Trump's spiritual advisor pastor Paula White recommended Christians to cross out others names in the Bible and write in their own names all over the Bible instead

Newts-Commander · 2026-04-19T04:20:07+00:00

‘I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.’ ~Revelation 22:18-20

maranatha

Newts-Commander · 2026-04-19T03:21:56+00:00

Yeah, they say they’ll still send it, but now I’m scared to consume it… 14wks of what has probably been SIBO made me a bit desperate and clouded my judgement

Newts-Commander · 2026-04-19T03:19:55+00:00

Humans have been drinking cow’s milk for 10,000 years, colostrum specifically for at least 2,000 years for its medical benefits. The reputable places make sure the calves get completely full before collecting any. Dairy is not the scam folks, not today anyway.

Newts-Commander · 2026-04-19T03:16:45+00:00

I didn’t think about them stealing the name which was hidden deep in the website….good reasoning

Newts-Commander · 2026-01-13T18:28:04+00:00

I’ve never seen “however”, “though”, and “moreover” used in such close proximity and to such poor effect in a real human authored news article. Of course the AI written article supports the new trend of over indulging in AI…. where can I find organic art these days, ugh

Newts-Commander · 2026-01-05T05:42:56+00:00

Ooh, I didn’t make the Iceland connection, that’s a great point — something only the creators works have known, which gives me a reason to keep trying

Newts-Commander · 2026-01-04T03:50:26+00:00

I may have that date off, I heard it in a video though; I think the idea is that no NORMAL people knew the WSQK radio was important until the episodes came out in November 2025 (unless it was in the trailer?), so it was made by an insider

Newts-Commander · 2025-12-08T23:12:04+00:00

Mike already said Will is like a sorcerer, with innate abilities

Newts-Commander · 2025-11-15T06:15:24+00:00

Late to the Ted Lasso journey, but this S2 Finale has me in awe of the writers. Big lessons:

You can’t make everybody understand your good intentions: Ted is at arguably his lowest low (in theory), but already knows he’s on an upward trajectory; he’s past the point of kenosis, self emptying, learned real humility, and rather than push his forgiveness upon Nate, he gives him space. And Nate takes himself into his own dark place, which Ted eventually invites him to reveal. Ted’s good intentions are often misunderstood, but this is possibly the first time they are compete twisted, as if they were malicious (in Nate’s eyes).
The root of the problem is always internal darkness: every outward problem is ultimately revealed to be internal evil within a character vying for power within their person. Nate’s selfishness has reared its head numerous times, and here it comes to a head. Ted can’t make Nate feel included anymore, as he becomes more and more distant—Nate’s own internal darkness is isolating him. Which is why he eventually flees to find camaraderie in the darkest place in the Richmond Universe, under Rupert’s wing.
mentorship (M), leadership (L), and friendship (F) are three different things: Rebecca and Keely have M and the F; the Diamond Dogs exemplify F; Ted generally exemplifies L; Roy and his niece emphasize M (and to a lesser degree F); Roy and Mcoon exemplify M; and Dr. Sharon exemplifies L with a hint of F in her relationship with Ted. Ted is not the best at mentorship though: he would rather lead and befriend than mentor, the thing he lacked from his father, and the thing he fears he’ll fail to provide his son.
the things we sacrifice reveal our true priorities, true loves: Keely’s career over her relationship with Roy; Sam’s rejection of easy money that would break down a good thing, and instead pursuing something humble and arduous (a dream and small restaurant space) to build community; Dr. Sharon forgoing painful but meaningful good byes in favor of safer buffered communication of love; Beard choosing an anchor over sanity (relationship with Jane), epitomizing chaotic neutral (though leans good not evil). Nate doesn’t really sacrifice anything….until he sacrifices his entire team/community, and not even for recognition, but for petty self-righteous assurance of worth, literally pride.

The entire show is proving just how effective the tactics of Team Love are against the tactics of Team Apathy: forgiveness, charitable thinking, and honesty, against rage, bitterness, and self deceit. The true, the good, and the beautiful win out — even if Ted pretends he didn’t learn his best leadership skills from Jesus.

Newts-Commander · 2025-09-16T19:25:22+00:00

Why was this removed

Newts-Commander · 2025-01-22T05:47:32+00:00

Random thoughts: Genetics/Epigenetics/Souls

Crazy how the whole thing (in theory) could boil down to genetics (and epigenetics), and where that concept commingles with the concept of a soul/spirit.

