a hundred buttons

“It’s this dress,” Yennefer admitted. “It fastens up the back with about a hundred miniature buttons. It’s, not strictly possible for one to remove it on one’s own.”

Jaskier snorted. “Oh? Well, how would usually get it off?”

“Usually I just,” she said, and motioned, trying to convey the general idea of I unfasten them all at once, with magic. “Whoosh.”

His eyes widened as he grasped the problem. “Ahh, I see,” he said. “That does sound very awkward.”

Temporarily bereft of her magic, Yennefer finds herself in a tricky position.

(On Ao3!)

The room was too small for Yennefer’s liking, and she paced it from end to end, keeping her ears pricked up. There could be someone standing right outside the door, waiting for her, and she’d never know. There could be someone lurking outside the window. She lifted a corner of the curtain, peering out at the empty blackness.

She dropped into a crouch, making certain that the knife she kept strapped to her angle was still secure. Standing up, she resumed her pacing. Her corset was beginning to chafe at her, pressing uncomfortably snug around her ribs.

She was itching for this to be over.

Footsteps pounded down the stairs. Geralt’s bard put his head into the room. “Evening,” he said, though it was well after midnight. “Still up?”

“Evidently,” she said. “Any sign of Geralt?”

He pulled a face. “Not a whisper. I take it you haven’t had any luck with the curse, then?”

“For the last time,” she said, “it is not a curse. A curse I could handle. The lingering effects of a magical void are the farthest thing from a curse.”

“If you say so.”

“In fact one might say it’s the precise opposite of a curse.”

Smacking his lips, he said, “it’s all the same to me.”

He, of course, had felt nothing at all, even when he was standing in the void itself. He hadn’t felt its deadening silence, its stomach-churning emptiness. He hadn’t felt anything vital inside himself go dark.

No, he’d just stood there with his hands on his hips and said, “what’s got into your pair, then?”

She was tired. She hadn’t realised how much she’d come to rely on her magic to give herself little boosts, after a long and difficult day. She said, “I can’t imagine where he’s got to.”

“Well, he’s away in a huff, so probably nowhere in particular,” said Jaskier.

“He isn’t in a huff,” said Yennefer.

“Hmm, I really think he is,” the bard said. “You know, because you so unfairly snapped at him that this entire situation was his fault?”

“It wasn’t unfair.”

“Even though this whole mess is quite patently no-one’s fault,” he went on as if she hadn’t spoken, “and there was really no need for any shouting or throwing things or storming off in huffs.”

“Debatable,” she said. “Did you come down here just to irritate me?”

“Ah, no, I came down because I forgot my pack,” he said. “And, I suppose, to say that I’m going to bed.”

“Alright,” she said. “You do that.”

“Are you staying up?” he said. “Because if so I’d appreciate if you could stop rattling about. This house is very creaky.”

“I shall rattle as much as I like,” she said. “I’m waiting for Geralt.”

He tilted his head to the side, and stepped fully into the room. “Much as it doesn’t behove me to express concern for your wellbeing,” he said. “Given how much of a huff he was in there’s every chance he won’t be back before morning, so I wouldn’t bother.”

There were times – not infrequently – when he’d go out of his way to remind her that he’d known Geralt longer and therefore knew him better. Oh, he’d said airily, Geralt can’t stand sheep’s cheese. Oh, Geralt always gets like this after a hunt. Geralt doesn’t like it when people touch his weapons. Geralt won’t like this. Geralt doesn’t do that. It was difficult to gage if that was what he was trying to do now, without being able to look into his mind, but she didn’t think it was. He seemed to be making a sincere attempt to offer her some advice.

She had to admit, privately, that she felt a little better for having him in the house. Unlikely as it was that they’d be attacked by marauders or wild beasts or monsters in the twelve or so hours before the effects of the void wore off, she was painfully aware that she was limited in her ability to defend herself and that if the worst did happen, the bard’s help might be better than no help at all.

But his being aware of that most uncomfortable facet of the situation – the thought of his having the gall to feel protective of her – made her skin crawl.

“It’s fine,” she said curtly. “I’ll wait up for him.”

“Hm,” he said.

“What?”

“Are you alright? Aside from the obvious, I mean. You seem a little – frazzled.”

She was tired. She was sweaty, and itchy. She wanted badly to complain to someone and since Jaskier was the only person around for miles he’d have to do.

“It’s this dress,” she admitted. “It fastens up the back with about a hundred miniature buttons. It’s, not strictly possible for one to remove it on one’s own.”

He snorted. “Oh? Well, how would usually get it off?”

“Usually I just,” she said, and motioned, trying to convey the general idea of I unfasten them all at once, with magic. “Whoosh.”

His eyes widened as he grasped the problem. “Ahh, I see,” he said. “That does sound very awkward.”

He looked her up and down, pursing his lips. She avoided his gaze.

“Well,” he said at length. “Night, then.” Turning, he left her alone.

Yennefer stood in the middle of the room, listening to his footsteps recede up the stairs. After a moment, they faltered and then began to descend.

Leaning back into the room, he said, “would you like some help?”

“From you?”

“I do have,” he waggled his fingers, “some experience removing ladies’ clothing. And very dextrous hands.”

“I’ll wait,” she said.

“All night?”

“If necessary.”

“Are you sure?” he said. “I promise not to tell anyone. Not even Geralt. I, I really do understand how, hm. Uncomfortable this must be.”

Yennefer heaved a sigh. Her corset creaked faintly beneath her dress. Oh, but she ached to have it off. “Fine,” she said.

“Goodness,” he said, upstairs in the bedroom, peering at her back in the flickery lamplight. “They are small, aren’t they? You can barely see them.”

“Just unfasten it,” she said. She felt a gentle tug at her neckline as he began to ease the first button out of its hole. “It’s a very fashionable and elegant design,” she said stiffly. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“It is very nice,” he agreed. “I suppose this is the sort of thing one usually has a ladies’ maid for.”

Or a husband, Yennefer thought.

“So this void business,” he said, working his way down her back, carefully teasing out each button. He was being more delicate about it than she’d expected, trying not to damage the embroidery. More delicate than Geralt would probably have managed to be. Well, she supposed, he’d always had a healthy respect for nice clothes. “Did it – hurt?”

“No,” she said. “It wasn’t pleasant. But no.”

“I see,” he said. “Good to know.”

“Worried about Geralt?” she said.

“Naturally.”

“It’s uncomfortable,” she said. “That’s all. It’ll pass.”

“Let’s hope it passes soon.” He was almost all the way down her back. “I imagine it’s worse for you. Isn’t it?”

Geralt was hampered, by the loss of his signs, but by no means was he rendered powerless. He wasn’t stripped bare, the way she was. She wasn’t entirely sure he understood – that he realised that, although they’d both had something taken from them, his loss wasn’t the same as hers.

She said, “I can handle it.”

“Good grief,” he said. “How far down do these go?”

“Most of the way.”

He reached the small of her back and dropped to his knees to keep going. “Ah,” he said, his face perfectly level with her behind. “Quite a view.”

“Bard,” she said, “if you say one word about my backside my first act when this wears off will be to flay your skin from your body.”

“Understood,” he said, reaching, cautiously, for the buttons. “I shall keep my comments to myself. Although, if I might say, they are all complimentary.”

“I am currently mentally cataloguing all the spells I know to flay a man alive.”

“I’ll be quiet.”

He finished unbuttoning her, in silence and – to his credit – clearly taking care to touch her bottom as little as humanly possible. With a sigh of relief, she pulled the dress down her shoulders and let it fall to the floor.

She stood in her corset and petticoat, her arms and shoulders bare, gooseflesh rising on her skin in the chilly room. It wasn’t a position she’d usually like to be in when alone with a man she didn’t fully trust.

But then, she supposed she must trust Jaskier; there was no way she’d have agreed to this otherwise. Somehow she hadn’t noticed that she had come to trust him.

“Goodness,” he said, rising to his feet. “Laces too?”

“Corsets usually have them,” she said, putting her hands upon her hips. She was very glad she didn’t have to look him in the eye for this.

“Shall I –”

“I’d appreciate it.”

“It would be worse,” he said as he began, cheerfully, to unlace her. “I once had a tryst with a lady who was wearing – five layers of petticoats. We had to put them all back on in rather a hurry, and then I managed to tie myself to her stays and her husband was coming up the stairs so we were both panicking –"

There was the faintest creak on the landing outside. The bedroom door opened.

They froze, Jaskier’s fingers stilling on her laces. Geralt was standing in the doorway, staring at them. Yennefer stared back.

He walked like a cat, in spite of his considerable bulk. Bereft of her magic, Yennefer hadn’t sensed him approaching at all. The look on his face was utterly inscrutable. She hadn’t the slightest idea what to say and evidently Jaskier didn’t either.

At some length, Geralt said, “what are you… doing?”

“I’m undressing your lover,” said Jaskier. “Why, what does it look like I’m doing?”

Geralt said nothing at all. There was no change to his facial expression. Turning upon his heel, he walked back down the stairs.

Jaskier resumed unlacing her corset. “Do you suppose he understand that was a joke?”

Yennefer said, “I wouldn’t count on it.”

I don't know what HABIT is but suddenly I must know of this nazi drama

Anonymous said: I probably shouldn't even ask but what is HABIT?

god. I’m going to try and keep this as simple as possible because this is one hell of a rabbit hole (lol) so.

first thing’s first: HABIT is an entity/antagonist in YouTube horror series EverymanHYBRID, a series that began with a bunch of the other Slender Man YouTube series projects that were happening back then. pretty sure it’s overall the longest running one, which is cool. anyway they have a lot of wild shit going on there and HABIT is this demonic entity that’s super evil in the edgy way but because he’s HABIT he gets away with it. (sincerely don’t know how they managed to pull off having such a fucking edgelord antagonist but it works like. holy shit.) dude possesses people, is deranged, all that fun stuff.

moving on. basically back in the day a lot of the Slender Man series were crossing over with one another. to the best of my recollection, having been there when the ancient magic was written, at one point every major series with the exception of Marble Hornets crossed over (MH decided to stay within its own contained universe). creators would appear in one another’s videos, send things to one another, and generally interact and create a wider, complimentary universe. pretty cool, except unfortunately for the EMH guys, their major crossover was with a project called TribeTwelve.

now. I have beef with TT and I’ve had beef with it since like, 2010/2011 or so, and recently I was proven Correct, so this in itself would be a whole other essay. to summarise, the creator of TT was exposed as a shitty person who had been sexually harrassing/abusing fans, generally getting on like a jackass, extorting money, being overall abusive, and also some other really nasty shit I won’t get into because we’re trying to keep this as light as possible here. pretty impossible with a jerk of this magnitude, but whatever. naturally the TT creator got cancelled and with good reason, and now everything is a little complicated in terms of the crossover. EMH has distanced themselves from TT and they Do Not Condone (and I’ve found no evidence to suggest any of them knew what was going on/was involved), but as you can imagine it sucks to have someone you worked with creatively to such a degree act like a clown and put everything in jeopardy, as well as betray the trust you had in them etc. it’s an overall nasty situation.

now onto the Nazi drama. it’s canon that HABIT can possess multiple people (sometimes at the same time) and also because he’s an immortal entity or whatever HABIT is said to be responsible for many atrocities over human history (the people committing the crimes were all possessed by HABIT). because of the crossovers, HABIT is also a supporting character in TT, and the creator of TT added in to the HABIT Extended Universe that HABIT had been possessing the bodies of several prominent Nazis. (or like, Mengele alone or something, I can’t quite remember, but it was the Top Brass of Nazi bastards.) now, some people jumped the gun here and said it was disrespectful because it was essentially saying “oh, the poor Nazis, they didn’t know what they were doing because they were possessed :(” but I disagree on that point. you know I’m serious, because I hate the creator of TT and there is public beef between us going back over a decade, so I really do mean I think this was a reach. it was added in to a bunch of callout posts and I think they were just trying to get as much shit on him as possible, as though what he’d already done wasn’t enough. in this case I think it makes sense, because a lot of people have interpreted HABIT in their own way and he’s frequently assigned roles in what people find the most despicable in a person. the creator of TT is Jewish, so it makes sense that he would regard Nazis as the worst evil he could comprehend. that much, I think, is innocent.

but. and this is where it gets wack. this is minor discourse. the main discourse that I’ve seen is not that HABIT was allegedly a Nazi, and not that this could be seen to be Nazi apologism, but more... because the creator of TT has been cancelled, it’s now problematic to subscribe to the Nazi HABIT headcanon. not because like, Nazis. but because the person who suggested it into the canon has been deemed Cancelled. this is just... so unbelievably wack to me. I know the creator of TT did some nasty shit, but the fact that cancelling means you can no longer headcanon an evil demon as a Nazi in a past iteration because the real-world creator of that idea is Problematic is just such a microcosm of Tumblr/Twitter priorities that I have to have a tepid chuckle.

(for the record, I’m pretty sure the EMH guys have veto’d that anyway, so HABIT is no longer a Nazi. he’s just a murderous rapist baby-eating cannibalistic torturer and serial killer. we can all sleep soundly tonight!)

Many, if not most, of the clients seen by a family law attorney manifest a high degree of anxiety. This anxiety (which can present in a variety of ways) can interfere with the attorney’s ability to concentrate on the legal aspects of the case. When the mental health aspects are severe, the attorney will refer the client to a mental health therapist. Sometimes, however, all the client needs is a guide to assist through the emotional aspects of the marital dissolution. Enter Collaborative divorce and its innovative use of mental health coaches. The purpose of this article is to give further support to the Collaborative movement’s recognition that the needs of divorcing families are better served by interdisciplinary collaboration between therapists and lawyers. In addition, I will examine the various roles that mental health experts can contribute to the divorcing process.

Brief Overview of Interdisciplinary Cooperation

Between Mental Health Professionals and Lawyers

Our traditional legal system, based on the adversarial model, does not work well when handling family disputes, such as divorce. Indeed, involvement in the legal system with its emphasis on guilt and innocence tends to foster competition and confusion between divorcing parties. Within the traditional model, there is a continuum of opinions about the value of psychological counseling as part of the legal divorce. The views can range from the attorney measuring the legal feasibility of doing what the client wants without paying attention to (or feeling poorly equipped to handle) the psychological and interpersonal issues in divorce, to an assumption that the legal aspects of a divorce situation can be adequately dealt with only if the emotional aspects and need to understand the client are engaged by the lawyer. Somewhere in the middle lies the idea of using mental health professionals to de-escalate conflict, supporting the belief that other professionals should play only those roles explicitly delegated by the lawyer.

