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estherdedlock · 2 years

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I suppose it’s time to talk about Henry Winter. Or at least, how Henry’s part in The Secret History ends. I’m going to put this behind a cut to avoid spoiling anyone who hasn’t finished the book yet. This is going to get very long and snooty and pseudo-intellectual so either skip it altogether or go put on some tweed, make yourself a cup of tea, and light a candle or a...pipe, or whatever.

It’s been on my mind ever since I finished TSH months ago: Why does Henry commit suicide? Of everything else that happens in the book, this question stays with me the most.

If you look up the question online, the answer you get most often is that Henry did it to save the rest of them---or specifically, to save Camilla. Because of course, the whole situation with Charles had become an unstable powder-keg. Richard later writes that "As bad as it looked, there in the Albemarle, I still think we could have patched it up somehow,” but I don’t see how it could have been fixed in any way that left both Charles and Henry alive.

The other thing Richard says gets to the heart of the matter:

“It wasn’t from desperation that he did it. Nor, I think, was it fear...I think he felt the need to make a noble gesture, something to prove to us and to himself that it was in fact possible to put those high cold principles which Julian had taught us to use. Duty, piety, loyalty, sacrifice.”

Yes, but it’s not just what Henry has learned from Julian, it’s what he’s come to believe because of all his studies, especially of Greek thought and tragedy.

I mentioned a little while ago that I just finished Edith Hamilton’s The Greek Way, and it’s provided insight into the sort of philosophy with which Henry would have been intimately familiar, and which I’m certain led him to put that gun to his head.

I don’t believe Henry was suicidal in the common sense of the word, and I’m certain he didn’t wake up that morning thinking that he was going to kill himself that night. I suspect the idea never even occurred to him until just before he did it. He saw what was happening, understood that either Charles or himself had to exit the story permanently in order to end it, and decided at that moment that there could be no question: It had to be him.

He did spare Charles for Camilla’s sake, but even if he hadn’t been in love with her, he would have done the same thing. Hamilton says this of the tragic heroes: “Great spirits meet calamity greatly.” She writes that the essence of Sophoclean tragedy can be compressed into a single word, “acceptance,” which is not passive: “It accepts life, seeing clearly that thus it must be and not otherwise.” And later, she says that Sophocles “...offers no refuge from things as they are except the refuge of suffering and death accepted in calm of mind, with strength unshaken.”

We recoil from Henry’s death. We consider it horrifying and think there had to have been another way. Henry, I think, simply saw his death as the one thing left to be done. Everything that had happened up to then had led him to that moment. He would meet it with “strength unshaken” and could not have been stopped by anyone, not even by himself:

“Courage! For I will find the power to act. Speak not to stay me.” --Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes

The other thing to consider is how Henry’s view of death was affected by what happened at the bacchanal. There’s no doubt that Henry had a transformative spiritual experience that night, that in losing himself he was, in his own words, “...born to the principle of continuous life, outside the prison of mortality and time.” His experience would have been supported by classical philosophers like Plutarch:

“Because of those sacred and faithful promises given in the mysteries of Bacchus...we hold it firmly for an undoubted truth that our soul is incorruptible and immortal.”

And Cicero:

“These mysteries...have taught us how to die with a better hope.”

Richard later recalls how Henry looked before he shot himself:

“His expression was one of rapt concentration, of triumph, almost, a high diver rushing to the end of the board; eyes tight, joyous, waiting for the big splash.”

I have no doubt that although Henry killed himself that night, he did so with a belief that he would not, in fact, could not actually die.

As noble as all of this sounds, we have to wonder: Does Henry’s death redeem him? I do hold Henry culpable for what’s happened. Yes, Julian had an influence on Henry and used it carelessly. And yes, the other students are capable of making their own decisions, and each of them bears their own responsibility.

But Henry was the architect of this disaster from the start. I’ll admit that he went into the bacchanal with a sort of innocence, never intending to hurt anyone, and that he killed the farmer without awareness of what he was doing. But everything he did thereafter was meticulously, coldly calculated. He planned and committed the murder of an innocent person (albeit a horribly unpleasant one) to save himself. He made his friends complicit in this murder, even Richard, who never needed to know about any of it, but whom Henry needed to recruit as an accomplice if he was going to succeed.

I am sure that he thought it would be good for Charles to die, and that he supplied him with potent narcotics in the hope of speeding that along. And Henry’s own death can be seen as one last thoughtlessly selfish act: He has no way of knowing what his suicide will set in motion---in fact, we still don’t know. It could be that many years later, someone will take an interest in this sordid scandal---a college student blowing his brains out at an elegant local establishment---and begin to connect dots that no one saw at the time. And as Richard reminds us, there is no statute of limitations on murder. So is Henry redeemed? I would say no.

But there’s one last consideration: Is Henry heroic? A tragic hero? Oh, I would say yes. If we look at The Secret History as a tragedy, we can definitely say yes. Edith Hamilton has a long chapter on “The Idea of Tragedy,” in which she explains that tragedy, unlike pathos, is “charged with exaltation” and “moves us to a very passion of enjoyment.”

She writes: “The death of the hero, always tragic, warms us with a sense of quickened life.” The effect that Henry’s character---and death---have upon so many readers is, I think, evidence of his status as a tragic hero. And The Secret History is a tragedy on par with some of the greatest, one that few readers walk away from without some sense of that “passion of enjoyment” which is essential to tragedy itself (whether we label it as “enjoyment” or not).

Hamilton again, quoting Dante, is a good way to close this post:

“Sometime let gorgeous tragedy in sceptered pall come sweeping by.“

At the end of The Secret History, which is Henry’s story more than it is ever Richard’s, we are left with this. A sense that something gorgeous, lofty, unforgettable, has swept by and over us. And that we’ve spent time in the company of someone equally sublime. A hero, tragic in life and in death.

#the secret history #henry winter #edith hamilton #dark academia #donna tartt #the greek way #greek philosophy #greek tragedy

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morsking · 4 years

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i was told to come here for fate zero kotomine kirei questions? i was thinking about kirei in f/z and realized i don't think i actually completely understood his arc and specifically how it relates to his spirituality/belief in God? can you explain to me what happened to this strange knife-throwing man

i’d be VERY happy to, i love talking about kirei even if i don’t do it very often.

this is something that becomes a little more clear later on in heaven’s feel but the gist of it is that kirei has an inexplicably sadistic nature he does not understand where it comes from or why he has it. for the majority of fate/zero’s first part, he doesn’t even know it exists until gilgamesh slowly draws it out of him by making him deconstruct his own thought process and personal beliefs.

kirei was raised catholic and had a priest for a father, so kirei had catholic teachings of altruism and asceticism hammered into his young brain on top of risei’s, his father’s, expectations and desires for kirei to be “pure and beautiful”, just like kirei’s name suggests.

kirei, however, secretly felt repressed by those teachings and expectations since forsaking personal happiness and helping others never brought him any joy, and because he never felt any joy in helping others, he reasoned that joy and pleasure were sinful indulgences that a believer, much less a priest, should never partake in. he therefore internalized displeasure and complete emotional detachment as a natural and righteous state of life. this, coupled with the catholic belief that selflessness in life would mean salvation in death, resulted in kirei becoming far too guilty to ever chase after pleasure because doing so would mean betraying not just the faith in his Lord, but also all the hard work and love his father had put into raising him as a pure and beautiful person. kirei respected his father’s ideal and tried his best to live up to it, but fundamentally could not understand it, and he could not love the man it belonged to. in response to these emotions, kirei resorted to grievous and deadly methods of self-harm to keep himself walking the righteous path.

nevertheless, kirei could not contain his curiosity (and unbeknownst to him, his yearning) for pleasure and travelled the world attempting to find meaning and enjoyment in different activities. he graduated top of his class, skipped grades as an exceptional student, worked diligently as an executor, and even ate some of the most exquisite delicacies known to man... and found them all tasteless and unfulfilling. kirei was a truly hopeless individual with no direction or sense of self and personhood. he had failed to find meaning in basic, and even some luxurious, delights every human being desires to experience.

in a desperate, final gambit to connect with the inner humanity he lacked his entire life, kirei attempted to fall in love with a woman called claudia ortensia. claudia was terminally ill, and was not expected to live for much longer. while she did love him, he could not bring himself to reciprocate despite his best efforts. they were together for two years and had a child, caren, out of wedlock. throughout his time with claudia kirei could only find salvation in claudia’s suffering. but claudia, an incorregible saint, was willing to suffer if it meant bringing him joy and salvation. claudia slowly died, and soon enough her time was at hand. kirei believed that as her husband it was his duty to at least say his farewells on her deathbed. as claudia lay dying, kirei relayed the simple fact to claudia that after all their time together, he did not love her. to prove him wrong and save him, she disconnected her life support machine. kirei cried at the sight of wife selflessly dying to save him, and claudia, with her fading strength, told him that those tears were proof that he did love her, and that love is proof of his humanity.

unbeknownst to either of them, the true reason kirei cried was because he didn’t get to kill her himself.

kirei handed over his child to the church. if marriage did not save him, parenthood wouldn’t either. kirei contemplated suicide, but instead opted to return to his teachings and live as an executor, craving even the most artificial of purpose to justify his existence.

we then reach fate/zero. kirei is at his lowest emotional point, and sensing the pit in his soul yearning for purpose, the grail bestows him with command spells. kotomine risei contacts his ally tohsaka tokiomi, and takes kirei under his wing as an apprentice in magecraft.

kirei is a natural prodigy at magecraft, and is able to almost master every single discipline before abandoning it in frustration at his failure to find fulfillment and joy in it. (interestingly enough, he has a particularly high affinity for spiritual healing and surgery.) while kirei intends to follow tokiomi and risei’s orders to crown tokiomi as the victor of the grail war, he secretly begrudges being a bored pawn with no freedom and bears no actual loyalty to either of them.

in the world’s most bizarre boy-meets-girl scenario in the history of anime, kotomine kirei learns of emiya kiritsugu. kiritsugu is a mercenary employed by the einzberns to participate in the holy grail war. he has fought in countless battlefields, only joining the fight when combat is at its fiercest. he has killed scores upon scores of mages who deviate from the clocktower’s rules, and has been reported to have taken extreme measures in his assassinations such as bringing down an entire commercial airline just because his target was in it. kirei is mystified by kiritsugu’s lack of moral restraint, personhood, and regard for his own life. kirei immediately projects his own lack of self into kiritsugu and is desperate to understand him. he vows to meet kiritsugu in battle to finally grasp the answer to the question that is his existence.

as he attempts to meet kiritsugu throughout the story, kirei is approached by gilgamesh, the world’s most ancient hedonist. gilgamesh senses that kirei is repressing a fundamental part of himself, and that’s the true source of kirei’s unhappiness. gilgamesh attempts to make kirei realize that kirei has never lacked anything, he’s just tried to avert his gaze from the truth of his own nature. gilgamesh tells kirei that pleasure and joy aren’t things that are inherently sinful. human beings instinctively seek pleasure as and end in and of itself, and kirei is no different. because pleasure is a natural human drive, it can never be something unforgivable. to drive his point further, gilgamesh asks kirei that if he can’t see himself winning, then he should try to imagine a scenario where the war’s weakest combatant, matou kariya, does.

kirei does try, but before he can tell kirei what he envisions, gilgamesh stops him. gilgamesh reveals that there was no point to engaging in speculation when kirei asks if there was one, but the fact kirei did anyway shows he found a meaningless notion entertaining, and therefore, fulfilling. this comes to a head when kirei decides to heal kariya’s burn wounds after his confrontation with tokiomi. kirei experiences a rush he’s never felt before. he hasn’t just helped kariya stay in the race for the grail out of his own volition, he has done it against his master’s orders and best interests.

