everything's gone to shit and life is completely meaningless and i hope i wake up dead <- he lost the receipt to lightbulbs that had the wrong base size

Something else about the introduction to Betz's translation of the Greek Magical Papyri worth noting.

See below:

What we get from all of that is that the stuff about the "demonic" aspect of divinity tied to Greek folk religion may also be related to the influence of Egyptian magic and religion. This Egyptian influence seems to be a fundamental part of the chthonic form, function, and identity of the gods of the PGM, as well as a whole worldview about magic itself. Human life, at least in magical terms, is centered around negotiating with the underworld, whose gods and demons are invoked in order to acheive almost any worldly goal. Optimal prosperity, pleasure, and even apotheosis all depend on the power of the underworld, and, as Betz stresses, the powers of death. It's honestly not hard to find resonances here with goetia, and certain modern conceptions thereof, and from there it should not be too hard to form a bridge between this magical worldview and things like Satanism.

True to the spirit of ancient pre-Christian polytheism, the universe is populated and "governed" by powerful and capricious divine-daemonic forces. Humans seem to be inescapably caught up in these forces. Indeed, "holiness is also a curse". From there, religion is to be understood not as faith in the hope of salvation by reception of divine truth, but instead simply as the awareness of divinity and its caprices, and consequently reaction and relationship to the divine cosmos. Human life is a jungle, and the order that we impose for ourselves often has us forgetting that.

But therein lies the role of the magician. Betz refers to the pre-Christian magician as a "crisis manager", "power and communication expert", "all-purpose therapist", someone who solves problems and makes people feel like things work in a world where they don't work as they did. But I read between the lines and see more. The magician is a self-directed force of assemblage. In a world where most humans are caught between fates and powers, the magician learns and knows how to manipulate, direct, negotiate, perhaps even control some of those same powers and fates, and affect changes in the world in accord with will. The magician, per a reading of Claudio Kulesko's "Cultivating Darkness", is someone who puts the fragments of the world together into anything they want. The magician is someone who turns religion, and the knowledge of the religious worldview (in pagan terms), into the very source of their power.

To be honest, from there, between all that and the stuff I wrote about the black ram last weekend, it seems easy to intuit how or why a lot of the modern Left Hand Path inevitably sometimes seeks the inspiration of ancient Egypt. Not simply because of the belief that Set makes for the pre-Christian model of The Devil, but because Egyptian magic presents a clear, ancient horizon for magical apotheosis, which in the PGM takes on a rather gritty, sort of individualistic perspective about religion and power.

I'm always wondering what the symbolism of certain characters having a Miraculous is for their characters. Marinette: Creative artist is given the Miraculous of Creation Alya: Investigative truth seeker is given the Miraculous of Illusions Nino: Defensive friend is given the Miraculous of Protection Kagami: Overachieving warrior is given the Miraculous of Perfection Rose: Cheery optimist is given the Miraculous of Jubilation

But then its like how does Adrien match with Destruction? Is it because his dad is Shadowmoth? Or is it just because Destruction and Creation are opposites and they're supposed to be a yin yang pair? Or like how does Zoe fit with Subjection? It made sense for Chloe but Astruc killed that off so what's up with that?

For Zoe I'd say it has to do with defiance of authority, but said defiance needs to have a balance between individualist thinking and humility. Chloe doesn't possess the latter, and that's why she's not the right fit for the Bee. The Bee's power has the ability to take away someone's agency as a human, and it needs someone who would use it for good and not abuse it (like Chloe did within 2 minutes of wearing the Bee). Chloe doesn't respect authority, not because she disagrees with them, because she is selfish and self-centered and believes she should be the one in charge. I don't think with Zoe they touched upon authority, specifically, but more of individuality.

Chloe was expecting Zoe to be just like her, a carbon copy of the mean girl. Her mother doesn't listen to her unless she puts on the act of the spoiled brat. She had to keep on putting an act all the time to please everyone around her, until she learned in the end that being herself was worth it, even if people around her didn't accept it.

Adrien's match with destruction is more complex and not as straightforward as Marinette getting paired with creation. Destruction is simply put, a negative force, a far, far more powerful negative force than the miraculouses ironically being used by the two antagonists of the show. It needs someone who has enough self control to use it wisely and not let it run rampant. Adrien has always been careful to use his powers for good, because he is a good, soft-hearted bean who doesn't want to hurt anyone.

But it's not just inversely proportional with Adrien (ie., the more good the holder of destruction is, the less it spirals out of control). He as a character, has always been one to chase after freedom, to break free of the binds that his father puts him in. Plagg's power gives him the ability to literally break prison bars, it can't get any more symbolic than that. On a sadder note, Adrien is also very self-destructive, and is more than content to internalize his hurt way too often so he doesn't burden anyone else. This part is not his fault, it's the consequence of getting punished every single time he shows any emotion or for being a child reaching out to his father. But does it pair well with how he is way, way too good at controlling a powerful force like destruction? Yeah.

Dabi’s Self Suicide

I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but Dabi is someone who has a tendency to make things about himself. In the League of Villains which is identifiably a group dynamic, Dabi takes every available opportunity to insist that he is alone, he is just along for the ride. A single man, with a single conviction, should be enough to change the world. He has a tendency to act like he’s the most important one here, he’s the one whose going to bring an end to hero society all on his own and yet at the same time he has no sense of identity. He has no self. He doens’t even have a name. Hawks asks him his name and he literally responds with [redacted]. I think this paradox of Dabi’s is at the core of figuring out who he is, and who he is not. 

1. Father Feelings

There’s something important to understand about Dabi, and just like always it starts with the family. I don’t think a lot of people realize how truly unfeeling, callous, cold towards Dabi Endeavor really was. I know we all, even I have used the golden child / scapegoat dynamic to describe Dabi and Shoto, but one important detail is that Dabi wasn’t always the scapegoat, he was the golden child at first. 

More important than Endeavor’s own feelings, is Dabi’s in this flash back. From the start, Dabi thought he was a normal kid in a normal family. He thought he had a normal dad. He even liked his super cool hero dad. Dabi wanted to train with him, wanted his attention and time, but these are just things a normal kid wants. 

However, Dabi was conceived of for very abnormal reasons. From the start, going into the whole affair, Endeavor’s intentions were wrong. Dabi was expected to carry on Endeavor’s legacy for him, he was the center of his attention, the center of his world. Dabi tried his best to carry all of those expectations as much as he reasonably could. 

However, there is literally nothing Dabi could have done in that situation to satisfy Endeavor. It’s not even about being born with the wrong quirk. It’s Endeavor who was wrong. From the start, Endeavor wasn’t interested in having a child or loving a child, but rather having a miniature Endeavor, Touya was just a vessel, to carry all of Endeavor’s hopes and dreams and live vicariously through him. However, that’s impossible.E ven if Touya had been born with the right quirk, that was impossible. You can’t live through another person. Touya’s success never would have been Endeavor’s. Endeavor would hae resorted to the exact same abuse, manipulation, control. Touya was never meant to be his own person, and that’s why even now, even becoming Dabi who is the rejection of everything Endeavor is, he still forms his entire personhood around Endeavor. It’s not that kids choose to form their personhood around their parents, they have to form themselves around their parents, we literally learn how to be people by interacting with other people especially during the developmental years. The same ones that Touya died during. 

Endeavor’s actions towards Touya is that he not only made Touya carry all of his emotions for him, he made Touya bear the brunt of his hurt feelings, all of his expectations, but then when Touya couldn’t carry them He blamed Touya. He tossed him aside. He made Touya feel, that something was wrong with Touya, and that was why he was no longer getting his father’s attention. It’s not anything Touya did, or anything Touya could do about, Touya was literally born wrong. 

It’s literally what he crawled to Natsuo asking. Yet, still Touya tried to fix himself. He was the golden child, now he’s the scapegoat, and Touya feels he did something wrong, so he keeps trying to fix himself, keeps trying to train on his own, and it doesn’t work because it could never work until it results in his eventual suicide and then how does Endeavor refer to it. 

Touya was just another tragic accident. Just a little mistake, along the road to creating Shoto. I’m not trying to explain away any of Dabi’s actions, just explain the way that Dabi regards himself, rather, Dabi literally has no sense of self at all. It’s been completely smashed to pieces. It’s ash. it’s dust. It’s just gone. Dabi’s name may as well just be [redacted]. There was also once a time that Shoto worried that he was more like his father within himself, but he got help from the people around him to realize he’s his own person, help that Dabi never got. 

2. Sins of the Father

So it’s like a genetic trait in the Todoroki family to be completely self absorbed, and dense to the emotions of other people, to the point where you don’t really see other people’s feelings. Like father, like son, like other son. However, Endeavor’s just like that, whereas Dabi and Shoto were made that way. Imagine what it was like to be Shoto, to be constantly told, you’re different from them, you’re the special one, you’re the chosen one. To the point where you couldn’t even play with your siblings, or be a part of everyone’s normal lives, no you were forced to be special. Shoto is oblivious to other people’s emotions because he was literally forcibly separate from other people, and even his mother who was his strongest emotional tie during literally most of his developmental years. 

Empathy is literally formed by interacting with people. You can’t form it or even have it, if your interactions with people are cut off and severely limited. You learn about how other people feel by normal social interaction, something that both Touya and Shoto were eventually cut off from. Touya from dying, Shoto from his mother being hospitalized. After that their ability to form connections with others was severely hampered. 

One funny thing about Shoto is he kind of acts like he’s the protagonist of his own narrative. So does Bakugo. That’s why he goes “Get out of the way all you extras.” Shoto’s the one with the tragic backstory. Shoto’s the one with this motivation to defy his father’s wishes. However, Shoto’s not the main character, he’s not the hero of the story, and it’s actually important that he’s not because the literal setting of the story is a society where everyone has the potential to be a hero. Kind of like how the point of Miles Morales story is that everyone can be spiderman. Shoto, also doesn’t really want to be a main character, or special boy, all Shoto has ever wanted was to connect with his siblings, to have the normalcy that everyone else has. In a society where everyone, even his own father is so desperately trying to stand out, Shoto wants the safety and security of normalcy. 

So you kind of have this paradox in Shoto’s head. Shoto kind of thinks of himself as a main character, even though that’s not really what he wants to be, just because that’s what’s been forced into his head the entire life. The emotional isolation of an abusive parent still ahs an effect on you, even when you’re aware, like Shoto was, that what Endeavor was saying was wrong. No one can grow up properly in isolation, that’s why kids need to interact with other kids and grow up together. 

So, I think the utlimate explanation for Dabi’s attitude towards the rest of the league is this. I’m the main villain. I’m the biggest threat. I’m the one who is going to bring an end to hero society all on my own. 

Once again this ties back to Shoto’s trauma, and Dabi’s. Touya didn’t want to be the special one, he was forced to be. Touya thought he was a normal kid, with a normal dad until he suddenly wasn’t. Then, Touya tried his hardest to be the special one until he literally broke his body, and his dad went no nevermind, turns out you were an extra. 

Saying Dabi is just doing this for Endeavor’s attention is oversimplifying. There’s a need to give a narrative to pain. Shoto even does it. Shoto literally narrates his life, he dumps his life story on everyone who will listen. People who are traumatized, want to give some sort of special meaning to their trauma, they want to feel important, because that in some way might justify what happened to them. If they can’t feel loved, they can try feeling important, like someone who mattered. Otherwise, Dabi is literally just someone who died and got forgotten. Otherwise, he’s just a sad little mistake, the same way his father regards him. Dabi can’t let the league in, because he has to do this on his own to prove he’s special. 

Dabi has this very individualistic and self centered approach to changing the world. He has to do it all on his own. He has to play mastermind. He was to orchestrate Endeavor’s rise and fall, and once again these are coping behaviors. Touya couldn’t control his abandonment, he had no agency in that, so he tries to pretend he’s in control of everything now. Even Dabi burning himself, his self-harming,it’s pain he’s in control of because he’s doing it to himself, father isn’t forcing him to train until he breaks anymore. 

Shoto sees himself as a main character. Dabi sees himself as the main villain. 

However, at the same time. Dabi hates himself. He loathes himself. It comes out in his self loathing behaviors, but more than that every thing Dabi does is an act of self destruction. Dabi has no feelings, no friends, no family, because he’s trying to destroy all those things. 

Dabi has no sense of self, because Endeavor has ruined him to the point where he’s still Endeavor’s empty vessel after all these years of separation from him. Dabi has no self, and also he doesn’t want one. He doesn’t want to grow past this point. 

Dabi has entirely fictionalized his life. That’s why he makes a dramatic reveal. Hee wants to turn his life into a tragedy, where he is the main character, where he is the one that Shoto and Endeavor cannot save. Because at least this way, he will not be forgotten. Unable to grasp for love, he tries to grasp for some kind of improtance, to change the world instead. In that scenario, it makes sense Dabi would distance himself from the league. I don’t think Dabi knows what his true feelings towards theleague are. In fact, I don’t even think he thinks about them. Who cares about what his feelings are? They are entirely separate from what he must do. Any feelings he has, any regrets, are going to burn away when he explodes like a bomb to ruin his father’s life. 

Dabi’s wavering motivations, his constant flipping between different emotions, like he’s channel surfing, I dont’ believe we’re supposed to read into every single thing he says, but rather notice how constantly he’s changing what he’s saying, because Dabi has no stable sense of self. We’re also supposed to see why he has no stable sense of self, because he’s all alone. 

