#a lot of beliefs and practices have changed/evolved since then

[black-lake]

astro observations 9

hey folks, I found new stuff to talk about. this is more of an outer planets and generations obs 🚀

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✮⌁ when uranus conjunct pluto happened during 1964, we saw a lot of rebellious music, fashion and other forms of expression, the beatles, bowie's debut album, twiggy, bob dylan.. etc. It was an important decade for many changes and revolutions. It's why so many people are still influenced by the art, music and appeal of that era. Even though it was a relatively short period, the intense need for freedom was loudly expressed that decade. I think with pluto in aquarius we may see similar events, but on a larger scale and with a far more lasting impact. 

✮⌁ neptune will move into aries in 2025, and boy when I tell you I can't wait, I terribly mean it. I think neptune in pisces wasn’t doing it for me, I had creative expectations for it but it was all about spirituality and faith practices on the internet and an unhealthy addiction to it. this was right after neptune in aquarius which we all know made the internet an addiction in itself. 

✮⌁ It had its positive impact, being open-minded about different beliefs, exploring our intuition and faith and other abstract topics. but we've already seen the negative impact. It's mainly the spirituality addiction on the internet that has became almost inescapable, replacing reality, practices performed and consumed by really young individuals which could distort their view on the world at an older age. living in an illusion and assumption of everything and everyone, believing everything you hear blindly, because of your or someone else's false sense of intuition will make the world more closed-off and less likely to evolve. it can create a reversed effect, inducing fear of real life interactions, closed-mindedness and seclusion.

✮⌁ with neptune in aries, we will come out of our shells and live in the real world, we will explore the world with a new set of eyes and a fresh sense of passion and childlike wonder. We're less likely to listen to our fears and other people's assumptions and bs. It's a new astrological cycle. Our collective hopes, dreams, fantasies and passions are reborn. Now especially when uranus moves into gemini, the same year, people will be more encouraged to become social and intimate, more fun talks and activities, I hope 🥹 this will also help fuel the inventive ideas pluto in aquarius brings with it.

✮⌁ y'all there's more to astrology than just money, success and fame. you can explore the world with that tool, thousands of things to talk about. there're topics that aren't given as much attention here. if you have something interesting and new you posted or you wanna talk about and are shy plssss just share it in the comments I'm all for ittt I wanna see it. 

✮⌁ last time pluto was in aquarius 1778-1798, there was an industrial revolution going on, the peak of "the age of enlightenment", the french revolution, and many other political revolutions. the battery, hot-air balloon and parachute were some of the things invented. uranus was discovered in 1781. fun fact, the airplane was invented when pluto was retrograde in gemini in 1903, which makes sense since it rules over flying and air travel, also uranus was in sagittarius which rules travel as well, so interestingly enough there was a uranus-pluto opposition.

✮⌁ when uranus moves into gemini (ruling air travel) and with pluto being in aquarius, we literally may see spaceship inventions or spacecrafts and rockets that will launch to space. we may even be able to travel to a certain planet or at least find something new about it. we may find creatures or living things in space. air travel may look different, hydrogen-powered planes, cleaner and eco-friendly energy sources. at the very least we may hear of new scientists, and keep up with them.

✮⌁ any outer planet in libra, is a timeline I'd like to skip if I ever lived in, which I won't thankfully. It's by far the least sign that has potential to bring evolution and advancement to a generation, excluding aspects, it just ain’t doing much. Idk what it is, but maybe people are less likely to do anything considered immoral or unaccepted, they're more likely to do things like pleasing the generation's expectations and opinions. It brings a sense of connectivity, an understanding of comprise to connect and relate to our environment, and a focus on relationship matters, which of course is a building brick to bigger changes like all the transits are. but for me, not an exciting time, ig it's why I'm born in neptune and uranus in aquarius gen 💀

✮⌁ many of us have parents that have uranus or pluto in libra, and tbf, they likely were closed minded, people pleasing or even racist at times. but our pluto sag ass knew how to deal with it. how many of y'all gen z's gave your mommy a lecture on lgbt+ rights and the people with other cultures and backgrounds? 🖐🏼 also butting heads over someone wearing something on the streets, I'm like "THEY CAN DO whatever they want, let them live" 

✮⌁ speaking of pluto in sagittarius, I'm a little underwhelmed. dgmw we made so many changes and paved the way for future generations, but moreso, perspective wise. I didn't see many tangible changes from this gen compared to pluto in scorpio, which was wild in terms of sexual expression, experiments, conspiracies, institutional corruption, societal and medical change. pluto in sag was kinda mild, we allowed everyone's voice to be heard, explored other cultures and lifestyles, probably have friends from all around the world, we're willing to learn and are open to all sources of knowledge, we're truth tellers and we won't shut up. I guess our mission was too easy for us.

✮⌁ pluto in sag gen probably have challenging experiences relating to higher education, college years may have been dark and even traumatic for many esp if you also have it conjunct chiron 🏴‍☠️ even our sense of belief in ourselves and optimism is wounded, we put on a happy front because we see a better future for the world at large, but not for us, like we're some type of teachers or gurus raising a child.

✮⌁ if you have pluto conjunct chiron, you may feel dismissed or misplaced. things can hurt deeply with this. this also may indicate some family karma that needs to be resolved. your ancestors may have done shady stuff that cost them a lot. you are here to change that and find the light that future generations will thank you for. you got the resources to do so since conjunction is the most beneficial of all. you got a lot of healing and transformative powers. since it's in sag, it may be about clearing up nasty beliefs and perceptions of people and the world, even harmful actions and disrespect towards different individuals. you're the truth-seeker that refuses to take on outdated traditions and beliefs.

✮⌁ pluto in capricorn gen understand the value of monetary resources because they experienced a restriction of it at some point in their lives. there's this feeling of restriction coming from societal rules or memories of such repressive time, which they may feel the need to go against and prove themselves by working and gaining more power. they know how to survive in times of chaos and make the most out of what they have. they may have goals of creating some type of legacy for themselves and future generations. also maybe capricorn ruling the skeletal system is why caps give the 💀🩻🪦🏴‍☠️ impression, sry I keep making jokes about y'all, but ya dgaf 🫶🏼

[thegambitgazette]

Know Thyself: How This One Exercise Shaped My Writing

“Know Thyself” Interpretations

Heraclitus: “It belongs to all men to know themselves and think well.”

Charles H. Kahn: this fragment echoes a traditional belief that “know thyself" had an essentially similar meaning to the second Delphic maxim, “nothing too much;” both sayings might be considered alternative ways of describing the virtue of sophrosyne.

Heraclitus defines sophrosyne as the art of “perceiving things according to their nature,” apparently referring to the perception of objective, material facts. If so, and if self-knowledge is the same as sophrosyne, then, as Kahn writes, “the deepest structure of the self will be recognized as co-extensive with the universe in general … so true self-knowledge will coincide with knowledge of the cosmic order.”

A fragment from Ion of Chios provides the earliest explicit reference to the maxim. It reads: “This ‘know yourself’ is a saying not so big, but such a task Zeus alone of the gods understands.”

“The unexamined life is not worth living” -Socrates

Soliloquies of Augustine: The book has the form of an “inner dialogue" in which questions are posed, discussions take place and answers are provided, leading to self-knowledge. The first book begins with an inner dialogue which seeks to know a soul. In the second book it becomes clear that the soul Augustine wants to get to know is his own.

The Consolation of Philosophy: Boethius writes The Consolation of Philosophy as a conversation between himself and a female personification of philosophy, referred to as “Lady Philosophy.” Philosophy consoles Boethius by discussing the transitory nature of wealth, fame, and power (“no man can ever truly be secure until he has been forsaken by Fortune"), and the ultimate superiority of things of the mind, which she calls the “one true good.” She contends that happiness comes from within, and that virtue is all that one truly has because it is not imperiled by the vicissitudes of fortune.

Meditations: Marcus Aurelius likely didn’t intend for Meditations to be published, as the work centered around his own self-analysis and self-guidance. Aurelius advocates finding one's place in the universe and sees that everything came from nature, and so everything shall return to it in due time. Another strong theme is of maintaining focus and to be without distraction all the while maintaining strong ethical principles such as “Being a good man.”

...to think that all of these classic works are “regular” people figuring themselves out. I decided to do the same.

