Post No. 405 - The challenge of time

Nothing metaphysical in this post, I'm afraid. No, I've just been exercising, and thinking about the challenges of fitting everything in that we're meant to, in our daily life.

Now, there are people who cannot exercise, or must exercise carefully, for very valid reasons (e.g. health reasons such as arthritis or heart complaints, or the parents of young children). For those who can exercise, the time required to exercise properly becomes a problem.

The standard advice we've been hearing for many years is that three 20 minutes periods of aerobic activity will get people fit. I've been fit (for competitive dinghy and small boat sailing), and consider that utter  nonsense. For a start, it makes no allowance for proper warm up and cool down (I refuse to use the fashionable term of "warm down", out of cantankerousness, nor the term "resistance training" for weight training, as it is so stupid and inappropriate [such a term should be used for isometric exercises!!!] as to be work of a cretin), and that becomes more and more essential as one ages. My experience, as a 50+ age person, based on the training I did for competing in the sailing in the Sydney 2002 Gay Games as a 40+ age person, is that training properly and effectively requires between one and two hours, including the preliminaries and afters, at least 4 or 5 times a week. In fact, I have long considered that a good part of what gets written off as the inevitable effects of ageing, is actually simple lack of exercise/physical activity.

As an example, I do a lot of joint circling (I was started on that by a Chinese doctor - a GP - I saw when I injured my back as a 20 year old, and developed that further when I started working with Tai Chi), and I find it is very good at combating stiffness - as is stretching, even just simple things like the now more fashionable idea of officeworkers getting up and stretching, which I have been doing for years.

And now is where the issue of time starts to become a problem.

If I do:

• 2 hours of physical exercise
  (the best guide to exercise for most people that I have come across is the 10,000 steps per day notion: I normally do around 2,000 steps in the course of daily living, so 8,000 steps at 1 step per second is just over two hours [1 step = two paces, i.e. right foot, then left foot, that's one, you don't count for paces with both feet], or, at 1 step [4 paces] per second, which is close to running, that's 4,000 seconds, which is still a touch over an hour, which has 3,600 seconds; parents of young children probably do in excess of 20,000 steps per day - often at a frantic pace ... ); 
• 1 hour of psychic exercise
  (colour visualisation, practice techniques such as flaming, do breathing exercises - which take at least 30 minutes on their own, and meditation); 
• work 8 hours, plus lunch and a minimum of 1 hour commuting each way; and 
• sleep for 8 hours;

then I am left with 3 hours for house work, showering, cooking and cleaning, and spending time with my family.

Given that, I think it is no wonder that people seek to minimise the time they spend exercising to three 20 minutes sessions each week ... and art of the myth of ageing continues, because it is easier. Mind you, some of it is not - I take longer to recover, and am slower, etc, but I still consider exercise - particularly exercise aimed at keeping muscle bulk - will help offset those effects.

I like Jim Butcher's inclusion of this aspect in the Dresden Files [1] , which is set in a version of reality where wizards can live for several hundred years, but I've also observed family members as they've aged, particularly my father. The effects of inactivity and being looked after is one reason I fight tooth and nail NOT to be looked after by others :)

PS - this issue of time constraints is why I personally consider homes should be set up so that housework can be done with minimum time / effort / cost - for instance, I personally prefer sofas that are raised, so they can be swept or vacuumed underneath without having to make a big production of things by moving them whenever you clean the floor. Of course, the vision of such sofas causes me no grief whatsoever: it does to some others, I know, but maybe they need - ESPECIALLY if they are trying to do serious spiritual / psychic work - to learn to accept such minor constraints (and they are minor, in many cases) so they will have more time and energy for such work. I also believe in minimal effort cooking, but that is not a minor matter - many people see good nutrition and other meal aspects as being important, and also being part of their spirituality. That's quite alright for them, but it does not hold the same importance for me. That leads me to two of my biggest gripes: assuming others will have the same tastes and preferences as oneself, and lack of respect for other people's possessions, especially their books and tools.

I can remember one young person from around ten or so years ago breaking the back of one my paperbacks, and then arguing with me about the fact that the cretin had damaged my property (I physically took the book back, and refused to allow him access to any of my books thereafter). I've had a lot of my possessions damaged or destroyed by others in this life, and, as a result, am no longer anywhere near as generous as I used to be - I simply cannot afford, for financial reasons, to be as generous as I used to be. Then there is the issue of idiots thinking they can touch other people's working tools (crystals, wands, robes, etc). In one temple I was in a few years ago, this was so bad that we actually had to issue a formal warning against handling other people's working tools - and this was a Temple, a place Where people were learning about energy, and should either know better - never mind having at least enough basic MANNERS not to do so!

I found out recently that, when I was a herbwoman in Portugal in the 1500s, I wound up being killed when one young woman who had been sent to look after and help me, tried to grab some energetically sensitive bags and, in trying to save them from being ruined by her touch, I fell (over a moderate cliff face) and was fatally injured. So the topic is one of particular sensitivity to me personally, but it applies to everyone. As the old guide says, if it isn't yours, don't touch it. (And as I would add to that, people have the right to do with their stuff as they wish: hence if you borrow something, you (a) are quite possibly unwise at best, and (b) maintain it as they tell you, even if they treat it differently - it is THEIRS, NOT yours, and you have no right to even have an opinion about that, in my view.)

Actually, it is the being ignored when I speak up that is most aggravating in such situations. For many decades I refused to make a song and dance about strong views, and the people I was speaking to at such times were unfortunately too stupid to notice that what I was saying was important - such as the idiot who ruined my book. (There is another idiot who comes to mind as I write this, and that is someone who used a boat of mine without my permission: I warned him that I would have him charged if he ever touched my boat again, and the club committee backed me up on this, but he was so untrustworthy that I literally had to chain my boat to the rack, and I have never ever stored a small boat in a sailing club since then: if I can't trail it behind or on my car, I won't have it.)


[1] Please see my post "The Death of Wikipedia" for the reasons I now recommend caution when using Wikipedia.

[2] BPF = Balanced Positive (spiritual) Forces. See here and here for more on this.

