The religious president wants to rebuild Christendom

BY GILES FRASER

. The Orthodox saviour. Credit: Sasha Mordovets/Getty

Giles Fraser is a journalist, broadcaster and Rector at the south London church of St Mary’s, Newington

February 24, 2022

Threatened by an uprising of his treacherous generals, the Christian Emperor Basil II, based in the glorious city of Byzantium, reached out to his enemies, the pagans over in the land of the Rus. Basil II was a clever deal maker. If Vladimir of the Rus would help him put down the revolt, he would give him the hand of his sister in marriage. This was a status changer for Vladimir: the marriage of a pagan to an imperial princess was unprecedented. But first Vladimir would have to convert to Christianity.

Returning to Kyev in triumph, Vladimir proceeded to summon the whole city to the banks of the river Dnieper for a mass baptism. The year is 988. This is the founding, iconic act of Russian Orthodox Christianity. It was from here that Christianity would spread out and merge with the Russian love of the motherland, to create a powerful brew of nationalism and spirituality. In the mythology of 988, it was as if the whole of the Russian people had been baptised. Vladimir was declared a saint. When the Byzantine empire fell, the Russians saw themselves as its natural successor. They were a “third Rome”.

Soviet Communism tried to crush all this — but failed. And in the post-Soviet period, thousands of churches have been built and re-built. Though the West thinks of Christianity as something enfeebled and declining, in the East it is thriving. Back in 2019, Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, boasted that they were building three churches a day. Last year, they opened a Cathedral to the Armed Forces an hour outside Moscow. Religious imagery merges with military glorification. War medals are set in stained glass, reminding visitors of Russian martyrdom. In a large mosaic, more recent victories — including 2014’s “the return of Crimea” — are celebrated. “Blessed are the peacemakers” this is not.

At the heart of this post-Soviet revival of Christianity is another Vladimir. Vladimir Putin. Many people don’t appreciate the extent to which the invasion of Ukraine is a spiritual quest for him. The Baptism of Rus is the founding event of the formation of the Russian religious psyche, the Russian Orthodox church traces its origins back here. That’s why Putin is not so much interested in a few Russian-leaning districts to the east of Ukraine. His goal, terrifyingly, is Kyev itself.

He was born in Leningrad — a city that has reclaimed its original saint’s name — to a devout Christian mother and atheist father. His mother baptised him in secret, and he still wears his baptismal cross. Since he became President, Putin has cast himself as the true defender of Christians throughout the world, the leader of the Third Rome. His relentless bombing of ISIS, for example, was cast as the defence of the historic homeland of Christianity. And he will typically use faith as a way to knock the West, like he did in this speech in 2013:

“We see many of the Euro-Atlantic countries are actually rejecting their roots, including the Christian values that constitute the basis of Western civilisation. They are denying moral principles and all traditional identities: national, cultural, religious and even sexual. They are implementing policies that equate large families with same-sex partnerships, belief in God with the belief in Satan.”

Putin regards his spiritual destiny as the rebuilding of Christendom, based in Moscow. When the punk band Pussy Riot wanted to demonstrate against the President, they chose to do so in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, a vast white and gold edifice, demolished by the Soviets and rebuilt in the Nineties. It is a synthesis of Russia’s national and spiritual aspirations. It’s not just Russia, it is “Holy Russia”, part religious project, part extension of Russian foreign policy. Speaking of Vladimir’s mass baptism, Putin explained: “His spiritual feat of adopting Orthodoxy predetermined the overall basis of the culture, civilisation and human values that unite the peoples of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.” He wants to do the same again. And to do this he needs Kyev back.SUGGESTED READINGPutin’s grand plan is failing

BY IAN BIRRELL

“The spiritual choice made by St Vladimir still largely determines our affinity today” Putin wrote only last year. “In the words of Oleg the Prophet about Kyev, “let it be the mother of all Russian cities”.

Into this religious intensity we can add some angry church politics. In 2019, the Ukrainian arm of the family of Orthodox churches declared its independence from the Russian Orthodox Church — and the nominal head of the Orthodox family, Bartholomew I of Constantinople, supported it. The Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko, described this as “a great victory for the devout Ukrainian nation over the Moscow demons, a victory of good over evil, light over darkness”.

