Here we will explore the last and final circle in Dante's Inferno.

Titans and giants, including Ephialtes on the left, in Doré's illustrations

The ninth and last circle is ringed by classical and Biblical giants wh perhaps symbolize pride and other spiritual flaws lying behind acts of treachery.  The giants stand on a ledge above the ninth circle of hell, so that they are visible from the waist up.  They include Nimrod, Ephialtes, Briareus, Tityos, Typhon, and Antaeus.

Here there are four concentric rounds.  These rounds correspond, in the order of seriousness, to betrayal of family ties, betrayal of community ties, betrayal of guests, and betrayal of liege lords.  The traitors are frozen in a lake of ice known as Cocytus, with each group encased in ice progressively greater depths.

Ninth Circle: Treachery

Round 1: This round is named Caina, after Cain, who killed his brother. Traitors are immersed up to their chins~the place where shame can show itself.

Round 2:  Named for Anteora, after Antenor of Troy, who betrayed his city to the Greeks.  Traitors to political entities such as parties, cities, or countries are here. And they are also imprisoned the same way as round one.

Dante speaks to the traitors in the ice

Round 3: Named Ptolomaea, after Ptolemy, who invited Simon Maccabaeus and his sons to a banquet and then killed them.  Traitors to their guests reside here. They are lying supine in the ice which covers them, except for their faces.  They are punished more severely than the previous traitors, because their relationships to guest are purely voluntary.

Round 4: Is named Judecca, after Judas Iscariot, Biblical traitor to Christ. Here are the traitors that betrayed their lords or benefactors.  They are totally encapsulated in the ice in various conceivable positions.

Satan is trapped in the frozen central zone in the Ninth Circle of Hell

Here we are going to move into the next circle....

Eighth Circle: Fraud
 This circle is for the conscious fraud and treachery.  It is broken up into ten bolgie (ditches of stone).


Bolgia 1:
Panderers and seducers march in separate lines in opposite directions, whipped by demons.  Just as they used the passions of others to drive them they themselves are driven by demons to march for all eternity.




Bolgia 2:
Flatterers who exploited other people are steeped in human excrement which represents the words they produced.









Bolgia 3:
Here are those who committed simony (act of paying to receive sacraments). They are place head first into holes in the rock with flames burning the soles of their feet.




Bolgia 4:
Sorcerers, astrologers, and false prophets have their heads twisted around on their bodies, since they found it necessary to walk backward in life because they could not see ahead of them.  While referring primarily to the attempts to look into the future by forbidden means, this also symbolizes the twist of nature of magic in general.

Bolgia 5:
Corrupt politicians are immersed in a lake of boiling pitch which represents the sticky fingers and dark secrets of their corrupt deals.







Bolgia 6:
Here the hypocrites listlessly walk along wearing gilded lead cloaks, which represents the falsity behind the surface appearance of their actions.  The falsity weighs them down and makes spiritual progress impossible for them.

Bolgia 7:
This is devoted to thieves  These are guarded by the centaur Cacus, who has a fire breathing dragon on his shoulders and snakes covering his equine back. The thieves are pursued and bitten by snakes and lizards. The full horror of the thieves punishment is revealed gradually just as they stole other peoples substance in life, their very identity becomes subject to theft here, as the snake bites make them undergo various transformations.

Bolgia 8:
Devoted to fraudulent advisers or evil counsellors, who are concealed within individual flames.  These are people who used their positions to advise others to engage in fraud.

Bolgia 9:
Here a sword wielding demon hacks at the Sowers of Discord (A person or thing that causes disagreement or conflict, or creates a situation where disagreement or conflict is inevitable), dividing parts of their bodies as in life they divided others.  As they make their rounds the wounds heal, only for the demon to tear them apart again.

Bolgia 10:
In here various sorts of falsifiers( alchemists, counterfeiters, perjurers, and imposter's)~who are a "disease" on society are themselves afflicted with different types of diseases.

As we move to the lowest parts of hell Dante begins to deal with sins that philosophy and humanism cannot fully understand.


Sixth Circle:  Heresy

Here heretics are trapped in flaming tombs.







Seventh Circle: Violence

Broken up into three rings this where the violent are housed.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.


Notes:
Book Description Courtesy of Tomoson.com

I have seen these biscuits run through my news feed on Facebook many times and thought I would try them. So the other night, while at my In-laws house I thought they would compliment the barbecue chicken that she was making.  Now I also want to say that I have only ever made homemade biscuits once in my life and I followed the directions on the back of a Bisquick box.  They came out like hockey pucks and I do believe that I might have throw one at my husband just to see if they might knock him out.  So I was a bit concerned, but I have to say that I was rather impressed with myself.



