shhh - coby!

Jan. 30th, 2026 02:51 pm
kallianeira: (lavender)
[personal profile] kallianeira
 
Vinegar is good stuff. Its ordinary uses can be enhanced by steeping aromatic plant parts in it. The renowned "Four Thieves Vinegar" - that protected the grave robbers in Marseilles from catching plague - contains a mixture of herbs and spices which may make a salad more enjoyable... I might find out tonight. I have bottles of home made herb vinegars that I forget about when they are 
on the top shelf behind closed cupboard doors.

There are microbes which break down acetic acid so it cannot be counted upon to last forever. Usually my experience is that the vinegar gets used faster by me than the bugs. However, I did 
once find a bottle of cloudy not-so-sharp smelling vinegar in someone else's pantry where the balance had been inverted.

Anyhow, I prefer double strength vinegar. It means less carrying of heavy bottles home from the shops and seems to add to the shelf life.
One of the nice infusions I have made is with lemon peel. After straining and dilution it makes a lovely spray surface cleaner. Last time I ran out of it I had not planned ahead - having no lemon vinegar and no lemons - and I took some of my French lavender vinegar. Of course it was way too strong so I watered it down.

Today I was cleaning the sink - no, I am not expecting visitors: it's just a quirk of mine to clean wantonly now and then - and the spray bottle was in the light from the kitchen window. There were two layers: a light coloured mat floating over a darker liquid which fortunately was still coming through the tube. And I thought I had better separate them. That mat was rather more cohesive than expected - it had to be coaxed out - and shiny and a bit slippery - it reminded me of nothing more than the celebrated culture of bacteria and yeasts which is what creates kombucha.
True, that lavender vinegar was a form of tea and had been on the bench in ideal fermentation conditions through the past very warm couple of months. (I know this as both batches of black tea kombucha I have attempted have failed. I know I need no further cause for heartbreak in this lifetime but, you see, they keep coming at me.) 

So the moral I draw from the above is: when life does not give you lemon vinegar, make kombucha.


Diary:

Jan. 29th, 2026 08:25 am
degringolade: (Default)
[personal profile] degringolade
 I Like It
Don't Know What It Is
 


Maybe it is just that I have been "warned" about the country going to hell for so long that I really don't listen any more.  I have been watching the academic asshats at the "Bulletin of Atomic Scientists" shriek their dire warnings for their imaginary clock being "closer to midnight" for my whole adult adult existence.  Hell, I even remember huddling under my desk in first and second grade at Wilson Elementary with Mrs. Stanford terrorizing us with certain doom because of the godless commies (obviously I knew nothing about atomics or or commies so I filed them under the same category as I filed other boogie men).

Nope, I am just tired of that kind of shit.  Maybe it is the awkward fact that I am finishing up my term riding the biological/societal joyride that everyone has prepped for me, but folks have been telling me for decades that it is all going to hell in a handbasket and I now believe them but realize that there isn't a damn thing I can do about it.

My generation, for the most part, is mortally offended by my mental model of history being a sinusoidal thing.  I was fortunate enough to be be introduced into this shitshow at the crest of a wave whose 𝛌 is around twice the length of a fat, dumb, and happy American life in the 20th and 21st Centuries.  But whether you like it or not things have been riding the entropy train and for the life of me, I don’t see any way we can reverse direction.  

But I can’t say as I am all that concerned about the high-probability that there is a “Bad Moon Rising”.  We have lived through a lot worse in the centuries before us and, depending on just how far we are from trough (my best guess is 5-8 years) we have a long time ahead of rising fortunes following the end of the shitshow phase we are heading into. 

So, I am thinking that we just need to get back to work preparing to build the new while others finish dismantling the old.  Mostly it is just a time to keep aware of your surroundings, collect your thoughts and try to stay out of the worst of it. 


 

neptunesdolphins: dolphins leaping (Default)
[personal profile] neptunesdolphins
 Selected Dragons of the Archangels
 
Fhelyai
Sunshine Yellow Dragons
Fhelyai, an Archangel of the New Age, has no Christian counterpart. This Archangel offers compassion and comfort to animals. His Sunshine Yellow Dragons make portals for the animals to Ascend to the Cosmic Source.
 
Gabriel (“God is my strength”)
White Crystal Dragons
The Archangel Gabriel helps families by granting them fertility. Meanwhile, their White Crystal Dragons help humans to walk the Diamond Ascension Path of Purity, Love, and Hope (Note 3). These Dragons enable humans to be spiritually transparent once they hold the Cosmic Diamond of this Archangel.
 
Jophiel (“Beauty of God”)
Crystal Yellow Dragons
Jophiel is the Angel of Wisdom, who inspires people to see the beauty in life. Her Crystal Yellow Dragons keep the Crown Chakra open to integrate the Light of the Cosmic Source. (Note 4) They also assist individuals in walking the Diamond Ascension Path.
 
