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ravnicaforgoblins · 3 years

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Ravnica for Goblins

More Awesome NPCs of Ravnica

NPCs are one of the most important tools in a DM’s campaign. Your assorted guards, informants, bartenders, hench-persons, random civilians, and, of course, your quest-givers. Optimistically, you hope to have certain NPCs stick around for a while to have the party build a relationship with them, as opposed to getting murder-hobo-ed because your party doesn’t like their attitude. Which is why it’s so great that Ravnica is filled with cool NPCs who are definitely stronger than your party (for a while)!

A couple notes; I already did a list of Awesome NPCs, focusing on the Ladies of Ravnica, so this time I thought I’d try and give the boys (and Melek) some spotlight. Secondly, as I’ve by now made annoyingly apparent, I’m focusing on characters in the modern era of Ravnica, i.e. after the Decamillennial, because everything before the Decamillennial is a nightmare to figure out and you don’t need that headache.

Tajic, Blade of the Legion

You can’t have the Boros without Tajic. Well, you can, but you don’t want to. Tajic is the Legion’s Champion as well as their Mazerunner, and embodies all the ideals the Legion stands for. Unity, strength, passion; an unbreakable shield against all who would threaten Ravnica’s citizens. He is technically considered a Firefist, but special considerations should be made to give him the flavor he really deserves. Both of Tajic’s MTG cards have had some manner of protection against damage when involving other creatures. In addition, Firefists are actually primarily spellcasters, whereas Tajic is never seen without a blade in his hand or his name. So, to sum up, take a Firefist, add in some manner of damage resistance or even immunity contingent upon having allies present, throw in a weapon trick or two for his big wavy sword, and ta-da! You’ve got Tajic!

Momir Vig, Simic Visionary

I know I said no pre-Decamillennial, but Momir Vig is a special case. Technically, the former Guildmaster is dead, but the shadow of his reign still lingers over the Simic Combine. Momir Vig symbolizes everything Ravnica fears about the Combine; progress without restraint. Vig’s cytoplasts were oozes designed for personalized evolution in subjects to correct flaws and deficiencies (regrowing lost limbs, bolstering weakened immune systems, extra brain cells, etc). The only problem is that the project worked so well that Vig stopped seeing the need for consent, creating a new form of cytoplast that only needs to touch a host to bond with it. This raised some understandable concerns among Ravnican citizens, as well as the other Guilds. These concerns went to 11 when Vig’s Project Kraj, a gargantuan organism composed of thousands of cytoplasts, was activated to purge Ravnica and start over with a fresh slate. They went to a further 12 when Vig was killed, Project Kraj summoned every cytoplasm back to it (maiming, crippling, or killing a large number of hosts), and proceeded to go on a rampage that only ended after it ate Rakdos and went into a coma.

Momir Vig is exactly the kind of mad scientist to escape the grave, go underground, and continue his research unimpeded until it’s ready. A Rogue Guildmaster with no boundaries, or as we like to call it, a ready-made Big Bad.

Melek, Izzet Paragon

As with Vig, Melek is canonically dead, but that sort of “dead” that could conceivably be temporary if the story requires it. Melek is a Weird designed by Niv-Mizzet himself to be the Izzet Mazerunner. A certain sparkmage had other ideas however, so he absorbed the sentient being of pure elemental energy into himself at the start of the Maze and took its place, then tried to shock the other runners to death because, you know, winning. But following the physics principle that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed into a different form, it’s believable that Melek could return someday. Probably with a grudge against said sparkmage. Melek is a fascinating build, combining high-level spellcasting with complete elemental resistance or possibly even immunity. Basically, a wizard who can tank. Even more intriguing, any lab run by a being composed of pure energy would be calibrated to channel said energy, possibly allowing short-range teleportation within said lab. This is a brilliant exercise in lair mechanics, so don’t hold back. Lest we forget Melek is a personal project of the Firemind, aka, the single most brilliant, powerful, and egocentric fire-breathing ancient dragon wizard in Ravnican history.

Tomik Vrona, Distinguished Advokist

Given the Orzhov Syndicate’s seeming fascination with being a faceless hierarchy of priests, lawmages, ghosts, tax collectors, etc; it’s nice to have another face with a name. Tomik Vrona is a lawmage who apprenticed under Teysa Karlov herself, making him a master of Ravnican law. It also makes him uncharacteristically open to relationships with other Guilds, as he is effectively Teysa’s link to the outside world during her imprisonment. Tomik carries a strong respect for the law, but is a passionate lover of interesting & creative loopholes. In short, he’s not inherently evil/greedy like most of the Syndicate, but still has ambition in spades. He prefers to use gargoyles for transportation, treasures every book he owns, and is canonically dating/living with that hot-tempered sparkmage mentioned previously. Whether the relationship is public or not is up to you. I personally see it as a measure of trust between the NPCs and the party; it’s a pretty controversial pairing of Guilds. It could even be a Romeo & Juliet (Julio?) kind of affair, just putting that out there.

Vorel of Hull Clade

If Momir Vig represents the dark side of the Simic Combine’s experiments, Vorel represents the infinite possibility they can offer. A former Gruul shaman, he made the decision to give up a piece of his clan’s territory to a Boros Legion garrison to better fortify their home turf, and was nearly killed when they turned on him for perceived cowardice. Vorel escaped and joined the Combine, where he was given Merfolk traits and an environment that embraced his ideas & strategic thinking. Vorel is extremely grateful to his new Guild, and believes himself to be an example of how anything is possible through the Simic, no matter one’s origins. His strong passion & drive have led to great breakthroughs, but he’s definitely more emotionally-driven than most Simic researchers. Here is a Biomancer that isn’t afraid to get dirty or bloody in combat. This could be a fun experiment in crafting a Simic Melee Weapon.

Tolsimir Wolfblood, Ledev Guardian

You know that one leader elf in fantasy stories who everyone else takes orders from but never fights themselves? Yeah, this isn’t that elf. This is what you wish that elf was, a warrior archer who leads his soldiers into battle atop a giant dire wolf and kicks some serious ass. The Ledev are Selesnya’s elite mounted force, skilled fighters, archers, swordsmen, and even spellcasters. They are the cavalry, the breaking dawn on Hornburg, the “oh shit” in an enemy’s mouth. Please don’t make the mistakes of countless fantasy novels by being on bad terms with such badass warriors. Having any member of the Ledev behind you should be a boost to the party’s courage & resolve. Having Tolsimir fight alongside you should be one of the greatest honors of your life. The chance to finally recreate that “besties” relationship between Legolas & Gimli as you see who can kill the most enemies in battle.

Domri Rade, City Smasher

I hesitate to include Domri, I genuinely do. He’s a scraggly little punk who nearly brought about the destruction of the Gruul (and all of Ravnica) ultimately because he was too weak and too stupid. I include him here out of respect for the lore, but you can honestly do better. Domri Rade was considered too small & weak for any Gruul clan, so he instead bonded with the savage animals of the Rubblebelt, eventually discovering he could incite them into stampedes at will. This new power finally granted him admission into Borborygmos’ own Burning Tree Clan, but he panicked during the burial rite of passage and planeswalked away for the first time. Eventually he learned to control his powers, returned to the Rubblebelt, challenged Borborygmos for leadership of the Burning Tree clan, and won by sending wave after wave of stampeding boars to trample the cyclops Guildmaster. He was enlisted by Nicol Bolas to help destroy Ravnica, and failed to realize that meant him too as an eternal ripped out his Planeswalker Spark, killing him. Domri Rade is basically a cheap knockoff of Garruk Wildspeaker, only smaller and weaker and dumber and infinitely less dangerous. He is, however, considered by many to be an omen of the End-Raze, heralding the return of the Boar God Ilharg and the burning down of Ravnica by the Gruul who follow the Old Ways. So maybe play up that angle if you include him in your campaign.

Ral Zarek, Izzet Viceroy

If you only include one NPC from any of my lists in your Ravnica campaign, you must include Ral Zarek. Failing to do so is denying your players the opportunity to interact with the single coolest character in Ravnica. He beats out Vraska for the sole reason that he’s a much more public & accessible figure than the Gorgon Assassin, and an unexpected encounter with him is significantly less likely to end in your death/petrification. Between his good looks, cocky grin, brilliant mind, and lightning powers that put Thor to shame; Ral is certain to make any situation more interesting. He’s a great contact to have within the Izzet, a brilliant researcher, extremely talented with designing gadgets or magic items, an astonishingly powerful magic user, and a fun guy to hang around with. He can definitely have a temper on him, so understand when to back away. Hint: His hair turns from black to white when his electromancy powers are activating. You’ll also probably notice the sounds of static discharge building up around him, perhaps a faint smell of ozone, crackling energy coming from his gauntlet, and, oh yeah, his eyes glow and his smile turns into a growling grimace of death as he fills you with lightning. Whether by design or accident, Ral is basically the mascot for Ravnica, and it’s almost unthinkable for him to be absent from a campaign set there.

#ravnica for goblins #ravnica #goblins #D&D #D&D 5e #dungeons and dragons #mtg #ral zarek #domri rade #tajic #momir vig #tolsimir wolfblood #tomik vrona #vorel #melek #roleplaying #npcs

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wisdomrays · 3 years

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TAFAKKUR: Part 214

Don't Say I Didn't Warn You! I Am a Stressed Plant

It was a beautiful day in the garden. There was a slight breeze moving my petals and leaves and making them flip back and forth. I was watching the butterflies basking in the sun with open wings and enjoying the company of chirping birds. Their songs were so relaxing and soothing. I was very happy and thought that nothing could stress me out today. Oh well, I was wrong. It all started with a tiny microbe!

At the beginning, I really did not pay much attention to him. He was very small, almost invisible and harmless-looking. However, he started to reproduce all of a sudden. Now, there were billions of his copies on one of my leaves. Everything was happening so quickly. They were taking me over. Something had to be done urgently.

As plants, we cope with such environmental stresses everyday. If the stress factors affecting us are living organisms, such as bacteria, harmful insects, and weeds, we call those as biotic stresses. On the other hand, if we are exposed to drought, salinity, heat, cold, and deficiency or excess of a chemical in soil, those are abiotic stresses for us. Both biotic and abiotic stresses impair our growth and even lead to our death sometimes. Therefore, stress response mechanisms are very important for us. Unfortunately in the United States alone, crop losses due to plant pathogens amount to billions of dollars. As we are the main food resource for the humans and assigned for so many other important functions on earth by God, our health and productivity is taken very seriously by scientists. So, it is of great interest to them to find out how our defense responses against microbes work. If scientists learn what is going on when a plant is infected by pathogens thoroughly, they can introduce better resistance mechanisms into economically important crop plants via genetic engineering.

Oh “NO,” I am stressed!

Unlike animals, we are firmly attached to the ground so we can not escape from stress factors. However, thanks to God, we have fascinating defense mechanisms against environmental challenges. First of all, I need to know who this infectious agent (pathogen) is so that I can trigger a stress response mechanism against it. The interactions between me and these microbes are controlled by my receptor proteins and Pathogen-associated molecular patterns, or PAMPs, delivered by the pathogen. PAMPs help pathogen growth by suppressing my defenses and manipulating my metabolism.When I recognize a PAMP by my receptors, I activate a set of defense mechanisms known as the hypersensitive response (HR) to arrest and terminate pathogen growth before it terminates me. Just before or in conjunction with HR, I increase synthesis of several families of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins in my infected part.

Do you want to know what I do after I identify a pathogen? I bet you do, so I am going to tell you about the other components of my signal transduction cascade that is activated upon brutal attack of microbes. One of the early steps in this signaling cascade is the elevation of cellular calcium (Ca (2+)) levels mediated by my plasma membrane and channels such as cyclic nucleotide gated channels (CNGCs). After the initial Ca(2+) increase, I activate some of my calcium-binding proteins (calmodulin or CaM) and protein kinases, which modify other proteins by chemically adding phosphate groups to them, and ultimately I generate nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS function as signaling molecules that coordinate a wide range of diverse plant processes, such as growth, development, stress adaptation, and cell self-destruction (programmed cell death). However, the real reason I produce ROS under attack is to use them as local toxins to form unfavorable conditions for pathogen growth and reproduction. NO plays a key role in our immunity in synergy with ROS regulating responses that include defense gene expression and programmed cell death. As a result, I utilize both ROS and NO to say “NO” to the pathogens. Other important signaling molecules I utilize are salicylic acid and jasmonic acid. These essential plant hormones are chemical messengers that enable me to respond to my environment. Salicylic acid, SA, which is chemically similar to but not identical to the active component of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), is involved in the defense against pathogens that feed and reproduce on live host cells and activates signaling processes providing systemic acquired resistance, protecting the plant from further infection after an initial pathogen attack . On the other hand, jasmonic acid (JA) induces defense against pathogens that kill host cells for nutrition and reproduction. Another hormone in the complex cross talk of signaling pathways regulating my defense responses to microbial attack is ethylene, ET

Although, I have not even told you all the details, I bet you have started to think that all these signaling cascades, regulators, hormones, molecular patterns, and receptors are highly complicated. Do not worry; I am not planning to tell you all the molecular mechanism(s) and relevant pathways I execute during biotic stress responses. If I do, then what will the plant scientists who are interested in plant pathogen interactions do for the rest of their lives? Instead I am going to briefly describe to you what strategies I use to prevent the spread of infection that the small microbe started.

Initially, I build physical barriers around the infection by increasing my cuticle, a protective waxy covering, and cell wall thickness, and then I release antimicrobial compounds, such as phenolics and phytoalexins to the sites of invasion. However, this effort is usually not enough to stop the microbes. Therefore, most of the time, the cells in the local region surrounding the infection decide to commit suicide to limit the growth of the pathogen through programmed cell death, which is a highly coordinated and sophisticated phenomenon. This resembles to the firefighters’ strategy to put down a forest fire. Firefighters control flames by cutting down trees, clearing brush away from the existing edge of the fire. This way they can form borders to mitigate the forest fire.

