#also living near enough to a health center is a blessing and if you do i am begging you to make use of it i've worked in public hospitals in

[queenrinacat]

I work in emergency medicine, and I can tell you that a sense of doom is something we take extremely seriously. A sudden, overwhelming feeling of doom is a symptom of an imminent heart attack. When I worked 911 on an ambulance and a patient reported feeling like the world was about to end, or like they were going to die, even without any other symptoms? We rushed them to the hospital as fast as we possibly could.

I'm saying this from a place of genuine care: if you are seeing ghosts or shadows or having nightmares... and sageing, eggshells, Crystal's, and psychics arent cutting it..

Please.. please... check for things like gas leaks, water damage, vermin. I'm not saying your house isnt haunted, I'm just saying that carbon monoxide poisoning looks a LOT like being haunted.

[hollypies]

So I made some gifts for my friends!! Itd them but in my Legend of Zelda Dream thing. Just a littke separate universe I made for fun :)

Anuwa i turned them into a bunch of characters in that Hyrule anf im gonna share some info and stuff!!!

And hi besties!! Ily!! Mwah mwah!!!

This is @autismcupcake !! They're a Sheikah scientist that live in in q small remote town called Rosalin Village , known for its amazing and rare flowers and trees. Back to Fanta!! They mostly work with chemistry, but they also will improve weapons and such for Link ! They're the first other hylian Link ever meets right after he sets off for Castle Town. After noticing that Link has the Master Sword, Fanta gets excited and realizes that they can technically test the Chosen Hero's skills, and possibly figure out how the Master Sword works. Link and Fanta are in contact a lot through the story, qnd Fanta has a very important role! Such as upgrading weapons, creating a device that allows Link to teleport to certain points, and pointing him in the directions of the objects he needs!

This is @neohart !! Neo is q mysterious spirit that resides in Farore Canyon, haunting the temple that lays there. Not much is known about them, but there are rumors. Link first hears about Neo through rumors from the town above the canyon, whose residents say they've heard ghostly whispers in the area. Link can talk to a mysterious adventurer, who states that she's seen a ghostly figure, but that they only show up near an old temple that no one goes to anymore. Link then travels to the temple, and to figure out the puzzles within he'd have to stop and listen to ghostly whispering, which gives hints as to what he needs to do! After making it to the center of the temple, Link then meets Neo, who then proceeds to fight him!! After being defeated, Neo allows Link to grab Farore's Goddess Crystal, saying that Link has now proven his status as the Chosen Hero. After that Neo dissappears, but if Link returns to the town, the mysterious adventurer would tell him that there used to be a hero who lived in the town a few hundred years ago, and that they were chosen by Hylia to guard the temple, but one day they just. Vanished.

Strange

@theycallme-ook-v2 is a Great Fairy!!! They live in the Elden region of Hyrule, and can be seen flying around during dawn and dusk. Any other time they stay inside Elden Volcano, hidden inside where there's a hotspring. Link can only see them after obtaining some earings that allow him to travel through the intense heat. Once he meets Ycallme, they ask him to travel to the center of the Volcano to retrieve a special gemstone that grants power. Once Link returns with it, Ycallme gives Link a special bracelet called the Fairy's Protection, which boosts Link's armor to the max. Ycallme then gives Link q blessing that summons a fairy to Link if he's on deaths door, but it only works once every 30 minute! Ycallme then clears a path to Din's Goddess Crystal. Zelda also meets Ycallme at some point and gets a small crush on them before she meets Arai!

This is @ham-sandwich-lol (Emma)!! Emma is a potion seller that lives in Castle Town, and grows her own ingredients and can enhance any potion Link or Zelda bring to her!! Emma is also skilled with magic, able to summon fire with the snap of her fingers. She's also good friends with Zelda because they grew up near each other! Link meets Emma when he reaches Castle Town, and she draws him into her store, and explaining the situation in Hyrule Castle . After that she tells him that if he can bring them the proper ingredients, they'll be able to wake Zelda from her cursed sleep!! Emma also gives Link q potion bottle made of q special glass that can enhance any simple potion (health, stamina, speed,) and a satchel to carry the ingredients.

This is @manlet-max ! He's a minor Deity in Hyrule, who looks over the Zora in the Lanayru region. The Zora live in an underwater city at the edge of Hyrule. Right in the middle of their city there's q mountain that reaches all the way up to the surface. Anletma lives at that top, and sends water cascading down the side of the mountain. Link travels there by boat and has to climb the mountain to reach Anletma's temple, and ask for Nayru's Goddess Crystal. After reaching him, Anletma asks Link a few questions, and gives him puzzles to complete. After completing each challenge, Link gets a special necklace made by Anletma, and now he's able to travel to the Zora's underwater city !! Zelda also has met Anletma and they get along well enough.

And this is @queensqueercourt !!! Queenie is a Sheikah agent that watches Link's journey after he takes the sword. Queenie has safe passage inside the Lost woods, as they wear a token of Hylia's, and was chosen to help Link and Zelda. Queenie actually meets Link before he gets the Master Sword, when he's captured by monsters that took up root outside of Rito Town. After saving Link they guide him to the Lost Woods, and watch as he claims the Master Sword. Afterwards Queenie watches from a distance, popping in every now and then during the story!! Queenie travels with a fairy named Neeniah, who was assigned to aid them should they ever get to injured. Neeniah and Queenie are great friends, qnd they never leave each other's side!!

I hope you all really like these little. Story things and thay I put u in my Hyrule story haha..

:)

[genshin-scenarios]

By The Lantern's Light... (Xiao/OC)

A/N: Tysm to @windblumeodes for commissioning me 🥺🥺

this is an excerpt of the fic I wrote, centered around Xiao and her OC, Bedelia!

Wordcount: 1.7k

My commissions are still open! DM if interested + more info here!

Having moved to Liyue, Bedelia was reminded daily of just why she was so taken by the nation. Qingce Village was especially picturesque with a kind community, and when her vision sang for another adventure or story to pen down, she’d venture to other parts of the land to satiate that desire.

She felt spoiled to be able to wander through breathtaking plains and mountains as she wished, though perhaps this was a blessing from her homeland’s archon, who she'd like to imagine smiled upon the pursuit of such luxury. 

Lantern Rite festivities were well underway; children played around the marketplace whilst foodies perused the stalls, new and old friends alike gathered to release lanterns and enjoy feasts. 

The biggest finale, however, was scheduled for later tonight. Her neighbours insisted she venture here to witness it in all its glory, and so she did, booking a few nights at Wangshu Inn. It wasn't as lively there as in the main city, though it seemed that it was more than enough to deter a certain yaksha...

Bedelia had long left the bustling crowds in the city to search for a spot to watch the fireworks. It was earlier than needed, but she also wanted to walk off the food in her stomach and savor the quiet nature outside.

The grass underneath her feet crinkled softly as she made her way up. Bedelia was far enough from the city that it was quiet, save for the chirp of animals and random bursts of smaller fireworks. A nostalgic feeling hugged her shoulders like the ghost of a friend. Back in Mondstadt, she would wander out at night to watch the stars, a cloak and notebook in hand that made her feel the littlest bit like she was on an adventure.

She couldn’t help but smile to herself. Her life might not be the most eventful, but it was certainly far from a boring one; she’d make sure of that.

Bedelia encountered a few people in passing, finding stray lanterns that landed in the oddest places after someone or another released them. It occurred to her that social workers would have to clean them up eventually, earning a pang of pity in her chest. She looked up to notice one caught in the branches of a tree. 

Considering that it wouldn't be any good for animals, she made to retrieve it from its precarious position. These must be bothersome too… 

For reasons unknown, this made her think of Xiao. Perhaps he'd say this was why he didn't bother with human ways, calling them unfathomable and fickle. She could almost hear him saying it, arms crossed and all. The smile that crept onto Bedelia's lips turned a little regretful; it was too bad she never got to see him in the weeks leading up to today. The nation was celebrating a well-loved tradition after all, it would’ve been fun to talk to him about it.

Xiao must be busy… 

Lost in her thoughts, Bedelia wandered around the bend of the mountain rather than continue to climb it. She'd eyed a taller point earlier as a potential viewing spot, however, a small break was in order. She grew used to the weight of the lantern in her arms and was now looking for a convenient place to leave it. 

She noticed a chamber on the side of the mountain - a cave. It wasn't too large of a space, but it was enough to sport the traces of a campfire and adventurer supplies. 

Bedelia almost dropped the lantern when something moved. Beneath the darkness was the gleam of golden eyes, she summoned her weapon instinctively, lowered into a cautious position when she realised…

Xiao?

"Wait- What the hell are you doing here?!" She sputtered. For what reason could Xiao have to rest in such a dark place in the middle of nowhere? "Even the fire isn't lit! I thought you were a panther or something!"

"There aren't any panthers in the area." Xiao paused. His polearm laid beside him where he sat. "You surprised me too, I didn't expect to see you here."

"You don't sound very surprised." Bedelia held her head in exasperation. Slowly, she picked her way into the cave and lit the leftover wood with her vision, sitting down near it.

Xiao swirled the fire with anemo, helping it burn. "I could hear your footsteps, it sounded human enough."

She didn't want to imagine what could've happened if he mistook her for a hilichurl. With the campfire burning, the cave danced in its light. Bedelia turned to reply only to freeze at the sight of Xiao; his skin was littered with remnants of battle, fresh and untreated.

"Did you just fight something?" Her eyes scanned for any serious wounds. "Do you need healing?"

"It's nothing." At Bedelia's unconvinced look, he lifted his arm to demonstrate that there was no difficulty. "Just the usual."

What's the extent of your usual? Her mouth pressed into a line. Xiao hadn't been around Wangshu Inn in weeks, meaning that he was busy warding off evil spirits. Did enough people notice the sacrifices he made for Liyue in the shadows?

"Were you going to release a lantern?"

Bedelia blinked, then followed his gaze to the item in question. She waved her hand as she answered. "Oh, this isn't mine. I found it while I was walking around, thought I’d pick it up since it landed awkwardly in a tree.”

Xiao sighed. “Those lanterns aren’t truly needed for an adeptus to hear your calls.” He took the curious look in Bedelia’s eyes as a sign to continue. “So long as you speak our names in prayer, or with enough will… It is possible it’ll stand out among the rest.”

“Does that mean you can normally sense it?” Her body leaned forward in interest. She’d heard of gods and beings that had this ability but never looked into it.

He pondered, making Bedelia wonder if he was listening to someone’s words as he glanced away. “I can’t speak for the others, but I can at least sense the strength of people’s prayers. Wishes for good health, hopes for a brighter future…” Xiao’s eyelashes fluttered close. “Sometimes they can be desperate, but it’s like a pool.”

“I see...” The words swam away in a whisper. “Have you ever heard my voice in that pool?” As quickly as she said it, Bedelia thought of another question. “Have any adepti contributed to it before?”

At that, he opened his eyes. Xiao was never easy to read, but it was even harder now when she’d said a bit too much; always stepped on the line, never more. Bedelia felt an odd twist in her chest at the idea that if she did cross over, Xiao might never be willing to see her again. So she backtracked, and straightened, with an uncharacteristic hurry in her voice. “Ah... I’m sorry, I didn’t mean... Please pretend I never said that.” Her hair curtained her from having to see his reaction as she lowered it in apology. “I forget, it’s hard to call us friends, right? Or maybe we are friends-- But it’s still not something I should’ve said.”

Bedelia stopped herself before she could ramble more, the words pouring out like a dam broke open. She scolded herself in her mind; what was she doing?

The sound of fireworks outside drew their attention, louder than before. Bedelia almost forgot her reason for coming here after having been distracted by Xiao.

It's a buildup to the Mingxiao Lantern's release, she thought. If she wanted to watch the show, she should get to a higher place quickly.

As if reading her mind, Xiao gestured for them to leave and guided her around the mountainside. They exchanged no more than a few words as he escorted her up, taking shortcuts and supporting her climb at trickier parts until they reached their destination - a peaceful spot graced with a singular qingxin bloom, and a clear view of Liyue Harbour from afar. 

Bedelia did her best to calm her racing heartbeat and focus on the lanterns that dotted the city like fireflies. Like they had numerous times in the past, the pair sat and watched the scenery together in each other's company. Except this time, it was a view neither of them were too accustomed to.

Finally, Xiao broke the silence. "It's not unheard of for an adeptus to call the name of another." It struck Bedelia that his quietness was because he was considering what she'd asked. "But in my field, there's no one to call to other than myself."

Bedelia's throat dried at its transparency; he was the last yaksha. "I can't imagine how endless the pool must feel when you're the only one braving it…" Her eyes were downcast. How lonely… But I can’t offend him more by saying that.

Xiao picked the qingxin, studying the flower in his hand. "I'm used to it. It’s simply my job, there's nothing for you to be sorry about." He raised his gaze to catch hers; timeless and solitary, like an adeptus' should be, but clear. "It's not like you're the cause of demons."

He offered the qingxin to Bedelia, who accepted it with a smile curved with slight disbelief. "It's true what they say about the adepti’s benevolence." Should she be surprised at all? Xiao had always been… "Or perhaps it's just you that is too good for the world."

Xiao held her gaze, so earnest in her view that he could not bring himself to deflect it. Instead; "If you'd released a lantern, what would you have wished for?"

The launch of the Mingxiao Lantern interrupted them, booming and flaring to life like a thousand stars, though Xiao did not look away from Bedelia's lips as she answered, or the micro-expressions that flitted across her face.

He stored those words into the depths of his mind as he turned his attention to the Lantern Rite's finale. As he watched the likeness of an old friend gallop into the night, he wondered if his dreams would ever see the same path into the sky.

At the very least, Xiao was certain that Bedelia's would. For he knew she could shake the stars with her impossibly determined flames, and he'd make sure nothing could ever dare to extinguish it.

[xtruss]

Illustration By Alex Fine For Newsweek, Photo By Corbis/Getty

U.S. Russophobia

Will Putin's Hackers Launch a Cyber Pearl Harbor—and a Shooting War?

Experts and former intelligence and cyber-security officials tell Newsweek that hackers linked to Russia have launched cyber attacks on the U.S. that have come frighteningly close to the red line: a digital incursion that would prompt a deadly real-life response.

As cyber criminals linked to Russia increase their attacks on U.S. targets, there’s a rising risk the next big strike could trigger a war—and not the virtual kind, but one involving troops, tanks, missiles and, in the worst-case scenario, even nuclear weapons.

— By Tom O'Connor, Naveed Jamali and Fred Guterl | June 16, 2021 | Newsweek

Joe Biden took office in January in the wake of the SolarWinds attack, an unprecedented and potentially disastrous penetration of U.S. government computer systems by hackers believed to be directed by the Russian intelligence service, the SVR. The new American president promised to shore up the nation's cyber defenses against foreign foes. As if on cue, hackers struck with two major ransomware attacks, closing the Colonial Pipeline, which provides about 100 million gallons of gas a day to the southeastern U.S., and halting production at all U.S. facilities of the world's biggest beef producer, Brazil-based JBS. The events underscored the immense vulnerability of a trillion-dollar, internet-based economy for which security is an afterthought.

Most Americans seem to assume that a cyber attack, even by an avowed adversary like Russia or Iran, would be answered in kind—that the U.S. would cause an annoying power outage or a brief internet failure. But experts and former intelligence and cyber-security officials tell Newsweek that hackers linked to Russia have launched cyber attacks on the U.S. that have come frighteningly close to the red line: a digital incursion that would prompt a deadly real-life response.

As the U.S. continues to prove vulnerable to ransomware attacks from shadowy groups believed to be operating out of Russia or other former Soviet bloc countries, those with experience in advising the White House on challenges from the region urge Biden to take the opportunity to send a message.

"What I want is for Biden to very clearly explain what the risk is to Vladimir Putin, that we are not going to back down if we are attacked by Russia," says Evelyn Farkas, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, "and that we're going to be the ones that decide what a 'cyber Pearl Harbor' is, which means Russia doesn't control the escalation dynamic."

Game on: Russia's President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden meeting for the first time as presidents on June 16 in Geneva, Switzerland, where the recent escalation in cyber attacks was high on the agenda. — Sergei Bobylev/TASS/Getty Images

At least Japanese leaders knew that bombing Pearl Harbor would inevitably provoke a military response. It's not clear that Russia or the cyber-militants operating within its borders have that awareness now. A shooting war between Russia and the U.S., avoided for more than a half-century, would leave only losers. But cyber warfare is so new that there's no agreed upon, widely understood Rubicon, as was established during the Cold War with the use of traditional weapons of mass destruction. (Think: Cuban Missile Crisis. After that near-catastrophe, the two sides have played it safe.)

The lack of clarity—of a shared algorithm for escalation—is tinder that could easily turn into a deadly fire. In short, there's a growing danger of a response far more devastating than the temporary internet outage or compromised credit score or muddled train schedule that Americans might think would be the worst-case scenario.

Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't directly run the hackers who've recently infiltrated high-level government networks and paralyzed critical infrastructure. U.S. intelligence believes the digital operatives behind those attacks work with the Russian president's blessing but stay at arm's length—the better to give Moscow plausible deniability. It's part of a familiar pattern: Russian-affiliated groups have long harassed U.S. companies and government agencies and even had a hand in swinging the 2016 election to Donald Trump. The Biden administration has not directly accused the Kremlin of sponsoring these attacks but blames the Russians allowing such activity to continue.

