privilege analogy – like an old fashioned ice cream shop

Maybe I’m showing my age, but do you remember those old fashioned shops where they had all kinds of flavours of ice cream and toppings?

Nowadays, they’d include frozen yogurt, and some get the idea that even us people who have lactose allergies want a treat now and then, so they make ices that are dairy free. Some places make sure their alternatives are nut free too. Makes sense, right?

And have you noticed that your tastes have changed since you were a kid? Maybe your tummy gets upset if you have too many sweets or your tongue gets almost burnt if you have too much salt?

Then there are cultural shifts. Not every religion allows you to have meat or meat byproducts either.

Which explains why even in ice cream shops, the times they are a -changing. Right?

Thing is, we begin life with a given set of needs and wants. Mostly told by other people what our life is about and told when we must adhere to it. And given few choices if we have to consider things like allergies or diabetes.

Things have improved somewhat. But there was a day when kids who wanted an ice cream couldn’t always get one. And poverty wasn’t the only factor. There were whole towns without an ice cream shop as well as some that just had maybe three kinds. Can you imagine?? I grew up in a village that had one variety shop that might sell vanilla and neopolitan and chocolate of course.

That is what privilege is like. Resources, wants and needs built into whatever your culture is.

It’s not about one or two things and saying you either are or are not. It’s a gradient of factors like the ice cream shop. Do you walk out with a dairy free glace, a super loaded sundae or a Root beer float? In the end, you have very little say in what you leave with.

So take this test for fun and consider what it’s asking you. I got 33/100. Yet I’m a white/cis/female with a univ education… Not that simple huh? Good luck!

Buzzfeed test

About Amahle (a story)

Amahle – the Making of a Dark Mage

Amahle wasn’t obviously powerful, which meant she was often underestimated. Which suited her fine. It meant that when she was ready to do battle, she often won.

Some of her friends called her a party demon. Never a week went by that she wasn’t deep in a mosh pit; center of an orgy; lead attraction or demo at a dungeon; avid fan at a match between two brilliant warriors; raising the roof at a concert; whirling and dancing like a dervish. But it wasn’t like old times when they had spiritual dances in the center of the village. And she needed to collect the energy she used for her works. She was really careful about not spending her own on spellwork. Noone seemed to notice that she may have been in the center, but it was as a very still spectator. They just knew she was in the thick of it.

Some of her friends called her a collector. She spent time in the fields and forests collecting fresh stems and seeds for her potions and poltices. Most of those around her thought she must be a fantastic cook, because almost everything she collected could just as easily be used in a stew or casserole as a powerful incantation. And she knew that noone would come to harm in her kitchen. Which mattered to her since she had small children underfoot.

Some called her a librarian. She was always looking up some spell or history of a prayer or power. She never opened a veil without knowing just who or what was on the other side of it. She was the keeper of the family grimoire and bought or borrowed old ones from wherever she could collect them. But when she was in a gathering, she let others do the talking. She hid her knowledge. She rarely wrote her own spell, but relied on those from the grimoires that were obviously tried and true, Worn edges and hand-written notes in the corners.

But most of what she did as a mage was to live a normal life. With family and friends close to her hands whenever she could be with them. She wanted someone checking in with her, supporting her, loving her. She wanted to be seen as an ordinary, village woman. And nothing else. She hid in plain sight.

Because the next time she went up against the forces of the dead and damned, she wanted to be grounded in love. She wanted to come from nowhere, to be unexpected. It was her only hope of winning the day.

Meanwhile she lived her life, studied with her priest and fellow magicians and watched. For some sign that it was time for the next battle.

Waiting for a demon to call out for her… Amahle!

Amahle – the Making of a Watcher

What does a watcher do?

Well Amahle thought it meant a mix of training with people who were ready to fight evil and learning the craft with them. She also thought it meant looking for hot spots of where evil kept coming back to and doing what she could to prevent the next uprising. To put wards down and make the place a bit less cozy for the spirits. The busy work of being who she was.

So she had the latest and oldest ideas of what kept evil at bay and read all the lore of their travels so she could track them and make their life less comfortable for them. Find out where they walked and where they gathered, so she could make the places in-hospitable. So hopefully they’d move along?

