#I am an entity that needs to be treated as an equal to all of y'all Im not above y'all and I sure ain't below. Treat me as a person

[ayngels-sunbook]

Chat I have to wear these nighttime braces but they hurt my feet. More specifically they hurt the incisions made at my Achilles tendon but it's either this or wear day braces that give me blisters, granted I'd take the blisters. 😭

Also I just straight up vented in the tags Don't read them if you don't wanna know Abt my life drama, I'd argue it's interesting though. Here's popcorn if you do 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

Anyways I'ma go take two Melatonin, take off these braces & sleep. Goodnight >-<

[ethereal-multiplicity]

⟡ The Connection Between Demons and "Ghost Hunts" - A Guide to the Demonic ⟡

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(Post header found on pinterest)

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Who here likes watching ghost investigation videos?

I know I do, but I have a huge grudge against youtubers who think they know everything just because they are intuitive. I have repeatedly heard the term "Demon" being used when something negative comes into contact with them, or even freak out when actual demonic entities reach out to help them.... thinking that clearly a demon must want them dead.

This is the problem, they are fear mongering to new people within the spiritual community, obviously its unintentional, but it's a severe issue that no one feels like correcting for the beginner spiritualists.

So I am going to correct it, because if I hear one more thing about demons being evil come from the mouth of a "psychic" or "spiritualist" I'm going to fucking lose it. How can you claim you are spiritual when those words are on your tongue like poison.

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Christianity stole pagan and indigenous gods and spirits to fear monger. They used the names of the entities people held dear to force them into a cage of doubt, used the names of their mythology to make it seem more familiar when converting them, making them think their gods were evil and wrong by using their names in the holy text.

That is why the witch trials happened, that is why colonizers took land, that is why indigenous people were at war for decades, and they are still fighting for their freedom today. Because Christians used their God, used Jesus' name to back any differing beliefs into a corner.

Don't believe me? Here is some translations and historical context Look them up, these aren't fake.

Lucifer = Baldr - Norse God, Phosphorus - Roman God, Venus and Saturn - Greek and Roman Planet Personifications

Satan = "To Oppose" or "Adversary"

Hell = Hel - Norse Goddess, Hades - Greek God

Beelzebub = Baal - Canaanite God

Even their precious Jesus isn't their god, they took his name from Judaism and butchered his story.

Demons have always been known to help guide humans to the truth, to save them from the control of God.

Lucifer guided Eve to the apple from the tree of forbidden truths, trying to save her from being Adam's cattle.

That is why Lilith became a demon, she wanted to be equal with Adam, she refused to lay below him, she ran and God punished her by forcing her to give birth to thousands of demons. She became the demonic liberator, all because she wanted to be properly loved and cared for as a human being, instead of being treated like she was a dog Adam could tame.

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If you research the demons of the Goetia, such as the 7 Lords, Buer, King Paimon, Barbatos, etc. They are all known as the keeper of truths, the teacher of knowledge.

Buer is the teacher of Moral Philosophy, Keeper of Hidden Knowledge, Teacher of Herbal Remedies, he could cure any illness, and he gifted witches with their familiars and protectors.

King Paimon is the Keeper of Hidden Knowledge and Truth, Keeper of Treasure, and Teacher of Academics/Science, Guider to life forces (Such as water)

Barbatos Guides people to Hidden Treasure, He helps heal any kind of relationship, He can understand the language of all animals, and He can see into the past and future.

All 7 Lords of Hell, Lucifer, Satan, Asmodeus, etc. all rule over one key thing. Freedom.

Lucifer and Satan liberate people from horrible and traumatic situations.

Asmodeus and Mammon allow people the freedom for earthly pleasures.

Beelzebub allows people the freedom to eat whatever they want without judgement. Such as pork and shellfish.

Belphegor allows people to rest and sleep as much as they need, not to force themselves or overwork their power.

Leviathan allows people to feel jealous, to feel angry, to make themselves so worked up that they change their life and get rid of what isn't serving them. He is the ruler of manifestation itself.

Do any of these entities sound evil? No! Of course not!

There is no actual historical context of any demon harming humans, in fact the only harm the bible says they do is teach them the forbidden truths.

Demons are liberators! They are saviors! They are the healer of religious trauma! There is a reason people with religious trauma tend to gravitate towards Satanism or Paganism. Demons are healers! Just look at Buer and Barbatos, they heal and protect humans and animals and expect nothing in return.

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But you may be asking, where does this all tie into the ghost hunters on youtube?

Well, the reason I have written this is to point out that demons aren't harmful, to provide proof to the beginner spiritualists that their is no reason to be afraid.

When the hunters say they've came into contact with a violent demon, its called a poltergeist!

Poltergeists are born of human negativity, they are entities born to cause harm and havoc. They are born from all the sadness, anger, trauma, and grief of this world. That is why when you go to these haunted locations with a fucked up history, there is going to be violent entities.

These spirits are hurting, hauntings happen for a reason. Spirits who are actually happy and content don't get stuck in our world. Their collective emotions and thoughts birth Poltergeists, and Poltergeists are made to act upon the violence that they were created with. They are made to seek vengeance on those who they view as a threat.

Has your mood ever got ruined, and then everything else that day went to absolute shit? That is kinda how poltergeists work, they are born from the pain of both the dead and the living, and when there is enough trauma, they come to "life". Poltergeists and the emotions that caused them, deserve to heal, not to be demonized.

I don't give a rats ass if that entity hurt you, trying to hurt it back or expelling it from your home/space is going to anger it, because you are oppressing an already traumatized being. But thats for another post.

My last point of proof is my lived experience, I was raised Christian, but every time I stepped foot in a church I had violent intrusive thoughts and feelings, to the point I constantly felt nauseous in church due to the overstimulating energy.

Once I found Paganism and Witchcraft, all of that went away. Around my gods, I am free, I feel loved, I feel their healing.

When I am sick? I feel their guidance and support allowing me to properly rest. When I am depressed? I feel their nurturing energy. When I am crying? I feel hands gently on the side of my face, my head, or my shoulders.

When I communicate with them? They tell me its time to heal from my trauma. When I ask them about the christian god? They tell me Christians have got it wrong, and God/Jesus is actually so kind and does not support anything Christianity has done in his name.

My point is, STOP TELLING THOUSANDS OF VIEWERS ONLINE THAT DEMONS WANT TO HURT YOU AND SPREAD ILLNESS THAT IS FEAR MONGERING

You cannot under any circumstances say your intuitive, psychic, or spiritual, and then refuse to understand the history of intuition, divination, and religion. You are not a healer, you are not a communicator, you are an oppressor.

This post isn't made to convince people demons are harmless.... but it is made to convince people to stop spreading their hate everywhere just because they don't understand something.

[theundeadsnake]

(Separate) SlenderMan, and Zalgo as husbands? I love these two more than any Creepypasta guys XD

Part 1 - Slenderman as a Husband.

The second part will be released later on, though beware, in practice both Slender and Zalgo are pretty much opposites as husbands.

Note: One's relation to Slender and the label he assigns you will affect how he treats you and is towards you. Being his spouse puts you at the top of his world, though the label of lover, pet, and toy also exist.

Marriage is typically not an idea people consider when referring to the creature. Nor is dating. Despite that, you have somehow managed both, which is telling of a lot of things.

Firstly, you must be incredibly important and precious for this monster for him to both view you as his, and him as yours. Slender considers marriage to only be an act that can be done by equals. Of course, this does not mean you two hold the same strength, nor that you must be an inhuman entity just like him. Instead in his mind, you are a person who he will treat with respect. You are different but equal.

You are not a pet. You are not one of his underlings nor are you, his enemy. You are his one and only lover, the one he plans to treasure for life.

This means and has a lot of implications for your safety and his level of care.

Slenderman is a powerful entity, whose enemies stand little chance of hurting. You on the other hand are deeply meaningful to him, and so much easier to hurt, meaning that in a sense as his lover, and now spouse you have been walking around with a target on your back.

Worry not, for your husband won’t let any harm come your way. He will make sure you are well protected, aware of the situation, and that you have all that you may need.

This of course does not mean that you will lose your freedom or be limited in any way. You can go be and live how you want to, just with security at hand which I am sure you will agree to. It may not be the most comfortable way to go around town, however, Slender will go at length to you about the dangers of being with him poses. You will be made aware of the risk as soon as you two become lovers, way before marriage. If you are married to him, you have already agreed to do what it takes to keep you safe.

Otherwise, he would have had to let his sunshine go.

As both a husband and a lover Slender will ensure to devote proper time to you. He has his work and responsibilities that he cannot abandon, though certain less-important duties can be handed over to his trusted right-hand man.

Nevertheless, he won’t be with you all the time. He still has a lot of work to handle. However, he will pull through to be there for you when needed. Panicking? Scared? Unable to get out of bed? Your monstrous Husband will be there at your side, helping make you feel better and more comfortable.

Quality time spent together, and telekinesis of adoration are his main love languages.

He as a husband will take his position very seriously. He always does. Jokes and giggles have never been his cup of tea. As a husband, he will not only treat you well, respect you, protect you, and love you but he will also want you to have the word at your feet in any way you desire. Having his lover feel and being at their best makes him want to melt.

Look at you, that bright smile, that cleaver mind, and all that potential are constantly on his mind. How you managed to make him, an otherworldly being make him such a significant part of his life does make him wonder.