This is the climax of Dabi’s big revenge play, it was supposed to end here, with the tragic protagonist dying. However, I think it’s actually really important in this arc that Dabi gets upstaged. Dabi is not the main character, Dabi’s not even the main villain. He’s not even the only character whose the descendant of a hero. It’s also, really important that Compress is the one who upstages his reveal.

What’s that? You thought I was a background character! It turns out I had this important motivation all along. The pacing is weird but it does achieve the intended effect. Dabi thought this was his moment, but that was actually bad for him. Dabi’s main flaw is that he tries to do all of these things along, but he’s not the only one who dreams of a better world. Dabi, Toga, Shigaraki, Mr. Compress says that all of their dreams are important at the same time. They are all simultaneously main characters. 

Dabi doesn’t get to have his moment, but I think it’s narratively important that he didn’t get to have it, because Dabi does no favors for himself by cutting himself off from the league. It’s meant to be a character flaw, Dabi shouldn’t get his revenge play, because his revenge play ends up with him dying at the end to spite Endeavor one fainly time. Dabi can’t achieve his dreams, because he hasn’t figured out who he is, or even who he wants to be yet. He just knwos what he doesn’t want to be. He just knows what he’s not. He’s not Endeavor. However I don’t think there’s going to be some big twist reveal about his character where he’s like, I secretly cared about the league, or my family all along, I was secretly a soft guy at heart. Those feelings are there. It’s not a problem of being unfeeling with Dabi, rather that Dabi has no central sense of self to stabilize all those feelings around, thus we see him swinging wildly back and forth. I think while Dabi obviously has feelings towards both of those groups of people, a self is something he’ll have to develop over time when he finally introduces himself to the league. When he’s forced to live, past the tragic ending of his play. 

Who will Dabi be when he realizes he has to live past his imagined revenge, who can he become? I think his development from this point will be incredibly interesting to wait, watch and see. 

I'm an ex-anarchist questioning my beliefs. Redpill me on the state.

oh boy. this should be fun.

first of all, glad you're not an anarchist anymore. anarchists are mad lame (engels' "on authority"). i used to consider myself an anarchist and then i stopped (partly) because i realized that even if we succeeded in abolishing the state.....someone else would come along and re-invent it.

why? because the state is natural. as aristotle said, man is a political animal. humanity's natural tendency is toward the state. the state pops up over and over again throughout history several times independently. humans want the state. the state is conducive to human flourishing.

since you're an ex-anarchist i'm assuming you have (or at least recently had) individualist attitudes? well, the individual couldn't exist without the state. at least not in any meaningful sense. the state precedes the individual. i mean, sure, you could be one of those rugged individualists who go flee into the mountains and live "off the grid" (hate to break it to you, but even "off the grid" you're still benefiting from the state). but i'm sorry, that's a waste of a life. spending every moment of your life working to barely survive? you're not a human at that point. you're little better than animal. this is a false idea of freedom.

true freedom can only be found within the bounds of the state. the existence of the state and the community and law and order it provides is a liberation. it is a promethean gift freeing you from the whims of chaos. it is a foundation upon which you are able to build a truly meaningful life. the state is a kind of equilibrium of social organization. it's a balance between the individual and the collective, freedom and order.

you like having rights? well, guess what! you can scream and shout about your "god-given" natural rights all day but unless you have a state to protect them it's meaningless. you know, historically, one of the most severe forms of punishment across many civilizations was one form or another of "outlawry". the lives of outlaws were short and not very pleasant. being proclaimed "as free as the birds in the air" was considered a terrible punishment. up until recently, humans had a real appreciation for the state and the law and order it provided. i think it was probably because back then there were many times and places where anarchy prevailed and so the people living had ample experience with what life was like without the state. i think nowadays people take it for granted.

so i mean it when i say the individual couldn't exist (in any meaningful sense) without the state. the state is the garden within which the man is able to flourish. it is within the state that humans are able to fulfill their potential and develop and achieve self-realization and become directed towards some higher purpose than mere survival. humans naturally tend towards states for this reason.

the state is more than just the sum of its parts. the state is a continuous, living organism traveling through time. it is itself a person and like a person it has a spirit. and though we, as individuals, may die, the state lives on, and so do we, as a part of it. in this way, service to the state is a kind of immortality. the state is the present, the past, and the future. we are connected to our ancestors in communion with the state.

the state is more than the sum of its parts. the state is a spiritual and moral reality. it is the collective and historical will of a nation. it is a synthesis of all the various wills harmonized within it -- a sublimation. it is an engine for organizing power and putting it to use. it is a higher consciousness. it is power and authority. it brings order and gives life. it differentiates. it enables culture -- the cultivation of man's spirit. it is fundamentally creative principle. it is a motive center. a divine logic. as hegel said, the "state is the march of god on earth".

I was wondering if you had another source that otherlinkers were explicitly excluded from the original definition of otherkind in 1990? The source on AnOtherWiki leads to a 2001 FAQ that doesn't mention anything like that. Also, otherlinkers aren't the same thing as KFF.

(just as a warning, this is going to be a LONG post, but i'd rather not put it under the cut for archival reasons, in the case that for some reason this blog disappears)

firstly, i'd like to apologize for phrasing things as if KFFs and otherlinkers were the same thing; a better phrased way to say things would be for me to say that i think many KFFs would be otherlinkers, were they to acknowledge that their experiences don't fit the definition of otherkin.

something else i'd also like to note that i've been thinking about (while it isn't exactly related to this question) is that perhaps people are misinterpreting the terms "voluntary" and "involuntary".

i feel that many people think "voluntary" simply means the initial decision to willingly take on an identity, which is, in part, true! however, voluntary identities are very likely to become involuntary, simply because it becomes too emotionally/mentally difficult to separate oneself from the identity that they've chosen.

being drawn to something, or someone, enough to take it on as an identity can often be a sign of something deeper! i would see this as a form of awakening in and of itself—like cracking open a geode, or perhaps like putting on training wheels before you experience the real thing.

but back to your first question: the way i initially phrased that post was also rushed, as we were trying very hard to write it during a single lunch break at work.

the term otherlinker is a very recent invention (coined in 2018 on the alt-h discord server, while copinglink was coined in 2015 by who-is-page), as being otherkin has always largely been considered a serious, personal experience. only recently have people NEEDED to specify that it's involuntary, so the only sources i can give you are ones that cite otherkinity as being intended as a serious identity, as well as those that state that otherkinity is not as shallow as a game or roleplay.

also important to note is that many of these pages were made and existed before fictionkin were a largely documented (let alone accepted) presence, thus they are scarcely mentioned, (and typically with skepticism or even scorn,) save for on their own, smaller pages. for our own personal comfort, we will not be listing sources that discredit fictionkinity completely.

firstly, here's a full timeline of otherkin history by orion scribner, to show the scope we're looking at

Otherkin Lexicon by Orion Scribner: "Otherkin are real, non-fictional people who identify as other than human. Otherkin identify as creatures from myth and legend, usually elves, faeries, and dragons. This is a sincere identity, not role-play. Many otherkin identify as other than human for spiritual reasons; that is, they classify their identity as otherkin as a personal spiritual belief. Being otherkin is a very individualistic thing: each otherkin reaches his own explanation for how and why he is an otherkin. Some of their common spiritual explanations include that they are other than human in spirit, or they were other than human in past incarnations.187 Although spiritual belief is often involved, “otherkin” isn’t a religion. As such, each person who identifies as otherkin practices whatever religion he individually wants. It has always been the case that most of the otherkin community practices Neo-Pagan religions, and so that religious perspective shapes the common views and ideas in the otherkin community. Some otherkin don’t use spiritual explanations. Some otherkin believe that they are physically other than human, or that their ancestors were."

A Field Guide to Otherkin by Lupa: "The definition for Otherkin I will be using for this book is: a person who believes that, through either a nonphysical or (much more rarely) physical means, s/he is not entirely human. This means that anyone who relates internally to a nonhuman species either through soul, mind, body, or energetic resonance, or who believes s/he hosts such a being in hir body/mind, is in my own definition of Otherkin. Some people do have more stringent standards. However, for the purposes of this book, I am including a wider range of people.

"This is not a roleplaying game. When a person says s/he is a dragon, or a wolf, or an elf, s/he is not referring to a character that s/he only becomes during a gaming session. That which is Other is a constant part of the person; s/he is the Other at all times. Grey, a wolf therian,says it marvelously: “Perhaps I should say that if a being is a color, or a sound, I am two items merged to form a different color/sound. The two are within each other. Sometimes plain to see, sometimes deeply mixed.”"

A Simple Introduction to Otherkin and Therianthropes by Orion Scribner: "Some real people think of themselves as kinds of creatures from mythology. These people call themselves “otherkin.” An otherkin has the belief that he is a creature from mythology, such as an elf. He says that elf is his true self. It is his identity. This is real to him. It isn’t a pretend person that he plays in a game."

The Otherkin Resource Center: "1 : one who identifies with various mythological archetype as vehicles of spiritual evolution and self-expression, similar to Native totemism only with a stronger level of self-identification.

"2 : someone who believes in reincarnation, and that not all of their reincarnations were as a human."

What are Otherkin? by Tirl Windtree: "By far the most common explanation from those who fit the definition (even if they don't claim this specific label) is that whilst their physical forms may be human, their essence, soul or equivalent term is not.

"Of those, the majority make their claim based on reincarnation - what they have been in a previous incarnation so strongly affects their current incarnation that they still identify with it. Obviously this requires a belief in reincarnation, and in the transmigration of souls. Both are reasonably common in a number of religions and spiritual beliefs across the world."

"The most frequent accusation is that all otherkin are lost in fantasy, they've played one too many D&D games and gone over the edge. Personal study seems to indicate this is actually one of the least frequent explanations. Most roleplayers know they are roleplaying, even if they are also otherkin, and roleplaying can be a very useful tool in self exploration."

The Lostkin Project by Gazer: "Otherkin are the supernatural among us. They are the elves, dragons, nymphs, and trolls that used to live more openly amoung humankind. Some are from other dimensions and other places. You may occasionally see them refered to as Otherkind. Otherkin is the more generally accepted term."

Otherkin Coalition by Kreyas: "What is Otherkin?

In a nutshell, Otherkin are a coalition of people who share in common the belief that some internal part of them is somehow incongruent with the rest of the human race. Beyond that, beliefs vary too widely to classify them into any one group.

Some of the most common beliefs are that the soul is somehow different from human. This may go in hand with a belief in reincarnation and “imprinting” (in which a past life as another species leaves an imprint on the soul which is then carried over into the next life), or the individual may believe that this is his/her first life and they are simply different.

Above all, Otherkin is a spiritual belief.

"Are Otherkin really a bunch of delusional, socially maladaptive kids like I read on that website?

NO. As with any group, not everyone fits the stereotype. Any community is going to have its bad apples which stand out in people’s minds better than the typical members. In my experience, Otherkin are usually levelheaded and able to question their beliefs and function in human society.

"Is it a Roleplaying thing?

NO. While some Otherkin may participate in roleplaying, strictly speaking the beliefs are separate from the roleplay - even if they are roleplaying as their identified “kintype”."

Otherkin FAQ v 4.0.1 by Arhuaine, Miaren Crowsdaughrer, Thistile Kachunk, Golden Syrpent, Knight of Ghosts and Shadows, Jarin Dreamsinger and The Crisses: "The Otherkin are those people who believe themselves to be spiritually and/or physically other than human. While mythological species (elves, satyrs, fairies, dragons, and so on) are widely accepted as being included under the term "Otherkin", many people in the community prefer to include aliens, vampires, furries, extraterrestrial humans, and other nonhuman races. A mythological or literary equivalent is not necessary to be included under "Otherkin"; there are types of otherkin that have not shown up in known legends or fiction (star-dragons, Elenari, etc.)."

What are Otherkin, Anyway? by Adnarel: "Otherkin is a term that is generally used to describe people who, In some way or another, physical bodies aside, do not feel that they are “human” in the conventional sense of the word. We (they) feel as though their spirits are not human, nor have they ever been, despite our physical bodies and outward appearance. Some otherkin have testified that they feel that this is their first time on this plane of existence, a.k.a. Earth. Others feel that they have been here numerous times to teach and to heal people. Maybe once they were here in their “true forms”. Otherkin use the term “true form” to describe what they feel to be the shape and nature of their true selves."

What Are Otherkin? by Arhuaine:

"Put simply, someone who is Otherkin feels that they have a soul (or souls) other than human. Usually this encompasses what are commonly regarded as mythical beings such as elves, dragons, fae, satyrs and so on. A broader view of otherkin might also include therianthropes (were-creatures) and those with animal souls (such people are sometimes known affectionately as "furries"), and also perhaps people who consider their souls are alien (often called star-born). The lines between Otherkin and Furries or Star-born are often blurred.

"Most Otherkin feel for most of their lives as though they don't belong. Human society seems alien and unfamiliar in many ways. They may feel isolated and unhappy, yet unable to explain these feelings at first. Then, perhaps they may begin to remember a life other than their own. Sometimes it is not easy to understand such memories, and sometimes the awakening to Otherkin-ness is a difficult and frightening process, especially if they are going through it alone. It is something not easy to share with others, for fear that they may consider you crazy.

"Being Otherkin is not something to crave, nor is it glamorous. It is a difficult and lonely path to tread, and sometimes it seems to bring only sorrow. Memories of loved ones long lost, a home that can no longer be reached, cause great pain. And yet, the life of the Otherkin is not all sadness. It is a life filled with wonder and magic, and a way of looking at the world that humans can never understand. Because magic is so much a part of an Otherkin's outlook, they may be drawn to Paganism or other New-age philosophies."

