Something I have posted about previously (here and here), is the possibility of a new world religion arising. Well, one part of that may well be a new spiritual leader. As it happens, Lobsang Rampa wrote a few predictions about this person.
I've now come across an interesting thought from a Yahoo group I'm on: perhaps that new leader has been born as predicted, but is living in somewhere relatively inaccessible like the Chang Tang highlands. After all, as pointed out in this post, it may be possible that the new spiritual leader is in contact with her/his/hir disciples by telepathy ...
Hmmm. Interesting ... Living in tougher circumstances like that may well be a way to facilitate spiritual development if one is spiritually mature (it will certainly not be beneficial to all people). I've read that Rome may have declined as it's climate became more comfortable, and I think it is the Arabs who have a saying: "God speaks most clearly on the tops of mountains and in deserts."
On another topic, here is a site which talks about Robert Monroe's technique for astral projection. I've had reasonable results from this, but, like anything, it won't necessarily work for everyone.
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Tags: religion, astral travel, change, evolution,
First published: Thorsdagr, 26th May, 2011
Last edited: Thursday, 26th May, 2011
Thursday 26 May 2011
Monday 23 May 2011
Post No. 273 - Is a lack of spirituality due to a lack of effective advocacy?
I've been thinking doing some contemplation about attitudes toward life, including spirituality, of late. I am inclining more and more towards Lobsang Rampa's view that what the world needs is some form of spiritual discipline.
So ... why is it lacking in this?
Well, if we look at surveys, most people seem to have a fairly negative view towards religion, and I suspect that many of those people also tend to conflate religion, in the sense of mainstream belief systems, with spirituality in the broader sense. Could that be because the mainstream churches are very effective at pushing themselves into people's lives (think of things like the opening of Parliament by a Christian prayer, the association of the English Queen with the Church of England, religious schools, and the struggle to separate church and state).
But they've also been spectacularly unsuccessful a meeting people's spiritual needs.
There have been problems with things like acceptance of women as equals, child abuse, prohibition on contraception (no prizes for guessing who I'm talking about there!), etc., etc., etc. - the aspirations of people have changed, certainly, but many of those aspirations are materialistic, and are harming both the planet and the people who spend time and energy seeking a flashier lifestyle.
Is it any wonder that spiritual matters are viewed so dimly, when many of the people who are considered as being it's most prominent exemplars or even advocates, are doing such a lousy job?
I left the Christian faith for a range of reasons - two I'll mention now are the attitude that animals don't have souls, and what I call "Sunday Christians", who spout the words on Sunday in Church, and stab you in the back on Monday (hmmm ... that could well be an example of "semantic theatre", perhaps :) ). I left the Buddhist faith for a range of reasons, including the hypocrisy and aggression of people (Westerners - they were nothing like the Thai guy, a work colleague, who I used to talk to about Buddhism) who were trying to advocate for Buddhism.
The pagan movement also has it's problem people.
Given all that, and the secular nature of education (which I think should be the case, although I think some comparative religion would be good), is it any wonder that we don't have a more widespread spirituality?
I actually think the "back to nature" movement and humanists have done more in the last century or two to satisfy many people's spiritual needs than organised religions.
So ... what should an effective advocate for spirituality be like?
Well, they should:
Still, it would be good for, perhaps, some of the multifaith or interfaith movements to start deliberately looking for people who could be good, effective advocates of spirituality. would hope such people could effectively lobby on behalf of people such as myself, who want to build simpler houses, when politicians are having a vote-scoring, public mud-slinging fest - er, "debate".
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Tags: spirituality, materialism, religion, society,
First published: Manadagr, 23rd May, 2011
Last edited: Monday, 23rd May, 2011
So ... why is it lacking in this?
Well, if we look at surveys, most people seem to have a fairly negative view towards religion, and I suspect that many of those people also tend to conflate religion, in the sense of mainstream belief systems, with spirituality in the broader sense. Could that be because the mainstream churches are very effective at pushing themselves into people's lives (think of things like the opening of Parliament by a Christian prayer, the association of the English Queen with the Church of England, religious schools, and the struggle to separate church and state).
But they've also been spectacularly unsuccessful a meeting people's spiritual needs.
There have been problems with things like acceptance of women as equals, child abuse, prohibition on contraception (no prizes for guessing who I'm talking about there!), etc., etc., etc. - the aspirations of people have changed, certainly, but many of those aspirations are materialistic, and are harming both the planet and the people who spend time and energy seeking a flashier lifestyle.
Is it any wonder that spiritual matters are viewed so dimly, when many of the people who are considered as being it's most prominent exemplars or even advocates, are doing such a lousy job?
I left the Christian faith for a range of reasons - two I'll mention now are the attitude that animals don't have souls, and what I call "Sunday Christians", who spout the words on Sunday in Church, and stab you in the back on Monday (hmmm ... that could well be an example of "semantic theatre", perhaps :) ). I left the Buddhist faith for a range of reasons, including the hypocrisy and aggression of people (Westerners - they were nothing like the Thai guy, a work colleague, who I used to talk to about Buddhism) who were trying to advocate for Buddhism.
The pagan movement also has it's problem people.
Given all that, and the secular nature of education (which I think should be the case, although I think some comparative religion would be good), is it any wonder that we don't have a more widespread spirituality?
I actually think the "back to nature" movement and humanists have done more in the last century or two to satisfy many people's spiritual needs than organised religions.
So ... what should an effective advocate for spirituality be like?
Well, they should:
- be very aware of the differences and similarities between spirituality and religion;
- know the arguments for a less materialistic, more spiritual life;
- have good life experience and a capacity to understand people, and be compassionate towards them;
- be effective communicators;
- be credible and reasonably free of scandal or other matters that could taint their public acceptability (the qualification is because some of these people could well be, say, polyamorous, which would be, in some uninformed people's view, scandalous); and
- be public figures, or prepared to accept the stress and strain of becoming a public figure.
Still, it would be good for, perhaps, some of the multifaith or interfaith movements to start deliberately looking for people who could be good, effective advocates of spirituality. would hope such people could effectively lobby on behalf of people such as myself, who want to build simpler houses, when politicians are having a vote-scoring, public mud-slinging fest - er, "debate".
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Tags: spirituality, materialism, religion, society,
First published: Manadagr, 23rd May, 2011
Last edited: Monday, 23rd May, 2011
Sunday 22 May 2011
Post No. 272 - Semantics theatre and other Sunday thoughts
It has been longer and harder than usual this last month or so for a range of reasons. One of those reasons has been that my partner has had a series of meetings here for a committee that she is on. They were important meetings, dealing with some contentious matter that I still don't know of, going for up to six hours. As they were in the house we share, I have had to do an enormous of energy work - work done partly with a view to helping the meetings progress smoothly and effectively, and partly with a view to keeping my home in a reasonable energetic state.
It has been utterly exhausting - for both of us
What hasn't helped this - for me - is that part of our household was locked away during this process. Partly for their sakes, and partly because of the incompetence of some cretins with doors (some doors were not shut properly after the first of these meetings, and thus some of our indoor cats escaped for a short time - and my back was injured getting them back inside) - or possibly because they refuse to accept other people's rules under their roofs (they certainly made a few jokes, probably thinking no-one could here them), our cats and dog were locked away. Whenever that happens, as a matter of principle to demonstrate that they are of equal value to humans, I share the cats incarceration.
However, every cloud has a silver lining. In this case, I found a visualisation that was quite effective at concentrating positive energy into the locked-off room where these mysterious meetings were being held. I brought in a beam of light from the Universe - which ,for convenience, I perceive as being from above, then, just above the meeting room, I split it into three beams to form the sides of a tetrahedron, with a fourth part continuing directly into the meeting room. Where the three beams met Mother Earth, Her energies blended with the Universe's energies and formed the corners of the base of the tetrahedron, with some of the energy forming beams around the edges of the tetrahedron, and others radiating from the corners to join the original part from the Universe, thus concentrating a great deal of energy into the centre of the tetrahedron, where the meeting was being held.
It worked quite well - I even had a perception of a "humming" sound, a bit like that associated with UFOs (listen to the space city in the final meeting in the film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" to get an idea of this sound).
So now, let's move on to other matters.
The undue, active influence of the world of commerce
I consider this world to be far too materialistic. Some of this is due to the inherent desires of many - not all - people, but some of it is due to the influence of the world of commerce. I have heard leaders of that world claim that they do not influence people, they "just" provide what is desired by people.
Well, that is a lie: those same leaders indulge in advertising aimed at the vulnerable (look at fast food and smoking advertising), and they actively lobby governments to make laws that make their aims of making a profit easier.
I am happy for commerce to make a fair profit - after, I work in that field, and it is what enables me to support my family.
But there comes a time when enough is enough: I read recently something about life in the alleged inner surface of the earth (i.e., the idea that the earth is hollow, which is something I am working on a post about - and is something I have doubts about, which I will discuss in that post): the point that struck me, though, is that in this world people work on a volunteer basis for around 20 hours per week. I've read elsewhere that hunter gatherers average (there is seasonal variation) around 25 to 30 hours a week. That all suggests that the current 40 to 70 hours (or more) people work is too much ...
Maybe the people in the world of commerce need to start lobbying for a serious reduction in the hours of work they expect people to do ...
Semantics theatre
One of the things my partner and I have discussed of late is the USA's "zero tolerance" approach to crime - which, for the record, I consider a problem. It puts more people in jail, and may contribute to a feeling of security for the middle classes, but it does nothing to address the causes of crime. In other words, it is just more security theatre.
Something that I've come across is people taking a similar attitude towards human rights matters. One of my past bosses in particular, a truly nasty human being with a superficial veneer of trying to be a father figure, would respond to me raising human rights issues by trying to take control. He would more or less try to create a "zero tolerance" workplace, and then aim to use to "cut down" those from minorities who were trying to improve the situation of those who were invisible or otherwise discriminated against. So, my experience of "zero tolerance" is that it is a tool used by bigots to try to re-establish their environment in such a way that lip service - and no more - is given to human rights issues.
My partner puts this more nicely: she calls it "semantics theatre" ...
Spiritualist College
Something I came across recently is that the spiritualist movement in the UK has a college for training: the Arthur Findlay College, named after Arthur Findlay, who was significant in early spiritualism, and the newspaper Psychic News and also a founder of the International Institute for Psychical Research.
