#personal enlightenment

[kiwi]

as a former escape room host i highly recommend doing an escape room as a first date. its a great way to learn how ppl react under pressure and how well they collaborate with you right off the bat. also more than once ive seen people enter an escape room as a couple and exit broken up LOL its a fantastic litmus test

[felixwylde]

They Were Always With Me

I was never alone. Even in the silence between heartbeats, they were there—shifting at the edges of awareness, pressing against the fabric of my mind. In my ignorance, I thought them demons, hungry and insatiable, their whispers twisting through my thoughts like creeping vines, choking out the light. I feared their touch, recoiled from their shadows, mistook their presence for torment.Now I see.…

[compassionmattersmost]

Awakening Beyond Illusion: Cultivating Inner Peace in a World of Change

We live in a world that seems more uncertain by the day. The news flashes across our screens with stories of conflict, rising debt, division, and suffering. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, as if the world is caught in a web of confusion and delusion. Yet, in the midst of this storm, there lies a deeper truth—one that has been whispered through the ages by the sages, prophets, and teachers of many…

[turiyatitta]

Spiritually Awakened Beings

Renouncing vs Embracing the WorldThe journey toward spiritual awakening often leads to a critical crossroad: should one renounce the world or choose to live within its bounds? This decision fundamentally shapes the psychological personality traits of spiritually awakened individuals.Those who renounce the world often develop traits centred around asceticism, introspection, and detachment. Their…

[hawkstar5]

Found my old Animal Crossing GC game guide, and decided to doodle the Crew (stop me if you’ve heard this one before).

[yourlocalabomination]

“Aside from TGWDLM (and a brief BF cameo), Ted Spankoffski has long hair and we as a fandom need to represent that more often within our fanworks, ” I say into the mic.

The crowd boos. I begin to walk off in shame when a voice speaks and commands silence from the room.

“They’re right,” he says. I look for the owner of the voice. There in the 5th row stands: Joey Richter himself, with long hair.

[ch-0-sen-1]

[spookysalem13]

I'm on a journey of growth ✨️ and rebirth.

[jatersade]

this too is yuri

[buildoblivion]

we absolutely do not talk enough about how gorgeous the tardis is at the start of enlightenment

[one-paper-bag]

it’s always so crazy to me how much weight is put on John and Paul’s romantic relationships and how they affect the Beatles, not Ringo or George’s.

I feel like it’s always “John fell in love with Yoko”, “Paul fell in love with Linda” and that’s why the band fell apart. Which - aside from being absolutely crazy conclusions that lack the nuance of, y’know, acknowledging Ringo and George (and also the whole host of other problems the band had) - is so fascinating to me because what do you mean it all hinged on John and Paul being together? What do you mean the band was absolutely peachy when Ringo or George were in love but as soon as something serious drives a wedge between John and Paul it’s all over?

There’s something in stating they found other people so they couldn’t be together that implies such a toxic codependency but also an insane jealousy of anything that takes the other’s attention away. Point is I think their devotion to each other made the breakup worse.

[enlitment]

Which Underrated Woman from History are You?

Finally got around to making a uquiz featuring six of my favourite women from history! You can either get someone from the French Revolution, Roman Republic (I know, how unexpected!) or from 1700s/early 1800s.

Featuring scientists, writers, politically active icons and a few poets whose lives were intertwined with theirs, as a treat!

Enjoy and thanks everyone for sharing! ✨

[burst-of-iridescent]

South Asian and Hindu Influences in ATLA (Part 3)

disclaimer: i was raised culturally and religiously hindu, and though i've tried to do my research for this post and pair it with my own cultural knowledge, i'm not an expert on hinduism by any means. should i mess up, please let me know.

please also be aware that many of the concepts discussed in this post overlap heavily with religions such as buddhism and jainism, which might have different interpretations and representations. as i'm not from those religions or cultures, i don't want to speak on them, but if anyone with that knowledge wishes to add on, please feel free.

Part 1 | Part 2

Avatar Day

katara, sokka and aang run across a village that despises the avatar and hold a yearly celebration burning giant effigies of past avatars. this seems to be inspired by the hindu festival of Vijayadashami, a celebration that marks the victory of the hero Rama over the demon Ravana in the epic Ramayana. effigies of Ravana, and other demons mentioned in the Ramayana, are built and set alight to celebrate their defeat and the triumph of good over evil.

this idea of destroying and condemning evil figures through consigning them to the flames is mirrored in the episode, though of course there is a dramatic irony in said evil figure being the avatar - a being of great power and divinity in the hindu tradition.

Ember Island jewelry

though the clothes that zuko, azula, ty lee and mai wear on ember island are predominantly taken from southeast asian countries like thailand and cambodia, there is some desi influence in the jewelry they wear - particularly azula's.

though perhaps not as ornate as desi jewelry usually is, the shape and style of azula's necklace is very similar to that of necklaces worn in south asia, especially at weddings. although it appears simple, it's likely that the necklace is made of pure gold, reflecting azula's status and wealth as princess of the fire nation.

the armband azula wears is also reminiscent of the bajuband, an armcuff worn around the biceps for religious festivities, or special occasions like weddings and parties.

again, you'll note that the version azula wears in the show is a lot more stripped down than typical indian jewelry would be, lacking the bejewelled, ornate designs that characterize desi ornaments.

i like to think this is azula's attempt at being an "average" teenager - dressing more simply (or so she thinks) to blend in with the others at the party. of course, the typical fire nation teenage girl probably wouldn't be wearing gold at all, let alone so much of it, and in fact most of the kids at the party seem to be wearing plain jewelry that look more like leather cords. it's a nice visual touch to confirm what the episode shows us: that azula isn't and doesn't know how to be a normal teenage girl, even when she tries.