[kob131]

"You can clearly see that the world is fractured between oppressors and oppressed, yes?"

... No?

Yeah, the Creator was a being a controlling dick when he tore out Knowledge to shut down his opponents.

But from that and the manipulation of the serpent, humans became more than mindless animals. We became thinking, feeling creatures that could unite with the more powerful demons to return to our godly states. Despite demons holding so much power and thus logically being oppressors- they became reliant on the weaker humans in order to become greater than who we were individually.

Hell, think about the Nahobino pairings. They consist of a human and a demon who would logically be in control but treat the human as an equal. Koshimizu sees Yuzuru as a partner and trusted comrade. Abdiel sees Dazai as a fellow follower of God. And Yakumo is almost literally married to Nuwa. To say nothing of Aogomi and the MC, who see each other as complete partners. Contrasted with Lamhu, who tried taking over his other half and ended up failing both times.

All this to say- The Creator's 'oppression' allowed for what would have been unequal pairings leading to oppression to become cooperative unity between unequal but united entities. Because in reality- both the strong and the weak need each other. We may not be equal and people may abuse that gap to impose their will.

But a select few do not define the world.

So no, I reject your premise Lilith. I am not falling for your propaganda. Especially not coming from a demon who fucking murdered an innocent girl and then proceeds to talk about 'oppression'.

[themattress]

"Those damn, dirty ape movies!"

If you want a good laugh, there are not one but two reviews for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes that are seriously offended by how humans are treated in this fictional franchise, acting as if the makers of the films are a bunch of misanthropes who hate their own species and are engaging in ape propaganda. I am not joking; they are angry that a franchise about apes that even has the word "apes" in the title doesn't do enough for humans in-universe and out of it.

Let's break some of these remarks down.

Someone had an idea about how to make “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” and it’s a bad one. How about a movie that’s set centuries in the future, where the only characters you see for a full hour are apes — as in apes cavorting, apes swinging from trees, apes fighting each other? Wouldn’t that be interesting? The answer is no. Not interesting at all.

Fuck you, it was interesting. Watching apes is always interesting in these movies; usually moreso than watching humans. Humans have never been the appeal of this film series.

We begin with a trio of young chimpanzees looking to rob eggs from an eagle’s nest. Why they want these eggs is unclear and has no direct bearing on what follows.

Huh? The movie stressed over and over again that it's for each ape to raise their own personal hunting eagle. Handling eagles is literally the main character's father's job!

Proximus is a bad fellow, but then again, who cares? This is where we realize where this is heading: chimps vs. gorillas. We don’t have a dog — or an ape — in this fight, much less a person. Indeed, what takes place many centuries from now between bands of apes really isn’t our business, is it? We might wish them well across the veil of years, but we don’t need to know the details and have no investment in the outcome.  

Who is "we"? Because most viewers do have an ape in this fight, namely Noa and his allies since Proximus being a bad fellow is enough to get people with basic empathy to care.

“Kingdom” is the fourth and worst of a rebooted series that began in 2011 and has expressed, from the beginning, a hatred of human beings and human civilization and a love for apes and the animal kingdom.

No. It only expressed the same truth that the original movie from 1968 expressed: humans are a species prone to self-destruction and if human civilization ever falls it will be a suicide. Apes didn't conquer the world; they inherited it when the humans killed themselves off.

The film follows a young chimp named Noa who escapes a gorilla attack and goes off on his own. Along the way he meets a young woman named Mae — finally, an actual human — but for a long time she doesn’t say anything, because she doesn’t trust Noa enough to let him know that she’s an intelligent, thinking entity. The dilemma of a lone, defenseless young woman, surrounded by apes and working to advance the interests of her people, might have been the basis for a good movie. That might have been a heroine we could get behind. But the screenplay by Josh Friedman is so spineless and limp, so unwilling to take any stand in favor of human life, that it makes Mae into a side character and tells the story through the eyes of Noa. 

It's honestly kind of eerie how much this writer shows the same kind of bigotry that many humans in the films like Mae herself do, where value on human life is placed higher than ape life despite both being "intelligent, thinking entities" simply because it's human life. Mae is absolutely not "a heroine we could get behind" because she has no reason not to trust Noa other than his species and no reason not to work to advance the interests of her people and the apes together other than being a human supremacist who can't accept a different species as equal. Despite actually having credible reason not to, Noa and his ape friends put their trust in Mae, and she betrays that trust in the most heinous way possible, subjecting many apes to the same fate that an ape died saving her from earlier. Sorry; that's not a heroine.

But Noa has no story. He has no drive, and so he can’t drive the movie. He just has generalized niceness and a concern for his fellow chimpanzees, a concern that the movie is incapable of making us share.

"Us"? Speak for yourself. Many people are invested in Noa and his concern for his fellow chimpanzees because they aren't heartless like you and don't like seeing innocent people of any species get hurt. And freeing his tribe and avenging his father's death isn't a drive? Learning to be strong and earn the respect and partnership of his father's eagle while also discovering the teachings of Caesar as the start of his hero's journey isn't a story? WTF!?

When we see computer-generated chimps hugging each other, the sight isn’t heartwarming. It just makes you wonder why you’re still sitting there watching this nonsense.  

Again, speak for yourself. it only makes you wonder that.

Until this franchise stops mistaking its stone-cold misanthropy for political virtue, this franchise is going nowhere.

It's made over $240,000,000 worldwide and counting already. Clearly, you're wrong.

It's that misanthropy — cloaked in reverence of nature's contrasting purity — that's fueled my hatred of the new Planet of the Apes series. It's a pointed but shallow reboot that flips the script of the classic 1968 film by pitching humans as cartoonish villains, and apes as a metaphor for an unrelentingly exploited enslaved people. It also proves these movies have officially outlived their usefulness. 

There has only ever been "cartoonish human villains" in the first of the new series, Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Every other human villain have been nuanced characters. This movie has apes as "cartoonish villains", so you'd think this guy would be satisfied! Also, there was no "flipping the script" - in the classic 1968 film, the apes weren't the bad guys either (you're thinking of the 2001 Tim Burton movie if you think that); the famous twist ending was all about how humans did themselves in and that the evolved apes simply conquered a dead world.

We follow Noa, a peacefully unambitious chimp eking out an existence with his eagle-raising tribe — until the army of nearby despot Proximus Caesar puts a branding iron down on Noa's lush paradise, and kicks off one of those wonderfully human war-like things Caesar at one time so hated humans for.

If you think Caesar hated humans, you haven't been paying ANY attention.

Humans have mostly lost communication and higher-level thinking, the very attributes that Woody Harrelson's character — the villainous general brought in to eradicate the simian scourge once and for all — fought to defend. There, his evil, self-stated goal was to (in an admittedly insane and vile way) stave off humankind's incipient genocide, which he feared "would destroy humanity for good this time. Not by killing us, but by robbing us of those things that make us human." Remember, he was the bad guy. But he was only made a villain through this franchise's endless and awkward contrivances, which show up with mind-numbing consistency. 

You just said "in an admittedly insane and vile way" - not specifying that this way wasn't just "eradicating the simian scourge" (which would do nothing since the virus has already spread and killing them wouldn't make it go away) but by killing any human who caught the virus, including his own son. His militia was splintered off from the main human army, who were understandably against him. Yes, he was the fucking bad guy, to all species.

Throughout the series: there are the evil humans, seemingly dipped in vats of superheated cruelty juice, bent on destroying the peaceful apes despite having little motivation and an inability to do the one thing we're theoretically good at: kill. 

Again, just the human villains in Rise and the Colonel in War. And the Colonel had a clear backstory and motivations behind his cruelty that he spoke of at length.

There is its lost hero, Caesar, bent into log-line knots to try and literally eradicate humanity, while staying completely morally blameless.

Fuck off. Caesar was never trying to eradicate humanity. In the first movie, all he wanted was a peaceful life for he and his fellow apes. In the second, he constantly tried to prevent war between apes and humans. In the third, a big point is made at the start on how merciful he is despite being in a war he never started or wanted, a war that is fought to defend his people and not to massacre the other side. The other side dies out from a virus and literal acts of nature such as an avalanche, not from Caesar and his apes killing them.

And in every movie is an ineffectual but pure human tagging along, doe-eyed, to prove there's some good in us, after all — if only we behaved more like those golly-gee animals close to the natural world. 

"In every movie"? You only seem to be describing Nova in War here.

And she wasn't ineffectual.

Because aside from that famous final line, the 1968 original (based on the book by author and resistance fighter Pierre Boulle) concerned itself more with the impermanence of humankind.

Lol; "aside from that famous final line", which made clear that humankind's impermanence is its own damn fault. It recontextualizes everything about the film to show that humans were the real monsters, not apes. The modern series' stance isn't anything new, you idiot.

Altogether, it emphasizes the unsettling sensation of having an assumed pre-eminence — either as human, or member of a majority — reversed.

I'm getting major white anxiety "Replacement Theory" vibes right now....

Telling the story of humanity's downfall and ape's rise from the ape's perspective narratively demands us to empathize with the ape. And the thesis is that there is something uniquely and innately dangerous about humankind.

Because comparing subjugated people to animals has its own controversial history. But using them as the noble savage — a long-ingrained trope that othered people of colour to suggest they had both lower intelligence and more of a connection with nature by an assumed distance from civilized behaviour — only complicates it for the worse.

