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officialyourdailyinspiration · 3 years

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Devotional Hours Within the Bible

by J.R. Miller

David's Confession

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." - Psalm 51:1-2

The fifty-first Psalm tells the story of David's great sin. It tells of his penitence after his sin had been shown to him by Nathan. We see in it the path by which he returned to God. Since David wrote the words of this Psalm, thousands have used them, and they have become the liturgy of penitence for all who seek divine mercy.

Notice David's thoughts of God, as we find them in his confession. He saw Him as a God of unfailing love. In all the poignant sense of guilt that pressed upon his soul, there was not a shadow of despair. The moment he saw his sin - there poured upon him also a glorious disclosure of God's love. He confessed, "I have sinned," and at once Nathan said, "The Lord also has put away your sin." From this revealing of the divine mercy - hope came at once.

Had David not seen God in this light when the sense of his sin overwhelmed him, utter, hopeless darkness would have come upon him, and he would have been lost in the gloom. Thus it was with Judas, after he had betrayed his Lord, when the terrible tide of conviction swept over his soul. He saw no ray of hope, and in his dark despair - he went out and hanged himself. On the other hand, when Peter had denied his Master, and when, beneath the grieved look of that holy Eye, a sense of sin overwhelmed him - he went out and wept bitterly. But through his tears - he saw God as a God of mercy and love, and instead of despair - hope sprang up in his soul, and he was restored, living to be a glorious apostle. It is most important that the convicted sinner shall see God - as a God of mercy and love - as David saw Him, as Peter saw Him.

Notice also David's thoughts of his sin. First, he thought about his sin as his own. "My transgressions," "my iniquity," "my sin," "I have sinned," are the words he uses. He does not try to lay the blame of his wrongdoing, on some other one, as our first parents did. He does not plead the peculiar strength of his temptation and try to excuse himself for sinning so grievously. He does not talk of his peculiar environment or circumstances. He does not try in any way to explain his fall, or to mitigate in any measure the degree of his guilt. He frankly takes the whole responsibility on himself. This shows the sincerity of his repentance.

An old writer said, that nothing else in the world is so much our own - as our sins. We cannot push the responsibility off on any tempter or on any circumstances. Others may tempt us - but no one can compel us to sin. There is no sin in being tempted - sin begins when we yield to the temptation. Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are - but He was without sin. We are commanded to resist the Devil, and we are told that he will flee from us. Others may tempt us - and the guilt of the tempter is great. But no one can compel us to sin. Until we lift the latch - sin cannot enter our heart's door. We are responsible, therefore, for our sins, and must bear the burden of them ourselves.

We must also personally seek and find forgiveness for our own sins. No intercessor can obtain pardon for us; we must be penitent ourselves. Christ's expiation is for sinners - but even Christ's intercession will not bring forgiveness, if we do not personally repent and seek mercy. No one can obtain forgiveness for us - for any unconfessed sin of ours.

Another of David's thoughts about his sin, was that it was against God alone. "Against you, you only, have I sinned." The smallest wrong thing we do - is done primarily against God. If we speak a rude or impatient word to a beggar - it strikes God's heart, and the sin is against Him. If we are unkind to a dumb beast - we sin against God. Our unholy thoughts, which we think harm no one - grieve God. Every sin is a personal offence to Him. We may injure others and do wrong and injustice to them - but the sin is really and always against God. It is the law of God that we break, no matter what evil thing we do; and in breaking His law - we have struck God in the face. We stand in such relations to God all the while - that every act, word, or thought of ours affects Him personally: either pleasing Him and meeting His approval, or grieving Him and receiving His condemnation.

Another thought of his sin which David had, was that it was inborn. "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." He was not born holy. Sin is not altogether a habit which one acquires through years of living. It is not a result of bad education. It is not a little soiling of one's nature from the outside, by contact with an evil world. Sin is in the heart - and was born with us.

Notice also David's thought of the mercy he needed. First, there is a simple cry for mercy. "Have mercy upon me, O God." This was his greatest need. He did not begin his prayer by asking for favors, for prosperous circumstances, for many friends. Before any blessings could count in his life - he must get clear of his sin, and must have God's mercy. The words represent his transgressions as all written down against him in the book of accounts - and he pleads to have them blotted out, erased, rubbed from the page. There is something very startling in this thought that our sins are charged against us, and that unless we get the record expunged, we shall have to meet the penalty. But the blessed truth here, is that sins may be blotted out - no matter how many or how great they are.

"Wash away all my iniquity." Sin is represented as leaving a stain, and the prayer is that it may be washed off. That is, sin not only writes its record against us on God's book - but it also denies and pollutes our lives. We need not only to have the guilt removed - to be justified ; but we need also to have our lives cleansed - to be sanctified. We need a cleansing which reaches the very center of the being. The stains are deep, and the purifying process must go on until they are all removed. The ancient method of washing clothes was by beating or treading, and David asks God even to tread him down if necessary to remove the foul spots. We should pray God to wash us until every stain is taken away, however painful the process must be.

"Cleanse me from my sin." It is the language used of cleansing lepers. The word "wash" refers to garments and surface stains, and the word "cleanse" refers to sin as a disease, a leprosy in the soul. This prayer, therefore, is for the cleansing of the very nature.

There is still another expression in the prayer: "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." In certain ancient ceremonies, the blood was sprinkled with a hyssop branch. We may not be able to read into this prayer all the New Testament teaching about Christ's sacrifice, and yet the idea is certainly present, and for us means cleansing of Christ's blood.

Notice, then, David's thought about the renewal which comes with God's forgiveness. It is inward renewal. When the love of God streamed into his soul - he saw how much he needed to have done in him to make him what God would have him to be.

First, he had a new conception of the divine requirement. "You desire truth in the inward parts." Truth is genuineness, sincerity, righteousness. God despises hypocrisy. No mere external reformation will avail - while the heart remains wrong. With this lofty conception of the divine ideal of character, there is a beautiful evangelical teaching in David's prayer for renewal. He pleads for the application of the blood of atonement, to his life, then for the assurance of forgiveness, that the lost joy might be brought back.

Next he prays for renewal of heart: "Create in me a pure heart, O God." He has discovered the black fountain of sin in his life, pouring up its defiling waters and polluting all his soul. He cannot himself purify this black well, and he brings it to God that He may purify it.

The word "create" shows that David understood the necessity of a divine work in him, a work nothing less than a new creation. In this prayer for renewal, he pleads also that the Holy Spirit may abide with him, be with him. He remembered Saul's terrible fate, when God took His Holy Spirit from him, and pleaded that the same calamity might not fall upon him. "Do not cast me from your presence, or take your Holy Spirit from me." While he prayed for the continuance of God's Spirit upon him, he prayed also that his own spirit might be constant, steadfast, and free - that is, willing. In other words, he desires the spirit of entire consecration to God's will and service. Then he asks for the restoration of the joy of salvation.

Notice once more in this Psalm, David's thought about serving God. When he had been forgiven and the joy of salvation had been restored to his heart, he would begin to be a blessing to his neighbors and friends. We cannot bring others to Christ - when we have no joy of forgiveness in our own hearts. But the moment we are forgiven and the joy begins in us - we begin to desire to help others, to teach transgressors God's ways, and to lead sinners back home.

Other suggestions are found in the words which follow. The tongue of a forgiven man will sing aloud of God's righteousness. His opened lips will speak forth God's praise. The character of the service which God desires from us, is sketched in the closing words - not sacrifice of animals or any possessions. The sacrifice that pleases God - is a penitent spirit and contrite heart. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

#Devotional Hours Within the Bible #J.R. Miller #David's Confession #Psalm 51:1-2 #March 16 #2021

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grumpyhedgehogs · 5 years

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Lay Me to Rest in a Bed of Wildflowers

Summary: Various citizens give The Judge flowers. Dep realizes a few things.

Part One: Here Part Two: Here

Notes: This one was a long time in coming. I started work on it a week or so after the first part, had to split it in two, lost the draft, started a new one, found the old draft, stitched them into some Frankenstein’s monster, and spent another three days finishing and editing. At this point, if there are any grammar mistakes they’re just gonna have to stay there. But I had a lot of fun finishing this trilogy and I hope you enjoy some angst/fluff/flowers! As always, spoilers for Far cry 5 and Far cry New Dawn, please do not read if you are not finished/mind being spoiled.

P.S.: The titles of the trilogy refer to a trial, execution and funeral.

”You remember the people here. They’re your friends, and you want to help them.”

Carmina

Carmina started with cherry blossoms. It was a cherry tree she so often found Dep leaning against- it was the farthest tree on the property, just on the edge between the ranch and the treeline. She knew it made her parents nervous whenever they saw Dep leaning against that old trunk, staring distractedly into the darkness of the forest. Hell, it scared Carmina plenty.

But Dep wouldn’t run now. Not after Carmina’s mother had asked them not to.

That didn’t mean they didn't think about it; Carmina could practically see it in the air around their head as they leaned against the trunk of the cherry tree, unheeding of the twigs and leaves getting caught in their hood. She could feel it, an aura around them when she got too close, needling at the skin.

When Dep got like this the whole house seemed to grind to a halt. She’d caught her father with his hand on the doorknob, frozen between rushing out and leaving them be. Her mother’s grip on the counter as she watched through the open window was white-knuckled and rigid. It was a storm brewing, demanding to be seen but too far away to be touched, too powerful to be warded off.

Carmina plucked a few blossoms from a low-hanging bough as she passed and held them to her nose, eyes never wavering from the dark figure. The tree rarely ever produced fruit these days; it was too old, too twisted, too broken by the bombs to do more than survive. Maybe that was why Dep liked it so much. They’d found a kindred spirit.

They were silent- so out of character!- as she stepped up beside them, but they accepted the flowers readily enough when she offered them.

“You should smell them,” she prompted but wasn’t too disappointed when they simply tilted their head at her. At least Dep wasn’t looking at the dark anymore. “They’re my favorite scent. Besides Mom’s cooking, I guess.”

Dep’s fingers played lightly over the petals for a moment, as if memorizing their texture. They held them back out doubtfully. Carmina smiled, fondness tugging at her chest, and folded the gloved fingers gently over the flowers. “Keep them. They’ll remind you of me.”

Cherry blossoms meant renewal. Carmina figured Dep already knew that.

She gave them lavender next.

Ever since her mother had pointed it out, Carmina couldn’t help but jerk awake every time she heard them creeping out at night. They never seemed to remember the floorboard to the right of the top stair creaked like something out of a haunted house.

She’d lay staring at the ceiling, wide-eyed yet unseeing, until the screen door’s hinges whined again in the early hours and cat-like footsteps crept back up the stairs. Only then did Carmina’s heart stop thumping so very hard against her ribs.

She dropped a sprig of lavender in their hands the next morning. “You’re keeping me up,” she told them, and refused to feel guilty about the slump of their shoulders. The bags under her eyes were heavy. “It helps sleep.” They also meant peace, but again, these were unneeded explanations.

The apple and orange blossoms she actually felt a little bad about, seeing as they could easily have turned to fruit. But- well. The Dep was a little more important.

“For peace,” she murmured when they looked up at her. The summery early evening was just beginning to chill, and Carmina could feel the tip of her nose numbing. The flowers in their yard were fragrant; Dep looked as at peace as she’d ever seen them. Not that that was saying much. “And family. Now come on, Mom’s let Dad break out the grill and I need you around to help put the fire out.”

Carmina didn’t have to look back to know they were just a step behind her the whole way.

Grace

Grace found them crouching in the dirt. They were not trying to be sneaky now- she could hear them crunching around in the drying, dead leaves of the late summer. The whole yard around what used to be John Seed’s ranch smelled of green and damp and growth; Grace suspected that just might be what Dep needed right about now.

(She had Nana help her with the flowers. The old woman was surprisingly patient, explaining every color, helping her with textures and structures and arrangement and Grace had never put this much thought into a bunch of dead plants in her entire life.)

It was quiet out in the yard except for the ambient noise of the wilderness. Dep liked birdsong; they used to go out in the early morning and sit on the porch of the Rye’s home, just waiting to hear which bird would be the first to wake. Grace would come around with coffee sometimes.

“Do you remember the birds, Dep?”

They stilled and Grace could hear their labored breathing.

(Kim, when she led Grace outside, had quietly explained the Deputy was trying to build a garden. “It’s the only time they’ve been calm out here,” Kim had confided and Grace’s throat had tightened at the strained tone in her voice.)

They must have been tilling the earth for the new seeds; Grace could smell the fresh soil. It was nice.

Leaves crunched underfoot as the Deputy stood slowly. Grace could almost see their shoulders, thin under such a large jacket (“Like a goddamn bear hide or some shit,” Nick had told her over the radio once, months ago now), tensing up somewhere near their ears. They never liked to be snuck up on.

“Do you remember the bluejays?” She asked, loud in the uneasy quiet. Grace’s ears were straining harder than ever, unseeing eyes darting from side to side; she felt them moving, unbidden, in her skull. But she wasn’t scared of anything but the Dep running. They were so very good at running.

“They were your favorite, Dep,” Grace said, something desperate and hot rising to the base of her throat at their silence. She had never hated the quiet so much as now. “You would point them out every time we hunted together- you- you liked when they were the first ones to sing in the morning.”

A noncommittal grunt. A foot shifting in the dirt. The crunch of dry twigs. Birds singing, branches clattering in a slight breeze. A soft exhale.

“I brought coffee but you preferred tea because caffeine made your hands shake when you held a bow,” Grace tried.

Footsteps padded towards her but stopped a few yards- too far, too far- away. She heard their breath hitch violently in their chest.

She couldn’t cry. She never cried, not even at the end of the goddamn world. “You liked jasmine tea because the flowers were pretty. We shared it. You taught me about the birds every morning.”

Nothing. The birds wouldn’t stop singing. She didn’t know whether that was such a good thing anymore.