Love, light, hugs and blessings

Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
My "blogiography" is here. I started this blog to cover karmic regression-rescue (see here and here), and it grew ...
May the world of commerce and business be recognised to be a servant, not a master, of the lives of people.
A home is for living in, not feeling, becoming or being rich or a “better” class than others.
The International Labour Organisation's definition of "full employment" is wrong, useless and misleading.
Armageddon is alive and well and happening right now: it is a battle between the indolence of "I only ..." and/or "I just ..." on one side, and perspicacity on the other.
Like fire to the physical, emotions to the soul make a good servant, and a bad master. 
The only prejudice should be against prejudice. 

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing. EDMUND BURKE

Your children are not your children. ... They come through you but ... they belong not to you ... for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow KAHLIL GIBRAN

We didn't inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we only borrowed it from our children ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY

 Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Those whom we cannot stand are usually those who we cannot understand P.K.SHAW

Tags: about me, ageing, attitudes, exercises, health, society,

First published: Frysdagr, 28th September, 2012

Last edited: Wednesday, 23rd Jabuary, 2013

Post No. 404 - Coming: guest post on "The Only Prejudice Should Be Against Prejudice"

Yes folks, that's right, I'm going to try something that I've seen on other blogs, and have a guest do a post on the topic "The Only Prejudice Should Be Against Prejudice". More on that at a future date :) More than two years later this post hasn't come, despite a few gentle reminders, so, my apologies, and it looks like it won't be coming. I may write something myself at some stage.

Now, as I've mentioned a few times, I'm currently working my way through the Jim Butcher [1] "Dresden Files" [1] series, and am currently reading "Changes" [1]. I won't spoil the plot (although I know that can be looked up on Wikipedia), but the series is taking a direction that may not grab my interest ... still, I haven't finished the book yet. One thing that has come out of this book, however, that is very useful, is the concept that to do magic one doesn't need physical objects -they're just to help focus the mind. That is true (as is the calculations about energy that wizards, male and female, do in the books, if - in my opinion - you're going to be serious about magickal practice [2] ),and I've realised I've day dreamed enough about the place I want to build to start working on healing the Earth that it exists as an astral thought form. So, I've made a couple of minor modifications, and started doing exactly that. My partner and I do a lot of work in our sleep state - it's one way of overcoming the imperfections of this planet, in that one (or most of us, at any rate) has to have a day job to survive, and thus can't spend all one's time working on psychic or spiritual matters. Last night, or, actually, in the second half of last night's sleep, as I was awake for a while during the night, I started my sleep by going to this modified place (I love the trees there! That has always been a major part of my daydream, having big, old trees) and beginning my sleep work with a ritual there. As a result, I feel more rested, and have been assured by my BPF [3] Guides [1] that I accomplished more than I normally would.

On that, another matter I've been reminded of is that, sometimes it is not necessary to DO in order to have a constructive effect on reality. If you have resolved your personal problems, and worked on your energetic strength, and maybe know how to do psychic flaming, then simply existing is enough for your aura to be a source of positive energy that is uplifting to the world.

Of course, the way the world is in this Age of Kali, you'll possibly be asked to do stuff, but you can also have a constructive, uplifting effect by being a GENUINELY peaceful, positive energy, BPF person.

Worth a thought or two :)

And finally, this is near enough so I'll end with "Happy Birthday Dad" - he's well into his 80's now, and doing well in his home up north :) 

[1] Please see my post "The Death of Wikipedia" for the reasons I now recommend caution when using Wikipedia.

[2] There is a foolish - in my view - notion that one good thought or deed will outweigh thousands of bad thoughts or deeds. In my opinion, it is more a case of one for one, but we can AND DO get help from entities that we don't perceive, such as BPF Guides [3], Patron Deities, etc, and that is where the APPARENT discrepancy between our effort and results of our efforts comes about ... Trouble is, it goes the other way as well, and there ARE negative influences in existence which also want to "help" anything we think about or wish for when we are in a negative frame of mind. So, if one is working towards achieving something by magick, one should, in my view, OBJECTIVELY compare efforts and results, and, if the results haven't been manifested by your efforts despite there being no karmic or other block (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here on the karmic blocks, and consider that there may be lessons for people on the "other" block that you either cannot comprehend - don't be arrogant and assume you can always understand everything at your current level of evolution! - or cannot know because of the risk of stuffing up the learning, see here, for instance), then you need to think about how to either become strong enough to achieve the results yourself (or persistent enough), how to get help from others that is capable of achieving what you want to achieve, or a combination of both approaches.

[3] BPF = Balanced Positive (spiritual) Forces. See here and here for more on this.

Love, light, hugs and blessings

Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
My "blogiography" is here. I started this blog to cover karmic regression-rescue (see here and here), and it grew ...
May the world of commerce and business be recognised to be a servant, not a master, of the lives of people.
A home is for living in, not feeling, becoming or being rich or a “better” class than others.
The International Labour Organisation's definition of "full employment" is wrong, useless and misleading.
Armageddon is alive and well and happening right now: it is a battle between the indolence of "I only ..." and/or "I just ..." on one side, and perspicacity on the other.
Like fire to the physical, emotions to the soul make a good servant, and a bad master. 
The only prejudice should be against prejudice. 

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing. EDMUND BURKE

Your children are not your children. ... They come through you but ... they belong not to you ... for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow KAHLIL GIBRAN

We didn't inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we only borrowed it from our children ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY

 Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Those whom we cannot stand are usually those who we cannot understand P.K.SHAW

Tags:about me, astral travel, aura, dreams, magic, magical devices, purpose,

First published: Sunnudgar, 23rd September, 2012

Last edited: Sunday, 23rd September, 2012

Post No. 403 - Withdrawal vs. engagement

One of the topics I have posted about on this blog is:

• is it "better" to withdraw from the world, or engage with it? 

See here for example, but, in brief, I largely inclined towards the view that withdrawal and engagement are both correct - at different times. I realise today, however, that I have made two mistakes in how I approached this in the past. Before I get into those, let me give some context.

First off, I have posted before about why I avoid Aussie pubs (basically, the discrimination and negative energy). Today, I was persuaded to try another pub in Melbourne, and found it actually wasn't too bad - it certainly didn't have a mainstream crowd, and the eight spirits I rescue weren't the usual dead (literally!) drunks, they were people who had simply died, got lost, and were now drawn to the conviviality of the place. However, at the end of a few hours there, I was ready to run screaming into the street.

