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St. Patrick's Church, Duleek is a medieval church and National Monument in County Meath, Ireland. It is believed to have been the first stone church built in Ireland.

Location
St. Patrick's Church is located just north of Church Lane in Duleek,  northwest of the Nanny River.

History

According to tradition, St Patrick established a bishopric here c. AD 450 and placed it in the care of Saint Cianán in 489. It acquires its name from the Irish damhliag, "stone house," as it is believed to have been the first stone church in Ireland. It is mentioned in the Annals of Ulster for AD 724. Other churches were known as dairthech, "oak house," as they were made of oak wood. Duleek was sacked by Vikings in 830. In 1014 the bodies of Brian Boru and his son Murchad mac Briain lay in state at Duleek. The Vikings plundered it again in 1149 and the Normans in 1171.

Church
St. Patrick's Church, Duleek is a simple rectangular structure. The northeast wall is partially missing and the southwest wall is completely absent. There is a pointed doorway of undressed stone in the southeast wall. A limestone slab in the wall reads ÓR DO SCANLA_N ("pray for Scanlain").

References

Churches in County Meath
Archaeological sites in County Meath
National Monuments in County Meath
Former churches in the Republic of Ireland


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Homeless Woman Leaves Job Interview Ecstatic, And Manager Catches Her Happy Dance On Surveillance Cameras
Dec 07, 2022 by apost team
We've all done it. When no one is looking, we've definitely busted a move to celebrate something. Dancing is one of the most fun ways to rejoice after something awesome has happened. It's why so many sports teams choose to stage creative dance routines after they score. While sports teams are an exception to the rule, most of us aren't being watched by millions of people while we showcase our celebratory dance moves.
For a lot of us, we are probably glad that this is the case. Some might even say that if a fly was in the room to witness the dance, that was one too many witnesses. For Kayallah Jones from Atlanta, Georgia, her private celebration dance after being offered a job in October 2020 became insanely popular after her boss saw it and posted it to social media.
Most of us have interviewed for a job we really needed or wanted. If you've ever done it, you know it can be an anxiety-provoking experience. Every fiber of your being wants that job, and you really want to impress your prospective employer with your experience and attitude. You go into the interview hoping that you'll perform well enough to be the person that the employer hires. Sometimes you can want a job so much it impacts your sleep and appetite.
When Jones, the young woman in the video, walked into The Spot Sports Bar and Grill in Atlanta, she had those same hopes and probably, the same anxiety. In the end, she wasn't any different from any other person who interviews for a position they really want.
Be sure to reach the end of this article to see the full video :-)
Little did Jones know that she was going to have an interview that would go on to make her famous or at least a pretty well-known viral sensation.
According to PEOPLE, Jones had been struggling to find jobs due to the pandemic. As it turns out, Jones absolutely crushed her job interview at the restaurant. The manager, a woman by the name of Dakara Spence, was so impressed with her that she offered her the job almost immediately, reported ABC News.
Most of us don't expect to get offered a position right after the interview, so it was probably a pretty euphoric feeling for the young woman. She went from wanting the job to getting the job in a matter of minutes. Additionally, ABC News reported that the manager wasn't aware that Kayallah had been homeless for the last two years. This makes her victory dance even more meaningful.
Speaking about Jones, Spence said, "She had like a great energy, I felt it when she walked in, she seemed really positive." This initial impression worked in Jones' favor when she was offered the job.
It is an incredible feeling when you know you did something really well, which was also the case with Jones. When she left the restaurant after the interview, she didn't realize that she was being recorded by surveillance cameras. In this video, you could see her walk quickly out into the parking lot. Suddenly, she stopped and looked both ways. It was clear she was wondering if anyone was watching her.
When she thought no one was around, she started breaking out in a dance. She picked her knees up and moved her arms from side to side. The actual dance itself looked like a release of anxiety, joy and excitement, all coming out in one big movement. With flailing arms and lots of bounce, this young woman made sure she really enjoyed her moment.
This celebration had the restaurant manager so amused that she had to share the video on her Instagram account. In her description, she stated the video was a young woman's reaction to her job proposal. Even Spence couldn't have predicted how popular the video would become, but the video had moved her enough to offer Jones the job. "I called her phone and I said, 'I'm going to hire you and I saw your happy dance, so you can continue dancing' and she was just screaming through the phone. It was a beautiful moment for me," Spence recalled.
Pretty soon, the video had millions of views and was even shared on Tik Tok. Comments flooded in with appreciation for this young lady's celebratory spirit. Eventually, word got around to the actual subject of the video! She had a good sense of humor about being caught in her joy, stating that silly dances were part of her life but that this had been the first time she had been recorded! "I was excited. When I got outside, I didn't know that the cameras caught me," Jones told her local news station.
Jones was also really grateful for the opportunity that was extended to her. "Ms. Dakara didn't know but I was going through so much, and at that point, when she gave me this chance and this opportunity, I was elated, excited and so overwhelmed to the point where no one understood how happy and accomplished I felt at that moment," she said. At moments like this, it's only natural to want to start dancing.
After going through difficult circumstances for so long, we are glad to see Kayallah Jones get the job that she wanted. Journalist Jamie Kennedy also interviewed Jones and asked her to teach people the dance. She was then asked when people should do the dance, to which she replied, "Anytime they're happy, anytime you get a blessing, anytime you had a great opportunity and you have something that you were working towards for years or months, or praying for." This is a sentiment we can certainly get behind.
This video reminds us that it is OK to really enjoy the exciting moments in our life! For every opportunity and blessing we receive, being grateful for it in our own way helps multiply the positivity we are feeling. It's also a good reminder about how to roll with the punches when you get caught doing something silly. After all, Jones' little dance made thousands of people's day, as so many viewers could relate to the joy she felt. We wish Kayallah Jones all the best for her future, as well as others who may have reasons to celebrate with their own happy dance!
Did this lady's celebration dance have you cracking up? What is the most embarrassing thing you have been caught doing? Show this to all your friends and family who need a laugh, and let us hear your thoughts on this fun video.
Please scroll below for more stories :-)

