From one of my favorite blogs

Art Blog by Bob. Bob just rocks the house!

After learning about Ulrich Zwingli, yesterday, I think this painting, "God as an Architect"by William Blake is right on topic. Bob describes Blake's artwork in relation to his poetry:

Blake’s spirituality earned him a reputation as a madman during his life. When a friend found Blake talking to a tree, he asked him if he was actually talking to the tree. “Of course not,” Blake replied. “I’m speaking with the angel in the tree.” However, Blake never blinded himself to the possibilities of science. Isaac Newton became one of his favorite subjects. In The Ancient of Days (God as an Architect) (above, from 1794), God himself assumes the role of a man of science, taking the measure of the universe he created. Just as there is always a balance between poetry and painting in Blake’s vision, there is always a balance between reason and imagination—a continual back and forth where neither side dominates for risk of losing the benefits of the other. Blake’s art intoxicates you when you first encounter his poetry or his imagery. Then it overwhelms you with his complexity. Because of this difficulty, a select handful of followers kept Blake’s memory alive and rescued it from the very real threat of obscurity.

Just like Zwingli, who worked on balancing reason and spirituality: Huldrych (or Ulrich which was his birth name in memory of Saint Ulrich von Augsburg) Zwingli or Ulricus Zuinglius (January 1, 1484 – October 11, 1531) was the leader of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland, and founder of the Swiss Reformed Churches. Independently of Martin Luther, who was doctor biblicus, Zwingli arrived at similar conclusions by studying the Scriptures from the point of view of a humanist scholar.


And then there's this beautiful painting, The Road to Calvary, Bob shares with us by an artist, Maurice Denis, that I'd never seen before - and I'm a fan of the Fauves! This is the kind of religious art I love. It's so dramatic, emotional and stark, but also beautiful. The colors, the light & dark, and the little details - the sweet yellow flowers, the Roman insignia, the shadows. Thank you, as always, Bob, for your blog!

Quiz results: who knew?

Took a quiz, here is the result:

Eucharistic theology created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Zwingli You are Ulrich Zwingli. You believe that bread and wine are symbols of the absent Jesus. You believe in interpreting Scripture reasonably. Zwingli 81% Calvin 69% Orthodox 63% Luther 38% Catholic 25% Unitarian 6%

It's all about me

I can't resist the meme:

Vampires: Josiah and I met at a vampire-themed party back in college. "The Hunger" was playing. Fuzzy navels were served. The rest is history.
I like blogging: it's a challenge for me, I'm trying to stay focused and DO IT, but it's FUN!
Religious Art: was the foundation of what I wanted to blog about. It still fascinates me, but I am often stumped by how to talk about it - and trolling the Patron Saint site, or other religious art blogs, doesn't really help me, because then I'm just trolling! If anyone has any suggestions about areas you think would be interesting to explore, or saints or symbols you'd like to learn more about or see more of, just leave me a comment!
Green: I'm an environmentalist, and a gardener.
I'm a mom.
Not a fashionista, but am struggling to define my "look" in my role as a 30-something mom.
International in my outlook in many ways - fashion, music, travel, reading, study, interests, you name it.
A bit of a culture vulture, Jane-of-all-trades-mistress-of-none.

Pass it on!

"Mommy, you're just like Strega Nona"

La Prima told me that this morning, as I stuck a band-aid (tm) on her big toe. "How's that?" I asked. "Because whenever anyone ever doesn't feel good, you make them feel better. Like Strega Nona takes away people's headaches."

It's just about the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me! I've never read Strega Nona, but apparently it's a fantastic book, written by a fellow Connecticutian (at least, that's what I call us!).

I have a lot I want to blog about, but haven't had the time, recently. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

"Separated at Birth?" and other crushes...

What do you think?

Similar, right?

Different hairstyles, I grant you.



But: The manly brow... the potential capacity for violence burbling under the surface. The suavity under pressure.... And Putin may even be able to get the Russian Constitution changed to allow him to be President for another term... I seem to remember Vorenus getting dispensations too!

I mean, Lu(s)ci(o)us Vorenus, played by Kevin McKidd on Rome, has his bleak moments. But he is loyal, and sheesh can he kick butt! I don't know, but Vladimir (Vlady) Putin seems similar. At least from the photos, right?

