Communion In The Temple
Anne Blaney Salmon Arm, B.C.
August 18, 2024 Temple of Light Service
Stewart Berger — Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the LORD; blessed is she that cometh in the Name of the LORD; and Blessed are they that cometh in the Name of the LORD. Hosanna in the Highest. I think we are certainly blessed, aren’t we, to be here in each other’s presence. And one woman who is a great blessing to us is Anne Blaney. I’ve long loved her clear articulation of the spiritual process as it finds form now, along with her passion, and her lightness or sense of humour. Hello Anne.
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Anne Blaney — Hello Stu, and hello everyone. It’s great to be together. I’d like to open with a devotion: Thank you LORD, for being a part of the immensity of your love. Thank you for the gift of being able to love you, to love others, and to love this beautiful Planet Garden. Thank you Father and Mother for the gift of knowing, of seeing, of understanding your ways. Thank you for the awareness of your impeccable Ddsign throughout the cosmos and for the privilege of joining you in the conscious caring of your creation. Thank you Father and Mother for the miracle of being alive! Thank you for the awareness that we are participating in an unfolding miracle, with capacities made of this living miracle, that give us direct access to this part of creation so we may share your pleasure. Amen.
As I live my life in these days I find I'm able to articulate my greatest passions, my purpose and I'll do that here in three parts—I live to worship you O LORD; I yearn for focus in doing so, to share in communion with you; I love to do this with other people—that's why I'm here. Of course this easily fits into what we know together: that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and that heaven and earth are one; that mankind was placed eastward in Eden; that we are God Beings in the Garden; that we are conscious of this identity.
For some reason I've been drawn again and again to read and meditate on the writings of Immanuel Velikovsky, and of course this inevitably leads me back to the brilliance of Grace Van Duzen. Reading them and spending time with them is like sharing in the brilliance of the Angelic Mind that I keep returning to and love; I am so thankful for the priceless record that they left.
One story that has attracted me and it insisted on being here this morning, is the story of the tale of King Solomon and the Queen of Egypt, Hatshepsut. I think you'll see why this story has come to us and still lingers.
Historically they were extraordinary figures on the world stage; they had great prominence in their time. We know spiritually that they incarnated to play leadership roles at a time of critical opportunity. Egypt and Israel were in a time of peace for the first time in centuries. Other nations had been drawn to both of these nations, playing a part by offering tributes and participating in trade; there was cooperation happening in that area. These two nations, these focal points were key to that peaceful cooperation.
For the first time Egypt had a female Pharaoh and she was a formidable leader. To give you some context about this woman: She was the Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, which was still a resource of the vast store of knowledge that remained since their colonization by Atlantis. There was still an ancient record of wisdom in Egypt and this woman would have been educated in it. She initially shared her rulership with a man but it was then turned over to her as the sole and first female Pharaoh. But she was ready, she was ready for this. She was interested in lands beyond Egypt. One of her achievements that impressed me is that she built a navy. She had two fleets. Each ship in these fleets carried 50 men; they were quite impressive. She longed to see lands beyond her country. She was also known to be a searcher for Truth.
Solomon at this time had reigned for 11 years in Palestine, or Israel—both names were used. He also was an unusual person. He was a student of the natural world. He amassed zoological and biological collections that his Navy, which he sent out all over the area, sometimes away for over a year, just to collect plants and animals from these far off countries, which he would have displayed and looked after in his palace. He knew about them, he studied them, keen to know about the natural world. The word Kingdom really describes his domain. This was due to his father King David’s military successes, which brought in many countries with the tributes and with the wealth, that was now centered in the nation of Palestine or Israel; Solomon had the benefit of this. So he was poised for something truly unique to happen through this center, in time. Seen spiritually, Grace called Solomon's presence a focal point for the spirit of Truth. She emphasized that it wasn't just an intellectual thing, in his studies for instance of the natural world, but he had a command of his emotions, his physicality, and she pointed out that he indeed was offering spiritual expression as a leader. He loved the LORD. Through him, if things had gone according to Plan, this would have moved the entire pattern, focused by Solomon, into the Second Sacred School, the Mental Plane approach. It was a very significant time and he was in position to bring again, under the Lord's love and command, the Eden that he loved so much. He was poised.
