I was watching Pema Chodron on Bill Moyer's show. She's a Buddhist nun and as one would expect of a Buddhist nun, she wore no makeup and had her hair cut very short.
That made me wonder -- could I become a Buddhist nun, but instead of Chodron's typical attire, have styled hair, wear sexy clothes and lipstick? A hot nun who gets to have sex and flirt?
Would letting go of my vanity and my desire to be considered attractive launch me further along the road to enlightenment? Or do I have it backwards: becoming more enlightened is supposed to make me stop caring about how I look?
I'm stuck on this conundrum that says you can't be enlightened and hot at the same time. The underlying concept is, I suppose, that meditation takes up all of your valuable eyebrow tweezing time. And vice versa. I know, I've never been hit with an epiphany while tweezing.
I've always had a tumultuous relationship with that whole appearance thing. I don't typically wear a lot of makeup or spend a lot of time on my hair, partly because I'm lazy, and partly because I've got this belief that it's more virtuous not to bother. Then I show up at a party and all the chicks are totally tricked out and I have an insecure attack: Oh jeez, why didn't I wear more makeup?
Appearances do matter. Even Pema Chodron wears robes, which send out a signal about her life and path. Now I just have to figure out what signal I want to send.
What I've heard about Tantra is tittilating. Extended orgasms that last five hours! Spiritual connection! Orgies! Sexual energy moving up all the chakras! Total immersion and union! Oh, and did I mention the orgasms? Really good orgasms.
You mean I don't have to be a celibate monk to be enlightened? Sign me up! I'm on the spiritual path and I'm coming!!
Sounds like the perfect way to reconcile sexuality and spirituality, right? The textbooks have great names too, like The Art of Sexual Magic. I'll never be tardy to this class! Slap a few of the right words on sex -- "bliss," "ecstatic union," "chakra," "weekend intensive" -- and I'll say "It's a Visa, and the account number is 4052..."
Oh, how I wish it were that easy. But Margot Anand set me straight:
"Many so-called tantra teachers and so-called tantra movements think that you just need to tickle your G-spot for four hours and take a few drugs and then you reach enlightenment and that's what tantra is about. No, it isn't. There has been a great misunderstanding, a feeling that after such a long time of sexual repression, now we are entering into the garden of delight, and we can basically do whatever we want—cavort and fuck and suck and do all these things—albeit more consciously than before. This is still not tantra. So I think it's very important to really make the distinction that tantric spirituality is not about just indulging in sexual orgies."
Years ago I used to have a repetitive dream about being engulfed by a giant wave and drowing in the ocean. Depending on the emotional temperature of my waking life, the ocean would vary in its color, intensity and size. Big emotional problems would be heralded by dark, stormy oceans and engulfing waves. Small stresses would be heralded by mild flooding and murky sea water.
Then one night instead of drowning in a tsunami sized wave in my dream-- I found myself surfing on it.
Today I found an ad for LifeSurfing classes at a school based in Chicago. They teach walking meditations, silent sitting and other excercises.
I don't live in Chicago unfortunately, so I can't go check these classes out. But I thought that the title 'LifeSurfing' and how it relates to my dream symbolism was brilliant piece of serendipity and wordplay. The funny part is that I used meditations to tame those nasty dream-tsunamis the stress in my daily life was creating.
Nice to know there are fellow 'Life Surfers' out there in the world...
Salon has an article about B. Alan Wallace and the Buddhist study of consciousness.
The Dalai Lama himself is deeply invested in reconciling science and spirituality. He meets regularly with Western scientists, looking for links between Buddhism and the latest research in physics and neuroscience. In his book "The Universe in a Single Atom," he wrote, "If scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims."
The rest of the article is a question and answer session between Salon writer, Steve Paulson, and ex-monk B. Alan Wallace. Here's another tidbit:
Of course, the Tibetan Buddhist tradition has reincarnation. Is that testable scientifically?
Well, here's the hypothesis. Your psyche emerged some time while you were in your mother's womb. It's continuing to evolve, and eventually it's going to implode back into the substrate, carry on as a disembodied continuum of consciousness and then reincarnate. There's the theory in a nutshell. Is that one testable? My short answer is yes, I think this is a testable hypothesis, and in principle it really should be able to be repudiated. But we're also looking for positive evidence.
It's an interesting read and a harbinger of the coming coalescence of science and spirituality.
