Why I hate the holidays.

The reason is all the cookies and cakes and other goodies people give us. I have a bad sweet tooth and we have no real pantry or such to keep food safe from bugs and such so I tend to eat whatever is available. I know it's a sad excuse but John tends to hoard things and they go bad.
Well I tell John that if he wants some of what's here he should take it upstairs to his computer room where I never go so I won't eat it. He brought home a bunch of cookies and left them on my bed so I assumed they were mine to eat, 4 days later after I have eaten most of it he asks where it all is and I said i thought it was mine to eat and he gets all pissed off.
I tell him  EVERY SINGLE TIME that if he wants some to take it out of my room but he didn't and now he's pissed at me.

2| Jethro Tull - Ring Out Solstice Bells (TOTP 9-12-1976)

A Blessed Yule and Winter Solstice to all I love. With the reawakening of the sun may we all prosper and evolve into our next wondrous stage of being.
The light has never left us but some times needs to remind us that we have strength that we can only see when we are in the dark.

Love and Lightning,

Joe

A Special Message to my LGBT Family and Friends.

Dear Family,
We have had a huge breakthrough with the ending of DADT here in the states and we have a lot of things to be thankful for. It's actually starting to seem like we may not be second class citizens too much longer. We have a long way to go however in American and in the world to make intolerance towards all people end.
The "Religious Right" in our country is shaking their sabers and calling for an end to the DADT repeal already and even there is talk of heightened violence against us. Please remember that we are the better people, we have the innate capacity to love across gender lines and with that comes the compassion and insight to love beyond the walls placed in our way.
I believe in peace and love being the only way to face hatred and fear head on and that's what we need to do now. Get out of your closets and comfortable 'invisible' lives and talk to people from different religions and opinions. We are a strong people because we COME FROM these groups and have survived their scorn and ignorance, lets use this strength of will and love to help them come to terms with the fact that we don't want to harm them or their way of life. you see that's what they are being led to believe, that we are a threat to them and the fact that we live among them yet they don't actually get to know us makes them all the more worried.
It's time for love-ins at religious centers. We need to come together in peace in-order to help them evolve to the new paradigm, the new world of thought and acceptance that is the only way we as a species, gay or straight will survive into the next millennium.

Love and Lightning,
Joseph Leven

A special Message to God's "Gentle Loving People".

Dear Religious people who hate LGBT people,
I understand that you feel your way of life is threatened and the "traditions" of intolerance you so cherish make it hard for you to accept that MY people are becoming accepted over your strong protestations but please allow your bigotry to die with a bit of grace.
It's bad enough that you fear and hate us for no REAL reason, but this campaign against us has brought you and your people nothing but ridicule and has make you the pawns of powers that want to subjugate us all.

I pray you are aware that this is all coming from a place of love for you and all people when I say these things. While I an not Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or any other sect that allows hatred as a virtue I understand how you all must feel. I'm sure the Neanderthals must have felt something similar when our Cro-Magnon ancestors came along. The LGBT people have been persecuted long enough. We have nothing against you except for what you have done and continue to do to us as a message of your "faith".

Please realize that if your faith comes from anything outside yourselves such as the teachings of a book or the teachings of your elders than it's not worth the paper it may or may not be written on. NOTHING is immune to the manipulation of people who want to subjugate others. It's a proven FACT that the "bible" has been rewritten many many times as has the Koran and the Talmud even many of the Heathen and Pagan faiths are guilty of this, Each rewriting has been done to bend the messages in the direction of the people telling the story. It's a simple game of "whisper down the lane" gone horribly wrong.
The only true faiths left are ones based on universal love and compassion. We all understand that the world would be a better place without war, disease, and poverty yet it's these teachings that divide humanity that create all of these abuses against humanity.

I implore you to see the wisdom in what I say. Those who are calling for the deaths of ANYONE let alone the LGBT people are fundamentally anti-life and anti-love.

Love and Lightning,
Joseph Leven

Pictures of John and me.

Charity begins at home.

I've been reading all over the web (Facebook IS the entire web right?) about how with the economy crashing down around our ears there are people starving and without shelter. So very many have lost everything they own and more are being added to that list every day while our richest are having record profits off our very meat and bones.
Has it occurred to those who are sitting in their warm homes that maybe they do have some power left to help those less fortunate?
I say we start creating micro-communities within cities. Small apartment buildings that are going to pot can be brought up to code and then we start living in them. Restructured they can have communal gardens and people could dedicate themselves to policing and protecting their communities. They could try to live as independently from the main city as they can while still being a part of the city.
All I'm saying really is we need to redefine community and rededicate ourselves to building and maintaining those communities. I know it sounds a bit Mad Max but it could work if all the "micro-coms" worked off the same concepts and principles.