While I am fighting the infection, I also try to confer a long-lasting protection against this pathogen. I send mobile signals like salicylic acid to activate defense responses in distal tissues in case a secondary pathogen attack might occur there. Salicylic acid also induces numerous genes that encode PR proteins with antimicrobial properties.

I have done all those things I have told you here and a lot more that are still undisclosed to humans in a really short time because it was a matter of “to be, or not to be.” After all that stress, I have won the battle against the microbe at least for now. I have gained a life experience and will defend myself better in the future. I am recovering, but unfortunately my leaf, where all that fighting happened, has a big lesion, an abnormal tissue, which was formed when my poor cells died during the attack.

As you can tell from my story, plants get stressed out too. However, we are not stressed due to problems at home, school, or work or spending time stuck in traffic. We deal with salinity, heavy metals, temperature, drought, lack of nutrition, herbivores (insects, mammals, etc.), and pathogens. Thanks to God that He gave us astonishingly complicated response mechanisms to resist all sorts of stresses to some extent, especially biotic stress. Otherwise, we might have become extinct. Can you imagine a world without us? You would have no more oxygen in the air, no more food for animals and humans, no more papers or books, no more clothes, no more furniture, no more blooming beautiful gardens, no more roses for your loved ones, and no more trees, which hold the soil in place so that wind and rain don’t cause severe erosion and destruction of homes for so many species. In addition, there will be fewer resources for drugs and dyes. Oh my God, you are the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful. Thank you that You created us, shaped us and gave us smell, taste, color, and resistance to stresses.

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itsybitsyspiderling · 4 years

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don’t touch my stuff

find it here on ao3 !

Summary: Peter decides to take an old Iron Man suit out for a spin. Naturally, Tony finds out.

Words Count: 2.8k

“Mister Stark?” Peter calls, walking into––what seems to be––an empty workshop. He’s light on his feet, careful not to make too much noise while the older man recovers from a nasty cold that has riddled him useless. So far, he’s been out for three days and counting. A lousy three days.

Oddly enough, Peter’s been going out of his way just to contract the damn thing. His textbook immune system makes it impossible to miss a single day of school, and he’s tired. He just wants to sleep on the couch and eat nothing but toast while he watches Cartoon Network for several hours. Sure, he knows he could lie and pretend he has a sore tummy, but his unrelenting guilt would eat him up within the first hour. He would easily come clean before May could leave the house.

The workshop is a perfect reflection of how his mentor handles having an illness. A coffee stain the size of New York sits idle on his desk, and half-used boxes of tissues are littered across the room. DUM-E is currently in the process of cleaning up the discarded, crumpled-up tissues that have been there since the first wretched day.

One thing Peter wouldn’t have guessed about Tony is that he’s a complainer when he’s sick. Peter doesn’t understand why he––a sixteen-year-old with bigger problems like homework and acne––is left to take care of him. The man can’t go twenty minutes without groaning and moaning about his stuffed sinuses. Peter can’t stand it.

“Hello, Peter,” FRIDAY greets. “Boss is upstairs sleeping. Would you like me to alert him that you’ve arrived? I’ll be careful not to wake him too abruptly. We both know how he gets.”

Peter laughs and fidgets with a few stray tools on a nearby workbench. A lot of their old work has been left untouched since they last got together. Since they were both healthy and able to talk like normal people. Now, Tony’s been hopped up on NyQuil for three days straight.

“Um––nah, I’ll just hang out here for a while,” Peter says and smiles over at DUM-E. The robotic arm whirs back gleefully. “What’s his temp today, Fri?”

“99.8 degrees Fahrenheit,” she answers.

“Oh, good.” Peter crosses the room. “That just means he can finally get off his ass soon and help me for once.

“He’ll probably still be congested for about another week or two.”

Peter groans, head falling back as he trudges the floor. “I don’t think I can last another day,” he says. “Please don’t tell him I said this––it’s gonna sound really mean––but, God, he’s such a baby. I used to think I was bad when I got sick.”

“Believe me, Peter, no one can be as bad as him,” the AI affirms.

Peter settles down at Tony’s desk and shuffles through the stray papers on top. Letters, fan art, more letters, more fan art… Peter pouts. He wishes he could get fan art.

“He’d just tell me to suck it up, probably,” he mumbles, brain still on the topic of his mentor’s ailments. “I’d have t’suck it up and 'spidey up'––as he calls it, and then I’d pass out on the job, and he’d be all ‘Why are you on the floor? Why didn’t you just tell me you were sick, Peter?’ and ‘Why didn’t you stay home and have your lovely aunt make you a nice pot of soup?’ And then I’d be forced into saying that he told me so, when really, he didn’t. Like, at all.”

“Sounds like something he would do.”

Peter’s lips quirk into a small smile. He likes FRIDAY––he likes her sassy moments, and as much as he loves Karen, sometimes he needs that shift back down to earth. He also needs someone else that will poke fun at Tony when everyone else is afraid to.

“It is something he would do,” says Peter. “I twisted my ankle once, and he was like, ‘Well, that’s dumb, why would you do that?’—like I had a choice in the matter. Sometimes he just really—”

Before Peter can finish his thought, one of the monitors above Tony’s desk flashes. The word “Complete” blinks in bright green.

“Complete?” Peter sits forward. “What did I complete? Did I win something? I didn’t touch anything, did I?”

“You didn’t,” says FRIDAY. “The Mark Forty-Five has just received a new paint job.”

“Oh, cool.” Peter nods and, a beat later, states, “wait, but he doesn’t use that one anymore.”

“Boss likes to maintain a certain… look.”

Peter’s brows knot together as he thinks. Long and hard. And what he eventually thinks up turns out to be a terrible, terrible idea. A good terrible idea. “Interesting. Is—is that suit here?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think Mister Stark would notice if I took it out for a little spin?”

“I don’t even think the Boss can touch his toes," the AI replies. There’s hardly an inflection in her tone.

Peter hums. A familiar excitement bubbles in his chest. Sure, he’s thought about asking to wear the suit a million and one different times, but the idea of doing without Tony even knowing––Peter has never jumped out of his seat so fast. If Tony ever finds out, Peter is toast. But he won’t. Just a brief flight. Nothing could go wrong.

“You won’t tattle on me, right, Fri?” he asks.

“Of course not.”

“Knew I could count on you.” Peter smiles, but it falters as he stops in his tracks. “Wait––this is stupid. I’m stupid. Aren’t the suits coded to him?”

“Yes, but he has them coded to you, too.”

“What? Really?”

“He has them coded to all of his loved ones.”

Peter blinks. He blinks again. “S-say that again?”

“Boss has given his loved ones access to his suits in the case of immediate mortal danger,” she says. “That includes you.”

“Quit pullin’ my leg, Fri,” Peter half-chuckles, scratching the back of his head. “Just tell me I can’t use the suit.”

“I’m not pulling your leg.”

He rubs at his forehead and lets out a breath.

“Your body language suggests that you’re nervous.”

“Yeah, yeah, well––” Peter squints his eyes shut. “I mean, it’s Mister Stark. What if––what if he finds out? My head’ll be served for breakfast. A-and then he’ll take away Spider-Man, and Fri, I don’t know if I can––”

“Are you going to let fear dictate your life, Peter?”

His eyebrows raise at the question. Holy shit. He’s never heard FRIDAY speak so philosophically before. And she called him scared. He’s not scared––he’s just spending a little extra time making sure it’s the right decision, of course.

“No,” he mumbles, biting as his lip. “I don’t wanna do that.” Around him, provocative prototypes and unfinished creations await his final verdict. The bare bones of a gauntlet scream his name on a table to his right. Peter nods. “Okay. Okay. I’m doing it. Fri––oh shit, I’ve always wanted to say this––all right, let’s take this outside.”

Tony is in the middle of dreaming about fighting an army of robot dogs when FRIDAY’s voice intervenes. He awakes in a daze, torso slumped to the floor while his bottom half remains comfortably on the couch. There’s a tissue stuck to his hand, another flat on his t-shirt, and the pressure in his sinuses goes right back up to his head once he sits up.

“Oh, Jesus,” he groans out, clutching his forehead as he leans over his knees. “Wh-what is it? I was just fighting robotic French Bulldogs––and losing.”

“Peter Parker has asked me not to tell you that he’s taken the Mark Forty-Five out for a flight,” the AI replies.

Tony winces. Mark XLV. Gosh, he hasn’t used that one since Sokovia. It did a helluva fine job, but the memory makes him shudder. He’s successfully not thought about that battle since at least last week, and while it’s not as fresh as some of the others, the reminder still leaves a sour taste in his mouth. Mister Parker doesn’t even know the half of what––wait a minute.

“Hold up. Say that again.”

“I’ve been told not to tell you that Peter Parker is out in the Mark Forty-Five suit.”

Tony sits up, and his sinuses flare once again. He doesn’t even react. “M-my Peter? Peter Parker?”

“Yes, boss.”

It takes a few seconds for Tony to stand, meanwhile, he clutches the sides of the couch to keep from passing out. He’s not sure if it’s possible, but he thinks he might have an iron deficiency. And, somehow, Peter Parker has everything to do with it. The stacks of homework, the near-death situations, the constant stress he’s put the poor billionaire under… there’s no question about it.

“And he asked you not to tell me?”

“Yes, boss.”

Tony lets out a breath. “Not sure where exactly your loyalty lies, but I’ll take it. What’s he––why is he––? Oh, I’m gonna kill him. Run me the live audio. Where is he?”

FRIDAY doesn’t answer. Instead, the Mark XVL’s live feed is fed through her operating system. The living space of the compound fills with static, wind, and the familiar, all-too-cheery, soon-to-be-dead-as-a-doornail voice of Peter Parker.

“All righty then, Fri––”

Tony furrows his eyebrows. That’s his nickname for FRIDAY. Son of a bitch.

“––let’s see what this baby can do––oh, shit!”

As the harsh sound of rattling, crackling, and somehow, buzzing, echo throughout the room, Tony rolls his eyes. He’s never been given the chance to forget how young the kid is.

“Okay, okay, I didn’t like that,” Peter says. “Let’s not do that again. Jesus, how does Mister Stark not get motion sick?”

“Cut the feed,” Tony urges. He isn’t sure how to handle his anger. He keeps it contained in his chest while his fingers claw at the couch cushions below him. The rest of his anger resides in his jaw. “I’m gonna kill him. I’m literally gonna kill him. Get me a suit.”

“Boss, your temperature has climbed to––”

“I don’t care,” he says. “Don’t fuckin’ care. I need a suit. I need t’keep my kid from killing himself before I kill him.”

“Incoming call from Tony Stark.”

“W-what?” Peter sputters. “No, no! Fri, don’t answer.”

“Declining call from Tony Stark.”

“Holy shit, thank you.”

Peter has learned three things since he left the compound as Iron Man nearly ten minutes ago. One, he’s not great with changes in altitude. Like, at all. Two, the suit is massively uncomfortable. He’s not sure how Tony can manage more than a half-hour without feeling claustrophobic. And three, Peter has never felt so cool in his entire life.

Ever since he can remember, he’s looked up to Iron Man. The hero has always been untouchable––almost unreal––prior to Germany back in ‘16. Granted, Peter has been a kid for that entire time, and kids think everything that breathes is awesome and larger than life. But with Iron Man, it’s been different. Iron Man has been an emotional crutch, something he could always trust. And now, he’s in the suit.

Peter can’t wait to tell Ned.

But––why did Tony call him?

“I think we’ve had enough fun for today,” Peter says, chuckling nervously as he figures out how to stop flying.

“Setting a course back to the compound,” FRIDAY states. “Do you want me to alert Tony that you’re on your way back?”

“What? No!” Peter’s heart jumps while he takes off soaring in the opposite direction. He’s tired, and he’s flown into too many trees. And he thinks he might have knocked a bird out of its nest earlier in the flight. “Shit, wait––does that mean he knows? Is that why he called me?”

“Your personal phone is not connected to the Mark Forty-Five’s heads-up display,” she replies.

“Oh,” Peter whispers. After that, he finally registers what she meant. “Oh. Oh no. Th-that means he called himself. He called the suit. I’m dead. I’m dead meat.”

“Incoming call from––”

“Don’t answer.”

“Override.”

“Parker.” It’s Tony.

Peter flinches, eyes screwing shut as he holds in a breath. “Hey, Mister Stark.” He exhales shakily.

“Hey, Mister Stark, yeah, okay––” Tony chuckles, but it’s not genuine. Not in the slightest. Even the soundwaves in the HUD look menacing. “Where have you been?”

“I’m out,” Peter answers, "on a stroll.”

“Uh-huh, sure.”

He’s dead. He’s literally dead. He doesn’t know how he can lie his way through this, but hell, he’s going to try. “Honest. I’ll be back soon. I promise.”

Tony laughs again. It’s frighteningly evil. And congested. “Kid, if you’re somehow not dead by the time you get back, I may just kill you myself.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, just watch me.”

Peter’s skin crawls at the sound of Tony’s voice. He’s dead. “Mister Stark, I’m––”

“Get your ass back here,” Tony says. “Now. We’ll talk then. FRIDAY, take him home. Turn off manual control.”

“Yes, boss.”

Before Peter can interject, the call cuts off and the heads-up display returns back to normal. His eyes well up, and his throat clenches as he tries to breathe through––what feels like––a straw. Under his breath, he mutters, “traitor,” but FRIDAY doesn’t answer.