Writing My Own “Soliloquy”

I’d like to clarify that I, in no way shape or form, see myself as this great thinker or philosopher or anything like that. I recognize that this practice is but one way to understand myself, especially since I struggle with mental health and a lot of spiritual questions (but that’s another topic).

In choosing to write my own soliloquy, I am becoming my own Devil’s Advocate. Like Boethius, I’ve decided to structure my journaling as if I am arguing with someone. I will choose a topic that I am passionate about or that I am having my own crisis over, such as “Why do I not believe I am a good person?” or “Why do I prefer logic over emotion?” or even “What draws me to classical paintings?”

What I found is that anything and everything that I am attached to says something about me on a deeper level.

Here is where it gets a little tricky: in continuing to argue with myself, I’ve found that I get better at coming up with counter points. In other words, this self-analysis becomes more and more complex the more used to it you get. It’s almost like you’re playing some mind chess and this fictional opponent, who is also you, as they are but your own Devil’s Advocate, is also getting better and learning with you.

But, to me, that is what makes this “Know Thyself” maxim important. You are not meant to have a full-fledged answer. We are constantly evolving and changing, as will our knowledge of how we perceive ourselves and how we perceive the world in response to it.

How It Affects My Writing

To start with the obvious, the character development and creation changes so much when you get to know yourself. At least, for me, the world becomes less and less black and white (not that it ever was black and white to begin with). Because of that, my characters become more dimensional.

I am no longer afraid to write controversy. There is a... debate, for a lack of better words, on the media literacy rate nowadays. Because of this, I would fear that, just because I wrote about it, people would assume that I am in support of it; or, for example, just because there is a mainstream focus on one demographic, that nuances of that focus cannot be written about (again, another topic).

However, writing my soliloquies reminds me that my work is meant to be a message from myself to the audience first and entertainment second.

As artists, authors, creators, etc., there is a danger in losing ourselves to appease the masses. There is the question of whether we should create what we want or stick to what is trending, and I’m not immune to that spiral, either.

In knowing yourself, you become your #1 advocate. You know what your boundaries are, what your morals are, and what your values are. It gets harder to allow those who don’t do that same work to sway your pen.

Closing Words

Whatever form that takes, get to know yourself. For me, that’s journaling whenever I can as if I’m debating with someone. Grab a journal meant specifically for this exercise and go crazy! No one’s going to read it (unless you become someone like Marcus Aurelius and your own version of Meditations comes out. In which case... sorry?)

Never stop challenging the way you think, too. It can be uncomfortable and hard, but change always is. Perhaps you will stick to your ideals, and that’s okay, too! Do not live life on the easy path.

As always, these exercises are not a substitute for professional or medical help. I will always encourage those who need it to seek therapy, as I believe it is a great tool to use alongside this exercise, should one feel inclined to do so.

[creature-wizard]

On telling the difference between a thoughtform and a "real" spirit

You may have encountered people claiming that a lot of the spirits people run into are actually thoughtforms. In essence, a thoughtform is supposed to be a kind of artificially-made spirit, kind of like an imaginary friend with actual autonomy and agency. You may have heard people saying that it's very important to know the difference between thoughtforms and real spirits, and you may have been left utterly clueless as to how you might do such a thing. You may have been given some impression that there's some special knowledge or technique that you just weren't told about. I have good and/or bad news for you, depending on how you look at it: there really isn't one. People have all kinds of different methods they use for spiritual discernment, and a lot of the time it comes down to "does the spirit confirm the belief system I already subscribe to?" This one's been around for ages, as shown in 1 John 4:1-3. (Not that Christians have all stuck to it - they've been accusing each other of following false spirits over all kinds of doctrinal differences since the earliest days of Christianity.) New Agers often claim that true messages from Spirit will uplift you and make you feel good, but considering how often those messages affirm dangerous pseudoscience and racist pseudohistory, I think we can see where this method has flaws. Some modern pagans take the approach that spirits should behave in ways that align with old myths. The problem here is, which old myths? Mythology has always been evolving and changing, and varied between regions and social strata. Most of the stuff we have is what wealthy people decided to write down. Another issue is that most of us just don't understand historical perspectives as well as we think we do, so we frequently measure our experiences against a past that never actually was. Sometimes people try to compare their experiences against old magical manuals (EG, Renaissance books for summoning demons) but fail to realize just how much of the information in them is incredibly questionable. Books like these often contain pseudohistory (often by way of people projecting their own beliefs onto the past), mangled to even fake Hebrew, and all kinds of stuff that falls apart under any serious scholarly examination. These books often expect us to believe that Satan was just always in command of all these demonic dukes and princes with their legions of demons beneath them, but the reality is that this is a concept that evolved gradually, and every point of change can easily be connected to what was going on in the time and place it emerged in. Sometimes people compare their experiences against what other people are currently experiencing, but this only tells you what kind of experiences are common. It doesn't actually confirm the origins of an entity. Personally, I don't think "is this a real spirit or a thoughtform?" is a particularly useful question to ask, because there's just no surefire method of vetting a entity's origins. I think it's more useful to take a practical approach: Are you benefiting from this relationship? Are you being treated fairly? Are you minding cultural boundaries? Are you making sure you aren't getting swept into pseudohistory or something? I think as long as the answer to these questions is "yes," the rest really doesn't matter.

[bonefall]

i remember seeing one(maybe two(?)) of your posts about gods and how humans used to have their own gods (iirc there was also something about how humans interact with nature but i forgot)

but i saved it to read later because i needed to sleep but now i cant find it and I'm starting to think it was a dream ksksjsjsj

I remember that post! I still think about it. Thinking about leeches made me get really emotional about ecology lmao.

Leeches rely on human livestock. Many trees live longer when coppiced and pollarded. Moorland is a biome that thrives through management, if the gorse is left too long, it simply scorches the land to ash.

I just... god it's so beautiful. How humans are part of nature. The connection between culture, religion, and land. We're not separate from it, humans are a keystone species and this part of the british ecosystem evolved to accommodate early hominids.

Since that post I've learned a lot more, to become more furious at the exploitation, extinctions, and botched management of the ecology of this region.. But that's exactly it. Botched.

There's nothing inherently evil about humans and the only reason why it can't go back is because that's being PREVENTED by selfish interest. The problem is unsustainable agriculture and bad building practices, by way of greed or by ignorance.

Ignorance we can fix. Greed we can beat. It'll never be the same and that's okay!! It's not too late to MAKE IT BETTER!

Initially I'd approached the spirituality of the project as making the gods "beyond" the mortals in the setting, like older things of some pristine, bygone era. I now believe that's actually a bad mindset. What are gods? What is religion? An extension of ourselves. The collective dream of human belief.

You're part of nature. Spirituality is a part of you. Nature is part of spirituality. All of these things have an affect on each other... or, they should.

And, y'know, I know it's Battle Cat Fanfiction, it's inherently a bit silly. But, funny as it may be, it's my art and my passion.

So anyway with humans and the clan cats, I really write clan cats like small hominids with a carnivorous diet. It's looking at canon and going, "Yes And," because they absolutely don't write with realistic biology in mind haha. I hope that I'm teaching people some cool things about this environment. And I hope that I can get people to think about the changing nature of culture.

In this setting, I think that humans used to have many gods of their own, and there still exist many beyond the scope of the setting. But in this region, human spirituality is being severely neglected. Various cultures of cats are keeping these sorts of beliefs alive, right under humanity's noses.

Big ramble but... *Shrugs.* Just stuff I think about sometimes.

[arcane-abomination]

Was thinking of this recently and wanted to post a reminder that adaptation is natural. All religions and cultures have done it since the dawn of time and are still doing it. Bringing new things into your practice to reinvent how old things are done is a wonderfully fulfilling accomplishment. Nothing stays the same, change is always going to come and this notion that every single ancient belief has to remain the same is incredibly naïve at best. You will not find a single one that didn’t evolve from something else. Life is movement, everything will grow and everything will adapt. Those who don’t adapt die out.

