#I just don't think choosing to focus on an internal world instead of the external one is all that bad

[n3xii]

This reading aims to give you pratical insight of what you need to know right now in order to keep moving forward with your full potential. Choose the picture that you feel most drawn to and find your reading below ♡

Pile one

Where you are right now- five of cups

There's a strong motivation to transform both physically and mentally at the moment. The reason I say that is because 5 of cups is represented by Mars in Scorpio. There might have been a period of loss or disappointment that triggered you to recover and restore the parts of you that were repressed perhaps by a relationship, friendship, or cycle in life. You're motivation to change and transform comes from a deep place of sadness, maybe even a place of getting revenge to prove your worth.

What you need to know about this 》 7 of wands and 3 of wands

In order to stay committed to this change, you need to stand your ground. You're illuminating a new path for yourself, this requires boldness and courage. You have the strength to pull through. You have established within yourself the emotional resources to stand up to old habits and old thought patterns. You have the mental fortitude to illuminate the courage within. What you need to know is that the transformation you're enacting isn't just external, it's internal as well. You have the strength to overcome past habits and thinking patterns so dont be afraid to use it. Don't let old patterns and self concepts bully you out of your place. You have been through so much and already established so much progress, your old beliefs about yourself cant stop you unless you let them.

Practical advice - 4 of cups + 2 of pentacles reversed

Don't take on too many things at this moment. Focus on recovering your emotional health. Meditation, naps, listening to asmr, spending time with family. Anything that helps you go within and refresh. Over doing it with too many tasks and responsibilities will drain you, so if you can try not to over occupy yourself. Enact help and support if you need too.

Pile two

Where are you right now- queen of cups

At the moment, you're able to hold signifigant space for yourself, more than you were able to before. You allow yourself to emotionally ride the rollar coaster of life, to ride the ups and downs of your emotions without abdoning yourself on the ride. I feel like before you were in a place where any hint of an overwheling feeling would shut you doen completely, sending you into apathy or overdrive. Now youre able to pratice prescense with yourself. You don't place judgement or limitations on what you feel, instead you simply allow your emotions to go through their natural states. Because of this, you're especially receptive to psychic ability, your intution is speaking to you through your emotions. Because you don't judge what emotions are occurring, your intution speaks to you through this as a channel. Track your moods and take inventory of what your emotions are communicating to you. Being aware of what your emotional senses are communicating allows you to tend to your emotional needs.

What you need to know about this - the sun and 9 of pentacles

You're attracting financial opportunities that are gonna sustain you for long periods of time. Like the sun sustians the earth with warmth and sunlight, your able to sustain your own inner world through tending to your emotional needs. Your operating from a place of authenticity, and this authenticity is attracting material gain and illuminating new ways to sustain yourself financially. Opportunities for self employment will likely arise, if you're looking to manifest money and sustainable income your already attracting it. The way you've been treating yourself is opening up so many doors for abundance. Your inner light is now bestowing externally and illuminating abundance.

Practical advice- page of cups and page of wands

Your Dreams are communicating important things about your passions and interests. Pay attention to your dreams and take inventory of what messages are coming through. Write down symbols and signs, interpret them and let them be a guide for inspiration. I'm seeing here that for you guys, there is an important message you need to hear about your passions as your dreams want to help you materlize these passions. Your Dreams are providing ideas, maybe e en a blue print of what action you can take so let them inspire you and motivate you in your journey.

Pile three

Where you are right now - ace of pentacles

You're at the root of a new beginning. You're planting seeds for future plans to materialize and come to fruition. Right now, your energy is attracting the nurturing people and tools needed to fullfill whatever it is you're planting. You're in a place where the right mindset and energy as come together. Youre generating a source of infinite potiental from within. Meaning the source of potiental comes from you and the effort you put forward in the future. The pentacle of potential lies within, you are enchanted in your own way.

