#Disc practitioner

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[thecoachingdirectory]

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[dissociacrip]

hey s/o to chronically ill or otherwise physically disabled people who are mostly, entirely undiagnosed, or otherwise have undiagnosed body problems that have yet to be explained.

especially if your symptoms are scary and confusing and weird enough to both you (and perhaps also to medical practitioners) that you have no idea what's really going on with you so that you can't even self-dx or make a solid guess at it.

especially if you keep getting expensive and non-routine medical testing/exams that seems like it's supposed to tell you something but then the results come back normal.

especially if the only potential answers to your problems are notoriously difficult to diagnose, treat, and/or require specialists that you don't have access to.

especially if this would have been a lot easier to deal with if you had supportive family members but you were medically neglected and/or don't have any family that you can rely on (this particularly applies to congenital stuff.)

and especially if you don't have the time, finances, or patience to figure out what the fuck is going on because dealing with the medical system and constant testing and a constant lack of answers is utterly fucking exhausting. desperately wanting help and relief and feeling fear that something might be seriously wrong but you don't even need to start, or just being tired of suffering and not having any clue what your body is doing.

post inspired having had episodes of wack neurological(?) shit that was causing excruciating nerve pain at the base of my neck and my upper back that was at like a 10 and cognitive impairment that got worse the longer i remained upright (including my speech starting to slur) over the past couple of years that seems to correlate with daytime manual labor specifically. seemed to be a herniated disc but a supine mri that insurance refused to cover showed zero signs of disc herniation or any other abnormalities. is it cci? is it a spinal cfs leak?? who fucking knows dude!! i came home sounding like i was drunk one day due to how fucking delirious i was and left work on day in tears once due to feeling like a knife was in the base of my neck and i still have no idea why ✌🏻

[tobiasdrake]

Hi there, love your DBZ analyses! It’s a lot of fun reading them, and you’ve made really good observations that I try to incorporate into my fics!

One thing I wanted to ask is if you think the humans might have been able to maintain a…stronger? Roll in the Android/Cell saga fights if they were allowed to seek out Goku to learn some of his techniques. Such as the Kaioken, which could theoretically give a bigger multiplier than Super Saiyan. Or the Spirit Bomb, a move we know Krillin is capable of using (at least, capable of using in a diminished form).

I just ask because I like to think of ways I could have the humans stay relevant in fights when writing fics. At least, whenever they haven’t made the decision to retire like Krillin and Yamcha have. (And no shade there, if they don’t want to be practitioners anymore that’s 100% valid.)

To the contrary, I think if the humans remained relevant, we'd see them devising new techniques and skills of their own distinct from the Kaio-ken and Genki-Dama. Possibly incorporating some of their ideas, but using their time on Kaio's world and beyond to develop their own unique styles.

That's always been how they operate. They're all innovators. They'll follow the trails Goku blazed in terms of training under the same masters, but they also spend a lot of time separately working on their unique arts. They create new techniques like the Sokidan/Spirit Ball or Shishin no Ken/Multiform or Kienzan/Destructo Disc, awaiting the day they'll show off what they've made to one another at the tournament. Even Piccolo falls into that rhythm after his defeat.

Ten even says as much when we briefly check in on him.

But because the human martial artists fell out of focus, we never get to find out what he means by this.

[joyburble]

The Swords

So I was watching, as you do, some videos by some very charming and passionate martials arts practitioners comparing and contrasting various designs of sword and their usage. And I remembered that I had vaguely, perhaps subconsciously, noticed something strange about the magical swords used in this show.

The first one we see is the Hellfire sword which Dongfang Qingcang materialises as he calls Shangque.

It's straight, with no curve to the blade at all, and both edges appear to be sharp. It's basically cross-shaped, with a large, decorated cross-guard extending parallel with both edges. And it has a fairly large roundish pommel, by which he holds it:

I think I semi-consciously noticed that this looks a lot more like a European longsword, except that it's not all that long. Chinese swords are usually curved, even if only slightly, are usually sharp on one side only, and usually have disc-shaped handguards. [Edit! see reblogs for information on jians, which are straight and double-edged but with tiny crossguards] They sometimes have pommels, but the kind you see in the Wuxia genre generally doesn't.

So I thought, is this one of the subtler ways in which they're setting out to make Dongfang Qingcang and the Moon Tribe seem a little bit foreign and therefore barbarous, "not-Han-coded", as someone on Discord put it?

But then I checked the other swords, and that's not it.

Changheng's is a bit ambiguous. It has a pronounced cross-guard, less elaborate but more fantastical - it seems to be thinking about morphing into a 16th-century European basket hilt, as that downturned curve wouldn't work to catch your opponent's blade, but it isn't quite there yet:

The blade also looks very straight, and we don't see the prop without the CGI for long enough to tell whether it's meant to be sharp on both edges. It might be more of a sabre, a design that pops up in martial arts traditions everywhere.

The third sword we see is Lady Chidi's battle sword, which is the same basic design as Dongfang Qingcang's:

As you can see in the closeup, it's cross-shaped, double-edged, straight, and symmetrical, with a pronounced pommel, a long hilt for two hands, and a large cross-guard parallel to the edges.

This shape is important, because scale is an optional setting for powerful immortal beings, and she will soon turn it into this mountain, with the cross-guard becoming a very convenient platform for conversation and sunbathing:

The other plot-relevant sword, in Episode 31, is the same cross-shape, with a really big cross-guard and a fairly pronounced pommel.

