The following is a post in a discussion I found on WiccanTogether by a user named Faxon.  I had to put it here.. I would have posted a link but I know that some would not take the time to sign up so they can read it.

Before we can comprehend the future we must first attempt to understand the past. In this discussion I will attempt to do just that. I will begin with commonly asked questions and go from there.
What do we know of the Witches mysterious origins? Who were the real women behind the myth? Who are these people with super extraordinary powers? Why were Witches tortured and burned at the stake during the middle ages? How did the the belief begin that Witches could fly? How did a child’s game spark the tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials? And why, despite the Witches fearsome legacy are thousands again practicing the ancient arts of Witchcraft? These are just some of the questions the human community has been asking for a long time. Could it be the Witches are the reminiscence of long lost Goddess figures of incredible power that brought life and death?

~~~BEGINNINGS~~

The Witch: Sorceress. Enchantress. The devil’s consort. A fearsome being of fairy-tell and myth she has haunted the human consciousness for thousands of years. She remains a chilling spectre that captives the human imagination and continues to baffle us with her mysteries.
Perhaps no figure in mythological legend has been so despised and feared as the Witch. Over centuries the image of the Witch has under gone a strange transformation. In ancient Scandinavia, Freya, Goddess of prophecy soared through the heavens in a chariot. In Greek mythology the Witch was as beautiful as she was deadly. The sorceress, Circe, enchanted Ulysses sailors with her magickal brew of honey wine then with a touch of her magickal wand she turned each man into a pig. Even earlier in Hebrew tradition a woman named, Lilith, her red hair streaming, slipped into unprotected homes preying on newborns and stealing man’s seed.
Being a Witch was probably the worst thing you could have been accused of being because in the accusers eyes you practiced cannibalistic infanticide, you practiced promiscuous sex and danced around naked. Basically you were considered the nightmare of society. All this seems rather strange ideologies considering how in the earliest beginnings the concept of Witches was of a magickal being who possessed super natural powers and were not considered a source of evil. On the contrary- some scholars trace the origins back to ancient deities who were both benign and powerful. Witches have been around for as long as the human community has been trying to advert diseases and disaster. Witches may have very well developed from early Goddess cults according to a large popular belief shared by many who have researched various available records.
Goddess figures found by archaeologists- some dating back twenty thousand years, were revered for their magickal ability to enhance fertility and nurture the land. We’re talking about peoples who depended on the earth for sustenance, on the cycles of seasons, and on the reproduction capabilities of the land. So,those associations of these natural forces with the female body and therefore the identification of the female as sacred makes perfect sense. All powerful procreation deities, they held sway over the forces of the universe. For thousands of years the creation Goddess was honoured as the all powerful divine force. She was known by many names. In ancient Mesoptamia she was called, Nin-anna, the Queen of the Heavens. In Egypt the predominate civilization of the ancient world referred to her as Isis. In the land of Canaan she was, Asherah. All of them were supreme Goddesses who presided over the sacred forces of life and death and worshiped by those who relied on the earth’s fertility for their survival. Not only did the ancients worship female deities, but through out the middle-east often those who practiced the holiest of rituals were woman. Could these Priestesses trained in the sacred arts have been the earliest antecedents of the Witch? Over the centuries these Priestesses came to be known as the ‘Wise Woman’. These women made house-calls, they removed impurity, they took off sorcery, they cured babies and cured impenitence just to name a few of their contributions. From their rituals sprang forth the sacred ceremonies which would later become known as ‘Witchcraft’.
What supernatural powers did these so-called ‘Wise Women’ possess? Accounts from ancient Turkey describe how the ‘Wise Woman’ would sit in a sacred circle drawn with salt to recite their magickal incantations. Their ritual objects were simple but they were believed to possess awesome powers of healing and protection. What’s so puzzling is that they were clearly seen as positive figures in their society. No King could be without their council, no army could recover from a defeat without their ritual activities, no baby could be born without their presence.
The question fascinates the scholars- How did the begin image of the ‘Wise Woman’ become transformed into the malevolent figure of the Witch? Some scholars believe the answer may lie in the events which took place three millennium before the birth of Christ. In this turbulent time tribes of nomads known as the Indo-Europeans invaded the Western world from the East. They were a warrior people who brought with them a strong belief in their male sky Gods of war. Over the centuries the belief in their male sky Gods would come to dominate the once mighty female deities.
One of the things we see in the development of religions is that very often Goddesses start out in very prominent rolls and are gradually demoted. You can actually see their names moving down on the list the scribes are copying over and over and over again. Some scholars believe that when the Hebrews (worshippers of one God) settled in the land of Canaan around thirteen hundred B.C.E. they perpetuated this male dominated version of their own creation story. Some believe that in the bibical story of creation, Eve, is the mortal version of the earlier Goddess, Asherha. In the Garden of Eden it is Eve who bears the responsibility of the fall of all humanity. And the sacred tree and the snake, once being symbols of the earlier Goddess culture, become something both dangerous and forbidden.
Obeying the laws of the Bible the Hebrews condemned Witchcraft as a pagan practice thus banning it from the land of Canaan (‘Let no one be found among you who practice divination, sorcery, interprets omens, engages in Witchcraft or consults the dead.’ – Deut.9:10). Strangely, despite this prohibition one of the most mysterious stories in the Bible describes a magickal encounter between a bibical King and a Witch! This story is set in a period when King Saul is locked in a ferocious battle with the Israelites formidable enemy the Philistines. On the eve of the fateful battle of Gilboa a troubled King Saul seeks out a forbidden sorceress hoping she may call up a spirit who can council him from beyond the grave. It’s a fascinating story because Saul has already banished all the Witches from the land. And yet, when push comes to shove, he’s showing up at the local ‘Wise Woman’s’ house to get the skinny on the upcoming battle. ( ‘Then Saul said unto his servants, “Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit that I may go to her and acquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold! There is a woman that has a familiar spirit at Endor.”- 1 Samuel 28:07). King Saul visits the Witch in the village of Endor on the outskirts of Nazareth. He asks her to summon the Prophet Samuel from the dead so that he may receive Samuel’s wisdom before the battle. The Witch obeys the Kings’ request. She digs a ritual pit and does a little sacrifice and sure enough she brings up the ghost of Samuel the Prophet from the land of the dead. Tragically the ghost only has ominous news for the troubled King. The spectre of Samuel predicts that Saul will die in battle. On the next day Samuels’ terrible prophesy of doom is fulfilled.
Why does the Bible, while forbidding Witchcraft, contain the story of a revered King visiting a Witch in his time of need? That is a question that continues to remain unanswered to this day.

~~SABBATH of the WITCHES~~

In the fourteenth century all of Europe was over run by a mysterious plague known as the Black Death. As the scourge swept across the land whole villages were decimated. In all of Europe one in every three would perish. With the onset of the Black Death came hysteria, the fear that an inescapable evil had descended upon the land. With this fear came the belief that this misfortune was the work of the devil himself. Throughout Europe the church established a tribunal known as the Inquisition to root out all religious heretics feared of the dangerous accomplices of the devil-. a belief in the fourteenth century. One form of heresy was judged to be especially malevolent. Witchcraft is defined as the most heinous of all forms of heresy because it is when you sell your soul to the devil that puts not just the individual, not just the church at risk, it put all of society at risk. Spawned by the growing panic the image of the Witch became magnified by the popular imagination into terrifying reality.