What you need to know about this- nine of pentacles reversed and knight of cups

Take this new beginning day by day. Take care of yourself, be slow and gentle. I feel like you guys want to rush to the finish line before you've even started the race. It's going to be ok. Slow down and accept that it's going to take some time and sustained effort to be where you want to be. This new seed you're planting requires you to step up put in the work. Don't rush it or half ass it. The nine of pentacles teaches us about thr importance creating a sanctuary for ourselves to work and complete our daily responsibilties with ease. You're in a new beginning, don't compare yourself to where others are, instead focus your energy on creating a sanctuary for yourself. A place where you can do all the work that's needed of you with comfort and stability.

Practical advice -justice reversed and 2 of cups

Now is not a time to make promises or commitments offical. You're being asked to hold off of making any promises you don't know if you can keep. Your integrity to other people, especially close partnerships and friendships, is really important in this time period. You may not be able to put in equal effort or hold up your end of the deal when it comes to any potential commitments. This could include relationship offers, job responsibilities or offers, maybe even 0offers to hang our with someone. Be honest with yourself in this time, don't accidently make a promise you can't keep.

#tarot meanings #tarot #tarot cards #manifestingmindset #tarot readings #tarot services #tarot pick a card #pick a photo #pick a pile #free tarot readings #tarot blog #tarotblr #astro notes #tarot reading #manifestion #affirmations #law of abundance #tarot community

[tasmiq]

Jumu'ah Sohbet: 17 November 2023

This week proved that our Tariqa wades in an ocean of spiritual thirst and beauty 🌊 We think deeply as universalists in the face of everyday occurrences as well as when facing worldly factors affecting a school of humanity, as the yester-year nightmare of Nazism borne in Germany and the modern-day evil of Zionism borne in Israel.

Shukran Ya Allah (Divine gratitude) ×infinity for this ocean of consciousness and bismillah ...

#1. Our local Jumu'ah Sohbet kicked off with our Shaykh Nishaat the heartsmith speaking directly to me, as a gentle provocation from Allah rewarding my nafs for fighting its resistance to being physically present at our congregational local Zikr ...! A problem that I occasionally suffer is "god delusion", where I think that I know better than God 😳

He said, "We must be patient, and only then will things change and happen around us. It means that we must trust Allah, and whatever happens will happen, but the problem lies in the fact that we don't really and sincerely trust Allah! We want things to happen how and when we want them to happen. All the issues, such as our stress and anxiety, thus follow. We must be aware and conscious of what is happening now because it will become a memory. If we don't live in the moment, we won't actually have any memories!"

#2. My big-sister-from-another-mother Sadia, the junior heartsmith, continued the Jumu'ah Sohbet thereafter. She reflected on things that we repeatedly face in our micro-world circumstances. What could it mean for us?

- We have to choose between being on the side of the nafs (lower-self / ego) or Allah.

- As opposed to operating from fear as an automatic reaction and not-surrendering, where we live with chaos and confusion. We ought to choose Allah instead because things almost miraculously fall in place and flow easily, as personally experienced in my recent past!

- We must make decisions on what Allah wants and not on what other people want.

- Our focus should always be on what we can change in ourselves first, instead of others!

- We must look for confirmation of our choice of being with Allah, both externally and internally.

- The challenges in our lives are not merely happening to us but for us, as opportunities for us to draw closer to Allah!

The junior heartsmith ended by reflecting, "When I finished (my daily assignment) on Ya Shakur Ya Mujib, and I was headed to the car, I actually said Shukran Ya Allah (Divine gratitude), for this experience of this excursion of living with You for that hour whereas for the other 23 hours, what am I doing without You ...?!"

#3. The third heart cord that was strung by our primary heartsmith Shaykh Nishaat was on Allah's quality of As-Sattar / As-Sitteer as the One who covers / shields or veils. The only reason that we respect one another is that this quality of Allah is ingrained in us. Without it, we would be seeing one another as "the other" without respect! Now, we see each other with Allah's quality of As-Sattar, and when we like the person, we are actually liking Allah! That's why Isa AS said, "Let the one without sin throw the first stone!" After this pertinent point was made, everyone slowly walked away.