Why? Well, that leads me into the two errors I have been making:

1. I have been conflating [1] "spiritual", and "psychic"; 
2. I have also been conflating "engaging with" and "indulging or living in". 

The first point is, I would hope, fairly obvious: it is possible for spiritual people to lack any psychic ability, just as it is possible for psychic people to be lacking in spirituality (some effective con people have this combination). Someone who is psychic, such as myself, will find the experience of being crammed in close proximity with other people to be a major ordeal - because of their sensitivity. Spiritual people, however, may alternate between periods of retreat and periods of activism - i.e., engaging with the world for the purpose of making it a better place.

The next point, which I am going to meditate on over the next few months, is that engaging with the world for the purpose of making it a better place is a different matter to living a materialistic, consumeristic manner. Hence, a spiritual person engaging with the world is not going to adopt a harmful, negative lifestyle.

At the same time, a psychic may choose a lifestyle that is more withdrawn, not out of spiritual motives, but out of simple self preservation.

Hmmm. I'll see if I can express this better at some time in the future ...

PS - one aspect of the meetup which was extremely disturbing was hearing a friend talk of the prolonged harassment she had received at the hands of a woman, including physical assault (grabbed by the throat) and being sexually assaulted. The responses she ahs received have been pretty appalling, and it is especially disturbing to me, in light of a security officer in Mongolia starting to get a bit free and easy with her hands, that the sexual assault was dismissed because of it being "girl on girl". That is bloody appalling, and TOTALLY unacceptable - just as is the dismissive attitudes towards men who are sexually assaulted (including rape).

I am well aware of the powerful impact that such assaults can have on people: part of the domestic abuse I've had in past includes sexual assault by a female partner (as of some years, ex-partner , thanbk the Goddess!) (actually, that happened in two past relationships, now that I think of it), and in that same relationship part of the abuse I received from step kids including one of them, a particularly violent male, grabbing me by the throat and not letting go. Part of the response my friend made when she was violently assaulted included striking her assaulter. I can fully understand that, as when I was struggling to get away from my attacker, with his hands around my throat, I was deliberately backing towards a kitchen drawer, and if he hadn't let go I would used a kitchen knife on him.It was either that, or I die.

Our biology is equipped with a fairly strong survival instinct - it is why we flinch from hot things that could burn, and when our survival is at risk, it will drive us to respond in some way (and it is idiotic AND WRONG stereotyping that assumes women are incapable of physical violence or inclined towards not being physically violent - in fact, that sort of "sugar'n'spice'n all things nice rubbish is responsible for some women getting away with horrendous violence ... not always physical).

There is a fair bit of information circulating these days about the impact that sexual assaults can have, and there is starting to be a LITTLE about the effects of domestic violence, but I've yet to see anything that really addresses the impacts of things like someone - particularly, as was the case for me, someone bigger and stronger - cutting off your lifeblood, in a sense, the very air you breathe. I don't think anyone who hasn't been through that can possibly come close to understanding it. You can read the media reports of victim statements, or even the victim statements themselves, but these are ordinary everyday people largely, and it takes a skilled wordsmith to effectively convey that feeling, just as it was the skilled writing of James Clavell in Shōgun that is the only thing that comes close to conveying the emotions around an incident where you were certain you were about to die through a violent accident (read the scene where John Blackthorne attempts to commit hari kari). I had experienced around half a dozen such incidents by the time I was 28, and it had a major effect on me - moved me away from the superficial towards trying to find and fulfill my purpose in life (I'm still working on that one!).

Note that I am being precise in my terminology here: other encounters with death, such as through illness, starvation, sentence of death, etc, etc, etc are different again.

From the responses my friend has encountered, I suspect some people either doubt her word on the assault, or think she shouldn't have struck her attacker. That's like saying someone who is drowing shouldn't struggle, or even hold their breath. It is utter, bloody nonsense. Yes, a world where that sort of assault doesn't happen would be ideal: we don't live in such a world, and there are times when things like violent people being forcibly restrained will be neessary, such as happened in NSW (last year, I think - I published the link somewhere ... ) when someone with a knife attacked a pacifist group (he was shot just as he was about to stab one member of the pacifist group). This situation needed both the pacifists to move the world towards being a better place, and the police to deal with the current imperfections while idealists make it better for all of us.

The world is not ideal: deal with it. 

[1] Please see my post "The Death of Wikipedia" for the reasons I now recommend caution when using Wikipedia.

Love, light, hugs and blessings

Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
My "blogiography" is here.
May the world of commerce and business be recognised to be a servant, not a master, of the lives of people.
A home is for living in, not feeling, becoming or being rich or a “better” class than others.
The International Labour Organisation's definition of "full employment" is wrong, useless and misleading.
Armageddon is alive and well and happening right now: it is a battle between the indolence of "I only ..." and/or "I just ..." on one side, and perspicacity on the other.
Like fire to the physical, emotions to the soul make a good servant, and a bad master.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing. EDMUND BURKE

Your children are not your children. ... They come through you but ... they belong not to you ... for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow KAHLIL GIBRAN

We didn't inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we only borrowed it from our children ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY

 Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Those whom we cannot stand are usually those who we cannot understand P.K.SHAW

Tags:about me, attitudes, change, society, withdrawal,

First published: Sunnudgar, 16th September, 2012

Last edited: Thursday, 20th September, 2012

Post No. 402 - An analogy for consideration of "evil"

My meditation a few mornings ago led to an interesting perspective on the concept of "evil", and how to think of or respond to it, using, as an analogy, the topic of the effect of earthquakes on buildings.

Now, putting it (too) simply:

• earthquakes can happen anywhere, but the more frequent and bigger earthquakes tend to be associated with fault zones;
• the recommended response to being caught in an earthquake includes sheltering under furniture, but some people are vehemently opposed to that; and
• engineering design to resist earthquake effects has improved substantially in recent decades, with some very novel approaches including the "mass damper" (swinging ball) of the Taipei 101 building (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taipei_101 [1]) - and even mudbrick buildings can be reinforced to better cope with the effects of earthquakes (see http://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/scholarly-works/handle/2100/1019 and http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/onairhighlights/earthquake-resistant-mudbrick-house).

Now let's consider the topic of "evil", which I am defining as something that is harmful to the spiritual growth of people in addition to the perpetrator.