Solomon’s well-known prayer to God was that he would have an understanding heart and the Lord did grant him this, with the proviso that He did so because Solomon had asked for an understanding heart, before he asked for riches. So that was an ominous clue of the coming events.
His main project was to complete King David's wish to build a Temple, primarily to house the Ark of the Covenant with its vessels etc., which had up until then been taken care of in a travelling tent designed to be moved frequently. It was Solomon's wish that he would house the Ark in a place with the finest quality. He wanted it to be a place where the High Priest and the priesthood could represent the Kingdom and the people of the Kingdom before the Altar, and offer supplications on behalf of the people of the nation.
It was a massive structure as we are probably aware. It was constructed with the most precious materials: fine woods, gold, silver, jewels embedded in walls. The two cherubim which were above the Mercy Seat were huge. They were 15 feet tall with a wing span of 34 feet and they were pure gold—very impressive. The front of the Temple had a series of terraces which were planted with myrrh so that a fragrance rose from them. There was a processional path cut up through the terraces that the High Priest and priesthood moved up while singing Psalms at each level. When the vessels and the Ark were brought into the Temple, when the Temple was consecrated, Solomon declared before the congregation of all Israel, spreading his hands towards heaven: “LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or earth beneath.”
Interestingly on this occasion it was written: “And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD”. Grace pointed out that that was the evidence that the Cloud of Shekinah had appeared.
Meanwhile back in Egypt, one day the Queen was off to worship in her Temple of the Sun God, and she received a message. Perhaps humorously, it came through a bird; other accounts said she heard as a voice from within, and it was a profound experience for her. She was instructed to go to The Land of Punt, also called The Land of God, or The Divine Land, which was Palestine or Israel. She took this very, very seriously; she felt this was something moving in her that was very important to her rulership, and to her personally.
So from Thebes where she was located, her entourage crossed the land over to an Egyptian port on the Red Sea, boarded one of her ships, one of five of her Red Sea Fleet and crossed over the Red Sea, which was fairly dangerous at that time, it could have storms, then went up into a little Gulf off the Red Sea and disembarked at a port, and then she proceeded on a caravan of camels which were laden with spices, gold, pearls, jewels, silver and fine woods. When she got to Punt, handsome man-servants came out to greet her; she was quite impressed with this welcome. Solomon “received her gladly and it was said that he was studious to please her in all ways, in particular by mentally grasping with ease the ingenious problems she set him.” She proved him with hard questions. After her time with Solomon she said, “It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine own eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.” When she saw Solomon ascend that path through the myrrh-terraces, it was said that there was “no spirit left in her”—it took her breath away. I also found it interesting that as a leader observing another leader in his nation and his Kingdom she commented, “Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants”—this made an impression.
When she returned to Thebes, now by her Mediterranean Fleet, laden with the immense amount of items, and even animals, that Solomon had gifted her, she immediately began construction of her own Temple. She called it the Splendid of Splendors and perhaps we have seen photographs, or maybe the actual Temple, located in the Valley of the Kings. The architecture (of which it is famously said: “nothing Egyptian about it.”) mimicked the myrrh-terraces of Punt with terraces planted with the exotic trees from Solomon. But most interesting, she also instituted in her Temple the role of High Priest with 12 Priests of the Priesthood who presided over the ceremony in front of the Altar and the congregation.
So, impressed with this experience with Solomon and this journey to the Land of Punt, on the Temple walls she had there a depiction of the journey, and you can go and see an account of what happened, including the handsome man-servants—they impressed her. One reason for that impression is that their features were not Egyptian, the evidence of other races living in Punt.
The Temple is an interesting representation of how, in symbol, life comes to focus. In this story, the physical Kingdom of Solomon was represented in the Temple: all the materials were from his Kingdom, the money that had come in to build it were all from the people in his Kingdom. As such, the people were very invested in this Temple; it was part of them. It wasn't just a building to them. Their whole interest and soul was invested in this building; there was a great deal of attention paid to it. This was all part of Solomon's tool to bring his Kingdom into another level of consciousness. Of course the Ark of the Covenant was extremely significant to them; it carried the history of their people and the High Priest and the Levites would bring the substance of all this to point, to a high focus in the service, and this would be offered up in the Temple. Solomon himself said: “But will God indeed dwell on Earth? Behold the heaven and the heavens of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?” He had an understanding of the LORD.
