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#why specifically seraphim? wow
gooselycharm · 6 months
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pray tell what are your birdmen thoughts on the finale
oh man.... i just finished it today so my thoughts are very jumbled
i loved the first like 2/3 of the manga a lot! the original bird club cast charmed me SO much when the manga first started coming out. and what i really enjoyed about the story was that the sci-fi element served more as a vehicle for the casts' psychological drama and coming-of-age stories than sci-fi for its own sake. yellow tanabe spent of lot of time developing the bird club kids with so much care that when the scale of the story started expanding, i lost my initial interest... which is why i stopped reading years ago.
and catching up... yeah, i still stand by my thoughts LOL like the scope just got too huge too quickly... it seemed CRAZY to me that tsubame and sagisawa stayed behind the last 10 chapters or so like WHAT. they straight up went from main cast to minor characters... and yellow tanabe is a good character writer, so i was somewhat invested in the other groups like the american seraphim and the adams/eves, but anytime the OG bird club wasn't on screen i was just like :/ where are my kids
those are my main complaints! i enjoyed the slower smaller more psychological and interpersonal storytelling of the first half compared to the more philosophical and global scale of the second half. like please tell me more about kamoda's ex-basketball club. legitimately i want to know more about that rather than the fate of the world sjfsd;jfgkdf
but that's not to say i completely hated the second half! like omg..... it got so gay..... like wtf.... sorry eishi about your life. and how in love you are with the world's most inscrutable and cryptic 15 year old. i guess the tradeoff for yaoi is good writing. well. that's fine. no but i did enjoy the focus on the two of them even if came at the expense of the completely sidelining of the other 3 bird club members :'( sorry y'all don't have a homoerotic quasi-religious counterpart to share a dreamscape with
similarly, this is how i felt about kekkaishi's run too. the last time i read it was like 7 years ago, so i don't remember it that great, but i think i enjoyed the beginning/middle of it the most and was dissatisfied with its ending as well
also i echo this post by simkjrs, an artist i like, which actually prompted my reread!
but in the end we have this picture so its okay. at least my favorite character didn't die mid-series this time, thank you for that yellow tanabe
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EDIT: realized you asked specifically about the finale and i didn't.... really say anything about the last chapter LOL. my main gripe is that it felt very rushed -- we have so much build up to the seven meeting and what kind of decision they're going to make and then it all just kind of - ends? like they just kinda came to an offscreen consensus or something...?
in general it felt like this big climax that everything was building up to, all these different factions and sides, just all got swept aside and tidied up. the part where robin and her crew get greeted by this loving crowd especially threw me for a loop like WHAT... how does this happen??? just feels like we skipped several steps LOL.
but it's a sweet little ending, with seraphs and humans co-existing and determining their own fate... and the one thing i REALLY like is eishi being some government representative like that cracks me tf up it's so funny. you spend ages 15-16 on an international adventure fighting the worlds most morally bankrupt accelerationists and then ages 16 onwards as a teenage bureaucrat. amazing.
plus: apparently takayama gives up on becoming a timeline-hopping?? space-faring?? angelic being?? to stay guy who rescues cats and (APPARENTLY?) HAS A JOB? wow. what being in love does to a god.
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purplehairedwonder · 2 years
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Chapter 1059: Angels in the Amazon
That was quite a chapter, wow.
We start by tying up some loose ends in Wano. Marco is heading off into retirement, but not before he and Luffy finally get their meeting:
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Luffy thanks Marco for helping him during Marineford, and Marco tells Luffy that Ace would be proud. Lovely moment.
We also get some clarification on why Yamato is staying in Wano:
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I know some people are calling this a cop-out, but I actually really appreciate this? After all, Oden’s greatest mistake was leaving Wano to selfishly explore the world when his leadership was needed to protect the country from Kaido and Orochi. Wano suffered for decades because of it. Yamato is making the right choice where Oden didn’t. 
And then we get to the meat of the chapter. So much to unpack as the Marines descend upon Amazon Lily.
We’ve got the Seraphim, which seem to be the World Government’s replacements for the Warlords. And they seem to be younger versions (clones? cyborgs?) of the Warlords fused with Lunarian DNA. (King’s introduction now paying off.)
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We seem Boa and Mihawk Seraphim here. Does this mean there are Seraphim for the other Warlords? Are we going to see mini Doffy and Jinbei -- what about Buggy and Law? Replacing the Warlords with modified versions of the Warlords is... 
Well, this is hella twisted, and I am feeling quite anxious about the Punk Hazard kids that were taken to Vegapunk after seeing this.
(What about a Kaido Seraphim, considering he was also experimented on? Yikes.)
And Blackbeard makes his move. He’s had his eye on Boa’s fruit.
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Blackbeard must have a specific reason for wanting Boa’s fruit, so I wonder what that is. Is there some unique aspect to her fruit that he wants to make use of?
Also, bounties!
And then there’s Koby and his newfound reputation.
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*bangs fists on table* ROCKY PORT ROCKY PORT ROCKY PORT.
I am so excited to see this incident brought back. All we knew before was that Law was considered the mastermind, it was a big reason he became a Warlord, and Koby got a reputation as a hero.
But now Ochoku/Wang Zhi, one of the Rocks pirates, and Blackbeard are also tied to the event. EXCUSE ME?! What the hell happened? I need to know, Oda!
As if allllllll of this wasn’t enough, RAYLEIGH shows up and manages to resolve the situation with the strength of his reptuation.
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And we get a big reveal about Shakky:
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Former Empress of the Kuja? That... explains a lot, actually. 
Also, Boa resting her head on Rayleigh’s knee is really adorable.
Finally, Koby seems to have been taken by Blackbeard. 
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Interesting that we’re not seeing Koby himself but the headline in the paper, indicating there is more to this story.
So many interesting developments in this chapter. I am fascinated and excited to see what comes next!
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Oh wow I was not expecting so much love that was given for my last post, thank you all so much for the support! ❤
With people seeming to like my theories/discussions, ima give you all another one that I have been stewing on for a good while now.
The question of what kind of angel is Shimoda.
Now I know what you all are thinking. "But he said that he is a liaison angel." But that is where you are wrong my dear friends, because that isn't the kind of angel that he is, that is just the job that he was assigned to. Something like that is more of an angel ability rather than a type of angel itself. So that then begs the question, just what kind of angel is Shimoda?
In order to figure this out we have to find out the different types of angels there are. Or more specifically the 9 choirs of angels. This includes, from bottom of the hierarchy to the top are: Angles (ones who act as guardian angels to humans on earth), Archangels (ones who lead the angels), Principalities (ones who care and guard communities, states, kingdoms and parishes), Powers (ones who are warriors that fight against the demonic choirs), Virtues (ones that run the operation of movement in the universe, being associated with planets, elements, seasons, and nature), Dominions (ones who lord over the lower powers and humanity), Thrones (ones of will and justice), Cherubim (ones of harmony and wisdom), Seraphim (ones of love, light, and fire).
As I am sure you all have heard plenty of times, the three I just mentioned are the ones who work closest to god. Now that we have that out of the way, we can start trying to fit Shimoda into one of the choirs.
Angels and Archangels categories are already ruled out. We have Principalities, which could work as Shimoda was told that one day he will be in charge of a whole continent. However, I am ruling out Principalities as well as I feel like Shimoda is a bit higher up the rankings seeing as he wasn't told he would be in charge of a state or a kingdom but flat out a whole continent. There are only seven continents on earth (which is the current planet heaven is working with, as I am sure there are plenty of other planets with continents.).
Obviously Shimoda is not a Power for obvious reasons lol. Next we have Virtue which could be it as he was basically assigned to "supervise" the design departments.  However, there is the possibility that he may be higher up than that, due to how close both him and Ueda are with god. Both Ueda and Shimoda, being the liaison between God and the designers, are basically the speakers of God. Even more so, when Shimoda speaks to God, like when he requested for him to ease up on the designers, God was perfectly fine with that. Ueda was even seen attending the meeting in hell with God's very own ride. She also casually explained why God wasn't there. Now I feel like unless you were really close with God, you wouldn't be doing any of this, or have the courage to talk about his faults so casually. Ueda seems to be working very closely to God, and Shimoda seems to be getting raised to follow in those kinds of footsteps. Therefore I have to believe that both of them may be Seraphim.
Now you might be asking, "but didn't Shimoda mention the higher ups? If he is a Seraphim then shouldn't he have had the power to stop them from transferring someone over to the plant department?" Well that's the thing that I was wondering as well, but I then I came to this realization:
Just because Shimoda is a Seraphim, that doesn't mean that he has gained the authority of one yet. As shown plenty of times before, he is only just a newborn angel. He is basically being raised by the others to grow up (mentally not physically) into a confident and powerful angel. He is still taking his first steps right now, and barely has any understanding of his own powers. As shown when he said that he couldn't sense anything or catch the giant bug like Ueda can do.
Shimoda is still trying to find his place. He isn't perfect like Ueda and the other angels are, as to sum it up he is the kind of person who would end up tripping on a ladybug. But he doesn't feel different in the way that Yokota did either. And he isn't even close to the level that Nakata is right now (whether she is an angel or not as I know she hasn't been confirmed as either yet.) However one thing is for sure, Shimoda is starting to find his place with the design team. He is the heart and light for the team and for others, that's for certain!
Anyway that's all for now! I may post another one tonight that I also have been thinking about as well so stay tuned for that! Hope you all have a wonderful day and night! ^^
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xeno-aligned · 4 years
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do you know any angel related genders besides angeligender and aggelos? (i was the person who coined aggelos). i feel like my gender is connected to angels, a holy purpose, and light because of my angel delusions AND my belief in god but i don't know any genders similar to that, only that my gender is that of an angel's. i know refligender, and im also that at least
Praegender is a gender identity similar to xenogender  but much greater in the span of things. It’s a god-like gender far outside beyond the normal cognizance of gender that it’s omnipresent, not null, but Other, and beyond mortality and time.  
