#[ destiny. ] that's the nature of destiny — it creates a miracle but convinces you of an accident. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

randomactuallywrites-57 · 6 years

Text

Origin

Title: Origin Author: randomwriter57 Rating: G Word Count: 9,961 Event + Prompt: @sormikweek day three - Fear/Excitement (Wind) Notes: i love miraculous ladybug. i love superhero AUs. please don't judge me. you shouldn't need to have seen the show to understand this oneshot, but please let me know if anything is unclear! also feel free to come and yell with me about this AU because i love it a lot.

Summary: There is such thing as magic - both the good kind, and the bad.

Also on: AO3

There is such thing as magic.

That’s what Sorey thinks, anyway. Usually his nature tends to be that of a realistic thinker, but he’s always had a soft spot for the supernatural. It doesn’t matter what kind of magic it is; stereotypical witchcraft or spell-casting, or even forces like fate and destiny. Regardless of the type, magic has to exist in some form or another.

Of course, there’s no proof that he’s right. Even if there is, he has no way of finding it for himself, especially not when he’s in a situation like this.

His father’s study feels like a black hole where magic goes to die. The dark, regal colouring and antique flooring might suggest the opposite. But the atmosphere in the room, the hopelessness permeating the air, is what lets him know he’s right.

Georg Heldalf, Sorey’s father, stands before the window, his back facing him and blocking the outside world from view. The light before him creates the effect of his back being shadowed, hidden from view.

“Please, father,” Sorey pleads. “I promise I’ll be careful, and I’ll come straight home afterwards-”

“I’ve told you time and time again, Sorey,” Georg says without moving to face him. “You will not be going to school and that is final.”

“Is it too much to ask for a single year of being allowed to learn more about the world?”

His father scoffs. “How insolent. I pay for the best tutors in Pendrago to teach you everything you need to know for a full education, and this is the thanks I get. Everything you need is in this house.”

Sorey clenches his fist, turning his gaze to the only other adult in the room. His father’s assistant, Runette, only watches silently, her lips pressed tightly together.

Maybe magic isn’t real after all. At least, it doesn’t exist in this house.

“I appreciate everything you do for me,” Sorey says in a measured tone, “but there’s more for me to see outside this house. More people for me to meet. A life lived without going outside is barely a life at all.”

Georg heaves a great sigh, pushing a hand through his blond hair in agitation. “I have given you everything I could since your birth. Now your mother is gone, I am going through more trouble to keep you safe and happy.”

“But can’t you see that I’m not happy?”

“Leave.” His father’s tone is final, strong and low. “You will not be going to school. I have nothing more to say on the matter.”

For a moment, Sorey waits, desperate to say something else, to try to convince him. In the end, though, all he can do is hold his tongue and leave, heading back through the large, lonely house towards his room.

Now, more than ever, he wishes magic was real. Maybe then he’d have a chance at a normal life.

Mikleo would love for magic to be real. Maybe it would make life easier.

Of course, there's no chance of that happening. Though he enjoys thinking of impossible things, he always sees them for what they are - impossible. That's why he doesn't get his hopes up that high school will be any better than middle school had been, or that some miracle will suddenly fix everything wrong with his life.

When he gets up on the first day of high school, his excitement is tainted by a sense of dread. There won't be many new people in his class, judging on how previous years have been. He'll be stuck in another year with a group of people he's never fit in with, and who never seemed to like him anyway.

Switching off his alarm, he takes a moment to gaze at his phone’s wallpaper, his lips curling upward at the sight of a picture of him with his best friend.

He wishes, not for the first time, that Sorey might be there to brave this new school year with him.

Again, there’s no chance of that happening. Even without the factor of Sorey’s father being the strictest man he’s ever had the misfortune to meet, he hasn’t seen Sorey for months, now. Not since his mother, Selene disappeared.

Locking his phone, he forces himself out of bed, where he puts on his glasses and begins to get ready for the day. His new school uniform is a little big on him, the white blazer sleeves almost dwarfing his palms, but he’ll grow into it. At least when he brushes his mouse-brown hair into a more sophisticated style, he doesn’t look quite so young.

Once he’s ready, he heads downstairs from his attic bedroom into the kitchen. His mother, Muse, is already there, brewing them both cups of tea to go with the cereal which sits on the island counter.

“Good morning, sweet pea,” Muse says through a yawn.

Muse has the same problem as Mikleo in that she’s always busy and never takes breaks. She wakes up at 5am everyday to make pastries for the coming day in the bakery downstairs. Then she spends all day working there, and she does the admin work at night before bed. Somehow, she fits in time to clean the house and do the chores whilst Mikleo is at school, too. He has no idea how she does it.

“Morning,” he replies, sitting down at one of the island stools. He grabs a clean bowl and pours himself some cereal. “How are you?”

“Ready for another busy day, as usual,” she says, putting a strong cup of tea on the counter beside him. “Are you excited for school? First day of a new year, after all.”

Mikleo hums in an unenthusiastic tone. “It’ll be the same as it is every year, mum.”

“But you’re in high school now,” she points out, sitting down to get her own breakfast. “Maybe something exciting will happen that will make your whole year amazing.”

“That would take a miracle, mum.”

‘Or some form of magic,’ he thinks.

A man stands alone in a dark chamber. The only light source is a window high above him, which looks out onto the city from a great height. Though the chamber is shrouded in darkness, there is no furniture to be seen. The only other inhabitants of the room are silver energy particles which float around the man, hovering near the ground.

The man holds out his hand in front of him, where a brooch lies in his palm. A red gem glimmers in the centre of its golden body, shimmering in the low light.

“What did you say you are?” he asks.

In front of him floats a strange being, one with skin of a purple hue and a blob-like form. The little creature has small pointed ears atop its head, and a tail with a fluffy tip.

"I am a kwami named Symonne," the creature says. "I live within the brooch you're holding, the Lion Miraculous."

"And if I wear this brooch, you will grant me powers?" he asks.

"Yes. I provide the power to send off energy to people, which gives them their own powers for a short period of time, under your jurisdiction. They will be able to do as you command them to."

Though the man’s face is hidden in shadows, his teeth gleam in the light. "And if I capture two certain Miraculouses, I might be granted special powers?"

Symonne nods. "Capturing the Miraculous of the Magpie and the Cat will grant you both the powers of creation and destruction, and any wish you ask for will come true."

A grin spreads across his lips. "Then I shall do exactly that. And what better way to lure two Miraculous-holding superheroes than to create supervillains, do you not agree?"

"Yes, master," Symonne says, her own lips curling as she watches him pin the brooch onto his shirt. "All you have to do is ask."

The man, standing tall in his lair, calls out. "Symonne, transform me!"

Darkness envelopes him, swirling around him as his clothing changes. A moment passes before he stands once more, this time clad in an entirely different outfit, one drenched in hues of purple and black. A mask covers his face, hiding his identity behind the image of a lion. The brooch on his collarbone holds together a long black cloak.

“Let it be known now that I am Calamity,” he says. "I shall cover Pendrago in darkness, in order to fulfil my wish. That is my answer."

Calamity lets out a roar of laughter, and for a moment, the world sees nothing but darkness.

The dark aura, for the most part, is unnoticeable. Only a few creatures sense it when it washes over them, one of whom stirs in a small house on the outskirts of the city.

Kyme freezes in the drawer where he usually sleeps, his body wrought with fear. This sensation filling him is one he has only felt a few times before, at times which preceded eras filled with chaos.

It is dread which makes him fly out of the drawer, heading quickly to his master’s side.

He finds Zenrus in the living room of the house, sitting on a pillow in front of the fireplace. He takes a long drag from his pipe, his expression all too calm considering the situation.

“Master,” he says.

Zenrus turns his attention to the green kwami. “Kyme. Is something wrong?”

“Yes, master. I felt a terrible aura. It can only mean one thing.”

“The Lion Miraculous?” When Kyme doesn’t respond, he breathes out the smoke from his pipe. “So, Calamity will rise once more. It was bound to happen one day.”

“But master, it hasn’t even been two decades-”

“There is no use in pondering the reason,” Zenrus says. He pulls out a necklace from around his neck, clutching it in his free hand. “We must make haste in stopping Calamity.”

Kyme zooms over, stopping Zenrus from uttering any more words. “Master, with all due respect, your body is too weak now to transform.”

“I’m still young,” he says, though they both know otherwise. For a man who has lived for centuries, even if he is strong, he does not have the power alone needed to triumph over evil. “But you are right. We must call on those with power stronger than any other.”

He gets up from his seat, moving over to where a music box sits in the corner of the room. Though it looks innocent enough, he opens a panel on it and types in a code. When it opens, it reveals dozens of pieces of jewellery, all inscribed with ancient symbols.

“You will choose another Magpie and Luzrov?” Kyme asks hesitantly. He isn’t sure he wants to know the answer. Hearing the truth will only tell him how much their city, and perhaps even their world, is at stake.

Zenrus nods gravely. “In times like these, it is only these two who may put an end to the evil threatening our world. I’m afraid it is a necessity.”

For a moment, they both stay silent, contemplating the war which will begin the moment these Miraculouses come into use. It will be a long struggle, if the past instances are anything to go by. They’ll need to use all of their strength, and choose heroes with unwavering hearts.

Kyme turns his attention to his master. “Where should we begin?”

It’s surprisingly easy to sneak out of Sorey’s house.

He’s only done it a few times before, and he’s never gone much farther than the end of the street. That being said, he could have gone farther, if he’d wanted. His only issue is the guilt which crawls into his throat at the thought of being caught.

This time, however, when he climbs out of his window and over the wall surrounding the house, he doesn’t look back. To get what he’s always wanted, he can’t back out now. Otherwise he’ll never get to go to school, have a normal life, make new friends and see his existing ones more often.

And lord knows seeing Mikleo right now would be good enough to make this whole trip worth it.

He runs down the street, heading in the direction of the local high school. Pendrago is a large city, but most of the public services are very central, and with his father’s house being in the city centre, it’s fairly easy to find where he’s going. Not having an escort tailing him makes getting around a lot easier, too.

As he moves into more crowded areas, he forces himself to slow his pace to a fast walk. He can’t have himself sticking out in such a huge crowd, lest someone recognises him from the few pictures online of his father with his family, back when his political power stretched further.

All he’s going to do is enrol for classes. If he does that, surely his father will understand his resolve.

The school building looms in the distance, and he speeds up, ready to run straight in. However, as he approaches it, he sees an old man crossing the street in front of the school. The man walks with a cane and a hunched back, very slowly and uncertainly. The ringing of the school bell punctuates the moment his foot slips, and he falls to the ground, just as a car turns the corner.

When Sorey moves now, it is an instinct more than a thought process. One moment he’s watching from afar, the next he kneels beside the man on the road. He picks up the man’s cane before turning to him.

“Are you okay?” he asks, offering an arm. “Can you stand?”

The car approaching grinds to a halt as the old man takes Sorey’s arm, using it to levy himself off the ground and onto his feet once more. They move onto the pavement and Sorey passes him his cane with a warm smile, which the old man returns gratefully.

Before either Sorey or the man can say anything, though, the halted car’s door slams, and a familiar voice assaults his ears.

“Sorey!” His father’s assistant Runette stands by the car, her eyes wide with anger, chest heaving. “You must come home at once!”

Feeling his heart crush in his chest, Sorey turns to face her. He doesn’t notice as the old man walks away, barely using his cane at all to move. “Please, you don’t understand. I’ve wanted this for so long-”

“Your father has told you time and again. Neither he or I will make any exceptions.”

The sound of a crowd grows, and Sorey knows if he doesn’t want to cause a scene whilst the students are going for lunch, he should stand down. But he can’t bring himself to give up. This is his last chance at convincing his father - or at least his assistant - that he ought to be allowed to attend public school.

“I understand that my father is worried for me,” Sorey says, “but I don’t see any issue with this. School is meant to be a safe place. Why would I get hurt here?”

“You will not be attending, and that is final.”

“Please-”

“Sorey?”

This voice feels like a blessing and a curse when he hears it.

Sorey whips around, his heart racing as he sees the familiar figure of Mikleo standing a few feet away. He’s wearing the school’s uniform, complete with the iconic white blazer Sorey has seen people wearing when he passes the school in the car. The formal dress is a little surprising, but he can’t say it doesn’t suit Mikleo. The only thing which doesn’t seem to belong on his face is the confusion and concern forming in his violet eyes.

“Mikleo,” Sorey says weakly.

“What are you doing here?” Mikleo asks, looking between Sorey and Runette. “Is something wrong?”

When Sorey opens his mouth to answer, he feels Runette’s ice-cold glare in the back of his head more than he hears her speak his name in a warning tone.

He holds up a finger to represent “one second” before rushing over to Mikleo.

“There isn’t time to explain everything right now,” Sorey says. “Can I call you later?”

Though Mikleo looks like he wants to ask more questions, he settles for a nod. “Alright. Just don’t scare me like that in the future, okay?”

“Thanks, Mikleo.”

Sorey heads back toward Runette, hesitating when he sees the escort car waiting for him, ready to return him to a life he will never escape from.

There’s no point in resisting, though. All he can do is obey the wishes of his father. He’s powerless to do anything else.

Zenrus turns the corner, heading into an alleyway behind the school. It’s shaded enough that onlookers shouldn’t see more than a silhouette if they happen to glance over as they pass by. Reaching into his pocket, he removes an ornate jewellery box in the shape of a hexagon, marked with symbols only he and a few others understand.

“Take this to that boy’s house,” he tells Kyme, who comes out from his hiding spot in Zenrus’ other pocket.

“Are you certain? This boy is definitely the right one for the Magpie Miraculous?”

Part of Zenrus wishes Kyme wouldn’t be so cautious, but then again, he is the same way. “I only ever chose wrongly once, years ago. I will not allow that to happen again.”

With that as his answer, Kyme gives in, taking the box from his master. He is dwarfed by its size, but he manages to carry it with him as he flies off into the sky on his mission.

Watching after him, Zenrus grasps his cane. There is nothing left to do now but search for the other hero their city needs, and then hope he’s made the right decision.

As the black car drives away, Mikleo wonders if this day can get any weirder.

Not only has he just been faced with the sight of his best friend for the first time in months, having an argument in front of his school. He’s also been in classes where he doesn’t recognise a single person, and watched his History teacher lose his composure over the rudeness of a few careless students.

To be fair, Mikleo can understand why his teacher was upset. Professor Uno seems like an intelligent and patient man. For a class to give such a rude first impression, interrupting constantly and bickering without any care for their teacher’s warnings, it doesn’t give him hope for the rest of the school year. If the other students would just be more considerate, maybe things would be better.

A crash interrupts his thoughts, followed by a shriek of fear. He whips back to face the school, heart stopping as he sees what stands at the door.

Rather than a person, it’s more of a half-human, half-snake creature. The blue tail suggests it’s more snakelike, along with the scales crawling up the man’s exposed neck and face. His hair falls around his shoulders in a mess, his eyes now slits, glowing with rage. Strangest of all, he wears a snake around his neck.

“Students,” the man calls out, “My name is Uroboros. It is time you were taught a lesson in manners!”

When Mikleo said he wanted people to be more considerate, this isn’t how he expected them to be taught about it.

He backs away behind one of the pillars supporting the school building, watching from behind it as the snake man moves towards the fleeing students, swiping at them with long claws. It’s a sight unlike anything he’s seen before, unlike anything he’s ever wanted to see, and for a horrifying moment, he wonders if this is the proof he desired that magic exists.

If it is, he kind of wishes he never found out.