The Temple was completed in the 11th year of his 40-year reign, but as we know the pattern did not succeed. Solomon lost his polarity that he had in communion with the LORD; he lost his integrity as a true representative of the people in the Temple, because he turned his polarity towards the pagan practices of a number of his wives. In the interest of being a king of a cosmopolitan Kingdom, Solomon had invited many nations along with their cults, with practices that were not of his nature. But he wanted to accommodate things that were different. Of course his wives appealed to him that they would be able to continue their worship of their various gods, and he allowed them to. In fact he actually went to and worshiped at these various shrines of his foreign wives. So the whole Kingdom lost its integrity. It was weakened and uprisings broke out within the country, and without the country, and eventually the great nation of Palestine-Israel had crumbled.
In Egypt there was also an unfortunate outcome. The successor to the Queen was a man who had witnessed this journey over to Punt; he had seen the gifts and heard about the wealth in Palestine and he wanted it; he wanted the wealth and he wanted more; he was an aggressive conqueror. He ended up invading Israel, sacking the Temple and bringing back all the vessels, all the furniture etc., back to Egypt, and not understanding the significance at all. In fact he made an inventory of all the items; he was very proud of what had come back from his raids. The refined consciousness that had compelled Hatshepsut as a leader to seek out Solomon was dissipated.
I feel for the Queen. She came to Solomon with keen interest; she felt she was divinely instructed to do this by her god; she brought intelligence and willingness, brought the feminine to him so that her people could prosper under Solomon's wisdom. In fact the negative aspect of both countries was denied the union that they were seeking: the people, even the Priesthood were denied that communion with what was higher, with what and who represented the LORD. It was an unfortunate turn on the spiritual path that the LORD had very carefully prepared—it was a great loss. The integrity of the Temple was broken, and that magical means of God's control, through communing in that Sacred Space by the LORD's representatives and His Priesthood, was dissipated; it no longer was functioning.
One implication to this story for me, as I mentioned, is that Spirit has gone through a lot of preparation in order to get the right people in correct alignment with the LORD’s Plan, with the right capabilities for the job—they have to have the capabilities as well. Solomon was a huge example of this, and a good example of how it went off the rails. The story of the original Fall is basically just that, a story from long, long ago. But the story of Solomon actually occurred within recorded history, and that's very interesting. We can see the Fall repeated and that provides us with more detailed information.
Solomon's story also reminds me, you and me here, that what we do in our services is important and significant. We know when we “touch the hem of the garment” or see the Light, or feel the Fire, because everything comes to focus, and in that focus, it opens up into communion. Each of us carries the essences of mankind. Our Temple provides an opportunity for essences to come to focus, essences from the “congregation” we represent.
I've been feeling the pressure of spirit, as you can imagine, by stepping into this position, as anyone who has done this knows. One of the other prophetesses of our number said to me that, metaphorically speaking, she was holding up my arms just as Aaron and Hur did for Moses, and that was really sweet—humorous, I'm not Moses. To bring it down to specifics for me, I had a particularly intense week. I had a health catharsis you might say, and it brought me into contact with health practitioners who showed me their incredible intelligence, skills, and their kindness. As I was preparing for this morning I was realizing that I was bringing the substance of those interactions with me into this Temple. They brought gifts to me and I offered who I am to them and that generation remains full and rich in me. But when I thought about it further I realized that I wasn't just bringing last week's experiences. I was bringing last month's experience; I was bringing the experiences of my entire life: the generations of the fine, high, wonderful substance which is part of each of us. This comes into this place with us when we gather. And particularly when you are the point who is providing a focus you are very aware, at least I was, of what I was bringing here: the wealth that I bring of my life but also with the life I share with all of you.