We also (in my opinion) need to establish a new way to live amongst each other and communicate with each other more readily. New rules that work for our diverse cultures and create equality for everyone and actually mean it. We need to also put limits on religions. Everyone is entitled to his or her faith but there should NEVER be a time that a person of one faith uses their faith to power over someone of another faiths choices.
The sooner people come to that conclusion the better.

Why do I do this to myself?

John and I went to Longwood Gardens yesterday. We were to meet up with a small group of "bears" from the D.C. area and thankfully they were a fun group of people. The gang met up a bit later than we had planned and John was on a time constraint. He wanted to catch the last Pipe Organ sing-a-long at 4PM so he went there and I waited for the rest of the guys. Once everyone was there we went off but I had to meet John so we parted ways without getting a phone number to hook back up when the show was finished. I was so pissed that I forgot such an important aspect that it started a progressive anger wave inside me. I have always had anger issues because of the abuse I got from other kids and my inability to deal with others on an equal level. So once John got out of his program I was already in a foul mood. We decided to use Facebook to try to communicate with the others and eventually found them in the middle of the "Christmas Path".
Longwood Gardens was nice if not really my cup-of-tea. I hate crowds with a blinding passion so I was honestly miserable when forced to walk the "Christmas Path". I feel bad because John couldn't really enjoy himself from my constant complaining and I just couldn't contain myself. Asinine adults and bratty kids make me want to murder, so I try to avoid crowds during the holidays. I just absorb too much negative energy that gets past my defenses and I'm like a bomb that never goes off.  Thankfully we eventually met up with the gang just in time to leave.
We went back to the one couples apartment in Delaware and had a nice time chatting and eat the best home made chili and pulled pork sandwiches I ever tasted. John and I ended the night tired as hell but having had a good time.

I'm not the only one who feels this way.

FUCK THE RICH!

 Seriously. Fuck them right in the ear. Now I know you're all saying "But Joe, Not all rich people are evil. Not all of them want to crush the world under their foot and force the survivors into slavery". But fuck them anyway. Greed has become the true Satan of this world. Ignorance and blind greed are destroying the only world we have.
It seems the only way to stop them is to mount some kind of global protest. A day where we all just stop working and see what happens to the world when the true power, the people who are being subjugated, take a stand.

I truly hate the holidays and winter in general.

I have clinical depression. I've had it all my life although I was only diagnosed a few years ago. when the world gets cold and the holidays come around it gets really bad, that's the reason I've not been posting. I'm just so sad that I don't want to burden others with it.

Know that I love you all and I'm fine, not going to hurt myself or anything stupid. I hope to be better in a month or so once the holidays are done.

Sorry to be away.

I was dealing with a really bad depressive episode. I'm still not entirely over it but I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel again.
I hope to be able to restart Inspiration Mondays tomorrow.

Never let it be said that I didn't try hard to run from my destiny...

Saturday morning I pulled a rune for a 'forecast' of what would happen Sunday during my class on "Connecting to the Universal Muse". The Rune I pulled was The Blank Rune called Wyrd.
The website Bewitching ways www.bewitchingways.com gives us:

"Runes are thought of as mysterious, as secrets, and the Blank Rune is the biggest secret of all-the secret of Fate. It stands apart from the rest of the runes, even as it has become a part of the divination system. It represents the X in the human condition.

The Blank Rune is also called Wyrd (pronounced "weird"), which is the collective name given to the Norns, the three goddesses or fates of Teutonic mythology. Their individual names are Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld; they represent the three aspects of time-past, present, and future. The Norns rule over the karma that each person has accrued during his or her incarnation.
Wyrd indicates fate-those events that are fated or inevitable. They cannot be evaded, no matter what you do. Those events indicated in the reading may be good or bad, and the other runes in the cast will determine the nature of the event.

Wyrd also indicates fatefulness. When it falls in a prominent position, it indicates that if a particular step or choice is taken, life will never be the same again. Again, this could be good or bad. The rune or runes in the result position will often guide the querent as to what move he or she should make.

Finally, the Blank Rune in a reading can indicate anything that must be kept secret for the good of the querent. It can signify things relating to others that the querent has no business knowing. Wyrd is often prominent in rune casts where the querent is asking for information that is none of his business."