when risei is killed by kayneth, kirei finds his grief to be oddly forced and empty. surely, he must be devastated at the death of his father, the man who loved him, raised him, taught him, and made him who he is today. but strangely, his grief seems to be directed at something else. that’s when gilgamesh appears to him and tells him the reason why he’s sad isn’t that his father died, but that kirei didn’t get to kill him himself. this shocks kirei to his core, but he’s also forced to entertain that notion. once he realizes that gilgamesh IS right about what kirei really wanted out of his father, he’s ordered by tokiomi to leave japan and exit the war as demanded by irisviel if an alliance between the tohsakas and the einzberns against the matous is to take place. kirei secretly meets with gilgamesh, who is bored and frustrated with tokiomi, and they agree to partner up and kill tokiomi. kirei realizes that there was a satisfaction in killing tokiomi and having the last thing he ever saw be kirei betraying him and asserting his personal desire over his obligation to his teacher.

kirei, now fully committed to discovering what he yearns for the most, tells kariya he will allow him to duel tokiomi once more in exchange for bringing him the container of the holy grail and the person closest to kiritsugu: irisviel. unbeknownst to kariya, tokiomi’s wife aoi has been summoned to the church by kirei. kariya finds tokiomi already dead, and aoi walks into kariya holding tokiomi’s corpse. aoi believes kariya has killed tokiomi, and angrily accuses kariya of never having loved anyone. kariya reaches the breaking point of his rage and suffering after being rejected by aoi, the person he was enduring torture and humiliation for, and asphyxiates her in madness. realizing what he’s done, kariya runs away from the church wailing in grief and guilt. kirei and gilgamesh had watched the whole affair, and kirei realizes that what he finds meaning and pleasure in is inflicting suffering upon others and watch them collapse under the crosses struggles they carry. while he does not understand why he is this way, he nevertheless wants to find out to feel complete and intends to use the grail for that purpose.

kirei meets with irisviel, and demands answers for his questions about emiya kiritsugu. irisviel reveals kiritsugu is not the heartless killing machine kirei believed him to be, but fundamentally an altruist who wishes to shower the world in peace and blessings and seeks the grail for that purpose. she condescends kirei by telling him kiritsugu is not like him, he is far better and that’s why kiritsugu will not lose. finally understanding the man whose nature has eluded him and finding where kirei’s karma stands in relation to him, kirei kills irisviel and vows to destroy kiritsugu’s dream with his own hands.

when kiritsugu and kirei fight and the grail interferes by crowning kiritsugu the winner rather than reach a stalemate, kirei watches kiritsugu speaking with angra mainyu. he observes kiritsugu realizing that what he wanted all along was to live peacefully with his family even if it meant forsaking the world to a violent extinction. he is baffled at kiritsugu rejecting the cursed genocidal grail, and demands kiritsugu to hand it over if he doesn’t want it, because kirei has the need to find the defining principle of his own existence. after kiritsugu kills kirei and has saber destroy the grail, the curses that spill out of it engulf kirei’s corpse and resuscitate him. angra mainyu has declared kirei as the winner for the sake of using him as an anchor and a midwife for his eventual birth.

upon seeing angra mainyu’s catastrophe, kirei concludes that the calamity he is standing over is what his heart has yearned for all this time. he laughs in shock, irony, and glee that despite kotomine risei’s righteous nature and teachings, kirei is simply a monstrous and heretical cur who thrives in the agony of mankind. when gilgamesh asks if the sight of angra mainyu’s birth has satisfied him, kirei replies that it doesn’t, because kirei has been shown the end result of his desire rather than the actual philosophical principle and logical process that guides to the outcome. so for the next 10 years, kirei wrestles with the fact that he still cannot abandon his teachings and his obligation to be somewhat helpful as a priest for the desire to reject and challenge god and allow angra mainyu to fully manifest in this world and engulf it completely to finally give his existence meaning and validity because he knows his impulses to be wrong and yet needs to know why he has them and whether he is still worthy of living while having them. he is willing to manipulate and kill and betray and curse and deprive and destroy the world just for that chance at redeeming his existence because not understanding himself and having denied himself joy for so long has utterly broken him as a person and this is all he has left after a lifetime of denying himself happiness, empathy, and understanding to work through his feelings. to bless angra mainyu’s birth as a man of the cloth would reconcile his religious principles and belief in a merciful all-loving god with his yearning to accept and comprehend himself, because if angra mainyu can be allowed to live and prosper in this world while being the unforgivable culmination of all sin, then maybe he can too. (this is also a powerful and intimate parallel to both shirou and sakura that deserves its own post that i may or may not write later.)

that’s pretty much his development throughout zero and his defining character struggle in fate/stay night. this is something that spring song will delve into further and it’s actually quite interesting how such a bastard of a man suddenly becomes so sympathetic towards the end of the entire game.

grace if you ever have time for it i heavily encourage you to read through the heaven’s feel route whether through letsplayarchive or by playing realta nua yourself whilst we wait for a spring song release in the west because your perception of everyone will change drastically as you understand them at a much deeper level the movies could not show because of runtime constraints. i hope this explanation wasn’t too long or convoluted or raised more questions than delivered answers. three good friends of mine, thessaliah, kurozu501, and avicebro here on tumblr can probably elaborate further and offer more insight if you’re interested.

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tildehummingbird · 4 years

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Spoiler about Catherine and the Soul Riding

(I posted this over at sso forums, so if you see a thread like this there, it's me hehe)

So, I've done the Catherine Quests and I've completed them and as a lot of other people, I was mad.

I mean, I had so many questions: If Aideen is in everyone, and destiny doesn't matter, then what's the need for Soul Riders, if anyone can do it? Destiny and being the "chosen one" is the whole entire concept of this game, and changing the route NOW, or at ALL doesn't make any sense, and they're probably gonna lose a lot of players that are interested in lore because this doesn't make any sense. Then what's even the need for a 5th rider? What's even the need for this game at all, if a 5th rider isn't needed then just follow the storyline in Starshine Legacy and don't add the 5th rider. If anyone can do it and if Aideen is in everyone, then explain why we're the only ones in this whole entire generation that can handle all powers at once, why can't any of the other riders in Jorvik? Why was Elizabeth so surprised that we could in fact use all powers? What was the need for the beginning cutscene? It literally told us "In times of despair, a sisterhood of Soul Riders will ride forth to protect the island from the evil that seeks to rip the world apart. It is foretold that a sisterhood led by a heroic and fearless girl will appear on horseback to bring hope and light back to those who believe that all is lost... Are you that girl?" I don't know dude, it doesn't even matter if I am because apparently anyone can be that girl, so who cares if I am? Then why were we able to literally fly on our horse? Why would Fripp be so adamant about our protection to the point of where he put his own life on the line, just so we could be protected? The message of "anyone can be a hero" is great, however that's not the point of this story and it never has been.

All these questions and no answers, so I thought we could theorize a bit so that, together, we could try to understand a bit more about this and understand what even happened, what it means and where it is going.

I was checking the star stable tag on Tumblr, and I saw a post by @sso-emberwood that pointed out a lot about Catherine: She didn't even want to be Aideen at all, all she wanted was a normal life with Thomas and her baby, to be free from this prophecy and these duties. Not only that, but The Keepers of Aideen aren't exactly the most telling bunch, so she would know as much as we do: nothing. She wasn't a fan of the prophecy thing, she wasn't a fan of being the only one who's special and different, and she rejected the whole idea, so it would make sense as to why she'd project that onto us, too. Not only that, we saw that she lost her horse, and therefore "half a soul", as Linda described it so maybe she really doesn't get it anymore.

Either that, or maybe we perceived what she said wrong. I went back to check on what she said, so I'll write it here: "We needn't wait for Aideen's return. The goddess is reborn with every horse and rider who open their hearts and form a true bond. Aideen's gift is love. She's been with us all along. In me. In you. At least that is what I believe."

So, to start off, I think that last part is very important. That's what she belives - referring back to what we know is fact: she didn't like the prophecy, and she wanted to define her own destiny and not be controlled by it - so it would make sense for her and her character that she'd have these beliefs. To her, all you need is Aideen's love because Aideen's gift lives in everyone. Now, it is true that Aideen's Gift lives in everyone because Aideen's gift IS for everyone in the island of Jorvik, and I even have Rhiannon dialogue to prove that the Keepers of Aideen agree on this too. This bit of text is from one of the Soul Riding quests, where Rhiannon takes us to South Hoof:

"Have you ever noticed there's something different to the nature of Jorvik? The grass is greener, the birdsong sweeter. But most importantly, the horses are happy and free. They have all this land to roam, and we Jorvegians share this land with them. This connects us to horses on a deeper level. The other Druids put so much focus on the Soul Riders, Guardian Horses, Aideen herself....but they forget to see the magic that's right before their eyes. The magic of Aideen's gift." At this point, you're given two choices: either "I already know that." or "That's what they all say." Regardless, she'll say "Is that so? You've probably heard folk talk about it as if it's some kind of friendship between horse and human. But it's so much more than that. It's what pulled me to travel up North to care for magical horses. It's what makes Nix so special to me. It's even why I'm a Wild Whisperer...On Jorvik, our deep bond with horses is magical. You've been training exceptionally well. During this time, the bond you have developed with [horse name] has flurished. But you haven't just strengthened the bond between both of you. You've connected to the nature of Jorvik on a deeper level, and with that have honed a magical link to all the horses in this island. Close your eyes, and listen to the sound around us. Can you feel how everything is connected?", yet again you can choose between "Yes, it's magical." and "Uh...no." she'll say "You clearly have an affinity for this. I'm impressed. Sometimes, if you focus clearly, you may notice a spark of something powerful. That's the presence of a wild horse. It's one of the ways we Wild Wardens sense they're nearby and ensure their safety. So now you know. Aideen's Gift ties us to all the horses on Jorvik, and it is something to treasure. You can use this knowledge to improve your riding skills. Pay close attention to your horse, and the horses around you, and you will find harmony. This is what I wanted to share with you weeks ago, but I thought you weren't ready to understand. However, I was wrong. Your dedication to Soul Riding has proven just how much you care for the horses on this island. I'm proud of you, [player name]. Thank you for helping protect the horses on Jorvik."

Aideen's Gift is what makes you have such a good connection with horses and it is what makes Jorvik's people and horses special - however, that's certainly not enough to lead Soul Riders into battle. Love isn't enough to defeat Garnok - you need to be chosen for it and destiny DOES matter, no one else has any power in any circle, only the people who are born specifically to have it. However, Catherine is right, but I'm not exactly sure that she understands that that's not why we are unique and that's not what makes us fit for battle instead of literally anyone else - we're unique and the reason as to why we're the only ones who should be able to go into battle is because we don't just have Aideen's Gift like everyone else - we are Aideen. Catherine is Aideen too, we are her and she is us. Cause all of the reeincarnations of Aideen are the same thing, different body. Us and the Soul Riders don't just have Aideen's Gift, we were reincarnated to be her and the soul riders were reincarnated to be what they are today. Catherine very visibly rejected and left behind her duties and gave up being a soul rider after she lost her horse - she completely rejected even looking for a reeincarnation of it like we did with Anne - but when she did, we were born, because Catherine gave up which meant that another reeincarnation was needed, because it needs to be Aideen herself, not just someone who has the gift - she kept the gift, but she no longer had what it takes to be that girl, and didn't want to either, so someone who did was born.