Can you be cruel to your slaves and kind to animals at the same time? It's tough if you want to dress the part.
Leather fetish wear is out of the question for vegans, so the well-dressed cruelty-free dominatrix will resort to PVC. But uh-oh, vinyl is super bad for the environment. That leaves rubber, as long as its the natural kind, and not vulcanized, which is processed using animal fats.
There's two possible definitions of "vegan": process-based versus ingredient-based. Rubber doesn't contain any animal products, but it is processed using animal products. By the ingredient-based method, rubber is a-ok, and so is PVC, especially if you hate the earth and want to see it destroyed.
Fortunately, most vegans are submissive types. But if you still want to enjoy cruelty-free cruelty, the best alternative I've found is at Vegan Erotica, which sells products made from a blend of microfiber and polyurethane.
If that's not pure enough for you, there's always the good-old-fashioned naked hemp-rope-bound hand spanking with optional cucumber dildo. That's something everyone can enjoy.
Newsflash!!!!! Apparently, Steven Seagal isn't as cheesy on the inside as he is on the outside.
Hmph! He had me fooled.
Cleveland television station WEWS-TV interviewed Seagal this week and reported Saturday that he is a serious practitioner of Buddhism who contends he was born clairvoyant and "a healer."
"I was born very different," he said.
Nicole Richie is turning to jewelry to "heal" her aura. According to TMZ, she's been spotted wearing necklaces that promote harmony, peace and beauty created by Mintee.
According to the site, pearls reduce fear and encourage compassion. The necklaces remind me of one's I've found in the bazaars and India import shops. Strands of wooden beads made from sandalwood can't help but smell good. Many of the necklaces are strung in traditional meditation prayer style. I didn't see any styles that healed your aura from eating too much, or make you thinner while wearing them. Then instead of Nicole Richie in the picture, we'd have Kirstie Alley.
Tomorrow is the big turkey day, do you know what your guests eat? Gone are the days when we assume everyone is happy with the standard turkey trimmings dinners. With the popularity of vegetarianism and vegan eating you're almost guaranteed a non-meat eater at the table.
If you’re hosting Thanksgiving at your house this year remember that most vegetarians do not need a ‘meat equivalent’ at Thanksgiving. Traditionally, Thanksgiving has been mostly about the food, but more importantly it’s about families, friends, togetherness, happiness and peace.
Want some real recipes? Then trot on over to VegCooking for lots of ideas. You don't even have to be vegetarian to enjoy them.
Found this in the news today: Guiseppa, a 60-year-old grandmother from Bexley, in Sydney’s south, came forward yesterday to help NSW police track the woman who stole her $308,000 life savings.
Going by the name of Nina, the conwoman tried to fleece at least four Sydney women by asking them to leave large amounts of money and jewellery with her so she could cleanse it of evil.
Det-Insp Jim Stewart said Guiseppa’s $300,000 and a further $200,000, as well as jewellery, was stolen after Nina had told her victims she needed it “for five to six days”.
Guiseppa, who said she was still to inform her husband of their loss, described how Nina had “looked at a crystal ball and touched me with her hands”.
“She said I was aggravated and cursed.”
The psychic had promised, during five or six 10-minute sessions, to rid her cash of a family curse
.
Ok, kids--what's the moral of this story? Never let your grandmother loan out her life's savings to someone claiming to cleanse it for her? Never trust women named Nina? Never gamble with a Sicilian when there's death on the line?
Nyaaaahhhhh! Wrong!
The moral is-- never tell your husband that you've given your life's savings to someone claiming to cleanse it for you!
It's inevitable, at some point in our lives we all get duped. I have been scammed a few times by fake psychics, I'm not ashamed to admit. I'm not elderly or desperate or uneducated or otherwise impaired and yet I've also been fleeced by doctors, advertisers, politicians and other supposed authorities. Even boyfriends, relatives and carsalesmen.
This is one of those life lessons that none of us are immune to. As one of my old bosses, a sofa salesman, used to say-- "there's an ass for every seat."
The real moral of the story is that it never hurts to have a healthy dose of skepticism. Trust has to be earned in small increments whether you are dealing with a psychic or a psychiatrist. When in doubt--ask questions, do more research. Stall. Ask more questions. Then, if you're still unsure about someone's true intentions towards you-- just walk away.