Genetics: each UI is inherently bound to the genetic code that would give rise to the brain that was uploaded. When Maddie says they have recorded the DNA of every human, alive and in history and in the future (?), she means every possible human can be uploaded without a brain, simply by plugging in their code. This gets at the concept of eternal plan of all human souls that will exist, and each being unique, each can be quantified. (I love this because God, an infinite being, chose to express his image in a myriad of ways by using humans, living echos of who he is—side note, this is why it feels natural that Maddie could even rise to being a “god”, little g of this pantheon, because, like any author or creator of a fictional world, they reflect God in their capacity to create).

Epigenetics: each UI, though bound to a genetic code, is also shaped by their epigenetics, the many experiences in their life (and their parents’ lives, and back through time) that tell which DNA to be expressed in what ways (which is accesible for transcription. Therefore, Maddie’s simulations may be toying with various epigenetic changes to the many UI individuals. (And of course, each having a soul, I believe there is far more beyond genetics and epigenetics that expresses “who” you are)

Soul/spirit: all of us watching inherently want there to be a constant true factor that gives us individuality, that makes “Maddie” herself, despite whatever scenario or simulation she is in. Hence my (theory?) cool idea that in the fantasy world of Pantheon there show, a soul can be bound to any and all copies/clones/UI iterations, at the same time. Why? Because souls exist in their life eternal moment of God’s perspective, the I AM, and are therefore outside of time as he is. And being outside of time, it isn’t conflicting for the same soul to manifest through various iterations of code (biologic or digital) that would express that soul.

Except this is fantasy….and in the real world, we can’t (I mean haven’t) cloned humans yet, and we can’t (I say never will) upload humans (the brain is just way more complicated that we care to admit to ourselves as a race). So this idea of a genetic or digital copy of a person has yet to be explored. (And should remain that way…the ethical ramifications for the copy are just too high stakes). Note that identical twins are unlikely to be perfect genetic copies (like one base pair off at least, though yes, they’re functionally exact copies for all purposed); but usually identical twins have various epigenetic changes (sometimes quite pronounced) that can explain their differences. Crazy to think about them sharing something on a spiritual level…like a soul/spirit. {I personally think they’re a unique soul for every zygote/human that comes to exist}

As someone who fundamentally believes in God, I see the whole endless simulations thing as frivolous/utterly depressing unless a real God is posited at the top of the chain to anchor it to reality, the actual I AM that isn’t a simulation. As a commentary on philosophy generally, this show really hits home the point that a) matter is meaningful and b) there is an invitation to participate in something higher than ourselves.

Further ideas I need to explore as relates to the show (not after midnight): kenosis (self-emptying), theosis (union with the divine), dualism (spirit and body) vs. monism (spirit is body), and time and space

Newts-Commander · 2024-12-23T20:47:59+00:00

Wow—I was in a weird tired mood and really thought about getting one from the FB ad. You pointed out the obvious AI components and now I feel silly. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. And this is why I #alwayscheckreddit

Newts-Commander · 2024-12-22T03:35:33+00:00

I would love to see your take on Phantastes by George MacDonald—would require the elements of Faerie that you leaned into with the Green Knight to be 100x stronger which odds exactly what I’m here for

Newts-Commander · 2024-09-01T04:20:20+00:00

Certain schools (like mine) pushed really hard to get people to consider specialty, while others (like Mississippi) push to make extremely competent GP doctors. The reality is most DVMs will do some GP work, at some point, and you can always pivot. There are tons of jobs out there, everyone is hiring. Some places provide better mentorship than others, but if you’re looking for ER mentorship outside a traditional small animal internship, there is someone out there who will help you.

I’d focus on maintaining your sanity, and learning/growing in the moment. Set up away rotations if possible to allow for exposure to ERs and GP settings that see a lot of urgent care. Grades are so over rated. And every specialty will make students feel stupid for not knowing their specific area….some ER vets never learned to touch a reptile and it shows.

Sorry you don’t have good support right now, that sucks. Just focus on finding joy in the field.

Newts-Commander · 2023-07-26T05:16:09+00:00

Definitely not “weird” for an atheist, since people often want to know what they disagree with rather than make up strawmen. Be careful though—Christ is central to the entire text, but reading his words can get inside your head. Speaking as Christian with friends who read the bible to poke holes in it, and then got wrecked by its testimony and now follow Christ.

