#god wears a ukraine chevron...

[the-jam-to-the-unicorn]

Easter Greetings by the President of Ukraine

Great People of Great Ukraine!

Today we celebrate a significant holiday — the Resurrection of the Lord. Easter. Easter symbolizes the liberation of the human soul from the slavery of evil and darkness. It symbolizes the victory of goodness and justice, the victory of life over death.

We have been fighting for all of this for 802 days in a row. 802 days of freedom standing up to darkness, valor standing up to terror. 802 days of our resistance, which can be described by the words from the Gospel of John: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…"

The exact same words are dedicated to one of the exhibitions at St. Sophia Cathedral, where I am now. Together, this exhibition and the other works by various Ukrainian artists convey a deep meaning. These are the icons on ammunition boxes. They are saturated with the smoke of our land and the spirit of our people. They are the symbols of great trials and great power that helps us overcome them. Each of these icons is like a divine manifestation, a proof that the heavens are with us, an answer to the question of why Ukrainians have withstood. It is because in the most difficult circumstances and in the darkest times we are able to create light. We can do it on boards scorched by fire and grief, that came from Ukrainian cities and villages exhausted by suffering. We can do this by combining the seemingly incompatible: the war and the Lord, by overcoming evil with faith, overcoming adversity with hope.

When taking a closer look at these icons, one can understand the feelings of our entire nation. It's a mirror that reflects our reality in times of war, the path we have already taken, and this Easter, and our entire present. This is what our amulets look like today. This is how we feel that God is protecting us through the hands of our warriors. This is how we see the protection of the heavenly forces, embodied in the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine, every Ukrainian who devotes themself to the sacred cause of defending their native land from darkness and evil.

These icons bear the names of heroes who sacrificed their lives to protect us. They showed that Ukrainians kneel only to pray. And never do they kneel in front of invaders and occupiers.

The Bible teaches us to love our neighbor. And the present has shown us the true meaning of this word. When we support and help each other even hundreds of kilometers away from one another. We protect each other. We pray for each other. When we all have become closer to each other, we have become each other's neighbors. And our former neighbor, who was always making us take him for a brother, remains distant from us for centuries. They have broken all the commandments, coveted our house, and come to kill us. The world sees it.

God knows it. And we believe that there is a chevron with the Ukrainian flag on the shoulder of God. Therefore, with such an ally, life will definitely prevail over death.

As we overcome a common path and experience common pain, we are all united today by one common prayer. We pray for all our warriors who are celebrating Easter in the trenches and on the positions. We pray for our warriors of light, who restrain demons in all directions. We pray for those who keep another commandment in their lives: to defend Ukraine. We pray that they all come back alive.

We pray for all our civilians who work hard every day to strengthen our state and ensure that it successfully overcomes evil. We pray for those who live and work for this purpose.

We pray for all our children, for all the boys and girls brave far beyond their years, whose childhood was stolen from them by Russia, but who, despite everything, have not forgotten how to smile and believe in miracles.

We pray for all our mothers and fathers who were robbed of a happy, peaceful aging, and who, despite everything, are holding on and taking care of us.

We pray for all our cities and villages, that should feel the Lord's grace, not the constant terror of evil, and which have black clouds hanging over them, and bombs and missiles coming from those who belong in hell, not in the Ukrainian sky.

We pray for our lands and our people, whose spirit cannot be broken. And we remember the words written in St. Sophia Cathedral above the Oranta image, which came true in our lives: "God is in the midst of the city, and it will not be shaken. God will help it before dawn.”

Today, we are praying for all Ukrainians who are waiting for this dawn and will certainly see it. They will find peace, truth, and God, who will return to the scorched land, the land scarred with craters and trenches. He will return with peace, tranquility, and flowers instead of mines in the fields. He will return with children's laughter instead of the roar of an air alarm. The light that will return to all of our Lord-given land, to all the territories that are temporarily occupied by the devils. God will return to Mariupol. To the slag heaps and the seashores. It has always been so. It will definitely be so. I believe in this every day, especially on this glorious day in this glorious place, the history of which reminds us that neither the Horde invasion, nor the Nazi occupation, nor the Russian terror will be able to wipe us off the face of the Earth.

