January 21, 2019

Joy Unspeakable and Full of Glory. Beautifully Expressed. So Enjoyed Reading This...❤

I added the picture above to the message below.
written by Derek Morris
[source: BetterSermons.org]

One of the benefits of moving from a house is that you can get rid of things that you’ve been storing for years and years and years and don’t need any more! You know the things I’m talking about...in your closets, under your bed, in your attic, in your garage, in the trunk of your car! One of the benefits of moving is that you can get rid of some of those things that you don’t need anymore.

Another benefit of moving from a house is that you find family treasures that you haven’t seen for years. I found some treasures this past week! These two precious boxes. They may not look that precious to you. But they are priceless to me and to my wife Bodil! Can anyone guess what these boxes contain? - piles of love letters. No! You can’t read them! These are mine, and those are Bodil’s!

Bodil and I first met when we were both students at Newbold College, in England. I had grown up in England and, at the time we met, I was a junior theology major at Newbold College, just west of London, England. Bodil was starting her first year of college and, as a bold and daring high school graduate, had decided to come to England from the United States.

You’re probably expecting me to tell you that when I heard her melodious alto voice, saw her long flowing hair and looked into her sparkling eyes that I was instantly and hopelessly smitten. That may actually be true, but I’m not sure that I would ever admit that in public. What I am willing to admit is this: as days passed into weeks, and weeks into months, Bodil and I became best friends. We saved places for each other at Chapel and in the Dining Hall. We took walks together. And we began to write notes to each other; lots of notes.

We spent some time reading some of those love notes this past week. Here’s one that Bodil sent me on our first Valentine’s day. “.....” I’m happy to report that she has never stopped eating peanut butter! Here’s another one that it wasn’t easy for a rather reserved young lady to send to a rather loud and boisterous Englishman. “.....” I found one of my love notes to her. It’s a Ziggy card. (Read card)

As we read these love notes, our hearts were filled with the joy! We rejoiced as we remembered God’s wonderful leading in our lives and we still rejoice in things God continues to do in our lives day by day. Our hearts are still overflowing with love. As you can imagine, these love notes are very precious to us because they reveal the essence of our thoughts and feelings towards each other.

God has also sent a Love Note to us. That love note also reveals the essence of His thoughts and feelings toward us. But unlike these love notes, (point to the boxes), God’s love note to us was not written on a Hallmark card or on parchment with pen and ink, or even on stone with His own finger. God’s love letter to us was sent in a Person. Who is God’s love note to us? That’s right! Jesus!

The Bible tells us that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Jesus, the Son of God came to reveal the essence of the Father’s thoughts and feelings toward us. And the message was as simple as it is precious: God loves you. God loves you. God loves you.

We have come to the place in our study of the letter to the Philippians where the apostle Paul speaks of God’s love so perfectly and absolutely revealed in His love letter to us, the Lord Jesus Christ. The portion of Philippians that we are going to study today is one of the most profound passages of Scripture in the entire Bible. Many scholars believe that it was actually an early Christian hymn because it is written in carefully chosen phrases which have a clear rhythm.

I’d like us to begin our study of the Philippian letter this morning by reading this early Christian hymn together. If you have your Bibles, it’s found in Philippians 2:6-11. Talking about Jesus, the apostle Paul has this to say.... Let’s read together .

"Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."

What an amazing picture of the love of God in action! Tell me something. Why was Jesus willing to empty Himself, to make Himself nothing? Why was He willing to stoop so low for wretched sinners like you and me? Can you answer that question for me?

The answer is simple: Because He loves us. And He came to reveal the Father’s love. The Father loves you! That is the message written in bold print in God’s love letter to us. God loves you! God loves you! God loves you!

And the apostle Paul appeals to the Philippian believers and also to us to embrace that love and to allow that love to transform our lives. Notice his admonition to the Philippians at the beginning of the second paragraph of his letter. It begins with the words “if you have any encouragement...” Let’s read this section of the letter together.

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort in his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. (Philippains 2:1-4).

And what was the attitude of Christ Jesus? Very simply this: His life was so filled with the love of God that He loved the Father with all of His heart and He loved God’s children more than life itself. Let me say that again. Jesus was so filled with the love of God that He loved the Father with all of His heart and He loved God’s children more than life itself.

And the apostle Paul’s admonition is clear. Let your attitude, let your approach to life, be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Let the love of God so fill your heart that you will love Him with all your heart and love those around you more than life itself. And that’s a miracle of God’s grace. You can’t work up that kind of love. You can only open your heart to receive it as a gift from God.

Paul told the believers in Rome that God’s love is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom He has given to us. And when your life is filled with the love of God, you will have the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus. When your heart is filled with the love of God, you will love God with all of your heart and you will love those around you more than life itself.

And when you receive God’s amazing love note through Jesus Christ, you will not only love God with all of your heart, which is the first great commandment, you will not only love those around you more than life itself, which is the second great commandment, but you will be filled with glorious and inexpressible joy!

The apostle Peter speaks of this joy in his first epistle. He writes: “Though you have not seen him, (speaking of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, God’s love letter to us), though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8-9. The KJV describes this joy as “joy unspeakable and full of glory!”

Jesus experienced that glorious and inexpressible joy as He loved God with all of His heart and loved us more than life itself. We read in Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

And that joy was not just a future joy. It was a present joy. Luke records in Luke 10:21 that Jesus was full of joy by the Holy Spirit!

And you can know that joy today. That glorious and inexpressible joy when you receive God’s amazing love note to us, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When you receive Him, you will not only respond by loving God with all of your heart, and loving those around you more than life itself, you will be filled with a glorious and inexpressible joy!

The old gospel song is true. I’m not sure than I can remember all of the words. But it goes something like this:

If you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy
let Jesus come into your heart.
If you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy,
let Jesus come into your heart.
Your sins He’ll wash away
Your night He’ll turn to day
Your life He’ll make it over anew.
If you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy,
let Jesus come into your heart.

And Paul says, when that is your experience, when you receive the love of God poured out through Jesus Christ, when you love God with all of your heart and love one another more than life itself, “you will make my joy complete.” Literally, you will fill up my joy.

