Words to the Cosmos

Storypeople: Spider Princess

// April 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // funny-bone, life the universe and everything

Here’s the Story of the Day: Spider Princess If I was a spider princess, she said, I would spin webs the color of sky & catch drops of sunlight to give to children who watch too much TV & then everyone would remember to come outside to play. If I was a spider princess, she said, things would be different.

“Needle and the Damage Done” by Neil Young

// April 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // Recovery

“Hurt” – Johnny Cash (by TR)

// April 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything

XKCD – Together

// April 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // funny-bone, life the universe and everything

XKCD - Together

Love is Patient Love is Kind

// April 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // spirit

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

- 1 Corinthians 13

The measure of love

// April 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // spirit

“I have always wanted to know if I was able to love like you do,” said the disciple of a Hindu master.

“There is nothing beyond love,” answered the master. “It’s love that keeps the world going round and the stars hanging in the sky.”

“I know all that. But how can I know if my love is great enough?”

“Try to find out if you abandon yourself to love or if you flee from your emotions. But don’t ask questions like that because love is neither great nor small. You can’t measure a feeling like you measure a road: if you act like that you will see only your reflection, like the moon in a lake, but you won’t be following your path.”

Genesis P-Orridge “Have Mercy”

// April 29th, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything

Interesting note on DUMA from a gaming system

// April 29th, 2009 // No Comments » // magick, spirit

I ran into this today.  Apparently it’s a gaming system I’ve never heard of called In Nomine, by Steve Jackson Games. I don’t know what all of the stats mean, but I enjoyed reading the exerpt:

Dumah
Angel of Silence (Seraph of War)

“Silence,” softly intoned the Seraph as she stood over the corpse of a demon, “is golden.”

Corporeal Forces – 6		Strength 12		Agility 12
Ethereal Forces – 6		Intelligence 12		Precision 12
Celestial Forces – 6		Will 12		Perception 12
Word Forces – 22

	Vessel: Human (female, brunette, looks mid 30′s)/6 (+3 Charisma)     Body: 144
	Skill(s): Artistry/5, Chemistry/3, Computer Operation/4, Detect Lies/6, Dodge/3, Driving/3, Emote/6, Fighting/6, Language (English)/3, Language (French)/3, Language (German)/3, Language (Italian)/3, Language (Spanish)/3, Large Weapon (Sword)/6, Medicine/2, Meditation/5, Move Silently/6, Savoir-Faire/4, Tactics/5
	Corporeal Song(s): Affinity/2, Direction/3, Essence/3, Numinous Corpus: Arms/4, Shields/6, Silence/6, Solace/4, Tongues/6, Truth/5
	Ethereal Song(s): Affinity/3, Direction/3, Essence/3, Shileds/2, Silence/6, Solace/3, Tongues/6, Truth/5
	Celestial Song(s): Affinity/1, Direction/3, Essence/3, Shields/4, Silence/6, Solace/4, Tongues/6, Truth/5, Truthswearing/4
	Artifact(s): Fiery Sword/6
	Attunement(s): Seraph of War, Malakite of War, Proficiency (Sword), Vassal of War, Vassal of the Sword, Friend of Fighters, Master of Valor
	Special Attunement(s): All angels who serve the Angel of Silence receive a bonus on the Songs of Silence. Hush: Servitors of Dumah can purchase the ability to render an area completely silent, both corporeally and celestially. The effect has a range equal to the angel’s Corporeal Forces, and lasts for 1 hour for every 1 point of Essence spent. Dumah may grant this attunement to her followers. Seraph of Silence: Everyone finds it difficult to lie in the presence of Dumah and her Seraphs, they move their mouth but no sound comes out. To blatantly lie in the vicinity of such a Seraph, anyone must make a Will roll minus the Angel’s total Forces, +1 for every yard apart they are. The Balseraph resonance is immune to the effects of this attunement.
	Special Rite(s): Do not speak for 24 hours; convey the importance of silence with a gesture or expression

Dumah is one of Michael’s oldest servitors, even from the beginning she said little, and when she did speak it was in a hushed voice. Her voice was not a whisper of weakness, however, it was like listening to the calm before a raging storm. It was a whisper that shouted. The Fall transformed the quiet angel who once kept to herself into a quiet angel with a savage ferocity against the Horde and all that was not the Truth.

