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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.

“Latin American Revolutions: Crash Course World History #31”

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“Haitian Revolutions: Crash Course World History #30”


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“If it works, it’s true.”

If a pattern of belief or behavior enables a being to survive and to accomplish chosen goals, than that belief or behavior is “true” or “real” or “sensible” on whatever levels of reality are involved.
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“The French Revolution: Crash Course World History #29”


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It's almost as if I knew what I was talking about

The Mystery is beyond us even as it surrounds us.

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“Tea, Taxes, and The American Revolution: Crash Course World History #28”

But for me, politics is not a part of paganism. Things don't go well when faith and politics are mixed. So I am saying that politics has nothing to do with the sunrise of the bright Moon. You can't find politics in an infant's laugh or in the call of a coyote.

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“The Calendar Act of 1750 and eleven lost days”


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“The Amazing Life and Strange Death of Captain Cook: Crash Course World History #27”

We're born in our skin, we shouldn't be ashamed in it.

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“The Seven Years War: Crash Course World History #26”

Thinking by blogging

Then I realized I was going to have to define intelligence.

Yeah. Okay.

What we call intelligence is actually three things that interconnect. Well, at least three things.

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“The Modern Shaman: A Guide to Carl Jung”

Always work as a team.
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“The Spanish Empire, Silver, & Runaway Inflation: Crash Course World History #25”

Like attracts like; to create a particular reality you must put out energy of a similar sort.
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“That which is sent, returns.”

The sun is making all the green gold.

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“The Atlantic Slave Trade: Crash Course World History #24”


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Lexicon mini-indexes

One cannot and must not try to erase the past merely because it does not fit the present.
— Golda Meir
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“The Columbian Exchange: Crash Course World History #23”

Bend the line, don't break it.
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“Everything contains its opposite.”

I used to think that this was a silly thing Christians used to hide their own insecurity. And if I had my druthers, I'd put this is a caution box with the red banner and be done with it.

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“The Renaissance: Was it a Thing? - Crash Course World History #22”


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“Change your perspective.”

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“If anything can go wrong, it will.”

“Let It Be Flash Mob for United Girls of the World”

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“Anything can be a person.”

I should warn you, reading the article that prompted this entry is depressing.

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“Columbus, de Gama, and Zheng He! 15th Century Mariners. Crash Course: World History #21”

“In which John Green teaches you about the beginning of the so-called Age of Discovery. You've probably heard of Christopher Columbus, who "discovered" America in 1492, but what about Vasco da Gama? How about Zheng He? Columbus gets a bad rap from many modern historians, but it turns out he was pretty important as far as the history of the world goes. That said, he wasn't the only pioneer plying the seas in the 1400s. In Portugal, Vasco da Gama was busy integrating Europe into the Indian Ocean Trade by sailing around Africa. Chinese admiral Zheng He was also traveling far and wide in the largest wooden ships ever built. Columbus, whether portrayed as hero or villain, is usually credited as the great sailor of the 15th century, but he definitely wasn't the only contender. What better way to settle this question than with a knock-down, drag-out, no holds barred, old-fashioned battle royal? We were going to make it a cage match, but welding is EXPENSIVE.”

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“Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols: Crash Course World History #20”

The gentleman just might be a little over tanned.

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“You live in your cosmos and I’ll live in mine.”


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“Venice and the Ottoman Empire: Crash Course World History #19”


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“Int'l Commerce, Snorkeling Camels, and The Indian Ocean Trade: Crash Course World History #18”


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“Opposites attract.”

Just people enjoying themselves

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Altar versus alter

Any questions?

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“Wait For It...The Mongols!: Crash Course World History #17”

“In which John Green teaches you, at long last, about the most exceptional bunch of empire-building nomads in the history of the world, the Mongols! How did the Mongols go from being a relatively small band of herders who occasionally engaged in some light hunting-gathering to being one of the most formidable fighting forces in the world? It turns out Genghis Khan was a pretty big part of it, but you probably already knew that. The more interesting questions might be, what kind of rulers were they, and what effect did their empire have on the world we know today? Find out, as John FINALLY teaches you about the Mongols.”

