Where Is God?

I was talking to a couple of Jehovah Witnesses and I asked them where God was. The older of the couple looked upwards and made a gesture with his hands, again upwards. He did this without thinking, and then tried to give me another answer.

Wondering where God is, first puzzled me when in my teens. At the time I thought I had the answer and wrote a poem about it - a poor poem I might add, but despite my embarrassment here it is.

The Search

I've looked everywhere to see your face,
To feel the glow of your grace.
I've searched all the countries far and wide,
Delved everywhere looking from each side.
I've mingled with the Church congregation
Of this and every other nation.

But still my soul it felt alone,
Until I found by chance your home.
I looked within and there I saw
The open entrance to your door.

For I am you and your are me.
Not only the blind cannot see.

Okay, I said it wasn't very good! But I think, by chance, I had hit the right note, even if a bit out of tune. What made me think about all of this was because of the Jehovah Witnesses reaction to my question, and also because shortly after the visit I opened a book by chance - as I often do - and came across the following,

"... the brain can only answer barren words, whereas the spirit answers with ravishing experience of internal illumination ... mystical concentration will receive increasing confirmation of the truth of man's divinity by his own experience. Books and Bibles will begin to lose their authority as he begins to find his own.

God is His own best interpreter. Find the god in your own heart and you will understand by direct intuition what all the great teachers, real mystics, true philosophers and inspired men have been trying to tell you by the tortuous method using words.

There is ... one way to discover who we really are. That way is to pass from the outer to the inner, from being busy with a multitude of external activities to being busy with a single internal activity of the mind.

St.Augustine soliloquises thus: 'I, Lord, went wandering like a strayed sheep, seeking Thee with anxious reasoning without, whilst thou wast within me ... I went round the streets and squares of the city of this world seeking thee; and I found thee not, because in vain I sought without for him, who was within my self.'"

~ The Secret Path by Dr Paul Brunton

Other Random Recent Posts:
Mystery Of The Disappearing And Reappearing Wedding Ring
Walking The Cornish Coast Looking For Tin Mines
White Feather: A Sign Of Protection From Her Deceased Husband

The Secret Hidden Within The Twelve Days Of Christmas

With Christmas fast approaching I like to hear the old carols as it transports me back to childhood and all of the happy times with my mum and dad, who are no longer with me.

My dad was a bit of a singer and one of his favourites, which I could always join in as a child, was The Twelve Days Of Christmas: "On the first day of Christmas my true love said to me ..."

But there is a secret about this English Christmas carol. It's one that may be true, though I know many will disagree. Here's an email I received that delves into this song's past. See what you think.

There is one Christmas Carol, The Twelve Days Of Christmas, that has always baffled me. What in the world do Leaping Lords, French Hens, Swimming Swans, and especially the Partridge who won't come out of the Pear Tree have to do with Christmas? Today I found out at a church luncheon its origin.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.

It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a secret meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

* A Partridge In A Pear Tree:
The partridge represents the courage and devotion of Christ dying for his people. A mother partridge will lure predators away from her chicks, even sacrificing her life for them. The pear tree symbolizes the wooden cross upon which Jesus died.

* Two Turtle Doves:
This represents the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Doves also symbolize truth and peace.

* Three French Hens:
French hens were the food of kings in sixteenth century England. Here they represent the expensive gifts brought by the wise men to the newborn Jesus. Three French hens also stood for faith, hope and love.

* Four Calling Birds:
The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

* Five Gold Rings:
The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

* Six Geese A-LayingHere we have the six days in which God created the world. The eggs, from which new life springs, symbolize creation.

* Seven Swans a-Swimming
These represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit outlined by the apostle Paul: prophesy, service, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership and mercy. The swan, a graceful bird, symbolized these virtues.

* Eight Maids A-Milking:
The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

* Nine Ladies Dancing:
Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit-Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

* Ten Lords A-Leaping:
The ten lords a-leaping were a reminder of the Ten Commandments.

* Eleven Pipers Piping:
These represent the eleven faithful apostles who followed Jesus to the end and spread his message after his death. While there were twelve apostles, one betrayed Jesus.

* Twelve Drummers Drumming:
This is a symbol for the twelve tenets of the Catholic faith laid out in the prayer, 'The Apostles’ Creed'. The drummers may provide the cadence for reciting this prayer.

So there is your history for today.

This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol - so pass it on if you wish.

~ Yvonne

As someone who likes the thought of secret organisations the above explanation appeals to me. However some will say the carol could have been adapted from something called A New Dial which was known to have been published in 1625. And, by chance, I just happen to have the words!