Allah even said in the Qur'an, "If I had to reprimand you every time you sin, there would be no one left on this earth." So look at each other with those eyes, knowing that what we are seeing in the qualities of that person is Allah's, and that's what we fall in love with - meaning that our love affair is with Allah! All of His qualities are in each one of us; the Jew, the Christian, the Atheist, the Muslim, and everybody - nobody is exempt from it! If we want to learn what is surrender as Sadia was experiencing, we have to learn how to see Allah in the other, and then we can look at ourselves and see whether we are seeing the same thing in ourselves ..?!

Our life in this world is a trial, "Do human beings think that they will be left alone just because they say they believe and they will not be tested with trials? We tested those who were before them, and this is how Allah knows those who are sincere and loving." Therefore, being tested comes with the package. The trial that we go through shapes our relationship with Allah, which enables our sincerity to be materialised!

#4. Thereafter, one of our beloved and late Shaykh Taner's oldest mureeds (followers) in America, Shaykha Sheila, reflected on the five principles of Sufi healing and how these principles related to our everyday life circumstances. What followed was an igniting of the mystical and proverbial "genie out of the bottle" from our collective consciousness. She touched on a core spiritual science that intrinsically made sense to us all, especially when thinking beyond healing. She proved our Shaykh Taner's emphasis that there is always more and why we are dedicated to a lifetime of learning it, insha'Allah!

In Sufi healing, we begin with the intention of what we are healing, but it can equally be about what we are going to do and how we behave in our lives. The second element is making a connection to Allah, so that they are pleasing to Him. The third element is direction and in healing, it's about what you are hoping to heal. In our daily lives, it involves how we are going to behave. The fourth element is timing. Lastly, the dosage is the amount of healing or action to be taken.

The principles of Sufi healing she relayed, is "To reduce fear and create peace in oneself and others, which is a reminder that emotional well-being supports a healthy immune system. We say, Ya Allah, please help reduce the fear in myself and all of humanity. You are the source of peace, and from You comes peace. Then you hold your hand close to your heart, and you think of the world and those who are afraid. You then recite Ya Salaam Ya Latif several times a day until you feel calmer and relaxed."

#5. Brother Daud then reflected that he was touched by what our Sister Inna said about our spirituality being a work of art. The picture or feeling that came to him is that all this energy belongs and comes from Allah ...

... The energy, the intention, beauty, and love all come from Allah. The whole story is yet unfolding ... We may judge our situation that is experienced as pain or a problem, that's also part of the picture or artwork. We can't see it at the time, and we misconstrue it as an individual problem, where we want to solve the problem or conflict. What it really is is another way that Allah is beaming His light through that situation ...

Shaykha Sheila here emphasised energy, where everything is Allah's energy. The energy is actually Allah's love, which can not be created or destroyed.

That ended our week's loving prism of Allah, experienced in our micro-worlds into our macro-worlds, with our blessed universalistic lens. Eternal gratitude for our Murshid Shaykh Taner and Murshida Shaykha Muzeyyen for shaping our spiritual hearts and minds where we are committed to continued learning!

[overlyimmersed]

D:

I have so much I want to say about stuff, but I want to have accompanying images and it's going to take me forever to draw them...

#it's largely related to #the owl house #it's about ocs and self-reparenting and daydreaming as a coping mechanism #but like in a possitive way #there's A LOT of negativity places on fantasizing as a coping mechanism and that just really bothers me #I get how it can be bad if you let it become disruptive #like if you literally neglect irl stuff to just sit there and dream #but not everyone who daydreams to cope allows that #I can only speak for myself but I found a sort of balance #my daydreaming is intensive and constant enough that I have questioned if it's maladaptive #but for all I can tell it doesn't qualify because I'm wholly and fully aware my paracosm is daydreams #I know when I'm daydreaming and I never mix up my daydreaming and reality #and I can do irl tasks while I daydream so nothing is neglected #I just don't think choosing to focus on an internal world instead of the external one is all that bad #as long as it is a conscious choice #I honestly feel like the emphasis on having to exist fully and focus on the external world has everything to do with other people #you need to interact with OTHER PEOPLE and I find that focus and notion very self sacrificing #like daydreams are encouraged to interact with other people FOR THE OTHER PEOPLE'S SAKE primarily #if you're getting your shit done and looking after your body who cares where you mind is as long as you're happy? #humans are complex being capable of creating infinite inward expanding universes and we tell each other freaking not to?! #why? #because god forbid someone lives for themself alone #god forbid they're not there for you whenever you want and focusing on you #god forbid they live a life you aren't privy to and is wholly made of their own hopes and dreams #People should be allowed to be internal as long they're careful not to wholly neglect the external #if they aren't hurting themselves then why is it your business? #cuz you don't understand it? #cuz you're not allowed to control or police it since you can't see it? #fuck right off

