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laowai-on-a-bike · 3 years

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Yinzu, Yinzu, Yinzu… these words echoed endlessly in my head. It all started when I was back from Jiu Gong Mountain, on the highway with my friend Freddy. I was impressed to admire such beautiful landscapes so close to Wuhan. It's weird that we are always drawn to faraway destinations, like Yunnnan, Guizhou or Sichuan provinces but ultimately, there are already plenty of places to explore near our home.

Besides, I will be moving to Guangzhou soon so I might as well explore the area before leaving. And then, starting a bike tour directly from home without the hassle of bringing your bike to a distant destination by train or bus or by mail is really much more convenient. Well, I'm already digressing...

At one point on the highway, then, an exit sign appeared with the name "Yinzu" written on it. I didn't know why, but I was immediately drawn to the name, maybe because it sounds good, I don't know. And then the obsession started: "I'll go by bike to Yinzu". I didn't even know what Yinzu was: a village? A town? Regardless, it seemed like a good pretext for an adventure.

Then Freddy, who speaks Chinese much better than me, managed to find the name in Chinese character. Yinzu was there, on my Baidu Map app (equivalent to Google Map in China), 90 kilometers away from Wuhan. Ideas for routes were starting to take shape in my head for some time.

In the middle of June, I was having a three days weekend for the Dragon Boat Festival so I said to myself: "Yinzu, I'm coming"!

One day before leaving, I checked the weather forecast: they announced rain for 3 days and a very hot weather (33-35 degrees) ... Ouch ... But, if we are still waiting for the right moment to leave, we will never go on a tour right? “It's raining”, “it's too hot”, “it’s too humid”: these are no excuses! Especially in the Wuhan region, where there are only two seasons (very hot and humid or cold): that doesn't leave many opportunities to ride if we wait for the perfect weather. So I decided to leave, raining or not.

The last time I rode my bike in bad weather, I wasn't prepared. I ended up with plastic bags around my shoes and a soaked underwear. After this experience, I had searched the internet for the perfect solution to ride in the rain. Overshoes? Good brand raincoat? 10 yuan plastic poncho from street grocery stores? The solution finally came from my British friend Jack: "You must embrace the rain ! Just remove your shirt and ride in sandals"! He was not wrong: in fact, why bother ? Especially with temperatures around 35 degrees, you are dry in 5 minutes ... So I grabbed a 15 Yuan rain shorts (a kind of ugly short made by trash bag material) because I don't like having my underwear wet - yes I know, I'm a little princess -, Decathlon sandals, and for the t-shirt, well… I'm really not a fan of riding with a cycling jersey, so a punk band tee-shirt will have to do !

The day before departure, I loaded my two bike rack bags, I took food (oatmeal and dried fruits for breakfast, and some dehydrated dishes), some clothes, a raincoat which in the end I didn’t use, an Italian coffee maker (instant coffee, no thanks), repairing tools, then equipment for camping (tent, sleeping bag, mattress etc.). Sleeping in a hotel is for a looser, I am a real adventurer... well that's what I thought before leaving…

Sunday 8 am, departure. It didn't seem to be raining, so now was a good time to go. The first 50 km were on a big dusty expressway, I could feel that I was in the suburbs of Wuhan: here and there, construction sites, bridges and roads under construction. I hadn't done 30 km before my bike was already very dusty. No problem, it gives me a feeling of adventure.

The Expressways in China are widely used by trucks… not necessarily super fun to ride, but it allows you to get out of town quickly. Well, positive note, the roads are often very wide here and you really have room to ride. I was trying not to think about the trucks and enjoy my trip, much like when your buddy is snoring next to you, if you start to think about it too much, you will go crazy and it will be impossible to think of anything else. But everything went very well and I never felt unsafe on the road during the whole trip.

The advantage of going on a short 3-day test trip is I learned a lot.

First lesson of this trip: do not trust the weather forecast. The rain they predicted? I hardly saw it… In fact, it was under a blazing sun that I had to ride the entire trip. They have an easy job, those weather broadcasting guys! Basically they write that there's a 50% chance that it will rain… not a big risk-taking on their part…

So finally, I rode in the blazing sun, and on an express way, there wasn't a single patch of shade. The sun hit hard! As I had already tanned well on my previous bike trips, I figured that I was not too prone to sunburn.

Second lesson: always wear sunscreen, even if you already had sunburns before! And above all, do not wait until you are sweating to put it on, otherwise, it makes a kind of mixture between sticky perspiration, sunscreen and dust...

Well, the sun didn't worry me more than that, at worst a sunburn. ... it was more in terms of hydration that I had to be careful. So I decided to tape bottles on the frame of the bike. DIY spirit! I also had with me some rehydrating powder to add to the water, since you lose a lot of salt with perspiration.

Anyway, I rode like that for quite a long time, and on the way, I passed a little hand-built house where people were selling water. Seeing me sweating heavily, they invited me to sit on a stool placed in front of a fan. So it was true: when people see a cyclist arriving on a trip, moreover a foreigner coming out of nowhere, smiles and kindness appear.

We talked a bit about the usual topics: Where are you from? What is your job? Are you married? What are you doing here? Then, after a few minutes, the father invited me to eat. At first I politely refused, but eventually I gave in. It is heartwarming to see the hospitality of the people especially at this time, when many Chinese people are scared to see a foreigner, thinking he may have brought covid-19 from abroad. It’s a bit tiring sometimes to see people pinch their noses when they see me on the street, I have to admit. But not at all here. They apologized for only offering me vegetable dishes, no meat, but in fact I was more than happy to eat fresh vegetables from their garden. We chatted about everything and nothing during the meal and it was already time to leave. I would have liked to drink beers longer, but I hadn't come to get drunk. I had a trip planned: Yinzu was waiting for me.

I got back on this big road but after a few kilometers I started to wonder. I hadn't come to go for kilometers on a boring road while being shaken by trucks ... Hence my third lesson of this trip: prepare your route well. Basically there are different types of roads in China that start with a letter: the S and G are the expressways where there are a lot of trucks, little shade, but that has the advantage of going straight and faster. Perfect for traveling for kilometers quickly and out of cities. But the X and Y are much more interesting country roads. Even if it takes detours, it is a change of scenery guaranteed. After these three days of biking, I learned that you have to know the right balance: ride the expressways to go quickly and far, especially when the landscapes are uninteresting. And take the small roads to ride peacefully, to discover rural life and be amazed by the landscapes.

So I changed my route on the GPS. Good decision: I crossed my first rice fields and I was finally over the moon.

Gradually, the landscape started to be really amazing and the colors of the landscapes became greener and greener.

Further on, I began to see mountains in the distance. It was my destination, it was these landscapes that made me want to go to Yinzu !!! The trip was finally starting to make sense. I was as excited as a kid over his Christmas present and all my doubts melted away

I rode like this all afternoon, with a smile on my face, despite the scorching heat.

Gradually, I began to wonder about where to sleep. I am always on the lookout when I ride, looking to see if there is a possibility of wild camping.

Lesson number 4: the rice fields are beautiful in photos but not ideal for camping ... It is not always easy to find a flat and, moreover, hidden place to have a good quiet night's sleep. The rural countryside is incredibly dense with crops and cultivated fields, so it's really not that easy to find a spot to camp. The solution might be to ask people in the area. Well anyway, I was heading to Yinzu and I could decide there.

I arrive near a pagoda and a temple in the middle of nowhere, on the way. What is that ? I asked a passerby, she reply "nothing". I thought she must have been surprised to find herself face to face with a smelly foreigner on a bicycle and told herself that I don't speak Chinese. In fact she was right: the buildings were completely empty, probably a future hotel still under construction.

Finally, a Yinzu sign. I was approaching my goal, but what exactly? I didn't even know what Yinzu was ...

So finally, Yinzu, is a small town which consists of a big main street with its restaurants, its stores. Everyone is surprised to see me there and I have fun seeing children speechless when they meet my eyes: "What can this foreigner on a bicycle be doing here?" I was so excited to have arrived at my destination that I didn't even take a photo of the city. I would also have liked to take pictures of people, but I didn't dare to do it.

I had to make a decision. Get out of Yinzu and find a place to sleep in the wild - I was still quite exhausted from the day's travel and the sunburns - or go and try to check in at the only hotel in the area. I say "try" because not many Chinese know it, but in China, many hotels do not accept foreigners. It is not really out of racism. No one really knows the reason: some say that cheap hotels do not have the computer system to register foreigners, others think that China wants to show only beautiful things to foreign tourists and they must therefore go to beautiful 4 star hotels. Well, I'm not criticizing, it's like that here and I accept it but it's still frustrating to live 15 years in a country, to work there, to be married there and to be refused in a hotel because you're a foreigner…

It makes it hard to plan a bike trip if you're not even sure you can find a place to sleep.

