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Occasionally I wandered in where I was not wanted and gave truthful answers.
Sometimes I even did it deliberately. A little disruption now can prevent disaster later.

Microdose

Study: People Who ‘Microdose’ LSD and Magic Mushrooms Are Wiser and More Creative

Microdosers also scored lower on measures of dysfunctional attitudes and negative emotionality, which is very promising.

Psychedelics microdosing can mean taking five to 20 micrograms of LSD, 0.1 – 0.3 grams of dried psilocybin-containing mushrooms or very low doses of more exotic substances, like 1P-LSD, ALD-52 or 4-AcO-DMT.

No matter the substance, microdosing implies a dose so low that the individual experiences only subtle changes, not hallucinations. People are not “tripping” on a microdose; they just go about their regular day, whether that means studying at school, going to work or taking care of the kids at home.

There has been no published science on whether microdosing works, but despite this, microdosing for self-enhancement and mental health has hit the media.
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Philosphy foundation

“Conservationists plant a 'super grove' of redwood trees cloned from ancient stumps”

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“Indus Valley Civilization: Crash Course World History #2”

“Winter Solstice 2018 Coincides With Both A Full Moon And Meteor Shower”

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NeoNote — Protected

I love how the photographer lined up the aurora borealis with the tree

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Left alone with our faith and our Journey

Nothing is more active than thought, for it travels over the universe, and nothing is stronger than necessity for all must submit to it.
— Thales of Miletus
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❝Dance to the music.❞

I'm gonna put a curse on you and all your kids will be born completely naked.
— Jimi Hendrix
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Listening and lecturing

The courage we desire and prize is not the courage to die to die decently, but to live manfully.
— Thomas Carlyle
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Cursed

They not only refused to stop listening to God, they started lecturing Him on the way things were supposed to be.
— David Weber, Uncompromising Honor
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❝Never apologize for grief.❞

When you go in search of honey you must expect to be stung by bees.
— Joseph Joubert
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❝Nothing is more active than thought…❞

Nothing is more active than thought, for it travels over the universe, and nothing is stronger than necessity for all must submit to it.
— Thales of Miletus
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Heroes know

Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything else is just opinion.
— Democritus
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In search of honey

If you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, you are looking the wrong way.
— Barry Commoner
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❝The courage we desire and prize…❞

“In which John Green investigates the dawn of human civilization. John looks into how people gave up hunting and gathering to become agriculturalists, and how that change has influenced the world we live in today. Also, there are some jokes about cheeseburgers.”

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❝Nothing exists except atoms and empty space…❞

I don't tell you who to fuck, and I expect that you won't tell others who they can't fuck as long as it's unpledged consenting adults.
— NeoWayland, sex rules
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❝If you can see the light at the end of the tunnel…❞

Gotta have opposites, light and dark and dark and light, in painting. It’s like in life. Gotta have a little sadness once in awhile so you know when the good times come. I'm waiting on the good times now.
— Bob Ross
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❝Gotta have opposites…❞

“A video describing the differences between the subspecies of Alaskan brown bears. To see and learn more…”

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Cloned giants

I wonder what she's looking at.

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Coincidence

Winter Solstice 2018 Coincides With Both A Full Moon And Meteor Shower

The winter solstice, falling on December 21, 2018, will mark the shortest day of the year as well as a full moon in the night sky. The upcoming full moon named the Cold Moon or the Long Night Moon will be visible during the longest night of the year.

The two events don't perfectly align. The peak full Moon will occur on December 22 at 12:49 p.m. EST while the winter solstice falls a day earlier on December 21. However, to the typical person viewing the moon, it will appear full for several days.

The winter solstice marks a transition period where days begin getting longer in the Northern Hemisphere and shorter in the Southern Hemisphere. The evening of the winter solstice will be the longest of the year for the Northern Hemisphere. This is because Earth's poles create a maximum tilt away from the Sun in the Northern Hemisphere and maximum tilt toward the Sun in the Southern Hemisphere.
Trevor Nace
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The Aurora Tree

I found this one on the Space reddit. I love how the photographer lined up the aurora borealis with the tree to make a magical image. Click on the picture to go to the original post.

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Watching

She's on rock near a mountain lake. I don't know anything else.

I wonder what she's looking at.

I’m a naturist in both senses of the word. Life doesn’t always need clothes. I admire the human body. I hope you can too.

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“The Agricultural Revolution: Crash Course World History #1”

I reject your reality and substitute my own.
— Adam Savage
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Added to the lexicon


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My fourth sex rule

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
— Khalil Gibran
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❝Difference Between Grizzly, Brown, and Kodiak Bears❞

Shall I not have intelligence with the earth? Am I not partly leaves and vegetable mould myself?
— Henry David Thoreau
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❝Magic is contagious.❞

Everything worthwhile is dangerous.
— Victor Anderson
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Earth delights

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
— Khalil Gibran
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Ultimate speculation

It's the ocean.

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❝Shall I not have intelligence with the earth?❞

Shall I not have intelligence with the earth? Am I not partly leaves and vegetable mould myself?
— Henry David Thoreau
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❝I reject your reality and substitute my own.❞

I reject your reality and substitute my own.
— Adam Savage
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Boys must win against powerful odds

Of course, you could stop trying to preach and actually pay attention to what people are willing to share. You might even learn something.

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Psychedelics as a catalyst

I've finished the project I was working on

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One tripod leg

The lore behind magick is only one tripod leg. Even there it's about real mastery, not rote recitation. I call it moving beyond the recipe. When you can adapt your technique to what is there and what is needed with a minimum of effort, that's mastery. The lore is about core ideas, not specific practices. That's one of the hardest lessons I've had to learn and I am not good enough with it yet.
— NeoWayland, A Rule of Three
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Short version, yes, magick works.

In fact, the ultimate speculation we can make about the nature of Divinity is that Divinity is NO-THING which we can know. In Hebrew, the word for no-thing (nothing) is AIN.
— Donald Michael Kraig
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Deep water

Blog rolls and other creatures

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NeoNote — First lesson

These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.

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Good vibrations

The Moral Guardians® have taken for themselves the exclusive power to decide who will and will not be heard. Or read. Or even mentioned.

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❝Control every variable and you control every change — lotsa luck!❞

If exactly the same actions are done under exactly the same conditions, they will usually be associated with exactly the same “results;” similar strings of events produce similar outcomes.
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❝Commonality controls.❞

Keep what works. Fix what’s broke. Ditch the rest.
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❝Everything worthwhile is dangerous❞

Everything worthwhile is dangerous.
— Victor Anderson
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❝No more sacred civilizations…❞

No more sacred civilizations, Monsieur. They are too delicate and too costly. Besides priests are no more trustworthy than anyone else.
Eglantin L'Audace, from “The Order of the Twelfth Apostle,” Gnosis № 41, Fall 1996
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“We don't think we come into this World corrupt.”

“It's the end of the world, everybody. Well, it's the end of our mythology series, anyway. This week, we're talking about how mythological themes have made their way into the English language. We're taking on the Herculean task of tracking down phrases that have made their way into language from mythical stories.”

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My third sex rule

Regret does not equal rape.
— NeoWayland, sex rules
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We don't see ourselves as separate

You may have noticed that my quote section is building to a truly awesome size.

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Animism means

Thinking by blogging

In passing, I mentioned some of the differences between a Story and a Journey.

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Ro3 № 23

Regret does not equal rape.
— NeoWayland, sex rules
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Will this solve the problem?

The Moral Guardians® have taken for themselves the exclusive power to decide who will and will not be heard. Or read. Or even mentioned.

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NeoNote — Taking a stand against politics in paganism

The armband caught my eye.

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Culture war

I'm pretty sure this one isn't "genuine."

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Ro3 № 22

The honor is in giving truth when needed, helping when you can, and leaving the World a little better than how you found it.
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Tuesday - November 27, 2018

Just some folks having fun.

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Flower petals in the bath

The armband caught my eye. But the flower petals and the red hair helped.

I’m a naturist in both senses of the word. Life doesn’t always need clothes. I admire the human body. I hope you can too.

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In the sea

Group skinny dipping. Just some folks having fun.

I’m a naturist in both senses of the word. Life doesn’t always need clothes. I admire the human body. I hope you can too.

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Still-life with wine

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Ro3 № 21

Keep what works. Fix what’s broke. Ditch the rest.
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Monday - November 26, 2018

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“Mythical Language and Idiom: Crash Course World Mythology #41”


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Saturday - November 24, 2018

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Who is quoted

If you ask the question of thirteen pagans, you'd probably get forty-seven answers.

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Journal - Friday, 23Nov2018

Thinking by blogging
Well, I didn't quite meet my goals this week. I didn't get thirteen entires to the lexicon. I did manage quite a bit else though.

I got into a long online discussion concerning the assumptions that people bring from their religion into their lives and what they expect of others. In passing, I mentioned some of the differences between a Story and a Journey.

It dawned on me that right now the "pagan community" has a lot of people who want to write the story for others instead of setting them off on their own journey. I'm going to have to think about that some.

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Ro3 № 20

It’s not a real party unless it lasts three days.
— NeoWayland, Rules of Three
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Revived - November 23, 2018

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Added to the lexicon

Thinking by blogging

There are just all sorts of thirteens in my blogs. And there are about to be more.

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❝I'm pretty sure that the World can take care of Herself❞

It's a fascinating piece

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Friday - November 23, 2018

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NeoNote — Where do pagans fit in?

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Ro3 № 19

Initiate — Celebrate — Operate
— NeoWayland, Rules of Three
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❝Individuals have rights. Groups have power plays.❞

Here's part of a conversation I had with Shawn Herles

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❝A garden requires patient labor and attention.❞

For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.
— Margaret Heffernan
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Mission in life

What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the soul.
— Joseph Addison
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Heated debate

False words are not only evil themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.
— Socrates
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Good ideas and true innovation

For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.
— Margaret Heffernan
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Education

Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked.
— Warren Buffet
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False words

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
— Mark Twain
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Emotional side

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Tide goes out

My comments on a list I belong to

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❝Even when we are nude, we hide our bodies in shame.❞

Consenting adults only.
— NeoWayland, sex rules
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❝Clothes make the man.❞

Summing up my thoughts on the Matirix films after a long email conversation

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My second unbreakable sex rule

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Thursday - November 22, 2018

The feelings have taken over. There's no reason to balance.<.h4> Read More...
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Under the bark

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Reach towards the light

The problem with making morality a part of religion is that some priests forget that they are measured by the lives around them. They think that their calling places them beyond "man's law.
— NeoWayland
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A magical morning

A garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them.
— Liberty Hyde Bailey
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Ro3 № 18

These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.

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Wednesday - November 21, 2018

Life goes on.

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Truly Proper

Just a foggy, frosty morning in Norway.

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Ro3 № 17

It’s not a real party unless it lasts three days.
— NeoWayland, Rules of Three
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Tuesday - November 20, 2018

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.
— Maya Angelou
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NeoNote — Nature and the World are not cruel.

I'm not shy about heated debate or passionate discourse, but when people get crazy or rude, that's a buzz kill. There's got to be a better code of conduct, some basic etiquette.
— Mos Def
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Discussion on morality, sex, nudity, and pagan festivals

Some of my thoughts concerning the military and honor

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Ro3 № 16

“In which Mike Rugnetta teaches you about Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, and how a lot of their work was influenced by myth and mythology. While Freud and Jung aren't quite as revered as they once were, they were undoubtedly a huge influence on the practice of psychology and psychiatry, and these two fellas were undoubtedly influenced by foundational stories. Today, we'll learn about Oedipus, the collective unconscious, archetypes, Star Wars, and more!”

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Wading

Start cunnilingus with three to the left, two to the right, one to the left, three to the right, two to the left, and then one to the right.
— NeoWayland, Rules of Three
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Horned

Give her at least two orgasms for every one of mine.
— NeoWayland, Rules of Three
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❝Dianna and Actaeon❞

This is one of Titan's more famous works.

We've definitely moved into the Rubenesque Renaissance. No near waifs here.

What's most interesting about this piece is how it lowers Diana to not only mortal, but to the sensibilities of the time. There is no way that a Lady God would be embarrassed if caught nude. Gods make other humans embarrassed, not the other way around. Nude women bathers were a common motif. I suspect it had something to do with the real ladies being covered up most of the time. Note also that the one servant on the right isn't treated as a "real" woman, she isn't sexualized. That was also fairly common.

I’m a naturist in both senses of the word. Life doesn’t always need clothes. I admire the human body. I hope you can too.

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Monday - November 19, 2018

Big ole huge monster flakes coming down

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One of my two unbreakable sex rules

Dealing with Katrina and New Orleans

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“Freud, Jung, Luke Skywalker, and the Psychology of Myth: Crash Course World Mythology #40”

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I added a cautionary box

Expect to see plenty of swimming pictures.

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Saturday - November 17, 2018

Things don't look good right now.

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Journal - Friday, 16Nov2018

Thinking by blogging
I like mind games.

I used to have a very religious and very superstitious neighbor. One thing that would freak him out was the number thirteen. So when I started doing stuff on the net, I threw in thirteens whenever I could. Even today, I do the same. Three thirteens is thirty-nine, that's the number of entries you'll find on the front pages of my blogs. On this blog, when you hover over one of the internal links that coded, it grows to 113% of it's normal size. The margins on my quote boxes are thirteen pixels. And so on.

There are just all sorts of thirteens in my blogs. And there are about to be more.

Starting this week, I'm setting some goals. Thirteen articles revived. Thirteen lexicon entries added. And thirteen quotes on Wednesdays.

I use other numbers too of course. Threes. Fives, Sevens.

But there is a part of me that can't help speculating what my former neighbor would say if he knew I was deliberately putting all these thirteens out into the world and on the net. It brings a smile.

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That's what I do.

Difference between the point in time and the celebration

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Revived - November 16, 2018

Her hair caught my attention.

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Added to the lexicon

In Which NeoWayland combines Geekary and Technopaganism to Peer Dimly at Humanity's Potiential

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Ro3 № 15

Don’t hold someone responsible unless they were present, of age, and participating. Remember the Practical Grudge Limit.
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Friday - November 16, 2018

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❝We Are as Gods and Might as Well Get Good at It❞

Thinking by blogging

We've gotten so used to hiding ourselves that the default assumption is that the only reason you see someone nude is because you are about to get it on. It's not true.

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❝Paganism is optimistic…❞

Ultimately, America's answer to the intolerant man is diversity, the very diversity which our heritage of religious freedom has inspired.
— Robert Kennedy
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❝Where do you learn how to act?❞

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Core of human dignity

“What if the Placebo Effect Isn’t a Trick?”

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Diversity

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❝Adopt the pace of nature…❞

But there was a time when skinny dipping was not only common, but encouraged.

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❝I only went out for a walk…❞

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.
— John Muir
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Home

This planet is our home. Our life and hers are interdependent.
— Doreen Valiente
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Paths to the Innermost

There are two Paths to the Innermost: the Way of the Mystic, which is the way of devotion and meditation, a solitary and subjective path; and the way of the occultist, which is the way of the intellect, of concentration, and of trained will; upon this path the co-operation of fellow workers is required, firstly for the exchange of knowledge, and secondly because ritual magic plays an important part in this work, and for this the assistance of several is needed in most of the greater operations. The mystic derives his knowledge through the direct communion of his higher self with the Higher Powers; to him the wisdom of the occultist is foolishness, for his mind does not work in that way; but, on the other hand, to a more intellectual and extrovert type, the method of the mystic is impossible until long training has enabled him to transcend the planes of form. We must therefore recognize these two distinct types among those who seek the Way of Initiation, and remember that there is a path for each.
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Discovering odd scraps

Science is always discovering odd scraps of magical wisdom and making a tremendous fuss about its cleverness.
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Genitals

The simple fact is that genitals are no more sexual than any other part of the body--until we use them for sex.
Is Nudity Inherently Immoral? from Family Skinnydippers
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Obsessive modesty

It's a false choice to be either technological or natural. Our technology is our nature.

