#and the elements are going to be different depending on the body theire interacting with

[thefeedress]

What would be 5 Things you would advise to a new feedee?

What am I, fucking BuzzFeed?! Well alright, here we go:

1. Be wary of asking feeders for advice! WE ARE EVIL AND WE JUST WANT YOU FAT AT ANY COST. Alright, so (hopefully….) we're not. It depends what you want to know of course, but we are still not necessarily the best people to ask. I remember when I first joined Feabie, I got a few messages asking for weight gain tips and I was a little taken aback, because to be honest I only joined to ogle fat boys and hopefully flirt with some... I do of course make an effort to educate myself about calories, metabolism, nutrition, all of that, but I feel it would be pretty irresponsible of me to randomly dispense that kind of advice. I am slim myself and have never been fat, so I also don't know first hand what it's like to inhabit a fat body. Depending on the kind of advice you're after, it might be more sensible to (respectfully!) ask an experienced feedee.

2. Do it for yourself, and only yourself. Your body is yours alone, it is your home, where only you live. Whatever you do to or with it should be your choice, because you want your home to be something that you feel good inhabiting. My feedee and I might enjoy the fantasy of me kidnapping him and force-feeding him to immobility despite his protests, but in reality, I can't tell you how upset I'd be if I found out that man had gained even one pound more than he was really comfortable with just because he thought it would please me. It seems a little taboo in some circles to even mention the fact that getting fat might not always be brilliant for your physical health; if you ever find yourself in a position where you have to compromise between your physical health and your mental health (ie because you know you're much happier at a bigger size, but you have encountered difficulties of some kind) whatever you ultimately decide to do in that situation should be your choice, and yours alone.

3. Go slowly and try not to compare yourself to others. If you want to try gaining but you're not sure, just gain a few pounds and see how you feel. Take your time. Also, I love seeing feedees interact online, complimenting each others gains, "hey man you look great I wish I looked like you!", a little friendly envy and competition, so cute! 🥰 I think it can sometimes be easy to get sucked into comparing yourself and wishing you looked different though, or getting frustrated if you gain slowly, or erratically, when other people seem to be able to just pile it on. There's a good chance that by the time you weigh the same as that person you admire, your body might look very different to theirs anyway. Everyone's different. Which is good! (And, also, v hot, in my opinion…)

4. Don't get disheartened trying to make connections with other feedists. I quite often see posts talking about how lonely it is and how hard it is trying to find someone to share this with. Depending on my mood, my reaction is either "Aww I know, it's tough, I want to hug you 🥺" or "Well DUH there are like 5 of us or something 🙄". Think how hard people find dating even in the vanilla world though, even without adding a niche kink to it, even without trying to find someone who's into the same stuff as you. It's especially cruel that a lot of the important elements of this for us require a specific kind of interaction with others - praise, encouragement, physically being fed…. Yup. It sucks. If you're struggling to connect, don't take it personally. Don't let yourself get bitter.

5. Gaining should be fun! This is basically sex for us, sex should be fun! And silly. And relaxed. And hot. Not a chore. Don't plough through mountains of calories or force down wg shake if you're not feeling it. I know that in many ways it IS work, it is effort, the whole thing. That's no reason to make it more of a chore than it has to be. Eat food you enjoy eating. Take pleasure in the process x

[thecagedsong]

Cool, so one of my fandoms is having a really bad day, and since I care about Fablehaven until this monster of a fanfic gets finished, how about some wholesome meta? I don’t really care what the drama was about, so don’t tell me. We’re all a little high strung, and I tend to take disagreements personally in a way that I’m working on, and don’t need to be involved in. 

Now that that disclaimer is out of the way, who wants to talk about the Five crowns? Because I had a 14 hour car ride yesterday, listening to the second half of Evening Star and Shadow Plague, and I am so ready to let you all in on the code I cracked. I found the unifying magic diagram of the Fablehaven verse. The key to ultimate satisfaction, and if there was a magic research journal in universe, I would post this in and win the Top Magic Nerd of this Century award.  My goal is to make this as accepted canon as possible, because I am ridiculously right. No characters involved, so no drama except of the scolastic kind, relying on heavy references to canon. 

Ready? 

SO, I made a pretty big claim. But I’ve been toying with this theory since before Dragonwatch three came out. I need some reviews before I inform Brand Mull that I’ve cracked his secret and won the game. If this symbol isn’t on the spine of the Journal of Secrets, what is even the point. 

A good symbol does three things: identifies the pieces you are dealing with, helps the viewer reach a new understanding about the pieces, and map onto the cultural understandings of the audience. aka a cross with four quadrants of airplane, mitochondria, love, and toe nails is a terrible symbol. See common memes for usually pretty good symbols and graphs. 

So you got five crowns right? That means you have a pentagon and a five pointed star, and the biggest trick was figuring out where each crown went, and how they related to each other. 

Examine five-part belief systems, see where the crowns match, unifying symbol explains everything, move on. Easy.

NO.

You wanna know why?

BECAUSE FIVE POINTED STARS AS SYMBOLS ARE MORE WORTHLESS THAN AAA BATTERIES FOR WATCHING TELEVISION

Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, obviously they are very useful for things like organizing systems within a single body. Who functions as the head, the shield arm, the pivot foot, etc. But the point of that diagram is that they are equally important and dependent to every other part. Which doesn’t work when the different groups keep trying to break each other’s kneecaps (see b5: fairies v demons).

It also falls apart on the five-piece cultural scale. The most well-known 5-piece cultural scale is obviously the chinese elements: Fire Wood Water Metal Earth.

Now, I don’t pretend to be an expert on those at all. But it all broke down on fire, TBH. Were dragons fire? But a large point was that their breath weapons weren’t always fire. Were demons fire? Even the ones covered in sludge. Were demons earth? Was the underking earth? All I got were fairies as water, in the end. If someone wants to give that a go, be my guest. 

I drew so many pentagrams trying to figure it out, and it never worked. No matter the arrangement, it never told me more about the crowns except that there were five of them. I was about to despair. 

But then the muses sang: The Forgotten Crown. 

(That’s the title of my thesis, btw)

Like I said, five pointed stars were trash for this system, but what if I added another crown, one that no one bothers to count, because by their nature, they can’t do anything. That’s right:

The Forgotten Crown of the Fair Folk. 

The symbol slipped into place like sharp pointy things into Warren. And now I can get to the real meta after sharing this image:

Isn’t it beautiful? After I cracked this code, I showed it to my little sister. She smiled contentedly, calling it satisfying. It is so satisfying. It speaks to so many levels of understanding. 

First, I depicted for you, we have the morality and the terrain triangles. 

Morality triangle is the easiest, if you feel uncomfortable labeling drown-happy naiads as good and all demons as evil, congrats, thinking about the nature of good and evil is precisely what Mull was going for. Since I am suddenly one of those people, I’m going to be using the creation/destruction dichotomy, but acknowledge that both of those work. 

Fairies can be most easily understood when Kendra asked the Fairy Queen what she should do with her life. She’s an unlimited fount of the Fairy Queen’s own power, allowed to do whatever she wants, and the Fairy Queen tells her to nurture life. Be fruitful, put good things in the world, help people grow. Their goal is to create, their magic is defensive, beauty is wonderful for its own sake. The better you are at respecting and nurturing life, the stronger your magic is. Dryads are responsible for the whole forest, and throughout the series they are seen as more powerful and serious than fairies, which can make the plants they interact with grow and hamadryads, who are connected only to their tree. Certainly more powerful than the petty, waterbound naiads. 

Ganalus’s speech to Seth about his own nature is where you can understand demons in this world. They like to destroy and torture, they find amusement in things like plague and clipping live beings to their belts and dragging them around. They are driven by the need for more power and control. Their nature is to harm and break apart, and that has its place in this world, but we care about the stuff and people here, so mortals and fairies have got to keep these punks in check.

And of course, the Fair Folk. Here’s where this triangle gets fun. The worst of the worst gets to be Demon King, the best of the best get stronger fairy powers. That means the most neutral of the neutral get to be the leader of the Fair Folk. We’ve heard references to the main city of the Fair Folk: Selona, somewhere in Europe, and a mysterious exert that I’ve seen images of with Lord Dagrel that I’m trying to pin down. I’m posing that their powers come from being neutral. They talk about the terrible consequences of the last time they went to war, what if it the equivalent of their fallen state, when they break their neutrality, and changes them fundamentally. 

This breaks down the most, but they are the Forgotten Crown for a reason. They hold themselves apart from issues of the other crowns. No one even remembers that they have a crown, because as Seth and Celebrant have shown, who cares? They aren’t going to do anything about it. Everyone collectively forgot/don’t care about them. But their abilities are equal in strength to the others, but different in use, and less valued by those who have battles to fight. Their neutrality puts them exactly between good and evil, creation and destruction. They take the choice not to act, and there is power there too. 

Next is the Terrain Creatures. 

Sky giants control the sky, obviously. Thronis and his ability to control the weather, their height, while their feet are on the ground, far as we know, everything important happens in the sky. 

Underking gets under the ground, again, obvious. Different from the other two points of the terrain triangle in that there is a lot of creature classifactions in their domain, but think of how big the surface of the earth is, underneath it, all theirs. 

Dragons, they dwell in the sky and below the surface, putting them in both. Water dragons and Dromadus both primarily function beneath the surface, and their wings let them be in the sky. while not stronger necessarily than the other terrain crowns in their own domains, they are top of the food chain for the creatures living on the ground, and could probably take out the undead that venture near the surface, and I have high hopes for seeing a Sky Giant v Dragon in the next book. 

Cool, we got our organization of information. We learn something about them based on their placements within the triangles. But is that our symbol? No! Symbols are different than graphs, we should be able to squeeze ridiculous amounts of meaning from them, and we aren’t done yet. The two triangles map really, really well together.

What does the placement of the two triangles together tell us about the individual components?

a WHOLE TON. This is what makes this symbol the most satisfying, the triangles create two separate categorizations of their powers and abilities, but they inform each other. The morality of the terrain beings, and the domains of morality beings. 