Anyway, whoever tries nothing has nothing and finally, I walked to the hotel without really believing it. The owner who ran the establishment did not even ask a question. I told him that I am a foreigner (sometimes people think I am from Xinjiang Province) just in case. He asked me if I had a Chinese identity card, but I replied with a smile that I only have a passport, that I came from Wuhan by bicycle and that if he wants, I have a photo of my Chinese wife's ID card. But he was very nice and gives me the room card, chatted a bit and even offered me tea.

I went upstairs to take a well-deserved shower. I was really sticky ... I realized that the sun had scorched me today ...

Lesson number 5: apply sunscreen everywhere, including your feet!

I was still a little disappointed with myself. Watching videos of people cycling around the world and camping in nature every night, I told myself that going to sleep at a hotel is a bit cheating, isn't it? But after 5 minutes under the air conditioning, I told myself that it was not that bad in the end. I travel for myself, not for others, and after a little over 100 kilometers in the day, I admit that a shower and a good bed made me feel good. Too bad for my adventurous soul...

I went out to eat something. In the street, I had the impression to rediscover the feeling that I had had when I arrived in China in 2006. It is a felling rather hard to explain. Once again, may be the surprise of people who greeted me with a warm "hello" and wanted to take a photo with me, or the number of street foods vendors who are hard to find in big cities nowadays. I ate a bowl of Lanzhou noodles, returned to the hotel and quickly fell asleep.

The next day, I woke up feeling very tired. It was undoubtedly linked to the heat stroke of the day before. My feet didn't hurt too much. I had few small blisters on my knees but it could have been worse. I told myself that I shouldn't hang around too much. Better ride early to avoid the heat of the day. By arranging my things scattered all over the place and loading the panniers on the bike, I was already sweating profusely… The day was going to be hot… I put on sunscreen (I had understood my mistake of the day before). I decided to go towards Wuhan but not by the same road because it is boring to take the same route as on the way there. There is a big lake 50 km south of Wuhan, which is perfect because I have never been there before.

The road to the lake was once again beautiful. I passed through villages and small towns, lakes, rice paddies, cornfields. Such a nice place to ride a bike.

Every now and then, I chatted with people at a gas station, or with a watermelon vendor who kindly offered me his stool to eat in the shade and chatted with me.

It was still very hot, but the sun was not too strong. In fact, I can handle the heat really well. I can ride in high temperatures with no problem but on the other hand, when the sun is burning my skin, it's really hard for me, especially from 10 am to 4 pm.

While riding under the sun, I was wondering about my next trips. Since I got back to cycling, I have dreamed of doing part of the Silk Road by bike from Lanzhou to Dunghung in Gansu Province, basically a road through the desert (with cities between). I was starting to realize that my dream was not going to be so easy to achieve. How to ride all day without shade? I guess someone should really be prepare for a trip like that.

I tell myself that in the end, I was smart enough not to jump straight into such a long adventure. Rather than directly embarking on a 20-day adventure and experiencing difficulties, I did things gradually: first short distances in Wuhan to get used to the bike, then trips of 100 kilometers in Wuhan, then a two-day trip, a mountain to climb to test my willpower and finally a slightly longer trip.

Around 11 am, the sun reappeared but I decided to go to the lake without taking too many breaks. I still should have left two hours earlier though (I left at 8 am) to avoid the strong sun radiation.

Gradually, the landscapes changed a little, the mountains in the distance disappeared and the vegetation changed. I would have liked to stay in the area longer but I had to go back to work. Next time I should ride longer.

When I got to the lake, I realized that in fact, I was not really in the place I hoped for. Make no mistake, it was very beautiful, but it wasn't really a big lake. Rather square ponds designed for fishermen.

But I was still super happy to find myself a little shade by the water with my friends the hens who came to visit me and sometimes fishermen who came to chat with me.

The place where I was, however, was not really ideal for camping because it was too close to a road. I didn't want to be woken up in the middle of the night by strangers. Besides, my mate Jack told me that while sleeping near this lake, a farmer kindly asked him to leave in the middle of the night few years before.

So after I had rested for an hour, I left to look for a more hidden place. The camp spot I found was not perfect - It wasn't by the water – but I could be invisible at night. I know that many travelers love to set out to find a place to camp. It’s like a game for them. Me, I always have a little apprehension of doing wild camp. This must be probably related to my inexperience in wild camping. But hey, after an hour of imagining the worst, I told myself that I was not risking much and I had to try to make the most of the present moment.

So I made a meal while waiting for night to fall to put my tent discreetly. I didn't want to attract the attention of the local fishermen either.

As I entered the tent, ready to sleep, I felt really stupid. The tent was like a real sauna!! In terms of insects, I was well protected by the mosquito net but the heat was really difficult to bear. I couldn't open the tent door or else I would be eaten alive by the bugs… I could hear them circling around the tent, attracted by a sweating smelly human and my phone light. So I had a hard time falling asleep. Usually, after a day of cycling like this, you can easily fall asleep around 9 p.m... I still told myself that the hotel in this season is nicer and that would save me from carrying a tent and sleeping gear (and a new lesson learned, a sleeping bag is useless in this season). The hammock could be the solution, I have one with an extra mosquito net, but I don't sleep very well in it... a new lesson learned on this trip !

Finally, I woke up at dawn. After packing all my mess, I had breakfast and a little coffee for the road.

I had around 50 kilometers to ride that day to get home and I had to work in the afternoon. The return went well, I followed a few roads lined with fields of tea and corn, but the landscapes were gradually less pleasant and more and more urban.

I finally arrived around midday at home. I had ride 230 kilometers with 1200 meters of elevation gain. That was not bad in this heat. At the end, I was super happy doing this trip: I had learn a lot for my future trips, I enjoyed the ride, saw beautiful landscapes, and met some nice people… I had beautiful memories in my head and only one desire: to leave again as soon as possible!!!

#China #Bike touring #Hubei #Wuhan

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rhetorical-ink · 4 years

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Rhetorical Ink Reviews: Garden of Words (2013)

** SPOILERS BELOW**

I saw this on Netflix last night, and, seeing it was only 45 minutes, thought it would be a nice little short film to round out my evening.

Holy cow, wow. I am still reeling from this.

My Top Ten Thoughts on Garden of Words:

10. If you couldn’t tell by the various gifs in this review, the animation is a smorgasbord of AMAZING, jaw-dropping combination of CGI and hand drawn animation. It’s an eye-gasm of beauty from the first frame until the end, and should be viewed just based on that alone. Luckily, that’s not all this film brings to the table.

9. We follow our protagonist Takao, a very relatable high school student who has a habit of skipping classes on days it rains to go to a garden in his hometown to practice his shoe sketches (he wants to be a shoemaker after graduating). It’s here that he stumbles upon a mysterious woman who comes to the same spots on days it rains as well.

Takao is instantly a likable character, with his innocent kindness, passion for his shoe-making, and his naivety is something any adult can relate to at that age.

8. The mysterious woman is at first a very unknown force for Takao -- she seems to only have beer and chocolate with her, which strikes him as odd, but she also seems harmless and actually very kind. He claims he’s recognized her somewhere, an important item to note for later on, though she denies knowing who he is at all.

Over the course of one month, June (which is Kanto’s rain season), the two slowly start to connect with one another and end up meeting on several occasions at the same spot on any day it rains. For us the audience, there slowly seems to be a point become clear with our protagonist...

7. It becomes painfully obvious from early on in the movie that Takao likes this mysterious woman, as he, in a beautifully done series of silent scenes, starts to sit closer and closer to her; as well as share meals and start to engage in conversation with her.

I love how he describes her as a representation of the adult world, which he believes he has an understanding of...but doesn’t. At first, I was all for their relationship developing...and then when he says he’s only 15, my heart instantly started to sink, thinking, “Oh....oh no, this is just a boy.”

It was only compounded when we find out that the woman is 27...there’s quite a gap there. Although, I LOVE her line, “I don’t feel any smarter at 27 than when I was 15.” That line. I think it’s so true for many of us...maybe not smarter, per say, but the maturity and understanding of our world definitely shifts in that time span of 15 to 27. The realization of this gap between them definitely shifted the tone of the film, which only gets more complex as it goes.

6. I love the duality of adolescence and adulthood represented in this movie, in such subtle, simple ways.

Takao’s home life seems complex, in that his mother has moved out to live with her boyfriend, the father is absent from the family “picture,” and Takao’s older brother is moving into a new apartment with his girlfriend, leaving Takao alone with his own place. Which to me, seems like such an odd move, given this IS a 15-year-old boy we’re talking about, but Takao also seems so mature, focused, and driven for his age, that it’s easy to let this slide.

