Notwithstanding my belief in scripture; I cant validate the factual accuracy on the subject of frankincense and myrrh and its symbolic meaning to Christ and Mankind; but to my artistry imagination; the photo (Milking the myrrh tree) illustrates the citation within the text describing the process of frankincense, the incision is made in the trunk of the tree. (Photographed by Dinah Harris on August 28 2009) In a few short months; Christians will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. I titled the narrative Face the East because the authors seem to depict that the wise men gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh bestowed upon Christ relates to our spiritual quest on earth. The three wise men traveled from the east to bring a message that transcends generations; a message etched in stone. In the Gospel of Matthew, the impending birth is announced to Joseph in a dream, in which he is instructed to name the child Jesus.[16] A star reveals the birth of Jesus to a number (traditionally three) of magoi (magi, Greek , commonly translated as "wise man" but in this context probably meaning "astronomer" or "astrologer")[17][18] who travel to Jerusalem from an unspecified country "in the east.As the magi travel to Bethlehem, the star "goes before" them and leads them to a house where they find and adore Jesus. They present Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.[22] In a dream, the magi receive a divine warning of Herod's intent to kill the child, whom he sees as a rival. Consequently, they return to their own country without telling Herod the result of their mission. An angel tells Joseph to flee with his family to Egypt. Meanwhile, Herod orders that all male children of Bethlehem under the age of two be killed,[23] the so-called "Massacre of the Innocents".In Christian tradition the Magi (pronounced /meda/; Greek: , magoi), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men, (Three) Kings, or Kings from the East, are said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts. They are mentioned only in the Gospel of Matthew [2], which says that they came "from the east" to worship the Christ, "born King of the Jews". Because three gifts were recorded, there are traditionally said to have been three Magi, though Matthew does not specify their number.[1] They are regular figures in accounts of the nativity and in celebrations of Christmas.When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Milking a Myrrh tree: To obtain the Frankincense, a deep, longitudinal incision is made in the trunk of the tree and below it a narrow strip of bark 5 inches in length is peeled off. When the milk-like juice which exudes has hardened by exposure to the air, the incision is deepened. In about three months the resin has attained the required degree of consistency, hardening into yellowish 'tears.' The large, clear globules are scraped off into baskets and the inferior quality that has run down the tree is collected separately. The season for gathering lasts from May till the middle of September, when the first shower of rain puts a close to the gathering for that year.

Myrrh: the color greenPerfume, Incense, Embalming, Medicine, Anointing Oil-  Mortality, Virtue, the Aroma of Christ, Suffering & Sorrow

Myrrh is named for its bitter taste which, along with its funerary uses, has caused it to be associated with the bitter things of life. St. Cyril applied the bitter-sweetness of the Passion to Solomon's verse, "I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk…." (Song 5:1; The Catechetical Lectures of St. Cyril of Jerusalem). Myrrh has been associated with bitter repentance, mortification of the flesh, and penance. According to Aquinas, myrrh and aloes, by their bitterness, their pleasant perfume and their preserving qualities, represent the penance by which we preserve our souls from the corruption of sin and the pleasing odor of a good report rising before God (Aquinas – Summa Theologica v. 5 p. 694). Fingers dripping with myrrh on the handles of a lock are an image of the ability of bitter repentance to unlock the doors of the hardened heart to Christ (Jamieson, Faucett, Brown; Song 5:5).

During biblical times myrrh was used in expensive perfumes. It was used in powdered form to perfume garments and beds and to make sachets which were worn between the breasts (Psa 45:8; Prov 7:17; Song 1:13, 3:6; Psa 45:8). In liquid form it was used as an anointing oil or to perfume men’s beards. Myrrh was associated with lovemaking and was sometimes used to anoint the door-posts of the bridegroom’s house when his bride was delivered to him (Song 5:5). Esther received a six month long beauty treatment with oil of myrrh before she was brought in to King Ahasuerus (Est 2:12). A woman who had been a great sinner showed her repentance and love of Christ by anointing his feet with a fragrant oil of myrrh and drying them with her hair. Jesus took this opportunity to point out that those who are forgiven much, love their redeemer more than those who are forgiven little (Luke 7:36-50).

The psalmist portrays Christ as a king upon His wedding day being clothed in garments "scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia" (Psa 45:8). John Wesley believed that these perfumed garments represented the "sweet smelling virtues" of Christ as He walked upon this earth (Wesley's Notes on the Bible). Augustine wrote that "by His garments are meant His Saints, His elect, His whole Church" which are attracted to Christ by this same sweet savor of peace and virtue (Expositions on the Book of Psalms).

Song 3:6 asks, “Who is this coming out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the merchant’s fragrant powders?” Matthew Henry answers that this is the bride of the king who was formerly thought ugly and of little account by the daughters of Jerusalem. She comes forth now “perfumed with myrrh and frankincense" representative of the sweet fruits of the Holy Spirit. The bride thus accompanied by pillars of sweet incense is a symbol of the Israelites as they approached the Promised Land guided by a pillar of smoke. She is also an image of the Church as Christ's Bride sweetly scented with the odors of Christian virtue, righteousness, prayer, and praise approaching her eternal Bridegroom and of "Jesus returning from the wilderness full of the Holy Ghost" (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown; Lk 4:1, 14).The sweet odor of the Gospel of Christ, which dripped from His lips like liquid myrrh, is an aroma which is pleasing to those willing to be saved but repulsive to those who refuse His offer of peace (Song 5:13). So also are the preachers of the Gospel compared to the myrrh-like fragrance of Christ which is to the repentant the "aroma of life to life" and to the wicked the "aroma of death to death" (2 Cor 2:14-16). Wisdom also is said to have a "pleasant odour like the best myrrh" (Sirach 24:15).