One view of this sort of evil is that, in the long term, everything leads to growth, so there is no real problem.

I consider that akin to those who advocate building in areas not so prone to earthquakes. There is a lot of common sense in that, but people in developed nations need more than just a building in order to survive: they need a job so they can buy food, schools for their children, power, water, etc. (I do like self sufficiency, but trying to get a city the size of, say, Shanghai, to be self sufficient would result in an enormous amount of sprawl (for starters, you would need possibly 1 ha for each family to be reasonably self sufficient in food). If someone with a degree in computer engineering wanted an alternative to Silicon Valley, she/he/ze would have to move out into a nearby desert, and then be self sufficient until enough others came out to get businesses going, justify Internet services, etc.

In short, although everything does, in the LONG term, contribute to growth, that is not always a good way to respond to the sorts of behaviour I have described as "evil". It can be as inappropriate as forcing a child who has been bullied to tell her/his/hir tormentor how they feel as a result of the bullying - which can actually be EXACTLY the sort of food the bully wants.

Now, let's consider the issue of how to respond to an earthquake.

I mentioned the guide to get under desks, and that it is controversial. Well, the aim of this is to protect people from falling debris, but say a town of 10,000 people (THIS IS NOT BASED ON ANY ACTUAL CASES!!!! IT IS AN EXAMPLE TO ILLUSTRATE A PRINCIPLE) is hit by a major earthquake, and 9,000 shelter under desks, of whom 90 are killed, but 50 of the 1,000 who don't do this are killed. If you're just recovering the victims, you might think it is therefore better to NOT shelter under desks, whereas if you look at the overall situation:

• 1% of those who sheltered under the desks died;
• 5% of those who didn't died;

so it is clearly better to shelter under desks in the imaginary example I have just given.

DON'T FOLLOW THIS IF YOU ARE IN AN EARTHQUAKE ZONE: USE WHATEVER IS THE LATEST OFFICIAL ADVICE FROM YOUR LOCAL DISASTER ORGANISATION!!!

But going back to the concept of "evil", particularly things like psychic attack, this scenario is the equivalent of all those who look at the various tools which are now available for dealing with this, and try to work out the best way to manage the problem in the short term. There are lots of debates (for instance, do you reflect negative energy from an attacker back to them, or to somewhere it won't harm anyone? Do you avoid negativity - like those people, for instance, who won't stay in touch with the news and what is happening in the world because it is too depressing ... ) It's a complicated situation, and - in my experience - the issue of personal differences (i.e. what suits one person won't necessarily suit others - nor even that same person under different circumstances, perhaps for instance, at a different stage of their life) is the biggest sticking block (as another example of this sort of fallacious thinking, I recall one of my sisters solemnly telling me that no-one should go to bed with wet hair because one of the friends allegedly got split ends as a result of doing so - which is a complete and utter load of RUBBISH). I consider anyone who does not take that issue of personal differences into account, anyone who tries to adopt a "one size fits all" approach, to be unspiritual, irresponsible and, in fact, downright stupid.

So, now we get to the aspect I like: becoming stronger, so that the "evil" is less likely to affect you. In the same way that engineering has improved in the last few decades on this topic, so too is it possible for people to become stronger in a non-physical sense. I recently ran a workshop on this, and it is a complicated matter involving various forms of exercise, adequate rest/relaxation/recuperation, thinking about this perspective, PRACTISING to develop one's skill and strength at use of psychic protection (e.g. being able to visualise a shield more strongly than those minds trying to penetrate the shield), etc, etc, etc.

It is unlikely that anyone would ever become strong enough to resist all evil - remember how earthquakes can actually occur anywhere? If you've designed a building to resist an earthquake of 8 on the earthquake scale, and an earthquake of 8.4 occurs, you've got a problem ...

Nothing is certain, in life.

But I still consider making an effort to be prepared, including making yourself stronger (for instance, I recently developed a better way of using my chakras to make a stronger shield around my aura) is likely to help (I used the stronger shield to help cope with the trauma of international travel recently).

This is just a perspective: consider it, and then take it, leave it or adapt it to suit yourself as the best case may be :) 

Now, a few reading links:

• "Personal Thoughts on Sacred Landscape, Character and ‘Seeing As’ ", by Rhys Chisnall: http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=ukgb2&c=words&id=15138;

• "The Wiccan/Pagan Community Grows Up", by Dr. Possum: http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usnc&c=words&id=15015;

• "I Left Wicca. I Came Back. So Can You.", by Bliss Diva: http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usak&c=words&id=15118;

• "Eclectic Wicca - Reading", by arcanenchanter: http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usaz&c=words&id=15181;

• "A Pagan Chaplaincy Perspective", by Valerie: http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usny&c=earth&id=15166;

• Social License to Operate: http://socialicense.com/.

[1] Please see my post "The Death of Wikipedia" for the reasons I now recommend caution when using Wikipedia.

Love, light, hugs and blessings

Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
My "blogiography" is here.
May the world of commerce and business be recognised to be a servant, not a master, of the lives of people.
A home is for living in, not feeling, becoming or being rich or a “better” class than others.
The International Labour Organisation's definition of "full employment" is wrong, useless and misleading.
Armageddon is alive and well and happening right now: it is a battle between the indolence of "I only ..." and/or "I just ..." on one side, and perspicacity on the other.
Like fire to the physical, emotions to the soul make a good servant, and a bad master.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing. EDMUND BURKE

Your children are not your children. ... They come through you but ... they belong not to you ... for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow KAHLIL GIBRAN

We didn't inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we only borrowed it from our children ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY

 Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Those whom we cannot stand are usually those who we cannot understand P.K.SHAW

Tags: attitudes, evil, Psychic attack, strength,

First published: Manadgar, 13th September, 2012

Last edited: Monday, 13th September, 2012

Post No. 401 - Selfishness and superficiality

I'll warn all you, Dear Readers, that my crankiness setting is up high in this post - sorry ... I think :)

The thing that has struck me about the "spirituality" movement in Western nations [1] is the - to me - appalling level of self interest in it. The focus seems to be on "how can I be more ... < insert definition of "spiritual" > ?" At the workshops I attend and run, too often people are there solely for self improvement (or self enhancement, as the term was delightfully  translated in a bookshop in Hong Kong airport when I was recently there), and there is no conception that personal growth, while essential, comes with an automatic responsibility: when you gain a piece of knowledge, you either use it, or start going backwards karmically as if you had chosen to let someone who was struggling in water drown, when you had just been given a boat and lessons of how to safely use it in those waters.[3]