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Ro3 № 14

Know what you can do. Know what you're willing to do. Know the price you're willing to pay.
— NeoWayland, Rules of Three
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Thursday - November 15, 2018

“Pain can be a self-fulfilling prophecy”

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❝When animus and anima meet…❞

Before you complain about the nude pictures…

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Duality and non-duality

Thinking by blogging

So I am going to talk about the retreat I'd like to build if money were not an object.

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The flip side of placebo

Pain can be a self-fulfilling prophecy

Expect a shot to hurt and it probably will, even if the needle poke isn't really so painful. Brace for a second shot and you'll likely flinch again, even though - second time around - you should know better.

That's the takeaway of a new brain imaging study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour which found that expectations about pain intensity can become self-fulfilling prophecies. Surprisingly, those false expectations can persist even when reality repeatedly demonstrates otherwise, the study found.

"We discovered that there is a positive feedback loop between expectation and pain," said senior author Tor Wager, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder. "The more pain you expect, the stronger your brain responds to the pain. The stronger your brain responds to the pain, the more you expect."

For decades, researchers have been intrigued with the idea of self-fulfilling prophecy, with studies showing expectations can influence everything from how one performs on a test to how one responds to a medication. The new study is the first to directly model the dynamics of the feedback loop between expectations and pain and the neural mechanisms underlying it.
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Technopagan retreat

That sacred space of conscience where you can exercise your rights in terms of religious freedom and deeply-held, reasonable beliefs is the core of human dignity. In fact, that's the basis for civilization itself. And when you lose that fundamental principle... you have no basis on which to build.
— Jeff Fortenberry
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Note to my sensitive readers

Where do you learn how to act? Not at church. America is a lot more like pagan Rome than we think. We still sacrifice to objects to gain our social goals.
— Dave Hickey
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Sometimes the morning is too early

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Looks like a shining temple

This planet is our home. Our life and hers are interdependent.
— Doreen Valiente
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Built by Nature

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.
— John Muir
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Ro3 № 13

We Are as Gods and Might as Well Get Good at It
Whole Earth Catalog statement of purpose, 1968
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Wednesday - November 14, 2018

Grumpy

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Placebo

The pictures don't do it justice.

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Ro3 № 12

What you think you know is not what you need to know. Where you are is not where you need to be. Who you believe you are is not who you were meant to be.
— NeoWayland, Rules of Three, see also Systematically
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Tuesday - Novemember 13, 2018

Ireland

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Skinny dipping

The simple fact is that genitals are no more sexual than any other part of the body--until we use them for sex.
Is Nudity Inherently Immoral? from Family Skinnydippers
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Pray

Technically not nude, but close. Not sure of the date on this one. By the hairstyle I'd guess pre-WWII. It looks to me like she is gathering and preparing herself.

I’m a naturist in both senses of the word. Life doesn’t always need clothes. I admire the human body. I hope you can too.

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Very blonde

Her hair caught my attention. Not just the color, but the way it moves. Very blonde is the best description I can come up with.

I’m a naturist in both senses of the word. Life doesn’t always need clothes. I admire the human body. I hope you can too.

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Napping

The other day I was rightly criticized for not having anything but mostly young nubile females in my nude pictures. So here is a larger and older lady. You can tell she's a witch by her pendant. And since she's sleeping, she qualifies as a casual nude.

I’m a naturist in both senses of the word. Life doesn’t always need clothes. I admire the human body. I hope you can too.

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Ro3 № 11

“In which Mike Rugnetta teaches you about the stories we tell about witches and hags. It's definitely unfortunate that a lot of social orders have generated stories about evil women with magical powers. Today we're going to look at a few of those stories, and talk a little about why these stories appear, and what they mean.”

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Monday - November 12, 2018

Behold moodINQ

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“Witches and Hags: Crash Course World Mythology #39”

Some monotheists think that their religion belongs on top and take offense when you disagree.
— NeoWayland
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Saturday - November 10, 2018


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Ro3 № 10

To ease your pain and shame, share it separately with three people you trust.
— NeoWayland, Rules of Three
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Revived - November 9, 2018

As always, the most recently converted entries are at the top of the list at the 3rd Yearnings tag page.

These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.

Sometimes the sad songs do help

Spells for Democracy?

Myth ruminations

“I dare you to do it better!”
or
Adventures in Mythmaking


Meant to be used

On the Threefold Law of Return

A Rule of Three

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Journal - Friday, 09Nov2018

Anything in the Gallery or albums has to have grabbed my attention. That usually means it has to be unusual.

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Friday - November 9, 2018

The demand that we always wear clothing while in society causes at least four kinds of alienation: it alienates us from ourselves, from others, from nature, and from the Divine.
— Mark Storey
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Some monotheists

Some monotheists think that their religion belongs on top and take offense when you disagree.
— NeoWayland
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NeoNote — Nudes on Technopagan Yearnings

I love being naked. I do everything in the nude, even the gardening! We're Cuban, and it's a hot island. Why not go nude?
— Eva Mendes
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Alienates us

The demand that we always wear clothing while in society causes at least four kinds of alienation: it alienates us from ourselves, from others, from nature, and from the Divine.
— Mark Storey
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❝What boys really need are real bodies.❞

Modesty died when clothes were born.
— Mark Twain
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❝We're Cuban, and it's a hot island.❞

I think onstage nudity is disgusting, shameful, and damaging to all things American. But if I were 22 with a great body, it would be artistic, tasteful, patriotic and a progressive religious experience.
— Shelly Winters
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Hypocrisy and insecurity

The main hangup in the world today is hypocrisy and insecurity. If people can't face up to the fact of other people being naked, or whatever they want to do, then we're never going to get anywhere. People have got to become aware that it's none of their business and that being nude is not obscene. Being ourselves is what's important. If everyone practised being themselves instead of pretending to be what they aren't, there would be peace.
— John Lennon
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❝Modesty died when clothes were born.❞

Modesty died when clothes were born.
— Mark Twain
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❝But if I were 22 with a great body…❞

I think onstage nudity is disgusting, shameful, and damaging to all things American. But if I were 22 with a great body, it would be artistic, tasteful, patriotic and a progressive religious experience.
— Shelly Winters
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❝Being natural and matter-of-fact about nudity…❞

The road between.

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Ro3 № 9

Honor expects three warnings before you act.
— NeoWayland, Rules of Three
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Thursday - November 8, 2018

Moon and Liberty.

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Halfway there

Literally the road between.

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Ro3 № 8

“This week, Mike is teaching you about the most mythic of mythological creatures: Dragons. Cultures across the world (and across Westeros) tell stories of dragons, and their power to destroy, their power to prop up kings, and their power to cause a nice, refreshing rain shower. ”

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Let freedom ring.

Lady Liberty and Lady Moon.

Let freedom ring.

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Wednesday - November 7, 2018

Enjoy the picture.

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Today was not mine

“If you are really a polytheist, then you must accept that the gods do not vote.”

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Ro3 № 7

These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories.

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Tuesday - November 6, 2018 - election day

Not about problem solving, just about getting the job done

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The Gods Do Not Vote

The Gods Do Not Vote, So Why Are You Asking Them?

Meanwhile, I see some Pagans convinced that they know how the gods vote — or would vote, if they could produce a photo ID at the polling place.

Are these the same Pagans who sneer at that subset of evangelical Christians who apparently think that Jesus is a Republican?

If you are really a polytheist, then you must accept that the gods do not vote. Their values are not always aligned with our day-to-day political values. Really, what does Aphrodite care about Colorado’s proposal to change the redistricting process or about who wins the race for Pueblo County coroner? Should I consult Hekate about my congressional candidates?
Chas S. Clifton
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Facing the fire

Words matter. Actions matter more. Intentions don’t.
— NeoWayland, Rules of Three, see also Would you know?
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At the door

Honor expects three warnings before you act.
— NeoWayland, Rules of Three
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Just having fun

Test it thrice.
— NeoWayland, Rules of Three
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Ro3 № 6

iTunes and it's "random" selections

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Not exclusively the label

I'm pretty sure this is an actual ritual.

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Casual nudity

Duality is singularity reflected.
— NeoWayland, weird
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Monday - November 5, 2018

If you behave AS IF…

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“Serpents and Dragons: Crash Course World Mythology #38”

Thinking by blogging

I made a mistake this last Tuesday.

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Saturday - November 3, 2018

I'd be remiss if I didn't throw in the occasional naked man.

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Journal - Friday, 02Nov2018

Looking for Paganism in films

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Added to the lexicon

Sexuality is a thing of the mind, not of the genitalia.
— Maggie McNeill, Rope of Sand
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Revived - November 2, 2018

Every person has the right to control their own sexuality, and nobody else’s.
— Maggie McNeill, Standing in the Rain
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Ro3 № 5

If you care for the other person, if you respect them, if you share deep passions with them, then the sex makes all that better.
— NeoWayland, Rules of Three, see also Collecting pelts, sex rules
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Friday - November 2, 2018

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Somebody please explain to me…

These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.

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Doing something positive in the world

One of my (suitably edited) Dark Moon rites

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❝Every person has the right to control their own sexuality…❞

Why we ever started with swimsuits I'll never know.

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❝Law of Weird❞

Duality is singularity reflected.
— NeoWayland, weird
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❝Law of Perspective❞

Say only one thing for every three things they say.
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Ro3 № 4

Start by listening. Before you say anything, listen again. Just to make sure you understand, listen some more.
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Thursday - November 1, 2018

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Not this year

Lady who raised a coyote

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Samhain tree

Gotta love that sky!

The original poster at the EarthPorn reddit called this an evil looking tree. I don't think it is, I think it just needs appreciation.

So here it is, a tree that looks like it should be marking the gate between the worlds.

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Ro3 № 3

I keep collecting them and they keep proving useful.

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Wednesday - October 31, 2018

That's because I keep having the same conversations again and again.

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Unoriginal

Some people have noticed that I use the same responses again and again.

That's because I keep having the same conversations again and again.

If it plays in Peoria, it will probably work in Flagstaff.

I like talking to people who make me think. But if it's the same people, they usually tell me the same things. And most of the rest don't think for themselves, they just regurgitate what they have been told is the the right thing to say.

I recycle a lot of what I say because I can't come up with an original response to the same stuff all the time.

If you want an original response, tell me something original. Or at least something I haven't heard before.

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How does it make the World better?

Rewritten.

This has been the year of politics. Even more, it's been the year of Pagan politics, with Doomsayers announcing that the Current Administration is a threat to paganism, women, children, world peace, climate, and the price of organic rice.

Codswallop.

Years ago I chose to separate my politics from my paganism. Lately I've been trying to separate sex around me from politics. We know that politics corrupts. I've no desire to see my faith enslaved to the cause of the day. And I really don't want to give control of my sex drive to the activists. It's not a circus where we all go home safe and sound afterwards.

It's not a fantasy epic. As John Halstead pointed out, fantasy epics are adolescent. Not even thinking, it's desire unleashed. We're not the Ones Chosen By Destiny to Triumph Over Overwelming Evil.

"Me, ME, ME, ME!"

Any blood paid wouldn't be theirs.

We're people, not legends.

The real world, the mundane world, the everyday World isn't like that. Real heroes make a stand, knowing that the price may be more than they can pay. But these poseurs? These wanna-be Big Name Pagans? These shallow sorta victim types? What's heroic about that? It's wish fulfillment. They will never be satisfied. They never see beyond the next moment of What Could Be, if everything goes the way they want. If nothing goes wrong…

Real change in the real world costs blood, sweat, and tears. It means thinking about tomorrow and the week after that. It means accepting the consequences for your actions. It means knowing that big changes start with small changes, not grand gestures. It means something beyond the fantasy.

Let's say there were these hot, uninhibited, possibly bisexual and very well developed 15 year old twins that lived over on the next block. Now there's a part of me that would look at them and think "me FUCK now!!!".

But that isn't an adult thing to do. Leaving aside the social consequences of boinking two underage girls, just what is going to happen next? What do we talk about between sessions? Do I feed them in the morning? Who cooks? If they mess up the bathroom, do I take time away from screwing to clean it up? Would they want to fuck me? Or is it only about my desire? What happens next week? Would I want them back? Would they want me back? When does this little fantasy stop being about me? When does this become something we share and can build on? Beyond the moment, is there something more?

How does it make the World better?

So when I read about the very public hexing of a Supreme Court justice, I see some very adolescent behavior. It's not that the hex couldn't be effective (although not the way it was set up). I just have to wonder what is the point? All those people doing the hexing weren't wronged. But they were making a very public statement that they AS PAGANS WE ARE NOT GOING TO STAND FOR IT.

Maybe they should try sitting.

And maybe listening.

Is there something they can share? Or is it only about their desire?

We know what they want. They want a Grand Crusade Against Injustice. They want to make a difference in the World and be acknowledged for the good that did. With no risk to themselves and no consequences for their choices. They are Pagan. They are Proud. They are Morally Superior. They want you to know that. They are Those Who Want to Be Noticed, who MUST be celebrated for the stand they took against the fuddy-duddy crowds that said no. But what is pagan about it?

While all this serves the ego, what does it have to do with the sunrise?

How does it make the World better?

This isn't the change we should be making. This is selfish. This is about as far away from the natural World as we can get. It's not about harmony and understanding, it's about threats and demands against our fellow humans. It's about cultivating resentment. It's about driving barriers between us. It's about destruction for the sake of destruction.

How does it make the World better?

It doesn't.

Don't be a great Pagan. Just be a great human.

Be the best human you can be. Leave the World a little better than how you found it. Find something good you can share.

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Ro3 № 2

The Wheel turns, bringing Bright and Dark Blessings to us all.
— NeoWayland, Good Journey Isaac
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Tuesay - October 30, 2018

Reconsidering the answer to an old post

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Practical rules of three

We can't afford blind faith.
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Goofy tongue

Change your perspective.
— NeoWayland, WebTree
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Quiet soak

Nudity and water go hand in hand. Why we ever started with swimsuits I'll never know.

This one looks vintage but I am pretty sure it's posed. For one thing that expression is unusual in pictures before about 1970 or so.That reflection is gorgeous.

I’m a naturist in both senses of the word. Life doesn’t always need clothes. I admire the human body. I hope you can too.

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Ro3 № 1

Start by listening. Before you say anything, listen again. Just to make sure you understand, listen some more.
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Monday - October 29, 2018

The lady is having way too much fun.

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❝The Wheel turns…❞

The Wheel turns, bringing Bright and Dark Blessings to us all.
— NeoWayland, Good Journey Isaac
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The future we make

“Horses have been human companions for thousands of years, and have been essential companions and tools for the development of human culture. So, it makes sense that horses would make their way into our most important stories. Today, we're looking at horses in myth, and we'll talk about noble steeds from all over the world, including Svadlfari, Sleipneir, Pegasus, Qilin, Bucephalus, Al Baraq, and Unicorns! Let's get to the horsing around.”

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❝We can't afford blind faith.❞

We can't afford blind faith.
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“Mythical Horses: Crash Course World Mythology #37”


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Saturday - October 27, 2018

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❝That's beyond our comprehension❞

Thinking by blogging

Truth is winning in a small way. I've been finding people that I agree with online.

