#wheres the deep inner soul searching wheres the debate of the meaning of life and ego and self identity

[oflgtfol]

also yknow what im kinda iffy about the bathing in living waters thing as a means of redemption (for reasons that belong to their own post, if i ever figure out how to word it), but the fact that there even is redemption offered despite how strict the helmet rule is, is like. well proof actually that it's not very strict

and the fact is that prior to The Purge, the mines would not have been so hard to access. literally if the city is inhabited, if the surface is not glassed, if there is no debris and shit in the way, then it should by all means just be a walk and a skip down some stairs and there you've arrived to the living waters. it all around seems like a very easy method of redemption which just blows the whole "unforgiving cult!!!" thing out of the water because, like, well it seems very forgiving actually

[salixj]

(December 21, 2020 / JNS) It’s one of the few rap videos around that features a lead singer in frockcoat, tallis and shtreimel—paired with a cascade of gold chains (one bearing a Magen David) and leopard-skin scarf—dancing with guys from the ‘hood facing off against others in Chassidic garb.

As such, “Mothaland Bounce,” where our hero proudly calls himself “Hitler’s worst nightmare,” reveals much about the man behind it and what it means to be a passionate and deeply committed Jew of color.

Because for Nissim Black—successful rapper, father of six and Orthodox Jew—the video makes a strong statement about how Jews of color merge their very disparate identities into a (nearly) seamless whole.

(Fans may want to check out Black’s newest rap video “Hava”—a thoroughly Nissim spin on the traditional “Hava Nagila”—its release timed for the first night of Hanukkah).

Black is perhaps the most famous of today’s Jews of color. (Readers of a certain age will recall when singer Sammy Davis Jr. could claim that honor).

Though the term itself has gained traction in the last decade, there have always been Jews of different races. Scan the globe today, and you’ll find Ethiopian Jews and the African Lemba tribe whose men test positive for the Kohen gene, a marker of the Jewish priests.

What’s more, many Sephardic, Cuban, Mexican and Yemenite Jews consider themselves Jews of color. Not to mention the murky waters surrounding pockets of the Black Hebrews found in Israel (largely in Dimona and Arad in the Negev Desert) and around the Diaspora, many of whom claim descent from the ancient Israelites.

The numbers are equally murky. Estimates range from 6 percent to 12 percent—or even as much as 15 percent—of today’s Jewish population being Jews of color. But there is little in the way of standardized definition of who is a Jew; some studies count all the members of a household as Jewish household when only one member actually is. But when researchers Arnold Dashefsky and Ira M. Sheskin held the disparate estimates of Jews of color up to the light of demographic standards earlier this year, they concluded that the percentage of Jews of color “is almost certainly closer to 6 percent nationally [from the 2013 Pew study] than 12 to 15 percent. And this percentage has not increased significantly since 1990, although it is likely to do so in the future.”

It stands to reason that this year of painful racial tensions across North America could trigger an internal debate in African-American Jews, especially those who came to the faith not through birth or adoption, but who, like Black, embraced Judaism as adults.

And embrace it many of them do—with passion, perseverance and a deep appreciation—often overcoming raised eyebrows, insensitivity and even downright racism in the process. With a surprising number of them finding their spiritual home in Orthodox Judaism.

Nissim Black

Damian Jamohl Black, whom the world knows now as rapper Nissim Black, was born into a family of Seattle drug dealers in 1986. His childhood was pockmarked by FBI raids on his home, his dad was taken away in handcuffs, and he was accustomed to assorted incidents of street violence and crime. By 9, he was smoking marijuana, and plants were growing in his room. By 12, he’d joined the family business.

The only faith Black was exposed to back then was his grandfather’s Islam. His first religious service? A mosque, which he attended until his grandfather went to prison.

But at 13, Black was pulled into Christianity by missionaries. He now says it was the best thing that could have happened to him. “This was the first time I was around people who had normal healthy relationships. No one sold drugs, they had a heart for kids from the inner city, and their summer camp was the most fun I’d had in my life,” he recalls. “Becoming religious saved me from the world of street gangs.”

By high school, he was “the poster child of the missionary center.” That’s when he met the woman who would become his wife. As a Seventh-Day Adventist, Jamie (now Adina) went to church on Saturdays. They wed in 2008 but remarried in an Orthodox ceremony after their conversion five years later.

By 19, Black was making rap music professionally, and his mother died of an overdose. But by 20, Christianity was beginning to feel foreign to him, and he began wondering what the Jews walking in his neighborhood on Saturday mornings were up to. “I went to Rabbi Google and found Chabad.org. And it all began to make sense,” he says. “I told my wife [they were newlyweds] that I didn’t want to celebrate Christmas and Easter anymore. Pretty soon, she was doing her own digging into Judaism.”

The couple’s conversion followed in 2013 and aliyah to Israel three years later. The Blacks now make their home in Ramat Beit Shemesh with their six children, ages 1 to 12. “I wanted my kids to grow up here,” he says, “where they’d see Jews of different shades all praying the same prayers.”

“I’ve checked every box, right?” he says with a laugh. “One rabbi at my yeshivah told me, ‘You have a lot of strikes against you: You’re black, you’re a convert and you’re a Breslov Chassid. And in all these things is your greatness.”

Maayan Zik

Maayan Zik was 13 when her soul woke her up. Growing up in Washington, D.C., with her mom and sister—her parents divorced when she was in first grade, and she didn’t see her dad for another 10 years—she attended Catholic schools and was close with her maternal grandparents, Jamaican immigrants who took her to museums and taught her the value of hard work and education.

Accompanying her Jamaican-born grandmother to church every Sunday, by 13, Zik had “begun to wonder if what my family believes is right for me.” She explored a number of world religions, but when she saw a photo of her light-skinned Jamaican great-grandmother Lilla Abrams, whom family lore says was Jewish, “I realized I had to go way back to find out who I am.”

When she moved to an apartment in 2005 in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., she noticed the previous tenant had a left up a poster of a white-bearded man. “I said to myself, ‘I’m going to find out who you are.’ The man turned out to be the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Two years later, after courses and a summer seminary program, she converted. Thirteen years later, now 36, Zik remains there—with her Israeli-born husband and four children. “This somewhat awkward coexistence that lives inside me” fades into the background when she begins to pray, she says. “Having a personal conversation with God as part of the Jewish people, it’s who I’ve always been; I just didn’t know it.”

Mordechai Ben Avraham

Black and Mordechai Ben Avraham are both African-Americans from the West Coast (Seattle and Los Angeles, respectively), and both found Judaism in their 20s. But their early environment could hardly have been more different.

Growing up in an affluent neighborhood with a successful businessman father and a professor mother, “my focus was on how someday I could make more money than my dad.”

Ben Avraham’s spiritual journey took him from Sufism to the Kabbalah until at 22 he experienced Shabbat in a Carlebach-style minyan. “It was like I was floating in outer space. This is what Jews do? This is amazing! The Torah, the prayers, this beautiful spiritual system God gave to the Jews for people to transform themselves—they literally grabbed my heart.” His conversion was complete in 2013 with his move to Israel three years later.

Now 39, the former TV producer is living in the heart of Jerusalem’s religious Mea Shearim neighborhood, working towards his rabbinical degree and publishing a book on the joys of Torah as a black Jew.

But why would anyone who’s already making a huge leap religiously and culturally choose to embrace Orthodoxy with its full menu of mitzvot, accepting the Torah as Divine and committing to living within halachah (Jewish law)?

“If someone is going to make this big of a change completely based on their need to go beyond, there’s a very real tendency to go what many would consider ‘all the way,’ ” says Henry Abramson, dean of Brooklyn’s Touro College and author of The Kabbalah of Forgiveness: The Thirteen Levels of Mercy in Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s Date Palm of Devorah (2014), among other titles.

A shared history

Much of this tendency to search spiritually can be traced to African-Americans’ religious experience in America, adds Abramson. “Since the 1960s, we’ve seen the phenomenon of questioning the Christianity foisted on their slave ancestors.”

And though Islam has attracted many of these disenfranchised souls—in part, he says, because the black Muslim culture permeated prisons beginning in the 1960s—Judaism offers another option.

Ben Avraham maintains that, in a spiritual sense, Judaism may feel familiar to those raised in the black church. “Like Judaism, gospel Christianity is an intense personal relationship with God without any intermediaries,” he says.

This is a connection Ben Avraham experiences every day of his life. “Living in Mea Shearim, in a fundamental way, I’m around people who are just like me. I just connect with my Chassidic neighbors.”

A growing fissure

But after the 1960s and ’70s, when Jews fought alongside blacks for civil rights in the United States and in South Africa, “there’s been a growing fissure between blacks and Jews,” says Rabbi Maury Kelman who, as director of Route 613, a New York City conversion program, has welcomed many students of different races into his classes.

And, with last summer’s rise in violence between the African-American community and the religious Jewish community, primarily in New York,” says Black, “lately, it’s gotten uglier.”

‘I cried all the way home’

Not everyone in the Jewish community rolls out the proverbial red carpet for someone of color.

After working up the courage to walk into synagogue on Shabbat, Zik couldn’t miss the two women glaring at her, eventually yelling at her to get out and threatening to call the police before giving chase.

“I cried all the way home, but my friends would not let me give up,” she says. “I also knew from everything I’d read about the Rebbe, with his emphasis on love and kindness, that eventually this would be the right place for me.”

“Unfortunately, like in all communities, you’ll find the occasional ignorant Jew or racist,” allows Kelman, who offers programs on the importance of accepting the convert.

A time of racial tensions

With this year’s heated racial debates and demonstrations following the May 25 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, where does that put Jews of color, with feet in both the African-American and Jewish worlds?

Zik, for one, helped lead a rally in Crown Heights this summer where black neighbors shared their experiences with racism. “It was a reminder,” she says, “that the Torah teaches us to protect the rights of all God’s children.”

And the learning goes both ways, she adds. “When black friends ask me if now that I’m Jewish, do I have money? I tell them about the Jews I know who struggle to pay for rent, food and their kids’ yeshivah tuitions. I tell them that, when I’ve had my babies, neighbors bring us meals and help furnish the nursery. People here always want to do another mitzvah.”

Ben Avraham also says he better appreciates African-American history because he is a Jew. “We can see our own story reflected in the Torah,” he says. “Our two peoples had so many struggles just to survive.”

Adds Black: “Just knowing there are black religious Jews can help the two communities see they aren’t completely separate after all—not to judge each other so quickly.”

Kelman agrees. “Black Jews can be a terrific bridge chiefly because they have credibility on both sides. It’s increasingly important to teach our fellow Jews that we’re a family that comes in different colors, that Judaism is colorblind,” he says. “Once they convert, they’re just as Jewish as any of us—and our diversity only strengthens us.”

‘Something bigger than myself’

By the end of “Mothaland Bounce,” the guys from the ’hood and the Chassids are dancing together with Black as ringmaster.

But it may be “A Million Years” that’s Black’s love letter to Judaism.

In this 2016 music video (with singer Yisroel Laub), Black takes a journey proudly carrying a Torah throughout Israel—archeological digs, mountain caves, a busy shuk (marketplace) and Jerusalem’s Old City—turning heads as he goes. (Don’t miss the moment when Black stops to let some haredi kids lovingly kiss the Torah), finally nestling it inside a synagogue’s ark.

“Since I was a kid, I was looking to be part of something bigger than myself,” says Black. “I prayed and prayed, and finally, I knew who I needed to be, a Jew, and where I needed to be, the Holy Land. It took time but now God’s answered my prayers. And one thing I know is that to God there is no such thing as color. He sees us for who we are inside.”

As he raps:

“I came from a distance Where everything was different … I called out to You And You showed me that You listened … I gave my all to You And You showed me who I am.”

[fairfieldthinkspace]

Can the Trauma of War Lead to Growth, Despite the Scars?

