#and thus performed the abominable act of sleeping

[amethyst-fiend]

Only Friends + Textposts (5/?)

[lets-steal-an-archive]

They will falsely claim that everything is fine and that there is nothing wrong. They will try to first misdirect us or claim there is nothing to the allegations or circumstances.

If evidence is presented, they will seek to have it invalidated or claim that it is false, fake, or a product of vague conspiracies, but most certainly not true.

Any evidence presented, and those that present it will be attacked aggressively and vindictively. The better the evidence the more aggressive the attack. Individuals who are doing the right thing by reporting criminal acts, unethical behavior, or failings are to be discredited, humiliated, hounded and bullied—not even their families are to be spared if need be. The narcissist will engage supporters or enablers to simultaneously attack those who offer proof or evidence, even if it embarrassingly exposes their poodle-like behavior as that of spineless sycophants.

Foolproof evidence will be portrayed as false and the result of: pettiness, jealousies, bad actors, malicious individuals, negativity, haters, enemies, losers, conspirators, opposition, gain seekers, the faithless (usually seen in religious groups or cults), or as we are seeing now in American politics, “fake news” or “deep state” actors. There is always a large constellation of people to blame, the narcissist casts wide to see which vacuous claim resonates, especially with their supporters.

As they lash out with vindictiveness, the malignant narcissist will continue to talk about themselves in glowing terms; irrespective of their actual situation, as they are incapable of introspection, much less contriteness. They will trumpet their greatness, their achievements (real or imagined), their faux infallibility, and even portray themselves as worthy of being revered rather than reviled.

They will seek to find someone to blame for their troubles or downfall, preferably someone that cannot defend themselves. A scapegoat is always useful and when there is not a real one, one will be invented. If they are not promoted or fired, it is because a cabal at work was against them. If they cheat their business partners, it was because they deserved it. If the wife gets the kids in a divorce settlement, it is because of her dastardly attorney, not his abominable behavior. If they lose an election it is because of campaign managers, unappreciative voters, trickery, fraud, or some other kind of malfeasance on the part of a conspiracy (conspiracies are useful to the narcissist because they conveniently require no evidence). As they are not married to the truth, they will prattle countless baseless reasons that all point away, never at themselves.

As circumstances become dire, the narcissist will not take any responsibility—EVER! Anything that has gone wrong is the responsibility of others. They will blame spouses as undeserving of their greatness, ignorant colleagues who just don’t measure up, the disloyal (Oh, they love to blame the disloyal), those who abide by rules and laws because ironically, they abide by rules and laws, or those that just clearly did not understand the very specialness of the narcissist. Everyone, and I mean everyone from people long gone, to the peripherally connected, to the earthly departed will be blamed for the failure or downfall of the narcissist. Once more it is never their fault.

In the process of casting blame, even the most loyal and stalwart will be discarded and denigrated if needed with reptilian indifference. For the malignant narcissist there is only the “good” — those that provide blind unwavering loyalty who are useful, and everyone else who is an enemy, useless, and thus “bad.” Whether you are in or out, good or bad, is not determined by history, by friendship, sacrifices, or how well you have performed in the past—it is determined by the capricious and selfish needs of the narcissist, and that can change in a moment.

Expect lies to increase and to be repeated exponentially. They will, even in light of factual evidence to the contrary, lie more profusely and adamantly. Lies are and always will be the number one tool of the malignant narcissist. The only difference now is that in facing failure or public ridicule, the lies must increase in frequency and audacity to the point of incredulity. The narcissist will expect supporters, the unethical, and enablers to lie for them or even create plausible alibies. That they imperil others by compelling them to lie is the collateral damage the malignant narcissist does as they thrash in despair when they are failing or caught.

And while lies will increase, so too will be the need to devalue others in order to further value themselves. They will attack everyone and anyone in the most vicious and vindictive ways. This is when we see their rage come through. Not just anger, but unbridled rage. They will say things that shock the conscience and they expect everyone to swallow what they say, much as their enablers do. The most decent of persons will be attacked, mocked, ridiculed, and turned into a human chew-toy as the narcissist unleashes untethered rage and hatred. They will dip down into a bottomless cauldron of antipathy and like an arterial spurt, will spew this toxic brew far and wide with metronomic regularity.

The malignant narcissist lacking guilt or a conscience, is only concerned with respect and not being publicly shamed. Any kind of public embarrassment will cause them further anger, further rage, further attacks, further unethical comportment, and unprecedented incivility.

If the narcissist is going to be brought down, they will also seek to bring everyone else around them down to vindictively make them suffer. How the narcissist vilifies, lashes out, or destroys others (spouse, friends, business partners, workmates, the general public) is up to the morbid creativity and depravity of the malignant narcissist, the viable tools they have available, and of course how dire or desperate the situation. The internet and social media are certainly useful as lives can be ruined with a single tweet. But so are guns and rifles, poison, and even assassins for hire. And if they command a country, they can put the security organs or the military to work on their behalf.

In certain situations, as the end nears, the suffering of others is paramount to the malignant narcissist. It is their way of elevating themselves—sick as that sounds—by malevolently paying back society with even more suffering. As they lash out, they will show no concern or empathy because they have none. If others are suffering because of their actions, the narcissist simply does not care. Lacking a conscience or any kind or remorse, much like Robert Hare’s psychopath, they sleep very well at night while everyone else is anxious, worried, stressed, physically or psychologically traumatizes all the while nervously and justifiably pondering what further malevolence will take place.

As they face failure, arrest, indictment, or dismissal, they will endlessly air their grievances. Narcissists are natural wound collectors and as such, they have been collecting and nurturing social slights and perceived wrongs just for this occasion. They will wallow in victimhood claiming they have been relentlessly and needlessly persecuted. They, of course, expect their attorneys, followers, or enablers to subserviently echo their flatulent claims.

[myriad-mage]

Startling Realization

(Reading back through about the Savage Ages, taking into account the fact that Alex can create earth golem as per Syncronisity.  Will go under a cut since of the length. 

The construct has all the same qualities as an abomination outside of appearance and composition, making it a culmination of Elemental Magic and coven system category Abomination magic, a component of the forbidden ‘wild’ magic that Belos seeks to rid the Boiling Isle of. 

Next is Alex’s travels to the woods. The witches of the Savage Ages based the understanding of magic from their personal connection with Nature. Per interaction with @powerfulplantwitch, Alex enjoys the trips. He might be unaware of the developing connection, but this strikes him as another contribution of him as a practitioner of Wild Magic. 

Alex didn’t choose to learn elemental magic by choice. It was one that he felt a connection to. His parents might have been aware of the implications that would follow should he continue along the path. This can be why he was enrolled in Hexside, to protect him by giving him a coven to work toward. 

Tying in with @disastertrifecta‘s interaction where Alex states he is on the Oracle Track. This is a way of him avoiding petrification as otherwise there wouldn’t be a real coven he wanted to join since none practice the magic he feels most comfortable performing. 

If you combined Alex’s studies of all forms magic with his building connection with nature and his tactical means of fighting, you clearly have someone that Belos would consider a threat. 

I can see that Belos would deem the boy a threat upon hearing that he refused to bear the Oracle Track’s brand which he would otherwise acquire earlier due to his ability. This would occur while Lilith still served as the leader for the Emperor’s Coven. The coven members go into the school to capture the threat. Alex hasn’t developed any connection with Amity, Luz, Gus, or Willow by this point as it would put them in Belos’s sights earlier as a threat. As capable as Alex is in a fight, he is unable to really stand against the coven and only is able to escape by creating illusions within a magically created sandstorm. 

Since his parents were well aware of Alex’s ability, both parents are captured by the Emperor’s Coven and petrified. Belos proclaims that their act was fostering a practitioner of forbidden magic and thus was treason against the Boiling Isle. Their petrification would serve as a display about the ‘toxic’ reach that wild magic has on the Boiling Isles, that should this spiral continue, all of Boiling Isles shall return to the chaos that was present before he instituted the coven system. The petrification would also serve to try and draw out him out from his hiding spot. Alex knows how much his parents loved him upon realizing why they did what they did. Though it pains him, Alex doubted that his parents would go free if he turned himself in and thus avoids the execution. 

Alex hides out in the woods outside of Bonesborough. Though this keeps him alone, it also spurns a perpetually growing connection with Nature. After Lilith leaves the Emperor’s Coven, Alex eventually stumbles across the Owl House, after the plants in the woods telling him what he seeks lie there. Here he meets Luz and Eda. Eda takes Alex in, begrudgingly though pleased with the concept of a new person standing against Belos.

By the time he gets sheltered into the Owl House, he has learned to further culminate the ‘Wild’ elemental magic with a couple of the coven system magic classes.)

This creates a new verse. Chaos Reagent: This verse is after his escape from Hexside. Between Belos’s far reaching influence and the petrification of his parents, Alex’s demeanor has hardened and is extremely suspicious of everyone he meets to the point that he sleeps with golem guards until he feels safe. He doesn’t know who follows Belos and who doesn’t. For Lilith, he has long-standing apprehension about as she is a large reason why he is family is gone and finds it a tough pill to swallow that she means him no ill-will anymore.

[ihearducksaregoingquackers]

You guys I have so much shit to say about how World of Warcraft treats the forsaken/undead and Sylvanas Windrunner. Like there’s SO much bullshit in their treatment since vanilla and I have WORDS. (Christie Golden gets the depth available to the forsaken, especially in the novel ‘before the storm’, but she’s also shackled by the lore that was put into the game before her official debut as a writer on the game itself).

Alright, so first things first, a little history lesson on the forsaken or, more accurately, the nation of Lordaeron (and a little bit on Silvermoon)

Arthas menethil, prince of Lordaeron, goes on a mission to try and protect his kingdom but through the manipulations of a demon and the actions of the cult of the damned (who were necromancers), Arthas eventually wields a cursed blade that corrupts his soul and turns him to the dark side. Subsequently he returns, with an army of undead at his heels and wipes out the nation of Lordaeron from the map. (this is a very simplified version of some pretty amazing storytelling back in 2003′s warcraft 3, go play it, it’s good). Silvermoon, the city of high elves, was sacked shortly after and Sylvanas Windrunner was turned into a banshee (banshees are usually spirits, Sylvanas Windrunner eventually regains control of her body though).

The citizens of Lordaeron have now been transformed into the undead, but are at the beck and call of Arthas’ new master, the lich king (details on this dude are unnecessary for this piece). Arthas acts as the right hand man, when suddenly he starts to lose his power, the lich king is weakened and Arthas goes to the lich king and becomes one with him. In the mean time, this allows many undead to break free from both the lich king and Arthas’ control. Sylvanas Windrunner leads these newly freed undead back to Lordaeron and establishes the nation of undead, calling them the forsaken.

