I was in a tour in My Son. The tour guide took us in a bus to the middle of the jungle--telling us in rough English that we were going to visit the ruins of the 'once mighty Champa Kingdom'.
The erie silence as I walked around the sacred grounds of this once Mighty Cham Capital City was too much for me. I remember breaking in tears. It was a beautiful place. Words and eyes cannot describe the beauty of this place---truly lost in time.
Champa was formed in AD 192, during the breakup of the Han dynasty of China, when the Han official in charge of the region established his own kingdom around the area of the present city of Hue.
Although the territory was at first inhabited mainly by wild tribes involved in incessant struggles with the Chinese colonies in Tonkin, it gradually came under Indian cultural influence, evolving into a decentralized country composed of four small states, named after regions of India, Amaravati (Quang Nam), Vijaya (Binh Dinh), Kauthara (Nha Trang), and Panduranga (Phan Rang).
The four states had a powerful fleet that was used for commerce and for piracy. The Cham people, of Malayo-Polynesian stock and Indianized culture, were finally united under the rule of King Bhadravarman around 400AD.
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In retaliation for Cham raids on their coast, the Chinese invaded Champa in 446, bringing the region under their suzerainty once again.
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Finally, under a new dynasty in the 6th century, Champa threw off its allegiance to China and entered into an era of great independent prosperity and artistic achievements.
In the late 8th century the Chams were distracted by attacks from Java, but in the 9th century they renewed their pressure on the Chinese provinces to the north and the growing Khmer Empire to the west.
Under Indravarman II, who established the Indrapura dynasty in 875, the capital of the country was moved to the northern province of Amaravati (Quang Nam), near present Hue, and elaborate palaces and temples were constructed.
In the 10th century the Vietnamese kingdom of Dai Viet, based in Hanoi, began to exert pressure on Champa, forcing it to relinquish Amaravati in 1000 and Vijaya in 1069.
Harivarman IV, who founded the ninth Cham dynasty in 1074, was able to stave off further Vietnamese and Cambodian attacks, but in 1145 the Khmers, under the aggressive leadership of Suryavarman II, invaded and conquered Champa.
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Two years later a new Cham king, Jaya Harivarman I, arose and threw off Khmer rule, and his successor sacked the Cambodian capital at Angkor in 1177.
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Between 1190 and 1220 the Chams again came under Cambodian suzerainty, and later in the 13th century they were attacked by the Tran kings of Vietnam, as well as by the Mongols in 1284.
By the late 15th century, incessant wars of aggression and defense had for all practical purposes wiped out the Champa kingdom; one by one their provinces were annexed until Champa was entirely absorbed in the 17th century.
The ancient kingdom of Champa was situated in the central coast of Viet Nam at one time stretched from the Ngang Pass (pressent Quang Binh province) to the upper basin of Dong nai river.
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The Cham people is believed to be of the same Javanese stock as many of the creators of the Dong Son culture further to the north.
As they were intrepid seafarers, and as their land was well placed not far from the sea route from India to China, the Chams were exposed very early to Indian culture and its Brahman religion.
Vietnam, Danang, museum of the Cham sculpture, statue of Ganesha
The history of the kingdom of Champa was marked with constant engagement in war and hostility with its neighbors, especially those from the North. Champa was first noted in Chinese historical writings in 192 AD. At the time, the Chams were concentrated in the area of the present Binh Thuan province.
During the 3rd century, they expanded northward, seizing territory from the Han dynasty who ruled Viet Nam.
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They rapidly pushed northward and for a brief time occupied the the Red River Delta and several provinces in southern China. During the 4th and 5th centuries, the Chinese recaptured southern China and Viet Nam and expelled the Chams.
The kingdom of Champa slowly contracted until by the 8th century, it corresponded approximately to the present Central and South Viet Nam. In the 10th century, only fifty years after gaining independence from China, Viet Nam invaded Champa.
The Cham successfully repelled the Vietnamese and concentrated their effort in controlling their southern territory and the adjacent high land.
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During the 12th century, the Khmers to the west invaded the southern portion of Champa and occupied the Mekong delta.
The best of Cham art
But in 1217, the Khmers and Chams allied against and defeated the Vietnamese, and the Khmers withdrew from the Mekong delta.
Late in the 13th century, the Mongol army of Kublai Khan occupied Champa for five years, until it was defeated by the Vietnamese in 1287.
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From then on and little by little, the Vietnamese became master of all the land north of Hai Van pass by 1306.
From 1313 on, the Vietnamese only allowed their puppets on the Cham throne. Che Bong Nga (1360-1390) alone resisted for a time and he even succeeded raiding the Red River delta and pillaged the Vietnamese capital of Thang Long (Ha Noi) in 1372.
But his successors could not protect their own territory.
In 1471, the Vietnamese invaded Champa, captured its capital of Vijaya and massacred thousands of its people. This event signified the cease of existence of Champa as a kingdom.
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In the mid-17th century, the Vietnamese again marched southward and captured the remaining Cham land in the present provinces of Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa.
In 1832, the absorption of Champa land was completed and Viet Nam extended its total control over the Mekong delta all the way to Ca Mau, the the southern most tip of the land.
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Champa and the Southward Expansion of Viet Nam
2-3 century AD Kingdom of Lin-Yi (Lam Ap) was recorded in Chinese annals. Lin-Yi raided Viet Nam and Southern China in 248
543 Champa attacked Viet Nam but was defeated by Pham Tu, a general of king Ly Bon
982 Viet Nam force led by Ly Thuong Kiet attacked and pushed Champa's border to south of Hoanh Son (Thanh Hoa)
1069 King Ly Thanh Tong led Viet Nam to invade Champa, sacked Vijaya and took king Rudravarman III (Che Cu) prisoner in exchange for 3 provinces Dia Ly, Ma Linh and Bo Chanh (present Quang Binh and Quang Tri)
1307 Vietnamese princess Huyen Tran married king Jaya Sinhavarman III (Che Man). in exchange for two provinces O and Ly
1370 King Che Bong Nga raided and pilfered Thang Long (Ha Noi). Che Bong Nga was killed in battle in 1382
1402 Viet Nam invaded Champa. Ho Quy Ly forced king Campadhiraya to concede Indrapura (Quang Nam) and the territory of Amaravati (North Champa) to Viet Nam
1471 Vietnamese army led by King Le Thanh Tong captured and destroyed Vijaya. Viet Nam annexed the new land as provinces of Thang Hoa, Tu Nghia and Hoai Nhon
1578 Lord Nguyen Hoang annexed the Cham region of Phu Yen
1653 Lord Nguyen Phuc Tan captured Cham's region of Kauthara and pushed Viet Nam's southern border to Cam Ranh
1692 Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu annexed the remaining Champa territory as the new prefecture of Tran Thuan Thanh
Early Period (Mid 7th - Mid 9th Century)
The most characteristic of the early Cham art is the collection of sculptures from My Son (outside of Da Nang), the most venerated temples in ancient Champa. This group of sculptures marked the golden age for Cham culture, even if this culture was influenced by pre-Angkorian Khmer art.
A century later, when the leadership of Champa passed to the southern provinces, artistic activity seems to have declined. It was at about this time that the Indonesian attacked on the peninsula stimulated the growth of Buddhism in Champa and revitalized its iconography.
The Period of Indrapura (Mid 9th to End of 10th Century)
Around the year 850, power once again passed to the northern provinces and for a century and a half Indrapuri (Dong Duong in present Quang Nam province) was the capital of the Cham kingdom. Though typified by two quite opposite tendencies, the period was one of intense artistic activity.
As early as 875, the founding of the great Mahayana (Dai Thua) Buddhist complex at Dong Duong led to the embellishment of a vigorous style that was much more concerned with grandeur than with human beauty, and yet welded together with a surprising degree of originality the most varied borrowings from Indonesia and China.
A quarter of a century later, with the decline of Buddhism, sculpture became progressively more humane and decoration more delicate (Khuong My).
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When, towards the middle of the 10th century, architecture achieved a classical balance (My Son, group A), sculpture moved into its second golden age with the style of My Son A1 and Tra Kieu which shows a strong Indonesian influence.
By the end of the 10th century, when the kingdom engaged in hostilities with a now independent Viet Nam, its art had already lost many of its finest qualities, especially with regard to the rendering of the human figure.
Sa Huynh Culture in Quang Ngai province
The Period of Vijaya (11th to End of 15th Century)
As result of attacks by Vietnamese forces, Indrapura, which lay to far to the north, was evacuated in favor of Vijaya (Cha Ban in the present Qui Nhon city), a capital further to the south.