We have one God alone
In heaven above sits on His throne:

What are they which are by two?
Two testaments, the old and new,
We do acknowledge to be true:

What are they which are but three?
Three persons in the Trinity
Which make one God in unity:

What are they which are but four
Four sweet Evangelists there are,
Christ's birth, life, death which do declare:

What are they which are but five?
Five senses, like five kings, maintain
In every man a several reign:
What are they which are but six?
Six days to labor is not wrong,
For God himself did work so long:
What are they which are but seven?
Seven liberal arts hath God sent down
With divine skill man's soul to crown:

What are they which are but eight?
Eight Beatitudes are there given
Use them right and go to heaven:

What are they which are but nine?
Nine Muses, like the heaven's nine spheres,
With sacred tunes entice our ears:

What are they which are but ten?
Ten statutes God to Moses gave
Which, kept or broke, do spill or save:

What are they which are but eleven?
Eleven thousand virgins did partake
And suffered death for Jesus' sake:

What are they which are but twelve?
Twelve are attending on God's son;
Twelve make our creed. The Dial's done.
And for good measure here are the full words for The Twelve Days Of Christmas. Please join in if you wish and sing along.

On the first day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree.

On the second day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.

On the third day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.

On the fifth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Five golden rings.
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.

On the sixth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings.
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.

On the seventh day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings.
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.

On the eighth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings.
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.

On the ninth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings.
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.

On the tenth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings.
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.

On the eleventh day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings.
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Twelve drummers drumming,
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings.
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.
Okay, that's enough for today -  glass of mulled wine anyone?

Do We Know The True Three Secrets Of Fatima?

Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta

By 'chance' I noticed some synchronicity regarding the Three Secrets of Fatima and the date of May 13th. This was the date of the first apparitions; the day Pope Pius XII was ordained; Pope Paul VI flew to Fatima on May 13, 1967; and on May 13, 1981 Pope Paul was wounded by a Turkish terrorist in St Peter's Square.

The Three Secrets of Fátima are a series of three apocalyptic visions and prophecies which were supposedly given to three young Portuguese shepherds, Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto following an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, starting on 13 May 1917.

Around noon on the 13th, the Virgin Mary is said to have entrusted the children with three secrets. Two of the secrets were revealed in 1941 in a document written by Lúcia, at the request of José Alves Correia da Silva, Bishop of Leiria.

When asked by the Bishop in 1943 to reveal the third secret, Lúcia  said she was "not yet convinced that God had clearly authorized her to act." But, in October 1943, the Bishop ordered her to put the third secret in writing.

Lúcia did as instructed and sealed this in an envelope, not to be opened until 1960, when "it will appear clearer." For some reason this didn't happen but the supposed text of the third secret was officially released by Pope John Paul II in 2000. Some claim, however, that it was not the entire secret revealed by Lúcia, despite repeated assertions from the Vatican to the contrary.

The Secrets are as follows:

First Secret
Our Lady showed us a great sea of fire which seemed to be under the earth. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in a huge fire, without weight or equilibrium, and amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear.

The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repulsive likeness to frightful and unknown animals, all black and transparent. This vision lasted but an instant. How can we ever be grateful enough to our kind heavenly Mother, who had already prepared us by promising, in the first Apparition, to take us to heaven. Otherwise, I think we would have died of fear and terror.

Second Secret
You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end: but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pope Pius XI.

When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father. To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church.

The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.

Third Secret
At the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword; it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour

Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: "Penance, Penance, Penance!" (In the second scene a terrible catastrophe befalls the world.) And we saw in an immense light that is God… a Bishop dressed in white. We had the impression it was the Holy Father.

Other Bishops, Priests, men and women going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big cross; before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins, and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow.

He prayed for the souls of corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died the other Bishops, Priests, men and women, and various lay people of different ranks.

(The third scene depicts the return of humanity to God.) Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels, each with a crystal aspersorium in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God.

How you decipher the 'secrets' is up to the individual but there has been much controversy and discussion as to whether the full 'true' secrets have been revealed,

For example, in his book, Behold A Pale Horse, Milton William Cooper, a former US Navy Intelligence Briefing Team Member, wrote the following:

"The events at Fatima in the early part of the century were scrutinized. On the suspicion that it was alien manipulation, an intelligence operation was put into motion to penetrate the secrecy surrounding the event. The United States utilized its Vatican moles and soon obtained the entire Vatican study, which included the prophecy.

This prophecy stated that if man did not turn from evil and place himself at the feet of Christ, the planet would self-destruct and the events described in the book of Revelation would indeed come to pass.

The prophecy demanded that Russia be consecrated to the Sacred Heart. It stated that a child would be born who would unite the world with a plan for world peace and a false religion. The people would discern that he was evil and was indeed the Anti-Christ.

WORLD WAR III would begin in the Middle East with an invasion of Israel by a United Arab nation using conventional weapons, which would culminate in a nuclear holocaust. Most of the life on this planet would suffer horribly and die as a result. The return of Christ would occur shortly thereafter."

Whatever we feel about the Three Secrets of Fatima there are times when it does feel as if we are on the knife-edge of something disastrous - but hopefully not.

And, of course, there is also an opinion that the Three Secrets of Fatima are a massive hoax ... but that would mean people are being manipulated by religion ... surely not ...