As your new senior pastor here at Forest Lake Church, I’ve seen a lot of love revealed in the past few weeks. And much of that love has been directed towards me and my family. Six weeks ago, we moved here to Florida from southern California. Since we’ve arrived, we’ve been invited to Sabbath lunch each week by various church elders. That ends this Sabbath, by the way, so we are open to lunch invitations from mid-November until Jesus comes!

We’ve had the CCC, the Charitable Chainsaw Crew, come over and help clean up our yard after Charlie and Frances visited our neighborhood. We have received notes and cards of encouragement and support. And we have also witnessed many other acts of love and kindness in the congregation.

For example, Pastor Don came to staff meeting on Tuesday in dirty work clothes. He had just come off someone’s roof, helping to make some needed repairs. He doesn’t have to do that. But that’s what happens when your heart is filled with the love of God. You love God with all of your heart and you love those around you more than your own life. And when I see the love of God manifested in you, it brings joy to my heart as your pastor, just like the Philippian believers brought joy to Paul’s heart. And I know that you will also experience joy; real joy; wonderful joy. Glorious inexpressible joy, as you allow God to fill you with His amazing love.

I want to give you something this morning to remind you how much God loves you. It’s a simple card that you can put in your wallet, put in your purse, in your Bible, put on your bulletin board. It says, Dear.....(and you can write your name), I love you, God.”

God loves you no matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been. God loves you no matter where you came from. God loves you whether you’re rich or poor. God loves you whether you’re pretty or ugly! God loves you and He has sent you a love letter in the person of His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Won’t you open your heart to His love to perfectly and completely revealed in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord? When you do, His love will so fill your heart that you will love Him with all of your heart, you will love those around you more than life itself, and you will experience a glorious and inexpressible joy!

You will still face challenges in life. You will still face difficulties. But like it says in the song that our children sing, “This joy that I have the world didn’t give it to me. This joy that I have the world didn’t give it to me. The world didn’t give it and the world can’t take it away." Am I speaking the truth this morning?

Is there anyone who needs to experience that glorious and inexpressible joy? It won’t come with more money or more friends or more stuff. That glorious and inexpressible joy comes when we receive God’s love note to us, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Is there anyone here today who needs to trust Jesus completely as Savior and Lord and be filled with glorious and inexpressible joy? I want to invite you to raise your hand right where you are. Praise God. God sees your hand brother. God sees your hand sister.

We’re going to close our service this morning by singing an old gospel song based on 1 Peter 1:8-9. As we sing this song, if you raised your hand to trust Jesus completely as your Savior and Lord and be filled with inexpressible and glorious joy, or even if you didn’t raise your hand, but that’s your heart desire right now, I want to invite you to come forward as we sing this song so that we can pray with you and rejoice together!

Evan, lead us as we sing. And as we sing, if you’ve made an important decision to trust Jesus completely today as your Savior and Lord and given Him permission to fill you with inexpressible and glorious joy, I invite you to join me here at the front of the church.

It is joy unspeakable and full of glory, full of glory, full of glory.
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory and the half has never yet been told!

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 6:41 PM 0 comments

The Courage of a Flower Compared to the HUMAN SPIRIT...❤ I Have To Share This Lovely Awe-Inspiring Osho Zen Tarot Card Description With You!

“Cause and effect, means and ends, seed and fruit cannot be severed; for the effect already blooms in the cause, the end preexists in the means, the fruit in the seed”
~by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Courage

The seed cannot know what is going to happen, the seed has never known the flower. And the seed cannot even believe that he has the potentiality to become a beautiful flower. Long is the journey, and it is always safer not to go on that journey because unknown is the path, nothing is guaranteed.

Nothing can be guaranteed. Thousand and one are the hazards of the journey, many are the pitfalls - and the seed is secure, hidden inside a hard core. But the seed tries, it makes an effort; it drops the hard shell which is its security, it starts moving. Immediately the fight starts: the struggle with the soil, with the stones, with the rocks. And the seed was very hard and the sprout will be very, very soft and dangers will be many.

There was no danger for the seed, the seed could have survived for millennia, but for the sprout many are the dangers. But the sprout starts towards the unknown, towards the sun, towards the source of light, not knowing where, not knowing why. Great is the cross to be carried, but a dream possesses the seed and the seed moves.

The same is the path for man. It is arduous. Much courage will be needed.

This card shows a small wildflower that has met the challenge of the rocks and stones in its path to emerge into the light of day. Surrounded by an aura of bright golden light, it exposes the majesty of its tiny self. Unashamed, it is equal to the brightest sun.

When we are faced with a very difficult situation we have a choice: we can either be resentful, and try to find somebody or something to blame for the hardships, or we can face the challenge and grow.

The flower shows us the way, as its passion for life leads it out of the darkness and into the light. There is no point fighting against the challenges of life, or trying to avoid or deny them. They are there, and if the seed is to become the flower we must go through them. Be courageous enough to grow into the flower you are meant to be.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 6:37 PM 0 comments

Understanding the Fruit of the Holy Spirit by Pastor Joyce Meyer



written by Pastor Joyce Meyer

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

- Galatians 5:22-23

You may not know it, but when you gave your life to Christ Jesus, all the fruits of the [Holy]Spirit were planted inside you in seed form. Through the [Holy] Spirit you can experience joy and peace in every circumstance, no matter how difficult or painful.

You may not be a naturally patient person, but you can call on the [Holy] Spirit within to produce patience. If you’re battling unhealthy behaviors, like an addiction or some kind of bad habit, the [Holy] Spirit can give you the ability to resist the devil and make healthy choices.

The apostle Paul put it this way: When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power.

Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the [Holy] Spirit. (Romans 7:5-6 NLT)

On your own, it would be impossible. But when you operate in the [Holy] Spirit, you have a supernatural ability to overcome. What a precious gift! And the more you draw near to God, praying and reflecting on His Word, the more you will experience the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit in your life. But where should you start?

It's All About Love, Love and Love

“ How do you love your neighbor? First, you must learn to receive God’s love for yourself. Until then, you can’t truly love anyone else. You may do all the right things, but your motivation will be all wrong. ” All the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit are held in place by love. Jesus said that loving God and other people is the most important commandment. “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”

He added, “A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:39).

How do you love your neighbor? First, you must learn to receive God’s love for yourself. Until then, you can’t truly love anyone else. You may do all the right things, but your motivation will be all wrong. And God isn’t nearly as concerned about what we do as He is about the attitudes of our hearts (see 1 Thessalonians 2:4).

