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 22 Feb 2006 @ 00:19
The nations walk in ignorance of the hateful beasts that dwell in chains, shackeled beneath the earth in otherworldly bonds made from a substance not found on earth. Cartemay the Seer (pictured here) recalls the horror of those days the Fire Lords were released. He watched on as the eerie glow of red flames covered of the earth. More >
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 22 Feb 2006 @ 00:00
There are creatures from another realm that once passed through the Veil and befriended humans. For a time they fellowshiped in harmony. But not all of them were peaceful.
Of these, one who bore within his bossom terrible flames of fire, raged against the earth, consuming the beautiful kingdom. In his arrogance he thought himself a god, and because of this deed, he and those who fell with him were bound in chains not made by human hands.
Yet, through trickery and the foolishness of men, these wicked beasts were unleashed and sought to have their way with the earth, and turn it into a molten sea of flames, as they did in the first age of this world.
One who loved the race of men intervened, and empowered watchers. Here in this picture, one of these Seers, who understood the ancient ways of wisdom covers himself with a sheild of light and endures an attack by one of the hateful beasts.
*All pictures and story lines are the intellectual property of N Marion Hage, and copywritten. Please do not use this information without permission of the author.
Pictures were taken by Susan Demko. Photoart and costume were by N Marion Hage. More >
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 21 Feb 2006 @ 23:48
A lonely Seer dressed in gold-laced robes still walks this earth, appearing and disappearing as he slips in and out of the in-between realm.
Once a king of men, he was selfish and cruel, but no moreso than all the kings of the earth were in the days when evil prevailed. On the eve of the destruction of the world, this king relented of his wicked deeds, and turned to save the perishing from the nations.
The world as it was could not be saved, and was nearly torn in two, but through his efforts a remnant survived and were permitted to rebuild on the new lands that formed.
He was appointed as Watchman over the nations along with a small host of others, to warn them that the very same unseen evil that despoiled all that went before, was still alive and seeking new victims.
N. Marion Hage 2/25/06
*All pictures and story lines are the intellectual property of N Marion Hage, and copywritten. Please do not use this information without permission of the author.
Pictures were taken by Susan Demko and Jim Jasterzinski. Photoart and costume were by N Marion Hage. More >
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 19 Feb 2006 @ 19:50
All who breathe are living; but not all the living are alive; at least not in the sense that they are enjoying the breath they were given.
If every parent had wisdom and insight and the character to raise children, they would set them on a course toward success. Success is measured by realizing our purpose, and fulfilling that purpose. If I realized my gift, which many people do not, I would be happier for one; but I'd also know how to structure my life.
Humans have to have dreams or we stagnate; and what I mean by a dream is a sense that there is a destiny and purpose; and if we know it, we can take steps towards that goal.
Every "real" dream is going to face roadblocks. The way to success is not paved with pillows. It's often rocky and there are adversaries; and because of that, if we forget we have a dream or don't know what it is, we will wind up in a life of futility.
Futility is expending a great deal of energy and going nowhere. It is the most frustrating feeling, "My life is meaningless and empty; it's a tedious existance."
So if we know we have a gift and a purpose, and a big dream, we are halfway to where we are going, and way ahead of most of the people in the world.
Since few people have wise, mature, parents, ones filled with character who help their children realize their strengths and that they should reach for the stars, dreams get squelched, and some people don't have a clue that they even have a gift, let alone what that gift is.
And since this is reality, it is one of the great gifts in life to be someone who understands and knows how to kindle life in another. In a sense it is within us to breathe life into others so that their dormant gifts are realized and dreams are birthed.
How? Most screwed up people don't need anyone to tell them they are screwed up. Enough people in this world have said, "What's wrong with you?" In fact, when they screw up, they've probably said, "What's wrong with me?"
And they may put up defenses and pretend things are going well when they aren't, but mostly because they've been beaten down. If someone told me I'd never be good at anything, and everything I do falls apart, I start to expect that things will fall apart, and in effect, walk around sabotaging myself.
