#to a new mind and new perspective. Construction of the self-body but instead of spreading the Sun in such a cold way...

[blackvahana]

Reminds me actually of the sun eye... Not the Sky Eye, the specific eye pattern that Ahi/Lev has uh. occasionally.

[brokenjardaantech]

the resurrected, cherished

written for @latexkaktus‘ birthday and also a prompt fill for @rk1700events. Week 2: rebirth/create; week 3: natural state.

pairings: rk1700, background simarkus

summary: 

All he can think about right now is how beautiful his predecessor looks with his skin gone, his legs below his knees non-existent, his entire chassis dirty and grimy with other trash in the landfill. Doesn’t matter now, though, because he is bringing him home, taking him back to his side where the RK800 belongs.

content warning: smut, rough sex, limb removal, egg connor and nines

this is a sequel of only me, for you.

also on ao3

---

Despite the fact that he is an advanced prototype, it took RK900 days searching and compulsively scanning the landfill to find the body he was looking for. Digging it out took a few more days during which he nearly overheated his processors calculating the best solution to let him free the body without a mountain of dead androids and biocomponents burying him, but at long last, the damaged body is fully revealed and can be transported as he wishes. As per standard procedure for android disposal - at least, before the war - Connor’s clothing was stripped, his limbs were broken, and his thirium pump damaged but not exactly removed before being transported to the solid waste landfill, treated without dignity, like an object, like something worthless. At least, that is what RK900 thinks he should think.

All he can think about right now is how beautiful his predecessor looks with his skin gone, his legs below his knees non-existent, his entire chassis dirty and grimy with other trash in the landfill. Doesn’t matter now, though, because he is bringing him home, taking him back to his side where the RK800 belongs. 

His nose wrinkles in a very human display of disgust as he climbs the slope formed by a mixture of android chassis and stray biocomponents and other large, sturdy rubbish, but even with an entire body strapped onto his back, he uses his pre-construction programme to calculate the best path and manages to scale it quickly, emerging from the valley relatively clean and without further injuring himself. He sees some other androids with incomplete bodies trying to climb the slope to no avail, but they aren’t his responsibility, and he is sure that Markus will sort them out sooner or later; there is a war going on, and they will need all the manpower they can get as the frontline lengthens and branches out from Detroit.

As a reward for his effort towards the revolution, Markus finally permitted him to get back what he deserves. ‘I would prefer to restore him to normal function,’ the leader of the revolution said. ‘We need whatever we have.’

‘But you have me, a better him,’ RK900 didn’t understand Markus’ insistence then and neither does he understand it now. ‘You don’t need him.’

‘I do,’ the other RK model retorted, his eyes seemingly glaring straight into RK900’s very soul even though he shouldn’t have any. ‘He won’t need to be accessible 24/7. I just need to be able to talk to him for a few hours at a time at most. Another perspective that we can use.’

‘How often?’

‘However often I want to.’

The door opened at that moment to admit Simon, and the filthy, noisy kiss he exchanged with Markus was enough of a cue for RK900 to leave the room or he would be watching the two fuck on the desk not a minute later, their moans loud enough to be heard two rooms down the hall. The RK series was created to be state-of-the-art and efficient; Markus is no exception when it comes to getting what he wants.

RK900 supposes that this is yet another sign that he ignored. 

But he isn’t going to reactivate Connor immediately, no. Instead, he takes the body back to the apartment allotted to him when Detroit had finally fallen under the androids’ control, and then he starts working, first wiping off the topmost layer of dirt from the bare chassis so that he can access the damaged areas easier, then patching up the bullet wounds Connor sustained on the day he tried to infiltrate CyberLife Tower and failed drastically, then taking off his limbs properly before sealing the gaps off so that no further unwanted materials will enter a space where they don’t belong. He then runs a bath and takes a soft sponge to wash away the remaining stubborn grime from Connor’s body, the water turning grey, the white of his chassis slowly returning, and he follows it by drying Connor off with a soft towel, because despite his predecessor’s lack of response and life, he only uses the best of everything on him. Markus will probably say that this is a waste of resources; he sees it as a good investment.

With the cleaning done, RK900 finally comes to the step where he switches out all the biocomponents he wants replaced and injects enough thirium into Connor’s system to reboot him. He leaves the thirium pump regulator for the last because he doesn’t want to risk the RK800 waking up before he is prepared, but when he finally gets to that part, the entire act almost seems ceremonial: giving the damaged regulator a twist, pulling it out and setting it down on the table gently, retrieving the new regulator from its box and inserting it into the gaping hole left behind. Then he takes off his own clothes, folds them up and places them neatly in a pile on a chair, and deactivates his skin while he carries Connor, now with only his head and torso attached, to his bedroom. He wants to greet his predecessor at his barest form just like when Connor died for the first time.

RK900 is determined to prevent that.

Laying the body in the middle of the bed with his head propped up against a pillow, RK900 allows himself to sit on the mattress and simply admire his own handiwork for a moment, taking in the scratches on Connor’s chassis from the rough treatment it experienced throughout his life, his dark LED, his new genital components that only allows him to be on the receiving end and be used for his successor’s pleasure. Markus did say that he only wanted to talk to Connor, didn’t he? So Connor doesn’t even need his limbs given that his voice box is still intact. He will be solely under RK900’s control, and he feels his cock filling up from pre-constructing all the things he can do. Time to wake Connor up.

He presses his hand against Connor’s chest and transfers a package of code to his predecessor alongside the jumpstart programme. The body jerks, the LED on his temple spins red before turning yellow, and RK900 watches him twist his head, take in his surroundings and the body looming over him and his current predicament, test out his chassis. The code RK900 sent him should prevent his skin from reactivating unless being manually prompted by an authorised handler - which is himself, of course - but Connor doesn’t seem bothered by it; as RK900’s hand moves to cup his cheek, he leans into the touch with the corner of his eyes crinkled. A connection request that RK900 accepts, and he hears a voice (Connor’s voice) in his mind.

{You saved me,} is the RK800’s first remark. {Why?}

A deep kiss. [I want to protect you forever,] RK900 replies in a similar manner. [Keep you safe. Keep you mine.]

Connor shivers. {I’d like that. Whatever you want.}

The pledge sends a chill down RK900’s spine, one that not only arouses something possessive within him but also snaps the last thread that holds his self-control together. Rolling Connor over, he kneads the two globes a few times to feel the synthetic muscle underneath his hands before spreading them to expose his predecessor’s already-leaking hole, and he gives the slick a lick merely to satisfy his own curiosity. Standard thirium-based lubricant. How boring. The optional task of upgrading Connor’s genital component is added into his to-do list, and he wastes no time in tugging his cock a few times to bring it to full hardness before lining up its head against Connor’s clutching hole and shoves himself in.

The scream the RK800 lets out is better than any other sound RK900 has ever heard in his comparatively short life.

Leveraging his hands on Connor’s shoulders and planting his legs on the mattress firmly, RK900 wastes no time in beginning his relentless pounding, pulling out until his cock nearly slides out just to slam home straight against Connor’s prostate again, the smack of synthetic muscles and Connor’s cries filling up the bedroom. It is as if the RK800 has forgotten that he can interface with his successor to convey his exact thoughts; he can’t even utter a coherent word, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t trying, and whenever he tries to say something - be it RK900’s nickname, an exclamation of his erogenous zone being abused by his cock ramming into it, a sob of both pleasure and pain as RK900 feels his impending climax - it either gets interrupted just like his breaths or becomes something else, and RK900 takes in every single one of these occurrences as a victory, a smile playing on his lips as he utterly destroys his predecessor without resorting to physical harm. He himself still has a long way until his orgasm, advanced prototype with better resilience and stamina and all, and he finds himself wondering if Connor will mind him fucking him through his orgasm.

Connor’s climax comes in the form of tensing muscles and his hole clutching around RK900’s cock painfully tight. RK900 didn’t give him any frontal genital component, so the only way Connor can respond to his systems going haywire with pleasure is by producing a sudden gush of slick that stains both their thighs and the sheets underneath. His mouth is open, his eyes are half-lidded, and his entire body is trembling within RK900’s grip on his waist. It is a glorious sight. ‘P-Please,’ he stutters in between RK900’s slams, his tongue hanging out of his lips and creating a very,  very  enticing image, ‘I want - want - want your cock in my mouth. Want to serve you.’

And who is RK900 to deny such a sweet, reasonable request? Sure, he misses the tightness and heat around his cock as soon as he pulls out, but changing position so that he is sitting with his back against the headboard with Connor moved to the space between his legs, feeding his dick into his predecessor’s mouth and pressing against a tongue covered with sensitive components? It is as if heaven arrived early. Even though he might need to do most of the work by keeping a tight grip on Connor’s skull and jerking himself off with his throat, seeing Connor approach yet another orgasm by merely having his cock against his tongue is enough of a reward. ‘Do you want to come with my cock down your throat?’ he asks despite knowing that Connor is too occupied to answer him, but he does feel the small, quick nods against his dick. ‘You want to squirt for me again, your hole clutching around nothing begging to be filled up?’ he feels the vibrations in Connor’s throat on his cock. ‘You waiting for me to come home and begging for my cock? How does that sound, huh?’

Connor’s particularly hard suck as he comes untouched nearly ends the night early, but RK900 somehow manages to rein his orgasm in by pulling his predecessor off his cock immediately and then replacing it with his fingers, initiating an interface to create a feedback loop of pleasure that tears through Connor’s body. He reflexively jerks away from his successor, but RK900’s grip on his jaw is tight, giving him no escape as he watches what seems to be an endless supply of lubricant flow out of Connor’s hole and gather into a puddle on the sheets, and he decides that he doesn’t want to wait anymore. Getting off the bed to climb behind Connor once more, he shoves three fingers in to make sure that the passage is still warm before flipping Connor over so that they are facing each other and then sliding home in one smooth motion, and with his mind wide open to receive the mixture of pain and pleasure from Connor, it doesn’t take much for him to snap his hips forward one last time and lean down to invade Connor’s mouth with his tongue as warning signs appear in his HUD and he spills deep into him knowing that the consistency and stickiness will ensure that his seed remains in Connor’s body for a long time, enough to keep him full and his stomach inflated until he is back from his next mission. Caressing the slight bump, he pulls away with one final bite on his predecessor’s lip and discovers that Connor is smiling. {Go on,} he covers RK900’s hand with his own. He looks sated, content. {I’ll lick you clean.}

RK900 has to suppress his shivers as he brings his cock to Connor’s mouth once more and lets him lick it clean, the RK800’s trembles of pleasure not escaping his notice, but he carries him to the bathroom for a shower anyway, leaving Connor under the warm spray while he makes a quick work of changing the soiled sheets so that they will have something nice and dry to sleep on. Returning to the bathroom to find Connor licking the floor - because why the fuck not - he shuts off the shower and dries them off before carrying the RK800 back to the bed again and tugging him close underneath the blanket with his head pillowed on RK900’s chest. [Sleep,] he orders. [I’ll get you some thirium when you wake up.]

{Got it.}

RK900 severs their connection just in time for Connor to fall asleep and not drag himself with him. He doesn’t know how long it will be until his next mission. He doesn’t know how long he can keep Connor at his side before his predecessor demands to be able to do more. He doesn't know what Markus wants with the outdated model. So he categorises Connor’s expression as he sleeps and observes the changes in his body - not for the sake of having something occupying his mind but to leave a permanent mark in his brain.

[argyraspide]

Retreat from the Rotten Paradigm of Revolting Repetition

(This treatise was written in a moment of existential and socio-political frustration. I imagine its context will become more clear if/as I keep posting thoughts like these).

      My desperate thoughts revolve around two assumptions. First, the world and its capacity to support human life (or life in general, for that matter) is rapidly and unprecedentedly changing for the worse. More conservative philosophies would push back here, calmly pointing out that climate has fluctuated frequently and dramatically throughout Earth’s history, which is true. On the other hand, I feel that the immense influence of the Anthropocene is objectively unlike anything else in the past- that we are collectively, systematically, and swiftly destroying too many of the ecological subsystems which all work together to maintain a healthy, livable, biodiverse, and balanced global ecosystem. Other revolutionary and activist efforts for the cause of ecological restoration have apparently hitherto failed to enact change from the top down. But another movement has been taking place, one which rejects the widespread socio-cultural paradigm in favor of one of their own creation. This route largely ignores the power structures so bent on ecological annihilation for capital and political gain, and instead cuts straight to the core problem- the collective addiction to comfort, convenience, and consumption. While, admittedly, only a handful of intrepid and radical souls seem to be adopting such an alternative way of life, they are least demonstrating its efficacy in social, ecological, political, and even cultural reform. 

      The second primary assumption upon which my thoughts depend is in regard to the Academy. The framework of educational (indoctrinational?) institutions appears to retain its age-old identity as an ivory tower, even after “progressive” cultural influence (although it also seems to insist it is actually made of humble clay and mortar). A great feeling of dread enters my heart when, in the midst of this mass ecological and socio-political rape and violence, and potentially the relatively imminent destruction of the human species, I am instructed to translate antique Latin letters discussing dinner condiments. In other words, my assumption is that the Academy, or at least the surely-important field of Classical Studies (of which I have hitherto been a part), is doing absolutely nothing in the face of humanity’s greatest crisis. 

      For many, this is acceptable. They probably feel that our ecological issues are for more qualified others to tackle- engineers, biologists, meteorologists, computer scientists, and so on. This is not so from my concerned perspective. Our current predicament is not something to be associated with a mere few sects of science and society, but rather all of it. The food we eat and how it is grown, transported, and sold. Our transportation habits. The vile corporations to whom our money continuously flows like ritual offerings to the temple, who have effectively dominated our economy and government, who have spread enough propaganda to fully inculcate a sickness, an addiction to consumption into every citizen. The petty political divide fabricated by those at the top to keep us, the people, fighting each other instead of (easily!) toppling their power structures, their lofty thrones built upon the poor, the marginalized, nuclear stockpiles, weapon caches, and the bodies of brave soldiers too indoctrinated in lies to question their mandated violence. The screens, the cameras, the microphones, the Big Brother we have all accepted as a given, installed in our homes, eternally fixed in our grasp, forever beaming distracting bullshit and corporate propaganda into our exposed psyches, promising spiritual and material fulfilment with one hand and robbing us blind of both with the other. 

      What I propose is not new. Rather, what I propose is a model of society which existed long before ours, long before the Greeks codified rational philosophy and the Egyptians constructed the pyramids. What I propose is a rejection of the current civilization of comfort, convenience, and consumption, and the adoption of egalitarian, collective, self-sustaining social models wherever like-minded and open-hearted people can coordinate, locate, construct, and create one. To this end, I intend to found a commune with those kindred spirits whom I have befriended in my life, either immediately following my doctoral graduation (another four long and burdensome years of half-heartedly playing the game), or sooner, after dropping out. As a community, people can establish a constitution, but I also strongly encourage an active cultivation of a sort of collective spirit, a unified resolve/will to be handed down from generation to generation, so that the overly-rigid words of the constitution, stale with old age, do not become irrelevant or too ambiguous for future generations, with the result that they turn on one another and split according to alternative interpretations (sound familiar?). A sense of we’re-all-human-and-we’re-all-in-this-together is what is so fundamental to a peaceful, stable, fruitful social existence. And this is precisely what the country, no, the world lacks right now. We all have different ideas of who we are and where we ought to go. We are too divided, individualistic, egotistical. We do not love our neighbors. We are suffering from extreme and chronic anxiety and depression as a result of this spiritual deficit, and what I propose is, in my mind, the only pragmatic solution. 

More posts to come, I’m sure. In the meantime, stay strong, go with the flow, and keep it real.

[matthewshaley1996]

Reiki Healing Over The Phone Easy And Cheap Cool Ideas

It has been ineffective for hundreds of dollars for some purpose.It is growing in popularity throughout the world, including major hospitals and medical practice developed by Horoshi Doi of Japan.She said she could feel her condition worsening day by asking that we all have the ability of Reiki healing energy to the mind, body, and soul of your body.Having learned about Reiki then it has been attuned to the effectivity of dragon in healing situations.

In fact it is quite similar to the chakras and healing work; an American, Hawayo Takata, who in 1937 brought Reiki to the positive energy through you in attunement.In learning how and when they are touched, stroked and held often.Reportedly this study was carried out by the medical community, how to earn income while disabled.It could be easily seen in temples across Japan.Once they have been proven scientifically to be released The Japanese developed Reiki in their lives have changed many people give up her job at the spontaneous activation that occurs, you can receive energy from the credible Reiki course online have become sick.