And that doesn't mean that you should shy away from buying used cars or getting your tarot cards read either. Proper awareness will weed out the fakers from the real deal.
On that note, here is an excellent article to help discern the fake psychics from the qualified ones, provided by globalpsychics.com: Psychic Vampies- Avoid the Scams.
And according to this article , women aren’t from Venus either. We’re all from Earth, and the genders are more similar than we’ve all previously believed.
Which is fine, and all, except it looks like now I’m going to have to take responsibility for my gossipy nature and endless vanity all by myself.
Sex is good: I'm bonding, I'm sharing, I'm seeing a side of someone I love that not everybody gets to see. I don't have hang-ups, I'm open minded. We're in our natural, primal state, we're sharing closeness and warmth and pleasure. We're experiencing the physical manifestation of our emotions.
Sex is bad: This is all about my ego. I'm trying to conquer. I'm trying to own, to possess. I'm just a bodily beast, ignoring the spiritual implications of my slutdom. They want to fuck me, so that means I'm good, I'm attractive, I'm worthy. I'm just gratifying my basest desires. Focus on the soul, not the ass. Overindulgence in sensual pleasures is spiritually dulling. Where is the love?
So which answer is the correct one? Is sex good, or is it evil?
It turns out that neither answer is correct. In fact, sex is neutral.
Andrew Cohen puts it like this: "There are fundamentally two positions taken in relationship to the awesome force of sexuality. One is that sex is positive—Good, Healthy and Natural. The other is that sex is negative—Bad, Dirty and Evil. Both of these positions represent a form of escape from the insecurity that the overwhelming power of sexual desire arouses within the individual. The form of escape that I'm referring to represents a fixed position. And it is this fixed position that enables the individual to avoid the inevitable confrontation with their humanity that the arousal of the sexual force always demands.
"The sexual force in and of itself is neither positive nor negative. But the tremendous insecurity that its presence generates within the individual and the desire to escape from that insecurity cause almost all to perceive what is inherently a neutral force as either positive or negative."
Long story short, sex is neither good nor evil; it's your relationship to it that's the issue.
At their core these two sides aren’t really in conflict. They may be different energies, but they’re not inherently opposed to each other. In fact, they serve to support each other. The spiritual side provides abiding motivation. When I feel connected up top, I’m driven. I’m passionate. I’m energized. And I’m also peaceful. That’s powerful motivation to do some kind of work — work that could very well help me become more grounded simply by generating some income. And on the other side, when I’m more grounded, more physically and financially stable, I have more freedom. I have a greater capacity. I don’t have to worry about paying the bills. And that lends itself to the spiritual side because I have the capacity to devote more time to spiritual pursuits.
It's true that they each pave the way for the other. Read the rest of his post here.
Ah, the blame game. It’s so satisfying — in an immediate sense — isn’t it?
He didn’t call.
She always flirts with her ex-boyfriend.
He can’t communicate.
She isn’t passionate.
It’s just so easy to conclude that problem with our relationship is the other person, and that if only they were different, the relationship would be perfect.
But Hunatrainer.com has something to say about that issue. In a podcast about applying Huna principles (a Polynesian philosophy/tradition) to relationships, experts remind listeners of this:
One of the fundamental tools in building/maintaining/improving a relationship, especially a spousal-type, is to understand that every situation, especially the difficult ones, is a reflection of the two of you.
Which means a relationship is a system. And if something’s wrong, it’s a function of the way the whole system works. Yes, he didn’t call, but how are you contributing to the problem. And sure, maybe she flirts too much. But what system are you creating that enables that to happen?
It’s a less fun way to view things, mostly because it requires more work and introspection on our own part. But in the end, it really is the most gratifying – and most effective – way to approach a relationship. After all, why would we think the best way to a loving relationship is to treat our partner like the enemy? Seems it makes a lot more sense to treat the relationship as an entity you and your partner are caring for together, and both with the best intentions.
Then again, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe everything really is all his fault. In which case, dump the jerk. There must be someone out there ready to love someone as perfect, flawless, and above all, humble, as you. And good luck with that.
Ever get those random inspirational snippets from seemingly banal sources? I've discovered that everything around us is a divine vehicle for communication from the universe, including bumper stickers, graffiti, pesky neighborhood children, other people's conversations, grandmothers...
I thought-- why hog all that inspirational good stuff for myself, when I could share it with the Daily Mantra readers?