In the hysteria of the time many believed that Witches possessed the powers of flight. Surprisingly as early as the sixteenth century scholars suspected there might be a medical reason why those that practiced Witchcraft believed they could fly. One German physician of the time, Johaan Bayer (1572-March.7,1625) suggested the fantasies of flight were actually a result of Witches anointing themselves with a hallucinogenic drug called Datura. Also adding to the concept of Witches being able to fly is suggested by some that many in the pagan religion(s) during that era were seen jumping up and down while holding pitchforks and similar implements during their celebration rituals performed during the spring equinox, praising their Goddess, showing her how high to grow the freshly planted crops. It was only a matter of time before these sightings were misconstrued and the Witch viewed as being able to fly which fueled the rumors that the Witches were actually flying to their nocturnal gatherings known as Sabbaths.
The imagery of the Witches Sabbath engaging in prohibited sexual activity had a fascinating appeal to the people of that time. Especially when we consider that celibacy and control of sexual impulse has always been considered the appropriate expression of christian behaviour.
In 1486 a book was written to assist the Witch hunters in the grim task of identifying and prosecuting the accused. The work was entitled the ‘Mallevs Maleficarvm’ (or the ‘Hammer Against Witches’). Written by two Dominican monks in Germany, Jacob Sprenger and Heinrich Kramer, the Mallevs expressed a prevailing belief of the time that women were sexually vulnerable beings- easy prey for the devil (‘What else is a woman but a foe to friendship? They are evil, vain and lustful. All Witchcraft comes from carnal lust which is in women insatiable’ // The Mallevs Maleficarvn).
Although there have been Witch hunting manuals before the Mallevs Maleficarvm it was actually Jacob Sprenger and Heinrich Kramer who linked lust and the particular condition of the women’s bodies to demonology and Witchcraft. It’s very specific and incredibly detailed- How do you know Witches? How do you target them? For example, you never begin by asking someone ‘Are you a Witch?’. You ask them, ‘When did you become a Witch?’ The main purpose of the Mallevs was systematically to refute arguments claiming that Witchcraft does not exist, refute those who expressed skepticism about its reality, to prove that witches were more often women than men, and to educate magistrates on the procedures that could find them out and convict them.
For two hundred years the lurid descriptions of the Mallevs Maleficarvn would serve zealous Witch hunters. Ironically this book of intolerance and persecution was in it’s own times second to the bible in popularity. The victims of the persecution this manual helped to inspire were often the people who were doing the most to help their community. When villagers felt they had been harmed magickally or they felt they were victims of Witchcraft there was a natural tendency to suspect that women were the Witches who had harmed them. And that probably is because women performed functions that were very, very closely associated with magick. After all- the women were the cooks,, they were the mid-wife and many were adept in the use of herbs for healing. Ironically it was these exact skills that made them objects of suspicion. For if these women could heal with potions and herbs could they not also do unspeakable harm as well? There are cases for example where a mid-wife had been practicing with apparently great success for fifteen, twenty, even thirty years and suddenly she is accused of Witchcraft and killing babies at the behest of Satan. Out of the wood work now comes people she has delivered children with for a generation who suddenly say she’s in fact guilty.
Why were friends and family members so quick to accuse the innocent? It is a question which baffles historians to this day. And still… the worst is yet to come! Fueled by intense fear and hatred the flames of the Inquisition seemed unquenchable. Soon thousands would be snared in a web of terror and betrayal. Once the accused were arrested the true horror began.

~~THE BURNING TIMES~~

By the end of the 1600’s throughout Europe the hunting hysteria had reached it’s peak. Thousands were arrested and brought before the inquisitor for examination. Under the brutal scrutiny the accused were stripped and searched. They were prodded mercilessly with needles to find the mark of the devil. For the examiner any suspicious wart, mole or birthmark could be enough to condemn someone to death. Once evidence was found a confession was required for it was against the law to execute a Witch without one. The practice of torture, which had been banned for centuries, was revived to extract it. Some of the most horrendous and in some ways sophisticated methods of pain manipulation was indeed invented during this time. Tortures that are really too horrific almost for us to imagine and any human being surviving through were now an every day occurrence. Even the whole phrase, ‘ The third degree’, can be traced back to this medieval period and it was ‘The third degree’ that killed the accused. Instruments such as thumb screws, leg screws, head clamps and the Iron Maiden owe it’s origins to this time and all were designed to inflict unbearable pain. To determine quilt or innocence the English also devised a method known as ‘Swimming the Witches’ in which if the accused floated she was judged guilty and condemned to be hung. On the other hand- if she sank and drowned she was presumed innocent. Either way she was doomed.
Even under torture the Witch was viewed as highly dangerous. The Mallevs Maleficarvn warned never to look a Witch in the eye for fear of her evil powers because if you did so you might have compassion for her. In the manual it said this was her casting a spell on you. What this means is basically there was no room left once you were accused to change the mind of the torturer. It was under these brutal conditions Witches indeed confessed to the most heinous crimes in attempt to curb the intense pain inflicted upon them. For thousands of others in Europe death came by fire. But why this method of execution? Scholars believe it was thought only when the Witch’s body had been reduced to ashes all her evil sorcery would truly be destroyed.
On the fateful day the accused would be packed into a wagon and paraded through narrow cobble stone streets to the village square. There the accused Witch was bond to the stake. Records show that on a single day in one village square in Germany one hundred thirty-nine alleged Witches were burned to death. The town historian noted that the place of execution looked like a small forest fire from the number of stakes. For two-hundred years known as The Burning Times witch hunts erupted like sporadic wild fires across Europe. The worst persecutions would take place in the rural villages of France and Germany. There, under interrogation and torture, suspects were forced to surrender the names of their neighbors.
Why did the the fury of the hunts escalate so rapidly? Consider the question being thrown at the accused- ‘Who did you practice with?’ ‘Who else was involved in your rituals?’ If you torture someone enough they will surely give you the answers you want to hear, and so begins the escalating circle. Eventually the torturers were armed with dozens, if not hundreds of names as a result of one or two women originally being identified as being Witches.
Perhaps no town in the sixteenth century captured the horror of The Burning Times more shockingly than Wurzburg, Germany. It was there the over zealous magistrates decided that almost the entire town was possessed by the devil. They condemned six-hundred people to death. Nineteen priest, forty-one were children. There were towns, in Germany in particular, where there were no women left after the inquisitors came through. Everyone was killed.
When the fires had finely smoldered into ashes exactly just how many people perished will continue to remain unsolved. Scholars estimates range from sixty-thousand to three-hundred thousand victims and although The Burning Times in Europe started to die out by the late 1600’s the Witch hunting frenzy would spread to the New World.

~~GALLOWS HILL~~

In the strange and terrible history of the Witch perhaps no incident is more startling or more hotly debated then an event which took place in an obscure village in Massachusetts. It’s a phenomenon which still haunts scholars with it’s unanswered questions.
During the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 in a few terror filled months nearly two-hundred people would be condemned. Fourteen women and five men would be hung on Salem’s Gallows Hill. How did the Salem Witch hunt of 1692 begin and why here?
The settlement of Salem was named after the holy city of Jerusalem but here the Puritans found no land of milk and honey. Salem had endured twenty years of Indian wars. It was racked by internal pressures, land disputes and deep religious divisions tore at the struggling community. Though the Puritans clung to their strict religion it offered little comfort. ‘Internal damnation’ was ever a present threat and the world of demons seemed as hard as the New England soil. People living in the seventeenth century tended to believe that most things could be explained supernaturally. If you stumped your toe, if your cow fell sick, or if your food went rotten before it should… these were just a few reasons that would become the driving force for folks of that time to question if it had a supernatural explanation.