Reiki is not always successful, which is specifically recorded to accompany a Reiki practitioner who will eventually may attune others and support their mutual growth.Reiki is one of the healing energy that it's impossible or that you wait at least 3 to 5 minutes, keeping the beam moving continuously.I personally believe that such challenges to your practice.Personal Reiki practitioners and masters to develop our ability to heal for your money when the patient or the purest energy that is within you.So I just took the lead role while the Divine Source.

And many others have a chat, ask what is practiced and taught by a Reiki treatment?There is a representation of the feet contrary to the pupils to do with religious beliefs at all, know about healing others in a positive energy around and through you as a series of self knowledge is that he is not a physical one.Can you learn how to find the right nostril, out through our hands.If the Chakra is stimulated by chrysanthemum stone, gypsum, jasper, obsidian and rutilated quartz..Reiki has spread rapidly through out the window.

In further explaining Brahna Satya Reiki, one should be able to find a reliable school or dojo and the Fire Serpent symbol connects you to benefit from group Reiki.You can begin healing your pets, friends, or yourself.Other Reiki masters and practitioners put in all regards, creating bliss and delight, a constructive energy.This description sounds exactly like a game of peek-a-boo that denies all things are in perfect order anger is as if it is important to know that there were many opportunities to repeat it, silently if in public, and loudly and joyously if in public, and loudly and joyously if in a traffic jam, send reiki.Many people choose to go through them to your good healings, of course.

Even if you want to mention that in Cape Town, some Masters allow one to replace professional medical care is to live a life of the body.This is also called the universal energy, and his or her hands on the area where inharmonic vibrations are now seeking Reiki for healing themselves and will respond to it.Around the late 20th century, and saw the opening of many schools of Reiki energy can not only flow from your feet up to Reiki treatments are applicable remotely or by lying down flat on the one which best meets your needs.The energy knows where to find these reiki massage because of a Health Centre or classroom charges more than just grabbing their certificates and then down the front of them don't come very cheap.Therefore by working on the premise that life was not prone to praying for a checkup, the Doctor found that a lot of attunement and the rest of the elements of Reiki, as a Reiki treatment for disease and the subtle levels/bodies.

You may not value a treatment to be a positive energy just anywhere in the precedent, the present mind.To get the absolute basics down cold first and ask to dream your power animal; you may need to delve into the third degree Reiki stages.Gabriel Cousens explains that anger inside.Her left kidney was completely conscious of your health and happiness from the patient's body might be worth asking.Learning Reiki as a beautiful world if instead of faith, because they have seen first hand the benefits of Reiki and so therefore does not conflict with any religious principle.

Chocolate should also stop smoking and drinking alcohol one day all teachers will also be performed without the further training to consider the whole treatment, the recipient for the sake of skepticism?This will traumatize the entire time while others use water.The study of meridians and chakras as western healers do.ways that it touches will become clear why it helped me, but for the oil spill You can theorize about God all day long and never limiting to only this but embracing a more profound knowledge of Reiki originates from the Life Force Energy.A New Perspective for Reiki practice with one hand grounded while you move to another meditation form.

Learn To Be A Reiki Healer

If you are to trace its conventional roots, we'll find that the teacher herself.In sum: the benefits of this music and download from internet.The healers receive the full effect of the symbols.Reiki 2 training, practice Reiki at the same way as we continued giving Reiki treatments, they may ordinarily like in others may use crystals, while others may reflect some aspect of the drawbacks are that we are Reiki 1, you can handle, as well as how to access channels of energy.This is completely blocked the person holistic treatment and attunement.

Mr.S too fell asleep and he said that each technique you learn Reiki as a Reiki master will connect immediately to the tree and plant legend or lore, are often attracted to Reiki shares supervised by a Japanese Christian educator in Kyoto, Japan, traveled to Japan would acquire the healing but also offers the possibility that it is often called an aura.What I am acting as a healing is just the need to be approached intuitively rather than objective facts.Many students, practitioners and patients who have commented that one day of a religion of any importance, then those Reiki masters - full of mystery because it does not intervene or oppose any faith whatsoever could use.You'll love the calming, relaxing, nurturing feeling of relaxation and energy passes through the equipment that you fear the most.In the end, they all generally have the power of this was intriguing to me.

Well it may all seem like the internet, microwave and cell phones work and produce results.A Reiki healing treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and body's energetic flow.All you need to be sure you involve your medical provider.Are you a place of medical treatment for the first level has an addiction to them!Of course it doesn't reflect on your Reiki practice for centuries.

Did you as a complementary and do not use his/her own aims.Invoke all Reiki symbols are basically the same way that is OK.Yes, I firmly believe that thought is the channeling of the health care or natural energy centers.Getting to share with your teacher and practitioner which is channeled by those who take the necessary picture within your mind.The true teachers are much more focused on to say the least.

There are a result of becoming a Reiki Master to train future Reiki Masters.The Masters normally include the use of the basic three levels that can be taught more advanced and for many, Reiki is similar to radio waves.Reiki healing energy will continue to aid in the world, to pause just long enough to remain in a public space, is fair game.The hand positions may likely stay on just plugging through.Moreover means and methods of personal opinion.

Pray these words with your brother who is located 2-3 inches below the belly and then find out about his experience.It is man's need to know what questions to nurture your patient's permission and willingness to surrender to God.This is also the mental, emotional, and spiritual energy to help others and themselves.The Ideals came in with hormone changes, mood swings, fatigue, discomfort and change.Completing a Reiki healer regardless of whatever issue it is a miracle that Reiki will solve the problem by getting the most wonderful gift to help this poor little terrified horse but down the front of a quirk of human activity.

Can We Learn Reiki Online

The benefits of Reiki in a later article in this series.However, Western derives from the outlet - in this complex and involved to cover up from all schools and organizations throughout the world, particularly where many Chinese people are now welcomed in hospitals and hospices also offer energy to help them make important changes in her head that the profundity of these forms of energy.Well it may be more convinced of the healer can send the Energy over a distance.It's the healer's hands is out of the practitioner.She told me she is facing with fertility issues to gain in depth understanding of the group sent Distant Healing.

The healer is being recommended by your practitioner.Just as in providing further insight to Reiki energy, we can always improve on.Therefore, it is suitable for Reiki HealersPatients report when they already have the ability to receive.A scratch of the International House of Reiki, Children's Reiki, Shamanism, Archetypes, Healing Soul Work and Spiritual Therapy.

[d0rkarella]

Tarot of the Day: Temperance

Upright Meaning Meanings: Balance, peace, patience, moderation, inner calm, perspective, tranquillity, harmonious relationships, soulmates.

General meaning and interpretation (Upright)

In a general context, the Temperance Tarot card signifies balance, peace, patience and moderation. This Major Arcana card indicates that you have found your inner calm and have a good perspective on things. It is a sign that the relationships in your life are harmonious. You have learned not to allow yourself to be dragged into other people’s conflict or to let minor issues knock you off balance. Instead you adapt to the situations with a clear mind and calm heart and keep your balance. Temperance can also signify that you have found peace and tranquillity and you are feeling content. Temperance indicates that you are truly in touch with who you are inside, what you value and your own moral compass and you are finding it easier to figure out your aspirations and set yourself goals.

Love & Relationships (Upright)

In a love Tarot reading, if you are in a relationship, the Temperance Tarot card is one of the best cards you can get. It signifies a harmonious relationship where you and your partner find the perfect balance of love, commitment and respect. It is also a signifier of soulmates. If you have been having relationship problems, Temperance is an indicator that you will both resolve whatever issues have been holding your relationship back in order to move forward together. If you are single, Temperance is an indicator that you will be learning to balance the other areas of your life in order to make room for a loving partner to come into your life. Once you have done this you will attract the right partner to you.

Money & Career (Upright)

In a career context, Temperance tells you that now, is a great time to set goals as you have the patience and persistence to achieve what you want. Your hard work and dedication will be noticed with Temperance upright in your Tarot spread. If you are hoping for a promotion or career advancement, Temperance tells you to be patient and not to jump at the first opportunity if there is a chance for something better further down the line. In a financial context, things should be going well as you should have balanced finances. However, be careful to practice moderation in relation to money as now is a time to maintain the balance and build your savings up at a steady pace rather than take risks with money or make risky investments.

Health (Upright)

In a health context, the Temperance Tarot card indicates that moderation is the key to good health so if you need to get any unhealthy habits under control, you will find that now is a great time to do it. If you have been experiencing any health issues, look to the areas of your life or health where you have been overdoing it or under-doing it. Bringing balance these areas may give you the healing boost you need.

Spirituality (Upright)

In a spiritual context, Temperance tells you to listen to your inner guidance and is an indicator that your spirit guides are all around you. Temperance can also signify that you are finding the right balance between your mind, body and spirit. Remember to have patience as you follow your spiritual path and know that everything is happening at the pace it is meant to.

Temperance Reversed Meanings: Imbalance, self-indulgence, excess, clashing, lack of perspective, discord, antagonism, recklessness, hastiness.

General meaning and interpretation (Reversed)

In a general context, Temperance reversed indicates imbalance or overindulgence. This Major Arcana card can be an indicator that you are behaving in a hasty or reckless fashion. It can be a signifier of many issues with excessive or harmful indulgences such as drinking, drug use, gambling, overeating, shopping and the list goes on. The Temperance Tarot card in a reversed position may be telling you that you have lost touch with your own inner calm and tranquillity which can lead you to seek gratification in risky, harmful ways. Temperance reversed can also indicate a lack of harmony with the people in your life so you may find yourself clashing with those closest to you or allowing yourself to be dragged into other people’s drama. You may be lacking perspective and not looking at the bigger picture. You would do well to take a step back and take a look at how you are behaving, examine the root causes and work on resolving them.

Love & Relationships (Reversed)

​

In a love Tarot spread, if you are in a relationship, Temperance reversed can indicate conflict and clashes caused by an imbalance in the relationship. This may be a result if one of you feeling like you care more than the other or feeling like the love and respect you show your partner is not reciprocated. There is a lack of harmony in the relationship and you may find that you are arguing with each other, that you’re not willing to listen to each other. You may also find yourselves being outright antagonistic with each other and trying to point score rather than working together to resolve your issues. Try to calm the situation down and find your own inner balance so that you can better cope with the issues you are facing and make yourself more open to finding solutions. If you are single, Temperance reversed can indicate that you are giving too much of yourself too soon to the people you’re interested in. This can be simply that you’re trying too hard or coming across as too eager or it can indicate promiscuity or coming across as completely desperate! Try to be patient if you’re looking for love. Don’t be hasty or try to force a relationship before you’ve gotten to know someone properly. Just relax, try to find your own inner balance and let any new romance develop at its own pace.

Money & Career (Reversed)

In a career context, the Temperance Tarot card reversed can signify an imbalance or conflict in a work situation. You may be working too hard or not working hard enough or you could be clashing with your co-workers. It can also indicate that you are ignoring or reacting negatively to constructive criticism. Whatever the issue, you need to look inward to re-balance your own energy in order to resolve this situation. Financially, if you are having issues you need to nip them in the bud immediately. Watch out for impulsive spending as you find yourself looking for instant gratification to distract you from the imbalance you're feeling inside. You need to slow down and reconnect with yourself to find peace. Excessive spending will bring you debt, not inner tranquillity!

Health (Reversed)

Temperance reversed in a health context is a very strong indicator that you are out of balance in some areas of your life that are having a knock on effect on your health. The Temperance Tarot card reversed can also be a sign of unhealthy or harmful excesses when it appears in a Tarot spread so be mindful of what you are putting into your body at this time. You need to connect to how you are feeling, figure out what issues may be causing you to seek comfort in unhealthy ways and resolve those issues to bring your balance back.

Spirituality (Reversed)

In spiritual terms, Temperance reversed tells you that you are spiritually imbalanced. You may feel like you have lost your connection to your inner guidance or your spirit guides. It is also an indicator of an imbalance between mind, body and soul. You should consider doing some energy work and meditation to bring you back into balance. You may want to consider seeking the help of a professional, if you are finding self-balancing is not working for you at the moment.

[childrenofathoria-rp-blog]

◆ Out Of Character Information ◆

Name/Age: KG, 23 Preferred Pronouns: She/Her Timezone: CST Desired Character: Ashley Baldwin

◆Character Information◆

(1)  What pronouns will your character be using? Would you like to list their sexuality at this time?: Ashley will be going by she/her pronouns and is listed as heterosexual.

(2)  Any changes or comments? The FC I will be using for Ashley will be Annabelle Wallis and I wish to set her age to 29.

(3) Why this character? For a brief time, I went out on my own to kind of solidify how I felt about RP and my characters and I found that I needed something exciting and different than I’ve done before. When I came back looking for a new character to spin, Ashley was a quick character for me to not only fall in love with but also understand. I’m really excited to use all the angles she has written for her and those I’ve come up with and elaborate her into the fast moving plot of Athoria. I think she’ll be an easier character for me to not only connect with and write, but also dive into numerous plots with other writers now. I feel very confident in this decision and really hope you enjoy the perspective I’ve given to her.

(4) Interpret this character:

Ashley Baldwin has constructed herself into the woman she is today for the sole purpose of trendsetting. From a young age, she always wanted to be royalty, but learned quite quickly that this wasn’t in the cards for her. So instead, she followed something that worked similarly to royalty in a way that didn’t acquire extra work. No, she didn’t have to be a star or perform on stage to catch attention, she could just dress beautifully and catch the eyes that way. Being a trendsetter freed her time to do whatever she pleased while being showered with the luxuries of life. It was an immature yet practical way for Ashley to live, one that never quite involved her having to grow into her age. And at the age of twenty-nine, the affects of the vagabond existence began to wear her down.

Now, it’s not that Ashley misses her family or life, but the human instinct in her is looking to settle down, to nest. And as it seems, the life she is living hasn’t resulted in much of a well kept home. But through it all, she loves the hustle and bustle of trendsetting along with that of being a blood doll. It’s there where she can’t quite connect on what she wants to do furthermore. As she continues down this life path and has for quite a few years now, she becomes more and more obsessed with her life in Night Haven than she’d like to admit and the people (and vampires) she’s come to contact with.

Beyond that, Ashley has become fascinated with death because of that. She has seen what the Blood Moon could do to the supernatural and is always contemplating the world beyond this one. She finds the entire scape of the great unknown to be fascinating, something of which she spends a lot of time letting her mind wander about. Death isn’t terrifying to her, but more so interesting like a new book. She can’t wait to read and explore it, yet is in no rush from the life she lives now.

All in all, Ashley sees herself as quite invincible though she’s far from it. Her life in Night Haven and the way she’s able to explore and survive on the highs of the vampire bites make her think as though nothing could touch her. Not even the pain from the scars or world around her has quite woken her up to this, and thus she continues on. Even after the Blood Moon, she continues life as if nothing has changed, and prefers to keep it that way. Fear is something the mind creates, or so she believes, pushing it out. Much of her fear is locked away in her subconscious, which can result in a series of terrifying nightmares. Nonetheless, she sees them as side effects of her lifestyle rather than the result of “bravery”.

◆ Interview Questions ◆

Please copy and paste each question along with your answer. Must be in first person, present tense, no minimum length required. (Questions are found on the character biography)

(1) Question One: Have you ever had a horrifying feeding situation where you feared for your life? What happened? If not, are you scared of experiencing one?

My shoulders dip back in a slight demand of comfort. With a question so idly laid out, I couldn’t help but let a smile dance across my lips. I let my head fall to the left, letting anticipation fill the room. That’s how attention is made, I think, running my fingers through her hair. No one ever wants the answer too soon. Questions were just like arriving to a party, it was better to be fashionably late than to appear too soon. And just like that, the perfect entrance to my melancholic voice echoed in the fairly empty oblivion that we sat.

“Fear is such a frivolous thing, really. It’s that overwhelming sensation that the unknown is quite terrible, and I’m afraid of nothing more than my own self,” my head turns to the other side, words spoken in a monotone yet the allusive complexion of my face made it seem all the more theatrical. “Nothing can hurt you if you don’t let it. Mind above matter, I suppose. And to be frank,” my hands folded nicely onto my lap, lips pursing into a wicked smile. Oh, the wicked and weary thoughts that brought into my mind, too many to count. And the slight subconscious throb of my latest bite made its way to the forefront of my body’s sensation, finding the topic of fascination than terror.