One of the major problems in this world is the high levels of self interest - people are prepared to care for family members, for instance, but not strangers ... or try getting the bulk of people in developed nations to care about what happens to people in underdeveloped nations ... or try getting someone who has learned about creative visualisation [1] in a spiritual context to apply that towards making the world a more spiritual place, rather than seeking love or some other personal benefit. (Yes, I'm aware of the exceptions to this, but I'm not supposed to acknowledge those while I'm being cranky :) )

Many years ago, one of the reasons I left Buddhism was because of Westerners who were very focused on details such as naming traditions, but who freely admitted they had not bothered to use Buddhism to make themselves better people: they did not see this as something which should guide how they lived their everyday life, and that put them in exactly the same category as the so-called "Sunday Christians" [1] who were a major part of me leaving Christianity as a child. (What exactly draws such people to Buddhism, then? Is it the desire to do a set of head exercises? The desire to be fashionable or to be awkward/a chosen member of a minority? [2] Don't discount the latter motivation, it has - sadly - cropped up for some lesbians I know ... )

The same criticisms apply to paganism, although at least there do tend to be more people in paganism who are environmentally aware and/or active. I recall when I was new in Wicca, around the mid 2000s, the first debate I came across on this topic, and how one of my friends then responded to that by organising a fund-raiser every Ostara. It was a wonderful move, but it was sad that it was so notable for its rarity.

In a few years, I may have a place where I can get a group going again, and I am going to advertise it as being solely for people who want to work, not improve themselves, or their skills, etc.

[1] Please see my post "The Death of Wikipedia" for the reasons I now recommend caution when using Wikipedia.
[2] One of the people whop had a major influence on me and my Buddhist practice back when I was Buddhist, was a colleague from Thailand who had spent 6 months as a Buddhist monk. When we were discussing vegetarianism, which I had adopted at that time, his view was that it was wrong to impose vegetarianism on someone that one was visit - in other words, you shouldn't expect your host to unreasonably put themselves out to try and cater for you, and you should simply eat a little meat to avoid "rocking the boat" too much. I think his views are arguable - and politely didn't quite agree at the time, but it is a view that should at least be considered: are you adhering to something out of "orneriness"? 
[3] That doesn't mean you have to RUSH into using the skills - you're allowed to think about it, and plan, and consult with others on how you should go about this, just as long as you recgonise that, ultimately, all knmowledge comes at a price - generally, the price including the responsibility to ultimately USE that knowledge. 

Love, light, hugs and blessings

Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
My "blogiography" is here.
May the world of commerce and business be recognised to be a servant, not a master, of the lives of people.
A home is for living in, not feeling, becoming or being rich or a “better” class than others.
The International Labour Organisation's definition of "full employment" is wrong, useless and misleading.
Armageddon is alive and well and happening right now: it is a battle between the indolence of "I only ..." and/or "I just ..." on one side, and perspicacity on the other.
Like fire to the physical, emotions to the soul make a good servant, and a bad master.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing. EDMUND BURKE

Your children are not your children. ... They come through you but ... they belong not to you ... for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow KAHLIL GIBRAN

We didn't inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we only borrowed it from our children ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY

 Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Those whom we cannot stand are usually those who we cannot understand P.K.SHAW

Tags: aabout me, attitudes, personal responsibility, selfishness, society,

First published: Sunnudagr, 9th September, 2012

Last edited: Sunday, 9th September, 2012

Post No. 400 - Balanced positive

Note: posts on this topic can be found here, here, here and here. 

The book, "Briefing for the Landing on Planet Earth" by Stuart Holroyd [1] (Pub. Corgi, 1979; ISBN 10: 0552109975, ISBN 13: 9780552109970; I think republished as "The Nine: Briefing from Deep Space" - see http://www.theonlyplanetofchoice.com/newbook.htm), about the alleged contact between aliens and Andrija Puharich [1], Phyllis V. Schlemmer [1] and Sir John Whitmore [1], contains quite a few discussions , explanations and comments on a wide range of matters. One of those, or rather, a set of those of discussions, touch upon the notion of good and evil. The people these three are working with, headed by "The Nine", prefer to use the term "balanced positive", rather than "good", or "spiritual”. 

This is what they have to say on the term. 

Tom elaborated: 'We have negative and we have positive, and as we have explained to you many times, we must reach a balance between the two. To be all positive is not right, and to be all negative is not right, but in this universe we have those that are all positive or all negative, and this causes an imbalance. ... This planet is weighted and it is heavy and it is what you would call a negative vibration. We discovered this many of your years ago, ... Because of the unbalance in your planet the negative forces have taken on power, and this has created the problem.'

Chapter Five, p. 147

Elsewhere in the book are the following comments:

This planet was originally created to teach a being balance between the spiritual and the physical world, but in this physical world they got involved in a material world, and so these beings never evolve beyond the belt of this planet.

Chapter Four, p. 132

 … and …

Tom had to remind him of one of the basic tenets of the philosophy of the Nine. 'Sir John, the positive and the negative must be blended to make it whole. As we have explained to you, to be positive without sense is not good. They are the balanced civilisations. When you speak of positive, Sir John, refer to it as a balanced positive.'

Chapter Eight, p. 284

 … and, in more length, …

Human greed, desire, jealousy and emotional imbalance are responsible both for the dire situation the planet is in ecologically and for the general cosmic crisis, and as it would require a fundamental change in human consciousness and orientation to overcome these failings it is important both for the Earth and for the universe that such a change be effected. This message, embellished with the warnings about the cunning and power of the opposition forces bent upon preventing the change, is not remarkably original in the context of traditional ideas of apocalypse and the literature of moral exhortation. But there is one rather original aspect to it, which kept coming up in the communications of October: the stress on the fact that the primary need was for balance, and the cosmology related to this idea. The prescription for success and for continuing growth, both in the individual and in the cosmos, is not to beat the devil in a dramatic final contest and thus usher in a new age of sweetness and light, but through unremitting effort to hold in balance conflicting but complementary forces.