Ingredients:

4c. Bisquick
1c. 7Up
1c. Sour Cream
1/2 Stick of Butter, melted

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together. Melt butter in your baking dish. Take and butter or oil your hands. Now take a serving spoon and spoon out into hands and shape into ball, then lay in pan and repeat. Bake at 425 until nice and golden brown. 


I used a metal baking dish, but would recommend a glass one if you do not want the bottoms to crunchy.

Reading this article on Pastor Daniel Ekechukwu has lead me to ponder a few things.

One of these is the description of hell that Daniel offers us.

Many times in scripture God declares that every person will be paid according to his or her deeds, "We shall reap what we sow." 

It has made me wonder if there are different cycles are there different levels to hell. 

In Dante's Inferno written by Dante Aligheri we are taken through what he claims to be the nine circles of hell.


First Circle:  Limbo
This is where the unsaved reside.  These are the ones though they were not sinful, they refused to accept Christ.  These are the guiltless damned that are forced to lived in a deficient form of heaven.  In Dante's limbo there are green fields and a castle with seven gates that represent the seven virtues: Chastity, Temperance, Charity, Diligence, Patience, Kindness, and Humility.

Beyond the first circle all are condemned for active, deliberate, willful sin.  The lower circles are structured by virtues and vices, so they are grouped by wantonness, violence, and fraud.  Wantonness is the mildest among them and appears first.  While violence and fraud appear in the lowest circles.

A demon satiating his lust in a 13th century manuscript.

Second Circle:  Lust 
These are the carnal malefactors overcome by lust.  They let their appetites sway their reason in this circle, which is the first circle where they are punished.  In this circle their souls are blown back and forth by terrible winds of a violent storm, never being allowed to rest.  This symbolizes he power of lust o blow one about needlessly and aimlessly.

Third Circle:  Gluttony

The third circle, illustrated by Stradanus

These are the over-indulgent.  They are forced to lay in vile slush produced by ceaseless foul.  Here the gluttons lie sightless and heedless of their neighbors symbolizing the cold, selfish, empty sensuality of their lives.  Here the slush reveals the true nature of not only over-indulgence in food and drink, but many kinds of addictions.

Fourth Circle:  Greed

The fifth circle, illustrated by Stradanus

This is where those whose attitudes towards material goods deviate from the appropriate means.  They are broke into two groups:  the avaricious or miserly these are the ones that hoarded possessions and the prodigal these are the ones who squandered possessions.  These two groups joust using great weights they push with their chests.

Fifth Circle:  Anger
In this circle the wrathful fight each other on the surface of swamp like water.  The sullen lie gurgling beneath the water, withdrawn into a black sulkiness which they can find no joy in God, man, or the universe.





Notes:
Information, excerpts, and images taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org

Daniel's Experience

Daniel states that after he was lifted out of his body he two angels left him and another angel arrived.  This angel took him to Heaven first, where he saw multitudes of people dressed all in white.  These people were focused on a bright light and were worshipping in perfect unison.  They were ageless and raceless, except for one who the angel told him was father, Abraham.

Next they went and saw Jesus' mansion. The mansion had no apparent end to it's height or width and continually moved.  Each room revolved in some manner.  The structure itself was transparent and the floors were made of light.  There were also many flowers around it that swayed and sang praise to God.The angel told Daniel that "the mansion was ready, but the saints of God are not.  Jesus is being delayed because Christians in the church were not ready yet.

The angel then took Daniel to hell, where he stood at the gate.  When the angel lifted his hands and then let them fall again, the gate opened.  Immediately, Daniel could hear sounds of screaming and weeping.  Everything in hell was in total darkness, but then a light shone from the angels face and Daniel could see groups of people, in anguish.  He told of three different groups that went through endless cycles of torment.  The first one were people who ate their own flesh and then vomit it back out onto the ground.  Then the vomit would fly back onto their bodies and the process would begin again.  Daniel was told by the angel that these were people that had eaten human flesh as an occult practice.  The second group were those that had stolen land from others and they endlessly dug rock-hard ground with their bare hands. The third group was of former fornicators and adulterers, who continually mutilated their sexually organs. Once they were destroyed they would then regenerate.

Although there were numerous kinds of torture, all the people writhed in agony.  They were all shouting and gnashing their teeth.