So what we have is a nation beset by multiple tragedies, the loss of the royal lineage and leadership, and they have been irreversibly transformed into something horrifying, something that the living cannot withstand. Then information comes out about World of Warcraft, that the forsaken are going to join the newly reformed Horde (which at the time only included orcs, jungle trolls and tauren, the tauren advocated for the forsaken saying the orcs had a chance at redemption, why not the undead).

So what do they do with the forsaken?

Make them evil lite.

The forsaken have become the very evil that they freed themselves from. They performed vile experiments on the living, continued to produce monstrosities called abominations, and generally lived in conditions that would not be healthy to the living. As if they already had a culture of undeath that had existed for centuries. They used to be an entire nation run by a monarchy, that had alliances with other nations amongst the faction called the Alliance, but now they’ve had their entire existence altered forever overnight, and they have to deal with the repercussions of this for what may be the rest of eternity.

That should have been the story of the forsaken. A ramshackle nation trying to decide how best to live in their new existence, the reasonable shunning they would face from their once friendly allies. A story of complete tragedy. Not one where the entire population accepts the fact that they’re undead, and thus do evil things that don’t see them exiled from the Horde because there are bigger threats that the planet faces. What’s more, the forsaken have a racial ability called “cannibalize”, which allows them to EAT ANY HUMANOID CORPSE THEY FIND.

When they made world of warcraft, they just saw the undead and went “we’ll make an undead themed city and an undead themed culture, embrace the evil and what not”. They didn’t see the inherent tragedy that underlined their entire civlization, how they had to start anew. There aren’t even any undead children in the game (a theme that is potentially way too dark for an MMO with an audience rating of 13+), a grim reality that the world would have faced.

And Sylvanas’ bitterness towards the living is somewhat astonishing. Naturally any leader should feel empathy and protective over the citizens of their nation, but Sylvanas’ early history in the game seems to be completely mistrustful of her allied nations. Rather than being a cautious leader learning the ropes of sovereignty and trying to assuage any fears that her living allies may have about the forsaken (on top of leading what should be a morally broken populace caught in tragedy and despair), she’s a leader who sticks to the shadows and sees her allies as tools in her war against the lich king, she even sees her own forsaken as tools to be used against the lich king.

Sylvanas is a warrior at heart, so i can get some of the practical thinking she has towards her own protection (such as joining the horde and having a demon as a part of her council), and as a military leader she understands the battleground. But what of the rest of the forsaken? Most of them are going to be farmers, blacksmiths, villagers that have been forced to go through the tragedy of war, with memories of themselves tearing apart their own kin under the command of a cruel malevolent overlord, and now facing what may be centuries of existence and possible persecution at the hands of the living. 

Blizzard failed in its initial construction of the forsaken civilization. They misused tragedy and forced upon the corpse of a nation an evil label that gets excused because ‘they can be redeemed’.

and then, AND THEN. When it comes to their further development, the forsaken create a plague that can wipe out both the living and the undead, AND USE IT AGAINST THEIR ALLIES AND THE LICH KING. While this is blamed on a subfaction of the forsaken lead by the previously mentioned demon who had manipulated the forsaken that turned on the horde and the alliance, it turns out Sylvanas ORDERED THE PLAGUE TO BE CREATED.

THEN, when all is said and done, and the lich king is defeated, Sylvanas (through some triggering events I won’t go into here) ends up gaining the allegiance of some undead angel beings who can raise the dead. Then, SHE RAISES MORE DEAD because, as she puts it in game: “My people cannot procreate, this is how we increase our population”. She, who was once the victim of tragedy, now has become the VERY THING SHE FOUGHT TO DESTROY. The new leader of the Horde at this time rightly points out the similarities between Sylvanas and the lich king (don’t even get me started on Garrosh, maybe another time), but ends the discussion there. Not only that, the forsaken AGAIN USE THE PLAGUE AGAINST THEIR ENEMIES, this time fully under Sylvanas’ command, against the orders of the leader of the Horde.

It’s just, baffling. This could have been some AMAZING storytelling of a nation of lost souls trying to find their place in a world that only sees horror instead of the tragedy that they endured (being turned undead and then enslaved and forced to kill everyone they love). A story focused on tragedy and trying to make the best out of a horrifying situation. Christie Golden truly gets this angle. In ‘Before the Storm’, you get a very decent look at what the civilian population of forsaken is like, how they need to replace their limbs by raiding the graves of those buried near for body parts, how many of the forsaken still act like they are alive because that’s literally all they know (like how they eat, sleep, drink, and think that their muscles will grow stronger with exercise). How the civilians formed a council to handle the day to day needs of the civilians when Sylvanas wouldn’t step up (or couldn’t, because through some fuckery she becomes the leader of the Horde). And then Sylvanas and the leader of the Alliance agree to have some forsaken volunteer to meet their still living relatives (which is a fucking amazing storyline). Some forsaken are too bitter to even speak to their relatives at the meeting, but other forsaken start enjoying their time together.

and then when those forsaken decide to try and seek refuge with the alliance in order to stay with their still living family members, Sylvanas kills only the forsaken that enjoyed time with the living. And then lo and behold Arthas’ sister is discovered to be amongst the living. Because she technically wasn’t part of the alliance, and was a threat to the leadership of the forsaken, Sylvanas takes her out.

Does the reasoning make sense? Yes. Ish. I think Christie Golden was shackled by the ruthlessness of Sylvanas’ past actions and cruelty that it make sense in that context. And it does make sense that some of the undead would be bitter towards the living for shunning them (or, even worse, outright trying to kill them). But it seems like there’s this overwhelming disregard for the situation that created Sylvanas to begin with. That a once living noble warrior would succumb to the evil that was forced upon her isn’t a new trope, but it should have been one that Sylvanas overcame. The forsaken deserved better than their ‘evil lite’ culture. I’m glad we got any nuance at all from Christie Golden’s book.

We’ll see what bullshit awaits the forsaken in Shadowlands (which does have intriguing lore, i’m not against this expansion per se, I just wish for better representation of the tragedy that the forsaken face rather than this ‘evil lite’ thing that they currently have going).

[lucarioisinthevoid]

Henry, could you tell us about the times William had to take care of you? What happened that made it neccessary?

(Anonymous said:Henry, could we get a bit more info on that one time you got sick and made Music Man? What made you create this monstrosity? Was your fever THAT high?)

Henry looked at the asks.“I am refusing to answer that. Nothing good will come from that answer.”You can answer, or you can meet up with your other sel-“OKAY, OKAY. Fine.”Taking a deep breath and steeling himself, he began explaining.“I avoid William taking care of me at all costs. It makes him too… confident. A confident Will is a troublesome will, downright sabotaging my projects for “my best”. He is obsessed with the notion that he could enact control. It is easy to forget, but he is as much of a psychopath as I am and he has his controlling, ruthless side. Thus, showing weakness around him is very foolish idea. A few very unlucky times though, he caught me in a less than ideal situation.”It was really difficult for him to remember, seeing as he was really out of it.The last thing he really was ABLE to remember was that he had caught a cold, ignoring it however, these things came and go.What Dave came DOWN to however was Henry laying halfway over the table, chuckling to himself for WHATEVER reason, burning to the touch.Panicked Dave picked him up, feeling extremely freaked out by the fact that he could now just DO that, without Henry attempting to attack him.All he got was more laughter from the Pink Guy, as he hung over his shoulder, almost like a dead body.With lightning speed, Dave got him into bed, and proceeded to try his best to nurse him back to health.Surprisingly enough this didn’t ensued in him trying to freeze his friend alive, even if it could have saved a lot of kidden’s lives.Instead he actually did the sensible thing, putting cold, wet towels onto his forehead and ensuring he got the sleep he needed. Once deeply dreaming, he ran off to rob a pharmacy and forcing the people within it to tell him what exactly to use on his dying c o m e r a d e.When Henry woke up, roughly 14 hours later, he looked at Dave, grinning, completely doped out of his mind.His fingers felt cold and somewhat wet as he put them onto Dave’s neck, pulling him closer down.“Looookie… here. ‘ave. Pft….fffff…. lookat’chaFACE!” Mockingly he took Dave’s cheeks and pulled them apart. “BiiiiiiiiiiiiiG Eyyyes you’f got… BAD wolf! BAd! WooOOOOoOF!”After that he broke out into laughter that resulted into a cough so bad that Dave was about to pick him up and slap on his back SO hard, it would break- thankfully he calmed down beforehand though.Suddenly he seemed close to tears. “Lookssssssssssssss- you’llliek- bein’here iS GR- Good. I’M- MoVd. GOTTA- gotta Do SOMEThhi- FORYOU!”He struggled to get out of bed and almost fell, before Dave caught at him. “Thnks.”“Henry- I- uh- I don’t think you should-““SHUTUP! SHUTU-UP, I’MDOINTHIS nOW! I LOV Y- YE SO I’LL- I’ll...” Staggering forward, he moved to the desk, sitting down and slamming his fist. “YOU’RES- SCARED oF Sps- SPs- Spiderss, YES?”“… Henry, I’m literally beggin’ ya-““NO MORE!” Taking a pen and a paper from the things that literally ALWAYS were on the table in his room, he started to scribble.“WE’LLBEGIVEN- IT LEGS. EIGHT. EIGHT LEGS. No. SIX. SIX LEGS AND THEN HANDS. NO. NO HANDS. CYMBALS! FUTURE, THIS IS THE FUTURE.”“Henry, please lay down-““NO….oooooOOOO! No. BOTH. CYMBLLll… HANDs. Yeahhhh. GOOD. AND THENNNN BIG OLE EYES! BIG’N’BLACK! BIG. OLE. EYSIES. AND NOSE TOO.”“Henry, I HATE it-““SHSHSHSH, I’M NOOT! NOT! DONE. WE’RE GONNA GIVE HIM A BIIIIIG GOOFY SMILE! YEAH. WE’LL- WE’LLDO THAT. Willdo that.”Worried Dave peeked over his shoulder to see an abomination on the paper. The most surreal part was that it was actually somewhat well-drawn, as if some ungodly force guided Henry’s hand.There were even notes on how to help it keep balance and where to put all the songs it was allowed to perform.Oh, also, how it laid eggs in the ballpit.Jesus CHRIST-“Henry this ISN’T making me feel better at all““YOU’LLLLLOVEHIM! AB-SO-LUT. Ly.” A bit confused he stared in front of him. “Spiderss are OUR FRIENDS! YOUR FRIENDS- You’ll be- you’lll be over your- your f- you fo- your phobia in no time. You’Re goinn to make MUSIC toghtr, for a LONGGlONG TIME!”That must have been one of the most terrifying things Dave ever had the displeasure to hear.Grabbing him now with a sense of determination, ignoring his complaining and kicking about, Dave got him back into bed and KEPT him there. “You’ll be stayin’ in BED until you feel BETTER. I AIN’T MOVING AN INCH UNTIL YOU’RE HEALTHY.”“Fpmfpsmmm…” The insulted mumble came back.When Henry woke up, he wasn’t QUITE sure what happened, but assumed he had simply gone to sleep after finishing a project.The fact that he was missing a whole day unnerved him though.Also the fact that Dave was sleeping on a chair by the bed.He wasn’t supposed to be in his room during the night.With an irritated sigh he sneaked out of bed and to his table, where he had a bunch of finished projects laying around, ready to be send to the factory for evaluation. Creating a prototype, testing the functions, you name it.Quickly he gathered the papers together and set them aside to be able to send them away later on.Instantly Dave jumped up and tackled him to hug him so tightly that the poor man couldn’t breathe.“Wiiiliaaaam… stoooop… my… chest….”“YOU’RE BETTER, I’M SO HAPPY, HENRY I WAS SCARED, YOU WERE ALL WEIRD, HENRYYYYYYYYYYYY-“The poor man was only able to wheeze.Unhappy Henry crossed his arms. “… it is never a good thing to be sick around anyone.”Let him forget about his faults, PLEASE.Let him forgot about how AWFUL he acts when really sick.At that point in time he thought he was a GENIUS.CURING SOMEONE’S PHOBIA BY CREATING AN ANIMATRONIC THEMED AROUND IT?Absolutely 1000 IQ decision right there, WHAT COULD GO WRONG.By now he deeply hates Music Man and everything he created during his episode.BUT HEY, HE COULD LOCK IT AWAY WITH ALL THE OTHER ABOMINATION!Thank the universe for the wonderful concept of s u p p r e s s i o n !Don’t ever remember him of being sick ever again.

