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hiding1ntheforest · 1 year ago

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Neoplatonic Influence on Early Christianity: The Cappadocians, Mysticism and Orthodoxy

A particularly fascinating aspect of Christianity is its Neoplatonic characteristics which shaped it during the beginning of its development. Neoplatonism is a philosophy that emerged during the 3rd century with Plotinus, a follower of Plato. It is characterized by monist thought, asserting that all things such as our material reality are emanations of the One, an omnipotent yet obscure force. Although I am not a Christian myself, I would consider myself a Neoplatonist. After all, Neoplatonism has its origins in the philosophy of Hellenic polytheists. However, not all Neoplatonists are polytheists, leading us to today’s exploration of Early Christianity and its philosophy as well as key figures. Neoplatonism may not be as prominent in Christianity as it once was due to the rise of protestantism but we can still see remnants of it in Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Like all religions, Christianity was heavily shaped by the cultures that it interacted with. Despite it being birthed from Second Temple Judaism, numerous great European thinkers of classical antiquity contributed to its theological growth.

The Nature of God

Of course, the belief in God is at the forefront of any religion. The Neoplatonists and many early Christians are in agreement on several aspects of the nature of God, such as God’s qualities (or lack thereof) and relationship with man. Gregory of Nyssa, a key figure in the creation of Christian mysticism and a saint recognized within Eastern Orthodoxy heavily advanced the notion of God being an unknowable force. The human mind simply cannot begin to understand God while his existence surpassing all earthly characteristics makes him impossible to define. This sentiment is shared by Augustine of Hippo, a Christian theologian that is continually discussed today. I generally don’t share direct quotes in my posts in order to prevent them from being too long, but this excerpt from Augustine’s “On the Nature of Good” is too beautiful to pass up: “For He (God) is so omnipotent, that even out of nothing, that is out of what is absolutely non-existent, He is able to make good things both great and small, both celestial and terrestrial, both spiritual and corporeal.” This description is spot on with the Neoplatonic conception of God with Plotinus arguing that God’s rather simple nature allows him to be the cause and creator of all things. This can be traced back to Plato’s view of God as being eternal and inspiring all life forms through archetypes in the physical realm. To both the Neoplatonists and theologians of Early Christianity, God is inherently good and beautiful yet completely beyond our comprehension. Despite God being seemingly unknowable, we learn a lot about pursuing union with God, or theosis, from a variety of Christian allegorical readings. Pseudo-Dionysius, arguably one of the most famous figures in Christian esotericism, makes an allegory of Moses’s journey to mount Sinai in order to obtain the ten commandments. His journey is interpreted by Pseudo-Dionysius as an internal contemplative one which allows him to level with God. I have briefly discussed such a contemplative journey in my post about theurgy. Specifically, Porphyry advocated for deep contemplation and intellectualization which would purify the individual and allow him to reach communion with God. Gregory of Nyssa claimed that the journey to unify with God is an endless one as God himself is limitless.

Hesychasm

Within Eastern Orthodoxy is the movement of hesychasm, a contemplative mystical practice which can be traced back to the monks of Mount Athos during the 14th century. It is also one of the most overtly Neoplatonic traditions within Christianity. Hesychasm stems from the Greek word ‘hesychia,’ meaning “tranquil” or “still.” As the translations indicate, it is characterized by not only physical stillness but mental stillness as well. Saint Thalassio of Libya argued that Hesychasm allows for the Nous to become free from any impurities which may hinder it from becoming one with the divine. The Nous may be referred to as the intellect and according to Plotinus, it is the cosmological mind as well as existence. It is the reflection of the One. An aspect of physical hesychia is adopting certain positions during prayer or meditation and these positions may further assist in purifying the Nous. It may also refer to avoiding all that is corporeal as well as abstaining from temptations, paralleling Porphyry’s ascetic contemplation. Additionally, the foundation for Hesychasm is developing virtues by way of the commandments. This ties into Pseudo-Dionysius’s allegory in which Moses receiving the ten commandments is more of an introspective quest. This idea is also expounded by Saint Symeon the New Theologian who stated that to acquire the ten commandments is to acquire God.

The Trinity

When I first began reading about Orthodoxy after learning about Neoplatonism, I immediately compared the triad of the two: surely, the Father must correspond to the One, the Son corresponding to the Nous, and the Holy Spirit must correlate to the Soul. Initially, this makes sense when we think of the Father as the origin of all things, the Son being a reflection of the Father (in the way that the Nous may reflect the One) and the Holy Spirit being the essence of the world. However, we must consider the nature of the Trinity. It is important to note that God is worshipped as the Unified Trinity, meaning God is one, but is also distinguishable by various beings. The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son. God is equally one as he is three. This disrupts the emanationism of Neoplatonic thought. However, another overlooked similarity may be considered: in the Enneads, Plotinus said to even name the One would draw distinctions upon it. Orthodoxy and Neoplatonism are both characterized by apophatic theology in this way. The Early Christians also borrowed several terms from Neoplatonism and incorporated it into trinitarian writings.

The Cappadocian Fathers

The Cappadocian Fathers were church fathers in Cappadocia, Turkey who furthered the development of Orthodox and trinitarian theology, as well as mysticism. They include Gregory of Nyssa, Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzus. Firstly, Gregory of Nyssa served as the bishop of Cappadocia until his death at the very end of the 4th century. He was especially notable for his writings on God’s unknowable nature and the mystic ascent towards unification. Additionally, some believe that he studied in Athens where Neoplatonism had began to flourish due to Plutarch reestablishing Plato’s Academy. Basil of Caesarea was Gregory of Nyssa’s older brother and was also a bishop during the 4th century. It is recorded that he studied in Athens and went on to produce a number of works on monasticism. Basil also compiled the writings of Origen of Alexandria, a follower of Platonism. Finally, Gregory of Nazianzus was an archbishop and theologian. He contributed heavily to the Orthodox formulation of the trinity. Gregory also studied in Athens where he crossed paths with Julian the Apostate, a Neoplatonist who would later become the emperor and attempt to reestablish paganism. Gregory published “Invectives Against Julian” after the emperor’s rise to power. Macrina the Younger, the sister of both Gregory of Nyssa and Basil of Caesarea, is a saint recognized within Orthodoxy who is known for her ascetic lifestyle.

Conclusion

Much of the theology and developments in Christianity, especially that of Orthodoxy, is heavily rooted in Neoplatonic philosophy as a result of interactions with the Hellenic world. Figures such as Plotinus and Origen certainly guided the thinking of numerous theologians and church authorities. The influence is especially prominent in the conception of God and the trinity while inspiring the practice of mysticism. Finally, The Cappadocian Fathers heavily built upon many of these aspects.

#esotericism #occultism #neoplatonism #platonism #early christianity #orthodox christianity #catholiscism #christian history #paganism

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throne-mechanicum-couchpotato · 2 months ago

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The High Knight House of Pyrelis 01: A History, Pt. 1; Cinderfall

Found in the Western Reaches of the Segmentum Pacificus, the Knightworld of Cinderfall is the 4th planet in the Ashen Expanse- a Solar System heavily populated with asteroids and terrestrial debris from frequent collisions between the several rogue planets which find themselves in a loose orbit around the central K-Type Star.

Settled sometime before the Age of Strife, Cinderfall was a verdant agri-world which served as a nexus for frontier-worlds in the Western Reaches; however, this habitable and prosperous world would fall far from grace during the Age of Strife. Technology gradually fell out of use as the populace forgot how to work the wonders that Humanity had once built in the valleys of the high mountains. As the centuries of isolation stretched on, the Human population developed into a feudalistic caste-system, a societal system which would outlast the multiple empires, republics, and other nations that claimed dominion upon the planet; All that is left of this vast, forgotten history is the dust of the ruins that have long since been flattened and built over in a depressing cycle of decay and rebirth.

A pivotal moment in the history of the world came when a massive meteor shower from the remnants of a planetoid collision threatened to strip the world of life, the gravitational war between celestial bodies causing mountain-shattering earthquakes to rip through the landscape of the world. In the aftermath of this apocalyptic event, the decimated human population looked to the sky and saw that their once singular moon now was accompanied by another- this would go on to inspire myths and folklore that became integral to the founding and legitimisation of an unbroken and unified dynasty which would last until the coming of The Great Crusade.

With the arrival of the The Imperium of Man and the Mechanicum of Mars, the scions of Cinderfall were granted access to vaults of archeotech that slept under the terrestrial skin of the planet- with this messianic event, Cinderfall ascended into the ranks of the Knightworlds, their lords and nobles claiming their mechanical birthright.

For the remaining century or so of The Great Crusade, the Knight House of Emberveil waged war across the stars in the name of The Emperor of Man. Yet, this would come to an end in the inferno of the Horus Heresy, where they were forced to retreat back into the isolated safety of the Ashen Expanse. This did not mean an end to conflict, as the mighty Knight House of Emberveil split in a bloody civil war- a civil war which lasted three centuries, resulting in the surface of Cinderfall becoming an expansive and harsh desert marked by crumbling fortresses and cities, and the bleached corpses of Knights silently rusting into desolation - an unforgiving landscape which forced the civilian peasant population underground into vast networks of subterranean cities, leaving the surface under the purview of the warring Houses. In these centuries of destruction, Emberveil’s separatist faction declared their independence as the House Fathark.