You're the only one making the comparison here, pal. Says something about you.

Kingdom's use of that weird, symbolized grouping is watered down due to the mostly ape-focused plot, but brings it right back in the finale with the unprompted, unearned and frankly unneeded line: "Humans will never give up. Not until you claim all things for yourselves."

"Unprompted, unearned, unneeded"? Did you miss the part where Mae literally tried to kill the apes who trusted her because she didn't want to risk any apes gaining access to human technology which she claimed rightfully belonged to humans just like the planet does?

We don't need hours of synthetic, impossible to empathize with faces to learn we shouldn't enslave or eradicate one another.

There it is again, throwing the amazing motion capture and CGI work and the ape actors' performances under the bus by saying it's "impossible to emphasize" with anything that isn't human even if it thinks and feels just as much as any human can. It's honestly despicable.

[a-hollow-forest]

this was originally tags on a post about how some people use it/its in a dehumanising way without it being necessarily something that makes someone 'sub'-human (and i fully agree i'm just adding my own feelings and how i personally use them) but i felt like it got ranty enough to be potentially derailing so i'm making my own post lol

there can also be freedom in using it/its pronouns for oneself (as i do) in a subhuman way - forcefully placing myself on the bottom of y'alls (not at the op) fucked up hierarchies. if you have to have one to begin with i will make you put me on the bottom and you can either confront what that means for you or not, it's not my problem, you know?

i AM less than human, i won't let people hide from the fact that that's how i've been treated and led to view myself as a result

it has nothing to do with my own feelings about myself because 'less than human' doesn't mean anything to me when it's a bullshit metric to begin with. i am myself and that is all i need to be, i have no desire to be above or even equal to people who have decided that 'less than human' creates an inherent lack of value in the first place

so yeah, actually, i do expect you to feel like i'm calling myself sub-human when i use it/its pronouns for myself, the discomfort is the point. people don't like it when they have to look someone in the face and realise that person/entity/cryptid/however it wishes to be referred knows how it has been treated. i get that, and i'm kind of banking on it.

[kuraikyu]

@cursedfortune : Would Geto ever consider humans that rely upon tools to see or sense curses as any more evolved than those who flat out cannot (monkeys)? Does their effort to adapt upon realizing curses exist change his opinion at all?

THESE questions, tho!! (✧ ✧ ) And yet I still have to say - unfortunately. While every and any effort is impressive it is not enough for Geto to consider them more evolved and change his opinion.

Let's look here *points* his interactions with Maki Zen'in. Being a part of big three Sorcerer families should make her special for her blood at least, right? Well, not in this case. Efforts of those like Maki to adapt is worth only a half-fraction of Geto's sympathetic smile. Those who rely on cursed tools to fight & see curses are not enhanced in his eyes, they just possess the knowledge of how to deal with such danger to protect themselves / others or strive for greatness alongside Jujutsu-shi.

I know this wasn't a part of the question but I have to include this small bonus here. Monkeys have 2 primary purposes for him and his cult: ㅤㅤㅤㅤ-> MONEY ㅤㅤㅤㅤ-> COLLECTING CURSESㅤㅤ

Anything else he hardly finds useful at the moment, but let's go back to the case of Maki and another question. Let's hypothetically say if he was going to spare her - how could she be useful to him? Her powers equals zero in his eyes, there obviously would be no curses to gather from here and while the Zen'in clan sure is wealthy ... with how they treat her as an outcast, she obviously has no word or power within. He could use her as a pawn, or spy? Yeah, but so he could other people who are considerably more powerful ... we gradually drop & stop at tragically unpleasant scenarios here.

( We know what happens to Kanemori when Geto learns he's out of money / was late with donations where 'you can leave' means - SPLAT! Gore everywhere; no ceremonies ... )

Those monkeys who can naturally see curses and are considered more 'sensitive' get to climb a step higher above the rest of powerless individuals, but for him that is the same as making a centimeter difference in crafting yourself a new haori. People who engage in esoterical studies and have scrubs of extrasensory perception may not be eliminated at all because they were lucky to obtain / be born with degree of enhancement and there's a potential for development. For his vision, he craves nothing else than purity in form of other Sorcerers.

So as cruel as it may sound if you cannot use Jujutsu / aren't a special entity (*as Curse, Yokai etc.) and rely on tools to see them, you are ordinary and weak; a monkey, and you aren't needed in his new 'supreme' world.

( Heeeeelp I am choking sm on his dripping arrogance and wanna punch him so bad it's crazy, BUT I have to insert this one here because his reaction is so funny to me, especially how he calls her monkey for the second time while his face looks all bothered like: really? From all people - /you/ are here to stop /me/? )

[burnwater13]

Grogu goes to Coruscant

Grogu had never thought that he would return to Coruscant. It had been so long since he’d left the Jedi Temple and then left the planet that was more mech than living thing. But here he was. Walking along the streets with his found family. His mom had taken the twins to meet with the other members of the Brethren who were working on rehabilitating the strange world, but his dad, Din Djarin, and his friend, Ben Solo, were with him. 

The place looked both familiar and foreign. Like a dream that changes into a nightmare. Shadows lengthen and the skies get darker, and the sounds are no long innocent, but ominous. Yet, his mom had been there many times and his dad had been there as well, since the Empire had fallen. 

This was Ben’s first time visiting what had been the primary home of the Jedi order for so many years. His grandfather Anakin had lived and trained here, along side the other Jedi Masters, now long gone. Master Obi-Wan, Master Windu, Master Drallig, Master Yaddle, and of course Grand Master Yoda.

Grogu worried about bringing Ben here. His grandfather had been one of the people who had created so much loss and pain on this world and for the people that the Empire spawned here had suppressed, tormented, and destroyed. Ben was very sensitive to the Force, very open to it. Grogu could feel the residual affects of the Sith everywhere, even after this much time had passed. How would Ben handle it?

“Ben, feeling okay?” Grogu asked his tall friend as they approached what had been the main entry to the old temple.

“I am doing fine, Big Bro. I understand. It’s weird. I can feel so many things, but I know I didn’t cause this. I know you didn’t either. We’re good. If that changes I’ll let you know. I understand why T didn’t come with us, though. She knew many of these people. I can feel that.” Ben replied to Grogu. 

“Yes, Ta’lan said she came here more than once as Mira. But the Brethren deal with these challenges differently from the Jedi. Luke needed Grogu’s assistance in dealing with something here and Ta’lan said she could not help with it.”

Din explained. Grogu knew that Ta’lan and his dad had reconciled during a mission to Coruscant to save Luke from some problem. She hadn’t told him about other missions there, but then Mira was a spy and she couldn’t blab about it. 

“Seb could have helped.” Ben commented. 

“Busy. Still Mand’alor.” Grogu laughed. “Mandos need him more.”

He really meant that. Seb was a good Mand’alor. The planet was being repaired and the clans were working together to accomplish that. All Mandalorians were being treated as equals. There were no duchesses or counts, or anything like that. The warrior class was in charge, although warriors still existed. But they helped with logistics and aid because they were well trained for that work.

“True. What did Luke say he needed? My dad didn’t say anything to me before I set off to meet you here.” Ben asked.

“Luke fix Life Tree.” Grogu reported to his companions. He’d wondered why his Mom didn’t want to help them with this project, but he knew that she had her reasons. 

“Really? And T passed that up? That doesn’t sound like her.” Ben commented. 

“She must have thought that between the three of you, the Tree would in good hands. Plus, one of the last times we were here, she stabbed the tree to excise a Sith entity from it and rescue Luke. The tree might not appreciate her touch at this point.” Din replied to the two younger men. 

Grogu grumbled at his dad’s comment. His parents had never fully explained what happened during that visit and neither did Luke. Grogu had always suspected that it was a bit more involved than traveling into a hidden chamber within the roots of the tree and extracting Luke. But his mother and father said knowing more wouldn’t help anyone understand it better. He knew that was code for it was personal. 

“Mom trusts us.” Grogu stated with certainty. His mom did trust them. Plus, he knew her well enough to know that if she thought he or any of them was going to get into trouble they couldn’t handle she would be there rescuing them no matter what. T’ad and Solus wouldn’t keep her from doing that.

They were at the main entry hall and Grogu had to admit that they must cut an interesting figure. A Mandalorian in full armor, a tallish human wearing robes that were very Jedi like, but all in forest green, and himself, in his robes of deep purple, lined in beskar fabric, his lightsaber at his hip. 

He’d had a growth spurt the prior year, but he was still barely past Din’s knee in height. Ben was already as tall as Din and hadn’t stopped growing yet. Grogu kind of envied him that, but then they weren’t the same people and didn’t need to be the same height according to his ba’buir Seb. Seb was correct. They weren’t the same and that made their friendship stronger. If anyone was going to be able to help him and Luke, Ben was an excellent choice.

They were barely a meter into the main hall when Luke joined them, bowing to Din and then hugging both Ben and Grogu. 

“I can’t thank you enough for coming here on such short notice. When I found out you were on Coruscant I realized that the Force had brought us together for a reason.” Luke explained.

“It does have good timing.” Din laughed, “We were planning on leaving tomorrow. Seb wants us to join him on Mandalore for the annual report on progress. I think he’s just been missing Grogu and the Twins.”

“Jedi are connected.” Grogu pointed out to his dad. Even if Seb was no longer an active member of the New Jedi, he still cared about the Jedi.