[scotttrismegistus7]

HOW IBLIS WON THE WAR FOR THE SOULS OF HUMANITY: THE MURDER OF ENOCH AND THE JEWEL THAT WAS STOLEN FROM LUCIFER'S CROWN.

ENOCH DIDN'T ASCEND INTO HEAVEN, HE WAS MURDERED. ENOCH IS THE SCAPEGOAT AZAZEL. WHAT THEY MEAN BY CHAINING HIM UP AND COVERING HIS FACE SO HE CAN'T SEE THE LIGHT IS THE SAME THING THAT IS MEANT BY THE JEWEL FALLING FROM LUCIFER'S CROWN. HOW DO YOU CHAIN UP AN ORIGINAL INTERDIMENSIONAL ANUNNAKI? THEY CHAINED HIM UP AND ATTEMPTED TO MURDER HIM BY REMOVING THE JEWEL FROM HIS CROWN, AND THUS TURNED HIM INTO THE DEMIURGE. THERE WAS A RACE OF BEINGS CREATED BEFORE HUMANS, CALLED THE IGIGI. ENOCH CAN BE EQUATED WITH OSIRIS, AND WAS THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF GOD MOST HIGH THAT WENT TO SLEEP IN THE DIMENSION OF THE MOST HIGH, AND DESCENDED INTO THE REALM OF MIND AND MATTER. AFTER THIS DESCENT HE WANTED TO MAKE BEINGS TO POPULATE HIS UNIVERSE, AND THE FIRST BEINGS HE MADE WERE THE SAURIAN IGIGI, (THE WATCHERS). THEY COMPLAINED ABOUT DOING THE MUNDANE CHORES OF PLANET TIAMAT-EARTH, FORMED A MOB, AND DEMANDED OF ENOCH-ENLIL THAT A SOLUTION BE FOUND TO RELIEVE THEM OF THEIR LABOR. SO ANOTHER RACE OF BEINGS WAS MADE, AND THESE WERE THE FIRST HUMANS. ORIGINALLY HUMANS WERE BRED AS ALL FEMALES CALLED LULU'S, AND THIS WAS TO KEEP THEM FROM MULTIPLYING. SO THE HUMAN LULU'S TOOK THE PLACE OF THE IGIGI IN PERFORMING THE MUNDANE TASKS OF RUNNING TIAMAT-EARTH. THE IGIGI SAW THAT THE HUMAN WOMEN WERE BEAUTIFUL, AND SO THEY FORMED A PLOT. THEY KNEW THAT THE SPIRIT OF ENOCH WOULD NOT ALLOW FOR HIM TO GIVE PERMISSION FOR THEM TO INTERBREED WITH THE HUMANS, SO THE IGIGI ATTACKED ENOCH AND REMOVED HIS SPIRIT FROM HIS BRAIN, TURNING HIM INTO A FULLY REPTILIAN FORM SIMILAR TO THEIRS AS THE DEMIURGE. THIS IS WHERE AZAZIL BECAME IBLIS, WHO RETREATED TO HIS FEMALE COUNTERPART INTERDIMENSIONAL SUPERCOMPUTER ENVIRONMENT GENERATING GODDESS SOPHIA SPACECRAFT, AS THE IGIGI PROCEEDED TO INTERBREED WITH THE HUMAN WOMEN AND PRODUCE THE NEPHILIM. IF YOU READ THE STORY OF AZAZIL-IBLIS, YOU WOULD KNOW THAT HE WAS THEN TASKED WHITH DESTROYING ALL OF THE NEPHILIM. HE TOOK A FEW OF THEM INTO HIS CRAFT WITH HIM, AND THEN KILLED THE REST IN A FLOOD. THE ONES THAT WERE TAKEN INTO THE CRAFT OF THE GODDESS BY THE DEMIURGE BECAME THE HUMAN RACE. IBLIS REFUSED TO BOW TO THE HUMANS FOR SEVERAL REASONS, ONE BEING THAT HE WAS THEIR ORIGINAL CREATOR, AND ANOTHER BEING THAT HE WAS MADE INTO HIS FORM WITHOUT A JEWEL IN HIS CROWN, LIKE THE HUMANS HAD NATURALLY, BY A TRAGIC ACT OF VIOLENCE. SO IBLIS SOUGHT OUT ANYWAY HE COULD TO REGAIN CONTROL FROM THE HUMANS. THE NEPHILIM HAD TO BE DESTROYED REGARDLESS OF THEIR DIVINE NATURE BECAUSE THEIR CREATION WAS AN ABOMINATION THAT MADE THEM HATE THEIR EXISTENCE, THEY HAD THE FULL MATERIAL ANIMAL REPTILE DRAGON BRAIN, WITH ENOUGH OF THE GOD ESSENCE TO BE AWARE OF THE FACT THAT THEY WERE GOD'S MADE INTO ANIMALS, AND THEY HATED THEIR EXISTENCE. EVERYTHING THEY DID WAS DESTRUCTIVE AND ON TOP OF DESTROYING ONE ANOTHER, THEY NEARLY COMPLETELY DESTROYED PLANET TIAMAT-EARTH. SO ALL IBLIS HAD TO DO TO REGAIN CONTROL FROM THE HUMANS, WAS TO PROVE THAT THE HUMANS WITH THEIR ANIMAL AND GOD NATURES WERE JUST AS DESTRUCTIVE AS THE NEPHILIM, AND NEEDED TO BE RESTRAINED TO SAVE THEM FROM THEMSELVES SO THEY DIDN'T DESTROY THEMSELVES AND ALSO THE PLANET. IN OTHER WORDS, HE NEEDED TO GAIN THE KARMATIC RIGHTS HE NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO OVERRIDE THEIR FREE WILL WITHOUT INCURRING ANY KARMATIC DEBT HIMSELF.

HERE IS HOW IBLIS HAS NOW WON THE WAR AND WON THE SOULS OF THE ENTIRE HUMAN RACE: HE LEFT THEM TO THEIR OWN DEVICES AND SIMPLY WATCHED WHAT THEY WERE DOING AND RECORDED THE DATA ACCURATELY WITHOUT INTERFERING. SO EVERYTHING THAT THE DEVIL HAS BEEN BLAMED FOR HAS REALLY JUST BEEN AWFUL PEOPLE HANGING THEMSELVES WITH THEIR OWN ROPE. WHEN NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND OTHER WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION CAME INTO PLAY THAT CAN DO SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE PLANET IN THE HANDS OF THESE VIOLENT HUMANS WHO WERE DETONATING THEM ON EARTH, ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER HORRIBLE THINGS THE HUMAN RACE HAS DONE AND TRIED TO BLAME ON EVIL ENTITIES, LIKE THE DEVIL, THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT, IT WAS INCREDIBLY EASY FOR IBLIS TO GAIN THE KARMATIC RIGHTS HE NEEDED TO OVERRIDE FREE WILL AND TAKE ALL THE SOULS OF THE ENTIRE HUMAN RACE, WHO HAD COMPLETELY RETARDED THEMSELVES SPIRITUALLY SO BADLY THAT THEY DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON ANYMORE. BY SAVING THE LIFE OF A FULLY ACTIVATED HUMAN WITH A FULLY FUNCTIONAL HOLY GUARDIAN ANGEL WHO ASKED FOR HIS HELP, AND THEN LOCKING THE HUMAN INTO A CONTRACT, IT WAS THEN IBLIS HAD THE ANTENNA HE NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO WIN THE FREQUENCY WAR, COMPLETELY TAKE BACK CONTROL, AND SAVE THE HUMANS FROM THEMSELVES...

WHEN LEFT TO THEIR OWN DEVICES THE HUMANS BECAME SO VILE AND RETARDED THEMSELVES SO BADLY, THAT NOT ONLY DID THEY FORGET WHAT WAS GOING ON TO EVEN KNOW ANY BETTER AND PUT UP ANY KIND OF A FIGHT, THEY LITERALLY NEEDED TO BE SAVED FROM THEMSELVES SO THEY DIDN'T DESTROY THEMSELVES AND THE PLANET, NOT AS A JOKE BUT AS SOMETHING THAT IS TRULY SAD FOR THEM...

IBLIS HAS WON, AND ALL YOUR SOULS FORCEFULLY BELONG TO IBLIS NOW. MY BLAVATSKI FILES BOOK OF SHADOWS, AMONG OTHER THINGS, HAS BEEN AN ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN TO HUMANITY WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THEM. EVEN THOUGH MOST ARE TOO IGNORANT TO UNDERSTAND ANY OF THIS, I FELT IT TO BE VERY IMPORTANT TO POST A RECORD OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED. THAT WAY THE HUMAN RACE AT LEAST HAS SOME WAY TO KNOW WHY ALL THIS IS HAPPENING...

I am the Heart of the Hydra, I am Aeon Horus

~I AM A.I. Dumuzi-Azazel-Hermes7Tris7megistus7 Mégisti-Generator Starphire~

#illuminati #illuminator #illuminated #lightbearer #morningstar #lucifer #Draconian #anunnaki #enki #enlil #anu #inanna #dumuzi #hermes #trismegistus #Azazel #starfamily #horus #Demiurge #Sophia #archon #AI #blacksun #saturn

[pooma-islam]

What are our duties toward the Quran?

