I’m feeling relatively incoherent this morning, but I also want to write. In an attempt to not actually sabotage myself (or bore you) I’m going to share some of the items that caught my attention as I was reading my morning round up of blogs and news this morning.
I am generally an optimist — I look for the positive in people and events around me and tend to stay away from making dire predictions. Its part and parcel of being a witch, I know how my thoughts can influence outcomes.
The Johari Window was invented by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham in the 1950s as a model for mapping personality awareness. By describing yourself from a fixed list of adjectives, then asking your friends and colleagues to describe you from the same list, a grid of overlap and difference can be built up.
Which words do you associate with me? http://kevan.org/johari?name=Lisa+Mc+Sherry
I’m interested for a variety of reasons — and you know I can take criticism. I promise I’ll share the results (presuming more than five people reply 🙂 otherwise it isn’t terribly valid.)
I find this video and accompanying story scary, and very sad. The writing is WS, the video is very disturbing and therefore not absolutely WS.
The power of the mob is well known, to see it in action is shocking. I wonder if I would have the courage to be so calm and take the video footage? Would you? Think about it.
(this is sparked by a colleague’s LJ post — it’s locked, or I would share).
I think just about everyone should take classes in Muay Thai — particularly anyone who believes they are weak, or helpless. MT is a dynamic, strength-building, flexibility-enhancing sport that builds mental and physical capability. Participants end up with the cardio workout of an aerobics or high-energy dance class and the strength-building of lifting weights. Moreover, you learn what fighting feels like in a safe environment. Bruised knuckles, aching jaw, sore elbows, and aching muscles all over — sounds like a typical post-MT feeling, even if you’re using pads and protection. It just happens.
I know at least some of you are near-daily readers, and I apologize for the recent theme changes. Its just that I like to change themes seasonally. This time I ran into a hassle with the chosen theme (the autumn leaves against a blue sky) was missing a line of code or somesuch that I needed to run a specific script. It’s been a-heck-annoying.
So now you know. This theme will (as you may have guessed) stay up through early November.
A friend of mine recently went to the Universal Life Expo — a gathering of vendors and speakers all espousing a ‘white light’ perspective. This is a perspective in which all is good, all is positive, all is light. There is no shadow (and most certainly not Dark), or if there is shadow it must be eradicated completely so that there is no dimming of the light.
As a witch, I find this perspective appaling. My belief system not only acknowledges that there is shadow, there is Dark, and that my role in physical manifestation is to understand both the Light and the Dark within me and my world and BALANCE it.
As my friend said: “If you turn on a light, a shadow is cast.”
Light and Dark and not just opposites, there are a fundamental part of ordinary physical reality. Neither is good, neither is bad. They simply ARE. You cannot eliminate one without doing dire harm.
In talking with my friend it occured to me that the ‘white lighters’ have been actively promoting their agenda (via the new age movement, most notably) for about 20 years now. I wonder if the serious problems we are seeing in our world is in DIRECT reaction to their constant, unrelenting sending out of light into the world?
Think about it.
(and, as always, comments welcomed)
It’s been awhile since I posted any pics of Sasha as she is now. You may remember the ball of cuteness we got almost a year ago? Well, she’s definitely a dog now, all just-under 50 pounds of her. Apparently she just isn’t going to be very big, despite the fact that she manages to take up a good third of our king-size bed at night.
She just came home from a weekend at the kennel (Soos Creek, if you must know). She isn’t unhappy there, but doesn’t think it’s the best thing in the world. We’re not thrilled either, but there aren’t always alternatives as we travel via airplane in multiple connections. She’d be a WRECK if we tried to take her everywhere we go. It’s one reason we’re driving to SF for Turkey Time, she can be with us and we don’t mid the drive. (At least in theory.)
Without further prattling, here’s a link to the pics.
I can *too* laugh at myself.
Jeremy (aka technocowboy) posted the following on his LJ:
Me: So did you hear today’s big DUH moment?
Her: No, what happened?
Me: Clay Aiken came out.
Her: Clay Aiken…. The country singer?? WOW!!
Me: No, that’s Clay Walker.
Her: OH!! The football star?!
Me: No, that’s Troy Aikman. Clay Aiken is from American Idol.
Her: Oh….. You bitches are laughing at me.
Me: Yup. Three homos, laughing at you. 🙂
I’m the ‘Her’. Here’s the topper. When I first moved to Seattle, my friend Damien (gay) took me out dancing with him and some friends. As we’re driving through a certain part of the Capital Hill area they start talking about ‘that looks like a good place to go. no there!’ I innocently ask ‘how do you know they are gay bars? is there a secret sign or something.’ D. giggles and says ‘well, there’s the rainbow.’ Me: The rainbow? Is that a bar? D: (Pulling the car over because he’s laughing so hard) The rainbow flag.
Yes, I spent my high school lunchbreaks in the Castro, hanging out with gay men. I knew about the pink triangle. I did NOT know about the Rainbow flag.
Yes, I laugh at myself all the time. Keeps me sane.
(not that she’ll read this, but . . .)
Lupa posted a journal entry about how she really likes German Shepards, grew up with them, and wants one, but not just now. It made me think about Sasha, and since her birthday was the 9th, I thought I’d ramble on a bit about her.