Finally, heart in her mouth, Grace stepped forward and thrust out her fist. The flowers would be crushed at the stems, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

“Nana said you’d probably know what they mean,” Grace’s voice was too fast, too high, God she felt like an idiot. “But I think you need to hear it. So- so, edelweiss for courage and devotion, wallflower for faithfulness in adversity, hyssop for sacrifice, lemon balm for sympathy. And- and magnolia, for- for love of nature.”

She came forward again and again and again and held up her hands when she heard them shift back. Fumbling, Grace caught one thickly gloved hand in hers and wished desperately that she could touch skin, just for a moment. The heat at the back of her throat was spreading, pushing at her mouth, the backs of her eyes, lighting her scalp ablaze. Her legs were gelatinous.

She curled her old friend’s hand gently around the flowers and held their loose fist in both of hers. Grace wished that she could see, that they could talk, that none of this had happened.

“Maybe next you could teach me about the flowers,” she whispered hoarsely, and ignored the lump in her throat at the soft sob coming from somewhere in front of her.

Kim

Kim gave them a flower for each day they stayed.

The first one she made a production out of, giving it in the exact same way they left hers for her all those months ago. Dep seemed surprised to come in from their early morning wanderings (it never failed to give Kim a heart attack, seeing their bed empty and made up, crisp cool air where her friend was supposed to be warm and safe- Goddamn Joseph Seed better be rotting in Hell) and find a small bunch of pink and purple petals at their honorary place at the family table.

“Statice,” Kim told them, carefully not looking up from the eggs she was scrambling, “there’s a lot around here. For sympathy. And success.”

The next day, it was peach roses. “Those were a little harder to find,” Kim admitted. She didn’t particularly want to remember that dirty, cramped trek through the woods, or the cursing, or the thorns. “You’re supposed to give them to someone you miss.”

Dep had trembled at that. They’d left the table and were gone for most of the day, the screen door banging shut behind them; for hours, Kim had thought that was it, she’d fucked it all up. But in the end, the sun’s rays were scarcely fading when the Dep had stepped quietly into the kitchen and pressed an apologetic lily-of-the-valley in her palm. Kim kept still as they bowed their head.

“Yes,” she said finally, having to violently tamp down on the overwhelming urge to reach out. “You’re forgiven.Tell us you’re leaving next time.”

Freesia was next. “Thoughtfulness- I thought it was a good fit for you.”

Yellow roses- “Oh, you know you’re supposed to give them to friends. That was a pretty easy one.”

White tulips, which she placed in a box on their windowsill. “For the worthiness part, not the seeking forgiveness part,” Kim had had to justify quickly when the Dep’s head swiveled around as if looking for an exit, “You know you've got nothing to apologize for.”

But they didn’t know, and Kim knew they didn’t. Back to the drawing board.

“Dahlias,” Kim told them later, “they’re for lasting bonds.”

Finally she settled, comfortably, on sunflowers. Hell knew there were tons of them around the house.

“You like yellow, huh?” Kim ventured one day, unsure if the question would cause Dep to flip out. Instead, she got a moment of consideration and then a slow nod. They were a child, unsure if they were going to be granted approval or disappointment. The acid in Kim’s stomach roiled and she hoped the fire burning Joseph Seed’s soul was blistering.

Kim grinned. “Good. They’re supposed to mean happiness.”

She kept a vase of sunflowers on the table after that, and put another one in their dreary bedroom- she’d have to get Carmina’s help redecorating.

And if she had to plant even more sunflowers to keep up a steady flow, well, it’d be worth it when Dep finally took off that damn mask.

Hurk

“I didn’t, uh- I mean, I just kinda thought this was better than trying to rip up some weird flowers and accidentally poisoning you or something.”

Dep tilted their head the same as they’d always done- it was reassuring, almost, that the little things hadn’t changed. It at least gave Hurk the strength to keep going.

He hefted the flower pot between his palms and wished the leaves were long enough to obscure his hot face. “Gina said this was fucking stupid, but then she said maybe it’d help you cause she was thinkin’ you got fucked up, like really life-changing fucked up, and I mean, with Seed and all, and you runnin’ around in that mask maybe she was right, right?”

Dep’s mask did not look impressed. They shuffled back a few steps and looked like they were considering shutting the door on him. Somewhere in that house Kim Rye was thinking about throttling him.

“I’m talking too much,” Hurk stated. Dep did not disagree. Their fists were clenching and unclenching slowly at their sides; they were fighting to keep still. “Um. Sorry. Here.”

He shoved the flower pot into their hands unceremoniously. They fumbled, stumbled under the sudden weight, and finally got it secured against their chest. They huffed angrily at him when dirt spilled into their collar and Hurk was suddenly rethinking the whole ‘let’s-give-our-old-friend-who-is-now-a-little-crazy-a-bunch-of-plants’ idea. Carmina had a good heart but Hurk wondered if she thought more with that than her head.

The Deputy shifted the pot in their hands, looking down at it before jerking their head questioningly at him.

“It’s a fern,” Hurk explained helpfully.

They blinked. It was weird to see the mask with only one eye lens in it, but the eyes weren’t as disconcerting as the dried dirt and who knows what else smudging the white painted surface.

“I, uh, didn’t know anything about flowers, so I got you a fern,” Hurk repeated. He desperately wanted to slap himself in the face. “Like I said I didn’t want to poison you or anything. Knowing me, I’d find the only Bliss left around and end up naked and hogtied alone on the bank of a river somewhere. Uh, not that I’m speaking from experience or anything. But yeah, I thought this fern looked nice. I mean, it is a nice fern. Do you like ferns? Am I saying the word ‘fern’ too much? I feel like I’m saying ‘fern’ too much.”

The Deputy set the plant heavily on the floor between their feet. They tilted their head for a moment and slowly reached out to pet one of the fronds lightly. Then Dep backed up and crossed their arms over their chest tightly, like they were hugging themself. Hurk felt as if iron bands were squeezing his ribs.

“It means humility and uh- shelter. I think.”

Dep paused and then nodded. They held themself tighter. Hurk wished fiercely for this all to be a nightmare- couldn’t he just wake up and realize that none of this had ever happened and he was on his mom’s couch waiting for the Dep to come by and take him to fuck up some Peggies just for kicks?

But what was done was done, and all that was left of his friend was going to shatter apart if he didn’t give them this fucking fern.

“And confidence too, apparently. And like, sincerity. That part is about me, too. Cause, like, I’m sincerely your friend and shit.”

Dep’s head hung low; he couldn't tell if they were looking at the fern or not.

“Hey, Dep?” They shuddered. His voice was strained on the next words. “I, uh- I’m really glad you’re back man. Wasn’t the same without you.”

Silence. He wasn't going to get anything else from them today. Heart like stone in his chest, Hurk turned and reached out to close the door behind him. At least he could tell Gina and Blade he’d tried.

A hand on the door stopped him from closing it. When Hurk turned around, Dep was standing only inches form him- it was always freaky how softly they could move.

Dep hesitated for a split second and then reached out to lay their hand lightly on his bicep. They patted a couple times and then stopped, seeming unsure of what to do next.

His vision blurry, Hurk reached up and closed his fingers around the other’s, movements slow and exaggerated. They blinked at him. He blinked back and ignored the wet warmth on his cheeks.

“Yeah,” he croaked, “I’m real glad you’re back.”

Jerome

“I once told you I didn’t know how to speak to you, old friend.”

Jerome came to a careful stop at the edge of the garden; he could sense a sacred space when he was near it, and this was the Deputy’s. The earth was freshly dug in furrows, and holes pockmarked the yard here and there, heralding in a season of new growth for next year.

He hadn’t known that Dep liked to plant vegetables as well, but Jerome could just spy a bag of what looked like pumpkin seeds sticking out of the basket Dep had by their side. A filthy trowel and a shucked pair of torn gloves lay beside them.

Dep looked up sharply at him before straightening (the lethality in that movement was all catlike grace and most likely completely unintentional) slowly. They dropped the last few seeds from their worn palm into the furrow and nudged a bit of dirt into place above them with a boot.

Jerome waited until he could see the glint of a single eye. “I told you our paths had diverged and that I could no longer think of what to say to you because of what you had done, what you had been through. And for that, Deputy, I can only sincerely apologize.”

Dep’s shoulders hitched upward by a fraction of an inch, but Jerome was watching too closely not to notice. They slid one foot back and ended up kicking their basket over. Jerome could see their hands starting to twist together, an old nervous tick he remembered stopping many a time with a calming palm on theirs.

His stomach flipped; it was almost a certainty that Dep would never let him do that now. Maybe never again.

Jerome sighed passed the tightness of his throat and raise a hand, palm out. “Please, let me finish. Please don’t let your past- what he made you think of yourself, perhaps what I helped reinforce through my thoughtlessness, get the best of you. Can I ask that of you, my friend?”

The Deputy visibly wavered for a moment; Jerome could feel his position here, fragile as the last fall leaves clinging to the branches, ready to be swept away at any second. His tongue felt as dry as the Sahara.

After quite possibly the longest pause of the pastor’s life, the person who had once turned out to be the most true friend he’d ever had nodded twice, quickly, as if they were pulling off a band-aid.

Jerome shifted on his feet. “May I-” He didn’t know quite how to finish, how to communicate the deep urge to reach out, the need to be close to someone he’d thought lost long ago, the wish to make sure this wasn’t some dream from which he would be ripped away at any second. The Deputy was sure to reject the confession, anyhow.

Instead, they beckoned with one hand, crossed their legs, and thumped down into the dirt unceremoniously.

Jerome suppressed the bizarre impulse to laugh. There was something softer about them now, surrounded as they were with flowers and gardening equipment. Their pale face- what passed for their face, anyway- tilted up at him expectantly; it reminded Jerome absurdly of a child waiting for storytime.

Cautiously, wholly frightened of appearing aggressive, he took a seat across from them Indian-style. He abruptly found it hard to meet their eyes over the row of leaves of the freshly grown carrots between them. Instead, he dropped his gaze to the flowers in his lap. They seemed a meager offering now, no matter how much time he’d spent finding them.

“I brought you these,” Jerome told them hoarsely, lifting the bunch halfheartedly. The Deputy was tracking his movements intently, and tipped their head to the side briefly, that single eye blinking slowly at him. It made Jerome’s chest squeeze tight at the sight. This was what Nick meant about the Dep’s old habits shining through at the strangest times.

He held the first one out over the carrots, watching the petals bob and sway in the breeze. It was a moment before ungloved fingers curled tentatively over the stem just above his own. “Gerbera, for loyal love, innocence, and purity.”

There was a quiet exhale from his companion, but still Jerome refused to lift his eyes. “I should have tried harder to communicate with you; I should have known it was you from the start, or figured it out like Nick Rye did. But I think maybe I did know, or I wouldn’t have pushed the notion away so vehemently. I didn’t want to see what Joseph Seed had done to you- what he molded you into. I didn’t think I could take knowing what had been done to so true a heart.”

He passed two more flowers over. He had to wait a few moments before they were accepted. “Sweet William and sweet woodruff mean gallantry and humility. You- you were a hero to us, I hope you know that. You were a hero to me. And I- I wish I’d not turned away from you when you came out of that bunker. You needed us, and none of us realized it until it was almost too late. We left you to fight your demons on your own because you weren’t fighting our battles for us anymore, and you cannot understand- I cannot express to you the shame that brings me.”

Jerome was having a hard time speaking by now, vision blurred into a swirl of watery colors. He persevered, but not for his own sake. “Pink stargazer lily. I know it looks ostentatious, but it- it means honor, prosperity. Deputy-”

He tried to lift his head this time, made a herculean effort to withstand the grief threatening to drown him, but the current pulled him under and he could not meet their eyes. “The sacrifices you made before the bombs dropped, the torment you must have gone through for the sake of us, all to be rewarded with the time you spent under the ground with him- and to come back and help us, and then, to find the strength to fight back against Seed- the story of Job does you justice.”

Finally, the last flowers seemed small, insignificant, a tiny drop of water in the ocean of things he need to spill out to the Deputy, the things they deserved to hear for which Jerome had no words.

“Bachelor buttons,” He said tightly, breathing harsh. They were not accepted for a long moment and Jerome realized they might not ever be. But if this was the last thing he could say to a hurt friend, then by the Lord Almighty Himself, Jerome had better make it count. “For single blessedness. Whatever has been done to you, whatever Seed or I or anyone else has made you believe about yourself, whatever you think about who you are, know this, my friend. You have fought righteously, and you have stood in the way of harm that would have befallen innocents. You’ve withstood hell. Know that you are free now; know that in the eyes of your family and of the Lord you are not damned. You never were.”

There was a moment where Jerome was alone, choking on the silence, drowning in shame and blame and self-flagellation. The garden was still and time could very well have stopped.

And then the flower was pulled from his grip and replace with a hand. Fingers laced with his, and their bare knuckles dropped to rest together on the sun-warmed earth.

Jerome sat with an old friend submerged in a place of growth and life, and let the wind lift the weight from his shoulders, let the sun dry the tears on his face, let the earth turn on and on, inexorably turning away from the past. He hoped the Deputy was doing the same.

They stayed with him (he stayed with them) until the light faded from a friendly sky.

Sharky

This was worse than that time when he was fourteen and bought his crush a bunch of flowers to ask her to the Spring Formal. Okay, so he’d swiped them from the neighbor’s yard. Whatever. Point was, he was less nervous back then, when he’d been holding out the stupid flowers and staring her football player boyfriend in the eye, than he was right now.

The Dep’s hood was up like always, but the height of their shoulders and the way they were leaning as far back in their chair as they could told him enough to guess at their expression. He was sweating.

Kim, sitting at the table in her kitchen across from Dep, looked ten seconds away from throttling him. Sharky recognized that vein beating a tempo in her cheek. “Chives, Sharky? Really?”

“The, uh, the book said they mean, like, usefulness and stuff.”

