La Festa dell’ Inverno: Winter 2023 - Part 4

Mackay Is The Most Criminally Overlooked Town In Idaho

The other day I tried a 25.3 fl oz aluminum container of Proud Source Spring Water, bottled at the source in Mackay, Idaho in the Rocky Mountains. It doesn't have the taste of most mineral water brands/sources; just a clear taste. I remember my father used to bring home "mountain water" which he collected himself during winter from way up on the Sierra Nevada Mountains, as he was a truck driver. Proud Source has the same taste.

 

From the bottle....

Crafted By Nature

Our natural alkaline spring water is bottled at the source near the base of Idaho's majestic Mount McCaleb. It's naturally filtered by thousands of layers of ancient volcanic rock. Leaving minerals and electrolytes that deliver a smooth, crisp taste.

Proud Source Water

 

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Goat Lake in the Sawtooth Wilderness, Idaho

Sarah Goeckner

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Mom's Guiding Light

"Today Will Be Great"

I can think of once when I was a teen, hiking the nearby mountain trails at twilight one June evening. I had one of those early Sony Walkmans, which played the old audio cassette tapes. The air was warm as the darkness overcame the mountain. I felt energized by the blackness, but I hadn't brought a flashlight. I remember walking a wooded trail, pondering my life, but never thinking that this evening would stay in my memory. To me, it was just another evening. I started to make my way back home, listening to the music. When I came upon the final stretch of trail, before some street light would illuminate the environment a little, I remember listening to 'Time After Time' by Cyndi Lauper. There seemed to be a great meaning to the song, but I didn't really understand what it was. The lyrics almost suit the idea of that warm night and the guiding light.

The mountain itself--along with the elevated community and our home--symbolized guardian spirits, as there were problems not far below. Now I'm far away from those old cornerstones of my life, and it's both easier and harder to be nostalgic about them. Finally I made my way to the big neighborhood water tank; that beautiful light blue tank resting along the mountain slope, some trees surrounding it, with a paved road leading to the street below. There were two other water tanks on the mountain, serving other communities up there, but this one was ours. Somebody then, or now, could walk up that paved road, place a fold up chair on the grassy area in the back, take out a beverage, and look out and see downtown San Francisco, downtown Oakand, the Marin Headlands, much of the Bay, like being in Heaven. If there were a little house on that spot, I would rather live there than the greatest mansion in the city!

I made my way down to the street, and continued to walk a few blocks, downward on those steep streets, back home. As usual, my mother had left the porch light on for me; something she did my entire life. She used to get the cats in, and flip that switch if anyone else was still out. Even just a couple of years ago, living there, when I was out after dark, she would always turn it on, even after she had gone to bed. At that point, she would also turn on the living room lamp as well. She was always my guiding light.

Two days ago, while shopping, I saw one of those little "Be Inspired" hanging canvas banners. The ones that hang on a little wooden stick, with a small rope onto which to hang it up. It was a light-beige canvas with pink flowers and brown lettering that reads "TODAY WILL BE GREAT," with a fancy pink tassel hanging from the v-shaped bottom. I have it hanging from the ceiling on an old hook in one corner. It reminds me of my mom, because every day was great when she was here. Maybe it can bring a little bit of that energy and mood back.

Flashback, warm nights
Almost left behind
Suitcase of memories
Time after time

'Porch Light'

Traditional Realism night Painting

by Paul Keysar

"Become the bright light for others, when their world becomes dark"
-- Anthony Douglas Williams; 'Inside the Divine Pattern'

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Time After Time

Cyndi Lauper

2.74M subscribers

12,402,557 views - Jan 25, 2017

Provided to YouTube by Epic
Time After Time · Cyndi Lauper
Twelve Deadly Cyns... And Then Some
℗ 1983 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Released on: 1994-07-19

con't....