The Russian Orthodox Church furiously rejected this claim to independence, stating that Ukraine belonged irrevocably to its “canonical territory”. This led to a historic split within the Orthodox family, with the Russian church rejecting the primacy of Bartholomew, declaring that they were no longer in communion with the rest of the Orthodox family. Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov denounced Bartholomew as an American stooge. Kirill even claimed the reversion of the Hagia Sophia – originally the global HQ of Orthodoxy – to a mosque in 2020 was “God’s punishment”. The Russian Church then proceeded to set up its own Dioceses around the world, especially in Africa. “They are taking to the streets with posters saying “Thank you, Putin! Thank you, Patriarch Kirill!”” was how the Russian church’s propaganda machine described it.

Such is the centrality of Ukraine in general, and Kyev in particular, to the imagination of the Russian church, they have been prepared to fracture the centuries old alliance of Orthodoxy. Again and again, it’s all about Ukraine, the imagined site of the mother church of the Rus.SUGGESTED READINGHow Europe’s hypocrisy enables Putin

BY REMI ADEKOYE

This compliance of the Russian Orthodox church with the political goal of a greater Russia has been shameful. Officially, at least, they make a big deal out of the claim that they stay out of politics. But that has never been true. In the post-Soviet era, the Orthodox Church was handsomely rewarded, not just with a grandiose state-backed church building programme, but with involvement in lucrative business operations including the import of tobacco and alcohol worth $4 billion. In 2016, Krill was photographed wearing a $30,000 Breguet watch. He has also called Putin “a miracle of God”. When Kirill says “the Lord will provide” he could easily be talking about his lords and masters over in the Kremlin. Few churches have sold out to the state more completely than the Russian Orthodox church.

Last year, on the anniversary of the baptism of the Rus, Kirill preached to his people, urging them to stay true to Vladimir’s conversion and the blood of the orthodox martyrs. He told them to love “our homeland, our people, our rulers and our army”.

The Western secular imagination doesn’t get this. It looks at Putin’s speech the other evening, and it describes him as mad — which is another way of saying we do not understand what is going on. And we show how little we understand by thinking that a bunch of sanctions is going to make a blind bit of difference. They won’t. “Ukraine is an inalienable part of our own history, culture and spiritual space” Putin said. That’s what this is all about, “spiritual space” — a terrifying phrase steeped in over a thousand years of Russian religious history.

Friday 4:43PM (theonion.com)

KYIV, UKRAINE—Leaving journalists and eyewitnesses “absolutely stunned” as they watched in amazement, Russian soldiers’ guns and tanks were reportedly vanishing into thin air Friday as the first wave of international sanctions took effect. Cries of, “No! No! The sanctions! They’re kicking in!” were heard across the northern district of the capital as Russian troops inexplicably fell from midair where they had sat perched inside the armored vehicles only moments ago. According to sources, assault rifles were seen quivering then suddenly turning into dust and, in some cases, a cloud of butterflies, leaving Putin’s forces staring at their empty hands in bewilderment. At press time, the Russian soldiers had also begun to dissolve into thin air after Western countries imposed new sanctions on the troops themselves.

The Archer is wake!
The Swan is flying!
Gold against blue
An Arrow is lying.
There is hunting in heaven—
Sleep safe till tomorrow.

The Bears are abroad!
The Eagle is screaming!
Gold against blue
Their eyes are gleaming!
Sleep!
Sleep safe till tomorrow.

