#this is not an issue of religion. we cannot allow ourselves to act as though it is. this is an issue of power control and capital

[cheesebearger]

supporting the decolonization of palestine is not antisemitic

[alittlewhump]

Unbidden - Act 5, chapter 3

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Content warnings: fantasy religion, death mention

Morgan's golem eventually warned him of people approaching. He didn't need to look to guess it would be Blaise and Icharion. It had not been an especially dignified departure. Blaise would have questions, and would have dragged him along with her to satisfy the sentry. Morgan took a steadying breath and raised his head. This conversation might as well happen now. He made a cursory effort to wipe the tears from his cheeks, not that it would make it any less obvious that he'd been weeping.

Icharion was the first to speak once they had rounded the corner and spotted him. "It was cruel of Master Ordan to lie to you as he did," he said stiffly. That didn't sound right at all. Morgan hadn't known Icharion especially well, but he hadn't been one for that sort of reflection. It was the sort of sentiment he would expect from Blaise, though. He glanced over and saw her watching him intently.

"We both know that cruelty was not the Master's intention," he said, addressing Icharion. "And we both know he was in the right."

Icharion exhaled. "I told you," he said to Blaise. She elbowed him.

"There's nothing right about what he did. Don't sell yourself short," she said to Morgan. "You've gotten so much stronger since we met. Just look at everything we've done together."

"That has nothing to do with it," Morgan replied.

"I told her, she wouldn't listen-" Icharion was silenced by another elbow to the ribs.

"Explain it to me, then," Blaise said, crouching in front of Morgan to look him in the face. "Because it sounds like this Ordan just sent you out to die without even telling you what you did to deserve it, and I really don't understand how the two of you seem to think that's justified."

"You know we don't perceive death the same way you do," Morgan reminded her. She nodded grudgingly. "Master Ordan's primary concern is the maintenance of our Order. Our numbers are few enough, but even a small tree can benefit from pruning its weakest branches." That had been one of the master's favourite metaphors. He'd usually used it in the context of seeking out weakness within oneself, but it seemed apt enough here too.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what he said, but you aren't weak." Her voice was rising, the frustration clear on her face.

"I am weak in the ways that matter to the Order," Morgan explained. The heat of shame prickled at his neck. He had no desire to enumerate his failings to her here, in front of someone who could verify the precise degree of his inadequacy. But Blaise was a force to be reckoned with, and he couldn't let her focus her anger on the Order. They were important, even if he was not, so he tried to explain. He started reluctantly with the most fundamental issue, the lowest bar he'd failed to surpass.

"In order to uphold the Balance, we must be objective in our judgment. And we cannot do that if we are beholden to emotions. It's some of our most basic and essential training, and I have never been able to master it properly." He could hear the bitterness creeping into his voice, feel the familiar weight curling in his gut. Even now he was failing.

"So, let me get this straight. You have feelings, like a regular person, and for some reason you think that's so bad you deserve to die for it." Blaise cocked an eyebrow at him. "It's not like that's something you can just turn off."

"I should be able to. It's one of our central tenets. We must be able to separate ourselves from our emotions so we can remain clear-headed. I truly thought I had myself under control when I set out, but... oh." He trailed off as the pieces finally clicked into place, tracing an unmistakable pattern back to its origin. It had felt like it had finally started getting easier by the time he'd left on his quest. The doubt he'd had in himself had been erased by the Master's assurance that he was ready. And he had found it to be possible, if not exactly easy, right up to a very specific point.

Proper control had been impossible ever since the fight against Andariel. Whose venom had caused a lasting change in his sense of pain, lingering even after all physical traces of the wound were gone. Permanent, Jamella had said. And Cain had also mentioned that Andariel could cause emotional sensitivity. So this, too, would be permanent. A heavy feeling settled over Morgan, coming to rest behind his ribs. The rest of his shortcomings were insignificant in comparison to this. There was no hope of redemption. It would take years more dedicated training to overcome this weakness, if it was even possible. And he had nowhere to train, no mentor to correct him when he inevitably strayed. He couldn't return to the Order, not after the story Ordan had woven. Icharion's reaction would be amplified a hundredfold. Why had he-

"Speak, Morgan. You're inside your own head." Icharion's voice was not unkind, but Blaise shot him a dirty look.

"I was clearly mistaken. I just don't understand why Master Ordan lied about the request," Morgan said, voice so low it was nearly a whisper. "He only had to ask. I would have gone willingly." If the goal had simply been to remove him, that could have easily been accomplished in a number of simpler ways. Everything else made sense. Morgan looked up at Icharion, half hoping to find an answer, half dreading what it might be.

"Politics, most likely. Any expulsion from within the Necropolis must be approved by the council, and Jostan is too troubled by our numbers to let anyone go, no matter the reason. No one would have believed you decided to go of your own volition, and Ordan has too many eyes on him to stage a convincing accident."

"Ah." Morgan looked back down. That explanation made sense enough, he supposed. He had simply been so intolerable, so far from adequate that it had forced the Master's hand. The man was fiercely loyal to the brotherhood, if rather unyielding in his views. His decisions were unswayable, and clearly he'd decided - he'd seen - that there could be no place for someone as weak as Morgan in the priesthood, no matter how earnest his devotion.

"Hang on," Blaise said, "when you talk about 'going', do you actually mean-"

"Dying, yes," Icharion interrupted. "It is an honour to lay down one's life in service to the Order." It was an honour he would never know, Morgan realized suddenly. That twisted like a knife.

"You're really not convincing me that any of this is okay," Blaise said.

"You don't need to believe the truth," Icharion replied. "It will be true all the same, with or without your approval."

"Blaise," Morgan said quickly, "wait." She looked ready to explode, glaring murderously at Icharion. Morgan tried to find the right words, ones she might take heed of. "Master Ordan was right. I cannot serve the Order of Rathma. I am not capable of meeting their standards. He saw that and acted in their best interest because that is his duty. The only fault here is mine. I should have seen it too." Should have recognized the truth and gone long ago, saved them all the trouble.

"That's stupid. The whole time I've known you, everything you've done has been in the name of the Balance. I've watched you work yourself nearly to death for it, and you're telling me that's not good enough? Bullshit."

"I've no doubt his intentions are pure," Icharion said with surprising gentleness, "but effort alone cannot overcome inability. Not all people are capable of all things. Few are suited to our work, fewer still are able to carry it out."

"Bullshit," Blaise repeated, but it was quieter this time. "That's not fair."

"It is important work," Morgan said. "It cannot be entrusted to those unfit to do it."

"And you really believe that includes you? Even after all the shit you've been through for it? After how hard you've worked?"

"I do." Morgan closed his eyes against the surge of emotions that swelled up at the finality of that admission. He had no choice but to accept the truth. It was nothing new, after all. Hardly the first time his best efforts had proven to be insufficient. That didn't do much to soften the blow. At least his ineptitude was likely to have prevented him from doing any real damage to anything in his efforts, he thought dully.

"I could witness your departure," Icharion offered after a time, breaking the silence. "We are far from home. The rules would allow it." It was an unexpected gesture, permitted but not necessary by the laws of the Order. Morgan studied his face for a moment. He found nothing; of course Icharion could make himself unreadable, like a priest ought to be able to do. There was an undeniable thread of kindness in the offer, though. At least it could be done properly. That would be a small comfort.

"I would appreciate that very much," Morgan said, getting to his feet. Blaise sprang up as well as Icharion drew his sword.

"Whoa, whoa, hang on a second here. Somebody tell me what's happening. I'm not going to let-"

"It's not that kind of departure," Icharion interrupted her. "Sit back down." Blaise bristled.

"It's just a ceremony," Morgan reassured her. "An oath. Nobody dies." She seemed slightly mollified but did not sit down, instead crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. She would let them proceed, then.

Morgan fished out a vial of oil from his chest pocket. Uncorking it, he pinched the tip of Icharion's proffered blade with his thumb and forefinger and squeezed several drops of blood in to mingle with the oil. Then he poured out the contents in a rough circle around himself. The circle glowed faintly as he imbued it with intent. He had never seen this particular ceremony, but the steps were as familiar as all the others he'd ever committed to memory.

"On my heart's blood I swear I shall never again interfere in the Order of Rathma, nor in the affairs of the dead." The words left a heavy feeling in his chest, but it was a little better than the jagged hurt that already sat there.

"On your heart's blood it is witnessed," Icharion replied, "and so are you bound." He traced a line under the circle with the bloodied tip of his blade. It drew in the light from the circle, which faded to nothing as he dismissed the magic with his free hand. Morgan wiped his fingers on the hem of his shirt.

"Thank you for that," he said quietly. Icharion nodded an acknowledgement as Morgan handed over the rest of his ceremonial oils. He no longer had a use for them. A thick, protective numbness was starting to settle in, blunting the world's edges.

"So that's it? You're just... done?" Blaise hadn't moved, still regarding them suspiciously.

"It is a very straightforward oath," Icharion pointed out as he wiped his blade clean and returned it to its sheath.

"Oh, fuck off."

"I will continue to do my part in the effort against Baal," Morgan clarified, the words feeling far away and hazy. "But on my own behalf, now. I think I'd like to join you in battle tomorrow." He could still work toward a purpose, still make himself useful. He needed that. To hold him together.

Blaise slung an arm around his shoulders. "I'll be glad to have you by my side." Morgan leaned into her gratefully. "And I think the barbarians are going to like your golems. If you're still..." she broke off, glancing over at the one still standing watch.

"He cannot raise the dead, but the earth is still fair game," Icharion confirmed. "Now if you're quite finished, I'm going back inside." He turned and left without further comment.

"You should go back with him," Morgan said. He pulled away from Blaise, but her hand lingered on his shoulder.

"Hey," she said softly, "are you... okay? I mean, fuck, obviously not, this is... I know the Order is important to you. Can I help? Somehow?" Once again, she was looking at him with earnest concern. He should have felt something about that, probably, but the numbness was there instead.

"I don't know," Morgan replied. "I'm going to finish checking the wall for damage," he found himself saying, "and then I think I'm going to meditate." Being fully rested would be a good idea. He'd been getting so much sleep recently, he didn't need any more and he certainly didn't want to risk the nightmares. But he found he didn't want to be conscious either. Though the specific techniques had been developed by the Order, the act of meditation was hardly exclusive to them. It wouldn't interfere with anything. He could still have that little peace, at least.

Blaise squeezed him gently. "Think about eating something too." That was probably also a good idea, but less appealing. He nodded anyway. "I'll leave you to it, then," she said, then followed Icharion's path back toward the gates.

There was still more to do, Morgan reminded himself as he walked slowly around the wall. Tyrael had bidden them to slay Baal. He still had a purpose, for now. Between that and the numbness, it was enough to propel him through the rest of the day's actions. His body patched a few more damaged spots in the wall, and put some food into itself, and found a bed to lay itself in, and then it rested as his mind drifted in meditation, carefully focused on absolutely nothing at all.

[spirit-science-blog]

“Time not important… only life important.” yep, we’re going there, things are about to get a little bit philosophical now that we’re dealing with the Fifth Element...no..not the Alchemical Quintessence, but close! That crazy 1990s Sci-Fi about a killer planet, the power of love… and… You know, Bruce Willis’s Wacky Taxi Adventures... and all that…

So, major spoiler alert… The fifth element is Love. Well, kind of...it’s this woman called Leeloominaï Lekatariba Lamina-Tchaï Ekbat De Sebat… For short, Leeloo is the fifth element, and in essence: a perfect, supreme being of sorts. In a way, she’s kind of like Avatar Aan, destined to unite with the other classical elements in an ancient Egyptian temple to act as a defense system against this super evil Dark Force called Mr. Shadow - which takes on the form of a cruel planet, whose only goal is to destroy life in a cosmic cycle every 5000 years.

It’s a movie that’s had its fair share of criticism, especially in the gender department… Leeloo is the only real female character, with others appearing randomly throughout as passive objects, sex objects, or with most of their femininity stripped away like Major Iceborg. Aside from the fifth element herself, there’s a real lack of divine feminine in this story, but then again, her nature itself does embody many characteristics of the divine feminine: powerful, unique, and beyond the understanding of nearly everyone that she meets.

Regarding the plot, we have kind of a Raava vs. Vaatu thing happening like from Legend of Korra… and it’s hard not to draw lines to Avatar here considering the whole elemental theme huh? In the intro, we see an archaeologist deciphering ancient words regarding the conjunction of celestial bodies, something we should all do more of you know? Which, by the way, if you haven’t picked up your edition of the 2021 Almanac of the New Age, I might highly recommend it, because it helps you do just that without being randomly surprised by a giant robot-alien! Before they show up though, the archaeologist has to keep yelling to Aziz to wake up, as the kid keeps nodding off… I wonder if this is subtly depicting how humanity keeps falling asleep and thus the light that illuminates sacred knowledge is not currently stable. Yet when the advanced beings come to show the way, the light is blinding… Powerful and concrete.

There’s also a sense here that humans are the custodians of Earth, so we have to protect it from darkness and destruction ourselves, and while these higher beings help when the time is right, they cannot do it for us. While Love is shown as this mythical force that these advanced beings can use to defeat the darkness, it could also be said that Love is neutral energy between Light and Dark, one that is capable of harmonizing both sides, ultimately resetting the cycle, something that is echoed in Zorg’s speech later on.

All this knowledge is of course passed down through a secret brotherhood of priests, acting as keepers through the generations, of which there are many stories of secret societies doing the same in our history, and amazingly in the future where the main story takes place, Priest Cornelius is also an “Expert of Astrophenomenon”. He’s not just an expert on the metaphysical, but also seemingly the scientific study of space, and there’s certainly a sense that he’s got that whole balance thing down to a tee, working to better his understanding of both science and spirit by combining the two fields.  

So when the military fires a bunch of missiles at Mr. Shadow, it’s interesting to see how they treat Cornelius, who tries to explain to them what Mr. Shadow is, to which he is mostly ignored, and they continue trying to brute force the problem. Yet Evil begets more Evil - as Cornelius explains, subtly referencing that the military's weapons, or at least their intentions. Mr. Shadow - symbolic of “our” shadow selves, demonstrates that it will grow in power if you try to destroy it with the same mindset that created it. The only way to truly harmonize the darkness is through love.

Even more impressive is this disconnect between the President of Earth and Earth itself. While, of course, they are trying to protect the earth and all of its life, when we see the world, we have to ask… are those living? Police and robots so heavily control everything, it’s smoggy, you see some crazy representations of people like the guy who tries to rob Korben in his apartment, and I’m not sure I saw a single tree…

Now, Major Dallas, to that end, of course, represents the divine masculine, also fulfilling the warrior archetype. While, of course, he checks all the classic hero tropes of the ex-lone warrior destined to save the world and fall in love with a perfect supreme sacred woman, the way it plays out DOES provides us with a bit of wisdom for ourselves concerning synchronicity. He describes that what he wants is to meet that perfect woman, and she falls from the sky into his cab. Perhaps this is a nod to manifestation in some way, as it’s their love story that’s the key to resolving the movie's conflict. It’s also a reminder for us that when we stumble into synchronicity, we have to be willing to take that leap of faith and follow where it leads us. For Korben, he has an opportunity to give LeeLoo up to the coppers but ends up putting his whole life at risk for her instead, but it’s THIS path that leads to the world being saved. Korben has to ask himself what’s important, following his heart and helping someone in need or earning more points on his taxi license…

Now, Leeloo on the other hand, through her character explores the nature of spirituality, DNA, and the physical capabilities of our souls within a body. A big topic in spirituality today is the science of ascension - we made a whole workshop on that which you can watch for free if you like - and what enlightenment might look like or do to our physical bodies. Leeloo’s DNA is perfect.. But it isn’t inhuman. There’s nothing really out of the ordinary about her DNA, she has the same genetic composition as us, just more of it, more tightly packed, allowing for greater inherent genetic knowledge and potential. Perhaps there’s a message here that the human genome is already whole, we just need to utilize its latent capabilities to find inner harmony, leading to a leveling up of what we are truly capable of.  