Mariel
Magenta Dragons
Mariel is an Archangel of the New Age, who governs the Soul Star Chakra (Note 5). She holds the Magenta Flame (Note 6) of the Divine Feminine Love (with Archangel Mary). Her Magenta Dragons accompany people on their eternal soul journeys. These Dragons will merge the person’s ego self with their Higher Self.
 
Metatron
Orange and Golden Dragons
According to Jewish lore, Metatron is Enoch, who was transformed by God into an Archangel. Since He is in charge of the ascension process of the Universe, Metatron is moving the Earth to the Planetary Level of the Fifth Dimension. Meanwhile, the Orange and Golden Orange Dragons travel the various Dimensions assisting the Archangel in his duties.
 
Raphael (“God Heals”)
Emerald Dragons
As a healer, Raphael guides people through their wounds. To complete the healing of all beings, He operates between the Seventh and Ninth Dimensions. To help Him in his duties, the Emerald Dragons of the Fifth Dimension consume the lower energy vibrations of the Earth (the ones that hold grief and misery).
 
Uriel (“Light of God”)
Illuminare, Grand Master Dragon (Note 7)
Working in the background, the Archangel Uriel will clarify confusing situations. Illuminare, who is a Grand Master Dragon, will illuminate what is hidden. Holding angelic energy, this Dragon offers truth to seekers.
 
Zadkiel (“Justice of God”)
Gold and Silver Violet Flame Dragons
The Archange Zadkiel governs spiritual transmutation, and emotional balance. Meanwhile, the Violet Dragons of the Violet Flame came through to the Earth during the opening of the Dragon Portals in 2012. At that time, the Silver Flame of Grace and the Gold Flame of Wisdom merged with the Violet Flame to become the Gold and Silver Violet Flame (Note 8). The Violet Dragons are now the Gold and Silver Violet Flame Dragons. These Dragons transmute the old energies, align people with the Divine Feminine, and clean their Karma. (Note 9)
 
Notes:
 
Note 3. There are various Pathways to Ascension Process. The Diamond Pathway is the fourth step in the process. The steps are 1) Ascension, 2) Ascended, 3) Crystal, 4) Diamond, 5) Emerald, 6) Golden-White Light, and 7) Grand Ascension.
 
The first three steps are for gaining mastery over the physical, emotional, and mental bodies. The fourth is to cultivate self-worth. The fifth connects the soul to their Higher Self. The sixth unifies the soul with the Higher Self. The seventh is becoming an Ascended Master.
 
Note 4. The Great Central Sun is the Source of Light and Solar Energy at the Center of the Universe. This is the Light of the Cosmic Source.
 
Note 5. Beyond the usual Seven Chakras, there are five (six) more. The Soul Star Chakra, the Eight Chakra is located about the Crown Chakra. This Chakra allows access to the Akashic Records (also called the Cosmic Library).
 
Note 6. Flames and Rays of various colors have their own healing frequencies. The Magenta Flame (Ray) brings harmony.
 
Note 7. The Grand Master Dragons are highly evolved beings such as Merlin or the Mother Mary. Living at the Seventh Dimension (and above), these Dragons are master teachers and seers.
 
Note 8. This Flame contains all of the healing frequencies of the Gold, Silver, and Violet Flames. Therefore, the Dragons were transformed as well. The Violet Flame transmutes people’s Light Bodies in the process of Ascension. (The Violet Flame is also the Ray of Ceremonial Order and Magic.)
 
Note 9. Karma is the “Lesson Plan,” in which the soul makes choices during its various lives. Bad choices need to be reconciled with good ones for the Cosmic Scales to balance. Transmuting bad energies helps to balance the Cosmic Scales. In New Age theology, every soul has a Soul Blueprint to follow. Karma determines how long the soul will reincarnate until the Blueprint is completed.
 
Sources:
 
AnRa, Araya, “The Dragon Within.” Silver Linings of Wisdom. 2019.
Cooper, Diana, “Dragons.” Hay House: Carlsbad (CA). 2018.
Fader, Christine Arana, “The Little Book of Dragons.” Earthdancer: Forress (Scotland). 2015.
Mitchell, Caroline, “How to Live With Dragons.” Watkins: London. 2022.
Ryan, Caroline Oceana, “The Spirit of the Dragon Tribes.” Ascension Times Publishing. 2025.
 
neonvincent: Ambassador Vreelak from DS9 (Fake!)
[personal profile] neonvincent
I originally planned to include this song in the post that became Bruce Springsteen, Billy Bragg, and the Marsh Family sing about Minneapolis, Minnesota, but Springsteen and Bragg crowded it out.

neonvincent: For posts about Usenet (Fluffy)
[personal profile] neonvincent
I found a video with a preview image and description I liked better for Doomsday Clock now at 85 seconds to midnight, least time ever — again!

