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zuko-always-lies · 3 years ago

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ATLA AU Idea which is Basically “Azula Raises Katara for Several Years”

I’ve had this idea kicking around my head for months, and, since I have no intention of writing it, I figure I might as well post it. To be clear, the premise of this fanfic is “Azula, Katara, and Sokka get traumatized in ways they weren’t in canon, but the events that traumatize them potentially help lead to a better outcome in the long-term,” so be prepared for rough sailing.

This idea is very much inspired by all the “Katara gets kidnapped young and raised within the Fire Nation royal family” fanfics, which I think can be excellent if done with care. However, in a situation where Katara and Azula develop a relationship when they are young, the natural tendency is to make Katara the “motherly” or parental one, and I wanted to turn that on its head. I also wanted to explore some of the possible implications of Azula taking on adult sized responsibilities as a child and of the perverse ways that power differentials can influence things. I also wanted to explore some of the ways that Azula’s commitment to duty and responsibility can be a positive thing. Another ~2000 or so words under the cut.

The premise is that, shortly after Zuko gets banished, Katara gets captured by the Southern Raiders as the last Southern Water Tribe waterbender and brought back to Caldera and presented as a trophy to Ozai. Ozai’s first reaction is to have her executed, but fortunately Azula is also present in the throne room. For reasons which Azula doesn’t entirely understand herself but which definitely have something to do with her guilt over what happened to Zuko, Azula decides to intervene, despite the risks involved. However, not being Zuko, she manages to do this without provoking Ozai, through convincing him that Katara is more valuable alive as a trophy, a symbol, and a plaything than she is dead. Ozai doesn’t really care that much, so he pawns Katara off to Azula and basically forgets about her, accidentally using language that implies to Azula that Katara and taking care of Katara is now Azula’s responsibility. Azula is at an age where she’s started to take her responsibilities and duties with deadly seriousness.

Katara doesn’t know what to make of this all. She’s been severely traumatized by being kidnapped and torn from her family and culture and by having her life threatened by Ozai. She’s aware that Azula saved her life, but the language Azula used to in order to do so sounds warped and screwed up to Katara, who is unaware that Azula had to say what she said in order to manipulate Ozai. Katara noticed that Azula seemed a little nervous when she talked to Ozai, but Katara doesn’t initially know how risky and dangerous what Azula did was.

Again, Azula takes her responsibilities with deadly seriousness. So, when it becomes her responsibility to take care of Katara, Azula is determined to do the best possible job, even though she’s 11 and Katara is also 11. If there were any responsible adults present, they would intervene and talk to Azula about how awful an idea this is, but there aren’t any left. In any case, Katara’s waterbending abilities make it so she has to be kept under some kind of supervision, Azula is perceptive enough to worry that Katara might be mistreated if she got fostered out, and in any case Azula is convinced she can do a better job than any foster family.

Azula is a badly abused 11 year old who grew up indoctrinated in an absolutely toxic ideology. She’s never really seen good parenting in her life. The idea of her trying to parent should be terrifying. Yet she’s aware that Ursa didn’t do the best job with her, and since Katara isn’t a “monster” Azula sees no reason to replicate Ursa’s behavior. Azula believes the way that Ozai treats her is absolutely justified, even though she has some knowledge of its negative effects on her, but since Katara isn’t a princess who has immense duties to her nation and family, Azula sees no reason to treat her that way. In fact, Azula is aware of ignorance about parenting, and tries to read as much about parenting as she can. She also reads as much about the water tribes as she can in order to try to understand Katara better.

In terms of being a “parent,” Azula is overall a little standoffish, absent, and demanding. She doesn’t need to directly look after Katara’s physical care(she has servants for that), but she has to look after Katara’s emotional needs, her education, and her overall care. As a temporary measure, she arranges that Katara sleep on a cot in Azula’s room because she’s not sure where to put her, and this arrangement becomes permanent. This means Azula and Katara usually eat together, since Azula has taken most of her meals in her room, but Azula is very busy with her duties, training, and education, so they don’t spend much time together in a typical day. Azula has Katara officially declared a servant(but one who only reports to Azula) in order to regularize her status and allow Katara to draw a salary(most of which Azula holds in escrow for when Katara comes of age), but Azula only rarely asks Katara to do work; Katara had far more chores back in the Southern Water Tribe. On the other hand, Azula demands that Katara work hard in her education and on practicing her waterbending. Katara is too old to be sent to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, but Azula obtains tutors for her, in addition to getting her whatever waterbending scrolls she can and trying to obtain the best possible bending coaches for Katara’s waterbending, sometimes even stepping in herself to try to coach Katara.

Azula is aware that Katara wants to return home, but she doesn’t think that Ozai would ever allow that, and, in any case, Azula is an imperialist who thinks Katara is better off being “civilized” in the Fire Nation than she would be back in her ignorant and “savage” home. A large portion of Katara’s education is intended to “civilize” her. Azula doesn’t have firm ideas of where adult Katara will fit into Fire Nation society but plays with the idea of marrying her into the nobility or of making her governor of the conquered Water Tribes. So overall, Azula does a shockingly good job as “parent” given she’s an abused 11 year child acting within the toxic norms of the Fire Nation, but that still means she does a bad job, and her relationship with Katara remains pretty toxic.

Ozai and the rest of the court have some awareness of what’s going on, but they honestly don’t care as long Azula continues to be an exemplary princess, fulfills her duties, and continues to exceed expectations. Some members of the court even find Azula’s personal commitment to “civilizing” a savage to be inspiring. However, the burden of taking care of Katara means that Azula is under even more pressure than she is in canon, with the good news being that Azula has something more of a support network than in canon. Katara provides some measure of support, and in this AU Azula never has the energy to really push Ukano’s political career forward, and so Mai never has to leave, so Ty Lee also stays put.

Katara, again, is severely traumatized by her experiences, and to a degree feels helpless. She knows that she can’t escape and go back home. She’s resentful of Azula and particularly of the efforts to cut Katara off from her culture, but at the same time Katara ends internalizing some Fire Nation culture. Yet after a while Katara gets a sense of how toxic the environment is at the Royal Court, and she soon(after overhearing a conversation between Mai and Ty Lee which was supposed to be confidential) learns what happened to Zuko and realizes how much Azula risked in order to protect Katara, and Katara can’t help but feel intense gratitude to Azula for it. Azula also gradually becomes more and more respectful of Water Tribe culture, and Katara deeply appreciates the emphasis Azula places on Katara mastering waterbending. Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee are also the only people in the Fire Nation who are ever consistently kind to Katara, and Katara ends up deeply bonding with each one of them, although the resulting relationships are not the healthiest. Katara eventually starts to develop a sense of how each one of them has been deeply victimized by Fire Nation culture. Azula goes to great lengths to hide her own struggles and pain from Katara, but Katara spends a lot of time with her and sometimes notices. Several years in, Katara notices some positive changes in Azula and begins to play with the idea that she can positively influence Azula so that Azula will be become a kinder and anti-imperialist Firelord.

Azula thinks Katara’s waterbending is the coolest thing ever(well, aside from firebending at least), a sentiment shared to a lesser degree by Mai and Ty Lee. Azula also thinks that learning to fight is vital, so she brings Katara along for her spars with Mai and Ty Lee. Katara makes rapid progress, particularly due to her access to many waterbending scrolls. As a result of this, and of Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee not separating, all four girls end up being significantly better combatants than they were in canon.

Mai and Ty Lee have complex reactions to Katara, but they eventually come to like and even love her. There is an element of resentment present because Katara takes up so much of the ever busy Azula’s time, but Azula forces her friends to spend time with Katara, and they end up bonding with her. Katara’s empathy and compassion works in her favor here, especially since she rapidly develops into one of the few people who sees and appreciates them for who they are. Mai and Ty Lee also find Katara’s waterbending to be an interesting and intriguing method of combat, soon come to respect Katara’s budding combat skills, and, as people deeply unhappy with their own places in society, they find Katara’s stories of life at the south pole to be interesting. Mai has issues with Katara being a little too “motherly,” but on the other hand appreciates that Katara pays attention to Mai’s actual desires and needs. Ty Lee sometimes finds Katara to be a little too similar to her for comfort, but also at the same time appreciates Katara’s caring side and the way she’s not reluctant to give her positive attention. Frequently Azula is too busy to join her friends, so Katara, Ty Lee, and Mai end up hanging out together. Freaks and outsiders stick together.

Azula, through her research into the Water Tribes, personal experience with Katara, and interest in Katara’s waterbending, begins to subtly yet strongly move in anti-imperialist directions and doubt Fire Nation ideology, but her transformation has scarcely begun by the time Book 1 begins. She does benefit from better relationships with her friends, though, and Katara gives her some emotional support. Meanwhile, to a lesser degree Mai and Ty Lee have had their own doubts develop about imperial ideology.

Azula tends to see her relationship with Katara mainly in terms of responsibility and duty, but she ultimately comes to fiercely love Katara.

Zuko and Iroh do their things, just like in canon. They receive vague reports about Katara’s presence in court, but they don’t understand the significance of them.

Sokka gets badly traumatized by losing his sister and believes her to be killed by the Fire Nation. Hakoda, Bato, and the water tribe warriors also still leave to fight the Fire Nation. Sokka is absolutely dedicated to seeking vengeance on the Fire Nation, and when he accidently defrosts Aang, he sees an opportunity.

Book 1 largely plays out the same, with minor changes. I think an interesting one is that Suki ends up joining a badly understrength Team Avatar and temporally leaving her warriors behind in order to aid Avatar Kyoshi’s reincarnation with the fulfillment of his destiny.

Book 2 opens with Azula being sent to capture Zuko and Iroh. Mai and Ty Lee tag along, in part with the hope of making sure Zuko is captured without being harmed, and Azula decides to bring Katara too rather than leave her alone in Caldera. However, the operation goes south, and Azula, Mai, Ty Lee, and Katara soon find themselves hunting the Avatar. Katara’s loyalties are about to be tested like never before…Meanwhile, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee all have seeds of anti-imperialism growing within them, but what will it take for these seeds to blossom and give fruit? Meanwhile, Azula grapples with not only her canon trauma but also the trauma she experienced through her parentification.

#Azula #Katara #Zuko #Iroh #Mai #Ty Lee #Ozai #Dangerous Ladies #Dangerous Ladies + Katara #ATLA au

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inscapeblog · 4 years ago

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Design and Context: Subculture Valentino Vivian

Introduction

The design has been a significant part of human society and is now a part of our lives more than ever. This is made so because of the internet and the growing popularity of social media. Anyone with a smartphone and internet can connect with the world, be it carefully taken photos or well-edited videos. Design inspiration can be taken from anywhere, like a pattern on a leaf or the specific grains on tree bark. Culture is also a significant influence on design, although, in this essay, we will investigate the influence of subcultures in design. This essay will define what a subculture is and will examine various examples of how certain subcultures influence the design and prove that subcultures in context can help provide design solutions. This essay will discuss multiple subcultures that birthed new forms of design.

Defining Subcultures

In this section, we will discuss the definition of subculture and its characteristics. The more commonly known definition of subcultures is “the concept of a subculture implies a minority culture that is of subordinated and secondary nature in relation to a dominant majority culture” (Zackariasson et al., 2014). Based on this definition, a subculture is based on a long-standing culture like music, fashion and architecture and adopting certain practises or beliefs of that culture that do not necessarily match with the original culture. Subculture in this regard is similar to a group of friends going to the cinema to watch a movie, but one group does not like the choice of the movie by the group, so then they would decide to watch a different movie.

Making reference to the definition of culture is “the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society.” (Oxford Language). From this definition, Nathan Bolton state that these subcultures are in opposition to accepting the customs and ideas social behaviour of the culture in question (Boltan, 2012). He uses a study that focused on gang crime in working-class American teens, the culture in which they derive from gang culture in America, although they were mostly anti-utilitarian. These troubled teenagers would be able to relate to one another by sharing their short time crime stories/experiences “ The gang inverted the values of the majority culture, deliberately pursuing the mirror image of the American dream.” (Boltan, 2012)

A book that is focussed on the subject of consumer behaviour defines subculture as “people who share a set of secondary values” (Niosi, n.d.) The definition states that one can be part of one or many different subcultures, but the individual is part of a larger community within a smaller community. What places people in subcultures are based on Material culture, social institution, beliefs, aesthetics and language as this makeup much larger, broader cultures like music, Christianity and the French-speaking population. Subcultures are also formed based on a trait that is very different from society; for example, Vegans are a subcultural group that believes that its wrong to consume animal products and, in doing so, has an effect on climate change. Vegans are different or have a trait that others do not.

When defining subcultures, there are some definitions that are positive and others that have negatives connotations. When referring to the negative connotations, it is usually stated that the smaller group within a larger culture do not agree with their belief or ideals of that culture. As an act of rebellion, they form their own group, which then becomes its own culture within another culture. When referring to the positive connotations, this is more so in the commercial field. This is where success is attained by a brand where there are a large variety of people from around the world of different beliefs, languages and aesthetics, just to name a few (Zackariasson et al., 2014). An example of this positive connotation can be seen with the Sony Playstation community; Sony’s Playstation 4 is one of the highest selling consoles of the past four years. They were able to do this within the gaming community. There is a subculture in gamer who prefer the PlayStation 4 over other consoles, thus creating more subcultural in terms of games.

The significance of Subculture in identifying and solving a design problem

s in mainstream society.”(LumenLearning, n.d.) The first argument is that pop culture caters to the mainstream but forgets about those not in mainstream society; this would then create a void of diversity in the design field. If all designers were to design with a pop culture mentality, a large majority of the designs the world would be exposed to would all be the same or have taken a similar approach. If we look at the economic point of view, if companies used one method of solving design solutions, it will show in their designs, not only that, but it would be difficult to interest investors as one would see that there is no difference in the design approach.

Subcultures allow designers to view the design problem through a different lens as they would typically do. Subcultures are various ways that people consider a topic or culture; this then breeds room for diversity in design. By using or designing with subcultures in mind, then broadens the skillset for designers, allowing them to venture into new ways of designing. As an example, if a designer were to start using elements of the Hip hop subculture in their design, they see how bold fonts would work with specific colours. Another way in which subcultures are essential to design is that they inform the designer on the connotations of certain elements, colours objects. An example could be that in mainstream culture, Monster energy drink can be viewed as the second-best energy drink, whereas in the skater culture, Monster is the best, and nothing compares.

Music is one of the most diverse phenomena; the sharing, critiquing, and enjoyment of music is one of the primary activators for subculture groups. Discussions are had, and opinions are formed, dividing people into these subcultures. Due to these many subcultures being created, there is an untapped market for designers. “ designers translate this idea of a music and internet subcultural “scene” into a product design worthy of those individuals amerced within theses subcultural groups.” (Allen, 2009) The creation of these products allows more people to be made aware of these other subcultures that one could identify with, thus increase and growing that specific subculture.

It is essential for designers to know about subcultures and what subcultures bare good prospects. Having knowledge of subcultures is essential in terms of inclusivity. It is well documented that member of the LGBTQ community have been scrutinised over the years, and this community also serves as a subculture. In 1905 the arrow man was created by J.C Leyendecker, which revolutionise design and advertising. The illustration was placed on many magazine covers; the man is said to be the J.C Leyendecker partner, which means that the arrow man is the first homosexual male to make it onto magazine covers. As a result of this design, making it on the magazine cover made the public at the time know that there is a subculture or community where homosexual males are welcomed, and that pop culture is evolving to include them. Design helps inform and influence the public, steer change. (Martin, 2019)Examples of successful application of in spatial design

Skatehalle, Berlin, Germany

Skatehalle is a wooden skate park located in Berlin, German. Skatehalle is a space purposefully designed for the enjoyment of the skater community. The park is made up of ramps, rails and bowls all used to perform tricks. In the skater culture, they value creativity, risk and freedom, which are very prominent in the park's designs. Their bright, colourful murals express the core values of skaters pushing risk. Skatehalle is effective in the sense that because of the ever-growing skate culture, some or most cities did not approve as it was seen as a delinquent activity. As a result, many skateparks were built and are still popular to this day

Spodek Arena

The Spodek Arena is a multipurpose arena located in Katowice Poland. This arena annually hosts the IEM Katowice Esports tournament. The arena is designed to cater to the need of the Esport gaming community. In these tournaments teams play games like Dota and League of legends for Trophies, these are highly sponsored event. Elements that make this space for the subculture of Esports gamer is that they have multiple large screens and seating from the floors to the rafters for maximum amount of spectator. This type of design ia effective because many gamer set ups use neon light set ups and most the time the gamers are in their rooms doing extraordinary things with no audience, so the arena is designed in such a way that these factor are non existent.