Sanctiorne - pronounced SANC-tee-orn, with orn with a sound like thorn. A deity xenogender related to being a deity, or believing yourself to be holy in some form. Its rumbling and dark, with lightning qualities. It can be related to weather, and angelic things too.
Roseatine: A xenogender related to the color pink, lovecore, but importantly also being an angel/deity in some form. Its soft, and fluffy related to love but can be harsh too. It can also be warm. A feminine alignment, but can be for any alignment and mixed with other terms as a prefix. (Example: Roseaboy, Roseagirl, Roseanonbinary, Roseaflux, etc)
Śerāf / Śerāgender: A xenogender / videgender related to seraphim. It is associated with fire, serpents, burning light and divinity. It may be a holidelusogender. Intended for angelic / divine alterhumans, but can be used by anyone.
the angel choir system
Seraphaeic: When one’s gender is directly related to being an Angel of the Seraphim Choir. Intended for Nonhumans.
Seravasi: An angelic gender, meant for nonhuman headmates of an angelic species. Specifically of the Seraph type, but any angelic being is free to use it
Angreprobic (Ayn-jj-reh-pro-bick): A gender that feels like it was once something holy, strong, and powerful, but collapsed and fell into darkness due to trauma or stress. May or may not hold religious tones! It can never grow back to its former glory, but it can return to some minor strength.Exclusive to people with PTSD/anxiety/similar, but also moreso centered towards people with such that use religion as a coping mechanism (NOT as a reason to attack/hurt/hate other people)!
Godgender or Deusgender: A gender identity that pertains to godliness/something holy, meaning it’s an untouched and unaltered version of gender/has no “passing” form/is outside of masculinity and femininity (can meld with feminine/masculine genders, but does not usually carry societies’ norms when this happens); Nonbinary gender for people who identifies as deities or acknowledge a divine aspect within themselves.
seraphaeic: a xenogender that feels holy and angelic. it has multiple facets, as if it has multiple “wings”. often referred to as the polar opposite of daederic. this term can be used by anyone, but was created with angelkin in mind
Seraphgender: A gender that feels very holy and sacred as well as powerful and important but not as strong as a deity. Mainly intended for Seraphkin but can be used by anyone.
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emmys-grimoire · 3 years
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Lesson 52 - Bittersweet Pseudo-Memories
It wasn’t what I wanted, but it was good for what it was?
When we last left our heroes, they were having their intimate moment intruded upon by Big Majestic Chicken Lucifer, who demands to know who they are. You can try to evade the question, but he continues to be an asshole and you have to relent and continue to pretend you and ‘Sully’ are angels. Lucifer pretends to believe you and proceeds to make you do his chores.
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Lucifer proceeds to complain about Raphael dumping all his work onto him and Satan implies that Lucifer is letting the other angel bully him... and he’s not actually wrong. I’m not sure why Lucifer just couldn’t say “no” -- it’s not like he isn’t willing to in other contexts.
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But Satan also can’t help himself, and it’s very clear early on that Lucifer knows he isn’t an angel. We are escorted to the library to sort books.
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NEEEEEEEERD. Satan is a natural librarian, of course.
Lucifer continues to opine about his situation and Satan continues to needle him about it. There’s a cute moment when Lucifer admits there are few angels he can turn to for help or advice, and by contrast he feels Satan might be worth confiding in because he’s a fellow level-headed intellectual.
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D’aaaaw. My only complaint is that he doesn’t really do this in the story; it’s only now being brought up for a bonding opportunity. The most we get is acknowledgement that Lucifer has a high opinion of Satan’s wealth of knowledge and expertise... he hasn’t really taken advantage of it. 
It could be because the Avatar of Pride doesn’t feel he needs advice from anyone else.
The book comes up again, but...
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It’s used as a trap to capture ‘Sully’ and reveal he is what Lucifer suspected he was: a demon. 
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Yeah I did but the game insists I be an unobservant moron for the plot to continue.
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In my lesson 51 analysis I theorized the numbers in the title of the mysterious book related to a particular Bible verse meant to encourage believers to keep their faith, and while I can’t be 100% sure that’s what it was meant to allude to, this exchange seems to suggest it could have been. This arc is meant to instill Satan with more faith in Lucifer, because he’s constantly doubting his intent throughout this lesson.
But we discover that Lucifer has changed from who he was before we startled meddling in time travel dreams, by his own admission. You can probably make a good guess to who is responsible for that change (it’s actually not MC, though, believe it or not!).
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Yep, it’s Diavolo.
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Diavolo doesn’t act the way Lucifer expected a demon to behave and it’s confusing him.
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But he likes him, and he has had some time to digest that. Glory Days Lucifer would never have admitted this to anyone, let alone strangers.
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D’aaaaw.
Lucifer then turns his attention towards MC and asks about what they are. If you’re truthful, you get this interesting tidbit of information:
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Michael has been scoping out Solomon before the Great Celestial War. Whatever for, I wonder? I don’t think angels offer pacts, and I suspect Solomon was a bit of a troublemaker even before he was given Michael’s ring.
My guess? Michael is Solomon’s guardian angel. It is probably the closest equivalent to forging a pact that angels have.
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Yeah... I just told you I was a human lol.
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A HUMAN.
(Nah I know it’s pretty obvious that we’re SPECIAL, at this point.)
Lucifer takes us to Simeon and the brothers, who are gathered in presumably Michael’s observatory-to-be. Lucifer decides to hi-jack Michael’s fun and steals the first chance to see the human world’s night sky for himself and his family. It is projected onto the walls of the room.
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You can suggest Michael might be mad, and Lucifer makes it clear he gives no fucks.
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The other option makes him explain he believes he’s owed this because Michael keeps making him go to the Devildom and never volunteers himself lol
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The brothers marvel at the spectacle, and they wonder about the stories behind each constellation. Mammon suggests Michael likely knows all about them, and Satan proceeds to nerd out again AND POTENTIALLY STEALS THAT MEMORY by making himself the one who teaches his brothers about the stars.
But, it’s Satan’s at his best, and he enjoys it thoroughly.
You and the brothers eventually doze off, and Satan wakes you up to share some private reflections.
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Cute.
You realize Lucifer and Simeon are nowhere to be found, and run off to go see what they’re up to. They’re having a private moment of their own.
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Simeon’s happy but sad. :(
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Yeah. I’ll have more to say about this particular moment in my analysis post. There’s a noteworthy parallel at play here.
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Ruh roh. I think Simeon and Michael may have suspected Diavolo played a part in pushing Lucifer away from the Celestial Realm. If given the opportunity, I sense Simeon may have tried to talk him out of this doubt.
But he isn’t given the opportunity! We pass out and the screen goes black, accompanied by some creepy heartbeats. When we come to, we’re back in reality and in the care of Luke and Mammon.
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Wow you guys had an exciting time being shoved offscreen didn’t you?
They puzzle over what transpired and Luke and Mammon confess they don’t remember anything of what happened after they stepped into the fake House of Lamentation.
Furthermore...
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I was correct in my theory that it was an illusion, but it seems it was the work of regular ol’ fairies and not some creepy banshee. That was a red herring, apparently. It’s even more anti-climatic than expected.
Additionally, Satan unknowingly covered himself in fairy crack before he dropped in.
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My question is: how the fuck does Simeon know all this? Did he hang out with fairies once upon a time?
They decide to give up the hunt for the fairy ring and return home.
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NOOOO THEY MADE LUKE CRY
If it were up to me I would have gone back and punched some fairies into submission until they forked over the ring, Luke. I’m sorry!
Of course, there’s not enough sleeper cars now that Simeon and Satan unexpectedly joined the party. Guess what they proceed to fight over!
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You flex your pacts to make Mammon and Satan stop squabbling.
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Are we sure Lucifer and Michael are the only angel sadists?
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Simeon takes an unusual amount of delight in the suffering or discomfort of others lol
I think he’s just much better at hiding it.
Either way, it’s obvious he’s bothered by something, and after some deflection and prying he finally fesses up.
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Michael and Simeon want them back BAD.
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We finally get our first opportunity to get all sappy with Simeon here. 
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Well I was right about which trial this was supposed to be, at least!
Luke and Mammon are on the roof squabbling about constellations again.
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You’re treated to a mini-quiz about them. Have Google at the ready.
You find out there’s a constellation involving the seven brothers in the Celestial Realm, that was created (or at least named) after they fell.
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They begin to theorize what the other three stars may represent. Mammon thinks it’s Michael and the stars represent his face.
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Satan chimes in with a much better take.
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I think Satan’s mostly right, but the stars represent Diavolo/Michael/MC specifically: the three “guardians” of their respective realms, all of whom have deep connections with the brothers.
Solomon can also count as a guardian, but I don’t feel he has the same connection with the brothers that those three have.
And it turns out this was two trials!
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I completely forgot that generosity and gratitude were two of the virtues Solomon listed, so it’s not a complete copy of the seven virtues. But hey, it’s now four down and three to go!
We have eight more lessons to complete the remaining three, so we have plenty of time. But... what about the overarching plot? I was certain that something in this arc would finally jumpstart it, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
But... maybe there was something hiding in there? I’ll go over the more important bits in my analysis post.
There’s still plenty of lore they haven’t covered re: the Celestial Realm and most of it has just been fluff. Satan’s creation remains a mystery: so far we’ve learned the Seraphim are assholes and Lucifer is overworked, but the latter is nothing new and I highly doubt that inspires enough visceral rage to make Lucifer absolutely hate his dad. We don’t know how the war unfolded and we don’t know why Simeon was demoted from his post. How things went is a big determining factor in trying to deduce Michael’s part in everything, and what he’s currently planning.