Kim wrinkled her nose. “You busted into my house to tell Dep they’re useful?” Her tone was deliberately calm. Sharky’s heart was beating so fast it might have simply stopped. He didn’t waver from the Dep, though. He wasn't gonna give up his shot now.

“Hey, I know my best friend, all right? They like to be all helpful and useful to people and shit.”

Their shoulders were lowering centimeters at a time. They’d begun breathing again, having stopped when the door slammed against the wall. Nothing like a dramatic Boshaw entrance to get the blood pumping. The hood moved in their classic head tilt. Their fingers twitched against the worn wood of the table.

“There- there’s dill too,” he piped up helpfully, ignoring the urge to scrub at the back of his neck. Drops of sweat rolled into his facial hair. “Just cause, that book- we’ve only got like one fuckin’ book on flowers and plants and shit in the entire county, how fucked is that, huh?- uh, the book said dill means ‘powerful against evil,’ and I mean, that’s you all the way man, so I thought, you’re all flower power these days, maybe you’d like ‘em! I dunno, I guess I should speak your language and shit.”

There was a second of the loudest silence he’d ever heard. That usually didn’t bode well for Sharky.

Kim let out a long breath. “Sharky, I think maybe you should-”

The Dep’s chair scraped back so fast it tipped backward and landed upside down with a clatter. Kim jumped in her seat. The birds outside the windowsill took flight. The Dep’s glass of water was upturned.

Dep took two large steps over to Sharky and threw their arms around his middle. They squeezed too hard and Sharky wheezed for a second, but when they started to withdraw in alarm he planted a firm hand on their back.

“Oh hell no man, you’re good, you’re good.” They smelled like firewood and rich, healthy soil. At first they held themselves away from his body by a few inches until Sharky gently pressed down between their shoulder blades.

His friend almost collapsed boneless against him; Dep was shaking in his arms and Sharky felt the vicious need to dig Joseph Seed’s body out of his grave and set it on fire. Instead, he held very still and let Dep tentatively rest their head on his shoulder. The skin of their forehead was warmer than any fire he’d lit in months; the warmth seeped through the mask and into the cloth of his shirt, burning pleasantly there.

Their shoulders were trembling, although Sharky was unsure if they were actually crying. He tried not to let the plants get crushed by leaning the fist with them in it gently against the back of Dep’s head.

“I, uh.” He croaked, cleared his throat. Kim was frozen on the edge of his vision, hand over her mouth. “I’ve got coriander too; it means ‘hidden worth.’ I thought it was funny, cause like, you hide your face all the time and you're super cool? But, I couldn't find any coriander flowers. So I put coriander powder on everything.”

The Dep huffed against his flannel. Kim snorted.

“Wait til I tell Nick you got the first hug,” she told him, shaking her head ruefully. “He’s gonna be so pissed.”

Sharky grinned wildly.

Nick

Nick barely had time to realize that he’d grabbed the wrong wrench and would subsequently have to haul himself out from under the truck to go get the right one when it appeared in his field of vision as if by magic. A gloved hand was wrapped around the handle.

“Oh,” He said, suddenly realizing he’d forgotten how words worked. “Uh. Thanks.”

In the three months they’d been staying with the Ryes, Dep had had trouble staying in the same room as Nick. They still couldn’t look him in the eye. It made something dark and cloying claw at the base of his stomach most days.

The hand retreated and there was a shifting of fabric near his feet. Working mostly on memory and instinct, Nick continued to fiddle with whatever was jamming up the undercarriage of the truck, keeping most of his attention on the dark, dirt-covered boots he could barely make out beside him.

After a relatively companionable five minutes, he couldn’t stand the silence anymore. Nick found himself wishing for the days when Dep knew just the moment to crack a joke to ease his tension. Maybe that was selfish. Yeah, it was probably selfish.

“Hey, uh.” He cleared a suddenly clogged throat gruffly. “I uh, jumped on the bandwagon and got you something. They’re over by the tools, you probably saw them. Go grab them for me, would ya?”

The feet shuffled a bit before their body dropped down with a thump that jarred him badly enough that his knees jerked into the truck’s underside. Nick hissed a little but shook off the concerned noise Dep made. “Nah, don’t worry ‘bout it- happens all the time. You got ‘em?”

Two taps on his shin, and the skin there prickled under his jeans; they hadn’t wanted to look at him, much less touch any of the Ryes in so long...

They were sitting quietly beside the truck now, leaning against the passenger-side door. He could just barely spy the bright splash of color he’d worked so hard on in his periphery.

It must have taken weeks to get the canterbury bells alone. Nick had been afraid he’d do something stupid- spill oil on them or drop ‘em in the mud or something. It was a relief just knowing they’d gotten safely into Dep’s hands.

“Listen,” Nick paused when the wrench clanged loudly against metal. He stilled until the silence rushed back in.

There was a single tap on his leg to signify they heard him. This was the most they’d touched him since he’d tried to tackle them out of some misguided attempt at a peace-offering all those months ago. “I know this is the part where I explain all the flowers to you, but I got something to say first, yeah?”

A moment of quiet. Nick tightened a lug nut and ignored how slippery the wrench had become in a matter of seconds. Two taps on his shin.

“Cool,” He replied, and had never felt this hot and agitated in his life. The car seemed to be bearing down on him, threatening to crush his lungs with its bulk. He focus instead on the hand tapping light patterns out on the concrete by his knees. “I ain’t gonna sugar coat this, buddy- Joseph Seed got you fucked up.”

A huffed breath and a light shove, barely enough to jostle him. In the old days, Nick might’ve grinned, wrapped an arm around their neck, ribbed them a little more. Now, his heart was beating too loud in his ears to even think straight. “I mean, there are probably better ways to say that, but it is what it is. And I just wanna say- I don’t care.”

Nick was struck with the acute desire to see what the Dep’s expression was at this moment, but it wasn’t like being out from under the car would help him much with that mask still in the way. He thought maybe the truck hiding his face was the reason Dep could even stand being so near him now- that night with the knife really messed them up. Seems like that blade did more harm to them than it ever did to Nick.

“Aw, I don’t mean it like- like that, you know I- I’m not any good at this, at talkin’. You knew that a long time ago, huh?” Nick was wheezing, just slightly. A hand squeezed lightly around his ankle, and he focused on centering his breathing for a moment.

“Thanks. But I mean it, I don’t care. I don’t care what he did to you, or who you think he made you be. I don’t care if you think you’re dangerous or evil, because you know what? You’re wrong. Seed was fucking wrong about you from the start, and he was wrong about you in the end, too. You didn’t start out evil and you’re not ending up evil either.”

The hand withdrew, and over the roaring in his head Nick could hear them stand. For a moment cold fear drenched him with the certainty that they would run; but all they did was begin pacing.

That was pretty much the best permission to continue he was gonna get. “I don’t care what happened because it doesn’t change who you are to me. It don’t change the fact I’m not gonna leave you alone in this- not ever again.”

He wasn’t seeing the undercarriage anymore, not really; in his mind’s eye, Nick could perfectly render the last time he’d seen their face, all sweaty and grave and ready to bring the fight to Seed if it was the last thing they did. In a way he guessed it was, at least for a while.

“You’re my family,” Nick told them simply. “Pretty much always have been. That ain’t ever gonna change, you hear me? Ever since you strolled in here with that stupid Deputy uniform and a smart-ass grin and told John Seed to go fuck himself, you’ve been one of mine. And I ain’t never gonna give up on one of mine.”

The pacing had stopped, and so had the wrench. It was time- he couldn’t put it off anymore. Feeling incredibly undignified and not really giving a shit, Nick rolled on his back to the edge of the truck and scuttled out from underneath it. It took him a bit of a struggle to get himself upright, back twinging in protest all the while. But he got it done.

The flowers lay carefully abandoned by the tools Nick had discarded earlier. Dep was a few feet away, wearing a furrow in his barn’s floor. When they heard him stand they stopped abruptly, back to him. Their shoulders were hunched inward, trembling. They usually cut a pretty imposing figure without even meaning to; now they just looked small, like a kid playing dress up with their parents’ clothes. They were swamped in the black of their jacket.

Nick hated something about that coat on them- all dark and furred and too heavy. It reeked of corruption, or dominance, and he could just fucking bet it was gifted to them by none other than Joseph fucking Seed. But mostly, Nick hated it because it kept him from seeing his friend in there.

Quietly, careful not to disturb the fragile peace, Nick scooped up the flowers. “Canterbury bells, ‘faith, gratitude.’” He spoke passed the fear clawing its way up his throat, threatening to spill out from his lips. He could just see it, an oil slick down his chin and front, congealing and growing and obscuring his friend from his very eyes. But for every flower Nick took a step forward, surging passed that fear and swallowing it back in defiance.

Dep hadn’t moved.

“Queen Anne’s lace, ‘sanctuary.’ Tiger lilies, ‘happiness, prosperity.’” The last stem Nick offer to them over their shoulder. It was a second before they accepted it. He let his hand fall tentatively- softly so softly, they were like a newborn fawn, ready to bolt at any second- on their shoulder. The coat wrinkled slightly under his fingertips and the fabric almost physically repulsed him.

Instead, Nick gripped just a little tighter, to remind them he wasn’t going anywhere. His palm tingled- this was the first contact with Dep he’d had in- he didn’t know. Hell, for all Nick knew, he could wake up tomorrow and find they’d actually done it, they’d actually run off in the night. Every day he realized it could be the last contact he had with them.

The thought ate away at Nick.

He squeezed lightly again, cleared his throat and in a gravelly voice explained, “Lilac. It’s for family, and innocence. ‘Cause that’s what you are Dep. You’re innocent. And you’re family.”

He couldn’t seem to let go now. Their shoulder moved beneath Nick’s grip, but not quickly, not violently. The muscles shifted, bone creaked. They put their hands to their face, still holding tightly to the bloom he’d given them.

With a larger effort that Sisyphus ever exerted on his stone, Nick dropped his hand; his fingers grazed their hood on the way down. His gaze fell, and he wiped a hand over his own face; he was so very tired.

“So, uh, I guess that’s what I want you to know.” Nick told them, as confidence fled. He kept his hand over his eyes. “I don’t care what happened to you, I’m still with ya to the end of the line. And it’s- it’s okay if it takes a long time. I get it, if you can’t- be around us yet. Be around me yet. I know it’s- it’s gotta be fucking tough as shit. But you’re not alone. You've got me, however long you need, buddy.”

When his hand finally fell from his eyes, Nick was almost too tired to register the eyes looking back at him.

The pair of eyes looking back.

All breath shot out of Nick’s lungs but his body must have realized the importance of the moment, because his muscles locked up before he could ruin it by flailing. He stood, frozen like a deer in the headlights, feeling as if he suddenly acquired lockjaw.

Slowly, deliberately slowly, the Deputy lowered their hood; their hair was rough, and long, and matted as a rat’s nest; it badly needed a cut and it so dirty it could have been any color. Their face was streaked with grime, and pale from lack of sunlight, creating a resemblance to a raccoon around their eyes.

They looked tired.

Dep took hold of the hand Nick had placed on their shoulder and gentle pushed the mask into his palm.

“Fuck that.” Nick sputtered, hurling the mask to the ground. He didn’t even look down to see it shatter to pieces before he’d swept Dep into his arms.

His hand were clutching too tightly to that damn coat, he was leaning too close, probably suffocating them engulfed as they were by his hug, but Nick wouldn’t- goddamn couldn’t- let go.

“You have no fucking clue how good it is to see you again,” Nick told them, and meant it with his whole heart.

They huffed into his neck, hands coming up to hold on just as tightly.

Then the Deputy who had been still stiff, still scared- would that Nick could see the day Dep wasn’t scared anymore- the Deputy who had fought and died and been reborn for them, the Deputy who had run and hid from them, the Deputy who had refused for so long to see the family waiting for them to come back, settled carefully into his arms.

And the Deputy came home.

93 notes · View notes

oneshul · 5 years

Text

Pesach Day 1

Scene: Land of Goshen, the Israelite Neighborhood of Egypt. Moses is examining every dwelling to make certain that all is in keeping with the LORD’s commands. He is accompanied by one Lieutenant Djer, of the Royal Egyptian Cavalry, “Vision of Ibis” Regiment, Commanding. Moses is hale and hearty, eager to fulfill the Lord’s dicta, in order to free the People from 400 years of Egyptian Slavery. Lt. Djer is there to observe, and later report to his generals, that the Hebrews were behaving themselves.

Moses: I cry you all to gather, O Elders of Israel! Come unto me, and hearken to the Word of the Lord!

Lt. Djer: Why do you not sound a sennet on ceremonial or military horns? That is how we do it in the cavalry.

Moses: We favor the Old Ways, Lieutenant. Gather, gather unto me, all ye Elders!

Djer: Hm. It does appear to be irregular and inefficient. It surely wouldn’t be acceptable to our cavalry.

Moses (sardonically): I believe that our God has plans for your cavalry, Lieutenant.

Djer: Plans? What plans? Whatever are you talking about, Moses? By the rays of Ra, ever since you denounced your Egyptian identity and became an Israelite peasant, it’s almost impossible to carry on a simple conversation with you.

(Meanwhile, the Elders have come, and form acircle around Moses and Djer.)

Eldad, a Senior Elder: We are here at your command, O Moses! Tell us what to do.

Moses: Let each family kill a Passover Lamb.Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the lamb’s-blood, and smear the blood over the door, lintel, and the two mezuzote, the side-posts of every Israelite dwelling’s door (Drops his voice so that the Egyptian Djer will not hear). For the Lord will pass over the Israelite houses, and smite only the Egyptians, or those so foolish as not to have smeared the blood, before the Plague arrives. Simple enough, hey? And the Lord will work for you all yet another miracle, for you are His People, the apple of His eye!

Medad, Eldad’s Brother: Um—Moses—

Moses: What’s that? Can you not follow such easy instructions?