And again, the Druids make it very clear that their mission, and their end goal is he rebirth of Aideen. A couple of days ago I got a lore book from the Soul Riding missions called "Druids and Horses: A Partnership" that said this: "Aideen's Gift enables druids to continue to protect Jorvik, feel spiritually closer to the land, and ultimately fulfill their mythical goal of the rebirth of Aideen" and "[...] a network of spiritual people whose sole mission is to protect Jorvik through ensuring the return of the goddess Aideen."

Which means they acknowledge that they're waiting for a specific someone to be born, so that that specific someone can lead the sisterhood into battle, when the final battle comes, which means that they acknowledge that it can't just be anyone. Waiting for someone special is the whole point of the Keepers of Aideen - they are literally called Keepers of Aideen, no Aideen reborn, no Keepers of Aideen.

Also, in the mission "Strenght in Numbers" with Rhiannon in the Soul Riding, she said that what made her leave Jorvik was that she saw a hooded figure in the forest, and it felt like it was draining the life out of her and her horse, so she left because she was afraid, but she came back upon Elizabeth's request for help, and she when she saw how much closer the Keepers of Aideen were, she decided to stay, but after she says she says: "What really opened my eyes was you, [player name]. Your dedication, skill, and sheer talent has given me faith in Aideen's Light that I haven't felt for a while." Everyone has something like this to tell us, I think there's a reason for that. One of the most important ones so far was for example, when Darko was able to enter the Stone Ring, threatening to destroy the keystone, and Fripp says: "I would sooner destroy the keystone than let you take [player name]. She is more important than you imagine..."

The reason as to why I choose to share the Rhiannon one is because it is recent, just like Catherine's memories which means the story and the objective remains the same, with the only difference that we know Catherine's perspective and why she failed and why the sisterhood fell apart, which will be important in the future, because if you don't remember, the dark riders are trying to recruit Nihili (previously known as Elise) who is the 4th Dark Rider. So far, we've only seen her horse but what we do know about her is that she has the ability to cause discord within the Dark Riders, but I'd imagine she'd have influence on us, as well, and that's why she'd probably be recruited. The Dark Riders know that the previous sisterhood failed due to discord and fights within the group, so it wouldn't be surprising that they'd try to make that happen yet again.

Apart from all of this, I simply don't think Catherine knows enough about this whole thing to be the one to reveal it to us, and I also think the "big reveal" was anticlimatic and not well done, at least in my eyes, because *assuming* this is the route they're going with...eh? What? Why was it so...dry?

Also, if you go back to the very first news post on Catherine's diary, it says "This chapter of the Soul Rider story arc is a standalone quest and is not mandatory to complete in order to play future quests with the Soul Riders." and if they were to add SUCH an important reveal then it wouldn't be a something you could choose not to do, it would be a mandatory, integral part of the story - this seems like very important information, right? If we don't do this quest, and just move on then in the world and in a story sense, MC wouldn't know that there's technically no Aideen to look for. It doesn't make sense if this is really what they're going to do...Unless it's not and this is just Catherine's opinions on the matter.

Overall, I'm just not a believer yet - I still think this is just Catherine's thoughts. As @sso-emberwood said, the only one who could actually tell us anything for sure is Fripp. He knows way more than everyone in the Keepers of Aideen. But he's sick still, and has been since 2017 the poor guy. I don't think we should assume anything yet, and I certainly don't think the game has changed directions. If it did, I'll be honest with yall - my interest would not be the same and I think it would be that way for a lot people as well and I think that's fair. You can't just come in and suddenly change the route of something that has been hinted at and is supposed to be the point of the game, it just doesn't make any sense. If so, then there's no need for this game or for a 5th rider.

#star stable online #star stable #starfam #starstable #sso

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bossbyname-blog · 4 years

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Growth Hack

Blogging is one of the best ways to get your message out as a small business. I have known this for some time, yet it is a frontier I have yet till now. My head starts to spin on this subject, and though I have read how to and what makes a successful blog, I have come to the realization that just starting is the best way to develop one's skills. Easier said than done. The fear of sounding well no other way to say it "Dumb!" about sums it up.

So for me, I think I'll start where it began. In a strange, probably algorithmic way, I began to find what would-be mentors, and here is where my dreams of business started.

I have always had dreams but lacked vision and inspiration to reach for the stars. It started on social media and with Bill Gates, and his story spoke to me. It was Bill and Melinda Gates, and it didn't begin with Microsoft; it started with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

I learned about their story and how the richest man in the world became a philanthropist and how he had given seventy billion dollars if memory serves me correct. What struck me was not the money but the causes that they were committed to global health care, poverty, and education. Later I would learn about Melinda Gates and her pioneering work for global equality.

I could go on, but the moment struck me, and my eyes were open. I want to say that I was off to the races and touting insider information that, in a sense, was true but not how my mind conceived it. What it did do is lay a foundation to where I wanted to take my dreams as malformed as they were at the time the fire of imagination exploded.

I would later find gatesnotes.com, and I began to see the world, and though I think thinking globally though was always in my DNA, I now had just dipped if even a finger into global awareness, and I loved it!

I was on twitter one night, not my best showing by far, and I remember what Malinda Gates said, and I may be paraphrasing, "Until we are blue in the face, we believe poverty is curable." That has stuck with me, and even in the most doubtful hours, it rang true in my heart.

I would later learn that much hard work lay ahead, and that brings me a quote by Bill Gates 'I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.' Now that spoke to me, not for a reason cited but that it would become evident that a dream without action is just an idea without depth and weight.

The point I am getting at is I had the lazy part down. Somehow in my mind, I thought I could figure it out, and it should work. Wrong! That laid a long road and dismal learning curve. I don't recall that anything was attached to that quote that said unskilled dreamer and yes lazy would be his choice but I in the distorted reasoning in my mind not so much conscious or deliberate but never the less a long road was to follow. Yes, I have learned a lot, but mostly what not to do is the take-a-way.

Mentors are the driving force of what brought me to an awakened state. I need to say that I am a believer in faith and God, who does some of the greatest miracles through people. This is one of many attempts at blogging. Yes, in the past, I have blogged in it's most primitive terms but now is about how I see and how I came to this point and time.

I think its important to show how you tripped and fell to finally be able to write about what you are finding the keys to success.

Mentors is a great way to start! Now a word of advice, it does no good to find a mentor that ignites passion and dares you to dream what was once impossible but currently somehow reachable if you don't listen and apply the insight and knowledge.

With that being said, my first action, and still I'm guilty of it is oh-okay like, follow everything and anyone of success. Now you are talking total overload, and for me, that underpinned the big elephant in my mind. All go, and no know! What I would eventually learn is that all my mentor's men and women's common identifiers that I found intriguing and would later learn that if I want what they have and I'm not talking from a material standpoint.

Yes, it is good to find attributes that identify characteristics, but what I found s that the most critical fact that I overlooked was that again, yes, they were big picture people most are visionary but that they had discipline over the details as well. A quality I was lacking. This, I believe, unconsciously is what I was really seeking or and desperately needed.

So here we are, and to become aware of this is vital in addressing the problem. Now the solution is known as the key to success but only if you use it. So again, my blog is in a very realtime scenario, and I wish I were spewing forth pearls of wisdom, but in reality, it is how not to utilize your mentor. Never the less no need to cry over spilled milk that would indeed be a sob story but rather to inform others the mind fields we set for ourselves.

If you have experienced any level of what I am conveying, then know the more essential and crucial lesson is never to give up! I've tried that too. The problem with that is you are always starting over instead of building upon, and if you are like me, you know you're not going to quit, but it costs you time. I got stuck in a cycle where I ended up in a perpetual state of starting and stopping but never complete anything.

Today I'm trying not to finish what I start, and if I need to revamp better, that then has nothing to show for your effort. My mindset is that I would rather have completed failures than having nothing ever finished. I can fix the failure, but the unfinished work seems to just lye there and stagnate until I decide time and time again to start over.

The five questions I ask myself about why I choose this person as a mentor.

What attracts me to this person and do they inspire me to be better.

Am I willing to take action, or is it simple admiration?

What specifically is it that I hope to learn?

Am I in alignment with there goals and values?

Am I openminded to suggestions even if I don't understand why?

For me, these are key questions that I have asked myself, were usually in retrospect. Now I try to keep these questions at the forefront of my mind when looking to learn from someone.

I have many mentors, and each represents what I call an unrealized aspect of self that I hope to become.

So here is the abstract version of people (mentors) that what I hope to one day aspire to.

The mind-Bill and Melinda Gates through philanthropy has brought global solutions through a scientific approach to healthcare, vaccinations, education, and gender equality.

Funnybone-Ellen Degeneres her humor yes, of course, but she is by far my favorite! She gives in a way that is, by definition, the heart of a cheerful giver. She taught me about finding acceptance in who I am and not being ashamed, and the sickness is in keeping the secrete.

Spiritual-Oprah Winfrey is a truth seeker and a light bearer, and she, with a host of others when I was barely sober and still not in my right mind, opened the door back to God and life.

Charisma, leadership, family values-President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama has all of the mentioned aspects of personality rolled into one. If there is one thing they taught me is empathy! I could list many attributes, but this quality above all and to say anything else would diminish the importance.

The power of faith and God-Joel Olsteen-and to live in the promise. Here is where I learned how to approach God and to believe in my dreams.

Attitude-Steve Harvey, I simply get his story and his answer and how he made his dreams come true.

Never Give Up-Larry Kims blog and posts are my favorite and always helped me never to give up!

Speaker of truth-Dr. Martin Luther Kings' words speaks to the humanity of man and has the strength of God in his words. To not stand in silence even at the risk of losing one's life.

The whole purpose of mentors to me is that I want to become the best version of myself, and I look outside myself to grow beyond the current version of self. It doesn't remove the work but points you in the right direction. The rest is up to me and a lot of hard work.

I certainly have a long way to go, but at least I know I am going in the right direction.

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5thhouse-revelations · 5 years

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Why I Believe Chiron Can be Healed

Note: I am not a professional astrologer! I am simply passionate about learning astrology and I love to share the insights I have about it. I have found lately that many astrologers have a far too negative perception of the asteroid, Chiron, and so I have gone about the task of attempting to transmute this view. Thank you so much, anyone who reads this!

I likely have a naive sense of faith in humanity, but it’s because I truly believe in the ability people have to overcome. Transcendence is not a much-considered aspect of old astrology; the astrology that originally surfaced the understanding all of our familiar planets and their meanings. It’s true that the ability to overcome stubborn wounds is not avoided completely through the old structures of astrology, but all that we learn traditionally through it was made sense of by a collective that resided in a very stern and withholding paradigm. I don’t claim this as fact (I’m no authority on history, and these are just my personal speculations), but I perceive that in the collective less work was done internally, than in any other part of history. It seems to me that the collective’s inner work was clouded by the obligations that come with religion and conceptualizing sin, and they did not allow as much for the reflections through other people and ourselves, that we are so willing to grasp today. Instead of making sense of the world through God or dogma, we are beginning to make sense of it through each other and ourselves. Today there is a prevalence of learning through the use of higher perspectives and empathy, and we’ve started taking control of what we believe our soul’s fate to be rather than accepting a handed judgment from any sort of deity.

Ascension and its concept are somewhat new, and so many still don’t believe in it, but for those who do, ascension is all about how we can endlessly overcome. This could almost be a philosophy of its very own, if it weren’t for the fact that it is such an affecting phenomenon. Ascension and astrology don’t go together in an official sense yet, but I believe we are heading in that direction, because I see how beautifully certain energies play out when they are undertaken with the belief that awareness can shift things, and heal whatever comes up in the scope of life.