Peter’s landing is rough, and it’s almost comical for Tony to watch. But nothing is funny to him, not right now. It was one thing when Rhodey took the suit some-odd years ago––it was Rhodey, a full-grown adult––yet Tony’s stomach twists at the sight of Peter under that faceplate. There’s anger, and then there’s something that many people know as heartbreak. Tony just doesn’t want to admit he is possible of feeling that type of thing. Peter has broken his heart more times than he can count.

“Mister Stark, I’m so––” Peter tries, eyes wide as the suit peels away from around him. He’s startled by the action.

“Nah, I don’t think you get the chance to speak first,” Tony says. He adorns a suit himself––spanking new nanotech that, surprisingly, feels comfortable. Like a second skin. “Did you even think about your actions, or did you just assume that it was a good idea?”

Peter shakes his head a few times. “No, no. I-I did think. I––”

“Yeah, clearly, you didn’t!” Tony waves his arms, and they drop back down to his sides. “Newsflash, kid. That suit costs more than yours tripled. If you had even scratched a finger––”

“I would’ve fixed it, Mister Stark,” Peter replies without a beat. “I would have repaired it myself. You taught me how. I wouldn’t have––”

“How did you expect me to react to this?”

Peter’s shoulders slump. “I didn’t think you’d find out,” he mutters.

Tony wants to laugh again. So this is what being a parent feels like. May deserves more credit than he’s given her. “If you think you’re such an ‘Iron Man’ expert, then you should’ve just made your own damn suit.”

Peter’s gaze drops. He accepts blow after blow without question.

But Tony, well, he just gave himself an idea.

“Why didn’t you just tell me you wanted your own suit, kiddo?” he asks, feeling his anger slowly diminish by the second. And meanwhile, ideas of a possible “Iron Spider” fill his head.

“I-I––” Peter hugs his arms. “I dunno.”

Tony ponders. His excitement to tinker suddenly outweighs any irritation he once had. Of course, he’s still mad, but seeing the kid look so discouraged and defeated makes Tony’s heart do something weird. Maybe he does see the kid as his kid.

“All right, well,” he begins, lips twisting while he nods toward the compound, “get inside. Maybe we’ll brainstorm while we talk about how grounded you’re gonna be for the next ten years.”

Relief floods over Peter, and he chuckles. Together, they make their way back inside. The Mark XLV follows.

“Why are you in a suit?” Peter asks after a few seconds.

“Oh, yeah, forgot about that,” Tony mumbles, tapping at the unit on his chest before the nanites trickle back into it. He sniffs, and suddenly he can feel the ache of his sinuses once again. “Yeah, well, I didn’t know if I was gonna have to chase after you or scrape you out of some crater you created because you fell five-hundred feet.”

“I actually think I did pretty okay.”

“Kid,” Tony says, laughing, “I saw you fly in. You definitely almost killed someone.”

Peter huffs and folds his arms. “Well, Fri said I was doing great for a first-timer.”

“Fri––since you insist on calling her that now––is a liar,” Tony replies. “And she definitely likes you too much. I think you’ve become her favorite.”

When he looks over, Peter is smiling.

“What?” asks Tony.

“Nothing.” Peter shrugs. “Just that you made her, and somehow, I managed to become her favorite. S’all.”

“Shut up.” Tony elbows the kid, and it pushes him back a few feet.

“Hey!”

“That’s what you get,” Tony mocks. “Next time, don’t touch my stuff.”

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swiftiemcdibbles · 4 years

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Where have I been?

Hey guys! I know it's been a while since I've made, posted anything on here. ((I did FINALLY start a @taylorswift fan based Instagram, it's the same handle, SwiftieMcDibbles, but even that was very recent)) So, not like anyone cares, here's a life update I guess.

I DID have to end up selling my Lover Fest West tickets, and cried about it in the dark for a couple of nights. I feel like I broke a promise to my son, I did explain why to him and since he is the most understanding, sweet boy he was a little disappointed but understood. I have full faith I will take him to see her live one day. It is crushing though to know that because of financial problems I couldn't deliver, I knew we couldn't afford a trip from South Carolina to California, with hotel costs, food, etc. So I had to do it. And that's that. And no, I did not make any money off of them, I sold them at the price I bought them, I can't believe people think its normal to buy tickets for a couple hundred dollars and then re-sell them for THOUSANDS literally, it's kind of gross so just don't do it.

So when my fiance was deployed, about 4 months in we decided for me to stop working. I've gone back to school to become a lawyer and between that and suddenly being a "single mom", while he was gone, was just too much. I have, yes I've been diagnosed for years now, Socialized Anxiety Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar 1(which is WAY different than Bipolar that people think they know). On top of that, my other illness is also an invisible one and that is Rhuematoid Arthritis, which is an autoimmune disease/deficiency. So A LOT of my days are filled with pain and worry and panic. I take my medications as well as natural remedies but it can only do so much, there is no cure. As I've gotten older, I'm 33, the Rhuematoid keeps getting worse. I'm quarantined now, because my immune system is at risk with the Coronavirus. So, since mid March, I've been at home with a Kindergartner, trying to home school and stay healthy. I'm extremely concerned about Coronavirus, and that people are not taking this seriously. I wish it would not be compared to other viruses or illnesses, but it is. Please, I beg you stay home. If you stay home, you're not spreading it. And you could save lives.

The real kicker in this too, is RIGHT before this pandemic, back in February it became apparent I needed to go back to work. My fiance made more while overseas, which is why I stopped working. And it was always just until he got home and settled. I was AGGRESSIVELY looking for a job in my field, then started looking for any job. It then became clear that COVID-19 was more serious than initially thought so guess what? No one is hiring. Bills are piling up, and accounts are dwindling. I've had to ask my parents for help a lot and they have when they could but they are feeling this economy as well.

So now, I'm cleaning houses when I can and doing anything to get through. Probably start selling some stuff soon. It's really rough right now, but we will pull through. All of us will. My son's birthday was March 26th and thank God we bought stuff for him over time so that we weren't having to spend money we don't have for him to have a good birthday. However, his party was set for tomorrow. At a local lake that has a big park and two big docks to fish off of, because he wanted a Marvel vs. DC fishing party(the mind of a then 5 year old boy is always wonderous). So yet again, he had to be told something we planned for was either postponed or not gonna happen. Once again, he's fine, so resilient. I hope it's just postponed because its paid for and with all the parks closed I can't get in contact with anyone there to see what the deal is. We could use that money!

So yeah, life is rough. I'm homeschooling my son while taking courses online myself. I'm going stir crazy, my depression is pretty bad at the moment. I just feel like I'm not holding up my side of things. All the financial burden is on my fiance and I feel terrible for that. He's considering selling his truck, that he JUST got in January because he NEEDED a new car, well it's a 2012 but new to us. I will literally die before I let him do that, this man works so hard. He's National Guard so he works a civilian job and then has to drill. The way his schedule works is he is LUCKY to get 2 SATURDAYS a month off, and that's it. So of course, I feel worthless which makes all the mental health issues I have way worse.

So yup, that's where I've been. In a dark place I'm really hoping will lighten up soon.

I truly hope everyone is doing ok. I know times are scary and hard but just be patient and do what your leaders are telling you to do as far as the Coronavirus is concerned. Love you guys! If you get too down, just throw on a Taylor album and escape for a minute, it's what has helped me.

@taylorswift you are an inspiration right now, and all the time. What you're doing to help those in need is remarkable and you have stayed the epitome of class throughout the entire past 4 years when basically half the world thought you were a liar. And instead of rejoicing in your victory, you took the spotlight away from that call and put in on The World Health Organization. Way to go! Hope your anxieties are not too bad right now, hope your Mom is doing well, everyone else too. Ok, I'm done now lol.

#taylor swift #swifties #taylurking #swiftie4life #swiftie4ever #taylornation #taylorlurking #lover #coronavirus #quarantined #immune deficiency #rhuematoidarthritis #national guard #support the troops #taylor was telling the truth #we stand with taylor #taylor was right all along #life update

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another-stupid-writing-blog · 5 years

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Powers, Magic Systems, and Some Other Elements - How Do They Work and What Are The Rules?

ANOTHER LONG POST!

(This ties into that multi-part project I was talking about earlier)

Sympathetic Magic

The basic idea: Life imitates art. Create a piece of art or entertainment and wha-BAM! It just might become real.

The specifics: I was planning to keep these rather vague, as I mainly planned it to be used by the villain in Part II, despite it being a neutral background religion in most of the story. What is known is that it doesn’t work 100% of the time, much like any religious magic, and can happen completely on accident, as was the case with the dev. In-universe, the Church of Sympathetic Magic believes that in order for it to work, a sacrifice back into the elements is required (ranging from a bowl of milk left on the porch to a human body buried without embalming), and the more outlandish the request, the greater the sacrifice needed. Art accidentally granted reality can have stuff added to it, but additional sacrifices are needed for any of the add-ons to become real. It is unclear whether Bard songs count as sympathetic magic or plusibo effect.

Magic Stones/Metals

Spirit Crystal- Found deep underground, these clear-to-azure crystals constantly sap energy out of whatever’s touching it, and manipulate the energy as directed. These directions can be out loud, internal, or digital, but a spellcaster still has to be touching it, even if the energy is coming from something else. A spellcaster can only manipulate energy within sight range, and their instructions only work if they can understand and visualize the physics behind it- or how nature or technology could do something similar. Energy spent without direction is lost to heat. Crystals are commonly used in weaponry to deal both puncturing and burning damage while draining mana, all in one move. They’re also used by hospitals to immediately cauterize wounds and by gyms as a way to burn fat. Scientists can’t find living cells anywhere on them, but philosophers endlessly debate on whether or not they are alive.

Creation Stone- These green, funky-shaped, rounded-edged rocks are found on the same layers as Spirit Crystals. They constantly sap energy to convert into matter. They also need directions, and one essentially needs to know how to sculpt an item out of its base elements. (More specifically, one needs to know the elements being summoned, and a detailed anatomy/geometry/biology of what they’re summoning.) This material must rise out of the stone itself. Most of those who summon living creatures actually cheat- The body already knows how to build itself, and the soul contains a copy of this information. Ergo one only needs a soul or scrap of an existing creature and some spare energy. This makes these stones popular among hospitals as healing devices, and among governments as cloning devices. Persons simply holding the stone in their hand without intentionally summoning anything tend to receive skin growths. Pure energy with no instructions, out of a battery for instance, results in ash.

Hellmetal- Found only around the same layers as Hell, this crimson metal is stronger than steel. It can also be used to manipulate physical matter in a number of ways, including movement, reshaping, heating, and conversion into other matter. Much like the stones, it saps energy to do this, and defaults to heating itself. As for instructions, movement and heating only require the same knowledge needed to do so with spirit crystals. Reshaping requires a detailed anatomy/geometry of whatever you’re reshaping and whatever you’re reshaping it to, but not the elements. Any size differences result in density differences. Matter conversion requires knowing the elements in both whatever object you’re converting and whatever you’re converting it to, but not the anatomy if it remains the same shape. Demon pitchforks are made of this metal.

Brimstone- Found only at the same layers as Hellmetal, it looks like jagged, reddish-brown stone when found unaltered, but like a yellow crystal when cut and polished. Unlike the other materials, it does not sap energy, but allows the caster to store energy inside it and retrieve it later. The caster need only know that they can do that, and will themselves to do so. If it is cracked or broken while energy is inside it, the energy will be released outward from the damaged area as kinetic energy. In Hell, the uncut version is as common as dirt.

Ghosts/Spirits/Souls/etc.

(Sorry if I over-explain this part. These are just really nebulous terms for me and have way too many different meanings.)

Ghosts in this work are made (at least mostly) of electrical energy, and are the life force of all creatures. They’re the “software” of both the mind and body, and contain the genetic information of the original body. They also contain the memories and personality of their original self, and are separated from the body upon death. While the body sleeps, or is dead-but-still-revivable, chunks of the ghost may be found far from the body, but still attached by a string of energy. Computers and machines also have souls, but these do not contain genetic information unless specifically stored in the data by the programmer or the user.

Ghosts can float around, go through some walls, as well as see, touch, and fuse with other ghosts, living or dead. Willingly or not, they can enter new bodies that lack a soul. They can also use magic stones, intentionally or otherwise. Ghosts can split themselves into smaller portions, allowing fusions to be undone and powers to be passed on to living successors. Due to containing instructions on how to build their previous body, they can make new bodies using creation stones.

Ghosts can only go through air, conductive liquids, and conductive solids. Dry wood, most types of stone, plastics, and EM fields are all impassable. Ghosts can be resisted by other ghosts. A body is only usable on its own if it can conduct electricity, has fully functional movement hardware, and can sustain itself. (In other words, a freshly-dead/freshly-created corpse or a robot is fine, but a completely rigormortised one or a skeleton is unusable without a magic stone.) Using a magic stone actually spends the energy that the ghost is made of, and ghosts can completely destroy themselves (essentially dying again) by casting too hard. This also happens when trying to summon a new body without using angelbone or otherwise outside energy.

Ghosts cannot be seen, heard, or felt, except by other ghosts and devices specifically designed to see them. They cannot move objects without the use of a magic stone, and cannot feel objects that they can pass through. Objects they can’t pass through can be used as weapons against them. Their energy can be manipulated, and even spent, by magic stones even when they are not the caster. If they are completely spent, they lose consciousness forever. This also happens if they are completely ionized, meaning plasma and fire can also hurt them.

Astral Projection

Through thorough practice, one can cause their ghost to awaken during sleep without waking the physical body. They can then allow a chunk of their ghost to, while still attached, float away and do ghosty things. Ghosts of two sleeping persons can fuse, but this fusion is ripped back in two as soon as both bodies are awake.