 

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"I have been hearing this song since I was a child. Thank you for giving us this beautiful song, Cyndi! ❤️"
--  Débora Almeida

"Song always holds a special place in my heart."
-- Lonezewolf Gaming

"Driving late at night and this song came on the radio feel so heavenly. I've forgot about everything for a moment and enjoy the wind and this song."
-- Gen Rex

"This song reminds me of being on a road trip with the windows down and having a good conversation. The song will always hold a special place in my heart"
-- Jade

"Weird because I'm 23 and I feel like I was alive during that song. I absolutely love it"
-- Louis Dnd

"The beat to this song timeless! Love it"
-- Ohemaa Katrine

 

 

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'Time After Time'

Song by Cyndi Lauper

Lying in my bed, I hear the clock tick and think of you
Caught up in circles
Confusion is nothing new
Flashback, warm nights
Almost left behind
Suitcase of memories
Time after

Sometimes you picture me
I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me, I can't hear
What you've said
Then you say, "go slow"
And I fall behind
The second hand unwinds

If you're lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting
Time after time
If you're lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting
Time after time

After my picture fades and darkness has
Turned to gray
Watching through windows
You're wondering if I'm okay
Secrets stolen from deep inside (deep inside)
And the drum beats out of time

If you're lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting
Time after time
If you're lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting
Time after time
Time after time

I've got a suitcase of memories that I almost left behind
Time after time
Time, time, time
But you say to go slow but I fall behind
Time after time after time (after time, oh)

 

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For those who do have a deity....

At least for the ones who do live up to this level of dedication, can we match this? With the overall decline of Christianity, I think there is also a resurgence in some circles. For most folk pagans, their gods are not cosmic dictators, but more like members of their family; their kindred. I don't think the gods would want us to think about them every moment of every day! I think they want us to be near, and live by principles of logic and honor. Ritual is important, but I don't think they seek to be objectified in every waking moment.

I remember when I had cable tv some time ago now, I was channel surfing and came upon Joyce Meyer speaking upon the "impure thoughts" that she always has, and that she claims to say aloud "Get outta there Satan!".... using her hands to show her interaction with her own head. So thinking about "Sin, Sex, and Satan" all the time probably leads one right to it! I think our gods want us to have a more grounded set of principles to develop and live by. I recall another time that I came upon a channel with Donnie Swaggart speaking. He openly "claimed" Japan for Jesus Christ. All because... "he said so," although he would proclaim that "god said so." I do think we as small groups, can lay some spiritual claim on certain public lands; to interact with them, and care for them, and the creatures that dwell there. To me, the gods and spirits very much include our own ancestors.
 

 

 

 

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Torres Del Paine National Park (Chile)

[Windows 10 Spotlight]

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These Bizarre Photos Are so Creepy We Wish They Weren't Real

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A quote that almost got him burned at the stake. Copernicus was Polish, but it showed the power of the Catholic Church over governments and institutions far and wide.

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Love Will Find A Way

Pablo Cruise - Topic

1,358,919 views  - July 29, 2018

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

Love Will Find A Way · Pablo Cruise

Worlds Away

℗ 1978 A&M Records

Released on: 1977-01-01

con't....

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PabloCruise.com

"In a world that's going crazy, I say maybe we take a time out. And break away from all the madness, the sadness, and just breathe."
-- Pablo Cruise

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Mysteries of China

One thing I noticed about China is despite its massive population (1.4 bil), a Google Maps examination actually shows a lot of open green mountainous land. Also, There are large ominous entirely empty cities which have been constructed in rural looking regions for some strange economic purpose having to do with internal Chinese investment. These empty cities have no fittings or cables for water or power, and are strictly for investing, mostly of the condo-like units of large high rises. I suppose that someone could break into one of them and just live there, but there's no food or water, and there's the risk of prison if they were caught. However, foreigners can just visit these empty cities, which are poorly constructed and are already crumbling! It's also curious that the politically paranoid Red Chinese government allows its citizens to emigrate, which is almost an admittance that their leaving for "something better."

China Military Official Site (in English)

 

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Bowen Island, north of Vancouver, Canada

[Windows 10 Spotlight]

 

 

 

 

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Google Chrome 666 Logo

If dice keep coming up with "snake eyes," usually it means the dice are fixed.

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Sia - Unstoppable (Lyrics)

Loku

2.58M subscribers

357,455,987 views  - May 24, 2020

con't....