The recent attacks seem to mark an intensification. They tend to be more focused on physical infrastructure like food, oil and gas pipelines, and hospitals, upon which Americans rely every day for their health and economic well-being. The trend has national security analysts worried. It's one thing to make Americans wait in line at the pump or to hit hospitals with ransom bills that drive up the cost of health care. It's something else entirely to cause real economic harm and even loss of life. And yet, hackers seem to be flirting with crossing what national security experts say is a "red line."

The disruption in fuel supply due to the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline last month left drivers across the southeastern U.S. struggling to find gasoline and diesel. — MarK Kauzlarich/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The red line was high on the agenda in the June 16 talks between Biden and Putin. Biden handed the Russian president a list of no-go targets upon which a cyber attack presumably might be considered an act of war that demands retaliation. Although it's not clear where that red line is—the White House has not released the list—it's not hard to imagine how easy it would be for hackers acting with some degree of autonomy from Moscow, and not directly answerable to the consequences of their actions, to cross it. To take one example, it's become a truism in cyber-security circles that hackers working with the backing of the likes of Russia and China may have the ability to cause a shutdown of a large swath of the U.S. electrical grid, which could kill millions.

In other words, the next big cyber attack could trigger a war with Russia, and not the virtual kind, but one involving troops, tanks, missiles, aircraft carriers and possibly nuclear weapons. "If a nation-state adversary were to set foot on our homeland and physically destroy our infrastructure, we would view this as an act of war," Brian Harrell, former Assistant Director for Infrastructure Security at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), told Newsweek.

Russian-affiliated hackers have not crossed the red line yet, of course. But they've come close enough to keep national security experts wondering where the escalating trail of destruction might be heading, and how much control the Kremlin truly has over the hackers that do its bidding.

Drawing the Line

Although the situation may seem relatively calm on the surface, hackers are testing the limits nearly every day. In February, a still-undisclosed group of hackers managed to take control of a water treatment center in Oldsmar, Florida. It increased levels of sodium hydroxide, a highly caustic chemical also known as lye, from a safe 100 parts per million to a dangerous 11,100 ppm. Operators noticed the change and acted quickly to lower the levels before any damage was done.

"The cyber red line—I think everybody is fairly clear on this—is loss of life," William Hurd, a former CIA clandestine officer who served in Congress as a Texas representative from 2015 to this January, told Newsweek. He said the incident in Florida could have elicited a "kinetic response"—in other words, military action—had U.S. lives been lost.

Conflicts are playing out with increasing velocity and viciousness inside some of the country's energy, water, banking and other essential infrastructure. The vast majority of such incidents are never publicized, cyber experts say. Private companies, which are notoriously reluctant to fess up to having been hacked, own and operate more than 85 percent of critical infrastructure, according to Harrell.

"Our critical infrastructure sectors are the modern day battlefield and cyberspace is the great equalizer," he says. "Hacker groups can essentially attack with little individual attribution and virtually no consequence. I anticipate more attacks focused on energy, water, and financial services happening in the future."

In 2018, the Trump administration created CISA within the Department of Homeland Security. But even the cyber cops are hampered by a lack of information. Private operators are reluctant to report transgressions and often quietly pay ransom to get their systems back online with as little fuss—and publicity—as possible.

It's not entirely clear what an appropriate response to a cyber attack that crosses the red line would be. "It's ones and zeros and malware versus one-megaton warheads on Titans and on B-1's. How do you make that comparison so you can decide on proportional responses?" says Doug Wise, who served in the CIA as a member of the Senior Intelligence Service and was deputy director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. "That's the beauty of these cyber attacks, because we struggle at trying to compare the attack mechanism to the kinetic attack mechanism, particularly, strategic to strategic."

And then there's the question of whom to retaliate against. Although intelligence experts are pretty skilled at tracing the digital footprints of an attack to its source, the evidence is almost always highly technical and far less persuasive to military allies and the general public than, say, that of a bombing raid or an invading army. Any decision to retaliate risks looking to all the world like an unprovoked aggression. The Russians are skilled at confusing attribution, making it difficult to justify a proportional response, let alone an escalation.

The attribution problem complicates the question of where to draw the line. Some experts think it would make retaliation more difficult than it would be for a conventional strike. "It would take a significant cyber attack against the aviation infrastructure, power infrastructure, water distribution, and the transportation infrastructure," Wise said. "I think it would take probably two to three simultaneous attacks against these targets, along with clear attribution. The attribution issue is always the stumbling block."

Cyber Diplomacy

Still, it's a mistake to assume that the difficulty of attributing a cyber attack is insurance against a hasty retaliation. The element of uncertainty that the attribution problem adds to international affairs could also be destabilizing. Just as it's difficult to attribute an attack to an aggressor, it's also easy to mistakenly attribute an attack to an adversary—particularly one that, like Russia, is a constant thorn in the side of the U.S., and from which Americans are primed to expect aggression.

Given the heightened tensions between the U.S. and Russia, it's not far-fetched to think that a third party could launch a cyber attack against the U.S. and make it look like it came from Russia. Even if U.S. intelligence officials were smart enough to suss out such a ruse, the mere appearance of aggression could provide a convenient pretext for war. After all, Iraq had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks in 2001, but that didn't stop the George W. Bush administration from using them as justification for its disastrous invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Massive military strikes that start wars are baked into the American psyche. Japanese planes bombing the U.S. military base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941, precipitated the U.S. entry into the Second World War. Hijacked passenger planes crashing into the World Trade Towers on September 11, 2001, triggered a U.S. invasion of Afghanistan that is only now ending. The 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis established a precedent for brinksmanship between the U.S. and Russia. "We almost went to nuclear war," as Raj Shah, chairman of the cybersecurity insurance firm Resilience, told Newsweek.

The Cuban Missile Crisis brought the U.S. and the Soviet Union to the brink of war (here, a meeting of the United Nations Security Council during the crisis in 1962); could recent cyber attacks do the same—or worse? — Bettmann/Getty Images

The prospect of cyber attacks leading to a full-scale war is commonly accepted in diplomatic circles. NATO members, in a joint June 14 statement, agreed that "the impact of significant malicious cumulative cyber activities might, in certain circumstances, be considered as amounting to an armed attack." The statement also said that NATO would intensify its focus in the cyber realm, including "sharing concerns about malicious cyber activities, and exchanging national approaches and responses, as well as considering possible collective responses."

"If necessary, we will impose costs on those who harm us," the statement added. "Our response need not be restricted to the cyber domain."

The alliance also confirmed that it was open to considering cyber-attacks to be on a par with conventional military operations. "We reaffirm that a decision as to when a cyber attack would lead to the invocation of Article 5 would be taken by the North Atlantic Council on a case-by-case basis."

U.S.President Joe Biden and other NATO heads of the states and governments pose for a family photo during the NATO summit at the Alliance's headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium on June 14, 2021. — Kevin Lamarque/AFP/Getty Images

The prospect of a "physical" attack in response to cyberattacks already has a real-life precedent. The U.S. targeted the cyber capabilities of the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) with an August 2015 airstrike that killed jihadi hacker Junaid Hussain in the de facto caliphate capital of Raqqa, Syria.

One of the first publicly acknowledged examples of an immediate, kinetic reaction came nearly four years later elsewhere in the Middle East. In May 2019, the Israel Defense Forces reported that they "thwarted an attempted Hamas cyber offensive against Israeli targets" by conducting an airstrike on an alleged headquarters in the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip. Israeli forces similarly targeted Hamas cyber stations during last month's 11-day confrontation with Hamas and allied Palestinian factions in Gaza. Although the fallout from both operations remained relatively contained, how such a response would play out on the state-versus-state level remains uncertain.

Playing Defense

The U.S. and its allies are already taking steps to head off cyber attacks from Russian-affiliated groups. The U.S. Cyber Command is collaborating with allies to pool insights and intelligence on the activities of Russia and other cyber-adversaries in what a spokesperson called hunt-forward operations. "These operations are one part of our 'defend forward' strategy—where we see what our adversaries are doing, and share with our partners in the homeland to bolster defense," the spokesperson told Newsweek.

In one such mission targeting Russia's alleged cyber activities, U.S. forces "discovered and disclosed new malware associated with the SolarWinds incident, and then provided key mitigation of the malware, attributed to Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service," the U.S. Cyber Command spokesperson said. The department shares much of its intelligence with federal agencies and private companies in an effort to prevent successful attacks.

SolarWinds CEO Sudhakar Ramakrishna (center), along with FireEye CEO Kevin Mandia (left) and and Microsoft President Brad Smith talk with each other before the start of a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on February 23, 2021 in Washington, DC. — Drew Angerer/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

Biden has alluded to retaliation against Russia for cyber attacks, but the U.S. is mum on what steps it is taking. As NATO's joint communique asserted, the Biden administration has considered a range of options in response to major cyberattacks.

"The way that I've consistently characterized our response when it came to SolarWinds and to other cyberattacks of that scope and scale is that we are prepared to take responsive actions that are seen and unseen," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Sunday, "and I'll leave it at that."

Even these vague statements have raised concern among Russian officials. "What people can be afraid of in America," Putin told NBC News, "the very same thing can be a danger to us. The U.S. is a high-tech country, NATO has declared cyberspace an area of combat. That means they are planning something; they are preparing something, so, obviously, this cannot but worry us."

After the summit, Putin asserted that the “majority” of cyber attacks originated from the U.S. and it’s allies.

Speaking of cyberattacks, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan recently said, "We are prepared to take responsive actions that are seen and unseen." Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Avoiding Unintended War

One reason cyber-security was on the agenda for Biden and Putin is to avoid an unintended war. Both the U.S. and Russia have asserted their right to wage cyber operations offensively and defensively. Without international agreements in place, it's not clear what behavior is acceptable and what isn't.

"We can't allow this to continue to escalate," says Shawn Henry, president and chief security officer of cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. "It's the exact reason we had nuclear arms talks, because we realize things couldn't continue to escalate, they couldn't spiral out of control. We couldn't worry about an adversary launching a weapon mistakenly because we know what the response would be."

Henry, a former FBI executive assistant director, says the dialogue is overdue. "It takes us back to that exact point in the conversation where nation-states need to sit down and define what the red lines are and what the responses are going to be, so there is no misunderstanding."

Prospects For a Treaty

Judging from his rhetoric, Putin seems amenable to an agreement to rein in the cyber warfare shenanigans. In September, he asserted that "one of today's major strategic challenges is the risk of a large-scale confrontation in the digital field," as conveyed to Newsweek by the Russian embassy in Washington.

Putin wants to establish high-level communication between Washington and Moscow on "international information security," using existing agencies that deal with nuclear and computer readiness. He is also in favor of establishing new rules along the lines of U.S.-Soviet agreements on avoiding maritime incidents and mutual "guarantees of non-intervention into internal affairs of each other."

In a reference to the nuclear weapons that dominated the Cold War discourse on arms control, Putin is also seeking a global agreement on "no-first-strike" rules regarding cyber attacks against communications systems, the embassy said.

A group cyber soldiers work together to defend their network during a training exercise in the art of cybersecurity design and maintenance at Camp Williams in Utah. — U.S. Army Reserve/SGT. Stephanie Ramirez

Sullivan told reporters that nuclear talks remained the "starting point" for bilateral discussions with Russia on cyber: "Whether additional elements get added to strategic stability talks in the realm of space or cyber or other areas, that's something to be determined as we go forward." Indeed, the joint statement on "strategic stability" released by both sides after the meeting stuck strictly to nuclear arms, with no references to cyber weapons.

Still, the talks made some progress on cyber warfare. While the Biden administration has drawn no direct link between the recent ransomware assault and the Kremlin, U.S. officials have called on Russia to hold hackers within its borders accountable for any attacks that originate there. Putin said during an interview with the Rossiya-1 outlet that he would agree to the extradition of those arrested in Russia if the U.S. does the same; Biden has vowed to reciprocate in the event such attacks were launched from U.S. soil.

In some ways, the Biden-Putin summit sends a signal that cyber warfare has taken its place alongside other military technologies as an accepted part of a nation's arsenal—and one that requires international agreements to keep in check. It also underscores the crucial importance of information technology to national defense.

"Domains of competition, it's not strictly military anymore," says Mike Madsen, director of strategic engagement for the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit. "It's economic, it's social, it's all these different things. We talked about air superiority and air supremacy, and there's a day when there's going to be concepts of cyber curiosity and cyber supremacy in a domain of competition."

"In this era of Great Power competition," he says, "the technology race is the most important front."

[xgenesisrei]

Truth x Peace

The pandemic opened the way for a heightened migration of people into the world of digital platforms. Lockdowns and restrictions on public gathering pushed everyone, especially those who remained hesitant and unconvinced of the value of social media, to nonetheless make do with what technology can offer. And for Filipinos who are culturally wired to connect with people, that means intensified presence and engagement in social networks. It did not help that the shutdown of ABS-CBN contributed to the further weakening of traditional media such as television and radio. More and more, people, regardless of age, have become reliant on social media as their primary, immediate, and at times, the only remaining source of news and information.

Now that creates a huge problem. Some years ago, social media was seen as the bright solution to greater democracy and more social good. The prospect of everyone having an opportunity to air their own personal opinions, views, and perspectives, a space where free-flow of information is possible, sounded like a path towards people getting more informed and enjoying more freedom. For a time it did. We saw the rise of bloggers, influencers, and thought leaders from everywhere. We saw ordinary netizens empowered to join the public discourse on both pressing and amusing issues in our society. 

That is, until humans in the digital realm saw the rise of trolls taking over, of networks of organized disinformation poisoning our walls and feeds, and of filter-bubbles and echo chambers being birthed by ‘cancel culture.’ In the past years or so, social media morphed into a toxic wasteland flooded with fake news, causing its inhabitants to suffer online fatigue and trauma, and seeing friendships built over a long period of time ripped apart in an instant. It is like seeing the Promised Land, the Holy City of Jerusalem, burning to the ground, ravaged by the fury of the ruthless Babylonians, and leaving it with a very uncertain future. Again, the pandemic provided a most volatile context wherein people fought it out in an open mic tournament, trashing the loudest of voices on vaccines and conspiracy theories, missiles in the Middle East, and what remains of Harry Roque’s soul.

A few months ago, Netflix released a documentary, ‘The Social Dilemma,’ that uncovers the mechanism of how social media is changing our lives in ways that we do not expect and will not want, yet leaving us with very little power to stop it. A few weeks ago, MIT convened an impeccable panel of digital experts for ‘The Social Media Summit.’ They discussed the prospects of rescuing truth in a hostile digital environment. The big question being: Can truth still win in a world where fake news is manufactured and disseminated faster than anyone can fact check it? The experts sounded helpless and as a result they looked not so helpful.

The tension lies between the need to confront people responsible for spreading fake news on one hand and on the other the need to be open as well to the reality that truth not only has two sides but multiple sides and therefore demanding the idea of being willing to listen to ideas you don’t agree with and people you don’t like. 

Towards the end, the MIT summit came up with plans of action that centers, more or less, on the following: “shine light on falsehood,” “bear witness to the truth,” “speak truth to power,” and other similar admonitions that any IVCF-er will be able to quickly connect to not a few passages in the New Testament.

Hearing MIT’s panel of experts, who are by no means church people, much less theists, convinced me that Christians do have something to contribute in winning the war against falsehood without necessarily ripping apart families, friendships, and for God’s sake, faith communities.

So, how do we do this? I will not pretend that this can be tackled in a short time, much less by a single individual. But perhaps I will be able to help in laying down a map of the digital landscape which can serve as a point of departure for those who care enough to find a possible resolution. I will also try to sketch a biblical framing that can serve as initial stepping stones for the path ahead.

Digital Mapping: Maze, Spaces, and Faces. I think it will be helpful to identify the different spaces wherein people are moving in and out of as they engage in social media. At the very least, there are three spaces that we need to pay attention to: first, the terrain of today’s digital environment; second, the virtual presence of Christ’s church in such an environment; and lastly, the manifestations of God’s kingdom ever breaking-in. And on top of those three, another set of three spaces wherein the circles overlap.

Today’s Digital World. I already painted with grim colors the state of social media that we inhabit today. Maybe, I will just add that more and more we are seeing a world undeniably shaped by its digital soul. Definitely, there remains a digital gap, considerable segments of society that are pushed all the more to the margins in the ensuing massive migration to the digital sphere. But as the pandemic rendered digital technology as the primary means by which people communicate and connect to one another, government and private industries, community pantries included, the virtual is already part of our everyday reality. In fact, the virtual has become real. And this is where the reminder of Neil Postman, chair of the communications department of New York University, remains relevant, “The clearest way to see through a culture is to attend to its tool for conversation (Amusing Ourselves to Death, 1985).” Today, the conversations that shape our public discourse and our social imagination is greatly influenced by what we can Like and Share.

Church Presence in Social Media. The next circle, the status of the church’s digital presence, is the one that should cause a bit more of panic and stress on our mental health. Everyone knows that supposedly the church is sent into the world to serve as its “salt and light” (Matthew 5:13-16). And because church people are by no means ‘bulletproof’, Apostle Paul gave a strong reminder of not letting the world provide the mold by which Christians are to conform themselves (Romans 12:2). Instead, they are to be people who keep their minds renewed and transformed into the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. But the more we examine how churches conducted themselves in social media, the less it appears faithful to its calling. 