May the heavens strengthen our will in the battle against thralldom. May they give us courage for new achievements and wisdom to appreciate all that we have already gained. May they give us the strength to maintain unity, and give us unity to enhance our strength. May God grant eternal rest to all those who gave their lives for Ukraine and everlasting peace to their descendants, to all our children and grandchildren, and to all our future generations. They have the sacred right to know what a peaceful Easter in a peaceful Ukraine is.

Today we pray for it and we fight for it.

And the light shines in the darkness...

Happy Easter to all of you, dear Ukrainians!

Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed!

[auroralunamoon]

Gems, Stones and Crystals

In this article series I’ll be talking about gems, crystals and stones. I’ll be describing their unique properties, history of them, where to find them and what they can be used for.

Amethyst is my personal favourite gem. I’ve had it call to me multiple times. I have a amethyst pendent and one still in its crystallized rock form like the picture above.

HISTORY OF AMETHYSTS:

Amethysts used to be as valuable as diamonds as it was thought to have legendary powers. To ancient people it was called “the Gem of Fire”. Its said the wine God Bacchus got angry over an insult. He said the first person he meets next with be devoured by his tigers. The first person he met was a young mortal maiden named Amethyst who was on her way to the shrine of Diana. The tigers tried to devour her but failed as the power of the Goddess protected her and turned her into a beautiful clear white crystal. Bacchus regretfully poured his  wine over the crystal giving it its beautiful purple colour. In Ancient Greece and Rome they would stud their goblets with amethyst because they thought it would prevent them from becoming intoxicated. Catholic priests believed the same thing except they would wear amethyst rings.

COLOURS:

Amethysts don’t just come in a purple hue. They can be any colour from a light red-violet to a deep violet. Sometimes it has a few regular white quartz among the other colours. They can also be opaque and transparent.

SPECIAL PROPERTIES:

Amethysts as mentioned above have thought to have legendary powers. This isn’t entirely wrong. Amethysts are known to have healing and protection properties. Also as stated before people used to believe it prevented them from becoming intoxicated however this remains a myth. It’s healing works with physical, mental and emotional pain. That being said it doesn’t cure people from pain it can only subside it temporally. Those who rely on it might find that it helps more with mental health. For example if one is grieving over a loss an amethyst can help sooth them.  It is also thought to be connected to the divine which goes with the creation story above. It has played a part in many cultures and faiths; such as Hebrews, Catholic’s, Egyptians and many other Eastern cultures.  In today’s society it still has spiritual meaning. It represents the third eye, the crown and Etheric chakras. By doing so it enhances psychic abilities. It increases wisdom, creativity and passion as well.

TYPES OF AMETHYSTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM:

Brandberg Amethyst is a unique and extraordinary blend of Amethyst, Clear and Smoky Quartz together in one exceedingly high-vibrational crystal. It is found only in Namibia, Africa.

Chevron Amethyst displays v-shaped chevrons of deep purple and white Quartz that “seep” into beautiful layers. Found in Africa.

Cacoxenite in Amethyst mingles dark brown to yellow tufts of Cacoxenite, a phosphate mineral and major component in the Super Seven crystal, with the host crystal Amethyst. Found in Hrbek Mines of Bohemia in the Czech Republic and Brazil,

Ametrine is a combination of Amethyst and Citrine within the same crystal. Found only in Bolivia and extremely rare to find in nature.

“Rutilated” Amethyst is a rare form of Amethyst which appears to contain Rutile, but actually contains brownish crystals of Goethite, an iron hydroxide mineral also found in the Super Seven crystal. Found in south Africa, Australia, Ukraine, Norway and the United States (Virginia and North Carolina).