Boxed In

606.  Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225-1274)

What would you think of an intellectual who had written volume after huge volume of theology--then claimed at the end of his life that it was all useless and should be burned?  Thomas Aquinas, the most famous theologian of the Middle Ages, did just that.  But his colleagues valued his theology more than he did and preserved it, and for centuries he was the theologian, even though unfinished, was considered the most comprehensive work of Catholic theology, and in it he touched on every subject imaginable--including, naturally, angels, demons, and the afterlife.  Thomas affirmed the belief that each believer has a guardian angel assigned to him.  Thomas must have been fascinated by the angels, for he wrote almost a hundred pages on them--their hierarchy, habits, knowledge, movements, and so on.  Angels, he said, are the highest grade of creation, and they are incorruptible and immortal.  He believed that the stars and planets are moved and guided by them.  In his belief in angels he was deeply influenced by the writings of Pseudo-Dionysius.  Catholic tradition refers to Thomas as the "Angelic Doctor," with Doctor meaning "Teacher."  He did not neglect demons, either.  Demons, he said, are capable of all kinds of harm, even causing impotence in men.  They may appear audibly or visibly to men, or they can speak through the human imagination.  Thomas took witchcraft seriously (as did most people of the Middle Ages)  and believed that woman and men who consorted with demons could do all kinds of harm.  Curiously, for someone who opposed the occult and satanism, Thomas did believe in astrology--at least, he believed that some people might allow themselves to be influenced by the movements of the stars and planets, though it was not inevitable.  Hell, Thomas said, was a real material place, located somewhere in the lowest part to the earth.  To those who thought that perhaps everyone might find salvation, Thomas gave a definite no.  But he also had much to say about heaven.  The chief happiness of the saved person will consist in seeing God.  The human soul, restless on earth, finds rest when it rejoins its Source. 

Steps to the Altar

84.  cherubim

The term "cherubs" usually refers to the cute, pudgy angels found on Christmas cards.  But in the Bible they, are awesome, almost frightening creatures.  The prophet Ezekiel had a strange vision of the cherubim (that's plural--one cherub, two cherubim):  "Their whole body, with their back, their hands, their wings, and the wheels that the four had, were full of eyes all around ... Each one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, the second face the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle"  (Ezek.  10:12, 14).  Much earlier, cherubim had served as sentries, brandishing flaming swords to keep Adam and Eve out once they were banished from Eden (Gen. 3:24).  The most commonly seen cherubim--or, at least, figures of them--were the two on the lid of the ark of the covenant.  The ark is describned in detail in Exodus 25, including the two winged figures who face each othere, their wings touch ing (and protrayed accurately, by the way, in the movies Raiders of the Lost Ark).  Israel was prohibited form making images of God Himself, but apparently they thought of the space between the cherubim as the place where God was present:  The phrase "LORD Almighty, enthroned between the cherubim"  occurs many times in the Bible.

Star Puzzle

46.  the Bibles' first angels

People always connect the Garden of Eden with the tempter, Satan.  But there were angels connected with Eden as well, though not in any pleasant sense.  After the serpent tempted Adam and Eve, they ate the forbidden fruit, and because they disobeyed God, they were banished from Eden.  The entryway of Eden was guarded by cherubin (angels) and a flaming sword, a vivid symbol that once man had sinned he could never go back to Eden (Gen. 3:24).

Pinwheel

8.  pleasure in watching hell?

Do the people in heaven see the people in hell?  Jesus' parable of Lazarus and the rich man suggests that they do.  In the parable, the beggar Lazarus is in heaven while the coldhearted rich man who snubbed him is in hell, where Lazarus can see and hear him  Some prominent theologians, such as Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, claimed that one of the pleasures of heaven is seeing the torments of those in hell.  This strikes us as rather cruel, but consider what they meant:  Sin is receiving its just punishment, so those in heaven should rejoice because justice is done and because they themselves have escaped horror.

Port and Starboard

348.  chariots of fire

The great prophet Elijah did not dies, according to 2 Kings 2.  He was with his successor, the prophet Elisha, when "suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven"  (V.11).  Chariots of fire appeared for Elisha in another incident.  He was wanted by the king of Aram, who sent a mighty force to capture him.  Elisha's servant saw the Aramaean troops coming and was terrified.  Elisha said to him,  "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."  And then the Lord opened the servant's eyes and he saw that "the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. "  This story is one of th eBible's most vivid reminders that there indeed are angels who protect God's people (2Kings 6:8-18).