Even though the kingdom was threatened from all sides, Vijaya was to witness much artistic activity during the 11th and 12th centuries.
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Growing tension between Khmer (Cambodia) and Champa led to the introduction of some new borrowings from the Khmer art; however the worsening of political relations culminated in the occupation of Champa by forces from Angkor (1181 to 1220).
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All Cham artistic activity ceased, and the kingdom was to emerge much the poorer from the experience.
Once set in motion, the decline was accelerated by the invincible onslaught of Viet Nam, and then, at the end of 13th century, by the Mongol threat. The few buildings erected in the 15th century in the less harassed regions are of heavier proportions and became progressively less and less ornamented (Po Klong Garai).
Late Period (After 1471)
This period began with the capture of Champa's capital of Vijaya by the Vietnamese. Po Ro Me temple, probably built in the 16th century, was the last sanctuary of the traditional type.
Those that followed it (the bumongs of hybrid construction) were to be influenced by Vietnamese architecture.
Religious images became mere steles (kut) which are characterized by the progressive effacement of the human physiognomy, until only attributes of rank (especially head-dresses) remains as a reminder of them.
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Yet although these sculptures reveal a continuos decline, they do manage to retain something of the profound originality that is the only truly constant feature of the art of Champa.
Cham sculpture, unlike the architecture that is conservative in its design and methods, is marked by continual changes, reflecting new influences rather than a natural evolution.
Although it can not be denied that there were occasions when Cham art reached heights of pure, classical beauty (such as the My Son and Tra Kieu temples), sculptures for the most part to have expressed contradictory tendencies: conventionality and innovation, a lack of decorative details and an excess of it, both realism and fantasy.
There is more and more an aversion to sculpture in the round until, finally, carving in high relief became the only means of expression, and a certain disregard for natural poses resulted in a loss of balanced proportions.
It should be stressed that, in view of the constant and profound changes in Cham art, it is the study of costume, hairstyle, and above all, personal ornaments that give the most reliable stylistic evidence for dating sculpture.
In spite of the fact that sufficient examples of bronzes and terra cotta have survived to demonstrate that these two techniques were important at all times, too many have been destroyed for us to be able to trace their development satisfactorily.
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Some detachable ornaments from idols (head-dresses, bracelets, necklaces, etc.) of chased gold or silver dating from the end of the 9th century or the beginning of the 10th have been found.
The only other known ornaments (the regalia of Cham kings) are not earlier than the 17th century. The visual evidence relating to personal ornaments in the intervening period is limited to that provided by sculpture.
Hinduism had profound influence on the ancient art of Champa and inspired many sculptures that decorate the Cham's temples and towers.
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These statues and bas-reliefs were carved from stone or made of terra-cotta after figures of god and mythical animals from the Brahman religion. The three divinities worshipped by the ancient Cham people are:
Brahma is the Creator who is continuing to create new realities. Brahma has four arms and four faces (represent East, West, North and South). His wife is Saravasti. Brahma is usually displayed riding on the sacred goose of Hamsa.
Shiva, the Destroyer, is at times compassionate, erotic and destructive. He symbolizes all the violence and forces in the universe. Shiva has a third eye in his forehead. and can have many arms and faces.
Shiva has many wives, among them Parvatti, the goddess of Earth, Uma, the goddess of grace and Durga, the goddess-combatant. Shiva is sometimes displayed riding the sacred bull of Nandin Vishnu, the Preserver who preserves these new creations.
Vishnu has one face and four arms, each arm holds a disc, a horn, a ball and a club. His wife is Laksmi, the goddess of beauty. Vishnu is usually displayed riding Garuda, the mythical creature of half-human and half bird.
Other religious figures found on the ancient Cham sculptures are Ganesa-the god of intelligence, Indra-the god of the rain, Kama-the god of love, apsara-the celestial dancers and naga-the multiple-head serpent, the founder of the dynasty.
Cham architecture is essentially an architecture of bricks. The bricks were of excellent quality, and after being rubbed smooth, were bonded by means of a mortar of vegetable origin, thereby rendering the joints almost invisible and producing surfaces that readily lent themselves to sculptures.
With the exception of the temple of Dong Duong (AD 875), Cham architecture does not have buildings of the grand scale of those found in Java or Cambodia.
Cham temples usually consist of a sanctuary tower (the kalan) together with a few smaller outbuildings. At many temple sites, one can find an assemblage of buildings dating from different periods.
The Chams used only two methods of roofing their temples: courses of corbel bricks for covering small areas, and tiles on a timber framework for larger buildings. As a rule, the sanctuary towers are characterized by a relative lack of embellishment as well as by their graceful proportions.
These square buildings derive their proportion from their pilaster and projections and usually have a large entrance hall. The high roofs consist of progressively smaller stories, forming the basic shape of the building.
Apart from the occasional lodge and small temple with the layout similar to that of the kalan, the secondary buildings are of two types: the 'library' of oblong shape, most frequently comprising two rooms under a curved roof of corbelled bricks, and the 'hall', a larger building with thinner walls pierced by balustrade windows.
The halls have roofs of tiles on a timber framework and are sometimes divided by massive pillars into three naves.
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The decoration of these buildings normally takes the form of carved relief on brick, but for the decoration of sanctuaries, tympana, metopes, antefixes and certain other features, carved sandstone was generally used.
My Son, which is located outside of Da Nang, is the most important Cham site in Viet Nam. During the centuries when Simhapura
(Tra Kieu) served as the political capital of Champa, My Son was the most important Cham intellectual and religious center and may also be served as the burial place for Cham monarchs.
My Son is considered to be Champa's counter part to the grand cities of South-East Asia's other Indian influenced civilizations such as Angkor (Cambodia), Pagan (Myanmar), Ayuthaya (Thailand) and Borobudur (Java).
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My Son became a religious center under King Bhadravarman in the late 4th century until the 13th century, the longest period of development of any monument in South-East Asia.
Most of the temples in My Son were dedicated to Cham kings associated with divinities, especially Shiva, who was regarded as the founder and protector of Champa's dynasties.
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The monuments at My Son have been classified by archaeologists into ten main groups lettered from A to K according their style and period where the buildings were constructed. Many of the My Son towers were destroyed or severely damaged during the Viet Nam war in the 60's.
Also located outside of Da Nang is Simhapura, the Lion City, the first capital of Champa, serving its capacity from the 4th to the 8th centuries.
Today, nothing remains of the city except the rectangular ramparts. A huge number of Cham artifacts, including some of the finest carvings are found from this site.
The Cham religious center of Indrapura was the site of an important Mayahana Buddhist monastery, the Monastery of Lakshmindra-Lokeshvara.
Indrapura served as the capital of Champa from 860 to 986 until the capital was moved south to Vijaya (Cha Ban near Qui Nhon).
Located outside of Nha Trang, the Po Nagar (the Lady of the City) towers were built between the 7th and 12th centuries on a site used for Hindu worship as early as the 2nd century AD. There were once seven or eight towers at Po Nagar, four of which remain.
At the site there is a mandapa (meditation hall) where worshipers must pray before proceeding to the kalan (sanctuary).
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The 23-meter high North tower, with its terraced pyramidal roof, vaulted interior masonry and vestibule, is a superb example of Cham architecture.
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It was built in 817 by King Harivarman I , 43 years after the original temples were sacked and burned by Indonesian corsairs.
Located in Phan Rang province, the Po Klong Garai site consists of four brick towers constructed at the end of 13th century during the reign of King Jaya Simhavarman III.
Also located in Phan Rang is the Po Ro Me, one of the newest Cham tower. The tower is named after the last ruler of the independent Champa, King Po Ro Me (ruled 1629-1651) who died a prisoner of the Vietnamese.
Head of Shiva Place of Origin: Vietnam, former kingdom of Champa Date: approx. 800
The Sa Huynh culture is a late prehistoric metal age society on the central coast of Viet Nam. In 1909, about 200 jar burials were uncovered at Sa Huynh, a coastal village located south of of Da Nang. Since then, many more burials have been found, at some 50 sites.
The Sa Huynh shows a distinct regional Bronze Age culture, with its own styles of axes, daggers, and ornaments. Carbon dating has placed the Sa Huynh culture roughly the same time line with the Dong Son culture, that is about the first millennium BC.
From about 200 AD, the central coast of Viet Nam was inhabited by the Chams, who had adopted elements of Indian political and religious culture.
