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serpentface · 7 months ago

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SPIRITUAL POLLUTION, THE GESTURES AGAINST EVIL, AND ABLUTION: A POST

The concepts of spiritual purity and pollution are central to the Faith of the Seven Faced God (and similar takes on the concept predate it throughout and beyond the immediate Wardi cultural sphere). There is no clean cut distinction between physical and spiritual health in this belief system (these concepts exist as a heavily overlapping venn diagram) and many methods intended to cleanse spiritual pollution address both realms.

The word for the concept referred to as spiritual pollution is 'mesechitse', which can translate to 'blockage' or 'severance' depending on the context (its underlying meaning is a pathway that has been stopped in some capacity).

At its core, spiritual pollution is a corruption of the living spirit (which is carried by/IS the blood). It causes both physical and spiritual problems. Polluted blood flows improperly and does not maintain the body’s natural stasis or integrity, causing or allowing disease or other bodily dysfunctions to occur. Many ailments are seen as wholly physical and internal in nature, occurring directly due to polluted blood flowing improperly and affecting key organs. Other diseases (particularly contagious or infectious disease) are known to be caused by dagi, which are harmful spirits that enter the body through orifices or wounds. A limited number of ailments (most notably pronounced schizophrenia-spectrum disorders or cognitive disabilities, unfortunately) are thought to be caused by possession by more powerful evil spirits.

At its worst, severe spiritual pollution is thought to impact or sever one's connection to God. Summarized very basically, severe pollution = blockage of flow between one's own living spirit and the greater spirit of God, which deprives a person of God's blessings and protection, severs them from the natural cycling of life and death (and prevents their necessary participation) and can put their afterlife in jeopardy.

Some degree of corruption to the living spirit is seen as completely inevitable and managed by the body, which physically expels some polluting agents via urine and feces, as well as menstruation (thus all of these substances are themselves dirty and polluting agents). It is reckoned as impossible for any living body to exist in a Completely spiritually pure state. The goal of cleansing (and broader practices revolving around spiritual integrity) is rather to maintain stasis of the body's natural cycling (and by extension a connection to God's living spirit) and to keep pollution contained and minimized.

If one's immortal soul successfully reaches the afterlife, it is then reborn into a spiritually pure existence incapable of being 'severed' from God in any capacity. God Itself is a spiritually pure being, but Its body and living spirit (the world and its cycles, manifested as Faces) is vulnerable. The purity of God's living spirit (and therefore the life-sustaining functions of the world that all beings depend upon) must be sustained, protected, and restored through right practice, which is what much what the public religion revolves around.

Spiritual pollution is a separate but overlapping concept with:

-Metaphysical vulnerability, the word for which is 'namne couyibase' (literally ‘lacking integrity of Being’). This is a state in which the body and living spirit is considered vulnerable to great change, for good or for bad. These states can have vital and positive uses (they are utilized in many rituals, and it is what allows for conception and birth), but must be entered with caution and intentionality. Uncontrolled namne couyibase can otherwise leave one open to forms of spiritual harm. -Curses, which are targeted infliction of harm (of all sorts- bad luck, evil spirits, etc) onto a person, place, or thing. A spiritually polluted body is has less resistance to curses, and curses can intensify this pollution. -Possession, which is when evil spirits attach themselves to or inhabit the body. In the vast majority of cases, possession does not mean an evil spirit is Controlling the body, merely harming it. A spiritually polluted body has less resistance to possession, and possession can intensify this pollution. -Ritual uncleanliness, which is a state of intensified spiritual pollution that requires complete prohibition from a person from entering sacred spaces or participating in certain rituals until they are made clean. The most common reasons for ritual uncleanliness are active menstruation, being in the mourning period, or having performed a known dirtying action without its required ablution (see below).

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Multiple levels of religious-medical practice are centered around maintaining the body's stasis and cleansing it of mesechitse whenever possible. The methods are both active and passive.

Passive methods include the wearing of protective objects/amulets or having the motifs on household items or as decoration (the most ubiquitous are charms like the pelatoche (lit: '(ocean) eye') or odatochent (lit. 'Gods eyes'), the skimmer woman, or phalluses, and the wearing of gull feathers), in addition to other beneficial/protective iconography (guardian lions are most common, though physical representations of each Face of God have beneficial functions).

Active methods cover a broad swath of rites and behaviors (which is even broader in non-doctrinal folk practices). I'll be focusing here on the two main everyday methods of protection/cleansing (rather than more specialized rites) that are supported by core doctrine and may be performed by anyone, rather than being restricted to priests.

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Gestures against evil

These are the absolute most basic protection methods, comprised of three core gestures.

Purity of intent: the hand is held with the palm facing upward, the pointer and pinky finger extended and the thumb and inner two fingers pressed together. This is the most directly ‘cleansing’ gesture, it attempts to bind uncleanliness within the body and thus to prevent inevitable background level spiritual pollution from the body infecting a pure environment or another person. You mostly perform this gesture while entering/leaving a protected or vulnerable space (literal or figurative).

Protection of spirit: the hand is held with the first two fingers pointed together, held upwards for generalized use or pointed for directed use. This is the simplest of apotropaic gestures, aiming to protect the body and spirit from outside harm. This is commonly used before or while entering contexts seen as physically and/or spiritually dangerous, or to un-aggressively counter an evil eye curse.

Dispelling of evil: The hand is held with the first two fingers pointing together, touched to the lips, and flicked away from the body. In practice, this is most commonly used to prevent attachment by malicious or otherwise harmful spirits that may have been evoked (you might perform this after you speak of someone believed to be an earthbound ghost or refer to an evil spirit directly, or immediately after touching a potentially contagious sick person (ideally followed by ablution)). This will not help you if evil spirits have fully Attached themselves to you, but can remove ones that have been attracted to you. Doing this gesture and flicking in the direction of another person is very rude.

