Monday, June 16, 2025
Home Blog Page 686

Masterpieces for sell because of a billionaire divorce

0

The works of Pablo Picasso, Marc Rothko, Andy Warhol and other contemporary artists are the property of entrepreneur Harry McLaugh and his wife Linda

Works by Pablo Picasso, Marc Rothko, Andy Warhol and other contemporary artists will be sold at auction by Sotheby’s at the behest of a US court as part of the division of property in the divorce of a family of billionaires, the Associated Press reported.

Thirty works of art from the McLaughl collection will change owners on May 16 in New York.

The works are in the possession of entrepreneur Harry McLaw and his wife Linda,

who for four decades collected works by the greatest masters of the brush of the twentieth century. Many of the paintings were exhibited in the huge apartment of the family in New York.

After they separated in 2016, a judge ordered the collection sold off as part of a divorce agreement. The works, which will be sold in May, are expected to reach hundreds of millions of dollars.

Sculptures by Picasso, Alberto Giacometti and Jeff Koons

will also be included in the bidding organized by Sotheby’s. This is the second auction of works of art from the McLaw collection. The first was in November and included 35 exhibits that raised a total of $ 676 million – the highest ever achieved by Sotheby’s.

Then the multi-colored canvas “No. 7 “by Rothko, reaching a price of 82.4 million USD,” Number 17 “by Jackson Pollock – for 61 million USD and” Sixteen times Jackie “by Andy Warhol – for almost 34 million USD.

The public exhibition of the works before the auction is scheduled to begin on March 2

at the London branch of Sotheby’s. The artwork will then be in Palm Beach, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai and New York.

The world’s first personalized burnout therapy started in Bulgaria

0

Digiburn is a digital treatment for burnout

Times of social distancing, work from home, and growing fears undoubtedly leave their mark on our mental health. More and more people feel confused and insecure about their daily lives and what lies ahead. Accumulating stress leads to a drastic rise in the levels of mental disorders and mental health problems around the world. Among the most common of them is the syndrome of occupational burnout, the so-called. “burnout” (from English – burnout). Although the phenomenon is not new, the onset of the covid pandemic marks the beginning of a sharp rise.

What does the problem look like?

The state of occupational burnout has been known since 1970. here. Digitalisation, complex expectations of employees and the changing work environment are contributing to the increasing incidence of burnout. From 2020 Since then, cases of burnout have seen an unprecedented rise worldwide. In 2021 over 50% of the working age population in Central and Western Europe reports feeling emotionally exhausted.

Some symptoms include mental fatigue, nervousness, a feeling of heaviness or overload, apathy, unwillingness or inability to take on work tasks, cynicism in the work plan.

Part of the problem is the gradual development of the condition, which often goes unnoticed. Talking about burnout is taboo, one often has reservations about sharing with relatives or colleagues. Counterintuitively, one of the common reactions is working even harder. This intensifies toxic processes and maintains the fire of combustion.

What is the solution?

Digiburn is a digital treatment for burnout. Presented as a two-part mobile application – free burnout test and therapeutic module. The app is self-help oriented, acts as a pocket mirror and encourages the user to improve the connection with themselves and works for sustainable change. The therapy has been developed by specialists, and the use of the application is independent of the human factor. Without arranging an hour, travel time and the corresponding costs for multiple sessions, the treatment is available at the convenience of your smartphone, wherever and whenever you want.

How does the application work?

It all starts with a short burnout test. If symptoms are present, the user is invited for the therapeutic part. It lasts 3 months and is logically upgraded during the period. In the beginning we work to improve the physiology and general condition of the user. The subjective perceptions of the inner and outer world follow. In the end, the user chooses his new thought patterns to achieve a long-term satisfactory and balanced life.

Each of the 3 modules includes theory, practice and monitoring of the condition and progress in therapy. The user is in the driver’s seat, and the application is the personal advisor who carefully guides him. At all times, the user knows exactly where he is in the process and makes his own decisions about his change. The aim is to address the fundamental prerequisites for burnout and achieve sustainable improvement.

The English version of Digiburn will be available in the Apple App Store and Google Play from March 1, 2022. A Bulgarian version is expected later this year.

References: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1249649/experiences-of-burnout-in-europe/

Future of Europe: final recommendations from the European Citizens’ Panels

0
On 25-27 February, the final of four European Citizens’ Panels of the Conference on the Future of Europe meets in Dublin to debate and deliver its recommendations.

The Institute for International and European Affairs (IIEA) in Dublin (Ireland) will host, as part of the Conference on the Future of Europe, around 200 European citizens in Dublin Castle on 25-27 February. The European Citizens Panel on ‘ a stronger economy, social justice and jobs / education, culture, youth and sport / digital transformation’ has already met twice to work on its recommendations – in Strasbourg in September and online in November.

The Panels’ five work streams are: Working in Europe, An Economy for the Future, A Just Society, Learning in Europe, and An Ethical and Safe Digital Transformation. Once finalised, its recommendations will be debated at the Conference Plenary meeting on 11-12 March. You can find all relevant information, including the latest report on the Panel’s work, on the dedicated Panel 1 webpage. The draft agenda is available here.

The session will take place with panellists physically present, in full respect of the public health measures in place in Ireland. Hybrid facilities will be available for participants to connect remotely as well.

Technical briefing

On Tuesday 22 February, at 10:00 AM CET, a technical briefing with representatives of the Common Secretariat of the Conference will take place at the premises of the European Commission. Accredited correspondents can participate in person and remotely. The briefing will be off the record, in English and French only. For more information and the link to participate remotely, send an email to Sinead.MEEHAN-VAN-DRUTEN@ec.europa.eu.

How to follow the Panel session

The main meetings will be livestreamed on the Conference’s Multilingual Digital Platform, as well as on Parliament’s Multimedia Centre (Friday and Sunday), where recorded versions will also be available.

Journalists who wish to attend in person have to register using the following link: https://register.futureu.events/ereg/newreg.php?eventid=200228037&categoryid=201796265&t=c9f80e4845529b893979230644b41d62

 

You will need to be an accredited journalist (in an EU Member State or the European institutions) to access the premises. A press working area will be available in the following building:

Dublin Castle

Hybernia Conference Room, ground floor

Dame St, Dublin 2

Ireland

Tel: +353 1 645 8800

For further practical information, contact Maria Brianchon on maria.brianchon@europarl.europa.eu / +32 470 88 02 38 or Jack Moloney on Jack.Moloney@EP.Europa.eu / +353 86 0880902.

Press point with Guy Verhofstadt

A press point with Parliament’s Co-Chair of the Executive Board of the Conference will take place on Saturday at 16.00. Further information will be available in the press room of the Panel session.