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Recent researches by Vietnamese archaeologists has shown that the Chams are linguistic and cultural descendants of the Sa Huynh people.
The uncovered artifacts show the Sa Huynh people were highly skilled craftsmen in the production of jewelry and ornaments made with hard stones and glass.
Sa Huynh styled ornaments were also found in Thailand, Taiwan and Philippines suggesting they were traded with South East Asian neighbors, over land and maritime routes.
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Archaeologists also observe that iron seems to have been used by the Sa Huynh peoples when their Dong Son neighbors were still mostly using bronze.
Linguists have classified Cham as a member of the Malayo-Polynisian family spoken by several ethnic groups lived along the coast of South China sea and the Malay Archipelago. As they come from one linguistic family, the Cham, Malay and Javanese languages share numerous lexical similarities.
The written Cham is based on the Sanskrit alphabets. As early as the 3rd century AD, inscription of Sanskrit texts were found on the steles as they were used to record royal chronicle and important historical events.
This epigraphic practice ceased in 1471 with the downfall of Champa. About the mid-16th century, a modern form of Cham emerged and gradually replaced the classical (old Cham) language which heavily used Sanskrit and Arabic vocabularies .
Modern Cham became more popular in the 17th through the 19th century as a number of manuscripts and texts of history, religion, folklore and legends, poetry and epics were written in the new language.
Champa has a rich and illustrated literary heritage exemplified by numerous works in both oral and written forms. The most well known works of the classical Cham literature are:
Pramdit Pramlak: A popular and well loved folk story of two brothers Pramdit and Pramlak and their long journey to find and save Pram Dit's wife, princess Bia Cata.
Inra Sri Bikan: A folk prose of the Cham hero, prince Sang Jana and his struggle to reconquer his kingdom previously lost to the neighborly king Rayana.
Ariya Um Marup: This popular verse of 248 sentences believed to be composed around the end of 16th century-early 17th century.
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This epic tells the story of a prince, Um Marup who was converted to Islam by the Prophet who later helped him to destroy the dragon, which had devastated his father's kingdom.
But his father, King Harum who did not accept his son's belief, decided to eliminate Um Marup. With help from the Prophet, the prince rendered harmless all weapons aimed at him.
Prajnaparamita, sandstone, 9th century, Dai Huu, Quang Binh province
Finally, Um Marup waged a war against his father, he was killed in the battle, but the Prophet once again interceded, defeated King Harum, and in turn, converted the King to under the umbrella of Islam.
Akayet Deva Mano: This long verse of 480 sentences is considered the most popular work in the classic Cham literature.
Believed to be adapted from a Malaysian story, this epic is well loved by the Cham people for its beautiful poetry as well as its high moral values.
The epic tells the story of two princes Deva Mano and Deva Samulaik and their fighting to marry princess Ratna Cahya Sribiyong.
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Akayet Deva Mano takes a very special place in the heart of the Cham people because it emphasizes the universal values such as goodness over evil, marital faithfulness, friendship loyalty, parental sacrifices framed in a well composed story and melodic verses.
Inra Patra: This long verse of 582 sentences first appeared in the early 17th century. This work is believed to be an adaptation of a Malaysian legend with a strong Islamic intonation.
http://just.nicepeople.free.fr/index_champa.htm
Many people consider anti-clockwise stairs as extremely negative.
Vastushastri Khushdeep Bansal collected a lot of data to clarify whether the stairs should be clockwise or anti-clockwise.
Interestingly, in the original texts of Vastu Shastra there are no guidelines on staircases.
From his observations, Vastushastri Khushdeep Bansal derived the formula which measures the effects of clockwise and anti-clockwise staircases.
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As per his observations, a clockwise staircase creates a downward vortex of energy in a Vastu Zone, while an anti-clockwise staircase creates an upward energy vortex.
These downward and upward energy vortexes change the natural effect of a Vastu Zone.
The analogy of his concept is this: as you tighten a screw, you rotate the screw driver clockwise and the screw goes downwards.
If you rotate the screwdriver in the anti-clockwise direction, then the screw rises.
So, a clockwise staircase in the NE Zone will suppress new ideas, creativity and intuitions.
On the other hand, an anti-clockwise staircase located in NE, will create more new ideas and creative intuitions.
Similarly, clockwise staircases in positive zones will suppress their natural positive energy, and anti-clockwise staircases in positive zones will amplify the positive energy of that zone.
So, one must remember that staircase can be clockwise as well as anti-clockwise depending upon the Vastu Zone it falls into.
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If the stairs are in a Zone whose attributes we wish to enhance -- for example, the Zone of Money -- they should be anticlockwise, and if they are in a Zone whose effects need to be moderated, like the Zone of Disposal or Aggression, then, these must be clockwise.
Generally speaking, a staircase should descend from West to East and from South to North.
Chinese exploration of the world is often left out of Western textbooks (at least it was left out of mine), but for a brief period, from 1405 to 1433, the Chinese under Ming emperor Yongle sent out numerous trade missions that reached as far as present-day Kenya.
Chinese explorer Zheng He ship compared to Columbus's ship
During the fourth expedition, which left China in 1413, part of the fleet led by commander Zheng He sailed to Bengal in India, where in 1414 they met envoys from the African coastal state of Malindi (now part of Kenya).
The men from Malindi had brought with them as tribute giraffes, and they gave one of those giraffes to the Chinese, who took it home.
A year later, Malindi sent another giraffe to China, along with a zebra and an oryx.
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The fifth Chinese trading expedition then brought back “an arkful of African animals, including antelopes, leopards, lions, oryxes, ostriches, rhinos, zebras — and more giraffes,” Peterson writes. The artwork “Tribute Attendant with Giraffe,” which hangs in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, commemorates the gift of a giraffe from the king of Bengal to the emperor of China.
Zheng He's Enormous Treasure Ships
All the animals were exotic, but the giraffes were particularly special.
Replica of the ship commanded by Admiral Zheng He (Cheng Ho) during his expeditions.
They were thought to be qilin (or ch’i-lin, as it’s spelled in the book), creatures that are known as Chinese unicorns but are more like a cross between a horse and a dragon.
https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/wild-things/giraffes-sailed-medieval-china
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The story of Zhenghe begins with the rise of the Ming Dynasty to power in China in 1368 (ruled until 1644). Zhenghe was born in 1372 in the Yunnan province, which is located in south-central China (bordering Burma, Laos and Vietnam).
He was descended from a family of Arab merchants who emigrated to China. His father and grandfather went on a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Emperor Hongwu, who founded the Ming dynasty, extended the domain of the dynasty and conquered other areas, including the Yunnan Province.
When he was only eleven years old, the Ming Dynasty conquered his area of residence, and Zhenghe was taken prisoner, surnamed, and sent to serve in the imperial court, where he managed to climb up to become the confidant of the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Yongle.
In 1405, Zhenghe began leading marine voyages (total seven trips). The naval fleet that included hundreds of ships (over 300 ships on some of the voyages) and close to 30,000 people at the same time.
Zhenghe’s travels were called finance trips, and some of the great ships were called treasure ships (Between 50 and 70 ships). These were ships with huge dimensions that allowed the transport of giraffes in the belly of the ship.
An impressive illustration of the size of the ship is on Sentosa Island, one of the three islands of Singapore.
The island has a large complex that includes a huge underwater aquarium, and inside the complex, sits a model of a huge treasure ship, cut across it in a way that reveals the belly of the ship and the typical cargo carried with it.
Zhenghe’s sea voyages passed through the islands of today’s Indonesia, Java, and Sumatra, via Malaka (today’s South Malaysia – a very important strategic strait between Malaysia and Indonesia connecting the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean) and reached the Strait of Hormuz (against Iran), the Arabian Peninsula, and East Africa.
https://east-asian-cultures.com/the-wonderful-story-of-zheng-he/
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Six hundred years ago, Admiral Zheng He led Chinese sailors on seven extraordinary expeditions to India, Arabia, and Africa.
At the time, Chinese ships, called junks, were far more advanced than European vessels. Sailing those magnificent ships, Zheng He traded with countries on two continents. But suddenly, in the 1430s, the Chinese stopped trading and exploring.
The year was 1405. Admiral Zheng He stood on the deck of his ship. At almost seven feet in height, Zheng He towered over everyone around him.
People who knew him said, “His eyebrows were like swords and his forehead wide, like a tiger’s.” When he gave an order, his sailors obeyed immediately.
