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clairen45 · 6 years

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Visions of Paradise: deal with it!!!

Guys, I recently found out that this post I did in early 2018 had “mysteriously” disappeared. I am suspecting that Adam and Eve’s nakedness from a Cranach painting was too much to take for Tumblr. Anyhow, I am reposting the stuff ... minus the “infamous” painting! I am shocked to the core.... I was not even notified about the disappearance of this post... Good thing I had kept a copy!

Every Paradise is a Paradise Lost. This is obviously true in Star Wars as well. It is easy to see some elements drawn from the Bible, Dante, and Milton in the Star Wars’ rewriting of visions of Paradise, Hell, and even Purgatory, as well as the classical Fall from Grace and loss of innocence. So let’s take a journey in the worlds of the Skywalker trilogy, but, unlike Dante, “Ye who enter here” do not “abandon all hope”, for “hope is like the sun. If you only believe in it when you can see it… you’ll never make it through the night”.

Dante’s trilogy was not the first trilogy ever invented (you can date the concept back to Greek plays, like Sophocles’, or to ancient India with the Mahabharata), but this epic poem could be a determining influence for the structure AND themes used in the current Skywalker saga. Some lines from the movies actually seem to come straight out of Dante’s poem. For example:

From a little spark may burst a flame… (Dante) / We are the spark that’ll light the fire that’ll burn the First Order down (Poer Dameron)

The secret of getting things done is to act. (Dante)/ Do or do not. There is no try. (Yoda)

Consider your origins. You were not formed to live like brutes but to follow virtue and knowledge. (Dante)/ Luminous beings are we…not this crude matter. (Yoda)

Dante’s poem comprises three parts (Hell/Purgatory/Paradise) composed with 33 songs each, with an internal structure that emphasizes the number 9: 9 circles of Hell, 9 rings to Mount Purgatory), 9 celestial bodies in Heaven. The current trilogy presents 3 parts, composed of 3 movies each, thus for a total of 9. The journeys of the characters, as they travel through the different systems of their galaxy far far away, is not without evoking some of the trials met by Dante and his guides (Virgil and Beatrice), though not as systematic, and in a less fluid progression. Each trilogy wavers between visions of Hell, Paradise, and Purgatory, even though we could consider that there might be a possibility, in fine, for a progression that possibly mimicks Dante’s journey from the Dark to the Light, from the fall from Grace in the PT (a la Milton), back to a possible resolution in the ST (as in the Bible after all, and with love in sight, a la Milton and Dante).

VISIONS OF PARADISE

Each FIRST installment of the trilogies presents us with a lost paradise: Naboo in the PT, Alderaan in the OT, Takodana in the ST. What do all these worlds have in common?: lush greenery, water, lakes, waterfalls, gorgeous castles or castle-like structures.

They are also most decidedly the place of the mother, a stance that strays from the male-centric vision of a Garden ruled by God the Father and Adam, the creature made in His image. Naboo, Alderaan, and Takodana are literally and/or symbolically ruled by female figures: the elected Queen of Naboo, Padmé Amidala; Queen Breha Organa on Alderaan; Maz Kanata on Takodana. In the symbolic of Star Wars, these three women are mother or godmother figures: Padmé is the mother of Luke and Leia, Breha Organa is the adoptive mother of Leia, and Maz plays a bit the role of a fairy godmother to Rey, by giving her the saber and her advice.

What do these places of paradise also have in common?: they get smashed, right off the bat, by conflicts, attacks, war, utter destruction in Alderaan’s case. Every paradise is a paradise lost… Moreover, these visions of paradise, like the Garden of Eden, actually already hold the seed to their own destruction, they are not as guiltless as one might presume: Naboo is already rife with inner conflicts between the Naboo and the Gungan, and the core of the pristine and exquisitely civilized home to the city of Theed is peopled by devouring monsters; Alderaan (that Leia presents as peaceful) is probably a spy nest plotting the Empire’s destruction (rightfully, but still, not as innocent as portrayed); and Takodana’s castle is actually Mos Eisley Cantina glossed-over with a castle, a derelict version of the past splendour of Naboo and Alderaan.

So, to sum up, the vision we get of paradise in EVERY trilogy of the saga is that of the homeplace, the womb, the place of the mother, destroyed or attacked, and the characters forced to leave it behind, or snatched away from it. It is the classic myth of coming of age, with the initial trauma of being separated from the mother, something that you could link with the article I wrote about the metaphor of growing up in Star Wars.

There are also some interesting differences of course. Naboo and Alderaan are intimately connected with two leading female characters: it is the birthplace of Padmé, and the adoptive home of Leia, a place that they both see as a happy place, with lots of fond childhood memories (in Padmé’s case explicitely in AOTC). For both women, it is also a place they will never be able to come home to, because it is ultimately connected with death. Padmé wanted to give birth to her child on Naboo, but will only come back as a corpse.

For Leia, it is the death of her entire adoptive family, and the annihilation of the whole planet as a test to the new power of the Death Star. As the first released version of Paradise in Star Wars (albeit not chronologically for the story), Alderaan is actually really interesting: this was a Paradise that we were meant to never see, the Paradise that was promised but never attained, as we watched with horror, along with Leia, the destruction of a planet that we did not know one thing of, but that she described as a peaceful place. It took the brief glimpse at the end of the PT, in ROTS, to see what Alderaan looks like.

Takodana, on the other hand, has nothing to do with any of the leading characters, not even with the main female character. As far as we know at this point, this is not her home planet or a planet linked to her childhood or her family. It is irrelevant to her personal background. Yet, it is clearly presented to Rey as a vision of Paradise, and becomes “incidentally” the place where she gets her first brush with the Force (through Anakin’s lightsaber) and gets to meet Kylo Ren.

So, to come back to the notion of Paradise, in the Biblical story, and in Milton’s poem, when you think of Paradise, you think of Adam and Eve. And, as far as the shoe fits, this can only seem to apply to Naboo and Takodana… with twists. Padmé and Anakin do NOT meet in Paradise, they meet on his homeplanet, Tatooine, that hardly qualifies to the title (sand…. yuck…). PM ends with both of them on Naboo though, during the celebration after the victory against the droid army. When they meet again, it is on Coruscant (not Paradise, obviously).