A video I should show my students

Jan. 27th, 2026 08:53 am
neonvincent: For posts about cats and activities involving uniforms. (Krosp)
[personal profile] neonvincent
neonvincent: For posts about cats and activities involving uniforms. (Krosp)
[personal profile] neonvincent

Da Moon

Jan. 26th, 2026 10:05 am
degringolade: (Default)
[personal profile] degringolade
the mmomn 
Da Moon

What is nice about Dreamwidth is that when you take off away from the beaten track is that folks here all have their off-center pursuits and no one seems to judge too harshly.  

I am spending time lately learning about mundane astrology.  A lot of this is just me pushing back against the oft-voiced and pervasive sneering within the scientific community that astrology is right up there with snake-oil symptoms and ponzi schemes.  But the truth of the matter is that they hold this firm belief without a single foray into understanding the system, let alone work through the process and compare predictions with results within a valid sampling system and defined experimental criteria.  

So, I'm off.  I am straight out guessing that mundane astrology is most amenable to the criteria stated.  It is my belief that the actions of groups of people are much more predicable and amenable to categorization that individuals.  This hypothesis might be completely wrong, but that is the nature of hypotheses, isn't it?

It will be quite a while before I get anything even remotely useful out of this.  Hell, not counting the 12 years in school at the public trough, it took and addition eight years at the university level to get competent in a completely unrelated mindset, I have a hunch that time-frame isn't going to be beaten here
neonvincent: For posts about geekery and general fandom (Shadow Play Girl)
[personal profile] neonvincent
I decided I didn't need this for'One Battle After Another' and 'Sinners' lead screenplay categories at the Oscars according to Gold Derby.

neptunesdolphins: dolphins leaping (Default)
[personal profile] neptunesdolphins
 In the New Age, Angels and Ascended Masters support, protect, and direct humans in their soul journeys (Note 1). Extremely powerful Archangels inhabit the non-physical light realms. As the leaders of the Angels, they focus on the issues that affect all beings. In particular, the Archangels protect and guide groups of souls.
 
Ascended Masters are a group of spiritual beings who guide humans. They range from Gods to the Mighty Dead and others. The others can be human beings who have achieved enlightenment and ascended (Note 2) to spirit realms. For example, Mary Magdelene and Merlin are considered to be Ascended Masters. Meanwhile, Ascended Masters such as the Great White Brotherhood interact with various individuals in the name of the Cosmic Force.
 
Several Dragons have partnered with the Ascended Masters and Archangels. The Archangel holds the vision, while the Dragon clears the lower energies that block pure intention to implement that vision. The Ascended Masters carry the wisdom of the Cosmic Force, and the Dragons, who move in different frequencies, direct that wisdom.
 
Notes:
 
Note 1. Every individual has a Soul Blueprint, which can be thought of as spiritual DNA. The Soul Blueprint is linked to the Akashic Records. These Records will decode the Karmic patterns of the soul’s journey, and offer insight to the soul for completing its Blueprint.
 
Withing every reincarnation, each soul has a purpose to fulfill in its spiritual journey. Therefore, a soul will be born into a new body, after they have lived their current life. Souls reincarnate until they have learned their karmic lessons and finally complete their Soul Blueprint. Then the soul ascends to join the Cosmic Force.
 
Note 2. “Ascension” is defined as “the raising of the personal vibrational frequency to the Higher Self, which unifies with the Cosmic Force.” A person moves from having a Light Body to being a Light Being (Higher Self).
 
The Higher Self is the divine aspect of the self that exists beyond the individual’s ego.
There is a hierarchy of “souls” or “selves” in New Age theology. In the hierarchy, the highest is the Oversoul, the Universal Spirit that unifies all beings. It is the connective point between multiple Higher Selves. Second is the Higher Self. The next is the Spirit, the Divine Spark of Consciousness that connects the person to the Collective Consciousness. Finally, the Soul is the individual essence that incarnates into a physical body.

aversion

Jan. 26th, 2026 02:25 pm
kallianeira: (fiery sky)
[personal profile] kallianeira
 
When one of my sisters was visiting she took some purple and white iris corms to grow but turned down the yellow one, also declining the yarrow offered on learning that the flowers were pale lemon and pink.
She won't grow a yellow flower.

Fair enough, think I. There was an occasion when I planted red flowers only after the most careful forethought, for lack of other colours.
And truly, I wouldn't have an orange or yellow rose. 
The calendulas which grow here are yellow and orange, and I suffer them only because they come in no other colour. Their many virtues outweigh the unpleasantness of their tint. I grant this is quite subjective. They impart a golden shade to vinegar which has been called "liquid sunshine" by someone who lives in a different climate. Another acquaintance from cloudy(?) Croatia is particularly fond of dandelions. I have plenty of sunshine (and dandelions), thank you. My solar array is even making me money this time of year.
Which reminds me, the scent of calendula is not specially beautiful either. 