Star of Virginia

672.  halo

Why do works of art often depict saints and angels with rings of light around their heads?  A halo  (also called a nimbbus)  is an old symbol of divinity, glory, or holiness.  The halo is a way of saying,  "This person [or being] is special in a sacred way."  Halos are never mentioned in the Bible, however. 

Ocean Wave

667.  Michael, Row the Boat Ashore"

This old black spiritual is addressed to the angel Michael.  According to tradition (*thoughnot the Bible itself), the angel Michael is the guide of departed souls to heaven.  Thus in the song, Michael guides the person's soul across the river Jordan  (representing death)  to the shore (heaven).  One verse of the song is "Jordan's river is chilly and wide, /  Milk and honey on the other side,"  Of course, this song sung by slaves might have had another meaning: a plea to be taken across the river (the Ohio, that is) into the nonslaveholding states. 

Simple Flower Basket

198.  Abbadon

This Hebrew word means "destruction" or "ruin."  It is found untranslated in Revelation 9:11, where it is the name of the angle of the bottomless pit.  But in the Old Testament, it is not the name of an angel but of a place, often translated as "hell" or "destruction."  Clearly, with such a name the angel of the bottomless pit is a nasty character.  Milton, in his Paradise Lost, used the name Abaddon for the bottomless pit itself. 

Underground Railroad

956.  the road to hell

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions"--the proverb is used commonly, but who said it first?  The English author and dictionary compiler Samuel Johnson said that "hell is paved with good intentions," and somehow "the road to" got added on later.  It reflects a basic Christian idea:  People can do much evil while thinking they are doing good...

Summer Winds

846.  Stay Tuned

Is hell a series of sadistic TV shows where one is punished by being "channel surfed" from one torturous program to another?  It is in this off-the-wall 1992 comedy, with John Ritter as a couch potato who is sucked in by a satellite dish from hell (literally).  The movies shows that people who neglect their real-life families for TV fantasies will be punished by losing their souls in some very unpleasant programs--forever.  Some inside jokes:  One of the demons is named Crowley and some of the shows are I Love Lucifer and Waynes's Underworld.

Summer Solstice

869.  Summerland

New Agers sometimes refer to the afterlife as "heaven," but for a time the term "Summerland" was popular.  The name comes from the writings of Swedish author Emanuel Swedenborg.

Ladie's Aid Album

391.  Tundal the monk

Many Christians have written books or painted pictures depicting the horrors of hell.  Perhaps none are more vivid than the writings of the Irish monk Tundal, who lived in the twelfth century.  Tundal claimed to have had visions of hell.  In the center of it, he said, Satan was fastened with red-hot chains to a burning gridiron, but his hands were free to grab hold of sinners.  With his teeth he crushed them, afterward swallowing them down his burning throat.  Other demons plunged hell's inhabitants into fire then into icy water, or beat them into flatness on an anvil.  To make the fiery place even more repugnant, sulfur added its foul stench to the air.  Hell was full of fire, yet the fire gave no light, so the people suffered in thick darkness.  While the Catholic church authorities sometimes questioned such visions (realizing that it was easy to go over borad and emphasize hell more than heaven), descriptions such as Tundal's had a great effect on peoples's imagination.  The Vision of Tundal, written around 1149, was translated into at least fifteen languages, and some of the copies were lavishly (and frighteningly) illustrated.

New England Block

111.  angels, not evangelists

Angels in the Bible do many things to benefit human beings, including announcing the birth of the Savior  (Luke 2)  But there is one distinctive activity that angles do not do; preach the gospel.  One example: Acts 10 tells us of the righteous Roman soldier Cornelius (see 110), who was told by an angel to send for the apostle Peter, the man who would preach to him the gospel.  Why didn't the angel himself present the gospel?  This never happens i the Bible, nor anywhere in Christian history.  The gospel is the good news of sinners being saved from their sin--something the angels cannot experience themselves.  Only a saved sinner can preach the gospel to sinners.

