#the one interesting thing they said was that the more accurate way to frame religion as it relates to ethnocentrism

[communistkenobi]

the religion chapter in auth personality is kind of a flop

#it’s short and the data they collected aren’t very good #which they admit to but it’s disappointing #the one interesting thing they said was that the more accurate way to frame religion as it relates to ethnocentrism #is that it depends more on the WAY in which a person is religious #rather than if they’re religious or not #but again the questions they asked when collecting data for it were kinda stupid #the authoritarian personality

[junos-office-drama]

One thing I see novice writers do a lot, especially in fanfiction, is try to make writing a visual medium.

By this, I'm referring to an attempt to capture in words every last little detail of a character, object, or place.

For example, when describing Ruby Rose from RWBY, I'll see something like:

She wore a calf-length cloak that attached to her black dress with small, cross-shaped silver toggles that were sewn on about the height of her collarbone. The cloak was red, the top side a bright apple-red and the bottom side a darker maroon red, and it had a large hood that Ruby wore it down so that it bunched up over her shoulders, framing her face. [69 words]

This is an accurate description of Ruby's initial appearance.

But what does this actually tell us about the character? Who she is? What's her personality like?

Basically... nothing. Maybe that she's Christian, possibly, based on the cross-shaped toggles? (Which would be inaccurate; as far as I know, the world of RWBY doesn't have any real-world religions in it.)

Now compare it to something like:

She rarely bothered to raise the hood of her red riding cloak, preferring instead to greet friends and foes alike with a bright, cheerful grin. [25 words]

Much, much less detail about her cloak -- but consider how much is said about the character. Now it's not just a piece of clothing; it's a representation of her personality. We've learned a lot about her (she's not shy [she could hide behind her hood but she doesn't]; she's probably got an upbeat personality; she's friendly, even with her enemies -- and she has both friends and enemies) in less than half the word count.

[Also, the phrasing "the hood of her red riding cloak" provides a wink to savvy readers that the character is based on Little Red Riding Hood, which is completely absent from the more detailed description.]

Visual media (film, animation, etc.) and written media (literature, poetry, etc.) use different languages to present characters, ideas, and events.

For example, in anime, if they want to show a character is dangerous, they might put him in a black cloak, and then give that black cloak a bunch of spikes on the shoulders, and/or a skull imprinted somewhere, perhaps a few straps with buckles. Some of this serves to provide visual interest, but a lot the decisions are made so that the audience can get a feel for the character -- who they are, what they're about.

And a lot of the time, the specific elements of the clothing aren't relevant to the plot outside of what they communicate about the character -- the cape is never used as a make-shift stretcher, the skull imprint is never the crucial clue to a puzzle, the straps are never used to actually hold something. The cape could vanish entirely and it wouldn't change the events of the story; it would just detract from what the audience can discern about the character.

However, in writing, the author can just say "menacing black cloak." Heck, they can skip describing the clothing entirely and say the character has a "dangerous glint in his dark eyes."

The audience gets the same plot-relevant information in both cases: This is a dangerous character.

The other thing is that, in writing, if an author goes out of their way to describe something in detail, the reader is going to assume those details are important to the plot. When they end up not being, the reader will only be frustrated -- why did the author make the reader spend so much time reading about them if they didn't even matter?

In addition, if you describe everything in excruciating detail, the reader will get overwhelmed and assume nothing is important and stop paying attention to the details -- including the ones that actually are important!

So, in short, one way to make your writing seem less "novice" -- and especially to make it feel less "fanficcy" -- is to pare your descriptions down to the essentials.

Which details say something about the character or the world? Which pieces of clothing (or other objects) will be important to the plot later? Keep those.

Discard the rest.

(Okay, you can keep a few self-indulgent details. It might not be plot-relevant that a character has blue eyes, but mentioning them off-handedly won't be a detriment either -- but see if you can weave them into the narrative, rather than making it an info dump about the character's overall appearance.)

#writing tips #writing advice #fanfic #fanfiction #descriptive writing #character description

[animatedminds]

Splash Mountain, Br’er Rabbit, and the Tragedy of Being Represented By Other People.

So, this is probably going to be the realest post I’ll make for a while - or at least until The Boondocks arrives, but it seemed apropos. Immediately after this I’ve got rants about sci fi and Star Wars and other unrelated things coming up, but for now we have my earnest opinions on a decision I feel should have been better thought out than it was. This is going to read more like an article or an essay than a review, but I think it needs to be said.

It hasn’t come up too often on this blog, but I am African American. It’s my life and my perspective. And as an African American, a lover of animation and - though this definitely doesn’t come up on the blog - a passionate folklorist in what you could call an academic sense (in that I’m a writer and a student, and folklore is the subject of most of my research), people I know in real life have asked me more than once what my opinion on the removal of Splash Mountain in favor of Princess and the Frog, how I must be glad it’s finally being removed, what my take on the history there was, and…

Well…

To really give that opinion, I’ve got to start at the beginning. Not Song of the South - that, if anything, is the very middle. We have to start with Br’er Rabbit and who that character was. Sit back students, info dump incoming.

Br’er Rabbit is an folklore character of African American origin with - like many folkloric figures - a difficult to place date of origin, but he was known to have existed at least since the early 19th Century, He has obvious similarities to the far older figure of Anansi - with several Br’er Rabbit tales even taking elements of Anansi stories verbatim - though with a the notable difference that unlike Anansi, Br’er Rabbit was more often a heroic figure: an underdog and seemingly downtrodden figure who used his wits and his enemies’ hubris rather than physical force to win the day. The meaning of that kind of figure to an enslaved people is obvious, especially when you compare Br’er Rabbit to another, contemporary trickster figure in African American history by the name of John. Br’er Rabbit’s stories could even arguably be seen as a more child-friendly version of the John tales, in which a human trickster pulls the same kind of momentum turning ploys on villains - but those villains tended to be explicitly slave masters or overseers, and John’s payback often came with explicitly deadly results. The existence of John as escapism for the enslaved or just-post-enslaved (IE Reconstruction) populations is clear: a person who with no power who could fight back with nothing but their mind, preying on the fact that their enemies see them as incapable and helpless, and the connection of Br’er Rabbit to that message is difficult to deny. If anything, Br’er Rabbit comes off as a somewhat more child-friendly version of the concept.

But the most important thing to glean from this is who and what Br’er Rabbit is: a product of the African American community and its history, as a means of those people to express themselves and their values in the face of oppression.

Now we fast forward to 1881, and along comes Joel Chandler Harris: a white Georgian. Harris was a folklorist himself, and travelled the country collecting stories - most famously Br’er Rabbit stories. His stated reason was to bridge African American and white communities by sharing stories, but he was tainted by the perspectives of his world and his place in it, infamously creating a framing narrative for those stories in which the character telling them exuded the imagery of subservience and simplicity that was typical of perceptions of African Americans from the post-Civil War Southern environment in which he collected them: Uncle Remus, in other words. Harris is hardly the only white curator who adapted stories of black or brown peoples in a way that played up the people the stories came from as something of a theme park piece, as if noble in unintelligence and simplicity, but he’s one of the most famous ones to do so - and that’s because of the adaptation. To note, when people criticize cultural appropriation, this is the kind of thing that really triggers the outrage. Not any situation in which a white person is inspired by someone who isn’t white and creates something accordingly, but situations where someone else’s creation is taken and used for the fame and profit of others, to the detriment of the people who made it. It’s these situations like the one Joel Chandler Harris created centuries ago, specifically, that people are trying to draw attention to - even if sometimes social media gets a bit trigger happy sometimes, that’s the real, underlying problem. With that in mind, let’s put that aside and move forward.

Fast forward again to 1946. Walt Disney Productions, then less the company of grander, wider scale stories of epic quests and emotional upheaval that make us all cry and more a company more known for folktale adaptations in general, were looking for a but of American folklore to headline a live action, animation mix - a medium that allowed a bit more financial benefit, as straightforward animation was not always particularly profitable those dates. This wouldn’t be the last time they produced an adaptation of an American folktale or short story - their version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow a few years later being actually one of the more faithful adaptations of that short story put to film. Disney, who evidently read Chandler Harris’ stories, put together a project to see if they could adapted. Which they did. Pretty much verbatim. This is actually worth pointing out: the actual Br’er Rabbit stories in the films are very accurately adapted, and the actors involved in the story (including James Baskett, how also played Uncle Remus) did a fine job characterizing them. The issue is that Disney also adapted Chandler Harris’ stereotypical and offensive framing device pretty much verbatim, bringing Uncle Remus. And therein lies the problem.

To put the issue with Song of the South in perspective, the movie - with the framing device - can be categorized as something called Reconstruction Revisionism - which is basically a genre of post-Civil War media meant to present the pre-war South was perfect and idyllic, and that people are racially more natural in that environment’s dynamic and never should have left. One of the most infamous movies in history, Birth of a Nation, is the crowning example of this genre. Obviously, Song of the South is nowhere near as awful and inflammatory a movie as that, but there’s a degree to which it was seen as the straw the broke the camel’s back for black depictions in media, only a couple of years after Disney’s Dumbo also did the same. The end result, an African American creation was used in a film that ultimately demeaned the African American community, a decision that Disney has been ashamed of ever since.

Fast forward to now. Disney is removing Splash Mountain, the sole remnant of Song of the South that focuses exclusively on Br’er Rabbit - a choice we’ve had reason to suspect was coming for about a year now, but which was unveiled conspicuously in the middle of protests and campaigning for better treatment of people of African descent worldwide. The reveal was a rousing success, with people applauding the decision to finally wipe away the rest of that movie - though remember that for later, that the response relies on the perception of Br’er Rabbit as something that starts with Song of the South - and replace it with something else. Surely, as a black person I should be happy that they’re finally getting rid of that racist character for good and replacing him with something more positive? And again, well…

To put short, Br’er Rabbit has finished his journey from African cultural symbol to discarded pariah, all because others used the character in racist ways that they themselves now regret. And for that… let’s be clear, I’m not angry so much as saddened. I’m not railing against the company for making the choice, since I can see how from their point of view it was the wisest and most progressive thing to do. Song of the South is a badly old fashioned movie that they’re right to want to move on from, and it’s their right to downplay characters within their purview if those characters reflect badly on the company. I’m just outlining the tragic waste of it all.

For now, compare Princess and the Frog - the thing they’re replacing it with. I do love the movie, or at least any problems I have with it have little to do with representation, and I definitely don’t have anything against Musker and Clements and their beautiful visions and creations, but it’s difficult to deny that its an adaptation of a European story, adapted by a collection of mostly white creators (with Rob Edwards comprising but one third of the screenwriting team, but not of story conception), that’s ultimately just dolled up with African Americans characters and a very Hollywood-esque depiction of a African diaspora religion (Voodoo, which unfortunately has a long history of such portrayals). If we’re talking about representation specifically - which this move had definitely been presented as a champion for - it’s not the perfect example, more of a story with a surface covering of the black experience than one with an especially strong connection. That wouldn’t necessarily be a problem (Tiana and her story do well depict strong black characterizations, and approach an interesting (if light_ implication about racism and hardship during the 1920s) if Disney had yet created any other franchise that was another actual adaptation of an African or African American tale or story (with involvement from such actual people), but Song of the South is actually it. They legitimately have nothing else to call on.

This is something I feel we should do more to remedy. I am a writer/prospective screenwriter myself, and trying to put more stories out there is one of my primary focuses and goals should I ever truly enter the industry, but at the moment we just don’t have very many options.

This is hardly the only time that people of color have had little control over depictions of their own culture - literary and film history is full of such situations in both minor and terribly major ways - but it’s something that stings especially hard due to being such a current example, and because of sheer irony of the end result. Now we have a situation where African Americans are being told that something their people created to represent themselves is negative and wrong, because years ago other people appropriated that creation and used it to paint a negative picture of the people who actually held claim over it, and now the enterprise that those people created wants to save face: another example of culture being treated like a possession of the ones who are poised to make money of off it. And what’s worse, while the culture is used and abused like trash, the people are now presented with this removal like it was a prize - like they’re finally being given something - when little has really changed.

Ultimately, the Splash Mountain news - though it had been coming for a while - made me rather upset for that reason. As a studier of folklore, I suppose I knew better than most where these things came from, and so the buzz around the move being a belief that Br’er Rabbit was an intrinsically racist character just highlighted the tragedy of how African Americans and their culture tended to be tossed about by American media. So no matter what, I can’t feel particularly happy about it.

Let me iterate, in the film industry, being represented by people who aren’t of your culture group is basically inevitable. That’s essentially how the industry works. I’m not saying we should rail against anyone who would try to represent cultures that aren’t their own. The people who produce and create are few, and eventually the truth is that you have to be represented by other people - at least for the moment. We shouldn’t be railing against representation by others in general, as that wouldn’t be cognizant of the situation and thus self destructive. What I’m saying is that we - both we trying to be represented, and those doing the representing - should be aware of the problem there: that when others choose to represent you in media, you essentially have to trust them to have a real interest in you and your best interests when doing so, and when they don’t that depiction is there forever. So it behooves us to try to be the ones who are representing ourselves as much as possible, and in situations where we can’t, to remind those who want to represent us that they have a responsibility to do so effectively.