Combustion Bending

the concept of combustion bending comes from the third eye of Shiva, one of the three gods in the Trimurti. where his counterparts Brahma and Vishnu are called the Creator and the Preserver respectively, Shiva is known as the Destroyer.

he is usually depicted with a crescent moon on his head, a serpent coiled about his neck, and most famously, his third eye in the centre of his forehead. the third eye is meant to represent shiva's innate power, knowledge and spiritual enlightenment, and is said to be able to see through any illusion or lie to reveal the truth. once opened, it releases a powerful blast of fire or energy (sources differ) that will annihilate any evil it detects.

the most famous myth associated with the opening of the third eye is that of Shiva and Kamadeva, the god of love and passion. according to the legend, Kamadeva tried to make Shiva fall for the goddess Parvati by shooting him with an arrow meant to arouse desire (yeah the hindus had cupid too) but Shiva saw through the trick and, in a fit of fury, reduced Kamadeva to ashes with his third eye.

the inextricable interlinking of destruction with falsehood and pretence reveals the true meaning of the third eye: it is not a tool for meaningless destruction, but a powerful spiritual force for truth, clarity and wisdom.

so naturally it makes perfect sense for the show to stick it on a no-name assassin with no other signifying characteristics or personality traits besides mindless killing. that definitely treats this important cultural and religious symbol with the respect it deserves!

speaking genuinely, the way atla depicts combustion bending goes against everything the third eye is actually meant to symbolise. Shiva didn't indiscriminately open his eye any time he was pissed off or wanted to kill someone; in fact, there are only three, maybe four instances of its use noted in legend, the most famous of which i have discussed above. the fact that the third eye was used so sparingly is testament to its incredible power - power that was meant to be wielded carefully and only when necessary.

for the creators to take this incredibly significant, symbolic aspect of hindu iconography and reduce it to nothing more than a "cool" bending tactic, stripping away all its actual spiritual meaning to turn it into a weapon of brute, random violence is... honestly more disrespectful than i can put into words.

Aang's Moral Dilemma

the scene where Aang goes to his past lives for advice on ozai has been confirmed by the creators to be inspired by the scripture of the Bhagavad Gita. this moment draws from a scene between Arjuna and the deity Krishna in the epic of the Mahabharata, which depicts the war for succession between two warring familial factions - the Kauravas and Pandavas.

in the referenced scene, Arjuna, one of the five Pandava brothers, experiences a moment of moral crisis before the Kurukshetra War. torn between his duty as a soldier and his lingering love for his family on the opposing side, he refuses to fight in the battle as he cannot bear the thought of inflicting violence upon those he once loved. Krishna, the Avatar of Lord Vishnu, and Arjuna's charioteer, rebukes Arjuna and tells him that his priority must always, first and foremost, be his dharma (duty). Krishna also explains that death is merely a release: it is not the physical body that matters, but the soul, and so Arjuna is not truly harming those he loved. heartened by this, Arjuna commences the battle with renewed commitment.

the influence here on aang's conversation with the past avatars is clear. like Arjuna, aang is caught between his personal desires and his duty; like Krishna, kyoshi, roku and kuruk advise him to put his desires second to his responsibility as the avatar. where the show differs is that aang is able to fulfil both his desires and his duty, while Arjuna must sublimate his personal wants to the greater good and what is expected of him as a warrior.

this, incidentally, is where i take issue with how the show handles aang's dilemma. from a dharmic perspective, the resolution of this moral conflict fails twofold: not only did aang fail to put his duty (killing ozai) before his own personal desire for non-violence and maintaining the sanctity of his beliefs, but the solution he did choose - energybending - likely caused ozai great spiritual damage, even if it spared him physical harm.

in hindu and dharmic traditions in general, the body is seen as merely a vessel to be discarded. it is the soul that persists through lifetimes, and the quality of one's spiritual actions that determine their next life. throughout the show, bending has always been inextricably linked with spirituality, and so the argument could well be made that - in accordance with dharmic beliefs - stripping ozai of his bending is much more cruel and harmful than merely killing him. for the writers to present energybending as a “humane” or “nonviolent” option that maintains aang’s moral purity is a fundamental misunderstanding of the basic tenets of hinduism and buddhism, both of which view the the non-material or spiritual self as more important than the physical body it inhabits.

ironically then, it is Arjuna who both fulfills his duty and protects his opponents from real harm, while aang accomplishes neither task. had the show stayed true to the moral conflict it was co-opting from the Gita, the real resolution would have been for aang to accept his dharma as a kshatriya (warrior) and do his duty, no matter the personal cost or sacrifice.

like with combustion bending, regrettably this is yet another instance of the writers being happy to cherry-pick "cool" concepts and ideas from hindu beliefs and myths, but failing to understand the true meaning of the lessons they were trying to impart.

though atla is an incredible show and was a hallmark for asian representation at the time it came out, i wish more people would recognize that it did fall incredibly short in many ways. it’s not too much to ask for desi characters to be more than lazy stereotypes, for important iconography be respected, and for the thought-provoking moral questions raised by scripture as ancient and rich as the Gita to be engaged with meaningfully rather than handwaved away in favour of a flashy, easy ending.

for a show that based so many of its fundamental concepts and ideas on hinduism, i think it’s fair to say that atla could and should have done better by the culture and religion to which it owed so much.

[goldensunset]

‘x the canon player character of a game’ and ‘x reader’ are different. DIFFERENT!!!

[woolying]

rainbow dash and j makes so much sense i think

gift for @hayleymarriedjakuraii !! hope u enjoy <3

[potatobugz]

reference