Other Random Posts:
The UFO Which Brought The Raelian Elohim To Earth
How Free Thinking Are We About Religion, God And Lap-Dancers
Which Religion Cares Most About the Homeless

Sammy And The Secret Garden Guarded By A Silver Knight

There's magic in Sammy's world where everything we believe will come true. There's a secret garden, guarded by a silver knight, I never knew was there.

Life gets easier when we believe.

Sammy Rescues Lucy From The Dinosaurs At Eden

The Secret Path Leading To Inspiration And The Realisation Of Immortality

Nowadays for information or inspiration we tend to spend time on the Internet. I wonder why though, when real inspiration comes from within - and has done so for centuries. All of the real, important answers are there waiting to be heard if we bother to stay silent and listen.

When Leonardo da Vinci wanted creative ideas he would look into a heap of ashes and the concentration would succeed in  developing a reverie where the ideas he needed would be born.

Mozart said, "When I am, as it were, completely myself, entirely alone, and of good cheer: it is on such occasions that my ideas flow best and most abundantly, whence they and how they come I know not, nor can I force them."

It was the same with the English poet Lord Tennyson, who wrote to a friend:

"A kind of waking trance I have frequently had quite from boyhood, when I have been all alone. Out of the intensity of the consciousness of the individuality, the individuality itself seemed to dissolve and fade away into boundless being; and this is not a confused state, but the clearest of the clear, the surest of the surest; utterly beyond words; where death was an almost laughable impossibility, the loss of personality (if so it were) seeming no extinction but the only true life."

I guess we could say that Silence is God.

Dr.Paul Brunton wrote: "The greatest truths sometimes come unheralded into the mind. We only know that yesterday we could not accept them, but today we hold them gladly. So it is with man when the first rays from the sun of immortality begin to fall upon him."

Going back to Lord Tennyson he expressed things thus:

If thou would'st hear the Nameless, and wilt dive

Into the Temple-cave of thine own self,

There, brooding by the central altar, thou

May'st haply learn the Nameless hath a voice,

By which thou wilt abide, if thou be wise.

The secret path is hidden inside us, waiting to be followed.

Shhhh ...  listen ...

Other Posts:
Serenity In The Garden For Positive Life Changes
How We Forget Truth And Created A False Reality
Travelling Our Individual Evolution Trail

The Ten Secrets To Living A Long Healthy Life

I was reading a seven page article from the New York Times archives titled The Island Where People Forget to Die.

It's a story about a Greek war veteran, Stamatis Moraitis, who was living in Florida, USA when, in 1976, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He recalls that several doctors confirmed the diagnosis and gave him only nine months to live.

As he was in his 60s he rejected any aggressive cancer treatment and decided he would prefer to die on the Greek island of Ikaria so that he could be buried. along with his ancestors. overlooking the Aegean Sea.

To cut a long article short he is still alive today and is in his late 90s - or rather I should say he was in 2012, for that is when the NY Times article was written.

As for the cancer Stamatis says that it 'just went away'.

He told the reporter, "I actually went back to America about 25 years after moving here [to Ikaria] to see if the doctors could explain it to me."

The reporter asked him, "What happened?"

He replied, "My doctors were all dead."

What interested me in this story is the fact that the island of Ikaria is famed for it's residents living a long time.

The University of Athens did a study on this and came to the conclusion that people on Ikaria were reaching the age of 90 at two and a half times the rate Americans do. (Ikarian men in particular are nearly four times as likely as their American counterparts to reach 90, often in better health.) But more than that, they were also living about 8 to 10 years longer.

So what makes Ikaria so different?

It's appears to be down to their way of life and not any one thing in particular.

As an example of this Dr. Ilias Leriadis, an Ikarian physicians, tells of how :

"People stay up late here. We wake up late and always take naps. I don’t even open my office until 11 a.m. because no one comes before then. Have you noticed that no one wears a watch here? No clock is working correctly. When you invite someone to lunch, they might come at 10 a.m. or 6 p.m. We simply don’t care about the clock here."

Okay, that's quite simplistic but so is the life on Ikaria. Going through what I have read on the subject there are 10 important aspects of their lives that helps them live longer - and maybe even overcome diseases.

1. Faith

With the case of Stamatis Moraitis he reconnected with his faith. As soon as he was able, on Sunday mornings, he would hobble up the hill to the tiny Greek Orthodox chapel where his grandfather once served as a priest.

This may seem a small change but all of the elements of the Ikarian way of life have to be combined. I found a story in the Telegraph where research into liver transplant patients found those who were actively seeking God had a better survival rate than those who did not hold religious beliefs - regardless of which faith they held.

2. Friends and Community
 When his childhood friends discovered Stamatis had moved back to the island, they started showing up every afternoon. They’d talk for hours, an activity that invariably involved a bottle or two of locally produced wine.

As he gradually felt better in the evenings he would often walk to the local tavern, where he played dominoes and talked with his friends until past midnight.