Adam and Eve seem at first glance a non-issue in the OT, even though, if you really want to nitpick, the fact that Han and Leia do share the last kiss of the movie in a forest has to mean something on some level. I will argue later that there is a rewriting of Adam and Eve, but with a variation.

In the ST, though, the Adam and Eve subtext is obviously back by having Rey and Kylo meet in a forest on a place that is designed as a vision of Paradise insofar as it reminds us visually of the planets that have so far represented Paradise in this universe.

And even more as the characters are clearly construed (admittedly by the cast and directors) as two halves. If Eve is most of the time represented as being formed with Adam’s rib, some have argued that there was a misunderstanding or a mistake in translation and that she was actually “a side of” Adam, aka his half (hence, my better half when talking about your spouse…). Much has been said about the fact that Kylo departs this place symbolically claiming Rey as his bride: by carrying her in his arms and insisting that he has all that he needs. Eve is also all that Adam needed, the one that was meant to be his.

THE TREE, THE FRUIT, THE SNAKE

In the Biblical tale, they all go together. We all know the story: the Tree of Knowledge is planted in the Garden of Eden and its fruit is forbidden to Adam and Eve; Eve gets tempted by the snake and they both eat of the fruit; they become aware of their nakedness and feel shame, and are subsequently cast out of Eden.

In Star Wars, it is always there somehow, and always in part 2, but again with some variations or twists. First, as I pointed out before, in OT and ST, the eviction out of Paradise has already symbolically taken place in part 2 (destruction of Alderaan and abduction of Rey).

But in the PT, the scene of the fruit does take place in Paradise, as Padmé and Anakin are having dinner on Naboo. Fruit is the main course (duh!), but because the apple would have been too obvious (though in all frankness, you can debate about the fruit of knowledge being an apple in the first place), they go with pear. Padmé/Eve is about to eat the fruit, but Anakin/Adam takes it from her using a Force trick, in order to impress her with his “knowledge” (So, wow, fruit flying is the way to impress the ladies), cuts it and then sends a piece back to her, that she finally gets to eat.

So, they are sharing a fruit and she is the first one to eat. Classic. Right afterward, Anakin comes at her with his burning feelings of love, pressuring her into a more physical relationship. They cannot pretend being innocent anymore. Is there a seducer, a snake hidden there? Anakin tries to seduce Padmé, so he can be seen as a snake, but waiting in the wings, we also have Palpatine plotting and already whispering ideas to Anakin. Since Palpatine is from Naboo, aka Paradise, he is the snake lurking in the Garden, and he was already trying to manipulate Padmé/Eve in PM.

In the OT, the Tree of Knowledge pops out in a surprising place: on Dagobah, that hardly qualifies as a vision of Paradise. At best, this is rather Purgatory or Limbo, that swallows things possibly into oblivion (Luke’s X-Wing, R2D2), and a place of exile for Yoda. When Luke is tempted to go into “the cave”, the cave in question looks more like a tree than anything else. Like Alice’s rabbit hole, this is a gap among the roots of a vast tree, and teeming with reptilian creatures. The snake is unavoidable.

And the knowledge that Luke gets out of there is fear, and a big hint about himself and his origins: his face under Vader’s mask. But, at first glance, no fruit, and no Eve. But in the OT, Luke/Adam also has a half, except that this half is not a possible sexual partner, but his twin sister. This is clearly a variation on the story. And in this respect, while Luke is in limbo with his tree of knowledge, Leia, on Cloud City, gets an interesting image:

The sculpture at the center of the room could function as a variation on the Tree of Knowledge, also known as the Tree of Life, with this model of the helicoidal structure of the DNA being the secret of Life itself. As Leia will kiss Han in the same scene, and is about to confess her feelings to him by the end of the movie, this also brings back in the notion of sexuality. And the DNA sequence functions both as a reminder of Leia’s lineage (as sister to Luke and daughter to Vader) and the possible outcome of her relationship to Han (… now that we know through the ST, Ben Solo of course). The notion of motherhood, and having children is heavily connoted in the Bible. It takes Eve to be cast out of Eden to become a mother, motherhood goes with pain, suffering, and loss, since suffering in childbirth is Eve’s punishment for eating the fruit and disobeying God. Obviously, in the ST, motherhood has brought its fair share of suffering and loss for Leia, despite the love she has for her son. Finally, it is quite interesting that this “tree of knowledge” is found on Cloud City, a warped representation of Heaven. At first glance, it is almost a litteral representation of a celestial haven/Heaven. Yet, it is deceptive, and turns out as a place of torture and suffering. In a nutshell this is NOT Paradise. It is Hell designed to look like Heaven.

In the ST, the Tree of Knowledge is, as in the OT, found in a place that is normally designed to be a sort of limbo/purgatory, the place of exile for Luke. Yet, it is not as dark and swampy as Dagobah. If Luke was apprehensive about his experience with the tree, Rey seems to go there without fear, called to it through visions and voices.

Are these voices and visions her snake, her own seducer? It is very ambivalent, because her visions and voices mix Kylo, Yoda, Obi-Wan, Luke, and an unknown voice on TLJ that recalls bits and pieces (though very faintly!) of the Jedi code:

There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

There is no death, there is the Force.

As a reminder, in Rey’s Force vision on TFA, we get to hear Obi-Wan and Yoda, and we can see Luke and Kylo. We can only assume that Rey has had visions of Ahch-To before, and the way we assume this is through the information that Kylo extracts from her during the interrogation scene. Though, at the time, she does not know herself that it is the place where Luke is hiding. In the scene, through the hissing and rattlesnake sound heard when he removes his helmet, Kylo is clearly construed as a snake, the one trying to seduce Rey. TLJ carries on with that idea when, at the beginning of their second Force bond, Rey calls him a “murderous snake”. Yet, he is also the Adam to her Eve, as we saw from their meeting in the forest, and besides the snake part has already been cast: obviously one does not go by “Snoke” just for any reason. “Seduction” here is also a complicated matter. Rey may be seduced by Kylo, but Kylo is also in danger of being “seduced” by Rey and the Light. And he was also the one “seduced” by the snake/Snoke in the first place.