However! Intriguingly, to spar with Ronghao in the illusion-forest in Episode 32, Chidi uses a very simple blade, straight, but with neither cross-guard nor pommel, like a civilised Chinese lady:

It might be double-edged or single-edged, I can't tell, but it has virtually no hand guard at all, not even a round one like a katana:

But when in a later scene Ronghao confesses, it is her own, true sword she drops, as a sign that things are getting simultaneously more magic and more real:

In Ep34, she uses it to kill some unfortunate pikemen:

Meanwhile, back in Ep 16, Yannu's sword was the same plot-relevant shape, like Dongfang Qingcang's, and she holds it like a medieval warrior saint looking down from a Gothic arch:

He held it the same way when Shangque greeted him in Episode 2.

Danyin's sword, when she manifests it, is in a rather modest and perhaps youthful style. Still straight and symmetrical, but with a very small, sharply hooked cross-guard:

When Dieyi's whip-chain-flail-thing turns into a sword, it's even more European - it looks very like a rapier with a basket hilt! Kind of appropriate to her general look, actually, and her street-fighting personality.

When she changes stance we see this bonkers wiggly blade, which looks still rapier-ish (long, pointed, thrust more than cut), only insane. She doesn't use it like a rapier, though.

Ronghao's sword for killing is a curious design, still straight and with a pommel, but this curious sort of vestigial, bulbous thing that isn't really a guard of any kind. I don't know what's going on with this but the shape is a little bit like Theoden's sword in Return of the King. Not quite.

However, when Chidi eventually attacks him, they both use their simple sparring blades again:

Anyway! I was surprised to discover how nearly all of the swords used in this particular show visually followed styles I am familiar with both from western drama and from western historical collections, and none of them, except the ones in that last shot, looked at all like the most common styles of sword you see in Chinese dramas.

Obviously the weapons function exactly like the costumes in that they're primarily artistic visual references to various moods and ideas, rather than functional objects, but I think that makes this choice even more interesting. I don't know how usual it is for this genre, or what it means.

I haven't found where, if at all, we see Xunfeng or Shanque use a sword, and it's long past my bedtime so I'm stopping there.

[betterthanapokeintheeye]

MORE Information about this beautiful book.

The book, to be published by Puffin, celebrates the 20th anniversary of the first in the Tiffany Aching series The Wee Free Men. This ultimate guide marks the first time Rhianna Pratchett has contributed to her father’s body of literary work for children.

Set in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld universe, Tiffany Aching’s Guide To Being A Witch is a must-have for any Pratchett fan with new illustrations from Terry’s ‘artist of choice’ Paul Kidby.

"An illustrated and practical guide to being a witch in Discworld, covering everything you’ve ever wanted to know from telling the bees to magical cheese, from dealing with elves to making deals with demons, from tending flocks to fending off forces from other worlds. This beautiful and practical guide has been compiled by Tiffany Aching herself, including snippets of remembered wisdom from Granny Aching alongside notes from Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Miss Tick, and Rob Anybody who offer their own unique perspectives on all things witchcraft. Whether you’re a herbologist or a headologist, this book will inspire and empower new witches and seasoned practitioners alike."

Gabrielle Kent says: “I feel a part of me has lived on the Disc ever since a school-friend lent me my first Terry Pratchett book back in 1988. And when I discovered Granny Weatherwax and Esk in Equal Rites I knew that, in the witches, I had found my people. Back then I could never have dreamed that the girl who influenced Esk would become a huge part of my life and we would eventually go on to write a Discworld book together, discovering, in the process, that we both had shepherdess grandmothers. The Disc and its inhabitants mean so much to so very many people and, in this guide, Rhianna and I hope to have captured the essence and voices of the characters we have all grown to love as we explore what it means to be a witch in their world.”

Paul Kidby says: “I love all of Discworld but especially its natural world, the magic of the Ramtops, the energy of the chalk and its assorted local characters. The chance to illustrate this book filled with country witch lore and Nac Mac Feegles was an opportunity to good to be missed.”

Jane Griffiths, Puffin Publisher says: “Puffin is incredibly proud to be the home of Terry Pratchett’s incredible children’s books and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have such an exciting new piece of Discworld publishing for the 20th anniversary year of Tiffany Aching. Tiffany Aching’s Guide To Being A Witch, is going to be a must-have for Terry Pratchett fans everywhere as Rhianna and Gabrielle take readers to the heart of Discworld and uncover the secrets of what it really takes to be a witch in this incredible world, all brought to life by new full-colour illustrations from the amazingly talented Paul Kidby.”

It will be a hardback book with 192 pages and the indicators are a release date of 26th October 2023 published by Puffin books.

Price TBC

[coven-of-genesis]

Ways to use Dragons blood

Dragon's blood is a bright red resin obtained from various plant species, often used in traditional medicine and for various purposes. While it is not derived from actual dragons, it has been given that name due to its appearance.

Here are a few common uses of dragon's blood:

1. Incense: Dragon's blood can be burned as incense. Light a piece of resin and allow it to smolder on a heat-resistant surface, such as a charcoal disc or incense burner. It produces a fragrant smoke that is often used for rituals, meditation, or simply to create a pleasant ambiance.

2. Healing properties: Dragon's blood has been used in traditional medicine for its purported healing properties. It can be applied topically in the form of creams or ointments for various skin conditions, including wounds, cuts, rashes, and insect bites. However, it's important to note that the efficacy of dragon's blood for medicinal purposes has not been extensively studied.

3. Energy cleansing: Some people believe that dragon's blood has purifying and protective properties. It is used to cleanse spaces or objects by sprinkling a few drops of dragon's blood oil or by burning dragon's blood incense.

4. Rituals and spellwork: Dragon's blood has a long history of use in spiritual and magical practices. It is believed to enhance spellcasting, provide protection, and boost personal power. It can be incorporated into rituals, spells, and amulets according to the specific tradition or belief system.

It's important to keep in mind that the usage of dragon's blood varies across cultures and practices. If you are considering using it, it's best to research and consult with experienced practitioners or resources that align with your specific interests and beliefs.