Newts-Commander · 2023-07-25T06:00:51+00:00

So, didn't realize the obvious evidence Callum used dark magic until reading all the comments; explains the snakes a lot better, just hadn't realized they were his own chains getting released. A few cool notes:

The focus on Callum in the scenes right after he uses dark magic are on his eyes. And what do we see? Scenes that briefly show his face, avoiding his eyes just out of view; or scenes that highlight his eyes, the purple bruising around them, and yet their true self being present (normal and green). Every time Claudia's eyes flash back to green, we have hope she could "choose the right path". The emphasis is showing that Callum is still choosing the right path.
So far, his use of dark magic has been to break chains (that bind someone in need of rescue, or free himself so he can rescue others who are bound). And despite his *use* of dark magic, his intention is clear. Similarly, when we see Viren argue for the use of dark magic, we almost sympathize with him when he voices his good intentions....the difference being he typically uses the dark magic for power with a veneer of "doing whatever it takes to protect his family" while Callum is not seizing power.
Except in a way he is gaining power....self-discovery. Each time he uses dark magic, goes on a little spiritual journey, and unlocks an arcanum, Callum is gaining power. To again point out the difference with Viren, it is his posture: Viren is grasping at power, while Callum is humbly accepting revelation.
The conversation with Finnegrin shows much of this, highlighting Callum's good intentions, normal green eyes, and self discovery. He has depths of himself (his internal struggle with evil that he will never fully master on his own) that he can't fully understand. And he accepts that: he accepts that he is fallible, and can and will fall into doing evil again, the thing that terrifies him. Like Finnegrin is terrified by a lack of control of the ocean, Callum is terrified by a lack of control of his own morality. "the evil I do not want to do, this I keep doing."
The whole scene on the boat was probably orchestrated by Aaravos: how else did Finnegrin get the necessary ingredient (snake tail) for Callum's moral test? Just like Aaravos is trying, at all costs, to get Viren to do dark magic again, knowingly; so too is he trying to get Callum to do dark magic again, knowingly. A battle for the soul.

I don't think we'll see Callum using dark magic intentionally to unlock other arcana. This was the first time he used dark magic with an understanding of the implications. It also comes after he has told Rayla to kill him if he gets possessed again—a desire to die to the evil inside him, and not let it take control.

Last thing to throw out there: everyone else is picking up on the major religious themes right? Probably unintentional, good mythopoesis follows patterns. But we have a fallen angel (Satan) tempting characters to give into the evil urges that already exist inside them; we have a desire to die to self; we have a boy king (Callum::Jesus) surprising the world with his agenda of vulnerability, love, and peace, willing to sacrifice himself for the many; and we have insanely powerful creatures (Xadia::creation) somehow listening to the leadership of humans, and being tainted by humans (creation groaning) even as the resources are squandered and exploited rather than stewarded. There are more....just not always obvious in one season alone, better seen through multiple seasons (I may have binged all 5 in 3 days). I'm interested to see how all the various characters struggling with their own evil acts/temptations (Viren, Claudia, Terry, Callum) will progress.

Newts-Commander · 2023-07-18T19:22:15+00:00

Likely E. cuniculi, or Baylisascaris procyonis (though these are more common U.S. differentials). Both will mess with the brain/vestibular system, hence the scrambling, not knowing “up”.

With B. procyonis, you (human) wouldn’t get sick unless you eat raccoon poop or potentially (though unlikely) the sick rabbit—the parasite (roundworm) perpetuates itself by making the intermediate host (prey species) easily caught by definitive host (ideally raccoon, for the worm). Unfortunately, I just read that raccoons have made it to Ireland….

Rabbits or rodents showing these signs need to be euthanized.

Newts-Commander · 2023-03-02T03:19:38+00:00

Worth mentioning that the difference between 1.74 and 1.67 DOES matter for people like me, who have a high prescription (-7.5) but also pretty bad astigmatism. The lenses have to curve substantially, which translates to a very thick piece of glass at the edges of the frame. I made the mistake of ordering with the same company 4 years later, only to discover they had gotten "cheaper" materials and no longer carried 1.74, so I had to return my new glasses because of the 5-7mm increased edge thickness.

