I’m so happy because following the first Narnia film from Walt Disney and Walden Media, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Prince Caspian movie adaptation premiered last June 4 in the theaters. This was very good news for the fans of the Narnia series.

I first read the series when I was in high school, and finally completed them when I just started my first year college. I admit that it was really hard to be involved in the story readily (unlike Harry Potter) but later on, as you pursue reading the other books, you’ll find that you just can’t help but love the Pevensie children and their adventures. But the exciting thing about this is that there is something deeper in the whole Narnia series, and I noticed that when I finally read the last book. C.S. Lewis is really good and very subtle in injecting his ideas in the children’s books. If I’m going to look deeper through the character of Aslan, then it feels like he is like God. To critically analyze this, is a very good idea. Ha-ha! The rest of this exciting mind work will be your quest. ;-)

The movie was directed by Andrew Adamson.

Bu da Wallpaper ı...

1. The White Witch had brought it on herself. Really. If she just doesn't ask Edmund to bring his brother and sisters, they might have already left Narnia for good and not a teeny bit of threat to her throne. Who knows!

2. Edmund is a brat to his family in this, yes, but I don't know, he is all but a child. So what if he's gullible? Lucy is gullible, too! He didn't know the White Witch is going to get Tumnus when he said his name! What's the big deal?

3. Peter. Oh, Peter. Such a big brother. Such a leader. Always get to danger before others and always the last to leave. Just like what he did in the night raid in PC. Always quick to react. When the fox said, "We must be get going first", to me his reaction always shines as one display of his leadership quality. Quick and clipped, "what do you have in mind". And he indulges Lucy to such extent, Lucy is so blessed.

4. We just want our brother back. So much better than if they simply want to fight. Yes, they didn't want to fight, they just want their brother back. Very human, very likeable.

5. Susan is such a pain. She accuses Peter for literally everything. When Edmund said, "You think you are dad but you are not!" When Edmund ran away to the witch; when Peter lost grip on Lucy... I mean, could you at least appreciate Peter's effort in keeping everyone safe? And what's with the "Just because somebody in a red coat gives you a sword, it doesn't make you a hero"?!

6. Oh, the moment in the Aslan's Camp where Peter drew his sword and said, "We've come to see Aslan." He looked so unsure and tentative. Complete opposite of when he drew his sword in the Treasure Chamber in PC. That moment in PC, he's totally confident and sure of himself. Such contrast.

7. Aslan in LWW is so much more lovely. In PC it's entirely different story. And absence of 1300 years? What's with the "I too want my families to be safe"? Snorts.

8. I am still amazed at the strategy in the final battle. Airstrike before infantry assault. Peter and Edmund must have really paid attention to the war back in England.

The Silver Chair - C.S. Lewis

What made Scrubb look so Dingy was the splendor of their surroundings.

When compared to the court in Narnia, Scrubb and Jill looked downright horrible. What do your surroundings look like? No, here's a better question: What do you surround yourself with? Do you surround yourself with splendor? Or do you surround yourself with the ordinary?

I hope you realize that you can make yourself appear better off than you are if you surround yourself with the ordinary—the world. Someone will always come along to whom you will compare favorably. 

But we are not called to that. We are called to surround ourselves with the splendor of another world. When we do, this world, ourselves even, will dim in comparison. Pride will be humbled. That which we thought worthy will pale to true worth. Excitement in the temporary will give way to joy and longing for the eternal. 

How do we surround ourselves with the splendor of another world? In the same way that Jill and Eustace could not get to Narnia without Aslan's assistance in The Silver Chair, so too, we cannot surround ourselves with the splendor of the kingdom without God's assistance. They thought it strange the way Aslan got them there. Strange too how we arrive! It requires a relationship with the Almighty. It requires time. It requires letting the Spirit blow us where He wills not trudging along where we will. 

And when we do that? Well, then this world will begin to appear dingy, less tempting. It will feel less like home.