Now, even though I’ve said all this, I feel it’s very important to recognize that there is still a right and wrong way to adapt. Remember, the line between appreciation and appropriation is a fine one. It’s necessary to learn the histories behind that which you seek to utilize. Learn why they were what they were, and how they got there. Give credit to those who brought their beliefs forward, and recognize the limitations from the ancient ways as compared to now in our scientific, analytic state of being. There’s lots that go into properly understanding history outside of the biasly religious retellings that plague the records. Working through that old feces isn’t easy but is 100% necessary to ascertain the truth.

Always ask questions, dig deeper, and never take a single source for granted. Remember much of history is built on hypothesis. Taking the pieces of the puzzle and guessing where they fit. There will be many twisted individuals that take advantage of this notion and seek to spread misinformation as a means of control, especially when that controlled is racially or religiously charged. Remember, just because a 1000 people believe in a lie, doesn’t make it suddenly true. And if you’re the type of person who isn’t ready to dedicate all yourself to that kind of research then perhaps adapting what your wanting isn’t for you. It’s important to adapt properly or you become part of the appropriation problem. Even open practices can be appropriated, and many in this new generation seem to be doing that.

Stop being entitled and do your research properly, recognize the wide diversity of people that have added their practices and beliefs to history, and stop viewing things through close minded, bias lenses.

[visardistofelphame]

10, 20, and 30 for the ask game

10: What do you think of Gerald Gardner?

Without him, my tradition would not exist as it does now. It might not have reached out from the UK over all the way to my corner in the PNW. What would the world of Witches look like without the explosion that he helped cause? I think a lot about that. I've been working on my degree elevation and really contemplating the beliefs and practices, some that are his direct creation. And I have to be honest, as a queer woman, I have a lot of mixed opinions on things. He has had a lot of good influence, a lot of crutial influence. However, it doesn't omit the harm he has done. I've read a lot about him, heard things from a lot of different people (both within and outside traditions that stem from "Gardnerian"), and watched/listened to his interviews. Part of me wants to completely ignore it and certainly witchcraft evolves with the peoples that practice it. That said, I know that would be irresponsible of me to do. I believe, for a faith to remain healthy and relevant, its vital to acknowledge all truths within it. To face questions that don't have a universal answer. Anyone that is turned off from Wicca or "Gardnerian" influenced paths is within their right to. In fact, I can completely understand why.

But here is my opinion, I see him as a human being. He isn't exempt from criticism and consequence just because of his contribution to the modern renaissance of occult and pagan practices. He was a product of his time, but also a prisoner to his own faults and ego. Yet, I understand that there is no way of knowing if he would change his opinions on homosexuality and queerness in general. His death was during a time when the world was a very different place. Despite all this, there is also the chance that a lot of this could be false. Gerald was a figure of controversy and often was a trickster, as described by those close to him. He also had a lot of critics. To elevate or degrade him won't do any good.

He is a good example why you shouldn't idolize people like they're superhuman. And thankfully, no one really does that with Gardner (at least in my circles).

20: Do you research ex-pagans viewpoints with an open mind?

Its not something I've done in a long time, not since I first decided to explore different spiritualities back in my late-teens to early twenties. Part of the reason I took a bit to answer this was to actually research a little.

Its never too late to change yourself, to seek out something different. Its healthy to allow yourself the freedom to explore and educate yourself through experience and study. I am saddened when I read about people leaving due to tramatic experiences within the pagan-sphere. The truth is that there are a lot of inidivuals and groups that act in bad-faith, abusing the trust of seekers. No one belief system is above bigotry and cult fanaticism. Its wonderful to read when people leave because of their own personal choice fueled from their desire to truly explore and understand their faith and spiritual selves. One of my core beliefs is that the spiritual is a journey, so we should question ourselves, our practices and the goodness they bring into our lives. Healthy introspection is they key to a happy and healthy life.

30: What do you think is a scam in witchcraft?

Not really a scam per say, but…I really hate it when some of the more "obscure" occult/pagan publishers don't really do anything to prevent 3rd party sellers from buying their stock in bulk, to resell for insane prices. Its not a good look ¯_(ツ)_/¯

[dead-boy-dont-eat]

Hello! I have a question

So I am an ex-anti, and I'm pretty neutral on the proship community, but I've seen things that irk me pretty bad.

Why do some (a very small amount, but I've seen it) call antis a cult? I feel like a lot of antis (as I was) were very misinformed and didn't mean genuine harm. And cults cause so, so many deaths (amongst other things) and I think it's not a very fair comparison. Cults aren't comparable to uninformed people.

Thank you!

Hello, anon! You certainly ask an important question here, and I'll do my best to give it the research and thought that it requires. Apologies in advance because this is likely going to be a long post. I'll put a TL;DR at the end, but I encourage you to read through everything for a better understanding. I've taken the following phrases from a checklist of cult characteristics. A link to the full list is here. I'll only be commenting on the ones I find relevant. (Most of the others are not included because antis are not a religious organization or because they would not apply to any online-based group)

The group displays an excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader, and regards their belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law. While antis on a whole do not have universal leadership, the foundation of the position rests on this idea: fictional media can change a person who would otherwise never commit a crime into one that would, and that this phenomenon takes place on such a large scale that the act of consuming fiction can be claimed as moral or immoral. This belief is accepted in the community in spite of repeated psychological and sociological evidence to the contrary, and is practiced as truth with little questioning.

Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished. From what I have observed, it is common practice that, when an anti questions the actions or beliefs of the community, they are often assumed to be a secret pro-shipper (which they often understand to mean pedophile or groomer) or at least hold some problematic beliefs. The consequences of this vary by group, but often involve the person who questioned to be shamed for it.

The leadership dictates, sometimes in great detail, how members should think, act, and feel. Again, while antis on a whole do not have universal leadership, there are universal ideals that they all seem to hold: certain fiction is inherently immoral, the act of consuming or thinking positively about this fiction is immoral, and that those that consume this fiction are unhealthy and dangerous. These communities may also be very critical of kink and sex work, detailing which kinks are good and which are bad.

The group has a polarized, us-versus-them mentality, which may cause conflict with the wider society. Since antis have been lead to believe that pro-shippers are inherently immoral people- some to the point of believing they are child predators or groomers- they often believe that the only moral option is to root out and expose these people to get them to either change or to leave the platform.

The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it deems necessary. This may result in members participating in behaviors or activities they would have considered reprehensible or unethical before joining the group. Antis are led to believe that certain acts (suicide-baiting, bullying, harassment, death threats, doxxing, etc., or, being complicit with these acts) are justifiable because they "work towards a higher goal" which is often something that is at face value agreeable such as "keeping children safe" or "protecting abuse victims."

The leadership induces feelings of shame and/or guilt in order to influence and control members. Often this is done through peer pressure and subtle forms of persuasion. Anti-ship beliefs naturally evolve into antis admonishing each other for the shows they choose to watch, books / fanfics they choose to read, and art that they create. There is a lot of self-policing that takes place to make sure that they don't accidentally consume "something pro-ship." Once a group is made aware that a member has come into contact with something problematic, it's common that an effort is made to "warn" them about the dangers associated with the content.

Subservience to the leader or group requires members to cut ties with family and friends, and radically alter the personal goals and activities they had before joining the group. The above self-policing is not ordinarily limited to media consumed, but also to people that an anti chooses to follow. If an anti is seen following a pro-shipper, for example, and they are warned about the pro-shipper's status as an "other", they are expected to unfollow and stop interaction with that person as soon as possible, otherwise they are labeled as supporting pro-ship ideas. If an anti is consuming media deemed problematic, they are expected to stop doing so as soon as possible.

The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members. Again, this is tied to antis being led to believe they are the only moral position. They are naturally very focused on convincing those in the middle and even pro-shippers that are found to be redeemable.

Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members. Very similar to points made above. Socializing with pro-shippers is seen as being complicit to child abuse and is the subject of shame in these circles.