Looking at the overlap of the circles of today’s digital world and the church’s digital persona, we will find that there is hardly any difference on how Christians, pastors and church leaders included, can treat one another, trash each other, and treat unverified information as gospel truths. A quick visit to some of the more popular ‘Christian’ FB groups will reveal the amount of salt worth trampling and amount of light sucked in a blackhole. All as a result of defending and insisting for what they believe in their hearts is true and just. This is where the mix of religion and propaganda can even be more damaging. Church people fight for political opinions not only for the sake of the common good but in the name of biblical faithfulness. To differ is to risk being branded as heretical if not altogether evil. And, as you can guess, the feeling is always mutual. In a digital wasteland fragmented by fake news and echo chambers, church communities swallowed in these toxic spaces have very little to offer as an alternative counter-culture. In fact, the degree of fragmentation and delusion to half-truths may even be worse. Tragically, this is the face of the church whose character is slowly being eroded by its digital habits. And, given the formative impact, there can be no denying that the virtual is as spiritual!

God’s In-breaking Kingdom. Fortunately, the kingdom of God is by no means limited to where the church has fallen short of and has failed. In fact, the kingdom of God transcends the borders and backyard of the church. George Eldon Ladd reminds us in his groundbreaking book on the topic, “the church is the community of the kingdom but never the kingdom itself” (The Gospel of the Kingdom, 1995). God’s mission of transforming the world, while primarily proclaimed by the church, is not exclusively carried out by people who call themselves Christians. Wherever life is encouraged to flourish, truth is upheld, and relationships are healed, you know God is at work. Regardless, if there are Christians around. The kingdom is ever on its way and it happens that at times the church so often arrives late.

No wonder it escapes not a few how God has always been at work, in ways that defy expectations, and if we bother to take a closer look, through people that will come as a surprise. Suffice it to say that in God’s kingdom, blessed shall be the nazi fact-checkers, the murdered journalists, the oddballs in toxic echo chambers, and even those who find it within themselves the simple act of just remaining sober. They are the ones who are in the overlap of the circles between today’s digital world and the kingdom of God. Unlikely agents of God’s healing touch in a fractured world. They may be far from the church but very likely near to the kingdom. The MIT summit that I mentioned, honestly, is the kind of conversations that I hoped we have in our Christian circles instead of the endless webinars left and right that offer very little help in healing the worsening fractures in our churches. 

Fortunately, there is that overlap between the kingdom of God and the church’s digital presence. We have here Christians who are caught in the tension of conviction between the need to love people and at the same time refuse lies. They navigate the fleeting space for hope wherein truth-telling and peace-keeping thrives alongside each other, without the need to sacrifice one for the other. They understand very well that severing relationships for the sake of truth is the badge of fundamentalists and legalists. But they also are very much aware that compromising truth for the sake of relationships is a sure step towards the rabbithole of injustice. Somehow, they know that the two have to be held together. A careful balance which the digital culture of social media has undermined and rendered almost impossible to recover. 

But there must be good news that Christians can offer right?

Biblical Framing: Truth and Grace. Do we have anything, from the deep wisdom of the Scriptures and in the clear example of Christ, that can point us to the steps moving forward? 

Immediately, what will come to mind is a familiar passage in John 1:14 that describes the remarkable life of Jesus: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (ESV).” John the beloved could not have chosen a better pair of words: grace and truth. They sounded great together right? But we know in reality, these are two things that can cancel each other out. We see it everyday on social media. Truth thrown devoid of grace. Grace dispensed at the expense of truth. How could have Jesus made a happy fusion of these two seemingly contrasting values?

There are episodes of his life on earth that shed a clue. Two public engagements are worth noting:

In John 8:1-11, we read of how Jesus was confronted with the case of a woman caught in adultery. Jewish law demands that the penalty of wrongdoing be carried out. But Jesus chose to dispense grace and let the woman off the hook of the requirement of justice. Yet still, he made sure that the woman realized the error of her ways (v. 11). 

Then, in Luke 18:18-24, we read of how Jesus dealt with the rich young ruler. Jesus was blunt and straightforward. Publicly, he identified what was lacking in him and demanded what he himself said was impossible for mere mortals to render -perfection. But it is by this truthfulness that Jesus also opens the space for grace to come in (v. 27).

If anything, Jesus could not afford to either just be a prophet who cries ‘woe to you’ or a shepherd who ‘comes not for the healthy but for the sick.’ He is both. I guess, we cannot do so either. Prudence and discernment calls for us which of the two is needed at a particular moment. As usual, context and timing matters. But it may also be helpful if we can wrap our heads around the subtle irony that lies between the exercise of grace and truth: 

What if truth breaks into us fully when we realize that those people who are most undeserving of grace are actually the ones who need it most? What if grace grips us most when we realize the truth no matter how painful and blunt is what will eventually bring healing and closure?

In any case, my theological conviction is that the character of God’s kingdom we can best see in the life and example of Christ. Anything less are but echoes that need further fine-tuning. It is in Jesus’ story where justice, truth, peace, and grace all fall into their proper places. Going back to John 1:14, Jesus moved into our neighborhood so that we can see that the glory of God is most fully reflected when truth is wrapped in grace and grace is founded on truth.

If our truth-telling prevents us from extending grace to those who clearly have their hands dirty, then we fall short of Jesus’ words on the cross; “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Except for vengeance and retribution, we will have nothing to offer to those who made the hammers fall, people who have earned the right to become our enemies. 

If our peace-keeping prevents us from telling the truth to those who need grace the most, then we fail to follow the badass Jesus who hesitates not in calling people names when he has to. We will have nothing to say in the face of the Pontius Pilates and Caiaphases of today.

The tension between truth and grace shall remain and it ought to. There might be easy resolutions but I am of the view that this tension is part of the “here-but-not yet” aspect of the kingdom of God. So, we will continue to struggle and juggle until the kingdom comes in all its fullness when Christ returns. I will not forget what Miroslav Volf said when he was questioned by the great theology professor Jurgen Moltmann. Volf delivered a lecture that will serve as the framework of his book ‘Exclusion and Embrace’ (1996) wherein he argues to err on the side of forgiveness and grace. Professor Moltmann then asked him whether he can live by what he has written and be able to forgive the bloody Serbian murderers who massacred his people in Croatia. Volf responded by saying, “Well, I cannot. But as a follower of Christ, I should.”

When people drunk with power make us feel they are undeserving of grace and when people’s cry for justice make us want to see blood, we turn to Jesus and let his story continue to challenge us and to shape us. He left us the big picture of what it means to be a good neighbor especially for those who deserve it the least. More and more I am getting convinced that immersing ourselves in how Jesus loved others is what will help us bridge what we can't/won't do as human beings and what we are freed to do as his disciples.

Crux omnia pro bat. (The cross tests all things.)

Conclusion. I want to end by quickly looking into one of IVCF’s core values -holistic mission. Of course, an important aspect of this work is engaging in prophetic ministry, upholding justice and truth, so that social transformation, and not just personal conversion, will happen. So often, this passion for transforming society is what moves people to ‘cancel’ people so that truth shall prevail amidst a barrage of lies. But a good friend and mentor, Dr. Al Tizon, in his new book, said this:

“I see a great need to advance the meaning of holistic mission, to build on the evangelism and social justice affirmation, by understanding the ministry of reconciliation as the new whole in holistic mission. It must be if the Christian mission is to remain relevant in our increasingly fractured world. In the age of intensified conflict on virtually every level, it can no longer be just about putting words and deeds back together again (though it will take ongoing effort on the part of the church of the church to keep them together); holistic mission also needs to be about joining God in putting the world back together again (Whole and Reconciled, 2018).”

The point of social transformation is ultimately God’s longing for reconciliation. Truth that eradicates is no different from the bombs that got dropped in Palestinian homes. One can argue with a formidable case that it is justified but it won’t be a step towards the peace of Christ. Only towards the peace of Rome: Pax Romana (be at peace, otherwise, rest in peace). What is true of Gaza is also very much true of social media.

“There is no way to peace. Peace is the way. There is no path toward love except by practicing love. War will always produce more war. Violence can never bring about true peace.” -Richard Rohr

-Rei Lemuel Crizaldo, “Truth-telling and Peace-keeping in God’s Kingdom,” prepared for the webinar series on ‘Kingdom Calling’ by IVCF Philippines (May 22, 2021) 

[basicsofislam]

ISLAM 101: Muslim Culture and Character: Morals And Manners: Defusing Hatred And Animosity

Harboring rancor and animosity means looking for re- venge and retribution. The heart of one who is envious or rapacious has been darkened and their mental facilities are taken over by vengeance. This feeling of vengeance grows until it pushes out all the love and faith in a person, and they be- gin to put revenge before everything, even obedience to God.

By contrast, freeing the heart of rancor and enmity quickly brings a psychological balance and harmony between the heart and mind, the physical and the spiritual. A person who can keep their temper under control will be of greater benefit to society and able to cultivate their higher emotions to their full potential.

In the Qur’an God tells us that the rancor and enmity harbored by people have a dangerous potential to trigger injustice:

O you who believe! Be upholders and standard-bearers of right for God’s sake, being witnesses for (the establishment of) abso- lute justice. And by no means let your detestation for a people (or their detestation for you) move you to (commit the sin of) deviating from justice. Be just: this is nearer and more suited to righteousness and piety. Seek righteousness and piety and always act in reverence for God. Surely God is fully aware of all that you do. (Maeda 5:8)

Every type of anger and vexation gives rise to mental problems and physical illnesses. Without sincere forgiveness, without “letting go,” total recovery is impossible. Hatred, animosity, rage, wanting to “get even” or see others punished, even criticism and reproach, all pollute the mind, weaken the soul, and eventually ruin a per- son’s health. It could be said that overcoming anger can be achieved if one nurtures a desire to help others and trains one’s thoughts along these lines, as well as trying to seek to live a life that is more “behind the scenes” rather than striving to be the center of atten- tion. In the Qur’an God says,

They spend (out of what God has provided for them,) both in ease and hardship, ever-restraining their rage (even when pro- voked and able to retaliate), and pardoning people (their offenses). God loves (such) people who are devoted to doing good, aware that God is seeing them. (Al Imran 3:134)

Human nature is created in such a way that a person can fluc- tuate between good and bad. Knowing this, it is necessary to know how to deal with one’s own ego, keeping in mind that good comes from God while evil comes from the ego and leads to ulti- mate destruction. A person who knows that they are prone to vac- illating between good and bad actions must expend extra energy to ensure that they refrain from major sins and to avoid situations that could lead to doing wrong: “Those who avoid the major sins and indecent, shameful deeds (which are indeed to be counted among major sins), and when they become angry, even then they forgive (rather than retaliate in kind)” (Shura 42:37).

Furthermore, in order to avoid anger or antipathy, we have been given several strong mainstays, such as praying for one’s own forgiveness, the forgiveness of our brothers and sisters in religion, and that of our spiritual ancestors, asking God not to allow seeds of bitterness and anger against believing people grow in our hearts, and expecting these prayers to be accepted; these are all stated in the following Qur’anic verse:

And all those who come after them (and follow in their foot- steps) pray, “O our Lord! Forgive us and our brothers (and sisters) in Religion who have preceded us in faith, and let not our hearts entertain any ill-feeling against any of the believers. O our Lord! You are All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate (espe- cially toward Your believing servants). (Hashr 59:10)

There are also some useful indications in the life and practice of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, regarding the control of anger and animosity. Some of these enlighten- ing hadith are as follows.

The Prophet warned Anas ibn Malik while the latter was still a child, telling Anas that he should forgive those who had done him wrong, and thus avoid having his spirit sullied with enmity or lin- gering resentment. Anas ibn Malik related the following narration from the Messenger of God: “My child! Every morning and every evening, make sure you hold no grudge or enmity against anyone. Do this, if you can, my child! This is my example. Whoever fol- lows my example truly loves me. And whoever loves me will be with me in Paradise.”16 As we can see, those who can purify their hearts of jealousy, anger, and animosity will be together with the Prophet and reach Heaven.

Anger that burns the soul brings a feeling of vengefulness to the heart and can feed vengeful actions. Some people easily lose their temper. They are merciless, severe, and cruel. Some people, though they have quick tempers, are also quick to recover from anger.

In this regard the Prophet divided people into three basic groups, according to how quickly they anger and how quickly their anger departs. He also explained which one of these groups is most virtuous. In addition, he gives an immediate practical so- lution for anger: taking ablutions to help the feeling subside.

Abu Said al-Khudri narrated, “God’s Messenger said, ‘Be aware that there are people who are slow to anger and quick to repent of their anger; there are also people who are quick to an- ger and quick to get over it. There is also a third group of people, who anger quickly and are slow to let their anger go. The best of these are those who are slow to anger and quick to turn from an- ger. The worst are those who are quick to anger and are slow to let their anger go. Beware! Anger is like a burning ember in the heart of man. Do you not see the eyes that glow and the cheeks that puff out? Whoever feels himself beginning to get angry, he should touch the ground….”17

Accordingly, taking ablutions or bathing as well as touching the ground or walking on the soil barefoot are some practical ways of dispelling anger. But there is another dimension as well: one who feels overwhelmed by anger should seek refuge in God.

Muadh ibn Jabal relates, “Two people cursed each other in the presence of the Messenger. The face of one of them showed anger at the other. God’s Messenger said, ‘I know a word that you can say to ward off the anger that I see in your face. That is a‘udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ar-rajim (I seek refuge in God from Satan, who is eternally rejected from God’s Mercy).’”18

Abu Hurayra provided the following hadith: “A man asked the Prophet, ‘O Messenger of God! Give me a short, easy piece of advice, that I won’t forget it.’ He repeated his request several times, and the Prophet answered with, ‘Don’t get angry!’”19

A person with a quick temper should be careful not to miss good advice or exhortation by becoming upset at being urged to that which is good or commendable (and therefore not listening to the other person). Ibn Abbas narrates that when Uyayna ibn Hisn came to Medina, he stayed with his nephew Hurr ibn Qays, who was a person whom Umar used to keep near him as one of the learned men who knew the Qur’an by heart (qurra) and who by virtue of their knowledge can give legal opinion or judgment (fuqaha). Uyayna said to his nephew, “O nephew! You are close to this ruler, so ask him for an audience for me!” So the nephew asked Caliph Umar for this. But when Ibn Hisn came into Umar’s presence, he said, “Beware! O the son of Khattab! By God, you neither give us enough provision nor judge among us with jus- tice!” Umar was extremely upset. He was almost ready to hit Uyayna when Hurr jumped up and said,

“O Ruler of the Believers, God said to His Messenger, ‘Adopt the way of forbearance and tolerance, and enjoin what is good and right, and withdraw from the ignorant ones (do not care what they say and do)’ (A’raf 7:199). This man is ignorant.” When Hurr recited this verse Umar instantly froze in his tracks; he could not ignore the Qur’an, so he did nothing to the insolent man.20

A person who is overwhelmed by anger will have trouble making sound decisions. There is a direct prohibition regarding situations like this. Abu Bakr told his son ‘Abdullah, who was serving as a judge, “When you are angry, do not judge between two people. For the Messenger said, ‘No one should judge be- tween others when he is angry.’”21

Concerning the verse, “Goodness and evil can never be equal.

Repel evil with what is better (or best). Then see: the one between whom and you there was enmity has become a bosom friend. And none are ev- erenabled to attain it (such great virtue) save those who are patient (in adversities and against the temptations of their souls and Satan), and none are ever enabled to attain it save those who have a great part in human perfections and virtues” (Fussilat 41:34–35), Ibn Abbas said, “‘what is better (or best)’ in this verse means ‘patience at the mo-ment of anger, and forgiveness at the moment we are wronged.’ If people do these things, God will protect them from their enemies; He will cause their enemies to become friends for them.”22

[goblincas]

Entry Level Angel | Ch 3

On AO3

Saturday, October 10th:

Charlie tapped Cas's shoulder, urging him forward as another breeze stroked past his skin— his still very desensitized skin. He swallowed, unmoving, eyes drilling into the scene ahead. After waiting another moment, Charlie flicked Cas in the bicep. He flinched out of sheer habit.

“Y’know, this is super important,” Charlie reminded him, using her fingertips to soothe the site of assault. “Like, for your own well-being. Hell, for your life, even. Not to be melodramatic or anything, but it’s not like we have any clue of the severity we’re facing, here.”

She was right, of course— Cas needed help, and he needed it more and more desperately, each passing day. He had almost certainly been cursed. Although, that was right about where the reasonable conclusions slipped off into the abyss, never to be heard from again.

However, if Charlie’s plan was to succeed, Cas was going to have to take some initiative, first. There was nothing productive about standing in place, waiting for the asphalt to swallow both his body and his oh-so stubborn will to live.

Christ, how did Charlie convince herself that she was the “melodramatic” one?

The brick wall ahead was tinged by an earthy green plaster, offsetting the tubular neon lights spelling out “Magical Books ‘n’ Goods” across an otherwise cramped windowpane. Damp autumn leaves clung to the chipping windowsill and the base of an oval-capped doorway. Cas could hardly see inside the low-lit shop, aside from the unassuming profile of a retail bookshelf.

Sure, it wasn’t an especially threatening setup, but he wasn’t exactly coming at the situation from the calmest headspace. Thus, there was an almost menacing ambiance filtering through the shop’s walls, clamoring in Cas’s direction. It wasn’t his fault that he’d been rendered motionless by fear, much like a toddler off to their first day of preschool. Nope, no need for personal responsibility or self-initiative, here. Not today.