“That’s very true, Grogu. We are all connected. Ben, I didn’t expect to see you here. How are your studies progressing?” Luke turned to his nephew. 

“They are going well. T and Kish say I will be ready for my trials next year. I’m looking forward to that. I’ve been wanting to see if I can make some headway on Jakku.” Ben replied, smiling. 

Grogu was very glad that Ben had found the path of the Brethren to his liking. He felt a deep need to fix things that the Empire had destroyed and there was no denying that Jakku was one of those things.

“Well, that’s very good news. I trust your mother and Han are happy about that.” Luke commented, as he waved for them all to follow him. 

“I think they are. Dad definitely is. He likes the idea of me building things. Mom is just happy that I’m not running away any more.” Ben laughed as he followed his uncle.

“Life tree?” Grogu hopped up to his dad’s shoulder so he could talk to Luke better.

“Yes. We are here to see if we can save it. I have been given access to the old arboretum space and the support rooms. I’ve looked at any records I could find, but I am still not sure why it is failing. I thought Mira might join us and help with that.” Luke murmured to Din and Grogu.

Grogu fought back a laugh. Ta’lan had explained to Luke more than once that her real name was Ta’lan Bet and that Mira Ost was just a persona she created to atone for a breach she had committed as a member of the Brethren. Luke just kept calling her Mira. Maybe one day he would learn.

“Uncle, Ta’lan is busy with the twins. We are here to help you.” Ben commented before Grogu could get a word in. Sometimes the teenager did things like that and Grogu would just sigh a little. Ben still had to learn patience… much like Grogu’s mom.

“True, Luke. Mom busy with Brethren.” Grogu explained.

“I see. Very well. Follow me.” Luke seemed a little annoyed, but then he had a hard time dealing with a nephew who was taller than him and a former padawan who was older than him. 

After a ten minute walk they reached the old arboretum and seeing in such poor condition made Grogu sad. He’d liked going into the huge vaulted space and helping the various masters and Jedi manage the planets, including the Sarad Lillies that Master Selene had taught him to care for. He’d learned that they were a Mandalorian plant and were Force sensitive and could be used to heal people and detect Sith. 

They all walked over to the huge ‘Life Tree’ and saw that it was not looking healthy. He hopped off his dad’s shoulder and began to examine the huge and ancient tree. 

“Ben!” Grogu called and smiled as his friend came running over to him. Ben was still all arms and legs and looked more like a rancor when he was running than a young human. It always made Grogu smile. 

“Touch lightly. Like Mom.” Grogu directed him. 

“Yes, Master Grogu.” Ben spoke in a serious tone but Grogu could sense that he was teasing him. 

He watched as Ben approached the tree and began to breathe slowly and very regularly. Then he leaned forward and touched the bark of the tree’s trunk with just his finger tips. Then he sucked in a deep breath. 

“Wow. That’s different. What do you think Big Bro? Can we save it?” Ben asked Grogu.

That was the question. Grogu wished his old masters were around. They would be able to help him, but they were sadly long gone. 

“Check supplies. Nutrients.” Grogu replied and then trotted over to the back rooms with his friend Jedi Tam had kept all of her supplies.

“What’s wrong with it Ben?” Grogu heard Luke ask him.

Grogu knew when he entered the room. The tree was Force sensitive and no Force adepts or workers lived or worked in this building since the Empire collapsed. It was no longer getting the support and access to the Force it had once enjoyed. So it needed other sources of nutrients to help keep it healthy. 

“It’s hungry. For nutrients.” Ben replied and then followed after Grogu. 

Grogu had found what he was looking for and was glad that he had. He went to lift it with the Force when he heard a voice speak to him.

“Others can the work, help with.” 

Grogu wondered briefly if Ben was playing a trick on him. 

“I’m small, not helpless.” Grogu returned somewhat brusquely, not caring for Ben’s joke.

“A youngling when I saw you last, a master now I see.” 

Uh, oh. 

Grogu turned slowly and saw Master Yoda, floating on his special chair, smiling at him. He had glowing blueish outline and Grogu realized that he was talking to Master Yoda’s Force ‘ghost’. Not really a ‘ghost’ but not a living being either. 

“Matters not what form I take. He he he.” The ancient Jedi laughed at his own joke. 

Grogu shook his head.  It had been a very long time since he had seen Yoda. So much had happened. What should he tell him? 

“Save tree. Good for Coruscant.” Grogu choose his words carefully. 

“Yes. Yes. Good. Saved Ben. Better for Coruscant.” Yoda replied. 

“Ben good. Brethren. Not Jedi. Different path.” Grogu replied. 

“Did not otherwise say. Where is Luke?” Yoda asked, looking around the room.

“He’s out by the tree talking to your dad, Grogu.” Ben answered as he passed right through Yoda’s projection. 

“Yoda asked. I knew that.” Grogu commented as he pointed the Force ‘ghost’ out to Ben. 

Ben stood there a minute and then grinned. 

“My grandfather told me to say ‘hello there’ to you, should we ever meet. Hello there.” Ben chuckled as he looked at the diminutive Jedi who Grogu bore a clear resemblance to. 

“Hello there? Hello where? The boy was always too lighthearted.” Yoda spoke, his annoyance clear. 

“He wished to be lighthearted. His is happy that I can be light hearted. Would you like me to get Luke?” Ben replied as he pulled down a bag of the nutrients that Grogu had pointed out to him. 

“Yes. Luke here bring.” Yoda commanded, as Grogu grinned at his tall friend. 

He was glad that Ben was balanced in the Force and did not find Yoda’s words too harsh. He now recalled that the Grand Master of the Jedi was far less patient than his friends and family among the Brethren. 

“Questions have you?” Yoda demanded of Grogu as Ben left the room with the bag of nutrients.

“No. Good. You?” Grogu asked politely. He knew this was a big deal, but somehow, after working with the Brethren and having access to so many, many, holocrons, he wasn’t as overwhelmed as he thought he might be.

“Questions for you have I?” Yoda asked, incredulously.

“Master Yoda! Ben said you were here!” Luke was at the doorway now. 

“Reported accurately did he. Talk we must.” Yoda seemed to turn and face Luke, although Grogu could still ‘see’ him just fine. He wondered if that was the effect of working with the Brethren. He’d have to ask his mom about that.

He used the Force to collect another bag of nutrients and brought them out to the tree, leaving Luke to talk with Yoda. He explained to Ben what needed to be done and let his friend take a larger hand in completing the task. Instead he walked over to his dad and hugged his leg.

“Hey buddy, thanks, but what’s the hug for?” Din asked reaching down and offering to pick Grogu up. Grogu stepped into his arms and allowed himself to be lifted.

“Love you, Dad.” Grogu replied, tapping his head gently against the Mandalorian’s helmet. 

“I love you too, Son. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Keeping you as dad. Don’t need more of them. You are enough.” Grogu replied thinking of all the times he had wondered who his father really was, only to realize, when he saw Master Yoda again, that he’d always known that Din Djarin was the only father he would ever need. 

[adarkrainbow]

While it's obvious you are well-informed on Perrault and provide excellent information regarding his tales and your interests within them, I do think you are perhaps very loud about your dismissal of "folkloric" studies as you call them. The terms "folklore", "folktale" and "fairy tale" as they are used colloquially are very different to their specialised use in the English language, and there's no clear lines between them, even if they can mean very different things. Fairy tales are folktexts because they are a variant on the themes of oral and folklore (between which it is impossible to distinguish, because, by and large, a scholar only studies a tale once it is recorded/adapted to become literary). Perrault's tales are variants just as much as the others. As you say they are not less important, but equally they are not more authoritative. There are no authoritative texts or tellings in folkstudies because it is an artform based on imitation and reconstruction.

Morphological studies are absolutely valuable not just in the study of folktales but also in wider literature. Analysing how different variants approach similar tale types is a very fruitful form of literary analysis and a good way to learn about what the teller/culture wanted to say or themselves believed.

I'm sorry if this is rude; I just felt the need to defend a method of analysis I find incredibly fruitful. Literary texts absolutely should not be dismissed in folklore studies, but they aren't the be all end all either.

If I've misunderstood your point about this, I'd love to be proved wrong as I otherwise really enjoy your content.

I do use the term "folklorist studies" because it is so far the only term I know of to designate this branch of studies (and it is the widely recognized term, at least in France). And your point of view - at least the way you describe it in the ask - is precisely the "folklorist point of view".

And I can say you are on the "folklorist side" because of your way to describe Perrault's tales, for example, in relationship to the other tales. The idea of placing literary folktales and "folkloric" fairytales on the same level, and treating them as two variations of a same "cultural entity", with the same level of importance to both, is a typical "folklorist study" concept (and even then, you are kinder than the folkorist theorizers of the fairytale, who placed the literary versions sometimes as ultimately less important than the folklorist ones). And I agree with the "literary studies" on this point: putting the two in the same basket is wrong.

I do not argue that the two branches of a tale, literary and folktale, should be treated as if one had less importance than the other - this was the "original", pre-Grimm approach to fairytales, the reverse of the "folklorist studies", where only literary fairytales were cared about and folktales were just "silly nonsense of brainless old ladies". This is not what I am saying. You use the word "authority" and it is not something I said in my posts - I do not think that one version of the story has more "authority" over another, and I do agree with you, in the wider scope of things Perrault's tale is not more "authoritative" than any other.

