#joy expanding human awareness

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

William C. Schutz - Joy - Grove Press, Evergreen Black Cat Edition - 1969

[vesora]

there is no past

ive been avoiding making posts because all the info u need is already posted but i saw making this post in a 'dream' so might as well

so what exactly is the past? it is an event or experience that precedes the present time.

however if you have been in the loa community for long you may have realised that the only time that exists is now. i had mentioned this briefly in a previous post but i will expand.

the past and the future are concepts made up of thought and false identification. there is essentially no proof of your past existing except from in your mind. therefore how can we be extremely sure that the past actually exists and it's not something we made up?

there is no difference between an 'imagined' past and a past you think you experienced. they both exist in the mind. it is your false identification with an illusory past that makes you believe that what you see in the '3D' is real, when in fact if you choose your 'past' to be different, the '3D' will 'change' accordingly. this is why neville introduced the topic of revision. everything in this world is malleable. the only reason you see the world as solid is because you assume it's solid. if you believed it was liquid, then it would be liquid. there are no objective facts in this world, only what YOU as the creator deems to be true.

isn't this incredibly liberating? nothing from your past holds you back, because it doesn't exist except in your mind! and guess what? YOU are in control of your mind so you can have your desired past where you experience the things you want to and which reflect on the present day.

every moment is a moment you can start afresh. every new moment is a moment you are liberated from your subconscious habits. destroy what you do not want to experience and let it be destroyed. do not come back to it, it does not exist. maybe your ego wants you to revisit it and you become trapped in the clutches of your own mind and your reality becomes a prison, but how silly is that for a God? when you wish to paint, you gather acrylics or watercolours and buy some brushes but without the action of you painting, the canvas remains empty. it remains as it was before because you did not decide to paint. you just stared at the canvas just wishing, hoping, it would change. there is no such thing as 'inspired' action or any of that law of attraction BS. what i am talking about is the act of DECIDING and ACCEPTING that YOU are the painter and the world is your canvas.

don't fall into the trap of just reading posts and understanding it intellectually, apply it. there is literally nothing holding you back, NOTHING. the human body cannot manifest but YOU can. the habits, memories, and thoughts of the mind are illusory. YOU have the power to choose what you want to experience by consciously identifying yourself as the person you wish to be and identify yourself as the life you wish to live. there is no duality, you ARE it now.

although we have said it countless times, leave the world alone. it only listens to your command. it does not exist without you being aware of it, so why not choose to be aware of something you desire? why not choose to be aware of a different past?

there is nothing to do except realise that the human body-mind is illusory. it cannot hold you back. it cannot MAKE you experience something you, as the creator, do not want to.

be free! you are in control. there is nothing outside of you. all is happening within you. you have an abundance of joy and resources within you, access it. live a life you deserve. take life easy. have fun with the human experience. be your own anchor and be grounded in your own power as god.

[grimoirey]

✨ Tarot Numerology ✨

ONE

The Leader

Numerology Meaning:

The number 1 is about initiation, originality, and stepping out into the world with purpose. As the first step out of infinite potential (zero), 1 stands alone, symbolizing individual identity, willpower, and the courage to create. Historically, 1 is the mark of primal force—the singular essence from which everything flows. In numerology, it’s the energetic core of independence, ambition, and the spark to innovate.

Tarot Perspective:

In the Tarot’s pip cards, the Aces of each suit carry this singular, potent energy. They represent pure forms of the suit’s element—raw potential that holds all possibilities within it, waiting to be expressed. Just as 1 represents an unshaped force, each Ace is a pure idea, whether in action (Wands), emotions (Cups), intellect (Swords), or physicality (Pentacles). These Aces invite us to seize opportunities with confidence and be bold in our pursuits.

TWO

The Diplomat

Numerology Meaning:

The number 2 brings balance, harmony, and relational awareness. It’s about duality—the first reflection, the dance between two forces, and the desire for unity and partnership. Historically, 2 has symbolized the divine feminine, yin energy, and the space of receptivity. It’s a number of gentle strength, peacekeeping, and the intuitive drive to connect.

Tarot Perspective:

In the pip cards, the Twos depict the ways we connect, reflect, and balance in each element. Whether it’s a decision (Swords), a new partnership or harmony in emotions (Cups), steady progress in material pursuits (Pentacles), or a balancing act in action (Wands), the Twos reveal how we respond to relationships and decisions. Like the number 2, these cards emphasize the quiet strength in collaboration and the subtle wisdom of patience and timing.

THREE

The Creator

Numerology Meaning:

The number 3 is a dynamic, expressive force of creativity and expansion. It’s the fusion of the initial two energies (1 and 2) into a creative whole, representing communication, growth, and joyful expression. Historically, 3 is connected to the principles of birth and development, a number that thrives in social and creative environments, promoting joy and fertility.

Tarot Perspective:

The Threes in the pip cards embody this energy of creation and growth. In Wands, it’s the first steps toward actualizing dreams; in Cups, it’s celebration and community; in Swords, it’s the understanding gained through pain or loss; in Pentacles, it’s teamwork and craftsmanship. Each suit shows how 3 encourages us to move beyond ourselves, combining effort with passion to shape something new.

FOUR

The Foundation

Numerology Meaning:

4 represents stability, structure, and reliability. In numerology, it’s associated with the four elements, directions, and seasons—grounding forces that bring order to life. 4 is practical, focused, and foundational, favoring systems, organization, and discipline.

Tarot Perspective:

The Fours in the pip cards manifest as the foundational aspects of each suit. In Wands, it’s the grounding of achievements; in Cups, it’s emotional stability or contemplation; in Swords, it’s rest and mental recovery; in Pentacles, it’s financial stability or holding on to resources. These cards show how 4’s stability brings a solid base to each element, though it sometimes carries a sense of inertia, requiring a conscious effort to move forward.

FIVE

The Adventurer

Numerology Meaning:

5 is the number of freedom, movement, and change. It introduces the unpredictable, challenging us to adapt and expand our horizons. Historically, 5 symbolizes humanity’s sensory experiences and the drive to explore. It thrives on energy, pushing limits, and living in a space of constant discovery and sometimes disruption.

Tarot Perspective:

The Fives in the pip cards embody this restless and sometimes chaotic energy. They represent conflict (Wands), emotional hardship (Cups), mental challenges (Swords), and financial strain or material lack (Pentacles). Each Five brings tension or discomfort, urging us to confront, question, and adapt. In this way, they reflect 5’s adventurous yet unpredictable spirit, which, while challenging, drives growth and resilience.

SIX

The Nurturer

Numerology Meaning:

6 is harmony, nurturing, and responsibility. It reflects compassion, community, and a balanced home life, often associated with service and love. Historically, 6 has been seen as the number of perfection and balance, promoting healing and relationships.

Tarot Perspective:

The Sixes in the pip cards capture themes of restoration and connection. Wands shows victory and public recognition, Cups delves into nostalgia and shared memories, Swords highlights journeys and transitions, and Pentacles reveals generosity and material support. These cards express 6’s nurturing energy, reminding us to cultivate harmony, support others, and seek peace within and around us.

SEVEN

The Seeker

Numerology Meaning:

7 is introspective, spiritual, and analytical. It represents the quest for deeper understanding and the mysteries of life. Historically revered as a sacred number, 7 embodies wisdom, inner strength, and a desire to understand the hidden truths.

Tarot Perspective:

In the pip cards, the Sevens show moments of introspection and the need to go beyond the surface. The Wands reflect perseverance despite challenges; the Cups present illusions and choices; the Swords show cunning or strategic thinking; the Pentacles emphasize patience and evaluation. Each suit’s Seven prompts us to dig deeper, calling for self-reflection, and urging us to align with our own truth.

EIGHT

The Achiever

Numerology Meaning:

8 is the number of material mastery, strength, and accomplishment. It’s associated with abundance, power, and the balancing of spiritual and material realms. Historically, 8 reflects infinity and the natural cycles of life, emphasizing responsibility and resilience.

Tarot Perspective:

The Eights in the pip cards reveal how each element achieves mastery and balance. In Wands, it’s momentum and fast-moving energy; in Cups, it’s emotional resilience and the courage to leave behind what doesn’t serve; in Swords, it’s mental entrapment that requires strength to overcome; in Pentacles, it’s diligent, focused work. These cards embody 8’s ambitious and disciplined energy, showing how mastery demands persistence and often involves sacrifice.

NINE

The Humanitarian

Numerology Meaning:

9 represents universal love, wisdom, and completion. It carries a sense of fulfillment, reflection, and the giving back of one’s learned insights to others. Historically, 9 has been seen as the number of the elder and the humanitarian, encouraging selflessness and empathy.

Tarot Perspective:

In the pip cards, the Nines reflect both the challenges and fulfillment of completion. Wands depict resilience despite near exhaustion; Cups offer emotional satisfaction and wishes fulfilled; Swords show anxiety and worry; Pentacles celebrate material success and independence. The Nines hold 9’s humanitarian spirit, reminding us to connect deeply with our experiences, learning and growing as we prepare to move forward.

TEN

The Whole

Numerology Meaning:

10 is a number of fulfillment, closure, and the start of a new cycle. It represents both the ending and beginning, incorporating the dynamism of 1 with the boundless nature of 0. Historically, 10 has been the number of the “great wheel,” symbolizing the completion of journeys.

Tarot Perspective:

In the pip cards, the Tens express the culmination of each suit’s journey. The Wands bring the weight of success and responsibility; Cups bring emotional fulfillment within family or community; Swords depict the finality of mental strain; Pentacles reflect the legacy of material wealth and stability. Each card carries the essence of 10 as a cycle that has reached fullness, preparing for a new phase with both the wisdom and challenges of what came before.

[becoming--nobody]

7.8.2024

We fight to justify our way of understanding this life.

Truth quietly listens to our silly ideas, but longs for us to let go and recognize our lack of understanding Reality.

We are not human beings, and this is likely the biggest obstacle between us and our natural connection to Eternity.

Even when each of us begins to grasp that we "have" a spirit, we insist that this body is our identity, contains our spirit, and we are having a human experience.

This is sufficient misunderstanding to keep us disconnected from the joy of living in our natural state.

This body is a vehicle, an animation to be of service to our conscious awareness. It is not our identity or in any way associated with who each of us is. In fact, it does not "contain" our spirit even; our eternal energy flows in, around, and through this physical body. 

Additionally, the more consciously aware we become, the more we are able to experience everything, everywhere. 

We make this body an anchor by attaching our identity to it.

There is a remedy for this. It is the same remedy used to regain control of our mind.

Breathe.

Yes, this is the medicine.

Breathe.

Pay attention to breathing. 

Feel it entering the nostrils.

Feel it going down the throat.

Relax the shoulders and belly.

Slow each breath slightly.

Let the belly expand first.

Then feel the lungs filling.

Hold it for a few seconds.

Exhale slowly too.

Feel the shoulders drop again.

Notice the chest flatten slightly. 

Pull the belly in to completely empty the bottom of the lungs.

Hold it for a few seconds.

Then repeat.

That's all that is needed to begin learning who and what we are.

Thoughts and distractions will come up.

Let them.

Whether an hour or a day passes in distraction, or a few seconds, it's all ok.

When you realize you are not paying attention to the breath, simply smile, and begin paying attention again.

We are closer to breath than the body, in regards to our true identity.

We have taken on the weight of this physical world for too long, and we are collapsing under this weight.

Eternity is the power sustaining everything.

Eternity is our nature.

There is no language or words that are able to describe our true identity.

This is why there are so many religions, teachings, and beliefs about the nature of existence and the purpose of life.

None of this is necessary.

Look for our true identity. 

This will answer every question ever asked.

Breathe.

With love,

nobody

[dilfsonic]

Okay so, unpopular take that applies specifically to my Service Animal AU: Shadow and Maria are not siblings/“sibling coded.”

If you’ve read the notes on the original lore post describing them, you probably already know what I mean. While they can and will have moments of inspired ‘sibling’ like love for each other, that’s simply too disingenuous a way to describe them. They’re so much more. They’re each other’s only friend, they’re charge and ward, they can mimic the attitudes of siblings but never fully understand them, they have no romantic interests (until sonic shows up) and so mimic certain attitudes in that way with each other as well. But all of these are mere approximations and mimicry without fully encompassing any of those relationships. Shadow’s “affections” can be easily misconstrued for holding more weight than they actually are intended, as gestures such as hand holding/cuddling/purring are all utilitarian expressions meant to ease Maria’s physical discomfort or anxiety in accordance to his job as her service animal. Nothing more, nothing less. Maria knows this, but others can and do easily make their own assumptions.

I’ve been a little nervous to express this interpretation as I feel it can be really easily misunderstood, and I don’t want to give people the idea that even the immensely “”romantic”” or affectionate gestures or affiliations applied to them are actually meant to be shippy. Their love is an all encompassing one, and to call it sibling-like or romantic are both incorrect, as they’re neither. Ultimately applying any real world label to this au will be incorrect and a little too extreme in either direction; the closest possible relationship that may most accurately describe them is that between a service dog and their owner, if such a service dog was as intellectually capable of their human.

They’re what you get when you’re the only two people in your whole world. They’re what you get when you pair together someone who’s indebted to the other for their existence, which goes both ways. And by normal relationship standards, I would disagree to consider it a ‘healthy’ dynamic, but it also cannot be judged by the milestones of what a normal and healthy dynamic even looks like.