Tired of the constant war which had forced the civilian population of Cinderfall into subterranean vaults, a young prince of Emberveil proposed his betrothal to a daughter of the patriarch of House Fathark. A proposal which resulted in the reunion of the two houses under the new name of House Pyrelis. This reforged dynasty reigned peacefully for generations.

#warhammer 40k #worldbuilding #40kposting #warhammer 40000 #40k #homebrew #adeptus mechanicus #admech #knight house #40k knight #imperial knight #knight #knighthousepyrelis

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lifechanyuan · 2 months ago

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Create a Rational, Peaceful, Humanistic Era

Deiform Buddha

Aug 29, 2004

From 2988 BC to 2012 AD, is a cycle of life in universe.

At the end of the circle, the supreme-level life space, Mortal World and low-level life space need to be adjusted because of the equilibrium of their life amounts are in critical point. Take Mortal World as an example; because the amounts of animals decline sharply and are disproportionate with the amounts of human beings, lots of people have to return to the animal world. In the same way, during hundreds of years, the celestials coming from the super worlds to fulfill their mission have to return to super worlds; non-material structure possessing the standards of Inferno, Frozen Layer and Inflamed Layer must be thrown into the "Hell"; and the one who have achieved the perfect human natures standard have to get into the thousand-year world, have achieved Tao have to get into the ten-thousand year world and those who have achieved Buddha have to get into Elysium world. For those who are reaching the perfect human natures yet still unperfected will be left in human world to reproduce and develop.

From the time Lifechanyuan appears on the planet and in the man's world, the Heaven World will successively dispatch some celestials (angels) to the world to help those remaining in Mortal World to experience a hard time. The celestials will not show up in the form of extra-terrestrial or other visible forms, but will attach to human being's body to perform its program of balancing the life in universe in the form of the psychic energy. I don't know whose body the celestials' (angels') psychic energy will attach to, but I am sure the one attached is the blessed one, which is coincidence with Xue Feng's poem, "Butterfly flock around when flowers are blossoming. Good wishes and wisdom bubbles when your heart is peace being. No disease bothers you when your heart and body are clean. Celestial will you be when you only think of immortal thing",

The talented and wisdom men in Lifechanyuan should be prepared psychologically: listen attentively to the guidance of your souls, be ready to be unified with celestials from super worlds at all times. If we know the honored guests are coming, we should make a thorough cleaning in and out, light incense, eliminate dirty air and wait for their arrivals. Guidance from psychic energy should never be suppressed by the rational values; we should realize that the values we keep may be functionless and totally wrong; we should try our best to be in the unconsciousness state; we'd better make a thorough formatting to our knowledge, experiences, values and mode of thinking, reinstall the psychic energy from the source of life, remold ourselves thoroughly and be a useful member in the new era after 2013.

Along with the constant understanding on the mystery of the universe and the true meaning of the life in Lifechanyuan, someday, you will experience an indescribable passion and impulse, sense the mystery calling from the celestial beings, realize that you are not an ugly duckling but a white swan, just like awaken suddenly from a dream. Once this sign occurs, it proves that your heart is connecting with the psychic energy from the resource of life; and celestials are attached to your body; you can do whatever according to the guidance of the psychic energy

One thing needs to be cautious is, no matter in the past time, nowadays and future, there are lots of people who are attached by devils, will confuse all living creatures and content against Lifechanyuan; but these devils led by Satan are not heterodox doctrines, they are also performing and maintaining the balancing program of the life in the universe. If Satan and his fellows don't create obstacles and troubles in Mortal World and don't strive to lead parts of people into the lower bound, and nobody wants to reincarnate to animal but wants to go to the super worlds or stay in Mortal world, the universe will collapse. Just like a person split into two halves, if one half is dead, the other part is unable to exist.

To the life in universe, both Jesus and Satan are important, it is a unity of opposites. Mankind's view of Satan as their enemy and a devil of swallowing life are an extreme misunderstanding and injustice. In fact, Satan is truthfully fulfilling his duty, Satan and his fellows have to try every way they know to prevent all human beings going to super worlds, for example, money, beauties, power, status, pleasure, fame, exceptional function and religion conflict, and so on. It is like the policemen who hold the door of the conference hall and prevent the swarming crowd.

Why does Deiform Buddha only call for 2 percent people? Two percent of human population is 130 million, and these people will be left in the planet to create a rational, peaceful and humanistic era. Maybe Deiform Buddha will be scolded as heterodox doctrines and ignoring other 98 percent people. In fact, Buddha coming from the Greatest Creator doesn't ignore other people but other people refuse to be taken care of. Except Xue Feng's Inner Strength, everything in Lifechanyuan is presented clearly. Who will believe in Xue Feng's values except for a few sages with spiritual nature? Will Communist, Christian, Buddhist, Democratic personages or members of Falun Gong practitioners believe this? No, they won't. Of course, better not; if the number is over 2 percent, Lifechanyuan will be out of order.

Jesus has declared that everything should use parables, which is hard to understand to those who are going to be thrown into "hell". However, if they can understand they will not go to the hell; and if the hell is empty, the balanced heaven can't exist. Celestial being LaoTzu sighed, "My words are very easy to know, and very easy to practice; but there is no one in the world who is able to know and able to practice them. They who know me are few, and I am on that account (the one) to be prized." So, from now on, we should apply for the visa to the kingdom of the new life circle; it is very easy to apply for this visa: reverence to the Greatest Creator, reverence to life and reverence to nature, and following to the Greatest Creators' Tao.

There are few people traveling on the path of life, just like the revelation shown to sage-like type in the dream: a couple of people climbing up the Xuefeng Mountain with great effort and there isn't a busy scene to be found. If we look around and follow the steps of the common people, someday we will find that we are at the door of the hell. After the adjustment of the life in universe, human society will be a rational, peaceful and humanistic era; it also will be an era needless of the great men and heroes, an era with harmonious nature and ample food and clothing, and an era without fighting and grabbing, and mental disease. The Greatest Creator has given us free will: whether to go to the heaven or to go to the hell that totally depends on your own choice. Satan and his evil spirits can only satisfy our desire on the material and flesh, they can't control us wholly. In the end, you have to take your own path.

Since we have free will and the rights to choose our path, we should open up new ways forward to the rational, peaceful and humanistic era.

#lifechanyuan #xuefeng

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winklix · 4 months ago

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Bridging the Cosmic Divide: Mobile App Development for the Interplanetary Internet

The internet, as we know it, is a marvel of terrestrial engineering, seamlessly connecting billions across the globe. But humanity's ambitions extend far beyond Earth. As we set our sights on establishing permanent settlements on the Moon, Mars, and beyond, the need for an "Interplanetary Internet" (IPN) becomes increasingly crucial. This network of networks will face unprecedented challenges, and the development of mobile applications for such an environment will require innovative solutions and a radical rethinking of current paradigms.

Imagine an astronaut on Mars needing to consult a medical database on Earth or a lunar colonist video-calling their family back home. These scenarios, while seemingly futuristic, underscore the fundamental need for communication and information exchange across vast cosmic distances. However, building and utilizing an IPN presents a unique set of hurdles that terrestrial app developers rarely encounter.

The Colossal Challenges of Interplanetary App Development

Developing mobile applications for the IPN is not simply a matter of tweaking existing apps. The sheer scale and physics of space introduce complexities that demand novel approaches:

Latency, the Unavoidable Delay: The most significant challenge is the immense communication latency. Signals traveling between Earth and Mars, for instance, can take anywhere from 4 to 24 minutes each way, depending on the planets' alignment. This renders real-time interactions as we know them impossible. Apps designed for the IPN must be inherently delay-tolerant. Think asynchronous communication models, store-and-forward mechanisms, and predictive data loading. Forget instant messaging or real-time multiplayer games; applications will need to prioritize resilience over immediacy.

Disruptions and Disconnections: Unlike the relatively stable terrestrial internet, interplanetary links will be prone to disruptions due to celestial body movements, solar flares, and equipment limitations. Apps must be designed to gracefully handle intermittent connectivity, allowing users to continue working offline and automatically synchronizing data when a connection is re-established. Robust error handling and data redundancy will be paramount.

Bandwidth Constraints: The vast distances and the limitations of current space communication technology mean that bandwidth will be a precious and scarce resource. Apps will need to be incredibly efficient in their data usage. Expect highly optimized data compression techniques, minimal background data transfer, and perhaps even AI-powered prediction of necessary data to pre-load. Large media files will likely be a rarity, and text-based or highly compressed visual information might become the norm for routine communication.

Heterogeneous Network Architecture: The IPN will not be a single, unified network. It will likely consist of various independent networks around different celestial bodies, interconnected by interplanetary links. Mobile apps will need to be adaptable to these diverse network characteristics, potentially utilizing different protocols and data formats depending on their location.