Background

The Conference Plenary of 21-22 January took stock of the recommendations delivered by the European Citizens’ Panels and national Citizens’ Panels on ‘European democracy / Values and rights, rule of law, security’ and on ‘Climate change, environment / Health’.

The four European Citizens’ Panels take into account citizens’ contributions from across Europe collected via the multilingual digital platform and from events held across the Member States. Prominent academics and other experts helped with specific questions when the citizens requested it. Citizens were randomly selected by specialist contractors, who ensured that they are representative of the EU’s diversity.

Eighty representatives (20 from each of the European Citizens’ Panels, of which at least one-third is aged between 16 and 25 years) are members of the Conference Plenary. There, they debate with MEPs, national government and parliament representatives, European Commissioners, and other Plenary Members from EU bodies, regional and local authorities, social partners and civil society.

EU citizens’ contributions to the Conference, submitted via the platform by 20 February, will be included in the final report on 17 March. However, the possibility to submit contributions on the platform will remain open after that date, to allow debate to continue online.

Muellners Foundation Joins the Open Invention Network Community

0
Muellners Foundation Joins the Open Invention Network Community
Muellners Foundation Joins the Open Invention Network Community

Copenhagen, Denmark (February 21, 2022) Muellners Foundation, a not-for-profit humanitarian organisation that advocates for financial inclusion, social inclusion, and biodiversity, announced today that it has joined the Open Invention Network (OIN), the largest patent non-aggression community in history.

Muellners Foundation hosts a global open source community and supports best practices and industry standards in the financial services sector. Foundation also suggests regulatory reforms to financial supervisory and regulatory agencies, inter-governmental agencies, social and development organisations and financial crimes agencies, among others, through its open research.

As an industry association, Foundation independently observes, investigates and peer reviews research, and creates studies on open-source documentation and practices regarding different financial services and technologies.

“We are excited to be part of the larger OIN community and contribute towards freedom of the collective and a patent “no-fly” zone alongside strong non-aggression IP policies,” said Ankit Muellner, Foundation’s Independent Board member. 

“We are pleased that an organization that supports open collaboration and diversity globally has joined OIN. The financial services and fin-tech industry will continue to improve based on innovations that spring from open-source software’s collaborative innovation model,” said Keith Bergelt, CEO of Open Invention Network. 

Keith further added that “Given its focus on best practices in the financial services sector, it is notable that the Muellners Foundation has joined our community and is publicly supporting patent non-aggression in open source.”

OIN’s community practices patent non-aggression in core Linux and adjacent open source technologies by cross-licensing Linux System patents to one another on a royalty-free basis. Patents owned by Open Invention Network are similarly licensed royalty-free to any organization that agrees not to assert its patents against the Linux System.

About Muellners Foundation:

Muellners Foundation is a global think tank, a not for profit initiative. The foundation hosts a community of thought leaders, distributed across different time zones.

The Foundation’s community has embodied an Open Constitution and a decentralised autonomous governance model. Foundation’s initiatives are self-organised with democratic principles.

Muellners Foundation advocates a public, carbon-neutral, & ergonomics driven monetary system.

The purpose of the Foundation is to promote ethical technology governance to tackle social, ecological and development challenges of human society.

Muellners Foundation is a ‘Non for Profit’ voluntary association, based in Copenhagen, Denmark and with Fiscal hosts and constituent bodies in different countries.

The foundation advocates Diversity, Equity and inclusion with its open research and community development programs. Read Foundation’s guiding principles here

Muellners Foundation supports social sustainability – financial inclusion and green projects. Read about open-source Finscale. Foundation maintains an open and global Trust System – Project Serenity. For more information, please visit www.muellners.org

Rewilding Britain donation takes historic community buyout crowdfunder past £100,000

0
Rewilding Britain donation takes historic community buyout crowdfunder past £100,000
One of the UK’s largest community led nature restoration projects has taken a big step forwards, with its crowdfunder surging past £100,000 after a £20,000 donation from charity Rewilding Britain.

The community of Langholm in Dumfries and Galloway is seeking to raise £2.2 million to double the size of the vast new Tarras Valley Nature Reserve, created last year following the successful first stage of the South of Scotland’s biggest community land buyout.

Led by the Langholm Initiative charity, the community is now in a race against time to complete the buyout by purchasing a remaining 5,300 acres of Langholm Moor from Buccleuch, before the land is put on the open market after the 31 May deadline.

Success would boost plans for community regeneration, including nature-based tourism opportunities, and for tackling the nature and climate emergencies.

Over 1,000 people from across the UK and the world have now donated to the public crowdfunder on Go Fund Me at bit.ly/LangholmMoorAppeal, which aims to raise at least £150,000 of the £2.2m needed.

“Thanks to the donation from Rewilding Britain and the amazing support and generosity of so many people from across the UK and the world, we’ve taken our ‘impossible dream’ another step closer to reality,” said Jenny Barlow, Tarras Valley Nature Reserve’s Estate Manager.

“But we have a long way to go if we are to safeguard this land for future generations by bringing it into community ownership. A big push is needed over the next few weeks to get us over the line. We really need people to keep donating to the crowdfunder, while we also seek support from major funders.”

Rebecca Wrigley, Rewilding Britain’s Chief Executive, said: “The people of Langholm are showing how community-led nature recovery projects can make a real difference for people, nature and climate, and this hugely important project deserves all the support it can get. There is a unique opportunity here to bring this culturally important land into community ownership.

“The buyout is an inspiring example of local empowerment and the positive change that can happen when people come together with a bold vision. We’re delighted to add our support alongside the remarkable generosity shown by over 1,000 people worldwide, and we urge major funders to back the appeal and help the community achieve something truly historic.”

With Buccleuch’s offer to keep the land off the open market being time limited, the £2.2m target needs to be reached by 31 May or the community’s chance of purchasing the land will be lost forever.

If the land goes on the open market, its price will probably rise beyond the community’s reach. There are fears it may then be bought by corporate investment firms, which are land banking in Scotland.

The buyout’s first phase saw the Langholm Initiative and Buccleuch reach an agreement of £3.8 million for 5,200 acres of land and six residential propertiesin October 2020. On the resulting nature reserve, globallyimportant peatlands and ancient woods are being restored, native woodlands established, and a haven ensured for wildlife.

Ensuring community regeneration through a nature-based approach is a central aim of the new nature reserve. Langholm was once a thriving textile centre, but the industry has declined in recent years.

The community buyout has already seen jobs on the land rise to six from zero, alongside detailed plans that are underway for generating social and economic opportunities for local people.

According to a recent report by Rewilding Britain,‘Rewilding and the rural economy’, localised nature-based economies can increase and diversify rural jobs, while helping Britain meet its biodiversity and climate commitments.