From his deck, Zheng saw his ships spread behind him as far as he could see. He looked with pride at the vessels that followed his out of the harbor of Luijia, near Nanjing, China’s capital. They carried about 28,000 people. The fleet was heading for the cities of India.
Zheng He was known as the “Admiral of the Western Seas.” He led the greatest fleet of merchant vessels up to that time. The man who sent out the fleet was Emperor Chengzu, a bold and ambitious leader.
Chengzu wanted his people to explore the world and expand trade. In 1403, he ordered his royal carpenters to build a huge fleet. For the next three years, they tackled this vast job.
The emperor selected Zheng He to be the admiral of this powerful new fleet. The two had been friends since boyhood. Zheng came from a Muslim family in western China.
When the Chinese defeated the Mongols in the region in 1382, they took Zheng prisoner and brought him to Chengzu’s court. The two boys hunted and rode horses together, and soon became good friends.
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Later, Zheng He served in the Chinese army. He showed a talent for strategy, and commanded the respect and obedience of others. He also won Chengzu’s complete trust.
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The emperor directed Zheng He to sail west to faraway lands, “confer presents,” and “treat distant people with kindness.” We know the emperor’s exact words because Zheng He carved reports about the expeditions into stone tablets that still exist.
Chengzu ordered merchants across China to supply trade goods for the expedition. These goods included silk, cotton, wine, tea, silk robes, and porcelain.
Zheng He’s ships were far more technologically advanced than were European ships of that time. The largest vessels in his fleet were the treasure ships.
They were enormous, measuring about 400 feet long and 160 feet wide. In contrast, the Santa Maria, Christopher Columbus’s flagship, was about 85 feet long.
The treasure ships had 9 masts and 12 sails of red silk. Each vessel had more than 50 luxurious staterooms for officers and merchants.
As the fleet sailed out of Luijia Harbor, Zheng He set a course toward Calicut, a city-state on the west coast of India. The most advanced navigation tools in the world helped them sail across the Indian Ocean. Ninety years later, Columbus wouldn’t have equipment as good as Zheng He’s.
The key was the magnetic compass. The Chinese invented this essential tool in the 11th century. The compass allowed the Chinese to steer their ships even under cloud cover.
Chinese sailors could also figure their latitude, or the distance north of the equator. Each evening they took readings to find the North Star's position above the horizon.
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The closer the star's position to the horizon, the farther south they were. The farther the star's position from the horizon, the farther north they were.
Zheng He and his fleet reached Calicut in late 1406. Calicut was wealthy, and its merchants had fabulous goods to trade, such as spices.
Eagerly, the Indian merchants boarded Zheng He’s ships and drove hard bargains. But the bargaining was always honest. One observer wrote that they “have all joined hands and sealed our agreement with a handclasp.”
Zheng He returned in triumph from India in 1407. Along with trade goods, he brought ambassadors from Calicut and other Asian countries.
All of them paid tribute to Emperor Chengzu and gave him gifts. Zheng He had expanded China’s influence all the way to India. The Chinese celebrated him as a great hero.
Zheng He made a total of seven voyages of discovery. His second and third expeditions, which took place between 1407 and 1411, built on the success of the first. On the third voyage, Zheng He sailed to the South Asian kingdoms of Malacca and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).
In 1412, the emperor began to plan the fourth expedition, which included 62 ships. In 1414, after two years of preparation, Zheng He launched his fleet.
This time he sailed beyond India to Hormuz, a wealthy Arabian city. Chinese merchants on this expedition traded for pearls, rubies, sapphires, and beautiful carpets.
In addition, Zheng He wrote, “Hormuz presented lions, leopards with gold spots, and large western horses.” On their way back home to China, one of Zheng He’s officers received another gift for the emperor—a giraffe.
The Chinese marveled at the creature’s long neck and believed that it was a quilin, or mythical creature.
When Zheng He returned to China, the emperor and the people again welcomed him as a hero. In 1416, he left on his fifth voyage, again to Arabia. But this time the fleet continued to eastern Africa.
When Zheng He reached the city of Mogadishu in Somalia, the city’s leaders refused to welcome him. Angered, he launched explosives over the walls of the city.
Finally Mogadishu’s doors opened to him. According to Zheng He, “Mogadishu presented . . . zebras as well as lions.”
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Zheng He made his sixth voyage in 1421. Partway through the expedition, however, he returned to China to help Emperor Chengzu celebrate the opening of Beijing, China’s new capital. In 1424, Emperor Chengzu died, ending the men’s nearly fifty-year friendship.
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The new emperor did not share Chengzu’s adventurous spirit, and put a stop to Zheng He’s voyages. When that emperor died in 1426, however, his successor allowed Zheng He to resume exploring.
The admiral, now over sixty, made his seventh and final voyage in 1431 to the southern coast of Arabia. He and his crew were also received by the sultan of Egypt. But the years had caught up with Zheng He. He died on the way home, and was buried at sea.
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By 1435, another new emperor was on the throne, and China began to turn inward. The new leadership was very traditional. They claimed that China already had the best of everything and had no need to trade.
The royal government even destroyed Zheng He’s records of his voyages because they feared that they might inspire others. In 1525, the emperor ordered all ships capable of ocean voyages to be destroyed.
China was increasingly isolated from the rest of the world and began a long decline. Only in the last decades has China, once again, begun to reach beyond its own borders. Now, it is a major trading partner with the United States and other nations. Today, the spirit of Zheng He is alive and well.
https://sites.google.com/site/floresworldhistory7/china-s-contacts-with-the-outside-world/reading-further-the-explorations-of-admiral-zheng-he?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1
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The CNS has two kinds of tissue: grey matter and white matter, Grey matter, which has a pinkish-grey color in the living brain, contains the cell bodies, dendrites and axon terminals of neurons, so it is where all synapses are.
White matter is made of axons connecting different parts of grey matter to each other.
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A USC study has found the first proof of structural brain abnormalities in people who habitually lie, cheat and manipulate others.
While previous research has shown that there is heightened activity in the prefrontal cortex � the area of the brain that enables most people to feel remorse or learn moral behavior � when normal people lie, this is the first study to provide evidence of structural differences in that area among pathological liars.
The research � led by Yaling Yang and Adrian Raine, both of the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences � is published in the October issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry.
The subjects were taken from a sample of 108 volunteers pulled from Los Angeles’ temporary employment pool. A series of psychological tests and interviews placed 12 in the category of people who had a history of repeated lying (11 men, one woman); 16 who exhibited signs of antisocial personality disorder but not pathological lying (15 men, one woman); and 21 who were normal controls (15 men, six women).
“We looked for things like inconsistencies in their stories about occupation, education, crimes and family background,” said Raine, a psychology professor at USC and co-author of the study.
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“Pathological liars can’t always tell truth from falsehood and contradict themselves in an interview. They are manipulative and they admit they prey on people. They are very brazen in terms of their manner, but very cool when talking about this.”
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Aside from having histories of conning others or using aliases, the habitual liars also admitted to malingering, or telling falsehoods to obtain sickness benefits, Raine said.
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After they were categorized, the researchers used Magnetic Resonance Imaging to explore structural brain differences between the groups. The liars had significantly more “white matter” and slightly less “gray matter” than those they were measured against, Raine said.
Specifically, liars had a 25.7 percent increase in prefrontal white matter compared to the antisocial controls and a 22 percent increase compared to the normal controls. Liars had a 14.2 percent decrease in prefrontal gray matter compared to normal controls.
More white matter � the wiring in the brain � may provide liars with the tools necessary to master the complex art of deceit, Raine said.
“Lying takes a lot of effort,” he said.
“It’s almost mind reading. You have to be able to understand the mindset of the other person. You also have to suppress your emotions or regulate them because you don’t want to appear nervous. There’s quite a lot to do there. You’ve got to suppress the truth.
“Our argument is that the more networking there is in the prefrontal cortex, the more the person has an upper hand in lying. Their verbal skills are higher. They’ve almost got a natural advantage.”
But in normal people, it’s the gray matter � or the brain cells connected by the white matter � that helps keep the impulse to lie in check.
Pathological liars have a surplus of white matter, the study found, and a deficit of gray matter. That means they have more tools to lie coupled with fewer moral restraints than normal people, Raine said.
“They’ve got the equipment to lie, and they don’t have the disinhibition that the rest of us have in telling the big whoppers,” he said.
“When people make moral decisions, they are relying on the prefrontal cortex. When people ask normal people to make moral decisions, we see activation in the front of the brain,” he explained.
