Accolon of Gaul

Following the burial of Lot and the eleven kings, Malory tells us that Morgan le Fay loved another man more than her husband Uriens or her brother Arthur. When Arthur gave the care of Excalibur into Morgan's hands, she had a duplicate made. Malory states that she gave the real scabbard to her love, Accolon.

Later, after the war with the five kings, Arthur goes hunting with Uriens and Accolon. After a long and arduous hunt, they end up on foot (having ridden their horses to death) at the edge of a great water. It was fast approaching night when they discover a ship draped in silk. Twelve damsels of the ship welcome them and feed them richly and then take them each into a separate chamber.

Excalibur is the mythical sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone (the proof of Arthur's lineage) are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was associated with the Arthurian legend very early; in Welsh, the sword was called Caledfwlch.

Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone

In surviving accounts of Arthur, there are two originally separate legends about the sword's origin. The first is the "Sword in the Stone" legend, originally appearing in Robert de Boron's poem Merlin, in which Excalibur can only be drawn from the stone by Arthur, the rightful king.

By: Kelly d. Whittaker

The dark ages held many myths. King Arthur’s wife Guinevere is one of those myths. Every scholar, historian and poet have recognized Guinevere but with reluctance. One reason for the apprehension is the lack of supporting documentation. Some historians claim there were 3 Guineveres who were married to Arthur. The Guinevere that is told in this part of the New Theory is his first wife Guinevere of Orrge.

Guinivere, a Celtic Priestess, due to inherit most of Briton upon her marriage. She was the daughter of King Orrge of the Douglas River. Her father had been defeated by King Urien of Gorre. Guinevere’s father wanted her to be well trained to defend her large estates so he sent her to the Roman training camp at Caerlaverock on the east bank of the Nith. She received full training to become a commander in an army. While she attended the training, she met Arthur.

Joseph of Arimathea

Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy disciple of Jesus, who, according to the book of Matthew 27:57-60, asked Pontius Pilate for permission to take Jesus' dead body in order to prepare it for burial. He also provided the tomb where the crucified Lord was laid until his Resurrection. Joseph is mentioned in a few times in parallel passages in Mark, Luke and John, but nothing further is heard about his later activities.

Apocryphal legend, however, supplies us with the rest of his story by claiming that Joseph accompanied the Apostle Philip, Lazarus, Mary Magdalene & others on a preaching mission to Gaul. Lazarus & Mary stayed in Marseilles, while the others travelled north. At the English Channel, St. Philip sent Joseph, with twelve disciples, to establish Christianity in the most far-flung corner of the Roman Empire: the Island of Britain.

King Arthur's Death

by Thomas Percy

King Arthur's Twelve Battles

A discussion by David Nash Ford

The Welsh historian, Nennius, records twelve great victories in battle during Arthur's time as Dux Bellorum. Much of his material is mythical, however, and the magical number 12 does not sit well for historical evidence. Some historians have argued that this is too great a number for one man's lifetime, and their locations may well have been too widespread for a single leader to have fought in each.

 While it is difficult to find precise rules laid down for the conduct of a knight, it is  clear that a code is recognized, even though, in the stern t ests of day to day life, it was rarely, faithfully lived up to. Amid all the treachery, greed, infidelity and cruelty there are to be found shining examples of courage, genteelness, understanding and mercy inspired by those rules that only a perfect man could live up to.

Who were they?

by David Nash Ford

The Round Table - first mentioned by Wace in his "Roman de Brut" - was not only a physical table, but the highest Order of Chivalry at the Court of King Arthur. Its members were supposedly the cream of the British military who followed a strict code of honour and service. Sir Thomas Malory outlines this as:

Lancelot

by Edwin Arlington Robinson

(1869 - 1935)

Sir Lancelot Du Lac

Lancelot is the greatest of Arthur's knights. Son of King Ban of Benwick, he is known as Lancelot of the Lake or Lancelot du Lac because he was raised by the Lady of the Lake. Among his many adventures are the rescue of the abducted Queen Guinevere from Meleagant, an unsuccessful quest for the Holy Grail and the rescue of the queen after she is condemned to be burned to death for adultery. Lancelot is loved by Elaine of Astolat, who dies because her love is unrequited. Elaine, the daugher of King Pelles, tricks Lancelot into sleeping with her and from that union Galahad is born. His love for Guinevere ultimately brings about the downfall of Arthur's realm.

