#Liturgical Garb | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

subzeroparade · 8 months

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Hello! I really liked the clothes you designed for Laurence in the last artwork. I was wondering if it's just an alternative design to the usual one or if it's how you'll draw him from now on. Is it maybe something he wore before he started wearing the choir clothes?

Thank you anon (・‧̫・) Also you made the mistake of asking me about fashion, so - *inhales*

I’ve drawn Laurence in version(s) of the Choir garb before (you'll notice I change his sleeves a lot lol), but I normally almost never draw characters in the same outfits all the time, even if they are canon - just by virtue of being bored of it, and wanting to invent.

The one you’re referencing was early Church, in my timeline - there’s two similar ones that I’ve more or less described in fic that are simpler, and closer to typically clerical/in-game Church garb. One of the first scenes in The Feast We Were Promised (which deals mostly with early Church timeline) is Laurence changing from the weighty, jewelled chasuble he wears in the context of ministration/communion in the Grand Cathedral into a modest black cassock to return to the Chapel of the Good Chalice down in the poorer quarters of old Yharnam. There is a certain canny strategy for the Church to remain humble in what they wear, if only to imply a sort of modesty and separation from the main religious powers of the time - there’s an established church, in this timeline, with all its pomp and splendour (because sects don’t just spring up in a religious vacuum).

I think that changes with the founding of the Choir, and the domination of the Healing Church as the main religious organisation over time, consolidating its power on the reputation of the blood. I think the Choir garb feels like a kind of mix between clerical clothes and Byrgenwerth-style robes (this should not be surprising - Willem’s imagery in his chair is very papal). This reflects the Church’s eventual takeover of Byrgenwerth, and how the Choir is established - which is to say an "order", or faction of the Church only in name, but solely focused on using the Church’s resources to attain ascension/communion. I like to imagine that Laurence would wear a different variation of the Choir garb at the height of his power, to distinguish himself - incorporating some of these more traditional liturgical symbols, since he retains the title of vicar.

On the other side of the Church’s heyday, I think the more things get out of hand, the more ostentatious their dress - a sort of visual power, if you will, that negates what is happening in the streets with the coming scourge. A veneer of material splendour to mask the reality - a show of control, and mastery, even as the Church is impotent in the face of what's happening. In that sense I’d imagine Laurence wearing really ornate chasubles, or the kind of stunning cope that Lenny wears (minus the hat) in the Sistine Chapel scene in The Young Pope (which I am a big fan of). To bring it back to your first question, that white and black ensemble is a play on both real ecclesiastical garb but also specifically Lenny’s wardrobe, and his countenance when he wears it. (The costume designer, Carlo Poggioli, did a spectacular job working from the existing pieces in the Vatican museum). The red shoes in that final design above are a bit of a joke - the pope actually wears red shoes in real life, but the version on set are Louboutins and were nicknamed by Poggioli “the Ferraris” (extra inside joke - my Laurence has partly Corsican roots for obvious parallels with another historical tyrant).

As for Ludwig, I almost always give him a different outfit - even in plainclothes - but I like the idea that he only starts wearing that pseudo-Executioner’s garb after the Cainhurst massacre (in my timeline, anyway). I always try to add a little element of armour to his clothing and to distinguish him from both the clergy and other Church-affiliated folk, be they Prospectors or Hunters. Beyond actual historical sources, I’m obsessed with Jany Temime’s work in House of the Dragon, and so you’ll find traces of the Kingsguard armour in Ludwig’s overall look, but without making it too medieval.

I also have a headcanon (developed alongside some mutuals) that the blindfold part of the Choir cap is a very late introduction, during the scourge. In my work Laurence’s disdain for Willem’s dumbfuck pope hat is evident, and so there’s none of that shutting-your-eyes-to-the-world stuff - until most everyone’s eyes, including his, start to change by way of the scourge.

Anyway tldr I like playing dress-up with them.

#ask #bloodborne #but make it FASHION #laurence the first vicar #I feel like he'd be vain in the “I like nice materials” way #the church has an entire atelier of artists working on embroidery and brocade velvet alone #specifically because the byrgenwerth robes were wooly and itchy by comparison #still going through the ask box #sorry it's taking me so long

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ehlnofay · 6 months

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a series of outfit concepts for Pax... I find clothing to be such an interesting part of character design and wanted to explore that more for her. especially since he's one of my more fashion-conscious characters. miscellaneous notes and extra doodles under the cut

the first four of these designs are worn in cyrodiil; the last two are from the shivering isles. I haven't done much brainstorming for cyrod fashion so that was something fun to explore - especially with the challenge of keeping to a similar-ish silhouette and with pax's tastes in mind. most inspiration was taken from byzantine fashion, with some influences from roman and celtic garb as well. there was also a fair bit of simply making shit up. (I also had quite a bit of fun fucking with the saturation and colour values a bit in editing: here's the initial image, minus the increased saturation and also with the finger tattoos on the wrong hand because I got left and right mixed up at first. oops.)

of all my characters, pax is one of the pickiest about how they dress; they don't like fashion at the expense of comfort but they don't like comfort at the expense of fashion, either. he likes bright colours and good quality fabric (ends up stealing and altering a lot of his clothes.) she tends not to wear things with very overt nibenese influences due to her own associations with that style of clothing + nibenese garb tends to have a lot of flowy extra fabric, which she doesn't like. I had a lot of fun trying to explore different ideas, colour palettes, and statement pieces while keeping to roughly similar-ish shapes; for each one I also included slightly different versions of Pax's endless repertoire of jewellery and ways to do their hair.

notes on specific designs: the third one incorporates more of how I picture nibenese fashion, the first one is a reimagining of an outfit i drew them in ages ago, and the second references a piece I wrote and haven't yet published, in which the blades get martin a lot of nice warm clothes, including a long blue tunic (seeing as cloud ruler temple is cold as shit and all he has is a ruined liturgical vestment and some cheap clothes pax stole him during their journey) and pax unceremoniously commandeers most of it. the last two outfits are mostly just self-indulgent - in the state he's in by the time they get to the shivering isles, pax isn't too fussed about appearances, but I wanted to explore what they would wear if they did give a shit. I tried to roughly keep similar elements to the rest of the outfits, with enough tweaks to make it clear that they are very much Of Another Place. I used red as a major tone and colour in both because pax fucking hates it :) (it's the colour of the deadlands, and the mythic dawn robes, and the amulet of kings.)

there were a few more specific things I would have liked to design - in particular a travelling outfit and some concepts for the really fancy garb they take on once they murder their way into a duchy - but those, as well as a breakdown of their armour, are things I would want to give more attention to detail to. so I will do all that separately sometime. however I did do an extra doodle, not included above, of their sleepwear; because it's extremely simple, and because I've never drawn her with her hair down and I really, really wanted to. (even if it's unrealistic; pax mostly sleeps with their hair still up in some finicky arrangement sewn tight enough in place to last for a week.)

#look at my images and rambles. boy #anyway I need to go to sleep!! big day tomorrow!! but all of this was very fun to draw and write out #my art #oc tag #pax #tesblr #the elder scrolls #tes #fay draws #oblivion #the shivering isles #shivering isles #fay talks fashion #cyrodiil

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dandelion-de-deus · 8 months

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Liturgical colors are great. I love being able to walk into a church to see it garbed in red and immediately think to myself, “ah, yes. Who died today”

#sts. cyprian and cornelius!! pray for us #every little symbolism of the liturgy and the Mass is beautiful and I love being able to read a church like a brochure #light thoughts

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orthodoxadventure · 5 months

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Feast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Commemorated on January 6

Theophany is the Feast which reveals the Most Holy Trinity to the world through the Baptism of the Lord (Mt.3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22). God the Father spoke from Heaven about the Son, the Son was baptized by Saint John the Forerunner, and the Holy Spirit descended upon the Son in the form of a dove. From ancient times this Feast was called the Day of Illumination and the Feast of Lights, since God is Light and has appeared to illumine “those who sat in darkness,” and “in the region of the shadow of death” (Mt.4:16), and to save the fallen race of mankind by grace.

In the ancient Church it was the custom to baptize catechumens at the Vespers of Theophany, so that Baptism also is revealed as the spiritual illumination of mankind.

The origin of the Feast of Theophany goes back to Apostolic times, and it is mentioned in The Apostolic Constitutions (Book V:13). From the second century we have the testimony of Saint Clement of Alexandria concerning the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, and the night vigil before this Feast.