Shadow is nothing without her (in his own mind), and this lends itself to an inability to conceptualize a ‘self’ to even express. Maria hates how Shadow views himself — a tool, a trained dog, a guard, a companion of necessity — but she also can’t avoid using him accordingly. That means having no choice but to treat him not as a person, but as her crutch. Shadow is little aware of her internal struggle with the dehumanization of him because they communicate this almost never. Nor does he mind being dehumanized, he has never been a ‘person’ since the day he was created anyway.

Maria would love nothing more than to call Shadow a little brother, her best friend, someone who she could’ve had take her to prom because nobody at her school wanted to indulge the sickly child, nor did anyone even know her well enough considering she spent most of her time out of school than in it. She’d love to call Shadow these normal things, but she can’t. Not yet at least. Sonic will slowly change them and the way they can view friendship and the world and what it means to belong to each other, but it’s hard work on Shadow and Maria’s part.

They are something that can’t be easily defined, because it’s complex, and messy, and while there are bright moments of wonder and joy, is also overwhelmingly dark in its implications, and they can feel utterly alone even when standing right next to each other. Shadow owes Maria everything, and Maria owes Shadow everything, but each underestimates the full gravity of how their own existence touches and expands the other. They consider themselves worthless compared to the other, and that’s what gets in the way of them truly being able to open their hearts to each other. The way Sonic later teaches them HOW to open their hearts.

So yeah. I hope this concept of blurring the lines doesn’t scare too many folks, but this is based on my personal interpretation of how I feel a continued existence between them in canon or a canon adjacent world might have been like. I know it’s easy and delightful to see em like wholesome siblings — which is also an interpretation I wholeheartedly endorse and adore, particularly the way my bud @ratrrriot draws them (please go follow them if you don’t already, their shadow and maria artwork is to die for!) — but this is just a slightly different and admittedly darker take on them that I hope won’t ruffle too many feathers. Sibling coded relationships between characters are so wonderful, but in this case doesn’t feel satisfying or like it can possibly cover the scope of them for this particular au. I dislike labeling them or comparing them to another dynamic, like Sonic and Tails who are very explicitly brotherly with one another.

I may make a separate post on Sonic’s impact in this world and how he touches the lives of Shadow and Maria, Helen (when she comes along), and this world’s version of Robotnik (Julian) if people are interested in that. I take a lot of inspiration from his characterization in the Adventure games and Sonic X for this AU, as he’s most closely canon-aligned compared to Shadow and Maria who are a little different; though I’m gonna try my best to fit their “canon” personalities into a completely different scenario. Such as, Shadow lacks the innate hatred he has for mankind as he never loses Maria, but he will retain the “my body is a tool” mentality and the general uncaring of others opinions of him, etc.

[blood-orange-juice]

About Childe and his weird gender again, expanding on this post.

I think it has a lot to do with how gender is constructed. Male gender has very clear-cut prescriptions, mostly it's everything that is considered "good" or "human" in current culture. The expectations it places on a person may not be realistic or achievable but they are very clear. Great importance is also placed on separating itself from Everything Female. Things That Are Too Much. Things that break the current culture meaning-making procedures.

Women, while having quite a few prescriptions of their own, also deal with whatever falls through the cracks. Someone needs to ensure the world still functions and reality is never completely covered by whatever official model of the world we currently have.

So women deal with the things men have the luxury not to notice. Mostly bodily and psychological aspects and societal injustice that are not supposed to exist in the ideal picture of society men have imagined. (to be fair, it happens to anyone oppressed and othered. the task of not letting the oppressors meet with reality is delegated to them. I'm just talking about women specifically in this post. but there's a reason oppressed minorities always have ties to supernatural in folklore)

In a way, feminine women are very scary. Walking semiotic horrors.

And I explain all this to say that Childe can be perceived as feminine in two ways.

First, with his disregard for all and any societal norms he just doesn't follow the normal gender prescriptions. He plays a superhero/knight role because it's shiny and it reminds him of the stories he loved as a kid. He doesn't suppress his love for his family because it brings him joy. He looks pretty because looks are a weapon too. He does all these things that would be either stereotypically masculine or painfully unmasculine for anyone else who cares about what society thinks, but he doesn't really see any difference between them. He truly, genuinely doesn't care what others think.

Second, he's also painfully aware of the dark and insane parts of the universe everyone else has the luxury to ignore. He also knows no one cares so he dances around the things a normal guy would never have to deal with (it's such a stereotypical female experience. sometimes I wonder if that's why women rarely like Lovecraft. it's not scary or exciting to them, it's just Tuesday).

But that's just our perception, a trick of light. These are not necessarily gendered.

He also gives an impression of someone extremely vulnerable, yes, but I don't think he handles his vulnerability in a feminine way. He just doesn't hide it and we are used to labeling everything vulnerable as feminine.

He also doesn't really do anything feminine-labeled in a characteristic female way. He isn't really in contact with his emotions (despite having a lot of them), him caring about people takes the form of "protector and provider". his cooking... have you seen his cooking? He doesn't look for support and doesn't try to build things that last. He doesn't accept his vulnerability. If anything, he's trying to pretend he has no vulnerabilities and maybe no psyche at all. He's self-sacrificing in a very male way too. Because he was there and because he could and because it's a cool thing to do.

So he's just that. Himself. Someone outside of gender.

(or rather his gender is knightcore)

If we perceive him as feminine it says more about how our culture perceives gender than about who Childe is.

Also, quoting my previous post, it's a part of him being full of contradictions. For every thing that he does he also does the exact opposite, and this holds for gender too.

Yes he lives the male power fantasy. He also does it in an incredibly feminine way. I think this was Hoyo's original intention and then it blossomed into this human disaster we see.

And to end up on a joke, surely you all have seen that leaked art that is theorised to be Skirk but could have also been an early design of Childe before Hoyo decided to make him a guy.

[prinxlegolass]

Smut War Fic: Exit Wound

Well, this wasn't a war I was going to sit out. Please enjoy my 6th fic. First attempt at smut, but as you have already seen from my TrAuMa meme, it also has a lot of angst in it. I hope you enjoy it x

Rating: Explicit

CW/TW:

These are expanded upon further in the summary if you'd like to also read that for context, but take care of yourself :)

- Demon in Snake Form / Goddess in Human Form Sexual Encounter. Both are aware of what the other is, and both can consent

- Slight dubcon due to magic, feeling highly connected to someone and a sense of not being in control as a result, more so due to an inherent primal instrinct. All beings are acting on free will and are able to consent for the smut bits

- In the epilogue, a character describes a murder he witnesses without gory detail (the victim is not Aziraphale or Crowley). The nature of the murder is patriarchal and of spiritual colonisation in nature, but there is no sexual assault / motive. The fic can be read without the epilogue if you're curious but want to skip this subject.

-Angst ending

- Snake bite, snake sex and descriptions that could trigger claustrophobia

Summary

Hell sends Crowley to 5th Century Ireland, much to his chagrin, to investigate a mysterious source of power. Uphill from a deep rainforest he finds an ancient structure with something far more ancient and far more powerful than any blessing or curse he’d seen before.

This is a story of love, of loss, coming home, and everything that never was. Join me for a re-telling of an Irish Celtic Myth that has been sanitised and long-forgotten. Taking place in one hundred years into Early Christian Ireland, it weaves themes of spiritual colonisation with the ineffability of a great plan and the parts of us that are never truly lost.

But this is a smut war - and you can expect a sexy divine being, human sex and snake sex; not just hemi-penes, but hemi-clitorae! Sex magic rituals being used as a sensual tool for transformation and rebirth; and plenty of vulva pleasure and gratification.

There are three (because it’s a magic number) sexual configurations - demon in snake form / Goddess in human form, Snake / Snake, Human / Human. That culminates in a healing and surrendering love.

The epilogue features angst with an unhappy ending. As you can imagine, the resistance to Christianity did not end well for the Irish Pagans. In the epilogue, one character describes witnessing the murder (no sexual assault) of another. But the story stands well enough on its own without the epilogue if you want to skip this part.

5,014 word count

Excerpt:

“I’ve been waiting for you, Crowley.”

“Who are you?” Crowley hissed. His aggressive exterior betraying the powerlessness he felt to draw nearer.

“I am many things, Crowley. I am one of many mothers; both death and rebirth. I am the inhale and the exhale; the dawn that rises after the cold, hard winter; I bring joy and I am feared; and soon, none will remember…”

Crowley inched forward, concertina twinings marking the dirt, barely sensing the heat of the fire in the woman’s lure.

“Your name!” He growled insistently.

“You already know it, Crowley. Look deep inside you, my beloved serpent,” was her soft response with kind eyes. Crowley flicked his tongue at the fingers of her extended palm. The woman’s skin was steeped in the essence of her words; the taste of finely plucked sycamore seeds carried lovingly by the wind to pre-destined soils. Tears doomed never to fall filled Crowley’s heart as the thread that connected him to this woman tugged him closer on her arm; the most he had ever touched or been touched by a human in his snake-form. Only she wasn’t human, was she? A foreign name Crowley had always known moved from the back of his mouth to dance on his tongue.

“Caoira…”

Green eyes smiled through tears at the demon’s whisper.

“Yes my dear. It’s me. I’m so glad you’re here.”

Crowley’s thought-form longed to ask questions. About knowledge, that began before words; curiosity, that existed before symbols; and meaning, established before sounds. But he had already found his answer in her eyes. Another Almighty; new and much more ancient. A Goddess.

Crowley’s body took over once again, unable to resist the draw to her. Climbing her arm and shoulders, his tongue could not cease flicking, planting forked kisses on her neck. Quivering, he meandered down her shoulder, elongating his form to drape around her. Powerless over the compulsion to place his chin on every part of her body, Crowley’s tail vibrated in her lap and Caoira breathed sighs of joy in his scaled ministrations.

Fingers that had borne the very wells of the earth stroked the obsidian pearls of Crowley’s back, before coming to delicately caress the ridges of his snout and brow. Crowley flinched in the touch, haunted by memories of the fall; of centuries spent curled around the cooling magma of igneous rock. Curled around any form of connection to replace the Almighty’s as his wings burned.

 

Coos of Caoira’s attunement honeyed Crowley’s ears, and with no way of crying, sweating or spitting it out; his serpent-form became fevered with fury for what had happened to him. His body flailed in twisted, hissing reverberations in the centre of the Goddess’s crossed legs. In his uncontrolled anguish, Crowley felt his jaw unhinge and his fangs hook into Caoira's thighs, breaking her skin. Punishment for his other mother, who had placed a similar hook in his heart only to cut the cord in the end.  This time, he was never letting go.

Read more on AO3

Thank you:

Goskiagarkowska2 on pixabay for the image. A huge thank you to @sohoscribblers who have been amazing friends since I joined their group. Big thanks to @azeutreciathewicked @aidaran-alha @playdohangel and @rhosmeinir for the Betas x

[santoschristos]

Shakti & Shiva in YabYum: the divine representation of the union of energy and awareness. + Later, under the fig tree, the master explained. "AIl that has to be changed. The stallion must be turned into a mare, man into a woman.

There is no other way. You remember how full of joy the mare was, anticipating her strength even before any thing happened? And then afterward it was she who was triumphant.

This is the story of the race. Woman came from man, but once the two sexes became independent, it was inevitable that one would devour the other. That is what the universe is: someone gives and someone receives.

There is always a sacrificial victim. Many people believe that the only way to avoid this cycle is asceticism and chastity. But this never works, for in one way or another the individual is devoured.

Always the man's role is secondary. The mare devours the stallion who has impregnated her, the bee kills the drones, the primeval mother carries around her neck the primordial Lingam.

Every mother, mare, goddess and woman is a devouress, and in one form or other every male is castrated and consumed." He paused.

To change all this we must redirect the tremendous energy that you saw in the stallion. We must restore the original principle of male passivity and female activity. The world was created not by the masculine ptinciple but by the feminine. Love must learn to follow this course. Only those willing to learn how to love women in a different way, murdering them out wardly in order to permit an inner rebirth, will find the immortal city of Agharti.

"The key moment is when the semen is ejaculated. When the stallion ejaculates, he becomes impoverished. The role of the male appears to end while the female's begins. But semen is also soma and should be Conserved.

It should not spurt outward but inward.

Outwardly it can only create children of the Aesh, while inwardly it makes sons of the spirit. Outwardly it plays the mother's game; inwardly the male is impregnated and engenders the son of man.

"No sons of the flesh are born in this loveless love. There are only sons of the spirit, escaping cyclical life, who are created when the semen is driven inward, giving them eternal life."

"Semen is a visible aspect of the great power of which we are all a part. It is OM made into substance. It is the movement of the sun within your blood and of the sea of life within your body. It is also the word you use to communicate with the gods.

You must therefore preserve it if you wish to enter Agharti." The disciple said that he had seen statues of Siva and Paryati making love on the walls of the temple but he did not under stand how the semen was to be withheld.

"You must discovcr this for yourself. You must transform a natural act into a ritual, changing it into something supernatural. Ordinary sexual life does not create magicians or Siddhas; it merely perpetuates the human race. You will therefore have to follow a different road, also in the company of a woman so that you will both be saved. If she is not with you, something will be left unfulfilled and incomplete. You will have attained nothing.

Even at the ends of their lives, saints and ascetics con tinue to yearn for women. The technique you must follow is therefore not something you learn but something you must grow to understand. At the moment of ecstasy Siva remains motion less; he does not ejaculate his semen. She, Parvati, is the active one, for when woman does not rcceive, she gives.