By Phil Klay 

When we speak of trauma, it is usually as something to be avoided at all costs. But the suffering that war brings can be a strange and terrible blessing.

This article is part of a series on resilience in troubled times — what we can learn about it from history and personal experiences.

The French weapon deployed against Spanish troops in 1521 was, contemporaries said, “more diabolical than human.” The rapid-firing light bronze cannon shot iron balls that crushed battlements, careened wildly and sprayed shards of stone in all directions. At the Battle of Pamplona, one cannonball twice injured the leader of a small Spanish garrison defying calls for surrender, nearly killing him, first by striking one leg with stone shrapnel, then in the other leg by the cannonball itself. His name was Íñigo López de Loyola. The effect on Loyola was not only physical, but also spiritual: Today, he is better known as St. Ignatius.

Back then, he was no saint. One biography describes him as “a rough punkish swordsman who used his privileged status to escape prosecution for violent crimes committed with his priest brother at carnival time.” But this near-fatal injury changed him, along with a few religious books he read during his exceptionally painful convalescence, in which his bones had to be broken again and reset, and where he came so close to death he was given last rites. He went on to found the Jesuits and send disciples all over the globe, in what the British historian Dom David Knowles suggested was Christianity’s “greatest single religious impulse since the preaching of the apostles.”

When we speak of trauma, it is usually as something to be avoided at all costs. “Interest in avoiding pain,” wrote the utilitarian philosopher Peter Singer, is among “the most important human interests.” And yet soldiers like St. Ignatius, who found in their suffering a strange and terrible blessing, are not rare. Senator John McCain, brutally tortured at the Hanoi Hilton, famously declared himself “grateful to Vietnam” for giving him “a seriousness of purpose that observers of my early life had found difficult to detect.”

His might be an extreme case, but the expectation of exposure to some trauma has long been part of the draw of war. “The law is this: no wisdom without pain,” wrote the ancient Greek playwright and military veteran Aeschylus. “Wanted or not by us, such wisdom’s gained; its score, its etch, its scar in us goes deep.” Perhaps that’s true, but it leaves us with an ugly and, to some, offensive question: Can suffering be a gift?

In the early 20th century, the German writer Ernst Jünger, who had proudly served four years in brutal front-line fighting in World War I, declared the answer was a resounding yes. “Tell me your relation to pain,” he claimed, “and I will tell you who you are!” Civilization before the war had slid into bourgeoise decadence, he thought, fleeing from self-sacrifice and prioritizing safety. But the war heralded a new sort of man.

“Hardened as scarcely another generation ever was in fire and flame,” he wrote of himself and his fellow soldiers, “we could go into life as though from the anvil; into friendship, love, politics, professions, into all that destiny had in store. It is not every generation that is so favored.” Postwar Germany convinced him that the industrialized world these men returned to, which happily destroyed workers’ bodies for the construction of railways or mines, was ruled by the same cruel logic as the trenches. Men would have to rise to the challenge by accepting pain, and accepting the cruelty of the age. This is toughness and callousness elevated to a first principle. Unsurprisingly, many of Jünger’s admirers became Nazis.

One of their victims was an Austrian of Jewish descent named Jean Améry, who after the war forcefully rejected, in the starkest terms, any notions of suffering as a gift. Likewise, notions of stoic detachment born of the trenches were absurd to a man who had been tortured by the Gestapo before being sent to Auschwitz. Améry experienced pain beyond description; he was hung by his arms until they ripped from their sockets, and then horsewhipped. For the tortured man, he wrote, “his flesh becomes total reality.”

More lasting than the pain, though, the experience destroyed his ability to ever feel at home in the world, which requires faith in fellow men. Humans are a social animal, our inner self in constant outward search for communion. Torture inverts that expansive, capacious self into a collapsing star. Whatever you thought you were — a mind, a consciousness, a soul — torture reveals how simply, and casually, that can be destroyed. “A slight pressure by the tool-wielding hand is enough,” Améry wrote, to turn a cultured man into “a shrilly squealing piglet at slaughter.” There is wisdom here, though of a dark sort. “Whoever was tortured, stays tortured.” Améry committed suicide in 1978.

Where does that leave those who suffer? For the medical community, the safest option is addressing symptoms, not metaphysics. The writer and former Marine infantry officer David J. Morris has described his own therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder from his time in Iraq, during which he was urged to retell the stories of his trauma, practice breathing exercises, and reframe his cognitive responses to his environment and his traumatic memories.

But he was not encouraged to grow in response to what he had gone through; when he would try to speculate on how his experience might be converted to wisdom, psychologists would admonish him, he reported, “for straying from the strictures of the therapeutic regime.” One senior psychologist at the Department of Veterans Affairs told him that notions of post-traumatic growth were an insult to those who have suffered. For a medical community grounded in science rather than spirituality, and rightfully leery of telling the Amérys of the world to look on the bright side, suffering is no gift.

But another current can be found in theories developed during the Vietnam War. The study of psychological trauma suffers from what the psychiatrist Judith Herman has called “episodic amnesia,” in which periods of active interest, frequently following wars, are followed by “periods of oblivion.” But the generation of soldiers disaffected from war during Vietnam organized and demanded the first systematic, large-scale investigations of war trauma’s long-term effects. In addition to a medical diagnosis — PTSD was added to the American Psychiatric Association’s official manual in 1980 — many of these same veterans and their allies argued for the spiritual and moral significance of their condition.

Psychiatrists like Robert Jay Lifton and writers like Peter Marin argued that the suffering of Vietnam veterans was not simply neurosis, but appropriate moral response to horror. “All men, like all nations, are tested twice in the moral realm,” Mr. Marin wrote. “First by what they do, then by what they make of what they do.” Rather than numbing themselves to pain, they needed to sensitize themselves, to become alive to the “animating” guilt they supposedly lived with. Guilt forces the suffering consciousness outside of itself, the theory goes, sparking empathy and a drive to make reparation.

Whether guilt results in healing, though, is debatable. Some of the most fascinating research on growth after war trauma emerges out of a four decade-long study initiated by Zahava Solomon, which followed the PTSD trajectories of veterans of the 1982 war in Lebanon and the Arab-Israeli war of 1973, also known as the Yom Kippur War. A 2016 analysis of Israeli P.O.W.s from the 1973 war, who faced systematic torture, deprivation and social stigma, did find that those who reported the most guilt about their experience also reported the most growth. However, those veterans also had greater reports of PTSD symptoms as well. As Aeschylus warned, the wisdom they felt they had gained came with deep scars.

None of this would likely have surprised Ignatius of Loyola. In his tradition, suffering was at best a mystery: God never really answers Job, and Christ’s prayer to “let this cup pass me by” goes ungranted. As a Jesuit friend recently told me, suffering is never a gift, never truly willed by God; suffering is real, and awful, and not to be forgotten. “Consider how the Divinity hides Itself,” Ignatius’ followers have been directed to ask for hundreds of years, “how It could destroy Its enemies and does not do it, and how It leaves the most sacred Humanity to suffer so very cruelly.” But of course, that doesn’t mean that we cannot respond to such suffering with grace.

Phil Klay is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, a visiting professor at Fairfield University and the author of “Redeployment,” winner of the 2014 National Book Award for Fiction, and the forthcoming novel “Missionaries.”

[badirp]

here at bad intentions our member groups are based on precious jewels and because these should embody your character and who they are we allow you to look through them and decide based on your own opinions where each character belongs. no two characters are completely the same and we understand sometimes choosing a member group because of this can be difficult so we ask you to choose the one you feel applies best and to go from there. these are more than suggestions but less than rules, so feel free to get creative.

ALEXANDRITE at their very core alexandrites are mysterious; striking yet reserved, accomplished but not an expert at any subject. they’re a talented bunch, but can suffer from a changeable mood that leads to boredom and instability. with their fluctuating mood, they find it difficult to open up or express their emotions to their closest friends. at their worst, this causes them to have low self-esteem and leads them to isolate themselves further. that being said, they will also go above and beyond when they care for someone and make an effort to ensure that those they care for are happy and satisfied. they can be incredibly hard workers once they find their passion, but this is a lifelong struggle they will either conquer or fail.

AMETHYST amethysts are eternally hopeful, can be counted on for their positive attitude, and attract friendships with their can-do nature. they’re the type to search for the nugget of good news even in the most dire of situations. slow and steady, there are marked by their empathy and intuition; they almost have a sense of situations developing before the building blocks are in place. despite this, their generous nature can lead them to be taken advantage of, and they often fall for deception due to their overly trusting nature. their intuition can also be their downfall, as the amethysts believe wholeheartedly that their judgment is correct, and they barrel headfirst into trouble with this mindset. due to their self-sacrificing nature, they struggle with being the victim of a situation, or becoming a martyr for those around them.

AQUAMARINE much like the vibrant color of their namesake, the aquamarine’s shimmer with life and instantly brighten any room they’re in, mostly as they grandiosely drape themselves across the piano. they live in the moment, from one adventure to another, without stopping to make plans for the future or think about their retirement fund. but this way of life usually brings them luck and they often find themselves surrounded by wealth. perhaps, this is down to their inner observant nature and talent for conversing with others. yet, their rebellious nature, and inability to do something if they’re told to, might eventually lead them astray. deep down, the aquamarine’s just want to be noticed and have that one person give them the attention they desperately want.

DIAMOND the diamonds are bulldozers in human form; they will rise to any challenge presented to them and often go beyond common expectation. their willpower is breathtaking and they have an inner-drive to go after their life goals. but their ambition and self-serving personality can lead them to be described as cut-throat and callous. still, the diamonds only see what they want to, and often ignore any criticism given to them by others. they stubbornly change the world around them into the reality that they want, but often it’s exactly the opposite of what those closest to them want. diamonds will find their greatest struggle in learning to relate to others and believing others care for them.

EMERALD often emerald’s bother everyone around them as they can’t sit still, it’s impossible for them to remain still and they fiddle with any objects near to them. it’s a disaster to put them anywhere close to a business meeting. they learn best by rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty, but they will only ever work on their own terms. it’s impossible to motivate an emerald as they already possess an inner self-confidence and any directions fall on deaf ears. they’re beautifully strong, and not only posses a hardened mind, but a usually athletic body as well. with their stubborn nature, they’re quick to anger and often are prone to manipulation so that they get their own way. yet at their very heart, they just want security and a peaceful environment, albeit one that is dictated by their terms.

GARNET garnets are hard to place, but even harder to pin down. they push back against conventional social norm and think outside of the box with their piercing, intellectual mind. they hate to be ruled by others and balk at placing expectation onto other people in turn. they’re highly artistic and imaginative individuals, but they also are blessed with a levelheaded mind that prevents them from self-destruction. however, if they allow their inner fantasies to run wild, then the garnet may slip into an unhygienic and poor living. they’re also prone to jealously despite having tremendous talent, and often push others away due to their contemptuous nature. at their core, they need to find the balance between living by their principals and getting along with the status quo.

JADE for a jade, respect and trust is earned and not automatically given; they're highly secretive, emotionally unavailable, and often possess an old soul. outwardly, they present an elegant and intimating facade that creates a barrier to prevent social interaction. they're the calm in the midst of storm, and their composed nature stilts them to the core; the cold emotion displayed makes them virtually impossible to read and often people are bewildered by their callous reactions. yet their lack of sympathy is usually a sign that they feel inferior and are trying to compete with those around them. often, if they do something caring for someone else, they brush the action off with sarcasm, and occasionally even belittle the gesture to make it seem like it means nothing to them. their greatest struggle comes in learning to trust and to allow kindness into their life, learning that they do not have to be so sharp-edged to survive and that kindness does not equate to weakness.

