Love is an exchange. It’s about giving and receiving. By my definition, love is something you actually live out with other people.
Maybe I just haven't grasped the true meaning of love...
...but I’ve never had much patience for the hypocrites who spend their lives floating in some abstract cloud of "love."
It’s easy to feel this pious, universal cosmic love and convince yourself you're a saint because of it. I could probably point out one specific phony who played the "angel" role—acting like everyone's best friend just to soothe his own pathetic insecurities... He performed these sanctimonious good deeds... but he was essentially just a vampire, eventually manipulating people into believing they were the selfish ones. He'd offer a helping hand and win people over emotionally, making it look like he cared... but the moment someone needed actual, tangible support, he'd just hit them with a mantra about how selfish they were for expecting anything from him. I don't know if it made him feel better... personally, I think he just ended up empty.
It's as if, with all that performative love, he didn't want friends—he wanted worshippers. 😁 😁 😁
It's hard to actually deny your own ego through love. To set aside your own needs... (Whether it's physical intimacy or any other kind) Yeah. It often turns into a form of emotional blackmail: "I did this for you out of love... now I want it back." And honestly, that kind of emotional extortion is pathetic and disgusting.
But I've seen this behavior even in people who claim to love vague abstractions "unconditionally"... as if they're trying to hustle God or whatever else for some spiritual reward. 😛 You have to always go the extra mile...
******** Have you guys seen the movie "Amelia"? The one about the girl who almost kills herself by doing good deeds... but only because she refused to admit to herself or anyone else that she actually needs the love and attention she never received? That's just another side of the same coin.
*********** *********** *********** (btw... sometimes I wonder... aren't the "male" and "female" concepts of love slightly different...? (not really relevant, offtopic)😉
Baphomet said:After spending years rubbing elbows with various spiritual types, I’ve realized most of them are just looking for decent sex and someone to come home to. They couldn't care less about uncovering the truth or doing the heavy lifting of psychological self-analysis.
~God ignored is a demon born.~
Liber boomerang
God isn't interested in you, Baphomet... which is why my definition of a New Age Hymn used to be almost the exact opposite 😁 😁 😁 Maybe that's why, as a freelancer with a decade of neurotic deep-diving into my own psyche and everyone else's, I haven't actually met anyone like them yet.
To me, the definition of "spiritual" (and yeah, I only started using that word two and a half years ago after ditching the softer versions) would be people who have actually managed to integrate both sides.
Quoting my great guru and mentor, the wicked witch... his response to Me when I was complaining about being stuck in a rut of laziness:
The wise wicked witch once told me: "Look, I used to grind through the schematics and hammer out assignments too... but now I think: Dammit, stick to every New Year's resolution you make... there's no doubt you'll see some results, but... if you're just an average Joe, you'll end up with Al Gore... If you're truly exceptional, you'll end up with Elon Musk... If you land somewhere in the middle, you'll end up facing global warming...
😛 What a fate!!!"
So, let's hear it—which one of these paths sounds good to everyone? 😁 😁 😁 😁
What I’m getting at is this: you use your imagination to scan through all your internal organs 😉 (which takes some actual effort and daily practice) and you basically trigger a sense of laughter within each one.
"Wu Wei" is just the fact that the whole thing is such a blast that I genuinely love doing it. 😁
As for the concept of Wu Wei itself, I don't know much else beyond the fact that it's clearly just some vague, empty wisdom.
Sure... at first glance. Just pure emotional sludge viewed through cold eyes. Then you take a second look. Then a third...
And this emotional way we experience the world peels away like onion skin.
Until you reach the core. Which is, if we use a scalpel as a symbol for intellect and reason, indivisible. But that cold steel won't get you to the core. Unless you bleed everything out first; then, maybe the scalpel helps.
By accepting others, we learn to accept ourselves. By loving them, we learn to love ourselves. The parts of our own being we didn't even realize existed because of some preconceived, "definitive knowledge." Born from the crazy idea that our experience is absolute and complete.!!! Like... I know myself and I know people, I know all their motives and reactions... (I’d recommend checking out Essence's posts over at Witch 5... she explained so beautifully what happens when you actually "step into" another person via emotion and intuition.)