The angel then tells Daniel "If your record is to be called here, you will no doubt be in hell."  Daniel immediately replied saying "I am a man of God! I serve Him with all 
my heart.  In the angel's hand a Bible then appears and it is opened to Matthew 5:22 ( But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.)  Daniel knew that he was guilty for the words that he had spoken in anger to his wife during their argument.  The angel also reminds him that Jesus promised that God will not forgive us our sins if we can not forgive others.  Only those who are merciful will obtain mercy (Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful,    for they will be shown mercy.)  Daniel is informed that because he refused to forgive his wife the morning of his fatal accident, the prayers of forgiveness he had prayed before dying were of no effect.  Daniel wept at this revelation, but the angel told him not to.  God was going to send him back ad his resurrection would serve as a sign of the last warning for this generation.

The angel then lead Daniel to a mountain top, where there was a large hole.  He was then handed to a man he did not recognize at first, but then realized that it was German evangelist Reinhard Bonnke.  The angel told Daniel that this man would help him to spread the gospel.  Then he and Bonnke fell into the hole.  That was when he awoke on the table.

There are numerous accounts of individuals that have died and come back to tell a story of whether they went to Heaven or Hell and in some cases both. Here is one of those stories...

Nigerian Pastor Daniel Ekechukwu was dead for at least 42 hrs. between Nov 30, 2001 - Dec 2, 2001. During this time he tells of how he visited both Heaven and Hell.

Daniel Ekechukwu

The Death and Resurrection

On November 29 Ekechukwu and his wife Nneka, had an argument which became so heated that he slapped her.  He was so upset about the argument, that even the next day when she tried to reconcile with him, he did not even acknowledge her.  He admits that throughout the course of the day on Nov 30, he thought that once he got home he would put her in her place.  That, of course was not what happened, as he failed to make it back home that day.

While driving home the brakes on his Mercedes failed causing his car crashed into a concrete pillar.  Not wearing a seat belt, his chest hit the steering wheel with such force that it did damage to his internal organs,  causing him to vomit blood and to have difficulty breathing. Other motorists watched as the accident took place and were able to free a trapped Ekechukwu. One even rushed him to the nearby hospital.

Upon arrival they administered emergency medical treatment. Daniel, just knows that he is going to die, so he sends for his wife and then begins to pray that God forgive him of his sins.  Once his wife arrives she is told by the doctor that there is nothing that can be done to save Daniel's life. So he is then transferred to another hospital.

On the ambulance ride though two large angels appear to Daniel. Both angels lift him up by his arms and he realizes that now there is two of him. The one that lays broken and his spirit. By the time the ambulance arrives at the hospital and the doctors examine his body, his wife is informed that he has

Daniel's Death Certificate

died.  A death certificate is issued at 11:30 p.m. November 30, 2001.

Daniel's body is taken to his father's house in a nearby village, arriving around 1:00 a.m. on Saturday, where he is then taken to the resident mortician's.  The mortician is disturbed that same night by worship and praise songs coming from the mortuary. As he approaches the mortuary door though it stops, but he notices a light radiating from Daniel's face. The next morning he makes three attempts to insert the tube for embalming, on the first two he is met with shocks, but is successful on the third even though he did met with resistance.  Again that night he hears music. That same night  Daniel's wife has a dream.  In the dream Daniel tells her that he is not dead and she must take his body to where the German evangelist Reinhard Bonnke is preaching.  His wife agrees.

So on December 02 after much resistance from security guards that are there to protect Bonnke, the Pastor of the Grace of God Mission allows her to place Daniel's body in the empty children's department.  While Bonnke, who knows nothing of the dead body that lies in the basement, is preaching some of the believers that are with Daniel gather around his body.  At some point it is noticed that his body is twitching and some irregular breathing has begun.  Believers begin praying and massaging the body, when suddenly he sneezed and arose.  Over the course of the next few hours he becomes fully coherent.

Today I was reminded of how wonderful it truly is to be a parent...

Little Bit graduated today from the 5th grade, but this morning started out with me being irritated, highly annoyed, and asking God when were we going to catch a lucky break.
My annoyance level only rose as we arrived at the school to a line of parents that went halfway around the building.  As I get to the sign in table Hubby and I along with Sisa are informed by a staff member that "Little Bit would be very happy after the ceremony, because she would be receiving a very special award that she didn't know about."
We go into the cafeteria, find our friends, and take our seats in the row in front of them.  As the ceremony begins, we watch as the children walk down the aisle and are seated.
We listen to other children speak about their memories of elementary school over the course of the last five to six years, the 5th graders sing, and then the band play, and all I can think about is how she should have wore a dress or at least pulled her hair up.
As the guest speaker is brought up to read a letter from the family of a child who should have graduated with these same children, but passed away 2 1/2 years ago, I am reminded that I am lucky to be able to attend with my child. So I take a deep breath, sit back, relax, and try to enjoy.
The children are then given their diplomas by class and as Little Bit passes I can see that her face is red from crying, which causes my own eyes to well with tears. I can't believe that my baby is finally moving on to middle school.
Next came the special awards.  There was a presidential award, an outstanding achievement award, a citizenship award, which Little Bit got ( I assumed this was her special award), and then came the Humanitarian award.
As the PTA president ( who was once one of my cheer moms) approached the podium and described the award, I sat patiently fanning myself with my program wishing that this was over already.  But when she proceeds to tell us about the little girl that was receiving this award, I began to wonder, could she be talking about my Little Bit.  My eyes begin to well with tears at the very thought. It was when she says " I heard her mother say many times on the cheer field that she always has a smile on her face and a cheer in her heart."  I knew then that yes, this was my Little Bit.  I was so shocked and overwhelmed with joy that I made some of those awful crying noises.  So much so that other parents looked over at me.  My tears though were nothing compared to hers as she climb up onto that stage to collect her certificate.

