The amulet dates back to the late 10th century is 3 centimeters (1.18 inches) long and cast in lead in the stylized shape that represents Thor’s dwarf-crafted hammer Mjölnir. It has a hole in the shaft through which a string or tie of some kind was threaded so that it could be worn as a pendant. An interlacing pattern is engraved on one side of the hammer’s head.
This suggests to the archaeologists that the hammer was worn around the neck as a protective amulet. Mjolnir was associated with protective powers during the Viking Age due to its status as a weapon of one of the strongest Norse gods.
These were popular Viking-era accessories, worn as apotropaic amulets, calling on Thor’s protective power to ward off evil. The Halland area was beginning to convert to Christianity at the time this one was worn. A pendant like this had religious significance beyond its purported warding powers because it was an unmistakable symbol of adherence to Form Sidr (meaning “the old way,” ie, the traditional Nordic gods) rather than the new way of Christianity.
Belief means you are mostly convinced but not completely sure. Knowledge is more certain. These two words can be used as follows—I believe the universe probably started with the Big Bang, but I know the earth revolves around the sun.
We derive a degree of intellectual well-being from the beliefs and knowledge afforded us by modern science and engineering. But knowing that the earth revolves around the sun or that the Big Bang is the most likely explanation we now have does not provide us with very much emotional or psychological well-being.
We need more, or we need something different, to achieve a deep state of emotional well-being.
To achieve a deep state of emotional well-being we need to know that we can really believe at least one other person. That person should be our primary interlocutor, the person we deal with the most. If we cannot believe that person and/or they cannot believe us, we can’t achieve a deep state of emotional well-being.
To the best of my knowledge, there exists no common communication system (or even uncommon one) that allows us to deeply know and believe someone else, except the FIML system.
The reason this is so is all other human communication systems rely too much on implication, interpretation, and assumed shared beliefs.
When you do any of those things with your primary interlocutor you will necessarily make mistakes and/or be uncertain about what they are saying or how they are understanding you. Mistakes and uncertainty create shadowy feelings and wrong or multiple interpretations in the mind. Rather than have a clear knowledge of what your partner thinks or understands, you will be guessing.
Even if you are right every time you guess (and this is not possible), you will still have no way of being certain. You will not know if you are right or not. And your partner will have the same problem with you.
Emotional well-being depends on the quality of our communication with our primary interlocutor. There are substitutes—careers, religions, political causes, money, power, sex, etc.—but none of these will ever equal the emotional well-being that comes from very high-quality communication with your primary interlocutor. To have high-quality communication, you and your partner must have a system that removes doubt and uncertainty and replaces them with knowledge and belief.
[Everything below is a reprint of the letter, which has been widely circulated in Europe and elsewhere. UPDATE: Comments under the linked article say the letter was actually written by Spanish biologist Fernando López Mirones in July. ABN]
Even if I were fully vaccinated, I would admire the unvaccinated for standing up to the greatest pressure I have ever seen, including from spouses, parents, children, friends, colleagues, and doctors.
People who have been capable of such personality, courage, and such critical ability undoubtedly embody the best of humanity.
They are found everywhere, in all ages, levels of education, countries, and opinions.
They are of a particular kind; these are the soldiers that any army of light wishes to have in its ranks.
They are the parents that every child wishes to have and the children that every parent dreams of having.
They are beings above the average of their societies; they are the essence of the peoples who have built all cultures and conquered horizons.
They are there, by your side, they seem normal, but they are superheroes.
She is the first councillor in the U.K. to be suspended while the outcome of an investigation is pending.
Last week Jolene received a letter from the Local Government Commissioner for Standards inviting her to a hearing review meeting later this month, the commissioner will make their decision on her case in a matter of weeks.
As she is no longer an elected councillor, they can’t suspend, this leaves them two options. Drop the case or ban her from standing in election for office, for 5 years.
Jolene said “I don’t think there is much doubt as to what the outcome of this ‘witch-hunt’ will be… The complaints lodged with the Commissioner against me were made by a cable of Far-Left activists, Socialists and Irish-Republicans.”