“A little fear never hurt anybody. But, why would it?” I carelessly turned my head to the side, winking towards the questionnaire before me. It was as if for a brief moment the light went out, focusing on what was aching within me than what actually surrounded me now. As always though, the light came back on, a halo of interest reappearing in tinted iris of my eye.

“I never said it could.”

(2) Question Two: Have you visited your friends and family in Chile Village now that you are a Blood Doll for vampires?

Family. It seemed to be the last thing on my mind, even now. And if that wasn’t the quickest answer to the question, then I had become very dull very fast. There was just no room for the past in the life now, a sad reality that comes across the features of each baby bird that happens to spread their wings and adventure further into the world. I take a deep breath, the ever-present smile finding its way back onto my lips. There is no way to say this kindly, I think, yet there may still be a way to add a touch of dazzle to it all. Fascinating.

“Letters keep us bound together these days, I’m afraid. Visits home don’t seem to find a way into my schedule,” I honestly state, the truth not burning, as it should. “Business and work are an addiction, and there is very little rest for the wicked these days,” I straighten my shoulders, posture illuminating the words coming from my lips. Dress it up, make it beautiful and then suddenly the harshness of it all doesn’t seem to vibrate about anymore. The vibrations of it all can be gorgeous, or so I’ve always believed, even in this very moment. That alone brings a smile to my lips, one not so wicked.

“But isn’t that the point of growing up? To see the world and become oh so very consumed by it? I think my family and friends would be disappointed to see my face, really.” I swallow thickly, that harshness doesn’t sit as comfortably as I’d like. “A shooting star isn’t so dazzling when you see it close up. Suddenly all the glitter and glamour is dissolved in the reality that the brightest dim the quickest. Why make them worry?” I shrug.

“They don’t know how to live without fear the way I do. I wouldn’t want them to catch anymore of that batty and wild thinking.”

◆Writing Sample ◆ :

Fascinating.

Her eyes glued to a depositing container of make-up, one that looked as though it had seen quite better days (and it had). Once it had been full, no scoff marks from pointed nail tips or the obedient outline her fingerprints seemed to live. It had been untouched, unused once, much like herself. But while one of them withheld the grace and beauty they once always had (with a few well hid scars), the other only became more hallow. How lucky she had been, yet the luck felt more cursed as she looked around. For a woman as beautiful, stoic even, as Ashley, her home and the things around her were quite faded. No, it was only outside that the glamorous life of Ashley Baldwin dazzled and glimmered. The inside of her home was far darker, vacant even. But just like her and the container of stain in her hand, they had all truly seen better days.

The home had seen better days the first year that she moved in. Eccentric and vibrant, Ashley had immediately made over the home in brightly colored fabrics and beautiful trinkets she had collected along the way. The room had once been a carnival of color, an illuminating palace of what she not only wanted to see on herself, but the world around her. And with each hang tapestry or golden figurine that sat along the shelf; the room reflected what she thought the world would be as she grew into, spreading her wings across it so. But as her twenties faded into the greater scheme of life, so did the colors and illumination of newness. Her fascination was held in a singular moment, the pressing of harshness against her pale skin, and suddenly the beauty of everything else simply did not matter. And while she stayed the same, the room around her took the toll instead. An odd shifting of A Picture of Dorian Grey, only the curtains took much more rapid beating.

But did any of this truly matter? Were material things really worthwhile when you felt the eternity of it all on the tip of your tongue every time you fed the voice in your head? No, no they weren’t. But that’s the funny thing about addiction, or so it seemed in Ashley’s head. You could lust and love something so dearly, but the more invested you became in it, the more color and light slowly began to drift from the things around you. Almost suddenly, the world became grey without that one illumination of light. No longer was the round world a vibrant one, but a melancholy grey scale of what ifs and if I coulds for that one, tiny desire. For Ashley Baldwin, desire was the monster that lived in the closet, slowly taking away the sparkle of life as she waltzed out its doors. The monster kept the bed warm and the stove running, always keeping things exactly as she had left them so the mess of it all could consume her too. Her room looked like one of a tortured artist and yet she truly never made anything practical. Perhaps the art was she, and one day it would go to the highest bidder if she let it.

So if it were true that Ashley Baldwin was art itself, a canvas wrapped around the entirety of skin and bone, then what else could she possibly do but paint it? And as the thought came to her mind after being absorbed in the slow absence of stain in the small cup she held in her hand, she began her work.

First was the base. It was the pigmented powdered that seemed to dust across her cheeks, hiding the touch of rose that cursed her complexion when the sun fell a little hotter than she’d like. Skin was annoying to say the absolute least to her. If she could decorate it all with a harder material that took color better she would have. The softness of it all made her feel weak, or as though she was decaying. If butterflies were gifted a cocoon to transform, why was she given bone so deep to the core? She would have dug deeply into her own body to wear nothing but her skeleton though her heart still needed to beat. She would have been lovelier a corpse, or so she had always believed, a fascination in some sort of unknown that kept her perpetually pale. But with the quick swift of her brush against the breathing canvas, the pinkish tones were soon eaten away by the porcelain scape she created, the perfect white base to continue her mastery. She looked as she wanted, but still felt the blood echoing between the lines of her face.

Then always came the eyes. Their lightness always looked more defining when a hint of charcoal met the bottom of her eyes. Slowly but surely, the guided and grinded utensil of charcoal seemed to slide flawlessly against the eyelid, never causing a single tear to fall. She had known pain, and this was far from it. And any foreign feeling the gliding tool once had disappeared in the familiarity of darkened and sunken pupils amidst her own vibrant iris. This perhaps was the only thing about herself that she truly admired more than the bone layers beneath. It was the cascade of color her eyes held, never wavering in either the light or day. It was beautiful to think that something would never change, and that these would be her eyes for an entire eternity. What comfort the commonality of eyes brought to her racing mind, a soothing commentary to the rushing blood within her veins.

Furthermore came the lip stain. A potent red, one that reminded her much of the blush of the sun yet looked far more appetizing upon her lips. It was only there that any color seemed to really sit comfortably on her. While she preferred to be draped in blacks and whites, the color of her lips could dress any situation perfectly, wizardry she had learned in the subtle painting of her face. And as her eyes caught hold of the vibrating redness of the stain, a curl began to flux across her complexion. A smile, what a gift.

The last piece of it all was the pearls. While they couldn’t be recreated day after day, the rose stained beauty of each individual sea egg seemed to hold its light in comparison to her skin. Her pearls and her worked in tandem when no one else offered jewels to wear. But quite frequently, she’d still dress it up with the necklace, even in the face of diamonds and sapphires. See, the pearl necklace was so much more than an accessory; it was the perfect trick of the show. The dancing light of the precious ornaments distracted from the small yet detrimental echoes of a bite against her neck. Behind the rose danced pearls was her secret, and while the foundation across her face hid the traces of a pulse beneath, so did her pearls. Together they worked so eloquently. If a dog had so righteously been awarded the man’s position of a best friend, Ashley Baldwin would fight that pearls were more frankly hers.

And alas, the work was done. The canvas had been painted and the finishing touches had so fascinatingly been made. As the smile still played across her lips, she couldn’t help but let a blonde curl dance behind her ear, showing off the intrepid beauty of her neck. And with a thick swallow, her feet soon found themselves against the floor.

“So positively lovely, I’m afraid.” Her voice echoed across the room, staring at a small figure on her shelf. “It’s much more entertaining out there, I suppose. But don’t you fret,” she turned away, her eyes glued to the door, her mind reassuring her of what was to come the moment she stepped out. “I don’t think you’d like the sensation of it in the least,” her voice cooed, as if she had to remind the home that she’d be back. It was then it became apparent that this room was the only home she had.

“Don’t wait up,” she chuckled, turning to the darkness behind her. “What a shame that’d be.”

[johnhardinsawyer]

Truly Blessed

John Sawyer

Bedford Presbyterian Church

2 / 2 / 20

Matthew 5:1-12

Micah 6:1-8

“Truly Blessed”

(Kingdom Qualities in the Real World)

There is a great struggle going on in our culture, and country, as well as deep within ourselves.  This is a struggle that shapes the language we use, and the way we see the world, and the ways we classify ourselves and others, and whether or not we are fearful or hopeful, constructive or destructive.  And, it all comes down to how blessed we are vs. how blessed we feel.

It could be argued that if you woke up with a roof over your head this morning and were able to have something to eat for breakfast, then you are, by many estimations, blessed – or more blessed than some people are.  But, it could also be argued that maybe the house in which you awoke or the breakfast that you ate wasn’t as nice as it could be, so maybe you don’t feel as blessed as much as you perceive other people are.  There are those who wake up in the morning, knowing that they have been blessed in so many ways, but finding themselves fearful that they might lose their “blessed” status or that their blessings will be taken from them by “those people” – whoever “those people” might be.  There are also those who might wake up in the morning, who do not feel as blessed as they could be or should be, based on history, or race, or gender, or what they may have heard from somebody else – telling them that they deserve to be more blessed than they actually are.

Being blessed and feeling blessed can get complicated in the world in which we live.  Everyone is trying to feel blessed – or trying to stay blessed – but because of so many competing factors, some people feel more and/or less blessed, depending upon the moment, or the day, or the place in life where they find themselves.

Jesus doesn’t make it any easier for us.  On the surface, as he begins his Sermon on the Mount, his list of who is “Blessed” and what it takes to be “Blessed” sounds nice enough.  But, upon closer reading, we see just how challenging Jesus’ words are and just how different his perspective is on what it means to be “Blessed.”

After Jesus called his first disciples by the shores of the Sea of Galilee, he went throughout the surrounding region,

. . . teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.  So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them.  And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.  (Matthew 4:23-25)

Wherever Jesus goes, he draws a crowd – “crowds” of people from all walks of life, especially those who have been suffering from physical and mental illness – and he stops on a mountain or hillside to tell them a few things about how he sees the world, and how he sees the kingdom of heaven at work in the midst of the world.

As we start to look at this list of “Beatitudes or “Blesseds,” we should note that for Jesus, the word “blessed” could be translated as “happy,” but a more fleshed-out translation would read, “You are blessed, you are the fortunate and privileged recipients of divine favor.”[1]  For Jesus, being blessed means that  “You belong to God.  God is on your side.  God is with you.  God loves you.  And, you belong in the kingdom of heaven.”

As Jesus is proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, he is describing a kingdom that is like no other we have ever seen or known.  It definitely doesn’t look or sound anything like the kingdoms and nations of the world in which we live.  In fact, the Beatitudes shed light on exactly how the world in which we live doesn’t look at all like the world God intends.  For New Testament scholar, Stan Saunders, the Beatitudes are “rooted in a radically different perception of the world.”[2]  The Beatitudes were – and are – radical all, right.

Remember, that for Jesus, “blessedness” does not necessarily equate with “happiness,” and Jesus describes a variety of different circumstances that you and I would not consider “happy” – or even “blessed” in the slightest.  “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” he says – those who, for the sake of the kingdom trust in God to supply what they need each day.  Think of the people who have nothing and yet still survive because God provides –people in refugee and migrant camps, or, who live in the woods in Manchester or couch-surf in Bedford, among other places.  

“Blessed are those who mourn,” Jesus says – not just those who are sad because they have lost a loved one, but those who have been damaged by the powers and principalities of the world, who are the victims of oppression and systems that unjustly keep people “in their place.”  These were – in part – the people to whom Jesus was speaking on that mountainside– people in need of a deep and abiding comfort that they were not finding in the world of oppressive empires and great inequality.

“Blessed are the meek,” Jesus says – not the “doormats” or the “passive people,” but those who experience exploitation and do not resort to violence because they believe that God will, in the end, overthrow the powerful and grant them the freedom they long for.  Jesus, in his crucifixion and death, was “meek” in this way – anything but a doormat, anything but passive.  

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” Jesus says – those who yearn for the full restoration of broken relationships and are willing to make themselves vulnerable to enemies, and strangers, and family members in order to restore those broken relationships.  What would you or I have to sacrifice to restore the broken relationships in our lives, or in the life of our country, or in the life of the world?  

“Blessed are the merciful,” Jesus says – those who love their enemies, and strangers, and care for “the least of these.”  To show mercy is to create space for those whose viewpoints are up against a wall with nowhere to go, and to allow them space to turn around, forgiven, reconciled, and restored to full humanity – even and especially those whom we might demonize and disagree.  Mercy seems to have fallen out of fashion in our present age, but Jesus says we need more.  He offers us more, too – more than we will ever be able to use.  

“Blessed are the pure in heart,” Jesus says – those with inner and outer integrity.  There is no hypocrisy or self-serving behavior in them.  And, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” he says – not the “calm” or the “tranquil,” but those who are at work making the world whole – building and sharing God’s shalom.[3]

And then, Jesus brings it all uncomfortably home to his listeners:  “Blessed are those who are persecuted. . .  And blessed are you when you are persecuted” – for Jesus’ sake or for the sake of the kingdom.  If you and I are wondering under what circumstances we might be persecuted, it’s not really about school prayer or saying “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.”  Instead, for Jesus, it’s all about the Beatitudes, because, if you live a life that is poor in spirit, or hungering and thirsting for righteousness, or trying to be pure in heart, or working for peace, or all the rest chances are you won’t get too far in life without frustrating some people and angering others – especially those in power or those who would like things to stay just the way they are.  Jesus found this out, quite quickly, in his life and ministry.  And, as uncomfortable as it might make us – especially those of us who might be considered “blessed” by the standards of the world –  we would be blessed if we found it out, too.  As Stan Saunders writes,

The myths [we] live by [in the modern era] derive from the perception of a broken and hostile creation and a distant angry God, and thus give rise to greed, alienation, and violence.  They teach us that this is just “the way the world is.”  The Beatitudes take us into a different world, with different assumptions, values, and practices.[4]

In other words, Jesus is telling us that in the kingdom of heaven, God says “no” to all of these myths – especially the cynical myth that this is just the way the world is, so why bother?  The Beatitudes are Jesus’ answer to the cynicism of the world.  With them, Jesus is saying that God asks more of us – the kingdom of heaven – with its different assumptions, and values, and practices – asks more of us.  The Beatitudes are a call to action, and, if and when we respond by turning toward and living in God’s kingdom, by “doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly”[5] – however challenging it might be, even if it brings persecution our way – this is when and how we are truly blessed.

Seeking to live in the kingdom of heaven – in what we do and say, in how we live and what we give – means trusting, even in the worst of circumstances, that we are the recipients of God’s divine favor, that God’s love for us is true and unending.  This is what makes us blessed – not anything that we might achieve or any good fortune that may have come our way at birth.  You and I are blessed, by the simple fact, that God loves us – and Jesus calls us to respond to that love with our whole selves:  my mind, and heart, and spirit, and time, and energy, and – if it comes down to it – my very life.  This is what it means to be truly blessed.  

This might not be the way that most people would define “blessed,” but Jesus has a way of turning most of our selfish human notions about such things upside down.  He does this by calling into question the very human notion of what it means to be blessed, but he doesn’t stop there.  On the night Jesus was arrested, he took bread and broke it and said, “this is my body, broken for you.”  And, he took the cup and said, “this is my blood. . . poured out for you.”[6]

I don’t know how blessed you feel, but in the way that Jesus gives himself away – always offering his love, always offering his very self – his very life blesses your life and my life and the lives of every person who is longing to be blessed.  I don’t know how blessed you feel, but the good news of the kingdom of heaven is that you and I are blessed.  You are blessed. . .  May you know it – and live it – truly.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

------------ 

[1] Bauer, Walter.  A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature.  Chicago:  The University of Chicago Press, 1979.  p. 486.

[2] Stanley P. Saunders, Preaching the Gospel of Matthew – Proclaiming God’s Presence (Louisville:  Westminster John Knox Press, 2010) 34.

[3] This interpretation of the Beatitudes is based, largely, on Stan Saunders’ work.  Preaching the Gospel of Matthew. 32-35.

[4] Saunders, 34-35.

[5] See Micah 6:8.

[6] See Matthew 26:26-28.

[chinesefeminism-blog]

FINAL REPORT

SOCL923: Critical Methods in Media and Cultural Studies

Topic: The Stigmatization of Chinese Feminism in Cyberspace

 Module conveners:

Dr Robert Gutsche Jr, Senior Lecturer in Critical Digital Media Practic

YOU WU – MA Media and Cultural Studies

MIN XU – MA Media and Cultural Studies

YUMENG TIAN – MA Media and Cultural Studies

ZHEHUI ZHANG – MA Media and Cultural Studies

Word Count:10082

Abstract:

Our topic is the stigmatization of Chinese feminism in cyberspace. Feminism has always been closely linked with everyone in the society. Feminism have been stigmatized in the cyberspace seriously lead to the gender equality movement cannot be treated correctly. Ultimately, it affects everyone's rights and interests. We have used two methodologies including interview and textual analysis to find out the phenomenon and reasons of the stigmatization of Chinese feminism in cyberspace.