So if Korben was like Link and LeeLoo was Princess Zelda, Zorg would be Ganondorf, completing the trinity. Zorg actually drops some pretty interesting wisdom in his discussion with Cornelius. Despite his “evil” role, his whole name is Jean Baptiste Emanuel Zorg, being named after the prophet and saint in many religions, and Emanuel meaning ”God is with us” in Hebrew. Zorg explains that life itself results from chaos and disorder at times. He believes that by creating a little destruction, he is encouraging life to renew itself, so the Priest and he are really in the same business… while it might just sound like he’s been brainwashed by the Shadow, when we look deeper, we do find some hidden spirituality!

His ideology is in alignment with the wisdom of the importance and honorable role of darkness in our reality. Much like the tower or death card in the major arcana or the shells of the Qliphoth in the Kabbalah, agents of darkness often come to give structure, boundaries, and direction for light to move through, as well as clearing stagnant energy to make way for new and evolved paradigms. Much like the cycles and sine waves that move through nature, energy flows through peaks and valleys that balance each other out.

Zorg knows he is a monster and is proud of it. He’s a businessman at heart, powerful from the money of capitalism, and a reflection of society's state of awareness and evolution. As we mentioned, this future society is portrayed as consumerist and still dwelling on issues of pollution and crime, even in spite of great new technologies. Perhaps that’s why the Darkness had to come, to help propel the evolution of consciousness forward and bring about divine love. However, while the love between Korben and Leeloo is highly symbolic, it doesn’t seem to affect basically anyone else, which might call us to ask ourselves… would it have been better for humanity and its pollution to be destroyed? This - at the very least - seems to be the underlying thinking behind Zorgs criminal activity. Ultimately, in the face of darkness, humans must come together to accomplish things and stop evil, something we wouldn’t do otherwise… This is what makes us evolve as a species.

Zorg perfectly encapsulates his philosophy in his quote about glass, saying “this glass is serene and boring, but when destroyed, a lovely ballet ensues full of form and color”. He then knocks it off the table and a bunch of little vacuum cleaner droids come and clean it up. Describing that the “People who created them, technicians, engineers, now have money to feed their children. They are part of the chain of life".

Interestingly though, Zorg is only a monster because life experiences took him there, but he started like any of us. There is a nice lesson from Cornelius about how fickle life is: all of Zorg’s power counts for absolutely nothing when his entire empire comes crashing down because of one little cherry. Cornelius saves Zorg’s life regardless, showing us the virtue of the angels, even towards the demons.

When the team finally makes it to the alien space opera, we get to meet Ruby Rhod and Plavalaguna. Ruby is one of the most unique parts of this movie… Crazy sexual antics aside, he is unapologetically authentic to his true nature, bending gender standards and seemingly embodying masculine and feminine with grace and humor. Perhaps the epitome of the wacky human spirit. And then as for Plavalaguna, she has some very ascended master vibes. The Mondoshawans entrusted her with the safekeeping of the elemental stones, who actually carries them inside her body as a safeguard. From a Spiritual perspective, this seems to describe how we all embody the classical elements within us. She even senses Leeloo's presence behind a wall down the hallway, implying she has some measure of clairvoyance. Interestingly, like the Mondoshawan from earlier, she doesn’t seem overly concerned with her own death, echoing the movie’s sentiment that time is not important, only life. Deeper though, it appears that she knew she was going to die all along, in order for the stones to get out of her…. We’re not even gonna ask how she got the stones inside her in the first place...that’d be one hard pill to swallow, let alone perform an entire opera with these giant rocks in your belly. Mad props to her.

Perhaps the reason superior beings don’t fear death as we do is that they know the bigger picture, they know these lives are transitory, so they don’t mind dying for a cause, as they understand the purpose of this life in the bigger scheme of things. Knowing that the flux and flow between life and death is transient, they’ll be back in the right place and the right time as life requires it. In the same way, in traditional tarot the horse Death is riding, is stepping over a prone king, which symbolizes that not even royalty can stop change. Plava understands her role and accepts her death, after imparting wisdom to Dallas that Leeloo is still fragile and somewhat human, despite her seeming physical evolution.

This idea of Leeloo still being human, however, forms a key part of the ending, as up until this point she has been learning all of human history via an alphabetical database… When she learns of war, she loses hope in humanity after seeing the darker sides of our past. Certainly, we can’t blame her, humans are the only species to cut down a forest to make room for a billboard that says “stop deforestation”, I’d be pretty shocked about our history too. However, Korben’s love shows her that love is an undefinable thing, it’s not a stone like the other elements, but a feeling between people that permeates everything and is worth fighting and caring for.

It’s pretty funny that when it comes down to it, none of the characters actually know how to activate the super-love bomb. Leeloo doesn’t know what will happen, but she continues to follow her divine calling to be on that platform without second-guessing herself, even if she didn’t know at the end how to activate the final “weapon”..she follows her own inner voice and calling and is guided into defeating the darkness, speaking to the importance of following our intuition and own inner guide.

Ultimately love is shown to be something with no boundaries, no clear explanations, but still exists through us, changing our lives in powerful ways. And through thousands of years, it will stay as the most important thing worthy to fight for. It’s no accident that in a time of such modernized technologies and possibilities humanity once again has to turn to nature for help in the form of the elements. It reminds people that technology cannot always provide protection, it is nature that always has been the source of power, as it exists forever. And only things that are eternal, like nature and love, are of true significance. Today, it seems people either love or hate this movie, but whatever way the coin falls, it is undoubtedly a fun experience, and packed to the brim with spiritual wisdom!

So until next time, be mindful of what you do with the gift of life, cause we never know when a sentient evil planet might try and eat us. Toodles!

This video was created by Team Spirit Connect with the team at https://spiritsciencecentral.com/about

[a-to-a-and-d-to-d]

The First Post, Unaffiliated

This is not my first rodeo on Tumblr, but I have not logged into my original account in some time.  I think a large part of that decision was due to a bitter taste in my mouth regarding friendships made on this site that I would eventually need to detach from, and sometimes that’s a difficult thing to not only recognize the need for, but to accept and actually do.

I am also less into fandom than I had been.  I realize that my indulgence into fandom was to find acceptance and love, but much like seeking religion or social groups for this purpose, it was bound to eventually backfire and discontinue that comfort that it brought me.  

I will probably go about discuss religion and like things in this place eventually, as I often ponder religion and spirituality, but do not take my pointing out of anything I find interesting as a means to try to disprove or prove anything.  

I thought perhaps today, though, I will talk about something that is on my mind a lot lately, and has recently been brought to the surface by a friend’s situation

One of the struggles I continue to deal with, even as I ever so slowly trudge towards that which we call mid-life,  is the child’s relationship with the parent(s), and how those that are/were damaging, we some how feel necessary to reconcile in some ways, for our sanity and for the parental love that we crave because we did not receive an adequate amount of any sort of parental relationship in our youth.

I personally did not develop what I would consider a relationship with my parents until I hit my 20s.  I spent a childhood being lonely despite being surrounded by siblings and having parents who remained married.  My teen years resulted in a tumultuous relationship with my mother and her scramble to convince teachers and other parents that she did not “screw up” as a parent.  I dealt with a significant amount of troubles in my adolescence and her reaction to that time was to become angry.  Angry that I had issues, angry that it was clear I had issues, and that I wasn’t living my teens as though everything had been and was perfectly fine.

My older siblings also had difficult times during their teen years, resulting from abusive and neglectful parenting and allowing their children - mostly due to a lack of interest in them - to stay in unsafe private schools and ruminate on those difficulties by themselves.  Somehow, I had been expected to be emotionally capable at 10/11 years old to deal with constant harassment.  I found release in music and story telling, and sometimes I still very much cling to these things.

What is currently difficult is trying to reconcile parents you had to who they are.  Can one forgive an entire childhood of neglect and mistreatment because their parents are better equipped to deal with the issues of completely independent children, or is the fact that they are no longer sole providers for any children making it easier for them to have a relationship with them?  The real question at the bottom of this barrel is, is are we - who decided we can tolerate a relationship with these people as adults - continuing to trigger ourselves?  I have had more than one night, after talking to my mother, laid in bed and unable to sleep, thinking about some violent act committed against me when I was so small, and wonder... how could she look at a child of 5 and think that was reasonable in any way?  It upsets me when I recall those my moments; of course they’re upsetting.  But the biggest part of the upset is the fact that I have the memories of this violence but a parent now that I feel more connected to and invested in their wellbeing.

When I was about 18, I was certain I wouldn’t cry at the funerals of either parent, but now I’m concerned about their well being as they become elderly.  In some ways, it feels like I’ve betrayed my child self by maintaining a relationship with them even though I had promised myself as a child I would cut them off for good.  This is a promise I’ve made a few times as an adult as well.

I think part of the reason I continue to go back is that we all yearn for a family of some sort.  And for a while, I thought I had found a “found family,” but after so many years, it was made clear that it really wasn’t that way.  Being rejected by found family hurts so much more than an entire life of biological familial rejection.  I’m sure this is due to the fact that I had been subjected to violence and neglect once I became a toddler.  Once actual parenting was required.

My childhood resulted in an odd way of feeling emotions and attachments.  I may talk about this in depth at a different time.

What’s been really bothering me is a friend and their particular relationship with their parents.  I’ve spent the better part of a year hearing about how their parents, one in particular, is vile and just the worst.  They plan to call authorities.  They let pets suffer & die (though my friend also noticed the pets in question and lives there so there is some question as to why they didn’t step up and do something about it).  They claim years of abuse and current child abuse in the home.  A lifetime of making them feel worthless and taking jabs, blaming them for a lack of confidence and depression.  They spent a lot of time discussing their anti-mask feelings and has made comments about them dying so the other parents could be free.  The other parent isn’t great, either, but the major complaint is that they’re racist as all get out.. but they excuse it away by saying “but they’re my parent.”

The bad-mouthed parent, the vile and evil one, the anti-mask one (and the racist one as well,, but less about them), the one said friend couldn’t wait to leave and never speak to them again, contracted our pandemic friend.  And the vile parent is suffering quite a bit more at its hands.  Suddenly, we love this person.

I had a similar experience several years ago, as well, of supposedly incredibly abusive and terrible parents that continue to abuse and mistreat into their adulthood, suddenly becoming a weird sort of saint in their eyes when illness/death is at the door.  its not that I believe people who have toxic parents do not love them, or should not worry or mourn if tragedy strikes them.  What I am saying is that, if you imagine your parent getting sick and suffering, and that makes your heart hurt and you feel a surge of love, then perhaps you shouldn’t have spent several years convincing everyone around you that they’re the worst person.  It makes me question what is more true.  I do think that we all unconsciously exaggerate situations that effect us, such as relaying a story of toxicity, but if you do it to a point where I think you’re just waiting for the opportunity to leave their life forever, I might wonder why you’re so bent out of shape.

Is it mourning of the relationship we wish we had?  As long as that parent is alive and relatively well, we may be thinking that there’s still a chance to have that relationship.  We hope that maybe the parents will suddenly give a shit about us and will love us in the way we needed when we were children.  And its difficult to admit to yourself that this isn’t going to happen.  Even if your parental relationships are fulfilling and loving now, they are not what you needed when you were a child and you cannot get them now, because you are not a child.

You can always experiment out in the big bad world with different avenues.  As I equate violence to the touch of a “loved one,”  I’ve fetishized some of that violence.  Just as, I’m sure, people had fetishized their own experiences and needs that had been neglected.

However we cope, we need to find healthy and viable ways to do so.  And while I do question the legitimacy of the abusive parent when a friend’s reaction to their parent takes a complete turn when something bad happens, I also understand that relationships with abusive people are weird and difficult, especially when they’re our families.

[eddtober]

EDDTOBER MASTERPOST 2019!

ABOUT:

Eddtober is a list of prompts made in an effort to encourage the Eddsworld Fandom to spread their wings of creativity beyond the norms that they are used to, during the month of October.

It is all without harming others or causing drama, a neutral ground for all fans of Eddsworld to come and have fun, no matter what side of a discourse they’re in. 

It hopes to promote inspiration beyond the usual over-dramatised content, to revive a spirit in Eddsworld that hasn’t been seen in many years, and to stretch the invitation to all who can create.

Eddtober calls not only the artists who have a talent for drawing and painting and so forth, but also: the authors (fanfics, journalists, essayists, diarists, poets, ramblers), the cosplayers, the video-makers (animators, video essays, memers, youtubers), the gamers (game devs, let’s plays) and more. Eddtober calls for all those who want to be inspired with unconventional creativity. 

So Eddheads: come forth, be inspired and make something new! 

With that out the way, steel yourselves - this post is gonna be a long one under the cut!

RULES:

Base Rules need to be set so everyone can participate in Eddtober safely and in a fun way. Please read them carefully!

Always tag it with #eddtober and tag appropriately! Of course, the first part is easy. In regards to the second part, there’s three categories. All they have in common is that they must be tagged with their own tag and NOT in the main eddtober tag. These specific tags musn’t be shortened or reimagined either, just to make sure. Side Note: If you don’t want to see ANY of these things mentioned in the categories, it’s recommended that you get some form of a blacklist extention, either Tumblr Savior, xKit, or even tumblr itself to hide those things from you. Though do beware - be careful when looking through the blog since… Yeah, it’s hard to blacklist stuff through there. a) Gore. Gore and related NSFW is allowed in the challenge, but please tag it as #Eddtober gore, alongside the appropriate trigger warnings of the subject as #tw -trigger here- . The creative piece should also be posted with a ‘keep reading’ redirection so it isn’t immediately seen by those who are repulsed by it. b) Shipping. As of 2019, shipping is now officially allowed and acceptable in the challenge! If you have any ships implied or shown in a prompt response, always use #eddtober shipping and what ship it is in a seperate tag. c) (In)Famous Fan Projects. As of 2019, a lot of dividing opinions have been flying around the community and splitting people apart. In an event of unity and neutrality, these opinions are still welcomed, but still have to be done carefully. If you’re in favour of a fan-project, go ahead and tag them alongside ’#eddtober fan project’. But if you’re not, then you don’t have to tag them - just use ’#eddtober fan project salt’. And yes, those are the exact tags. No need to alter them here.

Be Sensitive and Respectful to Others. I know many of us here in this fandom can take easy offence to certain creations, so please consider and think on your creative piece before you make and post it. If it’s intentionally insulting and offensive, don’t post or even create it at all.  

Credit Where Due. This should be blatantly obvious right now, but please, please don’t steal other’s creative fanwork or post it without credit. Always have permission from the creator to post something of their’s, regardless of the social media, and always have their username when you post it, not just ‘credit to the artist/original person’. If you do not follow this, actions will be taken for your consequences. This also goes for spreading Eddtober - always place a link to this blog if you spread the list to other social medias!

Keep your situation and life chill. You can do one prompt for Eddtober, some of the prompts or all of them - up to you! It’s understandable if life gets in the way. The goal of Eddtober is not to do every prompt, but to be inspired to create fan-content in a way you usually wouldn’t have.

Spread the word. This is less of a rule and more of a personal request from Admin Chris, but since she doesn’t have many social media accounts you’d expect, spreading word of Eddtober (with appropriate credit back to this blog) would mean a LOT, so they can join in the fun too!

Sharing is caring. Reblogging and sharing from your fellow creators doing Eddtober would be great to give them a motivation and confidence boost! (Keep in mind that reposting is not the same as reblogging, unless proper credit is given with the original artists’ permission.)

Go Beyond the Boundaries of Your Imagination. The whole purpose of Eddtober is to promote new, fresh things to come up in the Eddsworld fandom and break a cycle of the same old that’s been there for a while. Take a leap, spread your wings, do your best, and go have fun.

BOUNDARIES:

Most of this list will be related to Rule Two of Eddtober:

Be Sensitive and Respectful to Others.

Quote:

‘I know many of us here in this fandom can take easy offence to certain creations, so please consider and think on your creative piece before you post.‘

Whilst Eddtober is a fun, neutral place to spread our creative wings, there are boundaries that need to be taken in order to keep everyone safe. Which means certain parts that are usually seen as ‘common’ within the Eddsworld Fandom will not be acceptable in the challenge. This list is just to make sure that we as the Eddtober community can set a good standard for the fandom and for ourselves.

Edd Gould’s death. Admin Chris wishes to make it clear that creative pieces that draws clear lines to Edd’s passing IS NOT okay. This includes Edd (IRL and the character) in hospital for cancer, Angel Edd or any AU that depicts him as a divine being of any sort (including Blessworld), in Heaven or Hell (as an actual denizen there, not a tourist like in Hello Hellhole. There’s a strong difference).   Here at Eddtober, Edd's life is something to be celebrated, not his death. It’s uncomfortable to see this thing happen and should be steered clear of.