This is Animated Minds for Animated Times, and really this blog is ultimately about emphasizing what makes animated media work, what makes it fun, and what makes it worthwhile no matter how old you are. And so in several years of sporadic and infrequent reviews, reactions and fandom posts it’s been rare for me to get this real about a topic, but this is something that is a serious issue feel was overlooked. Representation is complicated. And more often than not solutions that are handed to us are more band-aids that look like cures than necessarily being actually helpful, and that’s what happens when ultimately the decisions about how you’re represented lie in the hands of other people. Representation is one of the biggest things we need to work on in coming years, especially with stories and adaptations - which refer to history and culture that are often not widely known or accepted. Ask someone if they think there should be an African princess, and they’ll tell you they didn’t even have kings and queens in Africa - something that’s bluntly wrong, but is widely believed simply because those elements of culture are never represented.

And that’s the sum of my thoughts on the subject. I hadn’t updated the blog in months because this whole thing was stewing in me, and I couldn’t really go back to cheerful posts about new things until I got it out. I’ve got great thoughts about the Owl House, Amphibia, the new seasons of BH6 and Ducktales that are totally coming up soon. But for now, just a few sobering thoughts from someone who grew up loving cartoons, and desperately wishes people like me had more to look at in that field beyond apologies and promises.

#splash mountain #disney #song of the south #the princess and the frog #brer rabbit #social commentary #black lives matter #representation #walt disney world #joel chandler harris #uncle remus #cultural appropriation #real talk

[malphiguswrites]

ANALYSIS of The School of Athens

Denada Permatasari. 6 November 2017.

Fig 1.0 Fresco of Raphael's Scuola di Atene (The School of Athens), 1509-11 (courtesy of the Musei Vaticani).

The School of Athens by Raphael Sanzio, or more accurately, Raphael and his studio. This elaborate wall mural is a fresco in the Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican. Measuring 584 cm in length, this artwork was made in 1509 and finished in 1511.

I think that this artwork is a phenomenal masterpiece. From a technical standpoint, it is no debate that the scale and the mastery of human figures are impressive. Every single aspect is carefully planned, apparent from the detail of the backdrop to the individually distinctive figures present in the artwork. The symbolism in this work represent the core of Philosophy through subtle means of the wall division, the composition, down to the character’s body language, where they are situated, and even from the clothes they wear. In this essay, I discuss what all of the previously-stated elements mean and how they come together to give this artwork its meaning, and its significance.

Before delving into analysis of the artwork’s components, it is important to discuss why this artwork was made. This wall mural is part of Pope Julius II’s commission to decorate his private library (Zucker and Harris). The room has four sides, with each side representing the four branches of human knowledge at the time of High Renaissance: Philosophy, Divinity, Poetry, and Justice. The School of Athens, located on the east wall, represents Philosophy and is directly facing Disputa, representing Divinity (Zucker and Harris).

This placement, and the fact that this artwork is no less impressive than Disputa, can be seen as one of the defining attitudes of the High Renaissance: secularization. Here, the religiosity and philosophy are seen as equals, alongside poetry and justice. This is a big step from pre-Renaissance times when religion tended to dominate and rule above all aspects of life (qtd. in Toman iii).

Fig 1.1 Imagined horizontal and vertical lines of The School of Athens.

Moving on to the aspects of form of the artwork itself, I will first talk about its composition. In Fig 1.1, it is shown from the horizontal blue line that “… below the vaulted architecture and celestial backdrop, [Raphael] set the assembly of philosophers in the lower half field, on earth” (Rosand). This means that Raphael deliberately separated man, who is concrete and earthly, from the abstract.

Fig 1.2 Areas of interest in The School of Athens, as labeled with numbers.

Next, the vertical red line between the two figures in the center of the artwork (Area 1 in Fig 1.2). This imagined line serves as a divider for the opposing school of thoughts in Philosophy: Plato, the older man on the left, represents the ethereal and the abstract. He represents the belief that “… there is a realm that is based on mathematics, on pure idea that is truer than the everyday world that we see” (Zucker and Harris). Whereas Aristotle, the younger man on his right, represents the belief “… on the observable, the actual, [and] the physical” (Zucker and Harris).

This divide can be seen from the other characters’ placement in the artwork. In Area 2 (Fig 1.2), which is Plato’s side, are a cluster of people who are also concerned who explains the world from an abstract, cosmic lens (Rosand). This is contrasted by the group of people (Area 3) in Aristotle’s side, who explains the world through factual and concrete means (Rosand). I shall explain how I know the aforementioned observations through analyzing the elements, aspects of form, and the identity of each figure that makes up The School of Athens.

Fig 1.3 Zoom in of Plato and Aristotle.

First, the two main figures (Fig 1.3) in the center of the fresco (Area 1). They are separated from the others by the arc frame of the background. I have said before that the older man on the left is Plato, and the younger man is Aristotle, Plato’s pupil. They are also holding their own books, Plato with his Timaeus, and Aristotle with his Ethics. This section of the essay will highlight how the subject matter and design elements reflect the meaning of the divide in schools of Philosophy.

Plato, representing the ideal and the abstract, wears purple and red. “… The purple, referring to the ether, what we would call the air, [and] the red to fire, neither of which have weight” (Zucker and Harris). Whereas “Aristotle wears blue and brown, that is colors of earth and water, which have gravity [and] weight” (Zucker and Harris). This contrast between the abstract versus the concrete is further compounded by their body language: Plato, pointing up to the heavens, to the realm of high thinking, his bare feet just merely planted on the ground. Aristotle, his hand splayed downwards to the ground, wearing gilded sandals, feet firm on the tiles (Rosand).

Second, the homage to ancient antiquity, apparent in the pagan sculptures of Apollo on the top left and Athena on the right (Rosand). The design of the architecture, with coffered barrel vaults, pilasters, et cetera, is ancient Roman design as well. The god and goddess of the ancient times only reinforce the conceptual divide of the artwork, with Apollo, the god of music and poetry, things that are appropriately platonic (Rosand). Then there is Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, who is more involved in the practical affairs of man (Zucker and Harris).

The architecture design, which is equal throughout the artwork, represents the unifier in this artwork full of divides. They serve as a reminder that even though there is a fundamental divide in perspective, all of them are still under the same branch, Philosophy (Rosand).

Fig 1.4 The labeling of figures in Plato’s side using capital alphabets from A to F.

Third, the groups of people on Plato’s lower side in Area 2 (Fig 1.2). These figures are labeled with letters (Fig 1.4). Though the identities of many of the figures here is much debated, since Raphael did not leave any notes or annotations, let’s agree for the sake of discussion that:

A: Pythagoras, a Greek philosopher and mathematician who is arguably in the center of this group gathering. He sought to discover the mathematical principles of reality through musical harmony and geometry (Rosand).

B: Boethius, a Greek philosopher who wrote The Consolation of Philosophy (Lahanas).

C: Anaxagoras, a Greek philosopher that correctly explains solar eclipses and the presence of small particles (atoms) in all objects (Agutie).

D: Parmenides, a Greek philosopher who founded the method of reasoned proof for assertions (Agutie).

E: Hypatia, an Alexandrian philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer. She is considered to be the most famous student in the School of Athens (Lahanas).

F: Ibn Rushd (Latin: Averroes), a Spanish-Arab philosopher who wrote commentaries on almost all of Aristotle’s writings and major works of Plato (Agutie).

All of the figures in this cluster are concerned with the cosmic, bigger-picture truths, echoing Plato’s ideals. Moreover, two figures in this cluster deserve special attention: Hypatia and Ibn Rushd. Hypatia’s placement in Plato’s side is reminiscent of Plato’s principle of women’s equality (Fakhry), in fact she is the only woman in the whole artwork. On the other hand, Ibn Rushd’s placement in Plato’s side is curious, since he is more associated with Aristotle’s works more so than that of Plato’s (Fakhry). Even so, Raphael must be commended for including a woman as an equal with men and a Muslim figure, which was seen as radical and out of line in his era.

Fig 1.5 The labeling of figures in Aristotle’s side using capital alphabets from G to J.

Fourth, the group that represents Aristotle’s way of thought in Area 3 (Fig 1.2), concerned with the physical and the concrete. They are labeled with letters (Fig 1.5), with identities as follows:

G: Euclid, a Greek mathematician. He is the father of geometry and is seen bent down, applying geometry with a compass to a tablet, flat on the ground (Rosand).

H: Zoroaster, a Greek astronomer, founder of Zoroastrianism, holding a celestial orb (Agutie).

I: Ptolemy, the royal astronomer, who was the first to believe that all heavenly bodies revolve around the earth (Agutie).

J: Raphael, the artist himself in black, and his mentor in art, Sodoma, in white (Lahanas).

The figures in Aristotle’s side are arguably more interesting than Plato’s, as there is more diversity in terms of the principles that the figures represent. Of course, they are all still united in their more earthly and human-centric concerns, but the inclusion of the artist’s self-portrait is the main highlight of this area of interest. For Raphael to include himself is a historical statement, as stated by Dr. Beth Harris, “… here, the artist is considered an intellectual, on par with some [of] the greatest thinkers in history” (Zucker and Harris).

Fig 1.6 Zoom in detail of Heraclitus.

Last, but certainly not least, is the lone figure of Heraclitus (Fig 1.6), an ancient philosopher that sits and thinks alone, separated from the others (Area 4 in Fig 1.2). What makes this figure stand out is the fact that he is a deviation from the orthogonal perspective of the whole artwork. Apart from Diogenes, who is sprawled on the steps, also by himself, Heraclitus feels out of place in the artwork. This is because Heraclitus was actually added after the fresco was finished (Rosand).

At this point, I will discuss the personal aspect that Raphael weaved throughout this commission; Heraclitus’ figure is one of them. The model for this ancient philosopher is actually based off of Michelangelo, and this insertion, this acknowledgment of the older artist is very curious in of itself. The personal antipathy between them is well known; Raphael, the sociable and cultured artist was intensely disliked by Michelangelo, the brooding and melancholic artist, who accused him of stealing his ideas from the Sistine ceiling (Hale 274). For Raphael to include him in his impressive fresco can be said as an homage or a tribute to Michelangelo (Rosand). This speaks of Raphael’s respect and regard for the other artist despite their differences.

Heraclitus is not the only figure who is modeled after someone else –in fact, most of the major figures in this artwork are modeled after someone else- take, for instance, Plato who is actually modeled after Leonardo da Vinci (Toman 336), an artist that highly inspired Raphael. For him to model Plato, the central figure of his fresco and one of the greatest thinkers of all time after Leonardo is a significant honor to his person. Another instance is Euclid. The geometer is actually modeled after Bramante the architect, Raphael’s friend and professional companion (Toman 336). His tribute for Bramante doesn’t end there; the architectural design of the background is actually inspired by Bramante’s architectural design and vision (Martindale 83).

All of the analysis of the components, and how even the smallest things contribute to a greater meaning, is the main reason why I think this artwork is phenomenal. If anything is to be obvious from my essay, is the amount of planning, effort, and thoughtfulness that Raphael did for this fresco. For me, personally, there is nothing more impressive than a successful execution with an underlying concept that is well thought of in every step of the way. In this, I am very pleased with Raphael’s technical skill to make something so legible on an intimidating scale, yet still retaining a degree of thoughtfulness that is apparent in every single dot of his fresco.

To further compound this, I am not the only one who thinks that this artwork is extraordinary. The School of Athens has received high regard from the moment of its completion, even until the present day. The Stanza della Segnatura has been a famous tourist attraction because of the wall frescoes that Raphael made, and The School of Athens is arguably the main attraction in the Vatican Palace.

Most importantly, however, is Raphael’s own influence on the High Renaissance, and what follows after. As Johan Huizinga, a Dutch art historian has stated:

The Renaissance marks the rise of the individual, the awakening of a desire for beauty, a triumphal procession of joyful life, the intellectual conquest of physical realities, … a dawning of consciousness of the relationship of the individual to the natural world around him (qtd. in Toman i).

To attribute all of those values of the Renaissance to just The School of Athens is optimistic at best and naïve at worst, but it is worth acknowledging that The School of Athens is one of the main highlights of the High Renaissance, and certainly sums up the entirety of the High Renaissance. In this light, Raphael deserves much acclaim, as written by Luitpold Dussler in his book Raphael:

Raphael has left an indelible mark on art. He revolutionized portrait painting … and epitomized the style which has come to be known as High Renaissance. … Perhaps Raphael’s greatest achievement is that he appeals on all levels and makes something profoundly deep and complex appear simple and comprehensible (qtd. in Hale 275).

In conclusion, the value of Raphael’s The School of Athens is that it is invaluable. It was significant by the time it was completed, and is still significant even today, more than five hundred years later. More than just a room decoration, it speaks of the general perspective of Philosophy during the early 16th century. Raphael’s ability to condense such a difficult, multi-faceted discipline into a thoughtful work of art that can be appreciated by anyone, at any level, is a testament to his remarkable technical skill and conceptual knowledge.