I’m hoping they get around to all the juicy bits, but I don’t know...
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dany36 · 2 years
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finally finished watching the tales of zestiria anime and wow, they really changed a lot of things from the game! some junk thoughts below:
i think my favorite (and totally unexpected) change was that at no point was maltran an antagonist in the series. i was actually kind of dreading when she was gonna betray alisha because wow, idk if it was just me but they really made her super likeable in the anime! like in the game you can kind of sense where things are going but here she had a more air of righteousness and genuine care of alisha and her well-being. i was impressed at how good her character was "faking" being good so i was gonna be sad once alisha would find out the truth (when she was captured and about to be executed i kept thinking that it was a trap or something), but to my most pleasant surprise, that wasn't her role in the anime at all! it was great seeing her in the actual supportive, mentor role at the end during alisha's coronation or whatever so hurray for that because alisha has suffered long enough dammit lol. like...i think before the ending, we only see alisha smile a couple of times! she's always going through SOMETHING and being attacked all the time so seeing her so happy in the ending was great!
then there's the fact that sorey was actually able to purify a dragon and not have to resort to killing eizen. that sidequest actually broke my heart so i mean yeah it totally contradicts the game but hey, if my girl edna is happy, i'm happy.
it's been a while since i played the game but wasn't there a specific reason why alisha couldn't armatize? i mean i thought it was a cool change but sadly we don't get enough of rose and alisha armatizing and kicking ass!
and speaking of alisha and rose, really loved how heavy they focused on them in season 2. to be honest, i had started watching the anime a couple of months ago (after i had originally completed the game), but i stopped a couple of episodes before season 1 because...i found it kind of boring lol. the one (or two?) episodes we got about tales of berseria were great and i was screaming internally of joy the entire time, but idk, i originally said that the main story/conflict in zestiria was kind of weak from the start, and i think this anime just highlighted that even more since they spend quite a few episodes in season 2 talking about rose and her past as well as alisha's whole conflict. which! of course i don't mind because i find sorey to be a pretty boring protagonist and in season 2 he doesn't really do much until towards the very end. so yeah, personally i found it more interesting when the anime was focusing on other characters and i actually started to lose interest towards the end when the focus was back again on sorey :y
symmone was a weak antagonist in the game and wow she was even worse in the anime. same thing with heldfalf. there is never really a threat of him actively being a danger to the party (he literally is just waiting for sorey to go to him) so again, thought his whole presence was kind of boring and lame from a plot perspective.
honestly i thought the ending in the game was kind of sad and depressing. rose and alisha are dead (seeing rose's grave is like...why!! why would you do that!! is it not enough suffering that you show us magilou's tomb as well so now we gotta see rose DEAD??) and we don't really get to see them or the rest of the seraphim being happy or anything. so in regards to this, the epilogue was way better! except...for the terrible job they did with the design for rose. like...why does she look like a female version of luke fon fabre >:'v her normal design is one of my favorites from the female character in the series and they really screwed that up with her grown-up version lol. but hey alisha and rose are still totally gay for each other in the anime so can't complain there!
also not sure how much time passed from when alisha mentions she saw mikleo to them showing mikleo in the end. because it made it seem like not much time passed and sorey is awake after just a couple of years WHICH in the game it looks like a long-ass time passed because of them showing rose's grave (time to fucking cry!!!) so it's like...cool, sorey woke up a couple of years later so instead of saying hi to the friends that accompanied him in his journey, forget about them and let's just go off and explore some ruins together! idk maybe i misread the scene but i felt that was kind of weird?
overall, i'll give it a 6/10. had its good moments but when focusing on the actual conflict of the game and not on other characters (edna and her brother, dezel, rose, alisha), it shows how weak and boring the actual plot of the game was. i'd watch it again though :) i really enjoyed watching my favorite zestiria characters again and honestly it made me want to replay the game! sigh, someday, anyway... :'v
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wowsolar · 4 years
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Do solar panels work on cloudy days?
Do solar panels work on cloudy days?
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Solar energy is probably the best alternative energy source. Large solar systems are being installed all around the world; however, several aspects of it are still posing questions – one of them is: do solar panels produce electricity on cloudy days? 
It seems logical if you have this doubt. Solar systems need sunlight – yes, but what if there’s no direct sunlight? What if it’s shady climate all day long?  
The answer is – Solar panel systems still generate electricity.
Climatic conditions and solar energy:
Let’s understand the science behind it. (No, it’s not rocket science!)
Even if the Sun is covered by the layer of clouds, its rays still penetrate through them. Sun's protons hit the earth. That’s the reason why your solar system can produce electricity. What gets affected is solar panels’ output on a cloudy day.
Generally, when the sun is bright and shining in the sky, panel efficiency is very high! When there’s an overcast of clouds, this efficiency drops by 10 to 25 per cent. Meaning, no matter what, the panels would generate the electricity, only the system will produce less power compared to the sunny days.
How to get most out of cloudy weather?
It has to do with some technical specifications and the climatic condition too.
If you want to measure the energy output on the cloudy days, lookout for cloud cover condition and the quality of solar panels.
High-efficiency solar panels will play a vital role in this situation. When very efficient panels get cloud covering; the energy they produce is still more than the average-efficiency panels. The clean energy production is further deteriorated depending upon the shading. If there’s a thick covering; and if panels are not highly efficient, then the energy generation is quite low. However, not nil.
So to get most out of cloudy weather, it’s important to have good quality solar panels.
Some vital details:
If we look at some parts of the world, for instance, Germany – which receives less sunlight, is one of the major clean energy producer countries.
Australia too experiences cold winters however, the electricity produced through solar in these weather conditions stays high.
Qualified solar installers in Australia, like WOW Solar are responsible for providing custom solar solutions by understanding one’s needs and energy output expectations. The regional solar panel installation company knows the weather conditions, rules and regulations of the government, technicalities to deduce, design and offer the right solar panel system for your house, business, farm and so on.
Why WOW Solar:
Solar panels’ efficiency plays an important role in energy generation. So, when the question arises - do solar panels produce energy on cloudy days? 
The answer is - yes, they do, surely not as much as on a regular sunny day.
If a solar system is designed understanding all the needs of the clients and specific property conditions, then the output can be amplified.
Simply put; sometimes not just the cloudy weather but also unique property conditions can lead to less energy generation. For example, if a residential property gets more shadow post noon hours, then you need a well planned solar system.
WOW Solar listens to the requirements first. After inspecting the property, checking all the conditions, including that of the weather; the prospects get a list of suggestions and genuine recommendations. The company uses high-end ET, Seraphim mono panels to ensure greater output.
So, as long as you have a strong solar system; the solar panels do produce electricity on cloudy days. If you any more queries & want to know more about the solar system performance, or solar deals Perth, please get in touch with WOW Solar.
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celestedeacon · 5 years
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On the Side of the Angels Chapter 4
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TITLE: On the Side of the Angels Chapter 4 PAIRING: (Castiel/Celeste) RATING: T CHAPTER: 4/? SUMMARY: Celeste, the daughter of a fallen angel and mortal. Ever since she was born, the angels were given orders to protect her, specifically Castiel and Gabriel. When she was 16, she was in a horrific car accident, which Castiel saved her from. When Castiel comes back to Earth, she’s in his thoughts 24/7. This poses a problem for him. How can he love her and still follow orders?
The lights in the warehouse where Dean and Bobby were starting burst. Just like the light and the glass in the hotel room and the gas station.
The doors flew open and a man in a trench coat entered.
Dean and Bobby fired their guns at him, but nothing happened. Dean picked up the demon hunting knife as the man walked up to them. “Who are you?” Dean asked.
“I’m the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition”. His voice was deep and gravely.
“Yeah, thanks for that”. Dean buried the knife in the man’s chest and stepped back.
The man looked down at the knife and pulled it out, dropping it on the ground. Bobby tried to hit him over the head with a piece of iron, but he turned around and caught it before he could. He placed two fingers on Bobby’s forehead and he dropped to the ground.
“We need to talk, Dean”, the man said, “Alone”.
Dean leaned down and check Bobby’s pulse. He was still alive. Just knocked out.
“Your friend is alive”, the man said, stating the obvious.
“Who are you?” Dean asked him again.
“Castiel”.
“Yeah, I figured that much, I mean what are you?”
“I'm an Angel of the Lord”. He said the same thing to Celeste when he revealed himself to her for the first time.
*13 years ago*
Celeste was 5 when he first revealed himself to her.
Castiel stood over Celeste’s bedside as she slept. The little girl stirred which startled Castiel, causing him to knock over something on her desk.
Celeste shot up in bed and her eyes fell on the man in her bedroom. “Who are you?” she asked.
“I am Castiel”.
“Oh! You’re an angel like Gabriel! He told me about you”.
“You can go back to sleep. I’ll watch over you”.
“That’s funny. Mama was right when she said that angels were watching over me”.
“Go to sleep”. He watched as the little girl laid back down and clutched her stuffed bunny to her chest. Castiel could tell Celeste wasn’t asleep; she was just pretending. He swept some of her hair back behind her ear and kissed her temple.
She fell asleep instantly.
“Dude, can’t handle the little girl so you just knock her out?” Gabriel asked, appearing in the room.
Castiel glared at his fellow angel. The fluttering of wings was heard and Castiel was gone.
Gabriel looked at Celeste in her bed and sighed. He knelt beside her and lightly pressed his lips to her forehead, stroking her blonde hair. “Sleep well, little angel”.
*Present Day*
Dean stood up. “Get the hell out of here. There's no such thing”.