Are You 'Kin? by Gazer: "To really find out if you are otherkin takes searching. No, not on the internet, inside. You have to reach inside yourself and really look at yourself. This ,for the most part, is an inner journey. You have the answers, not me or anyone else. If you are otherkin then it is a PART of you, but you may be the only person able to find it.

The best others can do to help you is to provide pointers. Show you ways to search inside yourself, tell you how they found something inside themselves. We can hold a mirror up to you, but you won't see anything unless YOU do the looking, and what we see from our side of the mirror may not be the truth."

Otherkin Phenomena: "Otherkin are people who believe themselves to be something other than a human being on a spiritual, psychological, energetic and some even on a biological level, and choose to identify with that non-human fragment of themselves to the point where they count it as a permanent and ingrained part of their personal mythology and/or identity."

and there's plenty more! i'm just tired

i hope this helped answer your question, and perhaps gives others some insight as well!

is this a life update or a novel?

Hi all, long time no post! Nice to meet you new followers, and nice to talk to you again for those who’ve stuck around. Just as a reminder, my blog is as much of a fic blog as it is a journal for me to sort my thoughts.

In that vein, here’s a personal update. CW for mental health/anxiety, physical pain, big life changes. There’s lighter stuff at the end!

It’s been both a long and short summer for me, after deciding to quit work and focus on my mental health. I’m a millennial twenty-something whose mind, like many, is tragically crippled with the capitalistic and individualistic values America has brainwashed me with, so I’ve had a hard time coming to terms with being unemployed and depending on my parents. I’m extremely privileged and humbled to be in a family that still maintains income during unprecedented times. I’ve been trying not to let my internalized struggles turn into this self-imposed shame for partaking in pleasures (I remember second-thinking buying a digital comic book for hours). My parents often say, “We worked hard and struggled because we didn’t want our kids to do the same. Don’t feel guilty for enjoying yourself.” Nowadays, they add that I’ve worked hard during college and my post-college job; in their eyes, I’ve more than “earned” a break, especially after losing my graduation, summers, and trips.

I constantly wonder why I impose so many limitations of myself even more during a pandemic. While being aware of global struggle is important for not becoming out-of-touch, I need to remind myself that people don’t have to earn the right to play or be happy or enjoyment. Obvious lack of nuance aside, it’s crazy to think how much capitalism—largely the idea worth is contingent (work) productivity—has deformed my sense of what’s a basic human right versus what should be earned. I think I’ve mentioned in a previous post that I struggle with thinking in extremes; it’s either starvation or hedonism, and the latter earns far more societal vitriol. I think my Asian upbringing has made me hyperaware of what others could be thinking of me, regardless of how accurate those projections are. I’d fact, I rarely assumed positive opinions. Outside of external validation, I realized how poor my self-image really was. Tearing myself down before anyone else could rarely, if ever, softened the blow.

For the first time, I’ve begun to think that my life is my own and no one else’s. It sounds logical on paper, but so much harder in practice in real life, I’ve realized. This isn’t a constant or ingrained thought yet, often peaking in between longer and more familiar strings of anxiety. But it feels like an important realization during a time full of sadness and uncertainty, let alone in my lifetime at all.

And then I injured my spine.

It happened towards the end of the summer, when I was starting to feel more put-together internally. I felt so creatively productive (in avenues I don’t care to share online) and even closer to family. I had a ball revisiting old shows. I ate food I hadn’t eaten in years. And this was suddenly interrupted when, while showering, I was wracked with unimaginable, nonstop pain. I nearly passed out alone in the shower and barely managed to crawl to my bedside to call my parents; I was lucky they came home early. I couldn’t stop crying for almost twelve hours. I was terrified at the possibility that I may be paralyzed or my legs would be affected. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case, but I was bedridden and wracked with nausea. I could barely stomach anything, not even water. I couldn’t sleep. I was never brought to a hospital, either on the fear of COVID transmission. The whole time, it was so, so debilitating on a physical and mental front. My head was a nightmare.

Like a bad habit, some of my worst thoughts centered around productivity. I worried about the work I couldn’t do. I felt shameful about canceling plans with friends. I hated being helpless and not being able to take care of myself, and felt guilty for wasting other people’s time taking care of me. And yet, if I was someone else, even a stranger let alone a friend/loved one, I’d be scratching my head over why that person would think these things. Fuck work and other life plans, getting better is the most important thing because you can’t do any of those compromised activities if you’re not at capacity! Duh. Anxiety can really a number on you sometimes and it’s awful just how irrationality fuels the spiral.

I’m grateful to be back on my feet. I’m trying to hold on tightly to that victory, to this positive point that I have worked towards. It’s going to be a challenge to do my recovery exercises daily for my 2-3 month recovery period when I barely remember to floss. Moreover, I’ll be in the middle of moving and working full-time again in the next month, alongside the ridiculous anxiety over some applications and maybe interviews for a different part of my life. But I’m doing my best to take each day at a time and celebrate the good things when they come, however small. I don’t have to ace a final exam or burn my retinas studying for them to deserve victories because, hey, again, happiness is a right and I need to stop gatekeeping myself from it.

Frankly, the injury is largely why I haven’t posted sooner. I don’t think anyone should ever feel obligated to use social media when they aren't up to it. But I actually wanted to ease back into writing before I was injured, starting with this blog.

Some other positive things:

God, I missed the Avatar (Aang and Korra) series so much. What a damn good franchise, what a damn good magic system and world. IT’S. SO. GOOD, GOD. Revisiting it all and reading the comics while I was sick was the single biggest joy that kept me going. I hope the magic lingers for as long as possible.

Even in my inactivity, I’ve received some really lovely comments on my AO3. I read the emails primarily. It really warms my hear to see them. I revisited old comments recently, too, and they’ve helped keep me going and reminded me that I am capable of putting joy into the world.

I’ve taken a liking to Youtube playlist-videos and Spotify playlists that encompass a very specific story scenario, like “dancing with the villain in a masquerade ball” or “driving around the French countryside”, etc. Japanese 80′s urban pop is SO GOOD.

Smosh has been putting out such great content y’all. I was BIG on old Youtube (Nigahiga, Smosh, Michelle Phan, Jenna Marbles, etc.) and it warms my heart to see their renaissance. Amazingly entertaining and down-to-earth content. I don’t fall squarely into their demographic anymore, but the periphery is still fun.

Food is great. I love food still. I’ve eaten a lot of good food during this break. It almost pains me to go back to living by myself and eating healthier. :’(

I didn’t realize how expensive moving was. But, after living in the same apartment from sophomore uni to post-uni work, I’m moving into a bigger “adult” apartment with appropriately sized appliances instead of the mini student kind. The possibility of treating myself to a king-sized mattress and decorations is also very exciting.

It warms my heart to see people in my vague social circles indulging in home art projects, like paint by numbers and “diamond” painting. As a kid I thought “not real art” was a waste, but by god as an adult do I not give a shit about what “real art” is anymore. If it’s fun, it’s fun. That’s that!

That’s all I can think about for now.

Day 10: I think the true purpose of this game is to see how many qualifiers we can get to precede the word "self" and still understand what we're talking about

https://homestuck.com/story/1642

I don’t think anyone has said much about Calsprite. There’s not much to be said. I’m pretty sure, based on the Juju rules, that this Lil Cal probably doesn’t count as the real one - supposedly, any version of a Juju from a Doomed Timeline doesn’t count as the real thing? In any case, it’s a very mild comfort that this being isn’t a source of even more power for the already arbitrarily powerful Lord English.

Another thing that I think is interesting to note is that Dave’s use of iPhone technology marks him, in my opinion, as a poseur. While I am by no means advocating against buying from Microsoft’s competitors, but Mac vs. PC is one of those parts of my childhood, and as an actual IT Professional I’ve learned more than a little about the way that they brand themselves and the history of Apple’s struggle for market share - Apple doesn’t advertise its products as computing alternatives, or as productivity software, or whatever - Apple sells a lifestyle. Apple products are styled as the sexier, more cerebral, more artistic, more individualistic alternative to Microsoft’s products, a computer not for the Office Drone but for... well, the Hipster. Hipsters have stopped really being a thing, or at least, nobody calls themselves that any more.

Like the vast majority of subcultures, I suspect the hipster subculture has kind of been swallowed by time, its symbols expropriated by Capitalism, its center hollowed out and its aesthetics packaged for mass production, as the cynical and jaded approach to popular culture of the hipster, along with its more enthusiastic counterpart “the geek” (actually pretty well personified by John!) became more mainstream - both stereotypes are probably a part of Homestuck’s general commentary on fandom. Fandom is something I think Homestuck talks about, but I don’t think it’s something Homestuck is about in quite the same way that it’s about, say, Narratives, or Reproduction.

More after the break.

https://homestuck.com/story/1643

While Homestuck has been a story that involves some time loops, Act 4 is where it really gets off the ground as an actual Time Travel story. The thing about Time Travel stories, like the thing about Cosmic Horror Stories, is that once a story starts having Time Travel, or Cosmic Horrors in it, it’s that genre forever. This is why DND, for example, is part of a cosmic horror story, because something like 20 years ago, an adventure writer decided that there should be the Far Realm, and now it casts its sticky pall over the rest of the game’s setting.

Homestuck sidesteps this issue largely by involving all of the genres that do this to a story, and just kind of blending them all together into a genre-busting stew. Homestuck is a superhero story. Homestuck is a creation story. Homestuck is a theogony. Homestuck is a cosmic horror story. Homestuck is a time travel story. And so on and so on.

https://homestuck.com/story/1657

And so began one of the greatest partnerships in the history of Paradox Space.

Also of note is that Terezi compares Dave to fire here, not the first or the last bit of symbolism linking him to that element. It’s pretty strongly linked, in general, with The Hero, in kind of the same way that the color Red, and the Sword is in these sorts of things.

Dave fits the Classic Hero Archetype a lot better in a lot of ways than John does, and Bro has been training him for that role since birth. On a much larger scale, Lord English has decreed from his position as the overlord of Paradox Space that Dave is the Hero who should defeat him.

https://homestuck.com/story/1663

Friendship proves once again to be one of the most powerful forces in the universe, changing John’s direction, and steering him away from disaster.

https://homestuck.com/story/1667

Not much to say about this conversation, but the transition between Karkat’s explanation of the Veil and the beginning of [S]Jack: Ascend is smooth as fuck.

https://homestuck.com/story/1670

Our very first self-indulgent author self-insert; the Fourth Wall is explicitly identified as a Fenestrated Plane. 1 Point for the Narrative Contrivance hypothesis.

https://homestuck.com/story/1692

Dave actually does care immensely. Not only does he spend a ton of his time being overshadowed by cooler more powerful men like Bro, and John, now Dave even has to spend his time being overshadowed by cooler versions of himself - and that goes in both directions - both Davesprite and Dave seem to think that the other is the more real, more cool Dave!

https://homestuck.com/story/1710

As a Light Player, Rose is preoccupied with Meaning. She sees it everywhere, and she certainly sees where it is not (at least when she is not Miserable with a capital M). Meaning and Value - Fortune - is not intrinsic to this item, but it is instead bestowed upon it by the fact that Rose loves it, and by the work that Rose put into it. The Rabbit is a labor of love and a treasured belonging, and the Love in the Rabbit is the Light that the Seer Sees.

https://homestuck.com/story/1714

I’m pretty sure that John and Kanaya only talk to each other about twice in all of Homestuck, which is a bit of a shame! John and Karkat are really a lot more alike each other than either of them is comfortable admitting (which I think is probably why Dave is attracted to Karkat). By the transitive law of friendship, it seems to me that John and Kanaya would probably be pretty good friends. On the subject of the other diagonal line in the quadrangle of friendship, I wonder if Rose and Karkat talk to each other pretty much ever?

https://homestuck.com/story/1715

The clear indication here is a parallel between Dave and Sollux, but like a lot of things that probably didn’t go as intended with the Trolls, nothing much ends up materializing from it. I suppose that by fucking off to do nothing for the rest of the adventure, Sollux gets to live Dave’s dream for him, so there’s that.

https://homestuck.com/story/1720

Adorable. This is one of the happiest little moments in the comic.

So often, characters are cut off from one another by moments. They just miss each other, or literally can’t understand each other because of supernatural shenanigans, or can’t communicate with each other on screen because of the way that communication can’t happen unmediated in Homestuck.

And even when they can talk to each other, often the awkwardness and pain of communicating with other people, of trying to get them to understand you the way you actually are, instead of only seeing you one certain way, is too great, and communication proves impossible.

But here, Rose and Dave don’t need words to hang out.

They shut up and jam.

(It’s also incredibly sweet that Rose‘s actual in-person esteem of Dave is so great that she cannot restrain her own thought process. For all her joshing, she really does think Dave is cool.)

https://homestuck.com/story/1722

Also incredibly sweet that Rose’s first order of business as soon as they’re done playing around is to destroy that goddamn puppet.

https://homestuck.com/story/1754

Just missed him.

https://homestuck.com/story/1775

I wish not to contemplate the implication that Homestuck Sprite Mode Legs are actually wafer thin.

https://homestuck.com/story/1812

Nearly as soon as Rose has awoken and absorbed herself from the Doomed Timeline, she gets down to business alchemizing a lot of dangerous and powerful artifacts in preparation to fuck shit up. I’ve never thought about it much before, but I think it’s not hard to say that the memories she absorbed from the other timeline cause Rose to embrace her more reckless and less charitable side. She comments on her own dangerous pursuit of power, and then immediately ignores that train of thought.

https://homestuck.com/story/1836

Dave sure is fixated on bottoms.

https://homestuck.com/story/1852

Note to self. Come back to this.

