What is the Book of Revelation really all about? It’s about redemption and restoration. It’s about God fulfilling all of his promises which he has made to His children down through the ages - that they will not be forgotten, but be restored and made to sit at the right hand of the Father, through Christ and his atoning sacrifice.
Such is the story of the Twelve Dancing Princesses.
This time, our story begins with a Hero, not a Heroine. In some tales, he’s a farmer, in others, a soldier returning from war. Whatever his origins, he is considered by most to be a fool.
I just find it interesting that in most fairy tales, the heroine is persevering and brave, while the Hero is young, a dreamer and considered a fool. And he is often the youngest of three brothers. There’s one of those cleansing numbers and a number signifying completeness.
Ooo, I just realized why it’s the third son, or third brother. The term, “completeness” is our clue. Christ is, of course, the only perfect person to have lived on the earth. When you look at the Bible dictionary for perfect, it says, “Whole, complete.” And the Savior completed his mission by rising from the tomb on the third day. He was perfect, whole, complete.
But why is he considered a fool? Well, aren’t you a fool for believing in something you cannot see, taste, touch, hear or smell? The Savior during his lifetime was considered a fool by many because of what he taught and how he lived. So whether our Hero is a Christ figure, or everyman, he is a fool because he aspires to marry a princess or find some betterment in his life.
At any rate, our young Hero, who lives in a land far, far away, wants more from life than what he has. He sets off on a journey to find and fulfill his dreams. Now some would consider that foolish.
Along the way he meets a mysterious woman. She is either very beautiful, or an ugly old hag. This again is the “Fairy Godmother” type of person, the hand of providence, who helps the young fool. In one story, he is kind to the old hag where others are rude, and so, to thank him, she gives him a cloak that makes him invisible when he wears it, and points him to the castle where his dreams will come true if he has his wits about him, for the king has a problem. The king has twelve daughters - twelve princesses. Every night he locks them into a bedroom. Every morning, their shoes are worn from dancing and must be replaced. The King has sent out a proclamation stating that anyone who can find out why the Princesses shoes are being worn out may have one of his daughters to wife.
To marry a princess! What a noble aspiration for a mere farmer of soldier. But, armed with the invisibility cloak, a hope and a dream, the young fool makes for the Castle.
Twelve Dancing Princesses. There’s that number twelve again. In Hebrew it means perfect order. We have twelve months of the year. We use twelve to parcel things with, like eggs and rolls. Twelve times twelve is 144,000, the number of those who will stand on mount Zion. It’s also how many sons were born to Jacob/Israel.
Who are these twelve dancing princesses? I believe they represent the twelve tribes of Israel. The second coming of the Lord is to be marked by many signs, the most significant of which is the gathering of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. God made a covenant with Abraham that his seed would be remembered, and God keeps his promises. The Savior’s ministry during his mortal mission was strictly to the House of Israel. It wasn’t until after His ascension into heaven the ministry was allowed to go to all the world. Israel is very important to Heavenly Father and it’s gathering and restoration is what this little tale is all about.
Our Hero makes his way to the castle and in time is able to present himself to the king as one who can solve the problem of the worn out slippers. There is a great risk in this, for everyone who had come before, had disappeared, never to be seen again, or had slept through the night, waking up none the wiser and a great failure.
But our Hero is well prepared. He goes to his chamber which is next door to that of the princesses room. He does not drink anything they give him. He feigns sleep. Then, when they are all dressed, wearing their new slippers, he dons his invisibility cloak and follows them through a secret passage that opens up in their room and leads down into a mysterious realm beneath their feet.
There, our young Hero will find many surprises - and someone to love and be loved by.
Next week: Part 2
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Cinderella and the Emerging Church, Part 3
I’m a bit late this week. It’s been really busy at work and outside of work, but the going’s on of my personal life is not what this is blog is all about. It’s about discussing topics I find of great interest, and I find the relationship between our Western Fairy Tales and the book of Revelations to be of high interest.
We left off last week with Cinderella at the ball. She turns out to be the toast of the party. The prince dances with no one but her - and everyone else is green with jealousy. After all, she’s beautiful, charming, of good report and praiseworthy. She’s everything all the other maidens in the realm wish they were - primarily - with the prince.
It’s been interesting to watch the progress of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as she has grown from a humble American frontier church to a global influence. Her welfare program and humanitarian aid efforts have received international attention and acclaim. Her wealth and growth are envied, while other churches stumble and decline. Her origins and doctrine are marveled over, at the same time as they are criticized. It’s been called a cult, non-Christian, even un-American.
What cannot be denied is her growth and unified, consistent organization. Every congregation is structured and executed exactly the same, whether you are in Utah or in France or in India. Every piece of property is well taken care of, even in the poorest of countries. Those who are truly converted to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ are a dedicated, honest, prospering people who serve in various capacities in their local congregations and pay their tithing. This is not the largest Church institution in the world, but no one can deny her great and continued success.
And the Book of Mormon, the keystone of this religion, has yet to be proven a fraud. In fact, it would be like trying to disprove the book of Revelation itself. How do you disprove a work of faith? You don’t. You can only put it to the test and learn through personal revelation whether or not it is true.
And that brings us to Cinderella’s glass slippers.
The clock strikes midnight on the final night of the ball. The day is over and Cinderella flees to avoid everyone seeing her turn back into a scullery maid. But as she flees, she leaves one of her shoes behind, one of the famous glass slippers.
I find it interesting, that when the prince searches the realm for the maiden whom he truly loves, it is with the understanding this shoe will fit only that person. Well, I wear a size five and a half shoe. Small and dainty to be sure, but other women have small feet as well. So what is it about this small, and dainty glass shoe that it will fit only Cinderella?
I thought long and hard about that glass shoe. If the story of Cinderella is the same as our woman forced to flee into the wilderness, our Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, then she is the true Church of Jesus Christ. What separates the true Church from all other churches is - revelation.
We know the Urim and Thumim, the ancient stones mentioned in the Bible and elsewhere, are seer stones, clear like glass, and belong to the prophets of God. Where there is a true prophet, there is true revelation from God, true doctrine, true organization - truth itself. This is the glass slipper. It is clear. Nothing can be hid, but only revealed.
Why does the slipper fit only Cinderella? Because she is the true bride of the prince, the Church of Christ which he originally founded, with prophets and apostles and true priesthood power. She receives revelation from God on how to conduct her affairs, making her beautiful beyond all others.
The party doesn’t last forever. As Cinderella was persecuted before she attended the ball, she will be persecuted again. This is already happening. The participation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the events of Proposition Eight in California and how the Church was vilified by certain groups is a clear indication of what is to come.
But fear not, the prince will come and claim his bride and all opposition will be swept aside. Together they will rule and reign for a thousand years in peace and prosperity. There will be a period of dissent at the end of that thousand year rule, and then the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll and a new beginning of Celestial glory will fill this earth.
And they lived happily ever after.
So says the Revelation.
Next week: The Twelve Dancing Princesses: Restoration and the Wedding Supper of the Lord.
We left off last week with Cinderella at the ball. She turns out to be the toast of the party. The prince dances with no one but her - and everyone else is green with jealousy. After all, she’s beautiful, charming, of good report and praiseworthy. She’s everything all the other maidens in the realm wish they were - primarily - with the prince.
It’s been interesting to watch the progress of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as she has grown from a humble American frontier church to a global influence. Her welfare program and humanitarian aid efforts have received international attention and acclaim. Her wealth and growth are envied, while other churches stumble and decline. Her origins and doctrine are marveled over, at the same time as they are criticized. It’s been called a cult, non-Christian, even un-American.
What cannot be denied is her growth and unified, consistent organization. Every congregation is structured and executed exactly the same, whether you are in Utah or in France or in India. Every piece of property is well taken care of, even in the poorest of countries. Those who are truly converted to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ are a dedicated, honest, prospering people who serve in various capacities in their local congregations and pay their tithing. This is not the largest Church institution in the world, but no one can deny her great and continued success.
And the Book of Mormon, the keystone of this religion, has yet to be proven a fraud. In fact, it would be like trying to disprove the book of Revelation itself. How do you disprove a work of faith? You don’t. You can only put it to the test and learn through personal revelation whether or not it is true.
And that brings us to Cinderella’s glass slippers.
The clock strikes midnight on the final night of the ball. The day is over and Cinderella flees to avoid everyone seeing her turn back into a scullery maid. But as she flees, she leaves one of her shoes behind, one of the famous glass slippers.
I find it interesting, that when the prince searches the realm for the maiden whom he truly loves, it is with the understanding this shoe will fit only that person. Well, I wear a size five and a half shoe. Small and dainty to be sure, but other women have small feet as well. So what is it about this small, and dainty glass shoe that it will fit only Cinderella?
I thought long and hard about that glass shoe. If the story of Cinderella is the same as our woman forced to flee into the wilderness, our Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, then she is the true Church of Jesus Christ. What separates the true Church from all other churches is - revelation.
We know the Urim and Thumim, the ancient stones mentioned in the Bible and elsewhere, are seer stones, clear like glass, and belong to the prophets of God. Where there is a true prophet, there is true revelation from God, true doctrine, true organization - truth itself. This is the glass slipper. It is clear. Nothing can be hid, but only revealed.