My Journey to Love

For a long time, my heart was a mess. For many years I had been verbally and sexually abused by my father. Then I married a man who ran around on me and eventually ended up in prison. By the time I met Dave at the age of twenty-three, I couldn’t remember a time in my life when I was happy.

My emotional wounds had made me harsh and short-tempered. I operated purely out of fear. And even though I knew all there was to know about Christian living, I had not learned how to receive the love of God—the only thing that can heal someone’s sick soul. It wasn’t until I surrendered control and started receiving God’s love that I finally became free.

Now I love myself! And I can’t wait to wake up in the morning and be a blessing to someone else. I study love—what it is and how God wants us to express it—more than anything else.

Begin Your Own Journey

God loves you so much, He wants you to experience that love in the deepest part of your soul. Pray and ask Him to help you be a person who walks in love. Choose to believe the best about people rather than automatically assuming the worst.

Study the passages of Scripture that talk about God’s love for you and really get them into your heart. Then ask God, “How can I encourage someone today?” Don’t wait until you feel like it. Go out and love on purpose. You will be amazed at the joy it releases in your soul! Focus on learning to love as Jesus loved, and I promise, all the other fruit of the [Holy] Spirit will follow.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 6:31 PM 0 comments

7 Inspirational Quotes by Marie Curie

Marie Skłodowska Curie (November 7, 1867 – July 4, 1934) was a physicist and chemist of Polish upbringing and, subsequently, French citizenship. She was a pioneer in the field of radioactivity, the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes, and the first female professor at the University of Paris. Her achievements include the creation of a theory of radioactivity (a term coined by her), techniques for isolating radioactive isotopes, and the discovery of two new elements, polonium and radium. It was also under her personal direction that the world's first studies were conducted into the treatment of neoplasms ("cancers"), using radioactive isotopes. [source: wikipedia]

7 Inspirational Quotes by Marie Curie
  1. Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.

  2. Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.

  3. One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.

  4. All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child.

  5. A scientist in his laboratory is not a mere technician: he is also a child confronting natural phenomena that impress him as though they were fairy tales.

  6. I am one of those who think like Nobel, that humanity will draw more good than evil from new discoveries.

  7. There are sadistic scientists who hurry to hunt down errors instead of establishing the truth.

You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end each of us must work for his own improvement, and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful.


Humanity needs practical men and women, who get the most out of their work, and, without forgetting the general good, safeguard their own interests. But humanity also needs dreamers, for whom the disinterested development of an enterprise is so captivating that it becomes impossible for them to devote their care to their own material profit. Without doubt, these dreamers do not deserve wealth, because they do not desire it. Even so, a well-organized society should assure to such workers the efficient means of accomplishing their task, in a life freed from material care and freely consecrated to research.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 6:15 PM 0 comments

January 19, 2019

Full Moon Total Eclipse In Leo On January 20th/21st. Love, Light, Liberation by Tania Gabrielle


contact her at www.TaniaGabrielle.com
[source: CrystalWind.ca]

How exciting to start this momentous year with two powerful eclipses! The Total Full Moon Eclipse in Leo (January 21, 5:16 am Universal Time) is truly a wonderful lunation, enhancing Love, Romance, Fortunate shifts and Abundance.

You have the opportunity to thrive and expand your influence.

To uplift people (instead of wishing them ill).

Leo governs the heart… being loved, shining your Light and knowing you are loved.

Leo invites you to EXPRESS yourself with utmost passion.

Leo lifts up, lights up and fires up.

Delight in your internal FIRE.

Your Soul is more fired up than ever to fulfill your destiny and divine mission. Everything has led up to this point…
  • This is the third of five consecutive Full Moons at 00° – we are at the middle pivot point of a 5 month journey.
  • Somewhere in your life you are pressing the Reset Button and starting a new endeavor, way of life, relationship.
What is being set at a new zero point?

Since this is a Total Eclipse of the Moon and in Leo, your heart-center and emotions are intensified.

Use the passionate energy to your advantage.

You may be experiencing radical shifts – excitement, revolutionary changes. That’s also because Uranus is forming a T-square to the Sun and the Moon, while the Sun is in Aquarius (the sign Uranus rules!).
  • T-squares are the most activating sacred geometric shape in astrology.
  • T-squares really motivate us – we really have no choice but to ACT.
Other exciting transits during this Supermoon Eclipse:

Chiron trines the Moon and sextiles the Sun, forming a beautiful triangle of health, love and healing.

And adding some spice to the eclipse is Mars Square Saturn, which will be exact at the time of the eclipse. Saturn is in Capricorn, its own home sign.

This Mars-Saturn meeting may bring up some latent anger issues and frustrations about events or relationships that are really calling for your attention to work through.

Eclipses bring to the forefront those issues that we were blind to, so this is such a great time to acknowledge latent anger or frustrations and heal them with compassion, wisdom and love.

Leaving the BEST for last:

Venus conjuncts Jupiter in Sagittarius!

Venus and Jupiter are the two benefics in astrology, so this merging of love and abundance, beauty and joy in Sagittarius, the sign that Jupiter rules, is one of the great happy celebrations of the year.

Venus and Jupiter merge together at 15°in Sagittarius, number of Spiritual Alchemy, uplifting others through joy.

You feel so Optimistic, Generous, Fortunate, Happy, Expansive!

Adding even more impact – VENUS and JUPITER are exactly trine to MARS!!

What a clear sign of LOVE, Romance, Creative Bliss, Prosperity and Passion…

It’s a wonderful time to appreciate great music, art, beauty, pleasures of life and take a fun trip or weekend getaway.

If you are in a relationship, this will deepen your union, stimulate it, make it more romantic.

If you are not in a relationship, you may fall in love around this time.

Eclipses are a six-month event – so the window begins in the weeks prior and continues in the months after.

Such positive vibes are awakening within you in this gorgeous Leo Full Moon Eclipse!

Make the most of it!

Love and Blessings,
Tania Gabrielle

P.S. Set yourself up for greater success in 2019 when you watch the powerful 2019 Ultimate Yearly Forecast virtual webinar – and get your 2019 Success Map plus my private Fortune Calendar Guide for 2019 (with the list of most fortunate Astro-Numerology days for every month).