Dragons run the whole spectrum from creation to destruction. We see a lot more of the destruction dragons, because our kids are in a war, but Raxtus hits really close to the Fairies and can heal and grow with his breath weapon. We also have wizards, who chose mortality for the ability to use magic to create. All the way to effing Navarog, honorary demon. They run every shade of the creation/destruction spectrum. We also see dragons that don’t depend on destruction because we know that there are some that agreed to behave if it meant they weren’t shoved into sanctuaries. 

Sky giants, the group we know the least about, are good enough that their queen was deemed able to be the caretaker of a dragon sanctuary, so no inherent thirst for destruction and chaos. But they run the neutral side of creation, they weren’t going to step in to stop the demons, they like magic and creating from what we know of thronis, but they fit right here. 

Underking - fall between neutral destruction. The underking wasn’t orchestrating the opening of the demon prison. They crave life, its a food source, but more than that, they want to endure. They might fall closer to demons in their taste for extinguishing life, but they need their wanting of life to continue existing. They might have individual prizes and desires for life, but because they depend on wanting life for their own continued existence, they will never organize themselves into taking over the world. Congrats, you’re only half as destructive as demons.

The morality on the terrain is much easier to see blatantly. Fairies have wings, but in no way do they control the sky, and they live on the ground. Demons...I’m sure some of them fly, but they tend to prefer caves like Granulas and pits like Jubaya and Kurisok. Prefer the night, though the light doesn’t harm them. Fittingly, the Fair Folk do not have the ability to fly on their own, and they live on the ground, not under it. 

sO SATISFying how those fit together. Are you weeping yet? This is harmony on the organizational level. 

But I claimed this was the perfect symbol, the ultimate. There is one more layer describing how every piece relates to every other piece, per the best symbols. 

Opposites

This is the least defined level of interaction, and each line is unique, while still being opposite its counterpart. We’ll start with the ones we have the least information about and go from there. 

Demon/sky giant: We know nothing, at the moment. They have never commented on each other, and have never interacted. Why didn’t sky giants show up to the Zzyzx party? Who knows! So I’m going to speculate here, and propose that they just really can’t stand each other’s presence. Demons stay away from sky giants, because giants are way bigger than them, and it is hard to feel powerful when you only come up to their knee, and sky giants don’t like demons because...eww, demons. 

Fair Folk/Dragon: We know that there are Fair Folk at all seven dragon sanctuaries. We know that the Fair Folk were there long before the sanctuaries were created. Fair Folk neutrality let both parties trust the dragons to part of their watch. It also seems that Dragons have a very difficult time staying neutral. We’ve seen a lot of flavors of dragon, but the one flavor we haven’t seen, possibly by its nature, is a neutral dragon. The closest we came was Dromadus, who was an abstaining pacifist for two books, but kept lending help to the innocent and those aligned with the innocent. His neutrality broke literally the week someone asked him to break it.

 Fascinatingly, the talents of the Fair Folk are actually the closest analog to the breath weapons of the dragons. One unique ability, can be augmented by training, can do something unique to the characteristics of the user. This is enough to make their uses of magic foils for each other in ways that they can’t be with the other races. In fact, they take human shape, their wizards act a lot like the talents of the Fair Folk.

Their final opposite string: physical appearance. Fair Folk are attractive (symetrical) humans. Dragons are hulking reptiles of scale and claw meant to let everyone who can see them know who is the top predator around. Fair folk are disarmingly beautiful. 

Fairy/Underking: The dichotomy that we know the most about because it’s the one the protagonists find themselves on opposite side of. I could double the length of this post talking about these opposite foils, but this is already ridiculously long, so I’ll keep it brief. Consult upcoming thesis for full analysis.

Most obvious aspect of this line? They literally cannot co-exist, one must overpower the other. Nova Songs are consumed by darkness, while crown-fueled Kendra literally turns the undead into bones and dust. The darkness and light can’t balance like the demon cursed area + Fairy shrine stone did in Shadow Plague, there is no middle ground.

While fairies and demons make the creation-destruction spectrum, Fairy and Underking make the Life-death line. Unicorns, who have so much life and youth that lectoblixes overdose to death on them, and the undead that give up the joys light and live to continue. Because Death lasts as long as life. 

And finally my favorite line of opposites, their crowns functions in exactly the opposite ways. The under-crown does not share power. It accumulates, you become one of consciousness of the crown. They swallow you up, and you will never take power from them. They will continue. Meanwhile the Fairy crown has had several owners, as identified by Risenmay in dw2. And the Fairy Crown shares magic in a way that the other crowns don’t. The fairy Queen shared her magic with Kendra, yes, but she also shared it with her husband. All the male fairies fell with the Fairy King, turning permanently into imps. Unless the Fairy Queen isn’t being honest about how that happened, that meant that the male half of the kingdom was under the authority of her husband when he fell. Which makes sense for this crown. One person can’t make a new person on their own, they have to have a male and a female genetic coding. For the crown that is all about creating and preserving life, that power isn’t meant to be wielded alone. The Fairy crown can share, can give, while the Undercrown can consume and take. They are complete opposites in this.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading through this preliminary thesis. Counterpoints, additions, and commentary are welcome. I want to flesh this out a little more before sending my transcendent, beautiful, unifying symbol to Mull and have him announce that I have officially cracked the code. Really tho, the fact that I can pull this together into a unifying symbol is pretty cool in terms of Mull’s worldbuilding. 

Well...only works if he acknowledges the forgotten crown. Dragonwatch 5: the Crown of Selona. I can’t wait. 

[evolutionsvoid]

Those who have read any of my previous entries on the fauna down in the Underworld should already know a little about my trip down below. I am sure I have even brought it up in some non-Underworld entries! I speak so often of this excursion because I, and a lot of other people, would have never believed I could visit such a place. It is well known by both sides that the surface world and Underworld don't get along, so I thought it would be impossible to go down there and study the wildlife. But it seemed that fate smiled upon me one day, allowing me to meet a fellow natural historian who would allow such a thing to happen! My colleague, Beelzeth, was a native to the Underworld and he understood my desire to see that land with my own eyes. With his incredible kindness and charity, he arranged it so that I could go down below and have the chance of a life time to study and sight see! Friends and family of his all chipped in to help me on my journey and I can never thank them enough for all they did! With their guidance and help, I was able to fulfill the dreams of my enemies and I actually went to Hell (though the place is actually called Hel, and it has some wonderful restaurants)! I mention many of them in my Underworld entries, and I talk a lot about how demons interact with said species. With such mentions, I feel that it is about time that I talk about demons themselves! I feel that I could write entire tomes about what I learned and saw down below, and still I wouldn't even scratch the surface! I will try my best to hit the most important points so that this entry isn't a hundred pages long (ya happy with that, Eucella?!). It is my hope that people find all this interesting, and that the folks on the surface have a better understanding of demonkind. I am sure this entry won't bring an end to the issues between these two realms, but I can hope that it dispels some of the myths and horror stories that people make up about our friends down below!     An interesting thing to note about demons is their wide variety of body plans, which is utterly bizarre for a single species. Never before have I seen such an array of anatomy that can vary so wildly! I would say us dryads even pale in comparison, as most of our species at least retain a humanoid appearance! Their bodies can be short and stocky, or long and tall. Their limbs can vary in number and make up, with some resembling regular jointed appendages, but others acting more like tentacles! Some demons may slither about on serpentine lower bodies, while others scuttle along on limbs that fit an insect! This goes beyond a change in muscle and fat composition, as it calls for a completely different bone structure! It is said that this bizarre variety in anatomy is what drove demons to be such experts in blacksmithing and craftsmanship, as practically every individual has to have their armor tailor made. Some natural historians theorize that this radical difference in anatomy may be a result of demonkind being fractured into dozens of isolated communities in the past. It is suggested that these groups developed their own adaptations and anatomy to best fit their environment, making them quite different than the others. At some point long ago, something happened down below that caused the Underworld to change and these communities became connected. The intermingling and crossbreeding of these groups would then lead to these traits being mixed and swapped, resulting in the demons we have today. On the other hand, demonkind claims that this variety in their anatomy is the result of them being forged and made by the Gods Below. Each individual was personally made by these great beings, which shows the love and care their gods have for them. All that I know is that it explains why demon architecture is so large and open, because you have to account for these varying body types. Despite this, there are certain traits that all demons possess, no matter their body plan (like their tall height and incredible strength). Their skin, for example, is thick, hairless and covered in leathery bumps. It forms a simple dermal armor for them, making it easier to ward off cuts, scratches and stabs. It is believed that this hide of theirs helps protect them from attackers and the elements. Demons also possess slit-like eyes that allow them to see in their darkened world. Their pupils can expand and contract depending on the amount of light available. In bright areas, their eyes are narrow slits, but in the darkness they can open up to make it seem like their whole eye is black. I know some may expect the Underworld to be a place of perpetual darkness, but there are actually quite a few natural sources of light to be found. Lightstones, glowing fungus, bright worm strands and magma flows can be found throughout the caverns, and then there are the artificial light sources that demons and shades make themselves. With these eyes, they can see in practically any environment, but they do come with a downside. They need time to focus and change when exposed to different levels of light. If there is a sudden and drastic lighting change, it can temporarily blind them and cause them pain. This is important to note if you are ever traveling the dark tunnels with some demon companions. I was walking with the crew in some pitch black place and was getting sick of tripping over every rock and root. I decided to light up my lantern, but failed to inform my companions I was doing so. The moment the flame lit up, they all started shouting and grabbing their faces as light exploded everywhere. Needless to say, I lost my lantern privileges that day. Another common feature, and one of the most obvious, is their horns. These dark, banded structures are much like the ones you see on goats, bulls and buffalo. They have a bony core and a hardened sheath, and they will grow slowly throughout the demon's life. Both males and females possess horns, but they have some differences. The horns of a male demon will be larger and more extravagant, prone to branching, bending and being as spectacular as possible. The horns of females, however, are less showy and are a bit more simple. Males will also have multiple pairs of horns growing on their heads and bodies, while females only possess one pair. Some say that another way you can tell the genders apart is by looking at which direction the horns originally curve. It is said that the horns of males start off pointing upwards, while the horns of females point downwards. This one, however, is not as solid of an identifier as the others. If you want to tell if they are male and female, count the pairs and take note on how flashy they are. 