[mywifeleftme]

330: Clara Rockmore // Theremin

Theremin Clara Rockmore 1977, Delos (Bandcamp)

100 years since its invention, the theremin remains an oddity. It is in every respect an antiquated piece of technology, and yet like the Tesla coil and the plasma globe it still provokes the primal wonder of science-as-magic. The advancements of a modern synthesizer unit are hidden from the eye—if you presented it to an unthawed person from the 19th century, they would at least be able to infer that the device is controlled using the buttons and keys. But the theremin player creates sound by coaxing an invisible magnetic field with their bare hands, as though they are pulling its warbling voice from the air itself—and indeed, inventor Léon Theremin’s artful original name for his instrument was the ætherphone.

To watch a performance by Clara Rockmore, the instrument’s foremost practitioner, is to see something that resembles a scene from a séance or a German Expressionist film. A petite, dark-haired woman with the eyes of an Orthodox Virgin Mary, she would stand ramrod straight behind the lectern-like theremin, nearly motionless save for the almost palsied-looking convulsions of her knotted hands and the tensing of her eyebrows, the only sign on her otherwise slack features of the intensity of her concentration. She looks as though she is forcing down the song attempting to leap from her throat until it screams through her fingertips like steam from a kettle. As synth pioneer Robert Moog explains in his liner notes to Rockmore’s 1977 LP Theremin, her absolute stillness was not a theatrical device but a requirement of playing the instrument: the theremin’s magnetic field encompasses not only the performers hands but their entire upper body, meaning that even a minor motion of the head will influence the instrument’s pitch. But the austere figure she cut no doubt contributed to her allure, the sense that she was herself as unearthly as the instrument she played.

Rockmore, a violin prodigy since age 5, took to Theremin’s invention sometime in the late 1920s. Her concerts popularized and legitimated the instrument, but it would be nearly a half-century before the Theremin LP, her first, was finally released. Produced by Shirleigh Moog and engineered by her husband Robert, one gets the sense that the Moogs are fans trying to correct an oversight, to record the album as it would’ve sounded if it had been made her during her prime. The results are captivating, even haunting. At times you may be fooled into thinking you’re listening to a recording of a human soprano from some decayed shellac disc; in other moments, you will be moved by how world-weary an electronic tone can sound.  Rockmore is accompanied, as she had been since the beginning, by her sister Nadia Reisenberg on piano, and her selections focus on 19th and early 20th century compositions, with a heavy emphasis on the Romantics. A majority of the pieces here come from her fellow Russians, including Tchaikovsky, Glazunov, Rachmaninoff, and Stravinsky. My personal favourite of these is her take on Joseph Achron’s “Hebrew Melody.” Inspired by traditional laments, Rockmore’s theremin evokes the sobbing characteristic (krekhts) of Jewish vocal music, while her sister thunders and pirouettes on her piano in a classically Romantic style.

Theremin stands apart from other electronic classical records like Wendy Carlos’ Switched-On Bach because it never sounds wholly like a novelty despite the theremin’s high camp potential (and, for that matter, Rockmore’s). It is peculiar, and my fascination with it definitely originated in a perverse nostalgia for esoteric junk—but the somber beauty of the sisters’ performance wiped the smirk from my face from virtually the moment I dropped the needle.

330/365

[goodbysunball]

Cement mixer blues

A couple more for your March, with Opening Day right around the corner. Four picks, all hits, and more waiting in the wings - but until then:

Thomas Bush, The Next 60 Years LP (Jolly Discs)

Album number three from Thomas Bush, one carving his own path through the history of quietly devastating British folk. That Bush has much to do with "folk" in general is debatable at this point, but there are fractured fragments within his damaged, precise compositions. On The Next 60 Years, he refines his vision further, not solely through reduction (though that, too) but with a bit of surprising bombast on the B-side. "Same Life Flowed" opens the album with plodding pop, the double-tracked vocals opening up just enough during the chorus to complement the harpsichord melody, and runs into the pensively dueling guitars on the accurately named "Pure Intention." As is Bush's wont, the album never keeps a straight course after this beautiful opening; some songs, like "Mulligan" or "Flood of Light," creak like floorboards in an empty house, whereas "Face In the Water" jumps out of the speakers from behind the curtain. I've never pieced together any influence of Talk Talk or Mark Hollis on Bush's sound, but now it's crystal on "Burn Clear," the patiently brushed cymbals and pattering drums pairing with slowly ringing chords, all directed by Bush's carefully delivered vocals. The samples on "Burn Clear" get turned inside-out on "Face In the Water," its booming synth chords leaving backwards bubbling loops in their wake, the distortion becoming ever more prominent as Bush's most clear, confident song unravels over its duration. The synth chords turn green midway through, and the garbled loops run rampant to cloud any pop ambitions with more unease. The album closes with the quietly devastating "Xtrails," a repeated descending progression of guitar notes and scattered synth chords, tying the album together neatly with only the necessary ingredients. In early listens, "Burn Clear" and "Face In the Water" were the highlights, but now tracks like "Thirsting" and "Xtrails" have become my favorites, the ones where Bush takes something recognizable and strips it to a skeleton and makes the bones vibrate with noise, creating a new story for the figure largely free from its past. Stunning, especially during my pre-dawn drives, but potent enough, and enveloping enough, to transport the listener from start to finish anytime. Sold out at the source, but I suspect copies will land stateside soon; if not, All Night Flight is handling the distribution - hop to it.

