A year before he kindled the light at Lindisfarne Albert Weiland demonstrated the transmutation of simple into complex elements, with a controlled release of power, in a device no larger than a desktop computer. He called it his Graalreaktor. The world had its holy grail of energy and a problem: It worked only in Weilands presence, and he would not say how. The revelation by so eminent a physicist of what appeared to be cold fusion set markets reeling. The authorities occupied Weiland Labs, confiscated the old mans cryptic notes, and assigned teams to evaluate his work, but to no avail. Still his device worked, and his peers demanded answers. You do not smash a river but harvest it, Weiland said. So, my Graalreaktor is a lens focusing influences already present. Unable to reproduce Weilands work, his peers shunned and the press mocked his grail reactor. I have given you a vessel like the sun, rooted in the firmament, but you shall not have it until you solve an enigma, he countered. In cold stone I shall kindle a light that will never fail; who solves the mystery will have my Graalreaktor. And so Weiland withdrew to Lindisfarne to work his magic.
In the last forty years, but especially with Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, interest in the life and identity of the mysterious figure Mary Magdalene has reached an all-time high. In New Testament scholarship, often she is often conflated and confused with other Mary figures, to the point of being unknowable. Traditionally, she has been identified by a rigid, male-dominated Church hierarchy as the Sinner from whom seven demons were cast out. With the 1982 book The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, from which Dan Brown drew much of his inspiration, the Magdalene is seen as carrying Jesus' bloodline to Provence. The earlier musical Jesus Christ Superstar dramatizes yet other variations on this theme, while still others speculate that she was an Egyptian priestess or was black and from sub-Saharan Africa. Who is Mary Magdalene? What are we to believe about her? What are we to know? What was her mission? As the Beloved Disciple, what is her relationship to Jesus? Where do we turn for answers? In this lean, accessible, and cogent book, Robert Powell sifts through the rubble of fads and distortions, through the shadows of misunderstanding and doubt, to reveal the true Mary Magdalene. He finds her in the work and visions of the German nun and mystic Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824). A contemporary of Beethoven and Goethe, as well as the poet Clemens Brentano, who had a close relationship with and was her scribe, Sister Emmerich received the stigmata at the age of thirty-eight. She lived for another twelve years without eating solid food, except for taking daily communion. For the most part illiterate, Sr. Emmerich dictated remarkably accurate accounts, within the bounds of scholarship, of Jesus' ministry. The visions include the life of Mary Magdalene and the remarkable relationship she had with her siblings Lazarus and Martha. Although Lazarus and Martha lived the spiritual life and recognized Jesus as the Messiah, Mary lived the high life. All three grew up in a castle northeast of Jerusalem. Eventually, Mary found herself riveted by the powerful words of Jesus. He first cast out one demon, then the Seven Demons of the Bible. Joining the circle of women around the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene was prepared for the great event of discovering the empty tomb on the morning of Jesus' Resurrection. An especially stunning insight of Sr. Emmerich--covered here in an entire chapter that includes other sources, including Rudolf Steiner--centers on the mystery of "the disciple whom the Lord loved." This insight is related to Steiner's identification of the resurrected Lazarus with the author of the Gospel of John.
Walk, scramble, cycle, wade or even swim around the outer edge of our wildest islands. Islandeering provides all the information you need to circumnavigate 50 amazing hidden islands off the shores of England, Scotland & Wales. From Essex, Somerset and Cornwall to Pembrokeshire, Northumberland and the Hebrides; follow wild foreshores and remote coast paths. Complete each journey to discover a magical archipelago world. 50 islands to bag, with routes from easy to difficult and detailed directions with GPX downloads. Beautiful photography and maps. Hidden islands for the best wildlife, local food, swimming, wild camping, secret beaches, coasteering, legends and foraging. Engaging writing charting historical, geographical and wildlife highlights. Tips for coasteering, scrambling, camping, wild swimming and kayaking.
David Adam has been captivated by the beauty, wonder and holiness of Lindisfarne since first glimpsing its fairytale castle from the train as a young boy. In this absorbing volume, he shows the island's human face, revealing how Lindisfarne and its people have responded to trial, tribulation and triumph in the course of a long and vibrant history. This tiny place witnessed one of the last stands of the 'British' Celtic peoples against the invading Anglo-Saxons in the sixth century. It has been the home of saints and scholars, most notably St Aidan and St Cuthbert, and famously produced the medieval masterpiece known as the Lindisfarne Gospels. Less familiar to readers, perhaps, will be that the island experienced the first recorded Viking invasion in 793, and was involved in the seventeenth century Civil War and the eighteenth century Jacobite Rebellion. Today its Priory and Castle draw pilgrims and visitors from all over the world.
A Lenten classic. Using his own pilgrimage to Lindisfarne as a point of departure, former Forward Movement editor James W. Kennedy makes Lent a "Holy Island" accessible to everyone. He explores the reaches of our thinking and doing, offering suggestions that will stimulate the process of spiritual enrichment.
Masterpiece of medieval manuscript production and decoration, its Latin text glossed throughout in Old English, the Lindisfarne Gospels is a vital witness to the book culture, art, and Christianity of the Anglo-Saxons and their interactions with Ireland, Italy, and the wider world. The expert studies in this collection examine in turn the archaeology of Holy Island, relations between Ireland and Northumbria, early Northumbrian book culture, the relationship of the Lindisfarne Gospels to the Church universal, the canon table apparatus of the manuscript, the decoration of its Canon Tables, its systems of liturgical readings, the mathematical principles underlying the design of its carpet pages, points of comparison and contrast with the Book of Durrow, the Latin and Old English texts, the nature of the glossator’s ink, and the meaning of enigmatic words and phrases within the vernacular gloss. Approaching the material from a series of new perspectives, the contributors shed new light on numerous aspects of this magnificent manuscript, its milieux, and its significance.
It was the worst winter in a decade, the winter of foot-and-mouth, when island power cuts ran for up to 72 hours - and two days before Peter Mortimer's planned departure, his father died.100 DAYS ON HOLY ISLAND is a quirky and often moving account of one man's self-imposed exile to a remote island off the coast of North-east England. Eschewing the usual historical or religious portrayal, Mortimer gives a vivid, humourous and often dramatic account of a confirmed urbanite in a small, tight-knit community cut off twice daily by the tides. Throwing himself into island life, he explores the landscape, people and myths that surround this remote `cradle of Chrisianity'. All of Mortimer's experiences within this unique island community are depicted with warmth and humour. The bleak winter scenery and idiosyncrasies of the island's inhabitants are described with an insight and understanding that could only have been achieved from personal experience. He helped in the local school, worked on the land, was the first person to be voluntarily cut off in the island refuge box and spent three tides isolated on the exposed outcrop, St Cuthbert's Island. The 100 days changed him - and probably changed the island. 100 DAYS ON HOLY ISLAND is a personal homage to the island and a remarkable account of a micro-society unique in modern Britain.