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Shop Talk | October 04, 2011
Book of the Week: Orientation, by Daniel Orozco
by Jeremiah Chamberlin
This week's feature is Orientation, by Daniel Orozco. Published in May by Faber & Faber, this long-awaited and much-anticipated collection is Orozco's first book. His stories have appeared in such places as Zoetrope: All Story, Ecotone, Harper's Magazine, McSweeney's, StoryQuarterly, Mid-American Review, Seattle Review, and Story. In 1995 the title story of this collection was selected for inclusion in The Best American Short Stories, and in 2005 "Officer's Weep" was anthologized in Best American Mystery Stories. He was a Scowcroft and L'Heureux Fiction Fellow and a Jones Lecturer in Fiction in the Creative Writing Program at Stanford University. He has also been awarded residencies from the MacDowell Colony and the Lannan Foundation, and is the recipient of writing fellowships from the Idaho Commission on the Arts, as well as from the NEA. He teaches in the Department of English at the University of Idaho.
In the opening of his recent review of Orientation, contributing editor J.T. Bushnell captures the sense of excitement that so many readers have felt anticipating the release of this collection. He writes:
If you're like me, there are books you like and books you love, and then there are books that make you remember where you read them. This book is one of those. The nine stories in Daniel Orozco's debut, Orientation, are so remarkable, so funny and dark and innovative, so smart and stirring and sad, that they left me pounding the sand on which my girlfriend and I had laid our blanket, muttering, "So good, so good." We'd made a day trip to the Oregon coast to celebrate an anniversary, but I'll remember nothing about the trip better than reading this collection.
I have, after all, been waiting for it since 2004. That was when I first came across Orozco's short fiction in Harper's Magazine. I was so stunned and moved and entertained that I hustled across the library to a computer, where I found another story of his in the archives of Zoetrope: All-Story. It was electric, mesmerizing. A couple years later I found another one anthologized in a text I was using to teach a fiction-writing course, then a couple years later a new one in a Best American anthology. Each time I was dazzled, and I searched for his book, eager to read more. But there was no book. Not until now.
Happily, Bushnell concludes, the book has been more than worth the wait: "Orientation is, without question and without hyperbole, one of the best books I've ever read. I can't find words emphatic enough that aren't already printed on its dust jacket, but I can assure you that all the words there are true."
In addition to this review, we've also recently published an interview with Daniel Orozco. At the end of the summer, Rock Bottom author and contributor Michael Shilling talked by phone with Orozco. The two discussed "craft, teaching, and MFA haters," among other things. Below is an exchange in answer to Shilling's initial question about the unique structures of many of the stories in Orientation:
Orozco: Every story that I write feels like a kind of experiment. The challenge in crafting a story is how to engage a reader emotionally, intellectually, experientially. I'm always looking for some kind of challenge, some kind of structural or narrative constraint to try and figure out. For "Officers Weep," it was, Can I tell a story that is written in the form of a police blotter? And in a way the structure determines how the story's gonna go. So yes, I begin with form and then fill in with character and engagement. Jerome Stern talks about the "shapes of fiction," and I think that's a good analogy, because I need a shape for the story and then I start figuring out what's going to happen in it.
Shilling: That approach is refreshing. I think a lot of writers are afraid of playing with structure because of self-consciousness, these false distinctions between the "realistic" and the "experimental," and if they play around with structure it'll be seen as a gimmick. As if a gimmick is always bad.
Orozco: Right! I mean, the story "Orientation" is a gimmick. You can only do it once for a limited amount of pages, and the same goes for "Officers Weep" because I can't do a series of stories structured as police blotters. But so what? All that matters is that a story, whatever the structure, must be grounded in the humane.
To read Michael Shilling's complete interview with the author, please click here.
Author photo courtesy U Idaho website
Don't miss J.T. Bushnell's September review of Orientation.
For more about Daniel Orozco, visit his faculty page on the University of Idaho's Website for the Department of English.
Read Orozco's "I Run Every Day" in the archives of Zoetrope: All-Story.
You can also win one of three signed copies of this book, which we'll be giving away next week to three of our Twitter followers.
To be eligible for this giveaway (and all future ones), simply click over to Twitter and "follow" us (@fictionwriters).
To all of you who are already fans, thank you!
Book of the Week, craft, Daniel Orozco, debut story collection, Faber & Faber, J.T. Bushnell, Michael Shilling, Orientation, short stories, writers on writing Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Save Instapaper Pocket
Jeremiah Chamberlin
Jeremiah Chamberlin teaches at the University of Michigan. He is also a Contributing Editor for Poets & Writers Magazine. His fiction, criticism, literary interviews, and essays have appeared in such places as Absinthe, Flyway, Glimmer Train, Granta, The New York Times Book Review, The Michigan Quarterly Review, Vagabond, and The Virginia Quarterly Review.
Also from Jeremiah Chamberlin
Making Room for the Reader: Lessons from The Magus Who We Are Now: A Conversation with Colson Whitehead Accepting Indeterminacy: Part II of an Interview with Jacob Paul
Night of the Living Rez, by Morgan Talty
Liminal Spaces: An Interview with Lydia Conklin
Melissa Scholes Young
Natalie Bakopoulos
Forrest Anderson
Ellen Prentiss Campbell


.....but since the overwhelming majority of folks will get this for free (it is PWYW), I'm not going to lose much sleep over that fact.
When I run a game I often keep things rather loose, with a couple of ideas half-formed. Depending on with threads the party decides to pull, I then spend more effort along those lines, but keep those other potential adventure paths dangling (or move them forward as needed).
This Tweak & Toss, No Place Like Gnome, is one of these loose threads. Something is happening in this small hamlet. Maybe the PCs take notice, maybe they decide "screw them" and move on. They could take the side of the villagers (what do you call the inhabitants of a hamlet?), maybe they take the other side.....or maybe they ignore everyone and the problem gets a bit worse.
Feel free to click on either graphic in this post to go the DTRPG listing.