“If these liars have a 14 percent reduction in gray matter, that means that they are less likely to care about moral issues or are less likely to be able to process moral issues. Having more gray matter would keep a check on these activities.”
The researchers stopped short of asserting that these structural differences account for all lying.
“This is one of the components,” Raine said.
“The findings need to be replicated and extended to other parts of the brain. What are the other neurobiological processes?
“We haven’t had studies like this. It’s exciting to us because it’s a beginning study, but we need a lot more to flesh out this discovery.”
Yang, the study’s lead author, said the findings eventually could be used in making clinical diagnoses and may have applications in the criminal justice system and the business world.
“If [the findings] can be replicated and extended, they may have long-term implications in a number of areas,” said Yang, a doctoral student in the USC department of psychology’s brain and cognitive science program.
“For example, in the legal system they could potentially be used to help police work out which suspects are lying. In terms of clinical practice, they could help clinicians diagnose who is malingering � making up disability for financial gain.
“And also in business, they could assist in pre-employment screening, working out which individuals may not be suitable for hiring.
November 22nd is the feast day of St. Cecilia, one of the most revered of the early virgin martyrs of Rome, as evidenced by her name appearing in the Roman Canon of the Mass. St. Cecilia lived during the Roman Empire in the 3rd century and was born to a wealthy Roman family. She vowed her virginity to Christ, but her parents married her off anyway. She then converted her husband to the Christian faith, and he in turn respected her virginity and converted his brother. The story of how she converted her husband is quite remarkable. On her wedding night she made her vow known to him, and informed him that an angel guarded her purity. Her husband replied that he would believe her and honor her vow if he could also see her angel. Cecilia instructed him to first be baptized, and afterwards he was able to see her angel. Together her husband and his brother took up the task of burying martyred Christians, which was illegal, and resulted in their martyrdom. St. Cecilia responded by burying her husband and converting hundreds of people through her Christian witness and strength of faith. This, and her refusal to worship false gods, resulted in her being arrested. According to legend, St. Cecilia was not martyred easily. They first attempted to suffocate her, but it did not affect her. Then they attempted to behead her, but they were again unsuccessful despite three blows to the neck. She instead bled to death for three days as she continued to preach, and fellow Christians collected her blood in sponges and napkins as relics. The story of Saint Cecilia is one of courage, evangelization, and love of God in the midst of persecution and strife. St. Cecilia is most remembered today as the patron of musicians due to this legend: "While the profane music of her wedding was heard, Cecilia was singing in her heart a hymn of love of Jesus, her true spouse.” St. Cecilia is typically portrayed in art, statues, rosaries, and medals with a harp or other musical instruments. St. Cecilia gifts remind us to invoke the prayers of Saint Cecilia for those musicians lifting their talents up to God. https://www.catholiccompany.com/getfed/st-cecilia-patron-saint-musicians-5933
“But, right now, I have to emphasize that there are no direct practical applications,” she said.
In their journal article, the authors mention that separate studies of autistic children � who typically have trouble lying � have showed the converse pattern of gray matter/white matter ratios.
“The facts that autistic children have difficulty lying and also show reduced prefrontal white matter constitutes the opposite but complementary pattern of the results compared to adults with increased prefrontal white matter who find it easy to lie,” the researchers wrote.
“Although autism is a complex condition and cannot be taken as a model for lying, these results … converge with current findings on adult liars in suggesting that the prefrontal cortex is centrally involved in the capacity to lie.”
www.indiana.edu/~p1013447/dictionary/greywhit.htm
https://news.usc.edu/22586/Liars-Brains-Wired-Differently/
The angels are perhaps the oldest divine evolution. They were created as angles of God's consciousness, long before the Christed evolution of which man is a part. The word angel means “messenger,” from the Greek “angelos.”
Angels evolve into greater and greater levels of consciousness, service and responsibility. When angels graduate to the rank of archangels, they receive the gift of free will.
Many angels have embodied in human form and walk among us, as the scripture says: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Some remember their divine estate, though most do not, having taken on much human karma.
During the great rebellion, Lucifer and one third of the angels fell into lower levels of consciousness.
They were ultimately cast out of the etheric plane by Michael and his angels, into the physical and astral planes, where they made war with the “woman and her seed.”
This was their warfare against the newly formed Christed evolution on earth and other planets.
The book Dialogues with the Devil by Taylor Caldwell, who was able to read the akashic records, gives us an in depth perspective on what happened.
At the time of the fall, many angels also volunteered to come into embodiment to rescue their fallen brethren and assist the Christed evolution. Some made it home to God through the ascension, while many others are still here.
There are nine choirs of angels in heaven, and each choir occupies a specific level in spiritual hierarchy. In the Kabbalah each choir corresponds to a “sephirot” or “emanation” of God's consciousness within the Tree of Life.
As we descend the Tree of Life from spirit to matter, we are also descending through the angelic hierarchy. The pattern that we follow is a zigzag pattern that has been called “lightning flash” by kabbalists and that describes the process of divine creation, from Alpha to Omega.
The lowest sephirot, Malkhut Shekinah, encompasses the matter plane. This sephirot is associated with the initiates of the Brotherhood, called Ischim for perfect man, as well as with Sandalphon, who takes our prayers back to God.
The Seraphim are the highest choir of angels and are associated with the color white, that holds the vibration of the purity of God. They are great healers and embody the light, love and fire of God.
In the Kabbalah, the Seraphim are associated with the highest Sephirot, Keter. The Seraphim were the angels who placed the coal on Isaiah's tongue and initiated him in the delivery of the word.
They are said to form continuous rings around the throne of God in the Great central sun while continuously singing the praise, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.” The Old Testament speaks of them as having six wings; two covering the face, two covering the feet, and two used for flying.
We can pray to the Seraphim, from Archangel Michael's Rosary for Armageddon: “By the intercession of Saint Michael and the celestial choir of Seraphim, may the Lord make us worthy to burn with the fire of perfect charity. Amen.”
The Cherubim are the next choir of angels, and are associated with the color pink leading into ruby, that carries the vibration of the most intense love of God. In the Kabbalah, the Cherubim are associated with the Sephirot, Hokmah.
The Cherubim are said to stand next to the throne of God.
They are the guardians of the Ark of the Covenant and the guardians of the East Gate of the Garden of Eden, where they stand with flaming swords to guard the way of the Tree of Life.
They are also known as the record keepers of Heaven and are described as having four wings.
We can pray to the Cherubim, with this prayer from Archangel Michael's Rosary for Armageddon:“By the intercession of Saint Michael and the celestial choir of Cherubim, may the Lord vouchsafe to grant us grace to leave the ways of wickedness to run in the paths of Christian perfection. Amen.”
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The third choir of angels are the Thrones The Thrones are angels of justice who carry out God's decisions. In the Kabbalah, the Thrones are associated with the Sephirot, Binah.
Known as “wheels” and “many-eyed ones,” they are said to deploy like charioteers around the throne of God, moving on wheels of blue-green color.
They were described by Ezekiel as having four wings and four faces—that of the man, the lion, the calf and the flying eagle, and sparkled like the color of burnished brass. The noise of their wings was “like the noise of great waters” and above their heads was the likeness of the firmament.
We can pray to the Thrones, with this prayer from Archangel Michael's Rosary for Armageddon: “By the intercession of Saint Michael and the celestial choir of Thrones, may the Lord infuse into our hearts a true and sincere spirit of humility. Amen.”
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The fourth choir of angels are the Dominions or Dominations, who, according to Jewish traditions, determine the fate of nations. In the Kabbalah, the Dominions are associated with the Sephirot, Hesed.
They have been described as wearing long gowns that reach to their feet, hitched with a golden belt and adorned with a green sole. They carry a golden staff in the right hand and the seal of God in the left.
At other times, they are said to hold an orb or a scepter. We can pray to the Dominions, with this prayer from Archangel Michael's Rosary for Armageddon: “By the intercession of Saint Michael and the celestial choir of Dominions, may the Lord give us the grace to govern our senses and subdue our unruly passions. Amen.”
The fifth choir of angels are the Powers. These were credited as being the first order of angels created by God. In the Kabbalah, the Powers are associated with the Sephirot, Gevurah.
We find in the New Testament that “the soul is subject to the Powers,” whose duty is protecting the world from the infiltration of demons and avenging evil in the world.