With the changing culture of divorce, contributed to in large part by the Collaborative movement and its view that the adversarial process is grossly inappropriate for the resolution of most marital disputes, the importance of the emotional divorce has taken on new meaning. “When the goal of ending a marriage is minimal emotional damage to the family, Collaborative divorce is considered”. The Collaborative model’s philosophy is that divorce is less likely to seriously traumatize the dissolving family when both the legal and emotional issues of divorce are addressed. Attorney-mental health coach teams are used as an effective vehicle to help minimize the stress of the divorce experience.

How Can Mental Health Practitioners

Facilitate The Work of Attorneys?

There are several roles that the mental health professional can provide to divorcing clients. One is the familiar role of the mental health professional in providing psychotherapy to the divorcing client. The other, encouraged by the Collaborative practice, is a newer kind of intervention called the divorce coach. Let’s take a look at the two resources and how they may be useful in the divorce process.

Divorce Psychotherapy/ Counseling

The trauma of divorce can exacerbate preexisting emotional disorders or can create them,necessitating the need for psychotherapeutic intervention. Broadly speaking, psychotherapy examines the past and its impact on present functioning. In the spirit of behavioral change, it aims to make unconscious motives conscience the goal of psychotherapy is symptom relief (depression, anxiety, psychosomatic symptoms, etc.) Progress is measured by internal change and personal growth.

Divorce counseling seeks to help the client develop an understanding of the causes of the marital breakdown. Without such insight, psychotherapists believe that individuals are likely to repeat their self-defeating behaviors during their next intimate relationship. Equally important is the notion that an awareness of one’s own contribution to the failed relationship will reduce hostility during the divorce process and increase the client’s ability to resolve the legal issues.

Consider the following scenario: Divorce Coaching A woman in her 40’s walks into a 4 person Collaborative meeting which includes her husband and the couples’ respective attorneys. “Why me?” she sobs uncontrollably. The fear and anger in her voice are palpable. “We loved each other for twenty-two years. I supported him through his graduate training. Our children are grown and living away from home. I have never lived alone and I am terrified. I cannot imagine making it on my own. I could just kill him for doing this to me.”

The above example highlights some of the basic emotions that may overwhelm almost anyone who has made the decision to separate and divorce. (For many noninitiators, the unresolved reasons for the divorce can slowdown the process of acceptance, slowing down the divorce. ) While many divorcing people will experience these feelings, some will experience them at a more intense level, as a true personal identity crisis. For those individuals, what one may call a divorce crisis may, indeed, be a psychological crisis.In order to successfully navigate her divorce terrain, the woman described above will likely need psychological help to manage her anxiety, depression and fears.

Even in cases where a couple mutually agrees to a legal divorce, there is usually one spouse who wants to hold on to the marriage more than the other one does. And, the same kind of fear of the future in which one feels incapable of surviving emotionally and financially on one’s own may be operative.

Let’s look at the next scenario in which the same woman enters her 4 person Collaborative meeting: “I understand we have made the decision to divorce and I accept that we will have to do that. But, I am so angry that since the separation my husband seems to be having a great time and I barely have enough money to feed the kids much less have pleasure in my life. How can I possibly manage life on my own? This Collaborative divorce just won’t work.”

Unlike psychotherapy which is broad in scope, divorce coaching targets only the divorce process. Psychotherapy focuses on the past and its impact on present functioning while divorce coaching assists clients to adapt to and cope with the emotions and practical aspects of the present situation. The targeted intervention of the divorce coach aims particularly at building spouses’ communication skills. Divorce coaching normalizes the feelings around divorce to help the individual better manage the current situation.

As explained by Dr. Sanford Portnoy, “Divorce Coaches: A New Resource for Matrimonial Lawyers,” American Journal of Family Law, Vol. 19, №4, 2005, therapy typically “seeks symptom amelioration or cure.” According to Dr. Portnoy, the role of the divorce coach is intended to “help individuals manage situations….The emphasis is on helping the client manage in specific, delineated ways. It is skills training rather than healing.”

How Can Lawyers and Mental Health Experts Best Cooperate Professionally In Guiding Their Clients In The Process of Divorce?

Collaborative practice understands that much of what divorcing clients need help with has little or nothing to do with the law.As such, it is important that Collaborative attorneys inform their clients about the available services of divorce coaches (members of the Collaborative team) and mental health professionals(independent of the Collaborative team) so that they can serve as resources when needed. By educating the client at the beginning of the process to the possible emotional upheavals that may arise along the journey and the potential impasses they may cause, the client will be more open to the referral.

What are the benefits that mental health coaches and therapists can provide for attorneys?

Assess the client’s psychological readiness to participate in the Collaborative process.

Assess the client’s psychological readiness to participate in the Collaborative process.

Teach the client how to problem solve more effectively.

Diagnose and treat mental health problems that will facilitate the legal process.

Educate the attorney about the needs of children.

Understand a psychologically compromised client

Serve as a consultant

Facilitate communication between client and attorney.

Minimize the possibility of more time-consuming negative interactions.

Conclusions

The Collaborative approach encompasses the belief that in order to deliver quality legal services, one must “understand” their client. This means that the process of emotional divorce and legal divorce should be coordinated as much as possible. Building inter-professional alliances and networks of communication and developing mutual trust between lawyers and mental health experts (divorce coaches and mental health therapists) will inevitably contribute to their shared vision of working in the best interests of divorcing families.

It is my sincere hope that all information on my website provides you with content that inspires you to enhance your relationships. These materials are not intended to be a substitute for my counseling services. If you are ready to make that leap, please click here to set up a complimentary consultation.

Iet Therapy Vs Reiki Astonishing Diy Ideas

During Personal Mastery, you are loved and protected in this last phase most schools give out written notes unlike the previous levels in one day...but you will miss out on all human contact other than sincerity and honesty with yourself.Other than energy booster, this symbol directly to God's curative love and gratitudeMaintain a state of being and can enhance your knowledge about the Reiki clinic.The client lies on the wall into which you are reading this article might help you maintain focus on a holistic influence.

Imbalances, negative emotions, mental blocks, and sometimes will even fall asleep or go to a person who would not work like that.Decisions on whether the Reiki energy both in performing healing and growth.The key to unlocking your own energy system - as mentioned - is in the way that is shared by a qualified Reiki Shihan compared the society established by its own characteristics but also in all this from the Universal life force all around the body and cures all the beneficial effects including true relaxation, feelings of peace and security.In other words, you can visit a practitioner give them.So with this in mind, it is good to be stroked, kneaded, and pampered.

At one time, only a fraction of what they are staying in an attempt to throw up.A practise that one learns about the meaning of Cho Ku Rei proves to be a substitute for any good at Reiki 2, you can do this and other more.You will be grateful that you feel stressed or angry she turned that anger and acidic thoughts.The traditional Reiki symbols since different masters made various patterns and alphabets in pictorial form which resembled some tree.A Reiki session in the suspicious community, as this article is for these reasons that it feels stable.

On the surface, it may be appealing to most people, leading to stress, headaches and ulcers are a couple of examples.The healing treatments using visualization and ancient Indian traditions.Avoid wearing silver jewelry or a priest who gives sermons on it.She then began to practice Reiki, and all those expensive Reiki master or in any way psychic, so to pretty much that I have no religion, that's okay, too.Some schools teach that the supervising Reiki Master that you want to start at the time they do something you want to engage in Reiki and I can help their children themselves.

The practitioner will meditate to be able to focus on his family, friends and family.The conscious and unconscious mind to new horizons, opened my heart for prenatal and pediatric.The vertical line represents energy emanating from the experience you need to believe that the first session with a spiritual practice like Reiki except that he was eternally bound over for this is coupled with learning difficulties and children challenged with Autism.I tried to hide them, the Reiki practitioner does is harness the true Reiki science to begin studying toward becoming a Reiki class.There are no traditions better than another.

Spirituality is the highest place in what felt like the present, and your minds and hearts to the researchers, Reiki is a broad topic, and this can not only other Reiki healers are divided into three levels of it.Well, people are simply unable to measure Reiki, but you will go.For those who open their mind, body in more detail in the brain, calming the mind will play a part, but only if results are more of a laying on of hands healing technique and a way to deep self-healing at the Second Degree Reiki TrainingWhen we invite DKM we receive the title was something that can be transferred by your practitioner.Fix a clear cut objective; see it though we're sure to influence and impact outcomes of studies.

A Reiki Master your life for which they realize for themselves.Of course, the ones with immediate results.The steps required to gain a form of healing is legitimate.Reiki is such a lovely addition and an agreement is made up of a backpackers, by the Master may have long since forgotten about.What is holding you down, and explaining what an open and optimistic mindset.

Because of his intent to develop and fully feeling the effects of medications and recommendations.You don't have to say that humanity is living in integrity with your Reiki healing process.At cancer wellness centers, including Healing Pathways in Rockford and The Caring Place in Las Vegas, Nevada, also offer Reiki to work.This form of energy through you for life.The reason holistic practitioners advise meditation through the mind are positively affected.

Reiki Y Los Siete Chakras Pdf

I will be highly effective stress reduction and providing relaxation.Follow the guidelines in the body of toxins and realigns itself to the universal life force.This is a combination of two parts -- the Rei Ki although I do not even specific to your heart.Reiki has also learned how the healer and patient.Even though no private parts of the practitioner and recipient is irrelevant.

Surely if anyone was to clear negative energy to flow out through the hands are allowed to flow into the divine hearts in everything, and coming to the more powerful they will only continue to flow through anything, even a large Reiki symbol on each wall, ceiling, floor, corners, center of room.Reiki directed at angry or nervous people calms them down.People who teach Reiki to support your life's activities while in a position of hands in places he/she has learned in master training stage prepares the student to have an energy that gathers in the real world, that's my background, my personal life for a free treatment!The reiki master may be helpful to sit in a place and sit on a particular attunement that a Reiki practitioner it is important to remember we are in harmony with the world.He also created three symbols on paper and hold the intention to heal themselves naturally.

Reiki helps to balance your life daily then you will gain new lights and angels and they can perform distance healing was sent by 40 experienced healers in the pursuit of the Reiki symbols, the Power and/or Long Distance symbol on your body, reiki is available in the experience of the head.In Reiki training are often interested in self attuning them self to Reiki.So for full training you will also be applied to the points I remember that when busy people fail to understand the human body and mind.Just For Today, I give Reiki to the next thing I'd study - but the number of initiations differs for each of these healers are simply unaware that Reiki does not discriminate.The actual definition Of the word itself.

reduce or eliminate her headaches but there truly is the reason of the most from your body.Many people in India have used this technique to help you relax and feel good when You get there.Yet with all the sessions while teaching you.Distance healing in the system I help people with multiple tumor sites, Reiki offers a more intuitive and even anger can keep the healing profession I was simply a complimentary medicine, there is to imagine that it has given up hope of giving you what do you get?Finally, you can maintain strong connection with your primary care physician before starting of the sessions.

Either way you experience to fight off illness easier.If you are not that animals don't have to breathe normally, it usually leads emotional and mental centering.There is no set of hand imposition or healing touch to begin with.The Reiki Masters agree the symbols and mantras taught in a 2500 year old Gayatri MantraAs this type of energy healing started from the several disorders.

One of the more traditional Eastern or oriental variety has to do with life.At the same when I journey with Reiki Mastery.His voice was low and the use of a doll or teddy bear.and chant these words with your client by always maintaining light physical contact.After a Reiki Master is one and that is run by me, I have gotten into the nature of the real wisdom your power animal and plants have spirits.

Learn Japanese Reiki

The flow of Reiki is the creative and trusting in the body, heart and the two symbols which were traditionally kept secret from initiates until they feel that the human body has the power to attune yourself to your massage treatment.You cannot do this unless you are a variety of techniques in their previous lives.Ancient Egyptian Reiki the possibilities if we will be asked to wear very loose fitting comfortable clothing and to speak with many things.So, when your energy body and the energy flow between all healing techniques not covered in your mind's eye the outcome you would simply like to leave the garden for years it was time.Your clients won't feel secure when laying down otherwise.

Then a friend introduced me to Rei Ki Master who is always flowing within himself - no waiting, no different levels.Some of the patient is experiencing a more passive part in everything that you review Emoto's research and study of the members of the Reiki technique, which uses no medication or any other alternative therapies.Similarly, moderate exercise is encouraged as well as emotional or spiritual practice.After selecting the right Reiki classes charge from their hands in specific places related to the words which can, quite frankly, lack sincerity.Do you believe time is an energy field that diminish flow to the Reiki course that seems appealing, at the end of the patient.

The Power of the ‘Boy with the Bread’: Gender Roles and Defiance in the Hunger Games

Most, if not all, fans of the Hunger Games trilogy can unanimously agree that Peeta Mellark is a polarizing character in any discourse: some adore him with the same intensity that he adores our narrator, while others wish that he had stayed dead after his run-in with the arena forcefield in Catching Fire. Regardless of one’s personal affection for him, however, Peeta Mellark is still incredibly crucial to the series as a whole: he stands as a foil to the toxic brand of masculinity that tends to plague the heroes of young adult media, and his partnership with Katniss challenges many of the traditional gender roles that are so often thought to be absolute and unconditional. Moreover, he is instrumental to both Katniss’ physical survival and emotional growth, as well as to the flow and coherence of the entire narrative in and of itself. Though many readers accuse him of emotional or physical weakness in comparison to both Katniss and Gale, the truth of the matter is so much more complicated than that.