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Tongariro Alpine Crossing, New Zealand
Senderismo, Christchurch - Canterbury
Parque nacional Abel Tasman, Nelson Tasman
By Gareth Eyres
Alpes del Sur, Christchurch - Canterbury
New Zealand's 13 national parks showcase more than 30,000 square kilometres of diverse, natural scenery ready to explore by foot, boat, car or air.
Tongariro National Park long-arrow-right
Centred upon three volcanoes –Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu –Tongariro National Park is home to some of New Zealand's most dramatic landscapes.
Whanganui National Park long-arrow-right
This national park is home to the mystical Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway.
Egmont National Park long-arrow-right
With more than 300 kilometres of scenic walking tracks, Egmont National Park is a dream destination for enthusiastic hikers.
Kahurangi National Park long-arrow-right
Diverse and wild, Kahurangi is an enticing world of marble mountains and peaceful, palm-fringed beaches.
Nelson Lakes National Park long-arrow-right
The Nelson Lakes National Park is an enchanting alpine landscape of rugged peaks, forests and stunning glacial lakes.
Abel Tasman National Park long-arrow-right
Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand's smallest national park is an easily-accessible coastal paradise, perfectly formed for relaxation and adventure.
Spend time in New Zealand's national parks and you'll begin to understand the soul of this place. Our national parks are treasured and preserve our natural heritage, forests, wildlife and landscapes, close to - if not exactly, as it was before people arrived here.
Arthur's Pass National Park long-arrow-right
Arthur's Pass is the highest pass over the Southern Alps. Long before surveyor Arthur Dudley Dobson found his way over in 1864, it was known to Maori.
Paparoa National Park long-arrow-right
Paparoa National Park - Discover amazing pancake rocks, lush native forests, delicate cave formations and limestone canyons – all in one beautifully diverse national park.
Aoraki Mount Cook National Park long-arrow-right
Mt Cook, the tallest mountain in New Zealand, helped Sir Edmund Hillary to develop his climbing skills in preparation for the conquest of Everest.
Mount Aspiring National Park long-arrow-right
Mount Aspiring National Park - Stretch your legs and feed your soul in this beautiful wilderness of native forests, towering mountains and long river valleys.
Westland Tai Poutini National Park long-arrow-right
Release your inner explorer in a pristine national park that offers a wide selection of tempting and impressive terrain.
Fiordland National Park long-arrow-right
One of the most dramatic and beautiful parts of New Zealand; the Fiordland National Park never fails to enthral travellers.
Rakiura National Park long-arrow-right
Many people think of New Zealand as two islands, when it is actually three. Subantarctic Stewart Island lies 30 kilometres south of the South Island.
All New Zealand National Parks
You can read about and view each of the national parks in more detail below.
Abel Tasman – Known as the finest coastal walk in the country with golden beaches and sculptured granite cliffs surrounded by diverse native forest. Featuring the Abel Tasman Coast Track Great Walk.
Aoraki/Mount Cook – New Zealand's great alpine park with the highest mountains and the largest glaciers.
Arthur's Pass – A park of contrasts, with dry beech/tawhai forest in the east and luxuriant rainforest on western slopes.
Egmont – Dominated by the 2518m high volcanic peak of Mt Taranaki (also known as Mt Egmont), which offers a challenging climb and spectacular views.
Fiordland – One of the great wilderness areas of the Southern Hemisphere with The Kepler, Milford and Routeburn tracks, each highlighting different aspects of this spectacular park.
Kahurangi – Covering the West Coast at the top of the South Island it includes the Heaphy Track, the longest of the country's Great Walks.
Mount Aspiring – Straddling the southern end of the Southern Alps it's a walker's paradise and a must for mountaineers. The three largest of 100 glaciers in the region flank Mount Aspiring itself.
Nelson Lakes – Protects the northern-most Southern Alps and offers tranquil beech forest, craggy mountains, clear streams and lakes both big and small.
Paparoa – Most famous for the Pancake Rocks and blowholes of Dolomite Point, near the settlement of Punakaiki.
Rakiura National Park – Explore pristine beaches, sheltered inlets, and coastal forest, and see seals, penguins, kiwi, weka and many other birds. Makes up about 85 percent of Stewart Island/Rakiura.
Tongariro – A dual World Heritage area and a place of extremes and surprises; featuring active volcanoes and the Tongariro Northern Circuit Great Walk.
Westland Tai Poutini – Extends from the highest peaks of the Southern Alps to the rugged and remote beaches of the wild West Coast.
Whanganui – Tramping tracks through wild lowland forests and river trips down the mighty Whanganui are popular activities.
For more information on each of the National Parks visit the Department of Conservation.
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in Hip Hop News, Television, Videos
VH1's Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta Full of Drama, Promo Video Trailer With New Cast
by Memphis Rap May 31, 2012, 12:30 pm
VH1, who will be debuting the third season of it's Love & Hip Hop reality television show, this time the Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta version, once again is bringing drama to the screen in the 10-episode series.
The show, as reported on MemphisRap.com, is set to debut this summer and boasts a southern-fried tale of struggle, love and temptation.
The cast for this season will feature Grammy winning producer Stevie J (Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, MC Lyte, Notorious B.I.G., Eightball and MJG, R. Kelly, Diddy and others), who will be caught between his longtime girlfriend Mimi Faust and an alleged jumpoff, who is a Latina rapper and former stripper named Joseline Hernandez.
Cast member R&B singer K Michelle deals with the he-said, she-said drama while rapper Rasheeda sets on making it big and dealings with her manager/husband Kirk Frost.
Rapper Lil Scrappy must draw a line and try to balance his career and life with girlfriend Erica Dixon, and deal with attitudes, as well as his mother, a former hustler, Momma Dee.
Last but not least, Trinidadian R&B singer/rapper, model and actress Karlie Redd represented by Cash Money Management is trying to earn her stripes and is looking for a producer that will help her create a hit. Karlie Redd has appeared on VH1 Scream Queens 2 and in Black Men Magazine.
"Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta" will be premiering June 18 at 8 PM ATL time, 7 PM Memphis time.
AtlantaErica DixonJoseline HernandezKarlie ReddLil ScrappyLove & Hip HopLove & Hip Hop: AtlantaMimi FaustRasheedareality tvStevie J
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Drake Gives Out "Hood Grammys" To Bobby Shmurda, Rae Sremmurd, Rich Gang & More
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Rapper Juicy J, Katy Perry Rock The Stage at 2014 Grammy Awards Performance
Juicy J Says He's 'Ready'; Preps For 2014 Grammy Awards Performance
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Elias Acevedo Agrees to Plea Deal in Murder, Rape Cases
By Eric Sandy on Mon, Dec 30, 2013 at 2:39 pm
Elias Acevedo pleaded out three cases of murder and rape today. He was in court facing charges of kidnapping, rape and murder of Pamela Pemberton and Christina Adkins (in 1994 and 1995, respectively). He also faced dozens of unrelated charges of kidnapping and rape.
The plea agreement totals 445 years in prison. That prison time stems from an offer extended to Acevedo from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office: Provide information now with the promise of no death penalty.
Acevedo will never have a chance at parole.
Scene featured Adkins' story earlier this year, just as the investigation into her disappearance was heating up. Her remains were found in mid-October of this year in a sewer manhole near I-90.
elias acevedo,
christina adkins,
pamela pemberton
Eric Sandy
Eric Sandy is an award-winning Cleveland-based journalist. For a while, he was the managing editor of Scene. He now contributes jam band features every now and then.
Read More about Eric Sandy