Conclusion

The study and knowledge of subcultures are significant as this knowledge will help any, and all designers reach different audiences. Having knowledge about different subcultures can also help designers find new ways to approach design problems using elements from different subcultures to create new and impactful designs. When designing, it is also important to know what certain elements of a specific culture or subculture mean in order not to offend or give off the wrong messages. Subcultures are a significant part of the design.

Reference List

Allen, B. (2009). CULTURALISTIC DESIGN: DESIGN APPROACH TO CREATE PRODUCTS FOR SPECIFIC CULTURAL AND SUBCULTURAL GROUPS [Ebook]. Retrieved 10 March 2021, from http://etd.auburn.edu.

Boltan, N. (2012). Essay on graphic design through the effects of subcultures. [Ebook] (p. 1). Retrieved 10 March 2021, from https://issuu.com/nathanbolton/docs/how_subcultures_have_effected_graphic_design1.

D'Angelo, W. (2020). Switch vs PS4 vs Xbox One Global Lifetime Sales – January 2020. VGChartz. Retrieved 10 March 2021, from https://www.vgchartz.com/article/442352/switch-vs-ps4-vs-xbox-one-global-lifetime-salesjanuary-2020/#:~:text=The%20PS4%20has%20sold%20106.99,Xbox%20One%2046.36%20million%20units.&text=The%20PlayStation%204%20outsold%20the,and%20Xbox%20One%20are%20down.

DiBlasi, A., & Willis, V. (Eds.). (2014). Geek rock : An exploration of music and subculture. ProQuest Ebook Central <a onclick=window.open('https://ebookcentral.proquest.com','_blank') href='https://ebookcentral.proquest.com' target='_blank' style='cursor: pointer;’>https://ebookcentral.proquest.com</a>

LumenLearning. Pop Culture, Subculture, and Cultural Change | Introduction to Sociology. Courses.lumenlearning.com. Retrieved 10 March 2021, from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/sociology/chapter/pop-culture-subculture-and-cultural-change/.

Martin, M. (2019). The Leading LGBTQ+ Milestones in the World of Design. Architectural Digest. Retrieved 10 March 2021, from https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/lgbtq-design-milestones.

Niosi, A. Subcultures. Kpu.pressbooks.pub. Retrieved 10 March 2021, from https://kpu.pressbooks.pub/introconsumerbehaviour/chapter/subcultures/.

Zackariasson, P., Wilson, T., & Dymek, M. (2014). The video game industry. Routledge.

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thesagedahlia · 5 years ago

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🎭 Gemini Season (May. 20-June 21st) ♊

🌬

Vitality is coming through in order to tackle any blocks you have toward a specific goal. Changes will happen with an unexpected nature, but that shouldn't be enough to be able to count you out. There may have been disappointments that caused someone to deal with great lengths of grief or sorrow, but the only option one has is to keep pushing forward with better judgment, brought by past situations that may have acted as conflict for them. Seeing forth to the future, there is anticipation & a determined spirit that radiates from someone's thoughts & feelings, once they withdraw from the emotional side of the situation that may be keeping them in a sad place. It seems to be a hidden passion or desire that is causing emotions to bubble up from the surface, & it may need to be someone who has to manifest their emotions through a concrete way in order to avoid an explosion of passion; something that is constructive, yet disorganized. There needs to be mastery of what one is feeling, because the execution depends on its stability & foundations. As long as the will is organized, & not misinterpreted, there will be a well deserved result that comes from this expression & sharing one's voice. This may be an important heart to heart conversation someone is needing to have with another person, & that important person can very well be yourself. You may be looking at things through fresh eyes, & are looking & determined to remain young in body, mind & soul. In a lot of ways, this is having to do with expression & embracing one's weirdness. Some of you may be wanting to face your true north in life, & others are trying to detach themselves from the outside world & are following wherever their instincts are driving them.

🔮 Crystal for 🌬 signs

Cavansite: Expand your consciousness.

👭🏿

It is being revealed to you about a situation that is keeping someone stuck or bogged down, & someone is focused about communication or a conversation, but is uncertain about how it will turn out. For others, someone is either feeling hopeless about not knowing much to the meaning of life, & are confused about where their focus should be in that regard. Someone's social circle may be a dominant factor in their life or it has an influence on them, & they are the type of people to give flattery in order to gain compassion. There is a strategy behind the connection with this person/people, & these may be people who are stressful or overwhelming to deal with. Someone may be needing to walk away from this situation, or talk things out about what feels like too much responsibility, or someone could be dealing with obstacles in society, or challenges with communities that comes off as selling deception to other people, which is causing confusion in social life or a relationship for someone, as well as challenges resulting from uncertainty, or being stuck in a confused situation. This can all be regarding a business situation/group/contract that may be less than secure. Someone is needing to be committed to making a decision regarding this, because there are fears of something failing. Someone's luck with a connection is decaying, & there is nothing but conflict to come out of it.

⚖

Someone is trying to enter a new phase into their path, & for some this can involve getting a business off the ground, or being involved in a lot of determination & focus on one's goals/relationships. When it comes to your community, or the people closest to you, they see you as a very wealthy person; which can act as a double edged sword. For someone, you're financially supportive of this community (or this community can pertain to family), & this can be a situation that's lacking balance. Someone may be needing to put this situation to an end, due to there not being so much balance in their work or there is too much work or responsibility for someone to handle. For some, this is directly related to a marriage & working on certain financial issues, for others this can be parents or older family members. Someone may feel that they are privileged to receiving what comes from this hard working person, & this is an imprisoning conflict for them. This can also be a matter of a married couple taking care of older family members of the either partner, but it is coming up as a thieving issue. Someone may be expecting a fortune of this hard working person's progress, but there may be some strategy of spreading a misconception about a message of concern regarding this wealthier person, wanting to drive a wedge into someone's courtship, or trust from the family; someone is wanting to manipulate a situation into their favor.

🤖

Someone may be dealing with a person who can be draining of their energy or finances, or they could work themselves into the ground a lot. This can be causing someone to be in bad shape, even in the face of blessings. Someone may be subjected to a legal challenge or dispute that is the clear cause of why someone may be having a drain in finances, or someone could be coming into some kind of inheritance that is an unexpected gift or income. A lovers connection may be running it's course or it has become the source for boredom. Some may be wanting to break away from a relationship with someone who isn't producing anything positive, let alone any balance. A new beginning is something you want, but a leap of faith needs to be had. Someone is having thoughts of going onto a new pathway going toward what they consider great fortune, but until that can happen, an end to this previous position that isn't serving them. Someone may be fearing having to give their fortunes or their money to the connection any further, because there is concern of theft. Even in searching for a way out of a crippling relationship, action toward this is delayed due to a lack of focus or lack of strength; this seems to be a very draining situation that they are in, & the only way they can pull it off is when they feel they are in the right position to take certain initiatives.

🌊

Power & strength can lie in being able to have control over your heart space & emotions, & sometimes instability or imbalance can bring their own problems when you either are suppressing, or misunderstanding your emotions. Sometimes we have to deal with negative cycles, usually to learn a lesson. It is one thing to mentally interpret the solutions available to you, but it is another to absorb it in order to execute the change that comes after. For some, transformation will attract major stability after ending a rough cycle, & others may be taking this season to relish in the new cycle of their own. Power is within yourself to get through another tough cycle, & but it can't be of any use if one isn't able to tap into that part of themselves that is connected to their faith in their growth/capability. It is coming to completion of someone who has been learning to balance the elements within themselves & they are more determined to go within & retreat for spiritual purposes (that, or this will coming up for someone during this season). Someone has their vital masculine drive to be underactive or overactive, which could be resulting in them lacking in willpower, initiative, or instability in a financial sense. More aggression or assertion of one's own initiative is being allowed by way of one's ancestors; as long as they are tapped in & aware of their presence, you can get further past any obstacles that they can remove for you. This is a call to activate your higher self & find joy in the life lessons you are being pushed to learn; some of you are being asked to give up the victim role & start living in purpose. You can find a passion for doing & creating what has not been done before, as the true pioneer you are capable to be.

🔮 Crystal for 🌊 signs

Amethyst: Get drunk on your highest self.

🦀

Someone may be going through some inner child healing/cycles to get rid of the false/poor sense of self. Someone is having trouble getting to a more mentally stable place in order to create inner peace/balance. Ending cycles have been happening for some time lately, & it may be causing a slow recovery & discovery of mental strength. Someone is privileged to great fortune, but they are dealing with mental states of concern that is causing stagnation. Someone is taking on the path of being in business for themselves, or coming from an occupation that wasn't for them & thinking to start over. Someone is wanting or expecting to start a family in a new location, or someone is wanting to travel to/away from family (or someone could be thinking a lot about foundations in general). You may not expect to really be on the same page with family members, & someone may not want you to be away from them, or they may not approve with what you may want to do for success in your life that is a real passion. Someone doesn't feel the need to be dependent on family, or doesn't want to be dependent on, & for some family members there is a strategy to allow yourself to be in a dependent situation in an effort to achieve certain goals/benefits. It has become a lot of responsibility to take on, & someone is needing to take whatever initiative that they feel they need to take instinctively to have solo success. If the initiative is to be still, be still; sometimes we take action by needing to be inactive.

🦂

Someone may be having a conflict dealing with an envious or jealous person, & for some of you this is an (older) family member. There is a feeling of being trapped in conflict due to someone who may be always seeking it. This can be interfering with a partnership of some kind. There is an antagonistic or extreme energy this is always clashing with you, & this is a false person that someone needs to move away from. Someone needs to take that initiative to remove themselves from people or situations that are too taxing of your energy. There is a false person robbing someone of their energy, & they come off as an innocent person, but they is really a hidden intention or motive behind them. Moving away from this energy/person is going to bring in unexpected income or sudden wealth to someone, & it may be of a true connection with a person that will exceed one's expectations. For some, they need to separate from family that is dependent or expectant of someone's fortune, & there are thoughts/feelings to create distance between them. Someone may be needing to come to the conclusion to move away, but there may be lack of focus or clarity that needs to be addressed & organized. This is an energy that is concerning or imprisoning, & change is something that is needed to happen through one's own faith. Someone may be thinking of moving forward with someone else who has been at the back of their mind. Communicating this lack of compromise may be someone's focus.

🐡

Someone is going within themselves & is (self) reflecting on one how work or relationships have been affecting them & their energy. There may be some stresses that are coming up to be examined, & some of you have been working so hard with the desire to have the high honors to show for it. Someone may be receiving a message of concern about not being aligned with what they're wanting to do in life, & it may be time to make a change that aligns with your true feelings & desires. In staying in a situation that doesn't balance yourself out will only cause stagnant or slow growth, & it is also allowing them to embrace a false version of themselves. There is a fear of change because of the expectations of not getting to where you want to be, but that should be the least of your worries. If you're energy is being robbed by your job/relationships/environment, then there needs to be an ending. The path to great fortune isn't always going to involve toil & labor, & sometimes your intuition can be nagging you about that much to your aware. It may be an issue that someone can't get on too of everything, or someone may be worried about having to wait on what will truly be a preferred occupation. The only thing keeping you at an job is the expectation that you will receive what you have earned, but it can ultimately cost you the price of your physical/mental health if you're not careful. Someone may be hoping to create distance from this false reality & are wanting to get on their actual path/journey.

🔥

Some conflict may be coming up in the form of karmic relationships, or deceptive energy, that may be causing oppression. Someone may be basing their hopes the ability to imagine a better situation after an unfavorable outcome or having to face a sacrifice or loss. Aside from the uncontrolled energy around you, there seems to be a magnetism, power, or strength that keeps focus & movement on what is constructive, but it is possible that some others may be feeling the destructive effects being caught up in such difficult energy. There is peace & tranquility in doing things in a soloist fashion, but it is up to the individual whether they choose to let these cycles define them, or make them into a stronger person. Someone is becoming devoted to protecting their crops of growth/energy from vibrations that seek to destroy, & they're going within a lot more to have the clarity to tackle these obstacles. Others may already be past this energy & is maintaining stability with their own energy. Balance (within or without) is going to be the focus for some this season or taking the action toward creating that balance for themselves, & others it will maintaining this balance. Someone may have to head face first into their problems, only in pursuit to make it to the other side. There is a purpose to all of this, & that is what this journey is teaching someone; that devotion to one's path will allow them the strength in their movements & vocalizations. If there are restrictions to how you express yourself or your voice/actions, they may be there out of fear & should be lifted, for the power in your initiative is where a lot of the skill in balance lies.

🔮 Crystal for 🔥 signs

Danburite: Turn on your electric light.

🦁

There may have been some destructive or out-of-control energy that has called for strict distance. There may be some communication coming in with someone who may have been an aggressive or conflicting person, who may be trying to take a more gentle & mature approach since the last time dealing with them. Some of you are receiving an apology because of this behavior from the past, or some may be giving an apology. Someone may have went through a lot of emotional or mental turmoil because of dealing with in ending that ended in a neutral fashion, yet caused a lot of pain or imprisonment of one's pain/thoughts regarding this situation. Someone is trapped by their emotions for another & they seem to be all they think about. This feels like someone expecting to receive an apology, or they are expecting to hear from someone, because the more this person thinks about them, they feel the pull toward them. The only issue is there needs to be a stable person to approach this; the person being thought of has certain expectations for the people they let into their life. There was a false start, or premature ending to a potentially abundant courtship because of someone's immaturity, & it is haunting someone's subconscious, which is triggering who's being pined after. What is deeply disturbing someone & causing fear/anxiety is that their person is now convinced that they are fraudulent & that they won't be heard; they are exuding the energy that they are picky about who they let in & someone is picking up on that.

🐎

There may be some controlling people around you that are trying to get to someone's abundance, & this can be pertaining directly to family inheritance, or familial responsibilities. Some of you may be talking care of an older family member that is sitting on great fortune, but there may be no balance in the say so of who is entitled to what. Others may feel they are deserving of what is inherently yours (whether it is family inheritance or a job/career advancement. This may be a situation that is allowing stagnancy in someone or in a commitment/situation, & it may have to be an ending that is being delayed by fear or inability to change. For some, there is a partnership/marriage that may be going through a division of a fortune (or divorce) that may be a contract that is broken. Others are dealing with family issues regarding finances in some way. This may be a lot of labor put onto one person, & it is causing stress & despair, & going through the (court) proceedings in order to have freedom from the stress. Some may feel empathy in this case where they feel they don't have a choice, which is making them feel vulnerable. Someone may feel this is an issue of rank, or someone's ability to attain a certain security away from this energy, & this can be a dependency situation for both parties involved for some. A family member may have been poverty stricken, which is what is keeping someone in this cycle of responsibility. Someone is wanting to follow a path that is destined, but there may be a feeling of being overworked & not being able to break free from this codependency energy.

🐏

There is a need for a change of scenery or a need to embark on a journey, because someone may be feeling imprisoned where they are. This may be related to broken family aspects or disharmony in the home. Someone is distressed about a false person, or dishonesty, in a family dynamic, that is causing much despair. For some, there is financial responsibility that is causing someone to be drained of their money, for others this is matter of someone's energy needing to be protected from vampiric conditions/people. Someone's environment is really bringing themselves to a place of feeling lack, of either self or of material income. There is a need to communicate this stress, but in an effort to end the arrangement rather than compromise. Someone is needing to move away from this situation (for some, this is depicting an actual move out of a family home), & they are grinding to get to that point. Someone's thinking of letting go, but are also taking into consideration what is going to go into this separation, & for some there may have been legal action taken (or it will need to be taken). Someone is hoping to be able to make this change & the people around them are concerned for this. There may be a lack of confidence in this journey because they haven't gotten to a place where they feel they will have this opportunity, so the clarity of this execution will be the focus. Someone is fearing making a bad choice, having unwanted opinions or lack of opportunities.

🌍

There may be some inner conflict or strife within yourself about what is & what isn't. Resentments may be doing more damage to someone than those they may be holding them against, or someone feels unsure, or is lacking real clarity, about what is being presented to them, versus the actions that should be taken. You may be questioning everything you ever knew about entering a new beginning for yourself, whether that may be regarding trusting the signs you get or yourself. Some are able to have fairness in judgment, while others may need to tap into this knowing. Behind this clarity is the answer to your soul's calling, which may have been keeping you on the other side of the gate out of dealing with a war within yourself. It may behoove you to accept the contradictions as well as what you find to be needed that is obvious; facing union of the opposites to reach a greater strength that will be conducive to your growth. For some, there is a lack of acceptance of what someone is capable of; good & bad. For others, an abundance of energy within oneself can either be productive or destructive; depending on the filtering process of the proper balance of the two. When change is happening, the outcome can be unstable if those involved are. You should change your focus to healing yourself from whatever is active within you that is unstable. As someone who can be a, healer, teacher, mystic, priest(ess), or plainly someone of a very equally powerful nature, you are asked to hone & sharpen your skills in whatever you are called to do in serving humanity with humility, & you are needing to pay attention & weight the forces you wish to put into action. Beauty & devotion can come from the right energy being put into these new cycles, but be careful that you neither act through contradictory behavior, nor allow such causes to go to waste.