Why does the slipper fit only Cinderella? Because she is the true bride of the prince, the Church of Christ which he originally founded, with prophets and apostles and true priesthood power. She receives revelation from God on how to conduct her affairs, making her beautiful beyond all others.
The party doesn’t last forever. As Cinderella was persecuted before she attended the ball, she will be persecuted again. This is already happening. The participation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the events of Proposition Eight in California and how the Church was vilified by certain groups is a clear indication of what is to come.
But fear not, the prince will come and claim his bride and all opposition will be swept aside. Together they will rule and reign for a thousand years in peace and prosperity. There will be a period of dissent at the end of that thousand year rule, and then the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll and a new beginning of Celestial glory will fill this earth.
And they lived happily ever after.
So says the Revelation.
Next week: The Twelve Dancing Princesses: Restoration and the Wedding Supper of the Lord.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Cinderella and the Emerging Church, Part 2
The Prince is Having a Ball!
We left off last week defining all the roles of our players, now let’s get on with the story.
In many of the older versions, there isn’t just one ball, but 2 or even 3 balls. In some, the prince is looking for a wife, in others, no purpose is mentioned at all. One fact remains true - only the maidens of the kingdom are invited to attend - that includes our two step-sisters - and our heroine. Here we are taught that our Prince of Peace, our Savior, extends the invitation to come unto him to all the world.
When the invitation comes to the Cinderella household, there is a flurry of activity. In our version from Best Loved Fairy Tales, Cinderella continues to serve. She helps the step-sisters make their dresses and she even does up their hair in high fashion and tells them how wonderful they look. However, because Cinderella has no fine dress of her own she makes no plans to attend. It isn’t until everyone has left the household that Cinderella collapses in tears and casts her wish to the heavens. She wants to go to the ball too.
Being of the LDS Faith, I’m really not all that familiar with the concept of Godparents, except that they are a trusted friend of the family whom parents select to watch over their children. It’s not just an honor, it’s a responsibility. The Godparent is to step in and care for the child, watch over and even raise the child should anything happen to the parents.
The Godmother who comes to Cinderella’s aid is no ordinary Godparent. She is a “Fairy” Godmother. Remember, our word Fairy comes from “fae” or “fey” or “faith” (see my very first blog). This is no ordinary woman. She has the power to raise Cinderella out of the ashes, out of obscurity and put her on the world stage.
Again and again in scripture, when the people of God find themselves enslaved because of their wickedness, finally recognize their wrong and turn back to Christ, they find themselves unable to be free without His help. This is the role of the Fairy Godmother - Divine Intervention. Only God can rescue. Only God can deliver. What He does for us turns out to be so miraculous no one can dispute the work of His Almighty hand. The Fairy Godmother works a miracle so mighty that to this day it has little girls twirling in their dresses tapping all they own with star tipped wands. Mice become horsemen, frogs become footmen, a pumpkin is a fine carriage and ragged clothing become beautiful new garments.
I wish I could remember where I read this version of Cinderella, but it was a version with three balls. On the first night, the Fairy Godmother gives Cinderella a gown that glitters like the stars. On the second night, there is a gown that is silver like the moon. At the third ball, Cinderella wears a dress golden as the sun. Well, that sounded awfully familiar to me.
Stars - Telestial Kingdom
Moon - Terrestrial Kingdom
Sun - Celestial Kingdom.
In the Best Loved Fairy Tales, the Fairy Godmother makes Cinderella a dress that incorporates all three attributes. It is gold and silver and glitters with jewels.
Most important, Cinderella is given a pair of glass slippers. Now, I’m sure glass slippers to dance in at a ball must be excruciating to the feet if this were a mortal story, but this is a sacred story and those glass slippers will define and identify Cinderella as the true bride of the Prince!
With a warning to be sure and return at midnight, Cinderella goes off to the ball. She arrives late, but that just increases the interest in her as she makes a grand entrance. We are told that, right off, the Prince cannot keep his eyes off her and dances with her and only her. Whether it is one ball or three, the Prince dances with no-one else.
This is the part that makes Cinderella stand out from all other Fairy Tales. In all the other tales, as soon as the true bride is awakened, or discovered, or found, she is married to the prince right away and there is a great big celebration. But in Cinderella, there is a courtship first.
As I look at the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the emerging Church of Christ, I know that a wedding has not taken place yet. We have not yet experienced the Wedding Supper of the Lord. So where are we now as we expand across the globe with our thousands of Missionaries and grow with our millions of members? I believe we are dancing at the ball, being prepared to be the Bride, readied for the Groom.
But Midnight is about to strike.
We left off last week defining all the roles of our players, now let’s get on with the story.
In many of the older versions, there isn’t just one ball, but 2 or even 3 balls. In some, the prince is looking for a wife, in others, no purpose is mentioned at all. One fact remains true - only the maidens of the kingdom are invited to attend - that includes our two step-sisters - and our heroine. Here we are taught that our Prince of Peace, our Savior, extends the invitation to come unto him to all the world.
When the invitation comes to the Cinderella household, there is a flurry of activity. In our version from Best Loved Fairy Tales, Cinderella continues to serve. She helps the step-sisters make their dresses and she even does up their hair in high fashion and tells them how wonderful they look. However, because Cinderella has no fine dress of her own she makes no plans to attend. It isn’t until everyone has left the household that Cinderella collapses in tears and casts her wish to the heavens. She wants to go to the ball too.
Being of the LDS Faith, I’m really not all that familiar with the concept of Godparents, except that they are a trusted friend of the family whom parents select to watch over their children. It’s not just an honor, it’s a responsibility. The Godparent is to step in and care for the child, watch over and even raise the child should anything happen to the parents.
The Godmother who comes to Cinderella’s aid is no ordinary Godparent. She is a “Fairy” Godmother. Remember, our word Fairy comes from “fae” or “fey” or “faith” (see my very first blog). This is no ordinary woman. She has the power to raise Cinderella out of the ashes, out of obscurity and put her on the world stage.
Again and again in scripture, when the people of God find themselves enslaved because of their wickedness, finally recognize their wrong and turn back to Christ, they find themselves unable to be free without His help. This is the role of the Fairy Godmother - Divine Intervention. Only God can rescue. Only God can deliver. What He does for us turns out to be so miraculous no one can dispute the work of His Almighty hand. The Fairy Godmother works a miracle so mighty that to this day it has little girls twirling in their dresses tapping all they own with star tipped wands. Mice become horsemen, frogs become footmen, a pumpkin is a fine carriage and ragged clothing become beautiful new garments.
I wish I could remember where I read this version of Cinderella, but it was a version with three balls. On the first night, the Fairy Godmother gives Cinderella a gown that glitters like the stars. On the second night, there is a gown that is silver like the moon. At the third ball, Cinderella wears a dress golden as the sun. Well, that sounded awfully familiar to me.
Stars - Telestial Kingdom
Moon - Terrestrial Kingdom
Sun - Celestial Kingdom.
In the Best Loved Fairy Tales, the Fairy Godmother makes Cinderella a dress that incorporates all three attributes. It is gold and silver and glitters with jewels.
Most important, Cinderella is given a pair of glass slippers. Now, I’m sure glass slippers to dance in at a ball must be excruciating to the feet if this were a mortal story, but this is a sacred story and those glass slippers will define and identify Cinderella as the true bride of the Prince!
With a warning to be sure and return at midnight, Cinderella goes off to the ball. She arrives late, but that just increases the interest in her as she makes a grand entrance. We are told that, right off, the Prince cannot keep his eyes off her and dances with her and only her. Whether it is one ball or three, the Prince dances with no-one else.
This is the part that makes Cinderella stand out from all other Fairy Tales. In all the other tales, as soon as the true bride is awakened, or discovered, or found, she is married to the prince right away and there is a great big celebration. But in Cinderella, there is a courtship first.
As I look at the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the emerging Church of Christ, I know that a wedding has not taken place yet. We have not yet experienced the Wedding Supper of the Lord. So where are we now as we expand across the globe with our thousands of Missionaries and grow with our millions of members? I believe we are dancing at the ball, being prepared to be the Bride, readied for the Groom.
But Midnight is about to strike.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Cinderella and the Emerging Church, Part 1
I love the story of Cinderella. I don’t know what it is, the idea of dancing at a ball, the glass slipper, the ugly step-sisters, don’t know what it is. I just really like this story and I like all the old and modern versions I’ve seen and read. It’s just a delight.
So, here we are again in a kingdom far, far away. However, in this particular story our heroine is not necessarily royal. She comes from wealth and prominence, but that’s all we know of the situation. In the earliest stories she has no name in the beginning. Cinderella is a name of derision given by the step-sisters. We do know that her mother dies and her father re-marries. Sounds like Snow White, doesn’t it?
In all of these stories the father figure is pretty uninvolved in what’s going on under his own nose, so many versions assume he dies. I’d like to think these father figures represent the world, or mortality - this world in which we live - a place of opposites and opposition. These fairy stories also come out of a time where men did not pay much attention to family matters. The woman of the house was responsible for hearth and home. The man was responsible for work and money. It was rare for either one to cross the line into another’s world, in fact, it was strongly discouraged. In our version of Cinderella from “Best Loved Fairy Tales,” compiled by Joanna Cole, the father of Cinderella is alive and well, but unaware of what is happening. Whatever the reason for his indifference, he does not cross the line and interfere in the doings of the household, the domain of his wife, even as it relates to his daughter. He is as impartial as mortality, which allows each of us to make our own choices.