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Free Picks » College Basketball Picks » North Carolina State Wolfpack at Syracuse Orange Free College Basketball Picks & Odds 2-27-2016
North Carolina State Wolfpack at Syracuse Orange Free College Basketball Picks & Odds 2-27-2016
by Tony Sink - 2/26/2016
The North Carolina State Wolfpack travel to Carrier Dome to play the Syracuse Orange on Saturday, February 27, 2016. The opening line for this game has Syracuse as 6 point favorites and the over/under has been set at 140.
The Wolfpack come into this game with an overall record of 14-14 and a road record of 3-6. They are 13-11 against the spread and their over/under record is 14-11. The Orange have an overall record of 18-10 and a home record of 12-4. They have an over/under record of 14-13 and they are 13-14 against the spread.
Anthony Barber comes into this contest averaging 23.5 points per game while playing 38.8 minutes per night so far this season for the Wolfpack. He pulls down 4.6 rebounds per game and dishes out 4.5 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 43% while his free throw percentage is currently at 87%. Maverick Rowan averages 12.8 points per game in 33.5 minutes per contest this season. He averages 0.7 assists per contest and 3.2 rebounds per game for North Carolina State. His field goal percentage is 35% for the year while his free throw percentage is 78%.
Michael Gbinije averages 17 points per game while playing 37.8 minutes per contest this year for the Orange. He grabs 4.1 rebounds per game and has 4.3 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 47% and his free throw percentage currently is at 67%. Trevor Cooney averages 13.2 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 37.2 minutes per contest. He also averages 2.5 rebounds per contest and 2.3 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 34% and his free throw percentage is 78%.
North Carolina State averages 75.1 points per contest this season which ranks them 116th in the nation. Their average scoring margin is 1.7 and their shooting percentage is 43% as a team which has them ranked 213th. Behind the arc they shoot 34% which is good for 194th in the country. They average 40.1 rebounds per game and 11.5 assists per game which ranks them 28th and 285th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 31st with 10.9 per game. The Wolfpack allow 73.4 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 205th in the nation. They also allow a 43% shooting percentage and a 37% average from behind the arc ranking them 147th and 304th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 35.4 rebounds a game which ranks 148th and they give up 13.5 assists per contest which puts them in 197th place in the country. They force 10.1 turnovers per game which ranks them 337th in the Division 1.
Syracuse averages 69.9 points per game this year which ranks them 237th in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 5.2 and their shooting percentage is 42% as a team which has them sitting in the 240th spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 36% which is good for 114th in the nation. They average 35.8 rebounds per game and 13.8 assists per contest which ranks them 176th and 127th respectively. In the turnover department the Orange rank 75th with 11.6 per game. The Orange allow 64.7 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 27th in the country. They also allow a 41% shooting percentage and a 31% average from behind the arc ranking them 54th and 17th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 36.8 rebounds a game which ranks 226th and they give up 15.5 assists per contest which puts them in 318th place in the nation. The Orange force 13.3 turnovers per game which ranks them 116th in college basketball.
The Wolfpack average 70.7 points per game on the road this season and they have scored 66 ppg in their past 3 contests. They have an average scoring differential of 0.5 on the road and in their past 3 games their difference is -9.7 per contest. The Wolfpack have an offensive rating of 109.2 and they assist on 44.3% of their shots. In terms of pace they average 68.2 possessions per 40 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 48%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 52% and they shoot 3 pointers on 29% of their shots. North Carolina State turns the ball over an average of 13.3 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 6.4% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage is 53.1% while their offensive rebound percentage is 36.6%. The Wolfpack give up 70.2 points per game on the road this season and they have surrendered 75.7 points per contest in their last 3 games.
The Orange score 70.1 ppg at home and they have averaged 61.7 points per contest in their last 3 games.They have an average scoring differential of -4.7 in their past 3 contests and at home this season they have a difference of 9 points per game. The Orange have a rating on offense of 107.4 and 57.8% of their shots are assisted. They possess the ball 64.2 times per 40 minutes and their effective field goal percentage for the year is 50%. As an offensive unit they have a true shooting percentage of 53% and they attempt 3 pointers on 43% of their shots. Syracuse turns it over an average of 15.1 times per 100 possessions and they steal the ball on 12.4% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage is 49.3% while their offensive rebound percentage for the season is 33.9%. The Orange give up 61.1 points per contest at home this year and they have given up 66.3 points per game in their past 3 contests.
North Carolina State Wolfpack Betting Trends
The North Carolina State Wolfpack are 13-11 against the spread
The North Carolina State Wolfpack are 14-11 against the over/under
Syracuse Orange Betting Trends
The Syracuse Orange are 13-14 against the spread
The Syracuse Orange are 14-13 against the over/under
North Carolina State Wolfpack Injuries
02/26/16 F Lennard Freeman Leg doubtful Saturday vs. Syracuse
01/05/16 G Terry Henderson Ankle out indefinitely
Syracuse Orange Injuries
Tony's Pick: Take North Carolina State


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Das Bistum Lafia (lat.: Dioecesis Lafiensis) ist eine in Nigeria gelegene römisch-katholische Diözese mit Sitz in Lafia.