Their curriculum is interesting:
New crystal book from respected author
Now, I should make it clear that the "respected" means respected by me: I don't know what your opinion will be, nor that of others. The author is Katrina Raphael, whose writings include the Earth Star, Causal, Stellar Gate and Solar Gate chakras which form part of my 13 chakra system (13 ... one for each full moon of the year ... hmmm ... have no idea if there is any significance to that :) ), as well as some good instruction on types of crystals and ways of doing layouts.
She has a website which advertises on line courses, and also her books, including the fourth one, "Crystalline Illumination". I'm looking forward to getting a copy from my local crystal shop ...
Young people
I did some shopping during this Sunday of reflection, and particularly noted the disinterested, vapid, vacuous states of the young teenagers who served me - not even a "have a nice day", let alone a "hi, how are you?" Obviously, they've been pushed into this terrible thing called work by parents who - gasp! shock! horror! - actually care about the apprenticeship - as my partner puts it - those young people are undergoing :)
Some ancient Greek philosopher described young people as rude, lazy, etc, etc, etc - it sounds like the sorts of complaints often made about the young now, and is often trotted out to say "well, hey, they're actually all right - it's not worse than it was".
Well, maybe it is actually worse - if you take the right timeframe :)
Something that has been written about is that we have a "stone age biology", which affects our eating habits. We crave sugar, salt and fat because, in hunter-gatherer lifestyles, those foods are rare, but have excellent survival value. Now, in our sedentary, over-catered for lifestyles (in most - not all - of the developed world!), that same desire becomes a problem leading to heart problems, diabetes, etc, etc, etc.
Well, I think something similar applies to the teenage years. In hunter gatherer lifestyles, teenagers would be hunting, gathering, and possibly even marrying or starting families. That gave teenagers lots of outlets which are now lacking. That's not to say we necessarily should try giving teenagers similar levels of responsibility - today's world is far more complex and challenging, in my opinion, than when your greatest danger was "simply" whether or not you would have enough food to get through the winter. Doubt that? Have a look at modern stress levels, and compare them to, say, traditional Australian aboriginal stress levels.
Going back to teenagers, maturity is something I have written about previously (e.g. see here, here and here), and my opinion is that many so-called adults in today's societies are not mature. However, that isn't necessarily the issue: the issue is, can the person survive on their own, withOUT the nurturing, protectiona and care of their parents? If they can, and that includes being financially independent, they're entitled to be an adult. If they can't, they're still a child.
Across the road from our house is a Greek family. The son is in his 30s, and still living with his parents. As far as I am concerned, he is not an adult.
Going back to attitudes and behaviour, I consider many young people to be presumptuous (i.e., what is yours is mine, what is mine is mine), rude, self centered, egotistical, highly arrogant brats. I should know - I was cursed with some of this as well (not all, by the way, which is why I feel very comfortable objecting to those morons who claim that "all young people experiment with getting drunk, or being rebellious"). The problems are, however, worse now because of the spread of things like "helicopter parenting", in my opinion. We need, as a society, to stop thinking that caring excludes discipline, and maybe even consider options to ensure the state of teenagers is assessed objectively.
If we don't, things will largely continue as they've been - status quo. I personally, however, would like to see this world become a better place.
And now, 'tis time to go and start the next week's drudgery ... however, may your week, dear Reader, be blest :)
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Tags: energy work, visualisation, respect, disrespect, materialism, spiritualism, chakras, crystals, youth, communication,
First published: Sunnudagr, 22nd May, 2011
Last edited: Sunday, 22nd May, 2011
It has been utterly exhausting - for both of us
What hasn't helped this - for me - is that part of our household was locked away during this process. Partly for their sakes, and partly because of the incompetence of some cretins with doors (some doors were not shut properly after the first of these meetings, and thus some of our indoor cats escaped for a short time - and my back was injured getting them back inside) - or possibly because they refuse to accept other people's rules under their roofs (they certainly made a few jokes, probably thinking no-one could here them), our cats and dog were locked away. Whenever that happens, as a matter of principle to demonstrate that they are of equal value to humans, I share the cats incarceration.
However, every cloud has a silver lining. In this case, I found a visualisation that was quite effective at concentrating positive energy into the locked-off room where these mysterious meetings were being held. I brought in a beam of light from the Universe - which ,for convenience, I perceive as being from above, then, just above the meeting room, I split it into three beams to form the sides of a tetrahedron, with a fourth part continuing directly into the meeting room. Where the three beams met Mother Earth, Her energies blended with the Universe's energies and formed the corners of the base of the tetrahedron, with some of the energy forming beams around the edges of the tetrahedron, and others radiating from the corners to join the original part from the Universe, thus concentrating a great deal of energy into the centre of the tetrahedron, where the meeting was being held.
It worked quite well - I even had a perception of a "humming" sound, a bit like that associated with UFOs (listen to the space city in the final meeting in the film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" to get an idea of this sound).
So now, let's move on to other matters.
The undue, active influence of the world of commerce
I consider this world to be far too materialistic. Some of this is due to the inherent desires of many - not all - people, but some of it is due to the influence of the world of commerce. I have heard leaders of that world claim that they do not influence people, they "just" provide what is desired by people.
Well, that is a lie: those same leaders indulge in advertising aimed at the vulnerable (look at fast food and smoking advertising), and they actively lobby governments to make laws that make their aims of making a profit easier.
I am happy for commerce to make a fair profit - after, I work in that field, and it is what enables me to support my family.
But there comes a time when enough is enough: I read recently something about life in the alleged inner surface of the earth (i.e., the idea that the earth is hollow, which is something I am working on a post about - and is something I have doubts about, which I will discuss in that post): the point that struck me, though, is that in this world people work on a volunteer basis for around 20 hours per week. I've read elsewhere that hunter gatherers average (there is seasonal variation) around 25 to 30 hours a week. That all suggests that the current 40 to 70 hours (or more) people work is too much ...
Maybe the people in the world of commerce need to start lobbying for a serious reduction in the hours of work they expect people to do ...
Semantics theatre
One of the things my partner and I have discussed of late is the USA's "zero tolerance" approach to crime - which, for the record, I consider a problem. It puts more people in jail, and may contribute to a feeling of security for the middle classes, but it does nothing to address the causes of crime. In other words, it is just more security theatre.
Something that I've come across is people taking a similar attitude towards human rights matters. One of my past bosses in particular, a truly nasty human being with a superficial veneer of trying to be a father figure, would respond to me raising human rights issues by trying to take control. He would more or less try to create a "zero tolerance" workplace, and then aim to use to "cut down" those from minorities who were trying to improve the situation of those who were invisible or otherwise discriminated against. So, my experience of "zero tolerance" is that it is a tool used by bigots to try to re-establish their environment in such a way that lip service - and no more - is given to human rights issues.
My partner puts this more nicely: she calls it "semantics theatre" ...
Spiritualist College
Something I came across recently is that the spiritualist movement in the UK has a college for training: the Arthur Findlay College, named after Arthur Findlay, who was significant in early spiritualism, and the newspaper Psychic News and also a founder of the International Institute for Psychical Research.
Their curriculum is interesting:
- Mediumship
- Spiritual Healing
- Meditation
- Hypnosis
- Sound and Colour
- Philosophy
- Psychic Art and Auragraphs
- Qi and Prana
- Astrology
- Numerology
New crystal book from respected author
Now, I should make it clear that the "respected" means respected by me: I don't know what your opinion will be, nor that of others. The author is Katrina Raphael, whose writings include the Earth Star, Causal, Stellar Gate and Solar Gate chakras which form part of my 13 chakra system (13 ... one for each full moon of the year ... hmmm ... have no idea if there is any significance to that :) ), as well as some good instruction on types of crystals and ways of doing layouts.
She has a website which advertises on line courses, and also her books, including the fourth one, "Crystalline Illumination". I'm looking forward to getting a copy from my local crystal shop ...
Young people
I did some shopping during this Sunday of reflection, and particularly noted the disinterested, vapid, vacuous states of the young teenagers who served me - not even a "have a nice day", let alone a "hi, how are you?" Obviously, they've been pushed into this terrible thing called work by parents who - gasp! shock! horror! - actually care about the apprenticeship - as my partner puts it - those young people are undergoing :)
Some ancient Greek philosopher described young people as rude, lazy, etc, etc, etc - it sounds like the sorts of complaints often made about the young now, and is often trotted out to say "well, hey, they're actually all right - it's not worse than it was".
Well, maybe it is actually worse - if you take the right timeframe :)
Something that has been written about is that we have a "stone age biology", which affects our eating habits. We crave sugar, salt and fat because, in hunter-gatherer lifestyles, those foods are rare, but have excellent survival value. Now, in our sedentary, over-catered for lifestyles (in most - not all - of the developed world!), that same desire becomes a problem leading to heart problems, diabetes, etc, etc, etc.
Well, I think something similar applies to the teenage years. In hunter gatherer lifestyles, teenagers would be hunting, gathering, and possibly even marrying or starting families. That gave teenagers lots of outlets which are now lacking. That's not to say we necessarily should try giving teenagers similar levels of responsibility - today's world is far more complex and challenging, in my opinion, than when your greatest danger was "simply" whether or not you would have enough food to get through the winter. Doubt that? Have a look at modern stress levels, and compare them to, say, traditional Australian aboriginal stress levels.
Going back to teenagers, maturity is something I have written about previously (e.g. see here, here and here), and my opinion is that many so-called adults in today's societies are not mature. However, that isn't necessarily the issue: the issue is, can the person survive on their own, withOUT the nurturing, protectiona and care of their parents? If they can, and that includes being financially independent, they're entitled to be an adult. If they can't, they're still a child.
Across the road from our house is a Greek family. The son is in his 30s, and still living with his parents. As far as I am concerned, he is not an adult.
Going back to attitudes and behaviour, I consider many young people to be presumptuous (i.e., what is yours is mine, what is mine is mine), rude, self centered, egotistical, highly arrogant brats. I should know - I was cursed with some of this as well (not all, by the way, which is why I feel very comfortable objecting to those morons who claim that "all young people experiment with getting drunk, or being rebellious"). The problems are, however, worse now because of the spread of things like "helicopter parenting", in my opinion. We need, as a society, to stop thinking that caring excludes discipline, and maybe even consider options to ensure the state of teenagers is assessed objectively.
If we don't, things will largely continue as they've been - status quo. I personally, however, would like to see this world become a better place.