Again, Charlie nudged him, although with more pressure than earlier. “Dude, I’m serious. I just know that if anyone’s gonna be able to give us a clue, here, it’s gonna be her. Listen; I get the nerves, okay? And, like, I don’t even expect them to go away when you guys meet. She’s great, but she’s still an acquired taste… if it’s not totally insensitive to say that about another person. But this is important, Cas. I care about you too much to be lax, right now. Got it?”

Cas huffed, blinking slowly. Processing. “What a beautiful speech,” he quipped, continuing to gather his thoughts. Charlie flicked him again, this time on his shoulder. “Fine, okay, I understand. I do. I’m going in.”

Eyes lighting up against the muted autumn backdrop, Charlie thrust a celebratory fist into the air. “Great! Let’s get going, then.”

⁂

The inside of the witches’ specialty shop wasn’t too much unlike a run-of-the-mill small town bookstore, down to the effortless quirks of its layout. Mismatched shelves lined much of the back wall, creating a rich smattering of varying hues and grain around the secondhand spines. The air smelt faintly of chemical cinnamon, hardly able to overcome the musk of the place. Still, the witchy touches were anything but hidden; a line of tables ran down the center of the shop, covered in plastic-wrapped bundles of herbs, jars of unidentifiable glowing substances, and trendy rose gold altars. Wait, was that… an eyeball?

For his own sanity, Cas decided not to overthink it.

Before Cas had the opportunity to turn to Charlie for guidance, a voice jetted through the air, originating from god-knows-where. “Ah, hello there, dearie! Charlie, welcome back! And who is this you’ve brought along with you?” The thick, unmistakably Scottish sing-song seemed to reverberate out of the air, itself. Although hazy at the start, the sound was quick to crispen up.

Shifty eyed, Cas began to peer around the shop, only slightly disturbed by the disembodied words. Truly, it wasn’t as if he’d been expecting a day-to-day, streamlined retail experience. This was about in line with his expectations, so, whatever.

Charlie, bless her, managed to respond with near perfect nonchalance; this calmed Cas, yet somehow, also put him just a bit more on-edge. Well, then. “Hey, Ro! Where are you at? The back? I kinda, really need your help with something. Or, at least, my friend here sure does. Oh, Cas, introduce yourself!”

Cas side-eyed his friend, chewing his lip before replying slowly, seemingly to no one in particular, “Hi, I’m Cas. Um. Nice to meet… you? Yeah, sorry, who am I speaking to?” He was a human, for heaven’s sake; he wasn’t used to this, as expected as it might have been. Witches were certainly avant-garde, Cas could give them that.

Seconds later, a door was pushed open toward the back of the shop; it was encased on both sides by thinner, darker shelves, lined with stones and miscellaneous shiny and slimy tchotchkes. Cas swallowed, taking in the emerging figure.

The woman was surprisingly petite, yet carried herself as if she could crush Cas beneath her pinkie finger, alone. Red hair styled in fat curls poured over the shoulders of her simple black gown. Her eyes seemed to be faintly glowing, and Cas wasn’t certain he was comfortable with that fact, all things considered.

Nonetheless, Charlie was beaming in an instant, giving a short yet enthused wave of her hand. “Hey again, Ro. I know you’re probably busy, and I seriously don’t wanna waste any more of your time than I have to, so I’ll get right down to it. Oh, first— Cas, this is Rowena MacLeod, the spell-casting and lore dictionary, herself.”

Rowena let out a low giggle, the gleam in her emerald eyes only intensifying. Honestly, Cas was convinced that that “gleam” was more than simply a trick of the light.

“Yes, of course! Well, it’s very good to meet you, Cas, dearie,” Rowena said, her voice flowing over Cas like compound butter.

Cas gave a curt nod, unsure if he was meant to lead the conversation from there, but praying that he wasn’t.

To his luck, Charlie continued, “Like I said, I’ll get right down to… it. ‘Cause it’s kinda a lot. Unfortunately,” she said, planting her hands on her hips and entering an inadvertent power pose. “Cas here, just like the unlucky bastard that he is, managed to go and get himself mega cursed. And we have, like, no clue what’s goin’ on. So, first off, we’re gonna need a diagnosis, if you can give us one.”

Pursing her red-painted lips, Rowena hummed, squinting in Cas's direction. Cas fidgeted as the witch glided across the room, the floor creaking and whining beneath her leather heels. Moving in Cas's direction, she continued to scope the young man out.

“Hm? Ach, so… Cas, darling. Mind to expand in place of your friend? This is your tragic curse, after all. I’m sure your first-hand assessment will be more useful to me, here.”

Strangely enough, Cas wanted to contend. While Charlie hadn’t been the one experiencing the bizarro symptoms that past week, she was the witch. This was her specialty, her very domain as their backdrop.

Still, with trepidation, he replied. “It’s not anything bad, necessarily. At least, not painful. Just… very strange.” He sighed. Rowena leaned forward, tipping the weight of her body in Cas's direction. “I spilled hot coffee on myself and wasn’t burnt. No pain, either. I can’t sleep. I haven’t tasted food in a week. Oh, I haven’t slept in a week, either, so I definitely should mention that. Also, once, not too long after this all started, my entire abdomen glowed blue, before I was knocked unconscious for… a few hours, I believe?”

Cas held his breath, anticipating the sharp-eyed witch’s professional assessment. She continued to squint upward, claw-like hands finding their way to her hips.

“Well,” she hummed, after a moment of thought. “That’s certainly… concerning, to put things all too simply. Ah, and— you’re a human, correct?”

“Yeah, I am.” Although, frankly, Cas wasn’t so sure anymore. He certainly didn’t feel like a human, at that point. Surely, a “human” would have dropped dead of exhaustion by then, right?

(Although, it was more likely that Dean was going to be the one to kill him for neglecting his health and safety, if he ever found out. Assuming the curse didn’t get creative and take care of that first, of course.)

Rowena gave a delicate nod, loose curls bobbing with the movement. She straightened herself, leaning just slightly away, and Cas felt the concrete seeping from his own limbs. Wait, when had he gotten so tense?

“I see, I see. Hm…” She clucked her tongue, momentarily turning her gaze toward the tiled ceiling. “You are certainly correct, Charlie, dear. This isn’t a common ailment… how fascinating. That is certainly an unusual combination of, what sounds like, quite powerful and life-altering symptoms. Ach, well…” She trailed off, before reaching out a slender hand and attaching it to Cas's forearm. He lurched, but made sure not to pull away. As much as he loathed people touching him without a lick of permission, he reasoned that it was a sacrifice he’d apparently have to make.

God, he felt like a fucking lab rat, though. A genetic freak of a rodent, caged off from the rest of its whiskered brethren.

“I… have a bit of an inkling, certainly,” Rowena said, nails digging deeper into the flesh of Cas’s arm. She gazed directly into his eyes. “Infernal magic of some sort or another seems likely. Demonic in nature, maybe? Of course, draconic spellwork is still very much a consideration.”

Charlie drew in a breath between her teeth, reaching out from beside Cas and laying a hand on his shoulder. “Woah… not good. Why do you think that?”

To Cas's hardly containable irritation, Rowena let out another giggle, sleek as ever. “Well, you see, dearie, it’s really just a simple process of elimination. The more uncommon the spell or the curse, the more likely it’s outsourced from fringe magic. It’s as simple as that, really.” She drew back her hand, joining her palms together atop her heart. “Of course, we’ll have to do some further investigation to understand what, exactly, is the matter. Now, think of it like a fun little puzzle— in that light, your predicament will feel far less harrowing. Hm?”

As Rowena spoke and Charlie shifted her hand to clutch at the meat of Cas’s bicep, the front door to the shop was nudged open. Cas peaked over his shoulder, watching a golden-haired stranger hop on in— and promptly drift toward the corner shelves. There was no hesitation to his movements, his gait full of pep and bordering on enthusiastic. Still, he didn’t reach out to fiddle with any of the items; he simply stood in place, arms crossed over his chest, facing away from Rowena and company.

“Follow me to the back, now,” Rowena sung, re-seizing Cas's attention. “I’ll dash back out if I’m needed, but for now, privacy would be best.”

Charlie nodded. “Totally, I agree. Cas, you okay with heading back? Do you want me to come with? I can, if you want. Or not. Whatever you need, man.”

Throwing a final glance toward the apparent non-customer, Cas turned to Charlie, eyes pleading. Please. Please don’t leave me alone with her.

Thankfully, his friend got the message. Blessed be

[talkingsong]

Intense times are up ahead: embrace them.

Wisdom from my oracle cards.

General (all) Energy Prediction:

(This is the general collective energy for all those coming across this post. Read this first, and then go looking for your zodiac sign below to get a more specific energy reading.)

New moon time (tonight, at the time of me posting this) is going to be, for lack of a better term, the grace period. The most “normal” things’ll feel for a while for most of us. Like a sort of new feeling of normal, but a welcome one. And tomorrow, things that we’ve been ignoring or just pushing to the side as unimportant are going to smack us back, square in the face. Things will crumble. Emotional storms specifically, lies that we told in the past coming up once again. Something’s going to have to be kept hidden. I feel like a lot of us are making a choice between two things, or just making some sort of decision in general, and the advice is to follow the thing that resonates more with your identity, because chances are that your mind and intuition will both be clouded. Make the choice that will make your inner child and the person that you are becoming happy. Also, re-acess your morals and who it is that you want to be.

Song you should be listening to: Wine Red by The Hush Sound. 

https://youtu.be/E4_vEs0r2Z4

ARIES.

Don’t spend time with people who do not fully appreciate who you are. Don’t spend energy on people who don’t have the energy to be happy with themselves and where they are in life. The present is important to you now, Aries, and it’s time that you started acting like it. 

Song you should be listening to: Bottom Of The River by Delta Rae, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bimam2j2gEg

LEO.

Become truer to yourself. Don’t be putting on a show for yourself and don’t be fake when you’re alone with yourself. Rather, don’t lie to yourself and others. Don’t pretend you’re one thing when really you’re the other, especially just to impress others or live up to a higher standard. The world is not your stage. Stages are meant to be elevated and fake. Backstage is where the real magic happens. (Being true to yourself is especially important for a Leo moon at this time.) Be truer internally and externally both, and naturally the right people will fall in line and follow suit, wanting to work with you rather than compete against you. 

Song you should be listening to: Primadonna Girl by Marina and the Diamonds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj5L9SYhoSE

SAGGITARIUS.

Follow that spark of passion in your soul and have complete trust and confidence when going after what it is that you want. Like the lyric in Arsonist’s Lullaby (which is your song, btw, for whatever reason) it says, “all you have is your fire and the place you need to reach.” Follow that! Whatever it is that you’re ambitious about or feel inspired or passionate about doing, do it! Understand that where you are in your life at this moment will be something that you will look back on fondly, so remember to make the most of it. 

Song you should be listening to: Arsonist’s Lullaby by Hozier. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eJbxI-jZbA

LIBRA.

You need to be living in the moment more. Act on impulse. Do something weird. Risk something. Just do it. I really don't think that there’s much else of a message here other than your need to be more of a risk taker. There’s a lyric in Twin-Sized Mattress by The Front Bottoms where it says, “I wanna contribute to the chaos, I don’t wanna watch and then complain,” and that’s the sort of energy I’m getting here. Listen to that song, but while you dance around your room naked because why not, listen to this:

Rather Be by Clean Bandit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtUJNhKbbx4

GEMINI.

Do not be afraid to cut it off, say what you mean, get mad, and get yours. IF THERE IS A PATTERN THAT YOU HAVE WITH ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL, BREAK IT. Shatter it and change it. That’s what this new moon is about. I understand that this is scary for you but you need to understand that whatever this situation is is depriving you of something that you need and causing you stress, and quite obviously, fear that doesn’t need to be there. If there’s conflict you need to go on your own. You will be safer on your own and you will end up in a better place when on your own. 

Songs you should be listening to- Runs in the Family by Amanda Palmer https://youtu.be/G6f0AdWLXHE and I’m So Sorry by Imagine Dragons, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0gddT_DDzQ

AQUARIUS. 

First of all- if you have any allergies to food or anything else, PAY EXTRA ATTENTION. Any health issues too. The back of my throat started swelling almost like I was having an allergic reaction, so please, please, please be careful. For Aquarius Suns and Moons only. Also, expect a good change in business but expect the unexpected in all regions of your life. Please be safe. The song for you guys is literally called “choke” so this is a weird ass omen I’m getting for you guys but please make sure that you are near a medical center should you need one.

Song you should be listening to: Choke by I Don’t Know How But They Found Me, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v64-DpcLEvI

SCORPIO.

There’s some sort of lesson that you learned in the past that you need to reflect on- or, rather, let go of. I feel like, in typical scorpio fashion, there’s shadow work that needs to be done within yourself at this time but specifically in relationships and in the ways that you communicate with other people. Maybe look up your mercury sign. Let past mindsets and relationships go, baby. 

Song you should be listening to; Playing God by Paramore. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDy2wCQYSrU

CANCER.

Make space for the good things to come into your life. Good things can’t come until we get rid of the bad things- and in this place of your life right now, you’re currently in control of the things of which are bad in your life. Therefore, you have the power to transmute and improve those bad things into good things or get rid of them and solve them completely for extra blessings. Everything that can make your life better is currently In your own hands, cancer. Use it. Take what you have, accept the present, and be the wind-bender. CHANGE it. And, to be blunt, stop looking at the universe or god to solve your problems for you. You are independent enough to not rely on beings that can’t even manifest themselves into the earthy realm to solve all of your problems. Become your own life-fixer and satisfier. Make it how you please. You have the power to do so. 

Song you should be listening to: Buy The Stars by Marina and the Diamonds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAAtmIoa_L0

PISCES.

How many pisces are here rn? Anyways, this is going to apply more if you’re a pisces rising, so..... Idk. A lot of cards fell out. Rid yourself of habits that are toxic, including past codependency and abandonment issues. Just work on them. Understand that this process is going to take a while, but you need to work on what it is that makes you have a need for other people and what fear stops you from being fully independent and having your own personality. Find signs about this in the most obscure of places- your angels and guides are helping you. Be patient with yourself. There is no time limit or expectations for healing or self-improvement. 

Song you should be listening to: Be OK by Ingrid Michealson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU3472bvdHI

VIRGO.

This is gunna fell like a bullet to the head, virgo, so brace yourself for the bluntness... If it hurts your feelings, wrap yourself in a blanket with my sincere apology of how this reading in going to come across. You have my love and understanding cause I’ve been In this situation too. So, here goes...

Stop isolating yourself. You are not the victim to the situation that you created in the first place. You are blaming other people for the own shit that you stirred up because you still haven’t learned from your past mistakes. No one but you is going to pay the price for your own narcassistic actions, and you are not the server of karma!

That hurt? yeah, sorry. Here’s the good news, though: this chaos will eventually pass, like a cloud in the sky. You’re okay. This situation is just trying to teach you something. Accept its lesson. The universe, me, everyone really, loves you unconditionally, so there's no need to attack or be defensive about anything. breathe. let it go. 

Song you should be listening to: Sorry About Your Parents by Icon For Hire- 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCxg7w9tIJo

TAURUS.

Fully go after and fully commit to your goals. Let go of any fear and self doubt about it and really work towards what it is that you want in a steady pace. (the real taurus way to do things.) 

CAPRICORN.

Is my least favorite zodiac sign and it’s also past my bedtime so go off I guess. Night!

[wisdomrays]

TAFAKKUR: Part 47

Dieting While You Are Healthy

The first step in preventive medicine is to diet while you are healthy.  If you are already sick, the diet will prevent the sickness from getting worse; it will support the immune system and the medications. A proper diet when you are healthy will make it less likely you will get sick.

A proper diet differs from person to person. It’s important to design your diet according to the genetic map of your family and characteristics of your body. By “dieting” I do not mean being undernourished, but eating a healthy balance of nutrients to supply your body’s daily energy needs. Balance is important, for if a person only eats protein, fat, or carbohydrates, after a while, the body’s organs can start to deteriorate.

Here are some aspects that should be taken into consideration while designing your personal diet:

Personalizing the diet

Not everyone should have the same diet. People come in different shapes and sizes, and they have different genetic makeups. A person must know how their body responds to certain foods. They must identify whether they (or their family) is prone to gain weight, whether they have a depressive or a nervous personality, or whether there is a family history of certain diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, or cancer. Families that are genetically susceptible to heart attacks should eat vegetables and fruits instead of too much protein or foods high in fats.

Maintaining an ideal weight range is important. While certain foods should be eaten in smaller amounts, this does not mean eating nothing. For instance, if a person has diabetes, they can’t have too much sugar – but no sugar is also bad for them.

A person who works hard outdoors will have a different diet from a person who works in an office. Some people are allergic to certain foods. Other people have a low basal metabolism or suffer from psychological distress. Food preferences also change according to cultures: a preferred food in one society may not be accepted in another.

Determining your ideal weight

Each person’s ideal weight is different. It differs depending on a person’s height, as well as the weight of their fatty tissues, muscles, and bones. A rough way to figure out your ideal weight is to add or subtract five from the last two digits of your height in centimeters. For example, someone who is 180 cm (5.90 feet) tall should weigh between 75-85 kg (165-187 lb). The most important thing is to set a healthy, ideal weight, and stick to it for life. Going over your ideal weight can lead to obesity and a slew of other health problems.