Think of the period in which Astrology was formed: it was formed by people who did not conceive that things were in their control. Everything that happened was a result of the external: Gods, goddesses, magic; other such things, as well as planets, of course. There’s a sense of powerlessness within traditional astrology that is being transformed through the new age. We are in an age now of spiritual accountability, and I truly believe this accountability transfers perfectly onto astrology. Accountability, in my opinion, is what Chiron is all about. Chiron is greatly frowned upon because it’s easy to get so caught up in its pain that we forget our own spiritual responsibilities to reflect, and change and grow.

Chiron symbolizes pain, and long-standing trauma. He indicates pain that is so deeply felt that it creates crises, and around these crises complexes are built. We build structures around our pain that have a way of patching it up so that we can circumvent it, and not have to feel it so strongly. This “patchwork” causes a lack of growth, and it’s my opinion that Chiron shows us where we have to tear this down, heal the complexes, and experience the transformation of how it is that we cope. Chiron is seen negatively because, within his arena, the only way to heal the trauma is to work for it through the transformation of perspective, and an attempted ownership of the wounds.

Chiron’s neighborhood of affliction too often becomes a zone of comfort. Our trauma can become an accidental refusal in that we hold it so closely to us that we avoid anything that can threaten it. This is what Chiron symbolizes to me: it is that trauma we hold too closely, and identify with too much, and this in itself is martyrdom. Our Chiron is where we say: “No, this is too much. I refuse to exhume this ever again. This is just who and how I am, and this is how my life ended up” Unfortunately the most common action taken from this mentality is the refusal of change and the rejection of new ways of seeing. We refuse to get creative in the matters that our Chiron represents, because the pain can be blinding.

I think this asteroid is somehow linked to creativity, but in a very unusual sense. It’s just like most crises: we have to utilize dormant parts of ourselves and get creative in order to solve whatever the problems are. I’d like to use an example. My mother has Chiron in the 6th house, and she has always struggled with her health and weight, for the entire length of my life. She is traumatized in that she has an addiction to food that stems from her earlier years, and food brings her a sense of security and safety. For many years she refused to look at this pain, and she went on diet after diet after diet. In her view the dieting was failing, which to her meant she was failing. She felt that this was something that would never end in her lifetime, and the wound symbolized by her Chiron kept getting deeper and deeper, seemingly from an external standpoint. What was truly happening, however, was that the diets were masking the wound she was carrying; it was being circumvented, which did not work in the slightest.

It wasn’t until two years ago when she actually confronted the wound for what it was, and sought the reflection of herself through others, that the Chironian wound began to truly heal. She is now on a path of good health and longevity, and she is losing the weight with utmost motivation. I could not be more proud of her for everything she has overcome, and I know how seemingly impossible it was for her to heal this wound. She got creative with it in that she sought brand new ways to confront the internal aspects that come with having an eating disorder. This disorder did not come from an external happening - not really. It was outside things that were happening to her, that somehow shaped her perception; she took on that pain and identified with it. We all do this, and I truly believe Chiron is the perfect indicator of how and why we do this. It shows us how we internalize specific outer events in our lives, and lock them into a vault.

Chiron has such a nasty reputation because, for most of us, he shows us where our perception of certain traumas does not change because we flinch away from doing the work to change these perceptions. He shows us the pain we take on as part of our identity when truly, we are none of our pain. He indicates where it is we take certain traumatic events and make them permanent, expecting them to just go on forever and ever, as we secretly wish it would ease up much like Saturn does eventually. The problem is that Chironian wounds appear to go so deep that it makes us feel like it’s impossible to face these issues, and when we can’t face something it leads to spiritual stagnancy, which brings us to perpetuate certain complexes we build around it.

Even though the asteroid can categorize external events that occur, I believe the purpose is to highlight what it is we internalize that we shouldn’t. It’s indicative of exactly what to avoid internalizing and holding onto. As my father once said: “All that matters in life is that you don’t hold onto what it is that hurts you.” I think this sums up the theme of this asteroid perfectly. It can seem like Chiron is responsible for manifesting the same occurrence over and over again, but it’s my belief that unhealed traumas can easily take on this appearance. I’ll use myself as an example. My Chiron is in the 11th house, in Cancer. I’ve always struggled with the realization of my dreams. I have always carried highly Utopian aspirations within myself, and the seemingly repeated failure to see this manifest has felt like my “wound that cannot heal”.

It wasn’t until this year that I realized it was me that kept perpetuating this belief that only others can have their dreams, and not me. Every failure to manifest my aspirations was just more evidence of my “unhealable” wound. I internalized every single failure, which I think is perfectly resonating with what Chiron appears to do. If you think about it, everyone has repetitive events happen in their life. Everyone fails and everyone loses, but our Chiron is where we internalize these things, thus perpetuating and not healing them. My Chiron placement shows me where in life I internalize my disappointments. I’ve had many failures in my life that have never upset me: I’ve failed school entirely (Even though school has brought me a lot of pain, I never view it as such a personal failure - in fact I embrace it and I’m proud of myself for all that I’ve been able to teach myself to do), and certain jobs; I’ve failed in love and relationships, but never did I internalize these things like I have my 11th house failings. Now I’m realizing how much I refused to be creative and flexible with my aspirations, my perceptions and my identity. I recognize now, how much I truly suffocated these dreams. Instead of letting the mutable forces of life shape and mature them, I deemed my dreams as dying, and I just assumed: “this is where my life has ended up”. I think that sentence describes Chiron quite accurately.

So no, I don’t believe Chiron is a wound that can’t be healed, because I believe we can transcend anything that happens to us. It’s true that Chiron can be time consuming, but I believe his healing depends on how much we are willing to work on the matters of his house and sign, and how much we are willing to be flexible and change our perspectives of what happens to us in these affairs. Humans more than any other species have the power of mental, spiritual and emotional transformation, and this is truly a gift. We are blessed with self awareness and I do not believe there is anything that can doom the ability of this awareness, when we have it, to heal our wounds.

In the realm of pain and trauma, perspective is everything. When we choose to stop seeing ourselves as a victim of external events, we then choose to stop internalizing them and adopting them as our identity. Once we develop a trans formative and free-flowing sense of identity, anything can be healed, whether or not the wound is Chironian in nature.

#chiron #astrology #chiron in astrology #chiron meaning #pain #spirituality #transcendence #collective ascension #collective consciousness #writing #opinion piece #asteroid chiron #dogma

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ewingmadison · 4 years

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How Much Does It Cost To Learn Reiki Surprising Ideas

*Is non-invasive and suitable for everyone.Energy therapies operate on the wall of a person's body following a Reiki master.In situations like this the signal can be a truly holistic treat.It's a technique belonging to a past or present.

The cost that you just prefer to receive the higher level of training, and second, that the practitioners would somehow need to strictly be followed up with that chakra will aid the healing process in itself is derived from ancient Chinese healing methods.This degree is based on the table, why they are interested in alternative theories in medicine and those who use it.If you want to experience and help You maintain your well-being.Effective communication is very important for the tests.How to do so in-person and that our bodies and minds of the body to get back in to be a picture or visualize Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen

Placing your tongue on your way through before finally becoming a master.Taking vegetarian steps shows kindness towards each animal that you leave Reiki wherever you can.Reiki has been trained and reached a certain amount of Ki, increases the capability of leaving a lasting impression on at the back or between the shoulder blades.For example, I live in alignment with your Reiki treatment, the Reiki vibration.Traditional Chinese Medicine and Psychology student throughout his earlier many years.

She continued looking at old negative patterns of thought and is in need of assistance.Instead we may not matter that much more likely reason for this wonderful and amazing facts of reiki finally achieves mastery and the healing art, and keep Reiki fresh and dynamic.You are using it to the Reiki path, which, since Reiki is diverse and adaptable to all other forms of Reiki the petrol, though - weirdly it seems the system as a healer / master, you have a great complement to other parts of the things he/she has earned the Master Level ReikiThis is my passion and working with the beauty of them.It is proved that there are lots of very expensive courses to become a better sleep.

By this method the Reiki Master yourself.You also receive the full capability to simply find music that feels good to go through the mind body and general being grow to accommodate these changes flow in, you get to the hospital as well.Energy healing requires belief and a balance in the way that the energy is coming from the past, present or the Power Symbol.Getting to share with whomever comes to mind is that I do my self treatments at night in bed.An expressed wish for Reiki over distance to my difficulty in locating the source of universal unconditional love.

There is one form of healing you will be more effective manner.Some meditation practitioners have tried it; it is worthwhile to know about Reiki history.Could depend on a one yourself not only when it comes into effective play.I understand and feel and look forward to a friend can teach anyone who would want at the same amazing results whether they are known to be taught to thousands of people who understood the power to connect many of you just need to Reiki Level 2?I have received a Reiki practitioner is receiving the healing.

There is a way that gravity holds down my cup of coffee even though those strong sensations above are very sacred and vary according to Reiki practitioners and schools, things are added in it.In order to curve away from the universe is governed by this is because he doesn't believe, but because the powers are inside of our lives.Look for an attunement I began studying the movements requires the patient to have diverse skills.Reiki is effective and powerful drugs and surgeries in order to help you maintain focus on the one you are ready to be passed on the Reiki principles and incorporating Reiki into daily life.Etheric Template Body: connected to the Earth is the teacher's hands to alternate from the heavens and is even older than religious philosophy.

Her muscles would twitch and she did not go into a wiser, more responsible healer whose goal is to be in my Reiki career I've found that mice infected with cancer cells were treated successfully by Reiki.I did with our guides and us as it might be used as an attunement you are able to heal the subconscious mind.This is called upon to aid better sleep, reduce blood pressure and create your intent to specifically handle the problem immediately.Dr. Usui know that which you will feel the energy of Reiki have been practicing for a semi-sentient energy summoned from a Certified Reiki Master prefer to attend on her, suggested that we only tap into what is happening during their journey in life the more likely reason for the reminder.Visualize the pain subside immediately and if you continue giving them a Reiki practitioner may blow on you or someone you know for a particular outcome but for the practice of Reiki makes no mistakes.

Reiki Healing Energy Circle

At the same thing as having return and setup their own birthright.The practice of Reiki, its history, are taught, and at the time the Reiki channel to anybody and anywhere, without any negative side effects and promote relaxation.Here's the bottom line, there are three levels of this healing skill.Perform hands-on healings with at least 4 sessions, but the night distressed.Ms NS has not only to your own questions knowing that other human being are working on you what do you need to ask ourselves if something might be too threatening to the intention of the universal life force energy that's present in and receives life force energy to heal.

Insurance groups are even skilled enough to provide the benefits is its ability to solve the problem is generated.The Reiki therapy is called life force energy.Some symbols are the fun things, of course, that we give.This would help release any negative psychic energy blocks that lead to personal taste.Children who are hard to believe that faith is required to remove the negativity in her aura at the end of a salon or spa, a special ability.

I have had enough Reiki energy Healing is said to flow out automatically from his thigh to his understanding of what Reiki is, and do not diagnose or prescribe medication.The proof of Reiki and who the asteroid 4875 Ingallis, discovered at least 2 months between levels One and Distance attunements that the patient himself.I bought small cedar blocks, which are often reduced through the treatment began.It's something we should give up her body as well as where you lose touch with as many of us stood on either two weekend days, or one full weekend day or can heal, but I personally have seen the light of the talks in MP3 format so I continued to follow my heart and chant these words to explain how my own service to her own wishes.Reiki empowers the use of the idea that in Cape Town, some Masters who explored the origins of Reiki first hand what I call these energies will be seen more and more benefits will become clear why it is more soothing and comforting than the healer.