So far, the only thing of note is the number 12, a portent related to the victors of Homestuck, if only coincidentally.

https://homestuck.com/story/1857

Dave’s sincerity senses are tingling. Maybe it’s an instinct since he and Roxy are pretty similar people, maybe it’s just because Dave himself is not nearly as insincere as he wants to be.

Dave’s anxiety about being watched is also probably best exemplified by his insistence on hiding his eyes behind glasses.

https://homestuck.com/story/1887

Adorable!

I wonder if Andrew already had the sprite designs for these squirts, and their names picked out at this time.

The hair and accessories are certainly correct.

https://homestuck.com/story/1895

Before I get too much further into this sequence, I’d like to pause and take a second to just appreciate this prose. The style is captivating.

The shipping pun is also pretty good.

https://homestuck.com/story/1903

BladeKindEyeWear has already done a pretty good job explaining what the Ultimate Riddle is, so I won’t belabor it too much more than he has here. The Ultimate Riddle itself is, “What Will You Do?” And the answer to it is, “Do What You Will.���

Do What You Will isn’t just the inscription on AURYN, it’s also an extremely old phrase intended for spiritual enlightenment, historically first formulated by Saint Augustine in his Sermon On Love, where he puts it thusly, “Love, and Do What You Will.” The Love that Augustine is talking about is not Romantic Love or even familial love, but Universal Unconditional Love - goodwill toward everyone and everything, to have one’s Heart’s Desire be that everyone should flourish and be happy.

Another formulation, the Wiccan Rede is, “An It Harm None, Do What Ye Will,” perhaps a more detached, declaration. In either case, the Will here is not talking about merely chasing simple wants, but an invitation to follow one’s true will, not to respond to simple passions, but to take voluntary action in accordance with who one is as a person.

https://homestuck.com/story/1905

threatening.............

https://homestuck.com/story/1922

Jake Harley begins a life of serial abandonment.

https://homestuck.com/story/1930

I really should have brought this up first when Rose and Davesprite went back into time, but this is about the time Homestuck starts to get lousy with all kinds of alternate selves, Dream Selves, Doomed Selves, and so on and so on, and from a narrative frame of reference, they’re actually all literally the same guy - the actions of one version of a character inform us about all versions of that character.

More on that later.

https://homestuck.com/story/1931

More Roleplaying. John has a wild imagine spot.

https://homestuck.com/story/1934

Dave stares at the blood on his hands, and contemplates his death for a long time.

https://homestuck.com/story/1936

Some immediate foreshadowing in here. Jade, I’m pretty sure, is one of the few people in Tavros’ life who shows him some genuine unconditional friendliness, so it’s no wonder that he latches onto her.

The way he does is still pretty creepy though.

https://homestuck.com/story/1940

As long as I’m mostly focusing on the emotional dimension of Homestuck, the two major emotional beats in this Flash are the Sovereign Slayer slaughtering WV’s army, revealing the source of his self-loathing and trauma, and the death of Jade’s Dream Self.

The death of her Dream Self is not nearly the beginning of Jade’s Trauma Conga Line, but it’s definitely the first in the chain of events that leads her to finally snap out of her learned helplessness and blind optimism, and to start taking her fate into her own hands. She’s been so sure of her destiny up to this point, and now things are finally starting to get out of hand.

Also, I choose to believe that the bizarre Squiddles interlude is the first moment that the Dark Gods make contact with Jade’s psyche. They know she’s about to die, and they’re starting to communicate with her.

Anyway, that’s all for today.

Yesterday’s cough turned out to be post-viral infection, since I had Covid the week of the 11th, so for now this is Cam signing off, Medicated, and Not Alone.

Woozi’s Ideal Type - Natal Chart Reading

For more SVT astrology posts, follow my blog! For more posts like this, check out my masterlist as I’ll be doing an in-depth ideal type post for each member!

For ideal types, I’m not going to be doing specific placements of their ideal partner. Instead, I’m gonna be listing personality traits I think would mesh well with them, as well as focus on their needs and the kind of person who could meet them. Keep in mind these are almost “perfect” descriptions of their ideal types based off their natal charts. I promise you that there is no one in the world that 100% fits these descriptions and thats where communication and compromise come in and all that fun stuff. 

(Woozi could definitely be a Sag Sun and who knows I may change my mind, but rn I think he’s a scorpio sun. This interpretation doesn’t change much based on his sun as both Scorpio and Sag suns are both independent and desire authentic experiences as romantic partners).

someone fun (fire influence).

someone creative, outgoing, and independent.

interests should be similar as he’d want to connect with someone over his passions, and would want to share in his excitement.

charming, intelligent, rational, communicative (libra venus) 

ambitious, adventurous, open-minded, optimistic (sag mercury).

independent, independent, independent. I cannot say it enough. Literally every single part of his chart indicates that he needs SPACE and FREEDOM and would want that for his partner as well. 

in my experience, even though scorpios don’t want to admit it, they LOVE validation and they love attention (not in the “asking for permission” type of validation, but they like to have their competence acknowledged). 

and although an aries moon may not rely as much on validation as a scorpio sun may, they still love attention.

he’s going to want to be with someone who makes him feel good about himself. 

he’s not immune to a great pep talk or a little bit of sincere flattery, and his s/o should be someone whose very generous in their communicating of this.

(even though he may say it makes him uncomfortable. he loves it and I promise he wants it acknowledged). 

for that reason as well, he’s going to want to be with someone who encourages and challenges him and has a ready and waiting ear for his ideas, concerns, and random thoughts. 

great sense of humor, super super funny (maybe a bit on the sarcastic side) thanks to his sag mercury.

his aries moon also makes him very playful making him crave a youthful and free relationship with his partner.

i’ve noticed aries placements love a kind of “kindred” silliness. 

They like being with someone who will meet their ridiculousness halfway.

(also all fire placements love arguing with their significant other over dumb things. this is a fact). 

his fiery placements would get very bored with someone who took themselves too seriously. 

not to mention his sag influence makes him extremely optimistic so he’d feel bogged down my someone ultra realistic/practical/pessimistic. 

he wants to get excited about life and his life with his s/o. they should be equally excited and hopeful for their future together. 

they should offer him a very sincere and simple emotional connection as his aries moon and scorpio sun sextile uranus and pluto would want authenticity and would be very quick to suss out shallowness. 

not to mention an aries moon can make him incredibly straight forward, while scorpio/sag placements give him a sense of him being a no-nonsense, straight forward guy. 

he is fiercely independent thanks to his scorpio sun and aries moon, but his libra venus makes him crave romance.

once he’s set his eyes on someone, that’s all he’ll be thinking about. 

like picking-petals-off-lowers, head-over-heels kind of love.

not to mention a scorpio sun would add a super strong tendency towards obsessive habits in love? maybe not in a creepy way like it sounds, but it’d seep into everything he did. the members would probs get annoyed cuz he’ll find a way to talk about his s/o whenever he can, all of his songs will be about them, etc. etc. 

the libra venus really softens every other part of his chart that makes him seem indifferent. 

it also explains why so many of his songs focus on love, but not just superficial love. like, the more nuanced parts of love and break ups. it goes to show how deeply he’s thought about it and how naturally romantic he is.

it’d also explain why he once said during a fansign that he wrote home because he was lonely (brb gotta cry) this is his libra venus being hyper aware of the space he’s saving for someone. 

due to his afflicted moon he’s going to seem cold and distant in the relationship from the outside but he is ACTUALLY the fuzziest boy.

his afflicted aries moon and (unafflicted) libra venus would give him a clumsy, awkward, yet incredibly thoughtful and sincere way of expressing love.

maybe not the king of grand gestures, but his moments will be incredibly sincere and observant.

they’d be moments where his s/o would be surprised he noticed, or didn’t even realize he had been having such sweet and deep thoughts.

it’ll take his s/o by surprise because he keeps his feelings and thoughts close to his chest due to his secretive and private scorpio sun, but he will a-matter-of-factly state them when the moment arises thanks to his scorpio, aries, and sag placements that, again, make him a no-nonsense guy on all fronts. 

His afflicted moon and well aspected saturn means that he struggles with emotional freedom and expression while also being incredibly disciplined.

he’d want someone with self-control and goals.

this is also heighten by his virgo mars which makes him both disciplined, a perfectionist, and pretty set in his ways (ya, I know virgo is a mutable sign but have you ever actually met a virgo. you try and get them to eat a piece of toast slightly too toasted for them and it shuts down their core processing). 

not only that, but virgos like security. 

they like predictability and have very specific preferences that will personally offend them if violated so his s/o should be both understanding and compatible with him on these fronts. 

like it may be a deal-breaker if their lifestyles were too different once the initial romance tames and they have to learn to coexist.

this is further emphasized by the fact that virgo is the sign of health, lifestyle & wellbeing. they value this and can tend to be rather inflexible on this front.

his outer planets are all very well aspected to his personal planets, specifically uranus and saturn.

meaning that he’s not only independent, unique, and goal-oriented, but he’s going to want to see the same in his partner.

his trajectory is forward. he is a visionary in the sense of having a great deal of creativity and the work-ethic to see his visions through, and if his partner is someone too focused in the moment and far too preoccupied with getting him to settle down, their paths are simply incompatible.

it really just emphasizes how independent and individualistic he is as a person. 

his libra venus definitely softens this and can certainly make him a hopeless romantic, but his core values would make it that he would never allow himself to be too dependent on his partner. 

he wants to be his own person before he enters a relationship, and he’d be very adverse to dating someone whose life and goals centered too solely on romance/relationships. 

his saturn aspects, afflicted moon, along with a virgo mars mean that he is someone who both struggles with, and desires a kind of “liberation” from time to time. 

his s/o should be fun and free and help him forget about the aspects of himself that may be overly self-conscious in certain moments. teach him how to be reckless every now and again while also keeping him on track with his own goals. they shouldn’t be tooo wild, lmao. 

Let’s not forget a saturn in aries which is gonna inhibit his ability to be open and expressive as a need for composure and control is incredibly strong, while simultaneously making him rather flighty with commitment and attention. 

his need for action and ability to express and process negative feelings like anger are inhibited and go through an confusing filter of being hot-headed and impulsive, to overly critical and cautious which can lead to him appearing cold and short.

his partner should be patient and empathetic enough to help him through these situations, but also understand that him needing space doesn’t reflect his feelings towards his partner.

as passionate and good-humored he’d want his partner to be, a big turn off would be someone who is too expressive and too intense to the point of lacking tact. He’d need someone with self-control, but also someone persistent and committed in order to balance out the aries part of his aries saturn when it decides to act up as it can make him flighty from time to time. 

this is heightened by his virgo mars, which can make him very set in his ways and pushing him out of his comfort zones when he’s clearly not interested in challenging those comfort zones is only going to freak him out or irritate him. 

trying to breach these will put him on edge, and will more likely push him away than anything else. 

not only that, but it’d probably freak him out as it would paint you as someone who wouldn’t know how to give him space.

(literally @ soonyoung).

sounds contradictory but it’s not much more complicated than just encouraging him by example, not by coercion. 

in general, he’s looking for someone who can both balance him out and challenge him. 

his s/o should be fun, independent, and goal-oriented. 

someone charming with a flare for dramatics here and there, but ultimately someone poised he can be proud of who he can look on with with respect and admiration and who’d think the same of him. 

someone communicative and ultra-creative, i can see him loving being able to pick up random interests with his s/o that they can discuss and collaborate on. 

he greatly desires intellectual companionship paired with a great deal of independence: ideally, he’d want a relationship where their goals are similar and they can encourage, help, and be a place of healing and rejuvenation to one another while making each other laugh along the way.

Yoming: A Step-By-Step Guide on How Not to Lead a Revolution

So in honor of Earth Day (and also my birthday) today I reallly wanted to write something about No.6 and the environment/environmentalism, but I only realized I should do that right as I was about to go to bed last night, so it didn’t happen. Maybe next year. Anyways here’s a post on a completely different (but maybe still relevant) topic that I’ve had in my drafts for probably a year and finally got the motivation to finish over the weekend!

So I’ve been thinking a lot recently about No.6 and revolution, because I’ve always viewed No.6 as a story that is very much about revolution, and yet the revolution that actually occurs within the story (at least in the novels/manga) is objectively a failure and instead serves mostly as a way for No.6 to demonstrate its military power (and create an exciting climax to the story). Despite this failure, however, I don’t think that No.6 is ultimately against revolutionary action, and instead simply uses the example of Yoming's character and ideology to demonstrate what a revolution in the real world shouldn't look like. Because while he is clearly correct in his desire to see No.6 fall, Yoming is still, in many ways, an antagonist of the story, and ultimately attempts to do the right thing in the wrong ways for the wrong reasons.