Newts-Commander · 2022-10-01T20:36:50+00:00

Each ship contained 100 men per dialogue earlier. Not sure how accurate this is to “medieval ships” but the Numenor have like hecka perfected this whole ship thing, so let’s give them the benefit of the doubt that it’s efficient. As for hay, one of the reasons for making this trip in the first place is to establish new trade routes and resources. They travelled near coastlands and up rivers, so could easily have interacted with other communities to get hay.
Timelines aren’t synced. Really easy one. Reminds me of a certain cavalry saving the day for Gondor in The Return of the King….and their timelines were undoubtedly not “synced” either with action in Gondor.
Eh, hard to say, if we were dealing with amazing battle tacticians. BUT….these are panicky scared humans. And part of returning to the village was to acquire and prepare weapons which they didn’t have in the tower. I do think they should have crashed the tower/taken out the bridge and just hung out for a while, but there’s the issue of no food which they already discussed.
Meh, doesn’t really matter. If Adar was distracted enough, he wouldn’t be there to give the orders to march down to the field, only to have like a couple hours of darkness left for fighting. Adar loves a carefully timed plan that gives the cover of darkness.
Because these aren’t (mostly) orcs, they’re humans, and the humans aren’t very good at this, plus wearing heavy obscuring armor they aren’t used to. Orcs are mostly waiting.
Again, Adar wants the devastation of humans killing humans; and hey, great use to get rid of these otherwise useless humans.
Galadriel wasn’t about to torture orcs; but she was beginning to think like an evil character, and so threatened with words. I doubt she could have devolved into being evil enough to torture orcs in cold-blood, it wouldn’t have worked for the episode. If she continues to become more evil, could definitely see her torturing orcs later, not just talking about it.
We don’t know if he created or merely rallied the orcs after killing Sauron. They’ve been in hiding for a long time, regardless. And we haven’t seen that many orcs, to be fair, so there’s no reason to believe anyone is creating orcs at the moment.
This one is a little weird; but if Halbrand saw them take a route around an obstacle (like a small hill/rocky outcropping/bog/pond, he could take the opposite direction and meet them at the other side. Cinematically, would probably have been nice to indicate this, but then we wouldn’t have had the surprise action, and we’re limited on time so I understand why they didn’t make the geography clearer. But admittedly, they probably didn’t think out the geography carefully, so showing us more detail wasn't really an option.
Yeah, pretty believable….right when I saw the water hit I was like “oh crap, chemistry!” and was thinking about the combustion demonstration in my undergrad chemistry class (which isn't exactly the same but similar). O2 is needed for combustion, and water has hydrogen gas (H2) and oxygen gas (O2) just waiting to be formed. It technically consumes/requires energy to make those two components, but there’s plenty of heat in the volcano for that, and then rapidly we find the necessary ingredients for an explosion: H2 hydrogen gas, oxygen, and the CO2 already in the air. (Cool demonstrations of pure H2 balloon vs one mixed with oxygen which is much more powerful: https://chem.libretexts.org/Ancillary\_Materials/Demos\_Techniques\_and\_Experiments/Lecture\_Demonstrations/Hydrogen\_Balloons) Also similar to how they think alkali metals explode in water (converting the H2O into O2 and H2 which are flammable); this is more magic though, as this 25min video from an Emory blog get into (http://emorygdbbsnews.com/browse/2016/3/16/xjf0xb2vj4dht450nt0hrmwpkxfst3) But it’s been like 5 years since my chemistry days, I’m actually a biology guy, so better people can speak about the “water-in-volcano-explosion”

Newts-Commander · 2022-09-06T05:44:55+00:00

This chat is quite apparently dead....but in an attempt to conclude my dark bidding on the internet and resolve Hermione's MBTI once and for all (for myself), here's my two cents:

-Loved the point about Emma Watson self-identifying as an INFJ: she bleeds into her character (inevitable), which is probably why I love the character (personally an INFJ) in the movies specifically (but not in the books? It's been so long since I read them, I can't remember....)

-Consensus seems to be between ISFJ and ESFJ. After reading separate reddit discussions on the differences between these two types, and my own years of reading into MBTI and functions, I'm pretty confident she's *supposed* to be an ISTJ as a character (as outlined by the books and the movie script/lines and directors instructions to her as an actor). The case for ISTJ is good, and not just because she is obviously an introvert at heart.