I immediately realized I was going to meet someone there who would change my life for the better. I also put it out of my mind as I already had enough to worry about and my stage fright was already giving me chills.

After a bad night I was able to catch an hours nap and went to the Gallery. 

Once there I met Michele. She was a woman I met the week before but was too tired to read for her, she however remembered me and already had plans for me. Through out the day she would tell me little bits about how she coached people who were Life Coaches and who give talks to large groups I guess they are called Motivational Speakers. She is convinced I would be a perfect fit for a project she is putting together but has not explained everything to me yet. 

The talk went well but only 5 people showed up. Not that I should have expected more, it was poorly promoted and half of the people were my friends. I still did very well considering my lack of sleep. I'm still shocked by how people react to me when I speak to groups. I feel a little bit unworthy of the attention and yet I can't begin to tell you how blessed I feel that I have this obvious gift with people. The attendees loved the talk and afterward Michele, Eric (my best friend) and I discussed teaching and where I may be going from there and Eric getting into teaching Taichi. 

I'm looking forward to Michele and I having the time to sit and discuss what she wants from me and what she can offer me.

My big day is going to stress me to death.

I'm giving a class today on "Connecting to the Universal Muse". It's the very first time I've even given a class on Metaphysics and it's to a group of people at a small but influential Art Gallery ( http://www.tymegallery.com/ ) in Havertown PA.
So my IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) has acting up for days, I'm so nervous I'm having trouble sleeping and to top things off last night the boiler died and now I have no hot water to take a bath and there is limited heat in the house. The banging of the pipes helped SOOO much to make the sleep thing better and now I'm stinky, sleepy and a slew of other dwarfs that do not want to be around other living things.

I have 5 hours to make myself a happy loving human-being. Pray for the world my friends... Pray for them.

My first dog: Jupiter.

My family has always had animals. Our first family pet was a dog named Midnight but this is not his story. This is the story of my first personal "I picked him out myself' dog Jupiter.

My sister Cathy had a friend named Meg that she used to get high with (not that I knew it at the time. I was oblivious to such things). Meg's dog had had puppies and I was allowed to play with them. One puppy in particular I just fell in love with and I decided he had to be mine. Now as innocent as I was in some ways I was a a master manipulator and knew just how to get my mother to agree to my having a puppy.
My father had died only a few months ago and Midnight pined for him until he passed away as well. Mom was kind of relieved because Middy (or Beef as we actually called him) was a very bad dog always escaping and getting the bitches in the neighborhood pregnant, so she was kind of glad to be rid of the old dog.
I turned on the water works a talent I had at the time, and asked mom if I could have the puppy because we now had a huge fence around the back yard and wouldn't have to worry about him getting loose and he was so cute, besides NOW THAT I WAS FATHERLESS I NEEDED SOMETHING TO LOVE. Yes I actually used my dead father against my Mom to get my puppy. Yes I was an evil little fucker. Well Mom relented after telling me no for a few days and then I finally told Meg's mom that I had permission to take my puppy home and sneaking Jupiter into my closet for a day. Once she saw him she melted (as I knew she would) and let me keep him (and I was told they would not take the puppy back).
I adored Jupiter and we were constant companions for about a week, then the unthinkable happened. My friend Tim came over to swim in our above ground pool with me and left the back gate open. Jupiter ran out while I wasn't looking and all I really remember is the squeal of tires. I ran out to the front of the house and a car was on my lawn and my puppy was dead in the street. The lady had tried to swerve to miss him but couldn't react in time and I lost a little bit of my youth that day. In the space of 4 months I had lost my dad and 2 dogs. (damn it I'm crying now)

Blessed Samhain!

It's Monday morning and I've been up all night watching the spirit world turn around me. The look of shock when they realize YOU can see THEM is fun.

Update on the readings from Saturday.

I had a ball and really helped some people who were in desperate need of some common sense advice and spirit wisdom. I also made a small but nice cash haul for myself that went to buying a new (refurb. actually) Nintendo DS light and some other things I actually NEED.
Now I have the class I'm teaching on Sunday and I'll be done with the mystical things until the new year.

I doing readings today! I love doing readings!

I'll be doing Psychic Readings today at the Tyme Gallery here in Havertown, PA
http://www.tymegallery.com/

The fun starts at 11AM and goes till 4PM.

I'm really excited to be doing this again for the 3rd year straight (well gayly forward).