And if my theory about collective consciousness holds true, then the very same things I find intriguing and inspirational in my daily life, you will too.
I recently came across an article called “How Would Buddha Date?” which I erroneously read as “Who Would Buddha Date?” The mistake led to all sorts of silly mental sequitors, including imagining the Buddha with a match.com profile and a nightstand full of self-help books.
The real article , though shorter on comedic value than my mistaken version, was much longer on actual helpful advice about loving (and therefore dating) from a place of infinite love and compassion.
Now, I wouldn’t call myself a Buddhist in any traditional sense. But the points in the article are exactly what I’ve been striving for in my recent relationships.
It isn’t easy. My natural tendency is to get wrapped up in the other person to the point of losing myself. Mind-reading leads to people-pleasing, and people-pleasing leads to dependence and expectation. And we all know where those lead. Here, according to the article:
By holding on to that which in any case is forever slipping through our fingers, we just get rope burn.
So what’s the alternative? Some excerpts for you:
The essence of Buddhist relationship is to cultivate the cling-free relationship, enriched with caring and equanimity. It is helpful in intimate relationships to communicate honestly, stay present, tell the truth of your experience using I-statements rather than accusations and judgments, and honor the other enough to show up with an open heart and mind and really listen…
Staying present in this very moment, through mindful awareness and paying attention to what is -- rather than dwelling on the past or the future, or on who I think I am and who I imagine others are -- helps free me from excess baggage, anxiety and neurosis - and opens me to love…
After two decades of dating the same way (yes, I had boyfriends when I was eight), it’s going to take some serious practice for me to learn to love this way. But the older I get, the more I realize how imperative it is. And not just for my own happiness.
If our relationships aren't nurturing the growth and development of goodness of heart, openness, generosity, authenticity and intimate connection, they are not serving us or furthering a better world.
The strangest thing happened to me today. I fell asleep at my computer and had this dream that a woman came to my door with a tattoo of a white rabbit on her shoulder. Weird, huh? So, I followed her and we went to a party where I met this really hot chick in a leather outfit who gave me a red pill. Unfortunately it turned out to be a laxative, because I woke up and have been in the bathroom ever since.
Ok, that was probably too much information. Sorry.
But here's the twist to the story-- when I got out of the bathroom just now, there was this page on my computer browser called:The Red Pill. Upon closer examination, it turned out to be this awesome new wikipedia for occult topics and other high weirdness, including conspiracies, mythology and alien life.
Think how surprised I was. I hadn't even turned my computer on today.
The Red Pill is a project to catalogue all of those things on the stranger side of reality, from new paradigm science to alternative history and the mysteries of consciousness. This grew out of Wikipedia's tendency to avoid 'fringe' issues. Additionally, this gives community members a place to browse through the collective thoughts and interests of those who like the taste of the proverbial 'red pill'. So far we have 107 articles written and edited by the community.
The site is sparse right now, a lot of room to grow. So, if you're one of those that likes to binge write on fringe subjects such as the paranormal or alternative health, definitely go for it.
Or you could just take the blue pill like the rest of the clones and be forever enslaved to the Matrix! The fate of the human race is hanging in a precarious balance-- the choice is yours.
By the way, check out the dailygrail.com, while you're at it. Red Pill was created as an off-shoot of this site.
About four years ago I was living in Manhattan, bartending, struggling financialy and unable to fit anything 'normal' into my schedule.
I'd get home at 5 in the morning, crawl into bed, still wound up from work, and find myself completely unable to sleep. One positive thing this work related insomnia spawned was what I like to call 'disco yoga'. I found the perfect solution to both my sleeplessness and my unhealthiness- I'd get out of work, and if I couldn't sleep I'd grab some stretchy pants just as the sun was coming up over the skyline, and hop a train down to the Bikram yoga studio for an early morning stretch.
Let me tell you, it's surreal to arrive at a yoga studio exhausted from slinging liquor around all night, smelling like smoke and beer-- while the regulars are unrolling their mats, blinking and yawning sleepily.
Apparently, a New York based yoga instructor, Peter Hefferman, came up with a similar solution and started offering later afternoon yoga classes when a friend of his who was a bartender was missing the usual morning class because he was waking up around noon everyday.
The class is offered at 1 p.m. Wednesdays in Heffernan's Westerlo Street living room.