Contaminated, Celebratory Beheading LP (Blood Harvest)

Amidst a glut of ho-hum, self-referencing contemporary death metal, I wasn't really prepared for the complete onslaught that makes up Contaminated's second LP. I liked Final Man a lot, but things seem to have gotten a lot bleaker in the seven years since that came out, and Celebratory Beheading is the record that balls up collective agony into relentless, boneheaded death metal. It takes all of 15 seconds into opener "Suffer Minutiae" for the band to launch into a chugging breakdown riff, and even after multiple spins I feel as if I haven't captured the right words to describe music so single-mindedly brutish. There are no synths, electronics or really anything resembling a breather across the album. This new-look Contaminated feels like layers alternating between Carcass (pre-Heartwork) and Autopsy, with a dash of County Medical Examiners or other goregrind practitioner. Each song is made up of multiple movements, which is the stupid way my brain's been reduced to describing this record when it's on, but the very basic recipe is to pound with death metal crunch and follow it up with a grinding blast, before pulling back and taking another swing at your head. These parts are masterfully fused together without gaps or any recognizable structure, suffocatingly dense compositions coming one after another. Once your ears adjust, the pieces of the bulldozing sound can just barely be picked apart. The drummer's right up front with the vocals, and the two seem to goad each other on; the guitars, drenched in distortion and as beefy as I've heard (sans exterior electronic noise) in ages, churn out mercilessly hard or dizzyingly fast riffs. "Final Hours" is the point in the record where I finally catch my breath, and by "Apex C.H.U.D." (stands for Circular Headbanging Under Duress, pretty sure) you're stomping around like a sumo wrestler. Imagine running in a sewer tunnel away from a tidal wave of waste, each turn bringing no more distance or relief from the chase; at some point your legs and chest give out and you submit. I haven't looked at the included lyric sheet - the album and song titles are illustrative enough - but this seems to be the soundtrack to intentionally hammering a nail through your finger, pure visceral animal thrill, presented without concessions or interludes. My favorite record of the year so far.

Los Doroncos, Sun and Fireworks LP (An'archives)

There's nothing like the first whiff of springtime to bring me around to an album that made little sense during the dregs of the new year, and Los Doroncos' Sun and Fireworks is one for the ages. Seasoned vets with deep ties to the Japanese underground - members from Denudes, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Doronco Gumo - but what you get here is a dream dive bar band, playing music both intimately familiar and somehow buoyant, not bogged down with expectations or concerned with much else than playin' hits. If the band set out to make classic rock feel fresh again, they nailed it, taking the scoff right outta my throat and using it to hit another solo. The band rips on the two longer tracks, "A minor" (one of the young year's best tracks) and "Drum," but elsewhere things are downright breezy. Guitars are largely unadorned until solos call for distortion, vocals are charming, paper-thin but hopeful, and the drums do enough to keep everything together. For me, any cynicism is eradicated by the beautifully disarming guitar lines littered about in "LuLu 2," but just as often it's the solo pushing its way through the clean chords of "Tin Ear." I'm in the midst of fixing up my porch, and if I get my way, I will be having a few beers back there with Sun and Fireworks elevating my mundane accomplishment. Come through.

Peg, We Know Who You Are and Everyone Is On the Lookout CS (No Rent)

Meeting of the minds between Cube's Adam Keith and Jackie-O Motherfucker's Dave Easlick, both of whom previously teamed up in SPF. I can't remember SPF's music much, though it may be time to revisit given how much I've enjoyed Peg's debut cassette. The music on We Know Who You Are feels like dub recorded without or presented without permission, as if found on a thrift store cassette, and then given added rhythm by Easlick and Keith's drumming and programming. "Mutual Percussion" is a sterling example, drums fading in and out while viscous treated guitar bubbles and the sound of a breeze or footsteps periodically emerge to confusingly give the feel of a field recording. The album feels sometimes ominous, sometimes sarcastic; the intention feels pure but you're never quite convinced with a track like "Agenda Jazz," either. Beyond sifting through the tape for intention, there's deep enjoyment here, skewering and distorting sounds in a way not unlike Equipment Pointed Ankh, though Peg's got a decidedly more abstract, glowering, smirking result. Hard to pick favorites, but if forced: the slouched strut of "Athletic Posturing"; the disarming "Everyone," all glistening synthesizer and distant drums; and my favorite, "Bog Standard," Easlick letting loose on the kit while a bassy loop and high-pitched noise build towers in the shifting sands. Really feels like these two met each other head-on this round, keeping stakes low for themselves but understanding one another intuitively to create one of last year's best albums.

[incarnateirony]

not what i set out to finish, got a bit distracted on other meta ends, but too good to leave sitting in drafts

and no just in case you think that's when they set all their clocks, or it was actual time, no and no. there was a lot of interesting clockwork in 15.01 to begin with, I just tagged my stuff back then poorly

In Manipura and below, man is bound by the laws of karma and fate. In Anahata one makes decisions ("follows one's heart") based on one's higher self, not the unfulfilled emotions and desires of lower nature. As such, it is known as the heart chakra.

It is also associated with love and compassion, charity to others and psychic healing. Meditation on this chakra is said to bring about the following siddhis (abilities): he becomes a lord of speech, he is dear to women, his presence controls the senses of others, and he can leave and enter the body at will.

Anahata (Sanskrit: अनाहत, IAST: Anāhata, English: "unstruck") or heart chakra is the fourth primary chakra, according to Hindu Yogic, Shakta and Buddhist Tantric traditions. In Sanskrit, anahata means "unhurt, unstruck, and unbeaten". Anahata Nad refers to the Vedic concept of unstruck sound (the sound of the celestial realm). Anahata is associated with balance, calmness, and serenity.

The name of this chakra signifies the state of freshness that appears when we are able to become detached and to look at the different and apparently contradictory experiences of life with a state of openness (expansion).

Normally we are not used to the effect produced by the confrontation of the two opposite forces. At the level of Anahata chakra appears the possibility to integrate the two opposite forces and obtain the effect (sound, in this case), without the two forces being confronted (without touching of the two parts).