These gestures have separate uses, but will often be performed in conjunction (usually in the order given) as a quick means of protecting oneself and the spaces around them. It is not considered a doctrinal replacement for ablution as it does not actually cleanse the spirit, but it attempts to reduce harm (both sustained and produced by the user).

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Ablutions:

Ablution is spiritually and physically cleansing the body with clean water. The metric for clean water is fairly expansive- ocean water, any flowing water, any clear lake, shallow water sources that are clear and free of (obvious) polluting elements such as animal corpses or unclean animal feces, any clear collected water.

The core requirement of an ablution is for the hands to be cleaned in all circumstances, and for other body parts to be cleansed in addition if the situation requires it. One must fully wet the hands/other affected areas and scrub thoroughly, and then use fresh water to rinse. If you have to clean other parts of your body, you save your hands for last (as they will be used for the cleaning).

It is appropriate to perform ablutions cooperatively, but the person assisting you should participate as well (ie- if you have someone washing your back, they should scrub and rinse their own hands after). Someone considered to be in a ritually unclean state that ablution will not immediately fix (the most common are actively menstruating or being in the midst of the mourning period) should not perform ablutions on others.

Note that there is no Hard distinction between bathing for spiritual cleanliness and bathing for physical cleanliness (there is a separate set of cultural standards for physical hygiene, but most hygiene expectations are Covered by ablution). In most circumstances, ablution is just a regular, sometimes tedious everyday activity rather than a solemn or special occasion.

The ritualized requirements denote that only the hands + any given affected body parts Must be washed, but ablutions will often be an aspect of a full-body bathing routine to meet other hygiene standards. (ie: someone performing ablution before making offerings or eating a meal is only Required to wash their hands, but will very often wash their whole bodies and clean their hair- offerings and a meal are (typically) daily activities, so this is a good time to just get a full bath in while you’re at it). It may additionally involve washing the skin with oil or soap, moisturizing the hair with oil, scraping away dead skin, and applying perfumes. This is not a ritual requirement and is performed because generally, people like to feel clean and smell nice.

The hard physicality of cleansing WITH WATER is KEY to this practice. Per core doctrine, there are no DIY cleansing methods that replace washing with water. If one does not have access to clean water for ablutions, they should not perform offerings whatsoever (but are allowed to pray) until they can be cleansed, and accept that they are receiving spiritual pollution by performing ablution-required tasks in the meantime. A blessing from a priest is the only doctrine-supported spiritually cleansing replacement for water ablutions. In practice many people will use the gestures against evil as a replacement (which is not supported by doctrine and is more common in folk religious practice), and virtually everyone will find ways to get physical contaminants off of their body either way (if you step in dog shit and don't have any water nearby, you're going to wipe it the hell off even if that doesn't make you ritually clean).

Times when such an ablution is generally considered a hard requirement:

Before bloodletting in prayer or making other offerings

Before meals

Before assisting in a birth

After menstruation ends

After receiving penetrative sex

After defecating

After urinating (this isn't as ubiquitously seen as a hard requirement, in a lot of cases people interpret it as 'only if you actually get pee on your hands')

After touching urine

After touching feces (many lines of thought make exceptions for the excrement of cattle and khait due to their clean and sacred status- this makes life a easier for the majority of people who have to use dry dung as fuel)

After touching a dead body (human or animal)

At the end of your mourning period for dead kin (traditionally as part of a larger ritual involving full body submergence in flowing water, rather than as a common ablution)

After touching someone else's blood (aside from rites that require it, in which the blood is expected to be clean and the cross-pollution of living spirit is intentional) (technically includes semen but this does not come up very often)

After touching most sick people (particularly with contagious diseases or any skin ailments)

After recovering from an illness (ablutions will be performed as an aspect of treatment as well)

Before entering most temple's inner shrines (and some temples altogether)

Also a requirement for participation in certain specific rites and/or festivals

The exact nuances on how hard these requirements are sometimes vary, particularly in instances revolving around touch. Official doctrine is that any unclean touch requires ablution, but in common practice this is sometimes reinterpreted as only a hard requirement when the touch occurs to the hands. Most practitioners do not perform an ablution immediately after an unclean touch occurs (if you're a field laborer and step in dung, you're probably going to wait to wash until you retire for the night), and not everyone performs ablutions every single time they 'should'.

Only drawing I have related to ablution under the cut (nudity)

This is one way to do it

#I think it was supposed to have dialogue besides #<- SERENE #but I don't remember what it was I drew it over a month ago #I've had the concepts of ritual washing + gestures against evil + general spiritual pollution mentioned a bunch without ever really #going over it so here it is #This society has pretty decent hygiene overall due to both the physical-spiritual health angle and also very specific hygiene #expectations. Most people are bathing in SOME form on a daily basis #Also the proto-proto-proto germ theory in seeing contagious diseases caused by evil spirits entering the body via orifices and wounds #- in conjunction with some levels of evidence-based medicinal experimentation - leads to some like actually effective forms of #prevention/protection (people effectively 'mask' around the sick to keep their mouths and noses protected from the spirits #and vinegar's ability as a disinfectant is recognized and used to prevent infections of wounds. Definitely not the most perfect #methods but not too bad)#.