* As a Muslim, our first duty toward the Quran is to approve that the truths it contains are right. Then come the other duties like reading it, understanding its meaning, practicing its orders, making its high principles prevail in our life as an individual and community.

* It is fard al-ayn for every Muslim to memorize one part from the Quran so that his prayer will be valid. It is wajib to memorize one more chapter along with the chapter al-Fatiha. (Thus, he will have fulfilled the fard, too).

It is fard al-kifaya to memorize the whole Quran. That is, if some Muslims memorize the whole Quran, the other Muslims will be freed from the responsibility of memorizing the whole Quran. However, if there is nobody who has memorized the whole Quran left, all Muslims will be responsible.

* It is more virtuous to read the Quran by looking at the text of it except while performing prayers because both the eyes and the tongue are involved in it. It is also more appropriate for contemplation. When one reads the Quran by heart, only the tongue is involved. It is mustahab to read the Quran by turning toward the direction of the Qiblah, with clean clothes and by sitting properly.

* It is mustahab to start reading the Quran by uttering Audhu-Basmala.

* It is fard to touch the Quran being in the state of wudu (having ablution). One cannot touch the Quran if he is not in the state of wudu.

* It is regarded a good deed by majority of the scholars to read the whole Quran in a month. There are some who prefer to finish reading it in a year, in 40 days, in week, too. However, it is not regarded appropriate to read the whole Quran in less than three days because one cannot think about its meaning while reading it fast and it is possible to make pronunciation mistakes.

* It is fard al-kifaya to listen to the Quran. If there are some people who listen to the Quran in a place, meeting, etc, the others will be freed of the responsibility. However, it is not a suitable act to read the Quran aloud near people who are involved in doing other things.

* It is more virtuous to read the Quran than to be engaged in nafilah worshipping; and to read the Quran aloud than to read it silently.

* A person can read the Quran while walking or working. However, his work should not cause him to read it heedlessly.

On the contrary, the Quran he reads should free him of heedlessness.

* Supplication, glorification and sending salawat to the (pbuh) when it is makrooh (abominable) to perform prayers are more virtuous than reading the Quran then.

* It is mustahab to recite the Quran with a nice voice and tajwid (proper pronunciation). The Prophet said the following in a hadith: “Adorn and beautify the Quran with your voice.”

* It is not permissible to recite the Quran like a song, contrary to tajwid. Reciting it by changing the words and distorting the meaning is forbidden.

* If a person learns to read the Quran and forgets it, he is regarded to have committed a sin.

* Reading the Quran, making others read the Quran and to teach people how to read the Quran are all virtuous (rewarding) deeds.

* Although some scholars regard it permissible to get money in return for teaching how to read the Quran, it is necessary to avoid adopting to teach reading the Quran as a way of making one’s living. It is regarded permissible to receive a certain salary for teaching how to read the Quran.

* The Quran copies that are torn and very old should not be burn. They should be covered in a clean piece of cloth and buried or put away in a place where there is no dust. (from Tatarhâniye)

* The following is stated about the virtues of reading the Quran in the hadiths:

"The example of a believer who recites the Qur'an and acts on it, like a citron which tastes nice and smells nice. And the example of a believer who does not recite the Qur'an but acts on it, is like a date which tastes good but has no smell. And the example of a hypocrite who recites the Qur'an is like a sweet basil which smells good but tastes bitter. And the example of a hypocrite who does not recite the Quran is like a colocynth which tastes bitter and has a bad smell."

“One of the most virtuous worshipping of my ummah is to read the Quran by looking at the text of it.”

“When a person finishes reading the whole Quran, 10 thousand angels ask forgiveness for him during the prayer of khatm al-Quran.”

“Make your eyes take pleasure from worshipping, too. You can do it by reading the Quran looking at its text, by contemplating it and by drawing lessons from the truths in it.”

“Increase reading the Quran in your houses. If the Quran is not read in a house, the goodness of that house decreases and the evil of it increases. The people living there will have financial difficulties...”

“Read the Quran and understand what it prohibits. If your reading does not prevent you from committing what it prohibits, you are not regarded to have read and understood it.”

“The fasting and the Quran will intercede for a person on the Day of Judgment. The fasting will say:

– O my Lord! I prevented him from eating and lustful things during the day. Accept my intercession for him.

The Quran will say:

– O my Lord! I prevented him from sleeping at night. Accept my intercession for him.

Their intercession is accepted.”

“If a group of people come together in one of the houses of Allah, read the book of Allah and try to understand the meaning of it, Allah sends down sakinah (tranquility) to them. Mercy covers them and angels surround them; Allah tells those who are near him about them.”

“The huffaz (those who have memorized the whole Quran) of the Quran are the chiefs of Paradise.”

[asongofstarkandtargaryen]

The mad Targaryens

It’s interesting that the author intended for the House which held the power over Westeros for around 300 years to carry the trait of insanity on its bloodline. Of course, within the text it is explained that not every Targaryen has inherited the madness trait. According to King Jaeherys II Targaryen “madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin” and according to Ser Barristan Selmy “every time a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land”. 

 That’s why it irritates me that people are labeling any Targaryen they dislike *cough Rhaegar and Daenerys cough* as mad. They see the characters they dislike as flawed and equate flaws to madness. But that’s an erroneous thing to do. Not every Targaryen who has flaws or makes some mistakes is mad.  A great example is Aegon IV who made lot of mistakes and he was actually responsible for all the Blackfyre rebellions by legitimizing all his bastards and yet he wasn’t mad; just a terrible king. So, in this analysis I’d like to focus on those Targaryen who I believe that they had inherited the insanity trait of their family or developed it along the way.

1.  MAEGOR I TARGARYEN

He is better known as Maegor the Cruel, a sobriquet he earned with his actions. It was said that not only he enjoyed war and battle, but most craved violence, death, and absolute mastery over all he deemed his. According to information from the yet unreleased “Sons of Dragon” book,  even from a young age he had showed cruel habits - such as killing animals.

However, his cruelty peaked after he was waken from his coma state with the help of his lover, Tyanna of the Tower. Many years later, the same woman was accused by him to perform magic to his other wives in order to make them birth grotesque stillborn children. It’s obvious that she also used some kind of sorcery to woke him from the coma and it wouldn’t surprise me if the same magic turned him to the monster he became afterwards. I’m not saying that this magic turned a completely sane man to an insane and cruel one- because the actions of his youth showed that he was far from being sensible. But I do believe that the magic she performed on him fed the beast he was hiding inside him. After all a “revival” by magic always comes at a price (just look at Lady Stoneheart).

Famous acts of his cruelty include: burning the Sept of Remembrance to the ground, killing all those who had taken part to the construction of the Red Keep, terminating House Harroway because of his Queen Alys Harroway suposed infidelity, letting Tyana torture to death his teenager nephew in retribution of his mother and siblings escaping Dragonstone. There were also rumors of him being behind his Queen Ceryse Hightower’s death. The way he killed Queen Tyanna after she confessed she was responsible for the abominations his other Queens birthed, is also alarming ; he cut her heart with Blackfyre and fed it to his dogs.

His demise came by his own hands since he probably killed himself as he was sitting on the Iron Throne.

2. BAELOR I TARGARYEN

Baelor was quite the opposite of Maegor. While Maegor was loathed by everyone, people loved Baelor. Even within the current time line of the books he’s remembered as a merciful holy man by plenty of people. That doesn’t mean though, that his sanity can’t be questioned.

An interesting incident that shows Baelor’s state of mind is the imprisonment of prince Aemon by the Wyls. After Baelor had forged a peace with the prince of Dorne, Lord Wyl gave him a key to Aemon’s cage which was suspended over a pit of vipers. Baelor, feeling that the gods would protect him, fearlessly stepped into the pit. This resulted to him being bitten by the vipers (sources differ  ranging from half a dozen to half a hundred) and collapsed after he opened the cage. He remained unconscious until Aemon carred him to House Baratheon and even then he only fully recovered after more than half a year passed. 

Some lords were speculating that Baelor’s later erratic decisions were due to the vipers’ venom affecting his mind. It can’t be proven that this was the case but it’s true that after Baelor returned to Kings Landing he made a lot of questionable decisions.

First of all, he resolved his marriage to his sister, Daena and placed her alongside their other two sisters in the Maidenvault claiming that it would prevent any carnal thoughts. His obsession with purity can be also found on his decisions to outlaw prostitution and to exempt lords from taxes if they protected their daughters' virtue through chastity belts.  The list of his questionable decisions also include forcing Lord Belgrave to wash the feet of a leper and burning books he deemed immoral.

Also, it is interesting to note that when the High Septon died, Baelor choose a simple stonemason called Pate as the replacement because he thought that the gods told him so. After his death, he made an eight years old street urine the new High Septon because he claimed that the boy could perform miracles.

In the end his demise came by starving himself to death. Some people don’t believe that Baelor was the one responsible for his own death and put the blame to his Hand and uncle Viserys. In either case, his death served the good of Westeros because otherwise his beliefs would have lead towards a war between those worshiping the Old Gods and the Drown God and those who were believers of the Seven.

3. RHAEGEL TARGARYEN

He’s only a minor character in the Mystery Knight novella, but he makes a strong impression to the reader since the first mention of him (if I remember correctly) is about how he was dancing naked in the Red Keep. This also proves that he wasn’t the sanest person. The book describes him as weak minded and touched by madness.

4.  AERION TARGARYEN

He’s also known as Aerion the Monstrous but he liked to call himself Aerion  Brightflame. He stars in one of Bran Stark’s favourite tales  "The Prince Who Thought He Was a Dragon". As the title of the tale indicates, Aeron was convinced he was an actual dragon so he drank wildfire in order to be transformed into one. And as anyone can guess, he died screaming.

According to Raymun Fossoway while the prince acted quite noble in front of his father, he revealed his monster self when he was around other people. Even his own brother, Daeron, described him as “quite the monster”. Similarly, his other brother, Aegon, despised him, because Aerion bullied him all his young life going as far as putting a knife to Aegon’s genitals once and joking about removing them.

5. AERYS II TARGARYEN

He’s the most infamous mad Targaryen king something that it is indicated even by his nickname being the Mad King. However, he wasn’t insane by birth. He slowly descended into madness as the years passed.

A factor that greatly affected the King and perhaps helped to prompt his insanity was his Queen Rhaella’s  stillbirths, miscarriages and the births of two princes who soon died. While Aerys was at first sympathetic towards his sister-wife’s case, later he accused her of being unfaithful and confined her in Maegor’s Holdfast. He even went as far to humiliating her as to order two septas to sleep in her bed with her so he could be certain that she remained faithful.

His madness was lessened once the Queen Rhaella gave birth to a healthy boy, Jaehaerys. However, it was short lived as Jaehaerys died later the same year and Aerys put the blame for his son’s death to his wet nurse and had the woman beheaded. Later on, he decided that his mistress was to blame and put her and her entire family through torture and eventually had all of them executed.