This energy is specific to cooperation and integration, which brings peace and a new perspective in a world which, up to this level (considering only the energies specific to the first three centres of force: Muladhara, Swasdhistana and Manipura) was made only of a more or less conscious confrontation between opposite forces. The name Anahata suggests, in fact, the synergetic effect of the interaction of energies at this level.

Anahata is considered to be a tiny flame inside the heart. associated with the ability to make decisions outside the realm of karma.

Hrit (Hridaya, Surya) chakra Tree inside two circles inside a lotus flower The Hrit chakra (just below Anahata) is the seat of the wish-fulfilling tree.

Immediately below Anahata (at the solar plexus or, sometimes, on the near left side of the body) is a minor chakra known as Hrit (or Hridaya, "heart"), with eight petals.

It has three regions:

a vermilion sun region,

within which is a white moon region,

within which is a deep-red fire region.

Within this is the red wish-fulfilling tree, kalpavriksha, which symbolises the ability to manifest what one wishes to happen in the world.

The heart wheel in Tibetan Buddhism is the location of the indestructible red-and-white drop. At death, the winds of the body dissolve and enter this drop, which then leads the body into Bardo (the intermediate stage) and rebirth. The heart wheel in this model is circular, white and has eight petals (or channels) reaching downwards.

These channels divide into three wheels (mind, speech and body)

The heart wheel is important in meditation; in the lower tantras, the mantra is recited from the heart. It is recited verbally and then mentally;

then, in the heart, a tiny moon disc and flame are imagined from which the mantra rings.

In the higher tantras (the Anuttarayoga Tantra of the Sarma schools) or the Inner Tantras of the Nyingma school, the practitioner attempts to dissolve the winds and drops into the central channel at the level of the heart to experience the Yoga of Clear Light.

[wefacilitate]

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[theblackbookofarkera]

Tzuran

Tzuran, the enigmatic creed embraced by a significant portion of the Tru-isil Empire's populace, particularly the elite, is a religion steeped in fatalism and detachment. It's a faith that, through its doctrines, subtly endorses a libertine lifestyle, providing the morally ambiguous nobility of the Tru-isil Empire with a divine justification for their often deplorable actions.

The central tenet of Tzuran posits that the universe was birthed from the ennui of Tzura LuAvramah, a deity who, weary from contemplating his own flawlessness, crafted existence as a diversion. He envisioned the cosmos as a silver disc, spinning it into motion to observe the unfolding saga of divine and mortal beings—a spectacle designed to stave off his eternal boredom. Tragically, all entities within this cosmic disc are ensnared in a relentless cycle of existence, doomed to repeat their roles ad infinitum for the amusement of Tzura LuAvramah.

Yet, Tzuran offers a sliver of hope: the possibility of liberation from this ceaseless cycle. A select few may seize the chance to break free, to become sovereigns of their own realities. This path to emancipation demands profound self-awareness and the recognition of the illusory nature of the material world. While Tzuran advocates for experiential learning through ritual and the teachings of past sages, in practice, this often translates into hedonistic pursuits under the guise of spiritual enlightenment.

Tzuran's moral framework is nebulous at best, providing broad principles aimed at preserving societal order rather than dictating personal conduct. This lack of ethical rigidity, especially prevalent among the affluent, does little to curb the misuse of power or offer solace to those in lesser circumstances. The priesthood's ambiguous stance further exacerbates this issue, failing to hold the powerful accountable or provide a beacon of hope for the downtrodden.

In the worldview of Tzuran, gods and supernatural beings are seen as equals to mortals, often less cognizant of their plight due to their perceived superiority. These entities are not objects of worship but rather partners in negotiation or sources of arcane knowledge. Reverence is eschewed in favor of pragmatic interactions with these higher beings.

The religion of Tzuran, as observed by Lu-zan Gao, an envoy from the Tauxien Empire, is not one that fosters virtues like compassion or wisdom. Instead, it champions self-indulgence, a trait already all too common among the Tru-isil Empire's corrupt nobility. Gao's experiences with the Tzuran practitioners left him with a sense of disdain, as he witnessed rituals that seemed to mock their creator in a manner he deemed sacrilegious. His reflections underscore the complex and often contentious relationship between faith and morality within the Tru-isil Empire.

[randomvarious]

Spleen - "That Was My Head" Darque Fonque 1997 Illbient / Trip Hop

Plays: 1.4K+ on YouTube

Although his biggest successes have come via his partnership with UK alt-indie darling PJ Harvey as her producer, Bristol native Rob Ellis has also headed up a nebulous side project called Spleen, which was less of a band and more of a large collective. In their roughly ten years of work, Spleen managed to release a total of three albums and three singles, and PJ Harvey herself is considered to have been a member of the project.

The thing about Spleen though is that every single song in their catalog was made by an assortment of different people, meaning no song has the same exact lineup. And I guess that's what led to their sound being classified as a whole bunch of different things, from stoner rock, to art rock, to jazz-rock, to avant garde, to ambient, to experimental rock. But with this track that originated from their first 12-inch, 1996's Like a Watermelon, they appear to add illbient trip hop to that varied list of genres.

Illbient, for those that don't know, is this very eerie, unsettling, dark, and off-kilter form of instrumental hip hop or trip hop. Its foremost practitioner is a very talented guy who goes by the name of DJ Spooky (naturally), and he was part of this tight-knit scene that formed in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in the mid-90s. Illbient's biggest label, WordSound, is also responsible for releasing top-notch hip hop producer Prince Paul's long-awaited debut album, Psychoanalysis: What Is It?, in 1997, which got into some hip hop experimentalism as well.