Leading charities that have supported the buyout include Borders Forest Trust, John Muir Trust, Rewilding Britain, RSPB Scotland, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Trees for Life, and the Woodland Trust.

To find out more, visit langholminitiative.org.uk.

Press release distributed by Pressat on behalf of Langholm Initiative, on Friday 18 February, 2022. For more information subscribe and follow https://pressat.co.uk/

Two Russian clergymen to a church court in Alexandria

0

The St. Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria summoned two Russian clergy to a church court. These are the priests Georgi Maximov and Andrei Novikov, who were sent by the Moscow Patriarchate to Africa to attract African clergy to the Russian Exarchate in Africa.

In the two letters of the Holy Synod says: “You are summoned to appear in person before the First Instance Synod Court of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, intended for elders, deacons and monks, in the Patriarchal Palace of Alexandria (hereinafter the address, ed. Note) on February 24, Thursday, 10 a.m. to be tried for the offenses you are accused of, as described below, in accordance with the provisions of the Rules of Procedure of the Ecclesiastical Courts of the Patriarchate of Alexandria.

Based on divine and sacred rules, he is accused of the following canonical violations:

• acts outside (church) borders by performing the Divine Liturgy and other sacraments in the canonical jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa without the permission of His Divine Beatitude the Pope of Alexandria and All Africa Pope and Patriarch Mr. Theodore II and in places (rules 15th of the First Ecumenical Council, 15th of the Holy Apostles, 3rd of the Council of Antioch, etc.);

• fellowship with deposed clergy (rules 10th and 11th of the Holy Apostles, 2nd of the Council of Antioch and 3rd of the Council of Carthage, etc.);

• intrigues and divisions (rules 18th of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, 31st of the Holy Apostles, 6th of the Council of Ganges, 5th of the Council of Antioch, 5th of the Antioch, 10th, 53rd, 62nd of the Council of Carthage, 34 the Fifth Ecumenical Council, etc.);

• severe scandal of the believers in the Church “woe to that man by whom the offense cometh” (Matt. 18: 7).

We warn you that in case of your disobedience and non-appearance on the specified day and time, you will be tried in your absence.

The following are the signatures of three metropolitans, members of the court of first instance, as well as the place and date of the summons: Alexandria, February 18, 2022.

Simultaneously, theologians from the Thessaloniki Faculty of Theology declared: The actions of the Russian Church in Africa are blasphemy against the Holy Spirit!

The Department of Social Theology and Christian Culture at the Faculty of Theology at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki described the Moscow Patriarchate’s decision to establish an “exarchate” in the Alexandria Patriarchate as an “anti-canonical act” that violates “fundamental church principles.” a strong blow against the unity of the Orthodox Church. “

“The theological world is watching with pain the growing isolation in the Orthodox Church, mainly due to ethnocentrism,” said an extremely sharp statement from the university, which essentially accused the ROC of succumbing to the “temptation of power.” arising from the feeling of power.

“It is unjust and ultimately blasphemous against the Holy Spirit for the Patriarchate of Alexandria, which is finally recovering from the cost of struggle, martyrdom and the testimony of humble missionaries, to suffer the anti-canonical behavior of a younger sister church. according to Orthodox diptychs. “Especially when this church in its inter-Christian relations shows special sensitivity and attention not to harm, for example, its good cooperation with the Roman Catholic Church,” the theologians said.

Here is the text of the entire statement, signed by the head of the department Prof. Konstantinos Hristu:

The Department of Social Theology and Christian Culture at the Faculty of Theology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki expresses deep sorrow at the decision of the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate to establish a Russian Exarchate under the jurisdiction of the ancient Patriarchate of Alexandria. This canonical act violates above all the basic ecclesiastical principles based on the canonical decisions of the Ecumenical Councils, and is a strong blow against the unity of the Orthodox Church. The consequence of this action is the weakening of the authority and testimony of our Church in the modern world. A study of historical sources shows that such actions ultimately turn against those responsible for this anti-canonical nature.

The theological world is watching with pain the growing isolation in the Orthodox Church, mainly due to ethnocentrism, which has recently, unfortunately, become associated with the logic of “an eye for an eye”. This spirit, alien to the gospel of Christ, opposes above all the laws of catholicity and unity introduced by the Founder of the Church himself. We know from the teachings of the Holy Fathers that the Church, according to her highest principles, carries the gospel message of “the unity of all.” In this context, the use of secular authority to achieve world ecclesiastical hegemony is a temptation similar to that of Christ in the desert, so it is most strongly rejected by the Church Fathers, and even by secular authors, as a typical representative. is the Russian writer F. Dostoevsky in “The Grand Inquisitor” by “The Karamazov Brothers”.

The temptation of power, arising from the feeling of the strong, of one who can use even the means of a superpower, but also the channels of propaganda to look convincing, has nothing to do with the spirit and thinking of the holy fathers. In the long-suffering African continent, the Church was created through the sacrificial service of weak missionaries, but strong by the grace of Almighty God. The arrogance of the secular ruler, according to the apostle of the nations Paul, collapses before the spiritual power of God’s saints, these devoted workers of the Lord’s vineyard.

Unfair and ultimately blasphemous against the Holy Spirit is the Patriarchate of Alexandria, which is finally recovering from the cost of struggle, martyrdom and the testimony of humble missionaries, suffering from the anti-canonical behavior of a sister church, younger than her according to orthodox diptychs. Especially when this church in its inter-Christian relations shows special sensitivity and attention not to harm, for example, its good cooperation with the Roman Catholic Church. We remind you that when the Russian Church endured the hardships of the ungodly regime, the churches of the Greek tradition invariably provided assistance to support the Russian Orthodox brothers in the faith and alleviate their pain. Then the spirit of unity, blessed by God, prevails. In addition, we recall that the Moscow Patriarchate performed its ministry much better when it practically carried out the spiritual covenants, experience and tradition of the ancient patriarchates and especially of the Great Church of Christ. Numerous cases of spiritual assistance from the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the strengthening of Orthodoxy in the Russian lands are known.

The Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church (Crete 2016) stated that: “The Orthodox Autocephalous Churches are not a confederation of churches, but one, holy, universal and apostolic Church” and as such must develop and promote its unity. The same council decided that it was not possible to have a diaspora within the jurisdiction of the local autocephalous Orthodox churches. Therefore, the Russian Church, with its concrete action, also challenges the modern conciliar decisions, which were also adopted by it, as it co-signed all the pre-conciliar texts.

The future of the Orthodox Church presupposes unity, and that is why we must all work in this direction, respecting and supporting church institutions. Recent experience from pan-Orthodox cooperation to the Holy and Great Council has shown the way to the creative and fruitful cooperation of local churches. This process must continue.