Along with us come the essences of many other lives and living. Lives are placed on the altar, with passion and with thanksgiving for the wealth of life. This is an aspect of what happens in the Temple. But the primary aspect is that we bring the wealth of our personal passion for the immensity of His Spirit. We come in love for the LORD. We deliberately allow our hearts to feel our passion for Him in thanksgiving, as the Source of all that is brought. Then magically a space is opened up in heaven, and there is love flowing into it. Do you feel that? Do you feel that in your own times of sanctification when you do bring something to focus, and paradoxically something opens up into great spaciousness and it's filled. Primarily you feel the love. And often when that love is being experienced you begin to think clearly. Things become revealed. I call this communing with God.
When we bring our lives and our substance to the Temple and place it on the altar, you might say that this is representing the people to God. But how do we represent God to the people?
I was going to entitle this service, “How Things Get Done”, because when our attention is turned away from the world of effects and given to the One whom we love, this creates a space, an actual spiritual space in which the LORD can do what He needs to do. When that happens in our communion and becomes understood at various levels in our consciousness, that can impact, and go out into the world. It might be a vibrational outpouring. Sometimes it's an actual instruction. But the main thing to remember, I think, is that we cannot try to guess what that is going to be. This is not a transactional action we have with God. This is something that is magically occurring in communion. Isn't it interesting that in stories of the Bible that you read of people speaking to God. “And the Lord said…” Well, I think that this actually does happen. It doesn't happen by … well, maybe it happens by hearing a voice, but it often happens that when one is in this sanctified space something comes out, maybe out of your mouth, perhaps in a comment, and it's sometimes startling. Where did that come from? Well it came from that Cloud. It came from that Magical Place, from that magical heavenly space where things are born. New heavens and new earths are born in that Cloud, that we experience individually, but we can also experience collectively. How things get done.
I find this very applicable by the way, in terms of dealing with the world. The way it is, there is a lot happening in the world, as we know, including with Israel and Palestine, and Ukraine and Russia, and the American election. All these things. But I'm finding that if I turn my attention away from what I would call the realm of effects and remove the concern about that, keeping my eye on the happenings, but instead enter into a place of worship, of thankfulness, of gratefulness, that another space opens up, and something new is born. I know that in that particular moment I am impacting all those events. This is intensified when we do this collectively in the Temple function.
Right now there are a number of Temples, you might say, up and running and sometimes I think, “I wonder if there's supposed to be One Temple? Why wouldn't there be? I mean we're all worshiping the One God.” I'm sure this thought has occurred to you too. But here's where I've arrived about that: it's not a transactional thing. It's not a thing that's going to be manipulated. The only way this wonderment can be usefully dealt with is to continue to generate that finer place, that space filled with love, and filled with the intelligence that comes in that seeing—seeing things in your own life in a whole different way. Will you not see larger things in a whole different way too? But all this comes, as a heaven, or form, when it's time. That's been very reassuring to me. In other words, trust Spirit! We've said this so often, but I feel we're understanding more, of what you might call the mechanics of that—communion, the way that actually happens. If we are going to actually commune with God, is that not a most exceptional experience? It is a conversation you might say.
This is what I wanted to bring into this particular Temple here with us. Looking at the story of a Temple that was built a long time ago, and some of the principles involved, the people that were involved, and then bring it right back to us with huge gratefulness for the understanding that we have! Back then, Solomon, although in part of his story we might hold him in esteem, he was still sacrificing oxen and, you know, all sorts of animals. He had so many he couldn't even bring them into the Temple. Obviously that's not what we're about. We have had an opportunity to understand these things, and I am very grateful for what we have generated in the time since we were with one leader—Martin—who was also poised to bring about a wonderful movement of a pattern.
We are the pattern, and we are the focal points, and we can have the Temple experience, understanding what we’re doing, and how spiritual things get done spiritually. I would open it up for any thoughts that have arisen in your hearts and in your minds to be shared.
Steve Ventola — Anne, I love the outline you provided—and bringing it up to now, each of us is responsible for that sacred substance, so we can feel a sense of spaciousness. I flew recently on a plane and there were two big guys next to me, and I had the window seat, but I felt like there was still spaciousness within that setting because I was looking to provide something of substance in that situation. But to know deeply in our hearts this is what we're here for, to bring the sanctuary wherever we are. Thank you for your words.