I'm told that there is no Greek word for privacy. They say that 'When everyone knows everyone else's business, you get a feeling of connection and security.'

Compare this way of life to all of the lonely people - especially as they get older - in much of the western world. Some people don't even know their neighbours.

There's a BBC article about how friends help people to live longer. They write, "Good friends promise to be there for you, and their presence can actually help you live longer."

3. Time

As Dr. Ilias Leriadis has said - see above - "No clock is working correctly. When you invite someone to lunch, they might come at 10 a.m. or 6 p.m. We simply don’t care about the clock here."

Now this is something many working people in the UK, USA and so on will say they couldn't possibly follow, other than on holidays or vacations. But, when you think about it, watching the clock and being time bounded causes stress, whether we realise this or not.

Personally I don't get up with the clock. I get up when I wake up. I accept though that I'm lucky to be able to do this.

4. Nature
It seems we have to get back to being one with nature - growing our own food, walking in the woods, along beaches and up in the mountains.

When Stamatis began to feel better he started planting some vegetables in the garden, even though he didn’t expect to live to harvest them. But he did continue to live and reaped his crops. Feeling emboldened he went on to clean up and care for the family vineyard as well.

The Science Daily website suggests that adults tend to live longer if their homes are near a park or other green space - and this is regardless of their social or economic status.

Once he had regained his health Stamatis woke up when he felt like it, worked in the vineyards until mid afternoon, made himself lunch and then took a long nap.

5. Napping
This is what many Mediterranean countries do when the sun is at it's hottest. The Spanish call this a siesta. It has been shown that occasional napping was associated with a 12 percent reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease, but that regular napping - at least three days weekly - was associated with a 37 percent reduction.

There's an article on the Daily Mail about how taking a catnap helps you live longer.

Nature & Walking in the Austrian Alps

6. Walking
This is something I very much believe in and try to do every day without fail. Karin and I also love walking holidays in, say, the Austrian Alps.

As far as the the Ikarian people are concerned, if they go to church, if they go to their friends' house it always occasions a walk - which, it is said, burns more calories than going to a gym for 20 minutes a day.

The Guradian write about 'taking your brain for a walk.' It's supposedly the secret to delaying dementia Regular brisk walking, three times a week, increases the size of brain regions linked to planning and memory.

Also see Want to Live Longer? Start Walking

7. Diet
The typical Ikarian diet for Stamatis was a breakfast of goat's milk, wine, sage tea or coffee, honey and bread. Lunch was almost always beans (lentils, garbanzos), potatoes, greens (fennel, dandelion or a spinachlike green called horta) and whatever seasonal vegetables their garden produced; dinner was bread and goat’s milk.

Dr. Antonia Trichopoulou of the University of Athens, an expert on the Mediterranean diet, describes the Ikarians' diet as being, like that of others around the Mediterranean, rich in olive oil and vegetables, low in dairy (except goat's milk) and meat products, and also included moderate amounts of alcohol. It emphasized homegrown potatoes, beans (garbanzo, black-eyed peas and lentils), wild greens and locally produced goat milk and honey.

A study by Dr. Christina Chrysohoou, a cardiologist at the University of Athens School of Medicine found that her subjects consumed about six times as many beans a day as Americans, ate fish twice a week and meat five times a month, drank on average two to three cups of coffee a day and took in about a quarter as much refined sugar - the elderly did not like soda. She also discovered they were consuming high levels of olive oil along with two to four glasses of wine a day.

Much has been written about the Mediterranean Diet. See: How to Follow the Mediterranean Diet and on Wikipedia Mediterranean Diet.

8. Wine
The reporter of the New York Times tells of how: "Just after sunset, after we returned to their home to have some tea, another old couple walked in, carrying a glass amphora of home made wine. The four nonagenarians cheek-kissed one another heartily and settled in around the table. They gossiped, drank wine and occasionally erupted into laughter."

The Daily Mail has an article 'Miracle ingredient' in red wine could help people live longer and more energetic lives.

9. Herb Teas
 Herb Teas made from dried herbs endemic to the island, are enjoyed as an end-of-the-day cocktail.

These may be made from wild marjoram, sage (flaskomilia), a type of mint tea (fliskouni), rosemary and also a drink made from boiling dandelion leaves and adding a little lemon.

Many herbs also contain mild diuretics and doctors often use diuretics to treat hypertension. There is a possibility that perhaps, by drinking tea nightly, Ikarians have gently lowered their blood pressure throughout their lives.

10. Sunshine

Something we don't have enough of here in the UK. But sunshine makes you feel good. I remember a booklet I once read about the Secrets Of Immortality. The first requirement, or secret, was to choose to live in a warm climate. It stated that this was how the ancients achieved longevity i.e the likes of Methuselah living close to a thousand years. But a more reliable article is in the Telegraph Sunshine 'can help you live longer by cutting risk of heart disease and diabetes'

I know I said there were 10 but here's one more:

11. Sex
In a study by  the University of Athens on Ikarian men between 65 and 100 they found that 80 percent of them claimed to have sex regularly, and a quarter of that self-reported group said they were doing so with 'good duration' and 'achievement.' Enough said.

