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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.

Watching the parade

A NeoWayland original.
Half fill a water glass with ice.

Put in one and a half fingers of lemon juice from concentrate poured slowly down the inside edge of the glass.

Put in one finger of lime juice poured slowly down the opposite inside edge of the glass so it sits on the lemon juice.

Very slowly, fill up the rest of the glass with V8 juice.

If you have done it right, you can see three separate and distinct layers of juice.

Top with a few drops of tabasco sauce.

Drink with a straw.

The flavor will change as you sip, the ice melts, and the juices slowly mingle.
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Menu bar upgraded


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No questions

Between the pose and the angle, there is no doubt that this young lady knows exactly what she wants.

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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Sauna

A subjective view

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How to see

Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.
— Leonardo da Vinci
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Quietly

“The History Guy remembers the Calendar Act of 1750 and eleven lost days in 1750. It is a curious calendar-related piece of forgotten history that deserves to be remembere”

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Ancient trees

What do you see here?

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Gentle touch


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Sunrise at the Troll Wall

This is Romsdal, Norway.

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Casually

Yes, I know this one is staged. But it is the casual acceptance of nudity that I'd like to see more often. We're born in our skin, we shouldn't be ashamed in it.

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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Really stand out

All in all, that is a striking woman.

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Sunshine low in the sky

These are works in progress.

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Rocky river

“In which John Green teaches you the history of the Indian Ocean Trade. John weaves a tale of swashbuckling adventure, replete with trade in books, ivory, and timber. Along the way, John manages to cover advances in seafaring technology, just how the monsoons work, and there's even a disembowelment for you Fangoria fans.”

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Therapeutic

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Altar versus alter

Any questions?

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Leap

tip of the hat to Chas Clifton

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Between the moments

We pagans make a big deal about walking between the worlds, but sometimes I think we spend so much time trying to be in the world we want that we forget to be in the world we're in.
— NeoWayland, Related to who?
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Dancing naked

Thinking by blogging

But there's a part of me that's sad that those ideas won't be part of the conversation going forward.

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Swimming

Nudity is not sex. Sex is not love. Love is not nudity. Your desire does not control another's choice.
— NeoWayland
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Current

A placeholder for one of my domains

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Part of nature

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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Really there


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Power trio

An unusual picture that is just about friendship, not fashion or titillation. Going by the amount of pubic hair, the jewelry, and the feathered hair, I'd say late 1970s to early 1980s.

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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Bright smile

I love how the stones of her necklace bring out her eyes.

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“The Story is not the Journey” banner

Perfect is the enemy of good.
— attributed to Voltaire
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Dragon aurora

Forest of the Dancing Trees

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Dancing Trees

Nobody who says, ‘I told you so’ has ever been, or will ever be, a hero.
— Ursula K. Le Guin
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Gentle stretch

The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.
— W.B. Yeats
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Snow on red rock

“In which John Green teaches you about the Indus Valley Civilization, one of the largest of the ancient civilizations. John teaches you the who, how, when, where and why of the Indus Valley Civilization, and dispenses advice on how to be more successful in your romantic relationships.”

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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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Deep water

Blog rolls and other creatures

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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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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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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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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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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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Halfway there

Literally the road between.

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Let freedom ring.

Lady Liberty and Lady Moon.

Let freedom ring.

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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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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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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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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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Overhead river

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

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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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Listen

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Great owl in flight

The guy has muscle tone that makes other guys envious.

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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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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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The rinse

Sometimes we forget that language isn't reality

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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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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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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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“Look up”

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

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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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Dreamlike

The green guy just sets it off.

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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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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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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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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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Condemnation of memory

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

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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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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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It's a FERTILITY religion!

It's very easy to find abusers.

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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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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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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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“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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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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Fairytale path

She's enjoying the flowers.

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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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Shiprock

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

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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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Out of the fog

This is a great example of ALMOST showing you something.

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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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“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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“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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Elf touched

This is a work of art.

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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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“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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Sometimes humans are silly

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

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Today

Calendar and personal ramble

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“The sunset lighting up the side of this cliff in Iceland”

Magic exists. Who can doubt it, when there are rainbows and wildflowers, the music of the wind and the silence of the stars? Anyone who has loved has been touched by magic. It is such a simple and such an extraordinary part of the lives we live.
— Nora Roberts
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“Moon rise coinciding with sunrise at St. Mary's Lake - Glacier National Park”

You have to enjoy the peanut butter sandwiches. You never know where your next one is coming from.
     — from the private journal of NeoWayland, 14Jan2013
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“Thor's Well on the Oregon coast”

Thinking by blogging
I'm not allowed to share her story while she still lives, but my mother was amazing.
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◊ Wayfaring Day

A pagan take on another holiday classic.