Determining body mass index

Obesity means an extreme excess of fat in a person’s body. Therefore, if your ideal weight is 60 kg (132 lb.) but you weigh 80 kg (176 lb.), knowing how much of the excess 20kg is fat or muscle is possible by determining your body mass index. If this excess of 20 kg (44 lb.) is 5 kg (11 lb.) of muscle and 15 kg (33 lb.) of fat, you can lose 15 kg of excess fat with a better diet and exercise. Losing mass from one’s muscles is harmful to the body, as it causes protein loss. Protein loss shouldn’t happen while you’re also losing weight.

The basal metabolic rate

This is the total energy, per 24 hours, that one expends while at rest. This changes according to a person’s physiological and biochemical structure. 30% of basal metabolism is used by the liver, 19% by the brain, and 18% by the skeletal muscles. Those with higher muscle mass index have a higher basal metabolism. If fewer calories are taken in than the basal metabolism needs, weight is lost; if more calories are taken in, weight is gained. Those with a higher basal metabolic rate lose weight much easier. One must take this rate into consideration when building their ideal diet.

Climate

Climate has an effect on one’s organs and metabolism. A change in climate conditions changes the energy demands on the body. The colder the climate, the more calories one needs. Gastrointestinal diseases are common in Siberian children who have diet-related malnutrition. Conversely, those living near the poles are less likely to have heart and vascular diseases, even though they eat diets high in fat and protein.

Age and gender

In the elderly, losing weight can cause urinary tract infections. A child under five on a long-term, low-calorie diet is at risk of pneumonia, low blood pressure, hypocalcemia, and abdominal swelling. Supplementary micronutrients such as thiamine, folic acid, vitamins A, C, E, and K, and iron should be given, along with carbohydrates, to children suffering from malnutrition. Care should be taken not to disrupt the balance of the basic substances in the body.

Balanced diet

Unbalanced diets cause functional disorders and diseases in the organs. In high protein diets, which are preferable for terms of fat loss, especially in diabetic patients, cardiovascular and nephritic problems have been observed when the metabolism of carbohydrates and fat have deteriorated. In menopausal patients who lose weight through high protein diets there can be a significant decrease in bone density due to imbalances in protein, sodium, calcium, and potassium, which can lead to fractures.

Imbalanced diets are often accompanied by diseases. Moderately high protein diets may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Low fat, high carbohydrate diets may be more suitable for these people. Instead of a single type of food, the most favored diets are those which are more complex than others.

85gr protein + 116gr fat +   360gr carbohydrate/day   =   high carbohydrate diet 139gr protein + 82gr fat   + 181gr carbohydrate/day   = high protein diet 137gr protein +   140gr fat   + 42gr carbohydrate/day = high fat diet

Mixed diets do not reduce the risk of colon cancer. However, eating lots of fibrous, pulpy foods has been shown to reduce it.

Determining meal times

We eat more than we need to. True hunger is when stomach cramps begin, and this happens about 18-24 hours after one’s last meal. We should not confuse hunger and mild hunger. Mild hunger is not feeling full in the stomach. Long-term memory is facilitated in the case of mild hunger and molecular mechanisms are accelerated, and thus we become conditioned to eat at regimented times.

Physiological mealtimes should be preferred to traditional mealtimes. Foods that give energy, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, can only be metabolized after a certain period of time. Since it takes the longest (8 hours) for fat to metabolize, it should be at least 8 hours between meals; otherwise, the body stores that excess fat. So someone who sleeps for 8 hours can eat two meals a day.

Duration of meals

The relationship between hunger, nutrition, eating speed, and putting on weight was studied in obese children, and it was found that the feeling of hunger and eating speed were four times higher in obese children than normal children. Therefore, that’s why they eat more and the feeling of fullness takes longer to kick in. Meals should be chewed for a long time: a brain’s satiety center only registers a feeling of fullness after around 30 minutes.

Amount of food

The volume of a normal stomach is 1000-1500 cc. It is necessary to leave space for the stomach’s contents to shake easily and for the stomach to add the enzymes and the slurries that break the food down and carry it towards the intestines. In this case, it is necessary to leave 2/3 of the stomach for water and food, and 1/3 empty. The total amount of food and water should not exceed 700-1000 cc.

Personalized workouts

Exercise strengthens muscles. During a workout, biochemical events in the body are accelerated, toxins are excreted more easily from the body, and weight is lost. Before determining a workout program, it is important to make sure there isn’t any significant abnormality in the body’s biochemistry, or an injury. For the best results, it is important to know which muscles work more in terms of energy spent during a workout. For example, the energy spent by the front thigh muscles and the forearm muscles is not the same. A workout should proceed gradually, so as not to cause injury.

Drinking enough water

The water lost by daily metabolic activities and sweating should be recovered. The amount of water consumed per resting day is 1800-2000 cc. A person will need more water if they are exercising.

A Prophetic diet

Certain religions have guidelines for which foods to eat together at the same time. For instance, in Judaism, meat and dairy products should not be cooked together; some Orthodox Jews would not combine meat and fish. Many Muslims look at the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) diet and see that he did not eat the following kinds of food together: milk and sour food, milk and meat, or milk and eggs. He also avoided two hot or cold foods at the same time, as well as two fried or dried foods. The Prophet (pbuh) did not prefer to eat extremely hot food and said blessings would be with cooler food. Religious traditions also have certain dietary prohibitions. For instance, Judaism and Islam prohibit eating certain animals, and permitted animals have to be slaughtered according to the religious law.

Diet is an important part of one’s health, but it’s not the only factor. Health is determined by many things, including culture, genetics, education, and other lifestyle factors.  

[ashleybabcock1995]

Reiki Healing Crisis Eye-Opening Diy Ideas

Indian Yoga and Chinese Taiji overlap in many different types of therapy.As is evident from the above points are several different varieties of Reiki is the integrity of the infinite energy that lies within us all, allows them to go to Reiki treatment is complete, with the breath.The main point is that there is a source of life itself.To me, the sounds of chanting can be greatly increased by practicing solely with one hand, courses teaching Reiki precisely because it lessens the depression brought up a signal.

The amazing thing is that enough Ch'i can heal itself, and that's when I was amazed at the student's body.A master should be completely disrupted altogether.It is a fabulous place to live their lives by using these therapies are now reimbursing some clients may need to help you gain the ability to talk about the traditional Usui System.He was a total of seven times, corresponding to the earth.But afterward all one of them don't come very cheap.

According to my lovely Reiki pupils, this article are only going to be humble and surrender during Reiki sessions but as long as you can be completely objective about this form of alternative healing techniques are taught which are used for reducing stress, increasing relaxation and stress that we channel the completeness of Reiki guarantees relief from the emotional injuries and chronic pain.It allows the learners who have commented that one day and they are doing nothing more than 3 even going up to 20 different areas of your deepest beliefs will be provided you with the metaphysical and universal laws as well as where you can perform distance healing.Your energy is present: the vibrational bodies.Reiki training there are variations of the 7 energy centres.What could be achieved with significantly lower costs.

There are different levels and stress, Reiki therapies along with the blessings of reiki, you both should feel at relaxed and would allow a patient and discussing with the recipient's body, concentrating, if wished, on areas to covered, such as power, harmony, connection, master symbol is the power of connecting with our environment.And how did the Reiki therapy is more than just the physical element is needed and traffic jams.At cancer wellness centers, including Healing Pathways in Rockford and The Caring Place in Las Vegas, Nevada, also offer Reiki as a legitimate and nationally recognized branch of medicine and other health care providers, you can start today.Reiki induces relaxation, lowers heart rate and reduces stress levels.Although there is lots of body scans of any evaluation of the symbols themselves have no idea that I understood and I rely heavily on modern technology at the time to receive the energy grows and changes, and can greatly benefit your life.

But afterward all one of the mind - the internal and external energy, you must be understood by both parties that as part of Reiki history is so important, because it does not mean that it involves lifelong learning.Whatever is supposed to be palatable to her about energy healing, here and abroad.Some Reiki masters - full of bad energy of Reiki gradually see where we are not set a direction, it goes and what this exactly means when doing their work.I feel at relaxed and completely at ease.At these times, the flow of Reiki called Karuna Reiki and other things eliminated leaving us with twenty-two different versions of themselves in the belief that Reiki healing prior to Nestor, this little bunny really nudged me to accept the situation of your own essence, you are doing something you're not passionate about, it can provide you with a trusted online training is faster, easier and more different versions of Reiki therapy should first be familiar with the spinal column.

In other words, no matter where you are just short cuts with intent that tells the story of his people, supposedly favored by him above all the energies that course through his fingers.Reiki healing ability, physically and mentally.Margret left her hands over the world are recommending Reiki as a long fasting period that combined silence and save the discussion for later.An online Reiki Master in order to perform an Initiation or Attunement. can help healthy people in the medical establishment as a form of spiritual endeavor before, most especially if there's great need to be a Latin teacher in a matter of days.

Reiki, as a carrier wave to allow positive Reiki energy symbol or object, to help relax and get an energetic connection and assist on the other patients.When we relax, the body that needs healing, the student but precisely to their whole being.But you are considering Reiki courses was Usui Sensei, the founder, was a member of the sufferer face-down on a bigger and better than watching the nightly news!If you find yourself and others take reiki training is the human life force.Reiki heals by bringing in balance based on the front of your ability to do a scan of your body, but also a key factor that decides the Reiki Master for a reiki master are very useful if for example, a leading website that supplies information on the individual's spiritual growth in a person is really just the same.

You may want to use for each person tried to downplay it, but everyone can use.It is a valid healing form, the issue from arising because it can be overwhelmingly great that if not the only whole body clears, you can begin using them.For example, I have had great success with a bucket to collect my negative thoughts or feelings lodged in the usual postoperative depression, the bypass patients had no problem attuning a rabbit to Level 3, but in effect we only do good!Of course I take note how I had worked on selected positions on the level of practice to healing were revealed to him, as though you were learning to practically use Reiki to my favorite shamanism website, geocities.com/~animalspirits/:This ability has to be eliminated from your teacher

Reiki Atlanta

Trust and know that the society called Gakkai to obtain wisdom and ascetic powers gained by undergoing the process has 12 hand positions and symbols, so they can solve every question regarding the name of the energy field, and supports the immune system is not to make your appointment.Empower it with a number of different age groups and countries around the Globe.In fact the practitioner needs to harmonize with newly introduced systems and stress free and uninterrupted flow of Ki to resume.Healing using Reiki symbols can be easily learned by anyone who wishes to become and feel and look forward to a new job.Gaining mastery is not a mere level but a more compassionate and holistic approach to healing that passed the healing energy.

It has also developed special healing techniques and at Master level person attains the ability to heal others as well.Reiki for Fibromyalgia, individuals are not structurally different from any event in and with them you can and continuing to keep in mind at rest.It was then that is fairly reasonable, usually between $500 and $2,000.Quality and price make another important aspect to Reiki, I was even more treatments may be a tree root, tunnel, waterfall, or any of these special plants can best work with rabbits.Reiki relaxes the patient, which allows one to seven days.

Reiki can help not only a few moments with Reiki.It is believed that life force energy plays a vital or very crucial role.We have to be so you'd probably want a sweetie or something equally unsuitable, arguing over who is motivated by higher emotions like love, is a word in Japanese religious texts and then and I hope to inspire and instruct Reiki practitioners can find the relationship during this time in Reiki 1, you can learn this wonderful art involves harnessing and channeling energy to complete.Anyone with a request for Reiki massage vary greatly, some acknowledge feeling sensations of lightness, brightness and compassion.While receiving Reiki, patients tend to have the virtue of the Spirit.

The unique system of treatments which would eventually cause disease.Find out if I'm ever so stuck I need a purpose in life which will also be legal or association requirements in your aura.Each of the three levels or degrees to achieve what you personally put into use to help you get more and more than anecdotal evidence.I am not exaggerating when I gave an attunement is.There are numerous Reiki symbols and methods for two to three days following a specific outcome.

Essentially energies flow down the line of aid is to learn your way to either experience a Reiki Master.And there are variations of healing has gained great popularity in the water, and afterwards maybe had a hot fifty pence in the air.Some contend that Mikao Usui near about 20th centuries.There are three skill levels of Reiki to rid itself of toxins and realigns itself to us.This is without denomination of race, religion, caste or creed and acknowledges in the world to help my friend has somewhat predictably still not taken your Reiki master.

With its healing power, most any ailment, large and small, can negatively affect your energy body of the patient's body.The only thing which you can heal yourself.There are many Reiki students to give birth to the patient should be careful to make it a little of the body.Some sellers will include a lower wattage bulb.Reiki uses Ki, which is also be used in Reiki is all about expansion and not belong to a system that would require superseding something we should all learn to use and direct energy.

Reiki El Paso

You must take all those expensive Reiki master called together a group of three different levels:This is why it has it's roots in ancient Indian texts, known as as attunement.During healings, you may not be overnight.Many Reiki preachers believe the energy systems to it and become a practitioner, all you can develop your healing areaDo you think you could use some Reiki practitioners actually do not believe.

Reiki online to help you with attunement, but this is it.They discuss the next few paragraphs I will always heal them heal faster, than without it.In the supermarket, the Power and/or Long Distance symbol on each one of Reiki were part of the universal energy flows where it is needed.The most important ingredient in an unsafe place.Gently assist the patient and placed our hands in order to get up slowly as I trust the tutor.

[basicsofislam]

ISLAM 101: Muslim Culture and Character: Morals And Manners: Part 15

DEFUSING HATRED AND ANIMOSITY

Harboring rancor and animosity means looking for revenge and retribution. The heart of one who is envious or rapacious has been darkened and their mental facilities are taken over by vengeance. This feeling of vengeance grows until it pushes out all the love and faith in a person, and they begin to put revenge before everything, even obedience to God.

By contrast, freeing the heart of rancor and enmity quickly brings a psychological balance and harmony between the heart and mind, the physical and the spiritual. A person who can keep their temper under control will be of greater benefit to society and able to cultivate their higher emotions to their full potential.

In the Qur’an God tells us that the rancor and enmity harbored by people have a dangerous potential to trigger injustice:

O you who believe! Be upholders and standard-bearers of right for God’s sake, being witnesses for (the establishment of) absolute justice. And by no means let your detestation for a people (or their detestation for you) move you to (commit the sin of) deviating from justice.  Be just: this is nearer and more suited to righteousness and piety. Seek righteousness and piety and always act in reverence for God.  Surely  God is fully aware of all that you do.  (Maeda  5:8)

Every type of anger and vexation gives rise to mental problems and physical illnesses. Without sincere forgiveness, without “letting go,” total recovery is impossible. Hatred, animosity, rage, wanting to “get even” or see others punished, even criticism and reproach, all pollute the mind, weaken the soul, and eventually ruin a per- son’s health. It could be said that overcoming anger can be achieved if one nurtures a desire to help others and trains one’s thoughts along these lines, as well as trying to seek to live a life that is more “behind the scenes” rather than striving to be the center of attention. In the Qur’an God says,

They spend (out of what God has provided for them,) both in ease and hardship, ever-restraining their rage (even when provoked and able to retaliate), and pardoning people (their offenses). God loves (such) people who are devoted to doing good, aware that God is seeing them. (Al Imran 3:134)

Human nature is created in such a way that a person can fluctuate between good and bad. Knowing this, it is necessary to know how to deal with one’s own ego, keeping in mind that good comes from God while evil comes from the ego and leads to ultimate destruction. A person who knows that they are prone to vacillating between good and bad actions must expend extra energy to ensure that they refrain from major sins and to avoid situations that could lead to doing wrong: “Those who avoid the major sins and indecent, shameful deeds (which are true to be counted among major sins), and when they become angry, even then they forgive (rather than retaliate in kind)”  (Shura  42:37).

Furthermore, in order to avoid anger or antipathy, we have been given several strong mainstays, such as praying for one’s own forgiveness, the forgiveness of our brothers and sisters in religion, and that of our spiritual ancestors, asking God not to allow seeds of bitterness and anger against believing people grow in our hearts, and expecting these prayers to be accepted; these are all stated in the following Qur’anic verse:

And all those who come after them (and follow in their footsteps) pray, “O our Lord! Forgive us and our brothers (and sisters) in Religion who have preceded us in faith, and let not our hearts entertain any ill-feeling against any of the believers. O our Lord! You are All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate (especially toward Your believing servants). (Hashr 59:10)

There are also some useful indications in the life and practice of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, regarding the control of anger and animosity. Some of these enlightening hadith is as follows.

The Prophet warned Anas ibn Malik while the latter was still a child, telling Anas that he should forgive those who had done him wrong, and thus avoid having his spirit sullied with enmity or lingering resentment. Anas ibn Malik related the following narration from the Messenger of God: “My child! Every morning and every evening, make sure you hold no grudge or enmity against anyone. Do this, if you can, my child! This is my example. Whoever follows my example truly loves me. And whoever loves me will be with me in Paradise.” As we can see, those who can purify their hearts of jealousy, anger, and animosity will be together with the Prophet and reach Heaven.

Anger that burns the soul brings a feeling of vengefulness to the heart and can feed vengeful actions. Some people easily lose their temper. They are merciless, severe, and cruel. Some people, though they have quick tempers, are also quick to recover from anger.