There is a third century dialogue about the services for Theophany between the holy martyr Hippolytus and Saint Gregory the Wonderworker. In the following centuries, from the fourth to ninth century, all the great Fathers of the Church: Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, Ambrose of Milan, John of Damascus, commented on the Feast of Theophany.

The monks Joseph the Studite, Theophanes and Byzantios composed much liturgical music for this Feast, which is sung at Orthodox services even today. Saint John of Damascus said that the Lord was baptized, not because He Himself had need for cleansing, but “to bury human sin by water,” to fulfill the Law, to reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity, and finally, to sanctify “the nature of water” and to offer us the form and example of Baptism.

On the Feast of the Baptism of Christ, the Holy Church proclaims our faith in the most sublime mystery, incomprehensible to human intellect, of one God in three Persons. It teaches us to confess and glorify the Holy Trinity, one in Essence and Undivided. It exposes and overthrows the errors of ancient teachings which attempted to explain the Creator of the world by reason, and in human terms.

The Church shows the necessity of Baptism for believers in Christ, and it inspires us with a sense of deep gratitude for the illumination and purification of our sinful nature. The Church teaches that our salvation and cleansing from sin is possible only by the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit, therefore it is necessary to preserve worthily these gifts of the grace of holy Baptism, keeping clean this priceless garb, for “As many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ” (Gal 3:27).

On the day of Theophany, all foods are permitted, even if the Feast falls on a Wednesday or Friday.

[Text from OCA]

When You, O Lord were baptized in the Jordan the worship of the Trinity was made manifest for the voice of the Father bore witness to You and called You His beloved Son. And the Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed the truthfulness of His word. O Christ, our God, You have revealed Yourself and have enlightened the world, glory to You!

#Christianity #Orthodox Christianity #Theophany of Jesus Christ #Baptism of Jesus #Religion

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birbwell · 10 months

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Could you please post your thoughts on Remigius 🙏

i need to grab him by the ankle and spin him over my head and smash him into the wall

same as Waleran, i really Really disliked him on my first playthrough. man had no subtlety to how suspicious he seemed and he only matched that with how cruel he was to his lessers. then Book 2 happened and sniffs snif actually i quite like you you contentious stick man.

spoilers for the rest of the game/some parts of the book/a part of the miniseries under the cut!

i think him being relegated from Main Antagonist of the first part to becoming a perpetually disgruntled subprior who Can respect you if you do the right things stuck to me. don't get me wrong, he's spiteful and conservative and still especially disdains Ellen, and he would probably cane teenagers if Philip wasn't there, and the younger monks are still obviously afraid of him. look at how they flinch when Remigius snaps his book shut. but hey. i never said he was a good person, just an interesting one.

there's a bit after the fleece fair attack where Remigius tries to take over Philip's speech to the people after he fails in his despair. you can read it as annoyance- Remigius could have left him right there and reveled in his misery but it shows he has principles beyond getting one over Philip, at the very least a duty to pick up where the prior can't.

for all of Remigius's blustering and clear contempt for everything and everyone, everything he says is all bark and no bite. he's a coward. in the book, he runs away when trying to carry Adolphus' bones out of the burning cathedral out of fear. he treats others like dirt but he's completely subservient to, and terrified of, waleran.

he can be agreeable when he wants to be. when the timeskip happens in Book 3, we see Kingsbridge fallen green into disrepair. it's not bustling as it once was, a lot of people have either died in the attack or left afterwards- and Remigius is still there. if you finished the game then we all know he was probably still there just to monitor Philip for Waleran. but with Milius and Cuthbert dead and with Tom out of the picture, they're left with each other and for Once. Cynical Philip and Remigius seem to see eye to eye with how to run Kingsbridge- quietly. perhaps it's conjecture but that's the impression i got at the beginning of their argument. it's a shame that this part of Kingsbridge isn't covered very much because it could have been interesting to see what life had become for its inhabitants And to see Remigius and Philip's relationship at that point

then everyone comes back and Remigius defects to become dean of Shiring lol. i won't touch on the book or miniseries too much here but this ends up being a bad move- Waleran throws him out on his ass and he becomes a beggar. when Philip and Remigius meet again it's a whole pitiful thing and like. he tries to hold on to what little defiance he has left. it's! and i like this bit because (even if it's self-serving) he has the capacity to change, very much Prodigal Son-esque.

none of that happens in the game but whichever canon you subscribe to, i think both are very Remigius :]

THEN comes the finale. the trial. Waleran is decked out in his bitchiest liturgical garb! its a fun little show trial calling for Philip's imprisonment! then Waleran calls in Remigius to the stand. he didn't fall down on his luck in the game, this is Waleran's star witness. the culmination of his duties is Remigius ratting on Philip and YET he still manages to find something good to say about him, about how he helped the Earlscastle refugees. he's finally in this position of power, too, as the dean of Shiring, but he's clearly still in Waleran's leash. when Remigius puts out his own opinion on the miracle, Waleran shoots him a Look(tm) and he immediately changes course. THEN he continues pointing the finger at Philip. its so! he has mixed priorities here!

and when Waleran- for the first time at this point- is genuinely baffled by the revelation that James didn't drown in the river- he has NO why the gang is claiming this but he looks at Remigius, fuming. because it was his one job. all he had to do was kill James, and he didn't, and he failed, so he has to pay the price.

BUT THE THING IS! this was Remigius's one act of defiance. they hanged Jacques Cherbourg in 1125, and this trial is taking place in 1155. for 30 years- he's been in Waleran's grasp, he 'fulfilled his role as sub-prior wonderfully' all this time. Remigius is a dog and a coward through and through... but he could not bring himself to kill James. and i'm choosing to believe that it was because he was his friend. it just ties in so neatly with the idea that perhaps over the years he's grown close enough to some people in the priory that maybe he could be better- despite the overwhelming control that Waleran has on him.

IT ALSO TIES IN VERY WELL WITH REMIGIUS MINISERIES'S DEAD GAY LOVER BACKSTORY but that's a whole thing for another time

#the pillars of the earth #pillars of the earth #remigius #philip of gwynedd #waleran bigod #birbwellspeaks #AOUGh!#i said a lot of words there.

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roman-catholic-mass-readings · 4 months

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7th February >> Mass Readings (USA)

Wednesday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: Green: B (2))

First Reading 1 Kings 10:1-10 The Queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon.

The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon’s fame, came to test him with subtle questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very numerous retinue, and with camels bearing spices, a large amount of gold, and precious stones. She came to Solomon and questioned him on every subject in which she was interested. King Solomon explained everything she asked about, and there remained nothing hidden from him that he could not explain to her.

When the queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon’s great wisdom, the palace he had built, the food at his table, the seating of his ministers, the attendance and garb of his waiters, his banquet service, and the burnt offerings he offered in the temple of the LORD, she was breathless. “The report I heard in my country about your deeds and your wisdom is true,” she told the king. “Though I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes, I have discovered that they were not telling me the half. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report I heard. Blessed are your men, blessed these servants of yours, who stand before you always and listen to your wisdom. Blessed be the LORD, your God, whom it has pleased to place you on the throne of Israel. In his enduring love for Israel, the LORD has made you king to carry out judgment and justice.” Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty gold talents, a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again did anyone bring such an abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 37:5-6, 30-31, 39-40

R/ The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.

Commit to the LORD your way; trust in him, and he will act. He will make justice dawn for you like the light; bright as the noonday shall be your vindication.

R/ The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.

The mouth of the just man tells of wisdom and his tongue utters what is right. The law of his God is in his heart, and his steps do not falter.

R/ The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.

The salvation of the just is from the LORD; he is their refuge in time of distress. And the LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

R/ The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.

Gospel Acclamation cf. John 17:17b, 17a

Alleluia, alleluia. Your word, O Lord, is truth: consecrate us in the truth. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mark 7:14-23 What comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.

Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.”

When he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them, “Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) “But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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chloesunit4 · 8 months

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Buddhist

Religious attire is not obligatory in Buddhism, although many Buddhists prefer to wear it as a gesture of respect for the Buddha and his teachings. It is vital to remember that the objective of religious dress is to reflect respect and regard for the Buddha and his teachings, not to flaunt or draw attention.