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talonabraxas · 6 months ago

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"And watching, with eternal lids apart, Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite, The moving waters at their priest-like task, Of pure ablution round earth's human shores." -John Keats

Nixsa – Elemental King of Water

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ju5tanarti5t · 2 months ago

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Hi I'm the person who sent the "Scott's a Watcher" ask

I'll be real all of my Watcher lore is from Evo, I don't keep up with Martyn's lore; nothing against him, I just prefer the idea that the pure Watchers are completely passive and that only players-turned-Watchers use their powers to actually interact with the world (the angst is self-contained that way)

For me all the ex-EVO players (Grian, Big B, Jimmy, Martyn, and Pearl) as well as Lizzie and Scott are Watchers

The EVO players are kinda self explanatory: Grian got taken and turned into a Watcher, the rest of EVO followed (either as listeners or just concerned friends trying to get him back) and got turned as well

I've always headcanoned Lizzie as Grian's sister because of YHS (if you don't know what it is, good), and then Seablings and Skyblings happened so I just think Lizzie, Pearl, Jimmy, and Grian could be Watcher siblings; with her new role as DM for Misadventures SMP, she's in the boat of making games/worlds for her friends and using her Watcher powers for good

I know Scott has been friends with Lizzie and co for a long time, and if she suddenly went missing, it makes sense that he'd try to find her and that's how the Watchers got him; he escaped, and now he uses his Watcher powers to put his friends in escape rooms (consensually of course) and study them like rats in a maze (I love him for this and if I could study my friends in a lab, I would)

Most of the "lore" is just a vibe check from me, and an excuse to have EVO+Lizzie+Scott be super badass and god-like; Grian has two friend groups: the average queer friend group (cosmic horrors that can manipulate the fabric of reality) and the average nuerodivergent friend group (Just Some Slightly Autistic Guys™️) (I am both and this headcanon means everything to me)

I find the idea that Grian told the Hermits "hey guys I want to make a new fun game called Third Life and introduce you to my family, be nice because you might scare them off :)" and hard cut to the scariest, most intimidating Biblically Accurate Angels capable of Great Harm is incredibly funny

And also also in the context of shipping the contrast between Completely Normal Dude and A Literal God is the dynamic of all time to me (Scar x Grian, Tango x Scott/Jimmy, Ren x Martyn/Big B, Gem x Pearl, Joel x Lizzie); I eat that up every time

Oo I really like this. Can't currently comprehend it fully rn as I'm currently in a loud restaurant so thinking is hard but I really wanted to answer this.

I'm always a sucker for sibling head canons so already loving that. I also love how you talk ablut like Lizzie's and Scott's being a DM and the game maker for the escape rooms. Connects into what you were saying about how Scott thing with games. I forgot the exact wording.

Words are being jumbled in my mind as usual so I can't get the exact wording I want to say out but I do really like this headcanon lore thing.

And who doesn't like normal dude x Massive god thing that could kill you in a second

That's all of my thoughts for now as my finger joints are telling me off. Really REALLY love this au thingy ma jig. Words are wording great here

#watcher lore #evo watchers #scott smajor #grian #I'm too lazy to tag everyone #kendal's asks #people tell me the lore you have made up!#love listening to these

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wittywords · 1 year ago

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𝐀𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

uh-BLOO-shuhn

1. the act or process of washing clean

a. in early usage in alchemy and chemistry, the purification of bodies by the use of suitable liquids

b. the washing of the body as a religious rite

2. a building containing facilities for washing oneself (ablutions)

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mentatemulator · 8 months ago

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Observations on the Dead

Written for Vamptober prompt number 9 (yes, I'm doing them out of order)

Vampire who is still growing in their new fangs. It is approximately 1400 words long, or about 2 pages. It contains: Captivity Torture Starvation Mild Gore It's a good deal darker than my usual work, but I do hope you enjoy!

The hunter arose at sunset, as befit one of her profession. She made her ablutions as the last rays of the sun disappeared behind forested hills dusted with the first snow of winter. With care, she made a circuit of the safe-house's interior, ensuring the wards were still in place at every possible entrance. Religious symbols and sacred herbs could not stop an experienced vampire for long, but they bought precious time to prepare for an intrusion. Each had been ritually bound to her, so that their destruction would not go unnoticed. Unlikely that her quarry's sire would find her this far from the city, but precautions were still warranted.

Satisfied, she made her way to the kitchen and prepared a small pot of porridge. The provisions here were meager stuff, but it was better than the travel rations in her pack. A warm bowl of anything was preferable to hard tack and jerky. She ate her fill, cleaned the dishes, and then prepared herself for the night's ministrations.

She donned her vestments, tied back her hair, strapped her tools to her waist, and finally drew on long gloves of brown leather, studded here and there with dots of silver. Her neck was protected by a steel gorget, engraved with the symbols of her order. She took up her book of observations, lit a candle, and thus armed, descended into the basement.

The fine hardwood staircase gave way to a floor of cold stone. The air down here was damp, and smelled faintly of rot. She was unsure if moisture from outside was getting in, or if it was a consequence of all the bodily fluids. Wall sconces were lit from her candle as she passed, until she came to a lone door. It was heavy, made of thick beams of oak reinforced with steel. She produced an iron key, fit it to the lock, and pushed it open.

There was a scrabbling sound within, and the clink of chains. The hunter showed no concern, but set about lighting a pair of standing candelabras. As flame came alight, a form took shape in the center of the room: lanky and ragged, nude flesh covered with inflamed welts, unkempt hair hanging about its shoulders. Two faint red lights glared up at her.

The hunter considered her quarry carefully. It no longer looked at her with conscious hatred, had indeed progressed past even cowering fear, and now regarded her with simple animal hunger. There would be no more point in asking it questions, as she doubted it could still speak.

She placed her notebook on an old wooden lectern, opened it to a fresh page, and took up pen and ink to record this new development. The creature's eyes did not leave her even once as she did so. It shifted around, pulling at its chains, its budding canines visible in its open mouth. The previous night, it had been timid and obsequious, only rising from the floor when forced to, and otherwise kept its face to the black stone beneath it. It had groaned and begged, pleaded for a drink. Now it was restless, testing the limits of its captivity. A fascinating transformation.