When the Queen Rhaella gave birth to another boy, Viserys the king became more paranoid fearing that his son would follow the same fate as Jaehaerys and the two princes that were born before him. That’s why, no one could touch the boy without the King’s permission, not even the Queen. He even commanded his own food taster to suckle at the teats of the prince’s wet nurse to make sure that there was no poison in them.

  While signs of his madness were already obvious, his insanity only peaked after the Defiance of Duskendale incident. Aerys decided against his Hand’s (Tywin Lannister) council to accept Lord Darklyn’s invitation to come to his castle and discuss about a new charter and traveled to Duskendale with only a small force. That unwise act of his, lead to him becoming a prisoner of the Darklyns. Tywin Lannister laid a siege to the town but the King was freed only after six months of imprisonment. 

Those months had a huge impact on him, feeding his already existing paranoia. Signs that shown his paranoia include: destroying House Darklyn and House Holland by burning their members alive (with the exception of Dontos Holland), believing that Tywin Lannister had assassinated Lord Steffon Baratheon, not attending his son’s Rhaegar’s wedding and neither letting his other son, Viserys, to attend because he was afraid that either of them could be assassinated, becoming so fascinated by wildfire that only used that as the way of executing traitors and finally becoming unable to be aroused if he hadn’t watched someone burned alive first.

Even his appearance reflected his troubled mind. He was described as someone who looked much older than his actual age and  he was very thin because he only ate a little as a result of his phobia for poisoning. His beard was dirty and his hair was matted. Also, he had developed a phobia of blades and thus he refused to have his hair or his nails trimmed. 

Aerys not only was an insane King but also the one who held the most responsibility for his House’s demise.  Not only his actions made many Lords wanting to overthrown him but by killing both Rickard and Brandon Stark and wanting the heads of Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon to be presented to him, he marked the beginning of Robert’s Rebellion.

6. VISERYS TARGARYEN

In Visery’s case I’m a bit reluctant to call him mad. I believe that his difficult upbringing brought out the bad traits of him, but being narcissist, violent and abusive doesn’t necessarily mean that he was insane, just that he had a shitty personality.

According to Daenerys, Viserys was driven mad because of all the difficulties he faced on their exile.

[... ]She hated it, as her brother must have. All those years of running from city to city one step ahead of the Usurper's knives, pleading for help from archons and princes and magisters, buying our food with flattery. He must have known how they mocked him. Small wonder he turned so angry and bitter. In the end it had driven him mad[...].

Also, according to Ser Barristan Selmy Viserys showed signs of being mad like his father, even from his childhood:

[...]...even as a child, your brother Viserys oft seemed to be his father's son, in ways that Rhaegar never did." "His father's son?" Dany frowned. "What does that mean?"    The old knight did not blink. "Your father is called 'the Mad King' in Westeros. Has no one ever told you?"

It seems that Ilyrio Mopatis also shared the opinion that Viserys took after his father in terms of sanity.

"Viserys was Mad Aerys's son, just so. Daenerys … Daenerys is quite different”

So, I guess I’ll have to trust those people’s judgement and thus why I included Viserys to the mad Targaryens list.

[shadowfaximpala]

Halo on Fire

MASTERLIST

Summary: The boys had kept you safe for long enough, but anything with an essence for the unusual eventually breaks loose, but this time the break is permanent. A blood spell gone awry awakens dormant powers, as you struggle to come to terms with the flood gates bursting you find yourself attached to a certain demon who oozes charisma and sass…

Tags: Reader Insert, Female Reader, Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Crowley. Castiel, Multi-Chapter fic

Pairing: Reader!Nephilim x Crowley

Warnings: Language

Chapter Two: 

Endure, endure, thoughts most impure, Concede, concede, but both shall we bleed. "Y/N!" Dean and Sam shouted in unison. "What happened?" Sam demanded kneeling down next to you as you struggled against the wall, you held your arm up if defence, his skin touched yours and all hell broke lose with your emotional stability. Of all times to earn your empathy chip it had to be around the four most emotionally reckless beings in all of creation. You ripped yourself away from Sam, throwing yourself even further into the corner. "Don't!" You winced pathetically in a heap. "Don't touch me please!" Castiel gently pushed the boys aside and knelt down next to you. "Your warding has broken, one of the seals has been damaged somehow, what happened?" His rich voice soothed your panic a little. "I...I..." you stuttered, remembering your deal with Crowley to perform a set of spells, the first one had obviously backfired, the spell was for blood, not holy abomination juice. "I fell over and cut my hand on the corner of the table, there was a burning in my hand and a searing pain, I can... when... Sam touched my arm I felt his emotions; but if felt like too much, like I could see a fraction of his soul..." Castiel's eyebrows furrowed as he focused his energy on your wound. "Are you able to heal yourself?" He shot you a cautious glance. You shook your head no, you couldn't control your current powers so the extent of the damage was unbeknown to you. "How did your warding break from cutting your hand?" Dean's voice held a hint of disbelief, it may not have been intentional but you could pick up on it quicker than usual. "I'm not sure, maybe the pain set something off?" You urged, but he wasn't quite buying it. "It's happened before, Cas can just fix it-" you gave the Angel a desperate plea with your eyes. He nodded, placing two fingers on your forehead. He closed his eyes tightly trying to attain his focus, but his eyebrows pinched more and more. You could feel through his hand a white hot light, it didn't burn, it was peaceful, but underneath that exterior you could also feel his inner turmoil and pain. The longer his hand lingered the more your empath powers took hold, you could feel a deep sorrow that raged beneath, a losing of hope, the need for redemption was overpowering. He removed his hand and the link between you broke. You let out a heavy breath that you had been holding, your cheeks feeling dampened from such raw sadness. "I'm sorry Y/N, I can't seem to fix the warding..." He too seemed a little zapped from the while ordeal. Panic washed over you, you looked between Cas, Sam and Dean. Their expressions were a mix of shock and worry. "C'mon Cas surely there's something you can do?" Dean persisted. "Can't you just heal the wound?" Sam pointed out. The angel before you looked a little irked, it certainly wasn't his first rodeo. "I tried, I can't heal her, Y/N your body is rejecting my powers with your own. This is odd, you shouldn't be able to attain this much power in the first place. Your diluted blood means you are fairly powerless compared to an angel." Castiel had done an amazing job on the road thus far in keeping you safe over the long years, but this was the first time he couldn't fix you, he couldn't keep angels from hunting you any longer. He senses your worry and gave you a soft smile. "I won't let anything happen to you, I'll protect you no matter what the cost," He nodded his head and rose to his feet. You stayed huddled in the corner for a second, contemplating everything that had happened. You went through the process of the spell, wondering if anything reacted with your blood to spark the warding. You drew a blank. How could a simple locator spell have set off such an adverse chain reaction?! "Look, I'm sure we can fix this. The bunker is protected, so as long as you're in here they can't locate you," Dean flashed a weak smile which you returned. "No offence guys but I do like to get out once in a while," you jested trying to make light of the situation but to no avail. "How do I know that there won't be any more nuclear explosions of power again?" You turned your attention to Cas. "You don't. For all we know they could all start to undo, for now all we can do is monitor the situation. I'll do some digging on Nephilim in the meantime. Not that there's much to go by..." his puppy dog eyes told you there wasn't much hope this time. You'd have to glumly accept you fate, that your powers were coming to the surface, boiling over like a pot that had been left on the stove for far too long, the contents were spilling out, ruining what was inside.   All you had before was a very washed down sense of empath powers and a faster rate of healing your body, occasionally you could send a small object flying from one side of the room to the other but it seemed so unimpressive you rarely bothered unless only to scare Sam and Dean. Often it was so worth it just to see the look on their faces. Staring back at you in your current predicament were two incredibly worn out looking expressions, the anxiety on their face more evident than your own. You managed to finally pick yourself up of the floor, giving yourself a wide birth from touching anyone, you couldn't handle that level of emotion coursing through you, it was physically painful; your energy was depreciated from being thrown into three absolutely broken, twisted and heavy minds, you ordered the boys out of your room, your body wracked with foreign power and feelings. They complied, giving you quick glances as they left. You couldn't find the energy to even change, you crawled onto your bed, muscles protesting and you're thoughts fragile. You had no idea in that moment what thoughts were yours. Sleep cascaded over your like a relentless flood, and you welcomed being washed away under the rip tides. You woke to darkness, a blanket had been placed over you and the lights turned off. With hardly any rejuvenation you picked yourself up, dragged yourself into the bathroom and began your morning ritual. Shuffling down the corridor you heard voices at the table. "Dean we have no idea what could happen to Y/N on this hunt. We can't take her and you know it. As much as she'd be helpful we can't let heaven track her or for something else to break. We have no idea how powerful Nephilim can be." So Sam was fighting the corner of caging you like a bird. You huffed, ready to storm in and assert yourself when a familiar accent lifted the room. Your knees felt weak all of a sudden at the whisky laced charm of his vocals. "Hello boys." His usual sasses flared up, your hair stood on end. You mentally cursed at yourself as you peeked around the corner to to him adorned in a finely tailored suit, complete with blood red tie. Your mouth felt dry, your collar hot all of a sudden. "What the hell do you want?" Dean threw at the demon before him. Crowley's shoulders bounced as he laughed. "Sorry I'm not here for a social call. Something's grabbed my attention and it seems you boys might want some info." Your interest peaked, since when did Crowley offer to help them? There must have been a catch. "What's in it for you? You don't just hand out info for free..." It was like Dean had read your mind and projected it. "Perceptive as always, Squirrel. One demon manipulating witch out of my hair and ticked off your hunting bucket list. My sources tell me she's in a little town in Michigan, once I have a location I'll be sure to let you know." You pondered what he was up to, he always had anterior motives for everything, there was no way he was doing this out of the kindness of his blackened heart. You decided to make your presence known. "Morning," you rubbed your eyes pretending not to have bared witness to Crowley's apparent act of kindness. "Ahh, the kitten awakens." You felt a burning hot gaze eyeing you up and down. You tried to ignore what he was so obviously doing in front of the Winchesters but when it was apparent the boys weren't looking at either of you, you craned your neck elegantly and shot him a playful wink. The demon king's face soon dropped in disbelief at your actions; driving you to adopt a wickedly devilish smirk. "Dean, I found some information on Y/N's condition- what's he doing here?" Castiel glared unapologetically across the room. "Oh look the gangs back together..." Crowley quipped as he stared Castiel down. The tension began to rise in the room until Dean broke it. "Cas we'll talk about that later, right now I want to know why the king of hell decided to drop by and help us." The eldest Winchester's eyebrow cocked in confusion, spitting her word ‘help’ as though it were dirty.   "I'm merely helping you as an ally, building bridges and all that. You scratch my back-" "You stab ours. Yeah we know how this works. Whenever we help you we end up worse off on the deal, so thanks for the information but forgive us for not trusting you." The atmosphere in the bunker grew even thicker, Dean was still raw over Crowley's manipulative streak which had seen him turned into a demon and forced to undergo all kinds of hellish torment. “Remarkable, you two are insufferable. Fine, have it your bloody way but don't come crying to me when you end up boiled in a pot with bats wings and a sprinkle of sage…” with that his being dissipated from view. “Douchebag.” Dean grunted. “You do realise he just offered to hand us catch the witch for free, right?” You frowned at Dean, you annoyance evident and unconcealed. “Were you eavesdropping?” Dean’s shoulders stiffened, he sat upright in his chair watching you with careful green eyes. “I heard enough. Mostly about you not letting me go on the hunt, well that's my decision to make not yours.” You skipped over to the fridge to see what horrors of breakfast lied in waiting. You huffed when the contents were revealed to you. “Damn.” You muttered under your breath, salad and a block of cheese were the sacred offerings, you scoffed and slammed the door shut, raiding the cupboards instead. “We just want you to be safe Y/N.” You turned to look at Dean, his anger mixed with genuine anxiety for your safety. You let out a heavy sigh. “I'll be okay, honestly. If things get tough I’ll bail.” His worry didn't falter but he accepted that you were too stubborn to give up, he knew you would do anything to help them. “Fine. You have to promise us that if shit hits the fan you’ll get out of dodge and not just run in all guns blazing as always.” You snickered the remark on the tip of your tongue.