Standing in the apostolic and patriarchal tradition, we call for the restoration of the canonical order, which revives the testimony of Orthodoxy in the world and glorifies God in the Trinity.

Everyone is responsible for reconciliation.

The ancient amphitheater in Milan becomes a green archeological park

0

City officials plan to turn this long-forgotten ancient site into a major attraction

The ancient amphitheater in Milan is being turned into a green archeological park under a 1.5m-euro restoration project, Art Newspaper reported.

It is planned to plant a hedge of boxwood, myrtle and ligustrum on the site of the destroyed parts of the facility.

City officials plan to turn this long-forgotten ancient site into a major attraction. Many bushes will be planted in the ruins of the Roman amphitheater, which will allow visitors to imagine how the so-called Colosseum of Milan. Excavations, which are still ongoing, have already “rewritten chapters from the history of Milan”, say the people behind the project.

Mediolanum, as the city was formerly called, was the capital of the Western Roman Empire from 286 to 402 AD, when it had a palace, a circus, many basilicas, thermal baths and a huge forum. Built in the first century, the elliptical amphitheater was originally 150 meters by 120 meters – smaller than the Colosseum in Rome – but was gradually demolished in the late fourth century to provide material for new structures, including the Basilica of San Lorenzo. Archaeologists discovered its location in 1931, and in the 1970s excavations found seven walls that supported the stands.

The new project, which began in 2018, envisions an increase in the area of ​​the city-owned archeological park from 12,500 square meters to 22,300 square meters. Thus, it will become the largest in Milan. Excavations, launched in 2019 under the control of Italian authorities, revealed 14 more walls and a hypoge, consisting of two underground galleries, from which gladiators and beasts were brought to the stage.

The project is funded by the Italian Ministry of Culture and private donors. The park is expected to be open to visitors by the end of this year.

Hedges of boxwood, myrtle and ligustrum will mark parts of the structure that have been destroyed, including the walls of the base, and more than 100 trees will form a passage representing the outer walls of the amphitheater. Wild flowers will create a balance on the example of a central garden in the Renaissance style. Covering the hypogeum with a wooden stage will allow the arena to be used for performances.

Fragments of at least 150 pre-Roman vases dating from the fourth to the third century BC were discovered in the park last year, suggesting that a Celtic shrine may have been nearby. These and other finds – including a spear and a marble head resembling Agrippina, the wife of Emperor Claudius – are likely to be on display either in the park museum at the entrance or in an abandoned building that could be renovated with funds from the Ministry of Culture. The excavations will continue after the opening of the park for visitors.

About miracles and signs (1)

0

Preface

The Holy Gospel tells us that the Pharisees, dissatisfied with the miracles the Lord performed, asked Him for a special miracle: a sign from heaven (Mark 8:11). The request for such a sign, according to some strange notions of signs and wonders, was repeated many times, as the Lord testified: this kind wants signs (Mark 8:12). The Sadducees also took part in the Pharisees’ request, differing so much in their beliefs (Matt. 16: 1). Sometimes the people expressed a desire to see a sign from heaven. For example, after the miraculous multiplication of the five loaves and the saturation of the great multitude of five thousand men, without women and children, the eyewitnesses of this miracle participating in this meal said to the Lord: What figure do you give us to see and believe? What are you doing? Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness, as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat” (John 6: 30-31). They saw insufficiently the wonderful multiplication of the loaves in the hands of the Savior: it became quiet, with holy humility, which permeated all the actions of the God-man, and they needed a spectacle, they needed an effect *. They had to cover the sky with thick clouds, thunder and lightning, and the loaves fell from the air. Such was the character of the request for a miracle made by the Jewish high priests and chiefs of the people to the God-man, when He was pleased to be crucified. And the chief priests mocked together with the scribes and Pharisees and elders, saying, Save others; but he cannot save himself. If He is the King of Israel, let Him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in Him (Matt. 27: 41-42).

They acknowledge the miracles performed by the Lord, but at the same time they laugh at them and thus essentially reject them; and rejecting the miracles bestowed by God’s mercy, they seek a miracle of their own whim and discretion, a miracle which, if performed, would destroy the purpose of the God-man’s coming to earth, and then the redemption of men would not follow.

Herod was among those who wished to see a miracle of the Lord with which they intended to satisfy their curiosity, frivolity, and recklessness (Luke 23: 8). He needed a sign to have a good time. When he did not get what he wanted, he showered the Lord with ridicule, which gave him a minute of entertainment. What does this general request for miracles from the God-man, expressed by so many different people, and connected at the same time with contempt for the astonishing miracles performed by the God-man, mean? Such a request is an expression of carnal wisdom about miracles.

What does the term carnal wisdom mean? This is the way of thinking about God and everything spiritual, which is borrowed from people in their state of fall, not from the Word of God. The property of enmity and opposition to God, with which the carnal wisdom is infected and overflowing, is especially clearly expressed in the request for miracles from the Godman according to the notions of deceptive reason, in case of carelessness, rejection and condemnation of the miracles performed by the Godman. kindness. And He did them, being God’s power and God’s wisdom (1 Cor. 1:24).

PART ONE

The request of a miracle from the Godman was a grave sin, it was based on the concepts of carnal wisdom. Hearing this bold, blasphemous request, the God-man sighed with His Spirit and said: what does this race want a figure for? I tell you the truth, no figure of this kind will be given. And leaving them, he passed away. (Mark 8: 12-13)

There is joy in heaven for every repentant sinner, but also the opposite – the ungodly mourn the fall of every man and the rejection of repentance by the sinner [1] (Luke 15:10). In a gracious contemplation of God’s infinite goodness to mankind, in a contemplation of God’s benevolence for the salvation of all men, the great Macarius decided to say that the most holy and dispassionate God is filled with his characteristic weeping for human destruction. This cry, which transcends our notions, is not alien to the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of God, who dwelt in man, intercedes for him (for the man in whom he dwelt) with unspeakable sighs (Rom. 8:26). Such a sigh caused the Son of God to ask for a miracle, a request proud and insane. Sighing with His Spirit, He said: what does this race want a figure for? This question was God’s answer to the hostile request for a sign. What a deep cry is heard, God’s cry is in this answer! It seems to express bewilderment caused by the audacity and absurdity of such a request! It shows the loss of hope for the salvation of the people who made this request, contrary to the Spirit of the Giver of salvation! Marked with carnal wisdom and stubbornly abiding in it, as sick incurably, the Lord leaves them – hands them over to themselves, hands them over to destruction, which they have freely accepted and carried within themselves. And leaving them gone. It is true: Carnal wisdom is death (Rom. 8: 6). It is characteristic of the dead not to feel that they are dead, it is characteristic of the carnal

it is wise not to understand and not to feel human doom. Due to the lack of consciousness of his doom, he does not feel the need to revive, and on the basis of his deceptive, false consciousness of life has rejected and rejects real life – God.