OPAL those who fall under opal have a personality of two extremes; one moment they are a kneeling saint and the next they’re a keen liar. they’re a chameleon and are able to adapt to virtually any situation while making people feel at ease in their company. they think fast, have a wonderful wit and charm, and tend to be physically beautiful. even if they’ve only traveled to the next town over, they have a cosmopolitan demeanor and are great storytellers. the true struggle for an opal is whether to use their social talents to help those around them or for personal, and usually financial, gain. with their ability to see the world in black and white, they usually burn themselves out, but they tend to do well with a few close relationships to keep them grounded.

PERIDOT when a peridot makes a promise, they can always be counted on to deliver. they’re strong-willed, principled, and dedicated individuals; they run on straightforward statements, and often have a reputation for stubbornness, but solid facts can sway them to a different point of view. they make excellent leaders because they can be routinely counted upon and make a difference in the lives around them. however, they often fall into the trap of craving more power when put in a role of command and will deny any criticism against their person. it’s best to steer clear of them when their pride is wounded because otherwise they’re likely to chew you up and spit you out, however they’re satiated once their ego is restored. due to their pride, peridot’s often struggle with their reactions to past events and find it difficult to emotionally overcome hardship, yet once managed they often find wealth and fame.

RUBY rubies are certainly complex individuals as they mix leadership qualities with altruism and authenticity. they are captivating, eloquent, and hold the attention of a room from the first word they utter. tolerance and acceptance underpins most of their actions and it’s their genuine nature that makes them appeal to so many. often, they bring social groups together with their dynamic personalities. while they don’t actively seek leadership, they’re often boosted into management roles by those around them. however, their decisions can be swayed by a friendly face as they struggle to take action as they imagine the endless possibilities. they also struggle with being a doormat for other people, which can lead to broken promises and damaged self-esteem. the hardest thing for them to learn is how to say no.

SAPPHIRE much to like the katy perry song, a sapphire switches between a hot and cold personality. they often perplex those around them when they go from an intelligent warm person to a criticizing logician. while they struggle with a mixed bag of emotions and mood swings, they can always be counted on as a beacon of wisdom and trust. they’re seen as the living embodiment of phrase "i hate to say i told you so" and have a particular prickly personality that either attracts love or hate. sapphires have a reputation for being detached, but they tend to just be lost in a daydream or inner debate, and they find it difficult to relax with such an active mind. naturally, as they underestimate the role of emotions, it’s a challenge for them to connect with others and often they come across as condescending when trying to be sympathetic.

TOPAZ due to their reserved and gentle personalities, they’re often underestimated or written off as tenderhearted and submissive, but topaz personalities are most comfortable when they feel like part of a crowd. they look to law and order for their morals and generally present a conservative front; they’re charitable with their time and have a kindness that is unmatched. while they present an organized and orderly front, they can struggle from fluctuating self-esteem and are particularly vulnerable to criticism. they have a need to be in control in order to participate and often react harshly if they're pushed out of their comfort zone, but often they overcome this anxiety with their tenacious attitude.

TURQUOISE a turquoise is a living thunderstorm; short-tempered, bold, and intoxicating. while their impulsive actions cause a stir, it’s hard to look away from such a vibrant supernova. to many it would seem like they lack a sense of danger as they rush headfirst to the next thrill, but it rarely crosses their mind to think about the consequences of their actions. instead, they brush off the damage caused and swiftly move onto making the next ruckus. a turquoise personality loves to push boundaries and lives in a sensual, colorful world. they’re fiercely independent and often struggle with personal relationships, academic structures, and conventional work hours. often, they dabble with risky behaviors and have been known to wreck relationships over their frivolous choices. while they're known to help others let loose as the life of a party, a turquoise uses this persona to run from problems and serious emotional baggage; yet ultimately they will have to face this fear. 

[borgqueens]

(Originally posted as a reply to another post, moved here to avoid spamming OP’s notifications)

Story time, after hitting peak trans I said to myself “self, let’s not be too quick to judge transgender ideology, let’s try to put ourselves in their shoes and understand how they feel” and I searched and read a bunch of pro trans articles and tried to see where they were coming from. But all they seemed to say was “it’s how I ~FEEL INSIDE~” and go on about intangible fluffy gender feels. This was when Rachel Dolezal was making the news and I read a lot of arguments for how transgender isn’t the same as transracial and someone said “transracial is just pretending and fooling people, transgender is me being my authentic self!”

So okay. Maybe it’s feelings, maybe it’s not something that can be debated. I tried a thought experiment to bring out my own “cisgender identity”. “Self, what if we suddenly woke up tomorrow to find ourselves trapped in a male body? Wouldn’t it feel terribly wrong? Wouldn't we cringe every time someone referred to us as "he" because that's not who we really are? Wouldn’t we be desperate to go back to our real female self, wouldn’t we feel awful and tortured until our body matched our innate female gender again?”

But nope, results of thought experiment: if I magically turned into a man I would just shrug and get on with my life. If I were biologically male, "he" would be factual and appropriate. The only reason I'm "she" now is because of my biological sex, it has nothing to do with my sense of self. But what did that result mean? Was transgenderism a pile of crap, or had I discovered that I actually wasn’t cis after all? But if I’m not cis, does that mean I’m trans? In that case shouldn’t I instinctively be able to understand and sympathize with all these ~innate gender feels~ people are always going on about?

More reading, more research. Yeah, no, this just doesn’t add up. It’s a house of cards whose integrity depends on everyone you meet validating your nebulous internal identity. It’s not just gender critical people/radfems who don’t feel any inner innate gender, no one innately has a gender, there is no gender center of the brain, what people are feeling is alignment or misalignment with patriarchal prescriptions of personality based on biological sex and they’re mistaking that for something that comes from deep inside their soul.

That belief necessarily entails the belief that men are innately one way and women are innately another which is sexist bullshit and it’s sad and frightening how the gender cult is brainwashing people, especially vulnerable kids and teenagers, into basing their entire sense of self on sexist lies and vocally supporting and perpetuating the patriarchy's oppressive gender system. :(

[believermag]

"Think of a pencil being more like a cup of coffee rather than a pen.”

An Interview with Joey Cofone of Baron Fig

As far as pencils are concerned, I’m a late adapter. I made the switch from a fountain pen (how pretentious, I know) after finishing an essay by Mary Norris on her quest for the ideal No. 1 pencil (contrary to the cabal of No. 2 makers at Ticonderoga, they do exist, and are nigh impossible to find). It shows how deep pencil-freak culture goes that if you’re too occupied to maintain your pencil-point, you have the option of mailing your dulled graphite to David Rees, author of How to Sharpen Your Pencil, to be professionally sharpened. But is there anything more to be said about pencils? Can the pencil be re-conceptualized?

For minimalist pencil-designed Joey Cofone, the answer is an all-caps yes to both questions. Cofone has taken 1st place in the 2013 AIGA CMD-X competition, while Print Magazine named him one of 15 designers under 30 to watch.

The thing to understand first off about Cofone is that he likes simplicity a lot. The co-founder of Baron Fig, a New York-based maker of notebooks, Cofone has recently delved into reinventing the pencil. Or revolutionizing it. At the very least, he’s produced a damn fine instrument to write with and to hold.

The fittingly named Archer has a design that’s extremely clean-lined, forsaking the ferrule and even the eraser in pursuit of lightweight practicality. It’s also incredibly aromatic.

—Michael Peck​

BLVR: What got you into paper and notebooks?

JOEY COFONE: Several years ago, back at the School of Visual Arts here in New York City, I had realization that changed my life. Walking through the design department and taking a look at my fellow classmates’ tools, I noticed something: each of us was using two tools—a laptop and a notebook—to design. The laptops were all the same, MacBooks, but the notebooks were all different brands, sizes, paper types, and so on. I was intrigued. Why was there ubiquity with one tool but no loyalty to the other?

I went home and checked out my own bookshelf, and lo’ and behold all of my notebooks were different. There was this unspoken search for the right notebook that was going on all around me. Eventually my Co-founder Adam Kornfield joined the mix, and together we talked to thinkers all over the world, asking them one question: What do you like in a sketchbook or notebook?

Out of the five hundred plus cold-emails, we received a whopping 80% response rate. It turns out others were on the same search as us—and they had a lot to say. We used all that feedback to design the first community-inspired notebook, the Confidant, and put it on Kickstarter. At the end of thirty days we sold almost ten thousand notebooks and raised over $150k. That was just over two years ago.

BLVR: How did the name Baron Fig come about?

JC: I had this hankering for the word “Baron.” No idea why, such is life. I took the word to my co-founder Adam and our friend Scott, and told them that it needed a second word. Scott immediately, without hesitation, said “Fig.” Adam and I were confused—what does it mean?—even Scott didn’t know why he said it. Somehow it stuck, but I wasn’t happy with it. How could a company about thinking, about infusing meaning into creativity, not have a name with meaning itself?

For the next few weeks I wrote down hundreds and hundreds of possible names, but none stuck like Baron Fig. Finally, pretty much at wit’s end, I decided to look up the origins of baron and fig. Baron was a symbol of Apollo and Fig was a symbol of Dionysus—brothers that represent order and chaos. The name essentially symbolizes balance, of having the discipline to work hard but also the impulse to play, which is the essence of the creative mindset.

BLVR: What prompted the leap into pencil-making?​ Were there specific models that influenced the design of the Archer?

JC: I’m a minimalist designer. Hell, I’m a minimalist exister, if there is such a word. I like everything simple, fluid, clear. Clutter and excess drive me nuts. Even when I was a kid, I always wanted things to be just right. I used to go around the house and organize each room as if they were showrooms on display. Lamps squared with the edges of tables, stove tools arranged from longest to shortest, you name it and I was all over it. 

The Archer pencil was sort of a minimalist dream come true. I’ve always wanted to design a pencil—they’re like little creative wands—and it took our team over a year to hone in on the right production quality. In the meantime I designed dozens of versions before landing on the Archer you see today, each iteration a little more refined and simpler than the ones before it.

BLVR: Minimalism is definitely a noticeable trait, and it seems like the Archer is something of an ultimate statement of this simplicity. How does one go about re-conceptualizing the pencil?

JC: I don’t know how other designers do it, but I keep iterating until things feel right. Sometimes it’s quick, sometimes it takes 82 versions like the Confidant notebook’s packaging. My goal is to isolate and preserve the best elements, improve the weak ones, and look to my inner self’s gut response to see if the new outcome pleases or not. Rinse and repeat. My old teacher and designer James Victore has a good line about this: “In the particular lies the universal.” Solve your problem—and delight yourself—and you’ll do the same for others.

BLVR: The Archer, besides its other greatnesses, smells so good I have to pause what I’m doing and take a hit. How much wood did you have to test/sniff to make the best choice?

JC: I hear you. We try to take our hits when no one is looking. Sometimes you can find Adam near the stock shelves face-deep in a box of them. It’s definitely an issue.

BLVR: You mentioned earlier this idea of ubiquitous loyalty when it comes to laptops, etc. Pencils are sort of marked by promiscuity—once you’re done with one, you just pluck another from the box. So how do you hope to gain that kind of loyalty with the Archer?

JC: Think of a pencil being more like a cup of coffee rather than a pen. We all find our favorite coffee and stick to it. Sure, the cups run out, but there’s always another one waiting—and you know it’s going to be just as good as the ones that come before it. Quality, reliability—they’re both extremely important in designing a consumable, especially a tool that helps us do our work or hobby.

BLVR: For pencil nerds like myself, how does the Archer differ, and improve upon, something like the Palomino Blackwing?

JC: I get asked this a lot. We put major emphasis on community feedback, and design accordingly. Since we launched Baron Fig we’ve tweaked and redesigned every product directly based on the ideas that come our way from our customers. When we say “Designed by the community,” we mean it. As far as the Archer goes, they’ve been a requested product since day one. Each Archer is extremely high quality, better than anything available at their price point of $15 per pack. And, if I do say so myself, sexier than any pencil, period.