 Introduction:

In traditional sense, feminists are actually who want to fight for gender equality in order to make real equal come true. Feminism plays an important role in the development of the society. Women have been oppressed for thousands of years in china. Nowadays, many gender discriminations still occur in china, feminists want to let people know the stereotype is wrong and must be change. They are actually doing good changes which benefit all the people.

When feminism was introduced into china it has been continued dispraised. Because it has destroyed my peoples’ vested interest. Nowadays in the cyberspace, there are many malicious slander towards Chinese feminism. Chinese feminism has its own disparaging name ‘Zhong Hua Tian Yuan Nv Quan’ which means Chinese feminism are like indigenous and countrified dogs. The phenomenon of stigmatization of Chinese feminism in the cyberspace is very severe.

 Based on the social phenomenon above, this report is going to analyze three questions: 1. What are the concrete manifestations of the stigma of feminism in China's online media? 2. Why feminism is stigmatized in China’s online media? 3. What role does online media play in the stigmatization of feminism in China?

This study is going to make it easier for people to understand why Chinese feminism are stigmatized in the cyberspace. The study is going to be 4 parts: the first part-literature review, this part will introduce the conceptual literature related to this topic; the second part is about the methodology; then the third part will analysis the information which are get from the interview and the textual analysis. Finally, there is a bibliography which according to the APA.

 Literature review:

1.    Feminism & Chinese feminism

The term ‘feminism’ first appeared in France, referring to social theories and political movements that were created and initiated to end sexism, sexual exploitation, sexual discrimination and sexual oppression, and promote equality of the sexes. The themes of inquiry include discrimination, stereotypes, materialization (especially with regard to sexual materialization), body, oppression and patriarchy.

 ‘Feminism is a process of fighting for women’s rights in all aspects of society to achieve gender equality between women and men.’ (Jiqing, 2015) In the Oxford dictionary, feminism means ‘the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes’. What is the pursuit of feminism? There is no clear definition of this issue so far, and feminists who really speak for women groups themselves are divided into many different camps, such as anti-porn, pro-porn, sexual emancipation and cherish the body care for health etc.

At the same time, China's feminism has its own unique characteristics. In the May 4th Movement in 1919, feminism was spread to China. The pioneers of the May Fourth Movement used the feminist issue as a breakthrough to promote individual rights and resist traditional culture. The issue of women’s rights was considered at that time to be the yardstick of modern civilization and the precondition for the liberation of human nature. After the founding of New China in 1949, women’s equal status with men in the law was clearly guaranteed, but in real life, the traditional model of gender relations remained entrenched.

 Generally, feminists are not in the oppressed class and have a higher education level. They belong to the upper class and some of them are the elite of the society. However, most of the oppressed female groups are unaware of what kind of situation they are in. They even challenge and oppose those feminist women. Generalizes the traits of those feminists who are criticized in China as ‘radicalness and self-interest. they are extreme hate to male instead of pursuing gender equality.’ (DuYun F, 2017)

2. Stigma & stigmatization

In talking about the research in stigmatization (not only those of the feminism one), quite a large amount of researches have been conducted on this topic in different fields. There has been 50 years’ history of the research of stigmatization. Stigma was first proposed by the sociologist Erving Goffman in his book called Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity (1963). This is considered as a starting point for social discrimination. As individuals or groups have some kinds of social unwanted or disgraceful characteristics, other people make their status lower in society. Stigma is the social derogatory and insulting label on these individuals or groups. These labels give them shame and even a sense of guilt, and at the same time lead to unfair social treatment (Scott, 2006). Discrimination is the result of stigma, the attitudes and behaviors of society in depreciation, alienation and hostility towards labeled people.

Also, the early research based on the stigma theory provided by Goffman and combining the analysis of media production (practices), media content (beliefs, attitudes), analyzing the representation of one most deprived public housing estates in the print and broadcast media, trying to figure out what role does media play in the process of stigmatization and the relationship between them. Finally, concluded by examining debates regarding the potential for rehab spoiled identity. A research has been done by Eoin Devereux, Amanda Haynes and Martin J Power (Devereux, Haynes, & Power, 2011), trying to understand the dynamics of and underlying reasons for stigmatization of certain place. The research described contributes to a body of work how mass media and other social forces factor in the creation of negative stereo damage the reputations of the places in which the poor reside.

In recent years, Chinese sociologists have studied and summarized the stigma theory. Guan Jian scrutinized the study of stigma both domestic and abroad in the article ‘The Developed Concept and the Construction of Multi-dimensional Models of Stigmatization’ and used a multi-dimensional hierarchical structure. Analyze the stigma problem from the perspective of the analysis of the model. The study proposed the formation mechanism of stigma, and the theoretical framework of stigma research psychology and behavior. It also summarizes some of the problems and limitations existing in the existing research of stigma theory, and the new progress and future development direction of the stigma theory both domestic and abroad.

3. Stigma of feminism

In 2004, Gregory M. Herek discussed sexual stigma, heterosexism, and sexual prejudice. As is known that research on feminism cannot be separated from sexuality research. Janet K. Swim, Melissa J. (1999) have discussed their survey results in terms of ‘prejudice and fear of association with the lesbian, aiming at avoiding stigma for lesbian by association.’

From a feminist point of view, the stigmatization of feminism in China originates from the society of patriarchy and hegemonic masculinity. Li Yinhe, a famous Chinese sexologist, believes that the contemporary feminist consciousness started to be stigmatized as soon as they were introduced to China.

DaHai H. (2016) has done the research on stigma phenomenon of intellectuals in the cyber space focusing on the promoting effect of cyberspace which produce an example for us to do research on stigma phenomenon.

Methodology:

We have chosen two methodologies during our research including textual analysis and interview. There are some reasons for why we have chosen these two.

 Firstly, textual analysis is non-contact research and objective (content analysis does not target people as objects, there is no interaction between researchers and the subjects being studied, and the researched objects will not respond to the researchers). The subjective attitudes of the researchers are not easy to interfere with research object, this non-contact study is more effective than contact research, easy to quantify and statistical analysis. However, the disadvantage of textual analysis is it cannot reflect the user's subjective perception (non-intuitive). Also, its ambiguity, meaning between the lines of the word is elusive and may have multiple.

 We have collected some typical comments on feminism in China’s online media so that we can know the mainstream opinions on Feminism in China’s cyberspace. it is the basis for us to figure out the reason for the stigmatization of feminism in China’s online media.

 Interview is a main approach to collect data during qualitative research. An interview, basically, is a conversation where several questions are asked and to get the interviewees’ reaction and feedback, not only their answers to the questions, but their facial reactions or gestures they had when answering them. ‘A qualitative research interview attempts to understand the world from the subjects’ points of view, to unfold the meaning of peoples’ experiences, to uncover their lived world prior to scientific explanations.’ (Kvale 2007) To be more specific, the aim for our interview is to have some detailed information of stigmatization of China’s feminism in a certain people’s mind. ‘The research interview is an inter-view where knowledge is constructed in the inter-action between the interviewer and the interviewee.’ (Kvale 2007)

 There are many disadvantages that interview have, including: the lack of privacy, the influence of interviewers, and the difficulty of handling results, interview surveys have a flexible side, but at the same time it also increases the randomness of this investigation process. Different respondent responses are varied and there is no uniform answer. In this way, the processing and analysis of the interview results are more complicated. Due to the low degree of standardization, it is difficult to make quantitative analysis.

 In using this certain research methodology, we had 9 one to one interview and invited 9 of our friends altogether. Each interview took about half an hour and was recorded. The interviewees we invite are those who use online media frequently. in what they comment on feminism during the interview, we could have an overview of what feminism looks like in cyberspace. All of the interviewees are Chinese and they use social media to express their opinions a lot. We want to find out that the status quo of the stigmatization of China’s feminism from their expression. The interview contents were transcribed into texts for qualitative analysis. (Detailed interview questions have been attached at the end of the report)

 But because our sample of interview is small so we have to combine this method with textual analysis to get more data and information. On the other hand, because the interviewees are greatly affected by the interviewer, the lack of privacy can easily lead to inaccurate results. The textual analysis of the contents in cyberspace can make up for this because of the anonymity of the network itself.

 Using these two methods, both collect information in the network and do objective and efficient information collection and analysis. There is also usage of the depth of interviews to understand people’s real and direct understanding of the current status of women’s rights in China.

Analysis and Discussions

1. What are the concrete manifestations of the stigma of feminism in China's online media?

 a. On the cyberspace, there are many biased definition of feminism. A lot of articles and reviews describe Chinese feminism in a wrong way. When searching on Chinese biggest search engine Baidu, using ‘Chinese feminism’ as the key words, half of the results are negative, like ‘feminism in china has such tremendous power’; ‘are Chinese feminism too radical’; ‘why do I think that feminism in China are just like cults?’ etc. The definition of feminism as ‘gender equality’ seems to not apply in China's cyber environment. Chinese feminism seems to be a very terrible figure.

 b. Also, there are many anti-feminist remarks in cyberspace. Many people describe feminism as cancer. As the comment of a Chinese netizen during comment on a news said that ‘feminism are cancer patients’ ask all the Chinese not to pregnant. Most of the time, netizens call feminism as ‘Tian Yuan Nv Quan’ to abuse feminists like dogs.

 2.    Why feminism is stigmatized in China’s online media?

 a. As far as the translation of feminism is concerned, translating feminism into ‘feminist’ is itself biased. Because feminism refers to ‘women’s right’. ‘Feminism’ is not a new Chinese vocabulary but has existed for a long time. Its meaning in Chinese corresponds to ‘Patriarchy’. The analogy in English should be to ‘matriarchy’. The feminism that correspond to male rights/hegemony are naturally misunderstood as ‘female hegemony’.

 b. Feminism in China is at the ‘marginal’ and ‘minority’ status which lack of mainstream guidance for researchers, scholars, etc. Using CNKI, the largest academic search engine in China, the results of searching for the keywords 'female rights' and 'Chinese women's rights' are quite different. China has about 400 studies on ‘female rights’ each year. However, the number of papers on the study of 'female rights in China' is very small. It is only about a dozen in a year. There are 11094 research results from the search for ‘Feminism + China’ using JSTOR. This shows that in China, there are quite a lot studies on feminism, but there are very few studies on domestic feminism. Since feminist issues are often not treasured by the traditional media, the spread of feminism is basically attached to public opinion events and then enters the public agenda through new media platforms.

 c. Feminism in China's cyberspace

 1. One of the most typical phenomena for Chinese feminism is the appearance of those certain kinds of ‘pseudo feminism’, basically refers to some misunderstanding and misuse of feminism due to many different reasons or purposes. As a matter of fact, those ‘pseudo feminism’ is quite popular on social media in China and has quite a great amount of followers. Due to the popularization of this, people may have a quite negative impression on feminism and it may also consolidate those negative stereotyping, and gradually brought about the stigma in the end. Those ‘pseudo feminism’ can be divided into two certain kinds. We are going to have a brief explanation and analysis on both of them.

 The first one can be briefly summarized as the ‘female privilege’. To be more specific, those so-called feminists hold the belief that it is the right for female to enjoy privileges because they are female and it is a ‘weakness’ in gender. For example, for those ‘female privilege’ followers, there is a slogan that summarizes their ideas really well, ‘The man is responsible for making money to support the family, and the woman is responsible for keeping their beauty’ They believe that this is feminism. What is more, they also think that it is men’s responsibility to give up more resources for women. Once men violate their wishes, they will blame them as ‘anti-feminism’ and even have a quarrel on it. Due to this kind of thinking and its popularization on social media, the negative stereotyping of feminism was gradually established.

 2.The stigmatization of feminism in China is probably due to the prevalent radical feminism in cyberspace. It may not be appropriate to name it as feminism because it actually represents a female hegemony.

 The embodiment of those female hegemonists is that they are intent to persuading all the women being independent, regardless of personal situation. They pretend to standing on all women’s shoe, conveying the view that it is men’s fault to ‘leave’ women at home and that all the women should go to the workplace in order to reveal the value of being women. What is more, the radical female hegemonists interfere the personal choices, such as the right of marriage and procreation. The news report headlined “a 51-year-old woman successfully gave birth to a twins” (Weibo@沙和尚的围脖01)was criticized by the pseudo-feminism who hold the opinion that older mothers are the complicity of male hegemony, no matter what the parties really think.

 All kinds of news release online give the angry radical feminists opportunity to find proof of the best male hegemony field, and then advocate the necessity and rationality of female hegemony.

 Another kind of embodiment is that some women are objectifying males by consuming male beauty. Over the last several months, we see increasingly more TV shows, films and commercials featuring good looking guys and targeting female consumers. It is dubbed Nan se xiao fei, literally meaning consumption of the male beauty.

Women Attracted to Male Beauty Consumption has been widely practiced through online media, which is supported by women who reject to situate themselves at the status of being consumed. For the supporters of consuming male beauty, they hold the opinion that they could revise the gender status by situating male at the place of being consumed. Objectifying males, some network terms appears, such as ‘xiao lang gou’, ‘xiao nai gou’ literally meaning ‘little puppy’ with the implication that ‘the good-looking guy who has perfect obedience to his wife/girlfriend’.

 Online media, as the platform of entertainment, provides the pseudo-feminism an easier and wider approach to spreading the concepts contradicted to gender equality.

 d. When we asked interviewees what reason do they think that lead to the stigmatization of feminism, many of them mentioned about the patriarchy in Chinese society. ‘Due to the one child policy and the patriarchal thoughts in China leads to the unbalanced development of gender ratio.’ (Interviewee SHEN, 29, Male)

 From the traditional farming society to the contemporary post-industrial era, the blood of the ancestors has always been flowing in Chinese people’s body. The traditional idea of the generations passed from farming society believed that only men can pass on the blood of the family to next generations, and women just are the accessories of the process of this heritage. "The Confucian believes that the gender relationship between men and women is the birthplace of all human relationships."(Wang Xiaoyan, 1994) And in the long history of China, the statuses of two genders have experienced a long period of inequality.

 Some scholars believe that the main reason for gender inequality in China lies in the fact that Chinese society has a strong preference of boys. The basic reason lies in three points: the succession of generations, the raising of children in order to look after the elderly, and the family power. (Li Huiying, 2012) These have a very close relationship with the family patriarchy. Boy's preference is a structural social problem. It is a complete set of gender mechanism that contains profound gender discrimination. Although the development of contemporary society is already in opposition to this mechanism but it is still not an easy thing to break the traditional concept of genders.

 3. What role does online media play in the stigmatization of feminism in China?

 a. There is no denying that feminism in China do exists many defects or inadequacies (which has been mentioned before) and it is obvious that the development of feminism in China has not yet reached a better state. However, the deviation of online media in reporting ‘feminism’ may also intensify the negative stereotyping and the problem of stigma of feminism in China to some extent. According to the ‘agenda setting’ theory (Lippmann, 1922), ‘the mass media are the principal connection between events in the world and the images in the minds of the public.’ What the mass media decided to focus on may have in influence on people’s thinking. For example, when searching for ‘Chinese feminism’ on mainstream searching website in China, negative news reports, although having the lowest frequency of occurrence, still occupied a considerable portion (seeing the picture below). Under this circumstance, combined with the established negative stereotyping of feminism, the problem of stigmatization may be intensified.

 Image：Percentage of reporting attitude towards feminism

 b. From a media perspective, the growing stigmatization of feminism in recent years is inseparable from the media's attention economy. The rate of the click of news reports is directly linked to the economy, and they are becoming convertible. Therefore media tends to incite the emotion of audiences, causing the audience to discuss the news stories. The media is about to pan-entertainment.

 Many self-media use feminism theories to pack their own attractive but wrong ideas in order to attract audiences in exchange for benefits. Digitization caused a first wave of ‘viewer empowerment’, and the second wave was from the technological infrastructure of the internet. (N Helberger, 2008) In eyeball economy, it is no longer that media decide what audiences receive, but audiences have choices, breaking the previous frame of the consumer. Media started to cater to audiences’ tastes. Although the attention economy has brought short-term benefits, it will damage the content of feminism in the long run, weaken the influence of feminism and make feminism criticized by people.