Even the slightest opening seemed to be taken as an invitation and she didn’t want that. It was like leaving water standing and wondering why mosquitos came by often. Or leavng garbage bins out and wondering why raccoons visited.

Because it was easy.

At least she wanted to minimize their interaction with humanity. She wanted to contain them.

Unlike the shows on TV, Amahle and her friends weren’t kick-ass martial arts fighters. Their focus was on wards and spells that reduced the power of the spirits. And they didn’t often chatter with the spirits either. It gave them too much opportunity to gain insight with the humans, which can always be used against them. To weaken their autonomy from the spirit world. To confuse and frighten them. It was always about the spell work. Which doesn’t exactly play well on TV.

And then there were the prophecies…

If you understand the patterns in the interactions of evil and humanity, you have a better chance of predicting their behaviour and interupting it. So you ask questions when you hear of their interactions. What does this entity want? And how can this human who is being targeted provide it for them? What is the nature of the entity? And what attracts them to humans? Those questions are tells for much of what follows.

The last thing you want to do is humanize the spirits. They have different motives and will always be self-serving and self-aggrandizing. If you underestimate them, you place your soul in danger. And the danger is that you will be dragged into the spirit world before your time. Or worse… the person you are guarding will be. And you will have to live with that.

It’s also why Amahle never used human blood in her works, or used the psychic energy from one human, especially not her own. There was no good reason to promote attachment between the demonic and humans. Especially not at a spiritual energy level. And no excuse for offering your own body as their host either. It was far too dangerous! Once in, they left residue that made further occupations easier. Which you don’t want to do. You want to make their work harder.

And that is what Amahle taught as well as practiced as a watcher. It was a critical view. One that earned her much respect among her fellow mages and watchers.

Amahle – the Making of a Priestess

I am the granddaughter of the sun and moon,
the people who came here to find food and love
find faith and renewal for them and their grandchildren.

I am the child of the Creator
and try to live and love up to his expectations
though many before me have tried and failed
Maybe it’s not the success but the effort that is praised?

I am the soul of my family
Those who have come before and those yet to come
I feel their hearts beat in my own
I feel their steps wander with mine.

I am the heart of my people and my land
Here to forage and nurture it’s plants and animals
Praying and working for it’s renewal.

I am the next drop of rain, the next beat of light
that falls on my face and the smile I claim
when they take my breath away in awe and surprise

I am the relief, calm, joy and prayer
that bring me back when the trixster has visited
And I am glad for this dark humour
So I can be taught his lessons.

I am daughter, sister,
I am wife, mother
And I am me most of all

As it should be.

Amahle’s True Form

And as night fell, Amahle placed her clothes in the basket she kept just inside the door of her house and stepped outside. Taking her beginning steps as her true natured self.

Her body stretched up and up and up. Her skin became scaly and thick. And her blood ran cold. Her snout became more pronounced and her teeth grew at a frightening speed. Her claws tried to out-pace her teeth.

She raised her wings from where they were folded and flapped them. Shook out the days’ kinks.

And let out her first roar. So loud, the window-panes of the house shook. Yet that was just the first one. When she was at her weakest. But it was enough that her husband’s head went up and he answered back. He adored his wife, however she chose to present herself.

He met her in the air and let out a puff of lust for her. They flew past each other, almost like they were dancing. Then they batted each other with their wings and snouts.

And he mounted her.

It wasn’t an easy take-down though. With long teeth and claws, how could mating be easy? He always had new scars in the morning. She was a terror and he loved her just like that.

No other force could penetrate their scales, but each other’s teeth and claws. Nothing else could hurt them but each other’s fire-breath. Where most animals would run in terror, they were driven closer by this show of strength and force.

They were rutting like they were ready to destroy the world.

There was nothing soft or smoothe about their movements. Wings batted, teeth bit, claws gouged and their legs wrapped around each other for more.

They only had a few hours of night left and they wanted all the fury and pain they could gather before they had to hide their power again.

But they did it to protect their young. Till they left the nest. The people around them were so superstitious. They didn’t believe any of their kind could be anything but evil.