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The Powers have also been said to guide the soul to Heaven after the death of the body. We can pray to the Powers, with this prayer from Archangel Michael's Rosary for Armageddon:
“By the intercession of Saint Michael and the celestial choir of Powers, may the Lord vouchsafe to protect our souls against the snares and temptations of the devil. Amen.”
The sixth choir of angels are the Virtues. They are described as brilliant and shining ones, and are usually represented in a group.
In the Kabbalah, the Virtues are associated with the Sephirot, Tiferet, symbol of the Christ.
The Virtues are known to be angels of miracles, encouragement, and blessings, bestowing grace and valor and helping people who struggle with their faith.
It has been said that the two angels present for the ascension of Jesus came from this choir. We can pray to the Virtues, with this prayer from Archangel Michael's Rosary for Armageddon:
“By the intercession of Saint Michael and the celestial choir of Virtues, may the Lord preserve us from evil and suffer us not to fall into temptation. Amen.”
The seventh choir of angels are the Principalities, who are considered to be the guardians of religions, nations and world leaders. In the Kabbalah, the Principalities are associated with the Sephirot, Netzah. Some say that the angel who help the shepherd boy David slay Goliath was from this order.
Principalities have been described as being dressed in soldier's uniforms with golden girdles. We can pray to the Principalities, with this prayer from Archangel Michael's Rosary for Armageddon:
“By the intercession of Saint Michael and the celestial choir of Principalities, may the Lord fill our souls with a true spirit of obedience. Amen.”
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The eighth choir of angels are the Archangels, the angels in command of ministering to humans. They bring God's messages and command the armies of heaven against the evil doings of the fallen angels. In the Kabbalah, the Archangels are associated with the Sephirot, Hod.
Archangel Michael is the leader of the seven archangels who serve on the seven rays of God—Michael, Jophiel, Chamuel, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, and Zadkiel—as well as Archangel Uzziel, who serves in the eighth ray of integration, and five more archangels for whom we have no names.
We can pray to the Archangels, with this prayer from Archangel Michael's Rosary for Armageddon: “By the intercession of Saint Michael and the celestial choir of Archangels, may the Lord give us perseverance in faith and in all good works, in order that we may gain the glory of paradise. Amen.”
The ninth choir of angels are the Angels or Angelic Hosts, who are closest to humanity and minister to us in every aspect of life. These include our guardian angels. In the Kabbalah, the Angels are associated with the Sephirot, Yesod.
We can pray to the Angels, with this prayer from Archangel Michael's Rosary for Armageddon: “By the intercession of Saint Michael and the celestial choir of angels, may the Lord grant us to be protected by them in this mortal life and conducted hereafter to eternal glory. Amen.”
I was introduced to fantasy wuxia films (神怪武俠片) through the Hong Kong soaps of my childhood. A character, going through insomnia or waiting up for someone past midnight, will be shown watching or nodding off to these black and white movies, lit by the aquarium glow of a television. Fallen out of favor since the late ’60s, Cantonese fantasy wuxia was exiled to the graveyard slot, summoned only to wallpaper the mise-en-scène of a trope. The supernatural populated the genre along with lecherous Taoist sorcerers and extras dressed as mythical beasts, their black bodysuits peeking through their furry behinds. Fight choreography was sloppy with a lot of rolling and hopping and swords that plunge under armpits. “Palm power” forcefields, drawn directly on negatives, functioned in much the same way as the Care Bears Stare, knocking out enemies. In all their b-grade campiness, these films are closer to Plan 9 From Outer Space than the Technicolor pomp and polish of a Shaw Brothers production. Interestingly though, women were major players in Cantonese fantasy wuxia. Strong-willed and plucky under ersatz finery, they forge their destinies with or without men. They crossdress, embody male characters and lack limp wrists. Sexuality is expressed through coy smiles, fluttering eyelids and sideway glances that although chaste, are decidedly unsubtle. Framed by a Confucian male gaze, female protagonists are a contradiction of emancipation and subservience. https://rebeccachew.co/following/posts/rebeccachew.co/Midnight-Heroines
Archangel Michael and the Archangel Faith serve on the first ray of God's will, faith and protection. The vibration of that ray is blue. Archangel Michael is the most revered archangel in Christian, Jewish and Islamic traditions.
His name means, “who is like God.” Michael is known as the Captain or Prince of the Archangels, the Defender of the Faith and the Archangel of Deliverance.
He is the sponsor of law enforcement agencies around the world. The archeia Faith is his divine complement, and together, they have a retreat over Banff National Park in Canada, which is the Temple of Faith and Protection.
Archangel Michael and his legions work tirelessly to cut free God's children from the harmful entanglements with the astral plane.
When his sword of blue flame blazes into any negative manifestation, nothing can stand against it. Archangel Michael stands to defend our faith and to protect us from any untoward condition, including accidents and physical injuries.
It is important to call to him each day for protection and to consecrate our prayers to him, so he can use that reservoir of light to help other lightbearers who may be in need of his immediate assistance, but did not make the call.
We can take a sword or blunted knife made of stainless steel and consecrate that object to him. Then, when we wield it around our physical body, he will cut us free from attached entities and discarnates.
We can also wield Archangel Michael's sword it into any environment that has a negative energies and that we wish to clear.
In a 1961 dictation published by The Summit Lighthouse, Archangel Michael gave a very special dispensation. He said, “Some of you are of advancing years, and it will not be long before you vacate your body temples....
I will make you one promise. If you will call to me secretly within your heart and ask me to come to you at that hour, I, Michael, will materialize to you at the hour of your passing and you will see me as I AM.
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And I will promise you that I will help to cut you free from the remaining portions of your karma and will help you enter the realms of light with less of the attendant pain that results from human fear in their passing. This is a privilege and a gift I give you from my heart.”
Archangel Jophiel and the Archeai Christine serve on the second ray of God's wisdom and illumination. The vibration of that ray is yellow.
Together, they have a retreat over the Great Wall in China and serve with the World Teachers, Jesus and Kuthumi to amplify the consciousness of Christ among earth's evolutions.
The name Jophiel means “beauty of God” and Christine means one who anchors the Christ consciousness.
Together, these archangels unveil the mysteries of God, expose the dark plots of the fallen ones and teach us how to contact our higher self.
We can call to them to increase the flow of the golden light of illumination into the brain, to overcome addictions to tobacco and to release advanced teaching methods for the youth.
Archangel Chamuel and the Archeai Charity serve on the third ray of God's love.
The vibration of that ray is pink. These archangels have a retreat over the arch in St. Louis, Missouri called the Temple of the Crystal-Pink flame. The name Chamuel means, “he who seeks God.”
Together with Charity, Archangel Chamuel serves to expand the love of God in the hearts of men and elementals, bringing comfort to life.
They also wield the sword of the Ruby Ray, which is the fierce and uncompromising love of God that divides the real from the unreal and dispels the forces of tyranny and evil that prey upon God's children.
We can call to Chamuel and Charity to help us develop the qualities of mercy, compassion and loving-kindness for others, as well as to overcome manifestations of darkness in our world.
These archangels are sponsors of twin flames, marriages and families.
We can invite them into our homes to help us overcome all that opposes the harmony of the family and the sanctity of marriage.
Chamuel and Charity encourage us to reinforce our prayers to them with violet flame decrees so they can be permitted to take from our auras and bodies some of the burdens that we carry.
His name means “herald of good news.” Gabriel comes to announce the birth of Christ within our heart and within the heart of every child aborning in the womb.
These archangels prepare us for our ascension in the light and can be called upon to help us overcome all that would oppose that glorious event.
They also expose the infamy of the fallen ones, purify our entire consciousness, being and world and bring hope to mankind.
Archangel Raphael and Mother Mary serve on the fifth ray of God's healing, truth, science, precipitation and abundance. The vibration of that ray is green, and Mother Mary also embodies the teal, aqua-blue of the Divine Mother.
They also expose the infamy of the fallen ones, purify our entire consciousness, being and world and bring hope to mankind.
Archangel Raphael and Mother Mary serve on the fifth ray of God's healing, truth, science, precipitation and abundance. The vibration of that ray is green, and Mother Mary also embodies the teal, aqua-blue of the Divine Mother.
Xian is a Chinese word for an enlightened person
Mother Mary is the only member of the seven archangels and their archeia who took incarnation on earth, while Raphael as her twin flame overshadowed her throughout her mission.
Together, Mother Mary and Archangel Raphael have a retreat over Fatima, Portugal where a river of light from the etheric realm flows into the waters of Fatima to heal the many. Mother Mary also serves with Jesus in the Resurrection Temple over the Holy Land.