Could there be a special authenticity of the sign from heaven – because those who wanted it, that is why they wanted it, attributing such authenticity to it. Can it be concluded that the sign from heaven is necessarily a sign from God? The opposite is seen from the Divine Scriptures. The very expression sign from heaven is too vague. Then they believed, and even now most of the people unfamiliar with the sciences, refer to the sky what is done in the air and in the air. For example, the sun, the moon, the stars are considered to be in the sky, while they are actually moving in space. The rain, the thunder, the lightning (James 5:18) are called celestial phenomena, but in fact these phenomena take place in the air, in the earth’s atmosphere and certainly belong to the earth. In the Candle. Scripture tells that by the action of the devil, God’s fire fell from heaven, burned the sheep and the boys and devoured them (John 1:16). Apparently this fire was formed in the air, just as lightning is formed in it. Simon the Magi amazed the blinded people with miracles, who considered the satanic power in them to be the great power of God (Acts 8:10). Simon was especially astonished at the Roman idolaters when he declared to the assembled crowd that he was a god, that he would ascend to heaven, and suddenly began to rise into the air. This is what the blessed Simeon Metaphrastus tells us, who borrowed his story from the ancient Christian writers. A great calamity is the lack of true knowledge of God in man: then people accept the works of the devil as the works of God.

Before the Second Coming of Christ, when Christianity, spiritual knowledge and reasoning will be reduced to the extreme, false christs and false prophets will appear among the people and show great numbers and miracles to seduce, if possible, the elect (Matt. 24:24). The antichrist himself will perform many miracles and with them will amaze and satisfy the carnal wisdom and ignorance: he will give them a sign from heaven, which they seek and long for. His appearance – says St. Apostle. Paul – by the action of Satan, will be with all power and with omens and false miracles, and with every unrighteous seduction those who perish because they have not accepted the love of truth as their salvation (2 Thess. 6:10). Those who do not understand and are overwhelmed by carnal wisdom, seeing these miracles, will not think at all and will immediately accept them because of the affinity of their spirit with theirs and according to their blindness will recognize them and confess the action of Satan as a great manifestation of God’s power. . The Antichrist will be accepted very quickly and recklessly. People will not understand that his miracles have no good, reasonable purpose, no definite meaning, that they are alien to the truth, full of lies, that they are a monstrous, vicious, meaningless acting that tries to amaze, to led to bewilderment and self-forgetfulness, to seduce, to deceive, to captivate with the charm of the brilliant but empty and foolish effect.

It is not surprising that the miracles of the antichrist will be accepted unquestioningly and enthusiastically by the apostates of Christianity, by the enemies of truth, by the enemies of God: they have prepared for the open, active acceptance of this messenger and instrument of Satan, his teaching, of all his actions, having long since entered into communion in spirit with Satan. It is worthy of deep attention and weeping that the miracles and actions of the antichrist will cause difficulty even to God’s elect. The reason for the strong influence of the antichrist on people will be his insidious cunning and hypocrisy, which will skillfully hide the terrible evil, his unbridled and shameless audacity, the abundant help of fallen spirits, and finally his ability to work miracles, though false, but striking. The human imagination is powerless to imagine such a villain as the antichrist. It is not inherent in the human heart, though corrupt, to believe that evil can reach the extent that it will in the antichrist. He will blow the trumpet for himself, as his forerunners and foreshadowers did, he will be called a preacher and restorer of the true knowledge of God, and those who do not understand Christianity will see in him a representative and fighter for the true religion and will join him. He will blow the trumpet, he will declare himself the promised Messiah. Alumni of carnal wisdom will greet him with a joyful voice. Looking at his fame, power and genius, his all-round development in all areas of this world, they will proclaim him a god and become his associates. The Antichrist will appear before men meek, merciful, full of love and all virtue. Those who accept only the truth of fallen humanity and have not renounced it for the sake of evangelical truth will accept him as such and will obey him for his “sublime virtue.” The Antichrist will offer mankind the highest earthly prosperity and well-being, will offer him honors, wealth, splendor, bodily comforts and pleasures. Therefore, those who seek the earth will accept the antichrist and call him their master. The Antichrist will open to mankind, like a theatrical performance, a spectacle of astonishing miracles inexplicable by modern science, will cause fear with the horror and strangeness of his miracles, will satisfy with them reckless curiosity and gross ignorance, will satisfy human pride and vanity, will satisfy wisdom and superstition will perplex human learning. All people who are guided by the light of their fallen nature and have become estranged from the guidance of God’s light will be drawn to and subdued by the deceiver (Rev. 13: 8). The signs of the antichrist will be manifested mainly in the air, [8] because that is where Satan reigns supreme (Eph. 2: 2: 6-12). Signs will act primarily on vision, attracting and deceiving it.

St. John the Theologian, contemplating the events of the world that must precede his end, says that the antichrist will do great deeds and even bring down fire from heaven on earth before men (Rev. 13:13). This sign Candle. Scripture points to the greatest of the signs of the antichrist, and the place of its performance will be the air. It will be a terrible and majestic spectacle. The signs of the antichrist will complement the action of his cunning. They will make most people on earth his followers. Opponents of the antichrist will be pointed out as troublemakers and enemies of the public good and public order, will be subjected to covert and overt persecution, torture and death. Sly spirits sent around the world will awaken in people the highest opinion of the antichrist, universal enthusiasm, irresistible attraction to him [10]. With many scars Candle. Scripture depicts the severity of the last persecution of Christianity and the cruelty of the persecutor. The most characteristic and defining feature is the name that Scripture gives to this terrible man: he is called a beast (Rev. 13: 1), while the fallen angel is called a dragon (Gen. 3: 1 Rev. 12: 2). The two names very accurately depict the character of the two enemies of God. One acts more secretly, the other more openly, but to the beast, who bears a resemblance to all beasts, uniting in them their various ferocities, [11] the dragon gave him … his power, and his throne, and great power (Rev. 13: 2). Then there will be a terrible trial for the saints of God: the cunning, hypocrisy, and miracles of the persecutor will intensify to deceive and deceive them. Sophisticated, thoughtful and insidiously concealed persecutions and worries, as well as the unlimited power of the torturer, will put them in the most difficult position. With their small number, they will seem insignificant to all mankind, and their opinion will be given special helplessness. Universal contempt, hatred, slander, harassment and violent death has become their lot. Only with the special assistance of God’s grace and under its guidance will God’s elect be able to stand up to God’s enemy, to confess before him and before men the Lord Jesus Christ.