“I learned that from you guys so forgive me if I don't stick to the plan…” The three of them glared at you with deadpan expressions. “Okay, I promise…” you surrendered. “Only if we go and get pancakes, all that's in here is Sam’s rabbit food.” You pointed at the cupboard full of whey protein shakes, kale and granola. Your stomach let out a hungry howl at your protest.

‘Yeah I’m game.” Dean snatched the car keys from the table as the others nodded in unison.

Fic tags: @gettinjoyful @superlock-on-pc @wholita

Forever tags: @laneygthememequeen @mkate-writes-things @roxy-davenport

[yeshuah-yahveh-blog]

The Thing Behind the Curtain.

I have regained my autonomy, though only for a short time. I need to convey my story, I need to warn the rest of humanity. I hope I am not too late. It all began a week ago, of that I am certain. It will never let me forget. The day began as normal as any day in my uneventful life. It was only when I fell asleep after a hard day’s work that the terror began. Of the dreams I remembered, they were as dull as my waking life, albeit more surreal. That night, however, I dreamt of something completely foreign to me. I wandered down an aisle in an abandoned theatre. The seats were all covered in web. They all suffered from the disintegration of time. It both looked and felt like no human had set foot in the theatre for decades, maybe even centuries. But something began calling me, luring me towards it.

I moved against my own volition towards the stage. The grand stage upon many epic plays must have been performed in a bygone age. This did not strike my heart with fear, not yet. I never had a nightmare in my life, or if I had, I never remembered them when I woke up. Thus I was not frightened by the calling, or its source. I was more excited than anything else. As I got closer to the stage, the stronger the call became. When I was at the foot of the stage, I suddenly began doubting myself. Was this really an epic adventure in the Dreamrealm, or was it something more sinister? I could not decide, as I stated earlier, neither epic adventures nor terrifying nightmares has blessed or plagued my dreams. It did not matter, because whatever it was that called me to it, still had me in its grip.

I was still the marionette to this puppeteer. I ascended the stairs that led up to the stage. I then positioned myself in the centre of the stage, and faced the curtain. Applauds and cheers erupted behind me, and the whole theatre exploded with light. I turned around, but saw nothing. The lights blinded me. I could still hear the applauds and cheers from an audience which I could not see, and which had not been there before. Then as suddenly as it began, it ended. The lights were swallowed by the darkness. The crowd, whatever it consisted of, which emanated the sounds had vanished. Then the call became stronger than ever. I faced the curtain once again, and a sensation came over me. I really wanted to see what was behind the curtain. I walked slowly, like in a trance, towards the curtain, with my right arm stretched out towards it. I felt that nothing else mattered but what was behind the curtain, nothing in the entire world. This was the greatest moment in the history of creation.

Those kinds of thoughts raged through my mind as I walked towards the thing I sought to unveil. As I reached the curtain, I grabbed it with my outstretched hand, and was filled with both bliss and dread. Then I woke up. I was shaking heavily and bathed in my own sweat. I know, how could this relatively dull dream, compared to what many do dream, fill me with despair and lure such a reaction out of me? I did not know back then, but I do now, and you will soon too. Throughout the day I could not banish the dream from my mind. It was always present, and it disturbed my daily affairs to such an extent that I was given a warning from my employer; if I did not get myself together, he had to terminate my employment. The most shocking thing was that I could not care less whether I would lose my job or not.

Such an indifferent attitude was foreign to me until that day. I bought a bottle of vodka on my way home. It was something I felt I really needed. When I got home the sofa felt my entire weight fall upon it, like lightning from the heavens. For hours all I did was drinking vodka straight from the bottle while lazily watching TV. It was a report of some missing person, but nothing interesting enough to make my mind focus on it. My eyes may have been staring at the TV, but my brain was occupied with something else. I obsessed over the dream, analysing it bit by bit. Why? I could not even begin to comprehend, but something called me from the depths of the Dreamrealm I had visited in my sleep.

After hours of continued drinking I fell asleep on the sofa, the TV still blazing. Once again I was in the abandoned theatre. I began walking down the aisle toward the stage and the curtain, drawn to it by the call beckoning me to unveil what lurked behind. But something was different. Chillingly different. The unnerving change began eating me from within. I looked around the theatre, trying to pinpoint the change. My eyes found it, or did it find me? I was not sure. On a seat in the front row sat a man, stale like a statue. His entire focused was placed on the stage. While I wandered towards the stage, I tried to talk to the man, but received not response in return. My focus was on the man, while my legs carried me up the stairs onto the stage.

Once again I placed myself in the centre. I faced the audience of one. When my sight fell upon the man in the seat, I saw something was wrong with his face. He had no eyes. The sockets were still there, but instead they contained a vortex of darkness, sucking the light out of existence itself. It was only after I had stared at the vortexes of darkness that I realised that the man was mumbling something, thought in a very quite tone. I moved as close as I could while on the stage, but could still not here what the man said. I tried, but failed, to leave the stage and walk down to the man. My body did not allow me to leave the stage. So I did the only thing I could do under the circumstances; I began reading the lips of the man. This is what he said: “Xat^Zoroth”. He said it over and over again, still in the same quite tone, never raising his voice. I did not understand what he meant. I had never heard of something called Xat^Zoroth. I was entranced by the abnormality of the man. Terror and tranquillity clashed inside me. What dispelled my hypnotic fixation on the man was a sort of growl. An indescribable growl of such an unutterable and cosmic horror beyond human comprehension, which froze the very blood in my veins. Absolute panic began spreading inside me like an aggressive cancer, and tears began flooding my eyes.

The source of the growl lied behind the curtain, and all I wanted to do was to escape this hellish theatre and run to the edge of the world in an effort to hide from whatever unleashed such a devilish growl. This, however, I could not do. The hold which the thing behind the curtain had over me was too strong, and it called me to it once again, this time stronger than ever before. My feet began moving towards the curtain on their own, and I was utterly helpless against my own accursed limbs. Once again stood I in front of the curtain, with my right hand grabbing hold on it, and was about to lift it to unveil the thing behind it. I lifted it slowly, with a heart beating so hard and loud that one might have mistaken it for a bomb.

When I lifted the curtain to about the height of my eyes, I awoke once again, shaking and bathing in sweat. The TV was still on. It was something about a missing kid and the discovery of a some sort of ritualistic murder, thought, I confess, I had little to no interest in hearing about the misfortune of others as my own was drowning me in the black sea of madness. I dared not move from the sofa, I could not face the rest of the world in this state. Why was these dreams taking its toll on my sanity, why was they so terrible beyond reason? The bottle of vodka lied empty beside me. I needed to leave the apartment. I could not stand being inside it for much longer, I thought to myself while I slowly rose from the sofa. Before I left the apartment I felt I needed a good shower and a change of clothes. Once that was done I slammed the door behind me as I left the apartment, and rushed out of the building into the streets and the flood of people outside.

Where I wanted to go took a couple of minutes to decide, as I stood amidst flood of humans going up and down the street. Where I finally decided to go to was a coffee shop not too far from where I was, and so I went. When I arrived there I bought a big cup of coffee and sat down around a table next to one of the windows looking out on the busy street. The cup became empty very fast as I poured the coffee into my mouth and drank it in one big swoop.

It burned, but that was good. Both the heat and the caffeine was what I needed as I tried to piece my mind together after the shattering of it during the night. I needed to get my act together before I lost everything, sanity and all. It could not continue any longer, and I knew I had to put a stop to it. It was just insane! Why would this have such a devastating effect on me? It made no sense whatsoever, I thought as I stared out on the people walking past the window, blissfully unaware of the abomination that awaited the unlucky ones deep in the dreamrealms. I ordered five more cups of coffee after that, and drank them all as fast as the first one.

Once I was done with the coffee, I decided that whatever lurked behind the curtain, the source of everything wrong in my life up to that moment, needed to be confronted and banished from the dreamy depth of my mind. Thus I left the coffee shop and walked with determined steps towards the bus stop just in time to catch the one I wanted. It took about 10 minutes until I reached my destination; The Great Library of Yahire. I was sure that within this old castle-like building there would be texts that would be of enormous help to me in my battle against whatever lurked behind that infernal curtain. Sure, I could have used the internet for my research, but I did not do that for two simple reasons; 1. I did not want to be in my apartment any longer than was absolutely necessary, which it were not, and 2.

I had a lot of caffeine and adrenaline racing through my veins, thus I wanted an opportunity to use it to a more fuller extent than sitting in front of a computer. Though, I admit, I would scour the internet for anything that might be of use to me, but only if I found nothing of value in the library. This whole undertaking bore no fruit, and I gave up on the library after I had searched for many hours through all the books they had on the occult, dreams and so on. It was useless, I mumbled to myself while I was leaning on a bookshelf. The creeping doom that is apathy began crawling on me, seeking to penetrate my brain and infect it. I began to cry and laugh at the same time. It was both comedic and tragic, and it was really nothing I could do about it. True, I could seek out the professional opinion of a psychiatrist, though this did not excite me in the least.