The Tree of Knowledge, in this installment, is for the first time a litteral tree of knowledge, and not a metaphor, since it is a library, a place where Rey can access knowledge through books. Not an apple. Not a pear. Not a vision. It is actually pretty ballsy to use the metaphor and get rid of it altogether. Yep, tree of knowledge, you guys. Look at that ray of light shining through to showcase the books: tada! Books=Knowledge.

And when the necessary knowledge has been acquired (Rey took the books she needed), well, just literally dispose and get rid of it. It is JUST a tree after all.

There is added knowledge, of course. Otherwise, it would not be Adam and Eve… The torching of the tree takes place after Rey has found out the truth about what happened between Ben Solo and Luke, and touched Ben. There is symbolic carnal knowledge. Just before the hand touch scene, she has also seen him almost naked and felt shame, or embarrassment, like Adam and Eve after eating from the fruit. Throughout their scenes, both flesh (some of it, anyways) and souls have been laid bare. And Luke storming in the hut where they are physically reaching out for each other is pretty much a rendering of a Godlike figure storming in to find out that Adam and Eve have been naughty, despite his specific orders.

There is also a fruit in the ST. A lingering shot on Rey in Maz’s castles, almost minutes before she gets her first brush with knowledge (the “first steps” from her vision when touching the saber), and her first brush with desire/Adam/Kylo. Not such a gratuitous shot if you consider that the movie took the time to show us her usual fare in terms of food, ie the rations from Unkar Plutt, and that she very likely never has had any of this before. So this is very much Eve biting the apple from the VERY FIRST TIME!

MORE ON ADAM AND EVE…

There is a scene in Milton’s Paradise Lost that can be compared with Rey’s experience in the cave. In Book IV of the poem, as summed up here:

Eve tells Adam of her first awakening as she came to life and how she wondered who and where she was. She found a river and followed it upstream to its source. Her path led to a clear, smooth lake, and Eve looked into the lake, seeing an image in its surface, which she soon discovers is her own. She hears a voice explaining to her that she was made out of Adam, and with him she will become the mother of the human race.

Of course, a lot of ideas are interesting in view of TLJ (and TFA):

the term awakening used by Eve (”when from sleep I first awak’t”)/ Rey as the awakening of the Force

Eve, like Rey, wonders about her part in all this (” much wondring where and what I was”)

Eve looks at her face in the water/ Rey finds a mirror after plunging deep in the water

Eve tells her story to Adam/ Rey is telling about the cave to Kylo

Eve learns that she will be the mother of a multitude/ Rey sees an infinite line of her image

In conclusion to the scene, Eve goes back to Adam and says: “Whom fli'st thou? whom thou fli'st, of him thou art, His flesh, his bone; (…) Part of my Soul I seek thee, and thee claim My other half: with that thy gentle hand Seisd mine, I yielded, and from that time see How beauty is excelld by manly grace And wisdom, which alone is truly fair”. / Rey reaches out for Kylo’s hand, and then ships herself straight to him.

This essay is obviously a first part of a longer project… Check out Visions of Hell.

Let’s close this post on the ending of Paradise Lost, as Adam and Eve are about to leave Paradise:

The World was all before them, where to choose Thir place of rest, and Providence thir guide: They hand in hand with wandring steps and slow, Through Eden took thir solitarie way.

I know that for some this is the expected conclusion to both Reylo and the Skywalker saga, as Kylo and Rey leave to a place of exile. Why? Because if Kylo is to be redeemed some people simply cannot imagine him pardoned for his crimes. And if he is to live, a lot of people will tell you that he has to live in exile. Which, to me, and a lot of fellow bloggers, seems like the most stupid ending… especially if he ends up alone. I can, for myself, totally imagine Kylo redeemed AND happy. But if he had to go into exile, he could still be redeemed AND happy provided that Rey comes along, which I also totally see her doing. And as in Milton’s Paradise Lost, they could leave, hand in hand. But whether that means they are cast out of Paradise, I do not think so. If anything, all these movies and stories in the Star Wars Universe have not painted us this galaxy as a Garden of Eden. I think it is high time to imagine Adam and Eve happy.

#reylo fandom #reylo fam #star wars meta #reylo meta #star wars parallels #star wars symbolism #paradise in star wars #star wars fandom #nolite te bastardes carborundorum

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codyrichards91 · 4 years

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How Do You Pronounce Reiki In Spanish Sublime Unique Ideas

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Upon completion of required coursework for each practitioner in the morning.Ask which mental, emotional or mental source.Let the energy going through their own home!Ayurvedic Medicine, which is vital force.This is an audio course available where the attenuement the entity becomes a medium through which you can use this energy for many people would like to quit, she said she had been recommended to him or her sitting according to its resting state.

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How To Do A Reiki Level 1 Attunement

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What Is Traditional Japanese Reiki

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#How Do You Pronounce Reiki In Spanish Sublime Unique Ideas #What Is Osho Neo Reiki

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dailyaudiobible · 6 years

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02/27/2019 DAB Transcript

Leviticus 20:22-22:16, Mark 9:1-29, Psalms 43:1-5, Proverbs 10:18

Today is the 27th day of February. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is a pleasure and an honor to be here with you today and it's a pleasure and honor to be coming to you from the holy city of Jerusalem today. We had a long day yesterday, a lot of travel and an early morning today to get right at it. So, thank you for your continued prayers over all of it. We are indeed drinking from a fire hose and there’s just a lot to take in and now we have reached the holy city of Jerusalem and the complexion of our time together changes because now we’re in an urban area, a lot more tension, a lot more population, and a lot more jostling around. So, thank you for your continued prayers. We’ll talk about the latest events and what we’ve seen and experienced here in a little bit, but let's get to what we come here to do which is to allow God's word to just come washing into our lives, washing us clean, letting us exhale and calm down and be present to what God will speak to us today. We’re picking up where we left off yesterday, of course, and that will bring us back into the book of Leviticus. We’re reading from the New International Version this week. Leviticus chapter 20 verse 22 through 22 verse 16.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for your word and we thank you for the way that it opens up our hearts and exposes all of the thoughts and intents of our hearts and invites us deeper into relationship with you. And even as we’re traveling the land of the Bible right now and the Bible is coming alive to us in ways that that are unique because we’re in the places where these events happened we also know that this is coming alive throughout the community. And I thank you Father, that through this journey to Israel every year this kind of cements the community in place and we begin to move through the year together. And, so father as we continue our journey we ask that you would indeed continue to quicken our hearts in and wake us up. We thank you for the way that you slowly, gently, lovingly father us and mature us and we welcome this. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