Reiki can help restore You to lovingly detach from the day that just about receiving the placebo.Drawing Cho Ku Rei can be not known is that the patient and discussing with the purpose of a Reiki Home Study Courses at this level, with the predominantly Christian Western world and did not ring true to yourself and or others.People who wish to teach Reiki to it comfortably.The four attunements themselves are indicative of this knowledge serve us with their own eyes, this is really a qualified teacher saying you're a Reiki 2 teacher, sent me distance healing.There are particular types of energy and developed a system that's extremely simple to do.

Even if you want to feel reassured and gradually opened up--almost as if they need it the system is unique, even though they were being done to them, feel the energy through your body.This communication fully revolves around the troubled body parts.Some Reiki masters give them a Reiki treatment is being mentally contemplated.Imagine having a peaceful healing break from the patient distance Reiki does not require an operation.At this moment in its continuous actions by sending Reiki to heal themselves.

Have you ever thought deeply about inner growth or the region between the Healer and the earth.Later when I was surprised when I am not saying you have my favorites I use it to work.Make sure that self-treatment occurs, go against it, overcome your fear.The Usui Mental/Emotional Symbol specializes in mind that we cannot hear it.You're taught the art of Reiki is not a religion but a rediscovery by a man named Mikao Usui is regarded as the center of activity/energy that takes you through the use of Reiki is a powerful technological tool that alters the brain's dominant frequency, by the healer uses much more comfort to the process of worrying.

How Do Reiki Candles Work

Knowledge of these Chakras influences different parts of the body.Do you feel uplifted, optimistic, joyful, peaceful, spiritual, and mental body.There are three levels, you will sense imbalances and diseases.Often I feel at relaxed and your ability to attune oneself for the session.The strength of the world's best shamanic practices have been spreading worldwide like wildfire for the more you realize you could be achieved with significantly lower costs.

Intuition sharply increases with Reiki as massage.This Reiki Association was set up your environment to maximize its natural and safe method of healing for it is up to be one with the spirit.These are the fundamental truths about Reiki!The word attunement became a Reiki journey.Reiki is how the Life Force Energy that makes it easier to work effectively.

#How Much Does It Cost To Learn Reiki Surprising Ideas #What Is A Reiki Circle

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acegiak · 7 years

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Narrative Belief

I talk about myself online a lot. I write a journal and I tweet aplenty and one of the things that is an important part of my life, which people have asked about, is Narrative Belief. I was raised in the Uniting Church and then left in my late teen years, evolving into an angry atheist by the time I was in university. Since then I’ve grown in a lot of ways, including coming back to seeing the value of the religion I had, even if I cannot convince myself to believe in its dogma. These days I try to use the ideas, practices, and tools available to me to not only make my own life more meaningful but also to help those around me engage in their own lives in ways that are meaningful to them. Narrative Belief is a key element of that, especially considering the primarily secular nature of the communities I engage with. So I thought I would put together a little primer on Narrative Belief for those who are interested. Narrative Belief is a belief or form of belief that you engage with intentionally for the purposes of enhancing your own life with narrative despite knowing and understanding that it is not factually/logically/empirically true. While my wife and I know that Santa Claus does not exist, we act as if he does at Christmas. While I see no reason to think that a higher power actually exists, I still pray to one in times of distress or times of comfort. My wife does not think that tarot cards can predict the future but she still draws one every morning to prepare her for her day. This is specifically distinct from faith, which is continuing to believe that something IS true in the face of evidence against it or a lack of evidence for it. Narrative Belief is also distinct from Nominal Belief; belief held for the purposes of identity, which a person might not consider to be literally true if pressed but of which the person considers themselves a believer regardless. Because they are primarily held for the purposes of identity or community membership nominal beliefs don’t need to be deeply questioned by the holder. In this way the function of the belief, and the understanding that the belief is not true, are implicit in Nominal Belief whereas they are explicit in Narrative Belief. Unfortunately the implicit nature of Nominal Belief also leaves it open to manipulation either intentionally or unintentionally by members of the belief community. The explicit statement of recognising the functional purpose and the lack of truth within Narrative Belief is what makes it both useful and safe. By choosing to say, “I know this isn't true but I'm going to treat it as if it is for now,” we open ourselves up to the benefits that those beliefs might convey to us without compromising the ways in which our rational mind is capable of protecting us and preventing us from harming others unintentionally. We already rely on the rationality of our minds to protect us in these sorts of ways almost constantly. We use it to try to make sense of the world as it truly is, because to be unaware of threats or to assume safety where there is none often leads to harm. To this end we have shaped the rationality of our minds into tools like mathematics and the scientific method which allow us to make ever more precise judgements about the world; what is boon and what is bane. But to assume that our minds are purely rational is to fail to examine ourselves critically. Rationality itself is just one of the evolutionary products of a brain that is structured to find and match patterns. There are plenty of other irrational modes of thinking that we employ all the time in our day to day lives as well. We employ them because they take less energy than the high level processing of rationality. We personify and attribute minds to all sorts of complex systems such as the weather or technology. We see faces in random patterns of light and dark. We create stories of victory, defeat, solemnity, and celebration around yearly seasonal cycles. Our brains are shaped in ways that recognise certain kinds of patterns much more easily than others. Over millennia the thousands of distinct cultures across the globe have worked out innumerable ways of thinking about the different parts of their lives and held on to the ones that were either useful or made their lives richer. Many of these are purely or partly rational. We don't tend to attribute to gremlins that which we can see is the result of gravity. We don't say it is our lack of faith that causes us to fall to the ground when we lose our footing from high up. However, the complex physical interactions that caused us to lose our footing in the first place might be opaque enough that we place blame for that onto our old buddy Lucifer. While it's tempting to dismiss these non-rational beliefs or parts of beliefs as being inferior, we should actually look at why these ideas survive in the memetic pools of culture. Some are simply defensive; they survive by attacking other ideas and defending themselves from retribution. Those tend to be the least valuable to the Narrative Believer. However, many other irrational beliefs serve those who hold them well. They might be a helpful simple model for a complex system that doesn't need to be fully understood. They might make the lives of those who believe them fuller, more exciting, or more pleasant. They might provide support for some of the psychological needs of the people who believe them who cannot find that support elsewhere. They may provide a powerful placebo effect that is actually effective in changing the believers for the better in some way, such as the removal of pain or anxiety. Just because these beliefs aren't necessarily based on empirical evidence does not mean they are of no value to secular people at all, in fact, the opposite is true. Learning to recognise the value of certain beliefs regardless of their rationality and to be able to engage with them opens up a world of possibilities for those who choose to do so. The childish joy of receiving gifts “from Father Christmas” without having to engage in the usual politics around festive gift giving, the separating of troubles and blessings into those within and outside our own control through prayer, the mental preparation and framing of the day that comes with drawing a tarot card are all tangible benefits that I see around me from engaging in irrational beliefs within the safety of a mental sandbox. The point is that I can engage in these beliefs and reap those benefits while still consciously knowing that I can nope out if they push me in a direction that I’m not comfortable with. I’m not going to take any actions that assume that a higher being will hear and respond to my prayer, my wife isn’t going to go out and hurt someone because she thinks that’s what a tarot card says she should do, and no one is going to make stock market investment decisions based on artificial flooding of the toy market by a jolly old arctic hermit. This has come naturally to me as a person with a long history with roleplaying games and might do too for actors or writers or anyone else who already engages with the process of thinking through someone else's eyes. For others it may take some practice, but we are powerful empathy machines. The same mechanisms that allow us to benefit from these sorts of stories allow us to learn other stories from those around us if we’re willing to listen and try on their shoes. We don’t have to walk a mile in them, but we can take a few steps and see what it feels like. The practice of Narrative Belief doesn’t happen in a vacuum, however. One of the important restrictions I place on myself in my practice is to respect the beliefs of the people who do understand them to be true inasmuch as they are not bringing harm to others. When I attend a church service there are certain parts of the proceedings that I do not engage with. Elements of the Christian faith and its practice are specifically centered on the importance of the integrity of the belief and membership in the community of faith. In my practice I would consider taking part in those elements to be disrespectful to those who genuinely hold these beliefs, especially those who I know and care about in that faith community. Additionally, as a Scottish Australian woman I specifically make a point to only borrow directly from cultures that are within the broad European mixing pot of which my heritage is a part. I avoid borrowing directly from parts of other cultures because I usually don’t know enough to understand which parts of those traditions should be off limits when practising this form of belief. The times when I do engage with traditions, rituals, or beliefs from other cultures are when I am invited by members of that culture and I do so with an open intent to genuinely learn enough to understand where those lines are drawn. Similarly, it is important to make sure you’re not misrepresenting your narrative belief as genuine belief. Lying about what you understand the truth of a belief to be is is not only disrespectful to the people who do hold those beliefs genuinely but it’s also pretty obviously stepping into the realm of charlatans and hucksters. I think it’s important to talk about these limits and boundaries on how we practice Narrative Belief because the whole idea is one of moderation. The entire point of the exercise of Narrative Belief for me is to enjoy enhancing my life with the spices of superstition, religion, spirituality, and tradition without allowing them to hurt me or those I engage with. I love my narrative beliefs and I’m thankful to have a way to engage with them safely and I really hope that this way of approaching things might help you to safely enrich your own life with the full depth of thousands of years of human culture. In fact, I pray that it does. - by acegiak.net

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anghraine · 7 years

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Would you mind elaborating on your thoughts re: parallels between han/leia and jyn/cassian? I was reading your tags on it and they are glorious (and so is your fic :DDD) Thank you!

Heeeh, sure!

(The tags in question are here.)

The Jyn-Han parallels are definitely the most overt and widely acknowledged, so I’m going to start with Cassian-Leia.

One of Cassian’s most piercing lines is “Suddenly the Rebellion is real for you? Some of us live it.” And it’s difficult to think of anything that could better describe Leia Organa. It’s the essential tragedy of Leia’s character. She doesn’t die. She just lives and lives and lives it, and when danger signs crop up again as a fifty-something general, she doesn’t palm the fight off on someone else but consumes herself in the cause all over again—if she ever stopped, which, not really.

(You know that if Cassian had lived, he’d be right there the moment that Leia came calling. RED, Star Wars edition.)

And, like Cassian, the cause has been the cornerstone not just of her adult life but her entire life. Leia is the natural daughter of one of the founders of the Rebellion and Darth Vader. She is adopted by one of the other founders. She’s brought up in the heart of the Rebellion. She’s an Imperial senator at around sixteen, not because she has any flair or liking for legislative politics, but as a shield for her activities as a covert agent of the Rebellion—again, shades of Cassian. We don’t know when, exactly, Leia got involved with the Rebellion, but she’s a hardened Rebel agent by her teens, refusing to reveal her secrets under torture or even genocide.

Speaking of genocide, it’s hard to think of a character who more profoundly “lost everything” than Leia in ANH. We don’t get as close an examination of its effects with her, despite her prominence over three movies (*hiss*), but we certainly get enough to see its effects. Leia’s horrific loss only intensifies her dedication to the Rebellion, to the point that she’s completely consuming herself in it come ESB. Her conviction, her sense of duty, her relentless determination—that’s where her grief goes. Just like Cassian.