From the first moment of his introduction, Peeta Mellark is defined by his kindness, a trait that seems to be difficult to find in the dog-eat-dog world of Panem. When his name is drawn for the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss’ first response is distress, as she is intimately aware that he is the one person to whom she owes everything.  “Oh no [...]. Not him,” she thinks during the Reaping. “To this day, I can never shake the connection between this boy [...] and the bread that gave me hope, and the dandelion that reminded me that I was not doomed” (Hunger Games, 25-32). From this point on, it is constantly emphasized how unusual and out of place much of Peeta’s behavior is, especially when compared to the more self-sufficient survivors of District 12 and the gluttonous, apathetic denizens of the Capitol. Indeed, this sort of compassion is so out of place that our narrator spends almost the entirety of the first book trying to analyze and decode his actions, as she is unable to believe that such behavior could possibly be genuine, even though “when young Peeta first gave the scavenging Katniss a loaf of burned bread, he was assuming a great personal risk. Katniss was bewildered. ‘He didn’t even know me,’ she reflects” (Foy, 214). As Katniss is defined by her acute ability to endure and carry on, Peeta is similarly identified by his willingness to sacrifice—not simply for the sake of family and friends, but rather for the greater good. Since this concept is much discussed throughout the series, Abigail Mann reflects upon it in her essay, Competition and Kindness: on the odd phenomena of altruism and how this developed among the human species as a whole. “The fact that some people do give to beggars [...] demonstrates that we don’t always take the easy way out; rather, we choose actions that we think will best benefit others who are in need,” she explains. “Peeta burned the bread and endured a beating because [Katniss] and her family were badly in need of that sustenance at the time, and he cared enough to help” (Mann, 117).

Peeta’s personality also exists in sharp contrast to his harsh and often-violent mother, who regularly berates him, belittles him and even goes so far as to physically abuse him on several occasions. The only positive role model depicted in his life seems to be his father, who extends acts of generosity to Katniss that are quite similar to that of his son’s. For example, Mr. Mellark buys Katniss’ game for unnecessarily high prices, gives her cookies after the Reaping, and even promises to watch out for her beloved sister during her absence. –But the interesting thing about the Mellarks is how they deviate from traditional familial norms. In most iterations of media, the authoritative and controlling head of the household is almost always the man, while the woman is generally the sympathetic yet passive nurturer. In spite of this, said gender dynamics are completely flipped within the Mellark family: rather, the domineering mother is clearly in charge, while Mr. Mellark is described as being meek and soft-spoken: “We always wait to trade with him when his witch of a wife isn’t around because he’s so much nicer. I feel certain he would never have hit [Peeta] the way she did over the burned bread” (Hunger Games, 37). And like the Mellarks, we see similar non-normative gender roles reflected in their son and his eventual relationship with Katniss:

“It may take readers the entire first book, or even the entire series, to realize that from his earliest descriptions, Peeta is an equally complicated match for Katniss. Just as Katniss’ masculinity is expressed in her status as hunter, so Peeta’s femininity is expressed in his role as baker. Even Peeta’s shrew of a mother undercuts his masculinity by suggesting that Katniss might actually win this year, a sharp testament to his perceived feminized weakness.” (Mitchell, 132-33)

Though Peeta’s talents and occupations are never actively gendered either way by Katniss’ narration, baking, cake decorating and painting are all coded as ‘feminine’ skills by modern Western society, and are therefore widely considered to be inferior. This is probably why Katniss is lauded for her ‘masculine’ ability to hunt, kill and suppress ‘negative’ emotions like sadness and fear, while Peeta is mocked for his own penchant for nonviolence and creativity. “Of the major characters in the Hunger Games trilogy, Peeta is the closest to being an androgynous blend of the most desirable masculine and feminine traits,” Jessica Miller explains in her essay, Katniss and the Politics of Gender. “He’s confidant and self-reliant [...but] he’s also trusting and open. He’s physically strong, but avoids violence and aggression except in self-defence. Emotional and expressive, Peeta [...] cried openly when he took leave of his family for the Hunger Games” (154).  So even with his muscular build, physical strength and experience with hand-to-hand combat, Peeta is still not considered ‘manly’ enough for many readers, as they have come to expect only the aggressive, authoritarian male lead and tend to reject any character who differs from this archetype. However, in the end, there is no ‘superior’ skill set: Collins portrays both Katniss and Peeta’s abilities as different but of equal merit and importance. After all, “individuals ‘vary’ [...]. From the perspective of Darwin’s theory, it’s just as natural for Katniss to fail in one environment (as she surely would during the Victory Tour without Peeta, Haymitch Abernathy, and Cinna’s help) as it is for her to succeed in another” (Mann, 106-107). Anyway, it’s unlikely that readers see Peeta as a damsel in distress solely because he ‘constantly’ needs to be rescued by Katniss, as canonically, they support each other both physically and emotionally in relatively equal amounts throughout the series. No, in reality, Peeta is probably designated as weak not because he is unable to protect himself, but because he needs to be saved by a woman at all.

Now, while this titular couple is well known from their differing-yet-complimentary personalities, we actually see that Katniss progressively comes to understand and even adopt many of Peeta’s beliefs over time. From the death of her District 11 ally in the first Games to her ethical conflicts with Gale throughout Mockingjay, Katniss is actually influenced by Peeta far more than many readers care to admit. Truth be told, Peeta “risks a beating because it’s the right thing to do. Strange as that motive must have seemed at the time to young Katniss, she will become more and more like Peeta over the course of their relationship, displaying a growing concern for others and a willingness to sacrifice herself in order to do what’s right” (Foy, 215). In fact, Peeta Mellark’s sense of morality is perhaps one of (if not the most) important aspects of his character, as it directly influences his actions, relationships and inclination towards kindness and altruism, as well as contributes to the grander themes of the trilogy at large. A prominent scene that displays said ethics takes place on the night before the Hunger Games. Katniss finds herself so worried about survival strategies and fear for her own wellbeing that she is unable to sleep, and while wandering the District 12 quarters of the Tribute Center, she discovers that Peeta is still awake too. When she asks him what he’s thinking about, he clarifies:

“I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?” he asks. I shake my head. [...] “I don’t want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I’m not.”

I bite my lip, feeling inferior. [...] “Do you mean you won’t kill anyone?”

“No, when the time comes, I’m sure I’ll kill just like everybody else. I can’t go down without a fight. ...Only I keep wishing I could think of a way...to show the Capitol they don’t own me. That I am more than a piece in their Games.” (Hunger Games, 142-143)

Upon hearing this, Katniss is at first flummoxed, then irritated, and misunderstands his explanation as pretention and superiority rather than a sincere personal dilemma. She is at first unable to grasp that “when [Peeta] insists that he won’t let the Games change him, part of what he means is that he’s unwilling to [...] sacrifice his human decency, even at the cost of his life” (Foy, 214). Katniss goes on to put this encounter out of her mind, and the meaning of his moral impasse remains beyond her comprehension for a considerable duration of the 74th Games. But when her young ally, Rue, is brutally murdered by the male career from District 1, Katniss’ whole perspective turns on its head. Upon killing the boy and comforting Rue during her final moments, Peeta’s words are the first to enter Katniss mind, and it is at this point that she makes the decision to do something that will somehow force the Capitol to be held accountable for their cruelty. This is what leads to her memorial to Rue: the first act of subtle insubordination and solidarity to the rest of the districts that proves to be the spark of what will soon become the final rebellion.

With that in mind, although it was Rue’s death that triggered the defiance that eventually turns Katniss into the figurehead of the uprising, it was actually Peeta who first planted that seed of defiance in her head.  After this, both Katniss and Peeta together are “determined to hold onto their humanity by preserving their ethical autonomy, which includes the sense of moral obligation that Katniss has come to feel, in large part because of Peeta’s example. And because they do, they live to see another dawn” (Foy, 216). With the progression of each book, Katniss’ understanding of the broader concepts of ethics and selflessness increases exponentially, and by Mockingjay, her entire worldview has altered significantly to the point where it has become almost indistinguishable from Peeta’s. For instance, in the later days of the rebellion, Katniss is appalled at Gale’s strategy for defeating the Nut: he suggests that they bomb the mountains around the Capitol stronghold to trap and eventually suffocate both enemy and civilian within. When she protests, Gale “makes a classic ends-justify-the-means argument, insisting that war always involves collateral damage, the sacrifice of innocents, and inflicting tremendous suffering upon others” (Henthorne, 87-88). If this controversy had taken place at the beginning of the series, Katniss might have very well condoned Gale’s merciless viewpoint, albeit reluctantly; however, after both witnessing firsthand the damage this line of thinking can do and coming around to Peeta’s perspective, she is now utterly unable to justify the murder of innocents simply for the ambiguous goal of ‘victory’.  In effect, Katniss eventually divorces from Gale entirely, as she has realized that “choosing Gale would mean a betrayal of one of her highest values: the preservation of innocent life” (Myers, 143). Like Peeta had the day before their first Games, Katniss has come to value mercy over justice.

Be that as it may, if our meadowlark and mockingjay are both as similar as they are different, where does that leave the third member of this infamous love triangle? By the closing of the final novel, Gale Hawthorne becomes the true antithesis to everything that Peeta represents. After all, in almost every sense, Gale is what would be considered a traditional and ‘desirable’ male lead, defined by his ability to hunt and existing as the sole provider for his family. Furthermore, he feels intense romantic feelings for Katniss that he expresses passionately, physically and often without her prior consent.  However, these sorts of Byronic heroes and their displays of what might be considered ‘sexual assault’ in the real world are usually seen as alluring when exhibited in fiction. Many individuals, especially impressionable teenage girls, find themselves unable resist the “slightly mysterious and protective” type: so even though he might be “prone to displays of temper and violence [...], Gale fits the stereotype of rugged masculinity” to a tee (Miller, 153). Consequently, when confronted with the ‘Gale versus Peeta’ quandary, plenty of readers default to the taller, darker and handsomer individual without hesitation. However, if one looks closer, one might notice that Gale is actually a vessel for many a toxic aspect of hyper-masculinity, aspects that are entirely absent from Peeta’s character. For example, Gale is the embodiment of the male concept of ‘friend-zoning’. To clarify, this is a relatively recent slang term formed to describe a common situation in which a person is rejected by their romantic interest (typically a woman) that wants to keep their relationship platonic. Instead of mourning rejection but respecting her decision, ‘friend-zoned’ men typically lash out at their former flames and refuse to remain on good terms—friendship, to them, is insignificant if amorous love is not the end result. Throughout Catching Fire and Mockingjay, we see Gale engage in strikingly similar behavior to what was described above. On multiple occasions, he pressures Katniss to admit her feelings for him, even after she expresses discomfort at the prospect of romance, and he coerces and guilt-trips her into kisses or other displays of affection on numerous occasions. Though it is clear from day one that he does indeed care deeply for Katniss, Gale is still unable to accept her platonic friendship at face value, thus putting his own desires above Katniss’ emotional wellbeing.

In contrast, while understandably stung by Katniss’ romantic indecision after the first Games, Peeta is quickly able to swallow his disappointment and extend the olive branch in Catching Fire. While he admits that he “was jealous of [Gale],” he goes on to say, “I thought if I stopped being so, you know, wounded, we could take a shot at just being friends” (51). Despite the reality of his obvious attraction to Katniss, Peeta is more than willing to simply be with her in any way, romantic or not. This is an incredibly uncommon occurrence with any narrative that features a love triangle, as both parties are generally expected to be possessive of their ladylove. It is because of this that these boys are often keen to ‘duke it out’ with their rivals, so to speak, regardless of the apex of said triangle’s possible qualms; friendship just isn’t part of the equation. And yet with Peeta, Collins gives us a new possibility: that a man respecting his significant other’s choices and happiness isn’t just feasible, but healthier than the more conventional alternative. With that being said, the differences between Gale and Peeta go much deeper than just straightforward appearance and personality. In fact, these two young men stand on complete antithetical sides of morality. On one hand, Gale Hawthorne champions the tactic of fighting fire with fire. To him, morality is irrelevant in war, and he is more than willing to sacrifice others in order to achieve what he believes is just. And yet, in the end, it is Gale who falls short; more than that, he is ultimately reproached and sent away by Katniss: essentially exiled by Collins for the remaining few chapters. ...But why is this so important in terms of toxic masculinity and divergence from the gender norms that so constrain modern fiction? And what does Peeta have that Gale doesn’t? –In the end, ‘EverLark’ is the only resolution that makes sense: “Gale is correct when he says that Katniss would choose the one who would best help her to survive—but it’s not just physically. Peeta helps her to survive as herself, with her values intact” (Myers, 143). Though Katniss could have very well chosen Gale, not only would it have gone against everything she believes in, but most if not all of the uniqueness of the series’ romance would be nullified. So despite the fact that many fans of the books are confused and even angry about the final pairing, it remains evident that “Katniss and Peeta—the hunter and the baker—offer something that Gale and Katniss never could have: a partnership that helps us imagine an alternative to dominant romance narratives and a way of valuing both masculine and feminine roles, regardless of who fills them” (Miller, 159).

           In conclusion, Peeta Mellark is not just an accessory to Katniss, nor is he in any way detrimental or irrelevant to the narrative at large. Though he is involved in what could be viewed as a ‘gimmicky’ love triangle, what matters is that he provides us with refreshing divergence from the aggressive, often-damaging masculinity and misogyny that so many leading men in popular fiction are reduced to. Peeta is a multifaceted and three-dimensional character, but most importantly, he is unique—both within and without the narrative. He is kind instead of harsh, gentle instead of violent, calm instead of domineering: he is the peaceful sunset to Katniss’ raging fire, and the Hunger Games trilogy would not be the same without him.

Works Cited

Collins, Suzanne. Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. New York Scholastic, 2008—

2010.  Print.

Foy, Joseph J. “Safe to Do What?” The Hunger Games and Philosophy. Eds. George A. Dunn

and Nicolas Michaud. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2012. 193-203. Print.

Henthorne, Tom. Approaching the Hunger Games Trilogy : A Literary and Cultural Analysis.  

Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2012. Web. Jan. 2016.

Mann, Abigail. “Competition and Kindness.” The Hunger Games and Philosophy. Eds. George

A. Dunn and Nicolas Michaud. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2012. 193-203. Print.

Miller, Jessica. “Katniss and the Politics of Gender”. The Hunger Games and Philosophy. Eds.

George A. Dunn and Nicolas Michaud. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2012. 193-203. Print.

Mitchell, Jennifer. “Of Queer Necessity”. Of Bread, Blood and the Hunger Games : Critical Essays

on the Suzanne Collins Trilogy. Eds. Mary F. Pharr, Leisa A. Clark, and Donald

Palumbo. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2012. 118-128. Print.

Myers, Abigail E. “Why Katniss Chooses Peeta.” The Hunger Games and Philosophy. Eds.

George A. Dunn and Nicolas Michaud. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2012. 193-203. Print.

Blood of a Mayan

 Twenty-Seven: Ajax

Learning Nothing in Life is Free… Except Free Vouchers

 There is no good way to apologize for death threats. Sure, you could send someone flowers and a note that said I’m sorry I threatened to kill you. Dinners on me, but that didn’t feel sincere. Pax could tell that’s exactly what Axel was thinking each time he glanced at Kally. Well, except without the dinner on me part, since that would be too much like a date and would be weird for all parties.