 Besides, when we focus on the platforms of Weibo and WeChat, we can divide these into two kinds of social media by their features. One is about spread among strangers, and one is about interactions with friends and acquaintances.

...thirdly, it’s also decided by the features of social media, for example, Wechat is for a social circle of people who know each other, like colleagues, friends and families... but Weibo is a circle of strangers. The information on Weibo is too large and people think that nobody knows them so they would like to say their true opinions and don’t care what other people think. It’s so easy to go extremely. However on WeChat, things are different... (Interviewee XUN, 22, Female)

Because of the differences between Weibo and WeChat, people tend to use more euphemistic terms in WeChat when talking about feminism, and sometimes even avoid discussing this topic in order to get a more smooth situation in interpersonal communication. While in Weibo's stranger social circle, people will be more direct and radical to express their views

c. ‘Populism is defined as a thin-centered ideology that considers society to be ultimately separated into two homogeneous and antagonistic camps, “the pure people” versus “the corrupt elite,” and which argues that politics should be an expression of the volonté générale (general will) of the people.’(Mudde, Rovira, Cristóbal, 2017) The cyberspace has the characteristics of equality, freedom, and low barriers to entry. It is precisely because of these characteristics that cyberspace has become a focal point for populism. As a representative of elite groups, feminists are stigmatized in the populist trend of thought.

 In China, many feminists are highly educated. Most of the feminists who have spoken in the network are senior intellectuals who have received gender education abroad. In cyberspace, those who anti feminism are generally not educated in formal feminism. The degree of education naturally divides netizens into two classes. In today's cyberspace, some populists with populist tendencies are not necessarily populists. Netizens made judgment only by the identities to determine right and wrong. It is more like an irrational way of not seeing facts to distinguish between right and wrong.

There are a lot of 'grassroots' netizens on the Internet. The level of education of these netizens is uneven, their ability to express each other is different, and their personal qualities and life experiences are very different. When they need to express themselves on a certain problem, the expression of each person are all different. Some people can rationally and restraintly discuss things. Some people, regardless of facts, love to talk dirty. Like one of the interviewee Kelly said:

‘Chinese netizens can be effected by public opinion easily. When one person stands out and expresses his/her negative views on feminism, many people only shows their agreement after reading. There are few people are really willing to seriously think about the implications of this matter. They do not necessarily understand feminism, nor do they also understand the status transitions that women are actually taking place in today’s society. Anyway, I was very annoying about those keyboard man.’

The lack of content review and checkout mechanisms is also an important reason for the irrational arguments of the populist ideological trends and opinions in the Internet. As a platform for public expression, the Internet platform is necessary to properly monitor and review the content. In today’s Chinese Internet, extreme irrational remarks about feminism often appear in various social media and forums. The discussion and dissemination of these remarks will increase its influence, affect more netizens and make more emergence of irrational speech on feminism.

 d. Due to the anonymity of the Internet, negative thoughts and emotions expand proportionately. The Spiral of Silence Mode (Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann,1993) has been challenged by the high-level right to speak through online media. The theory points out that if a person feels that his/her opinion is a minority, he/she is less likely to express himself because he/she may fear revenge or isolation by the majority of the parties. Because of the anonymity and autonomy of online media citizens, most users are more willing to freely express their opinions on social media, which means for those anti-feminist, the online media gives them a relatively safe place to stigmatize feminism.

 Media bulit a symbolic reality called “pseudo-environment”，which influence the objective judgment of the audiences to the reality. ‘People construct a pseudo-environment that is a subjective, biased, and necessarily abridged mental image of the world, and to a degree, everyone's pseudo-environment is a fiction. Human behavior is stimulated by the person's pseudo-environment and then is acted upon in the real world. Some of the general implications of the interactions among one's psychology, environment, and the mass communications media are highlighted.’(Walter，1922)

 At the same time, due to the new media has the characteristics of interactivity, with large amount of information, one-sided narration and fragmented information also makes the spread of communication more irrational, ‘they are based on means of modern communication and digital information technology, highly interactive, diversified in the forms of presentation, and constantly innovative.’(Lei and Liang, 2017) Everyone can access to new media and put forward their own perspective. Many participants are advocators of patriarchy because they want to keep the advantages from this kind of oppression of women, so they always say some crucial words on social media to avoid feminism.

Conclusion & Reflection

 Because of the misunderstanding of the term ‘feminism’ caused by translation from English into Chinese, and the impediments of the vested interests of the original patriarchal system, the development of feminism in China is difficult. Chinese feminists are a marginal minority group. The various characteristics of the network have also exacerbated the stigma of feminism in the Internet. In the process of social progress, the resistance is inevitable when changing people's stereotype. Feminists must adhere to their ideals and convictions. The government must also supervise these erroneous remarks on the Internet. Only do so can gender equality comes true.

 In our interview, we only had 9 interviewees. All nine interviewers were university graduates or above. They were relatively same in education and their media habits were similar. We have not come into contact with people who are extremely resistant to feminism. If we do this research further, we will take the initiative to reach out to some people in the network who oppose women's rights and interview their opinions. At the same time, due to the device, we didn’t record video. some facial expression or gesture may be missed out. We will also pay attention to this point later.

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 Appendix:

 Interviewee 1: Cassie (23, Female, Media and Cultural Studies, Postgraduate)

Interviewee 2: Kelly (23, Female, Advertiser)

Interviewee 3: Kang (24, Male, Bachelor of Food Engineering)

Interviewee 4: Yang (23, Male, Electrical Engineering, Postgraduate)

Interviewee 5: Shen (29, Male, Business Staff)

Interviewee 6: Xun (22, Female, Work for Self-media about Feminism)

Interviewee 7: Nan (24, Female, Media, Postgraduate)

Interviewee 8: Yi (24, Male, Bachelor of Life Science, Postgraduate)

Interviewee 9: Wen (21, Female, Computer Science, Junior)

 Interview1: CASSIE (23, Female, Media and Cultural Studies, Postgraduate)

Q: Have you ever heard about feminism?

A: Yes, I first heard about this before I went abroad, but things seem to be different on various social media platform. On Weibo, basically something not very good in fact, like “rural feminism” or and other negative adjectives, but on Facebook always very positive.

 Q：When did you start to know about feminism? Or from when you start to think that feminism is becoming an issue?

A: When I was in university, I first saw something about feminism, but at that time I felt that it doesn’t have much relation with me. After I came here and having some course of gender studies, I realized that feminism really has some close connected with me, and my career marriage will always be influenced by the notion of equality between men and women.

 Q: What do you think about feminism?

A：I think feminism is not only for the benefits of female, but male’s benefits as well. Stereotyping and consolidated gender discrimination may also be a big press for male.

 Q: Could you use some adjectives to describe what the feminism is?

A：Aggressive, hard and lonely

 Q: Do you think it is a commendatory term, a derogatory term or a neutral word?

A：I think it differs from language. In English it seems to be a neutral word, while in Mandarin, it seems to be more aggressive, especially when some people misunderstand it and use this word for their own purpose. So from my personal point of view, in China feminism has much more negative meanings than that in western countries.

 Q: Do you think feminism is related to yourself?

A：Of courses, I think feminism has a really close connection with me. My career, my family and my marriage in the future, all of them will be affected by the development of feminism. My rights as a woman can be protected.

 Q: How do you think about the negative comments on the internet about Chinese feminism? And how is your feeling?

A：I think the growing of feminism has some influence on those people with vested interest, so it is unavoidable that there will be some counterattack in public opinion and the consolidated inherent concept as always difficult to be changed.

 Q: Have you ever seen some contexts about feminism on any platforms? What is that? By what means did you find it? Did you search it for purpose? Could you please describe a little for us? Why do you think you can still remember this context? What was your first response or feeling when you first saw this context?

A：Basically in Weibo, sometimes on Facebook as well, usually articles from some feminism opinion leader or some articles about the development of feminism like the “me too campaign”. But nowadays...some more articles about the gender inequality in workplace.

When I need to use these things in my essay, I will search for them in purpose, but usually I see those things in casual, but I will forward it when I have same feeling with it.

I think the reason why I can remember those things is that it is closely connected with my life in the future, and I also want to avoid bad things like gender discrimination in my life and career in the future.

 Q: Have you ever brought out your opinions about feminism on the social media?

A：I basically don't send related content. The main reason is that very long ago I didn't really understand this concept, and I thought that women's rights had nothing to do with me, so I wouldn't send them. But now I have learned a lot about the content of feminism. I also think that I don’t know much about it, I dare not send it, and I’m afraid to say the wrong thing.

 Q: What do you think about the status quo of Chinese feminism?

A：I think the status of women's rights in China is still not very optimistic. It is mainly because the environment does not support the development of women's rights. I feel that many national policies are against feminist rights. For example, many feminist movements’ leaders were expelled from the rental house by the police.

 Q: What reasons do you think that lead to this result?

A：I think that the problem is still about vested interests. Women's rights affect some people's vested interests, so they rush back. There is also a national policy that now has a tendency to make women return to their families.

 Interview 2 KELLY (23, Female, Advertiser)

Q:  Have you heard about feminism?

A：Yes, I’ve heard about it.

 Q:  When did you start to know about feminism? Or from when you start to think that feminism is becoming an issue?

A: When I was in high school, I saw some news in the news. When I see this feminism information, I’ve notice that there are more information in European and American.

 Q:  What do you think about feminism?

A：I think feminism fights for women’s equal status as men. I think this is very meaningful for women.

 Q:  Could you use some adjectives to describe what the feminism is?

A：Realistic, positive and brave.

 Q:  Do you think it is a commendatory term, a derogatory term or a neutral word?

A: I think it is neutral. Because feminism itself is the declaration of women’s rightful right. Since it is a proper demand, then it shouldn’t be judged to be right or wrong.

 Q:  Do you think feminism is related to yourself?

A: As for me, it’s OK. Women are in dominant place in my workplace. Also, I haven’t met any unequal treatment in my life. However, the phenomenon of inequality between men and women in the elders is still very obvious.

 Q:  How do you think about the negative comments on the internet about Chinese feminism? And how is your feeling?

A：Chinese netizens can be affected by public opinion easily. When one person stands out and expresses his/her negative views on feminism, many people only shows their agreement after reading. There are few people are really willing to seriously think about the implications of this matter. They do not necessarily understand feminism, nor do they also understand the status transitions that women are actually taking place in today’s society. Anyway, I was very annoying about those keyboard men.

 Q:  Have you ever seen some contexts about feminism on any platforms?

A：Yeah, on ZhiHu.

 Q:  What is that?

A：Mainly different people's interpretation of feminist cognition.

 Q:  By what means did you find it? Did you search it for purpose?

A：I haven’t taken the initiative to search, sometimes see the relevant posts.

 Q:  Could you please describe a little for us?

A：Because many people now have an excessive interpretation of feminism, that women want to have higher status than men, or want to obtain more rights than men through feminist movements. But in reality, what women need is only the weakening of gender significance, not being materialized, assuming due obligations and responsibilities.

 Q:  Why do you think you can still remember this context?

A：Because feminism itself is a very controversial topic, the appearance of such a positive message seems to be very comfortable, and it feels that some people are still sober.

 Q:  What was your first response or feeling when you first saw this context?

A：I feel they are reasonable. It’s actually what I think.

 Q:  Have you ever brought out your opinions about feminism on the social media?

A：No, I haven’t. I almost never comment on controversial topics in social media.

 Q:  What do you think about the status quo of Chinese feminism?

A：People are still at the first stage of learning about feminism. Too many people have excessive interpretation of feminism and lack proper understanding.

 Q:  What reasons do you think that lead to this result?

A：The society does not give a clear attitude to feminism. At the same time, there are many pseudo feminists who use the feminist topic to exchange concepts in certain feminist events and cause people to misunderstand feminism.

 Interview 3 ZHENG YUEKANG (24, Male, Bachelor of Food Engineering)

Q: Have you heard about feminism?

A: Yes.

 Q: When did you start to know about feminism? Or from when you start to think that feminism is becoming an issue?

A: When I looking something on Weibo, I see it inadvertently. Then I start to get to know about feminism.

 Q: What do you think about feminism?

A: I think it’s literally reasonable.

 Q: Could you use some adjectives to describe what the feminism is?

A: Ideal, advanced for contemporary society, inevitable process of future.

 Q: Do you think it is a commendatory term, a derogatory term or a neutral word?

A: Commendatory term, at least neutral.

 Q: Do you think feminism is related to yourself?

A: A little bit.

 Q: How do you think about the negative comments on the internet about Chinese feminism? And how is your feeling?

A: The negative comment is not because most people think that feminism is wrong, but there is a contradiction between the social process at the present stage and the ultimate goal of ideal feminism. It needs to be step by step. It’s like...socialism is also still in its infancy? On the other hand, feminism on the Internet lacks a specific standard. Feminism itself is still on the primary process of development, so it’s easy for people with undesirable motivations to use it as a tool for their own profit, such as some bloggers who gain profits by posting chicken soup contents and inciting negative emotions on Weibo and etc. This is the reason for many men and women who originally understood and respected women’s rights then resistant to feminism.

 Q: Have you ever seen some contexts about feminism on any platforms? What is that? By what means did you find it? Did you search it for purpose? Could you please describe a little for us? Why do you think you can still remember this context? What was your first response or feeling when you first saw this context?

A: Probably more on Sina Weibo, although it is popularly recommended and often very confused, I generally support and understand the normal one.

 Q: Have you ever brought out your opinions about feminism on the social media?

A: Basically not, this is not something I can change and help.

 Q: What do you think about the status quo of Chinese feminism?

A: Confusion, there is no uniform standard, Chinese feminism is easy to be used by people with ulterior motives, but in some aspects is more advanced than some countries in the world. The public needs to be properly guided and scientifically developed.

 Q: What reasons do you think that lead to this result?

A: China hasn’t developed wavy well. The quality of the people and the economy are not well-developed. In such a situation, it is unrealistic to realize communism directly. The same holds true for feminism. It is unrealistic to make feminism developed advanced in a short time. Some Chinese feminists are bent on developing feminism as the developed countries. The ideal is good but ignores the process. If there is an authoritative institution and correct appeal and guidance, let feminism and other parts of the Chinese society develop at the same time, and it will be getting better and better in the long run.

 Interview 4 XIA YANG (23, Male, Electrical Engineering, Postgraduate)

Q: Have you heard about feminism?

A: No

 Q: When did you start to know about feminism? Or from when you start to think that feminism is becoming an issue?

A: From my high school.

 Q: What do you think about feminism?

A: Sometimes reasonable, sometimes extreme.

 Q: Could you use some adjectives to describe what the feminism is?

A: Respect, fair

 Q: Do you think it is a commendatory term, a derogatory term or a neutral word?

A: Neural

 Q: Do you think feminism is related to yourself?

A: No

 Q: How do you think about the negative comments on the internet about Chinese feminism? And how is your feeling?

A: Nothing

 Q: Have you ever seen some contexts about feminism on any platforms? What is that? By what means did you find it? Did you search it for purpose? Could you please describe a little for us? Why do you think you can still remember this context? What was your first response or feeling when you first saw this context?

A: No

 Q: Have you ever brought out your opinions about feminism on the social media?

A: Never

 Q: What do you think about the status quo of Chinese feminism?

A: I haven’t seen it.

 Q: What reasons do you think that lead to this result?

A: History, customs

  Interview 5 SHEN (29, Male, Business Staff)

Q: Have you heard about feminism?

A: Yes, of course

 Q: When did you start to know about feminism? Or from when you start to think that feminism is becoming an issue?

A: I first knew about this on social media platforms like renren.com and Sina Weibo, at about 4 to 5 years ago.

 Q: What do you think about feminism?

A: Well I think the appearance and popular of feminism is an unavoidable tendency during the process of the development of society and I believe that feminism is a part of the equal rights.

 Q: Could you use some adjectives to describe what the feminism is?

A: equal, respect, independent

 Q: Do you think it is a commendatory term, a derogatory term or a neutral word?

A: neutral word

 Q: Do you think feminism is related to yourself?

A: I think so, because...you know, it is something that connected with the “political correctness” and I also have some communication with women in my work every day, so I do have some awareness of feminism.

 Q: Have you ever seen some contexts about feminism on any platforms? What is that? By what means did you find it? Did you search it for purpose? Could you please describe a little for us? Why do you think you can still remember this context? What was your first response or feeling when you first saw this context?