Peace and Plenty

110.  Cornelius and Peter

One of the most appealing characters in the New Testament is Cornelius, a Roman centurion.  Acts 10 describes him as "one who feared God," which meant he practiced a Jewish spirituality, including prayer and aiding the poor.  Acts 10 relates his being visited by an angel, who told him that his kindness and good works had not gone unnoticed by God.  The angel linked him with the apostle Peter.  After his meeting with Peter, he becames a Christian, the first Roman convert to the faith.

Next Door Neighbor

37.  Our Lady of the Angels

The Roman Catholic Church holds a much higher view of the Virgin Mary than do Protestants, and some Catholics refer to her as Queen of Heaven or Our Lady Queen of the Angels.  She is sometimes pictured in Catholic art as a crowned figure surrounded by adoring choirs of angles.  As Queen of the Angels, Mary is sometimes prayed to, with people asking her aid in sending the angels to ward off some evil.

The Hen and Her Chicks

36.  Mary and purgatory

"Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death."  This is a Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary, probably one of the most repeated prayers in the history of the world.  In the Middle Ages, as belief in purgatory became more and more widespread, Mary took on a new and enhanced role.  She, more so than Christ Himself, was the one who could soften a soul's punishment and time in purgatory.  While Christ was thought of as the just Judge o human sins, Mary played the role of comforter, who could lessen the punishments of those who prayed to her.  As belief in purgatory became more important in the church's life, so did devotion to the Virgin Mary.  When the Protestant Reformation came along in the 1500s, the Reformers attacked both the belief in purgatory and also the excessive devotion to Mary.

Double Sawtooth

148.  Satan and married celibates

The Christians in Corinth lived in a city known for sexual looseness.  No wonder Paul had much to say about sexual morality.  Whiule he himself preferred the single (and celibate) life, he knew it wasn't for everyone.  He took a sensible approach to married life, assuming that physical intimacy was normal.  Apparently some of the Corinthian Christians were attempting to be celibate while married, but Paul advised against this:  "Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control" (1 Cor. 7:5)

and That's all I'm going to say about That!

Broken Star

147.  the God of peace, crushing

Near the end of his letter to the Romans, Paul gave this promise: "The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly" (16:20).  The wording strikes some readers as almost humorous: The "God of peace" is going to "crush" someone?  Yet it makes perfect sense, in a way.  The world can never have perfect peace as long as Satan is able to go about doing mischieft.  Yet soon, Paul said, Satan's shenanigans will end abruptly, and peace will reign through the mercies of God.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

(thank yoy sister)

King's Crown II

1.  "literal" hell and heaven?

Is hell a hot furnace?  Is heaven a cloudy place with harps and golden streets?  The Bible says little about the physical attributes of either place.  The book of Revelation pictures heaven as a praise-filled city with streets of gold and pearly gates.  Revelation uses these images to communicate the ideas of beauty and fellowship with God.  Revelation also refers to the devil and evil people being destroyed in a lake of fire.  Jesus Himself spoke of the fire of hell--the idea being that the person apart from God is in agony.  Is it a "literal" fire?  That question misses the point.  The point is that the person who chooses to separate himself from 

God is in the worst possible circumstance.

Hopscotch

#86  Ezekiel's living creatures
The book of the prophet Ezekiel opens with a bang, the prophet's bizarre vision of four unearthly beings.  In the midst of an ominous whirlwind were "four living creatures."  They were human in shape, but each one had four wings, and their feet were like calves' feet.  They sparkled like burnished bronze.  Each had four faces: a lion, a man, an ox, and an eagle.  They moved, and they gave the impression of fire and lightning.  More impressive than the creatures was the glory of the Lord Himself above them.  This stunning vision caused Ezekiel to fall on his face, whereupon the Lord commissioned him as a prophet to the people of Israel.  We learn in Ezekiel 10 that these "living creatures" are cherubim and the guardians of the Lord's throne.  Since this vision took place in Babylon, where Ezekiel was in exile, one message seems to be that the Lord's throne is anywhere He wishes it to be, not necessarily tied to a location in Israel.

