The Guardian for this meeting was Adams Rubble. The comments are by Adams Rubble.

Adams Rubble: Good morning Riddle :)
Riddle Sideways: Good Morning Adams
Riddle Sideways: ㋡
Riddle Sideways: you were a cloud, so did not know which cushion you were on ㋡
Adams Rubble: This morning I stumbled upon a Namo Avalokiteshvaraya chant
Adams Rubble: from Plum Village
Adams Rubble: It stopped me in my tracks
Riddle Sideways: Ah.
Adams Rubble: very peaceful
--BELL--
Adams Rubble: I hope things are well on your end
Adams Rubble: I will not be able to make next Tuesday
Adams Rubble: sorry
Riddle Sideways: Thanks, yes things are fine here
Adams Rubble: I may be able to do my session again next week
Riddle Sideways: and hope things are fine, good, great, better there
Adams Rubble: things are going along here

St. Agnes

Adams Rubble: I have been on a diiferent journey the past few days
Riddle Sideways listens
Adams Rubble: A few days ago, at a whim, I looked into the saint for the day. I had never ever done that before
Adams Rubble: It turned out to be St Agnes
Adams Rubble: When she was about 12 or 13 she the prefect's son wanted her to be his wife
Adams Rubble: She refused saying she was betrothed to sonmeone greater
Adams Rubble: (who was Christ)
Adams Rubble: the son went home sick
Adams Rubble: so the prefect came to visit Agnes and she told him the same thing
Adams Rubble: Agnes was given a choice of becoming a vestal virgin or being sent to a brothel
Riddle Sideways: choice?
Adams Rubble: she couldn't go serve a pagan god
Adams Rubble: so the prefect stripped of her clothes and had her dragged to the brothel
Adams Rubble: on the way, the angels took pity and ahd her hair cover her body better than any garment
Adams Rubble: at the brothel an angel gave her her a robe of pure white and her room was bathed in light
Adams Rubble: Now the prefects son and his buddies decided to go to the brothel and have their way with her
Adams Rubble: the legend varies here but in one version the buddies went first and were struck dead
Adams Rubble: the prefect's son went to see what had happebned and he was struck dead
Adams Rubble: the prefect came and told agnes if her God were so great he should raise his son from the dead
Adams Rubble: so Agnes prayed and the son was restored to life and became a Christian
Adams Rubble: in one version so did the prefect
Adams Rubble: in any case someone decided she should die
Adams Rubble: so the decided to burn her but the flames would not burn her and burned some of the spectators instead
Adams Rubble: so the ruler had her lanced in the neck and she died
Adams Rubble: her family carried her to their tomb and buried her. A few days later they were there and Agnes and a host of heavenly hosts appeared and Agnes told them she was happy where she was and they should be too
Adams Rubble: a group of non-Christians gathered and began to throw things at the group around the tomb
Adams Rubble: a storm appeared and many of them were slain
Adams Rubble: late Agnes' foster sister was praying at the tomb and a crowd came and stoned her and she was buried with Agnes
Adams Rubble: this all took place around 300 in Rome
Adams Rubble: A chuch was built over her tomb now called Sant'Agnese fuori le mura
Adams Rubble: the daughter of Constantine got leprosy and went to the church to pray
Adams Rubble: she was cured
Adams Rubble: She had a large covered cemetery built at the site and eventually a mausoleum was built that is now the church of Santa Costanza
Adams Rubble: as I began to remind myself aboiut the church, I discovered a book about the church by a Canadian woman Margaret Visser
--BELL--
Adams Rubble: her book raised questions and introduced new strange facts that did not seem right
Adams Rubble: I researched further and much of what Ms Visser said was true
Adams Rubble: Then continuing my research I found that arouynd 1500 some Nteherlandish paintigns appeared showing the betrothal of Agnes to Christ
Adams Rubble: most art shows St. Catherine in that role
Adams Rubble: St. Catherine appears with Agnes in many of those paintings
Adams Rubble: plus other virgins
Adams Rubble: Mary is holding the infant Christ who is reaching out to put the ring on Agnes' finger
Adams Rubble: In other paintings, Agnes already has the ring and it is being given to Catherine
Adams Rubble: The next question si why there and why then
Adams Rubble: It turns out there was a movement of laity to try to get back to the original tachings of Christ
Adams Rubble: one group was at the Mount of St. Agnes
Adams Rubble: the appointed leader of this group was Thomas a Kempis
Adams Rubble: he wrote a group of 30 sermons and two are on ASt Agnes
Adams Rubble: I am going to read them today
Adams Rubble: so I am back to Thomas a Kempis again :)
Adams Rubble: The end for now
Adams Rubble takes a deep breath
Riddle Sideways: wow. a full circle
Riddle Sideways: with so many stringers
Riddle Sideways: off-shootings
Adams Rubble: yes
Adams Rubble: in between Thich Nhat Hanh dying and the removal of my favorite tree
Riddle Sideways: had to look up 'laity'
Riddle Sideways: YES!
Riddle Sideways: in prep for today, re-re-read the last 2 blogs
Riddle Sideways: and extended browsings
Riddle Sideways: had thought to be semi-prepared ㋡ but NO
Adams Rubble: I haven't blogged this story yet
Riddle Sideways: yet ㋡
Adams Rubble: I haven't discovered much in the ways of connections other than it has begun to circle back
Riddle Sideways: hmm the year 300. Wasn't Christianity already pretty established? and the pagans on the out going?
Adams Rubble: yes and no
Adams Rubble: It became the official religion of the empire around 312 when Constatantine used it to conquor Maxentius at the Malvin Bridge
Adams Rubble: it is not clear what percentage of Rome was Christian but much of the givernment of Rome remained pagan
Adams Rubble: Christianity was beginning to become a political football
Adams Rubble: large amounts of money became available for building churches, etc
Adams Rubble: imperial donations
Adams Rubble: sopme of the covered cemetery basilicas were was big as modern football stadiums
--BELL--
Riddle Sideways: INteresting. Flashed the images of drive-in theaters used for Sunday services and Billy Graham filling huge sports arinas
Adams Rubble: the covered cemeteries replaced the catacombs which presumbably were filling up
Riddle Sideways: also interesting, but make sense
Adams Rubble: there was a volcanic deposit that was soft and easily dug. When the material was exposed to air it hardened. So the area where catacombs were built were limited
Adams Rubble: the excavated material was used by Romans to make cement
Adams Rubble: there were celebrations at the tombs
Adams Rubble: big processions at burial time
Adams Rubble: then a fest
Adams Rubble: some of the feasts turned bawdy and the priests did not want them in the chiurches
Adams Rubble: so they built these huge basilicas
Adams Rubble: it has been only recently it was realized that they were not churches
Adams Rubble: the floors were not paved but were wall to wall timbs with an ambulatory around for processions and viewing
Adams Rubble: am I still a cloud?
Riddle Sideways: no, can see you
Riddle Sideways: very nice outfit