First, I will say that I do not believe antis are a cult in a traditional or religious sense. I haven't seen any proshippers say that they do believe antis to be a cult in this way (though there may well be), but rather that they see similarities to how cults function based on either research on the matter and/or personal experience with cult abuse. On that level, I certainly see and agree that there are similarities. Now, while I believe that antis are considerably similar to cults- I also believe that the majority of things they have in common are similar to any other abusive group. To your point, perhaps it would be better to use this phrasing, as it doesn't invoke the same imagery that might confuse an outside party. However, I also believe that the similarity is there and it is patently valid to point it out. In my personal opinion, the two ideas (A, that antis share similarities in function to cults, and B, that many antis are misinformed and don't mean genuine harm) aren't opposed. In fact, I think they support each other- I agree with both statements. It's exactly the point that members of abusive groups are misinformed and don't mean genuine harm- often, these groups form in an effort to accomplish something good, like protecting children and abuse victims! People who want to bully and harass others will capitalize on an anti's goodwill and disgust with real life events to achieve their own end. TL;DR: Personally, I see many similarities between the way that the anti community and cults have operated- but these similarities exist between most abusive groups, not just cults. I agree with you that antis are often well intentioned but misinformed people, and see the majority as victims. However, this belief does not contradict with the comparison. It adds to it. -B

[dontjudgemeimawriter]

Magic Inspiration Tag

Taking an open tag from @blind-the-winds

Rules: list the inspiration(s) for your WIP's magic system and, if you want, go into detail.

I'm tagging...open to any fantasy writers to join in, but also going to tag @thegreatobsesso @dogmomwrites @lexiklecksi @oh-no-another-idea @eli-writes-sometimes if you want

Okay I'm going to go a little off the rails with this one.

So, inspiration for a lot of my magic systems actually comes from my own beliefs and background in witchcraft. So I'm going to talk about the different magic systems.

In general, I try to work within a few guidelines based on things I see that I like/dislike:

Magic is accessible to everyone, perhaps with exceptions (My exception is a story where every single person except the MC can do magic). But in general, magic is accessible to all, even if not everyone would use it, know about it, or have talent for it. There is no chosen one(s). The reason I don't like this is it would break my heart to discover this level of magic exists and I can't do it because idk the universe doesn't like me, so I don't like it in my systems.

Magic will never cause more problems than it solves, and I will never explore a plot where you remove magic from the world. Fuck that.

Magic almost always has a secret-- there is a difference between how the people understand it and how it really works.

Magic is based on the energy flow of the universe, and manipulating it. Anything can be explained through this.

I don't care about power imbalance. There can be ways that the characters are challenged or unable to solve all their problems without everyone's magic needing to be equaled or there to be major drawbacks. The main limits in my systems are the character's own knowledge and the character's personality.

So. Let's get into a few of them.

Syndicate

In this, everyone has a natural, inherited talent for 1 out of 5 types of magic. While they can be more or less talented, everyone is capable of learning some type. Not everyone does, especially since some types are valued more than others. Nyp magic, which is mind magic, is straight up illegal to learn.

Magic here isn't so big that it alters the nature of the world or even puts the world in danger. This is post-industrual age but premodern day, and their technology has evolved based on the discovery of an ability to store spells to be layer cast. For the most part, there is nothing magic can do that we in moderrn day haven't been able to accomplish from different angles... broadly and generously speaking. I suppose we can't accomplish mind reading, but we can get pretty close, and mostt mental manipulations could hypothetically be accomplished with therapy. So magic strretches beyond what we can accomplish with technology, but not far beyond it, and they rely on magic-powered technology.

Every type of magic, though, is based on manipulation of some type of energy that already exists. Fire magic is exciting the atoms in something until it combusts. Nyp magic is manipulation of the electricity of the brain/neurons. Terran is able to change wavelengths, make them stronger or weaker, which is how he can manipulate his own brainwaves as well as sound. (The only one that you could argue isn't isn't based on scientific reality is Chaf magic, which relies on the energy existing between connections between people. This is where my own spiritual beliefs come up-- I believe in an energy between people's relationships, so one exists. So there.)

But, you may say, isn't there not much difference in those? What really is the distinction between brainwaves and neurons, if those are two different types of magic? No, there isn't. The inherited talent/inclination is more that you're in tuned with. But from your own angle, you can go into others' magic types. The lines and distinction was drawn by people, not by the world. The overrlap is explored within the story. And practicing going into others' can make you much more powerful.

Raymond is explicitly very powerful. He has a natural talent for understanding how the mind works and was a very fast learner. He is mentioned explicitly as being a very good nyp. The limits and justification come from:

Admittedly, powerful stuff (such as suppression of brainwaves enough to put someone to sleep) does exhaust him

He is good because he's obsessed witth learning about Nyp and other magic. He draws from any research that's been donee

Nyp magic is illegal so not many people know ot very well and the limits haven't been tested. He's powerful in comparison

He's a good person. Heart of gold. Always wants to do the right thing. His personality keeps him from going too far.

Him being powerful is exactly what puts him in a lot of dangerr and makes him a target

He also isn't the main character. He's very important and a major character, but he's not the main character. I think you can get away with being more OP with not the MC.

Oh! I do actually remember some distinct inspirations. When plotting this story I knew it would have similar vibes to some other books with criminals and magic, so I actually sketched out the basics of the magic in Six of Crows, the Curseworkers, and Ace of Spades. From there I took what I already knew I wanted, what I liked in those systems, and built the magic Types around it.

Second Chance

Okay. This one does kind of break my "magic is possible for everyone" rule. A bit.

Basically, it's not exactly magic, it's access to a god's power. And not everyone has that.

This was born out of developing how Chrys gained thee ability to live every day twice. Basically, it's because a shitload of time energy was dumped into her. Once again with the OP powers! This time it is a MC XD.

So once again, magic is based on the enery that exists in the universe. Any type of energy (including... relationships, creativity, drive forr knowledge, the flow of time... pretty much anything that exists has an energy) forms from people interacting with it (much of it is very old. But like, I think there's a newer god of internet.) and grows. The more it exists, the more it is interacted with, the more it grows. But it can't just build up in one place. It needs to disperse, but energy can only disperse so much on its own. It needs something conscious to do so, so when there is enough, a god form to redirect that energy. Doing so makes them more powerful, so this is a positive feedback loop.

The most powerful gods can't effectively redirect all that energy on their own, so they give some as a gift to people, usually in exchange orr with the purpose of usingg it to help them further their goals, disperse the energy, and become more powerful.

While this is a lot based on my spiritual beliefs in energy (I don't believe in gods but I was inspirred by other things) there are definitely some other things this comes from. The intrinsic way magic works allows makes it so with the time god, I can compare it to how the rich get richer, even at the expense of kinda fucking woth the world. The more powerful time gets, the more we pay attention to it, the faster things seem to move. But there's also some ways that magic works that is more idealized: the Luck god is disadvantaged by the "rich get richer" thing happening irl-- those born lucky get luckier, which makes luck energy all grow in one place and not disperse-- meaning the Luck god hates the rich and privileged and would prefer to tip the scales in the poor and maraglized's favor-- but the way magic works works against them.

Immortal Souls

This is mainly just IRL witchcraft that is more powerful and more certain. I think I also draw from... idk, tthe cozy magic genre. The kind with a witchy bookstore and magic is there but not a big secret just not big enough to impress or worth sharing.

Lialyn

While this isn't a WIP I'm actively working on, it's the most unique and developed magic system I have so I want to talk about it.

I mentioned this briefly-- the basic premise is that everyone can do magic, except the main character, who is a prince, and no one knows he can't do magic.

There is a huge difference between what people know and how magic really works. As far as the people are concerned, magic works by saying words and exerting your will over the universe. Anyone can learn it. MC has no idea why he can't.

In actuality, every single person is bound to a spirit that exists on a parallel plane. Casting spells is basically controlling the spirit. In ancient history, the bond was known and the relationship between yourself and your companion spirit was known and mutually beneficial. But when the current kingdom took over, they copied what those people did to learn magic for themselves, unknowingly forcing their will on their companion spirit.

The MC, who can't do magic, doesn't have a companion spirit. And the reason for that is a secret.

This was inspired by the character concept itself: someone who can't do magic and is not only supposed to be, but expected to be (as a prince) one of the best. The system here has been growing in my brain so long I don't know the exact inspirations. But somehow I came up with the idea that magic was simply a misinterpretation of what was happening on another parallel plane. And this melded well as it gave a pretty simple reason that he couldn't do magic. The great thing for me is this premise shapes the would itself-- the country's government and history is based around this stolen magic that nearly everyone can use. I just wish it gave me a good enough story, too.

To be honest, a lot of my magic systems have been in development so long that I'm not sure if I can trace it back to inspirations. I got really interested when magic systems had a misconception to them, so I usually play witth that myself.