When burned as incense, myrrh is a symbol of prayers rising to heaven. Liquid myrrh was used in the making of the Holy Anointing oil for the Anointing of the priests and the articles of the Tabernacle. It was forbidden to use this recipe which God gave to Moses for any secular purpose (Ex 30:23-32). Because myrrh (which is bitter) and frankincense (which is sweet) were used in the Temple, Mount Moriah (the Temple mount) was poetically referred to as the "mountain of myrrh" and the "hill of frankincense" (Song 4:6). The Church has also been referred to as a mountain of myrrh and frankincense (Wesley's Notes on the Bible – Song of Solomon 4:6, 8). St. Jerome wrote that "those who have mortified their bodies" are mountains of myrrh. "Historically, the hill of frankincense is Calvary; the mountain of myrrh is His embalmment till the Resurrection" (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown).

MYRRH AND FRANKINCENSE

by Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Traditional Medicine, Portland, OregonFrankincense,                                                                                                                                        The Magi, carrying myrrh, frankincense, and gold, came from the East: Arabia. The frankincense trade route, with transport by donkeys and later by camel caravans, reached Jerusalem and Egypt from the Dhofar region of what is today Oman, through Yemen, turning north to follow the Red Sea coast. It is likely that the same or similar species of the resin-bearing plants grew across the Red Sea in the area that is now Somalia and Ethiopia, while the collection of the gum resins was initiated in Arabia.

Additional reference: Online Sources: Wikepedia, etc

 

Man-Made Disaster targets the Lone Star State;

Im taking a moment to render tribute to mommy, my mother, Fannie Thompson. Mom; in 1998, you left us in the physical. But your legacy of love lives on thru your nine children and their clan. Lately; I have been humming J. Moss song Struggle. My ma-ma struggle, over and over but she still blessed. You still being blessed on earth mama; and the best and the brightest are yet to come from your legacy of nine; because in 2009, Gods divine love shines on the nine. Thanks J.Moss; I too; got a Missionary esi Mos too; smile. Love and Miss Ya, YOUR Lady Di, I miss hearing you call me that; and thanks for calling Eb Princess. Youre definitely not guilty of feeding your girls low self esteem; you bestowed titles upon us that endowed us to believe.

Tested and tried; refined like gold; Kingdom; Power; Dominion the Saints beholds. An inspirational film of praise and worship; Tramaine Hawkins praises; my testimony she sings.

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem is what King James says; but King, Jerusalem peace is tied to the peace in the Middle East, Palestinian peace is essential to the peace of Jerusalem.  Bloodshed of Palestinian children and women is as precious as the bloodshed from 9-1-1 terrorist acts; yet in a post-911 era; Americans are condition to believe that in the name of war on terrorism; the people of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestinian suffrages are unfortunate circumstances. 

CSPAN: December 3, 2008

National Disaster Response and Civil Liberties Excerpts:Karen Wilcox, President, Black Women in Fire ServiceAnita Sinha, Advancement Project Staff SecretaryDr. Geoffrey Varner 

Its one of the two ways to look at Community Awareness Preparedness; ignore the topic and give it more credence when it becomes a major headliner; which could be apocalyptic if theres no oil in your lamp and the prepared doesnt have enough to share; Ok, so I took my analogy from a biblical parable that emphasizes preparation; but as long as major news outlets has headlined Brittany Spears, and Anna Nicole-Smith; C-Span, as far back as 2005 has televised a sundry of conferences on Community Awareness Preparedness for natural and man made disasters. 

 

December the 3rd was my recent viewing of the National Disaster Response and Civil Liberties addressing Natural Man Made Disasters. The panelist of leading scholars in their fields of expertise expounds upon the looming forecast. The task at hand is to alert the masses that communities are going to have to be equipped to self-sustain without any outside source for a length of time and I quote from panelist members when it happens. According to the panelist; Community Awareness Preparedness is as vague to the general public in 2008 as 2005 when C-Span was airing conferences on the subject.

 

When asked by journalists how could the message of awareness-preparedness be pitched to the masses in a tone of empowerment without inducing fear? Douglas DeLeaver, Fmr. President Natl Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, suggests strong ties within the church community.

Karen Wilcox, President of Black Women in Fire Service injects an insightful suggestion on how to galvanize the younger audience and reach non-church goers. Last and extremely important Dr. Geoffrey Varner stresses that families should have a plan for relatives in elderly care facilities; and family members, who are dependent upon health care providers. Dr. Varner says providers will leave your beloved relatives to go and take care of their own family; family discussion is a must because whatever is lurking in the air, natural or man-made, since 2005; from President Bush to other organizations, a get ready its coming is the message; whether the masses view the subject mythical, less important, or whatever if communities doesnt have a Post Recovery Plan they will not be equip to effectively survive the post-related recovery when it happens.

 

The 00:4minute trailer highlights excerpts of National Disaster Response and Civil Liberties dialogue on a critical subject; how to prepare communities for an onslaught of Natural and Man Made Disasters. Viewpoints are distinctly informative. The panelist provides an overview on getting the word out. Panelist of the National Disaster Response and Civil Liberties group joins the bandwagon of it will get worse before it gets better. Natural Man Made Disasters is a topic that cant continue to be ignored. The message of preparedness is having basic essentials for post-related-survival.