics.

3. Conquer Jerusalem for "His Holiness" in the Vatican.

"As time went by, the power of Islam became tremendous - Jews and true Christians were

slaughtered, and Jerusalem fell into their hands. Roman Catholics were never attacked, nor were

their shrines, during this time. But when the pope asked for Jerusalem, he was surprised at their

denial! The Arab generals had such military success that they could not be intimidated by the

pope - nothing could stand in the way of their own plan.

"Under Waraquah's direction, Muhammad wrote that Abraham offered Ishmael as a sacrifice.

The Bible says that Isaac was the sacrifice, but Muhammad removed Isaac's name and inserted

Ishmael's name. As a result of this and Muhammad's vision, the faithful Muslims built a mosque,

the Dome of the Rock, in Ishmael's honor on the site of the Jewish temple that was destroyed in

70 AD. This made Jerusalem the 2nd most holy place in the Islam faith. How could they give

such a sacred shrine to the pope without causing a revolt?

"The pope realized what they had created was out of control when he heard they were calling

"His Holiness" an infidel. The Muslim generals were determined to conquer the world for Allah

and now they turned toward Europe. Islamic ambassadors approached the pope and asked for

papal bulls to give them permission to invade European countries.

"The Vatican was outraged; war was inevitable. Temporal power and control of the world was

considered the basic right of the pope. He wouldn't think of sharing it with those whom he

considered heathens.

"The pope raised up his armies and called them crusades to hold back the children of Ishmael

from grabbing Catholic Europe. The crusades lasted centuries and Jerusalem slipped out of the

pope's hands.

"Turkey fell and Spain and Portugal were invaded by Islamic forces. In Portugal, they called a

mountain village "Fatima" in honor of Muhammad's daughter, never dreaming it would become

world famous.

"Years later when the Muslim armies were poised on the islands of Sardinia and Corsica, to

invade Italy, there was a serious problem. The Islamic generals realized they were too far

extended. It was time for peace talks. One of the negotiators was Francis of Assisi.

"As a result, the Muslims were allowed to occupy Turkey in a "Christian" world, and the

Catholics were allowed to occupy Lebanon in the Arab world. It was also agreed that the

Muslims could build mosques in Catholic countries without interference as long as Roman

Catholicism could flourish Arab countries.

"Cardinal Bea told us in Vatican briefings that both the Muslims and Roman Catholics agreed to

block and destroy the efforts of their common enemy, Bible-believing Christianm missionaries.

Through these concordats, Satan blocked the children of Ishmael from a knowledge of Scripture

and the truth.

"A light control was kept on Muslims from the Ayatollah down through the Islamic priests, nuns

and monks. The Vatican also engineers a campaign of hatred between the Muslim Arabs and the

Jews. Before this, they had co-existed peacefully.

"The Islamic community looks on the Bible-believing missionary as a devil who brings poison to

the children of Allah. This explains years of ministry in those countries with little results.

"The next plan was to control Islam. In 1910, Portugal was going

Socialistic. Red flags were appearing and the Catholic Church was

facing a major problem. Increasing numbers were against the

church.

"The Jesuits wanted Russia involved, and the location of this vision

at Fatima could play a key part in pulling Islam to the Mother

Church.

"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.

Lucia de Santos, Francisco

Marco and Jacinta Maro in

1917. Image from:

mystae.com

"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."

Article from: http://www.cloakanddagger .de/lenny/alberto_rivera.htm

http://remnantofgod.org/books/docs/how-the-vatican-created-islam.pdf 

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

The Omega Point is a theorized future event in which the entirety of the universe spirals toward a final point of unification. The term was invented by the French Jesuit Catholic priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955).[1] Teilhard argued that the Omega Point resembles the Christian Logos, namely Christ, who draws all things into himself, who in the words of the Nicene Creed, is "God from God", "Light from Light", "True God from True God", and "through him all things were made".[2] In the Book of Revelation, Christ describes himself three times as "the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end". Several decades after Teilhard's death, the idea of the Omega Point was expanded upon in the writings of John David Garcia (1971), Paolo Soleri (1981), Frank Tipler (1994), and David Deutsch (1997).[3][4][5]

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

Jesuit Superior at a Buddhist temple

On July 15, 2017, Fr. Arturo Sosa, Superior General of the Jesuits, visited Wat Svayromeat, the oldest Buddhist temple in Siem Seap, Cambodia, as shown on this page.

In a tour of the Jesuit missions in Asia, Sosa participated in a common prayer session with Buddhist monks, above. He sat on the floor cross-legged with his hands joined together to look as much as possible like a Buddhist monk.

During the Buddhist ceremony, first row below, we see the Jesuit Superior General being lectured by one of these monks. Soon afterward, Fr. Sosa stated how impressed he was by the deep concentration of the monks during meditation. In the second row, we see him posing with boys and teens who are studying in its monastic school.

Sosa also participated in another inter-religious event with Buddhist monk Ven Sovechea and peace activist Bob Mat. The dialogue included the "blessing of the wheels of reconciliation," fourth row, which are situated along a pond in Meta Karuna that was hollowed by a cluster bomb. While holding hands around the place where the bomb fell, the Buddhist monks chanted blessings for peace and reconciliation and the Catholics sang the beatitudes in the Khmer language. The red arrow in the photo points to Sosa.

So, we have the Commander of the Army of Jesus, founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola to defeat heresies and spread the Reign of Christ, who today is assimilating in his Order all the heresies and is completely heedless of the glory of Our Lord.

The only one worse than him is another son of St. Ignatius who is the present day occupant of the See of Peter.

https://www.traditioninaction.org/RevolutionPhotos/A739-Sosa.htm

Buddha

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."

BULL of Pope Boniface VIII promulgated November 18, 1302

For, according to the Blessed Dionysius, it is a law of the divinity that the lowest things reach the highest place by intermediaries. Then, according to the order of the universe, all things are not led back to order equally and immediately, but the lowest by the intermediary, and the inferior by the superior. Hence we must recognize the more clearly that spiritual power surpasses in dignity and in nobility any temporal power whatever, as spiritual things surpass the temporal. This we see very clearly also by the payment, benediction, and consecration of the tithes, but the acceptance of power itself and by the government even of things. For with truth as our witness, it belongs to spiritual power to establish the terrestrial power and to pass judgement if it has not been good. Thus is accomplished the prophecy of Jeremias concerning the Church and the ecclesiastical power: ‘Behold to-day I have placed you over nations, and over kingdoms‘ and the rest. Therefore, if the terrestrial power err, it will be judged by the spiritual power; but if a minor spiritual power err, it will be judged by a superior spiritual power; but if the highest power of all err, it can be judged only by God, and not by man, according to the testimony of the Apostle: ‘The spiritual man judgeth of all things and he himself is judged by no man‘ [1 Cor 2:15]. This authority, however, (though it has been given to man and is exercised by man), is not human but rather divine, granted to Peter by a divine word and reaffirmed to him (Peter) and his successors by the One Whom Peter confessed, the Lord saying to Peter himself, ‘Whatsoever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound also in Heaven‘ etc., [Mt 16:19]. Therefore whoever resists this power thus ordained by God, resists the ordinance of God [Rom 13:2], unless he invent like Manicheus two beginnings, which is false and judged by us heretical, since according to the testimony of Moses, it is not in the beginnings but in the beginning that God created heaven and earth [Gen 1:1]. Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff."

For, according to the Blessed Dionysius, it is a law of the divinity that the lowest things reach the highest place by intermediaries. Then, according to the order of the universe, all things are not led back to order equally and immediately, but the lowest by the intermediary, and the inferior by the superior. Hence we must recognize the more clearly that spiritual power surpasses in dignity and in nobility any temporal power whatever, as spiritual things surpass the temporal. This we see very clearly also by the payment, benediction, and consecration of the tithes, but the acceptance of power itself and by the government even of things. For with truth as our witness, it belongs to spiritual power to establish the terrestrial power and to pass judgement if it has not been good. Thus is accomplished the prophecy of Jeremias concerning the Church and the ecclesiastical power: ‘Behold to-day I have placed you over nations, and over kingdoms‘ and the rest. Therefore, if the terrestrial power err, it will be judged by the spiritual power; but if a minor spiritual power err, it will be judged by a superior spiritual power; but if the highest power of all err, it can be judged only by God, and not by man, according to the testimony of the Apostle: ‘The spiritual man judgeth of all things and he himself is judged by no man‘ [1 Cor 2:15]. This authority, however, (though it has been given to man and is exercised by man), is not human but rather divine, granted to Peter by a divine word and reaffirmed to him (Peter) and his successors by the One Whom Peter confessed, the Lord saying to Peter himself, ‘Whatsoever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound also in Heaven‘ etc., [Mt 16:19]. Therefore whoever resists this power thus ordained by God, resists the ordinance of God [Rom 13:2], unless he invent like Manicheus two beginnings, which is false and judged by us heretical, since according to the testimony of Moses, it is not in the beginnings but in the beginning that God created heaven and earth [Gen 1:1]. Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff."

https://www.papalencyclicals.net/bon08/b8unam.htm

Is the Antichrist the current Pope, or a future Pope?

Throughout history, many people have speculated about the identity of the Antichrist. Some of these speculations have pointed to various Popes of the Roman Catholic Church. Is the current Pope the Antichrist? What about a future Pope?

A "proof text" for those who believe that a Pope will be the Antichrist is Revelation 17:9, "This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated." The context does refer to the Antichrist, and the "woman" is "Babylon the Great" (verse 5), a picture of an evil world system in the end times. The "seven mountains" are sometimes identified as Rome, home of seven hills. While it is possible that "Babylon" is associated with Rome, the verse does not provide enough detail to identify the Pope as the Antichrist.

Most likely, these "seven mountains" are not a reference to Rome. The following verse, Revelation 17:10, says, "They are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while." Thus, the reference to seven hills is not a geographical location but a symbolic representation of seven kings. These would consist of five fallen kingdoms—Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece—one existing kingdom (in John's day)—Rome—and one future empire—the Antichrist's.

Connecting these verses to a Pope goes beyond what Scripture states and into the realm of speculation. Scripture provides few details regarding the identity of the Antichrist, and it would be wise not to press for correlations that the Bible does not make.

Whoever the Antichrist turns out to be, we know he will deny Jesus Christ as Lord. First John 4:2-3 says, "By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already."

Further, the Antichrist will deny both the Father and the Son: "Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son" (1 John 2:22). Second John 1:7 also notes, "For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist." The Antichrist will even deny the existence of Jesus coming to earth in the flesh or human form.

Since past and current Catholic Popes affirm that Jesus came in the flesh, it would be difficult to see how he could be the Antichrist.

https://www.compellingtruth.org/pope-antichrist.html

IF WE LOOK AGAIN TO THE BOOK OF DANIEL, this time to chapter 8, verse 25, the prophet foretold that Anti-Christ would cause "craft" to prosper: "And through his policy also he shall cause 'craft" to prosper in his hand: and he shall magnify himself..." What is "kraft"? Strong's Concordance defines the word craft (#4820) as meaning "fraud, deceit, and treachery." Thus, Anti-Christ "through" craft, deceit and treachery (viz., deception) would advance  its position, influence and agenda.

But how do we know that this entity (referred to by Daniel) is indeed the dreaded Anti-Christ? We know this entity is Anti-Christ because it opposes and magnifies itself against Jesus Christ: "he shall magnify in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes" (latter part of Dan. 8: 25).

Earlier in verse 23 of Daniel 8 it says "he" shall also understand dark sentences." Strong's Concordance tells us that the word for dark is the same word for sentences (#2420). Both words mean "a puzzle," or "trick" saying. The expression "dark  sentences" comes from the root word meaning "to put forth (#2330)." Thus, Antichrist would put forth, or utter dark sentences-language not readily understood by the unintiated, which language will have a double meaning designed to trick or mislead the hearer. The "puzzle, or trick" in these "dark sentence" will be the issuing of double meaning in the same statements. In other words, reader, Anti-Christ would have a double rule-"one for its private and particular use, and another to flaunt with before the world."

The agents, or spokesmen of Anti-Christ will speak with mental reservation and amphibologies. That is to say, with double sensed or ambigous words, or to use the words of Constantine Labarum "justification of the means by the end, and many other maxims,

+I say agents of Anti-Christ, because no sensible individual could really believe that Anti-Christ is a single man, for Paul says Anti-Christ (its early manifestation) was already in existence in his day and would continue till the end of time.+

subversive of honesty and morality." In short, Anti-Christ would be a system of unscrupulous duplicity, of impostors, of wolves in sheep's clothing!

Have we any example in the long anals of history of such a duplicitous system using "craft" "deceit" "fraud" and "treachery" as it crept into power over the world? William Tyndale, the great English Reformer, in his Practice of Prelates, speaks of the rise of this phenomenon by the following graphic parable:-

"To see how the holy father came up, mark the ensample of the ivy. First it springeth up out of the earth, and then awhile CREEPETH ALONG BY THE GROUND, till it finds a great tree, and creepeth up a little and a little, fair, and softly. At the begininning, while it is yet thin and small, the burden is not perceived; it seemeth glorious to garnish the tree in the winter. BUT IT HOLDETH FAST WITHAL, AND CEASETH NOT TO CLIMB UP TILL IT BE AT THE TOP, AND EVEN ABOVE ALL. And then it sendeth its branches along by the branches of the tree, and overgroweth all, and waxeth great, heavy, and thich : and sucketh the moisture so sore out of the tree and his branches that choaketh and stifleth them. And then THE FOUL, STINKING IVY waxeth MIGHTY in the stump of the tree, and becometh a seat and a nest for all unclean birds, and for blind owls, which hawk in the dark, and dare not come to the light. EVEN SO THE BISHOP OF ROME, NOW CALLED THE POPE, AT THE BEGINNING CROPE ALONG UPON THE EARTH...."

How accurate is William Tyndale's description of the rise of the pope and the popedome as predicted by prophet Daniel: "in the latter time... a king.. understanding dark sentences, shall stan up... and shall he cause craft to prosper" "and shall prosper, practice, and shall destroy..." (Dan. 8:23,24,25).

Yeah, with what clearness and boldness, and considerable amount of historical learning, does Tyndale trace the way by which the supremacy of the pope arose. It has been said of this passage by one learned author that there is "probably nowhere in the English language any passage superior in force and graphic skill o the well-known description of the rise of the Pope." And we may add here that like the stinking ivy-which plant is almost impossible to entirely kill-it is also very difficult to rid our world of popery: this requires a lot of hard work, courage and persistence, and still the dead stump may yet shoot up again.

Said historian Henry Grattan Guinness, "In the fourth century, with the the fall of paganism, began a worldly, imperial Christianity, wholly unlike primitive apostolic Christianity, a sort of Christianized  heathenism: and in the fifth and sixth centuries sprang up the Papacy, in those career the apostasy culminated later on. The mighty Caesars had fallen; Augustus, Domitian, Hadrian, Diocletian were gone; even the Constantines and Julians had passed away. The seat of sovereignty had been removed from Rome to Constantinople. Goths and Vandals' had overthrown the western empire; the once mighty political structure lay delivered into broken fragments. The imperial government was slain by the Gothic sword. The Czesars were no more, and Rome was an actual desolation Then slowly on the ruins of old imperial Rome an actual desolation. Then slowly on the ruins of an old imperial Rome rose another power and another monarchy-a monarchy of loftier aspirations and more resistless might, claiming dominion, not only within the omits of the fallen empire, but throughout the entire world. Higher and higher [like the stinking ivy] rose the Papacy, till in the dark ages all Christendom was subject to its sway...."

The 'craft' of Rome, both in medieval times and today, is the art of fabrication and daring falsehoods: "Like the successive strata of the earth covering one another, SO LAYER AFTER LAYER OF FORGERIES AND FABRICATIONS HAS BEEN PILED UP IN THE CHURCH |OF ROME|," bolstered by a Jesuitical "literaryand academic flexibility and elastic versatality of pen hitherto confined to journalism." "Anti-Christ Would Use "Craft" And Deceit To Prosper" Codeword Barbelon book Two by P.D. Stuart

Billy Dunn - "Anti-Christ Would Use "Craft" And Deceit To Prosper"... | Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/billy.dunn.50767/posts/pfbid02jDqwhcuosGxKf9kJx7ACfTVWy5efnMJHY3Jba2kumGupry5rb3g3WcaZQgLgTyPxl

https://www.facebook.com/billy.dunn.50767/posts/pfbid028aDSU7WdigT8ujjmJEKftpVDzhprQxr2PSYbtbtYi4eiNkCbtTjxs5Lm3bak5p1Fl

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The Battle of Cross Keys was fought on June 8, 1862, in Rockingham County, Virginia, as part of Confederate Army Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's campaign through the Shenandoah Valley during the American Civil War. Together, the battles of Cross Keys and Port Republic the following day were the decisive victories in Jackson's Valley Campaign, forcing the Union armies to retreat and leaving Jackson free to reinforce Gen. Robert E. Lee for the Seven Days Battles outside Richmond, Virginia.

Background

Further information: Jackson's Valley Campaign

The hamlet of Port Republic, Virginia, lies on a neck of land between the North and South Rivers, which conjoin to form the South Fork Shenandoah River. On June 6–7, 1862, Jackson's army, numbering about 16,000, bivouacked north of Port Republic, Maj. Gen. Richard S. Ewell's division along the banks of Mill Creek near Goods Mill, and Brig. Gen. Charles S. Winder's division on the north bank of North River near the bridge. The 15th Alabama Infantry regiment was left to block the roads at Union Church. Jackson's headquarters were in Madison Hall at Port Republic. The army trains were parked nearby.[3]

Two Union columns converged on Jackson's position. The army of Maj. Gen. John C. Frémont, about 15,000 strong, moved south on the Valley Pike and reached the vicinity of Harrisonburg on June 6. The division of Brig. Gen. James Shields, about 10,000, advanced south from Front Royal in the Luray (Page) Valley, but was badly strung out because of the muddy Luray Road. At Port Republic, Jackson possessed the last intact bridge on the North River and the fords on the South River by which Frémont and Shields could unite. Jackson determined to check Frémont's advance at Mill Creek, while meeting Shields on the east bank of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. A Confederate signal station on Massanutten monitored Union progress.[4]

Early in the morning on June 8, Frémont's men encountered the Confederate advanced guard near Cross Keys Tavern. A few shots were fired and the Union cavalry fell back onto their main body, which was approaching. Darkness prevented further developments.[5]

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

On June 24, 1717, six months after the exile of the Stuarts, four lodges in London (names not given) met at Apple-Tree Tavern and united English Freemasonry under the name "United Grand Lodge," which has been nicknamed the Mother Grand Lodge, or Grand Mother Lodge.

The first French Templar Lodge was founded in 1725 by a contingent of exiled Stuart sympathizers. In 1745 Prince Charles Edward Stuart, the Young Pretender, attempted to regain

his Scottish throne and was soundly defeated in less than a year. Upon returning to France, the Scottish Templars founded the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, quickly

developing it to 32 degrees by 1755. In 1801 all French lodges accepted the Templar Scottish Rite degrees. That same year the Scottish Rite of Charleston, S.C., created the 33rd and final

degree in Templar Freemasonry.

On the continent of Europe, French Freemasonry is known as Scottish Rite, Grand Orient, French Grand Lodge, Continental, or Latin Freemasonry. The Templar York Rite in England was

transported to America, where it remains to this day. English Freemasonry continued with the three Craft Degrees until 1860, WHEN IT ADOPTED THE THIRTY ADDITIONAL DEGREES OF THE SCOTTISH RITE, but for competitive reasons refused to call it "Scottish."'

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

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

Ecumenism (/ɪˈkjuːməˌnɪzəm/ ih-KYOO-mə-niz-əm; alternatively spelled oecumenism) – also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalism – is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity.[2] The adjective ecumenical is thus applied to any non-denominational or inter-denominational initiative which encourages greater cooperation and union among Christian denominations and churches.[3][4] Ecumenical dialogue is a central feature of contemporary ecumenism.

The fact that all Christians belonging to mainstream Christian denominations profess faith in Jesus, believe that the Bible is inspired by God (John 1:1), and receive baptism according to the Trinitarian formula is seen as being a basis for ecumenism and its goal of Christian unity.[5][6] Ecumenists cite John 17:20–23 as the biblical grounds of striving for church unity, in which Jesus prays "may all be one" in order "that the world may know" and believe the Gospel message.[7][8]

In 1920, the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Germanus V of Constantinople, wrote a letter "addressed 'To all the Churches of Christ, wherever they may be', urging closer co-operation among separated Christians, and suggesting a 'League of Churches', parallel to the newly founded League of Nations".[9] In 1937, Christian leaders from mainstream Christian churches resolved to establish the World Council of Churches, to work for the cause of Christian unity; it today includes churches from most major traditions of Christianity as full members, including the Assyrian Church of the East, the Old Catholic Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the Anglican Communion, the Baptist World Alliance, the Mennonite churches, the World Methodist Council, the Moravian Church, the Pentecostal churches and the World Communion of Reformed Churches, as well as almost all jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodox Church;[10] the Roman Catholic Church participates as an observer, sending delegates to official gatherings.[11]

Many regional councils affiliated with the World Council of Churches, such as the Middle East Council of Churches, National Council of Churches in Australia and Christian Churches Together, work for the cause of Christian unity on the domestic level, with member denominations including churches from the Oriental Orthodox, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Methodist, Anglican, and Reformed traditions, among others.[12][13]

Each year, many ecumenical Christians observe the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity for the goal of ecumenism, which is coordinated by the World Council of Churches and adopted by many of its member churches.[14]

The terms ecumenism and ecumenical come from the Greek οἰκουμένη (oikoumene), which means "the whole inhabited world", and was historically used with specific reference to the Roman Empire.[15] The ecumenical vision comprises both the search for the visible unity of the Church (Ephesians 4:3) and the "whole inhabited earth" (Matthew 24:14) as the concern of all Christians. In Christianity, the qualification ecumenical was originally and still is used in terms such as "ecumenical council" and "Ecumenical Patriarch", in the meaning of pertaining to the totality of the larger Church (such as the Catholic Church or the Eastern Orthodox Church) rather than being restricted to one of its constituent local churches or dioceses. Used in this sense, the term carries no connotation of re-uniting the historically separated Christian denominations but presumes a unity of local congregations in a worldwide communion.

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

Remembering the Sacrilege of Assisi I, Thirty Years Later

 OnePeterFive

October 27, 2016

Nevertheless, the worst enormity of the ecumenical movement has not yet been touched on. In this case, exceptionally, the guilt does not belong to the Second Vatican Council, nor to Paul VI. It is found in the perversion introduced into the ecumenical movement by John Paul II, who turned it from a search for Christian unity to a general convergence of world religions. Several times in his reign this false direction led him into shocking associations with paganism. Thus, during his visit to India in February 1982, he allowed a Hindu priestess to impose the mark of Telak on him, and another a few days later to smear sacred ashes on his forehead in a Hindu ritual. In 1995, in Australia, he conducted the beatification Mass of Mary of the Cross McKillop, at which the penitential rite was replaced by a ritual taken from aboriginal fire worship.

https://onepeterfive.com/remembering-the-sacrilege-of-assisi-i-thirty-years-later/

295 In the elaboration and expression of our theogical views and in our choice of pastoral options, we must always actively seek to understand the mind of the hierarchical Church, having as our goal the Society s objective to help souls. At the same time we must try to articulate the sensus fidelium and help the magisterium discern in it the movements of the Spirit in accord with the teaching of Vatican II.[125]

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

"The King of the Jews will be the real Pope of the Universe, the patriarch of an international Church. But, in the meantime, while we are re-educating youth in new traditional religions and afterwards in ours, we shall not overtly lay a finger on existing churches, but we shall fight against them by criticism calculated to produce schism. . . . In general, then, our contemporary press will continue to convict State affairs, religions, incapacities of the goyim, always using the most unprincipled expressions in order by every means to lower their prestige in the manner which can only be practised by the genius of our gifted tribe. . . . Our kingdom will be an apologia of the divinity Vishnu, in whom is found its personification—in our hundred hands will be, one in each, the springs of the machinery of social life. We shall see everything without the aid of official police which, in that scope of its rights which we elaborated for the use of the goyim, hinders governments from seeing. In our programme one-third of our subjects will keep the rest under observation from a sense of duty, on the principle of volunteer service to the State. It will then be no disgrace to be a spy and informer, but a merit: unfounded denunciations, however, will be cruelly punished that there may be no development of abuses of this right. Our agents will be taken from the higher as well as the lower ranks of society, from among the administrative class who spend their time in amusements, editors, printers and publishers, booksellers, clerks, and salesmen, workmen, coachmen, lackeys, etcetera. This body, having no rights and not being empowered to take any action on their own account, and consequently a police without any power, will only witness and report: verification of their reports and arrests will depend upon a responsible group of controllers of police affairs, while the actual act of arrest will be performed by the gendarmerie and the municipal police. Any person not denouncing anything seen or heard concerning questions of polity will also be charged with and made responsible for concealment, if it be proved that he is guilty of this crime. Just as nowadays our brethren are obliged at their own risk to denounce to the kabal apostates of their own family or members who have been noticed doing anything in opposition to the kabal, so in our kingdom over all the world it will be obligatory for all our subjects to observe the duty of service to the State in this direction. Such an organisation will extirpate abuses of authority, of force, of bribery, everything in fact which we by our counsels, by our theories of the superhuman rights of man, have introduced into the customs of the goyim. . . . But how else were we to procure that increase of causes predisposing to disorders in the midst of their administration? . . . Among the number of those methods one of the most important is—agents for the restoration of order, so placed as to have the opportunity in their disintegrating activity of developing and displaying their evil inclinations—obstinate self-conceit, irresponsible exercise of authority, and, first and foremost, venality."

THE PROTOCOLS OF THE LEARNED ELDERS OF ZION

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA01/Kidd/thesis/pdf/protocols.pdf

"The Star of David [in Hebrew, the Magen David or Shield of David] is renowned as the sacred symbol of the Jewish faith. Indeed, the Star of David is the distinguishing feature on the Israeli flag and as an ornament of jewelry the Star of David is proudly worn by millions of devout Jews worldwide. Yes, the Star of David is purely Jewish. Or is it?Recently, while visiting the holy city of Jerusalem, I purchased a silver pendant of the “Star of David” from a local shopkeeper and when I put it around my neck I was asked:

“Why are you wearing a Jewish symbol?”

To this I replied:

”This is Sat-kona, the symbol of Goloka, the abode of Krsna.”

This article is about the origins of Sat-kona [the Star of Goloka or Goloka-yantra], its transcendental significance, its historical use in Vedic and other ancient cultures, its use in Christianity and Islam, and its eventual adoption by the Jewish faith in the 17th century as a popular symbol of Judaism.

Symbols have long been a part of the histories of the world's great civilizations and Sat-kona is no exception. Before it appeared in the west, from the most ancient of times to the present day, Sat-kona has been at the heart of spirituality in India. The Sat-kona [the six pointed star with a hexagram within, defining sacred space], is constructed by joining two perfect triangles — one pointing upward signifying Purusa and the other pointing downward signifying Prakrti. It is the oldest spiritual symbol known to the world. Sat-kona has been around since the beginning of the universe. We do not expect to find any archaeological evidence to support this statement, however, from sastra, Vedic literature, the evidence is there.

In the oldest known Vedic literature, Sri Brahma-samhita [in that it has been attributed to Lord Brahma and composed shortly after creation], the Sat-kona is mentioned in a description of the supreme abode of Goloka, the abode of Krsna.

karnikaram mahad-yantram sat-konam vajra-kilakam

sadanga-satpadi-sthanam prakrtya purusena ca

premananda-mahananda-rasenavasthitam hi vat

“The center of the divine lotus is the core — Krsna's residence. It is presided over by the Predominated and Predominating Moiety. It is mapped as a hexagonal mystic symbol [sat-konam]. Like a diamond, the effulgent Supreme Entity of Krsna, the Fountainhead of all divine potencies, presides as the central pivot. The great mantra of eighteen syllables [Gopala-mantra], which is formed of six integral parts, is manifest as a hexagonal place with six-fold divisions.” [Sri Brahma-samhita, Ch-5, Tx-3]

tat-kinjalkam tad-amsanam tat-patrani sriyam api

“The core of that eternal holy abode which is called Gokula is the hexagonal land of Krsna's abode. The stamens or petals are the residences of the cowherds or Gopas, who are Krsna's own, His dear most friends and high loving devotees that are a part of His own self. Those abodes appear like many walls, all beautifully effulgent. The extensive foliage of that lotus constitutes the sub-forests that are the abodes of the loving damsels of Krsna, headed by Sri Radhika.” [Sri Brahma-samhita, Ch-5, Tx-4]

In the practice of devotion [krsna-bhakti] three important items are given to the devotee to help him/her realize the Supreme Reality, i.e. mantra, yantra and Sri Murti. Mantra is the sound representation of the Supreme Reality, yantra is the mechanized or symbolic representation of the mantra and the Sri Murti is the three dimensional [personal] form of the mantra made manifest to the senses of the devotee to receive his or her service.

Overall, in contemporary Gaudiya Vaisnavism, yantras are no longer in vogue as they were in olden times. Preference has been given to Sri Murti who is worshiped with the appropriate or corresponding mantras. Although yantras are for the most part no longer in use amongst Gaudiyas, this was not always the case. In bygone days all branches of Vaisnavism were frequently found to use yantras in their daily worship and meditation.

The description given in the purports of Brahma-samhita says that the Gopala-mantra [klim krsnaya govindaya gopijana-vallabhaya svaha] manifests as the six sides of the hexagonal figure [Krsnaya, Govindaya, Gopijana, Vallabhaya, Sva and Ha] and that the bija [klim] is the central pivot.

Sat-kona is set up in such a way that those who attend the yantra by meditation and who are deeply aspiring to enter into Krsna's divine pastimes must first realize six objectives of the mantra, i.e. 1) the intrinsic form of Krsna [Krsnaya], 2) the intrinsic form of Krsna' pastimes in Vraja [Govindaya], 3) the intrinsic form of Krsna's intimate attendants, the Gopis [Gopijana], 4) the intrinsic form of full self-surrender unto Krsna, in the wake of those who are Krsna's beloved [Vallabhaya], 5) the pure soul's intrinsic form of divine cognition [Sva], and 6) the intrinsic nature of the soul to render transcendental loving service unto Krsna [Ha].

One who by virtue of being well established in such realizations of the mantra attains firmness [nistha] in the soul's engagement of divine service [abhidheya] and ultimately achieves the supreme goal of life [prayojana] by being engaged in spontaneous transcendental loving service to Krsna in the ego of a maidservant of Srimati Radharani.

At the stage of practice [sadhana], by the grace of the mantra assisted by Sat-kona, the manifest pastimes of Krsna in Gokula may appear in the heart of a devotee. And at the stage of perfection [siddhi] a devotee may realize the unmanifest pastimes of Krsna in Goloka.

Gaudiya Matha LogoAt the beginning of the 20th century the great Gaudiya Vaishnava acarya, Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was inspired by the descriptions of Krsna' supreme abode in Brahma-samhita and thus incorporated the Sat-kona into the Gaudiya Matha logo. Indeed the logo of the Gaudiya Matha is in itself a Vaisnava yantra.

At the center of the hexagonal in the Gaudiya Matha logo, Sarasvati Thakura placed the bija-mantra Om [in place of klim] along with nama. In the six points [sat] of the Sat-kona he placed the six opulences, i.e. fame [yasa], beauty [sri], knowledge [jnana], renunciation [vairagya], wealth [aisvarya] and strength [virya].

In line with the purports of Bhaktivinoda Thakura in Brahma-samhita, Bhaktisiddhanta inserted Om in place of Klim to show that Klim and Om are non-different. Sahajiyas, and others of his time were of the habit of neglecting mantras such as Om and Brahma-gayatri, whereas Bhaktisiddhanta was of the practice to show how everything in its deeper meaning is related to Krsna. Bhaktivinoda's purport states as follows:

“The Gopala-tapaniya Upanisad states, tasmad omkara-sambhuto gopalo visvasambhavah, klim omkarasya caikatvam pathyate brahma-vadibhih. Omkara means Gopala, who is both Potency and the potent, and Klim means Omkara. Therefore, Klim or the primary desire seed [kama-bija] expresses the transcendental reality of Sri Sri Radha and Krsna.” [Sri Brahma-samhita, purport, Verse 4]

Furthermore, Sarasvati Thakura used the Sat-kona yantra as the floor plan for the temple of Sri Sri Guru-Gauranga-Gandharvika-Giridhari at Sri Caitanya Matha in Mayapura.

In the Vaisnava canon we find mention of numerous yantras such as the Visnu-yantra, Laksmi-yantra, Gopala-yantra, Radha-yantra, Sudarsana-yantra and Gayatri-yantra, etc."

https://gosai.com/writings/satkona-star-of-david-or-star-of-goloka

"Development of the Thai Monarchy and the Concept of Thai Kingship The Buddhist ideal of kingship after the Indian Emperor Asoka inspired many Southeast Asian monarchs. This emperor, who was considered the ideal Buddhist monarch, sent missionaries to the surrounding regions during his reign in the 3rd century B.C. Briefly, the ideal Buddhist monarch is a King of Righteousness who abides by the ten kingly virtues of piety, liberality, charity, freedom from anger, mercy, patience, rectitude, mildness, devotion, and freedom from enmity.341 Since the establishment of Sukhothai, the Thai monarchs have directed the development of the Thai nation with a firm yet benign hand. Formerly a Thai monarch was known as a Lord of Life, for they wielded absolute power. The Sukhothai kings observed exclusively the formalized Buddhist science of kingship, and they were both paternal and accessible to their people. During the Ayutthaya period (1350-1767), the Thai kings adopted the practice of divine kingship. The Ayutthaya kings embraced the Brahman concept of divine kingship to increase to a highly structured and distinguished position in terms of ritual, way of living, language and other elements. Thus, the Ayutthaya kings on coronation were invested with the trappings and ceremonies of Brahmanic rituals, and retitled with the names of Hindu gods. For example, Ramathibodi, the founder of Ayutthaya derived his name from Rama, the re-incarnation of the Hindu God Vishnu and the hero of the Indian epic Ramayana. Likewise, kings of the Bangkok period were all named after the God Vishnu, as Rama.342 King Ramathibodi specifically invited eight Brahmans from the Hindu holy city of Benares (present-day Varanasi) to preside over and legitimize his coronation, and their descendants still consist of Brahmans who conduct ceremonies in the Thai royal court until the present day. Gradually, the lives of the Ayutthaya kings assumed supernatural eminence. Universally they were viewed as being without equals and residing above the law, authentic strongmen who held the power of life and death over their subjects. The Ayutthaya kings appointed all officials, owned all lands and their contents, including the people. Their unique positions were sustained by the elaborate court etiquette, language (royal words), ceremonies, and protocol, with which they surrounded themselves. The individuals themselves were considered as literally sacred. Commoners were forbidden to look upon them, touch them, or even mention their names in public.343 They ruled through a rigid hierarchy of intermediary courtiers, chamberlains, ministers, and court officials. Being a law unto themselves, the great Ayutthaya kings were powerful leaders who led the country as innovators, warriors, statesmen, and scholars. During the Bangkok period, the revolution of 1932 ended absolute monarchy and curtailed the political power of kings, but the revolution, however, did not in any way reduce the respect of the people towards them, nor downgrade their role to that of mere figureheads. The monarchy is now as much a cohesive force as it ever was. It is not easy for foreigners to understand the full extent of the Thai people’s respect for the royal family, since there is no real parallel elsewhere in the world. There are of course other constitutional monarchs, but none of them function in the same way as in Thailand, where the king is still a shaper of national welfare and one who continues to exercise a strong guiding influence in real and positive terms. The present monarch, King Bhumibol or King Rama IX, works tirelessly for the on-going prosperity of his people. While the King sets the model of an enlightened constitutional monarch, he also reigns as Head of State, Upholder of Religions, and Head of the Armed Forces. In consequence a certain amount of the old royal ceremonial persists along with a remarkable degree of the same public prestige as enjoyed under the rule of absolute royal power. The King is popularly held to be sacred and nonviolent. His portrait is commonly seen in homes, offices, schools, and public buildings, and many royal state occasions still draw enormous public interest. The King of Thailand has enabled the symbol and the person to be uniquely combined within the role of monarch."