I will end my essay with one conviction: that The School of Athens is one of the definitive artworks of the High Renaissance, and I hope that the significance of attributing an entire period to one single artwork is realized and acknowledged.

Works Cited

Zucker, Steven and Beth Harris. “Raphael, School of Athens.” Smarthistory. 27 Jul. 2014. 3 Nov 2017.

Toman, Rolf. Introduction. The Art of the Italian Renaissance. Germany: Könemann, 1995. Print. i, iii, 336.

Rosand, David. “Raphael’s Fresco of The School of Athens in the Stanza della Segnatura of the Vatican Palace.” Columbia University. New York. N.d. 3 Nov 2017.

Lahanas, Michael. “The School of Athens, ‘Who is Who?’ Puzzle.” Hellenica World. N. d. 3 Nov 2017 <http://www.hellenicaworld.com/Greece/Science/en/ SchoolAthens.html>.

Agutie. “Raphael (1483-1520): The School of Athens, 1509. Interactive Map.” Geometry from the Land of the Incas. 13 Jul 2014. 3 Nov 2017 <http://agutie.homestead.com/files/school_athens_map.html>.

Fakhry, Majid. Averroes (Ibn Rushd) His Life, Works and Influence. London: Oneworld Publications, 2001. N. p.

“Raphael.” Encyclopaedia of the Italian Renaissance. Ed. J. R. Hale. Lindon: Thames and Hudson,1981. Print. 274-275.

Martindale, Andrew. Man and the Renaissance. London: Paul Hamlyn Limited. 1966. Print. 83.

#raphael #the school of athens #athens #fresco #mural #renaissance #art #stanza della segnatura #vatican #city #plato #aristotle #scuola di atene #essay #analysis #heraclitus #michelangelo #philosophy #steven zucker #beth harris #rolf toman #david rosand #michael lahanas #agutie #majid fakhry #andrew martindale #italy #italian #malphigus #malphiguswrites

[thepartyponies]

Its pretty amazing how you see a post about religous abuse and immediately frame it about how the abuse victims "did wrong" for not believing in your invisible friend. This is why christianity ends up abusing so many people. Its not about what the victim did wrong - its about what CHRISTIANS do wrong and wont stop doing

Hi, is there a specific post of mine you're referring to? If so, please let me know so I can reread what I said. I'm looking through my christianity tag and I'm not seeing anything recent that deals with religious abuse. Maybe I forgot to tag it, or is it from a while ago? If it's from a while ago, there's always a chance that I would say it differently now.

I'm always interested in learning how to better love and represent Jesus to the people around me, so I'd love to hear more about your perspective and experiences with this subject. If you or someone you love has been hurt in their experience with Christianity (which from your tone seems likely), I hope you will believe that I am truly sorry that that happened. It breaks my heart to see people hurt and have their view of God tainted in that way.

I have more to say, but I'll put the rest of my response under a readmore.

In general I do agree that victims of abuse should not bear the blame for hurts that have been done to them. However, I like to avoid blanket statements and assuming that every painful situation falls into the same neat categories of abuser vs abused. Many do, but life is often complicated, and there's nuance to every situation. Nobody's perfect, and being victimized doesn't automatically excuse someone of all responsibility. Sometimes bad people hurt other bad people, or they hurt each other.

But again, I feel like you're responding to a specific post, so I don't want to overemphasize one aspect of a conversation without being fully aware of the context of that conversation.

You mention "not believing". Well, if God is real, which he proved he is with the empty tomb among other things, then he's the rightful ruler of the universe, and there's no neutral position when it comes to his kingship. Either you accept him as king over every atom of creation, or you reject him as king.

He's a good king, far better than any other we could invent for ourselves.

I do tend to disagree with the premise that Christianity abuses people, instead I think it's more accurate to say that sometimes Christians abuse people, like you said towards the end of your message. Specific, individual, real life people, rather than the religion/institution/concept as a whole. Big difference.

Christianity is part of the story of God using broken, messed-up people like me and you to participate in his ongoing work of restoration in this world. In fact every central figure in the Bible, except Jesus, has their flaws on full display. Becoming a Christian doesn't immediately free you of all your fallen tendencies, rather it's a lifelong journey of partnering with the Holy Spirit to let yourself be transformed into the person you were always meant to be, ie someone full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control, etc. Someone who acts like Jesus did.

Some people are farther along in this nonlinear process than others, some get lost and sidetracked along the way. I've seen and heard many people who claim the name of Christ talk and act in ways that look nothing like him. Whenever that happens, the name of Christ is profaned, and scripture tells us that such people will be held accountable, in this life and/or the next. Earlier this year I read the amazing book "Mere Christianity" by CS Lewis (which I highly recommend to everyone). In it he said that anything that has the capacity to act for good has an equal capacity to act for evil.

Humans, for example, have more capacity for both than, say, cows do. Some people, in their brokenness, will take God's primary method of reconciliation (the ekklesia or "church") and use it for their own selfish purposes, or in their zeal to do right will hurt the very people they should be trying to minister to. "Beating with a book everyone that book tells you to love" as the Brand New song lyrics say. Some will construct versions of the church that deviate from the templates and instructions given in scripture, in order to free themselves from accountability and transparency and to gain power and influence over others who should be safe in their care.

But I've seen way too much of Christianity being done right, lives being restored, people being saved and healed, to say that the abuse means that we should just give up, or that the abuse somehow redefines what Christianity is. I just met a woman today whose life-threatening ovarian cancer was miraculously healed. God is at work in this world, and in and through his people, despite our faults and shortcomings. People will often let you down, God never will. Sometimes we think he has, but that's usually because we expect things from him that he hasn't promised. Life with God won't be perfect this side of eternity, but we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

If any fellow believers read this, if you see unhealthy or abusive behavior happening with other believers, please speak up. In a bold, humble, loving, truthful, biblical way.

And with that I need to use the sleep. Goodnight.

#nonnie #replies #christianity

[sgtransformersdork]

Cybertron (Pre-War)

Well, this takes 'world building' to an interesting level. Terrible wordplay aside, Cybertron before the war may have had its problems, but it was still loved deeply as the home of Cybertronians and where all (known) sentient cybernetic lifeforms originate. No one could have guessed what it would have become. But I’ll get to that another time. For now, let’s discuss what Cybertron was.

To start off, Cybertron is in a distant galaxy, light years from Earth. It orbits an orange star, and has two moons that are also inhabited. The atmosphere is thin, and the sky often looks like perpetual twilight. The weather is either clear, or showers of dangerous acid rain. There really isn’t much to the natural terrain, as it is a metal planet, and Cybertronians have long since covered it in infrastructure.

It’s worth mentioning Cybertron is entirely unified, though each area has its own government, and has always been as such. There are many cities on the planet, but the largest and most prominent were Iacon, Vos, Tarn, Helex, and Kaon. Iacon is said to be the oldest city on Cybertron, and as such it’s steeped in history. Iacon is where the Senate formed, and where the first Prime received the Matrix of leadership. A diverse city where Cybertronians traveled to find opportunities of all kinds. Vos was the city of flight frames, Vosian officials claimed that Vos was the birthplace of all flight frames (though these claims are dubious). A city of tall spires, beautiful art, and pride unlike any other city. It was where Artisan Class originated, as Vosians considered beauty of all kinds to be important. Tarn was a very industrial city, with plenty of energon mines, and factories to create things such as steel. It was also known for its powerful military forces, being the only city to have mandatory military service. Helex was a city of exports, sending and receiving all kinds of goods from all over the planet, and even other Cybertronian colonies. Kaon was a city famous for harboring all kinds of ex-convicts, and was also home to the brutal gladiator fights, despite the Senate’s attempts to outlaw them.

As mentioned previously, Cybertron operated under a class system, which from lowest to highest was Servant Class, Artisan Class, Labor Class, Military Class, and Intelligence Class. Servant Class mechs fell under two categories: public servants and private servants. Regardless of which category they were in, they were taught to only follow orders, be respectful, and never to speak unless spoken to. Servant Class mechs had small, light frames, to show their subservience to others. Artisan Class mechs cannot be as defined as easily as others, as many different types of artisans existed. Most Artisan Class changed their class at some point, finding themselves more suited to art than something else. Labor Class was the largest class, and was complicated enough to have many tiers. Some Labor Class mechs worked in large factories for long hours and meager wages, while others were office workers, or even working in fields such as journalism. Military Class is fairly straightforward, these mechs were trained to fight for Cybertron, if it were ever necessary. Though, due to Cybertron having no enemies, many were assigned to positions such as law enforcement. Intelligence Class was the most exalted, due to the high regard Cybertronians hold towards intelligence. These mechs had the power to change the planet itself, with science, engineering, mathematics, medicine, and so many others. As such, Intelligence Class individuals were privileged from the moment they emerged. While it was possible to change one’s class, it was also slightly arduous, and many lower class mechs were discouraged to do so. Even long before the war, this system caused conflicts.

Cybertronians are a race without religion. They do not see a point in creating stories or deities to explain the questions they can't answer. (Quick disclaimer: no one is superior or inferior for following or not following religion). They would prefer to explore all evidence they can find to answer their questions. The Matrix is the closest thing they have to faith. There are also old stories of the Omega Terminus, that gave them life and sentience, but no Cybertronian has ever found it, and they've found no evidence beyond brief mentions, so they don't consider it to be a likely theory for their creation. In fact, they no longer seek to answer that specific question due to finding no way to investigate it. They also don't have a concept of fate or pre-planned destiny, as the future is something they cannot accurately predict.

And I've really only scratched the surface of my idea of Cybertron, there's a lot more to it than what I just wrote, but the rest of the ideas are slightly disjointed rambles. A lot of this was expanding on previously mentioned ideas, or updating them. Next time, I'll be talking about Cybertron during the war.

#transformers #shattered glass #transformers shattered glass #Fanfic #Cybertron

[wisdomrays]

TAFAKKUR: Part 273

A DEAD END FOR SCIENCE OR A CALL TO THE CREATOR

The scientists of the world have been engaged in solving the problem of deciphering the so-called human genome during the last few decades. At the turn of the millennium the genetic map had finally been deciphered in general. Nevertheless, classic genetics and all of the more recent research efforts in biology, biochemistry, physiology and some inter-disciplinary methodologies have found themselves, it could be said, at a dead end. But this is only a dead end if we fail to recognize that we are all governed by a single supreme intellect, by the Divine Providence, Who voices His Will by means of the Words.

The name of God is different in different languages of the world and in the minds of those who accept the Creator as the only God; the Christians, Muslims, Jews and other believers, around 60-70% of the global population. Yet this name corresponds for them with the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Qur’an. In all these instances, there is a Holy Word, in one form or another. The task of every believer is to recognize the very form that the Creator uses to call His Creation. This is a personal issue that originates from the religion that one worships.

So, what is the problem that faces genetics at the beginning of the 3rd millennium and how does it correspond with the Creator’s expressed will and His call to us?

It is here where there is a prospect for a remarkable breakthrough in knowledge, if only… This “if only” can be connected to academic achievements and issues.

In fact, over the last three or four years scientists have discovered by very sophisticated means and through careful research that the genetic code that governs the human body-and, in a broader sense, everything that is alive in Nature-accounts for no more than 1% of the DNA molecular length of the structure that determines the development of all living species. This discovery was as shocking for scientists as the deciphering of the genetic code had been. They concluded that the genetic programming occurred in the DNA molecular “free zone.” Here, scientists-among them the Russian naturalists A.G. Gurevitch and V.I. Vernadskiy, who some 50-70 years ago claimed that a purely materialistic understanding of the gene was the limit to which non-believing science could go-were proven to be right.

The new discoveries are most certainly related to the emergence of such sophisticated physical instruments as the laser, holography, sol tonics and even powerful computers. Modern technology has proved, without a doubt that the program in space and time for the creation of the human organism is not based on random accident, but rather is predetermined from “above.” The protein molecules and the amino acids that comprise the gene (to date, more than twenty different types of amino acids have been discovered) are placed in a particular order. A single fitting lock-and-key relation exists in the composition of the genetic code components. In addition, it has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the genetic code of species that live on the Earth has not changed in three billion years, i.e., there is no room to talk about evolution, the principal postulate of materialists. Then, who or what has created the origin for everything that exists today on our planet several billion years after the creation of the Earth?

Then there is another puzzle: Why does the genetic code have such a small place, only taking up 1% of the DNA?

Scientists in Russia have learned that 99% of DNA-which was previously considered to be useless-hides within itself the so-called “genetic computer” that comprises the programs needed to make living organisms into a variety of species and these mask the genetic features that are unique to a particular species. It is not completely clear how the mechanism of this so-called genetic computer works, but it does work. The concept of a holographic mechanism for the storage, transference, and recovery of information was developed as the result of an experiment.

Scientists took a freshly cut leaf, chopped off part of it, and put this between two slides and two photo plates. As the picture developed, it became clear that the leaf was depicted whole. In short, an idea or a phantom had been photographed. These first experiments were conducted in Russia in the 1960s.

Russian, American, and British genetic scientists continuously repeated the experiment, taking phantom photographs of different objects, and came to the conclusion that science was dealing with a multidimensional picture of the leaf, or its hologram.