What Glam wrote definitely has a foundation... but only in the first layer. But did he offer any real argument that there aren't more layers underneath? More ways love and kindness manifest, or more motives to push deeper?
Sentimental sludge, just like frigid coldness, stays stuck on that first layer. The sludge clings to it, while the coldness spits it right back out.
Nobody is truly confident or self-sufficient. Nobody. Nobody. Nobody!
We pretend to be strong and godlike, easily forgetting how fragile and vulnerable we actually are... how much Newton force does it take to crush us into a pulp??? How much? A lot? An astronomical number?
Nobody is truly confident or self-sufficient. Nobody. Nobody. Nobody! How many times have I heard the silent weeping buried deep inside those rigid, confident, arrogant types... How many puffed-up macho guys and tough girls are just one step away from tears... not even hidden ones, but tears vibrating on their faces and swallowed down in their throats... 😁 😁 😁
PS. Today I crushed a friend's feelings... a guy who tried to act all confident, sturdy, and witty. From a safe distance, via email. (Details are none of your business). There was plenty of sarcasm and brutal honesty involved. TOO MUCH !!!! I assume I crushed him, considering my inbox is currently flooded with emails with insulting subject lines. I didn't even read them. Something hurt. And I don't feel bad about it. I knew exactly what was underneath, and I wouldn't have helped him at all if I had just said, "Hehehe... yeah, that's right, you're doing fine." I wish him a speedy recovery... but I hope he stays far away from me. I'm done with his games involving other people's "sentimentality." So, it's fine that I screwed him over. I don't feel guilty one bit.
Ryan Wilson2 said:Great. You guys flooded my thread with spam, hoping I wouldn't notice how lazy you all are. Clever little mental games to mask the fact that nobody wants to actually change.
When I actually live by my own philosophy, I usually end up alone, so there isn't much left to practice on. It’s like Blaise and that whole "farting at the office" school of thought.
Taking responsibility for your actions should be standard behavior for any adult, just like living according to your principles. Most people's problems stem from failing to do either.
Anyway... whatever. Let's get back to the chatter. Maybe the Undead has an interesting topic posted somewhere. 😁
So, I tried practicing "hibernation," just like Snake suggested. Based on some things I've noticed about myself and the world, I have every reason to believe this is the right way to handle the winter months.
Hopefully, I'll master the skill in maybe five or six winters. 😁 😁 😁
Now, that Taoist inner smile meditation is calling my name again. Pure Wu Wei. Whatever. It feels like the exercise is doing itself while I just sit here feeling great. 🙂 !!!
jadetinker85 said:I’m totally fine with it. Look at hikers: some do it for the love of the trail, while others just want to check a summit off their list. I definitely fall into the first group. 😉
👍 I don't get those other people at all... you can hike on a stationary bike for all I care... the goal is met once the clock hits X hours, right? 😁 😁 😁
Fargo folks under 1) don't need to reach the peak to enjoy the mountains... but when you actually make it to the top, it’s a hell of a lot better than just checking a box. 🙂.
The whole premise was nonsense, honestly—the way they sold it to us. Proving things that had already been proven hundreds of thousands of times over. In reality, the goal was just teaching us how to handle the bloody business, rather than actually proving anything in vivo.
It didn't bother me much. It was actually quite a rush... feeling something alive opening up under my fingers, revealing the secrets of how it all works!!!
Grey mice and white rats... sourced directly from a top-tier research institute here in the USA. To make sure everything was scientifically grounded, reproducible, and comparable to studies done halfway across the globe, the samples had to be as genetically similar as possible. Ideally, they’d be identical clones, but the tech isn't there yet... and besides, who's going to shell out that kind of cash just for students to play around?