In answer to a question of Andrija's as to what the opposition forces were like, how they operated and where they came from, Tom said: 'You ask from where they come, and we know that in your mind you wonder if they are the counterpart of us. Is this not correct?'

'Yes,' Andrija said.

'No, they are not the counterpart of us,' Tom went on. 'Remember this: that we are in the centre; and we don't wish to sound as if we are perfect or as if we are egotistical, but on either side of us there is the positive and there is the negative, and when I say this I mean there is the positive which is not balanced and there is the negative which is not balanced. We are in the centre, and we are balanced. We are trying to bring those other forces into balance. Do you understand? They are not the counterpart of us.'

...

'It is difficult for you in your physical world to truly understand the importance of both,' Tom began. 'I will try to explain. Visualise the universe as a giant scale. We are the pivot of this scale. Visualise that on one side of the universe all would be negative and that all on the other side would be positive, and as you see this you know that there is a complete out-of-balance situation. The universe actually has four sides, and within each of the sides there are many galaxies and solar systems. Now on the other two sides of the universe from this side it is in perfect balance. But on this side ... How may I explain? If you would take a stone for each of the galaxies and they would be in perfect weight and perfect proportion to those on the other three sides, then this would also be in balance. But if one of those stones was a porous substance and you placed it in oil and it absorbed the oil and became weighted with it, then it would upset the balance and pull this scale out of calibre and would upset the other side of the universe. Your planet Earth is accomplishing that. The negative is the heavy oil. Remember, the other sides are balanced, but this imbalance that we have can in turn topple the rest.'

That seemed fairly lucid, but Tom wasn't entirely happy with his analogy, for he said, with a touch of the resigned weariness that anyone who has struggled to find words for abstruse concepts would recognise, 'That is not quite correct'. Then, apparently recalling Andrija's original question, he went on: 'In actuality, there is no good and there is no bad. It is only when one becomes sour or rotten that it contaminates the rest, whether it would be good or bad.'

'We understand that you are now working with us and what we consider the positive forces,' Andrija said. 'But have you ever in the past stepped in to actively aid the negative forces when the positive has been causing the imbalance?'

'When the positive has no understanding of the negative, it is out of balance,' Tom said. 'Without being aware of the negative and being aware that it must be balanced, then that is out of balance. And the answer to your question is yes.'

'That is very important for our understanding,' Andrija said.

Tom continued: 'Because of the ignorance of the peoples of your planet, and because of their religious leaders who have taught this ignorance, the negative forces, which are not truly as you see them, manifest in that way in order to instil fear. But what is truly negative, what has created the upset, besides the desires and the greed, is the complete denial of the existence of God. Do you understand?'

'Yes,' Andrija said, 'so this is the greatest thing that has to be redressed or righted?'

'This is correct,' Tom said. 'And you must explain also to people the necessity for earth people, and for the souls and spirits that surround your earth, to release themselves from greed and desire, because that is the trap. Your religious leaders do not understand this and do not teach the people.'

Chapter Five, pp. 164 - 166

Now, the idea of balancing or integrating various parts of our being that may not be what we would like is a key part of some paths I have walked on (Buddhism and paganism, in particular), so this is not entirely a new idea to me. I do, however, consider it important enough that I have replaced the term Divine Light Force (DLF), which I was taught back in the 80s as a shorthand for constructive forces, with Balanced Positive Forces (BPF).

There is another issue that comes to mind when I think of all this, though, and that is the topic of accessibility.

When I was at university, students who had been there for longer would often show off by dropping casual references to things that we hadn’t studied yet. It was pure and simple bragging, lording it over us – something which little kids do, and which I consider has as much maturity. It is a flaw that crops up in many walks of life, and always – in my opinion – shows immaturity. There are jokes about men measuring the lengths of their appendages (I haven’t put that adults only filter up, and won’t, so I have to use euphemisms), but it’s not only men who indulge in that.

As I am fed up with being on the receiving end of that sort of rubbish, I’ve tried being gentle when talking about knowledge, and a too frequent response is for others to take this as a sign of not being confident in my knowledge, and then they will try to “lord it over me”.

I’m tired of that, and all the related rubbish.

Incidentally, using “big words” is an (elitist) example of the behaviour I am talking about. At my day job, other engineers will use the word “substrate” rather than “food” (for microorganisms, which is what they mean). It (a) cuts people off and enforces an us-and-them mentality, and (b) is a status issue. As a writer, I like words, and am comfortable with words that others may not be familiar with: I will, however, try to avoid using those words if they will cut off part of the audience. I can still recall discussing a piece of writing I liked, a copy of a speech by a Native American, with my father when I was a teenager, and he pointed out that there were no “big words” in it. I checked, and he was right.

Let’s look at this more broadly, from a spiritual perspective.

One of the techniques that has worked well for me is working with karma: I am comfortable with the concept, and have learned techniques for changing energies that I created in the past (basically, cleaning up the messes I have created in the past in other people’s lives – AS HAVE YOU WHO ARE READING THIS!). However, if someone does not accept the concept, or is uncomfortable with it, there is no point in me discussing it with them, and it can be counterproductive to “drop hints” (which - "dropping hints:, I mean - is a bit like saying “I’ve got a secret – nah! Nah! Nah!").

Hmmm. Let’s think of a better example.

The concept of “good” and “bad” is one that is, in my view, relative. If someone is solely focused on living in the base chakra, they will have little concept of the damage that words can do. However, what they can grasp is the concept that physically assaulting someone can do harm. So, rather than talking to them about the harm they are doing to others by things like misogynistic jokes, I will first make sure that they have stopped assaulting or physically threatening others, and then work at getting them understand the idea that words can also be a form of assault.

You don’t try teaching a (non-genius) child calculus when they have to start learning basic mathematics first.

The examples I’ve come up with aren’t good, but I’m basically stumbling around trying to make a case that “balanced” positive also includes acting in a way that is appropriate and understandable to those one is trying to reach, and to get them to take the next step they have to, not a step that is three kilometres further along the path.

The risk here is that one could wind up “dumbing down” one’s principles.

A balancing act is required, as elsewhere in live, and – oh! hence the term “balanced positive” …

[1] Please see my post "The Death of Wikipedia" for the reasons I now recommend caution when using Wikipedia.