The woman father marries has two daughters of her own which she brings into the family, and like most mothers, she can’t help putting her own children first. Jealous of Cinderella’s beauty, she assigns the girl servants work, gives her rags to wear, and no place to sleep but in the kitchen with the cinders. Her own daughters are given fine clothes to wear and no chores at all. They are pampered and given every privilege. The soot on Cinderella’s face cannot mask her beauty, and the fine clothes of the step sister’s cannot hide their ugliness.
So who are all these women?
I believe we can identify Cinderella as the Church of God. And just as the nickname “Christian,’ originally meant as an insult, becomes the positive definition of a follower of Christ, Cinderella comes to mean one raised from a lowly to an exalted place. Cinderella is beautiful and her nature is kind, compassionate and humble. She serves without complaint in an unfair situation.
We can pin-point the step-mother as the whore of all the earth. The usurper. She is very like the vain queen from Snow White. She likes prominence and social status and teaches her daughters the same values. She is jealous of Cinderella’s beauty and so thrusts her out of her site and into obscurity.
But who are these step-sisters? This took some pondering and piecing bits of history together, but I think I know who they represent. Let’s look at the history of Western Civilization at the time of the Apostosy.
In the year 306 A.D., a roman by the name of Constantine, the son of a Breton woman and a Roman military ruler, Constantius, had managed to maneuver himself into a position as one of the 3 rulers of Rome after the death of the emperor Diocletian (a severe persecutor of Christians and Christianity). His parents were not married and so by Roman standards, he was illegitimate, with no right to rule. But he had learned well from his father and was a great military strategist. He was not content to be one of three rulers and over the next few years managed to war his way to the title of “Augustus Caesar.”
It is reported that Constantine had a dream before his final battle with his last rival. Quoting Wickepedia, “Eusebius describes another version, where, while marching at midday, ‘he saw with his own eyes in the heavens a trophy of the cross arising from the light of the sun, carrying the message, In Hoc Signo Vinces or "In this sign, you will conquer."’ The sign is described as the Chi Rho, the Greek sign for Christ. It is said Constantine put that sign on himself and all his soldiers, and because of it, won the day.
As emperor, Constantine, elevated Christianity from a persecuted sect of Jews to the state religion - with a few changes to doctrine, of course. The Church in Rome grew under state funds. Constantine then moved the capital of his government from the city of Rome to the small town of Byzantium (present day Istanbul in Turkey) and renamed it Constantinople. There were now two competing capitals - and two competing Churches. And they hated each other.
During the apostasy, there were many crying lo here and lo there, but none were as big, as wealthy and as powerful as the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church. They both claimed authority from the Apostle Peter. They had wars with each other. They each called the other heretics and blasphemers. They both clothed their leaders in scarlets and gold and fine linen and laces.
They were the two ugly step-sisters.
Next week: Part two - “The Prince is having a ball!”
So, here we are again in a kingdom far, far away. However, in this particular story our heroine is not necessarily royal. She comes from wealth and prominence, but that’s all we know of the situation. In the earliest stories she has no name in the beginning. Cinderella is a name of derision given by the step-sisters. We do know that her mother dies and her father re-marries. Sounds like Snow White, doesn’t it?
In all of these stories the father figure is pretty uninvolved in what’s going on under his own nose, so many versions assume he dies. I’d like to think these father figures represent the world, or mortality - this world in which we live - a place of opposites and opposition. These fairy stories also come out of a time where men did not pay much attention to family matters. The woman of the house was responsible for hearth and home. The man was responsible for work and money. It was rare for either one to cross the line into another’s world, in fact, it was strongly discouraged. In our version of Cinderella from “Best Loved Fairy Tales,” compiled by Joanna Cole, the father of Cinderella is alive and well, but unaware of what is happening. Whatever the reason for his indifference, he does not cross the line and interfere in the doings of the household, the domain of his wife, even as it relates to his daughter. He is as impartial as mortality, which allows each of us to make our own choices.
The woman father marries has two daughters of her own which she brings into the family, and like most mothers, she can’t help putting her own children first. Jealous of Cinderella’s beauty, she assigns the girl servants work, gives her rags to wear, and no place to sleep but in the kitchen with the cinders. Her own daughters are given fine clothes to wear and no chores at all. They are pampered and given every privilege. The soot on Cinderella’s face cannot mask her beauty, and the fine clothes of the step sister’s cannot hide their ugliness.
So who are all these women?
I believe we can identify Cinderella as the Church of God. And just as the nickname “Christian,’ originally meant as an insult, becomes the positive definition of a follower of Christ, Cinderella comes to mean one raised from a lowly to an exalted place. Cinderella is beautiful and her nature is kind, compassionate and humble. She serves without complaint in an unfair situation.
We can pin-point the step-mother as the whore of all the earth. The usurper. She is very like the vain queen from Snow White. She likes prominence and social status and teaches her daughters the same values. She is jealous of Cinderella’s beauty and so thrusts her out of her site and into obscurity.
But who are these step-sisters? This took some pondering and piecing bits of history together, but I think I know who they represent. Let’s look at the history of Western Civilization at the time of the Apostosy.
In the year 306 A.D., a roman by the name of Constantine, the son of a Breton woman and a Roman military ruler, Constantius, had managed to maneuver himself into a position as one of the 3 rulers of Rome after the death of the emperor Diocletian (a severe persecutor of Christians and Christianity). His parents were not married and so by Roman standards, he was illegitimate, with no right to rule. But he had learned well from his father and was a great military strategist. He was not content to be one of three rulers and over the next few years managed to war his way to the title of “Augustus Caesar.”
It is reported that Constantine had a dream before his final battle with his last rival. Quoting Wickepedia, “Eusebius describes another version, where, while marching at midday, ‘he saw with his own eyes in the heavens a trophy of the cross arising from the light of the sun, carrying the message, In Hoc Signo Vinces or "In this sign, you will conquer."’ The sign is described as the Chi Rho, the Greek sign for Christ. It is said Constantine put that sign on himself and all his soldiers, and because of it, won the day.
As emperor, Constantine, elevated Christianity from a persecuted sect of Jews to the state religion - with a few changes to doctrine, of course. The Church in Rome grew under state funds. Constantine then moved the capital of his government from the city of Rome to the small town of Byzantium (present day Istanbul in Turkey) and renamed it Constantinople. There were now two competing capitals - and two competing Churches. And they hated each other.
During the apostasy, there were many crying lo here and lo there, but none were as big, as wealthy and as powerful as the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church. They both claimed authority from the Apostle Peter. They had wars with each other. They each called the other heretics and blasphemers. They both clothed their leaders in scarlets and gold and fine linen and laces.
They were the two ugly step-sisters.
Next week: Part two - “The Prince is having a ball!”
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Sleeping Beauty: The Apostasy
Here were are again, reading a story with a familiar theme. There is a kingdom, far away. There is a king and a queen. They desire to have a child. At long last, the desire is granted. They have a baby girl.
We have already laid a lot of ground work about fairy tales (please see previous blogs on Snow White). So what makes this story different? As I pondered the various versions of the Sleeping Beauty story I have read, there is one common point to them all. A fairy is slighted and so, gives the baby a deadly gift. When the child shall reach adulthood she shall prick her finger on a spindle and die.
I knew our Sleeping Beauty, Briar Rose, Aurora, whatever her name, represented the Church. I knew the kingdom was the kingdom of God and our rescuing Prince was Christ. Even the fairies are a symbol. In Chapter 12 of Revelation, the woman wears a crown of 12 stars upon her head. In the older versions of this story, it is 12 fairies who are invited to the celebration feast. Could they represent the 12 tribes of Israel? Interesting thought.
But what was so different about this Fairy Tale? To me, it prophecies of an apostasy and fall from the true Church of Christ and how it will happen.
That there would be an apostasy, or a falling away from true doctrine, was no secret in the New Testament. We often point to Second Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 3 and quote the Apostle Paul who cautions that the second coming of Christ will not happen “except there come a falling away first,...” But there are many other clues and warnings. Even in Matthew, chapter 24, the Lord cautions and warns that many things have to happen. I’m not going to quote it all here, but please read Matthew 24: 4-12. He points out that many false prophets will arise and deceive many.
So does the story of Sleeping Beauty give us any clues as to what some of the factors were that contributed to this apostasy? Let’s get back to our story.
11 of the fairies give their gifts of beauty, grace, song, etc., all the refinements of the spirit. They are interrupted by the slighted fairy, upset for having not been invited. This is the fairy who gives the deadly gift. However, it’s the youngest fairy, who had not yet given a gift, that softens the curse. The girl shall not die, but go into a deep sleep.
But why a spindle? Why not some other instrument? Hmmph?
Several years ago, I picked up at Deseret Book a collection of audio tapes made available through F.A.R.M.S - The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies. The collection was called, “Time Vindicates the Prophets,” a lecture series originally recorded in 1954 by Hugh Nibley. It was only 2 dollars, so I thought, why not? I then settled down on my stationary bike and peddled and listened my way through this series of lectures for radio. As I listened to tape after tape of fascinating tid-bits about the ancient world, I wondered where all this was going. It was on the last lecture he gathered up all the bits and pieces like fish in a net and brought in the great haul.