Strangely enough some scholars believe the Witch hysteria of 1692 began in the home of a Puritan Minister, the Reverend Samuel Parris. The event which sparked the ensuring terror was a child’s game! It started when the Reverend Parris’ daughter ,Elizabeth (age 9), and his niece ,Abigail Williams (age 11), were playing a game with their household Caribbean slave, Tituba. Using a primitive method of scrying the children used a glass of water which inside contained the contents of a broken raw egg. They would gaze into it and ask a a question hoping images would come out or appear in the water. During one of the experiments one of these girls believed that instead of seeing perhaps the features of a wealthy attractive future husband she saw instead a coffin. Seized by apparitions of death the girls were soon thrown into convulsions. Within days nine other girls in Salem were simultaneously stricken with the same affliction. Under pressure from Reverend Parris the girls revealed the names of three witches they said caused their possession. Tituba, Sara Good (a poor beggar woman) and Sara Osborne (a widow rumoured to have had an illicit affair with one of her servants). All these were outsiders in the community and easy targets for suspicion.
What motivated the girls to make their astonishing accusations and what was the source of their possession is still up for discussion. Among the scores of hypotheses towards solving the questions are two explanations- One is they were experiencing some kind of psychological malady and the other explanation is that they were being deliberately deceptive, practicing some kind of fraud. It may have been atleast on the part of the young girls claiming to have been bewitched a real form of social release. They were so tightly controlled and their status in patriarchal Puritan households were so marginal that this was a way of becoming the center of attention.
Although it may seem incredible in modern times the accusations made by the possessed girls in Salem were taken seriously by the local authorities. They set up a tribunal to investigate the charges. What compelled the local magistrates to convene their extraordinary trials? Some scholars believe that the trials may have concealed a political agenda. One common explanation has been that the parents and relatives of the girls used the accusations as a way to attack their enemies. It’s extremely striking that most of the accusers came from one side of the political dispute and most of the accused came from the other.
Sparked by the Salem trials the hysteria spread to twenty-four surrounding villages. By September 1692 the jails overflowed with nearly two-hundred accused individuals. Twenty-seven were found guilty and nineteen were hanged. After execution their bodies were forbidden a proper christian burial were left to rot in the open air on Salem’s Gallows Hill.
Why did the Witch trials finally end? Some believe the trials ended quickly because the Witch hunters accused one victim too many- the wife of the Governor of Massachusetts. With the power structure of New England seemingly threatened the leaders saw too it that trials were abruptly stopped. What ultimately brought the terrors of The Burning Times in the New and Old World to an end continues to be debated. Some believe the advent of science may be the decisive factor. Perhaps society moved away from this fear of the supernatural and unexplainable when science began to unraval questions like why their cow fell sick, and why their food spoiled at a faster rate than normal.

~~REBIRTH~~

Over hundreds of years with the rise of science the fearsome image of the Witch gradually faded. By the early twentieth century the dreaded sorceress was reduced to the outrageous Halloween Witch of popular culture. In our own time there’s been a dramatic rebirth of the ancient arts of Witchcraft. An estimated five-hundred thousand men and women in the United States and Europe have dedicated themselves to following the path of the Witch. This number continues to grow at a very high rate. After so many centuries of persecution why would anyone choose to be called a Witch and what sparked the modern revival? One would have to trace this rebirth back to the astonishing work of a young British anthropologist named, Margaret Alice Murray (July.13,1863 – November.13,1963). In her controversial book ‘The Witch-Cult in Western Europe’ published in 1921, Murray presented a startling theory. She insisted that in European history Witchcraft had not been an obscure cult but a dominate religious force. She argued that the Witches who were persecuted in fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were actually the practitioners of a pagan religion. She went on to claim it was the main popular religion of that time throughout the land. Murray’s romantic vision of a powerful cult of Witches was soon discredited by historians but her new book sparked a renewed fascination. By the mid twentieth century modern Witchcraft had become the spiritual path of thousands of believers. This new path was soon to be called ‘Wicca” from an old Anglo-Saxon word meaning ‘Craft of the Wise’.

It’s been a beef of mine for some time, that the gospels don’t have enough information about Jesus’ early years. This is not quite the fault of the writers, as none of them ever met the man. All they could write about was what people decided to tell them about the man. If it was covered in any other writings back then, they never made it past the cut when it came time to assemble the New Testament as it stands today. Whether or not he had siblings, or a wife or children, and where he might have gone to school, weren’t as as important as creating a mythology around his birth and death that was similar to other gods and therefore an easy tale to pass along as truth of divinity (because all the others were a total sham, you know that right? We’ve got the only true one…).

I’ve heard suggestions that Jesus may have spent time away learning the tenets of Buddhism to bring home to his people, but education via Glastonbury druids is a new one on me. A new film has come out suggesting it’s possible Jesus made it all the way to what is now England. The title of the picture comes from William Blake’s poem Jerusalem.

And Did Those Feet explores the idea that Jesus accompanied his supposed uncle, Joseph of Arimathaea, on a business trip to the tin mines of the South-West.

Whilst there, it is claimed he took the opportunity to further his maths by studying under druids.

Unsurprisingly, the documentary stops short of concluding the visit did take place, noting ‘Jesus’s shoe has not turned up’. However, the makers insist that while the visit is unproven, it is possible.

The theory is that he arrived by sea, following established trading routes, before visiting several places in the West Country.

In the film, Dr Gordon Strachan, a Church of Scotland minister, says it is plausible Jesus came to further his education. The country is thought to have been at the forefront of learning 2,000 years ago, with mathematics particularly strong.

Ted Harrison, the film’s director, said: ‘If somebody was wanting to learn about the spirituality and thinking not just of the Jews but also the classical and Greek world he would have to come to Britain, which was the centre of learning at the time.

And how would a young man, a carpenter’s son, discover that and have the means to seek it out? It’s a nice story, but can’t be proven any more than his rising can, no matter how much money gets thrown toward filmmakers.

But anyway, this is a good reason to put in an Arrogant Worms video – Jesus’ Brother Bob (because you can’t prove there wasn’t one)!

mythology

1412, “exposition of myths,” from M.Fr. mythologie, from L.L. mythologia, from Gk. mythologia “legendary lore,” from mythos “myth” (of unknown origin) + -logy “study.” Meaning “a body of myths” first recorded 1781.etymonline.com

 

Zeus and The Titans

Paganism:Heathenish;idolatrous.in early times,the worship of any rural old gods[<LL.paganus  heathen<L.originally a rural villager<pagus the country]

cosmogony

1690s as “a theory of the creation;” 1766 as “the creation of the universe,” from Gk. kosmogonia “creation of the world,” from kosmos “world, universe” (see cosmos) + -gonia “a begetting.”

theogony1612, “the account of the birth or genealogy of the gods,” from Gk. theogonia “generation or birth of the gods,” from theos “a god” (see Thea) + -gonia “a begetting.”

see you next week

As the story goes, if it wasn’t for the Native Americans, the first pilgrims who arrived in America via a wooden ship called the Mayflower wouldn’t have survived their first winter. The Native Americans showed them how to fish, how to farm, and some time in November, both sides set aside their differences by coming together for a large feast. This was the first American thanksgiving. At least, this was the story that was ingrained in me when I first immigrated to America and spent my own first Thanksgiving. Little did I know, that the story of the first Thanksgiving may be more myth than history.