Okay. So, yesterday…boy…seems like longer than that because it was a long day. We left the Galilee region, beautiful morning, just the mustard flowers waving in the breeze to us and green in the lush, just a gorgeous morning. And we had been staying on the north eastern side of the lake and out our way out we went to the northwestern side of the lake to a little path. It’s called the valley of the doves and it's an ancient path that led out of the Sea…away from the Sea of Galilee to cities like Cana and Nazareth. So, it's an ancient path that you can walk on knowing that you're walking in the footsteps of Jesus. The…I mean…the Scriptures put Jesus in Nazareth and they put them in Cana and they certainly put Him around the sea of Galilee and that was the path to get between these two places then, you know, you realize you’re walking an ancient path that Jesus walked. And its near Mount Arbel, which is a geographical landmark in the Galilee. It’s just gorgeous and just a few minutes to say goodbye, really, to the Galilee, just to exhale our time there and the serenity of it all in and breathe in and just kind of release that part of the trip because we had to move forward. And we did. Our next stop was atop Mount Caramel where the prophet Elijah had a showdown with the prophet of Baal and fire came from heaven. And we just opened the Scriptures and read the story and realized, okay, this is…this is Mount Caramel, this is where this happened. And then we finished the story because, you know, after this mighty outpouring of God's Spirit and God's power and drawing the people back to himself Queen Jezebel sent Elijah a note telling him that she gonna take his life and in right away. And, so, he fled all the way from Mount Carmel to Beersheba. And we started our journey in Beersheba. And, so, it was pretty clear how far that is. And then he went 40 more days back into the wilderness just on the run and we just kind of explored the ways that we go on the run because God came to Elijah on that mountain and said what are you doing here? And, so, we kind of let that sink in as we moved…well we actually moved into lunchtime after that. And after a bit of lunch back to the Mediterranean coast. So, we had begun our journey, what feels like, I don't know three or four weeks ago, even though its only been days ago. We began our journey on the Mediterranean coast in Ashdod and we made our way in a full circle all the way around the country back to the Mediterranean Sea only hitting the Mediterranean coast a bit north at Caesarea Maritima, which in the in the Roman era was a gem of the area, a truly Romanized city where the Roman government largely took place for the region. And it is a bit famous from the Scriptures because it is where the apostle Paul was taken after he was arrested in Jerusalem. And this is a story that we’ll get to as we move out of the Gospels and into the book of Acts and forward but obviously we’re not there yet. But the apostle Paul was taken to Caesarea Meritima to be held under guard because there were assassination plots against him. And eventually after a couple of years, its where the apostle Paul appealed his case to the Emperor. And, so, it was from Caesarea Meritima that he sailed to Rome. So, that squarely put us in the New Testament while also enjoying and appreciating…it's a spectacular archaeological site revealing just so much history, including ruins from the Crusader era. So, we spent some time there exploring, orienting, appreciating and just being on the ocean. The winds have picked up here and that began last evening on the Sea of Galilee. We could…I mean…the winds just really picked up. And, so, by the time we got to the coast it was windy and the surf was hi and the waves were capping and splashing up against the shore and spraying foam and beautiful but windy. So, a little chilly, but the sun was out and so it was very enjoyable. And then once we left there the next stop was Jerusalem. So, we began at sea level and began to climb our way to the center of the country and the holy city of Jerusalem, which is where we are now and where we ended the day. And got moved in. You know. It’s the last stop. Thankfully we don’t have to pack up and move again until were packing up to go back to our homes. So, we’ll be basing of Jerusalem as we explore some of the interior of the country as well as in and around Jerusalem over the coming days and we’ll be spending today in and around Jerusalem, but we haven't done that yet, so we'll talk about that tomorrow. Thank you for your continued prayers over health and stamina and safety and technology and travel and logistics and all that goes into a pilgrimage like this, lots of moving parts. But we feel your prayers and that's not a joke. Like, believe it or not things are going very smoothly. And, so, thank you for your continued prayers.

As I've mentioned a number of times you can follow along with this trip just by going to one of the social media channels, Daily Audio Bible's Facebook page or Daily Audio Bible's Instagram page. So, Facebook.com/dailyaudiobible or just go to Facebook and search for Daily Audio Bible, same with Instagram, just search for Daily Audio Bible, all one word, and you’ll find what you're looking for. And we’re posting pictures from the places that they happen and just kinda moving through this journey and tying us all together so that you can kinda look in and see some of the views that we’re seeing and visit some of the places that we’re visiting virtually.

And if coming here, if experiencing this for yourself for your own heart is something that's percolating inside of you, registration is open for the pilgrimage that we’ll be taking in 2020, a year from now and you can get all of the details and read all about it at dailyaudiobible.com in the Initiatives section. Just look for Israel 2020. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can push the button in the upper left-hand corner, that little drawer button, and then go to the Initiatives section and you’ll find Israel 2020. So, hope to see you next year in Jerusalem as they say here.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that dailyaudiobible.com. There’s a link, it's on the homepage of dailyaudiobible.com. Thank you humbly and profoundly for your partnership. If you're using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that's it for today and that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

I had a lot of problems but my worries now are few cause everything that bothered me I gave dear Lord to you dark clouds still surround me but now I have no fear I know that in the midst of storms your love is always near teach me Lord your words to speak please carry me when I get week my debts are high my assets few but all the earth belongs to you I don’t despair when I’m pressed down I’ve often sad but rarely frown you help me go that extra mile I need you Abba Father I’m your child every day my faith increases even though my life’s in pieces I begin each day in eager expectation but with the peace you give me there’s very little frustration cleanse me Lord in every way help me walk right day by day help me Lord to stay the course I serve you now with no remorse

[email protected]. Like to give a shout out to Michelle from LA and also to Walta, the burning bush that will not to be devoured for our Lord. Know you are both in my thoughts often and in my prayers daily. And also, once again Brian thank you and the Hardin family for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit to flow. Keep it flowin’ y’all. All right. Bye-bye.