Take that in contrast to our mysterious woman, who seems on the surface to have it all put together, but we find out she’s about to be let go from her job, is struggling to “taste” things (she states she can only taste alcohol and chocolate before meeting Takao -- which is why she consumes only that in the beginning of the film), and seems to be hitting an empty snag in her adult life.

As we see a montage of Takao being inspired by the woman to pursue his goal in making a set of women’s shoes and seeming so motivated and determined, we get the heart-wrenching contrast of the mystery woman having a conversation with her former boyfriend. He seems to still be considerate of her, offering her encouragement...and then we get the reveal that she’s lied to him and told him she’s been meeting up with another “woman” for lunch, and that “woman” has been helping her through her current crisis.

It’s a beautiful tragic duality between Takao -- who is steering forward towards his future post-high school with such optimism and drive, despite the seeming complexities going on in his personal life -- with this woman, who despite appearing to have it put together on the surface, is struggling to cope with the complexities of the adult world and her own personal life.

5. One of my favorite details about this movie is Takao’s doodles of feet and shoes. I could seriously re-watch this film to see the meta animation of characters...drawing characters. It’s so gorgeous and I love that there’s this underlying sexual theme with how feet are used in this movie. At one point, the woman tries to sneak a peek at his drawings, which he’s embarrassed for and urges her not to look. He also begins to have her model her feet for him to get as a reference for the shoes.

It’s these little moments that further hint his attraction to her, which we as the audience knows isn’t going to end well down the road...and spirals to a head, when...

4. The moment those two see each other at the high school, I gasped. It comes out of nowhere, and hits you HARD.

We learn from Takao’s classmates that the mystery woman, Ms. Yukino -- finally given a name -- is a literature instructor at the high school, just one Takao hasn’t had yet. Apparently, some girls in one of the classes spread rumors that Ms. Yukino was sexually harassing a male student -- which Takao’s classmate denies actually happened -- and several parents complaining has cost her position at the school.

Having personally known an actual teacher go through this same scenario, the revelation Takao gets hits home. You can’t help but feel so sorry for Yukino, especially when her students meet her outside the school for a final farewell, several of them crying. And it makes the next scene, when Takao confronts the girl who spread the rumors, all the more satisfying -- but also gut-wrenching -- as Takao gets beaten up by the students supporting the girl.

And just when you think it’s the climax of the film...it’s not.

3. Takao finds Yukino at their garden spot, and after they get caught in a gale, he goes to her apartment for them both to dry off. Despite how painful it was to see Takao get beat up, to see Yukino fired from her job when she was seemingly innocent...

... THIS SCENE is what hurt the most.

To see Takao and Yukino so happy together, sharing in each other’s company, and seeming to have a relationship with one another that most characters and ourselves only dream of...to also have the heart-shattering realization as the scene continues that....this can’t work. He’s 15 and she’s 27...there is too large of a gap right now in their age and maturity and it just can’t work as it stands now.

So, when that moment comes, when Takao confesses that he might be in love with her, and Yukino is forced to reject him...it is SO painful. Because you can see how happy they make each other...it’s just not socially or realistically feasible for either of them...or, at least that’s what we’re led to believe.

2. Because Yukino, as Takao leaves her, makes the conscious decision to chase after him. To confront him about her own demons, how he helped her “walk again” after such a critical juncture in her life, and that he does matter to her, despite the obvious hurdles placed in front of them and she doesn’t want him completely out of her life.

Takao’s retaliation is so heart-wrenching and beautiful, and her response is equally so -- these two characters laying everything about themselves to bare. It’s an amazing climax and scene in this movie, and one that I was just staring at agape the entire time -- wanting the best for these two characters, but knowing how delicate and hard their situation was. It makes the next moment all that much more rewarding...

The shot of these two, both in the rain and the sunlight, is probably my favorite in the whole film. I love it because it’s an old wives tale where I’m from that if it rains in the sunlight, that means it’s going to rain again the same time the next day. I love that detail, because it makes me think that their story isn’t over...they’re not going to just abandon each other, even if they can’t do anything about their relationship further right now.

1. I was sad during the credits, because I thought the film would just end there, and I wasn’t ready for it to be over. But please, stick around to after the credits.

There is one more scene, that shows that Takao is still working towards his goals to be a shoemaker. He still keeps in contact through letters and communication with Yukino, who has moved and re-started her career as a teacher, and that, one day down the road, he knows he’s going to see her again in person. And give her the shoes he’s made for her.

And it’s that hope, that knowledge that he’s still going to maintain that friendship, that potential relationship, that did make me feel a lot better about the ending moving forward.

Seriously, see this short film.

I am so glad I did, and I’ll probably be going back to watch it in the dub version, just to have an excuse to get transported by it again.

#Rhetorical Ink Reviews #Garden of Words #Anime Movie Review #SERIOUSLY THIS IS ART #Coming of Age #Jesus this animation #BRB fangirling #Netflix Choice #Garden of Words review #Takao x Yukino

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lovehaswonangelnumbers · 4 years

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New Post has been published on https://lovehaswonangelnumbers.org/intuitive-astrology-forecast-june-2020/

Intuitive Astrology Forecast June 2020

By Forever Conscious

Change is in the air this month, but the Universe is on our side.

We are rising into a new power, we are claiming our voice, and the Universe is giving us the time and a slower pace to navigate through this.

The key astrological events of June 2020 include two Eclipses, the Solstice, the rebirth of Venus, Mercury Retrograde, and Mars’ move into Aries.

To help you navigate through this busy month, try my Cosmic Guided Meditation for June 2020.

Let’s break down the significant dates so you know what to expect and how to navigate through this halfway point of the year-

June 3: The Rebirth of Venus

Venus went retrograde back on May 12, slowly disappearing from the night sky. On June 3, she will align with the Sun, reappearing as a morning star.

This transition of Venus from a bright evening star to a morning star is considered the rebirth of Venus and a significant point on the Venus Retrograde cycle.

Venus Retrograde is a time of heart healing. It is a time where we are drawn inward to clear through the blocks and barriers that prevent us from accessing the love that we are.

The Rebirth of Venus signifies a time where any healing inspired by Venus Retrograde has been completed, making way for our own rebirth.

If you have felt themes around love, forgiveness, self-acceptance, communication, or relationship issues come up to the surface and you are looking for guidance, pay attention to the signs the Universe sends your way on this day.

Record your dreams, go within, for your heart energy is being reborn and a new clarity is likely to emerge.

The Rebirth of Venus is also a power day to set heart-filled intentions of what you want to attract into your life when it comes to love.

Venus Retrograde 2020

June 5: Sagittarius Full Moon Lunar Eclipse

The last time we had a Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius was back in 2013, so this signifies the start of a new Eclipse cycle.

The Sagittarius Lunar Eclipse is a potent one and will really be guiding us to shed and remove those layers that have held us back and made us feel small.

This Eclipse is about stepping into our power, and removing the obstacles that we very often place ourselves. We are far more powerful and knowing than we give ourselves credit for, and we are going to be reminded us of this.

Mars is very active around this Eclipse, which means our emotions may be heated. There may be some unresolved anger floating to the surface, but it is important that we allow ourselves to feel all that arises.

Moving through the motions can bring a breakthrough, especially as we approach the next Eclipse.

Lunar Nodes in Gemini and Sagittarius 2020-2023

June 17: Mercury Retrograde in Cancer

We have the second Mercury Retrograde of the year in the watery, soft sign of Cancer.

Soothing self-love and self-talk are going to be a theme of this retrograde.

How are we choosing to talk to ourselves? What judgments or expectations are we placing on ourselves that are weighing us down?

Words are likely to feel more powerful and carry more meaning, which means we can easily offend but also easily heal and soothe too.

Reading and learning from others can also bring deeper insights that help awaken us on an intuitive level.

This is a very sensitive retrograde but we can use it to our advantage by choosing words and thoughts that feel good.

June 20/21: Solstice and New Moon Solar Eclipse in Cancer

The Solstice brings the start of Cancer Season but also a New Moon Solar Eclipse. This is a powerful Eclipse and one of the most significant of the year.

Falling so close to the Solstice, this Solar Eclipse will bring a grand rebirth and will open a portal to a whole new dimension. A new dawn is awakening and this Eclipse kickstarts the energy.

The energy around this Eclipse feels very “new world” and it is likely that seeds will be planted that will help start the process.

This Eclipse is also linked to the Eclipses we had back in January 2020.

June 22: Neptune Retrograde in Pisces

As Neptune enters the underworld, we have a total of six planets in retrograde.

Neptune is the planet of spirituality, escapism, creativity, and illusion. When it turns retrograde, we are guided on a journey inward to access information from deep within our soul.

Neptune Retrograde is a very subtle energy so we will feel this more on a subconscious level.