And now, 'tis time to go and start the next week's drudgery ... however, may your week, dear Reader, be blest :)
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Tags: energy work, visualisation, respect, disrespect, materialism, spiritualism, chakras, crystals, youth, communication,
First published: Sunnudagr, 22nd May, 2011
Last edited: Sunday, 22nd May, 2011
Friday 20 May 2011
Post No. 271 - Compassion and uncooperatives
Something I have posted about a few times is the rescue of uncooperatives [1]. These are those entities who are earthbound, probably know that they are earthbound, but do not wish to move on - often because they are enjoying the exercise of "invisible" influence ...
By the time I get to deal with these people, the destructive influence they are having on other people has reached a point where they need to be removed for the sake of others' wellbeing - and I give a way of doing that here.
Well, Dawn Hill gives a description of how that would be done by someone who is extremely spiritually evolved in her book "Love is the Answer, What is the Question" [2]. To set the scene first, though, she initially describes an encounter she has with a fire demon. What happens there begins with someone Dawn refers to as Shaun, who is suffering from possessions or obsession, asking for help. As part of that, the fire demon which is pivotal in Shaun's problems is channelled through one of the sitters in the circle Dawn runs, and is forced to leave the sitter after 20 minutes of channelling love and light. (It could, in my opinion, have been useful for them to know how to identify and clear specific negative units.) Two nights later, the fire demon attacks Dawn, leaving her in the situation of feeling like a sardine taking on an enraged whale. She asks for help from the Christ spirit, which leads her to "No matter what what you do to me, you cannot make me stop loving." That is enough to repel the demon.
Now, Dawn has also found benefit in the associations of the Grail and the Grail's associated spiritual quests. This also includes contact with a person she refers to as "the Lady of the Grail", who is - effectively - the Goddess (and Dawn discusses the many names the Lady/Goddess is known by, and issues such as the Christian church's bias against women).
Well, when Dawn encounters the next demon that she writes about (and, by the way, I do accept that such creatures exist), she calls on the Lady to help her clear the demon. She prepares for a surge of Light, but what happens is that she sees the demon from the perspective of the Lady, as a small, bitter creature surrounded by darkness, rather than the imposing, threatening vision Dawn had perceived. The Lady sees the hurt which has driven this creature to become negative, and is able to manifest so much compassion that she wins it over - a bit like winning over a dog that has been traumatised and turned savage by violent abuse.
It is the way that the very evolved handle such matters. I'm afraid I'm not there yet ...
At least I am aiming for that level of spirituality, however :)
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear") - See here and here.
- The authorship for this book is described as "Dawn Shelley Thomas, writing as Dawn Hill".The copy I have access to (my partner's) was published by PanMacmillian in 1996, ISBN 0 732 90847 7.
Tags: about me, Dawn Hill, evolution, rescue, spirituality, uncooperative,
First published:Sunnudagr, 22nd May, 2011
Last edited: Sunday, 22nd May, 2011
Post No. 270 - Sugar'n'spice and hero/warrior stereotypes/archetypes
By now most people who read this blog will probably have noticed that I don't much hold with stereotypes - e.g., that all young people have a wild, rebellious and irresponsible period (or, indeed, that such a period is necessary in order to have a "satisfactory" life). I particularly don't hold with the stereotype of girls being "sugar and spice, and all things nice", and boys being something else. "Niceness" in all its many manifestations can occur in any [1] gender - as can nastiness in all its many and varies manifestations.
Now, the thing about stereotypes is that the perceptions and meaning or significance attributed to archetypes can be influenced by said stereotypes. Hence, for instance, the archetype of "the hero", or "the warrior" (who can be a spiritual or psychic warrior [2] ), may be presumed to be male, whereas in actual fact the hero or warrior can be female, bigendered, etc.
Another speculation that I've had is about the stereotype that men will watch physically violent films (such as war films), and that women will watch emotionally violent films (which is how I view many so-called "dramas" - and I know from personal experience how much long lasting, deep damage can be done as a result of living through real-life drama). There are women, perhaps those who are in tune with the "hero" (which should be heroine, in this case [4]) archetype, and watch films that other women may dislike as being "too violent". I know men who love watching dramas - and other films considered "chick flicks", such as light romantic comedies. No, those men are NOT all gay (another stereotype). My speculation is: perhaps what we feel most comfortable watching, is what we feel we would be most able to control in real life.
Hence, women who do not know how to use agility and speed in a physical confrontation to overcome strength and size may feel more comfortable watching dramas - particularly if they are familiar with counselling or personal growth work. Men who have a similar familiarity, and good verbal skills, may feel similarly comfortable with such films. Perhaps - all these are given as general trends, or an overview, if you will: every single example will have exceptions! - women who watch predominantly light-hearted romantic comedies lack both sets of skills ... or simply desire something that they consider will give pleasure.
Sometimes people desire to escape from what they encounter in everyday life (such as an abusive relationship leading to liking light-hearted romantic comedies, or a soldier liking dramas as an escape from physical warfare.
On the other hand, people may continue watching films as part of working through something - hence, for instance, someone who has experienced a great deal of drama may continue to watch the same as a way of working through it, or someone who has had a major war experience (perhaps in a previous life) may similarly work through it in the next life by watching war films. Sometimes such films may be watched as a way of drawing in negative units associated with that for clearing. [5]
The point is, there are many motivations for watching something, and one should NEVER judge another for what they watch on the basis of a stereotype.
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Notes:
- There are more than just two genders, which is why I have not used the word "either".
- This is, in fact, one of the founding principles for the rangers of the Inner Place.
- Pronounced "sky-aa", this is the name of a female warrior who trained other Celtic warriors including the legendary CĂş Chulainn - see here for more.
- I do not hold with using gender neutral pronouns such as actor for male and female instead of using actor and actress. My experience in the workplace is that such may become a code for bigots - hence, for instance, chairman is used for men (with the excuse that the origin of the word was not associated with a particular gender, which is true, but false as it ignores the changes that happened to language in the last century as women seek to be treated equally), and chairperson is used for women - when it should be chairwoman. In other words, it gives the bigots a chance to be lazy and get out of realistic thinking and consideration of changes that need to be made to a workplace on the basis of convenience.
- My experience of this world is that it is a violent place - a psychically violent place, with most of that psychic violence associated with words and drama.
Tags: about me, archetype, Kerr Cuhulain, motivation, Scathach, sexism, stereotypes, violence, society,
First published:Sunnudagr, 22nd May, 2011
Last edited: Sunday, 22nd May, 2011
Tuesday 17 May 2011
Post No. 269 - For winter: staying warm
The following is from an email to a friend - written with a view to posting it here.
***
The breathing exercise is based on a Tibetan yoga system. My experience of training in this system is that it was arranged as:
(1) learn how to do a Complete Breath; (2) learn how to breathe through the nostrils in various ratios and sequences;
(3) learn the warming breathing exercise and visualisation.
A "Complete Breath" is basically filling the lungs with as much air as possible: expand the diaphragm first, then the ribs and finally the shoulders … and reverse order as one breathes out.
Learning to breathe through the nostrils in particular sequences etc will probably not be an issue for you as well. I’m going to use this elsewhere, however, so I will briefly review the sequence that I typically use when teaching people this:
- four-fold breathing; - alternate nostril breathing (progressive development; for convenience, I usually regard the
right nostril as the 1st, and the left as the 2nd):
(a) practice breathing through one nostril:
- close one nostril with a finger on the side of that nostril, and breathe in and out the
other nostril,
using a four-fold Complete Breath (CB) pattern:
including swapping the nostril being used half way
(b) begin alternating nostrils for breathing:
- close the 2nd nostril with a finger on the side of that nostril, and breathe in the 1st
nostril, then
- swap finger to other side of the nose to close the other nostril, breathe out and then
in through the 2nd nostril,
- swap finger back to original position to close the 2nd nostril again & breathe out the
1st nostril,
(c) begin lengthening the out breathe:
- close the 2nd nostril with a finger on the side of that nostril, and breathe in the 1st,
then
- swap finger to other side of the nose to close the other nostril, breathe out and then
in through the 2nd nostril,
- swap finger back to original position to close the 2nd nostril again & breathe out the
1st nostril,
(d) begin lengthening the “hold” period:
- close the 2nd nostril with a finger on the side of that nostril, and breathe in the 1st
nostril, then
- swap finger to other side of the nose to close the other nostril, breathe out and then
in the 2nd nostril,
- swap finger back to original position to close the 2nd nostril again & breathe out the
1st nostril,
(e) continue lengthening the “hold” period:
- close the 2nd nostril with a finger on the side of that nostril, and breathe in the 1st
nostril, then
- swap finger to other side of the nose to close the other nostril, breathe out and then
in the 2nd nostril,
- swap finger back to original position to close the 2nd nostril again & breathe out the
1st nostril,
I’ll do some sketches in a couple of weeks time (I’ll be busy until at least then!) to make it clearer – which I need to do to show the energy flows for a variation of the alternate nostril breathing exercise anyway.
The warming breath sequence is:
- breath in the right nostril for a count of 8 (or whatever is convenient); - hold for a count of four times the in period (32 in this example);
- breathe out the left nostril for a count of twice the in period (16 in this example);
- pause for a count of half the in period (4, in the case of this example);
- repeat the sequence (i.e., in the right, and out the left).
When that sequence is comfortable, there are two ways of proceeding to the next stage that I learned.
The first way is by chanting “Aum”, which is supposed to – when combined with the breathing exercise – to help build internal energy.
The second way is a seemingly more direct way, and involves visualising a furnace internally, being fed by the breathing.
These days I find I don’t particularly need either of these, just the visualisation, but initially I found the visualising a furnace slightly more effective than the chanting.
The recommendation I had when learning was to do this 20 times per day – I usually do 22. That’s OK, but the effect does seem to be a little cumulative, so I actually don’t do the exercise as frequently or as long – I tend only to do it when I feel cold (which is rare, these days). When I first came back to Melbourne in the 80s, I used to practice this exercise every morning, and could sit outside on cold concrete in summer clothes and feel quite warm. I first used it, however, in Queensland, when I was sailing. My crew did judo, and was open to learning about breathing, so he and I used to do a few of these breaths to keep us going when we were cold (which can happen when you’re wet and exposed to wind – the coldest I have ever felt was when caught in a storm while sailing near Brisbane, that was even colder than being in Kaifeng with below zero temperatures + wind chill, because at least I was dressed for the conditions then).
The traditional Tibetan way of testing someone’s application of this skill (I think called tumo - and also written about by Alexandra David-Neel) was for them to be wrapped with wet blankets while sitting in snow (at night), and they had to see how many blankets they could dry with their body heat through the night. I’m nowhere near that proficiency – and I know of Westerners who thought they were who froze to death high in the Himalayas because of their mistake. But, with a little practice, it can safely help take the chill off oneself during winter :)
***
OK, that is the end of the extract.