The monk & nun robe

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The robe, which monks and nuns wear, is the most popular kind of Buddhist liturgical apparel. The garment represents the monk's or nun's abstinence from worldly goods. Typically, the robe is composed of basic, natural fabrics such as cotton or linen. The hue of the robe varies according to custom, however it is usually a light shade of yellow, orange, or brown. Some traditions dye the garment with a specific colour that is said to have supernatural characteristics. The robe is typically thrown over one shoulder and belted at the waist.

Amulets & talismans

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As a sort of religious garb, Buddhists may also wear unique amulets or talismans. Amulets and talismans are frequently created from holy or strong materials, such as metal, stone, wood, or bone. These amulets are frequently etched with holy words or imagery, or they are simply embellished with auspicious symbols. Amulets and talismans are thought to keep the wearer safe and offer good luck. They are frequently worn as part of a religious practise or as a symbol of devotion to a certain god. Amulets and talismans are not just worn by Buddhists; many individuals of other faiths do as well.

Buddhist jewelry

Buddhists may also wear special jewelry such as bracelets or necklaces that are inscribed with religious symbols made by artisanal craftspeople. Buddhist jewelry can be worn as a sign of faith, as a fashion statement or given as a gift to loved ones. Some Buddhist jewels are also passed down from generation to generation or sold to raise money for charities. Buddhist jewelry is often considered to be sacred and is treated with great care.

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#Youtube

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ebsfashunblog · 2 years

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A priest wearing a dress??????

the so called "dress " is called cassock, long garment worn by Roman Catholic and other clergy both as ordinary dress and under liturgical garments. The cassock, with button closure, has long sleeves and fits the body closely.

In every day and age there have been certain cultural norms that are accepted and followed without much questioning.

For instance, when eating out at a restaurant, you come to expect that the family eating at the next table over will be using a fork and a knife. In a another example, it is not acceptable to show up at a family wedding wearing a Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts.

The Catholic Church is no exception to these norms. It would be a strange start to Sunday Mass if the priest began processing down the aisle in a Halloween costume. As a Church we have come to assume and expect that our priest will begin Mass dressed in a certain manner.

The question then becomes: Why does Father wear what he wears at each Mass? And what is the history behind his style of dress?

Interestingly, you would think that the priestly vestments of today would find their origins in the ceremonial dress that is described in the Old Testament. For instance, in Exodus 28:2-4 we read: “For the glorious adornment of your brother Aaron you shall have sacred vestments made. Therefore, tell the various artisans whom I have endowed with skill to make vestments for Aaron to consecrate him as my priest. These are the vestments they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a brocade tunic, a turban, and a sash.”

Instead, the beginning of the holy vestments of the Christian Church came from the everyday garb of the Greco-Roman world. At the heart of this first-century dress was the tunic and the mantle.

The Greeks believed that the tunic that draped from the shoulder was symbolic of the body and its movements. They believed that this enveloping cloak around the body with the head in the center expressed the spiritual and intellectual perfection of man.

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In the Roman world, during the second century, the dalmatic, which was a loose, unbelted tunic with very wide sleeves, came about. It was the outer garment worn over the long white tunic. Interestingly, it was striped and for the most part is the outer garment still worn by Catholic deacons today.

By the fourth century, garments worn at liturgical functions had been separated from those of everyday life. Priests could be distinguished by certain ornamentation added to the everyday dress. It was also at this time that the stole began to be used as official symbols of the holy priesthood.

The first mention of a special liturgical garment for sacred worship comes from Theodoret of Cyrus (d. c. 457). In his writing on Church history he noted that, in 330, Emperor Constantine presented to the new church in Jerusalem a sacred robe which was to be used by the bishop at baptisms and the Easter Vigil.

Documents during this time also reflected the fact that many were divided on the question of special liturgical vestments. For instance, the early Christian author Tertullian rejected special dress while Clement of Alexandria advocated it. Pope Clement I, during his pontificate in the first century, noted, “Bishops should be distinguished from the people by costume but not doctrine.”

By the ninth century, the plain vestments of old tended to be more and more elaborately decorated. It was here when pontifical gloves appeared. The miter or the ceremonial headdress most commonly seen on the heads of bishops came about in the 10th century. Liturgical shoes and stockings worn by bishops and cardinals appeared in the 11th century.

The priest of today who is vested for Mass is a wonderful witness to these historical roots. The fact that the sacred vestments were not worn in everyday life from their beginnings shows that they have possessed a liturgical character.

Today the draping form of the vestments such as the alb, the dalmatic and the chasuble puts the emphasis on his liturgical role. As such, the priest’s body is “hidden” in a way that takes him away as the center of the liturgical action and recognizes the true source and summit of the celebration, Jesus Christ. The priest thus dons the vestments not in his own name by rather in persona Christi.

A priest of the Latin rite today, then, wears the vestments that are prescribed by Church regulations, in keeping with the norms established by the local bishops’ conferences and especially the regulations given by the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, which stipulates that the required vestments are to signify that “in the Church, which is the Body of Christ, not all members have the same function. This diversity of offices is shown outwardly in the celebration of the Eucharist by the diversity of sacred vestments, which must therefore be a sign of the function proper to each minister. Moreover, these same sacred vestments should also contribute to the decoration of the sacred action itself.”

#Youtube

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likealittleheartbeat · 3 years

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read an atla meta recently about guru pathik where they called his voice actor a “white guy.” i honestly didn’t know anything about the voice actor and def thought it was a possibility within what i knew about the show’s production. His voice actor, Brian George, turned out to have a family story evocative of the show’s central themes about diaspora, racial constructions, and global history.

Brian George’s father was born in Lebanon and grew up in Mumbai. His mother was from India. Both of them were Baghdadi Jewish, a Sephardic Jewish culture (as opposed to Ashkenazi Jewish with their ties to Germany and Eastern Europe), meaning it’s liturgical ties lay in Islamic rule on the Iberian peninsula, although tolerance declined in the region forcing movement eastward across North Africa and towards the Middle East. Baghdadi Jews, as indicated in the name, founded their identity in the famous cultural center in Iraq. Many of their cultural practices developed and continue today to reflect a synthesis of Judaism and Arab culture. They carried these traditions when persecution increased under Muslim Turkish rulers in the 18th century, and many fled to India, taking advantage of favored cultural and economic positions under British colonial rule. However, this group had trading relationships to the region long preceding Britain’s involvement in the region and their own migration there.

When the region was finally able to resist their oppressive colonizers, the emergence of India was dramatically racialized and nationalistic, with horrific violence and forced migrations among the different religious groups between new borders. The Badghdadi Jewish populations, like Brian George’s parents, found themselves without the same economic possibilities in this new environment. Another nation state had recently begun to emerge that they sought shelter within: Israel. In 1952, three years after around 80% of the Palestinian was violently expelled due to the end of British colonial influence, a UN decision in the wake of the Nazi antisemitic genocide, and the subsequent Palestine War, Brian George was born in this new settler-colonial state with family ties to the Jewish religious culture of the state and the Arab material culture of the oppressed. Like many Bagdhadi Jews who retained their unique Sephardic traditions, Brian George’s family immigrated to London only one year after he was born, and then later to Toronto, Canada.

As an actor, Brian George, like many Asian actors until recently, found work playing characters reflective of a vague region connected to a racialized idea about his voice and appearance. He didn’t have any connection to Pakistan when he played the Pakistani cafe owner, Babu Bhatt, on Seinfeld. He is not Hindu, though he played a culturally generic Hindu father to Raj Koothrappali on The Big Bang Theory. Playing in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine the father to Julian Bashir, with his Arabic last name, touches on a piece of his identity, but it’s scant. So Guru Pathik with his Tantric wisdom is not exactly a new kind of cultural alienation for Brian George. And technically, according to the US census, OP is right: Brian George with his Middle Eastern roots is white. But then again, his Indian family history might place him in the Asian category, and clearly within the visual medium looks-based categorization, he’s not white (otherwise we would assume he’d be getting some different roles). But Katara, with her Arabic name, her Chinese martial arts tradition, her Inuit garb, and her indigenous traditions, seems to point to the kind of existence Brian George embodies--something more broad, complicated, interconnected, and less categorizable.

We can critique the way ATLA appropriated Tantric practices and beset the passing of that wisdom to someone’s voice that reflected the region but whose own ties were quite unrelated. But maybe we ought to frame those critiques within an industry and culture that depends on strict racial constructions for comprehending identity. And we also might want to be cautious about making demands for further representation in Hollywood, as if constantly drawing people away from their own communities and into a United States metropolis and centralized money-making industry necessarily is the best thing for those communities. I don’t know the answers. I don’t know exactly what’s right and wrong. History is long and the world is wide.