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“Fairies, Aliens and Demons - Common Evolving Archetypes”

The deeper the passion, the harder it is to see beyond our expectations.
— NeoWayland, pedestal problem
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“Mansa Musa and Islam in Africa: Crash Course World History #16”

Recently reincarnation came up on one of my lists

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❝What’s in a name? — Everything!❞

The trouble with dancing naked is that not everything stops when the music does.
— The Minnions
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“The Crusades - Pilgrimage or Holy War?: Crash Course World History #15”


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❝Knowledge is power.❞


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“The Dark Ages...How Dark Were They, Really?: Crash Course World History #14”

The future is not laid out on a track. It is something that we can decide, and to the extent that we do not violate any known laws of the universe, we can probably make it work the way that we want to.
— Alan Kay
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❝Beings within…❞

Be so good they can't ignore you.
— Steve Martin
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“Islam, the Quran, and the Five Pillars All Without a Flamewar: Crash Course World History #13”

“In which John Green teaches you the history of Islam, including the revelation of the Qu'ran to Muhammad, the five pillars of Islam, how the Islamic empire got its start, the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and more. Learn about hadiths, Abu Bakr, and whether the Umma has anything to do with Uma Thurman (spoiler alert: it doesn't). Also, learn a little about the split between Sunni and Shia Muslims, and how to tell if this year's Ramadan is going to be difficult for your Muslim friends. Let's try to keep the flame wars out of this reasoned discussion.”

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“Fall of The Roman Empire...in the 15th Century: Crash Course World History #12”


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“Christianity from Judaism to Constantine: Crash Course World History #11”

If monotheism was all that amazing, it wouldn't have spent centuries trying to suppress alternatives. Still does in the case of some versions of Islam.
— NeoWayland
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NeoNote — Mostly

It means I watch for the exceptions where neither IS nor IS NOT applies. It means our understanding is limited by our perception and assumptions at the moment.

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“The Roman Empire. Or Republic. Or...Which Was It?: Crash Course World History #10”

I'm really beginning to understand why it is so hard to find good Pagan blogs.

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“Who Invented Parkour?”

Don't worry about what anybody else is going to do. The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
— Alan Kay
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“Alexander the Great and the Situation ... the Great? Crash Course World History #8”

It is a good rule in life never to apologize. The right sort of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort take a mean advantage of them.
— P. G. Wodehouse
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❝Knowledge isn't mastery. Eclecticism depends on discipline.❞

We’re developing a new citizenry. One that will be very selective about cereals and automobiles, but won’t be able to think.
— Rod Serling
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“2,000 Years of Chinese History! The Mandate of Heaven and Confucius: World History #7”


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“Buddha and Ashoka: Crash Course World History #6”

There is nothing that prevents people from following religious law. But there is nothing that demands others follow those same religious laws.

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Two wolves




An old Grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice, "Let me tell you a story.

I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do.

But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times." He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me. One is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him, and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.

But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger,for his anger will change nothing.

Sometimes, it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."

The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"

The Grandfather smiled and quietly said, "The one I feed."
Two Wolves from First People
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“The Persians & Greeks: Crash Course World History #5”


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Seek wisdom

Seek wisdom in books, rare manuscripts, and cryptic poems if you will, but seek it out also in simple stones, and fragile herbs, and in the cries of wild birds. Listen to the whisperings of the wind and the roar of water if you would discover magic, for it is here that the old secrets are preserved.
— Scott Cunningham
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“Magick is the essence of change and evolution” banner

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❝All things are possible, though some are more probable than others.❞

Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
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❝I already knew that the teachers were lying to me.❞

Nature favors those organisms which leave the environment in better shape for their progeny to survive.
— James Lovelock
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Multiple and diverse

There is nothing permanent except change.
— Heraclitus
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“Ancient Egypt: Crash Course World History #4”


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“There’s always something new”

The age of innocent faith in science and technology may be over.
— Barry Commoner
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❝Gods and Goddesses of myth…❞

The Gods and Goddesses of myth, legend and fairy tale represent archetypes, real potencies and potentialities deep within the psyche, which, when allowed to flower permit us to be more fully human.
— Margot Adler
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“Mesopotamia: Crash Course World History #3”

“Gods and goddess of polytheistic Arabia”

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“Gods of Arabs before Islam”

We don't have a perfect solution. But we don't need one. We just have to make today better than yesterday.
— NeoWayland
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❝You can become another.❞

The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.
— John Muir
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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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“The Agricultural Revolution: Crash Course World History #1”

I reject your reality and substitute my own.
— Adam Savage
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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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“Mythical Language and Idiom: Crash Course World Mythology #41”


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

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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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Discovering odd scraps

Science is always discovering odd scraps of magical wisdom and making a tremendous fuss about its cleverness.
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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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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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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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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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“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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Ro3 № 10

To ease your pain and shame, share it separately with three people you trust.
— NeoWayland, Rules of Three
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Ro3 № 9

Honor expects three warnings before you act.
— NeoWayland, Rules of Three
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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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Ro3 № 7

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

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Ro3 № 6

iTunes and it's "random" selections

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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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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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❝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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Ro3 № 3

I keep collecting them and they keep proving useful.