"An Inculturation of Faith in Practice: The Thai Catholic Use of Royal Words By Wajira Nampet, SJ"

The Buddha & Jesus

An Anthology of Articles by Jesuits engaged in Buddhist Studies and Inter-religious Dialogue

https://web.archive.org/web/20220929093250/https://jcapsj.org/the-buddha-jesus/

"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

"Gautama

surname of the Buddha, from Sanskrit Gotamah, properly a patronymic, literally "descendant of the greatest ox," from superlative of gauh "ox, bull, cow."

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

"The Jesuit always accomplishes his purpose, for this creature can metamorphose himself into any form.

Trained to develop his powers of adaptation to suit the preferences of those whom he wishes to influence or whose confidence he desires to possess, the Jesuit will with the Pagans be a pagan, with the atheists he will be an atheist, or a liberal, with the Jews he will be a Jew, and with the reformers he will be a reformer-even an Evangelical.

In whatever place or vocation he be found, the Jesuit is always a double man, with two distinct missions-one public and the other secret. This license to dissemble was granted to the members of the Society of Jesus by the bull of Pope Paul III, which gave every Jesuit a dispensation, carte blanche, to "lay aside all professions of regard to the Papal cause, and make outward profession to any religion or government they choose, if by doing so they can better do their utmost to extirpate the heretical Protestant doctrine...."

Further, there are men who, although not members of the Order, are what we might call 'Crypto-Jesuits'-not entitled to the name Jesuit proper, but yet pledged to the aims of the Society. As one former pupil of the Jesuits that their chief objective "Is to acquire the highest offices of state for the men they have poisoned with their maxims...."

Today it is virtually impossible to know how many Jesuits are really members of the Order. Mackenzie says of the Jesuits:

"The Order has secret signs and passwords, accordin g to the degrees to which the members belong, and as they wear no particular dress, it is very difficult to recognize them, unless they reveal themselves as members of the Order; for they may appear as Protestants or Catholics, democrats, or aristocrats, infidels or bigots, according to the special mission with which they are entrusted.... and it is well-known fact that members of the Order, of hig family and delicate nurture, are acting as menial servants in Protestant families, and doing other things of a similar nature in aid of the Society's purposes."

Not only do the Jesuits have their own secret passwords (codewords), but they are prepared and taught to assume any guise and act on any side of an inssue-if the end it will be for the Catholic Church's advantage. They are all spies, ever one of them. Do you doubt this dear reader? Doubt it not; be assured of it; it is part of their catechism.

Did we not read earlier what is told to Jesuit at his initiation: " ... You have been taught... To take sides witgh the combatants and to act secretly in concert with your brother Jesuit who might be engaged on the other side, but only opposed to that with which you might be connected; the Jesuits, all such duplicity, deception and dissembling is not only permissable but also justifiable, ad majorem dei gloriam ("for the greater glory of God"); for the end always justifies the means.

Masters of Disguise

The following account will, assist the reader to see how this is possible. In 1574, a man appeared in Stockholm, Sweden, having been invited there by King John III (1568-1592). He was introduced as "a visiting Lutheran scholar, Professor Laurits Neilsen." His lectures were so eloquent and powerful that the halls were filled whenever he spoke around Stockholm. Even the King himself regularly attended Nielsen's lectures. Jesuit author Manfred Barthel take up the account from here:

"The seminarians [the Protestant who attended his lectures] were struck by the judicious evenhandedness of Professor Nielsen's approach. He was careful to present arguments on both sides of every question, and as the seminars drew on, the possible objections [he offered] to Luther's teaching began to proliferate alarmingly; the King himself was finally compelled to intercede in Luther's behalf. But King John, strictly an amateur theologian, was no match for the professor and was forced to conced defeat.... The audience [only later] realized that he [Nielsen] had not only stood Luther on his head but had done so by citing the... doctrines of the Church of Rome.

What was not made clear, at least for some time, was that this was strictly a put-up job, and that the professor was actually a Catholic himself, and a Jesuit to boot.... After Father Nielsen had successfully sowed doubt and confusion among the Lutheran clergy, he was recalled [to Rome]...."

Professor Nielsen (Father) was no an exception-he was the classic prototype of a Jesuit, for whom "the end always justifies the means."

The 1700's saw another Jesuit deceiver Lacunza, born in South America in 1731. He wrote under the Jewish name Ben Ezra (even addressing the Jews as "brethren" in his preface). He entitled his book, The Coming of Messiah in Glory and Majesty. It taught Futurism, and was one of the first to falsely interpret the "woman" of Revelation 12 as a future apostate church. The book received wide circulation, and was instrumental in turning the Protestant world to a Catholic Futurist interpretation concerning the Antichrist.

The historian Newman gives the eloquent assessment, "The Jesuit missionary or worker in any sphere may adapt his dress, manner of life, and occupation to the exigencies of the occasion. He may disguise himself and figure as a Protestant or Brahmin, if by so doing he can gain an entrance otherwise difficult for Catholic teaching. The story is familiar of a Jesuit who mastered the Sanskrit language and the Vedas, assumed the dress and the mode of life of a Brahmin priest, and finally wrote and palmed off as ancient a Veda in which Roman Catholic Christianity under a thin disguise was taught."

Former Catholic priest, Desanctis, who was also a Professor of Theology in Rome and the official Theological Censor of the "Office of Inquisition," had this to say about the clandestine operations of the Jesuits. His disclosure gives us an indication of the near impossibility of knowing the number of Jesuits in service at any given time:

"Despite all the persecution they have met with, they have not abandoned England, where there are a greater number of Jesuits than in Italy; there are Jesuits in all classes of society; in Parliament; among the English clergy; among the Protestant laity, even in the higher stations. I could not comprehend how a Jesuit could be a Protestant priest, or how a Protestant priest could be a Jesuit; but my Confessor silenced my scruples by telling me, omnia munda mundis, and that St. Paul became a Jew that he might save the Jews; it was no wonder therefore, if a Jesuit should feign himself a Protestant, for the conversion of the Protestants, but pay attention, I entreat you, to discover... the religious movement in England termed Puseyism.

The English clergy were formerly too much attached to their Articles of Faith to be shaken from them.... and so the Jesuits of England tried another plan. This was to demonstrate from history and ecclesiastical antiquity [ancient documents]... whence, through the exertion of the Jesuits concealed among its clergy, might arise a studious attention to Christian antiquity. This was designed to occupy the clergy in long laborious and abstruse investigation, and to alienate them from their Bibles.... Puseyism is a living testimony to the necessity of Catholicism in the midst of our enemies; it is a worm at the root which, skillfully nourished by our exertions, will waste Protestantism till it is destroyed."

Professor Desanctis goes on to say that the jesuits are "concealed among the English clergy" and even "in Parliament"!! Consider a key figure of the English Parliament, Tony Blair. Steven Knight, the deceased author of The Brotherhood, has said that the Palace of Westminster, home of the British Parliament, is used as meeting place for the New Welcome Masonic Lodge. The adorable Tony Blair is a high-ranking Freemason and a member of the 1591 Standholm Lodge.

He is a secret Romanist, a Jesuit in "short robe," and I believe the was a secret Catholic, even before his election as Prime Minister.

An article by Steve Pierce entitled "My peace I give you," and published in the January 1998 edition of Workers of Iniquity, alleges that it is the Roman Catholic Church that is behind Tony Blair and his New Labour. The Times of April 17, 2003 reported in a front-page headline, "[Blair] admits he is strongly drawn to Catholicism...." And Alessandro Zangrando reported in his "Roman Landscape" colum of the Latin Mass magazine:

"Prime Minister Tony Blair of Great Britain seems intent on embracing the Catholic Faith.... Blair, a guest last August in the villa of Prince Guicciardini Strozzi.... asked and obtained permission to assist at a private Catholic Mass the day of Ferragosto (the feast of the Assumption).... There was no attempt to be discreet because he attended in the parish church of Cusona. The Masses were celebrated by Father Ian Wilson... [and] Father Brian Lovery. Bishop Mauro Fusi [of Italy] was also present.... and Tony Blair read the first Scripture reading and the prayer of the faithful. Moreover, he got in line and received Holy Communion."

The Jesuits are also well represented in the University of Cambridge, as Augustine Birrell tells us. And they have infiltrated the Church of England, so much so that those in the higher degrees of Masonry have been called "Protestant Jesuits." There is an amusing story that during the eighteenth century, there was a dispute between the French Lodges and the Freemasons of England; the French Masons issued circulars in which they refferred to the English Freemasons as Jesuits.

How many Jesuit-Freemasons have clandesinely entered the Protestant communion, we may never know. But we do know that they have taken a most solemn oath to infiltrate Protestant organizations and undermine them from within: "... I do further declare that I will help, assist and advise.... and do my utmost to extirpate the heretical Protestants... doctrines...." To this end the Order sends its missionaries-emissaries-around the globe, particularly to Protestant nations, to create schools, colleges, and seminaries; and to work in the carious vocations and professions.

To quote Wylie: "There was no disguise they could not assume, and therefore, there was no place into which they could not penetrate. they could enter unheard the closet of the Monarch, or the great Cabinet of the Statesman. They could sit unseen in convocation of General Assembly, and mingle unsuspected in the deliberations and debates. There was no tongue they could not speak, and no creed [belief] they could not profess, and thus there was... no church whose membership they might not enter and whose functions they might not discharge. They could execrate the Pope with the Lutheran, and swear the Solemn League with the Convenator [the Presbyterian and Anglican churches]."

As Wylie warned in another place, "There is no disguise which the Jesuit will not wear, no art he will not emply, no motive he will not feign, no creed he will not profess, provided only he can acquit himself a true soldier in the Jesuit army, and accomplish the work on which he has been sent forth."

Mackenzie fingered them well when he sau, "Their spies are everywhere, of all apparent ranks of society and they may appear learned and wise, or simple or foolish, as their intructions run." For as the Jesuit Richard Ryscavage reminds us, the members of the great secret society have long assumed different forms when they wish to disguise their presence or influence in an organization: "Throughout its own history, the Society of Jesus has served this social mission of the Church. From its very earliest origins, the Jesuit social apostolate has assumed various forms according to different times and places."

To offer some sense of the audacious double agency of the Jesuit priest, who might secretly occupy a Protestant pulpit, I next clip an extract from page 50 of the Jesuits, by the celebrated author J.A. Wylie:

"One day, in 1568, a man named Thomas Heath preached in the pulpit of Rochester Cathedral. He inveighed severly in his sermon, a letter wqas found in the pulpit which he had inadvertently dropped, addressed to him by a leading English Jesuit resident in Madrid. It revealed the fact that this zealous Protestant was a Jesuit in disguise, although he had spoken agains his "Order." On searching his lodgings at the Queen's Arms Rochester, "there were found," says the "Episcobal Register of Rochester," "in one of his boots, his beads and several papers, among which was a license from the fraternity of Jesuits, and a Bull, dated, the First of Pius Quintus, to preach what doctrine that Society pleased for the dividing of Protestants."

What a revelation! And nothing has changed today. As Wylie commented, "These men... put on and off a religion as they would a cloak...." Every morning a Jesuit priest playing Protestant has to decide whether he "should that day be of the Calvinistic persuasion, or of the Lutheran persuasion, or of a third [other] creed" as ample latitude allows them. What else can we say to these men, b ut, bad, wicked, evil!

As we saw them before, Jesuit brothers are engaged (often disguised) in ministries over one hundred nations on six continents-mostly habito secolare-"in civilian dress." Occasionally the abbreviation "SJ." or s.j. will appear after a person's name, indicating that he is a member of the Society of Jesus, but not all Jesuits use it-for obvious reasons. And so we must niw delve behind the many charitable facades erected by these intriguing Sons of Loyola, who like the many-headed Hydra continually morph and multiply themselves-mutatis mutandis. The sharp-witted eloquence (and we shall see that he was right): "The Jesuit is a man of every color; he repears the marvel of the chameleon." "Sons Of Loyola: Their Subtlety, Genius And Various Disguises" Codeword Barbelon book One by P.D. Stuart

https://www.facebook.com/billy.dunn.50767/posts/pfbid0VYYeWz32JA31hv6UPyvyEY52E1CMcNR6iKJFGRknUy6zFBcbi4g45D8uhJq8KPqTl

"The union of minds and hearts: with respect to: performing the task of the head on behalf of the entire Society [666]; governing subjects well [667-69]; exempting Ours from obedience [663]; preparing for, summoning, and directing congregations [681, 682, 686, 689, 690, 691, 712, 716, 718, 755], 332. See also Formulas of congregations " page 512 The CONstitutions of the Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norm

"Head:

1. See Illness, mental

2. The superior general, head of the Society [666]"

page 416 The CONstitutions of the Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norm

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

"Revelation 13:16-18

New International Version

16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[a] That number is 666.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Revelation 13:18 Or is humanity’s number

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2013%3A16-18&version=NIV

"Revelation 13:16-18

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

16 And he shall make all, both little and great, rich and poor, freemen and bondmen, to have a character in their right hand, or on their foreheads.

17 And that no man might buy or sell, but he that hath the character, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast. For it is the number of a man: and the number of him is six hundred sixty-six.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+13%3A16-18&version=DRA

This is the classic ethnography of the Klamath Indians. Emphasis on transcribing and translating the Klamath stories as given by Klamath Indians. The stories are often historical accounts, though more often are mythological tales. This is a massive book, and in the lengthy introduction Gatschet covers the geography, Indian Wars, Spiritual Beliefs, and Customs of the Klamath People. Fully half of the book is a complete grammar of the Klamath Language using the Klamath stories as text for analysis of grammatical principles. The name "Shasti" appears from time to time in the Klamath stories; the name "Shasti" refers to the neighboring Indians now known by the name "Shasta." 02. Native Americans of the Mt. Shasta Region." Mount Shasta Annotated Bibliography

Chapter 2 Native Americans of the Mt. Shasta Region

https://www.siskiyous.edu/library/shasta/documents/AB_Ch2.pdf

Shasta (IAST Śāstā) is a Hindu deity, venerated with Shiva and Vishnu. Shasta is a generic Sanskrit term for a ruler, i.e. the one who rules/preaches. The word Shasta was first used in the sense of a Hindu deity in South India during the 3rd century.[citation needed] He is identified with many deities like Aiyanar, Ayyappa and Revantha. He is also called as Brahma Shastha, preacher of Pranav am. According to Tamil literature, Shasta has eight important forms.

Shasta is a generic term that means "Teacher, Guide, Lord, Ruler" in Sanskrit.[1] In South India, a number of deities are associated with Shasta. The Tamil song Shasta Varavu states that there are eight important incarnations and forms of Shasta. This is also present in the agamic work Dyana Ratnavali. The Ashta-Shasta (eight Shastas) are Aadhi Maha Shasta, Dharma Shasta (Ayyappan), Gnana Shasta, Kalyana Varadha Shasta, Sammohana Shasta, Santhana Prapti Shasta, Veda Shasta and Veera Shasta.[2] Brahma Shasta is another term associated with Kartikeya.[3]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shasta_(deity)

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Modi to Meet Trump With Eyes on Trade and Immigration

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, who has a warm relationship with President Trump, may try to ease friction over migrants and trade.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Wednesday.Credit...Luis M. Alvarez/Associated Press

John Yoon

By John Yoon

Feb. 13, 2025

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India began meeting senior U.S. officials in Washington ahead of his anticipated visit to the White House to meet President Trump on Thursday.

Mr. Modi has a warm personal relationship with Mr. Trump, and the two leaders have called each other friends. But Mr. Trump has criticized India for its high tariffs, and India is the biggest source, outside of Latin America, of unauthorized migrants in the United States.

Modi Hopes a White House Visit Will Keep India Out of Trump’s Sights

Feb. 12, 2025

After arriving in Washington on Wednesday, Mr. Modi met Tulsi Gabbard on her first day as Mr. Trump’s director of national intelligence. They discussed the relationship between the two countries, Mr. Modi’s office said, without offering details.

India and the United States, the world’s largest democracies, have grown closer in the face of an increasingly assertive mutual rival, China. India has traded more with the United States than it has with China, and spent billions on U.S. defense imports in recent years.

Despite their strong rapport, both Mr. Modi and Mr. Trump are strongmen with largely transactional views on foreign relations and an eye on what will please their bases.

On the campaign trail, Mr. Trump said India had gained an unfair trade advantage against the United States through high tariffs. And India, like basically all countries that do business with the United States, runs a trade surplus. Last year, it shipped about $87 billion worth of goods and imported $42 billion, adding $46 billion to the U.S. trade deficit.

Mr. Trump views the U.S. trade deficit as a sign of economic weakness. Economists say it is an indication of American consumers’ ability to spend on imports, backed by the strong U.S. economy. But Mr. Trump has made it a priority to try adjusting the trade imbalance by imposing tariffs.

Mr. Modi may reveal new measures to ease friction on trade and immigration when he meets Mr. Trump on Thursday.

Indian officials have said that companies have been in talks to buy more American energy supplies like liquefied natural gas. The two leaders could also discuss increased spending by India, the world’s largest arms importer, on U.S. defense equipment.

India has its limitations, including its own trade deficit. The U.S. trade deficit amounts to less than 4 percent of its economy. The deficit in India, which relies on imports for most of its fuel needs, is worth between 8 and 12 percent in most years.

Mr. Modi has offered concessions, though some have been largely symbolic.

India recently reduced tariffs on Harley-Davidson motorcycles, which Mr. Trump had zeroed in on as a symbol of India’s misuse of tariffs. The reduction, though, had little effect on the company. India has also raised the prospect of lower duties on goods like bourbon and pecans, which are produced mainly in Republican states.

Indian Migrant Says Deportation Flight Was ‘Torture’

As India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, meets with President Trump, issues around immigration are likely to be a source of tension, including a U.S. military flight that returned shackled migrants to India.

Harwinder Singh was on the first deportation flight from the U.S. to India, just weeks after President Donald Trump took office. Video of conditions on the military plane that carried them, shared by U.S. officials, sparked outrage among Indian lawmakers. Now, as India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, visits Washington, the incident is expected to resurface. Take all your stuff out of your bag and put it in front of you, O.K.? India accounts for the largest group of undocumented migrants to the U.S., other than Latin America. Singh said he and his fellow passengers were shackled and mistreated during the 40-hour intercontinental trip. Singh’s family has long struggled to make ends meet. Before his time in the U.S., Singh was a farmer, but that never made enough. He said he hoped to earn more in the U.S. and send it home. According to a Pew Research Center study, in 2022, there were approximately 700,000 undocumented Indians in the U.S., a number that has likely risen in recent years.

As India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, meets with President Trump, issues around immigration are likely to be a source of tension, including a U.S. military flight that returned shackled migrants to India.

Mr. Modi has offered concessions on immigration, too, saying he would repatriate Indians deported from the United States, even as it caused an embarrassment for him.

Just days before his trip to Washington, the arrival of more than 100 Indians on a U.S. military plane caused a domestic backlash. There was uproar in India’s Parliament last week over reports that migrants were mistreated on that journey, including being shackled and handcuffed.

India is also hoping to move on from Biden-era legal actions against Indians, including those related to accusations of an Indian government plot to assassinate an American citizen on U.S. soil. There has also been speculation that the Justice Department could drop criminal charges of fraud and bribery against Gautam Adani, a billionaire ally of Mr. Modi.

John Yoon is a Times reporter based in Seoul who covers breaking and trending news. More about John Yoon

© 2025 The New York Times Company

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/us/modi-trump-trade-immigration.html

The emblem of the All-Seeing Eye above the unfinished pyramid is the representation of the eye of Sirius, of its omniscient surveillance. It would be difficult to exaggerate the fanatical degree of attachment the priesthood of Egypt and all subsequent related Hermetic traditions had for Sirius. The entire calendar year of the Egyptians was based upon the rising times of this star. "The heliacal rising of Sirius was so important to the ancient Egyptians... that gigantic temples were constructed with their main aisles oriented precisely towards the spot on the horizon where Sirius would appear... The light of Sirius would be channeled along the corridor (due to the precise orientation) to flood the altar in the inner sanctum as if a pin-pointed spotlight had been switched on. "This blast of light focused from a single star was possible because of the orientation being so incredibly precise and because the temple would be otherwise in total darkness within. In a huge, utterly dark temple, the light of one star focused solely on the altar must have made quite an impact on those present. (Robert K.G. Temple, The Sirius Mystery, Futura paperback edition, p. 87). According to the astronomer John A. Eddy, the rock circle located near Lovell, Wyoming, known as the Big Horn Medicine Wheel is aligned with the rising of Sirius ("Astronomical Alignment of the Big Horn Medicine Wheel," Science, June 7, 1974). "The heliacal rising of Sirius was also important to other ancient peoples. Here is a description by the ancient Greek poet Aratus... of the rising of Sirius (often known as the Dog Star as it is in the constellation Canis, or Dog): 'The tip of his [the Dog's] terrible jaw is marked by a star that keenest of all blazes with a searing flame and him men call Sirius.' "Throughout Latin literature there are many references to the 'Dog Days' which followed the heliacal rising of Sirius in the summer. These hot, parched days were thought by that time to derive some of their ferocity and dryness from the 'searing' of Sirius." (Temple, pp. 87-88). Further on in this study we shall see that a key ritual sacrifice intended to imprint the Group Mind of the masses of the 1970s—the Son of Sam serial murders—involved the widely disseminated claim that the "mad" killer(s) had taken orders from a dog named Sam. The capture of one of the killers in the cult, David Berkowitz, coincided with the coming of the Dog Days of summer, August, 1977. In Satanist Albert Pike's eighth degree of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, the focus of worship is on the "blazing star" as symbolized by the pentagram and Pike identifies Sirius, in his Morals and Dogma, as the grand builder of architecture. John Michell: "The alchemists aimed to recapture the spirit of Mercurius as the mobile agent in their operations, and they spoke of 'fixing' it, using the imagery of the stake driven through the earth serpent, by which means their predecessors, alchemists of elemental cosmic forces, had attempted to raise the subtle spirit of the earth. All these good people shared the noblest ambition, to invoke again the golden age on earth. "No doubt in time they did much to promote human convenience and comfort, and civilizations have been humanized by such efforts; but their falls have thereby only been delayed. For the human spirit, like the spirit of the earth, is a natural wanderer and does not forever accept domesticity. "Attempts to fix nature's volatile principle will always be made; and the spirit may for a time accept the ways imposed upon it by human nature in its material aspect. But sooner or later it will prefer its own ways, and will take them, whatever obstacles are put in its path." (All John Michell quotations are from his book, The Earth Spirit, Crossroad Publishing Company). So we observe that Saturn and his "golden age" architecture (both mental and physical), came only after the end of Eden, after Saturn-Sirius had separated the unity of heaven and earth by means of his fateful sickle. What do we have behind the cover story about a worker's paradise in the Soviet Union? We have the sickle, the very occult symbol of the bisection of heaven and earth, the very symbol of the destruction of Eden by demonic, accelerated material and temporal decay and false philosophies which generate division (between humanity's sense of itself and identification with God's divine creation) under cover of slogans of unity. In other words we have a grotesque mockery of the very principle touted. This macabre arrogance borders on the clownish for those initiates (or self-initiates) who have the wit to see it.

pages 17-19

Secret Societies and Psychological Warfare

by Michael Hoffman  

https://ia904502.us.archive.org/1/items/secret-societies-and-psychological-warfare-by-michael-a.-hoffman-ii-z-lib.org.epub/Secret%20Societies%20and%20Psychological%20Warfare%20by%20Michael%20A.%20Hoffman%20II%20%28z-lib.org%29.epub.pdf

"In alchemical terms, the body is reduced into a quicksilver water from which the elixir is then made. In other words a vivifying spirit is made. The elixir is the same as the philosopher’s stone, but the alchemists use the term elixir to talk primarily about its energetic and healing properties.

According to some alchemists, the elixir is the second phase in the Great Work, while the tincture is the third phase. As the second phase is albedo, or whiteness, the tincture is also called white tincture. It is the state of cooked or digested matter that has now gained a white color. When it is projected onto metals it changes them into silver. It is a medicine for plants and minerals. We are talking here about a purified spirit (of man) that, although it is only in the second stage, is already healing to body and soul.

The red elixir corresponds with the third phase, rubedo or redness. The red elixir is the perfect stone. The Arab alchemists just called it elixir, meaning ‘yeast’. Yeast makes dough rise, what in the philosophical sense means ‘multiplication’. In relation to the elixir, it makes spiritual energy multiply and therefore it works in a healing way in living beings. The elixir cures all ailments, and makes all imperfect metals (like the organs, cells…) perfect (it makes them healthy again).

The term tincture is used for its penetrating quality. The tincture is the last degree of transmutation of the natural bodies. It brings all imperfect things to their perfection. Paracelsus calls the tincture a very noble substance that colors all metallic and human bodies, and changes them in a much better essence. It penetrates all bodies and let them ‘rise’ as with yeast.

Artephius (12th century) wrote in his ‘Secret Book’ that he had been living for a thousand years due to the elixir. Similar statements were done by other alchemists. It is said that the well-known Comte de Saint-German (17th-18th century) did not age because of the elixir. Remember this is not about a physical substance, but it is the divine energy within the alchemist that has been brought forward and that keeps the body young.

It always has been a strong idea that there was some kind of liquid, or drink that could prolong the life span and give the body a (near) immortality. Unfortunately common man took this often literally and tried to create a physical liquid. This liquid, or water of life, is a symbolic term for what is present within man himself.

In the ancient scriptures of the Hindus (the vedas and the Puranas) one finds the concept of Amrita. Amrita is the drink or food of the gods. It is the food that gives immortality. It was made out of the ocean of milk. The Greek gods drank Ambrosia or Nektar, which had the same characteristics.

The alchemists and cabalists speak of the water of life in terms of for example the Ab-e-Hyat or ‘prickling, fiery essence’. More commonly it is called the ‘alkahest’ or common solvent. The alchemist makes his tincture by purifying his body, his emotions and his thoughts, until he identifies himself with his divine essence. When the divine essence has been realized, the water of life pours forth and takes away all remaining dross, leaving pure gold.

The elixir or tincture makes a new man from the alchemist. He is reborn and immortal. He partakes of divine wisdom and unity with the Source of all. He has become a heavenly king."

http://www.soul-guidance.com/houseofthesun/alchemy_3.htm

Jim Jones Jesuit Catholic Connections

The "suicides" (murders) of the Peoples Temple members was on November 18, 1978. Bernard Darke, a Jesuit priest and photographer for the local Catholic Standard Newspaper was stabbed to death 8 months later by another group labeled "cult" by the Catholic CULT.

CIA Officer E. Howard Hunt states, "We have always said, you know, in an admiring way that the Jesuits form the greatest intelligence agency in the world, and always have."

Alberto Rivera Stated that Cult Leader Jim Jones was a Jesuit under the Jesuit secret oath. This web page is a result of myself putting Rivera's words to task. What I came up with were some intriguing results!

To start with, in the FBI files made public through FOIA (Freedom of Information Act), there is testimony that Jim Jones often repeated a section of what is alleged to be the Jesuit Oath and alleged to be a maxim of the Jesuits used to justify any and every evil act:"the end justifies the means".

Jim Jones and the People's Temple (PT) also had some endorsements from Influential Catholic Leaders. One was a Jesuit and the other, an American Franciscan friar.

https://web.archive.org/web/20070213010602/https://jonestown.sdsu.edu/AboutJonestown/PrimarySources/

Jim Jones and Jesuit trained Jerry Brown when Brown was governor. Jerry Brown actually trained to be a Jesuit Priest. Jerry brown is the current Attorney General of California (11/18/2008).

"That occasionally all-too-real cliche is the opposite of Jerry Brown. A Jesuit intellectual as a youth, a person still filled with strong moral conviction, in reality he's straightforward, honest, sensible, down-to-earth."  https://web.archive.org/web/20080828010804/http://jerrybrown.org/node/300

"Jones had sent some staff members to his commune site, and he visited and tried to publicize himself by giving a sermon in Guyana's capital city, Georgetown. Members of Jones' staff looked for a place for Jones to preach, and in town was a Catholic Church. Jones' staff was aware of the enthusiastic ecumenism of Father Andrew Morrison (SJ), and they asked Morrison if they could use his Sacred Heart Church to give a service, without being candid about the nature of Jones' preaching. Father Morrison and his perish council agreed. Jones' appearance at the church was well advertised. Father Morrison was present at the service and was appalled. In the days that followed, Morrison apologized publicly for what he called a blatant hoax and fraud having taken place in his church. Some people in Georgetown saw Jones as having imported cheap tricks, and Jones was disappointed that techniques that worked in Indiana and California had not worked in Georgetown, Guyana. And Jones wondered whether he was losing his touch." (All i know is that a Jesuit let this methodist "minister" peach at his Catholic Church. They could say whatever after that but i don't buy it -TR) https://web.archive.org/web/20160130132145/https://www.fsmitha.com/h2/ch30.htm

"Tribute to Andrew Morrison SJ" (The one who let Jim Jones preach at the Catholic Church):

The Government Information Agency (GINA) joins in paying tribute to a fearless fighter for press freedom, Father Andrew Morrison, S.J.

Father Morrison’s contribution to the struggle for press freedom brings to memory another great patriot Father Bernard Darke, who was murdered by armed agents of the then PNC regime, whilst carrying out journalistic duties in a period when press freedom was non-existent. https://web.archive.org/web/20120526015121/http://www.gina.gov.gy/archive/daily/b040127.html

"He was to grow immensely tall and successively to study accountancy, become a Jesuit and be approached by MI6 to train as a saboteur; he would edit a newspaper, be hailed continent-wide as a champion of press freedom," https://web.archive.org/web/20090904034422/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/the-rev-andrew-morrison-549386.html

Quote from the book: "The People's Temple had established their commune in the North West District near the Venezuelan border in 1974. little was known about them in Guyana, except that they had come from the United States to establish an Agricultural Mission in the jungle to help with the Government's "Grow More Food" campaign. This was the story put out in glowing terms by the Government controlled press."

As you can see from the above quotes that this Jesuit didn't like the People's Temple from the start. You see, the Jesuits had been busy trying to overthrow the current government because they had broken away from Britain in 1966. and remember, this Jesuit was an English MI6 agent.

Georgetown Guyana was named after King George III of the Holy Roman Empire ~Source

*Edit* (Added 11/30/08):

Here's something I found today which was interesting. Deborah Layton who married an alleged CIA agent George Phillip Blakey, wrote a book filled with propaganda about peoples temple. Well that book is "a part of the curriculum at the JESUIT Gonzaga University's Doctorate Program for Leadership" Source

 

And I found her father's obituary ("Laurence Laird Layton"): LINK

 

I was amazed to see this admitted in a mainstream newspaper. they added a lot of propaganda at the end but it still tells you a lot.

 

Notice how they are wanting his son/her brother freed. they are talking about larry layton, the only one prosecuted for the Georgetown airport landing strip which supposedly killed a Congressman and 3 others. He did get paroled in 2002 I believe. Imagine that. After killing 4 people of which included a Congressman!!"

https://spirituallysmart.com/jonestown3.html

https://www.facebook.com/billy.dunn.50767/posts/pfbid0MXakWAGS1ieFFg9C8aXNCqAQTwLB58YBH8gPzRyqjhTvpwohgxYLStnrutDLJzgil

Jacques de Molay (French: [də mɔlɛ]; c. 1240–1250[1] – 11 or 18 March 1314[2]), also spelled "Molai",[3] was the 23rd and last grand master of the Knights Templar, leading the order sometime before 20 April 1292 until it was dissolved by order of Pope Clement V in 1312.[4][5] Though little is known of his actual life and deeds except for his last years as Grand Master, he is one of the best known Templars.

Jacques de Molay's goal as grand master was to reform the order, and adjust it to the situation in the Holy Land during the waning days of the Crusades. As European support for the Crusades diminished, the French monarchy sought to disband the order and claim the wealth of the Templars as its own. King Philip IV of France, deeply in debt to the Templars, had Molay and many other French Templars arrested in 1307 and tortured into making false confessions. When Molay later retracted his confession, Philip had him burned upon a scaffold on an island in the River Seine in front of Notre-Dame de Paris in March, 1314.[6] Both the sudden end of the centuries-old order of Templars and the dramatic execution of its last leader turned Molay into a legendary figure.

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

The Cistercians

June 7, 2020 admin-templar Templar History

The Cistercians

Above: The Cistercians built Melrose Abbey:  JeremyA under CC BY-SA 2.5

The Knights Templar are known to history as the warrior monks, but what is not as commonly known is the kinship the Order shared with the Cistercians, the true and original white-mantled monks.

On March 21st, 1098 just a year before the Crusaders would storm over the wall of Jerusalem, a Benedictine monk by the name of Robert of Molesme led twenty-one of his followers to the inhospitable brush and mud of Citeaux where he would set up a new abbey.

The reasoning behind the move was that Robert was fed up with how the Benedictines were not observing the rule of St. Benedict, which the Templar Rule of Order would latterly be based upon. He believed that by setting up in a secluded wilderness he could begin with a fresh slate so to speak. The monks of his former abbey at Molesme were unhappy with his departure and begged the Pope to make him return which he did, being replaced at Citeaux by Alberic.

Many claim it was Alberic who is responsible for the White Mantle of the Cistercians, but it is more likely to have been his successor, the English Abbott Stephen Harding. Whether Harding is responsible for the white robes that would ultimately distinguish the Cistercians and latterly the Templars form all other monastic institutions or not is of little importance. Harding’s most notable contribution to the cause came when he accepted a young man from Fontaines named Bernard who came to the abbey with thirty of his relatives seeking membership in the order.

Bernard would soon rise in the eyes of the order of monasticism and soon set up his own abbey at Clairvaux. The land was, like so many of the Cistercian abbeys that followed granted by Burgundian Nobles. In fact no less a noble than Hugh Count of Champagne, who would eventually become a member of the Templars.

The young Abbott Bernard was instrumental in not only in preparing the rule of order for this new order of knighthood, but also through his letter to friend Hugues de Payens, propelling the order to incredible heights as we examine in another section of this web site.

Almost in unison with the Templars, the Cistercians grew in wealth. Like the Templars the Cistercian order was free of taxes and tithes and were expert at all manner of farming, industry and commerce. Lead for the Abbey roofs were mined in their own mines and smelted in their own facilities.

It is a shame that these roofs do not exist today in England as Henry VIII had them all melted down for his own usage many years later.

The construction of the Abbeys is a marvel to behold, for in a day when fresh water was a concern, the Cistercians had plenty. They always sought out locations that were secluded and on a running river or stream. The monks would dam sections to create enough flow to carry water to every portion of the Abbey. Water would flow through kitchens, to basins for washing and they even had indoor plumbing where waste would drop into the river and be carried away from the Abbey. But as complex as their system of water and waste management was, the order was simple to the core when it came to ornamentation. In a day when their Benedictine rivals had altars and candles of gold, the Cistercians opted for plain cloth on the altar and a simple wooden Cross on it. No gold of any kind was found in the Abbey although the order soon grew rich enough to have all they wanted.

So rich were the Cistercians that they gave a year’s supply of wool as a means to finance the ransom of King Richard I, who was captive in Germany.