The Sisters lie
With their arms intertwining;
Gold against blue
Their hair is shining!
The Serpent writhes!
Orion is listening!
Gold against blue
His sword is glistening!
Sleep!
There is hunting in heaven—
Sleep safe till tomorrow

–William Carlos Williams (June 1913)

William Carlos Williams (September 17, 1883 – March 4, 1963) was an American poet, writer, and physician closely associated with modernism and imagism. In addition to his writing, Williams had a long career as a physician practicing both pediatrics and general medicine. Wikipedia

(Contributed by Gwyllm Llwydd)

New Thinking Allowed with Jeffrey Mishlove Jason Reza Jorjani, PhD, is a philosopher and author of Prometheus and Atlas, World State of Emergency, Lovers of Sophia, and Novel Folklore: The Blind Owl of Sadegh Hedayat. Here he maintains that Martin Heidegger is the father of postmodern philosophy — and Friedrich Nietzsche is its grandfather. As a reaction against association with Naziism, French postmodern philosophers made an effort to derive postmodern theories from the work of Karl Marx. In virtually all variations, the central theme of postmodernism is that there are no bedrock nor central truths. Jorjani describes how his own work has been influenced by postmodern thought. (Recorded on April 6, 2018)

“Keep meditating [or Translating] and eventually the mind will give up.”

–Peter Russell

by Astro Butterfly (astrobutterfly.com)

March 2022 is a spectacular month that many of us won’t forget for years or even decades to come.

There’s just so much going on astrologically: a beneficial New Moon conjunct Jupiter, Venus conjunct Mars at 0° Aquarius, several Jupiter conjunctions and a fairytale-like stellium in Pisces.

The best advice? Believe in miracles and just go with the flow!

March 2nd, 2022 – New Moon In Pisces

On March 2nd, 2022 we have a New Moon at 12° Pisces. This is a “make a wish” New Moon that is conjunct the ‘great benefic’ Jupiter.

Setting New Moon intentions is an ancient practice. And when the New Moon is also conjunct Jupiter – the planet of growth and abundance –  you can bet that your intentions will be planted in a very fertile soil. Whatever you will initiate at this New Moon, it will grow exponentially.

Even if you’re not the type of person who sets intentions or ‘believes’ in manifestation techniques, give this a try this month. March is THE MONTH to set intentions for whatever you want to manifest in your life.  

March 2nd, 2022 – Mercury Conjunct Saturn In Aquarius

On March 2nd, 2022 Mercury is conjunct Saturn at 18° Aquarius. Let’s be honest, Saturn transits are not the most sought-after transits.

That being said, Mercury conjunct Saturn is one of the most constructive Saturn transits out there, even for those of us who are not too fond of Saturn’s structure and the requirement to ‘do the work’.

Saturn is in domicile in Aquarius, and Mercury feels pretty good in this air sign too. The Mercury-Saturn conjunction gives us the opportunity to be truly intentional about our goals and hopes for the future. Aquarius is the sign of friends and groups of people – our social circle in general.

Do you want to have an inspiring, fulfilling social life?

Stop telling yourself that ‘one day’ we will join that book club, or that community. This is a time to actually take action and create your own social reality. Saturn comes with the needed framework and ‘how to’ become more social and engage in more meaningful interactions with other people. 

March 3rd, 2022 – Venus And Mars Conjunct Pluto

On March 3rd, Mars, quickly followed by Venus, meets up with Pluto at 27° Capricorn.

This is an extremely intense conjunction that has been building up for almost 2 weeks now. You may already be familiar with this energy – and the conjunction on March 3rd is the culmination, the grand finale. This is not an aspect to be taken lightly!

Venus is what we want, and Mars is how we go after what we want. Normally Venus-Mars conjunctions are nothing to worry about, on the contrary, they can give us that extra determination to pursue our goals and desires… but when Pluto gets involved, the intensity increases tenfold.

Pluto is the collective power, the Will of the Universe.

When there are Pluto conjunctions, two things can happen: we embody the Pluto archetype at an identity level and ‘abuse’ our personal power… of course, only to be put back into our place later.

OR we project the Plutonic energy onto the outside world and feel totally powerless and at the mercy of fate, events, or other people.

The key to working with this incredibly intense transit is understanding what it is that we want and what it is that Pluto wants. When we find that sweet spot, the Plutonic rewards can be incredible. 

March 5th, 2022 – Sun Conjunct Jupiter In Pisces

On March 5th, 2022, Sun is conjunct Jupiter at 14° Pisces.

Sun-Jupiter conjunctions are some of those 5-star auspicious transits astrology enthusiasts eagerly wait for to plan important life events like the start of a new business, a wedding, or the purchase of a property.