The name Arthur may be (and according to K. H. Jackson certainly is) a form of Artorius, a Roman gens name, but, according to J. D. Bruce, it is possibly of Celtic origin, coming from artos viros (bear man) - see Welsh arth gwyr (T. R. Davies). Bruce also suggests the possibility of a connection with Irish art (stone).

An outline of the hero's life is given by Geoffrey of Monmouth (twelfth century) in his Historia Regum Brittaniae - History of the Kings of Britain. Just how much of this life was Geoffrey's invention and how much was culled from traditional material is uncertain.

He tells us that King Arthur was the son of Uther and defeated the barbarians in a dozen battles. Subsequently, he conquered a wide empire and eventually went to war with the Romans. He returned home on learning that his nephew Mordred had raised the standard of rebellion and taken Guinevere, the queen. After landing, his final battle took place.

Merlin first appears in extant records (Armes Prydein, Y Gododdin) from the early 10th century as a mere prophet, but his role gradually evolved into that of magician, prophet and advisor, active in all phases of the administration of King Arthur's kingdom. He was apparently given the name Emrys (or Ambrosius) at his birth in Caer-Fyrddin (Carmarthen).

He only later became known as Merlin, a Latinized version of the Welsh word, Myrddin, taken from the place of his birth.

Merlin was the illegitimate son of a monastic Royal Princess of Dyfed. The lady's father, however, King Meurig ap Maredydd ap Rhain, is not found in the traditional pedigrees of this kingdom and was probably a sub-King of the region bordering on Ceredigion. Merlin's father, it is said, was an angel who had visited the Royal nun and left her with child. Merlin's enemies claimed his father was really an incubus, an evil spirit that has intercourse with sleeping women. The evil child was supposed to provide a counterweight to the good influence of Jesus Christ on earth.

Merlin

by Edwin Arlington Robinson

(1869 - 1935)

The Holy Grail

The Tradition: The Holy Grail was a vessel used by Christ at the Last Supper. Given to his grand-uncle, St. Joseph of Arimathea, it was used by him to collect Christ's blood and sweat while Joseph tended him on the Cross. After Christ's death, Joseph was apparently imprisoned in a rock tomb similar to the one he had given for the body of his grand-nephew.

Left to starve, he was sustained for several years by the power of the Grail which provided him with fresh food and drink every morning. Later, St. Joseph traveled to Britain with his family and several followers. He settled at Ynys Witrin (Glastonbury), but the Grail was taken to Corbenic where it was housed in a spectacular castle, guarded always by the Grail Kings, descendants of Joseph's daughter, Anna (Enygeus) and her husband, Brons.

The Arthurian Legend

A retelling drawing from many different versions. There is no one, true version.

An Island Divided

In the years of upheaval after the Roman withdrawal in 410 AD, Britain became an island of small kingdoms. Aurelius Ambrosius tried to unite the small Romano-Celtic kingdoms against their common enemies-- the Irish, the Picts and the Saxons. According to legend, after the death of Aurelius, he was followed in his quest by Uther Pendragon, the father of Arthur.

Prior to this, however, was the business of Vortigern. It was he who supposedly invited the Saxons into Britain, to aid in repelling the invasions of the Picts. Vortigern's people (most notably his sons) objected to the presence of the Saxons, and attempted to expel the Saxons. Hengist and Horsa, the Saxon leaders fought back. Vortigern tried to make a peace, but at a peace-meeting, Hengist and his Saxons pulled daggers from their boots, turned on the unarmed British lords, and slew them all.

Arthur, King of the Britons

A biography by David Nash Ford

Arthur, it seems, is claimed as the King of nearly every Celtic Kingdom known. The 6th century certainly saw many men named Arthur born into the Celtic Royal families of Britain but, despite attempts to identify the great man himself amongst them, there can be little doubt that most of these people were only named in his honour. Princes with other names are also sometimes identified with "Arthwyr" which is thought by some to be a title similar to "Vortigern".

Once there was a witch named Ceridwen, and she had two children. The one, her daughter, was as beautiful a child as you could ever hope to see; the other, her son Morfran, was so ugly, ill-favored and stupid that he sickened everyone who saw him.