Mother Mary and Raphael train practitioners of the healing arts, minister unto hospitals, and help bring forth new forms of healing and alternative healing methods. Their angels are known as master surgeons.
These archangels would help us to heal the cause and core of a condition, and to understand the science of karma that determines whether a person will respond to natural cures or to those offered by medical science.
They are concerned not only with the healing of body, but also with the healing of the mind, of the emotions, of the soul and of the spirit.
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Archangel Raphael released a thoughtform that we can use known as the healing thoughtform to bring forth spiritual healing.
To do so, we must intensely visualize a sphere of white fire over the injured organ, or person, as soon as an injury has taken place. This visualization works at inner levels to restore the original perfection of the organ.
Next, we visualize a sphere of sapphire blue light surrounding the white sphere that establishes protection and the action of the will of God.
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Then, we visualize the sphere of blue enfolded in a sphere of brilliant, emerald green that restores the flow of spirit to matter to bring forth perfect wholeness.
Mother Mary and Raphael work with parents and families around the world in nurturing children, and they teach us to hold the immaculate concept for ourselves and for others.
What this means is that when we think of someone, and even ourselves, we don't think of the person in a critical way.
Instead, we visualize the Christ presence around that person and see them, as well as ourselves, in the original pattern of perfection.
This perfect idea becomes a magnet that precipitates the best possible behavior from the person who will seek, albeit unconsciously, to fulfill the thoughtform superimposed upon them.
Mother Mary perfected the science of precipitation and the holding of the immaculate concept in her three lifetimes on earth.
In the first life, she served in a healing temple on Atlantis, where she developed great powers of concentration, precipitation and healing. In her second life, she was the wife of Jesse, who bore eight sons, the youngest of which became King David, a previous incarnation of Jesus.
Then in her final incarnation, she was chosen to be the mother of Jesus and to hold the immaculate concept for his mission and the mission of his disciples.
After Jesus' resurrection, she and a small group of devoted disciples traveled to various parts of Europe to anchor the healing flame and the flame of the Christ consciousness.
When Mary passed away and was buried, three days later when the apostles opened her tomb, they only found twelve white lilies where she had ascended.
Mother Mary is the greatest representative of the Mother of the World. She is an advocate for children and youth, and a staunch defender of the right to life in the womb.
She has appeared to believers around the world with messages of prophecy that can be overturned through the power of prayer, most notably the violet flame.
She also teaches us how to access her spiritual momentum while we raise the Mother light within our own temple by giving her rosary:
Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
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Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us Sons and Daughters of God,
Now and at the hour of our victory over sin, disease and death.
Archangel Uriel and the Archeai Aurora serve on the sixth ray of God's peace, judgment, ministration and service. The vibration of that ray is purple and gold.
Together, they have a retreat over the Tatra Mountains in Poland.
The name Uriel means “light or fire of God,” and Aurora is the dawn. Together, they guard the dawn of the Christ consciousness in all mankind and amplify the feeling of peace in every heart.
They embody the flame of brotherhood and minister to all life. In defense of peace, these archangels and their legions also go forth to make war against the fallen ones, and teach us how to hold our peace against the forces that oppose our peace.
When we call upon them, they will help us to desire harmony and the control of our energies more than the desire to win an argument and be seen right of men.
Uriel and Aurora have expressed their deep concern about abortion, and the karma of nations who condone it. They teach that if you have had an abortion, you can balance that karma by sponsoring life and speaking out in defense of the unborn.
We must call to Uriel for the righteous judgment of God on all situations pertaining to the world, as well as for in overcoming the angry, selfish ego nature and its hardness of heart. Then, we can invoke the violet flame. Uriel is also the Archangel of the resurrection.
He teaches us how to use the resurrection flame to conquer fear and gain mastery over outer conditions. He explains that when we are confronted with fear, the most effective response is to quiet down, breathe deeply and softly give his mantra three times, “Peace be still.”
Uriel teaches us to overcome our sense of separation from God. When we face difficulties, he counsels us not to condemn ourselves but instead to see ourselves in our great God-self towering over the problem at hand.
From that perspective, we affirm, “O my God , I will have my victory over this beast of my lesser self!” Then, we consecrate all of the negatives to the violet flame, and start building a new momentum.
Archangel Zadkiel and the Archeai Holy Amethyst serve on the seventh ray of God's forgiveness, transmutation, diplomacy, alchemy, spiritual ritual and freedom. The vibration of that ray is violet and the amethyst is a jewel that crystallizes that ray.
Together, these archangels have a retreat over the island of Cuba, which is the Temple of Purification. This temple, now etheric, was physical in the days of Atlantis.
The spiritual momentum of priests of the sacred fire who served in that temple prevented the island from sinking when the rest of the continent sank.
The name Zadkiel means “righteousness of God.” In his temple, he prepares Sons and Daughters of God to become priests and priestesses of the Order of Melchizedek, a spiritual order of initiates who are alchemists of the violet flame.
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The violet flame is a spiritual energy that changes darkness into light and brings the glow of eternal youth.
Zadkiel teaches us to invoke that flame of forgiveness and transmutation for all whom we have ever wronged, and for all who have ever wronged us. He explains that we can call upon the violet flame when we need a miracle, because miracles are sudden transmutation.
First, we summon angelic intercession for a very specific direction. Then, we invoke the violet flame to mitigate the effects of personal and mass karma, and we saturate our aura with the violet flame.
In a 1968 dictation published by The Summit Lighthouse, Archangel Zadkiel describes what happens when we give the violet flame:“We see from inner levels the tremendous effort you make to transmute the layers upon layers of karma you have made in this and past lives,” he says.
“It is truly a marvelous thing for us to behold. In one moment, you sit surrounded with every kind of negative thought revolving in your aura. In the next, you decide to invoke the violet flame.
And lo! The mighty power of the seventh ray, as a giant electrode of cosmic energy, begins to form around your person. The violet flame angels gather round you.
With palms outstretched, they direct across your four lower bodies and aura an arc of the violet ray. As that arc flashes across your being, it vaporizes the negative conditions. They literally disappear from thought and mind.”
Archangel Uzziel is the archangel of the eighth ray of integration, that integrates all of the qualities of the other rays and is associated with the color ruby, an intense and uncompromising love.
The name Uzziel means “strength of God.” We can call to Uzziel for his in mastering the energies of the five secret rays that flow through our spleen, our hands and our feet. Doing so brings tremendous spiritual acceleration and self-mastery.
Uzziel would also teach us how to expand the fires of the heart chakra so that we can sustain the eighth ray and the intensity of ascension's fires that come with it.
He counsels us to turn off the discordant noise and jagged rhythms that come through movies and popular music because they bombard the physical senses and are harmful to the heart.
He also asks us to meditate on the secret chamber of the heart so that we might clear a pathway whereby his presence can be anchored within us.
Archangels of the Five Secret Rays - The names of these archangels and their divine complements have not been revealed. These archangels anchor the secret rays of God, that have a profound inner action within our beings and throughout the world of form.
We can call upon them to help us accelerate the secret rays within our own being, and also to take command of all forms of darkness in the world around us.
Ministering Angels - Mighty Angel Clothed with a Cloud - This angel is described in the Book of Revelation as one who is clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow on his head and in his hand a little book.
He stands in the presence of Alpha and Omega and he bears witness to the light that descends as Sons and Daughters of God invoke the Word of God. This angel would help us to exalt our co-creativity with God through free will. He also brings the initiation of truth to all who call upon him.
Angel Deva of the Jade Temple - Deva is a Sanskrit word that means “angel" or “spirit being." The Angel Deva of the Jade Temple is the hierarch of an etheric retreat in China known as the Jade Temple. He brings the flame of healing to all who call upon him.
He invites us to meditate on a great lotus of white fire around ourselves that will infuse our senses with the purity of God. We can call upon him to charge our jade jewelry with his momentum of purity and healing.
Listening Angel is the angel who listens to prayers. She is commissioned by Alpha and Omega to listen to our innermost thoughts and heart yearnings and carries these prayers back to our Father-Mother God.
Listening Angel and her legions bring comfort, wisdom and compassion during our times of need. They especially listen to the yearning of souls who suffer deeply and do not know how to articulate a prayer.
They also bring comfort to those souls whose bodies and missions are being aborted at the behest of their mothers.