Thich Nhat Hanh

Riddle Sideways: (the editor has some work to do on the typos today ㋡
Riddle Sideways: Had thought that "Thay" was a typo in blog, but research found it was a nickname
Adams Rubble: it is a title
Riddle Sideways: oh
Adams Rubble: a Vietnamse title for a master
Adams Rubble: I will be the editor today :)
Adams Rubble: first time in many weeks
--BELL--
Riddle Sideways: was also intrigued that Mindfulness was a Thich Nhat Hanh invention in the 1960's. Would have thought that went way back
Adams Rubble: in his life of the Buddha, the Buddha teaches it
Adams Rubble: have been wondering how much of the Buddha's teaching in his book was Thay
Riddle Sideways: back. Had gone off thinking of all the Cycles of teachings, etc.
Adams Rubble: I recommend Thich Nhat Hanh's Old Path White Clouds which is a recounting of the Pali stories of the Buddha
Riddle Sideways: thanks
Adams Rubble: Buddha comes to life
Riddle Sideways: well, when one searches on an actual book, the adverts go wild
Adams Rubble: :)
Adams Rubble: can't wait for robo calls about Buddha
Adams Rubble: your mindfulness is expiring
Riddle Sideways: "Your Buddha warranty is about to expire ..."
Adams Rubble: :)
Riddle Sideways: had gone off looking up 'the Age of Enlightment", which reminded of Alexandria age. and wondering where Mindfulness happened between dark and light ages
Adams Rubble: mindfulness always gets us to the present :)
Riddle Sideways: Right! Being mindful of this breathe right now, here
--BELL--
Riddle Sideways: Tis wonderful to review/renew/study the past and the histories(even if rewritten)
Riddle Sideways: Tis great to plan tomorrow and how great doing all that stuff will be ㋡
Riddle Sideways: Then there is That Present.
Riddle Sideways: Being Here Now
Adams Rubble: It is sometimes surprising how quickly one can fall into the present
Riddle Sideways: it is Always Right There
Adams Rubble: many chances to fall out of the past and present
Riddle Sideways: yes
Adams Rubble: This morning it is the Namo Valokitesvara for me
Riddle Sideways: wow, did not know the Ram Dass interviewed Thay
Adams Rubble: https://www.peaceinmotion.info/docs/dansbeschrijvingen/Namo_Valokiteshvara.pdf
Adams Rubble does not know who Ram Dass is
Riddle Sideways: One of those 60's hippie LSD gurus that wrote "Be Here NOw"
Riddle Sideways: *Now
Riddle Sideways: Enlightenment/spirit/Mindful/goodstuff for Idiots book
Riddle Sideways: with pretty printing
Riddle Sideways: no, it was Trippy printing
Riddle Sideways: Anyway, this is Day 5. Compassion
Riddle Sideways: Visiting a hospital daily has brought Compassion, Loving, Being and more to the forefront where it should have been
Adams Rubble: _/!\_
Riddle Sideways: These sessions and your blog have so much stuff between the lines
Riddle Sideways: wondering always, how much teh gentle reader gets
Riddle Sideways: the spaces between chat
Adams Rubble: Often readers see things I haven't seen
Riddle Sideways: yes
Adams Rubble: nice when they tell me
Riddle Sideways: oh, never done that
--BELL--
Riddle Sideways: need to leave comments
Riddle Sideways: "if you like our warranty, please leave a review of 5 stars" :))
Adams Rubble: Thank you for being present today:)
Riddle Sideways: and the Presence
Adams Rubble nods
Riddle Sideways: or Presents
Adams Rubble: :)
Adams Rubble: I hope you have a good week and the game goes well for you
Riddle Sideways: may you have your Best days
Adams Rubble: thank you
Riddle Sideways: by All
Adams Rubble: bye for now :)