The Story of Uther Pendragon

Uther was one of three sons of Constans, the King of Briton. Upon Constans' death, Vortigern, a usurper to the throne, became king and was soon defeated by Uther and his brother Pendragon. Merlin, a valued advisor, predicted that one of the brothers would be fatally wounded in a battle with the Saxons. As foreseen, Pendragon was killed and Uther succeeded to the throne. In honor of his slain brother he took his name, Pendragon.

Merlin, still favored as an advisor, was asked to bring huge stones from Ireland to form a shrine to the slain brother. This monument is now called Stonehenge. Merlin was also asked to prepare a great Round Table, around which were seated the greatest nobles of the land. To be accepted at this Table, the men had to swear an oath to assist one another, even at the cost of his own life. He must also attempt the most dangerous adventures, lead a life of solitude when necessary, bear arms at the first signal, and never leave a battle until the enemy had been defeated (unless it was night or he had been separated from his men).

Faeries, the fae, elementals – so many different names for our fairy friends! This is a picture of the Fairy Kingdom. 

"Hand in hand, with fairy grace, Will we sing, and bless this place."

Fairies are the Little People, said by some to be the dispossessed early tribes of the British Isles. They faded away into uninhabited places, growing smaller and smaller with time as they were forgotten and passed into legend. Oral history informs us that the Tuatha de Danann, People of the Goddess Dana, ruled Ireland before the Milesian invasion. They are said to have been driven underground, where they became the Daoine Sidhe fairies.

Other theories hold that fairies are supernatural beings, fallen angels trapped on earth, spirits of the heathen dead, elementals, nature spirits, visitors from an alternate or parallel universe, or old god/esses who have been so neglected that they have lost their powers and devolved into fairies.

These are supernatural beings and spirits that can be either good or bad. It is believed by many who believe in fairies that they reside in a place somewhere between earth and heaven; however, many think fairies dwell on earth. Others believe they are mythical beings possessing magical powers and sometimes being close to human beings on earth. They are said to appear in various shapes being dressed in different customs. Typically a dwarf creature has green clothes and hair, lives in underground or in stone heaps, and characteristically exercises magical powers to benevolent ends.

Tuatha de Danaan

There are many types of fairies, and these are a few of the famous ones:

Bats

“Suspicions amongst thoughts are like bats amongst birds, they ever fly by twilight”

Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

Of all the creatures associated with the night, perhaps the most misaligned and misunderstood is the Bat. Fictional characterizations in modern culture, in movies and on TV, have given the bat an evil and sinister reputation, but such could not be further from the truth. In Tonga and ancient Babylonia bats were considered physical manifestations of the Souls of the Dead. In China and Poland they were symbols of Happiness and Long life, and to the ancient Mayans they symbolized Transformation and Rebirth. So what better time than this Samhain to consider the characteristics and teachings of the Bat?

Spider

I’ve been walking in my neighborhood lately and have been admiring all of the Halloween decorations set about in people’s yards. There are, of course, Jack- O’-Lanterns, ghosts, witches on broomsticks, piles of gourds on porches, bats, and spiders in webs and hanging from trees. Spider visited with me much this summer, so what better venue to explore her meanings than this time of year when she is welcomed in the windows, yards and on the porches of neighborhood homes.

Crickets

When it comes to Chinese superstition, the cricket plays a critical role. Throughout history, they have resembled intelligence and good fortune. In fact, if a person were to harm a cricket, it was believed they would have great misfortune. Even today, in parts of eastern Asian, the male cricket will be caged so people can enjoy the song they make.

The Chinese culture is filled with interesting and unique facts, with the cricket being one. Children in China still love catching crickets and placing them in cages. No doubt, this will be a favorite pastime throughout time.

The Banshee In Ireland

Banshee (bean-sidhe) means ‘Faerie woman’ or ‘woman of the Faerie mound. Many legends exist surrounding the Banshees and just how evil is she meant to be.

The Legends of the Irish Banshee

The first is that she is the ghost of a young woman who was brutally killed and died so horribly that her spirit is left to wander the world watching her family and loved ones warning them when a violent death is imminent.