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 10:47 PM 0 comments

Full Moon In Leo With A Total Lunar Eclipse Supermoon On Sunday, January 20th by Lena Stevens and Patricia Liles at PowerPath.

I added the picture above to the message below.

Intro written by Lena Stevens at www.thepowerpath.com
Body written by Patricia Liles. Contact her at PATLILES@aol.com
[source: www.CrystalWind.ca]

Dear Friends,

Full Moon is Sunday, January 20 at 10:16 PM Mountain Standard Time (MST).

This Full Moon comes with a with a total Lunar Eclipse visible in much of North and South America and in parts of Europe, Middle East and Africa. Whenever you have this combination, the intensity increases, people could be reactionary, overly impulsive, and emotional highs and lows are exaggerated. We have been in this window between 2 eclipses since the New Moon on the 5th putting the screws on to our self reflection of what we need to do, where we need to go, what we need to change, what to keep, what to release, who we are, and who we are not. Once this Eclipse window is over, we get to come up for some air and reshuffle our lives based on emerging decisions, choices and intentions.

Despite the intensity, it is crucial that you focus on your personal truth regarding your intentions, dreams and desires. Don’t get derailed by drama that is not yours and make sure to be around people and in places that you love and feel inspired by. Any prayers during this time will be greatly supported so be generous with them. What do you have a passion for? Embrace it and put forth your desire to explore it in the adventure that is your life. Include a little gratitude as well for all that you do have and all that is going well.
Prayer is meditation. It activates the Supernatural realm where God operates.
I added the picture gif above to this message.

It is also a good time to focus prayers on how you wish to experience your world. Without judgment, blame or attachment to how it should look (in your opinion), imagine how it would feel everyday if you woke up feeling the inspiration, beauty and joy of a cooperative, compassionate and loving planet. Put that prayer into your heart and project it like an arrow into the world. There are a lot of things in this world you cannot control, but your prayers are something you can. So pray your very best during this intense and powerful time, not only for yourself but for all your relations.

This is a good time for change, commitment, putting yourself first, expanding your growth, pushing beyond your comfort zone, thinking outside the box and dreaming big. Let's set some good intentions and do it!

Blessings,
Lena

Anna’s Post Full Moon/Eclipse Remote Shamanic Healing on Wednesday, January 23 at 7PM MST is a great way to clear confusion and settle into the timing flow of your intentions through a higher vibration. (Link here) Those in Santa Fe may want to register for this at the Santa Fe Salt Cave for an even greater experience of well being. Space is limited 505-365-2875

Power Path Shamanic Tropical Retreat. February 6-12 or February 13-19. Take a break from Winter, do something for yourself, and join us in Mexico for an exquisite experience of relaxation, nurturing and powerful growth and transformation. The theme of Support will include not only deepening connection with common guides and allies but also learning to use the personality of the year as a support and an ally instead of a challenge. (Link here)

ASTROLOGICAL NOTES:

Written by Patricia Liles. Contact her at PATLILES@aol.com

Full Moon in Leo
Sun in Aquarius ~ Moon in Leo 0º 52′
Sunday, Jan 20 10:16 PM Mountain Standard Time
(Monday, Jan 21 5:16 AM Greenwich Mean Time)

Here’s a cycle I’ve been watching and contemplating. All the New Moons since last October and continuing out to April 2019 have been at 15º, right in the middle of the 0º-30º of the sign. In addition, all the Full Moons since November and through March 2019 have been/and will be at 0º of the sign. This is a first for me in watching the heavens for many decades. 0º is, of course, the seed, the beginning, the vibration that sets all in motion. But what about 15º? I offer this: Connie Kaplan in The Invisible Garment analyzes the spiritual principle of each degree. “Resistance” is the quality of 15º, but not the kind of opposition or defensiveness we are programmed to assume. She defines it as, “Resistance is something else altogether. Resistance is a friction that causes energy to experience itself, transform itself, and realign itself with greater purpose”. So the cosmic cycles seem to have a strong, mildly hidden, but deeply felt message for us. At each New Moon 15º, our resistances are deeply felt and brought to the foreground, and each Full Moon 0º during this extended period allows us to begin anew as we are lifted higher in a spiral dance of evolution. I find the cosmos is often kind in that it happily repeats significant messages for the denser among us – self included. (Read more link here)

We have a total Lunar Eclipse this month visible in totality throughout North and South America, and to varying extent in Europe, Middle East and most of Africa. As a ‘supermoon’, it is closest to the Earth and the Sun, Moon and Earth are in close alignment magnifying the effects. May your skies be clear!

A Leo Moon is a moon of the heart, an expansive fiery time of being drawn to shake your mane out and let your roar be heard. A time unabashedly to be full of the strength and courage at your core and let your generosity be seen. Leo is full of warm hospitality, with a love of attention, theatricals and playfulness as well as passion. The only sign ruled by the Sun, Leo has long been considered a sign of royalty and The King. The star Regulus (regal) in the constellation Leo is considered one of the four royal stars and is one of the brightest in the sky.

Eight hours prior to the 0º Full Moon, the Sun has moved into Aquarius, a fixed air sign, for the next month. The sensitive among you may feel that shift as a lifting and freeing as we have been sorely lacking any air planets and any objectivity, perspective and flexibility as the earth signs predominated so intently in Capricorn. It also gives us a predominance of masculine signs now, so we are more prone to take initiative, make decisions, draw a line and stir things up to get moving on our plans. More clarity, easier to take action. We are still in that period of all planets moving forward, none retrograde, until March 5 when Mercury goes retrograde in Pisces for three weeks. So we feel the energy to create, initiate, step into something new, fill our schedules, overbook, whatever it takes to be productive.

Eclipses are caused by the alignment of the Sun and Moon with the Nodes. In this chart we have the Sun along with Mercury closely riding with the South Node. Pluto, just a few degrees away, points to some transforming communications. If you have something stuck in your craw and haven’t been able to spit it out and get clear with what you need to say or how to say it, it may just get unexpectedly revealed. They say, ‘the truth will set you free’ and for better or for worse, with the bright and intense Leo Moon spotlighting communications that transform and release the shadow power and intensity of Pluto, things just might be different for you after this eclipse window.