The hunter rose again, and walked a slow circle around it. The thing followed her with its gaze, craning its neck painfully when it couldn't turn any further. She inspected the restraints. Neither collar nor wrist cuffs showed any serious wear, the advantage of using iron instead of silver. Given how young this one was, she had been concerned that prolonged silver exposure might kill it preemptively, and it wasn't yet strong enough to break chains of more ordinary metals.

She checked the deep cut she had made down its back, to gauge its ability to repair itself. Three nights in, and the scar was still visible. Hard to say for certain if the starvation was a factor in that. The marks from the most recent lashing were still quite stark. Otherwise, its skin remained supple and full, despite its deprivation.

As the hunter got closer to inspect its fingernails, its breathing grew heavy. It made an attempt to lunge at her, and she reflexively pulled back.

“Petulant beast, be still!” she snapped, “You'll have another taste of the cat, if you cannot behave.” It merely hissed at her, unhearing. She grabbed the end of the chain that held its collar, through an iron loop on the wall, and pulled. The thing's head was yanked upright and back, until the collar stuck fast against stone. It cried out and flailed, and the hunter noted that it fought with more strength than usual.

An older vampire in this state was exceedingly dangerous. Unlike something living, vampires became more powerful on the brink of starving, burning away their reserves and abandoning their reason in an attempt to secure a meal at any means. They'd been known to take unwary hunters in this way, breaking free and savaging their captor with beastly glee. But she had been fortunate enough to take this one while it was still weak, still growing into the full potential of its unbirth. It could not have been turned more than three months ago.

The hunter wished she could take another measurement of its adolescent fangs, but it would surely not behave for the procedure now, wits too dulled to respond to threats of punishment. She would have to destroy it soon, after some final observations. She released the chain, and stepped back.

The beast was growing frantic, straining against its restraints, desperate for a taste of her. It grunted and growled with frustration. The hunter ignored it, returning to the lectern to take more notes. As she scrawled out her observations, the thing's sounds grew more and more pained. It whined, it spat, it scraped its nascent claws against the stone tiles. The hunter was beginning to grow exasperated. She stood, and pulled the bullwhip from her belt. A bit of pain may quiet it for a time.

Then the creature suddenly went silent. Its ferocity became stillness, but the intensity of its stare remained. The hunter paused, wondering if perhaps the beast still had more wits than she had thought. Could it recognize that it was about to be punished?

Then the hunter felt a chill. She realized far too late that the shadows within the cell were growing darker, draining all the light from the room. She reached for the silver dagger at her waist, and spun towards the door. There had been no warning, and no sound, to mark the thwarting of her wards. The candles beyond the door had all been snuffed out.

“Reveal yourself, abomination!” she said while brandishing the dagger, trying to put the engraved holy symbols between herself and the intruding horror.

Long, clawed fingers clamped around her wrist. Her eyes snapped to it, and followed its pale arm back, already behind her, already in control.

“Drop,” came a voice like the stillness of a frozen corpse, and the hunter let her dagger fall to the floor.

“Very good,” its mocking praise seeped into her flesh, held her in rigor. She felt the press of its lifeless body to her back, as a second hand snaked up her front to hook a finger around her gorget.

“You've been keeping my pet from me,” it whispered into her ear, sending tremors down her spine, “and just look at the state of her.” It spun her around to face the chained creature, which was on its hands and knees, with a predatory grin on its face.

“I do believe you owe her a meal.”

The hunter was consumed by a vision of a fresh deer carcass, guts steaming in the snow, as a wolf tore meat away from its bones. Her mouth went dry.

“But you shall make your apologies to me, first. We have all night to feed my sweet pet.”

The finger grasping her gorget was pulled down, and the protective steel split apart like paper. Cold lips brushed the bare flesh of her neck. She tried to say something defiant, last words before her death agony began, but all that came out was a pitiful croak.

“Ah-ah, not a sound now. You will suffer me in silence. You will save your screams for her.”

She met the young one's eyes and held them as fangs burrowed into her flesh, and claws raked her belly. The cell was filled with the scent of fresh blood. Howls of pain died in her throat, forbidden to cross her tongue. The night was young, and the dead are not possessed of mercy.

#mentat's muse #short story #vampire #fiction #horror

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beardedmrbean · 5 months ago

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The Ministry of Health and Child Care announce that the current cholera outbreak has affected the districts of Bikita, Bindura, Chiredzi, Chipinge, Kariba, Goromonzi, Mazowe and Shamva.

The farming town Glendale in the Mazowe district, located about 70 kilometers north of Harare, is one of the epicentres of the cholera outbreak. Residents there are appealing to the government to take urgent action to end the spread of the disease.

People there are forced to navigate pools of sludge after the government left burst pipes neglected for months. Human waste carrying disease agents have apparently been contaminating freshwater sources this way in Glendale and beyond.

Contaminated wells

On December 26, 2024, 10 members of one family in Glendale had to be rushed to the Tsungubvi Cholera Treatment Center after they showed symptoms of the waterborne disease.

The Nyirongo family had been relying for years on their shallow well as their main source of water, but sewage had lately been seeping into the underground water supply as rains persisted across the country.

"It rained heavily for two consecutive days on December 24 and 25 … leading to the contamination of our well with sewage, even before that, possibly," 71-year-old Erecta Nyirongo told reporters.

"We hope they will supply us with clean water going forward to avoid these diseases."

Throughout Zimbabwe — including the capital Harare, there are no reliable water source at the moment, as raw sewage has been flowing into people's water sources amid the overall state of disrepair of the water system.