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“Arches National Park, Utah”

Corrected web address

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“Majestic Monument Valley”

If that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find without.
— Doreen Valiente
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“Reflections in snowy Sedona, Arizona”

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

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“Tide pools at low tide after sunset”

Magic's just science that we don't understand yet.
— Arthur C. Clarke
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“Eternal winter twilight - Norway”

Yep, that's the Grand Canyon.

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Lightning

Unexpected and delightful

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Guitar

Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.
— John Muir
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“The Nude Maja”

Thinking by blogging

Lately when my articles have been good enough, I've experimented with posting links at reddit. The response has been a little mixed.

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Dirt paths

Though often considered 'supernatural,' magic actually operates within a traditional view of the universe, complete with a recognizable set of natural laws.
— Jay Kinney from “Magic: What is It?”, Gnosis № 2, Spring-Summer 1986
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“Eclipse Phases over Brasstown Bald, Georgia”

Sex, nudity, nature. All in all very pagan.

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Sleeping Gaia

I'd say early 1960s by the hairstyles and the dress.

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Secure

You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.
— Friedrich Nietzsche
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Called for veritas

We’re not naked, we’re skyclad!
— Kelley Armstrong, Dime Store Magic
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Reader

I am certainly against Nazism, supremacist groups, and misogyny. I just think they SHOULD be heard, if for no other reason than they can be laughed off the stage.

As loudly and as enthusiastically as we can.”
— NeoWayland
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Snack bar

If you look hard enough for a given pattern, you'll almost always find it somewhere. The "Law of Fives" isn't about the structure of the universe, it's about your perception of the structure of the universe.
     — NeoWayland
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Ways

“Mike Rugnetta continues to teach you about Tricksters in myth, and this time we're headed to the Americas. Coyote and Raven appear in stories from many Native American groups, and more often than not, they're tricky. They're also often kind of, well, nasty. Not to get too judgy. But we do a lot of talking about poop in this episode. I'm just saying. We also talk about Tricksters as creators, as Coyote creates constellations, and Raven creates some rivers.”

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In their own minds

We define the labels, the labels should not define us.
     — from the private journal of NeoWayland, 07Nov2012
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Inside a tree

Nobody ever got smart reading just one book.
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Hippies? Not quite…

Pagans aren't people of the book, we're people of the library.
— Steve Posch
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Kissed by the sun

The blue sets this lady's skin tone off so very well. The ankle bracelets help too.

I'd say she's a child of the sun.

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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One book


book-96616421320reduced

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Seven points

There are things I can't change. There are things I shouldn't change. And there are things I might change.
     — NeoWayland, Pure
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Lady with torches

I love good space pictures.

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On the road

Don't laugh…

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What about you?

I love pictures of Lady Liberty.

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Worship

Not strictly pagan, but I love the imagery.

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Raven pendant

I've found a more personal, pagan kind of religion to satisfy the spiritual side of things.
— Julian Clary
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“Alice Through The Looking Glass”

It looks fun, doesn't it?

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“Milky Way over the Mojave Desert”

Notice how the emphasis on bulk lines hints strongly at both motion and emotion.

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Riverbed

Growing up in the desert, you appreciate a good rain.

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At the lake

Karel Tondl was a Czech artist and art professor whose later work was influenced by expressionism. Perhaps he's best known for his depictions of female bathers.

Notice how the emphasis on bulk lines hints strongly at both motion and emotion.

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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“As a pagan…”

You know the problem with these massive conspiracy theories are that there are never enough conspirators and never enough victims.
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Staged

Messy, very sexy, and Female.

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Red Gaea

The air is still humid from last night's never-storm. No rain, but plenty of lightning and thunder around midnight.

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Spirituality

Pardon, but Judaism wasn't the original monotheism. Akhenaton introduced Atenism in Egypt, which may have influenced the development of Semitic polytheism into monotheistic Judaism.
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Surrealistic touch

From the file name, I think this is God and Goddess, a surrealistic psychedelic drawing by Darkmoondollie. And yes, that is their spelling of psychedelic.

