Praying Mantis thoughts for Wednesday, September 14, 2022

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praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Monday, November 04, 2019

Go to Dallas Texas for the mosaic conference.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Sunday, November 03, 2019

not lost still here,

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Saturday, December 31, 2016

"I'm planning on heading back to the mountain south of here," Mansel said to the darkened elf Mariniel.   He was speaking of the San Tan Mountains.
"What's over there," the elf asked even though he well knew for he had spent hundreds of years exploring center-earth as he had plenty of time on his own due to the fact that he too was a foreigner,  in the el'yavapeah elvish nation even though he was an elf just as they were.
"Space," Mansel said, "And a friend."
"A friend?" Marieniel's thin eyebrow lifted up for he knew of no men or elves who resided there.
"A very small friend," Mansel said refusing answer.  Mansel was an old man with a long beard, and he smoked a pipe and spoke slowly.  Mansell was making a miniature model of a wagon using dried ribs from a smaller saguaro cactus, weaving them together.  The wheels and axel actually spun freely in circles.  He would also make small wooden donkeys with dried cactus leaves woven and spun and connected together with cactus needles.

The first pioneers from the second nations that arrived in Center Earth, which included Mansel when he was younger, had made their camp at the base of the Mountains of Misery near the Canyon River on the north-west side of the mountains.   They had encountered the el'yavapeah elves first who fed them from their very own crops that had been grown via the canals that broke off from the Canyon River.  The elves had told them some of their less private ancient stories, stories of the desert dragons, some of them simple and relatively harmless, small and shy.  But they also told them stories of ancient and grand dragons - far larger than the giant eagles and far more dangerous.  But by far, the most awesome creature described was the Phoenix, a creature that seemed to be part eagle and part dragon.  Some believe the original eagle that came from the mountains fires of Doo-kostead was indeed the Phoenix rather than the eagle, while many others indeed believed that the Phoenix was nothing more than an eagle, or an exaggeration of an eagle meant to remind people that life was not singular but that rebirth was possible.  Others were led to believe that the Phoenix was a reminder that even the most awesome creatures must pass away.  Therefore the Phoenix was both a reminder of one's mortality and one's transcendence.

Before the elves separated themselves, for the most part, from the second nation people they shared many spiritual folk-tales (as the second nations called them) as well as more practical matters such as medicinal healing methods.  The elves shared the healing properties if the Aloe-lea plant as well the "tree of life," plant that could be used for any number of useful purposes.  If the "tree of life" was burned its smoke would kill off bacteria and chase off pestering bugs, if the pods from the tree were ground into flour and made into bread or drink it would heal stomach problems upon consumption.

On and on the elves would teach the second nation people - or men as they were called- the el'dineh called them the el'billangas, though as a sign of disrespect would sometimes just call them bilangas.

One of the men from the second nation made a special bond with one of the elves.  The man's name was Mansel and his elven friend was named Mariniel.  Mariniel was, in fact, not one of the el'yavapeah but was instead an elf from a nation outside of center earth called the el'cheroqui.    He had travelled alone into center earth and made his tent among the el'yavapeah but was always considered an outsider.   Mansell too, had considered himself an outsider - though he was a gem farmer and a harvester - he preferred isolation and solitude.  Though he had travelled with a large group of second nation men he had made plans in his mind to return to the San Tan mountains where they had stopped for a week near a temporary streambed that lasted for two weeks and then dried up forcing their band to continue on until they came to the canyon river.   Mansel had discovered on one of hikes during their short two week trip a water well that was dug by who knows who - and he knew he could live up there eating on the pinion nuts, hunting small fowl and drinking the water from the well.   And his time with the el'yavapea had assured him he would be able to find much more food resources as well as medicinal cures if needed.

"I will go with you," said Marinel the el'cheroqui elf. "For you will not survive without me there.  I will bring you to water."
"I will bring water to you," Mansel said, as he puffed from his pipe with a confident smile.
"Ah, I see," said Mariniel.  "So you discovered one of the wells dug by the el'yavapeah."
"In fact, I did" Mansel said surprised but not to surprised.
"And because of that I have a guess who your little friend might be," Marinel said, now with a knowing smile on his face.  "A little bird named Maude told you didn't he?"  Mansel's eyes widened as he realized his little secret was not much of a secret.  A questioning look came across his furrowed brows.  He was waiting for an explanation.  "Maude is a helpful little bird who is a good friend of the Elves, the elves taught him center-earth language and he is but one of 12 birds sent to help wanderers who find themselves in dire straights, however he is the least discerning and most generous of birds.  In fact center-earth has 144 wells in both the deserts and in the wildernesses, each with 12 birds, or 12 squirrels, or 12 snakes - each enchanted by the elves as a means of helping the wanderer or stranger.  However, they do not share their information without cause or reason and some are not so generous with this information and only do so with words of commands from elves alone.  Maude has a different nature all together.  Even so, I will go with you for I tire of the el'Yavapeah."