Uroboros swipes at a pillar, causing the roof to cave in, stone dust and debris falling from above. Mikleo has to run to get out of the way, holding one arm over his head and the other over his mouth, the fabric of his blazer hot against his lips from his breaths. As he reaches the corner of the building, he notices an old man standing nearby, a look of horror in his eyes as his cane lies abandoned a few feet away.

“You need to get out of here!” Mikleo yells, getting the man’s attention. He runs toward him, picking up the cane and handing it to him. “I’ll help you to safety.”

Without giving him a chance to respond, Mikleo grabs the man’s arm and drags him around the corner, running with him down the alleyway toward the next street down. It’s a useful shortcut to know, one which leads to a main street with plenty shops lining the streets. He drags the man into one at random. The door opens with a crash, and the woman behind the counter startles as he rushes in.

“There’s something attacking near the school,” Mikleo explains, letting go of the man’s arm. “Please look after this man. Lock all the doors and alert the others on this street.”

The woman nods, too scared and shocked to say a word, and Mikleo runs out of the shop again. If someone is terrorising the school, he can’t bring himself to sit back and do nothing.

In the shop, Zenrus gives a reassuring smile to the cashier before heading to the door. “The young boy is right. Please stay inside.”

The woman says, “Where are you going?”

“I have far more important things to be doing than hiding,” he answers cryptically.

As he leaves the shop and rushes down the street as fast as his legs will take him - which, to be fair, is a lot slower than it used to be - he can’t help the heavy feeling in his heart.

“I suppose the white cat runs in your blood,” he says to himself as he runs toward a certain bakery, where a pair of violet eyes reside, matching those of the boy he has chosen.

It’s only once Sorey gets back to his bedroom and turns on his TV that he hears about what’s happening.

He sits down on his sofa, reclining and ready to find another documentary he’s already watched a thousand times, only to find himself bombarded with news announcements.

“A man with the tail of a snake has been spotted roaming near the Pendrago High School,” the news reporter says. The footage switches to an aerial shot of the school, where it shows an unbelievable creature who truly has the body of a snake. “The creature is incredibly violent. We urge citizens to stay at home if possible, and not to engage the beast at all costs.”

“This is crazy,” Sorey murmurs, watching in horror as the snake creature swipes at a passing student. “Is this real?”

It occurs to him, that Mikleo had been near the school only minutes ago. He hopes with all his heart that he managed to get away.

His head drops as he wonders how this will end up. Will someone be able to stop the beast? Or will it continue terrorising innocent people? This is the kind of thing which only happens in comic books, but as far as he knows, there aren’t any superheros in Pendrago.

Catching sight of something in the corner of his eye, he looks up. In the centre of his coffee table sits an antique jewellery box.

It’s like nothing he’s seen before. Though the markings have come up in textbooks and online articles he’s read about ancient relics, he can’t figure out its origin era, or what it’s supposed to mean. Most confusing of all, of course, is how it ended up in his room. He’s never seen it before, and neither his father nor his assistants are the types to give gifts at random.

Well, he has nothing to lose. He opens the jewellery box.

Suddenly, a burst of white light surrounds him, and he squints his eyes as something materialises before him. It takes a moment for the light to disappear before he sees an unfamiliar creature floating in the air above the box. It looks a little like a bird, though it’s an unnatural shade of green, and it has a little antenna thing sticking out from its head. It also grins at him, which Sorey is unsure birds are usually able to do.

His expression changes to a disappointed frown a moment later. “Awww, I’d been hoping for a pretty lady this time.”

Sorey blinks, unsure how much more surprised he can get. He isn’t sure whether to ask what it is or why it can talk or what. In the end, what comes out of his mouth is, “Sorry?”

The thing, whatever he is, crosses his arms behind his head, letting his expression become easygoing once more. “Welp, can’t be helped. Hey kid, the name’s Zaveid. Looks like I’ll be your kwami from here on out.”

“What?” Sorey asks, getting even more confused at this new terminology. “What does that mean? Who are you?”

The kwami - Zaveid - rolls his eyes in exasperation. “I just told you, I’m Zaveid, a kwami. Seriously, you got ears, don’t you?” He looks down at the jewellery box, prompting Sorey to do the same. “See those earrings? That’s where I live.”

They’re an ordinary looking pair of silver ear cuffs, each with two black beads attached to them.

“You live in the earrings?” Sorey asks.

“Yup. If you put them on and say “transform me”, I grant you super special powers, and you can purify evil.”

Sorey’s eyes widen, slowly beginning to understand what Zaveid is talking about. “Wait, you can make people have magic?”

Zaveid grins. “Yeah. With my help, you’ll be a superhero. You up for it?”

“Of course! This is the kind of thing I’ve always dreamed of!” Sorey jumps up from the sofa, taking the earrings out of the box. As he puts them on, he continues with his questions, trying to pry more information out of the kwami.

Though Zaveid doesn’t tell him much, he learns this: with these earrings, he will become a hero with the power to create a lucky item to help him defeat villains. These are people who have been tainted by evil creatures known as akumas, which are controlled by - well, he’s not sure, Zaveid changes the subject before he can ask. In any case, as a hero, he’ll have the strength and ability to save those in need, and to purify the akumas, returning the victims to their original states.

“So you mean to say the snake thing attacking the school is an akuma victim?” Sorey asks, looking over to the TV once more.

“Looks like it,” Zaveid says. He doesn’t sound like he’s in much of a hurry as he says, “You should probably be quick. Looks like that guy’s only getting angrier.”

With both earrings on, there’s nothing stopping Sorey from going now. He clenches his hand into a fist, then grins confidently.

“Alright. Zaveid, transform me!”

Zaveid is sucked into his earrings, and light explodes around him. His body is encompassed by a warm aura, and he finds his clothes changing to a black and white bodysuit, fit with a colourful bird’s tail and thigh-high lace up boots. A mask with a pointed, beak-like nose covers his face, and he runs a glove-covered hand through his hair, messing it up a little to make it more windswept. White feathers sprout from his earrings, brushing against his skin.

The moment passes, and he finds himself alone in his room, now in a strange outfit.

Still, Sorey has never felt so powerful before. Now, he feels like he’s capable of anything.

“This is amazing!” he says, looking over himself. “So now what do I do?”

Only silence answers him.

“Zaveid?” he says, looking around himself. The kwami is nowhere to be seen.

“Alright,” he says to himself. “Guess I’ll figure it out as I go along.”

He rushes over to the window and jumps out, ready to take on whatever this creature will throw at him.

Mikleo’s chest heaves with exertion. He’s been running around the school for longer than he can keep track of, now. At least it looks like he’s helped most of the stragglers to safety at this point, but if there are any more here, he’s not sure how much help he’ll be. He’s already out of energy, and no one has shown up to tackle the snake man yet.

All he can do is hope that someone will come to save the day. After all, if snake people exist, then there must also be someone with the power to best them. Well at least, that’s what he hopes.

He makes sure the coast is clear before running out from his hiding spot, trying to find the best way of getting away from the school. It’ll do no good if he gets caught by that snake man now.

The door is in sight. He runs toward it at full speed, hoping the snake is where he left it, nearer the rear of the school than the front entrance. He gets outside, toward the debris where pillars have fallen, and it’s only at the last moment that he hears the sound of crumbling rock.

‘Oh no,’ he thinks.

Before he can even move to protect himself, something comes barrelling into him, pushing him out of the building as the stone pillars fall, blocking the door. He lands on the ground with a thud and a large weight on top of him, pinning him to the ground.

The weight shifts.

“Are you alright?” someone asks.

Mikleo opens his eyes, his heart hammering as he takes in the image of someone new, someone he’s sure he’s never seen before and yet feels some sort of familiarity toward. This guy - he has to be a superhero, no one else would wear that getup and push people out of collapsing buildings with that strength - but there’s something in his green eyes that Mikleo feels like he should recognise.

“I-I’m fine,” he stammers, still shell-shocked. He swallows to regain his composure before speaking again. “Who are you?”

The hero gets up off of him before offering a hand, pulling him back onto his feet with ease. “My name is So- er, Magpie,” he says. “I’m here to help get rid of a snake problem?”

For a moment, Mikleo isn’t sure exactly what to say. He’s never thought about being in this kind of situation before. Everything happening to him has put his head in such a spin, it feels like his whole knowledge of normal conversation has gone right out of his head.

In the end, he looks over in the direction of the school building. “I suspect it’s in there somewhere.”

Magpie nods, his feathered earrings blowing in the wind with the ends of his windswept hair. “Thanks. Let me get you to safety first, though. Can’t have you getting bit, after all.”

He ends his sentence with a cheeky smile. Mikleo can’t help but wonder how he can smile in this dangerous situation.

In the end, he doesn’t get a choice in this matter. Magpie picks him up in a fireman’s lift with ease, using a running start before running and jumping up onto the building opposite the school. He runs along the rooftops, bridging the gaps with jumps Mikleo can’t imagine a normal person making. It’s only a matter of minutes before he drops Mikleo off on the balcony of his family’s bakery, where the trapdoor leads down into Mikleo’s room.

“How did you know this is my house?” Mikleo asks as Magpie sets him down.

The hero gives a loud laugh, scratching the back of his head. “Lucky guess? Anyway, I’d better go. Stay safe!”

With that, Magpie flits off again, leaving Mikleo to watch in a bewilderment.

“Messed that up,” Sorey mutters to himself as he makes his way back toward the school. “I almost completely blew my cover! Of course Mikleo would be the first one I’d bump into…”

Had it been any other situation, Sorey would have told Mikleo everything right away. After all, this is something they could both enthuse over, sharing their amazement at the existence of superpowers and heroes and ancient earrings with magical birds living inside of them. In the end, though, there’s no way he can say anything. Zaveid made as much clear earlier, when he told Sorey about the Miraculous.

“Oh, but you can’t tell anyone,” he said, his face growing serious only then. “Not your mum, not your girlfriend, no one.”

Sorey didn’t know how to tell Zaveid that his mum is dead and that he doesn’t have - or want - a girlfriend. He got the gist, though, and that’s why he knows not to tell Mikleo.

Still, he can’t help but feel a little more comfortable, now that’s over. At least he can rest assured that Mikleo is safe at home. Now he can focus fully on fighting the akuma.

He makes his way back to the school, glad to see that the snake has remained within the courtyard. It fumes with rage, but Sorey tries not to think too much about that. If he stands a chance of beating this thing, he’ll do better if he doesn’t worry about how angry it looks.

The only problem now is that he has no idea how to take this thing down. Sure, he has a weapon, though it’s a magical recorder, which Sorey doesn’t even know how to play, let alone how to use in close combat. The only other thing he knows he can do is summon a lucky item, but there’s no guarantee it will be of any use either.

As he watches the creature tear down another pillar, though, he knows there’s no other option.

Lifting the recorder to his lips, his hands somehow know exactly what to do. He plays a short tune, a ball of light forming at the base of the instrument. Then he throws that light into the sky and cries, “Lucky charm!”

The light grows above him, twisting and forming into an unrecognisable shape before disappearing. At the same time as it disappears, a book falls from the sky into his hand.

“A book?” he says, frowning as he examines the cover. It looks like a school-issued textbook, though he has no idea why this is going to be of any use.

“You!” a voice cries before he can figure it out.

Sorey stows the book in his belt, hoping it won’t slip out, and turns his attention to the akuma. Since it’s noticed him by now, there’s no way he can hide. All he can do is fight.

“Hey, snake face!” Sorey yells to it. “What’s got your tail in a twist?”

“People like you!” Uroboros says, lashing out at the pillar supporting the roof where Sorey stands. He barely manages to escape before it crumbles, running along the roof as the snake follows, pushing every pillar it sees to the ground. “People who have no consideration! Brats like you need to be taught a lesson, and that’s what I will do!”

(Uroboros, in his anger, almost does not hear the voice in his head, reminding him of his duty. When he hears it, though, he hisses, knowing his duty and vowing to obey.)

“Pretty dangerous lesson,” Sorey says, hopping over to a nearby tree. “Does it really need to involve so much destruction?”

“There is no better way,” the snake says. “But your lesson will be different. Before I can punish you, I must have those earrings!”

Sorey sighs. Of course this is how things would turn out. “Isn’t stealing pretty inconsiderate? How ironic.”

He hops out of the tree, moving along lampposts and other trees, using roofs as leverage as Uroboros follows, destroying everything he touches. Sorey can’t help but worry how long all this will take to fix.

Still, as he runs, his head spins with options. He needs to figure out a plan, some way to use this book, or to trap the akuma victim-

That’s it!

He changes his course, setting off in the direction of the school once more. “Bet you can’t catch me!”

Uroboros, as expected, follows in a blind rage, entering the school courtyard through the side, the only area not blocked by pillars. Sorey then runs around the debris, hopping onto the roof supported by the last remaining pillars.

“You will be taught a lesson!” the snake cries out, lashing out at the pillars.

As expected, the pillars crumble. Sorey barely manages to hop away before the roof falls with them, a crash of dust and debris falling to the ground. With all the exits blocked off, Uroboros can only cry out in frustration as Sorey remains out of his reach.

There’s no time to celebrate, though. Before he can even wonder what to do next, his earrings beep at him, reminding him of something else he’d forgotten: time.

Zaveid's voice floats through his mind, a reminder of their earlier conversation. “If you use your power, you’ll only have five minutes until you transform back. We kwamis can’t keep up for longer than that.”

He groans. Even if he has the villain cornered, of course he’s going to run into another complication. And all for the sake of a book he doesn’t know the use of.

Pulling the book out from his belt, he begins to sift through the pages, ignoring how the snake man yells at him from below. He doesn’t hear when the snake man grips the debris, trying to climb up the wall to reach him.

Sorey reaches the last page. Uroboros reaches the edge of the roof.

Someone suddenly plucks the book from Sorey’s hands and throws it at the snake, making him fall down once more.

When Sorey looks up, his heart stops. In front of him stands a boy painted in white, with fluffy cloud-like hair and a white super suit not unlike his own. Two pointed ears pop up from between tufts of hair. His left wrist bears a bracelet of gold, with a small aquamarine jewel embedded within it.

Perhaps the most intriguing thing about him are his eyes, hidden behind a white mask, a vibrant violet against his pale palette. The colour extends to the sclera, covering what would usually be white in a pale lilac hue.

Sorey’s first thought is, ‘I’m in love.’

His second is, ‘This guy is like me.’

“Aren’t you reckless,” the stranger says, regarding him with a judging gaze. “You should pay more attention to your surroundings.”

Sorey barely manages to snap put of his stupor to give a response. “I- uh- thanks?”

The stranger's lips curl up a little, and he turns away. “Go and rest up, and come back once you’re done. I can hold this thing off for now.”

The beeping in Sorey's ears reminds him that he ought to hurry in doing so. Before he leaves, however, he asks, “Who are you?”

The hero looks over his shoulder at him, his gaze steady as he answers. “Luzrov.”

The name tingles sweetly on Sorey’s lips, and he can’t help but smile when he repeats it. “Luzrov. Thanks, I’ll be back!”

He rushes off, feeling his energy soar at the thought of having someone like Luzrov at his side.

Mikleo isn’t entirely sure how his day has gotten to this point. He’s a little under the impression that he’ll wake up at some point, finding this all to be a dream.

The too-real feeling of fear as he stands near the snake akuma, alone, is enough to tell him that this is actually happening.

Once Magpie dropped him off at home, he rushed back into his room, turning on the computer in his room and waiting impatiently for the live news stream to load. As he tapped his foot, he noticed a jewellery box sitting on his desk where he knew it hadn’t been this morning.

Long story short, that jewellery box is what got him here. Who’d have thought, when he woke up this morning, that he’d be a superhero by afternoon?