Directly related to what has been said is that the Pharisees and Sadducees, asking the Lord for a sign from heaven, desired a miracle such as the miracles of the antichrist. The fact that they wanted such a miracle is indicated by the behavior of the Lord, His attitude to their desire. Once the Godman expressed deep indignation, resolutely refused to comply with their request and did not want to stay with those who allowed themselves such a request, but withdrew from them. In another case, He gave them the following answer: A wicked and adulterous generation seeks a number, but no number will be given to it except the number of the prophet Jonah (Matt. 16: 4). Here are called “genus” all those who want such a sign because of their kinship in spirit. They are called “adulterous” because they have spiritually entered into communion with Satan [12] by severing their communion with God, and they are called “cunning generation” because, realizing the miracles of the Godman, they pretended not to understand them. Humiliating and blaspheming God’s miracles, they prayed for a miracle, according to their unhappy disposition, with their spirit. The request for a sign from heaven was not so much a request for a miracle as a mockery of the miracles of the Godman and an expression of the ignorant, perverse notion of miracles. The figure of the prophet Jonah, according to the explanation of the Savior Himself (Matt. 12:40), signifies the signs accompanying His death and resurrection. Then, God’s sign was given from heaven! The sun, seeing the crucified Lord, darkened in the middle of the day, deep darkness everywhere, which lasted three hours, the curtain of the Jerusalem temple itself tore in two from the upper to the lower end, there was an earthquake, cracked stones, opened graves, many holy resurrection and they appeared to many in the holy city (Luke 23:45, Matt. 27:45, 51-53). At the very resurrection of the Lord there was another earthquake, a light-bearing angel descended from heaven to the Lord’s tomb as a witness to the resurrection and terrified the guard at the tomb of those seeking a sign from heaven (Matt. 28: 2-4, 11-15). The guards announced the resurrection of the Lord to the Jewish Sanhedrin. But he, having received such a sign from heaven, showed him contempt and hatred, as he showed all the previous miracles of the God-man, bribed the guards and together with them tried to cover the miracle of God with the darkness of lies (Matt. 28: 2- 4, 11-15).

Let us now consider the miracles performed by our Lord Jesus Christ. They are a gift of God to humanity, a gift given not as a duty, but only out of mercy and benevolence. People were obliged to treat this gift and the Giver of the gift with the greatest reverence and prudence, because the Giver of the gift revealed to them that He is God, accepted the human image for their salvation, and gave the gift as a testimony of Himself. This gift had undeniable dignity. But because the acceptance of salvation is left to the free will of man, people have been given the opportunity to consider the miracles of Christ, discussing their authenticity and quality, to draw conclusions about their doer, to accept and acknowledge the Redeemer. by virtue of free, undoubted conviction, and not of hasty, frivolous, as if violent indulgence. Christ’s miracles were very clear. For all of them can be said what the Lord said to St. Apostle. Thomas: Put your finger here and see My hands, put your hand and put it in My ribs, and do not be an unbeliever, but a believer (John 20:27). Christ’s miracles were tangible, they were clear to the simplest people, there was nothing mysterious about them, everyone could look at them calmly, there was no room for doubt and perplexity whether it was a miracle or just like a miracle. The dead were resurrected, incurable diseases were cured, the lepers were cleansed, the blind were seen, the dumb began to speak, food instantly multiplied for those in need, sea waves and winds subsided with a single word of command and saved people from death. who were threatened with death by the storm; the nets of the fishermen, who toiled for a long time in vain, were suddenly filled with fish, obedient to the silent voice of the Lord. The miracles of the Godman had many witnesses, most of whom were either hostile to Him, or careless, or sought only bodily help from Him. And the worst enemies of the Lord did not reject them, but tried to humiliate them with blasphemous explanations and by all means that inspired them with cunning and malice (Matt. 12:24, John 9:24).

(to be continued)

 (Writings of Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov. Volume IV. Ascetic Sermon and Letters to the Lay People, St. Petersburg, 1905, pp. 292-326.)

NOTES:

* All underlining in the text is by the translator

1. St. Macarius the Great. Talk 30, ch. 7.

2. There.

3. Cf. the life of St. Apostle Peter. Pinetti lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, performing such miracles, performing them and performing others like him.

4. Prep. Ephraim Sirin. Essays. Part II Word 106 – for the antichrist.

5. There.

6. Prep. Macarius the Great. Talk 31, ch. 4.

7. The Evangelist. Interpretation of the Gospel according to John, ch. 5, § 43.

8. Prep. Ephraim Sirin. Again there.

9. “The devotee of prayer must too seldom stare at heaven for fear of evil spirits. That is why they are called air spirits, because they commit many different deceptions in the air “- St. Simeon the New Theologian. For the third type of attention. Benevolence, vol.

10. Prep. Ephraim Sirin. Again there.

11. “The beast I saw was like a leopard, its feet like a bear and its mouth like the mouth of a lion (Rev. 13: 2).

12. The Evangelist. Interpretation of the Gospel according to Matthew, ch. 16, § 4.

Ten Love Letters to the Earth I-V

0

The European Times is sharing the Ten Love Letters to the Earth of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. These meditations are an invitation to engage in intimate conversation, a living dialogue, with our Earth.

I

Beloved Mother of All Things

Dear Mother Earth,

I bow my head before you as I look deeply and recognize that you are present in me and that I’m a part of you. I was born from you and you are always present, offering me everything I need for my nourishment and growth. My mother, my father, and all my ancestors are also your children. We breathe your fresh air. We drink your clear water. We eat your nourishing food. Your herbs heal us when we’re sick.

You are the mother of all beings. I call you by the human name Mother and yet I know your mothering nature is more vast and ancient than humankind. We are just one young species of your many children. All the millions of other species who live—or have lived—on Earth are also your children. You aren’t a person, but I know you are not less than a person either. You are a living breathing being in the form of a planet.

Each species has its own language, yet as our Mother you can understand us all. That is why you can hear me today as I open my heart to you and offer you my prayer.

Dear Mother, wherever there is soil, water, rock or air, you are there, nourishing me and giving me life. You are present in every cell of my body. My physical body is your physical body, and just as the sun and stars are present in you, they are also present in me. You are not outside of me and I am not outside of you. You are more than just my environment. You are nothing less than myself.

I promise to keep the awareness alive that you are always in me, and I am always in you. I promise to be aware that your health and well-being is my own health and well-being. I know I need to keep this awareness alive in me for us both to be peaceful, happy, healthy, and strong.

Sometimes I forget. Lost in the confusions and worries of daily life, I forget that my body is your body, and sometimes even forget that I have a body at all. Unaware of the presence of my body and the beautiful planet around me and within me, I’m unable to cherish and celebrate the precious gift of life you have given me. Dear Mother, my deep wish is to wake up to the miracle of life. I promise to train myself to be present for myself, my life, and for you in every moment. I know that my true presence is the best gift I can offer to you, the one I love.