Medad: Well, you see, it’s just that—well, we’re vegetarians. We don’t eat meat. Fact is, my little ones get nauseous if they even smell roasted meat. Is there, perhaps, some way to work around the Paschal Sacrifice?

Moses: This is a conundrum. Can you not borrow blood from a neighbor, or your brother Eldad?

(The Elders mutter among themselves: “Well, what nerve! How dare that Medad rebel against the works of the Most High!” And another: “I don’t agree. My wife and I have been thinking about going vegetarian for some time. Perhaps now is the time, given by God.”)

Moses: Medad, Elder of Israel! How do you propose to fulfill this most sacred commandment, given to you by God?

Medad: Well, my wife Sophonisba and I were talking, and we propose using a beet. It’s red; it has juice, and it will color the door nicely, if we mix it with a bit of matzo meal.

Djer: Moses! Why do you not strike down this rebel? Only by obedience can you hope to create a people. Here: you may borrow my sword. Kill this Medad now!

Moses: No, Lieutenant, that is not the way we do things among our people. We debate, and argue, even to the point of anger. But we always part as friends.

Djer: I cannot abide such milquetoast behavior! I must leave. This is all going into my report (He exits).

Moses (to Medad): Tell me again about your Beet Proposal. Perhaps we can save the lives of many lambs this first year.

(Medad nods happily at having his proposal accepted. Other Elders mutter beneath their breath: “God will never settle for a vegetable over good, honest meat!” “Oh, I’m not so sure of that—for God is compassionate, is He not?”)

Moses: Silence! And now, go ye forth and execute the Word of the Living God. Tell all the People that you see, and let them smear a beet, or slaughter a lamb!

(Exit the Elders.)

Rabbi David Hartley Mark is from New York City’s Lower East Side. He attended Yeshiva University, the City University of NY Graduate Center for English Literature, and received semicha at the Academy for Jewish Religion. He currently teaches English at Everglades University in Boca Raton, FL, and has a Shabbat pulpit at Temple Sholom of Pompano Beach. His literary tastes run to Isaac Bashevis Singer, Stephen King, King David, Kohelet, Christopher Marlowe, and the Harlem Renaissance.

#progressive judaism #judaism #jewish #torah study #drash #pesach #passover #parsha #weekly parsha #rabbi david hartley mark #shabbos #shabbat #sabbath #oneshul

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madscientistjournal · 5 years

Text

Fiction: Terminus Post Quem

An essay by Daniel Benlainey, as provided by Steve Toase Art by Leigh Legler

Daniel Benlainey BA MSc Project Manager Multivallate Archaeology Unit 4 Sunray Farm YK94 1SX [email protected]

Simon Campbell BSc Senior Archaeologist Historic Environment Team Callshire County Council County Hall Ostbarnton YK56 4RF

Dear Simon,

Please find attached the interim site report for the Carrion Knoll Excavation. Hope everything is OK. We’re still waiting on some results from a subcontractor, but I’ll forward them as soon as they arrive.

Yours sincerely

Daniel Benlainey BA MSc

Interim site report of Carrion Knoll Archaeological Excavations 2017 September 8th

Due to the position of the Carrion Knoll housing development in an area of known prehistoric and Roman activity, a planning condition for archaeological evaluation was required ahead of any groundworks.

Between August 1st and August 25th, a five-person team carried out the necessary work. Due to the low-lying nature of the site and anaerobic conditions found in certain areas, the quality of organic preservation was good, with several surprising results.

Three trenches, each 20m by 10m were excavated. These were distributed across the development area to give as wide a spread of results as possible.

Historic Background

Carrion Knoll lies in an area of known Neolithic, Iron Age, Roman, and Anglo-Scandinavian activity, though no known archaeological material has previously been recovered from the exact site location. Since approximately 900AD, there is no evidence of activity in the vicinity.

Trench 3

Context Record

[01] Topsoil. A layer (average 0.4m thick) of black hummic sandy clay silt. Very little evidence of recent agricultural activity. This layer covers the whole site, including all of Trench 3. The topsoil was removed by machine, and the spoil scanned by metal detector. Nothing of significance was found. The only finds recovered were eight clay pipe stems of various lengths and one incomplete clay pipe bowl, the incised decoration indicating a date somewhere in the early 19th century.

[02] Subsoil. A brown silty clay with regular inclusions of small rounded pebbles. This layer contained several residual pottery sherds of all periods, including a non-diagnostic fragment of Roman Nene Valley Colour Coated Ware, and five sherds of Iron Age Black Burnished Ware. All were heavily abraded.

[03] was assigned for the underlying natural geology, though this was not reached during the excavation due to the depth of archaeological deposits.

[04] A thick peaty organic layer only identified in Trench 3. This consisted of a firm dark green organic silt with a very high proportion of plant material, vegetation, and charcoal flecks. Occasional small angular limestone inclusions. This deposit covered all excavated archaeological features.

[05] Cut of large pit identified in Trench 3. This large feature had a steep edge with a base sloping to the centre and measured 1.2m deep and 2m in diameter. When excavated, this pit was found to have cut through an earlier deposit [11] and truncated a Samian bowl. Pit [05] contained several fills. [06], [07], [08], and [09] seem to represent rapid backfilling of the pit. [10] is the primary fill.

[10] was the primary fill of pit [05] and was a friable dark grey organic silt with regular inclusions of vegetation. [10] also included several sherds of the Samian bowl identified in section and located in layer [11]. Whereas the ceramic remains in [11] are in very good condition (see below), the fragments recovered from pit fill [10] are not. The ceramic material has several bones accreted to it, which our osteological specialist (see Appendix Four) has identified as the phalanges from the hand of an adult human. In all cases, the bones press through the sherds and are visible on the other side. In places, the distinctive red slip covers the skeletal material. There is no evidence of burning on the bone, and as our ceramic specialist has pointed out (see Appendix Five), a vessel in such condition would not survive firing.

The ceramic sherds are clearly derived from the same vessel as that recovered from context [11] (see below), and date to sometime in the 2nd century AD. However, carbon 14 dating of the skeletal material has given a date of 850AD±25, which is contemporary with other finds from pit [05], including a broken antler comb (see Appendix Seven) and several well-preserved pieces of fabric (Appendix Eight).

[11] was a thick layer of dark grey organic silty clay extending across most of Trench 3, into which the majority of the other features were cut, including pit [12] and graves [15] and [17]. The presence of a considerable number of Romano-British finds, including the Samian bowl truncated by pit [05] and several incomplete Nene Valley Colour Slip Ware vessels gives this a very secure terminus post quem of the 2nd century AD. The Samian vessel is discussed in more detail in Appendix Five, and the contents in Appendix Six.

The high level of organic preservation has led to the recovery of vegetable material, which has survived to such a degree that examination in the field allowed initial species identification, including hyssop, fennel, and wormwood. All were found in bunches tied together with some form of nettle string, and all had been placed in a circular arrangement around the Samian bowl. It must be assumed that when the vessel was truncated, any herbs placed on the western side were lost.

Cut [12] was a pit located in Trench 3, and to the west of pit [05]. In contrast to pit [05], pit [12] was very shallow in depth (150mm), just deep enough to take the contents. The edges were uneven, with several irregular shovel scoops at the base. Pit [12] contained a single fill [13].

[13] was a loose light grey silty sand with few inclusions. The majority of the pit fill was taken up by a single adult human skull (see Appendix Four).

[15] was recognised as a single isolated grave in Trench 3, cut into layer [11], with vertical sides and rounded corners. This was clearly recognisable as a grave cut in plan, allowing careful excavation to enable the recovery of all human skeletal material.

[16] was the fill of grave [15]. The skeletal remains inside appeared to be of an adult human. The skull and phalanges of the left hand were absent.

Cut [17] was an additional grave identified further in Trench 3. The trench was widened by 2m to allow the full recovery of all skeletal material. The pit was 1m20 deep and contained fill [18].

[18] Very little soil matrix was recovered from fill [18], with most of the volume made up of butchered fragments of bone, including femurs, vertebrae, and ribs. A full discussion can be found in Appendix Four.

Appendix Four

Human Skeletal Material

Report by Adrian Anchancy

Several deposits of human skeletal material were recovered from Trench 3 of the Carrion Knoll excavation. Here I will go through them in context order and outline the physical evidence, followed by a discussion of the implication of the results.

[10] In an excavation where a large volume of skeletal material was recovered, the bones found in fill [10] are unique. A group of five phalanges were identified, all of them cemented to sherds of Romano-British Samian pottery. This in itself is not unusual. Post deposition processes, such as iron panning, can lead to the accretion of finds in the ground. However, there are several aspects to the recovered bone that this researcher has not seen before.

The phalanges are not just concreted to the surface of the Samian ware, but actually pass through the pottery. There is no evidence of cracking to the clay or burning to the skeletal material. In at least one example, the characteristic red slip glaze coats the bone.

Having spoken to the ceramic specialist, Diane Bansetten, whose report can be seen in Appendix Five, the presence of such a large intrusion in the body of the vessel during firing would have led to destruction. In addition, exposing human bone to the high temperatures found in a Romano-British kiln would lead to severe discolouration and diagnostic cracking on the bone surface. Therefore, it is the opinion of both myself and my ceramics colleague that the bone must have been introduced post firing. Carbon 14 dating of the skeletal material has given a date of 850AD±25, which is not consistent with the age of the Samian pottery, suggesting it was introduced six to seven centuries later.

There are other issues with the condition of the phalanges. All show evidence of small holes in the outer surface of the bones. At first it was the opinion of this researcher that these were the pathology of some form of disease. On further examination, it was found that each lesion displayed evidence of microscopic tooth marks, consistent with certain types of immature coral larvae. When submitted to x-ray analysis, the tunnels can clearly be seen passing through the bone into the marrow. The sinuous form of the pathways also suggests that this damage was created by the actions of a living organism.

Tree root action was soon discounted, as there is no evidence for that type of activity within the contexts excavated or surrounding area.

[13] The skeletal remains from fill [13] (pit [12]) consisted of a single adult skull. It is not clear if the head was removed from the body pre- or post-mortem. There are several unusual features about the condition of the skull. The eye sockets show damage from a bladed weapon, particularly running from the infraorbital foramen into the supraorbital margin. On the right-hand side socket, there is clear damage to the lacrimal bone, and on the left-hand socket, repeated shallow strikes to inferior orbital fissure, reaching as far back as the sphenoid bone.

The position and nature of the damage allows us to discount any consideration of surgery. The physical evidence suggests that a blade has been repeatedly, and without control, forced into the eye socket. The result of this would be for the soft tissue of the eye to be completely destroyed.

None of the marks have been made to the edges of the eye-sockets, only to the upper and lower bones. The position and angle of the damage allows us to make some more inferences. It is the belief of this researcher that the damage was self inflicted. The size of the cuts suggests the injuries were made with a small eating knife common during the 9th century.

A second unusual feature of the skull is a series of lesions in the styloid process region. This displays similar characteristics as those seen in the phalanges recovered from fill [10], but the lesions are much larger in scale. Here, the shape and form of the damage from gnawing is clearly visible to the naked eye and suggests the damage was created by a living organism.

[16] As noted above, the skeletal remains recovered from the fill of grave [15] were incomplete, lacking a skull, and phalanges from the left hand. When compared to the skull and phalanges recovered elsewhere during the excavation, and discussed above, it is clear they are from the same individual.

The lesions observed in both previous skeletal finds are also evident here. One of the jobs that became essential post excavation was the mapping of the route these lesions took through the body. This was mainly achieved using x-ray analysis, which allowed the tunnels to be recorded. The preliminary results are published below. It became clear that whatever created the voids within the skeletal material also travelled through the soft tissue, and as it progressed through the body, it increased in diameter.

At several points, the creatures entered the spine of the individual, with several of them following a final channel through the C1 and C2 vertebrae into the skull. It is not possible to confidently identify the maximum number of creatures which this individual may have hosted, but a conservative minimum count is 12.

All the ribs, femurs, radius, humerus, and ulna showed considerable damage. Having examined the wear pattern caused by the invading species’ teeth, it is my personal opinion the pain would have been excruciating for the individual concerned. No remains of the creatures were found within the skeletal material, or within the high organic content soils in the surrounding area.

[18] Fill [18] produced a large amount of human bone (205kg by weight). All types of human skeletal remains were represented, including femurs, ribs, vertebrae, skulls, and illium. All bones showed some form of damage from a bladed weapon. The evidence varied from precise butchery marks, particularly around the tendons of the long bones, to frenzied strikes. The cuts are consistent with the injuries seen on the skull in context [13], and it is my belief that the same blade was used.

In total, around 15 individuals were identified using the presence of diagnostic skull elements. Due to the fragmentary nature of the bones, this is a bare minimum, and the count could be much higher.

None of the skeletal remains from [18] show the same pattern of internal damage as the skull, phalanges and skeleton recovered elsewhere in Trench 3.

In nearly thirty years as a professional Romano-British ceramic specialist, I have never encountered bone and pottery fused together in such a way.

Appendix Five

Specialist Ceramic Report by Diane Bansetten

The “Carrion Knoll Bowl”

In many ways, the vessel is typical Samian ware displaying the characteristic high-quality burnished red slip. The bowl has a slightly deeper profile than usual (300m diameter x 200mm deep).

The main difference is in the decoration. While the scenes displayed on Samian vessels are hugely varied, depicting everything from hunting to pornography, I can think of no comparative to the designs on the Carrion Knoll Bowl.

The same panel repeats three times. Each shows a group of humanoid figures. I use the term humanoid advisedly. While they display the proportions typical of 2nd century AD figurative art, the humanoids are fringed with what I first took to be some kind of fur. On closer inspection and following consultation with a colleague (J. Sanders pers. comm.), they have more in common with certain types of coral. It appears to represent a series of cylindrical polyps emerging from every inch of the skin. The segmented form is clearly defined and, using a hand lens, the fan of teeth can be seen at the terminus of each strand.