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They tend these souls with greatest care so that they may not be scarred when they must enter the womb of life once again, wondering whether they will be received or whether their life will be snuffed out in a most cruel way.
Listening Angel and her legions also nurture and respond to the fine sensitivities of children, whose prayers and desire to console their parents is most precious.
Angel of Gethsemane - This angel, who ministered to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane comes to strengthen the body of God upon earth.
He comes to strengthen our resolve to do God's will and to help us pass through our own personal initiation of the crucifixion, so that our soul may ultimately be resurrected.
The Angel of Listening Grace belongs to a band of angels of the sacred fire who penetrate the consciousness of mankind to remove the patterns of those fallen ones who would spoil life for others.
These angels rally the energies of our being down to the cellular level, and bring hope that will make us whole.
The Angel of Peace is the commander of a band of angels known as the Legion of Peace. This angel assisted Jesus in amplifying the flame of peace during his ministry and will help us do likewise.
He is most especially concerned with soul separation from God through atheism, agnosticism and other systems of thought that deny God in society. We can call to the Angel of Peace to enter the classrooms of the world and to teach the children to pray once again.
Angel of the Agony - This angel ministered to Jesus on the cross. The Angel of the Agony and his legions serve to inspire and uplift those who are bowed down by the weight of personal and planetary karma.
These angels minister to suffering humanity and bring comfort to those who are dying, as well as to their loved ones, renewing in them a sense of hope for spiritual purpose on the other side of the veil.
These angels also help those who are experiencing tremendous physical suffering, especially at the end of life, so they can be able to expand the bliss of heart and soul while simultaneously, intense pain is taking place within the body.
Angel of the Cosmic Cross of White Fire - This angel is the spokesperson for numberless numbers of angels who minister unto the Sons and Daughters of God at the hour of their crucifixion.
These angels come to help us internalize the white fire of God's intense purity, and the intense love of the ruby ray for the healing of the heart. They also help us to internalize the joy of forgiveness for ourselves and for others.
Angel of the Resurrection - The Angel of the Resurrection is from a band of angels who amplify the victory of souls ascending to the light.
He stood by Jesus in the tomb, as Jesus anchored the spiritual light necessary to resurrect his body temple, and he would also stand by us as we accelerate our consciousness God-ward through prayer and invocations.
His band of angels carry with them the intense joy of the resurrection. They would transmit that energy to us, until our heart and chakras and cells and atoms become so accelerated with sacred fire that our entire forcefield becomes a whirling sun of light. Angel of the Revelation of John the Divine - This angel was the being through which Jesus dictated the Book of Revelation to the apostle John.
The Angel of the Revelation teaches how to become the fullness of Christ, how to establish the true church and how to overcome divisions in the body of God. He would help us overcome the fallen ones who have infiltrated the body of God.
These are the false pastors, the wolves in sheep's clothing as Jesus described, who work ceaselessly to put forth false doctrines that tear down the love among the members of the body of God.
The Angel of the Revelation asks us to call, in the name of Jesus, for the spirit of division to be routed out of the churches, and of the body of God present within every religion.
He helps us to wean ourselves from the erroneous belief that salvation comes from an outer commitment to an outer organization, and instead, confirms the living word within us.
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Micah, Angel of Unity, is the son of Archangel Michael. Micah focuses a tremendous concentration of the will and love of God.
His job is to expand peace, harmony and unity among the children of God. He also guards the unity of the fifty states of America, and was the bright angel George Washington saw, on whose crown was inscribed the word “union” and on whose banner, the words, “Remember ye are brethren.”
Micah also inspired Hiawatha to reinforce the unity among the Indian nations, as recorded by the poet Longfellow in the Song of Hiawatha, “All your strength is in your union, all your danger is in discord; Therefore be at peace henceforward, and as brothers live together.”
Angel who Rolled Away the Stone - This angel rolled away the stone from the tomb where Jesus had been buried. He offers his momentum to help us roll away our stones of stumbling, when we call upon him, and especially our boulders of pride.
He encourages us to generously invoke the violet flame to transmute those boulders and anything in our life that would prevent us from serving god to the utmost.
Justinius is the leader of the Seraphim, who bring the light of the Great central Sun to the four corners of the universe, trailing clouds of glory.
Justinius and the Seraphim are great healers who, when called upon, will release the sacred fire to purge, purify and renew the bloodstream.
They also send forth the fire to heal body, mind and soul. The Seraphim have the power of cosmic penetrability and can pass through flesh, thoughts and feelings like streaks of fire.
This allows them to transmute the densest substance instantly, to absorb toxins at all levels of being and to leave behind a residue of purity. We can pray for them to heal our loved ones and the planet as a whole.
Four Seraphim are assigned to protect lightbearers who worship God in the heart from the onslaught of descending world karma.
The Seraphim are also the ones who prepare our souls for the ascension process. We can call each day for the full armor of Justinius to be upon us, his sword, shield, breastplate, back plate and helmet upon which are inscribed the words, “Holiness unto the Lord.”
Servatus oversees legions of healing angels who, with Mother Mary and Raphael, minister to mankind. He would help us overcome the misuses of science in genetic engineering that led to the sinking of Atlantis. Servatus explains that advances in science must be balanced with an accelerated spiritualization.
Otherwise, they lead to greater and greater materialism and mechanization that ultimately unleash a karma that mankind cannot withstand. Servatus responds with thousands of angels to even one prayer for personal and planetary wholeness.
Angels of the Emerald-Teal Ray - This band of angels works with Mother Mary and the master Hilarion to amplify our ability to cope with life. It is most helpful to call to them daily, for ourselves and for our loved ones.
The Angel of the Presence is the personalized electrode of God in the center of our own Mighty I AM Presence and causal body, which is the highest manifestation of God for our lifestream.
The light of God anchored in our Mighty I AM Presence comprises all of the attainment stored in the concentric color rings of our causal body. This light is released to us through the Angel of the Presence according to our merit, service, and cosmic and karmic timetables.
The Angel of the Presence stands at a higher level of spiritual unfolding than our Holy Christ Self. When we make our ascension, all of the good from our past life personalities becomes stamped on our Christ Self and that Christ Self becomes fully personified and one with our soul.
Then, as an ascended master and sometimes before, we pass through the initiations that unfold our Buddhic and Atmic vehicles.
Following these initiations, we gain the attainment of God or Goddess and our Christed personality becomes stamped on the Angel of the Presence. It is only at the level of God and Goddess that the Angel of the Presence becomes fully personified.
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In the Jewish mystical tradition known as Kabbalah, Metatron is the angel who serves the Tree of Life through the sephirot Keter, which represents the highest aspect of the spiritual plane and the Father principle.
His brother is said to be Sandalphon, a fiery angel in the midst of heaven who is associated with the sefirot of Malkhut Shekinah, that corresponds to the matter plane and the Mother principle.
According to Jewish lore, Moses was led to Sandalphon by another angel named Hardaniel until he could become accustomed to the fire emanating from Sandalphon. Of Sandalphon, the poet Longfellow writes:
Have you read in the Talmud of old,
In the Legends the Rabbins have told
Of the limitless realms of the air,
Have you read it, the marvellous story
Of Sandalphon, the Angel of Glory,
Sandalphon, the Angel of Prayer?
How, erect, at the outermost gates
Of the City Celestial he waits,
With his feet on the ladder of light,
That, crowded with angels unnumbered,
By Jacob was seen, as he slumbered
Alone in the desert at night?...
Sandalphon stands listening breathless
To sounds that ascend from below;
From the spirits on earth that adore,
From the souls that entreat and implore
In the fervour and passion of prayer;
From the hearts that are broken with losses,
And weary with dragging the crosses
Too heavy for mortals to bear.
And he gathers the prayers as he stands,
And they change into flowers in his hands,
Into garlands of purple and red;
And beneath the great arch of the portal,
Through the streets of the City Immortal
Is wafted the fragrance they shed.
Al Hilal is an angel deva who has ministered to the Moslem lightbearers under Archangel Gabriel. He helps every son and daughter og God on the path of the ascension, bringing the light of our prayers and invocations up to the Solar Logoi so that their effect can be multiplied.
Phanuel is mentioned in the Book of Enoch as an angel of exorcism who helps mankind repent, that they might have eternal life.
Some sources say Phanuel was the angel who wrestled with Jacob, while others say it was Archangel Michael. We can ask Phanuel to wrestle with our human consciousness until we see the glory of the new day appearing as our unfolding Christ consciousness.
http://www.ascendedmasterindex.com/angels.htm
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