Yellow is the colour therapy of choice for treating certain of my conditions (melancholy), yet I had rather not look at it. And I have found on a certain astrology site a test giving a psychological profile determined by the interpretation of one's colour preferences which raises as many questions as I think it settles. Yet once when I got to paint an apartment I chose saffron for the bedroom and lemon for the study, and was very happy with it.

Also yellow is the colour of mullein flowers. California poppies. And most of the weeds which grow in the lawn, including the terrible 
Tribulus terrestris caltrop burrs. It is a heuristic signal to me: if the flowers are yellow and it is under a foot tall, I pull it out.

Ow, it is so hot here today (over 40°) that it hurts to touch the keyboard. My discomfort is sparing you from reading more of these unfounded opinions.
Stay mellow, comrades.


kimberlysteele: (Default)
[personal profile] kimberlysteele

Amelia lighting her fag with Too Queer Kier

For those not in the know, Amelia is a meme character much like Pepe the Frog. She is not an actual girl but instead a depiction of an attractive, punky white woman with purple hair. Like Pepe the Frog, her origin story is accidental and organic. Some leftist think tank (a.k.a. a clown car of well-educated idiots) authored a propagandistic video game in order to better demoralize British white boys into handing over their country and sovereignty to foreign rapists and welfare grifters. This State-devised game, called Pathways, featured a young school “friend” named Amelia whose role was to tempt the player, Charlie, into joining her ostensibly far-right causes, including the return of invaders to their homelands, not throwing people in prison for Facebook posts, and the avoidance of they/them pronouns when not referring to two or more people.

As often happens with leftist brainwashing materials, the intention behind Amelia was hijacked by memelords. In short order, Amelia was launched into meme superstardom when one guy said that she was kind of hot. Within seconds of this observation, the internet birthed a tsunami of Hottie Amelia comics, memes, and AIs. Amelia is buoyed on the waves of hopelessness, frustration, anger, and despair of lonely men far beyond the British Isles who want a good woman who stands for something and cannot find her. She is an It Girl, a creature typically used as a bludgeon to advance the wills of corporate fascism that has been repurposed to become a populist nuclear arsenal. As a totem and mascot, she is the heroin to Pepe the Frog’s marijuana (feels good, man) because she squirms into the toxic feminine insecurity Death Star in a way Pepe cannot.


A Charlie, like a Robert, is an old name for a jester or fool. He is the main character in this weird game which is supposed to make him decide to be a good little Maoist. Notice the they/them pronoun gaslighting. British taxpayers unwillingly financed this.
 
Both my husband and I have repeatedly felt as if we caught the last chopper out of ‘Nam by getting married in the year 2000. I got one of the last and only men who was serenely unobsessed with sports and gaming who could also build an entire house if he had to from basement to roof. He got one of the last women willing to cook, clean, and generally labor for someone besides herself and her own pets without having to maintain and hand over his lucrative salary.

When I was in high school in the late 1980s, my school had roughly 2500 young women whose only experience with cooking from scratch was a mandatory Home Ec class that lasted a single semester. I was one of maybe two teenage girls in the whole school who could make a sandwich with food other than cold cuts, bake cookies, and put together a casserole. Most of my friend’s parents were either divorced or in the process of divorce, and divorce does not lead to functional, productive kitchens as an outcome. The few who you would think would have cooked for themselves and their households were the children of first and second generation Asians. The Chinese girl I was friends with was an 86 pound anorexic who decanted and drank her own blood and the Indian girl I was friends with had an overbearing Karen of a mother who did all of the cooking. As I say in my book, Sacred Homemaking: A Magical Approach to a Tidier Home, you cannot expect to eat well if you don’t know some basic cooking, and heaven help you if you don’t have capable cook in your house. The plague of women who neither cook nor clean and men who are too helpless/hapless to pick up those duties has resulted in a plague of etheric starvation, a condition that reliably results in disease, chronic fatigue, addictions, and insanity.

In rides fantasy Amelia to the rescue, a digital Joan of Arc to galvanize the lumpen male proletariat into action against leftist groupthink oppression. Her flame burns hotter than the tradwife because she is not a deferential, docile, opinionless mirage waiting for her man to do all the the heavy lifting. Instead of modeling crusty tropes from the 1950s in a housedress, she mouths off to Mohammed in a miniskirt. She champions sensible norms that middle aged people like me took for granted back in the day. She is an advocate of schoolgirls being able to walk down the streets of Liverpool without being acid attacked or drug into fenced areas to be assaulted. She suggests Britain is for the British and that it should not be handed over to the same hordes that have been trying to overrun it since before the Middle Ages. She suggests that men on all sides rise up and outgrow Puer Aeternis — to the invaders, she insists that they cease their infantile dependence routines and go back and fight for their own country on their own soil. To the white native islanders, she suggests they grow a set and defend their nation while it still stands. Nothing that Amelia wants or espouses is extreme. She is a middle-of-the-road pundit who could run for office on a moderate platform (or what used to be considered moderate in my day before everything in the middle was categorized as far-right) and win. She’s not exactly Hitler, no matter what the leftie pearl clutchers claim.