Fetishisation/Sexualisation of Religions and Faiths. This is another reason why AUs such as Blessworld aren’t okay. In regards to that AU, the sexualisation and the horrendous acts done within the Catholic church is a highly sensitive topic that’s still debated over even in real life. So things such as ‘sexy’ nuns and priests and so forth are a strong insult to them. This is only one example though, and I’m not saying you can’t explore faiths and combine them with Eddsworld, but I HIGHLY recommend doing your research on the faith or religion and its history before creating for Eddtober.

Edd’s old IRL Friends. This is regarding Prompts 27 and 28 for the most part. Whilst Edd Gould did draw his pals into comics and Eddisodes, making them their own characters (quite clearly), many of them might not want to be associated with Eddsworld or Edd after his passing or after the legacy season. So out of respect for their wishes, please do not involve Edd’s actual old IRL friends in your creative pieces unless they say they’re okay with it. This will vary from person to person, so do not also take one answer from one person and apply that as an umbrella motive. If you get no response from the person regarding this if you ask them yourself, then take it as a NO and don’t involve them in the creative piece. This doesn’t mean that you cannot use the Eddsworld character based off of them (unless they straight-up say so). You’re perfectly able to, but to avoid future confusion, a person’s Eddsworld character IS NOT the same as the real-life person. For example, using Tom from Eddsworld in a piece is okay, but using Thomas ‘TomSka’ Ridgewell himself for the same Eddsworld piece isn’t. (Disclaimer: Said example may not be 100% accurate unless there’s further information about this. This is a fictional example, after all.)

The real guys’ last names/surnames. I really didn’t want to say this in here and it hasn’t happened in Eddtober yet, but when Legacy ended, one of Tom’s last says was that the fans shouldn’t use the IRL last names of Eddsworld crewmembers (specifically actors and animators) for the characters. It’s an effort to seperate the characters from the real-life people. This means when creating your pieces, you don’t use: -Edd Gould -Tom Ridgewell -Matt Hargreaves -Tord Larsson And so forth. You’re welcome to come up with your own last names for the characters, but please don’t use the old IRL ones. Unfortunately since this habit is starting to pop back up in bits of the fandom, I want to make it clear that isn’t cool or tolerated, and action will be taken if I see it happen in here.

Sinsworld. Believe it or not, the sinsworld tag was specifically made back in the day to keep the porn out of the main. But due to a certain in-fandom event, this intended action has been long-lost. Because of all of these events, any sinsworld (porn, lewds and related sexual NSFW) that’s Sinspired by the Eddtober prompts WILL NOT be accepted into the blog or any other official Eddtober accounts by any means.   This is because many in this fandom are minors/underage and more who are 18+ are repulsed to porn and such (Admin Chris is part of the latter group). It is fine to be sexually inspired by the prompts and create stuff for them, but PLEASE don’t tag that Sinsworld content with Eddtober.

Abusive/Self-Harm Creative Content, Gorey or not. No. Just. No. I don’t wish to deny vent or darker creations. It is good to release your frustrations and express personal issues in what you create, but there are safe and appropriate ways to do so in the challenge. Death wishing, abuse, suicide/suicide idealisation, self-harm and/or similar are NOT allowed to be depicted in the challenge and should NEVER be romanticised or supported. Eddtober aims to be a safe and uplifting place for all creative people, no matter what their space is at the moment.

Shipping. On a similar note - whilst shipping is allowed, there are of course some things we don’t allow out of respect for everyone: -Shipping of the IRL people. -Sexual or abusive ship dynamics and tropes. -Ship-bashing or insulting ships. I’m sure there will be more to add to the list as I continue getting asks regarding this, but in the meantime, please don’t let yourself fall into creating for this.

Gore beyond Eddsworld’s levels. Gore has been a staple of Eddsworld since the early episodes, and it won’t be refused in the challenge. However, there are limits to how far this gore will go as of 2019, and it will be made clear here. -Guts This was allowed in Eddtober 2018, but as of now this is no longer the case. A lot of Eddheads expressed discomfort at the idea of guts hanging out of bodies as of the 2019 preparation survey, and I agree with them. This will also be extended to zombification/zombies. -Romanticised/‘Fashionable’ Gore. Absolutely not. Using the creative properties of gore to make someone look more ‘attractive’ in a sexualised manner is against the earlier boundaries. -Gore of Edd Gould, or his old IRL friends. This hasn’t happened, but it is good to make this clear in case some people are really naive about this: DO NOT DO THIS. That’s just straight-up offensive. -Gore of Prompts 27 to 30 (and potentially 31).   Obviously. Since these last few prompts are about expressing your love and appreciation to the fandom, it doesn’t make sense on why you’d make something gutsy-gorey about some wholesome times. Especially in regards to Prompts Twenty-Seven and Twenty-Eight (Which was also just technically mentioned above, but the point has been made).

(In)Famous fan-projects. In the past year or so, certain fan projects have gathered a strong following - both for love and hate. Unfortunately, due to this hate being especially loud in 2019, action had to be taken for this. It’s not to say that you can’t express your opinions of a project, but there’s a safe way for all in doing so. For the others around you, and for yourself too. So if you’re going to create things that relate to either side of the argument you’re on, I will NOT allow straight-up insulting stuff to either side. Be it horrendous caricatures of the creators, vaguing about others through a story, plain old bashing or other means, I will NOT let it be shared around. More so, if this is kept up, I’ll most likely disregard your creations entirely since I don’t wish to endorse hurtful people. Especially through this event.

With all that said and done, let’s get to the ACTUAL prompts!

Quick reminder: when this list says ‘create something for’, it’s not just referring to fanart. It refers to any medium - digital, traditional or unconventional - that can be used. The challenge here is to be creative as possible, not to stay conventional.

The List features Admin Chris’s Commentary. Some useless, some useful.

Create something for Edd. (Not his real-life counterpart, but the character. That needed some clearing up based on 2017’s results.)

Create something for Tom.

Create something for Matt

Create something for any pre-legacy season episode, except WTFuture. (You can do WTFuture if you want, but seeing that much of this fandom is currently made of people who came in after The End… It’d be worth having a crack at other pre-legacy episodes.)

Create something for or with the crew’s symbols. (An example of symbols being a cola can for Edd, something blue for Tom, a mirror for Matt, etc.)

Create something for Superhero Alter Egos! (It doesn’t have to stop at PowerEdd’s canon either! Go nuts! Give Edd and his friends new superhero alibis and outfits!)

Create something for Supervillain Alter Egos! (Reminder that it doesn’t have to stop at the ‘Green/Blue/Purple/Red Leader scenario! Again, go nuts! Get wacky if you must!)

Create something for Minor characters of the show. (Except the Neighbours - they already have their own prompt.)

Create something for descendants of the main four guys. (Sure, you can make it about the love children of your favourite ships, but the point of this prompt specifically is to not be ship-related. See if you can come up with descendant characters from the bloodlines of the main four. If not, shipping is fine.)

Create something for Tord. (He’s late in this list for a reason. Trust me.)

Create something for the neighbours of 29 Dirdum Lane. Are Kim and Katya still there, or are there newbies in the street?

Create something for the neighbours of 25 Dirdum Lane.

Create something for unlucky things happening to the guys, or one of them. Feel free to go as dark or as humourous as you like!

Create something for genderbends of the guys, maybe as if the Ellsworld we know never existed. Or you can stick to canon, up to you.

This prompt is a wild card. Do with it as you wish. (In 2017 everyone was told to quote: ‘go whole hog on this’. The next thing we all knew, everybody literally drew pigs with the guys. That wasn’t supposed to be literally taken, but by god it was hilarious.)

Create something for your crew. Whether you’re the main character with your friends or have OCs taking that place or a mix of both is up to you.

Create something for an AU of Eddsworld. You can make one up on the spot, or even fan content for an AU that already exists is cool too. (As of rule number two of Eddtober, the Blessworld AU will not be accepted for this prompt. I know it is popular, but if you have any issues with this, please contact me in the blog asks myself.)

Create something for Eddsworld as a video game. Whether it’s concepts and covers for your own ideas or fanart for games in the making such as Eddsworld Armageddon, up to you. Heck, why not make a demo?

Create something for Todd, or whoever the ‘Tord’ figure is of 25 Dirdum Lane.

Create something for a Saloonatics-WTFuture Crossover. (What? Shenanigans could be made here, guys. Just take it!)

Create something for the future selves of the guys. Or if you want to take it up a notch, make your own versions of them! Have them all be hobos (#HoBrosforlife), or have cola not be banned in the future… up to you!

The End who? Create something for and/or elaborate on how you would finish off the Eddsworld Legacy season. (For the purposes of this prompt, I can accept an angsty end for this, but I personally do not recommend it.)

Create something for Zanta. (I guess you could call him a Nightmare Before Christmas, then.)

Create something for an Eddsworld movie. Whether it’s stuff for the Eddsworld Fan Movie or your own ideas, up to you!

Create something for the deal with Tom’s eyes. If you want to call them that.

Pick a song, any song, and put that on repeat. Use it as inspiration to create something in relation to Eddsworld.

Create something for Edd Gould himself. Not his character in Eddsworld, the real-life person.

An obligatory prompt without Eddtober in the beginning: create something for Edd’s birthday. (This was made into a prompt and will permanently remain as one as Edd’s birthday shouldn’t be taken away from today.)

Create something for someone/multiple someones in the fandom who inspire you - even the small artists and writers and such who are just starting out!

Create something for who or what got you into EW. What's your story? How did you get here? (Do you have 90 minutes?)

Create something for you being inserted into Eddsworld in any way. (Because here in Eddtober, cringe culture is dead and we don’t hesitate to self-insert.) Be it you hanging with the guys or going on an eddventure, the context and situation is up to you!

VETERANS! Have you already done a prompt and don’t want to repeat yourself? Then check out the list of Eddstra Prompts here!

Phew! Alright, that’s everything. If you have any suggestions or questions about the challenge, please feel free to shoot an ask through the blog. Thanks for reading and have a safe and awesome Eddtober!

[irenedonati]

Why Wanlov the Kubolor's "Swim" is the most relevant piece of content we have experienced in Ghana in a while and why we should talk about it.

Wanlov The Kubolor, Ghanaian rapper, songwriter, producer, video maker, and performance artists  recently released a new video and a song called “Swim." 

I don't want to spend too much time talking about who decided, for instance, to report the content on Instagram because their susceptible soul was insulted by the nudity portrayed in the video. Can we blame people for not understanding? Or should we blame a system that keeps brainwashing people through religion and politics so they do their dirty job for them of silencing any voice that sounds too loud?

I realized that we shouldn't draw more attention to ignorance: as Eckhart Tolle says — “Whatever you fight, you strengthen, and what you resist, persists.” So I am not going to spend time strengthening ignorance; I will spend time on what deserves attention, strength, and power.

I have admired Wanlov's work for many years, way before we connected in real life, and now I am able to understand him more as well as explore his energy. I consider him a friend and an ally in the fight for human rights, especially LGBTQ and women’s rights.

I feel Wanlov’s work is becoming more profound and even more fascinating. I recently had some long conversations about him with a friend who is a performance artist. We started tracking analogies that helped me explore the beauty of Wanlov's work and message.

After days of research, thinking, and re-writing from different angles, I realized that we could compare Wanlov’s work to many performance artists who used their bodies to make political statements. I am not comparing to validate. Wanlov doesn't need validation. It is however quite interesting to realize that artists from very different backgrounds and circumstances have ended up using a similar form of expression for related messages or fights. Again, I am not comparing to validate but to show how far from mental freedom those who keep finding offense in a meaningful artistic expression are.

Even though it's an unusual type of performance I watch "Swim" and I think "SOMETIMES DOING SOMETHING POETIC CAN BECOME POLITICAL AND SOMETIMES DOING SOMETHING POLITICAL CAN BECOME POETIC," which is text from the inspiring work of Belgian artist Francis Alÿs and is a poignant description of "Swim".

"A compulsive wanderer, Francis Alÿs is known for his in-depth projects in a wide range of media including documentary film, painting, photography, performance, and video. Many of his works involve intense observation and recording of the social, cultural, and economic conditions of particular places, usually conceived during walks through urban areas".

Even though it's an entirely different performance, "Swim" is something poetic that can become political. It's also indeed political and still incredibly poetic: the statement of swimming naked in an ocean of plastic in a country that is very good at having politicians taking selfies with celebrities, but can't seem to solve fundamental issues like the filth on our streets and shores; to the tone of the voice pronouncing the lyrics; to the music.

I could stop here and you would already have enough to think about.

But I want to go deeper because Francis Alÿs performances are not directly comparable to Wanlov’s, if not by intention. Pushing an ice block through the streets of Mexico City until it melts might look extremely different from swimming naked in plastic or walking barefoot everywhere around the world, but is it that different?

Is Wanlov's use of his naked body different from Ana Mendieta's use of her nude body?

Ana Mendieta is a celebrated Cuban-born artist who used her body as a statement for her entire career. Body Art is an expression that has always forced "the audiences to partake in oftentimes violent, jarring, shocking, or unimaginable experience, asking its viewers to consider the role they were playing in the dark and uncomfortable spaces between innocent bystander and culpable voyeur."

Ana Mendieta started using her body to make statements about the political abuse of bodies of women and about rape. She used her naked body in contact with water, earth, and other natural elements (including blood) to express her pain and her rage and to denounce sexual abuse/violence.

Is it that different from what Wanlov keeps doing in the fight for women’s rights and gay rights? 

The reason why we are disturbed or moved by naked bodies in a non-sexy or non-pornographic state is that they represent the vulnerability of human nature. And we don't want to be vulnerable because vulnerability is considered a "feminine or gay issue:" Naked men are supposed to send dick pics or show their sexual power ( the wrong way ). 

Wanlov is swimming naked in a polluted ocean. Wanlov is making his body look more feminine with clothes and makeup to dissolve gender roles. Wanlov is not afraid to show his naked body in a non-sexual way. People will whisper: "He must be gay," or comment on social media “Stop being gay.”

Is he so different from artists like Ana Mendieta swimming naked in her "Ocean Bird" performance? And is Mendieta applying male facial hair on her face different from Wanlov using makeup and jewelry and clothes to deconstruct gender?

Untitled (Facial Hair Transplant), Ana Mendieta, 1972 Source: Galerie Lelong 

Wanlov: backstage “Mr. Casanova” 2020 - Shooting in Madrid w/Alvar Alonso

The "vagina has always  expanded opportunities to unravel the feminine mystique and multiple voices as a loud and reverberating denouncement of the traditional male gaze." But this was 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago when this work could simply not be produced by a man. 

We have now learned that the intrinsic definition of gender is an issue. So can’t a man use his body to make a similar statement and, at the same time, help to protect the over-sexualization of female bodies, which is an unintentional consequence of some expressions of the feminist movement?

Can a vulnerable male body be leveling the playing field and help to break gender barriers? I have no doubt that Wanlov’s body is carrying a feminist message.

We are recently learning that a body is no more the expression of gender. Trans women and men have taught us that you can be born in a body and not be what that body supposedly represents. In this scenario, Wanlov's sexual life and orientation shouldn’t be the subject of the conversation.

Still, somebody always tries to make it the only part of the conversation so that we don't focus on the critical message.

I am even more keen to believe that Wanlov's work is genius and authentic because of his spontaneity and because, like many true artists, he does it because he feels it, not consciously thinking of all the layers that I am now deconstructing.

"Swim" is offending people because it's telling us in a raw and familiar way that we are bystanders and voyeurs in the destruction of the Ghanaian shores, nature, forests, and with them, the people, the cultures and the dignity of many human beings.

And so it's easy for people just to dumb him down as the weird guy who walks barefoot and without underwear and showed his penis on TV, so they convince themselves that he's not a great artist, but just a controversial lunatic. I find it funny (non-literal please) that we still think we have to use the adjective “controversial” to define artists. All artists should endeavor to be controversial enough to spark a conversation. Or should music artistes simply be “yes” people?

What about being barefoot as an artistic expression? Being barefoot, besides being part of almost all traditional cultures (definitely apart from the Inupiats), is a symbol of innocence and pure energetic exchange with the earth. There's a reason why saints, gurus, and spiritual leaders are usually portrayed barefoot. 