Geschichte
Das Bistum Lafia wurde am 5. Dezember 2000 durch Papst Johannes Paul II. mit der Apostolischen Konstitution Petitum est nuper aus Gebietsabtretungen des Erzbistums Jos und des Bistums Makurdi errichtet und dem Erzbistum Abuja als Suffraganbistum unterstellt.

Bischöfe von Lafia
 Matthew Ishaya Audu, 2000–2020, dann Erzbischof von Jos
 David Ajang, seit 2021

Siehe auch
 Liste der römisch-katholischen Diözesen
 Römisch-katholische Kirche in Nigeria

Weblinks

 Eintrag auf cbcn.org (englisch)

Einzelnachweise

Lafia
Lafia
Gegründet 2000

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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The World-Mother And The Opportunity Of The Feminine
April 18, 2012 Philosophy, Theosophy, World Mother And Divine FeminineSimon O'Rourke
As we approach the festive season of Easter, following the Mystery Drama begun at Christmas, one cannot help but to think not only of the great world teacher known as Jesus, the Christ, (meaning 'the Anointed One') (1), but also of that great act of sacrifice undertaken by Mary in becoming the mother of the Son of God. It was she who stood by Jesus from a very young age, accompanied him through all of his tribulations and victories, and stood with him throughout his era of teaching and ultimate sacrifice. The joy of the Christmas birth, like most births, naturally passes from the community to the new-born child and to the parents. Our festive season pays full homage to Jesus and eternal gratitude to God, the Father. The word 'God' means many things to many people and we may define it here in the Pantheistic sense, as that divine essence within, and underlying, all life. However, there is often the impression that Mary, the mother, is somehow less significant beyond the actual birth, and, one who barely receives acknowledgment as a steadfast witness and support in the final victory of life over matter.
Some Theosophical authors would suggest that the Gospel Stories about Jesus, while referring to historical personages, might perhaps be allegorical more than historical. The story conveys ageless truths about the final stages of the journey of each human being, who, after many lives and experiences, finally liberates the potential of the inner God imprisoned within the limitations of matter. Each character in the story becomes symbolic of the personal and universal principles within a single human being. Jesus, a wise and great soul born in the normal way, symbolically represents all human beings as a Son of Man (from Manas meaning thinker), expressing himself primarily through his personal vehicles of body, etheric double, emotional body and lower mind. See Matthew 17:9 to 12 and John 1:51 and 3:13. Each human being advances in evolutionary growth, learning to discern the Voice of the Silence within, see John 5:25. As the Easter drama reaches its interior completion, one becomes a Son of God, redeemed from past karma, expressing one's inner soul perfectly. See Matthew 27:54 and John 3:17 to 21. The potential of each human is realised as an enlightened human being, distinguished by its ability to work unhindered within the universal vehicles of consciousness, Atma-Buddhi-Manas (Will-Wisdom-Intelligence). The awakened Christ-life within the human consciousness is therefore the inner Divine Father (Atma) that may fully express itself through the inner Holy Mother (Buddhi-Manas).
Three Marys and Sophia
Undoubtedly, many people choose to see the story as if compiled from journalistic newspaper cuttings, though as I understand it, scholars indicate that the gospel authors collected and tabulated the stories approximately 70 to 100 years after the event had occurred. Like poetry, scriptural writing cannot be subject to the limitations of only a literal reading, nor can any other art that is really trying to touch the universal and abstract with physical forms that represent archetypes. Scriptural writing is an art-form in allegory and analogy that seeks to draw out divine inspiration from within the reader. Literalism is a form of anthropomorphism, which is the natural tendency to extrapolate one's own experience onto the unknown, and to see the surface of human attributes and properties instead of the profound reality. If anthropomorphism is ignorance and illusion, our personal maya, then it is the opposite of divine wisdom.
As we progress through the unfolding stages of consciousness, there are many subtle levels of anthropomorphism. Beyond the physical, there are psychic and emotional limitations to understanding. An example is the determination by some writers to anthropomorphise Jesus' emotional nature. The speculation is that following his crossing of the divisions between Heaven and Earth, his death and resurrection or unification with the Higher Self, he became emotionally attached to one of his disciples, Mary Magdalene. In the later part of last century, the 20th, it seemed to suit the times to elevate Mary Magdalene, a single woman seen as one of Jesus' favourites, to a high degree of importance. For the sake of romanticism, this has helped to diminish philosophical interest in a much higher embodiment of the feminine principle, Mary the mother of Jesus, the Mary whose purity and nobility was found worthy enough to nurture within herself a Divine Being.
So how are the Mary's related to each other? We know, in a literal reading of the Gospels, that both Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother were present at the significant events associated with the glorification of Jesus—the crucifixion, his resurrection and, as indicated within the Gnostic text, the Pistis Sophia, both were present during his later teachings.
Yet in other ways Mary Magdalene had a very different relationship with Jesus, though one which has similarities to the relationship between Jesus and Sophia. In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 8 vs 1 & 2, we are told that Jesus, accompanied by his twelve disciples, had recently cured several people of obsessions and infirmities. Mary Magdalene was among this group, and was formerly obsessed with no less than 7 demons. And yet, just as Jesus had helped Mary to be free of her obsessions, we cannot forget that he also saved Sophia, from Chaos. According to the great Gnostic text known as the Pistis Sophia, Jesus stated:
"And at the commandment of my Father, the First Mystery which looketh within, I myself went down into the chaos, shining most exceedingly, and approached the lion-faced power, which shone exceedingly, and took its whole light in it and held fast all the emanations of Self-willed, so that from now on they went not into their region, that is the thirteenth æon. And I took away the power of all the emanations of Self-willed, and they all fell down in the chaos powerless. And I led forth Pistis Sophia, she being on the right of Gabriēl and Michaēl. And the great light-stream entered again into her. And Pistis Sophia beheld with her eyes her foes, that I had taken their light-power from them. And I led Pistis Sophia forth from the chaos, she treading under foot the serpent-faced emanation of Self-willed, and moreover treading under foot the seven-faced-basilisk emanation, and treading under foot the lion- and dragon-faced power. I made Pistis Sophia continue to stand upon the seven-headed-basilisk emanation of Self-willed; and it was more mighty than them all in its evil doings. And I, the First Mystery, stood by it and took all the powers in it, and made to perish its whole matter, so that no seed should arise from it from now on." (2)
