Wherever you turn in Davos, you see the World Economic Forum's modest motto: "Committed to improving the state of the world." Well, it needs it. So here's one practical step: the G8 should be expanded to G14, adding China, India, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and Indonesia. Arbitrary? To be sure. Tactless? You bet. Deeply offensive to some important countries not on that list? Obviously - and they will cry havoc, foul and blue murder. But sometimes, if you're committed to improving the state of the world, you have to be a little brutal.
The dangers of climate change, nuclear proliferation, disease and poverty - not to mention the fragile state of globalised capitalism - demand a more credible and representative cast at the annual intergovernmental summit. As Asia rises, it is ever more absurd that the world's unofficial top table has a seat for Italy but not for China. The current lineup at the world's official top table, the UN security council, is not very satisfactory either, but it's also more difficult to change. The G8, by contrast, is a club that can simply decide to invite new members to join. That's how the G7 came to add Russia in the 1990s. No UN general assembly debate or ratification procedure is required. In principle, there's no reason why this decision could not be taken at the next annual summit, this summer in Japan. Like Nike, the G8 can just do it.
One objection to expanding the group is that it will lose intimacy, or "collegiality". But the fireside chats of the original "library group" of the early 1970s are already a thing of the distant past. Today's G8 summits are massive intergovernmental events, their every artful informality planned like a military operation. I'm told the American delegation to the last one, in Germany, had some 800 people. The qualitative difference between a lunchtime conversation of eight leaders and of 14 is not so great. The key deals will be made in smaller side-conversations anyway. The gain in representativeness, and therefore the global reach of commitments made on issues such as climate change, trade and aid, will more than compensate for the loss of pretended intimacy.
Another objection, a variant on the "collegiality" theme, is that the G8 has been a community of values. Expand it too far and you dilute the lifeblood of common values. But this has already happened with the admission of Russia. It's ridiculous to suggest that Vladimir Putin has more values in common with Gordon Brown than does Manmohan Singh, the prime minister of the world's largest democracy. If one wanted to keep this as a club of the world's leading liberal democracies, one should expel Russia and admit India in its place.
I have in the past been tempted by that idea; but it's not going to happen, and probably it shouldn't. The indispensable shared values therefore have to be rather minimal. Shall we say: committed to ensuring a future for humankind on this planet; a reasonable stability of the world economic system; and as much human dignity for as many human beings as the self-interested policies of states and the selfishness of voters will allow? To those minimal goals, even Putin's Russia can commit. And undemocratic China, too.
Apart from those two currently undemocratic giants, which themselves can evolve positively as well as negatively, the proposed expansion does not drastically reduce the domestic freedom base. It makes the club less western, but not necessarily less democratic. India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico are all not merely electoral democracies but classified by Freedom House as free countries. And note that I propose as the major Islamic country for inclusion not Egypt or Saudi Arabia but Indonesia. Indonesia is both the world's largest Muslim country and a democracy, albeit of a ramshackle and imperfect kind.
So we have a rough and ready mix of criteria for membership: power and importance, above all, but also some degree of effective and answerable government (less in some cases, more in others), and some crude element of regional representativeness. Although there are more than 190 states in the world, these 14 states between them account for three-fifths of the world's population, more than two-thirds of its GDP, nearly three-quarters of its carbon dioxide emissions, and more than 80% of its defence expenditure. The regional tally would still reflect the heritage of western dominance, but it would now count Europe: 4 (plus European Union representatives in attendance), North America: 3, East Asia: 2, Latin America: 1, Africa: 1, Eurasia: 1, South Asia: 1 and South-East Asia: 1. An improvement, at least, on the current mix.
Some say you don't need to be so brutal. You could leave the current G8 as it is, or just add China and India but beef up the so-called G20 group of finance ministers, perhaps renaming it L20, to avoid total confusion and to reflect its enhanced role. (The L20 idea was originally pushed by the former Canadian prime minister, Paul Martin.) But this seems to me a fudge too far.
Others suggest you need different groupings for each issue, perhaps a C15 for climate change, a D23 for development, an E19 for energy security, and so on, all the way through to the Z99 for zoological diversity. In which case, our leaders would spend all their time attending international meetings, leaving no time left to run their countries. That would not improve the state of the world. Of course, other states need to be involved according to subject, but the fewer core groupings, the better.
While the process of UN reform grinds on, this reformed group of the world's most powerful and important countries (power and importance being not quite the same thing) should propose collective actions on climate change, world trade, development, energy security, HIV/Aids and Africa - to take a shortlist from Germany's G8 summit last year. It makes no sense at all to tackle an issue like climate change without the world's largest growing carbon emitters, China and India, at the table - which is why leaders of five of my six proposed new members were invited to attend part of that meeting, as the so-called "outreach five". So why not make it official?
Scepticism is plainly in order about what such meetings achieve, beyond declarations and promises. At the very least, the world's emerging great powers would have to think about, and take positions on, matters of wider responsibility which they might not otherwise confront. And the world's waning great powers could get used to listening to what the waxing ones have to say, and perhaps influence them too, before it is too late. Moreover, countries do actually make commitments at these summits. The independent G8 Research Group, based at the University of Toronto, monitors compliance on these commitments and produces league tables that show up the laggards. Embarrassment is worth something.
A G14 would be nothing like a world government. With time and luck, it might evolve into something that could be called, by very loose analogy with the 19th-century "Concert of Europe", a concert of world powers. Not a substitute for a reformed UN, but an essential complement to it. But which of today's G8 leaders will take up the challenge?
www.timothygartonash.com
Personally I invite you, u can see a video with a practical tips in a country enlisted as example:
http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/55729/all-about-money-how-to-spend-right-in-2008.html
Translation Box of Google
domingo 13 de abril de 2008
viernes 7 de marzo de 2008
March 7, 2008
viernes 29 de febrero de 2008
BALANCE FROM HYPERMODERN WORLD
TODAY,THERE'S MORE KNOWLEDGE EVER,THERE'S MORE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN CULTURES EVER, THERE'S MORE BILLS AND COINS EVER, BUT A FEW SCIENTIST AND VISIONAIRES,TALK US ABOUT THE PARAMOUNT AND OUTSTANDING,BOTH THE EARTH PLANET AND MANKIND'S DESTINY.
PLEASE, HEAR THEM
Al Gore presents his movie in Paris
Uploaded by SachaQS
PLEASE, HEAR THEM
Al Gore presents his movie in Paris
Uploaded by SachaQS
AND FINALLY,NASA EXPLAIN US THIS REVIEW IN THIS REPORT
viernes 9 de noviembre de 2007
When honesty would be sincronized,wealth will be update
Paragraph written by B y P van E, titled "Jewelry Demand & the Gold Price" may 1, 2006
I spent the past week in Dubai -- City of Gold -- a hub for both bullion and jewelry trade. Gold Jewelry here is sold by weight and purity, with most of the jewelry being either 22 karat or 24 karat gold (24 karat gold is pure gold; 22 karat is 22/24ths pure, or 91.67%). In contrast, much of the jewelry sold in the United States is either 10 karat (41.67% gold) or 14 karat (58.3% gold). 22 and 24 karat gold jewelry is soft and impractical for everyday wear, which is why most of the jewelry in the West contains considerably less gold.
Jewelry containing a high percentage of gold is not purchased for everyday wear but for its value as a store of wealth. Because the manufacturing cost component of the final price for jewelry with a very high gold content (22 and 24 karat) is much smaller than the manufacturing cost component for jewelry with a low gold content, high purity jewelry can be resold to jewelers for its gold content with very little financial loss. Such sales make up the bulk of the gold recycling supply.
When you are in a place such as Dubai, where so much trade in physical gold takes place, it is easy to understand why people think jewelry production is important to the gold price. However, the price of gold is almost completely insensitive to jewelry demand, scrap sales, mine production, producer hedging or central bank sales.
Total jewelry consumption during 2005 was 2,736 tonnes of gold. Industrial and dental demand added another 419 tonnes for a total of 3,155 tonnes of primary gold demand. Mine production during 2005 was about 2,515 tonnes. Some people believe that this 640 tonne primary shortfall of gold mine production relative to fabrication demand is relevant to the gold price. They also seem to think that net investment demand, official sector sales and purchases, etc. are important.
Jewelry demand is important to jewelers but it makes no difference to the gold price.
The bulk of international gold trading occurs through the facilities of the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) and from their website we learn that the average DAILY volume of gold trading was 513 tonnes during 2005. Now let me explain what that number means. The LBMA only reports the net amount of gold transferred between its clearing members at the end of the day. So if two members trade 100 tonnes five times during the day (total trading volume is therefore 500 tonnes), and at the end of the day one member owes the other member 200 tonnes of gold (i.e. net position at the end of the day) then only 200 tonnes is reported by the LBMA. The LBMA trading volume reflects the net amount of gold transferred between clearing member accounts at the end of the trading day. It is estimated that the actual volume of gold trading is possibly as much as 4 to 6 times larger than the net positions reported by the LBMA. Remember, these are not derivative trades; these are the settlement numbers for actual gold trades.
Now, if the volume of gold trading through the facilities of the LBMA is in the order of 500 tonnes per day, then I am afraid that a 640 tonne annual shortfall between mine production and fabrication demand is totally irrelevant. In fact, the entire 2,736 tonnes of annual jewelry demand are irrelevant: they represent less than 6 days of trading through the LBMA. It makes no difference to the gold price whether India had a good harvest or a poor harvest, even though, again, it is probably important to the jewelers.
Gold is money; it is not a commodity. Its value relative to fiat currencies is purely a function of the relative inflation rates of gold and other currencies. The gold price may fluctuate based on investor psychology, just like the price of any financial asset, but it will always revert back to its fundamental value, which is determined by relative inflation rates.
Just like the inflation rate of money is the increase in money supply, the inflation rate of gold is the increase in the above-ground stock of gold, i.e. mine production as a percentage of all the gold that has ever been mined. If we know what the inflation rate of a particular currency is we can calculate its relative value to gold, assuming we have a starting point at which we knew what the fair value of the currency was. This can be done for the US dollar. In 1933 the gold price was defined by the fact that a $20 gold coin contained 0.9675 ounces of gold. From this we know that the gold price in US dollars during 1933 was $20.67. If we now take in consideration the inflation rate of the US dollar (as defined by M3 and the Consumer Price Index for those years that M3 did not exist), and the inflation rate of gold (annual mine production) we can calculate that the gold price in US dollars should be around $850 an ounce.
However, gold is not unique to the United States; it is an international form of money and so we also have to take into consideration the US dollar exchange rate, since anything we price on international markets in US dollars will fluctuate along with changes in the US dollar exchange rate. We know from the US trade deficit that the US dollar is over-priced on foreign exchange markets and the US is putting considerable pressure on China to help devalue the dollar. The only reason gold is not $850 an ounce (or thereabout) today is that the US dollar is over-priced. As the US dollar exchange rate falls the gold price in US dollars will rise.
Like all markets there is a real possibility that the gold price will overshoot its fair value and the gold price could therefore exceed $850 an ounce. But like all markets the gold price is bound to return to its fair market value in the event that it does overshoot the mark. Also, keep in mind that the value of gold in US dollars will increase over time in proportion to the inflation rate of the US dollar. Unfortunately, the Federal Reserve of the United States has stopped publishing M3 data and so we have lost a great tool for gauging the dollar’s inflation rate. Historically the inflation rate of the dollar has almost always outpaced the inflation rate of gold, so the longer it takes before the dollar exchange rate falls, the higher the fair value of gold in US dollars becomes.
I spent the past week in Dubai -- City of Gold -- a hub for both bullion and jewelry trade. Gold Jewelry here is sold by weight and purity, with most of the jewelry being either 22 karat or 24 karat gold (24 karat gold is pure gold; 22 karat is 22/24ths pure, or 91.67%). In contrast, much of the jewelry sold in the United States is either 10 karat (41.67% gold) or 14 karat (58.3% gold). 22 and 24 karat gold jewelry is soft and impractical for everyday wear, which is why most of the jewelry in the West contains considerably less gold.
Jewelry containing a high percentage of gold is not purchased for everyday wear but for its value as a store of wealth. Because the manufacturing cost component of the final price for jewelry with a very high gold content (22 and 24 karat) is much smaller than the manufacturing cost component for jewelry with a low gold content, high purity jewelry can be resold to jewelers for its gold content with very little financial loss. Such sales make up the bulk of the gold recycling supply.
When you are in a place such as Dubai, where so much trade in physical gold takes place, it is easy to understand why people think jewelry production is important to the gold price. However, the price of gold is almost completely insensitive to jewelry demand, scrap sales, mine production, producer hedging or central bank sales.
Total jewelry consumption during 2005 was 2,736 tonnes of gold. Industrial and dental demand added another 419 tonnes for a total of 3,155 tonnes of primary gold demand. Mine production during 2005 was about 2,515 tonnes. Some people believe that this 640 tonne primary shortfall of gold mine production relative to fabrication demand is relevant to the gold price. They also seem to think that net investment demand, official sector sales and purchases, etc. are important.
Jewelry demand is important to jewelers but it makes no difference to the gold price.
The bulk of international gold trading occurs through the facilities of the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) and from their website we learn that the average DAILY volume of gold trading was 513 tonnes during 2005. Now let me explain what that number means. The LBMA only reports the net amount of gold transferred between its clearing members at the end of the day. So if two members trade 100 tonnes five times during the day (total trading volume is therefore 500 tonnes), and at the end of the day one member owes the other member 200 tonnes of gold (i.e. net position at the end of the day) then only 200 tonnes is reported by the LBMA. The LBMA trading volume reflects the net amount of gold transferred between clearing member accounts at the end of the trading day. It is estimated that the actual volume of gold trading is possibly as much as 4 to 6 times larger than the net positions reported by the LBMA. Remember, these are not derivative trades; these are the settlement numbers for actual gold trades.
Now, if the volume of gold trading through the facilities of the LBMA is in the order of 500 tonnes per day, then I am afraid that a 640 tonne annual shortfall between mine production and fabrication demand is totally irrelevant. In fact, the entire 2,736 tonnes of annual jewelry demand are irrelevant: they represent less than 6 days of trading through the LBMA. It makes no difference to the gold price whether India had a good harvest or a poor harvest, even though, again, it is probably important to the jewelers.
Gold is money; it is not a commodity. Its value relative to fiat currencies is purely a function of the relative inflation rates of gold and other currencies. The gold price may fluctuate based on investor psychology, just like the price of any financial asset, but it will always revert back to its fundamental value, which is determined by relative inflation rates.
Just like the inflation rate of money is the increase in money supply, the inflation rate of gold is the increase in the above-ground stock of gold, i.e. mine production as a percentage of all the gold that has ever been mined. If we know what the inflation rate of a particular currency is we can calculate its relative value to gold, assuming we have a starting point at which we knew what the fair value of the currency was. This can be done for the US dollar. In 1933 the gold price was defined by the fact that a $20 gold coin contained 0.9675 ounces of gold. From this we know that the gold price in US dollars during 1933 was $20.67. If we now take in consideration the inflation rate of the US dollar (as defined by M3 and the Consumer Price Index for those years that M3 did not exist), and the inflation rate of gold (annual mine production) we can calculate that the gold price in US dollars should be around $850 an ounce.
However, gold is not unique to the United States; it is an international form of money and so we also have to take into consideration the US dollar exchange rate, since anything we price on international markets in US dollars will fluctuate along with changes in the US dollar exchange rate. We know from the US trade deficit that the US dollar is over-priced on foreign exchange markets and the US is putting considerable pressure on China to help devalue the dollar. The only reason gold is not $850 an ounce (or thereabout) today is that the US dollar is over-priced. As the US dollar exchange rate falls the gold price in US dollars will rise.
Like all markets there is a real possibility that the gold price will overshoot its fair value and the gold price could therefore exceed $850 an ounce. But like all markets the gold price is bound to return to its fair market value in the event that it does overshoot the mark. Also, keep in mind that the value of gold in US dollars will increase over time in proportion to the inflation rate of the US dollar. Unfortunately, the Federal Reserve of the United States has stopped publishing M3 data and so we have lost a great tool for gauging the dollar’s inflation rate. Historically the inflation rate of the dollar has almost always outpaced the inflation rate of gold, so the longer it takes before the dollar exchange rate falls, the higher the fair value of gold in US dollars becomes.
miércoles 7 de noviembre de 2007
Wisdom is loved by elite, unhappily
lunes 2 de julio de 2007
Why Shekina had detractors always ?
Shekhina
by Ilil Arbel, Ph.D.
Judaism is a monotheistic religion, strongly connected to a patriarchal God - Yahweh. It may surprise many people to discover that a goddess was associated with Judaism from its conception, and continued to play an important part, in various forms, to the present. The goddess is best known as Shekhina, a Talmudic term describing the manifestation of God's presence on earth.
While the Bible does not mention the name Shekhina, she is nevertheless bound to extremely old traditions, and closely relates to the ancient goddesses. Particularly significant is the Canaanite goddess Ashera who, at the beginning of the Israelites' settlement in the land of Canaan, was often referred to as Yahweh's Consort. The literature also calls her the "Holy Spirit" which, in Hebrew, is also a feminine form. The feminine nature of the Shekhina is so easy to establish in Hebrew, because the gender of the subject plays an important role in the sentence structure. In English, you can say "The Glorious Shekhina returned to bless us" without mentioning gender. In Hebrew, both verbs and adjectives have a male or female forms, and many names suggest gender to anyone who understands the language. The simple sentence above indicates three times that the Shekhina is female, and the fact sinks easily into the consciousness of the reader.
From the first covenant, Yahweh presented an image of a harsh, daunting God. His character almost demanded the birth of an entity like Shekhina. Also, He could not be seen by human eyes, and only a few prophets heard His voice. Yet almost every religion shows that human nature seeks intimacy with a deity. The manifestation of a loving maternal entity, ready to defend her people even from God Himself, brings a feeling of comfort that a paternal, invisible entity like Yahweh cannot bestow upon His worshipers. Shekhina represented compassion in its purest form, and despite being, officially, the female side of God, she was visible and audible as a feminine entity in her own right. A beautiful being of light, whose most important function was to intercede with God on behalf of her children. Such an entity had to come into being to soften the harshness of the original Judaism.
But how did such a complex entity develop? It started with the changing of God's dwelling. During Biblical times, people assumed God dwelled in the clouds. When the Israelites built the desert Tabernacle, and later, Solomon's Temple, Yahweh descended in a cloud and dwelt there. The word Shekhina, in Hebrew, is derived from the Biblical verb shakhan, meaning "the act of dwelling" but taking the feminine form. Therefore, at the beginning of the Talmudic era, the word Shekhina meant the aspect of God that dwelt among people and could be apprehended by the senses. For example, one Talmudic verse said: "Let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell (ve'shakhanti) among them." However, in a later version, the translation said "Let them make Me a Sanctuary so that My Shekhina will dwell among them." In other words, a separate entity.
Slowly, the manifested entitybecame stronger. A complete distinction appears in a Talmudic quotation from the end of the 1st century BCE: "...while the Children of Israel were still in Egypt, the Holy One, blessed be He, stipulated that He would liberate them from Egypt only in order that they built him a Sanctuary so that He can let His Shekhina dwell among them... As soon as the Tabernacle was erected, the Shekhina descended and dwelt among them." Another quotation from early 3rd century says: "On that day a thing came about which had never existed since the creation of the world. From the creation of the world and up to that hour the Shekhina had never dwelt among the lower beings. But from the time that the Tabernacle was erected, she did dwell among them."
Another tradition claimed that she had always dwelt among her people, but their sins drove her, on and off, into Heaven. However, she was drawn back to her children and tried to save them, over and over. By that time, her image was so ingrained into real historical events, that when the Jews were exiled to Babylonia, she transferred her seat there, and appeared alternately in two major synagogues. She often made herself visible to the congregations there, particularly in one synagogue, which was built of stones and dust taken from a holy place in Jerusalem.
As the Jews dispersed further, sightings occurred in Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, Russia - in every town where Jews lived. Shekhina comforted the sick, the poor, the suffering, and had a particular concern for repentant sinners "These are accepted by the Shekhina as if they were righteous and pious persons who never sinned. They are carried aloft and seated next to the Shekhina...he whose heart is broken and whose spirit is low, and whose mouth rarely utters a word, the Shekhina walks with him every day...".
The paradox of dwelling in one place, and being in various places and with many people at the same time, had to be resolved. The Talmud reconciled the two ideas beautifully in a well-known anecdote. "The Emperor said to Raban Gamaliel: 'You say that wherever ten men are assembled, the Shekhina dwells among them. How many Shekhinas are there?' Thereupon Raban Gamaliel beckoned a servant and began to beat him, saying: 'Why did you let the sun enter the Emperor's house?' 'Have you gone mad?' said the Emperor, surprised at the violence of the usually gentle Raban Gamaliel, 'the sun shines all over the world!' 'If the sun,' answered Gamaliel 'which is only one of a thousand myriad servants of God, shines all over the world, how much more so the Shekhina of God!"
As time went by, her position strengthened. An interesting Medieval anecdote shows the Shekhina as a total separate entity, in her most important role - interceding on behalf of her children. "The Shekhina comes to the defense of sinful Israel by saying first to Israel: 'Be not a witness against thy neighbor without a cause' and then thereafter saying to God: 'Say not: I will do to him as he hath done to me..' " This is obviously a conversation taking place among three distinct entities - Israel, God, and the Shekhina. Another significant passage from the 11th century, describes Rabbi Akiva (a second century sage) saying: "When the Holy One, blessed be He, considered the deeds of the generation of Enoch and that they were spoiled and evil, He removed Himself and His Shekhina from their midst and ascended into the heights with blasts of trumpets..."
Like any good mother, she could punish too. When she behaved violently, her character came closer to her powerful aspect of the great Asherah, Yahweh's Canaanite Consort. She descended to Earth to punish Adam, Eve, and the Serpent when they sinned at the Garden of Eden. She confused the builders of the Tower of Babel. She drowned the Egyptians at the Red Sea crossing during Exodus. When needed, she even killed righteous people. Since the beginning of time, six people -- Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam -- could not be taken by the Angel of Death because of their perfect purity. Someone had to bring their souls to Heaven, and only Shekhina could do that. By kissing them, she released their souls from bondage to this world. In a particularly touching story, after kissing and releasing Moses' soul, she carried his body for a long distance on her wings, to his secret grave. This myth connects Shekhina to another ancient goddess, Anath.
According to the legends, Moses had to live apart from his wife so that he would always be pure enough to communicate with the Shekhina. This gave rise to the curious myth, later elaborated on in the Kabbalah, that Moses and Shekhina lived as husband and wife. The image of Shekhina, carrying the dead body of her husband to his final resting place, resembles the myth of Anath, carrying the body of her husband Baal to his burial place.
Nor is this the end of her development. The Kabbalah greatly elaborated on the theme of the feminine aspect of God. She would appear as the powerful Matronit, the controversial Lilith, and finally, as the glorious figure of Shabbat Hamalka - Queen, Bride of God, celebrated every Saturday by Jews all over the world as they light the Sabbath candles. And by tradition, the candles must always be lit by a woman. Naturally -- Ashera, too, was served chiefly by priestesses. The cycle is very neatly completed.
Article created on 19 June 1999; last modified on 27 April 2000. © 1995-2004 Encyclopedia Mythica. All rights reserved.
by Ilil Arbel, Ph.D.
Judaism is a monotheistic religion, strongly connected to a patriarchal God - Yahweh. It may surprise many people to discover that a goddess was associated with Judaism from its conception, and continued to play an important part, in various forms, to the present. The goddess is best known as Shekhina, a Talmudic term describing the manifestation of God's presence on earth.
While the Bible does not mention the name Shekhina, she is nevertheless bound to extremely old traditions, and closely relates to the ancient goddesses. Particularly significant is the Canaanite goddess Ashera who, at the beginning of the Israelites' settlement in the land of Canaan, was often referred to as Yahweh's Consort. The literature also calls her the "Holy Spirit" which, in Hebrew, is also a feminine form. The feminine nature of the Shekhina is so easy to establish in Hebrew, because the gender of the subject plays an important role in the sentence structure. In English, you can say "The Glorious Shekhina returned to bless us" without mentioning gender. In Hebrew, both verbs and adjectives have a male or female forms, and many names suggest gender to anyone who understands the language. The simple sentence above indicates three times that the Shekhina is female, and the fact sinks easily into the consciousness of the reader.
From the first covenant, Yahweh presented an image of a harsh, daunting God. His character almost demanded the birth of an entity like Shekhina. Also, He could not be seen by human eyes, and only a few prophets heard His voice. Yet almost every religion shows that human nature seeks intimacy with a deity. The manifestation of a loving maternal entity, ready to defend her people even from God Himself, brings a feeling of comfort that a paternal, invisible entity like Yahweh cannot bestow upon His worshipers. Shekhina represented compassion in its purest form, and despite being, officially, the female side of God, she was visible and audible as a feminine entity in her own right. A beautiful being of light, whose most important function was to intercede with God on behalf of her children. Such an entity had to come into being to soften the harshness of the original Judaism.
But how did such a complex entity develop? It started with the changing of God's dwelling. During Biblical times, people assumed God dwelled in the clouds. When the Israelites built the desert Tabernacle, and later, Solomon's Temple, Yahweh descended in a cloud and dwelt there. The word Shekhina, in Hebrew, is derived from the Biblical verb shakhan, meaning "the act of dwelling" but taking the feminine form. Therefore, at the beginning of the Talmudic era, the word Shekhina meant the aspect of God that dwelt among people and could be apprehended by the senses. For example, one Talmudic verse said: "Let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell (ve'shakhanti) among them." However, in a later version, the translation said "Let them make Me a Sanctuary so that My Shekhina will dwell among them." In other words, a separate entity.
Slowly, the manifested entitybecame stronger. A complete distinction appears in a Talmudic quotation from the end of the 1st century BCE: "...while the Children of Israel were still in Egypt, the Holy One, blessed be He, stipulated that He would liberate them from Egypt only in order that they built him a Sanctuary so that He can let His Shekhina dwell among them... As soon as the Tabernacle was erected, the Shekhina descended and dwelt among them." Another quotation from early 3rd century says: "On that day a thing came about which had never existed since the creation of the world. From the creation of the world and up to that hour the Shekhina had never dwelt among the lower beings. But from the time that the Tabernacle was erected, she did dwell among them."
Another tradition claimed that she had always dwelt among her people, but their sins drove her, on and off, into Heaven. However, she was drawn back to her children and tried to save them, over and over. By that time, her image was so ingrained into real historical events, that when the Jews were exiled to Babylonia, she transferred her seat there, and appeared alternately in two major synagogues. She often made herself visible to the congregations there, particularly in one synagogue, which was built of stones and dust taken from a holy place in Jerusalem.
As the Jews dispersed further, sightings occurred in Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, Russia - in every town where Jews lived. Shekhina comforted the sick, the poor, the suffering, and had a particular concern for repentant sinners "These are accepted by the Shekhina as if they were righteous and pious persons who never sinned. They are carried aloft and seated next to the Shekhina...he whose heart is broken and whose spirit is low, and whose mouth rarely utters a word, the Shekhina walks with him every day...".
The paradox of dwelling in one place, and being in various places and with many people at the same time, had to be resolved. The Talmud reconciled the two ideas beautifully in a well-known anecdote. "The Emperor said to Raban Gamaliel: 'You say that wherever ten men are assembled, the Shekhina dwells among them. How many Shekhinas are there?' Thereupon Raban Gamaliel beckoned a servant and began to beat him, saying: 'Why did you let the sun enter the Emperor's house?' 'Have you gone mad?' said the Emperor, surprised at the violence of the usually gentle Raban Gamaliel, 'the sun shines all over the world!' 'If the sun,' answered Gamaliel 'which is only one of a thousand myriad servants of God, shines all over the world, how much more so the Shekhina of God!"
As time went by, her position strengthened. An interesting Medieval anecdote shows the Shekhina as a total separate entity, in her most important role - interceding on behalf of her children. "The Shekhina comes to the defense of sinful Israel by saying first to Israel: 'Be not a witness against thy neighbor without a cause' and then thereafter saying to God: 'Say not: I will do to him as he hath done to me..' " This is obviously a conversation taking place among three distinct entities - Israel, God, and the Shekhina. Another significant passage from the 11th century, describes Rabbi Akiva (a second century sage) saying: "When the Holy One, blessed be He, considered the deeds of the generation of Enoch and that they were spoiled and evil, He removed Himself and His Shekhina from their midst and ascended into the heights with blasts of trumpets..."
Like any good mother, she could punish too. When she behaved violently, her character came closer to her powerful aspect of the great Asherah, Yahweh's Canaanite Consort. She descended to Earth to punish Adam, Eve, and the Serpent when they sinned at the Garden of Eden. She confused the builders of the Tower of Babel. She drowned the Egyptians at the Red Sea crossing during Exodus. When needed, she even killed righteous people. Since the beginning of time, six people -- Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam -- could not be taken by the Angel of Death because of their perfect purity. Someone had to bring their souls to Heaven, and only Shekhina could do that. By kissing them, she released their souls from bondage to this world. In a particularly touching story, after kissing and releasing Moses' soul, she carried his body for a long distance on her wings, to his secret grave. This myth connects Shekhina to another ancient goddess, Anath.
According to the legends, Moses had to live apart from his wife so that he would always be pure enough to communicate with the Shekhina. This gave rise to the curious myth, later elaborated on in the Kabbalah, that Moses and Shekhina lived as husband and wife. The image of Shekhina, carrying the dead body of her husband to his final resting place, resembles the myth of Anath, carrying the body of her husband Baal to his burial place.
Nor is this the end of her development. The Kabbalah greatly elaborated on the theme of the feminine aspect of God. She would appear as the powerful Matronit, the controversial Lilith, and finally, as the glorious figure of Shabbat Hamalka - Queen, Bride of God, celebrated every Saturday by Jews all over the world as they light the Sabbath candles. And by tradition, the candles must always be lit by a woman. Naturally -- Ashera, too, was served chiefly by priestesses. The cycle is very neatly completed.
Article created on 19 June 1999; last modified on 27 April 2000. © 1995-2004 Encyclopedia Mythica. All rights reserved.
sábado 30 de junio de 2007
Personal Resume:
:I lived in Callao,I studied there since 1965 until 1972 at High School St Anthony males.
Furthermore, I choosed the career of chemical engineering in UNMSM since 1973 until 1980.And then, I fulfilled the Specialization in Corrosion in PUCP circa 1984.
I performed practices in Petroleos del Peru en RELAPA, Refineria de la Pampilla, Ventanilla in 1981. Besides in august the same year I applied to working in Liofilizadora del Pacifico freeze-drying S. R. L the same is a factory of dehydration from vegetables and fruits and sea products. Its traditional markets are USA, Germany and Japan. Thanks to this job as Chief of Engineering until 1999, I accomplished enough knowledge in Biology, Chemistry and Engineering since I've worked in areas of Maintenance, Quality Control, Production and Research & Development.
In the year 1992 I belonged to the team for the preparation of cat's claw extract both spray dried and freeze dried.A valuable and acknowledge resource for immunity in radiation patients suffered in disaster at Chernobyl, Ukrania.
Already in 1990 I took a chance in Laboratories Medico Biologicos H. Colichon S.A.C. for compilation of summaries and translation since english, french, german for spanish about oral, gut and urogenital probiotics and its wealth in the immunity from both human and animal health. Owed to the practicing this knowledge plus the join up Tai Chi groups in Campo de Marte,plus the previous experience in nutraceuticals or adaptogens such as spirulin,cat¡s claw,ginkgo biloba,etc.finally I performed a novel architecture while I read authors such as Phyllis Balch, R. K. Chandra, Gerald Tannock, Francisco Albertos, Ricardo Sabates M.D.,Rudolph Steiner,etc.Acknowledged researchers in the field of integrated human health with a Weltanschauung facing to XXI Century.
Finally I claim myself as author of the “Program of Proactive Maintenance of the Health” –Programa de Mantenimiento Proactivo de la Salud” and Author of the " Disc of the Health"-“Disco de la Salud” two valuable outils I guess them such as armamentarium for struggle against chronic malnutrition, children morbility and mortality.Indeed, I've felt this matter is so important for the prevention of degenerative diseases and for prolonging the life span. Additionally, for everyone should want a better quality of life must practice too. It' has been reliable and valuable the help received here to build up this proposal of architecture from people such as Dr. Mario Galantini, Ricardo Sabates M.D., Dr.Hugo Reategui,Dr.Javier Lauro,Tito La Rosa, Victor Mondragon, Julio Meneses,Johann Firbas,Fernando Flores, Dr.Jose Luis Perez Albela,Adolfo Peralta and Jose Antonio Garcia
I'm able to work as facilitator in the designs of ecovillages in Permaculture's ethical environment, i.e. based on bio-construction, renewable energies and ecological managing of plagues and soils.
Since 2002 I’ ve managed global business both produces and natural supplements as minerals, metals and no-metals too. Since Lima to Destiny as U. K., Singapore, China, India, UAE.
Now, I'm working as advisor of technologies for the sanitization of environments and in the treatment of water and reuse of sewage.
I look at me as a open-minded person, a self-made man, a male with a great stamin and I must acknowledge I love nature, beauty, reading and equilibria.
Registered user of important journals and publications of life’s science and social’s science and economics and politics from all over the world.
EXPERTISE IN SUBJECT FROM PROMOTION OF HEALTH,ARTICULATING EDUCATION & NUTRITION
Furthermore, I choosed the career of chemical engineering in UNMSM since 1973 until 1980.And then, I fulfilled the Specialization in Corrosion in PUCP circa 1984.
I performed practices in Petroleos del Peru en RELAPA, Refineria de la Pampilla, Ventanilla in 1981. Besides in august the same year I applied to working in Liofilizadora del Pacifico freeze-drying S. R. L the same is a factory of dehydration from vegetables and fruits and sea products. Its traditional markets are USA, Germany and Japan. Thanks to this job as Chief of Engineering until 1999, I accomplished enough knowledge in Biology, Chemistry and Engineering since I've worked in areas of Maintenance, Quality Control, Production and Research & Development.
In the year 1992 I belonged to the team for the preparation of cat's claw extract both spray dried and freeze dried.A valuable and acknowledge resource for immunity in radiation patients suffered in disaster at Chernobyl, Ukrania.
Already in 1990 I took a chance in Laboratories Medico Biologicos H. Colichon S.A.C. for compilation of summaries and translation since english, french, german for spanish about oral, gut and urogenital probiotics and its wealth in the immunity from both human and animal health. Owed to the practicing this knowledge plus the join up Tai Chi groups in Campo de Marte,plus the previous experience in nutraceuticals or adaptogens such as spirulin,cat¡s claw,ginkgo biloba,etc.finally I performed a novel architecture while I read authors such as Phyllis Balch, R. K. Chandra, Gerald Tannock, Francisco Albertos, Ricardo Sabates M.D.,Rudolph Steiner,etc.Acknowledged researchers in the field of integrated human health with a Weltanschauung facing to XXI Century.
Finally I claim myself as author of the “Program of Proactive Maintenance of the Health” –Programa de Mantenimiento Proactivo de la Salud” and Author of the " Disc of the Health"-“Disco de la Salud” two valuable outils I guess them such as armamentarium for struggle against chronic malnutrition, children morbility and mortality.Indeed, I've felt this matter is so important for the prevention of degenerative diseases and for prolonging the life span. Additionally, for everyone should want a better quality of life must practice too. It' has been reliable and valuable the help received here to build up this proposal of architecture from people such as Dr. Mario Galantini, Ricardo Sabates M.D., Dr.Hugo Reategui,Dr.Javier Lauro,Tito La Rosa, Victor Mondragon, Julio Meneses,Johann Firbas,Fernando Flores, Dr.Jose Luis Perez Albela,Adolfo Peralta and Jose Antonio Garcia
I'm able to work as facilitator in the designs of ecovillages in Permaculture's ethical environment, i.e. based on bio-construction, renewable energies and ecological managing of plagues and soils.
Since 2002 I’ ve managed global business both produces and natural supplements as minerals, metals and no-metals too. Since Lima to Destiny as U. K., Singapore, China, India, UAE.
Now, I'm working as advisor of technologies for the sanitization of environments and in the treatment of water and reuse of sewage.
I look at me as a open-minded person, a self-made man, a male with a great stamin and I must acknowledge I love nature, beauty, reading and equilibria.
Registered user of important journals and publications of life’s science and social’s science and economics and politics from all over the world.
EXPERTISE IN SUBJECT FROM PROMOTION OF HEALTH,ARTICULATING EDUCATION & NUTRITION
Suscribirse a:
Entradas (Atom)