Of course, he’d been entirely disbelieving, at first. It had taken a solid ten minutes for his kwami, Lailah, to calm him down, speaking carefully to get him to understand the situation. She went through everything she could with him, though there were certain things she couldn’t answer due to lack of knowing, and other things she wouldn’t answer, for reasons Mikleo did not know.

In any case, he has the gist of it, and now he’s here.

Fighting an akuma.

Alone, apparently.

Well, not entirely alone. Magpie will come back. All Mikleo has to do is wait until he has rested enough. It should be easy to keep the snake man trapped until then.

Except the snake is stronger than he anticipates. By the time Magpie leaves, Uroboros has carved away a chunk of the debris surrounding the courtyard, trying to dig his way out. Mikleo springs into action, running over to that side of the roof and using his staff to whack the snake away from the new exit.

A moment later, the snake swipes out at him, throwing him to the other side.

“Another brat!” he yells. “You will be taught a lesson, all of you! But not before I take your Miraculous!”

“You’re not taking anything of mine,” Mikleo says through gritted teeth, forcing himself back onto his feet. “And you’re not getting away, either! I can’t have you destroying Pendrago just because of your anger.”

“Oh? You think you can stop me?” Uroboros hisses. In a flash, he makes his way toward him, giving him only seconds to jump back onto the roof.

Still, it’s not quite safe yet. Uroboros swipes at the wall supporting the roof, causing that part of the roof to crumble under Mikleo’s feet. It’s all he can do to jump at the last second, scurrying away from the falling chunks, trying to find stable land.

“Hurry up, Magpie,” he mutters, his heart freezing as the snake lashes out at the wall beneath him.

“Grape mille-feuille? Seriously?”

Zaveid nods with a serious expression, though the effect is dampened by how exhausted he looks. His antenna droops from lack of energy. “Yup. Best thing for getting back energy, don’t you think?”

“Are you sure you can’t eat anything else?” Sorey asks, glancing at the kwami where he rests in his bag. “There aren’t many bakeries that sell something so fancy, you know.”

“Come on, there has to be somewhere around here,” Zaveid says. “And you can’t complain about the price. I saw your house. You’re loooooooaded, kid.”

“Just because my family has money doesn’t mean I can magic up fancy sweets at your whim,” Sorey mutters.

Seriously, he never would have guessed kwamis would be such hard work. Sure, he’s worried. He doesn’t want Zaveid to be low on energy for too long, but they’re kind of running on a time limit, here.

Glancing around himself, he sees that most of the stores nearby are closed, shutters down over the doors and windows. That much is to be expected, of course - this is the first time an attack like this has happened. It could destroy anything and anyone. This way things are much safer. It does make it more difficult to find a bakery that is still open, though.

The only one he can think of that might let him in is-

“Oh, that’s it!”

Sorey rushes down the street, turning a corner and heading in a direction he knows all too well.

“What, you found someplace?” Zaveid asks.

“My best friend’s family runs a bakery,” Sorey explains. “They make all kinds of sweets. I wouldn’t be surprised if they make your fancy grape things, too!”

It only takes a minute to reach the bakery, which thankfully doesn’t have its doors locked. He rushes in, the bell chiming above his head as he does. Muse looks up from the counter when he enters, her eyes widening.

“Sorey?” she says. “What are you doing here? Are you looking for Mikleo?”

“Not this time,” he says. “Do you by any chance make grape mille-feuille?”

“Yes, we do,” Muse says, her eyebrows drawn inward.

Catching a glimpse of his bag, Sorey sees Zaveid flash a quick thumbs-up, and he nods at Muse. “That’s perfect. Could I get one, please?”

As Muse bags up the treat, she says, “Isn’t this a strange time to be looking for sweets?”

“I guess,” he says. “Oh, speaking of Mikleo, though, did he make it home safe?”

Her hand freezes on the tongs, and she lays them down. “I haven’t seen him. I thought I heard the roof trapdoor open, but he wasn’t there when I went up to check on him.”

Fear strikes Sorey’s heart. If Mikleo isn’t here, then where could he be? This is exactly where he left him, after all. And how could he have left the house again without Muse noticing? And why would he?

All this worrying is making his head hurt.

He quickly pays for the mille-feuille, thanking Muse, before rushing out of the bakery again, this time with a new sense of urgency. He needs to get back and help Luzrov, before it finds Mikleo, or anyone else it could hurt.

At Pendrago castle, Uroboros pulls down a tree without mercy. Mikleo hops out of its branches, leaping between lampposts and praying he won’t catch up. There aren’t many civilians around, at the very least. Most of them seem to have left when the news alerts were broadcasted, though a couple of stragglers scream their way away from the akuma as it approaches. It’s lucky Mikleo is as fast on his feet as he is now, or else he’d have no chance of distracting Uroboros long enough to give them time to escape.

Speaking of luck, he thinks his is starting to wear thin. He's running out of lampposts, and the only other thing nearby that he could possibly use as leverage would be the castle itself. The possibility of this creature damaging such an important historical building makes him feel sick to his stomach, but he supposes he'd rather have that over someone dying because he lured the villain too close to other people.

He braces himself before leaping onto the castle ramparts, running along the walls to reach the main building. Uroboros follows behind, though he can only tell by the sound of its tail slithering over the ground and his angry complaining. He doesn’t dare look back at it, too afraid of what he might see.

Once reaches the main courtyard of the castle, he leads Uroboros in the front, taking him as far into the castle as he can from above. Only once they reach the innermost chamber before the main building does he pause, turning back.

In contrast to the destruction outside of it, the castle itself is entirely undamaged. Not a single brick lays out of place, not a dent within them. Uroboros doesn’t even try to strike out at the walls around him, where Mikleo has him almost cornered.

“It’s not attacking,” he murmurs in amazement. “But why?”

“Maybe because he’s a history teacher.”

Mikleo jumps in surprise at the sudden reappearance of Magpie, who stands a few feet away, holding the forgotten textbook.

“How do you figure?” he asks once he gets over the sudden shock, ignoring the mischievous grin which spreads across Magpie’s lips at his reaction.

“This is a history textbook,” Magpie says, flipping it open to a chapter entitled The Era of Asgard. “I looked through it earlier. It's really fascinating stuff, and that has to be the reason why he won’t damage the castle.”

“What, because he cares about history? I suppose it makes sense, but then you have to wonder how he became akumatised in the first place.”

Magpie shrugs. “I think he was angry at his students.”

Looking back at Uroboros, Mikleo squints, trying to see through blue scales to the face underneath. Something clicks for him a moment later.

“It can’t be – Professor Uno?!”

The snake yells in anger. “I am Uno no longer! My name is Uroboros, and I will punish all those who do not listen!”

“You know this guy?” Magpie asks.

“He’s an acquaintance,” Mikleo answers. “But that answers one question. Now all we have to do is purify him, right?”

“Yeah!”

A long moment of silence passes between the two of them. Then, hesitantly, Magpie says, “How do we do that?”

In that moment, the amount that Mikleo was impressed by Magpie goes down exponentially.

“Didn’t you talk to your kwami before transforming?” he says.

“O-of course I did!” he sputters. “He wasn’t exactly specific about methodology, though. All I know is that we need to find the thing that was infected by the akuma and destroy it.”

“So like a trinket of some kind?”

“Yeah. Glasses, a bag, anything that’s part of his personal effects that was there before he turned.”

Mikleo turns to look at Uroboros once more. He looks so different from when he was human that Mikleo can’t really tell what’s new and what he had on him already. All he notices that looks suspicious is the snake around his neck which looks almost like the blue tie he’d worn earlier in class.

“Do you think it might be his tie?” Mikleo asks.

Magpie hesitates for a moment before nodding. “Might be. It’d be worth a shot, right?”

“Well sure, but we still have to get close enough to break it.”

“Time for some close combat, I guess,” Magpie says, moving to the edge of the roof. “You up for it?”

“It’s not like there’s any other choice.” Mikleo moves to stand at Magpie’s side, looking out over the castle where the akuma lies. “If you distract it, I might be able to destroy the tie using my power.”

“You can destroy things?” Magpie asks, wide-eyed. “That’s so cool!”

Mikleo rolls his eyes at the praise. “You can create things from thin air. I’m just doing my part, too.”

They both turn back to face the akuma victim, and on the count of three, they drop down, ready to fight.

“I’ll distract it,” Magpie says before calling out to Uroboros. “Hey, snake-face! Over here!”

When the distraction works, Mikleo takes his chance. He rushes around the side of the snake, watching out for its tail as he swipes it at Magpie. He pulls out his staff and extends it, quickly thinking through the logistics of how this thing might work in their favour.

“Gotta try harder than that!” Magpie yells at Uroboros, flitting out of his reach again. He glances over in Mikleo’s direction, waiting for a signal.

Mikleo gulps. This is all on him - if their plan fails, it’ll be his fault.

All he can do is try.

He raises a hand in a claw and summons his power. “Cataclysm!”

A tingling sensation fills his hand, a buzz of darkness swarming around the white glove of his suit. He holds it out of the way as he uses his other hand to hold the staff, extending it beneath him to push himself into the air. As he jumps over Uroboros, he reaches his other hand down, his fingers grazing the edge of the tie.

It’s enough to do the job. The snake-shaped tie hisses as it crumples into dust. A purple blob of energy comes out of it, floating slowly upward. Before either of them can do anything, it suddenly grows larger, collecting in a giant mass above them, forming into the shape of a lion’s head.

“Listen well,” it says in a low, deep rumble. “I am Calamity. I cannot be stopped or quelled, and I will without doubt take those Miraculous of yours. I will cause chaos in this city. Weaklings like you will not stop me. You might as well hand them over right now.”

Mikleo glares at the lion’s head, ready to answer, but Magpie steps out before he can say anything.

“Don’t be so sure about that,” Magpie says. He stands tall and confident, even against the threat of a supervillain. “You can try as much as you like to cause destruction, but Luzrov and I will always be here to stop you. There’s no way you’ll be having our Miraculous. So just wait, Calamity. You’ll be the one giving yours up, and then this city will be brought to peace again.”

When Magpie looks over his shoulder at Mikleo, he steps forward, joining him at his side.

“That’s right,” he says.

“Fools,” Calamity says. “You will pay the price for your idiocy.”

Magpie smirks, then using his weapon, he jumps up and cuts through the ball of malevolence, purifying it with a single strike. The akuma is the only remnant, which he quickly purifies with a short melody. Then he tosses his lucky charm book into the air. A flame-like substance spreads from it, reaching endlessly over the sky for a moment, fixing everything that was broken by the fight.

The moment ends, and the city is brought to peace once more.

“Okay, that was pretty incredible,” Mikleo says, turning to his new partner in fighting crime. He holds up a fist. “Nice job.”

Magpie grins before bumping their wrists together. “Nice job, Luzrov. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

At that moment, Mikleo’s bracelet decides to beep at him, warning him of his time limit. “Well, I’d better go. See you soon, Magpie.”

With that, Mikleo uses his staff to move to higher ground, ready to get back home and finally rest.

(He doesn’t notice how Magpie watches as he goes, eyes filled with a fondness which seems far too great for people who have only just met. And yet, the warmth in his heart indicates that this bond will only become stronger, and he can’t wait to see his new partner again.)

It’s only natural that Mikleo is exhausted, the next morning.

When he got home last night, he barely said a greeting to his mother before collapsing into bed, passing out quickly from all the excitement of the previous hours. He wakes up not long before his alarm, starving and still aching from the fight yesterday. The sound of raindrops on his window soothes him a little, but not enough to make him feel any better physically.

“Oh, you’re awake,” a small voice says.

He turns his head to see Lailah on his pillow, smiling at him. She doesn’t look at all tired, and he supposes she must have gotten herself something to eat whilst he slept.

“Morning, Lailah,” he says. “So it wasn’t a dream, huh?”

Lailah gives a little laugh. Her tail flicks on the pillow. “No, it was real. You both did a wonderful job, yesterday.”

“Will that happen often?” he asks, uncertain. Even if he has this power now, knowing that the city will be in danger is concerning.

“Yes,” Lailah says, her ears drooping. “I’m afraid Calamity will not stop until the city is covered in chaos. Only you and Magpie have the power to stop him.”

He lets out a deep breath through his nose. When he signed up to this yesterday, he had no idea how serious this would become. And yet, he can’t bring himself to regret his decision, when he thinks about the number of people he saved yesterday.

Sitting up, he says, “I suppose I’d better do my best from here on out, then. I’ll be counting on you, Lailah.”

Floating up to his side, Lailah’s eyes are filled with hope. “I have every faith that you’ll make a wonderful Luzrov, Mikleo.”

He gets ready for school as usual, feeling a tad less reluctant than yesterday. When he heads downstairs for breakfast, his mother greets him with her usual smile. Somehow, today she looks more tired than yesterday. She stays quiet as he comes in, watching him as he pours his cereal for himself. He’s glad his bracelet is covered by his blazer, since he can only imagine the questions he’d get for having it.

Eventually, his mother speaks.

“Where were you yesterday?” she says. “During that attack, we were so worried for you. We heard you come in, but you weren’t there when we checked.”

Mikleo tries not to let his thoughts show on his face when he thinks, ‘Oh crap.’

“I forgot something at school,” Mikleo lies. “It was my phone. I couldn’t leave it there.”

Muse’s expression only becomes more distraught at his answer. “I thought you had more common sense than that. Wasn’t that monster at the school?”

“It wasn’t there when I got back,” Mikleo says. “I won’t do it again though, I promise.”

For a moment, she keeps up the pretence of being angry with him. She can’t hold it forever, though, and she ends up moving over to hug him tightly.

“You’d better not,” she says.

Mikleo hopes he’ll be able to hide it better in the future, or else this superhero business will be a lot tougher than he thought it would be.

Once he finishes breakfast and gathers his stuff, he says goodbye to his mum and heads out of the bakery house. The rain falls lightly on his head, cool and refreshing. He doesn’t have an umbrella, but that hasn’t stopped him from walking in the rain before. He might be soaked by the time he reaches school, of course, but he tries not to think about that.

Stepping away from the bakery door, he moves out onto the pavement-

Only to find that the rain suddenly stops.

Well, it doesn’t stop completely. He can see it falling in front of him, and can hear it pattering on the umbrella over his head. Sure enough, there’s now a stretch of clear plastic above his head, an umbrella held out by none other than-

“Sorey?!”

Sorey stands behind him, holding out the umbrella as the rain dampens his hair, running down his silver earcuffs and onto the shoulders of a brown cardigan, emblazoned with a familiar coat of arms.

“Morning, Mikleo,” Sorey says. His smile and the fondness in his eyes are warm enough to make Mikleo shiver.

Mikleo finds for a long moment that he can’t speak, his throat constricted by some unknown force. When he finally finds words, he says, “What are you wearing?”

In a teasing tone, Sorey says, “What does it look like I’m wearing?”

“Did you actually convince your dad?” Mikleo asks in disbelief. “How?”

“Turns out sneaking out of the house to go to school is a good way to make strict parents believe you want to go to school,” Sorey says with a shrug. “I dunno, though. When I got home Runette told me he’d said it was okay.”

Mikleo’s heart stutters. Somehow, everything he’d wanted is coming true. Magic is real, life is looking up, and his best friend will be in the same class as him from now on.

He couldn’t be happier.

“We should get going, or we’ll be late,” Mikleo says, pushing the umbrella so it shelters them both. The proximity between them strikes pins and needles into his arm, but he doesn’t shy away.

Instead, he walks at Sorey’s side towards his - their - school.