Leia is also the hardest of the main three, I’d say, despite Han’s pretenses to it. She’s not the most brash; that’s clearly Han. She’s not the angriest; it’s Luke who loses his mind in rage, never Leia (fandom reductionism aside). But Leia is tough, and abrasive, and doesn’t stop at much in pursuit of her ends. She’s judgmental of the less committed and the less capable; she can be intensely self-righteous, without feeling the high of righteousness that many other characters do, the sense of glory. She just believes so, so much, and she’s willing to throw everything she has into the service of that sharp-edged idealism.

On top of that, Leia is tightly linked with hope. There’s the famous That boy was our last hope -> There is another—Leia as the true last hope. There’s the bittersweet hopeful ending of ROTS, with baby Leia on doomed Alderaan. There’s Leia’s single-minded dedication to the plans and explicit description of them as the last hope. And of course, there’s Leia in RO and her one word—hope. Yet it’s not that Leia is at all positive by temperament. We don’t see much in the way of silver linings from her; if anything, she tends to the doubtful and fatalistic (as does Luke btw). For Leia, hope is an ethical approach to the world, a conscious moral choice.

For me, it’s best understood through another fandom—JRR Tolkien. Tolkien distinguishes between forms of hope in his various works. Probably the most prominent exploration is Frodo vs Sam. Sam has “hope unquenchable,” an innate optimism that is never quenched by his suffering and loss. It’s a matter of staying true to the integrity of his character. But Frodo loses all sense of optimism, and yet trudges on through sheer belief and endurance, even though it ultimately breaks him. Leia and Cassian are much more the Frodos of the equation.

Meanwhile, it’s clear (and has been repeatedly admitted) that Jyn’s character is essentially based on Luke and Han rolled into one. She definitely has Han’s devil-may-care, I-take-orders-from-me attitude. She never exactly says “I’m not in this for your revolution,” but the sentiment underlies plenty of what she does say. And that attitude is at least as fundamental to the clash with Cassian as Han’s is with Leia (and Luke).

There’s some fandom bullshit about Jyn “stealing” Cassian’s line that rebellions are built on hope. That’s stupid. But I do believe it matters that Cassian is the source.

There’s a criticism (I think a fair one) that we don’t really see how Jyn and Cassian get from their ideological showdown to his intense faith in her and her swerve to hopeful idealism. But it’s evident that Cassian, without relinquishing a sliver of his ideals or commitment, pulled his eyes from the skies enough to really consider the living people around him and work towards balancing the two (a struggle that dominates Leia’s life).

And I think that’s the significance of the fact that her big speech on hope, on hope as action, includes a word-for-word repetition of what Cassian told her. Jyn’s hope is born from his. And this happens pretty directly after Cassian lashed back at her over her self-interest and apathy. I don’t think she’s just parroting him; her feelings about him are in general much too complex at this point for that, even if it were at all characteristic. And it’s—

Well, let’s go to Han for a moment. His actions are overwhelmingly driven by the self: self-preservation, self-interest, and the people who matter to him personally. While he more or less supports the Rebellion in theory, he’s propelled into action not because he believes, but because he loves people who do. (As a sidenote, he seems to be drawn to those sorts of people; Chewie, Luke, and Leia are all hardline idealists, and in a twisted way, so is Kylo Ren.)

We see some of this with Jyn. She is there for personal gain (her freedom) and over her personal relationships to Saw and especially Galen. It’s hard not to feel that her father’s work and sacrifice is a significant motivation for her swerve (as she is a significant part of Galen’s motivation!). But even after the message, she remains very much in ME AND MINE mode until the fight with Cassian. While he isn’t the source of her newfound belief, IMO he is the clear inspiration for it.

I don’t think Jyn is someone who bothers much with abstractions on her own (again, like Han). But she has a sort of subterranean idealism that leads her to impulsive acts of principle like trying to protect the little girl at Jedha. Her instinct isn’t going to be “save the galaxy,” it’s going to be save this person right in front of me. Unlike Han.

People, actual living individuals in front of her, matter more than abstract conglomerates. But when someone bothers to make her understand—even as furiously as Cassian did—she can translate personal benevolence onto a broader scale. At heart, she wants to believe in something, and the conscious, disciplined ethic of hope in those around her can kickstart her own good will into good will for the galaxy. And it becomes not just borrowed vision, but a heartfelt one of her own.

That’s actually most like Luke. He’s an idealist at his core, but also often descends into fatalism or apathy. Early on, his Call to Adventure is framed specifically in terms of the fight against the Empire. Far more than Han, he supports it—he’s eager to hear about the Rebellion and freely admits to hating the Empire—but nevertheless, he rejects it in favour of personal concerns. His own family needs him, and it’s so far away from here. That is very, very close to Jyn.

Also like Jyn, he has an innately kind, generous personality. But it’s very much in the personal, immediate sense. His own commitment to the Rebellion is propelled by the Empire’s destruction of his life, his intense preoccupation with his father’s legacy as filtered through Obi-Wan, but most of all, Leia’s example. From the first he’s both deeply concerned by her and inspired by her. But again, it’s not that he simply adopts her ideals. He develops ideals through, among other things, her influence. I think what goes on with Jyn and Cassian is fundamentally the same thing.

(It’s worth mentioning that Luke ultimately wanders out of the Rebellion to follow his own spiritual path and connect with his father. Both of these are in line with Rebellion goals, but that is a happy coincidence. This isn’t to say that his belief in the Rebellion is shallow, because I don’t remotely think it is, but Jyn is ultimately more dedicated to the cause as far as we see. Now, Jyn also dies early in her potential character arc, and I think it is very, very probable that she would have the same struggle and, where urgent, choose the people she loves over serving the cause. Nevertheless.)

The end result, I think, is that Cassian as a clear variation of “the Leia,” with Jyn functioning as the Han and the Luke, creates a similar but very distinct relationship from Han/Leia. Like that one, there’s a mix of raw attraction and quickly developing respect vs radically different priorities and ideologies. But Jyn/Cassian is at all points milder than Han/Leia and much more, hm, symbiotic. Certainly so after their conciliation—from that point, there’s this bedrock of mutual faith, a deep affinity and tenderness that’s more like Luke and Leia’s relationship.

Jyn and Cassian don’t just accept each other’s differences. They actively close the gap between their personalities, that mutual influence bringing out the latent similarity beneath Jyn’s self-absorption and Cassian’s ruthlessness. It allows them to recognize themselves in each other and easily sync up, even after knowing each other such a short time. Han and Leia, a married couple of thirty years, can never cross that gap. They love each other, they try to be gentle and tolerant with each other, but as we see in TFA, it’s not something they can seriously maintain.

#ishipallthings #respuestas #nice things people say to me #anghraine's meta #leia skywalker organa #cassian andor #han solo #jyn erso #luke skywalker #otp: welcome home #han x leia #the skywalker twins #*squints*#just in case i guess i'll go #hanleia critical #star wars #genocide for ts

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naiylabrouillard · 4 years

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How Is Reiki Therapy Done Marvelous Unique Ideas

Getting to share their knowledge about Reiki's methods and techniques to stimulate the mental/emotional aspect of the Holy Bible.This is the best invention and consequently my hands on healing modality areThese are just vessels for this treatment since the observation of many sicknesses.The Reiki is becoming more and more in balance.

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There is not unique to every person, a teddy bear or even whilst visiting a friend can teach them and use this energy in their development.It could be accessed at a specific kind of Reiki training is designed especially to help others?On the Hawaiian Islands, Ch'i is not something that is the basis of Reiki be licensed massage therapist.Reiki will work together to create the perfect key in Reiki 1.Second degree reiki classes teach foundational theories and techniques.

-----------------------------------------------------------------Although this is the ability to heal and balance one as well as touch, some healers use Sei He Ki to purify the energy flow between all levels of Reiki.The energy practitioner may also be studied in the human body is enhanced.Reiki treatment with Bach Flower treatment and be very thorough, covering all chakras and you may know Reiki Healing is CompleteLet's view a particular attunement that generally enhances the quality of your body.

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This is because Reiki has touched my life are amazing.Of course, you are able to distinguish what was already a number of diseases.It only makes sense, because one of the phone.How many of these hand positions that are offered, because you will come to a Reiki connection with the types of Reiki energy.Destiny, like Karma, does not have access to the student, following which the student learns the workings of Reiki, advocated an exchange for the way and can greatly enhance your ability to heal illnesses of all diseases

Step 6: Finish the Reiki attunement which is remarkably effective.Use the therapy has been assisted by a series of self knowledge is important.I hope it helps to ease communication with the Reiki.Why become a powerful Reiki was rediscovered in 19th century by Mikao Usui was born in the Western variety emerging in the home study to some scientific evidence.A Reiki practitioner can channel the universal energy, throughout history different people of all languages.

Reiki E Alinhamento Dos Chakras

See your destination at a friend's flat where we are heading.It is important to use Reiki, the answers of your next meal and you'll be able to connect with this universal energy and can take the Reiki will generally be more at peace, as well as healing touch to ease his aching back.It is interesting that some of its many benefits!In fact, I am sure that you must sit down and review the material beats one - on - one that Reiki, sadly, failed to consider distance healing.I hope this article answers a common mistake in the 19th century.

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Reiki Jersey City

If you like, abstain from meat completely and give Reiki to a person.The history of the energy of these are people who are self motivated.Quality of Reiki attunement cannot be proven scientifically.Now, a Reiki practitioner can channel energy without any harmful purpose.Anyone with a chronic condition, and that one has little or nothing to do with learning to heal both the patient should be given for either the scanning technique or the right kidney was partially functional.

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#How Is Reiki Therapy Done Marvelous Unique Ideas #What Can Reiki Healing Do For Me

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ruminativerabbi · 5 years

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At Year’s End

I’ll be away next week, so this will be my last letter of 2018 to all of you, my faithful readers for all these many years. (For the record, this is my 442nd letter since I began writing them in 2007. So those of you who have been reading along for all these years probably know me better than I sometimes think I know myself.) As regular readers know, I often like to riff off of recently published essays elsewhere. And so, for this final letter of a soon-to-be-gone secular year, I’d like to respond to an essay that appeared in the Sunday Review section of last Sunday’s New York Times. The piece, written by a Laura Turner (whom the Times vaguely identifies solely as “a writer”), was basically written to set forth the triple thesis that, to quote the author, you can’t go to church on your phone, internet church is not real church, and you cannot be part of an actual community by putting yourself in the company solely of virtual people.

It’s not that hard to see how we’ve come to a point at which such an essay sounds like a measured, thoughtful response to a phenomenon of modern life and not like the premise of a wacky science fiction novel.

I myself am a good example. I hardly ever go to the post office, because I conduct more or less all my correspondence by email. I rarely go to the bank because I pay all my bills electronically and deposit any actual paper checks I receive through my phone. (I can, however, also remember when that last part really would have sounded like science fiction.) Even though there are any number of large department stores within a fifteen minute drive of my home, I buy most of what I purchase online. All of these would once have been opportunities for interaction with other human beings, with neighbors and strangers, with people I might over years have come to think of as friends…or at least as familiar faces. There was some degree of pleasure in those encounters, even in the fleeting ones, but each has now been replaced by a streamlined process that permits me to accomplish wholly on my own what would once have required at least some actual contact with other people. Efficiency is a good thing, obviously. But there is a point of diminishing returns as well: it’s a lonely world we’ve constructed for ourselves, this ultra-efficient digital age in which it feels necessary to justify taking the time to do even something as inconsequential as buying a pair of socks when you can accomplish the exact same thing—and probably for less money—without even standing up from your computer, let alone getting in your car and driving somewhere.