The connection with the Templars is not merely one of coincidence. The very rule of the Templar order held this monastic institution in highest regard and there is no doubt of the many cooperative ventures between the two. For example, if a knight was expelled from the order, he did not merely rejoin a secular life. The knight was required to seek shelter in a Cistercian monastery in the hopes that he could be rehabilitated. In fact one Templar Master who quit the order sought shelter in the cloisters of the Cistercians and lived out the balance of his life there.

https://web.archive.org/web/20240621152424/https://templarhistory.com/the-cistercians/

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]""

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

The Cistercian Order

Main article: Cistercians

In 1075 Robert de Molesme, a Benedictine monk from Cluny Abbey, had obtained the permission of Pope Gregory VII to found a monastery at Molesme in Burgundy. At Molesme, Robert tried to restore monastery practice to the simple and severe character of the original Rule of Saint Benedict, called "Strict Observance". Being only partly successful in this at Molesme, Robert in 1098 led a band of 21 monks from their abbey at Molesme to establish a new monastery. The monks acquired a plot of marsh land just south of Dijon called Cîteaux (Latin: "Cistercium") and set about building a new monastery there which became Cîteaux Abbey, the mother Abbey of the newly founded Cistercian Order.[10]

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

In 1748 the Rite de Veilla Bru, or Faithful Scotsman, was established at Toulouse with nine degrees, the first three Symbolic, followed by the Secret Master, four Elu degrees, and the Ninth degree ' Scientific Masonry.^" " In 1750 and 1751, a Lodge styled ' St. Jean de Ecossais ' was established at Marseilles, which afterwards assumed the style of ' Scottish Mother Lodge of France.' Its regime finally consisted of Eighteen degrees, of which the Scottish Mother Lodge of France at Paris afterwards borrowed Eight."

" In 1752 a power of the High degrees was established under the pompous title of * Sovereign Council, Sublime Scotch Mother Lodge of the Grand French Globe.' It afterwards called itself* Sovereign Council, Sublime Mother Lodge of the Excellents of the Grand French Globe.' The ' Council of the Emperors of the East and West ' assumed that title also on the 22d January, 1780. — Ragon."

"In 1754, The Chevalier de Bonneville established a chapter of the High degrees at Paris, styled the ' Chapter of Clermont.' In it the Templar system was revived, and the Baron de Hund received the High degrees, there and thence derived the principles and doctrines of his ' Order of Strict Observance ' —Thory and Leveque—Ragon says, The regime of the Chapter of Clermont at first comprised only three degrees, viz., the three Symbolic, followed by the Knight of the Eagle or Master Elect, Illustrious Knight or Templar, and Illustrious Sublime Knight—but that they soon became more numerous."

" In the same year Martinez Pascalis established his rite of ' Elus C'dens ' with nine degrees. He did not carry it to Paris until 1767, where Martinism in ten degrees grew out of it." — Clavel.

" In 1757 M. de St. Gelaire introduced at Paris the ' Order of Noachites.' ^'

page 50

THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH KITE, IN THIRTY-THREE DEGREES. KNOWN HITHERTO UNDER THE NAMES OF THE " RITE OF PEEPECTION" ^THE " EITE OF HEEEDOM" THE " ANCIENT SCOTTISH rite"—THE " RITE OF KILWINNING" AND LAST, AS THE " SCOTTISH RITE, ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED." A FULL AND COMPLETE HISTORY, WITH AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING NUMEROUS AUTHENTIC DOCUMENTS, RELATING TO THE ORIGIN, PKO- OB£SS AND ESTABLISHMENT OP THE EITE—EDICTS, CIRCULARS, PATENTS, REGISTERS, AND THE OPINIONS OF NUMEROUS AUTHORS — ILLUSTRATED WITH "TABLETS," / BY ROBERT B. FOLGER, M. D., Past Master, 33d., iJi-SECRETARY GENERAL, &0. SECOND EDITION. ,c ^ j ;^ NEW YORK: PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/The_ancient_and_accepted_Scottish_rite%2C_in_thirty-three_degrees_%28IA_ancientaccepted00folg%29.pdf

On June 24, 1717, six months after the exile of the Stuarts, four lodges in London (names not given) met at Apple-Tree Tavern and united English Freemasonry under the name "United Grand Lodge," which has been nicknamed the Mother Grand Lodge, or Grand Mother Lodge.

The first French Templar Lodge was founded in 1725 by a contingent of exiled Stuart sympathizers. In 1745 Prince Charles Edward Stuart, the Young Pretender, attempted to regain

his Scottish throne and was soundly defeated in less than a year. Upon returning to France, the Scottish Templars founded the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, quickly

developing it to 32 degrees by 1755. In 1801 all French lodges accepted the Templar Scottish Rite degrees. That same year the Scottish Rite of Charleston, S.C., created the 33rd and final

degree in Templar Freemasonry.

On the continent of Europe, French Freemasonry is known as Scottish Rite, Grand Orient, French Grand Lodge, Continental, or Latin Freemasonry. The Templar York Rite in England was

transported to America, where it remains to this day. English Freemasonry continued with the three Craft Degrees UNTIL 1860, WHEN IT ADOPTED THE THIRTY ADDITIONAL DEGREES OF THE SCOTTISH RITE, but for competitive reasons refused to call it "Scottish."'

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

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

The Grand Landlodge of the Freemasons of Germany (Große Landesloge der Freimaurer von Deutschland, GLL FvD or GLL), also: Order of Freemasons (Freimaurerorden, FO) is a Masonic Grand Lodge in Germany. It is one of the founding members of the United Grand Lodges of Germany and as such it is one of the five German Grand Lodges recognized as belonging to "Regular Freemasonry" by the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE).[1] The Grand Lodge was established in 1770 by Johann Wilhelm Kellner von Zinnendorf, a Prussian Army physician. It is one of three so called Old Prussian Grand Lodges.

The red cross pattée connected with Swedish Rite Freemasonry

The Grand Landlodge of the Freemasons of Germany works according to a slightly modified version of the Swedish Rite. It therefore differs from other German Grand Lodges both in its content and organizational structure. However, as a masonic Grand Lodge it is not a religious community and affiliation to a particular Christian denomination is not required. Neither is it necessary for a member of the Order to be expressly Christian, however the Rules of the Order demand that every member "recognize the teachings of Jesus Christ as they are written down in the Holy Scripture".[2]

The Order of Freemasons demands that its members keep working continuously at the development of their own personality. Rationality and conscience, inner freedom and self-knowledge as well as being conscious of one's responsibilities are regarded as the necessary means by which one can approach the finding of the origin, character and destiny of mankind and the whole of existence.

Organizational structure

The Grand Landlodge of the Freemasons of Germany is divided into three branches:

St. John's Lodge (i.e. Blue Lodge, or Craft Lodge) working the regular three masonic degrees,

St. Andrew's Lodge working the IVth to VIth degree

The Chapter working the VIIth to Xth degree

- apart from this, there is also a High Chapter for the holders of the XIth degree of Knight Commander with some 70 members.[3] The conjunction of these branches forms a cohesive masonic body that closely follows that of the Swedish Rite, which is predominantly found in Scandinavian countries.

Institutions of the Order of Freemasons include:

the Research Lodge Frederik based in Flensburg/Husum and founded in 1982,

the Freemasonry Museum in St. Michaelisdonn,

the Zinnendorf Foundation in Hamburg-Eppendorf, founded in 1991,

the Zirkelkorrespondenz, the Order's member's journal, founded in 1872,

the organization St. John's Fraternal Help for Self Help (St. Johannis Bruderhilfe zur Selbsthilfe), founded in 1998 and organizes social relief projects in Eastern Europe.

The new headquarters of the Order are situated in Berlin-Dahlem, the former headquarters having been destroyed in World War II. The Order is headed by a dual leadership consisting of the Master of the Order(Ordensmeister) and the Grand Master of the Land(Landesgroßmeister). The Grand Master of the Land is the administrative head of the Great Landlodge. He is elected by the main assembly and is comparable to the Grand Masters of other Grand Lodges. He heads the St. John's and St. Andrew's Lodges. The Master of the Order is the elected head of the Order in its entirety. He heads the Chapter and safeguards the teachings and traditions of the Grand Landlodge. The Grand Master of the Land is aided by a council of Grand Officers, the Master of the Order is aided by the Council of the Order. The most prominent Master of the Order was the future (1888) German Emperor Frederick III. At present, there are ten Provincial Lodges that administrate the activities of the St. John's and St. Andrew's Lodges of a certain district.

The GLLFvD's St. John's lodges are comparable to the blue lodges of other Grand Lodges and work the same degrees. The St. Andrew's Lodges and Chapters are comparable to Appendant Bodies. At present, the Grand Landlodge claims to have 3,500 members. In the year 1934 the number was said to have been near to 20,000 members in 178 lodges, predominantly in Prussia. In the area of the former German Democratic Republic 18 St. John's and 2 St. Andrew's lodges have been reactivated. In 2007 the Grand Landlodge included 109 St. John's lodges, 26 St. Andrew's lodges, 10 Provincial lodges and 11 Chapters.[3] The Grand Landlodge is strongest in the German States of Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Berlin. In the course of the last years individual lodges have been established in Lome/Togo, Riga/Latvia and Monaco, of which only the first one in Lome is still a member of the Grand Landlodge.

The Provincial Lodges are intermediaries between the St. John's and St. Andrew's lodges and the Grand Master of the Land. They administer the Lodges of their particular area, to simplify the work of the Grand Master. With the exception of the Provincial Lodge of Lower Saxony, all Provincial Lodges in existence today, have been founded in the course of the 20th century. The borders of today's Provincial Lodges are approximately equal to today's state borders. The 10 modern day Grand Lodges:

Provincial Lodge of Lower Saxony in Hamburg, founded in 1777

Provincial Lodge Mecklenburg in Rostock, founded in 1995

Provincial Lodge Bavaria in Munich, founded in 1925

Provincial Lodge Hesse in Frankfurt, founded in 1948

Provincial Lodge Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel, founded in 1951

Provincial Lodge Northrhine-Westphalia in Hagen, founded in 1952

Provincial Lodge Baden-Württemberg in Stuttgart, founded in 1955

Provincial Lodge Bremen-Oldenburg in Bremen, founded in 1989

Provincial Lodge Saxony-Thuringia in Leipzig, founded in 2004

Provincial Lodge Berlin-Brandenburg in Berlin, founded in 2005

Apart from the still existing first Provincial Lodge of Lower Saxony, the historic Provincial Lodges included the Provincial Lodge of Silesia (1779–1935), Pommerania (1777–1812) and Austria (1776–1783). Following these was the establishment of a Provincial Lodge of Russia in St. Petersburg (1777–1785) and a Provincial Lodge of Westphalia in 1808. These Provincial Lodges are no longer in existence.

History

Early history

During the 18th century, some 70% of German Masonic Lodges worked according to the rituals of the Strict Observance. In the 1760s resentment was growing against the rituals of that Order, which were regarded as lacking in content and overly pompous, as well as the Strict Observance's "economical plan". As one of those, who were unsatisfied with this Rite, Johann Wilhelm Kellner von Zinnendorf wrote to the Grand Lodge in London, asking for a patent to establish a new Lodge. However the London Grand Lodge declined, as there were already a great number of Masonic Lodges and Grand Lodges in existence in Berlin at that time.

After that, Kellner von Zinnendorf tried, through the help of a friend of his, to gain a patent and rituals from Karl Friedrich Eckleff in Sweden. This attempt also failed, but other friends of his continued with these attempts. At this point, he was still acting in accordance with the Army Master (Heermeister) of the Strict Observance, who was informed of his actions.[4]

Only a friend of Kellner von Zinnendorf's called Baumann finally managed to gain Eckleff's trust. On 14 September 1766 he returned to Berlin carrying a personal letter from Eckleff to Kellner von Zinnendorf, containing the ritual files, a charter permitting the establishment of Lodges abiding by the Swedish Rite, instructions for the Master of the Order and directions for the establishment of a Chapter. Shortly thereafter, a quarrel began between Kellner von Zinnendorf and the Army Master of the Strict Observance, von Hund. On 16 December 1766, Kellner von Zinnendorf left the Strict Observance and spent his time concentrating on the establishment of a new Grand Lodge.[5]

During this time, Baumann's files were translated into German and several Lodges, working according to the new ritual, were founded in the Berlin area. Kellner von Zinnendorf's goal was to create at least 12 Lodges, in order to found his new Grand Lodge. However, on 27 December 1770 it was decided to go ahead with the establishment of the Grand Landlodge of the Freemasons of Germany, even though only 7 St. John's Lodges and one St. Andrew's Lodge had so far been founded.

Following the establishment, Kellner von Zinnendorf was anxious to get on good terms with the Grand Lodge in London. On 30 November 1773 an official letter of recognition arrived from London, to the effect that the Grand Landlodge was recognized as the sole Grand Lodge of the German states and was thus regarded as an equal by the Grand Lodge in London.[6]

On 14 October 1773 a meeting was arranged between representatives of the Grand Landlodge and of the Strict Observance. There an unsteady agreement was achieved, ending long lasting conflict between the two rites that had been raging since Kellner von Zinnendorf left the Strict Observance in 1766.

Another milestone in the history of the Grand Landlodge was Frederick the Great's Letter of Protection of 16 July 1774, which guaranteed the Grand Landlodge his royal protection.[7]

In Sweden Duke Charles of Södermanland had taken over the office of Master of the Order from Eckleff in 1773. As he was additionally offered the office of Army Master of the Strict Observance and he accepted, relations between the Grand Lodge of Sweden and the Grand Landlodge deteriorated.

Around the year 1778 the Grand Landlodge consisted of 34 Lodges. After the death of its founder Kellner von Zinnendorf, in the year 1782 it consisted of a total of 62 Lodges. Provincial Lodges were created in Austria, Silesia, Pomerania, Lower Saxony and Russia.[8]

19th century

The history of the Grand Landlodge in the course of the 19th century includes several high points. Following the death of King Carl XIII of Sweden on 5 February 1818 there was a reconciliation with the Grand Lodge of Sweden, which amounted to a Treaty of Friendship that was signed on 13 April 1819. Using the new rituals that were sent from Sweden, Christian Karl Friedrich Wilhelm von Nettelbladt implemented a significant reform of the rituals.

In 1872 Adolf Widmann founded the Zirkelkorrespondenz, a masonic magazine, which is still published today and distributed among the members of the Grand Landlodge. Widmann traveled to Sweden in 1869 and worked on a further compilation of the rituals.

The two most prominent members of the Grand Landlodge during the 19th century were the German Emperors William I and Frederick III; the latter was also Master of the Order of the Grand Landlodge.

20th century

Following a meeting between Hermann Göring and Grand Master of the Land von Heeringen on 7 April 1933 the GLL officially rejected its masonic foundation and especially eliminated all parts of the ritual drawing on the Old Testament and got rid of all masonic nomenclature. It now bore the name of "German-Christian Order of the Knights Templar".

On 10 April 1933 von Heeringen informed the other two Old Prussian Lodges of this conversion. In the days that followed, the other Old Prussian Lodges followed its example.[9]

Internally everything that was considered typical of Freemasonry was either changed or eliminated. The aprons were abolished, Solomon's Temple was changed to the "German Cathedral" or Strasbourg Cathedral, all parts of the ritual referring to or drawing from the Old Testament were done away with and the legend of Hiram Abiff replaced by the ancient Germanic legend of Baldr. However, none of these conversions were ever accepted by the Nazi Party.[10]

Thus the leaders of the national Grand Lodges demonstrated a grave misjudgement of Freemasonry's role in the National Socialist view of the world. Years of Nazi propaganda had stylized Freemasonry to a form of abstract hate symbol similar to the Jews. Therefore, they were generally regarded as enemies.[11]

The Grand Landlodge tried in vain to take legal action against the increasing riots against the Lodges that had increased dramatically since the Nazi seizure of power in 1933. Of course the legal proceedings against local leaders of the Sturmabteilung and the Nazi Party were unsuccessful.

When all legal actions failed, no further noteworthy resistance was offered by the GLL. Its officials are said to have asked for the intervention of the Swedish King Gustav V, which was obviously unsuccessful as well. However, they managed to smuggle essential parts of their archive to Sweden, through dubious connections. These documents were returned in 1978.[12]

In the spring of 1935, the Grand Lodge of Prussia, called "Zur Freundschaft", tried to find a solution for the situation. Their most prominent member, the Reich Minister Hjalmar Schacht was sent to talk to Hitler and found out that a dissolution of German Freemasonry was inevitable.[13] The Interior Ministry ordered that all Grand Lodges along with their constituent lodges had to be disbanded by 21 July 1935. On 14 July 1935 a final ceremony was held by the Grand Landlodge.

Immediately following World War II preparations were made for the reestablishment of the Grand Landlodge. Dr. Hans Oehmen was elected the first Master of the Order of the post-war period. Paul Rosenthal became the Grand Lodge's first Grand Master of the Land, however he died as early as 1946. The negotiations that finally led to the establishment of the United Grand Lodges of Germany – Brotherhood of Freemasons, were led by the 19th Master of the Order Dr. Fritz Pauk.

Headquarters of the Order

Source:[15]

For some years following its foundation, the Grand Landlodge's administration was housed in the private homes of some of its members. In 1786 a property in Berlin was acquired for its use by Christoph Friedrich Nicolai. On these grounds the first "House of the Order" was built and turned over to the Grand Landlodge in 1791. Initially this house remained private property, but between 1806 and 1816 it housed the French General Staff. See also: →History of Berlin

In 1821 the building passed into the ownership of the Grand Landlodge. In 1839 the "House of the Order" was extended and was ornamented with a Classicist facade. As the number of members in the city of Berlin increased to more than 1200, the building had to be extended once more, in 1845. In 1898 it was sold to the Post Office as another extension would not have been possible. Until the completion of the new "House of the Order", the lodges of the Grand Landlodge made use of the facilities of the other two Old Prussian Lodges.

The Foundation Stone Ceremony for the second "House of the Order" took place on 11 November 1898 and the dedication of the building took place on 18 November 1900. It was the largest "House of the Order" of the Grand Landlodge to date. The building's 15,000 m2 housed 8 temples, 2 great banquet halls, 2 assembly halls, 3 conference rooms, 6 residential flats, an archive, a museum's hall and several administrative offices.

The "House of the Order" was lost through the compulsory expropriation by the National Socialist Government in 1935. During World War II it was heavily damaged by bombings and looting. In December 1945 the building's basement was once again used for meetings, but the house could not be rebuilt. Therefore, the property was sold in 1965.

The money gained from selling the old property, together with donations from the Landlodge's members, served to buy the new, albeit smaller, "House of the Order".

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

Finally, the Constitutions train us all for perfection, instructing us in the weapons to be used in combatting our three fierce and raging adversaries. They teach us how to counter the lust of the flesh with chastity, the lust of the eyes with poverty, and the pride of life with obedience. I shall say nothing of our observance of chastity (in which we should imitate the purity of the angels so far as our frailty allows), or of our OBSERVANCE of poverty (which is so STRICT that neither churches nor professed houses may acquire any rents, lands, or even perpetual endowments). As for obedience, however, by which we consecrate the chief and noblest part of ourselves to God, our Constitutions require of us that it be so prompt, eager, perfect, and integral that we do not swerve even a hairsbreadth from our superiors commands. In matters falling under obedience, not only must our action be guided by the superior s command and our will by his will, but even something much more difficult our understanding by his understanding.

To sum up: men crucified to the world, and to whom the world itself is crucified[7] such would our Constitutions have us to be; new men, I say, who have put off their affections to put on Christ;[8] dead to themselves to live to justice; who, with St. Paul in labors, in watchings, in fastings, in chastity, in knowledge, in long suffering, in sweetness, in the Holy Spirit, in charity unfeigned, in the word of truth, show themselves ministers of God[9] and by the armor of Justice on the right hand and, on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report, by good success finally and ill success, press forward with great strides to their heavenly country. This is the sum and aim of our institute.

And so I beseech you, brothers in the Lord, that we may walk in a manner worthy of our vocation,[10] and, in order to know that vocation, may read and reread these Constitutions that have been bestowed upon us by the gift of God. Let us study them day and night. Let us vie with each other in learning them, pondering them, and keeping them. If we do so, our name will be matched by our lives and our profession made manifest in deed.

Farewell in Christ.  

Rome, the house of the Society of Jesus, 1559 [7]

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

Friends: of the Society are to be sought and cultivated [426, 823, 824] on behalf of them, whether living or dead, prayers are to be offered and other signs of gratitude are to be shown [638], 413; the extent to which communication with friends in the world is to be had [60, 246], 53, 111; the extent to which an examiner can examine candidates who are his friends [143]

The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus and Their Complementary Norms

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

The Society of the Friends of the Constitution (French: Société des amis de la Constitution), renamed the Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Freedom and Equality (Société des Jacobins, amis de la liberté et de l'égalité) after 1792 and commonly known as the Jacobin Club (Club des Jacobins) or simply the Jacobins (/ˈdʒækəbɪn/; French: [ʒakɔbɛ̃]), was the most influential political club during the French Revolution of 1789. The period of its political ascendancy includes the Reign of Terror, during which well over 10,000 people were put on trial and executed in France, many for political crimes.

Initially founded in 1789 by anti-royalist deputies from Brittany, the club grew into a nationwide republican movement with a membership estimated at a half million or more.[1] The Jacobin Club was heterogeneous and included both prominent parliamentary factions of the early 1790s: The Mountain and the Girondins.[3] In 1792–93, the Girondins were more prominent in leading France when they declared war on Austria and on Prussia, overthrew King Louis XVI, and set up the French First Republic. In May 1793, the leaders of the Mountain faction, led by Maximilien Robespierre, succeeded in sidelining the Girondin faction and controlled the government until July 1794. Their time in government featured high levels of political violence, and for this reason the period of the Jacobin/Mountain government is identified as the Reign of Terror. In October 1793, 21 prominent Girondins were guillotined. The Mountain-dominated government executed 17,000 opponents nationwide as a way to suppress the Vendée insurrection and the Federalist revolts, and to deter recurrences. In July 1794, the National Convention pushed the administration of Robespierre and his allies out of power and had Robespierre and 21 associates executed. In November 1794, the Jacobin Club closed.

In the British Empire, Jacobin was linked primarily to The Mountain of the French Revolutionary governments and was popular among the established and entrepreneurial classes as a pejorative to deride radical left-wing revolutionary politics, especially when they exhibit dogmatism and violent repression.[4] In Britain, the term faintly echoed negative connotations of Jacobitism, the pro-Catholic, monarchist, rarely insurrectional political movement that faded out decades earlier tied to deposed King James II of England and his descendants. Jacobin reached obsolescence and supersedence before the Russian Revolution, when the terms (Radical) Marxism, anarchism, socialism, and communism had overtaken it.

In France, Jacobin now generally leans towards moderate authoritarianism, more equal formal rights, and centralization.[5] It can, similarly, denote supporters of extensive government intervention to transform society.[6] It is unabashedly used by proponents of a state education system that strongly promotes and inculcates civic values. It is more controversially, and less squarely, used by or for proponents of a strong nation-state capable of resisting undesirable foreign interference.[7]

History

Foundation

When the Estates General of 1789 in France convened in May–June 1789 at the Palace of Versailles, the Jacobin club, originating as the Club Breton, comprised exclusively a group of Breton representatives attending those Estates General.[8] Deputies from other regions throughout France soon joined. Early members included the dominating comte de Mirabeau, Parisian deputy Abbé Sieyès, Dauphiné deputy Antoine Barnave, Jérôme Pétion, the Abbé Grégoire, Charles Lameth, Alexandre Lameth, Artois deputy Robespierre, the duc d'Aiguillon, and La Revellière-Lépeaux. At this time meetings occurred in secret, and few traces remain concerning what took place or where the meetings convened.[8]

Transfer to Paris

By the March on Versailles in October 1789, the club, still entirely composed of deputies, reverted to being a provincial caucus for National Constituent Assembly deputies from Brittany. The club was re-founded in November 1789 as the Société de la Révolution, inspired in part by a letter sent from the Revolution Society of London to the Assembly congratulating the French on regaining their liberty.[9][10][11]

To accommodate growing membership, the group rented for its meetings the refectory of the Dominican monastery of the “Jacobins” in the Rue Saint-Honoré, adjacent to the seat of the Assembly.[10][11] They changed their name to Société des amis de la Constitution in late January, though by this time, their opponents had already concisely dubbed them "Jacobins", a nickname originally given to French Dominicans because their first house in Paris was in the Rue Saint-Jacques.[8][11]

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

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

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

Valley of Traverse City

ANCIENT ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE

The History and Legend of Scottish Rite Origins

The Story Unfolds…

Like much of early Masonic history, the origins of the Scottish Rite are uncertain. This is primarily due to the lack of historic documentation prior to the early 1700’s and not to any great veiled mystery. The few records kept were subject to loss, fire, weather and aging. So we can at best only speculate on many of our origins by looking at the few documents, historical references and legends that remain.

What We Know

In 1754, near Paris, Chevalier de Bonneville established the Chapter of Clermont. The Chapter resided in the College of Jesuits of Clermont, hence the name. It is said to have been created to honor the Duc de Clermont, then Grand Master of the English Grand Lodge of France.

The Chapter of Clermont was a “Chapter of the Advanced Degrees” and initially entailed six degrees and was later extended to 25 known degrees. The six initial degrees were 1˚, 2˚ and 3˚ St John’s Masonry, 4˚ Knight of the Eagle, 5˚ Illustrious Knight or Templar, 6˚ Sublime Illustrious Knight.

Interestingly enough historically, prior to the time of the Rite’s creation, James II had been in residence at Clermont in exile from Britain from 1688 to his death in 1701. As noted by German Masonic historian, Lenning… “whilst in exile, James II residing at the Jesuit College of Clermont in France, allowed his closest associates to fabricate certain degrees in order to extend their political views.” Lenning believed this to have been an attempt on the part of James and his associates to regain control of the British throne for the House of Stuart. If Lenning is right, this places the origins of the “Rite of Perfection” in the hands of James II and the Jacobite (Stuart) Freemasons who at the time were in exile from Great Britain throughout France and Italy. Lenning also contends that these degrees were introduced into French Freemasonry under the name of the Clermont System.

James II died in exile in 1701. His son James III is said to have continued his father’s Masonic legacy and later created further higher degrees.

Perhaps James II saw in the Jesuit morality plays of the College of Clermont a vessel for passing on a set of moral lessons. Some of the world’s greatest playwrights had emerged from Clermont. Jesuit tutelage had previously produced great writers such as Lope de Vega, Moliere, Racine, and the Corneille brothers. Ensconced in exile, I believe James II did find the inspiration and the training to help produce what would later become the first six degrees. From out of the darkness… comes light.

To be continued… (Author’s note… An in depth look at the Templar influence in Scottish Rite masonry’s origins can be found by visiting the Rosslyn Templars’ website.)"

https://web.archive.org/.../scottish-rite-history.html

Just before the War of 1812, the British clandestinely organized several Scottish Rite Lodges in the northeast with headquarters at Boston. After the War they were discovered by Charleston, and following some negotiations, were permitted to operate under the English Masonic obedience (obedience meaning "constitution"). The Boston headquarters became known as the Northern Jurisdiction of Scottish Rite Freemasonry and has since been nicknamed the "Eastern Establishment." The Charleston headquarters became known as the Southern Jurisdiction of Scottish Rite Freemasonry. As stated earlier, the Southern Jurisdiction followed the French Masonic obedience.

The Southern Jurisdiction Supreme Council operates its "Grand East" or spiritual headquarters from Charleston. In 1870 it moved its "Secretariat" (political office) to Washington, D.C.68 An indication of Masonry's influence is the fact that of the two parades permitted to march down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C., one is the Inaugural Parade and the other the Shriner's Parade.

Shriners are sometimes referred to as thirty-second and a half degree Masons. The Shriners operate children's hospitals. (See Appendix 7 for their history).

All Masons in America must travel through the first three "Blue Lodge" degrees before choosing York or Scottish Rites, both of which are Templar Rites. The 13th degree York Mason and 32 degree Scottish Mason unite in the Shrine. (See Appendix 2, Fig. 3.)

We can make some general observations regarding the Northern and Southern Jurisdictions of American Freemasonry. The Northern Jurisdiction, which we can identify in American politics with the Eastern Establishment, is right-wing or moderate. It is the headquarters of America's aristocracy and is primarily Republican. The Southern Jurisdiction is left-wing or liberal, more or less comprised of the working middle class and common laborer, and usually Democrat. There are crossovers in both Jurisdictions, and when voters in America take sides on issues, we are caught up in this Masonic struggle of conservative versus liberal, right-wing versus left-wing, big business versus labor, free enterprise versus socialism, etc.

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

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

FIRST WAR BETWEEN ENGLISH AND FRENCH FREEMASONRY

Many minor German Princes continued to be Freemasons. The Duke of Brunswick was the central figure in the first Masonic conspiracy.... The Court of Vienna was more or less Masonic since the reign of the wretched Joseph U. Alexander of Russia was educated by La Harpe, a [Grand Orient] Freemason... The Elector of Hesse, Prince William of Hanau, held broad views in religious matters, associated much with Freemasons and practiced complete religious tolerance.2 Royalty in Europe had long been involved in Freemasonry before Weishaupt came on the scene - not that they were revolutionary, although some of course were - but because they were curious. Freemasonry was considered the custodian of science, something into which an intelligent man should look. It was also anti-Catholic, which suited many of the German Protestant princes. Even Catholic monarchs, nominal in their Christianity, disregarded the Vatican's ban on membership and attached themselves to the Order. After the French Revolution plunged Europe into political chaos, both Protestant and Catholic monarchs changed their attitudes toward the Craft. As we know, the original intent of the French Revolution was to dethrone the Bourbon dynasty in favor of Sion's Lorraine-Habsburg "King of Jerusalem" cult. Yet, when the Revolution began, the strongest players appeared to be the Templars, who had outsmarted Sion's Illuminati with exposure. Strong evidence of Templar involvement is seen in the appearance of the Jacobin Clubs when the doors of the Illuminati's Grand Orient lodges closed. It is true that most conspiracy researchers view this as nothing more than the Illuminati changing their name. The Jacobin Clubs were illuminated, and, as we have noted before, the name Jacobin recalls Jacques de Molay, strongly suggesting Templar influence, if not control. At the time of the French Revolution, there were actually three major conspiracies working - all under the Masonic banner. They allegedly united in 1782 at Wilhelmsbad to cooperate in revolution. All three were illuminated at that conference. As subsequent events reveal, however, each had secretly planned its own outcome via the Revolution. For example, the French Grand Lodge, an English Masonic front, was Royalist, wanting a constitutional monarchy. The French Grand Orient, an Illuminati front of the Priory of Sion, fought to replace the Bourbon dynasty with another. The Scottish Rite, a Templar front, planned to avenge a four-centuries-old murder, destroying the monarchy and replacing it with a republic. Thus divided, the revolution was doomed to failure. Freemasonry's desire to alter the despotic politics of Europe might have been an admirable undertaking, but the outcome could not have been foreseen, nor given the anti-social passions that had been aroused, restraint possible. The French Revolution ended in the Terror. According to Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, not until December 27,1801 did two of the warring factions of Masonry, the Templar Scottish Rite and the Grand Orient bodies merge.3 Soon afterwards, the third Masonic party, the Grand Lodge came into line and all three upheld Napoleon. De Poncins, in The Secret Powers Behind Revolution, explains that By wishing to go too fast, freemasonry [sic] miscarried. The excesses of the Terror brought about a violent reaction of the country. Being unable to do better, freemasonry [sic] resumed its philanthropic guise and respectful attitude to social order. It upheld Napoleon, who, moreover, served it by spreading the revolutionary spirit all over Europe.... In a word he was for Europe what the revolution had been for France.4

Napoleon Bonaparte and the Templars

Napoleon Bonaparte was not a self-made man. He was selected by Templar Freemasonry to salvage the revolution - to solidify the revolution in his name, since rumors persisted that the exiled Bourbons would return. Msgr. Dillon writes that "As a lesser evil therefore, and as a means of forwarding the unification of Europe which they had planned by his conquests, the Freemasons placed supreme power in the hands of Bonaparte, and urged him on in his career...."5 Although general history presents Napoleon as a fervent Catholic, Msgr. Dillon contradicts that judgment: [Napoleon's] letters breathe everywhere the spirit of advanced Freemasonry, gloating over the wounds it had been able to inflict upon the Spouse of Christ. Yet this adventurer has, with great adroitness, been able to pass with many. ..as a good Catholic...but he was in all his acts what Freemasonry made him. He was mean, selfish, tyrannical, cruel. He was reckless of blood. He could tolerate or use the Church while that suited his policy. But he had from the beginning to the very end of his career that thorough indifference to her welfare, and want of belief in her doctrines, which an early and life-long connection with the Illuminati inspired.6

Dillon informs us that Napoleon indeed had connections with Illuminism. He had been a member of a Templar Lodge, the extreme Illuminated Lodge of Lyons, and had given proof of his fidelity to Italian Masonry by kidnapping the Pope.7 Dillon also quotes Father Deschamps that "Napoleon Bonaparte was in effect an advanced Freemason, and his reign has been the most flourishing epoch of Freemasonry."8 While there is no record of Napoleon meeting Weishaupt, ample evidence exists that Napoleon was a Templar Jacobin. When the Illuminati was exposed, Napoleon plunged into Templarism, absorbing all its history he could, fascinated by its past wealth. One of his personal goals as Emperor was to capture the Roman Church and confiscate all Templar documents, which he did in 1810. That year the entire archives of the Vatican, more than three thousand cases of material - including all the documents pertaining to the Templars - were brought back to Paris. Although some of these papers were subsequently returned to Rome, a great many remained in France.9 Freemasonry, in Mackey's Encyclopedia, certainly claims Bonaparte as one of its own: It has been claimed, and with much just reason, as shown in his course of life, that Napoleon the Great was a member of the Brotherhood.... The Strassburg Lodge is said to have toasted Napoleon as a Freemason. The wording of the toast shows that this was before Napoleon became Emperor.... In March, 1807, at Milan, [Italy], Napoleon is toasted as "Brother, Emperor and King, Protector."10 Clearly Napoleon Bonaparte was brought to power because of Masonry's failure to solidify the Revolution. The Templars especially viewed him as the man who could unite the continent under a Masonic republic. The hated Merovingian Grail kings would once and for all be exterminated. In Napoleon's name the revolution would continue.