Speaking of Russians and mobsters, another of my all-time crushes, Viggo Mortensen, will be in "Eastern Promises," a movie soon-to-be released! Can't wait.

Clotilde & Clovis

Lakshmi and I are both reading "The Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley, right now. I am fascinated by my reaction to it now, reading it again after 20 years from my first time.

The characters seem less robust to me now. But there also seems to be an agenda to the religious discussion - almost proselytizing for Wiccanism. I don't know if that was actually MZB's goal, but when Lakshmi and I talked about it, we realized how much has changed in the world since the book first came out [1987]. Now there are even Wiccan chaplains in the US military!

Much has NOT changed, of course.

It may sound backwards, but I came back to Christianity through paganism. I dabbled in Wiccan practice, but found that I missed the structure, ritual and readings (Bible stories) of the Church. It was too hard for me personally to create a practice. PLUS, as MoA shows, the basis of the European interpretation of Christianity is heavily influenced by paganism. Start to finish. So, when the seasons turn, as they are now in Philly (Fall has arrived here) I follow the Christian liturgical calendar, and begin to think about Advent. The preparation for the coming baby new year.

Lakshmi and I have also been talking (at length) about open adoption and the process and all the DECISIONS! I have been thinking and praying about the process a lot, and all those involved, and went to my handy-dandy Patron Saints Index to find out who is affiliated with adoption. Apparently it's Clotilde - patron saint of adopted children. I still can't figure out WHY she's the patron, but whatevs.

So, while I was reading about her, I looked up her husband - Clovis I - who she brought to Christianity, and the story sounds EXACTLY like how MZB portrays Arthur's religious conversion around a battle and subsequent struggles. Amazing!

This is a good time of year for adopting - a time of preparation for the joy of a new child.

Happy Day of the Dead!

My favorite part of Halloween is the Day of the Dead/All Souls extravaganza that takes place in Latin America. I like the culture around Death in Mexico. I have a habit of getting sad and focusing on the loss of the people I've known who have died. But the tradition of remembering and honoring, and the GOOD times, the happiness we've shared with our loved ones who are gone is awesome.

Plus, the food, the flowers, the decorations, hanging out in the cemetery all night, that sounds like a lot of fun to me. Seriously.

Aahhhh.... the Food! Like, some mole, stuffed poblanos, flan, and of course, some tequila - what about a pomegranate margarita??

Happy Halloween!

How is this OK?

From the BBC website:

"Fema employees posed as reporters at Tuesday's "news briefing" with Deputy Administrator Harvey Johnson because an agency was providing a live video feed to US TV networks, according to the Washington Post.

Six questions were posed by the Fema officials and Mr Johnson even used the typical practice of calling for a "last question".

"I'm very happy with Fema's response," Mr Johnson said in reply to one query from an employee."

More on the BBC.

Madeleine L'Engle on Religious Art

And here, by way of Iconia, is a beautiful quote from my favorite childhood author, Madeleine L'Engle, who died recently:

"How many of us really want life, life more abundant, life which does not promise any fringe benefits or early retirement plans? Life which does not promise the absence of pain, or love which is not vulnerable and open to hurt?...
How many of us dare to open ourselves to that truth which would make us free? Free to talk to Roman Catholics or charismatics or Jews, as Jesus was free to talk to tax collectors or publicans or Samaritans. Free to feast at the Lord's table with those whose understanding of the Body and Blood may be a little different from ours. Free to listen to angels. Free to run across the lake when we are called.
What is a true icon of God to one person may be blasphemy to another. And it is not possible for us flawed human beings to make absolute zealous judgements as to what is and what is not religious art. I know what is religious art for me. You know what is religious art for you. And they are not necessarily the same."

-Madeleine L'Engle , 1918-2007

Alan Johnston's Story

I am so glad Alan Johnston was released from captivity in Gaza. I was so worried about him! I remember him reporting on the BBC, and his voice was in my ears each day when I read the number of days he was held.

He just wrote a (long) description of his ordeal. He's an amazing person. I love it that we both admire Ernest Shackleton! He describes creating his own psychological lifeboat, to make it to his tiny island of sanity. If you read Endurance, the story of how Shackleton saved his crew and himself from freezing to death in Antarctica by navigating to a minuscule island in the Pacific, you can see what I mean. I'm psyched that Alan Johnston and I are both fans of Shackleton's!

