Posts

The Narrator

Image
  Did you ever think about who the storyteller of your life is? Like most, if not all, of you, I have only ever thought about one narrator for my life, which is me (my egoic"I") but, what if we're not the actual storyteller? In one of the first season episodes of Candace Cameron Bure's podcast , the guest host, Tara-Leigh Cobble, stated that the Bible was God trying to tell us who He is. So, when we read the Bible, we shouldn't look for the "me" in it or the stories or inspiration for solving our dilemmas in life, but instead, look to see how God is the story. We are his story to tell. Imagine changing our script from "How do I...?" to "Let God do..."  This morning, I had a dream. As the observer, I watched a man shift from one life to another. In the first life, he wasn't a good man. He had no consciousness of morality or discernment of reaction versus thoughtful response. In the second life, he was struggling to do everything ri

Farming and Revolution

Image
" It was the Constitution that welded them together politically, legally, and economically,  but it was nature that provided a transcendent feeling of nationhood ." When I read the profound introduction to Andrea Wulf's Founding Gardeners , I couldn't help but find comparisons between the time in which Benjamin Franklin was constantly sending seeds back to America for the cultivation of a future independent nation and Washington uprooting all native British trees and shrubbery from his land to the homesteading and off-grid living explosion that's happened in the last 20 years. Yes, there's been talk originally of another civil war but, lately, more of a united movement of a quiet revolution that's happening on both sides of the aisle.  Pre-American Revolution was an ever-increasing, tension-building intensity between the British Empire and the colonists. Most of us were taught that the revolution was fueled by the amplified raising of taxes but, in reality

How to Pray

Image
I just uploaded a little booklet about praying (for free!). Feel free to check it out sometime and comment down below if you liked or disliked it, have questions, or wish to discuss it. Just click the image above or the "How to Pray" button on the menu bar to be automatically redirected. You may also obtain a hardcopy (Kindle, paperback, or hardback available) or donate if you desire. Just click the appropriate button down below:

Hair as Communication with the Divine

Image
  I've never excelled at styling my hair. For most of my life, I left it long and hanging in whatever state it happened to be. There were a few times I had it cut short which required more styling finesse than I have been want to give. Only a handful of years was I willing to use styling products, and, for about ten years, I insisted on dyeing my hair, partly due to it graying and a few times for fun.  Generally, hair, as both secular and religious history calls it, is a woman's "crowning glory." I'm not sure what led me to my search, but I became interested in hair coverings for women according to the Bible. Why have so many religions or denominations required a head covering for women? That search led me to all things hair particularly when I found a Nazarite's vow seemed to be rather similar to the requirements for a woman's haircare.  First off, I've spent my entire life with the understanding that Nazarites were a separate religious group from bib

Greed

Image
Narcissists leverage your greed .  I came across a video one day on narcissism that had me floored. The host, Richard Grannon , explained narcissism from a point of reference I've never been exposed to before. Using the movie Renfield , he offers a picture of this psychological disorder that hones in on the crux of the manipulation technique. What is it that a narcissist seeks? As my first line indicates, they seek what you are greedy for [3:40] and then use that to trick you "into being complicit in your own servitude" so you'd have no one to blame but yourself [7:55]. I don't know about you but that's rather revelatory to me.  For those of us who have dealt with the narcissist, what are we greedy for? Well, in familial and romantic relationships, it's usually love and affection, to be seen and heard, and to be valued. When it comes to business relations, however, it may be the standard money, prestige, and title or merely acknowledgment and appreciation.

Awaken the Sleeping Dragon

Image
  Don't you just love it when you have weird dreams? You know, the ones that have odd elements of the unreal and don't bore you to death. Unfortunately, most of mine have the tendency to be less fantastical than I'd prefer. For someone with an imagination like mine, I'd think my brain would be up for some mental excursions through faraway lands and different centuries or, perhaps, other worlds. But, alas, at night, most times it loses that fun, quirkiness I've come to expect in waking hours. However, on Christmas Day (2023), I had a rather unique dream in my world, so I'd like to share it with you... There was a group of people milling about in a library, I believe. I was sent there to perform a technique on them for their protection. It seems some sort of acupressure was done on them before they left the library but when they were all exiting the building I made sure to press at least 5 points on their inner arms. Each of these points corresponds to the Chinese

Syntax

Image
  For most of our lives, we rarely wonder how language was formed. It's not until someone comes along and starts playing with word choices, phrases, or phonemic sounds that we begin to understand the strategic game that is language. For example, the word "syntax." As I was writing my page on Transmutation Mythology , I incorporated a phrase I'd never heard of before: Sin Tax. I'm sure you can easily see what led me to "syntax." But, do the two correlate? When I wrote of the "sin tax" I referred to the  sin offering  of the Old Testament. As a redemptive confession, the sacrifice here was meant to purify us of any transgressions. A payment for our sin. A tax, by definition, lays a burden upon and accuses all at once. It asks, "How much do you want to be worth?" For the one who asks the question (even if it may be the egoic 'I') has already determined your devaluation as if it was there from the beginning. A sin means to be with