Based on this, some other puzzles were solved. The “genetic computer” manages the development of holograms by means of special static waves, called sol tones (the name sol tonics, a special scientific branch, is derived from this term) that function in the DNA embryo cells.

Scientists have long since established that out of one single fertilized ovule other ovules start to instantly develop, as if on command; these are responsible, for instance, for making bone, muscle, nerve and other systems within the human body. And over this totally material process there floats a totally immaterial phantom that dictates and shows the embryo the way to develop.

In other words, there is a certain image according to which development proceeds. The DNA is the text that controls this creation, with its inherent rules of composition; it is possible to perceive the DNA as being made up of letters, i.e. a word. At first there was the Word! This is a quote from the Bible. In Islam, Almighty Allah gave the Word by means of the Qur’an (reading) to Muhammad. A phrase from the Qur’an describes the above process in an amazingly simple and pertinent way:

It is He Who fashions you in the wombs as He will. There is no deity but He, the All-Glorious (with irresistible might), the All-Wise. (Al Imran, 3:6)

The Word of the Creator, according to which the genome “works,” is registered with greater security in the bio-system apparatus. It will only disappear in conjunction with the last of the human beings. This may be the very idea behind what is called the Day of Judgment, or Doomsday in Islam and other religions.

In the context of Einstein’s principles of a single field theory, as well as in Shipov’s physical vacuum theory, it may be possible to find clarification of the phenomenon, when in one case a wave matrix (copy) remains “clean,” but distorted in another.

It is worth discussing here those things that have already been proven. The programs written in the DNA cannot have emerged as a result of simple evolution, in the very least as, due to the huge volume of information contained here, the time required would have exceeded the time that the Universe has existed, that is around 15 billion years. We have established an approximate time that would be required for the genetic transformations that determine the essence of human beings to occur. It is substantially less…

Another study has been carried out that does not fit into the traditional materialistic frames. It seems that the internal structural information of DNA alone is not enough to develop an accurate replica of the image organism from the composition of the protein elements. Numerous experiments carried out by Russian scientists (in particular, from the Moscow Scientific and Cardiology Center) have proved that a frog embryo that has been purposefully protected to a great degree from external influences, distorts, suffering from malformation and finally dying. This means that a DNA has to be connected-maybe by means of sol tones waves or other contacts still unknown to us-with an “external source” that guides the genome-bio-computer work from somewhere in Space. One cannot but recall Muhammad here, the last of the Greatest Prophets, who categorically rejected the possibility of not only seeing, but even imagining the Almighty.

There are few people who still argue about the existence of the soul. The time when the soul departs from the body has been well-documented by scientists, doctors, and naturalists. As a matter of fact, the soul emerges when the heart cells die, that is, when the organism as a whole dies. It is at this time that a certain phantom of the genetic apparatus is formed, similar to the one described above in the phenomenon of the phantom leaf. It is interesting to contemplate the idea that the phantom of a human genetic apparatus that has lost their life by force would possess a high biological reaction and would therefore be in a position to distort and destroy any healthy molecules that may be close by. One cannot but recall the imperative ban on killing the innocent that is contained both in the Old Testament and the Qur’an, a call to leave retaliation to Him and to Him only.

In conclusion to my brief essay on the necessity of belief in today’s science, the common scientific way tries to explain “how,” but it fails to answer the question of “why” that lies behind the mystery of existence. Any scientific approach rejecting faith is doomed to fail; for faith is an inherent need for us. The belief in Him, the Single and Almighty, is genetically programmed. In a hadith reported in Sahih al-Bukhari, God’s Messenger states that every person is born in the primordial nature (fitra) of Islam.

Here, at the beginning of the 3rd millennium, at the height of our scientific achievements, we have come to understand God as a natural phenomenon. We must follow His guidance and not distort the Word or the Image of love that has been implanted by the Creator in our genetic code with mindless acts and evil speeches.

#allah #god #prophet #Muhammad #quran #ayah #sunnah #hadith #islam #muslim #muslimah #hijab #help #revert #convert #religion #reminder #dua #salah #pray #prayer #welcome to islam #how to convert to islam #new convert #new muslim #new revert #revert help #convert help #islam help #muslim help

[mswyrr]

Here, I am afraid I have to disagree with most, if not all, of the former speakers on the science-religion confrontation because they are talking like Camp David diplomats drawing lines with a felt pen over some maps of the Israel/Palestine territories. They all try to settle disputes as if there was one single domain, one single kingdom to share in two, or, following the terrifying similarity with the Holy Land, as if two “equally valid claims” had to be established side by side, one for the natural, the other for the supernatural. And some speakers, like the most extremist zealots of Jerusalem and Ramallah—the parallel is uncanny—rejecting the efforts of diplomats, want to claim the whole land for themselves, either by driving the obscurantist religious folks to the other side of the Jordan River or, conversely, by drowning the naturalists in the Mediterranean Sea. I find those disputes—whether there is one or two domains, whether it is hegemonic or parallel, whether polemical or peaceful—equally moot for a reason that strikes at the heart of the matter: they all suppose that science and religion have similar but divergent claims to reach and settle a territory, either of this world, or of this other world. I believe, on the contrary, that there is no point of contact between the two, no more, let’s say than nightingales and frogs have to enter into any sort of direct ecological competition.

I am not saying that science and religion are incommensurable because one grasps the objective visible world of here and there, and the other grasps the invisible subjective or transcendent world of beyond, but rather that even their incommensurability would be a category mistake. The reason is that neither science nor religion fits even this basic picture that would put them face-toface, or enough in relation to be deemed incommensurable! Neither religion nor science are much interested in the visible: it is science that grasps the far and the distant; as to religion, it does not even try to grasp anything.

... My point might appear at first counterintuitive because I wish to draw simultaneously on what I have learned from science studies about scientific practice and what I hope you have experienced here in reframing religious talk with the help of a love argument. Religion does not even try, if you have followed me until now, to reach anything beyond, but to represent the presence of that which is called in a certain technical and ritual idiom the “Word incarnate”— that is to say again that it is here, alive, and not dead over there far away. It does not try to designate something, but to speak from a new state that it generates by its ways of talking, its manner of speech.

Religion, in this tradition, does everything to constantly redirect attention by systematically breaking the will to go away, to ignore, to be indifferent, blase´, bored. Conversely, science has nothing to do with the visible, the direct, the immediate, the tangible, the lived world of common sense, of sturdy “matters of fact.” Quite the opposite, as I have shown many times, it builds extraordinarily long, complicated, mediated, indirect, sophisticated paths so as to reach the worlds—like William James I insist on the plural—that are invisible because they are too small, too far, too powerful, too big, too odd, too surprising, too counterintuitive, through concatenations of layered instruments, calculations, models. Only through the laboratory and instrument networks can you obtain those long referential chains that allow you to maximize the two contrary features of mobility (or transport) and immutability (or constant) that both make up information—what I have called for this reason “immutable mobiles.”

...What a comedy of errors! When the debate between science and religion is staged, adjectives are almost exactly reversed: it is of science that one should say that it reaches the invisible world of beyond, that she is spiritual, miraculous, soul-fulfilling, uplifting.8 And it is religion that should be qualified as being local, objective, visible, mundane, unmiraculous, repetitive, obstinate, sturdy.

In the traditional fable of a race between the scientific rabbit and the religious tortoise, two things are totally unrealistic: the rabbit and the tortoise. Religion does not even attempt to race to know the beyond, but attempts at breaking all habits of thoughts that direct our attention to the far away, to the absent, to the overworld, in order to bring attention back to the incarnate, to the renewed presence of what was before misunderstood, distorted and deadly, of what is said to be “what was, what is, what shall be,” toward those words that carry salvation. Science does not directly grasp anything accurately, but slowly gains its accuracy, its validity, its truth-condition by the long, risky, and painful detour through the mediations of experiments not experience, laboratories not common sense, theories not visibility, and if she is able to obtain truth it is at the price of mind-boggling transformations from one media into the next. Thus, to even assemble a stage where the deep and serious problem of “the relationship between science and religion” could unfold is already an imposture, not to say a farce that distorts science and religion, religion and science beyond all recognition.

#bruno latour #2 #3 #4 #5 #religion #history of science #sociology

[theonceoverthinker]

OUAT 3X01 - The Heart of the Truest Believer

Finally, I can start Season 3! It’s been so long that I can HEART-ly believe it!

...Did you miss the puns? I missed the puns. I don’t think Emma did, because I’m just hanging on by a thread! 

(Ha! Snuck two in!)

Anyway, let’s get under the cut and see what this episode has to offer!

Press Release Emma, Mary Margaret, David, Regina, Mr. Gold and Hook enter Neverland to search for a kidnapped Henry, they’re greeted by a school of not-to-friendly mermaids who threaten to end their search before it begins; Henry finds himself on the run from the Lost Boys with another escapee from Peter Pan’s encampment; and Neal, recovering from his wounds, travels through the Enchanted Forest with Mulan in an attempt to learn the fates of Emma and Henry.

General Thoughts - Characters/Stories/Themes and Their Effectiveness Neverland Seas ”I blame you.” Yeah, I disagree, Emma. For one thing, this plays a pretty small part of the overall story. For another, while they tried to convince her of what to do, it was Emma’s ultimate decision to do it. As she says, “We’re the same age. We have equal amounts of wisdom.” For a third, their decision, while endangering Henry, saved Regina. For a fourth, the only people’s faults for Henry’s capture are Greg and Tamara. *sighs* Look, I get Emma’s grief and worry, but this writing direction doesn’t feel genuine for her to deflect blaming Snow and David. It feels like a conflict was thrown in so that there would be more of a disconnect between her and her family.  I love Emma, but I can admit when a scene makes her completely unsympathetic despite the framing telling me otherwise, and this is a prime example. And here’s the thing: This never comes up again! Emma doesn’t apologize to them. This moment is utterly pointless!

The importance of teamwork is the big theme of this segment and once we get over that hiccup of a scene as I just mentioned, it’s delivered incredibly effectively. The conflicts between the characters, both internal and external, are incredibly real and no one is holding back. And the twist of those conflicts causing the storm is handled well! Rumple presents the bare essence of the theme, about Emma’s lack of belief, and because he chooses to go off on his own, the narrative has him fail by putting him into a traumatising position, whereas Emma’s belief in their abilities as a team and, in correlation with Rumple’s speech, herself, allows for the rest of the Nevengers to succeed.

Neverland Island So I have a nice bit to say about this segment, but it all applies to my “Favorite Dynamics” segment, so you’ll see that down there!

Enchanted Forest There’s not really much to be said about the story other than I liked it. That’s not to say that I didn’t like it or I didn’t appreciate the characters re-introduced or the interactions between them, but it was rather simple and that just doesn’t leave me a lot to talk about in terms of a breakdown of themes of major character actions. Still, the pacing was nice and the story was engaging!

Insights - Stream of Consciousness -So I didn’t realize that Emma giving birth to Henry was the first scene of the season. For some reason, I was under the impression that it happened at the start of “Coming Home,” but I honestly love it being here. Immediately, you get the sense that this arc was well planned so that it could return to this moment at the end of “Coming Home.”

-Also, I love that flicker of light as Emma gives birth! Such a special part of Emma’s life -- one filled with both joy and misery as she decides to give Henry away -- deserves the magical treatment!

-I seriously got choked up as Emma denied her chance at being Henry’s mother from the start. There’s so much love for him from the start and while it’s causing her so much pain, she’s doing what she thinks is best for him. And the gentle and yet powerful way the theme plays in the background just kills me. Swan Believer forever!

-Damn, what a cool way to go back to the present! We’re put right in the action, not missing a minute of the adventure.

-I will NEVER get over how much I love hearing Killian say “Neverland.” Whether in “The Crocodile” or here, Colin puts so much energy into the word, encompassing the danger and adventure to be found there.

-”It’s a good thing you guys don’t ask any questions.” My sentiments exactly, Henry!

-”More time than I care to remember trying to leave this place to kill Rumplestiltskin.” This provides some interesting insight into Killian’s character. It implies (to me) that he devised his Dreamshade plan with quite a few years to spare before his escape, whereas I always assumed that the planning took most of the time and that the escape was just a pinch of time towards the end.

-”Villains don’t get happy endings.” It’s incredible that this line, said by a character that left so little of an impression, is what follows Regina, Rumple, and Killian throughout basically the rest of the series.

-”That’s a great use of our time. A wardrobe change.” To be fair, Killian, Rumple’s not going to be in fighting shape sporting a Calvin Klein suit. This...honestly weird ass outfit makes the most sense.

-”You don’t believe in your parents, you don’t believe in magic, or even yourself.” Talk about a kickass line of foreshadowing of all that she’s going to overcome by the end of this arc!

-”When have you ever taken a real leap of faith?” Give it about a half hour, Rumple!

-So I must say, it’s funny that a lack of evidence is brought up as such a big story element here, but once Tink enters the picture, it’s her need for evidence as to the safety of their voyage back that secures it. A bit of dissonance, but nothing too severe.

-I love how Rumple spins his cane as he disappears. Rumple is the most beautifully extra person across the realms.