[balanceoflightanddark]

Creationism and Early Paleontology

It should come to no surprise to anyone that the field of paleontology has more often than not rubbed shoulders with Creationism, or the belief that the development of species like mankind had divine intervention as opposed to natural selection and evolution. I'm not gonna really go too into detail on Creationism since this isn't really about debunking it (especially since I am a devout Roman Catholic).

It's more about a time in the history of paleontology when Creationism was a widely accepted belief and how it impacted the very beginning of the field.

For hundreds of years, Creationism was THE dominant belief that everything in existence was created to be perfect by God and the world and species themselves were unchanging. Why change what is already perfect after all. George Cuvier would be the first to challenge that assumption, contending that some species could in fact go extinct for one reason or another. To support this claim, he cited fossils of elephants that once lived in Europe as a different species that would've been easy to find if they were still alive. This species would later become known as the Wooly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) by today's paleontologists.

At the time, the ideas of extinction and deep time was practically unheard of, so it was inevitable that details wouldn't exactly age too well with so little evidence to go on. For example, the biblical flood from the story of Noah was often used as an explanation for why fossils from seemingly different parts of the world would end up in places they shouldn't be. In 1821 for instance, Reverend William Buckland examined hyena fossils that were discovered in Kirkdale Cave, England.

Rather than assume that they belonged to an extinct species of hyena, Buckland believed that the bones were washed to Europe by the Flood, citing their shallow deposition within the cave as proof.

Buckland would later go on to describe Megalosaurus, the first dinosaur ever to be described.

It wasn't until around 1859 with the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species that the rift between paleontology and Creationism began to form. Darwin argued that, rather than species being made perfect, they evolved to best survive in their environment over a gradual period of time. He often cited fossils of South American prehistoric mammals about how various species changed over time. Naturally he got in hot water with the Church for his radical ideas.

It's here where dinosaurs would find themselves in the middle of this controversy. Archeopteryx was discovered in 1861, just two years after Darwin published his book, and was often used as a missing link between birds and reptiles. While Darwin himself never studied Archeopteryx, he did remark its existence proved that we had a lot to learn about the denizens of the prehistoric past.

Perhaps the most outstanding example was the widespread belief in the early 20th century that dinosaurs may still exist in some parts of the world. The idea was that since the Earth was believed to have been only a few thousand years old, then chances were there might be living relics somewhere in the unexplored wilderness. In particular the Congo and South America. One of the most notable instances was an account by Percy Fawcett, the famous explorer that went missing for the lost city of Z, remarked on an early expedition in 1906 that he had seen:

“an animal he believed might be Diplodocus, the eighty-foot reptile of twenty-five tons. This animal he though might still be in existence as it was an eater of aquatic plants, which grow profusely in this region. The Diplodocus story is confirmed by many of the tribes east of the Ucayali”.

Obviously, there's a decent chance he may have fabricated these stories as many explorers did, but there was a real effort to find living dinosaurs at the dawn of the 20th century. A concept that was used for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's best selling novel, The Lost World, who directly based the accounts of dinosaurs off of Fawcett's stories.

Nowadays, living dinosaurs is only widely believed by those that adhere to the Creationist theory, along with the belief that the earth was young. But it's important to remember that there was a time that these ideas weren't considered pseudoscience, but practical fact and seriously considered by scientists. It was a fascinating period where knowledge of paleontology was still very young, and how some things that would seem like fiction or farcical were taken seriously. And a reminder of how much time has passed since then and how much information has rewritten how we view the ancient world.

[erdarielthewhumper]

Another OC question, slightly meta this time, if/when ever you feel like it: What were some of the inspirations / influences for creating your OCs? How have their personalities, backstories, and present lives evolved since their original conception?

Oh boy, lemme think... this is gonna get long, so again, everything is under the cut!

Well, Meldie was originally a D&D character, but the campaign kinda fell apart after like 3 sessions bc we couldn't find the time to play. Basics of the character are relatively same; game mechanically the character was a wood elf fighter and kind of aiming for a fairly good balance between dex and strength, but focused on dex a bit more. The basic gear, so sword (game mechanically a rapier, visually a sidesword, but in fic game mechanics doesn't matter), a shield (round metal thing, like a rotella), and a metal breastplate, are all also kind of what i picked as my starter gear in the game. I never really came up with an alignment for her because my group pretty much ignored aligments as a mechanic (the DM didn't like them that much, and tbh I sort of agree, they can be useful but they can also be very awkward to deal with), though I suppose she matches the description of true neutral more closely than anything else. Her backstory is also pretty much the same as what I wrote for the game. The world ofc is different, tho, bc I can't just steal my DM's world for my writing, you know?

As for changes/evolving... well, I think one thing is that Meldie as I write her is somewhat less social and more kind of gruff loner than she was in the game. Which I suppose is fundamentally a practical matter; you can make loners work in D&D, but then you need to go out of your way to figure out a reason for the character to stick with the party, so it's easier to just make the character a bit more social and team player, you know? Whereas in writing, I don't really like juggling big casts of characters, I'm better at writing stuff where the amount of characters that get a lot of focus is pretty small, so it's easier for me if Meldie's a loner because it means I don't have to come up with so many characters, at least not to the same level of detail, as I'd have to if she was a more social person

***

When it comes to Anthony and Elias (and yes, they were always a pair from the moment I made them up; I think I wrote like one fic of Anthony alone before he knew Elias, back in the day, but they were always meant to be together), this is gonna sound strange, but the inspiration behind them was largely space/scifi themed filk music, which I was listening to a lot back in the day. Neither of them are directly based on any specific song (although there are elements I drew from some songs that I still remember, but we'd be here all day if I tried listing all of them), but the characters and the vibe of the world are both something I kind of took inspiration for from filk. It's actually the reason why Elias sings and plays the guitar as a hobby, I threw that in there as a little private nod to what inspired the setting and the characters.

And this is more a setting-thing, but another thing I took inspiration from in the worldbuilding was a couple of tumblr posts I've seen around that make up folklore and stuff for a future scifi universe, like the idea that even in a far-future world where FTL space travel is a thing, there'll still be stories of spirits and gods and ghost ships, there'll still be superstitions and seemingly pointless little rituals people do for luck, things people avoid doing because it's supposedly bad luck. So it doesn't usually come up a lot in the stories, but it's kind of there, this little sprinkle of superstition. I doubt I'll ever actually confirm whether any of those beliefs are true in the setting or not, though, because confirming it would spoil the fun.

Anyway, back to the characters... I don't think Anthony and Elias have ever changed, so much as my idea of who they are has solidified and become more clear over time, espeically once I managed to make up vague outlines for what the places/cultures they came from were like. But I wouldn't really say they've evolved as such, they're still more or less the same as they were then, I just understand what they are better now

[nickgerlich]

Church On Sunday

It’s the weekend, and for some of you, that may include time spent in a church, synagogue, or temple. We are a nation of religious plurality, with the freedom to worship—or not—as we please. Whereas our nation was founded by people who, if they practiced, were of the Christian persuasion, it does not mean we were ever a Christian nation. Once you consider that those founders or their ancestors all came from Europe, it makes sense, because Europe was predominantly Christian.

That has changed considerably, though, as our immigration patterns have evolved. Most of the world’s major religions are now practiced here, even in Amarillo. I remember back to my early years here that it was common when meeting a new person, one of the first questions they asked was, “So…which church do you attend?” Not anymore.

But just as the breadth of our collective religious practice has broadened, there is also another significant trend: Church, synagogue, and temple attendance is falling like a rock. A Gallup survey taken earlier this year revealed that only 21% of adults attend weekly, with another 9% falling into the “almost every week” category.

The question is simple: Why?

Some argue that the decline started 30-35 years ago, the result of divorce, a trend that had started back in the 1960s. Church attendance across all age groups today is highly related to the presence of the nuclear family, meaning Mom, Dad, and kids all living together.

That may help explain it, but I suspect it runs much deeper. Much. Let me tell my story.

I was raised in church, although it was somewhat complicated. I came from a “mixed marriage,” meaning Mom was Protestant, and Dad was Roman Catholic. My parents had established an agreement that Mom would take my brother and me to her church, but I would say at least once a month as I became older, I would double up and go to Mass as well as Mom’s church. This was at a time when both sides of the faith argued the other was bound for Hell. That, to me, was comical.