Talleyrand and Napoleon

The Templars brought Napoleon to power through the assistance of Charles- Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord (1754-1838), a renegade Catholic priest who had joined Freemasonry. The story of Talleyrand is bewildering, to say the least. In 1779, the year he aligned himself with the Illuminati, he also began his career as a court cleric in the House of Bourbon. In 1780 he was appointed agent general of the French clergy. In 1786, in an attempt to continue the activity of the suppressed Illuminati, Talleyrand, together with Mirabeau and Philippe, Duke of Orleans, founded the Club Breton. Club Breton was taken over by the Templars and renamed the Jacobin Club.11 Without a blink, Talleyrand made the transition from the Sionist Club Breton to the Templar Jacobin Club. There he first met Napoleon. In 1788 Talleyrand was appointed Bishop of Autun. He was excommunicated by the Pope when, during the Revolution, he cooperated in the radical reorganization of the church. By the time the revolution had failed, the adroit Talleyrand had proved his worth to the Templars. At his recommendation, the Templars found in Napoleon their strong man, whom they would back to save the gains of the Revolution. "Put Napoleon on the throne and open the Grand Orients," Talleyrand advised. Talleyrand had no problem switching from the Sionists to the Templars. In fact, throughout his career this wily politician continually changed sides. No one has ever suggested that he might have been a double agent for the Priory of Sion. Yet, his activity suggests that conclusion. For example, while hobnobbing with the Templars in the Jacobin Club, Talleyrand was also a member of a more illusive club called the Philadelphians, a Rosicrucian secret society founded in 1790 that was adversarial to both the Templars and Napoleon.12 Conspiracy researchers have said Talleyrand was playing both sides of the conspiracy for his own elevation to power. History records that he was certainly adept at ingratiating himself with any administration. The Encyclopaedia Britannica gives a brief account of his political agility:

A deputy to the National Assembly during the last years of the Revolution and foreign minister [1797-17991 under the Directory, Talleyrand achieved great power and influence under Napoleon I as foreign minister and chamberlain of the empire prior to his resignation [1807]. He then served as a consultant to Napoleon....13

By 1810 Talleyrand began to distance himself from the Emperor. In 1812 he sided with General Malet (a brother Philadelphian) in a conspiracy to overthrow the Empire.14 In 1815 he was at the Congress of Vienna mingling with Sion's Grail blue bloods. While historians describe Talleyrand as crafty, underhanded, wily, and adroit, they do not record those with whom he associated in the Rosicrucian Order of the Philadelphians, a Sionist front group. One associate was Charles Nodier, the new Grand Master of the Priory of Sion (G.M.1801-1844). When Tallleyrand advised the Templars to put Napoleon on the throne, he planned to surround the Emperor with the remnant of Sion's illumined. Talleyrand met with some success, for the moment Napoleon seized power (1799), the Grand Orient lodges, where the remnant of Illuminism sought a home, were opened in every place.15 That success was shattered, however, when in 1801 the Grand Orients merged with Sion's rivals, the Templar Scottish Rite, which embraced radical republicanism. The Templars, seeing in Napoleon their chance to unify Europe, permitted the Corsican to declare himself Emperor in 1804. Masonry then conspired during the Empire, assisting Napoleon in 1805 by undermining Austrian and Russian military might at the Battle of Austerlitz, giving Napoleon his greatest victory. Msgr. Dillon explains how the conspiracy worked: "The designs of the Austrian and other generals opposed to him were thwarted, treason was rife in their camps, and information fatal to their designs was conveyed to the French commander. "16 Masonry was then on Napoleon's side. For the next four years its power of hidden influence and espionage were placed at the Emperor's disposal. Napoleon, however, had no idea his rapid success was due to the Masonic intelligence service. Haughty and arrogant, blinded by power, he believed he was the source of all his brilliant victories. Msgr. Dillon writes that Napoleon's greatest mistake was the encouragement he gave to Freemasonry. It served his "purpose admirably for awhile, that is so long as he served the present and ultimate views of the conspiracy...."17 Trouble, however, began brewing between Napoleon and the Templar powers when they watched his brothers, all steeped in the secrets of Freemasonry, placed on the conquered thrones of Europe. When Napoleon desired a wife with Habsburg blood to make his reign in France more legitimate, Freemasonry became nervous. Napoleon no longer wanted to be Emperor. He wanted to be King. In 1809 he divorced Josephine of the House of Bourbon. Prince Metternich, Austrian minister of foreign affairs, responded in an effort to bring peace to Europe, and arranged for Napoleon to marry a Merovingian princess, Archduchess Marie Louise of the House of Habsburg.18 Freemasonry feared that the Emperor's power might be perpetuated with this alliance. the consequence of which would be an heir to his throne. A second Napoleon would cause danger to the universal republic Freemasonry could otherwise inaugurate at the death of the first Napoleon. Msgr. Dillon writes that Freemasonry observed as the Emperor "began to show a coldness for the sect, and sought means to prevent it from the propagandism of its diabolical alms. Then Freemasonry became his enemy, and his end was not far off."19 In 1810 Napoleon became the first excommunicate of Freemasonry. Msgr. Dillon writes that in 1812, "Members of the sect urged on his mad expedition to Moscow. His resources were paralyzed; and he was, in one word, sold by secret, invisible foes into the hands of his enemies."20

Sion and Charles Nodier

While the French Lodges on the Continent were distancing themselves from Napoleon, Masonic intrigue across the channel began to develop in 1811. Freemason and German prince William of Hesse was negotiating with England for landing on the coast for combined action against the French.21 To assist the Germans, Freemason General Malet, a Philadelphian, made an attempt in 1812 to overthrow the Empire, using England as his base of operation. Commander of the troops was General Massena, Grand Master of the Grand Orient, who at that time was in disgrace with Napoleon. Implicated in the plot were Charles Nodier, Talleyrand and Generals Moreau and Trochot, all Freemasons.22 Before embarking on their venture, one of the plotters addressed the assembly of Philadelphians. The speech hints of Sion when the speaker said the fall of the Emperor would be "the last of the oppressors of Jerusalem. "23 - an obvious reference to the Merovingian "King of Jerusalem" cult. This daring conspiracy almost succeeded. General Malet, however, carried the secret of the Philadelphians to his grave. After Malet's defeat the Priory of Sion appeared to have laid down its arms and picked up the pen. Learning well from the Illuminati that control of the press was a more effective weapon, Grand Masters of Sion from that time forward used the press to manipulate public opinion. The Priory of Sion had been plotting Napoleon's overthrow since 1804, when he declared himself Emperor. The individual assigned the task was Charles Nodier, the new Grand Master of Sion. Nodier was an excellent choice. Like Charles Radcliffe, he was born in the enemy's camp. Nodier's father, a Jacobin and an esteemed Master Mason in a Templar Lodge, was Mayor of Besancon and president of the town's revolutionary tribunal. The senior Nodier, in the forefront of Masonic activity and politics at the time, was apparently too busy to know, or even care about the subversive activities of his young and brilliant son.24 Nodier the younger is what we would call today an "advanced learner" or prodigy. When he was taken in by the Philadelphians at age ten to be groomed to pilot the ship of Sion, he displayed an extraordinary ability in cultural and political affairs. "By the age of eighteen," write the authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail, "he had established a literary reputation and continued to publish prolifically for the rest of his life, averaging a book a year. "25 In his own time "Nodier was regarded as a major cultural figure and his influence was enormous. " All other qualifications aside, Nodier's literary talent alone would have made him an excellent choice as Grand Master of Sion, for that is what prepared him for his final assignment - an assignment more important to illuminated Freemasonry than that which he had accomplished up to that time. In the 1830s Nodier and his associates were given the task of cataloging the Templar occult books and manuscripts that Napoleon had plundered from the Vatican in 1810. One of Nodier's colleagues assisting in this task was Rosicrucian Louis Constant (alias Eliphas Levi 1810~1875).27 In 1870 Levi would play a significant role in the Sionist plot against Napoleon III. According to Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Eliphas Levi became a prolific writer about magical Freemasonry,28 which esoterica he obviously had learned while methodically sifting through the Templar manuscripts. Charles Nodier was the first to experiment with deliberate and widely circulated disinformation, a task to which his great literary talents well suited him. In 1816 he wrote A History of Secret Societies in the Army under Napoleon. Nodier credits these secret societies with the downfall of Napoleon. Although the Grand Master does mention in his book that the Philadelphians are the main conspirators, he reputedly pledged not to reveal the real identity of their controllers. Nodier writes that "the oath which binds me to the Philadelphes. . .forbids me to make them known under their social name.29 Nodier here admits that the Philadelphians were a "front" for a much larger conspiratorial secret society. Holy Blood, Holy Grail suggests that Nodier was concealing the Priory of Sion in the phrase "under their social name." But Sion was not a "social name." In fact, the existence of Sion was so secret that it did not become known to conspiracy researchers until our day, specifically in 1982 when Holy Blood, Holy Grail was published. What, then, is the "social name" to which Nodier refers? The answer can be found by analyzing the Philadelphian plot. Since the Philadelphians used England as their base of operation. and considering the fact that most of the plotters were Rosicrucians, the "social name" to which Nodier was referring would seem more likely to have been the Rosicrucians, or their offspring, English Freemasonry. Possibly Nodier was suggesting that English Freemasonry engineered the plot to depose Napoleon. At any rate, the Priory of Sion was never revealed. And in any case, Nodier's book suggested other conspirators and plots. The authors of Holy Blood describe the effect Nodier's book had on the European community:

Nodier's book burst on the scene when fear of secret societies had assumed virtually pathological proportions.... People saw, or imagined they saw, conspiracies everywhere.... This mentality engendered measures of extreme repression. And the repression. often directed at a fictitious threat, in turn engendered real opponents, real groups of subversive conspirators - who would form themselves in accordance with the fictitious blueprints.30

Nodier left conspiracy hounds chasing phantoms. and Sion's Rosicrucian English Freemasons were free to continue their conspiracy. Whether this was the Grand Master's intended effect, or just an experiment. all future Grand Masters of Sion would manipulate public opinion through the press. This technique was perfected and practiced through "press leaks," which were oft times blatant lies. Other times partial truths, or actual facts were leaked. Leaks of this nature became known as misinformation, or disinformation. Such libels enabled Freemasonry to destroy anyone who did not adhere to the Masonic liberal line: clergyman, politician, king. president. or presidential appointee to the Supreme Court were all at risk.

The Fall of Napoleon

When Napoleon rose to power, French Freemasonry "became neither afraid nor revolted," writes Msgr. Dillon. "What did it desire in effect? To extend its empire - 'It permitted itself to become subject to despotism in order to become sovereign.' This gives us the whole reason why Masonry first permitted Napoleon to rule, then to reign, then to conquer, and finally to fall."31 When Talleyrand discovered that Freemasonry no longer approved of Napoleon's autocracy, he managed to distance himself from the Emperor and prepare for the coming change. In fact, all High Masons were ready to betray the Emperor. They had already determined his replacement should be one far removed from the Catholic Church. And, if at all possible, the new ruler should not be a member of the House of Bourbon. When Napoleon was sent into permanent exile, the French Masons demanded the Protestant and Masonic King of Holland for King of France. "This failing," says Dillon, "they contrived by Masonic arts to obtain the first places in the Provisional Government which succeeded Napoleon. They endeavoured to make the most of the inevitable, and to rule the incoming [Bourbon] Louis XVIII, in the interest of their sect, and to the detriment of the Church and of Christianity. " 32

English Masonry and the House of Rothschild

When Continental Freemasonry began supporting Napoleon, the Brotherhood did not foresee that this would weaken its powerful hold on the European monarchs, who were either themselves Masons, or had ministers who were members of the Craft. According to Count Corti, when the Holy Grail kings finally realized that Illuminated Freemasonry was a conspiracy against their thrones, they shifted their allegiance to the resurrected German Tugendbund under the protection of the English Masonic Lodge at Hanover. From there they fought to regain, or to protect their thrones, aided by financing from the Rothschilds and the military might of Great Britain.33

British Freemasonry was more than willing to defend the Merovingian kings of Europe. Her own aristocracy feared for their privileges with every victory of Napoleon. De Poncins quotes 33rd degree Grand Orient Freemason J.C. Corneloup, former Grand commander of the Grand College of Rites, who in 1963 in his Universalism of French Freemasonry said: "It is from this era in England that the unwritten but real triple alliance dates, between the Monarchy, the Church of England and Freemasonry - an alliance which to this day has been very effective."34 Assisting the Masonic oligarchy was the world's most famous banking firm, the House of Rothschild. Its founder, Meyer Amschel Rothschild, had strategically located his sons in Europe to better service the monarchs' war against Napoleon. A wellcirculated conspiracy legend was that in 1812, "Meyer Amschel gathered his five sons about his deathbed and divided Europe amongst them."35 French police records, however, and the records of issued visas, prove this deathbed division a farce, revealing instead that the elder Rothschild's sons had been stationed throughout Europe a decade before Napoleon came to power. "Moreover," says Corti, Rothschild's "illness had come on quite suddenly and developed so rapidly that the idea of recalling the sons who were abroad could never have been considered."36 When death did come to the old patriarch in 1812, his eldest son Amschel, and his youngest Carl, had already been managing the bank in his home town of Frankfurt. Nathan, his most aggressive son, had been running their London branch since at least 1801. Solomon was living in Paris, and James (a 33rd degree Mason), who was maintaining communication between Solomon and Nathan in England, was living at Gravelines on the Channel coast in the Department Pas-de-Calais.37 Shortly after Nathan Rothschild had arrived in London he had joined English Freemasonry.38 When the Napoleonic Wars threatened his royal patrons on the Continent, Nathan began seeking support for the European kings in the halls of the London lodges. Consequently, in 1807 the powerful English Navy blockaded all French ports. In 1812, however, Great Britain was at war with the upstart United States of America (War of 1812), and could not be stretched to land troops on the Continent. Finally, on December 24, 1814, London signed a treaty with America, freeing England's military resources. At the Congress of Vienna, when London was assured of the backing of the repentant monarchs who had renounced their Grand Orient affiliation, England's military might went into action for the European oligarchy. Taking advantage of the weakness of the French Republicans, England sent Freemason Duke of Wellington from his campaign in Portugal to meet Napoleon at Waterloo. The battle could have gone either way, and indeed at one point Napoleon appeared to be winning. When the first military envoy carried to London the report of Napoleon's success over Wellington, the British stock market crashed. Nathan Rothschild cashed in on the low stocks and overnight became the wealthiest man in England, ultimately controlling its central bank. From that day to the end of his life, Nathan was known as "England's banker."39 Some conspiracy authors have blamed Nathan for creating the stock market crash, accusing him of falsifying the earlier reports carried from the battle at Waterloo. According to Corti, however, that could not have happened, since the first report was secretly transported by a government envoy. Corti confirms that when Nathan, through his own channels, first heard of Wellington's victory over Napoleon, the stock market had already plunged, and Nathan bought up the stock. Moreover, when Nathan did receive his report of Wellington's victory, he did not withhold it, but rather, immediately gave it to the British government. The British government chose not to credit Nathan's report, believing instead the earlier report of its own military envoy. The British government delayed one full day until its second courier arrived to confirm Nathan's information. Corti narrates the details of these events:

On the resumption of hostilities in France, Herries [Commissary-in-chief for financing the British and Allied forces on the Continent] and Nathan [Rothschild] had returned to London, and were anxiously awaiting news of the result of the conflict. Nathan and his brothers had always made a particular point of letting one another have news as speedily as possible, either directly or through their business friends, of any important event that might influence their business, or be a determining factor in new undertakings. Nathan had promised prizes for the most speedy supply of news to boats sailing between England and the Continent. He also instructed his agents throughout the world to give him the earliest possible report regarding the outcome of the expected conflict. Such measures were of particular importance at that time, because none of the modern methods of conveying news had been invented - the stage post, that is, a series of messengers, being the usual way of obtaining it quickly. Nathan's arrangements worked perfectly for the battle of Waterloo. One of his agents, whose name was Rothworth, waited at Ostend for news of the result. He succeeded in obtaining the first newspaper issue of the successful account of the battle, and with a copy of the Dutch Gazette fresh from the printers, he caught a boat just sailing for London. He entered the British capital very early in the morning of June 20 [1815], and immediately reported to Nathan, who conveyed the news of victory to Herries, and through him to the British government. The government [was] at first skeptical as [it] had not received any direct information, and Wellington's envoy, Major Henry Percy, did not arrive with the fieldmarshal's report until the 21st of June. The members of the British government were tremendously impressed by Nathan's advance knowledge of such an important event; and when this became generally known, the public, who were just beginning to learn of the extent to which Nathan was employed by the English Treasury, began to invent all manner of legends regarding the method by which Nathan had acquired this knowledge and the manner in which he had exploited it. Some said that he had a private service of carrier-pigeons; others that he had been personally present at the battle of Waterloo and had ridden to the coast at top speed. In order to make the story more romantic, he was said to have found heavy storms raging when he reached the Channel and to have crossed at the risk of his life. Nathan was also alleged to have exploited the news on the stock exchange, thus at one stroke creating the enormous fortunes of the Rothschilds.40

In defense of the Rothschilds, Corti writes: "Nathan naturally applied the early information that he had obtained to his own profit in his business dealings. He was particularly skilful at exploiting the abnormal conditions of the period, conditions such as always give those with a gift for speculation an opportunity of enriching themselves, while those who stand by passively are reduced to poverty."41 Events of this nature occurred throughout the Napoleonic Wars. With the help of the Rothschilds and English Freemasonry, coupled with French Freemasonry's withdrawal from Napoleon, the Corsican fell. In fact the Grand Orient was so weakened by this time that it could not oppose the wish of the whole nation of France and was obliged to submit to the return of the Bourbons.

The Wealth of British Freemasons

Through the course of this Continental struggle, England, with its extensive coastline, was untouched by the wars. British merchants of the sea, better known as the British East India Company, transported desperately needed war materials, medicines (mostly opium), and supplies to the Continent. These merchants were all "born and bred" in English Freemasonry. As "Masonic Brothers" they were heir to trade monopolies with Great Britain's European allies. Although Napoleon attempted a blockade, the underground network of Masons on the Continent obedient to the English Grand Lodge helped smuggle war materials to their destinations. The British government encouraged these smugglers with prizes for breaking through the Napoleonic blockade.42 In this manner Nathan Rothschild was able to fund Wellington's army. The oligarchy in British Freemasonry, including the House of Rothschild, became extremely wealthy and powerful. In contrast, the European kings, borrowing funds to fight a war of survival, were suffering near bankruptcy. Although the House of Rothschild came to their financial rescue, the loans were endless, building interest upon interest, gradually sapping the kings' wealth. Yet, they had no recourse. They needed the assistance for survival.

Napoleon, in an attempt to break the trade channels between Great Britain and Russia, went to war with Russia. Commerce originating from the shores of sea-girt England, however, could not be stopped, and the British oligarchy exerted an even more powerful political and financial influence upon the Continental sovereigns. At home London was able to devote her principal attention, practically undisturbed, to the development of her commerce and the prosperity of her citizens. Corti writes that "Towards the close of the eighteenth century England was indisputably the most important commercial power in Europe, and the House of Rothschild had made an exceedingly clever move in arranging that one of its sons, and the most talented one at that, should take up his residence in that Kingdom."43 The myth that the Rothschilds alone became wealthy during the Napoleonic Wars is unfounded. The entire British oligarchy benefited - indeed, the whole of Great Britain shared in the wealth. Subsequently, the Napoleonic Wars solidified the marriage between the Rothschilds and English Freemasonry. As a result the Rothschilds moved their banking headquarters to London, where it remains to this day. Moreover, at this point, we witness an awakening of English Freemasonry, which over the next century, gradually transferred the conspiracy headquarters for world dominion from Paris to London. The House of Rothschild was, of course, in a unique position to help; its involvement with English Freemasonry has caused some conspiracy researchers to declare this Jewish clan the Hidden Hand that planned these events.44 As Corti however confirms throughout his book, this identification of the Rothschilds as the Hidden Hand is quite impossible. Although the Rothschilds had aligned themselves with the more powerful English Grand Lodge, they did not control the Sionist Masonic conspiracy. They were probably ignorant of it; the "Priory documents" significantly made no mention of their clan.

Templars and the Missionary Grand Orient

Following the Napoleonic Wars, the French Grand Orient reigned supreme in numbers on the Continent. Msgr. Dillon confirms that upon the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte, the withdrawing French revolutionary armies left behind a deadly scourge that could not be removed. That "deadly scourge" was the system of atheistic French Grand Orient Freemasonry. 45 From these European nations, Grand Orient Masonry was then transported to their colonies. For example, Italy took it to Sicily and Africa. Spain and Portugal shipped it to Central and South America, and to the Philippines. Russian soldiers, chasing the retreating Napoleon through Europe, stopped from time to time to investigate the function of Grand Orient Lodges. Many Russian officers fell under the influence of the Grand Orient's revolutionary ideas, carrying them back to their homeland. Russian historian Dmitri Merejkovsky informs us that when these officers returned to Russia, they founded in 1816 a lodge called alliance de Salut, "having for its aim the violent abolition of autocracy. "46 Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry writes of the failed revolutionary effort undertaken by this Russian lodge:

At the end of the Napoleonic Wars and with the return of the army to Russia this Masonic body grew to the extent of having forty lodges under [its] jurisdiction. These lodges under French influence turned their attention to politics, and ended their career in the turmoil of the attempted Revolution in December, 1825.47

But the lodges did not end their "turmoil" after their 1825 failure, as Mackey would have us believe. Paul Fisher, using the February 1945 issue of the Scottish Rite New Age magazine as his source, tells how the Russian revolutionists fled to France, where they were protected and rejuvenated by the Grand Orient lodges and returned to Russia to continue their "turmoil":

"[A]fter 1825, many Russian Masons exiled themselves to France where lodges operating in the Russian language were sponsored by the Grand Orient. Some of the exiles later returned to Russia, and organized lodges in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Later, additional lodges were organized in the early 20th Century and had an avowedly political aim and view: namely, that of the overthrow of the autocracy. "48

The reign of Napoleon Bonaparte has been the most flourishing epoch of Freemasonry. 49 This, in spite of the fact that Napoleon was defeated, exiled to Elba, and the House of Bourbon returned to the French throne.

Plans to Thwart Templar Republicanism

During the seventy-five years leading up to the French Revolution, the European kings had cooperated with the tide of Illuminism, either by ignoring it, tolerating it, or joining it through initiation into Continental Freemasonry. They remained, however, absolute monarchs. As such, few had aligned themselves with English Freemasonry. They detested the constitutional monarchy at London, well aware why English Freemasonry favored that system of government. As absolute sovereigns, they wanted no part of it. The Napoleonic Wars, however, forced them to reconsider. Hence, two oligarchic congresses, Vienna in 1815 and Verona in 1822, were held to solidify the unity of European royalty under the British Masonic banner. English Freemasonry represented royalty's only hope against the Templar Republicans. The Congress of Vienna (September 1814 to June 1815) was the most distinguished political assemblage in European history. The "Big Four" - Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Great Britain - were the major victors over Napoleon. The alliance of their forces, which ousted the Corsican, was the brilliant plan of Metternich, Austrian minister of foreign affairs. Together they had defeated and exiled Napoleon to Elba. The House of Bourbon reclaimed the throne of France. During the Congress, however, Napoleon did break out and create some mischief for a short time before he was defeated at Waterloo, then banished to St. Helena. At Vienna, however, the name of Metternich was on everyone's lips, for he had designed the brilliant defeat of Napoleon. Also present at the Congress were delegates from Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, the Papacy, Bavaria, Saxony, Wurttemberg, and defeated France - the latter represented by none other than the Illuminatus and wily double agent of Sion, Talleyrand.50 Through this mole, the Grand Master of the Priory of Sion was undoubtedly kept abreast of the proceedings.51 The Merovingian sovereigns represented at the Congress understood well their royal heritage. The never-ending conflict between the Knights Templar and the Priory of Sion, then raging between French and English Freemasonries, had in the past dashed Sion's dreams of world conquest. The Merovingians were aware that the Napoleonic Wars were just another attempt by the Templars to usurp their thrones. They feared that this recent conflict would not be the last, yet hoped the Congress would establish their millennium-old goal of placing their "King of Jerusalem" on the throne of a United Europe - ultimately to rule a united world. Four major strategies were developed at the Congress of Vienna to keep Templar Republicanism in check: (1) return the Catholic Church to its original unifying status, a status from which the monarchs had so foolishly departed; (2) establish a powerful monarchical Federation of Europe to prevent the spread of Templar Grand Orient republicanism; (3) reconsider the plight of the Jews, whose previous persecution by the monarchies resulted in their emancipation by their Templar adversary; and (4) establish Switzerland as a neutral State to store their movable wealth should another Templar eruption occur.52 The first topic was not difficult. Before the French Revolution the sovereigns had been deceived into uniting with their Templar adversary, hoping that within French Freemasonry there would be the opportunity to cast off the yoke of Roman Catholicism. At the Congress they realized their error and felt they had to return Catholicism to its original status. Their only obstacle was Czar Alexander I. He was not of Grail blood, and the Christianity of his kingdom was not Roman. Beginning in the 15th century, his nation was Christianized and religiously governed from Constantinople, the Eastern Orthodox Church. Besides, Alexander was solidly anchored in the enemy's camp. He had been steeped in Grand Orient Freemasonry, trained and guided by the depraved in that degenerate society. The Western European kings could progress no further with him, other than agreeing in their mutual desire to rid the world of Napoleon.

The Oligarchy and Catholicism

Before Napoleon's defeat, the European monarchs had watched in horror as this little Emperor-General progressively destroyed one throne after another through the aid of Republican Grand Orient Freemasonry. As a result many sovereigns who had joined Continental Freemasonry renounced their affiliation, paying dearly to embrace English Freemasonry. At the two royal Congresses, these nobles began confessing their error one to another, some privately, some in broad speeches. One blue blood was the Comte de Virieu. Virieu had been a delegate at Wilhelmsbad representing the Masonic Lodge of Lyon, Les chevaliers bienfaisants. Upon his return to Paris from Wilhelmsbad, he said to a friend, "I shall not tell you the secrets which I have brought back, but what I believe, I may tell you, is that a plot is being hatched, so well contrived and so deep that it will be difficult for religion and for the government not to succumb."53 At that he renounced Freemasonry and returned to the Catholic Church. He made this confession again at the Congress of Vienna. At the Congress of Verona seven years later, Count von Haugwitz, who had accompanied his master the King of Prussia, confessed the part he had played in Grand Orient Freemasonry. His speech is recorded by both de Poncins and Dillon. Dillon quotes Haugwitz as saying, [When I] arrived at the end of my career, I believe it to be my duty to cast a glance upon the secret societies whose power menaces humanity to-day more than ever. Their history is so bound up with that of my life that I cannot refrain from publishing it once more and from giving some details regarding it. My natural disposition, and my education, having excited in me so great a desire for information, that I could not content myself with ordinary knowledge, I wished to penetrate into the very essence of things. But shadow follows light, thus an insatiable curiosity develops itself in proportion to the efforts which one makes to penetrate further into the sanctuary of science. These two sentiments impelled me to enter into the society of Freemasons. It is well known that the first step which one makes in the order is little calculated to satisfy the mind. That is precisely the danger to be dreaded for the inflammable imagination of youth. Scarcely had I attained my majority, when, not only did I find myself at the head of Masonry, but what is more, I occupied a distinguished place in the chapter of high grades. Before I had the power of knowing myself, before I could comprehend the situation in which I had rashly engaged myself, I found myself charged with the superior direction of the Masonic reunions of a part of Prussia, of Poland, and of Russia.54 Count Haugwitz continued his long confession describing how Free-masonry is divided into two camps, Deism versus Atheism, obviously referring to deistic English Freemasonry and atheistic French Freemasonry. Haugwitz confessed he was a member of both. Then he warned the Congress against French Freemasonry:

It was in the year 1777, that I became charged with the direction of one part of the Prussian lodges, three or four years before the Convent of Wilhelmsbad and the invasion of the lodges by illuminism. My action extended even over the brothers dispersed throughout Poland and Russia. If I did not myself see it, I could not give myself even a plausible explanation of the carelessness with which Governments have been able to shut their eyes to such a disorder, a veritable state within a State. Not only were the chiefs in constant correspondence, and employed particular cyphers, but even they reciprocally sent emissaries one to another. To exercise a dominating influence over thrones, such was our aim, as it had been of the Knight Templars.55

Haugwitz concluded by informing the Congress how the illuminated Templar Grand Orient Lodges commenced the drama of 1789, known as the French Revolution. He lamented, "Of all my contemporaries of that epoch there is not one left - all have been killed.... [This] caused me to take the firm resolution of renouncing Masonry."56 What deplorable excesses these sovereigns enjoyed for centuries, both tolerating and warring against the temporal dominions of the Catholic Church, they now feared at the hands of the Templars. The discussions at the Congress of Vienna were focused on the protection of their thrones from Templar Republicanism. Their first decision was to restore the Catholic Church to its previous Position. Dillon writes that:

The temporal power [of the Church] was their stronghold, the rallying point of every legitimate authority in Europe. With a sure instinct of self-preservation, the schismatical Lord of Russia, the evangelical King of Prussia, the Protestant governments of England, Denmark, and Sweden, as well as the ancient legitimate Catholic dynasties of Portugal, Austria, Bavaria, and Spain had determined at the Congress of Vienna on the restoration of the temporal dominions of the Pope. The conservatives of Europe, whether Catholic, Protestant, or schismatic [Eastern Orthodox], felt that while the States of the Church were preserved intact to the head of the Catholic religion, their own rights would remain unquestioned - that to reach themselves his rights should be first assailed.57

This led the world to believe that the kings of Europe were ardent Catholics, when in fact they used Catholicism only as a control mechanism. First, they were Sionist- Merovingians. Second, they were sovereigns. Third, they were Catholics, or if Protestants - tolerating Catholicism. The Congress of Vienna was successful in restoring most of the ancient Italian states as well as the states of the Church to their legitimate (meaning hereditary) rulers.55 It was unsuccessful, however, in its bid to counter the Grand Orient's proposed universal republic with its own monarchical federation, which was the second topic considered at the Congress.

One-World Government Proposed

Under Napoleon, Templar Grand Orient Freemasonry failed to establish the United Republic of Europe. Now it was Sion's turn, protected by Rosicrucian English Masonry. At the Congress of Vienna, Prince Clemens Lothar von Metternich, Austrian minister of foreign affairs, introduced the concept of a United Federation of Europe. His plan was to form a confederation of kingdoms, each of which was to remain independent, yet having a common governing body at Vienna. The United Federation would combine its military under a powerful federal army for maintaining the peace. Weak states were to be occupied by the Army to halt the spread of republicanism.59 Czar Alexander I refused to lend the support of his awesome 500,000-man army and thus the plan failed. He allegedly suspected Illuminati influence in the Congress and blocked its becoming an early League of Nations.60 He wanted instead to divide the spoils of victory - with Russia, of course, receiving the greater part. The Durants write that in response to Alexander's desires, Metternich sought allies against [Czar Alexander] among the delegates of the minor powers. He argued that the principle of legitimacy forbade such spoliation of a king as Russia and Prussia proposed in Saxony. They agreed, but how could they talk principle to a Russia that had 500,000 troops quartered on her western front? Metternich appealed to Lord Castlereagh, who spoke for England: Would not England be uneasy with Russia reaching through Poland and allied with a Prussia swollen with Saxony? What would this do to the balance of power east and west? Castlereagh excused himself; Britain was at war with the United States, and could not risk a confrontation with Russia.61 During these discussions, Napoleon had not yet escaped Elba to suffer his final defeat at Waterloo. Metternich, as a last resort, turned to the Priory of Sion's mole, Talleyrand. Metternich detested this crafty man, yet needed his help against Russia. Tallleyrand promised Metternich a well-seasoned French army of 300,000 men. The Durants describe Talleyrand's negotiations and resolution of the situation:

Tallleyrand secured [the new Bourbon King] Louis XVIII's consent; the two diplomats won over Castlereagh now that peace had been made with America. On January 3, 1815, France, Austria, and Great Britain formed a Triple Alliance for mutual aid in maintaining the balance of power. Russia withdrew her claim to all Poland; and Prussia, having regained Thorn and Posen, agreed to take only twofifths of Saxony. Talleyrand received most of the credit, and boasted that his diplomacy had changed France from a beaten beggar to again a major power.62

Although the Czar of Russia did not obtain all that he had asked for, he sank the Venetian plan for a European federation of monarchs. His action would not be forgotten by Sion, nor would it be forgiven.63 The next time the Grail bloodline was in a position to dominate the world, Russia would not be able to interfere, for there would be no Czar on its throne. The Triple Alliance was all that Metternich could muster for his proposed federation of Europe. Although the Merovingians failed in their first attempt at creating a massive state, the concept never died. It did, however, tie the Venetian "King of Jerusalem" cult to British Freemasonry. Sion's plan for a United Europe was only delayed. It would surface again, but not for two centuries.64

The Illuminati and the congress of Vienna Talleyrand's involvement at the Congress of Vienna has convinced many conspiracy researchers that Weishaupt was secretly manipulating the proceedings. Revisionists have furthermore written Nathan Rothschild into the story, presenting him as the financial strong man behind Weishaupt. If true, Weishaupt would have attended the Congress, which was not possible, since he was in exile. Nor was Nathan Rothschild present at the Congress. As confirmed earlier, he was in London awaiting the outcome of Napoleon's new military ventures, which overlapped the Viennese Congress some six months. In addition, as we have already discussed, there is no positive connection between Weishaupt and the Rothschilds. If Weishaupt had a representative at the Congress, the only logical person would have been Illuminatus Talleyrand. Talleyrand, however, was more intimate with Charles Nodier, the Grand Master of the Priory of Sion, than he was with Weishaupt. Both Talleyrand and Nodier, with the help of Sion's Philadelphians, had, on behalf of the Merovingians and English Freemasonry, conspired against Napoleon. If any leading conspirator influenced the Congress, it would have been Charles Nodier, not Weishaupt, and definitely not Nathan Rothschild. Rothschild's only concern in the outcome of the Congress was freedom for the Jews. For this reason alone the banking family sent representatives to the Congress, not to manipulate world events, but to lobby for Jewish emancipation. This was their only involvement, indeed their only concern at the time, which was the third consideration at the Congress. Corti clarifies the Rothschilds' concerns and interest in the Congress:

[T]he decision regarding the future status of the Jews was one of the questions to be settled by the Vienna Congress.... The choice of Vienna was not very acceptable to the Rothschilds, for Austria was the state which had hitherto so obstinately refused to enter into close business relations with them, and her statesmen, such as Ugarte, still did not really trust the upstart Jewish firm at Frankfort. Moreover, the Rothschilds well knew the strict police control to which foreign Jews were subjected at Vienna, and how greatly all Jews were restricted in their freedom to do business in Austria. As they were determined, however, to secure the desired business connections with the Austrian state, they were not tempted to make the realization of their plan more difficult through possible conflicts with the police at Vienna.

Such considerations caused the House of Rothschild to refrain from sending a member of the family there. The Frankfort Israelites sent old Bornes, Jacob Baruch, and J.J. Gumprecht, as their representatives. They were closely watched by the Viennese police; indeed their expulsion was ordered and sanctioned by the emperor himself; but Metternich intervened, and prevented this from being carried out. Metternich's intervention was probably due to the fact that he had known Baruch when he was ambassador at Frankfort. There is no proof that Rothschild had any particular influence with the minister at that time.65

Switzerland - The Oligarchy Strongbox

During the course of nine months, from September 1814 to June 1815, the crowned heads and their renowned diplomats had redrawn the map of Europe. They were not, however, secure in what they had accomplished. Although they scorned the theories of democratic government and opposed the doctrines of national selfdetermination, they feared the principles of the French Revolution. Not only had the Revolution endangered their sovereignty, it had compromised their wealth as well. The final agenda at the Congress was to remedy that problem. The House of Rothschild had in the past played a significant role in the transport and protection of royalty's wealth, but in 1815 their banks were not in neutral nations. A nonpartisan location was needed to satisfy all parties. Austria was not acceptable. Moreover, the Merovingians were insecure in their remote headquarters in Vienna. Should the Templar Republicans revive, territory closer to the French border was more desirable for intelligence gathering. Switzerland had proven its strategic worth earlier. When the Big Four were closing in on Napoleon, Metternich had shifted Austrian imperial headquarters from Vienna to Freiburg, Switzerland, to better organize at close range his defense against the Corsican.66 Hence, the decision was made at the Congress of Vienna to create Switzerland as a bank with an army attached.67 Should the revolutions ever again regain momentum, and royalty be exiled from their respective lands, neutral Switzerland would protect them, as well as supply them with ample funds to live several lifetimes in luxury. England, not hampered by the fears of the Venetian oligarchy and determined to safeguard her commercial and colonial interests, was fully agreed to ratify the neutrality of Switzerland. Before any financial moves were made, however, London required Swiss Grand Orients closed and replaced with Swiss Grand Lodges with English obedience. Only then would England cooperate. In Paris on November 20, 1815, Switzerland's neutrality was guaranteed by France, Austria, Great Britain, Portugal, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia. A century later, in 1919, at the Treaty of Versailles, neutrality was again confirmed. In 1920 the League of Nations acknowledged Switzerland as "conditioned by a centuries-old tradition explicitly incorporated in international law."68 The tradition of Swiss neutrality was again upheld from 1935 to 1945 - even while war raged around its borders. The Congress of Vienna adjourned on June 18, 1815. Two days earlier Napoleon had been defeated at Waterloo. Over the next few decades the oligarchy's Grail bloodline moved their financial headquarters from Vienna to Zurich, Switzerland. Immediately they went to work absorbing the French Grand Orient Lodges, placing them under English Masonic obedience. Thirty-second degree Mason A.E. Waite, in A New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry, gives us a century of history concerning the Masonic maneuvers in Switzerland. He reports that Swiss Freemasonry was founded by the British as early as 1736. In 1775 the Swiss lodges transferred their allegiance from English Masonry to the German Strict Observance. Under Napoleon the French Grand Orient invaded Switzerland, and a certain number of existing lodges came under its obedience. Geneva was ceded to France during the wars of Napoleon, and Swiss Masonry then became an appendage of the French Grand Orient. In 1818, as demanded by London, English Masonic obedience began to replace the Grand Orients, except in Geneva where the aristocracy permitted one Grand Orient Lodge to function.69 By 1844 fourteen lodges in Switzerland had united under English obedience, agreed to a Grand Lodge Constitution, and organized the Grand Lodge Alpina in Zurich.70 Within a few decades Alpina headquarters moved to Geneva, next to its Grand Orient rival. From these two lodges, both within a neutral nation, both headquartered in the same city, Scarlet and the Beast would continue to plot their separate intrigues to dominate the world. From Geneva both the right wing and the left wing revolutions would spread over the face of the earth. In Geneva both would unite a century later.