For years, they just bred their own rats and mice down in the basement. They called that wing of the basement "the stable". The rule for maintaining a pure line is simple: you always breed siblings from the same litter. That's actually how they developed the "prototype"... hell, I can't remember the exact name of the "strain"... something like CBGJ-6754. It took fifty generations of brother-sister breeding to reach the level of genetic consistency needed for serious scientific work. Once that happens, the institute licenses the "strain"... and distributes it to institutions worldwide to run their experiments. Every now and then, because mutations happen naturally, they have to "refresh the blood" using original samples from the primary reference institute.
(If the ventilation in the basement ever failed, the whole campus would reek. I couldn't tell if it was the mouse and rat waste, the urine, or the standardized food they were fed...
I’m talking about the dark moon... and the shadows 😲 And no, I don't consider myself particularly "stable" by conventional standards... nor is that my goal 😁 Symbols that don't resonate with the "stable me" aren't really symbols anymore—they're just plain old characters 😛.
Those "animalistic" youths... honestly, I don't see the dark moon as any less significant than the full one. They're two halves of a whole. Every phase carries its own weight and energy. The only "highs" and "lows" I actually recognize are measured in elevation . BTW, some older editions of Witch on Lin touched on this briefly... I can sense that energy, and maybe one day I'll actually figure out how to tap into it . Hmm... it's interesting to see what astrology says about the moon and how it moves through the zodiac signs and houses . Why don't you write something up...
I could probably write something here about the phases of the moon... but I’d rather just quote what Snake wrote in the last issue:
As for the moon..... we'll get into much more detail next time. Let Mother sleep.... even if we still call upon Her through her symbol!
That line actually makes me think... how smart is it, really, to write about symbols of power and how we summon them? Because power is just power... it isn't good or evil, it's just potent. We all know what happens when kids play with fire. Just because someone gets burned doesn't mean we should stop using fire... but still, burns aren't exactly fun.
Everything I know about witchcraft didn't come from some formal initiation, nor did I have to swear an oath to keep it secret for anyone. I found my way there through paths that are open to anyone who is serious enough to actually start digging.
However, it raises the question of how wise it is to talk about knowledge that remains "occult"—or in other words, hidden ....
Maybe we could discuss that a bit before we move on to the shadow. This isn't a casual chat topic. Working with the shadow is difficult and exhausting, not to mention terrifying. Speculating about it is just foolish and pointless once you actually encounter the dark side of yourself.
Trying to haggle over the price of getting into the club with the thrower is completely pointless. Entry costs what it costs, and there's no shady business allowed in this "club"!
Some council of American Wiccans put together a set of principles back in 1974, basically outlining what an American modern Witch should actually believe in. Apparently, there are a few different versions floating around out there, each with its own slight variations. They aren't meant to be commandments or anything—just more like a set of criteria to help define what it means to be Wiccan in the middle of all this chaos.
My apologies if I’m being a bit blunt with this forum subheader.Freeform style. 😁 😁 😁This is starting to feel a lot like a "religion."
Principles of Wiccan Belief 1. WE practice rites to attune ourselves with The Natural rhythm of Life forces marked by The phases of The Moon and The seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarter Creative Power in The Universe as manifesting through polarity Creative Power Lies in All People , and functions through The interaction of The masculine and feminin Spiritual World Collective Unconscious Inner Planes WE see religion , magick and wisdom in living as being United in The way One views The World and lives within IT Witchcraft - The Wiccan Way Witch control The forces within Her / himself that make Life possible in order to Live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with Nature WE believe in The affirmation and fulfillment of Life in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness giving meaning to The Universe WE know and Our personal roll within IT
Principles of Wiccan Belief 1. WE practice rites to attune ourselves with The Natural rhythm of Life forces marked by The phases of The Moon and The seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarter Creative Power in The Universe as manifesting through polarity Creative Power Lies in All People , and functions through The interaction of The masculine and feminin Spiritual World Collective Unconscious Inner Planes WE see religion , magick and wisdom in living as being United in The way One views The World and lives within IT Witchcraft - The Wiccan Way Witch control The forces within Her / himself that make Life possible in order to Live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with Nature WE believe in The affirmation and fulfillment of Life in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness giving meaning to The Universe WE know and Our personal roll within IT
Principles of Wiccan Belief 1. WE practice rites to attune ourselves with The Natural rhythm of Life forces marked by the phases of The Moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarter.