You could also say there are two more requirements. In the 17th century, Joseph Georgirenes, the bishop of Ikaria, described its residents as proud people who slept on the ground. "The most commendable thing on this island," he wrote, "is their air (12) and water (13), both so healthful that people are very long-lived, it being an ordinary thing to see persons in it of 100 years of age."

From what I have read these are the ten, twelve or thirteen  essentials to the Ikarian way of life and may well be the reasons why residents tend to live longer than those of the USA and the UK. It's only an opinion, of course.

P.S. I'd better also add that I am not suggesting that anyone should forgo medical treatment for cancer or any other illness.

Other Healthy Posts:
Is Karma The Cause Of Ill Health
The Size Of Your Telomeres Really Does Matter If You Want A Longer LIfe
The Formula For A Healthier Sexier Life

The Original Hell-Fire Club Who Celebrated Women And Wine And Mocked Religion

One of the secret organisations, often featured in popular fiction, is the Hell-Fire Club from the early and mid 1700s. The name of the club actually came later and was originally known by several names at the time such as: The Brotherhood of St. Francis of Wycombe, Order of Knights of West Wycombe, The Order of the Friars of St Francis of Wycombe and even the Monks or Friars of Medmenham.

The club is famed for it's outrageous goings on but at the time it was seen as a form of rebellion against the strong Christian religion of 18th Century Britain. It was initially founded in London by the Duke of Wharton - a known atheist - in 1719 who set out to ridicule religious orthodoxies of that time.

The club soon closed and Wharton went on to become the Grand Master of English Freemasons - not too sure how he could have done this, with him being an atheist. Perhaps that's why he didn't hold the position for very long and went on to organise his own anti-masonic order.

Sir Francis Dashwood

The Hell-Fire Club was resurrected in 1746 by Sir Francis Dashwood and several friends. Some of the rituals were passed on to the new group by Lady Mary Wortly Montagu, who had previously been a mistress of the Duke of Wharton.

The earliest meetings took place in a London pub - the George and Vulture - but soon moved to Medmenham Abbey where it continued for the remainder of it's existence.

The Abbey was completely overhauled by Dashwood and a celebrated collection of pornography was installed along with a Chapter Room for private 'ceremonies'.

Underneath the Abbey a series of caves were carved out from an existing one. This was decorated with mythological themes, phallic symbols and other items of a sexual nature. The Hell-Fire Caves at High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire (England) can still be visited - photo below.

Above a doorway, in stained glass, was the motto: Fais ce que tu voudras - Do what thou Wilt - which was adopted much later by Aleister Crowley.

It's generally thought that members of the organisation attended events while wearing black monastic robes. Pseudo-Satanic rituals took place. The men were accompanied by 'nuns' who were hired for the evening. Nuns being the polite way of saying prostitutes.

Leading members of the organisation included the Earl of Bute and the Member of Parliament John Wilkes.

Wilkes described the action at the Abbey as, "... a set of worthy, jolly fellows, happy disciples of Venus and Bacchus, who got occasionally together to celebrate women and wine to give more zest to the festive meeting, they plucked every luxurious idea from the ancients and enriched their own modern pleasures with the tradition of classic luxury."

It is said that Benjamin Franklin - another Freemason - indulged while on a stay in England.

The Hell-Fire Club was in part a rebellion against the moral restraints of the period. It was somewhere that fantasies could be acted out in a safe setting. Early in it's history it made attacks on the dogmatic religious beliefs that were behind political autocracy.

Some of the club's practises were believed to have been influenced by the 'Chevaliers of Jubilation' - a libertine secret society founded in Holland. Members of the Chevaliers produced a book Treatise on the Three Imposters. In this they argued that Moses, Jesus and Muhammed were 'swindlers' who manufactured bogus religions in order to manipulate the masses.

I find it interesting that lurking behind such 'secret' organisations are often the aristocracy, politicians and other so called 'important' people.

Posts About Freemasons:
Freemasons: The Solemn Obligation Of A Master Mason
The Magic Behind The Secret Lodges
A Secret Freemasons View Of Old Age And Death

The Brotherhood Of The Snake - The Original Secret Society

Like probably most of us I knew that the Chinese Year of the Snake kicked off on the 10th of February 2013. I wasn't too sure of the characteristics of this so went on Google to find out - but got side-tracked!

I came across instead The Brotherhood of the Snake - a very different kettle of fish. Some sort of secret society I read.

Remembering that I had an Encyclopedia of Secret Societies waiting to be consumed, or at least perused, I opened up the virgin book and there it was on Page 100 - The Brotherhood of the Snake.