“This is your problem, Dean. You have no faith”, Castiel said. Lightning flashed and two shadowy wings appeared on the wall behind him. Castiel remembered the first time Celeste asked to see his wings.
*6 years ago*
When Celeste turned twelve, she started asking Castiel and Gabriel questions. Right now, she and Castiel were in her room while she did her homework.
“Hey, Cas?” Celeste asked.
“Yes”.
“If you’re angel…why don’t you have wings? I mean, I know angels don’t have wings in the bible, but Gabriel told me most of the bible isn’t true anyway”.
“I do have wings. You just can’t see them right now”.
“Can you show them to me?”
Suddenly two shadowy wings appeared behind him on the wall.
“Wow. Do Gabriel’s look like that?” she asked him.
“Archangel’s had 6 wings. As a seraphim, I only have two”.
“Oh cool!” Without thinking, Celeste reached out and touched one of his feathers.
Castiel sucked in a breath. No one had ever touched his wings before. He didn’t even know if it was allowed. He grabbed Celeste’s wrist and pulled it away from his wings. “That’s enough”, he told her, “Now go finish your homework”.
Celeste pouted and sat back down at her desk.
*Present Day*
“Some angel you are. You burned out that poor woman's eyes”, Dean said.
Castiel looked down in shame. “I warned her not to spy on my true form. It can be... overwhelming to humans and so can my real voice. But you already knew that”.
“You mean the gas station and the motel. That was you talking?”
Castiel nodded.
“Buddy, next time, lower the volume”, Dean told him.
“That was my mistake. Certain people, special people, can perceive my true visage. I thought you would be one of them. I was wrong. There was one other who could, but…that doesn’t matter”.
 *3 years ago*
Celeste was 15 when he realized that she was developing feelings for him. “Cas?” Celeste asked.
“Yes?”
“Can you come over here?”
Castiel moved from his place by her window and walked over to where she sat on her bed.
“I just now noticed something”, Celeste said.
“What?” Castiel asked, looking down at her.
Celeste raised up on her knees and placed her hands on his face.
“What are you doing?” he asked her.
“Looking at your true form. You are so beautiful”.
Castiel’s cheeks turned a light pink.
Celeste could feel herself leaning in to kiss him when he grabbed her wrists.
“That’s enough Celeste”, he said taking her hands off his face.
“No really Castiel. I can see your true form. You’re so beautiful and when you and the other angels aren’t in your vessels, I can hear you all talking”.
Castiel’s brows furrowed. He knew she could hear them talking, but he had no idea she could see his true form.
Was that normal for a Nephilim? Or was she special?
“I have to go. Gabriel will be along in a little bit”, Castiel said, stepping back from Celeste.
“Cas?” she asked, her golden eyes staring at him.
Castiel forced himself to close his eyes and disappear from her room.
“Cas!”
*Present Day*
Maybe he should have let her kiss him that day.
“And what visage are you in now, huh? What, holy tax accountant?” Dean asked.
“This? This is... a vessel”, Castiel explained.
“You're possessing some poor bastard?”
“He's a devout man, he actually prayed for this”.
“Well, I'm not buying what you're selling, so who are you really?”
Castiel wasn’t used to people not believing him. “I told you”.
“Right. And why would an angel rescue me from Hell?”
“Good things do happen, Dean”.
“Not in my experience”.
“What's the matter? You don't think you deserve to be saved?”
“Why'd you do it?”
“Because God commanded it. Because we have work for you”.
‘Castiel’, he heard.
It was Celeste.
He could recognize her voice a mile away. Castiel looked around.
“Hey, you okay buddy?” Dean asked.
“Nothing. I thought I heard something”.
‘Cas’, the voice said again, ‘If you can hear me, I miss you. I wish you’d come back. Gabriel says something big is coming. He told me not to be scared. I know I’d feel a lot better if you were with me’.
Castiel wanted nothing more than to go to her, but he had work to do.
Reuniting with Celeste would have to wait.
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belore-invictus · 5 years
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Genuinely curious, is a Seraph just an angel? Because when I looked it up google said it was a specific angel, but I feel like Seraph should just be a general word for angel. IDK
Seraphs are angels in the way that a lion is a cat. It’s correct but missed a lot of the nuance inherent in the name. In Christian angelic hierarchy, seraphs are the highest order of angels and the caretakers of God’s throne. They show up in Jewish, Islamic, and Christian tradition. In Islam, they also show up to the point that Iblis, a figure often identified with the devil in Christian traditions, is described as one. 
 Seraphim (or their dark counterparts) appear in WoW as NPCs and are referenced in items and spells. When I use the term Seraph, I seek to embody the specific aspects of the traditional seraphim.
( @theodorebennas Thank you, and you know exactly why.
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lil-loucifer · 6 years
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a l l t h e o c q u e s t i o n s
S p a r k s  w h y
Send me a number and I’ll tell you about:
1: The most recent OC I’ve made
Fuck uhh probably these two characters I made up based on one of those datapoint-only stories in Horizon: Zero Dawn (one of the few times I felt spurred to write a fanfic this year lmao)
2: An early OC I remember making
Would you believe me if I said I made a Naruto OC
His name was like “Rei” or something and he had a sword and specialized in illusion-type jutsu (I never really learned any of the technical terms)
3: An OC I’ve never used for anything
All of them?????
I never really “write” any of my projects lmao
But uhhh, one that I have literally done nothing for is Jasper Morris, he’s kinda… something??? Not really sure at the moment, but he hunts monster-thingies in San Francisco
4: An OC whose story I’ve got all planned (or even written)
Those two OCs from the first question, their story was already written in the game, I’d just have to take liberties with the details
5: An OC I love
Dante Seraphim (That’s not really his surname). He’s this guy who was brought up to join a secret society of soldiers dedicated to serving Heaven and fighting demons and shit, but due to some “ancient prophecy bullshit” and his boyfriend’s machinations, he winds up getting exiled from that faction and hunted down by his former friends (it’s very action movie-like)
6: An OC I love to hate 
Arthur Morgenstern, the father of one of my favorite OCs. He’s generally a piece of shit. 
7: An OC I love… reluctantly
Daniel, the guy Dante from Question #5 dated. He tried to spur a rebellion within the faction he and Dante served, but due to some lore bullshit regarding Dante, Daniel was left blameless and Dante was exiled in his stead.
8: Two or more OCs who are connected (and how)
Faith, Wolfgang and Enoch are the three Branwen Children, a kind of Moirae that are borne of the eldest God of Death. Together, they oversee the death of gods, ensuring that all immortal deities meet their end when they should. 
Faith is in charge of overseeing the fates of all the gods in the world. She makes sure they all complete their stories; their reigns and their downfalls. 
Wolfgang is, begrudgingly, Faith’s assistant. The immortal world is a vast place, one that one soul couldn’t ever watch over alone. So, he handles surveillance, making sure that every deity plays their part, and nothing more. 
And when the gods try to rebel, when they grow too self-absorbed in their own “brilliance” they believe they should never die? They send in Enoch, the Reaper. Enoch is the most active of the Three Children, and the only one of them who has actually killed gods. Her role is to slay any deity that chooses not to die, which, admittedly, doesn’t happen often. Enoch is also the most rebellious of the Three Children, being the youngest. She actively lives in the mortal world, choosing to live amongst the puny mortals whose watchers she is sworn to slay. Enoch was actually the first sibling to give herself a name, for her convenience in the mortal world.
Given their elusive positions, the Branwens are more or less omnipresent in my fictional worlds, and are a prominent (albeit rarely-mentioned) part of a larger shared universe I’ve been writing. 
9: An OC I made to fit into another universe
Wayland Smith
10: A universe I made to fit my OCs
For the guy I’m gonna talking about in question #13, I made a post-apocalyptic setting that is set maybe 50-100 years after a world-ending nuclear war. 
11: An OC based off part of myself
I kinda-sorta have an OC that’s basically Sitcom!Me with exaggerated traits, like his catch phrase or whatever is just “I can give about three fucks about anything at any given time” and he’s hella apathetic but he actually cares a lot and he’s just too tired and has weird ways to show it
12: An OC based off part of someone I met
Aurelio Morgenstern’s appearance is lowkey based off an old friend of mine. 
13: An OC inspired by something completely unexpected
Okay so get this:
I have an OC who’s part of a lost order dedicated to maintaining peace in an apocalyptic wasteland--through fear. To cultivate that kind of fear, this order would style themselves after Death; the Grim Reaper, specifically. They wore all black and wielded scythes, as well as commanding a fierce arsenal of magic and custom firearms.
But I didn’t think of that shit at the time. You know what I thought up? The aesthetic. Black clothes and a wide-brimmed hat for keeping out the sun. 
Especially the hat.
You wanna know WHY THE HAT?
Because I was waiting in line outside the DMV on a bright, sunny-ass day, and I started daydreaming with the thought “Wow, I could really do with a cowboy hat.” 
14: The roughest backstory I’ve given an OC
There was this character I made, and he’s a bi, trans man who grew up in a really homophobic/transphobic house with an abusive.... everyone, really. He didn’t do anything about it until about a year after graduating high school, when he moved in with a family friend who was actually a decent person. 
15: The least painful backstory I’ve given an OC
My Hogwarts Mystery character was raised by a loving pair of parents who started to keep him on a tighter leash after his brother, Jacob, went missing. 
16: The most difficult OC for me to write (and why!)
All of them?????
I can’t write????????
17: The easiest OC for me to write (and why!)
Lua the Crow, purely because everything they do is more or less whatever affectionate thing I have on mind.
18: The OC I’d most like to fight
Lua because they’d go easy on me
19: The OC I’d most like to befriend
Francis Pendleton, because he’s a really chill dude who’d probably be a great father figure or something
20: The OC I’d probably have a crush on
Uhh this superhero OC I made up, her hero name is “Morningstar.” She just kinda has that kind of personality, I guess??