From her skin the woman transmits a substance which enters the man's blood and becomes a part of him. It creates a unity within him. The seed is planted, and he enters the city of Siddhas. Pure sexuality echoes a desire to return to the ancestral home. It is a return to unity: true sex is the nostalgia of the gods.

"You are carried beyond the realm of ordinary existence. The life of a magician goes against nature: it proceeds in the opposite direction." --El/Ella ~ Book of Magic love

art: Expanding Universe by Alphachanneling

[dereliction-if]

Your story - It all started when...

Born in the city of [redacted] during one of its harshest winters, you came into the world, your mother barely surviving the challenging childbirth. Your family's position in the city was the only reason why your mother had made it, receiving the best medical treatment available - a privilege she would have been denied otherwise, a fate all too normal for others of your race. The beneficial standing of your family came from your father's role as a personal advisor to the ruling Lord - an unusual responsibility for a Thao'Raq living under Human governance. With the years passing, your father's loyalty, expertise in politics, and knowledge of the country fostered a strong bond between him and the Lord, just as the one before - a bond that almost deserved the name friendship, as it was built on respect and trust. So your story begins, with a happy little family in a less happy world. As your parents' only child, you already held a special place in their heart, but little did others know that there was more to you than meets the eye - a secret only shared between your parents. One not even you were aware of at that point.

Growing up in a city that would typically despise your kind, you faced both high expectations and heavy responsibilities, some of which you might not have fully comprehended yet. Your childhood was marked by stark contrasts, a world of black and white with little room for shades of gray. Your parents, deeply loving you, endeavored to strike a delicate balance - shielding you from danger while granting you the ultimate freedom to explore, grow, and expand your mind. They knew that knowledge and openness were essential for your mental and emotional growth. Thus, you found yourself in situations that other children your age had never faced, even if they were Human. Your father would take you with him whenever possible, introducing you to the world he navigated, visiting the Lord's court, attending diplomatic events. He tried filling your nights with enchanting bedtime stories, igniting your imagination and curiosity, whilst teaching you about the history of the world. Meanwhile, during the day, your mother playfully helped you develop your first understanding of nature and life, explaining to you the purpose of the plants she cultivated in her garden behind your house. Hidden from prying eyes, she secretely started teaching you how to spar, even when you could barely hold your wooden sword in your tiny hands. In the safety of your privileged life, you embraced the joys of discovery and learning, fully aware of the love and support that surrounded you. Little did you know that the peaceful facade of your life would soon be tested, as destiny had other plans for you.

Before the path spreads before you, you‘ll be able to decide these things…

Show the first facette of your soul:

- Are you obedient? A dreamer? A stubborn one? Or something else?

What kind of impression do you make on others?

- do you make friends, your first enemies or go unnoticed?

Where do your interests lie?

- physical hobbies, the beauty of nature, the fascination over people around you, are you seeking knowledge or is it something else?

But there‘s more…

+ your personailty will not be set in stone and you can change your ways, but people will remember your actions.

+ physical „souvenirs“ you collected in your childhood might influence the story.

+ there’s risk of developing phobias.

+ you will encounter animals, of which some will have an unusual interest in you.

+ who are you?

[priestess-of-yuri]

what messages do your guides have for you right now?

a timeless pick a pile reading.

remember this is a general reading so take what resonates and leave what doesn't!

if you've been feeling a bit disconnected from spirit lately, or are simply looking for a sign, this reading could be for you! take a moment to meditate on the image collage and then pick from upper left (pile 1), upper right (pile 2), lower left (pile 3) and lower right (pile 4). you may of course choose multiple readings if they resonate. good luck!

if you find this pick a pile helpful or enjoyable, please consider reblogging and/or tipping! it helps out a lot. and follow for more like this if you like! thank you so much. now, on with the reading!

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pile 1.

pile 1, your guides have the following messages for you. with Wild Rose Fairy for love, you are reminded that love is all around you, that with all your experiences, you are on the path to divinity to learn we are all love. in matters of romance, you are reminded that healing is occuring. healing has occured, is occurring and will occur. as you inhale the heady scent of the rose, your heart expands wider and deeper and you let go of fear. love is the opposite of fear; remember when fear dissolves, you allow love to expand. with Spirit Guardian of Winter for retreat, you are being asked to retreat from situations and people that do not serve you. winter is a time for relaxation, recuperating and rest. it's a time of restoring your energy, incubating dreams and simply existing. you deserve to have time to yourself and take care of yourself, pile 1. with Forest Temple for enlightenment, you are being asked to immerse yourself in this sacred space. as a beating drum reverberates through your chest and the air shifts around you, you are being asked to retreat and meditate, to view situations from all points of view. allow the energy of the Universe to flow through you. right now your awareness is expanding, your perception deepening. connect with the divine and explore. with Spirit Guardian of Spring for activation, you are being asked to take action. if you are afraid, that's okay. fear is human. many people are afraid and do things anyway, and you can do it too. believe in yourself and embrace the unknown. if you face chaos or turmoil during this time, remember that's part of this period of activation. meet this with swift decision making skills and confidence, and keep yourself on a forward trajectory. you have the stuff to do it. spring is a time of celebration of youth, love, renewal and much more. so celebrate! with Butterfly Spirit for transformation, now is the beginning, middle or end of a new cycle. you are becoming something different to what you were before. you are growing, learning, changing. when a butterfly forms, it must first go from a caterpillar to a chrysalis to a fully formed creature. this is the process you are undergoing -- a complete rebirth. overall your guides are telling you that you are loved, you need to take care of yourself, you need to revisit the divine, you need to be brave despite fear, and that you're on a journey of transformation. congratulations, pile 1, this is a heavy yet beautiful time for you.

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pile 2.

pile 2, these are your messages from spirit. with Pegasus for transcending, you are on a sacred spiritual journey. leap high into the skies on the pegasus' back, and view the situation from a higher perspective. let go of the drama and emotional manipulation of others, and listen to what your instincts tell you. with Bluebird Spirit for happiness, you are reminded to experience joy! that is all that is required of you as a soul. live life to the full, and be yourself exactly as you are. express yourself, and sing your own song, just like the bluebird. with Dragon for power, you are reminded to reclaim your power if you have had it stolen from you or given it to someone else. you have it in you now to take it back. with the dragon by your side, your have a powerful ally. a strong, compassionate, kind ally. and you can be that ally to yourself. with Wood Nymph for beauty, you are asked to embrace beauty in the little things. set a vase of flowers up in your home, take a bubble bath. look for beauty everywhere, and it will make a difference in your energy field. you will slowly start to see grace everywhere, and exude grace yourself. with Spirit Guardian of Winter, you are being asked to retreat from all the people and situations which do not serve your higher good. it can be difficult to let go of things which you are attached to, but if they feel dull and murky, they may not be right for you. seek to distance yourself or establish boundaries if you can. retreat and replenish your resources just as this season represents. incubate your dreams. take care of yourself. you deserve it in every single way. with Enchanted Fern Grotto for refuge, you are reminded to seek out a sacred place of healing. fern grottos are said to perhaps be the home of elves and fairies, and now, you are being asked to seek out a place within just the same that will allow you to be yourself and relax. you need it, pile 2. overall your reading is letting you know you're on a great spiritual journey, that you are welcome to embrace happiness, that you need to reclaim your power, that you are beautiful, and that you need to take care of yourself. good luck out there!

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pile 3.

pile 3, these messages are from your guides. with Enchanted Fern Grotto for refuge, you are asked to go within. seek out a sacred place of relaxation where you can be yourself, a place where elves and fairies may reside. you are asked to tend to yourself, to reflect and think. now is not the time to take action, it is a time of gentle recovery and healing. with Toadstools for growth, you are asked to take into consideration the way toadstools grow. one second there's seemingly nothing on the ground, and then the next there's toadstools everywhere. though this may come as a surprise, things have been incubating for a long time. your growth is much the same. right now, you are in a period of growth. with Unicorn for purity, you are asked to step into the awe, wonder and innocence of a child. unicorns are pure creatures and they can bring the seemingly-impossible into reality. this unicorn is here to show you the way. you are a pure and good being, and you will go far. with Phoenix for transmutation, you are going from one state of being to another, transmuting from one element to another. just as a phoenix rises from the ashes, you are being reborn. you can and will take to the skies with spirit, freedom and renewed energy. with Water Spirit for manifesting dreams, you are asked to remember your emotions. if you believe as if you are already highly successful, more success will come pouring into your life. allow your emotions to flow freely like a forest stream, and your dreams will manifest. believe you deserve it, because you do. with Starry Night for acceptance, you are asked to accept all you are in your entirety. this is the key to finding peace. you don't need to accept all the deeds done on earth, because some things are just wrong. but you can accept yourself. you can accept all iterations of yourself in order to blossom, because who you are is human, beautiful and real. overall, pile 3, you are asked to seek refuge, to remember your current growth, to embrace your inner purity, to rise from the ashes, to let your emotions flow and to accept. you've got this.

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pile 4.

pile 4, here we go. with Stag Spirit for leadership, you are asked to step up in your life. be a leader for those around you. you may also soon be asked to be in some kind of leadership role. the white stag embodies a certain kind of strength, charisma and elegance. you too are asked to embody these characteristics further, and develop your leadership skills. with Dragonfly Spirit for change, you are asked to switch things up! dragonflies fly around in all directions, even backwards. they are always changing direction. don't be afraid to change things up, because that's how even adults practice youthfulness. with Wood Nymph for beauty, you are asked to embrace beauty in all things. put out flowers in a vase, take a bubble bath, do your hair differently. it will make all the difference. your way of seeing beauty in the world around you will enable you to see further grace, and allow you to exude grace. with Wizard of the Woods for focus, you are asked to focus on one thing, and wait for the miracles to unfold. now is not the time to scatter your focus. if you truly desire something, focus on that something -- not on what you don't want. that's how you may draw in more of that something with the wizard's help. with Air Spirit for knowledge, you are asked to think things through before taking action. weigh the pros and cons. air symbolises thought, friendship and wisdom. look within and access the deep wellspring of wisdom you hold within you. communicate with heart. you are capable of so much more than you know. with Guardians of the Land for protection, you are being asked to remember that you are protected by those in spirit. however, you also need to protect yourself. visualise a protective sphere around yourself and your home, and meditate on this to strengthen it. those in spirit want you to succeed, but to keep harmful influences out, you need to do some legwork too! overall, pile 4, you are asked to step into leadership, switch up directions, remember beauty, focus intently, be wise, and protect yourself. be confident, pile 4, you're doing great.

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signature art credit to @.zillychu!

[howlingday]

Pokemon Au: What if Ozpin can tell that Kyurem is near so he goes to meet him(possibly with Glynda) and ask why he's he traveled so far. Kyurem says a the true test for them(students) will come soon. And leaves with the question "Will their ideals shape fate or will the truth of absolute power tear it all down." *I think you could some more to that to make it the best*

"Professor Ozpin," Doctor Oobleck entered the office, Antiquity's Roast perched on his shoulder, "if I could have a moment of your time?"

"Of course, Doctor Oobleck." The headmaster looked up from his desk, his faithful Espeon nestled in his lap. "Is there a problem?"

"I don't believe so, no. However, it is something I feel I cannot overlook."

"Very well." Nodded the headmaster, urging his friend to continue.

"It is in regards to Mr. Arc." Ozpin wouldn't say it, but a part of him wanted to reply 'Of course it is'. "I have reason to believe that he may be connected to an old legend about the Unova region."

"What makes you believe this?"

"Are you familiar with the Swords of Justice legend?" Ozpin nodded. "The tale is more commonly known in Remnant as a tale of three Pokémon acting in the defense of humanity against tyranny. However, Mr. Arc seems aware of the tale in a different manner, with four Pokémon instead."

"I know you wouldn't bring this to my attention without further evidence. You never have."

"Of course, sir, and I don't intend to break that habit now. The legend mentions a youth, often a young man, wielding a sword and shield at his side as he does battle with the tyrants of Unova."

"And you believe Mr. Arc, who is the trainer to an Aegislash, is this same youth?"

"One and the same. It is said to be a trainer with a special connection with their Pokémon, well beyond the level noted among even those who truly cherish their companions."

"Mm." Ozpin nodded, stroking the ear of The Longest Memory. "And what do you intend to do with this information?"

"With your permission, sir, I would like to explore this story to its completion. It is not the first time we have heard stories breaking through the binds of pages to enter reality. Legendary Pokémon truly exist across the world, and this young man could be the key to understanding them all! I would like to travel with Mr. Arc and expand both his experience and his skill so that he may reach his full potential."

"Then I'm afraid I must decline, Doctor Oobleck." At this, his Espeon leapt from his lap. "We cannot show favoritism to our students, nor can we grant them special permission to miss out on their education at our academy. Not to mention that Mr. Arc likely wouldn't find this as interesting as the tournament he and the other students intend to participate in."

"Of... Of course, sir. Forgive me for my enthusiasm."

"It's quite alright, Bartholomew. I know your eagerness comes from a place of joy for learning. Just be careful your haste doesn't lead to the waste of another students chance to learn as well." He leaned forward. "Perhaps, after the tournament, you could ask the winners if they too would like to go on this adventure?"

"I will keep that in mind, sir. Thank you." He then left, allowing the headmaster to return to his thoughts.