It's not something I had heard of previously which is surprising as the encyclopedia states, "... writers ... claim to have detected that the Brotherhood of the Snake is behind every secret society in history." Now that's a mighty big claim.

The book goes on to say that this brotherhood is, "... the oldest secret society in the world, founded in prehistoric times to carry out a diabolic plot of world domination and enslavement, culminating in a New World Order in the very near future."

Ah, now the New World Order is familiar. George Bush Snr gave the idea a boost to conspiracy theorists with his speech of January 16, 1991 when he said:

"This is an historic moment...we have before us the opportunity to forge for ourselves and for future generations a new world order - a world where the rule of law, not the law of the jungle, governs the conduct of nations. When we are successful, and we will be, we have a real chance at this new world order, an order in which a credible United Nations can use its peacekeeping role to fulfil the promise and vision of the UN’s founders."

Winston Churchill, Woodrow Wilson and others had previously talked of a New World Order but back to the Brotherhood of the Snake. Though there is no documented proof of it's existence the order was seemingly taken over by evil forces in Mesopotamia in the year 300,000BC and all secret societies from the Illuminati to the Freemasons are simply branches or sections of this original brotherhood. At least that is the gist of what my encyclopedia claims.

The snake is symbolic of the Genesis' serpent of The Tree of Knowledge and points to the belief of Satanism i.e. the worship of Satan the fallen archangel and spirit of evil.

But who started this first secret society of the Brotherhood of the Snake? Here's a couple of versions I found:

"It all started thousands of years ago with the "Brotherhood of the Snake", a secret society set up by an alien named Ea or Enki. This story is very carefully told in the Sumerian scriptures, which go back at least 6000 years. There it says man was created by draconian aliens, who came to this planet to exploit its resources - especially gold. But the work was heavy, so the alien race wanted someone else to do the hard work. Thus Ea, who was a brilliant scientist, created homo sapiens as a hybrid between a primitive earth life-form and the alien race. Source.

and ...

"When we look to discover who founded the Brotherhood, Mesopotamian texts point right back to that rebellious God, Prince Ea. Ancient Mesopotamian tablets relate that Ea and his father, Anu, possessed profound ethical and spiritual knowledge. This was the same knowledge that was later symbolized as trees in the Biblical Adam and Eve story.

In fact, the Biblical tree symbol came from pre-Biblical Mesopotamian works, such as one showing a snake wrapped around the trunk of a tree, identical to later portrayals of the snake in Eden. From the tree in the Mesopotamian depiction hang two pieces of fruit. To the right of the tree is the half-moon symbol of Ea; to the left is the planet symbol of Anu. The drawing indicates that Ea and Anu were associated with the snake and its teachings. This connection is affirmed by other Mesopotamian texts which describe Anu’s palace in the 'heavens' as being guarded by a God of the Tree of Truth and a God of the Tree of Life." Source.

Okay, I think I'll leave it there. It's funny how once you start researching something it can set you off on a trail in a completely different direction - but the scenery remains familiar.

Other Posts:
The Magic Behind The Secret Lodges
The Kundalini Serpent Of Adam And Eve
UFOs And Visits From Reptilian Dinosaurs

Secrets And Wisdom From A Tibetan Monastery

The 1939 manuscript I saw on which my post The Lamas Way To Health, Rejuvenation And Virility was based also included the following which I thought may be of interest. It's regarding information obtained from a visit to a Tibetan monastery.

"The Lamas, millenniums ago, discovered that all good things come from within. They discovered that every worthwhile thing has its origin within the individual. This is something that the Occidental has never been able to understand, and comprehend. He thinks, as I did, that all worthwhile things must come from the outside world.

The Lamas, especially those at this particular Lamasery, are performing great work for the world. It is performed, however, on the astral plane.

This plane, from which they assist mankind in all quarters of the globe, is high enough above the vibrations of the world to be a powerful focal point where much can be accomplished with little loss of effort.

Some day the world will awaken in amazement to what the unseen forces - The Forces of Good - have been doing for the masses. We who take ourselves in hand and make new creatures of ourselves in every imaginable way, each is doing a marvellous work for mankind everywhere.

Already the efforts of these advanced individuals are being welded together into One Irresistible Power. It is only through individuals like the Lamas, and you and me, that the world can possibly be helped.

Most of mankind, and that includes those in most enlightened countries, like America, England and Canada, is still in the darkest of the Dark Ages. However, they are being prepared for better and more glorious things, and as fast as they can be initiated into the higher life, just that fast will the world be made a better place in which to live."

Further Reading:
The Secret Teachings Of Karma And Sickness
The Magic Behind The Secret Lodges
How To Bring The Dead Back To LIfe

The Magic Behind The Secret Lodges

Freemasons Initiation circa 1800

Magic and Freemasonry flourished in the late 1700s in Britain. It was so successful that many trades set up their own similar organisations with their own lodges. After all, they do doubt thought, why should it just be Masons who had mutual support and protection for their trade secrets.