According to Chris Lewis, an American Studies instructor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, the holiday we know as Thanksgiving  had its roots in the Civil War NOT Plymouth, Massachusetts. Constantly thanking God, Abraham Lincoln established the holiday to commemorate the dead and to unite the nation by reminding the people of the United States of being thankful for the blessings they received.

So here I am, 146 years later, and I have a lot to be thankful for. I thank God for the life He’s given me. I thank Him for giving me amazing and loving parents. I thank Him for giving me a supportive group of friends that I can laugh and cry with. I am thankful that I was able to be the first in my family to graduate from a university (UCLA, Go Bruins!). I am thankful for the freedom of speech and freedom in general. I am thankful for the men and women who fight so that freedom would still ring in this country. Yes, I have a lot to be thankful for–I don’t think I can count all the blessings that have been bestowed upon me.

Counting blessings is something that my friend Victor and I used to do before we left for college. It was a good practice for us because as emo teenagers who thought the world would end when things didn’t go as we wanted them to go, counting our blessings reminded us of how life wasn’t at all that bad. As teenagers, we were so dramatic about how we saw life, so when we wrote down on paper all the specific things we were thankful for each day for an entire week, we realized we were quite spoiled–that God gave us bountiful blessings. And as a result, if we were truly blessed, then why should we have a “woe is me” mentality?

Grateful–blessed, spoiled even. And I want to continue the habit of giving to others, and that’s my identity revealed.

Abraham Lincoln, photo credit: College Publisher

Here is the 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln (The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, edited by Roy P. Basler)

Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863

This is the proclamation which set the precedent for America’s national day of Thanksgiving. During his administration, President Lincoln issued many orders like this. For example, on November 28, 1861, he ordered government departments closed for a local day of thanksgiving.

Sarah Josepha Hale, a prominent magazine editor, wrote a letter to Lincoln on 28, 1863, urging him to have the “day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival.” She wrote, “You may have observed that, for some years past, there has been an increasing interest felt in our land to have the Thanksgiving held on the same day, in all the States; it now needs National recognition and authoritive fixation, only, to become permanently, an American custom and institution.” The document below sets apart the last Thursday of November “as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise.”

According to an April 1, 1864, letter from John Nicolay, one of President Lincoln’s secretaries, this document was written by Secretary of State William Seward, and the original was in his handwriting. On October 3, 1863, fellow Cabinet member Gideon Welles recorded in his diary that he complimented Seward on his work. A year later the manuscript was sold to benefit Union troops.

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

Some have used lucid dreaming to ascend to the heights of spiritual ecstasy…

Whereas in a recent lucid dream, I merely watch myself sweep.

In the dream…

I’m sweeping the dark concrete floor of a small room.  I have enough light, but it’s not bright.

I carefully sweep the debris into a small pile in the middle of the floor.  I realize I’m dreaming, though the scene looks completely realistic.

When I become lucid, I could have chosen to alter this mundane dream.  But why should it?  Obviously, the floor needed to be swept.

I find it significant that I sweep the debris into the center of the room.  This cleaning work, occurring on an inner level, is a type of centering—a way of focusing.  A meditation.

The debris is like an offering—I’m offering up that which I no longer need in my life.  I’m acknowledging the spiritual purpose of all this old dust.

Though this dream didn’t bring me to the heights of spiritual ecstasy, I can think of no more positive dream.

© 2009, Michael R. Patton
sky rope (subterranean rappel): http://skyrope.wordpress.com
taking new steps: http://mythsteps.wordpress.com

A Contribution To The

ERBzine  ERB Library Project

She

by

H. Rider Haggard

Review by R.E. Prindle

Part III

The Gruesome, The Morbid AndThe  Hideous

     Rider Haggard was criticized severely by certain of his contemporaries for employing so many gruesome, morbid and hideous details.  Indeed, ’ She’ seems to be a study in the hideous, the gruesome and the morbid.  If one concentrates on those aspects of the story one might actually question Haggard’s mental health.

     Haggard himself calls attention to this morbidity.  In King Solomon’s Mines he pointed out  his humor with references to the Ingoldsby Legends; in She he makes a pointed reference to a Mark Tapley.  I had no idea who Mark Tapley might be but thought I’d consult that most magnificent of encyclopedias, the internet.  No problem.   Mark Tapley was a character from Charles Dickens’  Martin Chuzzlewit.  No matter how adverse the circumstances were Tapley was always cheerful and ebullient.  Haggard must have thought him ridiculous.  Thus he is devising a series of incidents that would bring even Mark Tapley down.  Hmm.  Interesting experiment.

     It would seem then that Haggard was suffering from a fairly deep depression.  In that sense She is sort of a horror story not too different in intent than, say, Bram Stoker’s Dracula.  Indeed,  at one point Ayesha explains that she rules by terror.  That being the most effective way to control brutes like the Amahagger.

     Certainly the storm at sea prior to entering Kor was an example of terror on the part of nature, a portent of things to come.   Not least of these was the hot potting and projected cannibalism of the surviving member of the ship’s crew, Mohammed.  ‘She’ had only required the safety of the Whites; as Mohammed was apparently a negrified Arab the Amahagger excluded him from the ban on Whites.  An interesting example of White Skin privilege.

     Their custom of killing their victims was to heat a pot red hot and turn it over on the victim’s head.  There’s a gruesome and hideous enough example.  You can see where Burroughs picked up his fascination for the gruesome and hideous.

     The Caves of Kor are actually a city of the dead.  Kor was an active civilization before Egypt existed  in the fifth or sixth millennium BC.  As embalming was a known practice when the Dynasties began c. 3400 the practice must have developed long before.  Quite possibly it was practiced by the peoples of the Basin before the Mediterranean was flooded.  In The World’s Desire Haggard mentions that the ancient Egyptians possessed writings in a precedent language.  If so, how far back things like embalming go might be prodigious.

     Egyptian embalming was primitive compared to that of the Korians.   While Egyptian mummies became desicated the Korian process was such that the body was preserved forever in an apparent state of health.  Thus bodies perhaps ten thousand years old or older had the appearance of  freshness. 

     Now, this is positively creepy.  Holly’s Amahagger attendent Bilalli while discussing Korian embalming  told Holly that while he was a young man a particularly beautiful female corpse occupied the very slab on which Holly slept.  Bilalli used to enter the cell and sit looking admiringly on the beautiful corpse by the hour.  One day his mother caught him at it.  The embalming fluid used was extremely flammable.  Bilalli’s mother stood the body up and lit it.  Like a huge torch the body burned down to the feet.  The feet were still as good as new.  Bilalli wrapped them and stored them beneath Holly’s slab.  Groping around beneath the slab he brought out those ten thousand year old feet, still fresh, except for some charring at the ankles.

     Haggard doesn’t stop there but goes on to emphasize the beauty of one particular foot.  One wonders if perhaps George Du Maurier read She becoming entranced by the foot image thus reproducing the image in his novel Trilby when Little Billee draws Trilby’s beautiful foot on th wall.  It is a thing Du Maurier would do as he inserted his literary baggage as profusely as Burroughs.