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Mentioned but nameless

Still, he deserves credit for that and at least mention somewhere. Consider him mentioned. But nameless.
— NeoWayland, Before a Winter's Eve
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❝Sexuality is a thing of the mind…❞

Sexuality is a thing of the mind, not of the genitalia.
— Maggie McNeill, Rope of Sand
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Journal - Friday, 26Oct2018

Thinking by blogging
This last week I've been polishing the behind the scenes stuff on this blog. That includes cleaning up the formatting for my quotes & thinkums. There's a goof in 2017 that's throwing things off, but I will find and fix it. I've been reading my old stuff. I've been cross referencing. Most of it isn't obvious.

Mom isn't doing so well. She forgets things. She's having a harder time moving around. We'll see.

One of my biggest frustrations is sex. One companion passed and the other moved. I try to avoid casual sex these days and I don't do the pickup scene at all. The younger women aren't interested in an older guy, especially the kind that makes them think. The older available ladies, well, many are into the victimhood thing. Some of the others want a bad boy. When they find out I am pagan, they think danger and blood and risk. Usually that's not me. I used to have sex six or seven times a week and now it's once or twice on a good week. I'm horny in an age of #MeToo and regret equalling rape accusations. I'm not sure how to fix that.

Truth is winning in a small way. I've been finding people that I agree with online. Of course it will never be a massive or even an impressive number, but there's hope for Isaiah's Job yet. I serve veritas, that has it's own rewards. Widespread recognition for my, um, obvious insights and grand wisdom is not one of them. I'm pretty good, but it won't bring fame and money. Still, it's nice to stumble across some like minded folk here and there. Wisdom is where you find it.

It dawned on me that I can save time by copy-pasting the source code from the quotes & thinkums blog entries in my comments. I'll have to eliminate the <div class="offset"> and the following </div>, but the rest shows up in Disqus just fine. Not with all the bells and whistles, true, but with enough to show it's a blockquote. I sill may have to toss in some <em> and </em>, but it works.

Time for a shower. Then I'll greet the sunrise while sharing breakfast with my raven friend. Then over to check on Mom.
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Added to the lexicon

Gotta love that sky!

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Gnostic beliefs

One of the precepts in Gnostic beliefs is that the commonly accepted "creator god" isn't the actual creator at all. He's actually a son who turned against his Parents to seize control of creation for his own selfish needs and had to lie to humans to do it. His mother, Sophia, decided to do something to turn things back the way they should be, and that is where Yeshua ben Yosef (among others) came from. It makes sense when you think of the G*D from the Old Testament as a spoiled teenager who steals from his parents and parties too hard.
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Friday - October 26, 2018

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
— Margaret Mead
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Us versus them

Nature knows best.
— Barry Commoner, third law of ecology
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NeoNote — Change the groups

Everything must go somewhere.
— Barry Commoner, second law of ecology
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❝Never doubt that a small group…❞

Nothing comes from nothing.
— Barry Commoner, fourth law of ecology
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❝Nature knows best.❞

Nature knows best.
— Barry Commoner, third law of ecology
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❝Everything must go somewhere.❞

Everything must go somewhere.
— Barry Commoner, second law of ecology
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❝Nothing comes from nothing.❞

If you are drawn to the left hand path, it's usually because you've had some kind of life experience that has shocked you, awakened you.
— Nikolas Schreck
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❝Cult of fairy❞

But yes, this is between you and him.
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❝Drawn to the left hand path…❞

Lexicon entries worth studying.

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❝ trying to make my way in a monotheistic world…❞

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."
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Thursday - October 25, 2018

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NeoNote — I don't think politics should be a part of paganism

But yes, this is between you and him.
I'd rather not deal with him at all.

I don't think politics should be a part of paganism.

I know that puts me in direct opposition to the "the personal is political" crowd. I know this isn't a political site. I'd rather not see politics here at all.

There are reasons I separated my political blogging from my pagan blogging. There are reasons why there is no "politics" category at my pagan/life blog and there is only a tag for "ugh-politics" there.

Politics corrupt, especially religion. We know that from the People of the Book. Why on Earth are we so damned determined to prove it again?

When you let your politics define your personhood, there's not much room left for your personhood outside of your politics. Without your personhood, you can lose empathy and humanity.
label

NeoNotes are the selected comments that I made on other boards, in email, or in response to articles where I could not respond directly.

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Another study guide

weird
Duality is singularity reflected.

label
Words matter. Actions matter more. Intentions don’t.

sex
Sharing pleasure through sensation.

path versus tradition

Platinum Rule
“Hope for the best, prepare for the worst and meanwhile, do everything you can to make things better.”

Old Breed

first law of ecology
“Everything is related to everything else.”

second law of ecology
“Everything must go somewhere.”

third law of ecology
“Nature knows best.”

fourth law of ecology
“Nothing comes from nothing.”

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Overhead river

It borders on objectification since it doesn't show her face.

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Wednesday - October 24, 2018

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The pedestal problem

I am Pagan because I was born that way, and because I made that choice long before I was born.
— NeoWayland, Why are you Pagan?
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Tuesday - October 23, 2018

How's that for an autumn morning?

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I was born that way

The lady is alluring.

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NeoNote — People cherish their passions

I like the leaves and her expression.

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Freckles

Posed, but I like her expression and her freckles. The lady is alluring.

I’m a naturist in both senses of the word. Life doesn’t always need clothes. I admire the human body. I hope you can too.

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Autumn

Ritual, provided it uses authentic symbols, is no more or less than what H.P. Blavatsky called 'concretized truth'.
— Stephan A. Hoeller, from "The Gnosis of the Eucharist," Gnosis № 11, Spring 1989
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Redhead with a stick

Sex is nice and pleasure is good for you.
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Authentic symbols

Ritual, provided it uses authentic symbols, is no more or less than what H.P. Blavatsky called 'concretized truth'.
— Stephan A. Hoeller, from "The Gnosis of the Eucharist," Gnosis № 11, Spring 1989
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Monday - October 22, 2018

What is remembered, lives.
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Sex is nice

The Story is told while the Journey is lived.
— NeoWayland, the Journey
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“What is remembered, lives.”

“This week, we're starting our discussion of Mythical Creatures with the WORST creatures. Monsters. What makes a monster monstrous though? Mike Rugnetta will guide you through the fine line between a magical creature and a monster. Spoiler alert: like 60% of the time, the difference is that monsters eat people. We'll talk about sea monsters, Sphinxes, and take an elongated look directly into the Canadian face of horror, the Wendigo.”

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Story is told


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“Monsters. They're Us, Man: Crash Course World Mythology #36”

Stories are important, but they are signposts.
— NeoWayland, the Story
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Saturday - October 20, 2018

One of my best teachers about magick was my Baptist deacon grandfather.

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Stories are signposts

Stories are important, but they are signposts.
— NeoWayland, the Story
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NeoNote — He would deny it

Your desire does not control another's choice.
— NeoWayland, sexual beings
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Desire

Your desire does not control another's choice.
— NeoWayland, sexual beings
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Added to lexicon

Working my way through my "to read" shelf

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Friday - October 19, 2018

“the Earth has music for those who listen”

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NeoNote — Political hexing

I love this planet!

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Thursday - October 18, 2018

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Listen

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Great owl in flight

The guy has muscle tone that makes other guys envious.

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Wednesday - October 17, 2018

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Tuesday - October 16, 2018

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Proud man

“This week on Crash Course Mythology, we're getting urban. Mike Rugnetta is the man with the orange umbrella who's about to give you a free tour of mythical cities. We'll talk about a few cities that didn't exist, but we're going to focus on real cities with mythical founding stories. We'll talk about Jericho, Jerusalem, and Rome, among others.”

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Monday - October 15, 2018


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“Cities of Myth: Crash Course World Mythology #35”

Mixed meanings can give mixed understandings

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Saturday - October 13, 2018

Thinking by blogging
I think it's a mistake to suppress our biology in the name of politics.
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Journal - Friday, October 12, 2018

Thinking by blogging
It's been a while since I've done a journal entry,

This week I'm really proud of two things. I came up with a definition of "wise" that is practical and better than anything I found in online dictionaries.

And I managed to separate sexuality from politics. I've been trying to do that for years, decades. Our culture took something that is about sharing and coming together and shoved it into tribalism. The labels aren't important unless you're trying to make fun political.

So I had to come up with something that described sexuality without tribalism.

Unless it's with me, who you have sex with, how you have sex, and how many times you have sex is frankly none of my business. Likewise, unless it is sex with me, I'm not responsible for the consequences.
That was the beginning, and now I've got a definition I can point at. If you haven't already, take a look at my lexicon sex index.

I don't know how we made sex about politics. But from now on I'm going to do my damnedest to make it responsibly fun and only fun.

Paraphrasing from The Ethical Slut and my lexicon definition, “Sex is nice and pleasure is good for you.”

I think it's a mistake to suppress our biology in the name of politics.

I'm going to look at pretty girls and women. I'll flirt unless it makes them uncomfortable. If the lady is unpledged and willing, I may fuck her if I can.

And yes, some clothing sexualizes and objectifies women. It's also something that they choose to wear. Which means they are flirting too. They want to be looked at.

I'm going to enjoy sex. I'm going to talk about sex ethically. Sex is a gift from the Divine and I am going to treat it that way.

Politics doesn't belong in sex.
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Revived 12Oct2018

As always, the most recently converted entries are at the top of the list at the 3rd Yearnings tag page.

These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.

A Blast from the Past

Faith worthy of freedom

The Magick of Food

Tree Of Life

The Word is Not the Thing

Basking in the moonlight

Study notes

What's in a word?

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Added to lexicon

Me, I compare an on-the-fly online ritual to building one custom motorcycle in twenty different places with 459 mechanics and parts from thirteen manufacturers.

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Friday - October 12, 2018

Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.
— Bob Marley
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No such thing as bad weather

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces up, snow is exhilarating; there is no such thing as bad weather just different kinds of good weather.
— John Ruskin
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Let the rain kiss you

With a Moon, trees and a reflection, this plays with some of my favorite themes.

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Feel the rain

I don't think people should be objectified, that almost always means no face associated with the body.

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Thursday - October 11, 2018

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Double moon

I've spent weeks researching, writing, and rewriting.

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Objectify

Not surprisingly, much of the traffic on this site comes from people looking for nude pictures.

I've said before that this is not a pornography site.

So here are my guidelines.

Photos that show genitals and breasts should include faces or at least heads. I don't think people should be objectified, that almost always means no face associated with the body.

In fact, that is one of the biggest differences between porn and photos. Porn seeks to objectify.

No photos of nude underage kids. There are just too many legal and ethical issues.

No photos of sex or carnal acts. Although some of the kisses and embraces come very close.

I'm straight, so most of the nudes I publish are ladies.

I do share drawings, paintings, and sculpture that show sex and orgasms in ritual or mythological context.

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Wednesday - October 10, 2018

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Sexuality without politics

There's something luscious about a woman rinsing her hair.

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Tuesday - October 9, 2018

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The rinse

Sometimes we forget that language isn't reality

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Monday - October 8, 2018

I played hooky and climbed up on the roof, just so I could enjoy the moon peeking through the trees on the greenbelt in my desert.

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Sunday - October 7, 2018

More notes concerning my personal tradition path

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❝Mythical Trees: Crash Course World Mythology #34❞


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Added to lexicon

My lexicon covers multiple topics, from politics to philosophy to economics to magick to religion to civics to electronics to law. Basically everything that I find interesting.

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Revived 05Oct2018

As always, the most recently converted entries are at the top of the list at the 3rd Yearnings tag page.

These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.

Relics of faith

The Red Book - First Impressions

Charlie's story

Gnosis Journal

On commitment

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Friday - October 5, 2018

Just living is not enough... one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.
— Hans Christian Andersen
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On-line biding ritual

It is a fake.

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Not enough

I could care less what a religion calls their God, so long as they adhere to constructive and ethical beliefs and practices.
— Victor Anderson
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Thursday - October 4, 2018

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❝27 days, 27 moons❞

This is from the Space reddit. Click on the picture to go to the reddit page.

It is a fake.

There is no way the moon could be caught again and again from the same spot so it would look nice and symmetrical.

Still, it looks impressive.
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Wednesday - October 3, 2018

Granpa was a letter writer. He had a well-used old Royal and he would write letters all the time. Getting a letter from him was special. It just felt wonderful. Every time I got one I could just picture him at his typewriter hunting and pecking out the letters.

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Care less

That expression is just so perfect.

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Tuesday - October 2, 2018

Religions are not created by the Divine.

Religions are created by people claiming to speak for the Divine.
— NeoWayland
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Remember Granpa's old Royal

My biological father left my mother before my first birthday. Mom has mentioned his mother, but I've never heard her mention his father. I've never asked.

About a month after my second birthday, Mom married the only man I would call Father. And later, much later, Dad. I was very precocious. A father was a big thing to me and I didn't have one. So I called him Father. It took me years to adjust. It took him years to accept that I was trying to honor him.

Along with Dad, I got three step-sibs, an uncle, some aunts, and another grandfather. Paternal step grandfather. Grandad.

Granpa.

I already had Grandpa and Grandma on my mother's side. But I saw them often. My new Granpa lived in Arkansas. That's a fair distance from Arizona. So I didn't see him as often.

Granpa was a letter writer. He had a well-used old Royal and he would write letters all the time. Getting a letter from him was special. It just felt wonderful. Every time I got one I could just picture him at his typewriter hunting and pecking out the letters.

So of course when it came time to design my sites, I wanted a typewriter font. American Typewriter was my first choice, but the licensing is a little much. Courier worked but not as well. So I used Special Elite from Google Fonts.

I really wanted to use it in my lexicon, but it doesn't play well with other fonts. So I use Courier for the lexicon.

But the quotes from me, the NeoNotes, and now the Taproots entries, all those use Special Elite.

It helps me remember Granpa when I read those. And I want to pass those good feelings on to you..

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Surprise

So I am going to skip the Befores this year.

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NeoNote — Religion & responsiblity

If it was what you expected, why do you call it change?

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Monday - October 1, 2018

Library stuff - feel free to skip

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“Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies.”

Duality is singularity reflected.

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“Mythical Mountains: Crash Course World Mythology #33”

“Caesar, The Colosseum, Republic, Nero, geese, plebeians, legions — everything that you once knew, but forgot, in a crash course video by Arzamas.

Narrated by Brian Cox.

"Ancient Rome in 20 minutes" is an English version of a Russian video by Arzamas.”

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Weird - from the lexicon

Another class of seekers

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Added to lexicon

I got this from a tumblr blog.

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“Ancient Rome in 20 minutes”

When she transformed into a butterfly, the caterpillars spoke not of her beauty, but of her weirdness. They wanted her to change back into what she always had been. But she had wings.
— Dean Jackson
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Lexcion 3.6 ready to use

First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.
— Napoleon Hill
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Transformed

We forget who we really are.

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First comes thought

People swimming as Nature intended.

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Standing in driftwood

Long story short, without monotheism, the meaning of good and evil aren't so clear cut. It tends to be more in the nature of "this HELPS my tribe/city/nation" and "this HURTS my tribe/city/nation." It becomes relative and based on cost/benefit. It depends more on individual judgement and less on an Official List of "THOU SHALT NOTS."