June 24/25: Venus Direct in Gemini

Venus moves out of retrograde but will take some time to get back to its former strength and energy.

This is a time where we can reach greater clarity and understanding of whatever has been revealed to us in our relationships and heart during this retrograde period.

June 27: Mars Enters Aries

Mars changes signs roughly every 2 months, but moving into Aries is significant as that is where it will stay for the remainder of the year.

This long stay for Mars is due to its retrograde which happens later in September, but it also means that Mars has a lot of work to do in this area of the zodiac.

Mars in Aries is the strong warrior, so tuning in to this energy is going to be necessary as we move through the rest of the year.

During the month of June, we can use this energy to think about our goals and ambitions.

We may feel more motivated to get things done and we may also feel a rush of new energy return to our body.

June 29: Retrograde Jupiter Aligns with Retrograde Pluto

The Jupiter Pluto alignment is a key feature of 2020 and happens three times. The first occurred back in April 2020, and now we have the second alignment.

This alignment is typically synonymous with news about the global financial markets.

On a personal level, we may be drawn to look at our financial situation, or to dive deeper into the energy of abundance.

When you really allow yourself to feel the energy of abundance, you realize that is so much greater than just material wealth.

Abundance is the energy that brings opportunity, that sparks new ideas, and helps you to see the riches that are already around you.

Tuning into abundance on this day can feeling healing and therapeutic.

Jupiter Pluto Conjunction 2020

Summary

June is indeed a busy month that is likely to bring breakthroughs, awakenings, and realizations.

With the continued retrograde energy, things will be moving slowly, giving us time to process and digest. Even with the Eclipses, we will be able to take any twists and turns at a steady pace.

As we reach the end of the month we will have one more Eclipse to prepare for, but we should be feeling hopeful and optimistic for the future.

Dates:

June 3: Rebirth of Venus

June 5: Sagittarius Lunar Eclipse

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allegiantus · 6 years

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NEW BLOG ON WORDPRESS

This passed Summer started off as one that at first wasn’t going anywhere for me or at least it didn’t seem like it was anyways. I had been still applying and looking for part time jobs as I hadn’t realized I had started my job search too late in the season and I was still behind on the online class I still had to complete which felt more like an endless chore the more and more I continued.

Along with this, I was still dealing with my hypochondria which had really begun to become prominent as of January of this year which made for an interesting summer break of mental ups and downs.

Eventually, this is what I had thought my Summer Break was only going to turn into, just a mix of me going up and down worrying about [Insert] Disease I heard about or slugging through my online class and not having any time to write or feeling too packed to write. That was until June 8th which embarked me completely into the world of:

Mamma Mia!

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Me and Mamma Mia! have an interesting complicated history. I had always been aware of its existence but just had never been intrigued to look into it because I didn’t know a thing about it. I had listened to two songs from the movie (Lay All Your Love On Me & Dancing Queen) prior to my first time seeing it and I had never expressed any harsh remarks or unfair judgment toward the franchise either.

One of my friend’s Victoria had mentioned to me once that she had loved the movie which is what partly started me onto this path. It wasn’t until seeing clips of Dove Cameron (who I love from Disney’s Descendants) performing Lay All Your Love On Me which started my process of looking into the 2008 Universal film by watching a clip of Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper performing the song from the film.

This of which set off my curiosity for what the rest of the film was about. So later that night I went onto Netflix on my TV and played the film and became fond of the film and I didn’t think much about it.

Then came the next day, where I could not stop thinking about the movie’s ABBA soundtrack as I kept playing certain songs on repeat that entire day which then influenced me to watch the movie a second time on Netflix. This time, even more, drawn into the understanding of the story and the characters within it and picking up more out of my second viewing than I initially did my first time around.

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Then in a flash of days to pass, I watched the movie again, bought it on DVD, ordered the soundtrack from the library, began talking about the movie with my friend who originally recommended it to me and from there on for that entire month I became a fully fledged Mamma Mia! Stan.

I fell completely in love with Donna Sheridan’s selfless character of trying to run a balancing act which includes running a hotel, getting her daughter’s wedding in order and fending off three of there ex-lovers from the past as well as Sophie’s goal of seeking to find out who her biological father is out of her mother’s three suitors, who I personally believe to be Bill Anderson and unless you can prove to me otherwise that The Name of The Game isn’t giving away the fact that he’s her real father then I will continue on this belief.

After that point, I didn’t care what movie was coming out that Summer whether it was Jurassic World 2 or The loooong awaited Incredibles 2 because Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again shot it’s way up as my number one most anticipated film of the Summer and to this day I have zero regrets about it.

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

In the weeks and days leading up to the opening night of the second film, I was on a Mamma Mia! Mania watching cast interview after cast interview, clip after clip from the upcoming sequel, defending the film against it’s tasteless critics, becoming an expert on the first movie’s Box Office success and (of course) rewatching the first film nonstop (I think I had watched it at least more than once each week leading up to July).

Whereas I felt the first film was a joyous happy escape for me and my mental cycle and nonstop infectious fun, while the sequel was very much a continuation of this, I felt it really brought the story to a more grounded level, putting it eye to eye on reality in a sense.

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

I felt it was a beautiful well-crafted story that was worth the ten-year wait and, on all accounts, very executed the narrative tremendously well. I saw it twice and cried BOTH times (I kid you not when I first saw the film literally every single person in my row was crying during that scene) and I still feel like it is a film that holds it’s own against the first film, if not more in certain areas.

As Summer came to an end, I was worried that my craze for Mamma Mia! was going to wane as school came along but as I am happy to report that is not the case and will not be the case unless otherwise stated. If anything, coming out of the summer I have become even more inspired by Mamma Mia! on a creative level and adventure level.

Ever since my multiple viewings of the film I have been OBSESSED with Greece and the idea of visiting Greece, as well as being intrigued with Greek Culture on a knowledge-based understanding and creative standpoint (more to come based on this)

Mamma Mia! and Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again are the greatest films in cinema history and existence* (COMPLETELY my valid statement and if you have any disagreements politely grumble to yourself because I didn’t ask to hear it 🙂 ).

The story at times is admittedly ‘cliche’ but honestly with how I see it, it’s just good fun. If you don’t go into it with a critical eye it’s a fun experience.

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

I just would like to say Thank You For the Music ABBA, thank you Universal Pictures for taking a chance on this film and every single person behind the creation of the original Mamma Mia! stage play and the two Mamma Mia! movies for giving me Kalokari as somewhere to escape to when I’m feeling blue.

–Jamari

How I Could Not Resist Mamma Mia! This passed Summer started off as one that at first wasn't going anywhere for me or at least it didn't seem like it was anyways.

#ABBA #Donna Sheridan #Mamma Mia #Mamma Mia 2 #Mamma Mia Here We Go Again #Sophie Sheridan #Universal Pictures