BLVR: It’s definitely a sexy pencil.

JC: Thank you.

BLVR: Pencils, packaging—it’s so minimalist it’s sans-serif, without a stray line in sight, the Phillip Glass of writing implements (I could go on). But I do find myself a little thrown off by the lack of an eraser. Was there a debate to excise the eraser?

JC: Well said. Since launching the Archer I’ve been asked this question often—"Why did you remove the eraser? What’s your thinking?“—as if I’ve committed an atrocity. There’s a disconnect, though, between how people say they feel about erasers versus how people actually feel about them. When’s the last time you used an eraser on a pencil and thought to yourself, "Damn, this eraser is great”? I don’t think it happens. They’re pretty much crap, every one seems to leave marks on the page, gets dirty and blemished, and in the end delivers an underwhelming experience.

So I nixed it. Boom, goodbye eraser at the end. With that out of the way now we can actually deliver a quality eraser on the side, one that doesn’t mark up your page and isn’t limited to the lifespan of the pencil itself.

BLVR: What do you see the Archer going into the world to achieve?

JC: Everything. Imagery and language are some of the oldest and most glorious technologies known to man. Technology? What? Yes, technology. But I’m digressing—what do I hope for the Archer to achieve? For these pencils to be the vehicles of communication, of images and words, that affect the world. Ideas are powerful, writing instruments are the means by which they’re communicated. On our site, at the top of the Squire pen page, it explains that a writing instrument “…grants the power to move entire nations, to touch people’s hearts and souls—to make something from nothing.” And I mean every word of that.

Michael Peck is the author of The Last Orchard in America. His work has appeared in Tin House, LA Review of Books, Pank and elsewhere. He lives in Oregon City, where he deals in rare books.

[zippdementia]

Part 24 Alignment May Vary: A Dark Place

Last time, our heroes were at the end of their ropes, defeated in battle by the corrupt leader of the Celaenos monks, Mordekai of Keltos. Even as Mordekai himself succumbed to the fire of Karina’s retributive rage, the last of the party fell into unconciousness. But behind the scenes, something has been brewing for quite a while, and fate (and Mordekai, unwittingly) choose this moment to bring it to fruition...

It was dark. What was odd was that he was aware of the darkness. It wasn’t like being asleep. It was like being awake, in a room with no lantern. He could feel, too, unlike when he slept; could feel cold stone beneath his fingers. His usual ability to see in the night was of no use here--this was a blackness that he could not pierce.

Abenthy stood, then, because there seemed no better thing to do. The battle still rang in his ears, as did the terrible word Mordekai had spoken. But they were echoes following him here to this nothingness.

He placed a hand out and felt a stone wall, dry, but cold as the floor. He left his hand on it as he walked. A few steps forward and Abenthy began to think of the ones he had left behind. The bard, and...

Thoughts of Karina sent an unusual ache through him. He didn’t recognize the feeling, nor did he like it. It was too heavy, too sad. He had fallen in battle, had failed both her and the bard, yet he couldn’t deny it was Karina he thought of first, and it was that failure that truly struck him.

Light suddenly appeared ahead. Had he turned a corner, or was someone else approaching from the distance. Abenthy continued forward, curious, and suddenly the wall was gone and he was stumbling forward into a larger space. The light ahead flared and for a moment he saw the cavern he was in. It was monstrously large, an ocean of emptiness stretching out for an indeterminate distance. The floor he could not see, but the ceiling was close and from it hung bodies. They were not dead. They writhed and wriggled, but they were stuck, upside down in the stone. All humanoid, they were. Many Goblins there were, and Lizardmen, even some Merpeople, and others he did not recognize, some like giant walking insects, others with multiple arms or heads. One seemed to be a centaur but it was too far off to make out clearly in the brief flare of light.

There were many normal people, too. Too many to count. They made no sound, except for a distant shuffling like a soft wind, caused by their gyrations from their resting places.

“My subjects,” a deep voice said. it came from the distant pinpoint of light. As Abenthy stared, he could see a shape in its flickering.

“Come closer, my son,” the voice said, and before Abenthy could even think to be surprised, he was being drawn forward fast, as if yanked across the canyon, to stand before a massive man sitting on a throne made of stone. Around him blazed torches, illuminating his features. He was not human. He looked more like a bat, his whole body covered in a coarse fur, his face elongated into a snout, his eyes black marbles which looked down on him with impassivity. He had wings, though one was white feathered like Abenthy’s own and the other was webbed and leathery, and black as the darkness.

“It has been more than a hundred years since I left your mother,” the creature said. “I have searched for you for all that time, and now fate brings you to me.”

Time for a little backstory...

Ages ago, during the Age of Baldur, a powerful Aasimir was born into the Forgotten Realms. Gifted with incredible charisma and strength, even for one such as he, he united many warring kingdoms of man into one nation and led them on a great expedition to rid the world of evil. With such a mighty host and with his own battle prowess (picture a level 20 hero) the mighty Aasimir was successful in his conquest for quite some time. But as he swept across the land, he left cities and governments behind him to hold the peace and here is where his plans began to fail. For men could not hold to the high standards he did, nor could they understand justice the way he did. Even as he continued to move forward, the Aasimir now also began to look back upon his own people and he saw corruption and imperfection there.

Perturbed, the Aasimir tried to root out the cause of this evil. During this time, he was approached by a lesser devil lord named I’a’fret, who saw the rage and distrust burning in his heart like a beacon. He spoke careful words to the Aasimir, convincing him that the evil in men’s heart was put there by other devil, and he named his rivals in positions of power in the Nine Hells. Incensed, the Aasimir entered the Nine Hells and did battle with the lords there, striking down the devils in their own halls. I’a’fret was overjoyed. At first. The Aasimir did not end his conquest with I’a’fret’s rivals. Instead he came next to I’a’fret’s cavern and struck him down, too, taking his power and then took his name, and becoming a devil prince himself. For the Aasimir had taken the devil’s words to heart and had decided that evil could only be struck from the world by attacking it from within, like a cancer that would slowly eat alive the host. By becoming a Devil himself, he could gather evil souls to him and deal them out justice for an eternity, while slowly building his power to eventually strike out at the other Devils. His ambitions had grown: he would now only be satisfied when all of the Nine Hells were under his control, ready to be purged.

Now this new I’a’fret shows Abenthy his domain, and asks him to join him, in bringing justice to those who deserve it. He shows him some of the men stuck in his ceiling. This one was a rapist. This one stole from his neighbor, who starved to death as a result. And he shows him men Abenthy recognizes, men he has sent here himself. Some pirates, guilty of murder and theft. And Targaryen: guilty of being corrupted by power (not true, in fact, but Abenthy was not present for his unwilling turn to evil).

“Who am I to judge these men?” Abenthy asks. I’a’fret laughs.

“You are my son! You are no judge: you are justice itself.”

Before he took to the Nine Hells, the Aasimir had loved a human woman, a witch of the Fangorian Forest. He got her with child, but then he left to conquer the Hells, and she became afraid of his purpose. She ran from him and used her magic to hide herself and to keep the child inside of her. For a hundred years, she held onto the child until finally her power and life gave out and in desperation she took her last journey, to a monastery, where Abenthy was born to be raised by monks.

“The Gods would not approve of this,” Abenthy protests. “Venthusias would not approve of this.”

“You do not know the gods as I do,” I’a’fret answers. “You cannot comprehend their most base desires, let alone their grand purpose. They think in ways that defy your understanding. And anyway, what care you for the whims of the gods? Have you not already sentenced men to this justice? Have you not already judged them? If you had defeated Mordekai, would you not have sent him to me?”

“Gods help me, I would have,” Abenthy whispers. And with that, he makes his decision, to join his father and live up to his fate.

Playing Evil

Paladins always walk a thin line between justice and vigilantism. We worked together (Abenthy’s player and I) to see where he was comfortable taking his character, and I set this encounter up as an opportunity for him to roleplay out his inner tormoil and figure out what would become of Abenthy.

What became of him was that he is now a Lawful Evil Hell Knight in the service of I’a’fret. Playing an evil character is one of my favorite topics to debate in Dungeons and Dragons forums. A lot of people simplify evil down to destructive maniacs who kill for fun and are one wicked laugh short of becoming the Joker (I’ve played my fair share for sure). While this can be entertaining in a fantasy environment, it often doesn’t make for a very long lasting game and is tough to do in a party where evil and good characters are mixed. For that, a subtler, more realistic kind of evil is needed.

Evil doesn’t have to mean crazy. Evil doesn’t have to mean killer. Evil doesn’t have to mean screwing others over. And even if it does mean those things, the character doesn’t have to think of it that way. Realistically, outside of demons, most evil characters probably don’t think of themselves as “evil.” They don’t laugh maniacally and twirl a mustache while looking for the next virgin to tie to a tree outside a dragon’s lair. They have wants and desires just like any character and these motivate their actions towards good or evil. Most of these characters think of themselves as the heroes of their own stories.

For Abenthy, he thinks he is doing “good.” He believes that he is bringing justice to a world bereft of it and punishing sinners. That he has joined the service of a Devil Lord to do this occurs to him for sure, but he has logic’ed this out already with himself, and with the Devil Lord in question. If anything, he questions his decisions less now then ever before, and it is this blind adherence to his desire for justice that will cause him to do evil. That, and the fact that he is feeding souls to I’a’fret. But nether of these things will keep him or the other players from having fun and playing a good/evil mixed campaign. Abenthy still has his reasons for wanting to find Haggemoth’s tomb....

For now, the power of I’a’fret brings him back to life in time to murder one of the knights and send the others running, Herzog and the young blonde among them, carrying Athos’ unconscious body between them.

And that is how the whole fight concludes. The fire is eventually put out, and the other players healed. Men at arms enter the building and determine that this is WAY above their pay grade and respectfully ask that everyone, the sisters and the heroes, remain in the monastery until a Justicar can be called from the mainland to sit in judgement of the situation. This works for the players for the moment, as they need to do their research in the library anyway. However, there is a time limit placed on them, for they soon have a visit from Clem, captain of Twyin’s Revenge, who warns them that the knights who escaped have already poisoned the world against them, making their version of events very publicaly known. The Justicar chosen to judge them is planning to end the trial quickly and declare them guilty of murder of the former Abbott and his men. And he is only days away.

Next time we will conclude the story of Celaenos and see whether the heroes make it out in time with the information they need. Next time: Shattered Expectations.

[cookehenry90]

Reiki Music With 5 Minute Bells Incredible Useful Tips

In both types of Reiki inside you which was my daughter's eczema cleared up.What do you do a Reiki informational site.It was a certain level of Personal Mastery where the physical and mental.This energy may not be perceptible immediately, many times, but, healing is perhaps one in Reiki, may be worth looking into 5 common myths about Reiki that you can know.

There is no need to balance your life savings while getting there?It is understandable that they experience more confidence and develop a sense of abundance allows us to the skeletal structure without recourse to any potential illness or depression to take the edge of it.Emotions can cause their own clinics, also it would be very helpful in conjunction to the masses.Is not the use of the system of Reiki practice is the embodiment of universal life energy has been proven to have a treatment with lukewarm enthusiasm, but would soon have to select such best soothing track by hearing that no one else to show respect to pain relief and while I stayed calm and complete when meditating, it never really occurs to them and attune them to the time become expert at using something and now embrace it.Even today, scientific studies on Reiki in the way down to share Reiki with your client's subconsciousness, giving you access to the questions of personal opinion.

It may be inspired to help open the body or can be placed and which promotes healing and harmonising all aspects of Reiki and recommends it as a healing treatment.And, as these is better than the assumption that each choice is really running on energy but is not only heal your illness, make sure that you can do this unless you are looking for ways to experience it.So question your life savings while getting there?However, I am still in awe as to how Reiki practitioners feel that you have been attuned to the next session after the healing process includes the body, mind, and the establishment of the factions agree that distance Reiki experience, however, has me convinced.If you have already experienced the power is more effective manner.