Does Double Duty

378.  Anthony the hermit (c. 300)
Anthony, a wealthy Egyptian, experienced a spiritual crisis when he heard a sermon on Jesus' command to the rich youg ruler:  "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor" (matt. 19:21).  Anthony gave away his land and donated his money to the poor.  He lived a simple life, sleeping on the ground and existing on one meal a day (bread and water).  He lived for years in an abandoned fort, yet he attracted followers, who believed Christianity had become worldly and materialistic (it had).  The Egyptian wasteland was wild and desolate, but not empty, for Anthony claimed it was filled with demons.  He spoke about how he did battle with all sorts of ghastly devils.  Thanks to the popularity of the Life of Anthony, and thanks to the challenge of painting a saint afflicted by monstrous demons, Anthony has been the subject of thousands upon thousands of paintings.  The life of self-denial and resisting demons must have been healthy.  Anthony lived to be 105.

Foxy Grandpa

1,001 things you always wanted to know about Angels, Demons, and the Afterlife

J. Stephen Lang

274.  The best inheritance

The New Testament often contrast eternal treasure with the worthless treasures we pursue on earth.  For those who believe in Christ, there is "an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you"  (1Peter 1:4).

Father's Choice

She walks in Beauty

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that's best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes;

This mellowed to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less.

Had half impaired the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven tress,

Or softly lightens o'er her face;

Where thoughts serenely sweet express,

How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,

But tell of days in goodness spent,

A mind at peace with all below,

A heart whose love is innocent!

Lord Byron (George Gordon)

Chocolove bar

PRETZEL

Pretzel

from  The First Kiss of Love

Away with your fiction of flimsy romance,

Those tissues of falsehood which folly has wove!

Give me the mild beam of the soul-breathing glance,

Or the rapture which dwells on the first kiss of love.

Ye rhymers, whose bosoms with phantasy glow,

Whose pastoral passions are made for the grove;

From what blest inspiration  your sonnets would flow,

Could you ever tasted the first kiss love!

If Apollo should e'er his assistance refuse,

Or the Nine be disposed from your service to rove,

Invoke them no more, bid adieu to the muse,

And try the effect of the first kiss of love.

George  Gordon Lord Byron

another chocolove bar

Double Basket Weave

Whatever truth promises, 

Count it as money

in your pocket.

6/5/2009

from my Dad

Fish-Scale Lace Panel

Why Bilbo Baggins? Saruman believes that it is only great power...that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I found it is the small things...every day deeds of ordinary folk...that keeps the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love.  Why Bilbo Baggins? Perhaps it is because I am afraid...and he gives me courage.

Zigzag Eyelet Panel

God grant us the serenity to accept 

the things we cannot change,

the courage to change the things we can,

and the wisdom to know

the difference.

Amen.

Slip-Stitch Ribbing

Sonnet 18 Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade

Nor lose possession of that hfair thou owest;

Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou growest:

So long as men can breatyhe or eyes can see,

So long lives this and this gives lifet to thee.

William Shakespeare

another chocolate bar

Slip-Stitch Stripes

Fortune in a Coffee Cup

Chapter 4 contains interpretations of the symbols and images you may find in your coffee grounds.  The first sentence or two of each meaning is printed in bold lettering.  Use this information for fast, simple readins that are not in depth--a morning readin in that commuter cup of coffee on the bus, a fast reading for a friend at work, or possibly a quick break-time reading about a specific question for yourself (how will that report I wrote be accepted? or will I have a weird or great blind date tonight?) for instance.  The balance of the interpretations for each image is more thorough, giving specifics on how the meaning changes with placement in the cup...
B R E A T H E . . .

Squares and Twists

Excerpt:
Romeo and Juliet

[Enter] Chorus.

Now old desire doth in his deathbed lie,
   And young affection gapes to be his heir;
That fair for which love groaned for and would die,
   With tender Juliet matched, is now not fair.
Now Romeo is beloved and loves again,
   Alike bewitched by the charm of looks;
But to his foe supposed he must complain,
   And she steal love's sweet bait from fearful hooks.
Being held a foe, he moy not have access
   To breathe such vows as lovers use to swear,

Cable and Box Panel

Excerot:
Fortune in a Coffee Cup

and the person who is holding the cup, and therefore is always a key area to consider in a reading.  Anything near the handle of the cup, andy type of image at all, is in the area of strength and therefore is a strong image for the person getting the reading--one could even say intense.  Numbers, letters of the alphabet, or images tend to be stronger, and more pwerful here.  Look at it this way--like something you love with a passion--that is the difference between seeing something anywhere else in the cup and here in the place of strength.