Hi this is Protected by His Wings in Virginia calling on 24 February. Christine with a bumpy dog, I wanted to say thank you very much for your prayer. It was a tremendous blessing to me. I played it over several times. Thank you so much. I want to ask for continued prayer. I’m still praying for you Christine. I’m praying, and I hear your fight and your battle with leukemia I know the Lord is with you every step of the way. I’m a dog myself and love him dearly as well. I call myself Protected by His Wings because Psalm 91 was a blessing and a comfort to me. I was in the Army when we invaded Iraq and was involved in that invasion and my back was injured. I was sent home for surgery and it was during my recovery time where I came back to the Lord full force, full force. I was carrying too much on my back and it literally gave out. So, Christine this is for you and for all those others who are fighting things right now. I pray Psalm 91. I pray that this…I declare the Lord alone is my refuge my place of safety. He is my God and I am trusting Him or He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from the fatal plaque. He will shield you with His wings, He will shelter you with His feathers. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night nor fear the dangers of the day nor dread the plague that stocks in the darkness nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand die at your side or 10,000 dying around you, evils will not touch you, but you will see with your eyes, you will see how the wicked are punished. You make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most-High your shelter no evil will conquer you, no plague will come near your dwelling for He orders His angels to protect you. Wherever you go they will hold you with their hands and keep you from striking your foot on a stone. Amen.

This is Tim in Tampa. I usually like to call and pray for other people but today, frankly, I need your prayers. I just haven’t been myself lately and I just really need the power of the Holy Spirit to help me to get myself back in alignment again. Everything just seems to be out of whack. My wife says I’m not myself. I get angry easily. My priorities aren’t straight. Just a number of different things in my life that just are not the way they need to be, and I just need the power of all of you praying. There’s tremendous power here in this community, I’ve seen it so many times and I’ve been a listener for a dozen years now and I’ve seen so many things in my own life where I’ve asked for prayer and that’s when God shows up and I’ve seen it in so many other people’s lives. And this time I just need you to pray for me. I need the Holy Spirit to do something in me and just clean me out and get me back to where I know that I’m hearing the word of the Lord every single day, I’m hearing His voice and I’m doing all the things with the right attitude that I need to be doing on a daily basis. And, so, I would just ask that you would pray for me. I just…I need the Holy Spirit to…He does everything just the right way…He knows me better than I do. And just ask that You do something special in me and I know that He’s got some other stuff He wants me to do and just looking for some guidance. I need wisdom, I need favor, I need to get my stuff together. All right, thanks guys. Tim in Tampa.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family this is Anita again__ really asking for your prayers __ . I’m struggling with my walk with the Lord because I have gone astray __ all over the place. I want to do right by God and just __ I’m getting older, I’m not getting any younger __ last year __ a few months from each other it’s just like I’m all of the place. I just need the anxiety to completely cease. I have been doing good. God has helped me in that area, but I just need to be…I need the discipline…the discipline to walk, to be faithful and to be strong and not give in to any __ temptation and just be that virtuous woman that walks holy before the Lord. I was stripped of my confidence and I’m slowly gaining it back. So, I’m asking that you please pray for me in that area as well so that I can go __ questions, but thank you all. As always, praying for you each and every one of you because I listen every day and this Daily Audio Bible has really changed my life. I encourage everyone who is blessed to have a job and works to sow a seed into this ministry. If you can sow a seed of at least $5 or $10 every month $30, $50. If you can afford it please…please look into it helping build this ministry because it is…it is a game changer and it reaches…

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ciathyzareposts · 4 years

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Game 121: Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist (1993): Introduction

by Alex

Hello there, dear The Adventure Gamer family. I am back after a long absence to review another game, and another Al Lowe game, but this time it’s not an entry in the Leisure Suit Larry series. No, I’m leaving my polyester pal behind and traveling to the old west to play Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist, Mr. Lowe and co.’s 1993 outing in the Sierra adventure game library. There was a CD-ROM version (more on this later), with voices and everything, released in 1994, but I’m playing the DOS version, mainly because I’m not a huge fan of CD-ROM games.

1993 is smack in the middle of the golden age of Sierra adventure games, which I contend lasted until 1996. You might disagree with me, and I’m sure will let me know in the comments below, but that’s what makes life interesting, right? And we all need a little adventure, uncertainty, and chaos in our lives right about now.

Well actually, no. I certainly don’t! Thankfully, I live out in the middle of nowhere, USA, where nothing happens and we like it like that, but life has certainly been adventurous, uncertain, and chaotic enough for me and my family, thank you very much! We’re all fine, and I hope you are too. But with civil society is crumbling all around me, there’s nothing better to do than fire up an old adventure game and blog about it. So here we go.

The last game I blogged about for The Adventure Gamer was Quest for Glory III: Wages of War back in 2018. In the interim, my wife and I had another child, started a business, and I’ve published two novels, with another novel and a non-fiction book set to publish before the year is up. Plus, I got to meet Joe Pranevich in person, which was really cool. But how many adventure games did I play during this time? With the exception of the first two Quest for Glory games with my son, zero. So I’ve been busy. If both my adventure gaming prowess and my writing are rusty, please bear with me as I play myself back into shape.

Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist—and I’m sorry, every time I hear the name Pharkas all I can think of is Scott Farkus, the bully who tormented Ralphie, his brother, and their friends in A Christmas Story.

This guy.

Anyway, Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist is Al Lowe’s homage to comedy westerns a la Mel Brooks’s popular 1974 comedy Blazing Saddles. Would you believe I have never seen Blazing Saddles? I know Gene Wilder’s in it, there’s a gigantic Indian named Mongo that punches his horse, that Cleavon Little’s character gets called the N-word a lot (which means this movie is probably not long for this world), and that the central bit of humor is a gigantic fart joke.

Al Lowe

So, yes, no wonder Al Lowe wanted to make his own version of it. That sort of humor is right up Lowe’s alley. I didn’t intend that to sound dirty, but since we’re talking about an Al Lowe game, all of our minds immediately went to the gutter (don’t lie).