#sormikweek2018 #sormik #tales of zestiria #toz #tales of zestiria fanfiction #HI I LOVE THIS AU #this fic took so long to write though #why is the origins part so difficult and long ughghggh #i've written like three different reveals and combined they're all shorter than this oneshot

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aliceviceroy · 6 years

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“While some friends declared my faith dead on arrival, others insisted on defibrillation via systematic theology. Most insistent was my friend Andy, who sent me an email with the subject line “just checking in” after hearing from someone (who heard from someone else) that I’d become a universalist, or a Buddhist, or something really terrible, like an Anglican. At the conclusion of the email, he wrote:

I’m really to hear that a smart girl like you has become another cotton-candy Christian. I understand why you feel compassion for the damned, Rachel, but you can’t let emotion and sentimentality determine you theology. Feelings cannot be trusted because feelings are perverted by our sin nature. Only God’s Word can be trusted on matters like this.

The trut is, God is utterly disgusted by our sin, and it is a miracle that he chooses to save any of us to begin with. Without him, we are vile and disgusting and worthy only of damnation. This notion that everyone is entitled to salvation is a dangerous one, more reflective of culture’s emphasis on individual rights than scriptural truths. None of us are worthy of God’s grace, Rachel. I know that I am not, I encourage you to stop challenging God’s sovereignty and consider taking a position of humility and thankfulness.

I’d heard this response many times before and had affectionately dubbed it “pond-scum theology.” At the heart of pond-scum theology is the premise that human beings have no intrinsic value or claim to salvation because their sin nature makes them so thoroughly disgusting and offensive to God that he is under no obligation to pay them any mind.

~~~

When it came down to it, to believe that the reprobate are created for hell without any hope of salvation required that I ignore my most instinctive and visceral conceptions of right and wrong, good and evil, justice and love. I just couldn’t stomach the idea that some people are beyond hope, that God has no intention of ever loving them, and that my compassion for them represented a weakness of faith. What Andy considered mere sentimentality and emotion, I considered the very essence of who I am. I can’t just shut those instincts off. I don’t want to.

I emailed Andy and told him I didn’t like this version of God in which his wrath overwhelms his mercy, in which he has less compassion for people than I do.

“It’s not my version of God.” Andy wrote back. “It’s God’s version of God. Take it up with him.”

~~~

Recently, a lot of good Christian people have tried to convince me that the compassion I inherited from my mother is a sort of spiritual liability, that when it comes to the eternal destiny of my fellow human beings, it’s best just to accept without reservation the notion that most will be damned. “God’s ways are higher than our ways,” they say with a shrug. To demand that God meet human standards of justice reflects a childish preoccupation with fairness akin to eyeing the size of my sister’s ice-cream scoop.”

-Rachel Held Evans in Faith Unraveled

#ex-Christian #exvangelical #faith unraveled #racism #xenophobia #social justice #religion #Christianity #bigotry #christian culture #morality #secular humanism #secular thinking #justice #compassion #christian cruelty

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claudinei-de-jesus · 3 years

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Regeneration

1. Nature of regeneration.

Regeneration is the divine act that grants to the penitent who believes in a new and higher life through personal union with Christ. The New Testament describes regeneration as follows:

(a) Birth. God the father is the one who "begat", and the believer is "born" of God (1 John 5: 1), "born of the Spirit" (John 3: 8), "born from above" (literal translation of John 3: 3.7). These terms refer to the act of creative grace that makes the believer a child of God.

(b) Purification. God saved us by "washing" (literally, washbasin or bath) from regeneration "(Titus 3: 5.) The soul was washed completely from the filthiness of the old life, receiving newness of life, an experience symbolically expressed in the act of baptism. (Acts

(c) Vivification. We are saved not only by the "washing of regeneration", but also by the "renewal of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3: 5. See also Col. 3:10; Rom. 12: 2; Ephesians 4:23; Ps. 51: 10). The essence of regeneration is a new life given by God the Father, through Jesus Christ and through the operation of the Holy Spirit.

(d) Creation. He who created man in the beginning and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, recreates him by the operation of his Holy Spirit. (2 Cor. 5: 17; Ephesians 2:10; Gal. 6:15; Ephesians 4:24; see Gen. 2: 7.) The practical result is a radical transformation of the person in his nature, his character, desires and purposes.

(e) Resurrection. (Rom. 6: 4,5; Col. 2:13; 3: 1; Ephesians 2: 5, 6.) As God quickened the inanimate clay and made it alive for the physical world, so it quickens the soul in her sins and makes her alive to the realities of the spirit world. This act of spiritual resurrection is symbolized by water baptism. Regeneration is "the great change that God makes in the soul when he quickens it; when he raises it from the death of sin to the life of justice" (John Wesley).

It will be noted that the terms mentioned above are only variants of a great basic thought of regeneration, that is, a divine communication of a new life to the soul of man. Three scientific facts concerning natural life also apply to spiritual life; that is, it appears suddenly; it appears mysteriously, and develops gradually.

Regeneration is the unique aspect of New Testament religion. In pagan religions, the permanence of character is universally recognized. Although these religions recommend penances and rites, by which a person hopes to atone for his sins, there is no promise of life and grace to transform his nature. The religion of Jesus Christ is "the only religion in the world that claims to take man's fallen nature and regenerate it, putting it in touch with the life of God". So he declares to do, because the Founder of Christianity is a Living and Divine Person, who lives to perfectly save those who come to God through him. (Heb. 7:25.) There is no analogy between the Christian religion, and, say, Buddhism or the Mohammedan religion. In no way can it be said: "whoever has Buddha has life". (See 1 John 5:12.) Buddha may have something about morality. It can stimulate, impress, teach, and guide, but no new elements have been added to souls who profess Buddhism. Such religions can be products of the natural and moral man. But Christianity claims to be much more. In addition to things of a natural and moral order, man enjoys something more in the Person of Someone else, Jesus Christ.

2. Need for regeneration.

Our Lord's interview with Nicodemus (John 3) provides an excellent historical background for studying this topic. Nicodemus' first words reveal a series of emotions coming from his heart. Jesus 'abrupt statement in verse 3, which appears to be a sudden change in the subject, is explained by the fact that Jesus is responding to Nicodemus' heart and not to the words of his interrogation. Nicodemus' first words reveal.

1) Spiritual hunger. If this Jewish chief had expressed his soul's desire, perhaps he would have said: "I am tired of the dead ritualism of the synagogue I will go there but I will return home with the same hunger with which I left. Unfortunately, the divine glory has departed from Israel; no there is vision and the people perish. Master, my soul sighs for reality! I know little of you, but your words touched my heart. Your miracles convinced me that you are a Master coming from God.

2) Nicodemus lacked deep conviction. He felt the need for him, but the need for an instructor and not a Savior. Like the Samaritan woman, he wanted the water of life (John 4:15), but like that one, Nicodemus had to understand that he was a sinner, that he needed purification and transformation. (John 4: 16-18.)

3) A note of self-indulgence is evident in his words, which is very natural for a man of his age and position. He would say to Jesus, "I believe you were sent to restore the kingdom of Israel, and I have come to give you some advice as to the plans for achieving that goal." He probably assumed that as an Israelite and a son of Abraham, these qualifications would be sufficient to make him a member of the kingdom of God.

"Jesus replied, and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever is not born again cannot see the kingdom of God." To paraphrase that passage, Jesus would say: "Nicodemus, you cannot join my company as if you joined an organization. Belonging to my company does not depend on the quality of your life; my cause is none other than that of the kingdom of God, and you cannot enter that kingdom without experiencing a spiritual transformation. The kingdom of God is very different from what you are thinking, and the way of establishing it and bringing your subjects together is very different from the medium you are considering. "

Jesus pointed out the most profound and universal need of all men - a radical and complete change in the nature and character of man as a whole. The whole nature of man was deformed by sin, the inheritance of the fall; this moral deformation is reflected in his conduct and in all his relationships. Before man can have a life that pleases God, whether in the present or in eternity, his nature must undergo such a radical transformation that it is really a second birth. Man cannot change himself; this transformation will have to come from above.

Jesus did not try to explain the how of the new birth, but explained the why of the matter. "What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit." Flesh and spirit belong to different kingdoms, and one cannot produce the other. Human nature can generate human nature, but only the Holy Spirit can generate spiritual nature. Human nature can only produce human nature; and no creature can rise above its own nature. Spiritual life does not pass from father to son through natural generation; it proceeds from God to man through the spiritual generation.

Human nature cannot rise above itself. Marcus Dods wrote:

All creatures have a certain nature according to their species, determined by their ancestry. This nature that the animal receives from its parents determines, from the beginning, its capacity and the sphere of that animal. The mole cannot go up in the air like the eagle does; neither can the baby eagle dig a hole like a mole does. No training will ever make the turtle run like the antelope, nor make the antelope as strong as the lion ... In addition to its nature, no animal will be able to act.

We can apply the same principle to man. Man's highest destiny is to live with God forever; but human nature, in its present state, does not have the capacity to live in the celestial kingdom. Therefore, it will be necessary for heavenly life to descend from above to transform human nature, preparing it to be a member of that kingdom.

3. The means of regeneration.

(a) Divine agency. The Holy Spirit is the special agent in the work of regeneration. It works the transformation in the person. (John 3: 6; Titus 3: 5.) However, all the Persons of the Trinity operate in this work. Indeed, the three Persons operate in all divine operations, although each Person exercises certain trades that are peculiar to him. In this way the Father is preeminently the Creator; however, both the Son and the Holy Spirit are mentioned as agents in creation. The Father begets (Aunt. 1:18) and in the Gospel of John, the Son is presented as the Giver of life. (See chapters 5 and 6.)

Notice especially the relationship of Christ with the regeneration of man. He is the Giver of life. In what way does it quicken men? He enlivens them by dying for them, so that when they eat their flesh and drink their blood (which means believing in their atoning death), they receive eternal life. What is the process of giving men life? A part of Christ's reward was the prerogative of bestowing the Holy Spirit (See John 3: 3,13; Gal. 3: 13,14), and he ascended so that he could become the Source of life and spiritual energy (John 6:62; Acts 2:33). The Father has life in him (John 5:26); therefore, he grants the Son to have life in him; the Father is the Source of the Holy Spirit, but he gives the Son the power to give the Spirit; in this way the Son is a "life-giving Spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45), having power, not only to physically raise the dead (John 5: 25,26) but also to enliven the dead souls of men. (See Ge 2: 7; John 20:22; 1 Cor. 15:45.)

(b) Human preparation. Strictly speaking, man cannot cooperate in the act of regeneration, which is a sovereign act of God; but man can take part in the preparation for the new birth. What is this preparation? Answer: Repentance and faith.

4. Effects of regeneration.

We can group them under three topics: positional (adoption); spiritual (union with God); practical (the life of justice).

(a) Positional. When a person undergoes the spiritual transformation known as regeneration, he becomes a child of God and the beneficiary of all the privileges of that affiliation. Thus writes Dr. William Evans: "By adoption, the believer, who is already a child of God, takes the place of an adult child; in this way the boy becomes a child, the youngest child becomes an adult." (Gal. 4: 1-7.) The word "adoption" literally means "to give the position of children" and refers, in common usage, to the man who takes children into his home who are not his own by birth.

As for doctrine, we must distinguish between adoption and regeneration: the first is a legal term that indicates granting the privilege of affiliation to one who is not a member of the family; the second means the spiritual transformation that makes a person a child of God and a participant in the divine nature. However, in the experience itself, it is difficult to separate the two, since regeneration and adoption represent the dual experience of affiliation.

In the New Testament, common affiliation is sometimes defined by the term "children" ("uioi" - in Greek), a term that originated the word "adoption"; at other times it is defined by the word "tekna" in Greek, also translated by "sons", which literally means "the begotten ones", meaning regeneration. The two ideas are distinct and at the same time combined in the following passages: "But to all who received it, it gave them the power (implying adoption) to be made children of God ... who ... were born ... of God "(John 1: 12,13). "See how great charity the Father has given us, that we should be called (implying adoption) children of God (the word meaning" begotten "of God)" (1 John 3: 1). In Rom. 8: 15,16 the two ideas are intertwined: "Because you did not receive the spirit of slavery, for once again you were in fear, but you received the spirit of adoption of children, for which we cry out Abba, Father. The same Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. "

(b) Spiritual. Due to its nature, regeneration involves spiritual union with God and with Christ through the Holy Spirit; and this spiritual union involves divine habitation (2 Cor. 6: 16-18; Gal. 2:20; 4: 5,6; 1 John 3:24; 4:13.) This union results in a new kind of life and of character, described in various ways; newness of life (Rom. 6: 4); a new heart (Ezeq. 36:26); a new spirit (Ezeq. 11:19); a new man (Eph. 4:24); participants in the divine nature (2 Pet. 1: 4). The believer's duty is to maintain his contact with God through the various means of grace and thereby preserve and nourish his spiritual life.

(c) Practical. The person born of God will demonstrate this fact by hating sin (1 John 3: 9; 5:18), by works of justice (1 John 2:29), by brotherly love (1 John 4: 7) and by victory over the world (1 John 5: 4).

We must avoid these two extremes: first, establish a standard so low that regeneration becomes a matter of natural reform; second, to set a standard too high that does not take into account the weaknesses of believers. New believers who are learning to walk with Jesus are liable to stumble, like the baby who learns to walk. Even older believers may be surprised at some fault. John declares that it is absolutely inconsistent for the person born of God, bearer of the divine nature, to continue to live habitually in sin (1 John 3.9), but at the same time he is careful to write: "If anyone sins, we have an Advocate for the Father, Jesus Christ, the just "(1 John 2: 1). Always love U Jesus .. Look A Regeneração

1. Natureza da regeneração.

A regeneração é o ato divino que concede ao penitente que crê uma vida nova e mais elevada por meio da união pessoal com Cristo. O Novo Testamento assim qualificados a regeneração:

(a) Nascimento. Deus o pai é quem "gerou", e o crente é "nascido" de Deus (1 João 5: 1), "nascido do Espírito" (João 3: 8), "nascido do alto" (tradução literal de João 3: 3 , 7). Esses termos pessoais-se ao ato da graça criadora que faz do crente um filho de Deus.

(b) Purificação. Deus nos salvou pela "lavagem" (literalmente, lavatório ou banho) da regeneração ". (Tito 3: 5.) A alma foi lavada completamente das imundícias da vida de outrora, recebendo novidade de vida, experiência simbolicamente expressa no ato de batismo. (Atos

(c) Vivificação. Somos salvos não somente pela "lavagem da regeneração", nas também pela "renovação do Espírito Santo" (Tito 3: 5. Vide também Col. 3:10; Rom. 12: 2; Efés. 4:23; Sal. 51: 10). A essência da regeneração é uma nova vida concedida por Deus Pai, mediante Jesus Cristo e pela operação do Espírito Santo.

(d) Criação. Aquele que criou o homem no princípio e soprou em suas narinas o fôlego de vida, a recria pela operação do seu Espírito Santo. (2 Cor. 5:17; Efés. 2:10; Gál. 6:15; Efés. 4:24; vide Gên. 2: 7.) O resultado prático é uma transformação radical da pessoa em sua natureza, seu caráter, desejos e propósitos.

(e) Ressurreição. (Rom. 6: 4,5; Col. 2:13; 3: 1; Efés. 2: 5, 6.) Como Deus vivificou o barro inanimado e o fez vivo para com o mundo físico, assim ele vivifica a alma em seus pecados e a faz viva para as realidades do mundo espiritual. Esse ato de ressurreição espiritual é simbolizado pelo batismo nas águas. A regeneração é "uma grande mudança que Deus opera na alma quando a vivifica; quando ele a levanta da morte do pecado para a vida de justiça" (João Wesley).