For demons, their horns are incredibly important to them and they hold a special place in their culture. It is said that long ago, when demon kind was more primitive and wild, females selected their males based on horn size and display. The bigger and flashier your horns were, the more ladies you got. Over time, though, this practice has faded away and their current culture does not use horn size as the sole factor in picking mates (though some may say otherwise). Despite that, many demons still view their horns as a sign of power, strength and pride. These structures are well maintained and some may choose to decorate them. Male demons especially seem to take pride in their horns and they may treat them as a measure of masculinity. While many warriors boast about their scars and injuries received in battle, damage done to their horns is considered shameful. A few nicks and scratches can be ignored, and maybe a snapped tine, but the loss of a major chunk of one's horn is a major embarrassment and disgrace. For male warriors, having one or more of your horns cut off is akin to castration, and it is a fate worse than death. If you are a soldier in the army and you have lost a horn, say goodbye to the prospect of being anything more than a grunt, as no battalion shall ever follow a "half-horn." This association of masculinity can also be seen when one mocks a male demon for being bossed around by his mate, as they say "she bears the horns in that household." On the other hand, female demons tend not to be as obsessed with their horns as the males, but they do still care for them. Demonkind as a whole sees them as an important symbol in their culture and it is a source of pride for the species. For example, there is a gesture of greeting that is done between family and trusted friends that involves their horns. It involves two individuals coming together as if they were approaching for a hand shake. Instead, each demon would reach up with one hand and grab the base of the horn of the other. A quick firm shake is given by each, often with a warm greeting or a grunt of approval. I am sure this sounds weird to other species, but it is a very personal greeting, kind of like a dryad nuzzle. When I inquired more about its meaning, I learned that it originated as a gesture of trust. The tales say that it began when two warring caverns sought to end their feud. The two leaders came together in hopes of making peace, but things were shaky between them due to the war and bloodshed. They did not fully trust the other, believing this talk was nothing more than a ruse to help take down their foe. To prove that his intentions were true, one warlord offered his own horns for the other to seize. With a firm grip on both of his horns, the other leader could easily take advantage and break his neck if he wished. This gesture showed that he trusted the other enough to put his life in his hands, and this was not missed by the warlord. In the end, he offered the same gesture, and the two succeeded in making peace. So in the end, when this gesture is done between friends and family it essentially says "I trust you and you trust me." In present times, it is common to use only one hand rather than two, as it is quicker and tones down the formality just a little bit. When it comes to eating, demons have an omnivore's diet, despite what some surface dwellers may believe. Many folk up above tend to think that demons are strict carnivores, based on their reputation and sharp teeth. While demons do indeed have a pointy smile, their back teeth are designed for crushing and chewing, like any other omnivore. For food, demons will practically eat anything that is edible and non-poisonous. I can think of very few species that haven't graced an Underworld menu. Plants, animals and fungi are all possible food sources for them, which they obtain through either hunting, gathering or farming. Demons and shades raise Isodons as their primary livestock, harvesting the large invertebrates for their meat, eggs and heavy carapaces. Fungi and plants are grown in a combination of ash and animal droppings, often collected from livestock, bats or mound roach colonies. Though legends and myth like to spread this misconception, demons do not feed on primarily on human flesh. People like to act that this species thrives on human meat and that they prefer the taste of virgins and children. This is wholly untrue, as having your major prey species be man is incredibly inefficient and dangerous. That's like saying humans feed primarily on bears that have plate armor and spit lightening. Not exactly a quick easy meal. Though it is a rather extreme misconception, there is a reason it came to be. From what we know, it started during the demons' crusade long ago, when they were trying to cleanse the blasphemous surface with fire. When this invasion was in full swing, there were two separate war fronts: one against the humans, and the other against the dryads. While the demons were moving like a burning wave through our forests, the other army was busy smashing itself against humanity's walled cities. Their front turned into a siege, with the demon armies surrounding the cities and working to chip away at the humans' defenses and resources. During this time, it was said that the demons would take human prisoners and cook them alive for all to see. The bodies were consumed in full view of the surrounded city, as means of spreading fear and lowering human morale. It should be obvious that this was just a brutal war time strategy, but there are still people who believe demons actually use humanity as a food source. Then again, I am sure there are demons down below that still think dryads eat demon flesh and vomit poison.                 Like humans, dryads and fairies, demons have the ability to use magic. Their relation with magic, however, is more similar to us dryads than it is with fairies or humans. They are only able to use elements that are bound to their kind, much like how dryads can only use magic on things like plants, fungi or light. For demons, their set elements are fire, earth, stone and metal, though their power over flame is what most people think of. This is because the element of fire is the one that is easiest for demons to learn and use, so much so that practically any demon can summon simple fire balls or spray small streams of flame. It is said that this is because all demons possess an internal flame, which is what they consider to be their soul. By focusing this internal fire, they can control the element and bend it to their will. One thing I know that helps with their use of fire is the special make up of their claws. Their black talons have a certain material in them that can create sparks when struck together. They function much like flint and steel, scraping together in one quick motion to release a small shower of sparks. By itself, this does very little besides maybe lighting a pile of dried twigs, but its real purpose is for magic. By creating these hot sparks, it gives the user an immediate source of heat that they can seize and manipulate. Fire spells are much faster and easier to use when a heat source is already present, as it save them from burning energy to create one in the first place. That is why it appears that demons can simply snap their fingers and summon an orb of fire, as it is their striking talons doing most of the work. While fire is clearly the element most associated with demons, not every one of them are professionals with this magic. Much like other magic-bearing species, each individual is born with a certain degree of strength in this art. Some may appear to be masters over such elements with little to no practice, while others may struggle despite their efforts. With enough time and training, though, many demons may gain the skill to be moderately talented with magic, but not many take this art to such a level. The species has a special affection for brute strength and physical prowess, so many who seek to be fighters will focus more on physical training than magic. There is more honor and pride to be gained from physical training, as there are opponents that can be bested and strength to show off. Spending time over books and the intricacies of magic, however, has less one can gloat about, so only the dedicated take such a route. Magic still plays a special role in their society, and those who take themselves to the next highest level will be eagerly sought. Such learning and experience is what makes Stone Weavers and Fire Dancers, and each of these special classes have many uses both on and off the battlefield. While limited in their scope of magic compared to humans, demons who take their skills to the highest level will be some of the strongest around in said element. True Flame Dancers and Stone Weavers can easily overpower any Pyromancer or Geomancer, and they can do so without devolving into uncontrollable monsters.   Speaking of magic and fire, now is probably a good time to bring up a trait about demons that baffles many natural historians. If anyone has ever read or heard a story about demons, then they probably know that demons are immune to fire. While some may say that this statement is a hyperbole from legend, it is actually quite true. Demons aren't just resistant to fire or just good at dealing with heat, they are straight up immune to it. No one is really sure why, but this species is capable of walking across magma and working in some of the hottest conditions possible without a single burn or singe. This isn't a case of their thick skin warding off flame, they can just take any heat or flame no problem. No one is really sure why this is except for the demons, who claim that it is because of their internal flame. The best guess is that it is some form of magic that is infused in every demon, perhaps a result from their affinity with fire. Kind of like how fairies are able to fly and levitate without any form of wings or propulsion. No one is really sold on that theory, but it is so far the most plausible. One must remember that demons come from the same realm as shades, and that species is ten times more biologically confusing than them. Perhaps this immunity to fire, or their belief of an internal flame also explains why demons have a high body temperature. Compared to any other animal species, they run at a heat that many would associate with a fever. While others may find it troubling, demons find this high body temperature as their norm. They associate it with their internal flame, and view this heat as a measurement of health. When a demon is healthy and strong, they feel warm and normal. If a demon starts to feel a chill, though, it is believed that they are becoming sick or weak. Since they have such a high body temperature, it takes a lot to make a demon feel cold. While walking through some of the damp caverns down below, I would be shivering but the rest of my party would be just fine. Thankfully Vespar was always close by, who I tried to nonchalantly keep close to for some of that body heat! If there is a scenario where a demon starts to feel cold, they immediately get uneasy and worried. They will believe that they are succumbing to a disease, or that they are in a weakened enough state that a sickness may easily befall them. After all, don't other species describes some diseases as "colds?" Many home remedies for one who is sick are centered around warmth and heat. If a demon is coming down with a chill, then they may choose to soak in a hot spring or sleep upon a bed of coals. Home-made brews made of herbs and mushrooms will often have strong alcohol mixed in, as the burn it provides is said to help the body heal. Well, it is either that or demons find that a good way to cope with a nasty sickness is to get drunk. Can't argue there!     Outside of their fire and stone magic, demons are also famously known for weaponry and armor. While humans do forge some amazing stuff, even they have to admit that demonic blacksmithing is the best around. There are a few reasons why they have such a mastery over the art. The first is their access to metals and rare ores. The Underworld is filled with materials and metals, and the denizens don't need to do that much digging to uncover them. There are special ores that can only be found at certain depths, so far down that no human mine could ever reach them. The shades and demons, however, have an easier time reaching them, and their mining efforts bring home tons of precious metals. Another reason for their skills around the forge is their incredible strength. Not only do their muscles allow them to lift great weights, but their home of caverns and cliffs, along with their warrior training, hone their bodies and limbs. By combining their strength with the help of shades, they can work with heavy equipment and hammer the toughest of metals with startling force. Lastly is their immunity to fire and heat, which is perfect for a job that has you working near forges. Since they are unfazed by extreme heat, they can run forges that are practically fueled by magma. The conditions in some of the greatest demon forges would straight up kill any human or dryad that dared walk near them, but these temperatures are needed to work with certain metals and materials. What comes out of these infernos, though, are second to none. Crafted from demonic schematics, made from special Underworld ore and heated from volcanic forges, these weapons and armor are prized for their strength, design and durability. It said that high grade demon blades never dull and that their war hammers can shatter rock. Even those who are not warriors can appreciate the sheer beauty of their craft, as some of the weapons I have seen could be shown in art museums! With impenetrable armor and unbreakable weapons, you would think that every warrior of every species would rush out to get their hands on these demonic pieces, but there is a catch to all this. While demons make incredible pieces, this stuff is also incredibly heavy. Their swords and lances can feel like they're made of lead, and their clubs and hammers are pretty much impossible for non-demons to wield. I found that I could only properly use one of their daggers, and that was big enough to be considered a sword! Their armor is the same, to the point where I am surprised they can even move in the stuff! Since they like