He pointed out that one of the primary reasons for the apostasy and fall of the ancient Church that Jesus Christ had originally set up, was the infiltration of Greek philosophy into the doctrines of the Church.
Bam! The spindles! the Greek Fates, who spin the threads of one’s life, either long or short, and weave them into the tapestry of life.
Greek Philosophy was BIG, I mean BIG business during the time of Christ and his Apostles. Rome may have ruled the world, but you were unschooled and unlettered if you couldn’t speak and read Greek or been educated in one of the best Greek schools. And what was the emphasis of these schools? Philosophy! Everything else, healing, astronomy, physics, law, all the rest of it, was an appendage to philosophy.
In a video lecture series from “Great Courses: Ancient & Medieval History,” the instructor, Philip Daileader from the College of William and Mary, pointed out that Augustine of Hippo, the Roman Priest who redefined the doctrine of Grace in the 5th century, a doctrine that guided the Roman Catholic Church for over a thousand years, was himself a student of Greek Philosophy. He joined the Christian faith with hope and energy, but just couldn’t get rid of his philosophical roots.
It’s sad, really. I can understand why so many Greeks joined the Church. When you really learn about the Greek Gods, you learn what professor Elizabeth Vandiver of the University of Maryland, in her lectures on the Illiad and the Odyssey (another “Great Courses” product) tells us - that the Greek Gods are not merciful, nor all knowing, nor omniscient, nor just. They are just fickle, powerful immortals you hope you can appease. Man, I’d join that new religion too! A God who loves me? Is merciful and just? Sign me up!
Sadly, we bring a lot of our upbringing with us into any religion and that’s pretty hard to overcome. Look at our own society. We are basically Roman in our culture. We’re patriarchal and land oriented. Not all peoples are like that, but that is another discussion. Yet Christ’s Church was founded in a middle eastern culture that was both paternal and maternal and land was viewed differently among a semi-nomadic people.
But philosophy (the glory of the mind of man and his reasoning ability) isn’t the only thing that caused the apostasy. The other cause can be found in the thorny hedge that surrounds Sleeping Beauty’s castle while she sleeps. Let’s look at the parable of the Sower in Luke, Chapter 8. The Sower sows seed in a field. Some fall by the way side, some on a rock, some among the thorns and some on good ground. Look at the Lord’s explanation of the thorns in verse 14, “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life and bring no fruit to perfection.”
There you have it - the two major reasons for the apostasy: not being able to let go of our own cultures and embrace the culture of God with all our heart, might, mind and strength - and, not being able to let go of riches, pleasures and self aggrandizement.
All of that from a spindle.
One last thought about that thorny hedge. It’s a really thorny hedge. When the prince who will waken Sleeping Beauty arrives, we learn that many a young man had already tried to waken Sleeping Beauty, but they all failed, impaled on the thorns. Yet, when our prince approaches the hedge, it moves aside for him. It encumbers him not at all. He enters the castle, kisses the girl, loves her and marries her, awakening the kingdom and bringing new light.
I read the part of the thorny hedge and think of Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and all the other valiant souls who made the effort to awaken the sleeping princess and return Christianity back to it’s ancient roots, but failed. Yet I am grateful to them. Their sacrifices made the restoration of the Church possible. However, only Christ and his duly appointed servants could bring His Church out of obscurity.
I’m happy to report Sleeping Beauty is now awake and she’s dancing at the Prince’s Ball.
Next week: Cinderella and the Emerging Church.
We have already laid a lot of ground work about fairy tales (please see previous blogs on Snow White). So what makes this story different? As I pondered the various versions of the Sleeping Beauty story I have read, there is one common point to them all. A fairy is slighted and so, gives the baby a deadly gift. When the child shall reach adulthood she shall prick her finger on a spindle and die.
I knew our Sleeping Beauty, Briar Rose, Aurora, whatever her name, represented the Church. I knew the kingdom was the kingdom of God and our rescuing Prince was Christ. Even the fairies are a symbol. In Chapter 12 of Revelation, the woman wears a crown of 12 stars upon her head. In the older versions of this story, it is 12 fairies who are invited to the celebration feast. Could they represent the 12 tribes of Israel? Interesting thought.
But what was so different about this Fairy Tale? To me, it prophecies of an apostasy and fall from the true Church of Christ and how it will happen.
That there would be an apostasy, or a falling away from true doctrine, was no secret in the New Testament. We often point to Second Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 3 and quote the Apostle Paul who cautions that the second coming of Christ will not happen “except there come a falling away first,...” But there are many other clues and warnings. Even in Matthew, chapter 24, the Lord cautions and warns that many things have to happen. I’m not going to quote it all here, but please read Matthew 24: 4-12. He points out that many false prophets will arise and deceive many.
So does the story of Sleeping Beauty give us any clues as to what some of the factors were that contributed to this apostasy? Let’s get back to our story.
11 of the fairies give their gifts of beauty, grace, song, etc., all the refinements of the spirit. They are interrupted by the slighted fairy, upset for having not been invited. This is the fairy who gives the deadly gift. However, it’s the youngest fairy, who had not yet given a gift, that softens the curse. The girl shall not die, but go into a deep sleep.
But why a spindle? Why not some other instrument? Hmmph?
Several years ago, I picked up at Deseret Book a collection of audio tapes made available through F.A.R.M.S - The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies. The collection was called, “Time Vindicates the Prophets,” a lecture series originally recorded in 1954 by Hugh Nibley. It was only 2 dollars, so I thought, why not? I then settled down on my stationary bike and peddled and listened my way through this series of lectures for radio. As I listened to tape after tape of fascinating tid-bits about the ancient world, I wondered where all this was going. It was on the last lecture he gathered up all the bits and pieces like fish in a net and brought in the great haul.
He pointed out that one of the primary reasons for the apostasy and fall of the ancient Church that Jesus Christ had originally set up, was the infiltration of Greek philosophy into the doctrines of the Church.
Bam! The spindles! the Greek Fates, who spin the threads of one’s life, either long or short, and weave them into the tapestry of life.
Greek Philosophy was BIG, I mean BIG business during the time of Christ and his Apostles. Rome may have ruled the world, but you were unschooled and unlettered if you couldn’t speak and read Greek or been educated in one of the best Greek schools. And what was the emphasis of these schools? Philosophy! Everything else, healing, astronomy, physics, law, all the rest of it, was an appendage to philosophy.
In a video lecture series from “Great Courses: Ancient & Medieval History,” the instructor, Philip Daileader from the College of William and Mary, pointed out that Augustine of Hippo, the Roman Priest who redefined the doctrine of Grace in the 5th century, a doctrine that guided the Roman Catholic Church for over a thousand years, was himself a student of Greek Philosophy. He joined the Christian faith with hope and energy, but just couldn’t get rid of his philosophical roots.
It’s sad, really. I can understand why so many Greeks joined the Church. When you really learn about the Greek Gods, you learn what professor Elizabeth Vandiver of the University of Maryland, in her lectures on the Illiad and the Odyssey (another “Great Courses” product) tells us - that the Greek Gods are not merciful, nor all knowing, nor omniscient, nor just. They are just fickle, powerful immortals you hope you can appease. Man, I’d join that new religion too! A God who loves me? Is merciful and just? Sign me up!
Sadly, we bring a lot of our upbringing with us into any religion and that’s pretty hard to overcome. Look at our own society. We are basically Roman in our culture. We’re patriarchal and land oriented. Not all peoples are like that, but that is another discussion. Yet Christ’s Church was founded in a middle eastern culture that was both paternal and maternal and land was viewed differently among a semi-nomadic people.
But philosophy (the glory of the mind of man and his reasoning ability) isn’t the only thing that caused the apostasy. The other cause can be found in the thorny hedge that surrounds Sleeping Beauty’s castle while she sleeps. Let’s look at the parable of the Sower in Luke, Chapter 8. The Sower sows seed in a field. Some fall by the way side, some on a rock, some among the thorns and some on good ground. Look at the Lord’s explanation of the thorns in verse 14, “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life and bring no fruit to perfection.”
There you have it - the two major reasons for the apostasy: not being able to let go of our own cultures and embrace the culture of God with all our heart, might, mind and strength - and, not being able to let go of riches, pleasures and self aggrandizement.
All of that from a spindle.
One last thought about that thorny hedge. It’s a really thorny hedge. When the prince who will waken Sleeping Beauty arrives, we learn that many a young man had already tried to waken Sleeping Beauty, but they all failed, impaled on the thorns. Yet, when our prince approaches the hedge, it moves aside for him. It encumbers him not at all. He enters the castle, kisses the girl, loves her and marries her, awakening the kingdom and bringing new light.
I read the part of the thorny hedge and think of Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and all the other valiant souls who made the effort to awaken the sleeping princess and return Christianity back to it’s ancient roots, but failed. Yet I am grateful to them. Their sacrifices made the restoration of the Church possible. However, only Christ and his duly appointed servants could bring His Church out of obscurity.
I’m happy to report Sleeping Beauty is now awake and she’s dancing at the Prince’s Ball.
Next week: Cinderella and the Emerging Church.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Woman Forced to Flee Into the Wilderness, Part 3
We left our seven little men mourning for the death of Snow White. She is so beautiful they cannot bear to bury her in the ground, but instead build a glass coffin for her and one keeps vigilance by her side every day. Miraculously, she does not decay.