Leo Palombo — Anne, I want to thank you also for your words. As I reflect on all of the different temples that I steward and coalesce, whether it's in relationship with this person or that one, or my beloved, or my Temple home, where the practice is always right there, continuing to refine and purify the Temple—but I really want to appreciate what you said about the One Temple, and how all of the Temples are radial expressions of the One Temple that is kept in my heart, in my relationship with the Lord of Love, and how that really is the point of coalescence and expression, for love through my facility. So thank you Anne.
Deborah Starrs — Yes, thank you Anne. Surely our heart's desire is to let the LORD have His way in our living. He has made such a tremendous investment down through the ages, in certain ones, to let something come to point and move into victory. And our remarkable victory in the LORD paid a terrific price; and it's been the generation of His life and His legacy that has come to us in this day. While these are not children's games we play, at all, in the Temple of Light and Love there is a lightness, there is the sense of assurance, and there is the sense of victory. To feel it O so close, with Solomon and Hatshepsut, and to have it just fall apart—Wow. Wow, that that took a lot of building back, to get to this point in time where once again, I sense, we are O so close, O so close. Let us not be deceived; let us not be distracted; let us be about the LORD's business on earth—not what I want. What would He like to see? Terrific consideration. Thank you.
Larry Krantz — Anne, thank you for reminding us about the story of Solomon and the Queen of Egypt. It's a beautiful story; and part of it is feminine response, and the presence of masculine representative of the LORD; and how there is an unseen force that would bring them together, to which they both responded. It's also a story of possibility and failure, as Deborah was mentioning. There have been many times, in different ways, that a plan has been set in motion to bring about the restoration of mankind, and inevitably it's failed, either by those who were to provide the focus for this Plan, or those who came afterward. They became distracted. Different human wants and beliefs entered in and what was present was dissipated. Here we have another opportunity, and it comes back to each of us to sustain what we know, that the truth is inviolate in each of us, and that together the different elements—the masculine, the feminine, the different ways of knowing union within ourselves and together—can once again build the Living Temple with our spiritual expression; to be true to what we know individually, and to not let us fail in the endeavor, for the only reason we are here right now is to move through to victory, to do the job we've come to do, and let nothing cause us to veer from that path and that purpose. So thank you for your presentation today.
Christina Pivarnik — That's so true, that we are here to sustain, maintain and generate that exquisitely fine substance no matter what happens; no matter what distractions human nature wants to tug at us, just let it go. There's no place for the distractions; there's no place to allow the human emotions that want to tug at us to find root, because everything that we are is a fluid, organic, loving and powerful place of complete devotion to the One Most High. I too loved your story; I've always loved those kinds of stories because they are illustrative of where we need to be and what we need to be doing; and I think we have these moments where we're willing to just lay it all down, whatever it is; it doesn't matter; let it all go, because I am here, and I am true, and I will not fail—unequivocally! So thank you for your beautiful focus and your beautiful spirit. It is just a joy to be with you, especially with you as you brought your thoughts to focus for all of us, and then that we could all amplify that exquisite substance. Thank you.
Robert Kauffman — Anne, I appreciate being taken back to stories of the Temple. I'm a builder and I love hearing about these things and thinking in these terms. And the real eye opener here is the necessity to simply let ourselves go. It may be helpful to know about the past, to understand some of the difficulties that we might encounter in the present, but the fact of the matter is my body is being rebuilt right now in certain ways, because of health issues you might say, and if, as I let myself go, and I do so with the support, with the knowledge, the understanding of my friends, it's amazing how we watch something totally new come about. Now this is an individual thing that I'm talking about, but I think we can very easily see the developing Body, as we have begun to know, it in the same way. We are witnesses to each other, and support to each other, and friends to each other, and together something is being built, to the extent that we keep our hands off it—but not our love. Our love is intensely focused upon it, and that is exactly the way it should be, shared abundantly among all of us—and I see more and more of that happening too—shared abundantly, and that's my understanding of the Temple today. Thank you for bringing this to mind.
Greg Fladager — Anne, I really appreciated the opportunity to listen to you for a while. I love hearing you speak and I love the spirit of it—you raised some interesting questions—but it's the spirit that's in our own hearts that really touches, and it carries through. It doesn't have to be a something heavy necessarily, though there's power to it. But there's a certain ease that comes in a quality of spirit, and I think all touched that. I think that's what the attraction was, and it resonated with something in ourselves—yeah, the truth actually. Anyway, I just appreciate this opportunity today, to listen, and be with you in this way.