However, putting the two types of tales, the literary work of authors and the folktales collected around, in the same basket, as if the two were mere variations of one another, is where things get a bit wrong (or at least this is what I adhere to in terms of point of view). Literary fairytales are literary fairytales, folkloric fairytales are folkloric fairytales - and while the two answer, respond, influence each other, I do not think (and the "literary studies" in general agree) that they should not be considered as a whole. They can have the same level of attention, care and focus given to each other - but the same way a folkloric tale shouldn't be criticized as if it was a literary work, a literary tale shouldn't be over-simplified as a mere "folktale in words". [This last approach is notably what led a lot of people to read Perrault's tales as first-degree and completely erase the double meanings, jokes, subversions and social commentary in it. This last approach also heavily simplifies other literary works - like Basile's Pentamerone, where people present the stories in a Brothers Grimm-style and remove all that make the style and "soul" of these tales, the crude, rude jokes, the tons of allegories and metaphors to describe everything that blur what is personified and what is just a poetic turn of phrase, the sexual innuendos and farcical tone of some tales).

In fact I would like to substitue to your use of "authority" another word: "influence". I do not mean to throw away folkloric studies as a whole - as I said before, this is through these studies that I came to discover fairytales. It is what I grew up with before studying them at university, and I am a massively interested in the ATU Index. While there is a feud between "folklorist vs literary", it isn't about erasing one to replace the other - it is about finding a balance between the two in a world where only folklorist studies existed and crushed everything. So far I mostly invoke the "literary studies" because I keep speaking of "literary fairytales" (Perrault, d'Aulnoy, Basile) but when I will be talking about French "folkloric tales" (which I have books about and do plan to cover in several... years? Maybe? Months? Who knows, nothing is planned here), the literary talk will mostly be all out of the window - except for one thing... the literary roots of several of these folktales. Or so-called folktales.

Which allows me to land back on the use of "influence". Why influence over authority? Because this is what literary studies have proven/are trying to prove, and it is the needed "shift in paradigm" here. It is the misconception of the "folklorist studies", which is found in MANY books about the subject. And this misconception is that somehow each tale exists in its own little space, each variation born spontaneously of a great "basic original primary story". Folklorist studies ignored massively (at least in France) the possibility that maybe, it wasn't "One big proto-story which spawned numerous miniature versions of itself", maybe it was rather "A chain of stories which followed each other and influenced each other". There is the whole "influence aspect" that was lost to it, and that the literary studies try to bring back to people's attention.

I do not find the exact metaphor to try to explain that, but to be clear: when you let understand that Perrault's texts are folktexts, this is wrong. Perrault's texts do get their inspiration and material from folk-tales, yes. Perrault's tales did became folk-tales through massive spreading among illiterate populations and various regions that added their own local traits to it. Yes. But Perrault's texts are not folk texts, and cannot be placed on the same level as the tales collected by folklorist during journeys through remote countrysides. The same way Disney movies cannot be placed on the same level as these tales.

Your point of "seeing what the teller has to say about their world and society depending on what they choose and what they do not choose from the original material" is very interesting, I admit. But it is irrelevant and incompatible with the works of authos such as Perrault or d'Aulnoy. Because they imply an effort of... let's say "respect" about the original folktales, an effort to actively translate folktales, a... there is it: a "consideration" for the original folkloric inspiration/material. This approach is absolutely perfect for the Brothers Grimm for example! But Perrault and d'Aulnoy weren't trying to collect folktales while giving their own opinion of how they should be told... They created their own stories, taking some inspiration and element from folktales, imitating a folktale-style, reusing a national folkloric "imaginary world" (of fairies and ogres) - but they also were trying to translate earlier literary work, to create their own story, literary in nature and literary in preocupations. I don't know if I am very clear here...

Yes, morphological studies are incredibly fruitful, deeply useful, fascinating and important. This cannot be denied - and this is why they had such an importance for the past centuries! But the problem is that people started to think it is the only way of looking at things, and applied the "folkloric viewpoint" to everything without an actual critical thinking. You only had people who said "Perrault's tales are in the same nature as these countryside-tales" OR "Perrault tales, due to being literary, should be ignored, let's just focus on the countryside tales". Which is why nowadays literary studies come to the stage and point out that... No, the two should be treated, not one ignored in favor of the other - but the two shouldn't be treated the same. And it is not a question of authority or "equality" here ; it is rather a question of "These two cannot be treated the same, because in essence they are not the same, one is a literary tale told by a profesionnal writer in upper-class circles, the other is an oral folktale of humble folks in a village". The two are equally important to understand how fairytales evolve and move through culture - but the two cannot be considered just "two variations of equal nature". It is not because they both are important, interesting and revealing, that they should be considered equal in everything and be studied the same way. If you understand what I mean?

And I do hope you will understand because we reach the same conclusion by the end of your ask: balance. There is a need for balance in folklorist and literary studies, and to study fairytales as a whole, the two are needed. They are not the two sides of the same coin, because they cannot just be flipped - but they are like the two parts of a tap, "hot water" and "cold water". Distinct, and yet both needed. Literary studies of fairytales are needed and to prevail when talking about literary fairytales to truly get what they are about and what they mean ; folklorist studies are to prevail and dominate for "collected fairytales" and for folktales because they are not literary in nature - but precisely folkloric.

I might not have been very clear or explicit on the subject because France has this very clear duality of folkloric and literary fairytales, which is not as obvious in other countries where fairytales are entirely folkloric in nature (the Germans with Grimm for example do not have the problem of literary fairytales, and to my knowledge the Russians do not have it either since their fairytales are also predominently folkloric, collected fairytales). But in countries such as France and Italy, the divide must be done, and the difference must be highlighted and understood.

I might have been quite aggressive towards "folkloric studies" - but it is because, again, I am for now speaking of literary fairytales. Of course I am going to be hostile towards the folkloric readings of them since for a whole century they warped the literary tales, and ending up making a lot of people believe they were things that they were not. Because the methods, tools and studies born out of the "folkloric point of view" were not designed or created for Perrault's work, for Basile's Pentamerone, for literary fairytales, even though they heavily used them! They were created, inspired by and used primarily for folkloric fairytales. They come from the heavy work the Brothers Grimm did analyzing and exploring the folktales they collected. They are born of Propp's Functions, which were explicitely created for the Russian fairytales - aka folkloric in nature like Grimm.

Maybe you will see this "dismissiveness" disappear once I throw myself into German or Russian fairytales, or even French folktales (gosh knows there's a lot of them!), but I am forced to dismiss them for French literary fairytales, because these poor tales were so wrapped in them they are now smothered by them. Again, still today a lot of people treat Perrault as if he was the Grimms and had just written down folktales he heard somewhere without changing them. Hearing about Perrault inventing things on his own, or taking things not from folktales but from other literary works, can be mind-blowing for them.

Anyway I hope this clears out my point of view, and what I am trying to say. I am posting a lot of stuff, and fragmenting my thoughts over numerous posts, so I do agree it might be hard to track it all down (but this is why I am working at making masterposts!)

[finlandculture335]

1 Why Finland?

I chose the culture of Finland, and therefore the overall Scandinavian culture. I come from a Finnish family, but because of bad blood, my family doesn’t speak to my dad’s side, who is “more Finnish” than my mom. There is also a church in Finland, called the Laestadian Lutheran church, that my family left when I was little, and I am curious to know the impact of the Finnish culture in that church. I think that deep diving into this culture will help me understand my family, and by extension, myself. I want to be able to recover some relationships that were lost when I was small, and I think that learning and understanding why my family is the way it is will make it easier to communicate and relate to them. 

I think that learning more about my own supposed culture will help me connect to more people because I will have more of a solid base to relate to them. I will have a base to jump off of, to connect my own culture to the culture of others, and be able to connect on a deeper level. 

A feature of Finnish culture is the home life of the Finns. As of 2023, there are 1.75 children per woman, and small households aren’t wanted (CIA 2024). In Finland, the more children in the household, the better, and that carries into the USA. My dad has 14 siblings, and my mom has 4. The amount of children in the family is super important to the culture. Another feature of Finnish culture is gender equality in the household (AFS). Although women still take the larger share of the domestic chores, the equality between men and women is more equal than in countries like the United States. It’s more common to split the chores based on the amount of work both people have, so if they have an equal workday, they will often come home and clean together. 

I think that working within this culture, it will be difficult to find a medium between the real Finnish culture, and the culture that I know. My Finnish culture is more rooted in the religious aspect of it, but because it’s a US-based church, things will be different from the US culture and Finnish culture. To work around this, I am going to work on comparing and contrasting the two different cultures, to see where the traditions come from, and how they have been changed over the years. I want to be able to find the similarities and differences of the two religions, while not projecting one on the other. To do that, I need to go into it with a neutral mind, and slowly work on the similarities later, after all of the research has been compiled. I need to be able to separate the two cultures and treat them as two separate entities, while also realizing that they are interconnected. 

AFS USA. (2024). Exploring the Culture of Finland. https://www.afsusa.org/countries/finland/. Accessed 18 January 2024. 

The World Factbook. (17 January 2024). Finland. CIA. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/finland/#people-and-society. Accessed 18 January 2024. 

[christinemcateer]

Beauty - A Step Towards Resilience

When times are hard these days we are encouraged to lean into our resilience. Resilience is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as “the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” It is also “the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.” But what helps to create that ability to “spring back”?