to incorporate heavy metals and stones into their armor, it winds up feeling like you are wearing a boulder into battle! This extreme weight, though, is not unintentional. Demons take great pride in their strength and power, and what better way to show that off than swing around a hammer that weighs as much as a horse? It also prevents humans and other surface dwelling foes from picking up fallen weapons and using them against their creators. Non-demons who wish to own demon forged equipment must get this stuff custom made, if they want armor or weapons they can actually wield. For the right price the demon blacksmiths are happy to forge up something special, but such prices sure aren't cheap! If you can afford such a thing, though, you will be the envy of every warrior on the surface! For many surface dwellers, they see demons and their fellow shades as bloodthirsty warmongers, who seek to annihilate the surface world. This belief isn't helped by the crusades long ago, where the demons did indeed try to do that. The thing I want to say, though, is that demons are not the monsters people make them out to be. They are not mindless savages that feed on human flesh and kill for no reason. These beliefs are propaganda and misinterpretation by those on the surface. Demons are just like us, they build villages, they grow crops, they run businesses and they live ordinary lives just like you and me. The animosity that is between the Underworld and surface world is not something that was created out of malice, but fear. Much like how the many religions of humanity speak of a purgatory down below filled with monsters who spread sin and suffering, the religion of demons has created much fear about the surface. To better explain this, I better give a run down of the Underworld's creation myth. At the beginning of time, the earth was just a simple burning orb of fire. This flaming core was home to the Gods Below, the deities of the Underworld. The four gods, Svrnacht, Ostranel, Pyrogohna and Alauticus, used their powers to surround their burning home with layers of stone. With the use of the Core Dwellers, they carved out the Underworld and filled it with life. The realm of the Gods Below would now sit in the center of the world, emanating the life-giving warmth that made existence possible. After the trials of creating a sapient species to rule this new world, the Gods Below at last forged the demons and shades. From then on, these two species would live in peace and give faith to their wonderful gods. The end! Now I am sure some folk are confused, asking "didn't you say that this creation myth would explain their fear of the surface? The surface world wasn't even mentioned!" To that I would say, "you are correct, and that is precisely why the surface world terrifies them so!" According to their religion, nothing should even exist on the surface, as it is too far from the Gods Below. Up above, it is a frozen and godless realm, where no life could possibly survive. For centuries or more, the denizens down below lived with the belief that there was simply nothing above them, and that the Underworld was the sole realm of this earth. Now imagine the absolute chaos and terror that resulted when they learned one day that not only did something live in this realm, but entire civilizations lived in this godless land! How do think we would react if we found out that a whole world lived atop the clouds the entire time we existed? It would sure shake things up! So when the demons and shades freaked out about these beings that couldn't possibly exist, they struggled to find an explanation. The only thing they could come up with is that the surface world was a place that was untouched by the gods, and thus these creatures were never meant to exist. These were blasphemous parasites that latched onto their world and sought to corrupt it. Surely beings that thrived in such a cold, harsh land were mindless monsters! So in the end, the surface world become their version of a demon-filled purgatory, a place of evil and blasphemy. This is what created the fear and ultimately drove the crusades. In recent times, though, this attitude and belief is starting to fade. Those down below are starting to accept that humans, dryads, slimes and all the others up above are not evil monstrosities. That our civilization is not hellbent on raiding the Underworld and destroying the Gods Below. I serve as proof of this, as they even let a surface dweller like me come down and visit their cities! During my visit, I didn't run into that much animosity or hatred, just bewilderment and confusion. Sure there were a few confrontations, or times I wasn't allowed into certain businesses, or that one time when the Abyssal Olms tried to assassinate me, but it was quite pleasant overall! And that is at the time I am writing this! I can't even imagine what our relationship with the Underworld may be in the future! With how things are going, I like to think that there may be a time my daughter (or maybe granddaughter!) could visit the Underworld with the same nonchalance that you visit the downtown market! Maybe it could even be where we co-mingle, with demons living above and us living below! To think! What a wonderful world that would be!           Before I end this entry, though, I must mention those who helped me make this all happen! Never before had I thought I would be able to visit the Underworld but a special group of demons came together and made it possible! They made sure I not only got to visit this wonderful land, but that it was also one of the greatest trips of my life! I don't know if I can possibly thank them enough for all they have done for me, but I do wish to give all the love and thanks I can! I cannot wait to visit them again! As one of my many tokens of thanks, I decided to feature them in my sketch above! So without further ado, here is the wonderful crew from down below that took me on this amazing adventure: Mamin - A fierce warrior and wonderful guard, I was always happy Mamin was around when things got dicey! I must admit that I was intimidated by him the first time we met, what with his few words and heavy weapons. But in time I found him to be a great guide and quite the kind fellow! I will never forget that time he stepped in when I was accosted at the marketplace by a trio of disgruntled demons. Of course I was aware that the Underworld and the surface world didn't have the best standing, and that demons were not fans of dryads, but the weight of such a thing never hit me until I found myself face to face with some angry warriors (well, more like face to torso). Turns out one of their ancestors had been killed by us dryads during the crusades up above, and someone was looking for some long due vengeance. Having only been in the Underworld for two days, I was scared witless and wasn't sure what to do. I didn't have to decide, as Mamin suddenly appeared behind me and told them to scram. They didn't, so Mamin changed their mind. After that, he made it quite clear to everyone that if they had issues with me, they would be having issues with him. From then on, we ran into very few folk who wanted to pick a fight. I am so thankful for what he did for me, and I am happy he put up with my shenanigans! I am sure a great warrior like him wasn't to thrilled escorting an excitable little plant like me around.   Leyick - One of the sweetest people I have ever met, I don't know if words can ever describe how wonderful she is! Oh, if only every surface dweller could spend time with Leyick, then there would be no more fear of demons! She is Beelzeth's fiance, and she immediately volunteered to be my host when he was figuring out my trip. She welcomed me into her home with open arms, and she single handedly dispelled every worry I had when I first arrived. Though I was eager to visit the Underworld, the long descent downward gave me plenty of time to get nervous and wonder if I would be accepted. All that vanished when she met me at the bottom tunnel and immediately gave me the warmest of hugs! From then on, the charity and kindness never stopped! Now she is like a third mother to me (in case some might not know, dryads tend to be born from two mothers)! She cooked, cleaned and did everything in her power to make me comfortable and happy. She even took me to worship one day, to a temple dedicated to Pyrogohna. She is devoted to the Dancer of the Flames and she wanted me to experience what their ceremonies were like. She got me in and quickly hushed any who raised a fuss about my presence. While I am grateful I got to attend one of these worships, I am kind of happy she only took me once! Those who worship Pyrogohna honor her through dance, which was quite fast paced and involved a lot of spinning. It was a lot of fun, but around the hour mark, I was getting pretty tired! By the end of the ceremony, she had to practically drag my exhausted carcass back! She was an absolute saint, and she made her house feel like my home! That and she cooks up a wonderful Isodon egg casserole!   Valac - The younger brother to Mamin, he was an enthusiastic fellow and quite the stinker! He brought a lot of energy and fun to our excursions, but he was the number one creator of every prank that befell me! Turns out, having an older brother like Mamin allows you to get away with so much, which is why he's such a terror (this is not me being insulting, Valac said all this himself. I am also sure he would find this hilarious)! He was a great guide when it came to food and spirits, but when in the wilds, I always had to watch out for his pranks and tall tales! I won't be forgetting that incident with the Crimson Wraith anytime soon! Despite the numerous humiliations I fell to by his claws, I do appreciate the entertainment and jokes he pulled out when we were at camp! Some day I hope I can invite him and the others to the surface so that they can experience my home land! That, and so I can be the one to pull some pranks on him for a change!   Vespar - I would say she was a wonderful companion and a great helper, but she would say it was more like being a babysitter. She was the one who helped plan out our excursions and highlighted all the places or things I should see. She also was invaluable when it came to travel and navigation, as it was her hand that guided me through the dark tunnels and over the rocky cliffs. Not to mention she was the one who valiantly swooped in and saved me from that horde of Armored Mole Rats! What a hero! Nothing made me feel safer than having Vespar by my side, and I am sure nothing irritated her more than me being at hers! What was it she always said about me? "She's a good reminder on why I don't want imps." She put on a tough and uncaring attitude, but I know she had fun like the rest of us! Besides, if I was such an annoying hand full, why did she always lend a hand for even the littlest things? And why did she take me on some extra tours that her brother hadn't planned? I know she excused herself plenty of times saying "Beelzeth made me swear I would help you out," or "I just figured you would find this thing interesting, so I thought I would point it out." Say what you want, I know you cared! Though it probably wasn't the best thing to blurt out that one time, as I am pretty sure she encouraged more of Valac's pranks after that!   Beelzeth - Here is the guy who started it all! Before we met, Beelzeth had come to the surface in hopes of studying the surface world and better understanding how we do things up here! He shares the same passion as I, looking to expand the world of natural history! It must have been fate that we ran into each other during an investigation of the Bladed Mountains! I was there studying the native goat species, while he was soaking in the sights of those razored peaks! We stumbled upon each other and quickly got to talking. It was there we found out that we were fellow colleagues of the same field, and we couldn't stop talking after that! That night, I had expressed my desire to visit the Underworld, and he told me how he wanted to learn more about the surface as well. We came to the conclusion that we could both help each other out, by putting together our own little cultural exchange program! What we agreed on that night was to each use our connections and knowledge to help set up an expedition for the other. I would work with my surface mates to hook Beelzeth up with a place to stay, helpful guides and a whole list of places to visit and see. In return, he would do the same for me! I wasted no time in contacting every friend and colleague I knew, hoping that I could set up Beelzeth with the adventure of a lifetime! There were plenty of people who were happy to help, and it wasn't long before I got things all figured out. So in the end, the two of us met up at secret cave that led down into the Underworld, and we swapped places! He went with my good friend Myrtal, who was keeping him at her home, and I delved down the winding tunnel with his sister, Vespar. Down below, he arranged it so I was staying with his fiance, Leyick (though it sounded like she was the one decided that), while I was enjoying all the sights the Underworld had to offer! I have to say, I hope his trip was at least half as good as the one he set up for me! It was absolutely extraordinary, and it sounded like he had a good time up above too! Cheers to you and your mates, Beelzeth! I couldn't have done all of this without you! Chlora Myron Dryad Natural Historian ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I always figured this entry would be obscenely long, and I wasn't wrong (turns out it is eight pages long in a word document!). This sucker took me multiple days to get down. Is it way too long for anyone to possibly read? Yes! It is inexcusably long and I don't expect people to slog through it! Am I going to apologize for it or try to shorten it up? Of course not! These ridiculously lengthed entries are kind of meant more for me, as I use them to empty my head and clear my mind. For me, if I don't draw something or write down every bit of lore I can think of, it will remain in my head forever. This is just kind of like a mental cleanse for me! And of course I am writing about a sapient species that live an a radically different environment, so of course there are going to be a ton of details and explanations to be had!