#atla meta #the world is wide #guru pathik #brian george #aanglove

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ask-the-clergy-bc · 3 years

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Ghost Term Guide for Fanfiction (Incomplete)

I’ve been sitting on this for a while but here is a small guide for Ghost fans who are writing fiction :)

I noticed there are a LOT of very specific terms that might be confusing to new members when it comes to fandom lingo- on top of there being a lot of religious garbs and other terminology! This is something I just made in my spare time with research.

I will reblog and update this every so often. This is also just from MY personal research, but I will try to keep it as accurate and informed as possible.

Thanks!

Religious Garb:

(Note: A quick reminder that all of these garments can be subjected to various changes depending on the exact faith they are being used for. I tried to keep this as close to western Catholic and Christianity for the sake of simplicity and to match the exact religious themes used by the band.)

Alb - A typical priest’s robe or tunic, often plain and white. Usually long sleeved and ankle length with minimum decoration to symbolize purity. Sometimes worn plain or with a cincture. Albs are also worn over cassocks but under important vestments like the chasuble. (Papa III’s alb is the garment he wears with the lace gold sleeves under his chasuble.)

Amice - A white, square shaped linen cloth worn over the shoulders and under the alb or other vestments. In the middle ages it also served as a hood or cap. Typically worn during mass or new baptisms.

Balaclava - Also called a ski mask or a bally. A head fitting cloth mask that usually has the mouth or eyes cut out. Typically worn under helmets of costume masks. (Used by nameless Ghouls under their masks.)

Bauta Mask - a style of Venetian Carnival mask. Marked by having no mouth, a full covering for the face, and a pointed chin and jaw line. (Black ones worn by the Era II Nameless Ghouls.)

Biretta - A Square cap characterized by having three to four peaks and sometimes decorated with a decorative tuft. A cap’s color can also designate rank within a clergy: Red for Cardinals, Purple for Bishops, and Black for priests. Worn both for and outside of ceremony. (See Cardinal Copia’s pointed hat.)

Cappello Romano - (also called a Saturno) a wide brimmed hat with no ceremonial purpose. Just used as a sun hat when paired with a cassock. Designs change depending on the rank of the wearer. Popes typically wear red with gold detail. Black is the typical color for eveyone.

Cassock

Chasuble

Cincture

Clerical Collar

Crosier

Ferula - or “Papal Ferula” is that staff carried and used only by the Pope, decorated with a knob on the top and a cross. (See Papa II’s staff with the Grucifex on top.)

Habit - Clothing uniform worn by members of a religious order. In this case, a nun’s dress.

Mitre - The ceremonial headdresses worn by Bishops and Abbots. Characterized by a pointed, two sided structure that is decorated at the base with lappets. Also worn by Cardinals and the Pope. Three different types exist and are all done for very different occasions. Mitres are typically white with varying degrees of decoration for the occasion. (See all the mitres worn by each Papa.)

Rochets - a shorter, white linen tunic that is used by Cardinals and Bishops that is worn over the cassock. It has narrower sleeves and is often decorated with white lace or embroidery on the sleeves and ends of the garment. In Catholicism it is only worn by these higher clergymen and prelates as choir dress, as given permission to them by the Pope.

Stole

Surplice

Vestments - Term for ceremonial clothing or clothing symbolizing religious office worn during service. Think Chasubles, stoles, etc.

Wimple - headdress or veil worn by nuns.

Zucchetto - A silky skullcap that resembles a hemispherical beret. They are colored based on rank. Retired and acting popes wear white, cardinals wear scarlet, Archbishops/bishops/abbots wear amaranth, and priests and deacons wear black.

Items:

Athame - Ritualistic dagger, often decorative and considered sacred.

Host/Communion Wafer

Pew

Thurible

Ranks/Titles:

Mother Superior

Nun

Church based Locations:

Abbey

Cathedral

Cloister

Parish

Pulpit

Sacristy

Catholic/Religious Terms:

Canon/Canon Law

Clergy - All ordained members that perform the duties of a religious organization.

Conclave

Confession

Congregation

Doctrine

Delict

Ecclesial Law

Epicospal

Eucharist

Excommunication

Faculty

Laicization

Laity - Non-ordained members of a religious organization, also known as laypersons/laymen/laywomen.

Liturgy

Liturgical

Mass

Ministry

Ordinance

Ordinary

Penance

Prelate - a high ranking clergy member or church dignitary with authority over a jurisdiction. Usually an Ordinary in the church. Typically an abbot, bishop, or cardinal.

Province

Rite

Ritual

Sacrament

Seminary

Superior

Vespers

Satanic/Luciferian Terms:

Demon

Important Figures/Demons:

Baphomet

Lilith

Lucifer

Mammon

Satan

Ghost Exclusive/Contextual Terms:

Nameless Ghouls - the masked and nameless members of the band that serve under Papa. Always instruments or back up vocals.

Grucifex - The play on the Ghost Grucifex. The official symbol of the band and the clergy. An upside down cross decorated with a ‘G’ for Ghost.

Ghuleh

Papa - The head of the Clergy and the Ghost project. Essentially an Anti-pope and unholy leader of the ministry. Also the lead singer of the band.

Prime Mover - In lyrics, the title given to the nun who will go on to birth the Antichrist. In fandom terms it is often given to the mothers of the Emeritus line.

Ritual - The name given to the band’s concerts.

Sisters/Brothers/Siblings/Children of Sin - The members of the congregation of the Church of Ghost.

Fan Made Accepted Terms or Definitions:

Kit(s) - Juvenile/Infant Ghouls

#ghost fandom #fandom guide #reference guide

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saphaburnell · 3 years

Text

Ridicule the Strangeness: A musing on Hildegaard

"Now I deliberately hid the difference in me, away from the eyes of men in the outer world who might guess, intrude, and ridicule the strangeness in me. Then, for a while, its silence became shaming, and I began to seek it only in the times just before and after the offices and the singing of the Mass, when the sound of the chant would lend its own auditory beauty, clarity and spiritual power to bring my silent world into liturgical time." -- The Journal of Hildegaard von Bingen by Barbara Lachman

Reading Hildegaard’s journals, as imagined by Barbara Lachman, my silenced shames seem pedantic. Elementary, or non-essential. A woman in Twelfth Century Germany receiving visions clung to, as if they were a hidden second blood pumping through her heart. Theorists wonder at whether she suffered from migraines or synesthesia as a cause, but Hildegaard knew her strangeness. For Hildegaard, in the powerless garb and form of a woman, she lived on the good graces of the Catholic Church and the patriarchs enrobed within. Too vocal a woman, too obscene or outside the veil, would she be seen as a demonic influence? A heretic thrown from every security she’s known? What possible complaint could I possess, born and raised in North America’s 20th & 21st Centuries?

My childhood world was one of constant daydreaming, imaginative plays in my inner world until Gran huffed and inevitably told me to stop pretending. Stop being so dramatic. There seemed an eternal veil between my widened eyes and compatriot children in class, a veil which remained outside junior academics. The disconnect between a wealthy imaginative life and the realities of a society built to create harmonic, everyday life tore at my soul like clothes, which never fit. Sweater sets bought by a mother, who dressed me like her, jeans fought for in younger days, t-shirts instead of blouses. I could and did put on the appropriate attire for the occasion, suits and suit dresses, skirts, kilts, uniforms.

I hid and reacted to reality as if from behind fractured glass, distorted and astounding. Like Hildegaard, I feared ridicule of my strangeness. Covered my creativity and gender fluidity in a self-shamed silence until it took more years to write a book like NEON Lieben than all its’ predecessors waiting their turn. Perhaps NEON Lieben is too revelatory of my inner complications, of characters who are villain, hero, faulty people in mind-bending situations constantly seeking redefinition.

Now, purple and pink hair, a masculine cut to my suits and open authorship, the shames and traumas of the past need to crumble. How can one both hide in shame of their non-traditional self, and encourage others to read a book, which also struggles with like identities? As Lieben discovers her sense of independent self, so may I. As Fester’s body shifts from the shame of boyhood to the glory of her rightful female self, so may I stand in androgyny and be blessed. As the Assets Kate, Clive, Arun choose their gender like clothes, so may I relish the fluidity of gender’s concepts and allow the shame of silence to shift in an ever present hope beyond Hildegaard’s ‘liturgical time’.