Notar-se-á que os termos acima citados são apenas variantes de um grande pensamento básico da regeneração, isto é, uma divina comunicação duma nova vida à alma do homem. Três fatos científicos relativos à vida natural também se aplicam à vida espiritual; isto é, ela surge repentinamente; aparece misteriosamente, e desenvolver-se gradativamente.

Regeneração é o aspecto singular da religião do Novo Testamento. Nas religiões pagãs, reconhecem-se universalmente a permanência do caráter. Embora essas religiões recomendem penitências e ritos, pelos quais a pessoa espera expiar os seus pecados, não há promessa de vida e de graça para transformar a sua natureza. A religião de Jesus Cristo é "uma religião única no mundo que declara tomar a natureza decaída do homem e regenerá-la, colocando-a em contato com a vida de Deus". Assim declara fazer, porque o Fundador do Cristianismo é Pessoa Viva e Divina, que vive para salvar perfeitamente os que por ele se chegam a Deus. (Heb. 7:25.) Não existe nenhuma analogia entre a religião cristã, e, digamos, o Budismo ou uma religião maometana. De maneira nenhuma se pode dizer: "quem tem Buda tem a vida". (Vide 1João 5:12.) Buda pode ter algo em relação à moralidade. Pode estimular, causar impressão, usar e guiar, mas nenhum elemento novo foi adicionado às almas que professam o Budismo. Tais religiões podem ser produtos do homem natural e moral. Mas o Cristianismo declara-se ser muito mais. Além das coisas de ordem natural e moral, o homem desfruta algo mais na Pessoa de Alguém Mais, Jesus Cristo.

2. Necessidade da regeneração.

A entrevista de nosso Senhor com Nicodemos (João 3) oferece um excelente fundo histórico para o estudo deste tópico. As primeiras palavras de Nicodemos revelam uma série de receitas provenientes do seu coração. A declaração abrupta de Jesus no verso 3, que parece ser uma repentina mudança do assunto, explica-se pelo fato de Jesus estar respondendo ao coração de Nicodemos e não às palavras de sua interrogação. As primeiras de palavras Nicodemos revelam.

1) Fome espiritual. Se esse chefe judaico tivesse expressado o desejo de sua alma, talvez fosse dito: "Estou cansado do ritualismo morto da sinagoga vou lá mas volto para casa com a mesma fome com que saí. Infelizmente, uma glória divina afastou-se de Israel; não Mestre, a minh'alma suspira pela realidade! Pouco conheço de tua pessoa, mas tuas palavras tocaram-me o coração. Teus milagres convenceram-me de que és Mestre vindo de Deus.

2) Faltou a Nicodemos profunda convicção. Sentiu a sua necessidade, mas necessidade dum instrutor e não dum Salvador. Tal qual a mulher samaritana, ele queria a água da vida (João 4:15), mas, como aquela, Nicodemos teve de compreender que era pecador, que precisava de purificação e transformação. (João 4: 16-18.)

3) Nota-se nas suas palavras um rasto de autocomplacência, coisa muito natural num homem de sua idade e posição. Ele diria a Jesus: "Creio que fomentou enviado a restauração do reino de Israel, e vim dar-te conselhos quanto aos planos para conseguir esse objetivo." Provavelmente ele supôs que sendo israelita e filho de Abraão, essas qualificações necessárias para o tornarem membro do reino de Deus.

"Jesus respondeu, e disse-lhe: Na verdade, na verdade te digo que aquele que não nascer de novo, não pode ver o reino de Deus." Parafraseando essa passagem, Jesus diria: "Nicodemos, tu não podes unir-te à minha companhia como se te unisses a uma organização. O pertencer à minha companhia não depende da qualidade de tua vida; minha causa não é outra senão aquela do reino de Deus, e tu não podes entrar nesse reino sem experimentar uma transformação espiritual. O reino de Deus é muito diferente do que estás pensando, eo modo de estabelecê-lo e de juntar seus súditos é muito diferente do meio de que estás cogitando. "

Jesus apontou a necessidade mais profunda e universal de todos os homens - uma mudança radical e completa da natureza e caráter do homem em sua totalidade. Toda a natureza do homem ficou deformada pelo pecado, uma consequência da queda; essa deformação moral expõe-se em sua conduta e em todas as suas relações. Antes que o homem vai ter uma vida que agrade a Deus, seja no presente ou na eternidade, sua natureza precisa passar por uma transformação tão radical, que seja realmente um segundo nascimento. O homem não pode transformar-se a si mesmo; Essa edição terá que vir de cima.

Jesus não explicar o como do novo nascimento, mas explicou opor quê do assunto. "O que é nascido da carne é carne, e o que é nascido do Espírito é espírito." Carne e espírito pertencentes a reinos diferentes, e um não pode produzir o outro. A natureza humana pode gerar a natureza humana, mas somente o Espírito Santo pode gerar a natureza espiritual. A natureza humana somente pode produzir a natureza humana; e nenhuma criatura pode elevar-se acima de sua própria natureza. A vida espiritual não passa do pai ao filho pela geração natural; ela procede de Deus para o homem por meio da geração espiritual.

A natureza humana não pode elevar-se acima de si própria. Escreveu Marcus Dods:

Todas as criaturas possuem certa natureza segundo a sua espécie, fornecida pela sua ascendência. Essa natureza que o animal recebe dos seus pais determina, desde o princípio, a sua capacidade e a esfera desse animal. A toupeira não pode subir às ares como o faz a águia; nem tampouco pode o filhote da águia cavar um buraco como afaz toupeira. Nenhum treino jamais fará a tartaruga correr como o antílope, nem fará o antílope tão forte como o leão ... Além de sua natureza, nenhum animal poderá agir.

O mesmo princípio podemos aplicar ao homem. O destino mais elevado do homem é viver com Deus para sempre; mas a natureza humana, em seu estado presente, não possui a capacidade para viver no reino celestial. Portanto, será necessário que a vida celestial desça de cima para transformar a natureza humana, preparando-a para ser membro desse reino.

3. Os meios de regeneração.

(a) Agência divina. O Espírito Santo é o agente especial na obra de regeneração. Ele opera a transformação na pessoa. (João 3: 6; Tito 3: 5.) Contudo, todas as Pessoas da Trindade operam nessa obra. Realmente as três pessoas operam em todas as divinas, embora cada Pessoa exerça certos ofícios que lhe são peculiares. Dessa forma o Pai é preeminentemente o Criador; contudo, tanto o Filho como o Espírito Santo são destacados como agentes na criação. O Pai gera (Tia. 1:18) e no Evangelho de João, o Filho é apresentado como o Doador da vida. (Capas de vídeo. 5 e 6.)

Notem especialmente a relação de Cristo com a regeneração do homem. É ele o Doador da vida. De que maneira ele vivifica os homens? Vivifica-os por morrer por eles, de forma que, ao comerem sua carne e beberem seu sangue (que significa crer em sua morte expiatória), eles apresentam uma vida eterna. Qual é o processo de conceder a vida aos homens? Uma parte da recompensa de Cristo era uma prerrogativa de conceder o Espírito Santo (Vide João 3: 3,13; Gál.3: 13,14), e ele ascendeu para que pudesse tomar-se uma Fonte da vida e energia espiritual (João 6:62; Atos 2:33). O Pai tem vida em si (João 5:26); portanto, ele concede ao Filho ter vida em si; o Pai é a Fonte do Espírito Santo, mas ele concede ao Filho o poder de conceder o Espírito; desta forma o Filho é um "Espírito vivificante" (1 Cor. 15:45), tendo poder, não somente para ressuscitar os mortos, fisicamente, (João 5: 25,26) mas também vivificar como almas mortas dos homens. (Vide Gên 2: 7; João 20:22; 1 Cor. 15:45.)

(b) Uma preparação humana. Estritamente falando, o homem não pode cooperar no ato de regeneração, que é um ato sóbrio de Deus; mas o homem pode tomar parte na preparação para o novo nascimento. Qual é essa preparação? Resposta: Arrependimento e fé.

4. Efeitos da regeneração.

Podemos agrupá-los sob três tipos: posicionais (adoção); espirituais (união com Deus); práticos.

(a) Posicionais. Quando a pessoa passa pela transformação espiritual conhecida como regeneração, torna-se filho de Deus e beneficiário de todos os privilégios dessa filiação. Assim chamado o Dr. William Evans: "Pela adoção, o crente, que já é filho de Deus, recebe o lugar de filho adulto; dessa forma o menino torna-se filho, o filho menor torna-se adulto." (Gál. 4: 1-7.) A palavra "adoção" significa literalmente: "dar a posição de filhos" e referência-se, no uso comum, ao homem que toma para suas lar crianças que não são como suas pelo nascimento.

Quanto à doutrina, devemos distinguir entre adoção e regeneração: o primeiro é um termo legal que indica conceder o privilégio de filiação a um que não é membro da família; o segundo significa uma transformação espiritual que toma a pessoa filho de Deus e participante da natureza divina. Contudo, na própria experiência, é difícil separar os dois, visto que a regeneração e a adoção representam a dupla experiência da filiação.

No Novo Testamento a filiação comum é, às vezes, definida pelo termo "filhos" ("uioi" - no grego), termo que originou a palavra "adoção"; outras vezes é definida pela palavra "tekna", no grego, também traduzida por "filhos", que significa literalmente "os gerados", significando a regeneração. As duas idéias são distintas e ao mesmo tempo combinadas nas seguintes passagens: "Mas, a todos quantos o receberam, deram-lhes o poder (implicando adoção) de serem feitos filhos de Deus ... os quais ... nasceram ... de Deus "(João 1: 12,13). "Vede quão grande caridade nos tem concedido o Pai, que fôssemos chamados (implicando adoção) filhos de Deus (a palavra que significa" gerado "de Deus)" (1 João 3: 1). Em Rom. 8: 15,16 as duas idéias se entrelaçam: "Porque não recebestes o espírito de escravidão, para outra vez estardes em temor, mas recebestes o espírito de adoção de filhos, pelo qual clamamos Abba, Pai. O mesmo Espírito testifica com o nosso espírito que somos filhos de Deus. "

(b) Espirituais. Devido à sua natureza, a regeneração envolve a união espiritual com Deus e com Cristo mediante o Espírito Santo; e essa união espiritual envolve habitação divina (2 Cor. 6: 16-18; Gál. 2:20; 4: 5,6; 1 João 3:24; 4:13.) Essa união resulta em um novo tipo de vida e de caráter, descrito de várias maneiras; novidade de vida (Rom. 6: 4); um novo coração (Ezeq. 36:26); um novo espírito (Ezeq. 11:19); um novo homem (Efés. 4:24); participantes da natureza divina (2 Ped. 1: 4). O dever do crente é manter seu contato com Deus mediante os vários meios de graça e dessa forma preservada e nutrir a sua vida espiritual.

(c) Práticos. A pessoa nascida de Deus demonstrará esse fato pelo ódio que tem ao pecado (1 João 3: 9; 5:18), por obras de justiça (1 João 2:29), pelo amor fraterno (1 João 4: 7) e pela vitória que alcança sobre o mundo (1 João 5: 4).

Devemos evitar estes dois extremos: primeiro, estabelecer um padrão tão baixo que a regeneração se tornar a questão de reforma natural; segundo, estabelecer um padrão elevado demais que não leve em conta como fraquezas dos crentes. Crentes novos que estão aprendendo a andar com Jesus estão sujeitos a tropeçar, como o bebê que aprende a andar. Mesmo os crentes mais velhos podem ser surpreendidos em alguma falta. João declara que é absolutamente inconsistente que uma pessoa nascida de Deus, portadora da natureza divina, continue a viver habitualmente no pecado (1 João 3.9), mas ao mesmo tempo ele tem cuidado em escrever: "Se alguém pecar, temos um Advogado para com o Pai, Jesus Cristo, o justo "(1 João 2: 1).

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How To Do Crystal Reiki

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bentenharuki · 6 years

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY my dearest Volleyball Lord, my hero and love, Tobio Kageyama *.*

I post this the day before your birthday because tomorrow I may be traveling with the bae so... ;) I tried to scan it but it was atrocious so I just decided to take a picture of my BDay wall and post that.

It’s just a pretext to write about WHY Kageyama is the manga/anime character I feel the most feelings for.

It’s really something that means a lot to me to write this down, and finally I have enough time to do so...

I come from a very a sporty family (my father is a surgeon who specializes in sport fields, and he is a professional who has taken under his care quite a number of prominent athletes in the Italian spectrum; one of my brother plays professionally too, and me and the other have reached our laurels when playing during schools), and since my earliest days I have always considered sports to be a wonderful way to learn HOW TO LIVE with a purpose, a pattern, a code (my philosophical attitude comes from mum I guess... she teaches Phylosophy in High School so...).

I have played volleyball up until I have started University last year, and it’s only natural that I, an avid manga and anime consumer, fell for a character who embodies my sport at its peak.

Kageyama hasn’t been my only manga/anime sport hero. Nor he has been the only manga/anime character I have come to like and follow, and if you have read some of my tumblr you know this already. But he, Kageyama Tobio, is by far my greatest “fictional” love.

I always say to my boyfriend (the current one, and the two I had before him when I already “met” Kageyama in manga world) that if it’d happen that a real life Kageyama would appear in my world, I would have not the slightest doubt and I’d dump them straight off. No matter if I would be reciprocated (I probably wouldn’,t, because Lord Tobio would only think of his career), I couldn’t focus or dedicate myself to anybody else. He is really perfect to me. Physically, mentally... under every sight, he would be my ideal man, no question, and I’d do anything in my power to be soon or later noticed by him.

I won’t tell you how my boyfriend(s) have reacted to this... but apparently I am VERY worthy (I am ;) ) as a partner even if my head isn’t fully fine ;), and they have accepted this side of me decently well...

Anyway...

Happy birthday to THE MOST TALENTED of them all, the champion in nuce who will erase all other champions, all in good times.

Happy Birthday, King of The Court, my only Volleyball Lord, you cold glaring beauty.

I love you. Truly I do.

First of all, I love Kageyama because he is a GENIUS at what he does.

I don’t get why people are intimidated by the concept of genius; why they are so willingly to erase it as a reality, by diminishing or undervalue or mischaracterize GENIUSES.

Geniuses are what Nature creates to let humanity progress.

They are NOT simply talented people.

They are A SPECIMEN BEYOND.

I laugh when I read simpletons define Kageyama like a talented one only; or how they, being intimidated by his existence, purposefully enlighten pieces of the story to prove what Kageyama is ain’t THAT peculiar: I side-eye them when they try to make other characters - only talented at best, but definitely not at genius stage-, look like “they are like Kageyama, maybe even BETTER (!!!!!!)” just because THEY TRY hard.

Newsflash: in Haikyuu, NOBODY TRIES HARDER THAN KAGS.

Which is why I love him so unboundedly, too.

Then the simpletons say... “But he has God given talents, so his effort doesn’t matter the same!”.

At that I scratch my head because this is just so stupid to say I get wordless at the concept...

JUST BECAUSE HE HAS GOD GIVEN TALENT, the fact he tries harder and harder GETS EVEN MORE VALUABLE!!!!

At that, as for their last resource to dismiss Kags, simpletons also say that geniuses don’t really exist... that “everybody can be a genius”.

Again the stupidity is staggering.

NO, geniuses exist. They exist AND they also are a category apart in the whole of human history.

FACE IT.

Normal or talented people can try their hardest... and still THEY WILL NEVER BE PHENOMENONS.

Great champions maybe they will become, but never phenomenons. NEVER.

Geniuses are born to SURPASS mere champions’ doings and outcomes because it’s in their genetics.

The brains / physiques /mindsets they have are DIFFERENT.

It’s not “an opinion”... it’s a PROVEN SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE.