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A society without the means to detect lies and theft soon squanders its liberty and freedom."
-- Chris Hedges

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"Most people are wrong, when it's most important to be right."

-- Author unknown

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Are there bats in Alaska?

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game:

Many residents are unaware that we have bats in Alaska, but seven species of bats are known to occur here. The little brown bat is the most common and widespread bat in Southeast Alaska and is the only species known to occur in Southcentral, Interior, and Western Alaska.

 

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The little brown bat is the one I'm used to seeing, when I lived back home. It's not just southeast Alaska, but they live right up to central Alaska. Alaska is fascinating in that it's entirely different than Greenland. In fact, "Greenland" would be a more fitting name for Alaska, as there are massive woodlands even in the far north. I guess it can't be too surprising that there are bats there. A cave would offer them a safe place to hibernate, without enduring the full harshness of winter.

Bats in Alaska! (video footage of little brown bat species in Alaska)

 

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No Snakes in Alaska (Alaska Department of Fish and Game)

There are no lizards, freshwater turtles, or snakes in Alaska. The only reptiles in Alaska are rare sightings of sea turtles.

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Forggensee, a lake in Bavaria, Germany

[Windows 10 Spotlight]

Well stocked with trout, eel, and pike, this large lake is a prime fishing spot. And, by the looks of those mighty mountains rising above the lakeshore, this is also a great place for sightseeing. Located in a part of Bavaria that's blessed with truly breathtaking scenery, Forggensee is shadowed by the Ammergau Alps, a subgroup of the Northern Limestone Alps. The sharp, rugged contours of the towering mountains contrast in photo-worthy fashion with the placid waters of the lake and the area's lush forests. If you look very closely at the foothills in the center of our image you may glimpse something else of a spectacular nature: Neuschwanstein, a 19th-century castle and one of the architectural gems of the region.

 

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Eddie Money - Two Tickets to Paradise (Lyrics)

Tridon64

Two Ticket to Paradise by Eddie Money with lyrics on screen. My soon to be honeymoon destination with my very special lady.

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"Great song & images! Makes me want to fly away with my lady!"
-- Tom Maxwell

 "I'm ready to pack my bags and leave tonight. I wish I was on a nice vacation far from where I live."
-- Margaret Nicola

 

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"The escape to paradise"

This is a silly story, but I remember years ago I had a friend who was living in Antioch. I was speaking to one of his neighbors one afternoon, a young woman who was 18 and just graduated from high school. Blonde, really cute; more in a girl next door sort've way. I wasn't interested in her as such, but she was nice. She really really wanted to get out've Antioch, and really the area in general. During another subject of conversation, I mentioned another friend of mine who was living in Birmingham, Alabama at the time. Somehow the concept of just being able to go to some place to get away from things for awhile came up, and I just mentioned as an example going there for a time, but wasn't really serious. She then said: "YEEAH, LETS GOOO!!!" I really think she would have gone! I wonder how many couples got their start by just... going! What if I had just.... gone..??

I'm gonna take you on a trip so far from here

I've got two tickets in my pocket, now baby, we're gonna disappear

 

[Above: 'Angelina' by Doris Joa]

...or maybe just to escape from fate..

I remember when I was at the hospital with my mother, I recall thoughts for split seconds, of... maybe there's a way to just escape this? To escape from the danger. I imagined just taking her to the car and just driving up some mountain, to a place of safety. But there was no place to escape to..

 

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'Two Tickets to Paradise' (Eddie Money)

I've got a surprise especially for you
Something that both of us have always wanted to do
We've waited so long, waited so long
We've waited so long, waited so long

I'm gonna take you on a trip so far from here
I've got two tickets in my pocket, now baby, we're gonna disappear
We've waited so long, waited so long
We've waited so long, waited so long

I've got two tickets to paradise
Won't you pack your bags, we'll leave tonight
I've got two tickets to paradise
I've got two tickets to paradise

I'm gonna take you on a trip so far from here
I've got two tickets in my pocket, baby, we'll disappear
Know why?
We've waited so long, waited so long
We've waited so long, waited so long