-I probably should’ve discussed this last time, but I love the design for the Lost Boys. They give off this air of being lost souls and their numbers stand to make them very intimidating.

-So going off of Greg’s death as well as the events of “Awake,” I’m gonna say that a shadow rip doesn’t necessitate death unless the shadow ripper wants it to mean death.

-”No time for questions.” I like that subtle line that’s in tune with Greg and Tamara’s line of no asking questions, foreshadowing the revelation about him.

-Damn! JMO is strong!

-The dialogue in the scene with Neal, Mulan, Aurora, and Phillip flows so naturally!

-”How long was he with you?” ”Long enough for me to know that I miss him, too.” I normally don’t make timeline jokes, but...come onnnnn!

-”I will not be capsized by fish.” This may be my new favorite David line.

-Also, any pretense that murder leaves any long-lasting effects of Snow and David go the fuck away when David tries to kill mermaids.

-Why didn’t Regina get rid of them earlier?

-”If Pan wants you, he WILL get you.” This line is delivered so well. Pan is not only just barely holding out from outright bragging, but is trying to deteriorate Henry’s belief and seeing that it isn’t working, cementing his part to play in Pan’s ploy.

-”Lead the way.” Am I the only one humming “Follow the Leader?”

-I like how, until Rumple enchants her, Tamara physically can’t talk. Very realistic.

-You know, everyone talks about heart colors when it comes to Rumple, Regina, Snow, and Killian, but does anyone notice how Tamara’s heart was pretty freakin’ red when Gold crushed it?

-Did no one read “Lord of the Flies?” Get the conch shell away from your enemies!

-”Filet the bitch.” I’m starting to think that all of my favorite character lines in this show have to do with aquatic life.

-”We need to think this through.” Emma, that why they’re shouting at each other. They’re discussing the matter.

-Okay, so I’m not the biggest Robin Sr. fan (And I’m hoping that this rewatch changes that for the better), but this was a solid entrance. It feels iconic, plays to the character’s power and good nature, and the more neutral yet noble tone that the scene requires plays well to Sean’s strengths.

-”See these markings? He was keeping track of me growing.” Awwwww!!! Papafire moment! That was necessary and beautiful!

-I just realized, this is our intro to blood magic! Cool!

-”I ruined YOUR life?” Regina, please. I thought we were past that…

-”Don’t call my wife a slag!” Yeah, Killian. You deserved the fuck outta that punch.

-I love the music that plays during the flying sequence! It’s gorgeous, distinct, and whimsical!

-CAPTAIN CHARMING BROMANCE!!! We have taken off!

-So I’m guessing that Rumple has encountered Felix at least one or two times.

-”Each of us have been too busy being at each other’s throats to be believers.” Those things aren’t correlated.

-”We need to do this the right way.” “No, we don’t. We just need to succeed.” YESSSS! Emma! That is my girl! She gets her tactics from her mama!!

-”It’s easier to get people to hate something than to believe.” That’s...incredibly accurate.

Arcs - How Are These Storylines Progressing? Everyone Working Together AND The Mission to Save Henry- ”It’s time for all of us to believe, not in magic, but in each other.” Emma’s speech took a sentence to get going, but once it did, DAMN did it get good! Now, as one gleams from this episode, these two arcs are one and the same. The only way Henry is saved is by working together, and this episode completely captures why that’s so important.

Emma Accepting Her Parents - This second-part-of-an-arc got off to SUCH a weak start, and that’s frustrating because I KNOW it gets better from here. But what I said above does apply.

Greg and Tamara - “We don’t ask questions. We just believe in our cause.” Holy crap. Tamara and Greg went from being two pretty intelligent and well designed villains into being total morons. I will say, part of me is glad that they did because if not, their conflict would’ve been way too close to a science vs. religion debate for comfort. But they also die here. To be honest, if anyone but Rumple was to find one of them, I’d rather it have been Greg who got the additional moments of life to speak and allow for Henry to get away. His story, well, was actually a story, whereas Tamara’s connection to Neal is loose at best.

Killian’s Redemption - Killian’s redemption takes an honest-to-goodness step forward. He’s acting on his decision to care about someone other than himself (And that shows through the two people aboard the ship that can stand him), but still has quite a bit of his verbal firepower and contempt (Towards David and Rumple) that reminds us of his villainous past and that his redemption won’t be all sunshine and rainbows.

Rumple’s Redemption - Rumple takes what is a realistic step back, though I’m not even certain I should call it a step back. Despite being his Rumple-y self, the narrative makes it very clear that his decision to dessert the group and chastise them beforehand are made on behalf of the mission to save Henry. And as we see the personal trials he’s already taken on in this pursuit with the confrontation with Pan’s minion, there’s so much power that grows with these decisions.

Regina’s Redemption - Regina also takes a step back into some of her more vicious tendencies: hating on Snow, defaulting to magic and violence for all her solutions. I personally like this because while there’s an understanding that these people are family, the anger and resentment between Regina and them is still present and in the heat of the moment, Regina won’t forget it. I will say, the Regina Blames the World trope is back and it still annoys me, though slightly less so here because the framing wasn’t going for sympathy in that moment.

Favorite Dynamic Henry and Pan. Pan’s dynamic with Henry sets up perfectly the kind of monster he will be for the rest of the season. He’s an incredible manipulator and plans out everything he says in order to activate Henry’s belief just when he needs to. Look at the way he set up the pixie dust and how that moment pays off! It’s makes for a triumphant moment that becomes terrifying in hindsight. But what makes this dynamic work so well is how it is set up. In the few minutes we see before Pan’s disguised appearance, Neverland has shown itself to be a cruel place. The location itself is darkly lit and the two villains of the previous season are violently murdered. Because of that, we as an audience clutch to Pan just as Henry does and because of that, for the first time, our belief causes suffering as the deception is exposed.

Writer Adam and Eddy, as usual start up the season! And I honestly like it. A lot of it is good! I’d compare it to the Season 1 finale where it’s a good mix of story and character moments (And just like in the Season 1 finale, has a completely pointless and aggravating moment, but thankfully, this one doesn’t mean a lot)! I feel like the characters were put in a solid place where they have room to grow and are put somewhere that keeps them intimate and gives them opportunities for great dynamics!

Rating 9/10. This episode is a great way to start off the season! The settings and themes have been set up well, and the characters are in good form! It’s exciting and adventurous, but nerve racking all the same. It makes me super excited for what’s to come!

Flip My Ship - The Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness” Captain Swan - Look, season 2 was not Captain Swan’s golden time for shipping (For me, at least), but Season 3 is here and they are glorious! Killian is incredibly respectful of Emma, comforts her over her worries, addresses underlying grief she has for Baelfire, and supports her as she prepares for Neverland’s horrors. It’s honestly amazing! Also, Emma and Killian are sailing the Roger together during the storm!! They’re working together and it is the BEST!!! Ship of dreams...quite literally! Swanfire - And don’t think I forgot about Swanfire! Both Emma’s grief and Neal’s devotion to getting back to her is such a big presence in this episode. “Tell Emma I’m alive, and that I love her.” Letting Emma know that he’s both okay and loves her is Neal’s main priority and that’s just incredible! And I loved Neal’s scene with Mulan as he discusses his regrets leaving Emma. <3

-----

Woohoo! Season 3 is off to a solid start and I can’t wait to take the rest of Peter Pan’s Flight! Thank you for reading and to the fine folks at @watchingfairytales!

Next time...I don’t know. Reader, help me out, cause I’m lost...girl… ;)

See you guys then!

Season 3 Total (9/220)

Writer’s Scores: Adam and Eddy (9/60)

Operation Rewatch Archives

#ouat #once upon a time #watching fairytales #ouat 3x01 #ouat rewatch #jenna watches ouat

[chthonicbeekeeper]

The Book of Joseph. Chapter 5

“They command you not to kill,

not to steal. Do you think they are

doing it to save your soul? No.

They could not care less about your

soul or your life. Killing, stealing —

they just want to be the only ones

allowed to do those things.”

Sermon from the Project at Eden's Gate.

One night, Jacob woke John and me. Without a word, he led us out of the barn and began pouring gasoline on everything inside it. Then, he set it on fire.

After that, he freed the animals and burned the stables as well. As the flames rose higher, the light, the crackling, and the cries of the animals woke our guardians. They ran outside in a panic, still wearing their pyjamas.

By then, Jacob had swapped his cans of gasoline for a sturdy axe handle. He knocked out the still drowsy man with a few blows. He was left lying on the ground, face bloodied, illuminated by the flames, his wife screaming in terror while we watched the sight without the slightest feeling of pity.

We had been lied to. Now there was no chance that we would call them Mum and Dad.

Jacob also burned the house, the cars, and everything our guardians owned. When there was nothing left to bum, we sat on the ground and watched the fire consume and purify the place where we had endured so much suffering, like scouts watching a campfire.

And so we confirmed the suspicions of the psychiatrists who had examined us the first time: the Seed brothers were dangerous. They had a tainted and nefarious bloodline. What did it matter that we had been humiliated, exploited, and starved? The rest of humanity was not satisfied. Who were we to dare to rebel? We had to be stopped. We needed to be separated urgently. The authorities placed Jacob in a juvenile detention centre, which could be more accurately described as a prison for minors. He left between the arms of two police officers, like a guilty man, like our father. But before he did, he reassured us, promised us that we would be reunited soon and that we would never leave each other again.

He told us everything was going to be ok. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

For John and me, still at the orphanage, it was time to get back on the adoption merry-go-round. We were visited by infertile couples, visited by people who were bored but too allergic to get a dog, visited by those who wanted to save their souls by doing a good deed; we saw anyone who wanted to adopt a child, whether or not they had good intentions.

John was the first to go. He was the best looking, the least odd. He was adopted by a rich family who, I imagined, lived in luxury in Atlanta or one of those gated communities we had never set foot in.

As for me, I was picked a few times with varying results. Once, and only once, I ignored the psychiatrist’s advice and talked about the Voice. I was immediately sent back to the orphanage, the same way you return a defective household appliance. I think they were hoping I was still under warranty and they could quickly exchange me for a more normal child free of charge.

But most families who welcomed me in treated me well. They were brave people who almost made me forget that my brothers were far away.

I hope they do not suffer when the end comes.

Of course, I came across many other children during these years: temporary siblings, classmates, teammates, and the like. I had a hard time connecting with them. I was different. I could feel it. Everyone saw me as the odd one out secretive, a lonely orphan. Teachers and professors worried about me spending so much time on my own. They did not know I wasn’t alone. The Voice’s message was on a constant loop in my head, promising me an extraordinary destiny.

And so, I went from family to family, year after year. When I became a man, and was free to travel wherever I liked, I returned to Rome with the intention of finding my two brothers.

I had not heard anything from them. We had not seen, called, or written each other. I knew that the government would not help me. They did not have the right and no one would make the smallest effort for the brothers to find each other. But I did not doubt that we would be reunited. This was our destiny. I returned to our neighbourhood, looking for our street, our house. But neither the house nor the street were there any longer.

Instead, there was a shopping centre. One fine morning, someone had decided that our suburb needed to become both respectable and profitable. And to do so, the rabble had to be pushed out and their hovels razed. Someone had simply thrown a dart at a map and thus sealed the fate of dozens of families. Because, when the rich move in, the poor get kicked out. Where the Seed house once stood, there was now a fancy pet store with a frame maker and an overpriced barbershop on either side.

The neighbourhood was unrecognizable. Back then, people threw rocks at stray dogs and shaved in broken bits of mirrors, and the most valued skill was knowing how to avoid having your meagre possessions seized by the repo man or a collection agency.

The local residents had also radically changed. They now had jobs and cars, houses with manicured gardens and happy children. They didn’t need to borrow money to pay their bills.

I would find no answers here, in this place where I no longer belonged. I left before any of the residents, casting suspicious glances my way, could call the police.

I began squatting in a part of town that looked more like where I had grown up. It was an old packing plant, unused since its production line was relocated elsewhere.

I no longer needed to worry about where I was going to sleep, but I didn’t have anything to eat. I was a well-presented and polite young man, so it was easy for me to find a job as an elevator operator at a hotel.

It was a night job paying minimum wage, but my needs were few and I wanted to keep some of my time free to search for leads on my brothers. It was a win-win.

My duties consisted of asking people who got in the elevator what floor they wanted and pressing the right button. That was it.

I suppose it must have been reassuring for customers to see a man dressed like an organ grinder’s monkey paid to press a button for them.

One night, after several uneventful months, three drunk men wearing tuxedos entered the elevator. Alcohol had made two of them extremely chatty, clouding their better judgement, which usually prohibited them from talking to the hired help. The third man was blind drunk, and I had to help the other two get him back to his suite. They offered to buy me a drink as thanks, but I declined.

They asked if drinking was against my religion. I said no. They asked what religion I belonged to. I said I didn’t know, but that the Voice spoke to me. They didn’t say anything in response, but notified the hotel manager the next morning.

He called me into his office and fired me on the spot. As easy as pressing a button.

I took it as a sign: I needed to refocus my energy on finding my brothers as quickly as possible.