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

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

https://www.facebook.com/billy.dunn.50767/posts/pfbid0377986ibLc6M8gyYEMLourJ5JaR4Xdpgto9TS72f5BKiaEu3t3neYVeTWe8xiBHCql

Vice President Kamala Harris Archived

November 4, 2021  ·

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=287432446715585&set=a.287432426715587

Mr. T entered the world of professional wrestling in 1985. He was Hulk Hogan's tag-team partner at the World Wrestling Federation's (WWF) WrestleMania I which he won. Hulk Hogan wrote in his autobiography that Mr. T saved the main event of WrestleMania I between them and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff because when he arrived, security would not let his entourage into the building. Mr. T was ready to skip the show until Hogan personally talked him out of leaving.[clarification needed] Piper has said that he and other fellow wrestlers disliked Mr. T because he was an actor and had never paid his dues as a professional wrestler. Remaining with the WWF, Mr. T became a special "WWF boxer" in light of his character in Rocky III. He took on "Cowboy" Bob Orton on the March 1, 1986, Saturday Night's Main Event V, on NBC. This boxing stunt culminated in another boxing match against Roddy Piper at WrestleMania 2. As part of the build-up for the match, Piper attacked Mr. T's friend, dwarf wrestler the Haiti Kid on his Piper's Pit interview slot, shaving his head into a mohican style similar to that of Mr. T. Then Mr. T won the boxing match in Round 4 by disqualification after Piper attacked the referee and bodyslammed Mr. T. He returned to the World Wrestling Federation as a special guest referee in 1987 as well as a special referee enforcer confronting such stars as The Honky Tonk Man and then afterwards the WWF decided to stop using Mr. T.

On July 21, 1989, Mr. T. made an appearance in World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), seconding Kerry Von Erich.[64] Five years later, Mr. T reappeared in WCW, first appearing in Hulk Hogan's corner for his WCW world title match against Ric Flair at Bash at the Beach 1994. He would next appear as a special referee for the Hogan–Flair rematch in October 1994 at Halloween Havoc, and then went on to wrestle again, defeating Kevin Sullivan at that year's Starrcade. Another seven years later Mr. T appeared in the front row of the November 19, 2001, episode of WWF Raw.[65] On April 5, 2014, at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Mr. T was inducted by Gene Okerlund into the WWE Hall of Fame's celebrity wing. His acceptance speech, largely a tribute to his mother and motherhood rather than wrestling, ran long and was eventually interrupted by Kane.[66]

Personal life

Mr. T during an interview in London in 2009

Mr. T is a born-again Christian.[67] Mr. T has three children with his wife: two daughters, one of whom is a comedian, and a son. Mr. T was sued by a man in 2014 saying that he was also Mr. T's son from outside his marriage. The lawsuit was dismissed in August 2014 due to the man's failure to pay the required fees.[68][69]

In 1987, he angered the residents of Lake Forest, Illinois, by cutting down more than a hundred oak trees on his estate. The local newspaper referred to the incident as "the Lake Forest Chain Saw Massacre".[70][71][72]

In 1995, he was diagnosed with a cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, or mycosis fungoides.[73][user-generated source?] Once in remission, he joked about the coincidence: "Can you imagine that? Cancer with my name on it – personalized cancer!"[74] He wrote an as-yet-unpublished book on this experience, called Cancer Saved My Life (Cancer Ain't For No Wimps).[75] He made a direct reference to it as he performed a WALTZ to the song "Amazing Grace" in Dancing with the Stars.[76]

He stopped wearing virtually all his gold, one of his identifying marks, after helping with the clean-up after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He said, "As a Christian, when I saw other people lose their lives and lose their land and property ... I felt that it would be a sin before God for me to continue wearing my gold. I felt it would be insensitive and disrespectful to the people who lost everything, so I stopped wearing my gold."[77]

Mr. T often refers to himself in the third person.[78] He also frequently talks in rhymes. He cites Muhammad Ali as his "childhood hero" and his main inspiration with regard to style and mannerisms.[50]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._T

Timothy James Walz (/wɔːlz/ ⓘ; born April 6, 1964) is an American politician, former educator, and retired United States Army non-commissioned officer who has served since 2019 as the 41st governor of Minnesota. He was the Democratic nominee for vice president in the 2024 U.S. presidential election and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019.

Walz was born in West Point, Nebraska. After high school, he joined the Army National Guard and worked in a factory. He later graduated from Chadron State College in Nebraska and then moved to Minnesota in 1996. Before running for Congress, he was a high school social studies teacher and football coach. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Minnesota's 1st congressional district in 2006, defeating six-term Republican incumbent Gil Gutknecht.

Walz was reelected to the House five times and was the ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee from 2017 to 2019. He was elected governor of Minnesota in 2018 and reelected in 2022, holding office during the COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota. During his first gubernatorial term, protests and riots relating to the murder of George Floyd occurred. During his second term, he pushed for and signed a wide range of legislation including tax modifications, free school meals, bolstering state infrastructure, universal gun background checks, codifying abortion rights, and free college tuition for low-income families.

On August 6, 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris announced Walz as her running mate in the 2024 election. Their ticket was defeated by Republican nominees Donald Trump and JD Vance.

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

Musk hails DOGE at conservative gathering after wielding his "chainsaw for bureaucracy"

6:33 p.m. PST, February 20, 2025

From CNN's Steve Contorno and David Wright

Tech billionaire Elon Musk touted his efforts to shrink the federal workforce in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency during an on-stage interview today at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland.

As Musk stepped on the stage, drawing a rock-star welcome, he was joined briefly by President of Argentina Javier Milei, who handed him the chainsaw — a symbol Milei uses in his country to promote his approach of cuts to the public budget. Musk waved it in the air, describing it as “chainsaw for bureaucracy.”

The Argentine leader and the SpaceX founder met earlier today in Washington, DC. They both agreed on “the urgency of deregulating the economy” because, in their opinion, state regulations have damaged “the development of countries and their growth,” according to a statement from Milei’s office.

Throughout his conversation at CPAC that lasted a little over a half an hour, Musk was loose and informal, joking about his critics and breezily defending steep cuts to federal services that have provoked an outcry from Democrats and prompted some Republicans to express unease.

“There’s living the dream and there’s living the meme. And that’s pretty much what’s happening, you know. I mean, DOGE started out as a meme, think about it. And now it’s real. Isn’t that crazy? But it’s cool,” Musk declared.

Musk was asked repeatedly about his efforts to find waste and fraud in the federal budget, which he likened to throwing darts in a room full of targets. He also returned to claims about Social Security fraud, a repeated point of emphasis from the tech billionaire and his DOGE partners.

But Musk also rebuffed the suggestion that the Trump administration and Republicans were ultimately looking to cut entitlement programs.

CNNE’s Federico Jofré and Mauricio Torres contributed to this post, which was updated with Milei’s statement on his meeting today with Musk.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-administration-news-02-20-25

Robert Barton Englund (born June 6, 1947) is an American actor and director. Englund is best known for playing the villain Freddy Krueger in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and Willie in the V television franchise (1983–1985). Englund has received multiple accolades and honors, including a Saturn Award, a Fangoria Chainsaw Award, as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Classically trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Englund began his career as a stage actor in regional theatre and made his film debut in Buster and Billie (1974), followed by supporting roles in films such as Stay Hungry (1976), A Star Is Born (1976), and Big Wednesday (1978). Englund had his breakthrough as the resistance fighter Willie in the miniseries V in 1983. Following his performance in the original A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), he became closely associated with the horror film genre, and is widely regarded as one of its iconic actors. He reprised his role as Freddy in seven sequels, as well as the horror anthology series Freddy's Nightmares (1988–1990).

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

Robert Fludd, also known as Robertus de Fluctibus (17 January 1574 – 8 September 1637), was a prominent English Paracelsian physician with both scientific and occult interests. He is remembered as an astrologer, mathematician, cosmologist, Qabalist, and Rosicrucian.

Fludd is best known for his compilations in occult philosophy. He had a celebrated exchange of views with Johannes Kepler concerning the scientific and hermetic approaches to knowledge.[1]

Early life

He was born at Milgate House, Bearsted, Kent, on 17 January 1573/4.[2] He was the son of Sir Thomas Fludd, a high-ranking governmental official (Queen Elizabeth I's treasurer for war in Europe), and Member of Parliament.[3] His mother was Elizabeth Andrews Fludd.[4] A collage of 12 Coats of Arms of Fludd ancestors are shown in the painting above his right shoulder. His paternal arms goes back to Rhirid Flaidd whose name originates from Welsh meaning bloody or red wolf.[5]

Education

He entered St John's College, Oxford as a commoner in 1591, graduating with a B.A. in 1597 and an M.A. in 1598.[2] St John's College, Oxford was one of the few in England with any provision for Fellowship (medicine); William Huffman suggests that the presence of a Medical Fellow at St John's College, Oxford influenced Fludd's interest in studying medicine.[2] During Fludd's time at St John's College, the Medical Fellow in residence was Matthew Gwinne; Gwinne had previously produced a tract indicating that, while he practiced Galenic medicine, he was also familiar with the main Paracelsian medical work. Fludd may have encountered Gwinne, or his writing, during his time at Oxford, providing an additional influence for his later medical philosophy and practice.

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

Alan fitz Flaad (c. 1060 – after 1120) was a Breton knight, probably recruited as a mercenary by Henry I of England in his conflicts with his brothers.[1] After Henry became King of England, Alan became an assiduous courtier and obtained large estates in Norfolk, Sussex, Shropshire, and elsewhere in the Midlands, including the feudal barony and castle of Oswestry in Shropshire.[2][3][4] His duties included supervision of the Welsh border.[5] He is now noted as the progenitor of the FitzAlan family, the Earls of Arundel (1267–1580), and the House of Stuart,[6] although his family connections were long a matter of conjecture and controversy.

Arrival in England

Flaad and his son Alan had come to the favourable notice of King Henry I of England who, soon after his accession, brought Flaad and Alan to England. Eyton, consistently following the theory of the Scottish origins of the Stewarts, thought this was because he was part of the entourage of the Queen, Matilda of Scotland,[7] Round pointed out that Henry had been besieged in Mont-Saint-Michel during his struggle with his brothers,[1] an event which probably occurred in 1091. He is known to have recruited Breton troops at that time and, after his surrender, left the scene via the adjoining regions of Brittany, where Dol is situated. This is a likely explanation for the Bretons in the military retinue he brought to England after the death of William Rufus.

Alan's career in England can be traced largely through his presence as a witness to charters granted by the king during his travels in the first decade or more of his reign. Some of his activities were traced by Eyton, and his researches overlap with William Farrer's calendar of Henry I travel. All of the business in which he took part was ecclesiastical, involving grants, sometimes disputed, to churches and monasteries.

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

Stuart's Cape Audio CD – CD, May 1, 2013

Stuart's got problems...It's raining. He's bored.And worst of all, he's new in town.So he's got a lot to worry about.But what does a kid like Stuart need in order to have an adventure? A cape, of course.

https://www.amazon.com/Stuarts-Cape-Sara-Pennypacker/dp/1470886391

The Capetian dynasty (/kəˈpiːʃən/; French: Capétiens), also known as the House of France, is a dynasty of Frankish origin, and a branch of the Robertians. It is among the largest and oldest royal houses in Europe and the world, and consists of Hugh Capet, the founder of the dynasty, and his male-line descendants, who ruled in France without interruption from 987 to 1792, and again from 1814 to 1848. The senior line ruled in France as the House of Capet from the election of Hugh Capet in 987 until the death of Charles IV in 1328. That line was succeeded by cadet branches, the Houses of Valois and then Bourbon, which ruled without interruption until the French Revolution abolished the monarchy in 1792. The Bourbons were restored in 1814 in the aftermath of Napoleon's defeat, but had to vacate the throne again in 1830 in favor of the last Capetian monarch of France, Louis Philippe I, who belonged to the House of Orléans. Cadet branches of the Capetian House of Bourbon house are still ruling over Spain and Luxembourg."

Name origins and usage

The name of the dynasty derives from its founder, Hugh, who was known as "Hugh Capet".[4] The meaning of "Capet" (a nickname rather than a surname of the modern sort) is unknown. While folk etymology identifies it with "cape", other suggestions indicate it might be connected to the Latin word caput ("head"), and explain it as meaning "chief" or "head".[citation needed]

Historians in the 19th century (see House of France) came to apply the name "Capetian" to both the ruling house of France and to the wider-spread male-line descendants of Hugh Capet. It was not a contemporary practice. The name "Capet" has also been used as a surname for French royalty, particularly but not exclusively those of the House of Capet. One notable use was during the French Revolution, when the dethroned King Louis XVI (a member of the House of Bourbon and a direct male-line descendant of Hugh Capet) and Queen Marie Antoinette (a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine) were referred to as "Louis and Antoinette Capet" (the queen being addressed as "the Widow Capet" after the execution of her husband).

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

Elizabeth died childless. Her successor was her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots' son James VI of Scotland. The thrones of England and Scotland were joined in a dynastic union until 1707. The seven monarchs of this period continued to use the style King/Queen of France, though their claim was merely nominal. None of them was willing to engage in military campaigns for France against the actual Kings of France Henry IV, Louis XIII and Louis XIV of France. Indeed, Charles I married a sister of Louis XIII, and his son Charles II spent much of his exile during the Interregnum in France (at which time, even if not formally abandoning his claim for its throne, he certainly did not emphasise it).

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

Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns,[a] was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is in a "light Scots dialect" of English, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these writings his political or civil commentary is often at its bluntest.

He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement, and after his death he became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism, and a cultural icon in Scotland and among the Scottish diaspora around the world. Celebration of his life and work became almost a national charismatic cult during the 19th and 20th centuries, and his influence has long been strong on Scottish literature. In 2009 he was chosen as the greatest Scot by the Scottish public in a vote run by Scottish television channel STV.

As well as making original compositions, Burns also collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them. His poem (and song) "Auld Lang Syne" is often sung at Hogmanay (the last day of the year), and "Scots Wha Hae" served for a long time as an unofficial national anthem of the country. Other poems and songs of Burns that remain well known across the world today include "A Red, Red Rose", "A Man's a Man for A' That", "To a Louse", "To a Mouse", "The Battle of Sherramuir", "Tam o' Shanter" and "Ae Fond Kiss".

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

Elon Musk Is South African. It Explains a Lot.

Feb. 28, 2025, 1:00 a.m. ET

Elon Musk wearing sunglasses and looking to the right. The top half of the image is black and the rest is colored green and red.

Credit...Photo illustration by The New York Times. Source photograph: Eric Lee/The New York Times

By William Shoki

Mr. Shoki is a journalist and the editor of the Africa Is a Country website. He wrote from Cape Town.

Elon Musk is everywhere.

He is firing federal employees, gaining access to important government data, popping into the Oval Office, appearing on Fox News alongside President Trump and even attending a White House cabinet meeting. For some, his rampage through the institutions of the American state augurs a replacement by private interests; for others, it amounts to a Big Tech takeover. For many looking on, it’s above all a baffling bromance at the heart of power. However one understands Mr. Musk’s role in the Trump administration, it has cemented his reputation as one of the most powerful people on the planet.

But discussion of Mr. Musk, especially in the United States, often misses something: He is a white South African, part of a demographic that for centuries sat atop a racial hierarchy maintained by violent colonial rule. That history matters. For all the attempts to describe Mr. Musk as a self-made genius or a dispassionate technocrat, he is in fact a distinctly ideological figure, one whose worldview is inseparable from rearing in apartheid South Africa. More than just an eccentric billionaire, Mr. Musk represents an unresolved question: What happens when settler rule fails but settlers remain? That’s what is playing out in America today.

Born in Pretoria in 1971, Mr. Musk had an upbringing typical of the white South African elite. The family was wealthy, despite his parents divorcing when he was young, its economic standing shaped by a system designed to assist whites. Mr. Musk doesn’t appear to have enjoyed his private education — there are stories of bullying and loneliness — but he still benefited from the advantages it conferred. Though his father, an engineer, was for a time a member of the anti-apartheid Progressive Party, there is little evidence Mr. Musk inherited his political convictions. Like many white South Africans, Mr. Musk left the country before the collapse of racial rule, settling in Canada, where his mother was born, in 1989.

He never returned, but South Africa clearly stayed with him. Take his recent intervention into the debate over the country’s land reform as an example. In response to a bill passed in January that allows in specific circumstances the expropriation of land without compensation, Mr. Musk used his platform to suggest that white South Africans are uniquely persecuted. Never mind that land restitution is a broadly accepted norm in post-colonial societies or that eminent domain or compulsory purchase laws do something similar in the United States and elsewhere. The Trump administration — amplifying fringe voices, promoting distorted narratives of racial victimhood and using Mr. Musk’s claim as a symbolic cudgel — was only too happy to play along.

Mr. Musk’s role in the controversy suggests he has not so much moved beyond the logic of apartheid as absorbed it. His ideological commitments — deregulated markets, hostility to labor organizing and Trumpist nationalism — bear its trace. In effect, his politics reprise apartheid’s economic principles on a global scale: maintaining zones of privilege under the guise of “free enterprise” while resisting any moves toward redistribution as threats. You can hear it in his exhortations for others to work harder and his pleas for him and his businesses to receive special treatment.

Mr. Musk is one of a number of reactionary figures with roots in Southern Africa who found an unlikely home in Silicon Valley and now wield disproportionate influence in shaping American and global right-wing politics. These men, such as Peter Thiel and David Sacks, emerged from a historical tradition that revered hierarchy and sought to sustain racial and economic dominance, only to find themselves in a world where that order was unraveling. Their politics reflect an instinct to preserve elite rule, cloaked in the language of meritocracy and market freedom, while channeling resentment toward new power structures they view as threats to their position.

For them, Southern Africa is never very far away. They are part of a global right that has long been fascinated with Rhodesia and its successor, Zimbabwe. For them, the loss of white-minority rule in Zimbabwe represents the model of civilizational decay — a formerly “successful” colonial state plunged into chaos through decolonization. The specter of “Zimbabwefication” is wielded as a warning against any redistribution of power. Now South Africa — “openly pushing for genocide of white people,” according to Mr. Musk — is being made to take on the mantle of scare story. The implicit argument is that settler power, once displaced, leads only to ruin.

It doesn’t help that South Africa has stood against Israel’s genocidal aggression in Gaza, leading the charge in attempts to hold it to account under international law. This outspoken opposition has further alienated the country from the Western powers that support Israel, reinforcing the perception of South Africa as a rogue state in the eyes of the global right. One of the front-runners to be Mr. Trump’s pick for ambassador to the country, the South-African born Breitbart commentator Joel Pollak, certainly believes it is. For figures like Mr. Musk, South Africa’s stance against Israel no doubt confirms their view of the country as a lost cause — a once “civilized” outpost of white rule now succumbing to the chaos of majority rule and decolonization.

This reaction is both ideological and deeply personal. For all his vehement opposition to “woke” identity politics, Mr. Musk is actually an ardent identitarian. He has boosted claims from far-right South African groups that the government is “race mad,” with 142 “race laws” on its books. But their method for defining a “race law” is laughably broad: Any law that makes race legally relevant supposedly qualifies. By this metric, even laws that prohibit arbitrary racial discrimination or repeal apartheid-era discrimination would count. Given Mr. Musk’s aggressive dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, this obsession with one identity group is more than a little ironic.

It’s dangerous, too. The fixation has led to Mr. Trump ending, by executive order, America’s financial assistance to South Africa, with potentially devastating effect on treatment for H.I.V. and AIDS. South Africa is now anathema: Secretary of State Marco Rubio is refusing to travel there for the Group of 20 summit later in the year, saying that it is a hotbed of “anti-Americanism” that is “doing very bad things.” Given the administration’s fascination with old-style colonialism — epitomized most starkly by its putative plan to resettle Gaza with “the world’s people,” along with the desire to buy Greenland and annex the Panama Canal — it’s no surprise that it sees South Africa as a dystopian prophecy to be resisted.

Mr. Musk, ever the entrepreneur, is happy to supply the propaganda. But South Africa’s history tells a different story — one where white dominance was not inevitable, where settler rule did not last and where a different future, however uncertain, remains possible. From his exalted position of power, Mr. Musk may do all he can to reverse or subvert this story. But he won’t be able to. History, unlike Mars, is not his to colonize.

William Shoki is the editor at Africa Is a Country, an independent online publication.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here’s our email: letters@nytimes.com.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/28/opinion/elon-musk-south-africa.html

The De Beers Group is a South African–British corporation that specializes in the diamond industry, including mining, exploration, retail, inscription, grading, trading and industrial diamond manufacturing.[3] The company is active in open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial and coastal mining. It operates in 35 countries with mining taking place in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Canada. It also has an artisanal mining business, Gemfair, which operates in Sierra Leone.

From its inception in 1888 until the start of the 21st century, De Beers controlled 80% to 85% of rough diamond distribution and was considered a monopoly.[4] By 2000, the company's control of the world diamond supply decreased to 63%.[5]

The company was founded in 1888 by British businessman Cecil Rhodes, who was financed by the South African diamond magnate Alfred Beit and the London-based N M Rothschild & Sons bank.[6][7] In 1926, Ernest Oppenheimer, a German immigrant to Britain and later South Africa who had earlier founded mining company Anglo American with American financier J. P. Morgan,[8] was elected to the board of De Beers.[9] He built and consolidated the company's global monopoly over the diamond industry until his death in 1957. During this time, he was involved in several controversies, including price fixing and trust behaviour, and was accused of not releasing industrial diamonds for the US war effort during World War II.[10][11]

In 2011, Anglo American took control of De Beers after buying the Oppenheimers' family stake of 40% for US$5.1 billion (£3.2 billion) and increasing its stake to 85%, ending the 80-year Oppenheimer control of the company.[12] The company is currently owned 85% by Anglo American and 15% by the Government of Botswana.

In May 2024, Anglo American announced its intention to spin off or sell De Beers.[13]

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

The first member of the family who was known to use the name "Rothschild" was Isaak Elchanan Rothschild, born in 1577. The name is derived from the German zum rothen Schild (with the old spelling "th"), meaning "at the red shield", in reference to the house where the family lived for many generations (in those days, houses were designated not by numbers, but by signs displaying different symbols or colours). A red shield can still be seen at the centre of the Rothschild coat of arms. The family's ascent to international prominence began in 1744, with the birth of Mayer Amschel Rothschild in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He was the son of Amschel Moses Rothschild (born circa 1710),[13] a money changer who had traded with the Prince of Hesse. Born in the "Judengasse", the ghetto of Frankfurt, Mayer developed a finance house and spread his empire by installing each of his five sons in the five main European financial centres to conduct business. The Rothschild coat of arms contains a clenched fist with five arrows symbolising the five dynasties established by the five sons of Mayer Rothschild, in a reference to Psalm 127: "Like arrows in the hands of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth." The family motto appears below the shield: Concordia, Integritas, Industria (Unity, Integrity, Industry).[14]

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

When his grandson, Naftali Hirz left the "House at the Red Shield" in 1664 and moved to the Hinterpfann (a tenement in the back of a house at the northern end of the Judengasse), he took the name Rothschild with him."

The Family ‹ Rothschild Name & Arms :: The Rothschild Archive

https://www.rothschildarchive.org/family/the_rothschild_name_and_arms/any_questions

From Middle High German hirz, from Old High German hiruz, from Proto-West Germanic *herut, from Proto-Germanic *herutaz. Compare Dutch hert, English hart."

Hirsch - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Hirsch#:~:text=German-,Etymology,Compare%20Dutch%20hert%2C%20English%20hart.

The word “Hirz” has its origins in Arabic and is often used to refer to a fortified or protected place. In its broader sense, it represents a location or space that is enclosed and fortified, offering a sense of safety and protection to those inside."

What is Islamic Hirz and Amulet? - MyRings Boutique

https://www.myrings.co/blog/what-is-islamic-hirz-and-amulet/#:~:text=The%20word%20%E2%80%9CHirz%E2%80%9D%20has%20its,and%20protection%20to%20those%20inside.

Herzl is a beautiful boy's name of Yiddish origin. Borrowed from the name Hirsh, Herzl means “deer,” making it a special way to dote on your little one's delicate nature."

Herzl - Baby Name Meaning, Origin and Popularity (thebump.com)

https://www.thebump.com/b/herzl-baby-name

The ancestral home of the Herzl family is in the German province of Bavaria. Herzl is a German nickname surname. Such names came from eke-names, or added names, that described their initial bearer through reference to a physical characteristic or other attribute. It is a name for a kindhearted or stalwart individual, and is derived from the German word herz, which means heart."

Herzl Name Meaning, Family History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms (houseofnames.com)

https://www.houseofnames.com/herzl-family-crest

Old English heorte "heart (hollow muscular organ that circulates blood); breast, soul, spirit, will, desire; courage; mind, intellect," from Proto-Germanic *hertan- (source also of Old Saxon herta, Old Frisian herte, Old Norse hjarta, Dutch hart, Old High German herza, German Herz, Gothic hairto), from PIE root *kerd- "heart.""

heart | Etymology, origin and meaning of heart by etymonline

https://www.etymonline.com/word/heart

[666] 6. 1On the side of the superior general, what will aid toward this union of hearts are the qualities of his person [G], to be treated in Part IX [723-25], with which he will perform his office, 2which is to be for all the members a head from which the influence required for the end sought by the Society ought to descend to them all. 3It is thus from the general as head that all authority of the provincials should flow, from the provincials that of the local superiors, and from the local superiors that of the individual members. 4And from this same head, or at least by his commission and approval, should likewise come the appointing of missions. And the same should apply to communicating the graces of the Society. 5For the more the subjects are dependent upon their superiors, the better will the love, obedience, and union among them be preserved." The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus and Their Complementary Norms

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

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." Jeremiah 17:9-10

6. The delegates commit to working with the schools to enhance the way parents and families are invited into our education and formation." The Rio Papers International Congress for Jesuit Education Delegates Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, October 2017

The Rio Papers (googleusercontent.com)

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:ce18dDJhSfoJ:https://jesuitinstitute.org/Resources/Rio%2520Papers.pdf&cd=51&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Administration/administrators of temporal goods: 1. Of the Society in general: those who are administrators [326, 327, 419-21, 740-745, 759, 815]; the powers they have [743-745]; in what spirit and with what care and dedication the temporal goods of the Society are to be administered [305], 216 §§1, 2-4; social justice is to be safeguarded and fostered in the investment of money, 217; nothing is to be changed in or derogated from norms and instructions without permission, 216 §3; an account of one s administration is to be rendered [326, 741, 759], 167; especially so at the end of the t e rm s o f o f f i c e o f l o c a l superiors and treasurers, 222; negligent or wasteful superiors are to be corrected, 216 §4 2. Of one s own goods: is to be yielded from the beginning of novitiate and after first vows, 57 3. Of the goods of others: not to be undertaken without permission of the general, 166; administration of deposits of money from externs, whether in cash or in negotiable paper, should not be undertaken, 219. See also Buildings; Contracts in general, and in particular: Alienation of goods; Debts; Deposits; Gifts; Investment of money; Legacy; Rentals; Revenues"

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 Union Générale.

Meanwhile the Nationalist and Reactionary parties in France desired to counterbalance the "Semitic" influence of the Rothschilds by establishing a banking concern which should be essentially Catholic. Accordingly in 1876 the Union Générale was founded with a capital of 4,000,000 francs, increased to 25,000, 000 fraces in 1878 under the direction of a certain Bontoux. After various vicissitudes, graphically described by Zola in his novel "L'Argent," the Union failed, and brought many of the Catholic nobility of France to ruin, leaving the Rothschilds still more absolutely the undisputed leaders of French finance, but leaving also a legacy of hatred which had much influence on the growth of the anti-Semitic movement in France. Something analogous occurred in England when the century-long competition of the Barings and the Rothschilds culminated in the failure of the former in 1893; but in this case the Rothschilds came to the rescue of their rivals and prevented a universal financial catastrophe. It is a somewhat curious sequel to the attempt to set up a Catholic competitor to the Roths-childs that at the present time the latter are the guardians of the papal treasure.

Of recent years the Rothschilds have consistently refused to have anything to do with loans to Russia, owing to the anti-Jewish legislation of that empire, though on one occasion the members of the Paris house joined in a loan to demonstrate their patriotism as Frenchmen."

ROTHSCHILD - JewishEncyclopedia.com

https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/12909

Jacob Rothschild, Banker Who Broke From His Fabled Family, Dies at 87

The fourth Baron Rothschild, he left the family banking dynasty to start his own company, becoming a powerful financier, patron of the arts and philanthropist.

Mr. Rothschild retired as head of RIT Capital Partners in 2019. That year, his personal wealth was estimated by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index to be more than $1 billion.

Nathaniel Charles Jacob Rothschild was born in Berkshire, England, on April 29, 1936, to Victor Rothschild, the third Baron Rothschild, and his first wife, Barbara Judith (Hutchinson) Rothschild.

Mr. Rothschild studied history at Oxford before joining the family bank. After he resigned to head RIT, he became involved in a series of ventures, including an unsuccessful bid in 1989 with other investors to take over British American Tobacco for $21 billion.

He maintained a wide network of international connections, acting as deputy chairman of Rupert Murdoch’s BSkyB Television, and as an adviser to then-Prince Charles. He was a member of the International Advisory Board of the Blackstone Group, a leading private equity group, and co-founded the J. Rothschild Assurance Group in 1991, a wealth management company now known as St. James’s Place.

Not all his maneuvers were free of controversy. In 2003, British media reports said he had struck a trusteeship deal with Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky, a Russian oil tycoon and Putin foe, to transfer Mr. Khodorkovsky’s stake in the Yukos oil company to Mr. Rothschild in the event of his arrest. Mr. Khodorkovsky was arrested in October 2003 and later exiled. Mr. Rothschild did not confirm the reports.

Alongside his career as a high-powered financier, Mr. Rothschild played an energetic if sometimes secretive role in Israel, overseeing his family’s long-running philanthropic activities there as head of the Yad Hanadiv foundation.

Over the decades, the Rothschilds quietly sponsored major projects, including the construction of Israel’s Parliament, Supreme Court and National Library, none of which bear the family’s name. “We’ve tried not to be in the headlines,” Mr. Rothschild told The Jerusalem Report in 2012, adding, “Our tradition has been that we don’t shout from the rooftops what we are doing.”

He took over Yad Hanadiv after the death in 1988 of Dorothy de Rothschild, the foundation’s chairwoman and an aunt of his. She bequeathed him estates in Buckinghamshire, England.

Image

An aerial view of sprawling stone manor house built in the ornate style of a French chateau. A highly manicured garden the length of the house can be seen in the background.

Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild built Waddesdon Manor in the 1880s. It is now overseen by Britain’s National Trust, but Mr. Rothschild struck a deal in which the building would house the family’s enormous collection of art.Credit...David Goddard/Getty Images

The ownership of one of the properties, Waddesdon Manor, built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in the 1880s in the style of a French chateau, had already been transferred to the nonprofit National Trust in 1957. But Mr. Rothschild struck an unusual deal with the trust to administer the manor as a home for the Rothschilds’ collection of an estimated 15,000 works of art and objects, and for his personal collection of Rothschild wines, mainly from the Bordeaux region of France.

Mr. Rothschild was a principal benefactor of the manor’s restoration and played a part in other ambitious projects, including the regeneration of Somerset House, an 18th-century building overlooking the River Thames in London. Among many arts-related positions in Britain and elsewhere, he chaired the trustees of London’s National Gallery from 1985 to 1991.

Mr. Rothschild married Serena DUNN, a racehorse owner, in 1961; she died in 2019. He had four children, Hannah, Beth, Emily and Nathaniel, and a number of grandchildren. Complete information on his survivors was not immediately available.

For all his standing among the world’s wealthy elite, Mr. Rothschild was openly critical of some of his peers in the international financial system. In 2012, four years after the economic crisis of 2008, he told The Jerusalem Report that he had “a lot of sympathy with people who protested about some of the excesses in the world of finance.”

“After all, here are characters who have made great fortunes, who have been in charge of a system which has been very damaging to many interests in the last five to 10 years,” he said. “They have had enormous benefits, but the banking system as a whole has had a crippling effect in a number of areas throughout the world.”

Victor Mather contributed reporting.

After a long career as a foreign correspondent for The New York Times based in Africa, the Middle East and Europe, Alan Cowell became a freelance contributor in 2015, based in London.

  More about Alan Cowell

See more on: Rothschild Family

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/26/business/jacob-rothschild-dead.html  

This is Me Paperback – Illustrated, May 7, 2014

by Edward M. Dunn Jr. (Author)

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The surname Dunn comes from the Gaelic word donn, which means "brown" The Gaelic form O'Duinn (the descendant of donn) is most commonly anglicized as Dunn, but is also written as Dunne. The Dunn family is of the same Celtic stock as the O'Connors and O'Dempseys-clans who trace their descendants from Rossa Failgeach, eldest son of Cathaoir Mor, king of Ireland in the second century. The Dunn sept stems from Riagan, tenth in lineal descent from Failgeach, the district ruled over by Riagan, located in County Leix, which became the ancestral home of the Dunns. In later times, their chieftains were known as Lords of Iregan. Irish bards praise the martial prowess and commanding stature of the Dunn warriors. They were undoubtedly conspicuous in history for their doughty resistance to the encroachment of Anglo-Norman invaders who held lands in the pale boarding their territory. The Dunns were in the forefront of every battle for Irish nationalism. They suffered heavily in the bitter and prolonged struggle against Cromwell. In the next generation, they espoused the Stuart cause, and the head of the family was killed in the Battle of Aughrim. With the fall of the Stuarts, the lands of the Dunns were confiscated, and their fighting men who survived followed Sarsfield and the "wild geese" to fight in the ranks of the Irish Brigade in France. Many of them served with distinction in the regiments of O'Donnell, Lord Clare, and Walsh up to the days of the French Revolution. The name Dunn is twenty-seventh in the list of commonest surnames in Ireland. It is widespread in the United States also. Representatives of the family have achieved prominence in the literary, political, and religious life of our country.

https://www.amazon.com/This-Me-Edward-Dunn-Jr/dp/1493179608

Mary D. Stifflemire

January 31, 1921 - August 11, 2015

Mary D. Stifflemire, of 43 West McKinsey Rd. in Severna Park, MD, died August 10th of natural causes. She was 94.