Theosophy teaches seven principles within the human being. The three immortal aspects, Atma (Higher Self), Buddhi (Spiritual Soul) and Higher Manas (Creative And Immortal Mind), and the four personal aspects of Kama-Manas (desire mind—the form or image producing mind and emotions, compounded together), Etheric Double, Prana and the Body. HPB suggests in her commentary on the Pistis Sophia that esoterically the three Mary's represent three of these principles. Mary, the mother of Jesus, and vehicle of the Divine Will, represents the second human principle—Buddhi or Wisdom. Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus (John 11:2) and the one who anointed the Lord with perfume, and who wiped his feet with her hair, represents the higher Manas. This is the third human principle, the Causal Body—or abstract intellectual principle, influenced by Buddhi. And thirdly, Mary Magdalene represents lower Manas, the mental body, so often swayed by the emotions, the personal demons of our own making. (3) Both Sophia, who was saved from the seven-faced-basilisk emanation by the Christ, and Mary Magdalene, who was saved from the seven demons by the Christ, therefore represents the same human principal, the lower Manas or mind.
Of Mary Magdelene, Jesus said, 'Look, I shall guide her to make her male …'
There is another passage from the Gospel of Thomas which would indicate that Jesus would not have accepted Mary Magdalene in a literal sense. From the last verse, 114, "Simon Peter said to them, 'Mary should leave us, for females are not worthy of life.' Jesus said, 'Look, I shall guide her to make her male so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter Heaven's Kingdom'". This kind of statement would seem to challenge our reason in the same way that other statements attributed to the Christ have done, such as the parable of the cursing of the fig tree. If the literal meaning is unsatisfactory, then perhaps the writer intended a spiritual meaning. If one remembers that Spirit is an intangible unity within, neither male nor female but pure Will, and the inherent nature of matter is to nurture and build in the world of form, then the words may make some sense. Every human being has an active aspect and a passive aspect, a spiritual cause for each life and a receptive container. If the container dies at the end of each life, then to find immortality one must become the source of that life and not the container. As the book, Light On The Path, suggests, one does not tread the Path, one becomes the Path—the inner Psyche does not only marry the inner Eros, Psyche becomes Eros. The lower desire-mind, Psyche, in a passive state, responds to the activity of the higher wisdom-mind, Eros. In meditation, this process develops in which one attempts to become that which one meditates upon, a living spirit. So the words would imply the complete transformation of consciousness from the personal world into the impersonal consciousness of the universal and active spirit. If we may use a sea-faring analogy, the ship (or navis) Buddhi sails on the shore-less ocean, or matter, with a crew made up of personalities over many lifetimes, and fully responds to the helm of Atma, Will.
From the foregoing, we may see that the maternal figures—Mary the mother of Jesus, Maya the mother of the Buddha and Isis, the mother of Horus, and others representing the office of World-Mother—are significant. C W Leadbeater, like many Theosophists in the early years, strongly supported the ideal that men and women were complementary aspects of humanity, each with their own special qualities, yet having roles equal in standing. The soul life had particular lessons to learn, incarnating successively in both genders over many lives. See "The Interval Between lives" in the Second Volume of "The Inner Life" by C W Leadbeater in which he states: "In the beginning of these studies it was given to us as a general rule that a man usually takes not less than three and not more than seven incarnations in one sex before passing over to the other. Although the many researches which we have since undertaken have to a large extent confirmed this general rule, they have also shown us a great number of exceptions to it, some people taking long lines of incarnations in one sex before turning to the other, and others for a time incarnating alternately in male and female bodies; but most of these were in the case of egos who were already advanced somewhat beyond the average, and were therefore probably receiving special treatment."
The World-Mother looks after every woman in the time of her suffering
In his book "The Masters And The Path", there is special attention drawn to the World-Mother: "Students should understand that a great department of Motherhood exists, and has an important place in the Inner Government of the world. Just as the Manu is the head of a great department which looks after the physical development of races and sub-races, just as the Bodhisattva is the head of another which attends to religion and education, so is the great Official who is called the Jagat-Amba or World-Mother the head of a department of Motherhood."
"It is the work of this department to look especially after the mothers of the world. From the occult standpoint the greatest glory of woman is not to become a leader in society, nor is it to take a high university degree and live in a flat in scornful isolation, but to provide vehicles for the egos that are to come into incarnation. And that is regarded not as something to hide and to put away, something of which one should be half-ashamed; it is the greatest glory of the feminine incarnation, the grand opportunity which women have and men have not. Men have other opportunities, but that really wonderful privilege of motherhood is not theirs. It is the women who do this great work for the helping of the world, for the continuance of the race; and they do it at a cost of suffering of which we who are men can have no idea."
"Because this is so—because of the great work done and the terrible suffering which it entails—there is this special department of the government of the world, and the duty of its officials is to look after every woman in the time of her suffering, and give her such help and strength as her karma allows. As we have said, the World-Mother has at her command vast hosts of angelic beings, and at the birth of every child one of these is always present as her representative."
"The World-Mother herself is present in and through her representative at the bedside of every suffering mother. Many women have seen her under such conditions, and many who have not been privileged to see have yet felt the help and the strength which she outpours."