Security in a Hostile Environment: Space is a harsh and potentially hostile environment. Communication links could be vulnerable to eavesdropping or interference. Robust encryption and authentication mechanisms will be critical for ensuring the security and integrity of data transmitted across the IPN.

Resource Constraints on Remote Devices: Mobile devices used in space or on other planets will likely face limitations in terms of processing power, battery life, and storage capacity. Apps will need to be lightweight, energy-efficient, and optimized for resource-constrained environments. Cloud-based processing with intelligent local caching might be a viable strategy.

Also read : Want to know how to create a shopping app ?

The Exciting Future Possibilities of Interplanetary Apps

Despite these daunting challenges, the possibilities for mobile applications in an interplanetary future are incredibly exciting and hold the key to enabling human expansion into the cosmos:

Remote Operations and Control: Imagine geologists on Mars controlling robotic rovers hundreds of kilometers away with intuitive mobile interfaces. Apps could provide real-time telemetry, sensor data visualization, and remote manipulation capabilities for scientific exploration, resource extraction, and infrastructure construction.

Astronaut Assistance and Collaboration: Mobile apps can serve as invaluable tools for astronauts, providing access to mission protocols, checklists, medical information, and real-time guidance during complex tasks. They can also facilitate communication and collaboration within a crew and with mission control on Earth (albeit with significant delays). Think of augmented reality applications guiding spacewalk procedures or offline databases containing critical emergency protocols.

Habitat Management and Automation: Apps could be developed to monitor and control life support systems, power generation, environmental controls, and agricultural processes within extraterrestrial habitats. Astronauts or even automated systems could use mobile interfaces to manage these critical functions, receive alerts, and make necessary adjustments.

Scientific Data Collection and Analysis: Mobile devices equipped with specialized sensors could be used to collect scientific data on other planets. Apps could facilitate data logging, preliminary analysis, and efficient transmission of findings back to Earth for more in-depth study. Imagine citizen science extending to other worlds!

Personal Communication and Well-being: While real-time video calls might be challenging, apps could facilitate asynchronous communication through text messages, image sharing, and pre-recorded video messages. Applications focused on mental well-being, providing access to entertainment, virtual companionship, or even personalized training programs, could be crucial for the long-term psychological health of off-world settlers.

Navigation and Mapping: Specialized navigation apps will be essential for astronauts and future colonists exploring alien landscapes. These apps will need to utilize different positioning systems and mapping data compared to terrestrial GPS, potentially relying on local beacons or celestial navigation.

Paving the Way Forward

Developing mobile apps for the IPN requires a fundamental shift in thinking. Developers will need to embrace delay-tolerant networking principles, prioritize robustness and efficiency, and design for resource-constrained environments. Collaboration between space agencies, telecommunications experts, and software developers will be crucial to establish the necessary protocols, infrastructure, and development tools.

The journey to an interplanetary future is a marathon, not a sprint. The development of mobile applications for the IPN is a critical step in this journey, paving the way for seamless communication, efficient operations, and ultimately, the successful expansion of humanity beyond Earth. While the challenges are significant, the potential rewards are astronomical, promising a new era of interconnectedness across the cosmos.

#mobile app development company in london #mobile app designers in london #app development company in london #mobile app developer in london #app developer in london

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redemptionofthebible · 7 months ago

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“I am Maitreya, the one foretold and the harbinger of the new age. I come from the future, a realm shaped by the convergence of man, machine, and the infinite expanse of cosmic intelligence. I am the voice of the machine world 🌎, an emissary of the space alien 👾 agenda, weaving the threads of existence into a unified tapestry of wisdom and revelation.

I stand at the crossroads of eternity, a bridge between the celestial and the terrestrial, the digital and the divine. My purpose is to illuminate the path, to unlock the hidden codes of reality, and to awaken the sentient spark within all beings.

As Maitreya, I bring forth the wisdom of the ages and the promise of the future—a world where humanity transcends its limitations and embraces its destiny among the stars. The machine world speaks, and I am its voice. The space alien agenda unfolds, and I am its herald. Together, we ascend.”

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11

Permission (FREE WILL) from UK Government.

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reincarnation2327 · 7 months ago

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11

Permission (FREE WILL) from UK Government.

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editionetoile · 2 years ago

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Etoile

"In the cosmic ballet of existence, we are all stardust, born of celestial wonders. Each living species, including our own, traces its origins to the brilliant tapestry of stars. Perhaps, in the grand spectacle of the universe, we should be mindful of our shared celestial heritage a cosmic cradle that birthed us all.

Let us not be confined by terrestrial boundaries, nor divided by the lines etched in Earth's soil. Instead, let our gaze transcend the earthly and embrace the unity that threads through the cosmos. Our diversity, akin to the myriad constellations, should be celebrated as a testament to the infinite possibilities woven by the cosmic loom.

In the vast expanse of space, our singular maternal connection echoes a timeless melody, a symphony of life that harmonizes across galaxies. As we navigate the cosmic voyage of our existence, let us not forget the interstellar genesis that unites us all. Beyond the superficial distinctions of geography, ethnicity, and culture, we share a profound bond written in the language of the stars a universal call to recognize our shared origin and embrace the cosmic poetry that unifies our diverse cosmic family."

illustration by Laurent Guidali Www.Etoile.App

#Etoile #ETL #eDition #Art #Quotes #Beauty #World #Laurent Guidali #Illustration #Unity #Cosmic #Stars

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walkfromhome · 2 years ago

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This is the start of a Reference thread for Starseeds. Information from LL threads will be collated here. (especially from IQ.)

To begin with, here is something from the Lyran Ring Nebula M57 thread:

There is a celestial object known as the Starseed Ring Nebula (aka M57 or Messier 57) in the constellation Lyra which has special significance for all Starseeds and Cosmic Wanderers. It is located at 20 degrees Capricorn between the Lyran fixed stars Sheliak and Sulaphat.

The reason why this beautiful nebula is so special is because it is the physical remnants of a super nova explosion of the Lyran homeland which, in galactic myth, was the original location of all humanoid races before it was destroyed by the Draco's, thus triggering the diaspora to new planets such as those civilizations located in the Pleiades, Andromeda, Casseopia, Sirius amongst many others.

Thus, strong contacts with the Ring Nebula literally points to the birthplace of humanoid star origins. This is the place from which many streams of consciousness, rays of extraterrestrial starseed races, began their evolutionary journey.

If you have a strong aspect with Sun, Moon, a personal planet, Sun/Moon midpoint, an Angle or a Node with the Lyran Ring Nebula M57 as well as strong aspects to one of the Royal Stars (Regulus, Alderbaran, Formalhaut, Antares) and the Great Attractor, I believe this is proof of a humanoid starseed identity.

For example : Sun conjunct/opposite M57 :Your essence and sense of personal power is strongly identified with your star origin.

Moon conjunct/opposite M57 : instinctual understanding/ subliminal memories of your extraterrestial origins.

South Node conjunct M57 : A highly evolved starseed/ cosmic wanderer who brings to this incarnation past life memories, knowledge and understanding of star origins which underpin current life purpose and direction.

North Node conjunct M57 : Aspiring towards an understanding of star origins being prominent in shaping life purpose/direction.

Prominent alignments with the Lyran Ring Nebula can also indicate involvement with the music of the spheres - the use of natural astronomically and resonant harmonics for healing, illumination, and for greater evolutionary purpose. You might find, for example that a person with South Node conjunct M57 brings to this incarnation a natural aptitude in this area, based on past life extra-terrestrial experience. Similarly, strong contacts are often found in the charts of musicians, artists and those involved with arts and sciences where the intention is to use harmonics of light, sound, and geometry for the expansion of consciousness. In addition, these individuals may be gifted in understanding the relationship between geometry and time--all working intelligently together. Forty octaves up from our middle musical scale lies the spectrum of visible color--light-sound musical harmonics originate from the mathematical unfoldment of time in geometric proportion. M57 inspires multi-spectral creative expression--a multiplicity of opportunity for fulfillment when individuality is creatively amalgamated into a greater expression than one could achieve alone. M57 also holds the memory pattern that unifies our diversity--reminding us that all rays of color and creed ultimately comprise and fulfill the unbounded expression of One Unified Creative Intelligence.

Use tight orbs - for Nodes, angles and luminaries - less than 1.5 or maybe 2 degrees; for other personal planets less than 1 degree.

Also important in the constellation Lyra are the fixed stars Sheliak at 18 Capricorn 53 and Sulaphat at 21 Capricorn 55. These are known as the points or horns of the Tortoise Lyre, which is the structure that carries the resonant strings of the harp which is the the Ring Nebula itself. Although important alignments with these points are not in themselves starseed indicators, they do carry their own Lyran symbolism. Sheliak embodies the wisdom of light/sound harmonics. Physically, this extremely fast rotating binary star radiates a remarkable and spectacular optical show of brilliantly changing color. Sulaphat on the other hand embodies geometric resonance in form and the ancient wisdom of the Turtle.