I am working on a post about Alexandra David-Neel, by the way ...
More can be found about breathing exercises (pranayama) by reasearching Sri Sivananda.
I found the results of scientific tests, such as raising the fingers of fingers and toes by 8degrees C, reported in the Wikpedia article on this topic quite interesting (see here and here).
The "foulr-fold" breath I refer to is breathe in for a count of four, hold for a count of four, breathe out for a count of four, then pause ("empty" lungs) for a count of four. Do NOT use heart beats for counting, as they may slow and cause you to experience breathing difficulties.Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Tags: breathing, Tibet, warming, Tumo,
First published: Tysdagr, 17th May, 2011
Last edited: Tuesday, 17th May, 2011
Post No. 268 - Thou shalt not say not, and addiction to chakras
In my early New Age experiences in the 80s, one of the accepted "rules" of wisdom, was that one should not use a negative in affirmations. Hence, for instance, if one wished to give up smoking, the affirmation would be along the lines of having a positive, such as clean breath, or better lung capacity, etc - smoking was not to be mentioned. There can be a point to this, and the example I often use (from my early learning) is "don't think of a pink elephant" - to which most people's response is to think of a pink elephant, and then banish the image.
However, as I was re-reading (actually, re-skimming; it is useful to go through something you've read as a bit of refresher from time to time - assuming it was good or useful - but it may not be necessary to re-read every single word) one of Katrina Raphael's first three books on crystals (she has apparently recently written a fourth), I came across a statement about - in effect - using a generator crystal to programme "not smoking" into one's being.
That got me thinking: is there a time when it is useful to use a negative - as in the sense of "not smoking"? How about "I will have the strength to not smoke"? Contains a negative, but maybe that is something which is needed as some stages of dealing with an addiction - which generally involves a series of steps along the lines of:
The big step in my experience (which includes an ex-partner who I consider used to be alcoholic - although she no longer is) is that acknowledging a problem as being a problem is a big issue. I personally consider that this is relevant to the negative state of the world, as many people tend to become fixated on living in one chakra (see this post for an explanation of this concept). Typically, this involves living in the personally focused chakras, resulting in people who are selfish and/or materialist. That may be something they need to do for their evolution, but my experience is that many people have, in effect, become addicted to living in that chakra.
This could happen for a range of reasons, such as not knowing there is an alternative, socialisation, even advertising - whatever the reason, it is undesirable.
The spiritual ideal is being able to "live in" (or manifest the energies/attributes of) whatever chakra or combination of chakras is ideally suited to a particular circumstance. Too many people, in my experience, are unwilling to do so, and hence are inarticulate (shut down throat chakra), unloving (shut down heart chakra), emotionally crippled (shut down solar plexus chakra), unaware of spiritual aspects of life (shut down third eye or crown chakra), or uncaring about the physical world (shut down Earth Star chakra), etc, as a result of being focused on only one or two chakras.
In fact, I would go so far as to say they are addicted to living in that chakra, and need to treat the problem along the lines of it being an addiction.
In this case, education is key part of addressing the problem - perhaps much as education about the dangers of smoking have helped address the problem of smoking. The education about the problem of being addicted to living in only one or two chakras may include education being framed with a view to forming a balanced person as a whole. Recently one of our Universities decided to split undergraduate degrees into a general degree first, and then a specific degree. Their arguments for this confirmed my view that secondary education is failing, as it does not develop the person as a whole human being.
It would be interesting to see what would happen to this work if we were not generally so focused on such a small portion of ourselves.
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Tags: negatives, affirmations, chakras, attitudes, personal responsibility,
First published: Tysdagr, 17th May, 2011
Last edited: Tuesday, 17th May, 2011
However, as I was re-reading (actually, re-skimming; it is useful to go through something you've read as a bit of refresher from time to time - assuming it was good or useful - but it may not be necessary to re-read every single word) one of Katrina Raphael's first three books on crystals (she has apparently recently written a fourth), I came across a statement about - in effect - using a generator crystal to programme "not smoking" into one's being.
That got me thinking: is there a time when it is useful to use a negative - as in the sense of "not smoking"? How about "I will have the strength to not smoke"? Contains a negative, but maybe that is something which is needed as some stages of dealing with an addiction - which generally involves a series of steps along the lines of:
- naming the problem;
- acknowledging that the problem is a problem;
- wanting to be helped with the problem;
- seeking help with the problem.
The big step in my experience (which includes an ex-partner who I consider used to be alcoholic - although she no longer is) is that acknowledging a problem as being a problem is a big issue. I personally consider that this is relevant to the negative state of the world, as many people tend to become fixated on living in one chakra (see this post for an explanation of this concept). Typically, this involves living in the personally focused chakras, resulting in people who are selfish and/or materialist. That may be something they need to do for their evolution, but my experience is that many people have, in effect, become addicted to living in that chakra.
This could happen for a range of reasons, such as not knowing there is an alternative, socialisation, even advertising - whatever the reason, it is undesirable.
The spiritual ideal is being able to "live in" (or manifest the energies/attributes of) whatever chakra or combination of chakras is ideally suited to a particular circumstance. Too many people, in my experience, are unwilling to do so, and hence are inarticulate (shut down throat chakra), unloving (shut down heart chakra), emotionally crippled (shut down solar plexus chakra), unaware of spiritual aspects of life (shut down third eye or crown chakra), or uncaring about the physical world (shut down Earth Star chakra), etc, as a result of being focused on only one or two chakras.
In fact, I would go so far as to say they are addicted to living in that chakra, and need to treat the problem along the lines of it being an addiction.
In this case, education is key part of addressing the problem - perhaps much as education about the dangers of smoking have helped address the problem of smoking. The education about the problem of being addicted to living in only one or two chakras may include education being framed with a view to forming a balanced person as a whole. Recently one of our Universities decided to split undergraduate degrees into a general degree first, and then a specific degree. Their arguments for this confirmed my view that secondary education is failing, as it does not develop the person as a whole human being.
It would be interesting to see what would happen to this work if we were not generally so focused on such a small portion of ourselves.
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Tags: negatives, affirmations, chakras, attitudes, personal responsibility,
First published: Tysdagr, 17th May, 2011
Last edited: Tuesday, 17th May, 2011
Saturday 14 May 2011
Post No. 267 - Dawn Hill
My partner and I are reading/re-reading Dawn Hill's excellent New Age books, which include mediumship (her husband Roland finds he is a trance medium, but she talks about how mediumship is far more than just trance mediumship), rescue (including trance rescue, as well as the more commonly used "mental" or telepathic rescue - and see elsewhere on this blog where I have posted about this topic) and psychic development. This is quite fun, with each of us finding a bit we like, and then reading it out to the other as we work through these books from the 1980s. (It appears Dawn Hill may have lived in or near Mackay when I was there, in the early 80s. She was born in 1946 in Tasmania, and spent her early childhood on King Island in Bass Strait.)
One such piece is in "Lifting the Veil" [1], where Dawn is talking of research into the two halves of the brain. After describing the research, she poses a series of light-hearted questions, beginning with: "Could a person who only thinks with one half of his/her brain be considered a half-wit?" and continuing up to "Could this mean the world is being controlled by half-wits?"
Hmmmm. Indeed :)
(Oh how that could be applied to a number of engineers I've worked with over the years!)
These books are hard to track down, but they are well worth the effort: she also wrote "Reaching for the Other Side" [2] and "Edge of Reality". The exercises and advice on psychic development are very useful.
As a small example, in the section on brain function, Dawn talks about how she adapts some of her teaching. For instance, if people are having problems visualising, she will use other words (such as imagination) or explain that it feels as if you are day-dreaming. This adaptability is important - as she writes in her first book, her guide once explained, when Dawn was feeling stupid at not understanding, that the fault was of the teachers:
"My daughter you are not stupid. If a student does not learn the teacher is at fault, for he has neither correctly assessed the student's level of development nor delivered the lesson in the appropriate way. If something is explained to you properly, you will understand it. Therefore if you do not learn you are not a poor student, I am a poor teacher."
It is nice to read of a New Age author who writes about angels and singing psalms who is also respectful of the "Old Religion" (which is a term for Wicca/witchcraft) and Earth religions, open about sexuality and religions (at least, as far as having premarital and/or casual sex is concerned; I haven't found her attitudes towards bisexuality or same sex attraction yet, though).
She also writes respectfully on animals, including that they have souls, and gives an explanation of the dngers of using ouija boards that is slightly different to what I have come across before. Her warning is that the ouija board needs energies that are closer to the physical to move the pointer (planchette, I think is the proper name), and hence users are more or less inherently tuning into the lower astral.
I am looking forward to seeing what she writes about the dangers of getting drunk (not drinking in moderation). I've had a reminder fairly near to me that such behaviour can cause possession or obsession.
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Notes:
Tags: Dawn Hill, mediumship, psychic development, brain, teaching, sexuality, Wicca, animals,
First published: Laugadagr, 14th May, 2011
Last edited: Saturday, 14th May, 2011
One such piece is in "Lifting the Veil" [1], where Dawn is talking of research into the two halves of the brain. After describing the research, she poses a series of light-hearted questions, beginning with: "Could a person who only thinks with one half of his/her brain be considered a half-wit?" and continuing up to "Could this mean the world is being controlled by half-wits?"
Hmmmm. Indeed :)
(Oh how that could be applied to a number of engineers I've worked with over the years!)
These books are hard to track down, but they are well worth the effort: she also wrote "Reaching for the Other Side" [2] and "Edge of Reality". The exercises and advice on psychic development are very useful.
As a small example, in the section on brain function, Dawn talks about how she adapts some of her teaching. For instance, if people are having problems visualising, she will use other words (such as imagination) or explain that it feels as if you are day-dreaming. This adaptability is important - as she writes in her first book, her guide once explained, when Dawn was feeling stupid at not understanding, that the fault was of the teachers:
"My daughter you are not stupid. If a student does not learn the teacher is at fault, for he has neither correctly assessed the student's level of development nor delivered the lesson in the appropriate way. If something is explained to you properly, you will understand it. Therefore if you do not learn you are not a poor student, I am a poor teacher."
It is nice to read of a New Age author who writes about angels and singing psalms who is also respectful of the "Old Religion" (which is a term for Wicca/witchcraft) and Earth religions, open about sexuality and religions (at least, as far as having premarital and/or casual sex is concerned; I haven't found her attitudes towards bisexuality or same sex attraction yet, though).