'Mr. Arc faces a great deal already. Would it be so wrong for the universe to focus on another soul? One not burdened by such foolishness as destiny and fate?'

[talonabraxas]

Samādhi - Supreme Consciousness

Samādhi is the highest state of consciousness that a human can reach in life. It is the goal of our spiritual journey on earth.

Samādhi is the blissful return to our Divine origin. When the thousand-petalled Lotus of the Sahasrāra Chakra opens and the Jīvātmā dissolves within it, the goal of its long, experience-rich journey is reached, and its lifelong thirst for the “nectar of immortality” (Amrita) is quenched. AMARA TATTVA (or ĀDI TATTVA) is the element of the Sahasrāra Chakra that transforms our consciousness immediately into SAT CHIT ĀNANDA, the eternally true existence and eternally blissful consciousness, when we come into contact with it.

How can one describe the consciousness of Samādhi?

There is no longer any individuality. Consciousness and self-awareness continue to exist, but not in the previous duality of “that is mine” and “that is yours”. The person lives on, but from now on the inner Self remains with the Supreme Self. This means the end of all problems and pain, the end of suffering, of rebirth and death. The liberated one lives on the earth in eternal happiness and joy, and when the body is renounced the consciousness dissolves completely in the Divine Self.

As mentioned before, there are several levels of consciousness – deep sleep, dream consciousness, waking consciousness, supreme consciousness and cosmic consciousness.

At the lower end of the scale in deep sleep, we experience a state of mental unconsciousness. The mind is free from restlessness and worries and we enjoy a deep, unspoilt rest and relaxation. But when we awaken everything is as before. The thoughts and worries return, our situation and ourselves have not changed in the least.

On the second last rung of the ladder of consciousness we enter into the highest level of consciousness – Samādhi. Outwardly one is unable to determine whether someone is in Samādhi. An observer could think that the person was in meditation, asleep or even unconscious. As in sleep, physical sensations such as heat, cold, hunger, thirst, etc., are strongly diminished in Samādhi. The state of Samādhi, however, is in no way detrimental to the body. The Ātmā is at all times connected to the body, and is a witness to everything that occurs. Therefore, at any time one can return to “normal consciousness” just as one instantly awakens from a dream if touched or spoken to.

Superficially there may be little difference to sleep, but inwardly this is definitely not the case. We return from Samādhi consciousness fundamentally transformed. This means that even a completely uneducated and narrow-minded person returns as a scholar and sage when immersed in the infinite, divine consciousness of the highest level of Samādhi.

But even in Samādhi we are not completely one with the Cosmos. The final level of consciousness, Cosmic consciousness, can only be realised after death. Cosmic consciousness means to be one with the entire Universe, with every atom, and this is not possible on the physical level. As soon as the Supreme Consciousness begins to expand towards Cosmic Consciousness the earthly existence draws to a close. The body is “taken off” like an old article of clothing, whether through illness or peacefully passing away.

In his Yoga Sutras Patanjali describes three techniques, the practice and mastery of which will lead us to this Supreme state of consciousness – DHĀRANĀ, DHYĀNA and SAMĀDHI.

DHĀRANĀ means concentration. In concentration we direct our consciousness towards a single object (for example, a Bīja Mantra), withdrawing it completely from all other things. For this it is crucial that we focus our attention totally on a single point .

DHYĀNA is meditation. This is the next step after concentration when the “I” begins to dissolve in the object. This is the preliminary stage to Samādhi. One cannot “learn” meditation. When body and mind are correctly attuned and have become quiet and pure the meditative state occurs by itself – just as sleep overcomes us by itself when we go to bed in the evening.

SAMĀDHI is the Supreme Consciousness in which knower, knowledge and object of knowledge unite. I would like to know. I am the knower. I would like the knowledge. With the union of these three points of view the certainty and experience of “I am that – SO HAM” occurs.

Because in reality we are that for which we are seeking!

When, with this knowledge, our Self unites with the Divine Self it is like a radiant sunrise, like the beginning of a day after a long, dark night. It is the union of the drops with the ocean, the rays with the sun. All sorrow, all fear, all types of adversities (DUHKHA) end now. These only exist while Karmas exist, and all Karmas burn in the fire of the Divine Knowledge. This is the process of MOKSHA, liberation, the goal of Yoga.

But, with this, the path of development is by no means at an end – because knowledge has no end. Rather, now begins a new phase of spiritual evolution; and, in reality, it is only now that the real Yoga journey begins. We no longer grope around in front of us like the blind, but now progress consciously along the path, with vision and without doubts or uncertainty.

The consciousness of realised ones is so clear and pure, that they are able to perceive the vibration of the Self as light and sound. This unforgettable experience changes their lives fundamentally and permanently. They no longer identify with body, mind, senses, emotions, qualities, worldly position or profession. Their inner bliss is unshakable. The chains of Karma dissolve, and all associated attachments vanish. Ātma Gyānis are fully conscious of their Divine existence as unlimited, unchanging, eternal beings. They discover the entire Universe within and also identify the Self with the Cosmos.

My body is the whole earth. My consciousness expands in all four directions. My Prāna is the energy that flows in every atom of the Universe. All elements in the Universe are my elements. I am the infinite space. My consciousness (Chidākāsha) encompasses the entire Cosmos.

This cannot be experienced by the intellect alone - only when knowledge, knower and object become one. In the realisation of the unity of SO HAM (I am that) all questions are answered and all desires fulfilled; the knower no longer exists, knowledge is no longer desired; there is no knowledge to acquire or any object to know. In the fullness of perfect existence any desires are extinguished.

To have this experience means realisation of the truth – Self-Realisation and God-Realisation. In his well-known Bhajan, CHIDĀNANDA RŪPAH, SHIVO’HAM, SHIVO’HAM, Srī Shankarāchārya praised the God-Realised, liberated consciousness:

MANO BUDDHYAHAMKĀRA CHITTĀ NA NĀHAM NA CHA SHROTRA JIHVE NA CHA GHRĀNA NETRE NA CHA VYOMA BHŪMIR NA TEJO NA VĀYUH CHIDĀNANDA RŪPAH SHIVO’HAM SHIVO’HAM

NA CHA PRĀNA SANGYO NA VAI PĀNCHA VĀYUR NAVA SAPTA DHĀTUR NA VĀ PĀNCHAKOSHAH NA VĀK PĀNI PĀDAU NA CHOPASTHA PĀYUH CHIDĀNANDA RŪPAH SHIVO’HAM SHIVO’HAM

NA ME DVESHA RĀGAU NA ME LOBHA MOHAU MADO NAIVA ME NAIVA MĀTSARYA BHĀVAH NA DHARMO NA CHĀRTHO NA KĀMO NA MOKSHAH CHIDĀNANDA RŪPAH SHIVO’HAM SHIVO’HAM

NA PUNYAM NA PĀPAM NA SAUKHYAM NA DUHKHAM NA MANTRO NA TIRTHAM NA VEDĀ NA YAGYĀH AHAM BHOJANAM NAIVA NA BHOKTĀ CHIDĀNANDA RŪPAH SHIVO’HAM SHIVO’HAM

NA ME MRITYU SHANKĀ NA ME JĀTI BHEDAH PITĀ NAIVA ME NAIVA MĀTĀ CHA JANMA NA BANDHUR NA MITRAM GURUR NAIVA SHISHYAH CHIDĀNANDA RŪPAH SHIVO’HAM SHIVO’HAM

AHAM NIRVIKALPO NIRĀKĀRA RŪPO VIBHUR VYĀPYA SARVATRA SARVENDRIYĀNĀM SADĀ ME SAMATVAM NA MUKTIR NA BANDHAH CHIDĀNANDA RŪPAH SHIVO’HAM SHIVO’HAM

I am not this mind, nor intellect, ego or consciousness, Nor the Gyāna Indriyas or the Tattvas. My form is pure consiousness and absolute bliss I am CHIDĀNANDA RŪPA SHIVA, the Supreme Self.

I am neither the five Prānas nor the seven Dhātus, Nor the five Koshas, nor this bundle of Karmas I am CHIDĀNANDA RŪPA SHIVA, the Supreme Self.

In me exists neither attachment nor duality, Neither greed nor jealousy, neither hate nor anger. I have nothing to do with the illusion of the ego, And also I am not bound by the four laws of the Purushārtha I am CHIDĀNANDA RŪPA SHIVA, the Supreme Self.

I have neither sin nor virtue, nothing to do with either happiness or sorrow, Or with Mantras, pilgrimages, the Vedas or ceremonies I am neither the food, nor the one nourished, nor the enjoyer I am CHIDĀNANDA RŪPA SHIVA, the Supreme Self.

I am the Ātmā, immortal and unborn Time, space and death have no power over me I have neither father nor mother, neither relatives nor friends No Guru and no student I am CHIDĀNANDA RŪPA SHIVA, the Supreme Self.

I am desireless and formless. I exist in all living beings I am not bound, nor require liberation My form is truth, consciousness and bliss I am CHIDĀNANDA RŪPA SHIVA, the Supreme Self.

[asma-al-husna]

The Names  Al-Qaabid, Al-Baasit— The Withholder, The Extender— are not specifically used as beautiful names in the Quran.  Al-Qaabid is the One whose wisdom decides when to withhold something or to make something scarce, either physically or spiritually. He is the One who holds all hearts in His hand.

Al-Baasit is the One Who expands and amplifies all abundance and the One whose glory and abundance fill and expand the heart!

Qaabid and Baasit are Opposites

 Qaabid comes from the root qaa-baa-daad, which refers to the attribute of withholding. It points to meanings like to lay hold of, to grasp, to make scarce, and to have absolute ownership of something (to hold in the hand). It also means to contract the heart, which causes distress, depression, and lack of joy.

Baasit comes from the root baa-seen-taa, which refers to the attribute of expanding.  It means to extend, to grant abundance, to provide amply and to widen, to make spacious. The term Baasit includes a powerful and majestic sense of infusing something with a gift that will grow and flourish in great abundance.

Linguistically, the first name refers to decrease while the second to increase; these two actions embrace all things in existence. In other words, if Allah decreases something, this means that He withholds it, and if He increases something, this means that He extends it. Therefore these two names are mentioned together.

Our Provisions

There are different fields of Qabd (withholding) and Bast (expanding). One of the meanings  of Al-Qaabid and Al-Baasit has to do with people’s provision or sustenance.

Allah says: Allah extends provision for whom He wills of His slaves, and straitens it for whom (He wills). Verily, Allah is the All-Knower of all things. [Quran, 29:62]

Regarding people’s provision, we should not say this is due to someone being intelligent or talented, because Allah ‘azza wajal  is the One Who withholds or extends provision for people.

Allah’s extension of provision is for your honour or for your trial and His withholding of your provision is for treatment or protection. Allah says: And if Allah were to enlarge provision for His slaves, they would surely rebel in the earth, but He sends down by measure as He wills. Verily, He is, in respect of His slaves, the Well-Aware, the All-Seer (of things that benefit them). [Quran, 42:27]

Constriction and Expansion of Our Hearts

Allah ‘azza wajal withholds when it is good and gives when it is good. Sometimes our chests feel tight and our imaan feels low. This constriction of our hearts can bring us back to Allah if we take the step to strive. At other times our hearts feel spiritually expanded, our imaan, is strong, and we feel joy and strength to face the world. We daily struggle with the heart, which is called qalb in Arabic, which means to change or to turn. Just like Allah is Al-Qaabid, He is Al-Baasit who can remove any constriction we feel.

Special Equipment

Allah equipped you with a special criterion: Al-Qabd, whereby you feel depressed and dispirited as soon as you commit a sinful deed, like lying to others, looking at indecent things etc.  You feel Al-Qabd only if your heart is still alive and you are sensitive.

Why does Allah grant us our mind? So that we thereby know Him! Why does He grant us our pure original human nature? So that we know our mistakes! With our mind we know our Lord; with our pure original human nature we know our mistakes by feeling unhappy and depressed. But instead of staying in that state, we should get up, seek forgiveness, and follow up our bad deeds with good ones!

As well, sometimes Allah causes us to feel qabd(constriction) so that we reflect on its causes, like a stomachache tells us we ate something bad. Why do we feel like this? Did we put our trust in others than Allah? Did you seek the pleasure of others instead of the pleasure of Allah?

How Can You Live by This Name?

1. Know that after hardship comes ease.
If you feel in a state of constriction, look forward to expansion and lightness. Understand it is from Allah ‘azza wajal.  The Story of Yusuf ‘alayhi sallam is characterized by the ups and downs; from the well, to a palace, from prison to Minister, from separation to unity. He made the best of his situation and knew the relief was coming. Have this attitude and strength and you will succeed, no matter the situation!

2. Contemplate nature.
Allah withholds the clouds from some people and provides them to others, and in some places the rain would be much heavier than in others. This means that Allah withholds rain from some and provides it to some. Allah is also the One who ‘withholds’ (conceals) daylight and then brings it back. Allah says Then We withdraw it (daylight) to Us a gradual concealed withdrawal. [Quran, 25:46] Reflect on these types of qabd and bast every time you experience them!

3. Reflect on life and death.
Allah Al-Qaabid, Al-Baasit  infuses souls into us (bast) and gives us life, and He also seizes souls and causes them to die (qabd). Allah says:  Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent— [He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed– and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving. [Quran, 67:1-2]

4. Be a source of expansion to others.
Be of those who offer relief to other people. Expand the hearts of others by reminding them of the blessings of Allah (swt) and that after hardship comes ease!