🔮 Crystal for 🌍 signs

Sapphire: Find your tranquil place.

👰🏾

Someone is feeling some heartache or pain in dealing with their emotional health/situation due to a loss (of anything tangible; from money to relationships). It may be oppressing someone to open up to what is causing them confusion or fear because of the emotional control that they don't try to let go of. Someone may be in bad shape about what is keeping them in their emotions, & for some this can be because of an elder that may live in the home that may be needing financial help (or they don't have to live at home, nor another person). A lot of it may have to do with what is expected to be given, & someone may be seeing the truth of what others may want from them, or what is being expected of oneself to be able to open up to examine their own personal power through experience. Loss can be what is keeping someone in a challenging place, & they might be receiving signs/communication about it. This may be something that you may have already been aware of but hasn't investigated it further. Someone may be overwhelmed by toil & labor that has been brought upon by this loss, & it may be affecting a community of people for some. As you assess the situation, you may have realized there are decisions regarding the home that will be interfering with some unexpected income that will be rewarded (which can be achieved through acceptance of departure from a situation). Change can happen through a transformation in perspective, but fear of change (within the family) may be keeping one from it.

🐐

Someone may have been expecting to hear from a certain person through some sort of communication/message, but they may have been trapped in the mindset of expectations regarding someone specific. Being put in a state of waiting to hear from this person may have caused someone to feel the need to make a change themselves. Someone may have thrown themselves into stressful, back breaking work, that was able to distract from the problem at hand, but this self imprisonment is coming up in regards to a relationship with a person that they feel very passionate about. Someone is considering this person to be of great fortune to them, however an amicable or neutral ending has occurred which has left someone feeling trapped by the way they feel; which is bringing up concern in regards to this person. There is no question that there was lack of completion here for someone, but a new cycle beginning between these two parties is bound to happen, if this concerned person has any say in it. What caused separation in the past was the work behind false people within a community, which can point directly to family or someone's social circle. All this concerned person wants is to build with this other person, but they feel powerless by this ending & are deeply saddened about it. This courtship was much more abundant than what other people led someone to believe, & for some they wanted to keep this person away from their true potential. Someone wants to reach out, but may be feeling unfocused with scattered emotions/thoughts or scared to do so; they may already feel the opportunity has been missed.

🐂

It appears to be an unfair outcome to a situation that may have caused distance within a relationship. While one energy is wanting that courtship to work out, the other energy is expecting of it, even at a very large distance from one another. Not only is this courtship wanted, there is concern on how & if it will happen. Someone may have been keeping controlling people around, or have been overwhelmed by responsibility at home; a specific scenario is someone dealing with a live in situation with a false person that you may have loved once but ended in theft or loss (most of you have children together, hence why you may still be living with them). The problem with leaving this other person may be directly tied to someone's finances, & they may need to be ironed out legally (this can be a divorce for someone). Someone may be overwhelmed emotionally & physically by this situation, which is further stagnating them on their path. Independence for oneself may be the focus, because someone is dealing with false people/person that may be people at work, or in business with you. For some, you may be thinking to begin a business venture or partnership but the person considered isn't who they say they are. The only solution is getting away from those who don't have your best interest at heart, & defend a relationship that may have you emotionally invested.

*this reading is intended for air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius), water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces), fire (Leo, Sagittarius, Aries), & earth (Virgo, Capricorn, Taurus) sun, moon, rising, & venus placements, & is intended for entertainment purposes only, energy is fluid not linear, roles are interchangeable, cross readers (reading for another person's sign) should pick their energy in the scenario, take what resonates, leave the rest*

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nyx-9com · 5 years ago

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(: Thank you all for your patience, I’ll be trying to get caught up on these now. I feel a part of me may have been aware of just how long this response would turn out to be and procrastinated quite a bit.

A note: You may notice that I use Mars for primary rulership of Scorpio. I do in fact regard traditional rulers of the signs (Mars-Scorpio, Saturn-Aquarius, Jupiter-Pisces) based in the inner, more personal nature of those planets. I do consider Pluto, Uranus, and Neptune if they are prominent by angle, conjunction, or aspect, especially the traditional ruler is not. This may indicate more public bent to the way that individual expresses the signs energy. The energy may not be used in a personal sense. Otherwise I consider their influence over a sign minimal; largely contained to house placement and activations by transits/progressions/solar arcs.

Scorpio ASC + Virgo Sun + Capricorn Moon

1H Mars/Pluto + 11H Sun + 3H Moon

Wow, wow what a beautiful chart. I hardly know where to start, so forgive me if I jump around. There are a couple of things aside from your ASC + SUN + MOON components that I think are important for me to point out. First off, your 1H Scorpio Chiron is at the anaretic degree: 29. This indicates a crisis around the themes and lessons represented by your Chiron. You are expected to integrate these lessons this lifetime—in fact, you must. More and more intense situations will arise until you are forced to confront and learn these lessons. Some would say that this is your most mature energy, in this lifetime you must pass the exam to show your mastery of it. What a wonderful individual you must be, Wounded Healer.

Chiron in the first house deals with a wound to the personal identity or sense of self, and in Scorpio this may have come through loss or death. There can develop and unhealthy obsession with death, loss, lack. Don’t focus on these thoughts- you will attract more of the same. This is because the universe doesn’t seem to recognize negatives in focus- that is to say: focusing on how much you don’t want to lose someone can produce loss. The universe just feels you focusing on ‘losing something’, it doesn’t seem to be receptive to the “I don’t” in “I don’t want this to happen”. A more positive way to attract would be focusing on how much you DO want something or someone in your life. Ie; visualizing your grandmother being in your future childrens’ lives rather than focusing on not losing her before they are born. (Random example!) The difference seems like nuance, but the effect on your psyche and your life in general will be large.

There can be a tendency to sublimate the self, almost as if to control the ‘death’ of the self before uncertain circumstances can take that control from you. Frequently, people with Chiron in the first house have a rough start in life. They learn they can rely on themselves though they don’t always necessarily like themselves or have a healthy portrait of who they really are. Sometimes out of a misdirected loathing for the things that made them, they mistakenly come to hate the who they have become. Interestingly, they are often the greatest healers of people. They give others the right to forgive themselves their darkness but they deny themselves that same right. Perhaps this is because a sign like Scorpio comes with killer survival instincts and the grit to claw oneself tooth and nail through situations that would rend most limb from limb. Scorpio will gnaw off its own leg to free the rest of the body, kill with bare hands to survive, Scorpio will cannibalize to avoid starvation. If that seems graphic, I apologize, but I mean to illustrate that Scorpio will go to extremes that other signs don’t have the guts to tolerate, Scorpio is self-protective, Scorpio is “at all costs”. (And to be clear, I am speaking strictly in metaphorical terms of the energy of the sign Scorpio- not calling Scorpio people cannibals or anything. :P ) The thing is, when you “survive at all costs” you reach the light at the end of the tunnel. And when you get to that point and normalcy begins to resume, you can look back and be horrified at the individual you became to traverse that inferno. The fact that we have such darkness in us can be frightening, “at all costs” is never a pretty situation to look at. These types of behaviors might still exist in you long past their use-by date, making one feel dangerous and perhaps ugly. This is where the self-denial and self-hatred can come from.

I can only hope that you don’t need to hear any of this, that this placement didn’t manifest this way for you. But in case you need to hear it: forgive yourself. You are who you are, a complete person, and you have a right to love everything about yourself, even the parts that are frightening or messy. If you seek the positive expression of this sign (any sign really), then you will know that you are everything you could be and everything you should be. You won’t have to worry and wonder. Subconsciously negatively expressing the traits of this sign can become a way to confirm self-hatred which becomes a vicious cycle. The more you bash yourself, the more depressed you become, the less likely you are to seek positive expression, the more you reaffirm yourself to be a negative person. Be careful you are not setting yourself up to behave in ways you don’t approve of, always choose your personal high-road.

With that aside, let me continue on to the rest of your chart. You have this lovely Virgo Sun in the 11th house, a very public house and one tied with large associations. It’s also the house of hopes and dreams and greater fortune. While you likely display the regular logic and organization of a Virgo outwardly, I can see that you’re an emotional and compassionate individual. You keep that largely to yourself, in fact I don’t think most people realize what high ideals you hold for society. Now I wouldn’t call you outgoing by any stretch, but I would bet that you have plenty association with people. Probably through work. You’re a highly capable and very structured individual, so I wouldn’t be surprised to find you in leadership. You’re still young so it’s possible you are not involved with your career just yet. Your Sun rules the 10th house cusp and is placed in the 11th, or 2nd from the 10th – earnings from career – so at some point in your life, your career will be prominent and I don’t doubt that you’ll earn a pleasant living. With your Sun owning that 10th cusp, I don’t doubt that career has always been an important focus for you, even when young.

That Capricorn Moon. Now Moon is in detriment in Capricorn, describing how uncomfortable you can feel expressing your emotions or even having them. Moon gets a little boost from being a triplicity ruler of Capricorn, it’s a fertile sign that likes to provide. So while emotions and expression may feel somewhat uncomfortable for the native to have, Moon typically compensates by quietly caring for others, in a way, cultivating life. You might enjoy caring for plants more than people. You may fuss over the health of those you care about. Sometimes others think you’re picking at them or criticizing them, but you wouldn’t do that if you didn’t care. You’d just let them get on with their dumb lives and their dumb mistakes. Note that the Moon joys in the 3rd house, so that helps your Moon feel a little comfier too. A lot of your care could be fraught with worry, if you have siblings you may be close, probably with a more unspoken bond. You may have been the one to take care of them growing up. You’re probably known as a kind but serious and reserved individual when it comes to your neighbors. The trine to your Sun should help you to be aware of your emotional needs a bit more than some Cap Moons, but this trine is part of a Grand Trine formation which includes your retrograde Saturn on the Taurus 7th cusp. Frequently this indicates a lack of a father figure, you may have had to be your own dad. This is probably linked with the themes of your first house Chiron. You might lock up emotionally in romantic relationships because of this. It’s perhaps something that you inwardly berate yourself for and can become rather depressed about, feeling hopeless to change the pattern. Perhaps you know when you should open up or should be warmer, but you feel like you can’t. It’s especially unfortunate because you are very, very loving and so very serious about commitment. You want your relationships to stand the test of time. I will point out the mutual reception of your Moon with this Saturn- you can solve this, these planets want to help each other, it’s just hard work. The blockage comes from being so very, very cautious and careful that sometimes you paralyze yourself. You may also allow yourself to miss worldly opportunities due to a lack of a sure outcome. Change is not something you are comfortable with; in fact, you can be a very rigid individual. This structure will take you far in life but make sure you don’t completely box in your soul during the process. Sometimes you must keep in mind that you can’t plan everything (and you are probably thinking ‘yes I can’ right now), because of the uncontrollable element of surprise. Which I’m sure you hate. Looking at this chart, I can see how sometimes this extremely rigid way of public/romantic behavior can actually create obstacles for you in the area of your career. Sometimes you need to let go a little- not only will you feel better, but it can be helpful to your success, which is what really matters to you. It causes problems in your home life as well; sometimes you might just flip out uncharacteristically because you’ve been repressing and controlling yourself so hard. This is a very visible part of your personality, people see you as a sober, reliable individual, withdrawn with a depressive streak but loving.

People feel Scorpio ascendants intensely. With your ascendant ruler and co-ruler in your first house, you come off as extremely intense to others. In fact, while in public you can seem withdrawn, people are surprised when dealing with you one-on-one that you come on strongly with single-minded purpose. You create your own images and slip between them as needed, in the typical manner of Scorpionic transformation. You know how to present yourself to get what you want. For this reason, your appearance is very important to you. When people use the term “commanding an appearance” they’re talking about you. You select your clothing, hairstyles, mannerisms for a specific effect. Nothing is trivial. You are not to be trifled with, a formidable opponent, and people do sense that about you. This danger forms part of your innate sex appeal; you are a black widow. Do they want you to fuck them or kill them? They don’ t know…maybe both? You are truly a creative force though, and people see readily the huge amounts of energy you encompass and the countless irons in the fire that you so innately maintain. You have a great deal of power over others, even in a social sense- people are commanded by you. You are a highly passionate person, the fires that burn within you sizzle through that famous Scorpion stare. You are such a brave person. A born leader. Because of all this, it can be challenging for you to stand aside and share power with others. In fact, you may have literally no desire to do this. You are a very capable leader and most probably the one who should be in charge in a given situation, just make sure you take charge in a non-despotic sort of way. Express your energy and enthusiasm for success rather than your control and natural power. See where others operate from and seek to unite them with their goals and they will happily follow their brave, benevolent leader and they will praise you while they do. Oh, a last note that I forgot to point out. Your North Node sits smack on your Leo MC. Leadership in your career is simply a part of your destiny in this life. Strive and go towards it- do not lock yourself at home and deprive the world of your power.

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relig270 · 4 years ago

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Contemporary Modest Fashion: Dressing in the Third Space

https://rastah.co/pages/about-us

The clothes we choose to wear say a lot about who we are. They are intricately entangled with our conception of self and are often the means by which we perform our identities. As we grow, our style changes and evolves to reflect the dynamic nature of our identities, of our likes and dislikes, our beliefs and values and ideals. It is for this very reason that the modest fashion movement is so much more than just clothes, it is a movement that is disproportionately headed by young Muslim women living in Muslim-minority countries like North America and Europe for whom modest fashion acts as a stage of identity construction and performance; a performance that blends both faith and culture of fashion in unique, often stylistic ways characteristic of the hybridization of diasporic identities existing within the third space (Bhabha, 2004).

Through clothes these young women find ways to merge their religion and the often faith-imbued cultures of their place of origin, a Muslim-majority country, with their lived realities among the culture of the Western world. In the context of fashion this means finding ways to navigate the pursuit of aesthetics through clothing while also complying with the guidelines of one's faith. Young Muslim women who are members of the diaspora community can find it difficult to feel like they belong. Many voice their diasporic frustrations of feeling as if their sense of self and identity is constantly in limbo. This is, in large part, due to the demonization of the visibly-Muslim woman in Western media and politics which makes these women feel as if they are the "other" of society. The highly problematic and racialized manner in which the veil and, thereby the veiled woman, is implicated with Islamic fundamentalism and radicalism creates a divide between the Muslim woman and the Western/European woman, portraying the former as oppressed and subjugated while the latter is, in contrast, liberated.

The efforts of modest fashion can thus be seen as a means of combating these negative stereotypes. By combining elements of Western dress in a modest way, these women "construct distinctive identities that selectively appropriate values from the cultural mainstream [thus engaging] in boundary work that distinguishes them from mainstream values” (Hass and Lutek, 2019). So, while many Western countries that tout Islamic dress as anti-secularist aim to divide people on the basis of faith, Muslim women in turn resist this division through their fashion choices: donning western-style jeans and shirts instead of the more traditional forms of dress of their homeland but still making it modest so that they can, in their own capacity, express their identity as individuals belonging to the greater society of their host country. Shelina Janmohamed, who specializes in Islamic branding, echoes this sentiment: “[the] rise in modest fashion over the last decade has come hand in hand with the emergence of ‘Generation M’: Muslims who believe that faith and modernity go hand in hand. They want to wear their religion with pride but also feel part of the societies around them” (Paton, 2016).

Modest fashion is thus a medium by which Islam as a faith, as well as the meaning of it in the lives of practicing Muslim women is re-signified and reproduced to more accurately reflect the lived realities of those women concerned. Within the "breaking down of the dichotomy between Western/Eastern society, where women living in a Western country actively incorporate styles and fashions too often labelled as foreign into their daily lives” (Hass and Lutek, 2019), we witness the re-construction of the Muslim woman identity within the third space as a hybrid fluid thing that is neither this, nor that, but somewhere in the middle. Modest fashion as a third space construction of identity affords Muslim women agency in the fact that their choice of clothing speaks to their identities allowing them to be the producers of their own narrative for once.

RASTAH: Streetwear Re-imagined

The clothing brand RASTAH is an example of the diasporic influence on clothing and although it doesn’t market itself as a “Muslim and/or modest clothing brand,” the clothes under its label are indeed modest and include: graphic t-shirts, patchwork hoodie and jackets which can be worn by both men and women.