She also writes respectfully on animals, including that they have souls, and gives an explanation of the dngers of using ouija boards that is slightly different to what I have come across before. Her warning is that the ouija board needs energies that are closer to the physical to move the pointer (planchette, I think is the proper name), and hence users are more or less inherently tuning into the lower astral.
I am looking forward to seeing what she writes about the dangers of getting drunk (not drinking in moderation). I've had a reminder fairly near to me that such behaviour can cause possession or obsession.
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Notes:
- Pub. Pan Australia (now Pan Macmillan), 1989, ISBN 0-330-27114-8
- Pub. Pan Australia (now Pan Macmillan), 1982, ISBN 0-330-27029-X
Tags: Dawn Hill, mediumship, psychic development, brain, teaching, sexuality, Wicca, animals,
First published: Laugadagr, 14th May, 2011
Last edited: Saturday, 14th May, 2011
Post No. 266 - A benefit of polytheism
One of the benefits that, in my opinion, that polytheism (many deities) has over monotheism (one deities), is that the former is inherently more adaptable than the latter to changing circumstances.
Hence, for example, the original "All Father" (head) Deity in the Norse pantheon was Tyr. This later became Odin, and there are suggestions that Thor was becoming the "All Father" at around the time that Christianity wound up suppressing northern pagan traditions (see here, here and here for more on that series of tragedies).
In the Ancient Egyptian pantheon, Bast originally held the place most ascribe to Isis.
If we look, on the other hand, at Christianity, they have struggled to adapt to a range of things, including the "new" place of women in society, and same sex relationships. Is this, in part, because they are stuck with a choice of one deity?
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Tags: deities, evolution, society, paganism, Christianity, Egypt, Northern Tradition,
First published: Laugadagr, 14th May, 2011
Last edited: Saturday, 14th May, 2011
Hence, for example, the original "All Father" (head) Deity in the Norse pantheon was Tyr. This later became Odin, and there are suggestions that Thor was becoming the "All Father" at around the time that Christianity wound up suppressing northern pagan traditions (see here, here and here for more on that series of tragedies).
In the Ancient Egyptian pantheon, Bast originally held the place most ascribe to Isis.
If we look, on the other hand, at Christianity, they have struggled to adapt to a range of things, including the "new" place of women in society, and same sex relationships. Is this, in part, because they are stuck with a choice of one deity?
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Tags: deities, evolution, society, paganism, Christianity, Egypt, Northern Tradition,
First published: Laugadagr, 14th May, 2011
Last edited: Saturday, 14th May, 2011
Tuesday 10 May 2011
Post No. 265 - Necessity is the mother of invention: water and cooperation in the south-west USA
My day job is being an engineer in the water industry. At the moment, I - and my aching back - am at a water industry conference in South Australia. This morning, one of the "key note speakers" was a woman who heads an organisation managing the water supply to five states in the USA (California, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and one other). This organisation has its roots in the crisis resulting from a prolonged drought. Suddenly, these five states realised that they were about to run out of water, which would be absolutely catastrophic for around 30 million people and 25% of the US economy. As a result, they gave up their ingrained, competitive independence, and decided to work together, to - dare I say it - COOPERATE for the greater good of the community ....
Hmmm ... collectivist cooperation for the community? Sounds ... radical (for the USA!)
This speech left me with a few conflicting reactions. On the one hand, if somewhere as individualist as the USA can - albeit under extreme duress - learn to act cooperatively, maybe there is hope for the work. But on the other hand, it is a shame that it took so dire a situation for this to happen.
On a less happy note, I noticed some - not all! - of the young females were either trying to play on looking cute or were speaking to the audience as they would to their friends. Not professional :(
On a better note, one speaker proposed viewing pipe systems the same way as our gut: make them healthy, happy little probiotic ecosystems, rather than trying to keep them all sterile. Great idea - we function better when the bacteria in our digestive system are a balanced, healthy mixture, and that balanced, healthy mixture is well and truly capable of dealing with the odd pathogen here and there. Great idea - but it will take some time for the technical know-how to show us how to reliably and safely do this in a way that keeps EVERYONE, including those with compromised and/or imperfect immune systems such as the young, elderly or ill, assuredly safe.
It reminds me of something I read decades ago, which said the Anglo approach to health was to kill the germ, whereas the French way was to build the system with tonics etc so it could deal with germs (much as immune systems are stimulated by contact with pathogens, which is why kids need to ocassionally get literally dirty when they play outside). They're probably both right, and it is just a case of which one is appropriate for a given time, place and circumstance - a bit like you need both psychic protection and psychic strength, one perhaps more so at one time than the other.
On a less happy note, I noticed some - not all! - of the young females were either trying to play on looking cute or were speaking to the audience as they would to their friends. Not professional :(
On a better note, one speaker proposed viewing pipe systems the same way as our gut: make them healthy, happy little probiotic ecosystems, rather than trying to keep them all sterile. Great idea - we function better when the bacteria in our digestive system are a balanced, healthy mixture, and that balanced, healthy mixture is well and truly capable of dealing with the odd pathogen here and there. Great idea - but it will take some time for the technical know-how to show us how to reliably and safely do this in a way that keeps EVERYONE, including those with compromised and/or imperfect immune systems such as the young, elderly or ill, assuredly safe.
It reminds me of something I read decades ago, which said the Anglo approach to health was to kill the germ, whereas the French way was to build the system with tonics etc so it could deal with germs (much as immune systems are stimulated by contact with pathogens, which is why kids need to ocassionally get literally dirty when they play outside). They're probably both right, and it is just a case of which one is appropriate for a given time, place and circumstance - a bit like you need both psychic protection and psychic strength, one perhaps more so at one time than the other.
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Tags:attitudes, competitiveness, individualism, responsibility, society, protection,
First published: Tysdagr, 10th May, 2011
Last edited: Tuesday, 10th May, 2011
Monday 9 May 2011
Post No. 264 - Opinions, Sir Hugh Dowding and the travails of travel
Well, I've had another sleepless night - have to travel for work by air, which means running the gauntlet of security theatre. On top of that, I've been asked to go to North Korea - six weeks without any way of being in touch with my family, plus extremely high risk!!! :( Me thinks may be time to find another job ...
This is just a quick post on a couple of matters before I go to pack.
Firstly, one of the major problems with this world is that people have opinions about things that are none of their business - especially fashion. You know, if someone feels comfortable wearing something that isn't what someone else considers flashy or "neat" or even matching (ever think that the colours which others find unappealing might be exactly what that person needs for their aura? Also, because I've been so annoyed by people saying "blue and green should not be seen without something in-between" that I frequently choose to wear exactly that), and isn't breaching any obscenity laws, then KEEP YOUR LIPS ZIPPED - you have NO right to have an opinion on that matter.
I also consider that people should only have an opinion if they have done some basic research or have at least SOME knowledge - as an example, if someone thinks LGBTIQ people are all "X" without having ever met and got to know at least one person from each category, they are hypocritical imbeciles. I might argue with them if they make that decision after having met only one person, but at least they have SOME basis for their opinion ...
There is a writer who contributes something to The Age occasionally: Kate Holden. She wrote a column last weekend on friends who dare to venture an opinion that she hasn't asked for. It is worth a read - see here.
Also, I found out recently on the excellent Spirit Rescue website from the UK, that Hugh Dowding, who led the defence of the UK during the Battle of Britain, became involved in rescue after the war - see here. I'll have to try tracking down some of his books.
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Tags: rescue, opinions, personal characteristics, personal responsibility, perspective,
First published: Manadagr 9th May, 2011
Last edited: Monday, 9th May, 2011
This is just a quick post on a couple of matters before I go to pack.
Firstly, one of the major problems with this world is that people have opinions about things that are none of their business - especially fashion. You know, if someone feels comfortable wearing something that isn't what someone else considers flashy or "neat" or even matching (ever think that the colours which others find unappealing might be exactly what that person needs for their aura? Also, because I've been so annoyed by people saying "blue and green should not be seen without something in-between" that I frequently choose to wear exactly that), and isn't breaching any obscenity laws, then KEEP YOUR LIPS ZIPPED - you have NO right to have an opinion on that matter.
I also consider that people should only have an opinion if they have done some basic research or have at least SOME knowledge - as an example, if someone thinks LGBTIQ people are all "X" without having ever met and got to know at least one person from each category, they are hypocritical imbeciles. I might argue with them if they make that decision after having met only one person, but at least they have SOME basis for their opinion ...
There is a writer who contributes something to The Age occasionally: Kate Holden. She wrote a column last weekend on friends who dare to venture an opinion that she hasn't asked for. It is worth a read - see here.
Also, I found out recently on the excellent Spirit Rescue website from the UK, that Hugh Dowding, who led the defence of the UK during the Battle of Britain, became involved in rescue after the war - see here. I'll have to try tracking down some of his books.
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Tags: rescue, opinions, personal characteristics, personal responsibility, perspective,
First published: Manadagr 9th May, 2011
Last edited: Monday, 9th May, 2011
Wednesday 4 May 2011
Post No. 263 - A funeral
I've just run my first funeral (I am a first degree Priestess in the Correllian tradition). The occasion was the passing of my partner's mother, on the other side of the world. We couldn't be there for the funeral, but we held a ceremony here at the same time as the other funeral. In a way, that had some advantages, as we could have a pagan ceremony, and leave her family to hold a more Christian ceremony for them.
Shocked? I hope not. Funerals are really to help the survivors deal with a loss: the spirit of the deceased is hopefully well and truly passed over, although maybe come back for a look-see for the funeral.
My partner has an advantage here: she knows about life after death, she's seen me help others in this situation, and I've been able to provide reports on what her mother has been experiencing. That makes it easier for her to deal with her own reactions, and those of her family.
Others I've tried (in response to an invitation to do so!) to help have been less fortunate, and in at least two cases the person concerned has been so wrapped in their grief that I haven't been of any real use. The main character in Joan Grant's book "Winged Pharaoh" is able to clear that grief from the astral with beams of energy of certain colours. I wish it were that easy ... then again, maybe it is - if you have the training that that character had received :)
Much of my focus in working around the topic of survival after death has been on the person who passes: maybe I need to start doing more for those left behind ...
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Tags: death, rituals, society, about me,
First published: Wodansdagr, 4th May, 2011
Last edited: Wednesday, 4th May, 2011
Shocked? I hope not. Funerals are really to help the survivors deal with a loss: the spirit of the deceased is hopefully well and truly passed over, although maybe come back for a look-see for the funeral.