Then one day, a prince happens by and sees the glass coffin in the wilderness. He is struck by Snow Whites beauty and loves her. He wants to take her to his kingdom, coffin and all. .
This prince is, of course, Prince Charming. Charmed, I’m sure!
I think we do our young people a little disservice taking sacred stories and turning them into children’s picture story books. Every little girl now wants to be a princess and marry a handsome prince. Every little boy wants a sword and to slay a dragon.
These things are OK in and of themselves. It’s when we overlay these sacred and divine expectations on mere mortals that we start to get into trouble. The beautiful princess is not a real girl. She’s the representation of the Church, whom the Savior refers to has his “bride.” And now we know who the prince is - THE Prince, wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Charmed. Enchanted. Once again, not of this world. He is the one who will inherit the “Fairy,” or kingdom not of this world. He is the Bridegroom.
Certainly every girl needs to aspire to be like Snow White, devoted, gracious, humble, virtuous. And every boy must aspire to be like Christ, strong, capable, filled with true love. But these attributes can take a lifetime to develop. When we start looking for a marriage companion we’re in our teens and early twenties. We’re pretty young. And the older I get the younger you all look! Someday I’ll write about ‘falling in love’ with mere mortals and the lie that it is. In the meantime, suffice it to say that adoration belongs to God and God alone.
There is only one Prince Charming, and He is Christ. There is only one Snow White, and she is an institution. The rest of us mortals get sick, look awful in the mornings, do things our spouses don’t like, and occasionally rise above ourselves with God’s help. So to any young person who may be reading this, I encourage you to stop looking for the divine in another person. Get rid of any and all pedestals, grab a normal, good person by the hand, and start running, with both feet on the ground, toward the Celestial Kingdom where Prince Charming and Snow White are waiting to receive you.
Isn’t that what the Book of Revelation is all about! It’s about restoration and salvation and the redemption of Christ.
And it’s about True Love. There is only one who loves truly, Christ. He wrought the atonement because He loves us. This is an unconditional love. Your resurrection is assured. The way of salvation is open to you if you will walk that road. But that is a topic for another day. Let’s finish up with Snow White.
In all our Fairy Tales, only the Prince can awaken Snow White, or Sleeping Beauty. Only he can rescue Cinderella. She stays in obscurity, or in a deep sleep, until he arrives to awaken her. Therefore, only Christ can bring his Church out of obscurity. No one else can do this. When we get to Sleeping Beauty, we will learn that many have tried and failed.
The prince has his servants pick up the coffin of Snow White and carry it on their shoulders. As they travel, these men stumble over a bush. The coffin gets a severe jolt. The bit of apple is dislodged from her throat and she comes to herself. Suddenly, there is the prince. “I would rather have you than anything in the world. Come with me to my father’s castle and you shall be my bride.”
Here it is, the Wedding Supper of the Lord. This is what the millennium is all about. Christ and his Church are finally brought together, never to be parted.
“And they lived happily ever after.” Remember, this statement does not apply to mortal marriage. Marriage is work. The happily ever after is the Celestial Kingdom where we are reunited with our Father in Heaven, whole, complete, pure. Perfect!
So what happens to the vain queen? She thinks her victory over Snow White is complete. Then, one day, she gets an invitation to attend the wedding feast of the prince of the neighboring kingdom. She dresses in her finest and approaches the mirror with her question. She is informed that though the queen is fair, the bride is a thousands times more fair than she. She rails and curses, but goes to the wedding anyway, out of curiosity and is shocked to find Snow White. The prince knows everything about the queen and when she arrives, the prince has prepared a pair of red-hot iron shoes for the queen to dance in until she falls down dead.
Thus comes to an end the whore of all the earth, that great and abominable church that sets itself up with finery, scarlet, gold and every worldly thing (see Revelation, Chapter 17). It’s those red-hot shoes that get her, which the Prince has prepared.
And the earth shall be cleansed by fire!
And there ends the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Next week (finally): Sleeping Beauty: The Apostasy.
Then one day, a prince happens by and sees the glass coffin in the wilderness. He is struck by Snow Whites beauty and loves her. He wants to take her to his kingdom, coffin and all. .
This prince is, of course, Prince Charming. Charmed, I’m sure!
I think we do our young people a little disservice taking sacred stories and turning them into children’s picture story books. Every little girl now wants to be a princess and marry a handsome prince. Every little boy wants a sword and to slay a dragon.
These things are OK in and of themselves. It’s when we overlay these sacred and divine expectations on mere mortals that we start to get into trouble. The beautiful princess is not a real girl. She’s the representation of the Church, whom the Savior refers to has his “bride.” And now we know who the prince is - THE Prince, wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Charmed. Enchanted. Once again, not of this world. He is the one who will inherit the “Fairy,” or kingdom not of this world. He is the Bridegroom.
Certainly every girl needs to aspire to be like Snow White, devoted, gracious, humble, virtuous. And every boy must aspire to be like Christ, strong, capable, filled with true love. But these attributes can take a lifetime to develop. When we start looking for a marriage companion we’re in our teens and early twenties. We’re pretty young. And the older I get the younger you all look! Someday I’ll write about ‘falling in love’ with mere mortals and the lie that it is. In the meantime, suffice it to say that adoration belongs to God and God alone.
There is only one Prince Charming, and He is Christ. There is only one Snow White, and she is an institution. The rest of us mortals get sick, look awful in the mornings, do things our spouses don’t like, and occasionally rise above ourselves with God’s help. So to any young person who may be reading this, I encourage you to stop looking for the divine in another person. Get rid of any and all pedestals, grab a normal, good person by the hand, and start running, with both feet on the ground, toward the Celestial Kingdom where Prince Charming and Snow White are waiting to receive you.
Isn’t that what the Book of Revelation is all about! It’s about restoration and salvation and the redemption of Christ.
And it’s about True Love. There is only one who loves truly, Christ. He wrought the atonement because He loves us. This is an unconditional love. Your resurrection is assured. The way of salvation is open to you if you will walk that road. But that is a topic for another day. Let’s finish up with Snow White.
In all our Fairy Tales, only the Prince can awaken Snow White, or Sleeping Beauty. Only he can rescue Cinderella. She stays in obscurity, or in a deep sleep, until he arrives to awaken her. Therefore, only Christ can bring his Church out of obscurity. No one else can do this. When we get to Sleeping Beauty, we will learn that many have tried and failed.
The prince has his servants pick up the coffin of Snow White and carry it on their shoulders. As they travel, these men stumble over a bush. The coffin gets a severe jolt. The bit of apple is dislodged from her throat and she comes to herself. Suddenly, there is the prince. “I would rather have you than anything in the world. Come with me to my father’s castle and you shall be my bride.”
Here it is, the Wedding Supper of the Lord. This is what the millennium is all about. Christ and his Church are finally brought together, never to be parted.
“And they lived happily ever after.” Remember, this statement does not apply to mortal marriage. Marriage is work. The happily ever after is the Celestial Kingdom where we are reunited with our Father in Heaven, whole, complete, pure. Perfect!
So what happens to the vain queen? She thinks her victory over Snow White is complete. Then, one day, she gets an invitation to attend the wedding feast of the prince of the neighboring kingdom. She dresses in her finest and approaches the mirror with her question. She is informed that though the queen is fair, the bride is a thousands times more fair than she. She rails and curses, but goes to the wedding anyway, out of curiosity and is shocked to find Snow White. The prince knows everything about the queen and when she arrives, the prince has prepared a pair of red-hot iron shoes for the queen to dance in until she falls down dead.
Thus comes to an end the whore of all the earth, that great and abominable church that sets itself up with finery, scarlet, gold and every worldly thing (see Revelation, Chapter 17). It’s those red-hot shoes that get her, which the Prince has prepared.
And the earth shall be cleansed by fire!
And there ends the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Next week (finally): Sleeping Beauty: The Apostasy.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Woman Forced to Flee Into the Wilderness, Part 2
The Iroquois Indians of the American north east were considered a particularly violent tribe of Indian. The surrounding Indian tribes were scared to death of them. It wasn’t just their fierceness in battle that instilled this terror, it was how they handled their enemies whom they captured. If their enemy was despised, they were put to the fire. However, if they respected their enemy, they cut open the chest, pulled out the heart and at it.
You and I shudder at the thought, but there was a purpose to this ritual. Remember, they only did this to an enemy they respected for some admirable quality, such as bravery, perseverance, battle skill, strong will, etc. It was believed that the heart was the seat of these worthy attributes, and that by eating the heart, one could gain these attributes for himself.
So we come to our vain queen who is not content to just have Snow White killed. Her heart must be brought back to her, not just as proof of her death, the queen has an ulterior motive. She wants to eat the heart and take on all of Snow Whites attributes. She wants to BE Snow White. She wants to BE the fairest in the land.
What she gets instead is the heart of a pig. She eats ham. Not exactly kosher.
If our fairy tales take their origins from theBook of Revelation, they have a basis in the culture and law of the Jews. Thought pork later became acceptable in the dietary law of ancient Christianity, this meat still has a lot of negative connotations attached to it.
You pig!
“Pig” still refers to that which is base, low and filthy. The tighter the queen hangs on to her vanity and pride, the lower she sinks.
In the meantime, Snow White wanders the woods, going over the seven hills until she finds the house of the seven little men. There’s that number of perfection again.