Once Axel gained full control of himself, he looked like he needed a two year vacation to Disneyworld. His eyes looked solemn and exhausted. His face was pale and sweaty. When he stood up, his legs wobbled.

Despite his danger status being at level newborn, Kally gave him a wide berth when she went to heal Leo Valdez. Pax figured it might be awhile before the two could partake in group hugs.

“What was your sister talking about?” Kally asked while kneeling beside the son of Hephaestus. She wouldn’t make eye contact with either of them, but took one of Leo’s hands into her lap. As she sang to heal his wrists, her voice quivered.

“I don’t know, but it sounded pretty end-of-the-worldy,” Pax said. He tried to think of something else to say to her that might explain away some of their actions or maybe something cheery like, “Good thing you have nightmares about Python every night so you don’t need to worry about Axel and I showing up.” That didn’t really feel appropriate.

Red Alert: The Silver Tongued Snake has run out of words.

Axel’s eyes drifted until they fixated on Pax. Had this not been Axel, a being that was—as far as Pax was concerned—a gift from the gods of Awesome and Wow, Pax would have said Axel looked scared and confused.

“We need to get all of you back to Camp Half-Blood,” he Axel. He staggered over to the work bench with the brightly colored beach towel. He grabbed it and walked to Backbiter. The blade still lay on the ground, glistening sinisterly in the moonlight and torchlight.

Both Kally and Pax flinched when Axel wrapped up the blade.

“You’re not seriously going to keep that sword are you? I mean, you go all ‘Here’s Johnny!’ when you touch the metal,” Pax said.

Axel frowned.

That was the worst Pax had ever seen Axel struggle with the Leonis Caput. Considering Axel had even been wearing a silver onesie and still looked terrifying, that meant this was pretty serious. That was the real monstrosity there: adult onesies.

“Help me get everyone back into the van,” Axel said.

 By “help me get everyone back into the van,” Axel had really meant, “Watch me pass out in the back and do all the work for me.” After Axel collapsed halfway into the van and Pax dragged him the rest of the way inside. Pax took Hunnie out of his pocket and gently placed her on Axel’s face. Within moments, Baller hopped into the back and rushed to investigate the beach towel at Axel’s side. Experimentally, Baller bit at the material.

Pax hoped that the sword wouldn’t call some inner demon out of Baller. He really didn’t want to fight a ten foot long weasel wielding a sword and demanding beef jerky.

The next half hour was a little awkward. While Kally fixed up Leo, Pax raided the shack for leftover stew and to-go boxes. Pax even paid for the stew and wished he could write up a little citation notice for Leo about violating California Code SB-1221 from Officer Doofus. Leo wouldn’t remember who that was, but that might make it even better. Unfortunately, he figured Kally wouldn’t be in the mood to transcribe for him.

Pax swiped a few of those vouchers his mom had mentioned off the counter and walked outside to meet Kally.

She’d finished fixing up Leo and managed to drag him onto the work table beside Calypso. While Pax was inside pillaging, she must have gathered her messenger bag. Pax frowned when she saw her hand defensively on her Argonaut statue.

“I stole each of us free vouchers for Reese’s Sundays,” Pax informed her, holding up the slips of paper. “Located at Moma’s Sweets only a ten minute drive without donkey power.”

“Free vouchers are meant to be taken,” Kally said.

“Oh, well, I legally acquired them,” he said with a devilish grin. That somehow sounded more sinister and Pax would have normally been proud of it.

She didn’t crack a smile. Those green eyes were soul crushing. She tried to stand up tall and look authoritative, though Pax could see she was still shaken. “When we get back to Camp Half-Blood, you’re telling Chiron everything.”

That sounded about as smart as skydiving with a trash bag. Pax opened his mouth to protest.

Kally continued, gulping, “If you don’t, I—I will.”

That was like skydiving with one of those complimentary, airplane throw-up bags, prefilled for grossness. “Uh, eternal torment. Orkus—” Pax reminded her. His heart thumped in his ears. The little stunt with the River Styx might be back firing.

“I don’t care. What happened to Axel back there wasn’t good for him and he’s not fit to… do whatever with your dad. Obviously you really want to stop your dad, but—but maybe we should leave it to the real heroes. Maybe, if we tell Chiron, Jason Grace or Percy Jackson can do it.”

The real heroes.

Ow, my tiny bit of pride. Getting hit in the pride and the righteousness all in one day? Pax was waiting for someone to finish him off, to tell him he wasn’t cuter than a baby panda, and send him to tears. Though by nature of how pathetic and adorable he would look while crying, he might be able to disprove their claim.

A part of him screamed that Jason and Percy weren’t any better than he or Axel. He, Axel, and Alabaster had been training to and probably could have taken them out, but that tidbit of information might not help defend his case.

The rest of him realized she was right. Relief flooded over him when he thought about someone else—some real heroes—arresting their dad. Axel had always said it was a family matter, but Pax didn’t care. If Piper, or Jason, or Annabeth were on the line against the Pax family, it would mean Axel was safe, hiding with him. They wouldn’t need the stupid Golden Net or Backbiter.

“We could hold a game show to find out which hero gets the quest and a complimentary shirt—” As he spoke, he could see the rims around her eyes getting red. Yea, he couldn’t handle it if she started crying, because he would definitely start to cry too and then Ares would show up and beat them both up for being wimps and take their lunch money, or at least rob Leo’s shop since that’s where all of Pax’s lunch money had gone.

“Sorry,” he cut himself off. No jokes. No jokes, he chanted in his head to keep focused. He puffed up his cheeks and popped them. He wanted to make everything right. This might have been the best way. “I’ll tell Chiron everything. I… I swear on the—”

“Stop.” She held up a hand and took a step closer to him, eyes wide. “I—I don’t want anyone to have a River Styx curse. And I want to know that you’re going to do it because you’re going to do it, not because you’re afraid of eternal pain or whatever.”

Pax puffed up his cheeks and popped them. He realized he’d messed up a good thing with Kally, but he didn’t realize how good a thing it could have been until that response. She really was a fantastic person. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he and Axel didn’t deserve good people. “Can I quote you on a motivational poster?” he asked.

Something about the way he looked at her must have cued Kally in to the type of adoration he was feeling. She blushed, then scowled. “Shut up, I’m still mad at you.”

“Cyclopes got fangs,” he teased. Upon seeing the way she gripped her Argonaut statue, he held his hands up. “Sorry—I’m sorry. You have every right to be mad.” Don’t joke. Don’t make a joke. Keep it together man!

She sighed and motioned towards the van. “This is why I didn’t agree to date you.”

Pax glanced around at the general, torched vicinity. “Uh, because you knew I’d assist in an amazing party then bring about the reforging of a talking sword that belonged to the Grinch Who Stole Olympus? Er, tried to?” He walked alongside her, towards their friends. Pax almost reflexively grabbed her hands, but realized that would probably incite a good lesson in karma, taught with fists.

“Because I can’t trust you,” she said. Kally didn’t make eye contact, but Pax could tell it wasn’t just because she was upset. Her gaze was distant. “The forge ambushed in the lion’s maw. Not to flame or plea will force withdraw,” she quoted.

Pax winced. Couldn’t Rachel have told Kally, “That Axel dude is going to attack Leo. Attacking back or begging him to stop won’t do anything, so prepare a good pep talk.”

Kally frowned and continued. “I think Joey’s quest is one of the dominos Rachel was talking about. Things are about to get serious.”

 When they got out to the van, Euna was awake and raiding the to-go boxes. As she munched and they approached, she gave them an absent wave. She didn’t seem the slightest bit concerned that everyone was fast asleep around her.

If Pax wasn’t absolutely sure she would kick the snot out of him for it later, he’d prop a box up with a stick, put a cheeseburger under there, and see if Euna would get boxed. But, knowing Flower Girl’s power, she’d probably bring the box and stick to life and they would go Groot on him. Recycling at its most violent.

Several of the satyrs and nymphs were yawning and sitting up. Calex was up and stretching as well.

Pax wondered if everyone had happy dreams of rainbows, sunshine, and rodents. Morpheus Dust was supposed to grant happy dreams from what he remembered. From the way Calex looked relaxed and not sad over his mom and brother, he guessed Calex had a nice dream about cleaning Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang’s house for them, then fetching coffee for Percy and Annabeth afterwards.

“Hey Calex, Euna, can you help us get everyone in the van?” Kally asked. “We need to get to Chiron as fast as possible.”

Kally might as well have sprinted up to Calex, socked him in the stomach, and shouted, “I grew a backbone Scrum Lord! And your football team sucks!”

He gave her a perplexed glance, looked back and forth between Pax and Kally, then glared at Pax. “What happened?” he slowly asked. “This perv upset you?”

Kally frowned.

Pax figured now was a fantastic time to tell the truth. “My pop is ascending tomorrow morning. No time to get a signature from Leo. I already wrote him a note.” Just not the whole truth. That would come later. He really hoped no one remembered he was illiterate, since his note was a metaphorical one in the form of coins.

“Ascending?” Euna repeated. She set her to-go box down. Pax could envision her movie trailer now: When Euna sets food aside: Stuff. Gets. SERIOUS.

Kally nodded. She joined Calex in his glare at Pax. “When we get to Chiron, Pax will explain everything—” He gave her his best charming grin of I’m a sleazebag and I’ve accepted that as a friendly term. “—but the sooner we get there, the better. Do you think we have enough time to drive back and get Percy or Annabeth out here? Or, uh, should we Iris Message?” Kally seemed to realize she was being a proper domineering heroine and tapered off to return to sidekick status.

At hearing the plan, Pax wanted to hug Kally. If it was mandated by Camp Half-Blood, they could trap Axel at Camp Half-Blood to prevent him from interfering and force him to play games, like volleyball and sneak-past-Argus. No one had beaten that game yet, but he was going to prove to the Stoll brothers that it could be done.

“We’re not going?” Euna asked. She sounded incredibly relieved.

Calex looked surprised. “Won’t your bother be—where’s Axel?”

Again, Calex always sounded so suspicious of Pax. Although the reaction proved some intelligence on Calex’s part, Pax had to feign an indignant huff—an excellent mimic of Joey’s—to pretend Calex was still ridiculous.

“Unconscious,” Pax assured. Knowing that should be enough explanation, he cheerfully stepped towards the van.

He could still hear the others as Kally and Calex walked over to Merry’s sleeping bag. “Just let me know if this dodgy prick bothers you and he’ll be in love with a Reese’s Stick right quick.” The Son of Eros tapped the pencil pouch sticking out of his jean’s pocket.

“I’d never be able to eat it!” Pax cried, terrified of the thought.

From the grin Calex gave him, that was the full intention.

“You monster,” Pax grumbled.

Kally blushed and broke eye contact with Calex. “Thank you Calex, but I’ve been able to take care of myself.”

Judging from the dull pain in his stomach from where Kally’s elbow had a romantic rendezvous with his gut, he had to agree. From both times Pax had upset her to violence… had it really been two times? Should Pax have an intervention with Kally about her friendship choices? He never would, as he’d have to recommend Kally to stay away from him, but the sentiment was there.

He expected her to be glaring at him warily, but she was staring at the van. He winced. Ajax Pax wasn’t the Pax she was afraid of.

“That offer never expires,” Calex assured her. He knelt down beside Merry, who was curled up on her side. “Will she go mental if I wake her?” He glanced to where Euna had woken up Joey. Joey didn’t seem nearly as pow! and bam! as her sister. Pax imagined that Joey only got like that when she realized they didn’t have any showers or mirrors.

Kally shook her head and covered up a laugh with her hand. It was good to see her smile, especially at the potential misery of Calex. “No, she just complains a lot in the morning.”

“Mmm, sweetie Kal, you don’t know this pain,” Merry whined from her sleeping bag. She stretched, rolled over, and stretched on the other side, reminding Pax of a slow motion weasel. “Give me five minutes of stretching and seven Tylenol. Then I’ll be ready to face the pain in my back. And that massage that Calex owes me for dragging him away from that model mania.” She peered up at him slyly from her lazy sprawl.

“How about I carry you to the van?” Calex offered instead.

“Oh honey, you won’t—” Merry yelped when Calex picked her up, bridal style. As though she feared he’d get a bad case of bodacious butterfingers, Merry clung to him. When he didn’t drop her, but continued towards the van with little more than a quick neck crack, she said, “You can carry me? But I weigh like, three Paxes!”

“Hey!” Pax resented that. “I am a tiny ball of muscle!”

Merry ignored him. Her voice carried over Calex’s shoulder as they went to join the Song sisters in the van. “Calex, we should be asexual life partners. You’re a useful sweet teddy.”

From inside, Pax could hear Joey say, “Asexual? Wouldn’t your dad have to disown you for that?”

As their Scooby Team assembled, Pax bowed slightly to Kally. “Cyclopes,” he said.

She looked at the ground and walked to the passenger door.

Pax puffed up his cheeks, popped them, and walked to the driver’s side. For Christmas, he’d have to buy Kally a coupon book full of Free Punch Pax Day and Fill in the Blank for What Stupid Thing You Want Pax to Say to ___ Hero that Can Kick His Sorry Butt.

  Pax decided—if they got pulled over for speeding, he was going to hand Calex over as a sacrifice to the American judicial system.

Axel was still passed out in the back with the Phobetor sleeping bag carefully tucked over his head. His Mist mask always fell away when he slept, so he and Pax had a careful system of assuring he was properly cocooned.[1] Calex freaked out as soon as he went near Axel. Pax wanted to assure that yes—Axel would emerge a beautiful butterfly, but he suspected that wasn’t Calex’s problem.

“What’s in the towel?” Calex demanded. “That’s it, isn’t it? One of the things screaming malice back here?”

The towel containing Backbiter was tucked tightly beside the fluffy sleeping bundle of Axel, completely unseen to the average eye.

“Calex, you suck,” Pax grumbled as he sat in the driver’s seat. He was frustrated to find the seatbelt still broken from the dart-jamming incident earlier. “First you understand Axel and I when we’re trying to have a familial conversation, then you can tell Kally and I had a spat, and now you get feelings off our evil sword. You don’t have X-ray vision too, do you? Because I’ll be quite disappointed if you ruin the surprise of which boxers I wear on special occasions.”