5. Do da’wah with these names!
While doing da’wah strike the balance between reassuring people of Allah’s mercy and warning them of His punishment. Because Allah is simultaneously Al-Qaabid and Al-Baasit, you as a da’ee or da’eeyah should also warn people away from disobeying Allah and encourage them to obey Him. Three things must always be dwelling together in your heart as a true believer: glorification of Allah (through contemplation on the miraculous universe), love for Allah (through contemplation of His divine favors), and fear of Him (through contemplation of His irresistible wrath and punishment).

6. Sleep in the name of Allah.
When you sleep it’s called a minor death. Allah withholds the souls of some and they will never wake up and He returns the souls of others and they do wake up. That’s why it’s very important to make your bedtime dua:  Allahumma bismika amootu wa ahyaa- O Allah in Your Name I die and live.

7. Remember the Day of Resurrection!
Allah says about another example of His power of qabd: They made no just esteem of Allah such as due to Him. And on the Day of Resurrection, the whole of the earth will be in His Grasp, and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand. Glorified is He and far Exalted is He above all that they associate as partners with Him! [Quran, 39:67)]

8. Beg Al-Qaabid, Al-Baasit to guide your heart.
A happy heart is the heart filled with imaan. The Prophet salallaahu alayhi wasallam made this dua often: Yaa muqallibal quloob, thabbit qalbee ‘alaa deenik– (O Turner of the Hearts, keep my heart firm on Your Religion).

Wallahu ta’alaa ‘alem.

O Allah, Al-Qaabid, Al-Baasit, lead us by Your withholding and expanding  to whatever is best for us in this life and the next. Guide our hearts and grant us strong faith to believe that after hardship comes ease. Make us contemplate your perfect power by reflecting on nature and by remembering our life, death, and resurrection, and favour us by being a source of expansion for others. Ameen!

[shebeafancyflapjack]

Hidden Away

A little hurt/comfort fic requested by @idiotwithanipad . Hope it's okay. 🥰

-

"You seen Stompy? Just seen guy in staff room open new drink with big M on side, thought she like to come sniff."

The caveman asked Humphrey the question when finding the head on the receptionist table, as had become the Tudor's usual hangout, other than Higham Suite or Amy's bedroom when she wanted his company.

"Not since this morning. Don't think she's feeling all that bright at the moment." He replied with a touch of paternal concern; "I asked her if she wanted to come on a walk with me to judge some of the golfers but she said she just wanted some quiet time with Silver."

The pink haired Pagan still had another week until she awoke to grace them with her chirpy, New Age presence again. But when Amy wasn't feeling up for human interaction, she could either be found in her bedroom or beside her sleeping friend's memorial.

Robin gave a grunt, frowning.

"But me just check on Moonah Girl hour ago. There no sign of Stompy?"

Humphrey blinked.

"You sure?"

"She pretty hard to miss, Head! Black and pale figure against all pretty grass and flowers." Robin scoffed; "Only other one there was owl near tree and that not her, unless she have cool new ghost power me no know?"

Not as far as he was aware. Had she lied to him? That didn't seem like his Amy.

"I haven't seen her come back in and I've been sat here all day watching comings and goings." He muttered.

"Ehh, flashy news, ghosts no need to use front door-"

"Yes, I know that, thank you Robin!" Humphrey tutted; "But Amy knows I'm usually here and usually finds me when she comes back in! I 'spose she could have gone up to her room using the staff staircase if she still wanted privacy."

"No, me already check there. Room empty. Except scary clown. He worse when she not there." The caveman shuddered and Humphrey tried not to snort. It always gave him a little hit of joy to see his oldest dead friend get scared by anything.

"Well...I'd like to know she's okay. And...Oh God. Oh, you don't think-"

"She not go Up."

Humphrey felt his chest deflate with relief, despite it being god knows where.

"You sure?"

"Yes, me sure. Her smell too thick to miss." He flared his nostrils wide, "She definite in house...somewhere...You want me to track her down?"

"Oh, give me some credit, as if I'm about to become some sort of paranoid helicopter dad who needs to know where my kid at all times just because of a piece of paper."

"....That yes?"

"Yes, please, just let me know where she is. Discreetly! If you know what that word means."

"Think Disco not till Friday night."

Never mind.

He watched the ancient human slink away, following his nose to hunt Amy down, disappearing through the wall next to the fireplace.

Humphrey tried to keep himself calm. He'd seen a variety of reasons by now for what often caused his adopted daughter to go into an emotional funk when she wanted to be on her own. Maybe Julian said another inappropriate comment in her earshot, though mostly he was too afraid to utter a word in her presence. Maybe a visitor to the hotel had drank too much or one of the managers had been too harsh on the new staff.

He'd like to think they were at a point where Amy could come to him with any problem that she had. But he was aware that teenage girls were anything but easy. He just hoped that she wasn't hiding away in some dark corner on her own. It didn't matter if she chose someone other than her dad to talk to, so long as she wasn't alone.

"She in basement." Robin informed, returning less than two minutes later; "Heard voice through door, she talk with Nigel."

"Nigel? Who the bloody hell is Nigel?!"

And why was she talking to him and not-?! Okay, chill out Humphrey, bordering on jealousy now.

"Nigel one of Plague ghosts." Robin gives him an incredulous look.

"They have names?!"

-

The basement had been expanded upon ever since the renovation. While the actual plague pit now had a spa where the clutter and electricals had once been, there was still a set of hallways and a much nicer and cleaner utilities area beside it. Meaning the ghosts usually had to deal with more traffic coming through from bellhops grabbing towels or someone checking the electrics, but they were actually glad of the company.

Amy sat on a barrel, hood up, fists curled inside her sleeves as she listened to Agnes finish her story about the two men having a serious debate that turned rather angry in the steam room, which turned out to be about which My Little Pony character was less problematic.

"Knock knock!" Came a voice on the other side of the door.

The ghosts all frowned at each other.

"Was that meant for us?" Asked Mick.

Amy froze. She recognised the voice right away. Shit, she was cornered too. The walls here just lead into solid dirt.

"Uhh....'ello? We don't do Cold Callers!" Replied Jeff, who then turned back to the others; "Get it? 'Cause of the pneumonia!"

"Ah, yeah, good one!" His friends chuckled back, after which Sharon fittingly coughed.

"No, uh, it's just Humphrey. Humphrey Bone? One of the upstairs lot?"

They all murmured, frowning at each other.

"I'm the one without a head."

"Ah, yeah, Humphrey, 'course!" They chorused. Amy just rolled her eyes, remaining quiet, though she knew why he was here.

"Don't mean to trouble you, just wondering if Amy is with you guys?"

They turned their eyes to the teenager. It was up to her if she wanted her presence down here to be known.

Agnes gave her knee a pat.

"C'mon, love, it ain't kind to make your dad worry, is it." She whispered.

That made her squirm with guilt.

"I'm here. I'm just...hanging out with some friends." She announced.

"Aww, ain't she sweet." Smiled Mick.

"Right....Nah, that's cool, uhm...Can I just have a quick word, Poppet? Please? Then I'll leave you to it."

Another huff and Amy slid off the barrels. She gave a knowing look to the other ghosts before going out the door, hands in the pockets of her hoodie, still up around her head.

Humphrey was outside the door, in one piece, after Robin helped to wrangle his body back to reception.

"What's up?" She didn't quite meet his eyes, her focus on the adornments of his cloak.

"Just wondering if you're all right, Poppet."

She shrugged; "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You said this morning you wanted to be alone with Silver for a bit. Robin said he hadn't seen you around there when he checked in on her?"

Her expression hardened.

"You keeping tabs on me now?!"

"What? No, love, sorry - I get how that sounded-."

"I did go to sit with Silver, for like two hours, but there's only so long a one-sided convo can go on for when your mate is in her month long coma! So I came inside!"

"I get it, that's fine, I just....These guys? Really?" He asked, doubtful.

"Walls are pretty thin, mate!" Called Nigel from the other side.

Whoops.

"What's wrong with them?" Amy shrugged; "They're all right."

"Yeah, yeah, they're lovely, they're just a bit, uhm..." Humphrey considered his words.

"Oh here it comes." Tutted Agnes loudly.

They must all be listening in at this point.

Sod it, Humphrey threw up his hands; "Grotesque."

"Honestly, that's fair."

"Yeah, can't argue with that, really, can we."

While the ghosts seemed to not be too offended, the same couldn't be said for Amy.

"What, because they've got all those sores and stuff from when they died? You think that makes them gross?" She challenged, her expression flinching between anger and...something more personal.

"Now, I didn't say gross!" The Tudor objected.

"It's the same thing!"

"Actually, though the etymology of the words are linked, grotesque means abnormal while gross is saying the abnormalities are revolting-" commented Jeff.

"Oh listen to Stephen Fry over here!" Harked Sharon, as the others jeered.

Humphrey ushered Amy away from the door and down the corridor, away from the commentators of what's supposed to be a father-daughter conversation.

"I didn't mean to insult your friends, Poppet, I just wondered why you were hiding yourself down here with them is all."

"Well maybe I feel at home with the 'grotesque' more than you lot sometimes."

"Hey, come on now, you're talking to a guy who's a strong gust of wind away from his head falling off his shoulders!"

Amy shrugged; "It's not the same."

"Come on, what's this really abo-." He went to put a hand on her arm only for her to flinch back.

That stung, as did the quick look of fear interrupting her usual pissed off expression.

"Amy? What is it?"

"It's nothing! Just go back upstairs, I'll find you later. Or if you're really curious, get Alison to explain it."

"Explain what?" Alison was currently on holiday with Mike and she'd left a request not to be interrupted unless urgent, or until she can call them.

Amy sighed. She could see he wasn't going to let this go.

"Fine. Come to my room."

Once they were up the two flights of stairs and inside her private little suite, with the ICP poster as their silent protector, Amy told him the truth.

"Hidradenitis suppurativa." She said.

"...Gesundheit!" Humphrey replied with a chuckle, then stopped when he could see by his daughter's glare she was in no mood to joke; "Sorry. Uh, what's that?"

"It's a..." She took a deep breath, "Probably easier to show you."

Amy wriggled her arms inside her hoodie until they were against her torso and then pushed it off over her head, her hand keeping a tight grip on it. Ghosts usually had a good minute or so of being allowed to remove or change their outfits before they 'corrected' themselves.

The Tudor blinked at the vest top she wore beneath that he was glimpsing for the first time. A black top with a skeletal hand on the front giving the world its middle finger, with two rude words across the top just in case the message wasn't clear.

"Oh. Right. Well, I'll take the hint-." He turned to leave.

"No, D- Humphrey, wait." She yelled; "The top ain't what I'm showing you!"

Thank God. He turned back around, wondering what else she'd been trying to reveal.

It was odd to see her frame without the bulk of the hoodie. Christ, she really was a little thing for nineteen. She didn't seem much bigger than Sophie when they'd got married, although his wife had always been tall for her age, even before puberty hit them both properly.

"Wh-what am I looking at?" He asked, cautiously.

She nervously raised her arm up, revealing a cluster of painful looking welts and reddened scars in her armpit.

"Oh! Well...well that's-."

"Grotesque, right?" Amy scoffed.

He blushed. The pieces were coming together now.

"What are they? What is...Hydra dental, no wait that's teeth-."

"I just call it HS, it's easier. It's this fucked up skin condition I've had to deal with for years." She sighed, putting her arm back down, just in time for her hoodie to rematerialise back on her top half. Good, she needed her hood back up; "I get these sores come and go on my body now and then. You'd think being a ghost would mean I'd be free of them but I guess because I died on the brink of a flare up, I'm stuck with them forever!"

"Do they hurt?"

She nodded.

Humphrey felt like he'd been winded; "Oh, Poppet, why have you never said? All these years you've been with us now..."

"Didn't wanna bother you with it. I mean...Alison knows because Mike's sister has it and she brought it up one time. Silver knows, only coz I was venting to her about it one night and thought she was asleep but forgot it was a full moon. I didn't mean for anyone to know..."

"Why not?"

"Because it's embarrassing!"

Humphrey couldn't resist chuckling at that; "Poppet, we share a house with a bloke who walks around without any pants on."

She shuddered. Probably not the person she wanted to be compared to.

"That's why you were hanging out with...the downstairs lot?" He asked.

"They are actually really cool. But...yeah. They've had hundreds of years dealing with painful sores all over them. I know I ain't as bad as them but they still welcome me into their 'club' when I get a flare up."

"That's nice of them. But, sweetheart, you shouldn't be feeling ashamed or thinking we don't want you around just coz you get sick now and then." He tried to console her. "Did you really think I'd think less of you because of this?"

Amy shrugged and went to sit on her bed, hands shrinking back inside her sleeves again.

"Did Alison or Silver treat you any different?" He attempted.

"No. But Alison is desensitised to weird shit at this point. And Silver is about sixty percent weed and sugar. She spends most nights staring at spiders and beetles, thinking they're beautiful."

"Perhaps. Or maybe they're your friends, they care about you and it doesn't make any difference."

His daughter seemed reluctant to believe that, despite it clearly being the most logical conclusion.

Humphrey dared to sit beside her, a slight gap between but not too distant as if it looked like he was afraid of catching something.

"Is there nothing that can be done to make you feel better?" He asks.

"Can't exactly pop down to Boots and get me some relief cream, no." She snarked.

"I meant like...no exercises or...massages?"