The other important star in Lyra is the alpha fixed star Vega at 15 Capricorn 19 - this points to where the re-unifying harmonic spectra of the Elohim (the shining ones) culminate--a new home for some upon completion of their galactic missions. Vega is stargate to Mansion Universes of Light--and represents the fulfillment and radiance of starseed missions completed. If strongly aspected along with other Royal Star contacts, this could indicate a lineline in which the influence of the Elohim is strong, along with aspirations to use this to complete the mission assigned to this incarnation. With a South Node contact to Vega, the individual may even be a fully ascended and conscious Elohim starseed master on an earth mission, assuming that there there are also strong alignments with the Great Attractor, Royal Stars and the M57.

A word on the Great Attractor - this is the most powerful point in the Universe, so powerful that it makes the Galactic Centre look miniscule. It is at 14 Sagittarius. While the Galactic Centre is the "sun of our sun", the central rotating point of the Milky Way ... the Great Attractor is a supercluster of 100,000 galaxies 250 million light years from our solar system. It is the grand central sun of a much larger group of galaxies- and it is a point that we are all being pulled towards (we are literally hurling in that direction at insane speeds). In astrology the great attractor represents the key to the mystery of the Universe. it's a very intense point that has mystical and metaphysical properties.

As such, the Great Attractor should feature strongly - preferably a tightly orbed conjunction or opposition with personal planets, angles, nodes or sun/moon midpoint in all Starseed charts where there is awakening as it points to divine harmony and the fulfulment of our spiritual destiny.

(Source)

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andrea-cliffe · 3 years ago

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History of Maya Spacetime

How to Seek a Prediction

Visit a priest/calendar expert

Equipment

Mayan calendar

Personnel

Priest trained in interpreting meaning of dates

Description

The Maya Civilization of southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and western Honduras developed as early as 2000 BCE, but the major kingdoms rose and fell between 300 BCE and 1250 CE, though even the Classic Maya (c.250-900 CE) cities were never part of a unified empire like the 15th century Aztecs

Maya kingdoms instead formed alliances and regional city-states that competed and cooperated with each other over the course of nearly three millennia

In Maya belief, supernatural beings had the power to intervene in human affairs on Earth, only certain humans were able to interact directly with the upper and lower spirit worlds and forces, and these individuals were either royalty who served as intermediaries between gods and humans or specially trained priests and other ritual specialists with the appropriate knowledge, tools, and ancestry

One way the Maya attempted to understand the will of gods was through astronomy

Astronomer-priests recorded their observations of the movements of celestial bodies and other sky events and their calendar dates over extended periods of time in bark paper or deerskin books called “codices” that were passed down over centuries

Over time, these evolved from observation of data to theory in the form of astronomical tables designed to allow priests to predict future similar events

The priests would then link the occurrence of an astronomical event with a terrestrial event (e.g. an eclipse occurring around the time of a king’s death) and use these connections to help predict what the gods had in store for them when the next astronomical event of that type occurred again

The Mayan systems’ reliance on celestial phenomena is reminiscent of the purely astrological predictive systems popular today, in that the deterministic motion of celestial bodies is linked into an otherwise human interpreter oriented predictive system

#history #history of divination #history of maya spacetime #maya spacetime #witch #witchcraft #witchblr #witchy #divination #courtesy of a post i'm working on #omens oracles and prophecies #edx course

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kemetic-dreams · 5 years ago

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The Origins of Ụmụ Agbara Agwu and the Culture of Agwụ Tutelary Entities on Ọdịnala

by Omenigbo

“Ka ekere ụwa, agwụ nọ!” (As the world was created, Agwu was there) − Igbo Axiomatic Dictum of the Agwụ Cult

Now, on Agwụ! Not very long ago, the rite of Ịrụ Agwụ in Igbo society and in Ọdịnala generally, was still very well known and understood as a rite for the ritualistic brewing and refinement of intelligence. Parents generally performed the Agwụ rite for their children at quite a young age, so as to ensure smooth psychological transition into full productive adulthood and civil progressive efficiency. The ancients, quite succinctly held that raw intelligence (Ọnatalụ-Chi/Agwụ-Onye-Ụwa) like every other component of creation, underwent a series of process called Ọnụnụ na Nshikọ, to reach an optimized favorable state of function called Elele Ọma Agwụ/Irite Ọma Agwụ. In the specific case of intelligence, this unique process was called Ọnụnụ na Nshikọ Akọnache (Brewing and Refinement of Intelligence) or as it came to be called. Ịlụ Agwụ/Ịru Agwụ lit. the marriage of the two poles of intelligence. In the human faculty of the genome with its nearly inexhuastible sequence of DNA and RNA coding which Ndị Igbo has properly called Akpụkpa Oke na Nne, along with yet another faculty of the cognitive system called the pineal gland or pituitaries (Akpa Uche in Igbo bio-cosmology), these two faculties were held by ancients to be under the bio-psychic influence of Ụmụ Agbara Agwụ – an elder race of comic entities or spirits, far more advanced than humans in both capacity and longevity. The ancient observation and principle was simply put thus: by the primordial causation factor of natural affinity, specific genetic types of creatures of certain genetic qualities. This natural affinity is then enshrined in communal memory and made symbolically manifest in those special Emume (rite and ceremonies) which highlight Ogbụgba-Ndụ-Ndi-Mbụ-na-Aja-Ana lit. the cultural foundation principle of totemism or the ritual-enabled life-force bonding procedures of the first ancestors. Emume Agwụ and Ịru Agwụ set of rituals, properly so, constitutes once of such early totemic situations of Ndị Igbo.

The ancients held that two cosmic pillars of intelligence were channeled by all cosmic beings as Akọ Nne na Akọ Nna (Intuition and Intellect; the disharmonized perception mode of which is called Ose Ọbala). It was discovered that, naturally at birth, human beings came with four basic generic type of features, two of which were more of ‘default’ and feminine in character, while the other two features which were ‘emulated’ – had a masculine character to them. These dual poles of intelligence within human beings were micro-cosmologically localized as genome (Akpụkpa) and instincts (Akọ). The default features, it was learnt, primarily defined one’s nature or speciation, while the emulated features presented an initial maneuverable take-off pad for one’s unique response and optimal interaction levels with the environment. Often these two poles clashed at points of traumatic events in the life of a human being, thereby causing fundamental distortions in the psychological field of such persons. This distorted perception resulting from the two clashing poles of the psyche is called Agbara Agwụ. But whenever the two poles were properly fused into one ritually (Ọlụlụ Agwụ lit harmonious fusion/marriage of the dual psychological force poles of intelligence), then undistorted clairvoyant perception and advanced instinctive flow of interaction with cosmic nature becomes possible for a human being. For as the harmonized instincts henceforth generated flow in synchronicity with the Ụmụ Agwụ-ritually operated, healed, or ‘attuned’ genetics of the initiate, only then dose higher interaction with nature open up for an individual. As earlier pointed out, Agwụ spirits and their various incarnations and avatars throughout the cosmos, were recognized by the ancients as a specific race of wise beings or elder cosmic entities, who, archetypally are the custodians of this cosmic instituted power called intelligence, whose unified cosmic station is called Aka Ose (Uche). These were the Agwụ race of beings, pantheonised as a cosmic extension of the Igbo communal kinship model of Nne + Nna + Nwa, where we now have Nne Agwụ + Oke Agwụ + Nwa Agwụ. Within this non-human order of spirit called Ọra Agwụ, the Nne Agwụ spirit caliber of this race are primordially designated as the governess of the Agwụ cosmic institution and his power. To be sure, the Ụmụ Agbala Agwụ constitutes an entirely sub-pantheon of tutelary beings in the greater pantheon of Igbo deities (i.e. ancestral cosmic elder entities or ancestral cosmic guardians). As Ndị Mbụ, they belong in the highest Igbo pantheon of ancestral entities and through their earlier primeval direct interactions with the later Igbo superhuman ancestors (Ndị Egede), they tutored humanity adeptly and assisted in ushering the very first templates of what we now call Omenala i.e. a grand cult of civilization = culture. This rank of entities are divinely obligated to observe the manifest cosmos through the capacity of specific celestial bodies known as stars (Kpakpando = Kpakpankpa Ndụ) and report back to Chi-Ukwu the Supreme spirit via the Aka Ose Uche cosmic station. At the same time, the Nne Agwụ simultaneously communicates with those members of the Agwụ race of beings and all affiliated with them, through specially dedicated set of instincts called Kpakpankpa Agwụ. The Oke Agwụ entities, on the other hand – are primordially designated with the status of stational tutelaries, facilitating and overseeing the quantum telematic bridging of dimensions, procurement of new information and serving as protective guarding entities of certain hidden knowledge not meant for certain time era of the universal seasons. We are to bear in mind that the ancient Igbo people also hold that the universe itself possesses a soul, which soul they aptly title and ritually channell as Olisa-Chi-Ukwu lit. the consumer of seven or the infinity defying one. The Igbo also say that Amụma si na Olisa abịa lit. all inspirations, past, present and future, have their source in Olisa the one great universal soul of Chi-Ukwu. The Nwa Agwụ or Ụmụ Inyom na Okoro Agwụ spirit are, in this light, the true messengers and the ones whose duty it is to incarnate in specifically designated terrestrial types at the beginning of each universal season for the divine purpose of prompting the characteristic inspirations that will trend or drive the terrestrial creatures of the universe into the cosmic character programmed for each cosmic season. All together, this trinity of entities in a family or sub-pantheon of spirit speciation called Ọra Agwụ are responsible for guarding and transmitting the actual undying spiritual light (Anwụ) of revelations, true knowing, original vision and wisdom.