Based out of Pakistan, the brand describes itself as: “a premier South Asian artisanal urban wear brand that aims at decontextualizing and reinterpreting South Asian heritage and artisanship: the garment is an academic pursuit, the site where western silhouettes and traditional eastern motifs, contemporary art and Mughal miniature, stories of exodus, all are brought into conversation with each other.”

Brand’s website for more info: https://rastah.co/pages/about-us.

RASTAH, an Urdu word translating to “path” or “journey” is an ode to the brand’s commitment to carve a path out for Pakistani luxury street-wear in a way that has never been done before. Co-founder Zain Ahmad states about the brand’s intention: “We want to stay rooted to local culture but at the same time, we want to re-interpret the Pakistani identity for a modern day audience” (Rehman, 2020).

The blending of Western and Pakistani styles of clothing speaks to the emergence of this new sector within the modest fashion movement: one that bridges cultural and transnational gaps to produce materials in the third space, thus re-defining and re-negotiating the market of fashion and clothing as we understand it today.

References:

Bhabha, H. K. (2004). The location of culture. Brantford, Ont.: W. Ross Macdonald School Resource Services Library.

Hass, B. S., & Lutek, H. (2019). Fashion and Faith: Islamic Dress and Identity in The Netherlands. Religions, 10(6), 356. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10060356

Modest Fashion: A Social Media Movement. (n.d.). In Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.lamag.com/lalifeandstyle/modest-fashion/

Paton, E. (2016, November 1). Asserting a Muslim Fashion Identity. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/03/fashion/islamic-fashion-vogue-arabia.html

Rehman, S. (n.d.). This Pakistani Streetwear Brand Is One To Look Out For. Retrieved December 7, 2020, from Forbes website: https://www.forbes.com/sites/sonyarehman/2020/02/29/this-pakistani-streetwear-brand-is-one-to-look-out-for/?sh=1104855f1753

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twentiethcenturymoviesandtv · 4 years ago

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The Wizard of Oz: A Product of the Times

1939 was a tough year.

America was in the middle of the Great Depression, and spirits (and funds) were low. World War II was on the horizon, with news every month about frightening developments in Europe. The movies were full of Sharp-Dressed Men, Simple, yet Opulent costumes, Screwball Comedies and Slapstick. Smoking was Glamorous, Shirley Temple was popular, and swashbuckling stories of action heroes used swords in Errol Flynn-esque fight scenes.

In short, the movies were glamour and glitz, used to forget about how hard life was at the time. People didn’t need another reminder about how dark life could be, they had to live with it every day. They were scared and uneasy, and the movies were full of optimistic, carefree noise to make up for it.

Now, you may be wondering why I’m telling you all this.

The answer is simple: to help us understand and contextualize The Wizard of Oz.

See, no film is an island. Every movie ever made exists as the product of the people who created it, all with different experiences and ways of thinking that are all influenced by one thing: the culture. Every movie, every book, tv show and song, is a product of people living in the times, therefore, a product of the times itself, even a so-called ‘timeless’ classic like The Wizard of Oz.

Every movie, no matter how far removed from the culture by location or time, carries the ideas, designs, acting style, archetypes, stories and special effects of the time of its creation. Whether it’s the screwball comedies of the ‘30s, the spy movies of the ‘60s, or the crime and drama films of the ‘90s. Some things hold up, and stand the test of time reasonably well, and some don’t, and today, we’re seeing which category The Wizard of Oz lands in.

It’s clear to see in the film itself where The Wizard of Oz shows its age. The acting comes across as somewhat stilted to modern viewers, the jokes a little lame, and the backgrounds and special effects necessary for a fantasy-land definitely remind us that it’s an old movie. Some comments made within the film can sound a little odd to modern ears as well, such as Glinda’s line: ‘only bad witches are ugly!’. Even the film’s central message, ‘there’s no place like home’, has long fell out of fashion in the movies, with more and more ‘coming of age’ stories dedicated to moving out on one’s own.

On top of that, elements were changed from the source itself to make it more palatable to the audiences of the time. Besides adding the ‘dream ending’ due to the unheard-of idea of a fantasy movie, the executives were worried that the Wicked Witch of the West would be too frightening, and cut down the scare factor of their main antagonist. (For example, the original message in the sky: Surrender Dorothy or Die being cut down to simply Surrender Dorothy) The action is far more PG on screen than it was even in the fairytale children’s book, and the film in general can come across as a cheesy old movie.

Despite this, there are several elements in The Wizard of Oz that speak to how progressive it was. The production of a fantasy movie in the 1930s was automatically considered doomed to failure, and as stated above, executives insisted on the ‘dream’ ending’ due to fears that the audience wouldn’t take a ‘fantasy world’ seriously, something that later films would have no problem doing. In another bold move, all three main characters, hero, villain and mentor, are all women, something that is never pointed out or treated as different within the narrative. These components might have been considered a little odd at the time, but fit in with modern tastes and sensibilities.

So here’s the inquiry of the day: Is The Wizard of Oz heavily dated, or is it timeless?

Interesting question. To answer it, let’s look at the definition of both of those words.

The word ‘timeless’ is described as ‘not affected by the passage of time or changes in fashion’. This word carries the implication that, applied to film, a ‘timeless’ movie would be one totally understandable and relatable years after the culture has changed. Carried further, the ideal ‘timeless’ movie would be one with no cultural identity of its own.

By contrast, the word ‘dated’ is ‘marked with a date’, or ‘old-fashioned’. This word’s connotation is that, (once again, applied to film) a ‘dated’ film is one that is discernably set in a certain time, and less understandable by those looking from outside that particular culture. This would be a film that hasn’t ‘aged well’, and the criteria could be anything from hairstyles to slang of the era.

So, now that we’ve got our definitions, what’s the decision?

Here’s the thing: it’s more complicated than a simple yes-or-no.

Being one of the first of fantasy on film, The Wizard of Oz didn’t have to portray a lot of 1930s culture, which gave it a little more leeway with plot and characters that could afford to be less grounded in the times. It pioneered a genre with a fun and innovative way of telling a story, it created plenty of memorable scenes and lines, and it gave us timeless characters that we can enjoy years after, yet The Wizard of Oz remains very much a product of 1939.

I��d say we were at a draw, if I didn’t have a Theory.

My thought? Being ‘old’ (and discernably so) doesn’t make a movie dated.

It doesn’t matter if Luke Skywalker has ‘70s hair. It doesn’t have anything to do with the plot itself that E.T. is set in the ‘80s. Does the fact that Psycho is in black-and-white or contain styles of the ‘60s change anything about the story? No.

So what does matter?

My theory is this: By the dictionary definition, its connotation that is often used in the world of film debate, no film is truly timeless. Like I said previously, every single film is a product of the times. The spaceship sequences of The Last Starfighter look like they’re from the ‘80s because they are. The hair and clothes of Charlie’s Angels looks like the ‘70s because it is. The performances on Star Trek seem very much like the ‘60s because that’s when the show was made. These are all products of the times they are from, but they are not defined by them.

To me, a film is not ‘dated’ by using the methods of filmmaking (special effects, acting, costuming and beyond) of the time. A film is not ‘dated’ (not in the negative sense) because a movie is discernably from a certain era. Like I said: we consider a film ‘dated’ if it is less understandable looking back on it. We can easily look past special effects, costumes, and acting.

So what does date a movie?

Ideas.

In my opinion, the ideas of a film, the themes of it, how certain issues or character types are viewed, is what truly dates it, more than any outdated slang term or hairstyle.

It does not change our enjoyment of Goldfinger (or any Connery Bond movie, for that matter) to note that spy movies were big in the ‘60s, or that everyone is driving ‘60s cars and wearing ‘60s clothes. What does change our enjoyment is the copious amount of disposable, objectified women, ethnic stereotypes, and…..aggressive courtship of many of the ‘Bond women’ of the times. Those things, while normal in Hollywood of the 1960s, are wildly out-of-date and problematic when looking back on them with modern sensibilities and understanding. The character and stories of James Bond are far more defined by the times and sensibilities than the examples above, and in that, they are dated.

Here’s another question: Is being ‘dated’ necessarily a bad thing?

If we are set in only watching what is new, what is contemporary, what is ‘not dated’, we reduce ourselves to consuming a very tiny slice of the culture, be it film, television, books, or music. We miss out on our society’s history as portrayed through media, and we don’t learn the sensitivities, the concerns, and the ways that people told stories and expressed their ideas.

We’re also missing out on several movies that are good except for certain problematic elements- lots of films that were ‘fair for its day’. Some things, especially sensibilities, can make us cringe looking back on it from a modern standpoint, but that does not make the film as a whole necessarily bad. I’d even argue that it’s important to watch older films so that we can understand where we’ve come from, and recognize the problem. (For me, the exception is films that are rooted in a problematic idea or concept, which is something we shall address in more depth in a later article. In fact, a lot of this will probably be addressed in more depth in later articles.)

Looking at the context in which a film was created can help us to appreciate it, and even enjoy it a little better. It can help us figure out why decisions were made, understand how the culture has changed. By looking at where we’ve been (culture-wise), we can understand better where we are now. We can look back at older films, and instead of judging them for being different than what we’ve come to expect now, we can recognize what doesn’t hold up and what is considerably Not Okay, without ignoring what does hold up.

Back to our original question: Is The Wizard of Oz timeless, or dated?

I’d have to say, based on my use of the word ‘dated’, it’s definitely timeless.

Don’t get me wrong, like I’ve said previously, it’s clearly a movie from the ‘30s. The Wizard of Oz comes across as old because, quite frankly, it is. Eighty years is a long time in this fast-moving and developing world that we have now, and it makes sense that looking back, we see how much things have changed, even in something such as how movies look to us now. But as I’ve said, there’s a difference between being deeply rooted in changing ideas, and simply showing its age.

Does showing its age make it bad? No.

The Wizard of Oz is a charming, heartwarming, somewhat cheesy story that has remained steadfast this long because people love the story and characters. In my opinion, a movie is timeless not based on whether or not you can tell what decade it was made in, but by how well it has endured, on how well people can enjoy the story and characters after the culture has changed. If you can watch this story and love Dorothy, or the Wicked Witch, or the Scarecrow, or even Toto, or just genuinely like the story that they’re telling you, it doesn’t matter that the backgrounds look fake, or that the jokes are Vaudeville material. What matters is that, made in 1939 or not, it is still a good film. A film’s quality, or enjoyability, has little to do with how easily we can tell what time the film was made in, and a lot to do with the story, characters, and ideas that the film is about.

The Wizard of Oz has lasted this long because no matter if its 1939, 1999, or even 2019, people will be able to understand it, enjoy it, and relate to the characters and themes. And that’s the reason it will continue to endure. Eighty years since its release, Dorothy Gale and her friends, and the message of the film, has been unchanged from what they originally were, just like it will be eighty years from now.

In short: The Wizard of Oz is very clearly a product of the times it was made in, but that makes it no less an enjoyable classic. It was influenced by the styles of film and filmmaking just as much as it would go on to influence, and this does not make it either a good or a bad movie in and of itself. It just goes to show us that filmmaking, just like society, is always changing.

In the 1930s, The Wizard of Oz was a cheerful, uplifting story with fun, memorable characters and visuals, exactly the same as it is today, and exactly the same as it will continue to be.

Thanks so much for reading! Don’t forget to use that ask box if you have your own ideas or thoughts that you’d like to share. Join us next week when we’ll be looking at something a little less difficult (or at least, more contained): the visual and audio storytelling of The Wizard of Oz. I hope to see you there!

#The Wizard of Oz #The Wizard of Oz 1939 #1939 #30s #Film #Movies #PG #Fantasy #Adventure #Judy Garland #Margaret Hamilton #Frank Morgan #Ray Bolger #Jack Haley #Bert Lahr #Billie Burke #Victor Fleming

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seriousbusinessforhumans · 4 years ago

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©JUNETEENTH.com

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

Later attempts to explain this two and a half year delay in the receipt of this important news have yielded several versions that have been handed down through the years. Often told is the story of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with the news of freedom. Another is that the news was deliberately withheld by the enslavers to maintain the labor force on the plantations. And still another is that federal troops actually waited for the slave owners to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. All of which, or none of these versions could be true. Certainly, for some, President Lincoln's authority over the rebellious states was in question. Whatever the reasons, conditions in Texas remained status quo well beyond what was statutory.

General Order Number 3

One of General Granger’s first orders of business was to read to the people of Texas, General Order Number 3 which began most significantly with:

"The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer."

The reactions to this profound news ranged from pure shock to immediate jubilation. While many lingered to learn of this new employer to employee relationship, many left before these offers were completely off the lips of their former 'masters' - attesting to the varying conditions on the plantations and the realization of freedom. Even with nowhere to go, many felt that leaving the plantation would be their first grasp of freedom. North was a logical destination and for many it represented true freedom, while the desire to reach family members in neighboring states drove some into Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Settling into these new areas as free men and women brought on new realities and the challenges of establishing a heretofore non-existent status for black people in America. Recounting the memories of that great day in June of 1865 and its festivities would serve as motivation as well as a release from the growing pressures encountered in their new territories. The celebration of June 19th was coined "Juneteenth" and grew with more participation from descendants. The Juneteenth celebration was a time for reassuring each other, for praying and for gathering remaining family members. Juneteenth continued to be highly revered in Texas decades later, with many former slaves and descendants making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston on this date.

Juneteenth Festivities and Food

A range of activities were provided to entertain the masses, many of which continue in tradition today. Rodeos, fishing, barbecuing and baseball are just a few of the typical Juneteenth activities you may witness today. Juneteenth almost always focused on education and self improvement. Thus, often guest speakers are brought in and the elders are called upon to recount the events of the past. Prayer services were also a major part of these celebrations.

Certain foods became popular and subsequently synonymous with Juneteenth celebrations such as strawberry soda-pop. More traditional and just as popular was the barbecuing, through which Juneteenth participants could share in the spirit and aromas that their ancestors - the newly emancipated African Americans, would have experienced during their ceremonies. Hence, the barbecue pit is often established as the center of attention at Juneteenth celebrations.

Food was abundant because everyone prepared a special dish. Meats such as lamb, pork and beef which were not available everyday were brought on this special occasion. A true Juneteenth celebrations left visitors well satisfied and with enough conversation to last until the next.

Dress was also an important element in early Juneteenth customs and is often still taken seriously, particularly by the direct descendants who can make the connection to this tradition's roots. During slavery there were laws on the books in many areas that prohibited or limited the dressing of the enslaved. During the initial days of the emancipation celebrations, there are accounts of former slaves tossing their ragged garments into the creeks and rivers and adorning themselves with clothing taken from the plantations belonging to their former 'masters'.

Juneteenth and Society

In the early years, little interest existed outside the African American community in participation in the celebrations. In some cases, there was outwardly exhibited resistance by barring the use of public property for the festivities. Most of the festivities found themselves out in rural areas around rivers and creeks that could provide for additional activities such as fishing, horseback riding and barbecues. Often church grounds were the site for such activities. Eventually, as African Americans became land owners, land was donated and dedicated for these festivities. One of the earliest documented land purchases in the name of Juneteenth was organized by Rev. Jack Yates. This fund-raising effort yielded $1000 and made possible the purchase of Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas. In Mexia, the local Juneteenth organization purchased Booker T. Washington Park, which had become the Juneteenth celebration site in 1898. There are accounts of Juneteenth activities being interrupted and halted by white landowners demanding that their laborers return to work. However, it seems most allowed their workers the day off and some even made donations of food and money. For decades these annual celebrations flourished, growing continuously with each passing year. In Booker T. Washington Park, as many as 20,000 African Americans once attended during the course of a week, making the celebration one of the state’s largest.

Juneteenth Celebrations Decline

Economic and cultural forces led to a decline in Juneteenth activities and participants beginning in the early 1900’s. Classroom and textbook education in lieu of traditional home and family-taught practices stifled the interest of the youth due to less emphasis and detail on the lives of former slaves. Classroom textbooks proclaimed Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863 as the date signaling the ending of slavery - and mentioned little or nothing of the impact of General Granger’s arrival on June 19th.

The Depression forced many people off the farms and into the cities to find work. In these urban environments, employers were less eager to grant leaves to celebrate this date. Thus, unless June 19th fell on a weekend or holiday, there were very few participants available. July 4th was already the established Independence holiday and a rise in patriotism steered more toward this celebration.