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orbemnews · 3 years

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The Workweek Diary of a Plant-Loving House Décor Guru “The house shouldn’t be a static place,” the house décor maven Justina Blakeney mentioned, reflecting on the significance of design in our residing areas. “Your private home must develop and alter as you develop and alter. It will possibly assist you, for those who put your thoughts to it.” For a decade, Ms. Blakeney, 41, has preached the gospel of infusing your private home with good vibes, considerate intentions, and plenty and heaps of crops. Vibrant splashes of coloration, mix-and-match layers of punchy patterns, and nods to nature are all key to her maximalist aesthetic. She has included these parts into her life-style model Jungalow, which options duvets, throw pillows and wallpaper, in addition to loungewear and equipment. The Los Angeles-based designer has additionally collaborated with such manufacturers as Keds, Anthropologie and Band-Assist, at all times including her personal hand-drawn and painted paintings or her penchant for eclectic, globally impressed designs. However this yr, she seen design somewhat in a different way; it was about extra than simply jewel-toned mosaic tiles and palm fronds organized simply so. “Persons are spending much more time at house then they’re used to,” she mentioned. “When you’re in the identical house day in and time out, little by little, you begin to understand how a lot shifting the power in your house and placing some effort and love into creating a house that works for you’ll be able to actually be a life-changing endeavor. “What it comes all the way down to, is de facto having the ability to perceive, then channel what it’s that lights you up and lifts you up.” In October, Goal tapped Ms. Blakeney as a House Type Professional, a task through which she’ll provide seasonal house refresher suggestions. In April, she’ll debut her third guide, “Jungalow: Beautify Wild,” which follows her 2015 greatest vendor, “The New Bohemians” and its 2017 companion, “The New Bohemians Handbook.” “It’s somewhat bit memoir-y and somewhat bit retrospective-y,” she mentioned of the brand new guide, which reveals how her ancestry and worldwide travels have knowledgeable her fashion, and guides readers towards taking an analogous autobiographical method to adorning. We spoke to Ms. Blakeney in early December, as she started her subsequent design venture: making over her “Jungalow by the Mountain,” a Northeast Los Angeles Spanish-style home that she and her household will quickly name house. Interviews are performed by way of e-mail, textual content and telephone, then condensed and edited. Monday 6 a.m. Get up, feed Couscous the kitty, then set my intentions for the day, a psychological train the place I channel the kind of power I’m attempting to name in for the day. 7 a.m. Soak within the Jacuzzi, then take an outside bathe whereas I hearken to the morning information. It’s such a cleaning expertise, with the sunshine and the recent air, that I really feel actually clear and energized afterward. 8 a.m. Bike with my 9-year-old daughter, Ida, to Spoke Bicycle Cafe to get espresso and pastries to deliver house for breakfast. 9:30 a.m. Over Zoom, I overview the completed set design for an upcoming photograph shoot. It’s a bed room setup for a group we’re launching in June. My notes are: “Extra crops, please. That’s the vibe!” Then, I end designing specs for a brand new lamp assortment and ship them off to the manufacturing unit. 12:30 p.m. Meet up with my licensing agent. Once I take telephone calls that don’t require me sitting in entrance of the pc, I like strolling conferences. They permit me to stretch my legs whereas additionally noticing the small adjustments in my neighborhood. “Look, the persimmon tree is fruiting! The maple tree’s leaves had been yellow final week, now they’re pink …” Observing nature fuels my creativity. 2 p.m. I get down on some yummy butternut squash soup my husband, Jason, cooked for lunch, then I assist Ida out with one in every of her distant studying assignments for varsity. Estamos practicando español. 4:15 p.m. Type and edit pictures for my weblog and social media shares that includes the “earlier than” pictures of our new house. We closed final week! 5 p.m. I’m going over samples, prop choice and supply dates for a product shoot with my venture supervisor. We’ll be capturing a front room, bed room and toilet, all with merchandise that we designed. Coordinating pattern deliveries throughout Covid is very difficult as a result of we’re not in our studio often and supply schedules are unpredictable. 7 p.m. End and publish my newest weblog submit. For about eight years, I blogged each single day. I wouldn’t overthink issues; I simply posted about something that caught my eye. A lot of that occurs on Instagram now, so I solely weblog when I’ve an extended story to inform, or a significant milestone to share. Enterprise & Financial system Up to date Dec. 23, 2020, 8:59 a.m. ET 8 p.m. I begin the nighttime routine with Ida — wash up, brush tooth, learn tales after which a fast “lie down with me.” 9 p.m. Watch “Curb Your Enthusiasm” reruns whereas pinning home concepts on Pinterest. Tuesday 9 a.m. I head as much as our new house to shoot a video walk-through. I additionally pay shut consideration to how and the place the pure mild comes into the totally different rooms, and map out the angles for our subsequent Goal photograph shoot. Midday Contact base with my Jungalow crew. I like utilizing Slack as a result of it simulates “chatting within the workplace” a bit greater than e-mail and it’s simple to get caught up with what’s occurring unexpectedly. The most recent information is that there are many delivery delays. Textiles that had been supposed to come back in from India in time for the vacations gained’t make it in time, so we’ll need to pivot and launch them in spring 2021. 3 p.m. I work with our companions at Loloi Rugs on the collaboration app Asana to brainstorm new rug design concepts. I are inclined to method rug design conceptually and take into consideration colours and patterns, whereas they often begin with the rug’s building. 4:30 p.m. Undergo pictures from my journey to India final February, and pull pure tie-dye samples from the manufacturing unit to get concepts for bedding designs we’re engaged on for 2022. 5:30 p.m. Contact base with our sourcing crew to debate sustainability efforts. We’re testing other ways to ship ceramics with out utilizing Styrofoam. To this point, we’ve struggled to discover a extra eco-friendly answer that retains the ceramics secure that the factories can undertake at scale. We resolve to look into compostable egg-carton containers. Wednesday 10 a.m. Meet the gardeners on the new home to stroll by way of new backyard techniques. 11 a.m. Again at house, I’ve a Zoom assembly to stroll by way of images for a summer time 2021 product launch. It appears to be like nice; simply the correct amount of jungaliciousness. Usually, I’d direct the photographs in particular person, however we’re doing it remotely due to Covid. 1 p.m. Eat a late breakfast burrito whereas I submit my guide cowl divulge to Instagram. Then I reply to feedback, and examine my DMs and e-mail. Maintaining with that is getting more durable. I’m questioning if I’ll need to delegate a few of it to a crew member within the coming months. 2 p.m. Month-to-month meetup with our e-commerce crew to deal with buyer expertise points. Plenty of UPS delivery delays are creating difficulties for our small crew. We focus on methods to announce delays on the positioning to maintain clients knowledgeable and completely happy. 3:30 p.m. Approve closing web site and catalog layouts for the brand new Justina x Loloi collections which can be about to launch. One of many collections is called “Chalos,” after my dad, so I textual content him to share the pics. He’s thrilled. 4 p.m. I overview influencer packages for the January launch of a brand new collaboration with a private care model. It’s at all times tough to resolve what to ship to influencers. Since I’m on the receiving finish of those sorts of packages typically, I’m extra-sensitive about sending issues that shall be enjoyable and thrilling. 5 p.m. Work on some sketches for a brand new vase and planter line for fall 2021. Thursday 9 a.m. Whew! Plenty of conferences right this moment. Thursdays are at all times like this. I begin off with a Jungalow management assembly on Google Hangouts. One giant focus is to regulate away from me being a degree particular person for your entire crew. 11:30 a.m. My household goes to get drive-through Covid checks at Dodgers Stadium. We accomplish that periodically as a result of we’re in a pod with our mother and father, who’re high-risk. The strains are further lengthy due to the most recent surge, so I reply emails and atone for social media whereas we wait. 2 p.m. The entire Jungalow crew has our weekly employees assembly to see how everyone seems to be doing, examine in on work-life steadiness, and brainstorm new concepts. Right now, now we have a couple of new members of the crew, so we began by taking persona checks. 3:15 p.m. The advertising crew presents particulars for our first Jungalow Vacation Treasure Hunt. We’re hiding clues across the web site — then our publication subscribers can observe them to win prizes. Determining the logistics has been a bit difficult, however we’re all actually excited to attempt one thing out-of-the-box. Experimentation is my love language. 4:15 p.m. Run all the way down to the Jungalow studio, a block away from my home, to overview a brand new pattern of a canister within the form of a girl. Then, I head again house to begin peeling and grating potatoes so I can prepare dinner latkes with Ida for the primary night time of Hanukkah. Friday 9:30 a.m. I begin my day with some hand-drawing. I attempt to attract or paint on daily basis for about half-hour as a artistic warm-up, and it’s a pleasant method to have private artistic time offscreen. This week, it’s been robust to slot in due to the entire conferences. 10:30 a.m. Time for the sexual harassment coaching all of us should take, in accordance with California regulation. I’m really shocked that it’s each entertaining and informative. There are such a lot of issues to be careful for, particularly in an organization like this, the place we might be very pleasant and accustomed to each other. 2 p.m. I head again to the brand new home, the place I’m assembly the management crew; it’s the primary time the three of us have seen one another in actual life in eight months. We’re masked outdoors on the patio, discussing our sustainability and social media efforts. We find yourself chatting and hanging out greater than getting any enterprise carried out. 3:30 p.m. My husband cuts a gap within the new kitchen’s drop ceiling to see if there are fairly beams hiding beneath. There are. Woohoo! I seize the reveal for social media, then sketch ground plans for the kitchen rework. We start assembly with contractors subsequent week. 4:30 p.m. On the drive house, I squeeze in some extra work. I present a closing spherical of suggestions on the rugs, then I focus on mattress shams with our design supervisor. 6 p.m. I mild night time two of the Hanukkah candles, then hop within the Jacuzzi with my fam. This yr has been so robust and such an emotional curler coaster, and I take a minute to simply be within the second and really feel immense gratitude. Supply hyperlink #Décor #Diary #Guru #home #PlantLoving #Workweek