Ei, şi înăuntru e precum în grajdul mic, insignifiant şi niţel împuţit din Ultima Bătălie Narniană. Acolo, iniţial nimeni nu se aştepta să găsească mai mult decât un măgar sau o iapă. Doar asta-i menirea unui grajd. Pe urmă, după ce s-au prins că cine intră acolo iese ori mort, ori catatonic, s-au îngrozit cu toţii într-o spaimă generală şi au ricanat cu ură, împingându-se unul pe altul în văgăuna cea drăcească (erau doo tabere într-o luptă pe viaţă şi pe moarte, deci).

Ei, şi-n cele din urmă, care nimereau, forţaţi sau de bună-voie (a fost şi unul dintr-ăştia), aveau în mod cert o surpriză. Ăia răi una îngrozitoare (erau, fireşte, căsăpiţi, într-un mod împrejmuit de mister şi pentru noi cititorii); ăia buni intrau terifiaţi, dar le mai venea inima la loc atunci când se trezeau înconjuraţi de ce e mai frumos pe pământul ăsta şi nici în vis nu speraseră.

Şmecheria era că înăuntru nu se respecta la sânge criteriul bun-rău. În principiu, cei răi erau ăi de îl preaslăveau pe Tash, un monstru carnivor şi plin de duhoare, pe când ăia buni pe impetuosul şi înţeleptul Aslan. Şi care intrau în grajd, îl întâlneau fie pe unul, fie pe altul, în funcţie de înclinaţia spirituală. Tash şi Aslan se aflau amndoi la un loc, luându-şi în primire adoratorii.

Vă amintiţi tipul de-a intrat de bună-voie? Ei, ăsta, încredinţat de măreţia zeului său întunecat, dispus fiind să-şi dea şi viaţa pentru o clipă de fericire în prezenţa acestuia, a nimerit, în schimb, fix în lumea pastorală a lui Aslan. Pentru că, nu-i aşa, ceva cu adevărat bun, onest şi curajos nu poate fi adus în slujba cuiva în esenţă hidos şi mârşav. Deci, el care credea că îşi dedică toată viaţa adoraţiei Răului, se înşela prosteşte, pentru că, cine-ar fi crezut?, autenticitatea şi freamătul dedicării sale îl direcţionau, fără să o ştie, drept spre Bine.

Bun. De ce m-am lungit atâta la familiarizarea cu lumea misterioasă a grajdului? Pentru că zic eu că puţul gândirii tare aduce a grajdul ăsta. Nu ştii ce te aşteaptă (în ambele sensuri, adică nici nu ştii, dar nici măcar nu-ţi imaginezi!) şi te fură pe nepregătite. Iar înăuntru, de cum pătrunzi, ţi se întinde-n lung, în lat şi-n urmă o ditamai lumea, o nebănuită dimensiune paralelă.

Dacă eşti tulbure de fel, pământuri veştejite, arse şi puturose te iau în primire, fără să aibă linie de orizont şi nici dâmburi prietenoase ori vizuini cazone în care să te piteşti de Doamne-ajută. Doar înaintezi paralizat într-un v-aţi ascunselea de coşmar cu balaurii tăi, fără să fie clar care-i viteazul şi care-i prada. Te vroiai tu viteaz, parcă-ţi aminteşti, dar acum ţi se înmoaie genunchii şi îţi explodează negările la fiecare pas pe tărâmul propriilor şi prădalnicelor gânduri. Hăul căscat de ele duhneşte şi-i aerul gros de-l tai cu iataganul şi vâscos precum într-un vis la sfârşitul căruia vomiţi. Şi nici să scapi de aici nu poţi, căci altundeva decât în tine însuţi unde să te duci?

Altfel stau lucrurile dacă eşti sincer cu tine însuţi cât reuşeşti de des şi din fire mai puţin mârşav. Ai parte de uimiri peste uimiri, unele explozive, adevărate revelaţii, altele lacrimogene şi unele triste şi lucide. Căci poţi descoperi că ce ai crezut până aici cu tărie nezdruncinată e fals, că ceea ce creditai ca adevăr imuabil te-a orbit cu şiretenie, că peste ceea ce credeai că va dăinui dincolo de timp, a dat apocalipsa. Uneori, chiar descoperi că eşti mai mort decât ţi-ai imaginat. Dar, atât timp cât mai poţi face un pas din înmărmurirea care a dat peste tine, atâta vreme cât ai curajul să-ţi ţii piept atunci când nu te mai recunoşti, te afli de partea luminoasă a grajdului (respectiv a puţului). După cum zicea cineva, atâta vreme cât mai poţi pune virgulă între bine şi rău, încă eşti aslanian de norocos. :)

Yesterday morning, early, before even thinking about getting ready for church he asked me to read a chapter.  I've been wanting to sneak read it at night while he's sleeping because I want to find out what happens so badly (I haven't - but I've wanted to!) so of course it wasn't hard to say yes to this request.

