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St. Francis Xavier
Faith is business. Not only for the Church, others try getting their share as well. Churches and stalls selling religious trash undeniably hold attraction for me. It must be because of my catholic youth in the catholic south of the Netherlands. For years I sang in the boys choir of the local church, was altar…
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Faith and business
According to catholic doctrine Maria wasn’t deflowered before she conceived. In her case the Church speaks of the Virgin Birth of Christ and so Maria remained a virgin even while being a mother. Virgin and mother at the same time, that’s what makes her special. Maria is often depicted as a beautiful, virtuous young woman, with or…
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Via crucis
or: the missing fingers Religion can be a true source of inspiration for Art with a capital A – examples aplenty through the ages for all the different religions. It can also inspire to living folklore and concomitant religious kitsch – examples aplenty as well. Living in the post-religious era, at least as far as I am…
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Floating fish
The fish in this ‘aquarium’ without water aren’t floating, just like the birds in last week’s post weren’t flying. They are artificial, man-made and suspended in the air. While the birds were flying through the world of advertising, the fish are floating in the world of art. The two worlds have in common that both are…
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Flying birds
The world of advertising isn’t the real world. The flying birds on the photo above in front of the big advertisement board of Giorgio Armani aren’t real birds. In that sense the two go well together. The beautiful woman and – sometimes – the handsome man on an advertisement photo are not available, no matter…
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Mardi Gras
This is again the weekend of the big Mardi Gras Parade in Sydney, attracting masses of LGBTQIAP people from all over Australia and the world. Two years ago I happened to be there with my wife, two simple H’s looking on in amazement. ….. Mardi non, Gras oui ….. LGBTQIAP: LesbianGayBisexualTranssexualQueerIntersexual (whatever that may be) AsexualPansexual. And…
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Katoomba
or: nature sold as amusement park Come and discover the Scenic World of Katoomba in the Blue Mountains! With the Scenic Skyway (photo) one moves at 270 metres above the floor of the Jamison Valley in the highest cable car in Australia! If next you don’t go down into the valley with the Scenic Railway…
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Yak horns
The turning of prayer-wheels as in last week’s post, and prayer-flags in the wind in an earlier post, are efficient ways of multiplying and spreading the positive effects of the sacred texts they contain. Another very ancient custom is the use of engraved stone or animal skull and horn for spreading the mystic mantras over the face…
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As the world turns
Praying while you chat with friends on the square ….. for Tibetans this is possible thanks to their prayer-wheels. Sacred formulas like “om mani padme hum” can be written down repeatedly in great number on paper and put on a role inside the wheel. If turned around it is believed to have the same effect…
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Tibet café
We notice in this simple Tibetan café a not necessarily hostile mixture of human beings and their cultural expressions from China and Tibet. The big flasks and at least one of the guests are clearly Chinese, while the lady with the impressive silver buckle is a typical traditionally dressed Tibetan woman. The flasks usually contain…
καιρός remembered
… the right moment, position chosen, shoot …
καιρός remembered 