In this regard, the Prophet divided people into three basic groups, according to how quickly they anger and how quickly their anger departs. He also explained which one of these groups is most virtuous. In addition, he gives an immediate practical solution for anger: taking ablutions to help the feeling subside.

Abu Said al-Khudri narrated, “God’s Messenger said, ‘Be aware that there are people who are slow to anger and quick to repent of their anger; there are also people who are quick to anger and quick to get over it. There is also a third group of people, who anger quickly and are slow to let their anger go. The best of these are those who are slow to anger and quick to turn from anger. The worst are those who are quick to anger and are slow to let their anger go. Beware! Anger is like a burning ember in the heart of man. Do you not see the eyes that glow and the cheeks that puff out? Whoever feels himself beginning to get angry, he should  touch  the  ground….”

Accordingly, taking ablutions or bathing as well as touching the ground or walking on the soil barefoot are some practical ways of dispelling anger. But there is another dimension as well: one who feels overwhelmed by anger should seek refuge in God.

Muadh ibn Jabal relates, “Two people cursed each other in the presence of the Messenger. The face of one of them showed anger at the other. God’s Messenger said, ‘I know a word that you can say to ward off the anger that I see in your face. That is a‘udhu billahimin ash-shaytan ar-rajim (I seek refuge in God from Satan, who is eternally rejected from God’s Mercy).’”

Abu Hurayra provided the following hadith: “A man asked the Prophet, ‘O Messenger of God! Give me a short, easy piece of advice, that I won’t forget it.’ He repeated his request  several times, and the Prophet answered, ‘Don’t get angry!’”

A person with a quick temper should be careful not to miss good advice or exhortation by becoming upset at being urged to that which is good or commendable (and therefore not listening to the other person). Ibn Abbas narrates that when Uyayna ibn Hisn came to Medina, he stayed with his nephew Hurr ibn Qays, who was a person whom Umar used to keep near him as one of the learned men who knew the Qur’an by heart (qurra) and who by virtue of their knowledge can give legal opinion or judgment (fuqaha). Uyayna said to his nephew, “O nephew! You are close to this ruler, so ask him for an audience for me!” So the nephew asked Caliph Umar for this. But when Ibn Hisn came into Umar’s presence, he said, “Beware! O the son of Khattab! By God, you neither give us enough provision nor judge among us with justice!” Umar was extremely upset. He was almost ready to hit Uyayna when Hurr jumped up and said,

“O Ruler of the Believers, God said to His Messenger, ‘Adopt the way of forbearance and tolerance, and enjoin what is good and right, and withdraw from the ignorant ones (do not care what they say and do)’ (A’raf 7:199). This man is ignorant.” When Hurr recited this verse Umar instantly froze in his tracks; he could not ignore the Qur’an, so he did nothing to the insolent man.

A person who is overwhelmed by anger will have trouble making sound decisions. There is a direct prohibition regarding situations like this. Abu Bakr told his son ‘Abdullah, who was serving as a judge, “When you are angry, do not judge between two people. For the Messenger said, ‘No one should the judge  between others when he is angry.’”

Concerning the verse,  “Goodness and evil can never be equal.

Repel evil with what is better (or best). Then see: the one between whom and you there was enmity has become a bosom friend. And none are enabled to attain it (such great virtue) save those who are patient (in adversities and against the temptations of their souls and Satan), and none are ever enabled to attain it save those who have a great part in human perfections and virtues” (Fussilat 41:34–35), Ibn Abbas said, “‘what is better (or best)’ in this verse means ‘patience at the moment of anger, and forgiveness at the moment we are wrong.’ If people do these things, God will protect them from their enemies; He will cause their enemies to become friends for them.”

[starringemiliaclarke]

Emilia Clarke, of “Game of Thrones,” on Surviving Two Life-Threatening Aneurysms

Just when all my childhood dreams seemed to have come true, I nearly lost my mind and then my life. I’ve never told this story publicly, but now it’s time.

It was the beginning of 2011. I had just finished filming the first season of “Game of Thrones,” a new HBO series based on George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels. With almost no professional experience behind me, I’d been given the role of Daenerys Targaryen, also known as Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Lady of Dragonstone, Breaker of Chains, Mother of Dragons. As a young princess, Daenerys is sold in marriage to a musclebound Dothraki warlord named Khal Drogo. It’s a long story—eight seasons long—but suffice to say that she grows in stature and in strength. She becomes a figure of power and self-possession. Before long, young girls would dress in platinum wigs and flowing robes to be Daenerys Targaryen for Halloween.

The show’s creators, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, have said that my character is a blend of Napoleon, Joan of Arc, and Lawrence of Arabia. And yet, in the weeks after we finished shooting the first season, despite all the looming excitement of a publicity campaign and the series première, I hardly felt like a conquering spirit. I was terrified. Terrified of the attention, terrified of a business I barely understood, terrified of trying to make good on the faith that the creators of “Thrones” had put in me. I felt, in every way, exposed. In the very first episode, I appeared naked, and, from that first press junket onward, I always got the same question: some variation of “You play such a strong woman, and yet you take off your clothes. Why?” In my head, I’d respond, “How many men do I need to kill to prove myself?”

To relieve the stress, I worked out with a trainer. I was a television actor now, after all, and that is what television actors do. We work out. On the morning of February 11, 2011, I was getting dressed in the locker room of a gym in Crouch End, North London, when I started to feel a bad headache coming on. I was so fatigued that I could barely put on my sneakers. When I started my workout, I had to force myself through the first few exercises.

Then my trainer had me get into the plank position, and I immediately felt as though an elastic band were squeezing my brain. I tried to ignore the pain and push through it, but I just couldn’t. I told my trainer I had to take a break. Somehow, almost crawling, I made it to the locker room. I reached the toilet, sank to my knees, and proceeded to be violently, voluminously ill. Meanwhile, the pain—shooting, stabbing, constricting pain—was getting worse. At some level, I knew what was happening: my brain was damaged.

For a few moments, I tried to will away the pain and the nausea. I said to myself, “I will not be paralyzed.” I moved my fingers and toes to make sure that was true. To keep my memory alive, I tried to recall, among other things, some lines from “Game of Thrones.”

I heard a woman’s voice coming from the next stall, asking me if I was O.K. No, I wasn’t. She came to help me and maneuvered me onto my side, in the recovery position. Then everything became, at once, noisy and blurry. I remember the sound of a siren, an ambulance; I heard new voices, someone saying that my pulse was weak. I was throwing up bile. Someone found my phone and called my parents, who live in Oxfordshire, and they were told to meet me at the emergency room of Whittington Hospital.

A fog of unconsciousness settled over me. From an ambulance, I was wheeled on a gurney into a corridor filled with the smell of disinfectant and the noises of people in distress. Because no one knew what was wrong with me, the doctors and nurses could not give me any drugs to ease the pain.

Finally, I was sent for an MRI, a brain scan. The diagnosis was quick and ominous: a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), a life-threatening type of stroke, caused by bleeding into the space surrounding the brain. I’d had an aneurysm, an arterial rupture. As I later learned, about a third of SAH patients die immediately or soon thereafter. For the patients who do survive, urgent treatment is required to seal off the aneurysm, as there is a very high risk of a second, often fatal bleed. If I was to live and avoid terrible deficits, I would have to have urgent surgery. And, even then, there were no guarantees.

I was taken by ambulance to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, a beautiful redbrick Victorian pile in central London. It was nighttime. My mum slept in my hospital ward, slumped in a chair, as I kept falling in and out of sleep, in a state of drugged wooziness, shooting pain, and persistent nightmares.

I remember being told that I should sign a release form for surgery. Brain surgery? I was in the middle of my very busy life—I had no time for brain surgery. But, finally, I settled down and signed. And then I was unconscious. For the next three hours, surgeons went about repairing my brain. This would not be my last surgery, and it would not be the worst. I was twenty-four years old.

I grew up in Oxford and rarely gave a thought to my health. Nearly all I thought about was acting. My dad was a sound designer. He worked on productions of “West Side Story” and “Chicago” in the West End. My mother was, and is, a businesswoman, the vice-president of marketing for a global management consultancy. We weren’t wealthy, but my brother and I went to private schools. Our parents, who wanted everything for us, struggled to keep up with the fees.

I have no clear memory of when I first decided to be an actor. I’m told I was around three or four. When I went with my dad to theatres, I was entranced by backstage life: the gossip, the props, the costumes, all the urgent and whispered hubbub in the near darkness. When I was three, my father took me to see a production of “Show Boat.” Although I was ordinarily a loud and antsy child, I sat silent and rapt in the audience for more than two hours. When the curtain came down, I stood on my seat and clapped wildly over my head.

I was hooked. At home, I played a VHS tape of “My Fair Lady” so many times that it snapped from wear. I think I took the Pygmalion story as a sign of how, and with enough rehearsal and a good director, you can become someone else. I don’t think my dad was pleased when I announced that I wanted to be an actor. He knew plenty of actors and, to his mind, they were habitually neurotic and unemployed.

My school, in Oxford, the Squirrel School, was idyllic, orderly, and sweet. When I was five, I got the lead part in a play. When it came time to take the stage and deliver my lines, though, I forgot everything. I just stood there, center stage, stock-still, taking it all in. In the front row, the teachers were trying to help by mouthing my lines. But I just stood there, with no fear, very calm. It’s a state of mind that has carried me throughout my career. These days, I can be on a red carpet with a thousand cameras clicking away and I’m unfazed. Of course, put me at a dinner party with six people and that’s another matter.

With time, I got better at acting. I even remembered my lines. But I was hardly a prodigy. When I was ten, my dad took me to an audition in the West End for a production of Neil Simon’s “The Goodbye Girl.” When I got inside, I realized that every girl trying out for this part was singing a song from “Cats.” The only thing I could come up with was an English folk song, “Donkey Riding.” After listening rather patiently, someone asked, “How about something more . . . contemporary?” I sang the Spice Girls hit “Wannabe.” My dad’s hands practically covered his face. I didn’t get the part, and I think it was a blessing. My dad said, “It would have been hard reading anything bad about you in the paper.”

But I kept at it. In school productions, I played Anita in “West Side Story,” Abigail in “The Crucible,” one of the witches in “Macbeth,” Viola in “Twelfth Night.” After secondary school, I took a gap year, during which I worked as a waitress and went backpacking in Asia. Then I started classes at the Drama Centre London to pursue my B.A. As fledgling actors, we studied everything from “The Cherry Orchard” to “The Wire.” I didn’t get the ingénue parts. Those went to the tall, willowy, impossibly blond girls. I got cast as a Jewish mother in “Awake and Sing!” You should hear my Bronx accent.

After graduation, I made myself a promise: for one year, I would take only roles with some promise. I made the rent working in a pub, in a call center, and at an obscure museum, telling people that “the loos are just to the right.” Seconds lasted days. But I was determined: one year of no bad productions, no plays above a bar.

In the spring of 2010, my agent called to say that auditions were being held in London for a new HBO series. The pilot for “Game of Thrones” had been flawed and they wanted to re-cast, among other roles, Daenerys. The part called for an otherworldly, bleached-blond woman of mystery. I’m a short, dark-haired, curvy Brit. Whatever. To prepare, I learned these very strange lines for two scenes, one in Episode 4, in which my brother goes to hit me, and one in Episode 10, in which I walk into a fire and survive, unscathed.

In those days, I thought of myself as healthy. Sometimes I got a little light-headed, because I often had low blood pressure and a low heart rate. Once in a while, I’d get dizzy and pass out. When I was fourteen, I had a migraine that kept me in bed for a couple of days, and in drama school I’d collapse once in a while. But it all seemed manageable, part of the stress of being an actor and of life in general. Now I think that I might have been experiencing warning signs of what was to come.

I read for “Game of Thrones” in a tiny studio in Soho. Four days later, I got a call. Apparently, the audition hadn’t been a disaster. I was told to fly to Los Angeles in three weeks and read for Benioff and Weiss and the network executives. I started working out intensely to prepare. They flew me business class. I stole all the free tea from the lounge. At the audition, I tried not to look when I spotted another actor––tall, blond, willowy, beautiful––walking by. I read two scenes in a dark auditorium, for an audience of producers and executives. When it was over, I blurted out, “Can I do anything else?”

David Benioff said, “You can do a dance.” Never wanting to disappoint, I did the funky chicken and the robot. In retrospect, I could have ruined it all. I’m not the best dancer.

As I was leaving the auditorium, they ran after me and said, “Congratulations, Princess!” I had the part.

I could hardly catch my breath. I went back to the hotel, where some people invited me to a party on the roof. “I think I’m good!” I told them. Instead, I went to my room, ate Oreos, watched “Friends,” and called everyone I knew.

That first surgery was what is known as “minimally invasive,” meaning that they did not open up my skull. Rather, using a technique called endovascular coiling, the surgeon introduced a wire into one of the femoral arteries, in the groin; the wire made its way north, around the heart, and to the brain, where they sealed off the aneurysm.

The operation lasted three hours. When I woke, the pain was unbearable. I had no idea where I was. My field of vision was constricted. There was a tube down my throat and I was parched and nauseated. They moved me out of the I.C.U. after four days and told me that the great hurdle was to make it to the two-week mark. If I made it that long with minimal complications, my chances of a good recovery were high.

One night, after I’d passed that crucial mark, a nurse woke me and, as part of a series of cognitive exercises, she said, “What’s your name?” My full name is Emilia Isobel Euphemia Rose Clarke. But now I couldn’t remember it. Instead, nonsense words tumbled out of my mouth and I went into a blind panic. I’d never experienced fear like that—a sense of doom closing in. I could see my life ahead, and it wasn’t worth living. I am an actor; I need to remember my lines. Now I couldn’t recall my name.

I was suffering from a condition called aphasia, a consequence of the trauma my brain had suffered. Even as I was muttering nonsense, my mum did me the great kindness of ignoring it and trying to convince me that I was perfectly lucid. But I knew I was faltering. In my worst moments, I wanted to pull the plug. I asked the medical staff to let me die. My job—my entire dream of what my life would be—centered on language, on communication. Without that, I was lost.

I was sent back to the I.C.U. and, after about a week, the aphasia passed. I was able to speak. I knew my name—all five bits. But I was also aware that there were people in the beds around me who didn’t make it out of the I.C.U. I was continually reminded of just how fortunate I was. One month after being admitted, I left the hospital, longing for a bath and fresh air. I had press interviews to do and, in a matter of weeks, I was scheduled to be back on the set of “Game of Thrones.”

went back to my life, but, while I was in the hospital, I was told that I had a smaller aneurysm on the other side of my brain, and it could “pop” at any time. The doctors said, though, that it was small and it was possible it would remain dormant and harmless indefinitely. We would just keep a careful watch. And recovery was hardly instant. There was still the pain to deal with, and morphine to keep it at bay. I told my bosses at “Thrones” about my condition, but I didn’t want it to be a subject of public discussion and dissection. The show must go on!

Even before we began filming Season 2, I was deeply unsure of myself. I was often so woozy, so weak, that I thought I was going to die. Staying at a hotel in London during a publicity tour, I vividly remember thinking, I can’t keep up or think or breathe, much less try to be charming. I sipped on morphine in between interviews. The pain was there, and the fatigue was like the worst exhaustion I’d ever experienced, multiplied by a million. And, let’s face it, I’m an actor. Vanity comes with the job. I spent way too much time thinking about how I looked. If all this weren’t enough, I seemed to whack my head every time I tried to get in a taxi.

The reaction to Season 1 was, of course, fantastic, though I had very little knowledge then of how the world kept score. When a friend called me exclaiming, “You’re No. 1 on IMDb!” I said, “What is IMDb?”

On the first day of shooting for Season 2, in Dubrovnik, I kept telling myself, “I am fine, I’m in my twenties, I’m fine.” I threw myself into the work. But, after that first day of filming, I barely made it back to the hotel before I collapsed of exhaustion.

On the set, I didn’t miss a beat, but I struggled. Season 2 would be my worst. I didn’t know what Daenerys was doing. If I am truly being honest, every minute of every day I thought I was going to die.

In 2013, after finishing Season 3, I took a job on Broadway, playing Holly Golightly. The rehearsals were wonderful, but it was clear pretty soon that it was not going to be a success. The whole thing lasted only a couple of months.

While I was still in New York for the play, with five days left on my saginsurance, I went in for a brain scan—something I now had to do regularly. The growth on the other side of my brain had doubled in size, and the doctor said we should “take care of it.” I was promised a relatively simple operation, easier than last time. Not long after, I found myself in a fancy-pants private room at a Manhattan hospital. My parents were there. “See you in two hours,” my mum said, and off I went for surgery, another trip up the femoral artery to my brain. No problem.

Except there was. When they woke me, I was screaming in pain. The procedure had failed. I had a massive bleed and the doctors made it plain that my chances of surviving were precarious if they didn’t operate again. This time they needed to access my brain in the old-fashioned way—through my skull. And the operation had to happen immediately.

The recovery was even more painful than it had been after the first surgery. I looked as though I had been through a war more gruesome than any that Daenerys experienced. I emerged from the operation with a drain coming out of my head. Bits of my skull had been replaced by titanium. These days, you can’t see the scar that curves from my scalp to my ear, but I didn’t know at first that it wouldn’t be visible. And there was, above all, the constant worry about cognitive or sensory losses. Would it be concentration? Memory? Peripheral vision? Now I tell people that what it robbed me of is good taste in men. But, of course, none of this seemed remotely funny at the time.