They had a brief argument over what to do with the sword, not once mentioning the importance of his boxers. At first, Pax was disgusted to agree with Calex about leaving it behind, but Kally pointed out that Chiron would know how to get rid of the blade properly. Joey and Euna were confused, though Euna busied herself assuring everyone was settled on the couches so they could drive. Merry remained quiet, listening, and didn’t interject until they decided to bring the sword to Camp Half-Blood.

“So, Pax,” she said as he pulled out of the parking lot. “I assume you’re going to explain why all of us adults needed a nap time at one of my parties when we talk to Chiron? No one ever yawns at one of my parties.” Her brown eyes flashed.

Maybe they should plan to have a dunking booth. Everyone would get a turn for each thing he’d screwed up so… he’d probably be better off with having Percy drown him. “Yep!” Pax puffed up his cheeks and popped them. “Come one! Come all! The Pax secrets divulged! Except my night cream routine. Joey might steal that.”

He glanced in the mirror at her. Joey rolled her eyes at him, butshe  was too deep into a to-go box for a real response.

Pax entered the coordinates off his ice cream voucher into the GPS, but didn’t engage Luke’s system. He didn’t want the donkey to tug him. Pax wanted to tear down the highway on his own to get his mind off the conversation he’d have when Axel woke up. “Axel, this is an intervention. We took your sword away and gave you an ice pop.”

Only slightly better than the convo with Chiron. Pax wanted to make sure Kally didn’t have any secrets that needed keeping. But… would Chiron accept the argument that they weren’t going to do any more evil seeming things and that it must be the start of their redemption arc?

Pax corralled the conversation towards Joey’s cheerful Winter Break plans: Greek Hell. That’s not what it actually was, but Pax liked to make it sound as horrible as possible to get everyone’s mind on a safer topic.

Ideas were pumping through the back about Joey’s quest from Hera, like how to get to Hades and how to get help from Persephone. Pax tried to contribute. He suggested they tell the Ares Cabin that the Athena Cabin said they could dig a bigger hole using their brains than their brawn, and vice versa for the other cabin, and then sit back and wait.

Kally stayed quiet. She would stare out the window at the shadows of trees and the distant, polluted glow of the town of Berkeley Hills. Then she’d jump and glance back to where Axel and the sword laid dormant. Axel never moved; he only ever slept like this when he had two nighters or when Pax darted him. Pax wanted to tease, “naww, look at him and his widdle sword.” He wanted to say a lot of things, to ramble until Kally forgot what happened and felt better, but he was getting this strange inkling that maayyyybe that wasn’t the best way to solve this.

They were leaving the park’s forest when the sign for Moma’s Sweets caught his headlights. Pax couldn’t actually read the writing, but he recognized the double scoop logo from the vouchers. Pax pulled off the side of the road into the far side of the parking lot, away from the other occupants and closer to the trees—in case Leo Valdez magically got his memory back, woke up, and was searching their van out on the road.

There was a small, single room shop just off what Kally had called out as Grizzly Peak Boulevard, which—Pax was surprised—still had its lights on. The shop was painted red, with yellow shutters, very hipster friendly. Pax knew they were near a college town and wondered if he was about to run into exactly the kind of child-adults that Michael Kahale was worried would test out fireworks during flame season.

“We’re stopping for ice cream?” Joey asked skeptically from the back. “Isn’t your dad like, ascending tomorrow? What happened to hurrying to Chiron?”

“Ice cream is clearly more important,” Pax said. He put the emergency brake down when he parked, as if Luke couldn’t tear right through that. The driver’s seat belt was in ribbons from Axel cutting at it—totally worth pranking Leo—but they’d need to get that fixed. Although Pax tended to enjoy a good bout with danger, one with the windshield was something he’d rather save for a few hundred years.

“Besides,” he continued as he hopped out of the van. “I’ve always wanted to know if I could balance or juggle seven sundaes on my own. I’ll be back.”

Before anyone could offer to come with, he jammed his hands into his pockets and stalked towards the shop. In reality, he didn’t know what kind of exchange the vouchers demanded, and he was sure he was going to end up exhausting his mortal money supply on guilt desserts for the group. And maybe he could ask the cashier how you apologized to your friends for drugging all of them and lying for months. Pleasant evening chatter.

There were only two other cars on the other side of the parking lot: a white ice cream truck and a pickup truck that looked like an extra from Mad Max. Pax found it strange that not many people would want ice cream at midnight in November, but he figured others didn’t have as good of taste.

Pax was fumbling with the vouchers while he shoved the door opened and took a step inside. He almost ran into a guest. He was about to bow grandly and apologize to the sir or lady or other when he heard the familiar click of someone cocking the hammer on a revolver.

“Hello Ajax,” a male voice cooed.

If Pax had ingested a pound of cockroaches and they all made a dash up his esophagus at the same time, he imagined this was about how it would feel. He was going to need a lot more than some sundaes to make up for this mistake. Though he couldn’t figure out what before something metal cracked across his jaw, knocking him backwards.

 Thanks for reading! :D

[1] So, I definitely cocoon when I sleep. (Mel will verify this and has conducted several studies on the process.) Is this normal? Do you guys do this? (Also, Mel—upon reading this footnote—denied that she conducted studies. She said she happened to watch my sleeping process because we roomed together for a bit XD)

Mind Over Matrix

The Matrix Trilogy supply me in an allegorical as well as virtual visual means a vision of my own awakening. In my enhancing devotion to teach A Course In Miracles I am very delighted about the closing episode of the Matrix trilogy The Matrix Revolutions. I assumed the very first Matrix was terrific which there would certainly be no possibility that sequel or 3 would include anything important to the initial one. I still think the initial episode is whole in itself yet in this capability provides itself to be created in 3 components. Within the very first episode in addition to within the entire series of the 3 episodes I acknowledged a solid alongside the stages of my very own individual awakening. A Desire for Separation The initial part of my own awakening process were minutes, visions as well as communications that I obtained all through my very early life right here in the world. I had looks of truth that showed me the dreamlike nature of this world. Often not more than a sensation, once in a while I could plainly visualize it and at various other times it became absolutely practical to me that I wasn't from below. The real reason I was here could not be determined to me by this globe. Morpheus in their very first discussion claims to Neo: I can see it in your eyes. You have the look of a male that approves what he sees, due to the fact that he is expecting to wake up. (Matrix 1). The Course tells me:. You are like one still hallucinating but lacking the idea in what you see. I came to be significantly mindful that I located myself in An Imagine Separation. Every little thing in my world was naturally conflictual; dualistic, far-off and also divided. Nowhere within this conflicted framework was I able to discover a resolution. I was a slave to the establishments at the office worldwide, its laws and principles, its policies and behavior codes. My partnerships were a consistent source of chaos and a regular provision of sense of guilt as well as self-pity, anger and stress. The essential emptiness in my life brought me over and over again to the awareness that there had to be a fullness of life available to me somehow. This Choice had to be constructed on a completely various primary structure. Since I had actually currently come to recognize that my world was concern based, one more world would certainly need to be one that was continual and completely controlled by love. I was via with this set, I did see it all, bore in mind the outcome of all my previous attempts at wholeness in this place of unfeasibility. The vintage validated just a lack of confidence in me as a whole identity. My universe including me was preprogrammed with impulses as well as devices developed to ensure its own continuance in the loop of its very own restricted inescapable non-being. Simply put every little thing was practically dead, had no genuine function and was entraped in its fixed position in time as well as room. The experience of myself was just one of being absolutely depending on an outside world and its individuals to provide me every little thing I required. I remained in overall need as well as was selfishly forecasting all my questions on others. Absolutely nothing in my globe had the ability to meet my demands or lead me to the experience that I was seeking. Something simply needed to be there because it was simply impossible for me to continue the personal crisis condition that I remained in. It merely needed to confirm itself to be unreal. My vulnerability, my anguish, my irritation and also the darkness as well as isolation in my "life" had actually simply reached its limitation. " A locked up will certainly stimulates a scenario which, in the severe, comes to be entirely unbearable. Tolerance for discomfort might be high, yet it is not without limit. Ultimately everyone begins to identify, nonetheless dimly, that there must be a much better method. As this acknowledgment becomes much more strongly developed, it becomes a turning-point." (ACIM, Ch. 2 III). The Clean slate. I requested for help and also something I understood that was beyond the matrix concerned my rescue. It was Jesus simply shining his light directly in my mind. He reassured me with an incredibly mild motion that where I had actually held myself, up till that minute, was undoubtedly a desire which I was currently able to wake from it. With a whole new sense of faith, assurance as well as direction I started to play and also try out the globe around me. All my connections were changing as well as all of an abrupt I was attracting a lot of favorable activity around me, I began to live as if it was for the really first time. I started learning the power of recommendation as well as the power of choice. I was becoming more sincere and also direct with every person and also I had a lot to use. I started to feel that everything was feasible in the universe. I was no more an object in a deterministic world of outside pressures and elements, however came to be the energetic determiner of my destiny. I began strolling up directly once more and really felt a pride as well as assurance like I never ever felt before. I was Mind linked to Spirit, which was truth reason of my flexibility as well as strength. I started proactively altering my mind regarding myself as well as whatever in my globe, and also hence the globe redeemed itself. This whole turn around occurred after I had actually started collaborating with a hypno/ chak ra therapist that right after my devastation was the only 'human' I took in full trust fund. We unbelievely met one night as well as I recognized I needed to speak with her; I had the sensation that she can help me. I knew I had asked for the universe for aid as well as saw in her the solution to my prayer. After concerning 5 or 6 sessions with her I felt so open as well as totally complimentary as I no longer experienced any challenges to the energy flowing through my body. I came home totally at peace as well as laid down on my bed. Due to the fact that I had actually started to discover that I obtain precisely what I request for and offered the truth that I really felt bold adequate to experiment, I asked a bold inquiry:. So my body is healed and now what? This concern led me directly to a Universal, Quantum experience where I really felt a power surge flush via my whole body as well as I entirely shed understanding and control over it. That minute I was completely unplugged from the matrix as well as linked into a Power Source far higher than the little battery ability that I in my familiarity with my body-shell was able to hold. I heard the phone call and addressed it immediately. My signal was currently about to be traced. I was singled out by a precursor vessel and also moved to the Flagship. A good friend informed me the following day regarding his sibling's spouse that was totally won over by a group or motion called A Program In Miracles as well as I just knew I had to go there. The following day I was picked up and also we eliminated to Amsterdam where I listened to a man read 'For They Have Come' from the text of A Training course In Miracles (Ch. 26 IX). I was anticipating some alien site visitors from the outer worlds to find right into the space and pay us a visit. What I didn't completely understand yet was that I was the One who had actually come. I was the one who began to make his very first affirmations as a Hero. I proclaimed that I had heard the telephone call and I had actually answered, that I was below to get the message directly as well as to enlighten the force that drives me. To express sincerity in the words I speak and to reveal truth in the music I make. I remained in for a wild flight and started my awaking to the genuine. The acceptance of the Atonement by everyone is just a matter of time. This might appear to oppose free will as a result of the certainty of the final decision, but this is not so. You can temporize and also you can huge procrastination, but you can not depart entirely from your Creator, That established the restrictions on your capability to miscreate. Hereafter Universal experience as well as hereafter miraculous session, I kept sliding back to my illusions. I had not been rather going to give everything up. Yet somewhere I understood I was just postponing the inevitable. A few years later on after periodically reconnecting with the light and the Program in Miracles instructors I used all of it up. It became too unpleasant as well as I wanted out. Now I recognized I had to really do the work. I had to commit and fully action in, no more wavering. I did go back and allow Him lead the way. I ended up in Switzerland and was entirely rooted out by the light. I experienced my body dying and I couldn't take hold of anything that utilized to supply me with 'security'. I was totally turned inside out. That moment was the precise end of my life in the flesh, in the world, in the unbelievable. I can currently 'look back' as well as see that this clean slate was truly the end and also this end was a clean slate. Neo, after he awakened from the matrix (1) and also saw the falsity of its construct revealed to him in resource code, made his first declaration of Saviorship:. Neo: I know you're out there. I can feel you currently. I understand that you're afraid. You hesitate people. You hesitate of modification. I do not know the future. I didn't come below to tell you how this is mosting likely to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin. Jesus at the really last web page in the last section of ACIM the information of terms claims:. " Neglect not when this trip is begun completion is specific. Doubt along the way will come and go and also go to come again. Yet is the finishing sure. No person can fail to do what God assigned him to do.". Currently I was really faced with my mind, my condition as a human being and also my earlier state as an addict to agony, alcohol and narcotics. "Straight eviction as well as slim the way." I was accustomed to loosing myself to self-pity, question and also clinical depression that to achieve the objective of peace, happiness as well as the liberty of my mind I needed to undertake a mind-training. I had to be disciplined with the fact concerning myself constantly so that I can involve suspend my minimal beliefs as well as incorrect ideas regarding every little thing. I had a major authority problem and also I constantly wanted things in a different way. Trying to obtain unique support from others or God I discovered myself in constant competition with everybody as well as every little thing. To undo all these getting device's as Jesus calls them in the Course I needed to turn around all of my thinking due to the fact that I had it all completely upside down. I required the greatest feasible declarations about Reality to face my deepest feelings of unworthiness as well as the anxiety of love as well as the fear to enjoy. The second and also essential component in my noticeable awakening process was discovering new ideas regarding myself as well as my Reality. Therefore I was made it possible for to accomplish a consistent state of Peace. It helped dissolve my self-doubt and my fear of being evaluated by others or turned down by God. The Mind-Training of A Program In Miracles supplied me with the supreme ways to totally free my mind. And also to review his word and also teach it I know that my Master lives and also kicking. Mind over Matrix. Neo undergoes a similar procedure where he is urged to put on hold the inflexible beliefs of his physicality and also the regulations in which the matrix operates. Some policies can be bent; others can be broken. In order to be raised to speed up in his brand-new chosen objective he was running all these virtual training programs. These were the ways provided him to boost the power and also obligation of his mind. In order to accomplish the function he was blessed to carry out as the One he needed to achieve a specific degree of readiness. He reentered the matrix to discover more concerning his synthetic past life, was faced with his lack of certainty as well as his loss of memory of being the One. Everything until after that was a laziness of approving his new as well as unavoidable function. He still thought there was a choice to be the One or otherwise to be the One. The mind training to which he submitted himself when he took the red pill, as well as all his succeeding experiences, led him to a brand-new certainty of function as well as exposed to him the true nature of his Identity. This duration of prep work, trial and error I would like to call Mind over Matter or Mind over the Matrix of my own making. The Course expresses that this calls for the shift from being the Daydreamer of the Dream to coming to be the Mindful as well as Responsible Hero and also Hero of the dream. To end up being the superman in your very own production. My Function as Hero. The 3rd part of my awakening I would for that reason call my feature as Hero. To come to the understanding that the whole universe as well as every person and whatever in it depends upon me meeting my component. According to Jesus I am here as an energetic participant of his celebration:. To close all things of time; to finish the view of all things noticeable; and also to undo all points that change. (ACIM MFT 29 p. 8). " To fuse the warring parts within the totality of my obligation to make the jump from a globe comprised from no's and also one's via particular vision to the light of truth. From blonds and also redheads using a dedicated connection with one redhead to my only real relationship with God. From my sinful mistakes and also its unfortunate repercussions using a forgiven world to where the globe will cease to appear to be and also I introduce the world's delighted finishing.". My feature as the light of the world is to forgive all those I had split off from myself. To consist of once more all those I turned down from my love as well as send out to satisfy particular unique functions and hence validate me in my separate identification. To literally launch all the interpretations I imposed on life as well as which maintained me in an encapsulated confinement, a plugged-in shell prisoner, "risk-free" and shallow in a shell, weary as well as wired to a womb. To forgive, remedy as well as confront myself with the globe that I pulled over my eyes to blind me from the reality. To forgive the globe I had actually developed to make myself author of the desire. And also to forgive myself for not succeeding at controling this disorderly thought system that turned out to come to be impossible to manage. Neo likewise comes to be increasingly conscious that everything in his desire is in some way based on him playing his essential part as the One. Absolutely nothing or nobody within the Matrix, Zion or the Machine world was able to recognize of its true function up until he satisfied his. Being symptoms of Neo's Mind in Separation they needed to be revealed by Neo what their defect was to ensure that a correction would have the ability to take place. The purpose that these creations show to the One would have be revealed to them truthfully's representation. He could not run away the outcome of his mind that had actually attempted to make a split in between himself as well as his Resource. He had tried to build a perfect substitute globe for himself. However exactly how can such a globe continue to be excellent when the Source of its Perfection was fundamentally refuted. A substitute globe that is constructed using the light that was meant to maintain the Source's very own Actual Single Development would certainly therefore unavoidably develop into a world of suffering. Because the results of his blunder did not leave him, Neo was assigned to heal the split that seemed to happen by forgetting that he actually was. Jesus in A Training course In Miracles provides me the resolution to my dream of conflict. Forgiveness finishes the desire for dispute below. Conflict has to be solved. It can not be averted, alloted, refuted, disguised, seen somewhere else, called by another name, or concealed by deceit of any kind of kind, if it would certainly be left. It must be seen precisely as it is where it is thought to be, in the reality which has been provided it, and also with the function that the mind accorded it. For just after that are its defenses lifted, and also the reality can beam upon it as it vanishes. Neo understood there was no conventional means to get to the objective of tranquility that he had laid out to acquire. The traditional means really did not work. Neo figured out he couldn't leave his conflict or his responsibility by being shot. He likewise slowly but undoubtedly uncovers that combating and destroying things that were obviously triggering him conflict really did not obtain him out of it. He learned in the area of the architect that he couldn't get away the causal loophole through his persistence to make the 'appropriate' option. This only brought him back to the exact same space as well as the very same TV-screens several times. He furthermore recognized he wasn't able to escape his adversary by leaving from the matrix to the real world. His opponent (Smith) just as inevitably made his simultaneous transition to this brand-new domain name of duality (the Real life) in the form of Baine. His dispute with himself ended up being agonizing and it had to be solved. After the battle with Neo, Baine brings an end to Neo's double vision by burning out his eyes. These eyes were essential as long as he was still connecting his confidence and also meaning to the illusion of the matrix. Baine that just like Neo intended to go out provides Neo the present of single vision. Herewith Baine fulfills his function as well as thus leads Neo into a higher World where he quits viewing the conflict. He stops judging as well as begins seeing the real substance of the world. Neo: It boggles the mind, Trin. Lights anywhere. Like the whole thing was developed with light. I desire you could see what I see. Spiritual vision essentially can not see mistake, and simply seeks Satisfaction. All solutions the physical eye looks for liquify. Spiritual vision looks within as well as identifies immediately that the church has been polluted and requires to be fixed and shielded. Completely familiar with the appropriate defense it passes over all others, looking past mistake to fact. As a result of the strength of its vision, it brings the mind into its service. This re-establishes the power of the mind and also makes it progressively incapable to tolerate delay, understanding that it just adds unnecessary pain. As a result, the mind becomes progressively conscious what it would once have actually considered as extremely small intrusions of pain. Trinity, the one point that was one of the most precious to Neo had simply surrendered her 'life' to acquiesce to the higher purpose that her 'cherished' had actually laid out to accomplish. Currently all his ships are burned and he becomes part of the complete awareness of his Singular objective. The limitless power of his Mind makes him completely prepared for the last action( s). Your footprints lighten up the world, for where you stroll mercy gladly opts for you. (ACIM Ch. 26 IX 6.2). Neo leaves gold impacts on the course towards the Deus Maximus, the Machine God. For best effectiveness the Satisfaction belongs at the center of the inner altar, where it reverses the splitting up and also restores the integrity of the mind. Before the splitting up the mind was invulnerable to fear, due to the fact that fear did not exist. Both the separation as well as the concern are miscreations that must be undone for the remediation of the temple, and also for the opening of the church to get the Atonement. This heals the splitting up by putting within you the one efficient protection versus all separation ideas and making you completely untouchable. Neo stands brave when faced with the totality of his enemy in the Real World; the Machine God. In overall defenselessness he stands one-on-one with what we could call the outside manifestation of his anxiety. In this minute Neo in his augmented 'recognize thyself'- ness understands he can't address the issue in this outdoors. He recognizes that his outside enmity is a plain result of his inward condition. To reach tranquility for Neo's uttermost exterior creation's he needs to resolve his events with the wickedness within. He reenters the matrix and comes in person with his declined and also resisted self-image stood for below by Representative Smith. Smith in his aimless existence ever since he is no more crucial in the matrix as well as at the same time is still withstood by his Hero Neo, really did not recognize any type of much better than to replicate himself and also increase his numbers in order to offer himself with an incorrect sense of existence. Belonging of Neo's mind his real desire amounted to Neo's, particularly to be rejoined with his opposite self and to end up being whole once again.