These statements were written over 80 years ago and yet they are far truer now than they were at the time they were written. Social upheaval in the 1960's and 1970's caused even Theosophists to become lost in the modern dilemma of the neglect of the feminine. This is evidenced by the fact that the quoted passages regarding the World-Mother were removed from all editions of the book published after 1969. The sociological phenomena emphasised 'choice', yet workplace attitudes, employers groups and existing social structures meant that women had to become 'like men', and phrases such as 'to compete with men' became fairly commonplace. As we entered the 21st century feminist groups began to wonder whether there was in fact real 'choice'. Greater justice in the form of equal remuneration for both genders, and the removal of barriers to merited opportunities, were certainly necessary for humanity to advance. But many people continue to ask, "how can we have a family life while fulfilling our work responsibilities, and what is becoming of our children?"
Western Education and Career Systems were not developed to take account of the 'biological clock'
Time waits for no one, and the timeline of a working life proceeding through the western education and career system, which had been developed predominately by males over the last 8oo years from the establishment of the first European Universities, does not favour the family and the 'biological clock' of motherhood. The time to attain educational qualifications and to build professional experience eats considerably into the biological time in which a woman may fall pregnant. If the remaining biological time is too narrow, it may lead to 'circumstantial childlessness'. Dr Leslie Cannold from the University of Melbourne wrote in her 2005 publication 'What, No Baby?', from Curtin University Books, that a US survey of childless career women reported that only 14% of them said they had not wanted to have children (p13). So much for the appearance of 'choice'. She says that: "unlike men, women don't have three-quarters of a lifetime to muse on the question of motherhood. They have no alternative but to wake up, smell the parental coffee and–if brewing up a bub (baby) is what's intended–get on with it. … Desperate attempts are occasionally made to find someone human, rather than divine, to blame. In Australia, the shrill accusatory finger is pointed either at particular women or at 'feminists' in general, and it is often pointed by highly educated and accomplished women who insist that had the women's movement told them 'the truth', they wouldn't be ending their reproductive years childless." (p33-4) Dr Cannold reports that the fertility rate is much lower in family-unfriendly countries than in family-friendly countries. Family-friendly countries are those in which their work practices and governmental policies recognise the need and importance of career and family balance for both genders (p37-8).
CWL continues: "It is the earnest desire of the World-Mother that every woman in her time of trial should have the best possible surroundings—that she should be enfolded in deep and true affection, that she should be filled with the holiest and noblest thoughts, so that none but the highest influences may be brought to bear upon the child who is to be born, so that he may have a really favourable start in life. Nothing but the purest and best magnetism should await him or her, and it is imperatively necessary that the most scrupulous physical cleanliness should be observed in all particulars. Only by the strictest attention to the rules of hygiene can such favourable conditions be obtained as will permit of the birth of a noble and healthy body, fit for the habitation of an exalted ego."
The difficulty in finding appropriate bodies for highly developed egos
"This matter of providing a suitable incarnation for highly developed egos is one which causes considerable anxiety to the World-Mother and to her attendant angels. Many thousands of advanced souls are ready for incarnation and anxious to take it, in order that they may help in the work of the World-Teacher; but the difficulty of finding appropriate bodies is very great. In consequence of foolish and wasteful ostentation an evil tradition is growing up in the Western world that men and women cannot afford to marry, and that large families are too expensive to be practically possible. Not understanding the wonderful opportunity which their sex gives them, women desire to be free from the restraints of marriage in order that they may ape the lives and the actions of men, instead of taking advantage of their peculiar privileges. Such a line of thought and action is obviously disastrous to the future of the race, for it means that many of the better-class parents take no part in its perpetuation, but leave it entirely in the hands of the more undesirable and undeveloped egos."
The term 'Ego' as used here represents the higher human individuality, the Causal Body or human soul, not the lower psyche or animal soul as applied in Psychology. This problem, the lack of suitable bodies for advanced egos, has worsened in recent years and is a known sociological issue which is discussed in Dr Cannold's book. Susan Faludi, in her book 'Backlash' discusses the allure of work, its financial rewards and the problems arising as self-esteem is more strongly derived from one's role in the workplace rather than one's role in the family. The issue was recently satirised in the Hollywood film 'Idiocracy', in which the future humanity, having gradually declined in intellectual faculties, had lost its understanding of how to use present day technology. Part of the problem is that there are few financial rewards in raising a family, which of course means that the primary carer whether male or female, faces a loss of financial independence and a sense of no longer being empowered. In Chapter 5 of Dr Cannold's book, she touches on another biological subtlety. If most women feel drawn to maternal love, most men have a significantly different drive and are often content to remain childless. Only 10% of Australian men are staying out of the workforce to care for their children (p159). Of course, many had chosen to do so only because their partners earned significantly higher earnings. As so often happens, the ideas and reflections of the early Theosophists take into account not only the conditions of their time but the condition of humanity long into the future.
CWL goes on to say, as the conditions existed in the 1920's: "In India the conditions are different, for every one marries as a matter of course; but even in the higher castes there is often a lamentable lack of supervision, and the conditions provided are very unfavourable for the production of sound and healthy bodies. This is a very serious matter, earnestly to be commended to the consideration of all students of occultism, who should assuredly do everything in their power to bring about a more satisfactory state of affairs."
"It would indeed be well that women in all countries should band themselves together in an endeavour to spread abroad among their sisters accurate information on this most important subject; every women should fully realize the magnificent opportunities which the feminine incarnation gives her; every woman should be taught the absolute necessity for proper conditions before, during and after her pregnancy. Not only the most perfect cleanliness and the most careful attention should surround the baby body, but also it should be encompassed by perfect astral and mental conditions, by love and trust, by happiness and holiness. In this way the work of the World-Mother would be immensely facilitated and the future of the race would be assured."
The complementary role of feminine deities and adepts in life and ritual
