The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.

HAPPY EASTER!

It is so nice to be starting to tiptoe out of lockdown! Shielding ended officially last week for my eldest daughter and so we had my son’s godmother over for a meal on Easter Day and she brought her new…well….look at this!!!!…..

Isn’t she adorable! She hasn’t chosen a name yet but I think Scamp is the most appropriate. She is always up to mischief and she is SO confident! I don’t know how well you can see in the photo but Dilys my sausage dog is there, cleaning her. Dilys loves looking after babies…she loves puppies, kittens, human babies. Dilys would have loved to have been this one’s mum but little one was off wanting to have adventures and did not want to be trailed by a fussy sausage dog. So we spent our Easter evening adoring the puppy and laughing at her antics.

I’m writing this from the resus department of the hospital. As I write this, my daughter is unconscious, with her system on shutdown. She is on intravenous fluids and meds, supporting her system while it tries to re-start and sort itself out. It’s very quiet in this cubicle, only the beep of machines and the whirr of the IV pump, so I thought I would write to you lot, to keep me company! Here goes….

Kebra Negast

55. How the People of ETHIOPIA Rejoiced And [the people of ETHIOPIA] took flutes, and blew horns, and [beat] drums, and [played on] pipes, and the Brook of EGYPT was moved and astonished at the noise of their songs and their rejoicings; and with them were mingled outcries and shouts of gladness. And their idols, which they had made with their hands and which were in the forms of men, and dogs, and cats, fell down, and the high towers (pylons or obelisks ?), and also the figures of birds, [made] of gold and silver, fell down also and were broken in pieces. For ZION shone like the sun, and at the majesty thereof they were dismayed. And they arrayed ZION in her apparel, and they bore the gifts to her before her, and they set her upon a wagon, and they spread out purple beneath her, and they draped her with draperies of purple, and they sang songs before her and behind her.

Then the wagons rose up (i.e., resumed their journey) as before, and they set out early in the morning, and the people sang songs to ZION, and they were all raised up the space of a cubit, and as the people of the country of EGYPT bade them farewell, they passed before them like shadows, and the people of the country of EGYPT worshipped them, for they saw ZION moving in the heavens like the sun, and they all ran with the wagon of ZION, some in front of her and some behind her. And they came to the sea AL-AḤMAR, which is the Sea of ERITREA (i.e., the RED SEA), which was divided by the hand of MOSES, and the children of ISRAEL marched in the depths thereof, going up and down. Now at that time the Tabernacle of the Law of God had not been given unto MOSES, and therefore the water only gathered itself together, a wall on the right hand and a wall on the left, and allowed ISRAEL to pass with their beasts and their children and their wives. And after they had crossed the sea God spake to MOSES and gave him the Tabernacle of the Covenant with the Book of the Law. And when the holy ZION crossed over with those who were in attendance on her, and who sang songs to the accompaniment of harps and flutes, the sea received them and its waves leaped up as do the high mountains when they are split asunder, and it roared even as a lion roareth when he is enraged, and it thundered as doth the winter thunder of DAMASCUS and ETHIOPIA when the lightning smiteth the clouds, and the sound thereof mingled with the sounds of the musical instruments. And the sea worshipped ZION. And whilst its billows were tossing about like the mountains their wagons were raised above the waves for a space of three cubits, and among the sound of the songs the [noise of the] breaking of the waves of the sea was wonderful. The breaking of the waves of the sea was exceedingly majestic and stupefying, and it was mighty and strong. And the creatures that were in the sea, those that could be recognized, and those that were invisible, came forth and worshipped ZION; and the birds that were on it flapped their pinions and overshadowed it. And there was joy to the Sea of ERITREA, and to the people of ETHIOPIA, who went forth to the sea and rejoiced exceedingly, and with a greater joy than did ISRAEL when they came out of EGYPT. And they arrived opposite Mount SINAI, and dwelt in ḲÂDÊS, and they remained there whilst the angels sang praises; and the creatures of the spirit mingled their praises with [those] of the children of earth, with songs, and psalms, and tambourines joyfully.

And then they loaded their wagons, and they rose up, and departed, and journeyed on to the land of MEDYÂM, and they came to the country of BÊLÔNTÔS, which is a country of ETHIOPIA. And they rejoiced there, and they encamped there, because they had reached the border of their country with glory and joy, without tribulation on the road, in a wagon of the spirit, by the might of heaven and of MICHAEL the Archangel. And all the provinces of ETHIOPIA rejoiced, for ZION sent forth a light like that of the sun into the darkness wheresoever she came.

* * *

Reasoning

From H.I.M. church….