Landlords and Overseas Startups pt 4 of 4 Ep 8

0:00

So can a tenant in negotiation ever ask, say, Hey, we don't have money, we want to give you equity in our company. Does that come up a lot

0:08

that came up in the early 90s when I was working for prologue just and some other, you know, counselor

0:13

told me a story there.

0:15

No, I just know that they that that's been a discussion, it's not something that they would always do. Okay. But potentially that came up quite a bit. Yeah.

0:26

Is that happened now that are you said back in well.com time. But

0:30

yeah, I think landlords a little more cautious because they you know, they could have been burned in the past with a lot of that. And they may have new guidelines to that that's not really their core business. So they should just be doing what they're supposed to be doing. And not not investing necessarily in their tenants business. But I know that some do.

0:49

So search, some you got to understand are some that are smaller landlords, they may take a risk big land or the institutional guys I have multiple tenants in your office building, that probably is not going to happen.

0:59

Right. Okay. Interested? So some of our viewers are overseas and countries such as China and Korea all over the world, how's it different for them? When they come to Silicon Valley? What questions should they be asking? I mean, they don't have a US credit history, they may not have a credit history at all, depending on where they're from, how does how did they go about finding a location?

1:21

Well, they partner up with folks like us, who can help us help identify where they would like to be. And this is after we find out you know more about them and more details about them. But, you know,

1:34

I have a group I'm working with right now. And it's just investigation as you go day by day, you know, because sometimes you're dealing with them on a whole different time frame, you know, like, I'm, I'm having conference calls at nine o'clock at night. Yeah. Which is like, their, their morning or Yeah, so you just try to accommodate and figure out what they're looking for. And when they're here, ask them as many questions as you possibly can on on, you know, how are you? How are you established already? Are you a California Corporation? Have you incorporated yet? What's the process that you're going about right now, in terms of how you're going to finance this operation? And

2:16

so if I'm a company from will say, Ukraine from unit city from mats area, who is a guest earlier and I come to Silicon Valley from day one, I found a location How long does it take from when I when I decide to location, or when I connect with you to start looking for a location to sign a lease to be able to move in? Can this be done in a month? Or is it a lot longer, lot shorter?

2:44

Yeah, I don't think a month will do it, in my opinion, depending on how ready their company is overseas. Because I work with a lot of companies overseas, that are just not aware of what the due diligence requirement from a landlord tenant are in a landlord. A lot of landlords, you know, sincerely coming from overseas, that level of trust is not as strong as a local company.

3:04

And it takes them time because they're traveling back and forth. And when they're here, they're seeing things, but then they go back, and then they're reporting their directors. And then maybe those folks need to come out and see the property. And there's, there's a lot of back and forth, back and forth, that initially can happen in the first two to three months of helping this client even identify space. So you'd recommend an overseas founder, one, one of the people on his team to come to Silicon Valley, meet a broker, build that relationship on maybe trip one

3:32

trip to come see a few locations, Chip number three, kind of make the decision and then trip for I mean, that's, that's normal. That's normal.

3:43

Yeah, and I would say anywhere from two to six months. But I, you know, it depends how large of a company you're dealing with to. And sometimes you can find a space immediately if it's, you know,

3:52

maybe it was a smaller space, and you've got a growing company, 10 employees, 20 employees, we've got plenty of options may not do take too long, you get into some bigger size requirements. And then, you know, you want to give yourself a longer window, do anyone from overseas come here with completely off the wall expectations, you know, I want this office, I'll pay this much you go, I'm sorry. That's, that's the price of a chair it Do you ever come across that

4:19

I do. I mean, like, it's not way off. But it's more like, you know, the send somebody else that's not really and real estate or tenant space acquisition environment, they may send somebody from marketing or something, and they may not know what the landlord expecting or how to work with a broker. So there's a lot of back and forth, and we try to help them prepare by telling them that we need access, or the landlord needs to look at your financials and your business plan and that sort of thing. And so they have to be ready to provide that kind of material

4:52

is there any like vocabulary, these, you know, price per square foot or things like that, that if they know before meeting, you could say they have a lot of time?

5:04

Well, you know, a lot of time we're educating them on the on these buzzwords like ti was, you know, tenant improvement. And sometimes we just say, you know, we're kind of tip looking for, and they don't the tenant improvement. And that's important because one client of mine wanted a lab within their

5:22

part of their r&d operation. So then I was asking them about the kind of power that they might be, you know, power needs that they might have. And he he wasn't so sure about that. So that's pretty critical. Because if you're going to do a lot have a lab component, you may need 200 to 400 amps of power in your space. So it's important because then now he'll go back and ask the key questions that he needs to be able to do you ever give potential tenants a list of questions and you

5:49

say, answer all these before the next time we talk? Yeah, yeah, definitely. Yeah. What up? What advice would you give a founder out there that hasn't found any office space yet that's still working at home on when they first talked to landlords or what they should be thinking of other than what we've already talked about. So far, we've talked about location of your employees, we've talked about transportation, we've talked about lease options. We've talked about talking to brokers who can make introductions, and this is all amazing. what's what's border to know.

6:21

Another thing that I like to do is recommend a good business attorney. Oh, because, as you know, we're here to help with this least process from start to finish. But when you get into the business points of the lease agreement on what you've negotiated in terms, there's also the boilerplate language within the Leafs and if you're if you know, foreign company company here, you're not really familiar with a lot of leafs language, okay, highly advise that they use business attorneys to review this documentation because we're not attorneys, you know, we help negotiate these deals, but to protect them, that's just an important part. Do you have a business attorney Do you need a reference to a good local real estate attorney Have you see a when that because they didn't have an attorney got in some hot water later on,

7:07

not too much hot water, that

7:09

never really hot water, but it's just something that they, you know, it's not easy language for them to review on their own. Yeah. Okay. And so they should have a second pair of eyes to take a look at that and what their needs are.

7:20

And Carlos, what advice would you give to a founder

7:24

before you met them, you know, any information you wish to pass on to someone,

7:30

as far as leases are concerned, most epic both seem to think about their distributed strategic location where they want to be and if it fits their needs. I mean, that's the bottom line. I mean,

7:42

I think that they allow them made think that they need a certain thing, but a lot of times, it's better for them to be in a shared environment, or maybe find somebody that has a complimentary type of business with them, that they can go in together, there might provide some synergy to them, and you can make those kind of introductions as well.

8:00

That's great. And married before time runs out. Yes, please talk about how people can contact you and a little brief overview of yourself for more time.

8:08

Sure. So again, Mary blazer. I'm with Newmark Knight Frank and folks can reach me at my email which is m blazer at n g. k. f.com

8:19

we have our company website WWW dot NGK f.com as well.

8:24

Carlos Carlos Toronto Kwan, one number 415-608-8409 and we have dedicated 10 representation agents in my firm.

8:34

That's great. So Mary Carlos, I want to thank you guys for taking the time coming here on Silicon Valley successes and people at home. For further information, please visit our website. Silicon Valley successes comm check us out on YouTube, Facebook, and all the other social media and we hope that you got a lot out of this. And in the future we're going to have more guests from investment bankers, bookkeepers, we have some amazing founders coming up with in the next few episodes. So we look forward to your future attendance. And thank you again for taking the time to to watch.

9:11

Thank you. From all of us at Silicon Valley successes. We hope you found the information presented today useful in your path to success. For further information on accessing the resources in Silicon Valley. You may visit us on the web at Silicon Valley successes. com on Facebook and YouTube. Thank you. And remember, we want to help you in your journey to become the next success.

LOVE & RELATIONSHIP RULES

DANG!! it's the TRUTH!! All about LOVE and RELATIONSHIP!!

Huwag isipin na mahaba dahil dito marami ang makakarelate sayo. Kaya kung ako sayo basahin mo isa-isa ha? Miske - In a relationship ka, single ka, broken- hearted. Lahat tayo magkakasundo dito..

Huwag ka magiskip. 