I went off to a private liberal arts college for undergrad, where I majored in Marketing, Economics, and Religious Studies. I was fascinated by religious belief, although I did not want to enter the clergy. My academic pursuits, though, raised more questions than provided answers, and a nagging seed of doubt was planted, one that would sit inside my fertile mind the rest of my life.

And then I met a young woman, which found us marrying. She was a PK, which is Christianese for Preacher’s Kid. Church attendance was not negotiable. I went along and even engaged quite heavily, playing keyboard in various praise bands through the years, and the mighty church organ before choruses started to replace hymns.

That all came to an end in 2015. I’ve already explained some of those details in a class video, so I won’t dwell on it. Suffice it to say, I have not been to church since. I witnessed first-hand that church’s refusal to accept people from the LGBTQ community, which caused me to see how biblical literalism leads to closed minds. Skip forward to highly contentious Presidential elections and a pandemic, and I saw the politicization of religion. The Bible, as it turned out, became a hammer, and I decided I simply did not wish to spend eternity with some of them. That is, if there is one and all of the things they preach are true.

Color me a cynic these days. I am one of the 31% who never goes to church.

Yet there are likely more factors playing into waning church attendance. I know. Church, at its core, is a social group. It is where a lot of people meet their socializing needs as much as their desire to find answers addressing our existence, our future, and so forth. But our culture has changed so much that we just don’t have time for it. We would rather go for a hike, a long bike ride, maybe even mow the lawn. Think of all the other things you could do in half a day, because that’s about how much time church, the getting ready, the driving, etc., consumes.

When you hear of church leaders in the news amid allegations as well as admissions of improprieties (like one Dallas area megachurch pastor this year), you then understand why people are staying away. Jesus, it turns out, needs better PR. Please don’t start with the pithy “Oh, he’s only human, you know” reply. Not buying.

I know. Some in the faith have dug their heels in the ground, and will not budge on certain issues. Fine. Maybe the judgment isn’t ours. Actually, it isn’t at all. There’s one job, and as simple as it looks on paper, it is the hardest thing some people ever contemplate: Love One Another. Full stop.

Meanwhile, I bet there are some megachurches wondering how they’re going to make mortgage payments on their sprawling campuses. I know that some small churches have been shuttered, and then reopened as breweries (well, Praise the Lord!). And even here in the Texas Panhandle, the assumption that surely you must go to church somewhere has fallen by the wayside.

My students, I respect what you believe or disbelieve. We are witnessing a tidal shift in one aspect of American values, one that may be hard to turn back. As long as we can all agree to coexist, no matter how firmly you think your “way” is the “right way,” then the better off we will all be. And when you recognize that others might just be right as well, then we’ll be even better off.

Dr “Going Hiking Tomorrow” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[sandeep-health-care]

BEHAVIOURAL HEALTH

Our behaviours define what we consume and how. The pandemic has had deep rooted effects on our psyches and this is bound to impact consumer behaviours. We all need to closely watch the changes wrought about during this time and re-strategise what we do and how, as we reach out to strengthen and expand our businesses.

We are all defined by our behaviours, quite literally so. Our behaviour affects how we engage with not only the external world, but also reflects on how we engage with ourselves. It is this engagement that drives the world around us… Yet we hardly ever consider this fact. Ain’t this true?

I am neither a behavioural health expert, nor a mental health expert. However, there are many who practice without many credentials. In fact, the rulings and regulations around the required credentials for counselling in India is still nascent. But since I have been a business professional, and worked through people behaviours and also suffered business behaviours, and because I now work in the mental health and well-being space, I am taking the liberty of expressing the opinions of a minion from this field.

As per Wikipedia, the word ‘behaviours’ extends itself to not just individuals and human beings but also to all other living beings, systems or artificial entities in conjunction with themselves or their environment. How we react or our mannerisms, as they play out have been ensconced under the apparel of behavioural sciences. This ‘science’ of behavioural sciences is studied not only with respect to human beings, but also cultures, systems etc. So much so that a lot of research today happens on the behavioural side of economics as well. Ironically our behaviour’s are being studied for their effects on the growth of economy, and for many business professionals, for how to use these behaviours for economic gains for the business.

To understand what created these behaviours, I researched various elements of our environment that surrounds us. And hence I came upon the need to understand culture and if it shaped our behaviours. The discovery that both cultures and behaviours do get driven and impacted by each other came upon with some apprehension. It is so said that human behaviour is affected by both genetic inheritance as well as experience. This is quite a deep-seated aspect. And a very critical part of our mental frameworks. This leads to the belief that to support our behavioural health, it is important to understand the culture to which one belongs and, maybe, similar aspects need to be applied to the behaviours of other abstracts of our environment – our work culture especially. The culture and employee behaviours impact productivity of the organization. Many studies ascertain that work life imbalances and work stress impact mental health of the employees and this leads to loss of productivity. The WHO statistics to this effect are overwhelming. And these ‘effects and loss of productivity can definitely be minimized by the right interventions.

If we look at the world as one large community and one large economy, it is invariably driven by basic human instincts and colored by the effects of the various cultures. These in turn are determined by the geography, the resource availability, the climate and many other natural factors and how overcoming challenges arising of these for survival have evolved over centuries.

As the world got knitted together, not just by the expanse of the earth, but more through transportation and communication channels. As a result, new patterns of expected behaviours have evolved. Many of us in the corporate world undergo trainings on managing cultural diversity for better work output. As the global communities have come together to expand the economic gains, it is imperative to understand the different cultures of different geographies, and to keep the sensitivities in mind as we connect across different countries. Each place has its own unique way of living and environment driven by resources and other elements of this environment. One thing is for sure, communication is key, and, if one looks deeper, the key aspects and strains of human behaviour do remain the same, albeit with some differences

But one thing remains sacrosanct through all of this: behaviours are the defining factors for humans, systems and cultures – for output, end result, and the final product. It is well understood that the environment affects, rather shapes these behaviours and vice versa. And, thus it becomes important to understand the environment to be able to shape the behaviours. Especially when we all exist in such a volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous (VUCA) world!

This is true not just for our day to day living, as behaviours add to the quality of it, but also true for our business environments, our political environments as well as the social fabric which is an essential core of our survival. The ongoing pandemic has made our already VUCA world more so. The effects of these on people’s health, homes, and other behaviours are telling.

There is an increased focus on behavioural and mental health today. This heightened focus has been driven by the widened need supply gap hugely as a key after effect of the pandemic. There are an enormous number of mental health start-ups that have sprung up across varied geographies – some serious players, some fly by night operators. The need of the hour today is not just better regulations and governance by the respective authorities but by our own selves as well to recognize our issues well in advance and nip the evil in the bud.

Awareness about mental health and mental well-being needs to be given due importance by educators, employers, and by each one of us. While we all look out for developmental anomalies and mental disease evidences, the focus needs to also shift to creating strong mental frameworks in the first place.

With strong mental frameworks driven right through our developmental years, we will all be better equipped to handle our emotional ups and downs largely motivated by our VUCA world. Perhaps a focus on creating a mentally strong human force actually leads to a less toxic and a less VUCA world.

While we work around the above challenges through research-based methodologies, let us all focus on looking after our behavioural health today and give it the requisite attention – recognize and understand our own pain points, address those pain points by seeking professional help, in time. Ironically enough, the same can be said for systems, businesses etc.

Let me conclude by saying that if health is wealth, our behaviours are the cornerstones or the tombstones of everything around us, be these of our lives, our health, our work or the overall economy.

Read More: https://www.europeanhhm.com/healthcare-management/behavioural-health

[luxurypropertiesworld]

Future Of Rental Market In The Next 5 Years

The rental market has always been an essential part of the economy, providing much-needed flexibility to individuals and businesses. The rental industry is ready to experience dramatic adjustments over the next five years. In this blog, we'll look at the many elements that will influence the future of the rental market and explore the vast possibilities that lie ahead.