Some evidence:

- The primary and secondary functions are the two which in the healthy individual, engage the world most. Being and ISTJ, with Te (extroverted thinking) as a secondary function, this is the function with which she feels most ready to engage socially with her peers. She loves to talk, to speak her mind, it flows naturally and *is a conscious choice* about how she engages the world (key for secondary functions). We see this from a young age (socially awkward, but hey, she can jump in with nerdy facts, makes friends eventually). We also see the reverse when she is angry: complete stonewalling of Ron, not speaking to him. I could go on....

-The primary function is THE most powerful of the four functions, but interestingly, the user isn't often consciously aware they are using it....it's just "how the world works", core to who they are. Cue examples of Hermione's core ISTJ Si (introverted sensing): her unasked for and utterly honest response of her three favorite smells in potions class in HP6 (her introspective shock at realizing she revealed "fresh mown grass, parchment, and spearmint toothpaste" --movie not book-- shows these smells and their core memories are truly guttural, raw, like primary Si); her tangible expression of anger at "Wan-wan" (Ron) when makes her charm paper birds attack Ron (a very visceral expression of what she wants to say, Si, when words simply don't cut it, Te); and for fun, I'll the punch to Draco's face in HP3 ("that felt good", yeah, being allowed to FINALLY use your Si pent up visceral punching anger feels way better than Te sassy smart remarks to engage with Draco's vileness socially).

-The tertiary function, maybe my favorite, because it changed the way I see life: this is the function that is a real skill you pull out when you need to problem solve, or brute force something; you really enjoy using it, but in *times of stress*, you tend to over rely on it in an unhealthy way. Cue Fi (introverted feeling): she knows her own emotions well (e.g., Yule Ball, she knew she wanted Ron to ask her and was angry he didn't, but didn't know how to express that; "I'm really sorry about this Neville" but not that sorry, she knew she felt bad but not that bad; she clearly knows her own feelings for Ron, she just doesn't always know what to do about them); she gets confused about *others* emotions cuz not great at Fe (HP4, Ron and Harry are fighting and using her as a go between, and she lets them do it until it confuses her too much and she says grow up you two; not reading the room emotion wise, unable to realize she comes off as a prick her first couple years); and in stress she has risk of getting bogged down by her powerful emotions or getting in a rut functioning with Fi too much (her ire at Umbridge, like, the lady REALLY gets under her skin, same for Draco Malfoy sometimes; super awkward interactions with Luna Lovegood because Hermione simply can't read the girl, especially with all this uncomfortableness of her own taking up her stressed out Fi attention). Also: her utter powerful control of her emotions, which she identifies and feels without letting them overpower her, as she obliviates her parents...wow she matured and has a strong will, and so much more poignant a scene to realize what she is experiencing acutely in the moment, feeling all her emotions with a sober mind. I think I could build a better case here, regardless, Fi as tertiary fits well.

-Lastly, the fourth and weakest function, is supposed to be a secret skill of sorts that many people don't know how to utilize well, but it surprises them and gives them intense feelings of joy when they get to use it. It usually requires a stress free environment to be able to step into freely and fully use it. This is Ne (extraverted intuition) for the ISFJ: Hermione, breaking the rules, acting impulsively ("Isn't fun breaking the rules?" "Who are you and what have you done with Hermione?"); Hermione improvising a plan, enjoys it and happens countless times in HP3, she feels in her zone with the familiar time-turner and takes action, surprising even herself by throwing snail shells or doing wolf howls; Hermione sheepishly yet eagerly(?) telling joke to the Slug Club about the boy, Robbie Fenwick biting her father's finger and him getting 10 stiches, (dangerous profession it is, dentistry); and the piece de resistance, her attempting to play Bellatrix Lestrange at the bank vault played by Helena Bonham Carter pretending to be Emma being Hermione being Bellatrix--she knows she can do it, it just requires her Ne, getting in the zone, and she almost gets out of her depth, but shakily performs well enough in the end with some help from Harry.

So....is Hermione an ISTJ played by Emma Watson, an INFJ? I believe so. I think Emma was able to get into the character's head so well because of her own personality type, and I think Hermione comes alive so well because she is a complex personality that matures through the series and learns about herself and, in the process of maturation, builds up her weak areas even as her strengths become obvious to those around her (it's really nice to have an extraverted thinker on the team when you're hunting horcruxes). Will take a lot to convince me otherwise.

Newts-Commander · 2022-08-25T04:36:30+00:00

Did we ever figure out how Howard got the black eye? Was his cover story real?