What many members of these newer organisations didn't always appreciate was that they were also dabbling in a form of magic.

Freemasons were initiated by being led blindfolded, bare footed or with one foot slip-shod, with clothes rearranged to expose parts of the body, were challenged with a sword, had a noose round their neck and had to swear a loyalty before being 'reborn'.

This initiation went back to the Ancient Mystery Schools. Millers, Shoemakers, Coopers and many others tried to duplicate these ceremonies and often created pseudo-history for their lodges.

The 1830 Shoemakers Union, for example had 'a full set of secret order regalia, surplices, trimmed aprons etc., and a crown and robes for King Crispin' (the legendary patron of their craft).

Fancy names were developed such as The Ancient Order of Foresters and The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes.

The main aim of the organisations seems to have been (and still is) mutual help. This was long before any National Health system and was a way of members getting aid, help and assistance when needed. Thus the secret handshakes and signs to distinguish who should be helped.

There was magic behind the scenes with some very strange ceremonies and rituals. For instance the Foresters had to 'fight' a dual by sword, Oddfellows were tossed into a pile of brushwood and Buffaloes had to have their hair cut or singed.

Though members may not have fully appreciated the significance of any initiations and rituals a Jungian psychologist would no doubt say that primal symbolism and archetypes would affect the psyche - even if only on a subconscious level.

Some of these old lodges and organisations are still around today, though sometimes in a different format. The Foresters, for example, are now a Friendly Society and have 'financial solutions with a human touch'. Their website states:

"The Ancient Order of Foresters was established in 1834, although our origins lie in a much older society called the Royal Foresters, formed around 1723.

Our first members came to recognise they had a duty to assist their fellow men who fell into need "as they walked through the forests of life". This 'need' arose principally when a breadwinner fell ill, could not work and received no wages. Illness and death left families financially distressed and often destitute.

Addressing this need has been the main purpose of Foresters Friendly Society throughout our long history. Members recognised that by paying a few pence a week into a common fund, they would be able to offer sick pay and funeral grants when needed."

Many of the copy cat Freemasons have similar degrees. If we look at the The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes they state on this subject:

"Administratively we are a three-tier organisation. Minor Lodge, Provincial Grand Lodge and Grand Lodge and there are four degrees or rank of membership. 1st (Brother), 2nd (Primo), 3rd (Knight of Merit) and 4th (Right Honourable)."

I've also mentioned the Oddfellows. They claim that they can trace their history back to 1066. In their own words:

"In 1810 the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows became officially recognised by the Government. However, Oddfellows social groups in England can be traced all the way back to 1066, making it one of the oldest friendly societies currently operating in the UK."

The Freemasons set a trail which many others have followed. Towards the end of the 18th century it is estimated there were over 4 million members of such organisations in Great Britain.

So forms of magic are deep in our roots whether we appreciate it or not. The likes of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormons, was influenced by Freemasonry and magic, but that's probably best kept for another day.

Other 67 Not Out Posts:
Mark Master Masons Symbolism And Why This Year Is 6012
Freemasons: The Solemn Obligation Of A Master Mason
Celebrities Linked To Illuminati By Their Photos

The Secret Butterfly Visualisation

I thought I'd publish this review of The Secret by Rhonda Byrne which I saw recently. Personally I don't think the book is all it's cracked up to be. It's simply regurgitated stuff slickly marketed. But, in saying that, there are truths contained within the pages. I liked the following review because it illustrates how visualisation can work. Some would say it's a coincidence story. Whatever, this is JJ's story from Germany.

I had used The Secret on and off, but in June of 2010 I needed a boost! I was in the 'down, everything falling apart' phase and needed hope desperately. So I decided to try out something that I thought would be impossible with the visualization principle.

In the north of Germany, where I have lived for the last three years, I had always seen just tiny lemon yellow butterflies. I decided to visualize a big 5 cm (2.5") long red butterfly with black borders. I visualized for a week, every evening when I returned from work: My dream butterfly on the little shrubs outside the porch. Then I forgot about it.

I was invited to the North Sea by a friend and we were to cross over to an island at low tide. We were a group of 25-30 people. It was a 10 km walk through the wet sand. 5 km in and I look up and a couple of butterflies came right up into my face. As they danced around and passed by, the friend of my friend said, "They are from the island. It's like they were attracted to you! They came just to you" (She hadn’t the faintest idea of The Secret.)

That’s when I realized what their colour and size had been… perfect! And so many of them! At that moment I was 5 km away from both the shores and at a wide distance from the water that would fill up the space we were standing on in the next three hours.

From then on, I never ceased believing that I am in charge of my own life and since then have created and received all that I've wanted.

~ JJ Germany

Other Visualisation Posts:
The Secret Of Visualisation
Visualisation Brings A New Carpet Via A Coincidence
Visualisation Of The Mystic Masters

The Secret is available on Amazon USA
The Secret is available on Amazon UK

The Secret London Stone The Stone Of Brutus

"So long as the stone of Brutus is safe, so long shall London flourish", so says an ancient legend.