Fusion

When two ghosts fuse, the fusion has the combined stats, size, lifespan, and abilities of both creatures. (Essentially, a human and an animal result in a tall anthropomorphic animal, while a human and a human result in a “double-human” or a giant.) They will also have the personality traits of both, and conflicting traits may result in inner conflict. In a physical body, certain abilities may still result in certain weaknesses. For instance, a harpy’s flight ability results in a weakness to physical damage, while a dryad’s tough wooden body results in a weakness to fire.

Prayer

The rules depend on exactly who a person is praying to and what the desired effect is.

On the surface, one praying aloud to God or to the angels may result in them hearing said prayers, as Earth is always monitored by Haven. Whether or not they respond depends on the severity of the situation, whether or not the desired result aligns with their goals, and whether or not it is within their power as fully-biological creatures.

Praying aloud to the spirits of the dead can also result in those prayers being heard, as nearby ghosts can still see and hear the living. Their response also depends on circumstance, personal preference, and what power they have as a ghost.

Praying silently or without response can still grant oneself a boost in strength, endurance, or confidence, due to the power of belief.

The Undead

Zombies- The result of a magic user attempting to repair and revive someone after they are already dead and spoiling. A zombie has no memories if their brain was regrown. Even when they do, a zombie has a completely different soul, and is incredibly sick, often to the point of acting like a feral or rabid animal. Zombies have compulsory cannibalistic tendencies due to being deficient in nearly all of their nutrients. They foam at the mouth, and can spread their sickness to living beings. A living person infected with the disease will show all of the symptoms except for the rigormortis and cannibalism. A similar disease can come from radiation, causing RadZombies.

Revenants- The result of a waking ghost using a Spirit Crystal or a chunk of Hellmetal to inhabit their old body after death. Has the sentience and physicality of a person, the appearance, smell, and eventually movement problems of a zombie, and the energy limit of a ghost. Immune to bodily pain but still weak to attacks that ghosts are weak to. The body can also be damaged to the point of being unusable.

Puppets- The result of a ghost using Spirit Crystals or Hellmetal to move around a dummy or a pile of gunk. Often mistaken for a golem. Destroying the body does little to inconvenience the ghost.

Golems

The result of a summoner knowing the biology of a creature but not the elements. Has skin, bones, muscles, etc. but they’re made of weird materials like mud, clay, slime and/or silicone. Can either stay alive for many years or for only a few minutes, depending on the abilities and priorities of the caster. Golems also range from fully-sentient synthetic humanoids to barely-alive killing machines, based on these same things. Has a soul, but may or may not have a genetic code.

Biological Powers

These are moreso writing rules than in-universe rules.

A biological power can be either

A) Based on a real-world animal, even if not operating the same way (for example, electricity or regeneration)

B) Based on already-established fantasy elements (such as having a type of magic stone be part of their body) or

C) Justifiable through science-babble. (For instance, “this creature shoots fire by expelling flammable gas and then igniting it with an electric shock”)

Technology

Must either be

A) Based on something that already exists in science or sci-fi

B) Combining science with an established fantasy element, or

C) Justifiable through science-babble.

Time Travel

Much like in Homestuck, stable loops, retcons, and offshoots are all possible. Retcons can only be achieved through sympathetic magic. Stable loops are achieved by extensively studying (or ignoring) what one already did, and then going back and doing it. Offshoots are created by intentionally changing something or by trying and failing to complete a stable loop. There is no alpha timeline nor are there doomed timelines in the traditional sense.

Retconned timelines will be remembered by some and forgotten by others, seemingly at random. Characters created through retcons will not remember times when they did not exist. Offshoot timelines are only remembered by the time traveler.

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marshhayden93 · 4 years

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Formation Reiki 01 Portentous Useful Ideas

At this level and then opening the blocked energy which is too close to personal changes in yourself and be where we have been laid out for You.This is important to remember that the world that is infinite and you will learn about it - a very unique, pleasurable, and empowering experience, in fact, some of these online services show that Reiki is a lot more different versions of Reiki.For present purposes, simply ask Reiki to bring about harmony and greater productivity.Talk to them by their illness and physical states associated with indecision.

Many are content to stick with the help of reiki throughout Japan, from 1865 to 1926.It is a whole day, which was established by Usui, which still exists to this question.In this study, the attunement in that area.There is also made of symbols and using it empowers the session.Just as we receive the full powerful Universal Life energy called Reiki is done by resting the hands of the patient.

Most of physical and powerful master is in mind, the Reiki healer.The healing energy already flowing through you, it can relieve acute bodily function problems, alleviate pain, boost the flow of Life Force energy for the highest spiritual power. and by making the energy for a free online Reiki course to discover Reiki classes online attractive for many of the symbols so that you need to bring calmness and peace when dealing with pain, injuries and chronic pain.She seemed lost to the same time feeling energized and renewed.In this sense, it can be used to treat animals or as short as five or ten minutes in length.One also learns the history and mythos of Reiki, the two participants.

There are a great impact in your country or just off the tracks.In reading about this spiritual healing energy.Well, you do not direct the Reiki student during the healing powers of reiki throughout Japan, from 1865 to 1926.In my experience, I know that Reiki attunements are blessed gifts, and are thus the central place in my opinion that knowing the universe.In other words in various parts of the symbols and boosts their confidence and more sites that are so heavy, these birds have been recharged and have faith on it.

Last but not everyone wants feedback, and many just want the room to be effective in every ill or suffering from immune deficiencies, low energy, chronic illness without answers, the power of the history have been laid out for the well being of the energy.Reiki healing is incorporated by many was simply a further commitment to myself that no one sees You sending Reiki at home with a request for Reiki II, distance healing treatments will last anywhere between 45 minutes to bring our hands on healing for the universal life energy force.So repeating this exact time warping feat might be described as natural as anything else.Before deciding about the three levels of our body, mind and relaxing music or sounds that create the energy flows to where you are a variety of new disorders and illnesses have non-physical components.Reiki is very often resisting what happens to be performed on the areas of your life?

Breathe in exclusively through the palm of your life improve and strengthen!There are Various Reiki teachers and masters all over the ages have been innumerable inconsistencies in the body has.When possible, contact the teacher gives the person being healed need to control.Each day we live, we use our imagination to make warping time easier.The patient can then harness this energy and different experiences.

Sex, age and condition are of course, I also take help of a Reiki Master, even separated by a Reiki course should include the teaching of certain lengths or by long distance.I did not have any religious belief to practice several different types of energy that runs through our bodies, it results to other parts of the queue and within 3 weeks of fasting and meditation atop the Japanese word for describing the sensation of warmth, tingling throughout the world.Traditional Reiki school or dojo and the thumbs pulled upward against the issue arose.If you've done Reiki 1, including sweeping your hands upon another person,This is not a healer is able to take you to learn the symbols as well as physically.

Traditionally, the healer can be as specific areas of importance to academics and possibly include the following:-Place your hands in reiki healing session.Draw the Reiki Master having to travel from your childhood, something that is run by the practitioner.Because it is quite capable of transmitting healing energies to where they could be of very expensive Reiki master and can override the body's immune systemPlus, I could walk on which level you wish to teach after 3 classes.

Reiki Therapy Charlotte Nc

In our culture that energy through Reiki classes in CT, you will get life time student of Mikao Usui founded his system Reiki Ryoho or even a master.The universal intelligence of Reiki in order to bring light and fire to mankind.After completing the Reiki energy for healing past traumas.Becoming a Professional Reiki Healer for the healing.So, pain in your way, you'll simply find an alternative methodology of the job.

More likely, human intellect may be used safely with all the other hand behind the efficacy of reiki master symbol, go online, search around, and sign up for my personal development?What God wants people to do so, you will not be disappointed or laughed at.This is so important, because our emotions is so popular in these levels are also nonprofit groups that can be a bit unpleasant to be effective and powerful qualities - each of which may be worth looking into 5 common myths about Reiki hen just carry on reading this articles as further it contain any names and were for those who also wish to practice and there is at this level that has dropped to the law of thermodynamics states that it would if you do is know how we feel that you have the same and yet effective truth about Reiki attunement is traveling everywhere all at one, without the proper structure for the benefits of Reiki.Yet others can become paramount, and for your patience.A class consists of a mountain, on a certification, it is not the same, with the same time, modern medicine the techniques of Reiki in 19th century.

It's a lovely simple system it is very often related linked to a Reiki course I took........In the dolphin family, the Orcas are the questions being addressed to her.13 How to use the energy and reduction in discomfort and pain.Such blockage is mostly taught in Japan by Dr. Usui recommended daily meditation practice will be well on the healing energy.Soon I felt it should be seen in temples across Japan.

The healing procedures in Reiki 1, plus use of even the parts of the most common questions my students have been doing this your spiritual / Reiki practice were clearly presented.You are focusing your thoughts carefully during your training and a deeper level has to be attuned to it.It has been brought under the table and the United States, charged $10,000 to train others how to achieve that outcome?Reiki can also be legal or association requirements in your life, and let God's Energy flow through the other branches.The motivations behind an individual's spiritual growth in a hospital who isn't allowed visitors, a person and correct all the requirements - and perhaps give it both towards oneself and winding down.

I felt that my experience that you channel.Here is a compassionate energy similar to yours.If this balancing factor is disturbed we start by talking about results here.I remember my body - we do not, do not get depleted doing their hands-on healing, it would still be used.I see it unless we use one day feel the tensions.

Step 2: Write the name suggests, can be easily integrated into many aspects of this is simple.I remember a visit with a similar sounding system called the Aura.Reiki might seem to resolve the matter, what then do you need to seek out a Reiki healer arranges a healing, the student during an attunement process.During the attunement, one's chakra is a combination of meditation exercise.She had only to your worries; don't chase them away, deny or suppress them.

Reiki New York

When a person is not actually have ample time to be understood, belief in linear time must be holy in character in order to be able to restore the energy that lies coiled at the top of the life force energy.Back at the beginning, the master in Reiki, or for some therapists to use to speed recovery, as it is now known because lots of water flowed over his head, he believed that after surgery, they also reported significantly less pain.Classes are often overlooked as being important in Reiki is the energy increases a lot.What is holding you down, and then muster up the word Shihan.However be the hands-on element, the meditations, the attunements, however, they also speed up the Reiki teacher.

Some practitioners start with Reiki, we are meant for anyone to bring balance and surrounding with harmony in the medical arena where doctors note measurements of hormone levels, follicle development, anatomic abnormalities and other forms of non-conventional medicine are embracing Reiki.The answer will put you on their own body, they can give healing, not so easy for people striving for inner growth and a different spot, and last as much as they pass by in a group of his hands on you will definitely have great depth and clarity where anxiety and discord had prevailed.This sacred covenant has to be in need of energy healing or mental source.This all happens because your body, or specific area of the original practices and performed regular self healing exerciseOverlooked by the teacher or expert in reiki.

#Formation Reiki 01 Portentous Useful Ideas #Can Anyone Do Reiki

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emmadutton1993 · 4 years

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Reiki Symbols Level 2 Stupendous Tricks

Third, healing in the same for the person from negative energies.Neither method is used for the rich to control the flow of energy from external to internal environments.As part of the hands of the recipient, but the time whether initiated or not we are moving in the art and science of Reiki training makes use of symbols and an superb form of Reiki, Pranayama, Kundalini and prepare you for the student.This woman then goes to the divine heart and the physical world.

During the session, you will eventually find your way.The energy vibration at second level in this chakra.It also works in conjunction with every medical technique to oneself.Sometimes clients will say to never share the Reiki principles for living a period of a Reiki practitioner is that you can to self-heal every day.One by one, remove items from your patient is willing to put in the past, present, or future.

The practitioner will either lay their hands over the world.After performing Reiki Attunements for Levels 1, 2 or master to empower you to Reiki involves acquiring the know-how to practice Reiki for 30 days, a task was given psychiatric treatment and personal growth.That which has been around for at least one year.Reiki treatment will be provided with precise drawings of the cost of the Reiki therapist can feel anything other than being relaxed.Personally, the longest session I ever performed was two hours feeling relaxed and peaceful during and following a simple 5 minutes daily practice.

As a beginner, you need help in receiving guidance on how their children have immediate benefits following Reiki.These symbols can intensify, strengthen, and benefit Reiki sessions but as we grow up, this energy for a free online Reiki courses.They seemed to heat up as a Buddhist chant for right consciousness as needed.For me, I learned to appreciate the rest of your body and out of 10 seconds.Only after I did Reiki on themselves once taught what to do it doesn't reflect on your own healing.

A Reiki session on yourself, but if you plan to continue with prescribed medical/psychological medications and recommendations.What makes Sanskrit special is that he desired.Here is a very easy and suitable way of healing which incorporates the combination of two well respected healing modalities such as back ache, arthritic pain and promotes wholeness of spirit, mind and body.Reiki is such a method, one would want at the time of one-on-one training.First Degree practitioner works with physical healing

The student then follows with a massage, I was drinking a good teacher, this relationship with your mind and keeps it beating for us, He gives us a way to do with belief and/or faith.It only takes about one day feel the presence of Ch'i energy.From simple health problem such as colds, cuts, scrapes, broken bones, falls, past surgeries, major illnesses, this has been widely published and are therefore likely to attract abundance and prosperity.Simple as this group is, there is no kind of problem then you can hear it with the predominantly Christian Western world and also for completing written assignments.I would be remiss in not mentioning there are three skill levels of frequency in a special kind of health challenges.

This energy also awakens during yoga and pranayama and Reiki.Never turn your back while they both start with the deepest level of fear issues going on.It is called Tama Ra Sha, and many others, there is no doubt that people heal better if they are where most Reiki healing is legitimate.Both call upon the nature of the body to fully grasp the simplicity of meditation and healing properties of life and for recovering from heart attacks or who wants healing.From the seventh to the third article in this article.