One death and few solutions

Sleiman Timios Kwidini, Zimbabwe's Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, recently visited the Mazowe district to assess the extent of the cholera outbreak after one life was claimed there by the illness.

Kwidini says that the government has partnered up with other organizations to drill two boreholes in Glendale — but is this going to be enough for everyone?

Kwidini believes that some local wells can remain in use as the government is planning to provide "tablets which are going to assist actually to kill the bacteria with is found in water."

"Also we are encouraging our community to boil water even if it's coming from a clean or protected water source…. so that we reduce chances of getting cholera."

The deputy minister further highlighted that after inspecting toilets in communal ablution blocks, she found that these facilities "are not properly sited."

"So we have agreed that we are going to site them where it is proper so that they do not mix, where they get water and the toilets."

It is unclear, however, how long it might take to roll out these improvement plans.

Hygiene first!

Kudzai Masunda, a public health specialist at the private voluntary health organization JF Kapnek Zimbabwe, is also calling for an improvement in hygienic practices in households but also at the community level as part of the overall efforts to contain cholera.

"Cholera is mainly a water borne disease and also a feco-orally contaminated disease, meaning people get infected from what they consume. Thus hygienic practices are important," said Masunda, who also serves as the secretary general at the Zimbabwe College of Public Health Physicians.

"If we want to eliminate cholera, we need to improve on water and sanitation within our suburbs and rural areas since the previous cholera outbreaks have also happened in the rural areas.

"One of the short term measures that have already taken place to eliminate cholera is the use of vaccines to ensure we reduce incidences of cholera for at least three to four years while we embark on water and sanitation improvements that need to be done."

Masunda added that the whole of Africa has been hit by the disease, with cholera cases reported in Burundi, Cameroon, the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Zimbabwe's last cholera outbreak according to the WHO was in 2023, with all the country's 10 provinces reporting instances affecting a total of 62 districts.

During this outbreak, the country recorded 34,549 suspected cases, 4,217 confirmed cases and 33,831 recoveries.

The country's worst recorded cholera epidemic was in 2008 and 2009, which resulted in nearly 100,000 confirmed cases and 4288 deaths, according to the WHO.

#nunyas news

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anime-fan-05 · 11 months ago

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Hey, sorry to bother you but can you make more head cannons with Arata U please. 🥺

Can you right about a wedding or engagement?

Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon ~Marriage~

Manga/anime: Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon

Warnings: nothing

U. Arata

Know you're truly a special person if he has decided to dedicate his entire life to you forever

It'll probably be several years of engagement before he proposes to you and, speaking of that, his proposal will be done in an absolutely traditional way: after having had the approval of his grandfather, he'll go to your parents to personally ask them for your hand; after their blessing, he'll take you on a date, which will end in the garden of his -and soon also yours- villa, where he'll kneel down, gently taking your hand and asking you to be his wife

Your wedding will also be totally traditional: he'll wear the typical male wedding attire while you'll wear a Shiromuku with a Wataboushi on your hair; the ritual will be the Shinzenshiki one, and it'll be quite limited and reserved

Your marital relationship will be... interesting: his work forces him to be away from home, so unfortunately you two will only see each other early in the morning and in the evening for dinner; furthermore, you'll have to accept his very rigid behavior towards you, since he isn't very good at showing his true feelings and the strong affection he has for you, and his great devotion to Miyo, probably even greater than the one he has for you. However, you must not think he doesn't love you: he loves you very much, and taking care of Miyo is only his duty as a member of the Usuba family

I think he doesn't want to have children but, if you do, he'll be willing to have one (or two, if you look at him with puppy eyes)

If you didn't know, the Shinzenshiki is the Shinto wedding ceremony.

It begins with a small procession led by the bride and groom and followed by their closest relatives that begins outside the shrine. The group passes the Torii (the portal of the Shinto Temple) bowing and then performs ablutions to purify themselves before the start of the ritual; it isn't uncommon for this small procession to be accompanied by traditional Gagaku Music.

Then, the spouses and relatives are accompanied by the priest inside the room containing the altar and the tabernacle of the deity and, once everyone has taken their seats, making sure the bride's relatives are all seated on the left and the groom's relatives on the right, the priest carries out another purification ritual by waving branches of Japanese camellia or garlands of paper.

After that, the prayer begins and, after some invocations to the gods, the spouses can exchange cups filled with Sake of various sizes three times. This gesture, called San-San-Kudo, is the most important moment of the ceremony because it symbolizes the couple's union. It's followed by the exchange of rings, the wedding oath and the offering of a ritual sprig for the deities by the spouses.

After a dance by the Miko priestesses (the young women who work at the Shinto Temples), the ceremony ends with a toast for all participants.

Instead, regarding traditional clothes, the groom wears a Hakama (a kimono with a sort of trousers also used in kendou) and a very elegant Haori overcoat, both in dark colours; the bride wears a totally white formal dress called Shiromuku, and her hair is styled in the Bunkin Takashimada style, and on which two different types of white fabric headdresses can be found: the Tsunokakushi (the traditional Japanese headdress, consisting of a rectangular piece of white silk, which encircles the bride's head, traditionally worn to hide the horns of the bride's jealousy, as well as dampening her ego and selfishness, and which also symbolizes the bride's determination to become a sweet and obedient wife) or the Wataboushi (a sort of large and puffy hood, which covers the bride's head and hides the Tsunokakushi, usually made of white silk).

💮 Rules 💮 Masterlist 💮

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radellama · 2 years ago

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Volume 3 contains Yukine's ablution, which is one of my favourite early story arcs!