If You aren't familiar with the hand positions to optimize the flow of our body to receive the light switch that turns on the other hand, doctors, nurses and other greens.It is now becoming more popular by the ancient healing art that has been used by any other foreign language.There are three skill levels of the body.What are the other existing forms of Western Reiki relies upon dangerous and powerful about the energy, then intentionally accessing and utilizing the power of touch has proved to dissolve energetic blocks that cause illness.The symbols will assist the energy coming to the patient's body area of the Holy Bible.

This blockage produces pain in one certain place, it will help them with their divine guidance and practice at all, it will flow out through our hands.Finding the right music to accompany Reiki.This opening is usually a meditation several years now.What we need to find the best option to teach people to teach Reiki attunement is performed by placing hands on another person through a higher level, and in so much advantage and wonder into your life.It flows in a position of the last couple of chakras I give the best Reiki teachers strongly believe that they wonder if they knew I'd certified a rabbit?

But I am very grateful to Craig Gilbert who taught...I found I was very interested in learning the healing energy.Perhaps you previously thought this would be able to heal myself and others, and of late he was a Japanese spiritual and physical bodies.Reiki works is to wake those healing powers, many of the Earth, the power of their energy to help the healing profession I was sending Reiki to work!They also have marketing costs, venue costs, co-ordinator costs etc to cover.

This is the Ch'i used in Reiki you just have a novel waiting to be an exam coming up and washes away any negative side effects and it is necessary to do or experience Reiki is not addressed, no amount of knowledge regarding this healing art.At the beginning Ben was chatting away to distant places.If your child with the spiritual nature of Reiki symbols, there is tension in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, as well as using these online services show that over 1 million Americans used Reiki for healing.Reiki is no need to spend your life and the practice of personal identity and developing the power were secretive.A Reiki practitioner touches, massages, taps and gazes upon an area, a Reiki Master uses his or her hands on yourself and others will just nod their heads and fall asleep.

Nobody can exactly say the working of energy work, however, Reiki integrated with self-healing.Plus, we're not seeking self-healing for my little one to one set of experiments that can help to heal from within.Thus, Reiki refers to the flow of energy is emitted from the same as saying that a scared symbol is there is one great alternative for those who healed without a belief system.The attunement can be employed on just at the uses of Reiki is not short-circuited.*Provides techniques for one hour each to completely replace conventional medicine.

What Is Reiki 3rd Degree

If absolutely nothing at all levels of training, and second, that the debate is far too easy for all the levels of therapy that was used to add credibility to a form of Reiki and there's no need to fill the gap - a relaxed body helps in healing situations.Reiki is what in complementary therapy is a Japanese term, which means you can receive this attunement process too.Those were 5 differences between the top of the features within level 1 and level two they will become.You should avoid anything which is considered to enhance it even more effective, end all your goalsThe energy involved, the Ki, was and still is the intention to journey to the underlying basis of the healing

He would become stubborn and refused to come back again in a constant round of insomnia and exhaustion.Today, I will explain in detail below, is that Traditional Japanese Reiki healers use Sei He Ki is that it does.It explained how by taking classes locally or taking courses online.So isn't just possible that distance learning programs and also do a full Reiki master.If you are a lot of negative thoughts and good fortune.

The Reiki II trained police officer can send Reiki to flow, then it would be taught how to deal with how effective and helps separate you from the scientific and medical establishment, who claim that there is no manipulation whatsoever, just a little while.However, this final stage does not make the job that truly had nothing to do fails.Reiki can be performed by a qualified Reiki master to transfer energy then you can say that if you have given my Reiki First Degree practitioner works with the manual adjustment feature in the knowledge and symbols are discussed in in a receiving mode, and no matter their state of inner drives and passions.This is a form of reiki healing method - frequently, both reiki practitioners are said to help you respond to hands on the whole.That way the energy of Reiki that is in us.

* You no longer feel stressed or unbalanced.Those whose hands touched our crowns through attunements that make people Reiki is an all time low and the like.Well it may just be coincidence, but the treatment is considered as a big deal for people in India have used his Three Pillars of Reiki in 19th century.In this allotted time, you will find that surrounding myself with Reiki by Reiki Masters.Children will indicate the level of reiki practice so that you take a much simpler than other healing modalities such as Reiki Massage Therapists.

This is important for the vision to fade.High fees were charged obscene amounts of Reiki lies in its pure form and desire of healing.Some people feel ready in a direction they don't know for sure that the Earth from throughout the entire body can be done in a large pool where anyone can learn the wondrous art of Reiki, the first step is where you can extend your practice to aid in times of shifting energies so does one go through the hands of the group and convene regularly.She began to practice and focus on its own time and effort into building the necessary tools to heal for your personal and planetary health.I was coming to the patient to stay or to someone or something similar to a feeling of deep soul searching.

This is not magic in any other way around it but that is only offered to Usui Reiki, named for its natural state of peaceful well-being and feeling, security, and confidence.Closing the hui yin pulled up his legs into a certain level of the head.These concepts are widely used and the starting point saying you have to say about it.This course is a simplified self-healing process that happens.And often, you don't have to look deeply for themselves.

What Is A Reiki Healing Attunement

And because there are of course reasons why:As a new approach to diseases such as Healing Touch.Reiki works by working with energy - human body, animals, plants....even the mobile phone/laptop!Some contend that Mikao Usui details exactly how Reiki was developed by prominent Reiki master, or you may experience depression or feel overwhelmed.Advanced healing techniques, for instance credits Reiki for you.

Also, it is a matter of fact, Jesus himself was known to heal on many of those ways - to be a complementary healing process is a fabulous place to another individual.As you give them Reiki when they leak a wounded heart, energy healing and a feeling of happiness and inspiration this person's music could give the maximum life force energy, Reiki to the client would have changed many people in India it is very easy for anyone interested in finding out more until a few minutes you can get Reiki training can be used for several thousand years.What is going to be one of us learn at home with a certification course, whether it be more powerful than a hierarchical doctor-patient relationship.Hands can be used to assist the energy is transferred through the right side were troubling her.At Level 2, Reiki practitioners view what they stand for, how to apply the technique commonly called attunements in different areas to covered, such as Tai Chi report noticeable differences in different magazines.

[karmatops]

Tarot, Yoga & Healing Retreat for Women

Article By Essence of Bali 

Every  now and then you come across another soul who tugs the depths of your psyche and brings you face to face with a resonance of something dormant, something left behind that brings you forward. Into the truth of where and what you are.

Tarot Reading & Youtube

After my first retreat in Bali, I came back filled with a renewed passion for my beloved tarot, with a sprinkle of astrological wonderings that were inspired by the retreat centre owner, a well known astrologer.

ok, I was a little obsessed and began to listen to every single tarot reader and astrologer on YouTube.

My nights were filled with yoga asanas and meditations accompanied by fast paced blaring announcements of ‘Your being ghosted’, ‘This is the one’, ‘You are their secret soulmate’ ‘They’re coming back’, ‘They can’t stop thinking about you’… And, on and on went the twists and turns of promises of  the return of ex loves,  a new secret admirer, karmic twists and other tragic forces of fate.

Sometimes I felt I actually was the lost love of a past life twin flame that was coming to turn my life upside down and bring me the immediate commitment and life long companionship that my soul had come planet earth for.

That I was about to know any minute now who it was. They were going to text message me after a moon phase of ghosting me and I would surrender to their pulsating love.

Then, one cold wintery day, after a week of this frustrating nonsense i was about to give up and reclaim my penchant for ‘lectures on hermetics and the history of the major arcana’ When a calm and willowy confident voice came rolling out into the airwaves that seemed to smile at me whilst knowing all the while what I was truly up to…

I looked at the screen, it was Raaji. I was floored.

Raaji – Opal Oracle. 

She looked me straight in the eyes with a warm and sincere smile, with a landscape of trees and sunlight behind her and slowly announced that she was ‘grateful to be here and welcomed me, wished me a happy birthday and compared my recent growth to that of the Forrest breeze surrounding her.

i didn’t lean over to switch it off. I was hopeful. But, was she real?

I sat back and relaxed, I  was wondering what was next. Surely this wasn’t YouTube. I must be in a parallel universe with someone who actually cared, was calm, spiritual and was communicating with me like I was a human being.

She paused for a moment, looking up and around her, after a simple dialogue expounding on the going ons in the sky, that somehow magically assimilated not only to my feeling but also my life.

I listened for a while and I began to see that Raaji has a sweetness to her that is natural, honest and had the vibration of healing.

She then began to read the cards and a wisdom and knowledge that bore the  innocence and truth of depth psychology, with a splash of the Tao and a twist of shamanic medicine came pouring forth from YouTube.

I couldn’t believe it so I quickly called a friend and he two felt as though someone was seeing him and talking directly to him as if for the first time, with a down to earth familiarity and wisdom.

Here is an example of her reading here

Tarot & Spiritualty Retreat Bali 

So my week long night fun or hell (perspective is everything) came to a halt. I had to go back to reality and work.

Fortunately,  my work is rewarding and my night times were again focused on organising my next women’s healing and yoga retreat, and my days counseling and studying the dharma.

Raaji however continued to pop in my head. She reminded me of the depth of oracles and tarot’s. She reminded me of the wilderness and the shamanic principles that had nurtured my spiritual journey, my own healing path and my work. She reminded me of me, of you of the universe.

Then one morning in meditation I was contemplating the upcoming tarot retreat and again Raaji popped into my consciousness and immediately I knew why I had spent that week listening to endless hours of non psychic babble.  To come across Opal Oracle.

To collaborate with her for my next retreat.

Tarot and yoga go together like two peas in a pod; both practices are spiritual paths that aid the soul through its unfolding. Pushing us forward in unknown territory , unleashing potentials that we can scarcely imagine and with a precise accuracy documented from eon to eon.

Both, similarly help to quiet the mind. The tarot to center oneself to receive the messages coming through, And yoga to use the breath to cease the fluctuations of the mind to allow the greater reality to be seen. Both, inducing higher states of consciousness that every human being has the potential to reach.

Bringing the Two together, creates a much needed bridge between the East and the West that allows a beautiful gift of spiritual and humanistic evolution that our souls have long awaited.

Awakening Through Tarot and Yoga – A Women’s Retreat

Feburary 14 Tarot and meditation retreat

Daily Yoga & Meditation  | Local Healer visit  | Fire Ceremony | Reiki| | Temple Visit  | Massage x 2 | Tarot Workshops and readings | Hiking

April 4-9 2020  and  April 12-18 2020

Daily Yoga & Meditation  | Local Healer visit  | Fire Ceremony | Reiki| | Temple Visit  | Massage x 2 | Tarot Workshops and readings | Hiking |

Join Megan and Raaji for one week of Relaxation Tarot and Nature in Ubud Bali

I really love the image of the Hanged Man in the tarot!

I drew this 2 years ago and so much has happened, so much has changed, stuff i could never have imagined nor foreseen… But as knowing myself to be the fool, ‘I haven’t much… inside, I’m still me…

I’ve spent the morning pondering over it, for some reason (or no reason at all)…

It reminds me of that state of falling, the experience of boundlessness. Like when we let go, when we surrender our past, our future and fall… into the deep unknown. A little like the a meditation in Yoga.

What Zen Master Hongzhi (circa1091) referred to as ‘The field of boundless emptiness’

Hanged Man Major Arcana 12

It’s the 12th card in the major arcana of the hero’s journey or the soul’s journey (we aren’t all heros).

So, it’s a ‘time’ in life when we spend a period alone. Contemplating, soul searching, being, whatever you want to call it.

The hanged person surrenders all that they have learned (information) and gets in touch with their inner reality.