21: The OC most likely to end up in a wacky [freeze frame][record scratch] “you’re probably wondering how I got here” scenario
A currently-unnamed demon hunter OC who lives in San Francisco, and that moment is how he wound up dating Possibly Satan. 
22: An OC who acts as an antagonist
Samuel Eldest, a cult leader (or something) who clashes with Aurelio Morgenstern when he brings a new, demonic force into Aurelio’s territory. 
23: An OC who acts as a hero
My mcfucking superhero OCs???
24: An OC who acts as a supporting character
Adelina, Enoch Branwen’s very mortal girlfriend. 
25: An OC I’ve changed a LOT
Dante Seraphim
Lemme tell you he’s been through a lot of changes--started off as personified Death’s son, one who was hella 2000′s goth and was literally called “Lucifer Crescent,” THEN he became part of an angel/demon war and was renamed “Dante,” but he and several other kids took on the names of dead Angels to carry on an ancient tradition of passing on their power, and NOW he’s part of that second story, but heavily revised in that it’s no longer in a fantasy world and they now wage a shadow war across a low fantasy environment. 
26: An OC that I’m still working on
That Reaper guy from question #13
27: Someone else’s OC that I really admire
A friend’s self-insert OC named “Belle the Reaper” and the audacity they have to ship this character with their goddess of time. 
28: A common trait or pattern in my OCs
Sarcastic Angsty White Bois™
29: Something that I haven’t really explored with any of my OCs
Real social issues because I don’t know shit and will most likely get something fucked up
30: [make your own OC-related question and send it to me!]
??????????
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exquisitelyeco · 7 years
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Who REALLY knows best.....
Often I think I know best. After all, it’s MY life isn’t it? Except when I look back over it, I see, I clearly didn’t know what was best! Most of my choices were made ‘out’ of myself, or to put it in other words, out of my pain, anger, fear, hate etc. I thought it was ME, and that was a good plan. But the reality was it was a terrible plan! But when it comes to my life, what do I do when GOD wants to control it? Run! Why should God know more about me? Why on earth should I trust him? He allowed me to be abused, didn’t He? Well, He certainly didn’t stop it. But……. In a way, those where things done TO me. And as I have suggested in other posts, although I do not understand WHY God didn’t stop it, I DO know it’s was not Him that did it. It was other humans, who actively chose to do what they wanted to do to me. But my choices, that I made and make myself? That is a different subject altogether. In my mind, when Adam and Eve sinned, had they been left in the garden, they would have the same human choice I would have done. It made ‘common sense.’ I would have gone and then eaten of the tree of Life. Surely that would have made me better? Surely, having eaten of the tree of the knowledge of Good and evil, whose consequence to eat was death, the tree of life would have saved me? (Wow……and Incredible sentence! Soooooo long…..) It would have balanced the equation? I bet for ever after, till they died, Adam and Eve cursed themselves for NOT thinking of that. But would it have helped? Why DID God remove them, specifically saying the way must be barred forever to the tree of life? So vehement was God in His decision of this, He actually commanded a Seraphim to guard the way with a flashing sword, to KILL anybody that tried to get in (The garden must have had a fence round it! He never mentioned that……..) Was that Gods revenge? Determined to let humans die, to punish them for their sin? No, It wasn’t and no, He didn’t.
God knew, unlike us, that the fruit of the trees both had to fulfil what they were created for. One gave knowledge, at the expense of death and one gave life for free. But one could not cancel out the other. If Adam and Eve had used their ‘new’ understanding, which was not understanding at all, they would have been at the mercy of Satan for ever. The reasoning of the mind once darkened was foolish. That is why God said He ‘Makes the ways of the wise foolish, and the foolish things to bring to nothing the things that are.’ In this world our intellect is blinded by sin. Our motives unclean. We see through ambition, greed, lust. What do I mean? Well, to see profit in forcing the entire world to pay for water or air, which is natures gift is to be blind to ambition and only see ambition. Yes, we need to pay for water cleaning! But for a corporation to buy up all the worlds water supply, to sell it back to humans is evil. Pure and simple. To create seeds, that nature made, so we could regrow things, but to create, genetically grown seeds, that do not regrow but die, is again, blindness of ambition. And greed. Which will cause poverty and death to those who cannot afford to pay. Lust? To think that we can have better, so to leave families and tear them apart, just for a shag. Then realise we got it wrong, or get upset when our children suffer because of it. My dad never got over his mothers selfish choice to shag somebody else and then be made to make the choice to abandon him. Which she did. I do not say this to condemn ANYONE. My own choices have been to selfish and corrupt. I say it as an example of what one persons decision, when they thought they ‘Knew best’ actually turned out to be the worst decision they ever made! (Although, if she hadn’t, I'd not BE here……so maybe I is a bit pleased she did….Or God just made something wonderful happen out of that whole shitty situation……) Dads mum did not want to sign the adoption form. But she chose her husband, after her lover relationship went wrong, and he would not accept the baby, my dad. So when she refused to sign the adoption certificate, my grandmother took her to court and forced her too. That choice is still reverberating down my bloodline, even now…..
So mostly, our choices are made for what WE decided are in our best interest. Usually at the cost to somebody else! ‘I know, best!’ But in the garden, that decision would have been fatal! The tree of life would have brought eternal living death! The fruit could not cancel out the consequences of the other tree. But it had to fulfil its own fruit, which was to give life. And as death was already the diet of Adam and Eve, the tree of life would have made that death ‘living’ sin, disease, never ending. Forever. Remember the vampire films? Where they live forever, but with all the damage and scars, every time they get hit by light? Imagine that for eternity. What would we look like? A hideous, deformed, sin heavy, mockery of who we should have been. And THAT is why God removed Adam and Eve from the garden. Because He knew He was going to give them that option, but a little differently. He understood the rules, in a way no human can whilst they are in a darkened world, without Him. In fact I personally believe that is what WILL be the consequences for any of us who do not choose God. A living death. With all the diseases and mind games and twisted, warpness of who we have chosen to be forever. And that is what would have been, for us all, of God had not stepped in. In fact, how many of us are already living hell here? In situations we hate, and despising and fearing ourselves….but there IS a solution….,
You see, He KNEW neither fruit could cancel out the other. He knew we had eaten the wrong one, so now we could never think straight. Because He was not in control of our lives now. That’s not the right words to use actually, Not that He ever wanted control. He wanted relationship. WE wanted control, which is why we chose the apple. He just wants us to want Him, simple. So we ate the apple, to GAIN knowledge, but without understanding, because we stole part of the knowledge and did not go to the source OF the knowledge, Himself. So we got what we chose. Knowledge but without the light (understanding) in it. We could do to each other, just what WE wanted. And in a dog eat dog world, that is just what we do too. The fittest survive, at the cost of the weak. So Jesus, in effect became the Tree of Life. To give us the choice AGAIN. Which fruit do you want? Do you want the fruit of your own choices, without me, or do you want the fruit of MY choice for you? Which do you think, ‘knows best,’ for you? So when we choose to accept Christ we are really giving UP our choices. And choosing to trust His! This is a journey. A life time of dying to our own choices and learning to live in His. Is this crazy? Do we lose ourselves? Hell yes! But not in a negative way! If we have come to Christ, it is BECAUSE we have seen that our way was NOT the best way! God does not force the issue….well..only sometimes…..But in our fallen state, we hate to give up any form of OUR independence. It’s up to ME…..I THINK…..I WILL, it’s like C. S. Lewis commented. When we stand in front of Gods throne, the question will be, Is it My will, or THY will, be done? Because that choice is only ours to choose.
But God is a crazy Being! And at times a bullying sadistic git! Well, I know you don’t have money and the bailiffs are coming….just wait…Whaaat? Or, I know you need that letter by 28th and it’s now the 27th, just wait….Hey?????? Gods idea of trust, is just that! ‘Total annihilation’ as Lou said in the movie Cats and Dogs! No, really. Total trust, even when it all looks doomed to failure. WHY? Because that shows His glory! And the waiting shapes us into His children. It makes the ‘wise’ things of this world look foolish and in doing so clearly shows God IS. And it delights God, that in the midst of the storm, we don’t look down, but look up! We walk on water, with Him, not in our own UNDERSTANDING but HIS! Unfortunately most of us do not like giving up free will. So God, will use ANYTHING He can to help….the swine. ANYTHING. You see God has NO pride when it come to us. He wants us safe and saved. Simple. And if that causes us embarrassment, well, He just does not care. Because it’s about our learning that He knows best. That our Embarrassment will be our UNDOING, because of our control at trying to avoid it. Or our decisions, without Him are made in a skewered way, and have a tendency to get us, or others, or both into trouble! Because our reasoning is not done in light, but in confusion and darkness. So what God does, when He allows us to get into ghastly and horrible situations that get us exasperated, angry or anxious, in our lives, is actually making us grow, if we choose to do it His way. Allowing us the choice to let go of fear, anxiety and confusion in the face of HUMAN reason, and trust Him. That His preposterous treatment of us is actually for our good!