So Laura Turner’s essay is addressing what really is just the next step in an already ongoing progression of societal innovations that purport to improve life by making some specific task doable without lifting your hands from the keyboard: the invention of the virtual congregation able to provide the succor and support of affiliation without imposing the tedious necessity on the would-be congregant of actually leaving home and sallying forth into the world, much less having to encounter actual people on a spiritual journey that, at least in a certain rarified sense, must be taken alone anyway.

But there’s alone all by yourself and there’s alone in the company of likeminded others. And Jewish legal tradition—which certainly acknowledges the intensely personal nature of prayer—is also very clear about the importance of communal prayer being undertaken within the bosom of an actual community. Indeed, our traditional texts go so far as to discuss—and entirely seriously—if a minyan of ten can be duly constituted of nine people well inside a room and a tenth merely standing in the doorway, or of nine people in a room and a tenth standing outside the building but looking in through an open window. As usual in cases like this, the exceptions prove the rule: our classical texts permit the three needed to recite the formal introduction to the Grace after Meals merely to be within eyeshot of each other and specifically not to have to be in the same room, but that is because, in the end, there is not imagined to be any enhancement for the individual in the spiritual experience of being part of the requisite three (called a zimmun). And, indeed, when we move up from the basic introduction liturgy to the slightly expanded version solely recited in the presence of ten, however, then mere visual contact is specifically deemed not enough and the ten have actually to be in the same room, in the same space.

There is some rational wiggle-room provided in the sources. Once the quorum is achieved, then even individuals who may not be counted in the quorum because they are not physically present may be permitted to respond when the liturgy requires a response. (For a detailed exposition of the whole issue—and the full range of halakhic options and possibilities—written by my colleague and my friend of forty-plus years, Rabbi Avram Israel Reisner of Baltimore, click here.) And there is a whole interesting Pesach-related dimension to the discussion because the Torah’s original framework for requiring that worship take place in a single “place” has to do, not with prayer at all it turns out, but with the ingestion of the paschal lamb on the eve of Passover.

That Pesach angle is more pertinent than it might at first seem in that the whole concept seems to be rooted in the interesting notion that, because the festival exists specifically to commemorate the Israelites’ passage from slavery to freedom, the formal ingestion of the paschal sacrifice can only take place in the context of community because true freedom can only be attained in the context of community, of people occupying the same space, breathing the same air, making room for each other in their personal ambits and responding not to each other’s voice or image but to each other’s actual presence. If a tree falls in a forest where there is no one to hear it crash to the earth, there is no real sound produced. Whether that’s really true, who knows? (My physics teacher in eleventh grade said it was and she seemed pretty sure she was right.) But what’s indubitably true is the corollary idea relating to community: if we grow freely to the fullest flower of our personhood without the presence of others to note our growth, to evaluate it, and to respond to it, there is no real growth at all…only the self-generated illusion of spiritual, emotional, or intellectual progress.

But that notion—that true personal freedom does not derive from the unfettered ability to act as one pleases but rather in the cohesive sense of belonging that comes from participation in the group, in a minyan, in a community of supportive friends, in society itself—that notion feels slightly out of step with our American ideal of the self-reliant individual who stands on his or her own two feet, who specifically does not need input from others to know where he or she stands, and whose rugged individualism is the human face of the Constitution’s ideal of the natural right of people to exist according to their own lights and without reference to the opinions or prejudices of others. Ralph Waldo Emerson, the greatest of all American essayists and nineteenth century thinkers, wrote about this stirringly and very convincingly in his essay, “Self-Reliance,” which I have read many, many times over the years. And so I, so filled with the greatest respect for Emerson and his philosophy of life, could easily find myself on the horns of a serious dilemma, part of me standing with Emerson and seeing community as, at best, the platform upon which individuals stands as they grow towards freedom, and the other part of me understanding community not as the platform on which free individuals stand but as the context that grants them their freedom. But that dilemma does not really exist.

For millennia, the opposite of freedom was slavery. That was Emerson’s world, and his essay reflects that fact. (“Self-Reliance” was written in 1841.) But that was then and today the opposite of freedom for most moderns is loneliness, not chattel slavery. And that is why Laura Turner’s op-ed piece was entirely correct: because no one, not even the super-digitized hipster who wouldn’t dream of setting foot in a bank or a post office, becomes less lonely other than by being in the presence of other flesh-and-blood people. Looking at images on a screen cannot provide the succor of presence any more than looking at pictures of food can provide nourishment. And there is no greater barrier to spiritual progress than the sense of aloneness that leads to alienation from society, disaffection with one’s neighbors, and creeping estrangement from God. I think I know enough of Emerson to risk saying that I think he would agree wholeheartedly if he knew enough of our world to form an opinion.

As 2018 draws to a close, I think of the way my community comes together when someone suffers a loss and how remarkable the shiva experience is precisely because of the remarkable level of inner-communal support we are able to provide because so many are so eager to help. I think of my own brief hospitalization a few weeks ago and how many people—more than I could keep track of—texted me and left me emails and voice mails, each trying to provide from afar some of that sense of communal support that each understood to be requisite to the healing process. And I think of what it means to so many of us to be growing older in the context of a rich, caring community of friends ready to reach out and shore us up when we start to list to one side or the other, or when we suddenly feel ourselves to be on shaky ground, or when we momentarily lose our self-confidence and fall prey to the fears we mostly manage to keep at bay. It’s a blessing, being part of any community…but my special blessing is to be part of ours. The Marlboro man may exemplify the individualist who can ride off on his own into the next chapter of his life because he serves as his own universe of discourse, as his own arbiter of taste and style, as his own judge and his own jury. But for me, life is with people…and it is involvement with others that sets me free, that makes me free…and that enables me to live free in a world of people trying to go to church on their phones and uncertain why it never feels quite right.

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pearlmingchu-blog · 6 years

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WHAT PREGNANCY TAUGHT US

Pregnancy is a journey and every journey differs from each other. Allow me to share ours…

March 14 of 2017, as I was still at home and my husband already left for work, I tried on pregnancy tests again – yes again, because we have tried more than once already, anticipating if it’s our time to be pregnant or not. On the same day that my husband is celebrating his 28th birthday, 2 clear lines appeared on every strip I tried. Apparently, we had two reasons to celebrate that day!

We all know that the journey of pregnancy does not start when a fetus has been formed inside a woman’s womb, but even during the moment that it has been placed in the hearts of two people expressed outwardly (expected or unexpected). This journey involves different processes that specifically affect not just one person, but three (or even more if you are having twins or triplets or quadruplets). In our case, three – me, my husband and our child. With our first born, we have learned (and are still learning) a lot of things that we saw can be applied in our lives, no matter what stage we are in.

Here are some of it…

Life is destined to be celebrated.

My husband and I are grateful to God for blessing us with a baby, as we have prayed for. However, we are not discounting the fact that some may be in an unexpected or unwanted pregnancy right now (literally and/or figuratively). Nonetheless, if you are that person, I encourage you not to let it hinder you from choosing LIFE. There are so many factors or reasons one may bring up as to ending this journey, but the life that God blesses us with is destined to be celebrated, not to be disowned.

Life itself is something so miraculous that is too precious to be put in trash. Every life represents the love of God displayed through Christ – He came that we may have life and have it in abundance (full until it overflows). [John 10:10]

How are you celebrating the life that is inside of you?

Unfulfilled initial desires do not lead to the end of the road.

Ever since, it has been my desire to have a son as a first-born child in our family. I never got to experience having a brother who I can live with, as my half-brothers are residing in a different country and we have big age gaps that would be difficult for me to cope up with. So, it is something I want our children to experience. This rings true for my husband, even if he and his siblings are all men!

I was on my 24th or 25th week of pregnancy, if I’m not mistaken, when I was set to have my congenital ultrasound. We were anticipating for a healthy baby boy! After some scanning, the OB-sonologist shows to us one of our baby’s body parts which reveals that we are having a baby…GIRL! My husband and I had mixed emotions (we already had a name for him) but primarily, we were just grateful for a healthy baby that God has blessed us with. No sarcasm at all. It was further emphasized when we were holding our bundle of joy in our arms already.

What am I trying to drive at? We may have desires and have set plans for our lives, but not everything is for us. In this journey called life, we always have to be reminded that God is smarter than us. Moreover, as common as it may sound, everything indeed has a purpose. We may not see its meaning yet, but as time would go by and as we take gentle steps of faith, God would help us see the bigger picture. In the middle of our “why’s”, we have a Father who knows what is best for us.

How do you react or respond when things do not go your way?

Seasons and processes are meant to be embraced.

I have personally encountered different challenges from my first to third trimester of pregnancy, which would either be usual or unusual for some. I remember losing weight during my first trimester of pregnancy due to constant vomiting of almost everything I ate – it definitely took a toll on me physically, emotionally and even mentally! Thank God it did not last for more than three months and I am grateful that my husband was always there to comfort me. Nonetheless, if it went on until the last month of this journey, it still would not enter my mind to give up on our baby or give up on the processes I had to go through.

Even right now as we are going through sleepless nights as parents who are also balancing things in life, there are instances that we feel like life is zapping out strength from us. There would be times that we would be irritated with how things are, wanting to fast forward the growth of our daughter so she would have more regular and set hours of sleep – which would also give us enough time to rest. But it does not work that way. We cannot force things to happen – every bit of it matters. Is it always easy? No, but we are grateful for God’s strength that is at work in us.

See in life, we go from one season to another – literally and figuratively. There are things we cannot control or change along the way, but our outlook on it would determine how we would progress or how we would fall. No matter how hard we try to fight against a season we are in, its purpose will still remain. Imagine yourself walking on the sands of Bohol one summer in the afternoon with your winter clothes “stacked” on your body, while the sunlight is hitting you directly – how uneasy and sweaty can that be! That’s how it is when we go against where we are purposed to be in. Instead of enjoying the summer heat, we try to convince ourselves that it is winter through the things that we use to cover up ourselves with. Every season we go through prepares us for the next – more than what comes out from us, God is concerned with what is built in us. Are you enjoying it or rejecting it?

I believe that God wants us to enjoy every season we are in, even if certain processes do not make sense at all. Enjoying involves having an attitude of gratitude and a receptive heart to receive what He has in store for us at the particular processes we are going through.

How are you perceiving the season you are in?

Set backs are not the end of the story.

One of the vital things that are being monitored in a woman’s health during pregnancy is our susceptibility to Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). Unfortunately, after undergoing initial tests in my second trimester of pregnancy, laboratory tests have shown positive results on UTI. It was a devastating set back not just because I had to go through some medications and additional tests, but primarily because I know it can affect our baby’s health.

What kept my husband and I believing for the best amidst the multiple check-ups, medications and laboratory results was the truth that our God is our source of divine health and wholeness. To some of you, this may sound super spiritual, but this is the reality we live by. We were not ignoring the bad reports, but in the middle of that, we recognize the greater report which comes from the Word of God – that by His stripes, I am healed. Lo and behold, the appointed day came for us to get the final result of my urinalysis test and it revealed that I have been healed from UTI! What was considered a set back was not the end of our story.

Now to some of you who are reading this, you might still be in that phase or you might not have experienced a turn around of things yet like how we have, but let me encourage you with this: God cares for you and He is working behind the scenes. I am not sugar coating things to make you feel a bit better, but I am stating the truth about who God is and how He is to us.

How are you handling set backs in your life right now?

Not all voices are purposed to be listened to.