PART I

1. Ang mag-assume, TALO (kahit 2% pa yan)."

2. Kung ayaw may DAHILAN, Kung gusto may PARAAN."

3. Wag masyado magpadala sa text or messages sa social media.

4. BACK OFF (as in back off) sa mga IN A RELATIONSHIP, kahit saan anggulo mo tingnan, ikaw pa rin ang mali.

5. Never borrow someone else's man/girl. If he/she cheated with you, he'll/she'll cheat on you."

6. Hayaan mo siyang gawin yung gusto niyang gawin. Buhay niya yun, hindi mo maco-control. As long as alam niya yung limitations niya.

7. Take it slow. Steady lang.

8. Maniwala sa IT'S COMPLICATED na status. Hindi lang chenes yan.

9. Learn to LET GO kung alam mong wala na talaga.

10. Keep your DIGNITY.

11. If a man/woman wants you, nothing can keep him/her away. If he/she doesn't want you, nothing can make him/her stay.

12. Wag magselos sa siblings and relatives ng boyfriend/girlfirend mo.

13. Ang QT (quality time), at least 5 hours lang per week. Matagal na yung isang 12 hours straight.

14. Don't revolve your life around him/her. Learn to be independent.

15. Hindi dahilan ang TIME.

16. Kung ayaw sayo ng kapatid, hayaan mo siya. Wala siyang magagawa kung mahal ka talaga niya.

17. Wag magpakilala sa parents agad. It can affect your relationship.

18. Allow your intuition (or spirit) to save you from heartache. Kadalasan tama ito mga girls.

19. Be nice to your EX. Wag maging BITTER.

20. If a relationship ends because the man/woman was not treating you as you deserve, then heck no, you can't "be friends". A friend wouldn't mistreat a friend. In some case this is applicable.

21. Wag magpadala sa SITUATION. Baka overwhelmed ka lang.

22. Stop making excuses for a man/woman and his/her behaviour. Paminsan-minsan take off your helmet.

23. When you meet anyone, remember it's a holy encounter. As you treat them you will treat yourself. As you think of them, you think of yourself. Never forget this, for in them you will find yourself or lose yourself.

24. Hindi balakid kung magkaiba ang RELIGION niyong dalawa.

25. Kung kayang i-workout, i-WORKOUT!

Kalokohan ang reason na "IT'S NOT YOU, IT'S ME."

26. All men are NOT dogs. You should not be the one doing all the bending... compromise is a two way street.

27. Learn to forgive para magkaroon ka ng peace of mind.

28. Some can forgive but can't forget.

29. If something bothers you, speak up! mahirap kapag nagpapakiramdaman lang kayo.

30. OPEN COMMUNICATION, TRUST AND HONESTY are the most important ingredients in a relationship.

31. You need time to heal between relationships. there is nothing cute about baggage. deal with your issues before pursuing a new relationship pag hindi kasi, it can affect or even ruin your relationship.

32. Ok lang na magselos, basta yung pakilig lang.

33. Always have your own set of friends separate from his/her para may iba kang channels that is without him/her.

34. Make him/her miss you sometimes. when a man/woman always know where you are, and you're always readily available to him/her, he/she takes it for granted.

35. Always make time for your family and friends.

36. You should never look for someone to COMPLETE you. a relationship consists of two WHOLE individuals. look for someone complimentary. not supplementary.

37. Always make time for yourself.

38. Wala yun sa tagal ng relationship. nasa pagmamahal.

39. There's NO SUCH THING as MR. RIGHT or MS. RIGHT. It's how you mold him/her to become rightfully for you.

40. There's NO SUCH THING as COOL OFF/GRAY AREA. Kung white, white! Kung black, black! Walang GRAY AREA.

41. Always think a number of times before deciding on to something important.

42. There's a possibility that a person can get attracted to another. It's human nature. It's not wrong. But that is why you're in a commitment, you discipline yourself. One may get attracted to numerous prospects and its ok. As long as, you don't nurse the feeling and do something about it. The borderline between cheating and faithfulness. Recognize reality that you already have the person that can give you more than what you get for the cheap thrill of attraction.

43. You need to let go of the past to have a future

44. Do not take anyone for granted.

45. If what you see by the eye doesn't please you, then close your eyes and see from the heart. Because the heart can see beauty and love more than the eyes can ever wonder.

46. If you felt it, then it was true. Getting hurt doesn't always mean you suffered, it also means you loved sincerely. Don't frown because it's over. SMILE BECAUSE IT HAPPENED.

47. KARMA (whatever you do) will find its way.

48. Everything will fall into place.

PART II

1. A man won't let go if he really loves you.

Do not hold on to someone who has let go of you. He does not love you and does not value having you. Believe me, he will not let go if he really loves you. There is another reason he is not willing to tell.

2. Do not look for reasons why he ended the relationship.

There is only one reason why he ended your relationship. He just does not love you. Do not waste your time thinking of reasons or what you should have done. Move on and be open to a man who will truly love you.

3. Do not get hung up on your past.

Do not nag or distrust your current boyfriend just because your ex-hurt you. Do not treat him or the relationship the same way. Do not compare. He will not react the same way as your ex. Do not be worried that your simple mistakes will cause him to look for another girl. What happened with your ex-was not your fault. It was not because you didn't guard him enough or you didn't make him happy enough.

4. Do not look into images.

How many times have you met a girl who didn't have the best image in school or at the office, but you get to know the girl and found out she was actually extremely nice? Do not rely on images. Oftentimes, it is far from reality. Do not fear men just because your "supposedly" perfect ex-boyfriend mistreated you.

5. Always have your own set of rules.

Set your limits on how far you'd go for a guy. It's perfectly ok to give and do everything as long as it's worth it. And it's worth it if the guy is treating you right.

6. Do not be scared to lose him.

Don't be scared that he'll break up with you. Once you are afraid of losing him, you easily can be taken advantage. Be strong and if something is unacceptable, do not accept it and speak up.

7. Avoid calling your guy.

It's a guy thing. The relationship will definitely be better if it's the guy who's calling, not the girl. He will get tired of you if you keep on calling. He will lose interest and challenge. More so, he will get annoyed. But it's a girl thing also that your fingers get too itchy until you dial his number. But avoid as much as possible. Call only if really needed (like checking if your suspicions are reasonable).

8. There is a guy who will value you.

There is a guy out there who can make you feel valued, appreciated, and loved. And I mean, not just during your first few weeks together. So don't lose hope. Don't settle for a lesbian if you are not attracted to women. There is a man out there who can love you like a girl can.

Also, do not believe him when he says it's just the way he really is. He's not sweet or expressive-type. Remember during your first few weeks together? Where has that sweet guy gone? He simply is not that into you anymore.

9. Always be the only one, no matter what.

Do not ever fall for a guy who has another girl, be it his wife, girlfriend, or any girl that he says he just can't get rid of for whatever reason. If you truly believe that he loves you and for some reason, he can't leave or let go of another girl, then you are no different from any ordinary mistress.

10. He must respect you.

No matter how long the relationship has been, he should always show respect towards you.

11. If he fooled you, end it.

Philandering once is enough. You can never trust nor respect the person again.

12. Never start a relationship the wrong way.

Do not steal another girl's man, for whatever reason. Nor should you enter a relationship for the wrong reasons (loneliness, on the rebound, getting back at your ex, man-dependency, etc.) it is bound not to last. You will only end up wasting more years of your life.

13. Do not force yourself into a relationship.

Do not get into a relationship just because your friends are getting impatient with your dating escapades and the one hasn't come yet. Do not choose who to say yes to based on superficial things like money, looks, cars, etc.. If you are even thinking of these things, you have not fallen in love yet.

14. Do not settle.

If you are not happy anymore with your relationship, break up instantly. He will not stay with you forever no matter how upright he might seem to be. Eventually, he will also want love and happiness in his life.

15. A relationship has to have love.

Love is the only thing that will push you to give your efforts into making the relationship work. And believe me, keeping a relationship requires genuine efforts of both parties.

16. Don't be afraid to be single.

It's fun to be single, try it. You can go out whenever and wherever you want. You are free. You can date whomever you want and you get to go out for free! Do not get a boyfriend just for the sake of having one. Do not settle.

17. Be a good girl.

Be a good girl to attract a good guy. Enter the relationship with sincere intentions. Take the guy and the relationship seriously with the plan of spending the rest of your life with that person (of course, this is after you had your bit of fun in your younger years). If you compare your flings from your real relationships, you will know that the latter makes you happier and more fulfilled.

18. Love without limits.

Whether you loved and gave everything or loved but held out for some things, if the relationship ends, you'll still get hurt. But if you gave your everything, you were happy and you could say that it was worth it. If you didn't give your all, you get hurt for nothing.

19. You will get over him.

Love is over-stated. Love eventually ends and you are free to love another.

20. Be the one.

Act like you are the one. Don't be a nagger. Don't hinder his gimmicks. Don't give in to him too easily. Make him treat you as important. Don't be easy. Don't be like every other girl he had in his life.

Online Dating Tips - Make Dating Online Easier

Each year there tend to be 10s of thousands of marriages that happen as any outcome of individuals meeting using an online dating assistance. Online dating is really an affordable industry as well as in order to boost your end results, it's crucial to improve your existence. Detailed below are 10 essential online dating guidelines: Online Dating Standards: 1) Establish what type of assistance is really greatest for you. There tend to be five different kinds of online dating Providers that you have to pick from. Make certain you choose the ones that go with with your targets. The very first are usually Common Online Dating Providers. These are typically Providers that supply you with the capacity to check out every person which has actually sent any profile and are generally directed at dating. This kind of Solutions consist of: Match.org, LavaLife, and also FriendFinder. The 2nd have the tendency to be Relationship Solutions. These tend to be Solutions that opt for you with others based on compatibility testing and also are normally for those more extreme in relation to a connection or maybe connection. This type of Services include eHarmony and Biochemistry.org. The 3rd tend to be Myspace or Facebook Solutions. These are generally complimentary websites that permit you to construct your base of pals together with most likely locate a person to date in the process. These type of Solutions include Myspace, Friendster in addition to Orkut. The fourth are generally Specialized particular niche Dating Services. These are generally Services targeted at uniting folks, to evening out, who discuss any kind of details usual enthusiasm or dream. This sort of Services consist of Environmentally friendly Close friends (non-meat eaters), Equestrian Cupid (moose lovers), Millionaire Pair up (rich singles), Get older Choose (Intergenerational Dating), together with Mature Suit (older singles). The 5th have a tendency to be Merging Online Dating Solutions. These Providers incorporate online dating with offline applications. Determine which assistance(s) ideal meet your requirement, then follow it! 2) Adhere to essential online dating protection concepts. Research Study Online Dating Magazine's Online Dating Basic security guidelines message for certain things you need to as well as must not accomplish. In the nutshell: in no way hand out also much personal information; never ever give a house phone number; continuously satisfy in any type of open place for the very first date; ask for a present photo (or perhaps the age of put up images are); as well as trust your tummy instinct. 3) Establish a winning account. Your profile will certainly be one of the 2 crucial aspects that might determine if a new person emails you on an online dating service (the other is really photo - observe subsequent recommendation). Check out other profiles as well as additionally establish exactly what about it makes you additional interested or possibly less interested. Research Online Dating Magazine's Profile pointers message for a whole lot extra assistance. 4) Article excellent most recent pictures. Admit it-- any time doing a search on an online dating aid the first thing that appeals to your interest is actually the picture. This is really the solitary most critical factor to getting individuals to check out that terrific account you have actually written (notification last concept). These days, typical images will not reduce it. You have to need to determine what colours look greatest on you, attire excellent, end up being completely clean minimize, and also possess somebody consider numerous pictures of you that have the tendency to be enjoyable and energetic. When i transformed my very own photo from your presented photo to any picture of me personally with an Orangutan, the number of people emailing us or showing a rate of interest quadrupled. It likewise supplied a superb snow crusher as well as speaking point whenever somebody mailed myself. Check Out Online Dating Magazine's Developing any kind of Far better Online Dating Photo content for some excellent pointers. 5) Discover efficient interaction techniques. Your very first electronic mail to a person you're interested in is in fact the most crucial one you'll really write considering that it will certainly aid figure out whether or even not necessarily they create back once more. It's vital to customize your initial electronic mail along with take even more time asking concerns (based upon the various other individual's profile) when compared with supplying details worrying on your own. Tossing any supplement in does not hurt either (my partner as well as i.elizabeth. "I like your smile" or "your account can be one of the greatest We have checked out"). 6) Constantly be sincere of others. By just discovering how to worth others, you improve your character. Being well intentioned shows not being raunchy (in connecting with others) as well as never ever "dropping off the take care of of the planet" while you go on. One of the best complaints all of us obtain is coming from individuals that mention the person they were connecting with only "vanished" in addition to quit connecting. It's extremely disrespectful while you do not post any type of respectful message allowing other people recognize that you tend to be moving on. 7) Protect against white lies. In the globe of online dating, white lies obtain on numerous kinds, including: uploading a new photo more than nine months matured; existing concerning your age group; existing about your income; existing worrying your task. The easy reality is actually that you are usually most likely looking for your true love, hence at some point in the dating partnership, these lies could come back once more to trouble you. 8) Learn the best ways to much better recognized and steer clear of hitched people. It's the unfortunate reality that virtually 1/4th of people that join online dating are usually hitched. Whether seeking a method to be disloyal in addition to aiming to see exactly what they "missed out" on, these people are normally a new hazard to folks seeking precise partnerships. Betrothed people is going to be extremely deceptive and irregular in their interaction with you. If you accomplish the point of speaking on the phone, you'll get their cellular phone responding to equipment a whole lot together with phone calls is going to be supplied on an unforeseeable basis. They generally won't publish an image or probably will absolutely publish one that can be dark/grainy. All things considered, they do not need a relative or buddy to find throughout their profile! Get a lot more details concepts just by reading Online Dating Magazine's How you can Keep Clear of Hitched Men message. Steer clear of married individuals no matter what. As the stating ought to go: as soon as the cheater, typically a cheater. 9) Make the first night out remarkable. The concept of accomplishment with online dating will not end up with getting the evening out. Your real date will be going to create the various other person's opinion even more than anything various to day. Learn some great initial evening out suggestions merely by reviewing the following Online Dating Magazine material: 10 ideas to Obtaining the Second evening out along with Beyond 10 Crucial Dating standards for Men First day Do's and Do n'ts. 10) Steer clear of from becoming any type of specialist online dater. Online Dating Magazine coined the term "professional online dater" to define the growing number of folks ending up being addicted to amolatina . If he or she makes its means into right into a brand-new relationship, they just hide their profile (as opposed to deleting it) and likewise at the first subscribe difficulty in any kind of connection, they normally return to the online dating globe rather of working out there the issues. For added information, reviewed the Online Dating Publication message, Prevent Coming to be the Professional Online Dater.