Command:

Hosea 3 v5
5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD, Emperor Haile Selassie I, their God, and David their
king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.

Will:

Psalm 19 v7
7 The law of the LORD, Emperor Haile Selassie I, is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD, Emperor Haile Selassie I, is sure, making wise the simple.

Desire:

1 Kings 11 v38
38 And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.

Wish:

Isaiah 11 v10
10 And in that day shall be root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious

* * *

Psalm 118 is all about how mighty God is, how He takes care of us and how it is better to trust in God than in man. It’s is a beautiful psalm. I love, particularly, this….. “The Lord is my strength and my defence;
he has become my salvation.”

Psalm 118

¹ Give thanks to the Lord,^(A) for he is good;^(B)
his love endures forever.^(C)

² Let Israel say:^(D)
“His love endures forever.”^(E)
3 Let the house of Aaron say:^(F)
“His love endures forever.”
⁴ Let those who fear the Lord^(G) say:
“His love endures forever.”

⁵ When hard pressed,^(H) I cried to the Lord;
he brought me into a spacious place.^(I)
6 The Lord is with me;^(J) I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?^(K)
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper.^(L)
I look in triumph on my enemies.^(M)

⁸ It is better to take refuge in the Lord^(N)
than to trust in humans.^(O)
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.^(P)
10 All the nations surrounded me,
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.^(Q)
11 They surrounded me^(R) on every side,^(S)
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
¹² They swarmed around me like bees,^(T)
but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;^(U)
in the name of the Lord I cut them down.^(V)
13 I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the Lord helped me.^(W)
14 The Lord is my strength^(X) and my defense^[a];
he has become my salvation.^(Y)

¹⁵ Shouts of joy^(Z) and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand^(AA) has done mighty things!^(AB)
16 The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
¹⁷ I will not die^(AC) but live,
and will proclaim^(AD) what the Lord has done.
¹⁸ The Lord has chastened^(AE) me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.^(AF)
19 Open for me the gates^(AG) of the righteous;
I will enter^(AH) and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord^(AI)
through which the righteous may enter.^(AJ)
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;^(AK)
you have become my salvation.^(AL)

²² The stone^(AM) the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;^(AN)
23 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous^(AO) in our eyes.
²⁴ The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.^(AP)

²⁵ Lord, save us!^(AQ)
Lord, grant us success!

²⁶ Blessed is he who comes^(AR) in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.^[b](AS)
27 The Lord is God,^(AT)
and he has made his light shine^(AU)on us.
With boughs in hand,^(AV) join in the festal procession
up^[c] to the horns of the altar.^(AW)

²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God,^(AX) and I will exalt^(AY) you.

²⁹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

* * *

Book Of Enoch

Chapter 9

1 And then Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel looked down from heaven and saw much blood being 2 shed upon the earth, and all lawlessness being wrought upon the earth. And they said one to another: ‘The earth made without inhabitant cries the voice of their cryingst up to the gates of heaven. 3 And now to you, the holy ones of heaven, the souls of men make their suit, saying, “Bring our cause 4 before the Most High.”‘ And they said to the Lord of the ages: ‘Lord of lords, God of gods, King of kings, and God of the ages, the throne of Thy glory (standeth) unto all the generations of the 5 ages, and Thy name holy and glorious and blessed unto all the ages! Thou hast made all things, and power over all things hast Thou: and all things are naked and open in Thy sight, and Thou seest all 6 things, and nothing can hide itself from Thee. Thou seest what Azazel hath done, who hath taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were (preserved) in heaven, which 7 men were striving to learn: And Semjaza, to whom Thou hast given authority to bear rule over his associates. And they have gone to the daughters of men upon the earth, and have slept with the 9 women, and have defiled themselves, and revealed to them all kinds of sins. And the women have 10 borne giants, and the whole earth has thereby been filled with blood and unrighteousness. And now, behold, the souls of those who have died are crying and making their suit to the gates of heaven, and their lamentations have ascended: and cannot cease because of the lawless deeds which are 11 wrought on the earth. And Thou knowest all things before they come to pass, and Thou seest these things and Thou dost suffer them, and Thou dost not say to us what we are to do to them in regard to these.’

* * *

The glory that was Solomon greater still reigns in Ethiopia. We can see all the Kings of the earth surrendering their crowns to His Majesty Ras Tafari the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Earth’s Rightful Ruler to reign forever and ever.

Upon His Majesty Ras Tafari ‘s head are many diadems and on His garments a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords oh come let us adore him for he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, The Conquering Lion of Judah, The Elect of God and the Light of the world.