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The lady inside

Lately sex has also been one thing that drags politics into paganism. Politics corrupts, and I've no desire to see my faith or sex reduced to politics.
— NeoWayland
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Ocean swimming

“This week, Mike Rugnetta is teaching you about mythical gardens and caves, which appear in cultures all over the world. Caves and gardens can stand for different things, but in the two stories we're talking about today, they tie into the creation of the world in general, and the origins of humans in particular.”

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NeoNote — Good and evil

Obviously I am not heathen, but I question that phrase "forces of darkness." Our World has both light and darkness, both are necessary for life, death, growth and renewal.

Perhaps it is just me, but I have issues with assigning good to light and evil to darkness. I probably have issues with the dualistic ideas of good and evil too. Sometimes what is "evil" for one group is "good" for another. If they are anything like the ones I've argued with, your "extreme right ideologies" probably see inclusiveness as very evil and damaging. I disagree, but it is their "evil."



Ah, now that is an interesting bit.

Bonewits pointed out that dualism, especially religious dualism, quickly shifts things to IS and IS NOT. If something IS NOT on the approved list, it is evil because the definitions and underlying assumptions don't allow any other possibility.

Long story short, without monotheism, the meaning of good and evil aren't so clear cut. It tends to be more in the nature of "this HELPS my tribe/city/nation" and "this HURTS my tribe/city/nation." It becomes relative and based on cost/benefit. It depends more on individual judgement and less on an Official List of "THOU SHALT NOTS."

But, since Bonewits is on the Disapproved List, this is just academic, right? An accused sexual predator and pedophile couldn't possibly have had good ideas…



I disagree.

I agree that unrestrained greed and unrestrained tribalism are bad. But so is unrestrained sex, unrestrained pacifism, unrestrained sugar, unrestrained sunbathing, unrestrained hair dyeing, unrestrained television, and unrestrained concrete. A little goes a long way, or as the old saying goes, moderation in all things.

Competition keeps us honest and is one big reason why we try to make things better.



*grins* I may bring the philosophy bit out. I enjoy it, I practice it, and I encourage it.

I was thinking about the Greeks and some of the philosophy of the Golden Mean, although the Buddhist version applies too.

Specifically I was thinking about self-discipline and responsibility. The Ethic of Reciprocity is usually associated with Christianity but predates Christianity and exists independently in other cultures. One of my party tricks is showing how people can build an entire social, ethical, and legal system using the EoR and without depending on authority granted from an Official Religion. And that brings us to unrestrained.

If we are talking about ethical restraints, those restraints have to be self-imposed. It's not really ethical otherwise. If a choice is imposed by force, it's not really a choice, is it?

Self-restraint goes right back to the EoR. If I want to be treated right, it's in my best interest to treat others right. We expect others to act morally and honorably. That gets into defining the Other which is a long subject. I'm going to skip that for our discussion here.

Every morning I have a glass of citrus juice with my breakfast. But it's a water glass, not a juice glass. Is that excessive? Some might say so. But it's my breakfast and my choice. As long as I am not depriving or harming others, then how is it anyone else's business?

That brings us to greed. If I want to continue having OJ, somehow I have to do something that someone else wants and is willing to pay for. With the division of labor, that becomes the free market. Voluntary exchanges between mutually consenting adults. To get what I want, I have to provide something they want.

Competition brings the second keystone of the free market: I can do better than that! Most fail, but the successes change everything.

You're absolutely right pointing out that competition doesn't mean destroying the other (odd how that word keeps cropping up). But the free market means that a company or person has to offer at least as much value as those around them, or someone else will sell.

It's not just buying and selling. Most people reading this site chose paganism or an alternative religion because that religion offered something that they couldn't get elsewhere.



One of the things I recently added to my lexicon, the two most important phrases in human history (www DOT neowayland DOT com SLASH lexicon SLASH tt SLASH #two)

“Let me help.”

“I can do better than that!”


And yes, I gave credit to Star Trek for the first.

NeoNotes are the selected comments that I made on other boards, in email, or in response to articles where I could not respond directly.

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NeoNote — #MeToo has hit modern neopaganism hard

Yes. it really looks that way.

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“Mythical Caves and Gardens: Crash Course World Mythology #32”

I don't think paganism is a movement. I think it's a life.
— NeoWayland
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Added to lexicon

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“Look up”

I'm pretty sure it's a initiation ritual.

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Paganism isn't a movement

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“Skyclad for Samhain in the graveyard.”

“In which Mike Rugnetta teaches you about Ma'ui, prominent hero of many cultures in Oceania, aka the Pacific Island nations. Ma'ui is just the kind of hero we're interested in here at Crash Course. He's a culture hero, he's a an adventurer, he has a divine birth, AND he's a trickster. In short, he's pretty cool, and the tasks he accomplishes in his life are great examples of how human stories can touch on universal themes.”

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Broom Ritual

I stumbled across this and thought you might like it.

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“Ma'ui, Oceania's Hero: Crash Course World Mythology #31”

I prefer faces.

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Dreamlike

The green guy just sets it off.

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Added to lexicon

I do like her expression though.

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Those who walk between the worlds

“This week, Mike Rugnetta re-introduces Herakles, the strong man of Greek and Roman myth. Strongman with a darkside, that is. You'll learn about Herakles' 10 actually 12 labors, the story of his birth, his death, some of his marriages, none of which turned out that great, and some of his character flaws that definitely wouldn't fly in the modern world.”

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Handprints

I never really have understood the whole cultural appropriation bit. Syncretism happens.

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Curvy


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NeoNote - White sage, Amerindians and virtue signalling

White sage is really not that hard to find. You need a little care when harvesting to avoid harming the plant. If you're in the right area and you don't overwater, it's fairly easy to keep in a container garden. Oh, and if you're harvesting your own, avoid polyester thread or yarn to tie the bundles, that smells terrible when burned.

I grew up next to the Diné and Hopi and near the Havasupai and a handful of other tribes. I promise that pretty much any sage ceremony from a book or a pamphlet or a website isn't anywhere near culturally appropriated, much less "authentic."



Okay, maybe I am not understanding because the stuff is all over New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.

Maybe I'm wrong, but if it was a native supplier who was selling, how is wrong for the company to resell?

I never really have understood the whole cultural appropriation bit. Syncretism happens.



Pardon, but it's some of the First Nation folks. Some of the Diné I know are far more concerned with the abuse of corn rituals than sage rituals.

I guess what I am saying is that this strikes me as politics, a way to control other's behaviors using little-understood religions. Look at this, we're talking Native, we're talking First Nations, but these groups are absolutely not the same as the various tribes.

This was acceptable and practiced behavior a couple of days ago. No one was hurt, no one was abused, no one was demeaned. From what you yourself have said, anyone who is not Native should Stop Now. This isn't about honoring the First Nations, it's about control through guilt.

Why does your enlightenment require that I sacrifice?


Granted I haven't been able to talk to more than a handful of people in the last day or so about this issue, but most of what I got was laughter.

This is not a "bubble," I was born on the res, the Diné and Hopi are some of my friends and neighbors.

This whole thing about honoring the First Nations seems very selective. A few months back during the Dakota protests I tried to point out how the state of Utah was using legal maneuvers to steal land and money from the Ute and Diné (Navajo). That didn't rate so much as a burp, but the discussion on the protests went on and on.



Trust me, white sage is not endangered. Not even in the wild. The land is mostly desert and the plant life is not as plentiful, but it is all over the place. It's not the most common plant, but it's not rare.



That's something else we've been tiptoeing around, isn't it?

That also drags the FedGovs in. Truthfully there are some peyote users that aren't interested in the ritual.

The whole mess between the NAC and the Feds is one thing that convinced me that government and religion should be strictly separated from other. And that was when I was (briefly) a Young Teenage Republican Male. Twelve years old and I could see what a farce it was on both sides.



Well, the hunt is part of the ritual, but yeah.

==>Insert obligatory lengthy libertarian anti-drug law rant here<==

For the record, I don't even drink or otherwise imbibe. I even try to avoid aspirin.



So you can use the higher authority gambit to cite the Good Amerindians, but I am not allowed to question?

These are questions that should be asked.

Starting with the big one that almost everyone keeps tiptoeing around. Why should white sage be forbidden to anyone not of First Nations stock?

That in itself raises questions, very political questions in fact. Some tribes have taken a hard line on who is and is not a member.

Do you have to be Officially Recognized before you dare consider using white sage?



I do that when someone claims higher morality so they can control the choices and actions of others.

It's a first step.

You should see what I do with self-righteous Christians.



Pardon, but some Native Americans are upset. The (admittedly few) that I talked to just thought it was silly.

They still think the plant and the smudging ceremonies are sacred. They just think there are more important things in the World than this fuss.

Which, BTW, didn't exist a week ago.



I have a bit of a problem with lumping different tribes under one heading like First Nations or Native or Amerindian. Whenever possible, I prefer to refer to the tribe name and not the generic label. The cultures and ceremonies are different.

That being said, the handful of Diné I talked in the last couple of days thought this was silly and virtue signaling. I think they were more irritated by "whites" trying to "protect" Amerindian rituals and plants than "whites" using sage in purification rituals.

It was only a small number of people. It would be a mistake to claim their opinion is representative or that I have a greater understanding of their culture.

But that's parity again. It cuts both ways. If the people I talked to are not representative, then what about the Amerindians who complained? If my understanding is insufficient, then what about all the non-Natives who are making a fuss now?



That happens a lot.

Thomas Sowell said “When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.”

Just because it is truth doesn't mean people will listen.

NeoNotes are the selected comments that I made on other boards, in email, or in response to articles where I could not respond directly.

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“Herakles. Or Hercules. A Problematic Hero: Crash Course World Mythology #30”

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Added to lexicon

It's sometimes called the "Eye of God."

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So the paganism bothers you too.

“In which Mike Rugnetta teaches you about the hero of The Congo, Mwindo! Mike will tell you the stories of Mwindo's birth, his many deaths, and his evolution from a braggy superhuman baby to a wise, superhuman leader of his people. Along the way, we'll learn about the Wiki game, and when you should and shouldn't drink banana beer.”

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In a field

The only reason I started writing about pagans and sex is because there is a strong movement to lock all that away where Respectable People Will Not Talk About the Embarrassing Stuff.
— NeoWayland
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Looking

The combination of the lady's expression and her pose sell the shot. The tattoos don't hurt either.

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“The Mwindo Epic: Crash Course World Mythology #29”

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Lock it away

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Added to lexicon

Kennebunk Police Department, Animal Control Division

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Yoga

I can't even laugh at the irony anymore. These are the seeds that will destroy paganism in a way that monotheisms never could.

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“Galahad, Perceval, and the Holy Grail: Crash Course World Mythology #28”

An Arizona monsoon storm.

I'm going to go watch it on the patio for a while.

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Added to the lexicon

For something with no moral relativism, there's an awful lot or relative morality going on.

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NeoNote — Not about paganism

Someone is pulling your strings. You'd be a fool to accept that.

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Behavior

An original interpretation of an old favorite.

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“Starry Night as seen by Van Gogh”

Those who hunt for treasure must go alone, at night, along the way they lose some blood, and when they find the treasure, it's never what they expected.
— unknown
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Rain, rain, stay a while

I'm not something less, I'm something else.
— NeoWayland
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Condemnation of memory

Someone is pulling your strings. You'd be a fool to accept that.

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Something else

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“We are our bodies”

“The next entry in our parade of heroes is Rama, the protagonist of the Ramayana, one of India’s oldest stories. We’re going to be talking about Rama’s importance to Hindu culture, and how Rama fits into Campbell’s idea of the Hero’s Journey. Although, Rama may not even be the hero.”

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Those who hunt for treasure…

I've been busy on the site, it's just not been obvious.

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“Rama and the Ramayana: Crash Course World Mythology #27”

Somehow it's always the other person who is supposed to sacrifice.

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Six new pages

I learned a long time ago that it's worth the trouble to make sure she's got at least two climaxes for every one of mine.

Keeps her smiling too.
— NeoWayland
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Added to the lexicon


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NeoNote — Responding to another Bookworm rant

Bearistotle

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Worst experiences with paganism

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Climax

That's a practical use of her shirt.

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Philosi-bear

“This week, we're continuing our discussion of heroes by talking about Gilgamesh, star of one of the earliest written hero stories, The Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh was a terrible ancient king who left his kingdom seeking adventure, and eventually on the prowl for immortality. Along the way, he checks pretty much all the boxes on the checklist of Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey.”

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Sleeping in the sunlight

Due to events of the last couple of weeks, I have rewritten my sex and sex rules lexicon entries.

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Added to the lexicon

Should we be ashamed?

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“The Epic of Gilgamesh: Crash Course World Mythology #26”

Sex is exploding hormones. Love is commitment. The two should not be confused.
— NeoWayland, sex
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Sex & sex rules

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Love & sex

“How do you remove the memory of a particularly bad emperor from the history books? Or what if your brother is just so annoying that you can't stand the sight of him anymore, and don't want to share power? You perform a damnatio memoriae, erase all inscriptions, destroy all public images, and pretend as if he never existed.”

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It's a FERTILITY religion!

It's very easy to find abusers.

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Added to the lexicon

Sharing a shower is always fun.

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“Damnatio Memoriae, or How to Erase Someone from History”

I'm pretty sure this lady is channelling a god.

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NeoNote — Excuse for sex

WebTree fire festival & cross quarter day. Harvestpoint marks the beginning of fall and the return of the dark, staring at sunset the day before the midpoint between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox and ending at sunset on the day after (traditional three days).

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Waterfall

Sharing a shower is always fun.

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Godmask

I'm pretty sure this lady is channelling a god.

I’m a naturist in both senses of the word. Life doesn’t always need clothes. I admire the human body. I hope you can too.

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First day of Harvestpoint

I found this one in a discussion about Australian aboriginal people.

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“The Hero's Journey and the Monomyth: Crash Course World Mythology #25”

My guess is that this is a purification ritual.

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Anti-Christian

“Ragnarok! It's the end of the world, Norse style. It's got everything you want in an apocalypse. Earthquakes, destruction, armies of the dead, a giant evil wolf, giants with flaming swords, and a kind of happy ending. It's got it all. But is it really Norse? It wasn't written down until after Christianity had arrived in Europe. So how much influence is there?”

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Spear

May the Gods always stand between you and harm in all the empty places you must walk.
— anonymous Wiccan prayer
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Worship

If a bible is left outside in the sun and rain it will eventually fade and decompose. A pagan's bible IS the sun and rain.
— anonymous
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“Ragnarok: Crash Course World Mythology #24”

Churches are hospitals for the sinners, not mausoleums for the saints.
— anonymous
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Empty places

May the Gods always stand between you and harm in all the empty places you must walk.
— anonymous Wiccan prayer
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Sun and rain

The Lady's touch is life. The Lord's touch is love.
— NeoWayland
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Hospitals for the sinners

This lady could almost be a river goddess.

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Make amends

The pose and the setting make this a near perfect shot.

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Lady & Lord

It's not the easiest to search, particularly the comments.

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Standing at the river

Far more erasure is happening at the hands of our own people than the old Christian fundamentalist crowd could ever hope to do.
— Kenneth Goze, comments from Column: the Mainstreaming of Pride
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The river knows

Nothing supernatural exists.
— J.H.
probably inspired by a Star Trek film
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Searching The Wild Hunt

“Mike Rugnetta is going to tell you stories of death, destruction, divine judgment, damnation, and the occasional happy ending. That's right, this week we're talking about the Apocalypse. Actually we're talking about a bunch of ways the world could end. Prepare for stories of the end times from Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam! It's the (mostly) Abrahamic Apocalypses on Crash Course World Mythology.”