And if you think you’ll just hunker down and wait the eclipse out, well, Uranus in Aries squaring the North/South Nodes is prone to unexpected, sudden, game changing, lightening bolts precisely thrown to shake up and shatter what wasn’t really working any more any way. Or at least loose-lipped, where did-that-come-from blabbing that you NEVER meant to say that is clearly dripping in truth serum!

Pallas Athena, that great strategist, healer, and protectress aligns with the Nodes and Uranus to form a Grand Cross with Sun Moon, Mercury, Pluto, so it’s a collective squeeze as well as a personal one. Pallas Athena in Libra will add a balancing, mental energy most welcome. Ceres also, goddess of agriculture, the earth and the rituals and passages of fertility and renewal is splendidly situated in relation to the Moon and Sun and even Chiron. Healing rituals for yourself and the earth, acknowledging the cycles of the Sun and Moon, honoring the culminations we are experiencing so intensely at this time will keep you in the frequencies of gratitude and out of chaos.

Venus and Jupiter ride together in the sign most filled with optimism and enthusiasm ~ Sagittarius. What a sweet blessing this pair is helping us to open up and embrace what is foreign, exotic and expansive to our ways of seeing the world and the people around us. Venus’ square to Neptune helps to blur the edges and dissolve any limits on our ability to envision the world we want to manifest. Compassion is strong for the suffering we see acted out on our planet. We feel it deeply. Our hearts are being stretched.

By the end of the month, Saturn (Capricorn) and Neptune (Pisces) both 15º will make the first of three sextile aspects this year. An opportunity a portal, three passes, three opportunities to stir the brew created by physical reality and spiritual reality ~ the visible and the invisible worlds. Barriers dissolve, faith catalyses reason into action, moorings are loosened, the dreams of collective consciousness sway into concrete realities. Intention is everything.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 10:42 PM 0 comments

January 17, 2019

SAUDI ARABIA: Rahaf Who Ran Away To Another Country Because Her Family Wanted To Kill Her For Leaving Islam, Pledges To Use Her Freedom To Campaign For Others After Being Granted Asylum In Canada.

ABC.net.au
written by Sophie McNeill
Tuesday January 15, 2019

In a week, Rahaf al Qunun has gone from being barricaded inside a Bangkok airport hotel room to being the most recognised refugee on the planet.

After landing in Toronto on Saturday, she has spent the last 48 hours trying to come to terms with the incredible events of the past week.

The 18-year-old fled her Saudi family while visiting Kuwait, before flying to Bangkok on January 5.

She had a valid visa to Australia, but was detained by Thai immigration authorities as soon as she disembarked from her Kuwait Airlines flight.

After being told she was going to be forced to return to Saudi Arabia, the teenager barricaded herself in an airport hotel to avoid deportation and tweeted about her situation.

"I was expecting them to enter the room and kidnap me," she told the ABC.

"That's why I wrote a goodbye letter. I decided that I would end my life, before I was forced back to Saudi Arabia."

In her first interview since leaving Bangkok, Ms al Qunun has spoken about why she fled Saudi Arabia — risking all to start a new life abroad.

"I wanted to be free from oppression and depression. I wanted to be independent," she said.

"I wouldn't have been able to marry the person I wanted. I couldn't get a job without permission.

"Women can't even travel on their own."

Under Saudi Arabia's male guardianship system, Ms al Qunun had no legal right to make basic decisions, like obtaining a passport or travelling abroad, without the agreement of her male guardian.

According to Human Rights Watch, in many areas the Saudi state still considers women to be children in legal terms, regardless of age, which is contrary to international law.

'This might be the agent for change'

Saudi Arabia began an unprecedented crackdown on women's rights activists in May 2018, arresting dozens of prominent feminists who have campaigned to end male guardianship in the country.

Rights groups accused the Saudi regime of torturing, sexually harassing and assaulting the detained women.

Ms al Qunun said she wants to use her newfound freedom to campaign for women's rights in Saudi Arabia, and to call for an end to the male guardianship system enforced by the Saudi regime.

"I think that the number of women fleeing from the Saudi administration and abuse will increase, especially since there is no system to stop them," she said.

"I'm sure that there will be a lot more women running away. I hope my story encourages other women to be brave and free.

"I hope my story prompts a change to the laws, especially as it's been exposed to the world.

"This might be the agent for change."

Teenager disowned by family after fleeing Saudi Arabia

Ms al Qunun's father holds a powerful position as a governor in Saudi Arabia and yesterday her family released a public statement labelling the teenager "mentally unstable", saying they had disowned her.

"We are the family of Mohammed El Qanun in Saudi Arabia," the statement reads.

The family expressed their support behind the "the wise leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Sulaiman Bin Abdul Aziz and his Crown Prince, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman".

"How could my family disown me simply because I wanted to be independent and escape their abuse?" Ms al Qunun said.

"It really upset me."

Ms al Qunun acknowledged that not all asylum seekers were processed as quickly as she was, saying she felt sympathy for the millions of refugees around the Middle East.

The teenager was overjoyed last week when Australia said it would process her asylum claim.

She went to the Australian embassy in Bangkok on Wednesday, but by Friday her case was still being processed.

With growing concerns over her security and no clear timeline over how long Australia would take, the UNHCR then referred her case to Canada and her visa was processed within several hours.

Ms al Qunun disputed claims by Thai authorities that she had "chosen" Canada over Australia.

"This wasn't my choice, it was the UN's," she said.

"All I wanted was for a country to protect me. So, my choice was just for any country to protect me."

Yeah. Okay. Keep telling yourselves that. When a female Muslim decides NOT to wear the hijab they get killed by family members for dishonoring the family and Islam. (emphasis mine)

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 8:30 PM 0 comments

SUDAN: Thousands Of Protesters Took Over The Streets Demanding Islamist President al-Bashir Step Down AFTER 30 Year Rule When He Overthrew The Government And IMPOSED Sharia Law. Wanted For Genocide Of Sudanese Christians.

The Guardian, UK
written by Reuters staff in Khartoum
Thursday January 17, 2019

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in cities across Sudan, including the capital, where activists said a child and a doctor were killed in clashes between police and protesters calling for the end of Omar al-Bashir’s 30-year-old rule.

Thursday’s protests marked some of the most widespread disturbances since unrest began on 19 December.