Only the humanoid faces are clear, which are rendered in such extreme and precise agony that this author assumes the potter drew on something he witnessed first-hand.

I must also comment on the residual fragments of the bowl recovered from fill [10]. In nearly thirty years as a professional Romano-British ceramic specialist, I have never encountered bone and pottery fused together in such a way. During the firing process, the presence of an entire finger bone in the vessel wall would cause the bowl to explode. This would suggest that the finger bone has been introduced later. Yet once the bowl has been fired, any attempt to force the finger tip through the wall would cause considerable damage. The presence of the slip on the bone suggests that the pottery has melted somehow and then reset, trapping the fingers in the clay.

Conclusion

Due to the unique and extremely disturbing nature of the decoration, the Carrion Knoll Bowl is unparalleled, certainly in British archaeology. The presence of the herbs surrounding the vessel, as well as the as yet unidentified contents, suggest that it had a very specific ritual purpose.

A smear of the gel-like substance still adhered to the inside of the vessel when it arrived. During the unpacking this slid out and fell onto a pottery sherd from my reference collection. The glaze and decoration of this other fragment dissolved in front of my eyes. There may still be traces within the Carrion Knoll Bowl, and I would highly recommend that any further work is carried out following Hazmat guidelines.

Further work

In addition to regular consolidation and conservation work, I would recommend approaching a marine biologist to establish the identity of the coral deforming the humanoid figures in the decoration.

Appendix Six

Organic material recovered from the Carrion Knoll Samian Bowl

The material in the Samian bowl recovered from layer [11] was recognised in the cut of pit [05].

When the overlying archaeological material was excavated, the substance was visually inspected before removal by staff from Danburn Archaeological Conservation Laboratories.

The substance had the appearance and texture of aspic. Transparent and gelatinous, several inclusions were visible:

A fragment of skin and intact fingernail. The whole fingerprint was recognisable. Hopefully when the material is back in the lab, this can be recovered and examined further.

Several flower petals and mushrooms. Neither could be identified from a visual inspection and will require specialist study.

Clustered around the base appeared to be 20+ sinuous, segmented polyps, none more than 10mm long. Without cutting into the substance, it is difficult to determine whether they are organic or mineralised.

[Handwritten note]

(These observations of the Carrion Knoll Bowl’s contents are from visual examination on site. The material was immediately shipped to the Danburn Archaeological Conservation Laboratory for analysis. In the last two weeks, there has been no further communication. At the time of publication, phone calls and emails have gone unanswered. If we have not received a response after the weekend, we will be in touch with emergency services to gain access.)

Daniel Benlainey was born in Fife, Scotland, and got his BA in Archaeology from the University of Sheffield, before completing an MSc in Archaeological Sciences at the University of Bradford. After working the commercial archaeology ‘circuit’ for several years, Daniel has been with Multivallate Archaeology for a decade, starting as a site assistant and working his way up to a project management position. He is especially interested in vitrified forts. When not working he spends his time seeing bands such as Blyth Power, New Model Army, and Flogging Molly, or playing for his local cricket team.

Steve Toase lives in Munich, Germany. His work has appeared in Shimmer, Lackington’s, Aurealis, Not One Of Us, Hinnom Magazine, Cabinet des Feés, and Pantheon Magazine, amongst others. In 2014, “Call Out” (first published in Innsmouth Magazine) was reprinted in The Best Horror Of The Year 6. He first worked on an archaeological site in 1994, and has an MA in Landscape Archaeology. He spent too many years digging big holes looking for old stuff, and once found 1,000 year old human hair. He also likes old motorbikes and vintage cocktails. You can keep up to date with his work via http://www.tinyletter.com/stevetoase, facebook.com/stevetoase1, www.stevetoase.wordpress.com, and @stevetoase.

Leigh’s professional title is “illustrator,” but that’s just a nice word for “monster-maker,” in this case. More information about them can be found at http://leighlegler.carbonmade.com/.

Fiction: Terminus Post Quem was originally published on Mad Scientist Journal

#Archaeology #Daniel Benlainey #Fantasy Fiction #Leigh Legler #Steve Toase

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marialeto · 1 year

Text

Friday January 13, 2023

Planet Earth

Ray of light Blue

Element Water

Elohim Body

Gemstone Amazonite

Number One

Day Planets

Chakra Crown

Essential oil Hyssop

Moon Libra

Waning Gibbous

Gabriel and Bailey

Faith bracelet and oil blend

Eternal

Clove, Hyssop and Myrrh

Light blue for intellect, dark pink for inner divine feminine, and white for oneness. Trust in your daily eternal life.

Zaphkiel

Keyword Grace

Photo of the day

Keep Moving Forward

… God

Tarot

Crystal Angels

Angelite

Spiritual or religious community

Like minded for increased spiritual growth.

Spiritual community is powerful because of the energy of joined prayer. Which lifts everyone up.

A spiritual community correlates with increased health and longevity.

Angelite has meaningful insights and visions.

This stone is known for its calming influences and is connected to the element of water, the element of today. As well as to the body’s energy center. Body is the Elohim for today.

We have Divine communication with God and the angels.

We have divine communication within our family.

Tea

Chamomile

Calming and fragrant with floral and honey notes

Meditation Friday

Journaling Prompt

1-13-2023

0 notes

cassianus · 3 years

Text

OJudge, Whose sentence is just, and to Whom everything hidden is known.

Do not condemn me at Your just judgment, when every hidden thing is revealed.

With the tears she bore to You, the harlot tore up the record of her sins.

Look, I also bring You a gift of weeping.

O Lord, accept them from me, as You accepted them from her.

The wicked one has beguiled me with his embraces and has captivated my mind with his allurements.

O our Lord, cast him away from me, who am a wretch.

Take me away from his hands, so that he not rip me to pieces.

O Lord, judge me, and settle my quarrel with the unforgiving foe.

He has fashioned me into a target for his darts.

By Your mercy, let those darts gore him.

O Lord, be a helper to me because I am wretched and I have no other help.

And let not the foe see me overcome and ridicule me, as he ridiculed our foremother.

Woe to me if each of my secrets is uncovered and brought under scrutiny, for then there will be no possible justification.

O Lord, my spirit trembles because I hear that fire will devour the transgressors, and I am only straw and hay.

O Lord, if You consider my sins, I will be destroyed.

O Lord, let Your goodness, which once raised You onto the cross for the salvation of the human race, hinder me who am a wretch, that I should be granted forgiveness of my sins.

O Jesus, You have saved everyone by Your blood.

And by Your death You have bound the powerful foe.

Loose me from the chains of the wicked one.

Shatter his chains and bonds.

Censure him so he will leave me, who am wretched, that his desires not be realized within me.

O Lord, bring my will into agreement with You, Who wipes away my sins by Your loving-kindness.

Do not forsake me, and leave me in the hands of the foe, and permit him to have no power over me, because You have readied Your flesh and blood as food for me, and Your cross is marked on my forehead.

O Lord, fortify me, because I am sick.

Wipe out my offenses, because I have sinned greatly.

Purify my senses, so that they might resolutely and steadfastly take the regal road.

Let Your light brighten my mind.

Let it be enlightened by Your rays, and may Your wonderful radiance delight it, because You are the sun that illuminates everything.

Purify our stains with Your hyssop.

Wipe our wounds with Your blood.

Purify the hidden workings of our thoughts with Your body.

Glory to You, Who have saved the human race which has been destroyed, for You raised it up on Your shoulders and bore it into the house of Your Father.

St Ephraim the Syrian

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thehierophage · 3 years

Text

Holy Day Celebration 3/31/21 e.v.

March 31, 2021 æ.v.

Dies Mercurii,

Sol 11° ♈︎ : Luna 26° ♏︎ : ☿︎ : Ⅴⅴⅰⅰi

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

The Day of Kaph, the Day of Fortune

Hebrew Letter: Kaph

Numerical Value as Letter: 20

Numerical Value as Word: 100/820 (Kaph+Peh)

Meaning: Bent or Hollow Hand, Palm, Fist.

Thoth Card: Fortune (Atu X)

Alternate Title: The Wheel of Fortune, The Lord of the Forces of Life.

Image:

Correspondences:

Tree of Life Path Association: Key 21 - Netzach to Chesed (from Sephira 7-4)

Astrological Sign: Jupiter

Element: -

Egyptian Godforms: Amoun-Ra

Geomantic Figure: Square and Rhombus

Gemstones: Sapphire, Amethyst, Lapis Lazuli

Perfumes: Ammoniacum, Golden Copal, Mace, Balm of Gilead, Saffron, Ash, all generous and expansive odors

Plants: Hyssop, Oak, Poplar, Fig, Arnica, Cedar

Animals: Hart, Eagle, Dolphin, Praying Mantis.

Colors:

King Scale – Violet

Queen Scale – Blue

Prince Scale – Rich Purple

Princess Scale – Bright blue rayed yellow

The Secret Instruction of the Master:

Follow thy Fortune, careless where it lead thee! The axle moveth not: attain thou that!

Mnemonic:

Sped by its energies triune, the Wheel Of Fortune spins: its Axle's immobile.

Recommended Text for Meditation:

L Liber Liberi vel Lapidis Lazuli, Cap. 3

Liber Liberi vel Lapdis Lazuli Adumbratio Kabbalae Aegyptiorum Sub Figura VII

Being the Voluntary Emancipation of a certain Exempt Adept from his Adeptship. These are the Birth-Words of a Master of the Temple. A.˙.A.˙. Publication in Class A. Imprimatur: N. Fra A.˙. A.˙.

III

1. I was the priest of Ammon-Ra in the temple of Ammon-Ra at Thebai.

2. But Bacchus came singing with his troops of vine-clad girls, of girls in dark mantles; and Bacchus in the midst like a fawn!

3. God! how I ran out in my rage and scattered the chorus!

4. But in my temple stood Bacchus as the priest of Ammon-Ra.

5. Therefore I went wildly with the girls into Abyssinia; and there we abode and rejoiced.

6. Exceedingly; yea, in good sooth!

7. I will eat the ripe and the unripe fruit for the glory of Bacchus.

8. Terraces of ilex, and tiers of onyx and opal and sardonyx leading up to the cool green porch of malachite.

9. Within is a crystal shell, shaped like an oyster - O glory of Priapus! O beatitude of the Great Goddess!

10. Therein is a pearl.

11. O Pearl! thou hast come from the majesty of dread Ammon-Ra.

12. Then I the priest beheld a steady glitter in the heart of the pearl.

13. So bright we could not look! But behold! a blood-red rose upon a rood of glowing gold!

14. So I adored the God. Bacchus! thou art the lover of my God!

15. I who was priest of Ammon-Ra, who saw the Nile flow by for many moons, for many, many moons, am the young fawn of the grey land.

16. I will set up my dance in your conventicles, and my secret loves shall be sweet among you.

17. Thou shalt have a lover among the lords of the grey land.

18. This shall he bring unto thee, without which all is in vain; a man's life spilt for thy love upon My Altars.

19. Amen.

20. Let it be soon, O God, my God! I ache for Thee, I wander very lonely among the mad folk, in the grey land of desolation.

21. Thou shalt set up the abominable lonely Thing of wickedness. Oh joy! to lay that corner-stone!

22. It shall stand erect upon the high mountain; only my God shall commune with it.

23. I will build it of a single ruby; it shall be seen from afar off.

24. Come! let us irritate the vessels of the earth: they shall distil strange wine.

25. It grows under my hand: it shall cover the whole heaven.

26. Thou art behind me: I scream with a mad joy.

27. Then said Ithuriel the strong; let Us also worship this invisible marvel!

28. So did they, and the archangels swept over the heaven. 29. Strange and mystic, like a yellow priest invoking mighty flights of great grey birds from the North, so do I stand and invoke Thee!

30. Let them obscure not the sun with their wings and their clamour!

31. Take away form and its following!

32. I am still.

33. Thou art like an osprey among the rice, I am the great red pelican in the sunset waters.

34. I am like a black eunuch; and Thou art the scimitar. I smite off the head of the light one, the breaker of bread and salt.

35. Yea! I smite - and the blood makes as it were a sunset on the lapis lazuli of the King's Bedchamber.

36. I smite! The whole world is broken up into a mighty wind, and a voice cries aloud in a tongue that men cannot speak.

37. I know that awful sound of primal joy; let us follow on the wings of the gale even unto the holy house of Hathor; let us offer the five jewels of the cow upon her altar!

38. Again the inhuman voice!

39. I rear my Titan bulk into the teeth of the gale, and I smite and prevail, and swing me out over the sea.

40. There is a strange pale God, a god of pain and deadly wickedness.

41. My own soul bites into itself, like a scorpion ringed with fire.

42. That pallid God with face averted, that God of subtlety and laughter, that young Doric God, him will I serve.

43. For the end thereof is torment unspeakable.

44. Better the loneliness of the great grey sea!

45. But ill befall the folk of the grey land, my God!

46. Let me smother them with my roses!

47. Oh Thou delicious God, smile sinister!

48. I pluck Thee, O my God, like a purple plum upon a sunny tree. How Thou dost melt in my mouth, Thou consecrated sugar of the Stars!

49. The world is all grey before mine eyes; it is like an old worn wine-skin.

50. All the wine of it is on these lips.

51. Thou hast begotten me upon a marble Statue, O my God!

52. The body is icy cold with the coldness of a million moons; it is harder than the adamant of eternity. How shall I come forth into the light?

53. Thou art He, O God! O my darling! my child! my plaything! Thou art like a cluster of maidens, like a multitude of swans upon the lake.

54. I feel the essence of softness.

55. I am hard and strong and male; but come Thou! I shall be soft and weak and feminine.

56. Thou shalt crush me in the wine-press of Thy love. My blood shall stain Thy fiery feet with litanies of Love in Anguish.