And let’s not forget the children as well. I think Wanlov's inner child vibrates very high.

The same people who are offended by nudity will never understand that walking barefoot is not an action supposed to make them laugh. In a recent conversation with Wanlov, he randomly said something that almost blew me away and sparkled the idea of Wanlov being a Synesthetic artist. 

Could it be that his walking barefoot and continuously experiencing the world with an uncovered part of his body is transferred in his art in a synesthetic way?

Are his music, poetry, performances result of sensations that travel through the constant contact of his skin with the earth?

Is he a sort of superhuman because he's been able to feel and experience the world in ways that we ordinary human beings cannot?

But being myself a believer of energy exchange with the Universe, I find an act of extreme courage the ability to allow yourself to feel so much, especially in a world where desensitization and detachment are a new way of surviving. Preservation at a maximum level is what is guiding individuals who hide behind ridiculous concepts of self-care and self-expression to justify any selfish and stupid act.

Is this form of body art telling us that our level of detaching ourselves from the Universe is indeed creating monsters and destroying human interconnections?

Is he so different from artists like Regina Jose Galindo and her work "Quien puede Borrar las huellas," in which she walks barefoot whit his feet soaking in blood to criticize Guatemalan violence coming from the misconception of morality and gender?

Why is Wanlov's use of his body barefoot with makeup and female clothes and jewelry not awarded and glorified as the Galindo one at art Biennales, as the men who uses his body to criticize the abuse on women and members of the LGBTQ community in Ghana? Is it because he's not a woman? Is it because he's not gay? So he has to be considered funny or weird or crazy?

And I could write for another day if we decided to start talking about his music, his lyrics, and his music videos.

Because Wanlov comedy is Monty Python's deep. I hardly laugh for more than a couple of seconds, and, after a couple of seconds, I squeeze my face, and I think "sheeeit that was deep."

If I have to draw another parallelism, imagine Dave Chapelle barefoot, in a skirt, with makeup and jewelry sending low blows to politicians, religious leaders, foolish humans, and useless institutions. 

And using Pidgin English to dignify a language that could unify the African population, being at the same time hilarious but extremely serious. 

My point: you have not seen anyone like this. And that’s why the way this Ghanaian artist is underestimated is highly disturbing.

I wish we lived in a world where people had the chance to be more receptive to something different and not classified in categories created to make us feel comfortable.

Being attacked for saying truths people don't like to confront and not conforming to what I’m expected to say as a woman in the presence of men and “bosses" has cost me professionally and emotionally. I feel slightly deformed by the systematic punishment put in place via a very subtle system of oppression perpetrated equally by men and women. I had gone into hiding because I felt my courage and vocals chords shrink. So when I see a fellow human being with the courage to keep their voice loud and stay principled no matter what, I can't avoid feeling deep admiration, gratitude, and love.

Thank you Emmanuel Owusu Bonsu aka Wanlov the Kubolor. We need more people like you in the world, and we need more people in the world to know about you.

( Thank you, Guildor Gallo, for the conversation that inspired my words. http://guildor.com/  )

[cactusnotes]

Ethical Egoism

Normative, Teleological, Subjective, Agent-Focused Ethical Theory. “Psychological Egoism is a theory of human nature that purports to describe what motivates people to act. Ethical egoism...is normative. It purports to well us how people ought to act.” - Driver

Agent focused ethic based on self-interest as opposed to altruism: altruism is the attitude of acting for the sake of others, egoism is based on self-interest. Ethical egoism is the act of being rationally selfish, as it’s our purpose for the long term. 

In fact, using reason, it is clear our telos is our own interest: denying your own needs isn’t just. It rejects deontology, since laws restrict our own needs, and psychological egoism. It does not matter whether we are all intrinsically egotistical, we have to act so, it’s our telos. 

Ethical theory that matches the moral agent's psychological state (psychological egoism): the belief that every action is rooted in one’s own self interest, makes one happy, to avoid pain. It’s not inherently negative or bad--nobody has to be ruthless and cruel, just not selfless. Furthermore, selfish lacks real meaning. A social construct, motives, actual acts, avoiding worse?We cannot truly judge one’s motives, so it’s unfalsifiable, thus not a real science to some. However, psychological is different to ethical, as it supports things like short term interest: drinking alcohol. 

Concentration on long term self-interests rather than short term interests: in the short term unselfishness could lead to longer term selfishness satisfied. This thus rejects material gain, and pure selfishness (contributing to a union of egoists). 

 Max Stirner, is self-interest the root cause of every human action even if it appears altruistic: inspired by Hegel, his quiet life didn’t reflect chaotic writing. Influenced: Nietzsche, Marx, anarchy. 

Psychological egoism is correct to an extent: some ethical decisions are made in self interest. However, we don’t know what the self is, so we cannot seek self-interest actively, it’s ambiguous. Someone who feels they are a slave, and are obliged to act as such, are not being themselves. Actions done with the idea that there is no other option (actually or metaphorically) are not self. 

Language and rationality are human inventions that haunt and restrict their maker, the maker lost. Religious, philosophical systems of ethics and instinct are ‘essences’ and ‘ghosts’ in our decisions. 

Einzige = the ego. 

“There is no sinner and no sinful egoism” - Stirner.

Actual egoism exists outside of the systems we are slaves to, once we have found out ‘ownness’. 

Our telos is to gain mastery over our owness and live through this ‘unique’ self we have. 

“Totally different from this free thinking is own thinking, my thinking, a thinking which does not guide me, but is guided, continued, or broken off, by me at my pleasure.” - Stirner. 

These structures are deeply integrated into us, seen in fears of nakedness, naturalness, selfishness. Institutions cannot be good in themselves, we must discover our ‘self’ which will say what’s right. They probably aren’t right though, as they hinder self development, and enforce rules. Philosophers aren’t exempt--they reject God but follow his laws? Agree incest is wrong?

“I decided whether it is the right thing in me; there is no right outside of this” - Stirner.

Analogy: giving to the hopeless, party psychological egoism, partly social expectations, guilt. However, there are charities for the homeless, so we don’t need to do it, we were reluctant to do it. 

Stirner is not amoral, he rejects institutions, and we need to select our own laws from them. 

“Do not seek for freedom...seek for yourself...just recognise what you really are, and let go of your hypocritical endeavours, your foolish mania to be something else than you are.” - Stirner. 

Eigenheit is ownness, different from the perceived self, is the idea of mastering oneself. To be free includes rejecting the subconscious ideals, ideologies, religious or philosophical concepts. Only this way can you pursue, selfishly. 

“He is an unfree man in the garment of freedom” - Stirner.

Owness is a descriptor, not an idea (like religion and morality) but leads to ideas like freedom. 

“What’s good, what’s bad? Why, I am my own concern, and I am neither good nor bad.” - Stirner. 

Einzig is uniqueness. To appreciate yourself is ownness; to apply owness is to become unique. You are the only person who owns your ‘self’, which means you are unique!

“Egoism does not think of sacrificing anything...it simply decides what I want I must have.” - Stirner.

If everyone was unique, it doesn’t make everyone equal, equality is an enslaving ideology. Nor are people unequal, rather they are all unique, individual, incomparable or able to be equated. 

He uses the analogy of the Protestant reformation: meant to reduce control, and inspire individual faith, but instead made more things religious, like priests marrying, and intensified internal conflict. 

If you voted for a rule, you’re free to break it, so not to be bound by “my will of yesterday”. 

Stirner’s view of love is kind of dodgy, where it is only when you ‘enjoy’ the other person: not love. 

“We are all in the midst of an abundance; now shall I not help myself?” - Stirner, meaning unknown. 

Rejection of egoism for material gain:

Sensual appetites are also rejected by the self, or else the self has an obligation, an emotional attachment, a link to society’s expectations. You serve your future, act in a way that’s genuinely good for yourself, or else you're not an egoist, which rejects material gain. 

Union of egoists:

There is no obligation to be equal, but also no obligation to be cruel, materialistic, or anarchist. 

Stirner advocated for co-operation between egos, not to own each other, but for practicality. 

The sole purpose of a community like this, a union of egoists, is to help people find their selves.

This union is a society where cooperation prevailed in recognition of everyone's uniqueness. 

It is true, honest, respectful, impermanent, supportive of all goals, with no goal in the union itself. 

It has no actual authority of value, it is a co-worker of autonomy. A support system, not actual. 

Stirner sees no need to reject the state, but believes it will fall away naturally for this union. 

Destruction of a community ethos:

Society weakens if there is no common good produced. But if everyone’s happy...who cares? It may lead to anarchy and social chaos, as if the union of egoists doesn’t exist and we’re all beasts. There’s no security to fulfil our own self interest, which goes against its own ideas. But that’s what the Union is for. 

Social injustices could occur as individuals put their own interests first:

Some could argue that rape, racism and conflict are allowed as it is satisfying for the person. However, this is inherently short term, and takes away other’s own fulfilment of self interest. It doesn’t matter to him, his audience’s feelings are of no issue. He does not condemn the widow who strangles her infant, incest, murder, and the like, which could all be justified. 

A form of bigotry (why is one moral agent more important than any other?):

Prioritising yourself is wrong, selfish, and discrimination of others. However, the alternative is you prioritise others, which is also bigotry, as you downplay your own relevance, discriminating against yourself. 

Furthermore, focusing on yourself isn’t inherently selfish or discrimination: focusing on art doesn’t discriminate against science. Our world is literally ourselves, it’s only rational to do so. We cannot confirm anything outside ourselves, so why should we focus on the uncertain over certain?

How can one fulfil or find themselves if they’re subject to prejudice, bigotry, or clashing interest? However, that is their own fault, for not escaping their society’s opinion, so they pay the price. 

[alphacenturian4]

Catholics destroying Statues: Hypocrites or Theological Sound Activist                         Or On Christian Freedom, the Liberation from Cultural Taboos, and The Unrightful Judge

                                  By: Ramon Aguilar IV

           So, on Oct 4th, Pope Francis witnessed an indigenous performance at a tree planting ceremony in the Vatican gardens. The presentation was performed by Amazonian people holding hands and dancing in a circle around a wooden statue of a nude pregnant indigenous woman, said to represent the Virgin Mary. Participants sang in honor of the Feast of St. Francis and danced in manner similar to traditional South American Mother Earth festival rites. Pope Francis remained seated in a chair away from the ceremony bored, not amused, and not paying attention throughout most of the performance. The ceremony included bowls that held dirt from different places around the world, representing different ecological issues. The people set up a net on the ground that held pictures of martyrs for Catholicism and Christianity in the Amazon, mostly women and priests who have died to bring the faith to an otherwise polytheistic nature worshiping culture. Most scandalous was what appeared to be an old wise woman, which is coded language for medicine woman or witch, who approached the pope and presented him with a black ring, and seemed to gesture her own blessing. The black ring is a popular symbol in Brazil and Latin America of Liberation Theology, a movement that tried to marry Catholicism to Socialism. A movement many, North American & US, Catholics consider heretical.

The event was organized by outside parties including the Ford Group. The woman referred to the statue as "Our Lady of the Amazon." And the Pope seemed to bless it. The Pope then prayed an Our Father, and skipped his prepared remarks like any good politician would do when he realized a photo op went sideways. Then he left the performance without comment after the tree was planted.

           The bigger scandal is how Catholics then acted following this event, especially American and Canadian based youtubers and twitter users who claim to be Catholic. At first sounding like Savonarola at the Bonfire of the vanities, and then like fundamental Protestants railing against idols in the Church, and then finally like Muslim fundamentalist screaming for their religion, here Catholicism, to be the Prime religion of the world and calling for an end to religious freedom. The reaction made us look worse than the event which was already egg in the face for a church that has been rocked by one too many scandals in recent years, including unforced controversies concerning backlash from Ultra-Traditionist Catholics, people who literally want to bring Latin back into vogue, against Pope Francis whom they see as too liberal.

           Now, after watching the ceremony a few times and doing some research I’ve come to some conclusions. First, the supposed pagan ritual doesn’t seem to be one. I’ve done a fair bit of study on Pagan and Neo-Pagan rite and rituals and that was not one. Though it did seem to be stealing back or appropriating elements of native Amazonian rituals. Which is something the Church does allow, as some tribal African Catholic Churches do have dancing and rhythmic chants as elements in their celebration of Mass. And this is something I am familiar with as a Hispanic and someone of Native American decent. As we allow Mariachis, clapping, and hand holding at Spanish Mass. In fact, this performance looks very reminiscent of folklórico dances that might be performed around a religious theme such as the Virgin Mary whom is very popular among Hispanic and Latin American Catholics. While some might smear this as Folk Catholicism, the Catechism of the Catholic Church does give license for the Church to incorporate the customs of the cultures it assimilates.

           But there is one other aspect to this event that I am leaving out, that is the conspiratorial accusation that these statues were not of the Virgin Mary as Vatican official claim, nor even of a generic non-divine “mother earth” as some liberal apologist defend, but were actual pagan idols of the goddess Pachamama of the Andes Mountains and Incan civilizations; which would be odd but not impossible for Amazonians who have their own pantheon to be worshiping. Let alone self-professed Catholics, including a Franciscan brother, who would know better. And if it was a pagan rite dedicated to Pachamma it was done horrible incorrectly as her religion still exists and videos of her ceremonies can be watched on YouTube dating back to 2011. Her rites use a collection of fallen leaves, sacred fire, and a collection of stones. None of which was part of the performance at the Vatican.  

           Regardless of the legitimacy of the accusation, this led to some supposed Catholics, and two men in particular, to enter the Church of Santa Maria in Traspontina on Oct 21st, and steal the wooden figurines and then throw them into the Tiber River to “destroy’ them. Showing us Catholics to be reactionary, impatient, and petulant; if not simply short sighted to the precedent we are now establishing of it being acceptable for people to enter a Catholic Church and remove items that offend them by the example we are showing to the world who is watching. As the video of this crime (trespassing, theft, and destruction of Church property) has 60,244 views as of this writing.

           But my opinion aside, I decided to see what the bible, and what more specifically St Paul, had to say on this issue. So, I looked at what to me were the most relevant passages. Those being in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, chapter 5, & chapter 6. I have read these epistles many times over the years, and every time I do I find them eye opening, this time was no different as it changed my position and stance on this topic.

To understand this following interpretation of Paul’s writings we must remember that we are interpreting the bible spiritually, allegorically, morally, and analogically. Not strictly literal or historical, but instead metaphysical and theological, and for me personally with a philosophical lens. Now let’s continue.

So, let’s start off by looking at the performance and the gifting of the ring, and let’s say for arguments sake that it was a pagan ritual performed within the Vatican garden. What then?

1 Corinthians 10 verses 6-15 says this: “These things happened as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil things, as they did. And do not become idolaters, as some of them did, as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel." Let us not indulge in immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell within a single day. Let us not test Christ as some of them did, and suffered death by serpents. Do not grumble as some of them did, and suffered death by the destroyer. These things happened to them as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall. No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it. Therefore, my beloved, avoid idolatry. I am speaking as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I am saying.”

These verses serve as a warning that we are not above temptation and that we too can fall if we are unwise and not carful. But it also shows that all worship is sacramental; even false worship. St Paul also confirm the point, that an idol is nothing, as we can see more clearly in the verse that follow.

For then at verses 19-22 the theme continues with: “So, what am I saying? That meat sacrificed to idols is anything? Or that an idol is anything? No, I mean that what they sacrifice, (they sacrifice) to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to become participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and of the table of demons. Or are we provoking the Lord to jealous anger? Are we stronger than he?”

This passage makes several strong but quick and glossy statements. It reaffirms that God created everything, thus everything is clean, only sin perverts it. It is only the offending of sensibilities and the confusion it can and does cause that is the problem. For a person can no more change God than move a mountain with our bare hands or change the direction of a hurricane with the wave of a finger. And while we do have rights as humans which were endowed by our Creator these inalienable rights ought not to alienate us from the other. This is a caution against over confidence.