Resurgence

The Civil Rights movement of the 50’s and 60’s yielded both positive and negative results for the Juneteenth celebrations. While it pulled many of the African American youth away and into the struggle for racial equality, many linked these struggles to the historical struggles of their ancestors. This was evidenced by student demonstrators involved in the Atlanta civil rights campaign in the early 1960’s, who wore Juneteenth freedom buttons. Again in 1968, Juneteenth received another strong resurgence through the Poor Peoples March to Washington D.C. Rev. Ralph Abernathy’s call for people of all races, creeds, economic levels and professions to come to Washington to show support for the poor. Many of these attendees returned home and initiated Juneteenth celebrations in areas previously absent of such activities. In fact, two of the largest Juneteenth celebrations founded after this March are now held in Milwaukee and Minneapolis.

Texas Blazes the Trail

On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday through the efforts of Al Edwards, an African American state legislator. The successful passage of this bill marked Juneteenth as the first emancipation celebration granted official state recognition. Edwards has since actively sought to spread the observance of Juneteenth all across America.

Juneteenth In Modern Times

Today, Juneteenth is enjoying a phenomenal growth rate within communities and organizations throughout the country. Institutions such as the Smithsonian, the Henry Ford Museum and others have begun sponsoring Juneteenth-centered activities. In recent years, a number of local and national Juneteenth organizations have arisen to take their place along side older organizations - all with the mission to promote and cultivate knowledge and appreciation of African American history and culture.

Juneteenth today, celebrates African American freedom and achievement, while encouraging continuous self-development and respect for all cultures. As it takes on a more national, symbolic and even global perspective, the events of 1865 in Texas are not forgotten, for all of the roots tie back to this fertile soil from which a national day of pride is growing.

The future of Juneteenth looks bright as the number of cities and states creating Juneteenth committees continues to increase. Respect and appreciation for all of our differences grow out of exposure and working together. Getting involved and supporting Juneteenth celebrations creates new bonds of friendship and understanding among us. This indeed brightens our future - and that is the Spirit of Juneteenth.

History of Juneteenth ©JUNETEENTH.com

#Juneteenth #19th Century #Texas #civil war #slavery #historical slavery #emancipation proclamation #american history #american race and ethnicity #African American issues #African American Culture #african american history #1865

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tikkisaram · 5 years ago

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Poetic Patriarchy in Ireland — Part I: Poetry Against Women

It is no secret that poetry offers a plethora of positive effects, be they as extreme as bringing someone out of depression or as simple as putting a smile on their face. Poetry has done a world of good for me and I would not be devoting so much of my spare time to it if it did not. However, we must acknowledge the fact that on multiple occasions in the past, poetry has shaped our world in a decidedly negative way. This can be seen clearly in the history of Ireland and the rights of women there. This blessay will cover how poetry led to the oppression of Irish women and will additionally give an overview of the female poets in Irish history. It will thus answer the oft-asked question, namely — why is the vast majority of Ireland’s internationally-renowned poets male? In my research I have not been able to find an essay exploring this question; I am thus honored to be the first.

During Celtic times, Irish women had more or less equal rights with men. There were many famous female role models for young girls and boys to look up to; these included the legendary queen Méabh and pagan goddesses such as Mórrígan. Unfortunately, the poems that would have been told during this time period were never written down, so we do not know how women were portrayed in them. It is probable that they would have been portrayed positively, considering the equality of gender roles present in that society.

Literacy reached Ireland in the fifth century and came alongside Christianity. While Christianity is often critiqued for its portrayal of women, Christian women in Ireland then were just as strong as their male counterparts. St. Brigid of Kildare is one of the most important women in Irish history; she was a nun — a profession usually associated with conservative tradition. Yet the teachings of the bible didn’t restrict her from being strong and independent. In fact, St. Brigid was close friends with one of Ireland’s first poets - Dubthach maccu Lugair. Dubthach and the other poets of the time were overwhelmingly not sexist. One of the most notable works of early Irish poetry is the prosimetrum by Táin Bó Cuailnge. The first recensions in this beautifully written collection are in celebration of Queen Méabh; she is treated as an equal — if not a superior — to her husband. Other strong female characters follow her, including the sovereignty goddess Macha, the villainous Morrígan, and Gráinne, who shows great power in her taking control of her own sexuality. These are only some of the most notable women to feature in these poems; were I to list them all, it would take all day!

In those days, composing poetry was one of the most lucrative professions in Ireland. This was due to the many kings across Ireland employing personal poets, known as ollams. These ollams were required to have hundreds of original poetic stories ready upon request for the king. What a shame that so many of these doubtlessly great pieces of work have been lost forever! These poems celebrated Irish royals, Biblical figures and figures from Celtic Mythology, including the strong women from each of these sources. My favourite piece is the poetic narrative An Banshenchas, written in 1147 by Gilla Mo Dutu Úa Caiside. This is the ultimate piece of feminist writing from the bardic period of poetry; it celebrates many notable women, from what the author considered to be the beginning of time with God’s Eve up to 1030 with Gormlaith ingen Murchada, a queen who stood as a symbol between the relationship of the native people of Ireland and the Viking settlers. This is not a celebration of one type of woman — we see so many different personalities and characterisations, from the somewhat passive Miriam to the perseverant and powerful Étaín. There is truly a woman in this collection for anyone to relate to, which is a testament to the feminist nature of a poem written 990 years ago in supposedly sexist times!

The most prestigious position a poet could get in this period of time would be Ollamh Érenn, or the Chief Ollam of Ireland. They would sit next to the high king of the country and be commended by all. Out of all of the documented ones, a single woman held the title — Uallach ingen Muinecháin. Since she was the first famous Irish female poet, one would think that her work would be taught to all, yet none of it survives. Were it not for her obituary in the Annals of Innisfallen, this trailblazer would have been forgotten entirely.

But ollams were not the only type of poets around; they were in fact only one subset of the poetry grouping known as filid. The type of filid that is best known today is a bard. Bards were actually the lowest position a poet could take, but the word has become synonymous with poet in the context of Ancient Ireland. Ancient Irish poetry is commonly referred to as bardic poetry, even by many scholars, despite the term's inaccuracy. It is often stated that it is unknown if any of these bards were female (Walker, 1786). However, the previously mentioned Muinech and Sadhbh Ó Mailchonaire are two factual exceptions. As with Muinech, Ó Mailchonaire’s works has been lost and the most famous record of her is her obituary. (Unknown, 1447) There are also some other potential candidates as ancient Irish poets, although once again these women’s works do not survive to this day. Agnes Carkill was a poet who performed for King James IV of Scotland in 1512 and there is speculation that she hailed from the Antrim family, Mac Fhergail, which would have been her maiden name (Bourke, 2002). Walker who spent years researching bards, speculates that the Caoine was written by a woman; most scholars agree with this opinion. The Caoine is a weeping lament, which was performed by women at funerals; its practice has spread from Ireland as far as Libya and Egypt. It is best known today for being the origin of the banshee myth. Women were also associated with the poetic form amhráin, which is a poem that’s sung, a practice which became prominent in the 16th century. It is also possible that many of the anonymous poems were written by women, especially since many of these poems feature distict feminist undertones, such as the spectacular St. Brigid’s Prayer which has since been translated by Brendan Kennelly.

It is also worth mentioning fictional female poets who appeared in ancient Irish stories. One of the characters who appears in Acallam na Senórach, the longest surviving work of medieval Irish literature, is Créide. She is described as a fine poet who invites males to a hostel in order to judge their poems. Créide is one of the first fictional poetry critics, but unfortunately she is not celebrated to the extent that she deserves to be. The Daughter of úa Dulsaine appears in a story by Cormac mac Cuilennáin (who died in 908), where she is one of the most popular poets in Ireland and travels around the country and abroad to show off her poetic prowess. Some suggest that this account is based off a true story and mac Cuilennáin just added the fantasy elements (Nicholson, 2016).

Another feminist fact about Ancient Irish poetry is that what we know today was as alliteration was named after women. It was referred to as “brichtu ban, brechtaib ban”, which roughly translates as “charms of women”. (Stifter, 2016) This technique is found in almost all surviving bardic poetry from its inception to its end. I do find it odd that such a prevalent term was named after women’s ability to speak in an enchanting manner, and yet that this very same society supposedly would not let these women write their hypnotic words down.

Compared to other countries Ireland has quite a lot of surviving poetry, but it’s only a small selection of what was written at the time. Many recorded works of poetry were destroyed in 686 AD after the Saxons raided Ireland, and again in 798 AD when the Vikings settled. Their cultures were more sexist than that of the Celts and their prejudice might be another reason why there are so few works that are credited to a woman from this period. The Saxons and Vikings were not completely able to destroy Celtic culture and bardic poetry, however, despite their best efforts; the bardic tradition managed to continue for hundreds of years after their arrival.

Poetry in Ireland began to shift during its Tudor conquest between 1529 and 1603. Queen Elizabeth brought the first English poets over to Ireland as she was claiming land, one of the most famous examples being Sir Walter Raleigh. This sexist poet’s writings did not have much influence on the Emerald Isle; in fact, in Éirinn he is most notable for the assumption that he planted the first potato in Ireland, even though this is pure speculation and it is far more likely this was done by a Spanish man or woman. (McNeill, 1949)

After England conquered the country in 1601 and Hugh O’Neill surrendered, bardic schools began to shut down. One of Ireland’s most infamous literary controversies — the Contention of the Bards — occurred during this time period. The bards attacked each other through verse, and it brought the end to their influence on the country. Bards were now just known as poets and it was becoming rare for poetry to be one's full-time occupation. Since there were no more kings, poets had to adapt and find patronage from the English settlers. Most of these settlers wanted their poems in English, not Irish, and thus a shift in language began to occur. Many refused to take part in it as it interfered with their Catholic beliefs; those wealthy enough migrated to Catholic countries in continental Europe to study poetry in college. Unfortunately, no one would fund these poor Catholic writers, so almost all of their work has been lost. As Protestant England was an extremely sexist society (even when it was ruled by a queen, ironically), women were discouraged from becoming poets as well.

The harsh Penal Laws put in place in Ireland by England forbade the teaching of the Irish language and poetry to Catholics. To circumvent this people pretended (often unsuccessfully) to be Protestant, or else taught children in secret 'hedge schools'. Hedge schools kept the tradition of Irish poetry alive, but if people were caught teaching in them or being secret poets they were arrested and punished. In Cork in 1584, 71 men an 1 woman were arrested. She was named Mary-ny-Dononoghue and dubbed by the presentation to the jury as “she-barde” and “rhymer”.

Before we get into the bleak sexism, I’d like to bring up two notable female poets who existed in the 17th and 18th centuries: Mary Monck and Charlotte Brooke. Both women come from wealthy backgrounds and married rich men, so they were able to avoid punishment as a result. Monck was multilingual and spoke English, Latin, Italian and Spanish. Many of her works can be found in the 1775 collection Poems by Eminent Ladies, which is definitely worth a read. Unfortunately for some reason in this collection Monck is miscredited as Mrs. Monk! Brooke was homeschooled by her father, who was also a writer. She was interested in the Irish language and became bilingual through hours of study. She not only wrote poems, but translated them too; yet despite being just as talented as her male counterparts, if not more, she was never accorded the same respect as them. Her poetry is rich in storytelling and employs a multitude of techniques, including an effective application of the most obvious ones: rhyme, repetition and rhythm. Monck is also very skilled in her writing; we will discuss possible reasons for why they have been forgotten by history later.

We see the first signs of widespread sexist poems in Ireland during this time frame. Epithalamia made their way to Eirinn in the writings of Dáibhí Ó Bruadair. While epithalamia in theory do not have to be sexist, almost all of the ones written during these times treated the women as inferior to men. There is also the establishment of poetry circles that would only allow male members; the most notable of these was Seán Ó Tuama’s and Andrias MacRait’s Maigue Poets. (Joyce, 1961)

Aodhagán Ó Rathaille’s aisling was invented in this time period and it constitutes one of the most uncomfortable forms of poetry I have ever witnessed. Aislings are set in dreams where women appear to the poet; often the woman appearing in such a dream is an anthropomorphic depiction of Ireland. This poetic brought the Mother Ireland concept into popular culture. Filmmaker Pat Murphy summed up it best when describing Mother Ireland in an excellent 1991 documentary about that subject: “[Mother Ireland] is not a positive image, the associations I have with it are not positive ones, I actually think it’s a wrong thing to do – to call a country after a woman – because it gets into those kind of areas where a country is to be won, or penetrated, or ploughed. And it means that women aren’t seen for themselves”. (Crilly, 1991)

Unfortunately, the concept of Mother Ireland did not stop at one poem; it was featured in several of Ó Rathaille’s aislings, as well as aislings written by other men. The concept transcends the aisling form and poets such as Thomas Moore began writing poems about Mother Ireland. The most notable of his poems about this oppressive concept is The Origin of the Harp, which inspired an equally sexist painting by Daniel Maclise in the 19th century. Even Roisin Dubh, which was an innocent poem about a man being in love with a woman, was weaponised by Owen Roe Mac Ward and turned into a poem about Mother Ireland. It has been widely sung by masses since the 18th century, unknowingly (or not) oppressing millions of women.

Well Tikki Troops, that was a lot to take in for part one, was it not? I decided split this blessay into parts because I did not want to overwhelm you all! The next blessay will cover 19th century poetry up today; despite covering a much shorter period, there are more poems that exist in its time frame. How will Irishwomen combat this Mother Ireland archetype — or will they at all? How will the most famous Irish poets, including Becket, Joyce, Heaney, Wilde and Yeats fit into this narrative? You’ll find out next time! But be patient with me as I try to perfect part two. :^)

Bibliography

Bourke, A. (2002) The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing. NYU Press.

Cahill, S. E. (1983) ‘Reexamining the acquisition of sex roles: A social interactionist approach’, Sex Roles, 9(1), pp. 1–15. doi: 10.1007/BF00303105.

Collins, G. and Wickham, J. (2004) ‘Inclusion or Exploitation? Irish Women Enter the Labour Force’, Gender, Work & Organization, 11(1), pp. 26–46. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0432.2004.00219.x.

Conroy, A. and Dickinson, T. (2018) ‘Male adolescent suicidality: a literature review’, Mental Health Practice, 21(8), pp. 50–55. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2018.e1293.

Crilly, A. (1991) Mother Ireland [Documentary Film]. Aired on Channel 4, U.K.

Hanlon, N. (2015) ‘The Role of Men in Gender Equality_Eire Report’. doi: 10.13140/RG.2.1.2011.5369.

History of the Potato (no date). Available at: https://www.potato.ie/history-of-the-potato/ (Accessed: 20 March 2020).

Joyce, M. (1961) ‘The Poets of Maigue’. The Capuchin Article.

McNeill, W. H. (1949) ‘The Introduction of the Potato into Ireland’, The Journal of Modern History, 21(3), pp. 218–222.

Meaney, G. (1991) Gerardine Meaney Sex and nation : Women in Irish Culture and Politics. ARTIC PRESS.

Morrison, T. G., Speakman, C. and Ryan, T. A. (2009) ‘Irish university students’ support for the human rights of lesbian women and gay men’, Journal of Homosexuality, 56(3), pp. 387–400. doi: 10.1080/00918360902728871.

Nicholson, T. (2016) A Biography of Story, A Brief History of Humanity. Troubador Publishing Ltd.

Owens, R. C. O. (1984) Smashing Times: The Irish women’s suffrage movement 1889-1922. ARTIC PRESS.

Patterson, R. A. (2015) ‘Women of Ireland: Change Toward Social and Political Equalityin the 21st Century Irish Republic’. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20151008154655/https://martindale.cc.lehigh.edu/sites/martindale.cc.lehigh.edu/files/Patterson.pdf (Accessed: 9 December 2019).

Stifter, D. (2016) ‘Metrical systems of Celtic traditions’, North-Western European Language Evolution 1983 & University Press of Southern Denmark, p. 58.

‘The Present Duty of Irishwomen: The Contribution of Irish Women as documented in the Archival Record’ (2016). Irish Archives Source.

Unknown (1447) ‘Annála Connacht’. Walker, J. (1786) Historical Memoirs of the Irish Bards. Dublin: Printed for author, by L. White.

#blessay #poetry #poetry analysis #feminism #ireland #pweek

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astrology-with-charu · 5 years ago

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18 Sept- 26 Dec Saturn finally goes direct!!! The new structure of life unveils from now to December in an area of our life where we would are experiencing the biggest restructuring & karmic release of our life time

Saturn has been retrograde since 29 April in the sign it rules Capricorn. Saturn rules the structural elements of our life, earth & administration. It gives us the perseverance to create the very foundations of our existence - our boundaries, our rules, our career, our body, building blocks of our life that let us function effectively & bring our talents our soul to material world.