Anyway, that Brooklyn-made illbient sound appears to have also seeped its way across the pond, as the duo of Techno Animal—Godflesh lead singer and former Napalm Death drummer Justin Broadrick and his constant collaborator Kevin Martin, aka The Bug—brought it forth in 1995 with a lengthy double-disc called Re-Entry, which was released on Virgin. Then the following year, Spleen went in a similar direction with a song called "That Was My Head," which first appeared on the Like a Watermelon 12-inch, and was then included on Middle Earth Recordings' Darque Fonque compilation in 1997.

But there's actually a common thread here between Spleen and Techno Animal: a drummer from Chicago named Lou Ciccotelli, who's played in some UK bands, including one called God, which also claimed the two guys from Techno Animal as its members. And Ciccotelli is also credited with co-writing this Spleen song with Rob Ellis, so maybe he's the one who brought the Techno Animal-God sound along with him to make this tune? Most other Spleen tracks don't sound like this one 🤔.

The overall eeriness of this over-eight-minute song comes through immediately, sounding like some kind of anxiety-inducing horror film score, with strewn-about, disconcerting sax phrases laid over ominous strings. But it's not until about 70 seconds in when this thing really starts to take shape and adopts its illbient sound, with what I'm guessing is Ciccotelli's contribution: a killer, booming drum track. Now, almost every drum track—whether it be hip hop, trip hop, or illbient—is made with either a drum machine or some kind of software. But there's a certain crispness, clarity, and depth to a live recorded drum track that you just can't replicate with any kind of electronics, and I think Ciccotelli's playing on this tune proves my point here.

Once it enters, Ciccotelli's beat holds steady, which then allows Ellis to get all this pent-up experimental avantgardism out of his system. He starts with the sax, gets to keys and an organ, and then he starts unveiling sounds that leave me scratching my head as to what he even used to create them ⁉ Maybe he literally banged his noggin on some things and that's why this song is called what it is?

Me: "Okay, so what did you use to make *this* sound?”

Rob Ellis: "Yeah, that was my head"

Me: 😮

Either way, I tend not to vibe much towards illbient, because a lot of it's just too weird and cold for my tastes, but Ciccotelli's live drums here are too nice for me to ignore, and it allows me the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and experience whatever the hell it is that PJ Harvey's producer is conjuring up behind him.

Spleen was really ~something else~.

By the way, another terrific trip hop track that uses live drums is Red Snapper's original demo of "4 Dead Monks," which appears on Warp Records' We Are Reasonable People compilation. Check it out if you dig this too 👍.

[doomedandstoned]

Raleigh’s LIE HEAVY Bring Heavy Rock Vets Together for New Music Video

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

LIE HEAVY burst on the scene last year, self-releasing their debut full-length, but the album did the rounds quickly and landed on the Doom Charts radar. In July, they debuted in the top 40 with 'Burn To The Moon' (2023) and have only conquered more ear-drums since that time.

Veteran musicians are drawn from The Skull, Confessor, and Legions of Doom, and believe me they bring everything to the table: sweet southern stoner riffs (Graham Fry on guitar), a stout rhythm section (Jeff JD Dennis on drums, TR Gwynne on bass), and singing that really gets your attention (Karl Agell on vox).

Vocals really distinguish the band's titular song, both the verses and the chorus, as to be expected from the former singer for Corrosion of Conformity ('89-'93), who's since also fronted Blind, Leadfoot, King Hitter, and Legions of Doom, among others. There's a commanding expressiveness to the lyrics that just makes you a believer. Take one look at the crazed stare in Karl Agell's eyes and you'll get a sense that this guy is in this heavy rock thing lock, stock, and smoking barrels.

This song has it all, and a positive message to boot ("Your heart can heal your mind, your mind can heal your heart"). There's also some wicked, soulful soloing towards the end, not to be missed.

Today, Doomed & Stoned brings you the world premiere of the music video for "Lie Heavy," where the band balances their heaviness with plenty of self-effacing humor.

Look for Lie Heavy's Burn To The Moon, releasing via Heavy Psych Sounds on three varieties of vinyl, compact disc, and digital format on April 19th (pre-order here).

Give ear...

SOME BUZZ

Raleigh, North Carolina's Lie Heavy is one of the few, true throwbacks to another era. They feature the vocals of Karl Agell, best known for Corrosion of Conformity's BLiND album and Leadfoot. Heavy, heavy-ass blues that would have fit on the Man's Ruin label back in the 90s, around the time that Orange Goblin was making waves. This is primal stuff: not quite Stoner, not quite Metal, and not quite giving a shit.

LIE HEAVY - Burn To The Moon by HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS Records

Lie Heavy draws on the original hard 'n groovy jams of Sabbath, Mountain, Lizzy and Purple, fused with their own massive experience. So, it is not difficult to fathom why Lie Heavy sounds like a well-oiled, hard working band of 30 years rather than a new entity. Their pedigree does not belie their power. Collectively, they have spent tens of thousands of hours in practice spaces, studios and on stages around the world, honing their vast skills, to find one another in this moment being among the top guardian practitioners at the gates of transcendently heavy music.

Follow The Band

Get Their Music

[terrence-silver]

I have a Terry McCain headcanon to share: we know he is Irish Catholic, and I see him being superstitious as well. Always making sure to knock on wood, throwing spilled salt over his shoulder, etc. What do you think? And do you have any headcanons about how his background might affect his personality, quirks, or everyday life?

---

Oh yes, Terry McCain is a definite practitioner of Old World Irish superstitiousness.

Overall Irishness in general too.