My partner has an advantage here: she knows about life after death, she's seen me help others in this situation, and I've been able to provide reports on what her mother has been experiencing. That makes it easier for her to deal with her own reactions, and those of her family.
Others I've tried (in response to an invitation to do so!) to help have been less fortunate, and in at least two cases the person concerned has been so wrapped in their grief that I haven't been of any real use. The main character in Joan Grant's book "Winged Pharaoh" is able to clear that grief from the astral with beams of energy of certain colours. I wish it were that easy ... then again, maybe it is - if you have the training that that character had received :)
Much of my focus in working around the topic of survival after death has been on the person who passes: maybe I need to start doing more for those left behind ...
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Tags: death, rituals, society, about me,
First published: Wodansdagr, 4th May, 2011
Last edited: Wednesday, 4th May, 2011
Tuesday 3 May 2011
Post No. 262 - Colour visualisation and breathing
I've posted previously [1] on psychic exercises that I find useful. I thought I would now add to that by describing my current (ideal) sequence of exercises.
Firstly, I'll establish protection, flame, and ground (yes, ground: it is better to work in a disciplined manner) myself.
Second, I do a basic sequence of breathing colour in to my solar plexus chakra, continuing the colour flowing in as I hold my breath ... and then breath out, pushing the colours through my aura as I do so. The minimum set of colours I use is pink, blue, green and gold; I prefer to use pink, blue green, gold orange, violet and "white" (actually, this "colour" I visualise as pure brilliance - it is far, far, far removed from white :) ).
The third step involves a sequence for each of the thirteen chakras I work with:
Now, for the fifth step I send the energy to people and places who are significant to me, using the energy from places such as the pyramids. This will include my Guides, Higher Self, parallels, power animals, etc. In my case, I give each of these a Tibetan prayer wheel around 6 feet (2m) high, and send enough colour to get the prayer wheel spinning merrily along.
This can take quite a bit of time, so I also have a few shortened versions. I also have exercises where I will do things like project energy from each chakra, join the beams of energy together, and use those to flush my meridians.
There are many variations possible on this - you can add in chanting, for example, or the various projections from chakras (and multiple aspects of chakras) that Correllian training involves. I suggest you experiment, and find what works best for you (you may need to have a few sets of exercises to suit different moods, energy levels, circumstances, available times, etc).
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Notes:
Tags: breathing, chakras, colour, visualisation
First published: Tysdagr, 3rd May, 2011
Last edited: Tuesday, 3rd May, 2011
Firstly, I'll establish protection, flame, and ground (yes, ground: it is better to work in a disciplined manner) myself.
Second, I do a basic sequence of breathing colour in to my solar plexus chakra, continuing the colour flowing in as I hold my breath ... and then breath out, pushing the colours through my aura as I do so. The minimum set of colours I use is pink, blue, green and gold; I prefer to use pink, blue green, gold orange, violet and "white" (actually, this "colour" I visualise as pure brilliance - it is far, far, far removed from white :) ).
The third step involves a sequence for each of the thirteen chakras I work with:
- breathe each colour in to the chakra, allow it to spin (a bit like a washing machine impeller :) ) and collect anything that is negative or disharmonious, then as I breathe out I exhale the negativity to Universe and Mother Earth for dissolving and/or cleansing & recycling; repeat (for each colour) until I feel that the chakra is cleansed;
- breathe each colour in to the chakra, including magnetically drawing that energy from whatever sources are available that willing and safely can contribute that energy (especially while I am holding my breath), and then as I breathe out let the colour heal the chakra and settle into it;
- next, keeping in mind that - in my view - each chakra is connected to a level of reality (e.g. 2nd chakra to etheric, solar plexus to astral, etc), as I breathe in I draw in energy on that level specifically, and go through a sequence of cleansing and healing that level;
- next, I breathe in the energy (including magnetically attracting energy, especially on the level the chakra is connected to, and then radiate it out through my body on that level, and then (next set of breaths) through that level.
Now, for the fifth step I send the energy to people and places who are significant to me, using the energy from places such as the pyramids. This will include my Guides, Higher Self, parallels, power animals, etc. In my case, I give each of these a Tibetan prayer wheel around 6 feet (2m) high, and send enough colour to get the prayer wheel spinning merrily along.
This can take quite a bit of time, so I also have a few shortened versions. I also have exercises where I will do things like project energy from each chakra, join the beams of energy together, and use those to flush my meridians.
There are many variations possible on this - you can add in chanting, for example, or the various projections from chakras (and multiple aspects of chakras) that Correllian training involves. I suggest you experiment, and find what works best for you (you may need to have a few sets of exercises to suit different moods, energy levels, circumstances, available times, etc).
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Notes:
- Here's the entire post:
Tags: breathing, chakras, colour, visualisation
First published: Tysdagr, 3rd May, 2011
Last edited: Tuesday, 3rd May, 2011
Post No. 261 - Some interesting reading
"The difference between soul and spirit", which I consider to be splitting hairs: http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/difference-between-soul-and-spirit/#ixzz1JxTK5VX7
A journal at Llewellyn: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/
"Popping Pills and Magical Practice", by Deborah
URL: http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usnj&c=words&id=14459
"Making Room for all Genders in Paganism", by Maggi Setti
URL: http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usnj&c=words&id=14556
URL: http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usnj&c=words&id=14556
"UPG: Good, Bad, Maybe Even Ugly?", by Mountainchick
URL: http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=uswv&c=words&id=14416
"Sacred Sexuality", by Mel Fleming II
URL: http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usca&c=words&id=13863- "Krakouer a wonderful story: Overland", 14th April, 2011 - 4:27PM; URL: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/krakouer-a-wonderful-story-overland-20110413-1ddsz.html
- " 'Punji-hunting' gang member walks free", 3rd May, 2011 - 10:40AM;URL: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/punjihunting-gang-member-walks-free-20110503-1e5sh.html - although I do understand the outrage at this sentence, which was my initial reaction;it's worth reading the article in it's entirety, after which the questions becomes, how much do you trust a judge with a few decades of experience? (not much, I would say, with some, but in this case ... maybe)
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Post No. 259 - Does rescue involve lying?
The short answer to that is - in the STRICTEST sense - yes, but before I elaborate on that I'd like to give a few links to make sure we are on the same "page" - or at least understanding what page we are on:
The astral equivalent of that may not be as visible to most people, but DESPITE THAT the harm is JUST AS REAL (and possibly of longer lasting effect). Similarly, the agreement about basic rules of conduct ("laws") also exists, albeit at the level of your innermost self: your Higher Self.
Thus, subject to developing enough verified psychic ability to check what is happening and needs to be done with those in the spirit world who are guiding those in this world, rescue of uncooperatives (i.e. against their will) is something that I consider morally and ethically justified AND NECESSARY. In fact, I consider failing to perform the rescue of an uncooperative when you can is tantamount to LETTING - or even aiding and abetting - the aforementioned armed maniac murder other people.
In fact, I consider those who think everything can be done in the nice, pleasant way the character Melinda Gordon (played by Jennifer Love Hewitt) does in the TV series "Ghost Whisperer" to be naive.
So, how does lying fit into this?
Well, it is more those who are borderline uncooperative. Uncooperatives I have no problem confronting, and if they choose to resist passing over to the higher astral, then they will be forcibly placed in a portion of the lower astral [1]. That is not a pleasant experience [2], but at least they have been removed from a level of reality where they can and will influence incarnate people, animals, plants and places - possibly against the free will of said incarnate people, animals, plants and places.
Cooperatives are those people who, by a combination of talking/counselling/healing (the approach most people know about in terms of rescue) and changing the environment (which most amateurs don't know about, and covers things like channelling a male entity through a female medium [or vice versa], changing the weapons of soldiers who are still fighting into bunches of flowers, etc - see the description of "scene rescue" here for more on this), can be persuaded within a reasonable time and expenditure of energy to move from earthbound to passing over to the astral worlds. Their largest problem is lack of awareness of being dead - and the denial of even being able to feel arms or legs described by the character Molygruber in Lobsang Rampa's book "Three Lives" is a very good explanation of that.
Uncooperatives, in my experience, almost universally have some level of awareness of their death, or their ability to influence others. They may in fact be permitted to do so for a period of time as part of the karmic return of the person who harmed them (hence, for instance, a murderer/rapist/bully may experience being haunted), or possibly as part of the prelude to healing for the victim, but there comes a time when the earthbound entity needs to move on. They may, for instance, have started affecting innocent people who simply bear, for instance, some physical similarity to the person who harmed them (which has happened to me: I can recall one entity who attached himself to me simply because my hair looked like that of his former wife).
There are people who are borderline between cooperative and uncooperative: trying to do a cooperative rescue may take a rescue session several days or weeks long (which is not practical), and they still have to be stopped from harming others. Well, it is possible to change to doing an uncooperative rescue, but I know what that experience is like (as, I can guarantee, does almost every single person reading this from previous lives!): if I can, perhaps, "trick" them into moving over cooperatively, perhaps by telling them a white lie (or, for instance, agreeing to one of their guides presenting with the image of someone they know and respect or love, or perhaps the creation of a thought form of their notion of "heaven" [3]), then I would rather do that than condemn them to being placed in the lower astral.
One example of that comes from a recent rescue I did while clearing up influences making a back problem I had worse. One of the entities who was affecting that was a pilot who had died in the Second World War. His last sensation was of the excruciating sensation as his back was broken. Being earthbound with that sensation was something he had to go through karmically, as in several previous lives as a soldier, he had deliberately broken several people's backs. Now, his sole awareness was limited to that pain. Could we put healing in? No - he did not believe such things were possible, and rejected several attempts to help him that way. Would he accept the image of a doctor from the Second World War? Yes, but - partly out of his guilt, which he was aware of on some less conscious (to the "earthbound him"), and partly out of knowing the limitations of medicine from the time of his last life, he did not believe that his pain could be relieved. So we - we meaning HIS DLF Guides, my DLF guides and I, working together - told him a white lie: we said medicine had advanced and could now fix his back. That got his attention enough for us to get him out of that earthbound situation, and into what he perceived as a hospital, as part of the healing and education process before he moves fully into the astral.
So ... can rescue involve lying? Yes.