Update on Harry's customer.

This is what I wrote to him:

Hi XXXXXXX,

I’m fine thanks for asking.

I cannot in good conscience help you ruin your life by casting that type of spell. Full on Manipulation via magic has always backfired on the caster typically destroying everything good in their lives. What you’ve done already seems to have sealed YOU to HIM not the other way around. Please end this spell and move on to someone who actually loves you for you and not for some power you have over them.

Love and Lightning,

Grimm

This is his reply to me:

your right, thanks so much sometimes, we need another positive energy to return us back to sanity

much love

have a blessed week

I'm feeling much better about this now.

John and the Media server from Heck! (OooooOOoo Spooky)

John is a computer/technology geek supreme. I love it as i am almost retro-technology inclined. I have trouble getting pens that click to work.
He created this amazing (ly complicated) server for the media center he hopes to someday have. We have hundreds of DVDs and tens of thousands of music files on the primary media server and he created a smaller unit to turn the TV into a computer system all it's own. He was trying to tweak the system so that the volume could be controlled using the wheel on the mouse where right now it's controlled via the keyboard.

He found some programs online and wound up getting a virus on the TV server and his desktop.  Taking care of the virus was no big deal once he talked to the tech guys at work but trying to get the sound to sync with the video was frustrating him. He likes to listen to things really loudly while I'm not fond of loud noises (music is the one exception but only certain musics). I turned the sound down and he got a hair up his ass and all grumpy and walked out of the room. I know he's stressed but hell I just wanted to not hear the TV so loud, it was unnecessary. He was non-communicative until morning and I still think he needs to apologize to me for being a bit of a prick.

I'm an inconsiderate douche bag.

John doesn't ask much from me. He has every right to but he doesn't. When I walk the dogs in the morning I sometimes forget to pick up the poop and then I get stupid and let it pile up. This wouldn't be SO bad if it was all on our lawn but Ginny won't poop for me on our lawn only on the lawn next to us (we have a duplex) and while no one lives there at the moment the buy next door looks after the lawn and he's a huge ass. Well I forgot to clean up after Ginny and he must have found the poop before I got out to clean it up (it was there maybe a half hour). He decided to dump it at our front door and John saw it before I cleaned it off the step.

Now John counts on me to clean up after the dogs and I really need to be better at it, right now he's really pissed at me and has every right. So yes I'm a douche bag.

Strange dreams last night.

I kept fantasizing I was in a drag show called 'Whatever Happened to Baby Sane?'. in it I was a grown up child star who didn't fair to well in life and was touring telling people the most absurd Hollywood gossip I could think up.

That lead me into a shamanic walk and it was very cool. I saw a tee pee very clearly and out of a hole in the side was metal tracks conveying stone blocks in pairs. The stones were white but not glossy. I entered through the opening that the tracks used and everything was bigger and more real. I had left the dream world behind and stepped into true reality. I walked among huge butterflies along a stream and looked at myself in the water. I seem to be taking on aspects of where I journey now because I was more Faerie looking and less human. as soon as I saw my reflection I knew I had seen what I needed to see and returned to the Baby Sane dream. I wonder what's coming my way?

One of my favorite websites.

http://freedocumentaries.org/index.php Free Documentaries is wonderful. I have seen some really thought provoking movies.
Right now I'm watching Sicko, Michael Moore's wonderful doc on American health "care". this morning i watched "Orwell is spinning in his grave" a doc about how the media and big business are attempting to take over the American people via mass media messaging and subverting the truth.

http://www.snagfilms.com/ is also a great place to find docs.

This is why I left Harry's Occult shop.

I received this email yesterday and was so enraged I almost called this a-hole up and read him the riot act. Instead I just told him NO.

"i hope all is well, with u. i need some help. i need some resources to strengthen my relationship, with my friend: he is on a travel job comes home 1 weekend a month, i need something to make him think only of me. i have found out that he did come home a weekend but did not come see me. This i dont want to ever happen again. to be honest i want him obsessed with me. what can i do. i stop burning the pink & red candles that xxxx use to make for me from harrys. i have a seal with a piece of his clothes buried in my front yard, that seems to keep him coming back, He moved most of his stuff in my house, but i need something stronger & more powerful. What can i do, or can u direct me to someone who will not judge (u no the life style & not cost me a fortune) to assist me in the matter?

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated." 

Can you imagine? This is the kind of idiot I had to make magic spells for and the kind of reason. I left a stain on my soul that took me years to get rid of. 