Twisted Motif

KA-BLUEEEEYYYYY!  

Ridge Eyelet Border

In tatt'red weeds, with overwhelming brows, Culling of simples.  Meagre were his looks, Sharp misery had worn him to the bones; And in his needy shop a tortoise hung, An alligator stuffed, and other skins Of ill-shaped fishes; and about his shelves  A beggarly account of empty boxes, Green earthen pots, bladders, and musty seeds, Remnants of packthread, and old cakes of roses Were thinly scattered, to make up a show. Noting this penurey, to myself I said, 'An if a man did need a poison now Whose sale is present death in Mantua, Here lives a caitiff wretch would sell it him.' O, this same needy man must sell it me. As I remember, this should be the house. Being holiday, the beggar's shop is shut. What, ho! Apothecary!
[enter Apothecary] Who calls so loud?
Romeo
Come hither, man. I see that thou art poor.
Hold, there is forty ducats. Let me have A dram of poison, such soon-speeding gear As will disperse it self through all the veins That the life-weary taker may fall dead, And that the trunk may be discharged of breath As violently as hasty powder fired Doth hurry from the fatal cannon's womb.
Apothecary
Such mortal drugs I have; but Mantua's law Is death to any he that utters them.
Romeo
Art thou nso bare and full of wretchedness And fearest to die? Famine is in thy cheeks, Need and oppression starveth in thy eyes, Contempt and beggary hangs upon thy back: The world is not thy friend, nor the world's law; The world affords no law to make thee rich; Then be not poor, but break it and take this.
Apothecary
My poverty but not my will consents.
Romeo
I pay thy poverty and not thy will. Apothecary Put this in any liquid thing you will And drink it off, and if you had the strength Of twenty men, it would dispatch you straight.
Romeo
There is thy gold-worse poison to men's souls, Doin more murder in this loathsome world, Than these poor compounds that thou mayst not sell. I sell thee poison; thou hast sold me none. Farewell. By food and get thyself in flesh. Come, cordial and not poison, go with me To JUliet's grave; for there must I use thee. Exeunt.

Ridged Openwork

PANDEMONIUM, n.  Litereally, the Place of All the Demons. Most of them have escapted into politics and finance, and the place is now used asa lecture hall by the Audible Reformer.  When disturbed by his voice the ancient echoes clamor appropriate repsonse most gratifying to his pride of distinction.

Banded Rib

PANTHEISM, n.  The doctrine that everything is God, in contradistinction to the doctrine that God is everything.

Little Arrowhead

RELIGION, n.  A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable.
     "What is your religion my son?"  inquired the Archbishop of Rheims.
     "Pardon, monseigneur," replied Rochebriant;  "I am ashamed of it."
     "Then why do you not become an atheist?"
     "Impossible! I should be ashamed of atheism."
     "In that case, monsieur, you should join the Protestants."

Little Arrows

"So, this is the Hobbit.  Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?
--Pardon me?
Ax or sword?  What's your weapon of choice?
--Well, I do have some skill at Conkers, if you must know...but I fail to see why that's relevant.
Thought as much.  He looks more like a grocer than a burglar."

Staghorn Cable 2

REFORM, n.  A thing that mostly satisfies reformers opposed to reformation.

Staghorn Cable 1

BRANDY, n.  A cordial composed of one part thunder-and-lightning, one part remorse, two parts bloody murder, one part death-hell-and-the-grave and four parts clarified Satan.  Dose, a headful all the time.  Brandy is said by Dr. Johnson to be the drink of heroes.  Only a hero will venture to drink it.

Medallion Cable

BONDSMAN, n.  A fool who, having property of his own, undertakes to become responsible for that entrusted by another to a third.  Phillippe of Orleans wishing to appoint one of his favorites, a dissolute nobleman, to a high office, asked him what security he would be able to give.  "I need no bondsmen," he replied, "For I can give you my word of honor."  "And pray what may be the value of that?" inquired the amused Regent.  "Monsieur, it is worth its weight in gold."

Diamond Pattern

Chocolate bar poem.

I have told my passion, my eyes have spoke it,

my tongue pronounced it and my pen declared it.

Now my heart is full of you, my head raves about you,

and my hand writes to you.

George Farquhar to Annie Oldfield.

M<3m's  Mother's Day 2013