His Majesty Ras Tafari is the head over all man for he is the Supreme God. His body is the fullness of him that fillet all in all. Now my dear people let this be our goal, forward to the King of Kings must be the cry of our social hope. Forward to the King of Kings to purify our social standards and our way of living, and rebuild and inspire our character. Forward to the King of Kings to learn the worth of manhood and womanhood. Forward to the King of Kings to learn His code of Laws from the mount demanding absolute Love, Purity, Honesty, and Truthfulness. Forward to the King of Kings to learn His Laws and social order, so that virtue will eventually gain the victory over body and soul and that truth will drive away falsehood and fraud. Members of the King of Kings arise for God’s sake and put your armor on.

Dear inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere, the King of Kings warriors can never be defeated, the Pope of Rome and his agents shall not prevail against the King of Kings host warriors you all must stand up, stand up, for the King of Kings.

All ye warriors of the King of Kings lift high King Alpha’s Royal Banner, from victory to victory King Alpha shall lead his army till every enemy is vanquished.

* * *

Reading Psalm 118 earlier, I was reminded of this prayer. I put it into the newsletter about 6 months ago but thought it would really fit in here…..

Prayer

Thank you Jah.

You have given me the greatest gift any human could ever have…life.

I am in awe of your love and your power every day.

Thanks and praises unto The Most High, Jah Rastafari.

* * *

* * *

From the Sacred Texts website, here is the next folk story. I’m really enjoying reading them. I love how many forms the character of Anansi takes and how sometimes his sly ways help him win, like last time, and how other times he gets beaten at his own games….

The Yam Hills

One time Anansi start to work a groun’ at the road-side. After clearing up his field, he dig nine yam-bills. Now no one is allowed to count up to the nine. If he say nine, he drop down dead. So Anansi say, “I got to eat somet’ing out of this.” So he sat down an’ begin to cry. Hog was passing, say to him, “Br’er Anansi, wha’s the matter with you?” Anansi said, “My dear Bredder Hog, from mawning I dig these few yam-hills an’ trying to count them, but I can’t manage to count them yet.” Hog said, “Cho! you too wort’less! You mean say you can’t say, ‘One, two, t’ree, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine?‘” And as Hog say “nine,” Hog drop down dead. Anansi take him up, put him in his bag an’ carry him home an’ eat him.

The nex’ day he came back an’ eat up Goat, who share the same fate as Hog, an’ every day he went back dig the same hills. At that time Monkey was on a tree watching an’ seeing all that take place. He came down from off the tree, an’ while Anansi dig the same nine hills again an’ was sitting down crying, Monkey come up an’ said, Br’er Anansi, wha’ the matter with you?” Anansi said, “My dear Bredder Monkey, from mawning I dig these few yam-hills, an’ I’m trying to count them but I can’t manage!” Monkey said, “I will count them for you, but you mus’ sit down ‘pon one.” Monkey then said, “One, two, t’ree, four, five, six, seven, eight, an’ the one Br’er Anansi sit down upon.” Anansi said, “That’s not the way to count them!” Monkey said, “I’ll count them good for you now!” Monkey began, “One, two, t’ree, four, five, six, seven, eight, an’ the one Br’er Nansi sit down upon deh.” Now Anansi is a man with a very short heart.[1] He got vex an’ say, “You mean to say that you can’t say ‘One, two, t’ree, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine?” An’ as the word nine come out, Anansi drop down dead. Monkey took him up an’ said, “You can fool the others, but you can’t fool me!“

[1. “A very hasty temper.”]

* * *

This has NOT been a good couple of weeks….lots of bad stuff has happened, but I am not going to complain about it all on here…only say sorry to you all for being so rubbish at sending these letters. I have still been praying for you and I haven’t forgotten you all.

One good thing is that my daughter is back out of hospital, after a 2 week stay, and she is beginning to feel a little bit better.

Lenny the liability is just as good at ‘smash & grab’. This week he has specialised in eating the top of sandwiches. He has eaten the top piece of bread from 2 fried egg sandwiches that my son made and a tuna sandwich. He also managed to steal a bite of my son’s roast chicken, a banana out of the fruit bowl and part of my nectarine….happy Lenny!

In all the gloom of the last few weeks, I did have a nice day last weekend….I went to the garden centre to spend my Christmas money. I bought a crab apple tree that has bright red fruit on it, lavender plants, peonies, plants for hanging baskets, geraniums….all sorts! Then I came home and started planting them, so I have been glad of the rain this week to get them all soaked in.

Today’s writing companion is Gwen, the bog-snorkelling retriever. She is trying to tempt me to cuddle her instead of concentrating on writing to you….

Right, I will finally get this off to you. I hope you are all okay and I will try to be a bit more communicative now!

Blessings,

Elizabeth