Yet, the freedom to choose one’s representation of gender is still not sacred. Women are not equals, people within the LGBTQA community are not free in all places in this world. The microcosm I grew up in was not accommodating to gender identity crises beyond the power of prayer to ‘fix’ one, or the promised joys of marriage, babies and a quiet life. I kept silent, let the cause of my shame be covered over with bizarre, but lonely behaviours. Words, which shouted, locked behind silence.

Hildegaard’s strangeness brought her through history, a woman who commanded her presence (within the patriarchy) and eventually allowed her strangeness to drive generations of spiritual seekers. Be my muse, Hildegaard. Attack me with the reversion of silence, to allow our strangeness no shame.

#Hildegard von Bingen #Author Life #LGBTQ+#Neon Lieben #shame #christian mystic

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orthodoxydaily · 3 years

Text

Friday, December 4th, 2020: The entry into the temple of the Holy Mother of God

Commemorated on November 21 by the new calendar

One of the 12 major feasts of the Orthodox Church’s liturgic calendar

The Entry into the Temple of the MostHoly Mother of God happened, according to the preserved accounts of Holy Tradition, in the following manner. The parents of the Virgin Mary, Righteous Joakim and Anna, in praying for a solution to their childlessness, gave a vow that if a child were born to them, they would dedicate it to the service of God. When the MostHoly Virgin reached three years of age, the holy parents decided to fulfill their vow. Having gathered together their kinsfolk and acquaintances, and having dressed the All-Pure Mary in Her finest clothes, and with the singing of sacred songs and with lighted candles in their hands they carried Her to the Jerusalem Temple. There the high-priest with a throng of priests met the maiden of God. In the Temple, the stairway led up fifteen high steps. The Child Mary, so it seemed, could not Herself make it up this stairway. But just as they placed Her on the first step, strengthened by the power of God, She quickly made it up over the remaining steps and ascended to the highest. Then the high-priest, through an inspiration from above, led the MostHoly Virgin into the Holy of Holies, and herein of all people it was only the high-priest that entered one time a year with a purifying sacrifice of blood. Therefore all those present in the Temple were astonished at this most unusual occurrence. Righteous Joakim and Anna, having entrusted their Child to the will of the Heavenly Father, returned home. The MostBlessed Mary remained in the domicile for girls, situated near the Temple. Round about the Temple, through the testimony of Holy Scripture (Exodus 38; 1 Kings 1: 28; Lk. 2: 37), and also the historian Josephus Flavius, there were many living quarters, in which dwelt those dedicated to the service of God.