I love how this piece implies wood and motion in the union of Male and Female. Too many times we forget that magick is about movement and the union of elements. The artist has a fine eye and a really nice touch.

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Gaia returns

Another Gaia picture.

These are some of my favorites. And of course I really like the subject matter. Messy, very sexy, and Female.

Paganism is always about earthiness.

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 hat sells it

The rock formation caught my eye.

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❝Bathers on the Beach❞ by Marie Auguste Emile Rene Menard

There's something very renewing about greeting the sun at dawn dressed in nothing but a pendant.

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Daylight ring dance

From the hairstyle of the brunette lady on the right, I'm guessing that it happened in the late 1960s.

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Old Man of Storr

Everything is connected. Nobody sees all the connections. There's always stuff you don't know.
     — NeoWayland
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Casually

It's not overwhelming, it just seems like it.

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In the forest

I was coming off a long time of being militantly solitary and I relished the fellowship I finally allowed myself.

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Another world tree

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.
— Frank Lloyd Wright
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Dweller

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
— Albert Einstein
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Softly, gently

Allowing harm to continue unchecked is not 'harming none'. Rather, it harms everyone.
— Doreen Valiente
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Proud

“Film Review: Eugene Brave Rock Speaks Blackfoot to Wonder Woman in DC’s Best Film Ever”

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Gather

“All Women are Goddess and deserve to be Cherished, unless they prove otherwise.”
— NeoWayland
All Men are God and deserve to be Adored, unless they prove otherwise.
— Juliaki
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Summer fairy

I can almost picture a cauldron there.

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Forest god

Like most American males born in the last half of the 20th Century, I was raised to be uncomfortable around homosexuality or anything that might imply homoeroticism. The thought of any man admiring the male form was Unacceptable. The thought of any man aroused and erect in the presence of other men was Taboo, except maybe for mutual masturbation sessions. And even then, only if it were Real Men™ leering at sexy women.

I got over some of that as an adult, and more as a pagan. Sometimes there is still a touch of shame, my upbringing left me that. I don't think sexuality is “carved in stone,” but I'm not willing to experiment right now either. Men check each other out, there's no doubt. We just don't admit that. Most of us can't help wondering sometimes what it would be like to be better endowed. Run an image search for pagan god phallus and see what you get. It's not an accident that gay males are over depicted in pagan art.

I ran across this one in another web search, probably for pagan phallus or some such thing. Men may not like to admit it, but we are fascinated by other guy's packages. Especially when our own brings such pleasure. This Forest God is definitely a Man's Man, and it brings thoughts of Iron John and a man's place in the world. I don't want to have sex with a man who has a member like that, but a part of me wonders what it would be like if that thing were mine.

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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With friends

Thinking by blogging

I love watching ladies sunbathing in the summer. It's purely sexual.

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Just pooling around

Holy places are dark places. It is life and strength, not knowledge and words, that we get in them. Holy wisdom is not clear and thin like water, but thick and dark like blood.
— C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces
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Nearly a cauldron

Okay, so it's not exactly pagan and it's very nearly pornographic, but I really liked the image. I can almost picture a cauldron there.

Can't you?

Unless it's actually part of a ritual, I try to avoid carnal photographs at TPY. This isn't a porn site. I'm a pagan who believes in every day nudity.

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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“Daphnis and Chloe” by Victor Borisov-Musatov

It is a very boy thing to do.

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“Boy With A Dog” by Victor Borisov-Musatov

“Empirical Meets Spiritual: the Intersection of Science and Paganism”

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Picnic

Lotan often used the southwestern desert and Arizona in particular.

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“Three Graces in a Cactus Garden” by Lotan Lotan

To divide anything into what should be and what is, is the most deceptive way of dealing with life.
— Jiddu Krishnamurti
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Fire's warmth

But we are the Blessed, the God-touched, the ones who walk between the worlds. I honor my Gods as Elder Relatives, not as saviors or rulers of my soul. It's the difference between fear and love.
— NeoWayland, Of gods and men
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An amazing place that proves Divinity

However heroic the virtues of the saint may be, the scoundrel has a bit of the hero in him too.
— Richard Smoley from “Choose Your Saints Wisely”, Gnosis № 24, Summer 1992
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Fire dance

Eakins explored nudes in much of his work.

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Poetry in the bath

Just look at those amazing clouds.

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Swimming

I made a tiny piece of the planet something that it wasn't before.