Born in New Bern, NC, January 31, 1921, to William F and May H Dunn, Mary had four brothers: William, John, Robert and Roger Dunn. She was 10 years old when her family relocated from New Bern to Washington, DC. The family resided on Clifton St. in NW Washington, DC, and Mary graduated from Central High School. Mary later lived on Quincy Street and on Eastern Avenue in NE Washington, DC, from 1954 to 1980, when she relocated to Fort Lauderdale, FL. She was married to Kenneth H. Ramey in 1941. They later divorced, and she remarried, to Paul F. Stifflemire in 1950. They were also divorced. Mary lived in Pompano Beach, FL with her longtime companion, Arvis “Bill” Lyman from 1984 until his death in 2004. She relocated to Maryland in 2009.

Mary’s professional career included positions as secretary to then Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, followed by several years as secretary to the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Armed Forces. She was secretary to Brent Skowcroft, National Security Advisor to President Richard Nixon. She also served as secretary to Alexander Haig, then the Military Assistant to the Presidential Assistant for National Security Affairs, Henry Kissinger. She accompanied President Nixon and Mr. Kissinger on several important foreign missions, including the 1972 talks in Beijing that began the normalization of relations with the People’s Republic of China, and the signing in January 1973 of the Paris Peace Accords that formally ended U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

Mary was an active synchronized swimmer, performing with the Aqua Gems at the Ambassador Hotel in Washington, DC. She was a certified Red Cross swimming instructor and won numerous swimming medals in the Florida Senior Games.

Mary is survived by two sons, Kenneth Ramey, 73, of Bunker Hill, WV, and Paul Stifflemire, 64, of Arnold, MD. She leaves behind six granddaughters: Talia Ramey of College Park, MD; Victoria Ramey of Germantown, MD; Holly Stifflemire of Pepperell, MA; Heidi Crone of Cincinnati, OH; Heather Stifflemire of Framingham, MA; and, Grace Stifflemire of Arnold, MD. Mary also leaves two great-granddaughters, Ella and Cassidy Crone, and two great-grandsons, Anthony and Dominic Ramey.

A wake will be held at the Barranco & Sons, P.A. Funeral Home in Severna Park Maryland on Friday August 14, 2015 from 4:00PM to 8:00PM. A funeral mass will be celebrated at St. John the Evangelist Church, Saturday August 15 at 10:00AM. Mary will be buried with her father and mother at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Washington, DC.

Contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to the Audubon Society.

https://www.barrancofuneralhome.com/obituary/3271963

Knight of Malta Prescott Bush, Jr.; 33º George H. W. Bush, 1990s #719

Sons of Skull and Bonesman/Knight of Malta/Nazi-financier Prescott Bush, Sr., with strong familial ties to the Jesuits ruling England’s Stonyhurst College, both men have been two of the Black Pope’s most powerful nobles ruling over the Vatican’s CFR-controlled 14th Amendment America since the 1960s. Enjoying intimate ties to the high Jesuits and Knights of Malta of Georgetown University, both frequenters of the Order’s Northern California Bohemian Grove are closely associated with brother Knight and the Vatican’s world press lord, Fox News’ Rupert Murdoch, while overseeing Rome’s unified International Intelligence Community including the NSA/CIA, the FSB/SVR, the BND, MI5/MI6 and the Israeli Mossad. George, a CIA asset in the 1960s, was involved in the Bay of Pigs betrayal, the JFK assassination and subsequent CFR/CIA-enforced Great Jesuit Cover-up. He was also a power behind the CIA’s removal of President Nixon via SMOM’s Alexander M. Haig, Jr.’s, Watergate Scandal, SMOM/DCI William J. Casey’s Iran-Contra Affair, and the arming of Iran and Iraq* in preparation for the Company’s 21st Century Crusade against Islam and the US. Indeed, the men who killed Kennedy murdered thousands on 911! Within the Bush family are members of every significant secret society ruled by Rome: Skull and Bones; Knights of Malta; Knights of Columbus; and high-level P2 Freemasonry.

All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings, George H. W. Bush, (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999). *George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography, Webster G. Tarpley and Anton Chaitkin, (Washington, D.C.: Executive Intelligence Review, 1992).

Vatican Assassins Wounded In The House of My Friends

Third Edition

by Eric Jon Phelps

https://dn790006.ca.archive.org/0/items/eric-jon-phelps-vatican-assassins-3rd-edition_202101/Eric%20Jon%20Phelps%20-%20Vatican%20Assassins%203rd%20Edition.pdf

The Monument to the Royal Stuarts is a memorial in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City State. It commemorates the last three members of the Royal House of Stuart: James Francis Edward Stuart ("the Old Pretender", d. 1766), his elder son Charles Edward Stuart ("the Young Pretender" or "Bonnie Prince Charlie", d. 1788), and his younger son, Henry Benedict Stuart ("the Cardinal Duke of York", d. 1807). The Jacobites recognised these three as kings of England, Scotland and Ireland.

The marble monument is by Antonio Canova (1757–1822), the most celebrated Italian sculptor of his day. It was erected in 1819.

Description

The monument takes the form of a truncated obelisk. It carries bas relief profile portraits of the three exiled princes, and the following inscription:

IACOBO·III

IACOBI·II·MAGNAE·BRIT·REGIS·FILIO

KAROLO·EDVARDO

ET·HENRICO·DECANO·PATRVM·CARDINALIVM

IACOBI·III·FILIIS

REGIAE·STIRPIS·STVARDIAE·POSTREMIS

ANNO·M·DCCC·XIX

("To James III, son of King James II of Great Britain, to Charles Edward and to Henry, Dean of the Cardinal Fathers, sons of James III, the last of the Royal House of Stuart. 1819")

Below the inscription are two weeping angels, symbolising the lost hopes of the exiled Stuarts.

The monument to the Royal Stuarts was originally commissioned by Monsignor Angelo Cesarini, executor of the estate of Henry Benedict Stuart. Among the subscribers, curiously, was King George IV, who (once the Jacobite threat to his throne had ended with the death of Cardinal Stuart in 1807) was an admirer of the Stuart legend.[1]

The monument stands towards the back of the basilica in the left aisle opposite the door from which people coming down the spiral staircase from the dome and roof exit. It is frequently adorned with flowers by Jacobite romantics.

Burials

Tomb of James Francis Edward Stuart and his two sons in the crypt below St. Peter's Basilica

The monument is, strictly speaking, a cenotaph, not a tomb. The three Stuarts are buried in the crypt below the basilica. James Francis Edward Stuart was buried here at his death in 1766. When Charles Edward Stuart died in 1788, he was buried in the Basilica of St Peter Apostle in Frascati. When his brother Henry Benedict Stuart died in 1807, both brothers were laid to rest next to their father in the crypt of St. Peter's. Three separate tombstones were erected on the site.

Until 1938 the bodies of the three Stuarts were buried where the tomb of Pius XI now stands. In that year the bodies were moved slightly further east on the left side of the crypt, to make room for Pius's tomb. In 1939 a single sarcophagus was erected over the three graves. On top of the sarcophagus is a bronze pillow on which is placed a bronze crown. On the front of the sarcophagus is the same inscription quoted above.

Other monuments

Opposite the monument to the Royal Stuarts in St. Peter's Basilica is a monument to Maria Clementina Sobieska, wife of James Francis Edward Stuart and mother of Charles Edward Stuart and Henry Benedict Stuart. Its inscription reads:

MARIA CLEMENTINA M. BRITANN.

FRANC. ET HIBERN. REGINA

("Maria Clementina, Queen of Great Britain, France and Ireland"[a])

Queen Christina of Sweden, the only other monarch with a memorial in the church, also lies entombed in the crypt below the basilica, with the Royal Stuarts. She abdicated her throne in 1654 to convert to Catholicism.

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

St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome is considered the mother church of all the Catholic churches in the Western world; inscribed on the church facade for all to see are the Latin words “omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et CAPUT,” meaning, “The mother and HEAD of all the churches of the city and of the world.”

https://www.simplycatholic.com/st-john-lateran-basilica/

In the second prelude, for Chief- Gene ral read highest Leader, and for captain read leader. For the first Leader the Spanish Autograph has Captain General, and for the second (leader), caudillo ; the former title expressing, as Father Rothaan remarks, a Commander-in-Chief of lawful warfare, the latter designating rather the leader of a faction, and being often used in a bad sense, as of a captain of robbers or malefactors. In order to express in some measure this distinction, he has made use of the terms Dux Generalis (LeaderGeneral) and CAPUT (HEAD) in his literal Version. The Common Version makes no distinction ; and hence, in order to render this Version with strict faithfulness, must read, both here and in the next two paragraphs, leader instead of captain, although (as the reader will already have perceived) this latter is the term which erceived) this latter is the term which corresponds the more nearly with the Spanish original. In all three places Father Rothaan has caput : in the third prelude he has again Dux instead of Imperator : see above. In the first point, in order to be strictly with the Common Version, readier?/ and smoky chair in stead of chair offire and smoke ; although this latter is what the Autograph has, a certain great chair of fire and smoke, &quot; in which&quot;, observes Father Rothaan, there is no solidity, no true glory, but mere agitation and perpetual disturbance joined with thick darkness"; And this image&quot;, he adds, &quot; exhibits the evil spirit such as he is, but not such as he offers himself to men's minds."

The Spiritual Exercises of Loyola

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

Head:

1. See Illness, mental

2. The superior general, head of the Society [666]"

page 463

The CONstitutions of the Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

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

Revelation 13:18

New International Version

"18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[a] That number is 666."

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2013%3A18&version=NIV  

It is hypothesized that the name comes either from Latin caput, meaning "head", and means "chief" or "head of state".

https://homework.study.com/explanation/how-did-hugh-capet-get-his-name.html

The House of Capet (French: Maison capétienne) ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328. It was the most senior line of the Capetian dynasty – itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians and the Karlings.

The direct line of the House of Capet came to an end in 1328, when the three sons of Philip IV (reigned 1285–1314) all failed to produce surviving male heirs to the French throne. With the death of Charles IV (reigned 1322–1328), the throne passed to the House of Valois, descended from a younger brother of Philip IV.

Royal power would pass on, in 1589, to another Capetian branch, the House of Bourbon, descended from the youngest son of Louis IX (reigned 1226–1270). From 1830 on it would go to a Bourbon cadet branch, the House of Orléans, always remaining in the hands of agnatic descendants of Hugh Capet himself a descendant of Charlemagne, except for the 10-year reign of Emperor Napoleon.

Names

The House of Capet (French: Maison capétienne) were also called the Direct Capetians (Capétiens directs), the House of France (la maison de France), or simply the Capets. Historians in the 19th century came to apply the name "Capetian" to both the ruling house of France and to the wider-spread male-line descendants of Hugh Capet (c. 939 – 996). Contemporaries did not use the name "Capetian" (see House of France). The Capets were sometimes called "the Third Race of Kings" (following the Merovingians and the Carolingians). The name "Capet" derives from the nickname (of uncertain meaning) given to Hugh, the first Capetian king.[1]

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

Appearances at court

Alan appeared in Henry I's company at least as early as September 1101, probably at a court held in Windsor Castle,[8] when he witnessed important grants to Norwich Cathedral, confirming its foundation and various endowments.[9][10] Next, he appeared with the king at Canterbury in 1103,[11] where he witnessed the grant of a market to the nuns of Malling Abbey and land acquisitions by Rochester Cathedral, then in the process of rebuilding.[12]

Later that year,[13] or early in the next,[14] Alan was with the king in the New Forest, where the business concerned Andover Priory, a daughter house of the great Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Florent de Saumur.[15] He was probably selected deliberately for this meeting because of his family's close connections with Saumur Abbey: one of his uncles was a monk there.[16] William Rufus had decreed that all chapels in the parish of Andover church should be handed over to the monks or destroyed.[17] One problem at issue revolved around the Foxcote chapel, which was evidently being defended from destruction or annexation by Edward de Foscote, a local landowner. Another seems to have been the administration of justice in the monastic estates.[18] Wihenoc, a monk of St Florent, had initiated an action against the reeve of Andover to have these issues clarified and resolved. Alan Fitz Flaad was called upon to witness a compromise, although Foxcote was among the properties confirmed to the priory by Pope Eugenius III in 1146.[19]

In the autumn of 1105, Alan was called to York to witness confirmation of Ralph Paynel's transfer of his refounded Holy Trinity Priory in York to Marmoutier Abbey, Tours[20][21] and his many endowments of the priory itself.[22][23] At some point, he also witnessed the Roger de Nonant's gift of the church at Totnes and various tithes to the Abbey of Ss Sergius and Bacchus at Angers, a gift earmarked as being for the souls of the royal family.[24]

In May 1110, Alan was at court at Windsor again to witness the king's settlement of a property dispute between Hervey le Breton, Bishop of Ely, and Ranulph Flambard, Bishop of Durham, resolved in favour of the former.[25]

Probably only later did he appear as a witness to a royal command issued to Richard de Belmeis I, the Bishop of London and the king's viceroy in Shropshire, to see that justice was done in the case of a disputed prebend at Morville.[26][27] The collegiate church there had been dissolved and replaced with a priory attached to Shrewsbury Abbey[28] and it seems that the son of one of the prebendaries was resisting the loss of what he regarded as his patrimony. Alan is listed among a group of Shropshire magnates, including Corbets and a Peverel, meeting perhaps during Henry I's 1114 military expedition into Wales. Johnson and Cronne tentatively place the meeting at Holdgate Castle in Shropshire. Eyton dates the event earlier, around the time of a royal expedition to Shropshire in 1109.[29] Whatever the date, it shows Alan as an important member of the Shropshire landowning class.

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

The Second Boer War (Afrikaans: Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, lit. 'Second Freedom War', 11 October 1899 – 31 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War,[8] Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and Orange Free State) over the Empire's influence in Southern Africa.

The Witwatersrand Gold Rush caused a large influx of "foreigners" (Uitlanders) to the South African Republic (SAR), mostly British from the Cape Colony. As they, for fear of a hostile takeover of the SAR, were permitted to vote only after fourteen years of residence, they protested to the British authorities in the Cape. Negotiations failed at the botched Bloemfontein Conference in June 1899. The conflict broke out in October after the British government decided to send 10,000 troops to South Africa.[9] With a delay, this provoked a Boer and British ultimatum and subsequent Boer irregulars and militia attacks on British colonial settlements in Natal Colony. The Boers placed Ladysmith, Kimberley, and Mafeking under siege, and won victories at Colenso, Magersfontein and Stormberg. Increased numbers of British Army soldiers were brought to Southern Africa and mounted unsuccessful attacks against the Boers.

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

Orange (French pronunciation: [ɔʁɑ̃ʒ] ⓘ; Provençal: Aurenja (classical norm) or Aurenjo (Mistralian norm)) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France.[3] It is about 21 km (13 mi) north of Avignon, on the departmental border with Gard, which follows the Rhône and also constitutes the regional border with Occitania. Orange is the second-most populated city in Vaucluse, after Avignon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange,_Vaucluse

Agent Orange: This nickname gained traction during Trump's presidency, alluding to his controversial policies and the color of his trademark hair. It has a dual meaning, referencing both his hair color and the herbicide of the same name used during the Vietnam War.

https://abatul.com/

History of the Orange Order

The Loyal Orange Institution was formed on 21st September 1795 shortly after the ‘Battle of the Diamond’ outside Loughgall, Co. Armagh. Three well-known local men of the area, James Wilson, Dan Winter, and James Sloan, established the institution. Whilst much is made of these ‘founding fathers’ within Orange circles; from a spiritual perspective we see no evidence that any of them had evangelical credentials. History, in fact, shows that all three men were dedicated Freemasons and two of the three were actually proprietors of licensed premises.

The Bible addresses such people, saying, “Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!” (Habakkuk 2:15). The Rev. Allan Dunlop, addressing this passage of Scripture in his book ‘Where Shadows Fall’ (p. 37), says, “The curse of God is upon the drink trade for what profits it brings are wrung from widows tears, children’s terror, women’s virtue and young men’s strength; and of wives and mothers broken hearts.”

It is true to say that Dan Winter came from a Quaker background, although his ungodly lifestyle shows he was anything but a dedicated Quaker. Firstly, Quakers have always practised strict ‘total abstinence’ and have always opposed the devilish influence of alcohol. Winter was the proprietor of a public house. Secondly, Quakers have always been opposed to the heathenish practices and teachings of Freemasonry. Winter was a zealous Freemason. Thirdly, Quakers have always been pacifists, opposing all type of fighting. Winter was the leader of the local ‘Peep O’ Day Boys’ (an illegal Protestant militia group of the day), and he was also a well-known ‘cock fighter’ in the area.

The ‘Battle of the Diamond’ itself lasted only fifteen minutes and was centred on Dan Winter’s public house, which was located at the Diamond crossroads. This battle (or skirmish) resulted in Winter’s premises being burnt to the ground by the attacking Roman Catholics who were ironically known as ‘the Defenders’. This place was the special focus of the attack as it was the gathering house for the local ‘Peep O’ Day Boys’. Prior to the battle, the authorities had made several arrests and various arms seizures relating to this illegal group.

Winter’s supporters, many of whom were Freemasons, gathered around the debris of the public house and pledged themselves to form a new secret society, made up wholly of Protestant men. Now that they no longer had Winter’s premises as a meeting place the men retired to James Sloan’s public house in the local village of Loughgall. Here the Orange Institution was properly organised.

The founders of the Orange Institution were known as ‘unwarranted masons’, ‘clandestine masons’ or ‘hedge’ Masons. These Masons were a rebellious group who would not accept the existing degree format of the ruling Masonic Grand Lodge of the day. Belinda Loftus, in her book ‘Mirrors’ (p.24) confirms that the clandestine or hedge Masons were “unwarranted by the Grand Lodge in Dublin” because Irish Masonry “refused to recognise any degrees but craft.” Up until the early 1800s the Grand Masonic Lodge of Ireland only accepted three degrees, – Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason, collectively known as the ‘Craft degrees’ or the ‘Blue Lodge’. All other degrees were held to be illegal.

Read a detailed exposure of the Royal Arch Purple by W P Malcomson:

The Unwarranted Masons were the more zealous (or esoteric) Masons who adhered to the many mystical degrees, which today are accepted within the domain of higher degree Freemasonry. These degrees are found under the auspices of the Red Lodge, known as the Chapter and the Chivalry degrees, known as the Preceptory.

The Irish Masonic publication ‘History of Freemasonry in the Province of Antrim’ alludes to these clandestine Masons. It explain how these men would ascend to “the top of some neighbouring hill, and there, towards the close of a summers evening, after the manner of the ancient Druids, perform their rites and ceremonies, the meeting being properly tyled and guarded…They were unwarranted and recognised no authority and no authority recognised them” (p.143&144).

Winter, Sloan and Wilson, accompanied by others, felt the great need to instigate a ceremony of initiation into the new body and not surprisingly Freemasonry was chosen as the model. They used the Masonic template to formulate their degree structure. That is why the Loyal Orders teaching, titles, symbols and rituals so closely resembles that of Freemasonry.

Initially the Orange had one sole degree known simply as the ‘Orange degree’. As the months progressed the founding fathers introduced a further degree somewhere around late 1796. The ‘Orange Marksman’ degree as it was originally designated, became better known as the ‘Purple degree’. It was constructed in Portadown, in the home of prominent Freemason, John Templeton – a location frequently used for Masonic ceremonies. Orange historian (and well known Freemason of his day) Colonel R.H. Wallace outlined in his ‘History of the Orange Order’ (1899) how the founders “were observed going into and out of a house in which a Masonic Lodge held its meetings,” and that, “He [Mr Templeton] invited them into the Masonic room, and there and then satisfactory arrangements were made.” He concluded by saying, “the influence of the place and its associations can be discerned in the results” (p. 50). Another Orange historian R.M. Sibbett in ‘Orangeism in Ireland and Throughout the Empire’ (1938) explained how, “The subject uppermost in their minds was touched upon and discussed, and, at the request of Mr. Templeton, they adjourned to a room which had been used for other ceremonies. Here the warrant was produced, the lodge was reopened, and a higher Order was added.”

A further degree was added as Orangeism consolidated itself. The Royal Arch Purple Chapter book states that, “Probably late in the year 1796 or early 1797 a third degree known as Purple Marksman was added to the ritual. It is likely to have been composed by the same hands, probably in the same room as that of the Orange Marksman or Purpleman” (History of the Royal Arch Purple Order p. 39).

Whilst little is known of the exact content of these three degrees it seems certain that they were highly ritualistic in character, being modelled on the first three degrees of Freemasonry, namely, Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason. The Royal Arch Purple Chapter book testifies that these three initial Orange degrees were “elaborate degrees” (p. 59).

Orange degree – Entered Apprentice degree

Orange Marksman degree – Fellowcraft degree

Purple Marksman degree – Master Mason degree

These were the three main degrees that were worked within the Order between 1795 and 1798, although many other ritualistic degrees were finding their way into Orangeism throughout the island of Ireland. Most of these degrees can today be found within the Royal Black Institution.

During this early period each individual Orange lodge administered its own control over the working of degrees, as no controlling authority existed to govern the degree system. A Grand Lodge of Ulster, as it were, was formed on 12th of July 1797, although it seemed to exercise little power over the whole island of Ireland.

The prevailing confusion within the Order, coupled with a large influx of new members, due to the deteriorating political situation in the form of the Republican uprising of the ‘United Irelanders’, resulted in the formation of a Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland on 21st April 1798. This brought much needed stability and leadership to the Order at a strategic period in its history.

Grand Lodge immediately addressed the bewildering amount of unnecessary ritualism that had found its way into Orangeism, and here began a process of reform which purged out all the ritualistic baggage which had settled itself within the Order. This resulted in the disposal of the original three (elaborate) degrees of the Orange. These were replaced with two simplified degrees of ‘Orange’ and ‘Plain Purple’. Out with the old degrees went the old leadership of James Wilson, Dan Winter, and James Sloan.

Wasting little time, Grand Lodge released a strong statement on 13th December 1798 which reflected the hierarchy’s strong desire to separate themselves from former error, stating: “That many persons having introduced various Orders into the Orange Society which will very much tend to injure the regularity of the institution. The Grand Lodge disavows any Order but Orange and Purple and there can be none other regular unless issuing and approved by them.”

From this date forward, the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland accepted only two degrees within the Order – ‘Orange’ and ‘Plain Purple’. Between 1798 and 1800 Grand Lodge began a process of implementing this simplification by standardising procedures throughout every lodge in Ireland. That they might eradicate any lingering injurious behaviour by spurious characters, they abolished the old Orange Order in 1800, with its ritualistic connections, obliging every Orangeman to rejoin a now simplified new Orange Institution.

Grand Lodges opposition to Royal Arch Purple and Black degrees

1798-1801

1802-1828

1834-1875

1876-1878

1880-1913

1925

Those ritualistic Orangemen inside the Order who bore allegiance to the former neo-Masonic degrees were far from happy at this radical reform. Some continued to practise these illegal degrees in a clandestine manner, in blatant violation of the rules of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland.

Facing strong persecution from a now powerful Grand Lodge and realising their beleaguered position, they merged the three old degrees into one large ritualistic degree. The Arch Purple Chapter’s book ‘History of the Royal Arch Purple Order’ explains: “Sometime between 1800 and 1811, possibly in 1802, a new degree was devised by the Brethren who valued and loved the old traditions and who were concerned by the turn of events” (p. 58). This degree was ” developed from the three pre 1798 ‘old degrees’ ” (p. 59). This elaborate degree became known as the ‘Royal Arch Purple degree’.

Orange degree

Orange Marksman degree – Royal Arch Purple degree

Purple Marksman degree

The Arch Purple Chapter’s book also confirms its composition, how that it was designed to “include as much as possible of the travel and ritual of the original three.”

The draft to the Arch Purple Chapter’s book diplomatically traces the roots of the Royal Arch Purple degree, stating that, “In light of the evidence available it would appear that the degree given today evolved from certain practices which had their origin in the Masonic Order, together with some innovations which had been introduced by those brethren conferring the degree in different areas being added to the original theme of the pre 1800 degrees to form a new ritual.” Even this guarded statement was omitted from the published book!

Nevertheless, in their book ‘The Orange Order: An Evangelical Perspective’ Grand Chaplain of the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland (which owns the Royal Arch Purple as its third degree) Rev. Ian Meredith and Irish Arch Purple man Rev. Brian Kennaway comment on the Arch Purple degree. They state, “It has to be admitted that this is the most ‘Masonic-like’ part of our ceremony.” They later describe it as “a Christianised or ‘Reformed Freemasonry’ ” (pp. 12, 25).

From its inception, the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland looked upon this neo-Masonic Royal Arch Purple degree with understandable abhorrence. It was viewed as being incompatible with, and contrary to, both Protestantism and Orangeism. Those ritualistic Orangemen who practised the degree were persecuted by Grand Lodge, forcing them to practise the degree in great secrecy for fear of expulsion from the Order. Grand Lodge maintained this position throughout the whole of the 1800s and into the early 20th century. The hard line assumed by the Orange Institution in Ireland mirrored the resolute stance of Orangeism throughout Great Britain.

The history of the Royal Black Institution

The history of the Royal Black degrees

Royal Black Institution, the Crusades and the Jesuits

https://www.evangelicaltruth.com/royal-black-institution-crusades-the-jesuits/

https://www.evangelicaltruth.com/history-of-the-orange-order/

https://www.facebook.com/billy.dunn.50767/posts/pfbid0chAK3gYNwYCibNEVnT6d6HVzPcdm1CDJaNKhyyP41NW6P9upGLVqRLfG3mZfmeX4l

Vice President Kamala Harris Archived

August 12, 2024  ·

It is my honor to travel our nation as Vice President and fight for the freedom of Americans to make decisions about their own body, to love who they love openly and with pride, to be safe from gun violence and hate, and to breathe clean air and drink clean water.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1084659100326245&set=a.287432416715588

Beelzebub or Baʿal Zebub (/biːˈɛlzəbʌb, ˈbiːl-/[1] bee-EL-zə-bub, BEEL-; Hebrew: בַּעַל־זְבוּב‎ Baʿal-zəḇūḇ), also spelled Beelzebul or Belzebuth, and occasionally known as the Lord of the Flies, is a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshipped in Ekron. In some Abrahamic religions he is described as a major demon. The name Beelzebub is associated with the Canaanite god Baal.

In theological sources, predominantly Christian, Beelzebub is another name for Satan. He is known in demonology as one of the seven deadly demons or seven princes of Hell, Beelzebub representing gluttony and envy. The Dictionnaire Infernal describes Beelzebub as a being capable of flying, known as the "Lord of the Flyers", or the "Lord of the Flies".

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

8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Matthew 4:8-11

Rabbinic tradition equates Baʿal Berith with Beelzebub, "the lord of flies," the god of Philistine Ekron (2 Kings 1:2).[12] He was worshipped in the shape of a fly; and Jewish tradition states that so addicted were the Jews to his cult that they would carry an image of him in their pockets, producing it, and kissing it from time to time. Baʿal Zebub was called Baʿal Berith because such Jews might be said to make a covenant of devotion with the idol, being unwilling to part with it for a single moment.[13] According to another conception, Baʿal Berith was an obscene article of idolatrous worship, possibly a simulacrum priapi.[14] This is evidently based on the later use of the word "berit" to refer to circumcision.[12]

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

Smith's Bible Dictionary - Baal

Baal, [N] [B] [E] [H]

the supreme male divinity of the Phoenician and Canaanitish nations, as Ashtoreth was their supreme female divinity. Some suppose Baal to correspond to the sun and Ashtoreth to the moon; others that Baal was Jupiter and Ashtoreth Venus. There can be no doubt of the very high antiquity of the worship of Baal. It prevailed in the time of Moses among the Moabites and Midianites, ( Numbers 22:41 ) and through them spread to the Israelites. ( Numbers 25:3-18 ; 4:3 ) In the times of the kings it became the religion of the court and people of the ten tribes, ( 1 Kings 16:31-33 ; 1 Kings 18:19 1 Kings 18:22 ) and appears never to have been permanently abolished among them. ( 2 Kings 17:16 ) Temples were erected to Baal in Judah, ( 1 Kings 16:32 ) and he was worshipped with much ceremony. ( 1 Kings 18:19 1 Kings 18:26-28 ; 2 Kings 10:22 ) The attractiveness of this worship to the Jews undoubtedly grew out of its licentious character. We find this worship also in Phoenician colonies. The religion of the ancient British islands much resembled this ancient worship of Baal, and may have been derived from it. Nor need we hesitate to regard the Babylonian Bel, ( Isaiah 46:1 ) or Beaus, as essentially identical with Baal, though perhaps under some modified form. The plural, BAALIM, is found frequently, showing that he was probably worshipped under different compounds, among which appear--

BAAL-BERITH (the covenant Baal ), ( Judges 8:33 ; 9:4 ) the god who comes into covenant with the worshippers.

BAAL-ZEBUB (lord of the fly ), and worshipped at Ekron. ( 2 Kings 1:2 2 Kings 1:3 2 Kings 1:16 )

BAAL-HANAN. a. The name of one of the early kings of Edom. ( Genesis 36:38 Genesis 36:39 ; 1 Chronicles 1:49 1 Chronicles 1:50 ) b. The name of one of Davids officers, who had the superintendence of his olive and sycamore plantations. ( 1 Chronicles 27:28 )

BAAL-PEOR (lord of the opening , i.e. for others to join in the worship). We have already referred to the worship of this god. The narrative (Numb 25) seems clearly to show that this form of Baal-worship was connected with licentious rites.

[N] indicates this entry was also found in Nave's Topical Bible

[B] indicates this entry was also found in Baker's Evangelical Dictionary

[E] indicates this entry was also found in Easton's Bible Dictionary

[H] indicates this entry was also found in Hitchcock's Bible Names

Bibliography Information

Smith, William, Dr. "Entry for 'Baal,'". "Smith's Bible Dictionary". . 1901.

Smith's Bible Dictionary - Baal

Baal, [N] [B] [E] [H]

geographical. This word occurs as the prefix or suffix to the names of several places in Palestine, some of which are as follows:

BAAL a town of Simeon, named only in ( 1 Chronicles 4:33 ) which from the parallel list in ( Joshua 19:8 ) seems to have been identical with BAALATH-BEER.

BAALAH (mistress ). a. Another name for KIRJATH-JEARIM, or KIRJATH BAAL, the well-known town now Kuriet el Enab . ( Joshua 15:9 Joshua 15:10 ; 1 Chronicles 13:6 ) b. A town in the south of Judah, ( Joshua 15:29 ) which in Josh 19:3 is called BALAH, and in the parallel list, ( 1 Chronicles 4:29 ) BILHAH.

BAALATH (mistress ), a town of Dan named with Gibbethon, Gath-rim-mon and other Philistine places. ( Joshua 19:44 )

BAALATH-BEER (lord of the well ). BAAL 1, a town among those in the south part of Judah, given to Simeon, which also bore the name of RAMATH-NEGEB, or "the height of the south." ( Joshua 19:8 )

BAAL-GAD (lord of fortune ), used to denote the most northern, ( Joshua 11:17 ; 12:7 ) or perhaps northwestern, ( Joshua 13:5 ) point to which Joshuas victories extended. It was in all probability a Phoenician or Canaanite sanctuary of Baal under the aspect of Gad or Fortune.

BAAL-HAMON (lord of a multitude ), a place at which Solomon had a vineyard, evidently of great extent. ( Solomon 8:11 )

BAAL-HAZOR (village of Baal ), a place where Absalom appears to have had a sheep-farm, and where Amnon was murdered. ( 2 Samuel 13:23 )

MOUNT MOUNT BAAL-HERMON (Lord of Hermon ), ( Judges 3:3 ) and simply Baal-hermon. ( 1 Chronicles 5:23 ) This is usually considered as a distinct place from Mount Hermon; but we know that this mountain had at least three names ( 3:9 ) and Baal-hermon may have been a fourth in use among the Phoenician worshippers.

BAAL-MEON (lord of the house ), one of the towns which were built by the Reubenites. ( Numbers 32:38 ) It also occurs in ( 1 Chronicles 5:8 ) and on each occasion with Nebo. In the time of Ezekiel it was Moabite, one of the cities which were the "glory of the country." ( Ezekiel 25:9 )

BAAL-PERAZIM (lord of divisions ), the scene of a victory of David over the Philistines, and of a great destruction of their images. ( 2 Samuel 5:20 ; 1 Chronicles 14:11 ) See ( Isaiah 28:21 ) where it is called MOUNT MOUNT PERAZIM.

BAAL-SHALISHA (lord of Shalisha ), a place named only in ( 2 Kings 4:42 ) apparently not far from Gilgal; comp. ( 2 Kings 4:38 )

BAAL-TAMAR (lord of the palm tree ), a place named only in ( Judges 20:33 ) as near Gibeah of Benjamin. The palm tree (tamar ) of Deborah, ( Judges 4:5 ) was situated somewhere in the locality, and is possibly alluded to.

BAAL-ZEPHON (lord of the north ), a place in Egypt near where the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. ( Numbers 33:7 ; Ezekiel 14:2 Ezekiel 14:9 ) We place Baal-zephon on the western shore of the Gulf of Suez, a little below its head, which at that time was about 30 or 40 miles northward of the Present head.

https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/baal/

Thirteenth Rule. To be right in everything, we ought always to hold that the white which I see, is black, if the Hierarchical Church so decides it, believing that between Christ our Lord, the Bridegroom, and the Church, His Bride, there is the same Spirit which governs and directs us for the salvation of our souls. Because by the same Spirit and our Lord Who gave the ten Commandments, our holy Mother the Church is directed and governed."