I'm going (Not) so slightly mad.

I haven't had a steady job in like 6 or 7 years now. I can't seem to catch a break in any field I have any qualifications in and as I reach beyond middle age the jobs are drying up faster than the fluid in my joints. I have no access to my own money and no real choices in anything John and I do because I don't feel right making demands when I can't pay for anything. For someone who already suffers from depression this sucks a huge big greasy nasty Republican (I can't complain about it sucking dick cause I LIKE to suck dick).
I just have no idea what to do anymore. My lack of enthusiasm has me paralyzed so bad I can't get myself to do the laundry.

An Open Letter to Those who Hate me and my people.

To Whom it may Concern,

I understand that you are stupid and hate filled and unworthy of my notice, but I honestly need to address your shit. You need to understand that I am not a part of your faith. I couldn't give less of a fuck about Jesus or Mohammad or any of the multitude of fucking stupid religious jackasses (I'm looking at YOU Pope) that you all think hate me for my ability to love. Yes you hate me because I CAN LOVE. I have no prejudices against who I can and can't love. I don't let others dictate to me what love is and I sure as hell don't care about who you all love.
I do take offense at you attempting to dictate to me who it's appropriate for me to love and wrapping that opinion in your personal version of morality that I personally find immoral. I also take offense at your attacks on other people who are just trying to live their lives as best they can. If you don't believe in abortion then DON"T HAVE ONE, but to try to tell a woman they have to have a child because they made the mistake of having unprotected sex or is the victim of a rape, that's just amazingly stupid and beyond my ability to tolerate.

Well you have pissed me off and I'll not be quiet anymore. You have been warned.

Love and Lightning,
Joe Leven

I have the gay.

Yesterday was "National Coming Out Day" and Well I have to confess that I am a homosexual man. I know it's a huge shock to you all. It's a wonderful thing to be able to celebrate our pride and wonderfully empowering.

Today is a much more sober day. Today is the anniversary of the death (Murder) of Matthew Shepard. I remember when I first heard about his death, how I just couldn't wrap my mind around the evil. I wondered even back then if I shouldn't be looking at another country to live in.
Now we have a group of kids killing themselves because of bullying and the Christian Right ramping up their hatred openly and I ask myself again, Why do I stay here?
Of course money is a major factor. I have none and you need money to do anything in this world. But I have another issue. I'm sick of running from them. I'm sick of hiding and avoiding them.

Inspiration Monday 10/04/2010

many years ago when I was on Tribe, I wrote this because of a lucid dream I had and all this spider nonsense brought it to my head. Ladies and Laddies, I give you...

When the Love Spider dances…

I spoke to Mother Spider this morning. I asked her for the help of her children of the interwebs. I have seen so much hurt and so many people with pain in their hearts that I was left in tears. I said to Mother Spider who is one of the wisest of all the spirits and said I have a plan to spread Joy and The healing touch of Love. 
I asker her if she could allow her children to carry a gift of pure universal love to everyone who receives an email or message or reads this posting today and for all time after. Her many eyes glowed at my heart felt gift for all of mankind and I felt myself bitten by the tiniest of mouths and looking at my palm I realized there was a small spider who was now dancing drunkenly on my palm. The small gray spider turned red and pink as it swirled and weaved its dance of love. I brought it up to my mouth and carefully kissed its tiny head and watched it leap in bliss into my computer. I can still feel the webbing its soft pink ecstasy binding me to the internet today. 
So when you feel the love enter your life today don’t give it another thought but just dance whatever little dance you might want and know that the Love Spider has entered to offer you nothing but the love of all the universe. It wants nothing from you, only that you allow love into yourself in AbunDance and then spread the love to all of those around you. For love will heal our world in ways that all of the talking in recorded time will not. So dance little spider of Love, dance and wheel and spin.

Of spider bites and idiots on parade.

Well as if I didn't need any MORE reasons to have spiders it appears that my recent bout of Cellulitis was actually an infected spider bite. It must have happened on the Tuesday we were in Provincetown because even though I didn't see the bug or feel the bite I remember having heart palpitations and heavy sweating that night and the next day my ankle was headed to the size of an elephants foot.
After our travels and my self imposed torment so that we could see the places we were thinking of starting the commune on.
Well all we really did was allow me to get sicker so by the time we got home I was honestly ready to go to the E.R. I had already had an apt with my doctor the next day and John wanted me to wait another day and see what the doctor said. The doctor looked at my leg and called me an idiot. I couldn't defend myself because I had been an idiot, I put John's needs before my own health like I tend to do. I have a long history of this, there is even a time when we had a fuck buddy over and I was so sick I stayed in one of the spare rooms while they had fun. Unfortunately I was so sick I started to projectile vomit and started choking on it and when I called out weakly for John's help he was too busy and load to hear my calls even though I was just a door away. But the past is the past and I really need to forgive both him and myself for that.