I've got two tickets to paradise
Won't you pack your bags, we'll leave tonight
I've got two tickets to paradise
Won't you pack your bags, we'll leave tonight
I've got two tickets to paradise
Won't you pack your bags, we'll leave tonight
I've got two tickets to paradise
I've got two tickets to paradise

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The Peasant Window

Carl Moll, 1893

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Regina Angelorum

"Queen of the Angels" (sometimes "The Virgin with Angels")

William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1900

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Sunlight and Shadow

Stanley Royle. 1926

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The gate to Warmond

Floris Verster, 1894

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Mad World - Gary Jules

orijimi

167,936,249 views  - January 9, 2006

The original video of Gary Jules' and Michael Andrews' cover version of Mad World, directed by Michel Gondry. Throughout the video children are making animated figures on the sidewalk below. (the song was featured in the movie Donnie Darko. If you haven't seen it, seriously consider it.

con't....

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A good cover; a young female voice:

Mad World - Gary Jules (Janet Devlin Cover)

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'Mad World' lyrics

'Mad World' would go perfectly with images or footage of those empty Chinese cities, such as the ones posted above. Also, it would go well with the current social climate; depressed, vaxxed, medicated, young weebs... wandering around not even knowing if they're a boy or a girl.

And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had

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Symbolism

I believe that the song was specifically contracted to go hand-in-glove with the film, which had a certain Satanic occult meaning. I don't buy the official line put out. I'm not knocking the film or the song. I just think there's more to it. This image of the "rabbit" almost reminds me of 'The Wicker Man', and there could be a pagan connection to it. Not surprisingly, there is a lot of artwork based on the film, which is cool. I like when people try to interpret things with art. We should all try to find some types of romantic realism in our lives; for us, or for that which we are close to.

 

'Mad World' (Wikipedia)

'Donnie Darko' (Wikipedia)

Mad world Song Interpretation - lyric meanings (video)

Donnie Darko meaning (video)

Donnie Darko pinterest (art)

Donnie Darko deviantart (art)

 

I saw 'Donnie Darko' many years ago, and I guess I just watched it late one night, and didn't get much from it. I was just sort've out to lunch. Sometimes it depends when you see it! The morning is the best time. I remember watching 'American Psycho' the first time, and didn't especially care for it. Then I really got it when I watched it the second time. Lots of symbolism and mystery. Somehow.. I never got around to seeing DD again, but I will.

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Ritus Sulphurium: The Darkest Mass - Part III

So who made up this revolutionary coalition? They were a small segment of dissidents from all of the victimized groups, including: Templars, Freemasons, Rosicrucians, Luciferians, Hermeticists, and Alchemists who were driven underground…. persecuted Jews, Catholics who were thrown under the carriage due to politics or some other alternate reason, and even a few forcefully converted crypto-Muslims…. Protestants in hiding, such as Cathars, Waldensians, Spiritual Franciscans, Hussites, and Beguines…. Druids, Odinists, Witches, and many other pagan polytheists living in the shadows…. overthrown Monarchs, Gnostic heretics, and miscellaneous others who were destroyed by the ruling order for reasons that were political and economic, or those who ended up on the wrong side of personal vendettas from the ruling class…. or simply the kith and kin of innocent people who were tortured and murdered!

All of these dissidents made up a relatively small number of people who began to network together. They wouldn’t represent the typical person from their own communities, but as individuals they were traumatized, angry, and damaged. Everything above is based on fact, and now for the speculation. Knowing now the clear pattern of their behavior over time, I believe there must have been one night that the general leadership of this revolutionary coalition were all in one place at one time to be counted, to lay out their goals, and to permanently cement their new accord. The one conclave where they could commence their movement; where they swore revenge, and vowed to someday destroy the Church forever.