If only they knew… The dragons were here to be guardians for the people. For now anyway. Till the end of the world.

winter colours

love knot (erotica)

Love Knot

Rhys didn’t know it yet, but Chloe was after him. And she intended to get him too. She wore a knot on her wrist at all times and had one taped to her front door. She chanted the charms given to her by a friend who had studied such charms and seemed to know what she was talking about. Chloe hoped she did anyway.

Chloe made her version of the meal he ordered most often when the gang went out together after work. She wore his fave colour. and her best perfume. Then she put on her sexiest dress and killer heels.

And asked Rhys to dinner. He hesitated for a minute and she caught her breath, hoping he’d say yes. And he did!

When Rhys arrived at her door, he smiled when he smelled what she had cooking. He looked her over and winked at her. Then he handed her a bottle of white wine and flowers. Chloe put the flowers in water and took him into the kitchen with her while she put the finishing touches on the meal.

They sat at the table and began their meal with chatter about the people they worked with. Then interests they both had in common. Both were smiling and the banter was going well.

So they moved to the couch and sat close. Chloe put some music on and they talked over more wine and dessert. Then Rhys moved in to kiss her. And things heated up.

Clothes hit the floor, hands reached out and found all the tasty bits of skin. And Rhys flipped her over and shoved into her from behind. Chloe gasped and buried her head in the pillow. It seems Rhys wanted it hard and fast. And Chloe was thrilled to accept it that way.

So within minutes, Rhys was cuming like a fire hose. And slumped against her. Chloe waited for him to recover. He kissed her while he got his energy back.

Then Rhys picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. Laid her gently on the bed. And spread her legs. So he could use his mouth on her clit. Chloe wrapped her legs around his head and hung on for dear life. When she started to moan louder, he put his hand over her mouth. Chloe couldn’t stop herself from biting his hand as she came.

Rhys climbed her body and pushed into her vajay. And started shoving into her. Over and over till they both had their turn to cum. And lay together huffing as they recovered.

Rhys seemed satisfied. If the charm didn’t work, the meal and the sex might. The test would be if he stayed all night. Chloe told him she had bought danishes and had bacon and eggs for breakfast if he would. And she paused to hear his answer.

Rhys pulled her closer and smiled and kissed her. He said he’d be thrilled to stay.

life isn’t a bowl of cherries… (life advice)

If you get even half way decent at things to do with food, you learn a few important lessons:

• if you want sweet to taste good, there has to be a bitter off-set. Like lemon rind, coffee, ginger, chilis… Because just sweet can be really cloying. It’s more likely to make you puke than go yum.

• if you want a food to come together, then you have to add a dash of salt. Whether the food is sweet or sour. For me, the best sweets are salted caramel and licorice. I’ll eat chocolate if there are salted nuts on it. But I won’t on it’s own.

• To make a savoury with that bliss experience, you have to layer the flavour, make things pop out and surprise you. Something sweet, bitter, tart/sour, salty and just a bit of heat. So you get flavour that comes in little pops. Then you can shovel even the most ordinary food into your mouth for days, and you won’t get bored.

• Never serve something the first time to guests. And never adhere to the recipe like it came from the holy Bible. Make it your own. Vary it or you get bored with food and your appetite for life decreases.

• Children and aged people have a smaller range of taste available. So don’t serve them something you’d feed to an adult.

I know you think now that I’m talking about food, and I am. But the rules apply well beyond the dinner table, if you think about it. Bon appetite!

The story of Osiris – the weight of a soul

weighing the worth of a life –

I love the Egyptian story of the dead soul who comes to the gates of the land of the dead to be judged and has his/her heart weighed against the
feather of Maat . And undergoes the
judgment of Osiris carried out ny Osiris or the
protector of the dead – Anubis using
the wisdom of Thoth to determine if they are worthy of paradise.
The judgment is based on more than one factor.

Declaration of Innocence

‘Behold, I have come to You,

Bringing Justice to You,

Repelling evil for you.

I have not done evil against men.

I have not improvished my associates.

I have not acted crookedly in the Place of Justice.

……

I have not defiled a god.

I have not worsened the lot of an orphan.