During the retrograde period Saturn holds up external launch of new structure of our life cause it hits resistance within our inner life which if not removed won’t allow us to live that external reality with full potency & success. So last 4-5 months has been period of internal restructuring, frustration, resentment, arrested growth but at the same time rebuilding of a new rule book, warding out things / attitudes / people which are obstacles to our ability to take on this new responsibility & opportunity of new structure of our life. Saturn in retrograde stage breaks down our ego & sometimes negativity which is accumulated which keeps us away from assimilating our ideal with material. Unknowingly in past few months we have created a new code of conduct, a new unsaid boundary of what we would or would not accept going forward in our life.

That’s the thing with Saturn - a lot is unsaid & understated - yet without its work we wouldn’t accomplish anything in material or spiritual world as it creates a mountain of persistence within us so doing the requisite work for accomplishing what we need becomes part of our DNA.

In Hindu mythology Saturn is represented as Kurma, tortoise - an incarnation of Lord Vishnu (the creator), who lifted the mountain so Gods could churn the ocean to retrieve the usefulness - usefulness is born due to work we do under the influence of Saturn - so past four months have been our own individual process of creating inner strength to lift up our own mountains.

And now with Saturn going direct we have a lift off. It’s time to lift that mountain so usefulness is birthed. As Saturn is in Capricorn no matter where you are lifting your mountain it would have influence of solidifying your professional foundations, your foundations as a leader of whatever domain you might be looking to be the lead on - efficiency is birthed - core strength is born to be the kind of leader of our personal or professional life that knows when to say no and draw healthy boundaries. The leader who knows what to choose, what to Detox, what to move away from as it doesn’t have longevity & to move to what has grounding to survive the next 30 years of our evolution which we are moving towards.

Saturn will retrace the path it traversed since 29 April from now to Christmas - making visible changes in framework of our life to reflect the inner re-engineering it has done in last four months. Imagine last four months as you going through process of rewriting the rules of your life - what profession, life commitment to whom, what to say yes to what not to when it comes to responsibilities, what you need for your material growth & Stability - imagine now that rule book being implemented. The theory merging with action till December. As soon as Saturn is done with this journey we would have a Solar eclipse on 26 Dec’19 prompting us - your new life is ready now to be lived - it becomes our new reality.

Saturn churning turning direct is subtle as is the planet itself but its gifts are real, material, Long lasting - this is about getting what we need & it might come in forms different from what we want. Saturn is like a responsible parent - it knows well to give you time to adjust to what it’s about to unfold as your new path which it was doing in last four months - but it also knows well to also give you what you truly need & what’s right for you. Cause sometimes what we want is not what we need. Hence the delay, hence the need of time, hence the retrograde but that’s why what’s created gives benefits for a life time.

So over next 14 weeks, we will see structure of our life change in ways we didn’t originally plan but over last four months we have been internal restructured to move from what we wanted to what we truly need - some call it reality checks, some call it maturing a dream.

A special note for my fellow Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) - this adjustment has been nothing short of a struggle in last few months & we might have resisted this change with all our might only to realise now that this feeling of entrapment, anger, frustration, banging against the wall - was all but a cocoon phase getting us ready & building our strength for a more responsible & prosperous tomorrow. This is our light at the end of the tunnel so take heart. All of us will feel this in one of or other area of our life.

Degrees & Dates

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Saturn is turning at 13°55” which is a degree of unearthing what has permanent value & releasing what’s non essential - the very Essence of Saturn. Outdated positions & establishments will be seen demolished & unearthed as a result in administrations, organisational structures, country structures & borders.

This is the degree of Isaac Newton, J. R. R. Tolkien, Louis Braille - us finding a new language to give words to our identity - which we have realised as our intrinsic truth - us finding our voice & now creating real material things out of it.

It comes in conjunction with Star Wega - which was linked to Ma’at, the great Egyptian goddess of justice, truth & balance, who helped souls move from one life to another as it would be helping us transition forward. Measuring our heart/ soul & the weight of it as did Ma’at to see if we have released what’s required to move forward - a karmic justice of sorts & settlement of it in fair terms.

Upcoming Libra season will test all of us on it, that’s why right off the door Mercury and Venus will make a hard aspect of test with Saturn on 22 & 25 Sept - keep your strength - remember the lessons of past months - where in the past we said yes when we should have said no. Bring your new boundaries, foundations, strength, power , rule book for a test drive in coming days.

We are all work in progress but how far we have come will come to display around 7th & 14th October when we are put in a position to use our strength in disagreements or partnerships or relationships with people who form integral part of our personal & professional life. We are tested on our ability to move out of our comfort first zone. October is a Cardinal month - definitive directional crisp actions.

Karmic Trigger Dates

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Turning of Saturn always sets the stage for a karmic release as fantasy meets reality - non productive relationships, structures, projects, associations are released & new structure is set. The trigger dates of that are in my view between 28 Oct to 2 Nov when we will see karmic event occur to mark this new start under the influence of the new moon in Scorpio - with truth & strength.

We will experience this very strongly in global events as I mentioned in my July eclipse videos - We will see activation of two Solar eclipses of this year between 28 Oct to 2 Nov - I expect major world events to occur in this period related to government, restructuring, aggressive redefining actions leading to new order we expect to begin in Jan 2020.

Which area of life are you moving mountains ?

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I spoke in detail about Saturn’s influence for each sign in your Sept monthly video but briefly - below is area of life where you might be experiencing the biggest restructuring & setting up solid foundations to reap material rewards for long term.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv3tUTLu8-MTbf4G38ErxOlmA1ghAPtrk

Do note Saturn in Capricorn always brings influence to our public life - our external talk & in turn our leadership style irrespective of where it’s acting per your rising / sun / moon sign - it helps us define our usefulness - our service to the world so in day to day in one way or another we would see this shift bring clarity in our careers or what we call our “service”.

Naturally a lot of effort is going in this area but more importantly a new structure is about to emerge here which you would be living in 2020.

Perseverance, patience, willingness to serve, dissolving ego to release what’s not ours, releasing thoughts causing inefficiency of our mind, depending on our inner strength instead of external applause, drawing on your inner strength when external events seem to beat us down, paying dues before the rewards are key asks of lord of karma Saturn.

You can bookmark this article here - http://emailabuddy.com/blog/?p=800

So let’s settle a few karmic scores as the tide turns💫

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♈️ #Aries - Career, public life, leadership style, authority

Saturn is prompting restructuring of your career, organisational structure of your company or organisation or structure you are integral part of & redefining your place in the works & your contribution, leadership style, your way of servicing & contributing, your official title & reputation or public image. Our identity physically & emotionally is redefined which in term influences our family life & home. Relationship with Father or fathers life goes through shifts as well. This is a new chapter in who you are known as & what you are creating as a leader for long term to contribute meaningfully to society in long run. Your place in the work, your personal brand of leadership, your public image is being relaunched & redefined for long run. Physical health needs discipline and bones / structure of body should be built on.

~14° or 21° Aries will feel this the most in coming days; that’s around 3/10 Apr born for Aries Sun though all of you will experience this shift as it’s one of most important transit of next 30 years for you. Good luck 💫

♉️ #Taurus - Education, publication, travel, belief system, life purpose, visa, Father

Saturn is restructuring your higher mind, your knowledge, your belief system - prompting you to learn more, teach more, publish more, gain more knowledge through life experiences so you can become an effective guru, teacher, spiritual influence, established authority who can guide people across cultures & geographies. But to be a good teacher & influencer we first need to be a good student of life. Saturn turning direct shows you 1) the path forward, your higher purpose, your meaningful path 2) grants expansion of mind through higher education & achievement in the same, foreign influences / business travel, on job training, a mentor, legalisation or visa to foreign land and more importantly 3) gives you pathway to share your higher mind & teachings through publications of meaning, intellectual technical work which is shared with diverse set of people. Your life purpose & belief system - the spiritual code you live by is forever changed to adjust to a higher growth path you are now on. Your service & life purpose involves changing other people’s mind & belief system by being a mentor, a teacher who leads by example.

~14° or 21° Taurus can benefit the most in coming days; that’s around 4/11 May born for Taurus Sun though all will experience a shift in this area of life.

♊️ #Gemini - Rebirth, baptism by fire, healing, power, joint resources

Saturn is restructuring how you establish authority & power in joint situations to get fair share of proceeds of partnerships - personal or professional so money & intimacy, equipping you to be independent, healing you from within detoxing your past & karmic attachments or addictions that hold your power & emotional-physical health back. This is baptism by fire, rebirth & rise of Phoenix you name it - it’s powerful to say the least - more importantly it’s redefining your joint resources - partners finances & your joint destiny, your ability to manage other people’s money, it’s restructuring how you merge with others - how you retain your individuality, power, potential - it’s making you powerful, impactful in your dealings with others. Saturn has been chipping away at every fiber of karmic weakness that existed in your way of being by possibly exposing you to situations where fear & past losses had no place to exist anymore. It has taken you deep to places you normally don’t like to access & brought you back up stronger & surer. Having redefined your core, now is the time to bring this show to the road - bring this independence, sense of self, power, healing to transform financially, powerfully, physically, sexually. Your contribution or service to the world could possibly involve you digging deep , doing deep research on matters related to finance or medicine or occult, managing other people’s money, being part of power structure by being a force of transformation who brings out the new in a place that’s getting old or outdated. This isn’t an easy process but it’s one that introduces you to another dimension of you that you have not seen before.

~14° or 21° Gemini will feel this the most in coming days; that’s around 4/11 Jun born for Gemini Sun though all of you will experience this shift

♋️ #Cancer - Partnership, clients, one on one relationships, critics, contracts

Saturn is restructuring your one on one relationships, partnerships, how you deal with your interest versus that of people in your life & your duty or obligations towards them, it’s redefining your rulebook of way of responding to your critics, it’s rewriting your commitments - kind of contracts you engage in or how you engage your clients. People close to you or in close relationships with you might have been in a process of churn, change, restructuring as who you commit to is being redefined. Also who is your influencer is redefined as we find ourself in presence of powerful people - who become our influencers, our Teachers, they refine who we are by our association with them. We find our self identity redefined through our relationships & our decisions taken with our business & personal partners. Long term Long lasting associations are made & old associations are released as our contracts go through complete restructure & redefinition. Verdicts are passed decisions are made for Long term - from your Real Estate agent, your doctor, your best friends to your business partner or life partner - all your close associations have been topic of reconsideration, restructure cause Saturn is asking you write a new rule book that allows you to give your best in commitments & when we aren’t allowed to be who we truly are we can’t give our best. So many of these old associations which have outlived their time, karma might be released as new Long term contracts are drawn & new life commitments are made. Our physical & emotional health & endurance is tested but we are given tools & discipline to rebuild strong foundations if any weakness is found. Now is the time to build this new life with your new rules & life commitments on strong footing.

~14° or 21° Cancer will feel this the most in coming days; that’s around 5/11 July born for Cancer Sun though all of you will experience this shift as it’s one of most important transit of next 30 years for you - as is for like United States of America & it’s close allies or foes.

♌️ #Leo - work environment, health routines, work hierarchy

Saturn is restructuring your work environment, work hierarchy, job, obligations, your duties to elders - your parents, your rule book & boundaries used in dealing with coworkers, kind of projects you taken on, how to manage your team or your relationship with your environment, how much of your work life seeps into your physical & mental health and well being. Getting efficient in terms of kind of projects or responsibilities we takeon, having clear boundaries, detoxing immediate work environment, getting right kind of support structure at work, making sure we say no where a no is overdue in terms of obligations which compromise you & your health, paying our dues to our elders, cutting ties with the duties & obligations where karma is done and it’s time to move forward to be able to contribute what we came here to do, are all themes, objectives of Saturn and it’s turning direct allows you to manifest this. It allows you to create a structure of health & diet improvement that your body deserves & needs or reap benefits of work already done in this area. Work promotions, team restructuring, change in work hierarchy, renting an office space, changing work place or improving it, end of a karmic duty to family, effectively dealing with hereditary health issues, successful & more stable way to perform your duties, having right coworker support or team under you to support you are ways in which the karmic settlement of Saturn can turn out. Net result is a better Long term way of dealing with your obligations to make an impact of the order you desire. This is not an easy placement but letting this mold us can strength our mind body connection - our ability to change our perceived work environment by our thoughts our mind - as well as disciple to set right boundaries & support at job or in our obligations to give space to better health. Your contribution is improved by prioritising your wellbeing.

~14° or 21° Leo will feel this the most in coming days; that’s around 6/13 Aug born for Leo Sun though all of you will experience this shift

♍️ #Virgo - giving birth to your legacy - a business venture, a child, love, investment risk

Saturn is restructuring your ability to take risks in your personal & professional life - taking you to heights of pleasure through a path of pain & hardwork - this is toil of blood & sweat done to create what we would like to call our legacy. A business venture you are passionate about, a child you find as an extension of you, a love commitment you would like to keep life Long, a Creative work that’s your dream, an investment risk you are taking which feels just right or a new framework of taking investment risk that you are creating - they are all part of gifts of Saturn here which are crowning in this last push of labor after nine months of non stop efforts. Framework has been in process, restructuring has been in process - what’s coming now is rolling out what you have planned - setting the plan into action. Last stages of major Creative or business venture work, next stage in child’s development or education or in your responsibility as a parent, solidifying your love commitments, powerful friends, taking on an investment risk beyond your past capacity after long consideration, are ways in which your legacy might be in process of being born.

So far we have been conservative, detailed, may be even inhibited in our confidence of things working out but Saturn turning direct gives us a solid footing - a knowing that something long lasting is being created. Later in December when Jupiter comes to this area too we will go bolder & bigger - for now we will tick all the boxes & be exacting, be meticulous to make sure we are filtering out any unwanted investment & personal risk as we start seeing concrete progress on work done in last nine months.

~14° or 21° Virgo can benefit the most in coming days; that’s around 6/13 Sept born for Virgo Sun though all will experience a shift in this area of life.

♎️ #Libra -Home, Family, real estate, inner foundations - your core, support system

Saturn is restructuring your emotional foundations cause you gotto strengthen the base when your opposite house of career is being expanded so you have the requisite support system to take on more visible public life & career path. So we have been mending, repairing, paying our dues to our family duties, to our place of living - enhancing, fencing, repairing, strengthening it. It’s our survival instincts - what do we do when no one’s watching - how do we feel secure, what & who do we draw on, what gives us comfort, what’s the strong core we fall back on when external life puts us in spotlight. You are creating a life time of strong emotional foundations, family structure, support system, physical home of solid footing to support your public aspirations. In the process of it all you are meeting you as you complete this last stage of maturation of your inner world. Leaks in our home or emotional life have been highlighted & worked on - nows the time to build upon this solid foundation - like when property development begins on a land that’s been thoroughly raked & levelled post demolition all ready to resurrect a solid high rise on. We are ready for new structure of our public life as we see support from our inner foundations at soul level, having detoxed the elements & patterns that wouldn’t work in your expanded career or public life or whatever new title of worldly responsibility you are about to take on.

~14° or 21° Libra will feel this the most in coming days; that’s around 7/14 Oct born for Libra Sun though all of you will experience this shift as it’s one of most important transit of next 30 years for you. Good luck 💫

♏️ #Scorpio - Commercial & Communication skills, our mind, courage

Saturn is restructuring refining our mind & talk - internal & external - creating efficiency in the way we talk, think, connect, communicate, express our ideas, our thoughts; how we influence & connect with our immediate environment. Life long skills that yield value for our lifetime are created, refined, aced under this influence. More importantly any inefficient & weakness of our mind, our courage is worked on to create a new foundation of how we think, talk, write, express our commercial & intellectual skills. We study, write, self educate, take online courses, edit refine define our work, our marketing strategy, our voice, our messaging; more importantly we Detox old thinking patterns that keep us stuck or don’t let us connect positively with our immediate environment. Things that test our courage, strength of our mind come up. Saturn turning direct opens the path to now bring this stronger, firmer mindset; the skills we have honed, polished, improved upon; the contracts, communication or commercial projects we have drafted envisioned reviewed; our views thoughts ideas that we have been mulling over - now to the world - launching the new framework of sharing your views with the world. Publish, write, speak, travel, take short trips, gain license to practice your new skills, read, gain gather collate publish important information, get contracts written agreements through, influence through your mind & speech - its a new mindset which unveils a different material reality for you as our thoughts create our reality. This rebirth of your mind & courage. In few cases new structure of siblings career can also unfold.

~14° or 21° Scorpio can benefit the most in coming days; that’s around 6/13 Nov born for Scorpio Sun though all will experience a shift in this area of life.