The earthly life of the MostHoly Mother of God from the time of Her infancy to the time of Her ascent to Heaven is shrouded in deep mystery. Her life at the Jerusalem Temple was also a secret. "If anyone were to ask me, – said Blessed Jerome, – how the MostHoly Virgin spent the time of Her youth, – I would answer: that is known to God Himself and the Archangel Gabriel, Her constant guardian". But in the Church tradition there were preserved accounts, that during the time of the stay of the All-Pure Virgin at the Jerusalem Temple, She grew up in a community of pious virgins, read diligently the Holy Scripture, occupied Herself with handcrafts, prayed constantly and grew in love for God. In remembrance of the Entry of the MostHoly Mother of God into the Jerusalem Temple, Holy Church from ancient times established a solemn feastday. The decretals for the making of the feast in the first centuries of Christianity are found in the traditions of Palestinian Christians, where mention is made that the holy Empress Helen built a church in honour of the Entry into the Temple of the MostHoly Mother of God. In the IV Century there is mention of this feast by Sainted Gregory of Nyssa. In the VIII Century Saints Germanos and Tarasios, Constantinople Patriarchs, delivered sermons on the feastday of the Entry. The feast of the Entry into the Temple of the MostHoly Mother of God – foretells the blessing of God for the human race, the preaching of salvation, the promise of the coming of Christ. DISCOURSE ON THE FEAST OF THE ENTRY OF OUR IMMACULATE LADY MOTHER OF GOD INTO THE HOLY OF HOLIES by Saint Gregory Palamas, ArchBishop of Thessalonika If a tree be known of by its fruit, and a good tree beareth good fruit (Mt. 7: 17; Lk. 6: 44), then is not the Mother of Goodness Itself and the Birth-Giver of Eternal Beauty incomparably more excellent than any good, situated within the world of the natural or the supernatural? Wherefore the Co-Eternal and Immutable Image of the goodness of the Transcendent Father – the Word Praeternal, Praexistent and Beyond-All-Goodness, through His unutterable love for mankind and compassion for us, aspiring to take our image upon Himself, so as from uttermost hades to draw up our nature unto Himself, and so as to renew this corrupted nature and take it to the heights of Heaven, – for all this to find that most-good Servant, and Ever-Virgin, Whom we glorify, and Whose miraculous Entrance into the Temple – into the Holy of Holies, we now celebrate. God predestined Her before the ages to the salvation and uplifting of our kind: She was chosen from amidst the ranks of the chosen of the ages and the glorified both through verymost piety and prudence, and through God-pleasing word and deed. The once author of evil – the serpent, exalting it over us, did also entice us into its abyss. Many a reason impelled it to rise up against us and enslave our nature: envy, rivalry, hatred, injustice, trickery, slyness, and in addition to all this, also the death-bearing power within him, which he begat, being the first to fall away from true life. The author of evil was jealous of Adam, having seen him aspiring from earth to Heaven, from which through just cause he was cast down, and filled with envy, with a terrible fierceness he pounced upon Adam, he wanted even to attire him with the garb of death. But jealousy – the begetter not only of hatred, but also murder, which this indeed hater of mankind accomplished over us, with evil having set upon us, whereby with utmost injustice he wanted to be master over the earth-born for the ruination of a creature, created in the image and likeness of God. And since he did not possess sufficient boldness to make a face to face attack, he resorted to cunning and deceit, and having assumed the appearance of a sensual snake, he turned himself to the earth-born, like a friend and useful counsellor, this indeed terrible enemy and malevolent, imperceptibly he passes over into action and by his God-opposing advice and with his own especial death-bearing power, like a venomous poison, he injects it into man. If Adam had been sufficiently strong to keep the Divine commandment, then he would have rendered himself the vanquisher of his enemy and would have come out on top of the deathly defilement. But since, from the one side, he voluntarily gave in to sin, whereby he underwent defeat and was made a sinner; and from the other side, being the source-root of our race, he begat us as still death-bearing offshoots, – then in order for us to annihilate within ourselves the death-bearing venomed poison of soul and body and find for ourselves eternal life, it was absolutely necessary for our race to have a new tap-root. It was necessary for us to have a new Adam, Who not only would be sinless and absolutely come out the victor, but Who also would be able to forgive sin and set free from the punishment those subject to it. And not only would He be embued with life, but also the capacity to restore to life, so as to make partakers of life those, which cleave to Him and belong to His lineage, and not only those present in the subsequent generations after Him, but also those, which already had died before Him. Wherefore Saint Paul, that great trumpet of the Holy Spirit, doth exclaim: the first man was alive in soul, but the second Man was in spirit life-creating (1 Cor. 15: 45). But except for God, no one is without sin, nor life-creating, nor able to remit sin. Therefore the new Adam must be not only Man, but also God, so that He Himself through Himself would be with life, with wisdom, and truth, and love, and mercy, and altogether with every good for this – to bring the old Adam into renewal and restoration to life by mercy, by wisdom and truth, set forth in opposition to those means whereof the author of evil has caused death for us. Thus similar is the contrast in this, how that primordial man-killer did lord it over us with envy and hatred, and how the Source of life was lifted up [on the Cross] on account of His immeasurable love for mankind and His goodness. He intensely desired the salvation of His creation, which salvation consisted in this – to bring anew the creation under Him. In contrast to this the author of evil wanted to bring to ruin the creation of God, and thereby put mankind under his own power, and tyrannically to afflict us. And just as that one gained himself the conquest and the fall of mankind by means of injustice and cunning, by deceit and his trickery, so likewise the Liberator gained Himself the defeat of the author of evil and renewed His creation by means of truth, justice and wisdom. It was a deed of perfect justice so that our nature, which voluntarily was enslaved and struck down, should itself again enter the struggle for victory and overthrow from itself voluntary enslavement. Wherefore it pleased God to take upon Himself of us our nature, in miraculous form co-uniting with it Hypostatically. But the union of the Most‑High Nature, the purity of which is incomprehensible for our reason, – was impossible for a sinful nature before it purify itself. Therefore, for the conception and birth of the Bearer of purity, it was necessary that there should be a Virgin perfectly Immaculate and MostPure. We now celebrate the memory of this, – that once formerly was co-operated this Incarnation. Wherein He in nature God, God the Word and Son Co-Eternal and Co-Without-Beginning for the Transcendent Father, is co-actualised with the Son of Man, with the Son of the Ever-Virgin. "Jesus Christ yesterday and today, He is forever" (Heb. 13: 8), immutable in Divinity and immaculate in humanity, He alone only, as the Prophet Isaiah prophesied, "doeth not iniquity, nor is deceit found on His lips" (Is. 53: 9), – He alone was not conceived in iniquity, and His birth was not into sin, in contrast to which regarding himself and every other man the Prophet David gives testimony (Ps. 50 [51]: 7). He alone was perfectly pure and even had not the need of cleansing for Himself: but rather for our sake He took upon Himself suffering, death and resurrection. God is born of the Immaculate and Holy Virgin, or even better said, of the All‑MostPure and All-Holy. This Virgin is not only above every fleshly defilement, but also even above every impure thought, and Her conceiving resulted not from fleshly lust, but by the overshadowing of the MostHoly Spirit. When the Virgin lived completely remote from people and dwelt in prayerful contemplation and spiritual joy, She declared to the announcing Angel: "Behold the HandMaiden of the Lord: be it unto Me according to thy word" (Lk. 1: 38), and having conceived, She gave birth. And so, in order to render the Virgin worthy for this sublime purpose, God from before the ages predetermined from amidst the number of the chosen and at the beginning of time did choose Her, She now praised by us as the Ever-Virgin. Turn your attention then, whence began this choice. From the sons of Adam was chosen by God the wondrous Seth, who through his decent temperament, through being the image of good sense and utmost virtue, did show himself inspired by Heaven, wherefore also he was granted to be chosen, and from whom the Virgin – the God-like chariot of the Coelestial God – was needed to give birth and thereof to summon the earth-born to the Heavenly sonship of filiation. For this reason also all the lineage of Seth were named "sons of God": wherefore the Son of God did possess this lineage to be born from; and thus also the name of Seth signifies a getting-up or resurrection (from the dead), which spoken specifically, – is also the Lord, promising and giving life immortal to believers in His Name. And how precisely exact is this parallel! Seth was born of Eve, as she herself said, in place of Abel, whom Cain killed through jealousy (Gen. 4: 25); and the Son of the Virgin, Christ, born for us in place of Adam, Whom likewise through jealousy the author of evil killed. But Seth did not resurrect Abel: since he served but as a foretype of resurrection. But our Lord Jesus Christ resurrected Adam, since He is for the earth-born the Life and the Resurrection, for which also the descendents of Seth are vouchsafed, through hope, of filiation to God, being called the children of God. And that afterwards in consequence of this hope they were named sons of God, this indicates first suchlike a calling is through inheritance, and receiving this chosenness was the son of Seth – Enos, who by the report of Moses, first hoped upon this, in order to call on the Name of the Lord (Gen. 4: 26). By such manner, the choice of the future Mother of God, beginning with the very sons of Adam and proceeding through all the generations of time, through the Providence of God, passes through the Prophet-king David and the successors of his kingdom and lineage. When the chosen time was come, then from the house and fatherhood of David there was chosen by God – Joakim and Anna, who although they were childless, were by their virtuous life and good disposition the finest of all, descended from the line of David. And when in prayer they besought the resolving of their childlessness and promised to dedicate to God the offspring, – then from Her very childhood, then the Mother of God was proclaimed and given them by God, as a Child, – so that from such many-virtued parents was conceived the All-Virtuous and All-Pure Virgin. Thus in suchlike manner, it was a conception chaste in unity with prayer, and the All-Pure co-operated as the Birth-Giver of virginity, in the flesh imperishably giving birth to Him Who before the ages was born of God the Father. And when Righteous Joakim and Anna saw that they had been granted their wish and that the Divine promise to them was realised in fact, then they from their end as true lovers of God hastened to fulfill their vow given to God: they have now led into the Temple of God this in truth Child Virgin Mother of God, having just been weaned from milk. And She, in spite of Her tender age, was imbued with Divine gifts and more than the others She comprehended what was being done over Her, and by all Her manner She appeared – not that they were leading Her into the Temple, but that She Herself through a particular was arriving into the service of God, as though on self‑sprouted wings striving towards the sacred and Divine love, being convinced that Her Entry into the Temple – into the Holy of Holies and dwelling in this Her wished-for destiny. Therefore also the high-priest, seeing that upon the Maiden, more than anyone else, there dwelt Divine grace, wanted to set Her within the Holy of Holies, and he convinced everyone willingly to concur with this. And God assisted the Virgin and sent Her through His Angel mysteried food, thanks to which She was strengthened in nature and was made more pure than the Angels, having for this Heavenly spirits in attendance. And not only once was She led into the Holy of Holies, but was accepted by God for dwelling with Him during the course of Her youthful years: since through Her in due course the Heavenly Abodes were opened and are given for an eternal habitation to believers in Her miraculous birth. Herein is the meaning of why the Chosen amongst the chosen from the beginning of time came to be within the Holy of Holies. Having Her body purer than the most pure by virtue of the spiritual, such that it was able to accept the Hypostatic Word Himself Who is of the Father Without-Beginning, – the Ever-Virgin Mary, like a Treasure of God, through inheritance now is placed into the Holy of Holies, so that at the necessary time, as it were, to serve towards its enriching and worthy adornment. Wherefore, Christ God also doth glorify His Mother, both before birth, and also through birth. We however, contemplating the co-operating of salvation for our sake through the MostHoly Virgin, do render Her thanks and praise. And truly, if the thankful woman (about whom the Gospel tells us), having heard some saving words of the Lord, did render thankfulness to His Mother, her voice rising above the din of the crowd and saying to Christ: "Blessed is the womb that beareth Thee, and the paps Thou hast suckled" (Lk. 11: 27), – then beyond this even moreso ought we as Christians, who have the imprint of the words of eternal life in our hearts and not only the words, but also the miracles and the Passion, and through them the restoration from death of our nature, and the ascent from earth to Heaven, and the promise to us of immortal life and unfailing salvation, – then after all this ought we not all the more to glorify and unceasingly to bless the Mother of the Author of Salvation and the Bestower of Life, celebrating Her conception and birth and now Her Entry into the Temple – into the Holy of Holies. We shall move on, brethren, from the earthly mountain, we shall transfer from flesh to spirit, by preference a perpetual not an temporal desire. We shall give up the needed scorn of fleshly delights, which serve as allurements against the soul and soon wilt pass away. Let us desire spiritual gifts, which exist imperishably. Let us avert our reason and our attention from earthly concerns and raise it to the Heavenly sublimity – to the Holy of Holies, where now the Mother of God doth reside. Wherefore in such manner our song and prayers with God-pleasing boldness and profit will reach Her, and we in gratitude for Her intercession, together with the present blessings we do co-opt the inheritance of future everlasting blessings, through the grace and love for mankind born for us of Her – our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory and majesty, honour and worship together with His Father Without-Beginning and His Life-Creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Luke 1:39-49, 56 (Matins Gospel)

39Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord. 46 And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. 56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

Hebrews 9:1-7 (Theotokos)

1Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; 3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. 6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance;

#orthodoxy #feast #orthodoxchristianity #ancientchristianity #originofchristianity #spirituality #holyscriptures #gospel #sacredtexts #wisdom #virginmary #temple

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catie-does-things · 4 years

Note

glenya for the trad meme obvs (i GUESS you could do david/anya if we're feeling REALLY trad)

RUSSIAN CATHOLIC GLENYA HEADCANONS HERE WE GO

Who grew up in a trad family and who became a trad in spite of their lib/normie family

I mean this one is canon, the Romanovs were very devout and Gleb’s family probably was not.

Who wants lace on surplices and who wants pleats

Gleb wants none of this Latin nonsense. Anya is a little more tolerant of western liturgical garb but not a fan of lace.