I have not done what the gods detest.

I have not calumniated a servant to his master.

I have not caused either pain or hunger.

I have not brought forth tears.

I have not killed.

I have not commanded to kill.

I have not caused anyone sorrow.

…..

Which leads to deep philosophical questions about the weight of a soul or value of a person’s life.

• If you could go back in time and kill Hitler or Stalin, should you? Their deeds were evil, but many good things came out of their evil. Could they have been had otherwise?

• do you save a friend or a group of strangers? Which child do you save if both are in danger?

• Are the rich or poor of more value to society?

• What about the talented/stupid, sick, old, criminal, misfit? If we allow that they have varying worth, do we want homogeneity/conformity to such a degree? That we are willing to kill to get it? When do you not fit into the narrower box of what should be?

….

in the words of Martin Niemoeller

….

• And if you do make such life/death assessments of others, how could you not be affected by that? Would you become more evil if you took this decision upon yourself?

• Are you a hero or a villain if you take a life to save another’s or your own? Is it really black or white?

• Can a word, a name be responsible for someone’s life loss, if you didn’t know how vulnerable they were? Are you responsible or are they?

• And if you do it or allow it to be done in your stead, who is the guilty party? Is it not you?

Bottomline, when you judge the one person you are angry or ashamed about and find them wanting, how soon is it before you get judged and found lacking?
And how do you judge their life when you don’t see inside of it? Like a god/dess can?

….

For me? I think I’ll leave it to Osiris.

This series of questions is just something to consider. I honestly don’t expect answers. But a discussion would be cool, … if not related to any particular thing.

Magic mirror on the wall, who is the ________ one of all? (sic)

I often see a competition or feud, rather than people offering wisdom or heart in our exchanges. It’s frustrating, really.

The “other” is given power every time we battle with them. And it’s not them who loses. When we act badly, it’s our bad behaviour. No matter what they do, if we act wrongly, it’s us who wears it, We are only responsible for how we act.

Maybe we need to remember the first rule of domination. In order to master others, first we must master ourselves.

William Carleton

Strong feelings do not necessarily make a strong character. The strength of a man is to be measured by the power of the feelings he subdues not by the power of those which subdue him.

So next time you try to claim that someone is leading you around by the ring in your nose, remember they have done nothing. You lost your own sense of self control. You defeated yourself. Because you tried to control them before you had yourself mastered.

Nostradamus and the Prophecy of the Last Pope

Once upon a day ago, I got hooked on reading the quatrains of Nostradamus. Esp when I was reading a lot of mystical tomes at the time, they took on a power and voice, that I’m certainly not alone in. Even the Holy See has listened to what he has to say.

But right now, in possibly the next few years, we have a critical one. The prophecy has come forward that we are in the time of the last pope and the fall of the entire church of Christ. And the beginning of WWIII.

Hey even Isaac Newton went within this time with his guestimate! He says our world will crash and burn c2060. Interesting, huh?

St Malachy

bio

Nostradamus

bio

some of the prophecies

At the time of the Revelation, five world empires had come and gone—Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece—one (Rome) existed, and one (Antichrist’s world empire) had not yet come.

could this be referring to the Commonwealth? Of which the Crown of England is the titular head? Will it be lead by the House of Windsor?

“Peter the Roman

does this mean the last pope will be from Rome?

the leader will chase his nephew from Rome

So does the last pope have a nephew who is in the Vatican or the monarchy of Italy/ Rome?

the whore of Babylon, a woman at the head/ on the seat of power.

Well we can be pretty certain it won’t be a female pope, archbishop or priest. BUT there have been very influential pope-making families from Rome/Italy… do we look for the female head there?

the anti-christ, the denier

the one who says that Christ is not divine, from God Is not God made flesh. More likely to be a secular leader than one from Christendom. The one who will assassinate or topple the last pope and the Christian church as a whole. Which will begin WWIII that will last 27 years and be fought between two superpowers.

the conflict that began in France will extend to the middle east

Could that refer to the Crusades? And what is the secret sign lost that will end the conflict finally?

the pope will be the first “black one”

Does this imply race? Or is it in reference to the current Pope who is the first Jesuit/black robe to be the head of the church?

a 2nd sun

could this be a comet, a planet like Planet X behind the sun or an actual star such as the sun? curious astro

St Malachy’s list of popes 112 references one left to go.

caution about prophecies

St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross

Nostradamus and St Malachy

yearly horoscope
live science
irish examiner
got questions – Bible
nc register

Wants and Needs in a Mate

It depends on what part of you is doing the looking, that determines the things you are looking for. Is it your civilized brain that looks for what your group thinks you need? Or is it your groin that determines who you think is hot that makes your decision for you?