♐️ #Sagittarius - Material resources, self worth & networth, assets, diet

Saturn is restructuring your value system, your ability to generate long term abundance through giving you the persistence to develop skill sets that will reap you material benefit & increase your self worth over long period of time. At the same time, it has been prompting you to Detox your expenses, assets, get more involved in financial planning for future, make sure you have sound foundations of material resources to support you. Saturn cuts through the unnecessary, the inefficiencies in how we use our resources - physical & mental - so your energy, your time, your skills, your mindshare is being focused on specific projects or jobs or sources of income - releasing making space for what’s important relevant lucrative & Long term for you when it comes to sources of income. Having gone through a tedious process of setting this rule book, now is the time to get the show on the road - launch this new framework, this new revenue source, new skill set & create value from it. Serve the world with your skills, your organisational capabilities, your ability to turn around financial situations & creating value out of situations. Key skill that’s created with this is ability to spot opportunities that can generate stable revenue. Key value system that this builds within you is of confidence that you can turn any situation around - most importantly that your self worth isn’t attached to any specific asset or bank balance or a number. As much as you are launching the framework of building that bank balance but you are launching a new worth - you are whose value has been enhanced - you are the valuable asset in this & it’s been all about enhancing your value both as a skilled person as well as a person of strong value system. So Saturn turning direct now brings this sense of self, this product of this whole ordeal - you - now to the outer world & they see the the new framework of you that you have created as you create both material & spiritual abundance in coming days. Your physical body is a resource too, so diet, enhancing your physical strength is very much an integral part of this value adding exercise you have embarked upon - make ful, use of the discipline of Saturn to set a long term health & diet program.

Launch this new framework of value creation till December when your ruler Jupiter also comes in this area of your chart - expanding the work you have done so far, adding scale, prosperity to it further.

♑️ #Capricorn - All of you - your career, body, how you show up to the world

Capricorn your ruler in your sign first time in 30 years is nothing short of getting a new life - it’s a complete reset & it might have felt like pulling teeth while it was retrograde in past few months as it’s been having us work on our inner world, our emotions, strengthening us from within to make our core strong to take on more responsibilities as well as achievements that lay ahead of you to be had. Saturn helps us become the best version of ourself, shedding negative habits, attitudes & yes it shows us the weakness in our ways of handling things but also gives us the tools to strength every inch of weakness that existed in our physical, mental, moral fiber to be more, to be all we can be. Having dealt with the lesson of patience & old limitations, this is where the tide turns as it’s time to start launching the new framework of you both in your professional & personal life - your new rule book that’s based on realisation of what truly matters to you, what’s for you, who is for you & how to effectively be the authority of your life no matter what sphere of your life. Our ego has been dissolved for it was required for the higher powers to mold us in the direction in the way we needed to go - usefulness & strength is given birth to. It’s not an easy rebirth but your sign wasn’t built with such huge endurance for easier things. As they say uneasy lies the head that wears a crown - but nows the time to wear the crown - take your new responsibility, leadership, higher position on & next few months you will see yourself stepping into that role as unknowingly or knowingly the rules of your life & what you want out of it has changed. Since you aren’t the same person internally now your external reality has to reflect who you have become. That’s the process of next few months till December & you will find support to get there. As one key lesson of past few months has been also to ask for support & knowing who to ask & how to ask. Past months also created clear awareness of what has Long ended in our life & now we get the framework, strength & impetus to release it for food, for when you have decided to be more you cannot be less - you simply cannot go back. There is peace, ease, strength, more importantly there is truth in our path ahead which makes us feel comfortable to be in our own skin as our new life unveils in front of us & damn you have worked for it!

Health is key focus - make sure what you have learned about your body in past few months you make that discipline of your lifetime, right now you have the strength & impetus to do it, set it in stone. Personal achievements, status, shift in your position in hierarchy of an organisation, moving forward in a family obligation or progress in your journey as a parent, progress in career or your public reputation, progress in a key life decision or resolution of a verdict - are various ways Saturn can unlock things which were held up structurally.

~14° or 21° Capricorn will feel this the most in coming days; that’s around 5/12 Jan born for Capricorn Sun though all of you will experience this shift as it’s one of most important transit of next 30 years for you. Good luck 💫

♒️ #Aquarius - Release, Faith, fears, hidden strength & talents, Devine timing or intervention

Saturn your ruler, is restructuring all that’s below the surface hidden even from us - our fears, phobias, inhibitions. It’s refining our strengths we didn’t see before - our hidden talents, our unknown beneficiaries, our angels, our own core strength, our faith & bringing all of that in play as we are setting the stage for our ruler Saturn to enter your sign in Mar 2020 which is nothing short of living a new life . This is the cadent period, the period of preparing, paying our dues, our karmic obligations to higher powers, to our parents, to our vocation, we are diligently serving our responsibilities behind the scene for we know this period of solitude - “The Silent years” as Bible described it - is when your whole environment within you is shifting which shifts your external existence for long run. This is your reservoir - the place we draw from unknowingly whenever we need to do what has to be done - you are strengthening that reservoir - dealing with your own demons within & outside one set for all so they don’t come in the path you are carving for yourself. Spiritual practices are set, faith is strengthened, healing is achieved, involuntarily we pay any dues as we deal with every shaky pebble in our career path & our physiological life without much noise & ado. Having been through the inner journey which was deep over last few months - now we bring those hidden talents, that strength, that faith into play to visible world. It’s when responsibilities are effectively dealt with ease, our psychological / spiritual /healing discipline starts showing external results in how you deal with your work, your relationships, your coworkers, your projects, your enemies / critics / adversaries, any government or authority dealings. You are on a Mission, others may not know it but you know what it is - it becomes easier to work on that Mission - your “service” to the world.

The health practices & spiritual practices you have developed in this phase are your support for life time as is the faith & psychological strength you have developed. We feel a bit lighter cause this is the house of karmic burdens & a weight is being lifted off as we finally make progress in our path. I call this phase as “phase of God’s timing” or whatever higher powers you believe in cause it’s a very destined or karmic time when the more you release control from the situation - the more the situation moves in the direction you want - I learned my biggest life lessons in this phase - not to try to control my destiny too much. We aren’t the best story tellers so why be intent on it -allow your life to flow- it will take you places your own imagination never travelled to. Work will always be there - it’s your default mode you always put in the work - it’s more about our ego which makes us want it to result in an exact output. Saturn here is more intent in changing our insides - our ego, our undoing versus external life - it’s been at it for past few months now you see the benefit of releasing that control as life takes you to places you didn’t originally plan to go. Where is the magic in knowing everything 👼

♓️ #Pisces - Vision, hopes, dreams, friends, social network

Saturn is restructuring what your life’s vision is - what you need to create in this life time that would outlast you - your dream, your vision, its concrete, it’s substantial, it has element of service which benefits groups of people or collective. At the same time it’s restructuring who will go on this journey with you - who are your friends, Long term supporters, fam base, the platform that builds you, launches you at wider scale - your social presence & business network and influence is being redefined & refined. Past few months might have been time of arrested growth in external growth cause we were restructuring our inner self to adjust to what we are about to embark upon. Before we can influence others, benefit others, we need to be sure of our own messaging, our own vision, we need to be sure of what platform we would use, which groups we would be part of or influence. Having been through months of this restructuring - now with Saturn direct we have lift off & launch of our vision in coming months. Support from authorities, network, influential business partners, wealthy friends, platform launches, breaking through influential group, taking a group along on a Mission & achieving socially, launching your talents at wider scale -are ways in which Saturn going direct can benefit in coming weeks to you. Restructuring your passions to make them useful for masses or relaunching your creative work in a modified format or with a modified appeal or on a modified platform or to a different set of society or group could be ways to make wider impact. We pay our dues to society here by using our instrinsic skills or talents and make them available to your supporters, society, groups at events, or through online means, or through influential friends or business partners. You are here to make an impact on wider scale - this is the phase when tools required to make it happen come through & this could be in creative field or in a corporate hierarchy. Powerful people & influences that reshape our life path usually meet us changing our view of our life & talent - this might have already happened & now we launch with new life with diligence & perseverance.

~14° or 21° Pisces can benefit the most in coming days; that’s around 4/11 Mar born for Pisces Sun though all will experience a shift in this area of life.

#SaturnDirect #Saturn #dailyhoroscope #weeklyhoroscope #monthlyhoroscope #horoscopes #horoscopeposts #astrologyposts #astrologypost #horoscopepost

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writingwithcolor · 6 years ago

Text

Chinese writing a China-inspired fantasy world

Okay, so this is a question from an aspiring Chinese-European writer, considering writing a fantasy-verse influenced (but not solely coded) by my own culture:

I’m a little confused about the level of historical adherence needed to do this. I see in your previous answers for similar questions on other cultures that you have recommended doing research on specific time periods, but considering the sheer scope of Chinese history and how many interesting elements spanning the ages that could be derived from it, I’m wondering if cherry-picking is condonable. I mean, even actual Chinese historical dramas tend to mix up timelines for the sake of entertainment.

Furthermore, do I have to abide by the exact same cultural values reflected in real life? I want to incorporate elements from other philosophies – not specifically culture-coded ones, but things like Plato’s Republic, for instance. I realize that Plato himself was Greek, but if I’m not making a direct reference to him specifically, just borrowing pieces from his philosophy, is that still cultural appropriation? Is it so implausible to believe that another person in a different culture would be able to come up with similar ideas, especially sociopolitical ones?

If you’ve ever played the Dragon Age franchise, I thought they did this very well with other cultures— while Orlais is clearly meant to be analogous to France (with a little of Venice thrown in), Ferelden was a mix of Viking and British influences, Tevinter a bit of Imperial Rome and the Byzantine Empire, etc. The concept behind the dominant religion in the game was “Christianity with a Jeanne d’Arc figure instead of Jesus”, and there is another that is basically Plato’s Republic in form of a theocracy. No direct RL cultural references or cherry-picking appropriation; just glimpses of parallels if you delve further into the individual cultures. Some cultures are even so well-blended that fans debate among themselves what might have served as the original source of inspiration.

With all due respect to all writers paying tribute to Chinese culture, I just don’t want to create a universe that is blatantly “fantasy China” or “historical China but with magic” at first glance; I want it to be its own standalone culture where you can see subtle Chinese influences. I would still avoid tokenism or outright cast erasure of my own race, of course, being too familiar with it myself in other media; and I would study minorities more in-depth as well. (I wouldn’t want to accidentally offend non-Han Chinese by writing characters or conflicts that might coincide with their negative stereotypes.)

Would this still be considered offensive, especially considering how I’m Chinese myself, only born outside my country? I have discussed this with my (China-born) family and friends, and nobody seems to find this an issue; but then again, none of them are particularly concerned with political correctness.

—-

Chinese Writer Writing Standalone Culture with Subtle Chinese Influences

Speaking for myself only, I don’t think it would necessarily be that offensive on its own. I’m thinking of Ken Liu’s Dandelion Dynasty series, which isn’t fantasy!China but also has influences that I immediately recognized as Chinese. Having said that, though, the philosophies were also distinctly East Asian (to me at least).

I also have to say, I’m cringing a bit at the use of “politically correct” and challenging tone of your question. It reads to me like you’re not particularly interested in being respectful, but want our approval anyway.

–mod Jess

For me historical accuracy isn’t so much about strict time periods but more about the building blocks of culture. China has had a fairly strong Buddhist/Confucian/Taoist core, plus a long history of earthquakes/monsoons, plus things like divine attribution to Emperors and war-as-unification followed by a heavy administrative/scholarly value.

The farther you get away from any of those key concepts (underlaying philosophy, environmental factors, and religious factors), the less a culture is going to look like itself. This can be for good or ill, depending on who’s got it. Swapping out philosophies for European ones is going to make it less like China, but if you have the other blocks then it’s going to still look mostly like China.

You don’t have to exactly clone one time period to make a fantasy!China. Picking from within itself, so long as the elements across those time periods are relatively similar (ie- the basic philosophies and how problems are approached feels roughly the same) is fine.

But when you start to mess too much with the basic elements, it starts to feel off because you have to ask yourself— could this thought process have come out of the culture I’m trying to base my society out of?

You can do your own research to see if the Chinese came up with something similar to the European influences you want to take. You can see if they adapted such philosophies for their own ends. You can also ask yourself what parts of other philosophies came as a direct result from something in that culture, and play the mind puzzle of how it would’ve come out of the culture you’re trying to pull from.

Because some mixes don’t work. If you tried to put in American individualism into China, that is very family/group oriented, it would feel wrong because group membership is such a basic part of Chinese culture and shapes a lot of who they are. But if you wanted to take something like democratic election, you can play around for what roles get elected, by whom, etc, in the same divine-emperor-rules-all framework of ancient China.

It’s about respecting the underlaying core of a culture. It doesn’t have to be exact, but so long as the core is what it is, the world is still going to feel Chinese.

~ Mod Lesya

#Writing question #submission #chinese #asian #east asian #worldbuilding #asks

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tshepiso-reads-books · 5 years ago

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Prepare For a Rant | Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

Started: February 10th, 2020

Finished: February 14th, 2020

I have a lot of thoughts about Lair of Dreams [Goodreads] and most of them are negative. It took me what felt like several lightyears to finish this book and the reading experience sapped the joy of reading out of me for a while. This is going to be a long one folks, so buckle in. Before we jump into things I’d like to warn that this is going to be a spoilerific review so heed my warning before you jump in.

Lair of Dreams takes place shortly after the events of the first book in this series The Diviners. The city is on the cusp of an all-out outbreak as more and more cases of Sleeping Sickness, a mysterious illness that causes the afflicted to fall asleep and never wake up again, are cropping up in Chinatown. While the gang goes on wildly different adventures in this book they all ultimately come together to solve the mystery of the sleeping sickness.

On Character

My biggest problem with this book is the characters. They’re selfish, self-centered, naïve and don’t understand that actions hurt others. This is most evident in Evie, but every character in the book has moments of this scattered throughout the novel. However, I feel uncomfortable throwing this fact as a criticism of the book because all of these characteristics are fundamental character traits of teenagers and I find it obtuse to criticize a young adult novel for accurately writing teenaged protagonists. But I can’t divorce this understanding from how absolutely infuriating I found so many moments in this book.

I will say just because our protagonists, and especially Evie, were annoying doesn’t mean they didn’t have depth. Libba Bray is a good writer and fully fleshed out every character in this book mellowing some of my frustrations with them. The perfect example of this is Sam Lloyd. The bad boy character archetype has been done to death in YA, but Sam stands apart from the crowd of tousled haired edge-lords by having a tragic backstory with legitimate weight to it. His search for his mother never felt like an afterthought or quirk. I genuinely felt his deep desire to find the truth and it made him well rounded. The same could be said about all the other characters in the story.

Evie was the only character I truly hated while reading this book. I understand the reason why Evie is the way she is and how her past influenced her bad behavior. But understanding that her PTSD and trauma are the cause of her actions was never enough to get me to sympathize with her. Every single character in this book has been through just as much if not more than she has and they never went as far as to abandon and betray their friends as consistently as Evie did. I could never get behind Evie, her selfishness went above and beyond teenaged immaturity and her inability to own up to her mistakes and change angered me.

Now on to Jericho Jones, my second least favorite character in this book. I genuinely liked Jericho in The Diviners, but his behavior in this book was appalling. I will admit he had the misfortune of falling into one of my least favorite tropes out there: “The Monster Inside Me“ [TV Tropes]. However, his particular brand of self-loathing went further than that. At the end of The Diviners Jericho was rejected by Evie causing a cycle of self-pity that verged on incel behavior. His constant monologuing about how “girls just don’t like guys him” was eye-roll inducing and his hurry to lash out at others because a girl he liked rejected him was gross. His actions depict a man who sees Evie as a prize rather than a human being.

Another problem I had with this book is how central protagonists from The Diviners were sidelined in the novel. It’s almost impossible in a reasonably sized book to follow eight different characters and give them all their due. The characters I feel most negatively effected by Bray’s shift in focus to new POVs were Memphis, Theta and Mabel. It would take over 500 more words to deep dive into my specific thoughts on each of their character arcs so in summation: these three were barely given anything to do and their character arcs didn’t move forward in any significant way. Mabel was given the harshest treatment of all because she had literally nothing to do in this book but pine after a guy who didn’t like her. No other character conflict she had from the previous book in this series was even mentioned or explored.

On Romance

Possibly my least favorite element in this book was its romantic subplot. So much page time was dedicated to it that it could reasonably be dubbed the main plot So here’s the rundown:

Mabel likes Jericho, but Jericho likes Evie.

Evie thinks she likes Jericho but doesn’t want to date him because of girl code.

Evie fake dates Sam and they both start catching feelings.