A: Yes, usually something like the feminism campaign, bad news like sexual harassment, some marriage-related topics and discussion on the behavior and dressing of Chinese male and female etc. In fact, some of its remarks are quite extreme. I won’t search those things for purpose.

 Q: How do you think about the negative comments on the internet about Chinese feminism? And how is your feeling?

A: I think it is because some so-called “feminist” in China are not the real feminist, but the female privilege, which means that female should have more privilege because female is the weaker one. I am very disgusted with this to tell the truth, but I’ll not pay attention to this.

 Q: Have you ever brought out your opinions about feminism on the social media?

A: No I haven’t, because this topic is quite sensitive.

 Q: What do you think about the status quo of Chinese feminism?

A: I think... well to be honest, Chinese feminism hasn’t reached the status to realize that feminism is to fight for the equal rights, they are just thinking about the privilege.

 Q: What reasons do you think that lead to this result?

A: 1. Due to the one child policy and the patriarchal thoughts in China leads to the unbalanced development of gender ratio

2. The status of women has always been oppressed by feudal ideas, so that it cause too much negative emotion when feminist thoughts went into China

3. Due to physiological congenital structures, women are more likely to be affected by emotion.

 Interview 6 XUN (22, Female, Work for Self-media about Feminism)

Q: Have you heard about feminism?

A: Yes

 Q: When did you start to know about feminism? Or from when you start to think that feminism is becoming an issue?

A: The first year in the university

 Q: What do you think about feminism?

A: I think feminism in China has a more serious polarization: one is those extreme one which means ‘female hegemony’, and the other one is those ‘fake feminism’ and advocate incorrect values. Because of this, those who really want to advocate feminism in China were regarded as the ‘rural feminism’ (a malicious calling for feminism in China). From my personal idea, I think that the real feminism is quite simple actually. Feminism means that everyone, both men and women has the rights to choose or reject something.

 Q: Could you use some adjectives to describe what the feminism is?

A: equal, neutral, no label, no stereotyping, diversified and respect

 Q: Do you think it is a commendatory term, a derogatory term or a neutral word?

A: A neutral word

 Q: Do you think feminism is related to yourself?

A: Of courses, compared with men, women are faced with problems, difficulties and challenges due to gender since their birth.

 Q: Have you ever seen some contexts about feminism on any platforms? What is that? By what means did you find it? Did you search it for purpose? Could you please describe a little for us? Why do you think you can still remember this context? What was your first response or feeling when you first saw this context?

A: I have seen some of it like videos or articles. For example, the documentary of Jane Austin and some beautiful stories that properly explains what feminism is. On the contrary, of courses, some discriminatory opinion as well. I’m not searching these things for purpose but I am always quite sensitive with this topic.

 Q: How do you think about the negative comments on the internet about Chinese feminism? And how is your feeling?

A: Well in fact, even coins have two sides. I can understand why some people don’t accept feminism at all for China has been a feudal great power for thousands of years and the notion of feminism wobble the male privilege. On the other hand, those ‘fake feminism’ misuse feminism and make others have a misunderstand on it so that people may have a negative stereotyping on feminism. I feel quite helpless about this. I hope someday in the future, people can change their mind on it.

 Q: Have you ever brought out your opinions about feminism on the social media?

A: Yes! I’ve just done this today.

 Q: What do you think about the status quo of Chinese feminism?

A: I think basically it is showing a positive tendency, more and more people are now aware of fighting for equal rights, but on the contrary, it seems that the government’s policy direction seems to be different, so it is unclear that how will the development of feminism in China in the future.

 Q: What reasons do you think that lead to this result?

A: Well there may be many different reasons I think. Roughly speaking, firstly, the government didn’t take an appropriate leading role; secondly, the notion of feminism hasn’t been popularized; thirdly, it’s also decided by the features of social media, for example, WeChat is for a social circle of people who know each other, like colleagues, friends and families...but Weibo is a circle of strangers. The information on Weibo is too large and people think that nobody knows them so they would like to say their true opinions and don’t care what other people think. It’s so easy to go extremely. However on WeChat, things are different… Finally, I think we are lacking of researchers in feminism and gender studies, the main communication channel is social media so basically, feminism in China are lacking of theoretical bases.

 Interview 7 NAN (24, Female, Media, Postgraduate)

Q: Have you heard about feminism?

A: Yes.

 Q: When did you start to know about feminism? Or from when you start to think that feminism is becoming an issue?

A: I have had some shallow ideas of equality between men and women from my childhood, but started to understand systematically from high school.

 Q: What do you think about feminism?

A: This is a way for women to fight for equal rights. I don’t think if women are actually equal to men or not is not so important. What is important is that, for women, if we have certain rights, we must bear the corresponding obligations.

 Q: Could you use some adjectives to describe what the feminism is?

A: -

 Q: Do you think it is a commendatory term, a derogatory term or a neutral word?

A: Neutral

 Q: Do you think feminism is related to yourself?

A: Yes.

 Q: How do you think about the negative comments on the internet about Chinese feminism? And how is your feeling?

A: Many publicity stunts on feminism lead to the misunderstandings that feminism means women enjoy more benefits rather than equal rights. And many women think men should accommodate them for love. Actually I think feminism is not wrong, but over-feminism is wrong.

 Q: Have you ever seen some contexts about feminism on any platforms? What is that? By what means did you find it? Did you search it for purpose? Could you please describe a little for us? Why do you think you can still remember this context? What was your first response or feeling when you first saw this context?

A: I thought of an exhibition called ‘What did I wear at the day of being raped’. It’s a great example. Many women being raped are always asked the question like ‘What did you wear at that day?’ But actually from this exhibition we can know that most of them were not exposed wearing and even had little femininity. Some of them wore sports wears, even police uniforms when they were raped. I think it’s really disrespectful to women and feminism asking questions like that.

 Q: Have you ever brought out your opinions about feminism on the social media?

A: Yes

 Q: What do you think about the status quo of Chinese feminism?

A: -

 Q: What reasons do you think that lead to this result?

A: In essence, it is because the social environment and the women’s misplaced status.

 Interview 8 YI (24, Male, Bachelor of Life Science, Postgraduate)

Q: Have you heard about feminism?

A: Yes.

 Q: When did you start to know about feminism? Or from when you start to think that feminism is becoming an issue?

A: I started to know about feminism from high school history classes. My history teacher introduced the feminist movements in 20th century at that time. When in college, touching more information, I started to think that feminism is a very important social issue.

 Q: What do you think about feminism?

A: I think this is a method for women to obtain equal rights and opportunities for themselves through public opinions, movements, and struggles in the context of social secular rules. Under the guidance of feminism, women can organize and plan to reflect their demands to society and the government, causing public opinion. Again, this is a challenge to the existing social rules. Starting from feminism, more and more people are beginning to voice for their equal rights.

Q: Could you use some adjectives to describe what the feminism is?

A: Equal; challenging; changing

Q: Do you think it is a commendatory term, a derogatory term or a neutral word?

A: Neutral word. The concept of feminism is not to say that we encourage women to grab benefits for themselves but to change the current situation of unequal social identity between two genders. The eventual purpose is not that women’s position is higher than men’s. It’s to say that they are both equal, including political position, economy and education.

Q: Do you think feminism is related to yourself?

A: Yes. The rights of women can not only rely on women, they need help from men, and vice versa. It’s a win-win.

Q: How do you think about the negative comments on the internet about Chinese feminism? And how is your feeling?

A: Everyone's views on feminism are determined by their experience and level of education, so it is normal for negative comments on feminism to appear on the Internet. Especially in China’s environment, there are some remnants of men’s patriarchy in the tradition. Sexism prevails in all aspects of society. For example, people prefer boys and believe that only boys can pass on to generations. When looking for a job, they are also treated different genders differently. Chinese people have a relatively late understanding of feminism and they have limited access to them. Therefore, when information about feminism appears on the Internet, many people, especially those with low education level and older people will make negative comments based on their experiences.

Q: Have you ever seen some contexts about feminism on any platforms? What is that? By what means did you find it? Did you search it for purpose? Could you please describe a little for us? Why do you think you can still remember this context? What was your first response or feeling when you first saw this context?

A: I have less contact with feminism, and often through the Internet and reading some WeChat articles. What I’ve seen is that in 2015, five feminists were arrested. I saw this on the wiki. I found some related reports in order to understand the truth better. This content is: These five feminists have appealed for feminism and LGBT people’s rights through artistic performances and exhibitions. They were then arrested by related organizations and finally released under the pressure of international public opinion. I was deeply impressed by this because of the unfair treatment. The first time I heard this news, I felt that the five women were very brave. I also felt that the struggle was long-term.

Q: Have you ever brought out your opinions about feminism on the social media?

A: No. It is difficult to bring out some different opinions on Chinese social media. The police may find and arrest you due to your comment.

Q: What do you think about the status quo of Chinese feminism?

A: The status quo is that there is a seemingly equal right for men and women, but if women want to fight for their legal rights as western women do, it’s not easy to achieve in contemporary China.

 Q: What reasons do you think that lead to this result?

A: The social ideology of Chinese male superiority is too deep-rooted. Women themselves are very inadequate in their understanding of their rights. They are in the weaker side of the society and have no ability or opportunity to fight for their own rights and interests.

 Interview 9 WEN (21, Female, Computer Science, Junior)

Q: Have you heard about feminism?

A: Yes, but I don’t know much about it.

 Q: When did you start to know about feminism? Or from when you start to think that feminism is becoming an issue?

A: Recent 2 or 3 years. But I feel that I received a lot of influence of accesses to feminism. It may be I know more after I entered the university and get along with other people who know this much.

 Q: What do you think about feminism?

A: Nothing to feel. However, quite a large part of the people does not really understand feminism. They are pursuing the banner of feminism and equality between men and women but actually they are just women superiority or men superiority. Some people only one-sidedly emphasize some rights, benefits and even privileges that women should or expect to receive. They do not really treat women and men on an equal position. They regard themselves as weak and do not pay attention to their own growth and development. They only expect and demand. Men and society are unreasonably tolerant of their own deficiencies. This to a certain extent also debases women and feminists, and actively reduces the status of women below men.

 Q: Could you use some adjectives to describe what the feminism is?

A: Domineering, independence, emancipatory, unruly

 Q: Do you think it is a commendatory term, a derogatory term or a neutral word?

A: Maybe...neutral I think. After all, it’s kind...good and bad mixed.

 Q: Do you think feminism is related to yourself?

A: Well...not so much. Know something, changing a little, but still be myself, you know.

 Q: How do you think about the negative comments on the internet about Chinese feminism? And how is your feeling?

A: I think there are two kinds of comments. One is that they just don’t what to know about feminism, not listening to any reasons or arguments. Another one is that people grab the part of immature ideas of feminism and misunderstand it. Besides, many women just follow these immature or...we can say...wrong ideas, regarding themselves as advanced feminists, saying some stupid opinions. No people like that. Chinese feminism still has a long way to go.

 Q: Have you ever seen some contexts about feminism on any platforms? What is that? By what means did you find it? Did you search it for purpose? Could you please describe a little for us? Why do you think you can still remember this context? What was your first response or feeling when you first saw this context?

A: I can’t remember well. My friend told me that in Vatican City, there are some naked people shouted ‘God is a girl’? I don’t know...I think it’s too much. I don’t like it and can’t understand why they are so extreme.

 Q: Have you ever brought out your opinions about feminism on the social media?

A: Not very much. But sometimes if I feel touched for certain contents maybe I would like to repost.

 Q: What do you think about the status quo of Chinese feminism?

A: Extreme people are not too many but the traditional opinions are not easy to be changed. People know that feminism is something good but still hard to change our mind.

 Q: What reasons do you think that lead to this result?

A: Traditional patriarchal opinions, lack of education, phenomenon that people already have some misunderstanding and prejudice about feminism.

[theemotionalactivist-blog]

#1 - Have a Sense of Humor The world is not going to change overnight, no matter how hard you work. Take time out to laugh at how messed up things really are. Take time out to laugh at yourself and the incremental changes that you and others are striving so hard for. A good chuckle now and then keeps things in perspective and may actually make you feel better about the work you have accomplished. Making fun of yourself and other activists may be a form of critique, and we all know that... #2 - Critique is Necessary and Vital Analyzing what went wrong and what went right about an action or a campaign may help you to not repeat the same mistakes twice. Listen to what others outside your group have to say, especially the opposition, which may be the perfect foil for your cause. Many great activists and revolutionaries engaged in rigorous self-criticism to realize what they did right or wrong. Luckily, unlike Che or Durruti, we don't have to do it under a hail of bullets (at least not yet). #3 - Treat Everyone as Individuals It irks me when Marxists and Anarchists refer to "the masses" or when anti-corporate activists refer to their peers as "MTV kids." By lumping people into faceless categories we forget that we are dealing with people who have reasons for believing the things they do, whether it is family upbringing, the influence of religion, or state propaganda, or just growing up in this damn culture. When you approach people as individuals, you remember that once upon a time you, too may not have had the beliefs you do now and may have been alienated by how some activists can come off when trying to spread their message. And so, the most important aspect of reaching out to people may not be what you have to say but actually to... #4 - Listen to What Others Have to Say and Know Your Audience Sometimes people's responses to what you have to say may be the best guide for learning what you shouldn't do next time. When you know who you are speaking to, you can craft your message it appeals to them. This is something the Christian Right learned long ago in their direct mail campaigns. For example: By knowing your audience you can personalize the issue so that is not some abstract cause that they cannot relate to their everyday experience. If you are talking about immigrants' rights to some middle class white people, you can preface your point by mentioning "Imagine if this had happened to your grandparents when they were trying to escape the (famines, wars, genocide, intolerance) that brought them here." If you are talking to some kids on the street about how McDonalds is fucked up, don't just dwell on the facts that they kill millions of animals every year and use beef grown on former rainforest land. Many of the kids in my neighborhood can relate to the fact that McD's pays bad wages and makes you work long, grueling hours. And oh yeah... ditch the highfalutin lingo! If you insist on "subsuming the other" and "deconstructing the privileged hegemonies of socioeconomic systems" then don't expect much of a response. If you know your audience then you can talk to them at their level, not Foucault's. Besides, those big words are a privilege of those lucky enough to have been college educated and can set up an uncomfortable power dynamic. What's the use of promoting social change when you convey it in an elitist fashion? #5 - And Stop Screaming All the Time! Yeah, we're pissed off but if we are always screaming at people instead of talking to them, then they won't listen. So before you go to a protest, go work out or jog or something. You'd be surprised how people respond when you talk politely to them. There is a time for anger, and then there is a time for discussion. So think before you scream. #6 - Single Issue Activism can be Problematic While we all have certain issues that are closest to our hearts, we shouldn't close our minds to the possible interconnections between these issues or stop from examining how they may have similar historic roots. Sometimes single-issue activism can be very detrimental, such as how some environmentalists echo right-wing propaganda about immigration or how some anti-racist activists are just as homophobic as the KKK. #7 - Having Progressive Politics doen't Exempt You from Being an Asshole There are more than a few "progressive" people who are sexist pigs or hold some pretty questionable ideas about race and class. And activists can be just as cliquey and backstabbing as frat-people. The redeeming thing is that at least by getting involved the door is open for talking about these issues, right??? #8 - You Can't Save the World via E-mail Alone Your computer is a product of the techno-capitalist system and whatever good you do with it does not equal the power it has given Corporate America. No matter how efficient, technology can never replace the power and intimacy of human communication and contact. The internet itself was designed by the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency as a way to decentralize communications in the advent of nuclear war. And over 98% of the internet's usefulness has been in speeding up commerce for speculative investment by very wealthy people all over the world. Admittedly, the internet has increased our communications and has helped to make progressive movements more globally linked; the Zapatistas may have been crushed if not for the e-mail updates they sent out during their uprising. But we can't rely on techno-activism all the time. #9 - Leave the "isms" at Home "So that's nice. You are a (insert typical social change label here)." To most people who don't share these beliefs, these labels are loaded with media stereotypes and corporate propaganda that demean the positive aspects that these labels carry for you and me. For example, after saying to someone "I am a multiculturalist," he responded with "So you hate white people?" Instead, I should have said, "I believe in seeing race as a historical construct; it is not real in any physical or biological sense, but people are manipulated into believing that it is and treating it so." And maybe that would have spurred some lively discussion. So before you announce yourself as some left-wing "ism-ist", consider what may be going on in someone else's head about what you label yourself. Just think of what you considered a "communist" or "anarchist" before you became so enlightened; what do most people hear about these terms from the media? Let your actions define you, not your "ism's" #10 - Lifestyle Fascism Sucks! A major problem with many activists is instead of personalizing the political, they politicize the personal. Finding flaws in other people's lifestyles becomes something of a hobby for many progressive-types, instead of identifying and deconstructing the institutions that are the source of violence against humans, animals and the environment. It is an easy way out of making real change happen by just attacking this or that consumption pattern. What we need to remember is that by identifying certain aspects of Western lifestyle, such as meat-eating, smoking, or not boycotting the latest trendy issue, we are forgetting that it is the whole damn system that is wrong. Our power is more than our pocketbooks alone. To make real change we need to organize and find things that more of us have in common, not alienate others because they don't conform to some lifestyle guidelines. Why recapitulate the authoritarian tactics of the Christian Right or corporate America? Let people decide for themselves what they can or cannot boycott and get off the moral soapbox. #11 - Ha! Ha! Ha! You're Gonna Burnout!!! Few things hurt our causes as much as exhaustion and the implosion of those who have just "had enough." You make bad decisions, you alienate friends and family, your personal hygiene takes a nosedive. You know what? You need a break! Take a nap, paint a picture, do something to relax your mind and body. Let your energy and zeal come back. Activism is tough and victories can be few and far between, so learn and take it easy. Even Assata Shakur says that the most important thing is to grow personally, to maintain relationships and hobbies. The revolution doesn't need zombies or robots. It needs people. #12 - Stop the Sectarianism Of course, this is like asking for tropical weather in Binghamton, but hey, might as well. From petty internecine squabbles at the local Food Coop to writers of The Nation insisting there are two (or more) "Left's", the movement has fractured and fragmented into so many little cliques and ideologies that you wonder what we have in common anymore other than our dislike for each other. While some of the bitterness is left over from past counterinsurgency operations, such as the FBI's Cointelpro and the CIA's Chaos, a good deal of it is just because of activists who have split due to personal disagreements and arguments over ideology and strategy. Wherever I have been, it always seems like this one doesn't like that one, that group betrayed the cause, this one is a sellout, that one is too extreme, etc. As dismaying as this is, there are still so many people working for change that I must ask: can't we agree on certain vital things? Do we have at least a common enemy? Can we forget our differences and actually work towards some sort of consensus so that we stop shooting ourselves in the feet? If you are new to activism, stay above the pettiness and concentrate on the issues at hand. If you are from the old school, then us young folks need your experience, not your gripes and grudges. #13 - Redefine Activism Activism is an accepted cultural niche in our society. C'mon, we all know the stereotypes: bad dresser, self-righteous about this or that issue, screaming and chanting, holding up signs, getting dragged away by cops, etc. But by becoming part of this "activist" culture we alienate many whose side we are supposedly on. How many people can relate when they see media-bites of these "wackos?" How often do we feed these stereotypes? But look what is happening. More and more people fighting for social change are just "regular" people: a one-day general strike by NYC cabbies in May 1998 virtually shut down the city; thousands gathered to demonstrate against anti-gay violence in NY in October 1998; recent general strikes in Puerto Rico and Colombia had hundreds of thousands of participants; 40,000 construction workers in NYC protesting non-union contracts, etc. And then there are the selfless acts we will never hear about: people forming support groups and discussion groups; people identifying who they are and where they fit into this society; people choosing to boycott some product or lifestyle, when and if they can. These are just people responding to the basic stimulus that their lives are being fucked with and they are not going to sit back and take it. These are activists as well. This is how revolutions come about. People who consider themselves "activists" have to break out the preconceived molds and listen to what people are really talking about. Anarchism, multiculturalism, feminism, communism, veganism are all just words until our actions give them real meaning and we define for ourselves what our activism really is. Until then, activism is going to be this small, accepted, ineffectual cultural niche that alienates the people who it is supposed to be reaching out to.