Over the coming centuries, this hidden hand would operate via proxy under the guise of many revolutionary movements where only they would be the victors. Each step seemingly unconnected to the next, and the next, and the next. History has known them as Jacobins, Illuminati, British-Israel World Federation, Hellfire Club, League of the Just, Royal Institute of International Affairs, Council on Foreign Relations, Communism, Monopoly Capitalism, war profiteers, frackers, Big Pharma, Secret Intelligence Service (compartmentalized black operations cells), Black Rock, Zionism, Globalism, Process Church, Bohemian Club, Skull and Bones, Société Générale de Belgique, Fabian Socialism, Business Roundtable, Carlyle Group, Project for the New American Century, International Bank of Settlements, Frankfurt School, Hand of Death, Hollywood, Lucis Trust, Rockefeller Foundation, Neo-Conservatives, Neo-Liberals, Silicon Valley, Bohemian Club, Wall Street, Central Intelligence Agency (compartmentalized black operations cells), Club of Rome, World Economic Forum, United Nations, and more than could ever be listed here.

They can destroy any opposing movement through infiltration and slander, they can create artificial revolutions through controlled opposition, create wars and arm both sides, make the innocent guilty and the guilty innocent, conduct weather wars, and a hundred other vicious tactics to permanently run roughshod over society. They’ve either taken over from the inside or created alliances with their former enemies. They’re white leather loafers on a marble floor in an ivory tower on Wall Street manipulating a few blips on a computer screen to steal the wealth from a Midwest farmer, while at the same time they’re black boots on a concrete street a few miles away setting a hard working immigrant's business on fire. They’re more than evil; there may not be an appropriate word for them in the English language.

So lets just speculate that at midnight, on Saturday, May 1, 1509, this revolutionary coalition secretly met in a remote wooded location in the Sonian Forrest south of Brussels, then the capitol of a small regional state within the Holy Roman Empire, to finally set their plans in stone. The abused will become the abuser, and much worse than that abuser. Saturday literally means “Saturn’s Day.” “May 1” is their admitted date for “Revolution.” I’m aware that May 1st had a different pagan spiritual meaning, but they've co-opted it like so many other things. May 1, 1509 = 5-1-1509 = 5+1. 1+5, and 9 = 669 = 666, the numerical dimensions of Saturn’s north pole. Of course, this is probably not the date or the place, but I’m sure that there is some deep occult tie-in to whatever name, date, place, and time that it actually was. Perhaps July 15, 1506, Midsummer, such as with the ‘Cremation of Care” ritual at Bohemian Grove. I’m 99% certain that there was a DATE involved. Even if somehow there wasn't a definitive date, then they must have later installed one! It's probably some date that they've symbolically foisted upon us as part of their incessant fetish ever since. The founding of the Illuminati was in 1776 (I guess putting the exact date on the back of the dollar bill would have been too overt even for them), and that date is the exoteric, while this unknown earlier starting date is the esoteric.

All of this secret history is recorded and is a major fetish for them, that I suppose they will come out in the open with at some future point. For example, when they created the Project for the New American Century. They absolutely did not need to create that group, and with a website, with plans no less! They love to fetishize their actions. They could have created a secret temporary group with all of the same individuals to meet their goal, and it would have been much more practical; but the fetish, always the fetish! They just love to create yet another secret group! The Trilateral Commission was created by longtime Democrat hander Zbigniew Brzezinski, and has NO practical function! They merely did it for the fetish of it! So for whatever it’s worth, I’m sure they had a specific date and time for their first ritual. I’ll just speculate that it may have been called ‘Ritus Sulphurium’ (The Rite of Sulphur), as they've been such a corrosive force in the world.

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Ritus Sulphurium: The Darkest Mass - Part II

To jump ahead to clarify one point, there are different types of Satanists today; from a simple harmless theology, to something somewhat like benevolent Paganism, to ritual mass murderers. One size doesn’t fit all. Anton Levey was either a legitimate philosopher so to speak, and simply tried to make money to fund his organization, or he was a fraud who was in it for the money, or he was an agent of the higher ups who were trying to create like a "minor league Satanism" for maybe recruitment or some other purpose. I would guess the latter. I don't know, but Leveyan Satanism is not big league Satanism. It’s like grammar school Satanism. Maybe they thought they need that. Real Satanism is the “Cult of Saturn,” which is massive. If a person just doesn’t care about anything, has no principles, is of average intelligence, and wants to be successful… just seek them out and join! I don’t suggest it, if for no other reason than they’re dishonest!