Even better news is that this year, the Sun-Jupiter conjunction happens in Pisces, Jupiter’s sign, so the transit is particularly auspicious. If you’d like to seed something that you want to see grow, Sun conjunct Jupiter is an excellent opportunity to take that first step.

Don’t be humble, don’t dream small. With Jupiter, everything is BIG, so you want to tap into this incredibly expansive energy. Just like with the New Moon from earlier this month, having faith and actually believing in yourself and in your dreams is key. 

March 6th, 2022 –  Venus Conjunct Mars In Aquarius

On March 6th, 2022, Venus and Mars simultaneously enter Aquarius and meet at 0° of the sign.

This is the 2nd time Venus and Mars meet up in a conjunction – on February 16th, 2022 we had the first Venus-Mars rendez-vous. If in February it was Mars that overtook Venus, this time around it’s Venus that kisses Mars, in a “make love, not war” statement.

This Venus-Mars conjunction comes with a completely different vibe than the serious, hierarchical Capricorn/Plutonic conjunction we had in February. Aquarius is a freedom, equality-loving sign, and 0° is the degree of new beginnings.

This is the same degree we had the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in December 2022. If Jupiter and Saturn spoke for collective developments that impacted us on a collective level, the Venus-Mars conjunction in Aquarius is about how we, as individuals, get to shape the collective. 

March 10th, 2022 – Mercury Enters Pisces

On March 10th, 2022 Mercury enters Pisces, and our thinking, communication, and interactions will become more Piscean in nature. Mercury is the “I only believe in what I can see, feel and touch” planet – so in Pisces, Mercury can have difficulties staying factual and concise.

If you want clarity, wait for Mercury to move into Aries later this month. But if you love magic and metaphors, if you thrive in subtlety, if you want to ‘see’ what’s invisible to the eye, then Mercury in Pisces is your transit!

Some people, for example artists, love the elusive quality of Mercury in Pisces, while people with strong Earth or Air placements can find it confusing.

To make the most of the coming 2 weeks, immerse yourself into Piscean activities: read, write, watch fantasy movies, keep a dream journal, and most importantly, surrender to Pisces’ mysterious ways of delivering and making sense of information. 

March 13th, 2022 – Sun Conjunct Neptune In Pisces

On March 13th, 2022 the Sun is conjunct Neptune at 22° Pisces. Sun-Neptune conjunctions are our opportunity to understand something about ourselves that is difficult to grasp otherwise.

Neptune can expose our blind spots, but also our zones of genius. Neptune rules those parts of ourselves we don’t pay attention to, we overlook, or we’re just oblivious to.

When the Sun meets Neptune, it shines a light on what’s otherwise difficult to see. The result? A more well-rounded understanding of yourself and what makes you human. 

March 18th, 2022 – Full Moon In Virgo

On March 18th, 2022 we have a Full Moon at 27° Virgo.

What happens when we swim into too much Pisces energy? It’s easy to get lost in Pisces’ fertile field of endless possibilities.

To balance things out, every Pisces season we have a Full Moon in the opposite sign of Virgo. Virgo is that part of us that is down to earth and remembers to set up the alarm in the morning, and makes sure we have enough food in the fridge.

The Full Moon in Virgo will remind us of the practical realities of our everyday life. If we want to achieve those crazy Piscean dreams, we also need Virgo’s practicality and attention to detail. 

March 20th, 2022 – Sun Enters Aries

On March 20th, 2022 the Sun enters Aries and we have the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and the Autumn Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere. No matter where you live on Earth, the day is equal to the night.

0° Aries is the first degree of the zodiac, so Sun’s ingress into Aries also marks the beginning of a new astrological year. This is a great time to press the ‘reset’ button and start all over again. 

The upcoming month is also, of course, that time of the year when we celebrate the Aries people in our lives. We all have something to learn from Aries’ boldness and drive.

This is a time to “just do it” – to follow your instinct and step outside your comfort zone. If something feels right, then it probably is right! 