57. There shall be a new flower in the fields, a new vintage in the vineyards.

58. The bees shall gather a new honey; the poets shall sing a new song.

59. I shall gain the Pain of the Goat for my prize; and the God that sitteth upon the shoulders of Time shall drowse.

60. Then shall all this which is written be accomplished: yea, it shall be accomplished.

Love is the law, love under will.

#Thelema #thelemic holy season #Tarot

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valgasnewsthings · 3 years

Text

Spicy healer.

Savory or Satureja hortensis l. is relative for thyme and was born on Mediterrarian . As close to his plants are rosemary and hyssop. And this plant using as spicy to dishes and to cure.And appropriated by official medicine. As his name origin from Latin as satureja and Slavic as savory. As very enjoy sharing,that his ties with satiras, gods for fertility,thus a plant benefit for males.Other shares,that he is tied with a god Saturn,and again fertility, but real time is common and without interesting details as a true story that word satureja is origin from Turkish sater, ivrit zaatar, Arabian az-za-tar as a these are calling a few spicy plants as on Mediterranean as mayoranum, thyme and other spices mixtures, containing theirs.

As Slavic word thyme is describing more easy , but with stretch ,as a relative for hellebore as tied with bitterness which having both plants ,but in savory is not poison, as of bitterness his calling mentha piperita, donkey s pepper, or spicy pepper,as meaning,that he is a very popular spicy. As his cure effects appreciating very high as culinary, as he is rich by chemo structure,as abundant phytoncides,essential oils hard compositions, which entering are tannins, mucus, raisins, bitters, as rich vitamins as in 100 gr grinder herb is having till 91 daily norm vitamin A,B1, B6, PP, C till 56/29 percents , micro and macro elements, as calcium, mg, iron, cu till 305, 210 percent,and benefit for males ZN 36 percent, SE 8.4percents.As thanks for rich structure he carry lots of useful effects, as diuretic, lows pressure, phlegm rising removing as in bronchitis, stabilizing stats in sugar, cholesterol in blood, oils in herb calming nerves, rising female and male libido thanks for zn, marganese,selenum, as spicy rising appetite,rising shortening digestion secret, astringent effect stopping vomiting, diarrhoea, meteorism, swelling bowel, restoring cartilage tissue and remove joints inflammation.

As in medicine he having lots of recipes as for cure angina, gastrointestinal disorders, bronchitis, urinary ways, mouth cavity,as calming effect of he weak joint aches.

As in helminths.

onre tea.sp. dried herb add in glass for the hot water, infuse 30 min, filter, use one tbl.sp. every 3 hours.

Gargle throat for.

30 gr dried herb add in glass of the hot water , infuse 30 min, filter, gargle throat and mouth cavity after meal.

As in bites insects as grease with juice of herb in itch.

As immunity rising as for cup of tea or herbs add dried herb savory, cook ,like tea.

Arterial pressure low.

one glass of hot water add one tea.sp. dried herb, infuse are 20 min, use on 100 ml. for 3 times a day.

As in wounds,scaratches, ache abscess.

As on ache places apply chopped mass of fresh herb or wet pads in infusion ,as for gargle throat, use for apply.

As avoid cure use for children's, pregnancy time, lactation, bad gastrointestinal functions, hormonal dysfunctions as over dosage, long use affecting on acuting diseases thyroid glands, oil savory rising affect of ultraviolet rays,thus not use his before sun baths,or walk as not protecting are manufactured skin parts.

via Blogger https://ift.tt/3uZHKKj

#Blogger #satureja #savory

0 notes

magicoldcottage · 7 years

Text

Magical Herb Guide

In the following guides I define;

Magical Correspondences

Practices

Folklore

Healing properties

Uses

Warnings

Index

Abraham’s Balm

Aconite

Adders Mouth

Adders Tongue Fern

Agnolyt Gattilier

Agrimony

Alahaca

Alehoof

Alliaria Petiolata

Allspice

American Dittany

Anthemis Nobilis

Auld Wife’s Huid

Balanoi

Banana

Basil

Bay Leaf

Black Mustard

Blue Gum Tree

Blue Rocket

Buckram

Bugle Blue Bugle

Calendula (Officinalis)

Canella

Canella Winerana

Cape Jasmine

Carduus Marianus

Cardo Blanco

Carpenters Herb

Cassia Bark

Catnep

Catnip

Catrup

Catsfoot

Catwort

Ceylon Cinnamon

Chamaemelum Nobils

Chamomile

Chaste Tree Berry

Chickweed

Chick wittles

Chin-ssu-t’sao

Chinese Cinnamon

Church Steeples

Cocklebur

Coffee

Common Bugle

Common Heather

Common Plantain

Cinnamon (Bark)

Cinnamon Aromaticum

Cinnamon Verum

Cinnamon Zeylanicum

Clou de Girofle

Cloves

Clucken Wort

Creeping Charlie

Cumin

Cuminum Cyminum

Cymbopogon Citratus

Dalcini

Devils Claw

Devils Milk

Ding Xiang

Earth Apple

Eucalyptus

Evening Primrose

Fairy’s Wand

Featherfoil

Felsien

Fennel

Feverfew

Field Balm

Fig Buttercup

Flirtwort

Frankincense

Friar’s Cap

Garlic

Garlic Mustard

Garclive

Gardenia

German Chamomile

Gill-over-the-ground

Ginger

Goatweed

Gotu Kola

Grian

Ground Apple

Ground Ivy

Gui Zhi

Gum Tree

Hangmans Herb

Hawthorn

Heath

Heather

Hedge Mustard

Hei Jie

Hel-Met-Flower

Herba Job

Hibiscus

Honeysuckle

Hypericum Perforatum

Hyssop

Indian Coleus

Jack-by-the-hedge

Jamaican Pepper

Jasmine

Jeera

Jira

Jia Jing Jie

Kabsh Garunfil

Kammon

Khardai

Kings Cure All

Klamath Weed

Kretek

Lady’s Slipper

Lady’s Thistle

Laurel

Lavender

Lemongrass

Leopard’s Bane

Lesser Celandine

Lilac

Lime

Ling

Litsea

Marys Thistle

Marian Thistle

Mariendistel

Marigold

Marjoram

Matricaria Recutita

Meadowsweet

Milk Thistle

Milkweed

Mint

Missouri Snakeroot

Mistletoe

Monkshood

Monks Pepper

Mountain Mint

Mugwort Mustard

Mu Jing

Myrtle Pepper

Neem

Nelke

Nepeta Cataria

Newspice

Night Candle

Night Willow Herb

Nip

Njilika

Oenothera Biennis

Oregano

Parthenium

Patchouli

Pilewort

Pileweed

Pimenta Dioica

Pimento

Poor Man’s Treacle

Pot Marigold

Prairie Dock

Pumpkin

Rai

Rainfam

Rats Tail

Rigani

Roman Caraway

Roman Chamomile

Rose

Rosemary

Run-away-robin

Sage

Satin Flower

Scabish

Scented Mayweed

Shepherds Purse

Sicklewort

Sinapi

Skirt Buttons

Soldier’s Cap

Speckled Thistle

Starweed

Starwort

Stellaria Media

Stichwort

Sticklewort

Stinking Rose

St. Joseph’s Wort

Summers Bride

Sun Crop

Swan

Sweet Basil

Sweet Bay

Sweetwood

Syzygium Aromaticum

Thyme

Ting Hsiang

Tipton-Weed

Tongue Grass

Treacle Mustard

True Thistle

Tunhoof

Waybread

Whitches Herb

White Birds Eye

White Cinnamon

White Mustard

Wild Beet

Wild Chamomile

Wild Cinnamon

Wild Marjoram

Wild Quinine

Winter Weed

Woad

Valerian

Victors Laurel

Vitex agnus-castus

Yarrow

Zhi Zi

Zira

Ziran

Guides

What to avoid if you are pregnant

Activated Charcoal

Guide to Salts

For lots of practical uses see my witch-crafty index (Click Here)

Please report any broken links via a PM.

For my references and Bibliography click here

Don’t forget to like and follow to help me know that you like what I’m doing.

If you would like to help me to create new posts or are looking for extra information please consider subscribing to my Patreon. patreon.com/MagicOldCottage

#herbalism #green magic #cottage witch #natural cures #natural healing #witchblr #witch community #grimoire #grimoire ideas #grimoire inspiration #magical correspondences #wicca #wiccan #correspondence

2K notes · View notes

westernriteorthodoxrosary · 3 years

Text

Akathist to Our Lady of Tikhvin

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen.

Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen. Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, Treasury of good things and Giver of life: Come and dwell in us, and cleanse us of all impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3x)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, blot out our sins. O Master, pardon our iniquities. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake.

Lord have mercy. (3x)

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Our Father, Who art in the Heavens, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. O Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Lord, Have mercy. (Twelve times)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O come, let us worship God our King.

O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ our King and God.

O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself, our King and God.

Psalm 51: Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy steadfast love; according to Thy abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in Thy sight, so that Thou art justified in Thy sentence and blameless in Thy judgment. Behold! I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold! Thou desirest truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Fill me with joy and gladness; let the bones which Thou hast broken rejoice. Hide Thy face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation and uphold me with a willing Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Thy ways and sinners will return to Thee. Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of Thy deliverance. O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise. For Thou hast no delight in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, Thou wouldst not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise. Do good to Zion in Thy good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then wilt Thou delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on Thy altar.

Creed: I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth and of all things visible and invisible.And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of light; true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from Heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried. And the third day He arose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; Whose Kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father; Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; Who spoke by the prophets.In one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Troparion to the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God (Tone 4)

Today, your icon appears in the sky like the eternal sun, O Theotokos. Enlightening the world with rays of mercy. Accepting the heavenly gift from above, this land honors you as the Mother of God. We praise Christ our Lord Who was born of you. Pray to Him, O Sovereign Queen and Virgin, That all Christian cities and lands be guarded in safety, // And that He will save those who venerate His divine, and your holy, image, O unwedded Bride. Glory… now and ever…. Amen.

Kontakion to the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God (Tone 8)

O people! Let us run to the Virgin Queen and Mother, giving thanks to Christ God. Let us fall before her miraculous icon, crying out: "O ever-virgin Mary, you visited this land through the wondrous appearance of your precious image. Save us, your people, and show us the heavenly life, // For to you we faithfully cry: "Rejoice, O Virgin, the salvation of the world!"

Kontakion 1 (Tone 8)

O Victorious Leader, Lady Theotokos We offer grateful thanks to you for revealing to us your Wonderworking Icon For those who come before you are always delivered from visible and invisible enemies. Therefore, as a merciful Mother, accept our humble prayer, O Queen of heaven and earth, Grant us your endless mercy and protection And defend from all evil and distress those who fervently cry out to you: // Rejoice, O Lady, our merciful defender before God!

Ikos 1

The ranks of angels serve you with great joy, O Lady! They honor you, who bore the Creator of all things, visible and invisible, in the embrace of your arms. Now the Angels themselves bear this, your holy Icon, throughout the world, so that we on earth may be gloriously amazed at the appearance of your holy Image. Together with them, we sing: Rejoice, for you are higher than all the Heavenly Powers. Rejoice, for you precede all the ranks of Angels. Rejoice, for you are more honorable than the Cherubim. Rejoice, for you are more glorious than the Seraphim. Rejoice, O Joy of the Angels. Rejoice, O Praise of the heavenly hosts. Rejoice, O Lady whom the angelic powers glorify. Rejoice, for before you the Archangels bend their knees. Rejoice, O Exaltation of the Cherubim. Rejoice, for the powers of Heaven ceaselessly honor you. Rejoice, for your Image is beloved by the angelic host. Rejoice, for your visible Image is invisibly borne by invisible hosts of angels. // Rejoice, O Lady, our merciful defender before God!

Kontakion 2

The fisherman on Lake Ladoga saw the icon of you and your pre-eternal Son shining brightly as the midday sun, hovering above the waves by an invisible power. These same fishermen called to Him Who called the fishers of men to draw the world into the net of salvation: Alleluia!

Ikos 2

Having been filled with wisdom, the people pondered the incomprehensible wonder of the appearance of your holy icon. They understood your most-honored icon, so greatly revered in Constantinople, was now given as an inheritance to the people of the Russian lands. Therefore, with grateful thanks for your mercy, we sing to you: Rejoice, O Mother of the True Life. Rejoice, for by your obedience the disobedience of Eve was annulled. Rejoice, for you have opened the gates of Paradise. Rejoice, for you brought into the world the One Who crushes the head of the serpent. Rejoice, O Ark that carried the Salvation of the world. Rejoice, O Ark that saves the world from the deluge of our sins. Rejoice, O Ladder, upon which God has descended to the earth. Rejoice, O Ladder, through which we ascend to Heaven. Rejoice, for you drown evil thoughts like Pharaoh in the sea. Rejoice, O Burning Bush not consumed by the Flame of divinity that dwells in you. Rejoice, O Tablet inscribed with the Covenant of the Law of God. Rejoice, O Stone that pours forth the Water of Life for a thirsty people. // Rejoice, O Lady, our merciful defender before God!

Kontakion 3

The might and power of the Most High descended upon the Tikhvin lands when this Icon of the most pure Mother of God appeared and blessed them as her earthly abode. Therefore, the name of our Lady is exalted in many churches and temples, to the glory of the One God in three Persons, to Whom we sing: Alleluia!

Ikos 3

Since it was your good will that the people of Tikhvin should be blessed by your presence and ceaselessly honor your holy Protection; you often appeared to them in this, your holy icon. You revealed to them the place God chose as your earthly habitation. Therefore, with wonder in our hearts, we sing to you: Rejoice, O Tabernacle wherein God dwelt in the flesh. Rejoice, O Holy of Holies into which only the Eternal High Priest can enter. Rejoice, O Ark of the Covenant, filled with the Spirit that bore the Giver of the Law. Rejoice, O Candlestand aflame with the fire of Divinity. Rejoice, O Vessel that carried Christ, the Manna of Life. Rejoice, O Banquet Feast, feeding us with the Bread of Life. Rejoice, O Censer, radiant with the warmth of God, filling the world with sweet smelling incense. Rejoice, O Stem, from which Christ the Flower blossomed. Rejoice, O Pillar of Fire which leads us to the Promised Land. Rejoice, O Pillar of Cloud that hides us from all visible and invisible enemies. Rejoice, O Promised Land. Rejoice, O Fleece upon which Christ descended as dew from the heavens. // Rejoice, O Lady, our merciful defender before God!