[rogeramir]

A Code For Authentic Living

I have been trying for many years now to come up with a short summary of all the key principles (the golden principles, as I call them in my journal) I want to have in life in order to live meaningfully and, what I now call, living authentically. This is how it looks currently (and I’m sure I’m going to add to this list and re-blog it very soon):

Remember always: there is only The One. You and others are all images of The One. And you contain The One. The One lives inside everyone of you. Just as The One is called ‘divine’, so is each one of you divine. And you are not separate from one another. You are all one, like the fingers on your hand or like the waves in an ocean or like the leaves on a tree. Don’t focus on the temporary separateness, focus on the eternal oneness. Once you catch a whiff of the fragrance of this eternal oneness, you are on your way to reclaiming your own eternity. You have found yourself. (This is the most critical part of the Code and I deliberately start with the spiritual element. For me, this is the first and the most important element for a life worth living. You can throw away everything else included here and just keep this part and you’ll end up in the same place. Every other element of the Code is derived from this one.)

The ‘others’ are you. It is a myth that you are separate from others. Whoever you meet, you meet yourself. And all of your relationships are with yourself. Help these others without getting attached. Advise them if they need advice and if you are experienced enough to advise. Do not judge them. Do not fear them. Do not compare your life with theirs. In your interactions with others, try to rise above the everyday rules of behaviour that you have been using all your life and just remember the eternal oneness. With practice, patience and perseverance, this remembrance will bring a new kind of relationship and a new kind of love. Judgment and comparison will give way to understanding and compassion. This will happen on its own, without any struggle. A new love will arise, which you will not understand in the beginning. This love will be without any attachments, it will be towards everyone you come across and it will be without any give and take. Once you can see yourself loving everyone without exception and without any attachment at all and loving everyone without needing anything at all, then, for the first time in your life, you have experienced real love as opposed to the commercial love that we all practice which is based on a very well-defined give and take. (This is my conclusion on how to develop spiritual, positive and non-toxic relationships.)

This life is like a short trip and you are already on your way back from the trip, like a wave rising in an ocean and then going back to the ocean. You will rise again as a wave in another life. Observe and understand this process and live accordingly. (From the moment we are born, we are all on our way out. But we forget and we indulge in the ego-based life, which leads to temporary and meaningless pursuits.)

Practice minimal living – all needs, goals and attachments are like chains. Observe these chains in your own life and know that you have the option to free yourself. (The body lives in a world based on money. Money is needed when you are born and, unless you have broken free of the world of money, it will be needed when you die and at all times in between. And human desire is a bottom-less pit. It will never be fulfilled. If you are moneyless or jobless, you desire a nice well-paying job. If you earn in thousands, you want to become a millionaire. If you’re a millionaire, you dream of becoming a billionaire. And so on and so forth. Keep that in mind and watch your desires. Just observing yourself and your changing desires will bring about a change. Slowly, step-by-step, you will become less desiring and more content. Master the art of budgeting and living frugally. And you will notice your stress and anxiety levels going down. The less stress and anxiety you have, the more meditative you are. If you plan to leave the world of money, then plan the departure accordingly. Do not leave unfulfilled any prior obligations. The great Buddha ran away from the royal palace leaving his parents (the King and the Queen) and his wife and kid behind. He came back (as per some traditions) to apologize and tell his family what happened to him. His family eventually understood and forgave him and became his devotees, but the point here is that may be he could have done things differently instead of running away from his responsibilities. Yes, there is always the possibility of analysis paralysis i.e., not taking any action to fulfil your great purpose in life, but that can be avoided too. In any case, the world of money, possessions and attachments cannot be combined with the world of God, meditation and silence. Anyone who chooses the path of God will have to start letting go of all material possessions, tangible or intangible.)

Live truthfully today, not in the future. Whatever you keep for tomorrow will never happen, because there is no tomorrow. Tomorrow is only an excuse to maintain status quo. There is only today, this moment. Have the courage to grab this moment and live your life, as you think it should be, in this moment. If you keep postponing your ideal life to the future then this postponement will become a habit. If you start living your ideal life, then such ideal living will become a habit. In the end so much of what we want to achieve depends on our habits. (Start cutting out all the BS you practice in your relationships and your professional and social lives. And live today the life that you want to live; don’t postpone to future. Take small, decisive steps towards the long term objective.)

Live your life like a well-sharpened pencil and don’t spread yourself thin. Focus on doing what you really need to do or what you feel you are most passionate about. Find and focus on doing what you would do even if you are not paid to do it. That would be the thing that is really worth doing. It is like being with a woman or a man that you fall madly in love with, as compared to being with someone that you maybe like a little bit, or not even that. That is the kind of profession you need. Something that you fall in love with. Not something that you do 9 to 5, five days a week, and dream of getting off work and enjoying the weekend. No, once you find the right profession, then your whole week is a weekend. There is no difference between the week days and the weekend. You enjoy through the whole week. Work becomes play. Once you have found it, focus on it. For the rest of your life, just trim it as much as possible, so that you can give all of your time to your passion. Realize and cut out all the crap that you fill your day with just because you don’t have anything better to do. Find that something that will consume you like a raging fire. That is the one thing you should be doing. It is better to do that one thing very well than to do many things not so well. (I hope to give you at some point in future the name of the author and the book where I read this many years ago and it just got stuck in my mind: ‘live your life like a well-sharpened pencil’. If someone knows, plz forward to me too. Another author, Gary Keller, in his book titled ‘The One Thing’ says the same thing in different words, ‘don’t spread yourself thin’.)

Travel, explore, learn and share your learning. (That’s my agenda for the remaining life. One day I might find the place where I’d like to stay till the end of this present journey of life. Or I might find that all places are the same and that the differences are only in my mind.)

[voicesfromthelight]

Channeled Lessons in Psychic Development 3: Taking Time to Prepare

Whether you are turning inward for 15 minutes a day, or for an hour once a week, psychic and mediumistic work is built and sustained on a foundation of regular practice and meditation. Depending on your individual sensibilities, this meditation can involve simply quieting the mind, visualizing your chakras opening and clearing, saying a prayer, or engaging your inner spiritual core in some other way, perhaps through creative expression or meditative movement. Personally, I find that a number of different approaches together combine to keep the energy body strong and the channels clear. My practice is based on regular chakra meditation (the most indispensable discipline by far), journaling, and channeled writing. Using tools such as tarot and pendulums serve to enhance this, but they are the icing on the cake. There are infinite ways to engage your soul and higher self while performing mundane tasks such as bathing, eating and walking down the street, as well is in your day-to-day human interactions. What is important is to establish a rich practice that you enjoy, that keeps you connected on a regular basis and strengthens your energy body. This is your long-term foundation and preparation for psychic work, which will make you more receptive to intuitive guidance and the world of spirit.

What about the short term, then?  When we prepare to actually sit down to channel, meditate, or do a psychic or mediumistic reading, how we prepare for the reading itself can set the tone for the entire experience. My spirit guide Natalie has expressed to me that when doing mediumistic work (especially when you’re just starting out), it is important not to rush. We need to give ourselves time to shift our awareness to a spiritually heightened state, and also to give the spirits we communicate with time to shift theirs, in order to meet us where our two vibrations intersect. We reach up, they reach down. We attune ourselves to each other’s frequencies. As Natalie says: “Let us come close. Give us time to find our bearings.”

How this happens will vary from person to person. Our spiritual upbringing or cultural background might influence how we “reach up,” but the aim is always the same: to bring ourselves into a state of peaceful, joyful, secure receptiveness. These processes can be simple or elaborate, and needn’t always take very long. In a pinch, a simple white light meditation, deep breath, or accelerated chakra opening will do. However, my personal experience has been that the more time you allow for opening meditations and prayers, the better the energy and the clearer the communication will be.

Here are the full protocols I follow whenever possible:

1. As I’m preparing to set up my space for a reading, I play happy music and smudge my physical setting with incense, or put a mix of lavender, peppermint, lemongrass and eucalyptus oil in an aromatherapy lamp to get myself into a joyful mindset and lift the vibration of the space I am working in.

2. I envision my environment filling with white light, clearing out any stagnant energy.

3. I sit down, close my eyes, and breathe deeply. Then, I affirm out loud, while envisioning my aura expanding: “I raise my energy, I raise my energy, I raise my energy.”  I try to inspire myself to feel as happy, trusting, excited, and grateful as possible for my life and the opportunity to engage with spirit.