Usain Bolt. Michael Phelps. Pelé. Maradona. Messi. Carl Lewis. Kobe Bryant. Le Bron James. Whoever CHAMPION of incredible genius you can pick up, do it and THINK HOW THEY COULDN’T BE MATCHED OR SURPASSED by regular champions, NO MATTER WHAT, and you will come to accept it was because their systems function DIFFERENTLY than regular people’s.

It’s because while a good athlete, if he does it all in his power (TRYING HARD IS A PRE-REQUISITE in SPORT:... it is the BASIS of it all... if you slug out you are not entitled to be called athlete in the first stage so you are out of all my speech anyway...) he can reach lets say 80 on 100 in sport achievement, and a talented champion can reach (again trying his/her best) from 95 to maybe even 100 on 100... GENIUSES, those BORN WITH IT, those rare creatures who are special in themselves, THOSE when giving their own all THEY REACH 120-130 on 100, hands down and uncontestedly.

Which is why they are magical, which is why they are a miracle... they are the PROGRESSION of the sport they are versed in... they are what will inspire kids in trying... the flag to look at and the pinnacle of a discipline, the reason why gents will say, decades after, that they were the TOP at what they were doing because THEY WERE BORN WITH IT, because they were BORN TO DO THAT.

This doesn’t value only in sport (though I like the sport geniuses because it appeals to me the fact they have STILL to TRY HARD to achieve and fulfill their given potential... that sounds beautiful to me because not even the greatest genius in sport could succeed if not GIVING IT ALL, and that’s a life lesson in itself), but of course in every other field.

GENIUSES have made humanity progress in any century.

Einstein, Leonardo, Pitagora, Dante, Cartesio, Turing, Michelangelo, Steve Jobs, Newton, Picasso and Archimede... I could go on and on... and everybody must NOT feel threatened by geniuses...WHY?

Only weak people want everybody to be weak and mediocre to not feel threatened.

Brave and sage people LOVE the geniuses because they see that’s how the whole mankind progresses- throughout the inspiration given by those who are BY NATURAL RULE OF BIRTH created to achieve MORE.

Still... not by ABOVE wish only they will become the greatests... but BECAUSE THEY WILL FIGHT and TRY HARD to fulfill their BETTER given potential, fact that charges them with a further RESPONSIBILITY which is a burden those not born with a given superior talent will never come to understand.

That’s why I love Kageyama. Because he tries so hard to become the best he can, and because he FEELS the responsibility Destiny has given him by landing him a superior talent at something. His seriousness and sharp determination make him amazing. His will does not waver off when he faces difficulties. He just gets more focused in overcoming them, because his talent gives him a duty in a way to do so. In this, Kageyama has a willpower and a bravery which is natural for me to cherish, admire and praise.

In Haikyuu nobody is like him, not even by distance.

And still he is so aware he has so much to get better at... and he tries very, very hard to achieve those steps in progressing further, all by himself.

I also love how he doesn’t behave like happy frilly and useless people would think he should: never once he has gotten past his adorable, totally awkward social approach... because he TRULY doesn’t see what’s wrong with how he is, and his self acceptance is amazing in my eyes. So strong. So pure. So leader-like. He is a ruler, not a follower: if people don’t get it, he DOESN’T CARE. He doesn’t need any of them to feel better about himself: because he already feels GOOD enough about himself.

Kageyama doesn’t need to be “friendly”.

He doesn’t need to be a “friend” to be a great player. He needs to get better at social skills ONLY to hone his senses on court, also because a GREAT SPORTMAN will never have friendships in his career in the first place.

Real sportsmen change teams and Countries the more they are great.

There is really no sense in searching for a friend in Kageyama’s cold optics and he is right. He has to find teammates. Not friends.

Friends are a category which makes no sense in sport.

Especially in high degree competitive sport.

I love Kageyama’s cool style so much... I admire his focus, his blunt honesty, his research for the best competitors without envy or bitterness: he looks out for the best players in hope TO LEARN FROM THEM, and this is the sign of his superior confidence, of his superior NATURAL confidence...

When the simpletons following Haikyuu call him “arrogant” I roll my eyes.

HINATA is arrogant, while he simply states he “will beat anyone”, and that “he will become ace”, and that “he will beat people at their best”, because based on his sub par skills, what he claims IS SENSELESS so to be convinced when he says it, HINATA HAS TO BE ARROGANT. And he is. He is an obnoxious, demanding arrogant midget with no sense of his position AT ALL. If I ever had a teammate remotely like Hinata in my times as a setter in my teams, I would have NEVER tossed to him once. NEVER.

KAGEYAMA, contrariwise is NEVER arrogant: in the whole of Haikyuu, he has stated he thinks other people still have better chances than he has so far at understanding how to command people (Oikawa, and even Kenma at some point; even though Akaashi states openly he is inferior to Kageyama, Kageyama himself is jealous Tsukishima got to train with him because he would have liked to do it too, to learn something from him).

By the way the word “command” ain’t arrogant either, if that is a semantic reason simpletons use to prove how Kageyama, who uses it often, is bound to that defect. A setter COMMANDS. That’s his role. If people are bugged because they can’t see how volleyball works, it’s their problem... but Kags ain’t arrogant for it. He is TRUTHFUL.

Despite being by far the most skilled (any TRAINER HE HAS MET and ANY other setter he has met, and ANYONE in Haikyuu simply knows and sees and states how nobody can touch him in terms of sheer talent... I treasure what Motoya, the best libero in Japan, in the best young team in Japan, used to be with the BEST young spiker in Japan, says of Kageyama at National Camp... he calls him TERRIFYING in talent... and since he must know what he talks about given his surroundings, and the fact he says that while he is in the place where all the brightest young talents are, that must mean something, right?), Kageyama isn’t arrogant at all, and that also makes him the more valuable in my eyes.

When he gets called “arrogant” because he reprises sometimes his teammates during game actions, he ain’t arrogant either. He states the TRUTH when he speaks with his (sub par talented) teammates (see when he calls out annoying Noya because he was in the way of the action: Noya reacts all fuming BUT HE WAS IN THE WAY, so Kageyama was right, of course - like he is always right in a game).

Kageyama is demanding to his teammates the same way he is demanding towards himself first; he wants them to give their MOST, because he FOR FIRST does... and when they slag off, he is in the RIGHT to call them up. When they mess up, he, as the setter MUST call them out. Of course this irks those who have no idea on how volleyball fine tuning works... but this doesn’t make Kageyama arrogant: it just reveals them as even more dense.

Some say Kags is arrogant because he is confident in his skills: but when Kageyama says he will inevitably give out the best toss, he ISN’T ARROGANT. He states THE SIMPLE TRUTH (unlike Hinata). He WILL give the best tosses. So where’s the arrogance in stating a fact, exactly?

Full POINT.

Another one I’d like to make, in the ever growing misconception panel concerning Kageyama (my beautiful Lord), is how people who can’t downplay his genius try to point out he isn’t the only genius in the Manga...

Sadly, for those who can’t read or understand things, HE IS.

KAGEYAMA SO FAR IS THE ONLY proclaimed GENIUS IN THE STORY (the only one so far who is similar to him, and could be named ALSO a genius IS USHIJIMA, but we have not enough reports from trainers at all levels and other spikers to claim this like instead it has been presented for Kageyama, by Furudate himself in the synopsis even. I also think that SAKUSA may be another genius and maybe Motoya; Atsumu and Osamu certainly aren’t because their official statistics are surprisingly low... I shocked myself when I was looking at them; I expected Atsumu to be far more skilled: it’s more than he is in a VERY good team which has improved his own plays, rather than the opposite. Atsumu may be the definition of “skilled player who can become a real champion”, but definitely he ain’t a genius).

When simpletons say in Karasuno there is another genius (Nishinoya, called so by Tanaka while speaking with the first years casually), just because somebody in the team (Karasuno ain’t a team of champions especially at the start, so when this happens nobody knows what Kageyama truly can do), called him so, without proper investment either, I CRINGE.

Nishinoya ain’t a genius... not even in potential. He is a decent libero with BIG holes in his defence still up to this point in the manga. He will get better? Probably. But there’s a reason he was never considered to be a part of the National Training Camp. He simply IS NOT ENOUGH. Let alone a genius...

Motoya is a genius, probably.

Nishinoya ain’t even the best defender in Karasuno, being that (and by a TON) Captain Sawamura (a really good player).

But leave it to the Haikyuu fans to cheer up for the sub par instead than for the best... I guess they identify with that mediocrity and liability. I would never identify with anything like that, it would mean to undervalue myself in the first place...

So, at the end of the rant... why do I feel like I had to wish Lord Kags happy birthday? Why do I love him so much?

To be quick, I’d say that I love Kageyama because he EMBODIES the sport I love the most, but it’s not only that.

I love him because he is plagued in the manga /anime by people unworthy of him, and still he tries to bring these people at another level, just because it’s his duty to do so, no matter if he finds them all annoying (I don’t think he does, but he would do that even in that case).

I love him because he is far too complex and cool to be worshipped (as he should) by people liking Haikyuu only when it portrays simple characters with tons of liabilities and weaknesses they can identify with, and I love him because just for that vicious short-circuit Kageyama gets always diminished, misjudged and reduced to something he IS NOT by a blind and annoying fandom just because this way weak and mediocre people can feel better with themselves, not because anything of what they say and write or think has any root in reality.

In short, I could say that I love Kageyama because he is THE BEST, and like it often happens, people are afraid of him because they are unsatisfied about themselves and I feel like I have to balance all this unfairstate of things by giving him all of my conscious love instead.

After all, I only like THE BEST in everything.

But his “being best” at his sport, comes with a tons of other things I find incredibly appealing and charming.

I love him because he is socially dense and doesn’t need people around to feel fine.

I love him because he is fully instinctual and has an amazing sense of taste, which makes him VERY SEXY in prospective ;)

I love him because he is completely dedicated to his own path of glory.

I love him because he is inspiring, and he gives his 110% always.

I love him because he feels never satisfied and always try for more.

I love him because he admires those who are his rivals, and doesn’t want to erase them out, because only by fighting against worthy ones you can get even better, and that’s his only goal.

I love him because he is pure and honest and doesn’t get convoluted and faking kindness to cover weaknesses, but only relates to those he considers, and has the guts to totally ignore the rest.

I love him because he hasn’t proper weaknesses after all.

I love him because he is FULLY INDEPENDENT.

I love him because he is GORGEOUS (beauty is a pre-requisite for my liking... scrubs and uglies aren’t my thing ever, and I despise those who can’t accept that there are ugly people around. BEAUTY is a great quality... and much like in skills, we are NOT all the same. Beautiful people are NOT like ugly people. Intelligent people are NOT like stupid people. TALENTED people are NOT like mediocre people. Stop telling yourself lies to feel better, soon or later reality will hit you like a train, and it won’t be enough to blame others instead of yourselves and your bad self-advocacy to get out of your holes...).

I love him because if he would live for real in this real world, he wouldn’t give a F**k about being considered sad or lonely or unsocial... he wouldn’t care at all about any of these things and he wouldn’t see the point in being social outside of a court when it would be useful to play better.

I love Kageyama Tobio because of just the way he is, and the fact that the beauty of volleyball shines the brightest through him.

Happy Birthday to you, precious blueberry diamond.

You make me happy, even though you are just a fictional manga character, because you inspire me at not only trying my best always and feeling never content, but also you inspire me at being oriented only at what my goals and desires and wills are.

Not because I am egotistical, but because I AM EXACTLY ME and THAT IS HOW IT HAS TO BE, and it’s very fine so.

Happy birthday, adored Tobio.

Hope they will gift you with a truck of milk tomorrow *.*

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thefortyeightlawsofpower-blog · 7 years

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LAW # 32 : PLAY TO PEOPLE’S FANTASIES

JUDGEMENT

The truth is often avoided because it is ugly and unpleasant. Never appeal to truth and reality unless you are prepared for the anger that comes from disenchantment. Life is so harsh and distressing that people who can manufacture romance or conjure up fantasy are like oases in the desert: Everyone flocks to them. There is great power in tapping into the fantasies of the masses.

THE FUNERAL OF THE LIONESS

The lion having suddenly lost his queen, every one hastened to show allegiance to the monarch, by offering consolation. These compliments, alas, served but to increase the widower’s affliction. Due notice was given throughout the kingdom that the funeral would be performed at a certain time and place; the lion’s officers were ordered to be in attendance, to regulate the ceremony, and place the company according to their respective rank. One may well judge no one absented himself. The monarch gave way to his grief, and the whole cave, lions having no other temples, resounded with his cries. After his example, all the courtiers roared in their different tones. A court is the sort of place where everyone is either sorrowful, gay, or indifferent to everything, just as the reigning prince may think fit; or if any one is not actually, he at least tries to appear so; each endeavors to mimic the master. It is truly said that one mind animates a thousand bodies, clearly showing that human beings are mere machines. But let us return to our subject. The stag alone shed no tears. How could he, forsooth? The death of the queen avenged him; she had formerly strangled his wife and son. A courtier thought fit to inform the bereaved monarch, and even affirmed that he had seen the stag laugh. The rage of a king, says Solomon, is terrible, and especially that of a lion-king. “Pitiful forester!” he exclaimed, “darest thou laugh when all around are dissolved in tears? We will not soil our royal claws with thy profane blood! Do thou, brave wolf, avenge our queen, by immolating this traitor to her august manes. ”

Hereupon the stag replied: “Sire, the time for weeping is passed; grief is here superfluous. Your revered spouse appeared to me but now, reposing on a bed of roses; I instantly recognized her. ‘Friend,’ said she to me, ‘have done with this funereal pomp, cease these useless tears. I have tasted a thousand delights in the Elysian fields, conversing with those who are saints like myself. Let the king’s despair remain for some time unchecked, it gratifies me.’” Scarcely had he spoken, when every one shouted: “A miracle! a miracle!” The stag, instead of being punished, received a handsome gift. Do but entertain a king with dreams, flatter him, and tell him a few pleasant fantastic lies: whatever his indignation against you may be, he will swallow the bait, and make you his dearest friend.

FABLES, JEAN DE LA FONTAINE, 1621-1695

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

The city-state of Venice was prosperous for so long that its citizens felt their small republic had destiny on its side. In the Middle Ages and High Renaissance, its virtual monopoly on trade to the east made it the wealthiest city in Europe. Under a beneficent republican government, Venetians enjoyed liberties that few other Italians had ever known. Yet in the sixteenth century their fortunes suddenly changed. The opening of the New World transferred power to the Atlantic side of Europe—to the Spanish and Portuguese, and later the Dutch and English. Venice could not compete economically and its empire gradually dwindled. The final blow was the devastating loss of a prized Mediterranean possession, the island of Cyprus, captured from Venice by the Turks in 1570.

Now noble families went broke in Venice, and banks began to fold. A kind of gloom and depression settled over the citizens. They had known a glittering past—had either lived through it or heard stories about it from their elders. The closeness of the glory years was humiliating. The Venetians half believed that the goddess Fortune was only playing a joke on them, and that the old days would soon return. For the time being, though, what could they do?

In 1589 rumors began to swirl around Venice of the arrival not far away of a mysterious man called “Il Bragadino,” a master of alchemy, a man who had won incredible wealth through his ability, it was said, to multiply gold through the use of a secret substance. The rumor spread quickly because a few years earlier, a Venetian nobleman passing through Poland had heard a learned man prophesy that Venice would recover her past glory and power if she could find a man who understood the alchemic art of manufacturing gold. And so, as word reached Venice of the gold this Bragadino possessed—he clinked gold coins continuously in his hands, and golden objects filled his palace—some began to dream: Through him, their city would prosper again.