[queeenpersephone]

What do you think did and didn’t work in the Black Widow movie? For example, I felt like it didn’t focus enough on Natasha’s character development/inner world as a stand-alone and it instead just set up Yelena as the next Black Widow. And I think the CGI was horrible, but the fight sequences were good. But I’m curious what your thoughts are!!

hi anon!! thanks for the ask - i should preface this by saying i've only seen the movie once all the way through (i really lost my enthusiasm for sitting through a marvel movie after endgame lol) so maybe i should lose my card as a nat stan lol. i'm actually going to focus on one aspect of the movie (nat's characterization), but i will say the biggest failing of the film was, genuinely, not its fault, which is the placing of the movie in the mcu. this movie needed to be before nat's death. it just doesn't have the same impact seeing a character go through things when we know it's just in a little bubble, and it takes away from us really feeling nat's vulnerable moments in iw and endgame. i also have an overall problem with solo movies at this point in the mcu, but i digress.

my personal biggest problem is similar to yours actually! i don't think nat really grew in bw. we find post-cacw nat in a very vulnerable place. she's invested years of her life into her avengers family, and it splintered not because of external factors, but mainly internal ones. cacw was the wake-up call that 2012 fandom never wanted: the avengers are NOT family. i think this hits nat the hardest because, as we see throughout the mcu, family is something that nat wants desperately, and in cacw, she uses everything in her toolbox to keep them together. the point: her toolbox is incomplete.

if i had written bw, i would've tried to show nat four things: 1) what she did wrong in cacw, 2) simultaneously, that cacw was not her fault, 3) that second chances are possible when it comes to the avengers, and 4) how to actively improve the avengers through her own self-improvement. to the film's credit, i think it did #3. nat's spy family is the proxy for the avengers ("besides, if it can work out with the four of us, you know, there may be some hope for the avengers") - though they make it anything but easy, they're capable of working together and caring about each other. she exits frame in the movie with hope, which is a whole different meta about the theme of hope in the mcu. actually, the film gets closest to #4 when nat apologizes to yelena, and they reconcile. i think there's an accidental comparison to be made between that scene and tony and nat after the fight at the airport. nat chooses to be completely open - she doesn't parse out her words when she apologizes to yelena ("i should've come back for you" "it was real to me too") vs to tony ("we played this wrong"). granted, different circumstances and people, but nat is noticeably appealing to tony as a teammate and a strategist. she doesn't try to say "i thought someone was going to get killed" or "i think i made the only good move, but i hated hurting you." we know that nat's being vulnerable, but tony understandably doesn't get it. with yelena, she leaves nothing to chance. she speaks from the heart and not the head, and it ends up being exactly what yelena needs to hear.

so maybe the way to deal with family pain is to be explicit, to open yourself up to hurt, but then we don't get the follow through with the avengers. essentially, nat maybe realizes that family cannot be maneuvered, they have to be loved, but it's not like we get a end scene with tony or steve or clint or god, even rhodey. anything to show nat implementing the lessons she's learned. rhodey would be great because, as the mcu writers love no consequences, it doesn't have to impact them later the way that a steve/nat or tony/nat interaction might. #1 and #2 are not even in the picture, though bw would've been the perfect time to give us more of nat's thoughts from cacw. i feel like my unofficial ironwidow job is deconstructing that movie lmao, so having nat either face feelings of failure/guilt from her actions/inactions in cacw or come to terms with what she and tony, imho (maybe steve too) have built, would've been golden.