If only she was real. Amelia has been called a tulpa, which is a Buddhist term for a thoughtform that is forced into existence and made to do tasks, much like a Jewish golem without the clay and awkwardness. I don’t think Amelia is a tulpa. She is nobody’s bitch and she was not created on purpose. Instead, Amelia is an egregore. Imagine your old school mascot was a giant, anthropomorphized tiger. Perhaps there was a person who dressed up as a big, striped cat for games every now and then. Now imagine that your mascot became extremely popular across the world and every sports team adopted him as their mascot too. Now imagine that your big tiger began appearing randomly in the nightly dreams of people who were very into sports, and then after a few years, non-sports fans. Tiger fan fiction was inspired by the egregore. Tons of giant tiger merch was sold both at games and in regular stores. Imagine if chick lit writers wrote ghastly bestiality porn about the giant tiger, and entire genres of tiger man erotica bubbled up online. You would begin to think perhaps there was consciousness behind the tiger man image, and if you did think such odd things, traditional occultists would take your side of the conspiracy theory.

An egregore is a shared image that gains its own consciousness. Any given novel’s character is essentially alive, gaining his/her/it’s own consciousness, ego, and world. For a time, there was a trend on TikTok where people (mostly teenagers) were actively trying to transpose their consciousness out of this world and into Harry Potter’s milieu of the Hogwart’s school, quidditch matches, and misappropriated Latin. They called it “shifting” and because TikTok is a visual medium, they filmed themselves doing it. Shifting was nothing more than bedrotting that billed itself as transcendental meditation-induced reality manifestation.

J.K. Rowling ultimately broke the spell by spoiling Potter World for mostly-liberal shifters and Emma Watson with her strong opinions. Apparently her world was not captivating enough to supercede the leftist politics of shifting devotees. Despite the setback, I would argue that Harry Potter is as real as you or me, but the difference is that he will never set foot on the physical plane. Harry Potter, Dumbledore, Snape, and Hogwarts exist because they were created and powered by a billion human imaginations. It’s not a great idea to try and replace your reality with theirs as the shifters try to do, but it is wise to consider the power of such a frequently imagined set of characters. Harry Potter has a great deal of power, and a large part of that power is to promote retarded, materialist notions of magic as belonging only to the chosen few. Harry Potter also promotes the boneheaded idea that proof magic exists is that it takes the form of lightning bolts shooting from fingers. Everything Harry Potter achieves by “magic” could be done by either a gun or a robot, and there is no subtlety to anything he does. Harry Potter’s best spell is his glamour. He makes himself look like a powerful wizard when in fact he’s a know-nothing written by another know-nothing, at least where magic is concerned. Despite his magical shortcomings, Harry Potter is destined to outlive you and me because as I say in Sacred Homemaking, the astral plane outlives the etheric plane outlives the physical plane. The more subtle the plane, the longer it lasts. The most subtle plane of all, the spiritual plane, lives forever.

Jesus is an egregore. I am not saying he never lived: the jury is out on that. Whether or not he existed as a person, he definitely exists as an egregore. He is a much more powerful egregore than Harry Potter, as he is older and worshipped as God.

As I say over and over in these essays, the astral plane is not a separate place. It is right here, right now, superimposed and infused in everything we are. Amelia is an astral plane dweller and this is her main power. If Amelia was real, she would be just another physical plane It Girl. She would be subject to aging. If she got fat and old, married someone who wasn’t Charlie, or found some other way to sour the fantasy, she would be as eventually hated as she is currently loved. The best she could do as a real girl would be to die young as a martyr so she could be catapulted into sainthood. Luckily for Amelia, she lacks the albatross of a physical body. She is one step closer than you and me to potential godhood because of it.


You go, girl!
 
She also has a nearly infinite reserve of male anger to keep her image alive and well. She is cute and sexy, like Belle Dauphine without the pick me impulse and dirty bathwater for sale. Anger among men is not going away any time soon. We have arrived at the point where men have given up on women and women are in the process of giving up on men. As a result, birthrates have plummeted almost everywhere in the world. I think this has everything to do with the Earth correcting human overpopulation in the gentlest way she knows how, but others think it is because so many women in the world must work outside the home, the Covid shots, or microplastics. Whatever. Amelia is an eternally young, slim sprite because every other form of woman has become unpalatable, especially if she has an opinion. Modern men have retreated so far into porn and video games that most of them cannot read above a ninth grade level. I thought it was bad in my day when my choices were limited to going gay or being with a guy who lived to watch football every weekend. Nowadays, the average young man is both impotent and insolent, a wraith of weaponized incompetence who bitterly complains about womanhood between microwaved tendie binges and beating his meat to toddler bukkake. He blathers on about going to war (or about others going to war on his behalf) while enjoying the peace won for him by other men. Can Amelia reach him in his cocoon of acedia and provisional living? No other woman can.