Kontakion 4

Desiring to calm the storm of doubt and sorrow, the pious people cried to the Lord: "Reveal to us the divine gift that you bestowed in your loving kindness upon our suffering land. Do not keep this treasure hidden from us, for through it we hope to heal our spiritual poverty; to change our sorrow into joy, and to wipe away our tears." And having received the answer to their prayers the faithful cried: Alleluia!

Ikos 4

Archbishop Alexis heard the joyous news from his flock that the Mother of the First Shepherd had found a new home among the meadows of the Tikhvin lands. He, together with the pastors, built and consecrated a new temple in honor of her appearance, wherein they ceaselessly glorify the Theotokos and sing: Rejoice, O Daughter who inclined her ear to the voice of the Heavenly Father. Rejoice, for the sorrow of Eve was assuaged by the birth of your Son. Rejoice, O Bride, desired for your goodness by the King of Heaven. Rejoice, O Queen who stands at the right hand of the King. Rejoice, for you are clothed with golden robes and adorned with inner glory. Rejoice, for you lead the faithful into the mansions of the Heavenly Kingdom. Rejoice, O Apple whose fragrance fills the whole world. Rejoice, O Blossom of Purity that sparkles with brilliance. Rejoice, O Sweet-smelling Chrism, whose streams cover the earth. Rejoice, O Royal Porphyry that brought forth God in the flesh from your virginal womb. Rejoice, O Living Fountain from which springs the Water of Life. Rejoice, O Vineyard of the Lord in which the Vine of Divinity has blossomed. // Rejoice, O Lady, our merciful defender before God!

Kontakion 5

Your holy icon has appeared as a brightly shining star, O Theotokos. It sheds its rays on all the land, illuminating those in darkness with the light of divinity. It enlightens those who sorrow with the joy of life. And it guides the lost to follow the commandments of your Son and God. Therefore, with thankfulness we sing to Him: Alleluia!

Ikos 5

Beholding you, O Lady, bearing a royal staff, shining with inexpressible light, and conversing with a saintly hierarch, the pious George perceived the fragrance of your grace. He recognized your material appearance, and that of Saint Nicholas, as he stood before you. Therefore with trembling he cried out to you: Rejoice, O Abode that the Wisdom of God fashioned as His dwelling place. Rejoice, O Virgin who gave birth to Emmanuel. Rejoice, O Staff of Jesse, from which Christ God, the Flower, blossomed. Rejoice, O Unwedded Bride who conceived the Son by the descent of the Spirit. Rejoice, O Scroll upon which the Word Himself was inscribed by the hand of the Father. Rejoice, O Treasury of Virginity, entrusted for safekeeping to Joseph. Rejoice, O Vessel that accepted the burning coal of divinity in your womb. Rejoice, O Exalted Throne upon which Christ descended in the flesh. Rejoice, O Billowing Cloud upon which the King of Glory enters. Rejoice, O Sealed Chamber from which Christ alone came forth. Rejoice, O Mount unhewn from which the Cornerstone was fashioned. Rejoice, O Fiery Furnace, filled with dew that was not consumed by the Fire of Divinity. // Rejoice, O Lady, our merciful defender before God!

Kontakion 6

The honorable and blessed George was the herald of your physical appearance and of your merciful lovingkindness toward the northern land of Tikhvin. He announced your will to the people, O Lady, that they might behold your wonders and glorify you by singing to God: Alleluia!

Ikos 6

By revealing the light of the knowledge of God through the revelation of your wonder-working image, O Theotokos, you have kindled a beacon that calls to all who seek the angelic life. Now the choirs of monastics ceaselessly sing to you: Rejoice, O Blossom that flowered in the fullness of time. Rejoice, for as a child you dedicated your life to God. Rejoice, for you were raised in the Holy Temple of God. Rejoice, for you were chosen as the Bride of God. Rejoice, for adorning yourself with the jewels of virtue. Rejoice, O light-bearing Chamber, prepared for the King. Rejoice, for you were purified by God. Rejoice, for you were chosen before all ages as the fountain of our salvation. Rejoice, O Bride of the Master Builder of the Universe, entrusted to care for a carpenter on earth. Rejoice, for you exalted the humility of lowly Nazareth. Rejoice, O Praise of the powers on high. Rejoice, O Glory of those born on earth. // Rejoice, O Lady, our merciful defender before God!

Kontakion 7

You showed the way to the venerable Martyrius and Cyrill, who sought a place of solitude in which to labor in the monastic life and become pleasing unto God. As a pillar of fire, you led them to the place chosen for their ascetic labors. As the blessed Directress showed them their way, they sang to God: Alleluia!

Ikos 7

Your blessed icon of Tikhvin, O Most-Holy Theotokos, is a new fountain of miracles in the northern lands. Through it, countless healing streams flow forth, healing those who come to you with faith. The blind receive their sight. The mute receive their speech. The deaf receive their hearing. The lame receive use of their limbs. And the possessed are freed from the bonds of demons. Therefore with thankfulness we cry to you: Rejoice, for the Will of the Father has descended on you. Rejoice, for the Holy Spirit has spread His Grace on you. Rejoice, for the Son of God, the Savior of the world, took flesh from you. Rejoice, O Repository of the ineffable Mysteries of God. Rejoice, for the Angel announced the glad tidings to you. Rejoice, for the angelic salutation made the entire world joyful. Rejoice, for the Lord is with you. Rejoice, for through you the human race draws near to God. Rejoice, for you are blessed among women. Rejoice, for all women are blessed through you. Rejoice, for in giving birth you remained a virgin. Rejoice, O Model of Chastity and Glory of Virginity. // Rejoice, O Lady, our merciful defender before God!

Kontakion 8

Wondrous is the defense of your monastery from those who had threatened to destroy your earthly abode. O Lady, the glorious appearance of your icon has amazed the heavenly powers and filled those on earth with awe, for it radiates the grace of Christ our God, Who was born of you. Therefore we cry aloud to God: Alleluia!

Ikos 8

Though abiding in the heavens, you have not abandoned us on earth, O Lady. Your most honorable image protected your monastery. As you have said, "When the enemy comes against you, take my image in procession around the walls, and you shall see the Mercy of God." Having been delivered from our enemies, we cry out to you: Rejoice, O Mother of your Lord and Creator. Rejoice, for the infant Forerunner rejoiced with you while he remained in Elizabeth's womb. Rejoice, for your humility has exalted you. Rejoice, for all generations call you Blessed. Rejoice, for the heavens rejoice and the earth is glad at the birth of your Son. Rejoice, for you received the glory of angels, the praise of the shepherds, and the honor of the Magi. Rejoice, for you nourished the Nourisher of all with the milk of your grace. Rejoice, for you clothed the One Who clothes Himself with light in swaddling clothes. Rejoice, for you carried in your arms the One Who carries the whole world in the palm of His hand. Rejoice, for you brought to the temple the Source of all Holiness. Rejoice, for you were blessed by Simeon. Rejoice, for you were magnified by the Prophetess Anna// Rejoice, O Lady, our merciful defender before God!

Kontakion 9

When the monastery founded in honor of your blessed appearance was under attack and near destruction because of our wretched sins, you revealed yourself as Intercessor for the Christian people. You delivered us from our foes who, like filthy animals, were burrowing in the ground. Truly you are most pure and more honorable than the angelic hosts, O Lady! Therefore we cry out to God: Alleluia!

Ikos 9

O Lady, the heralds of the ages are unable to praise the multitude of your miracles or to praise worthily your role in the plan for our salvation. By wise instruction and discerning reprimand, you guide us on the path of salvation. Seeing your strong defense of your habitation from the visible enemy and the righteous fire with which you chastised the unseen foe, you taught us that purity, chastity and heartfelt prayer are more pleasing to you than praises from our unworthy lips. Therefore we cry out to You: Rejoice, for you sanctified Egypt by seeking refuge in her. Rejoice, for you glorified Galilee by finding shelter there. Rejoice, for you honored Jerusalem by searching for your beloved Son. Rejoice, for you found Him in the House of His Father. Rejoice, for you kept all things concerning Him secret in your heart. Rejoice, for you were the first to know Him as your God. Rejoice, for you dedicated your earthly life to Him. Rejoice, for you suffered passion in His Passion. Rejoice, for you adopted the Apostle John and us the faithful while standing at the Cross of your Son. Rejoice, for shedding forth your maternal love on us through His Redeeming Blood. Rejoice, for first discerning the Divine Mystery of His Resurrection. Rejoice, for joyously witnessing His Ascension into Heaven. // Rejoice, O Lady, our merciful defender before God!

Kontakion 10

Your wonderworking icons have visited many cities, monasteries and Orthodox lands, saving many people from the sorrows and illnesses assailing them. You confirmed their faith in your all-powerful intercession, O Lady. Beholding your compassion and love, the faithful lovingly cry: Alleluia!

Ikos 10

You were a fortress and a shield, O Lady, for you protected the Orthodox soldiers who stood beneath the standard bearing your image against the arrows of the invading army of twenty nations. Likewise, be for us a wall and a fortress against the assaults of all visible and invisible enemies. Seeking protection before this, your holy icon, we sing to you with faith and love: Rejoice, O Comfort of the faithful at the Ascension of your Son. Rejoice, O Instructor and Teacher of the holy apostles. Rejoice, for the apostles rejoiced when they heard of your departure to God. Rejoice, for you recalled them to your burial by appearing in a cloud. Rejoice, for your Son took you from earth in the palm of His hand. Rejoice, for the Angelic powers escorted you to Heaven. Rejoice, for thus the earthly Heaven was brought to Paradise. Rejoice, O Throne of the Lord, brought from earth to the Heavenly Kingdom. Rejoice, for the very air was blessed by your passing. Rejoice, for the apostle Thomas confirmed your body's translation to Heaven. Rejoice, for you kept your word to the apostle to be his Defender. Rejoice, for you granted him peace at the request of your Son and God. // Rejoice, O Lady, our merciful defender before God!

Kontakion 11

As we praise the many miracles flowing from your holy and wonderworking icon, all evil is quickly defeated. For you are our speedy helper in times of calamity and sorrow. You are the healer of every infirmity and disease. You are our deliverance from the assaults and torments of demons. Therefore, in every place and at all times, we call to you in faith and sing to God: Alleluia!

Ikos 11

O Theotokos, we see your holy icon as a brightly burning candle, ablaze with the light of your grace. It illumines all who come before you, seeking the salvation of their souls. Therefore with love we cry to You: Rejoice, for you kept your promise to save and protect all who come to you. Rejoice, for you glorify those who glorify you. Rejoice, for you bring the prayers of the faithful before your Son and God. Rejoice, for you ceaselessly pray before His Glorious Throne for the salvation of all. Rejoice, for bestowing your grace upon your holy icons. Rejoice, for illuminating the entire universe with the rays of your grace. Rejoice, for you are more honorable than the Cherubim and more glorious, beyond compare, than the Seraphim. Rejoice, for you are greater in glory than all Creation. Rejoice, O Queen of Heaven and earth. Rejoice, for great is the power of your prayer before your Son and God. Rejoice, O Speedy Defender of the Christian people. Rejoice, for you are the firm hope of the faithful. // Rejoice, O Lady, our merciful defender before God!

Kontakion 12

Desiring to bestow on us a new revelation of your grace, O Lady, you revealed your holy icon as a new fountain of miracles. Therefore, through you the faithful find wisdom, laborers find safe refuge; and the sorrowful find a calm haven. Glorifying God, Who grants us all things, we sing: Alleluia!

Ikos 12

Singing the praises of the miracles and many bounties you have richly given us, we gratefully fall down before your most holy image, O Lady. With love and in the fear of God we fervently entreat you: Firmly establish us on the path of salvation. Make us worthy of your merciful intercessions. Always be our steadfast Protectress and constant Advocate, for with faith and love we sing: Rejoice, O Protector and Defender of the faithful. Rejoice, O Teacher and Enlightener of the unfaithful. Rejoice, O Hope and Sure Reliance of the hopeless. Rejoice, O Salvation of the fallen. Rejoice, O Consolation of those in sorrow. Rejoice, O Restoration of those with infirmities. Rejoice, O Protection of widows and orphans. Rejoice, O Refuge of the humble and oppressed. Rejoice, O Strength of kings and rulers. Rejoice, O Glory and Honor of hierarchs. Rejoice, O Joy of all monastics. Rejoice, O Gladness of the righteous. // Rejoice, O Lady, our merciful defender before God!

Kontakion 13 (3x)

O All-praised Mother, who gave birth to the most holy Word! You are our Champion and Protectress against every enemy, both visible and invisible. You are the one who delivers us from every tribulation and sorrow! Preserve us from all sins and temptations. In the future life be our Mediator and Defender as we stand before the judgment seat of your Son and our God. Deliver us from eternal condemnation so that, having gained salvation, we may join the choirs of angels in singing to God: Alleluia!