on the other hand, though, i did think bw gave us that impetus for nat's 'whatever it takes' vibe in endgame ("i had nothing; then i got this family"). it drives home that family was nat's true goal all along, which is really beautiful and f**king heartbreaking after everything. she was always willing to die as long as it was for people she thought worthy. it also gave us more of nat's playful side. though the actual plot wasn't my favorite (it just felt kinda like the OG bw film plot that was never updated when we didn't get a solo film earlier?), it was refreshing to have a despicable villain (i'm tired of the 'what if the villain kinda had a point' discourse) and i love the parallels to human trafficking. the focus on good quiet moments rather than big dramatic fights and scenes was probably my favorite thing about the movie, though i think it resulted in worse outcomes from critics. directing was good (and clearly done by a woman). you're right about the cgi for sure. didn't mind the fight scenes, and ofc yelena was great. i respect their need to set up her character, and i don't necessarily think she stole the show. i do think it sets up some weird plotholes, and i still could scream about "do we know if she had family" which i literally hate even typing. the fact that either 1) the og6 never knew about yelena (which we know is not the case for at least clint) or 2) no one cared enough to let her know about nat's death post-endgame is horrifying.

tldr: character development is only good if it carries through to future things, and bc of timing and bad planning, we didn't get that carry through. bw was more of a glimpse into nat's background, and while it was an enjoyable two hours, i just really felt frustrated by that lack of character work in a movie where it would've been so easy to do it.

#i literally wrote this all at 2am #it's probably incoherent #but i agree with you anon! #overall decent #but it could've been great with just a little more character work #and i think awareness of where bw was in the timeline #natasha romanoff #black widow #marvel #ironwidow meta #marvel meta #anonymous #answered #happy to talk in more detail about anything! i just didn't wanna ramble forever #thanks so much for the ask!

[mxgicthot]

Ratonhnhaké:ton's MBTI type

INFP

Fi - Dom

Ne - Aux

Si - Tert

Te - Inf

"Series lead writer Corey May intended for Connor be more thoughtful due to his upbringing, and to consider different perspectives. He added that Connor was motivated by a desire to fix the problems in the world that he feels no one else is willing to do anything about, and that this idealism "makes him a little bit naive, [...] he thinks that one person can make a difference, but he clings to that belief and remains very firm in his convictions, so I think it makes him endearing in a way that previous Assassins haven't been."

If that's not a clear description of INFP I don't know what is

Connor's epilogue In Assassin's Creed: Forsaken is incredibly retrospective, and Connor goes into great depth in how he hoped to change his father's perspective to see the world "how he did." Despite his father being a clear, dangerous enemy, Connor was more interested in fighting against his father's ideas, not against him himself. Connor also hoped that by supporting the revolutionaries, he could cleanse the movement from Templar "influence." Connor sympathized and thought he could bring the Assassins and Templars together because he primarily battled against ideas and ideologies, he was not as concerned with the individual people who were vessels for those ideologies (besides Charles Lee). Achilles on the other hand, had no issue deeming this people worthy to die.

He would be this way with even major Revolutionary figures, such Sam Adams on the topic of slavery. In this discussion for example, Connor is firmly set in his principles (as is usually the way for an Fi dom). But he then displays those ideas through abstract discussions, and dialouge. The concept of a "free person" is incredibly subjective, and here Connor and Sam don't come to an agreement on this issue.

Sam Adams: “We must focus first on defending our rights. When this is done, we'll have the luxury of addressing these other matters.”

Connor: “You speak as though your condition is equal to that of the slaves. It is not.”

Sam Adams: “Tell that to my neighbor - who was compelled to quarter British troops. Or to my friend who's store was closed because he displeased the Crown. The people here are no freer than Surry.”

Connor: “You offer excuses instead of solutions. All people should be equal and not in turns.”