March 21st, 2022 – Mercury Conjunct Jupiter In Pisces

On March 21st, 2022, Mercury is conjunct Jupiter at 18° Pisces.

Mercury’s yearly encounter with Jupiter is our opportunity to go BIG in everything that Mercury stands for. If you want to give a speech or a presentation for example, then your message will be more inspirational and reach more people’s hearts.

With Jupiter, of course, there’s also a tendency to exaggerate or over idealize an idea, but sometimes we need Jupiter’s infusion of optimism to articulate something that is important and needs to be heard. 

March 23rd, 2022 – Mercury Conjunct Neptune In Pisces

On March 23rd, 2022 Mercury is conjunct Neptune at 23° Pisces, following up on Jupiter’s expansive ideas.

If you came up with a great idea when Mercury was conjunct Jupiter, Neptune will help you see even more opportunities, it will open up even more possibilities.

Mercury conjunct Neptune is very beneficial for people who have mental blockages or a scarcity mindset because Jupiter’s optimism and Neptune’s idealism will help them reframe their thinking and take a more optimistic view of life.

Of course, with this transit, we also want to pay attention to exaggerations, wishful thinking, or a tendency to see things for what we want them to be, rather than what they are.

March 27th, 2022 – Mercury Enters Aries

On March 27th, 2022 Mercury enters Aries. In the past 2 weeks, Mercury has been racing through Pisces, concocting some big plans with Jupiter and Neptune.

When Mercury finally leaves Pisces and enters Aries, it’s reality check time.

Aries is the “a little less conversation, a little more action” sign. Those ideas and possibilities that stand a realistic chance to get materialized will now be put into action. 

March 28th, 2022 – Venus Conjunct Saturn In Aquarius

On March 28th, 2022 Venus is conjunct Saturn at 21° Aquarius, encouraging us to ‘check in’ with our heart.

• Are these Piscean plans, ideas and initiatives aligned with our values (Venus)?
• Can they fit into the big picture of our life (Aquarius)?
• Can they stand the test of time (Saturn)?

If yes, then the upcoming month, April 2022 is our chance to make our wildest dreams a reality. In April we have the much anticipated Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in Pisces, as well as two Uranian eclipses that promise interesting twists and developments. 

In March and April, the universe is truly giving us a unique opportunity to uplevel our lives.

But we have to keep our eyes open. We have to have faith. We have to actually seize these opportunities. 

This month allow yourself to dream BIG, bigger than you have even dreamt. The past 2 years have framed us to look at life through Saturnian lenses, and putting on a new pair of (pink) glasses can feel a bit weird.

“This isn’t real” you may tell yourself. But the point is not if this is real or not. In the Pisces season, all your concerns are focused on creating new possibilities. It doesn’t even matter when, how, or whether they will materialize.

Don’t think about the HOW just yet. That’s Aries and Taurus’ job. For now, just go with the flow and allow yourself to dream BIG just like you were dreaming as a child when everything was possible. 

Join The Age Of Aquarius Community

If you want to expand your astrology knowledge and ‘talk astrology’ with people who get you, join the Age Of Aquarius Community. The Topic of the Month of March is “The Astrology Of Life Stages”.

This is the new content that will be released in March 2022:

• February 28th, 2022 – Monthly astrology and tarot forecast – general forecast and forecast for your Ascendant sign
• March 2nd, 2022 – New Moon in Pisces Goal-Setting Ceremony – write down your intentions for the month with a guided New Moon ceremony
• March 3rd, 2022 – Live Tarot Mini readings – join live in a Youtube livestream, leave your question in the comment section and get a free tarot mini-reading 
• March 12th, 2022 – Training “Astrology And Life Stages” – learn about the most important astrology transits in our lifetime: the Saturn return, the Uranus opposition, the Pluto square and the Chiron return
• March 20th, 2020 – Member Zoom call “Astrology And Life Stages” – join a live discussion about the astrology of life stages and get your question answered
• Community threads – in March we will run several forum discussions about the Saturn return (which happens at the age of 29, 58 and 87), the Uranus opposition and Pluto square (the midlife crisis transits), and the Chiron return (at the age of 50). 