4. I perform a chakra meditation, breathing deeply. This usually consists of first envisioning a silver cord running from the center of the earth to the root chakra, then envisioning each chakra opening and clearing in turn: red root, orange sacral, yellow solar plexus, green heart, blue throat, indigo/purple third eye, and white crown.

5.  I revisit the top four chakras in particular, making sure they are as clear and strong as possible.  I expand my heart chakra as far as it will go. I envision my heart energy expanding to fill my aura, then the room, the house, the neighborhood, the city, the country, the globe, the galaxy, and finally, the universe. As I begin each visualization, I affirm “I expand my heart” three times. Then, I go through the top three chakras, “I open my throat,” ”I open my third eye,” “I open my crown.” I keep going until I feel ready.

6. I affirm out loud: “I raise my temple, I raise my temple, I raise my temple,” while envisioning four pillars rising up around me. Then, I envision the four elements on each side of the temple. First, a wild wind blows from the East. Then, earth manifests in the North, growing upwards from the ground in the form of a field through which the wind blows. Then, a fire from the South burns the field. Then, water from the West puts out the fire. The field grows again out of the wet ashes, in the light of a fiery sun. I breathe each element in deeply, filling my aura with their energies.

5. I call on my guardian angels and gatekeepers to secure my energetic temple and let in only those energies or intelligences that are specifically invited, who have the best interests of all creation at heart. Which form of spiritual guardian you work with is up to you, but having gatekeepers, or “spiritual bouncers,” is very important when doing any kind of mediumistic work. As you meditate on a regular basis with the intention of eventually connecting with your spirit guides, you will attune yourself to these spiritual allies.

6. I thank Source for giving me the gift of spiritual communion as well as any tools I am using that day, say my “Light-worker’s Prayer,” wish enlightenment and happiness for all beings, and invite my guides to come close. Then, I proceed with any other spiritual work I have planned for the session.

7. When I am done, I envision a door opening to Heaven, thank my guides and guardians, offer to cross over any earth-bound energies lingering around me, and send everyone off with as much love, gratitude and well-wishes as I can muster. I close the door and ground all the energy I have raised.

In my next post, I will share a much quicker preparatory meditation I use to ground and open the energy body when performing energy healing work. With practice, it can be done in seconds, like a flipping a switch that shifts your consciousness. (The concept of guardians is not quite as important when performing energy work, but you may find your guides and angels participating nonetheless.)

How do you help your energy body grow strong and keep up a meditation practice? How do you prepare for a reading? Think about ways in which you can enhance your daily engagement with spirit and your higher self.

[sethmnicholsengl1120-44]

SLO Reflections

SLO Reflections

1.     Rhetorical Situation and Genre

a.     We have analyzed many different genres already this semester. We began with story type genres like horror, comedy and thrillers with the first short stories. Then we continued to cover more business/document genres such as websites and license cards. Most of the genres were not chosen because had assigned them, however of the ones I chose they all had something to do with my future career field’s daily activities. I learned that on every single card that is used for medical marijuana use has certain elements that area always on it, even in different states.

b.     My favorite genre that I researched was the Horro-comedy mix. This is a relatively knew genre of movies that most reviewers, like rotten tomatoes, aren’t huge fans of. I watched and did a paper of the movie Zombieland which is one of the very popular ones. The reason I like this genre so much is because of the absolute absurdity of the movies due to the comedic aspects. Like one second the main character could be almost eaten by a zombie, then turns around, cracks a one-liner and the feeling of the scene is changed so drastically.

c.     Well my first writing assignment was a paper about Zombieland, showing the horro-comedy combo that is so special for the movie and how the convention breaking helps with that and then we created a field guide of different genres in our career field.

d.     One of the documents I wanted to explore but didn’t because each company keeps theirs private was that for ever type of marijuana grown by a dispensary has tons of paperwork that shows the terpene levels and based on those can help different people with different issues.

e.     Everything is extremely regulated due to the fact of legality when it comes to marijuana so conventions being broken are mostly illegal.

2.     Writing as a Social Act

a.     To me, writing as a social act is an extremely obvious idea. Whenever a writer creates any kind of writing piece, electronic or not, someone is going to read it, and for that fact it is a mode of transmitting information between said people. In English 1110 we focused more on what a Rhetorical Situation was than how it applies and connects to other people socially.

b.     Thinking about a marijuana dispensary as a discourse community, its genres are all about sales. Any kind of writing piece that is connected to a business focused on selling a product is either used to attract new customers, appreciate loyal customers or it is more for the business side and all of that documentation will only be seen by the government and/or law enforcement if necessary.

c.     Depending on your meaning of interacting with a published piece of literature, by reading it alone you are being communicated to by the said writer. Sharing the ideas of the actual piece with your friends is another way of interaction by bringing the ideas and thoughts from the written piece into real life. By writing about another piece of literature, you can either bring a fresh new perspective to a piece or make more people read/ think about it as well.

3.     Writing as a Process

a.     The SWA’s perfectly built up to the MWA by making me personally think about genres and about their conventions, including the breaking of said conventions. In SWA 1, we simply relearned about genres and their conventions and had to point them out. In SWA 2, we were given the task to give a short 250-word description of multiple written pieces in our future job field or desired field. The MWA combined those two ideas by having us choose one of the said genres from SWA 2 and create a paper about its uses, its conventions and how it breaks conventions compared to other pieces of the genre.

b.     The easiest part of the writing process for me is the writing of the paper itself. I love getting to use my voice to try and prove something because it is my perspective.  Researching for a project is stupidly stressful because of citations and respectable sources, brainstorming is super-fast and simple because we usually already have a purpose to the writing, revising and editing is a horrible process part that is super difficult because I wrote it and I understand everything and lastly, proofreading is just an extension of revising and it is just as boring/horrible. For MWA 2 which is a research paper, I’m if the researching aspect of the paper is going to be the longest part, especially because I will have to use UNM libraries for said topic. To streamline the process a little, I will try to start working on it as quickly as possible and spend multiple days on it.

c.     Peer reviewing and Instructor feedback are probably some of the most helpful feedback in the world because it can help you realize some things that made sense to the writer but nobody else, it can help you with any spelling/grammar mistakes that word and or the writer didn’t catch and it can help with simply making the paper have a better flow or framework.  Outside perspective is a serious help to a final draft, either by pointing out flaws or simply assisting with understanding. Nothing surprised me personally about the edits created to my paper, it was all about grammar and common-sense stuff that I simply didn’t understand or do.

4.     Grammar and Usage

a.     In SWA 1, there are many different grammatical errors and the organization is not extremely good. Many sentences are extremely choppy and have a lot of information in them that should have been made into longer, more clear sentences.  Also, the structure is extremely obvious and bland, I had to show two things and so I created 2 long paragraphs that proved my point and the arguments are all over the place. In SWA 2 I completely forgot to put intext citations for a few of my references. For example, I had the exact size of the average license card which is 3.375” by 2.125” and did not put the website or anything for the place I found that information at. In MWA 1, my only real issues brought up by my peers was the occasional wrong word or confusing sentence, but I also had an extreme number of the “/”. I meant to put the word procure in reference to getting a card, but I typed the word occur, which me and Word didn’t pick up. I used many slashes because when I first wrote it, I didn’t know if I should call them ID’s or Licenses, so I had both. My peers said that was dumb and I should call the Medical Marijuana license a license. In SWA 1, there was a very rushed and almost immature feel to it because I had not written in a long time, I feel that MWA 1 was much more professional and phrased much better.  

b.     The assignment that I am the proudest of in terms of organization would have to be my SWA 1. Even though I criticized it earlier, it is the simplest and still super effective compared to the SWA 2 and MWA 1. SWA 2 we were told how to format it as well because we were supposed to create the field guide and MWA 1 I just kind of followed the list of requirements order of needs in the paper, therefore the only one I really formatted was SWA 1. For all the journals I always organize them simply based on questions so I in no way am proud of that. One skill or technique that could strengthen my organization for next time are creating an outline before I write, which can show me a good order to write in. Then I can also look at other people’s papers that have been made for the same topic/ reason and then base my organization on theirs, not copy but simply be inspired by. I would have to cite any paper I used though for safety.

E. analyze and describe the value of incorporating various languages, dialects and registers in your own and others’ texts.

•       “Languages” does not necessarily have to mean French, Spanish, English, Bulgarian. This can also include other forms of English, whether it is academic styles of English or colloquial or slang forms.

•       I feel that in most pieces there can be a different kind of language depending on the pieces’ content itself. For example, In Zombieland which I looked at this in SWA 1 of MWA 1. The main character always talked about rules to keep you alive. The average person probably does not have to think about that and talk about “zombies” and an apocalypse.

•       There is an almost uncountable amount of words about marijuana and its legal purchasing that I have learned. The sizes when you purchase, legally or not, are basically the same. Done by using different amounts of a once, 28 grams, as increment sales like “an eighth” is 1/8th of one once which is 3.5g. There are also “3” strain types you can choose from. You can either have Sativa, a whole body high, Indica, with an intense head high that spreads to your body, or a hybrid which is a mix of the two. The part of the weed that gives it part of its taste is the terpenes and the THCA/THC % determines how expensive it will be.

•        I read 3 different academic journal/research studies and they gave me a small difficulty to read. Academic writing is always difficult to read, especially for me who is not the strongest reader. However, once you learn the words and ideas they are talking about and re-read it a couple of times than you can understand it and apply it to the real world.

•       Register is about the level of formality of your writing.  

•       I wrote in a high register for the research paper and for the formal academic paper about the medical cards and such. This was because high register speech is for more formal and professional writing. Obviously for my research paper I am trying to sound as smart and dignified as possible to hopefully create more credible speech. Then in the other pieces I needed to be formal as well but that was also because it was a very serious topic.

•       Any time we did a free write for the most part I would say, we did not do much of creative writing in the class so I would say for most assignments I wrote in more formal speech.

•       Writing in less formal or low register speech is easier because you can basically say whatever you want. You can be more creative, break rules of normal writing ideas to be even more creative and you can also be very funny which is hard when you must be professional.

F. evaluate your development as a writer over the course of the semester and describe how composing in multiple genres and mediums using various technologies can be applied in other contexts to advance your goals

·       Has writing in different genres helped you to become a stronger writer?  