Back to his epilogue piece at the end of Forsaken (which I think is probably one of the best pieces of writing in the series, which adds a whole new dimension to Connor's character). He had just lost almost everything, his family, his home, his people, and his mentor. He then starts to question himself, and starts to ponder whether his father held the "correct" view of the world. But he then still chooses to keep fighting back. It's clear that he primarily sees the world through his moral compass (Fi), but how he engages with it is through abstract idealism and philosophical questioning (Ne).

Connor is not an ISFP:

He is one of the few Assassins that display a lot of Ne, he thinks very outside of the box for their time, you notice this when he talks with others about slavery and injustice in general. The way he creates options and possibilities out of nowhere and values them equally to serve his internal Moral Compass is one of the first things one must notice!

Connor judges society for not doing anything what he feels would be right (Fi) and brings many perspectives and possibilities for every counter argument; many people call him naive for his Ne way of thinking about Slavery. Se is not naive, it is realistic and does not care about looking behind the curtain, Fi might be sometimes, but his Arguments display for Ne, it can never ever be his Blindspot. He does not take things at face-value and always has an interpretation for Topics he has strong opinions about. (Ne)

Connor never values objective reality or concrete practicism, but instead relies on intuitive pattern seeking and external possibilities and alternative ways on viewing things.

Also, his conversations with Haytham are pretty much Ne-unconventionality conflicting with Ni-Tunnelvision. And his fights with Achilles get caused by his favouring of how things have always been done and should therefore still be done and Connor wanting him to see different perspectives, not to be rigid and broaden his horizon.

Connor thinks in possibilities and options and definitely not directly how things are (Se) and plan how to make the current situation better (Ni). He debates but does not know how to achieve it and take action, the things in this Game rather happened to him, instead of him being the main cause.

He has many nostalgic tendencies and his dislike for strangers comes from the bad experiences he had with those in the Past and is therefore not that open to them and is very aloof. Even though there is no sign of them being bad People, he relies on his Past experiences to judge them. (Si) Being impulsive is not always Se. He does not seem to enjoy any Se activity, just like Haytham. He does not get any pleasure out of, it is just his Duty to be when he finds it necessary

Connor gets nothing out of sensory stimulations, if he could end slavery with talking he would do it that way. People, please do not forget that Videogame characters need to have some Se, otherwise they would just talk and chill at home. Only because you are able to be reckless and impulsive does not mean you enjoy it or prefer it over Intuition. Action-Protagonist can be NP. It is an ACTION GAME, of course. The speech pattern is important in knowing if someone really uses Se or is just a normal active Videogame Character; and him answering shortly sometimes comes from his culture valuing stoicism and English not being his first language. Typing him as ISFP is easy, but if you really listen to what he says you just know he is an INFP. The reasoning behind action is important, read between the lines and don't judge by what you immediately see.

#Wow this is a really long post #I tried to cover as much as I could #I just feel like this sums up his entire character. Feedback is appreciated #Connor kenway #Ratonhnhaké:ton #Connor headcanons #ac3

[sagebodisattva]

Free Will and Determinism - The Context

So getting back onto the well worn weatherbeaten path of the whole free will vs determinism debate that's been going on in philosophy seemingly forever, and has been happening on and off in the online philosophical debate community over the past 10 years, we pick up the trail at the point where it stands to reason that one should rightfully demand proof of either of these templates. And that's the thing. They are templates? Ok, but templates of what. Where are free will or determinism taking place? Are these functional aspects of an external system, or an internal system? Unfortunately, from what I have gathered, it seems to be an argument primarily concerned with the workings of a supposedly external system, which means there are underlying assumptions at play in the argumentation that have staged the discourse in a biased framework.