There were threads for this planted in vol2, so we know that Yukine's poor behaviours are affecting Yato. It's becoming a problem as Yukine's acting out is not only worsening Yato's health, but making it VERY difficult for the two of them to work together when they need to.

He is stubbornly prideful of Yukine, despite them not getting along and seemingly not able to understand each other. Though, as we know, Gods share a body and mind with their Shinki, so Yato definitely does understand Yukine - a lot more intimately than the teen seems to realise.

This is why I find these events so interesting... Yato could've punished Yukine, or been more forceful in making him understand what he's inflicting on his master, but Yato allowed Yukine to be a little shit in order to understand himself better.

Yato allowed Yukine to act out so much in order to get his own catharsis.

He knew there wasn't anything he could say or do that would work better than to let him figure it out for himself, and he gave Yukine the room to do so.

There's clearly some kind of potential Yato sees in Yukine, and though you could argue that Yato is holding onto him so tightly is due to him being a lesser known God who's already had trouble keeping regalia, I don't think his stubbornness towards Yukine is out of his own self interest.. at least not that way.

I highly doubt that a God who knows that he might not come back would put his life on the line like this without something much deeper than it merely being too inconvenient to search for and name a new Shinki.

We see so many people suggesting and even insisting Yato get rid of Yukine, and implications that demonstrate how taboo it is for Yukine to do this to his master, and for Yato to hold on to him despite that. He doesn't even entertain the idea, and this almost kills both of them.

Throughout this volume, Hiyori is preoccupied with all the new and strange information she's learning about Yato. If it weren't for her also putting her life on the line to not only carry Yato to Kofuku's, but also to recruit Kazuma for the ablution AND provide support during the ceremony, both Yato and Yukine would've perished.

Yukine lied and denied his involvement in Yato's condition, angry and embarrassed right up until he understands that Yato isn't going to give up on him. With that realisation, he begins to confess his sins and complete the ceremony, and from this point forward there is a stronger bond between the two.

Yato's life isn't ideal and Yukine's made it clear how much he hates living under him, and though he yearned so much for his lost humanity that he began to hate the near shore, it was the humanity of others around him that ultimately saved him.

I know this is more gushing while I recount story beats, but I can't help it I really love this part. I'll probably bring it up again in future arcs because it's such an interesting anchor to frame their relationship and individual character, and provides a great reference point for how they'll develop as the plot moves along.

#goodbyenoragami #rads talks #noragami

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my-islam-reminder · 10 months ago

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Narrated Anas:

It was the time for prayer, and those whose houses were near got up and went to their people (to perform ablution), and there remained some people (sitting). Then a painted stove pot (Mikhdab) containing water was brought to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)s The pot was small, not broad enough for one to spread one's hand in; yet all the people performed ablution. (The sub narrator said, "We asked Anas, 'How many persons were you?' Anas replied 'We were eighty or more"). (It was one of the miracles of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)).

Narrated by Sahih Bukhari in his bookImam Bukhari

Hadith (Sahih)

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ahlulbaytnetworks · 2 years ago

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🍂🥀🍂 Jabir's powerful words to Atiyyah on the Arbaeen of Imam al-Hussain (as)

Atiyyah al-Awfi said:

I left with Jabir bin Abdillah al-Ansari (ra) to visit the grave of al-Hussain bin Ali (as), and when we entered Karbala, Jabir came near the bank of River Euphrates, performed the major ablution (ghusl) and wore his clothes; then he opened his bag which contained su’d (a plant with sweet odor). He spread the perfume over his body; thereafter, he did not take a step save in the remembrance of Allah, until he neared the grave (of al-Hussain (as)

(Then) he said: “Make me touch the grave, and I made him do so. Thereupon he fell over the grave unconscious. I sprinkled some water on him, and he gained consciousness.

Then he cried three times: Ya Hussain

Addressing al-Hussain (as) he said: “Why is the beloved not responding to the call of the lover? And how can you respond, while your veins have been severed, and your body has been separated from your head? I bear witness that you are the offspring of prophets (pbbut), and the son of the master of believers, and the offspring of the companion of piety, and the offspring of guidance, and the fifth member of the people of the cloak, and the son of the master of chiefs, and the son of Fatima (sa), the mistress of women; how can you not be so, while the hand of the Leader of Apostles (S) fed you, and you were breast fed from the breast of belief, and trained in the bosoms of pious people, your weaning accompanied the state of utter submission; hence, you enjoyed a pleasant state both during your life and death; however, the hearts of the believers are sorrowful due to your separation, and do not doubt about your good position. So upon you be Allah’s peace and approval. And I bear witness that you faced what your brother (Prophet) Yahya (as) had faced.

Thereafter Jabir felt the presence around the grave and said: Peace be unto you and the spirits that have descended in the neighborhood of al-Hussain (as), I bear witness that you kept prayer steadfast and gave the zakat and you commanded the good and prohibited the forbidden and struggled against the deniers of religion and you worshipped Allah until conviction came to you.

Then he said: I swear by the One Who sent Muhammad (S) as a Prophet with truth; surely we participated with you in what you encountered. Atiyyah (not understanding this powerful statement made by Jabir) asks: How can that be possible while we did not descend on any valley, nor did we climb any mountainous area, nor did we fight with the sword, whereas the heads of the group of al-Hussain (as) have been separated from their bodies, their children made orphans, and their women made widows?

Jabir said: “O ‘Atiyyah, I heard from my beloved, the Apostle of Allah (S), say, ‘Whosoever loves a nation, would be resurrected with them, and whosoever loves the deed of a nation, would be considered one who has participated in the deed.' I swear by the One Who Sent Muhammad (S) as a Prophet in truth, surely my intention and the intention of my companions is according to the intention of al-Hussain (as) and his companions (pbbut).