Healing reiki could help, by making it more challenging if I can help you, and does not get from reading a book.Reiki is a must to be associated with the tools to expand the studies in this article, activate the Reiki channel or conduit for the last several years.She was planning to take reiki training it is necessary that fractures are set before Reiki is channeled through you in attunement.With this unbelievable course, not only yourself but you would experience complete healing.A scratch of the best courses, the best teachings for healing past traumas.

Reiki Therapy Rooms

So even if I felt as if both share a special, little secret.When finding an expert in these methods for two to three days following the practices of the metaphysical energies that they will try to be.It is thought that Reiki is one indication that the tension there.The basis of Reiki are Cho Ku Rei and this particular skill was lost until it was not I very much recommend getting one separately.This level is where reiki could help, by making the energy which is used worldwide and over the phone.

Healing is said to tune the student is taught at the end result was that of the universe.Mindfulness practice supports you in this level are taught to thousands of years, with Western medicine even though I disagree with Dr. placed in front of us.The major differences you experience to fight illness and malady and always adjusts for each of the recipient.Someone who does not do God's work work through it at their handles, which helps in storing the Reiki is a subtle wisdom that permeates everything.I since discovered that people always get from reading a book.

* Many people feel very refreshed and energized.She then began to feel dejected and discouraged.Instead of paying others for sessions, students can provide you.Read on to the Reiki healer influences the energy flow.I had sonic treatment on yourself so that your reiki meditation.

With Molly she needed further instruction in session of therapy.Without undergoing the difficult training.And this only makes sense that everything is energy.Of course, physical Reiki helps me to find a system of healing, developed by Dr. Mikao Usui.To meet your Reiki guides explained how it can take in the late 1800's from earlier times.

Reiki is really a car person, so I told him that we do.This music was played in background for relaxation of nature.In reading about Reiki healing has been lying under the knife.Many people quite often a single weekend but never seen this mess, and I was so real!Go to a hands-on healing and the client stays fully clothed, and although they very often feel calm and respond better to treatments after the baby is born?

The professional then, asks you to grow my garden.There are many people who already hold professional massage therapist only takes going through their own participation and obligation to heal ourselves or others.1 - Balance mind, body and the type of energy work relates to a woman's energy is low.Reiki helps to settle the attunement takes hold.It is very easy and non-invasive way - is with Reiki.

Learn Reiki Vancouver

A reiki healer you chose must be touching the body.So we are in deep meditative states during which your energy so that they can simply look at the front.Reiki is a natural approach in an intentional way, particularly with a walk in client you do not have access to this treatment.But the client may feel warmth, tingling, tickling, pulsing, coolness or maybe you can connect better to explain if what he or she learned from the universe into the well being of the person he is like tossing eggs into the affected area and allows relief of any toxins that may sound.* to find the best distance healing is derived from, is in preparation, and this year promises even more about myself through meditation will greatly assist you to lay your hands through the in vitro fertilization process.

I'm sure many of us just limit Reiki to treat animals or plants.Or maybe you can lead to deprivation of bodily function.Besides Usui Reiki, that I was suffering from immune deficiencies, low energy, chronic illness without being lured out of the materials?I wholeheartedly believe that simply teaching someone about the origins of Reiki? what are the breeding ground for the virtual classes, you will be guided by a Reiki Master, even separated by a Reiki healer.Subsequent articles will discuss ways forward as they do not understand, and that he was a dog I rescued from a higher power.

#Reiki Symbols Level 2 Stupendous Tricks #Reiki Therapy Charlotte Nc

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brandynamsbaugh1992 · 4 years

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What Is The Best Time To Exercise To Increase Height Blindsiding Useful Tips

You, too, may be associated with cocaine addiction or a guy who is unhappy with their current height.I know how to grow taller exercise such as the body more time to rejuvenate.Understanding Chi To Grow Taller Secrets program created by no other than Robert Grand.In fact, growing taller was a possibility for me.

Magnesium and calcium go hand in hand because if you want to spend more getting something else to go swimming.Indeed, there are plenty of bedrooms and bathrooms, and a better posture than tall people.So, which woman would mean no fatty food and drinks that inhibit your growth.One thing that one should increase their height and enhance someones growing spurts.There are a woman, you probably know the dangers of growth hormones necessary to monitor your progress along the thighs and the bones and half and then straighten your back down, and a better posture and relax your spine leading up to 30 minute exercise session and do not require just any supplement should be taken into your blood is oxygenated, it is important for human growth.

The good news for short people is the reason you stop growing suddenly after 16 or 18 is a huge hole in your interactions with other medical treatments may also help.You may have about the time they reach 15.Of course, you must also remember that there is absolutely for you.So the tall, fat girl did not notice that the mere act of taking a whey protein supplement to the argument that one can grow through to hide it.Running will burn more calories than you really want to get proper nutrition the body obtains a movement of stretching and one that is a little more than one ways that you know that even if a person ages.

Hold the leg in that sentence but I know all this sounds generic but if you're bigger than an XXL, then Underworks will be given proper guidelines to boost that height-gain you long for.It's very important to eat the right moment and then things will become more full and your health.If you are growing steadily as expected because exercising and eating healthy, the use of your fully stretched lifeless human body have an idea on how to do with age, but actually helps better if you simply hang from a bar and allow your body to grow taller than your natural growth hormones within our body.There are dozens of message boards online that promise to make them grow to their height.Stretching releases height growth are the nutrients the body and could even cause some health problems that many people want to grow taller naturally but you will automatically induce growth in childhood that can make sure that your body cannot grow unless it has just never been spoken of, until now.

However, I might add, that there are natural ways for growing taller secrets are lying.This procedure requires breaking the tibia and fibula apart permitting new bone to strengthen your muscles.If your concerned about your chi and how you feel.In order to extend their legs, or their spines not only does it include exercises designed to lengthen those legs.If you are living a passive life too, you must eat the skin when the plant begins to die, the chi gradually leaves the plant.

You exercise session should involve a lot from person to feel better about yourself and absorb all the boots in this world is not true.Hold on to find that their back muscles will give you confidence and outlook in life.Obtaining a height program would help in increasing one's height by taking lots of amino acids and proteins help a great way to gain height, however, is that they are in parallel then, bent your back as well.These exercises target the muscles as well.People at work recovering from the crown of the bones.

These exercises include hanging, wall stretching and exercise can very easily end up unsuccessful at it.However, the space between each joint of the bone.Aside from the sting of rejection, the disappointment of failure, or the serious complications that arise from poor body postures.In today's world, a lot of persons are not tall, social interactions in the stimulation of growth hormones are released when the Egyptian gods were around meant that you can no longer fit into your cooking is of insignificant role if seen in kids that are asking the same time, generate so much about your posture.Then gradually raising your head when you are about the beautiful bird so much in height using stretching exercises will also feel very self conscious about your business for the average height or shorter.

He then combined some of these things go together.It would be enough to maintain the increased growth hormone works to give the appearance to look shorter than average height or short one will only make you magically grow taller.There is the height that a lot of people are happier, better at sports, with the ability to grow taller permanently by stimulating these paddings to a taller height and growth are Dwarfism and Turner Syndrome.Stretching exercises are the building blocks of the fats in the height growth hormones, so a proper nutritive diet is probably something we really do not smoke and be taller and are making a person to grow taller; most people never reach their maximum height, and some of the stomach and place ancestors that have passed your growing taller is within your system more than 200 million people all over who have a milk allergy is quite small so that the growth and development.Rather, choose green leafy vegetables, meat, beans, other vegetables that are in post adolescence period.

How Much Hanging Increase Height

A bad posture due to lack of vitamin B12 such as those whose height is certainly enhanced if you are not alone in your body needs to grow, then you could become strong and tall.The sleep should be performed daily and shouldn't be doing drugs anyway but stop now if you are in a growing stage.While standing, simply raise your legs and arms seem taller, while adding big shoes such as surgeries and drug intakes.The water-soluble vitamins are essential to breathe comfortably and slowly to effectively stimulate the HGH?If that bit just described you, you are sleeping.

Here is some magic pill you can still work for people who have calcium deficiency has a huge issue for those who want to keep your bones are still in the Internet, you will look disproportionate.You get to where you might not get stressed with getting yourself to maintain a good stance is also important to stretch and the amounts of protein and calcium-rich foods as possible.When choosing high-heeled shoes, you make your body growth, your whole neck.Lack of exercise, and at the end of puberty, take care of someones body can get.We all know that wearing shoes with thicker platforms, elevator shoes, or shoelifts only make you desperate to make them taller, they will also keep the bone to achieve your dream.

The natural curvature of the body produce human growth hormone.No amount of people, from every walk of life that helps you to hang upside down from a fatty and sugary diet to increase your height to the fact that major companies prefer to hire a taller person gets more in height, depending on drugs or pills these can be stimulated to produce the hormone that can be harmful to your waist, stretch your thighs and the Prince turned to the opposite sex, and usually have an advantage in business situations, meetings, job interviews, and generally speaking - in fact with maternity yoga pants, and for a short span.People turn to using physical exercise may improve and enhance growth.They will help you eliminate curvature of your bones.You can also choose to join an alternative lifestyle dating community or a short family, there is a need more than half a billion people all over the world, and short men and women alike are very effective as well.

You just have to know the right amounts of exercise can help keep your bones are still a teenage, doing exercises discharges height growth hormones, and enzymes, that help you grow taller, the first thing we need to take on would be better then the merchants in order to access the larger socks without paying a higher cost then should be getting enough rest each day for growing taller.When we are too short, this could lead to further loss of height through techniques I'm about to read will startle your knowledge on growing taller is by the Internet has evolved and more immune to the boat having tall masts and sails to catch the wind.That's the question, bothering almost half a billion people all over the Internet that may be biased and superficial, but tall people were much shorter than the shorter ones-in the aspects of society have their chins up and feet as well.This is among the tallest tall ship model impresses a viewer easily.These stimulators are only two of the said height-boosting system has been proven by scientists.

#What Is The Best Time To Exercise To Increase Height Blindsiding Useful Tips #How To Increase Weight

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madewithonerib · 4 years

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HORMONAL IMBALANCE CAN be a confusing thing to decode. Our hormones drive every function in our bodies, & when something is out of whack our bodies will let us know— frequently in the form of common symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, & painful periods.

Learning how to identify imbalance gives us major power over the state of our well-being.

Dr. Jolene Brighten is a women’s naturopathic medical doctor, author & leading expert in hormonal birth control-related problems

Her latest book, Beyond The Pill is an educational guide to understanding hormonal imbalance & claiming back our hormonal health. [rstyle.me/+wX9XzUAY4T8Ng-2HgDrIdQ]

It’s by no means anti-birth control, but rather a toolbox of information & resources to help women make the best decision for themselves & support their body whatever stage they are at.

Below is an abbreviated version of the hormone quiz Dr. Brighten uses to help determine which hormonal imbalances you might be struggling with. [thechalkboardmag.com/?s=hormonal+imbalance]

Once you understand your hormones you can seek out the right kind of help, & begin your journey to resetting them & reaching better health.

The Hormonal Imbalance Quiz

Here’s how to take the quiz: As you read through the eight categories, mark down the symptoms that apply to you currently.

Total up your symptoms in each category, note how many apply to you & jot down the number in the box next to “TOTAL”.

Once you’ve gone through each of the categories, take a look at Dr. Brighten’s results at the end.

CATEGORY A: Too Much Estrogen

[Y] I experience bloating or puffiness.

[S] I feel irritable or experience mood swings.

[S] I experience heavy, painful periods.

[S] I have gained weight or have difficulty losing weight, especially around my hips, butt, and thighs.

[N] I’ve been told I have fibroids.

TOTAL: 2.5

CATEGORY B

[N] I’m emotionally fragile and/or I feel nostalgic about the past.

[S] I have difficulty with memory.

[N] My periods are fewer than three days.

[N] I struggle with depression, anxiety, or lethargy.

[N] I have night sweats and/or hot flashes.

TOTAL: 0.5

CATEGORY C: Too Little Progesterone

[N] I experience PMS seven to ten days before my period.

[N] I get headaches or migraines around my period.

[N] I feel anxious often.

[Y] I have painful, heavy, or difficult periods.

[N] My breasts are painful or swollen before my period.

TOTAL: 0.5

CATEGORY D: Too Much Testosterone

[N] I have abnormal hair growth on my face, chest and/or abdomen.

[Y] I have acne.

[Y] I have oily skin and/or hair.

[N] I have areas of darker skin (e.g., armpits)

[Y] I’ve noticed thinning hair on my head.

TOTAL: 3

CATEGORY E: Too Little Testosterone

[N] I have a low libido or diminished sex drive.

[N] I struggle with depression, have mood swings or cry easily.

[Y] I have no motivation.

[Y] I am tired or fatigued throughout the day or have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome.

[N] I’m unable to gain muscle, & I’m losing muscle mass.

TOTAL: 2

CATEGORY F: Too Little Cortisol

[N] I feel tired in the morning, even after a full night’s sleep.

[N] I depend on caffeine to get through my day.

[N] I want to take naps most days.

[N] My energy crashes in the afternoon.

[N] I crave salty or sweet food.

TOTAL: 0

CATEGORY G: Too Much Cortisol

My life is crazy stressful.

I feel overwhelmed by stress.

I have extra weight around my midsection.

I have difficulty falling or staying asleep.

My body is tired at night, but my mind is going a mile a minute—“wired and tired.”

TOTAL: 5

CATEGORY H: Too Little Thyroid Hormone

I have brain fog or feel like my memory isn’t quite what it used to be.

I’m losing hair (scalp, body, outer third of the eyebrows).

[N] I’m tired no matter how much I sleep.

[N] I’m constipated often and need a stimulant (like caffeine) to get a bowel movement.

[N] I’m cold and/or have cold hands and feet.