So, even though it shouldn't be overlooked that free will and determinism are just abstractions in the mind and nothing more, we'll go ahead and address the issue around the basis that: what's called reality, may be some type of objectively existing medium wherein materials and forces, all very nice spooky ambiguous externalizations to be sure, are operating in some kind of systemic function that expresses itself via a paradigm of either free will or determinism... or maybe some combination thereof, such as compatibilism. Can any solid evidence be presented to disprove any these templates? Maybe, and in philosophy it seems we are often charged with this type of challenge, but really, the question should be asked: WHY are we expected to disprove them? Are not free will, determinism and compatibilism ideas that are carrying the burden of proof here? Why are these positions automatically considered established templates if they are not otherwise overcome in argumentation? Free will and determinism haven't been proven to be truths by any measure. So free will or determinism prevailing in discourse would be contingent upon an ASSUMPTION that they are inherent aspects of an objectively existing external world, which is a leap of faith in itself, as every and any conclusion made by way of philosophy, logistical reasoning, or scientific methodology, whether deductive or inductive, dogmatic or empirical, are all the end result of the mental facility of an existential agency. Assuming the existence of a external objective medium, that has some complex system of functions that either deterministically govern reality, or provide the freedom to act according to a will, are intellectual narratives based on the face value of appearances perceived in an existential context, which, by itself, is not strong enough grounds to declare free will or determinism as self evident axioms. Awareness of sensory data is a far more sure thing, and needs no evidence or intellectual narrative, as it is already the case first hand. So wherein do these abstractions warrant an assumption that begs to be disproved?

And by the way, while we're at it, on a side note, what exactly IS proof, anyway? We often ask for it, but rarely bother to examine what it actually is, or more aptly stated, what it achieves... More often then not, proof, or evidence, are just distinctions of patterns in sensory information that seem good enough to satisfy a underlying concept held about reality, of which, is usually the assumption, or wish, that reality and the mind are not at all interconnected. And receiving such a minor proof is usually sufficient enough to justify the broader unfounded assumption. This is the constant game we are playing with ourselves: this addiction of the consciousness to always reinforce the desire for illusion to be real and actual, which in this case, means mind independent, so as to avoid responsibility, and hence assign power to some supposed aspect of reality imagined to be beyond awareness. This is the basis of the foolish conditioning that I am trying to deconstruct. A deconstruction that starts with the undeniable truth that a reality, no matter how you wish to define it, cannot exist without having a context; pure and simple. This is a foundational principle that serves to fortify the fundamental axiom of awareness, that which provides the framework for all foundational principles. To call the imagined externally existing medium the context here is low minded and short sighted, as it overlooks that which gives context to the externally existing medium. This is the first impact that shatters free will and determinism: as there is no such medium existing. For such a medium to exist means that it has to have form, and a location, neither of which can be demonstrated to be substantial, outside of the scheme that gives any such substance or location context, that is, awareness itself. To be an actually existing external medium, this medium would have to be a parameter that is either limited, unlimited, or both. Just by virtue of being recognized as a parameter, we have to go with the limited, as being unlimited would mean no beginning or end; the definition of the truly boundless... and to be boundless is to be literally without any parameter. If without a parameter, there can be no position, if no position, no existence, as previously outlined in the original concept about an objectified reality. So since it can't be unlimited, then it can't be both limited and unlimited, which leaves us only with it being limited. If this reality medium is limited, then it satisfies the definition of a parameter. Since it has parameters, then it has a beginning and an end, hence the existence of this medium comes from some type of non-existence, but non-existence cannot exist, otherwise it wouldn't be non-existence, hence existence, as an imagined independent medium, cannot really objectively exist. It's an illusion, of the awareness which gives all these facets their composition.

But this truth is ignored. Instead, the theories of free will and determinism both choose to assume that such a medium objectively exists, and feature a set of rules within this setting, which thereby serve as the foundation for the eventual rise of an awareness, the exact opposite of the truth. This is a common conclusion when science is put above philosophy, when in fact science is but a branch of philosophy. Again, when considering many of the common questions in argumentation that look to address classic philosophical dichotomies, such as infinity or the finite, order or chaos, and free will or determinism, one should not look past that which gives these aspects context. Same goes for our proposed answers and explanations. Reasoning, logic, and mathematics are just tools, not the reality. One should not overlook what give these tools foundation. Scientific models are helpful navigationally, but become restrictive when used as a means to impose obedience to a reification of our abstract systems of order and structure. Might this tendency may be more revealing of a personal proclivity? Yes indeed.