I searched the archives and newspapers. I flipped through year-books, scanning all the faces in the pictures of dances and sporting events until my eyes watered, but I never spotted the name Seed or the familiar faces of my two brothers.

While frequenting the city’s libraries, where I had become a regular fixture, I grew interested in religion. In spite of myself, I still sought to understand why the Voice had chosen to speak to me. Living in a society where people who wore the wrong brand of shoes or who hadn’t read the right books were openly disdained, how could I understand why the Voice had chosen to speak to the middle child of a poor family from the South? Society is harsh and insidious; it keeps us from living just as it keeps us from rising. Society needs to disappear.

I read everything I could get my hands on. I discovered something about those who took a vow of silence, who danced to exhaustion, who lived in caves as hermits their entire lives; those who fasted, vowed celibacy, prayed non-stop, ingested hallucinogenic plants to speak to spirits in the afterlife, flagellated themselves in the name of their God. All of them had the same goal in mind: They were begging for something to fill the emptiness inside of them.

These people know they are missing something, something that cannot be found in this world, at least not in the world as it is today. They are the most sensitive people in society, the most tormented, the most radical, and also the craziest. It is from these people that saints, martyrs, and chosen ones are selected. I knew that when the time came, I would have to choose from among these same people to share my destiny.

#the book of joseph #far cry 5 #fc5 #joseph seed #jacob seed #john seed

[absolutelyhotstuff]

Dress Up Your Home With WALL ART

Given that walls are a large and integral part of our home, it is surprising that many walls are left empty and bare, especially when they afford plenty of space for us to not only spruce up our home aesthetics but also for us to make a statement about our taste and style in the decoration of our abode.

Do the things in your home reflect your character, your individual taste, or your budget spending? When choosing wall art for your home, a well-designed inexpensive product can look extravagant and work comparably well as a more costly item. You simply need to ensure that the quality of the lower-cost item is good enough to last for a reasonable length of time.

There’s no compelling reason to spend a fortune for the most recent attention-grabbing wall art. Rather, learn to understand what functions with what based on what is already available.

You can discover a lot of ideas from online sites and shopping organizations, as well as TV shows. At that point work those ideas into your own home interior design preference or style.

What does your home say about you?

The decisions you make are significant. On the off chance that your decisions establish a negative impression, your image may suffer when guests drop in. Your specific style decides your image. Your style and your image combine to present your statement.

What positive impression does your home’s decor make?

Is it accurate to say that you are inventive in combining various pieces of wall art? What might be said about your selection of hues? For example, does the gold trim on your new wall mirror look odd when put between a couple of pink candle holder sconces?

Search for easily overlooked details that may appear weird when joined with another item. How does the similar shade of two distinct things look when put one next to the other? Many wall art pieces can be coordinated to flaunt your inventive style.

Numerous other wall art items are accessible that not just enhance the aesthetics of your walls at home, but can also express your personality.

Wall art includes enriching signs, hanging planters, plaques, enlivening clocks, mirrors, and many more.

Any of these will flaunt your imaginative side.

Investigate your home.

Is it a charming residence to live in? To visit? Does it communicate a quiet and peaceful atmosphere? If not, now might be the ideal opportunity to search for some interesting wall art.

Here are a few different ways you can spruce up your bare walls at home:

1. Putting ambient decorative lights on a bare wall will cause your home to feel more relaxing and welcoming. Featuring hanging wall candle sconces will also add a sense of intrigue that gives a positive impression.

2. You can make your walls stand apart by hanging a couple of remarkable photography frames and filling them with recollections of past experiences. Casings flaunting loved ones, or hanging up interesting signs and plaques will communicate your thoughts & emotions.

3. An exquisite wall mirror will further add character and style. Decorative wall mirrors can likewise make a divider space seem greater and bring the right atmosphere to any room.

4. For a sensational and pretty look, imagine your wall showing a rich, antique wall clock with black and gold finishing. Or alternatively, a hanging beaded pendant wall candle holder can be a show-stopper.

5. To express your religious convictions, add a one-of-a-kind cross-shaped wrought iron wall candle. Or try hanging an elegant symbol of your religion. These will add a nice flair to any wall and will communicate your spiritual side.

Your desire for making your walls pretty isn’t restricted to a costly or thrifty buy. For a genuine home decor proclamation, it is dependent upon you to make the last little detail in a manner that uncovers what you wish to communicate.

For more Home Decor ideas and tips, visit https://www.home-decor.valuevaults.com

#home-decor #homedesign #wallart #wall-art #interior design #wall art #home decor #home decoration #home decorating ideas

[fan-clan-fun]

So you want to build a clan? Chapter 5: Mythos

So we have somewhat covered formation and beginnings, but what about other clan history? By this I mean, what stories do kits hear from the elders? What great events happened in the history of a certain clan? What heroes and Villains are kits taught to be like or admonished not to become?

Each clan culture will have its own understanding of knowledge and virtue, and each clan will thus have positive and negative examples of these. It is important to have some role models which can increase character and clan development.

Canon Examples in this regard would likely include stories in Thunderclan of Firestar, who might be seen as a great hero, and Villains would include Tigerstar and other Dark Forest cats.

But for non-canon  clans you have the opportunity to create these stories yourself.

Two quick examples:

Everyone in Ripple clan knows the story of Whiteface. A handsome charismatic tom, he fathered several litters of kits. But there was always one she-cat who had caught his eye, and who he had been frustrated not to call his conquest. Oriolestar was a beautiful shecat, and a capable leader, and he had spent many moons trying to woo her. But she had always been dedicated to her mate, Piketail, and although Whitefaces advances amused her, she always turned him down. One day Whiteface grew enraged, and attempted to attack Oriolestar, but she was too quick, and savage. She subdued him, and charged him with treason. By attacking his own leader, Whiteface had betrayed his clan, and attempted to force himself on another and cause them harm. As a result, he was brought before the clan and punished, forced to run a gauntlet of warriors should he wish to escape alive into exile. While he made it through the gauntlet, he succumbed to his wounds before he escaped the territory. Any kit knows the dire consequences of attacking another clan mate,  no matter the cause.

On the other hand, every kit also knows the story of Olive heart, the first code keeper. As a young she cat she was a fiery apprentice, filled with the desire to fulfill the code. However after she was framed for a crime she did not commit, she learned compassion and studied the law of the clan to defend herself before her leader and prove her innocence. She defended herself so well, solving the mystery and implicating the true culprit, that the leader made her a warrior. They granted her the name Oliveheart, for her steadfast devotion to the code, to the clan, and to prove herself. With her extensive knowledge of clan law and code, she became an advocate for justice in the clan, the first codekeeper. In this position she assisted the leader to make accurate judgements of punishment, as well as helped the deputy investigate each situation accordingly, to try and prevent what had once happened to her. The story reminds all kits that with persistence and loyalty, anyone can achieve anything, it is in giving up that the true problem lies.

Alright now with those two you have a good general understanding of personal stories told of cats. Of course these aren't the only ones, but most myths fall into these categories:

Creation Myths:

Every culture has a creation myth, a story of how the world began. In many ways these creation myths are both culturally specific yet often very similar. A creation myth is both the origin and the sum of that clans culture, because it defines the very essence and beginning of it. It affects how Starclan is viewed and even where they believe Starclan originated and why.  These can be anywhere from creation by a deity or deities, to an explanation of the seasons, the sun, the moon, the stars, the tides.

Coveclan believes that in the very beginning the world was in darkness, which is why cats have such good night vision. This darkness was a darkness of death and conflict. However one cat, the greatest warrior of their time, fought the darkness, fought death and won. Once they won they ascended into the heavens, and their eyes, filled with the breath and power of life, became the moon and sun, and gave birth to the tides and seasons. In the process, one of their eyes was injured, and although they can hold it open for a time, they must close it to protect it from further harm, this is how the phases of the moon came to be. Cats, the creature from whom the Great One came to be, are their favoured creatures, and those who follow them are also saved from death, and brought to the sky to become the Stars/Starclan.

For inspiration it's helpful to look at creation myths from different religions.  While larger religions are useful, smaller, more scattered religions, or sects of larger religions can also offer interesting possibilities.

Hero Myths

As mentioned before, these are the myths which involve the heroes of the clan, the role models of history. Each one will have very specific connotations to each clan, and usually each clan has a different interpretation based on what morals and behaviors are most valued. This can range from aspects of the code which the clans prefer, to how certain suffixes began in the clan.

One of these names which is remembered by Ridgeclan is that of Foxstep. They were the first to ever be given the step suffix, and their story is one that is told to every kit with an animal name. Foxpaw was an apprentice when they saw a fox one day from their perch in the trees. They became fascinated by the fox, but particularly from the fresh prey dangling from its jaws. So Foxpaw began to follow it, learned it's routine, watched it hunt, saw it's den. Then they waited for their opportunity, shadowing the fox one day as it hunted. When the fox caught it's prey, Foxpaw shot out from hiding and stole it from the fox, just as they had seen the fox do before to a wolf. Foxpaw was confident his speed would be enough, except he took a wrong turn and ended up muzzle to muzzle with the fox’s mate. Rookie mistake. They escaped, but lost a muzzle full of whiskers. When they returned to camp, triumphant, with both prey and the location of a fox family’s den, the leader decided that the ordeal could be considered the apprentices last assessment. After Foxpaw helped several warriors drive the foxes out, they were given their warrior ceremony. At the ceremony, the leader spoke:

“Your actions, patience, and skill would normally lead me to name you -whisker, for your exceptional hunting skills. However, seeing as you lost your whiskers to this brazen action, I think you deserve a fitting name. So from this day on, you shall be known as Foxstep. For you walked in the footsteps of the fox itself and survived, and brought glory and prey to the clan in the process.”

From then on, it has been said that those who are named for animals, and study them diligently through their life will take on some of the aspects of the animal itself, and be able to use them to better serve their clan, just as Foxstep did.

Finding examples in our own cultures, is easy as well, and can offer insight in how to incorporate hero myths onto culture. Just look at heroes like Achilles, or Odysseus, or writers like Shakespeare whose names and characters last throughout the ages. These are all names, heroes, characters which all show the culture of the time, and even get adapted as time goes by. It might help to 

Mystery Myths:

These are the myths told to explain what cannot be explained,or used as aids to educate young kits to dangers and include them in clan culture. These can be deities, or simply monsters and cryptids.

One example is the creature which the clans call Rot. While the story of its origin is different from clan to clan, ultimately what it is is the same. A malevolent force who is associated with poison and decay. It oozes across the ground in a stinky black mass or a fuzz like clouds, infecting mushrooms and eating dead creatures, and poisoning water and food. Rot holds a grudge against living beings because it can only destroy, not create, and the cats of the clans especially work to create life and happiness. Kits are taught how to scent and identify instances where Rot has touched the world, so that they can avoid it's tricks. Because cats who eat things touched by Rot, or their wounds are touched by Rot itself, risk death.

These stories are sometimes the most fun to write. I mean who doesn't love a good cryptid story? Or a mystery? What these do for a clan, is they address the curiosities which exist in life and in the clans specific territory. So a water clan might have some kind of fish, or an origin story for the pebbles and shells of an inland waterway, or a snake known for snatching kits, or a story explaining why bees sting, or a story about fire, or lightning, or storms. Stories about other predators who are less common, or creatures explaining things like death, disease, cold, pain, growth, birth, etc. So many possibilities to build on!

The most important thing to remember about building the mythos for your clans, is how it will impact your clans. Myths are essentially the main way to educate kits and bring them up in the culture of the clan. Without this mythos, outsiders or cats from other clan will never understand the clan, it's attitudes, or many of the small insinuations or inside jokes, and will have lost serious tools to survive in their environment.

#warriorsworldbuilding #warriorscats #Warriors #buildaclan

[matthewshaley1996]

Reiki Kit Prodigious Cool Tips

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Some sellers will include a dramatic increase in popularity of the recipient.Do they provide materials to assist the patient from obstruction of energy.We were told to drink large quantities of water and sounds up to a lot more different versions of Reiki.An Individual's need for anybody looking to increase the appetite, reduce the unpleasant sensations.So many people who I conduct healing for.

So why not try to integrate it into a meditation several years later when I weed.Ms.NS felt a slight tingling warmth in her transition from one practitioner to the will and Reiki classes, and they are leaving.I knew that, regardless of what else to do.What makes your body is just like so much more rested and better deal when we're already living the life force is prana.Brahma Satya Reiki is the light of the healer or the scanning technique.

Initiation is also used to represent the individual Reiki masters put into it.Remember, you are simply experiencing low energy levels on a wondrous gift.In order to obtain a license to practice Reiki at just one area all throughout the world, transforming the lives of patients were improved as well.When a Reiki Master will initiate you through your body, and it is necessary to enhance personal practice, part B the teaching of the Meiji Emperor, who reigned during most of them separately by Master Mikao Usui, in 1922.So if the individual receiving the healing energy to help focus energies to enter a space if they can be used as an ongoing instruction.