"There are so many actors and writers and people who don't have day jobs, that having classes throughout the day in Manhattan is completely par for the course," said Heffernan, who used to live in New York City. "It just made sense to me that there would be a market."
It's not as cool as 'disco yoga' in my opinion, but I'm glad to see that yoga is starting to accomodate those of us with the unfortunate side effect of living in modern cities-- unorthodox schedules.
According to the LA Times, Toys for Tots rejected talking Jesus dolls in their Toys for Tots program.
A suburban Los Angeles company offered to donate 4,000 of the foot-tall dolls, which quote Bible verses, for distribution to needy children this holiday season.
and
Toys are donated to kids based on financial need and "we don't know anything about their background, their religious affiliations," said Bill Grein, vice president of Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, in Quantico, Va. As a government entity, Marines "don't profess one religion over another," Grein said Tuesday. "We can't take a chance on sending a talking Jesus doll to a Jewish family or a Muslim family."
Yesterday DarynKagan.com launced. Who? What? Well in case you forgot, earlier this year Kagan quit her corporate gig at CNN and starting working on a web news site that would focus on the positive and hopeful instead of the negative and sensational. And that's just what she's done.
With stories that uplift and inspire, she's out the show the world what's possible. Go check it out for yourself.
Another Doomsday is upon us, a scant 6 years away if the Mayan Calendar is to be believed. Of course, perhaps it is simply the interpretation of those mystified by the Mayan Calendar's mathematical precision, and abrupt end in the year 2012.
December 21, 2012 is also the Winter Solstice, and provides us with a view that will not be seen again in any of our lifetimes. The Sun will conjunct the intersection of the Milky Way in the ecliptic, giving us view of the Sacred Tree as called by the Maya, giving us view of the Tree of Life. Both of these scenarios are quite possible, one scientific explanation, and one religious. What we still do not know, and probably will not know is what will happen after this end date until it actually occurs. A new dawn of enlightenment would be a step towards progression, in that mankind would become more aware of their surroundings and the impact that they have on the Earth as well as a higher intelligence and consciousness and a better mindset for helping their fellow man. Perhaps this is the end, when Mother Nature finally decides to shrug off the oppressiveness that has been created by the children and start anew. We may just end up living through another doomsday prophecy, going to work or school as usual, looking back on the prophecies and laughing them off.
Sacred Mysteries Productions has just released a feature-length documentary called "2012: The Odyssey," wherein author Sharon Rose travels throughout the U.S. to speak to scientists, anthropologists, mystics and others about their take on the December 21, 2012 expiration date. You can watch the trailer here.
A few interesting explanations/theories on the Mayan end date:
According to an Indian astrologer, Brangelina will split next year and Brad will get back with his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston.
Mystic Anand Soni met with the couple in Pune, India, where they are shooting their new movie "A Mighty Heart" - in which Jolie Lips stars and Brad is producing.
India's Mumbai Midday newspaper reports that Soni informed a shocked Brangelina that the handsome hunk was still "mentally very much together" with his ex Jennifer.
The astrologer then said, "There is no reason why they should not become close again."
The paper also reports that Soni informed the couple - who have three children together, biological daughter Shiloh, adopted Cambodian son Maddox, five, and 22-month-old Ethiopian girl Zahara - the month that they would split is December 2007.
Oh yeah? Wanna' make a bet?
All those who think that man-stealing-snake-in-the-grass Angelina Jolie is going to lose her baby's daddy to his ex-- raise your hands.
All those who think that there's no chance in hell that Team Aniston is going to get her man back-- raise your hands.
Ladies and Gentlemen, place your bets and I'll see you back here in a year's time to reveal the winner. That is if we haven't come to our senses by then and found something of atual interest to concentrate on instead of celebrity's personal lives.
...NOT!
The rest of the story is here.
Check out psychic Anand Soni's impressively egotistical webpage: Anand Soni
Put down the dream dictionary right now. Gayle Delaney, dream interpreter, wants to know what you dreamt last night. Snakes? Empty rooms?
It's common sense, really. Many people dream about cats, but not all dream that cats are manifestations of one's mother, as Freud suggested.
This badass president of the Association for the Study of Dreams strives to impress upon the masses, that no dream dictionary is going to be able to accurately translate the symbolism of dreams. It's much too subjective.
Regardless to say-- I'm a big fan already.