"Less touch the better." She says, "That's why I've been swerving a bit when you or...the body bit, tries to hug me. Sorry if it seemed like I was in a mood. Well, I was, but-."

"I get it. Air hugs it is!" He mimed putting his arms around her with a goof few inches of space.

That made her laugh.

"Hey! I got a smile! It's my lucky day, after all." He grinned at her.

"Shut up." She blushed.

"Honestly, love, don't feel like you have to hide anything like this. I'm your dad now, remember? It's my job to know about these things and to be the one you feel safe to come to." He said.

"I know. I'm just...still getting used to what having a dad means, I guess."

"M'still getting used to being one. We're both learning as we go, ain't we."

He threw his cloak around her shoulders and placed his hand to her covered head, gently tilting her closer, moving in to place a kiss on top.

He stilled; "No sores on the scalp?"

She smiled and shook her head.

"Good. C'mere, you." He planted a rather sloppy kiss on her hood before resting his head atop hers.

She reached her hand across to find his, interlacing her fingers around his.

"Thanks, Dad."

[viv-hollande]

As Promised, The Israel-Palestine Megapost of Doom

Content Warning: This post discusses both the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict and the current Israel-Gaza War. As such, it contains frank discussions of apartheid, war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocides both past and present, racism, antisemitism, colonialism, terrorism and more. As an additional tone warning, I guess: I am by nature a pretty flippant person. I’ve been criticized for that in the past, and probably will be again in the future. I don’t know if it's just who I am, or if maybe I need a therapist. I have tried to reign in some of my worse impulses, especially when talking about the actual events themselves, to try to give due respect to those affected. Nevertheless, if that kind of attitude offends or disturbs you, maybe sit this one out. 

This post is brought to you in its current form thanks to the generous actions of Dr. Henry Kissinger, whose untimely death many decades after it was deserved nevertheless brought me joy great enough to drag me out of angryposting mode and into hopefully more coherent essay-writing mode. So here is the partially revised, partially rewritten, and greatly expanded post that I promised. 

While I don’t have a cohesive thesis, I have written this with the intention of addressing/responding to the state of conversation around the Israel-Palestine conflict, and around the ongoing Israel-Gaza crisis. I am focusing substantially on the online discourse because it’s the only thing I have even a chance of changing. I’m a soon-to-no-longer-be-teenage college sophomore without a lot of disposable income. I’ve already called my Senators and House Rep. I really don’t have much influence beyond my power to try to persuade random internet users to be less bad. 

I’ve tried to restrain my tendency for purple prose, self-righteousness, and gratuitous moral judgements; you can be the judge of whether or not I succeeded. I know that I am definitely not an expert or authority on this topic, but neither is most anyone else on this fucking website. It didn’t stop them and it won’t stop me. 

But before that, some brief words on my previous post. Unlike my usual angryposting where I tend to regret everything I say and do while in the anger spiral, I can actually say that I stand by more or less everything I said in that post. I do have one correction and one clarification though. Clarification: the “Stealth Echoes” I am referring to are instances where the word Israel or Israeli are placed in quotation marks specifically. Example: As per a spokesperson of the “Israeli” Defense Forces, “Something something ceasefire violation.” Used as such, the “Stealth Echoes” around Israel or Israeli are used to signal belief in the illegitimacy of Israel. It’s literally just (((echoes))) revived. A few people thought I was talking about the use of quotes in quotation marks. Now, the correction: in my anger, I believe that I overstated the prevalence of the “Stealth Echoes”. I said 20-40%, which upon reflection was too high, brought on by seeing a long string of said posts in rapid succession. I would now say that the figure is closer to 5-10%, jumping up to 10-15% if you include instances of censoring Israeli like I*****i and the use of words like Isntreal. I feel that as a practical matter they are indistinguishable; they serve the same purpose. Whatever the number, it is too damn high and should not be going unchallenged. If you’re using them, stop. If you see someone else use them, either in a tweet or on Tumblr, don’t share them. 

That done, on with the post!

To start with, I want to establish some important concepts and ideas that I’m going to expand upon later so that you are aware and thinking about them going in. Some of these will seem pretty basic, but they are important. Trust me. 

Words mean things. Seriously. Words have meaning, both in isolation and as part of sentences. Many words have very specific meanings, and it is important to use them correctly. Incorrect usage of words deprives language of its utility and power. At certain points in this essay, you might think that I am being overly pedantic, but that specificity is important. 

Humans possess a strong drive to create narratives, especially out of history. This is normal; almost all humans do it. However, the tendency towards narrative creates a pitfall where the narrative begins to supplant the actual events in discussion and popular consciousness. Actual history is reshaped, often through omission or erasure, to fit the existing narrative. It is this narrative, not the actual history, that informs attitudes and debate. This is a problem for all history, but especially with a history as long, divisive, and deeply emotionally effective as the Israel-Palestine conflict. 

Pragmatism and idealism are broadly speaking two competing approaches towards making plans and decisions. Pragmatism is generally concerned with evaluating the state of reality and making decisions based on their objective practical effects. Though they are not necessarily incompatible, pragmatism possesses no inherent obligations to concepts like justice, morality, or good. Idealism, by contrast, is concerned with defining what the world should look like and aims to achieve that goal. This ideal world can theoretically be informed by anything, but is usually defined by morality. I generally believe that what is is more important than what should be. Whether in matters of politics, diplomacy, or war, it is better to evaluate the state of reality as best you can and tailor your goals to what is practically achievable rather than trying to force reality to conform to your idealized future. 

In general, I will try to avoid ascribing intent to any individual or action, except where I feel that concrete evidence of intent is publicly available. Astute readers may know where I am going with this. 

Rivers of ink have been spilled teasing apart the differences between Israelis, Jews, Zionists, Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, and more, and between Palestine and Israel. This post is long enough without retreading all of that here. Nevertheless, I will do my best to use specific, accurate terminology where applicable. 

The past is not the present. There are many facets to this point, and they will come up fairly often. For now, just keep this in mind. 

With that over with, on to…

Anti-Colonialism & History

The Israel-Palestine conflict is usually characterized by the pro-Palestinian camp as an anti-colonialist struggle. In isolation, this is not a statement that I would disagree with. The modern history of Israel and Palestine is a history of colonialism, or near enough for government work. However, as I mentioned earlier, the actual history of Israel and Palestine has been reduced to a simplified narrative of righteous anti-colonialist struggle. That narrative erases the genuine complexity and nuance that is present in the Israel-Palestine conflict. I have not the time, patience, nor expertise to explain the 100+ year long history of this conflict; for a reasonably comprehensive, and as far as I know, accurate summation of the origins and course of the conflict, see this video. However, I do want to note some things that I see as important to the conflict or my arguments about it. 

The Jews, whether defined as a group ethnically or religiously, have a historical connection to the land of Israel, and thus possess a potentially (we’ll get to it) legitimate claim to the land; this is, in my opinion, an important intellectual and practical difference from other examples of colonialism.

The ideological motivation behind Zionism was and still is complex, but an important and undeniable part was a desire for a safe haven from antisemitism. Keep in mind, Zionism as an idea first began to spread in earnest in the latter half of the 19th century, during an aggressively antisemitic period in European history. France experienced a surge in the popularity of antisemitic, pro-Catholic revanchists, monarchists and proto-fascists after their defeat in the Franco-Prussian War; this would culminate in the Dreyfus Affair. The Catholic Church itself was a powerful institutional advocate of antisemitism. It took until the Second Vatican Council, in the 1960s, for the Catholic Church to declare as official church doctrine that Jews, literally all Jews, past, present, and future were not in fact categorically guilty of the death of Christ, as had been church doctrine for literal centuries. The 1960s. Russia experienced wave after wave of violent anti-Jewish pogroms that lasted well into the 1920s, only really ending after the Bolsheviks victory in the Russian Civil War (though this would not be the end of Russian, and later Soviet, antisemitism). The rise of German nationalism was intimately and irrevocably tied in with antisemitism's rise to cultural ubiquity in the German Empire and later Weimar Germany. Even in the United Kingdom, which in the 19th and 20th centuries was positively tolerant by contemporary European standards, reflected in to appointment of Jews in prominent political positions up to and including Prime Ministers, was facing a resurgence in antisemitism. It may seem that I'm harping on the point for far too long, but a) I want to emphasize the truly dire straits facing the Jewish diaspora even before the Holocaust and b) while I would like to believe that the historical threat of antisemitism is accepted as common knowledge, I have been wrong before. See also: previous angry rant.

This point is possibly the most important: many Zionists, before and after the Holocaust, believed that the only way to secure the safety of the Jews in Israel was the creation of a Jewish majority state. Back when the land that was to become Israel and Palestine was believed to be mostly empty, this would have seemed easy to achieve by simply settling the area with a new Jewish population. However, after it became known that the land intended for a Jewish state was in fact inhabited, and by a substantial population no less, any intelligent Zionist would have known that the creation of any substantial Jewish majority state would require the forced eviction of the land's extant, mostly Arabic population.

I was struggling to find a place for this, so it’s going here. I have thus far avoided the use of a popular term used in relation to Israel; settler-colonialism. I have avoided its use because I see it as overused, poorly defined, and ahistorical. According to Wikipedia, accessed 30 November 2023, “Settler colonialism occurs when colonizers invade and occupy territory to permanently replace the existing society with the society of the colonizers.” If defined as such, I argue that the term settler-colonialism is practically useless because it describes literal millennia of human history. Using this definition, I have compiled a non-comprehensive list of examples of settler-colonialism, in roughly reverse chronological order: Israeli settlements in Gaza, Russification of Kaliningrad, Russification of the Crimean Peninsula, Sinicization in Xinjiang and Tibet, started by the late Qing and restarted by the PRC, British conquest of independent Boer states, Boer conquest of modern day South Africa, Ottoman colonization of Greece and the Aegean Islands, Russian conquest of Siberia, the Japanese colonization of Korea and Taiwan, centuries of successful and failed conquests of Cambodia by Vietnamese and Thai kingdoms, conquests by the Inca Empire, European colonization of the Americas, Venetian colonization across the Ionian and Mediterranean Seas, Turkic migrations into Central Asia and Anatolia, the Mongol conquests, the maritime empires of Indonesia, the Muslim conquests and subsequent Arabicization of North Africa and the Middle East, the entire history of the Roman Empire, any of the dozens of examples of Classical Greek colonies in Greece, Anatolia, Sicily, and southern Italy, the Achemenid conquests. Hell, the Phoenecians were so into colonization that one of their colonies eventually became a colonial empire in and of itself, and if you believe that all of those colonies were established on empty, virgin land then I got a seaside condo in Almaty to sell you. Though I don’t have time to go through them all, all of the above examples have either been cited by academics as examples of settler-colonialism, or share substantial commonalities with cited examples in my opinion. My problem with settler-colonialism as a term is that it is fundamentally based in modern concepts of indigeneity and nationalism. To put it bluntly, applying ahistorical modern concepts to a time and place that knew nothing of them is stupid. The vague definitions and overuse of the term compound these problems and threaten to misrepresent a near-universal human practice as an exclusively Western European phenomenon, and serve to complicate and frustrate conversation around instances where a more specific definition would be useful to meaningfully distinguish between it and other colonial projects; South Africa being a prime example. Specific language used accurately is important. All that being said, modern European colonialism more broadly and the effects thereof are important fields of study, and due to both temporal proximity and geographical reach, colonialism as it was practiced by modern European empires has had an outsized negative impact on the living conditions of billions of people currently alive in the year 2023. Sorry for all that, I just had to get it off of my chest. 

So, back to the problem at hand. The point of view that sees Zionism as simply another expression of European colonialism is, in my opinion, oversimplified or even outright wrong. The fundamental problem with viewing Zionism as just another European colonial endeavor is that European Jews were generally not seen as European, but as either foreign invaders or domestic subversives. European Jews were generally excluded from the national identities developing across Europe, with very few exceptions. Where Zionism did recieve gentile support, it was secured through moral arguments and intellectual persuasion, not sinister influence. Zionism, while it was influenced by colonialism, Orientalism, and even aspects of white supremacy, was an intellectual idea and practical endeavor primarily advocated by a subset of the Jewish diaspora. In contrast to European colonialism, which was motivated in part or in whole by a mix of greed, national pride, white supremacy, and the belief in a ‘benevolent’ civilizing and christianizing mission, the intellectual underpinning of Zionism is the belief that the Jewish people possess the most legitimate claim to the land that is now Israel and Palestine as their historical homeland. That belief beggars an obvious question: do they? 

Maybe?!

This is a large part of the reason why arguments about Zionism get so tangled and ugly and GAHH!. Zionism is the product of applying late 19th century concepts of nationalism and a people’s right to a homeland to a people exiled from their homeland over a thousand years before. Except it’s still more complicated than that, because the return of the Jews to Israel is an idea that is as old as the exodus itself. So the end result is that who you support is often decided by your personal answer to any number of thorny, complicated questions. Are the Jews indigenous to Israel? Are the Arabs indigenous to Palestine? If a people are expelled from their land, do they have the right to return? If yes, does that right expire? If it does, then how long does it last? Should special privilege be afforded to a people without a current homeland? What about a people who have experienced suppression, violence, and social rejection? Is it possible for a land to have multiple indigenous groups? If so, what about the right to return? Can one indigenous group act in a colonialist or imperialist manner towards another? 