Now obviously the biggest offense here is the fact that his entire plan to mobilize people is based on a lie. We know that there is no secret vaccine against the bees, and we know that people from any class within the city are able to die from them. So already the premise from which Yoming plans to base his overthrow of No.6 is corrupted. But even beyond that, there are numerous issues with the framing and motivation for revolution in this context, mainly stemming from the fact that, despite what he might say, Yoming doesn't actually know that much about No.6. He knows that there is a strict hierarchy within the city, and that people are regularly taken away from their families. He doesn’t know where they go or what happens to them, and while his assumptions about the people who are taken away may be true (for the most part), that’s all they really are, assumptions.

I think what gets to me the most about this is the fact that he appears to be entirely convinced that he has the whole story. He doesn’t even consider the idea that other atrocities may be occurring within the city or in the Correctional Facility, and he doesn’t ever mention the huge population of people living in West Block, and what conditions they may be living in as a result of No.6’s actions and existence. The (true) idea that No.6 may have even been built upon extreme violence against another group does not occur to him. Those people are not important to his personal experiences or goals, and so they are not important to the resistance in its entirety, despite the fact they are arguably the primary victims of No.6, and their situation is not entirely unknown to the general populace. Rather than a movement focused on systemic injustice and a highly corrupt/authoritarian government, Yoming instead creates what amounts to an almost entirely unconstructive riot based on his own personal desire for revenge, resulting in the deaths of multiple people who, while maybe not entirely happy with the city, were also not directly involved in any of the things being protested. By focusing so intensely on the individual, the concept of a collectivist-based society is completely left behind and forgotten, as in Yoming’s mind collectivism is aligned with the control and utilitarianism of No.6, and can thus only be opposed by the inverse organizational ideology of individualism, rather than a different form of collectivism focused on community and justice.

This of course leads to the scene where we actually see the extent of his insanity, in which Karan brings up the fact that a large mobilization of people against the city will cause No.6 to use military force. We of course already know that this is exactly what will happen, as we've just witnessed it in West Block and know how the leaders of the city function, but even within Yoming’s limited context, this should be seen as a completely plausible and likely scenario, as it directly aligns with the authoritarianism he claims to oppose. But he isn’t able to imagine anything that he hasn’t seen personally, and ideologically he isn’t really that different from No.6, as he only wishes to replace the current leadership with his own in order to protect those he deems worthy (as is shown in Beyond), and so he rejects it. Not only that, he says that it is impossible for No.6 to have an army, because it would go against the Babylon Treaty, a document that no one in the city seems to have actual knowledge or understanding of outside of a very surface level reading (and also definitely not the main reason you should be concerned about a state using military force on its own people). He isn’t willing to completely let go of his own utopian ideals, or those of the creators of No.6 though, and so he is unable to accept that at a fundamental level, the city has overstepped its boundaries. He isn’t able to see the disappearances of people as a systemic issue affecting the population as a whole rather than individuals and families, and is therefore unable to imagine that those disappearances may have a purpose outside of simple control, or that they may only be a small piece of a much larger issue.

Just a quick aside here; while I sympathize with Karan’s strong desire to not get anyone killed in the process of destroying and rebuilding a society, I think she’s also wrong to think that that is in any way realistic. She is aware enough of the situation to recognize that an army likely does exist, and she knows that things cannot remain as they are, but in entirely rejecting Yoming’s way of thinking, she is also eliminating any chance of No.6’s fall actually occurring in a way that doesn’t involve bees killing everyone. There’s obviously a huge philosophical debate to be had about whether or not death on either side is acceptable or even allowable during such a large political shift, and I’m not looking to really start that debate here because otherwise this would be a 20 page essay, but all I will say is that even without the deaths inflicted as a result of the revolution, the destruction of the Correctional Facility, which we are led to believe is an almost entirely positive outcome, didn’t come without its own significant death toll (and not all of those victims were on the side of No.6).

Yoming is rightfully angry at the city for creating such a strict social hierarchy and murdering his wife and son, and he is right to wish for the city’s destruction (although he doesn’t really know why this is correct), but neither of those occurrences are a justification for the suffering he put the rest of the citizens through. If he knew what was actually happening to the city, he wouldn’t have had to lie, and he knows that. It is then perhaps the case that he lies about the vaccine not because he actually believes that it exists, but because he knows that his experiences are not shared by a large number of people, and are not enough to get the entire population to join in his personal fight, so he needs to invent something that sounds real enough that people will go along with him. In this case, the bees are not his enemy, and instead are just a neutral occurrence that he is able to use as a tool in his favor. In his mind, it doesn’t matter that the citizens will eventually find out about the lie, because by then he thinks that he will already be seen as a hero, and perhaps the lie will even be seen as positive, since in this case the truth is difficult to believe. But in the end, it wasn’t enough to actually make a difference, because neither side was willing to either separate themselves from their own beliefs and ideology for long enough in order to understand the entirety of the situation, or create a legitimate and strong opposition to the other side.

I think that Yoming’s failures as a revolutionary icon are an important aspect of the story, and while he was ultimately unsuccessful, there are certainly many positive aspects of what he had hoped to accomplish, so I’m not trying to rewrite the ending of the story in any way, but what could he have done better? If his way of doing things wasn’t correct, but pacifism is also out of the question, then how could the situation have been resolved? If this were a real situation, as opposed to a story where it is important to maintain a sense of tension, I believe the best option would probably have been to wait until more information was available to avoid having to lie in the first place. There is definitely a fine line here, and I wouldn't fault anyone for disagreeing, but there has to be some threshold of facts and dissatisfaction that must be met before taking such extreme measures as a revolution, and I don't think that by that point in the story it had been reached yet. He also could have just been honest. This would have been risky, but he had already taken advantage of the confusion caused by the bees, so taking a much smaller chance in order to build the strength of his group would probably have been a better move than endangering the entire city for personal reasons. Of course he wouldn’t actually do this because it would involve a self sacrifice, which under his extremely self-centered individualist ideology is entirely unacceptable, but if he were to actually be interested in improving society, this would have probably been a good move.

Just at the end here I would like to touch on the endings of Yoming's character arcs in the various iterations of the story, because all of them are excellent in their own ways, and deserve a brief discussion.

Starting with the anime, this is just about as good an ending for his character as you could have asked for given the circumstances of the anime’s ending. The anime doesn’t exactly frame him as a revolutionary icon like the novels and manga do, so he is very much just kind of a crazy dude who also has somewhat higher legitimacy than manga/novel Yoming due to his lack of actually doing anything of significance and therefore also not getting anyone directly killed. His revolution is doomed from the start as he gives his speech to a crowd of people who can’t hear him because they’re already dead, and his lack of any actual public appearance is successful in framing him as simply an overly ambitious coward who is very much deserving of his off-screen death by the one thing that made his message questionable in the first place. It’s a very different characterization than the one seen in the novels, and while it has some consequences for the overall effect of the anime’s story that I’m not going to get into here, it's an extremely effective way of getting across the point that this revolution was not going to work. It also ties Yoming more directly to the revolution itself, with the fall of No.6 and subsequent lack of need for revolutionary action also resulting in the destruction of the revolution’s leader.

Because there is no manga for Beyond, we are also in a way given another ending for Yoming in the manga, although I feel it is incomplete. Because the manga follows the novels so closely, we see the revolution occurring prior to Shion and Nezumi’s interference, all the way up to when Yoming gives his speech in front of city hall, and then he is never seen again. This is probably the weakest of the three endings for him just because the novels give us the same scenes but with a very well done follow-up in Beyond, but I think this still works fairly well. Like the anime, this ending proves that Yoming was not really needed in order to destroy No.6, and that the scale of what was happening was completely beyond his abilities. But on the other hand, by showing the revolution in the first place, unlike the anime, we are left with the possibility that he could have been successful had it not been for Shion and Nezumi’s extremely convenient arrival at that moment. It was unlikely that it would have succeeded of course, but without either the confirmation of his death such as in the anime or the context and developments given to us in Beyond, we have no way of knowing what would have happened next. Yoming is neither a hero nor a failure in this version of the story, but instead was not given a chance to exert his full power, and therefore becomes a mostly insignificant figure in the overall story of the manga. 

Finally we come to the novels, where we get a much fuller picture of who Yoming is and what his real goals were in the story told in Beyond. Rather than acting simply as the figure of a failed revolution, he continues in his quest to destroy No.6 and build a new society. However, As was mentioned earlier his actions imply that the society he wanted was not all that different from No.6 other than the fact that he would be (at least in part) in charge of it. This is of course the issue that all revolutions and their leaders must face, “Once we get into power, how do we prevent ourselves from becoming corrupt and recreating the thing we were originally fighting against?” For Yoming, the answer is that you don’t. His movement used the power of the people to earn leverage in the fall of the city and subsequent rebuilding, but was ultimately never about helping the people of No.6 as a whole, and instead served as a vehicle for just replacing the current leadership with a new regime functioning under the guise of a people’s movement. It’s a smart move if you can make it work for you, as any number of real-world examples have shown, but as we see in Beyond, Yoming really isn’t smart enough to pull it off, and since he is only one member on a larger council of leadership, his lack of overwhelming power makes it impossible for him to take total control of the city, and ensures that he is eventually caught. That isn’t to say that the system is perfect, as Shions actions clearly show it is not, but it functions well enough to weed out those who are not actually interested in restructuring. You could of course also make the argument that Shion takes over what would have been Yoming’s role had he succeeded, but that’s a different discussion for a different day.

I don’t really have anything else to add here, so this is the end of the post! There’s more to discuss here of course (there always is), but I feel that this gets the main ideas across in a way that is (hopefully) easy to understand. Revolution is complicated, including in fiction, and there really is no one right way to go about it. But in the context of a story like No.6, which is so much about revolution and social change, the portrayal of a movement that was ultimately a failure and upheld ideas of corruption alongside one that had greater success is an exercise in the exploration of the topic that not only makes the story much more interesting, but greatly contributes to our own understanding of the topic and the ideas associated with it.

Psycho-philosophy & the angels, fallen or not (part I)

I swear I wasn’t taking any mind-altering substances while I wrote this. It’s very heavy and I’m not sure anyone will enjoy it, but I felt like I had to get it out.

And now it’s too long to be just one part. Here is the first part anyway.

It’s established that Aziraphale and Crowley symbolize the “opposing” sides of human nature, but I have a pretty difficult time with believing that they actually represent “good” and “evil.” THEY believe they represent “good” and “evil.” But even before the two of them develop their humanity by spending time on Earth, before they start to affect each other, they both have philosophies that are far more complicated than just “do good things/be helpful” or “do bad things/be hurtful.”

Before you can be “good,” you need a definition of “good.” And the same goes for “evil.” And I absolutely do not think that the characters’ personal definitions of “good” and “evil” match with the narrative’s definitions of “good” and “evil” (which I’m not strictly sure it really has). So...what might they represent more closely?

In extremely broad terms based more in dictionary definitions than in the finer points of academic philosophy, I’d cast Crowley as the individualist and Aziraphale as the collectivist. Individualism is the prioritizing of the individual’s interests over a group’s interests. Collectivism is the prioritizing of a group’s interests over the individual’s interests.

Obviously, this is heavily informed by abuse from their Sides. Hell motivates its demons to behave by making them fear for their own souls using physical intimidation. Temptations are also usually focused on taking advantage of some selfish motivation in humans. Heaven, meanwhile, motivates its angels with the promise of the Greater Good, intimidates its angels with the belief that disobedience is out of line with the Greater Good, and shames its angels for acting with any sort of personal interest.

“What?!” you say. You’re going to cast Crowley, the guy who initially hatched the plan to try to save the world at great personal risk, as the self-centered individualist, and Aziraphale, the hedonist who’s just about ready to watch the world burn at Heaven’s command until Crowley buys him lunch, as the collectivist one?!

Well...in a way. Because while the characters believe they represent these ideas, and while they genuinely buy into them on some level, the whole point is that the two viewpoints taken to extremes end up looking awfully similar. They also rely on each other, no matter how much they try not to.

I should clarify a few things before arguing any more.

The perceived “selflessness” of collectivism is sometimes idealized, and that’s why it maps onto the supposed “goodness” of Heaven, but it doesn’t actually mean kindness, compassion, or goodness. It means not considering oneself - including one’s own identity, preferences, or moral conscience. Likewise, the perceived “selfishness” of individualism is often vilified and gets cast as evil, which is why it maps onto Hell, but all it really means is placing one’s own perspective at the utmost importance, which can be beneficial depending on who’s doing it.

I’ve seen some incredibly smart commentary on the Good Omens book being a just-barely-post-Cold War novel comparing, among other things, Capitalism (heavy on individualism) and Communism (heavy on collectivism). I thought the analysis I read was brilliant, it told me a lot that I had not thought of before, and I would love to read more. But that’s not what I want to talk about here.

In this essay, I’m really sticking to the terms “individualism” and “collectivism” as they inform the psychologies of individual people (Crowley and Aziraphale). I’m trying to have a discussion that I think is important, because it’s important for humans to have a healthy notion of how individuals fit into their relationships and communities, but my commentary is much more vague and not tied to a specific moment in history. I’m frankly not very qualified to talk about the Cold War, anyway.

Crowley and Aziraphale are a couple of paradoxes. At least, they’re paradoxes until they discover Earth as their true allegiance, at which time they just become two balanced angels of neither Heaven nor Hell.

CROWLEY’S PHILOSOPHY

Crowley knows he’s supposed to represent Hell and the kind of self-interested desperation that drives people to damnation - a kind of extreme individualism. But he’s been condensed into an Earthly being who’s formed relationships and preferences and loves and, gosh, although he wouldn’t admit it, a conscience. Unlike Aziraphale, he’s much more OK with this sense of identity, because individualism is not incompatible with being, well, an individual. But he does struggle with the fact that he’s supposed to be working toward The End Of All Things for his own self-preservation when his real wish is for The Continuation Of All Things.