This is part of what we read:

"I AM hungry, " said Digory.  

"Well, tuck in," said Fledge, taking a big mouthful of grass.  Then he raised his head, still chewing and with bits of grass sticking out on each side of his mouth like whiskers, and said, "Come on, you two.  Don't be shy.  There's plenty for us all."

"But we can't eat grass," said Digory.

"H'm, h'm," said Fledge, speaking with his mouth full.  "Well-h'm-don't know quite what you'll do then.  Very good grass too."

Polly and Digory stared at one another in dismay.

"Well, I DO think someone might have arranged about our meals," said Digory.

"I'm sure Aslan would have, if you''d asked him," said Fledge.

"Wouldn't he know without being asked?" said Polly.

"I've no doubt he would," said the Horse (still with his mouth full).  "But I've a sort of idea he likes to be asked."

As we were reading through this I had the thought to stop and explain this as a picture of us as God's children and how we need to ask for things.  But for whatever reason, I didn't and just read on leaving it to Owen to figure out.

Just a few hours later at church we listened to Pastor Doug preach on Matthew 7:7-11 where Jesus is preaching to the people on asking and receiving, seeking and finding, knocking and the door being opened.  And the last line of verse 11 especially where Jesus says, "how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"

It was at that point in the sermon that Owen looked over at me and said, "Mom, that's just like in the book where it said, 'I think that Aslan likes to be asked.'"

Yeah, Owen.  Just like that.

Josh Pothen

3 stars out of 4

As one who grew up reading all seven Narnia stories, I've always felt that the first book, “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe”, is the worst of the series. Putting the subtle-as-a-sledgehammer allegory aside, the six remaining stories add much more depth to Narnia by exploring the world further and adding more complicated storylines and unique characters.

I mention this because “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” is a worthy successor to the Narnia film franchise and a superior film to the original. Yet as I walked out, I still felt disappointment that it was not a better representation of Lewis’s vision. Earlier this decade, Tolkien’s famous Lord of the Rings trilogy was also adapted into films, in which director Peter Jackson made significant changes to the story and the dialogue. Yet those movies not only preserved Tolkien’s unique tone of innocence melded with darkness, but also successfully retained the book’s major themes of the nature of evil.

In this Narnia franchise, the whimsical and magical feel of the world has been replaced by a dark and somber feel, which favors action over character or magic. Characters that were humorous in the original book seem glum and tired. And the spiritual elements have also been muddied with modern sensibilities. The Aslan in this film is one who waits for his subjects to (in the language of the film) “prove themselves” to him before appearing to save them, instead of drawing them to him first before empowering them to conquer evil. And I do wonder what Lewis would have made of Caspian telling his Narnian forces that it does not matter if a key item is magical as long as it draws them together. All these are signs that Andrew Adamson, unlike Jackson, does not truly understand or love the material he is drawing from.

The movie rejoins us with the four Pevensie children, who returned to England after ruling for decades in Narnia to find that no time had passed our world. Now, one year later, they experience this paradox of time again when they return and find that hundreds of years have passed in Narnia. The talking beasts and magic of Narnia have retreated into the woods, as invading Telmarines have taken over the land. They learn that the Telmarine King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto) is out to assassinate his nephew Caspian (Ben Barnes). Not only is Caspian the rightful heir to the throne, but he has also sided with the native Narnians and has vowed to help them take back their land.