These questions do have answers, but even a simple yes or no requires additional explanation, elaboration, and will inevitably conflict with opposing answers. The concepts they rest on are complicated and nuanced. One that I’ve mentioned before, and one that you’re probably sick of hearing about at this point, is indigeneity. The reason I harp on this is because it is another modern idea, overused and poorly defined, that is useful, but whose applicability is less universal that an America-centric conception would suggest. Unlike in the Americas, where the dividing line between indigenous and immigrant is fairly clean cut, the Old World’s long list of conquests, migrations, depopulations, pandemics, and famines make the concept of indigeneity really fucking messy. As an example, consider the Turks. The Turks live in Turkey, or at least most of them do. Turkish nationalism, as it developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, considers Anatolia to be the homeland of the Turkish people. Do you know where the Turks are from? 

Mongolia. 

Or at least that general area. Archeological evidence is a little vague. I had a summary of that whole process here, but it was too long and I cut it. Summary2, the Seljuk Turks came to rule over Anatolia in the 10th century, starting a roughly 1000 year long process of cultural, ethnic, and linguistic conversion. In the late 19th century, the multiethnic but Turkish-ruled Ottomans began to develop and promote Turkish nationalism, partly in response to European nationalism. Because the Turkish people lived mostly in Anatolia when Turkish nationalism was developed, modern day Turkey adopted the status of homeland to the Turks. In conclusion, shit’s wack. 

This is just one of literally thousands of examples of ways in which the concepts of nationalism and indigeneity are, seriously, I’m not just saying words here, complicated. They just are. These questions don’t have simple, satisfying answers and the discussion around them should reflect the nuances of the situation, but usually don't. 

I have seen people expressing sentiments along the lines of, “Sitting back and debating the inexhaustible complexity of the Israel-Palestine conflict ad nauseam is obscuring the active suffering of the Palestinian people.” This is a sentiment that I understand, but do not agree with. It is important to talk about the abuses that Israel is committing in Gaza and in the West Bank, and to condemn them as criminal and immoral. But the discussion around the Israel-Gaza War does not take place in a vacuum. Discussions of the current war and of the wider conflict inevitably leave the realm of discussing what just happened and enter the realm of why. And the answer to that why? is almost inevitably wrapped up in narrative. There is an overwhelming tendency for the pro-Palestinian camp to reject the idea that Zionism might, in even a small way, have a legitimate argument. For most of the pro-Palestinian camp, the answer to the fundamental underlying question of Zionism, are the Jews indigenous to Israel? is no. Full stop. That is the narrative of Palestinian resistance. That is the narrative of anti-colonialism. That is the narrative that says that Israel is a European settler-colony. That is the narrative that delegitimizes the State of Israel. And that is a narrative that needs to change because that narrative makes negotiation and compromise impossible. Delegitimization is to nation-states what dehumanization is to people. Throughout the entirety of the American Civil War, President Lincoln referred to the conflict as a “rebellion” and the Confederacy as “rebels”, “insurrectionists”, or “traitors”. Direct quotes. A legitimate state possesses rights, can be negotiated with, and once recognized cannot be derecognized easily. An illegitimate entity must be crushed. Regardless of the crimes of Israel, and oh boy, are we going to get into those, an end to the Israel-Palestine conflict will have to be a negotiated resolution, because Israel isn’t going away. 

I have my own personal beliefs about all of the above questions and more. I won’t share them because they aren’t important, and it's not really my place. However, to reiterate some of what I have said; I do think that the history of Israel and Palestine can be accurately characterized as a colonialist history, but I feel that the narrative of anti-colonialism papers over the moral complexity of the situation and intentionally delegitimizes Zionism and Israel.

Now, you may have noticed that I’ve mostly been focusing on my problems with the pro-Palestian side, for several reasons. Once again, this essay is supposed to be less about the conflict itself and more about the narratives that I have been seeing online. Since this is an overwhelmingly pro-Palestinian website, addressing that narrative has taken precedence. For that same reason, posting anti-Israeli content does feel a little bit like preaching to the choir. Nevertheless, I have many, many thoughts about Israel and the pro-Israeli narratives, and I clearly have no compunctions whatsoever about screaming my bullshit into the void, so let us now talk about… 

Israel & Narrative

And also a little bit more about the Palestinian narrative. Sorry, everything’s kinda interconnected and it's hard to separate sometimes. 

So I know that I tagged my last post as “kicking the hornets’ nest”, but this next bit is more like throwing a hornets’ nest at a bees’ nest sitting on the back of a tiger, but here goes. 

For at least 90% of the people on this site, the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict is completely irrelevant, except for its utility in constructing narratives. 

A bold statement, you say. Well yes, but it’s a bold statement that I will stand by. Most of the discussion on this website, and elsewhere, is being driven by people for whom the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict is either an academic matter, or a cudgel to beat their opponents with. There are, as always, a few exceptions. The Holocaust is one, in no small part due to its scope and relevance even outside Israel-Palestine. The First Arab-Israeli War, and concurrently the Nakba, is another due to its status as as the opening salvo of the Israel-Palestine conflict, due to the immense suffering it caused to the Palestinian people, and due to its close relationship with the right of return, which holds importance both as narrative component and as a practical political issue directly affecting the lives millions of Palestinians. Things are messy and everything has caveats. 

Jupiter the nonbinary MCR stan from Wisconsin did not buy an authentic keffiyeh from a Palestinian factory or participate in the local Free Palestine march because they’re intimately versed in and personally affected by the geopolitics of the Six-Day War. 

They’re doing all of that because Israel is a colonialist Amerikkkan puppet that attacks its neighbors without provocation, and Bibi’s latest genocide just killed a few 9/11s worth of children. 

David, 41-year-old 4chan refugee, closet brony, “Classical Liberal” of the Carl Benjamin variety, born and raised in Buttfuck, Upstate NY, isn’t ranting and raging about the ceasefire agitators over Thanksgiving dinner because he’s thoroughly studied and is greatly aggrieved of the history of terrorism in the Palestinian liberation movement, or because he put the work in to fully understand the 2006 elections in Gaza and wholeheartedly regrets their outcome. 

He’s worked up ‘cause the bus-bombing towelheads have done it again, and he doesn’t give a hoot how many Gazans die ‘cause they shoulda known who they was votin’ for. 

Tumblr user viv-hollande, pro-incest Kaeluc truther from [redacted] USA wasn’t crouched over the toilet losing his lunch studying the long, tragic history of the Israel-Palestine crisis. 

He was losing his lunch because they just bombed a hospital, 500 people are dead, the bastards did it and they’ll deny it just like with Hook and Miller and Abu Akleh, shitting hells it’s never going to end- 

viv-hollande jumped to a conclusion that was informed by a narrative, and proceeded to waste several hours angrily arguing with an Israeli Tumblr user and stubbornly denying credible evidence and what he was seeing with his own eyes because of a narrative, much of which he read about but did not live through. There remain many questions about what happened at al-Ahli Arab Hospital, but the preponderance of evidence has fallen on the side of a Palestinian misfire. If you think that the evidence provided by over a dozen governments, media outlets, and independent analysts was all fabricated on the orders of Puppet-master Bibi, stop. You’re being an antisemite. Please learn from my fuckup. 

The above statement mostly applies to the world worth of spectators to this conflict and not to Israelis and Palestinians themselves. For those who lived through those events, or who have family who lived through them, there is obviously a direct personal connection to that history which, on a human scale at least, really isn’t that old. There are survivors of both the Holocaust and the Nakba still around. 

I also want to re-emphasize, just in case it got lost in the sludge, that the above statement concerns the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict, not current events. Even for those far removed from the conflict, witnessing the ongoing bloodshed in real time is still a traumatic experience that is bound to provoke strong emotional responses and influence people’s position on the wider conflict. Narrative or no, seeing dead children is going to have an effect on you. 

With that out of the way, on to the actual pro-Israeli narrative. In no small part due to less exposure, I am less confident in my analysis of the pro-Israeli narrative than I am of the pro-Palestinian narrative, especially as it pertains to Americans arguing online. But, I have divined a few significant main points. 

One of the most important parts of the pro-Israeli point of view is that of a siege narrative. The Israeli narrative holds that the state of Israel has existed under the threat of existential annihilation since its inception. I have also seen in many places a direct conflation of the military and political threats to Israel’s existence with the wider history of antisemitism and specifically with the Holocaust. This goes all the way up to Benjamin Netenyahu himself, who falsely claimed, among other wrong things, that it was the Grand Mufti of Palestine who convinced Hitler to order the Holocaust. This statement was roundly condemned by basically everyone, whether Jewish, Israeli, or Palestinian, for good reason. It’s tantamount to Holocaust denialism. 

The pro-Israeli narrative fundamentally denies the legitimacy and/or existence of Palestinian identity and a Palestinian state. In many cases, it denies the Palestinian right to a state in Palestine at all. This stance is directly related to the perceived necessity for a Jewish-majority Israel, and serves to facilitate the forced removal of the Palestinians from Israel and Palestine. In addition to being morally abhorrent, this stance represents a fundamental obstacle to a negotiated end to the conflict. While I can’t prove it, I very much suspect that some, especially the loudest deniers of Palestinian identity, are aware of this and continue to do so intentionally to undermine peace and facilitate Israel’s continued expansion at Palestinian expense. 

For Americans, especially after 9/11, the narrative of the Israel-Palestine conflict has been folded into the wider narrative of the War on Terror. Israel-Palestine and the War on Terror are connected, but that connection is a lot more complicated than the American narrative, which, in its own racist, uninformed way, can’t tell the difference between Palestians, Arabs, Muslims, Iranians, Afghans, and the completely uninvolved Sikhs, several of whom nevertheless were attacked and killed by racist, overzealous American “patriots”. This conflation degrades the conversation around the Israel-Palestine conflict and reduces the legitimacy of the Palestinian cause. And while this last bit is essentially unfalsifiable conjecture, I suspect that the collapse of the War on Terror, and the changing narratives around it, plays a part in why the reaction to the current war has been substantially more pro-Palestinian than past flare ups. 

As you can see, Israel and its advocates are guilty of many of the same tactics and narrative techniques that I criticized so fervently among Palestinians. The biggest, and most infuriating, has been the consistent denial of Palestinian identity and insistence that Jews/Israelis are the one and only true indigenous people in Israel and Palestine, and the consistent delegitimization of any Palestinian state. This attitude has no doubt played a significant role in prolonging and extending the conflict, and with it the suffering of the Palestinian people. For more details on that suffering, let us now turn to…

Israel & War Crimes

“Israel is definitely committing a campaign of forced displacement, possibly amounting to ethnic cleansing, but I remain unconvinced of the crime of genocide,” - viv-hollande

The above statement in my previous post generated some pushback. I expected this, and planned to dedicate a whole section of the longer essay to supporting this claim, and elaborate on my meaning. Here is that. Oh, and full disclosure, this is probably the most pedantic that I am going to get in this, and I fully expect that that will piss people off for eminently understandable reasons. Nevertheless here I go. 

I would like to start by recalling the first of my establishing points: words have meanings, some words have very specific meanings, and it is important to use words with specific meanings correctly or else risk the degradation and dilution of the words themselves. Meaningless words are useless. With that out of the way: 

Genocide, as defined by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, is defined as any of five acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. The five acts are: 

Killing members of the group;

Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

Deliberately inflicting upon group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; 

Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; 

Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. 

So, we’ve clearly seen evidence of four of the five acts which potentially constitute a genocide, so why am I opposed to its use? The answer is intent. This is an issue that has been raised by others online, and the response is always a mix of a) harping on definitions while thousands of Palestinians are being murdered obscures their suffering and allows Israel to act unchallenged and b) here is the evidence that Israel intends to commit genocide. Addressing those in reverse order: 

I have seen many posts with supposed evidence of Israeli intent to commit genocide. But when they are coagulated, they look less like an actual argument and more like a conspiracy board filled with singular quotes, out-of-context statements, and tweets from some random Israeli expressing dehumanizing, borderline genocidal sentiments. I’m sorry, but this is not evidence of intent. Neither is pointing to Gaza, saying, “Look at what is going on! This clearly shows intent”. It doesn’t. Is a genocide happening in Gaza right now? Maybe. Its unsatisfying and frustrating, but intent is something that will likely be impossible to prove or disprove without access to Israeli government documents. It is classified meeting minutes that will prove or disprove intent, not tweets from Israeli bloggers. 

If you are angry at me for harping on definitions and technicalities, that’s understandable. But remember, words have meanings. I am not convinced that a genocide is happening in Gaza. But d’ya wanna know what is happening? 

War crimes. Crimes against humanity. Ethnic cleansing. Forced displacement. Criminally disproportionate military action. Killing and targeting of journalists. Attacks on medical workers and facilities. Attacks on shelter areas. Attacks on UN workers and facilities. 

All of these are crimes. In a just world, their perpetrators would be spending the rest of their lives behind bars. They are barbarous acts of cruelty that should be condemned, regardless of whether or not they meet the qualifications of being an act of genocide. 

Israel’s attacks on Palestinian water sources is a crime, regardless of whether or not they were committed with genocidal intent. 

Involuntary detention of children without charge is a crime, regardless of whether or not they were committed with genocidal intent. 

Indiscriminate bombings of civilians are crimes, regardless of whether or not they were committed with genocidal intent. 

The Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip, both before and after the 7 October attacks, is a crime, regardless of whether or not they were committed with genocidal intent. 