But Lowe wasn’t alone! Oh no, Lowe designed Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist (I’m calling it FPFP from now on because the full title is a real mouthful (fingerful?) to keep on typing) with Josh Mandel. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because he worked on many Sierra games either as a producer, designer, writer, voice actor, artist, or some combination of those roles. Which games? How about Space Quest 6, The Dagger of Amon Ra, King’s Quest V and VI, and EcoQuest: The Search for Cetus. Mandel worked for other companies afterwards, such as Take-Two Interactive and Mattell, but he also lent his voice talents to the fan remakes of the first three King’s Quest games, reunited with Al Lowe on 2013’s Leisure Suit Larry: reloaded, and was a writer on Quest for Glory designer (and sometimes TAG commenter) Lori and Corey Cole’s Quest for Glory quasi-reboot Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption. He was also the model for the coroner in Police Quest III: The Kindred, but the less said about that game, the better.

Josh Mandel

I also think he might like fart jokes.

Before firing up the game, let’s take a look at the manual.

Titled The Modern Day Book of Health and Hygiene, 1881 edition, the manual is presented like an old-time medical—some might say “pseudo-medicine” almanac written by one Hyman J. Lipschitz, M.D., the President of Phrenologists for Health, Enervating Elixers, Longevity, and Mental Energy, aka (sigh) PHEELME.

This guidebook also has a pretty humorous disclaimer on page two:

Note to those people who might think a parody of a quack remedy guide that pretends to be from the 19th Century could really contain factual information but are too stupid to read disclaimers such as this anyway: The information contained herein is absolute and utter balderdash, provided by Sierra On-Line, Inc. for your Entertainment ONLY and to provide information and clues for FREDDY PHARKAS, FRONTIER PHARMACIST. Do not take the medications we prescribe. Do not apply the balms and liniments we describe. Do not attempt the procedures we outline. Do not believe that Manual Labor is still the President of Mexico. Nothing within this pamphlet is accurate and truthful, to the best of our ability. We are being entirely facetious. Do not, repeat DO NOT, use this documentation as a real medical guide! It’s a joke! Okay? Get it?

We get it, Al and Josh, we do. Also: the president of Mexico being named Manual Labor is a precursor to the horrible/awesome name puns that pervade this game.

Anyway, this isn’t so much an instruction booklet on how-to-play, but what I’m assuming is a very elaborate form of copy protection. You see, Part 1, the Pharmacopoeia, describes various chemicals that can be used as medicines, and in some cases, how to make them. They are sometimes funny, and clearly some entries are there just for laughs, but I’m getting serious King’s Quest III vibes from this whole thing.

Excerpt from the Pharmacopoeia

Part 2 features “home procedures” for things like acne, broken bones, and constipation (no coronavirus though). There’s also a (sigh) flatulence spectrometer, where the doctor is advised to catch fart gas in a paper bag or something and burn it in a spectroscope to figure out the exact chemical compound of what is causing the patient to have the vapors. Things like lentils, apples ‘n brown sugar-cinnamon, and meaty by-products, along with the cure. This is the level of humor we’re dealing with, people. It’s an Al Lowe game, what should I expect?

Actually, the manual is pretty funny, full of the dry, straight-faced humor we’ve come to expect from Mr. Lowe, and the kind of humor I actually get a kick out of. It reminds me of Mad Magazine, where the humor is stupid and low-brow, but an intelligent kind of stupid and low-brow. You know what I mean, right?

In any event, it’s time to start this game up.

Hello, old friend.

The familiar Sierra fanfare and accompanying logo always give me all sorts of warm and fuzzy feelings, as does the sound and graphical style of the title screen, and I’m particularly excited to delve into Freddy Pharkas (wait, that didn’t come out right . . .) since I’ve never played this game. That’s right! Other than reading about this in Sierra’s InterACTION magazine (Sierra’s version of Nintendo Power) when I was a kid, I have no experience whatsoever with FPFP. I’m playing this blind, and have been looking forward to this for quite some time.

This issue right here—I wish I still had it, but scans of it are available at Al’s site

I decide to check out the game’s prologue, and am treated to a well-written and well-composed Western ballad detailing the life of one former famous gunslinger Freddy Pharkas and how he came to be a one-eared pharmacist in the frontier town of Coarsegold, California, a real town near Sierra’s actual location in Oakhurst, California. Coarsegold was apparently also the setting for Sierra’s 1981 On-Line Adventure #3: Cranston Manor, which TAG reviewer Joe Pranevich is yet to review.

The ballad is quite good and humorous while packing in a lot of backstory (kind of like this post). Al Lowe wrote the music—although future Quest for Glory IV composer Aubrey Hodges is the main composer for this game—and Lowe and Mandel both wrote the lyrics. I’ve reprinted the lyrics below so you understand the game’s premise, interspersed with screenshots from the intro (follow the bouncing ball!)

He was born in old St Louie, By the age of four Dad knew he was the Best little crackshot the West had ever seen. By the time he reached pubescence, He could outshoot all the adolescents West of Durango and north of Abilene.

Pharkas, Freddy Pharkas. Famous gunslingin’ deputy. Freddy Pharkas, Freddy Pharkas, Frontier hero-to-be.

Then one day young Freddy Pharkas Stared at eyes as black and dark as night, the Eyes of an outlaw, well-known throughout the West. Oh, the tough kid’s name was Kenny, And he outdrew Freddy Pharkas, when he Shot Freddy’s ear off to prove who was the best.

Now our hero, Freddy Pharkas, With wounded pride and earless carcass, Vowed to the heavens to give up gunnery. He’d be better off, he reckoned, With the lifelong dream that always beckoned: Pestles, not pistols, and pharmacology.

Pharkas, Freddy Pharkas, Highest score on his S.A.T., Freddy Pharkas, Freddy Pharkas. Five-year college degree.

After Fred matriculated, Got his Ph.D. and graduated, Moved out to Coarsegold and bought a pharmacy. He’s a real prescription writer, And they don’t know he’s an ex-gunfighter, Locked up his mem’ries, repressed them totally.

But his peaceful new survival Soon was shot to hell upon arrival Of Coarsegold’s schoolmarm, the sweet Penelope. She has captured Fred’s affection, But he’s scared he’ll get a huge …rejection, Can’t bear to tell her just what he used to be.

Pharkas, Freddy Pharkas. Frontier Pharmacist bourgeoisie, Freddy Pharkas, Freddy Pharkas. Peerless, earless, and free!

The CD-ROM version is apparently sung by Al Lowe himself, because as he describes on his website, everyone thought he had a “funny voice.” You can read all about it, and listen to the ballad, here.