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edoubt · 5 years

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emerging

Here are some ways the Universe appears to be "talking" directly to me. i have no memory that is conscious about exactly when Katie Mottram's book _Mend the Gap_ first came to my attention. But sometime (in mid 2018, possibly quite a bit earlier) i must have read something on-line that caught my attention and caused me to add it to my "to-get" list of books that is ever lengthening (but i still manage to chip away at (enjoying the hell out of the process of reading about all sorts of interesting (to me) topics) over time). In late November or early December of 2018, my adult kids shared their Xmas lists with their aunt, uncle, my wife Michelle, each other and me. For reasons i still don't understand, i chose to jump in and interject my own "request" for a handful of books that i selected from my 'list' that i desired to possess. _Mend the Gap_ was among the half dozen or so that i submitted to my close family members at that time. Presents are opened Xmas eve (traditionally in my wife's family) at my parents' in law's place, just a few miles from our own home. This year was no different. Upon opening presents, i discovered that my sister in law Anna, her husband and my neice had gifted me _Mend the Gap_ and as i read the covers and promotional material on the first few pages while everyone was continuing to open presents, i became greatly excited. You see, i had had my own history of mental health issues, seemingly "started" by my mother's death in a car crash, which happened in April of 2009 (on a Thursday). As the rest of 2009 wore on, i became more and more dissassociated from consensual reality. Until now, i had thought that this was a road to delusional thinking. But what i experienced at that time felt more real than anything i had previously ever experienced in my life, though in hindsight at least some of what i thought and believed was in fact truly delusional. In late November of that year, things came to a head following 4 days during which i only managed to get a total of 2 hours of sleep or so (and prior to that i was also sleeping infrequently as insomnia became a bigger and bigger issue for me). At some later point, i may share more details about my story and all of my "delusions" but for right now, the main point is that i ended up in the hospital (my ride there taking place handcuffed to a gurney of an ambulance, a truly surreal experience for me, as it felt like i was in a movie when i 'woke up' and looked up at the ambulance personnel and a state police officer all trying to prevent me from hurting myself further (i had been 'medicated' at home in my bed after my father in law talked me into dropping the electric bass i was holding at the time to block the view out the window where i'd placed a computer in my back yard near a fallen tree -- i was under the impression at that time that the Universe was in danger and that without my active engagement and participation, everything would end up in an even more terrible mess than things seemed to be heading towards already -- as a result i had broken out my bedroom window and climbed in and out of it several times (cutting my left elbow pretty severely))).

In 2011 a young relative of mine, Joseph Alan Kennedy, was killed in combat in Helmand Province Afghanistan. i felt tremendously guilty because prior to that time, his mother (my cousin in law on my mother's side of my family) had asked everyone to pray for Joe and i hadn't (except for the fall of 2009, i've been an avowed atheist/agnostic my entire adult life). That event, combined with some other life circumstances, had me very close to 'falling down the rabbit hole' of insanity again. Thanks to the psychiatrist, Dr. Laurence Schweitzer, who'd been on call at the hospital where i was transported in November of 2009, and with whom i'd begun to develop a trusting relationship under his subsequent care, i managed to get through the spring of 2011 and following summer without another hospitalization. Nevertheless i felt in extreme distress and needed heavy medication to get through that period of time -- both anti-psychotics and sleeping aids.

In December of 2013, i had cut down my antipsychotic dose to a miniscule level. Dr. Schweitzer advised me at the time to just stop taking this medicine (haloperidol) completely. And so that's what i did. And i managed without it for several months. But in the spring of 2014, i disregarded Dr. Schweitzer's advice to not engage further with my grief over my dead mother. Which led to another psychotic break in early June immediately following a week-long work trip to Cleveland OH during which i swam in Lake Erie every morning. i ended up as an inpatient at the Four Winds facility in Katonah NY for three days right after my 49th birthday.

i no longer believe i'm in danger of another psychotic break. i don't hear voices, but especially over the last week following my reading of _Mend the Gap_ i have a stong feeling that everything happens "as it is supposed to". i don't know for sure what the future will bring, but i'm pretty sure that i will end up a more spiritual being than i ever would have imagined was possible. i have a stong affinity for science, which has not diminished, but i find myself now believing that there is a lot that science doesn't yet explain.

i have recently had Kazimierz Dąbrowski's theory of positive disintegration brought to my attention and have read a bit about it just in the past month or so. i'm not sure exactly where i'm at with regard to this paradigm, but my suspicion is that i'm either experiencing multi-level disintegration, or perhaps even beginning secondary integration. There are other possible "names" for this transformational process: Stanislov Grof referred to it as spriritual emergence; others might label it a Kundalini awakening. Whatever the nature of my transition, it is incredibly profound.

i care deeply about humanity and the planet and the current trajectory we 7 billion + are on scares the hell out of me. i'm not sure how any truly sane person can cope with the existential threats posed by environmental and ecological destruction, and the awfulness of various political strife between different nations, factions and other groupings of persons.

Saving the planet and honoring the Universe fully is imperative. i frankly don't have a clue how to solve such an enormous problem in terms of the specific details. But thanks to Katie Mottram, Eben Alexander IV, Karen Newell and a large number of other authors i've read and also to the many loving friends i've had and the processing/thinking we've done together, i'm convinced that the best way to proceed is to find like-minded folk and combine our energies in order to try to accomplish what seems ultimately to be an impossible task from where i sit near the east coast of the north american continent on Spaceship Earth.

Contradiction is inherent. Practically everywhere. In _Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We're in without Going Crazy_, Joanna Macy & Chris Johnstone advocate adopting the 'hero's journey' paradigm for one's own life, while in _Small Arcs of Larger Circles: framing through other patterns_ Nora Bateson makes a compelling case that 'leadership' is an idea whose time has come and gone due to what we understand about how much everything and everyone is interrelated. While these two thoughts are seemingly at odds with each other, the fact is that they are (at least as i see it) completely reconcilable. Heroes of story, fable and myth all have one thing in common: none of them accomplished their initially seemingly insurmountable goals alone. Universally they assembled bands of varying sizes to aid them in their quest. Bateson makes the point that every famous 'leader' from history or the present was and is not an island, but rather came to be the person they matured into due to the influences of some combination of their communities, families, upbringing, peers, environment and the world itself.

Even the very concept of hope itself is fraught with contradictions. Charlotte Joko Beck, in her book _Everyday Zen_ makes a strong case for "discarding hope" and doing without it completely. And yet Macy and Johnstone put the word in the title of their book on coping. i think the key is the modifier "active" they preceded it with. Passive hope is nothing to strive for or try to use in any way. But by *activating* hope we can overrule Joko Beck's advice, creating a useful tool in the process.

When i was five years old, my parents moved our family from New York City up into the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. Our nearest real neighbor was more than a mile away from my house, and so i spent a tremendous amount of my childhood out in nature, often accompanied by my beloved viszla Czela. Exploring and fishing and living on a farm, helping out with chores as i got older and being in the woods every fall with the adults for white-tail deer hunting season gave me a lasting understanding of the natural order and interlocking cycles of life. When i was slightly older i became involved in scouting and went on camping trips regularly at all times of the year. i came to appreciate the power and majesty of the seasons as especially winter in these latitudes can be a thoroughly awesome and humbling force. For several years in a row, i also spent a full month each August at Camp Merrowvista in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where i further developed my love of and connection with nature and wilderness.

During my adult life i gradually fell out of the habit of escaping back into the wilderness. Though in recent years as i've struggled with my mental health, i've been drawn back to nature and have done more hiking, paddling and swimming out under the open skies, which has proved to be as much of a healing force as anything else.

On the morning of the final day of 2018, i was up ridiculously early sitting beside a roaring oak fire i'd made in my back yard. While it was still dark, i set off for the trailhead right where the road closes for the winter which provides access on the "back side" up in the hills between Bear and Race Mountains. i left my vehicle just at first light and while the ground was clear down in the valley and at my home, the surface of the earth was covered with snow up there at elevation. Descending down into Sage's Ravine proper, which is one of my favorite spots on the planet, a wonderful section of the marvelous Appalachian Trail, i found myself profoundly touched by the almost overwhelming beauty around me. The environment spoke directly to my soul and provided me with a calm that was previously inaccessible. As i listened to the Universe talk through the trees, rocks, rushing water, moss, snow and even my own being, i had the sudden realization that my previous bouts with manic states had become part of my past and would no longer intrude on my future. i could feel and almost catch glimpses of entities in amongst the forest and stream. i didn't and still don't completely understand what i experienced, but i see it as an important milestone on my journey to becoming a more stable, able and authentic person. My soul feels day by day that it's getting more and more in tune with the Universe as my purpose here on this planet becomes clearer and clearer. It's still a struggle dealing with so much more unfiltered input with regard to my newly opened perceptions, but i have faith that i'll gradually become more accustomed to the full force of true reality making itself directly available to me in this way.

i've always been drawn to music. Once upon a time i was a competent trumpet player. And nowadays (just in order to amuse, calm and please only myself) i sometimes noodle around on a bass guitar. But the music of others really speaks to me. i can hear and feel the Universe giving me explicit advice through song lyrics:

Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose i gotta be cool, relax None but ourselves can free our minds

The timing of when i hear specific songs has been directing me with advice that seems so obviously tailored to my internal state at that particular time. It's hard to explain, but it's very real and resonant, and gives me confidence that the Universe is actually explicitly guiding me. With love and compassion towards a better instantiation of myself. Even melody, harmony and rhythm speak directly to my soul and i think always have. It's an experience that i'm not really able to explain properly with prose, though none the less real for that.