London Stone or the Stone of Brutus, as it is sometimes called, is one of the lesser known secrets of London, England. Most tourists would never get to see the stone and, if they did, might be disappointed with what they find. Nevertheless it's history reaches back nearly 3000 years.

One story of it's origins takes us back to Brutus the Trojan founder of London.

Brutus fled his homeland and was guided by the goddess Diana to the island of Albion, where he fought and defeated a race of giants before founding 'New Troy' – later called Londinium and then London. This is dated as all having taken place in 1070 BC. It is believed that the stone was part of an altar in a temple built by Brutus to Diana. Another theory is that it is a segment of a stone from an ancient Stonehenge style circle.

As with all ancient artefacts there are differing versions of what the stone may be. Some even claim it is the stone from which King Arthur withdrew the magical sword excalibur. Others argue that it was used as a sacrificial altar by the Druids. All that can be certain is that it is very old and has been revered as part of London's history.

The very first Mayor of London, in 1189, was Henry Fitz-Ailwin de Londonestone - meaning Henry, son of Ailwin of London Stone.

Sacred stones are part of British history. John Dee, 1527–1608, occultist and adviser to Queen Elizabeth I, believed London Stone had magic powers and Kings and Queens of Britain are still crowned on the Stone of Scone in Westminster Abbey.

One story, dating from the 16th century, holds that the relic was the symbolic centre point from which every distance in Roman Britain was measured.

Whatever the truth England needs to keep the stone safe if we want London, and therefore England, to flourish.

London Stone or the Stone of Brutus is a block of oolitic limestone, which does not occur narurally in London. It measures approximately 53x43x30 cm or 21x17x12 inches.

Further Reading:
Exclusive Photos Of The Stonehenge Mystery
The Cornish Mystery Of Trevethy Quoit Stones
The Cornish Mystery Of The Men-an-Tol Stones

A Secret Freemasons View Of Old Age And Death

It's interesting that in the Freemason's third degree they refer to the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. The most relevant parts being the end of Chapter 11 and Chapter 12.

These Chapters give advise and a description of our lives, the way we age, plus a hint that there may be something after death.

Ecclesiastes 11, Chapter 11, verses 9 and 10 gives us an introduction: "Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of your youth, and walk in ways of thine heart, and in sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgement. Therefore remove sorrow from they heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity."

In other words enjoy your youth but remember that you are still answerable to God for your actions ... and old age will follow.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 12 - with a Freemason's interpretation: "Remember now thy Creator in the days of your youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them" (here is a reminder that our days are three score and ten and, if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow).

"While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened" (youth lives in the sunlight, and even at night the moon and the stars give lumination; but these blessings are not forever; darkness comes to the elderly), "nor the clouds return after the rain." (youth is a time of refreshing showers, but as one grows older the clouds gather).

Ecclesiastes continues with strong imagery. "In the days when the keepers of the house shall tremble" (the hands and arms shake), "and the strong men bow themselves" (the back and legs become bent), "and the grinders cease because there are few" (with age the teeth fall out), "and those that look out of the windows be darkened." (the eyesight fails).

"And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when sound of the grinding is low" (with old age comes loss of hearing, and the outside world becomes cut off), "and he shall rise up at the voice of a bird" (the old man wakens with the birds) "and all the daughters of music shall be brought low." (the quavering voice will be without tune).

"Also when they shall be afraid of what is high" (heights are terrifying), "and fears shall be in the way" (walking in the street is terrifying), "and the almond tree shall flourish" (their hair becomes as white as almond blossoms), " and the grasshopper shall be a burden" ( the withered old man drags himself along), "and desire shall fail" (he has no appetite): "because man goeth to his long home" (death is near), "and the mourners go about the streets." (the professional mourners stand around waiting to be hired).

"Or ever the silver cord be loosed" (before the cord of life snaps), "or the bowl be broken" (before the cup of life becomes cracked and the contents drain away), "or the pitcher be broken at the fountain" (death comes to some in the midst of their work), "or the wheel broken at the cistern." (man is a fragile mechanism which falls into disuse).

All in all a pretty gloomy picture this paints of the ageing process. Though it does end with, "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was" (earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust):  "and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." (the spirit of man returns to his long home to be with his Creator).

I'm pleased that the Freemasons seem to be saying that there is an afterlife (which is also what I believe) but their description of ageing doesn't have to be.  And this is what I consider to be one of the problems with man having such a short life: we are programmed, and therefore believe that certain things happen at specific ages.  It's the acceptance of this misinformation that we have to overcome.  It will probably take a few generations to do this but we will do so eventually.  Already we read about how 60 is the new 40 and other positive statements.

One day we will learn to live to the length of time required to achieve our full potential.

The above interpretation, together with Freemasons: The Solemn Obligation Of A Master Mason were taken from secret Freemason manuscripts.