An idea made popular these days particularly by researchers like Brené Brown is that vulnerability helps to create resilience. Chosen vulnerability however is very different from enforced vulnerability through systemic injustice, war crimes, poverty and discrimination. How do people survive such horrors or relentless suffering?

The stuff I have endured pales into insignificance compared with the current evils on our planet but nonetheless I have gone through some crap during my lifetime and for what it’s worth I would like to share one way of how I survive and keep going, even in times of isolation. It may or may not resonate. If you don’t find what I have shared helpful, then I encourage you to self-reflect and consider what helps you to find your inner strength within your own vulnerability.

A key starting point for me is being drawn towards signs of beauty and wonder and sharing these. During the pandemic I developed a little ministry of posting nature pictures on social media and these received a surprisingly positive response. My pictures cheered people up and encouraged me to somehow feel connected even in my isolation.

An openness to beauty is a step towards empathy with others and a concern for a world that is bigger than me. It also helps to release me from jealousy, anger and bitterness even if only to begin with, for short amounts of time. Seeing beauty within the world gives me a wide sense of belonging and an awareness and appreciation of simply being alive and present in the universe. I matter and other lives matter too, especially lives that are too often ignored or overlooked. We all have significance, worth, value, an innate dignity and therefore there is a moral imperative to love ourselves and other lives too, including plants, animals and the very fabric of our planet.

What is beauty? Sometimes what is beautiful can be surprising. It might be a wiggly worm or a fluffy dandelion head or the play of intense colours upon the flecked bodies of starlings pecking around a busy marketplace. Like a light dusting of snow, or a surprisingly intense sunset, there is a fleeting moment of wonder, joy, hope and love. Beauty involves the other senses too – hearing a beloved voice, stroking a soft pet or the comforting smell of one’s own pyjamas.

Whatever that beauty is, it is beyond one’s own self-indulgence. It gives of itself and announces its own existence as a unique entity to be treated with respect. It summons us urgently and imperatively and illicits a response. If we are open to the call beauty will not leave us unchanged, even in a fleeting encounter. Beauty also remains in our hearts as a hidden treasure, even when we are separated by vast distances of time and space.

Beauty also persists in calling out for justice, freedom and equality. In a world where those who abuse their power throw out mere breadcrumbs to those they exploit in relationships or at work, beauty retains the living seed for real bread. Beauty laughs at these breadcrumbs in the face of danger and scorn, for She knows Her true worth and has no need of flattery or empty promises.

This is what gets me up every morning as I contemplate the day ahead. I look and listen out for signs of beauty. In Her presence I know that I am also seen and loved and deep in my soul I continue to sing out with joy, “Vive, vive, la résilience!”

[bhagvadgita]

Verses 12.13 & 12.14 - Bhakti Yoga 

अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्र: करुण एव च | निर्ममो निरहङ्कार: समदु:खसुख: क्षमी || 13||

सन्तुष्ट: सततं योगी यतात्मा दृढनिश्चय: |मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्यो मद्भक्त: स मे प्रिय: || 14||

One who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself an owner of things and is free from false ego, who is equal in both happiness and distress, who is tolerant, always satisfied, self-controlled, and engaged in devotional service with determination, his mind and intelligence fixed on Me – such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me.

These verses describe the qualities of a pure devotee of God, who is free from malice, attachment, egoism, and duality. Such a devotee sees all living beings as parts of God and treats them with kindness and compassion. He does not claim ownership of anything and does not identify with the body or the mind. He accepts whatever comes by the Grace of God and does not complain or rejoice in the changing situations of life. He is forgiving, content, and steady in his devotion to God, with his mind and intellect dedicated to Him.

These verses also imply that devotion to God is not a matter of external rituals or formalities, but a matter of the heart and the attitude. A devotee does not need to renounce the world or perform severe austerities to please God. He only needs to cultivate a loving relationship with God and serve Him with sincerity and faith. He does not seek any personal benefit or reward from God, but only His pleasure and love, like Sudama. 

These verses also reveal that God is not partial or indifferent to anyone, but He reciprocates with His devotees according to their level of surrender and devotion. He loves all living beings, but He is especially pleased with those who love Him and follow His instructions. He bestows His grace and protection upon His devotees and guides them to the Ultimate Goal of life, which is to attain His eternal abode.

Similar verses from Vedic texts,  are:

- Isa Upanishad, Verse 6

यस्मिन् सर्वाणि भूतानि आत्मैवाभूद् विजानतः । तत्र को मोहः कः शोक एकत्वमनुपश्यतः ॥

He who sees all beings in the Self, and the Self in all beings, he never suffers; because when he sees all creatures within his true Self, then jealousy, grief and hatred vanish. 

- Katha Upanishad, Verse 6.14

यदा सर्वे प्रमुच्यन्ते कामा येऽस्य हृदि श्रिताः ।अथ मर्त्योऽमृतो भवत्यत्र ब्रह्म समश्नुते ॥

When all the desires that dwell in his heart are gone, THEN the mortal becomes immortal, and attains Brahman even here. 

- Yogavashishta, Chapter 6.2.8

नाहं देहो न देही न जीवो न जगत्पतिः । अहं ब्रह्मास्मि सर्वं ब्रह्मैवाहमद्वयः ॥

I am not the body, nor the embodied, nor the vital force, nor the Lord of the world. I am Brahman alone, all is Brahman, I am non-dual. 

All these verses emphasize the unity of the Self with Brahman, the Supreme Reality, and the need to transcend the illusion of duality and diversity. They also teach that the realization of this Unity leads to liberation from suffering and bondage, and the attainment of immortality and bliss.

However, the Bhagavad Gita verses also stress the importance of devotion to God (Bhakti), who is the personal aspect of Brahman, and the source of all existence. The Bhagavad Gita verses suggest that the highest form of Realization is not merely to identify oneself with Brahman, but to love and serve Brahman as the Supreme Personality, who is the ultimate object of love and the Supreme Goal of life. Brahma (ब्रह्म) is the name given for the Source Energy/Highest God, by Hindus. The Bhagavad Gita verses also indicate that God is not impersonal or indifferent, but He is the most intimate friend and well-wisher of all living beings, and He reciprocates with His devotees according to their level of surrender and devotion.

[cosmicangel888]

TIMELINES FINAL SHIFT~ Breaking Bad #5D

All I know - there has been timelines, lifetimes of abuse, and the same energy, shapeshifter returns to suck the life out of me, their core energy has not evolved - they follow me with 'ownership' and 'dominance' and treats people like a toy to pimp out, makes bids on, and destroy everything that has been made without any input or energy on them - quite the opposite -

The experience for a conduit, a heightened empath is not what any person, until they go through their own 'turning on' of gifts, skills, talents, none will know, none can imagine what trauma and damage is impaled on to the multi-dimensional systems when one chooses to not heal, and act out of revenge, control, dominance and illusions to feed what is absolutely healable -

There has been nothing but damage, stealing, dishonouring, disregarding and utterly crumbling to my soul, spirit, and heart - none know what I have been through at the hands of others - and nothing will make right what occurred -

I will move on and I choose me - stupidity, choosing to not heal, choose to play games with people, their life, their good will and their work, their children, is the most damaging and done with voodoo, black magic, money that is not their own, lies, manipulations and whatever else could be used - it was a life of torment and I survived what most could not -

I will choose me, God, The Heavens of which were the only ones that cared; nothing more to say,

~ See my channel for my story if you so desire

None, none, none can know who I am, where I am, and what I have been through, and none have any clue of who I am, none have any clue what I have been through or can pretend

When you devalue life, You take from Creation

You take the song from Creation in some way,

There is a new way and a new song,

When you play, conjure with entities, demons, the portals through the Devil, through sacrificial work, deeds, rituals, you have no idea how big, how thwarting and how horrible such is when you 'don't know the damage you do to yourself, your future, your timelines,' all around you and that depths within dimensions, within galaxies, roles you will play, choose to play, you have no idea the ramifications of what many that think 'playing with the devil' and sacrifices is fun or cool, you have no idea and will be equalled in the ripping from underneath your feet, and all will be taken to what you thought you would 'gain' ~ ©

Will be the exact equal to be taken so you understand what conjuring and forcing, which is a dark taking, and so be ready, be knowing, be aware anyone telling you about such, guiding any into rituals, and ceremony to conjure for taking, selfish gain, be weary that most of these people know nothing about the ALL ramifications you will have to experience in any dimension, any experience you think you can run from, get, take, be; when you have not earned the darkness wisdoms to heal, to balance, to bring anew; If you think you are ready to work, conjure demons, entities, be ready for the consequence and ramifications of what wisdoms you will have to learn from it -

Can you eat is whole and master in temperance - most cannot for they are not healed - most sit in ego when they choose to work with demons - for they simply want, take, immaturity and arrogance for that is the demon wound they want and need to feed rather than healing it - it is superficial and immature - be very discerning -

I have literally faced every devil and entities that conjured by others to impale hate, less than, ugliness, and poverty and in any moment I would ever be given a moment, a split second what has been done due to the ignorance, immaturity, non-understanding, sick and tormented distortions that were done due to the no sense of design, no sense of self, no honour of self, no self value, no self love ~

None will ever know the depths of hate, heinous torture that some think as a normal way to be, behave - how have we allowed ourselves to think such ......and normalize it, and what energy you are projecting, showing the children that came with utter heavens in their heart -

What earth are you manifesting - the story of love Or the story of wounding - and choosing to not heal

Crime, violence, discrimination, heinous crimes in corruption of our souls - none of which is necessary -

We are divine, and we are sacred. this is truth.