"It has often been asked whether there are any Adepts living in feminine bodies. The existence of the World-Mother is an answer to that question. Because of her wonderful quality of intense purity and because of her development in other ways, she was chosen to be the mother of the body of the disciple Jesus long ago in Palestine; and because of the wonderful patience and nobility of soul with which she bore all the terrible suffering which came to her as the consequence of that position, she attained in that same life the level of Adeptship. Having reached that, and finding the seven paths open before her, she chose to enter the glorious Deva evolution and was received into it with great honour and distinction."
"That is the truth which lies behind the Roman Catholic doctrine of her Assumption; not that she was carried up into heaven among the Angels in her physical body, but that when she left that body she took her place among the Angels, and being presently appointed to the office of World-Mother she became very truly a queen among them, as the Church so poetically says. A great Deva needs no physical body; but while she holds her present office she will always appear to us in feminine form, as will those Adepts who have chosen to help her in her work."
"All through the centuries thousands upon thousands both of men and of women have poured heartfelt devotion at her feet, and it is very certain that no jot or tittle of that devotion has been misdirected or wasted; for she, whose love for mankind has evoked it, has always used its force to the uttermost in the onerous task which she has undertaken. However little men have known it, they have poured such a splendid wealth of love at her feet not because she was once the mother of Jesus, but because she is now the Mother of all living."
If Mary, the mother of Jesus, was venerated as an equal to Jesus in the Christian religion, though with a different and yet complementary role, there would be far more interest in developing feminine rituals that complement the existing masculine rituals within the Christian Church. Throughout the history of world religions, there have been masculine rituals, feminine rituals and rituals neutral or genderless. These energies are reflective of the fundamental energies in nature, like the Kundalini energies of Ida (feminine), Pingala (masculine) and Sushumni, and all are necessary. From 'The Secret Doctrine' HP Blavatsky writes "It is the pure Akasha that passes up Sushumna; its two aspects flow in Ida and Pingala. These are three vital airs, and are symbolized by the Brahmanical thread. They are ruled by the Will. Will and Desire are the higher and lower aspects of one and the same thing. Hence the importance of the purity of the canals … From these three a circulation is set up, and from the central canal passes into the whole body." "Ida and Pingala play along the curved wall of the cord in which is Sushumna. They are semi-material, positive and negative, sun and moon, and start into action the free and spiritual current of Sushumna. They have distinct paths of their own, otherwise they would radiate all over the body". From 'The Chakras', CWL continues; "in a man the Ida starts from the base of the spine just on the left of the Sushumna and the Pingala on the right (be it understood that I mean the right and left of the man, not the spectator); but in a woman these positions are reversed. The lines end in the medulla oblongata. The spine is called in India the Brahmadanda, the stick of Brahma; … it is also the original of the caduceus of Mercury, the two snakes of which symbolize the kundalini or serpent-fire which is presently to be set in motion along those channels, while the wings typify the power of conscious flight through higher planes which the development of that fire confers." For more information, see 'The Chakras', Chapter II The Three Spinal Channels.
A wider knowledge of these forces may perhaps diminish the strong desire some women have to become hierophants within the old Christian male rituals, who have struggled in recent years to adapt to the polarised energies of the old, though still valuable, rituals. There is a better way. Rather than to simply emulate the male, and to become like the male priests, expressing the energies of divinity in only one aspect, and to be once again caught up in the problems of identity, there is the distinct possibility of establishing feminine rituals devoted to the Great Angel Mary, the Star of the Sea, and of rediscovering a distinctly feminine identity. However, this can only occur if there is enough support to develop feminine rituals that may be tested and validated over time, without necessarily losing the practice and value of the old rituals.
"I become the Goddess of the lotus pond"
The great World-Mother principle belongs to all of the great religions. She does not need a separate movement. The various qualities of her nature and work may be found through all of these religions containing aspects of the Ageless-Wisdom tradition. She is clearly recognized in India as the Jagat-Amba (Jagad-Ambikā) or Jagad-Mātā. She is the trimurti of spiritual energy as Shakti, consort to Shiva, Lakshmi consort to Vishnu and Saraswati, consort to Brahmā. In China she is Kwan-Yin, the Mother of Mercy and Knowledge, and Mãyã, the Cosmic Mother to the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. As CWL states; "She is essentially the representative, the very type and essence of love, devotion and purity; the heavenly wisdom indeed, but most of all Consolatrix Afflictorum, the Consoler, Comforter, Helper of all who are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness or any other adversity."
Finally, Mãyã, the mother of the Buddha states very beautifully that one who nurtures a human life may one day nurture whole worlds, and ultimately become the mother of the Universe: "And, O noble son, just as I was the mother of the tathãgata (one who has gone beyond coming and going, or one with truth) Vairocana, so have I been the mother of countless other previous tathãgatas. When a bodhisattva (an enlightened being prior to full Buddhahood) is about to be born in this world, it sometimes happens that he is born in a lotus. I become the Goddess of the lotus pond and take that bodhisattva. And the world calls me the mother of the bodhisattva. Once he appeared in someone's lap; there too I was his mother. If the bodhisattva is to be born in a Buddha-field, then I become the Goddess of the seat of enlightenment in that Buddha-field. In this way O noble son, bodhisattvas in their final birth can display various forms of birth as a form of skilful means to reach beings; I display similar skilful means and become their mothers. … In every one of those worlds I will be his mother."
1 H P Blavatsky quotes the Clementine Recognitions in which it is announced that the father anointed his son with "oil that was taken from the wood of the Tree of Life, and from this anointing he is called the Christ. See HPB Collected Writing Vol 8 Page 196.
2 Pistis Sophia, G R S Mead Translation, Chapter 66
3 The Collected Writings Of H P Blavatsky, Vol XIII, on Pistis Sophia Page 37
4. 'Buddhist Scriptures', edited by Donald Lopez Jr, Penguin Books 2004, Chapter 16 "Mãyã, Mother Of The Buddha", P 134.
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