Most of Crowley’s decisions are framed from his own personal opinions. He approaches the world as he sees fit, which includes accepting his job of damning souls because he has to or he’ll get destroyed. He does what he needs to survive, so you could say he “answers to the higher power of Hell for self-interested reasons,” but for moral purposes, Crowley does not answer to anyone. Interestingly, though, he DOES have a conscience based in his own feelings.

By personality (not because he serves some moral power but because it’s just his personal preference), Crowley does not like certain kinds of cruelty. He’s willing to do his job, but he doesn’t enjoy taking free will away from people, for example. And in most cases, outright violence (like Hastur turning into a pile of worms and eating the telemarketers alive) is not something Crowley is into, either. In this case, the fact that he’s self-motivated means he has enough imagination to grasp what it’s like to be another person, and while he’s willing to upset people/give people the opportunity to damn themselves/generally be inconsiderate in public, Crowley simply does not enjoy the experience of destroying others without giving them a choice.

Oh, and we can’t forget: “You’re supposed to test them, but not to destruction.” It’s Crowley’s personal feelings that lead him to believe Armageddon shouldn’t happen, and Crowley’s personal feelings that lead him to act out against Hell.

With all that said, Crowley feels a profound love for the world and Aziraphale (whether he’ll admit it or not) because he really enjoys it on Earth, and he wants to keep enjoying it. Therefore, all of his “individualism” ends up working in the favor of the “greater good” anyway. In the end, Crowley temporarily loses hope and stops fighting, but by this point, he’s already had his positive effect.

It’s kind of like Terry Pratchett’s powerful quotation about witches being selfish. “All witches are selfish, the Queen had said. But Tiffany's Third Thoughts said: Then turn selfishness into a weapon! Make all things yours! Make other lives and dreams and hopes yours!” Maybe it’s not so intentional on Crowley’s part, but the outcome of his love for Earth and his bond with Aziraphale ends up serving the interests of others.

Crowley’s journey involves a less drastic change than Aziraphale’s. Once he thinks it’s possible to fight for the world and survive, he doesn’t have a single qualm about it, because he answers to his own standards, not anyone else’s.

AZIRAPHALE’S PHILOSOPHY

Aziraphale, on the other hand, has to basically figure out that it’s a good thing to use his own judgment instead of Heaven’s. In doing so, he has to rewrite his belief system and even rework his identity.

Aziraphale knows he’s supposed to represent the collective, Heaven, the Greater Good. But he’s been condensed into an Earthly being who’s formed relationships and preferences and loves and a conscience and an identity of his own. At first, this feels wrong to him, because many of his personal interests go against Heaven’s. It’s why he’s so incredibly good at repressing and denying; he has this sense of Self but doesn’t believe he’s entitled to it and doesn’t realize there is any way to separate from Heaven, so as far as he knows, to allow this Self to grow and flourish would ultimately be extremely painful and potentially dangerous. You can tell the other angels aren’t happy with his sense of self, either, as far as he allows it to go (see: any interaction in the bookshop, Gabriel’s behavior over the sushi).

Aziraphale is so oriented toward the Heavenly collective that he literally denies himself his own judgments, his own opinions. He’s convinced that Heaven is the Greater Good, so he accepts that as reality no matter how absurdly wrong their actions might seem to someone with an iota of common sense. He has not been allowed to have an opinion on it, and he will not form one now. He does intensely enjoy performing altruism and does not approve of Heaven’s plans to drown all of Mesopotamia and turn Lot’s wife into a pillar of salt, but he will even push aside the satisfaction of kindness and the fear of cruelty if he’s told that his feelings don’t fit within the Great Plan.

It’s important to note that as far as Aziraphale believes, the existence of Hell and the work that Crowley is doing for Hell is in fact part of the Great Plan. He says as much to the Archangels when they bully him outside his bookshop.

Aziraphale is enthusiastic and adoring about life on Earth and about humans - and about Crowley! And oh, he does indulge. But he sees this all in a rather passive way, at least at first. He is simply enjoying the world and allowing the Great Plan to unfold. He does not think he has the right or ability to defend the world from Heaven’s judgment, even though he wants to. So, like Crowley’s self-orientation coming full circle to serve the interests of others, Aziraphale’s orientation toward the collective comes full circle to become very self-serving.

THE TWO TOGETHER

Enter Crowley’s judgment. Crowley is really fantastic company, but I think the specific thing he did in the long run was to help Aziraphale see that his own desires and judgments matter. Even when Aziraphale temporarily disavowed their relationship, Crowley’s influence was strong - would the Aziraphale who was standing on the Wall of Eden, or the Aziraphale who witnessed the Great Flood, have chased Gabriel around asking if the war was necessary, or would he have called the Metatron to argue everyone could be saved? Even when Aziraphale doesn’t actually ask questions, these interactions are an assertion of Aziraphale’s own feelings and judgments when he’s being told to be quiet and fall in line. And I really do not think he would have made these assertions before his long Arrangement with Crowley. In this way, Crowley gave Aziraphale the world and the gift of Being Himself.

As for Crowley, he doesn’t care about any Great Plan and thinks Heaven’s will is positively odious, but Aziraphale is convinced that the cosmic dance between the two of them is just ineffable. By playing along with that notion, Crowley allows it to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The meaning of Crowley’s existence goes from “just make everyone as miserable as possible” to “balance out Aziraphale” which really means “create a world that doesn’t suck as much as Heaven or Hell, which are both insufferable.” In this way, Aziraphale gave Crowley the world and the gift of Being Part of Something.

Response To: Why There's a Left-Right Divide among Libertarians

A response to a Mises.org article “Why There’s a Left-Right Divide among libertarians”. 

The distinction between “left” and “right” in politics is absolutely worthless. This distinction has been inadequate from the very beginning and has brought about a lot of misunderstanding. — Ludwig von Mises, The Free Market and Its Enemies: Pseudo-science, Socialism, and Inflation. Irvington-on-Hudson, NY: Foundation for Economic Education, 2004. p. 5

What an absolute woeful article. You can most certainly support the take that libertarians have transcended the false paradigm of left vs. right, and ALSO reject the incredibly poor conception of labelling libertarianism as: “economically conservative but socially liberal.”

If you want to talk idiocy, it's attempting to REDEFINE the left / right spectrum.

[1]

The usual terminology of political language is stupid. What is "left” and what is “right”? Why should Hitler be “right” and Stalin, his temporary friend, be “left”? Who is “reactionary” and who is “progressive”? Reaction against an unwise policy is not to be condemned. And progress towards chaos is not to be commended. Nothing should find acceptance just because it is new, radical, and fashionable. “Orthodoxy” is not an evil if the doctrine on which the “orthodox” stand is sound. Who is anti-labor, those who want to lower labor to the Russian level, or those who want for labor the capitalistic standard of the United States? Who is “nationalist,” those who want to bring their nation under the heel of the Nazis, or those who want to preserve its independence? What would have happened to Western civilization if its peoples had always shown such liking for the “new”? Suppose they had welcomed as “the wave of the future” Attila and his Huns, the creed of Mohammed, or the Tartars? They, too, were totalitarian and had military successes to their credit which made the weak hesitate and ready to capitulate. What mankind needs today is liberation from the rule of nonsensical slogans and a return to sound reasoning.“ — Ludwig von Mises

[2]

For some twenty centuries Western man has come to accept the Aristotelian theory that the sensible position is between any two extremes, known politically today as the “middle-of-the-road” position. Now, if libertarians use the terms “left” and “right,” they announce themselves to be extreme right by virtue of being extremely distant in their beliefs from communism. But “right” has been successfully identified with fascism. Therefore, more and more persons are led to believe that the sound position is somewhere between communism and fascism, both spelling authoritarianism. The golden-mean theory cannot properly be applied indiscriminately. For instance, it is sound enough when deciding between no food at all on the one hand or gluttony on the other hand. But it is patently unsound when deciding between stealing nothing or stealing $1,000. The golden mean would commend stealing $500. Thus, the golden mean has no more soundness when applied to communism and fascism (two names for the same thing) than it does to two amounts in theft.” […] Libertarians reject this principle and in so doing are not to the right or left of authoritarians. They, as the human spirit they would free, ascend—are above—this degradation. Their position, if directional analogies are to be used, is up—in the sense that vapor from a muckheap rises to a wholesome atmosphere. If the idea of extremity is to be applied to a libertarian, let it be based on how extremely well he has shed himself of authoritarian beliefs. Establish this concept of emerging, of freeing — which is the meaning of libertarianism—and the golden – mean or “middle-of-the-road” theory becomes inapplicable. For there can be no halfway position between zero and infinity. It is absurd to suggest that there can be. — Leonard E. Read, Neither left nor right

RE: "The Left, on the other hand, is defined by a devotion to egalitarianism"

Just redefining the whole spectrum will get us all no-where, but moronic unnecessarily conflict. Talk about divide & conquer.

"In addition to our re-evaluation of the origins and nature of the Cold War, we engaged in a thorough reassessment of the whole “left-right” ideological spectrum in historical perspective. For it was clear to us that the European Throne-and-Altar Conservatism that had captured the right wing was statism in a virulent and despotic form; and yet only an imbecile could possibly call these people “leftists.” But this meant that our old simple paradigm of the “left Communist/total government … right/no government” continuum, with liberals on the left of center and conservatives on the right of center, had been totally incorrect. We had therefore been misled in our basic view of the spectrum and in our whole conception of ourselves as natural “extreme rightists.” There must have been a fatal flaw in the analysis. Plunging back into history, we concentrated on the reality that in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, laissez-faire liberals, radicals, and revolutionaries constituted the “extreme left” while our ancient foes, the conservatives, the Throne-and-Altar worshippers, constituted the right-wing Enemy. Leonard Liggio then came up with the following profound analysis of the historical process, which I adopted. First, and dominant in history, was the Old Order, the ancien régime, the regime of caste and frozen status, of exploitation by a war-making, feudal or despotic ruling class, using the church and the priesthood to dupe the masses into accepting its rule. This was pure statism; and this was the “right wing.” Then, in seventeenthand eighteenth-century Western Europe, a liberal and radical opposition movement arose, our old heroes, who championed a popular revolutionary movement on behalf of rationalism, individual liberty, minimal government, free markets and free trade, international peace, and separation of Church and State-and in opposition to Throne and Altar, to monarchy, the ruling class, theocracy, and war. These-“our people”-were the Left, and the purer their libertarian vision the more “extreme” a Left they were. So far, so good, and our analysis was not yet so different from before; but what of socialism, that movement born in the nineteenth century which we had always reviled as the “extreme left”? Where did that fit in? Liggio analyzed socialism as a confused middle-of-the road movement, influenced historically by both the libertarian and individualist Left and by the conservative-statist Right. From the individualist Left the socialists took the goals of freedom: the withering away of the State, the replacement of the governing of men by the administration of things (a concept coined by the early nineteenth-century French laissez-faire libertarians Charles Comte and Charles Dunoyer), opposition to the ruling class and the search for its overthrow, the desire to establish international peace, an advanced industrial economy and a high standard of living for the mass of the people. From the conservative Right the socialists adopted the means to attempt to achieve these goals: collectivism, state planning, community control of the individual. But this put socialism in the middle of the ideological spectrum. It also meant that socialism was an unstable, self-contradictory doctrine bound to fly apart rapidly in the inner contradiction between its means and its ends. And in this belief we were bolstered by the old demonstration of my mentor Ludwig von Mises that socialist central planning simply cannot operate an advanced industrial economy. The Socialist movement had, historically, also suffered ideologically and organizationally from a similar inner contradiction: with Social Democrats, from Engels to Kautsky to Sidney Hook, shifting inexorably rightward into accepting and strengthening the State apparatus and becoming “left” apologists for the Corporate State, while other socialists, such as Bakunin and Kropotkin, shifted leftward toward the individualist, libertarian pole. It was clear, too, that the Communist Party in America had taken, in domestic affairs, the same “rightward” path-hence the similarity which the “extreme” red-baiters had long discerned between Communists and liberals. In fact, the shift of so many ex-Communists from left to the conservative Right now seemed to be not very much of a shift at all; for they had been pro-Big Government in the 1930s and “Twentieth Century American” patriots in the 1940s, and now they were still patriots and statists.“ — Murray N. Rothbard

The way forward is to keep clear the distinction between law & ethics:

“It is becoming clearer and clearer to me that ethical and legal theory need to be completely disentangled and that at the essence of what libertarianism is we find a legal position rather than an ethical position (sure, the legal position can and is combined with various ethical positions, but this does not make the two identical in content). Understanding what rights are (legal) is different than deciding how, whether and in what ways to actually respect them or not in action (ethical). Now when I look back at Rothbard, I am seeing that he effectively was already doing this (some passages above and elsewhere, even in Power and Market), but was still bogged down in the use of the word "ethics” in the effort to distinguish what he was talking about from economic theory (and this usage continues in Hoppe, with the word “ethics” subbing in for what I think is actually “property theory.”). Yet in looking at what they are actually presenting rather than some labels, it is much much more about legal content (definition of property rights), rather than whether or not one ought to violate or respect such rights (knowing what they are being a separate question) on ethical grounds.“ - Konrad Graf

Libertarianism is neither left, nor right - and yet people are not JUST libertarians. Stop trying to project your personal preferences and universalise them. Freedom brings people together. Trying to redefine the current conception of "left" and "right" is moronic and doomed to fail. The results will just be further conflict internally amongst libertarians instead of understanding everyone has their own "cultural" tendencies. This is why there is conflict.