How can you follow their motto, “Do what thou wilt,” when you’re completely controlled by highly advanced mechanisms that plug you into a technocratic system? It’s impossible, so "do what thou wilt" isn't worth a damn. I’ve looked closely at their plans, and it’s nothing short of suffocating. According to the Bible, Satan is a liar, and they’ve adopted that personality! It doesn’t matter what you believe; that’s their system! Personally, I like the old Saturnian tradition, as long as it doesn't have anything to do with men in high places or the projected “bad guy from the Bible.” One size doesn't fit all. The more malevolent type, as stated previously, got started in the Middle Ages; likely initially when Christian heretics were caught numerous times in various places, having orgies with animals, and conducting rituals involving numerous bodily fluids that I won’t name. The Church felt that it had to respond to this, and perhaps also used it as a pretext to establish a stronger socio-religious-political bond, so they created the "boogey man" from the Bible... Satan! It was all blamed on "Satanism," and that was a legitimately false "Satanic panic."

The genuine ancient Saturnian traditions had long disappeared by that time, only surviving in co-opted symbolism within Catholicism, Islam, and Judaism. Saturn was once a light-purple shining northern star in what was once our binary solar system, during what the ancients referred to as “The Golden Age.” In this age, thousands of years ago, there existed a rivalry between the solar cults and the Saturn cults. As Saturn slowly fizzled out and became a dwarf star, apparently a different process than a supernova which would have killed us all, the Saturn cults faded away. The solar cults took over in a succession of traditions, leading to the Egyptian Sun cult, which became Christianity. There were other Indo-European planetary cults as well; Lunar, Martian, Venusian, and others. Later it became so convoluted that some later religions have symbolism from more than one. For example, Islam has both Saturnian and Venusian symbolism. The lower crescent symbol is actually a Venusian symbol, as it was much more prominent in the sky in past centuries.

As has occurred throughout human history, the new revolutionary coalition adapted the ancient Saturnian tradition as their organizing principle for waging war. However, they predominantly adopted the Biblical version; not the genuine Saturnian tradition! In their self-serving manner, returning to “The Golden Age” simply meant that they would begin their quest to bend the entire world to their will. Now it is true that the ancient Saturnian Priesthood, such as existed in Phoenicia-Canaan, did engage in human sacrifices… including sacrificing children. However, the early Christians did the very same thing, and it continued right through the Middle Ages! The Eucharist wasn’t always merely wine and crackers. Also, every major church and cathedral constructed during the Middle Ages has a dark secret; a small child was kidnapped and cemented alive in one of the front pillars.

So when a Christian zealot complains about Halloween, and how the Druids conducted human sacrifices; or about Easter, and how the Canaanites sacrificed people; or even Christmas, and perhaps how the ancient Teutons held brutal rites… they did the same. The various inquisitions shouldn’t be any surprise. The Medieval Church caused, by their own actions over a long period of time, a reaction; an “underground Satanic church” that has now existed for centuries. This oppression, despotism, torture, and murder caused their victims so much trauma, that a small number of very angry people got together and created SATANISM!! Now it always has, and it always will, be conflated with the ancient Saturnian Priesthood. Of course, they’ve also plagiarized from the ancient European pagan traditions, such as with the seasonal Sabbats. However, the new Satanism is still a perversion of them; a system founded and designed specifically for revenge. A terrifying legacy from damaged people of centuries past; a program intended to poison everything they touch.

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Ritus Sulphurium: The Darkest Mass - Part I

World history changed in one night

During the second half of the Middle Ages, long after the Dark Ages supposedly were to have ended, something sinister came across the land. Political and religious upheaval, the inquisitions, witch hunts, the Burning Times. In March of 1314, as the Grand Master of the Knights Templar was literally burning to death, he was said to have cursed the Monarchy and Church. Jacques de Molay swore vengeance! Somehow after the Templars were finished with their business in Jerusalem, they returned, massively expanded their membership, and became an incredible maritime/business/banking empire; a veritable breakaway international state! Many powerful people, including the King himself, were soon up to their eyeballs in debt to them. The Church, in particular it's own banking empire, apparently felt threatened. It's as though they found some type of lost secrets from the ancient world during their travels in the near east. The secrets of money?