     What effect this image had on Haggard’s contemporary readers may be guessed from the complaints about his gruesomeness.

     In fact Haggard projects a depressed brooding evil permeating the Caves of Kor very well.  This may have been caused by his and Lang’s theories of the Matriarchy.  Human sacrifice was an integral part of the Matriarchal world.  The sacrifices were invariably of men because women had greater economic value.  When men were no longer sacrificed bulls, rams, the males of the species were substituted, the female still having greater economic value.  Thus the story of Isaac and the Ram.  That would be a great advance in civilization.  About that time Isis ceased being the Egyptian symbol of the firmament being replaced by the female cow as the symbol of economics.  Something like the kings of England sitting on the woolsack.

     Depending on Haggard’s and Lang’s theories of the Matriarchy then Haggard may have been portraying a consciousness that has ceased to exist.  There is always an element of misogyny in Haggard’s stories that is no longer tolerated.  Then men were men and women were women instead of the attempted strange unisexuality of today.  Thus the tens of miles of swamp between the Amahagger quarters  and the citadel of Kor indicate the extent and quality of the Matriarchy.  Swamps are the symbol of the female and the Matriarchy or, in other words, this very primitive superstitious consciousness.

     The Korian swamp was haunted by mephitic vapors, evil smelling and oppressive.  The ground they walked on was of uncertain solidity; it might look firm but this was only illusory as one could break through the crust.  Often the litter bearers were walking through evil smelling muck up to their knees.

     At one point an accident occurs and Bilalli’s litter with him in it is dumped into the slimy water.  He would have drowned if Holly hadn’t leaped into the rank female waters to save him.  They emerge looking something like the creature from the Black Lagoon.

     It will be remembered that Holly was something of a misogynist.  One may be stretching a point but even though rejecting women and marriage Holly managed to inherit a son from a man who was also a womanless widower.  Haggard makes a strong contrasting point when he says that Leo was not averse to female company.  The manservant, Job, is absolutely terrified of the female.

     After traversing this desolate swamp of the female for days they arrive at the citadel or temple of Kor.  Now, the citadel of Kor was built on an ancient lake bed that had been drained ten thousand years before.  In that sense Ayesha is the same as Nimue or the Lady Of The Lake of King Arthur.  Nemue lived at the bottom of a lake where she raised Lanclot who consequently was called Lancelot of the Lake.

     Compare this also with Haggard’s postumously published Treasure of the Lake in which the Anima figure lives on an island in the middle of  a lake in the middle of a volcanic crater.  The lake of Kor was also in the middle of a crater.

     When the Korian civilization was extinguished it wasn’t by invasion or other external reasons but by a  monster plague something like the fourteenth century european Black Death that wiped out nearly everyone.  At the resulting rate of death it wasn’t possible to embalm everyone so that tens of thousands of bodies were dumped into a huge subterranean pit.

     In conducting Holly and Leo on a guided tour of Kor which was one gigantic necropolis, talk about depressing, Ayesha brings them to this pit.  I quote:

     Accordingly I followed (She) to a side passage opening out of the main cave, then down a great number of steps, and along an underground shaft that cannot have been less than sixty feet beneath the surface of the rock, and was ventilated by curious borings that ran upward, I do not know where.  Suddenly this passage ended, and Ayesha halted, bidding the mutes return, and, as she prophesied, I saw a scene such as I was not likely to behold again.  We were standing in an enormous pit, or rather on the brink of it, for it went down deeper- I do not know how much- than the level on which we stood, and was edged in with a low wall of rock.  So far as I could judge, this was about the size of the space beneath the dome of St. Paul’s in London, and when the lamps were held up I saw that it was nothing but one vast charnel-house, being literally fullof thousands of human skeletons, which lay piled up in an enormous gleaming pyramid, formed by the slipping down of the bodies at the apex as others were dropped in from above.  Anything more appalling than this mass of human remains of a departed race I  cannot imagine, and what made it even more dreadful was that in this dry air a considerable number of bodies had become dessicated with the skin still on them, and now, fixed in every conceivable position, stared at us out of a mountain of white bones, grotesquely horrible caricatures of humanity.  In my astonishment I uttered an ejaculation, and the echoes of my voice, ringing in that vaulted space, disturbed a skull which hd been accurately balanced for many thousands of years near the apex of the pile.  Down it came with a run, bounding along merrily towards us, and of course bringing an avalanche of other bones after it, till at last the whole pit rattled with their movement, even as though the skeletons were rising up to greet us.

          Talk about a holocaust!  Imagine standing in that dimly lit space far beneath ground, in the grave itself so to speak,and viewing that.  Holly was overcome and perhap Mark Tapley himself would have lost a little of his cheeriness.  If that didn’t do it the ball Ayesha threw would have.

    Before I move on to that though let’s take a penultimate example that might actually unsettle Mark Tapley.  This is truly unsettling with truly macabre and voyeuristic soft porn details that are quite remarkable.    Let me say that it is only with the fourth reading that the horrific nature of these details really began to sink in.  I hope to really make this clear in the next section in which I intend to do an in depth analysis of Ayesha.

     In his cell at the citadel of Kor Holly notices a cleft in the wall he hadn’t noticed before.  This cleft is going to lead him to Ayesha’s sleeping room.  This is not unlike King Solomon’s Mines in which upon  entering the symbolic vagina  they were led to the womb or treasure box.  As I say Holly entered this cleft, let your imagination dwell on that,  and followed a dark, dank, narrow corridor until he perceived a light.

     He is looking into Ayesha’s sleeping room where in a certain deshabille, very erotic, she is addressing a covered form on a bier next to hers.  This is the embalmed body of Kallicrates who she murdered twenty-two hundred years before.  So she has been sleeping with this corpse for twenty-two centuries.  Now, dwell on that for moment, let the horror of it sink in.

     She addresses the corpse in a fairly demented way.  Twenty-two hundred years of this would drive anybody nuts.  Finally to the dismay of Holly she animates the body by telekinetic powers actually causing it to stand zombie like so she can kiss and caress it.  A lot of necrophilia in this novel.  Haggard must have been half dotty when he wrote this.  Of course Kallicrates is a double of Leo so Holly has all he can do to keep from crying out.  Causing the dead man to lay himself down Ayesha covers him and blows out the light.

     Holly has to find his way back in the dark reminding one of innumerable passages in Burroughs where his characters have to find their way in the dark.  Holly gets only so far and collapses in the tunnel.  Waking he sees a light coming in from his cell allowing him to find his way back.

     And then Ayesha throws her ball.  If you’ve read carefully and really ingested these macabre, gruesome, and as Burroughs’ would say, hideous details they’re beginning to oppress your mind, perhaps even a mind like Mark Tapley’s.

     Now Haggard trundles out the frosting.  To illuminate her ball Ayesha brings out piles of ten thousand year old corpses placing them around the perimeter as human torches.  Laying out a large bonfire the corpses are stacked alternately like so much cordwood and replaced as they were consumed.  Remember these are as fresh looking as you or I.  The Roman emperor Nero actually used live humans in the same manner.  Haggard notes this in the text which I thought weakened the effect.

     Ayesha seems to be aware of the effect, indeed, intended it and appears to relish the reaction.

     These are the high points of these horrfic details.  Minor ones are constant so that the cumulative effect leading up to the terrific images of the demise of Ayesha, temporary though it might be, is overwhelming.  But about She, Ayesha, in the next part.