 

 

Love, light, hugs and blessings

Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
My "blogiography" is here.
May the world of commerce and business be recognised to be a servant, not a master, of the lives of people.
A home is for living in, not feeling, becoming or being rich or a “better” class than others.
The International Labour Organisation's definition of "full employment" is wrong, useless and misleading.
Armageddon is alive and well and happening right now: it is a battle between the indolence of "I only ..." and/or "I just ..." on one side, and perspicacity on the other.
Like fire to the physical, emotions to the soul make a good servant, and a bad master.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing. EDMUND BURKE

Your children are not your children. ... They come through you but ... they belong not to you ... for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow KAHLIL GIBRAN

We didn't inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we only borrowed it from our children ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY

 Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Those whom we cannot stand are usually those who we cannot understand P.K.SHAW

Tags: about me, aliens, Andrija Puharich, arrogance, attitudes, balance, evolution, growth, Phyllis V Schlemmer, Stuart Holroyd,

First published: Manadgar, 3rd September, 2012

Last edited: Monday, 3rd September, 2012

Post No. 399 - Sain bain uu

Well, I’m back, and I’ve survived.

Didn’t know I’d been way, did you? :) Hah! Silence at this end doesn’t always mean laziness … or that life has been overwhelming … or that I have blogger’s block … or that my PC has broken down and I can’t beg or borrow access to another … or that I’ve been abducted by aliens – well, you get the picture :)

Well, I have – been away, I mean: a work trip to the Gobi Desert [1] (incidentally, the comment in that link about worries about desertification of the Gobi being fallacious because the Gobi is already a desert [1] is absolute rubbish: deserts are all different, and they are NOT all sand dunes- where I was actually had quite a bit of low, scrubby growth, as do many deserts in Australia - they just have less than 250mm of rain!) in Mongolia [1]. Being a sh*t farmer par excellence has its – surprising – advantages. (To see some photos of the Gobi, see my shrine http://nshrine.com/shrine/Special_Places_The_Great_.)

Mind you, I had the usual hassles with international travel because I don’t look and sound “normal”, and the airport security in Mongolia had been set so sensitively that the metal clips in my bra strap set the blasted walk through detectors off, … but I won’t go into all that here. Suffice to say I am at the stage where I am thinking seriously of giving up international travel until security becomes rational (by which I mean, as expounded by Bruce Schneier).Mind .. you, I liked the description of the "self help" books in Hong Kong as "self enhancement", and I think the description of coffee with milk in it as "brown" rather than "white" is very apt .

Anyway, the Gobi was marvellous – and I loved the sound of the Mongolian language (I can only say hello – sain uu, or for formal situations [like talking to my boss there!] sain bain uu, and thank you, which seems to be pronounced either baililu or baiklu), and liked the local people I was working with. (I’ve changed the spellings of these slightly to match what an English speaker would expect.)

Unfortunately, I didn’t get much exposure to Mongolian culture – partly because the trip was organised in a rush, and partly because of the demands of the work (as usual, there was no time for tourism), but, on that, it should be noted that Mongolia is a slowly modernising culture: you won’t find a lot of people living traditionally in gers (the Mongolian version of yurts, featuring a slightly different construction) although quite a few poorer people in Ulaanbaatar live in gers, lacking heating, water, sewerage, susceptible to floods, etc.

The work was, however, as usual on these sorts of trips, intense, with 15 hour plus days and the sheer fact of having to take in a lot of information and the pressure of having to make the best decision in a very short time, and as I start writing this I am in Hong Kong airport, aching, psychically overloaded and unutterably exhausted. Public transport of any sort is difficult for many psychically/emotionally/mentally sensitive people, and combine that with things like security people putting their hands on you, the cramped space in a plane (any sleep I get there is never good), the type of frenetic energy in airports, the hassles of being part of the LGBTI communities, and I am going to crash in a big way when I finally get home.

In fact, my partner and I have planned for that, and even my boss (technically, Boss No. 2 – I answer to a few people … ) agreed to me taking some time off for recovery, bless ‘is cotton socks.

Anyway, I did some experimenting this morning, as I – and a few dozen others, some airline staff, and a plane - flew from Ulaanbaatar (which reminds me of Há Nôi in the 90s) to HK (Goddess but everyone seems to love acronyms – it was never “Ulaanbaatar”, it was always “UB”, for instance; HK = Hong Kong). What I did was focus on my use of chakras, as follows:

• each chakra is connected to a level of reality;
• each chakra acts a little like a radio receiver, receiving energy from that level and changing it so it can be manifested into this physical level of reality, through the chakra;
• each chakra can be connected to the others;
• I found the levels where I was feeling most overwhelmed (that of the lower astral, which corresponds with the “me” focused emotions of the solar plexus chakra), and then drew energy to that chakra from other levels (via the corresponding chakra) to reinforce the skin of my aura on that level, after making sure that I had contributed energy from each chakra/level to the shield/skin of my aura.

Hmm. That might make a little more sense if I review a few fundamental principles. I know – I’m an engineer, I can make a table! And draw a diagram!! Yay, me!!!

The diagram will come later, but I can put in the table now ...