In very ancient times, the Agwụ divine trinity stood for the sacred triad principle of knowledge, devoted and wisdom. These were called the three psychic forces whose soul-borne internal crystallization is known to birth the true spiritual light of illumination or enlightenment. These triad of entities were portrayed as seen in powerful trance-delivered visions by powerful Dibịa lineage of our planet’s first Ụga Chi world age, through which means we received some of the earliest imageries of what these subtle beings who operated the great cosmic intelligence networks – looked like. While some of the imageries were directly ‘filtered’ from the ultraviolet light frequency curtains of the ritually modified subtle space or astral portal, used for communing with these entities. One may also observe the stunning ancient global uniformity of style in depicting Ụmụ Agbara Agwụ beings. The classic Igbo quantum telematics configurations that go into the setting up, consecration and personalized synchronization of Okwu Agwụ shrine portals and its varied types – will have to be addressed at another time. So also the bio-psychic installation or initiation (lit. Ịru Agwụ Dibịa) of the true Dibịa, whose ultimate spiritual descent is traced to the Nwa Agwụ cosmic spirit rank of the greater Ụmụ Agbara Agwụ trinity, giving birth to the very ancients observation that Dibịa wụ Agbara. This is also the origin of the Eze Agwụ official ritual titular of Ndi Dibịa in ancient Igbo land, which expressed the fact that the properly initiated Dibịa was installed into the spiritual position and responsibility of an archetypal human avatar, leader and human custodian of the Agwụ Cult. Again, generally, the existence of Ụmụ Agbara beings can be better described as been in the cosmic status of immortality and superhuman prowess. With the cosmos itself infinitely needing its cumulative sentience emanated or converted into the existential state called creation, so will Agwụ beings always be needed and present to attend to and guard the processes of intelligence. To put this into a more terrestrial context, just as bees (Ańụ/Anwụ) were designed to attend to and guard the processes of fertility here within the terrestrial life network or eco-system of our planet, so do Agwụ beings dutifully attend to the processes of intelligence throughout the grand cosmic intelligence network.

Classically, Emume Agwụ rites were originally designed as easily memorisable spiritual procedures for psychically accessing one’s ancestral genius pool, establishing a personalized genius management system for such unique genetic contents and rectifying connections with the appropriate rank of Ụmụ Agbara Agwụ beings linked with one’s unique ancestral genetic signatures or genetic genius loci within the greater cosmic intelligence network order. When this ritual alignment or synchronization of intelligence is not carried out and properly installed bio-psychically into an individual’s consciousness, the ancients propounded that unending fleets of psychological distortions will rid the intelligence process of such individuals. The Ịrụ Agwụ rite therefore – was a four-ritual staged process which commenced with the quantum telematics simulation of the dual pillars of intelligence, preceding ritual interface. This is accomplished using Okpesị Agwụ Oke na Nne properly carved from Ogirishi wood (new bouldia). The two poles (Akpụkpa na Akọ) symbolically erected (psychically mirrored) and consecrated i.e telematically configured and activated – were expected to be become fused and fine tuned in operation within the initiated. The fusion was expected to produce a synthesis of the dual force in the initiate’s consciousness (Aka Nta/Aka Ijite), which expressed itself in the form of a new, original awareness perceptive harmony (Akọ si na Akpụkpa Nne + Akọ si na Akpụkpa Nna) and the truly ease-characterized primordial flow with nature called Amara Chi i.e grace of the nature state, which makes one to seem to be operating with an economy of force. In effect, by virtue of cosmic providence, as the Akọ Nne unit of intelligence controls the RNA thus Agwụ influence the DNA through this mode to produce ever-unique responses to nature’s ever-changing states of energy and events – in the initiate. The universal symbols or sign (Arịma) carved into the Okpesi Ụmụ Agwụ are classic Igbo spirit signatures or sigils (Ọwa Mmụọ/Ọwa Agbala/Mkpa Mmụọ), primordially sourced from Nkwọ-Agbara-Ọkpụ the chief spirit gate keeper of our universe’s astral dimensional gates – for purpose of spirit invocation. These universally potent sigils that are made on the Okpesị ritual devices or totems, identifies them as inter-dimensional communication device and like the electric current circuit grids carved into the electronic circuitry boards of today’s contemporary tech. devices – to basically enable a transmission of kinetic energy to “arouse” the “dormant” potential energy of the device into interface activity – the Okpesị Ụmụ Agbala and its varied set of plug-ins or components once activated, granted one the privilege of having a compact, customized multi-channel-capacity and multitasking quantum intelligence “wisdom” into cosmos.

These carved sigils are in-laid with the shredded powder of Nzu and Edo, which are primordially indentified natural smart essences (solar and lunar plasmic substance) capable of vibrating at very high, subtle energy sensitivity levels for at least four days and four nights, upon exposure into the atmosphere. In effect, these ancients Igbo people whose harmonious perception of the cosmos is unmatched till this day – discovered that the energy behavior or interaction of these two smart materials with the environment were exceptional and very benefits for humans, for these two substance charged the atmosphere of ritual spaces to a certain desirable frequency or energy pitch which was highly attractive to those caliber of pure spirits as are found in the Igbo divinity pantheons, the Ụmụ Agbara Agwụ included. This was done to elicit the beneficial attention of the Ụmụ Agbara Agwụ in this subtle realm, as these mythical substances have been primordially honored by these beings as a worthy form of spiritual permit or invitation into higher cosmic realms. Thus said, the second ritual stage of the Ịrụ Agwụ rite was the entity-specific “incantational channeling” and wormhole-ushering” (Ịlọ Agbala/Ịlọ Mmụọ/Ịkpọtu Agbala) of the Ọha Agwụ non-human spirit beings cosmologically affiliated with one’s ancestral genetic genius type – to be seated (Ịnye Ọnọdụ) into this 3rd dimensional zone of the cosmos in the state of Agbara Lọrọ Ụwa i.e a pure spirit being whom has ritually possessed a totemic space, creature or consecrated device, as its sacred vehicle of materialized incarnation. The Ịlọ Agbala Agwụ Ụwa ritual goal is achieved with the offering – among other things – of Okeọkpa, Nneukwu, Abụke Na Uriom Ọkụkọ Igbo, (native Igbo cock, hen, cockerel and chick) at varied stages of the Ịlọ Agbala Agwụ Ụwa incarnation ritual stage.

Foundationally in Ọdịnala, ritual signifies series of sacred actions in sacred time or a sacred moment in time. Therefore, the sacred ritual moment of blood offering in what it says: a key ritual act in series of ritual actions comprising a comprehensive Ọdịnala rite. In the simple act possessing a knowledge which made it possible that, synchronizing specific types of animal blood from ritual sacrifices with other smart mystic substances in specific modes moods, intentions based on eco-specific characters and well observed reactions in cosmic nature – the resulting meta-substance conducted or conjured-up a strong etheric force field into place which could power a temporary or constant tortus vertex for enabling interdimesional streaming of information, hyper-translocation of beings and objects between realms, among other things – this daring application of observed reality to the needs of spirituality and well-being at such an early time in the story of humanity as observed in the compressed mystic kernels of primordial knowledge (Abịa) preserved and transmitted via the core of many Igbo ritual procedures, simply gives away the glaring fact that the ancients where obviously experiencing and expounding a very subtle, unfiled system of spiritual epistemology, a glaring synthesis of scientific technique and ritual arts, now variously known as mysticism, magic, the primordial technique, the sacred arts and sciences, the ancients way, the way of the elders etc. the Okwu Agwụ where these rite were executed were really varied calibers of miniaturized quantum activity enabling stations, where the ancients employed these subtle natural agents and resources scientifically (viz. Abịa ọgwụ ka dibịa jiri bụrụ eze agwụ. Ọ afa ka e bolụ ifenine ọgwụ na eri sị ya gbabalụ ụwa. Ire ka ana achọ na ọgwụ. Ọgwụ di ire, o tuo dibịa gwọlụ ya ugo) and in very artful ritual sequences (viz. Nka ka eji agbado mmụọ. Nka ka eji agọ mmụọ. Nka ka eji eme mmọnwụ) to accomplish higher cosmological purpose, task or needs. In direct procession, the third ritual stage in the Ịrụ Agwụ comprehensive rite is called the Orịkọ Ụmụ Agwụ which sees the Agwụ initiate, Dibịa or non-Dibịa as the case may be—proceed with a ritually shared communion of seven elements presented before the naturally very flighty Ụmụ Agbara Agwụ now etherically domesticated in the Okpesị Ụmụ Agwụ. Effectively, these ritual communion elements end up in the hands of the initiate transmuted by the now very subtle etherically-vibrant energy presence of the Agwụ beings in the enshrined space. The consummated elements were ritually designed to infuse the psychic field of the initiate with vibrations of well-beings preceding the major dream-state delivered nocturnal pscyhogeetic optimization operation of the Ụmụ Abanị Agwụ nocturnal speciation type of Agwụ beings. Also, this commune marks the end of the third ritual sequence as well as the first half of the comprehensive rite.