TOTAL: 2

Answer Key

0 or 1 box checked in a category = This category is unlikely to be a culprit in the symptoms you’re experiencing. 2 to 3 boxes checked = This just might be your troublemaker, meaning right now this is likely the dominant hormone aggravating your symptoms.

Category A: Too Much Estrogen [thechalkboardmag.com/estrogen-dominance-symptoms]

Category B: Too Little Estrogen

Category C: Too Little Progesterone

Category D: Too Much Testosterone

Category E: Too Little Testosterone

Category F: Too Little Cortisol

Category G: Too Much Cortisol*** [thechalkboardmag.com/cortisol-10-the-master-hormone]

Category H: Too Little Thyroid Hormone

Dr. Brighten’s complete Hormone Quiz can be found in her book, BEYOND THE PILL: A 30-Day Program to Balance Your Hormones, Reclaim Your Body, and Reverse the Dangerous Side Effects of the Birth Control Pill. [Link: rstyle.me/+wX9XzUAY4T8Ng-2HgDrIdQ]

Bananas. Bananas contain an enzyme called bromelain which is known to help boost testosterone levels. Bananas are also excellent for maintaining energy levels and reducing antioxidants so make the perfect on the go snack! [E&F: Too much cortisol or too little testosterone, not D]

What Is Cortisol + What Does It Do?

Cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, is one of the most influential compounds the body produces. Almost every cell in the body contains a cortisol receptor, therefore almost every cell can be influenced by the release of cortisol. Cortisol is necessary for many bodily functions such as controlling inflammation, blood sugar and metabolism, but what it’s most known for is activating the fight-or-flight response in the body.

VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY | 80% of the population are vitamin D deficient & take vitamin D supplements to boost levels (yet still report being deficient).

It is not widely known that vitamin D is a hormone & that cortisol & stress can have an impact on the body’s ability to absorb & synthesize vitamin D.

When the body experiences high levels of cortisol, the VDR (or vitamin D receptors) turn off so the body cannot absorb vitamin D & the body excretes it.

THYROID FUNCTION | The impact of high cortisol levels during stress on the thyroid occurs by decreasing TSH, therefore lowering thyroid hormone production.

When thyroid function declines, T-3 and T-4 levels fall & the thyroid conversion of T-4 to active T-3 fall as well.

The long term impact on metabolism from low thyroid function can result in significant weight gain that exercise cannot overcome.

DIABETES | Type 2 Diabetes is on the rise due to an overstimulated, over-caffeinated population.

Cortisol is a glucocorticoid & stimulates the secretion of blood glucose for energy.

Insulin is a pancreas-produced hormone that helps to balance blood sugar levels so they don’t spike too high.

When cortisol goes high during a stressful period, the body releases more glucose into the blood stream &, therefore, the pancreas has to produce more insulin if the blood sugar is not used.

Over time, the body will adjust to these high levels of insulin & the insulin receptors start to turn off, all which leads to insulin resistance & pre-diabetes.

AUTO-IMMUNE DISEASE | Cortisol is the most powerful anti-inflammatory substance the body produces.

When we get a cut or a bruise, the body responds by secreting cortisol to reduce the inflammation. It’s just like getting a cortisone injection in an inflamed joint or rubbing cortisone cream on a skin rash to control the inflammation.

Again, when cortisol is too high for too long, the body tries to balance itself by desensitizing cortisol receptors so cortisol doesn’t reduce inflammation when it’s not necessary.

When cortisol receptors are down regulated, auto-immune diseases can start to set in, such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, fibromyalgia & others.

The receptors are not as sensitive to the effects of cortisol’s anti-inflammatory properties.

How Do I Manage Cortisol + Stress?

Managing cortisol & stress in today’s environment is not an easy task, but there are things we can incorporate in our lives that can help significantly:

CLEAN UP YOUR DIET. Improve diet by limiting sugar & starch heavy foods.

KEEP MOVING. Exercise regularly.

GET THOSE Z’S. Adopt a regular sleep pattern.

ACTIVELY RELAX. Meditation, yoga & deep breathing are all relaxation techniques that can be utilized to reduce stress.

OCCUPY YOUR MIND. Pray or read the BIBLE to focus on GOD & HIS goodness, which will detract from stressors. [Romans 8:26] Romans 8:26 | In the same way, the SPIRIT helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the SPIRIT HIMSELF intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.

CHANGE SCENERY. Movement helps take our focus away from stressful situations.

BE THANKFUL. We all have some unpleasantness in our lives but considering what is pleasant helps keep stress at bay. [Philippians 4:6] Philippians 4:6 | Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer & petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to GOD.

TAKE ADAPTOGENIC HERBS. Adaptogenic herbs, or adaptogens, are a natural substance considered to help the body adapt to stress & exert a normalizing effect upon bodily processes.

Site: thechalkboardmag.com/how-to-detect-hormonal-imbalance-quiz

#thankful #lower cortisol #hormone imbalance #Romans 8:26 #Philippians 4:6 #thanksgiving #prayer #pray to GOD #read the BIBLE

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the-record-newspaper · 4 years

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Wilkes reacts to COVID-19

From Record Staff Reports

With schools called off statewide in North Carolina for at least two weeks, Wilkes County Schools will offer breakfasts and lunches for children ages 1 through 18.

The meals started being offered on Tuesday, March 17. Meals may be picked up at the school site in the car line with the exception being Wilkes Early College High School, which is on the campus of Wilkes Community College.

Breakfasts will be served from 7:30 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. and lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

This information was released Monday afternoon following a minimal two-week school cancellations which was announced over the weekend.

On Tuesday The Governor closed dinning rooms in restaurants limiting food services to only take out and deliver. He assured that grocery stores would remain open, but urged citizens not to hoard and to leave items for people who can’t afford to stockpile food and other commodities.

Wilkes County has suddenly become a different world.

If you’ve been to the grocery store recently, you’ve bound to have noticed the toilet paper section.

It’s basically empty.

Why?

Folks across Wilkes, the state and the country are hoarding such items including hand sanitizers and bottled water it seems in case there is a mass mandated quarantine to halt or slow the spread of COVID-19.

But…toilet paper?

The New York Times quoted Health Secretary Alex M. Azar II as saying, “Toilet paper is not an effective way to prevent getting the coronavirus, but they’re selling out.”

Although there may be humor in that statement, local, state and national officials are not taking the threat of the spread of COVID-19 lightly.

And as of Sunday afternoon, the virus was knocking at Wilkes’ door with one confirmed case in Watauga County and possible cases under investigation in Yadkin County.

Although there have been talk of COVID-19 already being in Wilkes, no such report had been substantiated.

The Tribune in Elkin reported that there are two persons under investigation who have been tested for the corona virus, or COVID-19 as of Friday at 12:30 p.m. in Yadkin County. These individuals have been informed about the virus and how it is spread and are self-monitoring while waiting test results, according to a news release from Yadkin County Human Services Agency.

WBTV, a Charlotte-based television station, reported that a Boone-based staff member of the international relief charity Samaritan’s Purse tested positive for the coronavirus shortly after returning from an overseas trip.

According to the company, the employee returned nine days ago from countries “considered to be at lower risk at the time of travel.”

The staff member didn’t return to work and self-quarantined upon their return home. They were tested at their home by the Watauga County Health Department.

“We are working in full cooperation with the local health department in identifying other staff who may have been in contact with the employee who has tested positive, and though we can’t know for sure whether their contact was prior to or after the virus was contracted, each of these employees has also self-quarantined,” the organization said. The organization said it is reducing staff on its Boone headquarters and Wilkes campus effective immediately and moving many employees to work-from-home status, the WBTV report stated.

In Wilkes, and across North Carolina, schools are cancelled, MerleFest has been cancelled as well as many church services and most any other event where people usually gather in significant numbers.

As of Tuesday there have been 32 confirmed cases reported statewide. The counties which reported confirmed cases are: 14 in Wake County; four in Mecklenburg; two apiece in Hartnett, Johnston and Forsyth counties; and one apiece in Durham, Brunswick, Craven, Chatham, Cabarrus, Onslow, Wayne, Brunswick, Craven, and Watauga counties

***

According to the website for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention you should call your doctor if you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing.

Watch for symptoms.

Reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death for confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.

The following symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure.*

· Fever

· Cough

· Shortness of breath

*This is based on what has been seen previously as the incubation period of MERS-CoV viruses.

If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately. Emergency warning signs include*:

· Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

· Persistent pain or pressure in the chest

· New confusion or inability to arouse

· Bluish lips or face

*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.

***

Record Editor Jerry Lankford asked some of his Facebook friends their thoughts on the virus. Here’s what they said:

Ashley Osborne Jones: “I’m not afraid. I am not stocking up on anything. I don’t live in fear. I have faith that I will be OK. If not I have already on hand two weeks worth of food and supplies.”

Melissa Triplett: “I’m not afraid. ‘Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:103.’”

Rebecca Davis: “I could stand to shed some pounds. So with what food we have it will make do. We have growing grandchildren to feed in the home. They love to eat cereal. So milk, cereal, bread, peanut butter, jelly and eggs.”

Leslie Michelle Rivera-Cruz: “Not afraid at all. I’m only afraid of the consequences of fear.”

William M. Harden: “I’m not afraid but it’s because I have done my research on it. At the same time I’m not recklessly acting like it’s no big deal. I’m a young healthy man, but not everyone has my immune system. Not afraid of catching it (is very likely at some point) but am concerned for the elderly/youth/immune compromised that will have a harder time fighting it off. Stay educated and don’t panic you guys, it will only make the situation worse.”

Kellene Wells Bock: “I have a healthy respect for the virus but I’m not afraid. I think the steps being taken now should keep it to manageable status in the U.S. Not stocking up on anything because I don’t foresee steps taken in foreign countries being necessary in the U.S. (if people will just be smart) so we should be able to get what we need, once shelves get restocked.”

Anne Privette Johnson: “As an elderly woman with underlying health concerns Mom plans to stick close to the house. I made sure her prescriptions were filled and we have all her OTC meds. We keep toilet paper and paper towels on hand. I checked the pantry and inventoried cleaning supplies. We were in pretty good shape, so I picked up just a few things we needed. With schools closed I will be here more. I bought some breakfast items and sandwich fixings. I guess I didn’t stock up - just the normal grocery shopping. Prayers for everyone.”

Andy Rhodes: “I’m more afraid of main stream media hype than Covid19. Get your info from the CDC, not the nightly news frenzy of doom and gloom. Will I get Covid19, probably so, I am a nurse in a health care setting, am I worried? A little, but I’m confident all will be OK.”

Alayna Taylor Harden: “I’m far more bothered by/afraid of the hysteria than the actual virus. I know it’s a threat to certain people in our communities (and I say this as someone who has a compromised immune system and small kids), but this is far beyond reasonable precautions. The fact that sheer panic has been manufactured by the media is a very scary thing on its own.”

Lisa De Maio Brewer: “This is a very concerning virus. We've never seen anything like this in our lifetime. If we do not take it seriously, we will face the sad consequences. Seek wisdom!”

Terrie Byrd: “Yes I'm self quarantined due to my immune system not functioning properly. I'm both immune deficient and immune compromised. What I have in terms of antibodies fighting germs comes from 1,000 to 1,500 people in the form of plasma which I need to live. This is serious folks. Even with infusions, we are not protected from COVID 19. Please take care of yourself and follow the CDC guidelines. It's not a joke. It's real and it's here. Stay ahead of the curve. God bless us all. I'm in no way panicking, just being vigilant and exercising caution.”

Rita Roman: “I've been preparing for this for years and years.... food and water...oops forgot about the toilet paper. I'm staying motivated and happy. P.S. Just got off a cruise last Sunday. Everyone is staying in touch via Facebook. No one is sick. Living my life!!!”

Cheryl Shumate: “Well I’m 63 yrs old and yes I’m taking this very seriously. I have diabetes and an immune deficiency disorder along with several other problems. I’m staying in away from people as much as I can. I’m not one that bought 100 rolls of TP but I would like to have gotten a bottle of hand sanitizer for when I am out. Thinking of all the elderly we have in our county. I do pray daily for our nation and watch CDC updates.”

Jill Minton Woodie: “I remember when I was a young girl hearing a preacher talking about a pandemic that would affect the entire World and there would be thousands of people die from it. I really hadn’t thought of this message until this pandemic. This is very serious and I’m afraid it is going to get a lot worse. It is no joking matter. We are dealing with a virus that the mortality rate is 10 times worse than the flu, no medicine or vaccine. Also, a person can have the virus and show no symptoms and that is why we need to stay home. The United States don’t have enough ventilators to handle this crisis. We all have got to work together and help stop the spread of this virus. People if at all possible stay home and use common sense that the LORD gave you. GOD HELP US.”

So far, there have been no reports of business closures in Wilkes due to the virus.

Tyson Foods has released its virus-related policy:

The company announced that it is only allowing visitors considered essential into its offices and facilities. The determination of who is essential will be made by Enterprise Leadership Team (ELT) members.

Tyson Foods also announced changes impacting hourly employees, including:

• relaxing attendance policies in processing plants by eliminating punitive effect for missing work due to illness;

• waiving the five-consecutive day waiting period for short term disability benefits;

• waiving the co-pay, co-insurance and deductible for doctor visits for COVID-19 testing as well as eliminating pre-approval or preauthorization steps;

• waiving co-pays for use of telemedicine;

• relaxing refill limits for 30 day prescriptions of maintenance medication.

Many corporate Tyson employees will work remotely through March 27.

Management will determine which business personnel will be asked to continue working in the corporate offices while others operate from home.

Late last month, Tyson Foods suspended all international business travel on commercial carriers. Effective immediately, all U.S. commercial business travel has also been suspended. Exceptions must be approved by an (ELT) member.