Amelia says what men cannot say, and it is good because she does it in a way that is unsquelchable and eternal. She is bad because she is yet another symptom of provisional living. On the plus side, she makes toxic liberal women super mad because unlike a real girl, they cannot tear her down or cast her out of the longhouse/take her ability to make a living away in order to force her compliance. She highlights all of their shortcomings without having to try, and that is why she will have much hate projected upon her. Their evil eyes gaze into the digital mirror. This force may be enough for them to completely self-destruct, given enough time and distance.

There are some men who see Amelia as some kind of savior. If you are one of them, let me assure you she is not going to save anyone any more than Pepe the Frog. If you want to save and be saved, please go outside. Be with the sky and the trees, and don’t feel you have to pick up a fishing pole, soccer ball, or a toolbox to be out there. When you do come back inside, instead of turning on the dopamine drip and immersing yourself in the antics of fantasy girlfriends or dreaming about invading Haiti, please use the internet to learn manly skills. My husband, whose father was largely absent before he divorced my husband’s mother when my husband was 12, taught himself nearly all of his considerable skills via books and the internet. If you are a visual learner, the internet holds a treasure trove of knowledge. For those would be warriors who are not currently serving or who will never serve in the armed forces, please go out and defend real girls on the streets from the monsters, creeps, and traffickers who make it impossible to feel safe as a female. Where are the men willing to watch the streets and to at least threaten various immigrant scum with retribution for their terrible behavior? Where are the volunteer neighborhood patrols that ensure women and children can walk to and from school without being harassed? In the stranger danger/Satanic Panic 80s, we had a thing called Neighborhood Watch where you would put a blue star in your window so any little kid who felt threatened could knock on the door and find a safe house. Where are the blue stars? Where are the boys with baseball bats? Go out there and defend your country. Do it for Amelia.

Diary: Bad Moon Rising

Jan. 25th, 2026 07:28 am
degringolade: (Default)
[personal profile] degringolade
 Mossy Branch Rev 2
Last winter

I think that folks need to start cutting boomers more slack.  Not because they caused the problems we are looking at hard, but they, in their search for the American Dream weren't really sophisticated enough to be able to understand the long term implications of the belief system that the United States government and industry promulgated in the period 1960-2000.  

Those times were built on a fib.  Actually, they were built on a unique set of circumstances that won't be repeated for quite some time.  We had a geographically isolated industrialized base controlled by a semi-socialist government that had somehow managed to co-opt the industrialists in order to pursue the unintended (?) destruction of competing industrial states.  This forced a mostly-willing cohesion of the country toward a specific goal (dressed up as saving the world) and the postwar period through around 1965 were the counties fruits of this endeavor.

There were lots of things going into the mix for this golden age, most of them involved one-time occurrences.  Folks forget that the US accounted for 60+% of the worlds oil production in 1940.  In 1950, the US held 60+% of the world's manufacturing base and production. In 1950 66+% of the worlds gold reserves were under US control (physical ownership being 9/10's of the law).

Taken together, these simply meant that the spoils of Europe and Asia landed here and we cheerfully helped ourselves to the largess.  

But, like 90% of any nouveau riche we pissed away the money and the grandkids and great-grandkids are feeling all butthurt because they aren't getting the loot that folks a couple of generations before enjoyed.

Same sad story, just on a societal level.




neonvincent: From an icon made by the artists themselves (Bang)
[personal profile] neonvincent
I used a different upload with a better description for 'The Perfect Neighbor' leads Gold Derby odds for Documentary Feature at the Oscars.

Diary: 31.1

Jan. 24th, 2026 07:28 am
degringolade: (Default)
[personal profile] degringolade

Inside Portland City Limits

It's a bit chilly in Portland today (hence the title), This is odd because a couple of days ago I received a text telling me of impending "bad weather doom"  which, as normal, I ignored because the folks here in stumptown tend to lose their shit anytime anything other than rain occurs (an truthfully, the don't do all that well in rain either).

This comes down to the following.  The boys crying wolf have taken over "news" at all levels and it seems that the only way they can establish their "market share" is to make everything frantic.  

But I have become an aficionado of crisis reporting.  I do pay attention to the warnings as they come in, I just don't listen to the shrieking and pearl-clutching and try to dig up the data and make my own evaluations.  Bad weather happens.  I remember back in 2010 when the winds coming out of the gorge were over 90MPH.  I remember the Columbia well above flood stage, I remember the earth moving under my feet in Vancouver when the Seattle earthquake went off.  I can see Mount Saint Helens with it's blown off lid on clear days.

The weather is never the same regardless of timescale.  The weather is changing in a big way but in a time frame where folks won't see the end of it.  All we can do as individuals and species is deal with it and adapt.   Do you really think that you (we) are exempt for the ideas outlined in "On the origin of Species".