Avro Manhattan

Avro Manhattan was the world’s foremost authority on Roman Catholicism in politics. A resident of London, during WW II he operated a radio station called “Radio Freedom” broadcasting to occupied Europe. He was the author of over 20 books including the best-seller The Vatican in World Politics, twice Book-of-the-Month and going through 57 editions. He was a Great Briton who risked his life daily to expose some of the darkest secrets of the Papacy.

Available online, free to read for all, is his sensational account of the most horrifying religious massacre of the 20th century. Including pictures, names, dates and evidence. Startling revelations of forced conversions, mass murder of non-Catholics, Catholic extermination camps, disclosures of Catholic clergy as commanders of concentration camps; documented with names, dates, places, pictures and eyewitness testimony.

In the camp of Jasenovic and Stara Gradiska about 8000 children died. By caustic soda in their water..

His books were #1 on the Forbidden Index for the past 50 years. Indeed, by the fruits shall ye know the tree. Read the whole book here:

• http://www.reformation.org/holocaus.html

The beast should be clearly visible about now..

:: :: :: :: :: ::

Congratulations are in order to all that attended our clear of Obsidian Sanctum with three drakes up!  Toty was the lucky winner of the Reins of the Twilight Drake.  The encounter was cleared after only four or five attempts through the use of a zerging (rush) strategy.  A special shout out to the healers and the raid leader for making it happen. 

One of the key things about this strategy is that absolutely no DPS can die to flame walls or void zones.  A crucial moment is the first flame wall as the first void zone comes at nearly the same time.  Melee classes need to be especially cautious as the first void zone seemingly targets them first every time.  The void zone can be very difficult to spot in the midst of all the spell effects flashing on the screen.  As long as the healers can keep the main tank up and the DPS play flawlessly with their movements while maximizing their damage output, then this strategy is pure win.

This was a great decision for the guild to attempt this encounter.  The achievement earned for clearing this is a major accomplishment as it is one of the toughest fights in the game.  So kick back, relax, and enjoy the holiday week, Mythology.  Let the celebrations begin!

I have often wondered not only how one can believe in a deity, but why do people believe in something that is not tangible, like their God. Some folks claim that their God intervenes or guides their lives on a daily basis and even their every thought. I realize that not all religions teach this, but many branches of Christianity and Islam do.
We humans have many questions about life and one of those is, “Why do people believe in God?”

* Does belief seemingly protect you from harm’s way? Are you invisibly protected from gunfire or other weapons of death? Thousands of deaths occur every year that are gun related. I’m quite sure many of them felt God’s presence before their untimely death.

* Are you afraid of death? Most of us are, both believer and non-believer.

* Are you afraid of life? There are many of us handling life’s problems…rationally. You can too!

* Do you believe because you were told you should? Sometimes, family and friends put an extreme amount of pressure on their loved ones to believe in supernatural beings and doctrine.

* Are you afraid there might be a Hell or another type of punishment after you die? If you’re going through the motions of religious rituals and doctrine just to keep your ass from going to some mythological place of punishment…chances are that you don’t really believe.

* Does your God make you feel secure? If you need a sense of physical security, get a gun or a dog. If you need emotional security, get counseling from a therapist.

* Does your God keep you from murdering or raping someone? If you need your God to keep you from committing heinous crimes, then seek counseling and implement better self-control and judgment.

* Would you be an alcoholic or drug addict if you lost your belief? Self-control is the key to a drug-free life.

* Does your God heal your body? Why would your God heal you, but ignore the thousands of other diseased folks that die everyday?

Why is it about a God anyway? You can believe in yourself and achieve/accomplish most any task, either as an individual or with other supporting members of the human race. I live without a belief in deities…you can too!

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by Hydro033

What a game, what a game. It took me a good 4 months and a solid 30 hours of gameplay to tackle the beast that is Okami. Although only a port of the 2006 PS2 title of the same name, Okami for Wii still stands as a testament of a profound video game. Originally developed by Clover Studios for the PS2 in 2006, Okami made its way to the Wii in 2008 via Ready at Dawn after Clover Studios closed its doors shortly after the initial release for the PS2. The Capcom published game holds a special place in my heart for being one of my all time favorite games due to the stunning art direction, fantastic mythology, lovable characters, witty humor, engaging dialogue, beautiful music, and legendary story.

You are Amaterasu, the Shinto sun-goddess, and it is up to you to free the world of evil. Typical and yet not so much so.  The legend of Okami follows that a giant nine-headed hydra by the name of Orochi has escaped from his imprisonment. It is up to Amaterasu and a legendary swordsman, Susano, to defeat Orochi once and for all. The storyline is very in-depth, but let me just say a few things. Amaterasu is the sun-goddess, but she was formerly known as Shiranui, the white wolf of tales past. Shiranui was the first wolf incarnation of Amaterasu that, along with legendary swordsman Nagi, defeated Orochi. Well, Orochi is back and it is up to the second incarnation of Amaterasu (which is you) and the descendent of Nagi, which is Susano, to defeat Orochi for a second time. That is just the tip of the iceberg. The mythology and tale runs deep with this one. You’ll have to play it to find out, because I don’t want to spoil the tale, but keep in mind that Orochi is just the beginning.

Although it was released prior to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Okami’s controllable protagonist is also wolf, but don’t think it ripped off Zelda. This game may in fact be better – it’s close. You are a wolf and you have control of a heavenly object called the Celestial Brush. It is a paintbrush of the gods. Now this may seem strange, but you’ll begin to love the concept and its uses. The player holds a button which pauses time and allow the character to draw with the brush of the screen. There are many different techniques that aid you in combat, puzzle solving, and navigation. For example, the techniques allow you to blow wind, slash enemies, ignite torches, climb walls, make bombs, etc. It is a very unique and interesting system. Of course each skill is unlocked as the game progress from Celestial Brush gods, which are inspired by the Chinese zodiac. Other than the brush, Amaterasu can equip a variety of primary and secondary weapons that she uses to slash at foes. Combat is limited to a circular arena (incredibly similar to Twilight Princess’s battles with the Shadow Beasts) and foes are not free-roaming. You only encounter foes if you run into an evil floating banner that spawns the enemies and traps you in a cylindrical battle field. It can be annoying. I avoided the banners as much as I could. I really wish he got up to full sprint a little quicker as well, but other than that, Okami is incredibly enjoyable.

The characters were hysterical, emotional, appalling, epic, and sagacious. The cast of characters was, by far, the most enjoyable aspect of this game. While Amaterasu is a mute wolf, she is accompanied throughout the entire game by a small Poncle called Issun. Now, Issun can be downright annoying sometimes, but trust me, you will absolutely love Issun by the end of the game. His main role is comic relief, but his character is very interesting, especially once his history begins to unfold. Susano is another hysterical character. Completely full of himself, Susano thinks he is the greatest warrior of all time. His ego is profound, but you will love Susano once he finally comes through. Waka was a strange character, I didn’t really understand why he did the things he did, but you’ll have to play to find out what I mean. I did like him as a character though. There are too many characters to list, but they are all fantastic and the dialogue is just superb. The interwoven Shinto and Chinese mythology really adds to the game world and gives it and incredible amount of substance.