Who likes baroque choral arrangements and who prefers chant

Byzantine chant for both of them.

Which one went through a “women shouldn’t wear pants” phase

Anya still doesn’t think women should wear pants. Gleb doesn’t care.

Which NFP method they will use

Pfft like they’re using family planning.

Who wants to name all the kids after doctors of the church and who wants to use family names

Gleb wants to name their kids like Kiril and Afanasy. Anya would prefer Alexei.

Who argues with other trads on twitter and who just posts trad memes

Anya doesn’t go looking for arguments but sometimes people are just so Wrong about things!!! Gleb will occasionally get involved but also posts memes and dumb jokes to try to lighten the mood.

Who was most excited for pre-55 Holy Week

Anya. Gleb, once again, wants none of this Latin stuff.

Who discerned out of religious life

Neither because GLEB IS ACTUALLY A PRIEST.

Who is more sympathetic to the SSPX

Anya thinks that business in Écône was all just a big misunderstanding.

Who eats meat on Friday solemnities and who keeps to the fast

Again, Latin stuff, Gleb ain’t having it. No meat Fridays for either of them.

And of course, who insists on driving the extra 30 minutes to the TLM parish and who is fine with the reverent novus ordo nearby

It’s the Russian Catholic Divine Liturgy only for them, since, you know, Gleb’s gotta celebrate it.

#glenya #catholic headcanons for every occasion #trad otp asks #gonna confuse the heck out of so many ship tags #catie answers things #iamfitzwilliamdarcy #maybe i will do david/anya another time #anastasia

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dndartshare · 4 years

Text

Harvest Ritual

The air of the Eluthane valley was warm and cold at the same time as summer waned. The daylight hours were still longer than the night, but today Hiereus and his people worked together to bring in their harvest before the hard autumn frosts.

“Hey,” his friend Luso called as he came up behind Hiereus, “Why are you wearing a tail sock?” his friend asked.

“What? It was cold this morning,” Hiereus said defensively as he thrust his sickle into the barley.

“Right,” said Luso, sounding skeptical, “It’s always cold in Eluthane, but you are literally sweating while wearing winter clothing in the summer.”

“Hmm…” Hiereus grumbled at Luso’s chiding, “I like to stay warm?” he responded as if asking a question.

“Uh huh…”

Hiereus’s ears drooped and tail sank, but still he stopped to unclasp and remove his tail sock and tie it around his waist before returning to work. The cool air came as a relief though he wouldn’t admit it. Still he grinned deeply as Luso walked beside him.

“Done with the squash already?” Hiereus asked as he cut again at the grain.

“Oh yeah,” Luso said, and Hiereus’ tail swished as his friend spoke. “We just finished hauling it into the temple; it’s almost time to prepare the Thuometha meal.”

Hierues sighed, “By the Flame,” he said, as he looked at the extent of the barley fields remaining to be harvested. “Always the last to come in.”

“We do eat a lot of it.” Luso said with a chuckle, scratching behind his horns.

“Still, now that you’re here at least I’ll have someone nice to work with,” Hiereus grinned.

“Uh... most people are nice Hiereus.”

“Yeah, um right.” Hiereus' tail sank. He’d never had the will to tell Luso that he liked him. “I mean,” he said itching his ear, “it’s nice to work with a friend.”

Luso looked at his feet, “I’m not here to work the barley field.”

“What?” Hiereus wilted further as he realized his friend hadn’t brought a sickle.

“Sorry,” Luso said, “I just came to see what you were doing. I drew for meal prep after we brought the squash in.”

Heireus put on a smile as his heart sank, “We each work for the liberation of all,” he recited the mantra.

“Right.” Luso chuckled, “As labors are shared, by the Flame we are blessed,” he recited in return. “Alright then I’d best be going”

“Right,” Hiereus said, “Um… I’ll be performing in the sacrifice tonight. Save me a seat for the meal?” he asked.

“Sure thing,” Luso smiled, “I’ve got to go, see ya.”

Hiereus waved “May the light of the Flame guard your path,” he said as he watched Luso go.

***

When work on the barley field finally wrapped up, Hiereus’ arms and back were sore and thoroughly worked. He stretched as he made his way up through the town green past the Temple and the step kiln to his family’s small home.

Once inside he stripped out of his work clothes and washed from a pail of tepid water. He shivered from the coolness yet compared to working in the sun, even in Eluthane, he found it a relief.

He found his priestly garb on a hook near the stove, and as he reached for them his hand brushed the robes left by his sister. It had been just over a year since Moira left. They still received the occasional letter from her. The last one came from Edrez where she searched the temples of the world’s gods.

The city was sometimes called the Hub of the World, being the home of a goddess, and a center of trade and learning. Hiereus trembled thinking about it, he would feel lost in such a city and he worried about his sister out in the world.

She had been gone so long, and yet part of him still expected to see her when he went out, or to greet him when he went to the temple.

He sat for a moment after he finished dressing, and surveyed his family's belongings and took in its emptiness. Then standing, he rested his hand on his sister’s vestments. “May the light of the Flame guide you home,” he said before leaving.

Outside the smells of food wafted up from the green. The meal of the community sacrifice would start soon and he had his role to play. This festival was probably his favorite of the year. It wasn’t the most holy–that was Longest Night–but the communal meal, sharing in the culmination of his people’s labor for the year, they were always the part of the liturgical cycle he loved the most.

“Ah, I see the Flame has finally led you here,” said Mutha, the recently-elected chief priest.

“By the Flame, I’m sorry, the barley harvest, it ran late,” Hiereus apologized breathlessly.

“Aw, pay her no mind,” said Molu, Mutha’s wife, as she waved him into the Temple. “You’re here now, and it’s not like we’d start without you child.”

“I’m a priest too you know,” he protested with a grin already knowing their answer.

“We know, child,” Mutha said patting Hiereus on the back, “But we’ve been in the priesthood for over 62 cycles.”

“To us you’ll always be child,” Molu finished.

Hiereus chuckled, “I guess being called child is my fate,”

“You and most of the priesthood, my dear,” Mutha said.

“You should go meet your mother,” Molu said, “I think you’re the last one here. Let her know it’s time to start the ritual.”

Hiereus nodded and headed off toward the central Flame under the oculus. His mother had been the chief priest in the last cycle of seasons and tonight’s sacrifice would be her last act in that role as it was handed over to Mutha.

His mother Phose smiled and then pulled her son into a hug when he approached. “Good, you’re ready. How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Um… fine?” Hiereus answered.

“Glad to hear it,” she responded cheerfully in a way that let Hiereus know his answer hadn’t been satisfactory. “Do you feel practiced enough? You were given an important role tonight.”

“Yeah ma, I practiced. It will be good.”

“Good, I’m glad you feel confident,” she pulled him into another hug, “I know you get nervous leading a ritual.” “Ma,” Hiereus sounded abashed, “I’ll do fine.”

“I know you will, sweety, I just want you to know you will.”

Hiereus felt his face flush, and he smiled, “Thanks ma, I really think I’ll be fine.”

“Good, we should get going. The people are waiting, and hungry,” Phose said to Hiereus and the priesthood gathered in the Temple.

He followed his mother with the others out to the town green. It was dusk and brazers had been lit, speckling the assembly of his people in the Flame’s light as daylight waned.

They stopped before a pyre and Phose opened a pouch of ash and began marking a circle round them and the pyre, sanctifying the space for the ritual. When this was done each of the priests came to her and washed their hands as the ritual began.

It was now Hiereus’ turn to speak. Unfastening his lamp from his belt he watched the crowd that had gathered. His people numbered little more than what the rest of the world called a small town, but even still a few thousand people occupied the green in front of him.

He trembled a little removing the cap from the end of the horn lamp and adjusted its wick. These people all knew him and he knew them. Still it was an effort to keep breathing and nerves even. Then he smiled as he saw Luso in the front with a space saved beside him, and he felt ready.

“The light of the Flame brings liberation; its way is freedom through benevolence,” Hiereus recited as he lit the wick of his lamp. Its light turned crimson as the blessing was uttered, and he could feel its warmth reflected in his soul.

“The way of the Flame is given,” Phose picked up the next line, “and as we keep it our labors are blessed.”

The momentum of the ritual carried Hiereus now, and he turned to the pyre and stooped and lit its kindling with the others. At first smoke bellowed through the logs but soon gave way to the Flame’s deep red light as the fire spread.