The seven little men, who have no names until the Disney movie, agree to let Snow White stay with them, but she must serve them. She must wash and clean and cook for them. To this, she readily agrees. After hearing her story, they also give her a warning to avoid the queen and not to let any strangers into the house.
Seven hills and seven little men. That also sounded familiar. In the first chapter of the Book of Revelation we read from verse 12; “And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;” In the midst of these candlesticks stood the Savior, and in his hand he held seven stars. Verse 20 explains, “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches; and the seven candlesticks which though sawest are the seven churches.” Angels has and interesting JST footnote. It says, ‘servant...”
So what do the servants of God do? They teach us to serve! They exhort us to love one another, to be compassionate, be giving and generous with our time and talents. Servants of God also raise a warning voice to the members of the Church to avoid that which could harm us physically and spiritually. They encourage us to keep the commandments.
The Church of God is commissioned with two tasks; to build up the Kingdom of God on the earth and to establish Zion. Zion, as I understand it, is all about being obedient to God’s commands and serving one another in unity. And doing it gladly.
Snow White is a lovely example of this. She is happy to serve the seven little men. Cinderella serves, and so does the Goose Girl and many other Fairy Tale Characters - and they serve in the most menial of ways - cooking, cleaning, herding geese. They are lowly and humble. In our modern times, having been influenced by the Women’s Movement of the 1970s, we now look upon such acts as cooking and cleaning for a bunch of men as demeaning and miss the point.
Serving with a glad heart is an attribute of Zion. Snow White serving the seven little men is just another proof of what she represents in her sacred role; the Church of God in the wilderness.
Meanwhile, back at the castle, the vain queen, thinking she is now victorious, gazes into the magic mirror and asks confidently, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all?” She is shocked to the core to find that Snow White still lives and is still the Fairest in the land. Her jealousy knows no bounds. The heart of the pig kicks in and she makes her outsides as ugly as her insides. She changes herself into an ugly hag, enchants first a bunch of laces and later, a comb for the hair.
I find these two items interesting. It’s as if the queen thinks everyone out there is as vain as she is. The laces and the comb are items of adornment. They represent, to my mind, materialism, or idolatry or vanity. Materialism has always been a problem for members of the Church, anciently and in modern times. Thankfully, with the help of the servants of God, we can put such things in perspective. Laces and combs can be removed. Even now, I’m looking to remove from my home items of materialism that are only taking up space. I’m doing it because last spring I was contemplating Zion and what it meant to be a Zion person, living in a Zion home, and I heard the still small voice speak to me, ‘sell all thou hast and give to the poor.’ I looked at those items and realized I didn’t need them anymore. The Lord showed me what to do with them. It taught me how the Lord takes a weakness and turns it to a strength.
What really knocks Snow White out is the poisoned apple. It’s a very cleverly poisoned apple. It’s an apple that is white on one side and red on the other. Note the colors. Only the red side is poisoned. The queen eats the white side to prove there is nothing wrong with the apple. Trusting the old hag, Snow White eats the red side and drops to the ground.
The queen rushes home and asks the mirror her famous question. She is totally gratified to learn that once again, she is the fairest in the land. Snow White is dead.
So what is that apple that ‘kills’ Snow White? We do not really know what the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil really was. We do know, traditionally, that it is the apple, perhaps because most apples are those sacred colors, red and white. So, is this what knocks Snow White down? taking into her soul the knowledge of good and evil? Interesting thought. I only know that when we are faced with gaining that knowledge through our own experience, it can knock us down, drop us to our knees and fill us with doubt about whether or not God loves us.
Thankfully, the servants of God do not abandon us. According to Joseph Fielding Smith in his “Answers to Gospel Questions,” volume 2, page 45, he tells us that the priesthood has never been taken completely from the earth. Nevertheless, Snow White sleeps, the queen rules, and the servants mourn.
But despair not. Someone is coming to waken Snow White.
You and I shudder at the thought, but there was a purpose to this ritual. Remember, they only did this to an enemy they respected for some admirable quality, such as bravery, perseverance, battle skill, strong will, etc. It was believed that the heart was the seat of these worthy attributes, and that by eating the heart, one could gain these attributes for himself.
So we come to our vain queen who is not content to just have Snow White killed. Her heart must be brought back to her, not just as proof of her death, the queen has an ulterior motive. She wants to eat the heart and take on all of Snow Whites attributes. She wants to BE Snow White. She wants to BE the fairest in the land.
What she gets instead is the heart of a pig. She eats ham. Not exactly kosher.
If our fairy tales take their origins from theBook of Revelation, they have a basis in the culture and law of the Jews. Thought pork later became acceptable in the dietary law of ancient Christianity, this meat still has a lot of negative connotations attached to it.
You pig!
“Pig” still refers to that which is base, low and filthy. The tighter the queen hangs on to her vanity and pride, the lower she sinks.
In the meantime, Snow White wanders the woods, going over the seven hills until she finds the house of the seven little men. There’s that number of perfection again.
The seven little men, who have no names until the Disney movie, agree to let Snow White stay with them, but she must serve them. She must wash and clean and cook for them. To this, she readily agrees. After hearing her story, they also give her a warning to avoid the queen and not to let any strangers into the house.
Seven hills and seven little men. That also sounded familiar. In the first chapter of the Book of Revelation we read from verse 12; “And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;” In the midst of these candlesticks stood the Savior, and in his hand he held seven stars. Verse 20 explains, “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches; and the seven candlesticks which though sawest are the seven churches.” Angels has and interesting JST footnote. It says, ‘servant...”
So what do the servants of God do? They teach us to serve! They exhort us to love one another, to be compassionate, be giving and generous with our time and talents. Servants of God also raise a warning voice to the members of the Church to avoid that which could harm us physically and spiritually. They encourage us to keep the commandments.
The Church of God is commissioned with two tasks; to build up the Kingdom of God on the earth and to establish Zion. Zion, as I understand it, is all about being obedient to God’s commands and serving one another in unity. And doing it gladly.
Snow White is a lovely example of this. She is happy to serve the seven little men. Cinderella serves, and so does the Goose Girl and many other Fairy Tale Characters - and they serve in the most menial of ways - cooking, cleaning, herding geese. They are lowly and humble. In our modern times, having been influenced by the Women’s Movement of the 1970s, we now look upon such acts as cooking and cleaning for a bunch of men as demeaning and miss the point.
Serving with a glad heart is an attribute of Zion. Snow White serving the seven little men is just another proof of what she represents in her sacred role; the Church of God in the wilderness.
Meanwhile, back at the castle, the vain queen, thinking she is now victorious, gazes into the magic mirror and asks confidently, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all?” She is shocked to the core to find that Snow White still lives and is still the Fairest in the land. Her jealousy knows no bounds. The heart of the pig kicks in and she makes her outsides as ugly as her insides. She changes herself into an ugly hag, enchants first a bunch of laces and later, a comb for the hair.
I find these two items interesting. It’s as if the queen thinks everyone out there is as vain as she is. The laces and the comb are items of adornment. They represent, to my mind, materialism, or idolatry or vanity. Materialism has always been a problem for members of the Church, anciently and in modern times. Thankfully, with the help of the servants of God, we can put such things in perspective. Laces and combs can be removed. Even now, I’m looking to remove from my home items of materialism that are only taking up space. I’m doing it because last spring I was contemplating Zion and what it meant to be a Zion person, living in a Zion home, and I heard the still small voice speak to me, ‘sell all thou hast and give to the poor.’ I looked at those items and realized I didn’t need them anymore. The Lord showed me what to do with them. It taught me how the Lord takes a weakness and turns it to a strength.
What really knocks Snow White out is the poisoned apple. It’s a very cleverly poisoned apple. It’s an apple that is white on one side and red on the other. Note the colors. Only the red side is poisoned. The queen eats the white side to prove there is nothing wrong with the apple. Trusting the old hag, Snow White eats the red side and drops to the ground.
The queen rushes home and asks the mirror her famous question. She is totally gratified to learn that once again, she is the fairest in the land. Snow White is dead.
So what is that apple that ‘kills’ Snow White? We do not really know what the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil really was. We do know, traditionally, that it is the apple, perhaps because most apples are those sacred colors, red and white. So, is this what knocks Snow White down? taking into her soul the knowledge of good and evil? Interesting thought. I only know that when we are faced with gaining that knowledge through our own experience, it can knock us down, drop us to our knees and fill us with doubt about whether or not God loves us.
Thankfully, the servants of God do not abandon us. According to Joseph Fielding Smith in his “Answers to Gospel Questions,” volume 2, page 45, he tells us that the priesthood has never been taken completely from the earth. Nevertheless, Snow White sleeps, the queen rules, and the servants mourn.
But despair not. Someone is coming to waken Snow White.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Woman Forced to Flee Into the Wilderness, Part 1
I know, I said we would discuss these things over the next four weeks, but as I started writing this work, I realized there was a lot to tell, so I’ll break it up into bite-size pieces.
Before I proceed, I want to lay some ground work about myself. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’m a Mormon. I believe Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God, that He atoned for our sins, wrought salvation for mankind and set up a Church anciently. I believe that Church fell into apostasy. Apostasy is nothing new. Faith and falling has been a pattern of mankind that has cycled through the ages. I believe Joseph Smith was the Prophet who restored the truth of the Gospel of Christ in these latter-days, fulfilling scripture. All that follows became very clear to me in the light of that restoration. Without it, these stories are only stories and belong where we have put them, in the children’s section.