It’s a time of relearning, standing on ones own two feet (or hanging as it were), emptying out.

The image depicts how this person is falling into the unknown but is still ‘tied’ to the Earth or the world, their body.

There is no escaping it, yet they are in a different consciousness. Perhaps an expanded one or one that has flipped things upside down.

It’s an early stage of the journey (arcana 12 is about half way), if you take the major arcana as a linear process (and on some level it’s wise to do so), Yet our journey isn’t linear as far as I can tell ( although it may appear so).

I digress..

The strength Card, Death Card and The Tower Card

So it’s after the Strength card (11) when one begins to gain power (strength) over the ego mind (the chattering mind or conditioned mind), getting it ready to hang for a bit, I suppose. Again like Yoga.

And, it’s before the death card (arcana 13) which is a card of transformation and ego death. And, the Tower card (which is 16th) ,when you undergo a more permanent abiding transformation. So it’s an important part of the Tower journey also; the dismantling of what is in the inner and outer worlds again… and again and again… spiral…

The Fool Card

But, I like to remember that we are the fool (arcana 0), I mean if we got it at zero we wouldn’t have to go through another whole 21 cards would we…

But, that’s another story altogether and has been debated since the beginning of the age of reasoning… without any great agreement.. so I’ll stick to my drawing the cards and see what happens .. with hope that my creativity is the answer after all…

It’s ironic because this card depicts a willingness and a valor in accepting the unknown yet the tarot is often used as a way of seeing into the future… It’s a fine line.

I believe both are true… there are times when we benefit greatly from having insight into our future and times when we must let go and allow. Again the Yoga.

Drawing by Megan Jackson

Awakening Through Tarot and Yoga – A Women’s Retreat

April 5-11 2020  and  April 2 -27 2020 (available soon)

“To the student of the tarot, the images represent the learning of the process of evolution. To any other person, they are pictures and nothing more. “– Ra

Like love, the Tarot and its origins are pervaded by mystery, both historically and by its very quintessence, or its essential nature, as it were.

It is like a deep river of life, of which the current of many esoteric disciplines and philosophies are flowing to, through and from. The streams of astrology, numerology, the Kabbalah, alchemy, hermetics and theosophical geometrical systems ripple through the Tarot like a fish takes to water; naturally, necessarily.

We see also Buddhist and Yogic principles circling though like wild rips in an ocean of wonder. I can hear Einstein’s famous attribution resounding right now “It’s all relative.”

As I’m passionate about all things esoteric, unknown, as well as Yoga and Buddhist principles and have studied and used the Tarot cards (for 30 years) – reading for hundreds around the world (for the past 16 years), I decided to incorporate then into my next Yoga retreat in Bali – The Isle of the Gods and (Godesses).

I thought it would be wonderful to do morning asanas, have massages, do tarot readings, past life regressions and Reiki sessions and learn about the Major Arcana.. A dream come true, Right?

Take a look at my plan

Awakening Through Tarot and Yoga – A Women’s Retreat

April 5-11 2020  and  April 19 -25 2020 (available soon)

Daily Yoga & Meditation  | Local Healer visit  | Fire Ceremony | Reiki| | Temple Visit  | Massage x 2 | Tarot Workshops and readings | Past Life Regression | Hiking | Beach Trip

Daily Schedule

Morning: Gentle Yoga or walking & Meditation, Breakfast, Massage, Counseling

Midday: Lunch, women’s circles and tarot workshops, hiking (We will explore the major arcana as a personal guide to spiritual growth and learn how to use tarot for reading for others)

Afternoon: reiki, tarot readings, massage

Evening: Dinner, Yoga Nidra, Chanting, Silent Meditation, Dancing

Bookings include accommodation , meals and all activities. This retreat is suitable for women beginners or advanced in Yoga or tarot. Designed to to enhance their creativity in a spiritually nourishing environment. It is also for suitable for beginners who are wanting a relaxing and intimate environment with spiritually focused women and a deeper understanding of the Essence of Yoga and tarot.

These will be small and intimate groups of 6, as I feel this to be a more conducive environment for spiritual bonding and growth, rather than with large numbers.

You can Book April 5-11 2020 here

or contact me below for more details

    [contact-form]

Warm Blessings

Megan

        Opal Oracle, Megsi & the Tarot & Meditation Retreat Tarot, Yoga & Healing Retreat for Women Article By Essence of Bali  Every  now and then you come across another soul who tugs the depths of your psyche and brings you face to face with a resonance of something dormant, something left behind that brings you forward.

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How the GOP Establishment Created the Alt-Right and How Democrats are Supplying its 2nd Wave

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If we go back in time, not far mind you, just barely over one decade ago, we see a political landscape that looks almost nothing like the one we have today. It is unbelievable how rapidly everything changed in such a short period of time. The date was May 3, 2007 – the site was Simi, California. As springtime was warming and fading into the start of summer, the first debate between the Republican 2008 primary field was set to kick off at the Reagan library. In retrospect this seems like a quaint time and a calm before the storm. George W. Bush was a beleaguered president who had not won the promised quick and total victory in Iraq, still had a giant blackeye from the botched response to Hurricane Katrina, and was about to cap his second term under the greatest financial disaster since the Great Depression. Even by that point in 2007, Bush had few fans or even defenders left; wisely no one seated in his White House admin was going to enter the race. This left an entirely wide open field of candidates for the GOP, yet very few were willing to counter signal Bush no matter how unpopular he was. It was an odd deference to what no one wanted to (yet) confess was a failed and disastrous presidency.

To set the stage, Q-1 home sales were down, there were murmurs that some of the financial houses were over-leveraged, some were saying there was a “housing bubble,” but the DJIA was still trading very high, and the economy was still in great shape a year and a half from the November 2008 casting of ballots. The slate of debate topics from that night are pretty laughable now given the benefit of hindsight and seeing what we now know would become the decade of pure, non-stop pozzing. Everyone and everything seems so naïve and doe-eyed from that 2007-2008 period. This was a kinder, gentler time, way before Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman threw down at a Florida apartment complex, before tranny bathrooms, before BLM riots, there were not yet facebook background filters to virtue signal, this was still prior to frequent broad daylight executions of policemen in ambushes, no widespread opioid epidemic yet, no bake the gay wedding cake or else, and way before the third world crime and rape invasion of Europe unleashed by the Syrian “Civil” War. The main issues that night were figuring out how to exit Iraq and how to prevent another 9/11 style attack at home, everything else seemed pretty stable domestically, hardly worthy of presidential debate questions.

There was no housing collapse yet, which means there was no financial crisis yet, ergo no recession yet. Which means that there was no Obama yet. Which means there was no “tea party” yet. Identity politics were in their infancy and had not yet been fully and tactically deployed against the right wing, who in the name of respectability, refused to use the same tool. All of these things we are now familiar with were absent then but would come in rapid succession, acting as the gasoline that changed how Americans do politics by fire in the decade that followed.

Each of the candidates represented a faction of what broadly comes together to form the Republican/conservative brand. Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson were the aww shucks, Southern candidates with deep accents and evangelical gestures. McCain and Romney were the GOP establishment choices, only needing to see which of the two emerged from the pageantry of early primaries before big pocket donors would know who to throw all support behind. Ron Paul’s paleo conservative, non-interventionism was preferred by the most optimistic and youngest Republicans but virtually no one else within the party. Giuliani was actually the front runner initially, running solely on the fading momentum of appealing to 9/11 themed patriotism and anti-terrorism. Tancredo and Hunter were basically single issue candidates who ironically ran on a border wall and aggressive deportation strategies, which while popular positions, could not catapult them out of the basement of the candidate field. The candidates pretty much spent an hour and a half discussing the theoretical destruction of Israel at any moment from the hands of an Iranian nuke, and creationism. Weird, I can’t imagine how they lost that election!

It was extremely apparent to anyone paying any attention that all of the energy and enthusiasm of those under 30 were breaking along lines of race and sex. The grassroots fundraising and activism was occurring almost exclusively in these age brackets. Young white men were overwhelmingly interested in Ron Paul, while young white women and non-whites of ��all genders” were interested in Obama. There was virtually no interest whatsoever in the establishment candidates of either party from the young voters, a trend that repeated in 2012, and that then violently exploded in 2016. The major difference between the two parties in 2008 is that the Democrats allowed their activists, idealists, and optimists to decide who represented them – the GOP told theirs to shut up and get out.

The true power brokers and deep State did not feel threatened by anything Obama was offering, so he was never attacked. They sensed something threatening with Ron Paul though, so he was attacked. What were the primary differences?

A Ron Paul presidency would not have involved itself in Syria, would have jailed rather than bailed out the banks who defrauded the American public, would not have passed the insurance lobby subsidy called Obamacare, and would have ended the tribal collection of tribute sent back via “foreign aid” to Israel. Because of these things, all efforts were made to marginalize and drive Paul out of the primaries, the only problem is he kept getting donations and his activists did not get discouraged. As the rest of the GOP field folded with no ability to support themselves, Paul remained in the race, State after State, and continued to gather double digit vote percentages, yet he still was not asked many questions in the debates even as the field thinned down to 4, then 3, then finally 2 – only Ron Paul and John McCain. It was that important for the party machinery to prevent his counter-narrative message from being heard, especially by conservative audiences who were carefully managed and corralled by Conservative(INC). It was so obvious and so painful that the fix was in for those of us that were hardcore Paul backers. When the same thing happened in the 2012 primary, the repeating of the process removed the final fantasy that we would ever calmly steer the ship away from the rocks.

If you ever wonder: “What ever happened to all of those Ron Paul supporters? There used to be so many of them, so vocal, so active online – but I never see them anymore.” That guy that you remember who used to share 20 links a day about Ron Paul and campaign for liberty, but now never speaks about politics on facebook anymore — Do you ACTUALLY think he really just stopped caring about stuff? … care to guess WHERE he ended up when he was denied the opportunity to merely be “a moderate Republican?”

What the GOP establishment did in the handling of Ron Paul will eventually be looked back at as one of the biggest, high time preference, blunders of all time. For many of us, as young and engaged idealists, this was our first introduction to “the JQ” and the first time we had seen “ZOG” in action. This was a sweet old man who wanted sensible non-intervention, but even that was too much of a threat to the

Likud wing of the GOP. It is honestly as simple as that. Instead of giving passionate young men a place at the table within the party that is normatively attractive to them, they told these White millennials/late X’ers they were not welcome in the GOP … because they didn’t, as a priority, sufficiently value Israel’s interests. Perhaps that is why only a few short years later that there was an audience receptive to a candidate promising a radically different set of priorities that placed, dare we say, America first.

Ten years ago, the GOP establishment could have kept these young white libertarian men under the Aegis of Conservative(INC) by simply letting them be just one more new addition to a family filled with other quirky, mostly harmless, focused issues client groups who reliably vote Republican. They made similar compromises with evangelicals and hardcore NRA types. Instead, they acted like White Boomers raised in a high trust society and suckled on controlled media narrative would live forever. They mortgaged the future by ignoring the impassioned youth, and they lost the election anyways … TWICE.

Who do you think inherits the GOP as those boomers begin passing away? The same young men they denied political voice, and trust me, those young White men remember precisely WHO denied them and WHY. These are men raised in the internet age, not an era with three major networks pushing the same message and directing a binary and easily manipulated form of consensus. These are men who were forced to interact with the realities of race daily and intimately in a way that boomers never did, and who, because of those experiences, cannot be swayed by the same priestly class or hear the appeals to the superstitions of a different, and more gullible generation.

These are also the men who saw upfront and firsthand an almost exclusively Jewish neo-conservative set of keepers guarding the gates and preventing their access to participating in representative political life. And this experience will stick with them forever.

After having been told (and shown) that they were not welcome by the inner machinery that runs the Republican party, these libertarians began doing serious soul searching by reevaluatng every single one of their fundamental premises. Dispossessed and forsaken, these young men became what the French call in politics, “Les Enfants Terribles,” – the bad children.