2. We acknowledge that our own intelligence carries a specific responsibility to look after our environment. We aim to exist in harmony with Nature, maintaining an ecological balance that fosters the fulfillment of life and consciousness as part of an ongoing evolutionary process.
3. We recognize a level of power that goes way deeper than what most people ever perceive. Since it’s so much more intense than the everyday stuff, some call it supernatural, but we view it simply as a natural potential that exists within everyone.
Principles of Wiccan Belief 4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity - as masculine and feminine - and that this same Creative Power lies in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive to the other.
5. We view sex as pure pleasure, a symbol of life itself, and a vital source of energy utilized in both magical practice and religious worship.
6. We acknowledge the existence of both the external reality and the internal, psychological realms—often referred to as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, or the Inner Planes. It’s the interplay between these two dimensions that creates the foundation for magickal work and paranormal phenomena. We don't pick sides or favor one over the other; both are essential for us to feel whole.
7. We don't bow down to any top-down authority or rigid hierarchies. That's not our way. Instead, we show respect to the teachers, honor those willing to share their deeper wisdom, and recognize the people who’ve had the guts to step up and lead when it actually mattered.
8. WE see religion , magick and wisdom in living as being United in The way One views The World and lives within IT—a specific worldview and philosophy we call Witchcraft - The Wiccan Way.
Calling yourself a "Witch" doesn't actually make you one. It’s not about your bloodline, either, and it certainly isn't about stacking up titles, degrees, or initiations like trophies. Being a Witch is about something else entirely: it's about learning to control The forces within Her / himself that make Life possible in order to Live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with Nature.
10. WE believe in The affirmation and fulfillment of Life in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness giving meaning to The Universe WE know and Our personal roll within IT.
Our only issue with Christianity, or honestly any other religion or lifestyle philosophy, is when their institutions start acting like they hold the monopoly on truth. It’s that gatekeeping—claiming to be "the only way" while trying to strip away everyone else's freedom and crush different ways of practicing faith or belief. That's where we draw the line.
As American Witches, we don't lose sleep over academic debates about the history of the Craft, where certain terms originated, or whether specific traditions are "legitimate." That's not our business. We're focused on the here and now—our present and our future.
We don't buy into the idea of absolute evil, and we certainly aren't out here worshipping some "Satan" or "Devil" figure just because that's what traditional American churches preach. Seeking power by making others suffer isn't our style, and we don't believe you have to step on someone else to get ahead.
14. WE believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being.
I haven't been initiated into any specific tradition yet, nor am I really looking into it right now, but personally, I actually dig these principles. Don't blame me for not translating them... if someone is truly fascinated by this stuff but doesn't speak English... then it’ll be best if they just translate them themselves. If a person is genuinely interested, that kind of effort will be worth the trouble. 🙂
"When i withdraw fra The World IT is because i believe my very existence is no good for The People i love.
When those i Love say, ‘You are bad for me’ they have signed my death warrant—and no matter how much my intellect tries to argue otherwise, those words become the rope I use to hang myself. If I'm no good to the ones I love, then I'm useless. I have no life, and I don't deserve one."
I've felt this way more times than I can count 😢... what James Cruz6 said is true a thousand times over. But when we try to get too fancy with spirituality, we just end up making ourselves overly sensitive... and shits happens. We're stuck in this loop until we finally reach that famous state of consciousness, that level "where one can view the world and all its relationships as mere fragments of an illusion or a dream; once attained, one simultaneously reaches the state of Unity, a love for everyone and everything."... until then, there's a hell of a lot of work to do on oneself.
As for S. Solaris, I wouldn't worry 👍... she knows perfectly well that her giving is absolutely necessary. 🙂
Maybe these heavy states of mind are just a warning not to throw pearls before anyone.😉