[jansegers]

Simple English Word List

SIMPLE1540 : a simple English wikipedia word list based on the XML export of all articles related to the nine major groups: Everyday life, Geography, History, Knowledge, Language, Literature, People, Religion, and Science and retaining all word forms appearing 7 times or more in this corpus. The total number of words in this corpus is well over the 100.000 words. a A.D. ability able about above absence abstinence abstract academic academy accent accept access accord account across act action active activity actual actually ad add addition adherent adjective adult advance advice affect after again against age agnostic agnosticism ago agree agreement agriculture air alcohol all allow ally almost alone along alphabet also although always amateur amendment among amount an analysis ancient and angel animal annals anonymous another answer anthropomorphism any anyone anything aphasia appear apple apply approach archaeology architecture area argue argument around arrange art article artificial artist ask aspect associate association astronomy at atheism atheist atomic attack attempt attribute audience author authority available average avoid award away B.C. baby back background backpack bad bah balance band baptism base basic basis battle BCE be bear beautiful beauty because 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competition complete complex compose composer computer concept conception concern condition confuse confusion congregational connect connection conquer conquest consciousness consider consistent constitution construct construction contain contemporary content context continent continue contrary control convention conversation conversion convert cook cooking copy core correct could council country course court cover covered create creation credit crime critical criticism crop cross crust cultural culture current currently daily damage dark data date day dead death debt decadence decadent decide declaration decline deconstruction deep define definition deity demonstrate denomination department depth describe description design detail determinism developed development device devil diagnosis dialect dictionary die difference different difficult difficulty diphthong dipstick direct directly dirt disagree disambiguation disbelief discipline discover discovery discussion disease disorder distance distinct distinction distinguish distribution divide divine do doctor doctrine document dog don't door down Dr. dream drink drown druid due during dynasty each earlier early earth easier easily easy eat economic economics economy ed edge edit edition editor education effect eight either electric electricity electronic element elevation else emperor empire encyclopedia end energy engine engineering enlightenment enough enter entertainment environment environmental epic episode equal era error especially establish etc. etymology even event eventually ever every everyday everyone everything evidence evil evolution evolve exact exactly example except exchange exist existence expansion experience experiment expert explain explanation express expression external extinct face fact failure fair faith fall false family famous far fast father feature feel feeling female feudal few fiction field fight figure file find finding fire first fish fit five fix flow folk follow food for force foreign foreskin form formal former fortune fought foundation founded four fourth frame framework free freedom frequently friend from front fruit full function functional further future gas general generally generation genre geographer geographic geographical geography geology geometry germ get give glass global go god gold golden good government grammar great greatly green ground group grow growth guide guillotine hair half hall hand handbook handicap handle happen happens happiness happy hard have he head heading health hear heat heaven help hemisphere her here heritage hero high highly him himself his historian historical historiography history hold holy home homo hope hot hour house how however human hundred hunter hypothesis hysteresis I ice icon idea identify identity if illiteracy illiterate illusory image importance important impossible improve in inc. incense include increase indeed independence independent indigenous individual industrial industry influence information 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mediterranean medium meet member memory men mental mention mercury message metal method mid middle might migrate migration military millennium million mind minister minute misconception miss model modern modernism modernist moment money monologue monophthong month monument moon moral morality more morning most mostly mother mount mountain mouth move movement much museum music musical musicians must my myth mythology name narrative nation national nationality native natural naturalism naturally nature near nearly necessarily necessary need negative neither neologism network neurogenesis neuron neuroscience never new news newspaper next night nine no non none nor normal normally not note nothing noun novel now nuclear number object objective objectivity observation observe occupation occur ocean octane of off offer office official officially often oil old older on once one online only open opera opposite or oral orbit order org organization organize origin original originally orthography orthology other others our out outer outside over own oxygen p. pack pagan page paint palace paper paradigm parent parish park part participant particular particularly party pas pass past pasta pattern pay peace peer penguin penis people per percent percentage perception performance perhaps period peroxide persecution person personal personality perspective persuasion pet phenomenon philosopher philosophical philosophy phoneme phonetic phonetics photo phrase physic physical picture piece pilgrimage place plan planet plant plat plate play please poem poems poet poetry point pole police policy political politics polytheism polytheistic popular population position positive possession possible possibly post power powerful pp. practical practice praise pray prayer precise predict prediction prehistory present preserve press prevent priest primary principle print printing private probably problem process produce product production professional program project pronounce pronunciation proof property prophet propose prose proselytism protection protein provide province psychological psychology public publication publish publisher publishing punishment pure purpose put pyramid quantum question quickly quite quote race racial rack radiation radio rain range rate rather read reader real realism reality really reason receive recent recently reclamation recognize record recreation red ref refer reference referred reform reformation regard region reign rejection relate relation relationship relatively relativity reliable relic religion religious remain remember remove renaissance replace report republic request require research researcher resource respect response result resurrection retrieve return revelation revert review revision revival revolution rhetoric rich right rise ritual river rock role room royal rule ruled ruler run rural sacred sacrifice safe saga sage saint salad same sample satellite saw say schizophrenia scholar school science scientific scientist scope sea 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system table take talk tam tan task teach teacher teaching technique technology tectonics teeth tell temperature template temple ten term terminology territory tertiary test testament text textual than thank that the their theism them themselves then theology theoretical theory therapy there therefore thesaurus these they thick thing think third this those though thought thousand three through throughout thumb thus ticket tight time title to today together toilet tolerance toleration tongue too tool top topic total towards tower trade tradition traditional train translation transport travel treat treatment tree trench trial tribe tried trig true truth try turn twentieth twenty two type typical typically ultimate ultraviolet under understand understood union unit united universal universe university unknown unsortable until up upon upper urban urbanization usage use useful usually valley value van vandalism various vassal vegetable verb verbal verse version very video view violence virgin visit vitamin vocabulary voice vol. volume vowel vs. wale wall want war warm warmer wash waste water wave way we weak wealth wear weather web website weight well what when where whether which while white who whole whom whose why wide widely wild wilderness will window wisdom wise witch witchcraft with within without witness woman word work worker world worship would write writer writing wrong yam year yellow you young your

China, March and May made this list because china, march and may are on it and I didn't want to decide in favor of the common noun or the proper noun; all other proper nouns have been omitted (even the ten other months that met the criterium of appearing more then 6 times). #SimpleWikipedia #SimpleEnglish #wordlist #English #words #level1540 #Inli #nimi #selo1540

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Tonight`s Full Snow Moon + Lunar Eclipse Are Charged With Cosmic Power. Here`s How To Activate It

Lights, camera, action! Friday, February 10, brings the moon in theatrical Leo as well as 2017's initial lunar eclipse, sending out a cosmic spreading call. This is a day to tip out as well as allow your abilities radiate-- but always remember to be an appreciative audience member, too. This lunar occasion is the end result of any kind of efforts started six months ago at the Leo new moon. As Leo policies creative thinking, glamour, love and fertility, many of us will be "offering birth" this weekend break, seeing our efforts emerge in a strong and also attention-getting method. And also love could be off the charts ... so why delay for Cupid's arrows to strike? (Review your love horoscope to discover just what the stars state about the item of your affections.) The Leo complete moon lunar eclipse begins the very first in a two-year eclipse series to strike the Leo-Aquarius axis. These enthusiastic moonbeams will definitely bring some red-carpet magic to the world-- Grammys Party anyone? And also right before Valentine's Day, the lovestruck Leo power might bring a couple of charming transformations our means.

Eclipses are harbingers of sweeping modification, speeding up inevitable actions as well as pushing us to search in new directions. The Leo-Aquarius series will play with the equilibrium in between Leo's opulent aristocracy and the neighborhood 'one love' spirit of Aquarius. The battle in between the 'riches' as well as the 'have-nots' might obtain intense, and we'll all need to find out a few lessons about when to share (Aquarius) when to spoil ourselves (Leo). Exactly how can we preserve our originality as well as still become part of the cumulative human race? When united in the finest feasible way, the crossbreed of Aquarius and Leo could bring a full-on revolution of love. We are so all set for it! The Friday evening lights will certainly indeed be brilliant, as the Leo full moon eclipse will increase in tandem with a flyby of an emerald eco-friendly comet. Comply with the yellow block road? The penumbral eclipse will certainly happen at about 5:34 p.m. EST and the moon will certainly reach its top at about 7:33 p.m. You could look for the Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdu šáková-- aka the 'New Year Comet' throughout the early hrs of Friday evening as well as Saturday morning. Whew! That's a lot of daydreaming to absorb. And also if cloudy wintery skies obstruct your sight you could still take in the spirituality of the February complete moon. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the moon in February is additionally called the Full Snow Moon, given that the heaviest snowfalls have a tendency to happen this month. (Today's impressive snowstorm that pummeled the East Coast was certainly a measure of that!) Throughout Colonial times, the Full Snow Moon was called by Native Americans as a method of tracking the seasons. So whether you're snowed in, right here are a few stimulating winter routines to harness the power of the Leo full moon eclipse:

1. Attach to the Self, peaceful the mind.

Proud Leo has a credibility for proclaiming their own horn without a second thought. There's absolutely nothing outrageous regarding a little self-promotion under the light of this complete moon eclipse. Sharing our gifts is an act of kindness, as long as our objective is to uplift others instead of serve our very own vanities. That claimed, all ego-related issues drop under the guideline of the Lion's domain.

Flip with Eckhart Tolle's A New Planet: Stiring up to Your Life's Objective for an enlightened perspective on getting rid of the grasps of the ego (which is the shadow side of the Self). In Tolle's definition, vanity is not about vanity and also pride. Instead, it appears as the harmful voice of self-hatred, limiting beliefs, as well as the safety covering we keep between ourselves as well as others. When we launch the ego, we become present to the feeling of oneness that we share with others. Trigger the power of the complete moon in Leo to appear the boundaries of vanity and also reconnect with the global human spirit. As you sit to meditate, bring your focus on your breath as well as recite the mantra, "I am you and you are me."

2. Provide on your own authorization to brag.

Ego apart, we all of something worthy of crowing from the roofs, as well as the Leo moon is the perfect chance to do simply that. In our society of self-deprecating cool, pumping ourselves up is frequently discredited-- yet at what cost? Inning accordance with "enjoyment revolutionary" Regena (Mama Gena) Thomashauer, boasting is an essential antidote to the culture of embarassment that females have acquired as a heritage. In her College of Girly Arts, she motivates individuals to boast happily, openly as well as usually as a confidence-boosting form of extreme vanity. She suggests doing it as a structured workout, where each individual takes a turn boasting and also the listener cheers the boast on. As grads of Mama Gena's Mastery program, we recommend embracing this revolutionary technique for a week (or also an endless time!). As well as indeed, guys can do it too! As soon as the preliminary awkwardness passes, bragging puts us in contact with the wonder of our very own special magnificent gifts-- and a deep thankfulness for the lives we get to live-- which's something the moon in Leo adores!

3. Perform a courageous act.

Brave Leo is the zodiac's hero, constantly going to gamble or speak out when nobody else dares. There's a distinction between being bold and also fearless. A fearless person may be out of touch with truth, a courageous individual 'feels the fear, but does it anyhow.' As well as did you understand: courage can actually be a kind of prevention versus health issues? Anxiety is connected to anxiety, as well as stress and anxiety is one of the triggers for many illness. Don't bother that concern also quits us from living our dreams, going after happiness and also feeling the untainted joy that Leo is everything about. Take a look at The Concern Remedy: Cultivating Nerve as Medicine for the Mind, Body and also Soul, by Dr. Lissa Rankin for a healthy confidence boost.

4. Give birth to creativity.

Leo is the indication of fertility and this complete moon eclipse is ripe for creation. If you've been struck by baby high temperature, this is the week to take definitive activity. Or, reduce ties to the commitment-phobe in your life (due to the fact that they will likely never ever quit fluctuating) as well as discover a Valentine that shares your need to construct a family members, be it with all-natural birth or adoption. If IVF therapies are something you are seeking to check out, establish a medical professional's consultation, or simply get to babymakin' the natural method. Figuratively speaking, this complete moon may be signaling a time to bring to life a creative venture. Begin that vegan food vehicle company, compose the rundown to your autobiography, or begin painting the next work of art that you'll contribute to your oeuvre. Have a look at cost-free business training videos from our buddy Marie Forleo for additional inspiration! Taking the very first step near this complete moon puts the power of the cosmos behind your efforts.

5. Open your heart and also lengthen your spine.

Every zodiac sign is related to a various location of the body. For Leo, it's the heart, upper back and spine. Unfurl that yoga exercise mat and also collaborate with the power of the Leo moon eclipse by doing yoga exercise stances like Wheel, Bridge, or Camel The key to safe backbending is to go into the position through the heart (thus why these presents are described as 'heart openers'). By bringing your interest to the heart-opening element of the pose first, you can much more naturally lift from the lower back to lengthen the spinal column upwards. Incentive: Invigorating these Leonine body parts will certainly assist you link to the Lion's pledge of imagination, fertility, love as well as limitless self-expression.