Act I then begins, making me think this game is going to be chapter-based, and you are taken to Coarsegold’s main street as someone is boarding up a building, where a toothless old coot named Whittlin’ Willy starts to tell you all about ol’ Freddy.

Nope, not sitting on your lap. Not getting anywhere NEAR that lap, thanks.

I gain control of Freddy and check the interface. The standard Sierra point-and-click icons are there (Walk, Look, Action, Speak, Inventory), and I take a moment to click the Action icon on various things, which may-or-may-not have included Freddy’s man-region.

I mean, it’s an Al Lowe game. I kind of had to.

There are no surprises, which works for me as this interface generally works really well. In my inventory I only have the key to Freddy’s pharmacy. I’m looking forward to inventory gags, as Al Lowe’s Leisure Suit Larry V was full of humorous messages—each unique!—when you clicked any item on any other item in your inventory. I hope this attention to detail, and bad jokes, carries over to FPFP.

And of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that there is a (sigh) Golden Balls Saloon.

This humor style, of course, is par for the course and I don’t view it as a negative per se. I groan and cringe at these kinds of jokes, but I actually like them. They’re generally harmless and Al always seemed like a good guy who just like getting a few yuks out of gamers.

Here he is, describing the inspiration for FPFP:

“In 1992, I noticed that there wasn’t a single Western computer game, even though Western movies had been popular off and on for years. But I wanted to make a humorous Western. What sort of Western could be funny? While discussing this with Roberta Williams, I started to say ‘farmer’ but my mouth tried to say ‘rancher’ and out came a tangled mess that kind of sounded like, ‘farmer-cist.’ Hey! A pharmacist? Why not? Thus was born Freddy Pharkas, Frontier Pharmacist!

I think it may well be my funniest game, due in great part to the wit of Josh Mandel. Computer Gaming World called it ‘The Blazing Saddles of computer games’ (see box cover below) which I considered perfect praise since that movie was my inspiration.”

Funniest gmae, huh? I sure hope so! Leisure Suit Larry has its moments, but nothing is really laugh out loud funny. Maybe FPFP will be. We’ll see!

I have high hopes reading this bit of trivia from Josh Mandel:

“Mandel had explained in a commentary the reason why there were so many more jokes in the Floppy Disk version as compared to the CD-ROM version of the game, ‘I had co-designed, directed, produced, and written the floppy version; there were no plans at all, at the time, to produce a CD version. When sales of the floppy version justified a CD version, I was no longer available to produce and direct it, having by then started on SQ6. Al Lowe was then tapped to do the casting and recording of the CD version, but the game already had so much text in it that, when it came time to record the inventory text, Al just stopped—he was, he said, tired of sitting in the sound studio. As I had written the vast majority of the game’s text and dialogue, I pointed out to him that, in the process of cutting roughly 15% of the game’s text from the recording, he’d not only left out many jokes, but many clues and hints as well.’”

And like I said, I’m playing the DOS version, so not only will I not be missing out on “clues and hints,” I’ll be getting all the jokes as well. Oh boy!

Mind you, I have no clue what the plot is, but I’m eager to hop in and see what Coarsegold has to offer. If there are references I don’t get in my posts, please let me know. I’m a medium-sized Western fan. I love the idea and image and aesthetic of cowboys and the American west, I’ve seen several John Wayne and Clint Eastwood movies, and I have some Louis L’Amour paperbacks I need to get around to reading, but I’m no expert or connoisseur of the Western genre. Then again, I’m no expert or connoisseur of the adventure game genre and that doesn’t stop me from writing about, so maybe I have nothing to worry about.

Anyway, time to saddle up and play. See you next time, pardner! Yee haw, yippie-ki-yi-yay, and all that jazz.

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/game-121-freddy-pharkas-frontier-pharmacist-1993-introduction/

#retro games #dos games #retro #crpg #adventure #amiga #oldcomputers #8bit #16bit #blog #repost

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hjpierce87 · 6 years

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The most personal thing I’ve ever shared aka the TRUTH