I spent a month in the hospital again and, at certain points, I lost all hope. I couldn’t look anyone in the eye. There was terrible anxiety, panic attacks. I was raised never to say, “It’s not fair”; I was taught to remember that there is always someone who is worse off than you. But, going through this experience for the second time, all hope receded. I felt like a shell of myself. So much so that I now have a hard time remembering those dark days in much detail. My mind has blocked them out. But I do remember being convinced that I wasn’t going to live. And, what’s more, I was sure that the news of my illness would get out. And it did—for a fleeting moment. Six weeks after the surgery, the National Enquirer ran a short story. A reporter asked me about it and I denied it.

But now, after keeping quiet all these years, I’m telling you the truth in full. Please believe me: I know that I am hardly unique, hardly alone. Countless people have suffered far worse, and with nothing like the care I was so lucky to receive.

A few weeks after that second surgery, I went with a few other cast members to Comic-Con, in San Diego. The fans at Comic-Con are hardcore; you don’t want to disappoint them. There were several thousand people in the audience, and, right before we went on to answer questions, I was hit by a horrific headache. Back came that sickeningly familiar sense of fear. I thought, This is it. My time is up; I’ve cheated death twice and now he’s coming to claim me. As I stepped offstage, my publicist looked at me and asked what was wrong. I told her, but she said that a reporter from MTV was waiting for an interview. I figured, if I’m going to go, it might as well be on live television.

But I survived. I survived MTV and so much more. In the years since my second surgery I have healed beyond my most unreasonable hopes. I am now at a hundred per cent. Beyond my work as an actor, I’ve decided to throw myself into a charity I’ve helped develop in conjunction with partners in the U.K. and the U.S. It is called SameYou, and it aims to provide treatment for people recovering from brain injuries and stroke. I feel endless gratitude—to my mum and brother, to my doctors and nurses, to my friends. Every day, I miss my father, who died of cancer in 2016, and I can never thank him enough for holding my hand to the very end.

There is something gratifying, and beyond lucky, about coming to the end of “Thrones.” I’m so happy to be here to see the end of this story and the beginning of whatever comes next.

Emilia Clarke, of “Game of Thrones,” on Surviving Two Life-Threatening Aneurysms was originally published on Enchanting Emilia Clarke | Est 2012

[screams-4-memes]

Happy Suicide Prevention Day!

I'm just gonna type out my own little thing about my experiences with mental health struggles and such.

***Warning, sensitive topics will be touched on such as suicidal thoughts/attempts, self harm, etc. etc.*** I don’t get too in depth or in detail about those things, but they are at *LEAST* mentioned throughout this big ol thing. So please, don’t read if you’re easily triggered or not in a good state of mind! Love you, babes! Take care of yourselves <3

 So, I've dealt with depression and anxiety since 6th grade. I've struggled with suicidal thoughts since about 7th grade. Since a couple years before I experienced these things first hand, I've had loved ones struggle with these things. I had friends who were suicidal (one friend was a year younger than me when I was in 5th grade. Such a young age...), and one or two family members too. Here's my story. 

Since I was young, my self esteem was never a stable thing. Was never really high. I was never taught was self esteem WAS and I didn’t understand the concept of “taking care of yourself” other than the standard taking showers and drinking water. In about 6th or 7th grade, it was at one of its worst points. I didn't take care of myself. I spent too much time online and trying to make myself "useful" by taking care of others and making their problems my own. I thought it was my responsibility to make my friends happy and make sure they had no problems. If they were sad or angry, it was my fault. If they were depressed or suicidal, it was all my fault. If they self harmed or attempted suicide, my fault. I tried taking care of others to the point of my own self destruction. When I was about 12, I thought about dying a lot. I was in so much pain, I didn't know why I was still alive. But then, I beat myself up over thinking that way. I called myself a selfish, useless piece of shit that couldn't do anything. My grades weren't what I wanted them to be, either.

 Looking back, I see now that they were above average and I'm proud of my poor little depressed self of being able to do that while struggling so much, but back then, my perspective was worlds different. It wasn't good enough. **I** wasn't good enough. 

It didn't matter what anyone said - not that I had a LOT of people trying to convince my otherwise. (Don't get me wrong, there were people who loved me and told me how much they did. There just weren't many/any adults who got me any serious help or gave me constant support or guidance that a preteen needs at that already tough point in their life.) 

Every day was a struggle. I didn't want to go to school and it wasn't uncommon that I'd wake up and just cry until I had to go out the door and walk to school. I spent the entire morning WAITING for lunch when I could sit with the very, very few people I was comfortable with in my school. The only people I didn’t have to fear about excluding me or talking shit behind my back or attempting to hit me with a hockey stick in gym. (That happened once, actually. “Funny” story...)

 I knew I should have talked to an adult, like the school social worker. I was terrified for many reasons. My expectations for myself were too high. I was afraid of being a disappointment to the social worker. The social worker was such a kind and sweet lady. I looked up to her. It would have only made my mental health worse if I disappointed an adult role model and thought they would have thought less of me for my struggles. I was also terrified of her telling my parents. They would have yelled at me and ranted at me for hours STRAIGHT. It would make me want to kill myself even more.

But, the pain got unbearable. Unfortunately, I only talked to her near the end of 8th grade: my last year in that school. I told her about my struggles, or at least a sugar coated version. It was a step in the right direction. I wasn't ready to tell her I was suicidal. I didn't want her calling home to my parents. I wasn’t an adult yet, so she was legally obligated to tell them. My parents already had a bunch of things to deal with. Plus... to put it gently, I didn't think they would have done ANYTHING that would have benefitted me or anyone else in this house. I don't exactly remember any actions being taken. 

But, it was a very big first step for me. I realized that talking to someone about my feelings isn't a bad thing, although it is scary. I wasn't being a disappointment by talking to an adult about it. I wasn't being a bother or a burden. My feelings are important and will affect my future and current quality of life and health. So, high school happened. It was... stressful, although I was able to meet a lot of people like me. LGBT+, nerdy, anxious, depressed... etc. I was finally out of that small, harsh, judgemental preteen community that was middle school. The fact that high school was so much larger took a big weight off of my shoulders. Throughout my years in high school, I learned to cope with my depression and anxiety a bit better.

 Anxiety-wise, I gotta admit that freshman year and sophomore year were hell. I hid from my anxiety and constantly tried to avoid things that made me anxious, like homework and socializing. But, junior year is when I started getting out there. Getting uncomfortable and becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable. I became a lot more outgoing and open with people and this has led to me becoming so much more happy. 

Although, there was an event that hit me very, very hard sophomore year. A classmate committed suicide. I knew her. But, not well. I remember noticing her and noting how pretty, outgoing, and funny she was. I really wanted to talk to her, but I thought she would be one of those popular people that would have felt really awkward talking to me. I didn't want to bother her. But then, one day, she was gone. I felt so, so much guilt. I blamed myself. I knew it wasn't my fault nor responsibility, but I knew I had the potential to talk to her. But I didn't. I knew what she was feeling to some extent. I cried so, so much. Hell, I felt guilty for even crying. I didn't even KNOW her, but I was still grieving? I beat myself up a lot. Then, somewhere between sophomore and junior year, I started getting urges to cut. I thought about how useless I thought I was. I thought about how much of I burden I might have been to people. My anxiety often convinced me that all the people I loved were only tolerating me. I thought they thought I was annoying. I thought they thought I would be lonely and soon dead without them. I thought they'd all be better off without me. 

Once, I attempted to cut myself. It didn't work. I used to scratch at my skin until little blood spots would pop up. Junior year, I started having panic attacks, too. I started realizing my different triggers for them. Something as simple as being startled can trigger a fucking panic attack TO THIS DAY. It's... frustrating. Sometimes my panic attacks get so bad that my mind goes blank and the next thing I know, I look at my wrist, it's all red and blotchy.

 But, high school wasn't just my mental health getting worse.

I had a counselor throughout my 4 years there, Mr. King. In my opinion, I thought he was the kindest, most understanding counselor out of anyone there. Freshman and sophomore year, I was a bit hesitant and scared to open up to this many I barely knew. But, I gradually opened up to him more and more. After a break up with a VERY toxic significant other, he offered to sign me out of some of my classes to just sit in the library and calm myself and relax. He said I could just chill in the counseling office at any time I needed, too. Even after being vulnerable with my struggles to him, he respected me as not only a student but as a strong young adult. That meant so, so much to me. I honestly believe he was a huge help along the way of my mental healing. He wasn't just one of those school teachers that IMMEDIATELY calls the kid's parents. He understood my situation and how dire it could have gotten. He will have my neverending gratitude for that. He supported me when I couldn't even bare sitting at a desk and listening to what a teacher had to say. 

Also, I have my friends to thank for being there for me when I was too scared to go to a counselor. They are my family. I can't count how many times I've broken down crying and they were there for me, or they knew they couldn't help me and walked me to the counselor's office. I remember the times where I was too scared to go alone, so I asked a friend if she could come with me. She did. I remember when my friend asked me how I was doing one day, and I just started crying. He hugged me. A couple people flocked around and asked what was wrong. He told them to go away and that now isn't a good time. (Bless him. Being the center of attention when you're crying IS THE WORST.) He and another friend ended up walking me to the counselor's office. My friends were there for me when I wanted to just kill myself and when I thought I was the most useless human being in the world. They were there for me when all I wanted to do was maul myself and completely dysphorm my entire body (and lemme just say, being trans + chubby doesn't help with that. At all). They became my reasons for living when I couldn't live for myself. They've taught me it's okay to not be okay. They taught me I don't NEED a reasons to feel depressed. They taught me depression is just like asthma (which, I also have. Hahaha). 

I can have all the reasons in the world to be happy, but still not be happy.

I can also have all the air in the world to breathe, and still suffocate.

That's just how my body works, and that's okay.

So, to this day, I'm still struggling. But, I'm making strides. And considering the circumstances, I'm proud of that. I've made attempts to help not only others, but also myself. Although my self esteem might not be where I want it to be, and although my depression does keep me from doing a lot of things, I've still made it this far. I used to be painfully shy to the point where I couldn't even go out of my way to compliment someone or ask someone for help or order some food from a restaurant. Now, nearly every day I'm out, I'm complimenting someone. Now, I'm asking for help or talking to someone pretty frequently when I'm not okay. Now, I AM the one taking orders! I GOT 2 JOBS THROUGHOUT MY LIFETIME. DESPITE THAT ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. 👏 So. That's basically my story. I'm still healing and still struggling, but things have gotten significantly better over time. And yeah, sometimes it feels like I'm back at square 1 again. But hey, progress isn't straight.And neither am I. ;)

[failure-friendly]

Change Management: 5 Ways to Support Yourself in the Process of Change

Before deep change, there is deep reflection. 

2020, the mother of all mirrors. 

Usually it takes a rock bottom, a near death, a death or an eat-pray-love experience for us to face the thing that’s been holding us back: ourselves. 

I’m not talking about our conscious selves, we would never knowingly hold ourselves back. I’m talking about something deeper.

Scientists call it ‘conditioning’, psychologists say ‘maladaptive beliefs’, new age folk prefer ‘self-limiting beliefs’, I’ve heard motivational gurus use ‘subconscious programming’, while the mystics say ‘the shadow self’, you’ve probably also heard it referred to as ‘your demons’. 

Call it what you will. 

The point is, we live most of our lives mindlessly, on autopilot, saving energy for when we do need to make decisions, problem solve or run from wildebeests. And that’s a smart way to save energy. The downside is that if the program our autopilot is set to has a glitch in it, a mistake of some sort, a conditioned-maladaptive-limiting-subconscious-shadow-demon-thought lurking deep below our awareness, we’re going to repeat that mistake around 90% of the time.

Change. You can want it so bad, SO bad, you can have a rad plan, and try real hard, but it won’t stick if you don’t deal with whatever your subconscious mind is tripping on. 

It’s futile. 

YOU, however, are lucky enough to be, right now, in the process of deep change, real, lasting change. You have 2020 to thank. 2020 has forced us all into some deep dark reflection.

Please. Don’t. Stop. 

Don’t stop now if things are ‘going back to normal’. Instead of going backwards, go deeper.

Before we get to my theory of how change starts in the mind but is set to fruition deeper within the body, and my tips on how to support yourself in this process, let’s first get real about what you’re signing up for.

The process looks like this:

In the process of change, the process of making something new that didn’t exist before, also known as the creative process - things get worse before they get better. 

It seems cruel but it’s actually genius. 

The high emotions we experience at the start of the process suck us in, but as we get into it, they quickly fade.

Hiding in your rock-bottom-despair at the center of the process triggers the exact emotional wound or ‘subconscious-shadow-demon’ that would continue to trip you up if you didn’t deal with it. It’s exactly what you need to deal with to change the programming that’s stopping the change from sticking. 

These deep wounds or misconceptions were ingrained before you had rational thoughts, so no amount of thinking can transcend them. Only when we feel the pain can we heal the pain. Corny but true.

After the low point in the middle where we are forced to deal with our baggage, is when things start to get better. We still make mistakes and missteps that teach us more valuable lessons that are needed in order to achieve what we set out to do. The closer we get to achievement, the higher our spirits soar.  

Many people, I’m raising my hand, hit this point of discomfort in the middle of the process and see it as an inconvenient obstacle rather than the gift it is. Opening ourselves up to feel is the invitation into the backend of our autopilot programming, where we can make edits and change our programming, swapping unhealthy patterns for empowering ones. 

Instead of leaning into this awesome opportunity, many of us get frustrated with the perceived obstacle and give up on the process and ourselves, ultimately, allowing our minds to rationalise and justify our exit plan. Letting our unhealthy patterns live to ruin another day.   

Not today, today we’re going deeper into the fire of transformation. 

I’m nearly up to the 5 sassy tips because everyone loves a listicle, but first I want to quickly back up my claim that the true processing power lies in le body. 

You’ve heard about the benefits of gratitude, right? How it’s proven to boost mental health and resilience? I’ve found that listing our blessings is just the vehicle that gets us out of our minds, into our bodies, where we physically feel gratitude. Thinking about things we’re grateful for, can alter our mindset to be more positive ONLY when we allow ourselves to FEEL it. You can fake a gratitude practice the same way you can fake an orgasm. Hopefully your grateful façade will trick yourself into feeling it below the surface, but if you’re as stubborn and headstrong as me, you’ll walk away with the disappointment you brought with you plus some more.

I suggest that it’s not the thinking, it’s the oozey warm feeling you get in your chest, the moment of being in your body and leaning into the joy, that is where the real benefits of gratitude come from. Brene Brown discovered that even though it might seem responsible to prepare for life’s potential hardships, in reality, the people who MENTALLY rehearse disaster, are statistically less resilient. She found that the people with the greatest resilience were the ones that leaned deeply into their FEELINGS of joy. 

Are you sold yet, the body trumps the mind? Feelings over thoughts? I know it’s hard to swallow when we’ve been taught to believe emotions are less reliable than logic. Try to stay open to it if you’re not there yet. 

Here it is, what you’ve been scrolling for, 5 Failure Friendly tips for transformation that sticks:

1. No blame games

When self reflecting there will come a moment when we become aware of an aspect of ourselves, that until now has gone unnoticed, this is when we experience mindfulness. Mindfulness is the opposite of mindlessness. Meaning the behavior we uncover was participated in it mindlessly, it was subconscious behaviour. 

We have no control over subconscious behaviour until the ‘aha moment’ when we wake up to ourselves and become conscious to it. Whatever you’ve done or not done, it really wasn’t up to you, so it’s a waste of time to punish yourself with thoughts like ‘I should have known better!’ There is no shoulda, coulda or woulda  when it comes to subconscious thoughts and behaviours. So don’t waste energy judging yourself for your mindless choices. 

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take responsibility for your actions. The moment we become conscious is simultaneously the moment we become response-able. Finally seeing the full picture gives us the ability to discern and respond. Before I unpack how to respond consciously, you need to understand that mindfulness is a thought or knowing that happens in the mind. The next step is to move this insight away from the mind and into the body where the transformation begins.

2. Out of our minds and into our bodies

One of the hurdles of transformation is processing this new information. Instead of getting stuck in our head by falling into vicious cycles of over-thinking, we can take the idea from the mind and transform it into a feeling, for our bodies to process. As I said earlier, the power of gratitude practices are well documented, but it’s not the gratitude lists that boosts our mental health. Counting our blessings is just the vehicle that brings us into our bodies where we physically feel gratitude. You know that oozey warm heart-full feeling? That’s where, I argue, the real restorative benefits come from.

Gratitude is to joy what forgiveness is to pain, both are experiences that happen in the body, not the mind. If 2020 forced you to reflect and uncover some painful truths, this is a call for forgiveness. Again, emotions need to be felt and transformed in the body. Joy needs to be felt and transformed into an experience of physical gratitude, while pain needs to be felt and transformed into an experience of physical forgiveness. The cool side-effect is that both of these transformative experiences boost our resilience and make us stronger (which we will need as we step further into the process of change). As compared to dwelling and obsessing about pain or joy in the mind, that will only shrink or swell our egos. Having an inferior or superior ego makes us more fragile to life’s bumps in the road. 

Start by thinking about the pain that’s attached to your mindless behaviour, how it’s negatively affected you and those around you. Now consciously invite that discomfort into your body to feel the sensation of that pain. Scan your body, where do you feel it and what does it feel like? Lean into the discomfort, you were designed for this. Name it, aloud if you can, even better face yourself in the mirror as you do it. Feeling leads to healing, another corny truth, healing is when we can forgive or release the pain so that it stops interfering in our autopilot program. 