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In the name of inclusion

“Anthony Howe has been sculpting kinetic structures for nearly 30 years. In 1996, he filled his own sculpture park with metallic pieces that dance in the wind. His work has even appeared at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the holiday display for Barneys in NYC! Howe hopes his artwork gives viewers a moment of semi-meditative peace.”

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Nothing supernatural exists.

Lovers are certainly everyday nudity.

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“The Apocalyspe: Crash Course World Mythology #23”

“Mike Rugnetta is going to tell you stories of death, destruction, divine judgment, damnation, and the occasional happy ending. That's right, this week we're talking about the Apocalypse. Actually we're talking about a bunch of ways the world could end. Prepare for stories of the end times from Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam! It's the (mostly) Abrahamic Apocalypses on Crash Course World Mythology.”

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“How These Metal Sculptures Move With The Wind”

Sometimes today's Pagans seem to think that wearing a Thor's hammer should grant them the presumption of honor of a Viking king.
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That smile

I do not usually do carnal pictures. TPY is not a porn site.

But lovers are certainly everyday nudity. The smile does more to sell this.

And yes, I know it's posed. It still delivers.

I’m a naturist in both senses of the word. Life doesn’t always need clothes. I admire the human body. I hope you can too.

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“The Dying God: Crash Course World Mythology #19”


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Presumption of honor


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I rub people the wrong way

When feelings are high, I rub people the wrong way. I focus on getting things working and leaving the emotional stuff for later. It's practical in a business setting but doesn't work with most long term pagan groups. I recognize that passion drives us, but it's not a good tool for effective decisions.
— NeoWayland
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It's only shame if I accept the premise.

Yes, this pose is a little submissive.

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“American Floods: Crash Course World Mythology #18”

Could this have been from a themed retreat?

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Like calls to like

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
— anonymous, misattributed to Albert Einstein, Rita Mae Brown, Max Nordau, George Bernard Shaw, George A. Kelly, Werner Erhard, Jessie Potter, and others
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Beads

I don't think our worship belongs enshrined in some fantasy setting.
— NeoWayland, Bringing it home
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I love a lady with a guitar

Could this have been from a themed retreat?

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Definition of insanity

Experience requires taking that first and seventh step into the unknown.
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Fantasy setting

I was working on the lexicon and realized I had totally forgotten Isaac Bonewits' The Laws of Magic.

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“Yu the Engineer and Flood Stories from China: Crash Course World Mythology #17”


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Experience


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Study guide - Bonewits' Laws of Magic

Added to lexicon.

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We're The Ones Who Walk Between The Worlds


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“Floods in the Ancient Near East: Crash Course World Mythology #16”

I've always had my suspicions about that.

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Celebrate

I don't turn on the bathroom lights.

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“Archetypes and Male Divinities: Crash Course World Mythology #15”

“This week on Crash Course Mythology, Mike is teaching you about the archetypes that are often associated with male divinities. We’re going to talk about Fathers & Sons, Kings & Judges, Saviors & Sages, Shamans, Tricksters, and Lords of Destruction. Along the way, we’ll look at the story of Hwaning, Hwanung, and Dangun from the Korean peninsula, and we’ll learn about Arjuna and all the help he got from Krishna. We’ll also touch on a ton of other myths from around the world. These things play out this way all the time, man.”

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A book fell on my head

Thou shalt mind thine own damn business.
— David Weber, Torch of Freedom
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Shower in the sunlight

I will not stop saying "not all …" when I think it applies.

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“Fire and Buffalo Goddesses: Crash Course World Mythology #14”

Questions about the battle on the left make it something more than average.

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A pretty good “thou shalt”

Most mornings I share breakfast berries with a raven. I talk to him, but he doesn't think much about human stuff. Now sunrises, he and I agree on. Not so much on sunsets, that's when he is off doing his own thing.
— NeoWayland
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Fairytale path

She's enjoying the flowers.

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NeoNote — “Not all …”

Near Doetinchem in the Netherlands.

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“Serena, Found of Savages” by Thomas Benjamin Kennington

“This week on Crash Course Mythology, we're talking archetypes. Specifically, we're talking about archetypes as they're applied to female deities. Goddesses, man. You'll learn about prehistoric fertility goddesses like the Venus of Willendorf, life and death goddesses like the Ancient Greek Fates and the Norse Norns. And we'll learn about regeneration goddesses like Ireland's Nimah, and Japan's Oto-Hime.”

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A walk

I have a bunch of pictures that I want to start using on this site.

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Most mornings

Fake clergy can screw people up big time.

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“Great Goddesses: Crash Course World Mythology #13”

Impressive

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NeoNotes - clergy claims

I'm seeing people using their victimhood to control what others in the group will do.

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Shiprock

The first couple of dozen times a nude, pretty woman is presenting herself, it's artistic.

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Broken

A swimming hole is always a good reason to shed clothing.

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The secret albums

“This week, we're talking about theories of Myth. We'll look at the different ways mythology has been studied in the last couple of millenia, and talk about the diffeent ways people have interpreted myth, academically.”

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“Venus” by Henri Pierre Pico

Thinking by blogging
Sometimes I'm asked why this site

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Another swimming hole

Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.
— John Lubbock
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“Theories of Myth: Crash Course World Mythology #12”

We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don't know.
— W. H. Auden
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Excellent schoolmasters

The earth laughs in flowers.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Here to help

There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast.
— Charles Dickens
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Mother of all people

My soul can find no staircase to Heaven unless it be through Earth's loveliness.
— Michelangelo
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Laughs

I love how the bridge emerges from the fog.

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Lights are stronger

Part of the metaphor for this site is a loose-leaf binder jammed with all sorts of stuff.

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Staircase to Heaven

Ruis liked to conflate the sexual with the forbidden.

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Out of the fog

This is a great example of ALMOST showing you something.

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Meditate

I doubt that anyone except a calendar geek or a pagan would have caught it.

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“The Opium Smoker” by Luis Ricardo Falero

Ruis liked to conflate the sexual with the forbidden.

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Bubbles

Yes, it's probably posed. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a pretty lady. I'm also a sucker for the outdoors and blowing bubbles.

This is a great example of ALMOST showing you something. You know she's nude but you don't actually see anything questionable.

I’m a naturist in both senses of the word. Life doesn’t always need clothes. I admire the human body. I hope you can too.

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Encyclopædia Brittanica gets it wrong

Not once, but twice.

I've been working on version 3 of my lexicon. It's steady work, and helps calm me. I don't write all the definitions, I take clips if I can find well written ones.

So I was looking at Brittanica's Quarter Day page, which actually refers to the Lammas page.

The Quarter Days—Candlemas (February 2), May Day (May 1), Lammas, and All Saints’ Day (November 1)—marked the four quarters of the calendar as observed in the British Isles and elsewhere in northern Europe.
     — Encyclopædia Brittanica, Lammas
Every single reference I've ever seen from Valiente forward calls these the cross quarter days, they mark the transitions between the season. The actual quarter days are the solstices and the equinoxes. It helps if you visualize the year as a wheel.

The second mistake is about May Day, and I am pretty sure it's a translation error and misunderstanding about agriculture. I'll just quote my own note here.

Enclyclopædia Britannica has it wrong here, it's a very common mistake. In some European countries especially further north, there were two seasons, winter and summer. May Day traditionally marks the beginning of the growing season, not the beginning of spring. If the summer solstice is midsummer, that makes May Day the beginning of summer.
— NeoWayland, May Day
I doubt that anyone except a calendar geek or a pagan would have caught it. But when you're both at once, you have to tell people.
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“African Pantheons and the Orishas: Crash Course World Mythology #11”


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Growing season

A piece of advice if I may be allowed to give it, is that no philosophy, no creed, no God is worth more than the love that one human being may give and receive in their lifetime – this is what is meant by being ‘involved’.
— Robert Cochrane
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The magic circle

Thinking by blogging

I've had three deaths in the past month. One a friend, one an uncle, and one person who I did not get along with.

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Purpose of ritual

Between that and the floating, it's a pretty good bet that this depicts a psychedelic trip.

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A piece of advice

I like the notion of a shower outdoors.

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Journal 15May2018

Thinking by blogging
This is both my Tuesday entry and a journal entry.

I've had three deaths in the past month. One a friend, one an uncle, and one person who I did not get along with.

I really don't think these "poor little me" bits are healthy, but my blogging took a hit and I wanted people to know why. Since my companion passed last fall, I'm not dealing well with people I know passing.

The friend wasn't a close friend, just someone I had known for a long time.

My uncle was my mother's older brother. You know that old story about the oldest son being allowed to get away with anything because he was the older son? That was my uncle. He was the troublemaker. Still, he did things mostly right. He gave the world two sons and laid the groundwork for many grandchildren. He was a party guy, but he'd bend over backwards and jump for family and his friends. This was the guy who'd take you fishing and hunting and then help you bury bodies.

And then there was the other person. We kept bumping into each other over the years. There were a few epic arguments. I can't blame it all on her. She did win in the end though. She left special instructions that I be invited to the funeral. What was I supposed to do with that? Say no? Tell her family that I couldn't be bothered?

People passing makes me think of mortality. I'm my mother's caregiver and I worry about her. But I worry about me too. I can't hike and walk like I used to, my feet don't like me and I don't like them. I can hear my joints rubbing against each other, especially in my neck. My handwriting has gotten worse. There are days it hurts too much to type. I spend more time than I should coughing up phlegm. I don't sleep particularly well and that makes me even more paranoid. I'm getting older and I don't think it will end well. My family is long lived but I'm not sure.

These toxic politics have made things worse. I see pagans more interested in making their mark than in nurturing the Earth. I see devotion to the gods replaced by tribal identity. I see the endless oneupmanship and "gotcha" attacks. I see us concentrating on our differences rather than what we share. And I think I have been too big a part of that.

The sun still rose this morning. It was particularly gorgeous, but I only noticed after I took the trash out. I stopped to think then, I had not greeted the sun in more than a month. Thoughts of death pushed thoughts of dawn out of my head. Only happenstance made me notice. That's not who I want to be. That's not what I want to share.

I still have time. I do not know how much. But some.
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“Witches on the Sabbath” by Luis Ricardo Falero

Luis Ricardo Falero, Duke of Labranzano, was a Spanish painter with a taste for female nudes in mythological and fantasy settings. This 1878 piece is called Witches on the Sabbath.

Notice the juxtaposition of the human figures with the non-human. The non-human seem even more carnal than the human in twisted ways. Between that and the floating, it's a pretty good bet that this depicts a psychedelic trip. It was understood that a lot of the imagery reported by witches may have occurred under the influence. Does that make it any less valid? Well, that's a question for another time.

Pay attention to the lady in the lower left corner. The expression on her face indicates something is going on, and it's a bit beyond a night out with friends. My guess is that it has something to do with the man whose arm she is hanging onto. I don't think it's an accident that his face is mostly averted. I think this is detailing an affair.

I’m a naturist in both senses of the word. Life doesn’t always need clothes. I admire the human body. I hope you can too.

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Shower

“This week, we're headed north. To check out the gods of the Northmen. Or the Norse. That's right, we're talking Thor, Loki, Freyr, Freya, Odin, Frigg, Baldr, and Tyr. And Fenrir. And the Frost Giants. There's a lot to cover here, and it's going to be fun. Watch this prior to Ragnarok, as this video probably won't be available after the end of the universe.”

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NeoNotes — Women's studies

Okay, seriously though, and this relates to one of my long standing criticisms of women's studies (and any number of gender studies, skin color studies, etc.)

If these various fields of study have any worth at all, they have to acknowledge that they are only part of the picture. Limiting your studies to one subgroup is going to limit your understanding. Especially if you dismiss without question other subgroups. It's the difference between rigorous study and fantasyland. It's why the theoretical has to cross over with the practical. It's not enough to say how things should work, you have to examine how things actually work together. You have to look outside your preconceptions and expectations for the things you can't explain. Otherwise you never leave the echo chamber.

Or, women's studies without human studies is sh*t.

NeoNotes are the selected comments that I made on other boards, in email, or in response to articles where I could not respond directly.

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Practical philosophy

“This week, we continue our look at various Pantheons, and Mike digs deep into the gods of the ancient Greeks. We're talking Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Artemis, Hephaestos, Ares, and Apollo. We're also talking Jupiter, Juno, Neptune, Pluto, Diana, Vulcan, Mars, and...Apollo. Similar gods, different names. We'll start with the origin stories of the gods, talk about their family relationships, and what exactly their specialties are.”

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“The Norse Pantheon: Crash Course World Mythology #10”



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Attention

If you are Pagan because you need attention, you're doing it for the wrong reasons. You can't be Pagan just to be weird or to make people nervous. Faith isn't a costume, it lives and flows inside of you.
— NeoWayland, faith
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“The Greeks and Romans - Pantheons Part 3: Crash Course World Mythology #9”


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Journey

Be not afraid. The forest nymphs have taught me how to please a woman.
— anonymous
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Coming home

I do not believe that a government agency should be trusted with caring for the environment.

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Cauldron

The cauldron in fact represented a great step forward in civilization. Before men were able to make metal cooking pots, which would withstand fire, they had to be content with thick earthenware pots, which were heated by the laborious process of dropping very hot stones into them. The metal cauldron, over which the woman as head of the household presided, gave men better cooked food, more plentiful hot water to cleanse themselves, and herbal medicines which could be decocted by boiling or infused in boiling water. Hence the cauldron became an instrument of magic, and especially of women’s magic.
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Ecology vs. environmentalism

Ecology studies how living systems interact and interconnect with each other. Environmentalism is about teaching and compelling behavior. These words are not synonyms. As both a pagan and a libertarian, I can not support environmentalism.
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Forest nymphs

Be not afraid. The forest nymphs have taught me how to please a woman.
— anonymous
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Building

“In which Mike Rugnetta continues our unit on pantheons with the complex Indian pantheon, focusing on stories that were written in Sanskrit. We start with a violent creation story. We talk about the concept of Brahman, and the personification as three deities: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Then, the goddess Durga teaches us how to behead a buffalo demon while riding a lion.”

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John McConnell & Earth Day

Much of the justification for "establishing" a Greater Pagan Community® is so that certain individuals can get the adoration and deference they believe they deserve.
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Peak

We're not wired emotionally to differentiate between 'good' and 'bad.' We just recognize peak passion, the strongest emotions. If your peak passion is with your family and loved ones, those are the experiences you seek out. If your peak passion is because you built an amazing motorcycle, that is what you remember and seek out. And unfortunately, if your peak passion is abuse at work or abusing someone, that is what you seek out.
— NeoWayland, peak experience
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“Indian Pantheons: Crash Course World Mythology #8”

<

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Greater Pagan Community

Much of the justification for "establishing" a Greater Pagan Community® is so that certain individuals can get the adoration and deference they believe they deserve.
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Diversity of channels

I don't believe in enabling power through victimhood. I know that can seem cruel, but it's not. After a time, the training wheels get in the way.
— NeoWayland
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Kirlian photography

“In which Mike Rugnetta begins our unit on pantheons, which are families of gods. We further define pantheons and talk about why they're important. Then, we discuss pantheons from the myths of the ancient Mediterranean, starting with ancient Sumer in Mesopotamia. The Egyptian pantheon brings us the story of Osiris and his envious brother Seth. We learn what these two pantheons suggest about the cultures where they originated.” Read More...
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NeoNotes – Government should not be trusted

This actually started as a student work

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Power through victimhood

Just a touch.

