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Holy feet
Holy feet The fact is that the sacred relics of Saint Francis Xavier are kept in the Bom Jesus Church in Old Goa. They are displayed to the public once every ten years, and I happened to be there when this took place in 2014. Friends warned me that there might be a queue of…
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St. Francis Xavier
St. Francis Xavier Faith is big business. Not just for the Church; others are trying to cash in on it too. Churches and stalls selling religious trinkets undeniably hold a certain appeal for me. That’s surely down to my Catholic upbringing in the Catholic south of the Netherlands. For years I sang in the local…
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Faith and business
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…
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Via crucis
Via crucis or: the missing fingers Religion can be a true source of inspiration for Art with a capital A – countless examples can be found across the centuries in all the various religions.It can also provide inspiration for living folklore and the religious kitsch that goes hand in hand with it – of which…
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Floating fish
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…
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Flying birds
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,…
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Mardi Gras
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…
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Katoomba
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…
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Yak horns
Yak horns Turning prayer wheels, as mentioned in last week’s post, and prayer flags fluttering in the wind, as mentioned in an earlier post, are effective ways of amplifying and spreading the positive effects of the sacred texts they contain. Another very ancient custom is the use of engraved stones or animal skulls and horns…
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As the world turns
As the world turns Praying whilst chatting with friends in the square … for Tibetans, this is possible thanks to their prayer wheels. Sacred mantras such as ‘om mani padme hum’ can be written repeatedly on paper in large numbers and placed on a scroll inside the wheel. It is believed that turning the wheel…
καιρός remembered
… the right moment, position chosen, shoot …