This particular type of Banshee appears as an old woman in rags with dirty grey hair, long fingernails and sharp pointed rotten teeth. Her eyes are blood red and filled with so much hatred and sorrow that to look into them will cause instant death. The Banshees mouth is permanently open as she emits a long and painful scream to torture the souls of the living.

According to legend there are a few Banshees that relish in taking a life and will stalk their victim wailing and screaming at them to the point that the victim goes insane or die. It has been told that the Banshee has ripped many a brave man to death with her bare hands. This is the type of Banshee portrayed in Hollywood ‘horror’ films.

Note: Usually I post things from Adama on my blog, ConversationsWithAdama.wordpress.com - but today he insisted that this was the place to put his words, so here we go! :)

May 28, 2011

Adama:

Blessings dear heart. I am speaking through you now because there are some important things to be said. We are anchoring energies in the region of Mt. Shasta that are meant to help build a permanent ladder of ascension into Telos. It is more a ladder of consciousness. This is figurative language meaning that we will "ascend" those who are prepared to go on the journey into Telos now. With this anchoring in the grid in Telos it is much easier and smoother a process to bring people up in vibration to go down into the earth where we physically are.

Perhaps some of the most bizarre scientific theories ever considered were those concerning the possibility that the Earth was hollow. One of the earliest of these was proposed in 1692 by Edmund Halley.

Edmund Halley was a brilliant English astronomer whose mathematical calculations pinpointed the return of the comet that bears his name. Halley was fascinated by the earth's magnetic field. He noticed the direction of the field varied slightly over time and the only way he could account for this was there existed not one, but several, magnetic fields. Halley came to believe that the Earth was hollow and within it was a second sphere with another field. In fact, to account for all the variations in the field, Halley finally proposed that the Earth was composed of some four spheres, each nestled inside another.

If the Earth is hollow, where does all that magma spewing out of all those volcanoes come from? Somebody must have a half-convincing answer to that question, presumably that handful of people who still believe the Earth is an empty shell. The idea seems quite ludicrous now, but in pre-scientific times, it at least appeared to make sense: if Heaven was a place in the skies above, where else would Hell be than somewhere deep below our feet?

Harder to understand is why the idea survived several centuries of scientific progress, including the powerful notion of nature’s horror vacui. In a 1692 scientific paper, Edmund Halley – yes, he of comet fame – put forth the idea that Earth consists of a shell about 800 km thick, and of two inner concentric shells and an innermost core with about the same diameter as the planet Mars.

Halley did have scientific grounds for his rather bizarre thought-construct. It tried to explain why compass readings could be so anomalous: each of the inner spheres had their own magnetic poles and rotated at differing speeds. To compound his error, Halley proposed that the inner spheres might be inhabited and that the inner atmosphere was made up of luminous gases that, when escaping outward, cause the Aurora borealis.

Secrets of the Hollow Earth

The interior of the Earth, some believe, is home to strange races of technologically advanced beings. Who are they and where are the hidden entrances to their subterranean cities?

Many readers of the paranormal and the unexplained are familiar with the theory that the Earth is hollow. The idea is based on the ancient legends of many cultures that say there are races of people - entire civilizations - that thrive in subterranean cities. Very often, these dwellers of the world beneath are more technologically advanced than we on the surface. Some even believe that UFOs are not from other planets, but are manufactured by strange beings in the interior of the Earth.

Who are these strange races of beings? How did they come to live inside the Earth? And where are the entrances to their underground cities?

"T E L O S"

YOU ARE ALL LIGHT
AS WE ARE ALL LIGHT
AND SOON OUR TWO LIGHTS WILL MERGE INTO
ONE GREAT LIGHT OF PLANETARY ASCENSION

YouTube Hollow Earth Videos

Sharula Dux on Telos & Hollow Earth

Is the Hollow Earth True? Evidence suggests it is. You Decide.

The Disappearance of a Viking Greenland Colony. (World Top Secret...Our Earth is Hollow source material)

In 985 A.D., Eric the Red discovered Greenland and subsequently settled it with Viking residents of Iceland.The Greenland colony thrived for several centuries, but then as Europe became embroiled in war and the disease of the plague, the Norwegians lost contact with their Arctic colonies in Iceland and Greenland. The last ship known to have returned from their Arctic colonies to Norway was in 1410. When the Dark Ages had past and Greenland was once again rediscovered with Hans Egede establishing the first modern settlement there in 1721, all that could be found of the original Viking settlers was their ruins and some of their animals. Even the Arctic author Vilhajalmur Stefansson in his book, UNSOLVED MYSTERIES OF THE ARCTIC, concluded that the disappearance of the lost Viking colony in Greenland was a mystery. The Viking colonists had apparently migrated further and further north where they found wild life and fish more plentiful, until they disappeared.