Sometimes it's hard to fathom just how deeply we are always consciously and unconsciously trying to obfuscate and circumvent the truth, but this is our predilection; to wit, our desperate willful craving for delusion over the truth. And using material science to try and justify this attachment is ideological laziness. A philosopher worth his salt doesn't invest too heavily in the face value of sense perceptions. A true philosopher will never point at standard, traditional, or mainstream conclusions and proclaim them to be the truth due to their blatant obviousness. This isn't even remotely philosophical. This is just jumping on a bandwagon. As I've said before, to always try to minimize reality down to a mundane triviality, by way of material reductionism, or the authoritative disambiguation of the intellect, are the negligent workings of a lackadaisical philosopher. This isn't a representation of an interest in the truth, this is just an appeal to popularity. If you are self conscious about standing in the truth for fear that the popular people will laugh at you, or that it will ruffle the feathers of the scientific establishment, then really, you should get out of philosophy. The truth is never going to be popular. Delusion is popular. Delusion is like a warm fuzzy bubble bath, whereas the truth is like a ice cold shower.

So this isn't even a matter of the issue being complicated, because its actually quite simple. It's a matter of people deliberately not wanting to have anything to do with the truth, for the truth doesn't validate the ego. So, for those who WANT to uncover the truth, could care less about what other people think, are not afraid to take responsibility, are ready to take on more power and accept the true nature of the empty self unconditionally, a simple rule of thumb will suffice: when trying to get to the bottom of a existential quandary, and identify the most fundamental underlying truth, always distinguish that which provides all else it's context. This is where you will find reality. The truth of this realization cannot be denied, only temporarily evaded with clever abstractions that seek to portray it otherwise. But this faulty portrayal is the result of an improper focus, as both free will and determinism are illusions, as they don't actually exist anywhere, other then in abstractions. To concentrate on them is to lose clarity and diminish lucidity. Instead, the focus of the attention should be directed towards the source of attention. This is where we will find the serendipitous tracks of Rene Descartes, and the sentiment of his perennial aphorism, "I think, therefor I am", still echoing in the wind. He didn't explore it much deeper then his own abstractions, but he was, at least, generally looking in the right direction. There's no need to convolute just to uphold the imagined integrity of faith based beliefs in free will or determinism. Cogito ergo sum, or "I think, therefor I am", if investigated deeply, reveals that the "I" IS the fundamental reality, not an externally existing independent medium, nor a contrived illusory identity that considers sensible concepts in ontological and epistemological terms. So, with, "I think, therefor I am", one must move deeper then the thinking.... Is there any assertion being made that awareness is void? If awareness is present, then how can it be shown to not be the fundamental reality, when in fact, it's the only thing providing the foundation for thoughts, sensible concepts, and paradigms to be considered 'objectively', in the first place? What about the pure intellect as the fundamental reality? NO. It isn't the pure intellect, as Descartes hastily concluded, and as most of us so intensely want to believe. The intellect is a tool of awareness... so how could awareness itself be stepped outside of and be intellectually considered? Who, or what, would be doing this exactly?... But wouldn't the "I" be relative only to a specific type of reasoning? Again: What is the underpinning of the reasoning? This issue is gonna persist for so long as one remains stuck on intellectual inventory. So, until it's clear that there has been an accurate discernment with what the "I" actually is... it doesn't follow that it can be equated to a paradigm where an "I" makes sense only relative to a reasoning, yet can still be nevertheless "stepped outside of" and considered with a different kind of reasoning. WHAT would be reasoning, outside of the creature that reasons? For that to even be possible, the "I" would first need to be realized for what it is. If reality is realized for what it is, then of course it necessarily follows that all of it's constructs, including knowledge, are dependent on it for their contextual significance. This is the basis for the irrefutable fundamental default axiom of existence. This is the truth of awareness.