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Nude by the statues

The Christian fear of the pagan outlook has damaged the whole consciousness of man.
— D. H. Lawrence
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Sex magick

Pagan temples are timeworn forests, secluded gardens, sun-kissed seashores and emerald pastures.
— Amelia Dashwood
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In the garden

I'm guessing that this is 1930s European…

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Vintage archery

I wonder what she's thinking.

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Casual friends

Despite the rumors, the Great Rite doesn't happen all that often.

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The entrance

Before the dawn and the kiss of the sun

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A selection of bolines




Bolines can be fancy, but I think they sum up what can be wrong with today's paganism. It's about the flair rather than the practicallity.

This pocket knife is very similar to the one I carry. It's simple, inexpensive, and doubles as an athamé and a boline. It blends in and raises no questions. I can carry it easily in my pocket as I hike or tramp.

You don't always have to work with the fancy stuff. The best symbol of a thing is the thing.













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What's wrong with nudity?

Thinking by blogging

In a little while I am going to go plant my tree. I can't get away this weekend so I am starting Summergate a little early.

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Northern lights

This particular photo was taken on the customary Earth Day at Valdez, Alaska.

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A selection of athamés

Home should be more than a place to hang our hat.

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Another Sheela na gig

This is not the Earth Day I celebrate.

My entry on
Earth Day and politics.

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Sleeping

Last Friday in April.
State tree is paloverde.
www.arborday.org/states/state.cfm?state=AZ


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Juicy sexy messy

Let me tell you about who is the ultimate model of strong women in my family.
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Smile

I need to be aware of them, but I don't need to track them in detail.

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Naked ritual

Margot Adler • Before birthday

Lived 16Apr1946 to 28July2014 (68)
American author, journalist, lecturer, Wiccan priestess and radio journalist

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“A foggy Irish forest.”

It's as if many American pagans pretend that the roots don't exist.

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Morning canvas

We pagans have become the worst that we saw in the People of the Book.

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Nude Skull

Our energy fields often look like mosaics of pieces from family, friends, co-workers, people seen on TV, or even random strangers encountered on the street.
— Rebecca Wilson from “The Art of Psychic Healing”, Gnosis № 34, Winter 1995
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Just a glimpse

Very intriguing design

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Another tree of life

I really love pictures of the Moon

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Earthrise

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
May the clarity of light be yours,
May the fluency of the ocean be yours,
May the protection of the ancestors be yours.
— anonymous
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Triple Moon

Sorrow and regret

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Spiraling

Power with versus power over

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Overlook

Outdoor ritual area

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Inspiring space

Sex is one of the nine reasons for incarnation. The other eight are unimportant.
— George Burns
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Just plain fun

She keeps the Great Secret

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Hidden but still grand

The Pagan Vigil Reader is my new aggregator

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Lady Liberty

Plus he’s having way too much fun.

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Life is good

Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.
— Stephen King
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Speculate this

Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.
— John Muir
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He stands there curious

I identify with bears

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Train

So it's with shorter hair and hot chocolate that I anticipate this High Holiday.

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Handsome fellow

Elections bring out some very idiotic behavior

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Point of view

We define the labels, the labels should not define us.
     — from the journal of NeoWayland

I don’t believe I should use this blog to teach.

I think the best teachers are the ones you see face to face. That personal relationship helps you learn faster.

But we live in an age of wonders connected digitally across the planet. Even if it’s not my place to teach, maybe sometimes I can tell beginners where to start looking for their own answers and their own path.

So I’m answering my email again, indirectly.

I’m using ideas that I work with most. My
WebTree path (not a tradition) draws heavily on Celtic Reconstructionism and modern Druidry with just a smidge more Wiccanism than I am comfortable admitting.

Yule - around December 21
Imbolc - February 2
Ostera - around March 21
Beltane - April 30
Litha - around June 21
Lughnasad - August 1
Mabon - around September 21
Samhain - October 31

You’ve probably seen that list a few hundred times before. It’s obviously the neopagan sabbats. But what the list doesn’t tell you is how those dates interrelate. For that, you need an eight pointed star. I just happen to have one on file.

Concentrate on the list alone and you can miss the relationships. The power isn’t in the list. The power is in how the ideas weave together.

Put Yule at the top point of the star.

Technically you don’t need the star, but it sure helps you see the connections. You can see that the winter solstice is opposite the summer solstice and that the equinoxes are opposite each other.

Yes, I’ve covered this
before. Please bear with me.