Doesn't even try to hide it particularly, because why should he? Is this something to be ashamed of? Quite the contrary! If anything, he's very much in-tune with his heritage. His colleagues on the force, for example, know all about it, because he's just that forthright about it it bleeds into his professional life, as well as his private one. On Birthdays, anniversaries and holidays they all about just know what to get the Detective and yeah, clovers with four leaves and thematic green ties and scarves for St. Patrick's Day are items frequently passed around the Station (both as an inside-joke and legitimate picks) because there's no way to go wrong with those choices where Terry McCain is concerned. Does his desk end up decorated with a cheesily endearing 'Kiss me, I'm Irish' Leprechaun coffee mug at one point, surrounded by all his paperwork, folders and files? Yeah, possibly.

But, superstitions, eh?

He believes in them as much as he believes in God.

In a left mean hook.

He believes that if his nose itches, it signifies a fight or a physical confrontation to come and he isn't above vocalizing it. 'Don't provoke me,' he'd say 'my nose is itching for it.' Same case with money; if one's palm's scratchy meaning he'll either get some or lose some, but Terry's admittedly infinitely less excited about that one than the possibility of a good punch out.

He believes in Omens. Magpies and bad luck. Crossing forces unseen. Fairies. Curses. He believed in it even as his colleagues got picked off one by one and he proceeded avoiding near death experiences several times in the row. What was that if not a case of luck? Someone somewhere looking out for him, in ways his coworkers weren't quite as fortunate? Of course while he's on the task of vigilantism and taking revenge to those he feels hurt his people these quirks come into practice. He relies on his guns, sure. His fists. His fighting ability. His stubbornness and conviction in going out and fixing things. In what's just and right. But, he goes out into the streets, looking for the down and dirty places of Chicago to take order to all while wearing his shirt backwards under his coat and scarf. You know --- for luck. Just in case. Nobody has to understand it but him. He expects nobody to understand, although he is more than likely to explain.

Very ardently.

Rain at funerals meaning at a departed soul is happy? Terry McCain is entirely likely to quietly stand in front of the cemetery grounds, hands in his pockets, looking for signs of a downpour even as his colleagues get buried and once he doesn't get it and the weather proves to be dry, he internally knows what has to be done; he knows he's got some scores to settle so his friends can rest in peace. Again. Nobody has to get it but him. The same way nobody has to get that he thinks that when you're sent a gift, you're supposed to take it; he trusts in this idea even as he adopts that kitten intended for him. That animal is there for a reason. People of ancient Ireland believed that cats operated somewhere between the mortal and spiritual realms. They viewed them as guardians of the gates of the Otherworld; a link between humans and the Otherworld. That, or he just overall doesn't want to jinx himself by not adopting a homeless cat given to him in a box with his literal name on it and he does purely because he wants to. Because he's a good man as much as he is a man of superstitions and a set of believes all his own.

He may or may have not have attempted the apple test.

You know --- to discover the first letter of his love's name.

Hey? What!? C'mon! He's allowed his indulgences!

Man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

Might've done it idly, at work, for example, or at the bar afterhours on a weekened, where nobody even figured what he was doing or why. Lunch break at the police force or perhaps McCain leaning on a patrol car, peeling himself an apple idly as a snack, watching out to avoid any skin breakage and create a long strip, trying to decipher what shape the remains resembled and truly taking the letter he saw closest represented in the peel as something meaningful, secretly on a lookout for that special someone with a name starting with a, oh, I don't know, letter C. or a letter S. or a letter O. or a letter B. This could've been a habit he had since he was a very young boy and the habit simply carried on as he aged. If it is nonsense, why have people don't stuff like that for centuries? Why does stepping into a circle of mushrooms (Psst! Fairy forts!) feeling innately wrong regardless where they are encountered? Why does Terry instinctually bypass them even without thinking, out in some park or a patch of soil behind a jazz club after weeks of rain? One doesn't need to be in Ireland to find Old World things. Encounter them in day to day life.

You better believe in ancient magic, because it sure believes in you.

[lingshanhermit]

Lingshan Hermit: The Practitioner and Movies

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche said: Movies are the modern thangka paintings. He is a great director himself and an amazing teacher. I think what he meant is that the art form of movies illustrates some of the most essential and profound concepts in Buddhism very well. I completely agree with this perspective.

I have always wanted to write a book about movies. Many people know me as a practitioner and writer, but few know that I am also a movie enthusiast. I have a large collection of Blu-ray discs. Other than practice, writing, reading and sleeping, watching movies is how I spend most of my spare time.

When you are sitting in a movie theater watching a film, do you know that the movie you see is just your own interpretation in your mind, and this interpretation is unique to you alone? You may watch Pulp Fiction with your best friend, but you will never see the same movie she sees, and she will never see the movie you see. There may be scenes that make you both laugh out loud, which further enhances the misconception, making you wrongly assume that you are seeing the same thing, that you understand each other perfectly. But it is impossible for you to see the same thing, because each person has a different life experience and karma, even if two people graduated from the same university, grew up in the same neighborhood, read similar books, and know mostly the same people, they would still be unable to see the same movie. The movie that each person sees is different. In the eyes of a hundred people there are a hundred Scarlett O'Haras and a hundred Walter Whites. Over the years, I have come to experience more and more how utterly impossible communication really is.

Let's first look at how we watch movies: When our eyes are watching the images on the screen, and our ears are hearing the sounds, what happens? Our eyes and ears will transmit the information they receive moment by moment to our mind. Our mind will then compare and interpret these images and sounds based on our life experiences and knowledge. And react accordingly. This may sound very mechanical to you. You probably feel you are not that mechanical. But according to Buddhism, we are exactly that mechanical. We are like pre-programmed robots that react differently to different situations. But because each of us has different karma, different mental afflictions, and different cultural backgrounds, when faced with the same information, we react differently. The same words, the same facial expression, one person's reaction may be to laugh out loud, another may feel utterly depressed, and yet another may be completely puzzled. This is very interesting.