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“Pantheons of the Ancient Mediterranean: Crash Course World Mythology #7”

“Life lessons from reading Thucydides and hiking at night”

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“Oedipus and the Sphinx”

This actually started as a student work

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Shaft of sunlight

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst and meanwhile, do everything you can to make things better.
— Jim O'Neil
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“In the Footsteps of Brasidas”

Faith is a personal choice. It has to be, or it has no meaning.
— NeoWayland
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“Humans and Nature and Creation: Crash Course World Mythology #6”

“In which Mike Rugnetta brings you the final installation of our unit on creation myths. This week, we're talking about human beings and their relationship to the natural world. It turns out foundational stories have a lot to teach us about the ways in which people relate to the physical world around them, and the other organisms that inhabit that world. We'll talk about the Biblical idea that humans have dominion over animals, and we'll talk about Native American stories in which people and nature collaborate to create the world.”

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Platinum Rule


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Personal

Diversity of opinion is strongly discouraged.

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“Social Orders and Creation Stories: Crash Course World Mythology #5”

I used to do photography until my camera was damaged.

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“Earth Mothers and Rebellious Sons - Creation Part 3: Crash Course World Mythology #4”

The dog sells this one

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NeoNotes — Diversity

Here is where the scandalous part comes in.

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Bear Lake

Sorry, I'm stretched a bit thin this week. This was another collaboration with Juliaki.

The bear symbol is actually my medicine shield bear pendent

I used to do photography until my camera was damaged. That was back in the 35mm days. Maybe I should look at digital photography.

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Who's a good boy?

Thinking by blogging

They want to know why they should even consider your faith when their faith is absolutest.

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“Zeus and Antiope”

I think it's vital to have friends outside your faith and outside your work. It helps you to balance. We need people we don't agree with but still trust to keep us out of the ego traps. We need other outlets for our passion just to keep ourselves fresh.
— NeoWayland
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Tolerant


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Journal 23Mar2018

I try to give Christians the benefit of the doubt, mainly because I expect the same. Some make it harder than others. Live and let live works mostly.

For space reasons, this entry has it's own page.

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“Rotating Moon from LRO”

I wore black because I liked it. I still do, and wearing it still means something to me. It's still my symbol of rebellion -- against a stagnant status quo, against our hypocritical houses of God, against people whose minds are closed to others' ideas.
— Johnny Cash
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NeoNotes — Defending my faith (the long one)

I hadn't heard of the "well poisoner" bit, although obviously I heard about "poisoner." There are certain bits that I don't let folks get away with, like the "unbroken matriarchal tradition" or "Never again the Burning Times"

I try to give Christians the benefit of the doubt, mainly because I expect the same. Some make it harder than others (Bob Barr). Live and let live works mostly.

Anyway, I'll go back to my books now.

get



Satanists are not witches, usually.

One does not like being labeled as the other.

Sort of like comparing an intramural softball team to a volunteer soup kitchen. There are similarities but there are far more differences.



And I've seen extremely energetic discussions why they aren't the same thing. I even agree with most of it, Satanism is usually more self-focused.

As far as the "eternal destination," no one This Side knows.

Which is almost certainly the point of being This Side.



Actually you don't.

You know that I don't like labels and that I prefer to live and let live. You know I think humans are mostly good, given half a chance and a few kind words.

But part of my path means I don't casually share the Names of my gods. It's part of how I honor them.



It's not your place to judge, and it certainly isn't your place to allow me anything.

It's literally between me and the Divine. Your own book teaches that.

Parity. Simple parity. You don't want your stuff questioned by me, don't try to impose it on me. Live & let live. You're not a gatekeeper no matter how hard you try.

I'd like to make this World just a little better than I found it. Where is it "written" that is wrong?

It's not complicated. It doesn't require Divine evaluation.



There you go again, trying to assume authority that was never yours.

There's nothing in that special handbook that gives Christians power over other humans.

I won't bow before your belief, just as you won't bow before mine. You can't require that of me and I can't require that of you.

Parity.


Pardon, but I didn't say anything about forcing. That's not why I'm objecting.

He's disputing my beliefs because he doesn't share them. Nothing wrong with that. But then he attempts to put his beliefs over mine without logic, but faith. He'd be screaming bloody murder if I tried the same thing.

I don't allow it when the climate change crowd tries. I don't allow it when the RadFems try. And I don't allow it when certain Christians try. Not because I disagree, but because no one has the power to dictate faith.



I pointed out that no one This Side knew what the "eternal destination" was.

I pointed out that QM wants me to put his faith over mine.

"But that doesn't mean we have to stop trying to warn you."

"The only judgment he made was that God suffers you to live."

Both those were yours I think.



Pardon, but both those were taken from your replies.

"The key, however, is the eternal destination is the same…"

That was QM, above.

Absent proof, my belief is as valid as his. That was my point.

And NONE of that matters This Side, where it's up to us to Manifest the Divine in a way that hopefully makes the World a little better than we found it.

You and he are nitpicking about the afterlife when we should be focusing on the here and now.



Oh my, that is just too funny!

Just what do you think you're doing when you continually insist your beliefs apply to me when I disagree?

Oh, and while we're at it, note that I haven't said one blessed word about what I think will happen to you after This Side.



We weren't discussing invalidating, we were discussing calling something invalid.

We also had established that using your beliefs to control others is a Bad Thing™. Just in case you hadn't noticed, my criticism of Christianity is reactive and mostly directed against certain Christians.

Celebrate your beliefs and cherish your faith. All I ask is the same. Just don't demand that my beliefs and actions are bound by yours. Live and let live.



There is a difference.

You can call something invalid, but that does not invalidate it.



And yet you're still here trying to convince me.



Come down off your high horse.

This from someone who presumes that the default setting for humanity is Christianity, or at least that Christians are in the majority.

You know, one thing I haven't been able to figure out about you is why when you tell people that they should be Christian, the only reason you give is a vague threat about what "happens" to non-Christians after death.

Yes, yes, I know you're going to tell me it is not you that threatens and it is up to Christians to "warn" others.



I didn't say it was what you said, I said it was what you presumed.

Why are you so desperate for me to bow before your belief? If I didn't know better, I'd think you were threatened by my beliefs.

And of course, this discussion conveniently lets you ignore the here and now in favor of your "Christian duty."



Outside of religion, it's accepted practice to say "I disagree" and both parties move on.

However, some Christians act as if that's a full challenge.

For whatever reason, you feel you cannot allow dissent to your chosen creed. Now, the logical and respectable thing to do would be to accept that some believe differently and not "mark your territory." It would get you allies and a certain amount of leeway.

But that's not the way you're going to do it, is it?



You need to go back and read everything I've said.

No, I don't think so.

You beclown your by doing so, then whine that the other guy is doing bad things to you.

Actually what I do is show that when you can't handle the argument, you go after the person. It's amateurish and you can do better.

I'm not looking for allies.

You should be.



So you've gone from warning to leading me "around by the nose."

Except you haven't.

You still can't address the argument, you have to go after the person..



Having dealt with some incredibly silly propaganda over the years, I beg to differ.

The first step to invalidating something is to prove it wrong.

Words matter. Actions matter more. Intentions don't.



By the way, have you noticed you're focusing on my "unbelief" and the Christian reaction? Do you remember what I said a few posts back?

And NONE of that matters This Side, where it's up to us to Manifest the Divine in a way that hopefully makes the World a little better than we found it.

You and he are nitpicking about the afterlife when we should be focusing on the here and now.




Seek paradox for truth.

What you have is an either/or trap. You believe that the conditions of your faith are such that all other faiths and belief systems must be universally false. So when I say my faith tells me different, by your conditions I am declaring your faith to be Untruth.

But by the conditions of my faith. I'm just seeing things from another perspective.

What you need to ask yourself who imposed the either/or trap? Your god? Or people claiming to speak in His Name? Why should Diety be limited by a human logical construct?



It's paradox and illogic because some of the "universal" assumptions that you use aren't exactly universal.

You can mix metric and English parts, but something is probably going to come loose and fly apart.



Assume I am making a pie.

You tell me I need apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, cane sugar, apples that have been cored and peeled (preferably Granny Smith but others will work in a pinch)…

But I am making a key lime pie.

Then you tell me that's not a True Pie®. And it may not be from your perspective.

But from my point of view, it works just fine. It's round, it's dessert, and my guests will enjoy it.



There's not just one type of pie.

Your belief shouldn't control what I can and can not call a pie.

Who knows? Next month I may go with my grandmother's pecan pie. It's a pain to make but absolutely delicious.

My key lime pie and my pecan pie do not negate the existence of your apple pie. Your apple pie doesn't prevent me from making my key lime pie and my pecan pie. They aren't your pies so you may not wish to call them pies, but they exist for me.



You didn't state your motive, at least not all of it.

You stated your justification.

If it were really about "warning" people, you would give your warning a few times and that would be it.

You also wouldn't try to go after another's character when they disagree with you.



This is what you do.

When you can't dismiss the argument, you go after the person. When that doesn't work, you go after the person some more.

That doesn't work with me.



Simple questions.

Would you give up your faith and your beliefs for mine?

Why should I give mine up for yours?

Will it make you a better person?

Will it give you some Divine merit points?

Why should I care about some nebulous benefit that comes to you?

Live and let live.



The questions are central to this discussion. Particularly the first two.

Would you give up your faith and your beliefs for mine?

Why should I give mine up for yours?


I'm pretty sure if you think about those questions, you'll discover what "live and let live" means.



I've told you before that my faith and beliefs are at least as important to me as yours are to you.

You wouldn't stand for someone like me telling you what and how to worship.

Parity.

Live and let live.



No, you are insisting that your beliefs trump mine.

I'm telling you they don't.

I never take anyone's word alone for their motives. I always include their actions.

Guess which I place more importance on.

Guess which tells me more.



He is the only reality.

You believe that, but you have no proof other than faith.

I do not believe as you do.

I have my own beliefs, they are at least as real to me as yours are to you.

I've no proof other than faith.

Live and let live.

Neighbor.



You do in deed have "faith" but it is not faith based on a firm foundation.

As opposed to you?

Who are you to judge what is a "firm foundation?"

Why do you assume you have that power?



Go back and digest what I said earlier.

Why? Would you do that if I demanded that you do it with what I wrote?

I don't "assume" to have any power.

Again, your own words prove my point better than I could. You're here now, trying to disprove what I wrote, unleashing your "big guns." That's an awful lot of trouble to take against one man who is seriously outnumbered and hasn't really done anything except write "I disagree."



The main point I make is that there are different faiths and it's wrong to act as if Christianity controls the others.

You wouldn't stand for it if someone tried to do that to Christianity.

Parity.

Live and let live.

Very simple.



Again, it's live and let live.

Not the strange rewrite that you keep pushing, but the simple idea.

I have my belief, you have yours. As long as you don't keep insisting that your belief governs mine, there's no problem.

It's your insecurity that makes this happen.

Through each of our every discussions, I've never criticized Christianity. It's always been specific followers.



Except you have.

Every single time you trotted out your afterlife threat. Every single time you've insisted that people with other faiths are bound by Christian rules. Every time you've insisted on deference for Christianity while dismissing other faiths.



Can you show how your "firm foundation" is better than mine?

In fact, let's take it one step further.

Can you give me ANYTHING except a vague threat about the afterlife to tell me what a good thing Christianity is and how it is better than my faith?

I've never seen you do that, you know. You recite plenty of afterlife threats, but never any benefits This Side.



I've never seen you do it for anyone you disagree with.

Always with the threats.

Never with the wonders.

Certainly something to think about.

You still haven't established how your "firm foundation" is better than mine.



So now we've come back to where it all began.

Your problem is that you want me to put your faith first and I tell you "no" because I have something else.

No other reason.

You can't tell me the wonders of Christianity, you can only claim that my faith is lacking because it is not Christian.

That is just sad.

ETA: Okay, that was awkwardly worded. Let's try again.



But you still can't bring yourself to say what the wonders are.


get-1


I'm not telling you how, or what, to worship. I've simply pointed out the warnings of the consequences of rejecting Christ.

Behold the contradiction.

Or the paradox if you prefer.

As I told RHW above, if there's a paradox, chances are pretty good at least one of your core assumptions is wrong.



He can claim Biblical justification all he wants, but he needs something other than "the Bible told me so." If that's all he got, then his faith is no different than mine, is it?

He may believe that it's more, but he can't control my belief. That's why he trots out "my God suffers you to live."

Instead of looking at the World and how we might make a difference, he presumes his faith gives him the power to give judgement, even as he denies the judgement is his.

And if anyone disputes it, well, it's Holy Writ, isn't it?

It certainly has very little to do with the message of the Bible.



Unfortunately this is not my first or thirteenth dance with QM, we have a history. He has in fact at different times done everything you said he hasn't done on this specific thread.

I'd still prefer live and let live. Which means not publicly insisting that the tenants of your faith control the actions of others. It also means finding a common morality without putting one religion over all others.

Is it more important that I acknowledge that "the Bible is Holy Writ," or is it more important that I agree that government mandated and funded abortion is A Really Bad Thing™?

Which is more practical?



That's the thing. You and others believe that the Bible is "Holy Writ," but that doesn't make it so.

I happen to think there are some good ideas there, but I don't think it's particularly holy.

Now we can get hung up on my "unbelief" and Christian reaction to it, or we can find things we do agree on and work from there.

Again, which is more practical?



And why do you feel compelled to speak for your God? Did he call you on the phone? Was there a registered letter?

More importantly, how does that get us closer to agreeing?

My faith and beliefs are at least as important to me as yours are to you.



"The Almighty, however, probably has a different perspective on what you believe."

Beats the usual. Most Christians just cite chapter and verse.



Nothing wrong with that PROVIDED you don't use it to try to control others.

And yes, I know Christians are supposed to spread the news. However, Christians don't appreciate it when others do it to them.

Parity. Or the Golden Rule, if you prefer.



*shrugs* Which is why I don't usually make it except under very specific circumstances.

Some Christians insist that the rules defined by their religion are universal and everyone must comply or else.

I disagree. That's usually when I'm accused of attacking Christianity.



"Neither of us have accused you of attacking anyone."

Give QM time.

"Listen to us or don't, that's your choice."

Stars above, if only it were that simple.

"But that doesn't mean we have to stop trying to warn you."

And if you only did it once each or once each per thread, that would be great.



But I didn't lie.

As for the afterlife, you have your belief and I have mine. No one This Side knows.

You were the one who took exception to that statement.



"You are your source of authority."


No, I'm not.

Perhaps what frustrates you most is that you can't denounce my faith without undermining your own. At the end of the day, we don't have anything but our faith. Mine is just as valid as yours by every "objective" measure you trot out.

Live and let live. Why is that so hard for you to accept?



My posts "reveal" that I answer to an authority different than yours.

I never claimed an "objective" standard. Truths are incredibly subjective.



How many times have I told you that a man is measured in the lives he touches?

That's not exactly about the self, is it?



Of course it is not you that threaten, it is your God. He just sits down at your keyboard and types away.

That tells me is that you don't know your God very well.

Yep, too many people are into religion for the politics.



No, you believe that the Bible is God-inspired. So do a lot of other people. That doesn't make it "objectively true." Especially since it is the most heavily edited, redacted, and revised book in history. Remarkably well preserved, but still.

What I "fessed up to" was that I didn't remember the Hebrew that I studied briefly for a few months about three decades ago. Since I don't use Hebrew regularly, that's hardly surprising.

Again, if you don't like what I have to say about the Bible, stop insisting that I am bound by it. Even Christians are extremely selective when it comes to the portions they use.