Joan of Arc is the Patron Saint of prisoners and captives. The icon above is by Br. Robert Lentz and available through Trinity Stores.

Southern California Fires

The ladies over at Hasta Los Gatos Quieren Zapatos asked for prayers and good wishes to get through the wildfires in S. Cali. It looks horrifying! 500,000 people displaced - before Katrina, I couldn't imagine it - and now, well, it's still mind-boggling.

According to the Patron Saint Index, St. Barbara is the saint to pray to against fires. And she's the patron saint of Firefighters too. Let's all say a prayer for everyone there.... may they return to normal life unscathed.

Psalm 23
1: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2: He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3: He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5: Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Mini News Round-up from Philly

Since pretty much everything in Philadelphia is dominated by Comcast, either their new building on the skyline, or their monopoly on our cable service, I thought this article at BlogHer would interest many of you.

I read this quote from Chris Satullo in the Inky today, which made me smile:

Philadelphia has to decide whether it wants to be green every day, or just on days when the Eagles play.

We do have a lot of work to do here in the City of Brotherly Love. But IS doable. We've made strides at rallying around this issue. Now if we could just take it to the level of the Phils making it to the Championships, we'd be set!

OMG! Plus, Marky Mark will be in town for "Lovely Bones!"

My favorite Prada jacket

... on a real person! See the Sartorialist to see the photo! It's on the lady on the right. Enjoy!

And speaking of Romania, check this out over on Das Artes Plasticas! Wow! How mind-bendingly beautiful!

Enjoy the weekend, all.

Bird Sighting: Hermit Thrush

Well, who would've thunk, that here in Philly I'd see a pair of Hermit Thrushes in my back yard?! I saw them through the window and watched them eat berries of a vine. They are beautiful! And if you go to the Cornell Ornithology site, you can hear their song - which is amazing.

Back in the day, Robert J. Lurtsema, radio host for WFCR, Amherst, used to play a tape of bird songs early in the morning. [I could never understand how grown-ups would want to get out of bed listening to the soothing birds singing all morning, but whatevs.] Hearing those thrushes in the "Back 40" brings me back....

Marimekko

Now that it FINALLY feels like Fall here in the City of Brotherly Love, I've started to check out another favorite clothing design source: Marimekko.

I have to say, again, that the color palette, in general, is a little drab for my taste - but there are still some stand-outs:

And if I really get nostalgic for the old-style Marimekko prints, I can always buy an "oilcloth" table cloth or something and ogle THAT all day:

Anthropologists Make Headlines

And not in a good way. You know, you have to be careful what you wish for.... I was hoping there would be more jobs for cultural Anthropologists out there, and this is what happens!

It's a classic dilemma for an Anthropologist. But I have to say, working for the military in a war zone is not a good idea in my opinion. The idea of "anthropologizing the military" IS a good idea. Like, have an understanding of the people we're fighting against. Yes, I'm all for that. But this late in the day? Knowing that their actions and research would put their informants directly in harm's way? I applaud the Concerned Anthropologists, and hope their cause makes some headway.

Blog Action Day!

Knights Templar out of the Secret Archives!

I am fascinated by this article from the BBC about how the Vatican Secret Archives are releasing some of their documents about the Templars' heresy trials from the 14th Century. I guess if we had an extra $8,000, we could get ourselves a copy of the documents too! On parchment and everything.

I have to admit that I am really into the Knights of St John the Hospitalier. Ever since our visit to the town of St Antoine many years ago, I think the whole history of the Templars is amazing.

Plus, there are the pilgrimage routes through France and Spain to Santiago Compostela. What great opportunities for religious art. I think I've convinced Josiah that we should do a walking trip through the South of France to Santiago. It would be awesome!

Image from Grailquest.org

Al Gore et al. win the Nobel Peace Prize! Wow! Excellent news! Have a great weekend, everyone!

We're All in This Together

Lakshmi turned me on to "Bloglines" and now I'm hooked. I visited Flatbush Gardener, and was reminded of Robert Lentz's icons.... Thanks Lakshmi, thanks, F.G., and thanks Bloglines, for letting me find "The Rev. Mama." Ahh.... the beauty of the interwebs.