So let us begin.
“Once upon a time in a kingdom far, far away...” Most fairy tales being this way. So what is time and what is space? The Savior said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.” And many parables began, “The Kingdom of God shall be likened to...” You will find no actual geographic location for the Kingdom of God. Depending on your spirituality and relationship with God, it’s near at hand or far, far away. Nor does this kingdom belong to any set time. The Doctrine & Covenants points out, “He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him...” God is not bound by time. It is all before Him. Therefore, the story is pertinent now, tomorrow, a hundred years ago and a hundred years in the future. It’s for us.
Paraphrasing the story, there was a queen who desired to have a child. She wished this child would be red as blood, white as snow and black as ebony. Read the Fairy Tales carefully and you will note this color scheme coming up again and again in one form or another, particularly red and white. For example, Rapunzel and red and white radishes, The Goose Girl with the white handkerchief bearing red drops of her mother’s blood.
The wish is granted and a girl baby is born who has skin as white as snow, lips red as blood and hair black as ebony. These three colors don’t just reappear in Fairy stories. They crop up in cultures and stories around the world. Some years ago I was watching a PBS program about Brazilian Aboriginal Indians. We would call them primitive. They saw themselves as sacred. They had painted their bodies with white and black paint. Red paint was in their hair and they wore bright red gym trunks.
The four horsemen of the apocalypse are white, red, black and pale. In the story of the White Buffalo Woman, the Sioux Indian’s most sacred story, after she has taught the people and leaves them, she rolls over four times, turning into a buffalo, first brown, then red, then black and finally white.
So we know this child is something more than a mere child. She is sacred. She is important. But who and what is she?
The queen, noting her wish has been granted, names the child Snow White and then dies. Sometime later, the king remarries and enter the vain queen. If Snow White is something sacred, then the queen is her exact opposite, something wicked. Her greatest weakness is vanity. Her greatest sin is pride. She is obsessed with her mirror.
We all of us have mirrors, outside and inside. Mirrors do nothing but reflect the truth. I look in my own mirror and see the flawed little mole on my nose, the grey hair and the uneven teeth. The mirror of self-reflection, if I pay attention to it, tells me the flaws on the inside. We have a very hard time with that mirror. On the outside I can apply make-up and curl my hair and smile with my lips closed. On the inside I can either ignore the truth and keep on being vain and prideful, or I can pay attention and use the atonement to make changes. But that’s Jungian psychology. We are talking about the Kingdom of God and the Book of Revelation
Snow White goes un-noticed by the queen for seven years. Another sacred symbol, seven means perfection. It’s also the age of self-actualization, when children begin to see reason and ask how Santa Clause can possibly make it around the world to every home in one night. It’s a psychological awakening. A person can now become accountable for their actions.
At this age of seven, the mirror suddenly declares that though the queen is still very fair, Snow White has grown more fair and is not the most beautiful in all the land. The queen has a fit. She orders a huntsman to take the girl off into the woods, kill her and bring her heart back in a box. She’s going to eat it.
So, we have a kingdom. We have a queen who has given birth to a girl baby, not a boy baby. It is the queen who is removed, leaving Snow White to replace her, a child who eventually becomes the fairest in the land. And we have a wicked queen, an usurper. And a magic mirror that tells the truth at all times.
The LDS Edition to the Holy Bible has an interesting foot-note to Revelation, Chapter 12, verse one, “Woman.” It refers us to D&C section 5, verse 14 where it says, “...this the beginning of the rising up and coming forth of my church out of the wilderness - clear as the moon, and fair as the sun,...”
Snow White, the fairest in the land. She represents the Church of God.
Who is the queen? Hmm, isn’t there something in the Book of Revelation about the great whore? Chapter seventeen, starting with verse one. “...I will show unto thee the judgement of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication...And I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns (sounds like that dragon in chapter twelve). And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.” (See Revelation, 17: 1-4) She is all pride and vanity.
The whore is supported by Satan and he cannot stand that Christ should have a Church upon the earth at all, so he persecutes it. And that is what the queen does to Snow White. The girl is persecuted, then finally sent out to be killed. But the queen really wants to be Snow White. She wants everyone to believe that she’s legitimate. And perhaps, if she eats Snow White’s heart, she will be.
In the end, she eats the heart of a pig. What is the least kosher food you can think of?
Pork.
We’ll talk more about that next week.
(I’m taking my version of Snow White from the book “Bestloved Folktales of the World,” selected by Joanna Cole, published by Doubleday & Company, copyright 1982 by Joanna Cole. She says in her introduction, “In preparing this anthology, I...tried to stay as close as possible to the oral tradition of the folktales, selecting stories that came originally from the lips of of a storyteller rather than the pen of a writer.” The older the story, the closer we get to the origins)
Before I proceed, I want to lay some ground work about myself. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’m a Mormon. I believe Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God, that He atoned for our sins, wrought salvation for mankind and set up a Church anciently. I believe that Church fell into apostasy. Apostasy is nothing new. Faith and falling has been a pattern of mankind that has cycled through the ages. I believe Joseph Smith was the Prophet who restored the truth of the Gospel of Christ in these latter-days, fulfilling scripture. All that follows became very clear to me in the light of that restoration. Without it, these stories are only stories and belong where we have put them, in the children’s section.
So let us begin.
“Once upon a time in a kingdom far, far away...” Most fairy tales being this way. So what is time and what is space? The Savior said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.” And many parables began, “The Kingdom of God shall be likened to...” You will find no actual geographic location for the Kingdom of God. Depending on your spirituality and relationship with God, it’s near at hand or far, far away. Nor does this kingdom belong to any set time. The Doctrine & Covenants points out, “He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him...” God is not bound by time. It is all before Him. Therefore, the story is pertinent now, tomorrow, a hundred years ago and a hundred years in the future. It’s for us.
Paraphrasing the story, there was a queen who desired to have a child. She wished this child would be red as blood, white as snow and black as ebony. Read the Fairy Tales carefully and you will note this color scheme coming up again and again in one form or another, particularly red and white. For example, Rapunzel and red and white radishes, The Goose Girl with the white handkerchief bearing red drops of her mother’s blood.
The wish is granted and a girl baby is born who has skin as white as snow, lips red as blood and hair black as ebony. These three colors don’t just reappear in Fairy stories. They crop up in cultures and stories around the world. Some years ago I was watching a PBS program about Brazilian Aboriginal Indians. We would call them primitive. They saw themselves as sacred. They had painted their bodies with white and black paint. Red paint was in their hair and they wore bright red gym trunks.
The four horsemen of the apocalypse are white, red, black and pale. In the story of the White Buffalo Woman, the Sioux Indian’s most sacred story, after she has taught the people and leaves them, she rolls over four times, turning into a buffalo, first brown, then red, then black and finally white.
So we know this child is something more than a mere child. She is sacred. She is important. But who and what is she?
The queen, noting her wish has been granted, names the child Snow White and then dies. Sometime later, the king remarries and enter the vain queen. If Snow White is something sacred, then the queen is her exact opposite, something wicked. Her greatest weakness is vanity. Her greatest sin is pride. She is obsessed with her mirror.
We all of us have mirrors, outside and inside. Mirrors do nothing but reflect the truth. I look in my own mirror and see the flawed little mole on my nose, the grey hair and the uneven teeth. The mirror of self-reflection, if I pay attention to it, tells me the flaws on the inside. We have a very hard time with that mirror. On the outside I can apply make-up and curl my hair and smile with my lips closed. On the inside I can either ignore the truth and keep on being vain and prideful, or I can pay attention and use the atonement to make changes. But that’s Jungian psychology. We are talking about the Kingdom of God and the Book of Revelation
Snow White goes un-noticed by the queen for seven years. Another sacred symbol, seven means perfection. It’s also the age of self-actualization, when children begin to see reason and ask how Santa Clause can possibly make it around the world to every home in one night. It’s a psychological awakening. A person can now become accountable for their actions.
At this age of seven, the mirror suddenly declares that though the queen is still very fair, Snow White has grown more fair and is not the most beautiful in all the land. The queen has a fit. She orders a huntsman to take the girl off into the woods, kill her and bring her heart back in a box. She’s going to eat it.
So, we have a kingdom. We have a queen who has given birth to a girl baby, not a boy baby. It is the queen who is removed, leaving Snow White to replace her, a child who eventually becomes the fairest in the land. And we have a wicked queen, an usurper. And a magic mirror that tells the truth at all times.
The LDS Edition to the Holy Bible has an interesting foot-note to Revelation, Chapter 12, verse one, “Woman.” It refers us to D&C section 5, verse 14 where it says, “...this the beginning of the rising up and coming forth of my church out of the wilderness - clear as the moon, and fair as the sun,...”
Snow White, the fairest in the land. She represents the Church of God.
Who is the queen? Hmm, isn’t there something in the Book of Revelation about the great whore? Chapter seventeen, starting with verse one. “...I will show unto thee the judgement of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication...And I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns (sounds like that dragon in chapter twelve). And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.” (See Revelation, 17: 1-4) She is all pride and vanity.