II

Your Wonder, Beauty and Creativity

Dear Mother Earth,

Each morning when I wake up you offer me twenty-four brand new hours to cherish and enjoy your beauty. You gave birth to every miraculous form of life. Your children include the clear lake, the green pine, the pink cloud, the snowcapped mountain top, the fragrant forest, the white crane, the golden deer, the extraordinary caterpillar, and every brilliant mathematician, skilled artisan, and gifted architect. You are the greatest mathematician, the most accomplished artisan, and the most talented architect of all. The simple branch of cherry blossoms, the shell of a snail, and the wing of a bat all bear witness to this amazing truth. My deep wish is to live in such a way that I am awake to each of your wonders and nourished by your beauty. I cherish your precious creativity and I smile to this gift of life.

We humans have talented artists, but how can our paintings compare to your masterpiece of the four seasons? How could we ever paint such a compelling dawn or create a more radiant dusk? We have great composers, but how can our music compare to your celestial harmony with the sun and planets—or to the sound of the rising tide? We have great heroes and heroines who have endured wars, hardship, and dangerous voyages, but how can their bravery compare to your great forbearance and patience along your hazardous journey of eons? We have many great love stories, but who among us has love as immense as your own, embracing all beings without discrimination?

Dear Mother, you have given birth to countless buddhas, saints, and enlightened beings. Shakyamuni Buddha is a child of yours. Jesus Christ is the son of God, and yet he is also the son of Man, a child of the Earth, your child. Mother Mary is also a daughter of the Earth. The Prophet Mohammed is also your child. Moses is your child. So too are all the bodhisattvas. You are also mother to eminent thinkers and scientists who have made great discoveries, investigating and understanding not only our own solar system and Milky Way, but even the most distant galaxies. It’s through these talented children that you are deepening your communication with the cosmos. Knowing that you have given birth to so many great beings, I know that you aren’t mere inert matter, but living spirit. It’s because you’re endowed with the capacity of awakening that all your children are too. Each one of us carries within ourself the seed of awakening, the ability to live in harmony with our deepest wisdom—the wisdom of interbeing.

But there are times when we have not done so well. There are times when we have not loved you enough; times when we have forgotten your true nature; and times when we have discriminated and treated you as something other than ourself. There have even been times when, through ignorance and unskillfulness, we have underestimated, exploited, wounded, and polluted you. That is why I make the deep vow today, with gratitude and love in my heart, to cherish and protect your beauty, and to embody your wondrous consciousness in my own life. I vow to follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before me, to live with awakening and compassion, and so be worthy of calling myself your child.

III

Walking Tenderly on Mother Earth

Dear Mother Earth,

Every time I step upon the Earth, I will train myself to see that I am walking on you, my Mother. Every time I place my feet on the Earth I have a chance to be in touch with you and with all your wonders. With every step I can touch the fact that you aren’t just beneath me, dear Mother, but you are also within me. Each mindful and gentle step can nourish me, heal me, and bring me into contact with myself and with you in the present moment.

Walking in mindfulness I can express my love, respect, and care for you, our precious Earth. I will touch the truth that mind and body are not two separate entities. I will train myself to look deeply to see your true nature: you are my loving mother, a living being, a great being—an immense, beautiful, and precious wonder. You are not only matter, you are also mind, you are also consciousness. Just as the beautiful pine or tender grain of corn possess an innate sense of knowing, so, too, do you. Within you, dear Mother Earth, there are the elements of Earth, water, air and fire; and there is also time, space, and consciousness. Our nature is your nature, which is also the nature of the cosmos.

I want to walk gently, with steps of love and with great respect. I shall walk with my own body and mind united in oneness. I know I can walk in such a way that every step is a pleasure, every step is nourishing, and every step is healing—not only for my body and mind, but also for you, dear Mother Earth. You are the most beautiful planet in our entire solar system. I do not want to run away from you, dear Mother, nor to hurry. I know I can find happiness right here with you. I do not need to rush to find more conditions for happiness in the future. At every step I can take refuge in you. At every step I can enjoy your beauties, your delicate veil of atmosphere and the miracle of gravity. I can stop my thinking. I can walk relaxingly and effortlessly. Walking in this spirit I can experience awakening. I can awaken to the fact that I am alive, and that life is a precious miracle. I can awaken to the fact that I am never alone and can never die. You are always there within me and around me at every step, nourishing me, embracing me, and carrying me far into the future.

Dear Mother, you wish that we live with more awareness and gratitude, and we can do this by generating the energies of mindfulness, peace, stability, and compassion in our daily lives. Therefore I make the promise today to return your love and fulfill this wish by investing every step I take on you with love and tenderness. I am walking not merely on matter, but on spirit.

IV

Your Stability, Patience, and Inclusiveness

Dear Mother Earth,

You are this infinitely beautiful blue planet, fragrant, cool, and kind. Your immeasurable patience and endurance makes you a great bodhisattva. Even though we’ve made many mistakes, you always forgive us. Every time we return to you, you are ready to open your arms and embrace us.

Whenever I am unstable, every time I lose touch with myself, or am lost in forgetfulness, sadness, hatred, or despair, I know I can come back to you. Touching you, I can find a refuge; I can reestablish my peace and regain my joy and self-confidence. You love, protect, and nurture all of us without discrimination.

You have an immense capacity to embrace, handle, and transform everything that is cast at you, whether it be great asteroids, refuse and filth, poisonous fumes, or radioactive waste. Time helps you to do this, and your history has shown that you always succeed, even if it takes millions of years. You were able to reestablish equilibrium after the devastating collision that created the moon and have endured at least five mass extinctions, reviving yourself every time. You have an extraordinary capacity to renew, transform, and heal yourself—and also us, your children.

I have faith in your great power of healing. My faith comes from my own observation and experience, not from something others have told me to believe. That’s why I know I can take refuge in you. As I walk, sit, and breathe, I can surrender myself to you, trust wholly in you, and allow you to heal me. I know I don’t have to do anything at all. I can simply relax, release all the tension in my body, and all the fears and worries in my mind. Whether I’m sitting or walking, lying down or standing, I allow myself to take refuge in you, and allow myself to be held and healed by you. I entrust myself to you, Mother Earth. Each one of us needs a place of refuge, but we may not know how to find it or how to get there. Looking deeply today, I can see that my true home, my true place of refuge is you, my beloved planet. I take refuge in you, Mother Earth. I do not have to go anywhere to find you; you are already in me and I am already in you.