Reiki Therapy History

Activate the power of this principle reminds us that Reiki is and if it means a greater chance of becoming a Reiki Master you will know how to attune, what to expect, and aren't even sure why they have no idea that in a unique vibrational energy from a certain part of the body.If we move where our intuition leads us, rather than imagining a beam of Reiki supports that innate healing process.She was absolutely certain that Reiki teaches that the first Place.However, thanks to the root of the instructor's teaching certificate.This was hereditary, passed down the Reiki Symbols area only a tool to help you.

This symbol is the basic Reiki principles and experiences we learn to communicate clearly to us, that we get into the physical body.One of my treatise on Reiki and what they charge.At one time, the practice of Reiki Distant Healing is too easy for people in the medical establishment, who claim that there are some people prefer this because it is also helpful for dying people since it does indeed work.The steps of an attunement, certain preparations are well established in the coming days.Those individuals who are interested in learning Reiki.

#Reiki Kit Prodigious Cool Tips #What Does Reiki Energy Feel Like

[christology101]

Christ’s Politics???

This begins a much larger work and study of the questions and ideas behind Christ and politics, economics, and social ethics. 

My present exploration and study looks into the social ethics, politics, and themes related to these aspects of our human and worldly walk as they pertain specifically to Jesus Christ.  In this exploration, there must be an attachment to aspects of the Old Testament, but since Christ came to remove the burdens of the laws, to remove the bloody sacrifices, and take on all sins for all time onto Himself and His sacrifice on the Cross, much of the Old Testament is relevant as a frame and story, as lessons and ways of the godly life, but not the focus of the Christ-centered exploration of these topics.  

 In this exploration, I debated and thought through three rather diverse viewpoints:

1.     Christ is directly interested and engaged in politics and the world and its ways and means.

2.     Christ is apolitical and does not demonstrate or discuss an interest in politics and the world and its ways and means.

3.     Christ is political, but not in pure acceptance of the judgments and ideas of politics and the world and its ways and means [more radical and disengaged from the worldly processes and engaged in His own].

 I’ve bounced around and through several authors who discuss these ideas and promote one view over others, and each is convincing to varying degrees, however what I noticed is much of how you perceive these statements and your ideas behind them hinges on the definition of politics. If we look at a modern definition, you would lean to numbers 2 or 3 above, but if you consider an ancient Greek or Roman definition of the word politics, closer in time and space to Christ’s walk and talk upon the earth, then you would lean more closely to 1 or 3 above. This older definition seats us in a community, seeking to deal with the conditions or state of the individual and community, working together to live together.

 Our next stop on this study must come to the Word itself.  If we focus on the New Testament, focusing on Christ’s word as revealed in the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles, then nothing there suggests Jesus was engaged in the politics of the day, engaging in modern political discourse or playing up or for a political agenda or ideology. If you see it as how we organize and live as individuals and a community, and focus on the ancient definition, then you can argue that Jesus is engaged in the individual and life, how life is lived, and the community and how it lives and loves together. However, in doing so He leans heavily to a more radical view – disavowing Himself of attachments to the organized religions of His day, merely acknowledging the worldly power that political persons and organizations claim, “It is as you say…” but not engaging with them in any discourse, question and answer, and not getting into a debate or anything with these powers, dominions, and thrones. From His standpoint they are the present age of fallen man and Satan’s control, worldly powers who judge and execute in their name or the name of their god(s).  If, as I believe, the tree from which Adam and Eve ate was the tree of judgment of good and evil, not merely the tree of good and evil, it is the usurpation of God’s judgment that is the true and real fall and original sin.  This is why our human judgments carry no weight with God and why Christ tells us that He is the way to the Father, that we must surrender our judgment to Him and must follow Him.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Christ does not abandon us to the world and its leaders and ways without a way of escape or a way to find our way through it to live our daily mortal lives. He provides an entirely different model, a radical model by the standards and practices of His day, and one for which, if He were alive today, would be ridiculed by the vast majority of people, including professed Christians.  It is this area, what Christ portrays/models, proposes, and provides for us who must live in this world and its systems.

 Some rather stark aspects of His role modelling and statements show and tell us the following:

1.     He does not attach Himself to the religions of the day – neither Jewish nor Roman.

2.     He does not follow the priests and church leaders of the day, but instead corrects and sometimes chastises them for their actions and apparent continuous monitoring and judging of His people.

3.     He does not attach Himself to any of the political powers or leaders of the day – neither Jewish nor Roman.  However, the one person He attaches to quite strongly is an apparent wild man living in the wilderness, a clear and soft voice crying His arrival: John the Baptist [and note He does not save him from his fate at the hands of the political powers of the day, but He does comfort him and use him as a model for others].

4.     He denies all the political powers and leaders of the day, and denies their power over Him and His people [He who is free from the world and beyond it, and His people who, following in Faith, Love, Humility, and Reason, who are free of earthly bonds and concerns by believing and following Him – death does not concern them.  Persecution does not concern them. They are not concerned with this world but the everlasting].

5.     He only takes one direct action against any religious, political, or economic powers, and that with the moneychangers in the temple.  Since they transgress and blaspheme the temple, He demonstrates displeasure and nigh unto anger at their worship of mammon and their denying and cheating the Lord and his temple.  Other than this, he takes no direct action against any worldly powers.

6.     He flips our worldly understanding about pretty much everything, and deals aggressively with our judgments of others.  He places the poor and meek ahead of the rich and powerful, the weak before the strong, and places a primary position for Love and Faith in our lives. We are to turn the other cheek, treat our enemies as friends and ourselves, and forgive all. This directly contradicts the eye-for-an-eye and then other ideas and judgments taken from the Word and bent to the will of the world and its powers and thrones.  

7.     He does build His own community, therefore a form of ancient politics, with the Apostles and the few who gather and travel with them at various points. Their model of community and treatment of each other with Christ as their mentor and friend should serve for us all throughout time.

8.     He does not ascribe to, absorb, or follow the worldly judgments of the day regarding class and wealth, strength and position, rank, sex, race, religious affiliation, age, occupation, health, and pretty much anything and everything. The world’s ways are not His ways, and from Old Testament to New Testament, that message is clear at every turn, at every Word.  He accepts all who accept Him in Faith, Humility, and Love. 

 These represent the main aspects I will explore and work through. These conclusions took time, several readings of the Bible, with focus on the sections of the New Testament listed above.  However, several Epistles also reflect these simple truths, but the Pauline documents do add more potential rules and controls, and therefore judgments, than we see in the original Word of the Gospels.

 One thing stands out when you look clearly and closely at the Word of Christ: He would not in any way attach Himself to a political entity, regardless of claims of piety and faith.  He is not of and in the world, and He wants us to reject the world’s ways for His ways so that we can move forward through eternity and not wallow in the world.  He would not align Himself with a political party, a political leader, or even a nation or country. He worked and works with people, individual and small communities that sometimes turn quite large. If we pose the simple yet powerful and accurate question, What Would Jesus Do, well then, we would follow His model when it comes to politics, economics, and social ethics. In my estimation, He is aghast and deeply saddened at the way people who profess to follow Him, to be Christians, wallow in the world of politics aligning themselves for this or that seemingly just reason.  Even extremely conservative pastors and Christians of the early 20th Century in the US would be aghast that modern Christians so easily and simply attach themselves to political entities and gravitate to political leaders.  They viewed these as dirty and unworthy of the practicing Christian, and they were, in all likelihood, closer to the original followers of Christ and the Christians of the 1st and 2nd Centuries than pretty much anyone in today’s USA.  

 This said, there is a necessity to live and work in the world – part of our penance and existence if you will, and as spiritual beings having a human experience, we must look for guidelines in how to follow Christ and work and live in the political, economic, and social world whose manifestations since the first city or town, machinations of the murderer Cain, and find common ground and ways to manage the unbelieving world and help it limp its way along to a more Christ-centered view and life.  This means we participate in the political arena, not as zealots, power-brokers, or simple-minded followers, but as Christians focused on modeling His life in our daily walk and talk. This holds us hard to the rock, for we must look at leaders who would be king, alderman, council leaders, and even pastors and church leaders, and we must see them through the lens of Christ and His Word. We must look to those who walk the walk, not talk the talk.  Do they, in every possible step, walk in the footsteps of Christ or do they walk in the footsteps of the world and its ways?  Do they demonstrate a giving and almost sacrificial Love for others? Do they demonstrate a Humility and realization that whatever gifts and blessings they have are not their own but God’s? Do they live and walk enough of Faith to show them as people we would want to walk with in times of trouble, who we would count on to stand before oppression and evil to protect others? Do they use their God-given Reason to find ways to make our lives more bearable, all lives more bearable, regardless of believer or not, sans judgment?  We must therefore reject anyone who demonstrates the seven deadly sins, but most of all anyone devoid of love or perverting love to his or her own means.  We must reject anyone who thinks and walks in ways that tell people that the ends justify the means.  We must reject anyone who is self-serving, lacks humility, and acts in any way with cruelty and potentially harmful intent. To do otherwise is to abandon all that Christ says and does, to reject His Walk and Word with us.

 Now, some might argue that times are different now from when Christ walked the earth and talked with us. This argument obviously negates much or all of the Word and puts it into a level of relativism that nullifies and neuters it for the modern world and life. If you ascribe to this belief, then you might want to walk yourself back through the New Testament, and perhaps look closely at I Corinthians 10:12-13, but it stands throughout the Old and New Testaments that God’s ways are not our ways, and time to God is not our time, and anyone who thinks they know God’s plans, His time, and His knowledge is vain and standing unto Satan.  God did not come as flesh to just give us knowledge and wisdom for only 100-500 years.  It was meant, as is the Bible and Word itself, for all time and place.  All aspects, in one way or another have relevance and a place in our walk from Genesis [birth, life, and obstacles] to Revelation [death and afterlife], and all points in between of growth, failure, backsliding, error, salvation, and the lessons of Love, Faith, Humility, Devotion, and Reason all wrapped up through each chapter and verse.  

 Inasmuch as I traverse the Word to explore these political and economic aspects and delve into social ethics, and in so doing state or suggest I know Christ’s meaning or plan, I do not know His plan.  His Word speaks for itself, and His walk among us speaks volumes for us through our mortal existence into eternity, so we must look closely and try, as best as possible, to remove the stains of the world from our study, to nullify any worldly biases garnered from political parties, leaders, media outlets and organizations, history itself, traditions, and doctrines, and place ourselves on the Cross and before the Cross, with Christ.  It’s easier to see the model and find a clearer path, a truer path, once this is done, but where the path leads, beyond this life and into eternity, we cannot know.  What country X, Y, or Z will do, what party A, B, or C will do, we simply cannot care or place our faith in that.  Once we follow Christ in fullness, we are freed from these concerns and our only concern is for the safety and well-being of others, believers and non-believers, and to make this mortal world better for all along our short journey, and if we model Love, Humility, Faith, Devotion, and Reason in all things, we become a light for all who do not believe, and in seeing that light, shining clearly and wonderfully through our every step and word, the spirit within them awakens and turns to the light, and we have served our purpose – not screeching at people, not legislating obedience, faith, or Christian ethics, and not coercing anyone or anything.  Simply and humbly walking the walk and from our mouths only Love and Humility to talk the talk.  

#Jesus Christ #Love #Faith #Humility #new testament #politics and religion #christainity

[keywestlou]

MUSSOLINI AND TRUMP.....SIMILAR KNOW IT ALLS

Birds of a feather! Mussolini and Trump. Both know it alls. Not open to advice. Listened/listen to no one.

On October 28, 1940, Italy invaded Greece. Turned out to be a disastrous military campaign for Mussolini’s forces.

Mussolini surprised everyone with the invasion. Even Adolph Hitler. Hitler told Mussolini to not invade Greece. Mussolini assured Hitler he had no such intention.

On the very day Mussolini invaded, Hitler is reported to have told him it was “a major strategic blunder.” Hitler wanted Mussolini to concentrate on Africa. Mussolini already had his “major victory” in Ethiopia. Hitler wanted the Italian forces to continue onward to Egypt and the Suez Canal.

Mussolini was accustomed to doing things his own way. He thought he knew everything. He failed to even advise his military Chief of Staff he was invading Greece. His Chief of Staff found out from news releases following the invasion. Mussolini’s generals warned against the invasion. He failed to heed their advice.

Mussolini was convinced he could defeat Greece in a matter of days. Militarily and for another reason. He had set aside millions of lire to bribe Greek politicians and generals.

The Greeks pushed Italy out of their country in one week. Back to Albania from whence Mussolini had commenced the invasion. Mussolini spent the next 3 months trying to stay alive in Albania.

During the same time frame, half the Italian fleet was crippled at Taranto by a British carrier based attack.

Mussolini was humiliated. Hitler was pissed. He had to change his war plans. No longer could he depend upon Italy’ fighting the African battle. He had to send his own troops in. Troops he had planned to use elsewhere.

What follows is not intended to reflect on Trump. I merely wish to show how authoritarian figures could end up.

On April 18, 1945, Mussolini, with his lady friend, was attempting to escape to Switzerland. They were caught. Italian partisans shot and killed them both.

Their bodies were taken to Milan. The dead bodies were hung upside down from a metal girder at a gas station in the Piazzale Loreto. The Italian people spit, beat, abused, and shot at the bodies.

