Category Archives: Bible/literary themes, elements

On the End of Both the Kraken and the Deep State

Posted on January 20, 2023 by pbn

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila Shared on a thread about the “deep state”: The so-called Deep State brings to mind Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem “The Kraken”:

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Another Christmas re-gift, 2022: Once Again to Nabokov

Posted on December 14, 2022 by pbn

  Phyllis Beveridge Nissila 2012…2022  This post first appeared back in 2012, and has been featured several times since, each time for a new reason [and a more fearful season]  in an old story of evil versus good, fear versus … Continue reading →

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“Live Not By Lies, A Manual for Christian Dissidents” (Book Review)–on “Soft Totalitarianism,” Testimonies and Words to the Wise from Then for Today (Redux)

Posted on October 25, 2021 by pbn

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila Look how far the world has spiralled down in just one year. Has hard totalitarianism begun?-pbn *** Originally posted 10/10/20 There always is this fallacious belief: “It would not be the same here; here such things are … Continue reading →

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Another Christmas re-gift: Once Again to Nabokov

Posted on December 11, 2020 by pbn

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila 2020 This post first appeared back in 2012, and has been featured several times since, each time for a new reason in an old story of evil versus good, fear versus hope, bondage versus freedom, despair versus … Continue reading →

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Still. In the Moment. God. (Even in 2020)

Posted on December 1, 2020 by pbn

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila UPDATE December, 2020 This post, first offered in the summer of 2016, is a reminder again today to trust God when it seems the (political) Kraken, “battened” (fattened)  sufficiently on power and greed, has finally surfaced for … Continue reading →

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The Words That Remain

Posted on November 28, 2020 by pbn

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila It is difficult to get the news from poems, yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there. ~ William Carlos Williams, excerpt from “Asphodel, That Greeny Flower“   The Frustration

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“Live Not By Lies, A Manual for Christian Dissidents” (Book Review)–on “Soft Totalitarianism,” Testimonies and Words to the Wise from Then for Today

Posted on October 10, 2020 by pbn

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila There always is this fallacious belief: “It would not be the same here; here such things are impossible.” Alas, all the evil of the twentieth century is possible everywhere on earth.–Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn BOOK REVIEW I am reading … Continue reading →

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On “Hydra-fare” versus “God-fare” and “October Surprises”

Posted on September 24, 2020 by pbn

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila As a metaphorist, that is, one who perceives the spiritual in the natural, who is inclined to regard what we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch as symbolic of the spiritual world, I’ve been observing how the … Continue reading →

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How to Boost Your Immunities, 2020 Edition, Part 16–Black Swan Events vs Biblical Prophecies

Posted on June 2, 2020 by pbn

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila Access entire series here The expression “Black Swan event” crops up more and more these days. Black Swan Event? According to scholar, mathematical statistician, risk analyst, and one of the most well-known modern authors on Black Swan … Continue reading →

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Best of Holiday Posts–“From Russia with Hope: Christmas in July” (2012) and a Verse (2019)

Posted on December 22, 2019 by pbn

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila This post first appeared as a “Christmas in July” feature in 2012. The short story “Christmas” by Russian author Vladimir Nabokov is a little literary gem that for me addresses the temptation to despair when grief overshadows … Continue reading →

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