This is my word,

There is a divine being within and knowing all is well always -

 

Will you choose love,

All is returned in love, that is the song-filled story -

What story are you sharing, showing, being, giving, honouring, singing - you can transcend -

The torment and damage of those that simply have no clue of the soul wounding they cause due to unhealed sick wounding they wish to have others take on their ride with them - this is not a 'free will' experience - this is handing your life to Source for the depths, widths, opening to greater will to what is eternal -

Those that choose, in this day and age, time of years, years, of the free unconditional offering; immediate karma and heinous return - and knowing the darkness will not bring you light of glory when you choose with intention to live in such ; if you choose to live in darkness and take, steal, abuse energy, abuse the FREE Will of any life - sacred life - learn what sacred is - feel into what SACRED IS

The equal return, exchange of darkness - you cannot get light by acting, living, intending harm; you have to do the inner work.

The past is closed, done, and never to open again;

I have my rights to be divorced from abuse and controlling, dominance that wants to take, suck the life out of you and all those walking - to continue corruptive crimes, plots, plans, and what we have allowed our communities to be.

This is ascension and none will be released from facing the darkness, shadow, and inner wounds that would ever have anyone do such horrible things to simply think they are something they are not-

Richness of spirit is everything - heal the wounding

I have my rights for all monies I have rightfully earned, that is my work, my content, my ideas, my downloads from Source, none other that have taken, are conduits and none that steal and harm, take, would ever be aligned to know and be able to teach such, mirroring someone is not being the vibration - why only being you is key - but this is the same message - and quite exhausting -

My energy, my life, my voice, my essence is so very sacred;

None, not 1 person has recognized, nor known or understand any of it, and yet the continued experience to keep taking - so there is greatness in front of you ~ but the wounding will continue to want to rape, take, steal - then again the purity of the earth angel constantly being 'raped' in any way; emotionally, financially, mentally, physically and none for a second 'think' about what harm, damage and torment they call.

Those that choose to not go within and heal the lack of self, no sense of self, but just keep taking, draping, draining, sucking the life out of those that are doing the work, innocent hearts and simply living proof and way showers and are the ones that get harmed the most ~©

I hope the 'taking' is worth it

I hope the harming, the damaging is all worth it, heinous acts of wounding that could have, for over 5 years have been offering, was worth it - the hate, damage and corruption of the moment fleeting to selfishly falsely 'have' is and means what you think you are 'getting'

This is the torment of forcing someone to be in an abusive experience when I have said, was shown, told, that I had free will and groups, groups of people doing all they can, spending all the money they had to take siphon, to shadow ban, thieve, rape, getting together in groups and councils, sects that gather and literally work out new plots and plans to take my energy to use as their own to do harm against me - using my own energy and wisdoms to use against me and twist to harm me, have me never receive, never never through their plans, slight of hands, twisted ways to have me 'not receive' ~

There is nothing that any one person can know, understand

I AM THAT I AM

Blessings and light

Joanna

JoannaCosmicAngel@yahoo.com.

DONATIONs; PayPal link here; paypal.me/JoannaLRoss

#selflove #selfhonour #selfrespect #healinghumanity #Source #firstcontact #healingGaia #healingblackmagic #ascensionbooks #healingourchildren

[humansanimalsplants]

Week 2: Biocentrism

Biocentrism is the doctrine that views all life as deserving of equal ethical and moral standing, this is due to the inherent value that all living things possess independently of their function or utility to others. According to this point of view, nature is as deserving to be considered and respected as human beings are. It directly opposes anthropocentric views which view humans as separate and superior beings. 

Unfortunately, biocentrism is not the view that most people have held up in recent times. According to Cronon, the attribute of nature that makes it “natural” and “wild” is just a romantic illusion constructed by humans. What we still believe to be an unscathed and untouched environment is fantasy that we have created by ourselves to believe that there is still a part of the planet out there where the problems of modern society have not been able to infiltrate yet. We do not attribute value to nature because of its intrinsic properties, but rather on the account of the services that nature provides to us. This is because while we do seek nature as a refuge from our daily lives, we also see it as something far away from us, alienated. Something that does not concern ourselves and it’s why it is so easy to make it our place of escape. According to Cronon, both the natural and social worlds we live in should feel like home, we should find a way for these two realms to coexist within ourselves since they are actually intertwined and are already both part of our reality.

While Cronon offers a more theoretical framework of what our attitude towards nature should be or aspire to be, Paul Taylor starts from a philosophical level and descends into a more empirical perspective. According to Taylor the only ethical system that can be deemed complete is one that encompasses “respect for nature.” He argues that living things “are now viewed as the appropriate objects of the attitude of respect and are accordingly regarded as entities possessing inherent worth.” As composed of living things, nature therefore is invested of this value and is deserving of the protection and promotion of their good that comes with it. Taylor bases his point in Kant’s logic but adopts a little twist to it. According to Kant, people need to be treated as ends and not means, this means that they can’t just be used for personal benefit but are worthy of moral respect as rational beings that are recognized as such. In Kant’s view, rationality and morality stand on the same plane and can be considered synonyms, and this is the part that Taylor interpreted differently. Taylor takes the rationality of the equation and advocates for an “adoption of perspective,” he argues that Kant’s notion should be expanded to all living things, and that we can do so by trying to understand what’s good for other species’ survival and flourishing. After all, they also strive for something. This should be the ultimate purpose of humans when trying to develop a new ethical system and set of moral rules that will embrace all the inhabitants of this Earth. 

Personally, I believe that I am also at fault for furthering this notion of humans being at the top of the pyramid with all other living beings located at the bottom. Even if not actively trying to harm other beings, I have never reflected much on what inherent worth other beings such as animals and plants should be deserving of since I have mostly been thinking of the natural world as a set of commodities, which is a fallacy in itself considering how much we rely from resources produced by nature for our survival. To better understand where biocentrism is coming from I bought a plant that I could keep in my room every day, and I tended for it for a couple of weeks before realizing that I grew attached to it, I wanted this plant to grow and thrive every day, and not because it was useful to me in any practical way but because I cared for it and I thought it as having a conscience of its own. Feeling aside, how is my plant different from any other plant growing on our planet? Simple, it is not. So if my plant is deserving of my respect, then perhaps it’s time to grant it to other forms of life too. 

[gremlins-hotel]

Hey there Tokki! Long time, no see. I would like to start by saying that dude, if you have an issue with me or my posts, please come to me about it personally. Posting vaguely like this is one of the issues of fandom and it’s really disheartening to see this behavior still permeate the space.

I would like to clarify a few things about my joke post.

I am fully aware of the breadth and scope of the atrocities that not only US and Soviet imperialism caused, but the issues that they have left behind today which still affect thousands to millions. We are seeing conflicts today whose causes were in no small part from incidents tracing back to this era, and further. It is in a similar vein to the underlying colonial repercussions we deal with today when studying history, archaeology, gender, and so much more. The Cold War is part of what I study, and not even as part of my degree, but as an era of history that interests me personally. Even if I am only approaching it from the militaristic view—given the interests many of you in this fandom know that I have—it still gives one incredible insight as to the mechanics of nations as functioning entities, and how entities in positions of power can treat others like pieces on a bloody parquet chessboard.

And I am sorry for coming off as if I were invalidating your space or the experiences of your family and the millions of others affected by Imperialists 1 & 2 during this period. I know I am not in a place, especially physically, to fully understand the very real threat that these powers pose to others, especially currently, because I live in one of them as a product of its culture. But attack was never my intention.

You cite the 1.5 million Kazakhs starved to death by Soviet actions. One of my close friends is descendant of this genocide and was the one who encouraged me to write and send the post. I hesitated to post it and they wished me to anyways. I am not saying this to invalidate your experience or anyone else’s, because every experience is human and unique and not everyone’s story is known to one another. But also consider that others use methods like this to cope with the generational or current trauma they face. I understand this is not an excuse, but please know that their method through which to process is just as viable as yours.

The joke was not ill-intentioned, nor was it meant to downplay historical events. But even historians will find analogies through which to describe history to a viewer or listener who might not understand. It’s not a fully accurate statement, but my professor referring to the American Revolution as “Britain and America’s divorce settlement” as a throwaway line in the middle of an extraneous discussion still paints all the picture one needs to understand where he was heading next. I have had another professor refer specifically to the Cold War as “a political game of footsie”. It’s menial and even downright childish, but it is still a useful analogy.

Yes, I do wish more people were aware of the serious issues caused and propagated during the Cold War, especially among RusAme fans and fans of ships including either of these characters during this period, for their relationships with other nations were by no means equal. I also wish they were taken more seriously. And I’m going to put my foot in my mouth and throw that out the window by saying “it’s still the country yaoi fandom”. However, we could all serve to be more sensitive.

I've been thinking about how someone recently called the cold war "a war of edging" and its like. why is this still a sentiment across rusame spaces on tumblr. frankly I don't care if it was a joke because it's ill-intentioned at best and blatantly disrespectful at worst.