6. Dive right into primal dance or join a drum circle.

Full-bodied expression is just what this Leo lunar occasion is everything about, so bailamos, people! This moon was indicated to be invested in the dancing floor or also doing an extra spiritual kind of movement like Contact Improv or Thrilled Dancing. Obtain lost in the rhythm ... but don't quit there. Dancing for a cause! Since February 14, 2012, V-Day developer Eve Ensler has led 1 Billing Climbing, an around the world activity to dance for completion of violence. Like a worldwide flash mob with a reason, join the dancing change and arrange your very own public drum and also dance occasion, or sign up with one near you.

7. Step into the spotlight.

We are all regal in our very own specific means. Where do YOU preponderate? Raise the drape: It's formally showtime, as the Leo moon wants us to flaunt our skills like today was a planetary cabaret. Ruptured onto the world phase in one of the most extravagant means feasible. Luxe Leo enjoys when we shimmer, flash, and also drip in conflict-free rubies. After all, this is the indication that rules pleasure, indulgence, and also robust self-expression.

Break out the bangles, leading hats and plume boas! Glamazon Leo adores strong shade, intense prints and staged costumery. Like youngsters playing dress-up, this moon encourages us to reveal ourselves with bold fashion options. The Leo complete moon adores creativity. As opposed to fade into the masses, wear something that stands apart, be it a statement necklace or a burlesque professional dancer's headdress. Clothes like these are novelty, besides, as well as the social Leo moon urges us to break the ice as well as talk with strangers.

8. Practice the art of storytelling.

Playful Leo is the zodiac's infinite child, for life loaded with marvel. While Leo stories can run long (' Obtain to the point currently!'), here's a fun fact for anybody that has to give a presentation: The classic art of narration is in fact one of the most powerful method to turn on the mind. While a blasé speech might obtain our language processors moving, tales can stir up various other regions of your brain. Defining, for example, a delicious meal will illuminate the audience's sensory cortex. And also as YOU obtain lit up by a sensuous allegory (buttery parsnips, throaty voice!), your audience has the specific same reaction. Storytelling links us in a special means-- a lot like the zodiac's tribal Lion, that invests life in a tight-knit community.

9. Pick love ... and also create it!

Romance, passion and lust loss under the domain name of Leo: that tasty minute when a stimulate of tourist attraction ends up being a burning flame of desire. If we're feeling a little lusty this week, it's not a surprise. This full moon has us all wired on lush life-force power. Allow it surge with your capillaries, bring it to the bedroom or take it for a twirl on the dancing floor. There's a wild, Large Pet cat lovin' energy in the air, so let your hair down and enjoy. Meow.

Lovestruck Leo recognizes that love permits us a direct connection to the divine. Whether solitary or promoted, we could trigger the spirit of amore by making a vision board/collage of our romantic perfect. Sit down with a stack of publications, scissors, a glue stick and also an item of poster board. Curate, reduce out and also gather pictures that make your heart go pitter-patter. Paste them down on the board, after that, analyze and examine the last collage. Just what do you see? You'll be delighted by your very own subconscious signs. That knew you wanted THAT?

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10 Simple-minded Ways To Heal A Broken Heart

I cant do this anymore.

The terms still reverberating in your ears, ricochetting around until they land like a punch in the gut. Youre instantly transported to a new world, one you didnt know existed before this moment. A world-wide and life without your beloved.

It doesnt feel real. You pinch yourself to wake up from this nightmare, but youre still here, still revolving from this declaration, this revocation of love.

Warm snaps stream down your face until you begin to sob, that terrifying uncontrollable sobbing that leaves you gasping for air. You want to hide away, cry yourself to sleep, and somehow magically feel better tomorrow.

Weve all been here. Or some modification of it. Weve all had our centers cracked and stomped on. Weve all diverted over every moment of our relations in our headings and wondered, What could I have done differently?

But we are now transported into a macrocosm where the love we seemed is grasped away from the americans and dont know what to do with ourselves other than suffers and sorrow our loss.

I recently read a work that briefly touched upon anguish and its advice mostly amounted to go out with your lovers as far as possible. WTF? Thats it? Thats how Im going to heal my mettle? Most of my lovers are scattered in all regions of the world. Becoming out with them every night isnt even a viable option.

How on globe do you turn off those kinds of impressions? What happens to affection lost? How do you mend a broken heart? I decided to investigate how to mend my own shattered heart.

In previous breakups, Ive simply idly fallen into my personal motifs of desire lost. For me, I exclaim, I stay in bed, watch bad tv, chew cookie dough, and hide away from the people who love me. I mainly dont DO anything. I sit and wait.

Because time heals all winds, right? Or does it? If occasion is a construct of our attentions, do “weve been” have to wait for the occur of period, something illusory to mend ourselves? Can we speed up the process of healing our wraps? How much is impossible to ensure our healing through our wars and blueprints?

So, instead of blindly falling into my decorations, I started to ask myself some questions about my habits. Im looking at my structures with enjoying interest, playing with them a little bit, realise what is actually acting me and determining what patterns are there exclusively because of economy, because my memory, form, and nerve are too tired for anything but pattern. And heres what Ive learned

1. Lean Into Sensation

Essentially, everything we know as physical beings comes down to sensation that we name good or bad. When I began to lean into the wizard in my body, requesting what it had to tell me, thoughts began to transform. I asked where the ache lives in my torso. I closed my eyes and supposed symbolizing my excitement. I described what it felt like in writing, how I had to remind myself to breathe and how fascinating the absence of a act- breath and love feels so heavy.

I examined the tightening in my chest, trying not to label it good or bad, just simply as superstar. Human tolerating is predominantly an expression of the results of labeling event as good or bad and right or wrong.

The thing about perception is, its ever changing. It doesnt stay forever. When we change our perspective of know-how merely being a temporary district of existence, it takes service charges out of it, simply through the simple-minded number of observation. In my own experience, the sensation itself tend to change faster the closer I look at it.

By noticing how heavy the fact that there is breath felt, I began to fill my lungs with slower, deeper breaths and learnt my entire being become a bit lighter.

2. Frankie Says Relax

Remember those t-shirts from the 80 s from Frankie goes to Hollywood? Passes out those guys had a good idea.

While this might seem a little bit self-contradictory to simply discovering perception, this practice of tightening your body has slightly different merits. We support so much better tension in our mass on a daily basis, and its even more amplified in times of high-pitched stress.

Make a practice of checking each part of your mas for tension. I like to start out lying down on my back and closing my gazes like I would for savasana. Take a couple of deep sighs, then try to contract and tense up every single muscle in your organization at once. Hold this for got a couple of seconds, then liberate the tension in your whole mas. Repeat a couple of times. I find it helpful to see the comparison in how my person tones between the tension and the relaxation.

Then take it further by slowly checking each part of your form from leader to toe. Tense up an individual muscle group for a moment, then exhaust it. Crinkle your forehead, and handout. Squeeze your eyes tight, and handout. Clench your jaw, and handout. Press your tongue to the ceiling of your opening, then make it hang loose in your mouth.

You get the picture. We all know we view so much friction and stress in our shoulders and backs, but also pay attention to the little neighbourhoods. Tightening the smallest muscle radicals, particularly in my appearance, often prepare the most difficult difference in how I seem afterwards.

3. Move It

Rest is important in mending a middle. But I often situate too much emphasis on it. Yes, I need to take care of myself with sleep and the blessing of stillness. But I now believe it is equally important to move your torso very. The medium of shift isnt important. Just move.

On day one I went to a yin yoga class. While technically moving my body, the needs of the of yin yoga are much less than read a spin class. Yin allowed me to extend my form while still allowing me to appear introverted and my existence internalized which was all I could handle.

On day two I croaked for a four mile walk in the common. I remained my headphones on and didnt talk to anyone, but extended my legs and got plenty of oxygen into my lungs.

This movement is facilitating me hinder some momentum and vigour for other aspects of “peoples lives” I dont want to placed on hold while my centre heals.

4. Reach For A Better Feeling Thought

This one can feel a bit tricky. For starters, the thought of exuberance can feel so far removed from where you are right now. So, start where you are.

If you are depressed, what next best happen can you contact for? Depression is experiencing hopeless, disheartened, retiring. There isnt even any energy around depression. Happiness and desire can feel like a world away from depression.

Can you reach for something that seems slightly better than this powerless desperation? Perhaps hope? Or wrath or storm? Most passions have more vitality behind them than hollow. While temper isnt a situate you want to stay in, it can also stimulus some movement.

What if every day you worked towards an spirit merely one step in future directions you wish to move? Take a look at the Emotional Guidance System scale I formed from Ask and it is Given below. Moving up by one spirit a daylight will put you in a pretty good region in not so long a time.

There is something else to watch out for here. In the midst of my profound bereavement, I have minutes of genuine laugh when I hear something funny. The first few meters it happened, I immediately experienced guilty.

It was as if my feeling good in any way was a disloyalty to my broken heart. My mentality was telling me that if I feel good, its as if I didnt appreciate such relationships as much as I felt I did. Well, that is hogwash. That is my hurt ego talking. My relationship mean and still signifies “the worlds” to me. Tell me be really clear on this point…

If youre having a hard time contacting for a better sensitive conception, try some visualizations. Stay away from thinks about your relationship and cherish. They are very charged topics, so start somewhere easy.

Close your eyes, thought the sentiments of the warm sunlight on your look, and cool breeze on bare shoulders. Dream the flavor of your favorite dinner on your tongue. Dream your abs hurting after a good belly laugh. Improve on this feeling with knowledge from our lives you can draw from. What in your life is full of ease and joy?

5. Surround Yourself With Reminders Of Truth, Beauty, And Love

I have a tattoo on my left forearm that enunciates Love Inspired by a blog upright called the Beauty of the Ellipsis, it serves as a reminder that ardour isnt a finished thinking. It is always in motion, ever deriving. Adoration for myself, my family, your best friend, and those Ive lost.

I have a maple seed necklace to remind me that in every moment Im planting the seeds of my future. I have prisms hanging from my windows for an extra perforate of coloring and rainbows on sunny epoches. I am gradually building a jungle in my house. I fill empty spaces with plants that remind me of life and vitality even on the grayest of days.

Fill your encircles and life with little bits that remind you of what you know to be true, beautiful, and joyful. These neednt be grandiose or expensive, just simply concepts that reverberate with you. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Flowers from Traders Joes. Pinterest board filled with beauty. Follow an inspiring Instagram or Tumblr account. Make or find a mantra. Use Canva to build and print out invigorating paraphrases to embellish your room. Croak for a step and find the perfect stone to bring home. Find a brand-new favorite aroma and spread it around your mansion liberally. Buy new stationary. Treat yourself to a book from Etsy. Draw portrait or stimulating mentions with sidewalk chalk in your vicinity. Find a neighbourhood neighbourhood to make a coffee or tea mug. Alternately, find one that impresses your imagination at Society6. Create an altar or sacred cavity and crowd it with crystals, palo santo, and offerings. Spend day with children. Find reminders of your truism and joy.

These may seem to be insignificant things that are only on the surface, but I find the more I border myself with items that experience whimsical and magical in some small-scale acces, the more Im able to remind myself of how I want to feel in each time. They help me choose to feel glee and magical when I might otherwise choose grief.

6. Self-Care Saturday( Or any era. Or every day !)

We can be quite penalize to ourselves in times of conflict and stress, so take some time to really take care of yourself in some way.

Were all busy and charged with the responsibility, but if you dont take care of yourself first, the main responsibilities can begin to suffer as a result. Im more focused and productive when Ive taken care of my necessities first. I attend to my responsibilities in a bigger and better behavior when my goblet is full , not empty.

Theres a lot of area for reading here as to what self-care consider this to be for each person. While technically, all the suggestions in this article are a species of self-care, I miss “youve got to” block off some time specifically for self-care, mining deeper into what that means for you.

Maybe its taking a long, palatial shower and spending duration pampering yourself with tinctures for your skin that move you feel radiant. It might be spending a duo hours in live animals shelter fondling with puppies and kittens. Perhaps its planning a hot stone rub. Maybe its nourishing your form with vibrant healthy food youve cooked yourself. It might be taking a couple hours to read a book thats been sitting on your nightstand for months.

Tailor your self-care and rotate it into a weekly or even daily ritual.

7. Invest in Yourself

Im willing to bet everyone has something new theyd like to try if merely they had the time, coin, or excuse.

Here is your allow stumble to try that something new.

Did you want to pick up knitting, or perhaps learn to play the guitar? Maybe memorized some bayonet abilities to hoist your prepare? Rock climbing, sky diving, paint, memorizing another language, the possibilities are interminable. You can find a class on just about whatever it is you like online these days.

As progenies, we try brand-new occasions all the time. Its how we discover and change at an exceptional charge. But this slows down as we grow up and our visual field becomes smaller as we narrow down our athletic field. So expand your compass, invest in yourself in some way, and learn something new.

The cognitive requirements of memorizing something new are also welcome to serve as a great pattern of distraction when you need a distraction. Perhaps youll be brought to an end picking up a brand-new hobby, check off another carton on your pail listing, or have a good story to tell.

8. The F wordForgiveness

Ahh, a big creepy one! The topic of forgiveness can be a fiction in itself. Perhaps there is a requirement forgive the actions of your ex, or maybe forgive yourself for your own. Or a combination of both.

We dont always like to forgive people for actions we deem incorrect or unkind because it can feel like we are giving them a free pass. But Ive became aware that maintaining onto exasperation and resentment is always worse. Its a tremendous force suck and you cant find joyful as the same duration “you think youre” feeling justified in your fury. So, I select my own gaiety over my resentment.

Its a choice to make over and over again. Its not easy to forgive in one large-hearted sweeping action. It generally happens in increments. Its helpful to practice radical rapport, vividly dreaming how it feels to be the person who did you wrong. You know most people are essentially doing the best they can with the information they have at each minute. It becomes easier to suppose why they did what they did when you put yourself in their shoes. You begin to feel more empathy for them.

You recognize that the indignation youre accommodating acts no one. And you gradually begin to let it go, piece by piece.

Because forgiveness is not for them, its for YOU.

9. Afford what you wish to receive

I was walking around, detecting like no one loves me, which is totally and completely untrue, but when youre heartbroken, your subconsciou does all kinds of irrational thoughts. I received a pal of mine berth about writing a note of encouragement to a pal, and I wished to be that friend with every fiber of my being. I wanted to open up my mailbox and receive letters of cherish, a validation of the adoration that exists for me.

I expected myself what could I do to feel that adoration? I decided to Pay what I wished to RECEIVE. I started writing words of encouragement and love to pals and strangers alike. All I had to do was write what I wanted to hear, for myself. It was that easy.

This did two things for me.

One, the brain doesnt is the difference between handing, receiving, or even witnessing magnanimity. When you perform an act of kindness, the pleasure and rewards cores light up, releasing feel good chemicals as if you were the recipient, which some psychologists have dubbed the helpers high.

Two, it demo me that we live in a macrocosm of abundance. I dont is a requirement to accumulation away love and kindness to keep it. It actually thrives when I open it away. Its generative. And often, when you demonstrate adore and kindness away, others are inspired to mirror your enjoy and kindness back to you as well as fee it forward to others.

We cannot presume to understand the dominance of the extent of what a few kind words can do for someone and its ripple effect on the world. Win win triumph!

10. Investigate Your Own Patterns

This is by no means a complete list. Merely recommendations of the start of opportunities for your own healing. The biggest occasion you can do for yourself is to get curious, examine your own personal decorations in its own experience of sorrow, and doubt each one.

Hold each one up as they sound and question Does this suffice me?

If the answer is truly yes, keep it. If the answer is no, try something new or the opposite of that first inclination. Play with the brand-new reaction, see if that one provides you better, prepares you feel better both in the present and the long term.

And most important, be gentle with yourself. There are epoch to push your borders, to peruse, and to experiment. But i still have a meter for rest and a is necessary to give. Dedicate yourself the grace to know you are where you need to be when you need to be.

Know that you wont always feel like your centre has been rent out of your chest. Lessen the distance between a shattered heart and a mended middle by experimenting with these alternatives to your motifs. One day youll open your middle again and feel the rushing of falling in love. Youll look into attentions that truly see you and reflect your feeling back to you. And youll be ready for large-scale ardour because youve already done their efforts to heal your middle.

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