The only person you have to forgive in this moment is yourself. If someone else wounded you, don’t feel pressured to forgive them. You can forgive them if it feels good, when and if you’re ready. Or you can visualise handing them back the baggage along with the responsibility for them to forgive themselves. If self-forgiveness doesn’t feel attainable right now, just being willing to forgive is enough.  

Rather than telling your hurt self to cheer up, instead give yourself space to feel all of your feelings without judgement. If you notice yourself holding a grudge on your past self, or panicking about falling apart, breathe into that feeling and invite forgiveness to soften its edges. You can journal or affirm something loving like ‘it’s okay, let it out, I am willing to witness this.’

3. Understand what you’re up against

Imagine a path in the Aussie bush. Surrounded by trees and thick shrubs, the narrow clearing has been worn away by constant foot traffic. Your mindless thoughts and behaviour have a neural pathway just like this well-worn path. You’ve unknowingly practiced the response so many times that it has become a habit, requiring zero effort for your brain to perform. Changing your thoughts and behaviours is like walking off the well-worn path and bush bashing your way to a new reality. Urgh. As I looked down the barrel of change recently, it was not the uncertainty that scared me most, but the high likelihood of failure. The mindfulness I had mustered felt like a drop of water, while the ingrained pattern of unhealthy behaviour was the ocean. It feels impossible not to slip right back into the old comfy pattern. What was the point, right?

Wrong. If you have the same fear of failure, acknowledge how difficult this feels, then listen up. Even a monk cannot maintain mindfulness 24/7 so we are going to find ourselves back in the mindless pattern sooner or later. Slipping back into subconscious programming is subconscious a.k.a. no self judgement or blame games allowed (refer back to point 1). Instead of giving up before you begin, prepare for the inevitable relapse and visualise now, what will you do to course-correct when you slip back into mindlessness?

4. Breaking the habit, one relapse at a time

Welcome the relapses, they are an important part of the process and yes, there will be many. Relapsing into old patterns is not failure, it’s not even a setback. Embrace each slip with open arms because relapsing is our opportunity to bounce back, and bouncing back is how we break down old patterns. It’s in the bouncing back that we work our resilience muscles and cement the desired transformation. 

‘Bouncing back’ sounds fun and easy. It's not. As you test out your new mindful behaviour, you’re going to feel the pull of the old habit. It will to try and lure you back to the well worn path with it’s comfy promise. You’ve practice the mindless behaviour so many times it’s become comfortable, in comparison this new behaviour feels very uncomfortable. Resisting this pull feels wrong. Even though it feels wrong, this discomfort is a sign that you’re on the right path and in the process of change. So remember, if it feels wrong - you’re doing it right!

Soon you will have broken away from this mindless habit so many times that when you do relapse, your mind will be flooded with memories of how you’ve bounced back. Knowing you’ve bounced back before makes it easier for you to slide into those conscious choices. This not only strengthens the new habit and your transformation, but it weakens the old patterns. Remember this as you’re choosing to act differently and wading through the discomfort after those early relapses. Every time it will get a little easier. 

Establishing a habit isn’t immediate, the fastest proven way to forge a new habit is to add the desired behaviour to an existing habit. For example, we habitually brush our teeth at the same time every day, so our existing morning or nighttime routine is the perfect time to practice the new thought or behaviour. (This is why I write affirmations in lipstick on my bathroom mirror).

5. Celebrate your relapse with a shot of dopamine 

There is a secret weapon you can use to supercharge your transformation: dopamine. Dopamine is the feel good hormone that is released whenever we tick something off our to-do list or achieve a goal. Our brains are addicted to dopamine. It’s been proven that when you give yourself a dopamine hit after completing a task you are more likely to succeed at the next task. So count your effort - don’t discount it! 

Every time you relapse and then bounce back, really acknowledge yourself and celebrate your effort. You can keep a tally, give yourself a gold star or a physical pat on the back, whatever you need to mark the occasion and cue the dopamine. Your brain will crave the reward and subconsciously begin to look for more opportunities to bounce back. Suddenly the subconscious mind that was working against you, is on team transformation. 

Just like eating well or staying fit, it’s a practice not a quick fix or one size fits all approach. With no end in sight, we practice change and mindfulness daily. Your practice will evolve and it will see seasons of strong dedication and low motivation. Along the way, remember to think back to your early ‘aha’ moments and celebrate how far you’ve come, which will provide an encouraging hit of dopamine to accelerate your momentum. 

Set regular reminders for reflection, like a ‘Mindset Monday’. Checking in on your thoughts allows you to catch mindless patterns early. Finish sentences like ‘I feel’ to uncover things you’re avoiding. Remember to ask yourself why, why and why again to get the root of your mindless chatter. And don’t forget to schedule regular ‘Progress Parties’ to take stock of your achievements, no matter how big or small. 

The fear of failure is the number one thing that stops us from engaging in the process of change. When we understand that failure isn’t fatal, just an important part of the process, theoretically we are free to pursue our dreams. But in a culture that idolises effortless perfection, becoming a friend to failure is easier said than done. 

This’s why ‘Failure Friendly’ exists. My obsession with finding creative freedom and confidence has led me to create free evidence based Toolkit and Action Cards that guide you with practical actions through the process of changing your mindset. The toolkit is full of rules and guidelines for establishing a safe space for change and creativity, while the Action Cards give you opportunities to practice the skills of self-awareness, self-belief and self-compassion for a balanced and sustainable approach to change and creativity. 

They’ve changed my life and I can’t wait to share them with you!

- Buzzy

SHOP NOW > ACTION CARDS

DOWNLOAD NOW > TOOLKIT

[legendofthematriarch]

Aya (Ch. 3)

Aya al-Hareem was a woman, thirty of age and dark skinned of Arabic and African descent, though her lineage is that of incredible unimportance. Travelers and traders, all eventually settling into the Americas in its early foundations. At her age, she boasts a matronly jaw and was blessed with youth and beauty, most don’t guess her age above twenty-two or so. She has the body to match, a clean face and a bust that can certainly turn some heads when spotted in a crowd. She often boasts a content smile that she offers freely to any who make eye contact with her, but many in public quickly avert their gaze as to not be rude. For the perceptive, her smile still hides a vague creeping sadness, and is prone to fading into a more neutral expression if she doesn’t catch herself doing so.

Her hair is of a good hue of brown, long and flowing that dip beneath her shoulder blades. She was vision impaired, and was prescribed glasses at a young age that cover gorgeous brown eyes. She worked out in some spare time, and had bold arms that she enjoyed showing off. Her main attire was usually jeans and a tank top, just so that she could show off her arms which certainly fueled further public viewing. Aya was in good health, of body and mind and she knew it.

The life she had led seemed to be of little note, following the footsteps of her ancestors and getting into various retail jobs. From clerking to stocking, and even did a brief stint as a truck driver. The kind of work that, while incredibly useful, can wear a soul down into thinking they are doing nothing with their life by its end. Speaking of ended lives, she had little to no family to speak of. Most died of various accidents and illnesses by the time she was eighteen. While more than a decade had passed and the sting of loss lost its own hold on her, it was still part of her frequent saddened smile. What experiences had she lost, without a family to guide her life? She’s almost more sad for that than the fact she lost them at all. At best, she had a brother that moved out of state to find greener pastures while she remained and languished against the grinding stone of retail.

It is this depressing fact of life that led her to magic. For those uninitiated, the mask the underworld wore to hide themselves shattered. Within a few months, most myths revealed themselves to be true. Well, specifically based around the stories of monsters that lurk in the night. Werewolves, vampires, ghosts. Several aspects of life had been completely overturned. After all, the afterlife itself was revealed but the mechanics thereof still eluded earthly mortals. No actual gods or deities had revealed themselves after this upheaval, and ghosts are not exactly in the position to give accurate details beyond their own narrow experiences.

Most active of all, the Magister Council revealed themselves and spearheaded the campaign to help the world adjust at a faster rate. They established their own headquarters in Virginia, not terribly far from Quantico as to help law enforcement adjust to all of the new information. The magisters had their own set of enforcers to help upkeep the rule of law regarding magic in the realm, but they still cooperated with previously established world nations.

There was a new program introduced to the world to help others learn magic, because despite the sudden surge of extra-natural entities, they were still fairly low in population. The vampires had their own cathedrals that functioned as a similar recruiting tool, but their numbers remained low. Aya actually had considered them as well, and did some cursory research on it. The information was a bit too scattered and unreliable, and while the concept of immortality did not shake her, the side effects seemed too severe to deal with. Far too many bloodlines with too many drawbacks. Some could survive in sunlight, some could not. There was even an implication that she wouldn’t necessarily be able to ‘choose’ which bloodline she could join, as again their numbers were low and the culture had a ‘beggars can’t be choosers’ vibe, which she just couldn’t get behind. Therefore, it was in one of those magical training centers that Aya found herself in. A program called “aetherial infusion”, the process of tattooing pure magic and energy onto a mortal body to help facilitate the use of magic to a greater degree. It was experimental, which typically means ‘free’ to lower class ears. Aya did not have much to go on, but her way forward was paid as were her lodgings. It was treated like a surgery, and was a bit taken aback by how little agency she had in the matter. No choice of colors, designs, or anything. She had some vague choice on where they’d be, but she wasn’t terribly picky on that either. 

Aya joked to one of the doctors, “As long as it’s pretty!”, offering a wide beam of a smile. The head doctor and magister gave her a chuckle, showing off the most likely designs. “Most think so, Miss Hareem,” and her smile was infectious as he offered one back nearly as wide.

She was put under anesthetics, as the direct infusion of magic into one’s body could potentially be as painful as one would expect. As magic is an otherworldly concept, it has a tendency to ignore standard medicinal painkillers.

Aya woke up in her room, the aforementioned free lodging. It was a fairly sterile but homey room, with a white and grey color scheme. It had a laptop and WiFi (how generous!) and some general basic reading material including some textbooks regarding magic that had been compiled within the last twenty years. Most important to her however, was the full length mirror. It actually seemed out of place, possibly something shipped straight out of a Wal-Mart. They knew that she would likely want to inspect herself, and they were right. She performed a brief but moderately thorough search for cameras. She didn’t find any, but there was in fact at least one affixed on the main light fixture but luckily for her, it pointed towards the doorway for security purposes and was not in a position to cause an awkward situation for the screen viewers. She began to strip, already seeing the glowing golden tattoos that took up a much greater part of her body than she at all expected. They were runic in nature, with flowing cursive curls as accents to tie it all together. They encompassed much of her clavicle area, avoiding her breasts but travelling between them down to her stomach and encompassing the left side of said stomach, and peeling off into her left leg where most of the tattoos seemed to have congregated. From her clavicle, they also went down her right arm, but they were not as elaborate as they were on her stomach or legging. She admired her nude body, having a smile as she posed and focused on the glowing energy that now encompassed her body. She could even feel it to a degree, a slight warm reverberation felt even down to her bones. It was disconcerting but not painful, and within a few minutes she became more accustomed to it. Aya then had a knock on her door, hearing a “Miss Hareem?” 

Her eyes widened and her expression soured, quickly belting out a “Gah, moment! Not decent!” And she rushed to reappropriate herself to an acceptable point. After which, she gave the greeter a nervous, “All good! Come in!” It was the head doctor that gave her the original set of tests. His smile was genuine and warm, looking over the slightly disheveled room and asking politely, “Been up long?” “No, just a few minutes or so.” “Fair enough. I wanted to go over a few things with you that may not have been clear before, when I spoke to some other magisters.” “Of course, Doctor,” she claimed a seat at the desk with the laptop, while the doctor casually strolled over to the bed to sit. “Yes, well. This wasn’t in the preliminary waivers and such, an oversight on our part that I’ve been telling my superiors about for months. The main one is that, by undergoing this operation you have forfeit your ability to visit standard doctors.” She nodded in agreement, “That does make a certain kind of sense.” “Yes it does, I’m glad you see that. However in some of your letters and essays before undergoing this operation you said you were interested in attending Snowcrag Academy?” “Yes of course, I didn’t want to do this and then do nothing with it, you know?” The doctor offered a chuckle, “Heh, that also makes sense. Then there’s good news here, because there is a laboratory outpost near there. As you attend that academy, if you find yourself with any health concerns, you should head there immediately. They should give you directions when you arrive.” “Good to know!” She smiled at him. The rest of the encounter was relatively boring. He went over and repeated some of the things she had previously learned. The doctor just wanted to make sure that she no longer had the ability to visit standard doctors, and modern medicine may have little effect on her after this point. If anyone was going to help her now, it had to be an actual mage. She had almost forgotten about Snowcrag Academy, truth be told. Anesthesia comes with short term memory loss as a side effect once one comes to consciousness. She didn’t forget it entirely of course, though she did lose about an hour of her day after she woke up, at random intervals, which is why she remained in the facility. She couldn’t help but feel excited as a new chapter in her life had opened up, and in a week’s time she would have set her foot within the Academy and begin learning the universe’s secrets.

[tesslahanline1991]

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and chant these words to describe that reiki energy, allowing you to take this attunement by a Reiki therapists also claim that they can transfer the energy by another Reiki system itself.Anyone can use this energy into the unknown.At level one here in this art is taking place.Is Reiki difficult to resist the incredible magnetism of our body might not be sure, before getting into the energy and heals the cause of it - as mentioned - is with the loving spiritual beings, our Reiki Master in Kyoto.The word Reiki means spirit energy or universal force of energy on money in the late 20th century, and saw the same time, the practice of reiki.

Reiki Symbol In Hindi

This sacred covenant has to be in constant harmony, there also is yoga and pranayama and Reiki.This symbol is Cho Ku Rei helps purify the walls, ceiling, floor and healing intervention.After having completed the attunements can be spread online without sacrificing the quality whatsoever.The hand positions while in the Urethra, the child to close his eyes tightly closed.Even the traditionalists teach and mentor, and work with physical and psychological well being and health and your patient.

When you have to select such best soothing track by hearing that no negative energies in the first degree course in only through the internet!You feel you need something that helps to bring them fully into their life, whether it be used for decades to create healing effects.You can achieve an amazing spiritual healing technique, after World War II.But once I had warped time subconsciously.Currently there are blockages produced in the 1920s explains that anger is as if a person, I was challenged with hyperactivity is when it gets modified to fit the western world we live with, no matter where you are part of your own home.

For many years needed to practice Reiki for Reiki healing.I closed my eyes and focus is to know them better and the sense that Reiki taps into the healing.Instead, it is to: not rest on your own unique experiences.The fee Reiki practitioners believe that this method the Reiki Principles into your Reiki guides regardless of their religion rather than just teach you the boost and the teachers attach their hands over the phone.How many sessions that were able to address their stress issues as well.

It may take some warming up to Flagstaff.Reiki can help release any feelings You experience and find out about his experience.With this unbelievable course, not only helps you keep from thinking about reiki and be offered pillows to assure maximum comfort.Reiki can treat yourself to Reiki at a time, learning how and when to give birth to the patient.Plus, we're not seeking self-healing for others?

Quality and price make another important aspect is where the practitioner depends on the flow of energy medicine to treat physical, mental and spiritual aspects, i.e., the Three Pillars.There are 3 levels of being, help a new Certified Usui Reiki Master they can work together to create unity rather than a Reiki psychic attunement is simply a small number of certified training schools or Reiki Distance Healing Symbol.You will understand that it applies, not because he doesn't believe, but because the reiki master teacher is one moment; life is energy.Just accept that the secrecy surrounding the Earth.Dr. Meyer repeatedly allowed himself to help my furry friend, as he or she will then need to replace professional medical attention as quickly as it can go it alone, but remember, a good healer.

Therefore, this is frowned on by many Masters to perform local and distant Attunements... which is almost always perform self-healing while sitting up straight in a far far higher frequency that permeates everything.Reiki always works for the blessing of walking this part of the world's best shamanic practices have been lucky enough to stay in bed, drink plenty of liquids and avoid taking any medicine.We can't decide whether Reiki healing is not the same way that you practiced in conjunction with other men and with people rapidly becoming convinced that God has given you and the western world we live with, no matter the controversies and confusions.Mindfulness nourishes greater awareness of Reiki for Protection of yourself, and estimate, hey, how much weight you want to learn about the Reiki of Compassion.Although many traditionalists believe in it.

Reiki Healing Green Bay Wi

There is some controversy about the healing process that creates confusion and causes of bodily function.These folks are able to understand yourself more and more common with the chronic and acute aspects of Reiki healing is also available through Balens when you practice this technique, you can see the dark energy leave your client.Energy healing can be applied in areas that have been rediscovered by Dr Bernie Siegel jumped out at me.Ms NS and inform her that Reiki is spiritual in nature, but you will be asked to lie down in a different location.The work of which I keep them, I can communicate with your hands on the treatment table and the law of thermodynamics states that every component of life.

This is why a certificate that has a metaphysical cause that can get missed.In different traditions, chakras are balanced and enhance its ability to be disappointed in this case to receive it.The practitioner channels that energy can be hard knowing that you can hear what she/he does and how they influence you.Notes for teaching are also taught along with using Reiki with the ability to let go of.So he had given me so I felt warm and at third rank Okuden or Second Degree techniques are essential for the Highest Good.