Now did I care whether Caspian ascended to the throne or not? Not particularly. Not that he's anything more than an archetype in the book, but here he's a one-note bore, whose only talents are to look good and to wield a sword. His uncle Miraz is only a tad more interesting, played by Castellitto as a sadist whose only motivation is to be a sadist. The biggest loss is that the Pevensie children, as in the first film, are still not developed into realistic, memorable characters. In fact, the script forces Peter to forget every lesson he learned as a high king from the first film in order to provide some standard, jealous rivalry with the hot-headed Caspian. And in the interest of following conventional Hollywood formulas, the movie adds a romance between Susan and Caspian. Not only does this take away from the innocence of Lewis’s world, but the love quickly becomes more tedious than tantalizing since neither of them seem like true people or iconic forces.

I suppose by this point I sound less than enthusiastic about the film, and to a certain extent I am. But enough detracting. What I enjoyed about this venture into the Narnian universe was  was the cinematography and production design. In the first film, I did not feel that director Andrew Adamson had the ability to make Narnia seem huge or wondrous. Castles with adjoining courtyards looked like one-bedroom apartments with small balconies, and landscapes that should have been huge looked like small forest parks. Here, Adamson finally makes the transition towards epic filmmaking. The underground hideout and the outside battlefield seem as big as they should be. And the production design also adds far more detail to the sets and costumes. It's rather clever that the Telmarine armor and architecture are Spanish like since they descended from seafaring pirates.

And in the midst of the political intrigue, the filming captures enough of the contrast between the land-subduing Telmarines and the natural beauty of Narnia to illustrate that something important is at stake. There are battle scenes here between their two armies, and while they are good, they go on far too long before the magic of Narnia comes. But when trees begin moving and rivers come to life, it is breathtaking and engages our interest. Even if it is slightly goofy when trees begin fighting human soldiers. Now let's hope that we get less of the formula in the next few movies and more of the magic.

Paige and Jan, two of my best friends who have known me for a gazillion or twelve years, both expressed surprise at my video gaming problem obsession hobby. And I don't know why. I've totally been a geek my whole life. See exhibits below:

1. Love of all Star Trek, true love, going to marry Mr. Spock and break through that cool exterior.

2. Addiction to Voltron cartoons (I'm over that now) My current cartoon loves are Spongebob and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

3. Normal women are able to buy subtle and tasteful quilting cottons, but I always come home with something with glitter and faeries.

4. I DO believe in Faeries.

5. When I'm doing dishes I sing, "Chip the glasses and crack the plates...That what Bilbo Baggins hates! So carefully, carefully with the plates!"

6. I am now an official recruit of the Dharma Initiative. WHOOT!

7. I understand I can't display them, because that would be tacky (Heaven Forbid) but I always stop to look at the crystal and pewter dragons. Because dragons are cool.

8. When my parents wanted to join the LDS church, the missionaries had to help me get over worshiping Aslan. Seriously, major childhood obsession that I've never grown out of. And "The Dark is Rising".

9. Muppets! I make my family watch "The Muppet Christmas Carol" every year. Because I throw the fish away, and it comes back to me!

10. The Scooby Gang! I've taken much flack in my life for the love of Buffy. (Yes I did watch a show on the dancing frog channel, so what?)

I could go on, but I believe ten examples is enough to out me. Now that I'm married, it's all good. When I was a teenager said interests combined with a drilled in compulsion to be nice (thank you parental units) resulted in me being a major male geek magnet. Say what you want about Marc, he doesn't have sweaty hands and smell like Irish Spring!

So now you know, underneath a veneer of tasteful existence lies my geek. Oh, and here is where my love of art and fantasy happily collide. Enjoy!

"Leprechauns are magical little creatures who bring good luck when they're not busy tricking people or guarding the pot of gold," explained Dublin-born Debbie Hanafrid.

These mythical creatures, a symbol of Ireland, were found aplenty at the St Patrick's Day festivities around Trafalgar Square as revellers donned green outfits and ginger beards.

The lure of Ireland

The colours of Ireland - green, white and orange - were visible everywhere: painted on faces, strung across the square and in the memorabilia sold at temporary stalls.

The Irish tourist board also set up a stall to attract potential visitors. One officer said that "even if drinks are a great part of why people come to Dublin, there's much more to Ireland than Guiness."

There was also talk about Ireland's "unique literary and historical culture" and references to Irish writers like James Joyce and George Bernard Shaw.