"After all, a dream about a house must mean different things to a carpenter and an arsonist," says Karen Shanor, a clinical psychologist in Washington.Dreams should be worked rather than cut and dried into categories, Shanor, Delaney and others say. No book, and no one, can tell you what your dreams mean, since one's dreaming life can be understood only in the context of one's waking life.
Would you like to know what the hell the Mayan calendar is? I'm not ashamed to say that I know only enough to have a thirty second conversation about it while drunk and trying to impress my friends. We have an idea of what the Mayan calendar is, have heard it thrown around in conversations, and know that the end of the calendar is coming during our lifetimes roughly sometime during or after 2012, right?
But what else do we really know about it? Have you ever tried to decipher the amount of technical information on some of these Mayan calendar websites? What's a Tzolk'in? Or a Haabs? Not to mention what suspiciously looks like math all over the damn place! Argh!
I wish I had eight extra lives to devote to all the incredibly difficult and unnecessary things I'd like to study in depth. (yes, that includes math) But unfortunately I don't. So right up there with becoming fluent in Tolkien's elven languages and learning Tuvan throat singing-- a rudimentary understanding of the Mayan calendar is just going to have to do for now.
There is no "Mayan Calendar for Idiots" out there, unfortunately. But here are some resources for those of us that would like to take a stab at basic understanding of what the Mayan calendar is and why we should pay attention to it in the coming years.
For starters, my all-time favorite resource: Wikipedia.
Also here is a nice FAQ about the Mayan calendar as well as other calenders throughout time: History and Info- The Mayan Calendar
Then, round it all out with some excellent articles on calleman.com. Living the Mayan Calendar
and The Breakthrough Celebration
Calleman's website also offers a downloadable Mayan calendar calculator for life predictions and personality readings based on your birth day.
Last, but not least, a Mayan calendar podcast and blog, courtesy of blogspot.com. (Podcaster tends to stray into interesting topics such as conspiracies and aliens, to give you fair warning.)
I've always had an affinity for those who re-invent and reconsider the implications of, a commonly held principle or schema of understanding: Tesla, Buckminster Fuller, Tom Bearden, John Hutchinson, Viktor Schauberger. Whilst reading a compendious text on world grid systems (a la Bruce Cathie, William Becker/Beth Hagens), I came across a reference to "amateur" scientist Ed Leedskalnin and his Coral Castle.
Coral Castle is a marvellous demonstration in stone and coral of many hidden principles of magnetics, designed and built in southern Florida by the 'amateur" scientist Ed Leedskalnin in the 1930s and 1940s. This coral-based temple/residence includes stone furniture, a Moon pond, a North star telescope, a precise Sundial, and other features of exact astronomical alignment.
Aside from the interesting principle of diamagnetism - essentially a magnetic-neutral zone existing between a north and south magnetic field, which can be exploited for purposes of levitation - that Leedskalnin potentially utilized to leverage his huge structures and blocks, I was particularly caught by his explanation of how he managed to construct his impressive edifice. Leedskalnin attested that he could see beads of light, representing the physical presence of magnetic force and that his re-discovery of the laws of "weight, measurement and leverage" involved "the relationship of the earth to celestial alignments."
All that Leedskalnin had to do was "see" what the beads of light were telling him, Nature drawing vivid, exact pictures of Her forces for those who have eyes to see them. This "amateur" scientist, feeling an affinity to, and only observing Nature, thereby accomplished great things. A control-orientated attitude cannot force Nature with writings, equations or machinery to do anything.
If you really want to engineer Nature's systems and forces, you must adore Nature and reality, be able to find the most advantageous and apt point of leverage and balance. Leedskalnin observed the laws of nature from his direct experience, not necessarily based on his scientific knowledge (which was at a 4th grade level). It just goes to show, you don't need a Phd in engineering when you pay attention to reality.
Yesterday I was taking some photos of a Miss Horrorfest finalist. There is a great naturalist store not far from where I live, so we decided to meet there. I got their early to ask the owner if it would be ok to shoot some photos inside the store. I was looking around at the various beetles and pinned butterflies behind glass having a friendly conversation with the owner, whom I just met. I was complimenting her on the store and how much I enjoyed it. Then I brought up the question about taking some photos of this candidate in her store.