Is it ethical behaviour? Yes. Something to think on ... and feel free to disagree :)
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Notes:
Tags: cooperative, earthbound, ethics, Lobsang Rampa, rescue, uncooperative
First published: Tysdagr, 3rd May, 2011
Last edited: Tuesday, 3rd May, 2011
- a post on the general notion of taking action or not;
- a post about bullying and ways of standing up to them:
- a post about protecting one's home (could it be better, perhaps, to remove the threat?);
- another post about protection;
- my first specific post about protection;
- a post about people who avoid positive energy;
- a post about the need for rescue (including, by inference, uncooperatives); and
- my post about rescuing uncooperatives.
The astral equivalent of that may not be as visible to most people, but DESPITE THAT the harm is JUST AS REAL (and possibly of longer lasting effect). Similarly, the agreement about basic rules of conduct ("laws") also exists, albeit at the level of your innermost self: your Higher Self.
Thus, subject to developing enough verified psychic ability to check what is happening and needs to be done with those in the spirit world who are guiding those in this world, rescue of uncooperatives (i.e. against their will) is something that I consider morally and ethically justified AND NECESSARY. In fact, I consider failing to perform the rescue of an uncooperative when you can is tantamount to LETTING - or even aiding and abetting - the aforementioned armed maniac murder other people.
In fact, I consider those who think everything can be done in the nice, pleasant way the character Melinda Gordon (played by Jennifer Love Hewitt) does in the TV series "Ghost Whisperer" to be naive.
So, how does lying fit into this?
Well, it is more those who are borderline uncooperative. Uncooperatives I have no problem confronting, and if they choose to resist passing over to the higher astral, then they will be forcibly placed in a portion of the lower astral [1]. That is not a pleasant experience [2], but at least they have been removed from a level of reality where they can and will influence incarnate people, animals, plants and places - possibly against the free will of said incarnate people, animals, plants and places.
Cooperatives are those people who, by a combination of talking/counselling/healing (the approach most people know about in terms of rescue) and changing the environment (which most amateurs don't know about, and covers things like channelling a male entity through a female medium [or vice versa], changing the weapons of soldiers who are still fighting into bunches of flowers, etc - see the description of "scene rescue" here for more on this), can be persuaded within a reasonable time and expenditure of energy to move from earthbound to passing over to the astral worlds. Their largest problem is lack of awareness of being dead - and the denial of even being able to feel arms or legs described by the character Molygruber in Lobsang Rampa's book "Three Lives" is a very good explanation of that.
Uncooperatives, in my experience, almost universally have some level of awareness of their death, or their ability to influence others. They may in fact be permitted to do so for a period of time as part of the karmic return of the person who harmed them (hence, for instance, a murderer/rapist/bully may experience being haunted), or possibly as part of the prelude to healing for the victim, but there comes a time when the earthbound entity needs to move on. They may, for instance, have started affecting innocent people who simply bear, for instance, some physical similarity to the person who harmed them (which has happened to me: I can recall one entity who attached himself to me simply because my hair looked like that of his former wife).
There are people who are borderline between cooperative and uncooperative: trying to do a cooperative rescue may take a rescue session several days or weeks long (which is not practical), and they still have to be stopped from harming others. Well, it is possible to change to doing an uncooperative rescue, but I know what that experience is like (as, I can guarantee, does almost every single person reading this from previous lives!): if I can, perhaps, "trick" them into moving over cooperatively, perhaps by telling them a white lie (or, for instance, agreeing to one of their guides presenting with the image of someone they know and respect or love, or perhaps the creation of a thought form of their notion of "heaven" [3]), then I would rather do that than condemn them to being placed in the lower astral.
One example of that comes from a recent rescue I did while clearing up influences making a back problem I had worse. One of the entities who was affecting that was a pilot who had died in the Second World War. His last sensation was of the excruciating sensation as his back was broken. Being earthbound with that sensation was something he had to go through karmically, as in several previous lives as a soldier, he had deliberately broken several people's backs. Now, his sole awareness was limited to that pain. Could we put healing in? No - he did not believe such things were possible, and rejected several attempts to help him that way. Would he accept the image of a doctor from the Second World War? Yes, but - partly out of his guilt, which he was aware of on some less conscious (to the "earthbound him"), and partly out of knowing the limitations of medicine from the time of his last life, he did not believe that his pain could be relieved. So we - we meaning HIS DLF Guides, my DLF guides and I, working together - told him a white lie: we said medicine had advanced and could now fix his back. That got his attention enough for us to get him out of that earthbound situation, and into what he perceived as a hospital, as part of the healing and education process before he moves fully into the astral.
So ... can rescue involve lying? Yes.
Is it ethical behaviour? Yes. Something to think on ... and feel free to disagree :)
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Notes:
- Keep in mind that your Higher Self may have chosen for you to spend a certain amount of time earthbound after your incarnation. When that time is up, it is acceptable, right and for your own benefit to pass over. If you choose to fight against that, and wind up being moved from earthbound (i.e. on the etheric plane) to the lower astral against your (Higher Self) choice, lower self you will be creating negative karma for yourself.
- There some interesting descriptions of this in Joan Grant's book "Winged Pharaoh", which is another book I hope to review.
- Such elaborate through forms are usually inhabited by entities, but some detail will not be quite right (e.g. Rampa mentioned, as an example, the movement of "angels" does not connect to the rhythm of their wings) and eventually the person will call out to see the truth, and will do so.
Tags: cooperative, earthbound, ethics, Lobsang Rampa, rescue, uncooperative
First published: Tysdagr, 3rd May, 2011
Last edited: Tuesday, 3rd May, 2011
Post No. 258 - The death of Osama bin Laden
There has been an enormous amount of coverage given to reports of Bin Laden's death. If this is true (and I note that there are some who claim bin Laden was killed years ago, but those people feel to me somewhat akin to those conspiracy theorists who claim the moon landings were faked - who are a group of people I have VERY considerable doubts about! [1] ), then this person has met SOME of his karmic return and can no longer create more negative karma by encouraging or inspiring or arranging acts of terrorism (as I write that I am thinking of a Tibetan king from a millennia or so ago who was killed by a Tibetan monk to allegedly stop the king creating too much negative karma: the closest I can find to this is Langdarma, but that isn't quite what I am looking for).
That's not something to gleefully celebrate [2] .
Apart from views such as that of Geoffrey Robertson, QC, who pointed out that a trial would have done much to discredit bin Laden in the eyes of his supporters, what such celebrations show about vengeful attitudes (see this post from the Christian Scientist Monitor website [a surprisingly good source of commentary], which says that celebrating bin Laden's death is anti-American and not biblical, and think of the comment I have read comparing those celebrating bin Laden's death with the Palestinians who celebrated at news of the 9/11 attacks) and people in glass houses throwing rocks (I have been concerned about First World's behaviour towards the Third World for decades, long before bin Laden went to Afghanistan in the 80s to fight Russians), I do NOT believe that this removes or significantly reduces the terrorist risk the world faces from a whole range of sources.
Furthermore, we still have the legacy of extreme security measures, including personal "searches" in the USA that are effectively a form of sexual assault (does anyone at the TSA have any common sense? [3] ) and other security theatre actions that have been implemented to address public fear/hysteria (see here for comments including that bin Laden's death is a Pyrrhic victory). I've got to the stage where, for several years now, I prefer to drive rather than fly, as I don't fit into the nice, neat little box that people have of what a female should look and sound like, and am liable to get hassled (I also leave my personal talismans at home, which is upsetting: that is to avoid triggering concerns of security people at airports, but leaves me distressed for the entire trip, including trying to function without something that is important to me).
The British (who are reviewing their anti-terrorism laws - see here) used to make a point of trying to keep things going as normally as possible when threatened by "terrorism" in various situations - e.g., "the troubles" (and many other places as well, mostly places they had invaded as part of building the British Empire). That lesson appears to have been lost in the last decade or so ...
Now, let's look at Ireland. During and after the Roman Empire, the Irish raided the Brits, and that may have led (e.g. through karmic return) to the English invasion centuries later. The later invasion became (or was always intended to be!) an occupation, as part of that occupation discrimination became entrenched against the Catholic Irish, that plus the simple fact of occupation led to attempts at independence - which was ultimately successful in the larger portion of Ireland, but the Northern part, where there were more Protestants/people presumed to be of English heritage, continued to be part of the British Empire, and continued the discrimination until eventually the IRA started its campaign - against Northern Irish people as much as against the English. It was, in effect, a civil war, and they are the nastiest, dirtiest of wars - read up on the American Civil War (where total warfare and what were effectively concentration camps were used by Americans against Americans) and the English War of the Roses. The English resisted giving in to the terror campaign of "the troubles" - but they also made colossal, catastrophic mistakes such as Bloody Sunday, and it was eventually movements for peace that I have mentioned previously, such as the mothers protesting against the loss of their children (see here for instance), which led to a serious move towards both peace. Importantly, there was also some action over these decades to redress some of the wrongs arising from discrimination (see here).
I've seen major, violent conflicts come out of discrimination two other times in this life that I can recall as I write this: in Bangladesh, then Eastern Pakistan, when I was a child beginning to take an interest in world politics (see here), and in Sri Lanka - where early scenes of violence reminded me of what I saw in reports from Bangladesh (see here and here). Then, of course, there's the whole South African apartheid history, a terrible time of terrible actions inspired by the "White Australia" policy of my nation ... (at least the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was something to come out of that terrible time which may inspire the rest of the world to do better in many areas)
The campaigns attributed to bin Laden's mob and related cronies/mobs have a complex set of causes, and the people fighting them are not necessarily the personally disadvantaged many think are involved (see here), but I consider there are human rights issues (including poverty/hunger/development issues) which need to be addressed as part of contributing towards the world being a safe and stable place for all - and I do mean ALL, not just First World economic interests (whether those are American, British, French, Australian or other).The Wikipedia entry on terrorism has interesting comments in the sections on motivations (including what US "patriots" did on collaborators during the War of Independence) and responses (including - surprise! surprise! - "preemptive humanitarian activities" ... I'm also very aware of the appalling history of my nation [Australia] with regard to indigenous people: the point is, no-one has a perfect history - people in glass houses should not throw rocks).
I personally considered the invasion of Afghanistan) after 9/11 justified. Possibly it would have been "nicer", in a sense, if the change had happened much as the recent revolutions in the Arab world (see here [4]), but I don't think anyone in Afghanistan was in a position to do that after decades of active war.