The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YC_luOfFWl0Bm0BWkbANKZGC1kkmdHQf/view?usp=sharing

Throughout Zoroastrian history, shrines and temples have been the focus of worship and pilgrimage for adherents of the religion. Early Zoroastrians were recorded as worshiping in the 5th century BCE on mounds and hills where fires were lit below the open skies.[58] In the wake of Achaemenid expansion, shrines were constructed throughout the empire and particularly influenced the role of Mithra, Aredvi Sura Anahita, Verethragna and Tishtrya, alongside other traditional Yazata who all have hymns within the Avesta and also local deities and culture-heroes. Today, enclosed and covered fire temples tend to be the focus of community worship where fires of varying grades are maintained by the clergy assigned to the temples.[59]

The incorporation of cultural and local rituals is quite common and traditions have been passed down in historically Zoroastrian communities such as herbal healing practices, wedding ceremonies, and the like.[60][61][31] Traditionally, Zoroastrian rituals have also included shamanic elements involving mystical methods such as spirit travel to the invisible realm and involving the consumption of fortified wine, Haoma, mang, and other ritual aids.[62][33][63][64][65]

In Zoroastrianism, water (aban) and fire (atar) are agents of ritual purity, and the associated purification ceremonies are considered the basis of ritual life. In Zoroastrian cosmogony, water and fire are respectively the second and last primordial elements to have been created, and scripture considers fire to have its origin in the waters (re. which conception see Apam Napat). Both water and fire are considered life-sustaining, and both water and fire are represented within the precinct of a fire temple. Zoroastrians usually pray in the presence of some form of fire (which can be considered evident in any source of light), and the culminating rite of the principal act of worship constitutes a "strengthening of the waters". Fire is considered a medium through which spiritual insight and wisdom are gained, and water is considered the source of that wisdom. Both fire and water are also hypostasized as the Yazatas Atar and Anahita, with worship hymns and litanies dedicated to them.[citation needed]

A corpse is considered a host for decay, i.e., of druj. Consequently, scripture enjoins the safe disposal of the dead in a manner such that a corpse does not pollute the good creation. These injunctions are the doctrinal basis of the fast-fading traditional practice of ritual exposure, most commonly identified with the so-called Towers of Silence for which there is no standard technical term in either scripture or tradition. Ritual exposure is currently mainly practiced by Zoroastrian communities of the Indian subcontinent, in locations where it is not illegal and diclofenac poisoning has not led to the virtual extinction of scavenger birds. Other Zoroastrian communities either cremate their dead, or bury them in graves that are cased with lime mortar.[citation needed]

The central ritual of Zoroastrianism is the Yasna, which is a recitation of the eponymous book of the Avesta and sacrificial ritual ceremony involving Haoma.[67] Extensions to the Yasna ritual are possible through use of the Visperad and Vendidad, but such an extended ritual is rare in modern Zoroastrianism.[68][69] The Yasna itself descended from Indo-Iranian sacrificial ceremonies and animal sacrifice of varying degrees are mentioned in the Avesta and are still practiced in Zoroastrianism albeit through reduced forms such as the sacrifice of fat before meals.[70] High rituals such as the Yasna are considered to be the purview of the Mobads with a corpus of individual and communal rituals and prayers included in the Khordeh Avesta.[67][71]

A Zoroastrian is welcomed into the faith through the Navjote/Sedreh Pushi ceremony, which is traditionally conducted during the later childhood or pre-teen years of the aspirant, though there is no defined age limit for the ritual.[31][72] After the ceremony, Zoroastrians are encouraged to wear their sedreh (ritual shirt) and kusti (ritual girdle) daily as a spiritual reminder and for mystical protection, though reformist Zoroastrians tend to only wear them during festivals, ceremonies, and prayers.[73][31][72]

Historically, Zoroastrians are encouraged to pray the five daily Gāhs and to maintain and celebrate the various holy festivals of the Zoroastrian calendar, which can differ from community to community.[74][75] Zoroastrian prayers, called manthras, are conducted usually with hands outstretched in imitation of Zoroaster's prayer style described in the Gathas and are of a reflectionary and supplicant nature believed to be endowed with the ability to banish evil.[76][77][52] Devout Zoroastrians are known to cover their heads during prayer, either with traditional topi, scarves, other headwear, or even just their hands. However, full coverage and veiling which is traditional in Islamic practice is not a part of Zoroastrianism and Zoroastrian women in Iran wear their head coverings displaying hair and their faces to defy mandates by the Islamic Republic of Iran.[78]

Late antiquity

As late as the Parthian period, a form of Zoroastrianism was without a doubt the dominant religion in the Armenian lands.[115] The Sassanids aggressively promoted the Zurvanite form of Zoroastrianism, often building fire temples in captured territories to promote the religion. During the period of their centuries-long suzerainty over the Caucasus, the Sassanids made attempts to promote Zoroastrianism there with considerable successes, and it was prominent in the pre-Christian Caucasus (especially modern-day Azerbaijan).[citation needed]

Due to its ties to the Christian Roman Empire, Persia's arch-rival since Parthian times, the Sassanids were suspicious of Roman Christianity, and after the reign of Constantine the Great, sometimes persecuted it.[116] In 451 CE, The Sassanid authority clashed with their Armenian subjects in the Battle of Avarayr, making them officially break with the Roman Church. But the Sassanids tolerated or even sometimes favored the Christianity of the Church of the East. The acceptance of Christianity in Georgia (Caucasian Iberia) saw the Zoroastrian religion there slowly but surely decline,[117] but as late the 5th century CE, it was still widely practised as something like a second established religion.[118][119]

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

The House of El Douaihy (also "Al Douaihy" in some cases Doueihy, Douaihi, Doueihi, Dowaihi, Duayhe, Duwayhi', Dwaihy, Arabic: الدويهي, French: de Douai), is an important Lebanese and Levantine noble family of French origins of which can be traced up until the 7th century. The first prominent feudal northern Lebanese Maronite Sheikhs (Lords) to have governed Zgharta and Ehden, (Zgharta District) in northern Lebanon came from the Douaihy clan.

Throughout history, the Douaihys endowed the community with research, faith, commerce and art. The Douaihys are also a religious family, among whom are recognized four Patriarchs, seventeen Bishops, hundreds of monks and nuns, dating from the 14th century to the present day.

On January 26, 2006 the Congregation of Saints in the Vatican has proclaimed the beginning of the process for Patriarch Estephan El Douaihy’s canonization.[1]

It is a large and well-rooted family in the lands of Ehden, Kadisha and Khazahia, where its roots combine with the history of the Maronites for at least one thousand years. The clan had a substantial presence in the Galilee prior to 1948, but its numbers have dwindled in the Holy Land in general since then, with most Palestinian clan members moving to Europe and South America, as well as Lebanon.

The Douaihy family lineage continues to contribute meaningfully on the national and international scene as professors, academics, artists, diplomats, police and army generals, healthcare representatives, parliament members and minister.The family slogan, known by many as "Ana la min?" (Who am I for?), is being upheld by the rightful heir of the family, Duks III, who carries the torch of this legacy. [2][3][4][5][6][7]

Origins

Genealogy in the Middle East, especially of Christian families in Syria, Lebanon and the Holy Land, is complicated and depends on oral traditions much more than written ones.

In the Middle Ages when Tripoli was governed by the Crusaders, a mixed people lived in the area, a result of the intermarriages between the Christians from Europe and the local Christians (Maronites, Melkites, etc.). It was not unusual for a Tripolitan to be of French origin (but of local Christian culture), married to a local Christian, with a Greek son-in-law and an Armenian or Syriac daughter-in-law.

To this day you can find many people of Crusader origin in Lebanon, the Holy Land, Jordan and Syria. The El Douaihy clan are descendants of the French who came from the northern French city of Douai, the capital of the ancient Frankish Duchy of Ostrevant (the arms of the Douai family are still used as a blason of Ostrevant). In the First Crusade, Count Anselme II De Ribemont d’Ostrevant was the “right hand” of Godfroi de Bouillon in the East, so one would assume that his progenitors were related to the De Ribemont d’Ostrevant family.

If Jeremiah Al-Amshiti had been one of the Douai clan, as Patriarch Estephan El Douaihy claimed, the family progenitors would have been “easternized” just after the First Crusade 1096 -1099. The Douaihy clan spread across the Levant, including to Syria and Israel.

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

Istifan al-Duwayhi or Estephan El Douaihy (Arabic: اسطفانوس الثاني بطرس الدويهي / ALA-LC: Isṭifānūs al-thānī Buṭrus al-Duwayhī; French: Étienne Douaihi; Latin: Stephanus Dovaihi; Italian: Stefano El Douaihy; 2 August 1630 – 3 May 1704) was the 57th Patriarch of the Maronite Church, serving from 1670 until his death. He was born in Ehden, Lebanon.

He is considered one of the major Lebanese historians of the 17th century and was known as “The Father of Maronite History”, “Pillar of the Maronite Church”, “The Second Chrysostom”, “Splendor of the Maronite Nation”, and “The Glory of Lebanon and the Maronites”. After his death, he was declared a Servant of God by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.[1] On 3 July 2008 Pope Benedict XVI declared him Venerable.[2] On August 2, 2024, he was beatified at a ceremony held in Bkerké, Lebanon.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istifan_al-Duwayhi

Gloria María Milagrosa Estefan (née Fajardo García; born September 1, 1957) (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈɡloɾja esˈtefan]) is a Cuban-American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is an eight-time Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been named one of the Top 100 greatest artists of all time by both VH1 and Billboard.[2] Estefan's record sales exceed 100 million worldwide, making her one of the best-selling female singers of all time.[3][4] Many of Estefan's songs became international chart-topping hits, including "1-2-3", "Don't Wanna Lose You", "Coming Out of the Dark", "Turn the Beat Around", and "Heaven's What I Feel". Other hits include "Bad Boy", "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You", "Get On Your Feet", and "You'll Be Mine (Party Time)".

A contralto, Estefan started[5] her career as lead singer of Miami Latin Boys, which was later renamed Miami Sound Machine. She and Miami Sound Machine earned worldwide success with their 1985 single "Conga", which became Estefan's signature song and led to Miami Sound Machine winning the 15th annual Tokyo Music Festival's grand prix in 1986. In 1988, she and Miami Sound Machine achieved their first number-one hit with "Anything for You".

In March 1990, Estefan sustained a life-threatening cervical fracture of her spine when her tour bus was involved in a serious accident near Scranton, Pennsylvania. She underwent an emergency surgical stabilization of her cervical spine and post-surgical rehabilitation that lasted almost a year, but made a full recovery. A year later, in March 1991, Estefan launched her comeback with a worldwide tour and album, Into the Light.

Estefan's 1993 Spanish-language album, Mi Tierra, won the first of her three Grammy Awards for Best Tropical Latin Album.[6] The album was also the first Diamond album in Spain. Estefan has been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Las Vegas Walk of Fame and was a Kennedy Center Honors recipient in 2017 for her contributions to American cultural life. Estefan won an MTV Video Music Award, was honored with the American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement, and has been named BMI Songwriter of the Year. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has received multiple Billboard Music Awards. She is also a recipient of the 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom.[7]

Billboard has listed Estefan as the third-most successful Latina and 23rd-greatest Latin Artist of all time in the U.S., based on both Latin albums and Latin songs chart.[8] Hailed as the "Queen of Latin Pop" by the media,[9] she has amassed 38 number one hits across Billboard charts, including 15 chart-topping songs on the Hot Latin Songs chart.[10][8]

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

Genesis 3:15

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

15 I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%203%3A15&version=DRA

Genesis 3:15

1599 Geneva Bible

15 I will also put enmity between [q]thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. He shall break thine [r]head, and thou shalt [s]bruise his heel.

Genesis 3:15 He chiefly meaneth Satan, by whose motion and craft the serpent deceived the woman.

Genesis 3:15 That is, the power of sin and death.

Genesis 3:15 Satan shall sting Christ and his members, but not overcome them.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%203&version=GNV

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://ia800303.us.archive.org/3/items/a588350800loyouoft/a588350800loyouoft.pdf

The Douay–Rheims Bible (/ˌduːeɪ ˈriːmz, ˌdaʊeɪ -/,[1] US also /duːˌeɪ -/), also known as the Douay–Rheims Version, Rheims–Douai Bible or Douai Bible, and abbreviated as D–R, DRB, and DRV, is a translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate into English made by members of the English College, Douai, in the service of the Catholic Church.[2] The New Testament portion was published in Reims, France, in 1582, in one volume with extensive commentary and notes. The Old Testament portion was published in two volumes twenty-seven years later in 1609 and 1610 by the University of Douai. The first volume, covering Genesis to Job, was published in 1609; the second, covering the Book of Psalms to 2 Maccabees (spelt "Machabees") plus the three apocryphal books of the Vulgate appendix following the Old Testament (Prayer of Manasseh, 3 Esdras, and 4 Esdras), was published in 1610. Marginal notes took up the bulk of the volumes and offered insights on issues of translation, and on the Hebrew and Greek source texts of the Vulgate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douay%E2%80%93Rheims_Bible

The former Jesuit College of Reims is a 16th-century building located in Reims in the Marne, a French department in the Champagne area of the Grand Est region. Founded in 1608 by Jesuits, the college was closed in 1762 when the Jesuits were banished from France. The buildings were used for other educational projects during the 19th century. Since 1976 they have belonged to the City of Reims, which has used it to provide a space for various regional and international organisations. Its library and refectory are recognised monuments of Baroque art.

History

Buildings

Nicolas Brûlart de Sillery asked Henri IV for permission for the Jesuits to open a college in Reims. The king authorised, by letters patent of 25 March 1606, the Jesuit fathers to found a college in Reims. His brother François (†. 1630), who was chaplain to the king, bought the Hôtel de Cerny on 12 March 1608 for them to set up there. He donated 3 000 pounds for the fitting out of the establishment.

On 18 October 1608 the Jesuits inaugurated their classes there. They taught Humanities, Philosophy and Mathematics.

In 1610 François Brûlart donated a farm and a priory for the maintenance of a chair of philosophy, then in 1614 an annuity of 1,000 pounds for the opening of a second chair of Philosophy.

In 1615 the Jesuits bought the neighbouring priory of Saint-Maurice to extend the premises and in 1619, François Brûlart made a further donation of 6 600 pounds, which enabled it to be given its present layout: a central chapel with a courtyard surrounded by buildings. The teaching was then completed by theological instruction.

In May 1762, when they were banished from France, the Jesuits' property was seized and the College of Reims was reunited with the Collège des Bons Enfants. In January 1766, the General Hospital took possession of the buildings, which served as a hospice until 1772. The Magneuses, a foundation created by Nicolas Colbert's widow, moved into part of the college in 1791 to take in poor girls aged between 10 and 15 and give them an education. They occupied the college until the middle of the 20th century before it was used to house law students in 1967. The buildings were acquired by the municipality in 1976, and major works were undertaken from 2013 to 2015 to adapt the premises to current teaching.

Conservation

Restored, the building was converted into the multi-activity centre it is today. To protect the architectural and cultural interest of this complex, including its garden, courtyard, refectory, hallway, kitchen, elevations, and interior decoration; the vines that escaped phylloxera are classified[1] as an ancient grape variety,[2] the Verjus;[3] all are under legal protection: this complex has been classified as a historic monument since 2 September 1933, while the 17th century staircase has been classified since 25 December 1921.[4]

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

https://www.facebook.com/billy.dunn.50767/posts/pfbid0t3DdgbxP5MsJDVk3X1zisrZNfPory5P1hta4FoUPu6mMwWuPXcJJXwjGaR9dcrh9l

8 And as if it were for a maiden that loveth to go GAY: so do they take gold and make them up.

Baruch 6:8

Village People is an American disco group known for its on-stage costumes and suggestive lyrics in their music. The group was originally formed by French producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis[1] following the release of the debut album Village People, which targeted disco's large gay audience. The group's name refers to Manhattan's Greenwich Village, with its reputation as a gayborhood.[2] The characters were a symbolic group of American masculinity[3] and macho gay-fantasy personas.[4] As of January 2020, Willis is the only original member of the group.[5]

The group quickly became popular and moved into the mainstream, scoring several disco and dance hits internationally, including the hit singles "Macho Man", "In the Navy", "Go West", and "Y.M.C.A.", which was their biggest hit. In March 2020, the Library of Congress described "Y.M.C.A." as "an American phenomenon",[6] and added the song to the National Recording Registry, which preserves audio recordings considered to be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[7]

History

1977–1979

The original members of the group during the shooting of their debut music video San Francisco in 1977

French musical composer and producer Jacques Morali and his business partner Henri Belolo, known collectively as Can't Stop Productions, were enjoying a successful string of hits in France and Europe. In 1977, they moved to New York City to attempt to break into the American market. Morali had written a few dance tunes when he was given a demo tape recorded by singer/actor Victor Willis. After hiring Willis to sing background vocals on the four tracks, Morali approached him and said, "I had a dream that you sang lead on my album and it went very, very big". Willis agreed to sing on the debut album Village People.[8]

Songwriters Phil Hurtt and Peter Whitehead wrote the lyrics for the first album (Willis would subsequently take over writing duties in 1978 for the group's biggest hits). The Village People studio band was called Gypsy Lane and was conducted by Horace Ott. Ott also provided many of the musical arrangements for Morali, who did not play any instruments.[9]

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

4Beware therefore that you imitate not the doings of others, and be afraid, and the fear of them should seize upon you. 5 But when you see the multitude behind, and before, adoring them, say you in your hearts: Thou oughtest to be adored, O Lord. 6 For my angel is with you: And I myself will demand an account of your souls. 7 For their tongue that is polished by the craftsman, and themselves laid over with gold and silver, are false things, and they cannot speak. 8 And as if it were for a maiden that loveth to go gay: so do they take gold and make them up. 9 Their gods have golden crowns upon their heads: whereof the priests secretly convey away from them gold, and silver, and bestow it on themselves. 10 Yea and they give thereof to prostitutes, and they dress out harlots: and again when they receive it of the harlots, they adorn their gods. 11 And these gods cannot defend themselves from the rust, and the moth. 12 But when they have covered them with a purple garment, they wipe their face because of the dust of the house, which is very much among them. 13 This holdeth a sceptre as a man, as a judge of the country, but cannot put to death one that offendeth him. 14 And this hath in his hand a sword, or an axe, but cannot save himself from war, or from robbers, whereby be it known to you, that they are not gods. 15 Therefore fear them not. For as a vessel that a man uses when it is broken becometh useless, even so are their gods: 16 When they are placed in the house, their eyes are full of dust by the feet of them that go in. 17 And as the gates are made sure on every side upon one that hath offended the king, or like a dead man carried to the grave, so do the priests secure the doors with bars and locks, lest they be stripped by thieves. 18 They light candles to them, and in great number, of which they cannot see one: but they are like beams in the house. 19 And they say that the creeping things which are of the earth, gnaw their hearts, while they eat them and their garments, and they feel it not. 20 Their faces are black with the smoke that is made in the house. 21 Owls, and swallows, and other birds fly upon their bodies, and upon their heads, and cats in like manner. 22 Whereby you may know that they are no gods. Therefore fear them not. 23 The gold also which they have, is for shew, but except a man wipe off the rust, they will not shine: for neither when they were molten, did they feel it. 24 Men buy them at a high price, whereas there is no breath in them. 25 And having not the use of feet they are carried upon shoulders, declaring to men how vile they are. Be they confounded also that worship them. 26 Therefore if they fall to the ground, they rise not up again of themselves, nor if a man set them upright, will they stand by themselves, but their gifts shall be set before them, as to the dead. 27 The things that are sacrificed to them, their priests sell and abuse: in like manner also their wives take part of them, but give nothing of it either to the sick, or to the poor. 28 The childbearing and menstruous women touch their sacrifices: knowing therefore by these things that they are not gods, fear them not. 29 For how can they be called gods? because women set offerings before the gods of silver, and of gold, and of wood: 30 And priests sit in their temples, having their garments rent, and their heads and beards shaven, and nothing upon their heads. 31 And they roar and cry before their gods, as men do at the feast when one is dead. 32 The priests take away their garments, and clothe their wives and their children. 33 And whether it be evil that one doth unto them, or good, they are not able to recompense it: neither can they set up a king nor put him down: 34 In like manner they can neither give riches, nor requite evil. If a man make a vow to them, and perform it not, they cannot require it. 35 They cannot deliver a man from death nor save the weak from the mighty. 36 They cannot restore the blind man to his sight: nor deliver a man from distress. 37 They shall not pity the widow, nor do good to the fatherless. 38 Their gods, of wood, and of stone, and of gold, and of silver, are like the stones that are hewn out of the mountains: and they that worship them shall be confounded. 39 How then is it to be supposed, or to be said, that they are gods? 40 Even the Chaldeans themselves dishonour them: who when they hear of one dumb that cannot speak, they present him to Bel, entreating him, that he may speak, 41 As though they could be sensible that have no motion themselves: and they, when they shall perceive this, will leave them: for their gods themselves have no sense. 42 The women also with cords about them, sit in the ways, burning olive stones. 43 And when any one of them, drawn away by some passenger, lieth with him, she upbraideth her neighbour, that she was not thought as worthy as herself, nor her cord broken. 44 But all things that are done about them, are false: how is it then to be thought, or to be said, that they are gods? 45 And they are made by workmen, and by goldsmiths. They shall be nothing else but what the priests will have them to be. 46 For the artificers themselves that make them, are of no long continuance. Can those things then that are made by them be gods? 47 But they have left false things and reproach to them that come after. 48 For when war cometh upon them, or evils, the priests consult with themselves where they may hide themselves with them. 49 How then can they be thought to be gods, that can neither deliver themselves from war, nor save themselves from evils? 50 For seeing they are but of wood, and laid over with gold, and with silver, it shall be known hereafter that they are false things, by all nations and kings: and it shall be manifest that they are no gods, but the work of men’s hands, and that there is no work of God in them. 51 Whence therefore is it known that they are not gods, but the work of men’s hands, and no work of God is in them? 52 They cannot set up a king over the land, nor give rain to men. 53 They determine no causes, nor deliver countries from oppression; because they can do nothing, and are as daws between heaven and earth. 54 For when fire shall fall upon the house of these gods of wood, and of silver, and of gold, their priests indeed will flee away, and be saved: but they themselves shall be burnt in the midst like beams. 55 And they cannot withstand a king and war. How then can it be supposed, or admitted that they are gods? 56 Neither are these gods of wood, and of stone, and laid over with gold, and with silver, able to deliver themselves from thieves or robbers: they that are stronger than them, 57 Shall take from them the gold, and silver, and the raiment wherewith they are clothed, and shall go their way, neither shall they help themselves. 58 Therefore it is better to be a king that sheweth his power: or else a profitable vessel in the house, with which the owner thereof will be well satisfied: or a door in the house, to keep things safe that are therein, than such false gods. 59 The sun, and the moon, and the stars being bright, and sent forth for profitable uses, are obedient. 60 In like manner the lightning, when it breaketh forth, is easy to be seen: and after the same manner the wind bloweth in every country. 61 And the clouds when God commandeth them to go over the whole world, do that which is commanded them. 62 The fire also being sent from above to consume mountains and woods, doth as it is commanded. But these neither in shew, nor in power are like to any one of them. 63 Wherefore it is neither to be thought, nor to be said, that they are gods: since they are neither able to judge causes, nor to do any good to men. 64 Knowing therefore that they are not gods, fear them not. 65 For neither can they curse kings, nor bless them. 66 Neither do they shew signs in the heaven to the nations, nor shine as the sun, nor give light as the moon. 67 Beasts are better than they, which can fly under a covert, and help themselves. 68 Therefore there is no manner of appearance that they are gods: so fear them not. 69 For as a scarecrow in a garden of cucumbers keepeth nothing, so are their gods of wood, and of silver, and laid over with gold. 70 They are no better than a white thorn in a garden, upon which every bird sitteth. In like manner also their gods of wood, and laid over with gold, and with silver, are like to a dead body cast forth in the dark. 71 By the purple also and the scarlet which are motheaten upon them, you shall know that they are not gods. And they themselves at last are consumed, and shall be a reproach in the country. 72 Better therefore is the just man that hath no idols: for he shall be far from reproach.

Baruch 6:4-72

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Baruch%206&version=DRA

 6 And I said to the man that was clothed in linen, that stood upon the waters of the river: How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?  7 And I heard the man that was clothed in linen, that stood upon the waters of the river: when he had lifted up his right hand, and his left hand to heaven, and had sworn, by him that liveth for ever, that it should be unto a time, and times, and half a time. And when the scattering of the band of the holy people shall be accomplished, all these things shall be finished.  8 And I heard, and understood not. And I said: O my lord, what shall be after these things?  9 And he said: Go, Daniel, because the words are shut up, and sealed until the appointed time.  10 Many shall be chosen, and made white, and shall be tried as fire: and the wicked shall deal wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand, but the learned shall understand.

 11 And from the time when the continual sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination unto desolation shall be set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred ninety days,  12 Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh unto a thousand three hundred thirty-five days.  13 But go thou thy ways until the time appointed: and thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot unto the end of the days.

Daniel 12:6-12

Douay-Rheims Bible

https://www.drbo.org/chapter/32012.htm

Zevachim (“Sacrifices”), with fourteen chapters, and originally called Shehitat Kodashim ("slaughtering of the holy animals") deals with the sacrificial system of the Temple period, namely the laws for animal and bird offerings, and the conditions which make them acceptable or not, as specified in the Torah, primarily in the book of Leviticus (Lev 1:2 and on).[1][2][4]

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

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

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

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/wiki/Archbasilica_of_Saint_John_Lateran#Lateran_Palace

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

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

20. It is better and safer to make alliance and amity with [Moslem] Turks, [Communist] Infidels, or [Talmudic and anti-Torah, Zionist] Jews, than with [Reformation Bible-believing] Heretic Protestants [and Baptists], because they may draw us into the errors of their novelties. {1}

Absolutist Papal Maxims of the Jesuits

Q. 150. Who, I beseech you, are those who are not to be accounted members of the

Church?

A. All such as are not in the unity of the church, by a most firm belief of her doctrine, and

due obedience to her pastors; as Jews, Turks, Heretics, &c.

Q. 151. Why may not Heretics and Schismatics justly claim to be in the Unity of the

Church and Members of Christ's body?

A. Because Catholics can show to each sect of Heretics and Schismatics the time they

began; the date of their separation from the Church: the name of the person or persons of

their sect who first separated themselves, and the cause of their condemnation; whilst the

Catholic Church always was from the beginning.

Q. 152. What if a Protestant should tell you, that the difference between them and

us, are not differences in fundamentals, or in faith, but in opinion only, and

therefore do not exclude them out of unity of the Catholic Church?

A. I should answer, they contradict themselves; for they accuse us of robbing God of his

honour, in holding priestly absolutions from sins; in adoring Christ's body and blood, as

really present in the eucharist, and holding the Pope's supremacy in things belonging to

the spiritual government of the Church, also the infallibility of the Church and general

councils, in delivering and defining points of faith, which are no matters of indifference,

but high fundamentals.

Q. 153. How do you prove all obstinate Innovators to be Heretics?

A. Because they wilfully stand out against the definitive sentence of the Church of God,

and submit not to any tribunal appointed by Christ to decide religious controversies; but

follow their own interpretation of the dead letter of the scriptures.

The Douay Catechism of 1649

by Henry Tuberville, D.D

https://www.remnantnewspaper.com/The%20Douay%20Catechism%20of%201649.pdf

"God is dead" (German: Gott ist tot [ɡɔt ɪst toːt] ⓘ; also known as the death of God) is a statement made by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. The first instance of this statement in Nietzsche's writings is in his 1882 The Gay Science, where it appears three times.[note 1] The phrase also appears at the beginning of Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

The meaning of this statement is that since, as Nietzsche says, "the belief in the Christian God has become unbelievable", everything that was "built upon this faith, propped up by it, grown into it", including "the whole [...] European morality", is bound to "collapse".[1] The time of the Enlightenment had transformed collective human knowledge to the point where many would question their beliefs. The framing of the construct suggests that God could exist, from an atheistic perspective, in the minds of men rather than in reality, and so widespread disbelief would equate to God's death.

Other philosophers had previously discussed the concept, including Philipp Mainländer and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. The phrase is also discussed in the Death of God theology.

Early usage

Discourses of a "death of God" in German culture appear as early as the 17th century and originally referred to Lutheran theories of atonement. The phrase "God is dead" appears in the hymn "Ein Trauriger Grabgesang" ("A mournful dirge") by Johann von Rist.[2]

Before Nietzsche, the phrase 'Dieu est mort!' ('God is dead') was written in Gérard de Nerval's 1854 poem "Le Christ aux oliviers" ("Christ at the olive trees").[3] The poem is an adaptation into a verse of a dream-vision that appears in Jean Paul's 1797 novel Siebenkäs under the chapter title of 'The Dead Christ Proclaims That There Is No God'.[4] In an address he gave in 1987 to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the literary scholar George Steiner claims that Nietzsche's formulation 'God is dead' is indebted to the aforementioned 'Dead Christ' dream-vision of Jean Paul, but he offers no concrete evidence that Nietzsche ever read Jean Paul.[5]

The phrase is also found in a passage expressed by a narrator in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables:[6][7]

"God is dead, perhaps," said Gerard de Nerval one day to the writer of these lines, confounding progress with God, and taking the interruption of movement for the death of Being.

Buddhist philosopher K. Satchidananda Murty wrote in 1973 that, coming across in a hymn of Martin Luther what Hegel described as "the cruel words", "the harsh utterance", namely, "God is dead", developed the theme of God's death according to whom, to one form of experience, God is dead. Murty continued that commenting on Kant's first Critique, Heinrich Heine who had purportedly influenced Nietzsche spoke of a dying God. Since Heine and Nietzsche the phrase Death of God became popular.[8]

German philosophy

Hegel

Contemporary historians believe that 19th-century German idealist philosophers, especially those associated with Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, are responsible for removing the specifically Christian resonance of the phrase relating to the death of Jesus Christ and associating it with secular philosophical and sociological theories.[2]

Although the statement and its meaning are attributed to Nietzsche, Hegel had discussed the concept of the death of God in his Phenomenology of Spirit, where he considers the death of God to "Not be seen as anything but an easily recognized part of the usual Christian cycle of redemption".[9] Later on Hegel writes about the great pain of knowing that God is dead: "The pure concept, however, or infinity, as the abyss of nothingness in which all being sinks, must characterize the infinite pain, which previously was only in culture historically and as the feeling on which rests modern religion, the feeling that God Himself is dead, (the feeling which was uttered by Pascal, though only empirically, in his saying: Nature is such that it marks everywhere, both in and outside of man, a lost God), purely as a phase, but also as no more than just a phase, of the highest idea."[10]

Hegel's student Richard Rothe, in his 1837 theological text Die Anfänge der christlichen Kirche und ihrer Verfassung, appears to be one of the first philosophers to associate the idea of a death of God with the sociological theory of secularization.[11]

Stirner

German philosopher Max Stirner, whose influence on Nietzsche is debated, writes in his 1844 book The Ego and its Own that "the work of the Enlightenment, the vanquishing of God: they did not notice that man has killed God in order to become now – 'sole God on high'".[12]

Mainländer

Before Nietzsche, the concept was popularized in philosophy by the German philosopher Philipp Mainländer.[13]

It was while reading Mainländer that Nietzsche explicitly writes to have parted ways with Schopenhauer.[14] In Mainländer's more than 200 pages long criticism of Schopenhauer's metaphysics, he argues against one cosmic unity behind the world, and champions a real multiplicity of wills struggling with each other for existence. Yet, the interconnection and the unitary movement of the world, which are the reasons that lead philosophers to pantheism, are undeniable.[15] They do indeed lead to a unity, but this may not be at the expense of a unity in the world that undermines the empirical reality of the world. It is therefore declared to be dead.

Now we have the right to give this being the well-known name that always designates what no power of imagination, no flight of the boldest fantasy, no intently devout heart, no abstract thinking however profound, no enraptured and transported spirit has ever attained: God. But this basic unity is of the past; it no longer is. It has, by changing its being, totally and completely shattered itself. God has died and his death was the life of the world.[note 2]

— Mainländer, Die Philosophie der Erlösung

Nietzsche

In The Gay Science, "God is dead" is first mentioned in "New Struggles":

After Buddha was dead, his shadow was still shown for centuries in a cave––a tremendous, gruesome shadow. God is dead; but given the way of men, there may still be caves for thousands of years in which his shadow will be shown. ––And we––we still have to vanquish his shadow, too.[17]

Still in The Gay Science, the expression is stated through the voice of the "madman", in "The Madman", as follows:

God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?

— Nietzsche, The Gay Science, Book III, Section 125, tr. Walter Kaufmann

In the madman passage, the madman is described as running through a marketplace shouting, "I seek God! I seek God!" He arouses some amusement; no one takes him seriously. "Maybe he took an ocean voyage? Lost his way like a little child? Maybe he's afraid of us (non-believers) and is hiding?" – much laughter. Frustrated, the madman smashes his lantern on the ground, crying out that "God is dead, and we have killed him, you and I!". "But I have come too soon", he immediately realizes, as his detractors of a minute before stare in astonishment: people cannot yet see that they have killed God. He goes on to say:

This tremendous event is still on its way, still wandering; it has not yet reached the ears of men. Lightning and thunder require time, the light of the stars requires time, deeds, though done, still require time to be seen and heard. This deed is still more distant from them than the most distant stars – and yet they have done it themselves.

— Nietzsche, The Gay Science, Section 125, tr. Walter Kaufmann

Lastly, "The Meaning of our Cheerfulness" section of The Gay Science discusses what "God is dead" means ("that the belief in the Christian God has become unworthy of belief"), and the consequences of this fact.[18]

In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, at the end of section 2 of Zarathustra's prologue, after beginning his allegorical journey, Zarathustra encounters an aged ascetic who expresses misanthropy and love of God (a "saint"). Nietzsche writes:

[Zarathustra] saluted the saint and said "What should I have to give you! But let me go quickly that I take nothing from you!" And thus they parted from one another, the old man and Zarathustra, laughing as two boys laugh.

But when Zarathustra was alone, he spoke thus to his heart: "Could it be possible! This old saint has not heard in his forest that God is dead!"

— Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, tr. R.J. Hollingdale[19][20]

What is more, Zarathustra later not only refers to the death of God but states: "Dead are all the Gods." It is not just one morality that has died, but all of them, to be replaced by the life of the Übermensch, the overman:

'DEAD ARE ALL THE GODS: NOW DO WE DESIRE THE OVERMAN TO LIVE.'

—  Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, Section XXII, 3, tr. Thomas Common

Explanations

Nietzsche recognized the crisis that this "Death of God" represented for existing moral assumptions in Europe as they existed within the context of traditional Christian belief. "When one gives up the Christian faith, one pulls the right to Christian morality out from under one's feet. This morality is by no means self-evident [...] By breaking one main concept out of Christianity, the faith in God, one breaks the whole: nothing necessary remains in one's hands."[21]

Interpretation

Martin Heidegger

Martin Heidegger understood Nietzsche’s declaration "God is dead" as a commentary on the end of metaphysics. For Heidegger, Nietzsche’s statement signifies not merely a theological or cultural shift but marks the culmination—and, consequently, the demise—of philosophy as metaphysics. Heidegger argued that metaphysics, which had structured Western thought from its inception, had now reached its maximum potential and, in doing so, had exhausted its relevance. The "death of God," then, is emblematic of this end, signaling the dissolution of any metaphysical worldview. According to Heidegger, metaphysics had been bound to end in this way since its origin.[22]

Heidegger viewed the death of God as a pivotal moment in the history of thought, representing a transformation in humanity’s relationship to "Being." This shift, he argued, invites a new mode of engagement with existence, one that transcends human-imposed structures of meaning and value. Unlike Nietzsche, who proposes the "will to power" as a means for individuals to assert their own values, Heidegger critiques this as a lingering form of human-centered valuation, one that still attempts to impose meaning onto existence.[23]

Instead, Heidegger advocates a contemplative approach, suggesting that we "let Being be"—appreciating existence without the constraints of human valuation or the demand for purpose. This approach marks a philosophical divergence: while Nietzsche encourages the active creation of values in a world absent of divine authority, Heidegger calls for a more fundamental openness to Being itself, free from valuation. In this sense, the "death" of God is not only a loss but also an opportunity for a new, radically different understanding of existence.[23]

Death of God theology

Main article: Death of God theology

Although theologians since Nietzsche had occasionally used the phrase "God is dead" to reflect increasing unbelief in God, the concept rose to prominence in theology in the late 1950s and 1960s, subsiding in the early 1970s, as the Death of God theology.[24] The German-born theologian Paul Tillich, for instance, was influenced by the writings of Nietzsche, especially his phrase "God is dead".[25]

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

Synopsis for "Vanishing Point"

After completing his training, Waverider is taken to the Library of Time by the Linear Men to observe and document the the last moments of Superman. Waverider cannot bring himself to let Superman be killed, so he sets off to change the event. Ryder follows him and explains to Waverider how there a lot of people, just as great as Superman in different fields of life, that could deserve the same treatment too. Waverider sees Ryder's point and restarts time to let things go on, while both men watch Superman's last moments in sadness. https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Superman:_The_Legacy_of_Superman_Vol_1_1

Superman (real name William "Bill" Dunn) was a titular character that appeared in the short story The Reign of the Superman in 1933. Despite acting as the initial version of the DC Comics hero that's well known, this Superman, was in fact intended to be a villainous protagonist.

Biography

Bill Dunn was initially merely a vagrant who was waiting in a bread-line each and every day for food. However, he was singled out by a strange and misanthropic scientist named Professor Smalley, and took him for a hot meal which is a large toasted sandwich and some coffee.

He then recruited Dunn to be part of an experiment regarding a strange meteorite. The exposure resulted in him gaining cerebrally and genetically enhanced psychic powers. However, it came at the cost of corrupting the man, turning him into a supervillain and renaming himself the Superman.

He then aimed to conquer the entire world with his new powers upon experimenting with them. As preparations for the conquering of the entire world, he then proceeded to sow discord in the world via his mind manipulation abilities.

Professor Smalley, however, desired to gain those powers, causing them to have a final battle. Superman proceeded to kill his "creator".

Unfortunately, the victory was Pyrrhic at best, since it resulted in his powers being drained and the formula for retaining said powers being gone for good, he desperately tried to bring them back by looking at the formula on the blueprints but to no avail because his genius-level intellect is also gone.