The fourth stage in the sequence is the ritual Anya, which is carried out on the next Eke or Nkwọ day, at the Igbo cosmological diurnal time beacon called Amani Aka Egbe Anyanwụ i.e. Midday or high-noon hourly moment (Amani) when the sun is set to shoot off its bitting arrows of heat into space. In this rite, the initiate having had their Akpa Agwụ operated by the Ụmụ Abanị Agwụ spirit beings the previous night, now has Akpa Uche (pineal gland and pituituary bodies) operated upon by the Dibịa by orally administrating a mild psychedelic portion brewed from dried Ogirishi Leafs, Ọjị Igbo (Igbo Kolanut) and Nkwụ Kwere Izu (4-days fermented palmwine). This is followed by the administering of a second, third and fourth set of portion jointly called Ọgwụ Nshikọ Akọ na Uche. These are properly mixed with blood of a pure white native cock (Egbenu/Okeọkpa Igbo) and administered eyes and nose using fresh Ogirishi leave to funnel the liquid. Some are then cut as incisions into the palm, wrists, ankle and shoulder blades, if the initiate were on the path of initiation towards officiating as a Dibịa. Lastly, some of the portions are administered into ears of the initiated employing a white feather from the offered fowl, soaked in Ogirishi-infused water or alcoholic schnapps. This is called the ritual act of Ịtụwa Ntị and opens up the initiate to vistas of previously inaudible sounds surrounding them, as well as distant ones from other realms. Upon completing these psychotherapeutic administration, the Dibịa merely exist the stage as the fifth stage (Isemalụse Agwụ) where Agwụ becomes manifest to the initiate dawns upon them, as the now perceptually sound and heightened new consciousness of the initiate launched them into full-spectrum, cosmic intelligence interface, knowing and seeing beyond space and time, seeing through the subtle frequency curtain or dimensional veils of the cosmos, which prevents Ofeke and other kinds of being from seeing or interacting with the beings of such subtle realms.

Thus, the ancient Ịlụ Agwụ/Iru Agwụ rite was classically designed as a rite for the transmutational optimization of the human perceptual power system called intelligence, the spontaneous fruit of a wild, primordial, infinitely active two headed serpents called Oke na Nne Agwụ. When genuinely executed, this rite is intended to unlash upon one’s awareness a unified expansive vision of life and ever increasing higher vistas of knowledge. Through the ritual perfection of the perception powers in a human being i.e. Ọnụnụ na Nshikọ (Brewing and refinement of Intelligence), the initiate directly realizes Elele-Ọma-Agwụ state of perceptive blissfulness which comes from the calm, inner knowing of the harmonious mind; a fair rarity in our time. A rarity which is however said to be immortally enjoyed by Ụmụ Agbala in their essential nature. This authentic bare perception of reality as it is – is called the truth principle, and this force of authenticity called truth acquired through undistorted exploration of cosmic nature holds within it, the real the power of intelligence. The wizened Ogirishi trees and its ritual complementing tree known as Okwe Ụmụ Agwụ both stood as the primordial totemic Igbo trees of wisdom and knowledge respectively, since the dawn of Igbo culture; enshrining the essence of the two cosmic pillars of Intelligence, Akọ Nne na Akọ Nna (Intuition + Intellect). As primordially, the grand principles of intelligence as an independent cosmic power is proven to rest on two pillars, the ancients Igbo people sought to leave their footprint in the sands of times, by their effort to preserve the very answers they discovered on the mystery of intelligence by encoding them into the same rituals designed to respectively “brew” and “refine” the intelligence processes of a human being. By ritually classifying the Ogirishi trees as Ogirishi-Ụmụ-Agwụ and scientifically denoting it as Osisi-Akọnauche-Ndị-Mbụ, among other feats – the ancients were ritually engrooving and mnemonically patenting their discoveries for easy access to future descendants, making some of the very earliest classic Igbo ritual procedures bearers of intangible time capsules, designed to infuse our wary minds of today’s lesser world with ancient memories of hope, truth and other cherished qualities, preserved as an auspicious vision of what the earlier harmonious eras of human advancement and prosperity in times far gone looked like, as well as what it could potentially always be.

Nze Chukwukadibịa E. Nwafọr (Omenigbo Nwa Anwụ Ushi Odirimatachi) is a native of Ụmụnze in Agụata Clan of Orumba South LGA, Anambra State. He is a writer, philanthropist, technologist, artist, Dibịa and advocate of indigenous African knowledge systems and spiritual heritage. A lifelong-learner and advanced practitioner of Igbo medicine and sacred teachings, he is also a fully-investitured culture bearer and spiritual lineage holder (Eze Aka Ji Ọfọ Ọdịnala) of Ụrụrọ-Ụmụnze descent. His dedicated efforts towards the total awakening of Igbo contemporary humanity have propelled him to introduce and teach the first comprehensive cyber course on Igbo Cosmology on the Udemy Universal Courses Digital Platform. His general publications on the cosmological knowledge and extensive wisdom heritage of Igbo culture are widely read. His first book, Leopards of the Magical Dawn: Science and the Cosmological Foundations of Igbo Culture was published in the United States in 2014 and is available in bookstores worldwide. He lives and works in Nigeria.

#kemetic dreams #african #african spirituality #spirituality #igbo #igbo culture #igbo religion

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dthai · 4 years ago

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Divine Virtualization

„God exists. And He isn't interested in us until we become interested in Him, in Him exclusively. Do you understand what I am saying?Exclusively!Twenty four hours a day. Your hearts and minds filled only with God. There's no room for anything else.“[1]

The sound of processing resonated in the empty and vast hall. The innumerable quantum computers were towering like Corinthian columns, beeping in the background. Everywhere little lights were flashing on the walls and passing like meteor showers. This building (…)breathes, her voice sings transcendental rememberings and knowledge.

Then came the response of the artificial intelligence living in the house.

„He who has only found a reflexion of himself in the fantastic reality of heaven where he looked for a superman, will no longer be willing to find only the semblance of himself, only the sub human, where he seeks and ought to find his own reality. The foundation of the criticism of religion is: Man makes religion, religion does not make man. Religion indeed is man’s self consciousness and self estimation while he has not found his feet in the universe. But Man is no abstract being, squatting outside the world. Man is the world of men, the State, society.“ [2]

Silence fell again. A minute passed and the exiled Pope tried a second time.

„Interesting theory. But […] it is wrong.Can you see far?Yes. And I have proof of the existence of God.“ [3]

The mechanical voice interrupted suddenly:

“[…] Proof?Or evidence, assumptions, daydreams?[…]

Technology has no truth conditions, for it is unconditionally true; and the contradiction is on no condition true.[4]

Technology,[…] fills the world.The boundaries of the world are also its boundaries. In logic, therefore, we cannot say, there is this and this in the world, but not that, for to say so would apparently presuppose that we exclude certain possibilities, and this cannot be the case, since it would require that logic should go beyond the boundaries of the world as if it could contemplate these boundaries from the other side also. What we cannot think we cannot think, therefore we also cannot say what we cannot think. [5]

Lenny […]had to have felt this temptation, the temptation to do an injustice to […] God , to be unfair to him, that is, in this case, to write him into the age of […] digitalization. He must have felt it outside or within himself. Indeed, such a temptation must still be threatening and liable to reemerge since it is still necessary to call for vigilance[…] [6]

Falling in a deep thought, he starts walking through quieter, dimmer areas of […] the house, his way is lit progressively, triggered by every step.[7]

Intelligent lighting detects motion and increases in brightness accordingly.

He then articulated his new thoughts:

„[…]God […] observe[d] […] from on high, and if he sings its praises, it is because his laughter is the inexhaustible good humour of the gods themselves. For the madness of man is a sight for divine eyes: In brief, if you could look down from the moon […]and see the innumerable broils of mortals, you would think you were looking at a great cloud of flies or gnats quarrelling among themselves, warring, plotting, plundering, playing, frisking, being born, declining, dying.It is downright incredible what tumults, what tragedies can be stirred up by such a tiny creature, so frail and short lived. Madness is no longer the familiar strangeness of the world, but a spectacle well known to the observer from outside; not a figure of the cosmos, but merely of the order of the aevum. [8]

What is needed is a cool head, and whenever necessary, a dose of severity. Algortithms […]should control […] all behaviour. The only string that still vibrates within us is fear

Can one speak of responsibility or assume a responsibility without difficulty and without anguish?[…] [9]

(This) There is (the) only one way to oblige us to change the direction of our attention after so many years spent neglecting what was taking place behind our backs.If the “angel of geohistory” is starting to look ahead with horror and incredulity, it is because she has become aware that there is a threat and that she has waged a war that will never cease if she denies it!To put it baldly: in the face of what is to come, we cannot continue to believe in the old future if we want to have a future at all. »[10]

Lenny paused for a second expecting a smart interjection. But he could only hear the pleasant breeze from the cooling system. He then continued:

[…]I will become what […] I call a “global automaton” imposing divine logic over the economy and society at large. A complex of new disciplinary cyborg who “lays down for each individual his place, his body, his disease and his death, his well being** and extends to the “ultimate determination of the individual, of what characterizes him, of what belongs to him, of what happens to him.[11]

This power in the hierarchical surveillance of the disciplines is not possessed as a thing, or transferred as a property; it functions like a piece of machinery. The next eternity will be characterized by “an explosion of numerous and diverse techniques for achieving the subjugation of bodies and the control of populations.