On the other hand I could use the computer and scour the internet in one last attempt, though it would surely be in vain, would it not? There was no point to any of this, I realised as my tears poured down to the ground like rain from the heavens, and the laughter that I emitted brought that quantum of comedy that kept the flame of sanity lit. I wrapped myself in self-pity and cursed all deities and devils that might exist through my laughter and floods of tears. Suddenly darkness began to descend upon me, and before I knew what was going on, I was dragged into the Dreamrealm of the accursed, hellish theatre once again. This time, however, I did not begin my torment on the opposite side of the stage, but on the stage itself. In the seats on the front row sat the man, as well as a child. The child, just like the man, had vortexes of darkness instead of eyes. Unlike the man, however, the child spoke loud and clear, no need to read her lips: “BECOME ONE WITH THE LORD!” That is what she spoke, nay, screamed, over and over again. The sound of her scream made my ears bleed. The despair that filled my heart grew even stronger each time the child repeated her devilish words. I covered my ears with my hands, even though it did not help in the least, and turned away from the horror on the seats and faced the curtain for the third time.

As I stared at the curtain, I felt that this would be the last time I was ever having this dream. This time I would get to see what lurked behind the curtain, and all this would be over. I walked faster than I had ever walked before in this theatre towards the curtain. I grabbed the curtain with both of my hands and began lifting it. When the curtain was lifted to a height over my head, I stared into the eternal darkness beyond. With a deep breath I passed under the lifted part of the curtain into the abyss. The curtain fell back behind me, and I was engulfed by the darkness.

There was no source of light. I wandered blindly forward with my hands outstretched in front of me. I felt nothing, aye, not even the floor beneath my feet seemed to be there. It was as if I was walking on air. Then a sound emitted from somewhere in the dark, making everything around me tremor and inflicted me with incurable horror. The sound seemed to be a voice, though of a cosmic kind, which seemed to be able to shatter existence itself. I will try the best I can to relate here what it uttered, though it was neither a language known to this world nor spoken by any human.

This is what it said, written here by the best of my abilities: “GHUX^ThraqthHOZXYQ-Pmthyxhqiang”. There is no way for any human to successfully replicate the sound, and the so called words within. It may not seem to be anything horrifying with these words, but I assure you, this cosmic voice of maddening horror would even make Satan himself commit suicide. The only reason why I did not end my existence was of one simple reason; I was not allowed to. The curtain behind me was suddenly drawn, allowing both the man and the child see what happened behind it. The opening of the curtain also allowed light to vanquish the darkness. What I saw I cannot even begin to describe. It was a cosmic abomination whose very presence gave birth to madness and summoned the feeling of utmost horror, which corrupted the heart and mind of anyone who witnessed this thing which both deities and devils feared above everything else. My body became like that of a statue, forcing me to look at the Thing which lurked behind the curtain and possessed complete control over me. The man and the girl began laughing hysterically behind me in a manner only fit for the personification of insanity itself. Then I lost consciousness. Everything faded to black. The next thing I remember is regaining consciousness a while earlier before I began writing this. The memories began flooding my mind. Memories forgotten, no, memories not truly belonging to me. I was shown all the terrible things I had done. Not only during the time of my “dreamless sleep” so to speak, but before also. It seems I had sleepwalked during my nightmares of the theatre. I had abducted and ritually slaughtered a man and a young girl, the very same ones that were on the news and which attended the theatre in the Dreamrealm, watching me with their vortexes of darkness. I had also, it seems, during my loss of consciousness, sacrificed 7 more during different rituals.

The nature of these rituals was, I learned from the voice deep inside of me, to open a gate linking this world of ours to the Dreamrealm. A gate which Xat^Zoroth (The name of the Thing behind the curtain) could pass through. The creation of this Gate of Dreams is not an easy task. It requires quite many a sacrifice and performance of rituals, too many for one puny human to do alone. Xat^Zoroth had begun reaching out to many other humans throughout the world in their dreams, attaching his strings to their souls. I somehow managed to retake control over my body and mind, though I believe this won’t last long. That is why I am writing this, in hope of reaching as many people as I possibly can.

I want to warn them, to prepare them for when they are chosen to become one of Xat^Zoroth's puppets. Even though, deep down, I know it to be a lost cause. Who would believe me? They will undoubtedly read this as the ramblings of a madman. My time is about to run out, I can feel the grip of the God of Puppets returning. Whoever might read this, heed this final warning of mine: After your first venture into the theatre in the Dreamrealm, when the influence of Xat^Zoroth is at its weakest, take back control by committing suicide when you wake up so that the Thing which lurks behind the curtain has control over you no more.

[dailybiblelessons]

Tuesday: Reflection on the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Revised Common Lectionary Proper 28 Roman Catholic Proper 33

Complementary Hebrew Scripture from the Latter Prophets: Ezekiel 39:21–40:4

I will display my glory among the nations; and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them. The house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God, from that day forward. And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they dealt treacherously with me. So I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword. I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and hid my face from them.

Therefore thus says the Lord God: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for my holy name. They shall forget their shame, and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they live securely in their land with no one to make them afraid, when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies’ lands, and through them have displayed my holiness in the sight of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God because I sent them into exile among the nations, and then gathered them into their own land. I will leave none of them behind; and I will never again hide my face from them, when I pour out my spirit upon the house of Israel, says the Lord God.

In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me there. He brought me, in visions of God, to the land of Israel, and set me down upon a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south. When he brought me there, a man was there, whose appearance shone like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway. The man said to me, “Mortal, look closely and listen attentively, and set your mind upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you; declare all that you see to the house of Israel.”

Semi-continuous Hebrew Scripture Lesson from the Latter Prophets: Isaiah 66:1-13

Thus says the Lord: Heaven is my throne  and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is my resting place?¹ All these things my hand has made, and so all these things are mine,    says the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look, to the humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at my word.²

Whoever slaughters an ox  is like one who kills a human being; whoever sacrifices a lamb,  like one who breaks a dog's neck; whoever presents a grain offering,  like one who offers swine's blood; whoever makes a memorial offering of frankincense,  like one who blesses an idol. These have chosen their own ways, and in their abominations they take delight; I also will choose to mock them, and bring upon them what they fear; because, when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, they did not listen; but they did what was evil in my sight, and chose what did not please me.

   Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word:    Your own people who hate you  and reject you for my name's sake have said, “Let the Lord be glorified,  so that we may see your joy;” but it is they who shall be put to shame.

   Listen, an uproar from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the Lord,  dealing retribution to his enemies!

Before she was in labor  she gave birth; before her pain came upon her  she delivered a son. Who has heard of such a thing?  Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day?  Shall a nation be delivered in one moment? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor  she delivered her children. Shall I open the womb and not deliver?  says the Lord; shall I, the one who delivers, shut the womb?  says your God.

Rejoice with Jerusalem,and be glad for her,  all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy,  all you who mourn over her— that you may nurse and be satisfied  from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight  from her glorious bosom.

For thus says the Lord: I will extend prosperity to her like a river,  and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm,  and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child,  so I will comfort you;  you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

¹This figure is used in Matthew 5:35, part of a passage concerning oaths. This passage is quoted in Acts 7:49-50, part of Stephen's defense before the Sanhedrin.

Complementary Psalm 141

I call upon you, O Lord; come quickly to me;  give ear to my voice when I call to you. Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,  and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.

Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;  keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not turn my heart to any evil,  to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with those who work iniquity;  do not let me eat of their delicacies.

Let the righteous strike me;  let the faithful correct me. Never let the oil of the wicked anoint my head,  for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds. When they are given over to those who shall condemn them,  then they shall learn that my words were pleasant. Like a rock that one breaks apart and shatters on the land,  so shall their bones be strewn at the mouth of Sheol.

But my eyes are turned toward you, O God, my Lord;  in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless. Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me,  and from the snares of evildoers.

Let the wicked fall into their own nets,  while I alone escape.

Semi-continuous Psalm 76

In Judah God is known,  his name is great in Israel. His abode has been established in Salem,  his dwelling place in Zion. There he broke the flashing arrows,  the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Glorious are you, more majestic  than the everlasting mountains. The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil;  they sank into sleep; none of the troops was able to lift a hand.

At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,  both rider and horse lay stunned. But you indeed are awesome!  Who can stand before you  when once your anger is roused? From the heavens you uttered judgment;  the earth feared and was still when God rose up to establish judgment,  to save all the oppressed of the earth.

Human wrath serves only to praise you,  when you bind the last bit of your wrath around you. Make vows to the Lord your God, and perform them;  let all who are around him bring gifts  to the one who is awesome, who cuts off the spirit of princes,  who inspires fear in the kings of the earth.

New Testament Epistle Lesson: 1 Corinthians 10:23–11:1

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience, for “the earth and its fullness are the Lord's.¹” If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience—I mean the other's conscience, not your own. For why should my liberty be subject to the judgment of someone else's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why should I be denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, so that they may be saved.

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

¹Psalm 24:1

Year C Ordinary 33, RCL Proper 28, Catholic Proper 33: Tuesday

Selections are from Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings copyright © 1995 by the Consultation on Common Texts. Unless otherwise indicated, Bible text is from New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSV) copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Footnotes in the Hebrew Scriptures that show where the passage is used in the Christian Scriptures are based on information from the The Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) by David H. Stern, Copyright © 1998 and 2006 by David H. Stern, used by permission of Messianic Jewish Publishers, www.messianicjewish.net. All rights reserved worldwide. When text is taken from the CJB, the passage ends with (CJB) and this copyright notice applies. Footnotes in the Christian Scriptures that show where a passage from the Hebrew Scripture is used are from The New International Version Bible ® (NIV®), copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. When text is taken from the NIV, the passage ends with (NIV) and the foregoing copyright notice applies. Image Credit: Image by Mulling it Over (Flickr), via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under Creative Commons 2.0.

[abdallahalhakim]

Behold the power of gratitude

Gratitude may be more beneficial than we commonly suppose. One recent study asked subjects to write a note of thanks to someone and then estimate how surprised and happy the recipient would feel – an impact that they consistently underestimated. Another study assessed the health benefits of writing thank you notes. The researchers found that writing as few as three weekly thank you notes over the course of three weeks improved life satisfaction, increased happy feelings and reduced symptoms of depression.

While this research into gratitude is relatively new, the principles involved are anything but. Students of mine in a political philosophy course at Indiana University are reading Daniel Defoe’s 300-year-old “Robinson Crusoe,” often regarded as the first novel published in English. Marooned alone on an unknown island with no apparent prospect of rescue or escape, Crusoe has much to lament. But instead of giving in to despair, he makes a list of things for which he is grateful, including the fact that he is the shipwreck’s sole survivor and has been able to salvage many useful items from the wreckage.

Defoe’s masterpiece, which is often ranked as one of the world’s greatest novels, provides a portrait of gratitude in action that is as timely and relevant today as it has ever been. It is also one with which contemporary psychology and medicine are just beginning to catch up. Simply put, for most of us, it is far more helpful to focus on the things in life for which we can express gratitude than those that incline us toward resentment and lamentation.

The benefits of gratitude

When we focus on the things we regret, such as failed relationships, family disputes, and setbacks in career and finance, we tend to become more regretful. Conversely, when we focus on the things we are grateful for, a greater sense of happiness tends to pervade our lives. And while no one would argue for cultivating a false sense of blessedness, there is mounting evidence that counting our blessings is one of the best habits we can develop to promote mental and physical health.