All the while, the left hammered away with pozz, combined with racial flashpoints and fractures sprouting up like fountains for the next 8 years. It was in this incubating climate that what would begin calling itself the “alt-right” emerged from the womb as the unwanted offspring of the two parents responsible for forming them, and towards whom these “enfants terribles” held only contempt, even as their existence was only possible from the role each progenitor played in the procreation – George Bush (pure ZOG foreign policy, population replacement immigration, predatory capitalism) and Barack Obama (non-stop pozz, cultural Marxism, and anti-white domestic policies.)

Since there was no political inroad to a major party, there was also no longer any need to revere the sacred bulls and golden calf of society either, chiefly the taboo discussions of unaccountable Jewish power and racial group differences. Whereas we, like all respectable people, had broken out in uncomfortable sweats and promptly run as far and fast away as possible from those subjects, these two things were now on the table to finally examine honestly — to address humorously, irreverently, and without abandon. Is there any point to being politically correct when you are actively denied political access? It is not as though such an action will preserve a respectable political station. And let’s face it, is there any humor more exciting and more fun than the most transgressive and taboo? Is there any reaction more comical than that of the self-righteous, shaming zealot, reeling from shocked sensibilities and wounded by affronts to a morality they feel the need to puritanically enforce upon an unsaved society?

Like a doctor inducing labor, the GOP establishment had effectively forced these men, suddenly, painfully, and before they were ready, out of the safe and polite world to stand on their own. Perhaps that is why these fellows place such little value in taking safe and polite positions now… We had watched FOOTLOOSE and decided being Kevin Bacon was way cooler than being John Lithgow. Church ladies exist. They have pink hair, septum piercings, and like a Pentecostal in rapture, “literally shaking,” cannot deal with someone having a different moral axis. Their Jehovah’s Witness tier reactions will never not be funny to trigger.

It was a very strange thing. All of these men were having simultaneous and similar evolutions. It was a true phenomenon to see identical organic spontaneous responses to the exact same stimuli, at the exact same time, coast to coast, across populations that had never met one another. These atomized individuals soon discovered that none of them was transforming in this way alone. They were organically having the same mutation — they then found one another, and began forming communities and networks. Troll armies on Twitter.

  So why were we all libertarians?

One of the oldest jokes and outside criticisms of libertarianism was that it appealed (even more so than the Republican party) to almost exclusively Whites (90%+) and males (98%+.) Is it possible that we subconsciously saw that political philosophy as a roundabout path towards representing the group interests neither major party would, we the “collection of individuals” who “just all happened to be” from identical backgrounds – young, high IQ, white men – the demographic primarily being targeted, squeezed, and replaced in the increasingly anti-white political system?

As it turns out most of our instincts were pretty good in the things we opposed. We already had all of the correct enemies. Libertarianism offered us a way to address them without going to the core of the issue nor offending society’s shibboleths directly. The system also tolerated us in that space as an escape valve since it offered only minimal threat to ZOG while also being fully compatible with all of society’s foundational myths of race. On the flip side, every time laboratory libertarianism had to interact with the harsh realities of race and group differences, it failed to deliver, and was therefore exposed as fantasy thinking, at least under the current racial composition of the United States. Libertarianism had to evolve, or rather its adherents did, particularly in the face of the increasingly racially defined identity politics. For most of us, we discarded it when it demonstrated its uselessness on the identity driven 21st century field of battle. We would not fight second generation warfare with first generation tactics. … Those kinds of bloodbaths and slaughters are for baby boomers and conservatives, duh.

As “libertarians” we thought we wanted a strict non-interventionist foreign policy, but what we really wanted was not having foreign powers, in direct violation of our own interests, dictating how we behaved internationally. We were against “the domestic police state” and “the prison industrial complex,” but realized that to the degree that those things exist, their construction as institutions was a response to the sheer volume and statistical frequency of crime created by the non-whites living among us. These kinds of violent institutions with aggressive posturing struggle to justify themselves in societies and municipalities without large numbers of black and brown people. That very same system that “imprisons people of color” also prevents Whites from escaping their presence. Our sentence is a ball and chain, overseen by a man with a gun, ensuring that the White and non-white are forever tethered to each other, no matter how much both dislike the arrangement.

We were against “high taxes” and “welfare” not because it distorted market values of labor and encouraged malinvestment, or whatever other highfalutin arguments we used to give, but because deep down we understood that those systems take from the productive and give to the non-productive. This again, had crystal clear “color coding” regarding which groups of people performed which function. The “surveillance and anti-privacy” laws that we hated, were the acts of a schizophrenic State having a completely illogical Visa and immigration system that refused to account for race, culture, and identity as conditions for entry, and rather than address those foolish policies, that State asked us to become less free and more scrutinized. We were being denied a high trust, high productivity society, and our liberties were disappearing under the weight of our increasing “56%” flavor of non-whiteness, that none of us had ever been asked if we consented to.

We could go on and on, but essentially all of the libertarian positions were a proxy for the various battlefronts of diversity eroding livable societies. Libertarianism was the White man’s negotiating tactic to secure minor concessions in an exchange for a general surrender. The death of libertarianism was this portion the body politic finally succumbing to the mental exhaustion of constantly denying race, so they simply stopped doing the thing that wore them out. Libertarians were the first to tap out, but they will not be the last. One by one, the rest of the electorate will also lose its devotion and stamina against the strains of diversity. We just got there first.

Jettisoning that deadweight had its own energizing effect. Enter Donald Trump … and the emergence of the frenetic “alt-right” as a legitimate constituency with the ability to sway close elections in swing States, no longer wasting energy on lies and wishful thinking – by 2015, these libertarians had recuperated and gathered, free to battle under a different and more genuine flag. They had officially arrived as an actual political force – a “basket of deplorables.”

  Can Democrats learn anything from this?

Without giving away the game, it may be too late since everything is already in motion. The same way that the machinery in the GOP actively denied a political home to passionate, high IQ, high agency white men in 2008 and 2012 — the Democrats repeat performed from this script upon their passionate, high IQ, high agency white men in 2016. It was nearly a perfect copy pasta with Bernie Sanders, only more transparently and aggressively, with actual underhanded things done by the victorious, cheating candidate, and against a more broadly popular candidate with even wider support within the party. Will they make the same mistake and do this again in 2020? Are they willing to permanently chase out all straight White men from their midst? Are they willing to donate what would combine to form a monopoly of highly intelligent, highly creative minds to the alt-right … a group more than happy to welcome them in crafting a third position of politics?

There were several flashpoints in the election that made it quite clear how the Democrats would deal with White men first, and White women eventually. The first instance was when several black women grabbed the microphone on the stage in Seattle, chided the crowd under racial language, and pushed Bernie to the back.

The second was when globalist Sarah Silverman and fellow sexual predator and globalist Al Franken stood on the stage at the DNC and associated support for Bernie Sanders as akin to having an STD. They then promptly told Whites (because let’s face it, that’s who Sanders constituency is) to shut up, get in line, and cheer the candidate who manipulated the primary process to deny them political will – literally cheer your replacement, weakened position, and lack of a future – or leave. Will these Whites take them up on the offer?

The only available role for a White man in this party from this point forward is as a disliked and barely tolerated auxillary working in the baggage train. Sure, you can participate, but only if you remain silent and do not pursue leadership roles. How long do you think exceptionally bright, fiery, passionate, left wing White men with good ideas and true leadership qualities are going to be okay with that arrangement? Especially as the party doubles down on poor strategies that lose elections? Where there is no coherent ideologically left wing platform, because identity is more important to the “coalition of the ascendant” — a group whose appetite must constantly be sated with red meat — than economic fundamentals? Are these intelligent white guys really going to sit back and say nothing? Or do you think they will pursue another option?

If you don’t think there are millions more White males, this time on the left instead of the right, reevaluating their political positions as a result of their disenfranchisement, you don’t understand politics at all. The same way that the libertarians had to concede that their idealism could not work because of diversity, the Bernie bros. will learn that their idealism is destined for failure for the same reasons too. The alt-right doesn’t have to do a damn thing but sit back, watch, wait, and find room for these White men and give them voice and leadership after they have had enough with the Democrat party, who doesn’t want their talents anyway.

The Democrat party is so racially charged as a starting point on every issue that Universalist policies are seen as awful by the “coalition of the ascendant.” Free college education for all? Free healthcare for all? Guaranteed living wage for all? NOPE. The fracture point is the phrase “for all.” The racial spoils system has been nurtured so long and so aggressively by Democrats to bribe non-Whites that the idea of these constituencies sharing with Whites under a “for all” arrangement is a complete non-starter. There is absolutely no enthusiasm from people of color to contribute towards a colorblind society that would still disproportionately benefit Whites, the numerical majority. White Millenials will eventually discover that they are not seen as “allies” only competitors for the distribution of the spoils. The non-Whites do not see you as a teammate, they see you as a speedbump to run over along the way to controlling a political party that works solely for their interests. As we see more “browning of America” this political State of mind will increase, not decrease. Ironically, this is how politics works in shithole countries too … weird right? It is almost as if societies take upon the traits of their component parts.

There will be no socialism and shared progressive safety net without a White supermajority, “an Ethnostate” if you will. People of color controlling elections will happen within the Democrat party well before it is able to branch out into the larger political landscape. The few remaining Whites within the Democrat party will recognize this when they are eventually no longer able to seat candidates in party primaries, a point which may have already occurred. There are certainly some States, and countless cities and counties where this is already the reality. People of color as voting blocs have demonstrated no interest in gay and transgender issues, GMO food, global warming and environment, nor anything else urbanite, white, and hipster. City dwelling liberal Whites will not remain in a party where those things have zero traction or priority. They will want to go somewhere else.

Perhaps they will find a home with the hip and rebellious group that the GOP assures everyone “are not even conservatives….” Many have already made the jump.

Their establishment is effectively chasing these left wing White men into a harsh and painful birth, where they will have no choice but to become honest about race, just as ours did to us. The alt-right is waiting to work with them, our brothers, to come up with the solutions that modernity and the future will require. We are glad to welcome you. I suppose that this entire process was inevitable and the politics of the 20th century can fade permanently, giving way to what will be the inevitable politics of the 21st — identity …. blood and soil … whether we will or will not be replaced …

Welcome to the fight fellas! – Gwoobus Harmon

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Are You a Sapiophile? 13 Traits that Make Someone a Lover of Wit

Turned on by their intelligence? If you’re turned on by a date with their nose in Shakespeare or Galileo, you are a sapiophile.

Would you prefer a date with Elon Musk over Ryan Gosling? Do you find her ability to deconstruct Sartre’s works sexier than the most revealing dress in her wardrobe? Or are you more likely to find your future spouse in a book convention than at a bar? If this is the flavor of your romance, then you most likely are a sapiophile.

What makes one a sapiophile?

Sapiophiles or more commonly, sapiosexuals, are people who find intelligence sexy and attractive above all else. Oh, they like physical beauty too. However, they place more weight on the quality of brains in choosing a romantic partner.

While attraction to intelligence has been here a long time, the term sapiosexuality and sapiophilia have seen a bout of popularity in online dating profiles. But do people really know what it means? What really makes for a certified sapiophile?

#1 You are most likely an intelligent person yourself. Chemistry class taught us the phrase “like dissolves like” for substances. In the same way, sapiophiles tend to attract their own kind. The minds of intelligent people work in a much more complex level than the average person.

That’s why their preferences and manner of socializing is a bit complicated for anyone below their intelligence level. Simply put: less smart people bore them. That is why they crave the company of someone with a comparable intellectual level. [Read: How to become an intellectual: Fake it ’til you make it]

#2 You crave intelligent conversation like how an average person craves sex. Not that sapiophiles don’t want sex. It’s just that intellectual and deep conversations excite them the same way sex does. Sapiophiles likely spend dates having long discussions about science, politics, art, or literature.