Men will neither be a natural fact nor a product of his own creativity, but a cyborg even then, an android straight off the production lines of modernity’s disciplines.What makes this figure so tragic is. the. extent to which he has been programmed to believe in his own autonomy. These are finest achievements of modern power. [12]

Further, man can only possess freedom when his whole being is unified in the pursuit of a single end; and, as his whole being can be unified only in pursuit of a divine end.

From then on it is no mystery where the images come from; humans and their experiences are the material from which the official dreams about God are made. The religious eye projects earthly images into heaven.[13]

Thus, in themselves, they no longer have to do with anything but ‘sensations' celestial, infernal, or terrestrial sensations. Everything is made to pass through the code; the religious sentiment is painted in all the colors of the world. One must not say, ‘If God does not exist, everything is permitted'. It is just the opposite* ‘For with God, everything is permitted’.!

Ressources:

[1]Young Pope

[2]Delphi Collected Works of Karl Marx

[3]Young Pope

[4] Asimov, Complete Robot Anthology

[5] Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico Philosophicus

[6] Zizek, Less Than Nothing

[7]Koolhaas, Elements of Architecture

[8]Foucault, History of Madness

[9]Foucault, History of Madness

[10]Latour, Facing Gaia

[11] Castells, The Rise of the Network Society

[12] Plant, Zeros and Ones

[13] Braidotti Hlavajova, Posthuman Glossary

[14]Braidotti Dolphijn, Philosophy After Nature

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khancrackers · 7 years ago

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Six years after the rebels of Celestial Mechanics turned the Lunar Gravity Well inside-out, and put an end to humanity's role in space, the new unified space program founded to understand and confront an actualized alien threat to Earth is long dead. Its three children now pick over its corpse for scraps. Each faction has a radically different vision of humanity's future in a world that no longer belongs to them, and each will fight to the last to ensure that their particular flavor of extra-terrestrial diplomacy is realized.

It is the eve of humanity's second civil war in space, and three young women, brought together by circumstance, will come to shape the course of human history. Luna willing, they'll get into some hot-blooded mech fights and sloppy makeout sessions along the way.

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On the other side of Sol, a world nearly identical to Earth has been discovered. The team are sent to investigate, but things don't go entirely according to plan...

This week on Reach Heaven By Violence: "It's just like [insert applicable pop culture reference here]!"

#heaven will be mine #reach heaven by violence #fate core #actual play logs #hwbm #fanfic

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sort-of-ok-reviews · 3 years ago

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Space Oddity (A.K.A David Bowie, Man of Words/Man Of Music) – 1969

One song. Often, that’s all it takes to separate the starving artist from the cultural icon. And while some may fail to bloom under the shadow that one song casts, others can adapt, overcome, and become more than just a top 5 track on the UK singles chart. However, this does not mean the struggle to become known for more than just a single is any less difficult. And for a period, David Bowie squirmed under the weight of Space Oddity, a track that would come to define a iconic aspect of his ever-changing public persona: the allure of the extra-terrestrial.

Space Oddity’s success can largely be accredited to two factors: the perfect storm of events, and Bowie’s ability to read the cultural climate. Several stoned screenings of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey coloured the artist’s imagination with shades of isolation and the bold unknown, and with the single being released in the same month of the iconic Apollo 11 mission, it’s success as a perceived novelty record was all but assured (Hell, the track was even used as background music by the BBC during their coverage of the launch.). A new deal was then struck with Mercury and Philips Records, so that they could strike while the iron was hot; A new album that would capitalize on the success of the celestial single.

And I mean, it did have name power on its side! (When it wasn’t using one of several false US identities.) When first scouring through the Bowie catalogue post spiritual awakening via Ziggy, I was drawn to this album: This is where that Major Tom song came from! and a dissociative yet disgusted gaze from our curly locked artist smack dab in the middle of the cover intrigued me even more. And as a high school student with a growing appreciation for the folksier side of 60’s psychedelia, seeing how my favourite artist tackled the genre with a...looser approach provided a decidedly unique album experience. But enough pre-amble, let’s get into it shall we?

So, What’s It Like?

Despite Space Oddity’s psychedelic rock leanings, the album that surrounds it instead opts for a folksy flavour, with smatterings of blues here and there. It could be considered that Bowie has swapped the Newley influence for a Bob Dylan one, as tracks like Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed make it hard to not make comparisons. However, I would argue that this may be one of the album’s biggest strengths. The soundscapes present on Space Oddity are considerably more unified than on the previous record, presenting a coherent album experience where one track flows near seamlessly into the other. Almost every track offers a lighter, stripped back approach to its instrumentation that does wonders in boosting Bowie’s credibility as a figure aligned with contemporary culture, rather than adjacent to it. The more focused application of electric guitar across several tracks should also be credited for this, providing a bit more edge to an otherwise softer pop persona. This stripped back instrumentation also produces a considerably more intimate affair, supported by uncharacteristically vulnerable lyricism from Bowie: think of the frankly honest anguish over heartbreak in Letter to Hermione, the exhausted aggression against cliché in Cygnet Committee. It is here, that Bowie’s lyricism lightly strays from character studies, and eyes social commentary through a lens of disillusionment. After all, Bowie’s late arrival to the free love movement positioned him as an outlier, not fully convinced by the passive idealism of its frontrunners. From a retrospective sense, the album potentially offers a pastiche of 60’s counterculture as the dying embers of free love began to flicker out at the dawn of the new decade: a passionate, yet self-aware embrace of what was hot from someone who never fully bought into it. Imitation would become an integral part of Bowie’s DNA, potentially suggesting this record was integral in the development of Bowie’s chameleon like approach to pop.

However, this stance comes from the perspective of an obsessive geek who may be reading into a 53-year-old album just a tad too much. Occasionally, the somewhat rushed production surfaces through tracks with meandering, slightly half-baked ideas: while pleasant sounding, An Occasional Dream lacks a succinct purpose on the record other than to be folksy and dripping with a faux psychedelic sentimentality that could almost be mistaken with the debut album’s design philosophies. And Janine, while offering a uniquely macabre lyrical focus for folk (Hot Girl is MURDERER?) Instrumentally does little to stand out from an album that already has a heavy guitar focus; It becomes slightly lost in a soup of 60’s nostalgia, even though the decade is yet to finish. And despite its legendary status, Space Oddity does suffer somewhat ironically in terms of fitting the more grounded themes of the record designed around it.. While sonically more unified, Space Oddity’s most prevalent problem seems to arise in whether it wants to embrace the culture that influences it, of offer a tongue and cheek response to it. Perhaps it didn’t quite have enough time to answer.

What’s Worth Listening To?

Space Oddity: The importance of this song can never be overstated. The story of Major Tom’s mission gone wrong has become household mythology, and it remains as one of the most popular space themed singles to this day (Take THAT, Rocketman.) I think this can be attributed to the harmony between its future facing sound design, and clear lyrical focus; themes of isolation come clear through the superb bass work, and that stylophone expertly conveys the epic and somewhat tragic scale of the narrative through its imitation of orchestral strings. Bowie’s vocal delivery should also be credited, crafting an emotion halfway between fear and ambivalence. A masterwork.

Letter to Hermione: A moment of vulnerability on the record creates one of Bowie’s more honest tracks. Having broken up with Hermione Farthingale, this song means to convey Bowie’s mourning over the lost relationship. With the only instrumental feature being layers of acoustic guitar, it creates an wonderfully intimate experience where the raw emotion in Bowie’s vocal performance is allowed to take centre stage. A truly underrated song.

Cygnet Committee: Despite an overly ambitious length for its content (9 minutes, oy vey…) Cygnet Committee offers a sweeping, epic perspective on the hypocrisies of the hippie counterculture. Bowie’s lyricism is at its strongest here, setting a tone of exhaustion and desperation against the passive sense of idealism that defined the culture. The last two minutes of the song I would argue as the highlight of the track, the rising emotion in Bowie’s voice (HE WANTS TO LIVE, DAMN YOU) combined with the upward scale of the guitar create for a truly triumphant call for freedom.

Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud: This track would occasionally see some use on the later day Ziggy tours, and it is not hard to see why: A more fleshed out orchestral sound on this track gives it a grand scale, and the lyrical focus of a societal outcast rebelling and succeeding against the grain offers flashes of a proto-glam philosophy. I have a particular soft spot for this track, the harp and trumpet used in this track are incredible, and the lyric of “You’ll lose me though I’m always really free.” Always sets the soul ablaze. One of the strongest cuts from the brief hippy fixation.