ETA: I don't think the Christian message was ever intended to be confined to dusty writings.

NeoNotes are the selected comments that I made on other boards, in email, or in response to articles where I could not respond directly.

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Vital & fresh

Power has to be shared. It is the key to survival.
Andromeda TV series
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Wearing black

How would I prove that I don't do that?

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Folly

I don't suppose it's really important in the overall scheme of things, but I find it unnerving.

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I believe in God

I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It's just that the translations have gone wrong.
— John Lennon
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Without

It's not that they don't have the raw ability, most just don't have the skills.

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Religion is dangerous

He's looking at you.

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Fundamentalism denies others choice

The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.
— Mark Twain
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Lady in violet

This dryad is an excellent symbol of spring.

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In the spirt of the season

I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It's just that the translations have gone wrong.
— John Lennon
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Disconnect

I don't suppose it's really important in the overall scheme of things, but I find it unnerving.

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NeoNotes — accusation

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.
— Albert Einstein
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NeoNotes — IQ is culture dependent

If the winter solstice is the middle of winter and the summer solstice is the middle of summer, the vernal equinox is the middle of spring and the autumnal equinox is the middle of fall.

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Sleeping

The best index to a person's character is how he treats people who can't do him any good, and how he treats people who can't fight back.
— Abigail Van Buren
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“Andromeda Chained to the Rocks”

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.
— Thomas Jefferson
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Not so silly

This one is pushing the limit of casual.

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Some mornings it's too much to bear

Notice how the mythological elements are barely there

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NeoNotes — the middle

Thinking by blogging

Rain in my desert always makes me think.

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Journal 16Mar2018

My paganism isn't separate. It's not something enshrined in the past behind a glass door in some museum. It's a living part of me and my world.

And it's going to shape my future.
— NeoWayland, Thursday at last
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Character

The train passing through once or twice a day keeps the vegetation down.

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First chapter

It's not a statement. It's an anti-statement.

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My paganism isn't separate

If you give your passion to them, then they win. You'll always be reacting and you'll always be unhappy.
— NeoWayland
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Tunnel of trees

The leaping dance and the look on her face make it perfect.

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Fever dream

The woman is embracing life and blossoming right before our eyes.

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Giving away your power

Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.
— Henry David Thoreau
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Dance

Sometimes, the heirs of dreams do better than the heirs of blood and bone.
— NeoWayland
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"The Woman, the Man and the Serpent"

John Byam Liston Shaw was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites and worked in a wide variety of mediums. Today he's best known as a teacher and not an artist in his own right.

Obviously this is a depiction of the Garden of Eden. Pay special attention to how the man is so passive, even to the point of being hidden behind the woman. He's still tense and resisting, but he obviously doesn't want to be there. This is emphasized by him being in the shadows.

The woman is embracing life and blossoming right before our eyes.

I’m a naturist in both senses of the word. Life doesn’t always need clothes. I admire the human body. I hope you can too.

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Heirs of dreams

Sometimes, the heirs of dreams do better than the heirs of blood and bone.
— NeoWayland
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Truest life

Thinking by blogging

Reading is a dying art, especially the way I do it.

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You don't know

Since it is so likely that (children) will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.
— C.S. Lewis
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Journal 09Mar2018

Thinking by blogging
So here I sit, putting my mental house in order.

A little sketching. A lot of reading. Listening to music.

I've been so wrapped up in politics, paganism, and taking care of Mom that I didn't let my wheels spin for me.

I'm feeling more of myself.

Splitting focus really helps. But it helps even more indulging in both fiction and non-fiction. Even if the fiction is old favorites I've not read in a while.

Reading is a dying art, especially the way I do it.

I've been thinking about many things in the last few days. But I don't think I'll share them. More stuff for the private journal.
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Take care of each other

As a rough definition, measurable intelligence is the practical knowledge and skills necessary for a given set of problem solving.

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Heard of brave knights

Tuesday and Wednesday entries combined. A bit of art, a bit of dream, a bit of speculation.

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Difference between the Story and the Journey

The best version of this uses freshly squeezed juice.

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Fairy tales

Does the Church in our time foster the inner life? Rarely. Does the Church hold the keys to a new consciousness? Yes.
— Theodore J. Nottingham, from “The Church and the Inner Life,” Gnosis № 25, Fall 1992
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Acquiring knowledge

The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.
— Robert Frost
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One tree falls

I'm not sure what sells it better, the rowboat or the bubble jar.

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Foster inner life

About all we know for sure is that Bosch was mixing the profound with the profane of his day and age.

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NeoNotes — multiple intelligences

It's important to understand that The Bell Curve deals with intelligence, not potential ability. As a rough definition, measurable intelligence is the practical knowledge and skills necessary for a given set of problem solving. There are probably multiple intelligences, each with it's own scope and limitations. The upshot of which is that English literature doesn't grant the ability to tune up a motorcycle. "Street smarts" won't help you balance a checkbook.



I did say probably. The theory does have it's detractors, but it is effective. Much of the problem lies in the definition of "intelligence."

Look at it this way. Leg presses build up your torso and leg muscles, but don't do much for your arms or hands. Different muscle groups are used for different things and they aren't all useful for everything. Likewise, different intelligences work for you in different situations.

I've got three problems with Gardner's original model. He didn't allow for as yet undefined intelligences (he fixed that when he added to the original group). And he left out two obvious (to me anyway) intelligences. First, he didn't distinguish between gross motor coordination (a baseball pitcher) and fine motor coordination (a jeweler). Second, he didn't allow for awareness and interaction with the Divine. Historically and across many cultures, there have been examples of this particular intelligence, even if we ourselves don't understand it well. I call it gnostic intelligence, the identifying and labeling is my own small contribution to Gardner's theory.

Jordan Peterson would be the first to tell you not to treat anyone as the absolute authority on everything, including himself. While I admire Peterson's work, my studies and experiences have shown that Gardner's theory does produce practical results. Too many results to dismiss the theory out of hand.



Peterson didn't say IQ, he said intelligence.

I still think much of the problem is in the definition of that word "intelligence." It's not a general problem solving ability. As you pointed out, Gardner used examples who were extremely gifted in one area but deficient in others. That alone means that "intelligence" as it's usually defined is inaccurate.

I just wrote a short piece at my pagan slice-of-life blog going into further detail. I understand if people here don't want to go there, so I'll sum up. An intelligence is a set of mental tools that can solve a problem. What works with one challenge won't work with another, anymore than you could exchange a pipe wrench with a smartphone and expect the same results.



I understand your concerns, but I still think the problem here is in the definition of that word "intelligence."

For example, you might be able to recite Shakespeare, but I'm pretty sure you can't speak Navajo. While those skills are probably related (sort of - the Navajo use different assumptions about time & distance), neither gives you the skill to bake a cake from scratch or help you deal with the loss of a loved one.

We develop patterns of behavior that we use to deal with life. Sometimes we have the patterns we need, sometimes not. But there are patterns that just don't help with other things.

The problem isn't with multiple intelligences, the problem is with a badly defined word that doesn't really do what we are asking.

NeoNotes are the selected comments that I made on other boards, in email, or in response to articles where I could not respond directly.

Okay, this is a terrible oversimplification, but I have to explain if I expect people to understand.

I said above that much of the problem is in that word "intelligence." Understand, the word is not the thing. Just because you have a symbol for something doesn't mean you have the thing itself. Manipulating the symbol doesn't let you manipulate the thing unless unless you've built the framework and links. Your cell phone is the front end of a very complex network, pressing 7 on the phone does nothing unless you are connected to the network.

And yes, magick works the same way. The symbol is not the thing.

Intelligence in it's strictest sense is not something easily measured. We know it's an approximation. We use chronological age to calculate the intelligence quotient. We know it's not linear. We know that gaining intelligence has to do with the plasticity of the brain. That slows down after the age of 25 or so. We know that older people find it difficult to gain new intelligence and adjust behavior patterns, especially if those behavior patterns have generated passion in the past.

Not success, but passion. Your brain doesn't care if it's "bad" or "good," "successful" or "failure." The feedback mechanism isn't designed to distinguish between positive or negative, only the amount of passion.

And yes, obviously that means that the more you focus on how bad you failed, the less likely you are to achieve your result.

Gods, I could write pages on the passion feedback loop, but it really does boil down to three words. Amount, not polarity.

With that in mind, let's refine the definition from my NeoNote above. Measurable intelligence is the practical knowledge and skills necessary for a given set of problem solving AND the ability to change the knowledge and skills as needed.

In other words, it's not enough to succeed. You need to adjust your thinking and skills as needed for new situations.

Intelligence IS NOT general problem solving. The ability to compose a song does not translate to the ability to weave a rug. A sledge hammer doesn't work as a screwdriver. A pry bar won't start a fire.

So let's refine the definition again. Remember, this is still only an approximation. An intelligence is a set of mental tools that can solve a problem.

With that definition, it's easier to accept that you use one mental toolkit for English literature and another for algebra. Hence, different intelligences.

One last thing, the picture above is not complete. I already wrote about the differences between gross motor coordination and fine motor coordination. And of course there's gnostic intelligence. There are almost certainly intelligences that haven't been identified yet.

An intelligence is a set of mental tools that can solve a problem.
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Under the full Moon

There are three principal means of acquiring knowledge... observation of nature, reflection, and experimentation. Observation collects facts; reflection combines them; experimentation verifies the result of that combination.
— Denis Diderot
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Citrus mix

Even if one tree falls down it wouldn't affect the entire forest.
— Chen Shui-bian
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Wet

Everything you want in life has a price connected to it. There's a price to pay if you want to make things better, a price to pay just for leaving things as they are, a price for everything.
     — Harry Browne
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“The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch

We were born dreamers.

We can learn to be makers.

Technology lets us bridge our thoughts and our milieu.
— NeoWayland, Why a Technopagan?
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Woods

Thinking by blogging

It's the mix, it's the argument, it's the conflict that will give us some of our best new ideas.

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Journal 02Mar2018

Thinking by blogging
One thing that cropped up a lot lately online is the idea that "we" have to win, and the only REAL way to win is by eradicating "them."

All or nothing. Win at all costs. The only way to succeed is to do away with anything else.

Conservative or liberal, pagan or Christian, city or rural, it doesn't seem to matter. "They" must be vanquished, exiled, destroyed for "us" to win.

But veritas comes out. Because if the only way for "them" to win is by Total Eradication, doesn't that mean that as long as one small spark exists, they didn't win? If the only was for "us" to win is by otal Eradication, doesn't that mean that as long as one small spark exists, we didn't win?

It goes deeper than that of course. It goes back to borders. In order for any side to progress, ideas have to be mixed. It's where ideas evolve. It's where change happens.

It's where magick happens.

We need those ideas that we totally disagree with. We need truths that make us uncomfortable. We need challenges that we can't meet alone.

It's the mix, it's the argument, it's the conflict that will give us some of our best new ideas. And almost all of the bad new ideas too.

We've no way of knowing which is which until we've tried them. All we know for sure is that our old ideas don't always fit our new circumstances.

Eradication isn't the answer. That's not where the Spark of Inspiration lies.

But some disagreement, some need, some faith, and the willingness to try something else, that gives miracles. Messy miracles, but still miracles.

Just something to think about.
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Enough to destroy

I have never understood is the American obsession with swimwear.

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Laughing in their own ways

This is a work of art.

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Courage

The accusation is enough to destroy. That's why I compared it to Witch Trials. There is no defense against the accusation. You're assumed guilty by the mob, tried, and executed. There's no recourse, no chance to challenge the accusers.
— PaidinRubles
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Born dreamers

Politics has tainted paganism in my mind and I am working to re-establish the separation.

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Everything has a price

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
— Nelson Mandela
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Elf touched

This is a work of art.

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Tainted frisson

We've not had one of these in a while, have we?

I've been busy, but that is not the reason. Politics has tainted paganism in my mind and I am working to re-establish the separation.

Paganism is about the relationship between you, the World, and the Divine. Politics is not a part of that.

This author is Officially Approved this week, but that doesn't mean anything about next week. Next week it may be old fashioned. The week after there may be some scandal as defined by Today's Morality that wasn't immoral when it happened. If it happened.

This isn't new. One of my favorite symbols is the wheeled cross. But it has white supremacist connotations, so I can't use it in "public" pagan discussion. Never mind that it makes more sense to me than the pentagram. It's racist. Off limits. Not allowed.

Sex play and flirting that was allowed a decade or so ago is now denounced. And everyone who participated is expected to abase themselves before the new morality.

As this leaks more and more into how pagans act, it's less about paganism and more about doing the "right thing." Enforcing the echo chambers. Closing out dissent or contrasting opinions. Expelling all that might be tainted by immorality or evil. Part of it is politics, but it goes beyond that.

Some pagans want to change paganism from an experienced faith to a revealed faith. Something with all the bumps and twists and turns ironed out. No unexpected surprises. Nothing not previously declared. No uncomfortable truths. No juice. No frisson. Everything nice and neat and perfectly defined.

The experience has been sanitized for your protection. Truth will be revealed, but only if you do as you are told.

It has been approved by the powers-that-wanna-be.

Not necessarily the gods.

It's politics, not faith.

Some things will be revealed. If you pay attention and ask the proper questions. In the proper order. And no more. Politics will advance you more in this new pagan faith than experience.

Except those people aren't really a part of paganism.

It's about your Journey. Not about their Story.

Paganism is about the experience. The juicy, sexy, messy, screwed up experience that you struggle to make a part of your life. It's about embracing the passion. It's about where the gods point you. It's about finding and living your own way.

Paganism is about the relationship between you, the World, and the Divine. It can't be revealed, it can only be experienced.

Will you live it?

Or will you avoid the taint?
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Grand Canyon officially 99

Sound and color can be used to 'play' the human body like a musical instrument and put it in a healthier state of being.
— Jeff Chitouras, "Esoteric Sound & Color," Gnosis № 27, Spring 1993
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“The Birth of Venus” by Botticelli

Uh oh, I just revealed Secrets That Must Not Be Revealed. The Powers-That-Wanna-Be may insist I turn in my lucky charm.

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Seaside

Thinking by blogging

It's snowing right now.

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Healthier state of being

"Supernatural" depends on the definition of "natural."

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NeoNotes — Fluffies and Crusaders

The pagan loves the earth in order to enjoy it and confine himself within it; the Christian in order to make it purer and draw from it the strength to escape from it.
— Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
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Journal 23Feb2018

I saw a horse "broke" once. It was time consuming. It was brutal. That was enough to convince me it was wrong.

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“Why are we facing a conundrum?”

Why are we facing a conundrum? The works from Bonewits have proven themselves as functional and relevant to their fields. Just because there is a glaring flaw in the man means we have to toss away his legacy? The idea is nonsense.
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Limiter

Thinking by blogging

I'd stop blogging for a while, but I think that's one thing keeping me going.

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We walk between the worlds

As a pagan, I've long since learned that the World isn't mine to control.
— NeoWayland
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NeoNotes — Define magick

Neither bound by tradition nor decree, but my own actions and deeds.
— anonymous
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Loves the earth

Ever notice that when someone starts talking about the common good, they try to take something away from you?
— NeoWayland
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30 minutes


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Bound

“This is the world, there is no other.” That’s the limiter. Everything moves because of dynamic balances, magick is the essence of change and evolution. Life changes. Magick moves. We connect.
— NeoWayland, Dirty hands
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Common good

Those parts of the Divine that you touch, you can’t keep the magick to yourself and still be pagan. You have to send it out. We take the Divine Gift and share it.
— NeoWayland, Dirty hands
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Can't keep the magick

Paganism is about the relationship between you, the World, and the Divine.