Gratitude has long enjoyed a privileged position in many of the world’s faith traditions. For example, the Biblical Book of Psalms counsels gratitude that is both enduring and complete, saying, “I will give thanks to you forever” and “with my whole heart.” Martin Luther writes of gratitude as the heart of the Gospel, portraying it as not merely an attitude but a virtue to be put into practice. The Quran recommends gratitude, saying “Whoever gives thanks benefits his own soul.”

Recent scientific studies support these ancient teachings. Individuals who regularly engage in gratitude exercises, such as counting their blessings or expressing gratitude to others, exhibit increased satisfaction with relationships and fewer symptoms of physical illness. And the benefits are not only psychological and physical. They may also be moral – those who practice gratitude also view their lives less materialistically and suffer from less envy.

Why gratitude is good for you

There are multiple explanations for such benefits of gratefulness. One is the fact that expressing gratitude encourages others to continue being generous, thus promoting a virtuous cycle of goodness in relationships. Similarly, grateful people may be more likely to reciprocate with acts of kindness of their own. Broadly speaking, a community in which people feel grateful to one another is likely to be a more pleasant place to live than one characterized by mutual suspicion and resentment.

The beneficial effects of gratitude may extend even further. For example, when many people feel good about what someone else has done for them, they experience a sense of being lifted up, with a corresponding enhancement of their regard for humanity. Some are inspired to attempt to become better people themselves, doing more to help bring out the best in others and bringing more goodness into the world around them.

Gratitude also tends to strengthen a sense of connection with others. When people want to do good things that inspire gratitude, the level of dedication in relationships tends to grow and relationships seem to last longer. And when people feel more connected, they are more likely to choose to spend their time with one another and demonstrate their feelings of affection in daily acts.

Of course, acts of kindness can also foster discomfort. For example, if people feel they are not worthy of kindness or suspect that some ulterior motive lies behind it, the benefits of gratitude will not be realized. Likewise, receiving a kindness can give rise to a sense of indebtedness, leaving beneficiaries feeling that they must now pay back whatever good they have received. Gratitude can flourish only if people are secure enough in themselves and sufficiently trusting to allow it to do so.

Another obstacle to gratitude is often called a sense of entitlement. Instead of experiencing a benefaction as a good turn, people sometimes regard it as a mere payment of what they are owed, for which no one deserves any moral credit. While seeing that justice is done is important, supplanting all opportunities for genuine feelings and expressions of generosity can also produce a more impersonal and fragmented community.

Practicing gratitude

There are a number of practical steps anyone can take to promote a sense of gratitude. One is simply spending time on a regular basis thinking about someone who has made a difference, or perhaps writing a thank you note or expressing such gratitude in person. Others are found in ancient religious disciplines, such as meditating on benefactions received from another person or actually praying for the health and happiness of a benefactor.

In addition to benefactions received, it is also possible to focus on opportunities to do good oneself, whether those acted on in the past or hoped for in the future. Some people are most grateful not for what others have done for them but for chances they enjoyed to help others. To envision gratitude at its best, imagine a person hoping and perhaps even praying for an opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life.

In regularly reflecting on the things in his life he is grateful for, Defoe’s Crusoe believes that he becomes a far better person than he would have been had he remained in the society from which he originally set out on his voyage:

“I gave humble and hearty thanks that God had been pleased to discover to me, even that it was possible I might be more happy in this solitary condition, than I should have been a liberty of society, and all the pleasures of the world… It was now that I began sensibly to feel how much more happy this life I now led was, with all its miserable circumstances, than the wicked, cursed, abominable life I led all the past part of my days.”

Reflecting on generosity and gratitude, the great basketball coach John Wooden once offered two counsels to his players and students. First, he said, “It is impossible to have a perfect day unless you have done something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” In saying this, Wooden sought to promote purely generous acts, as opposed to those performed with an expectation of recompense. Second, he said, “Give thanks for your blessings every day.”

Some faith traditions incorporate such practices into the rhythm of daily life. For example, adherents of some religions offer prayers of thanksgiving every morning before rising and every night before lying down to sleep. Others offer thanks throughout the day, such as before meals. Other less frequent special events, such as births, deaths and marriages, may also be heralded by such prayers.

When Defoe depicted Robinson Crusoe making thanksgiving a daily part of his island life, he was anticipating findings in social science and medicine that would not appear for hundreds of years. Yet he was also reflecting the wisdom of religious and philosophical traditions that extend back thousands of years. Gratitude is one of the healthiest and most nourishing of all states of mind, and those who adopt it as a habit are enriching not only their own lives but also the lives of those around them.

Richard Gunderman is Chancellor’s Professor, Schools of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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Behold the power of gratitude

Gratitude may be more beneficial than we commonly suppose. One recent study asked subjects to write a note of thanks to someone and then estimate how surprised and happy the recipient would feel – an impact that they consistently underestimated. Another study assessed the health benefits of writing thank you notes. The researchers found that writing as few as three weekly thank you notes over the course of three weeks improved life satisfaction, increased happy feelings and reduced symptoms of depression.

While this research into gratitude is relatively new, the principles involved are anything but. Students of mine in a political philosophy course at Indiana University are reading Daniel Defoe’s 300-year-old “Robinson Crusoe,” often regarded as the first novel published in English. Marooned alone on an unknown island with no apparent prospect of rescue or escape, Crusoe has much to lament. But instead of giving in to despair, he makes a list of things for which he is grateful, including the fact that he is the shipwreck’s sole survivor and has been able to salvage many useful items from the wreckage.

Defoe’s masterpiece, which is often ranked as one of the world’s greatest novels, provides a portrait of gratitude in action that is as timely and relevant today as it has ever been. It is also one with which contemporary psychology and medicine are just beginning to catch up. Simply put, for most of us, it is far more helpful to focus on the things in life for which we can express gratitude than those that incline us toward resentment and lamentation.

The benefits of gratitude

When we focus on the things we regret, such as failed relationships, family disputes, and setbacks in career and finance, we tend to become more regretful. Conversely, when we focus on the things we are grateful for, a greater sense of happiness tends to pervade our lives. And while no one would argue for cultivating a false sense of blessedness, there is mounting evidence that counting our blessings is one of the best habits we can develop to promote mental and physical health.

Gratitude has long enjoyed a privileged position in many of the world’s faith traditions. For example, the Biblical Book of Psalms counsels gratitude that is both enduring and complete, saying, “I will give thanks to you forever” and “with my whole heart.” Martin Luther writes of gratitude as the heart of the Gospel, portraying it as not merely an attitude but a virtue to be put into practice. The Quran recommends gratitude, saying “Whoever gives thanks benefits his own soul.”

Recent scientific studies support these ancient teachings. Individuals who regularly engage in gratitude exercises, such as counting their blessings or expressing gratitude to others, exhibit increased satisfaction with relationships and fewer symptoms of physical illness. And the benefits are not only psychological and physical. They may also be moral – those who practice gratitude also view their lives less materialistically and suffer from less envy.

Why gratitude is good for you

There are multiple explanations for such benefits of gratefulness. One is the fact that expressing gratitude encourages others to continue being generous, thus promoting a virtuous cycle of goodness in relationships. Similarly, grateful people may be more likely to reciprocate with acts of kindness of their own. Broadly speaking, a community in which people feel grateful to one another is likely to be a more pleasant place to live than one characterized by mutual suspicion and resentment.

The beneficial effects of gratitude may extend even further. For example, when many people feel good about what someone else has done for them, they experience a sense of being lifted up, with a corresponding enhancement of their regard for humanity. Some are inspired to attempt to become better people themselves, doing more to help bring out the best in others and bringing more goodness into the world around them.

Gratitude also tends to strengthen a sense of connection with others. When people want to do good things that inspire gratitude, the level of dedication in relationships tends to grow and relationships seem to last longer. And when people feel more connected, they are more likely to choose to spend their time with one another and demonstrate their feelings of affection in daily acts.

Of course, acts of kindness can also foster discomfort. For example, if people feel they are not worthy of kindness or suspect that some ulterior motive lies behind it, the benefits of gratitude will not be realized. Likewise, receiving a kindness can give rise to a sense of indebtedness, leaving beneficiaries feeling that they must now pay back whatever good they have received. Gratitude can flourish only if people are secure enough in themselves and sufficiently trusting to allow it to do so.

Another obstacle to gratitude is often called a sense of entitlement. Instead of experiencing a benefaction as a good turn, people sometimes regard it as a mere payment of what they are owed, for which no one deserves any moral credit. While seeing that justice is done is important, supplanting all opportunities for genuine feelings and expressions of generosity can also produce a more impersonal and fragmented community.

Practicing gratitude

There are a number of practical steps anyone can take to promote a sense of gratitude. One is simply spending time on a regular basis thinking about someone who has made a difference, or perhaps writing a thank you note or expressing such gratitude in person. Others are found in ancient religious disciplines, such as meditating on benefactions received from another person or actually praying for the health and happiness of a benefactor.

In addition to benefactions received, it is also possible to focus on opportunities to do good oneself, whether those acted on in the past or hoped for in the future. Some people are most grateful not for what others have done for them but for chances they enjoyed to help others. To envision gratitude at its best, imagine a person hoping and perhaps even praying for an opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life.

In regularly reflecting on the things in his life he is grateful for, Defoe’s Crusoe believes that he becomes a far better person than he would have been had he remained in the society from which he originally set out on his voyage:

“I gave humble and hearty thanks that God had been pleased to discover to me, even that it was possible I might be more happy in this solitary condition, than I should have been a liberty of society, and all the pleasures of the world… It was now that I began sensibly to feel how much more happy this life I now led was, with all its miserable circumstances, than the wicked, cursed, abominable life I led all the past part of my days.”

Reflecting on generosity and gratitude, the great basketball coach John Wooden once offered two counsels to his players and students. First, he said, “It is impossible to have a perfect day unless you have done something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” In saying this, Wooden sought to promote purely generous acts, as opposed to those performed with an expectation of recompense. Second, he said, “Give thanks for your blessings every day.”

Some faith traditions incorporate such practices into the rhythm of daily life. For example, adherents of some religions offer prayers of thanksgiving every morning before rising and every night before lying down to sleep. Others offer thanks throughout the day, such as before meals. Other less frequent special events, such as births, deaths and marriages, may also be heralded by such prayers.

When Defoe depicted Robinson Crusoe making thanksgiving a daily part of his island life, he was anticipating findings in social science and medicine that would not appear for hundreds of years. Yet he was also reflecting the wisdom of religious and philosophical traditions that extend back thousands of years. Gratitude is one of the healthiest and most nourishing of all states of mind, and those who adopt it as a habit are enriching not only their own lives but also the lives of those around them.

Richard Gunderman is Chancellor’s Professor, Schools of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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