Shortly after Michael was named Archangel of War, Dumah was awarded the word of Silence; partially for her valor during the Rebellion but also because it was a word that she already encompassed. Dumah had seen the still quiet of space, the muted sounds of war, and the hush of a battlefield after a war. Though the Angel of Silence desires the lull of peace, she believes that the best way to gain this is by silencing the enemy. Permanently.

Dumah, though she vocalizes rarely, speaks volumes through her expressions. She lets herself be read like a book. Hiding that would be a lie, and the Angel of Silence does not condone lies. And while she is vehement in her pursuit against the Horde, she will take time to nurture humanity, seeing the spark of grace in them. She shakes her head sadly when they lie or fall prey to temptation, but focuses her energies on what she sees as the true threat.

Credits: Erich Arendall

Videodrome

// April 29th, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything, news

Miniver Cheevy informs that 

Universal Pictures will remake the 1983 David Cronenberg-directed thriller Videodrome

OH OH OH…Videodrome was one movie that transformed my 13 year old head!

The original Videodrome starred James Woods as the head of Civic TV Channel 83, who makes his station relevant by programming “Videodrome,” a series that depicts torture and murder that transfixes viewers.

If you not familiar with Videodrome a quick understanding can come from one of the characters quotes:

“The television screen is the retina of the mind’s eye. Therefore, the television screen is part of the physical structure of the brain. Therefore, whatever appears on the television screen emerges as raw experience for those who watch it. Therefore, television is reality, and reality is less than television.” 

 When I was a 13 year old kid, living in a small town in Ohio and have never had cable television.

On one of the first weeks we get this new fangled “cable” thing, I end up not being able to sleep due to this long, epic dreams that start every time I close my eyes.

I meander into the family room and pop on the TV….and it’s in the first second half of Videodrome.

It’s 1983 and it’s connecting to my 13 year old freak brain in ways I cannot tell you. Dendrites feathered, neural syntax created new verbiage and the machine mind yawned and stretched and said “what’s this???”

It was two months of frenzied searching before I found the movie again and got to see the whole thing.

My magickal mantra from 1983 – 1989 was “Long live the new Flesh!”

So now I have to “geek-down” for the moment and wait with patient maturity for the remake to be released.  I think with all the “screened-based technology” we’ve developed since 1983, the remake will be something to see.

I’ve always thought the the most powerful demon of our age is the demon “MEDIA”

Storypeople: Reality (ain’t THAT the truth!)

// April 29th, 2009 // No Comments » // funny-bone, life the universe and everything

Here’s the Story of the Day: Original Drawing #1573-Boxed Book Set Reality is bigger than all of us, he said, but it still gets a lot smaller right before I go in to work

I got this from a friend in email today, thought it was good.

// April 28th, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully 

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other. 

THREE. Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.. 

FOUR.. When you say, ‘I love you ,’ mean it. 

FIVE. When you say, ‘I’m sorry,’ look the person in the eye 

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married. 

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight. 

EIGHT.. Never laugh at anyone’s dream. People who don’t have dreams don’t have much. 

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely. 

TEN.. In disagreements , fight fairly. No name calling. 

ELEVEN. Don’t judge people by their relatives. 

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly. 

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, ‘Why do you want to know?’ 

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk. 

FIFTEEN. Say ‘bless you’ when you hear someone sneeze. 

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson !

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions. 

EIGHTEEN. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship..

NINETEEN. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY.. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

Walking at Stan Hywet (haiku)

// April 27th, 2009 // No Comments » // family, spirit

We went for a walk.

The weather was beautiful. 

Flowers grow.  Sun shines.

Where I get my Zen on!

// April 27th, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything

Magnolia and Bridge

Originally uploaded by chinagrrrl

Over the weekend the kid and I went walking at Stan Hywet. It’s an old estate with a manor house and such. But the ground…those are what I go for. Natural grottoes, Japanese bridges, stone staircases cut into rock ledges. The energy I get here is calming, healing and restorative!

And it’s only about a mile from where I live!

The Wisdom of John Constantine – Part V

// April 26th, 2009 // No Comments » // magick

Storypeople: Not too close

// April 26th, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything

 Here’s the Story of the Day:

Not Too Close
I try not to get too close, he said. From a distance almost everything looks real.