The image, above, is named Compassion Mandala, and reminded me of this sermon by the Rev. Mama. "We're all in this together, keep your stick on the ice", and be the mercy and grace you want to see around you.

"... have no fear of human sin. Love people, even in their sin, for that is the semblance of Divine Love and is the highest love on earth. Love all of God's creation. The whole and every grain of sand of it. Love every leaf, every ray of God's light. Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will be begin to comprehend it better every day. And you will come at last to live the whole world with an all-embracing love." * (Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov)

* from Trinity Stores, Robert Lentz's Compassion Mandala

Romania

Romania (and Bulgaria and Turkey) are fascinating to me. I traveled to all three, and more as a teenager during our family's wacky tour through Eastern Europe in a camper. [I'll have to tell about that whole trip sometime.] Basically, we drove through Eastern Europe from (then) East Germany to Turkey.

I've had dreams recently of doing a shorter revision of that trip with my family, now that La Segunda is old enough for travel, and La Prima would remember it. Josiah seems into it, especially if we could find the cash to pull it off.

I think we could start from Bucharest, do something like this suggested tour from the Romanian Travel website. Then, drive to Bulgaria - doesn't it look amazing?? And end in Turkey, with some extra time for AT LEAST one visit to a hamam. Of course, time in Istanbul would be essential, and maybe a trip to Ephesus, too.

There is so much about the history of these countries that is unknown to me. But, from what I understand, the cultures and languages are both products of ancient mixing and fighting. Why Romanian is Romanian, and Bulgarian is Bulgarian ends up being a fascinating question. Why is one a Roman alphabet, and the other Cyrillic, for example? The music, and the food, and, of course, the Religious Art (Romanian & Bulgarian), are all affected by their geographic place in the world, and the people who have crossed paths there.

I want to go back!

Thanks to Wikipedia for planting this seed in my head!

Che

This is the original image the Churches Advertising Network played with for their "Meek. Mild. As If." campaign.

The BBC article mentions how the image has been used in religious contexts, but doesn't get specific. Good article though.

Go Phillies!

I'm wearing red today! The school kids in Philadelphia had a relaxed uniform today so they could wear red & white to school.

It's amazing, because those are the same colors of the Welsh Rugby team. When I was in Kindergarten in Lampeter, Wales, all the kids wore red and white when they were in, AND WON the championship game. It was pandemonium!

Here in Philly, we're hoping for a trip to the World Series. It's a city full of optimistic dreamers, and we're used to being let down.... But maybe, just maybe, this time, we can pull it off! I just hope Jimmy Rollins' SI cover won't be the jinx that does it.

Raphael in the Tarot

I knew I had seen an image of Raphael that reminded me of the day of Judgement - who knew it would be the Tarot Deck!? The image of an angel blowing a horn was what stuck in my mind's eye. The general reading for this card is "Kingdom of Glory" [or "Glory of Kingdom"]. But I usually think of it, in a reading, as a revelation, or epiphany of some sort. Like, getting a new lease on life, an awakening. Or, to tie in with my earlier Raphael post, having the scales fall off my eyes.

From Wikipedia: Raphael in Islam According to the Hadith, Israfil (Raphael in Arabic) is the Angel responsible for signalling the coming of Judgment Day by blowing a horn and sending out a "Blast of Truth". Unlike Jibrail(Gabriel) and Mikail(Michael), this archangel was not mentioned by name in the Quran.

See, I should have read further down the Wikipedia entry on Raphael:

Modern occultists sometimes associate Raphael with the colors yellow or gold and emerald green, the direction East (or West), the element Air, the crystal emerald and the Suit of Swords of the Tarot in traditions loosely derived from reports of Kabbalism. According to Francis Barrett (The Magus, vol. II, 1801), Raphael has also been denoted as the angel of science and knowledge, as well as the preceptor angel of Isaac. Other titles attributed to Raphael include the angel of prayer, love, joy, light, as well as the guardian of both the Tree of Life and of humanity.

That's where the Science and Technology ideas came from for the Archangels. And I thought it was a big mystery! Well, there you have it, folks, Wikipedia IS the source of all knowledge! [Whether confirmed, fully-researched, or not.]

Tarotpedia rocks, btw.

more Raphael images...