And so, in the morning Mansel and Mariniel walked away from their own people and became legends and miners - a way point for both elves and men, first and second nations.  Men of great renown and strangers alike would stumble upon these two squatters and spend nights smoking pipes, telling tall tales and laughing into the stars.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Before time had begun in books and histories and before the elves of  el'endeh had mountains to inhabit, or before the elves of el'dineh had found the painted desert and had written the songs of the ages, there was the mighty pool of life from which all the streams of life would one day make glad the hearts of all the nations.   From this river would flow the dark tribes that had lived inside the earth waiting for the song of life to begin.  From this river would come the fourth of all creatures, the bear.

Above Center-Earth, one of the first-born creatures known as Beda-ochi-mikha-el had gathered the waters of the world and was awaiting the age of the Peaks to begin.  The peaks were known as Doo-kostead to the el'Endeh and Nua-kuovi to the el'opeynad.

From the great mountain came the second of all living creatures, the Lion.  It is said that the lion was but a reflection of the mountain, maybe the mountain itself.  The histories now tell us that it was the roar of the Lion that caused the earth to split and crack, and spilled the blood of the earth high into the sky: a sword of fire and light.    It is said the eagle sprung forth from this fire and that the waves of her wings combined with the shaking of the earth caused the water of Beda-ochi, for so the great lake was later named, to overflow their banks and as they did so, the great chasm of the Terra'al'eleon was formed in less than a day, the water dividing the land as the fire divided the night from the day.

So, earth, fire, wind, and water - brought about the beginning of Center-Earth.  The earth begat the lion, and the lion begat the eagle through fire, and the eagle begat the bear via wind, and the bear begat the oxen via the water - and now, the oxen, the last born of creation plowed the land for the men of Terra'al'eleon.   And thus the four ends of the earth sprung forth in life sending waters to the edges of middle earth.  From the earth came the elf nations, while some remained in the earth as miners - all dark skinned like the earth they had been born from.

When the elves of El'dineh inhabited the Northeast corner of the center earth they were called the protectors of the four corners but in reality they guarded just the painted high plateau of center-earth.  The eagle watched over the El'dineh.

It was the elves of El'endeh that protected the eastern edge of center-earth - and they lived in the trees of the El'Kabab forest where they guarded the white-mountains that had sprung forth from the echoes of the lion's first roar.  The bear watched over the El'endeh.

The el'Ahama in the west watched the western border and the mountain lion watched over her with care and love.

The el'yavapeah elves who first settled in the valley of the center-earth first found the oxen and with the help of the elves from el'hohoka built the canals that brought the waters form the edges of center-erath into the valley of the Sun.   It was not until the arrival of the second nation people that the elves slowly faded back into the forests, mountains, and desert locations. Though some returned to the mountain holes many did not -for the elves that had remained had through the power of time become much different than those who had stayed in the mountains from the beginning.

The elven tribes that left the mountains were given names after their regions and had become wanderers who could travel great distances by foot.  Because of this they were thin, light, swift of foot.  They sang magical songs that were songs of nature, and life, and transformation.  They learned from the trees, and plants, and birds and animals and they brought balance to the earth - causing earth, wind, fire and earth to produce warmth, food, drink, and entertainment.  They were full of song, and joy and hope.

The ones that had never left the mountain though, who mined the rock for turquoise, silver, copper, and gold and travelled the mines because short, stout, strong.  They too sang songs and loved to drink stout drinks and eat mushrooms.  They traded stones and gyms with the elves from the outside - who provided corn, meal, wild mushrooms, prickly pear fruit, pinion seeds, grapes, and yes even hops and grains, sugar cane, as well as cottons.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Sunday, July 27, 2014

Four times the Lord, during my quiet time, said "Do you hear my voice?"

Yes, Lord - I said, I did.  He said listen to what I have to say.

And he gave me words for a future sermon.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo