Made in brass or lead, this seal was placed upon the Vessel of Brass at the top to secure the Evil Spirits within.
It has to have been made by a virtuous God-fearing man. It has to be made on a Tuesday or Saturday (the days of Mars and Saturn), at midnight, when the moon is moving from new to full, during the zodiac sign of Virgo.
As well as being made in brass or lead, it could be written on fresh paper using the blood of a black virgin cock. Once made, it should be perfumed with the aroma of alum, sun-dried raisins, dates, cedar and lignum aloes.
With this seal, Solomon could command the Spirits trapped within the Vessel of Brass.
Solomon’s Vessel of Brass
Form One:
Form Two:
The Vessel of Brass has two different forms. It is where King Solomon shut away the Evil Spirits.
It’s always a good idea to maintain a sense of humour during hard times, and with this in mind, the following tongue in cheek lockdown related poems are meant to bring a smile and some light relief.
George Washington (1732 – 1799) was a military general, statesman, and American political leader. He led the Patriot forces to victory in the American War for Independence.
George Washington (1732 – 1799)
He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He presided at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, where the U.S. Constitution was established, and he served as the first president of the United States from 1789 – 1797.
Top Ten Quotes:
“Integrity and firmness is all I can promise; these, be the voyage long or short, never shall forsake me though I be deserted by all men. For of the consolations which are to be derived from these (under any circumstances) the world cannot deprive me.”
“The Constitution which at any time exists, ’till changed by an explicit and authentic act of the whole People is sacredly obligatory upon all.”
“At my age, and in my circumstances, what sinister object, or personal emolument had I to seek after, in this life? The growing infirmities of age and the increasing love of retirement, daily confirm my decided predilection for domestic life: and the great Searcher of human hearts is my witness, that I have no wish, which aspires beyond the humble and happy lot of living and dying a private citizen on my own farm.”
“The Army (considering the irritable state it is in, its suffering and composition) is a dangerous instrument to play with.”
“Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.”
“The great mass of our citizens require only to understand matters rightly, to form right decisions.”
“The Hand of providence has been so conspicuous in all this, that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and more than wicked, that has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations.”
“The establishment of Civil and Religious Liberty was the Motive which induced me to the Field – the object is attained – and it now remains to be my earnest wish & prayer, that the Citizens of the United States could make a wise and virtuous use of the blessings placed before them.”
“The foundation of a great Empire is laid, and I please myself with a persuasion, that Providence will not leave its work imperfect.” “It is yet to be decided whether the Revolution must ultimately be considered as a blessing or a curse: a blessing or a curse, not to the present age alone, for with our fate will the destiny of unborn millions be involved.”
Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was an English literary genius, famous for his many classic novels such as The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Hard Times, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol, and many more.
Less well known, but equally highly regarded, are his notable poems, which mark him as a talented and respected poet.
One such poem, is the beautiful descriptive The Ivy Green:
Oh, a dainty plant is the Ivy green, That creepeth o’er ruins old! Of right choice food are his meals, I ween, In his cell so lone and cold. The wall must be crumbled, the stone decayed, To pleasure his dainty whim: And the mouldering dust that years have made Is a merry meal for him. Creeping where no life is seen, A rare old plant is the Ivy green.
Fast he stealeth on, though he wears no wings, And a staunch old heart has he. How closely he twineth, how tight he clings To his friend the huge Oak Tree! And slyly he traileth along the ground, And his leaves he gently waves, As he joyously hugs and crawleth round The rich mould of dead men’s graves. Creeping where grim death hath been, A rare old plant is the Ivy green.
Whole ages have fled and their works decayed, And nations have scattered been; But the stout old Ivy shall never fade, From its hale and hearty green. The brave old plant, in its lonely days, Shall fatten upon the past: For the stateliest building man can raise Is the Ivy’s food at last. Creeping on where time has been, A rare old plant is the Ivy green.
Confucius (551 – 479 BC) was a Chinese politician and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn time period. He is known for his words of wisdom on subjects involving morality, correctness, justice and sincerity. The thoughts of Confucius have influenced societies and their leaders for over two thousand years, and they are just as relevant today as they ever were. “Study the past, if you would define the future” – Confucius
Quote One:
If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it’s ok. But you’ve got to shoot for something. A lot of people don’t even shoot.
Meaning:
You should always aim for your highest goals, and do not be despondent if you don’t quite reach them. It is better to at least try, than not to try at all.
If you don’t quite reach your goal, at least you will still have achieved more than when you started.
Furthermore, if you achieve something different from your intended goal, then you have still been successful.
Unfortunately many people are lacking in ambition, and for them, any kind of success becomes impossible.
Quote Two:
If you hate a person, then you’re defeated by them.
Meaning:
You achieve nothing useful through hating someone. The emotion of hate is strong and more harmful to yourself than the person you hate. It can consume you.
Furthermore, if you apply hate to a person, then you are allowing your thoughts to give the idea of them attention. If they have your attention, then they are successfully distracting you from more worthy contemplation.
If a person is not worthy of your attention or has wronged you, then better to forget them than hate them. In this way, you are maintaining your self-respect.
Quote Three:
The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.
Meaning:
This quote points out that a seemingly impossible task, one that appears too huge to manage, can still be achieved by beginning with small steps. You should not be discouraged by the size of the task.
If you want to change something great, then small changes will be a start. They will make a difference, however small, and will be steps in the right direction.
Quote Four:
The noble-minded are calm and steady. Little people are forever fussing and fretting.
Meaning:
This points out that wise people remain calm and unflustered at all times, even in difficult situations. “Fussing and fretting’ is not a wise reaction. It has no benefit, and little can be achieved.
Being ‘calm and steady’ allows for clear thinking and planning so that a difficult situation can be considered, understood, and drawn to a successful conclusion.
‘Fussing and ‘fretting’ leads to confusion and an inability to prioritise or plan efficiently.
Quote Five:
If your plan is for one year, then plant rice. If your plan is for ten years, plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years, educate children.
Meaning:
For a short term plan to succeed, then you only need to make provision for that short length of time. Therefore you should only invest in a short term idea. For example, planting rice will feed people for a year. The grain will only take a year to grow and will provide more grain.
For a medium term plan, you have to consider how you will be able to maintain your plan for an increased length of time. You must invest in a medium term growth idea. For example, trees will take longer to grow, but they will also last longer, and will provide fruit every year.
But in the long term, this quote highlights the importance of education. A long-term plan can only succeed if the people inheriting the plan can properly understand it in order to continue it and improve upon it.
When your consider your goal, you must always contemplate the length of time, and the type of investment required to achieve the goal, and then factor this into your plan of action.
Quote Six:
The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his action.
Meaning:
This implies that a wise person will use their own actions and experience to exemplify what they have to say, rather than speak on a subject on which they have no previous experience. In doing so, they will gain the respect of the people they are speaking with, leading or instructing.
Also, by acting first, they will already know the result of those actions. They will also have gained an understanding of the most efficient way to carry out that action. It would be foolish to instruct someone on a deed that may not even be achievable.
Even if the actions of the wise person did not result in success, then it is still a benefit to those he speaks with, so that they do not commit the same mistakes.
Quote Seven:
Silence is a true friend who never betrays.
Meaning:
If you have a thought or knowledge of something, about which you do not want other people to know, then the only true friend you can rely on is silence. In other words, do not tell anyone. Then this knowledge cannot be passed on.
Silence can also be beneficial in situations of conflict and argument. Remaining silent can empower you, leaving the opponent with no one to argue with.
Silence also gives you time to properly consider your argument before expressing it. It will stop you from reacting inappropriately with emotional kneejerk reactions instead of considered. analytical responses.
Quote Eight:
The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute. The man who does not ask is a fool for life.
Meaning:
The word fool, merely means ignorance. We are all ignorant of everything we do not yet know. Therefore, if you ask a question, you display an ignorance, only until you have the answer. You will be able to learn and expand your knowledge by admitting an ignorance.
Asking the question may make you feel briefly foolish because others will already know the answer. It is even harder when they already expect you to know. But this feeling will pass quickly.
It is far more foolish not to ask, because then you will always be ignorant and you will never learn.
Quote Nine:
When anger rises, think of the consequences.
Meaning:
This is telling us not to react instinctively, but to give thought to our reactions. It tells us to understand the consequences of reacting in anger before we react, and asks us to evaluate whether the angry reaction is actually worth the consequences, which it seldom is.
You have a choice over your responses. You can choose not to be angry.
Quote Ten:
Things that are done, it is needless to speak about. Things that are past, it is needless to blame.
Meaning:
This is a two part quote. The first part explains that speaking about a bad thing in the past has no benefit.
The second part, similarly, explains that there is no benefit in blaming anyone for a bad thing that is in the past. There is no value to be gained from bringing up the past and laying blame.
If you do not recount bad things of the past to others, then they are less likely to mimic or repeat those bad actions, or proportion blame onto figures of the past.
Remonstrating about past deeds takes time and energy that could be diverted towards more virtuous and more beneficial pursuits.
More Confucius quotes:
This fascinating collection of 120 Confucius quotes and their interpretations relating to the modern world gives valuable insight into the wisdom of the man himself, as well as providing a system for living a virtuous life that can be achieved by anyone.
Francis Scott Fitzgerald (1896 – 1940) was a successful American novelist.
He was famous for four novels; ‘This Side Of Paradise’, ‘The Beautiful And Damned’, ‘The Great Gatsby’, and ‘Tender Is The Night’, which earned him recognition as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century.
Less well known, but of equal importance, are his poems, which display his remarkable ability for descriptive and emotive poetry such as ‘Thousand And First Ship’.
Thousand And First Ship
In the fall of sixteen In the cool of the afternoon I saw Helena Under a white moon— I heard Helena In a haunted doze Say: “I know a gay place Nobody knows.”
Her voice promised She’d live with me there She’d bring me everything— I needn’t care: Patches to mend my clothes When they were torn Sunshine from Maryland, Where I was born.
My kind of weather, As wild as wild, And a funny book I wanted as a child; Sugar and, you know, Reason and rhyme, And water like water I had one time.
There’d be an orchestra Bingo! Bango! Playing for us To dance the tango, And people would clap When we arose, At her sweet face And my new clothes
But more than all this Was the promise she made That nothing, nothing, Ever would fade— Nothing would fade Winter or fall, Nothing would fade, Practically nothing at all.
Helena went off And married another, She may be dead Or some man’s mother. I have no grief left But I’d like to know If she took him Where she promised we’d go
This collection of Francis Scott Fitzgerald poetry includes The Staying Up All Night, Rain Before Dawn, On A Play Twice Seen, A Poem Amory Sent To Eleanor And Which He Called “Summer Storm”, A Poem That Eleanor Sent Amory Several Years Later, Sleep Of A University, Princeton – The Last Day, We Leave Tonight, Marching Streets, City Dusk, The Pope At Confession, Fragment, One Southern Girl, Football, My First Love, Clay Feet, Lamp In A Window, On Misseldine’s, To Boath, Our April Letter, Oh, Sister, Can You Spare Your Heart, Sad Catastrophe, Thousand And First Ship and more.
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Charlotte Bronte, (1816 – 1855), was an English novelist and poet. She was born in Yorkshire and was the eldest of four surviving siblings, Anne, Branwell, and Emily. She is known best for her novels, ‘Jane Eyre’, ‘Villette’, ‘The Professor’ and ‘Shirley’, all considered to be classics of English literature.
Publishing under the names of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, Charlotte, Emily and Anne wrote powerful and passionate poetry.
Charlotte Bronte’s poems reflect her depth of passion for human presence and emotion. Her talent for the manipulation of language shines through her creation of wonderful poems such as ‘The Garden’, ‘The Teacher’s Monologue’, ‘Mementos’ and many more.
Charlotte Bronte, (1816 – 1855)
Here is a wonderful example:
The Student’s Serenade
I have slept upon my couch, But my spirit did not rest, For the labours of the day Yet my weary soul opprest;
And, before my dreaming eyes Still the learned volumes lay, And I could not close their leaves, And I could not turn away.
But I oped my eyes at last, And I heard a muffled sound; ‘Twas the night-breeze, come to say That the snow was on the ground.
Then I knew that there was rest On the mountain’s bosom free; So I left my fevered couch, And I flew to waken thee!
I have flown to waken thee — For, if thou wilt not arise, Then my soul can drink no peace From these holy moonlight skies.
And, this waste of virgin snow To my sight will not be fair, Unless thou wilt smiling come, Love, to wander with me there.
Then, awake! Maria, wake! For, if thou couldst only know How the quiet moonlight sleeps On this wilderness of snow,
And the groves of ancient trees, In their snowy garb arrayed, Till they stretch into the gloom Of the distant valley’s shade;
I know thou wouldst rejoice To inhale this bracing air; Thou wouldst break thy sweetest sleep To behold a scene so fair.
O’er these wintry wilds, alone, Thou wouldst joy to wander free; And it will not please thee less, Though that bliss be shared with me.
Did you know that as well as being referred to as ‘The Father of American Literature’ for his many classic novels such as ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’, and ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’, Mark Twain (1835 – 1910) also wrote poetry? Clearly a talented poet, Mark Twains poems display his natural ability for writing clever wit, humour, drama and parody in rhyme.
No whooping-cough did rack his frame, Nor measles drear, with spots; Not these impaired the sacred name Of Stephen Dowling Bots.
Despised love struck not with woe That head of curly knots, Nor stomach troubles laid him low, Young Stephen Dowling Bots.
O no. Then list with tearful eye, Whilst I his fate do tell. His soul did from this cold world fly, By falling down a well.
They got him out and emptied him; Alas it was too late; His spirit was gone for to sport aloft In the realms of the good and great.
Other great poems of Mark Twain’s, include A Man Hired By John Smith And Co, A Sweltering Day In Australia, The Aged Pilot Man, Those Annual Bills, To Jennie, O Lord, Our Father, Warm Summer Sun, Genius and more.