No wonder He lives up there…….just wait God……I feel like Dirty Harry, right now……God wants to rescue us! He wants to bless us! But we also have to choose to allow Him to be himself! We so want Him to be Mary Poppins! Or a hard task master. And when that doesn’t fit, we have a hissy fit. Imagine if your child kept trying to make you into something you weren’t. So, for example, you LOVE coffee. But they decided, No, you don’t. And they KEEP forcing you to have squash, how would you feel? Affronted. Let me be ME! This is how IAM……or how HE is…..get it? And God is just plain weird in the way He does it. Really. He turns EVERYTHING on its head. He loves a mess. Because when we trust Him, even in the midst of our chaos, it shows the universe that God IS. Because it allows Him to SHOW Himself Act! And that ripples the pond! And by rippling the pond, it shows the evil in this world that its on a count down. And also gives those stumbling in darkness a glimpse of light, that they too, can go to, if they want too. It brings the things that are, to nothing! The bible said a wicked man is like a great tree, growing so large the whole world can see it, then suddenly it is gone. How many times is that proved true? Hitler, Stalin, Ivan the Terrible, Nero, Caligula, and they are just world leaders. We all have a ‘Tree’ often more than one, in our life (Losing a home, for example, a nasty neighbour, a bad relationship, the loss of a job etc, are all kinds of ‘tree’….)and all we can see is that bloody tree. It looks like that tree will kill us. But you know what? To God that tree is not even a fly. Not even a gnat. And when we give Him control, suddenly, that tree will be gone.
Because Jesus is THE tree! He overcame the choices about the tree of Good and evil and He IS the tree of life! If we let Him be….we have to learn from Him. To allow God to use that tree, we are struggling with, as He will, to our benefit. It’s when we abandon all our hope in OUR solutions, and trust God for His, even though it’s all dark, that God then does the outstanding. That leaves both Him and us glorious. So, although the world laughs and mocks, the best person to be in charge is not in this world, but He, who made it…..
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mancomplanblog · 6 years
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For Gaikotsuger
Information on Angels, might edit later.
Amanda: Alright, so like different sources, different places people are talking about what the situation is.
Julia: For example, Maimonides in his Mishneh Torah, establishes that there are 10 ranks of angels. So meanwhile, in Christianity, the book of De Coelesti Hierarchia, which is On the Celestial Hierarchy, which is a beautiful title for a book.
Amanda: In Latin?
Julia: Yes.
Amanda: Cool.
Julia: Was written in the fourth or fifth century, and it acts as one of the most influential works defining the angelic hierarchy for Christianity.
Amanda: Wow.
Julia: The angels are later organized into orders that are known as Angelic Choirs.
Amanda: Huh.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: I always read Angelic Choir in the Bible as like some nice voices.
Julia: No. It's the literal hierarchal structure of the angels.
Amanda: That is wild.
Julia: Yeah. This whole episode is gonna be like that, where you're like, "That's not what I thought it was." And then you're wrong.
Amanda: Jules, you're such a good friend.
Julia: Using the New Testament, especially Ephesians and Collosians, Thomas Aquinus developed a schema that uses three spheres of angels.
Amanda: Thomas Aquinus, he's like, "How can I make sure motherfuckers 300 years from now are still quoting me every day?"
Julia: He wrote a lot of stuff down!
Amanda: He lived his whole life that way.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: It is ...
Julia: Bless him. Literally, bless him.
Amanda: I know, I'm making a lot of noises but his writing is incredible.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: And I cannot imagine having that much influence over so many people's lived experiences.
Julia: Yes, absolutely.
Amanda: Amazing.
Julia: So we're going to kind of talk about ... Specifically, what I'm going to talk about are the spheres, as defined by Tomas Aquinus.
Amanda: Alrighty.
Julia: So first thing, we're going to talk about the first sphere, and these are angels who are defined as, "Heavenly Servants to God." Specifically, one on one face time with God Himself.
Amanda: Yeah, like the hand-maiden, right? Or like the attendants, the butlers, the dressers?
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: I've been watching a lot of The Crown season two. What up? They're right there.
Julia: How's it going? How's The Crown season two going?
Amanda: It's a lot darker.
Julia: Okay.
Amanda: World War Two happens.
Julia: I mean, I understand.
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: At least they know what World War Two is now, because that was a thing in the first season.
Amanda: This is true.
Julia: Okay. First, on top of the sphere, are the Seraphim, which have references in Christian, Jewish and Islamic texts. Traditionally, they are the highest rank in the Christian hierarchy of angels, but they rank fifth of the 10 in the Jewish angelic hierarchy.
Amanda: Interesting.
Julia: Which I think is cool. I'm just like, "Oh, there's some mix-up here. I'm into it."
Amanda: Yeah, I wonder if it's like the different scholars ordering them on importance, or closest to God? Or is it the same sub-type of angel that is being differently ordered, or is it like the name being assigned to different groups?
Julia: In my mind, I'm thinking of it as like the standard in which the hierarchy is based off of -
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: - is different. So in Jewish angelic hierarchies, going to be holding different standards than the Christian angelic hierarchy.
Amanda: Yeah, like what makes a good servant?
Julia: Exactly.
Amanda: What is God, and when, and how, and where?
Julia: Yeah. So the Book of Isaiah describes a six-winged being that can fly - obviously, it's got wings - with two of the wings said to cover their faces, another two to cover their feet, and then the last two used to fly.
Amanda: Fascinating.
Julia: Their name literally translates to, "The Burning Ones".
Amanda: Oh man, are they like aflame?
Julia: In some imagery, they're portrayed as flying Asps that also have human characteristics.
Amanda: What is an Asp? I'm forgetting.
Julia: It's a snake.
Amanda: Okay.
Julia: So they're like snakes, but they have human faces.
Amanda: That's in Cleopatra, it's in Cleopatra, and I'm terrified.
Julia: Yep. You should be.
Amanda: Nope.
Julia: Modern Christian theology has developed the idea that Seraphim are beings of pure light that directly communicate with God.
Amanda: I mean, fire? It makes sense.
Julia: Absolutely. So the next that we're going to talk about are the Cherubim.
Amanda: Cherubs!
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: Yo! Pudgy babies.
Julia: No. Incorrect! So they are said to directly attend to God. They have four faces, one of a man, one of an ox, one of an eagle, and one of a lion, which would later become the symbols of the four evangelists.
Amanda: Whoa.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: I didn't know any of that.
Julia: They have four wings that are covered with eyes, they have a lion's body and they have the feet of an ox.
Amanda: Okay, I'm pretty sure this isn't true.
Julia: It's 100% true. Don't doubt me.
Amanda: What?
Julia: So the Cherubim, in modern interpretations, are often conflated with the Putti, which are human baby or toddler-like beings that are depicted with wings. So the Putti come from the Renaissance, basically. They're the classic, modern interpretation of what an angel should look like, this innocent, sweet thing that has little angel wings.
Amanda: Not a freaking Griffin-eagle hybrid.
Julia: I love the Griffin-eagle hybrid, though. It has eyes on its wings, like hundreds of eyes!
Amanda: I was blocking that part out, Jules.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: Like a scary, scary butterfly. First you give me snakes with human faces, now you give me should-be-a-baby-actually-a-four-faced-monster?
Julia: This is why we did this episode.
Amanda: And like, listen, I don't want to come down too hard on it. It sounds freaking badass.
Julia: Yeah, it does.
Amanda: But that's just very surprising. Also what are the eyes on the wings for?
Julia: Seeing into your soul.
Amanda: Better to see with, my dear?
Julia: Yeah, basically. So, interestingly, the imagery for this angel is said to come from the Hittite Griffith.
Amanda: Hold on, hold on. Now I'm thinking about the wings are like tiled in the eyes, and for some reason my brain just went to like, "How dope would it be if Baba Yaga's house also had like a tiled roof made of eyes?"
Julia: It would be horrifying.
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: It would definitely fit into her aesthetic.
Amanda: Thank you for validating my idea.
Julia: She has it on a mood board somewhere.
Amanda: It's in her Pinterest.
Julia: Yes.
Amanda: Please continue.
Julia: So the Hittite Griffin is actually a really interesting character, just in mythology in general, and it definitely pre-dates the idea of the Cherubim. It's said that it was the guardian of holy things, which really fits into the imagery for the Cherubim itself.
Amanda: Yeah. Guardian, fierce protector.
Julia: For sure.
Amanda: And also a watcher, speaking to the eyes.
Julia: Absolutely. So it was said that between the Cherub's heads, glowing coals moved between them, could be seen, and their fire went up and down and lightning burst from it.
Amanda: So like the inside of their head is coals?
Julia: No, like between the heads, so like the body.
Amanda: Oh no, it's all four heads at the same time? Oh, man. Oh, no.
Julia: Oh, yeah.
Amanda: I was picturing a cube-head situation, with like the faces rotating, which, arguably, is scarier.
Julia: That's pretty good, too.
Amanda: Yeah. And so I was picturing magma on the inside, faces kind of like glue-sticked to the outside, and when they turn you can see the coals.
Julia: That's amazing, but no.
Amanda: So all four heads, same time, human ... What are they?
Julia: Human, ox, eagle, lion. Yeah. Cherubim were also said to move like flashes of lightning. Which is really ...
Amanda: That makes me think of the Weeping Angels, and that's terrifying, as always.
Julia: According to Thomas Aquinus - cool, cool dude, love him -
Amanda: And like, listen, I love that you chose him to do this lens as well, because he was obviously such a student of history and theology, and so for him to kind of be like, "This is all the stuff that I think probably it is." He's read everything that there is, he's coming up with his own interpretation, and we get to kind of like live in that head-canon for a minute. I love it.
Julia: Yeah, so according to Thomas Aquinus, who is a real bro, Satan was a fallen Cherub.
Amanda: Huh. That's a pretty satanic image. We were raised, in Catholicism, to think of Satan.
Julia: Definitely.
Amanda: I mean, mostly we think of him as - at least I did - as like a humanoid, in the way that we think of God as a humanoid, but if we're thinking about hellfire and creatures and demons, you know? Look at a Cherub in this sort of body, and that's what you pictured.
Julia: It does kind of mess around with later interpretations, where people are like, "Oh, well Lucifer was the most beautiful of all the angels." But we're not talking about Lucifer, we're talking about Satan. Different person.
Amanda: For our listeners who certainly aren't me, who don't understand the difference, what is the difference?