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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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Ro3 № 1

Start by listening. Before you say anything, listen again. Just to make sure you understand, listen some more.
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“Mythical Horses: Crash Course World Mythology #37”


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

Stories are important, but they are signposts.
— NeoWayland, the Story
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“Cities of Myth: Crash Course World Mythology #35”

Mixed meanings can give mixed understandings

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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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❝Mythical Trees: Crash Course World Mythology #34❞


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

I prefer faces.

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

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

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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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Condemnation of memory

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

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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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“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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Added to the lexicon

Sharing a shower is always fun.

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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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“Ragnarok: Crash Course World Mythology #24”

Churches are hospitals for the sinners, not mausoleums for the saints.
— anonymous
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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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“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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“The Dying God: Crash Course World Mythology #19”


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“American Floods: Crash Course World Mythology #18”

Could this have been from a themed retreat?

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


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Study guide - Bonewits' Laws of Magic

Added to lexicon.

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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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“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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“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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“Great Goddesses: Crash Course World Mythology #13”

Impressive

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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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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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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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“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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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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“Indian Pantheons: Crash Course World Mythology #8”

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

“Life lessons from reading Thucydides and hiking at night”

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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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“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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“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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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 — 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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NeoNotes — the middle

Thinking by blogging

Rain in my desert always makes me think.

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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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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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“Circles”

Moonlight is sculpture; sunlight is painting.
— Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Think you know

Thinking by blogging

Sometimes when you're feeling down, one of the best things you can do is do for others.

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“Nina Paley's haunting, mesmerizing, and life-affirming God-Mother animation”

“In which Mike teaches you about the creation of the universe, with sex. This week we're talking about creations stories from Egypt, West Africa, Greece, China, and Persia that have a lot in common with human sexual reproduction. And also some castration and puking, to boot. We've got your cosmic eggs, right here!”

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“Cosmic Sexy Time, Eggs, Seeds, and Water: Crash Course World Mythology #3”


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Considered supernatural

I love the sky and the trees.

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“Coyote and Raven, American Tricksters: Crash Course World Mythology #22”

one


two


three


four


five

six






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“Hermes and Loki and Tricksters Part 2: Crash Course World Mythology #21”

Thinking by blogging

I think I'm spending more time trying to sleep than actually sleeping.

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Best practices


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“Creation from the Void: Crash Course World Mythology #2”

You should beware the politician who wraps himself in faith and the minister who wraps himself with the flag.
     — from the private journal of NeoWayland, 01Mar2002
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Absolutely maybe sort of - updated

Now, should I reject Bonewits and all he stood for because he and I didn't agree?

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“What Is Myth? Crash Course World Mythology #1””

I let my ego off the chain last weekend. It was a vain and foolish thing to do. And it had consequences.

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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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Life cycle

Remember where the exits are. Be willing to walk away.
     — NeoWayland
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Ego-trapped

As a pagan, I've found that 99% of my practices and worshiping consists of just going outside, sitting still, shutting up, and listening.
— AmericanCeltic
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NeoNotes — Satanic sacrifice

One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon-instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today.
— Dale Carnegie
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NeoNotes — Judaism

And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.
— Roald Dahl
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“Tricksters: An Introduction: Crash Course World Mythology 20”

Thinking by blogging

As something suitable for the ages, the websites work as they are. As something that I can update and tweak, I need programs to manage.

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Transcribing Faith

Know yourself. Know what you can do. Know what you're willing to do. Know the price you're willing to pay.
     — NeoWayland, Quick notes to a new seeker
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Secrets

Imagine the ocean's touch.

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Penetration into the darkness

As a rule, absolutes don't.
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Question

Modern American pagans are especially bad, we tend to celebrate some of our worse nutcases as gifts from the gods.
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Technology

Gods and magick have always lived in technology.
— NeoWayland
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Science and Paganism

Due to unforseen circumstances, I'm taking a break from blogging until June 5, 2017.

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❝Love begins at home❞

I'm honestly not sure what I would use it for, but I admire the piece.

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❝Lose your own center…❞

If something changes the universe, it can be measured. If it can be measured, it can be analyzed. If it can be analyzed, experiments can be performed.
— NeoWayland
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Stranger

It's back to "a narrow slice of life."