Members of Venice’s most important noble families accordingly went together to Brescia, where Bragadino lived. They toured his palace and watched in awe as he demonstrated his gold-making abilities, taking a pinch of seemingly worthless minerals and transforming it into several ounces of gold dust. The Venetian senate prepared to debate the idea of extending an official invitation to Bragadino to stay in Venice at the city’s expense, when word suddenly reached them that they were competing with the Duke of Mantua for his services. They heard of a magnificent party in Bragadino’s palace for the duke, featuring garments with golden buttons, gold watches, gold plates, and on and on. Worried they might lose Bragadino to Mantua, the senate voted almost unanimously to invite him to Venice, promising him the mountain of money he would need to continue living in his luxurious style—but only if he came right away.

Late that year the mysterious Bragadino arrived in Venice. With his piercing dark eyes under thick brows, and the two enormous black mastiffs that accompanied him everywhere, he was forbidding and impressive. He took up residence in a sumptuous palace on the island of the Giudecca, with the republic funding his banquets, his expensive clothes, and all his other whims. A kind of alchemy fever spread through Venice. On street corners, hawkers would sell coal, distilling apparatus, bellows, how-to books on the subject. Everyone began to practice alchemy—everyone except Bragadino.

The alchemist seemed to be in no hurry to begin manufacturing the gold that would save Venice from ruin. Strangely enough this only increased his popularity and following; people thronged from all over Europe, even Asia, to meet this remarkable man. Months went by, with gifts pouring in to Bragadino from all sides. Still he gave no sign of the miracle that the Venetians confidently expected him to produce. Eventually the citizens began to grow impatient, wondering if he would wait forever. At first the senators warned them not to hurry him—he was a capricious devil, who needed to be cajoled. Finally, though, the nobility began to wonder too, and the senate came under pressure to show a return on the city’s ballooning investment.

Bragadino had only scorn for the doubters, but he responded to them. He had, he said, already deposited in the city’s mint the mysterious substance with which he multiplied gold. He could use this substance up all at once, and produce double the gold, but the more slowly the process took place, the more it would yield. If left alone for seven years, sealed in a casket, the substance would multiply the gold in the mint thirty times over. Most of the senators agreed to wait to reap the gold mine Bragadino promised. Others, however, were angry: seven more years of this man living royally at the public trough! And many of the common citizens of Venice echoed these sentiments. Finally the alchemist’s enemies demanded he produce a proof of his skills: a substantial amount of gold, and soon.

Lofty, apparently devoted to his art, Bragadino responded that Venice, in its impatience, had betrayed him, and would therefore lose his services. He left town, going first to nearby Padua, then, in 1590, to Munich, at the invitation of the Duke of Bavaria, who, like the entire city of Venice, had known great wealth but had fallen into bankruptcy through his own profligacy, and hoped to regain his fortune through the famous alchemist’s services. And so Bragadino resumed the comfortable arrangement he had known in Venice, and the same pattern repeated itself.

Interpretation

The young Cypriot Mamugna had lived in Venice for several years before reincarnating himself as the alchemist Bragadino. He saw how gloom had settled on the city, how everyone was hoping for a redemption from some indefinite source. While other charlatans mastered everyday cons based on sleight of hand, Mamugnà mastered human nature. With Venice as his target from the start, he traveled abroad, made some money through his alchemy scams, and then returned to Italy, setting up shop in Brescia. There he created a reputation that he knew would spread to Venice. From a distance, in fact, his aura of power would be all the more impressive.

At first Mamugna did not use vulgar demonstrations to convince people of his alchemic skill. His sumptuous palace, his opulent garments, the clink of gold in his hands, all these provided a superior argument to anything rational. And these established the cycle that kept him going: His obvious wealth confirmed his reputation as an alchemist, so that patrons like the Duke of Mantua gave him money, which allowed him to live in wealth, which reinforced his reputation as an alchemist, and so on. Only once this reputation was established, and dukes and senators were fighting over him, did he resort to the trifling necessity of a demonstration. By then, however, people were easy to deceive: They wanted to believe. The Venetian senators who watched him multiply gold wanted to believe so badly that they failed to notice the glass pipe up his sleeve, from which he slipped gold dust into his pinches of minerals. Brilliant and capricious, he was the alchemist of their fantasies—and once he had created an aura like this, no one noticed his simple deceptions.

Such is the power of the fantasies that take root in us, especially in times of scarcity and decline. People rarely believe that their problems arise from their own misdeeds and stupidity. Someone or something out there is to blame—the other, the world, the gods—and so salvation comes from the outside as well. Had Bragadino arrived in Venice armed with a detailed analysis of the reasons behind the city’s economic decline, and of the hard-nosed steps that it could take to turn things around, he would have been scorned. The reality was too ugly and the solution too painful—mostly the kind of hard work that the citizens’ ancestors had mustered to create an empire. Fantasy, on the other hand—in this case the romance of alchemy—was easy to understand and infinitely more palatable.

To gain power, you must be a source of pleasure for those around you—and pleasure comes from playing to people’s fantasies. Never promise a gradual improvement through hard work; rather, promise the moon, the great and sudden transformation, the pot of gold.

No man need despair of gaining converts to the most extravagant hypothesis who has art enough to represent it in favorable colors.

David Hume, 1711-1776

If you want to tell lies that will be believed, don’t tell the truth that won’t.

EMPEROR TOKUGAWA IEYASU OF JAPAN, SEVENTEENTH CENTURY

KEYS TO POWER

Fantasy can never operate alone. It requires the backdrop of the humdrum and the mundane. It is the oppressiveness of reality that allows fantasy to take root and bloom. In sixteenth-century Venice, the reality was one of decline and loss of prestige. The corresponding fantasy described a sudden recovery of past glories through the miracle of alchemy. While the reality only got worse, the Venetians inhabited a happy dream world in which their city restored its fabulous wealth and power overnight, turning dust into gold.

The person who can spin a fantasy out of an oppressive reality has access to untold power. As you search for the fantasy that will take hold of the masses, then, keep your eye on the banal truths that weigh heavily on us all. Never be distracted by people’s glamorous portraits of themselves and their lives; search and dig for what really imprisons them. Once you find that, you have the magical key that will put great power in your hands.

Although times and people change, let us examine a few of the oppressive realities that endure, and the opportunities for power they provide:

The Reality: Change is slow and gradual. It requires hard work, a bit of luck, a fair amount of self-sacrifice, and a lot of patience.

The Fantasy: A sudden transformation will bring a total change in one’s fortunes, bypassing work, luck, self-sacrifice, and time in one fantastic stroke.

This is of course the fantasy par excellence of the charlatans who prowl among us to this day, and was the key to Bragadino’s success. Promise a great and total change—from poor to rich, sickness to health, misery to ecstasy—and you will have followers.

How did the great sixteenth-century German quack Leonhard Thurneisser become the court physician for the Elector of Brandenburg without ever studying medicine? Instead of offering amputations, leeches, and foul-tasting purgatives (the medicaments of the time), Thurneisser offered sweet-tasting elixirs and promised instant recovery. Fashionable courtiers especially wanted his solution of “drinkable gold,” which cost a fortune. If some inexplicable illness assailed you, Thurneisser would consult a horoscope and prescribe a talisman. Who could resist such a fantasy—health and well-being without sacrifice and pain!

The Reality: The social realm has hard-set codes and boundaries. We understand these limits and know that we have to move within the same familiar circles, day in and day out.

The Fantasy: We can enter a totally new world with different codes and the promise of adventure.

In the early 1700s, all London was abuzz with talk of a mysterious stranger, a young man named George Psalmanazar. He had arrived from what was to most Englishmen a fantastical land: the island of Formosa (now Taiwan), off the coast of China. Oxford University engaged Psalmanazar to teach the island’s language; a few years later he translated the Bible into Formosan, then wrote a book—an immediate best-seller—on Formosa’s history and geography. English royalty wined and dined the young man, and everywhere he went he entertained his hosts with wondrous stories of his homeland, and its bizarre customs.

After Psalmanazar died, however, his will revealed that he was in fact merely a Frenchman with a rich imagination. Everything he had said about Formosa—its alphabet, its language, its literature, its entire culture—he had invented. He had built on the English public’s ignorance of the place to concoct an elaborate story that fulfilled their desire for the exotic and strange. British culture’s rigid control of people’s dangerous dreams gave him the perfect opportunity to exploit their fantasy.

The fantasy of the exotic, of course, can also skirt the sexual. It must not come too close, though, for the physical hinders the power of fantasy; it can be seen, grasped, and then tired of—the fate of most courtesans. The bodily charms of the mistress only whet the master’s appetite for more and different pleasures, a new beauty to adore. To bring power, fantasy must remain to some degree unrealized, literally unreal. The dancer Mata Hari, for instance, who rose to public prominence in Paris before World War I, had quite ordinary looks. Her power came from the fantasy she created of being strange and exotic, unknowable and indecipherable. The taboo she worked with was less sex itself than the breaking of social codes.

Another form of the fantasy of the exotic is simply the hope for relief from boredom. Con artists love to play on the oppressiveness of the working world, its lack of adventure. Their cons might involve, say, the recovery of lost Spanish treasure, with the possible participation of an alluring Mexican señorita and a connection to the president of a South American country—anything offering release from the humdrum.

The Reality: Society is fragmented and full of conflict.

The Fantasy: People can come together in a mystical union of souls.

In the 1920s the con man Oscar Hartzell made a quick fortune out of the age-old Sir Francis Drake swindle—basically promising any sucker who happened to be surnamed “Drake” a substantial share of the long-lost “Drake treasure,” to which Hartzell had access. Thousands across the Midwest fell for the scam, which Hartzell cleverly turned into a crusade against the government and everyone else who was trying to keep the Drake fortune out of the rightful hands of its heirs. There developed a mystical union of the oppressed Drakes, with emotional rallies and meetings. Promise such a union and you can gain much power, but it is a dangerous power that can easily turn against you. This is a fantasy for demagogues to play on.

The Reality: Death. The dead cannot be brought back, the past cannot be changed.

The Fantasy: A sudden reversal of this intolerable fact.

This con has many variations, but requires great skill and subtlety.

The beauty and importance of the art of Vermeer have long been recognized, but his paintings are small in number, and are extremely rare. In the 1930s, though, Vermeers began to appear on the art market. Experts were called on to verify them, and pronounced them real. Possession of these new Vermeers would crown a collector’s career. It was like the resurrection of Lazarus: In a strange way, Vermeer had been brought back to life. The past had been changed.

Only later did it come out that the new Vermeers were the work of a middle-aged Dutch forger named Han van Meegeren. And he had chosen Vermeer for his scam because he understood fantasy: The paintings would seem real precisely because the public, and the experts as well, so desperately wanted to believe they were.

Remember: The key to fantasy is distance. The distant has allure and promise, seems simple and problem free. What you are offering, then, should be ungraspable. Never let it become oppressively familiar; it is the mirage in the distance, withdrawing as the sucker approaches. Never be too direct in describing the fantasy—keep it vague. As a forger of fantasies, let your victim come close enough to see and be tempted, but keep him far away enough that he stays dreaming and desiring.

Image: The Moon. Unattainable, always changing shape, disappearing and reappearing. We look at it, imagine, wonder, and pine—never familiar, continuous provoker of dreams. Do not offer the obvious. Promise the moon.

Authority: A lie is an allurement, a fabrication, that can be embellished into a fantasy. It can be clothed in the raiments of a mystic conception. Truth is cold, sober fact, not so comfortable to absorb. A lie is more palatable. The most detested person in the world is the one who always tells the truth, who never romances.... I found it far more interesting and profitable to romance than to tell the truth. (Joseph Weil, a.k.a. “The Yellow Kid,” 1875-1976)

REVERSAL

If there is power in tapping into the fantasies of the masses, there is also danger. Fantasy usually contains an element of play—the public half realizes it is being duped, but it keeps the dream alive anyway, relishing the entertainment and the temporary diversion from the everyday that you are providing. So keep it light—never come too close to the place where you are actually expected to produce results. That place may prove extremely hazardous.

After Bragadino established himself in Munich, he found that the sober-minded Bavarians had far less faith in alchemy than the temperamental Venetians. Only the duke really believed in it, for he needed it desperately to rescue him from the hopeless mess he was in. As Bragadino played his familiar waiting game, accepting gifts and expecting patience, the public grew angry. Money was being spent and was yielding no results. In 1592 the Bavarians demanded justice, and eventually Bragadino found himself swinging from the gallows. As before, he had promised and had not delivered, but this time he had misjudged the forbearance of his hosts, and his inability to fulfill their fantasy proved fatal.

One last thing: Never make the mistake of imagining that fantasy is always fantastical. It certainly contrasts with reality, but reality itself is sometimes so theatrical and stylized that fantasy becomes a desire for simple things. The image Abraham Lincoln created of himself, for example, as a homespun country lawyer with a beard, made him the common man’s president.

P. T. Barnum created a successful act with Tom Thumb, a dwarf who dressed up as famous leaders of the past, such as Napoleon, and lampooned them wickedly. The show delighted everyone, right up to Queen Victoria, by appealing to the fantasy of the time: Enough of the vainglorious rulers of history, the common man knows best. Tom Thumb reversed the familiar pattern of fantasy in which the strange and unknown becomes the ideal. But the act still obeyed the Law, for underlying it was the fantasy that the simple man is without problems, and is happier than the powerful and the rich.

Both Lincoln and Tom Thumb played the commoner but carefully maintained their distance. Should you play with such a fantasy, you too must carefully cultivate distance and not allow your “common” persona to become too familiar or it will not project as fantasy.