·       I feel that whenever I write, and it is for project it always makes me improve. I always must prove a new point or use new sources to create an argument which makes me look for good, quality sources as well. I also receive feedback about my overall writing and the different aspects of it from my piers and from my teacher and that also helps me to expand my skill. I think my word choice has improved because I used to use a very small amount of word repeatedly and it made my writing seem very repetitive while making me seem a little unintelligent.

·       I feel that my best assignment was my argumentative research paper about the legalization of marijuana. I had multiple different strong arguments that showed that the legalization of weed would be helpful to more than just peoples direct health but also to that of people in jail and addicted to other more harmful opioids. I also showed the counter argument extremely fairly and then showed how it was also complete garbage. Those combined with a perfectly formula MLA format made that paper extremely strong and showing of how far my writing has come.

·       I will be using a multitude of genres in my future career, 100’s of pages is going to be processed by my business daily. The knowledge that I have learned about these genres is going to help me create extremely correct and well-made creations that will help attract business, help my employees to work effectively and keep me legally safe.

·       I have mastered the UNM libraries catalog search that helps me to find very reliable and correct sources that can help to assist me in many things, it will help me in my future English classes next semester and on, it will assist me in my future classes dealing with documents and genres in business and it will even be able to help me when I am simply looking at a pamphlet, seeing if it is worth of my gaze.

·       Absolutely, whenever I have a writing assignment due of any kind, I know that I will be able to complete it well. It will have perfect grammar, correct word count and an amazing piece with no plagiarism involved.

Research SLOs

 G. use writing and research as a means of discovery, to examine your personal beliefs in the context of multiple perspectives and to explore focused research questions through various mediums and technologies

  1.     What was your process for researching for your argumentative research paper? What role did technology play?

a.     It began with thinking of a topic in my field of interest. I personally wish to sell medical marijuana from a dispensary in the future, therefore I thought about the most popular topics about it. That in mind, I decided that the best topic I could choose would be the legal aspect because technically it is legal to smoke it in some states, but not in others or with special rules. I then went onto the UNM library website and I used the catalog search to find sources that backed my topic. This obviously was affected by my use of technology because I had to use a computer to find these sources. I used keywords and the advanced search and found 4 book/academic journals that backed up my claims. While doing the sources I also began on one of our journals in class which was a pre-draft intro/conclusion paragraph. Then the next class, I also had a small draft of two of the body paragraphs I would be using. These two pre-writes helped to create a well thought out and proofread paper. Once I had the 4 sources and multiple pre-draft paragraphs, I created the annotated bibliography with the MLA citation style for each source. They also had a small paragraph that described what it was and how it related to the topic I was trying to argue about. These all combined, I had enough evidence about my topic and about the counter/counter to the counter argument to create the paper. I began to create the first draft for my paper by combining the edited intro/conclusion I had turned in previously then added the edited body paragraphs. After that I began to create the counter argument and place all the paragraphs in order. I didn’t receive much student reviews back that had an issue with my paper, most were just grammatical issues which I fixed before creating the final paper.

2.     Did researching and addressing counterarguments make you think differently about your topic?

a.     Fortunately for me I have personal experience with the topic as I personally have experience in the field. I know that the medical benefits are extremely substantial and the fact that it is not legal astounds me. In my research, I read exactly what I was expecting to see. There are multiple health benefits and there are slight health deficits as well. However, they can be avoided by living a healthy lifestyle and by not abusing the product but unfortunately many possible deficits that could be caused by smoking are yet to be determined exactly. Fortunately, these studies also show how many false hoods, aka the counter argument, are proven as such by new studies. Many anti-drug posters and such over blow the damage on the lungs and a person’s overall health. My research on their origin of these came back from the “War on Drugs” with extremely overprotective laws created based on bogus studies.

3.     What questions do you still have about your argumentative research paper topic that require more research? In what ways did your paper serve as a springboard for further lines of inquiry?

a.     I want to investigate where new states are going to be legalizing the product soon because that would be the perfect opportunity to create a dispensary of my own. It’s kind of helps me to truly justify why I believe in the product that I want to sell in the future.

4.     Did you discover anything new about your personal beliefs through your writing this semester?

a.     I justified what I believed in and strengthened my idea of my future.

H. integrate others’ positions and perspectives into your writing ethically, appropriately, and effectively in various mediums and technologies

1.��    Describe how you used outside ideas in your research paper or genre analyses?

a.     I used MLA format in order to show the sources that I referenced. This formatting is traditional of research paper and is in the 8th edition. I used studies that were done by professional labs with good merit and cited each one of the 5 labs involved. One super difficult part about the research process is that it is super hard to find the stuff that supports your topic sometimes. Especially when they are a weird type of text such as academic journal collection, but the online machines make it much easier. It is important to reference those who you got your information from because if you did not it would be counted as plagiarism and you could then be expelled from school as well as it would make all of the facts used seem untrue and not backed by actual sources.

2.     How did you incorporate other’s perspectives into your writing?  

a.     I used the perspective of multiple health agencies that all agreed on my exact topic. This gave me an extreme amount of ethos due to them being health professionals. I also used the real-life example of Portugal using its extreme “pro” drug policies which also gave me logos proving a side health benefit. Then I used the real-life example of the War on Drugs which gave me ethos from a large, important figure being the leader of untrue stance that won him office.  

3.     Besides citing your evidence to avoid plagiarism, what other purpose(s) does incorporating (and citing) outside sources serve? Think about the MWA #2 prompt here: “... you’re expected to build off the arguments of other experts and practice joining the conversation.”  

a.     Using other arguments as well as studies inside of your argument gives it a lot of strength. If professionals agree with you than you gain a lot of ethos, as well as “bandwagon”-ing if you have multiple supporting sources. Also, by citing them in your piece they also get the credit they deserve for their piece because using their material and not citing them isn’t just plagiarism, it’s rude.

I. Compose a research-based academic argument in one of various mediums and technologies by identifying, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing sources, which must include secondary sources

1.     How did you go about finding relevant sources for your paper?

a.     I used two places to look for sources, UNM libraries catalog search and Google. I simply used Google to go to YouTube so I could reference Ronald Reagan’s quote about Marijuana. I used library catalog search in order to find credible and reliable sources. These sources were the one by the National Academies of Science, and 4 more medical companies. Then I had the record and a journal of the Portugal’s policies decriminalizing all drugs and how it assisted majorly in addiction, death and arrest rates.  

2.     How did you evaluate your source?

a.     I knew that my sources would be of high quality and credible if they were from a catalog of academic and official documents like the UNM libraries. Looking at the people involved with the studies and the companies you can see their professionalism and correctness. Therefore, you can trust that source.  There was a source I used in the annotated bibliography that I didn’t use. It was a book that had a bunch of “pro” and “anti” marijuana points and how the “anti” were wrong. Unfortunately, it was only available as a real copy book and because I waited until the last possible second to rent it out, I couldn’t use it in my final version of the paper.  Dang coronavirus!

3.     How did you narrow down what information to include from your secondary sources?  

a.     I specifically looked for the important overall topics that helped to prove my point the best. I used rational to find inside the papers, books and journals on my topics and then took down the information that helped to support the topic I wanted.

4.     What sources did you end up using in your paper?

a.     I used multiple different kinds of sources. I used two academic journals, live footage, a record of a direct study taken in America and a record of Portugal laws. This helped to strengthen my argument because it shows that in multiple ways and multiple perspectives, my point is still true.

J. Analyze and describe the writing and research conventions of an academic field in order to understand the different ways of creating and communicating knowledge  

1.     Think back to Sequence 1. What did you learn about genres in your area of interest?

a.     In the medical marijuana field, the medical card is the most important document because that is how you are legally allowed to be there and purchase at all. Also, legal documents for the business itself including information about the multiple kinds of marijuana, concerning new client sign-ups and the menu for the items themselves. Well, if I was ever asked about the medical marijuana business, I could write about it for hours. I also could write about the wrongful War on Drugs and how it was not backed by true evidence and was even influenced by racist ideals. I could also write about academic journals and there very official structure. SO overall I would say it would heavily assist me in writing in multiple fields. Looking at a genre that breaks genre conventions shows that you can be not constrained when you are writing and create something that is completely individual. Due to the fact that writing in different genres is not only possible but considered creative makes me feel extremely confident when I am writing because it means that I can combine multiple ideas and different perspectives to try and make the best story or written piece possible.

2.     Now think about Sequence 2. What did you learn about research conventions in your area of interest?

a.     I was very invested in academic journals, official documents and real-life experiments supporting my argument. These would be typical when assessing the legality of a substance that is currently illegal. If there was a proposal to make it legal, which there is, studies being done currently can help to assist in that. However, I am assuming I will deal more with the Sequence 1 materials like the med card and menu then that of the journals I used for research. I learned that using official search catalogs like Gale in Context and UNM libraries personal one makes it extremely easy to locate extremely professional useful sources for a paper. I also learned the best way to cite sources is using machine and then the list at Purdue Owl’s example.

[729renegades]

THE POWER OF GREAT COMMUNICATION

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place… George Bernard Shaw

I must admit, as I write these words, I feel a little hypocritical… I must confess that I’m not the world’s greatest communicator. But I am working hard on becoming the best communicator I can be.

Why?  Because I know that skilful communicators can work miracles in their business and personal lives.

Effective Communication is a critical component of mastering success. By mastering the art of communication we will increase every level of performance in our life.

We should take every opportunity to practice communication skills so, when the opportunity arises, we will have the knowledge, the clarity and the emotional intelligence to positively effect those we come into contact with.

Good communication begins with preparation. We can’t speak about what we don’t know, relate to something we don’t or have never had, nor can we give what we don’t have.

To this end we should consistently and deliberately draw the valuable lessons learned from our life experiences so we can share them with others at appropriate times.

Our preparation should include four main elements; interest, fascination, sensitivity and the knowledge.