However, as I wrote to various politicians at the time, I considered and still consider the invasion of Iraq to have been unjustified, immoral and illegal [5] - a status that is, in my possibly erroneous opinion, one of the main reasons that this whole exercise (meaning the invasions of both Afghanistan and Iraq) became such an effective recruiting tool for terrorists, rather than a measure taken against a morally corrupt regime (i.e. the Taliban) who had imposed themselves on a nation by violent means and then exported that violence.
I suspect the so-called "war on terror" (I'm glad President Obama appears to have dropped the use of this term!) will achieve many of its apparent aims (around reducing certain types of terrorist activity in certain areas of the world), but that will possibly also make addressing ALL of the causes of the terrorism (including the less credited causes such as poverty and the disparity in living standards between the first and third worlds) harder to achieve (incidentally, thank the Goddess for organisations like Médecins Sans Frontières - Doctors Without Borders).
Is the world a more spiritual place with bin Laden dead? Depends ... if he's earthbound, he will continue to influence people directly; if he has been taken to the astral or lower astral, at least the amount of direct psychic influence he can exert will be removed ... if the expected retaliation does not increase the amount of overall suffering in the world, maybe it will be better ... maybe the scale of reaction from bin Laden's supporters will psychically outweigh that of those who are glad to see his demise (although I tend to doubt that) [6] which will mean possibly not ... if the complications from Pakistan's involvement/lack of involvement do not exacerbate tensions or problems, maybe ... if the reaction of moderates in the Islamic world to the USA's actions are reasonable (albeit possibly disapproving or even mildly angry), maybe ... if the underlying causes of terrorism are not addressed, maybe not ... if the harsh, extreme reactions to security threats are left in place, definitely not.
Very few things in this life or the next are as simple as we would wish ...
Updates
Here are a few more links that are worth looking at and pondering:
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that"
Notes:
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Tags: attitudes, discrimination, earthbound, society, spirituality, violence, war, warfare, world
First published: Tysdagr, 3rd May, 2011
Last edited: Saturday, 7th May, 2011
That's not something to gleefully celebrate [2] .
Apart from views such as that of Geoffrey Robertson, QC, who pointed out that a trial would have done much to discredit bin Laden in the eyes of his supporters, what such celebrations show about vengeful attitudes (see this post from the Christian Scientist Monitor website [a surprisingly good source of commentary], which says that celebrating bin Laden's death is anti-American and not biblical, and think of the comment I have read comparing those celebrating bin Laden's death with the Palestinians who celebrated at news of the 9/11 attacks) and people in glass houses throwing rocks (I have been concerned about First World's behaviour towards the Third World for decades, long before bin Laden went to Afghanistan in the 80s to fight Russians), I do NOT believe that this removes or significantly reduces the terrorist risk the world faces from a whole range of sources.
Furthermore, we still have the legacy of extreme security measures, including personal "searches" in the USA that are effectively a form of sexual assault (does anyone at the TSA have any common sense? [3] ) and other security theatre actions that have been implemented to address public fear/hysteria (see here for comments including that bin Laden's death is a Pyrrhic victory). I've got to the stage where, for several years now, I prefer to drive rather than fly, as I don't fit into the nice, neat little box that people have of what a female should look and sound like, and am liable to get hassled (I also leave my personal talismans at home, which is upsetting: that is to avoid triggering concerns of security people at airports, but leaves me distressed for the entire trip, including trying to function without something that is important to me).
The British (who are reviewing their anti-terrorism laws - see here) used to make a point of trying to keep things going as normally as possible when threatened by "terrorism" in various situations - e.g., "the troubles" (and many other places as well, mostly places they had invaded as part of building the British Empire). That lesson appears to have been lost in the last decade or so ...
Now, let's look at Ireland. During and after the Roman Empire, the Irish raided the Brits, and that may have led (e.g. through karmic return) to the English invasion centuries later. The later invasion became (or was always intended to be!) an occupation, as part of that occupation discrimination became entrenched against the Catholic Irish, that plus the simple fact of occupation led to attempts at independence - which was ultimately successful in the larger portion of Ireland, but the Northern part, where there were more Protestants/people presumed to be of English heritage, continued to be part of the British Empire, and continued the discrimination until eventually the IRA started its campaign - against Northern Irish people as much as against the English. It was, in effect, a civil war, and they are the nastiest, dirtiest of wars - read up on the American Civil War (where total warfare and what were effectively concentration camps were used by Americans against Americans) and the English War of the Roses. The English resisted giving in to the terror campaign of "the troubles" - but they also made colossal, catastrophic mistakes such as Bloody Sunday, and it was eventually movements for peace that I have mentioned previously, such as the mothers protesting against the loss of their children (see here for instance), which led to a serious move towards both peace. Importantly, there was also some action over these decades to redress some of the wrongs arising from discrimination (see here).
I've seen major, violent conflicts come out of discrimination two other times in this life that I can recall as I write this: in Bangladesh, then Eastern Pakistan, when I was a child beginning to take an interest in world politics (see here), and in Sri Lanka - where early scenes of violence reminded me of what I saw in reports from Bangladesh (see here and here). Then, of course, there's the whole South African apartheid history, a terrible time of terrible actions inspired by the "White Australia" policy of my nation ... (at least the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was something to come out of that terrible time which may inspire the rest of the world to do better in many areas)
The campaigns attributed to bin Laden's mob and related cronies/mobs have a complex set of causes, and the people fighting them are not necessarily the personally disadvantaged many think are involved (see here), but I consider there are human rights issues (including poverty/hunger/development issues) which need to be addressed as part of contributing towards the world being a safe and stable place for all - and I do mean ALL, not just First World economic interests (whether those are American, British, French, Australian or other).The Wikipedia entry on terrorism has interesting comments in the sections on motivations (including what US "patriots" did on collaborators during the War of Independence) and responses (including - surprise! surprise! - "preemptive humanitarian activities" ... I'm also very aware of the appalling history of my nation [Australia] with regard to indigenous people: the point is, no-one has a perfect history - people in glass houses should not throw rocks).
I personally considered the invasion of Afghanistan) after 9/11 justified. Possibly it would have been "nicer", in a sense, if the change had happened much as the recent revolutions in the Arab world (see here [4]), but I don't think anyone in Afghanistan was in a position to do that after decades of active war.
However, as I wrote to various politicians at the time, I considered and still consider the invasion of Iraq to have been unjustified, immoral and illegal [5] - a status that is, in my possibly erroneous opinion, one of the main reasons that this whole exercise (meaning the invasions of both Afghanistan and Iraq) became such an effective recruiting tool for terrorists, rather than a measure taken against a morally corrupt regime (i.e. the Taliban) who had imposed themselves on a nation by violent means and then exported that violence.
I suspect the so-called "war on terror" (I'm glad President Obama appears to have dropped the use of this term!) will achieve many of its apparent aims (around reducing certain types of terrorist activity in certain areas of the world), but that will possibly also make addressing ALL of the causes of the terrorism (including the less credited causes such as poverty and the disparity in living standards between the first and third worlds) harder to achieve (incidentally, thank the Goddess for organisations like Médecins Sans Frontières - Doctors Without Borders).
Is the world a more spiritual place with bin Laden dead? Depends ... if he's earthbound, he will continue to influence people directly; if he has been taken to the astral or lower astral, at least the amount of direct psychic influence he can exert will be removed ... if the expected retaliation does not increase the amount of overall suffering in the world, maybe it will be better ... maybe the scale of reaction from bin Laden's supporters will psychically outweigh that of those who are glad to see his demise (although I tend to doubt that) [6] which will mean possibly not ... if the complications from Pakistan's involvement/lack of involvement do not exacerbate tensions or problems, maybe ... if the reaction of moderates in the Islamic world to the USA's actions are reasonable (albeit possibly disapproving or even mildly angry), maybe ... if the underlying causes of terrorism are not addressed, maybe not ... if the harsh, extreme reactions to security threats are left in place, definitely not.
Very few things in this life or the next are as simple as we would wish ...
Updates
Here are a few more links that are worth looking at and pondering:
- "Pakistanis are up in arms - but not about bin Laden ", 5th May, 2011; URL: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/pakistanis-are-up-in-arms--but-not-about-bin-laden-20110504-1e8cc.html
- From the US author Karen Greenberg, executive director of the Centre on Law and Security at New York University, the editor of The Torture Debate in America and co-editor of the forthcoming The Enemy Combatant Papers: "Perversion of US justice should die with bin Laden", 5th May, 2011; URL: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/perversion-of-us-justice-should-die-with-bin-laden-20110504-1e8bs.html
- "Bin Laden death lifts hopes of Taliban deal", 5th May, 2011; URL: http://www.theage.com.au/world/bin-laden-death-lifts-hopes-of-taliban-deal-20110504-1e8f2.html
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that"
Notes:
- Another set of conspiracy theorists I view with bemusement are those who are carrying on about President Obama's birth certificate: so what? Doesn't it matter most what sort of a job he is doing as President? Interesting that conspiracy nuts get a mention in discussion about whether to release photos of bin Laden's body or not - see here.
- One aspect of this that some may not have considered is talking to children about why people are celebrating at killing, which is supposed to be wrong (according to most parents). Here is one set of suggestion on dealing with that, albeit a set of suggestions that can be argued.
- See here, and here, for instance. (What's wrong with the stick figure X-ray machines, rather than showing everyone's genitals in graphic detail? See here)
- Here are a few thoughts (by others) on being a spectator, and here, here and here are some thoughts on Libya (I consider the last of these to be going beyond the mandate from the UN, as some actions being undertaken may be doing now: what is the solution? Empower and then fight harder in the UN!).
- It is ironic that the US supported Saddam Hussein against the Iranians after they got rid of the person the US had put in power: that, however, is not, in my opinion, a reason to leave him in power - two wrongs, with the second wrong being to allow the first wrong to continue uncorrected, don't make a right (I feel a bit like the invasion makes it a sequence of about three major wrongs that the Iraqi people have now been subjected to). Nevertheless, I consider the invasion to be morally wrong: the US-led coalition should have allowed the United Nations to do it's thing, even if the time that took didn't meet the approval of the US's head honchos at the time.
- On the one hand we have:
no. angry people x intensity of anger + no. of conspiracy nuts x intensity of suspicion + no. fanatical celebrations of bin Laden's death x intensity of fanaticism (yes, they're on both sides);
on the other hand we have:
no. calmer people x additional calmness + reduced no. of angry people x reduction of anger
... I'll leave the maths now, I think :)
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Tags: attitudes, discrimination, earthbound, society, spirituality, violence, war, warfare, world
First published: Tysdagr, 3rd May, 2011
Last edited: Saturday, 7th May, 2011
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