In order to breathe life, we have to comprehend that it's necessary, that most people don't like feeling trapped in meaningless existance. But we also have to get a sence of what gifts are.
What are kinds of gifts? Well, some are teachers, by nature. However, there are many spheres where teaching is needed. Others administrators by nature, the kind of people who know how to put people in all the right places, watch over details, and organize. Some people are meant to help identify problems and solve them, and in the sense, they are watchmen over society, to help keep things on course. Still others find their meaning in helping people in a variety of ways, planning and performing all the necessary tasks that every function requires. Some have a gift of hospitality, refreshers of souls who can identify others needs, and know what things will encourage them. There are artistic gifts, gardening gifts, and I mean people who think in creative ways how to make everyone's life better, not simply laborers.
Gifts are expressed in countless ways according to natural interests. One teaches children, another college, and yet another may be a motivational speaker. There is no lack of places teachers are needed. Likewise an administrator can also be a movie producer if he has an artistic bent. So, gifts can be expressed outside the box.
We are not happy if we are not using our gifts. In a sense we are always swimming upstream and never with the currents. Life is tedious and boring and we get frustrated because we may be doing what is counter to our nature.
I may be smart in some ways, but I get flustered if asked to organize anything. Yet there are some who can organize an event blind-folded.
In a sense, each one of us is meant to be part of a bigger whole, a community where no one is expendible. And so we all benefit when people find their place.
Once we are aware that people are gifted, in some cases we end up taking the place of perhaps dysfunctional parents by telling people when we realize they have a gift. Now that gift may not seem important to them, because we tend to dismiss whatever we are good at. And so, there is some selling involed, in the sense of saying, "No, you are not common. If I tried to do what you do, it would be impossible. What you do is an art, a gift, and you simply need to learn how to use that.
Next, think big, and work from there. If I can teach, which I believe I can; I may be content telling a room filled with six people how to tie shoes. But since so many others can do that, I want to dream bigger.
When we sense someone has an amazing gift, we need to tell them, and sometimes birth a dream. "Boy, you are so much more talented than most teachers...you should be speaking in front of audiences..." or "You are always able to identify problems and come up with solutions, you shouldn't be a secretary, you should be an administrator.."
Now this may require a change in our bents because we might be more prone to telling people what is wrong with them rather than what is right with them, and may think by telling someone what is wrong we are doing them a big favor. If someone isn't where they should be, they likely already know it. And it is so much better to kindle a hope than to dash one.
When people are hopeless, and someone births a hope in them, they appreciate it. That person might say something that changes someone's life from an obscure life of frustration to a life of fulfillment.
Nate
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16 Feb 2006 @ 20:39
I ask a question, “Can hatred and love abide peaceably in the same house?” They can co-exist so long as love is willing to overlook hatred’s rantings, and hatred tolerates love’s different perspective, which it perceives as weakness. Co-existing is a far cry from fellowship. Fellowship is two becoming one, feeding and drinking in from another, being refreshed by them and refreshing them. If locked in a room, Hatred or Love will be forced to withhold their point of view, being frustrated with fragile truce at best. There will be friction or perhaps they will endure talking about sports and the weather until one of them wants to pick a fight.
Can prejudice and respect co-mingle? Will not one try to convert the other, or write the other off as rigid? If there is a peace it is not based on agreement.
I ask these questions because Unity for Unity’s sake is not going to bring peace. In fact it can bring frustration and confusion. In order for there to peace, certain things have to be universally accepted. Of course, this doesn’t mean we should ever give up on peace or being peace-makers. Rather, we have to understand the complexity of the problems of humanity.
A world without convictions is a world that believes in nothing. The human spirit longs for meaning, and so at our core we seek to believe in something, know why we believe it, and at least know that it is worth standing for. The world benefits by having some convictions. But this leads to frustration, because isn’t it these different convictions that bring about wars and frustration?