Let's make this world a better place together.

While the name(s) below that i'm signing these thoughts with are as real for me as any i've ever used, i'm choosing not to put the names that were given me by my parents here. I'm absolutely interested in making contact with any and all of you who've ever wondered if there isn't more that could be done to improve the fate of humanity, the environment, the planet and the Universe. Send me an email at [email protected] or contact me via instagram where i use the handle calloquillick

namaste, and endless love to all, ~earnest 'bearfoot' doubt

#spiritual emergence awakening discovery self nature wilderness

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shirlleycoyle · 3 years

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What the Pandemic Felt Like From an Icebreaker Trapped in the Arctic

This is part of a special series, We’re Reemerging. What Does the World Look Like Now?, which considers in real time how we cope while living through a historic time. It’s also in the latest VICE magazine. Subscribe here.

After months of living and working in perpetual darkness, the crew of the Polarstern research icebreaker gazed in awe as the delicate glow of twilight illuminated the seascape around them. But as the sun staged its annual comeback in the northern reaches of the world, a deadly pathogen was sweeping across major cities thousands of miles away.

It was February 2020, and the largest Arctic expedition in history was near the North Pole. The Polarstern served as the centerpiece of the mission, called the Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC), which was led by Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research. After the ship was deliberately locked into sea ice in October 2019, the Polarstern spent months drifting with the floe across the Arctic as researchers investigated the impact of climate change and other factors on the evolving polar region.

The vast and mysterious expanse of the Arctic has attracted explorers for centuries, and MOSAiC’s mission was unlike any other in scale, scope, and purpose: It took about a decade to organize, involved 500 field participants from 37 nations, and cost a hefty $154 million. The overarching goal is to understand the mysterious far-northern climate, which is shaped by the complex interplay of its atmosphere, ocean, sea ice, and wildlife. As global temperatures rise due to human activity, the Arctic is changing more rapidly than any region on earth, a trend that will have consequences well beyond its borders.

To understand the future of the Arctic, and the world, the MOSAiC team planned to perform countless measurements and experiments over the course of the yearlong effort. But despite all this preparation, there was something else coming that no one involved could have foreseen.

As the virus emerged that winter, the MOSAiC team kept up-to-date, thanks to the expedition’s daily journal and WhatsApp conversations with family and friends. But as February gave way to March, members watched in horror as it rapidly spread and turned into a full-blown global pandemic that necessitated quarantines, lockdowns, and severe travel restrictions.

This sudden shock was particularly acute for Giulia Castellani, a sea ice scientist in the AWI research group Polar Biological Oceanography from Italy’s Lombardy region—one of the first major epicenters of the pandemic. By the time Italy went into a national lockdown, Castellani had left the Polarstern to board the Russian icebreaker Kapitan Dranitsyn, tasked with delivering researchers to Tromsø, a port in northern Norway.

That plan fell apart when Tromsø closed because of the pandemic, leaving the returning researchers temporarily stranded onboard the Dranitsyn with no place to go. Castellani remembered seeking out an internet connection on the Russian icebreaker’s stairs so that she could connect with her family and friends about the increasingly grave situation in Lombardy. “I was very concerned,” she said. “It was really a bad time.”

Meanwhile, MOSAiC members around the world were scrambling to come up with solutions to the unexpected curveball of the pandemic. Matthew Shupe, a co-leader of the project and an atmospheric scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) a project of the University of Colorado in Boulder and NOAA, had been on the first leg of the expedition, from September to December 2019, but was back in Colorado when the pandemic began to spiral out of control.

“It started to become a bit of a dire situation because the folks that were out on-site, well, we lost our ability to get them out,” said Shupe. “They were feeling trapped, and morale started to really decrease.” For several weeks, the fate of this unprecedented expedition hung in the balance.

“Some people didn’t know what was happening back home with their parents or with their kids,” added Shupe. “They wanted to get home, but we had no way to get them home.”

Verena Mohaupt, a logistics coordinator at the AWI, was among the many MOSAiC members searching for answers. Like Shupe, she was on the first leg of the trip, but had returned to her home in Potsdam, Germany, by the time the pandemic broke out. Mohaupt remembered morning meetings where plans would be drawn up, only to be abandoned by the end of the day as leads evaporated. There was a tacit understanding that if there was no way to bring members home from the second leg—and eventually exchange the teams conducting the third and fourth legs—the entire mission would have to be abandoned.

Terminating MOSAiC would have been disastrous not only for the organizers and members, who had invested so much time, money, and effort into the project, but also for climate science writ large. The expedition had set out to fill a crucial information gap by providing a full year of comprehensive on-site data about the annual winter growth and summer melt of Arctic sea ice, which had never been done on such a large scale before.

Arctic sea ice is rapidly declining because of climate change, a trend that is contributing to rising temperatures in the region, which makes MOSAiC’s observations crucial for calibrating accurate climate models of our future. MOSAiC also aimed to study the connections between climate and the incredible diversity of microorganisms that live in the Arctic, providing the trophic foundation for larger animals such as polar bears, walruses, and birds. While valuable data had been collected over the winter, MOSAiC was still only halfway through its journey when the pandemic hit, with much research left to be done.

“Nobody wanted the expedition to end or to have them leave completely,” Mohaupt said. “But it was clear to everybody that if we didn’t find any other solution, in the end, that’s what was going to happen, because we can’t leave those people there forever.”

Four weeks later, after a delay exacerbated by ice conditions and a refueling stop, the Dranitsyn was finally able to dock at Tromsø on March 31. The expedition then obtained special permission to fly the second-leg team back to Germany in April.

MOSAiC’s pandemic-related troubles were not over. An air campaign that had been planned for the spring had to be canceled after one of its members tested positive for COVID-19. Another complication arose when the icebreakers originally scheduled to deliver the fourth team to the Polarstern, and return the third team back to port, were no longer available because of the new travel restrictions.

As a result, the Polarstern had to leave its valuable spot in the sea ice to make the exchange with two hastily arranged German research vessels. Prior to the swap, the incoming team spent weeks in quarantine to prepare for the trip to the edge of the ice floe.

“The design was to be out there for the whole year, staying with this chunk of ice,” Shupe said. “It was also a very inopportune time for the ship to come out. It was right as the transition into the melt season is happening, which is, scientifically, a really important time. Fortunately, we could leave a lot of equipment there on the ice to keep making measurements.”

Despite the setbacks, the team averted a total cancelation of the expedition—or worse, a COVID-19 outbreak on the confined and remote Polarstern, an environment where social distancing was impossible. MOSAiC members were relieved to be somewhat back on track by the end of June, under the endless sunlight of Arctic summer.

The mood onboard brightened not only because of the season, but because expedition members were able to resume a somewhat normal life, with no masks or limits on gatherings. Though the hectic schedule of research kept the team busy most of the time, members also occasionally grabbed spare moments to watch movies, play games, barbecue on the deck, host craft nights, or throw dance parties and sing-alongs. An onboard bar was sometimes opened to celebrate special occasions, like birthdays, while a small swimming pool and gym on the Polarstern allowed members to compete in athletic events. During the summer months, especially, members were able to leave the ship for long walks on the ice, admiring the majestic polar environment.

Castellani, Mohaupt, and Shupe all ended up on the fourth leg of the expedition, and separately recalled the moment on the way to the Polarstern when team members were finally allowed to embrace after weeks of tests and quarantine. The voyagers had to be wary of threats like polar bears or the capricious sea ice, but they were both physically and mentally able to escape the virus raging across the rest of the world.

“That was a great feeling, to be able to let go of the constrained life of COVID back home and be in our own safe haven out there, which was really probably the safest place on earth,” said Shupe.

Shupe wasn’t originally scheduled to join this part of the expedition, but as a co-leader, he felt compelled to return to the ship as soon as possible once the pandemic hit. Castellani also took the opportunity to return, as travel restrictions had axed her original plans to visit her family in Italy in the spring and summer. “Going back to the Arctic was the easiest thing to do for me,” Castellani said. “I felt like I never really came back, because I was home for just one month. Was it my life? No. Was it home? Yes, it was my flat—but everything was weird… It was not life as it used to be.”

Mohaupt was also eager to return to the Arctic, so much so that she stayed on for the fifth and final leg of the expedition, which ended in October 2020. As the Polarstern approached its home port in Bremerhaven, Germany, the expedition members prepared to return to the stultifying rules outside of MOSAiC. “As soon as contact had been made with the real world, we had to wear masks, and hugging was no longer allowed,” Mohaupt said. “We all met on the helicopter deck to have one last hug and say goodbye, in that form, as long as we still could.”