Carol Travis — Anne, I appreciated so many points that you brought today; and the beautiful story, and the detail. I had never heard that story in such detail. It's a beautiful story. I think stories like that sometimes are seen as myth, they're so far in the past, as if they were just some sort of fairy tale, or something that didn't apply to real life, to what people are experiencing. I feel that you brought things so vividly to awareness of the real life experiences of those people that were involved, the ones that had such responsibility, and we’re sensing something that was of a true focus and true nature. And one of the things that you said that I really resonate with is that when you turn your attention away from the world of effects and you go into your closet and close the door, and come into that quiet space of communion with the spirit of God, in whatever way comes to your heart, you can think more clearly. Something comes through in thinking that doesn't come when we're all involved in a lot of external activity; and those things are very significant. Sometimes I think we, people, have imagined that the prophets, you know, it doesn't happen anymore that God speaks through people. But I think that's not true. It's just a matter of the magical process that you described, so that that can come into the earth vividly today. And so I thank you for that reminder and that suggestion of what we can do to actually have more of an impact in the world, which is what I believe we have come to do. So thank you so very much.
David Barnes — Anne, through the sharing of the story there was a whirlwind of spirit on the move, activated, drawn into the present moment for us all to share; and I certainly did feel it and share it as you were speaking. There was a period of time in that part of the story, that you didn't tell, before King Solomon, before King David, before King Saul, before the great Prophet Samuel, when the rulership of Israel was in the hands of ones who were called Judges—even the name sounds ominous; one has a sense that there was some heavy judging going on. It is said, “There was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” But Samuel came on the scene, and he heard the Voice of the Lord, and he changed the pattern; and that didn't work out so he heard the Voice again, and he changed the pattern again, and he anointed a new King, David. One can feel, in the story, the gathering of essences and substances—in a way like we're experiencing now. It all had form to it, but it was moving towards a culmination point where it would be given greater form through King Solomon, and through the drawing of the Queen of the South, so that there was a blending, and all the tithes began to be brought into the storehouse for another level of building of this Temple representation, but that didn’t happen. And we are, in a way, participating in the same thing now. Each one is responsible for listening and hearing and bringing forth—bringing the tithes into the storehouse, that the riches might be used by the right ones at the right time, at the right point in the cycle, for a climactic and culminating cycle of building. We're moving in that gathering cycle now. We recognize that now—having the advantage of all these stories from the past, and the leadership from the past, and the substance from the past—and it comes to us in this whirlwind of the movement of the spirit that was allowed to be present, and your voice used to bring it more clearly to consciousness. It is such a wonderful thing to be conscious of what is happening, enough of it, while it is happening—and so it is for us. It's been a precious time. I didn’t know what you were going to speak about this morning, and it surprised me, and it brought me great joy. I love the slipstream that you have followed in here, hewing close to Grace and her spirit, in sharing these things, in the beautiful way that you did, the beautiful woman that you are. Thank you so much. I praise the LORD for you in my life, in all our lives.
Anne Blaney — Any other comments that are bursting, speak up; otherwise I'll just close our time. I really appreciate all the essences, as you were saying David, that showed up today in the Temple. And I take responsibility for bringing it to focus and for offering it upward. I knew that what I wanted to bring today had a lot to do with heart, a lot to do with passion, because that is the link that brings us into that sacred place. There is a particular technology, a design to this, and that's what attracted me to talk about the Temple symbol—and obviously here we are in what we call the Temple of Light so it was apropos. I do know that as we use these times to bring that kind of soul, where we really live, where we really are in our lives, and bring that in, and yes we let go of the stuff that is not that, we do bring in our passion. There is an opportunity in the Temple to commune with the LORD. I find that a fascinating way to look at what we can do together. So it's good to create the space so that the LORD can enter into it, and then there's room for Him to move in it, and do what He needs to do, which will come through us and it will be done by us, because that's why we're here. Now I'll turn it over to Stewart who will bring us home!