If something like this ever happened to someone for criticizing Buddhism, I would be the first defend them. Why would anyone respect a religion that cannot be criticized or questioned? ABN
The article does not say how old Cee-Cee is but she is clearly quite young. And yet still she has the moral fiber to provide a well-spoken public apology for her behavior. From a Buddhist point of view, her apology is perfect. She explains what happened and why without making excuses for herself. She takes full responsibility for her own behavior. She apologizes profusely and asks for forgiveness. She vows never to do it again, or words very close to that. I doubt Cee-Cee is even one-third of the age of Fauci but she is morally his elder and superior by a million miles. Same goes for Collins, Birx, and many many more who have not and probably never will offer even a smarmy, low-grade apology for their atrocious behavior. I don’t mean to steal Cee-Cee’s thunder but the contrast is glaring. If only the high-and-mighty in our country had her decency, everything would be better. I hope the good people of Mississippi and USA will accept Cee-Cee’s apology fully and with respect, and allow her to move on with a clear conscience. ABN
UPDATE: I posted the video without noticing The Daily Mail had called Cee-Cee’s apology “groveling.” This, to me, highlights much of what is wrong with USA/West. Her apology is really good. In the many years of running this site, I cannot remember a better one that made mainstream news. When we disparage the person who sincerely apologizes and makes amends for their mistake, we all but force fewer people to apologize. In light of this, Cee-Cee deserves even more praise because our culture does not know how to accept an apology and allow for full expiation. We pay dearly for this fault as our public figures virtually never apologize for their mistakes or misdeeds. At most, some celebrity will go into expensive rehab for two weeks (thus hiding from the public) and blame it all on drugs and alcohol, often implying they are the real victim due to bad parenting or a bad marriage (which may be true, but still the core issue that prompted the whole thing is never addressed clearly or properly apologized for). I guess the the heart of this problem is it is simply difficult to apologize, even for practiced Buddhists. Humans seem to be born with an instinct to deflect blame along with one to cast stones. ABN
CERN’s Gotthard Tunnel Ceremony featured Satanic Occult elements of the Freemasonic Horus Eye, a proudly roaring Baphomet/Goat Devil with worshiping subjects, a Scarlet Whore pregnant with the Antichrist, an androgenous Satan with slave workers,
Religious people have been in the forefront of resisting the “global coup d’état” described by Vigano for two reasons: 1) they have a deep basis for their morality and thus the strength to do it; and 2) they instinctively understand that religious practice requires freedom of conscience. ABN
A new report by Pew Research Center and the General Social Survey published on Tuesday found that the large numbers of people in the U.S who practice Christianity are declining. The religion’s demographic has been dwindling since the 1990s, the report said, as many adults transition to an identity of atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular.”
In the early ’90s, about 90% of people in the U.S. identified as Christians, the report said. In 2020, Christians accounted for about 64% of the U.S. population, including children. Meanwhile, those who are not affiliated with a religion has grown from 16% in 2007 to 30% in 2020, according to the research. All other religions, including Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, accounted for about 6% in 2020.
Do reclusive and monastic religious practices foster wisdom about the human condition?
A new study indicates that they may.
Insights into social psychological phenomena have been thought of as solely attainable through empirical research. Our findings, however, indicate that some lay individuals can reliably judge established social psychological phenomena without any experience in social psychology. These results raise the striking possibility that certain individuals can predict the accuracy of unexplored social psychological phenomena better than others. (Social Psychological Skill and Its Correlates)
“The surest way to work up a crusade in favor of some good cause is to promise people they will have a chance of maltreating someone. To be able to destroy with good conscience, to be able to behave badly and call your bad behavior ‘righteous indignation’ — this is the height of psychological luxury, the most delicious of moral treats.”
The perps of violent asymmetric warfare against Western persons have this mindset. They think: “We are the best people. They are all bad people. No matter what we do to them, it is good. Our god encourages it.” ABN
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Saturday dissolved the leadership of the Knights of Malta, the global Catholic religious order and humanitarian group, and installed a provisional government ahead of the election of a new Grand Master.
The change, which the pope issued in a decree, came after five years of often acrimonious debate within the order and between some top members of the old guard and the Vatican over a new constitution that some feared would weaken its sovereignty.
…It has no real territory apart from a palace and offices in Rome and a fort in Malta, but is recognised as a sovereign entity with its own passports and licence plates.
It has diplomatic relations with 110 states and permanent observer status at the United Nations, allowing to act as a neutral party in relief efforts in war zones.
Is that a Satanic stage set? Who is the real holder of power in USA? Who is controlling Biden’s controllers? Our country is being run by a secret government and we do not even know who they are. We do know something very similar is happening in Europe, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, so there must be a group at the top. And probably someone at the top of that group. Who are they? They usurped power gradually over the past 70 years. The anomaly of Donald Trump drove them into a frenzy, a frenzy we are still witnessing today. Is that a Satanic stage set? Is that a clue to who they are? ABN
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