Dance and musicGood food, music and dancing - the hallmark of any fun festival - were enjoyed by all -especially the weekend-long traditional Irish food market in Covent Garden.

A concert by 12 Irish tenors in Trafalgar Square preceded the St Patrick's Day parade, in which members of London's Irish community walked alongside representatives of the 32 Irish counties.

First singers including Aslan, Roísín Murphy, Luka Bloom and Ann Scott gave the crowds a taste of Irish music at Trafalgar Square. Later, the Beer and Baccy Ceili Band played Celtic music and the Celtic Masters and the Ceim Oir Dance Company performed traditional Irish dance in Leicester Square.

Irish in LondonPeter Hammond, director of the London Irish Centre talked about how the 500,000 Irishmen and women living in the capital have integrated in British society, but have not forgotten their roots.

"It's difficult to find someone who doesn't have an Irish link, be it through their neighbour, friends or family," said Hammond.

Joan Trent, from West Limmerick, added: "Ireland is the land of the thousand welcomes." She also talked about the country's "friendliness and warmth".

Margaret Connolly, who moved from Ireland to London 30 years ago, was quick to point out that being Irish was all about "personality, good humour and community spirit."

Pipe protestNot everything was merry at the St Patrick's Day celebrations. The Irish environmental association Gluaiseacht made its presence felt by carrying a fake pipe to protest against a high-pressure gas pipeline projected in Mayo, in Ireland´s West coast.

The pipeline will connect the Corrib gas field in the Altantic Ocean - owned by multinationals Shell, Statoil and Marathon - with an inland refinery.

As reported by the BBC, the Shell terminal operations manager Mark Carrigey said in 2005 that the pipeline was "completely safe" and had been given "a clean bill of health".

On its part, Gluiseacht still claims that the infrastructure will destroy the environment in North Mayo and the local community ‘will have their health and safety put at risk'.

The leprechauns

St Patricks Day in Ireland

St Patricks History

The Irish Food Board

Mayo´s pipeline

Back to the list of articles

I thought about biblical counseling and the importance of both the counselors and counselees relying upon the power of the Holy Spirit to solve problems. Real hope only comes from the divine power of Christ. Counselees are urged to DO the work required by God to overcome their problems according to the Holy Scriptures; however, they are NOT to do so by their own strength but to ask the Lord through prayer to provide the power necessary to overcome the particular problem being addressed.

God is faithful and He can be trusted to provide the power necessary. When He does so, He alone gets the glory.

Sometimes, we face insurmountable odds (like in the movie) to overcome our fears, a looming divorce, or an anger problem. When we get broken and cry out to Jesus, He answers us with real hope and power through the Holy Spirit working in conjunction with the Word of God.

Don't settle for coping with your problems for the rest of your life. Cry out to Jesus and begin doing what God requires in His Word. God will bless Christians who put the hard work of obedience to Christ in action!

-Mark (obedience is better than sacrifice)

C.S. Lewis was a genius, and I believe he was a very inspired man. In the movie, the enemy, the Telmarines, have almost wiped out the whole race of Narnians, and when Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy come onto the scene, they are joined by Prince Caspian, who has run away from his city as the rightful heir to the throne because of an assassination plot against his life.

High King Peter, in his pride and arrogance, decides they must attack the Telmarines inside their own castle, while the bulk of their armies are away. Lucy pleads for them to find another way, alluding to her belief that they must wait for Aslan. Peter says, We've waited for Aslan long enough. I think we are meant to do this on our own.

Of course, they get to the castle and suffer a huge loss. Many Narnians are captured and slaughtered, and the main characters barely escape with their lives. This attack only fuels the Telmarines hate and anger and desire to destroy the Narnians once and for all. Their armies come in huge numbers against the now much weaker army of Narnians, and as the battle ensues, it is obvious that the Narnians are much too weak, and will never be able to conquer.

Meanwhile, Lucy has gone off on her own to search for Aslan. She finally finds him, and they come back just in time for Aslan to help turn the tide of the battle and drive the Telmarine armies away.