Sometimes, I got lost in the substance that is Okami. Don’t take prolonged breaks while playing through this game. I took a two months off and I had no idea what to do or what was going on when I returned. Sometimes, the game leads you by the hand, but other times you’re left in the dark. It is sometimes very difficult to figure out what to do or where to go. Sometimes you know what to do, but you just don’t know how to do it or what triggers it, but this is a common flaw of adventure games. it must be hard to make it easy without giving it away.

The camera was, by far, the most annoying aspect of the game. I was constantly frustrated by the poor camera. I just want to fucking see what is up ahead of me or above me for crying out loud. It just will not allow you to manipulate it. The worst part is that you must have a clear view of something if you want to use your brush techniques on it properly. This becomes increasingly frustrating during boss battles or areas with time limits. It’s a pain in my balls and is the worst aspect of this game.

In conclusion, Okami is a must play for any adventure game fan. The beautiful sumi-e graphics were beyond breathtaking. The gameplay was varied and fresh. The story and characters were deep. This is one game that you should not pass up. It just one of those games that you must play before you die.

1/2 Chez, just because of the camera.

Thor Retro by marvelclassics
Shop for tee shirts online at zazzle.com

Don’t get me wrong, he can be a cool character, and some writers have done a good job bringing him out of his gimicky origins but the wings… I just think that they are a bit much. The pose in this graphic hoodie is pretty good that is why I wanted to add it to the list of Coolest Hoodies.

     Thanksgiving is not Turkey’s favorite holiday.

     On the one hand, he is honored and feted throughout the country: school-children recreate his image with colorful construction paper cut-outs; he enjoys a prominent place in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade; and he is given a traditional pardon from the President of the United States.

     On the other hand, Turkey is the main feature on the Thanksgiving dinner table.

     In Navajo tradition, Turkey actually enjoys divine status as the representative of agriculture. In the Navajo creation story, as the Navajo people are fleeing from the encroaching flood waters of the fourth world to find refuge and safety in the fifth world, Turkey is the only one to notice the precious seeds that have been stored in pottery jars after the harvest season will be lost to the flood waters. Gathering a few seeds from each jar, Turkey manages to hide the seeds among his feathers. As he hurries to catch up with the others racing to beat the flood waters, he gets some help from Wind pushing from behind, as Turkey dare not fly and risk losing the seeds.  When everyone finally makes it to the safety of the fifth world, all are humbled by the fact that Turkey was the only one who thought to bring the most precious commodity of all—the people’s very means of survival and insurance against famine–seeds.

    Turkeys can run 20 mph and fly up to 55 mph. When Steven Spielberg was making Jurassic Park, he used film of turkeys running as a model for the velociraptors. Observe wild turkeys and you will see an echo of the dinosaurs.

    Miss Clara was my elderly turkey pal on our ranch; whenever I walked outside she came running to see me. Miss Clara’s head was all gray and her feathers a bit bedraggled. But, she was the matriarch of all the turkeys, and every single one of them- boys and girls alike- would step aside and allow her first dibs on their supper of cracked corn. 

     Turkeys are very social and take care of each other. For many months, I watched a group of nine turkeys travel about the ranch. They would wait patiently while one of their party, a small crippled female, followed to catch up. If she got too far behind, one of the turkeys would backtrack to accompany her, and often, several would walk slowly to keep her company. Over time, this turkey could no longer walk, and just sat by the feeder, where her friends sat quietly with her; they even stopped traveling about the ranch. We were able to catch the crippled turkey and take her to the wildlife vet two hours away, a ride in which she sat huddled and frightened in her carrier. When we arrived, we were told she limped because she had been shot in the leg. Despite excellent care, she did not survive to come back home.

     When I think about this sweet turkey, I wonder, would the person who shot her have any interest in knowing the sacred role of turkey in Navajo culture? Did that person have any concept of the courage and fortitude this turkey exhibited as she limped behind her other turkey friends? Could the person understand the compassion her turkey companions displayed in always waiting for her to catch up? And, what would the person have to say to the veterinarian and her assistants regarding the hours spent attempting to heal the turkey’s gunshot wound?

     To this day, Turkey’s feathers are marked with the colors of the seeds he carried in the Navajo beginning of time. When the forefathers of the United States were deciding on a national symbol, Benjamin Franklin lobbied on behalf of Turkey. Instead, we all know Eagle was chosen. But maybe, if more people knew the story of Turkey and the role he played in insuring the survival of agriculture, how honorably turkeys respect their elderly, and how loyal and compassionate turkeys are to each other, they might have chosen Turkey as our national bird, as well as think differently of their Thanksgiving menu.

     During this season of thanks-giving, thank Turkey for his generous role in insuring the survival of the seeds that bring the bounty of harvest gracing your holiday table. Visit Farm Sanctuary’s website www.adoptaturkey.org., where, thanks to your generosity, a turkey will spend her holiday not on a platter atop a table, but with a group of her turkey friends.

Copyright 2009 © Voice of the Animal

All Rights Reserved.

www.voiceoftheanimal.com

The swords and sandals (S&S) genre is a sorely undernourished one in the world of gaming as people prefer to shoot terrorists and space marines.  This is a shame as the world of mythology is a rich one.  S&S games can be about your average Roman soldier, but in most cases the world of Gods are used.  Ultraviolent games such as ‘God of War’ have shown the scale that the genre can bring, whilst the likes of ‘Viking’ and ‘Conan’ were underappreciated, but great fun when I played them.  The fact is that if you slap in a few Gods and some magical powers I am far more willing to overlook poor game development.  ‘The Rise of the Argonauts’ was a game reputed to have more than its fair share of problems, would it be good enough for my S&S love?  

Gameplay

The Role Playing Game (RPG) is nowhere near as popular on the 360 as it has been on previous consoles with developers sticking to the apparently safe world of First Person Shooters when they can.  Therefore, to have an action RPG from the West is always a good thing.  ‘Rise’ is based on the story of Jason and the Argonauts and plays out like ‘Mass Effect’.  Throughout the game you are given tasks that you can attack in a variety of ways from violence to reason.  Each action affects the Gods and you can become popular with them; these include Hermes, Athena and Ares.  Ares will reward fast action and warfare, whilst Hermes prefers guile. 