I am frequently amazed by Google and the kinds of stuff I find out there on the internets! Take this Futuristic Religious Art site for example. Wow. I can't say I get it, but the images are interesting. I mean, who would have thought of one of the 4 Archangels as representing "High Energy Physics"?!?

I hadn't thought of Uriel as representing Ecology, but hey! Why not? Maybe the Futuristic Art people can get in touch with the Patron Saint people, and they could make an addition to the Ecologists listing.

Anyway, I'm fascinated, and will keep searching for and thinking about the religious art out there.

And if I can ask you all, please send positive thoughts to all the teachers in your lives. There are a lot of them, and some of them are struggling mightily right now. Bless them!

Images from: http://www.pyracantha.com/religious.html

Raphael the Archangel

Well, all, just found out a cousin has Retinitis Pigmentosa. Please send her all your love and positive thoughts.

When she told me I went to the trusty Patron Saints index and found out that Raphael the Archangel is associated with the blind and curing blindness. Apparently he travelled with (and guarded) Tobiah, and cured a man's blindness; hence his connection with travellers, young people, blindness, healing and healers.

" Raphael means...God's remedy, for when he touched Tobit's eyes in order to cure him, he banished the darkness of his blindness. Thus, since he is to heal, he is rightly caused God's remedy. " from a homily by Pope Saint Gregory the Great

I'm so psyched the Free Library of Philadelphia had this manuscript image online. Thank you!

Fashion Week - Betsey Johnson

Betsey Johnson is another one of my favorite designers. So feminine. And what great colors! I love visiting her stores, and am so bummed there is no longer one in Philly - but I guess there's still a store in KoP. I guess it just means I have to make another visit to our megalopolis neighbor to the north.

The yellow one is cute too:

Thanks to the FUG Girls for the link to the Betsey Johnson show.

I'm not Catholic....

.... but I love this article posted at Idle Speculations. A Green Confessional! What a great idea!

[Isn't St Francis the best?!?]

Thanks to Trinity Stores for carrying Robert Lentz's work!

Al Gore in the News

Just read about Al Gore's latest honor. As you may have gathered, I think he's on the right track. That we need to do a better job with the environment - but we need to talk about it in terms that are manageable. That it WILL actually make a positive impact if each of us does our part to help the planet. I like that concept.

Upon doing a little research at my favorite Patron Saint site, I found out that St Francis of Assisi (one of my faves) and Kateri are both patron saints for Environmentalists.

I love this image of Kateri by my favorite icon painter, Robert Lentz. She was from New York State, Mohawk Iroquois Nation, adopted by the Turtle Clan - the symbols are all there - the birch trees, the background color (feels like the inside of a forest to me), and the turtle. Apparently,

in her right hand she bears one of the most important symbols of her culture, the tree of peace. By the mid-15th century, blood feuds had almost destroyed her people. A holy man named Dekanawidah appeared, preaching peace and reconciliation. He taught that all people were brothers and sisters and that differences were better resolved by discussion than war. Through his influence, the five Iroquois tribes formed a unified government and stopped fighting among themselves. The symbol of this vision was a huge tree under which all peoples could find peace. When more people would come, the branches of the tree would simply grow longer. An eagle lived at the top of the tree and warned the people whenever peace was threatened. The tree, like all the earth, rode on the back of a giant turtle’s back. *

Keep up the great work, Al!

* Excerpts from Jones, Terry H., "Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha" Patron Saints Index, from Trinity Stores' website all rights reserved.

Fall Collections

It's that time of year again - time for the over-sized Vogue and Elle magazines to come out. In years past Angie and I would get them on our way to our family vacation in Canada and pick out our favorite outfits.

I'm not sure I'm hip to the shoe styles that are coming out - nothing is really striking me as a must-have. Though I do love the new Prada combos (go to the Women's Collections, Advertising and then, my favorite is the black and green skirt w/jacket!) I'm searching desperately for a photo to share!

Of course Paul Smith, and Missoni are coming out with pretty things, but Paul is still going neutral on me - where are his shocking and bright solids and plaids?!?!

Nantes... more

Thanks, Angie, for this link to a recent NYT article about Nantes' revitalization efforts! You can see a slideshow here. Je vourdrais bien y voyager. Je manque que les sous!