This movie was very powerful, for me. Like Peter, I used to feel that I had to fight the enemy myself, but like Peter, I always lost. There is just no way for us to fight our enemy and win. The enemy and his armies are far too great and too large for us to conquer. Instead, the only chance they had to win, was to seek out Aslan, the Lord. And like Lucy said, He does not need to prove himself to us, rather, we must prove ourselves to Him! Like Lucy, we must become as children, and we must seek Him out. He has the power to fight our battles and win.

I think this will always be a new favorite movie of mine, now. It is a very powerful, action-packed reminder of very important truths for me in my own daily battle. Even if the rest of the Narnia movies turn out to not be very good, I will always be grateful for this one.

Gegen Ende der Geschichte gestaltet Lewis eine Art Triumphzug Aslans, die Christusfigur, in dessen Gefolge sich auch Bacchus und seine ekstatischen Begleiter und Begleiterinnen finden. Das orgiastische Bacchanal, mythisches Urbild von Karneval, CSD und Loveparade, ist hier Ausdruck naturhafter Gewalt und geniesserischer Lebensfreude. Immer und immer wieder ist es der Ruf der Berauschten "Euan, euan, eu-oi-oi-oi!" - und nicht Aslans Brüllen - der zur ausgelassenen Lebendigkeit weckt. Was würden die Puritaner dazu sagen? Und natürlich haben wir so etwas im Film nicht zu sehen bekommen.

Übrigens: Es widerstrebt mir sehr, Aslan als Christusfigur hin zu stellen. Auf die Frage, wer Aslan sei, gibt es eigentlich nur eine Antwort: Er ist "der Sohn des Herrschers-über-dem-Meer". Punkt.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian sees the return of the four Pevensie children, as they struggle to adapt to life back in their own world after their adventures in the mythical, wonderful world of Narnia. The story opens as eldest brother Peter, longing to be back in his kingdom, takes out his frustration in a fight with another boy. Sensible Susan looks on with her ever-constant disdain, while Edmund piles in to help with the brawl. But as always, when teleported back into Narnia, it is passionate, caring little Lucy who finds herself closer to the magic, and to the all-powerful presence of the Lion lord of Narnia, Aslan.

Though all is not as it was when they left. The time passes much quicker in Narnia, and they return to their beloved home, Cair Paravel, when it is in ruins over 1000 years later. Telmarines have invaded, and now control the kingdom they once ruled. It is up to the four of them to grant Prince Caspian his place on the throne by defeating his uncle, King Miraz, but with tension between Caspian and Peter throughout the battles, things are far from easy, especially since no one but Lucy can see Aslan's infrequent appearances, and once again the others find it hard to believe in their sister.

Honestly... after last time, you'd have thought they would have learnt their lesson!

I was concerned that the sequel would be a disappointment, but I couldn't be more wrong. For me, there wasn't a flaw throughout! The acting was perfect, the storyline was tense and engaging, and the effects were just as polished and realistic as they had been in the previous instalment.

The performances of the four children stood out foremost. Georgie Henley continued her outstanding portrayal of little Lucy Pevensie, showing her siblings up for their weaknesses with innocence, unwavering trust, and the ability to follow her heart. William Moseley's performance was possibly better than in the previous film, giving Peter a petulant, competitive streak that led to intense rivalry between him and Caspian. Edmund's role was considerably smaller in this film, but actor Skandar Keynes still held his own, as did Anna Popplewell, playing Susan to perfection as she is given more depth with the introduction of a romantic interest or two.

Other notable performances included Ben Barnes, who almost stole the show as noble Prince Caspian, alongside supporting acting from such names as Liam Neeson (voice of Aslan), Sergio Castellitto (Miraz) and Eddie Izzard (voice of Reepicheep).

If this film is anything to go by, the wait for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" will not be in vain.

Kirsty Watkinson
klwatkinson@uclan.ac.uk

Peter doesn't believe without seeing, full stop.

Edmund said, "The last time I didn't believe Lucy, I end up pretty stupid", as little logic as this sentence has (really, Edmund, you should be the diplomatic one! How can you forget your logic!), it wasn't spoken out of pure faith, it was only about experience, so we can forget about him being faithful.

Susan, she said, "We did cross the river". So, spoken out of experience again. We can strike her out of the list, too.

So, only Lucy. *nods*