Daily Buddhist Wisdom

// April 26th, 2009 // No Comments » // spirit

Luminous is this mind, brightly shining, but it is colored by the attachments that visit it. This unlearned people do not really understand, and so do not cultivate the mind. Luminous is this mind…

- Anguttara Nikaya

The Wisdom of John Constantine – Part IV

// April 25th, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything

“The old place still smells the same, that’s the wierdest part. Beneath the new carpets and the fancy wallpaper, the gloss paint and velvet drapes– –the lingering taint of blood and sweat, piss and shit. The tang of human fear. Takes me right back, it does. I never expected to come back. Not after last time. I thought I was done with this place. Thought it was done with me… But here I am again, back for one last ride on the merry-go-round. Except this time, I’m the one who’s in control. And that’s what it’s all about, ennit? Control. Last time I slept here, I had none. Not even bladder control. But things change. People think magic’s a way of transforming reality– but in the end, you find that all that you’ve really changed is yourself. Which probably explains why every magician I’ve ever met’s a self-absorbed arsehole. Still, first rule of magic: perception is reality. You gotta look the part. Button-down collar. Pinstripe suit. Ben Sherman. Good British label. Cuff links and cologne; it’s been a while. There… nice and sharp.”

-Issue 232, Wheels of Chance, Systems of Control, Part 1 of 2 by Andy Diggle

Jeffrey McDaniel – “Disasterology”

// April 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything

Disasterology

The Badger is the thirteenth astrological sign.

My sign. The one the other signs evicted: unanimously.

So what? ! Think I want to read about my future

in the newspaper next to the comics? 

My third grade teacher told me I had no future.

I run through snow and turn around

just to make sure I’ve got a past.

My life’s a chandelier dropped from an airplane.

I graduated first in my class from alibi school.

There ought to be a healthy family cage at the zoo, 

or an open field, where I can lose my mother

as many times as I need.

When I get bored, I call the cops, tell them

there’s a pervert peeking in my window! 

then I slip on a flimsy nightgown, go outside, 

press my face against the glass and wait…

This makes me proud to be an American

where drunk drivers ought to wear necklaces

made from the spines of children they’ve run over.

I remember my face being invented

through a windshield.

All the wounds stitched with horsehair

So the scars galloped across my forehead.

I remember the hymns cherubs sang

in my bloodstream. The way even my shadow ached

when the chubby infants stopped.

I remember wishing I could be boiled like water

and made pure again. Desire

so real it could be outlined in chalk.

My eyes were the color of palm trees

in a hurricane. I’d wake up

and my id would start the day without me.

Somewhere a junkie fixes the hole in his arm

and a racing car zips around my halo.

A good God is hard to find.

Each morning I look in the mirror

and say promise me something

don’t do the things I’ve done. 

Jeffrey McDaniel 

Daily Buddhist Wisdom – 042409

// April 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // spirit

Conquer your foe by force, you increase his enmity; conquer by love, and you will reap no after-sorrow.

- Fo-Sho-Hing-Tsan-King

I’m going to try an experiment this Dark Moon…

// April 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // magick

it’s kind of a touchy one.  It’s an idea I’ve never even considered before, but a thought came to me this morning…in the sun.  And I think it’s a good one.  It might make me a little wonky next week…but I’m wonky already, so most people shouldn’t notice any change!

Wish me luck…send me blessings…this one could prove to be trixie!!!

This dark moon is tomarrow,  Saturday, April 25th at 3:23 am.  Perfect timing.

Sad meeting last night

// April 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // Recovery

Sad meeting.  A lot of suffering people.  Josh drank 30 days ago and is acting constricted.  Shep used a few times and says he doesn’t have the motivation to stay clean.  Dan, and older fellow with many years in recovery is super caught up and feeling the despair of the quarter inch world and Mike, someone with many years clean did the same.

I must focus on the body of light and energy, realizing that “I” can’t help or save anyone, but by being me and practicing the path and praying…any amount of change is possible.

“May all beings be free from suffering…May all beings know peace.”

Maybe not books…but I can get DVDs, right?

// April 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // magick

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001BEGB3O/disinformation

I loves me some Alan Moore!