The protests were triggered by price rises and cash shortages, but have quickly developed into demonstrations against Bashir.

In the day’s most violent clashes police in Khartoum’s Burri neighbourhood fired rubber bullets and teargas, and chased demonstrators with batons, witnesses said. Several people were overcome with teargas, while some were bruised by rubber bullets and others beaten.

Hundreds of young men and women blocked streets and alleyways with burning tyres, and some hurled stones at security forces, witnesses said. Many chanted “down, that’s it” to send the message that their only demand is Bashir’s fall.

Demonstrators also taunted security forces by ululating each time a stone-throwing demonstrator hit police, witnesses said.

A live video posted on social media and verified by Reuters showed security forces pointing guns at protesters in Burri. The sound of gunfire could be heard.

In the video, a demonstrator yelled “why are you shooting?” as protesters, some wearing masks as protection from teargas, ducked to avoid the firing. It was not clear if rubber or live bullets were used. One man who appeared to be injured and had spots of blood on his shirt was carried away.

“There were people shooting at us,” one protester told Reuters. “They fired rubber bullets.”

He said he saw five people fall to the ground, adding he was not sure if they were hit by rubber or live bullets. He said he saw a few other injured people being carried away, but security forces blocked the area and the wounded were unable to reach a hospital.

Instead they were being treated in a makeshift emergency room inside a home. At some point, security forces approached the makeshift clinic and fired teargas into it as the wounded were being treated, three witnesses said.

A police spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

Hundreds also protested in al-Qadarif, Atbara, Port Sudan, al-Dueim and al-Ubayyid, drawing teargas volleys from police, witnesses said.

Security forces have at times used live ammunition to disperse demonstrations. The official death toll stands at 24, including two security forces personnel. Amnesty International has said that more than 40 people have been killed.

“We will continue to protest until the government falls because we want to provide a better life for our children,” said a 47-year-old teacher who demonstrated in downtown Khartoum.

Bashir has blamed the protests on foreign “agents” and said the unrest will not lead to a change in government, challenging his opponents to seek power through the ballot box.

The UN high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, said that she was deeply worried about reports of excessive use of force by Sudanese security forces.

Advertisement

Sudan has struggled economically since losing three quarters of its oil output – its main source of foreign currency – when South Sudan seceded in 2011, keeping most of the oilfields.

The US lifted 20-year-old trade sanctions on Sudan in 2017. But many investors continue to shun a country still listed by Washington as a state sponsor of terrorism.

al-Bashir is wanted by the international criminal court over charges, which he denies, of masterminding genocide in the Darfur region.


This is the entire documentary. Watch it before it disappears.

Miss Westley published on Nov 19, 2017: The Devil came on horseback A documentary about the jaweed, a Sudanese government backed militia, who have stolen, raped and murdered Sudanese .

While serving with the African Union, former ine Capt. Brian Steidle documents the brutal ethnic cleansing occuring in Darfur. Determined that the Western .

The Devil Came On Horseback (2007) exposes the violence and tragedy of the genocide in Darfur as seen through the eyes of a lone American witness.

Sudanese Islamic Jihad

1980’s Arab Supremacists Slave Traders

Nomidic Arab tribes called the Janjaweed (in Sudanese province of Darfur since 12th century from Arabian Peninsula) form an alliance with a group of powerful Arab North Sudanese merchants called the Jellaba. The Jellaba runs an extensive slavery ring of non-Arab Africans and exploits the Sudanese soil for its raw materials.

The Arab Janjaweed and Jellaba consider themselves racially and ethnically superior to the Africans of Sudan, justifying their involvement in the slave-trade of black Africans.

Sudan Famine 1985-2003

Terrible drought hits Sudan resulting in severe famine. Janjaweed Arab militias (15% of Darfur population) relentlessly attack farms and villages of Sudanese Africans, depriving them of water and provisions. Pillaging, raping and killing are common. Africans are treated as second-class citizens.

Sudan 1989-2003: Muslim Brotherhood In Power

Muslim Brotherhood led by Al Bashir take over government by force. He works closely with Osama Bin Laden. Persecution of non-Arab Sudanese by Janjaweed militia worsens under Al Bashir, and increasingly takes on the tone of racially motivated ethnic cleansing.

1989 Osama in Sudan

Osama Bin Laden, founder of Al Qaeda, leaves Afghanistan for Saudi Arabia. Then continues on to Khartoum, Sudan. He works with Al Zahawiri and Al-Bashir of Muslim Brotherhood.

1989 Two Million Christians murdered (Muslim Brotherhood) Millions More Are Starved by Jihad Forces

Muslim Brotherhood stages pro-Islamic coup in Sudan under ideological leadership of Hassan al-Turabi. Democracy ended. Thirteen devastating years of famine and civil war follow. Sudanese Jihad militia (the Janjaweed) prevents abundant food supplies from reaching starving Sudanese population. Millions of Sudanese die from disease and malnutrition.

Hassan al-Bashir of Muslim Brotherhood leads the devastation.

Two million (2,000,000) Christian Sudanese murdered by Hassan al-Bashir’s Wahhabi Jihad (Holy War) since 1989.

Jihad is heavily sponsored by Saudi Oil.

1996 Al Qaeda From Sudan to Afghanistan to the World

Bin Laden leaves Sudan under US pressure on Sudanese government. He returns to Pakistan and is transferred back to Afghanistan under the direct supervision of General Pervez Musharraf, then high ranking military figure. Osama Bin Laden gathers all the remaining Mujahedeen (‘Holy Islamic Warriors’) from the Afghan War. He finds refuge with the oppressive Taliban regime and rekindles connections with jihad mercenaries from Chechnya, Dagestan, Xinjiang of China, the Southern Philipines, North Africa and the Middle East. International Jihad takes shape.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 7:54 PM 0 comments

KENYA: Islamist Militant Group al-Shabaab From Somalia Attacked A High-End Hotel, Held Hostages Overnight, 21 Murdered. The Muslim World Financially Supports Islamist Militants.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ)
written by Matina Stevis-Gridneff and Gabriele Steinhauser
Wednesday January 16, 2019

NAIROBI, Kenya—Islamist militants’ deadly 18-hour siege of an upscale complex here jolts a key U.S. ally in the war on terrorism and raises questions over how the Somalia-based insurgents have survived more than a decade of international military campaigns.