Our common conception is that Heaven is out there somewhere in the sky or in space, while Hell is underneath us, deep underground or at the planet's center. This would be accurate if the planet had a wholly solid interior, but it does not. Our planet is a hollow shell and at its center is a luminous sun or anomaly. It is engineered wisely and economically so that both the outer convex surface and the inner concave surface can be inhabited. This is possible when it is realized that the planet's gravity is in the middle of it's shell, and not its center. Polar openings connect the two surfaces in an unbroken fashion, and two suns, one outer and one inner, illuminate and warm both areas. Air and water flow also circulate unbroken from inner to outer and vice versa with the ice caps acting as a filtering system.

A Carp Gives a Lesson in Perseverance

A Faithful Servant

A Festival of the Awabi Fish

A Haunted Temple in Inaba Province

ABOUT the year 1680 there stood an old temple on a wild pine-clad mountain near the village of Kisaichi, in the Province of Inaba. The temple was far up in a rocky ravine. So high and thick were the trees, they kept out nearly all daylight, even when the sun was at its highest. As long as the old men of the village could remember the temple had been haunted by a shito dama and the skeleton ghost (they thought) of some former priestly occupant. Many priests had tried to live in the temple and make it their home but all had died. No one could spend a night there and live.

At last, in the winter of 1701, there arrived at the village of Kisaichi a priest who was on a pilgrimage. His name was Jogen, and he was a native of the Province of Kai.

Jogen had come to see the haunted temple. He was fond of studying such things. Though he believed in the shito dama form of spiritual return to earth, he did not believe in ghosts. As a matter of fact, he was anxious to see a shito dama, and, moreover, wished to have a temple of his own. In this wild mountain temple, with a history which fear and death prevented people from visiting or priests inhabiting, he thought that he had (to put it in vulgar English) 'a real good thing.' Thus he had found his way to the village on the evening of a cold December night, and had gone to the inn to eat his rice and to hear all he could about the temple.

Jogen was no coward; on the contrary, he was a brave man, and made all inquiries in the calmest manner.

A Life Saved By a Spider and Two Doves

A Miraculous Sword

A Stormy Night's Tragedy

A Story Of Mount Kanzanrei

FAR up on the north-eastern coast of Korea is a high mountain called Kanzanrei, and not far from its base, where lies the district of Kanko Fu, is a village called Teiheigun, trading in little but natural products such as mushrooms, timber, furs, fish, and a little gold.

In this village lived a pretty girl called Choyo, an orphan of some means. Her father, Choka, had been the only merchant in the district, and he had made quite a fortune for those parts, which he had left to Choyo when she was some sixteen summers old.

At the foot of the mountain of Kanzanrei lived a woodcutter of simple and frugal habits. He dwelt alone in a broken-down hut, associated with but the few to whom he sold his wood, and was considered generally to be a morose and unsociable man. The 'Recluse' he was called, and many wondered who he was, and why he kept so much to himself, for he was not yet thirty years of age and was remarkable for his good looks and strong frame. Sawada Shigeoki was his name, but the people did not know it.

A Story of Oki Islands

Cape of the Woman's Sword

Chikubu Island, Lake Biwa

Ghost of the Violet Well

Ghost Story of the Flute's Tomb

Great Fire Caused By a Lady's Dress

History Of Awoto Fujitsuna

How Masakuni Regained His Sight

How Yogodayu Won a Battle

Human Fireflies

Legends Told By a Fisherman on Lake Biwa, At Zeze

WHILE up fishing on Lake Biwa, and later shooting in the vicinity (shooting is not allowed on the lake itself, the water being considered a holy place), I often made Zeze my head-quarters. At the edge of the lake, just there, stands the cottage of an old old fisherman and his sons. They have made a little harbour for their boats; but they cultivate no ground, their cottage standing in wild grass near a solitary willow. The reason of this is that they are rich, or comparatively so, being the owners of an immense fish-trap, which runs out into the lake nearly a mile, and is a disgrace to all civilized ideas of conservation. They bought the rights from the Daimio, who owned Zeze Castle a hundred years or more ago (this is my own guess at the date, for I never asked or noted it). The trap catches enough to keep the whole of four families comfortable.