An expedition of such scale and complexity was bound to leave people feeling wistful at its completion, but those emotions were amplified by the odd experience of returning to societies that had been entirely upended by the pandemic. “We’d been together for a number of months in the Arctic, so you’re already just naturally a little sad because you’re leaving this group of people that have been your family for a while,” said Shupe. “But then, you also look around and the world is different… So, it was kind of a downer to come back into that reality and away from our fantasyland out there in the Arctic.”

Castellani felt a disorienting delay in her adaptation to pandemic life after the expedition compared with her friends at home. After the initial relief of being able to see her loved ones in Italy, at last, in September, she recalled the sense of dislocation when she was finally back after such an eventful year. “I’m starting to experience the challenge of being in the pandemic, whereas my friends have been in this situation for one year already,” said Castellani. “I came back to a place that is not my life anymore. Sometimes I think I’m still struggling a bit; sometimes I’m asking myself: ‘Okay Giulia, are you really back?’”

Mohaupt felt similarly. “Honestly, I was really surprised how relaxed people were,” she said. “When I came back, the [COVID case] numbers were higher than what I had seen in May when I left, but people were acting more open… The general sense was, really, everybody’s gotten used to it, and I wasn’t there yet.”

Now, several months after MOSAiC’s end and more than a year into the pandemic, the team is unpacking new data sets from the mission and decompressing. Castellani and her colleagues are currently poring over “the huge amount of samples” they collected from the year, she said, which have confirmed that the Arctic winter, despite its cold and sunless months, is a time of astonishing biological activity.

“We could really follow, during the winter period, certain species,” such as microbial zooplankton, Castellani said. “In general, the most fascinating part was to see the same system and follow it day by day, week by week, month by month and follow the seasonal progression and how it changed.”

Eventually, the team members will piece together an exceptional portrait of the Arctic that reveals the dynamics of its climate systems in an era of rapid change. As the ice pack thins over time, the transfer of energy and heat between the ocean and atmosphere will also transform, which will impact the climate of the region. Current projections suggest that the Arctic may experience ice-free summers by the middle of this century, a reality that will open new shipping routes and could challenge species as large as polar bears and as small as algae, as well as the Arctic’s human population, many of whom are Indigenous.

MOSAiC’s efforts over this turbulent year will provide a crucial baseline for understanding this key region for many decades to come. But beyond its research goals, the expedition is an example of the large-scale international collaborations that will be needed to combat global crises of the future, from short-term disasters like pandemics to the long-term effects of climate change.

“One thing, to me, that was really compelling about MOSAiC was the way in which we, as an international community, worked on this collective view of priorities,” Shupe said. “Here’s this collection of scientists—we had people from 37 nations involved, and that’s just remarkable—all coming together.”

Follow Becky Ferreira on Twitter.

What the Pandemic Felt Like From an Icebreaker Trapped in the Arctic syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

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zeroviraluniverse-blog · 6 years

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The seven times Neymar slipped through Real Madrid's fingers

Visit Now - http://zeroviral.com/the-seven-times-neymar-slipped-through-real-madrids-fingers/

The seven times Neymar slipped through Real Madrid's fingers

8:34 AM GMT

Dermot CorriganESPN FC

Real Madrid have followed Neymar’s career as closely as anybody throughout the years, coming close to signing him on many occasions during his progress from much-hyped up-and-comer to well-paid superstar. But for one reason or another, every time Madrid thought they had finally done a deal, the Brazilian slipped through their fingers at the last.

ESPN FC looked through the archives to find seven times when Neymar almost signed for Madrid but never actually did.

1. 2006: When just a kid

Neymar’s first game on European soil was as a 14-year-old trialist for Real Madrid as part of two weeks training with Madrid’s Juvenil A youth team.

The kid impressed his coaches but not enough to persuade the club to the €60 million asking price set by his agent, Wagner Ribeiro, especially in a moment of off-pitch turmoil, as Florentino Perez had just stepped down as president (the first time around).

2. 2011: When Neymar re-signed with Santos

As Neymar came through the ranks at Santos, Madrid’s representatives remained in regular contact with his family and Ribeiro, especially after Perez’s return as club chief in 2009

In June 2011, Marca reported personal terms had been agreed with the family, though not with Santos. That October, AS claimed that Madrid agreed a fee of up to €58 million and a six-year contract worth €10 million a year was “verbally agreed.” Ironically (see below), the main thing holding up a move then was how to share the transfer fee with third-party investors.

Madrid were then shocked just a few weeks later, when Neymar signed a new contract with Santos that ran up to the 2014 World Cup.

3. 2013: When Neymar joined Barcelona

Barcelona were soon in pole position to sign the increasingly high-profile teenager, thanks to an unusual and secret “advance” of €10 million, which had been agreed with Neymar Senior in November 2011.

Both Madrid and Santos continued to negotiate, apparently thinking there was still a chance. In May 2013, Marca reported that Perez would go as far as (a then-world record) €100 million to get the then-21-year-old, along with €11 million a year in wages — more than Cristiano Ronaldo earned at the time.

The following month, Neymar was presented by a very proud Barca and explained that he had followed his heart, not his pocketbook, in choosing between the La Liga giants: “I’m really pleased these two great clubs both wanted to sign me, but I followed my heart, and here I am. We received offers of more money, but it is not just a question of money.”

Neymar grabbed four goals and two assists in his best performance for PSG to date. CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/Getty Images

4. 2016: When Neymar renewed with Barcelona

Even as Neymar settled at the Camp Nou, persistent rumours continued that Madrid’s power brokers were working behind the scenes to engineer a Luis Figo-style move across the Clasico divide.

These intensified as the Spanish and Brazilian authorities started to look into possible illegalities in his transfer from Santos. Barca directors often hinted that they felt that the very well connected Perez was instigating these court moves, an idea officially denied by Madrid in January 2014.

The ongoing legal problems were soon accompanied by speculation that Neymar Senior was looking for a pay rise for his son. In January 2016, Catalan daily Sport claimed Perez would pay a then €190m release clause and offer Neymar €35m a year, plus a €30m signing on fee.

Such leverage (also used by the Messi family on occasion) may have persuaded Barca’s board to sanction the bumper new contract signed later that year, which was to run until 2021.

5. When Neymar joined PSG

That new deal did not, of course, run its entire course. Speculation renewed during summer 2017 that Neymar would leave Barcelona. PSG were the primary suitors, but Madrid retained an interest, and had money to spend.

Neymar’s Brazil teammate Casemiro fuelled this idea during Madrid’s International Champions Cup campaign in the USA in late July.

“It is up to Neymar himself to decide his own future,” Casemiro said. “Why could he not play here at Real Madrid? He would be welcome here with us.”

6. Last January

Just months after Neymar had completed his world record €222 million move to the Parc des Princes in August, Mundo Deportivo reported that Perez remained in contact with Neymar’s camp.

By November, Madrid club captain Sergio Ramos said that PSG could be just a short stop-over. “Maybe he thought it would be easier to go through PSG first, rather than straight from Barca to Madrid,” Ramos said. “I hope so. I’d open the door if he wants to come [in the winter window].”

At December’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, where Perez was supposedly supporting Ronaldo to a fifth career title, the Bernabeu chief found himself talking publicly about how Neymar could win more individual awards at his club.

“Being at Madrid would make it easier for Neymar to win it [Ballon d’Or],” he said. “I don’t know how many Ballon d’Or winners PSG has had, very few I think.”

7. Next summer?

A January move was unrealistic, even before Madrid and PSG were drawn together in the UCL round of 16. But it will not stop the speculation continuing ahead of next summer, especially with Madrid’s (so far) disastrous 2017-18 bringing much talk of a huge shake-up at the Bernabeu, including an exit for Ronaldo.

“It would be great if Neymar came to Madrid, and I believe he would fit perfectly into the team,” Los Blancos vice-captain and Brazil left-back Marcelo said just last weekend. “The great players should play for Madrid. I believe he will one day.”

Even Neymar’s own clubmates have been unable to avoid talking about the possibility during the build-up to Wednesday’s game. “I do not know,” PSG defender (and another Brazilian) Thiago Silva said. “I cannot speak for him. I will say this: that I hope Neymar stays with us.”

None of which will have reassured PSG fans that Neymar will definitely be at their club next season. But what we can say, beyond any doubt, is that Madrid and Perez will (reportedly) be interested if he does decide to move again.

#Football

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shirlleycoyle · 3 years

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What the Pandemic Felt Like From an Icebreaker Trapped in the Arctic

“Some people didn’t know what was happening back home with their parents or with their kids,” added Shupe. “They wanted to get home, but we had no way to get them home.”

Follow Becky Ferreira on Twitter.

What the Pandemic Felt Like From an Icebreaker Trapped in the Arctic syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

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