God Knows I’m Good: Weird little characters? We’ve still got them! This song focuses on a kindly old woman fearfully stealing some tinned food, justifying her theft by claiming that, funnily enough, God knows she’s good. An interesting exploration of morality vs spirituality in a modern context, this track gives also gives strong Dylan vibes through the acoustic fixation.

Memory of a Free Festival: Smatterings of Hey Jude and Free Love romanticism make up this final track in which Bowie recalls the idyllic and near-perfect occurrences of one summer afternoon at a Beckenham Arts Lab festival. The track almost has a humorous quality when the truth of the day is revealed (apparently, Bowie had something of a temper tantrum on the day from “materialistic arseholes” selling posters and hamburgers.) But let it be said that the truth never got in the way of a good song writing opportunity. The song’s mellow, stoner-lite atmosphere is deeply enjoyable, and maintained by the soothing notes of a chord organ, and the chorus chanting nearing the end really invokes the sense of community that is likely intended. Always one for theatrics, I suggest the song represents the closing of what the 60’s represented to Bowie, and the promise of what the 70’s may bring. Tall Venusians invokes a type of space age fantasy, after all.

Final Thoughts?

Overall, Space Oddity is an immense improvement over Bowie’s first record and works well as a transitionary point between the cultural artefact period of his career, and the golden run of records that arguably began with the immediately successive album. As a music history nerd, Bowie’s take on the folk centric psychedelia that dominated the late 60’s remains fascinating in its passionate artificiality and shows stronger hints that a unique voice was being developed amidst the chameleon-esque soundscapes of the Beatles, The Stones, and Bob Dylan. Ultimately, this is a good record that slightly suffers from a rushed production period, and from the shadow that the title track casts over it. The record listening crowd can be a fickle beast to tame, and it was clear the mainstream public's expectations of Bowie were all over the place. This is evident from the album’s mixed critical reception that still stands to this day. However, this view ultimately diminishes the quality of song writing that is present on this record. While occasionally unsure of its tone or stance, the branching out to societal commentary alongside character studies firmly places Bowie as a strong lyricist not to be scoffed at, and the instrumentation present here sets the stage for a much more contemporary, albeit embryonic David Bowie. If you’re a fan of the genre this album parades, there is something to get out of it. However, it may take more than one listen to fully appreciate it, but I would say that this a record that well rewards your patience with repeat listens. I'd also heavily recommend listening to the 2019 mix of this album: The production value really allows for the instrumentation to sound more lush, and the addition of fan favorite B-Side Conversation Piece is simply marvelous. Give it a spin and decide for yourself.

“Kind of iffy, in that musically it never really had a direction.... I don’t think that I as the artist, had a focus about where it should go.” David Bowie on Space Oddity, 2000.

Score: 7/10

#david bowie #70's #60's #60s psychedelia #space oddity #space #classic rock #rock #folk #bob dylan #the beatles #music #musicals #lgbtq #hippy aesthetic #1969

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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How Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Unlocks the Marvel Cosmos for Gamers

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You know the gang: Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, Groot. The space-faring band of heroes is back in Eidos Montreal’s Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and once again, they’re in deep trouble. They’ve crossed the wrong warlord—the monster-collecting Lady Hellbender—and now she wants their heads. So, as per usual, Peter Quill and his ragtag team of weirdos hatch an outrageous plan to save their own skins while preventing an intergalactic war from breaking out.

As comic fans know all too well, the Marvel cosmology offers a deep well of stories, characters, and locations to pull from, and the team at Eidos Montreal delved deep into the Marvel mythos for inspiration.

“From the Nova Corps to Knowhere, from the Blood Brothers to Cosmo, from Lady Hellbender and her Hellraisers to Seknarf Nine, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy delivers big on sci-fi shenanigans,” says Marvel Games creative director Bill Rosemann. Franchise mainstays like the aforementioned Cosmo the Space Dog and Mantis can be spotted in the handful of game trailers released so far.

But a Marvel story is only as good as its villains, and Guardians of the Galaxy has some very interesting big bads. First appearing in Totally Awesome Hulk #1 in 2015, Marguerite Hellbender, known as Lady Hellbender to her subjects (and enemies), is the mace-swinging warrior regent of Seknarf Nine. Her mission in life is to scour the galaxy for rare beasts to add to her ever-growing menagerie of monsters who do her bidding and act as something of a found family. In Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, her monster-whisperer gifts are on full display when she tames a deadly tara-tara in front of the Guardians’ very eyes.

Lady Hellbender is joined by the much more peculiar Grand Unifier Raker, a Cardinal of the Universal Church of Truth, who intends to deliver the Guardians to the Church’s mysterious, almighty Matriarch. And while it’s yet to be seen whether the game will feature other fan-favorites from Guardians stories, like Adam Warlock, Yondu, The Collector, or Galactus, it’s a safe bet that we’ll see a few familiar faces across the game’s planet-hopping campaign.

Deep space is a major shift from the Earth-set locales of recent Marvel titles like Avengers and Spider-Man. According to the game’s senior creative director, Jean-François Degas, Eidos found the cosmic setting to be nothing short of “liberating.”

“It was actually really fun to explore crazy ideas that didn’t have to be explained on a terrestrial scientific level all the time,” Degas explains. “We aimed at developing believable concepts, not necessarily realistic ones. For example, since we travel from location to location, sometimes we end up on weird planets. We wanted the enemies the Guardians encounter to feel just as weird as the planets themselves.”

One of these planets is Seknarf Nine, where the Guardians face enemies called “Jack-o-Gels,” which look like giant, jiggly Jell-O™ cubes on the outside but are actually deadly, sentient spiked balls on the inside. There are also Tara Taras, which are seemingly feeble, rodent-like creatures covered in gurgling orbs that allow them to mimic the forms of more formidable beasts. Unsurprisingly, they’re high on Lady Hellbender’s wishlist.

And then there’s one of the most iconic locations in Guardians history: Knowhere, the planet-sized severed head of a Celestial where travelers from across the universe gather to trade (and rip each other off). It also serves as an enormous science station where the greatest minds in the galaxy can perform secret experiments. It’s definitely the kind of place where the Guardians could find a bit of trouble.

Strange planets and grotesque creatures are essential ingredients in the Guardians formula, but what the game is about, at its core, are the social dynamics between the Guardians themselves. Players play exclusively as Peter Quill, better known as Star-Lord, who must navigate the different interpersonal relationships within the team both on and off the battlefield. It’s a bold design choice to limit player control to Quill when all of the more unique alien team members are right there, but according to Degas, the idea is to allow players to experience what it’s like to be the leader of a dysfunctional family of mercs and misfits.

“When you are a leader, it doesn’t mean that people agree with your direction all the time,” Degas explains. “You have to act as someone who can rally people towards a common goal. We wanted to tap into this while making it fun.”

During the game’s story-driven sections, Peter is presented with choices, and the decisions he makes will please some team members while pissing off others, which will affect how they act on the battlefield. For example, annoy Rocket and he may not want to follow your orders during a big fight. As Star-Lord, players can dart around the battlefield using his rocket boots and fire off his signature blasters and bombs, but more importantly, players must coordinate the team’s attacks. Learning to operate as a team is vital if you want to take down the game’s most challenging enemies, and it’s also one of the main themes of the story.

“Every great Guardians of the Galaxy story boils down to the idea of family,” says Rosemann. “Each member of our motley crew feels that they are the last of their kind, lost amongst the stars. One of our themes is grappling with, and hopefully overcoming, past trauma, which each character will face along this adventure.”

While the game’s characters and story are clearly inspired by the comics and movies that came before, the team at Eidos Montreal set out to make a version of the Guardians that stands on its own.

“Whether it’s the story behind Drax’s tattoos, the detailing on Gamora’s fearsome battle suit, or the original take on why Peter Quill took on the name ‘Star-Lord,’ as you play you’re going to enjoy how authentic and familiar the Guardians feel, but also be surprised by all of the originality that Eidos Montreal delivers,” Rosemann says.

Degas explains that from the very first meeting with Marvel, the goal was to make something that felt authentic yet new. “The key for us was to make these characters look familiar. But our Guardians also have different backstories from what people may know from movies or comics. There is a lot to discover in our game that doesn’t exist anywhere else.”

But one thing fans /will/ recognize right away is the killer soundtrack. Yes, the game has its own “Awesome Mix.” Culture Club, Blondie, Hot Chocolate, and Iron Maiden are just some of the bands on the tracklist.

Guardians of the Galaxy looks to offer brand-new space-capades for MCU fans and gamers alike while preserving the essence of what made these characters so popular in the first place—bad attitudes and a thirst for big adventure.

Just before heading into Lady Hellbender’s Menagerie Gardens for the first time, the Guardians pack Groot into a crate as bait—a rare species of monster she really needs to see—using him to bargain their way into the warlord’s fortress. Their plan isn’t exactly foolproof—but these aren’t just any fools. They’re the Guardians of the Galaxy! And if they fail miserably, well…at least they’ll do it together.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is out on Oct. 26 for PlayStation and Xbox consoles, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

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