Ogham Readings on Saturdays

Jan. 23rd, 2026 08:57 pm
kimberlysteele: (Default)
[personal profile] kimberlysteele



I am happy to read your Ogham free of charge -- that's how I hone my divination skills. Please limit your reading request to four or fewer Ogham cards: though this can take many forms, here are some common ones (all of them are basically combos of 4 cards):

-a single three card reading for the week or month and a one-off, one card reading
-four questions about four separate items that require one answer (card) per item
-a one card reading to answer a specific question and a three card for a more nuanced question
-Two separate readings, two cards a piece exploring the positives and negatives of two different choices

I am happy to do Ogham readings confidentially via emails -- just email me at k steele studio at gmail during the allotted time/before deadline. I cannot answer health questions. If you have a question about health or another sensitive, private matter, provide a bunch of non-identifying information and the Ogham will be able to figure it out even if I don't. I'm serious... the Ogham actually tend to "know" things without me being privy to what is going on.

Please note I take time off during Solstices and Equinoxes for Druid stuff and because sometimes I simply need a break.

My next planned break is from March 13 -- March 19, 2026.

I take reading requests from whenever this post goes up on Friday night until 8pm US Central Time Saturday.

For a more in depth look into how I read and interpret the Ogham's symbols, please visit my website druidogham.wordpress.com.

Thank you for your generous donations. They often buy cat food and litter, groceries, and take out burritos and sandwiches for my Mom and me. If you would like to donate, please do it here:

http://buymeacoffee.com/kimberlysteele

Your prayers of blessing to the deity/deities of your choice are welcome whether or not you can donate.

Well, Isn't This Special

Jan. 23rd, 2026 02:50 pm
ecosophia: (Default)
[personal profile] ecosophia
Over the last few hours, several people have forwarded this to me: 

Here's the text if you can't read it: 

"NOT for public sharing. Trusted comrades only.

"A Minneapolis comrade has planted a magic "antenna" which can be targeted for sending bad, bad winter storms to Minneapolis, because people who live there know how to Winter, but ICE agents from Florida and Texas and etc. very much do not, and do not have appropriate cold weather gear. 

"Let's show them whose team General Frost is on. If you're not sure what to do, the easiest thing is to print the picture our [sic] (black and white is okay), put a tea light on top, and chant "General Frost, freeze out ICE" over and over until you are too exhausted to do so. Let the candle burn complete [sic] out.

"Don't go rogue unless you know what you're doing."

Under most circumstances I wouldn't worry about this sort of thing, given the very limited success rate of earlier efforts by the self-proclaimed "Magic Resistance," but weather magic is notoriously unpredictable, especially in the hands of the poorly trained. Back in my teen years, when I was hopelessly naive about magic, a friend and I tried to play games with a winter storm for stupid reasons, and had it blow up out of control and cause a lot of damage and disruption.  I would encourage all my readers in the upper Midwest and elsewhere to make sure you're ready for really extreme conditions if this does something similar. Please pass on the warning to anyone who (a) might be affected and (b) might take this seriously. 

I could make a few comments about the brutal cluelessness of those who think that it's okay for them to cause harm to others because they think they're the Good Guys™, but right now the important thing is to make sure that word gets out so that if this blows up, as few people as possible will be harmed by it. 

Diary: Too Much Happening

Jan. 23rd, 2026 04:50 pm
degringolade: (Default)
[personal profile] degringolade
Living in the City
Living in The City


The gyre is widening.  Most folks that I know are working quite hard to either (a) ignore that fact, or (b) trying to assign the issue to a convenient scapegoat.  It is kinda sad.

Look, it ain't the end of the world.  The world has every intention of continuing, but the set of rules that got us to this cul-de-sac are dissipating (I think folks should read the full text of Premier Carney's speech at Davos).  The rules were always a mirage.  But here in the land o' the free, we will start looking at a reversion to mean in living standards and the measures of comfort and convenience.

Now, you can get pissy all you want, but when the world changes, it really doesn't give a damn about your butthurt.  Your opinion about how the world does or doesn't work means precisely zero to the world.  

neonvincent: Ambassador Vreelak from DS9 (Fake!)
[personal profile] neonvincent
I used this as the image after the jump in 'Snow White' and 'War of the Worlds' tie for most Razzie nominations ahead of 'Star Trek: Section 31'.

New Age Concepts of Dragons (2 of 2)

Jan. 22nd, 2026 08:23 am
neptunesdolphins: dolphins leaping (Default)
[personal profile] neptunesdolphins
Araya AnRa, an Energy Healer, who is certified by the American Federation of Certified Psychic Mediums, is noted for her connection to the Dragon Heart (Note 4). She offers Ascension (Note 5) Protocols (Note 6) – the Keys from the Dragons for accessing “Your Divine Human Blueprint.” (Note 7) She writes in “The Dragon Within,” “It is they who hold vital keys to the resurrection of the Divine Feminine that is instrumental in our transition into a time of Divine Union and balance of the Masculine and Feminine Energies of the Planet.”
 