Current trends in the rental market

Before we look any further, let's go through the current state of the rental market. One of the most visible developments is the increasing demand for residential and commercial rental properties. With the rising cost of home ownership and the need for mobility, more people are choosing to rent rather than buy. This change in desire has created an ideal market for landlords and investors. Travellers can now book accommodations from small apartments to luxurious villas with just a click. This movement has not only turned the hospitality industry upside down, but it has also created new options for property owners to maximize their income. Advances technologies are shaping the rental market

Technology has revolutionized the rental market changed the way homes are listed, found, and rented. Online platforms enable potential tenants to search, tour and apply for properties. Smart home systems and AI-powered chatbots provide convenience and security, while virtual assistants provide round-the-clock support. Impact of changing customer preferences on the rental industry

As we look ahead, it is vital to understand customer preferences and how they will impact the rental sector over the next five years. A notable development is the growing desire for eco-friendly and sustainable rental solutions. Tenants are becoming more aware of their environmental impact and are actively choosing properties that reflect their beliefs. Energy-efficient features, green building materials, and sustainable practices will give rental firms a competitive advantage in attracting tenants. Another notable trend is the desire for adaptable living arrangements. The Effect of sharing economy on rental properties

The rise of the sharing economy has had an impressive impact on many businesses, including rentals. Platforms like Uber and Lyft have changed our thinking about transportation, and the sharing economy is making roads into the rental industry. Peer-to-peer rental services allow people to rent their unused assets, such as spare rooms, automobiles, and camping equipment. This shift towards collaborative consumption has created new opportunities for tenants and landlords. Tenants can access a wide range of products and services at low prices, while property owners can monetize their assets when not in use. Since people rely on reviews and ratings to make good decisions, the sharing economy has created a sense of community and trust. Strategies to stay ahead in the evolving rental market

Rental companies must be proactive and adaptable to remain competitive in a changing market. Technology adoption, online platforms, smart home systems, and data analytics can enhance productivity, customer experience, and tenant pool reach Conclusion

The future of the rental market is full of hope and opportunity. Rental companies can unlock new opportunities and prosper in a changing marketplace by adopting technology, responding to changing consumer demands and staying updated on government restrictions. The next five years will surely see a lot of change, and those who are ready and proactive will be well-positioned to take advantage of the full potential of the future of the rental market.

[syncrovoid-presents]

ooo I just saw the formatting on your blog, and it looks so cool!!! My ask: since you say you know random knowledge, what is a fun fact you could share? :D

Aa thanks!! I caught myself some HTML and CSS for the formatting of my desktop blog. I still need to update it but there's a few hidden secrets @:o)

HMM I have so many I would like to share! It depends on what sort of knowledge you seek and how much detail you want! Like how butterfly wings have scales or how mummies are rare because they were used in paints and consumed.

BUT because it is something I have been thinking about, I shall tell you some funny coincidences and the cycle of time (it is fun and curious! I find it very fascinating)

There is something quite interesting about how centuries ago and ranging to thousands of years (depending on the culture and how well it was documented) there were many mentions of not-quite-human people. Like for instance (I shall talk about Scottish folk lore here, for it is one I am familiar with) there are the Fae folk.

The seelies and unseelies and how there were ways of telling disguised Fae apart from regular old humans (count the teeth, check the fingers. Are the ears unusual? Is the voice unusual?) If I'm not mistaken, there's also a form of this with some Japanese Yokai too? I am not 100% sure. There are similarities too with certain Slavic and Native Americans beliefs too, and African if I'm not mistaken. But regardless, this is something that exists in all sorts of folk lore from all around the world.

(I will briefly mention that some of this could stem from when certain illnesses were a lot more serious (consider rabies for instance) or from ableism. So it isn't all fun and interesting, but I thought I should add that!)

It is interesting how as society (mostly western for I am not 100% knowledgeable about how other societies have evolved over the centuries) has evolved towards a greater understanding of the world through hard sciences and generally separated from folk-belief how this has transitioned into aliens.

Aliens that could walk among us but act a little funny, or their smiles don't look right (count the teeth, check the fingers), how they come at night and leave mysteriously, with lights and colours and technology like magick.

(Again, I shall mention that sometimes these beliefs are used to defend various types of bigotry. I do not support that and find it quite gross)

And then now, another hundred or so years after the rise of aliens (there is still more people are finding! More mysteries, more unexplained phenomenons!) those same rules now have transitioned into AI artwork.

Have you seen some realistic AI artworks of humans? You must count the teeth, check the gands. Are the joints all wrong, bending too far or there are too many? How many fingers are there? You must count them! Check the ears, check the faces. Are they humans or something just pretending?

Of course it isn't quite the same, it never is and never will be, but I can't help but find it fascinating that certain beliefs from centuries or decades ago can now transition into practical advice for something that absolutely would have been considered magick to those folks. How science and folklore beliefs don't have to be pitted against each other, and how time can be quite cyclical in nature.

Plus not to mention the similarities between the "Hitchhiker Effect" and the curses of various folklore creatures of millennias past, both coming from worlds beyond our own but in different ways, both explanations of the impossible through the lens of current knowledge.

And who can say how this could change when AI develops further? Though AI isn't truly intelligence, the name is actually quite misleading, when programmed right and given the correct uses it can be a wonderful mimicry of such. Imagine AI generated realistic 3d models, using generated voices and generated dialogue. Would you count the teeth? Check the hands? Would there ever be a point in our lifetimes where that would even be possible?

Regardless, I find this all quite interesting!! I can talk further but I shall limit myself to this. I don't quite know if my ramblings about the roundabout nature of time and humanity and the development of belief falls into a fun fact or not, but it was very fun to answer this ask!!

[pooma-education]

UNLOCKING THE PATH TO KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

Discussion

❲ Resources: Dr. Sekar Srinivasan ⊕ Sangeeta Thyagarajan ⊕ Dr. Balasubramanian ⊕ Abrar Neelofer Khan ⊕ Leena Rai Kalra ⊕ Madhumita Jana ❳

⊕ Dr Sekar Seenivasan

Teaching is the basic tool for knowledge transfer which inculcates desirable manifestation of behavioral changes.

With the advent of new teaching methods, innovations and practices the highest form of questioning WHY happens.

This is the ultimate aim of teaching philosophy or philosophical teaching.

Discovery is throwing light on hidden truth to make it explicit since nothing can be created or destroyed in this universe. Challenges in that path is made significant with WHY.

⊕ Madhumita Jana

The topic is very thought provoking like Sekar Sir also mentioned. Every individual may perceive it differently.

I strongly feel teaching is basically a continuous learning process. With time and experience a teacher or a facilitator realises that there is a lot more than just board & chalk. Every new teaching discovery is a reminder that this particular discovery is not the end of teaching and learning method but there are yet many more teaching discoveries to be made which would make the learning process more and more interesting. It's a reminder that discovering new activities and techniques can take education to newer heights.

⊕ Dr. BALA SUBRAMANIAN

Teaching or communication have a limitations, both basically need a lot of preparations.

No one can teach well or make another to understand unless they walk with same. Frequency.

Unfortunately, each teachers or most teachers are jumping to construction of new floors than do test basic of the students.

Most of the issues not because of new lessons than the issues of the previous chapters or old chapters.

If the new chapter need 2 hours of learning, my request is spend minimum half hour for the review. Most of the WHY ?

Why question is not a quest of learning a new domain than concrete with the previous lessons.Those who are concrete with basics , don't have much issues of WHY.

So once again please give importance of basics and give importance of revision, like a review can cut down challanges when exploring new domain, or new topics.

Never compromise or discount in Learning basics, like a piolet learnt all chapters except by skipping how to apply or when to apply a break,Imagine rhe landing situations,most of the accident in aeroplanes are from Landing issues .

Language is a barrier and kindly give more time in exercising and more detailed conversation makes subject easier and can reduces reminder of WHY.

⊕ Dr Sekar Seenivasan

Some more deep inputs we expect from our dear educationists since the topic is neither shallow nor surface level survey. It is much more deep rooted.

The basics of scientific, objective , analytical, rational teaching are evolving from this. ( I am not mentioning science teaching alone) .

The inherent and intrinsic potential will be made explicit by this great WHY.

HOW is to certain extent committed yet WHY really matters a lot for inquisitiveness.

The thirst or quench for real learning and appreciation comes through this.

Let us explore more from the wise personalities of this elite group.