Many, if not most, of the clients seen by a family law attorney manifest a high degree of anxiety. This anxiety (which can present in a variety of ways) can interfere with the attorney’s ability to concentrate on the legal aspects of the case. When the mental health aspects are severe, the attorney will refer the client to a mental health therapist. Sometimes, however, all the client needs is a guide to assist through the emotional aspects of the marital dissolution. Enter Collaborative divorce and its innovative use of mental health coaches. The purpose of this article is to give further support to the Collaborative movement’s recognition that the needs of divorcing families are better served by interdisciplinary collaboration between therapists and lawyers. In addition, I will examine the various roles that mental health experts can contribute to the divorcing process.

Brief Overview of Interdisciplinary Cooperation Between Mental Health Professionals and Lawyers

Our traditional legal system, based on the adversarial model, does not work well when handling family disputes, such as divorce. Indeed, involvement in the legal system with its emphasis on guilt and innocence tends to foster competition and confusion between divorcing parties. Within the traditional model, there is a continuum of opinions about the value of psychological counseling as part of the legal divorce. The views can range from the attorney measuring the legal feasibility of doing what the client wants without paying attention to (or feeling poorly equipped to handle) the psychological and interpersonal issues in divorce, to an assumption that the legal aspects of a divorce situation can be adequately dealt with only if the emotional aspects and need to understand the client are engaged by the lawyer. Somewhere in the middle lies the idea of using mental health professionals to de-escalate conflict, supporting the belief that other professionals should play only those roles explicitly delegated by the lawyer.

With the changing culture of divorce, contributed to in large part by the Collaborative movement and its view that the adversarial process is grossly inappropriate for the resolution of most marital disputes, the importance of the emotional divorce has taken on new meaning. “When the goal of ending a marriage is minimal emotional damage to the family, Collaborative divorce is considered”. The Collaborative model’s philosophy is that divorce is less likely to seriously traumatize the dissolving family when both the legal and emotional issues of divorce are addressed. Attorney-mental health coach teams are used as an effective vehicle to help minimize the stress of the divorce experience.

How Can Mental Health Practitioners Facilitate The Work of Attorneys?

There are several roles that the mental health professional can provide to divorcing clients. One is the familiar role of the mental health professional in providing psychotherapy to the divorcing client. The other, encouraged by the Collaborative practice, is a newer kind of intervention called the divorce coach. Let’s take a look at the two resources and how they may be useful in the divorce process.

Divorce Psychotherapy/ Counseling

The trauma of divorce can exacerbate preexisting emotional disorders or can create them,necessitating the need for psychotherapeutic intervention. Broadly speaking, psychotherapy examines the past and its impact on present functioning. In the spirit of behavioral change, it aims to make unconscious motives conscience the goal of psychotherapy is symptom relief (depression, anxiety, psychosomatic symptoms, etc.) Progress is measured by internal change and personal growth.

Divorce counseling seeks to help the client develop an understanding of the causes of the marital breakdown. Without such insight, psychotherapists believe that individuals are likely to repeat their self-defeating behaviors during their next intimate relationship. Equally important is the notion that an awareness of one’s own contribution to the failed relationship will reduce hostility during the divorce process and increase the client’s ability to resolve the legal issues.

Consider the following scenario: Divorce Coaching A woman in her 40’s walks into a 4 person Collaborative meeting which includes her husband and the couples’ respective attorneys. “Why me?” she sobs uncontrollably. The fear and anger in her voice are palpable. “We loved each other for twenty-two years. I supported him through his graduate training. Our children are grown and living away from home. I have never lived alone and I am terrified. I cannot imagine making it on my own. I could just kill him for doing this to me.”

The above example highlights some of the basic emotions that may overwhelm almost anyone who has made the decision to separate and divorce. (For many noninitiators, the unresolved reasons for the divorce can slowdown the process of acceptance, slowing down the divorce. ) While many divorcing people will experience these feelings, some will experience them at a more intense level, as a true personal identity crisis. For those individuals, what one may call a divorce crisis may, indeed, be a psychological crisis.In order to successfully navigate her divorce terrain, the woman described above will likely need psychological help to manage her anxiety, depression and fears.

Even in cases where a couple mutually agrees to a legal divorce, there is usually one spouse who wants to hold on to the marriage more than the other one does. And, the same kind of fear of the future in which one feels incapable of surviving emotionally and financially on one’s own may be operative.

Let’s look at the next scenario in which the same woman enters her 4 person Collaborative meeting: “I understand we have made the decision to divorce and I accept that we will have to do that. But, I am so angry that since the separation my husband seems to be having a great time and I barely have enough money to feed the kids much less have pleasure in my life. How can I possibly manage life on my own? This Collaborative divorce just won’t work.”

Unlike psychotherapy which is broad in scope, divorce coaching targets only the divorce process. Psychotherapy focuses on the past and its impact on present functioning while divorce coaching assists clients to adapt to and cope with the emotions and practical aspects of the present situation. The targeted intervention of the divorce coach aims particularly at building spouses’ communication skills. Divorce coaching normalizes the feelings around divorce to help the individual better manage the current situation.

As explained by Dr. Sanford Portnoy, “Divorce Coaches: A New Resource for Matrimonial Lawyers,” American Journal of Family Law, Vol. 19, №4, 2005, therapy typically “seeks symptom amelioration or cure.” According to Dr. Portnoy, the role of the divorce coach is intended to “help individuals manage situations….The emphasis is on helping the client manage in specific, delineated ways. It is skills training rather than healing.”

How Can Lawyers and Mental Health Experts Best Cooperate Professionally In Guiding Their Clients In The Process of Divorce?

Collaborative practice understands that much of what divorcing clients need help with has little or nothing to do with the law.As such, it is important that Collaborative attorneys inform their clients about the available services of divorce coaches (members of the Collaborative team) and mental health professionals(independent of the Collaborative team) so that they can serve as resources when needed. By educating the client at the beginning of the process to the possible emotional upheavals that may arise along the journey and the potential impasses they may cause, the client will be more open to the referral.

What are the benefits that mental health coaches and therapists can provide for attorneys?

Assess the client’s psychological readiness to participate in the Collaborative process.

Assess the client’s psychological readiness to participate in the Collaborative process.

Teach the client how to problem solve more effectively.

Diagnose and treat mental health problems that will facilitate the legal process.

Educate the attorney about the needs of children.

Understand a psychologically compromised client

Serve as a consultant

Facilitate communication between client and attorney.

Minimize the possibility of more time-consuming negative interactions.

Conclusions

The Collaborative approach encompasses the belief that in order to deliver quality legal services, one must “understand” their client. This means that the process of emotional divorce and legal divorce should be coordinated as much as possible. Building inter-professional alliances and networks of communication and developing mutual trust between lawyers and mental health experts (divorce coaches and mental health therapists) will inevitably contribute to their shared vision of working in the best interests of divorcing families.

It is my sincere hope that all information on my website provides you with content that inspires you to enhance your relationships. These materials are not intended to be a substitute for my counseling services. If you are ready to make that leap, please click here to set up a complimentary consultation.

Many, if not most, of the clients seen by a family law attorney manifest a high degree of anxiety. This anxiety (which can present in a variety of ways) can interfere with the attorney’s ability to concentrate on the legal aspects of the case. When the mental health aspects are severe, the attorney will refer the client to a mental health therapist. Sometimes, however, all the client needs is a guide to assist through the emotional aspects of the marital dissolution. Enter Collaborative divorce and its innovative use of mental health coaches. The purpose of this article is to give further support to the Collaborative movement’s recognition that the needs of divorcing families are better served by interdisciplinary collaboration between therapists and lawyers. In addition, I will examine the various roles that mental health experts can contribute to the divorcing process.

Brief Overview of Interdisciplinary Cooperation Between Mental Health Professionals and Lawyers

Our traditional legal system, based on the adversarial model, does not work well when handling family disputes, such as divorce. Indeed, involvement in the legal system with its emphasis on guilt and innocence tends to foster competition and confusion between divorcing parties. Within the traditional model, there is a continuum of opinions about the value of psychological counseling as part of the legal divorce. The views can range from the attorney measuring the legal feasibility of doing what the client wants without paying attention to (or feeling poorly equipped to handle) the psychological and interpersonal issues in divorce, to an assumption that the legal aspects of a divorce situation can be adequately dealt with only if the emotional aspects and need to understand the client are engaged by the lawyer. Somewhere in the middle lies the idea of using mental health professionals to de-escalate conflict, supporting the belief that other professionals should play only those roles explicitly delegated by the lawyer.

With the changing culture of divorce, contributed to in large part by the Collaborative movement and its view that the adversarial process is grossly inappropriate for the resolution of most marital disputes, the importance of the emotional divorce has taken on new meaning. “When the goal of ending a marriage is minimal emotional damage to the family, Collaborative divorce is considered”. The Collaborative model’s philosophy is that divorce is less likely to seriously traumatize the dissolving family when both the legal and emotional issues of divorce are addressed. Attorney-mental health coach teams are used as an effective vehicle to help minimize the stress of the divorce experience.

How Can Mental Health Practitioners Facilitate The Work of Attorneys?

There are several roles that the mental health professional can provide to divorcing clients. One is the familiar role of the mental health professional in providing psychotherapy to the divorcing client. The other, encouraged by the Collaborative practice, is a newer kind of intervention called the divorce coach. Let’s take a look at the two resources and how they may be useful in the divorce process.

Divorce Psychotherapy/ Counseling

The trauma of divorce can exacerbate preexisting emotional disorders or can create them,necessitating the need for psychotherapeutic intervention. Broadly speaking, psychotherapy examines the past and its impact on present functioning. In the spirit of behavioral change, it aims to make unconscious motives conscience the goal of psychotherapy is symptom relief (depression, anxiety, psychosomatic symptoms, etc.) Progress is measured by internal change and personal growth.

Divorce counseling seeks to help the client develop an understanding of the causes of the marital breakdown. Without such insight, psychotherapists believe that individuals are likely to repeat their self-defeating behaviors during their next intimate relationship. Equally important is the notion that an awareness of one’s own contribution to the failed relationship will reduce hostility during the divorce process and increase the client’s ability to resolve the legal issues.

Consider the following scenario: Divorce Coaching A woman in her 40’s walks into a 4 person Collaborative meeting which includes her husband and the couples’ respective attorneys. “Why me?” she sobs uncontrollably. The fear and anger in her voice are palpable. “We loved each other for twenty-two years. I supported him through his graduate training. Our children are grown and living away from home. I have never lived alone and I am terrified. I cannot imagine making it on my own. I could just kill him for doing this to me.”

The above example highlights some of the basic emotions that may overwhelm almost anyone who has made the decision to separate and divorce. (For many noninitiators, the unresolved reasons for the divorce can slowdown the process of acceptance, slowing down the divorce. ) While many divorcing people will experience these feelings, some will experience them at a more intense level, as a true personal identity crisis. For those individuals, what one may call a divorce crisis may, indeed, be a psychological crisis.In order to successfully navigate her divorce terrain, the woman described above will likely need psychological help to manage her anxiety, depression and fears.

Even in cases where a couple mutually agrees to a legal divorce, there is usually one spouse who wants to hold on to the marriage more than the other one does. And, the same kind of fear of the future in which one feels incapable of surviving emotionally and financially on one’s own may be operative.

Let’s look at the next scenario in which the same woman enters her 4 person Collaborative meeting: “I understand we have made the decision to divorce and I accept that we will have to do that. But, I am so angry that since the separation my husband seems to be having a great time and I barely have enough money to feed the kids much less have pleasure in my life. How can I possibly manage life on my own? This Collaborative divorce just won’t work.”

Unlike psychotherapy which is broad in scope, divorce coaching targets only the divorce process. Psychotherapy focuses on the past and its impact on present functioning while divorce coaching assists clients to adapt to and cope with the emotions and practical aspects of the present situation. The targeted intervention of the divorce coach aims particularly at building spouses’ communication skills. Divorce coaching normalizes the feelings around divorce to help the individual better manage the current situation.

As explained by Dr. Sanford Portnoy, “Divorce Coaches: A New Resource for Matrimonial Lawyers,” American Journal of Family Law, Vol. 19, №4, 2005, therapy typically “seeks symptom amelioration or cure.” According to Dr. Portnoy, the role of the divorce coach is intended to “help individuals manage situations….The emphasis is on helping the client manage in specific, delineated ways. It is skills training rather than healing.”

How Can Lawyers and Mental Health Experts Best Cooperate Professionally In Guiding Their Clients In The Process of Divorce?

Collaborative practice understands that much of what divorcing clients need help with has little or nothing to do with the law.As such, it is important that Collaborative attorneys inform their clients about the available services of divorce coaches (members of the Collaborative team) and mental health professionals(independent of the Collaborative team) so that they can serve as resources when needed. By educating the client at the beginning of the process to the possible emotional upheavals that may arise along the journey and the potential impasses they may cause, the client will be more open to the referral.

What are the benefits that mental health coaches and therapists can provide for attorneys?

Assess the client’s psychological readiness to participate in the Collaborative process.

Assess the client’s psychological readiness to participate in the Collaborative process.

Teach the client how to problem solve more effectively.

Diagnose and treat mental health problems that will facilitate the legal process.

Educate the attorney about the needs of children.

Understand a psychologically compromised client

Serve as a consultant

Facilitate communication between client and attorney.

Minimize the possibility of more time-consuming negative interactions.

Conclusions

The Collaborative approach encompasses the belief that in order to deliver quality legal services, one must “understand” their client. This means that the process of emotional divorce and legal divorce should be coordinated as much as possible. Building inter-professional alliances and networks of communication and developing mutual trust between lawyers and mental health experts (divorce coaches and mental health therapists) will inevitably contribute to their shared vision of working in the best interests of divorcing families.

It is my sincere hope that all information on my website provides you with content that inspires you to enhance your relationships. These materials are not intended to be a substitute for my counseling services. If you are ready to make that leap, please click here to set up a complimentary consultation.