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Mosaics

We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dream.
Wandering by lone sea breakers, and sitting by desolate streams.
World losers and world forsakers, for whom the pale moon gleams.
Yet we are movers and the shakers of the world forever it seems.
— Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy
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❝We are the music makers…❞

See a path?

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“Reflection-Medusa”


h/t Maggie McNeill

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Patterns

Raven is about bridging the worlds.

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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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❝Only the Natural❞

A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.
— anonymous, often attributed to Roald Dahl


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Truthful

I usually just call this kind Gaia

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NeoNotes — Witchcraft as rebellion

Ravens are amazing birds aren't they?

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NeoNotes — Nothing supernatural exists

I am recoding the Lexicon.

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NeoNotes — Origin of Wicca

”And The Rhythm Of Life is a powerful beat…”

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Rhythm Of Life

The last few days you may have seen some site issues.

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Coding your mind

This only happens every seventy years or so.

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Interconnections

Since I don't have much time this week, I thought talk about the daily things we sometimes overlook.

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Intuition & Inspiration

According to popular culture, magick is about breaking the rules and molding reality.

Nope.

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The Lady Always Chooses

At some point you come back from the mountain and across the wilderness.

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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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Letter & Spirit

I look into the bowl and wait.

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Religion

I think too many people are into religion for the politics.

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Impress Me

Sun tea

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Do Be Do Be Do

From classic philosophy to classic virtue, Paganism's best hope depends on what we choose to put out in the World - updated

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Voices

I first started keeping notes in a three ring binder. It worked, sort of, as long as I kept the index up to date.

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Tying thoughts to emotions

I want my blue sky

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Gods make you stretch

Almost four years on this blog and I hadn't answered these questions yet - UPDATED

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On commitment

droolworthy and then some

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Right or Write

Another reason why the peace-love-freedom-happiness bit annoys me

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Gnosis Journal

Just what was revealed?

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A Rule of Three

I lost a bet, so now I have to share

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Touch of a Master - Updated

Didn't plan on it

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Charlie's story

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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The Red Book - First Impressions

Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies.
— usually attributed to Oliver Goldsmith
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Love

You're so determined to struggle nobly against dark forces that you can't see what is casting the shadow.
— NeoWayland
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How to convince me you're a poseur before I've finished the first page of the preface of your book - UPDATED

Fog

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“We are the Pagans who have moved on”

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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Quarter Moons and Semi-Truths

I want to choose my own

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Relics of faith

“Our mythical places series continues, and this week Mike Rugnetta is talking about some stories that revolve around mountains. Mountains loom large in human stories, not least because mountains are, well, large. So ascend with us to the lofty peaks of The Ten Thousand Treasure Mountain in China, and Mount Fuji in Japan.”

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A little slice of mind

Accept or not as you choose, that doesn't make it less true

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Snap out of it!

Master the discipline or be mastered by the victimhood.
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Taking full measure

Fiction and nonfiction collide and spawn in my semi-fevered brain

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Dream a little dream for me

An internet quiz to tell how you think

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Ephemeral

Before and after

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Foolish thoughts

Thinking by blogging

Still here sorta

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Strings of universes that work

The dire wound that never heals

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Transcending the label

The "fastest growing" becomes one of the fastest collapsing

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Creative destruction

Dualism and modern mythology

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Another Fine Message

Rambling on moods and modernity

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Knot truth

Going beyond the 101 and even beyond the tradition

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Invoking passion for failure or success?

Pulling together the bits on the mind that I have touched on before

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Lost Wonderers

“When you think of “driftwood” you usually don’t imagine a hollow log big enough to stand up inside.”

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Why the internet may suppress thought

Quick thought from a weirdo

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Blessed Journeys

Another thing I wish they had told me

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Does the origin determine validity?

When things are messy, actions and answers aren't clear cut. That is when you need faith in yourself.

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Mulling over the nature of Deity

My web surfing turns up a couple of articles. Irony abounds.

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Male or female?

One of the Blessed found this blog and writes about it

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In the moment

Adapted from an IM session, but it is just my words and beliefs

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The price

An excuse to embrace victimhood, or a reason to seize our own power?

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Real flows, direct from the source

Keeping the past alive

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Discussion on initiation

Sometimes my email is worth it

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Coyote

Popping up. Will be back in a couple of days.

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What's in a word?

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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Study notes

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.
— Langston Hughes
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Some thoughts from my
WebTree tradition path - updated

I’m really enjoying this winter season.

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Calling yourself pagan

Faith is a personal choice. So are politics. One does not define the other.

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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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