Libertarianism will get nowhere until we realize that there is and can be no “libertarian” culture — Murray Rothbard, Left-opportunism: The case of S.L.S., part one, in Libertarian Vanguard, February 1981, p. 11.

Could you do a post on Aries sun + Aquarius moon? Only if you want to though! - ✨

Hey there!!! 💕💕💕💕 Aaaah yes I want to!! 💕💕 Thank u for waiting!! 💕💕

[Below Cut: Aries Sun - Aquarius Moon 🌅 ]

They’re so dynamic internally, like phew! and it shows outside sometimes as well

Lots of mental energy that’s characteristic in them. They often have a clear sight-vision and that Aries helps narrow the mental energy into tunnel, push out that bzzz bzzz into a direction to move forward with/get going!

Lots of practicality but like--- grounded in the material world you know? They’re the type of person who would be good at writing directions on wikihow if they ever find a purpose in it for them 

Trying to relate to them through creativity/vague stuff is impossible, although they’re highly imaginative-- most of that is centered around the material world/things they can think/see and not in complete fantasy. 

One of those people who seems (to others) that they are aware of their resources, their senses and their action directs/impacts the context of the situation directly (great sense-of self) 

These people in life generally has more executive functions than most others do, although they can rarely appreciate this because they’re them. Others look to them with lots of admiration and also a slight bit of intimidation bc they can seem so flawless irl. 

Since they can have little to no problem putting their brain to work (figure things out) and then using that to get actual results/function properly-- that’s the power they hold that others don’t (surprise?!) and it’s something they’re not consciously aware of as a gift/blessing to them because--- well, they don’t know what it’s like to be fully internal/emotionally sometimes. 

They don’t do things carelessly, or rather they won’t start on it until their brain works out everything you know?

Like that’s their gate-way, that’s their pre-caution. ‘Aquarius bzzz bzzzz’ is the main energy these people tends to exude. Especially since after ‘Aquarius bzzz bzzz’ works itself out, Aries takes action (according to plan, all the heavy-loading is in Aquarius– Aries just supports it)

However, this lends itself to you being a bit tunnel-visioned and on occasion, your Aquarius serves as part of your anxiety (because Aries is just waiting for a command) 

Your Aquarius is like your ‘center’ now– so everything that comes out of it can take some time waiting for you. To figure it out yourself (exhausting, fatigue, you need to rest too because you’re putting so much dependence on Aquarius and it can’t DO everything for you)

You’re so speedy because of this, but at the same time things that are ‘backed up’ or in the ‘cue’ to get figured out takes longer because of your– y know, normal bodily needs as well (such as rest, wait, time, things you can’t control/direct yourself)

You have great sense of intuition though, this isn’t ‘felt’ so much like the water signs. But it’s ‘given to you’ for you to use because of your Aries/Aquarius combination

It helps as part of your ‘resources’– like an advice from friend, you’re quite decisive and may not like going back on yourself. But this would also mean you may lack a lil flexibility because your brain gets a whiplash trying to flow back to what you did/how you got there and why you made said decisions sometimes (hard time remember the experience/process you went through, kinda like water trying to flow up instead of down) 

Mmm because you’re very ‘forward’ vision and movement tho, it makes other people see you as straight-forward. Very focused and trail blazing too. 

When I say trail blazing i mean it like—-you like exploring/making your own path to an extent, but it has to have a purpose for it. Like something that you have to do and this is how you figure it out so you just do it. And then you only realized ‘oh it’s different from the norm’ later.

It’s unexpected even for yourself, but you generally tend to not dwell too much on it. Looking for other things you can do/explore instead.

You can also get kinda moody, just because Aries is waiting for commands doesn’t mean it doesn’t get impatient. Sometimes you’re moody at yourself, not at others for taking so long to do something. (The pace you normally go it is fast, so this frustration is like— you’re not keeping to the usual tempo/pattern and it frustrates you)

Sometimes you’re moody at others, mostly because they’re not ‘doing it right/taking action/looking out for themselves’

Especially those who has a harder time ‘doing things in general’ (im thinking about Pisces or Virgo) sometimes you just want to grab their hands and just use it for them to show them how. Because you think ‘oh if it’s just doing then why not?’ and want to sometimes do it for them (even if you generally don’t try to bc they ‘have to learn it themselves’) 

The thing with ‘pace/tempo’ however, is that it compromises you a lot. Not just personally but like– with others as well.

You might notice that you don’t like things being ‘out of tempo/pace’ and you tend to get emotionally frustrated because of it. Learn– how to ‘listen’ to others and accept them.

Listening doesn’t mean constantly thinking/comparing it to yourself and a checkbox of ‘nah that’s not me it doesn’t apply/cant relate’ – listening means being open, tolerant and just as equal as others when it comes to learning about their experience.

You may pride yourself in being humanitarian, but you should also learn how to be open-hearted and not just open-mind. Being open-hearted will actually teach you how to not be bias, and will help you grow into a more compassionate and maybe less detached/autonomous person.

Aaaah you might also realize you’re very very individualistic. Like you need that space, to work and do things for yourself. This is amazing and good! because you do work at a faster pace/can get productive things done without others. 

But it’ll weigh on your social skills and interpersonal behaviour– since you’d put yourself first before others sometimes (like with personal relationships/close friends— sometimes you gotta listen to them/be there for them first instead of letting your own excitement/emotionality slide onto them/weigh them down in the relationship y know. Equalize, the give and taking. Not just what you ‘can give’ to them– but learn how to be there for them in the way that they are too. You can adapt, you just gotta change your mindset a lil)

If you ever get grumpy/angry —you might notice that your anger goes away pretty quickly while your grumpy does not. The thing between these two is balance. While your anger my go away, it doesn’t solve the long term problem of it flaring up pretty quickly and making you ‘explode’ sometimes (*depends on the person if it does) try to understand it and resolve the issue. Like whether it’s you personally or the situation/others. If it’s in the others/context, you might want to evaluate and think about a different perspective in yourself.

Grumpy emotion is mostly (like I said) your Aquarius Moon feeling blocked. So try to find some friends to help smooth that over, or maybe other air friends who can help you resolve it. You just gotta need to balance, and try not to be so focused on pacing yourself (to make up for your ‘unpredictability’ outward persona as well, try not to keep ‘constrains’ on yourself on which side does what (external/internal) because then— it becomes your ‘ultimatum’ and that’s the whole cause of your moods and explosion/inflexibility internally/emotionally)   

I hope u enjoy??;; 💕💕💕 thanks for dropping by!!! 💕💕💕

Sunyananda's General Guidance on the Stages of Awakening

Generally speaking Buddhists, non-dualists, and mystics of all sorts spout off quite a bit about “awakening,” and uphold it as an amorphous, yet identifiable destination on the trajectory of spiritual practice. Very rarely is awakening clearly identified, let alone its path. This lack of clarity has contributed to the origination, and proliferation of an infinite variety of practices and disciplines that subsist only through their vague pointing toward a reality that is “somewhere over there,” called awakening.

In my own practice, I have engaged innumerable disciplines in a number of mystical faith traditions, and have in the course of these experience been disillusioned by the number of these practices that clearly do not point toward any of the obscure tenants of awakening as it is frequently alluded to. I have therefore sought to discern what is awakening really? Is there a concrete term that we might use to bring clarity to this experience, or attainment? And along these lines, I have sought to identify perennial stages that various traditions point one toward, which progressively reveal the spiritual summit known as awakening. What I have discerned is that there are approximately six stages of awareness and experience that when fully engaged, build upon and grow from one another into what we might term awakening, which I suppose could be appropriately termed the “Realization of Transcendent Wisdom.”

In general we may say that the six stages begin with the Dawning of Metacognition, which births the Experience of Interdependence, which stewards the Arising of All-Enveloping Compassion, which propels the Persistence of Equanimity, which allows for the Curation of Cause and Effect, which yields the Expression of Non-Attachment, which summarily presents as the Realization of Transcendent Wisdom (Awakening itself).

The Dawning of Metacognition is assuredly the first stage on the path. It is really the primary objective of meditation, namely to distantiate from our sense of self, that is the small “I” that typically leads us around. This separate perspective to the thinking mind is born of the realization that the possessor (seemingly the “I”) cannot simultaneously be the possessed (the thoughts, opinions, ideas, brain, body, and even soul that the “I” all casts as “my”). While at first a great sense of unknowing and confusion can and often does arise at this realization, when this unknowing is gently held in meditation, gradually a clear sense of witness arises that observes the machinations of the mind formerly known as “I.” This sense of witness does not identify the mind or its functions then as a substantial self, and does not take on such a mantle itself, rather this sense of witness is a process that does not come to be conceptually amalgamated. Should such an amalgamation occur, it precludes the actual dawning of this first stage of awakening that is termed metacognition. The mind is particularly good at creating illusions to prevent the self from being distantiated. A great amount of practice is generally needed for an authentic experience of the metacognitive witness, and even more effort must be put into sustaining then, this unamalgamated process.

As a practitioner becomes firmly settled in this newly dawned metacognition, a natural progression stemming from continued intentional awareness, that is, the metacognitive awareness’ ongoing witness to both (seemingly) internal and external conditions and phenomena is the Experience of Interdependence. This stage is particularly difficult to identify under the banner of a single term, as it is indeed quite expansive. To experience, or perceive interdependence is to become aware of the insubstantiality of not just the self, but of all things. Reality is insubstantial in as much as it is unfixed, constantly moving, coming both together and apart in a constant flux. In fact reality is so unfixed, and so in motion that nothing really moves, comes, or goes at all. This seeming dichotomous conundrum is only resolved when it is left to be as it, witnessed rather than defined. To witness such a reality is to experience interdependence, and thus sunyata (absolute reality itself), which may also be termed the ground of being. In many spiritual schools (especially neo-advaita etc), this stage is considered to be awakening itself, however this is not so. The direct experience of interdependence is but a step, albeit a particularly large and life-altering step, but a step none the less on the path toward awakening.

It should be noted that Christian mystics have given us a particularly important turn of phrase that describes a common experience that is frequently encountered somewhere in the midst of these first two stages, and that is “The Dark Night of the Soul.” While not an absolute certainty, many people experience a great sense of grief around finding the self, and reality itself to be insubstantial. All of the rules that a person has built up in their minds about the world and the way it works in the course of a lifetime tend to be simultaneously broken in this process, and when not prepared for such a thing, the profound unknowing that is so essential to awakening can be experienced as profound loneliness, darkness, and loss. Luckily though, as the Lankavatara Sutra states “things are not as they seem, and nor are they otherwise.” While reality is undoubtedly shaken in the process of awakening, reality indeed is unmoving, and no student of the way has ever in fact been separate from reality as it is- most have just done an awful lot of daydreaming on top of it, it is in fact these dreams that are being illumined and shed, thus we are awakened.

Somewhere along the way of identification with the small “I” falling away, and the insubstantiality of reality being revealed in its interdependence, comes the Arising of an All-Enveloping Compassion. This is indeed the antidote to any “dark night of the soul” experience, which arises still in the absence of such an experience. All-Enveloping Compassion shares a root with small-minded narcissism, therefore as identification with the small “I” falls away, so too does any appendant and latent self-admiration, as it becomes recast as limitless compassion for all beings, and experiences. In the experience of interdependence we find that not only are we insubstantial, but so is everyone and everything else, and in our shared non-being our capacity to love anyone is transformed into an impetus to love everyone and everything. A true arising of this All-Enveloping Compassion comes too with an inability to hate- this doesn’t mean an inability to grow angry, or to become frustrated, but specifically an inability to hate. This inability may be understood in examining a quote from the Roman playwright Terence who once famously wrote "I am human, and I think nothing human is alien to me." From a true place of witness to reality as it is, of which we and all are a part, no-thing, no matter how saintly or heinous is foreign to us, and where there is suffering we can only then know sadness, empathy, and compassion, not hatred. Compassion does not equate to condoning, but perhaps may be said to stem from understanding. This empathetic understanding, which can be called compassion is the very seed of the Transcendent Wisdom that the present schema terms awakening.

The natural bedfellow of All-Enveloping Compassion is the Persistence of Equanimity. Witnessing and being with reality as it is (radical acceptance), and being foreign to no experience we find that just as reality is ever oscillating and thus still (perfect in its “as it is-ness”), so too are we as seeming microcosms of reality, or more accurately reality’s self-awareness. As reality is ever in a state of equanimity, that is, of no hesitation or hindrance, it is natural then that as the metacognitive witness rouses “us” from our daydreams that we too come to embody such stability in our individualistic expressions and experiences of life.  

It should be said here, that the ongoing practice of awakening at any level is that of integration between the seemingly absolute, and seemingly relative aspects of reality, experience, and life. The metacognitive witness comes to uphold each of these stages perfectly, however, the small “I” largely is just a collection of sensory reports yielding to cause and effect. In other words, the small or relative self is largely governed by habitual energy and observed behavior (which is why, for instance precepts centering around consumption, mental and physical exist). Not being identified with the small “I,” one option is to simply let it run amuck, unchecked and unhindered, however, this is an incomplete awakening. When the small “I” truly integrates the All-Enveloping Compassion of the previously examined stage, it naturally works to alleviate even relative suffering, that seemingly near and seemingly far (personal and other), and thus is metered by the process of the metacognitive witness.