“For inasmuch as a person cannot meet all their needs alone, you shall share your labors so that you may all have your needs met. For in sharing your work you shall be free from any one becoming your master,” Hiereus recited once the Flame reached its full height.

Mutha took the next line bringing a cup, and handing it to Hiereus as she spoke, “Let none perish from lack or inability.”

Hiereus nodded in thanks as he accepted the cup, and he could smell the sweet grain wine, fermented in the mine below the Temple.

Next his mother brought a loaf of barley bread. “Be generous with each other and let each who can, aid their fellow with vigor,” she said as she offered her son the loaf, and he exchanged his lamp. Not so much as part of the ritual, but to free his hands.

He held aloft the cup and loaf, and uttered the blessing the meal was named for. “Thuometha, tō panti, ek pantos,” or in the common tongue, “For ourselves we sacrifice, for all, from all.”

“As we have kept the way, our labors have been blessed. We give thanks to the Flame; we give thanks to the land.” As he spoke, he poured some of wine onto the embers of the fire.

After sipping from the cup himself, he offered it to his mother who drank and in turn offered it to Mutha.

Hiereus then tore the loaf. “May we now all share the blessings of our labor, in the light of the Flame.” He placed a part of the loaf in the fire and watched for a moment as the red flames began to consume it.

Then, as with the cup, he ate first before giving the loaf to Phose, and she partook then gave it to Mutha. The ritual not only marked harvest but also the past cycle of sessions and the formal passing of office between the two.

Upon its completion, half of the priesthood took baskets of bread and the other half wine skins to give to all assembled, and officially the harvest meal began.

After helping to distribute the loafs, he returned his basket to the Temple when his mother found him to return his lamp.

“You did really good tonight,” she said, handing him his lamp.

“Thank you,” he grinned, reflecting on the ritual.

“I mean it,” she said, “I was really proud of you as you performed the sacrifice,” and she squeezed his hand.

“We were all proud of you,” Mutha had come up behind him, “We’ve seen you grow a lot since joining our number. I wanted to thank you for the role you played tonight, and not just because I took your mother’s job. Keeping Thuometha is important for our people.” “Thanks,” he responded, shyly scratching the stump of his horn. “It’s always been my favorite,” he added, before stooping to give the older woman a hug.

“Hiereus,” his mother said as he stood up, “you didn’t happen to see where pa and Rai were sitting did you?”

“I didn’t notice,” he admitted.

“We should go find them so we can eat.” “You go, I was going to sit with Luso.”

“Oh,” she looked surprised, then smiled, “I think I saw him up front. You have fun then.”

“Thanks ma, I’ll see you back at home.” He waved as she went off into the crowd.

He turned back to the new chief priest. “Hey thanks again Mutha,” he said, “Your opinion means a lot to me.”

“You’re a fine young man Hiereus, I’m glad to have people like you in the priesthood,” she said patting his arm. “Now go find your friend, I’m sure he’s waiting. I ought to find Molu, knowing her, she’s probably already started eating.”

“Alright, I’m sure I’ll see you later. Enjoy your dinner.”

Mutha waved and went off as Hiereus went over to meet Luso. His friend smiled as he approached. “So what’s good?” Hiereus asked, sitting down.

“There's a spicy bread pudding I think you’ll like. It’s a bit too hot for me, but you liked those chilies the traders brought back last cycle.”

“Oh, I’m glad to hear that crop worked out even if they didn't turn red. I never know what to expect from new crops.” Hiereus said as he sat down and started serving himself.

“Yeah, new seeds usually fail this far north, but these took well enough.”

“Mmmm,” Hiereus savored the spicy bread pudding, “You’re right, I do like it. Mmmm.”

“I think I’ll stick with squash and potatoes myself,” Luso said flatly.

“Your loss,” Hiereus’ tail waved vigorously as he took another bite. “I thought you liked spicy food?”

“Hmm, not the chilies. Their heat does something weird to my tongue.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“I’m not sure what you’re sorry about,” Luso said, “I just don’t eat them.”

“Fine, I’ll just be sure to eat your share of them then.” Hiereus grinned thinking about it.

Luso laughed, “Whatever you say bud.”

The air became cold as the stars started to appear, and Hiereus shivered. For a moment he wished he had his tail sock on, then his mind drifted and he wondered what it was like where Moira was.

“Hey, are you alright?” Luso shook his shoulder.

“Hmm?” Hiereus muttered, returning to the present moment.

“I was just saying that I was going to join the foresting team this autumn, and you didn’t seem to hear me.” “Sorry, I was wondering how Moira was,” Hiereus smiled apologetically.

“Oh, yeah.” Luso frowned, “Have you heard from her recently?”

“Her last letter came with the returning caravan a few weeks ago,” Hiereus said. “She was in Edrez when she wrote it. She was going to try and find her way toward Ikurad soon.”

“Oh wow,” Luso responded, “she's gone a long way.”

“Yeah, I don’t think our trading caravans have seen as much of the world as she has. I’m not sure any Eluthanai has.”

Hiereus paused, staring up into the night sky. “Speaking of the caravans, did you like the cinnamon candy they brought back?”

“Oh yeah, it was good. Spicy, but not like the chilies. I finished mine a bit ago.” “Well I saved some; if you like you can have one.”

“Wow, thanks Hiereus,” Luso said, taking a candy and popping it in his mouth. “I love these things.” Hiereus chuckled, “Good, I’m glad.”

“You, know I could have traveled,” Luso said. “Or I thought I could. I wanted to join the caravans, but the world’s big. I’m not sure I’m up for it.”

“Me neither,” Hiereus said. “Still I always find myself wondering about the places Moira has been.” “Yeah. It’s weird having her gone. I think the whole town misses her. But to be honest I had a mind to court her before she left. I never had the nerve to ask though.” Hiereus’ heart sank as the meaning of Luso’s words set in, and his whole body drooped.

“Hey, something wrong?”

Of course Luso wasn’t like him; so few people were. He didn’t know why he imagined Luso would feel the same way he did. He realized he was trembling and tried to still himself. “It’s nothing,” he answered, realizing his eyes were getting hot with tears.

“It’s not nothing,” Luso said, “I think about it all the time, that perhaps if I had been a little braver maybe Moira would have stayed and you and I would have been brothers,” Luso chuckled.

Hiereus forced only the smallest semblance of a laugh in response, “I’m sorry” he said, “I just realized it's time to start cleaning up inside the Temple. I need to go.”

“Oh right,” Luso said, stunned by Hiereus’ sudden change in mood. “It seems a little early, but I’ll see you later then.”

He rushed into the Temple and as soon as he was out of sight started crying as he sank to the floor. His unease compounded as he heard someone approach from outside.

“Hmm,” He heard the voice of an older woman behind him. “You liked him a lot didn’t you?” Mutha said, patting him on the back.

“What?” Hiereus said, wiping his eyes.

“Tears like that only come from death or heartache, and no one’s died,” Mutha answered. “I don’t think I realized before tonight that you were like Molu and I. Should have seen it, the way you moon over your friend, but I didn’t give it any mind until you went off to sit with him tonight. Would that I had, I could have given some advice.”

“Advice?” Hiereus asked.

“Oh,” Mutha said sitting down next to him, “Molu and I were lucky to find each other. It’s not our way to make such things taboo as other places do, but there are so few like us that we seldom talk about it.”

Hiereus frowned; the only man Hiereus had suspected to be like him died alone. He knew his chances in Eluthane.

“You need to make yourself known,” Mutha said. “I suspect there are more of us than we think but because no one speaks of it, we feel alone.” “I...” Hiereus started, but Mutha cut him off.

“I know it’s an awkward thing to bring up, explaining that your romantic interests aren’t typical. Trust me, I know. But by the Flame Eluthane won’t hate you for it, and you’ll never know if others feel the same way unless you're visible.” Hiereus smiled, “I’ll try,” he said drying his eyes.

“At very least mention it to your mother. The other day she was asking if there were any young ladies you were interested in.” Hiereus sighed and looked up at the ceiling, “I guess I can start with that.”

“I’ll understand if you need some time to cry and miss cleanup, but you might want to hide in one of the ritual rooms. The others will be coming back to the temple soon.” “Thanks, Mutha. Thanks,” he said and he hugged the new chief priest.

#D&D #gay #tieflings #cleric #fantasy #gay fantasy #queer #oc #hiereus

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