Every month the Age Of Aquarius Community hosts a new “Topic of the month” and new content is released. You can stay a member for 1 month, 2 months, or for long as you want. If at any point you want to leave, you can self-cancel your membership from your profile settings. 

Join the Age Of Aquarius Community here:

https://www.ageofaquarius.com/join

(Contributed by John Atwater)

bcimasschoir

(Courtesy of Dan Rather)

Yesterday 7:00AM (thenion.com)

WASHINGTON—Projecting strength and solemnity as he delivered his prepared remarks, President Joe Biden addressed the crisis in Ukraine Friday with a speech about a perfect malted milkshake he once drank in 1957. “It was in a tall glass cup with a long spoon—long spoons, you don’t see those anymore,” said Biden, who paused for emphasis as he squinted into the camera, instilling a deep feeling of comfort and confidence in millions of viewers who watched the speech across the globe. “It was brought out to me on a silver platter by a gorgeous waitress wearing roller skates. She was African American. I turned to her and said, ‘Honey, how about you grab a second straw and join me once you get off your shift.’ Scorching day. That thick and creamy shake hit the spot. It cost a nickel, but boy oh boy, did it taste like a dollar!” At press time, Russian forces across the region had laid down their arms to watch the video on their phones.

The Open Boat

Stephen Crane

Four men struggle for survival after escaping from a sinking ship and into a small open boat.

Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and Other Tales of New York

Stephen Crane, Larzer Ziff (Editor, Introduction by), Theo Davis (Contributor)

“A powerful, severe, and harshly comic portrayal of Irish immigrant life in lower New York exactly a century ago.”—Alfred Kazin.

Although fellow novelists William Dean Howells and Hamlin Garland immediately recognized genius in the twenty-one-year-old author of Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, in 1893 most readers were unwilling to accept its unconventional theme and were uneasy with a style that was at once darkly naturalistic and vividly impressionistic. Today Maggie is esteemed as an American classic, the first of an impressive group of works in which Crane explored the underside of urban life, portraying the rise of the metropolis as it alters not just the human environment but human nature itself.

This volume includes “George’s Mother” and eleven other tales and sketches of New York written between 1892 and 1896. Together in their dignified realism these tales confirm Crane’s place as the first modern American writer.

The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky

Stephen Crane, Frank Crocitto

Though best known for The Red Badge of Courage, his classic novel of men at war, in his tragically brief life and career Stephen Crane produced a wealth of stories—among them “The Monster,” “The Upturned Face,” “The Open Boat,” and the title story—that stand among the most acclaimed and enduring in the history of American fiction. This superb volume collects stories of unique power and variety in which impressionistic, hallucinatory, and realistic situations alike are brilliantly conveyed through the cold, sometimes brutal irony of Crane’s narrative voice.

The Red Badge of Courage

Stephen Crane

Henry Fleming has joined the Union army because of his romantic ideas of military life, but soon finds himself in the middle of a battle against a regiment of Confederate soldiers. Terrified, Henry deserts his comrades. Upon returning to his regiment, he struggles with his shame as he tries to redeem himself and prove his courage.

The Red Badge of Courage is Stephen Crane’s second book, notable for its realism and the fact that Crane had never personally experienced battle. Crane drew heavy inspiration from Century Magazine, a periodical known for its articles about the American Civil War. However, he criticized the articles for their lack of emotional depth and decided to write a war novel of his own. The manuscript was first serialized in December 1894 by The Philadelphia Press and quickly won Crane international acclaim before he died in June 1900 at the age of 28.

(Goodreads.com)

Likely we all read Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage in grade school. 
Reading the above, I find…

Each sentence is a gem…a clarity of thought, image and feeling as he conveys a heartfelt rendering of characters in extreme circumstances and Initiates the American writing of social realism.

Crane died at age 28 in 1900 of tuberculosis.  I believe had he lived longer likely he would be a Giant of American Literature.

Crane’s life and writing in the late 1800’s depicts stories of extreme circumstances which occurred in the society, culture and times that shaped the lives of our Great Grand Parents and thus the early lives of our Grandparents. 

–Hanz Bolen, H.W., M.