Jericho goes out with Mabel even though he knows that Mabel likes him and he still has feelings for Evie.

This is the kind of conflict I hate in books. This love triangle was so convoluted and contrived. It did nothing but make me hate Evie and Jericho, and I found none of the romantic tension exciting because the dynamics explored were built on a foundation of miscommunication and lies of omission.

On Representation

While I was pleasantly surprised by the anti-racism in The Diviners I was uncomfortable by the way some of the themes of diversity were explored in this book. In Lair of Dreams, we are introduced to Ling Chang a half Chinese girl with a recent case of infantile paralysis causing her to wear leg braces. She has a lot of self-hatred in regard to her disability. This trope while cliche wasn’t my problem, my problem was how this internal conflict is resolved. Another one of our protagonists, Henry, finds out about her disability and all her self loathing is resolved by him telling her she should love herself. This interaction is that it places Ling’s self-worth in the hands of an able-bodied person rather than focusing this her arc on self-acceptance. As an able-bodied person, I don’t want to cry ableism without shouting out actual disabled people’s voices on the matter so I would highly encourage you to seek out these voices. I’ve yet to encounter an ownvoices reviewer’s thought on Ling’s arc (believe me I looked) and this observation should in no way take away anything from disabled people who appreciated Bray’s writing.

There is so much that Bray does right when it comes to diversity and representation. I find her honest depictions of America’s ugly history timely and relevant and I admire her willingness to starkly show anti-semitism, homophobia, xenophobia, police brutality of the time. She clearly parallels America’s history with America’s present reminding you not so subtly that these toxic ideas still exist. I will warn readers that Bray graphically depicts racist imagery and I found the descriptive scenes of lynch mobs and the like very upsetting so be prepared for that.

One aspect of Bray’s depiction of American society I really liked was her pointed observation of the link between Evangelical Christianity and racism and xenophobia. I also liked how she depicted the ways people use American Exceptionalism (the idea that Americans are inherently superior to all others and that their position as a dominant world power is a God-given right rather than luck and historic subjugation) as a justification for bigotry and all detractors of this ideology is consistently labeled as anti-American by the people who benefit from bigotry.

On Everything Else

I will say Lair of Dreams was fairly well-plotted. Though the mystery element of this book very much felt like a subplot with the character conflicts taking center stage. While I didn’t find the sleeping sickness as outright terrifying as Naughty John in the first book Bray is good at building tension and suspense and the final climactic scene did get my heart racing. Bray’s ability to capture a creepy gothic atmosphere shines in this book and I loved her interlude chapters that showed brief snippets of our characters and the city itself.

Stars 🌟🌟🌟

I don’t know where I stand with this series. I found so much of the reading experience frustrating, but I am still invested in so many of the characters in the series and I would like to see how the final mystery unfolds. We’ll see if I continue on with the series because right now I don’t know.

#So... I had feelings #Libba Bray #The Diviners #Lair of Dreams #long post #remember when I reviewed the DIviners and I said Jericho was my favourite #things change

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wisedabarber · 5 years ago

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March 23, 2020

All In All

A Spiritual Reflection

___

By Simon P. Faison

Introduction

This is a pivotal time in human history. Where the choices of a select few (whether you believe its the so-called new world order or the superpowers) over the next few days and months shall, directly and indirectly, affect the shape of our very lives to its core.

Many of us now sit in a state of perpetual uneasy, worried about what tomorrow may bring or what new disaster the next news feed will bring cross our phone screens. Many are wondering if the government will pay lost wages to those laid off, will they help the small business owners who still have bills piling in pay they mounting dents, or is the economic recession they are talking about that is going to follow this really going to be worse or equal to the Great Depression?

Coming from a life that has experience some of the best and worst this world has to offer I can say this with a certainty that only years of experience and true study can teach you.

That when the winds of uncertainty sweep the world. It will not be the ones who first look outward and towards others for answers to the problems of the world, that will be able to rise above the chaos and survive in the coming storm.

It will be and always have been those who look first inward for answers to the fundamental problems of life. That is not only able to rise above the chaos and survive but are also able to drive the chaos back and lead humanity out of the darkness of despair of today and into the light of a better tomorrow.

Those are the ones who are remembered as sages, saints, prophets, and even revolutionaries. But what does looking inward have to do with solving the problems of our world?

Inward Looking

Now when I speak of looking inward, I’m not speaking of that inward-turning that makes one num to the world around them. Where the only thought is to self-service and self-preservation. This is a negative detachment from the world which is to the detriment of one's personal intellectual and spiritual well being.

The inward-turning or inward-looking of which I’m speaking of is of true inward-looking/introspection. Where you are not looking to drown out the world around by focusing exclusively on self to the point where the affairs and happenings of the world are only meaningful when they directly affect you or your perceived comfort. But when you looking truly inward past the false reality of this world and the manufactured reality of who you are perceived as but to the core of your very being and to the discovery of your true and immortal ”Self”.

This happens when you truly reflect on and ask yourself those tough questions like; who am I? why am I here?, Who is God? and just how can my life be better?

It is when you do this, true inward-looking, that you are able to tap into your true immortal ”Self”, known as your ”Higher Self. The human race has called this Higher Self many by things dependant on the culture and environment from the soul, Kia, chi, to Ba and countless other names. Though the names may be different the fundamental understanding was still the same. Our Bodies are but a shell the true essences of who we are is our ”Higher Self”.

Those Individuals and at times the human race as a whole, that were able to survive these moments in history and guide humanity through the chaos, did so by first doing by looking inward to finding the answers to the dilemmas that are within themselves first and tapping into their ”Higher School.”

The Higher Self

Why find the answers to the dilemmas within themselves first when the world around them is in chaos? To answer that it should be understood that the human body reflects the world around it.

Look at it this way when the environment around you is full of chaos and uncertainty your body reflects it within its self, in the forms of stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders as well as physical elements. And when you find yourself in an environment where it is stable and tranquil, your body then reflects this in the form of ease and relaxation.

The same also goes for when we look inward for the answers to survive the dilemmas facing the world. We must look inward first to face the dilemma within us then when we have settled those dilemmas within ourselves. Then we will be blessed with the wisdom to deal with the dilemmas of the world.

When we are truly looking inward and tapping into our Higher “Self”, we can't help but recognize that this same “Higher Self” that is when us is the same ”Higher Self” that is in the single mother who is trying to figure out how she will be able to work and watch her kids on a job that barely pays enough for her to even pay her bills, let alone feed her kids.

It is the same “Higher Self” that dwells in that old black woman at the supermarket, who when she was younger was spread by water hoses, beaten by police and attacked by dogs, for simply wanting to be treated with the same equal right and liberties as every other human being. Yet she will call the first white person she sees a cracker or a devil quicker than spit at them, without evening knowing anything about them.

And yes, it is the same also the same “Higher Self” within the rich man that knows every single tax loophole in the book and has enough generational wealth to ensure his descendants don’t ever have to struggle a day as he or his ancestors did. So he supports those who will vote on policies to protect his wealth. And feels that everyone should not let the circumstances of life hold them from achieving success, so he is against policies that make people dependent on the government instead of driven to rise above their circumstances.

The Lower Self

When you recognize this, it is then your looking inward turns not just you looking inwards to you into your personal being, the cloak if self falls away and it becomes a looking inward of all creation because you know, you are in All and All is in you.

And though one may understand the Universality of our ”Higher Self”, one must also recognize that there are a great many individuals who due to either; (a) where they are in their own spiritual journey or (b) the circumstances that have been thrust upon them by society. That the ”Higher Self” within them is engulfed and tired down by the fetters of Ego also known as the ”Lower Self” and is unable to recognize themselves as a part of the Universal All.

These are the individuals who are blown around by the chaotic winds of this world. They are dependent on those who they Lower Self tells them that have their personal best interest at heart to tell them how they should be and how they should act.

And then there are also those who intellectually know about the universality of humanity and all existence, but they have allowed their ”Lower Self” rule over their lives and turn a blind eye to the truth. This is because the ”Lower Self” refuses to acknowledge anything that will lower it's so-called sense of self-worth or make it acknowledge the self-sameness of others.

And though it is also recognized that those same individuals still are at their immortal essence the same ”Higher Self” like us and a dilemma they face is a dilemma I face, this is because we are fundamentally and spiritually the same being.

The All Is All

Everything in existence is but different aspects of one Supreme Being (God, Allah, Yahweh, Bondye, and Neberdjer, etc.) who is in all creation and in whom is all creation.

It is through this understanding we are able to come to the understanding of how by starting with a true inward-looking of themselves, that certain individuals and at times the human race were able to persevere and preserve through these pivotal moments in existence.

By first knowing, their true Divine ”Higher Self” as the ancient proverb states “Know Thyself”. Then through true self-mastery and discipline they were able to answer the dilemmas and questions within themselves. Then through actualizing and applying these newfound truths in their lives and through the guidance and teaching of others they helped them to also realize this True Divine ”Higher “Self”. This, in turn, leads to creation collectively gaining back rule from the fetters of Ego or the ”Lower Self” over the world and establishing the rule of the ”Higher Self” which through truth, balance, order, harmony, law, morality, and justice leads creation to a new age.

Conclusion

This has been the path taken by all the great Sages, prophets, and messengers since time immortal. It was also the path taken by Gandhi, taken by Martin Luther King JR and taken by Malcolm X. Those who have walked this path have influenced and changed the course of the world time and time again.

So who is it in this generation and during these times of uncertainty will take up this path and yet again and lead this world through these dark days of chaos.

These are but the musing of a spiritual wayfarer who is still but sipping at the fountains of knowledge. May The God Of Your Heart bless and guide you to further enlightenment.

I leave as I came, With Best Wishes For Peace Profound.

#spirituality #shetuat neter #kemeticism #knowthyself #higherself #lowerself #kemeticyoga #buddism #taoism #agnostic #divinelove #divine light #spiritualawakening #spiritualism #spiritualguidance #ifa #hinduism

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mitmediarepid-blog · 5 years ago

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The Hate U Give: Contrast for Clarity

Angie Thomas masterfully uses foils in her novel, The Hate U Give, to bring focus to the difficulties that young black Americans face while navigating a society which at its foundation is systemically racist. Thomas’ use of foils creates a contrast that perfectly highlight the struggles that protagonist Starr Carter attempts to navigate throughout the story.

Starr is thrown into an intense social climate after the recent death of a close friend. Starr is in the car with her friend, Khalil Harris, when he is fatally shot by a police officer. Both Starr and Khalil are people of colour who hail from the same neighbourhood. In the wake of Khalil’s death, Starr begins to examine her interactions with those around her. Starr begins to come to terms with the fact that she leads somewhat of a double-life, as she feels forced to project different versions of herself depending on her environment. As a student at the predominantly white private school, Williamson Prep, Starr feels pressure to assimilate to the culture perpetrated within the school by the student body and thus, alters her personality to fit in. Starr acknowledges that she even feels restricted around her boyfriend and fellow student, Chris. Chris is a white male. Despite Starr commenting on her relationship with Chris being strong, she admits that her actions are subconsciously altered in response. Starr recognizes that she is an alien in this environment due to her race. Starr is voicing her discomfort about feeling the need to participate in code-switching, which is a phenom that occurs when one alternates between different types of language, behaviour, and social codes, depending on who they are surrounded by. As a black girl, Starr feels as though she needs to change her behavior to reflect that of her fellow classmates at Williamson Prep.

Much like in the novel, the film adaption reveals how Starr has very different relationships with her friends from Garden Heights and Williamson Prep. This contrast is represented through her relationships with people from her community, such as Khalil, in comparison to her fellow students, such as Chris. Above: Starr, played by Amandla Stenberg, catches a ride with Khalil, played by Algee Smith. Below: Stenberg as Starr pictured at Williamson Prep with her boyfriend Chris, played by KJ Apa. Stills from The Hate U Give (2018).

In contrast, Starr has grown up surrounded by people of the same race in her neighbourhood of Garden Heights. While one would assume that Starr would be able to act more freely in a community that she was raised in, Starr feels disconnected from Garden Heights after attending Williamson Prep. Starr struggles with her identity due to implications that come with her being black. At Williamson Prep, she is hyper-aware of being black since she is one of the few people of colour at the school. As such, she attempts to alter her behaviour to hide characteristics she possess which she fears would bring attention to her race. Yet by doing so, Starr feels as though she is isolating herself from the black community in Garden Heights.

Starr utilizes code-switching in an attempt to balance her life at school and her life at home. Code-switching is a phenom that occurs when one alternates between different types of language and behaviour depending on their surroundings. Starr is constantly modifying how she acts based on who she is with. As a black girl, Starr feels as though she needs to change her behavior to reflect that of her white classmates at Williamson Prep. However, this has resulted in Starr feeling as though her time at Williamson Prep has caused her to fall out of touch culturally and socially with the black members of the Garden Heights community. Starr finds herself struggling to connect with the other members of the neighbourhood after attending Williamson Prep, having spent the majority of her time away from the close-knit community and with white people. In this way, Starr can never truly feel as though she is completely comfortable in either setting while constantly trying to meet the expectations of those around her based on her race.

The contrast between Starr’s two worlds is not only reliant on race. Thomas further emphasizes the differences by the class structures represented by both environments. Williamson Prep is full of youths who have been raised by affluent families. In contrast, poverty has forced many residents of the inner-city neighbourhood of Garden Heights to turn to illegal activities to provide for their families. Due to this, gang-related violence has become rampant in the community. Garden Heights is home to many people who are restricted by their economic positions. In this way, many of Starr’s neighbours from Garden Heights are victims of circumstance, and end up falling prey to the vicious cycle describe by Starr’s father, Maverick. Maverick comments that society oppresses black people by forcing ‘thug life’ upon black communities. Maverick’s view is that only by speaking out can this corrupt system be combatted and the cycle be broken.

Khalil is no exception to this cycle. While it becomes apparent that Khalil was involved with a notorious gang called the King Lords during his lifetime, it is revealed that Khalil was never a true member of the gang, but was rather forced to sell drugs on their behalf after his mother was caught stealing from the gang’s leader. In this way, Khalil was not presented with an opportunity to make his own choices about the direction of his life in this situation. Furthermore, it can be assumed that Khalil’s mother stole in order to provide for her son and family, making her crime one that was committed out of necessity.

As unfair as the circumstances presented to him may be, Khalil’s involvement with King Lords presents the opportunity for victim blaming to occur when he is murdered by police officer One Fifteen during a traffic stop. Khalil acted on behalf of the gang because he had no other option. Yet, his gang affiliation has the potential to be used against him. The police immediately attempt to get Starr to reveal incriminating information about Khalil’s character when interviewing her about his death. This is evidence of the police attempting to profile Khalil as a troubled individual in order to distract from the police officer who shot him from being in the wrong. The police are trying to use Khalil’s past as justification for his death. Sadly, this is not far off from what occurs in real life, as the media often delibriatly paints black victims of police violence in negative ways. In this way, Khalil’s unjust and untimely death has the potential of being blamed on his ties with gang activity, no matter how superficial his actions were. In reality, the King Lords had no influence over the police officer who shot Khalil. Instead, the motive of that crime can be chalked up to racial prejudice. Similar to selling drugs, being black was not something that Khalil had control over. Yet, it directly impacted his fate once his life was placed in the hands of officer One Fifteen.

Khalil’s death shares similarities with another death that occurs earlier in the novel. Starr’s friend Natasha, who also hailed from Garden Heights, was killed after being caught in the crossfires of a gang gun fight. Her death was also a result of circumstance; her simply being a resident of the neighbourhood was enough to put her life in danger, as her death was a result of her location. Khalil and Natasha are foils for Starr’s white friends from Williamson Prep; during the aftermath of Khalil’s murder, Starr finds it hard to relate to her friends at school, as she is able to see the ways which her life differs from theirs due to her race, as well as her love and responsibility for her community. When she begins to fight on behalf of Khalil, it becomes apparent that her white friends are unable to relate to her plight, as they have never experienced a loss due to prejudiced police violence, nor are their lives ever at risk due to the colour of their skin.

In many ways, Angie Thomas’ use of contrasting elements within her novel The Hate You Give provide an efficient way for readers to identify the disparities between black and white characters in the book. While Starr is mourning the loss of a friend, she also takes her fathers advice and becomes an outspoken advocate for Khalil, as well as for the black community. Starr’s struggles with her identity as a black woman is heightened by Thomas’ inclusion of foils, as seen through the contrast between her role within the communities of Garden Heights and Williamson Prep, as well as between the characters that inhabit these environments. Overall, Thomas is able to draw attention to the stark contrast between the treatment of black and white Americans within a society that has been built upon a foundation of systemic racism and binary opposition through her writing.

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