When I described how we watch movies, I said our eyes grasp and interpret those images and subtitles frame by frame, and our ears grasp and interpret those sounds. You should know all this happens in a split second, probably less than one-thousandth of a second. I have just slowed down the process thousands of times to demonstrate it to you. As for what exactly we can interpret from those images and sounds, that depends entirely on our life experiences, cultural background, karma and merits. Therefore, what we see is simply a projection of our own mind. Those images and sounds themselves have no inherent meaning. All meaning is imposed by us. They are empty in essence. Those images and sounds are empty. If they were not empty, how could there be thousands of ways to understand them? In fact, not only are those images and sounds empty, all things are empty in essence.

From the Dzogchen practitioner's perspective, the way movies operate is very similar to how our mind works. Each time we go to the theater and the movie starts, you see a beam of light shines from behind and projects onto the movie screen. Then the previously empty screen begins to show advertisements and stories of joy and sorrow. Our mind operates the same way. When we perceive anything, this is what happens: (let's again go into slow motion at a thousand times slower) Our eyes come in contact with an object, grasp the image of it (like taking a photo), then the image is transmitted to our mind, compared and matched with information previously stored, if a corresponding concept is found in the database, we project that concept onto the object. We recognize: this is a calligraphy knife. Then based on that, we develop further thoughts on whether it looks good or bad, what shape, color it is, where it was made etc. If we find it beautiful, we may generate the desire to own it. Afflictions ensue as such. Similarly, our ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind treat the sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, and thoughts they grasp in the same way. We affix conceptual labels onto every sound, every smell, every taste, every tactile sensation, and every thought. Our mind conjures up concepts out of thin air and projects them onto every object we perceive. This happens countless times every second, and in multiple sensory aspects simultaneously. Our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind incessantly grasp sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations and mental phenomena, conceptualize them. Therefore, from the Buddhist perspective, the world we perceive is an extremely complex and uninterrupted 3D illusion manufactured by our mind. In fact, for ordinary people, except for a few exceptional moments, what they perceive their entire life is only the enormous illusion created by their own mind. They are wrapped in a world made up of concepts projected by their own mind. They have never seen things as they truly are. Our self-referential system is airtight. It blocks off almost all possibilities for us to glimpse reality. When we see an image, hear a sound, or feel a sensation, the self system immediately grasps, interprets, conceptualizes, telling us what it is. We can do this with almost no thinking at all on our part. All this happens in a split second – so fast that we cannot detect this process at all. We do not feel at all that there are innumerable concepts standing between us and the object, obstructing us from seeing it directly. We truly believe what we see is the object itself. We also truly believe the concepts about the object are inherent in the object itself rather than imposed by us. If your practice is right, you may slowly begin to experience this process. So far, all we have seen, heard, and felt is but an airtight web of concepts manufactured by our mind. This is how the self deceives us. According to the Dzogchen teachings, it is only when our delusory system momentarily malfunctions or freezes that wisdom briefly surfaces. It is only then that the conceptual world we carry around can crack open a little. But very soon, it gets sealed up again by the dense web of concepts. Our so-called practice can be understood simply as an effort to sabotage the operations of the self-referential delusory system. You pry open a gap in the conceptual web, and keep expanding it. That is the practice.

As just another sentient being called humans, we have always been deceived by illusions. As our eyes watch the movie screen, we think those images are real, that they form a continuum, when in fact, our eyes trick us – we only see a series of rapidly changing still images. When these images move rapidly, we feel there is continuity in the footage. We feel we have watched a whole movie. When in fact, what we call a movie is but a series of still images moving rapidly plus some sounds. It is said each second 24 frames (or 48 frames) flash by before our eyes. Our eyes simply cannot detect the gaps between the frames. We perceive other things the same way. As water streams down from the shower head, you cannot discern the gaps between water droplets. Another example is the iPhone – when we press down on the screen and swipe down, it appears that an actual page has been scrolled down by us. But that is just an illusion. The iPhone screen senses countless touch points, so when our finger presses down and swipes down, myriad points on the screen change at lightning speed, completely surpassing our eyes' ability to detect, thus giving rise to the illusion that an actual page is being scrolled down by us. This sufficiently shows how unreliable our perceiving consciousness has always been. The Buddhist masters of the past said: When we pass a clay pot from our left hand to our right, out of habit, we feel it is still the same clay pot, when in fact, once something has moved from here to there, the original clay pot no longer exists (of course, "no longer exists" is just a relative term, ultimately, there never was a clay pot at all). Impermanence does not mean the pot broke or decayed, even from a relative point of view, it changes completely moment to moment, arising and ceasing constantly. But our perception makes us feel it is still the same pot. That is how our perception tricks us.

When images are projected onto the movie screen, the screen itself does not gain anything, the projections do not impact the screen itself in any way. Just like how our projected concepts do not actually impact the objects themselves. When the projections stop, nothing is missing from the screen. Even during the movie showing, there is still nothing on the screen, it is just that when images are projected onto it, we can no longer see the screen itself, we can only see the projected images. If you can understand this, it is extremely important Dzogchen theory.

This is why I am so fascinated with movies, they always give me lots of inspiration. Of course here I am just talking about the art form of movies inspiring me. The content of many great movies are also tremendously inspiring in themselves. Some directors are practically emanations of Buddhas. I have always seen movies as one of my teachers. I have learned many things from this teacher. Over the years, I have been writing about the Dharma I perceive in movies. I’m sure many can relate to this, and I hope those who can come across these articles. But if you are not a seasoned practitioner, and have not genuinely practiced the Buddhadharma yourself, reading these can be quite difficult for you.

Written by Lingshan Hermit in December 2013, revised in August 2019.

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灵山居士：修行者与电影