Now back to Bill Dunn, he is forced to go back to the bread-line.

Appearance

Bill Dunn is a Caucasian male vagrant who looks raggedy-dressed, unshaven, and has stubble on his scalp (as seen on the official artwork). Given to him by Professor Smalley, Dunn was later clean-shaven and given a suit.

Legacy

Although Dunn's reign as Superman was short-lived, he is remembered as being the first to use the name Superman. The name was later adopted by The Superman, and finally by Kal-El.

Creation

The Superman was the first version of Superman ever to appear in print. His story was told in Jerry Siegel's sci-fi short story, 'Reign of the Superman'.

This early version of Superman was depicted almost entirely different than the modern version. First and foremost, he was poor, he was bald, and he was a villain.

Also, he was originally human, while the modern version was an alien raised on Earth.

Ironically, his physical appearance by the time he gains his powers strongly resembles that of the modern Superman rogues Ultra-Humanite and Lex Luthor.

There were two primary sources for the creation of this character. The first was the advent of the Great Depression, occurring in 1932 when Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster were being affected by it in terms of not being able to find a job. The second was the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, more specifically his concept of the Ubermensch (which was German for "Superman", or more accurately "Overman") from his philosophical tract Thus Spoke Zarathustra, which both Siegel and Schuster criticized.

https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Superman_(The_Reign_of_the_Superman)

https://www.facebook.com/billy.dunn.50767/posts/pfbid027AXYSDtWpNCG8DPmTo4dhDxv2rKSXBjzvCXYbJSVGzv3U6cQ5b1BFkKMoQBhehdNl

Vice President Kamala Harris Archived

November 4, 2021  ·

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=287432446715585&set=a.287432426715587

Sineya[1] was a prehistoric girl and the first in the line of Slayers.[2]

Contents

1 Biography

1.1 Becoming the Slayer

1.2 Life and death

1.3 Encountering Buffy Summers

1.4 Spirit guide

1.5 Against the First

1.6 The end of magic

2 Powers and abilities

3 Invocation spell

4 Gallery

5 Behind the scenes

6 Appearances

6.1 Canonical

6.2 Other

7 References

AD

Biography

Becoming the Slayer

In prehistoric Africa, a young girl named Sineya was taken against her will by three powerful mages — the Shadowmen — to become the ultimate weapon in the fight against the dark forces that plagued the world. They chained her to the floor of a cave and, using powerful magic, imbued her with the heart, soul, and spirit of a demon. Thus the First Slayer was created.[3]

Life and death

Prologue Sineya

Sineya in life.

Guided by her instincts and armed with her superhuman powers, Sineya hunted and killed vampires and demons. While the villagers she protected were grateful, they feared the Slayer for being part-demon, so they gave her a basket of supplies and asked her to leave.[4] Isolated, Sineya became a recluse, with either little or no contact with her own humanity or humanity at large.[2]

Though Sineya never had a Watcher,[2] at some point, she was given the mʔ weapon by the Guardians, and she used it to slay the last of the Old Ones that walked upon the Earth. Fatefully, that particular slaying took place on the Hellmouth in what would one day be the town of Sunnydale.[5]

After her death, Sineya's powers passed on to another girl. Thus the Slayer line was born.[4]

Encountering Buffy Summers

Thousands of years later, the Scooby Gang used an enjoining spell to invoke Sineya's spirit to defeat the near-invincible Adam.[1] She considered this an offense, as she firmly believed that the Slayer should and must operate alone.[2]

Restless Sineya Buffy

Sineya and Buffy face each other for the first time.

Using what appeared to be an apparition of Tara Maclay to speak for her, Sineya invaded the dreams of the Gang to punish them. While she was successful in attacking Rupert Giles, Willow Rosenberg, and Alexander Harris, Sineya was bested by the current Slayer of that era, Buffy Summers, who realized that it was but a mere dream, and she could stop the fight by waking up. Before she did, however, Buffy mocked her predecessor for her appearance and demeanor, and rejected Sineya's insistence that she worked alone.[2]

It was then that Sineya realized that she was defeated and vanished from the dreams, permitting the four of them to wake up, but not before leaving a cryptic message to Buffy, which foreshadowed the arrival of a sister, Dawn Summers, and her encounter with the banished god Glorificus.[2] As a result of this experience, Buffy became more accepting of her role as the Slayer and began to willingly study her power and history.[6]

Spirit guide

B5x18 Guide Sineya

The Guide in Sineya's form.

When Buffy later sought advice in a Vision Quest, the Guide took Sineya's form to give Buffy two messages. First: encouraging her to love, telling her that her love would save the world. Second: telling Buffy the key to preventing the destruction of all creation: "Death is your gift."[7]

Wherein Buffy initially believed this was an allusion to her dark heritage,[7] she soon realized that the Guide was being quite literal; Buffy would need to sacrifice her life to save her sister and the world.[8]

Against the First

In 2003, Giles took the Potential Slayers on a trip to the desert to meet the Guide in the form of the First Slayer, apparently to see if she could provide any information on the First Evil.[9]

Buffy encountered her for the third time in a dream a week later. This time, Sineya's message was: "It is not enough."[3] Buffy later learned that it meant her powers were not enough to fight the First Evil and that she had to get more power to win. This revelation ultimately led to Buffy sharing her Slayer powers with her army of Potential Slayers in the final battle against the Turok-Han vampires.[10]

The end of magic

Slayer Interrupted Sineya

Sineya often appears to Buffy in dreams.

A few months after the end of magic, Sineya used a fairy to communicate with Buffy, telling her that the Scythe was the key to reversing the damage caused by the destruction of the Seed of Wonder and restoring magic to the Earth, but this task was not for Buffy, but Willow.[11]

Sineya next appeared in a vision to the vampire hunter Billy Lane not long after magic returned to the world.[12] As Billy was male and therefore not a Slayer, the Watcher Giles interpreted this as a sign that the rules of magic had changed and that the First Slayer had accepted Billy as an ally.[13]

Powers and abilities

As the First Slayer, Sineya possessed superhuman strength, speed, durability, agility, stamina, reflexes, accelerated healing, and innate combat skills. However, due to her direct connection to the shadow demon, her superhuman powers were vastly superior to the other Vampire Slayers who came after her.[3] She also possessed the ability to astral-project into the dreams and visions of other Slayers, as well as the precognitive ability to foretell impending dangers.[2][3][11]

https://buffy.fandom.com/wiki/Sineya

The First Evil (usually called The First) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The First Evil first appeared in the third season episode "Amends", and became the main antagonist of the seventh and final season.

A being manifested from all evil in existence, the First is an incorporeal entity that can assume the appearance of any person who has died (however briefly) – including vampires and humans who have been resurrected. Over the course of the series, and depending upon its audience, it takes various guises as a method of deception and manipulation – for example, the First usually appears as Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) to the Slayer and her allies, but it also assumes the forms of Warren Mears, Spike, Drusilla and Jonathan Levinson on multiple occasions, among a variety of other forms taken less frequently.

Its only real weakness is that it is non-corporeal, and therefore cannot cause any real physical damage. It is expert at psychological manipulation, and can act through its servants, such as the Bringers, Turok-Han, Caleb or whatever person it can manage to influence.

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

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.

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 LGBTQ 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] stating that the Catholic Church is committed to its abolition.[9] In international diplomacy, Francis has criticized the rise of right-wing populism, called for the decriminalization of homosexuality,[10] 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. He has called on the Western world to increase immigration levels significantly.[11][12] In 2022, he apologized for the Church's role in the "cultural genocide" of the Canadian Indigenous peoples.[13] Francis convened 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][14][15]

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

America First refers to a populist political theory in the United States that emphasizes the fundamental notion of "putting America first", which generally involves disregarding global affairs and focusing solely on domestic policy in the United States. This generally denotes policies of non-interventionism, American nationalism, and protectionist trade policy.[1]

The term was coined by President Woodrow Wilson[2] in his 1916 campaign that pledged to keep America neutral in World War I. A more non-interventionist approach gained prominence in the interwar period (1918–1939); it was also advocated by the America First Committee, a non-interventionist pressure group against U.S. entry into World War II.[3]

One hundred years later, Donald Trump used the slogan in his 2016 presidential campaign and presidency (2017–2021, 2025–present), emphasizing the U.S.'s withdrawal from international treaties and organizations in the administration's foreign policy.[4][5][6] Some media critics have derided Trump's use of the America First policy as "America Alone".[7][8][9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_First_(policy)

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)

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/wiki/Archbasilica_of_Saint_John_Lateran#Lateran_Palace

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

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

20. It is better and safer to make alliance and amity with [Moslem] Turks, [Communist] Infidels, or [Talmudic and anti-Torah, Zionist] Jews, than with [Reformation Bible-believing] Heretic Protestants [and Baptists], because they may draw us into the errors of their novelties. {1}

Absolutist Papal Maxims of the Jesuits

Pearl Harbor and our declaration of war put a temporary end to the political organization that Clerical Fascism was in the process of forging. Coughlin was just about to take over majority control of America First and form it into a political party, when war was declared.

He had already given hints, which were seconded by Philip LaFollette and the N. Y. Daily News. He was about to replace Catholic John T. Flynn of the strategic New York chapter with a more obedient lackey.

AMERICA FIRST, started by fascist minded business magnates, had at first been independent of Coughlin. But by infiltration the Coughlinites became the dominant element. Catholic church prelates gave it their enthusiastic approval.

At one of its mass meetings in Madison Square Garden in New York City, under the chairmanship of John T. Flynn, Cardinal O’Connell, dean of the American Catholic hierarchy and Bishop Shaughnessy of Seattle, formerly of the Apostolic Delegation in Washington, D.C., sent telegrams of congratulation which were publicly read.

Carlson (p. 260) quotes an official of America First to the effect that its membership was 80 per cent Coughlinite and would eventually be under Coughlin’s complete control. General Wood had at first objected to Coughlinite dominance but later ‘‘humbled himself before the reverend-dictator of Royal Oak?’ in a letter published in SOCIAL JUSTICE.

In addition to the Coughlinite majority, America First included large

numbers of the Ku Klux Klan element who in recent years have allied themselves with Catholic Fascists in a war on Jewry and ‘Communist’ unions. Louis B. Ward, one of Coughlin’s chief assistants, addressed the Pontiac chapter of America First four different times. This chapter was made up almost exclusively of Klan members. Garland Alderman, secretary of the National Workers League, a fascist organization of KKK members, said that he was nurtured in Fascism by Father Coughlin’s Social Justice and had also attended a series of ““special lectures’’ by Coughlin one winter. ( Under Cover, p, 305)

He named Coughlin as one of the Americans who in the opinion of his organization would negotiate with Hitler after the hoped-for world triumph of Nazism. pages 6-7

....

"Under the camouflaged name of ‘“Midtown Sporting Club’’ the Manhattan ‘Iron Guard Unit’ of the Christian Front drilled in Donovan’s Hall near the Paulist Catholic church mentioned above. Like Franco’s revolutionaries they took a secret oath that said, ‘‘I will look to God for guidance.’’ They were exhorted previous to the drill:

“You are soldiers of Christ. Men like you fought in Spain. Men like you will fight in America ... You are defenders of the Faith. Your duty is to fight for Christ and Country.”

On January 13, 1940, the FBI raided a Brooklyn ‘‘Sporting Club’’ of the Christian Front. A Federal court suit ensued. The Jesuit publication America, leading Catholic weekly in its issue of January 27, 1940, ridiculed the case, and called it a Jewish plot. Public masses were said for the ‘‘heroes on trial.’’ Carlson sums up the case and its foredoomed failure when he says that “‘the ‘big boys’ behind the scenes were never made public.’’ The verdict of the Catholic jury was a foregone conclusion. Father Curran, Coughlin’s

lieutenant in the East, slyly hinted at an acquittal celebration that a close relative of his was the jury foreman.

In 1926, in Germany, Hitler revolutionaries were similarly arrested and acquitted. As late as 1930 Thomas Mann said of the Nazis: ‘‘I regard the National Socialist Party as a flash-in-the which will soon be over,’’

The Christian Front is only temporarily under cover. Coughlin is biding his time. Father Edward Brophy of Brooklyn, a Christian Front leader at one of their meetings in June 1942 paid :

“‘The days are coming when this country will need a Coughlin and need him badly. We must get strong and keep organized

for that day.’’

In Social Justice of Sept. 1, 1939 Coughlin predicted that it would take seven to ten years to win control. He added :

“We predict that .. . the National-Socialists in America—organized under that or some other name—eventually will take control of the government on this continent. We predict, lastly, the end of democracy in America.”’

Even when he was put off the radio he confidently threatened:

"I have been retired temporarily . . .

Not until there is an opportunity for the pendulum of reaction to swing to the right will I resume my place before a microphone . . . I extend to them (‘men powerful in the field of radio and other activities’) my heartiest congratulations for all that the future holds in store for them." pages 8-9

....

"Clerical Fascism, driven underground during the war, is certain to rise again with a cry to ‘SAVE AMERICA for the Americans.’ Those who fail to realize this threat to our future should ponder well the following facts:

America First controlled by Coughlinites boasted of 15,000,000 members.

In one meeting in the Hollywood Bowl in California it drew a crowd of 100,000 ‘patriots.’ Gerald L. K. Smith, Fascist, polled 100,000 votes in Michigan last year. The Hearst-Gannett and the Mc-Cormick-Patterson newspaper chains have over 15,000,000 readers. Mrs. Finley J. Sheppard, daughter of the late Jay Gould, gave millions to American Fascists. Robert O’Callaghan, Irish- Catholic friend of Joe McWilliams and Ku Kluxer Edward Smythe, is doing confidential government work in the Chicago office of the Alien Property Custodian, Leo Crowley.

If America waits too long to wake up to its danger, it may ironically fulfill the words of Jesuit-trained Goebbels, spokesman for Catholic Hitler:

“IT WILL ALWAYS REMAIN THE BEST' JOKE MADE BY THE DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM THAT IT PROVIDED ITS DEADLY ENEMIES WITH THE MEANS TO DESTROY IT.” page 11

Clerical Fascism in America by J.J. Murphy

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1glXjGioabYyJL0LN_Cr1u8d9JewFRP3J/view?usp=sharing

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

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

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

Revelation 16:8

1599 Geneva Bible

8 [a]And the fourth Angel poured out his vial on the sun, and it was given to him to torment men with heat of fire,

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2016%3A8-10&version=GNV

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

Can. 666 In the use of means of social communication, necessary discretion is to be observed and those things are to be avoided which are harmful to one’s vocation and dangerous to the chastity of a consecrated person."

TITLE II. RELIGIOUS INSTITUTES (Cann. 607 - 709)

CODE OF CANON LAW

https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib2-cann607-709_en.html

Head:

1. See Illness, mental

2. The superior general, head of the Society [666]"

page 463

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

Revelation 13:18

New International Version

18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[a] That number is 666.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Revelation 13:18 Or is humanity’s number

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2013%3A18&version=NIV

Civil Twilight:  

Begins in the morning, or ends in the evening, when the geometric center of the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon.  Therefore morning civil twilight begins when the geometric center of the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon, and ends at sunrise.  Evening civil twilight begins at sunset, and ends when the geometric center of the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon.  Under these conditions absent fog or other restrictions, the brightest stars and planets can be seen, the horizon and terrestrial objects can be discerned, and in many cases, artificial lighting is not needed. Civil Twilight is also known as Civil Dawn and Civil Dusk.

Nautical Twilight:

Begins in the morning, or ends in the evening, when the geometric center of the sun is 12 degrees below the horizon.  In general, the term nautical twilight refers to sailors being able to take reliable readings via well known stars because the horizon is still visible, even under moonless conditions.  Absent fog or other restrictions, outlines of terrestrial objects may still be discernible, but detailed outdoor activities are likely curtailed without artificial illumination. Nautical Twilight is also known as Nautical Dawn and Nautical Dusk.

Astronomical Twilight:

Begins in the morning, or ends in the evening, when the geometric center of the sun is 18 degrees below the horizon.  In astronomical twilight, sky illumination is so faint that most casual observers would regard the sky as fully dark, especially under urban or suburban light pollution.  Under astronomical twilight, the horizon is not discernible and moderately faint stars or planets can be observed with the naked eye under a non light polluted sky.  But to test the limits of naked eye observations, the sun needs to be more than 18 degrees below the horizon.  Point light sources such as stars and planets can be readily studied by astronomers under astronomical twilight.  But diffuse light sources such as galaxies, nebula, and globular clusters need to be observed under a totally dark sky, again when the sun is more than 18 degrees below the horizon.

https://www.weather.gov/fsd/twilight

BULL of Pope Boniface VIII promulgated November 18, 1302

For, according to the Blessed Dionysius, it is a law of the divinity that the lowest things reach the highest place by intermediaries. Then, according to the order of the universe, all things are not led back to order equally and immediately, but the lowest by the intermediary, and the inferior by the superior. Hence we must recognize the more clearly that spiritual power surpasses in dignity and in nobility any temporal power whatever, as spiritual things surpass the temporal. This we see very clearly also by the payment, benediction, and consecration of the tithes, but the acceptance of power itself and by the government even of things. For with truth as our witness, it belongs to spiritual power to establish the terrestrial power and to pass judgement if it has not been good. Thus is accomplished the prophecy of Jeremias concerning the Church and the ecclesiastical power: ‘Behold to-day I have placed you over nations, and over kingdoms‘ and the rest. Therefore, if the terrestrial power err, it will be judged by the spiritual power; but if a minor spiritual power err, it will be judged by a superior spiritual power; but if the highest power of all err, it can be judged only by God, and not by man, according to the testimony of the Apostle: ‘The spiritual man judgeth of all things and he himself is judged by no man‘ [1 Cor 2:15]. This authority, however, (though it has been given to man and is exercised by man), is not human but rather divine, granted to Peter by a divine word and reaffirmed to him (Peter) and his successors by the One Whom Peter confessed, the Lord saying to Peter himself, ‘Whatsoever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound also in Heaven‘ etc., [Mt 16:19]. Therefore whoever resists this power thus ordained by God, resists the ordinance of God [Rom 13:2], unless he invent like Manicheus two beginnings, which is false and judged by us heretical, since according to the testimony of Moses, it is not in the beginnings but in the beginning that God created heaven and earth [Gen 1:1]. Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff."

https://www.papalencyclicals.net/bon08/b8unam.htm

AI Overview

Learn more

Astronomers estimate that there are about 200 billion trillion stars in the observable universe. That's 200 sextillion stars, or 200,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

Explanation

To estimate the number of stars in the universe, astronomers:

Measure the color and brightness of starlight from our galaxy, the Milky Way

Use that information to estimate how many stars are in the Milky Way

Multiply the number of stars in the Milky Way by the number of galaxies in the universe

However, this is only a rough estimate because not all galaxies are the same. For example, spiral galaxies can have over a trillion stars, while giant elliptical galaxies can have 100 trillion stars.

Other ways to put it

The number of stars in the universe is so large that it's hard to imagine. It's about 10 times the number of cups of water in all the oceans of Earth.

Missions to learn more

The European Space Agency's Gaia mission is mapping about 1 billion stars in the Milky Way. The mission's data will help astronomers better understand the structure and evolution of our galaxy.

Generative AI is experimental.

In physics, string theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings. String theory describes how these strings propagate through space and interact with each other. On distance scales larger than the string scale, a string acts like a particle, with its mass, charge, and other properties determined by the vibrational state of the string. In string theory, one of the many vibrational states of the string corresponds to the graviton, a quantum mechanical particle that carries the gravitational force. Thus, string theory is a theory of quantum gravity.

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

A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events.

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

2 Peter 3:10

1599 Geneva Bible

10 [a]But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a [b]noise, and the elements shall melt with heat, and the earth with the works that are therein shall be burnt up.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Peter%203%3A10&version=GNV

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

The Globe of the Vatican Obelisk

Legend has it that this bronze orb, which sat atop an ancient Egyptian obelisk, once held the ashes of Julius Caesar.

Added By

Claire Burgess

About

The orb has not always lived in a museum, and it was not always so obscurely tucked away in a room that people pass by on their way to other things. It was once mounted on what was commonly called “Saint Peter’s Needle” during the Middle Ages—the obelisk that now stands prominently in the center of St. Peter’s Square.

The monolith was brought to Rome from the fabled Alexandria by Caligula in the year 37, ostensibly to honor the great Julius Caesar. However, there was once another theory: that the obelisk was not just part of a memorial to a great man from history, but also his mausoleum. His ashes, it was said, resided within the bronze sphere at the apex.

The story probably originates from the writings of Pope Leo IX, who refers to the obelisk as “memoria Caesaris, id est agulia.” The meaning of agulia is uncertain, but seems to be a corruption of the Latin for “Caesar’s needle,” which means that the translation in totality would be something like “The memory of Caesar, within Caesar’s needle.” He goes on to explain that Caesar’s sarcophagus, complete with his cremated remains, were within the globe.

This belief persisted for centuries, and historians and writers long stated with certainty that this was indeed where the illustrious Caesar was laid to rest. When the obelisk was moved to St. Peter’s Square in the 16th century, a rudimentary forensic examination of the sphere found no trace of human remains. There was simply rust and small traces of earth. Memory and honor seem to have clouded the truth in this case, and while it is an appealing idea—that Caesar’s remains were hoisted up to place him among the gods—the reality is unknown.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-globe-of-the-vatican-obelisk

Historical Institute of the Society of Jesus: a Roman work of the entire Society, 304 §2

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

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)

Fire as the agent of Truth

Asha Vahishta is closely associated with fire. Fire is "grandly conceived as a force informing all the other Amesha Spentas, giving them warmth and the spark of life."[27] In Yasht 17.20, Angra Mainyu clamours that Zoroaster burns him with Asha Vahishta. In Vendidad 4.54-55, speaking against the truth and violating the sanctity of promise is detected by the consumption of "water, blazing, of golden color, having the power to detect guilt."

This analogy of truth that burns and detecting truth through fire is already attested in the very earliest texts, that is, in the Gathas and in the Yasna Haptanghaiti. In Yasna 43–44, Ahura Mazda dispenses justice through radiance of His fire and the strength of aṣ̌a. Fire "detects" sinners "by hand-grasping" (Yasna 34.4). An individual who has passed the fiery test (garmo-varah, ordeal by heat), has attained physical and spiritual strength, wisdom, truth and love with serenity (Yasna 30.7). Altogether, "there are said to have been some 30 kinds of fiery tests in all."[28] According to the post-Sassanid Dadestan i denig (I.31.10), at the final judgement a river of molten metal will cover the earth. The righteous, as they wade through this river, will perceive the molten metal as a bath of warm milk. The wicked will be scorched. For details on aṣ̌a's role in personal and final judgement, see aṣ̌a in eschatology, below.

Fire is moreover the "auxiliary of the truth," "and not only, as in the ordeal, of justice and of truth at the same time."[11] In Yasna 31.19, "the man who thinks of aṣ̌a, [...] who uses his tongue in order to speak correctly, [does so] with the aid of brilliant fire". In Yasna 34-44 devotees "ardently desire [Mazda's] mighty fire, through aṣ̌a." In Yasna 43–44, Ahura Mazda "shall come to [Zoroaster] through the splendour of [Mazda's] fire, possessing the strength of (through) aṣ̌a and good mind (=Vohu Manah)." That fire "possesses strength through aṣ̌a" is repeated again in Yasna 43.4. In Yasna 43.9, Zoroaster, wishing to serve fire, gives his attention to aṣ̌a. In Yasna 37.1, in a list of what are otherwise all physical creations, aṣ̌a takes the place of fire.

Asha Vahishta's association with atar is carried forward in the post-Gathic texts, and they are often mentioned together. In Zoroastrian cosmogony, each of the Amesha Spentas represents one aspect of creation and one of seven primordial elements that in Zoroastrian tradition are the basis of that creation. In this matrix, aṣ̌a/arta is the origin of fire, Avestan atar, which permeates through all Creation. The correspondence then is that aṣ̌a/arta "penetrates all ethical life, as fire penetrates all physical being."[12]

In the liturgy Asha Vahishta is frequently invoked together with fire. (Yasna l.4, 2.4, 3.6, 4.9, 6.3, 7.6, 17.3, 22.6, 59.3, 62.3 etc.). In one passage, fire is a protector of aṣ̌a: "when the Evil Spirit assailed the creation of Good Truth, Good Thought and Fire intervened" (Yasht 13.77)

In later Zoroastrian tradition, Asha Vahishta is still at times identified with the fire of the household hearth.

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

https://www.facebook.com/billy.dunn.50767/posts/pfbid0uMfqS4JjAr2GPB2nPdfM1AoXjbLSMXrQJ4j9NmVuRaG7fAqLx9JgrfgeEZwGXrZQl

What is Mithraism?

Answer

Mithras was a pre-Zoroastrian Persian deity, worshiped throughout Persia and the Roman Empire in the 1st through the 4th centuries. He was known as a “soldier’s god.” This religion was very popular with the Roman military in the 1st century, even rivaling Christianity for a time. The Romans put a Platonic spin on Mithraism in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, with Mithras pictured as the patron of loyalty to the emperor. After Constantine accepted Christianity in the early 4th century, the practice of Mithraism declined rapidly.

Mithraic worship was conducted secretly in caves by torchlight, so little is known of its precise rituals. However, this religion arose in the Roman Empire at the same time Christianity did, and church fathers such as Jerome and Origen commented on its parallels with Christianity.

Some teach that Mithras was born of a virgin called “the Mother of God.” He was conceived from the seed of Zoroaster (later called Zarathustra by the Greeks), which had been preserved in a lake. Mithras was considered to be the mediator between heaven and earth and was called “the light of the world.” Following a bloody, ritualistic baptism, celebrants would eat bread and drink wine that was said to have turned into blood. They also worshiped on Sunday and believed Mithras’ birthday to be December 25. Adherents taught that, after Mithras finished the work he was sent to do, he ate a last supper with his followers and ascended into heaven, until such time as he was called upon to separate good from evil on the Day of Judgment.

Because early Christian sources are so well documented, it cannot be suggested that Christianity developed from Mithraism. Further, all of the Mithraic manuscripts that ascribe Christian-like beliefs/practices to Mithraism are dated to long after the rapid spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. It is clear that the parallel tenets of Mithraism were sourced from Christianity and not vice versa. It was well known that Jesus did exist and that He was crucified and resurrected (hundreds of people saw Him, spoke to Him, and even ate with Him after His death). Mithras, of course, is not real and has never lived. The cause of the resemblance between Christianity and Mithraism is none other than Satan, a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Satan has always been a counterfeiter, and Mithraism is simply another in a long string of idolatrous deceptions by Satan, intended to draw people away from the true God of the Bible. “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).

Scripture clearly states that there is only one God (Isaiah 46:9; Malachi 2:10; Romans 3:30; James 2:19), and anyone who worships another so-called god is an idolater. Revelation 21:8 describes the ultimate fate of idolaters, who will be “consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

https://www.gotquestions.org/Mithraism.html

John 8

1599 Geneva Bible

8 3 The woman taken in adultery, 11 hath her sins forgiven her. 12 Christ the light of the world. 19 The Pharisees ask where his Father is. 39 The sons of Abraham. 42 The sons of God, 44 The devil the father of lying. 56 Abraham saw Christ’s day.

1 And Jesus went unto the mount of Olives,

2 And early in the morning came again into the Temple, and all the people came unto him, and he sat down and taught them.

3 [a]Then the Scribes and the Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery, and set her in the midst,

4 And said unto him, Master, we found this woman committing adultery even in the very act.

5 Now Moses in our Law commanded, that such should be stoned: what sayest thou therefore?

6 And this they said to tempt him, that they might have, whereof to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground,

7 [b]And while they continued asking him, he lifted himself up, and said unto them, Let him that is among you without sin, cast the first stone at her.

8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

9 And when they heard it, being accused by their own conscience, they went out, one by one, beginning at the eldest even to the last: so Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

10 [c]When Jesus had lifted up himself again, and saw no man, but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more.

12 [d]Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am that light of the world: he that followeth me, shall not walk in darkness, but shall have that light of life.

13 [e]The Pharisees therefore said unto him, [f]Thou bearest record of thyself: thy record is not true.

14 Jesus answered, and said unto them, [g]Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I come, and whither I go: but ye cannot tell whence I came, and whither I go.

15 Ye judge after the flesh: I [h]judge no man.

16 And if I also judge, my judgment is true, for I am not alone, but I, and the Father, that sent me.

17 And it is also written in your Law, that the testimony of two men is true.

18 [i]I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

19 [j]Then said they unto him, Where is that Father of thine? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor the Father of mine. If ye had known me, ye should have known that Father of mine also.

20 These words spake Jesus in the [k]treasury, as he taught in the Temple, and no man laid hands on him: [l]for his hour was not yet come.

21 [m]Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins, Whither I go, can ye not come.

22 Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself, because he saith, Whither I go, can ye not come?

23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath, I am from above: ye are of this world, I am not of this world.

24 I said therefore unto you, That ye shall die in your sins: for except ye believe, that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

25 [n]Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus said unto them, Even [o]the same thing that I said unto you from the beginning.

26 [p]I have many things to say, and to judge of you: but he that sent me, is true, and the things that I have heard of him, those speak I to the world.

27 [q]They understood not that he spake to them of the Father.

28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but as my Father hath taught me, so I spake these things.

29 For he that sent me, is with me: the Father hath not left me alone, because I do always those things that please him.

30 ¶ As he spake these things, many believed in him.

31 [r]Then said Jesus to the Jews which believed in him, If ye continue in my word, ye are verily my disciples,

32 And shall know the truth, and the truth shall [s]make you free.

33 [t]They answered him, We be [u]Abraham’s seed, and were never bond to any man: why sayest thou then, Ye shall be made free?

34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily I say unto you, that whosoever commiteth sin, is the servant of sin.

35 And the servant abideth not in the house forever: but the Son abideth forever.

36 If that Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

37 [v]I know that ye are Abraham’s seed, but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your Father.

39 They answered, and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

40 But now ye go about to kill me, a man that have told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.

41 Ye do the works of your father. Then said they to him, We are not born of fornication: we have one Father, which is God.

42 Therefore Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, then would ye love me: for I proceeded forth, and came from God, neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

43 Why do ye not understand my [w]talk? because ye cannot hear my word.

44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do: he hath been a murderer from the [x]beginning, and [y]abode not in the [z]truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, then speaketh he of his [aa]own: for he is a liar, and the [ab]father thereof.

45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

46 [ac]Which of you can rebuke me of sin? and if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?

47 He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

48 [ad]Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?

49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil, but I honor my Father, and ye have dishonored me.

50 And I seek not mine own praise: but there is one that [ae]seeketh it, and judgeth.

51 [af]Verily, verily I say unto you, If a man keep my word, he shall never [ag]see death.

52 [ah]Then said the Jews to him, Now know we that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the Prophets: and thou sayest, If a man keep my word, he shall never taste of death.

53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the Prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?

54 [ai]Jesus answered, If I honor myself, mine honor is [aj]nothing worth: it is my Father that honoreth me, whom ye say, that he is your God.

55 [ak]Yet ye have not known him: but I know him, and if I should say I know him not, I should be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his word.

56 [al]Your father Abraham [am]rejoiced to see my [an]day, and he [ao]saw it, and was glad.

57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?

58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily I say unto you, before Abraham was, I [ap]am.

59 [aq]Then took they up stones to cast at him, but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the Temple: And he passed through the midst of them, and so went his way.

Footnotes

John 8:3 While the wicked go about to make a snare for good men, they make a snare for themselves.

John 8:7 Against hypocrites which are very severe judges against other men, and flatter themselves in their own sins.

John 8:10 Christ would not take upon him the civil Magistrates office: he contented himself to bring sinners to faith and repentance.

John 8:12 The world which is blind in itself cannot come to have ray light but in Christ only.

John 8:13 Christ is without all exception the best witness of the truth, for he was sent by his Father for that purpose, and was by him approved to the world by infinite miracles.

John 8:13 Thou bearest witness of thyself which thing by all men’s opinion, is naught: and for a man to commend himself is very discommendable.

John 8:14 That which he denied afore, John 5:31, must be taken by a manner of granting, for in that place he framed himself somewhat to the humor of his hearers, which acknowledged nothing in Christ but his humanity, and therefore he was content they should set light by his own witness, unless it were otherwise confirmed. But in this place he standeth for the maintenance of his Godhead, and praiseth his Father, who is his witness, and agreeth with him.

John 8:15 I do now only teach you, I condemn no man: but yet if I list to do it, I might lawfully do it, for I am not alone, but my Father is with me.

John 8:18 The Godhead is plainly distinguished from the manhood, else there were not two witnesses: for the party accused is not taken for a witness.

John 8:19 No man can know God, but in Christ only.

John 8:20 This was some place appointed for the gathering of the offerings.

John 8:20 We live and die at the pleasure of God and not of men: Therefore this one thing remaineth that we go forward constantly in our vocation.

John 8:21 Because that men do naturally abhor heavenly things, no man can be a fit disciple of Christ, unless the Spirit of God frame him: in the mean season notwithstanding, the world must of necessity perish, because it refuseth the life that is offered unto it.

John 8:25 He shall at length know who Christ is, which will diligently hear, what he saith.

John 8:25 That is, I am Christ, and the savior, for so I told you from the beginning that I was.

John 8:26 God is the revenger of Christ’s doctrine despised.

John 8:27 Even the contempt of Christ maketh for his glory: which thing his enemies shall feel at length to their great smart.

John 8:31 The true disciples of Christ continue in his doctrine, that profiting more and more in the knowledge of the truth, they may be delivered from the most grievous burden of sin, into the true liberty of righteousness and life.

John 8:32 From the slavery of sin.

John 8:33 Some of the multitude, not they that believed: for this is not the speech of men that consent unto him but of men that are against him.

John 8:33 Born and begotten of Abraham.

John 8:37 Our wicked manners declare, that we are plainly born of a devilish nature, But we are changed, and made of the household of God, according to the covenant which he made with Abraham by Christ only, apprehended and laid hold on by faith: which faith is known by a godly and honest life.

John 8:43 Or, language: as though he said, you do no more understand what I say, than if I spake in a strange and unknown language to you.

John 8:44 From the beginning of the world: for as soon as man was made, the devil cast him headlong into death.

John 8:44 That is, continued not constantly, or remained not.

John 8:44 That is, in faithfulness, and uprightness, that is, kept not his creation.

John 8:44 Even of his own head, and of his own brain or disposition.

John 8:44 The author thereof.

John 8:46 Christ did thoroughly execute the office, that his Father enjoined him.

John 8:48 The enemies of Christ make their bravery for a while, but the Father will appear at his time to revenge the reproach that is done unto him in the person of his son.

John 8:50 That is, that will revenge both your despising of me, and of him.

John 8:51 The only doctrine of the Gospel apprehended by faith, is a sure remedy against death.

John 8:51 That is, he shall not feel it: for even in the midst of death, the faithful see life.

John 8:52 Against them which abuse the glory of the Saints, to darken Christ’s glory.

John 8:54 There is nothing farther off from all ambition than Christ, but his Father hath set him above all things.

John 8:54 This is spoken by manner of [a grant]: as if he had said, Be it so, let this report which I give of myself, be of no force: yet there is another that glorifieth me, that is, that honoreth my Name.

John 8:55 There is no right knowledge of God, without Christ, neither any right knowledge of Christ without his word.

John 8:56 The virtue of Christ showed itself through all former ages in the Fathers, for they saw in the promises, that he should come, and did very joyfully lay hold on him with a lively faith.

John 8:56 Was very desirous.

John 8:56 A day is a space that a man liveth in, or doeth any notable act, or suffereth any great thing.

John 8:56 With the eyes of faith, Heb. 11:13.

John 8:58 Christ as he was God, was before Abraham: and he was the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world.

John 8:59 Zeal without knowledge, breaketh out at length into a most open madness: and yet the wicked cannot do what they list.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%208&version=GNV