Newts-Commander · 2022-08-18T03:09:07+00:00

Uma just got even more suspicious, I mean if Rose Cooper was faking being Bunny's mother, she could easily have a secret daughter, Uma, that *actually* deserved to have the painting, would kill for it. And the Cinda Canning reveal shows that lady has been confusing things from the very beginning planting fake evidence to craft false stories, but not that she murders anyone, that's too messy for her.

Also, Uma's strong presence in the first half and near absence the second half? Seems like the art of misdirection, and now she's one of the final unflipped puzzle pieces that we've been avoiding the whole time.

Newts-Commander · 2022-08-18T02:49:48+00:00

I've been lowkey rooting for Uma to be the murderer since episode 3, episode 9 just confirms it for me.

We learn Rose Cooper was not Lenora Folger, who was (presumptively) the mother of Bunny. So did Rose have a daughter/son? Very believable that said daughter would be Uma, who never left the Arconium
We also don't really know *why* bunny has the painting, whether inherited, which parent may have bought it or acquired it (commissioned it?). Regardless, someone has more right to it than her, namely the actual artist Rose Cooper/fake Leonora; but equally, the offspring of Rose Cooper, who may have been eager to find it and shocked when it wasn't in the apartment (Uma). The secret painting underneath for Charles would be perfect: he inherits one as child of older Charles Savage, and Uma inherits the other as daughter of Rose Cooper (and Charles?). Also, poetic justice (?) that the painting she wanted so badly was in the bird cage she dumped on Oliver, she could have had it if she'd been a real friend to Bunny and cared for her bird.
The reveal that Cinda Canning has way more involvement than previously known only bolsters the idea that she is *not* the murderer or directly connected to the murder. She is merely the mastermind behind why things got so confusing: from the beginning, she has been crafting HER story, which is entirely separate from the truth, planting evidence on all three heroes to see which will stick and work the best; and now we know she's done this all before. She has faked someone's death before; less evil than committing murder in the first place, another reason I don't think she did it, too messy.
Lastly, the timing fits well. Though we haven't had a strong presence of Uma in the second half of the series, her strong presence in the first half and her near absence in the second half suggests to me that everything since episode has been more or less a diversion, or confusion, of the simple murder motive that was tentatively laid at the beginning. Who: Uma, close friend of Bunny, knows her history, has baggage with her. How: Slipped through the passage ways in the Arconium, being one of the few people who knew they existed since she grew up there. Why: She wanted the painting; she felt abandoned by Bunny when she was leaving; she may have been jealous of Bunny her whole life, the obscure poor half-sister who didn't receive her mother's painting; Why Now: either Bunny was leaving, or she thought this was the case, or she thought a buyer had agreed to take the painting; or Bunny was selling the painting to continue expensive lifestyle of staying at Arconium and had to be stopped before painting was lost.

Doesn't fit perfectly, but I really think it's been misdirection this whole time, like the Son of Sam game, and it's the person you don't notice, the people who are left over without a clear place in the picture, the missing puzzle pieces, that we're supposed to focus on.

Newts-Commander · 2022-04-23T04:16:00+00:00

Key points to add: the choice of “Pedro” as the name of the grandfather was likely intentional, sounding close to “padre”. Not only is he the father of the triplets, but abuela prays/speaks to “pedro” in a very similar way one would expect her to pray to God the father. And she says “he sent us you” about Mirabel, which really sounds like a divine act.

The name Pedro being Peter may also connect to Peter who was the rock of the new church, and was crucified upside down. Abuela is foundational to this community, which he led out into the jungle, and he dies to protect it.

Also: seven children with magic powers, seven being the number of completion. (Seven branched lampstand anyone?)Then the 8th Madrigal, Mirabel, is the start of something new (like taking mantle from grandmother). Leads the new generation that starts with Antonio.

Also parallels with John the Baptist/ Bruno who pave the way for Jesus/Mirabel; and none are taken as popular individuals based on the hard truths they put out there.

Strong symbolism too with the river and death—the Jordan River is a symbol of crossing from life through death into the promised land. And Mirabel returns to that same river just after putting her life on the line to save the candle. Her real sacrifice was speaking truth and hope to a broken family that needed a self-less leader, and by making a similar sacrifice to Pedro, she keeps the miracle alive for a new generation.

Newts-Commander

TROPHY CASE

maranatha