You can also see that the cross quarter days are really the gateways between seasons. And you can see that the solstices and the equinoxes are really the peak moments
and middle of the seasons.

Cross quarter days are High Holidays for my path. The equinoxes and solstices are Solar Festivals.

Now I could explain that in three or four pages. Or I can show you with a single picture and a few sentences.

It’s not enough to know the seasons, you have to know the connections and the relationships.

This isn’t something that is commonly taught in paganism these days. Absolutely I am not teaching it. I’m just telling you where you might begin.

I will point out that the eight-pointed star is just a start. Before the digital age, many traditions would expect you to draw something like this.


That’s a lot more complex.

Notice the
relationships.

You just couldn’t draw that right at first.You’d have to start over and over again. You’d frustrate yourself because it should be easy for you. You’re passionate about your faith and you WANT to learn. You’d make many tries. Some of the hardest attempts would be with your teacher watching closely over your shoulder while you got it almost perfect. The slightest flaw means the whole picture has to be destroyed. You’d have to start over
again until you could draw it on demand. By the time you were done, you could visualize the connections without the diagram.

You’d
understand.

The power is not the drawing. The power is
you understanding the connections.

Sure, you could get that from a list, but it would take much longer.

The tools we use shape our thought.

This isn't one of mine. But think about the work that went into this even if you don't agree with the assumptions.

Let me give you another example.


Before WWII and quick mix boxes, recipes were usually by ratios. Sure, you can memorize individual recipies that use 1 cup of that mixed with 2/3 cups of this, but it won’t teach you the relationships.

If you stood in a kitchen full of ingredients but without the pre-measured portions and the oh so precise instuctions, you’d be stuck. You wouldn’t
know the relationships.

You wouldn’t
know what separated a bread from a cake.

You wouldn’t
know what made a soup or a sauce.

One look at a grocery store tells you that there are entire industries devoted to your ignorance and willing to sell you easy to use products so you don’t have to think about it too hard.

Someone doesn’t
want you thinking about it too hard. Someone profits from you not thinking hard.

Something really simple looks enormously complicated because you’re
stuck with one perspective.

Hmm, that sounds
familiar. Somebody out to impress you with what they know and what they can show. Like one of Shaw’s experts.

But the way of the master means do more with less. To do that you need to understand how things interrelate. It’s not about one cup of
that mixed with 2/3 cup of this, it’s about three parts of that mixed with two parts of this. The measure isn’t what you need, the ratio is.

It’s about the relationships and the connections. Think in those terms and you’ve expanded what you can do. Do more with less complication.

One last bit.

Environmentalism is about control. Control of the surroundings, control of human behavior, control of the lifeforms, everything carefully monitored and measured.

But that is not the way the world works.

Ecology is about the relationships and tradeoffs.

Guess which works better longer.

Understanding is the key. You can’t go poking around with the primal forces of the universe without understanding.

Well, you could, but it’s much safer if you understand the connections.

Change your perspective, change the world.

Change youself.

As above, so below.

Change.


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Ravens

Be careful the cloaks you wear lest you be soiled by their dirt.
— from the shadow book of Red Cedar Owl
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Asperitas

There is something pagan in me that I cannot shake off. In short, I deny nothing, but doubt everything.
— Lord Byron
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“Knife?”

Notice the relationships

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Dragon

You are connected.

see also Season of my idiocy Read More...
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Lady in repose

This one is obviously a god and She’s creating life

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Billboards

I’m adding a new category

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She gives Life

There are worse ways to spend an evening

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Gallery

I think it’s time to go the the Kaibab

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Red & gold

Remember your loved ones

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Collecting pelts

Mom ended up with a broken clavicle, a punctured lung, massive bruising, and some confusion.

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Totems I have known

It’s a day of contrasts and promises. Even as winter is at it’s greatest, light is born again.

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Shapes in the Moon

This one’s a lusty lass, and not just because she’s nude and very pregnant.

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Gaia

I mentioned some of my concerns, but their future is full of utopia and collective effort.

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Earth Day & politics

And part of it is just because three is a magick number.

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Wild spring

I know what to call Book People now

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Pangere

Rambling on time & calendars

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See the Robot

Thought germs are memes

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“What knife?”

Playtime

Determined to use my weaknesses against me

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Foolish thoughts

Thinking by blogging

Still here sorta

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What makes you think you really know?

Thinking by blogging

Be - updated


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Tree Of Life

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

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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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