(here's the part where I emphasize that I'm not telling you not to ship rusame. i'm saying that BEFORE you make statements like this and gloss over the warcrimes of the us and russia at the time, think about the people who suffered at their hands at the very least, and write about them responsibly.)

families weren't forced apart and jejuans weren't massacred in korea for you to call it "a war of edging."

uzbek muslims weren't tortured and arbitrarily arrested for you to call it "a war of edging."

people in vietnam weren't killed by napalm and massacred regularly by us soldiers for you to call it that. about 1.5 million kazakhs didn't starve to death for you to gloss over the crimes committed by russia either.

kindly shut up. i'm exhausted from having to regularly tell this fandom, especially the rusame shippers, that the cold war was in fact a real thing that happened between Imperialist 1 and Imperialist 2 and destroyed culture, families, and whole people from the global south and not something that solely exists in your spicy fanfics.

because you're so disconnected from the global south that you simply factor them out of your head in conversations about the cold war.

[kestrel-of-herran]

twenty five twenty one: all my thoughts on episode nine

joke’s on me because i have no thoughts just one aching feral scream blowing through me like a gust of warm wind

i really don’t know how to begin to be coherent about all this oh god

okay. i think i’m sort of fine. scratch that i’ll never be alright again because no one will ever love me this much but who cares because this is about THEM. today’s commentary will be sorted by relationships: first yu rim and hee do so i can calm down some more, then yi jin and hee do so i can have another breakdown as a treat. ready?

               ~ “i’m not disappointed that it’s you” ~

the first thing that comes to mind is how happy i am at the turn of events in this entire episode. wait, happy isn’t the right word. to paraphrase yi jin, happy doesn’t begin to cover it. i feel like i’m just a bundle of exposed nerves waiting to be electrocuted any moment. i feel like a lightning rod in a summer thunderstorm.

i need to begin this section by praising yi jin (as one always should at any given situation in life) for telling hee do that he wasn’t injeolmi the instant she told him she thought it was him. this plotline could have easily spiraled into a web of deception that could have filled an entire episode, in which yi jin could have danced in circles trying to impersonate injeolmi, with hee do ultimately getting seriously hurt. instead, this man, THIS MAN goes out and tells her IMMEDIATELY that she has the wrong impression, and the only thing that stopped him from revealing that it was yu rim was the culprit herself. someone give this man a gold medal in treating hee do because he earns it every minute of every episode.

facing the mirror

a literary device at least as old as the gothic genre, the double is your equal in every parameter: appearance, attitude, history, aspirations, even name. in classic literature, a meeting with the double is a life threatening event, because the trick that your double does best is theft: the theft of your life, your love, your future. doubles are disturbing, because they permit us the uncanny and deeply vulnerable experience of observing ourselves from outside, of encountering the best and worst in ourselves in the form of a physical entity that might destroy us with the weapons we most love.

the foil, on the other hand, is the opposite of the double: this is a character whose every aspect contrasts with who we are. the foil is an annoyance, an obstacle, a rival to compare ourselves against and determine our worth.

and love? love occurs between people who are each others’ doubles in some aspects and each others’ foils in others; people who understand each other because they have “the same destination”, and who are opposites in enough aspects to emotionally enrich the other. loving the double means loving ourselves; loving the foil means accepting and appreciating the parts we lack.

love requires equality; hate requires rivalry. true rivals are always equal.

reaching through the mirror

from the very start of the series, hee do and yu rim have been clearly positioned as narrative doubles as well as foils. the direction shows it most eloquently during fencing scenes and the scene where they both run to grab the new copy of full house, by switching between shots of either girl to indicate that they are each other’s warped reflections. they have the same childhood dream; they have the same relentless work ethic; they have the same great love, the love of fencing. but hee do is rich where yu rim is poor; brash where yu rim is elegant; burning where yu rim can be ice cold.

and hee do’s fire, her staggering capacity for compassion and her genuine ability to feel for others as intensely as for herself, would have burned away the spell of coldness sooner if yu rim had permitted her to. but in order to reach the double, the foil, and love, you have to break through the mirror of perception dividing you both; you have to see beyond your own idea of someone to the real person waiting behind the glass, the fencing mask, the computer screen.

and it’s only when yu rim does this, only when she’s able to truly see hee do is she able to take the hand that has been waiting, outstretched, to be clasped. only when the glass cuts both your palms can your blood run the same shade of red.

we have waited a long time for yu rim to open her eyes. we have thought to ourselves, maybe when hee do bests her during training she’ll see her as a rival. maybe when hee do wins the gold medal she’ll see her as an equal.

but for better or worse, it’s not until yu rim sees hee do’s heart in their shared messages, when she sees her without the fencing armour, that she realizes what she has done to her best friend. and oh, how she repents then. she repents in the way we have needed her to repent for so long, mending our broken hearts along with hee do’s.

the new pact between them, the pact of soulmates, is sealed in the most appropriate fashion: in a bout where honour is defended and where, for the first time, they are fighting side by side.

              ~ “there’s no word for our relationship” ~

literally breaking down before i even start this section way to go baekdo couple

“i have to have you”

i love na hee do. have i mentioned today how much i love na hee do??? i love everything about the way she is written, the way she is acted, and the way she is rendered completely, viscerally real by this gift of a drama.

this series shows hee do’s path through the most turbulent time of her life: the time where she fights for her dreams and understands what it means to love and be loved. it’s only real for both of these journeys to be difficult, to be rent by false starts and bruising falls; it’s only hee do who would turn them into blocks to build her future from.

only this time, the future isn’t hers to build alone.

this time, there is someone else by her side, someone with the power to build their tower into a castle or knock it all down. that is, if she doesn’t knock it all down herself first.

a relationship is such a tender thing to build. in this episode, we find hee do and yi jin stumbling upon it for the first time, this miracle that they seem to have constructed in their sleep, while their hearts were dreaming together. we see them wake up in a cold sweat, understanding for the first time that they have built their homes in each other. and we see them take a deep breath, meet each others’ eyes, and see the same dream reflected in the other.

building a dream starts with i want. building a dream together starts with sharing that desire through all languages invented by humanity: the language of words, the language of touch, the language of shared silence.

and in this episode, hee do and yi jin earn a gold medal in couple communication. hee do braves through the ordeal of confessing in the middle of awkwardness and uncertainty; yi jin sends a signal through the vacuum of distance and hurt. and it’s this, this willingness to open themselves to the sword path of the other, this bravery to surrender to the words of the other, that shows us they are built to last.

“are you still jealous of me?”

but a healthy love is impossible without equality, and this episode does a stunning job at humanizing the “grown-up” yi jin for hee do.

relying on the one aspect of yi jin’s life that seemed as unreachable as outer space to hee do - his journalistic career - the script draws the curtain on yi jin’s perfect “adult” composure on TV, and invites hee do backstage. and it’s here, in the intimately muted glow of the lights, in the stage fright before the performance of adulthood, where hee do sees yi jin as she’s always seen him: as someone close enough to hold.

“someone might get hurt”

and this is where i started to get really, really nervous. this is where i had to pause the video with a helpless, terrified curse before gathering what little peace of mind i had remaining and see the episode through to the end. 

because everything was going just too fucking well for comfort. because there were twenty minutes remaining, and hee do and yu rim were making heart eyes at each other while hee do and yi jin were back to their beautiful, complex love just short of the word for it.

when that documentary plotline rolled in i wanted to break someone’s nose. preferably that broadcasting senior know-it-all.

but the episode managed to do what this show seems to specialize in: surprise me in the most delightful way. instead of reprising the past by creating a journalism-based scandal between hee do and yi jin (as it has reminded us many times that it can), the drama uses its realistic criticism of the media to show us how enduring their relationship is.

there is no tension between hee do and yi jin because of this plotline; there is only the shared closeness that calls for whispers in a crowded room, only the proud affection that fuels you with bravery in front of your fear.

throughout this part, hee do and yi jin guard each others’ dreams as jealously as their own: she’s scared to speak out against his senior when he treats her and yu rim like circus ponies, while yi jin doesn’t hesitate to challenge his bosses again and again when they’re willing to throw hee do’s health under the bus for their own benefit. the question of whether hee do can trust yi jin to put her well-being before his career hangs over the entire segment, and is answered loudly when he confronts his senior about her hurt ankle and picks her up in front of everyone he’s supposed to pretend he doesn’t care for her for.

“i don’t need a rainbow”

to paraphrase portrait of a lady on fire, all lovers invent love. the beauty of this drama is that it allows us to witness this invention, from its first unconscious understanding as friendship to its pivotal redefinition in this episode.

words have value because we give them value. “love” stands for the feeling of love because we encode our emotion in the word, and because we trust the person we communicate with to decode both the word and the feeling.

but what happens when the feelings we have are beyond the words we know?

how can we begin to define the relationship we have with someone?

how can we encompass all our shared memories, our shared comedies and tragedies, into a universal phrase used to describe so many other relationships that are completely different from the one we have?

by inventing a word for their relationship, yi jin and hee do take full control of its definition. the word “rainbow” belongs to them: it becomes a symbol of all they are to each other, a code that acquires meaning only when spoken between them.

and it’s only when we are at a loss for words that we are encouraged to find them. it’s only when the word “rainbow” isn’t enough that yi jin finds the word love.

and in this moment, we don’t need a kiss. we don’t need a sign to help us translate meaning. we can see love written in the air between them, as clearly as words on a blank page.