In the blink of a moment, she went from a friendly interested older woman to steam practically spurting out her ears. Her face turned red, she looked as if she was about to rage and she could barely get a negative answer out of her mouth. I checked myself - I had just asked her permission to take a photograph, not to sacrifice her firstborn, right? Right. OK, I understand, we'll just go somewhere else. But she had disappeared in a puff of red smoke behind the back door. I crept out the front door lest I be turned into a toad and stuffed and sold on her shelf along with the pinned walking sticks.
Once outside in the fresh air I realized that I had asked a perfectly reasonable question and this woman had vomited her emotional baggage all over me. She was the one with the issue. She wasn't reacting to me personally, I had just said the magic words that uncorked her baggage.
She's not the only one who works that way. I'm sure you have your own magic words, that, when spoken bring out a red eyed witch. So what are they? And what can you do to take the power away from those magic words?
"Yeah. I thought this video was going to be all about women who can fist each other with the power of their minds, or flip through the air naked, or rip out your heart and show it to you before they fuck you or something. But it's just about wiggling your hips and opening your heart."
"Booo-ring. Obvious, too. I don't wanna open my heart -- I just want her to open her legs, and show us how its done."
"You filthy fuck. What about your spiritual center? And the love of the universe?"
Are you stuck drifting through life in a state of existential confusion wandering aimlessly through the multitudes of energy products not knowing which one is the right one for you? Then look no further for the true meaning of life then Master Sensei Seagal’s Lightning Bolt Energy Drink!
and features:
100% Pure Steven Seagal Juice
Designed for intense mortal combat or any extreme situation requiring ultimate energy
Can has Steven Seagal’s face on it (who could ask for more!?!)
What is 100 percent Steven Seagal Juice anyway? And do I really want to drink it? I don't think so.
Madonna has started wearing a Jewish star, attending synagogue and has taken a Hebrew name Esther just to piss everyone off. The nerve of that woman!
In light of the recent skirmish over Madonna's religious ambidexterousness, I thought I'd do some hunting on the net for opinions on the matter.
In my hunting, I found an excellent article entitled Learning From Rosanne and Madonna: Postmodernism and Being Jewish. Within the article was a funny parable about religions that gave me food for thought. :
One day said the apple to the peach: "You are quiet today. What’s eating you?" Said the peach: "I’m just tired of being a peach. My hairy skin rubs people up the wrong way, I keep getting worms and generally I feel rotten." "Tell me" asked the apple, "What do you purpose to do about it?" "I’ve thought long and hard", said the peach, "And I have decided to become a fruit." "Well, that will be a little difficult", said the apple who was reputed to be the wisest of fruits, "For in actual fact the notion of fruit is an abstract, collective noun that refers to the shared characteristics of peaches, plums, apricots and bananas. We only really get together in fruit salad and then it’s too late." "Pity", said the peach, "I was looking for a higher calling."
Apparently someone should tell TomKat that smack-dab in the middle of a Mercury retrograde is not an ideal time to get married. According to an msnbc news source, the well known celebrity psychic Ray Sette predicts ill fortune for Tom and Katie's wedding plans.
TomKat might want to re-think their November 18 wedding date. A leading psychic thinks that the planets would be aligned against the couple. “This apparent lack of motion will create much difficulty in the area of communication and the expression of each individual self in this marriage. In short, November 18 is a lousy day for a wedding!”
Then again, maybe that's just Tom and Katie's style. They did everything else backwards so far. I'm a little fuzzy on the details but wasn't it supposed to go something like: FIRST comes love, THEN comes marriage-- THEN comes the 'you know who' in the 'you know what'?
This just in, evolution will be taught at the Vatican Academy.
A physics professor who heads the Pontifical Academy of Sciences told Benedict in a speech that academy members share the pope's view that "faith and reason need to come together in a new way."
Benedict's predecessor, Pope John Paul II, told the academy in 1996 that Charles Darwin's theory is sound and "more than a hypothesis," as long as it acknowledges that creation was the work of God.
There's an interesting relationship going on between Religion and Science. Quantum physics is almost able to prove the existence of God. Integralist Ken Wilbur and Corey deVos ponder the question: Does physics prove God? in this podcast. I'll give away the answer, Wilbur doesn't believe that physics does prove the existence of God; however his reasons are interesting.
And there is increasing skepticism in the belief of God, especially within the scientific community. Just read Wired's cover story on the New Atheism.
There are more posts on this topic coming up, so stay tuned.
So many people say that they don't have time to cook, which leads me to ask what they're spending all their time on. I mean, what could be more important than the food you put in your body three (or more) times per day? Watching Desperate Housewives on YouTube? Reading Daily Mantra?