The whore is supported by Satan and he cannot stand that Christ should have a Church upon the earth at all, so he persecutes it. And that is what the queen does to Snow White. The girl is persecuted, then finally sent out to be killed. But the queen really wants to be Snow White. She wants everyone to believe that she’s legitimate. And perhaps, if she eats Snow White’s heart, she will be.
In the end, she eats the heart of a pig. What is the least kosher food you can think of?
Pork.
We’ll talk more about that next week.
(I’m taking my version of Snow White from the book “Bestloved Folktales of the World,” selected by Joanna Cole, published by Doubleday & Company, copyright 1982 by Joanna Cole. She says in her introduction, “In preparing this anthology, I...tried to stay as close as possible to the oral tradition of the folktales, selecting stories that came originally from the lips of of a storyteller rather than the pen of a writer.” The older the story, the closer we get to the origins)
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Western Civilizations Sacred Stories: Fairy Tales
Many years ago, I attended a course at the University of Utah, “The Imagery and Psychology of Dreams.” It was fun and fascinating. We kept dream diaries, discussed our dreams with the class, learned how to talk to our dreams and even role played, or acted out dreams. It was quite revealing. The instructor spent about fifteen minutes on Dr. Sigmund Frued, who was the first to say, “Dreams have meaning!” Then he went on to spoil it all by saying that only trained Psycho-analysts could interpret the dream. We hastily moved on to Carl Jung who agreed with Frued that dreams have meaning, but insisted that only the individual could properly interpret their dreams for the individual chose those images in the first place.
Why do I bring this up? Because it was while taking this course I discovered the importance of our European Fairy Tales. Carl Jung called them stories of the collective conscious. It works like this. Centuries ago, someone told a story. The story was told again and again, passed on by word of mouth from one person or group to another. As it is told, words change, names change. It morphs and moves and as the years go by, then the centuries, the story begins to take on a truth about the culture and peoples it sprang from.
For the class, I had to write a few papers and while pondering on what I would write about, I found myself driving home from work reciting out loud to myself, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all?” I felt a sudden connection to the story, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Was I asking myself, “Fair as in beautiful, or Fair as in just?” I wrote the entire paper, centered around this fairy tale and how it applied to me, psychologically.
Thus began my love affair with Fairy Tales. I read them, collected them and tried to discover the earliest versions I could - and found out that Fairy Tales are NOT for children. In one version of “Snow White,” the wicked queen takes the ‘heart’ of Snow White, which is really the heart of a pig, and cooks it, salts it and eats it. At the end of the story, she is invited to Snow White’s wedding feast and is forced to wear red-hot iron shoes and dance until she falls down dead. Not a very nice story for children.
If you would like to learn more about Fairy Tales as the collective conscious of a culture, I’d like to recommend the following books by Robert Johnson, “He: Understanding Masculine Psychology,” “She: Understanding Feminine Psychology,” and “We: Understanding the Psychology of Romantic Love.” These books rely on Carl Jung’s work (Jungian Psychology) and utilize Legends, Fairy tales and Greek Mythology to teach us truths about ourselves.
However, it was some years later, as I was expanding my interest into legends, myths and folk stories of other cultures, I came across an article about Native American Indian folk lore. The author of this article insisted that the Native American stories were not Fairy Tales. “These are our sacred stories.”
I thought and pondered on this idea and finally asked myself, “Do we (meaning western civilization, children of European descent) have sacred stories?”
I’m not really sure how or when I made the connection. I’m a deeply religious person and read scripture daily. However it happened, the connection was made.
Our so called Fairy Tales are actually the Book of Revelation!
I turn your attention to Revelation, chapter twelve. We begin with verse one, “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.”
The chapter goes to describe how the woman is ready to give birth, but a dragon waits to devour her child as soon as it is born. Yet, when the man child is born it is immediately caught up to God.
Verse six: “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there....”
Hmmm. That sounds familiar.
Snow White: Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, there lived a queen who desired a child... The dragon, or wicked Step Mother, persecutes the child. The child is forced to flee into the woods.
Rapunzel: Once upon a time, there was a couple who longed to have a child... The wicked witch (dragon) steals the child and takes it far into the wilderness and locks her in a tower.
Shall I go on? Actually, I will. In fact I’m going to discuss four of my favorite Fairy Tales over the next four weeks. There will be overlapping themes and many concepts pointed out over and over with each story, but I hope you will find it as interesting as I do.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Woman Forced to Flee Into the Wilderness
Sleeping Beauty: Apostasy
Cinderella: Out of Obscurity
The Twelve Dancing Princesses: Restoration and the Wedding Supper of the Lord.
Why do I bring this up? Because it was while taking this course I discovered the importance of our European Fairy Tales. Carl Jung called them stories of the collective conscious. It works like this. Centuries ago, someone told a story. The story was told again and again, passed on by word of mouth from one person or group to another. As it is told, words change, names change. It morphs and moves and as the years go by, then the centuries, the story begins to take on a truth about the culture and peoples it sprang from.
For the class, I had to write a few papers and while pondering on what I would write about, I found myself driving home from work reciting out loud to myself, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all?” I felt a sudden connection to the story, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Was I asking myself, “Fair as in beautiful, or Fair as in just?” I wrote the entire paper, centered around this fairy tale and how it applied to me, psychologically.
Thus began my love affair with Fairy Tales. I read them, collected them and tried to discover the earliest versions I could - and found out that Fairy Tales are NOT for children. In one version of “Snow White,” the wicked queen takes the ‘heart’ of Snow White, which is really the heart of a pig, and cooks it, salts it and eats it. At the end of the story, she is invited to Snow White’s wedding feast and is forced to wear red-hot iron shoes and dance until she falls down dead. Not a very nice story for children.
If you would like to learn more about Fairy Tales as the collective conscious of a culture, I’d like to recommend the following books by Robert Johnson, “He: Understanding Masculine Psychology,” “She: Understanding Feminine Psychology,” and “We: Understanding the Psychology of Romantic Love.” These books rely on Carl Jung’s work (Jungian Psychology) and utilize Legends, Fairy tales and Greek Mythology to teach us truths about ourselves.
However, it was some years later, as I was expanding my interest into legends, myths and folk stories of other cultures, I came across an article about Native American Indian folk lore. The author of this article insisted that the Native American stories were not Fairy Tales. “These are our sacred stories.”
I thought and pondered on this idea and finally asked myself, “Do we (meaning western civilization, children of European descent) have sacred stories?”
I’m not really sure how or when I made the connection. I’m a deeply religious person and read scripture daily. However it happened, the connection was made.
Our so called Fairy Tales are actually the Book of Revelation!
I turn your attention to Revelation, chapter twelve. We begin with verse one, “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.”
The chapter goes to describe how the woman is ready to give birth, but a dragon waits to devour her child as soon as it is born. Yet, when the man child is born it is immediately caught up to God.
Verse six: “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there....”
Hmmm. That sounds familiar.
Snow White: Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, there lived a queen who desired a child... The dragon, or wicked Step Mother, persecutes the child. The child is forced to flee into the woods.
Rapunzel: Once upon a time, there was a couple who longed to have a child... The wicked witch (dragon) steals the child and takes it far into the wilderness and locks her in a tower.
Shall I go on? Actually, I will. In fact I’m going to discuss four of my favorite Fairy Tales over the next four weeks. There will be overlapping themes and many concepts pointed out over and over with each story, but I hope you will find it as interesting as I do.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Woman Forced to Flee Into the Wilderness
Sleeping Beauty: Apostasy
Cinderella: Out of Obscurity
The Twelve Dancing Princesses: Restoration and the Wedding Supper of the Lord.
Friday, October 16, 2009
The Meanderings of a Middle Aged Mind
Here it is. My first blog. I launch myself out into the world at the age of 52. I've been meaning to launch myself since I wrote my first poem as a child. However, I was horribly shy and didn't think that anything I had to say would be noteworthy.
Now, I've got so many thoughts in my head, and I've had so many interesting conversations with so many people, it's time to make them tangible, readable - somehow permanent and not just the meanderings of a middle aged mind.
I intend to post on this blog, many of the things I find interesting, intrigueing and of value. I want to discuss history, some philosophy, mostly religion, a touch of physics - and fairy tales. Yes! You read right - fairy tales, from the word Fae, or otherworldly, not of this world. Did you know that the Spanish word for "Faith" is "Fe?" And Spanish and French are the modern languages closest to Latin. Remember the Marine Motto, "Semper Fi?" It means 'always faithful.' Fi, from the Latin fidelus, to fe in Spanish, to foi in French to fae in English, or faith. I just find that interesting.
So, my next blog: The Sacred Stories of Western Civilization: Fairy Tales.
Now, I've got so many thoughts in my head, and I've had so many interesting conversations with so many people, it's time to make them tangible, readable - somehow permanent and not just the meanderings of a middle aged mind.
I intend to post on this blog, many of the things I find interesting, intrigueing and of value. I want to discuss history, some philosophy, mostly religion, a touch of physics - and fairy tales. Yes! You read right - fairy tales, from the word Fae, or otherworldly, not of this world. Did you know that the Spanish word for "Faith" is "Fe?" And Spanish and French are the modern languages closest to Latin. Remember the Marine Motto, "Semper Fi?" It means 'always faithful.' Fi, from the Latin fidelus, to fe in Spanish, to foi in French to fae in English, or faith. I just find that interesting.
So, my next blog: The Sacred Stories of Western Civilization: Fairy Tales.
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