Then Jabir says to ‘Atiyyah: Take me towards the houses of Kufa.

When we reached a certain point on the way, Jabir said to 'Atiyya: ‘O ‘Atiyyah, may I advise you, for I do not think that I shall meet you after this short journey? Love the lover of Aali Muhammad (S) as long as he/shes loves them, and have aversion for one who has aversion for Aali Muhammad (S) as long as he/she has aversion for them, even if he/she were to fast and stand in prayer frequently; and befriend the lover of Aali Muhammad (S), for surely if one of their feet were to slip due to excess of sin, the other foot would be firm due to love for Aali Muhammad (S), for verily the lover of Aali Muhammad (S) would return to Paradise and one who have aversion for them would return to Hell Fire.

🍂 Bihar al-Anwar 🍂

🍂 (vol. 65, pg. 131) 🍂

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baitalmaha · 2 months ago

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Containerized Units in Dubai

The city of Dubai, known to set new standards and define itself in terms of architectural progression and modern infrastructure, is on the verge of stamping a new style of construction innovation in the form of container units. The shipping containers themselves are now being turned into functional spaces to accommodate a range of uses, including as affordable housing, mobile offices and retail stores. The article below examines the growing use of containerized units in Dubai, detailing the benefits, applications and companies responsible for this change.

What Are Containerized Units?

Shipping Containers Containerized units are buildings built from recycled shipping containers (usually 20 foot or 40 foot long). These steel containers made to haul cargo across oceans are being repurposed into all sorts of space, from housing to offices to portable health clinics. The operation modifies the containers with insulation, electrical, plumbing, windows, or inclusions, and doors to habits or work completed objects.

Dubai Uses of Containerised Systems

Affordable Housing Solutions

Rising cost of conventional houses in Dubai has further demonstrated a striking advantage of container homes. The houses can be tailored to include bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms and living rooms, for a cheaper but not lesser quality solution. Companies like EcoPlanet Industries focus on creating and installing container homes that are stylish yet livable.

Mobile Offices and Workspaces

For businesses that require portability, the containerized office can be a viable option. They are transportable and easy to assemble at different places, which makes them suitable for building sites or other events or temporary applications. We specialise in container modification and container party offices are just one of the many container conversions provided by Gulf International Container Trading LLC Container Conversions.

Retail Spaces and Cafés

With it's booming community of entrepreneurs, the new trend in Dubai is to recycle containers and use them to create their unique shops / cafes. Not only are small spaces affordable, but they also have a cool factor that draws people in. Arabian Containers and similar companies specialize in transforming shipping containers into trendy cafés and retail stores, offering businesses customised and visually appealing storefronts.

Ablution and Sanitation Units

Containerised Ablution As there is no fixed infrastructure available in remote areas,containerised ablutions are one of the essential facilities. They include toilets, sinks, and showers, providing clean and complete options for job sites, events, and various other settings. DOWNLOAD PDF MISTER SHADE 4 Mister Shade 66 663 is a prminent supplier if Custom made Container Ablutin mdules in UAE that ir vide durable and ripr prf sluitins that are perfect fr high trai are as.

Shelters for Emergency and Disaster Relief

During crisis, container units are easily deployed and serve as immediate housing and necessities. Due to their portability and quick set up, they are indispensable for disaster relief. With the demand increasing, companies such as K-HOME are supplying the market with containerized housing units that are affordable, easy to construct, and adaptable to multiple uses.

Advantages of the Use of Containerized Units

Cost-Effectiveness

Canned units are usually cheaper than brick and mortar construction. They are cost-efficient because of the adapted materials and methods used in production and gain even higher potential due to their low production cost.

Sustainability

These units are environmentally friendly; they are made from used shipping containers and maintain an aura of sustainability. This method is in line with Dubai's sustainable aesthetic and environmentally friendly building methods.

Durability and Strength

Shipping containers are built for ocean travel and are therefore very sturdy and adaptable to extreme weather conditions. This durability of containerized units makes them highly reliable with a long life span and low maintenance needs.

Flexibility and Customization

Containerized types are also easy adapted as per the given needs. Whether it’s insulation upgrades for housing or a conversion to a cafe with special equipment, the modular nature of containers allow for a wide variety of designs and layouts.

Rapid Deployment

The construction period of container-housed units is much shorter than that of conventional buildings. Such quick turnaround can be especially convenient for short term projects, emergency housing, and businesses in need of quick operations.

#architecture #design #business

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warsawmountain · 6 months ago

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# The Sacred Meal

## I. Kitchen Ceremony

The microwave clock reads 11:11 when I begin,

its cracked display flickering red against nicotine-stained walls,

fluorescent bulbs humming like dead prophets above my head,

casting shadows that dance across the peeling linoleum floor.

No recipes passed down through generations, only

the inherited knowledge of stretching nothing

into something—into sustenance, into the steam

rising from dented pots like prairie fog at dawn.

Dollar store pots & pans spread across

counter like artifacts in a poverty museum,

their scratched surfaces reflecting the overhead light

in constellations of use & abuse & endless scrubbing.

The freezer-burnt chicken breast,

still crystalline with frost, transmutes

beneath my palm into possibility, its frozen

edges sharp enough to draw blood.

What strange alchemy turns processed into prayer,

transforms the metallic tang of food bank cans

into something approaching dinner?

A language spoken in measurements:

the last third-cup of rice, grains clicking

like tiny bones against the plastic cup,

half-empty spice containers rattling

like punishment prayer beads, their labels

worn away from desperate fingers,

dented cans of cream-of-whatever

marked down, rusted along their rims

& expired exactly thirteen days ago,

their contents the color of prairie dust.

