Blog | Carol Chapman

Mahatma Gandhi Resolutions

I like these resolutions from Mahatma Gadhi:

I shall not fear anyone on earth.

I shall fear only God.

Downloading Photography from Montreal Area

These have been a couple of busy days. I have been downloading the photography I took during my travel to Montreal and Burlington, Vermont, from my media card onto my computer.

I feel happy to see the lovely photography and am relieved that there are many that will be good for next year’s Edgar Cayce Calendar, the Divine in Nature: with Inspirational Quotes from Edgar Cayce.

Carol Chapman —

Montreal Area Waterfall Photography

I’m home now–got in last night after midnight. First thing: Take a look at the photos I took.

Many are lovely. A couple are grand. That’s all I need.

I especially like the waterfall photographs taken at Rowdan, a town northeast of Montreal in the Laurentian Highlands. It’s one of those waterfalls that you can’t begin to show it’s power in a photograph. Maybe in a video.

Still, I feel happy because I have some good pictures.

Carol Chapman —

“Just for a Laugh” Parade Spectacle

Leaving Montreal today. Sad.

However, a huge send off. Happened to be staying at a motel along the route of the “Just for a Laugh” send-off parade. We couldn’t get to our hotel after sending the day driving to the Laurentian mountains to take photos of waterfalls.

The parade started at 9 PM. We couldn’t get on the street with the car until past midnight. But, we did get to walk to see the spectacle . . . and also happened to have a spot at the media area which meant that we saw the most elaborate presentations–for the television camera and I got to see how the huge overhead camera is manipulated–fun.

It was grand! Floating woman-shaped balloon kisses the mascot, this little green guy with devil horns. A huge statue of a man manipulated by puppeteers so it appears the man is walking down the street, just like in a horror movie when the faceless white creature slowly and with determination approaches you.

My favorites with the people dressed in white on stilts wielding large swatches of white fabric so it looked like they were butterflies fluttering their wings or angels. Magnifique!

Montreal Fireworks

Each summer, Montreal fireworks appear for an international fireworks competition. I thought a photograph of a gorgeous pyrotechnic display against the Montreal skyline might make a delightful photograph for next year’s Edgar Cayce Calendar.

Visit to the Carmelite Monastery in Montreal

I couldn’t find directions to the site of the Montreal apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary from 1998 to 2006. However, as described in previous posts, I had discovered the visionary was a Carmelite nun and that there was only one Carmelite monastery in Montreal.

By telephoning the monastery, I learned that mass is conducted every day at 8:00 AM except on Sunday when it’s at 10:00 AM.

And that’s where I went this morning. As the web site says, the monastery is situated in an industrialized part of Montreal. It is at 351 Ave. du Carmel. I also learned that it is not far from the Rosemount Metro Station.

Stone walls surround the monastery. A lovely stone church surrounded, by beautiful, serene grounds holds the small sanctuary which only contains 14 small pews–seven on each side of a central aisle.

Because I did not know that the cloistered nuns would be out of view to the left of the altar, I did not think to sit at the front, right of the pews so I could get a glimpse of them. Perhaps, one of the nuns is the one who saw the apparitions and heard Mary’s messages.

Although I could not understand the French service, I enjoyed basking in the atmosphere even though the man sitting beside me suffered with a bad case of morning breath and occasionally burped or coughed. I reminded myself that if this was the extent of my suffering I had to be a very fortunate person.

Every once in a while, a pitch pipe would sound and the invisible nuns on the left would softly sing, a capella, a short hymn. The people in the pews would join them.

I feel happy that I had the privilege of being in the vicinity of the visionary who had personally experienced Mary (probably) and that I sat in the place that Mary had visited. I say “probably” because I did not talk to anyone to receive verification but have merely made assumptions.

OK, I admit it, I felt lacking in courage even though I prayed for strength. I did take photographs of the church from the outside though. I loved being in a church that honors a woman and a mother.

There was one nun in the sanctuary with us. She wore the brown scapular of the Carmelite order. This is a garment made out of brown cloth. It was originally given to St. Simon Stock of the Order of Mount Carmel by Mary in apparition form in 1251 in England. The scapular is the symbol of the Carmelites. Lay people can also wear a version of it. Mary said that whoever was wearing the scapular upon their death would be saved from purgatory.