On Tuesday afternoon, unmasked attackers carrying AK-47s and explosives shot their way into the 14 Riverside hotel and office complex in the capital—a favorite hangout for foreigners and upper-class Kenyans—detonated at least one suicide bomb and barricaded themselves in with hundreds of hostages overnight. It took until late Wednesday morning for Kenyan special forces to kill five gunmen and free the remaining captives.

By then, at least 20 people, among them a Kenyan accountant for Colgate-Palmolive Co. and an American who specialized in development finance, were dead. A police officer later succumbed to his injuries in hospital.

The foyer of the DusitD2 hotel, an emblem of Nairobi’s emergence as East Africa’s business hub, was covered in blood and debris; parked outside were the skeletons of several incinerated cars.

Al-Shabaab, a Somali extremist group affiliated with al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the assault. Kenyan police said it had arrested two people it believes helped facilitate the attack.

The group said the attack stemmed from an al-Qaeda directive to hit Western and Zionist targets in retaliation for President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the U.S. Embassy there, in a statement on the website of SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks jihadist groups.

The statement said the complex was selected because it hosts Western companies and expats dine at its restaurant.

One of Africa’s longest-living Islamist movements, al-Shabaab regularly carries out deadly attacks, mostly inside Somalia. In its bloodiest attack to date it killed more than 500 Somalis in the capital, Mogadishu, in 2017. Its insurgent-style assaults, often paired with explosives, have proven to be difficult to contain through conventional military tactics.

For many Kenyans, the siege brought back painful memories of al-Shabaab’s 2013 attack on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall, which left 67 people dead and dragged on for four days. Two years later, al-Shabaab militants rampaged through Kenya’s Garissa University, killing 147 people.

“We can never take anything for granted,” Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said in a televised press conference, pledging to pursue “every person involved in planning, funding and executing this heinous act.”

At Nairobi’s Chiromo mortuary, dozens of friends and relatives of victims—some wailing, others collapsing in grief—gathered to identify and claim the bodies of loved ones.

Among them were representatives of the family of Jason Spindler, the Texan co-founder and chief executive of I-Dev International, a company focused on financial innovations to reduce poverty. “The world has lost a kind soul and a great man in a senseless act,” one friend posted on Mr. Spindler’s Facebook wall.

A senior executive from LG Electronics Inc., which has offices in the 14 Riverside complex, said he was there to identify the body of a Kenyan employee. Nearby, the widow of a Colgate accountant wept.

Inside the morgue lay the body of Luke Potter, the British-South African director of the U.K.-based Gatsby Charitable Foundation’s Africa program. Tuesday had been his first day at the Riverside office after permanently relocating to Nairobi, a friend and co-workers said.

The attack struck at the heart of a country whose tourism sector, known for breathtaking safaris and white sandy beaches stretching for miles, had finally recovered from the Westgate attack. Kenya also hosts the regional base of multinationals such as Coca-Cola and Microsoft.

The 14 Riverside houses banks, travel agencies and stores, in addition to the hotel and offices. French drinks maker Pernod Ricard SA and Adam Smith International, a prominent think tank, have offices in the complex.

Many public buildings in Nairobi, including the Riverside complex, have metal detectors and security guards sweeping cars for weapons and explosives. The attackers were able to break past two boomgates by firing AK-47s and throwing hand grenades into parked vehicles, causing multiple explosions.

Kenyan officials said security forces held off on confronting the gunmen while office workers were still holed up inside the complex, to avoid striking them in the crossfire. Two Western diplomats said they were overall pleased with the Kenyan forces’ response.

Still, the fact that al-Shabaab was able to launch such a sophisticated attack—which required careful coordination and large amounts of ammunition—shocked many Kenyans and international observers. Under Mr. Trump, the U.S. has ramped up drone strikes against the militants in Somalia. Washington also supports a 22,000-strong regional military force fighting the insurgency, and maintains some 500 troops in Somalia training Somali elite forces.

“It highlights why U.S. investments were made in Kenya and Somalia—even if they haven’t been fully successful, there is no hope the threat of al-Shabaab will go away if the U.S. stops fighting it,” said Katherine Zimmerman, a research fellow at the conservative Washington-based American Enterprise Institute.

Kenya, is a major contributor to AMISOM, a Somalia-stationed military force that includes troops from Ethiopia, Uganda, Djibouti and Burundi. The Riverside 14 attack revives a debate in Kenya about whether the country should keep troops in Somalia at all, given the violent retaliation.

“No one wants to see their troops in other countries’ problems, but you have this al Qaeda affiliate in Somalia creating havoc in Kenya,” said Abdirashid Hashi, director of Mogadishu-based think tank Heritage Institute. “Somalis alone cannot handle it.”
As if the Islamist militants really needed a reason to attack. They do this all the time, killing innocent people and destroying property. And for what? To scare away Westerners, Christians, and Jews. This is how Islam takes over nations struggling economically. In the West, Islam uses the court system to change our laws to favor Islam and puts Islamist in office to change laws to favor Islam. ALL Islamist militant groups worldwide have a shared vision of a Global Islamic Caliphate (kingdom) ruled by sharia law. Meaning they want ALL of humanity worldwide to submit to Islam and ALL of humanity worldwide to be ruled by Islamic sharia law. This is why I call them Necromongers. (emphasis mine)
The Guardian, UK
Wednesday January 16, 2019

Intelligence services in Kenya were warned that al-Shabaab was planning terrorist attacks on high-profile targets in the east African country around Christmas and the new year, western and regional security officials have said.

Officials and other sources told the Guardian the warnings had been passed on several times in recent months, adding that they had been frustrated not to see a greater response from Kenyan authorities.

Security forces cleared the hotel, restaurant and office complex in Nairobi on Wednesday morning after it was attacked the previous day by four gunmen from al-Shabaab, an Islamic extremist organisation based in neighbouring Somalia. The Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, said 14 civilians were confirmed dead.

Al-Shabaab, which has said its mujahideen were responsible for the assault, has launched a series of terrorist operations in Kenya in recent years. In 2013, the al-Qaida affiliate took over a luxury mall in Nairobi, killing 67 people.