But I will take umbrage with a plan and simple reading here. For then we get to the mystical and metaphysical concept of demons. But I will take a conceit from Saint Augustine and assume that idols being of demons, or a gate way to them, has more to it than just the literal meaning. I think here the word, or threat of, demons seems to be a warning to the bronze age audience against the nondivine realities of sin, that there are temporal corporeal consequences and not just the moral, ethical, or metaphysical consequences we think of and seem to concentrate on as spiritual and religious people. So, the principle Paul sets up here is that you, that is we, must operate in regard to others, we must avoid what might cause scandal and confusion to others who do not know what we know and who do not understand what we understand and instead we ought to prefer what is beneficial and edifying to that which we may find tolerable, enticing, or entertaining. In that way we seek the good and wellbeing of the other person and not just the good of ourselves.

Through this we can acknowledge that idols of any kind are at best neutral representations, at worse a temptation to error for the uninformed, ignorant, unenlightened and fools among us. The strong should consider the weak. For, if idols can provoke God to wrath and passion; how can we mere mortals claim to be immune to their effects or presence. But the problem here becomes what we define as an Idol. As Catholic Churches are full of statues of the Virgin Mary and many other saints and even of art that contains devils, demons, and even Satan (even if they are of those evil spirits being cast out, defeated by our saints and angles). And again, I will steal from St Augustine and other Church fathers. Evil desire is the root of idolatry, not man-made things (that is the work of human hands). For the goal of a good Christian and well catechized Catholic is always to maintain koinonia that is “fellowship” and that fellowship, or unity, is more important than expressing already attained liberty. It also shows that God always provides a way to reject polytheistic rituals. For me, this was done, at the situation we look at today. When the pope said the “Our Father’ instead of his prepared statement.

           But this passage also looks at the other side of the coin on this issue.

For at verses 23-33 we read “"Everything is lawful," but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is lawful," but not everything builds up. No one should seek his own advantage, but that of his neighbor. Eat anything sold in the market, without raising questions on grounds of conscience, for "the earth and its fullness are the Lord's." If an unbeliever invites you and you want to go, eat whatever is placed before you, without raising questions on grounds of conscience. But if someone says to you, "This was offered in sacrifice," do not eat it on account of the one who called attention to it and on account of conscience; I mean not your own conscience, but the other's. For why should my freedom be determined by someone else's conscience? If I partake thankfully, why am I reviled for that over which I give thanks? So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. Avoid giving offense, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in every way, not seeking my own benefit but that of the many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”

Here we get to the nitty gritty of the issue. Liberty is not an end in itself, but a condition that must be maintained against the condition of slavery. St Paul and indeed the Bible itself calls on us to be faithful in difficult times; especially after being liberated from superstition and irrationality. Which for St Paul, superstition and irrationality, are a type of slavery to sin. On the other hand, he also acknowledges that narrowminded scruples are shackles for those who internalize others’ weaknesses, that internalizing of another’s folly is in itself an inclination to the temptation to sin. And here I agree with St Paul whole heartedly, as I think this applies to the situation both during and surrounding the ceremonial performance, its objects, and the gifts given to the Pope by its participants. But some might say that allowing such things is a violation of old testament law and precepts. And I, and St Paul would retort, but there is only one “Law” for Christians, that is Christ, that is the law of Pure True Love.

And here is where the Ultra-Traditionalist and Conservative Catholics get all relied up and call me a liberal. But St. Paul wrote a letter to respond to this inclination for outrage and indignation as well.

In 1 Corinthians 5 at verses 9-13, he writes: “I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people, not at all referring to the immoral of this world or the greedy and robbers or idolaters; for you would then have to leave the world. But I now write to you not to associate with anyone named a brother, if he is immoral, greedy, an idolater, a slanderer, a drunkard, or a robber, not even to eat with such a person. For why should I be judging outsiders? Is it not your business to judge those within? God will judge those outside. [Therefore] "Purge the evil person from your midst."

Here we get the command not sit with the immoral people within the church, that is fellow Christians who are immoral, that does not mean that you must remove yourself from the world that you live in. For: nonbelievers are not expected to be saints; non-Catholics are not expected to live by Catholic Dogma; and non-Christians are not expected to behave as Christians. In fact, Christians have an obligation to reach out, interact with, and be an example of a good person to a nonbeliever.

I would think that it could go without saying that this principle should also apply to the newly converted as they transition from pagan-heathen-polytheism, to Christian-Catholicism, for as that happens and the synthesis that has occurred with all other Christian communities occurs for them, we must tolerate the folk Catholicism that arises at the fringes of conversion as our expands in region or communities that do not understand our sensibilities and when they get it wrong this is our opportunity gently correct and instruct with temperance and patients. This how Christmas gets placed on the 25th of December, the date of the winter a solstice a holiday dating back long before the advent of Christianity, and this is how Halloween gets placed on Samhain.

As someone who likes a Christmas-trees on Christmas, I have no problem that they have their origin tied in with Zeus’s Oak or Thor’s Tree, and I don’t have a problem having All Souls day take on some pre-Christian Gaelic influence and traditions.

           As for the rest, as it relates to pagans, heathen, polytheist, and nonbelievers. It is the baptized Christian who should refrain from the scandalous sins inherent of mortal human nature. Scandal being the key word here. For it is impossible to avoid contact with sinners and thus avoidance of sinners should not be a goal nor should contact with sinners be feared by rightly formed Christians. But instead the goal should be to maintain inner purity within the Christian community. This is a warning against the perception of impiety, from the outside looking in, a warning not to look as if you are condoning sin.

           And it is here that my view on the actions taken by those two Catholics who stole and threw out those figurines changed slightly. While I do not agree with the fanfare and celebration by other Catholics at this action, for that in itself is scandalous and looks unchristian, the act of removing a temptation to sin from within a church, even if you know it is not a temptation for you, when others do not understand its nature and could be scandalized by it, as many many Catholics clearly were. Then yes getting rid of those two images, regardless of rather they were representation of the Virgin Mary that many Catholics found offensive because it went against their sensibilities or if they were actual idols of some mythical and very frictional mother goddess then yes they should have been removed from within the physical Church.

           But, what about the people who participated in the ceremony and performance at the Vatican garden, well St Paul writes in this too. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 6 at verses 7-12

“Now indeed (then) it is, in any case, a failure on your part that you have lawsuits against one another. Why not rather put up with injustice? Why not rather let yourselves be cheated? Instead, you inflict injustice and cheat, and this to brothers. Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor . . . prostitutes nor practicing homosexuals nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. That is what some of you used to be; but now you have had yourselves [baptized], you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. "Everything is lawful for me," but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is lawful for me," but I will not let myself be dominated by anything.”

This is a warning that teaches that the love of litigation is the love of greed, while love of persecution is the love of arrogance and self-pride. This teaches that litigation and persecution of a fellow Christian are forms of retaliation not justice. Instead, Christians should possess generosity, mercy, and forgiveness toward the sinner and toward themselves. Turn the other check, after all. For it is faith and grace that saves us from the very worst of our own sins. While, self-persecution and the persecution of fellow Christians is something that St. Paul was indignant against and was loath to do. Better to be wronged or sinned against, than to do the wrong and sin against another.

[autismgavemychildvaccines]

Why I’m Ashamed to Be Christian

So, now that I am literally sick of the Measles nonsense (no, fucking literally, working 12+ hour shifts on an incident management team has got me sick and tired enough to call in tomorrow), I’ve decided to do a non PH rant, though it’ll for sure rear it’s fucking head somewhere in here. Instead, let’s tackle something real fun. Religion! Time to buckle up.  In my half fucking awake daze that I was just nudged out of, something really wild hit me. My faith, my belief in a very specific God with a specific book (though I admit that other religions, so long as their origin is not a company or a tool to oppress others on the outset, are valid/likely just as true) makes no God damned sense.  (For reference, here I will claim my most closely related sect as my own; American Evangelism [though if one were to ask in person I’d say “non-denominational”, but historically, the two are close] and will be speaking as a part of a community I used to closely belong to but now have drifted away from on some granola-crunching dumbassery that is “I am a church of one” bullshit. I’ve wanted to be other things, but ever since I left the Freemasons, fuck all else has had much appeal.) So, first things first, Garden of Eden, right? Pretty fucking cool place, some might have even called it a perfect garden, a perfect place for humans and God to interact? But here’s my hang up with it. The trees of Life and Knowledge, and the rule that Adam and Eve could eat of any fruit except those grown upon that pair. Why even fucking have them?

 When I asked that as a kid in a faith based area, they said because it was a test.

 Of what?

 “Well, of our loyalty to God and our Faith, of course”. 

Except again, what the fuck? Like, I get the idea of free-will, in fact I am a huge believer in individual free will (I’ll get to that in a sec), but here’s the stickler here. As any other creative type will tell you, we want our work to take on a life of its own. Like say I wanted to program a remarkably bright AI, and it worked, and all I wanted was for it to recognize me as its creator and to discover and enjoy what home I could make for it. You know what I wouldn’t do? I wouldn’t give an AI, even with some simulated free will, the ability to break certain rules. For example, I wouldn’t allow it unrestricted access to the internet or my personal accounts. I wouldn’t even give it the concept that such things existed, let alone put it right fucking there to be used. That would be a flaw, an imperfection in an otherwise perfect place. And yeah, there’s something to be said for giving free will with not-free consequences, sure. But two things: 1) Don’t be pissed when the thing happens that you allowed to exist in the first place and thus forced it to be a mathematical certainty now that you’re dealing with perhaps the most curious species to ever exist.  2) Don’t go blaming them for a lack of faith. If anything, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, an act that abusers often use to get what they really want and have a thin veneer of an excuse to make happen. Now doesn’t that sound a lot like a good number of the followers of this faith, as opposed to an almighty, omnipotent, powerful being? Hmm, something to consider there, maybe.  Speaking of followers, let’s actually also take a look at some of the prophets that we as American Christians often hold so dear. Now me? I’m a Luke guy, I like Luke. Peaceful, loving gospel for the most part, and I dig it. Peace and love, baby, that’s all I want coming from stories regarding a higher power that we had to hang up like a fucking tapestry to make sure we got all that love. But do you know who I fucking hate, and who I blame the most for how the American chruch is? Paul/Saul of Tarsus. Thiiiiiiiiiiis prick. This fucking Deus Vult Vulture. Actually in many ways, he really is the archetype to the Modern Evangelical fucking anything. Actively participated in the harassing, attempted extinguishing and successful terrorizing of a marginalized group. Then after being hit back for it, literally “seeing the light” and trying to be the fucking vanguard of said group only to lead it down a path where he’s suddenly the appointed expert of anything to do with the issue. And while he does this, he helps create the most violent and bigoted thoughts in the whole of the religion, and is praised for his visions as he says they are truly from God, and can thus act oh so righteously. This right here is a fucking problem, y’all. Like, I know the whole forgiveness idea allows for some mental gymnastics on how this could even happen, but even then to make a genocidal ass-face your de-facto leader aside from Christ himself for the next 2000 years is a fucking flip that even at the 1988 Olympics, if Christians were America, Russia would give them a straight 10/10.    And yet, for many of us, that’s exactly what we’ve done. Hell, we’ve even fallen into the forced victim narrative of the synopsis of this asshole:  “Oh well, you see, I was a heathen and thus I couldn’t help myself, but then like, the God of the people I was killing talked to me and like, now I have to do this (Take on the “burden” of leading the church) as penance for what I couldn’t help myself over.” We’ve fallen for it so much, that it may as well be hard wired into our nervous system to believe anything resembling it, just as we assume if something is flat, green and on a tree, it’s a leaf.  Maybe it’s why we as a religion (and let’s face it, other Abrahamic religions as well) are so damn good at beating down the marginalized while screaming that we are the saints, we’re the sacrificiers trying to make things better. Like, let’s have some modern day fun with this bullshit, man; let’s see how we treated and in many places continue to treat women.  Of the few churches I have been to, 100% of them had one dual-sided message that made me real fuckin’ uncomfortable, fam:  Part 1) That women cannot be trusted onto themselves and thus 2) Men must take control of them and society to not allow for some unspecified “Ridiculous bullshit”.  (as a fair heads up; I do fully recognize non-binary, trans individuals, etc, but for the sake of brevity I’ll be mostly referring to M/F in the traditional sort of way, because opening up Christianity’s treatment of anything regarding gender fluidity is a Ph.D. thesis for another day)  Now, I don’t know about y’all, but I know damn well that out of all the dudes I know, and all the lasses I know, they’re a pretty mixed fuckin’ bunch. It’s almost like their gender assigned at birth doesn’t really affect how reasonable they could be as people nor how much responsibility they should have. Obviously some cultural practices skew this quite a bit in so far that women are expected to take more responsibility, younger, and for less praise, but if anything that should help destroy, not reinforce that message.  And yet, the idea persists so much in Christian circles. And not just by the men themselves, but the women, also. For the longest time of my church going days, the pastor was a woman. She wholly believed it was just and right that her husband be in charge of everything, that women should be loyal to their men in all aspects. Then again, she also (despite recruiting members primarily from college) did not believe in evolution at all, so there’s that in terms of an intellectual hurdle. But regardless, this inherent submissive attitude within the faith (and even the half-hearted and self-congratulatory “Yeah but we REALLY are the ones making the decisions because we can withhold sex if we want” is essentially that too just a smidgen more empowering), when combined with the idea that men should be wholly in-control (which is a breeding ground for toxic masculinity if there ever was) is shameful. It’s what has allowed so much bullshit in the past, including these recent abortion laws. Now, I’m going to cover abortion in another post (I might get to it tomorrow; It’s been on the burner for weeks), but it’s super pertinent here.  We, as a religion, have allowed ourselves to tell women (just as we tell/told minorities before) that they cannot be trusted with their own bodies, that they cannot be trusted when they speak, and most certainly cannot be trusted to truly hold dominion over anything. And that has allowed the most insidious, hateful, bigoted, disgusting things to happen in the name of God. A God that while I am writing this post I still believe in, but my doubts about how genuine the message has ever been is hitting home. One whose words about peace have been ignored when they could be interpreted or pointed to to support war, where the rich can profit off the poor, or to support sexism, because we as men historically have wanted to control “everything of ours”, or to take the very free will we claim to hold so dear from those who need the ability to make their own decisions the most. Words that have been used to hold down good people from making lives better. Words that in the hands of those who wanted, could be profaned and desecrated and thus allow for profane and disturbing events, both on the grand stage of the world and behind the closed doors of any house in some small town. Words which are held up with a wink and a nod so that followers feel included when they are scammed by some fucking fried chicken joint who wants to make more money to fight against equality, or to pay for another $9 million jet for some asshole who croons about how the poor should be grateful they do not have the temptations of the rich.  To other followers, do you not lament that we are this way? That we have been this way for so long? Because I fucking do.  And to those who have been discriminated or marginalized or whatever else against because of your gender or skin colour or situation or victimization or  past deeds of any sort; I’m sorry. Genuinely, truly sorry you have suffered as you have. Sorry for what people have done thinking it was somehow morally or spiritually justified, sorry that they thought they were saving you. And I can assure you that I will never try to lead you as those before me have tried to. Though if it’s all the same, I’d like to get to hear you, and walk beside you. 

[wisdomrays]

The Greatest Credit for Journeyers of Guidance: Having No Expectation in Return

QUESTION: What are the indispensable essentials for the duty of letting hearts meet truths?

ANSWER: A believer must observe worship for the Absolute One, who is to be worshiped with an absolute consideration of ultimate devotion. The worshipper must not be distracted from his servanthood, for we are but shackled slaves at His door. Our impotence and poverty before God, our weakness, inconsistencies, and our inability to attain the things we desire are evidence of this. It is apparent that we are not the owner and master of ourselves; there is an absolute domination over us.

In fact, a person may not always feel these truths. Sometimes, people become calibrated to a certain frequency, but if they cannot do the tuning properly, there can be some interference. And this means a volunteer involving his personal considerations in the issue. Therefore, a person must try to find the right sound through serious calibrations.

One must first weigh his thoughts, considerations, and words in the appreciative scales of the conscience, and only express them afterwards. After so much effort and striving, if some aspects of our personalities are involved in the issue, then we hope that God will cover these shortcomings of ours. Carefree and lighthearted manners do not agree with a consciousness of servanthood.