Julia: So, interestingly, in the Bible, originally, Satan is a title, not a person.
Amanda: Oh. That makes sense.
Julia: Satan, in the literal translation, means, "The Advocate".
Amanda: Huh.
Julia: So he was someone who would put people through trials, in order to text their commitment to God.
Amanda: Wow. Like Lucifer-person, Satan-title, originally?
Julia: Not necessarily ... Lucifer, not necessarily in all contexts, was a Satan.
Amanda: Huh.
Julia: Yeah. Sometimes he just rebelled, sometimes that was just a thing.
Amanda: Fascinating.
Julia: It depends on the source, and Lucifer is ... Supposedly, is probably an Etruscan God. He means, "The Light-bringer".
Amanda: Wow.
Julia: It was probably one of those situations where his name was ...
Amanda: Got adapted into, yeah.
Julia: ...was adapted into Christianity, because they were like, "Well, they can't worship him."
Amanda: Let's make him bad.
Julia: So now he's bad.
Amanda: Huh, I really gotta read Paradise Lost one of these days, huh?
Julia: Yeah. The last type of angel in the first sphere are known as either Thrones or Elders. They're first mentioned by Paul the Apostle in Colossians, and are said to be the living symbols of God's justice and authority.
Amanda: What do they look like?
Julia: So they're referred to as Thrones, because that's one of their symbols.
Amanda: Okay.
Julia: It's just a throne.
Amanda: I was gonna say, it's one of their forms. I was gonna be like, "Wow, very specific."
Julia: Well, they're also depicted as flaming wheels at times, even appearing as a wheel within a wheel, and the rims of those wheels are covered in hundreds of eyes.
Amanda: We keep coming back to the hundreds of eyes.
Julia: There's a lot of eyes.
Amanda: And I cannot emphasize enough, Thomas, how terrifying is this?
Julia: Goddammit, Thomas.
Amanda: Thomas, Thomas, my buddy.
Julia: My dude.
Amanda: My dude.
Julia: My real bro.
Amanda: My friend, my good, good friend. Please stop with the eyes. But also, this version of the Thrones - Julia is crying, laughing on the floor - Reminds me of sick rims.
Julia: Sweet rims, bro.
Amanda: Like Pimp My Ride, style.
Julia: Some real Fast and Furious bullshit, here.
Amanda: I mean, I think that's the conclusive proof we need that the Fast and Furious franchise is, at least, one tier of God's will on Earth.
Julia: Okay.
Amanda: Prove me wrong.
Julia: I can't.
Amanda: Mic drop.
Julia: With all of my background in history and religion, I can't.
Amanda: There's sick rims, there's [imitating Vin Diesel] family.
Julia: No!
Amanda: This is a perfect melding of me having an impression, and also me knowing what happened in a movie, and it just took Julia by surprise.
Julia: Oh, no. This wasn't supposed to happen.
Amanda: And to cap off that sentence, there is also an inexplicable jaunt in Tokyo, so ... Fast and Furious. That's me.
Julia: Did we go to Tokyo yet?
Amanda: No, but like we will.
Julia: Oh, okay. Cool. I mean, eventually, on this podcast again, yeah.
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: Okay, so hundreds of eyes. In modern Christian theology, they appear as adoring, elderly men, who will listen to the will of God and present the prayers of men to God.
Amanda: Okay, alright.
Julia: They are also said to be the carriers of the throne of God, which is another reason that they have the name Throne.
Amanda: Like the physical carriers?
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: Alright. Alright. I see the wheel, you know? Makes sense.
Julia: So we're moving on to the second sphere.
Amanda: Alright.
Julia: And the second sphere are specifically known as, "The Heavenly Governors of Creation". They guide and rule spirits.
Amanda: I mean, that's a translation that makes sense.
Julia: Yeah, I believe so. So the first one are Dominions, or Lordships, and they are in charge of watching over the duties of the lower angels, and having very little interaction with actual human beings.
Amanda: They're managers?
Julia: That ... Literally, I wrote, "They are the middle-managers of the angels."
Amanda: Nice.
Julia: I love you. So it's extremely rare that angelic lords make themselves physically known to humans, they are said to look like beautiful humans with a pair of feathered wings, but are also distinguished from other groups of angels by the orbs of light that they wield, which are attached to the heads of their scepters, or the pommels of their swords.
Amanda: Sounds like a Shillelagh in Dungeons and Dragons.
Julia: That's correct.
Amanda: Love it.
Julia: The next group are called Virtues, or Strongholds, and they are angels in charge of making signs and miracles known to the mortal world.
Amanda: So the traditional, sort of like heralding of a Divine Pronouncement?
Julia: Yes.
Amanda: Or like a Divine Interaction with the physical world?
Julia: Here is an actual description of the Virtues from the De Coelesti Hierarchia, which is kind of rambly but here we go. It's like all in Latin, so ...
Amanda: Classic Thomas.
Julia: This wasn't Thomas, but yeah.
Amanda: Classic Thomas.
Julia: The name of the Holy Virtues signifies a certain power and unshakeable virility, welling forth into all of their God-like energies. Not being weak and feeble for any reception of the Divine Illuminations granted to it, mounting upwards in fullness of power to an assimilation of God. Never falling away from the Divine Life through its own weakness, but ascending unwaveringly to the super-essential Virtue, which is the Source of Virtue.
Amanda: Wow. That probably was more poetic in the original.
Julia: Probably.
Amanda: But I do like that idea of whether you're talking about power or holiness or magic or whatever, being so powerful that like a puny, human body can't handle it. You know? Like we talk all the time about Ark, and a love of like physical and grounded magic.
Julia: Hell yeah.
Amanda: And in the Dresden Files, or other books where you get completely worn out after performing big magic, I think that makes total sense. And so, to have these angels sort of praised for their physical fortitude, because they are able to kind of go back and forth between those worlds and hold the fullness of God or whatever in their bodies, that's pretty dope.
Julia: That reminds me of the book that I'm reading right now, which is called Children of Blood and Bone. It is excellent, very, very good book. But in that book series, magic is almost like a muscle that you have to keep working and flex, and if you don't use it for long enough, you basically can't use your magic.
Amanda: Wow.
Julia: And in order to refine your magic, you have to use it more and more and more, and practice to make perfect. Which I like the idea of physical exertion the more it works better.
Amanda: Yeah. It's a good example of practice, right? That's a thing that we try to teach kids, but especially as an adult, where I think either I'm good at it or not, that kind of absolute thinking is very easy to do when you fail at a thing once. Like it's just hard for our brains to grasp the idea that we're gonna try and try and try, and fail and fail and fail, and that helps us succeed more, not to fail more. You know what I mean?
Julia: I know.
Amanda: So it's cool that that's kind of reinforced here.
Julia: I like that, that's a good interpretation. Thank you, friend.
Amanda: Thanks.
Julia: So the next and last group of the second sphere is the Powers, or Authorities, and they were meant to supervise the movements of the heavenly bodies in order to ensure that the Cosmos remain in order.
Amanda: I love it, the air-traffic controllers. I love it.
Julia: It's really, really dope. So they are also warrior angels, and oppose evil spirits, especially those that make use of the matter of the universe, and are often cast evil spirits to detention places of sorts.
Amanda: I love that. They're not just the, "Boring, office types that keep everything running on time." Which is like my job as an actual person, but also they are badass warriors.
Julia: Yeah, and that's usually how they're represented. So they're usually represented as soldiers wearing full armor and a helmet, and they're usually carrying either defensive or offensive weapons, such as shields, spears and chains.
Amanda: Amazing.
Julia: Powers are also said to be the keepers of history, and were completely loyal to God, whereas other spheres of angels could fall from grace, Ephesians says that no Power has ever fallen from Heaven.
Amanda: Incredible, yes. 10 out of 10, I am one of them, they are me.
Julia: Me. Yeah, same. I was gonna be like, "We should tag ourselves at the end." Like, "I pick Powers." So they also oversee the distribution of power among mankind, which I think is so cool!
Amanda: That is, especially if you think of them as like ... Picture like a nuclear power plant or something, where someone is sitting at like a big desk with lots of valves and things that they can adjust, and they're making sure that the Cosmos operate on schedule, you know? And that they are correctly distributing energy in the worlds, of course that will translate to power amongst humans as well, because human actors are like little mistakes waiting to happen, and little balls of chaos that you have to kind of keep contained. I think it's so logical that those things would go together.
Julia: Yeah. This kind of reminds me, and again, I'm gonna go on a little bit of a tangent of a really interesting character, actually one of my favorite minor characters in Our Fair City.
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: Which, if you've heard our episode with Geoffrey Gardner, you know a little bit about Our Fair City, but post-apocalyptic, basically like a business ... A life insurance company takes over a city, and is running it in sort of this dystopian way, and one of the characters is known as The Switcher. So they're having power outages and stuff like that, and there's a problem, and he's this character that kind of takes over and uses his powers for good because he controls where the power goes. And he's like, "You want to take power away from the hospitals? No, we're not gonna do that, and I'm gonna make sure that people get fed in these times of need."
Julia: And it's like just a really interesting character, and that's kind of how I picture the Powers.
Amanda: Yeah, and if we want to get really big about it, and why not? Big wars are fought in small places, you know?
Julia: Yes.
Amanda: And it's like municipal government, right? And local representation, and advocacy, and door-to-door voter engagement that actually wins elections and changes governments, and like changes the way that a country operates, and so it is super not a sexy thing to work in logistics, or to work in management, or to do these things that we think of as just kind of like taking care of themselves, but that's where true heroism and altruism and advocacy happen. Like yes, you have to have figure-heads, yes you have to have big, daring, heroic acts, but lots and lots more people can and do make a difference on the sort of smaller scale.