Me 1996

I have noticed that at least two of my Facebook friends do what they call "Throwback Thursday". So I thought to myself what a great blog post that would make this week. The only difference is that I am adding a theme. With all the reminiscing I have been doing I have decided that this week's theme is "Hair Days".

How many of you remember those days of high hair,big hair, and wings? With the help of some of my "VERY" awesome friends let these pictures remind you.

Amy 1991

Trey 1990

Brandy 2003

The Dorks are back!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

In trying to find salvation and acceptance, we often times seek out what we feel to be Godly

Photo Courtesy of Murderpedia.Org

counsel in other individuals, whether it be our pastor or priest. But sometimes when seeking them out what we find can be very dangerous.

Such is the case of Jim Jones, founder and leader of the "Peoples Temple".  Founded in 1956, Jones first sermons were based on social injustice, community, and racial equality.  He became widely respected for desegregating churches, during this time.  But by 1965 he began to take an apocalyptic view.  He went as far as to claim the world would be engulfed in a nuclear war on July 15, 1967.
In August of 1977 Jones and his almost 1,000 member congregation moved from  San Francisco to a settlement that Jones, named for himself Jonestown, in Guyana. This was to be a socialist paradise free from racism and communist principles.  He asked his followers to think of him as the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
Back in the States,  numerous members who had left the church prior to its move, told authorities of beatings, murder, and a mass suicide plan, but they went unbelieved. In November 1978 Rep Leo Ryan, after allegations of abuse from other human rights organizations decided that he would go to Jonestown on a fact finding mission. Ryan along with Don Harris an NBC correspondent, a NBC news reporter, various other reporters, and Temple member relatives arrived in Jonestown on November 4 and spent three days interviewing the residents.  While there several members slipped Ryan a note pleading for him to help them to get out of Jonestown. When Temple members discovered an attempt was made on Ryan's life, forcing Ryan, his delegation, roughly 20 Temple members to abruptly leave Jonestown on November 18. Once at the airport and boarding the planes though, a truckload of Jones "Red Brigade" arrived and began shooting. At the same time, Larry Layton, who was masquerading as a deflector, drew out a weapon and began firing at the passengers that were already boarded.  When over 5 people, including, Ryan were dead.

Photo Courtesy of YouTube.com

Later that same day, all 909 inhabitants of Jonestown committed suicide by apparently drinking cyanide.  303 of these inhabitants were children. Jones was found with a gunshot wound to the head.
 I will say that from all the reading that I have done the delusion that he was Jesus was imprinted into his brain when he was young, by his own mother who thought him to be the messiah, but that in no way can excuse what he did and what he caused to happen.

The word amazed does not seem proper here, so I will say that I am stunned that one person can have that much control over so many people.  This man played on these peoples need to be accepted, loved, and to belong. But is it OUR need for these things in this life that we could allow our  own personal judgement to become so clouded, that we can no longer decipher what is right and what is wrong. It is my belief that our Godly counsel are to help us feel the need for love and acceptance.  Not to prey upon our fears and insecurities, such as in this case.

I love chocolate and this is probably one on of the best truffle pie recipes that I have found.


Ingredients:

2 1/2 pkgs of Semi Sweet Chocolate Squares

1/2 c. Whipping Cream

4 Eggs

1/4 c. Flour



Directions:

Preheat oven to 325.

Microwave chocolate and whipping cream together on High for 2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted; stir until completely melted. Let cool about 5 minutes, then add eggs, sugar, and flour.

Spray a 9" glass pie pan with cooking spray and then pour in chocolate mixture. 

Bake for 35 minutes or until center is slightly soft, but edges are puffed.

Can be served with whipped topping or powdered sugar.