Disinformation: The Podcast – The Mindscape of Alan Moore

The Disinformation crew is proud to present an interview with author and comic book legend Alan Moore.  We spend an hour talking to Alan about his background, the upcoming League of Extraordinary Gentlemen release, and Disinformation’s riveting documentaryThe Mindscape of Alan Moore.  We discuss Alan’s work as a shaman and magician, and the influence of occult ideas on his classic works.  Also included is an interview with DeZ Vylenz, producer and director of The Mindscape of Alan Moore.

Alice

// April 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything

alice

Originally uploaded by chinagrrrl

Apparently this is my new “traveling” avatar. When I drift off to seem I’m seeing myself as this character. Slightly different facial features, but the blue dress and white apron with the sigils on it. The Libra/Omega pendant is around my neck and I have the knife and boots.

My initial walk is down this black descending ramp, like something you would go into at Space Mountain at Disney. Blue dotted lights on either side of the walkway. A little ways down is this blue, glowing sigil made up of some sacred geometry I know I’ve seen, but haven’t been able to draw or reference.

Outside the circle of the sigil sits Griffin, my familiar, who is in the avatar of the Cheshire Cat from this Alice videogame. He usually tells me something like “Took your time getting here, didn’t you?”

From there we go….places. And meet…beings.

Nothing more on that yet. Still taking it all in. But I thought I’d give a picture of what I’m spending my nights looking like…

Daily Buddhist Wisdom – 042309

// April 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // spirit

Daily Buddhist Wisdom

Where is thought? It can never be seen or even apprehended. It is like a magical illusion, for with imagination it colors the world. Searching for thought, unable to see it, a person looks for its…

- Sikshasamuccaya

Storypeople: Being Bigger

// April 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything

Here’s the Story of the Day: Being Bigger they only look small, she said, if you’re someone who’s fond of being bigger than everyone else

Duma, Archangel of Silence

// April 23rd, 2009 // 1 Comment » // magick, spirit

There are many angels of which it is said that they were one of the first created. Duma is one of these many. The Archangel of Silence has not always been silent. Before the Fall, his Word was Archangel of the Symphony. It was his job to trace chords back to the start, follow notes to their end, find resonance in the Symphony and watch for discord. He was not Uriel, and did not seek to purify the Symphony, he merely watched and cared. The past, future and presence were his duty, his only rules: do not interefere, never tell.

Never tell.

Then came the Fall. Three angels knew of the Fall before it happened. Michael and Uriel were surprised. Gabriel and David were unprepared. Even Lucifer’s followers did not believe it would happen. Surely God’s golden boy wouldn’t throw it all away. Would the Morningstar abandon the Heavenly Host? Lucifer knew he would. So did Yves and Duma.

Yves and Duma had known that Lucifer would betray God before Lucifer did. Duma had seen it and, despite the rules, had told Yves. Yves did not get upset, either at Lucifer’s Fate or Duma’s dissonance. Yves merely shrugged and gave that queer little smile of his. Perhaps he’d already known. Known that Lucifer would do such a thing, known that Duma would tell and could do nothing of it. Could tell no one else.

The Fall affected Duma in a way that it touched no other angel. Only Gabriel could be said to have felt such a profound impact from the rebellion. Duma could no longer carry out his Word. The Symphony, with its potential destinies and darkly bidding fates, it no longer captured Duma’s interest. Nor his love.

Duma’s last words were, “I sing no more.”

And he didn’t.

The Archangels had hopes that Duma would snap out of it. No one had ever turned against their Word before. Even Lucifer and his followers had merely taken darker versions of those they previously held. Love to Hate, Light to Dark. Never in Heaven had Love or Hate turned to Apathy or Disinterest. It could not happen.

It did.

Yves, of course, knew that it would not go away. It was he who suggested that Duma’s Word be changed, instead of the Removal that Uriel and Dominic were insisting upon. It was God who granted Duma his new Word, that of Silence. Not merely the dark and vile version of the Symphony that Kronos’ Word embodied, but an absolute antithesis of sound and predestination.

Duma still does not speak, though he has come to participate more fully in the War. His Word, like that of Gabriel, is symbolic. Silence represents the throwing off of the shackles of the Symphony. Duma is the Archangel of spontinaity, free will and unpredictability. This gives his servitors a certain flare for dramatics, and makes it nearly impossible for Laurance to include him in strategies at all.

Rumours fly. Duma speaks only to Yves. Duma speaks only to God. Duma is God. Duma is Satan. Duma is Dominic. Michael respects Duma for the same reason he holds Yves in contempt. Laurence despises Duma, referring to him as the ‘Patron of Atheism’. Blandine cries for him and Janus laughs for him. No one speaks for him.