The wooden spoon—thrifted, stained

with a hundred meals before this one,

handle smooth from countless hands—

becomes both wand & conductor's baton,

worn groove fitting my palm like inheritance.

I orchestrate steam & sizzle,

transforming tight budgets into

dinner music, the sound of oil

spitting against metal like rainfall.

The neighbours upstairs pound their floor,

my ceiling, keeping time with my desperate

culinary percussion, their footsteps echoing

through thin walls that smell of mold & cigarettes.

No garden vegetables lovingly tended,

no fresh herbs plucked from windowsills

where only spider plants survive.

Instead: the mechanical meditation

of pressing defrost buttons with cracked

plastic surfaces, of peeling freezer-paper back

like bandages from wounds, the sound

sharp as winter wind through screen doors,

of watching ice crystals melt into promises

of fullness, droplets catching light

like morning dew on food bank pamphlets.

## II. Ablutions

When did dishwater become

so theological? Grey suds swirling

like storm clouds in genesis.

Each sink full a baptismal font, my hands plunged

into waters hot enough to scald sin away,

skin reddening like sunset on wheat fields.

The burnt pan floats like a dark moon

beneath soap bubbles iridescent as oil slicks,

its scorched surface a new cartography

of my failures mapped in carbon & grease.

Three hours of soaking &

still the blackened bits cling—

persistent as childhood memory,

stubborn as unpaid bills stacked

on the kitchen table's warped formica.

I scrub in circles, widdershins,

clockwise, counterclockwise, steam

rising like prayers to water-stained ceiling,

my arms aching with the motion

of time itself unwinding, muscles

burning like the forgotten dinner.

Steel wool transforms into cilice,

rough fibers catching on callused palms,

each scrape against metal

a prayer for forgiveness that echoes

off yellow walls & empty cupboards:

for burning what little we had,

for not paying closer attention

to the thin line between dinner & disaster,

for letting hunger distract

from careful timing. My fingers

prune into strange continents,

mapped with dish soap rivers

& scarred with practiced poverty.

The water grows cold, then dirty,

then cold again, rainbow films

of grease catching fluorescent light.

How many times must I drain & refill

this basin before redemption? The burnt

offering refuses transformation, clings

like shame to thrift store cookware.

Perhaps some sacrifices leave permanent marks,

a testament to survival's cost

written in scratches & scorch marks.

Even the dish soap bears witness:

generic brand, bottle diluted

with tap water to make it last

another week until payday, the blue

liquid pale as winter sky, thin

as hope. Each bubble an iridescent promise

of abundance that pops against my raw

knuckles, leaving nothing but

the scent of artificial lemons.

## III. Consumption/Transubstantiation

Finally, the plate before me

like a communion wafer made

of frozen vegetables & boxed pasta,

their colors dulled by freezer frost,

blessed by fluorescent light & necessity,

steam rising like incense in the cold air.

What miracle is this—

that transforms the stripped-bare

grocery budget into sustenance,

turns cardboard boxes & plastic bags

into something approaching dinner?

I eat slowly, practicing

the gratitude my Mémé taught

without teaching: every bite

a ceremony of survival measured

in the scrape of fork against plate,

each forkful a revolution

against entropy & empty cupboards,

metal tines catching light like sacred tools.

The food is neither good nor bad,

it simply is—like gravity,

like winter, like poverty itself,

hot against my tongue, filling

the hollow spaces.

The plate's contents disappear

bite by measured bite, scraping

patterns into ceramic like petroglyphs,

my stomach's emptiness replaced

by something approaching grace,

warmth spreading through tired limbs.

Not the grace of abundance,

but the grace of enough:

enough to keep going despite

the darkness gathering outside,

enough to wake tomorrow

when the alarm splits dawn,

enough to face another day

of minimum wage miracle-making,

hands raw from dish soap & dignity.

I count the dishes drying

in the dishrack like rosary beads,

water droplets catching light

like early morning frost,

each one a testament to having

what's needed: one plate

chipped along its rim but still whole,

one fork with bent tines that still serves,

one bowl stained with countless meals,

one cup that holds both coffee & tears—

a litany of survival's mathematics

calculated in the language of making do.

The burnt pan still soaks,

a dark reminder that some stains

remain permanent, some sacrifices

leave marks we carry forward

like scripture written in steel.

The microwave clock reads 12:12,

a new day already bleeding

through basement windows.

The kitchen grows quiet save for

the hum of the ancient refrigerator

singing its hymn of preservation,

its dying motor rattling like prayer beads.

I wrap the leftovers carefully,

each container a reliquary

holding tomorrow's possibilities,

plastic lids sealed with desperate hope.

This is my body, broken

by minimum wage & maximum effort,

muscles aching from standing shifts.

This is my blood, thinned

by grocery store calculations

& checkout line shame, diluted

with tap water & tired dreams.

Take, eat: this is my poverty transformed

into persistence, my hunger

transfigured into hope, witnessed

by the buzzing fluorescent saints above.

The final prayer rises

with steam from the sink,

carrying the scent of artificial lemon

& real exhaustion:

thank you for this food,

though it came from boxes & cans,

thank you for these dishes,

though they came from thrift stores & dollar shops,

thank you for these hands

that make & clean & bless

what little we have

into what we need,

though they're raw & wrinkled

from too much water & work.

The water drains in spiral patterns,

a galaxy of soap bubbles

disappearing into darkness

like stars behind cloud cover,

like paychecks into bills,

like dreams into necessity.

Tomorrow I'll begin again:

another meal, another mess,

another miracle manufactured

from whatever's left in cupboards

that echo with emptiness.

Amen, amen, amen—the word

hollow as my stomach once was,

full as my plate briefly was,

eternal as poverty's prayers are.

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