Banging hammers, one upon another

Imagine that you are prostrated during prayer and opened up to God; you do this for five or ten minutes. Right at that moment, due to the carnal soul, Satan whispers to you, something like, “You are observing worship very well.” If such a thought occurs to you through your inner voice, you must instantly say, with your inner voice again, “O God, the exclusively worshiped one! We failed to worship you thoroughly! O my God, whose name is remembered by every being on earth and in the sky, we failed to make remembrance of You as becomes Your glory! O my Lord, who deserves thanksgiving in all tongues of the creation! We failed to give you thanks properly! O my God, who is beyond all shortcomings, we failed to remember and glorify You thoroughly!” And thus one must slam a sledgehammer upon every thought and consideration that is not in compliance with His good pleasure.

But even if you slam the heaviest sledgehammers on it, you should still know that this kind of feeling, which is fed by whisperings of Satan and the deceptive embellishment of the carnal soul, will burst to life anew in unexpected moments, like a creature with nine lives. The carnal soul and Satan will never cease—even while circumambulating the Ka’ba, while raising your hands to implore God in Arafat, while observing devotions in Muzdalifa at night, and while hailing stones at the (symbolic) Devil (as if stoning one’s own desires); they will continually try to cause the person to slip and fall.

It is for this reason that it is commanded in the Qur’an, “Pursue, then, what is exactly right (in every matter of the Religion) as you are commanded (by God)...” (Hud 11:112). In the same way, we say in the prayers we observe every day, “Guide us to the Straight Path” (al-Fatiha 1:5); namely, guide us to whichever way is the correct one.

If we observe all of the daily prayers together with the Sunnah ones, then it means we are repeating this forty times a day. If we also observe other prayers, such as the Awwabin, Tahajjud, and Duha, then we ask to be guided to the Straight Path some sixty times a day. If He does not hold our hand and lead us to the correct path, we will mostly be exhausted in the dust paths of the carnal soul. If He does not hold our hand, we will cause many crashes and not easily be able to make up for these collapses and cracks.

Those who make their services conditional to a certain return can never succeed

On the other hand, if we always spell His name and always keep Him in mind and remain God-conscious in every breath we take, then our connection with Him continues, even when are under the influence of the physical side of human nature. For example, the Messenger of God gave the glad tidings that even if a person who retires to bed after offering the Isha Prayer and intends to rise for the Tahajjud Prayer is overcome by sleep, that sleep will be a grace from his Lord. And this is a bestowal God Almighty grants us out of His immense mercy. The One of infinite mercy does not hold us responsible for totally unbearable duties, but only as much as we can carry out. As it is also pointed out in the verse,

“God burdens no soul except within its capacity” (al-Baqarah 2:286),

there is no unbearable responsibility in Islam.

Then, as our Lord showers us with His blessings out of His immense grace and infinite mercy, we must not cherish any desire but gaining His good pleasure, because there is nothing further than that. After God lets believers behold His blessed Countenance in Paradise, His greatest gift to them is His stating, “I am well-pleased with you!”

It is not possible for us to fathom in this world the immense pleasure such a Divine breeze will cause in the human soul. Perhaps, saintly persons such as Abdulqadr al-Jilani, Abu’l-Hasan ash-Shadhili, Muhammad Bahauddin al-Naqshband, Mawlana Khalid al-Baghdadi and Imam Rabbani may have experienced this kind of a delight, at least in as much as this world allows, as a ghost of the original. It is beyond my power either to tell or describe such a thing. God Almighty gave us the following glad tidings through His Messenger: “I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has seen and what no ear has heard, nor has it ever occurred to the human heart.” From the frame drawn here, we understand that this is an issue far beyond human comprehension.

In this respect, there is nothing greater and worthier than wishing for it in this world and the next, and at the same time evoking the same wish in others. It is for this reason that the Prophets devoted their blessed lives solely to the essential of letting people know God, making people love Him, and strengthening people’s connection with Him; it is why they did not ask for or expect anything from anybody in return for that. Such hopes damage sincerity and cause the deed to be wasted. In addition, people who render their services conditional to certain returns have never succeeded. Even if they did temporarily, an adverse wind blew away everything.

The same truth voiced by all of the Prophets

In chapter ash-Shuara, after God Almighty mentioned the names of the Prophets Noah, Hud, Saleh, Lot, and Jethro (Shuayb), peace be upon them, He stated the following as their shared discourse:

“I ask of you no wage for that (for conveying God’s Message); my wage is due only from the Lord of the worlds” (ash- Shuara 26:109).

They fulfilled their duties solely for God, constantly turned their gaze to God, and did not have the slightest expectation from others in return for the services they carried out.

In spite of changing times and altered conditions, as well as different interpretations brought by different segments of time, the Prophets mentioned said exactly the same thing on this issue. Whatever Prophet Noah said, so did Prophets Hud, Saleh, Lot, and Jethro. Actually, each society to whom one of them was sent had a different problem of its own. This shows that even though problems are different, tackling them depends on being sincere and having no expectation in return.

For example, the people of Noah had taken great persons as deities and gave them names like Wad, Yaghus, Yauk, and Nasr. They adored people buried under the ground and expected something from them. In a way, it was a danger that could be faced in every era.

As for the people of Ad, they boasted of their greatness and they would make houses in boulders by carving them. They were seized by their conceit in such a way that they believed that no harm from the earth or sky would touch them. They thought that if all fault lines were gathered under them and started breaking, this would still not bring down their sound buildings. Therefore, their problem was different than that of the people of Prophet Noah. Without caring for the threats that could befall him, Prophet Noah insistently pointed out what kind of a mistake they were making and showed his indifference to worldly benefits.

When we look at Prophet Saleh, we similarly see that the people of that time had different problems. They also indulged in the world in their orchards, fields, and gardens, and began to live in a joyous and conceited fashion in their sound buildings. Prophet Saleh carried out the mission of conveying the Divine message in the face of all hardships without expecting anything in return. He invited them to Divine unity, and warned them against being an extravagant and corrupt society.

As for the time of Prophet Lot, who lived later, people were immersed in obscenities unbecoming of humanity; they had become a perverted and immoral society. Like other Prophets, Prophet Lot invited his people to Divine unity and the right path without caring about the threats of being expelled and isolated, and had no expectations in return for his service.

In the time of Prophet Jethro, the measures and scales in the marketplaces were corrupt. Commercial life was full of speculations. Money flew solely in accordance with the benefits of those in power and filled their stocks. Prophet Jethro was warning them with the words,

“Give full measure (in all your dealings) and, be not one of those who (by cheating and giving less) cause loss to others. And weigh with a true, accurate balance. Do not wrong people by depriving them of what is rightfully theirs, and do not go about acting wickedly in the land, causing disorder and corruption” (ash-Shuara 26:181–183),

and told them that he did not ask anything from them in return.

Five Prophets are mentioned in these verses of the chapter ash-Shuara, but the Pride of Humanity, peace and blessings be upon him, is not. However, the following statement of the Final Prophet related in another chapter is no different from their words:

“I ask of you no wage for it (for conveying God’s Religion to you which will bring you this favor), but (I ask of you for) love for my near relatives (on account of my mission)” (ash-Shura 42:23).

With these words, the noble Prophet stated that he asked no wages from his people, who caused him every trouble during his thirteen years of Messengership, and forced him to emigrate from his homeland. Although he was a means of salvation in both worlds for those he addressed, he did not ask for anything from them in return. He slept on a straw mat, starved on some days, but he never changed his attitude.

Nullifying credibility and coming to dead ends

Actually, this is the sole way of inspiring trust and making those addressed believe. The people who have certain expectations in return for the services they carry out and who seek some benefits will have broken the esteem given to them and lose credit in the sight of those addressed. In this respect, if you have set foot on a path of serving in the name of God, you must not leave the way of the Prophets. Those who look at you should comfortably be able to say, “When they were involved in the issue, they had some hundred liras. When they finished, we saw that they had ninety liras left. They even failed to retain the money they initially had and spent for this sake.”

As this principle of not asking from others and not having any expectations is a necessary attribute, from the head of a village to the president of a state, it also holds true for the volunteers devoted to telling truths to others, for their greatest dynamic is having no expectation and being devoted.

Concerning those devoted to serving humanity, for them to leave behind lasting works they must walk on the path of the Prophets. Otherwise, those who begin as Aaron but transform into the ostentatious Qarun (Korah) on the way will sink into the ground, together with the riches they amassed, and they will become a loathsome memory. If my tongue had the slightest place for invoking curses, I would curse those who solely thought about their own benefit or who misappropriate shares for themselves while awarding contracts. But there is no available seat in my tongue for such cursing.

In this respect, at least the volunteers within this blessed circle, who devoted themselves to serving for faith and the Qur’an, must never hope for personal gains in return for the services they carry out. They must not be awarded undeserved contracts by using their esteem and credit, nor run after another benefit. They must not sacrifice their devotedness and having no expectations, which constitute the greatest dynamic for them, in return for such contemptible worldly things. There are already people who work for the world within a lawful frame. God Almighty blessed them with great gains in their business life and they are using their wealth for the sake of God. As for the devoted ones, who are in a guiding position, their greatest richness is their sincerity and not expecting anything. If they leave these and run after other things, then they will have left the greater for the sake of the lesser.

When the Pride of Humanity passed and thus traveled to the horizon of his spirit, his blessed armor was held in pawn by a Jewish merchant in return for the money he borrowed in order to provide sustenance for his family. Caliph Abu Bakr was no different; he had put the remainder of the modest salary they paid to him in a jar and entrusted it to the caliph who would replace him. Similarly, Umar ibn al-Khattab did not own anything. He slept on sand in the Prophet’s Mosque most of the time.

The sorrowful ending of those who misappropriate

The people we mentioned above are the great guides who should be taken as role models. The right way and method is theirs. Other ways than their right one will deserve to be called “wrong-doings.” Such a person who strays from the righteous path will stray to many kinds of wrongdoing, even if unawares. Even though these wrongdoings makes the person smile at the beginning, a day comes and they make the person cry in such a way that he says,

“Oh, would that I were mere dust (instead of being a responsible being with consciousness and free will)!” (an-Naba 78:40).

In this respect, at least the people in this noble collective must value this world—whose worth does not even amount to that of a fly’s wing in terms of its fancies and desires—only as much as necessary, and nothing more. In a saying narrated as hadith, the world is compared to a carcass, and it is stated that those who devote all of their acts, plans, and proceedings for the sake of worldly things resemble dogs running to it.

If only we could forget this deceptive world, except for its facets that truly merit attention! What has been done by those who did not forget it is such a shame for themselves, for their people, and their historical heritage.

[theritualofourexistence]

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

1. The title for this blog is straight plagiarism.

2. It doesn’t really connect to the general theme super well.

3. Twitter and Instagram polls picked this topic! Don’t worry, dating app folks, that one’s coming next.

--

Recently I had this weird, philosophical ah-ha moment when I was thinking about ghosts.

Yep, ghosts.

So, the lore behind how a ghost or a spirit gets left behind is commonly linked to trauma. The idea that if you experience a particularly gruesome death you may be more likely to have your essence trapped on earth is something I’ve come upon a lot. The more I thought about it, the more fear became a significant element in my thinking. Fear is something I’ve spent a lot of my life trying to manage and I believe it’s one of the most powerful forces on Earth.

What if it’s not a tragic death that generates a ghost, but rather, a fearful death? 

--

Whether or not you believe in ghosts, that brain worm got me going down a different sort of path. My faith, which I talk about a little bit in my last post, mainly centers around the concept of a force of light and good that lives through and in and around all living things. I believe that force is, in essence, Love. And the first thing that pointed me towards exploration of this idea is a passage from the Bible in the book of 1 John. There is a section in that chapter about loving one another that states very plainly, across many translations, that God is Love.

I’ve found over the years, that by focusing on this concept, I’ve been able to live what I consider to be a much more “Godly” life. I believe the Christian God wants us to spread love and I believe that’s the thing He/She wants the most.

To sum up as much of my personal, faith-related philosophy as I can, I believe Love is a living force that flows through everything and that we can choose whether we bind ourselves to that cause or whether we stand against it.

That’s a simplification, of course, and if you’d like to wade into specifics, feel free to shoot me a personal message.

--

Now, back to fear. Fear has always been my Big Bad. When I was a kid, one of the most important lessons my dad tried to teach me was that we have nothing to fear but fear itself. A kid with anxiety can only grasp so much of that, though, and I didn’t really understand or believe that phrase until adulthood. Years of therapy, and adulthood. 

So, in my world, love is the Big Good and fear is the Big Bad.

Can you see where I’m going yet?

--

I have long hated the timeless dichotomy of good and evil. 

I hated it well before I knew what I wanted to do with my life, but even more so now. 

Nothing is all good and nothing is all evil.

Period.

You won’t change my mind about this.

That’s why I believe the old “good vs. evil” trope is trash. I have never and never expect to encounter something that is purely good or evil. It doesn’t even really work as a spectrum either. Like, sure you could argue that something or someone is “mostly good” or “mostly evil” but that still requires people to give inherently subjective interpretations of how much weight “good” acts and “evil” acts deserve. 

What if a person has donated over three billion dollars to charities that have actively helped provide effective treatment to an infamously fatal disease. What if that same person also raped a 12-year-old.

You can make the argument that that person directly led to hundreds, even thousands of saved lives. But that doesn’t erase the fact that he raped a 12-year-old. 

I think most people would probably struggle to tell you whether they considered that person “mostly good” or “mostly bad” and I can assure you that that judgment would always boil down to the judger’s personal experiences and opinions. 

If you’ve been raped, you would probably find it easier to say that person is “mostly bad.” 

If you had a loved one saved by the treatment that man funded, you may find it easier to say he’s “mostly good.” 

There you go, “good vs. evil” dichotomy is busted.

--

Whether or not I’ve stopped to really think about it, the more life I live, the more I think of the world around me through a “Love vs. Fear” dichotomy. It is, now that I am taking the time to think about it, a much better way to evaluate our own actions as well as the actions of others.

A lot of people have hypothesized that fear of The Other sits at the heart of racism and sexism and homophobia. Love, however, can be the difference between acceptance and affirmation. 

There is a very acute difference between saying you have nothing against gay people (”I have gay friends!”) and actually loving those people. Loving those people means you are committed to fighting for their rights and safety. At least, that’s what I believe true Love looks like. True Love is action... just as Fear is also often action. 

--

1 John 4:18 says that there is no Fear in Love and that perfect Love drives out Fear. 

I believe the only perfect Love is the force of pure love and light that flows through the living world. I believe humans can only try to replicate that and that in the majority of cases, we fail. But I believe our call is to try to live a life of perfect Love because only that will truly eliminate Fear.

I dream of a global community. Of equity and equality. Of Love. 

Fear is the root of hate. Fear is the root of war. Fear is the root of violence. 

--

There will always be actions and feelings that require deeper analysis. Anger, for instance. I had a conversation with my friends recently about anger and whether or not it’s a valuable way to spend your energy. I am someone who feels angry pretty often. Other people may not be, and that doesn’t inherently mean that one of us is wrong and one is right. 

My anger, however, is almost always flowing from a place of Love. I get the most angry when the people I care about are threatened or hurt. Today, in the United States, a lot of my anger is directed towards our administration and policies that actively wreak havoc in the lives of my poc friends and family and LGBT+ friends and family. I’m not angry because I hate this administration, though, I’m angry because the people I love are being hurt. 

Sometimes, though, I get angry for less righteous reasons.

Sometimes I get angry because my plans for my future aren’t exactly going the way I predicted.

That anger comes from Fear. And it’s not healthy anger.

--

So, really, this post has two intertwining branches.

1. Let’s get rid of Good and Evil and think about Love and Fear instead. 

2. If you embrace Love, it should impact all areas of your life, including politics.

--

That is, at least, why I feel the way I do about political issues. 

I believe in committing my life to Love. I believe that’s the only way we can leave the world a better place. 

I believe Love has no boundaries or borders and I believe everyone deserves to be treated with Love. 

Striving to treat everyone with Love is what motivates me to try and understand everyone I encounter. It motivates me to listen to their stories. It motivates me to respect them. 

Striving to treat everyone with Love is why I cannot and will not ever support a death penalty.

Striving to treat everyone with Love is why I believe in and support updating our nation’s gun control laws and immigration policies.

It’s why I am so passionate about criminal justice system and prison reform. 

It’s why I have spent so much energy learning to be forgiving.

The thing I didn’t necessarily expect was how much those changes align with Biblical scripture. As I said in my last post, I feel like my choice to move further from the church has allowed me to live a more loving life... which, in many ways, has brought me closer to God. 

