My sweetie stopped by at work earlier this afternoon just to give me a kiss :)
June 2013
“Nature is busy creating absolutely unique individuals, whereas culture has invented a single mold to which all must conform. It is grotesque.”
— Jiddu Krishnamurti (via sun-hawk)
Well, not really. If you study animal evolution, nature is busy evolving certain behavior patterns, instincts, and other mental and social qualities. Take in-group favoritism, as an example. For social mammals such as humans, the tendency to favor members of one’s own group has long since been an evolutionary advantage—group members who stick up for each other live longer. (This, incidentally, is also why the “lone wolf” romanticized in our culture really isn’t something to aspire to—a lone wolf must find a pack to join, or else it may very well starve.) So you can blame nature for our tendency to create groups with similar cultures, memes, etc.
Now, who an individual person turns out to be can be pretty variable, and it’s a combination of nature and nurture. We come prepackaged with a certain set of genes, but how those genes are expressed—to include in the womb—can have lifelong repercussions. Over that we have layers of experience and learning starting from the day we’re born, all of which shape us profoundly. Part of what influences us are those in-group favoritisms, that instinctual desire to be a part of a group of accepting others, and there’s the intense stress of the loner who on some level just wants to be wanted and safe.
In the end, it’s all nature. We humans are big-brained, upright-walking apes with sophisticated vocal apparatus. Culture is every bit as natural as genes, and they have the same basic wellspring.
No Woman Spends Tons Of Money On A Hobby She's Not Into To Impress A Man-Child Trapped In Perpetual Boyhood When She Could Buy Things She Actually Likes
A Very Strongly Worded Letter To Misogynistic Gamer-Bros by LoudBlackRam
YES!
All I want if for this post to get 10,000 notes.
Tonight's throw-it-together supper
Chicken breasts with Granny Smith apple slices laid over it, then covered in grated fresh gouda and a drizzle of honey. Bake in the oven at 350 for an hour covered, then broil for three minutes to carmelize the cheese. ABSOLUTE HEAVEN.
Making progress on a very special art project. Also hoping I haven’t caught the respiratory bug that’s been going around work.
Therioshamanism: Black Mold as Fungus Totem →
therioshamanism.com
As many folks who have worked with animal and other totems know, not all totems are cuddly and friendly. Sometimes they’re what are popularly known as “shadow” totems, who challenge us through embo…
As many folks who have worked with animal and other totems know, not all totems are cuddly and friendly. Sometimes they’re what are popularly known as “shadow” totems, who challenge us through embodying some of our less pleasant aspects. Others represent animals or other living beings that we don’t care for, or maybe even have adverse relationships with.
This latter description fits my relationship with the totem of black mold pretty well. This is a common name for Stachybotrys chartarum, a fungus that commonly resides in drywall in houses and whose spores can cause illness (sometimes fatal) to a home’s inhabitants. Black mold has also been implicated in sick building syndrome, causing the same sort of havoc at work as well as at home.
How can this be anyone’s totem? Find out here.
I have way too many things I want to do. Three careers simply aren’t enough. No, seriously.
“People need to be encouraged. People need to be reminded of how wonderful they are. People need to be believed in—told that they are brave and smart and capable of accomplishing all the dreams they dream and more. Remind each other of this.”
—Stacey Jean Speer (via herhappythoughts)
Therioshamanism: Pagan Values Month - Service →
therioshamanism.com
Last week, the Wild Hunt blog featured a piece on “Pagans Doing Good. It started with a critique of paganism, the common complaint that there are no pagan hospitals or homeless shelters or major nonprofit groups. The writer, Heather Greene, then highlighted two activists who also happen to be pagan (and there are more where they came from!)
My only critique of this is that “service” isn’t limited to those who are able to devote their entire lives to activism. Most of us have households to support or families to raise or debts and bills to pay or any of a number of other obligations that we can’t just toss to the wayside to go be full-time activists. We do need these people; I admire devotion and I do admit I envy them a bit. But that is far from the end of pagan manifestations of service.
I am not, however, speaking about service to gods or spirits or other incorporeal beings.
Therioshamanism: When Endangered Doesn't Mean the Same Thing as Endangered →
therioshamanism.com
Okay. I’ve had a couple of people tell me about an online petition to have “endangered species” parts removed from Etsy. The petition cites vintage leopard fur from a coat that was listed by an antiques dealer on the site, and noted that while eBay has specific items they don’t allow, Etsy just says “no illegal animal parts”.
That’s all fine and good. I’m fine with Etsy defining that further, and for myself I both restrict myself to things I know are legal, and take the time to contact people I see selling vintage leopard fur or blue jay feathers in the US to let them know what they have isn’t legal. But then the petition writer goes on to talk about “endangered species” in a general way, and tries to say that any animal listed in CITES isn’t allowed. Additionally, the writer also states that any interstate trade of any endangered species parts is illegal.
The twofold problem here is that A) these are inaccurate interpretations of the laws in places, and B) there are different levels of “endangered”.
“Magick is a practice which involves many different cultures and traditions. There is not just one way of doing things, there are over a thousand. Some of the ways were created by people in modern times and some have been practiced for a long time, even if the lore and practice of it is spotty in certain areas. Either way, we each have our own path and should be free to practice any particular tradition or way of magick that we choose, just as well as with religion. Magick as a whole belongs to everyone, not just one specific group of people.”
—ravenousnightwind (via ravenousnightwind)