Chakra	Corresponding level of reality	Corresponding body	Comments	Bernard Gunther shape, colour and sound [1]
Causal Star	Above the soul – Monod, etc.	What terminology do you wish to use, Dear Reader? I personally would use something like Higher Self, Atman, Spirit.	This chakra, from Katrina Raphael’s writings in her wonderful crystal books, is located 300mm (12 inches) above the head, and is described as being to connect us to world of spirit generally. This chakra enables us to connect to the Universe.	I visualise either the concept of energy, and either enjoy the stillness or chant “Ain Sof Aur”.
Spirit Star	“Higher” soul	Soul	This chakra, from Katrina Raphael’s writings in her wonderful crystal books, is located 150mm (6 inches) above the head, and is described as being to connect us to world of spirit generally. After this morning’s flight, I describe this as the “others” focused soul chakra.	No shape, just pure brilliance, an energy so bright its colour cannot be determined, and chant “Kether”.
Soul Star	“Lower” soul	Soul	This chakra, from Katrina Raphael’s writings in her wonderful crystal books, is located on the same level/height as the crown chakra, but behind that chakra (and outside the head), and is described as being the one that connects us to our Higher Self. After this morning’s flight, I describe this as the “me” focused soul chakra.	No shape, just pure brilliance, an energy so bright its colour cannot be determined, and chant “Eheieh”.
Crown	“Higher” mental	Mental	After this morning’s flight, I describe this as the “others” focused psychic chakra, capable of giving intuition that can help others.	Purple lotus, chant “Aum”.
Third Eye	“Lower” mental	Mental	Governs things like clairvoyance. After this morning’s flight, I describe this as the “me” focused psychic chakra – but I’m still working this through!	An indigo six pointed star, chant “ah”.
Throat	? (I’m still developing this.)	? (I’m still developing this.)	Governs communication (including, oddly enough, clairaudience). After this morning’s flight, I describe this as the “others” focused communication chakra	Light blue cup, chant “ha”.
Connecting throat and heart	N/A	N/A	This is one I’m deliberately aiming at developing myself, and is based on making it easier for to “speak from the heart”, or “speak my truth”. Shocked? I consider you shouldn’t be – I think chakras are energy structures that have, are and will evolve. After this morning’s flight, I describe this as the “me” focused communication chakra	No particular shape or colour or sound, as yet ...
Heart	“Higher” astral	Astral	After this morning’s flight, I describe this as the “other” focused emotional chakra – dealing with caring for others, etc.	Gold, shape is a cross (I use an ankh), sound “Ya mm”.
Between heart and solar plexus	N/A	N/A	Shirley Maclaine first commented on this chakra, to the effect that it is helping to unify heart and solar plexus, and is a chakra being developed by humanity.	Not covered in Bernard Gunther’s system: I visualise another mini-Earth, and draw in blue and green while chanting “Hum”.
Solar Plexus	“Lower” astral or etheric	Astral	After this morning’s flight, I describe this as the “me” focused emotional chakra, dealing with (emotional) threats to oneself and caring for oneself.	Green, cylinder, sound “Ra”.
Second	Physical (possibly etheric?)	Physical body (and/or etheric?)	After this morning’s flight, I describe this as the “others” focused physical chakra – dealing with survival of the race (procreation), and contributions to society such as creativity.	An orange truncated pyramid, and the sound “La”.
Base	Physical	Physical body	After this morning’s flight, I describe this as the “me” focused physical chakra – dealing with survival of the individual body.	Red, rectangular box, and the sound “ba”.
Earth Star	Physical	Planet	I first came across this chakra in Katrina Raphael’s books on crystal. It is located in the aura, around 150mm (6 inches) below the feet. This chakra anchors us to the planet, and enables us to be connected to Her, and draw sustenance – including energy – from Her.	Not included in Gunther’s system. I use blue, yellow, green and red-brown, arrange into a sphere – a mini-Earth, and chant either “Malkuth” or “Adonai”.

Notes:

1. 1.       From "Energy Ecstasy: Your Seven Vital Chakras", by Bernhard Gunther (pub. Newcastle Publishing Co. Inc., Van Nuys, CA, USA, ISBN 0-87877-066-6). For more on how I use these, see http://gnwmythr.blogspot.com/2007/10/secret-science-of-hugs.html.

I’m still working on this, and have intention of upgrading my chakra workshop notes to incorporate it – and I’ll really be able to fine tune the description once I’ve run that workshop, and started to get some feedback.

Fairly clearly, there are also other chakras beyond our current knowledge …

Now, moving on to a few other matters, a few brief thoughts, mostly from altitudes above 35,000 feet above mean sea level …

Firstly, one of the reasons I hate watching dramas is that I actually find them incredibly violent films – the violence is verbal and emotional, rather than physical, but I consider the damage from such violence to be potentially FAR more devastating than physical violence. I would go so far as to say some who like such films (and I have some people from a couple of decades ago specifically in mind here) like them because they are more adept at such films than physical violence. It does NOT make them less violent, any more than people who use superior verbal skills to brow beat others into doing what they and not the others want are less violent than those who use a lump of wood to threaten people.

Next, while I was travelling, it occurred to me that Anglo-Saxons are still the most warlike of races - nowadays, though, this warlike-ness gets put into business & commerce.

Now, one of my favourite idle pastimes: labels. Although I am a pagan, I consider the best magickal tool to be the mind, and consider reliance on objects a potential weakness (doesn’t stop me making and using them, but I acknowledge that they are a second rate approach compared to the ideal of being able to do such work without such tools, which requires STRENGTH). It occurred to me, during my recent travels, that Raja Yoga is focused on developing the mind, so maybe I should describe my path as Raja Paganism, or Raja Wicca …

I probably won’t, but it gives me another useful perspective and way of thinking.

And finally, pentacles vs. pentagrams. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentacle [1]:

The words pentacle and pentagram (a five-point unicursal star) are essentially synonymous, according to the Online Oxford English Dictionary (2007 revision), which traces the etymology through both French and Italian back to Latin, but notes that in Middle French the word "pentacle" was used to refer to any talisman. In an extended use, many magical authors treat them as distinct. In many tarot decks and in some forms of modern witchcraft, pentacles often prominently incorporate a pentagram in their design.

There is a specific differentiation between pentacle and pentagram within Wicca and other re-constructionist systems. Namely, a pentacle refers to a pentagram circumscribed by a circle. This form of pentacle is formed upon a disk which may be used either upon an altar or as a sacred space of its own. The pentacle is representative of the Earth in occult usage.


[1] Please see my post "The Death of Wikipedia" for the reasons I now recommend caution when using Wikipedia.

Love, light, hugs and blessings

Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
My "blogiography" is here.
May the world of commerce and business be recognised to be a servant, not a master, of the lives of people.
A home is for living in, not feeling, becoming or being rich or a “better” class than others.
The International Labour Organisation's definition of "full employment" is wrong, useless and misleading.
Armageddon is alive and well and happening right now: it is a battle between the indolence of "I only ..." and/or "I just ..." on one side, and perspicacity on the other.
Like fire to the physical, emotions to the soul make a good servant, and a bad master.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing. EDMUND BURKE

Your children are not your children. ... They come through you but ... they belong not to you ... for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow KAHLIL GIBRAN

We didn't inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we only borrowed it from our children ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY

 Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Those whom we cannot stand are usually those who we cannot understand P.K.SHAW

Tags: about me, chakras, energy work, evolution, planes of existence, society, violence,

First published: Sunnudgar, 2nd September, 2012

Last edited: Sunday, 2nd September, 2012