"You do not have to be healed to begin healing others." Hi, darling creators! Get ready for some scary honesty. I'm going to share the most personal thing I have ever shared ever. A few years ago I went on a retreat to Joshua Tree, CA with an awareness group and coach I studied human behavior with (shout out to Point of Possibility!). It remains the biggest turning point of my life. We spent the days at a large desert compound that had been rented through Air BnB. It boasted hammocks for sleeping (beds, too), fantastic art, a shower with rose quartz built into the walls, multiple guest houses, fire pits, cacti, a huge pool, lion statues you could climb on, tarantulas, the dazzling night sky free of light pollution, Joshua trees with their branches like arms reaching up to the heavens, all surrounded by the magnificent desert. We spent the weekend with facilitators practicing yoga (once in the park at Joshua Tree), awareness work, and Family Constellation Therapy (you can learn more about that here). Side note: some people have a lot of opinions about alternative therapies and medicines (without actually having experienced them). I ask that you keep an open mind and heart, and I appreciate you doing it. In my personal experience, practicing and learning holistic and energetic work (classified as alternative medicine and therapy) has changed and saved my life and given me a deeper understanding of myself and others (quickly, too!). Of course, I always made sure I trusted my gut and discerned what was right for me personally (and I encourage everyone to trust themselves on what is right for them, leaving your ego out of it!). I am a Christian as in I work every day to live as love and have been ostracized at times (by other Christians) for being curious and exploring energy work (I am working on not taking it personally anymore, it's conditioned fear and I feel compassion when I get out of my own hurt about this reaction). Through this work, I formed an actual relationship with Christ consciousness and Jesus himself. Jesus is an energetic healer, y'all. I also love that the work transcends religion and/or dogma, leaving personal agendas out of it. Even if you don't use "God" language, you are welcome to experience what I call God, love, universe, consciousness, et al through this work. I choose to call it God. Okay, off my soap-box, back to the story. So, we are at this "spiritual-type" retreat and we are working with an intuitive healer Karie Gonia, who was facilitating the Family Constellation Therapy. My mind is already blown just by meeting her. She is not what I thought of as "spiritual healer"- I certainly had a lot of ideas about what that looked like, moved like, and sounded like at the time. First, she was wearing some fly outfits. She was not dressed in all linen with hair past her hiny and turtle shells hanging around her neck(not knocking those that pull off that look. Power to you, honey!). Her voice wasn't that airy "Ieee ammmm spirituaaal" type voice that you hear and are supposed to laugh at in movies. She was quiet, very sweet, warm, loving and funny. She looked and sounded like all my friends! She could have been me! After my turn at the Family Constellation therapy (wowee, the journey!), she mentioned she had noticed me immediately on the first day of the retreat and been watching me and she was so excited for me, that I "was ready to pop." I really had no idea what she was talking about. I mean, I certainly felt something was going on with all the energy moving in my body. I had been taking the journey physically with each person that had stepped into the FCT hotseat (crying, laughing, angry, TAKING THAT VISCERAL JOURNEY). I thought everyone did that. Nope. In her gentle way, she looked at me and said, "Haley, you know you don't have to be fully healed to begin to heal others." Huh? What? Me? A healer? I feel the resonance of the words in my belly now, like I did that day over two years ago. The truth of the phrase washing over me. The truth, brand new right now, though I've been living with the awareness for a few years. It is up again as I "come out of the closet" as a healer and share so I may help others in the way in which the breadcrumbs lead me. Field of Dreams stuff. I knew about myself in that moment. The light was turned on, or rather I noticed it for the first time. I would be given so many gentle and terrifying (to my mind - what will people think?!?!) opportunities to expand my awareness of it and practice after the initial lightbulb of knowing. My friend Matthew and I decided to road trip to OKC from LA after the retreat, stopping at or driving to the sights on the way home. Zion National Park, the Grand Canyon, Sedona, AZ. Through desert, ocean, mountains, canyons, fields, forests. Through granola bars and Chili's and Britney Spears and mantra music. All the while this new awareness unfolding. My vision becoming clear, like a film had been removed from my eyes and my heart. I began to see my whole life, past and present, in a new way. A new version of Self opening up before me in every moment, like the vast and varied terrain of the roads we traveled. Unknown but known. Pieces of my small self left behind and let go at each stop, given to the trees and the water and the Earth, allowing in space for the new. I told Matthew I thought I might start speaking another language at any moment. He told me it was okay if I did. I was hoping I had miraculously picked up French (I hadn't). I look back at that time, the retreat, the drive home, and the months after with such reverence. I had no idea what I was doing, what would come. I was truly moving in faith and wonder, and thank God. I was witnessing and uniting with Spirit, made brave by the trust, encouragement, and love of my friends. I was wide open and full of light, like the canyon I had whispered my dreams into on our road trip. My childhood prayer of "let me be a light in this world" was beginning to manifest. The week after I returned to OKC, I had my first Reiki session(which I now practice), with a woman I found out was also a practicing intuitive (they had those in OK? Who knew?). She told me there was a young man and a woman with me (Spirit). "That's my Granny and my little cousin," I told her. I knew it was. I was brushing my teeth the next day and my cousin wouldn't leave me alone. I turned on the television. I knew he was there with me. He was bugging me, like he used to do when he was little. "Geez! What do you want me to do? What is going on?" I asked him. He wanted something specific and, good lord, I was terrified to follow through with it. He wanted me to deliver a message to someone he loved. I called the woman who had given me Reiki the day before, who became one of my mentors, and I asked her what I could do about it. "Wait three days. Pray about it. Ask the person he wants you to talk to if they want to receive the message." Okay, it had already been two days. The next day, my hands shook as I moved to facetime the person he wanted me to reach out to, one of the humans I love and admire most in this world. She answered and after I asked her what I had been instructed to by my mentor she said, "Yes, I want to hear it." (She has given me permission to share the story, but I will not share specific names or messages) I took a breath. What came forth was not from me but through me. Love that reaches beyond physical or our mind's ideas or what is here or not, what is possible or not. Here was complete presence, love, and peace. It was a miracle and I had the honor of witnessing it. I was surprised and comforted by the message as well, though I was a little afraid my family member was going to have me committed. After the message had come through, she told me she had asked recently to speak to him through another person. That she had witnessed a friend going through a similar situation and that it was all coming up again. That she had prayed for this experience. We had both been given this amazing gift of opening our minds to the healing, gently and together. Her prayer for the experience helped me realize this thing has nothing to do with me, other than it coming through me. That regardless of my ego fears about this, it was my responsibility, honor, and great joy to be a part of the miracle of love in this way. Later, my mind would come up and wonder if it was a fluke. A one-time thing. Did it matter? Not really. But, it wasn't. I learned how to hone the gifts through mentors, classes, tools. Learned how to hold a safe, loving space for myself and the person or people sitting across from me. I'm still learning, and truthfully, it's all unlearning. Now, as I write this and come clean about what I lightly touch on in all my writing, half-way being honest when I talk about honesty, and even in describing what I do on my website (I don't really know how to label or describe it- I'm certainly open to ideas from those in the know), my big, fat ego (love you, now move out of the way) wants to keep on pretending I am cool (who am I kidding?), normal, and/or a very good girl and wants to tell half the truth for fear of being called names (tale as old as time, big, fat ego). I kindly remind my big, fat ego that other people probably aren't thinking of me at all and it's all good. Sometimes I'm a big ball of goo on the floor, sometimes I watch Riverdale (yesss, Jughead!) and eat circus peanuts, and other times I meditate with Jesus, Rumi, and talk to your grandmother who has passed on. Sometimes I am grumpy and sometimes I see light around you with my physical eyes. When asked, I become a channel for the highest truth and love. Sometimes I think as a spiritual teacher or healer I have to be Ram Dass right now in this second, but I am Haley and accepting her and using all my personality's experience is what is now, is how I can serve in this moment. Not by trying to be anything but what I am. I'm not alone in a cave (not, yet! jk), I'm ordering Starbucks and smiling at the barista, thinking, wow, that guy who just walked in that works for the forestry department is cute in his green uniform. I hope I see him again. I am working on seeing the masterpiece with love while continuing to paint and alchemize my work in progress life. But, as Karie Gonia told me, "You do not have to be healed to begin to heal others". If one person is lifted by me sharing my messy, sacred truth, it's a win. I am divinely human and a sacred mess following the breadcrumbs. So are you. At least, I hope you're following the breadcrumbs. Follow those breadcrumbs! Yum, yum, yum. Thank you for being here. You are loved. You are loved. I love you.

#truth

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