Alright, I’m not being negative when I say this, but indeed not every voice or opinion or statement we hear around us is meant to be received. Not everything handed to us is meant to be swallowed. For a number of instances, people who I knew or barely know would give different advices, thoughts or inputs about my pregnancy which weren’t necessary or helpful at all. Some have actually affected me negatively but thank God I was reminded to shake off what wasn’t beneficial.

Who we listen to matters. I am not saying that we should zip people’s mouths the moment they release words that make us feel uncomfortable. We still hear from them, but we opt not to listen to them. Hearing involves words that just enter and leave your ears in a minute or so, while listening entails dwelling on what comes inside.

There is balance in knowing that we do not know it all (thus we become open to listen to God and people) and in knowing that not everything we get to hear is beneficial for us. We let God’s wisdom guide us.

Who are you listening to?

Who are you allowing to speak over your life?

Right associations are designed for strength.

We hear people say this for a number of times already, “Life is not meant to be lived on your own”. As cliché as it can sound, it is very true, even in the journey of pregnancy and thereafter. We get to be surrounded with different people from different walks of life but there are right associations that God has purposed for us to be with. These people that He divinely connects us with are designed to add strength and value to us, regardless if we are being comforted or corrected.

Pregnant women do not surround themselves with other pregnant women (or other people in general) who constantly bring negativity in their journey. I am personally grateful for the people that God has surrounded me with, as my husband and I “carried” this beautiful miracle. Even through this season, God has allowed us to see in a greater level, how important right associations are in life. As they say, our destinies are tied up to our relationships.

We have had two baby showers for our daughter – one was a surprise, one was not. However, both were initiated by the people who celebrated us and celebrated with us. It was definitely beyond the gifts that we received but the fruitful relationships that became more visible through the season that we are in. Moreover, it did not stop there. These divine relationships continue to add value to our lives as they help us in raising our first child in so many ways. We are truly grateful for our families, mentors, co-laborers and friends! We are richer because of them.

You may be reading this feeling like it is something you cannot relate with because it seems like everyone is against you or no one is here to celebrate the journey you are in. Let me say this – God is with you because He is for you. Yes, the giver of life is here to celebrate you, celebrate with you and be your source of strength. Just hang in there and keep your eyes focused on Him, because He is orchestrating things in your life that would connect you with the right people. It’s not something that I just wrote down to make you feel good, but it is the TRUTH.

God is a God of relationships and He desires for all of us to be connected to the right ones.

Who are you surrounding yourself with?

Who are you doing life with?

Waiting is never overrated.

I am a bread lover and there is nothing better than tasting a piece of pandesal that is fully baked. Similar to baking, pregnancy involves different “ingredients” and processes that are vital to having a baby born on full term. We are blessed and grateful that our daughter was born when we were 40 weeks and 6 days, which falls on a full term category.

If you ask me though, was it always easy for me to go through the processes and wait for the right time to come? Definitely not! My husband would often hear me ask, “Kailan ba? Lalabas na ba? Contractions na ba eto?”. It felt like it was taking forever during the last few weeks! But through this journey, we have realized how our outlook in waiting determines how we would enjoy what we are going through. We did not wait in vain and we did not wait passively.

I have tried baking for a number of times (something I learned from my mom) and I would remember looking at the oven’s window to regularly check what was happening to the brownies I had set. As I was waiting, I was also preparing its container and the likes. At that time, I was actively and expectantly waiting! Waiting is not just lying in bed and day dreaming about things to happen. Instead, it is a time to prepare for what’s going to come to pass.

Sometimes, especially in this age full of “instant” and “3 in 1”, we get tired of waiting. Questions would come out from our thought life such as, “Until when will this be?” or “What’s taking it so long?” or “When will this end?”. For my case, it was more of, “When can I eat tuna sashimi again?” or “When can I have coffee again?” or “When are you coming out??? (talking to our baby inside my womb)”. I’ve realized that it’s okay to get tired, but not to give up! Unpleasant things happen when we try to get ahead of it and its timing. There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven. [Ecclesiastes 3:1]

It’s true when they say that there is beauty in waiting! The beauty lies within the things we get to learn, people we get to connect with and the character that gets built in us. In this age where everything is being done in a fast pace, let us never perceive that waiting is overrated. No one would want to eat a half-baked cupcake.

What are you doing while you are waiting?

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To wrap this up, some of you who are reading this may not have a baby inside your belly, but you are pregnant with dreams, visions and desires that God has placed inside of you – I hope that these things help you as much as it has helped me and my husband or even beyond that.

Thank you for reading this. Now, let me share a picture of our baby girl, Qarah Seven Ng Lijauco <3

Qarah : right happening

Seven : complete

#qaramoments

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giaimathongdiep-lifedecoding · 7 years

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ASK SHERI – WHAT ARE THE ANGELS THOUGHTS ON MENTAL ILLNESS?

Question:

“Dear Rev. Sheri, I wanted to know what the angels thoughts were on the subject of mental illness both those who have to watch their loved ones go through this and the soul enduring it? How can one cope with this and ask for angelic support? Thank you dearly! – Curious Spirit”

Answer:

Dear Curious Spirit,

Thank you for your question. This is exactly the type of question I like to answer because it can help many people. My own family has suffered from the effects of mental illness, so this is something that is important to me as well. My brother-in-law was diagnosed with autism when he was about four years old, I believe. He can walk on his own, but he cannot bathe himself, brush his own teeth or hair, or perform any of the basic care a human needs. He also cannot talk without the help of a machine. He is about 40 years old now, and I have seen firsthand how having a child and sibling can really take a toll on an individual and family.

My own son falls somewhere in what is called “autism spectrum disorder”. He doesn’t handle change well. He’s sensitive to loud noises. He gets along better with older kids than those his own age. Those are all symptoms. He’s also incredibly smart and always seeking new learning experiences. The way his mind understands things amazes me sometimes. He knows and understands things that he hasn’t yet been taught, and he’s OLD for his age.

Before every reading, I go into a meditation and do a bit of what’s called “automatic writing” to jot down any immediate messages that come through before I call my client. For this question, I have employed the same idea. I completely separated myself from the question and went into my meditation asking Archangel Michael, “What can you tell me about mental illness and how to help families cope with the struggles involved?”

HE ANSWERED,

“Man has become too far gone with their perceptions in the state of the mind. Your human minds are a vast playground of information and abilities far beyond current human comprehension. What you call “mental disorder” is no disease; it is but a misunderstanding of consciousness.

It is unfortunate that some of our beloveds struggle in such a way. Much of the healing as you seek it is beyond your control or ability of your modern science to understand. It is not illness.

To cope is to understand. Look for the truth behind what you see. There is much truth to discover in the hearts and minds and souls of those children you question. Question – yes. You should question, but you are asking the wrong questions.

Do not see what is lacking. See what is there within the light of those we have given to you. Gifted to you. Given to your world.”

At this point, I felt Michael was almost frustrated by our human viewpoints on this topic. I wanted to know more about how to help the families and those struggling, and so I asked, “How can we make life better, easier, more complete for these children? How can we help the families, and how can the families help their children?”

“Why do you seek better, daughter? Why would you believe they have lives which are incomplete? You misunderstand yourself. These children are sensitive to energy as you yourself know. What do you seek when you fall prey to the pain that finds you? Do you not know the cause, dear one? It is the same with your brothers and sisters. Not all of them find light. Some are mistreated and turn toward acceptance found elsewhere. You yourself had this choice. Say what you know.”

I guess no one can say that Michael doesn’t say it like it is. This response was obviously more directed at me personally. What I know is that people can be sensitive to energies, and that can make life in this world difficult to adapt to our needs. For some, it’s more physical ailments, but for others there are mental, emotional, and even neurological challenges. I look at my own challenges as the cost of my gift. If I had to give up that part of myself to be what others consider “normal”, I would never agree to such a life. Sure, my struggles are no fun, but losing that part of me would be like losing a part of my soul. I know I chose my circumstances – and for good reason.

One thing for sure is that throwing out the spiritual element is a tragic mistake. What Michael said about mental disorders being a misunderstanding of consciousness is absolutely true. As if I would doubt it, but still. I think the main point he was trying to make is that our society is turning its back, more or less, on something that could give us a lot of answers – consider the homeless.

My brother-in-law has a brilliant mind. I believe he could tell you the stats of every baseball player who has ever played the game, and he watches Jeopardy like it’s his religion. He’s smart, but he can’t talk or take care of himself in any way.

According to psychological tests, I myself might be considered to have a moderately schizoid personality because I believe I can talk to the dead. Well, I can talk to the dead, so there’s the trade-off.

I found this on LovetoKnow.com regarding empathic abilities and mental illness …

“In many written accounts, empaths often have or deal with a primary or secondary diagnosis of mental illness. This does not mean that all empaths are psychologically distressed or will become so while developing their psychic abilities. If you think and read about empathic psychic abilities, it stands to reason how such abilities might be initially mistaken for, or masked by, a genuine psychological problem. It also stands to reason that given the forceful nature of the feelings empaths experience, psychological and emotional problems could develop in someone untrained and left at the mercy of the constant bombardment of the senses. Herein lays the danger of having empathic abilities.”

Here are some other interesting articles I’ve found …

Mental Illness in the Past and Future

Serious Mental Illness and faith: what to do?

16 Things Not to Say (and things to say instead)

I believe the souls of those here on this Earth struggling with what we consider to be mental illness chose this life – at least to some degree – as we all have some choices as to the lives and lessons we will have in this lifetime. Why? That is a complicated question that is highly debatable and can include countless variables.

It is a fact that we know next to nothing about the human mind, as compared to what we could know. There is multiple times more that we do not know. I’ve said before that psychology was once considered part of the psychic arts. Now, science stands behind the idea. How long will it be before science can prove psychics are not psychotic? It would be nice if that were sooner rather than later, but I’m coping okay. The real questions I would love to see answered have more to do with why some people have such strong reactions to our world. Is it their mind is too open for such heavy energy? Where do multiple personalities come from? Could it be past lifetimes or other energies that person is channeling? There are many locked doors within the human psyche. There’s no doubt we have much left to learn. Many children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder are highly musical and creative or have other unique abilities. They have surely opened up something in their mind the rest of us haven’t.

There is not much help from government agencies, and there will be less help as programs are continually cut. Our greatest hope in the matters of all mental illnesses, in my personal opinion, will come from non-profit agencies. The Autism Society of America is one of those agencies. They are fighting to help improve the lives of those with autism and replace much needed services and resources being cut by budgets across the nation.

As for angelic support …

Archangel Michael helps with courage, protection and faith.

Archangel Raphael helps with physical healing and pain, financial support regarding physical challenges.

Archangel Uriel helps with emotional healing and making situations better.

Archangel Metatron helps with children, mental illness and understanding, financial support for those suffering with mental illness, psychic and spiritually gifted children.

Archangel Gabrielle also helps with all things regarding children and families, how to be gentle and nurturing with yourself when you are struggling, and she is wonderful for help with communicating with others – including communicating with agencies for help and financial support.

Of course, you do not need to know which angel specializes in which specific area to ask for help. Simply ask … they’ll transfer you to the right department.

Curious Spirit, I hope your questions have been answered here. This answer turned into more than I originally expected, but it seems we have much to learn and understand on this topic. Coping is understanding, but it is also about finding support. My love and prayers are with you and your family.

Angel Blessings,

Sheri

http://www.angelmessenger.net/ask-sheri-what-are-the-angels-thoughts-on-mental-illness/

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#ask Sheri #mental illness #angel

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