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Charles Glazer photography

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it was nice seeing you at the devil's sacrament

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From now on I'll be sharing exclusive content on Patreon. If you like, you can follow me at: www.patreon.com/deathandmysticism

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Sculptures at St. Isaak’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia, are silhouetted by the rising full moon. Photo by Dmitry Lovetsky

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tree branch cross section with a star-shaped ring growth pattern we found during our internship this year. a very special phenomenon : )

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As we head into the final trimester, please pray that everything goes well for the birth of my daughter for both of us and that my husband can please, please, please get a job back here at home. I am almost always screaming with the pressure of my unexpected unemployment, pregnancy, and the fact he is in California- which is a huge emotional and financial burden.

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Jens and Round Frog have noticed that Trevor and Beverley are having Dinner and they would like to Help!

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Waiting at the front for Dinner with Beverley and Trevor!

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Edit: augh wrong blog

Hi ! Hope you’re doing well. I just have one question, I know that we have to honour our parents but what if both parents are abusif? Emotionally, physically and psychologically.

Is there any material about it?

I am not sure if there are particular books to read, and I would lean towards reaching out to a Priest as he likely knows resources and material and he can give you a much better answer than I could possibly hope to give.

That being said, we should understand that the commandment calls us to honour our parents. It does not command us to follow instructions that are contrary to the faith, it does not command us to live with them or put ourselves at risk of further harm. It does not even command us to speak with them. By removing yourself from a situation of abuse, you no longer give the abuser an opportunity to abuse. Establishing boundaries or cutting off contact with parents can be a merciful thing, because you are removing an opportunity for them to abuse.

Please understand strongly that what I am about to say is not meant to justify abusive parents, but to provide context. Often times, abusive parents grew up in abusive households themselves. They did not have safe and loving examples of what good and honourable parents look like. And likewise their parents were also likely in abusive home environments. This is known as generational trauma and the cycle of abuse. It does not justify it, lots of children of abusive families work on breaking that cycle and do not traumatise or abuse their children. This is work that their parents should have put in to not abuse them, but for whatever reason, they did not.

One of the ways in which we can honour our parents, is to be a good example. By working on healing the abuse that we experienced, and ensuring that this abuse does not impact our relationship with other people and especially our children if we choose to have them. To ensure that we are treating other people kindly. Blessed are the peacemakers! We can work on forgiving our parents from a distance, and pray that they experience genuine repentance and conversion to the faith. We do not have to put ourselves in harm's way to honour them.

Here is an excerpt from an article that may be helpful for you:

Once an adult child is no longer in contact with abusive parents, she may begin to heal. She may begin to learn what healthy relationships look like. She may begin to break the cycle of abuse. As this healing begins she may also begin the process of forgiveness. Forgiveness is not based in feelings, but rather in no longer wishing the offender ill. In the case of an adult child healing from an abuse, this process of forgiveness cannot really begin until he or she is safe from abuse. Once healing has begun, forgiveness can be a very long process. It can take decades to fully forgive hurt that occurred over the course of decades. The survivor of abuse must be patient with himself. Healing and forgiveness cannot happen overnight. They happen over time. But while the healing begins and the adult child is working toward forgiveness, that adult child is truly honoring her parents. It is work and suffering to break the cycle of abuse. However, the abuse survivor who breaks the cycle saves her family. As a priest told me, the survivor becomes “the filter” through which the love of generations may pass. She filters out the abuse and passes on any goodness. Although an abusive parent may see this as a threat to their control, rather than as honoring…it is honoring. It is honoring any good and working to forgive years of bad. Coupled with that is the opportunity to pray for the abusive parent. This prayer is more for the survivor than for the abuser. In the face of so much hurt and pain, the survivor cannot heal or forgive without grace. God alone can provide this healing and grace. This might not be something that a survivor can immediately do, but this prayer — rather than allowing further abuse — is what forgiveness and honoring look like.

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You should always pray for the salvation of others as you pray for your own salvation.

Saint John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

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Saint Basil the Great, On the Holy Spirit

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"The shift from the Afro-Caribbean zombie to the U.S. zombie is clear: in Caribbean folklore, people are scared of becoming zombies, whereas in U.S. narratives people are scared of zombies. This shift is significant because it maps the movement from the zombie as victim (Caribbean) to the zombie as an aggressive and terrifying monster who consumes human flesh (U.S.). In Haitian folklore, for instance, zombies do not physically threaten people; rather, the threat comes from the voduon practice whereby the sorcerer (master) subjugates the individual by robbing the victim of free will, language and cognition. The zombie is enslaved."

— Justin D. Edwards, "Mapping Tropical Gothic in the Americas" in Tropical Gothic in Literature and Culture.

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if you’re of the praying persuasion, please pray for my sister and sister in law. their baby seems poised to come five weeks premature. please pray mother and child come through unscathed in the coming weeks.

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I am considering trying to make a pretty big career switch. I would appreciate if you could pray for me, that in all the excitement and nervousness, I stay open to God's guidance instead of making decisions based on anxiety and worldly concerns