Ikos 1 (repeated)

Kontakion 1 (Tone 8) (repeated)

First Prayer

O most holy Virgin Mother of the Lord of all, Queen of Heaven and earth, our invincible Defender and the Protectress of our lands! Accept from us, your sinful and unworthy servants, hymns of praise and thanksgiving. Bring our prayers before the Throne of God, your Son, that He may be merciful toward our transgressions and show forth His compassion upon us who venerate your holy and wonderworking image. For, since He grants all things to you, may we be made worthy of His mercy by your intercession. Therefore, we run to you, our certain and unfailing Defender! Hear our prayers as we fall down before you! Cover us with your all-powerful protection. Beseech your Son and God to make our pastors zealous and vigilant for our souls. Grant strength and wisdom to our rulers. Enable our judges to discern justice and truth. Give our instructors wisdom and humility. Enable our families to live in love and accord. Inspire our children to learn honor and obedience. Guide the lowly and downtrodden in finding mercy. Teach our oppressors the fear of God. Comfort those in sorrow. Help us to discern the spirit of wisdom and truth, of charity and humility, of purity and righteousness. O most pure Lady! Have pity on us, your weak and feeble children. Gather the scattered sheep! Establish the lost on the path of salvation! Bring comfort to our aged, wisdom to our youth, and nourishment to our infants. Look down with mercy upon us as we entreat your intercession. Bring us out of the gloominess of our sins, that our hearts may be illumined with the rays of salvation. Show your compassion on us in this temporal life. And remain with us when we stand before the judgment seat of your Son in the presence of those who with faith and repentance departed this life before us and who now stand with the angels and saints in life everlasting. For you, O Lady, are the Joy of those in Heaven and the Hope of us on earth. You are the Defender and Consolation of those who come to you in faith. We fervently beseech you, O all-powerful Helper and Protector, and to you we commend ourselves, and each other, and all our life, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Second Prayer

We thank you, O most gracious, all-pure, and everblessed Virgin Lady, Mother of Christ our God, for the many bounties you shower upon the human race, and especially upon the Christian people. And we also thank you for bestowing upon us, your unworthy servants, the great and unfathomable mercy of the miraculous appearance of your holy Icon for the illumination and sanctification of our lands. Therefore, we sinners come before you and, with fear and joy, tearfully pray: O most holy Virgin and Sovereign Lady Theotokos! Have mercy on us, your people! Deliver us from our adversaries, and grant us victory over our enemies! Protect every Christian city and land and this holy temple from the onslaught of evil. Grant to all who pray before your holy icon all that is beneficial to their souls. For you are truly most blessed, together with your Son and God Who was born of you, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

It is truly meet to bless thee, the Theotokos, ever blessed and most blameless, and Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, who without corruption gavest birth to God the Word, the very Theotokos, thee do we magnify.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

O Lord, Bless.

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, for the sake of the prayers of Thy most pure Mother, of our holy and God-bearing fathers, and all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, for Thou art good and the Lover of mankind. Amen.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen.

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Why to Plant a Butterfly Garden (& How)

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/news/why-to-plant-a-butterfly-garden-how/

Why to Plant a Butterfly Garden (& How)

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Much like a pollinator garden, a butterfly garden is a great way to attract and provide for these beautiful insects. There’s a little more to it than planting a few colorful flowers though. Here’s how we can help save the butterflies and have a better yard while we’re at it.

Why Do We Need Butterflies?

Many know how important pollinators are for our food supply and ecosystem. Yet butterflies don’t always get the attention they deserve. Butterfly expert Mike Malloy lays out why butterflies are so important.

Butterflies are at the bottom of the food chain for many birds and some small animals, like mice. When the butterfly population dips, everything else takes a hit too. Almost 66% of invertebrate species can be traced back to the butterfly on the food chain.

This insect is more than just bird food though. Entomologists at the University of Kentucky also point out butterflies play a critical role in natural pest control. Butterflies eat plant-damaging aphids.

Stronger, Better Plants

Like bees, butterflies are an important pollinator, but in a different way. While bees spread the love locally, butterflies carry pollen over a much farther distance. Butterflies can evenly cover large areas of plants in a single go.

They’re also an important part of helping plants be genetically diverse. This delicate insect shares pollen across different groups of plants over a wide area – sometimes miles apart. Plants then become more resistant to disease and stronger. Companion planting is another way to give plants a helping hand.

The Butterfly Effect

There’s a reason why butterflies are one of the most monitored animals in the world. Ever heard the phrase “canary in the coal mine”? Butterflies are the canary to our ecosystem. When an area lacks butterflies, scientists know there’s something wrong.

Birds even plan their breeding season around when caterpillars will be available for food. Not enough caterpillars, not enough bird food. It has a ripple effect on our entire ecosystem and food chain.

A Dangerous Trend

According to the Smithsonian Institute, there are about 17,500 different species of butterflies. The United States houses around 750 of these species. While that may sound like a lot, more of our butterfly friends are dying every year.

Various butterfly species declined from 35-67% over a nine-year period in the UK. On the upside, some butterfly species started to make a comeback in 2019, according to The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme.

Monarch butterflies overwinter in Mexico and California. Scientists estimate there were at least 4.5 million monarch butterflies in California alone in the 1980s. At last count, the population has declined to less than 29,000. That’s .5% of what they used to be.

The Center for Biological Diversity reports on the butterfly decline in Mexico. From 2019 to 2020 Mexico lost 53% of its remaining monarch butterfly population. The Xerces Society for conservation highlights the loss in the US. California lost 86% of its monarch butterfly population from 2017 to 2018 alone.

At this rate, scientists say the species will be extinct within 20 years.

What’s Killing the Butterflies?

There are several reasons why our important pollinators are dying out. According to EPA pesticide usage reports:

Pesky Pesticides

More than half of insecticides in the US are sprayed in yards and gardens.

The US accounts for 23% of the world’s total pesticide use.

83 million US households use insecticides. This doesn’t include other pesticides used.

All of these pesticides spell major trouble for the butterfly population.

Neonicotinoid pesticides may be especially harmful. Researchers found that as neonicotinoid use rose, so did butterfly deaths. The Guardian reports:

“If we’re going to get smart about using chemicals in the countryside we need to test them better before they get out there. It’s crazy that we’re using a potentially dangerous-to-wildlife chemical and nobody has done those studies.”

A Boring Landscape

Along with pesticide use comes a decrease in plant diversity. When people spray unwanted “weeds,” like beneficial dandelions, it has a domino effect. Milkweed is the monarch butterflies main food source, but thanks to pesticides the number of plants has plummeted.

Green lawns empty of nutritious and diverse plant life. Roadsides and fields that are sprayed and mowed. Fields full of bare ground and pesticide-resistant corn or soybeans. All of these scenarios rob our important pollinators of the food they need and ultimately damages the ecosystem we depend on.

5G and EMF Effects on Butterflies?

5G has gotten a lot of buzz lately, and not all for positive reasons. A 2010 study in the journal Nature explores its possible effects on insects and animals. How? Butterflies have photoreceptor proteins called cryptochromes. These allow butterflies to see UV light rays invisible to humans. The proteins also help the butterflies (and other animals) sense the earth’s geomagnetic field. There’s growing evidence that EMF waves may throw off the sense of direction for birds and insects.

Changing the Food Supply

Not only are EMF waves confusing butterflies’ sense of direction, but they could be damaging their food source. Newsweek reports scientists have also found nearly 90% of plant life tested was sensitive to cell phone frequencies. EMF waves have a negative impact on how plants develop, function, and metabolize.

How to Create a Butterfly Garden

Instead of feeling overwhelmed and depressed by this information, we can take action! A butterfly garden is a perfect way to create a haven for our pollinator friends. Unlike bees, butterflies are a little pickier about what they like.

#1 Be a Groupie

Butterflies prefer large blocks of colorful flowers of the same variety. Instead of planting ten different flowers in the same small area, opt for a larger patch of one kind. This doesn’t mean your butterfly garden can only have one or two varieties, but instead group like flowers together.

#2 Plant a Rainbow

Like bees, butterflies like a variety of colors. Red, orange, yellow, pink, and purple blooms are their favorite. Butterflies also tend to prefer flowers with short flower tubes and wide landing surfaces, like daisies and black-eyed susan. Blooms with large clusters, like phlox, are also a favorite.

#3 Take It to Greater Heights

Butterflies want a variety of heights to choose from. Taller flowers and shrubs help provide protective shade for them. Trees and shrubs are important for butterflies to perch and feed on. These plants provide for them from caterpillar through adulthood.

#4 Spread the Love

Like us, butterflies need to eat throughout the seasons, not just summer. By planting a variety of flowers with different bloom times we can help them eat all season long. Some butterflies hibernate in the winter, while others migrate to a warmer climate and feed there.

#5 Put Off Raking the Leaves

While many want a leafless lawn in the fall, leaves provide shelter through the winter for insects and birds. According to Purdue University’s Forest and Natural Resources, annual and perennial plants can contain butterfly pupa and larva. In many areas, butterflies overwinter in fallen leaves and vegetation.

According to scientists at the University of Michigan, fallen leaves have other benefits. Mulched leaves fertilize and add nutrition to the soil. Grass is noticeably thicker, greener, and healthier in the spring. By raking leaves and pulling up plants in the fall we’re disturbing a vital part of the ecosystem.

Late spring is a much safer time to clean up the yard and garden.

#6 Don’t Forget About the Babies!

Butterflies lay eggs that become caterpillars, and later on more butterflies. A good butterfly garden will also have food and shelter for the reproductive cycle. You can do both you and the caterpillars a favor by creating their own space for them away from your vegetables.

What to Plant in a Butterfly Garden

Ready to get started? Here’s a master list of butterfly-friendly varieties to look for:

Best Veggies for Butterflies

Cabbage

Dill

Fennel

Parsley

Garlic chives

Best Trees for a Butterfly Garden

Gumbo-Limbo tree

Pawpaw tree (and the fruits are edible and delicious!)

Tulip poplar tree

Wild black cherry tree

Chokecherry tree

Northern prickly ash

Butterfly-Friendly Shrubs and Vines

Butterfly bush (Buddleia spp.)

Buddleia davidii ‘Miss Molly’

Firebush

Saltbush

Mexican flame vine (the only vine that attracts monarchs)

Buttonbush

Best Plants and Flowers for Butterflies

Mint – spearmint, peppermint, etc.

Bluemist spirea

Milkweed (vital for monarch caterpillars)

Joe-Pye-weed

Thistles

Plantain

Clover

Dandelions

Alyssum

Asclepius

Cornflower

Cosmos

Purple coneflower (echinacea)

Globe amaranth

Heliotrope

Larkspur

Milkweed

Nicotiana

Pentas

Salvia

Sunflowers

Mexican sunflower

Zinnia

Lantana

Black-eyed susan

Bottlebrush

Coral bean

Coral honeysuckle

Cosmos

Firecracker plant

Firespike

Jatropha

Lion’s Ear

Passion Flower

Blue porterweed

Azaleas

Bee balm (also known as wild bergamot)

Blue mistflower

Duranta erecta (sapphire showers or golden dewdrops)

Echium fastuosum (pride of Madeira)

Blazingstar varieties (a favorite of monarchs) – rough, button, meadow, and northern are some of the varieties.

Purpletop vervain

Egyptian starcluster

Purple giant hyssop (not anise hyssop)

Goldenrod

Marigold

More Butterfly Garden Necessities

Still looking to add on? Try:

Fruit

Some butterfly species eat rotting fruit. Instead of tossing out overripe fruit leftovers, place fruit slices in a shallow dish for the butterflies. These should be set next to a flowering plant they like.

Bath Time

Butterflies also enjoy taking a dip. While they steer clear of deeper water, like birdbaths, a shallow dish of water is just their thing. You can fill a saucer with wet sand and water by their favorite flowers. If your area is prone to mosquitos be sure to dump and change the water regularly.

What About a Butterfly House?

A butterfly house may look like a friendly gesture, but they’re not necessary. These are more for decoration and butterflies don’t use them. It’s more likely to end up as a spider hotel. Try building a bee hotel instead.

Let’s Save the Butterflies

Even though the statistics are shockingly bad, we can all play a part in saving the butterflies. Planting a butterfly garden, skipping the pesticides, and encouraging diverse plant life can make an impact. The more of us who pitch in, the better!

Do you have a butterfly garden? What’s in it?

Sources:

Purdue University Forestry and Natural Resources (2004, May). Attracting Butterflies to Your Yard. https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-248-W.pdf

The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS). (2019). 2019 Summary of Changes table for the UK. https://www.ukbms.org/official_statistics

Cornell University Cooperative Extension Fulton and Montgomery Counties (2013, April 11). Consumer Horticulture: Plan a Butterfly Garden. https://ccefm.com/readarticle.asp?ID=1577&progID=8

Dovey, D (2018, May 19). Radiation for Cell Phones, Wi-Fi is hurting the birds and the bees; 5G may make it worse. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/migratory-birds-bee-navigation-5g-technology-electromagnetic-radiation-934830

US EPA (2017). Pesticides Industry Sales and Usage 2008 – 2012 Market Estimates. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-01/documents/pesticides-industry-sales-usage-2016_0.pdf

Schultza, C., Brown, L., Pelton, E., & Crone, E. (2017). Citizen science monitoring demonstrates dramatic declines of monarch butterflies in western North America. Biological Conservation. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320717304809

Curry, T. (2020, March 20). Eastern monarch butterfly population plunges below extinction threshold. Center for Biological Diversity. https://phys.org/news/2020-03-eastern-monarch-butterfly-population-plunges.html

Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. (2018, Nov 29). Early Thanksgiving Counts Show a Critically Low Monarch Population in California. https://xerces.org/blog/early-thanksgiving-counts-show-critically-low-monarch-population-in-california

UK College of Agriculture Food and Environment. Aphids. Entomology at the University of Kentucky. https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef103)

Hartley Botanic (2016, March 2). Why Butterflies are Important. https://hartley-botanic.co.uk/magazine/why-butterflies-are-important/

Gegear, Robert J. et al. (2010). Animal Cryptochromes Mediate Magnetoreception by an Unconventional Photochemical Mechanism. Nature, 463(7282), 804. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature08719

Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources (2004). Attracting Butterflies to Your Yard. https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-248-W.pdf

Johnson, T. (n.d.). Out My Backdoor: Do Butterfly Boxes Work? Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division. https://georgiawildlife.com/out-my-backdoor-do-butterfly-boxes-work

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/427932/butterfly-garden/

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