Dear Mother, each time I sit in stillness on your Earth, I will be aware that because you are in me, I can embody your wonderful qualities: of solidity, perseverance, patience, and forbearance; of depth, endurance, and stability; of great courage, non-fear, and inexhaustible creativity. I vow to practice wholeheartedly to realize these qualities, knowing that you have already sown these potentials as seeds in the soil of my heart and mind.

V

Heaven on Earth

Dear Mother Earth,

There are those of us who walk the Earth searching for a promised land, not realizing that you are the wondrous place we’ve been looking for our whole lives. You already are a wonderful and beautiful Kingdom of Heaven—the most beautiful planet in the solar system; the most beautiful place in the heavens. You are the Pure Land where countless buddhas and bodhisattvas of the past manifested, realized enlightenment, and taught the Dharma. I do not need to imagine a Pure Land of the Buddha to the west or a Kingdom of God above where I will go when I die. Heaven is here on Earth. The Kingdom of God is here and now. I don’t need to die to be in the Kingdom of God. In fact, I need to be very much alive. I can touch the Kingdom of God with every step. When I touch the present moment deeply in the historical dimension, I touch the kingdom; I touch the Pure Land; I touch the ultimate; and I touch eternity. In deep contact with the Earth and wonders of life, I touch my true nature. The exquisite orchid flower, the ray of sunshine, and even my own miraculous body—if they do not belong to the Kingdom of God, what does? Contemplating the Earth deeply, whether a floating cloud or a falling leaf, I can see the no-birth, no-death nature of reality. With you, dear Mother, we are carried into eternity. We have never been born and we will never die. Once we have realized this, we can then appreciate and enjoy life fully, no longer afraid of aging or death, nor caught in complexes about ourselves, nor yearning for things to be different than they are. We already are, and we already have, what we are looking for.

The Kingdom of Heaven exists, not outside of us, but within our very own hearts. Whether we’re able to touch the Kingdom of God or not at every step, depends on our way of looking, our way of listening, our way of walking. If my mind is calm and peaceful, then the very ground I’m walking on becomes a paradise.

There are those who say that in their heaven there is no suffering. But if there is no suffering, how can there be happiness? We need compost to grow flowers, and mud to grow lotuses. We need difficulties in order to arrive at realizations about them; enlightenment is always enlightenment about something.

Dear Mother, I promise to cultivate this way of looking. I promise to enjoy the practice of dwelling peacefully with mindfulness in the here and the now, so I can touch the Pure Land, the Kingdom of God, day and night. I promise that with every step I will touch eternity. With every step I will touch heaven here on Earth.

(to be continued)

From Love Letter to the Earth by Thich Nhat Hanh (2013). Parallax Press, the publishing house of the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism.

Houseplants that are good for our health

0

Apart from being beautiful and unique in themselves, plants are also extremely useful if we accept them to be part of our home interior. Some of them have an irresistible scent, others bring color and mood, but whatever we list or offer plants, they remain an excellent helper in the name of good health. In times when the air is polluted and we try to live healthy, see some of the most useful plants for our home and health.

Gerber

Gerber is a really very beautiful and perennial flowering plant. It blooms for a long time and is preferred because it is extremely easy to grow. Apart from being very beautiful, gerbera is also on the list of the most effective plants in the fight against NASA’s dirty air, which makes it even more unique and valuable. The aroma of this great plant has a calming effect and helps people who suffer from insomnia.

Green lily

The green lily, also known as chlorophytum or spider plant, is ideal for people who have no experience in growing houseplants. It is really very beautiful and undemanding, which makes it really easy to grow. The green lily purifies the air in the room. This unique plant is useful in that it manages to capture all the chemicals and impurities that are dispersed in the air when we clean our home.

Spathiphyllum

This is an extremely beautiful and delicate plant, but in addition to being beautiful, spathiphyllum also acts as a natural filter in your home. The plant is able to clean the air of harmful substances by absorbing them through its leaves.

Ficus

Ficus is one of the most common tropical plants that can be grown in pots at home. This plant is known to be evergreen and could grow in the form of a tree, creeping plant or shrub. There are several types of ficus, but whichever you choose to grow at home, know that the plant could neutralize toxins, humidify the air and saturate it with oxygen.

Jasmine

This plant is from the Olive family and there are about 200 species of jasmine growing in the tropics as well as in the temperate regions of Europe, Australia and Asia. Sophisticated and delicate, the jasmine plant is known for its delicate, small flowers and tropical aroma. Jasmine is a perennial plant and is relatively easy to grow. The aroma of this beautiful and enchanting flower is able to stimulate the production of the hormone of happiness, instantly recharging our body with energy and calming us at the same time.

Each flower radiates its energy in our home, be careful with red colors

According to feng shui, flowers grown in our home carry a variety of energy. Here are some representatives of the flora and what energy they would bring to our home. Orchids, peonies and tulips are the bearers of family happiness. If you plant any of these plants you will enjoy an enviable family life.

Cacti have the ability to absorb harmful rays from computers, for example. Therefore, according to feng shui, they are the most preferred of all plants with thorns. Geranium placed next to the front door is believed to attract good luck in the home. Be careful with flowers that have red colors, because red is a very strong color. According to feng shui, it can bring you both happiness and success, as well as bad luck in your love life. The red rose is not a suitable plant as it symbolizes death. If you want to grow red flowers and they bring you positive energy in the home, you can opt for petunias or poinsettia. Their energy is more than positive. The creeping plants that cover the windows worsen relations with relatives. If you have such plants creeping over your door there is a risk of losing your home. In general, these flowers carry negative energy and do not have a good effect on your emotional state.

Depending on what you would like to attract, there are plants that would help you. For example, if you want to succeed in love, grow orchids and peonies to attract money – geranium, poinsettia, daffodil or sunflower. If you need peace of mind, the most suitable flowers are violet, hyacinth and forget-me-not. If, despite the care you take for your flowers, they begin to wither or look dry, you should know that the reason is most likely that the plants capture the negative energy. This can be detrimental to the flowers and a good option to keep them is to simply change their location in your home. Many people do not manage to grow flowers. Coincidentally, if you are among them, you could bet at least on the paintings depicting flowers. They also have a positive effect on the energy of the home. Even according to feng shui theories, if an unmarried woman hangs a picture of flowers on her wall, she will find a suitable husband. Certainly plants have a positive effect on everyone’s home. In addition to beautifying your house, they capture negative energy and convert it into positive energy. So if you don’t have a single flower, consider getting at least one. Just be careful when choosing, because not all plants have positive properties on the success and harmony of your home.

Photo: Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)

Popularly known as Spath, Mauna Loa, or peace lily
Plant Family: Araceae
Country of origin:  Colombia and Venezuela
Toxicity: May be poisonous to humans, cats, and dogs
Known benefit: NASA-certified natural air purifier for benzene and formaldehyde.