The news of the warnings will embarrass authorities in Kenya, which is seen as a key local counter-terrorist player by the US, UK and other western powers.

One Kenyan intelligence official said information passed on by security partners about planned attacks lacked detail but that the country had been on high alert since November.

I SHARED THE FOLLOWING WITH YOU LAST YEAR. I'm reposting the information below with this Kenya attack news  from this week because I read the entire article by the Guardian News, UK I shared a snippet with you above that make it sound like al-Shabaab had no money and was barely surviving to stay alive. That is a bunch of crock. (emphasis mine)

Radio Free Europe
written by RFE Staff, AFP, and Reuters
Saturday October 13, 2018

An Al-Qaeda-linked militant group is using Iran as its main transit point for illegal charcoal exports from Somalia, enabling the group to earn millions of dollars in profits, a report to the UN Security Council seen by media says.

According to a report cited by AFP and Reuters on October 12, since March, the main destination for the illegal shipments has been ports in Iran, where the charcoal is packaged into white bags labelled "Product of Iran."

The United Nations has banned Somali charcoal imports since 2012 to cut sources of revenue for Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda affiliate that generates revenues for its Islamist insurgency by levying taxes on charcoal production in the regions it controls.

The UN estimates that, despite UN sanctions banning such exports, Somalia produced some 3.6 million bags of charcoal in 2017 for export, generating some $7.5 million in revenue for Al-Shabaab.

The report called Iran a "weak link" in implementing the UN's charcoal ban, and also cast blame on countries such as Ghana and the Ivory Coast for allowing charcoal traffickers to "exploit weaknesses" in their certification processes.

The illegal shipments that arrive in Iran usually carry certificates that falsely state that the Somali charcoal originated in Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, or Ghana, the unpublished UN report says.

The document identifies Iranian ports in the Kish and Qeshm free zones as the main destinations of the Somali charcoal shipments since March 2018.

From there, the charcoal is sent on "Iran-flagged dhows" to ports in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Dubai, and elsewhere, where it is mainly used for cooking and smoking shisha water pipes, the report says.

The Iranian mission to the UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The report says Iran became a transit point for the illegal Somali shipments after Oman tightened its customs procedures.

The report provided to the UN council was drafted by a UN group of experts tasked with monitoring sanctions on the Somali militants.

Al-Shabaab militants have vowed to overthrow the Somali government (AGAIN), which is backed by the UN and a 20,000-strong force from the African Union stationed in the country.

While Al-Shabaab was pushed out of Mogadishu in 2011 and lost many of other bastions, they still control vast rural areas in the country.

In addition to earnings millions from charcoal sales, Al-Shabaab is making millions annually by imposing tolls on vehicles in areas where they have checkpoints and through taxes on businesses, agriculture, and livestock, the report says.

All this "generates more than enough revenue to sustain its insurgency," it says.

NTV News Kenya published on Oct 13, 2018: Mandera County has been hit hard by terror attacks in the past 7 years with Lafey sub county bearing the most brunt . The insecurity has affected the once busy and preferred Mandera - Lafey highway, a 115 Km stretch connecting the two towns, and that has now been rendered impassable as Al shabaab militants carry out attacks at will along this road. NTV’s Ahmed Maulid tells us more about terror's highway, and how it has affected businesses and daily life in Mandera.

NTV News Kenya published on Nov 15, 2017: Trevor Ombija speaks to George Musamali, Byron Adera, Mustafa Ali and Sammy Mwithi on the fresh report by the United Nations that implicates the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in failing to enforce an export ban on charcoal exports by Al-Shabaab.

Heritage.org
written by Joshua Meservey
April 3, 2018

The Kenyan Defense Forces have been deployed in Somalia conducting counterterror operations since 2011.

Yet a recent United Nations (U.N.) report accuses the Kenyans of continuing its years-long practice of enabling the trade of charcoal in Somalia—a trade banned by the U.N. in 2012 because it profits al-Shabaab, the Islamist terror group with which Kenya is ironically locked in a bitter struggle.

Since its rise to prominence in 2006, al-Shabaab (an al-Qaeda affiliate) has launched hundreds of attacks inside Somalia, earning the State Department’s designation as a terror organization in 2008. In October 2017, it launched one of the deadliest terror attacks in history when two of its truck bombs killed more than 500 people in Somalia’s capital city, Mogadishu.

The group also frequently attacks nearby Kenya, perpetrating some of the worst massacres the country has ever suffered. Its seizure of the upscale Westgate Mall in Nairobi in September 2013 led to nearly 70 deaths and almost totally destroyed the mall.

In 2015, the group killed 147 people—mostly students—at Garissa University in eastern Kenya. The group has also kidnapped Kenyans and foreign citizens alike from Kenya and attacked humanitarian aid workers around the Dadaab refugee camp.

In response to al-Shabaab’s growing power, the African Union in 2007 established a multinational peacekeeping force in Somalia, known as AMISOM, to try to roll back al-Shabaab’s territorial control and stabilize the region. After invading Somalia in October 2011 in its own campaign against al-Shabaab, Kenya merged its forces in Somalia with AMISOM the following year.

AMISOM succeeded in expelling al-Shabaab from all its major strongholds, though the group still controls significant territory in southern Somalia. Kenyan forces also liberated the port of Kismayo, one of Somalia’s largest ports for exporting charcoal. Some believed the city’s capture would be a lethal blow to al-Shabaab given its financial reliance on the port.

That was not the case, however.

Instead of enforcing the U.N. ban on the charcoal trade, Kenyan forces allegedly allow it to continue in exchange for its own slice of the action. The Kenyans charge about $2 a bag, and may make as much as $12 million a year from the arrangement.

The Kenyan forces’ cupidity allows al-Shabaab to rake in charcoal profits. The U.N. conservatively estimates that the terror group makes approximately $10 million dollars a year from the 4.5 million to 6 million bags of charcoal exported annually. Al-Shabaab benefits primarily by taxing vehicles ferrying charcoal to port cities such as Kismayo for export.

The fight against al-Shabaab is already difficult enough given the Somali government’s corruption and dysfunction, and its lack of progress in creating an effective Somali national army. Kenyan forces’ refusal to enforce the charcoal ban only makes the fight harder, and the money they reap comes at the cost of both Kenyan and Somali lives.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 6:54 PM 0 comments

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)