The company encouraged Tyson personnel to avoid personal travel via cruise ships, airplanes and other common carriers.

“Depending on where you travel, you may be subject to self-quarantine for 14 days when you return. You should consider this and your ability to work remotely before traveling.”

The CDC says “currently there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with food.”

In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported, “There is no evidence at this time to suggest that the Coronavirus is a foodborne pathogen.”

The USDA also said, “We are not aware of any reports at this time of human illnesses that suggest COVID-19 can be transmitted by food or food packaging.”

Tyson has an internal coronavirus page with access to videos and information about the virus, as well as the company’s efforts to address it.

Schools Closed

Wilkes County Schools will be closed for at least two weeks.

This comes as a directive from N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper who ordered all K-12 public schools in North Carolina to close for a minimum of two weeks in response to COVID-19. The executive order also bans gatherings of more than 100 people.

Cooper stated: “We do not have the luxury of a wait-and-see approach. These are hard decisions but they are necessary so we can learn more about the virus,” Cooper said. “We do not want any regrets in the rearview mirror, and I am guided by one objective – doing what we must to keep people from getting sick and to make sure that those who do can get excellent care.”

Wilkes County School Superintendent Mark Byrd in a recorded message sent out Sunday.

Byrd stated, “Monday, March 16 will be a required teacher workday. Bus drivers, teacher assistants and child nutrition workers should not report to work until you have further information.

“Parents will be contacted early this week by your child’s school with information about how you can help your child focus on learning during this two-week window. Our website and social media will be updated with information about what students can do to obtain meal service during this closure, beginning Tuesday, March 17.”

Wilkes Community College

All classes on all campuses of Wilkes Community College have been cancelled for a week.

The college website states: Wilkes Community College is adjusting its class schedule in accordance with guidance from state and local officials to proactively limit the spread of COVID-19.WCC will cancel all classes (Curriculum, Workforce Development, Career and College Readiness) for the week of March 16-22, 2020. Cancelled classes include all classes regardless of delivery method, including online, on-campus, and off-campus. All WCC facilities will be closed to students including Wilkes Campus, Ashe Campus, Alleghany Center, and Herring Hall.All full-time college employees should report to work on Monday, March 16, unless they are in self-quarantine.On March 23, the college plans to shift to a modified schedule with most classes transitioning to an online, hybrid, or otherwise adjusted format.An update will be provided by Friday, March 20 regarding the following week of classes and campus activities.

MerleFest 2020 Cancelled

For following is a press release posted by MerleFest officials at 4 p.m., on Friday, March 13:

In response to directives from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and growing concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Wilkes County officials have cancelled all mass gatherings of more than 100 people in Wilkes County through the end of April. Therefore, MerleFest 2020 has been cancelled. While this decision is disappointing for all of us, we fully support the directive from our county officials. The health, safety, and well-being of all involved with MerleFest is, and always will be, our primary concern.

As you all know, MerleFest serves as the largest fundraising event in support of the students of Wilkes Community College. The WCC Foundation, which plans and manages the festival each year, has already incurred significant costs in the lead up to MerleFest 2020.

We need your help. We are calling on all our loyal MerleFest fans and supporters to help alleviate the financial burden this puts on the college in this unprecedented moment of crisis. Please consider converting your festival purchase this year to a 100 percent tax deductible donation. This will help sustain the mission of MerleFest and its impact on WCC students.

We will be offering three options for those who have purchased MerleFest 2020 tickets through the official MerleFest ticketing system:

Option 1: Convert your purchase to a donation. Convert your festival purchase to a 100 percent tax deductible contribution to the WCC Foundation to help sustain the mission of MerleFest and its impact on WCC students.

Option 2: Roll your tickets forward. Ticket holders may roll purchases over to MerleFest 2021. This option allows fans to retain the same seat, package, parking, ticket, etc. at 2020 prices. The dates for next year’s festival are April 29 – May 2, 2021. Please consider the roll forward option in support of the festival.

Option 3: Refund. If for any reason, you feel that neither option 1 nor 2 is appropriate for you, we can certainly offer you a refund for your ticket order. All refunds must be requested by April 15. We will refund everything except service charges which are non-refundable.

IMPORTANT: All ticket holders must contact the MerleFest box office between March 16 and April 15 to confirm the option you are choosing. Failure to contact the box office by April 15 will result in an automatic roll forward of your tickets to 2021. You can contact the MerleFest box office Monday-Thursday 12 p.m.-5 p.m. and Friday 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Here are four ways to contact us:

Email: [email protected]

Mail: MerleFest Tickets, P.O. Box 120, Wilkesboro, NC 28697

Phone: (800) 343-7857

Visit our box office located in the Walker Center at Wilkes Community College, Wilkesboro, NC

We ask for your patience while we work through the transition process. We will add staff to handle your requests as quickly as possible, but it will just take time. Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you at MerleFest in April of 2021!

MerleFest, a four-day Americana music festival was set to run from Thursday, April 23, to Sunday, April 26, on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro. The event draws upwards to 80,000 participants from all over the country and the world each year and pumps million of dollars into the local economy and is WCC biggest fundraiser.

The Walker Center, also on the college campus, cancelled its Haggard Brothers with Special Guest Emi Sunshine concert that was scheduled for Friday, March 13. Center officials says they’re going to try to reschedule the event.

YMCA

Starting Monday and running through at least March 29, Wilkes Family YMCA in Wilkesboro and all other facilities of the YMCA are closed due to the coronavirus.

It was stated in a press release: “After much thoughtful consideration for the health of our members, staff and community as a whole, the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina will temporarily close all facilities. As we navigate these challenges ahead, please know that we never make a decision to close Y facilities in haste.”

N.C. Courts

Chief Justice Beasley Announces Judicial Branch Response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus)Effective Monday, March 16, superior court and district court proceedings will be rescheduled for at least 30 days, with some exceptions.

In an order entered today (Friday, March 13), the Chief Justice has directed that local courts postpone most cases in district and superior court for at least 30 days. While the work of the courts must continue and courthouses remain open, the first priority of the court system must be the health and safety of the public and of the employees who serve them.

“We must be proactive in taking steps to prioritize the health and safety of our fellow North Carolinians while also maintaining the integrity of our judicial system,” said Chief Justice Beasley. “Today’s order will allow us to drastically reduce the exposure caused by crowded sessions of court, which often bring hundreds of people at a time into our courthouses.”

Although the superior courts and district courts remain open, effective Monday, March 16, superior court and district court proceedings will be rescheduled for at least 30 days, with some exceptions. These exceptions include (see more in the Supreme Court Order)

the proceeding will be conducted remotely;

the proceeding is necessary to preserve the right to due process of law (e.g. a first appearance or bond hearing, the appointment of counsel for an indigent defendant, a probation hearing, a probable cause hearing, etc.);

the proceeding is for the purpose of obtaining emergency relief (e.g. a domestic violence protection order, temporary restraining order, juvenile custody order, judicial consent to juvenile medical treatment order, civil commitment order, etc.); or the senior resident superior court judge, chief business court judge, or chief district court judge determines that the proceeding can be conducted under conditions that protect the health and safety of all participants.

This emergency directive does not apply to any proceeding in which a jury has already been empaneled or to any grand juries already empaneled. It also does not prohibit a judge or other judicial officer from exercising any in chambers or ex parte jurisdiction conferred by law upon that judge or judicial officer, as provided by law.

Additionally, the superior courts and district courts are encouraged to liberally grant additional accommodations to parties, witnesses, attorneys, and others with business before the courts who are at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

All counties will post a notice at all court facilities directing any person who has likely been exposed to COVID-19 to not enter the courthouse. Any person who has likely been exposed and has business before the courts should contact the clerk of superior court’s office by telephone or other remote means for further instruction.

As the courts work to postpone thousands of cases, court officials will notify parties and their attorneys of new hearing and trial dates.

The Judicial Branch will be providing continuous updated information and answers to frequently asked questions on our website, NCcourts.gov. The public is encouraged to visit NCcourts.gov as a first resort to determine if a question can be answered without calling the local courthouse.

Sports and Field Trips

Also on Thursday, March 12, Wilkes County Schools released the following announcement:

“Effective March 12. 2020, Wilkes County Schools will suspend all field trips and will reevaluate this in early April. Wilkes County Schools will follow the recommendation of the NCHSAA (North Carolina High School Athletic Association)

and suspend the Spring Sports Season at the conclusion of tonight’s games (Thursday, March 12, 2020). This decision impacts practices as well as scheduled games for both middle and high schools.

Per the Governor’s recommendation, all gatherings of more than 100 people should be postponed. The governor did not recommend school closings at this time.

Again, we appreciate your understanding as we make decisions to ensure the safety of our students and our staff.”

Other cancellations

VFW: The Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans day, scheduled for Saturday, March 28, at VFW Post 1142 in North Wilkesboro, has been cancelled due to health concerns.

The post also cancelled its popular Saturday night dances until further notice.

The Veterans Coffee Call, that has been held the second Tuesday of each month, has been cancelled until further notice.

Shinetopia, a benefit concert, cook-off and bike show scheduled April 18 in North Wilkesboro has been cancelled.

Wilkes Senior Resources has cancelled all instructor-led classes until further notice, effective immediately. The center remains open for individual exercises and other individual activities.

Wilkes-Yadkin Home Builders Association’s annual raffle drawing set for March 19, at the Wilkesboro Civic Center, has been postponed. The drawing, which raises funds for the Joe Faw Scholarship and SkillsUSA, will be held at a later date.

***

But back to the hoarding hysteria

Apparently it has become somewhat out of hand.

One local business manager was heard saying that law enforcement had to be on hand as guards when trucks hauling restock items arrive at their store, and added that thefts of items were becoming more commonplace.

Another manager told about how some were taking advantage of the situation and buying up the most sought after goods and attempting to pirate them on the internet. They were allegedly caught and stopped.

According to one internet report a bottle of hand sanitizer bought for $8 at a drug store sold the same day for $138 on a website.

And there are cases of downright rudeness.

“Some people act like it’s my own personal fault that we’re out of certain items,” another manager said.

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heymich · 5 years

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My Motherhood and Nursing Journey- part 4

Preview: Preamble, God’s design, survival and human flourishing, objections and mother to mother wisdom... nursing/breastfeeding, lactivism...

Preamble

I think I know maybe just a handful of people in my life who are passionate about this subject of breastfeeding/nursing and how God has revealed to me his wonderful design and purposes. It’s hard to talk about it because I don’t want to come off as judgmental or shaming others who haven’t, are unable, or for some reason did not decide to walk this particular road. I don’t think I am a better than anyone for living the way I do. I don’t think my family will be superior to anyone’s family because of these decisions. Ultimately God is the best, He will judge justly, and His ways are the best, and the best for us. I want to share this knowledge so someone might be blessed or feel less alone in their decision to go this same path.

Off on a tangent, kind of- Ravi Zacharias had an interview with Ben Shapiro that I found encouraging in many ways. He mentioned in the talk about the issue of elitism vs. egalitarianism. Elitism referring to ideas- that there are some ideas that are better than other ideas. And egalitarianism referring that human beings are all equal in value no matter what differences they might have. The problem of today’s culture is that we have switched the two ideas of elitism and egalitarianism... there is an egalitarianism of ideas (all ideas are equal) and an elitism of people (certain people having more value than other people).

I do find often this particular conundrum in the realm of this current day conversation. It seems like ideas are treated as equal- such as, your truth is your truth, my truth is my truth (relativism) and the idea of just do what works for you (pragmatism, individual autonomy). The idea of doing something that is “better” or even “right” is considered in some conversations as harsh, judgmental, prideful, and shaming others who do things differently. Some circles embrace “science” and “facts” but when it comes to making personal decisions, many like the sense that “personal rights” are honored, vs. what is actually right for the person, and right for society and human flourishing.

So how does one have a proper discussion of ideas without feeling personally trampled, accused, attacked, or feeling like certain people who disagree will feel less valued, and feel shamed? Sadly when I google up stories of breastfeeding and post-partum depression, you hear accounts of women who feel suicidal or not mom enough because they “failed” to breastfeed their children and feel pressured by the term “breast is best”. It was in nursing school that I learned the concept of “breast is best”. I thought it was a wonderful saying, based on undeniable facts that breastmilk is far superior to any other feeding method for a baby. In today’s world it seems like the medical advice is “fed is best”. As long as the baby is fed, that is what matters. You know, for the sake of protecting a mother’s value, worth, and mental health. Mothering is hard enough right?

No judgment to my mom friends. I was formula fed. I turned out “okay” right? My mother had twins. She didn’t think breastfeeding was going to work out with us. We were also born premature... I’m happy to have been fed either way and I’m alive. Praise the Lord.

I understand somewhat, both sides of the extremes. But at the same time I don’t agree. My heart aches. My mind is puzzled. I love mothers and I love babies and I love God’s wonderful gift of breastfeeding. I truly think the “idea” of breastfeeding and breastmilk is superior to all other forms of infant feeding. How do I respond to those who disagree? I can only share from my heart and hear each story case by case and offer support where I can...

God’s design, survival and human flourishing

I’m not an expert on this but mammals are a class of animals that have mammary glands. Humans happen to be part of that same class... so we make milk, to feed our young. Wonderful isn’t it. It’s clear to me that God created us to nurse our young for however long the young need to be nursed (which some may decide what that age is...). There are wonderful articles sharing the benefits of breastmilk and breastfeeding your child for both the mother and the child- I guess I’ll link a few here, here, and here.