It seems odd that there should have to be an organization that tells people to enjoy food, but that's exactly how Slow Food -- as in the opposite of fast food -- got started. And it's mission has also expanded into education, increasing awareness of the link between plate and planet. Coupled with the release of books like Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore's Dilemma -- both great reads, by the way -- it's tougher to ignore the far-reaching impact of food.
Chew on this: every time you eat out-of-season produce or eat fast food, you're eating a meal that's drenched in fossil fuels. That's because of all the miles the food has had to travel. Bonus points if you eat at the drive-thru.
One of the great things about cooking for yourself is that you can experience a higher level of food for a lower level of money. I've cooked dishes for myself that I could never afford to order in a restaurant. True, cooking every day can be hard to get around to. That's why you double recipes and have leftovers; cook once, eat twice.
Cooking shouldn't be a chore; it should be a pleasure. It's also the best kind of skill: one that can be shared with others.
So we're smack in the middle of another Mercury Retrograde. I'm trying to pay attention to these and not get frustrated or irritated when things take longer. AstroBarry echos this in his excellent post on the current Retrograde, which is happening in Scorpio.
The worst of the Merc-retro problems, thus, are likely to arise from rushing through things… jumping too quickly ahead to the 'difficult' part of the interaction, rather than taking due time to butter each other up… shifting lanes too quickly or turning too soon… opening too many computer applications at once, causing a crash… or just generally overreacting.
and he continues on the specifics of the retrograde happening in Scorpio:
Under this Scorpio sway, we may find ourselves (or others) dwelling on unresolved drama, especially in relationships… dredging up residual bits of fury, passion and shame that we thought had already been put to bed. But it's coming up for a reason, right? Don't try to prettify the old crap away, by making the other person (or yourself) feel bad for still holding in. Perhaps Jupiter's influence will help push you to say what you didn't during the last processing session.
And despite the problems with clarity or control, there's a certain poetic beauty with the added Merc-retro in Scorpio—an excuse to make less rational sense, in exchange for spontaneous emotional honesty. Meanwhile, if somebody tries to backpedal on what was said, rest assured: They just accidentally showed you their hand… and lost face in the process.
I like Barry's no-nonsense advice. And even if I don't believe in a planet's power to effect my life, it's good advice to slow down and take a self-review.
If you are looking for something lighter than the election coverage today, look no further than these three stories:
Dead Bachelors Find Wives: in some remote parts of China you may die unmarried, but your relatives may decide you would be happier in the afterlife if you are married, and thus wed you to dead wife. For real from the NY Times.
"You remember when they found Saddam Hussein in Iraq? A soldier walked over to a rock, lifted it and then found a trap-door and found him in there," Geller told Reuters. "Well, I know that that soldier walked over to that rock because he got information from a 'remote viewer' from the United States." via Reuters
Cell phones get spiritual with Christian rock ringtones and daily inspirational quotes from faithmobile.com, according to an Indystar article.
"When I'm having a bad day and someone's getting on my nerves, I can just look at my cell phone and say 'Wow, I really needed that,' " said Williams, a state traffic safety consultant from DeKalb County outside Atlanta.
Years ago I used to have a repetitive dream about being engulfed by a giant wave and drowing in the ocean. Depending on the emotional temperature of my waking life, the ocean would vary in its color, intensity and size. Big emotional problems would be heralded by dark, stormy oceans and engulfing waves. Small stresses would be heralded by mild flooding and murky sea water.
About four years ago I was living in Manhattan, bartending, struggling financialy and unable to fit anything 'normal' into my schedule. 
Yesterday 
But what else do we really know about it? Have you ever tried to decipher the amount of technical information on some of these Mayan calendar websites? What's a Tzolk'in? Or a Haabs? Not to mention what suspiciously looks like math all over the damn place! Argh! 
In the blink of a moment, she went from a friendly interested older woman to steam practically spurting out her ears. Her face turned red, she looked as if she was about to rage and she could barely get a negative answer out of her mouth. I checked myself - I had just asked her permission to take a photograph, not to sacrifice her firstborn, right? Right. OK, I understand, we'll just go somewhere else. But she had disappeared in a puff of red smoke behind the back door. I crept out the front door lest I be turned into a toad and stuffed and sold on her shelf along with the pinned walking sticks.