The word genocide is used on this platform like a fire alarm. Pull here to warn people about oppression and mass slaughter. But genocide, like all of the other crimes mentioned above, is a word that has a meaning, a definition. That definition is imperfect, but it is what we have to work with. Using these terms specifically and correctly is important. 

It feels sometimes that discussion around atrocities turns into a matter of genocide or nothing. People treat the usage of more accurate and specific, but ‘less severe’ terms as a form of denialism. It is that attitude that makes discussing these supposedly ‘less severe’ crimes incredibly difficult. ‘Cause guess what!

Every single one of the crimes listed above is a barbarous crime, and you should fight and condemn every last one of them with the same fervor as you should genocide. None of them are tolerable, none of them are lesser. They are, one and all, abominable acts of criminal violence. The overuse of the term genocide makes it harder to effectively fight all of the others and perpetrates a narrative, consciously or not, that its a matter of genocide or bust.

Hamas & Revolution

The Islamic Resistance Movement, more commonly known by its Arabic acronym Hamas, is in my estimation the most militarily and politically powerful Palestinian organization in the world. Although its stated goals have changed several times over the years, Hamas has generally characterized itself as a defender of Palestinian nationalism, an advocate for Palestinian liberation, and an opponent to Israel, colonialism, and imperialism. 

Hamas is also an aspirationally genocidal terrorist organization, and every time I see expressions of support for them you should feel sick. I certainly do. 

Open expressions of support for Hamas have been rare, but far from zero. Most of those who do support Hamas uncritically accept the premise that Hamas is an anti-colonial revolutionary resistance organization fighting against Zionist occupation. This post is way too long and my deadline is rapidly approaching, so instead of breaking down all of that, let us assume, for the sake of argument, that that statement is true. Even if true, none of that prevents Hamas from also being an antisemitic, aspirationally genocidal terrorist organization. 

One of the basic assumptions of the anti-colonialist narrative is that colonized=good, colonizer=bad. This flattens nuanced and complicated conflicts and leads to the excusing and justifying of criminal acts on the basis that they were committed in pursuit of a just cause. 

Anti-colonialist struggles are justified according to the right of self-determination. Many of them nevertheless committed criminal acts. 

There is a tendency to treat conflicts, past and present, less as actual events and more like culture wars. It has become fashionable to condemn the United States by rote, to shout “Up the Ra”, without actually addressing the reality of the situation one is commenting on. As an example of what I mean, take Morocco. Last year, Morocco was briefly appointed as the symbolic standard-bearer of anti-imperialism for… winning football matches against tHe DrEaDeD cOlOnIzErS. Today, Morocco is imperialist persona non grata and traitor to the Palestinian cause. Neither of these judgments were made because of the practical, on the ground reality of decolonization, anti-imperialism, or the Palestinian cause. These judgments were made because of the narrative of anti-colonialism. If the actions of Morocco, or anyone else for that matter, work in favor of the narrative of anti-colonialism, then they are lauded. If their actions contradict that narrative, they are condemned. Are there important geopolitical implications of Morocco’s decision to support Israel in exchange for support in Western Sahara? Yes, of course. Realistically speaking, they will probably be minor and mostly symbolic. Morocco isn’t sending soldiers to help occupy Gaza, and Israel won’t be sending soldiers to support the conquest of Western Sahara. Does any of that matter to users on www.tumblr.com? No. 

To the supporters of Hamas, I don’t have a lot to say here. Hamas has been open about its antisemitism, and both Hamas leaders and official Hamas statements have openly called for genocide against Israelis, and sometimes Jews more broadly. Hamas engages in blatant conspiracism and has gleefully spread stories about a Jewish-controlled globalist shadow government trying to bring about the NWO. While they did officially amend their charter in 2017 to state that their fight is with the “Zionist enemy” rather than the Jewish people writ large, I find it difficult to believe that they are being honest with their intentions, and even if they are, the 7 October attacks show that they consider Israeli civilians as part of the “Zionist enemy” and thus fair game. 

River & Sea

In my previous post, I made the assertion that the popular pro-Palestinian slogan, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” is an antisemitic slogan. As I expected, I got some pushback on this, but have no fear, I have a qualified justification. 

Slightly modified, I uphold the statement that, as a practical matter, in the year 2023 “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is a de facto antisemitic statement. 

To fully explain what I mean here, and to address some of the confusion that I have seen with regards to the history of the statement. Shoutout to @starsakura17 and @screaming-weevil for having a conversation about the term and trying to research the history of the phrase to better inform themselves. That’s something we all, including me, should do more often on more topics. 

As far as I can discern, the origins of the “River to the sea” part of the phrase are unknown, but Zionist sentiments about creating a state between the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea actually predate the First Arab-Israeli War and may predate Mandatory Palestine. The phrase first became associated with the Palestinian cause in the 1960s, when it was used to express opposition to the partition of Palestine and support for a single state in Palestine. How exactly this state was envisioned varied dramatically, but even back then, the 1964 PLO Charter expressly excluded the mostly Jewish immigrants to Palestine from their definition of Palestinians. Gee, where have I heard that before. Now, the PLO do not and did not speak for all Palestinians, and there were many Palestinians and Israelis who advocated for a single state that would be democratic and secular, thus creating a free Palestine between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Thusly, if you asked me in the 1960s whether the phrase, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is antisemitic, I would say no, but I would probably note that it is used by antisemites and caution you to be careful with your usage. 

However, it is no longer the 1960s, and the usage and users of the phrase have shifted over time. The most important change is the rise of Islamic militant groups, most of whom have adopted the phrase as a call to destroy Israel and purge Palestine of Israelis and/or Jews. In addition, the geopolitical landscape of Israel and Palestine has changed. In the early 1960s, when the land between the river and the sea was under total occupation by Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, and when the idea of a single, secular, democratic state was at least theoretically possible, non-antisemitic usage of “From the river to the sea” was both possible and fairly common. There were individuals and organizations with actual influence on both sides that could have or did try to lead the charge for this exact solution. In 2023, that is no longer the case. 

When I see people using the phrase “From the river to the sea”, my first question is how will that happen? Who will end up in charge of the land from river to sea? Remember, words have meaning, and political slogans do not exist in a vacuum. In the year 2023, there is only one organization with the political clout, popular support, and military might even hope to create a free Palestine stretching from the river to the sea: Hamas. Barring an externally imposed settlement, there is no other entity that could feasibly achieve such a state. You saw what they did on 7 October; what do you think their plan is for the rest of the Jews in Israel? 

If you object to my connection between “From the river to the sea” and Hamas ruling over the whole of Israel and Palestine, then go ahead. Tell me how, exactly, a free Palestinian state from river to sea can be created without giving Hamas free access to the people they openly want to exterminate.

Regardless of its origin, regardless of your intention when you say it, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is a statement that has been proudly adopted by the most virulent and violent antisemites on the Palestinian side. Whatever its intention, it is at best a slogan with a confused and muddy history that is deeply linked with antisemitism; at worst it is incitement to genocide. 

SO STOP USING IT. Any slogan that has to be regularly qualified with “but not in an antisemitic way” is a slogan that you should not use. There are better, non-antisemitic slogans already in use; you do not need to cling desperately to this one. 

While I’m here, I may as well address the phrase “Free Palestine from Hamas”. Like “From the river to the sea”, it's a theoretically neutral or even positive slogan. However, I see it most commonly used by those who vocally support the ongoing, indiscriminate destruction of Gaza and slaughter of the people living there. Whatever your intention, this phrase is associated with those who believe that any action is justifiable as long as it might possibly kill even a single Hamas member. 

Conclusion

“If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter, or at least a more coherent one.” - viv-hollande

If you made it this far, you have my respect. I’ve said a lot here, probably too much. I am sure it means something; I am not sure if it means anything significant. 

A lot of people are probably mad at me right now. Some of that is probably fair. Some of it is probably not. 

I had someone accuse me of being “fundamentally unserious” under my last post, which is a very weird and kind of funny thing to say to a teenager. 

I’m really struggling with how to finish this, ‘cause I am well and truly running low on steam, and I have French homework that I’ve been putting off. I’ve scrapped, like, three entire sections that I either didn’t have time to finish, or that I felt were even more poorly written than the rest of this incoherent mess. Maybe I’ll turn them into dedicated posts. 

As a final conclusion: The Israel-Palestine conflict has been saddled with millions of uninvolved rubberneckers who all seem to have a lot to say about every aspect of it. As humans tend to do, these bystanders have created narratives of war and struggle, of oppression and revolution. It is these narratives, shaped by history, but also by biases, bigotries, personal values, and misinformation. We choose a good side, and subsume that side into our own personal in-group. We excuse the faults in our allies, and exaggerate or fabricate faults in our enemies. The Palestinian cause categorically dismisses the Jewish right to a secure homeland. The de facto leaders of Gaza are aspirational génocidaires. The pro-Palestinian cause as a whole doesn’t care to consider the fate of the Israelis, millions of who were born and raised in Israel and have nowhere else to go. Simultaneously, the Israelis deny the suffering of the Palestinian people, wherever they may reside. Many current and past leaders of Israel are war criminals, and few, if any, of them will be brought to justice. Make no mistake, this is not a case of “both sides”. As the stronger party to the conflict, backed by the strongest nation on Earth, Israel has had most of the power to choose the timeline for the end to the conflict. As it stands, it seems more and more likely that that end will result in the final, irrevocable extinguishing of the dream of a Palestinian state. That end would be a tragedy, and it would be a crime. 

If you’re not sick of me telling you what to do at this point, you have the patience of a fucking saint. To those still here, I say this: condemn antisemitism, Islamophobia, and bigotry wherever they occur; all conflicts have long, complicated histories that get flattened by the desire to ‘pick a side’; exact language, used specifically, is a delicate, precious thing that must be safeguarded; Israel’s crimes in Gaza, whether they qualify as a campaign of genocide, rank as some of the worst committed in decades, and the western political establishment’s tacit acceptance and endorsement of that campaign of horrors is, in and of itself, criminal and immoral, and both should be fought with as much energy as you can possibly spare. 

Fuck Bibi, and all those who enable him. Fuck Hamas. Fight war crimes. Ceasefire now. Free Palestine. 

A Message To Israelis and Palestinians

I struggled the most with what to say here. As I’ve repeatedly said, this post is intended not for you, but for the crowds of virtual bystanders to the incomprehensible crimes being committed in Israel and Gaza. As someone with, as they say, no skin in the game, I feel uncomfortable addressing you in a way I generally don’t when confronting my peers. I don’t know if you want or need the perspective of yet another rubbernecker, especially when what I do have to say is so insubstantial. But I would feel remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the people over whose heads I have been shouting for so long. So, for the final time, here goes. 

I am so sorry for what you are going through. To the Israelis, to those living in fear of rocket attacks and suicide bombers, and especially to those who lost loved ones in the 7 October attacks, or who are living in limbo hoping and praying for the release of the hostages, I express my deepest condolences. To the Palestinians of the West Bank, who have suffered the encroachment and aggression of Israeli settlers and Occupation soldiers, and who must soldier on through the ever-tightening vice of apartheid, your resilience inspires me and your suffering devastates me. To the Palestinian refugees, who have been driven out of their homeland and now must wait endlessly for a return that may never come, please know that you are in my heart.  And finally to the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, who have been subjected to years of indignity, abuse, and violence, who have endured overwhelming, disproportionate, and indiscriminate retaliation for every terrorist provocation, who have been starved, bombed, shot, beaten, and brutalized in ways that I, sheltered as I am, could never possibly imagine, and who are at this very moment deep in mourning over the thousands and thousands of parents, children, siblings, cousins, friends, uncles, grandparents, nieces, nephews, acquaintances, colleagues, and everything in between, I offer you have my most sincere apologies and my grief at your losses, pale as they must be in comparison to your own. I don’t know if they’ll help, but they’re really all I’ve got. 

I wish I could offer you hope. I wish I could offer you a solution. I wish I could do something, anything, that would actually have a meaningful impact on any of this. But I can’t. I’m sorry.

[fallow-foot]

Bunch of dominions smp doodles be upon yee!

(Close ups and some random headcannony stuff I wrote for these designs under cut.)

(NOTE ALSO SOME TOTK SPOILERS)

Random design headcannons.

-fix being a Roley Poli makes me laugh so I’m drawing him as that till I watch his pov

-Sneve just being a whole bundle of flame because he’s a blazeborn was an opertunity I was not going to miss

-I know in cannon Nuke is an angel but who’s to say angels can’t just be harpies? Also gave him an owl face instead of human because it’s my design I do what I want and I want to make as many of them really weird monsters as I can.

-speaking of monsters Mongo! What else says Merling like a freshwater sea monster thing?

-I think besides the resident witch Joy, Tan is one of the closest to looking human and uh, half of her is a snowy goat thing and she may freeze lakes on touch…. Yeah no one here is normal.

-Legs in my ever expanding quest to make piglins not look like pig’s because I think it’s funny to thing their only named after their coloring and tusks looking pig like. Anyways legs is a piglin and needs a mask to properly breath in the overworld.

-Viking, oh boy. Thought it would be fun if since Viking is a ghost that he doesn’t have a solid form like the others and instead just kinda has a form of ghostly mist? Legs hates how creepy it is and in fact makes it so much worse for himself when giving him a phantom’s skull to wear as a sort of head. (Viking is also fully aware it makes him so much creepier. He continues to wear it because of that)

(Anyone curious I based my phantom skull off a bats very loosely)