Be interested in everything around us… people, places and what Douglas Adams, author of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, once referred to as Life, the Universe and Everything. Be curious about everything. Ask questions and record the knowledge we gain so we can recall it when we need to. Remember, people don’t really care how much we know until they know how much we care!

Become fascinated by and in others. Bring back our inner childhood curiosity… remember when we used to ask all those annoying questions and our parents would end up saying…. “Because it just is, that’s all!”.  Jim Rohn says, “substitute frustration for fascination”… so next time we become frustrated with someone or something try switching from frustration to fascination.

Become sensitive to the other person’s point of view. Put ourselves in their shoes. Feel what they feel, think what they think.  Why might they be upset? What would cause them to react that way? Become sympathetic and empathetic to their situation. It won’t be easy BUT by simply making the effort it will build bridges and open the other person to better communicate.

And finally, collect knowledge… use a journal or day book. I seem to use two or three journals every year…  it’s amazing what we sometimes find when we re-read them. Create a bank of useful knowledge that will help us develop stories and relate to people at the right time.

Keep it simple, don’t complicate unnecessarily

Our success as a business owner depends on how well we communicate and we must master the fundamentals of communication in all aspects of our lives.

With the words we use, we have the power to lift people up to do great things or hurt them deeply and limit their potential. How many times have we heard a parent telling a child they are ‘stupid’? How long would it take before that child begins to believe he IS in fact stupid?

Planning what we want to say to someone before we say it can make our words incredibly effective. We must know what we want to say, when we’re going to say it and how we will say it.

We must be sure to match our deeds with our words. As people in authority, we’re under constant scrutiny, and if we say one thing then do another, this undermines any respect we gain through our words.

We must work on how we speak and write. We don’t need to become a world class speaker or author… I’m a firm believer in James Daniels’ statement, write as you speak… and be our authentic selves. But we must learn to improve the tools we use to influence others.

We must become effective listeners. Whether it’s our children, spouse, friends or customers, listening helps us to become better commnunicators.

We must show we care. Talk with people not to Share our words and ideas and let others share theirs with us. Show interest in their needs and desires so we can better help them.

We have to get clear and as concise as possible. I have a tendency to complicate things when it’s completely unnecessary. My accountant, Clare, has an uncanny knack of being able to take my 30 minute explanation of what I need, and say it back to me in 3 clear sentences!

Be sure to confirm understanding on both sides. I often share an exercise with my staff. I draw the number 6 on a sheet of paper and place it in the centre of the table… to demonstrate we’re both looking at the same thing, but I see a 6 and they see a 9. It helps us make sure we BOTH leave the conversation with the same understanding.

Create our own language. When we create our own words, phrases and acronyms that mean something unique to us, not only does this help us ensure common understanding, it also helps to create a ‘tribal’ connection that builds a community.

And repeat… They may well have heard our message but rarely will others ‘understand’ it first time… to become effective we must be prepared to communicate our message many times to ensure it’s internalised by others.

Here are a few tips I’ve picked up from my mentors over the years;

When you meet with people, brief them on the topic before the meeting and the outcomes you hope for… aim to reach a solution without needing further meetings

Be on time and end the meeting on time – this shows that you value other people’s time as much as you value your own

Arrange an appropriate setting for the meeting… a coffee shop may be suitable in some circumstances but something more formal may be more appropriate in others

If it’s a group meeting, appoint someone to take notes

Listen carefully and speak clearly

Sum up at the end and clarify what you think you have heard and what you attempted to say… ensure you both agree

Follow up by email with confirmation of your summing up… thank the other people for their time

Avoid digression if it doesn’t add value to the subject

If you’re meeting via phone, schedule a time and treat it as a meeting using the above rules where appropriate

Remember KISS (keep it simple stupid) don’t complicate unnecessarily

How you say things is just as important as what you say… use inflection in your voice and don’t be afraid to show However, don’t GET emotional… leave them at the door!

Make best use of body language, use your hands but don’t be too demonstrative

Look people in the eye… this speaks volumes… and engenders trust

Don’t cross your arms… you’re closing yourself off from the other people and is sure to create a wedge between you

This all sounds like a complicated set of rules in themselves and contradictory to the advise to keep things simple… but, with practice, applying the above advice can make the difference between success and failure in the communication process.

Start today and use every interaction you have with people over the next 30 days as an opportunity to stretch your communication muscles, then let us know how you get on.

                from Blog | 729renegades http://bit.ly/2J30PHi

[rogeramir]

A Code For Authentic Living

THE SPIRITUAL ELEMENT: There is only The One. You and others are all images of The One. And you contain The One. The One lives inside everyone of you. Just as The One is called ‘divine’, so is each one of you divine. And you are not separate from one another. You are all one, like the fingers on your hand or like the waves in an ocean or like the leaves on a tree. Try to experience utter silence and stillness. In utter silence and stillness, when the words and images of this world recede, you might experience something new, something you have never faced before. The eternal oneness which has no images, no boundaries, no noise, no attachments. Once you catch a whiff of the fragrance of this eternal oneness, you are on your way to reclaiming your own eternity. You have found yourself. You have reached home. (This is the most critical part of the Code and I deliberately start with the spiritual element. For me, this is the first and the most important element for a life worth living. You can throw away everything else included here and just keep this part and you’ll end up in the same place. Every other element of the Code is derived from this one.)

LIVING WITH OTHERS: The ‘others’ are you. It is a myth that you are separate from others. Whoever you meet, you meet yourself. And all of your relationships are with yourself. Help these others without getting attached. Advise them if they need advice and if you are experienced enough to advise. Do not judge them. Do not fear them. Do not compare your life with theirs. In your interactions with others, try to rise above the everyday rules of behaviour that you have been using all your life and just remember the eternal oneness. With practice, patience and perseverance, this remembrance will bring a new kind of relationship and a new kind of love. Judgment and comparison will give way to understanding and compassion. This will happen on its own, without any struggle. A new love will arise, which you will not understand in the beginning. This love will be without any attachments, it will be towards everyone you come across and it will be without any give and take. Once you can see yourself loving everyone without exception and without any attachment at all and loving everyone without needing anything at all, then, for the first time in your life, you have experienced real love as opposed to the commercial love that we all practice which is based on a very well-defined give and take.

KEEPING THE BIGGER PICTURE IN MIND: This life is like a short trip and you are already on your way back from the trip, like a wave rising in an ocean and then going back to the ocean. You will rise again as a wave in another life. Observe and understand this process and live accordingly. From the moment we are born, we are all on our way out. But we forget and we indulge in the ego-based life, which leads to temporary and meaningless pursuits.

MONEY AND MATERIAL GOALS: Practice minimal living – all needs, goals and attachments are like chains. Observe these chains in your own life and know that you have the option to free yourself. The body lives in a world based on money. Money is needed when you are born and, unless you have broken free of the world of money, it will be needed when you die and at all times in between. And human desire is a bottom-less pit. It will never be fulfilled. If you are moneyless or jobless, you desire a nice well-paying job. If you earn in thousands, you want to become a millionaire. If you’re a millionaire, you dream of becoming a billionaire. And so on and so forth. Keep that in mind and watch your desires. Just observing yourself and your changing desires will bring about a change. Slowly, step-by-step, you will become less desiring and more content. Master the art of budgeting and living frugally. And you will notice your stress and anxiety levels going down. The less stress and anxiety you have, the more meditative you are. If you plan to leave the world of money, then plan the departure accordingly. Do not leave unfulfilled any prior obligations. The great Buddha, when he realized the absurdity of everyday life, ran away from the royal palace to seek more understanding and an alternate way of life, leaving his parents (the King and the Queen) and his wife and kid behind. As per some traditions, after he became enlightened, he came back to apologize and tell his family what happened to him. His family eventually understood and forgave him and became his devotees, but the point here is that may be he could have done things differently instead of running away from his responsibilities. Yes, there is always the possibility ofanalysis paralysis i.e., not taking any action to fulfil your great purpose in life, but that can be avoided too. In any case, the world of money, possessions and attachments cannot be combined with the world of God, meditation and silence. Anyone who chooses the path of God will have to start letting go of all material possessions, tangible or intangible.

LIVING TRUTHFULLY: This means, firstly, speaking the factual truth and not telling lies or making things up. Lies and deception come from a twisted, contorted mind. They make life twisted and contorted too. And they hurt you more than they hurt others. Secondly, it means living a life based on the lessons you have already learnt in life. Ignoring the lessons you have learnt in life will make your life conflicted and unintelligent. So, have the courage to grab this moment and live your life as truthfully as possible. If you keep postponing a truthful life to the future then this postponement will become a habit. If you start living a truthful life, then such truthful living will become a habit. In the end so much of what we are and become depends on our habits. Start cutting all the BS that you practice in your relationships and your professional and social lives. And live today the life that you want to live. Don’t postpone it to future.

FOCUS: Live your life like a well-sharpened pencil and don’t spread yourself thin. Focus on doing what you really need to do or what you feel you are most passionate about. Find and focus on doing what you would do even if you are not paid to do it. That would be the thing that is really worth doing. It is like being with a woman or a man that you fall madly in love with, as compared to being with someone that you maybe like a little bit, or not even that. That is the kind of profession you need. Something that you fall in love with. Not something that you do 9 to 5, five days a week, and dream of getting off work and enjoying the weekend. No, once you find the right profession, then your whole week is a weekend. There is no difference between the week days and the weekend. You enjoy through the whole week. Work becomes play. Once you have found it, focus on it. Realize and cut out all the crap that you fill your day with just because you don’t have anything better to do. Find that something that will consume you like a raging fire. That is the one thing you should be doing. It is better to do that one thing very well than to do many things not so well.

HEALTHY BODY: Take care of your body. Exercise a little every day and eat light and purposefully. Avoid things to subdue or excite the brain. Just let the body, including the brain, be. Let them work at their own pace and with their own intelligence. And, while you take care of the body, don’t get too attached to it. One day it is going to wither away and you will depart on the next leg of your journey. Like everything else in this life, treat the body as something leased to you for a while. One day, the lease is going to expire and you will have to return it. Till then, enjoy it, take care of it and use it to achieve whatever purpose you find in life.