Murakami Yoshiteru's Faithfulness

Prince Hosokawa's Most Valuable Title-Deeds

Reincarnation

Sagami Bay

Saigyo Hoshi's Rock

The 'Jirohei' Cherry Tree, Kyoto

The Blind Beauty

The Camphor Tree Tomb

The Chessboard Cherry Tree

The Chrysanthemum Hermit

The Diving-Woman Of Oiso Bay

The Dragon-Shaped Plum Tree

The Golden Hairpin

The Hermit's Cave

The Holy Cherry Tree of Musubi-No-Kami Temple

The Isolated Or Desolated Island

The Kakemono Ghost Of Aki Province

The King Of Torijima

The Memorial Cherry Tree

The Perpetual Life-Giving Wine

BETWEEN the north-eastern boundary of Totomi Province and the north-western of Suruga Province stands a lofty mountain, Daimugenzan. It is a wild and rugged mountain, clad nearly three-quarters up with lofty pines, yenoki, icho, camphors, etc. There are but few paths, and hardly any one goes up the hill. About half-way up through the forest is a shrine erected to Kwannon; but it is so small that no priest lives there, and the building is rotting away. No one knows why it was put up in such an inaccessible place--except, perhaps, one solitary girl and her parents, who used to go there for some reason of their own.

One day, about 1107 A.D., the girl was praying for her mother's recovery from sickness. Okureha was her name. She lived at Tashiro, at the foot of the mountain, and was the beauty of the countryside,--the daughter of a much-loved samurai of some importance. Amid the solemn silence Okureha clapped her hands thrice before Kwannon as she prayed, causing mountain echoes to resound. Having finished her prayers, Okureha began to make her way downwards, when she was suddenly sprung upon by a ruffianly-looking man, who seized her by the arm.

The Precious Sword 'Natori No Hoto'

IDE KAMMOTSU was a vassal of the Lord of Nakura town, in Kishu. His ancestors had all been brave warriors, and he had greatly distinguished himself in a battle at Shizugatake, which took its name from a mountain in the province of Omi. The great Hideyoshi had successfully fought in the same place so far back as in the eleventh year of the Tensho Era 1573-1592--that is, 1584--with Shibata Katsuiye. Ide Kammotsu's ancestors were loyal men. One of them as a warrior had a reputation second to none. He had cut the heads off no fewer than forty-eight men with one sword. In due time this weapon came to Ide Kammotsu, and was kept by him as a most valuable family treasure. Rather early in life Kammotsu found himself a widower. His young wife left a son, called Fujiwaka. By and by Kammotsu, feeling lonely, married a lady whose name was Sadako. Sadako later bore a son, who was called Goroh. Twelve or fourteen years after that, Kammotsu himself died, leaving the two sons in charge of Sadako. Fujiwaka was at that time nineteen years of age.

The Princess Peony

The Procession Of Ghosts

SOME four or five hundred years ago there was an old temple not far from Fushimi, near Kyoto. It was called the Shozenji temple, and had been deserted for many years, priests fearing to live there, on account of the ghosts which were said to haunt it. Still, no one had ever seen the ghosts. No doubt the story came into the people's minds from the fact that the whole of the priests had been killed by a large band of robbers many years beyond the memory of men--for the sake of loot, of course.

So great a horror did this strike into the minds of all that the temple was allowed to rot and run to ruin.

One year a priest, a pilgrim and a stranger, passed by the temple, and, not knowing its history, went in and sought refuge from the weather, instead of continuing his journey to Fushimi. Having cold rice in his wallet, he felt that he could not do better than pass the night there; for, though the weather might be cold, he would at all events save drenching the only clothes which he had, and be well off in the morning.