There’s more information on the history of the Scapular and the Rosary, Mary’s prayer and beads at this link:

http://www.prayrosary.com/rosaryscapular/history.php3

Marian Apparitions & Carmelite Nuns in Montreal

Because I am still in Montreal, I am still hoping to discover something about the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary experienced by a Carmelite nun here between 1998 and 2006.

Today, I am at the Internet Cafe searching for information on Carmelite Monasteries. The good news is that there is only one. The bad news is that Carmelite nuns very seldom leave the monastery.

I have yet to find the location of the monastery except that it is in an industrial part of Montreal.

However, I did find some interesting information about neuro-biological studies being conducted in which 15 of the nuns ranging in age from 23 to 64 years agreed to tests of their brain waves while in a heightened mystical state.

Here are the links to articles on the studies (you’re going to have to copy these URLs and paste them into your internet browser because I can’t figure out how to make the links live. Normally, when I’m home, they just automatically go live as soon as I publish the post–another one of life’s great mysteries. I also can’t figure out how to NOT to make the whole post BOLD #&*I#–yes, I feel very frustrated.):

http://metanexus.net/magazine/ArticleDetail/tabid/68/id/10321/Default.aspx

http://www.umontreal.ca/medias/english/press_releases/2006-2007/20060829_brainscan.html

http://www.integrativespirituality.org/postnuke/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=117&theme=Printer

Mary Apparitions in Montreal?

Today I’m on the trail of apparitions of the Mother Mary in Montreal. Information about the location of the apparitions are not easy to find.

I’ve read about apparitions that appeared to a Carmelite nun at

http://www.carmelita-delmis.org/english/index.htm

There’s also supposed to have been an apparition in Montreal in which a statue of the Holy Mother wept blood in 1985. For this one, click on the following link:

http://www.crystalinks.com/weepingstatues.html

(Scroll down to the section on “Italy” about the 10th paragraph in which the author refers to the Montreal statue that bled tears of blood.)

All this information is lovely except that if a person, such as myself, wants to find the statue or the location of the apparitions that came to the Carmelite “Delmis,” so far, I haven’t found a clue as to how to find them.

While I’m here in Montreal, I’d like to photograph the sites and chronicle these apparitions but I don’t know how to even begin because people I talk to have never heard of them and because there’s so little specific information on the internet other than Mary’s messages for this particular apparition.

Lemurs, Tamarinds and Diving Ducks at Biodome

Today, a wonderful excursion to the Biodome in Montreal. My favorite animal was the diving duck.

You can see the ducks swimming on the surface of the water in one section of the Biodome. Then, when you go down to the Aquarium showing the biodiversity of the St. Lawrence River marine environment, lo and behold, you can see those very same cute little black and white ducks with the orange feet diving among the sturgeon, lobsters and sharks. Amazing!!!

The Tamarinds are frisky black monkeys. One of the staff at the Biodome explained to me that the facility had received some new Tamarinds. Most of them were teenagers–hence the boundless energy.

A curious little creature from Madagascar that looks like a racoon with a three-foot-long ringed tail is actually a primate as well. That is the lemur. They have those soulful eyes that stare at you. They also favor the females and the young during times of scarcity!

I also loved the penguins. The Emperor Penguins stood in a row and stared at us. We were standing in a row staring at them. One great photo op after another.

Montreal, Le Jardin Botanique et Crazy Computers

Today, I’m in Montreal. My hotel charges money for me to use the computer so this will be short!!! The big problem is that the keyboard on this computer is Francais. Haven’t figured it out yet. Many of the letters are not in the place they usually are on my English-speaking U.S. computer. Oh well, ever onward!

Had a marvelous day at Le Jardin Botanique–the Botanical Garden. Took the Metro (subway) in French. Survived. Found the place. Magnifique!!! Took so many photos, I filled up my media cards and ran down the battery in my main camera.

I AM EXHAUSTED.

’til tomorrow. . .

Carol Chapman