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I've learned

As a pagan, I've long since learned that the World isn't mine to control.
— NeoWayland
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Journal 16Feb2018

If Music is a Place -- then Jazz is the City, Folk is the Wilderness, Rock is the Road, Classical is a Temple.
— Vera Nazarian
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Usefulness

Bonewits' works form the backbone of my own work and beliefs. However, those works have that place in no way do to the character of the man who created them but instead on the usefulness of those works instead. I am a strong proponent against 'the cult of personality' so to idealize a man and accept his works solely do to that idealization is repugnant. I think Bonewits would understand and agree. At least that is the sense I get from the works I have from him.
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Not evil

The so-called Dark Side is not wholly an evil or negative place or force; after all, some things remain in the shadows because we've placed them there out of fear and squeamishness.
Jay Kinney, "Standing in the Shadows," Gnosis № 14, Winter 1989-'90
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Pagan virtue signaling

A choice that is imposed is no choice. A religion that is imposed in the name of 'freedom and decency' will be neither free nor decent.
— NeoWayland
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Music as a place

Because enchantment is not a belief; it’s an experience.
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Imposed

True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.
— Martin Luther King Jr.
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Great work

It's long been a point of mine that the freedom of religion, which this country alleges to support, works two ways. We're not only free to practice the religion of our choice, we should be free from having someone else's religion practiced on us.
— John Irving
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Not a belief

I wonder. If a symbol can be "tainted" no matter what it was used for previously, what does it take to "purify" the symbol?

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Honour our Pagan Elders

Why can we not choose to honour our Pagan Elders and past with humility and honesty? What prevents us from including a shameful past while holding on to what good treasures they contributed?
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True compassion

Freedom of religion

These young folks look young, strong, and sun kissed.

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NeoNotes — Perception and symbols

Why it was removed is unclear.

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“Hylas and the Nymphs”

I am having serious internet issues.

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Young couples

Many think they want fun when they want a relationship.

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Journal 02Feb2018

Thinking by blogging

I need a break from the nonsense.

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A bonding behavior

So.

I've been researching. I've been talking and writing people. I've been trying to understand exactly how we got into this mess with sex where seemingly no one knows what is going on.

I think it's simpler, and then we try to make it complicated.

The two most common purposes of sex are fun (including the hormonal rush) and bonding. The problem comes when we confuse these purposes.

If you are using sex for fun, it's not going to be emotionally fulfilling. It won't be the basis of a relationship.

If you are interested in a relationship, you can't start with sex.

People should decide what they are looking for. Each purpose has different goals and measures it's successes accordingly.

Men who are into Game aren't interested in relationships, they want notches in the headboard.

There is a misconception misunderstanding falsehood myth pushed by some feminists that the goal to female sexual empowerment is to have sex often and with numerous partners. This is supposed to be emotionally fulfilling AND fun. It doesn't work that way. Sex without the emotional connection to the other person is just masturbation. I'd argue that real sexual power comes from the discipline.

Is it about your orgasm? Or is it about sharing?

Every thing I have experienced, everything I have heard, everything I have read tells me that the best sex is a bonding behavior. The more you share before sex, the better the sex. And that is going to be my new #1 sex rule.

Sex can be a bonding behavior. Why fuck someone you don't really like? Do you know if you like them or not?

With that in mind, let's look at how modern Americans get sex.

If you are using sex for fun, you may have a couple of drinks to "loosen up." You may go home with someone you've only known for a couple of hours. And since you don't know them, it's going to be hit or miss. You don't know their non-verbal cues and they don't know yours. You don't know what they like to talk about. But that's not what you're looking for. You want the sex. You want the hormonal rush. You want the fun.

But if you start with a relationship first and add sex later to build that relationship, your emphasis is different. You already know things about the other person. You already share things with the other person. And you're won't depend on porn-star techniques to "cinch the deal."

The important thing is to know what you want. Many think they want fun when they want a relationship. Then they wonder why they wind up emotionally unconnected.

Sex can be a bonding behavior. But not if it's just sex.

Know yourself. Know what you want.

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Those who did no wrong

If we were to look back and see all our Elders as those who did no wrong, do we not fail ourselves first by setting our own selves up to fail? We learn so much from example. Even from the bad examples, we learn what not to do.
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Dropping in

Get Ready To See The First Blue Moon Eclipse In 150 Years


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Journal 26Jan2018

“Ursula K. Le Guin, acclaimed for her fantasy fiction, is dead at 88”

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Not enough evidence

Here's the quick take for those of you who don't want to dig through the whole internet.

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NeoNotes — Shift happens

1 pint Haagen Daz vanilla ice cream dumped into a sixty-four oz thermal mug (yes they exist). Fill up the rest with double-strength Circle K coffee at 2 a.m.

It didn't keep me alert, but it did keep me awake. Sometimes for a couple of days.
— NeoWayland
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Blue Moon Eclipse

I've been examining my own assumptions about sex and consent.

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Another passing

Thinking by blogging

I'd rather talk about the pagan stuff.

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Share and enjoy

If you had faith, you wouldn't need threats.
— NeoWayland
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Every brilliant man or woman

I have found it seems to be a universal rule, every brilliant man or woman have inside an equally breathtaking flaw. We humans are simply not all good or all bad but a mix of differentiating proportions of both.
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Summing up the circus

Our own heart, and not other men's opinions, forms our true honor.
— Samuel Taylor Coleridge
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Sex & consent

Just a picture to brighten your day

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Journal 19Jan2018

Links to the TWH comment threads on Gavin Frost and Kenny Klein

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Our own heart

I don't believe in them, you see.

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Sometimes humans are silly

div class="blentry">Just a picture to brighten your day

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Old discussions

Live and let live works mostly.

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No Grand Cause here

If it works for you and challenges you to be a better person, more power to you. It is not my place to question that, it's between you and the Divine.

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NeoNotes — A long hard look

Sending kids to "get religion" instead of practicing it with them is one of the surest setups for failure I know.
— NeoWayland
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Threats

If you had faith, you wouldn't need threats.
— NeoWayland
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Awake

When pagans jump up to recite approved scripts to this week's Officially Designated Outrage, they make paganism look silly.

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Get religion

If his work can't stand on it's own, people will find something else.

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Three sentences

You can't childproof the world. You can only worldproof your children.
— probably L. Neil Smith, The American Zone
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Slice it

More and more I'm convinced that I was smart to (mostly) separate my political blogging from my pagan blogging.

Anyway you slice it, politics is about controlling other people. What that has to do with the dawn or the coyote's howl drifting through the night is anyone's guess.

When pagans jump up to recite approved scripts to this week's Officially Designated Outrage, they make paganism look silly.

I think it grew out of when paganism was part of the American counterculture. Pagans had to rebel against established mores. Existing culture wasn't good enough, it had to be replaced even if the replacement didn't work. In the 80s it got worse. Pagans became moralistic busybodies when it came to the Earth, and of course when it came to minorities.

But what does that have to do with the Dark Moon or the chill of the night air? What does that have to do with a winter rain or the clouds as they stretch to cover the sky? What does that have to do with a vigil kept in front of the fire all night?

That's paganism.

It's almost sunrise. I'm going to share some oranges with my friend the raven.
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In defense of Bonewits' work

Since the reddit comments on my blog entry saying that I don't think Isaac Bonewits abused Moria Greyland, this site has been labeled as "supporting abusers."

Over the years I've developed a small reputation for straight talk and honest answers about sex, particularly sex in a pagan context. My two personal carved-in-stone sex rules are consenting adults and you're off limits if you promised to be someone else's "one and only." I believe that those two rules cover most of the sexual issues in American society. I've recently added two more. "Regret does not equal rape." "Acknowledge but not celebrate." These are personal rules, they affect me. I can't impose them on anyone else. But honestly, the first two cover so much of what is wrong with American sexuality that I often use them in discussions to show how messes could have been avoided. If it's not consent, it's not right. Now I could go into the why and wherefore, but that is not really relevant here. I will say that my sex category on this blog doesn't include porn. There are essays on ethical pagan sex and how responsible sex can fit into paganism. I also point out frequently that sex is not love, nudity is not sex, and love isn't nudity.

The site gallery does include nudes. With a couple of exceptions it does not include sexual nudes. And you will not find photos of nude children anywhere on the site. Many of my vintage nudes are classical pieces of art where I point out things that the artist was trying to convey.

I discourage sexual abuse and sexual misunderstanding. I condone truth, I do not condone abuse. Before the accusations against Bonewits, no one questioned that.

I have this habit of pointing out truths, even when they are uncomfortable. Look at the motto of this site. I firmly believe that I am called for veritas.

My introduction to Isaac Bonewits was in Margot Adler's Drawing Down the Moon. For a seminary dropout with magickal experience but very little formal training, it was eye-opening. His ABCDEF talked about how people were treated. Bonewits didn't focus on the "correct" Deity or if the priesthood/leadership had special "rights" beyond the membership.

Of course Bonewits wasn't the first to focus on how people were treated. But it was the first that I have ever seen that didn't start with a religion-specific context. I wore out my first copy of DDTM because I used to copy that chapter for minister friends when they asked for help. There was no web addy to hand out in those days.

Real Magic wasn't my next purchase, but I did buy it within a year or two. Rural location, a lot of road trips, no real bookstore, no internet, yeah, it took a couple of years. When I started studying, I was hooked. Here were explanations that actually fit in the real world. Bonewits credits Sir James Frazer with isolating the laws, but points out that anthropologists don't acknowledge him. Still, here was a framework where I could hang my own studies. Even when I goofed up and had to backtrack, I never had to throw out Bonewits. His stuff was just too damn useful.

That should be a law. Oh wait, it is. Bonewits calls it the Law of Pragmatism.

Were the Laws of Magic as defined by Bonewits absolute? No. But he allows for that too.

To this day, I've a poster of the laws hanging near the altar in my sanctum.

So here's the question. Now that P.E.I. Bonewits has been "shown" to have questionable character, should his work be forgotten? Should his name never again be mentioned in polite pagan company? Should we conduct a cultural scrubbing and remove any influence that Bonewits might have had?

No. I don't think so.

He was a flawed man. How flawed is still open to discussion. But his contribution to neopaganism and anthropology can't be denied. We can accept the work without accepting his sexual activities. And if his work can't stand on it's own, people will find something else.

I think removing him and his work is very close to what a fundamentalist Christian would do. I don't think the world is either/or, and neither did he. I tell people that if they tell you the choice is black or white, you should go for the fuzzy. Or maybe the minty. Reducing the choice to all or nothing means you probably overlooked some things.

For ourselves, for our understanding, we should keep Bonewits' work.


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Unrealistic standard

If anything is clearer to me now with this information coming out about Bonewits, there is far more work to be done with dealing with our shadow sides. Our Elders are not saints. I never expected them to be and I refuse to hold them to that unrealistic standard.
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Worldproof

You can't childproof the world. You can only worldproof your children.
— probably L. Neil Smith, The American Zone
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Journal 12Jan2018

I don't approve of older men having sex with young teens, but it has been happening from the beginning.

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Secret shame

“Accusations of abuse surface against ADF founder Isaac Bonewits”

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“As if withholding belief was a moral crime…”

But every October, I remember. It's my own werewolf story, with me cast as Henry Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll chose to be Mr. Hyde you see. That's my shame.
— NeoWayland, The TPY blog entry that shouldn't have been
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So much for avoiding the topic

I don't approve of older men having sex with young teens, but it has been happening from the beginning.

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Bonewits accused

🌙 waning crescent moon
light rain early AM

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My own werewolf story

"Supernatural" depends on the definition of "natural."

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If this were a horror movie

We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first-rock 'n' roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me.
— John Lennon
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Today

🌙 waning crescent moon
light rain early AM

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NeoNotes — Man separate from Nature

When we are hurting, we pull back. We shut things out. We shut our loved ones out. We wrap ourselves deep in our strongest passions. We keep the world at bay.
— NeoWayland, Feeling
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More popular than Jesus

You can't keep wrapping yourself in the passion for failure and then wonder why you fail.

Cherish your passion and embrace the magick.
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Pain

I believe that Paganism offers an immediacy that I couldn't find in Christianity.
— NeoWayland, Why a Technopagan?
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Hurting

When we are hurting, we pull back. We shut things out. We shut our loved ones out. We wrap ourselves deep in our strongest passions. We keep the world at bay.
— NeoWayland, Feeling
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Failure

These older blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories

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Immediacy

The next step depends on the focus of your faith and your choices. It's not enough to be just pagan.
— NeoWayland, Blessed Journeys
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Hollow

Gimme that old time religion.

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Today

The second coming of the Goddess has proved of inestimable value to people everywhere, for it has provided them with a new mythic pattern, a saving story to live by.
— Caitlin Matthews, from "Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom," Gnosis № 13, Fall 1989
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Revived 06Jan2018

🌖 waning gibbous moon
Epiphany - Old Christmas - Feast of the Three Kings - Twelfth Tide

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Next step

Whenever I see these ads for shamanic weekends, I'm suspicious. Because shamanic ecstasy is terrifying.
— Rachel Pollack, from "The Gods of the Funny Books: An Interview with Rachel Pollack and Neil Gaiman," Gnosis № 32, Summer 1994
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Inestimable value

The second coming of the Goddess has proved of inestimable value to people everywhere, for it has provided them with a new mythic pattern, a saving story to live by.
— Caitlin Matthews, from "Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom," Gnosis № 13, Fall 1989
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Today

Playtime

Never bet Neo when the stakes are sexplay

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Shamanic weekends

Playtime

Some things just make your day

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Today

Playtime

Very interesting question.

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Sandwiches

What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well.
— Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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Today

Juliaki told me one of her continuing adventures

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Revived 03Jan2018

My faith isn't defined by my politics.
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Defined

Why do some Pagans believe they are destined to save the world?

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Organize

Faith is a personal choice. So are politics. One does not define the other.
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How easy it is to join

See, the internet is an equalizer of sorts. If I am in a "community," my statements have the same weight as the flakiest member who joined just last week. The chances of anyone sticking around and making that community actually worth something is inversely proportional to how easy it is to join.
— NeoWayland, Flake off
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Today

The Return of the Playgans

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Choice

Faith is a personal choice. So are politics. One does not define the other.
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The stars

The first Otherkin essay popped up at Witchvox. How is this going to change the Neopagan movement?

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I can hear the capitals

I am what I am - updated

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the Forbidden

Putting up one of my old chants

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I am (the long version)

I'm going to have to redesign and start lexicon 3.0

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Walk away

Yesterday on a comment board I lost patience.

I could handle the backhanded compliments and schoolboy taunts.

But as I was composing a long reply, I realized I was talking about something I didn't really want to talk about. What's more, I was investing time and effort doing it.

I'll give the guy another chance maybe in three months or so.

But I don't like him, I really don't enjoy extended conversations with him, and I don't like what he brings out in me anymore.

Better to walk away.
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Today

An old favorite

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Redo

Fixing the behavior, that was challenging.

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Today

Lady in the Court of Stars - Midnight to midnight. A WebTree three day celebration from midnight to midnight marking the full Moon or bright Moon and honoring the magick.

Twelvetide - Christmastide
Circumcision of Christ
Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation
🌝 bright moon - supermoon

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Sunfell Tech Mage Rede Nine Words Serve The Tech Mage Best Keep What Works Fix What’s Broke Ditch The Rest

A narrow slice of life, but now and again pondering American neopaganism, modern adult pagans & the World.

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