Well, that is where most people talk about mating dances. But there is more to it than that. IMO

I think human beings are made of more parts than just their groin and brain. Deeper relationship needs that control you on an esoteric level.

Here is my list… YMMV

• the beast –

The primordial part of us that looks for a mate to dance and nest with. To search for food and pretty baubles to feather our nest with. To protect each other and our young. And to have sex with when we have energy to burn. And someone who has our back when the predator comes to the door.

• the social being –

Someone our friends and family get along with. Who fits the gang and understands their interests and goals as well as beliefs. Who we enjoy spending time with.

• the creator and destroyer

Call them gods, angels and/or demons, or whatever, we have divine elements to us that seek to control our world and the people within it. And we seek a mate who emulates our dance within the ether.

• the xenophobe and altruist

Pushing someone away because they’re different (a bigot) and you’re afraid, or loving them no matter who they are (agape love) ?

• the child and the elder

The innocent and the wise. The playful and the goal-oriented one. The new and awestruck and the jaded and calm one who reviews life and helps us to set our paths.

And somewhere within that frame, we find someone who fleshes out who we are, supports us in our relationship…

Or do we? Because we still seem to fail a lot at life and love. So what is it that we get wrong? Are we looking for someone who is like us (a clone, a drone) or someone who challenges us and excites us by being different?

…

Part of the difference may be in how we look at people as well.

• Some people prefer to look inside (intrinsic) when they take directions about life and love. Some take their cues from others (extrinsic).

• Some are people-pleasers and some are control freaks who want their way over all. And will cut you down if you try to change their life or mind.

• Some are headed to self love (narcissists) and some to other love (dependent). Most aren’t at clinical levels and find a medial ground, unless they’re really teed off.

….

And that is before they even get into the relationship where new and bored fluxes and life stresses happen. And everyone wants what they want. And get frustrated when they don’t get it.

I guess that is why we never get the handle over love? We just muggle thru the best we can. Living the part of us that suits our life the best we can.

Oh well! Just some thinky thoughts lol Hope you got something out of V-day that you needed. 🙂

you know you’re bored when…. (a mystical story)

You Know You’re Bored When …

As Stephen King would say…

Hell is repetition!

Justin and Melissa were the couple everyone envied. They had a house, a white picket fence, 2.2 kids, careers they had bought and paid for. They should be happy, right?

But even their troubles were the same damn thing, every day. They squabbled about the same things every day. Nothing really happened, It was mercilessly grey. So routine!

Sometimes they each wondered if having an affair would make a difference? Then they’d wonder if they had the time. Between the kids’ school and extra curricular activities, all that driving, their jobs, and would they be able to keep up the time and lies an affair takes?

They thought about divorce as well. But they loved each other and the kids. And seriously! The money that would take would be ridiculous! So no.

But seriously, how do you get thru life well when every step feels like your feet are being sucked down into muck???

It was just grey! And nothing to look forward to but more grey!

This is a lot of people’s lives, so I could just leave it there. But that’s not me, right? If you’ve read my stuff before, you know that! Right? And I did say it was a mystical story, right? (Don’t you hate when the narrator intrudes on a story? ;P)

So where do we go to find the source of the issue? Into the ether! And in the ether we find a demon who likes to cloud the brains of his prey with boredom. Because Justin and Melissa have a good life most people would be grateful for, don’t they? They’re healthy, their kids are too. They have enough money to pay their bills and have a few frills too. So really, what is the problem?? Answer. There isn’t one.

Except the demon.

But who would know? And who could fix it? Got any ideas?