#quotes #books #power #love #history

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cbpassiveincomereviewblr-blog · 5 years

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How to Change Your Life With The Law Of Attraction

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” - Rumi Johanna, a college student from Kuala Lumpur, had been struggling to finish her studies. She was living in a dorm with other students, and had trouble making ends meet. Learn how to manifest anything with miracle manifestation.Go here Johanna was on a scholarship which meant she needed to keep her grades high while working part-time to support her living expenses. Strapped for time and resources, she barely got by and started feeling burnt out. If Johanna wasn't hitting the books, she was working. Everything started to become a blur and she was losing motivation to keep going. It got so bad that Johanna even thought about telling her parents she couldn't do it anymore and drop out from college. But then a classmate from her philosophy class introduced her to the Law of Attraction. Jacques, a foreign exchange student from Canada, had been reading up on it and applied it in his own life. According to him, it had helped him manifest a solution to his own problems. He had lived in an abusive home growing up, and Jacques leaned how to shift his thinking and perspective to change his circumstances. Johanna wasn't sure at first what to make of it, but she took Jacques word for it and started applying its principles in her own life. Click Here To Discover the Lazy Person's Secret To Get Everything You've Ever Wished For. After she made a shift in her own mindset and attitude, Johanna started to experience some positive changes. She eventually quit her part-time job and found another one with better pay and hours which helped with her living expenses. It also helped free up her time, so she managed to study AND start a side income project selling items online. Johanna ended up growing her side business so much that she got Jacques to help her manage it. By the end of the academic year, she had turned into a completely different person. Johanna was no longer the depressed, burned out student from before. She had become a self-sufficient student and even made the dean's list! The Power of Changing Your Focus Sometimes, we get so discouraged that we feel powerless to change our situation. Like Johanna, we fall into a FIXED mindset where we think things will stay the same and we can't do anything about it. But the only way to break out of this negative spiral is by changing your INNER world. This is the key to influencing your external world so you can move forward in life. In a nutshell, the Law of Attraction is a way of living that requires you to change your frequency. When you do this, the Universe will pick up your signal and your life will change for the better. As for the frequency I mentioned, this is basically the vibration of energy that your mind gives off. You can either operate at a high or low vibration, and each type will give you a specific result. Most people don't realize they're giving off low frequency energy, which is actually making their situation worse. Click Here To Discover the Lazy Person's Secret To Get Everything You've Ever Wished For The main problem is when you attach your emotions to your external circumstances. For instance, it's easy to feel bad when you're broke. And naturally, it's just as easy feel the opposite if you had money in the bank. Similarly, seeing other people in a happy, romantic relationship will make you bitter and angry if you're single. And so on… I'm not saying it's wrong to feel bad about things like that. However, you shouldn't use your circumstances (and how you FEEL about them) as an excuse to STOP trying. People fail to realize that NOT doing anything about their situation will only make them feel WORSE. And this further traps them in a vicious cycle of negativity and inaction. Thus, the Law of Attraction will help you install a more positive attitude in your consciousness. This keeps your mind from being overrun by negativity - and more importantly, give you the leverage to BREAK FREE from your situation. With some practice, your thoughts and actions will effortlessly work together to attract positive circumstances in your life. But where should you start? Here are some ways to put the Law of Attraction into action and start creating massive changes: #1: Share Your Gifts to the World The Bible talks about the power of giving, and how it outweighs the benefits of getting. But no matter what your faith or beliefs are, it helps to think of generosity on a LARGER SCALE. Giving is more than just a virtue - it's a type of cosmic currency. When you perform acts of kindness or share your resources for no other reason than WANTING TO, you're putting this currency into circulation. And soon enough, this positive energy you send into the world - and the Universe as a whole - will find its way back to you. You won't get it in the same form, but it will come around, one way or another. I know that sometimes, giving feels like the LAST thing you want to do - especially when your own life is lacking in some capacity. Why bother extending yourself when you've got enough to worry about for yourself? But that's exactly the point. Giving - even when you THINK you can't - will prove that this is a FALSE perception. Let your acts of generosity serve as a reminder to everyone that in spite of everything, life IS and will ALWAYS be abundant. Trust in the infinite energy of the Universe and tune into its unique frequency. Your selflessness is the key to that. A generous attitude raises the quality of the vibrations you send out into the world. Escaping the scarcity mindset and the fear of not having enough is one of the most liberating things you can do. By doing so, you're FREE to improve the lives of others - and yours in the process. Click Here To Learn How To Use Destiny Tuning To Manifest The Life You Want #2: Stop hanging out with losers I don't mean to sound judgmental, but there are people in your life that will try to drag you down, whether they're aware of it or not. You should avoid them at all costs. People in a bad situation will try to feel better about themselves by spreading their toxic way of thinking to others. They pull others down with their hurtful words, or convince them that they're not good enough. Instead of doing something about their own situation, it's easier to go down this dark path and take everyone else with them. And the Law of Attraction states that when you focus on something, the Universe will feed you more of the SAME. So the good news is that you can choose to avoid this downward spiral and get on another path instead. This is why you need to be careful about the company you keep. Choose the people that can share their constructive energy with you. If their attitude, mindset and words lift you up, you know you're in the right place. Their energy is contagious, and you'll naturally raise your own frequency and attract only good things in your life. As for toxic people, I know there are times when you simply can't avoid them. They could be family, friends, or co-workers - and you might be even living with some of them. It's a challenge for sure, but do your best not to let their negative energy get to you. You don't have to butt heads with them and simply respond with positivity. If you're in a conversation with them, try to frame it in a healthy, positive way so you don't get sucked into their toxic field of gravity. You don't have to change their mind; just take the “agree to disagree” route and leave it at that. Who knows, your own energy might “rub off” on their consciousness. They might even think about what you told them and re-evaluate their own perspective. #3: Get out from under the grind We all have our lives to lead, and that means falling into a routine. Now, don't get me wrong - having structure in your life is important and even necessary. At a basic level, we need it to function on a daily basis. Incorporating helpful habits into your everyday routine is a GOOD thing. However, there is a danger in being TOO embedded in it and shutting yourself off to trying NEW things. Sticking too closely to your routine could make you afraid of the unfamiliar and uncomfortable - and hinder your GROWTH in the process. So if you want to attract new and exciting things into your life, you should carve out some room for that. Click Here To Read 7 law of attraction tips that will actually make your life better Doing things that help you grow ALWAYS has a place in a well-balanced life. A stable, healthy routine is the best way to avoid a soul-crushing existence. What are the things that inspire you? Outside of your usual chores and duties, what gives you a sense of fulfillment - even if it doesn't pay the bills? People usually shoot down any desire for this because they're afraid they “don't have enough time.” But you'll see just how flimsy that excuse is once you actually take the plunge and spend that time you didn't think you had. In as little as half an hour, you could engage in a fulfilling pursuit. Find (or rekindle) a hobby, take up an online course or watch free videos. Let it energize your senses, inspire you to greatness and empower you to create something wonderful in this world. More than that, you can acquire knowledge to advance you in some way, like learning a skill, for example. I recently came across a post on Twitter that made me smile. It said: “There's too much free information online for y'all not be crushing it in whatever field.” Use your precious time to invest in a better you and express yourself through your passions. Don't worry about the “if”s and “how”s. Just get started with something now, and the rest of your life will adjust to it. You won't know what new avenues will open up UNTIL you get the ball rolling, #4: Quiet your mind Meditation is one habit that goes very well with practicing the Law of Attraction. When you learn how to control your thoughts (instead of the other way around), you're in the best position to manifest the things you want. A lot of people find it challenging to keep their thoughts above water when they're flooded with negative emotions. With meditation, you can take a step back and remove yourself from a situation in a healthy way. There are books, free content online and mobile apps that can help you with this. For instance, I just tried out the Insight app on my phone which is kind of like the YouTube equivalent for meditation. Click Here To Learn How To Use Destiny Tuning To Manifest The Life You Want <= [Link this text via your affiliate link] You can search by a specific person or channel, or even topics like easing anxiety, anger management, and so on. This is a low-maintenance habit which will only take about 10-15 minutes daily. You could even spend five minutes if you're really strapped for time! This basically works by sitting down on the floor (or a chair) and closing your eyes. The idea is to take slow, measured breaths and pay attention to the physical sensations you're feeling at the moment. Are your muscles tense? Is your heart beating quickly from the stress you're currently experiencing? These are some of the things to be mindful of as you breathe in and out. If any other thoughts enter your mind, don't resist it. Don't chase after them and just let it pass. Then you can go back to focusing on the rhythm of your breath. Take this time to focus on the feelings of love, health, success and prosperity. In other words, the things you want to ATTRACT. Concentrate your attention on inhaling and exhaling. Once you've calmed your mind enough, you're ready visualize the things you want to manifest in life. This will have a powerful effect on your subconscious and put you on the path towards your goals. And that brings us to the last life-changing habit… #5: Affirmations Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers in history, was known for saying, “What you're thinking is what you're becoming.” Indeed. That attitude helped him become what he was, and it will serve you well, too. Most of the time, people don't pay attention to the kind of thoughts they hold in their heads. Left unchecked, they often feed into a toxic narrative they have about themselves without realizing it. Like I said earlier, what you put in your subconscious affects you. The things you tell yourself are like seeds you plant in your mind and they'll grow over time. Those same thoughts will express themselves in your actions and the choices you make. So, you need to be careful which seeds you plant. Joseph Murphy, author of the book, “The Power of the Subconscious Mind”, tells us that this part of your mind can't distinguish which thoughts are real or imagined. As far as it's concerned, your subconscious will treat it as FACT whether it's happening in the physical world or NOT. Thus, people don't just operate on these subconscious beliefs. Without being aware of it, they're turning their thoughts into reality. And it WILL happen - one way or another. The perception you have about yourself is largely influenced by the people you had around while growing up. Their input - whether good or bad - left a mark on your subconscious that's hard to shake off. And this programming kicks in whenever you make decisions and it dictates how you respond to tough times. This inner dialogue can act as your inner voice of confidence and self-assurance… …or as in most people's cases, it's the voice of fear and self-doubt. You might think you're not good enough or smart enough because you couldn't stop the bad things from happening. You curse yourself for messing things up, then blame it on some pre-assigned character defect. Usually, it's in the form of labels like “Loser”, “Hopeless Case”, “Slacker”, “Weirdo” and so on. But remember, these labels only have as much power over as you ALLOW it. You can apply the Law of Attraction to change this inner chatter and rewire your mind for success instead. It's impossible to attract wealth, abundance and happiness if you're focused on putting yourself down. Click Here To Learn How to Force the Universe to Manifest Your Dream Life <= [Link this text via your affiliate link] You can do the opposite by using encouraging statements that will empower you to take action. Here are some examples to try during your meditation sessions:

Affirmations that span across time: Think about what's already happened, what's happening now, and what's yet to come. Then put it all together like this: “BEFORE, I was broke, miserable and hated the world. But I know better NOW and want to turn it around. Things are about to change, and SOON I'll be prosperous, happy and living my dream life.”

Affirmations that are crystal clear: Saying something like “I am loved” or “I am blessed” is a good start, but they're a bit vague. Try elaborating on these ideas and flesh them out even more. Then you'll end up with a statement like “I'm surrounded by people who love and support me. They help me grow as a person and want to see me succeed.” As for being blessed, you can say “I'm blessed with infinite opportunities and resources, and my life is full and abundant.”

Affirmations with an attitude: Another way to supercharge your subconscious is by being a little cheeky with your statements. When that voice of fear and insecurity kicks in, drown out the noise with, “Whatever, I'm amazing at everything I do. I fight like hell and do my best, and I can't hear what you're saying!” Adding some lighthearted humor amplifies your signal and makes it easier for the Universe to hear your thoughts. Try this the next time you're feeling especially down on yourself.

When you improve the quality of your thoughts, it's as if your circumstances will rearrange itself on their own.

These changes will seem to happen without doing much on your part. But the truth is that you're already doing the heavy lifting by disciplining your mind.

Starting today, you can apply these five tips I've just shared with you to create ripples of change in your life.

The more you practice them, the bigger waves will result from your efforts. I hope you make use of this knowledge and empower yourself for greatness.

Before I go, there's ONE MORE gift I'd like to share with you…

It's called the Manifestation Breakthrough Kit, and for a limited time I'm offering it totally FREE of charge.

You can combine this kit with the five tips you just learned to get even BETTER results.

Click HERE to learn how to FORCE the Universe to give you everything you've ever wanted…and MORE!

#law of attraction #self help #positive thinking #how to change your life

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articlesonline · 4 years

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Miracles Made Easy - The Four Types of Miracles and How To Create them in Your Life

Miracle A: Mini Miracle There are four types of miracles. You probably experience the first type frequently, without realizing it. This is the mini-miracle or the baby step miracle. These are daily events, such as finding a parking space right in front of Costco on Christmas Eve, for example. In another case, maybe you think about whom you need to speak with and they call -- out of the blue. Last week I was wandering down the bread aisle at the supermarket, wondering when my son Anton's basketball game was and I ran into another mom on the team who knew the answer right then.

Author Jean Shonoda Bolen says, "Synchronicity can pave the way for people coming together. By unraveling the circumstances through which two people meet to enter a significant relationship, the delicate, unseen hand of fate, destiny, synchronicity or underlying Tao can be discerned." Simply put, she's referring to this type of miracle - a course in miracles.

Perhaps you find the right book at the right time, as says mythologist William Irwin Thompson, "A university can provide you with a library, but what makes the book you are not looking for fall off the shelf and into your hands?"

When I was destitute, my miracles were simple, such as finding spare change hidden in my pockets when I had just run out of money for food. A miracle was getting a ride to and from school for my kids during the rainy season when we did not own umbrellas, raincoats or hats. I walked two to three miles a day in the chilly San Francisco rain. My close friend Lalo couldn't bear to see me so beaten down, and he bought me a beat up, salvaged 1981 Volvo that spit fumes. The car became my Golden Red Chariot-- my miracle car. It didn't matter that the roof leaked and the car had no heat. It ran. We had transportation!

Thanksgiving and Christmas were celebrated, when we miraculously received gifts of turkey and trimmings. A neighbor knocked on my door with a made up story about winning an extra turkey at work. Right. A mother from the school handed me a gift certificate for a ready-made dinner, complete with stuffing. Believe me, you could never convince me that miracles don't exist, because I experienced them even during the bleakest of moments.

What constitutes a miracle to one person may go unnoticed by another. A few cents for food and a beat up Volvo might be a curse to an affluent family, but to me, they were blessings in disguise. At the time, a simple turkey meant the world to me. So everyone will have a slightly different definition of what a miracle means to them personally..

It is easy to overlook or discount the little events as they occur. That's why I call everything that is positive that comes my way a miracle. I never leave anything out, because I want a steady stream of wonderfully nice things happening to me 24/7.. Miracle B: The "Lucky" Miracle The second type of miracle is what some consider luck, good fortune or sheer coincidence. For instance, you may say that Sam Walton was lucky to have succeeded in creating Wal-Mart and Sam's. I mean, several others had tried to do it and failed. It must have been luck or fate or an accident that he did it where others did not.

To become lucky, in the real sense, is to become purposeful, mindful, intuitive, listening to your answers and going with your own sense of rhythm towards a destination. I classify it as a miracle, because as you create this aura of winning, sometimes it appears as though the good luck occurs at just the right time. It might feel like divine intervention that saved your life. Was that luck or a miracle? Did God do it or did you?

Individuals who are consistently lucky are manifesting outwardly a disciplined and focused approach on the inside. They are usually following a quest, a voice, an intuitive gut feeling, and they are focused on seeing it through. They have created the mindset, the brew, and the soil for their miracle. Remember, the universe will send us what we ask for.

Two days ago, I stood behind a handsome younger man outside the bathroom on a Southwest Commuter Flight. Just that morning I had expressed a need to find raw foods. Three hours later I meet a man who runs a company that imports raw foods from third world countries and markets them to major natural food stores. Synchronicity of events occurs all the time, when you say to our friends, 'I was just thinking of you, and here you are at Safeway at the exact precise moment I am.'

That we survived is a major miracle indeed. 2001 was the bleakest year in my entire life. The kids and I decided to not celebrate Christmas. We had no stomach for additional disappointments. My attorney asked me how I coped with losing everything and being reduced to food stamps and poverty. I had to tell him. I wrote him a letter. The letter became a three page double spaced 1000 word article. With a tremendous sense of freedom, I e-mailed the piece to six newspapers, three in California, and three in New York City, my birthplace.

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articleonline22-blog · 4 years

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Miracles Made Easy - The Four Types of Miracles and How To Create them in Your Life

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casinoonlinestuff · 4 years

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Miracles Made Easy - The Four Types of Miracles and How To Create them in Your Life

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claudinei-de-jesus · 3 years

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Regeneration

1. Nature of regeneration.

Regeneration is the divine act that grants to the penitent who believes in a new and higher life through personal union with Christ. The New Testament describes regeneration as follows:

2. Need for regeneration.

Human nature cannot rise above itself. Marcus Dods wrote:

3. The means of regeneration.

4. Effects of regeneration.

We can group them under three topics: positional (adoption); spiritual (union with God); practical (the life of justice).

1. Natureza da regeneração.

A regeneração é o ato divino que concede ao penitente que crê uma vida nova e mais elevada por meio da união pessoal com Cristo. O Novo Testamento assim qualificados a regeneração:

2. Necessidade da regeneração.

A natureza humana não pode elevar-se acima de si própria. Escreveu Marcus Dods:

3. Os meios de regeneração.

4. Efeitos da regeneração.

Podemos agrupá-los sob três tipos: posicionais (adoção); espirituais (união com Deus); práticos.

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