If you think I’m throwing my hands up in futility, I’m not. If I believe in love, and another believes in hate; I am not constrained to compromise. How then can there be peace? The key is identifying those core values that are beyond question.
Within the human spirit exists a compass. In some cases, this tool is more refined and a bit truer. On some level, this compass gives us a Universal sense of right and wrong. We all hate being lied to. Unless we squelch our conscience, which is possible, we generally feel horrible when we hurt another. If we fill a stadium anywhere in the world, and some powerfully built man starts kicking a puppy, the entire stadium would cry out in anger for him to stop. We love to see people fall in love, and hate to see love die.
I am saying this for a reason. I need to understand that there is a compass, and what the primary law of that compass is in order to have any hope of appealing to mankind. There is no secret. The primary law of the compass is love. I can’t convince another of that, but have to be convinced of that in order for me to have a starting place to change the world. If I don’t, then I am pissing in the wind as far as others are concerned. If I have no conviction, I have absolutely no chance of changing another person’s heart.
Now, with love as my guide, my view of my enemy changes. They may be prejudiced, they may hate, they may be rigid; but I know that love displayed is powerful. If I choose to hate them, I have agreed that it is okay to hate. This may make no sense, but loving my enemy is the only way to change any enemy. This doesn’t mean I can’t establish a boundary. It doesn’t mean I have to like what they do. However, I have to have the ability to see past their prejudice, their hatred, and see someone of value. I can’t lose sight of that for a moment, even if I am against what they believe.
So, if I am forced to live in a house of hatred, I can hate their hatred, but not them, or I am becoming like them. In a sense, those who believe in love become an ambassador of love; and ambassador’s are not always assigned to friendly countries.
Hatred and love can dwell in a house, as long as love abides and holds true to their convictions. Hatred is an inferior position. Inwardly, so many mechanisms have to take place, hardening ourselves to another’s pain…etc, that it is futility to defend. However, only love can overcome hatred. And by this, I mean stubborn love. The superior position is difficult, requires sacrifice, and therefore must be a conviction; but throughout history, we have examples of those who have overcome the hardened gates of hate with love’s key; because those who hate have something within them, a voice that may be locked in a dark room guarded by fear and anger. Often times that compass is still in there, and a stubborn love can bring it out. More >
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True love is more than a feeling, it's an act of the will. Feelings can be fleeting, and should be the tail in our decision making process, and never the head. In other words, if I don't feel like loving today, I should not avoid doing what love requires on that basis. If someone needs me, I must look at our relationship, and make an informed choice to sometimes show love when I least feel like it.
We understand that parents must be there for children, even when they anger us, or disappoint us. This same principle is true for all relationships. |
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If I waited to do the right thing until I was "moved" to do the right thing, most times, the right thing wouldn't get done. For this reason, we need a hierarchy of values and principles. For me, love is the highest value. If I pass someone in need, I may not feel particularly loving on that day. In fact, helping them may be an inconvenience, or worse. It may cost me. It's not what we do that we 'feel like doing', that often defines us, but what we do when we don't feel much like doing it. I can hug someone who makes me feel squishy with delight. It's hugging those I don't feel like hugging, because in my will, I do care, that defines me. If I care, but my feelings are disconnected, this doesn't make me insincere. It makes me realize that sometimes my feelings lag behind what I know to be right. Often, I have reached out to people that I didn't really feel warm feelings for. In fact, some were difficult and cold. However, I often was rewarded by seeing the light of life sparked in their eyes. Sometimes we are like a match that kindles a warm flame in a cold fireplace. They have the fuel, but need someone to light it. I have never regreted the risks of love, but have often regreted not taking the risk. Love the unlovely. Love the seemingly unloveable. I don't mean you should risk putting yourself before hostility. In that case, you might want to get a second or third opinion. But in most cases, we pass cold and distant people, and they seem as walking dead. Sometimes its simply because of fear and inner loneliness, and they are beaten down and afraid to open up. The risks of love pale in comparrison to the rewards. |
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