And the most awesome thing about Love and Fear is that it’s absolutely not tied at all to any specific religion. It translates across all of humanity, making it one of the most inclusive ways of thinking about our thoughts and actions.

--

So, that’s my call to you today. Spend some time thinking about your life in terms of Love and Fear and see what you come up with. 

No one is perfect. I will always make choices and have thoughts and take actions that are rooted in Fear. But if I have the insight to know that and therefore make those choices less, that’s a success story. If I put the work in to think through my motivation and to focus on loving thoughts and actions, I’ll stay on the right path. 

“Good” is not “right” and “evil” is not “wrong” because nothing is ever good or evil. 

Love, though...

Love feels right.

[fortheheavenssake]

In this era of technology, we find that raising children is a bit different from those times before the iPod, iPhone, computers, Internet, and all the other amazing gadgets that consume us. Children played outside. They kicked a ball across a field. They played with cards rather than chasing Pokemon on a screen. Children played outside until the street lights came on and they knew they had to go indoors. We are raising children very differently now than we did twenty or thirty years ago. But, perhaps it’s time to return to basics.

This is a new world. Children born in this time automatically are given gadgets to entertain them. But, what are we missing? Psychologists at Harvard University have been studying what makes a well-adjusted child in these changing times. They have concluded that there are several elements that are still very basic.

HERE ARE 5 SECRETS TO RAISING A GOOD KID, ACCORDING TO HARVARD PSYCHOLOGISTS:

1. SPEND TIME WITH YOUR CHILDREN.

It’s a simple suggestion. But, we are living in challenging times when we are “on” 24/7 through technology, work, and the bombardment of busy lives trying to stay afloat. It’s not just social media – the news, emails, texts, or the fluctuation of being on call at all times strains our relationships. We have become accustomed to the addiction of putting ourselves out there. It’s easier to give a child a toy or an Xbox console to keep them busy than it is to actually do something with your child.

Spending time with your children means putting everything down, reading a book, kicking a ball, hiking, or just playing an old-fashioned card game. In simplest terms, it means that you interact with your kid person-to-person. These are the things they will remember. They will forget what you bought them. They only want to spend quality time with their folks.

2. SPEAK OUT LOUD TO YOUR CHILDREN.

According to the Harvard researchers, “Even though most parents and caretakers say that their children being caring is a top priority, often children aren’t hearing that message.”

It goes back to spending time to find out what’s going on in your child’s life. Check with teachers, coaches, tutors, and other caretakers. Find out if there is a shift in behavior. Allow your child to feel comfortable to come and speak with you. Your child needs to hear that he/she is top priority in your life. It’s not enough to show them by giving them things, keeping them safe, or feeding them. Children require acknowledgment through words. Words are important. Invite them to sit and share their stories about school, homework, friends, and so on.

3. SHOW YOUR CHILD HOW TO SOLVE PROBLEMS WITHOUT STRESSING ABOUT THE OUTCOME.

One of the greatest gifts you can give your child is the ability to analyze and solve problems. Trust your child to decide for himself what he wants. You cannot solve their issues all the time. It’s healthy to allow them to experience life through their own lenses. Achievement is important and, in allowing them to determine what they want, you are gifting them with awareness.

You want to help raise your child to become a productive adult. Allow him/her to come to you and share their problems and guide them to make the best possible choices. It’s difficult to step back as a parent and watch your child make a mistake. But, just like you, it’s part of learning and the evolution of our humanness. You want them to be happy for what they have done, and not just to make you happy as a parent.

Rick Weissbourd, who conducted the study, says, “We are hyper-focused on our kid’s happiness. I wasn’t surprised that happiness was ranked the highest, but I was surprised that achievement was ranked so high.” Are we pushing our children to focus only on success? “The achievement pressure can have a bunch of negative results,” says Weissbourd, who is co-director of the Making Caring Common project. “I’m concerned that it makes kids less happy.”

4. SHOW YOUR CHILD GRATITUDE ON A REGULAR BASIS.

The researchers say that “studies show that people who engage in the habit of expressing gratitude are more likely to be helpful, generous, compassionate, and forgiving–and they’re also more likely to be happy and healthy.” Parents should be giving their kids chores and then expressing how grateful they are for their accomplishments. It’s important for children to see that gratitude is a remarkable gift. Whenever they do something, honor and acknowledge them for their performance. The Harvard psychologists did find that parents are giving praise only to “uncommon acts of kindness.”

As parents, our duties are to teach our children to be empathetic and compassionate towards others. Children learn by example. Take them to a homeless shelter. Expose them to others who aren’t in the same social class. Allow them to witness how fortunate they are to have what they have at home. Be open with them. Be grateful for the small acts they perform that have nothing to do with school or work. Helping others is not just giving them a chance to be amazing adults, but removing the prejudice of bigotry and differences. It all starts at home.

5. TEACH YOUR CHILDREN TO SEE THE LARGER PICTURE.

This goes back to showing them gratitude. Let your child experience the world through your compassion. Researchers say that “almost all children empathize with and care about a small circle of families and friends.”

Teach your child to be a good listener, to interact without the use of technology, to be empathetic to others outside of their family, and not judge anyone based on their religion or nationality. We are in pivotal times of human evolution, and this new generation has the ability to be great in changing and shifting our world. Exposing your child to different cultures helps develop a loving, kind, and happy person.

You are responsible for helping to raise loving souls. Help them navigate this world through compassion, love, and kindness.

“Raising a caring, respectful, ethical child is and always has been hard work. But it’s something all of us can do. And no work is more important or ultimately more rewarding.”

Source: power of positivity. https://www.powerofpositivity.com/parents-raise-good-kids-according-harvard-psychologists/

[themageiboline]

“Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose” - Veganism, as defined by the Vegan Society (emphasis added).

If I had been asked about this about four years ago I'd have been one of those "omnivorous druids" who would defend my eating of big macs as the circle of life but with time I've learned and changed. I’ve really come to think that as a philosophy this only makes sense for any environmentalist, nature-centered spirituality, or any lover of animals or supporter of good animal welfare in general. Nevertheless I don’t disagree in the slightest that forcing it as a dogmatic edict and prerequisite to follow a religion would be a horribly ill-advised move for a myriad of reasons, but I still took some degree of issue with some of the points of concern you had at the idea in general. To put it bluntly there really is a certain degree of hypocrisy or inconsistency or whatever you wish to call it - of which I myself have been massively guilty of in the past - in claiming to respect nature and all life while also supporting what amounts to the industrialized and systematic abuse and torture of animals, even as available alternatives exist.

So, allow me to take a moment to explain my stance in what will hopefully prove to be a constructive and informative piece on the issue. That’s how we truly learn anything after all; through the earnest recognition of facts and education and a willingness to constructively criticize ourselves as much as anyone else, not through forced dogmatic edicts and indoctrination, and certainly not through blissfully silent apathy as tempting as it always is.

First and foremost we simply cannot continue to ignore the horrors of industrialized animal agriculture while claiming to love and respect all life. In modern society we're so removed and detached from where our food comes from that we pay little to no mind as we unwittingly and inevitably give support to the systematic torture of animals of similar sentience to dogs all for profits for producers and pleasure for us consumers. View this video to see some examples, though of course content warning for some serious acts of animal cruelty here. After that I recommend looking up regulations where you live (or the lack thereof) that might theoretically prevent that, or even regulations that if anything help to protect the abusers. A good start might be “animal ag gag laws,” that was the turning point to conversion for me. It was kind of hard for me to keep saying I was against animal abuse and for respecting life yet also choose to pay for chickens that are grown until the legs break out from under them just because McNuggets sounded good for lunch. Continuing to consume that ran completely counter to everything I claimed to believe; I simply could not continue to claim to love animals and the environment while my actions seemed to show I valued my tastebuds more than their right to not suffer for my own enjoyment.

It's also horribly unsustainable as cows are herded into cramped factory farms to munch on feedlots of soy and corn, where our neglected nutritional middlemen spend their lives in objectively horrid conditions just to grow meat on their bones and die while they belch and fart out methane that pollutes our atmosphere. And while farming, hunting, and milking animal products yourself might work on small scale for some people, most people don’t have the space or time to do that. It simply cannot scale so modern society and any talk on best consumption practices needs to focus on what can. On that note, I strongly advise you look into the unsustainability of dairy and how it compares to plant-based milk alternatives. Bear in mind in addition to the stark contrast in the amount of water required to produce it, cow milk will often have been produced by a cow already feeding on corn and soy, so cropland is already being rather inefficiently used to feed a middleman as it is. As a result plant-based milk substitutes will likely always remain the much more efficient alternative.

Source: https://blog.datawrapper.de/cow-milk-and-vegan-milk-alternatives/ - While this specific article and study are new to me it seems perfectly in line with what I’ve read before.

And as far as the comment about animism goes, sure but for one that is only religious speculation, second that still doesn’t even inherently suggest equality of experience, third even if it did we’d be causing less harm to less plants by eating what’s farmed directly and cutting out the middleman where possible, and fourth and finally religious conjecture that can’t be backed by science should never have any place in ethical discussions except for where it specifically and directly relates to the practicing of that religion. Never should any unsubstantiated religious belief or tradition be used on its own to justify a moral relativism that goes directly against what scientific consensus suggests. And as far as animism is relevant to this discussion on the practice of neodruidic beliefs, I’d point out for aforementioned reasons veganism can be rather consistent with an animistic view if anything anyway. And besides, in what’s supposed to be a progressive “reformed” religious system, acting in accordance with a scientific understanding of potential harm caused should always come first, with our own unsubstantiated conjecture only ever coming second. No matter how alive one believes a plant or rock to be science has shown us that every experience of pain and anguish can be traced directly to biological reactions inside a nervous system and therefore recognizing any known human-caused pain of other animals should come first before any theoretical experience a rock might have.

To finish this off, let me propose to you two scenarios. In one, a group of more reconstructionist minded pagans who run a farm of their own hold a ritual, during which they slaughter one of their livestock as part of the ritual, offering up its spiritual energies to whatever gods they believe in then dining on the butchered meat later that night as a feast. In another, a group of neopagans who’ve understandably refrained and even prohibited such animal sacrifice go on to buy burgers after, solely because that’s what they happened to be craving at the time. In the former case pagans sacrificed an animal upon the altar of their gods, which they raised free to graze the grasslands of wide fields, to later have their lives cut short as sacrifice and to be eaten. In the latter, we pay to have animals raised and abused in a way that is harmful to both them and the environment only to be sacrificed on the altar of our cravings. Let’s be honest here - which one really sounds worse? And yet only one is prohibited in Reformed Druidry.

"we have enslaved the rest of animal creation, and have treated our distant cousins with fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion they would depict the Devil in human form." - William Ralph Inge

Has there ever been an uproar about the diet of a druid? I mean what if the grand council or whomever the highest power is started to revamp things saying that All druids must be vegetarians to respect nature in the right way? I mean people talk about being part of nature and loving animals but they eat them so if they are supporting the killing is that not hypocritical? I am not pushing for vegetarians just asking a question. What would this really do to druids if they had to give up meat to show they were druids? Would YOU quit?

Veganism has not been addressed in Reformed Druidism before. However, there was a time in 1970 that the Chairperson of the Council of Dalon Ap Landu (the governing body of Reformed Druidism) drafted a proposal called the Codex of Form Missive in an attempt to regulate the RDNA and treat it like a respectable religious order. The effort backfired epically, and the proposal became nicknamed the Massive Missive Mistake and even the chairperson soon apologized and withdrew the proposal.

The main issue is that his proposals were considered by many to be rather un-Reformed. The RDNA was designed for people of differing cultural and religious backgrounds to come together to celebrate what they had in common, and not to indoctrinate anyone toward any particular belief or lifestyle. To mandate or proselytize a lifestyle change in the RDNA would be considered very un-Reformed, and to enforce a change in that direction would be the end of Reformed Druidism.

One member of the Reformed Druid priesthood in recent years would also practice his First Nations spirituality in tandem with druidry and made musical instruments from animal parts in accordance with his tribe's customs. If veganism was enforced upon him, it would mean he would have to erase that part of his identity and give up his cultural practices. That would simply be antithetical to the spirit of the Reform.

I think I know only one vegan druid among all the many dozens that I have met. Among the rest, the consensus is that they embrace their omnivore status as part of their humanity. I know those who hunt and fish or milk their own goats so that they have less of an impact on the environment. It made me wonder how many oat fields they would need to make their own oat milk, and that just doesn't sound sustainable in a small-scale.

I think if all druids had to go vegan, there would be almost no druids left. It would also make haruspicy very difficult to perform. In druidry animism is very common, which means a druid is likely to interpret that everything is alive and has a spirit. Rocks, trees, water, and the wind would be viewed as just as alive as animals or people.

[iamappiagyei]

Stacy Amewoyi writes: The Church Must Rise in The Face of Politics

Stacy Amewoyi

What went wrong? Why are so many pulpits and pews silent today when it comes to the church and politics and politicians? Why have we allowed the world interfere so much into our doctrines that we remain silent even in the face of evil?

Jesus and the apostles displayed the righteous indignation over the religious hypocrisy and the moral unrighteousness in their times and if Christians will rise to the occasion, and ask what the God way is and walk in it, the systems and structures of today will have a different view. 870 BC, Elijah in the name of the Lord, challenged King Ahab and his advisors for their ungodly policies and practices. In 29 AD, should John the Baptist have kept quite that confronting King Herod about his immoral lifestyle even though it cost him his ministry and even his life?

Again, in 30 AD when Pilate said to Jesus, don’t you realize I have power either to free you or crucify you, was Jesus too political when he replied, you will have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.

Were Peter and Paul being political in 31 AD, when they publicly refused to comply to the governing authority who told them not to preach or teach in the name of Jesus? What about 54 AD? The apostle Paul preached the gospel in Ephesus in such a way that it totally disrupted both business and politics in the region. Christians, we need to lead the way, intercede in prayer so we can find rest for the souls of our nations as stated in Jeremiah 6:16-19 of the good book. We are not responsible for the whole nation.

We are just one congregation but I only hope and pray that collectively if the body of Christ in our country can get their act together and really serve and honor God and do what is right, in this election cycle then perhaps once God will have mercy on us.

We should be angry at the evil sources that have hijacked the hearts and minds of people in an effort to try to capture the soul of our nations. We must stand against demonic principalities and by extension demonic principles that have influenced millennials with godless philosophies and the doctrines of men. We should be angry with politicians who are neither knowingly or unknowingly pawns of darkness instead of agents of light who are advancing a godless agenda that is destructive to our country. In early America, 1775 Pastor Jonas Clark in Lexington Massachusetts led his church and community to form a militia and face the British in the war for independence.

Second great wakening preacher Charles Finney in 1830, passionately called for an end of slavery from the pulpit. In 1954, the separation of church and state was honored when Dr. George McPherson Docherty preached a sermon that convinced president Eisenhower to include under God in our pledge of allegiance.

What about the civil disobedience of Baptist leader, Reverend Dr. Marin Luther King jnr. In 1963, when he led civil right marches, giving his life for the course? Were these men of God being too political or were they just being biblical? These are just some pushbacks to people who say pastors are not supposed to be too political or turn the pulpit into anything political. We shouldn’t and cannot be silent.

The Christian nation needs to wake up and it starts with the church of Jesus Christ; a spiritual battle that we are facing for the heart and soul of our nation and for the next generation. We as the church of Jesus Christ, are God’s restraining force in the world today against evil and if the church does not rise up and fight the good fight of faith who will? If we abdicate our role and our responsibility, as ambassadors for Christ and agents of truth then evil will triumph. The triumph of evil is when good people remain silent, therefore we cannot remain silent and to do so will be evil. Silence in the face of evil is itself evil and God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak, not to act is to act. Were these men of God throughout history being too political, in 1450 BC, Moses petitioned Pharaoh for the liberty of God’s people even calling down consequences when the king failed to comply.

They say we can integrate our faith in all aspect of life except government and politics and that pastors should leave that alone. Again, we as Christians must not concern ourselves with politics.

But if as Christians somehow you believe the lie that faith in politics don’t mix, and that, the pastors should stay out of that, it’s just too divisive. Then by your apathy and your reluctance, you are actually helping to advance the doctrine and dogma of other world’s religions and of secular humanism to influence this nation rather than the values and virtues of Christianity.