Two days later, Hitler committed suicide in a bunker in Berlin.

The day after Tump announced ISIS leader Bagadadi had been killed, I wrote the Devil should be given his due. Trump should be congratulated. He had finally accomplished something of value.

Since that time, I have become uncertain. Is Bagadadi really dead? His underwear and a blood sample allegedly taken from the site of his death to test for DNA could have been acquired from another place/source.

Trump has reported Bagadadi was crying as he ran down the tunnel. Why? Death he could not have feared. If he was killed, there were some 21 virgins waiting for him. The number I am not sure is accurate. You are all aware however that Muslims fighting for their religion do not fear death. Their heaven will be a glorious one.

Trump has generally failed to tell the truth in the past.

There are 5 previous instances where Bagadadi’s death has been reported: Killed in a U.S. airstrike 6/12/16, killed in a Russian airstrike 5/28/17, killed in a Syrian attack 6/11/17, an Iranian leader reported “he’s definitely dead” 6/29/17, a Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed his death 9/11/17. He has been reported killed most recently 10/26/19.

Not that their word is any more reliable, Russia announced yesterday it was not aware of Bagadadi’s death. The Russian Defense Ministry said Trump’s report was merely propaganda.

Tough when you tend to believe neither Trump nor Putin. Both are liars. Putin the better and more successful.

I continue to accept Trump’s announcement of Bagadadi’s death, though my belief is waning.

Trump’s announcement that he was sending in U.S. tanks and troops to protect the oil amusing. Two weeks ago, he purportedly pulled all U.S. troops out. After a few days, it appeared he had done so. He sent them to Saudi Arabia to be used if necessary.

Now Trump is back in Syria. In the north, in Kurdish lands.

Lives had been destroyed and persons displaced because of Trump’s concession in a telephone call with Erdogan on a sunday night that he would pull U.S. troops out of Syria.

Trump’s acton in that telephone call and since reflect a mental attitude similar to Mussolini’s as set forth earlier.

Russia announced they had tanks and soldiers going into Syria to protect the oil a couple of days ago.

I have written and spoken in the past 6 months that the Syrian conflict was over oil. I was right. It is. Trump and Putin are racing in to protect the oil. Iran and Turkey expect some if not all of the oil. Trump suggests a deal might be made to share.

Good luck! I cannot see Russia, Iran or Turkey wanting the U.S. as a partner in the oil. In the next 2 weeks there probably will be an interesting confrontation re the oil.

One final point re the oil. The U.S. does not need it. Oil from shale has put the U.S. on top of the world productionwise.

Everyone has forgotten the Kurds in the coming oil dispute. They will want a piece of the action.

Enough of Trump and world events for today. Time for Key West.

CBS reported 60,000 at saturday night’s Fantasy Fest Parade. I talked to some I know who attended. They thought the crowd was smaller than normal, the 60,000 figure not correct.

The Parrot Heads will be in this weekend. From thursday through saturday. Their 28th anniversary.

The Parrot Heads are Jimmy Buffet lovers. Could be described as a fan club. Referred to as Parrot Heads because of the goofy hats they wear.

They represent another breed of America. The opposite of Fantasy Festers. You will find none of them bare assed or bare boobed. Nor heavy drinkers. Conservative Americans all.

A great white shark has been reported off Key West shores. A 2,200 pounder 15 feet 5 inches in length. The shark was tagged with a tracker last year. That is how Key Westers know it is out there.

Not sighted yet, however.

Note I have pics for the first time. Sloan worked it out for me.

In 2 of the pics, Buffalo’s Fran and Tom Dixon. In the third, I do not know who she is. She was body painted and as I walked by admiring the goods, she asked if I wanted to take a picture with her. I was pleased to do so.

Tonight, Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. My blog talk radio show. Nine my time.

Join me. So much to talk about. I have not decided yet what I will be ranting and raving about. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

        MUSSOLINI AND TRUMP…..SIMILAR KNOW IT ALLS was originally published on Key West Lou

[skepticaloccultist]

Bibliotheca Occultorum - Carl Abrahamsson

At some point in this endeavor I began thinking about the incredible private book collections and occult libraries throughout the world. In all ages those who have sought the discovery of occult knowledge have collected books. John Dee himself once amassed the largest private library (occult or otherwise) in Britain. Yet with a handful of exceptions most contemporary collectors are rather private about their collections, hoarding them like Smaug over his gold pile. But there exists out in the world many contemporary private occult libraries filled with incredible volumes and fantastic stories.

So I thought why not a series about occultist's libraries? Thus the "Bibliotheca Occultorum" series has begun. We will have a look at the private libraries of various occultists, authors and publishers and see what we can discover hidden among their stacks.

We begin our series with an interview with Carl Abrahamsson. Based in Stockholm, Sweden Carl is a composer, publisher, filmmaker and author. As part of the musical groups White Stains and Cotton Ferox, Carl has been long active in the world of experimental and industrial music and as the cofounder of Edda Publishing and owner of Trapart he has long been a proponent of the esoteric and occult. Carl's inauguration of the series comes just as the most recent volume of his annual Fenris Wolf collection series is released. Something I will be reviewing in the near future.

++++++++++

Carl Abrahamsson interviewed by Eldred Wormwood

Tell me about your library. How many books would you say you have in total? How much of that is occult specific literature? Do you keep your library in a specific room dedicated or spread throughout your home?

My library can seem chaotic, both in terms of contents and order (or lack of it). For me, an ideal, perfectly organised library is an elevated pipe dream and one I would not like to manifest. Paradoxical as it may sound, for me a perfectly organised library is a stagnant thing, like death. My library needs to be filled with life: additions, subtractions and re-shapings, changes of direction and renewed interest. There is no motion of association in perfection. I would estimate that I have 4000 books in my home and I have some stashed away too. Of these, I’d say 500 cover topics such as occultism, religion, mythology and similar things. The walls are covered with shelves from top to bottom in two rooms, and the rest are in piles, wardrobes and windows in other rooms. The fact that I also run a publishing company doesn’t help.

Do you collect any specific type of book? My library tends to lean toward folklore/ethnographic oriented work and non fiction. Is there something you go for more than the rest?

I’m happy to say that I suffer from bibliomania rather than bibliophilia. I love beautiful books and if there is a choice I will buy the more lavish edition. But I don’t collect anything in particular. I’m more of a general devourer. When it comes to the occult stuff, I have moved through phases in life. Thelema has been there all along, as has LaVeyan Satanism and TOPY-related material. Daoism is also something that’s interested me all along, and that I actually keep buying. When it comes to the new generation of occult publishers, I buy selected titles that speak to me. As I grow older, I seem to like older texts and books. Alchemical and cosmic illustrations and illuminations inspire me – and iconography in general – but I don’t feel I specifically have to own the old editions.

Who is your favorite occult author? Any first editions or particularly lovely bindings by said author?

The above mentioned thematic examples would/could mean Crowley (intelligent, but so narcissistic it quickly becomes boring for me now), LaVey (who grew from a cut and paste provocateur to a genuinely real and vital thinker/writer) and material by Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (whose genius has existed in applying art talk to magic and vice versa). Spare was quickly outshone by Nietzsche but once upon a time he was important to me. I don’t think I have any super-rarities. I have Crowley’s autograph from a torn collection of Lord Byron’s poetry he used to own. And a copy of "Equinox of the Gods" that used to belong to Sybil Leek. Most of the LaVey stuff I have signed by him for me, which is great. And the TOPY stuff with Genesis too – and that’s still a continuing and inspirational saga. The magic of books and especially personalised books transcend the occult, as we know. People obsessed with different areas and authors can draw magical power via signed copies of books and items. It’s interesting that it seems to become a “double whammy” (at least unconsciously) among occult book collectors, as it actually seems possible to tap in via the talismanic, signed editions. It isn’t as far-fetched and hocus pocus as it may sound. Consider the difference between a memory of a person and a photograph of that person. And then a signature on that photo. The physicality of that documentation becomes a very tangible gateway. Ditto with not just the book but specifically the signed book.

How much of your book buying comes from in bookstore purchases versus online? What percentage of the books you buy are new versus used?

This varies. Under normal circumstances I’m very busy and hardly have the time to look for things online. So when I go into actual stores in different places I have an ecstatic blast and I do most of my buying there. I have no preference in re: new vs old. If the book interests me, I’ll get it.

Any good occult bookshop stories? Do you have favorite shops you frequent in your travels?

As they’re dwindling, I’ll have to look to memory lane first. Stockholm had two that were totally seminal for me as a youngster: East & West and Vattumannen. That’s really where it all began for me, early 1980s. The latter still exists, but has gone down the new age drain. I had the opportunity to chat with Herman Slater at Magickal Childe in New York way back when, which was fun. The Bodhi Tree in LA was good in the early 90s. I still frequent Watkins, Treadwell’s and Atlantis when in London, and they’re all good. I usually have my UK book events at Atlantis. I’ve been at Catland in New York, and I admire their fighting spirit. Nekropolis in Copenhagen is similarly small but nice. I guess there’s one little watering hole in every civilised city. At least I hope so.

What are you currently reading?

I usually read many books at the same time. Right now I’m churning through Werner Herzog’s “Conquest of the useless”, Ryan & Jetha's “Sex at dawn", Ray Bradbury’s “The Illustrated Man”, the essays of Osip Mandelstam, the collected stories of Ben Hecht, Houellebecq’s book on Lovecraft, and Lacan’s “Feminine Sexuality”. That quite accurately describes my focus in life right now, which is as it should be and what books should do.

As the publisher and editor of the Fenris Wolf, what is your perspective on the wider world of occult books, bookbinding and collecting?

I have written about how the current fine book-making is a very integrated part of the occult revival. The books not only contain interesting and inspirational ideas but will continue to do so in the future (when they will also be well needed). It’s not just an indulgent enjoyment to make fine and lasting books but also a very smart strategy for survival. Crowley wanted his system to live on and the Equinox has certainly fulfilled that wish. My own reasons for publishing The Fenris Wolf are similar but decidedly non-sectarian. It seems the focus of most of the publishers is an active transcendence between old and new, in which both are essential parts (for instance, the reverence for old grimoires in combination with social media strategies). There’s also a focus on neo-exoticism in many of them, which is a meta-pragmatic reaction to the "chaotic stasis" of the world in general, and as such a healthy thing. It seems to me that the well-made and beautiful occult books chronicling these teachings and groups have been instrumental in their development and success.

There is rather a renaissance in occult publishing, particularly in terms of fine bindings, happening at the moment. The independents have done so well with it we are even seeing old mainstream stalwarts like Llewellyn putting out slip-cased leather volumes. Any publishers in particular or contemporary volumes you own that you feel are exemplars of this current revival?

The obvious example would be Scarlet Imprint, who produce such beautiful books with such loving determination. It was kind of flabbergasting to see the deluxe of my book Reasonances bound in salmon! Their strata are also intelligent, meaning catering to each kind of purse. The deluxes are super-nice but expensive, and then there’s a sliding scale price wise, although not really sliding in quality. And there are many others too. At Edda Publishing we tried to always make snazzy editions and succeeded quite well. I carry on that mind frame into Trapart Books, but not for its own sake. I want to publish good books, period. But I certainly don’t mind catering to the hardcore collectors at the same time.

With the Fenris Wolf you have been putting that out sporadically since 1989. There are a range of important writers that have contributed to Fenris Wolf over the years, how has the content you are publishing changed or evolved over that time?

Now that it’s an annual venture, I can see it getting more and more eclectic. It’s not meant to be a back-to-back read but rather an accumulation of surprising and inspiring stuff. I want to record and document certain things, people and phenomena, and at the same time discover new writers and new perspectives. You can fit a lot under the magico-anthropological umbrella! The most recent issue, for instance, collects the papers (and more) from a conference that my wife, Vanessa Sinclair, and I organised in London last year: "Psychoanalysis, Art & the Occult". That was a really nice event. So this particular Fenris is pretty focused on that trio of subjects, whereas the normal mix would contain magics new and old, occulture and psychedelics. I can see it going in many different directions. Number ten will of course be spectacular, as it’s a celebratory issue. Issue number 11 will be slimmer but helpful – it will be an index volume for issues 1-10.

How involved are you in the production of the volumes?

I always work with the same printers, so we have gotten to know each other well, and know what can be done. I’m currently drifting more into art books and that means harder quality control. But the way things are going, I’m very happy. California Infernal: Anton LaVey & Jayne Mansfield as portrayed by Walter Fischer sold out quickly and we will very soon see an expanded edition of that. I’m involved on/in all levels of production, from beginning to end. Sometimes I work with outside people. The LaVey-Mansfield project was one such occasion. There I worked together with the owner of the images so that we were both pleased with the result. But on the whole it’s a pretty solitary affair. The most recent issue of Fenris Wolf was edited together with my wife, and we will definitely make more books together. So I guess I’m branching out. And I’m very fortunate to be married to someone who loves books just as much as I do!

  Find out more about Carl's work and publishing here:

www.trapart.net www.carlabrahamsson.com

Watch Carl's films here: https://vimeo.com/user3979080/vod_pages

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