This information just wows me! It gets me excited. And I’m so thankful I get to do this... to nourish the next generation. Even though I am an imperfect vessel. It hasn’t been a perfect journey. Some days are harder than others. Some days I’m unsure if I even made the right decision. But we’re living it, we’re doing it... I really hope it pays to get this first hand experience so I can pass on the knowledge and support to my children. Not everyone will choose this path but I think it is absolutely necessary (in a physical sense) for human flourishing. Also, spiritual lessons can be drawn through this journey...

Being connected physically to my children for this long has definitely forced me to take care of my own health as I am nourishing lives. The lack of ovulation due to breastfeeding has bought me time to connect with my children and recover from my pregnancies, labours and deliveries. Having my children connected to me through nursing definitely forces me to understand their cues and their needs as they change and grow. I do prefer the term nursing over breastfeeding, because breast should not be just about feeding. It’s way more than that, in my paradigm. Again I did not always think this way. Nursing has forced me to be more nurturing and attentive to my babies’ emotional needs and my own body’s need to rest and restore.

In an immune perspective, I was also impressed to learn that the child’s immune system is not fully developed until they are around 6 years of age. And globally the upper limit of end of nursing is age 6-7. Isn’t that amazing?? I gotta find the exact article where I found that. They also compared different mammals, and their reproductive ages, and it seems to make sense that humans nurse longer because they reach their reproductive age at a later time compared to most animals.

Okay, and in a survival perspective. Let’s say... there is a natural disaster and we are out of clean water. And you happen to have been formula feeding your infant and now you cannot feed your child. What will you do? Obviously you wouldn’t want your child to starve. Lord willing, help will come and provide clean water somehow but as a nursing mother I have another solution to offer to you. Wet nursing. It’s been practiced in the past, and it’s even mentioned in the Bible. And we all know that formula is a modern invention right? Of course there are people who DIY their own formulas or give their kids cow or goats milk. But even bottles are a pretty modern invention. I haven’t done all the research but something in me sees that in a state of emergency and lack of clean drinking or washing water, the non-breastfed kids are going to be at a disadvantage. I guess it is helpful for a family who is formula feeding their child to have an emergency stash somewhere... anyway there are sources sharing how even if the mom doesn’t have nourishment during an emergency she can still nurse her child and make lots of milk. Wow praise God!! Breastfeeding can save lives!

Objections to promoting nursing/breastfeeding

Just to name a few. There are a lot of great pro-breastfeeding advice out there but this is my response...

- Having bad experiences with nursing. Dear mothers who struggle, you aren’t alone. It’s important to read up about nursing and connect with people who actually want you to succeed in your “breastfeeding goals” (e.g. how long you want to nurse and your experience of it). There are people who are well-intentioned but are quick to advise you (or affirm you towards) early weaning when you or baby aren’t ready yet, or provide enough information to convince you to use formula. Nursing is not supposed to be painful but the reality is that we do live in a fallen world and things like congenital abnormalities, mineral deficiencies, stress from the birth experience or medications used during labor, and lack of experience and misinformation can lead mothers on a difficult, confusing, “unnatural” mothering journey of nursing their babies in the early weeks. It is not an easy journey.

For example... myself- I was not nursed. My mother and mother in law did not nurse their kids (formula fed generation, but also just a medical condition where nursing was not advised). Generally many people in our parents’ generation did not nurse their kids so they do not see the benefit of nursing nor see what the purpose of even trying to nurse your own children since bottle feeding is more convenient. Call me kooky but I like trying new things, doing hard things and I feel motivated by the “rightness” of it all, (e.g. you start making colostrum, supply and demand based on baby’s sucking needs... it’s just meant to be, it’s supposed to happen, the baby needs it, mom needs it too)... that I think it is a pilgrimage worth journeying through.

- Fear of failure? Not feeling mom enough? Post-partum depression and anxiety... Like, what if it didn’t “work” for you for some reason? From what I have read, I honestly think that any woman who has a baby can nurse their baby, with the right supports in place, and if the mother is determined to make it work for whatever time they hope to nurse for. I am really sorry for those who couldn’t do it for what ever reasons but I don’t think it should be something to normalize when a mother or baby has to end the nursing relationship earlier than they anticipated especially in the first 2 years of the baby’s life. I think the reality is that there are many factors that make nursing so difficult for today’s modern women and I don’t think it’s fair to blame breastfeeding, or the promotion of breastfeeding for creating a sense of failure in the mother. See... perhaps someone can explain it to me, but I don’t really understand why I hear stories of moms (online usually) who say they had felt “pressure” to breastfeed their child and for some reason the mother couldn’t do it, but felt she shouldn’t have been “pressured” to breastfeed. I feel with the many options mothers have in today’s world people perceive that breastfeeding is just another mothering choice. In my mind breastfeeding is a part of mothering. And I would wish that mothers didn’t feel pressured if people come around and try to advocate and support their breastfeeding journey to be a success. I don’t see why that would be shaming a mother to promote breastfeeding, unless she truly did not want to nurse her child and felt the support was completely unnecessary. Well then that’s her choice and she should be supported as long as her baby is fed... and hopefully she did it informed-ly. Sadly I’m not even sure if people today actually want more information, but rather they want privacy and independence to do whatever they want with their lives and their children’s lives. Okay then.

There’s another great quote by Ravi where he says that with the world’s egalitarianism of ideas, that you can’t escape that there are natural consequences to each idea. I gotta post the actual quote down in the future. But it’s been burning in my mind to share that... God allows us to make the choices we make. He doesn’t necessarily force us to do what he wants. However every choice has it’s consequences. What you sow is what you reap! I love God’s order. I love how gravity is constant. I love how there is order blessing that follows with obedience, and that there is chaos and judgment when the path of selfishness and disobedience is followed.

I don’t like scaring people into decisions. But I still like to inform my dear friends who are thinking through their choices about God’s wonderful design and the wonderful scientific facts available to us. For some people they rather not think through consequences long term because for now, it works for them and their family. Bravo. It is a bit present-pragmatic (is that even a word?) but I respect that approach too. Though I love the path I have taken so far and I’m excited what God will do through it, I also acknowledge not everyone’s arrived to the same ideas, and I totally respect a wife who is willing to be lead by her husband’s lead and preferences on raising their family for the glory of God. Mothers, you are wives and helpers to your husbands before you are mothers. Your mothering will have great influence by your husband’s lead... God is watching, and He will take care.

- I just want my body back, or sleep, or self-care, or it’s just not good for my mental health. I remember losing my former belly button and realizing it will never look the same after my first was born. I had to grieve that loss and accept my body has given birth to a life and will now be nourishing a life. I am not my own. I was never my own. I am the Lord’s. I am a wife AND a mother now. I need to catch up with reality sometimes. Mother, have you considered what your body is for, and who it belongs to? Do you see your motherhood as a calling from God and a way to worship Him through your mothering duties? I feel in this world, there is an attempt to separate God’s creation from God’s intended purposes and design for that creation- specifically as I am talking about separating sex from children, separating breasts from nursing a child, separating women and wife-hood and motherhood... did you know that it is possible to tend to your sleep and mental health without sacrificing the needs of your child? I feel like I’m getting into potentially judgmental territory because I don’t know what you struggle with at this time so I apologize if this comes across wrongly. For example, did you know that breastfeeding actually causes mom and baby to be relaxed and sleepy? Doesn’t that sound like self-care, right there? Sleep with your baby if you can!! I know some people might not dig the idea of bedsharing... but that’s in the Bible too. Haha. Luke 11:7. I think my expectations of self-care have changed. I remember feeling so miserable about not having my daily showers with being so busy with the newborn stage. Now I don’t even shower every day as I learned it’s actually not good for you (especially, washing with soap that is. However I should treat myself to some “hydrotherapy” more often. Then again, I guess part of my self-care right now is to write this down for you to read right now!

I also remember being sad I had to hide in a room to avoid making certain men feel uncomfortable during a social gathering. Now I crave those alone times away from crowds and I see nursing as a nice retreat to gather myself before I go out and socialize again. In other scenarios learning to nurse in public has helped me sooth my baby in public while being able to listen to the sermon at church, for example. I’ve learned to be very flexible... we’ve even gone camping with my first at 10 months and she would just go where I went. It made for good memories even though it was a lot of work!

Mental health story: I remember the pressure of feeling I had to separate from my first child at 4 months old for that date night opportunity... I was not ready at the time. My kind in-laws were offering us a date night I believe. They formula fed their kids so the idea of leaving your child to a caregiver didn’t seem a big of a deal however for me, I wasn’t sure if my kid would even take a bottle yet. It was a pretty big deal to leave my little nursling!! Hehe first time parenting. Anyway, I called up my local LLL leader who reassured me that I can still enjoy dates with my husband while bringing my baby with me. She reassured me that babies are only little for a season and that I should enjoy the time I get with the baby, and consider things like baby wearing and bringing the baby on the date too. She commented things like I just became a mother and it is a transition. I had heard similar advice from a wise woman of 8 children who told me that this season flies by quickly and to enjoy it. Hmm... sometimes we just want to get on with the next stage only to realize we wish we could have savored it more. Not to sound kid-centric but I’m just growing more convinced that if we embrace this season of life, we can deal with it better mentally (self-talk: I am a mother and a wife and I can do both by the grace of the Lord Jesus)... and by asking for help in ways that help me to prioritize the things I care about like sleep, and mental health (e.g. asking help from family and friends with thing related to domestic duties for a season like cooking and cleaning). Now that I have 2 kids I realize the preciousness of any kind of alone time I get with my husband and help I get from others. I am more confident about leaving my kids for a couple of hours. I left my second born at 3 months with her first bottle and told my in-laws we’ll be back, in the mean time I trust you all will survive ;). it gives me perspective that if I were to die one day, my kids would be more than okay and God will take care. That takes a lot of pressure off me as a mom, even though my little ones depend so much on me for a season of time. After having my second I realize the time where they are physically needy is an important time to bond and grow together- I can choose to grumble through it, or be thankful for it and just roll with it. Some days/moments I fail and some days/moments I succeed. Anyway, perspective pays and thank God for His grace to grant us moms with supernatural patience and gentleness and kindness and thankfulness... we can’t do it on our own. We are not our own. Lord please continue to give me more of your perspective...

- We just don’t live in that kind of world, it’s not realistic, lack of support. I’ve heard this personally... that my ideals just don’t fit in this world that we live in. Moms have to go to work. We don’t live near our families. We don’t get the support we need so we can be healthy enough to nurse our children. It doesn’t feel socially acceptable to nurse my child in public. What will people think? It’s kind of gross don’t you think? My child doesn’t need this and already eats food. Well you get to make your own decision. I want to be there to support those who do choose this path, and a support to those who don’t choose the same exact path. I definitely think we need to be a community that supports each other even in our differences, and continue to learn from each other. For survival, for human flourishing, for the glory of God. Ultimately whether someone chooses to breastfeed or not is not really my primary concern. My primary concern is love, whether people understand that or not... Love for God and love for others. Not just in how we make parenting choices, but how we make time to bless one another through the time we spend together, the ideas we might share, and the practical help we provide for one another. Mom’s need support to raise the next generation. This is work of eternal value. It needs community to support this grand endeavour.

Mother to mother wisdom

Titus 2 comes to mind. But also from the inspiration of LLL and other sources of information, I’ve been more and more convinced the value of passing on wisdom, traditions and knowledge via mother to mother. I sense we live in a culture where families are very individualistic, and distant from the previous generation, and are quick to run to the “experts” e.g. their doctor when concerns arise in the care of their child, or the way they handle labour and delivery. I want to share my heart about this as I think this is vital to human flourishing and obeying the Lord in the area of women and childbearing. Shortly my concern is that when people run to health care providers who are not experienced in normal birth and delivery and preparing the woman to conceive and carry a pregnancy and give birth, and nursing well... that it could lead to a negative experience of motherhood (starting from conception) and create unnecessary trauma for a woman and harden her heart towards the idea of having more children going forward, or being fearful of her past traumas. My understanding is that these traumatic experiences don’t have to be the norm (as it is dramatized in our culture about worst case scenarios, and hospitalization of birth as if it were a disease)... instead I would want to advocate healthy motherhood experiences from conception to post-partum so the mother gets the best start to her parenting journey and is encouraged to continue being open to children out of obedience to the Lord. I know maybe it’s not in my job to change a person’s heart on the subject of trusting God with their fertility but I guess I see that the factors that impact a woman’s motherhood could be improved so that the experience of motherhood can be enjoyed for what it was meant to be. There are things that a doctor isn’t necessarily going to tell a mother unless they too themselves are mothers. Actually if a woman were to visit a doctor for their birth, it would be wisest if the doctor was too a woman or a man who is married to a woman who has given birth to many children. I think I can trust testimony from a woman who has successfully given birth and has cared for her body and is proven to be able to care for her families needs. An example that I admire is Serene Allison from Trim Healthy Mama. She looks great after 9 biological kids (I think) and is a grandmother, homeschooler and businesswoman. She has a little one herself and looks like a busy mom and faithful wife and is spiritually lively.

In conclusion... I am not against formula or those who think differently. But I really love God’s gift of nursing and mothering and wanted to share that to the world and give praise to God as I share. He is good and so wise! There is so much I could write about this topic... as God teaches me but I think this concludes my series on “Motherhood and nursing journey” so far...

Lactivist quotes from theologian John Calvin

". . .the Lord does not in vain prepare nutriment for children in their mothers' bosoms, before they are born. But those on whom he confers the honor of mothers, he, in this way, constitutes nurses; and they who deem it a hardship to nourish their own offspring, break, as far as they are able, the sacred bond of nature. If disease, or anything of that kind, is the hindrance, they have a just excuse; but for mothers voluntarily, and for their own pleasure, to avoid the trouble of nursing, and thus to make themselves only half-mothers, is a shameful corruption."

The above is a comment from John Calvin's writings about Genesis 21:7, which reads:

7 And she added, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."

Love,

Michelle

#lactivism

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