NOTES ON DUMA

// April 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // magick, spirit

Who is Duma?

 Like Yves, Duma is a direct incarnation of God. However, neither he nor Yves realize it. Duma is God’s self-doubt, a part of Him that isn’t even sure that He exists. Originally created to be the Symphony in celestial flesh and blood, the Fall caused a great change in Duma. Despite his innate connection to God, a connection just as strong as Yves’ own, he yearns for Free Will.

This is a powerful paradox. Duma demands Free Will from his own Will. He wishes to work outside of the Symphony, when working outside of the Symphony is, itself, such a great restraint. His own servitors must work for Free Will, but would do anything Duma asked of them.

Duma’s silence is his meditation. He’s not yet realized it, but he is slowly coming closer to untying the knot of his mind. When he does, not only will he have a complete understanding of how Silence has a place in the Symphony, but so will the others.

Uriel

// April 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // magick, spirit

URIEL (Archangel): Fire of God!

“Uriel’s name means — “Fire of God,” — and he is ranked variously as a seraph, cherub, regent of the Sun, flame of God, presider over Hades and, in his best-known role, as the Archangel of Salvation. Like Metatron, Uriel is said to be one of the angel s of the Presence, a most high posting since only the highest voltage angels can sustain the presence of God.”

“Uriel is thought to have been “the spirit who stood at the gate of the lost Eden with the fiery sword.” The Book of Enoch tells us that it was Uriel who was sent by God to warn Noah of the impending flood, and elsewhere it is written that he disclosed the mysteries of the heavenly arcana to Ezra, and that he also led Abraham out of Ur in the Chaldean region.”

“Some have claimed that the divine art of alchemy was brought down to Earth by Uriel, and that it was also this angel who gave the Kabbalah, the Hebrew mystic tradition, to humankind. John Milton describes Uriel as the ‘sharpest sighted spirit of all in Heaven’. The angel who showed up to berate Moses for neglecting to circumcise his own son Gershom. Sharp eyes indeed!”

Uriel is associated by legend with earthquakes, storms, erupting volcanoes and such has a big part in Milton’s “Paradise Lost.” There, as governor of the sun, he is tricked by Satan, disguised as a young angel, into giving directions to earth, and from there to Eden. Once there, tempting Satan sought out Eve’s ear.

[ Washta:...There are many others, such as Raphael and Uriel, who sit above in the 4th and 5th dimensions to aid Gabriel in this ascension process. They also have access to the 6th and 7th dimensions to assist Archangel Michael with the special life ene rgies being brought through the Time Lords, down to the 8th and 7th dimensions. ]

Boy…I have smart friends!

// April 23rd, 2009 // 2 Comments » // spirit

Got this in a personal message today:  

Without Self remembering, self observation is worthless.

Funny Email invite I got at work today

// April 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // personal

I work at a place that is notoriously stoic and quiet.  It’s old-school corporate ethics at its best (and worst).  Today, I got an email that was rather outside the usual run-of-the-mill work info:

People:

 By high order of the chancellor, Happy Hour has been decreed for tomorrow.  Use whatever excuse you feel is best: a) pre-gaming for a Cav’s World Championship run, b) its only 148 shopping days until “Talk like a Pirate Day 2009”, c) O’Toole has maintained a zero carbon footprint for 10 consecutive days, whatever.  

 Forget about Puxatony Phil, winter is over, spring has begun and it’s going to take a run at 80 degrees tomorrow.  Done and Done.

 This list is intentionally diverse (I did not use the employee workgroup alignment chart) in an effort to build total organizational unity around this important occasion.  Please feel free to tell others; there will be no complex conspiracies to keep the list streamlined.  All are welcomed, my friends. 

 Please feel compelled to make the trip to the deck at 69 Taps when the quality of your work output drops below the outside temp (the place isn’t open for lunch, Steve).  Hope to see you all there! 

Now, back to work! 

How about that.  Three days after I make some internal changes to my perspective and get my energy body moving to resonate peace, love and unity…I get something like this from one of our Market Development leaders.

Don’t fret…I’ll be drinking Diet Coke or unsweetened iced tea.  And can only stay for 20 minutes because I have parenting responsibilities.  But it’s a nice change!