Julia: Yeah. I think that's a really, really good point, and I think that the Powers aren't the highest in the spectrum of the hierarchy here, but they play a really important role, and they're also the most badass, I think, on this list, but that's just me.
Amanda: I love it.
Julia: We're gonna get into the third sphere in just a second, you want to get a refill?
[Theme music]
Amanda: Let's do it. Julia, this week we are sponsored by Rx Bar, which several of our listeners tried last time, and said that they absolutely loved it, which I'm so stoked about, because I also love it.
Julia: Yes!
Amanda: Actually, today, going to Easter brunch, I was very hungry and I happened to have a coconut flavored Rx Bar in my backpack, which I ate, I didn't get any weird indigestion, I didn't get a bizarre, unsustainable sugar high, because Rx Bars are super transparent, and they are made of actual ingredients, egg-whites, dates, nuts, etc. Cacao, coconut, whatever the flavor is, they just print it right on the label, that's what's in it. No weird stuff, and they're delicious.
Julia: Yeah, I actually, every time I go to the gym, I like to work out with a little bit of something in my stomach, but not a lot of something in my stomach, otherwise I get all nauseous and stuff, you know what I mean? Rx Bar is the perfect pre and post workout snack for me, I just down those peanut butter flavored ones in a heartbeat, they're my favorite thing in the world.
Julia: And the nice part is it turns out real food is actually good for you, and also tastes good. Shockingly, you can actually ... When you bite into an Rx Bar, taste the cacao, taste the real fruit, taste the spices, and that's because they're not hiding behind all of these ridiculous, fake ingredients, they're real and up front.
Amanda: Yeah, just like us, there is no b.s., there's no added sugar, they are gluten-free and soy-free and dairy-free, which is really nice, because I am lactose-intolerant and there is milk and wey and stuff in pretty much everything. So whether you're into sweet or savory, or like chocolatey stuff, or fruity stuff, there are flavors for you. And Spirits listeners can get 25% off their first order at rxbar.com/spirits with the promo code, "Spirits" at checkout.
Julia: Yeah, get a peanut butter one on me, or get a coconut one on Amanda.
Amanda: Yeah, and tweet us and tell us what flavor is your favorite. Like the texture's great, the flavor's great, I'm honestly such a big fan of these things.
Julia: Yeah, they're awesome and we're so glad that they're sponsoring Spirits.
Amanda: Yeah, so thank you again, that's rxbar.com/spirits, with the promo code, "Spirits", for 25% off your first order. Now, let's get back to the show.
[Theme music]
Julia: So Amanda, we're going into the final sphere, and this is the third sphere. Those members of the third sphere act as heavenly guides, protectors, and messengers to human beings.
Amanda: Alright, so the sorts of angels we probably read about in the New Testament.
Julia: Exactly.
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: So the first one is the Principalities, or Rulers, and they are angels said to guide and protect nations, groups of people or institutions, such as the church. A single Principality rules over abandoned angels, and is the one that gives them orders in order to have them fulfill the Divine Ministry. Do you know what I mean?
Amanda: Yes, like the person issuing what we're gonna be doing.
Julia: Yes, they're the divine administrators.
Amanda: Hey!
Julia: Which is adorable. So they are the middle-managers of angels.
Amanda: Okay.
Julia: They are shown wearing a crown and hold a scepter, and they also are said to carry out orders given to them by upper-sphere angels, and give blessings to the material world.
Amanda: That is very cool.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: You know, Jules, I really want to know where scepters came from, like where did this idea come from, power for people?
Julia: I have no idea.
Amanda: You know? Like between Moses, it has often like a stick as he's leading people through the desert, and like parting the ...
Julia: He has a staff, yeah, but that's like ... He's a poor man.
Amanda: And so I understand, from that perspective, that like a walking stick is useful, and that's probably where that comes from, or like a staff for fighting or herding cattle and stuff.
Julia: Yeah, but a scepter is just like ... It's very ceremonial.
Amanda: Elevated staff, like what is the origin?
Julia: I don't know.
Amanda: People who know more than us about this, please email us, spiritspodcast@gmail.
Julia: Jim probably knows.
Amanda: Jim, let us know.
Julia: So they are the educators and guardians of the Earth, and they inspire living things to create both in the arts and the sciences.
Amanda: Oh, man!
Julia: Yeah!
Amanda: Thanks. I like creating stuff.
Julia: I do like creating stuff, that's why we do this.
Amanda: Hey!
Julia: We have a good Principality looking over us. You just did a fist bump to your chest and then peaced at the sky.
Amanda: I did.
Julia: Just for our listeners' sake.
Amanda: I did, and now when I see football people doing that, players, in fact, I will ...
Julia: I love those football people.
Amanda: I will ... Maybe the coaches, maybe the Gatorade boys and girls, I don't know. But I'll picture them looking up at the sky and thinking of Principality.
Julia: Next are the Archangels.
Amanda: Oh, these guys I've heard of.
Julia: I was gonna say, they're probably the most well-known of the angels, but they're actually only slightly above the common angel.
Amanda: Huh.
Julia: In the Bible, the term, "Archangel" only appears twice, in Theolosians and in Jude, and only one Archangel is given a name in the New Testament, and that is Michael.
Amanda: Yes.
Julia: Yes. You were pointing at me, were you going to interject, and say Michael?
Amanda: I was gonna say Gabriel.
Julia: Nope.
Amanda: But then I recovered.
Julia: So later Christian traditions say that Gabriel was also an Archangel, as was Rafael.
Amanda: Yes. One of the Ninja Turtles.
Julia: Yep, one of the Ninja Turtles.
Amanda: As is commonly known.
Julia: There were said to be ...
Amanda: I'm really sorry about the Gallagher. I really tried to listen at the time.
Julia: There were said to be seven Archangels all together, the others included Uriel, who was never mentioned in the western Christian Bible, but plays a really large role in Anglican and Russian orthodox churches.
Amanda: Huh.
Julia: These seven Archangels are said to be the guardian angels of nations and countries, and are concerned in the politics, military-matters, and commerce and trade.
Amanda: It makes a lot of sense that there would be a smaller group, or like round-table, of these Principalities. Of these Archangels, if they are influencing such huge events.
Julia: I agree, yeah, 100%. I should have probably gone into more, you know, Michael is known as the Angel of Death and stuff like that, and I wish I did but I didn't. Sorry. The next are just angels, just plain angels.
Amanda: Common angels.
Julia: So they are the lowest order of angels.
Amanda: No.
Julia: They are concerned with the affairs of living things, and are primarily just the messengers to humanity, appearing to people with messages from the heavens.
Amanda: But those are the angels that human beings talk about and pray for, you know?
Julia: Yes.
Amanda: And like wear necklaces of?
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: So I think there's an interesting thing to be said here, too, where if you're running a business, you can be in the board room all you want but the way that people form opinions about your business is the folks that they interact with every single day.
Julia: That's true.
Amanda: The cashiers and the bank-tellers and the gas station attendants, those are the people that represent to the average person the sum-total of your entire organization, it's not the CEO.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: It's like who you talk about every single day.
Julia: Right.
Amanda: I think that's a valuable lesson that more people at companies should think about. I don't know, like paying your workers fair wages and ...
Julia: Livable wage.
Amanda: Their benefits, and vacation, and maternity leave, and parental bonding leave.
Julia: No one cares that you flipped over your m's to make w's for women, McDonald's. Just saying, just saying.
Amanda: Capitalism's a lie.
Julia: Capitalism is a lie. Personal guardian angels are probably fairly well-known, at least in western culture, these are not any specific order from the plain angels, but rather are given a specific human to watch over their day-to-day affairs.
Amanda: So it's not like a special kind of angel, it's just like, "Hey angel, this is your person."
Julia: It's just regular angel, and then they're like, "Hey, you watch that guy." It is a common belief that they are assigned to every human being, whether or not they're religious in the Abrahamic sense or not, it is never specified whether or not they guard multiple humans during their existence or just one. Which, you'd have to assume that they're ... If their person dies, it's not just like, "Well, I'm done. I don't have to watch any human being ever again."
Amanda: I mean, population is only growing, so I assume they would be given a newborn babe, but eight billion angels is a lot of angels.
Julia: Yeah, that's a lot of angels.
Amanda: At the same time though, you really want to connect ... What if the angel had a really boring person? That would suck. What if a person had a really bad angel? That would also suck.
Julia: Well, can the angels be bad, though?
Amanda: I suppose you're right, it's the whole Christian ...
Julia: Because that's how, supposedly, we get demons. But I'm like, "Whatevs." It's fine.
Amanda: You better ask Dan Brown about that.
Julia: We should ask Dan Brown about that angels and demons specification?
Amanda: Boom.
Julia: I hate you.
Amanda: I love you.
Julia: In Zoroastrianism, each person has one guardian angel, which is known as a Fravashi, and they manifest God's energy and don't convey messages, specifically, but rather just the energy of Ahura Mazda, which is their God-like figure.
Amanda: That's pretty cool though, like you decide for yourself what you do with that energy? They are here to make sure that you are inspired and connected, sort of like plugged into the bigger source of the universe.
Julia: To the Matrix of the universe? I agree. So that's angels.
Amanda: Wow, angels are a lot more complex in the tradition we were raised in than I realized.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: I know, I pictured just kind of like in white robes, blonde, male figure, coming down to herald some kind of pronouncement. But I love this idea of angels having managers and meetings.
Julia: Or being wheels with hundreds of eyes?
Amanda: Again with the hundreds of eyes, I'd forgotten it temporarily.
Julia: It's what we're here for. Nope. I'm here to remind you about the hundreds of eyes.
Amanda: Read The Seventh Tower by Garth Nix, it's very important.
Julia: And remember, stay creepy.
Amanda: Stay cool.
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