The Secret Of Iidamachi Pond

The Snow Ghost

The Snow Tomb

The Spirit of a Willow Tree Saves Family Honour

LONG ago there lived in Yamada village, Sarashina Gun, Shinano Province, one of the richest men in the northern part of Japan. For many generations the family had been rich, and at last the fortune descended in the eighty-third generation to Gobei Yuasa. The family had no title; but the people treated them almost with the respect due to a princely house. Even the boys in the street, who are not given to bestowing either compliments or titles of respect, bowed ceremoniously when they met Gobei Yuasa. Gobei was the soul of good-nature, sympathetic to all in trouble.

The riches which Gobei had inherited were mainly money and land, about which he worried himself very little; it would have been difficult to find a man who knew less and cared less about his affairs than Gobei. He spent his money freely, and when he came to think of accounts his easy nature let them all slide. His great pleasures were painting kakemono pictures, talking to his friends, and eating good things. He ordered his steward not to worry him with unsatisfactory accounts of crops or any other disagreeable subjects. 'The destiny of man and his fate is arranged in Heaven,' said he. Gobei was quite celebrated as a painter, and could have made a considerable amount of money by selling his kakemonos; but no--that would not be doing credit to his ancestors and his name.

The Spirit of the Lotus Lily

The Spirit of the Willow Tree

The Spirit Of Yenoki

The Story of Kato Sayemon

The Temple Of The Awabi

The White Serpent God

Theft and Recovery of a Golden Kwannon

IN the period of Gen-roku, which lasted from 1688 to 1704, when the Shogun or military ruler Tsunayoshi's power was in full sway, he presented a solid gold figure of Kwannon, the Goddess of Mercy, to each of the three leading families of the provinces of Kii, Mito, and Owari, and they were considered as of the highest and greatest value by each of these leading Lords or Daimios, who had them kept in their inner palaces, so that they were almost impossible to get at, and were considered at least absolutely safe from robbers; but even in spite of this the Lord of Kii took additional precautions by always having a man night and day to guard his idol.

At the same period lived a most redoubtable robber whose name was Yayegumo. He was more than an ordinary robber, and was what the people called a 'fuin-kiri,' which means 'seal breaker' or 'seal cutter'; a first-class burglar, in fact, who never descended to robbing the poor, but only robbed the richest and most difficult palaces and castles that were to be got at, taking from them only the highest and most valuable treasures they possessed.

Whales

White Bone Mountain

AT the foot of Mount Shumongatake, up in the northwestern province of Echigo, once stood, and probably even still stands in rotten or repaired state, a temple of some importance, inasmuch as it was the burial-ground of the feudal Lord Yamana's ancestors. The name of the temple was Fumonji, and many high and important priests kept it up generation after generation, owing to the early help received from Lord Yamana's relations. Among the priests who presided over this temple was one named Ajari Joan, who was the adopted son of the Otomo family.

Ajari was learned and virtuous, and had many followers; but one day the sight of a most attractive girl called Kiku, [215:1] whose age was eighteen, upset all his religious equilibrium. He fell desperately in love with her, offering to sacrifice his position and reputation if she Would only listen to his prayer and marry him; but the lovely O Kiku San refused all his entreaties. A year later she was taken seriously ill with fever and died, and whispers went abroad that Ajari the priest had cursed her in his jealousy and brought about her illness and her death. The rumour was not exactly without reason, for Ajari went mad within a week of O Kiku's death. He neglected his services, and then got worse, running wildly about the temple, shrieking at night and frightening all those who came near. Finally, one night he dug up the body of O Kiku and ate part of her flesh.

White Sake

Yosoji's Camellia Tree

Lisa Gawlas

First, let's get to the meaning of the word. Shambhala is a Sanskrit word (the same language we get chakra and kundalini from) that means "place of peace/ tranquility/happiness." In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala (or Shambala) is (thought to be) a mystical kingdom hidden somewhere beyond the snow peaks of the Himalayas. Perhaps, once a upon a time gone by, the people who once lived there knew how to access this sacred energy and brought to earth in that place. But as the people died off, the energy went back to whence it came... that is the ethers of potential.

Did you ever wonder why, in over 2000 years, not one person has been able to replicate all the miracles Jesus was said to perform? Why do you think that is? Jesus even stated several time, "what I can do, you can do also, and then some." So why can't we?? Perhaps he had access to something we have yet to discover... because history made its access, dirty, forbidden, ungodly.

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round:
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.