AnRa believes that the Dragons of Mu (Lemuria) are the Keepers and Guardians of the Earth, working with Tiamat of Mesopotamia. According to her, there are six pairs, who are “the physical holders of form for the Earth.” These Dragons are the Four Elemental Dragons plus the Black and White Dragons. After working with the Black and White Dragons, a person will connect with the Crystal Dragon. (Note 8) Other Dragons, that she describes, are the Interdimensional Dragons from Orion and Sirius. Meanwhile, the Primordial Dragons of the Earth include Tiamat of Mesopotamia. Included in her writings are other Dragons of the Universe such as the Sun and Moon Dragons.
 
Meanwhile, Caroline Ocean Ryan, a psychic, has a MA in Theological Studies from Union Theology Seminary. She channels guidance from the Collective which includes Ascended Masters, Archangels, Dragons, and others. In “Spirit of the Dragon Tribes,” she channeled the Dragons of the “Higher Light.” Ryan says that there are Dragon tribes who are divided by colors. Besides the Seven Colors, there are also Black, White, Grey, Gold, Silver and Rainbow Tribes. Each Tribe is connected to the various etheric Light Rays, which are energy frequences governed by the colors.
 
Finally, Vivyana, who calls herself, “The Dragon Mystic” wrote “Dragon Wisdom.” She says she went from a science-minded skeptic to a Dragon-channeling mystic. Her book differs from the others as she says that the Dragons are the Guardians of Crystals. As they told her, “Dragons were once living creatures but have now ascended into Spirit.” These Dragons support people in their spiritual evolution.
 
Notes:
Note 4. Dragon Energy, itself, is a force that unlocks deeper levels of consciousness. By helping to overcome obstacles, Dragon Energy can transform a person. The Dragon Heart is the core of Dragon Energy.
 
Note 5. “Ascension” is defined as “the raising of the personal vibrational frequency to the Higher Self, which unifies with the Cosmic Force.” A person moves from having a Light Body to being a Light Being (Higher Self).
 
According to various traditions, the Light Body is a multi-layered, energy-based system that surrounds the physical body. This body forms the vibrational density that connects people to the Divine Source and their Higher Selves. The astral, emotional, etheric, mental and rainbow bodies are aspects of the Light Body.
 
The Higher Self is the divine aspect of the self that exists beyond the individual’s ego.
There is a hierarchy of “souls” or “selves” in New Age theology. In the hierarchy, the highest is the Oversoul, the Universal Spirit that unifies all beings. It is the connective point between multiple Higher Selves. Second is the Higher Self. The next is the Spirit, the Divine Spark of Consciousness that connects the person to the Collective Consciousness. Finally, the Soul is the individual essence that incarnates into a physical body.
 
Note 6. These are the Protocols to Ascension. The steps are 1) Ascension, 2) Ascended, 3) Crystal, 4) Diamond, 5) Emerald, 6) Golden-White Light, and 7) Grand Ascension.
 
The first three steps are for gaining mastery over the physical, emotional, and mental bodies. The fourth is to cultivate self-worth. The fifth connects the soul to their Higher Self. The sixth unifies the soul with the Higher Self. The seventh is becoming an Ascended Master.
 
Note 7. Every individual has a Soul Blueprint, which can be thought of as spiritual DNA. The Soul Blueprint is linked to the Akashic Records (also known as the Cosmic Library). These Records will decode the Karmic patterns of the soul’s journey, and offer insight to the soul for completing its Blueprint.
 
Note 8. The Black, White, and Crystal Dragons are Intergalactic Dragons of Light. The Black Dragons works with the Shadow, while the White Dragon clears the Ancestral lines. The Crystal Dragon holds the highest frequences and connects people to the Interdimensional Realms.
 
Further reading on the New Age: https://neptunesdolphins.wordpress.com/2026/01/15/understanding-new-age-beliefs/
 
Sources:
New Age, Dragons:
AnRa, Araya, “The Dragon Within.” Silver Linings of Wisdom. 2019.
Cooper, Diana, “Dragons.” Hay House: Carlsbad (CA). 2018.
Fader, Christine Arana, “The Little Book of Dragons.” Earthdancer: Forress (Scotland). 2015.
Mitchell, Caroline, “How to Live With Dragons.” Watkins: London. 2022.
Ryan, Caroline Oceana, “The Spirit of the Dragon Tribes.” Ascension Times Publishing. 2025.
 
New Age, General:
Corvin-Blackum, Judith, “The Ascension Journey.” Bear and Company: Rochester (VT). 2025.
Hayley, Nicola, “Introduction to Spirituality.” Wisdom Stirring: Melbourne. 2023.
Kalsang, Asa, “New Age Spirituality for Beginners.” Independently Published. 2021.
MacDonald, Shannon, “Navigating Ascension Symptoms.” Independently Published. 2024.

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