de Molay swearing vengeance

Some of the revolutionary coalition mentioned throughout this whole piece were probably guilty of a whole lot of things! There are always two sides to a story, even though it's not popular today to say so. For example, written history charges the pagan Vikings with engaging in endless violent raids on Christian monasteries, forgetting that the Christians had first deliberately blocked most of their trade routes. Lets try to set aside most of the speculation of who may have been justified in their actions, or not, for now. This story is to answer the question of why the world is the way that it is today. This is the ultimate tale of the abused becoming the abuser. This is about how a small coalition of thoroughly defeated groups of people coalesced to conquer the world. There have always been those who will say that it's this group or that group; saying that it's "them" or it all goes back to "this group." Often, over the course of history, most of these are just small temporary coteries designed to fulfill one particular goal, and then disbanded.  However, in the bigger picture, it was only a very tiny segment of each victimized concern which participated from the beginning, and form the ruling families of today.

Satanism: From imagination to reality

The brutal oppression, show trials, tortures, and executions of people based on their imaginary allegiance to Satan took place between the years 1450 and 1750. The vast majority of these people had no connection to any sort've pagan tradition at all. Probably exactly ZERO of them were actually "Satanists," at least in the beginning of this. Many of those charged were done so based on economic, political, or some personal reason if truth be known. Up to 50,000 people were executed during this time, and countless others tortured. This is aside from other religious persecutions, such as the Spanish Inquisition (1478-1834) or the destruction of the Cathars and other protestant sects. The emerging revolutionary coalition must have been made up of an almost boundless number of religious, political, or economic concerns.... or even just the families of innocent people who were murdered by the symbiotic state-church structure! It may have been an old lady merely collecting herbs for some type of simple folk medicine!

The high point of the witch trials occurred between 1580 and 1630. The torture was immense! I suppose that I don't really need to delve into all of that, except to ponder that this occurred over fifteen generations! If they had started in 1722, then they would just be ending now. There were private entrepreneurs and opportunists who got into the act. When a government promotes something stupid, there will never be a lack of willing participants! One such group was the Vehmic Court in Westphalia, who hunted down and executed pagans. They could have just operated as paid assassins! They could murder someone and just say that the person was a witch or Devil worshiper, and it would then be okay. Another example, in approximately the year 1473, German Domincan Churchman Heinrich Kramer was appointed as the official inquisitor by the Archbishop of Salzburg. Henricus Inquisitor, as he was known, was responsible for the Tyrol, Salzburg, Bohemia, and Moravia. In other words, he was a paid thug put in charge of stopping the rise of the imaginary Satanic sects in those areas. He was going to "find them" whether they existed or not. He was just one of the many leaders of the inquisition across Europe for centuries! In 1487 he authored 'Malleus Maleficarum' ("Hammer of Witches"), a guide to witchcraft and how to interrogate people in order to get a confession out of them. The methods were so extreme that even some authorities of the day condemned it.

Three centuries of torture

The Spanish Inquisition was part of the larger Catholic Inquisition (or known simply as "The Inquisition"), as was the Roman, Portuguese, and other Inquisitions. These inquisitions very much included Protestant sects! Cathars, Waldensians, Spiritual Franciscans, the Hussites, and the Beguines were terrorized by the inquisitors. Any institution which could be thought of as competition to the Catholic Church, and later other dominant Protestant sects, had the screw put to them. It wasn't just the death toll, 50,000 over three centuries, as there were battles in World War II where 100,000 soldiers died in a single day. It was the aura of fear that existed over that time period, a dark cloud that just wouldn't go away. As is human nature, the fear eventually turns to anger. When the vast majority of history's conquerors finally defeated the targeted population, such as with the Roman Empire, the next step was to allow them to partake in its system and bring them into the fold. These religious zealots did not offer that at all! They just kept putting the screw to them! Even a bully in school, who wants smaller students' lunch money, is at least satiated if they hand it over to him. They're backed into a corner, but they're at least allowed a chance to get out of that corner if they cooperate. However, as stated, there was no end to the violent oppression, and anyone could be a victim if they weren't careful.

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