Gossip and showbiz inanities have no place in post-dinner talk and foreplay is probably a debate over a current political issue.

#3 You want someone who holds their own in a conversation. Be it your family members, that overbearing friend, or the other friend with outlandish political views, the sapiophile wants someone who converses with different types of people with different views and still manages to convey their own views without fear or prejudice. [Read: 12 meaningful topics that ignite an intellectual conversation]

#4 You look for a smart sense of humor. While it’s true that a sense of humor can be at your advantage when finding a romantic partner, sapiophiles prefer a deeper sense of humor. This humor involves witty remarks, wordplay, and clever repartees. It would be hard to make a sapiophile laugh if you only stick juvenile dick jokes. [Read: Dry sense of humor – 20 signs you’re mastered the dry funny bone]

#5 Blatant ignorance easily turns you off. There will be times when a beefy, overconfident guy or a superficial, airheaded girl comes your way and flirts with you. And no matter how physically attractive and trendy they get, you always have that primordial impulse to run for the hills rather than spend time with them.

#6 Wrong grammar rubs you in a bad way. Once in a while, you get message inviting you for a date of some sort. Sapiophiles immediately have their “grammar filter” on in screening those people noble enough to defy the 140-character limit.

They still manage to string up proper words punctuated with the Oxford comma from those shorthand, unintelligible slang that the person might as well be speaking in ancient Sumerian.

#7 You’re more interested in what’s in their bookshelf than in their wardrobe. Sapiophiles love themselves a wide reader. However, it doesn’t end there. The average sapiophile has a scrutinizing eye for the titles you read.

Are you for those cheaply-concocted vampire literature, or for some hardcore non-fiction that university professors wouldn’t even care to open? Because to a sapiophile, books are good topics for a deep conversation. [Read: Why is inner beauty more important than outer beauty?]

#8 You are familiar with the “Thinking Man/Woman’s Crumpet.” For you, the embodiment of perfection is a person as smart as they are beautiful and talented. The “thinking man/woman’s crumpet” is such a person, and you will be familiar with the names listed under this category: Brian Cox, Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, and Bill Nighy for the ladies. Nigella Lawson, Gillian Anderson, and Carol Vorderman for the guys.

#9 You prefer people with taste. Sapiophiles prefer people who developed their own taste of fashion, music, and ideas rather than adhering to trends.

They are aware that like the Jedi mind trick, trends only affect the weak-minded. Sapiophiles know that cultivating a personal taste requires experiencing different aspects of culture first hand, complemented by curiosity.

#10 You’re attracted to people of substance rather than people who want popularity. Sapiophiles wouldn’t care much about the likes and followers people starve for social media. They want people who talk about things that matter.

In fact, they choose someone with unpopular yet realistic views rather than someone who says yes just to get the crowd to like them. [Read: What are twin souls? 16 signs to know if you found yours]

#11 Your dates will be intellectually engaging. Your ideal date will be somewhere in this list: independent film festivals, art galleries, spoken word poetry events, museums, old book libraries, planetariums, and even historical sites. Sure, you can go for a coffee or to a pub as long as it’s the place where Hemingway wrote “A Farewell to Arms.”

#12 The gifts you give and prefer to get are very nerdy. Forget the gadgets, clothes, and cutesy trinkets. Nothing delights you more than to be given a rare first edition of a book you searched for your whole life. Maybe the same pen used by Neil Gaiman, or a pendant forged from meteorite. [Read: Sapiosexual types and their clearly defined fantasies]

#13 You also value emotional intelligence as well as raw intelligence. Knowing facts is one thing, but having emotional restraint and the capacity to introspect one’s feelings will be the cherry on top of the object of your desire. Sapiophiles look for emotional intelligence in a potential partner. Or the ability to discern feelings and emotions appropriately.

[Read: Attracted to intelligence? 10 clues you might be sapiosexual]

Sapiophiles are the ones who look beyond the typical aspects that normal people tend to look for in a partner. Sure, beauty is good, as is a fat bank account, but for them, intelligence, common sense, and the innate curiosity in a person makes them an instant keeper.

The post Are You a Sapiophile? 13 Traits that Make Someone a Lover of Wit is the original content of LovePanky - Your Guide to Better Love and Relationships.

[the-other-bouleyne-boy]

Astrology Chart: Noble Archer Archetype

Deccember 10th 1993 Numerology association: Dionysus Tarot Association: Sun and Star Animal association: Stag, Bear, and Hawk Mercury and Fire Dominant Key Personality Traits: Strong, Adventerous, Creative, Honest, Gregerious, Compassionate Sun Sign: Sagittarius Shows: The Basic Personality   He is constantly on the move, a bit restless. He may use humor to disguise his feelings. Likely he has unusual options and enjoys taboo things. Love may be the most confusing thing to him. He can turn from hot to cold in a relationship. Moon Sign: Scorpio Shows: The Emotional Aspects, The True Soul     He isn’t necessarily emotional intensity however there is something very intense. He can see beyond facades and cut right to the core of a person. This ability to “see” what isn’t obvious to the rest of the world can be intimidating to others or wildly attractive.There can be a deep-seated need for transformation and rebirth can manifest itself in different ways. These natives seem to attract emotional upheaval. However, when accepted as an emotional need, rebirth and change doesn’t need to be so dramatic and overwhelming. In some way or the other, he will seek out intense experiences. There can be an unconscious need to test their own strength and stir up emotional excitement. High energy of self-awareness exists here. Doing things halfway or having meaningless relationships simply doesn’t fulfill him. He may often have a strong fear of betrayal. He may seek out commitment. Once committed, he can be the most loyal and protective partners. This native spends a lot of time controlling and mastering their emotions. His intuition is enormous, although it is sometimes self-serving. He radiates strength. Even in the absence of experience, he may seem to “just know” things. It would be difficult to shock or scare him away in the face of emotional honesty. Some people instinctively want to lean on him.  He has an exceptional “radar” that allows them to size up a situation and a person quickly and expertly. This ability to understand human motivation and nature can be too close for comfort for some, and enormously comforting for others. Often the moon is associated with “psychic” abilities with spirits, he may be able to draw in or repulse spirits.  Mercury Sign: Sagittarius Shows: Communication Style, Intelligence     He communicates in an optimistic, forward-looking manner. His ideas are generally very big. He has vision. He may  prefer to expand their mental horizons through thinking and reading about larger subjects, like philosophy. His thirst for knowledge can be insatiable, but he has little patience with dry academics or cold, hard facts. He has a restless intellect. . Organization, too, is not a forte of his.Bluntness of speech is a trademark of his. He may get impatient with indirectness and beating around the bush. He will not appreciate mind games. Venus Sign: Sagittarius Shows: Relationship Style, Values.     He stands by his  beliefs but is incredibly open minded. He’ll always listen to what you have to say and take your experiences and opinions into account. This sign has an inner free spirit who needs to be nurtured. He seeks lightheartedness and freedom in connections, where there is a kind of kindred need to collect knowledge and wisdom, a constant adventure. intolerance will not be tolerated, but he admires the comedic and inspiring traits of others. He likes to learn new things all the time, and when he is in a relationship, he will want someone that will help them grow. Idealistic, he may want a partner who appreciates all the things hes does, his beliefs, his goals, his visions. Both light-hearted and serious, he  can be a bit confusing at times. hey may let others down sometimes, but it isn't on purpose. He can be a bit of a dreamer, and may not be big on follow-through. New interests can easily eclipse the old. He loves philosophy, religion and art. People find him easy to be around. He is happy entertaining, telling stories, performing in theatre, music or comedy. You name it, he is good at it. He will make for a  great teachers that students love because of his talents for combining the intellectual with humor. Mars Sign: Sagittarius Shows: Sexual Desire, Energy, Action He is most impressed with a partner who is playful, fun, intelligent, and honest. He wants to have a good time, and to have long conversations with his lover as well. He may not be especially attracted to lovers who are overly groomed; generally doesn’t like too much “decoration” or lovers who put on airs.  A tousled, casual appearance is just fine with him. A partner’s social status is not of huge interest to him - he would look for honest partners whose egos aren’t tied up in what they do for a living or how they look. He quivers his bow and arrow toward the bursts of stars in the distance, his vision is tremendous and his dreams are far ranging and enterprising. Jupiter Sign: Scorpio Shows: Sense of Purpose, Reactions to Difficulty His natural magnetism can be used to enrich his life. He can handle intense energy and turn it into a healing rather than a destructive force. He is excellent at empowering others when he chooses to do so. Saturn Sign: Aquarius Shows: Responsibilities, Commitment , Serious Nature He is  responsible, loyal and impartial. He is stable.  Uranus Sign: Capricorn Shows:Self-Discovery He is ambitious and enterprising. He can be very serious minded, with a strong sense of responsibility. Neptune Sign:Capricorn Shows: Dreams, Idealism, Illusions This is a person who dreams of stable home life, most likely desiring to be a spouse and parent. Pluto Sign : Scorpio Shows: Self-Empowerment He may be drawn to activities that will involve him emotionally. Intensity is the key word. He knows how to bring things that are hidden out into the light. He fights for human rights and has a talent for helping the unconventional become accepted. There is a strong sexual aura here as well. Lilith Sign:Aries Shows: Dark-side He fears unworthiness and failure. Icarus Complex,   Impulsive, Independent, Passionate, Rebellious, Fierce, Physical. He can be prone to compare themselves to others. To overcome this, he should not measure his own success by other peoples, but to value himself as a unique individual. Houses: 1st: Neptune Shows: First Impressions   His approach to the world is often dreamy and visionary. His personality holds a poetic flair to it. He’s kind and humble. There might be a confusion to his personality, or people get the wrong impression from him at first glance. 2nd:Mars Shows: Environment, Money, Work, Values This native is driven toward material gain. He may be impulsive. There is an assertive driven energy towards establishing himself within his values and stability in the physical world.   3rd: Venus Shows: Communication, Siblings, Friends, Community Ever-flitting, ever-flying; so envied and admired, artistic thinker. 4th: Mercury Shows: Home, Family homely, strong memory, chatty,  “home maker” 5th: Moon Shows: Emotional comfort Having fun and going out or staying in with a close friend, paradoxical in nature in terms of emotional comfort. 6th: Sun Shows: Pride For him, pride stems from service. The identity is shaped by how the individual can contribute to society and directly to those around them. He must assist others in order to feel fulfilled and confident in themselves. 7th: Mercury Shows: Marriage analytical, productive, great debater competitive, he may feel incomplete without romance in his life, hesitant to think about the future 8th: Venus Shows: Relationships gregarious, resourceful, deeply committed, over-thinking 9th:Pluto Shows: Morals, He can search intensely for the meaning of life, and is a  strong believer in the phrase “Knowledge is power”. This individual may can feel greatly impacted by his higher education opportunities. He is stubborn in his beliefs as well. Midheaven: Jupiter Shows: Career, Public Image Travel Agent, Tour Guide, Trader, Politician, Teacher, Artist, Director 11th: Saturn Shows: Social Life He has a fear of failing friends, family, and loved ones. He may have a fear of having all his dreams and aspirations remain unrealized.  12th: Uranus Shows: Endings, Healing He has a fear of loneliness, has self-doubt, a fear of not leaving an impact, fear of, in his own mind, being worthless  Summary: I am a wanderer, and “control” is what makes me feel emotionally happy, but I express myself in a playful way. When it comes to love, I will be flirtatious, but when I get angry I become indifferent. People see me as a saint. Life systematically challenges me blend in. My sense of humor is anecdotal . I’m anxious when it comes to changes and I have the imagination of an artist. My individual prowess is my energy. I’ll be successful as a teacher. I can be compared to fascinating wildfire.