The multiple ways that you can approach the game are not as impactful as could have been, but are fun.  The game itself sees you control Jason; on various occasions you get off the Argo and may take two of the Argonauts with you from Hercules to Achilles.  When on land you interact with the population and they provide tasks, all of which eventually end up with you getting the Golden Fleece in which to bring Jason’s bride back from the dead.  The RPG elements are pretty talky so only RPG fans will like them.  To mix things up Liquid Entertainment have added some action elements in the fight sections that are also decent.  The use of swords and magic are a good mix.  Both the action and the RPG elements are decent without being exceptional.  There is nothing in the game that cries for you to buy it, but if you are a fan of the genre you will like the gameplay.  (3 out of 5) 

Characters/Story

With the basis of Ancient Myth the story of ‘Rise’ should be the strongest element and for me it was!  I have an interest in history so was able to follow what was going on.  The game does follow the basics of the Myth, but messes with it when needed.  I think that a basic understanding of Greek mythology does help and the game even has some elements that require it for puzzles.  Liquid Entertainment has not created nuanced characters, but they are fun to play and have their own distinct mannerisms from Hercules’s loyalty to Achilles’ arrogance.  I liked the fact that you could make Jason what you wanted as you have four choices to most questions.  I found myself choosing what was appropriate to the situation.  I usually play a good guy, but if someone threatened my loved ones as Jason I could show no mercy and not be branded evil, but a follow of Ares.  The basis in Greek Mythology was the element that lifted this game for me. (4 out of 5)

Longevity

RPGs are traditionally the longest of the genres with 70 hours not being seen as that intensive.  ‘Rise’ does not reach anywhere near this sort of length, but still clocks in at a reasonable 20 hours or so.  The problem is that an enthusiastic gamer could rip through the central elements in perhaps 7 hours.  This would be a shame, but it proves that the core story is a little lacking in length.  Like all 360 games there are achievements for people looking to extend gameplay.  They are not the easiest to get and would probably require at least two playthrus – not something that I like to do. (3 out of 5)

Graphics

The one element that will have people switching on ‘Rise’ and then immediately switching it off is the graphics.  The game is pretty ugly with only the main characters looking good.  The rest of the world is ok, but the textures are flat and the glitching is poor.  You spend a lot of the time fighting with an unhappy camera and you character popping in and out of existence.  In modern gaming this is not really acceptable and the game could have done with 6 months polish.  However, the graphics do not break the game like in some cases. (2 out of 5)

Level Design

Another poor areas is the level design.  You are given access to around 5 hub worlds that are open for exploration.  Unfortunately, they feel small and can be traversed in minutes.  When talking to the people the world feels alive, it is a shame then that the missions they send you on are all down linear paths.  There are walls and blockages everywhere and in a RPG you do not want to feel hemmed in at all times.  With a few more open world ideas the game could have progressed far more entertainingly.  (2 out of 5)

Sound

When you find a game with poorer graphics and level design the case is often that it is a low to moderate budgeted title as is the case with ‘Rise’.  The next element that usually falls down is the vocal talent as they cannot afford top actors or they use text instead.  However, this is not the case here as ‘Rise’ is completely voice cast and although no big names appear the actors used are solid enough.  Jason is not the most charismatic of creations, but I liked the noble feel that all the in game actors created.  In terms of sound effects and music they swell and fall at the right times without being outstanding. (3 out of 5)

Summary

In my cynical brain the bordering on broken graphics and limited level design should make ‘Rise of the Argonauts’ a 2 star game.  Many people will take one look at it and say not for them.  However, a number of elements mean that this is a game that is for me.  Firstly, the Western RPG is an underused genre this generation, so any new game will always catch my eye; add some Mythology and some fun action elements and the game ticked many of my boxes.  Therefore, if you are a fan of Sword & Sandal games I feel that you will look pass the numerous issues with the game and give it a chance.  If you do you will discover a flawed, yet fun, title that entertains for around 20 hours. (3 out of 5)

Maker: Liquid Games RRP £50
Amazon uk £24.55
Play.com £39.99

(I picked a copy up for £10 in a shop)

I’ve become more philosophical about my dreams lately.

Usually, when I look into a dream, I’ll ask myself if the dream contains a problem.  If so, what can I do to solve that problem?  Often that means changing a physical action.

But in the dream below, I realized I didn’t need to change what I was doing.  I needed to change my attitude:

I’m in the army, part of a group of soldiers.  We’re on maneuvers in a jungle forest—but the situation has the danger of a real war.  A bullet could get me.  I could be hit by shrapnel.

What angers me is that I’ve done this same exercise before.  Why must we go through it again?

I hurry down a bank, then enter a dark narrow passageway in rock cave.  Soon, I’m crawling on my belly.  I worry that I could get stuck here.

Maybe I should have just opted out.  Beat a retreat.  Why do I have to do this dangerous maneuver again?

Because I’m in the army, that’s why.  You do as you are told in the army.  Feeling angry won’t help—in fact, it could distract me and result in my being shot.

Nothing wrong with questioning an order, but the idea behind repeating an exercise is to get better at it.  You use what you learned the first time.  Actually, I should have more confidence the second go-round.

To me, the dream speaks of the human dilemma.  Why must we go through what we go through?  It seems to me that we’re in school, in training.  We’re learning, growing, taking tests, and moving up—though sometimes so slowly we seem to be stuck.

As to ultimate purpose of all this activity, we can never know.  In any case, according to the above scenario, I need to stop whining and open myself up to this tremendous experience.  If nothing else, it’s definitely exciting.

© 2009, Michael R. Patton
sky rope (subterranean rappel): http://skyrope.wordpress.com
taking new steps: http://mythsteps.wordpress.com

Section 1: Yahweh as Sovereign Owner of All Creation

            The first verse is composed of a synonymous parallelism, the effect of which is to proclaim Yahweh’s absolute ownership of everything in creation, particularly “all who live in it” (Hb’( ybev.yOæw>)). The Hebrew stresses the divine name hwhy by situating it at the front of the sentence; the earth belongs to Yahweh and no other. This emphatic declaration becomes more significant with the substantiatory claim of verse two. 

            The yKi indicates the subsequent statement serves as a substantiation of the preceding assertion. He is the sovereign owner because He has subdued the forces of chaos in the world, establishing the world upon (l[;) them.[1]

Like the first, the second verse is composed of a synonymous parallelism. The first line of the parallelism proclaims that Yahweh founded the world upon ~y”, a Canaanite deity and cosmic opponent which Yahweh elsewhere is said to have subdued (Ps. 8:27-29). In Canaanite mythology, Baal defeats ~y” in a cosmic battle for sovereignty. But here the claims given to Baal are transplanted to Yahweh. The claims of Baal and ~y” to sovereignty are denied and neither is given authority, neither will threaten Yahweh’s sovereignty. Yahweh, not Baal, defeats ~y” and retains kingship (7-10).[2]

The Qal verb (Hd”_s’y>) is a Complete Perfect, indicating an accomplished action with the entire sequence of events in view.[3] The significance of this is brought to light by the main verb in the parallel statement, h’n<)n>Aky>, a Progressive[4] Imperfect, which indicates the action of “establishing” is still underway. In other words, there is an already-not-yet aspect to the psalm. From “already” standpoint, the world is already founded upon the waters and Yahweh is, therefore, the owner of all things. From the standpoint of the “not yet,” the forces of chaos are still be subdued, but Yahweh owns all things based on the inevitability of that defeat.

The first verse, substantiated by the second, serves as the general assertion that governs and is particularized in the final two sections of the psalm. In other words, Yahweh’s sovereignty over all creation signifies, first, that creation is not morally neutral because Yahweh is not morally neutral. Therefore all creatures who wish to approach Yahweh must possess moral perfection. Second, Yahweh’s sovereignty over all creation naturally moves into the kingship metaphor which is connected in this psalm with a title of warfare.

[2] This comment also serves to relativize the claims of kingship by earthly rulers, including Israelite ones. James Luther Mays, Psalms. (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1994), 120.

[3] Bill T. Arnold & John H. Choi, A Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax.( New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 55.

[4] The other possibility here, and maybe the more likely one, is that this Qal Imperfect with the was consecutive is a Preterite, which would suggest that the Imperfect is merely a stylistic change for the poet, but the meaning would essentially be parallel to that of the previous Qal verb.

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(image from Bibletastic)

51) Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,
52) and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
53) and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
~ Matthew 27:51-53 (KJV)

This would make a good science fiction-horror movie if Steven Spielberg or James Cameron were ever to produce it. I’ve always been of fan of zombie movies. Many people claim this fictional event actually happened even though the other Gospels fail to mention it.