The following chart sorts each of the stages of awakening into a primary orientation, with the final stage of the Realization of Transcendent Wisdom holding a unique, integrated (terminal) position. The initial stages of awakening are experience oriented and pertain to the realm commonly identified as absolute reality. The last stages before awakening are expression oriented and pertain to the realm commonly identified as relative reality. The stages between the two seeming polarities are transitional, and are easily categorized as one or the other, absolute and relative, experiential and expressional. In reality, each of these stages is unfixed, and insubstantial, as are their seeming orientations (as their merging, or integration into Transcendent Wisdom would suggest). That said, this categorization may be helpful in navigating and understanding the general feeling and energy of the stages of the awakening process. 

This brings us to the Curating of Cause and Effect. While former stages seem to largely be interior or absolute oriented and experiential, this stage is assuredly also expressional. The curation of cause and effect is where the metacognitive witness most clearly meets the unidentified, or distantiated small “I” and appears to become directive. However, the metacognitive witness process, being impersonal cannot actually direct anything but the awareness pertaining to it is, itself, a cause with an effect. The cause, in this case, is small “I” transcendent awareness effecting the small “I’s” seemingly relative process, through being informed (aware) of subsequent stages (2-4, especially). A natural yield of metacognitive awareness and witness is profound insight into what we may call “karmic ripples,” which when met with All-Enveloping Compassion, for instance, inspires the habit of karmic control, or curation for which the capacity to do so has ever been present, if covered up or even ignored.

The final stage in the process of awakening, which must occur before integration and awakening itself may be rendered is that of the Expression of Non-Attachment. The Third Patriarch of Zen, Sengcan once wrote “The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences.” Absolutely, this is no problem- the metacognitive witness has no preferences, nor is it capable of any. However, the relative, small “I” functions only by them. When these two fully meet and mingle, it is not that preferences fall away, but that attachment to them does. Non-Attachment (to views, experiences, people, places, and things etc.) arises in summation of all of the foregoing stages, in that it is the only possibility when one comes to be able to perceive and uphold multiple views of reality simultaneously. The futility then, and harm of strong opinions and ideas is illumined through awareness of the multiplicity of reality, and deference to the cogs of reality, as opposed to those of ideas, is birthed.

As Lao Tzu is thought to have said: “…The Master leads by emptying people's minds and filling their cores, by weakening their ambition and toughening their resolve. He helps people lose everything they know, everything they desire, and creates confusion in those who think that they know. Practice not-doing, and everything will fall into place.”

~Sunyananda Baba

Why do people hate Tony Stark again? I don’t know the info

People side with Captain America because he’s the superhero ideal, you know, a hero who’ll do what’s right even if it’s against the law.

Young people, and older adults as well, still believe in the heart of gold vigilante who knows better than officials, who’s not corrupt, who does what he has to do to serve justice.

We’ve come away from the squeaky clean super hero image, but we still have this obsession with vigilante justice.

American super heroes were based on this…inherent distrust in the government and the bureaucracy of “justice.”

They were a response to perceived systematic inequality and the evils of the federal government. They were these larger than life figures you could become to escape realities where you have no control, where you’re nothing and nobody. Super humans who are still human, just like the rest of us, but also something much more special. 

American individualism at its height: Believe that a single person can make a difference.

A single person can be special, with the right tools, the right charisma, the right powers. 

So that’s the context of an American hero.

Individualistic. Self-centered, perhaps, but moral and good at the same time. Believes in freedom, but also the importance of law. 

Believes in hope and all the good things in the world, but also acknowledges that there are people out there who are Bad and must be dealt with. 

Forcibly, but not lethally, typically, because murder is wrong, except under extreme circumstances. 

So Civil War rolls around.

People of course love Cap. But would I say Captain America is more popular than Ironman?

No, I think Ironman, being funnier, more snarky, and having more movies (at that point) and more of a reputation was more popular (I may also point out that the first Cap movie was a bit of a slog, whereas Ironman was a really good film that began a Marvel empire built on carefully crafted and well-tailored people-pleasing comic book movies). 

Or at the very least, on equal grounds of popularity with Captain America. 

So Civil War is where people turned against Tony, because Tony wants there to be more restrictions to what super heroes can do. 

And the real life fanbase says no!

We like vigilantes! They’re good guys! We can trust them! They’re the stuff of legends, and the government that we know so well in real life? It’s evil.

So people started disliking Tony because he was raising an important point.

Which is that “heroes” have been working outside of the law.

And need to be restricted by governmental regulations. 

But Cap, of course, counters that sometimes governments and people don’t understand the nitty gritty details of being a super hero, and that sometimes you make sacrifices, sometimes you make calculated choices, and they fuck things up. 

They look “bad” to a public that wasn’t there. Who couldn’t understand someone they will most likely never meet. 

Both sides I think are valid.

But in real life? Super heroes are the most popular concept in the world right now.

People don’t WANT realism in their super hero stories.

And Ironman is kind of this representation of realism.

How in real life, they WOULDN’T see super heroes as unilaterally good.

In real life, super heroes would do bad things, not on purpose, just foolishly. 

With good intentions.

I think Tony Stark also is seen as a “bad guy” of sorts because he hates Bucky, and fans of Steve adore Bucky too much.

And I mean he has a good reason for hating Bucky…but again, that’s an ugly realistic representation of a human being. 

And people aren’t really fans of that.

Plus people…I would argue, distrust their own governments more than anything else right now. 

I mean, who the hell WOULD side with Ironman about how governments should control super hero activity when we all need a hero in these trying times, where our own governments are spying on us, manipulating us, letting our planet die?

I think that’s the main reason for Ironman hate, at least on Tumblr. 

And maybe other sites. 

Ironman turned into a more realistic super hero by opposing unrestricted super hero movement, AND not wanting to forgive Bucky. 

He became a little too human for the humans watching his movies, so the hatred of his character might be a tad masochistic. 

New Post has been published on Sunny Dawn Johnston

New Post has been published on http://sunnydawnjohnston.com/blog/numerology-report-step-forward-the-gift-of-octobers-1-vibration/

Numerology Report: Step Forward –The Gift of October’s 1 Vibration

Step Forward –The Gift of October’s 1 Vibration

September’s 9 vibration presented us with endings, completions, reassessments, clearing clutter (physical, mental, digital), taking a hard look at what’s working what’s not, and letting go… or preparing to let go. Kind of like full moon energy, only all month long.

Many of the shifts and stresses that showed up had to do with one or more of your relationships (including the one you have with yourself), since we are in a 2-year. It may have required forgiveness (the 9), letting go of how you thought it should be (the 9), and also seeing things from a different perspective (the 2).

Another aspect of September’s energy was asking you to learn (or be willing to learn) to be comfortable with not really knowing what comes next, but knowing things as they are  just isn’t cutting it anymore. Yeah, that’s unsettling. And possibly triggering you in ways you don’t understand.

In tune with the 9 vibe of September, I cleared out a bunch of clutter from my house and released my office, again. Plus there was a lot of family stuff going on, including our cat Dexter preparing us for his departure. And boy can he be annoying in the process! I have to remind myself that he is a stubborn old man in cat years (he’s 18), but he thinks he’s still the baby.

Now we shift from the 9’s spotlight on what no longer is working well or has run its course to October’s 1 vibration of what do you want instead.

October is a 1 vibration month. The primary essence of the number 1 includes Beginnings, Creativity, Ideas, Originality, Inventive, Individualistic, Leadership, Organization Positivity, and Independent.

Other Aspects of the 1 vibration are: intelligence, inspiring, courage, proud, possibilities, opening, initiation/initiating, development, methodical, determined, authoritative, assertive, healthy ego, self-focused, opportunity, manifesting, and intention.

And because October is the 10th month of the year, you also have the subtle manifesting energy of the number 10 working behind the scenes. This is a good news/bad news vibration, as the number 10 is the Wheel of Fortune – whatever you focus on you bring to you. So if you are stuck in worry or lack, then more of that energy of worry and lack show up. ARRGH!

So this month (and really, every month) be the thought police for yourself.

Don’t go crazy thinking “cancel, cancel” or “erase, erase” every time you catch yourself in those yucky places in your mind. Because when you do that “cancel erase” shtick it just puts even more energy towards what you don’t want.

No, instead of throwing more fuel into your negative mind chatter, just acknowledge the thought and let it float away like a bubble. Then think about what you do want. Appreciate the things you do have. Gratitude and appreciation really help you raise your vibe to a more attractive manifesting place.

So if September was like an immersion in full-moon releasing energy all month long (whew), October will be more like being immersed in new moon energy all month long.

I wish I could tell you that the intensity of the energy on beautiful planet Earth will calm down and move from a category 3 hurricane to a light breeze, but that would be delusional and misleading. The energy is amped up for a reason and that is to help us strip away the old programming, the outdated systems, and all the things you cling to that are really not part of who you really are… just something you picked up along your journey.

We started a new 9-year cycle in 2017 that was about coming home to you, then moving into self-mastery with the end goal of self-sovereignty. You’re on the path. You might be kicking and screaming because things aren’t working the way they used to. And that’s because the old has to crumble to make way for the new.

On the bright side, this is a month ripe with creative energy. If you’re an artist or any kind, you can tap into this and boost your creative expression. If art isn’t your thing, this creative energy can be harnessed to help you create what you want in life, career, business… or at least get you moving in that direction.

That’s why when I tapped into the energy and asked my guides what the theme for this October was, the message I received was:

Step Forward.

Yes! It is time for you to step forward in one or more areas of your life. It can be a baby step or a giant step, or something in between. Your choice.

“Ahh,” you say, “but what is my first step?”

Your first step is to commit fully to moving forward and being open to whatever that next step is. The step doesn’t reveal itself until you make a decision to take that step into the unknown.

And that, my friends, is one of the hardest things for adult humans to do. Take a step without knowing what the step is, what it entails, if it will hurt, if you can really do it, or if you will make a fool of yourself, or if you will fail (or succeed). I totally understand. I get this way too. Yet kids leap into the unknown all the time. They call it play. We, on the other hand, might feel the need to control, which gets in the way of creating anything new.

Maybe this month you let your adventurous inner child out to play more.

The next part of October’s theme is designed to help you take a Step Forward…

Be Inspired – and – Show up for yourself

So I ask you to sit with both of those things, feel into them…

Be Inspired

What does it mean to be inspired?

How does it feel to be inspired?

What inspires you?

How can you add more of that into your daily life?

Show up for yourself

What does show up for yourself mean?

Does it feel selfish?

Are you better at showing up for others then yourself? If so why?

Do you self-abandon, thinking others are more important that you?

Do you put yourself last on your list?

What do you currently do to show up for yourself?

What one thing can you do to show up for yourself?

Now sit with taking a Step Forward…

What’s the first thing that comes to mind?

What would you like to do or have?

What vision or goal did you create at the beginning of the year? Is it time to take a step forward into that… or maybe shift course a bit?

If you knew you would succeed, what is it you wish to do or create?

Are you willing to commit to moving forward in one or more areas of your life now?

Which areas?

Decide to take that baby step or leap forward now… trusting that the right opportunity will appear, the step will be revealed and the new adventure begins… be sure to dump your attachment to what it looks like!

Ready, set, go…

If it helps, you can say one of my favorite affirmations as you take that step (or contemplate taking that step): “Things are always working out for me!”

You can do it. I believe in you. Have courage.

The Shadow Side of the 1 vibration may show up as:

Overthinking

Controlling

Trying to make something happen

Impatience & frustration

Being hypersensitive

Blocked and fearful

Stubborn

When you realize you are exhibiting shadow elements, stop what you’re doing and take a nice deep breath. If you put your hand on your heart, it shifts your attention from your head and crappy thoughts.

Take 3 deep breaths – inhale slowly and exhale slowly. Imagine a pink light surrounding your heart space and your thoughts as you do this. Imagine the fear, resistance and any other undesirable behavior floating away in that bubble of pink light. Imagine filling yourself with the light of unconditional love or joy. I like to use gold light, but you can choose whatever feels good to you.

I invite you to then think about what you would like your life to be like instead of whatever was going on that sent you into the shadow.

Now what one small thing can you do today to take you in that direction?

  Step fearlessly into that uncomfortable territory of the unknown. For that is where your growth and opportunities await you.

With Love and Appreciation, Karen

  Karen M. Winkelman

Intuitive Consultant for Your Life and Your Business

An eclectic mix of creativity and business, woo and practical, spirituality and science, Karen is a natural counselor who can help you reframe a situation, reconnect with your creative essence, and rediscover your sense of self.

For most of her life, Karen’s empowered other creatives and heart-centered professionals to find clarity and direction, bust through blocks and get unstuck. Whether working with clients, speaking at an event, or chatting with friends, Karen blends intuition, wisdom, and spiritual teachings with deep listening, practical guidance, and a wickedly playful sense of humor.

Intuitive numerologist, idea generator, and illuminator, Karen can help you see possibilities and give you permission to stop “Shoulding” yourself and be and do “You” instead.  Karen is available for consultations, workshops and speaking engagements.

If you’d like your personal numerology forecast for 2018 or if you’d like clarity and direction for those pesky issues in your life or business, I’d love to work with you if we’re a fit. Let’s connect:  www.TheLifeCraftingGuide.com and  https://www.facebook.com/karen.m.winkelman.lifecrafting