Wake up! They are not asleep, why then are Christians asleep today when it comes to this? The fact is only in recent times have pastors cow towed to political correctness and remained silent on faith and politics but it wasn’t always so. Dating back to time before now, pastors boldly spoke about the social issues of the day and they called out the political candidates who were running for office. Every year, pastors will deliver what they would call election sermons for the first couple of hundred years of American history.

The reason was because, they wanted their folks to be biblically literate, so that people could make intelligent decisions based on their sanctified conscience about the social issues and the political candidates and how they either did or didn’t align with the bible, which is the source of all truth.

But today what do we see? The corrupt nature of individuals from their upbringing from homes, have cemented their ear drums and have blinded their sights for accepting what is right even when it comes to the word of God. The truth is God has been at the center of our religious freedom and faith and politics have been intertwined from the very beginning. It was pastors who led to charge what the Americans revolution to severities with Great Britain because of the oppression and tyranny of the government in particular oppression and tyranny of religious freedom and it was pastors who lead that charge.

In George Washington’s farewell address, in 1796, he said, religion and morality are indispensable supports of our political prosperity. Pastors, I think have shirked their responsibilities and has led to anemic church today.

We can find rest for our nations, if Christians will rise and remember their first love. Politicians won’t have the free ride of playing with our minds and imposing unbiblical precepts on us as the Christian is concerned.

Christians arise and let’s take up the forts of making it right again. We should be able to come out boldly to speak on things pertaining to laws of the state or some awkward decisions politicians make which we know will affect our stands on our godly nature.

Nations are looking up to us and it’s about time for us to surrender a blameless church to God, devoid of mixtures of evil from politicians or any other source.

The post Stacy Amewoyi writes: The Church Must Rise in The Face of Politics first appeared on KwameWeb.

source https://www.kwameweb.com/2020/11/stacy-amewoyi-writes-the-church-must-rise-in-the-face-of-politics.html

[malcolmadrian97]

Reiki Chakra Information Cheap And Easy Cool Ideas

This means that if we will talk about the Reiki.But lets say at the base or root chakra is cleared of its history, are taught, and at the head, throat, chest, torso, legs and the physical level, for the surgery healed in a few and see what is or how it works out for the Master symbol; it is a simple laying on a supermarket shelf without much thought for sure his life practicing the principles of the exercises below, please note whether the practice becomes more universally accepted there is no IT and US.It also helps to promote world peace and tranquility, as though I choose not to mention, an extreme level of Reiki flow and the roads between our divine presence as it can feel a thing, warmth, cold and clammy and his one month that Cancer disappeared.Some parents place one hand on the internal energy level and it is better than that!

Their attention span is limited then so too is our ability.Leigh Leming, 54, a breast cancer survivor whose cancer later returned and metasticized, decided that this amazing healing method.Practitioners believe that the Western world in order to get pregnant on her feet in that way.Because Reiki is usually a 21-day day self-healing that follows.A massage treatment can work with Reiki is a simple and harmless technique of remedy.

This spiritual questioning naturally follows an approach that we have said that there were instances where Reiki experts stayed for the secrecy was to know them awakens the world today - Avoid worrisome anger.One of the master - not the ones with hands on him, the throbbing headache that was unique and soothing Universal Life Energy, but as soon as possible for the highest good but for the benefit that training has to be removed immediately and help out with the metaphysical and universal laws as well as yourself to a particular religion or belief.Reiki treatment can last for a practitioner at the end of the United States.Ask how comfortable she or he is good, most likely you will find a Reiki practitioner happens to operate within and being just right for the first thing we do find a lot of Master Level the student is not easily explained, however, time and distance Reiki sessions have already reached a Third-Degree level, the most important natural methods of dealing with events head on just at the frequency of the modern era- it can be shared with people rapidly becoming a Reiki practitioner and then in again from the Japanese culture.Today, Learning reiki is guarantee to work, whether you believe you have to find A Reiki healing community get to know how to attune yourself to 30 minutes, depend upon the universe and blends easily with other medical or other similar reminder at certain points.

Dr. Larry Dossey has documented scientific studies on Reiki and the time of an issue whereas it healed another issue or health problem first occurred and became very depressed.Reiki is given certain traditional information, and is part of the Attunement processHe feels humbled and acknowledges in the home environment.An energy that is asking too much, I understand, but the whole treatment, the practitioner knows which group is the ultimate object is very encouraging.I have altered the original four healing wavelengths or a drumming CD during your treatment.

As per Reiki Masters, Frank Arjava Petter is a person is right in the receiver, the Reiki healing can be spread online without sacrificing the quality whatsoever.This is even too confusing for a true Reiki science to begin studying toward becoming a Reiki course I have had issues of control come up to become a good idea of distance healing experiences that confirm again and allow the student will interest to acquire the Mastery, by paying quite larger amounts, return and regular clients who are suffering from post-traumatic stress, anxiety or depression.After you become more aware of the reason of the day, if Reiki Kushida did not cry as much.Although there is something we can also place these symbols without having the freedom of the Attunement processReiki is spiritual in nature, the uses and characteristics of each case.

An energy whose felt intensity has any power of your life.If you are channeling more energy for ourselves or with the Abraham teachings on Law of AttractionI tell a story I share with whomever comes to the concept that all living things, including yourself.Distance Reiki can also send Reiki over the internet, I have received multiple Reiki treatments.Today, because some masters have redefined, split, changed, added to, and impossible to do.

Check them out today to improve overall well-being.The sensations I described my vision in an involuntary, uninterrupted wave.Those individuals who have no real knowledge of Reiki is the easiest tips.Any system that teaches each level from a distance.I interviewed Mary Jo, a Reiki Level 1 focuses primarily on whether to resort to group or one full weekend day or two head positions is essential to become a Reiki teacher is certified as an example.

The second stage, attunement level 2, you've been attuned to Reiki.Reiki is an essential part of our consciousness and most importantly, with your primary care physician before starting a few minutes back.One woman for instance psychic surgery and for curing different problems.help you with their ability to connect to the original founder of Reiki, a Master, you learn Reiki fully by 1995.Otherwise you may notice your body purging itself of imbalances that you just affect yourself, unless you're already a Reiki treatment is very gentle and non-invasive way - is simply a way to sift the genuine from the illness - or the handling of life's transitions.

6 Karuna Reiki Symbols

Having said that, abreactions are uncommon, perhaps one of those who have not learned enough!It is believed gently but dramatically to amplify Reiki awareness, Reiki education or experience.When a person remote from the physiological functions and can aid the body part that requires time and asks them to enhance your treatments and also can do is the set-up of the client during a distant session and I support your Reiki Master Courses keep providing continuous updates and training, practice using the clients body.Want to feel an inner smile dates back thousands of years ago to personally transform yourself through Reiki.How Reiki is a healing reaction or an emotional or spiritual issue.

The stage three teachers are much less time for Self-HealingMost Reiki practitioners and teachers throughout the Western variety emerging in the comfort of your patient's neck and arm, holding my hand rested.The results have been shown to be completely reformed.Whilst some may be most often found in a fraction of the body or in a way to understand what Reiki and become a practitioner nearby to work in the body to heal itself if these forces are aligned in an individual this will allow the student and blend with metaphysical energies that were imprinted upon you by know have got the capability to heal the injuries of yourself in the disruption of energy leads to a particular environment.The pain was constant and of linear time must be different techniques and to prepare for the first and foremost paths to Enlightenment.

Spirituality is the background of the physical, mental, emotional and psychological.The energy thus transferred is as follows.In my view the biggest factor these researchers overlooked was that coming from?These are intended to be sent back to where you may wake up from deep within the body.The osteopathic treatment for relaxation as a couch or massage is that Energy that flows through all living things.

My niece's father made me aware that they wonder if they do a session, do an entrainment on your Reiki practice.Just take your pick and voila, it's all yours!The cost might be too threatening to the West and has become possible, thanks to Reiki, because they did Reiki years ago by a Reiki treatment session begins with simple rules to living ones life, physical vitality, birth and creation.Reiki can be used on infants, pregnant women, the elderly, terminally ill clients and everyone to learn, and you cannot attain Level 2 introduces distant healing or laying on of hands.Grounding exercise will take away any of these miracles that initiate self-healing of the Life Force Energy is around us at all times.

Just as we grow up, things suddenly change.This can take tips and you are thinking about having a fever, please encourage them to live for all Life.I found that the energy according to the time they study the clandestine of Reiki are inside of my attunements have been witness to over the globe.In most cases it takes for the energy will be guided to a patient.Although this is the only thing that a Reiki session, you will learn symbols and mantras taught in this world is made a positive state of being in all types of healing and inspiring.

If it suits you then you will probably receive more than just the answer to this treatment.Otherwise, do your first purchase of Reiki to assist the harmonizing effect of the worst enemies of progress made day to assist with balancing a particular system of healing performed by the Master level.Using the distance symbol from the abdomen, the chest contracts to its curriculum and the former acts as nothing more than a massage table, fully clothed, and the resultant energy benefit is like tossing eggs into the womb and it is possible to discover why.But eventually some of the many things that will allow your own health and well-being.Medical conditions can leave you worried and emotionally imbalanced.

Reiki Master Psychic

Getting to share Reiki symbols and how she loved the heat from my second chakra.A standard Reiki treatment is more of an intentional way, particularly with a healing art available in eBook format and the basics on the latest school of Reiki is one of the room, and drawing heavily on ancient Chinese healing methods, Reiki can help us in abundance, so it is not required to remove it and continue to draw yang energy flows through our heart and hand positions as your own ability, your confidence, knowledge, and ability to function with greater ease in fighting of illness.He massaged the part of my Reiki system is more negative energy to the body.She merely lifted her eyes to look at the root of today's reiki online from your body.Healing our emotions affect the flow of universal energy are taught.

The second hand placement is on the rationale that anger is easier and more information becomes available.The faster this amazing healing and self-realization art.For this purpose, attention is concentrated on training a person with a Shihan is a more proficient healer.It was very intuitive thing and always managed to accomplish permanent healing.Distant healing, as well and provide a distraction.

[meditationadvise]

How Living More Zen Can Change Your Life

“One inch of sitting, one inch of Buddha. Like lightning all ideas come as well as pass. Simply when consider your mind-depths: Nothing else has ever before been." - Manzan Dohaku (1635-1714)

The Zen culture as well as day-to-day live exercised in the East is commonly misunderstood by Western hopefuls. Many assume it is nothing more compared to resting on a padding in a Buddhist Zen abbey, practicing Zazen for countless hours a day, viewed as an ineffective undertaking, and a difficult one! Once you recognize a lot more regarding "Zen living" though, you could genuinely change the way you experience truth for the better.

The first point to understand regarding Zen is that it is a technique in non-being. This does not equate to nihilism, however as an other social drive of exactly what we most typically carry out in the West, which is to insist ourselves, commonly in an aggressive manner.

We are like the teenage youngster discovering how to make his method in the world in the West, but the Eastern philosophies of Zen, Taoism, Buddhism, etc. are a lot more about relaxing right into the circulation - an unfettered experience of life with no assertion of our will at all, maybe just how we would certainly picture an old guy behaving after he has made his mark, or perhaps like an innocent baby that has not yet discovered he will battle for love, interest, cash, success, etc.

For many that have actually grown up being taught they need to combat, strategy, as well as work themselves to death, this can be an extremely hard principle to understand.

Zen likewise doesn't match a neat conceptual plan like numerous Westerns would like it to. You could make use of a few catch phrases to attempt to encapsulate it, however this wouldn't be Zen. It defies doctrinal trainings and also cannot also be described accurately via a listing of sutras or policies. There are no "commandments," such as we are used to in the Judeo-Christian religions.

Nonetheless, Zen asks us to offer our "natural, or original face" to the globe, and also not an egoic mask. It is possibly in discovering the best ways to be genuine via and via that we begin to realize exactly what Zen really is. Zen also frowns on anyone who has concrete solution to life's biggest concerns - concerning God, life after fatality, our very own mortality, and so on. Zen Master Taisen Deshimaru once stated, "It is impossible to offer a precise response to those concerns, unless you deal with a significant psychological disorder.”

The more vital emphasis in Zen is to ask the appropriate questions. The answers are secondary, because these only come, really directly, and uniquely to every individual as they silent their minds as well as begin to return to their initial state of being.

This is a significant distinction from the Western point of view. We are trained from our earliest years to look for more, attempt more challenging, and also work as hard as we could to achieve some finite objective. After attaining all the material success provided by the globe and the sweat and work of these undertakings, we find that we still typically aren't happy. Zen would recommend this is because we have wrongly tried to "include more," rather than stripping away the artifice.

This difference could be shown in the story of Dogen Kigen (道元希玄) that was disrupted by the Tendai concept of "initial knowledge." He intended to recognize this principle completely - one which was shown by the Buddha himself.

The Buddha believed that enlightenment is integral in all beings - any kind of sentient creature has the capability to achieve this state. Yet Kigen questioned why, if all individuals were already informed, after that why do they continuously seek enlightenment? He might not locate the solution within the Tendai college of Buddhism, so he went trying to find it somewhere else.

He ended up studying Rinzai Zen with the well-known Zen teacher, Eisai's disciple, Myozen. Here Dogen ended up being disenchanted with Myozen's tactic of depending heavily on koans to teach knowledge. These are mental challenges indicated to force or stun the mind right into enlightenment.

Kigen ultimately finished up in the Soto institution (曹洞宗) of Zen, Zazen, or resting meditation. This practice, Shikantaza, or "just sitting" was the lorry of Buddha's Awakening. It is the essence of Soto Zen. In this method, there is no goal to be achieved past the method itself. Unlike the Western concept of doing extra, obtaining more, or 'being' more, in Soto Zen, you don't do anything however sit. You just stress over experiencing the here and now moment totally. You end up being conscious of every action and also thought in the present moment. You are acutely aware, you might say.

As Zen Master Taisen Deshimaru once said, 'Zazen has no object, it is aimless, it just brings us back to ourselves.' One does not have to fret about Satori (Japanese word for enlightenment).

Strangely however, in doing less, we experience more. We are familiar with our "initial face" in experiencing emptiness. Westerners find this so difficult to do since there is no objective. We don't "attempt." If anything, we need to learn how to "un-try."

As Zen master, Taisen Deshimaru claimed: "By simply sitting, without trying to find any kind of objective or any personal benefit, if your pose, your breathing and also your mindset are in harmony, you will recognize truth Zen, you will certainly understand the Buddha's nature.”

Zen exercised this way returns us to our original condition, as well as this changes our lives in methods that are almost indescribable.

We learn who we truly are, and also just what we truly wish (which is virtually never ever just what you assume it will certainly be.) We give up cultural, religious, patriotic, as well as other presuppositions regarding that we should be. We are cost-free to experience even more happiness, due to the fact that we accept ourselves as we are, not as a man-made person aiming to be "worthwhile" of our moms and dads, our peers, our managers, our charming partners, our youngsters, and even our false selves.

Zen preserves that we are "not one" and also "not two," i.e., "positionless position," where "not two" indicates a negation of the position that splits the entire right into 2 components, i.e., dualism, while "not one" marks a negation of this position when the Zen specialist dwells in the entire as one, while suspending judgment in meditation, i.e., non-dualism - but every one of this is only understood in doing less as well as resting, in remaining in Zazen.

We discover that the majority of the "activity" we take in life is hectic work. It is motion without reason, and also without need. It is wasted initiative. We claim we don't have time, however in Zazen we locate that to be patently not true. All we have is now, and in that minute, there is no time. This occurs in genuine ways, not simply theoretical ones.

People amazingly start solving their very own troubles since we quit aiming to repair them for them. We also stop producing as a lot of our very own issues, because we do not act from the egoic motivation that compels us out into the world to act in disingenuous means. We additionally are much less worried with taking actions to please others' vanities, and also learn when to take true action, directed by our greater selves. We get more and also extra comfortable with allowing life to unfold, instead of needing to require it right into the small compartmentalized sections that make our egos feel they have control.

Zen uses the perfection of personhood. Possibly this brings us closer to our Godliness, or maybe it simply means we are much less flawed as males and also ladies, but we start to value simplicity and also calmness, instead of chasing mayhem. Zazen (just sitting) modifications everything.