Eagerly awaiting for.

⊕ AZEEZ

Some of our beliefs about what we are trying to do as teachers, the principles born out of our shared experience:

Those are as follows...please follow me.

Education is not at all a process of teaching and learning, it is a reminder. Why so?

1

Students know how to learn.

They have been learning and succeeding at new things their whole lives. Our job is to remind them of this simple and amazing fact.

It is in built mechanism of every living organisms. Unless our teaching coherent with those in built data, learner will not accept it.

⊕ Dr Sekar Seenivasan

My inquiry is who taught all newborns either human beings or other creatures to search sthanam to have milk and other feelings. WHY CREATOR'S MYSTRY UNREVEALED.

⊕ AZEEZ

It is nature's rule that every input information is processed and compare d with already existing information in creatures (both living and nonliving). As an example, fire burns...fire is to burn....fire is not aware of burning whom and not. Set it, it will burn. This is the order from the creator. It is similar in learning process too. We can accept only things by which we made out it. The same is here. I m a physics teacher. My mind is made out of its principles, so I can match the data with already existing data with me. So I m interested in physics. Our interest field depends on what we have already in us. If not so, I cannot show my interest on it if you teach 1000 times.

In similar view, I like this friend because of my content is, I found, in him. So going smoother relationship. As Swamiji said, education is nothing but bringing the best out of you which is already in you.

And there is No answer to the question tag.....Why? And How?

⊕ Dr. Sekar

If we read the upanishads regarding how knowledge evolves in creation it leads to koshas of life mechanism again refers to liquid crystal like phenomenon where waves are maintaining vasanas. I have my reservation I could discuss much deeper.

Rishis who are the universal secrets observers and disclosing eminent personalities tell the origin of life which takes many birth and deaths preserve some intrinsic aspects of cosmic nature which by unison with universal existence through vibration

Modern technology talks much about cloud storage of data and communications through vacuum. If you permit I can some more points.

⊕ AZEEZ

2

When students are learning something new, it is not our job to replace that process of discovery by telling them what and how to learn, but to make the process as smooth as possible.

3

Students learn best when they have a chance to see and hear HOW they are learning. When students are engaged in an activity, they are often wholly focused on completing the activity. Providing students with time to watch and listen to videos or recordings of themselves in the process of learning helps them to see how some of the things they do are effective and some are not.

4

Students who come to school are all motivated! If they really did not want to learn, they would find a way to avoid your class. So treat the students with the respect they deserve for wanting to learn.

⊕ Sangeetha Thyagarajan

By saying keep your voice down i presume you mean

- talk less

- advise less

-reprimand less

I totally agree, students need freedom in the classroom to learn with an open mind.

To be able to ask questions, question ideas, discuss, brainstorm and have an inclusive learning.

This type of learning generally sticks to their memory (unlike exam-study portions) and prove to be life-long knowledge.

⊕ Mrs Abrar

Teachers way of communicating is a powerful tool. Trs can creates an learning environment and this gives a platform to collaborate with happiness and easy to understand. I feel this gives respect and they will be happy to enjoy the day. Trs expect this from students

⊕ AZEEZ

5

True goals are internally generated. Regardless of suggestions we make as teachers about what kind of score we think a student should get, or what kind of language a student should be able to use, it is the students themselves who decide what they want to accomplish. We need to help students articulate and reach those internal goals.

6

Students have a rich and important life outside of our classrooms.

When they make a decision to prioritize one aspect of their life over our classes, we should treat that decision with, at the very least, respect, and if possible help a student tie those other experiences to their learning goals.

7

Acquiring a language is a wholly personal endeavor. We might have 10 or 20 or 30 students in our classroom, but each of those students experiences class as an individual. Our job as teachers is to create an environment where there is enough emotional and cognitive room for each student to truly participate in their OWN class.

⊕ Leena Rai Kalra Leader

Every new teaching discovery is a reminder to a teacher to an educator. It's not the teaching of new every time but how we are moulding up the old too counts that can create an impact. Same as how we are modifying the infra to provide facilities so how are we experimenting with the available resources for the best usage and impact.

Similarly, we have moved from Industrial revolution to Information revolution to Digital or the so called social revolution so we need to bring new, evoking their brains to be innovative enough to create for themselves the pathway to success not in the form of better job prospects but in the form of satisfied living.

The intermingling of each child in the form of equal contribution or participation is required to be inculcated.

There is the need to make them more ingrained inquisitive And experimental to explore along with us and we have plethora of resource at the web to filter through and sorting out the best

In this way we both can be good learners, givers and achievers

Summary:

The discussion revolves around the idea that teaching is a form of communication and knowledge transfer. Various participants contribute their perspectives on the topic.

Dr. Sekar Seenivasan emphasizes that teaching is a tool for transferring knowledge and bringing about behavioral changes. The ultimate aim of teaching is to question why and discover hidden truths.

Madhumita Jana sees teaching as a continuous learning process. Teachers and facilitators realize that there is always more to discover and new teaching methods can make the learning process more interesting.

Dr. Bala Subramanian highlights the importance of building a strong foundation and revising previous lessons. He believes that understanding the basics and reviewing them can reduce challenges and the need to constantly ask why.

AZEEZ suggests that education is a reminder of what individuals already know and have the capacity to learn. Students have been learning and succeeding throughout their lives, and the role of teachers is to remind them of this fact.

The discussion also touches on the idea that education is a process of discovery, allowing students to see and hear how they are learning. It is important to respect students' motivations and goals, and create an inclusive learning environment.

All the participants emphasize the importance of questioning, discovery, revising basics, continuous learning, and creating an environment that fosters curiosity and engagement.

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4 Unique Ways To Style Your Wedding Bands & Engagement Rings

The tradition of wearing wedding bands and engagement rings on the left-hands dates back to the Romans. Rings were traditionally worn on the fourth finger of the left hand, which is believed to be the finger on which the love vein or Vena Amoris persists.

However, since times have changed the practice around wearing rings has also evolved. 

The best diamond stores in NYC have witnessed couples going from one ideal ring to commemorate their big day, to a stack full of different rings. 

Even though the combination of wedding bands with engagement rings is considered the most modern way of flaunting your engagement rings and bands together, there are various other alternatives that you can try to make your ring more happening: 

Consider Stacking Them Up: 

If a single wedding band does not suffice your idea of the perfect wedding ring, you can choose to buy more than one. Wear the two bands on either side of your engagement ring to form a beautiful stack. You can layer your stack as you desire with jeweled, plain metal or an amalgamation of the two. The perfect ring stack can be anything from a solid set of bands surrounding your engagement rings to a jeweled eternity band to acquire the perfect sparkle. 

Bring Your Right Hand To The Limelight: 

Give your right hand some love as well! While you wear your wedding ring on your left hand, grace your right hand with your engagement ring. Keep adding different bands to the stack to celebrate different milestones of your life. Interestingly, some orthodox sects in the Christian community preferably wear their wedding ring on their right hand instead of their left hand.

If later on, you want to build on the stack you can get them made using New York diamonds for better durability and last. 

Wear It Is A Necklace: 

The contemporary age is the age that lets you experiment with the age-old beliefs and ideas that surround jewelry. In the jewelry world, creativity is one of the beacons of uniqueness. Therefore, you can wear your jewelry the way you want, without anyone telling you otherwise. If you are too adventurous and know that your ring will be a hindrance while you partake in all the craziness, slip it on a chain and hang it around your neck. 

Say No To A Band Completely: 

If you are on a budget and don’t want to spend on a wedding ring, wear your engagement ring as your wedding ring. You can have your fiancee slip the ring on again during your wedding vows and cherish your engagement ring with twice the emotions. 

A lot of couples today either use their engagement rings as their wedding ring or buy a rationally priced eternity band for their wedding rings.

The collection of bridal jewelry in NYC is filled with a variety of options that can fulfill your dream of owning the perfect engagement ring you can later use as a wedding ring. 

There is no perfect definition of what a wedding ring should look like. It could be anything that you find cherishable and want to hold onto forever. 

Daniela Diamonds has helped many couples find their dream wedding ring, and if you are unable to decide on a ring, you will find one with them instantly. The best jewelers in the jewelry district of New York for a reason, with one-of-a-kind jewelry, you will instantly fall in love with.