Once on the antibiotics and (really good) pain killers I started to recover but I was (am still) weak and unable to balance myself but as the swelling started to subside I could see were the twin puncture's had filled with the infection and were now oozing puss. I know enough about first aid to bandage my wounds and use a ichthammol ointment to help draw out the toxins. so as of today I'm doing pretty well but I still have some of the poison in me and really want to squish every spider I see but I'm a good man and will hold back my wrath... for NOW.

Back home from a wonderful Vacation.

I'm sorry I've been away, my intent was to post every day of vacation but I just couldn't get myself to do it. It felt wrong to be on the web when I had the most beautiful landscape and seascape to look at.
We arrived at Provincetown, MA on Saturday with enough time to actually unpack with the sun still up. Unfortunately Saturday night is when my left ankle decided that it was on vacation as well and kept going out on me. So I hobbled around as best I could and we ended up seeing Miss Richfield (A drag queen) doing her bingo show. It was great even though I was dead tired and almost fell asleep before hand.
Sunday we went to Church at the incredibly impressive Universalist Church in P-town as is one of our traditions. and went grocery shopping (Yeah we're a lot like a normal family). Monday it was very very windy and they wouldn't take the boats out for whale watching so we did that on Tuesday. It was OK but not our best trip out. By Wednesday I was starting to feel bad and noticed some cellulitis developing on my right ankle so seeing as there is no medical care on the cape itself we just hoped for the best and I treated myself as best I could. On Thursday We began packing up because we decided to take the last few day and drive up to John's family in Maine to look at land for sale, we want to move to Maine for John's retirement.
I got to meet John's cousin Mike's Girlfriend Willa and his cousin Mahlia. Both wonderful people.
So the cellulitis was getting bad I was getting dizzy a lot and sweating like a faucet by Sunday for out 10 1/2 hour trip home. Thankfully I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. That assumes I can make it as walking on this foot is amazingly painful.

Vacation: the day before we leave.

John and I take two vacations a year. one in February (Daytona Beach) and one in September (Provincetown). We leave tomorrow for Massachusetts as early as we can get the dogs dropped off at the kennel. I'll be posting all sorts of pictures and updates. I even hope to break in the new video camera during our yearly whale watching tour. 

Inspiration Monday 9/13/2010

“And I shall shed my light over darkest evil, for the dark things cannot stand the light, the light of the Green Lantern” – Alan Scott the original Green Lantern

Welcome to Inspiration Monday. Let’s discuss how we are seen by others today. I have always tried to shine like a beacon with what I am. Whether it’s being gay, or mystical, or just a happy loving being I have tried to never hide my light “under a bushel”.

We live in a world right now where there is great duality, wonderful good walking hand in hand with terrible evil and yet we have whole organizations that instead of helping to cure the terrible aspects of our world have only designs to make things worse. How can people live with themselves in their sanctimonious positions that they must have what they want, no matter the cost to everyone else in the world.

The only way to combat this brand of evil is to show it for what it is, to prove that they are the evil that they claim not to be. I ask you to shine today. I ask you to stand up for the love that you have for everyone and our beleaguered planet. Shine like the crazy diamonds that I know you all are.

I ask you also one last thing, we see the Tea Party having marches to protest all sorts of nonsense but why have we not had a counter protest? Why have we not taken to the streets to thank the government for what they have done and are doing to make our lives better? President Obama is doing his best to correct all sorts of injustices heaped on our people and not getting the credit he deserves I for one that him for everything he has done, is doing and will accomplish in the days ahead.

It's about mutual respect.

I wonder if people of religion realize that as an American citizen in America I have every right to ignore any and all religious tenants. I can go into a temple and eat a bacon cheeseburger, I can draw pictures of Mohammad on paper in a Mosque, I can do many things, but as a good person I don't do these things. It's called respecting my fellow man and I'm tired of not getting the same respect.

As a gay man I get the shitty end of the stick from my government, from many religions and from the ignorant from many walks of life, and yet I try to always live up to the ways of peace and love that many Religious people swear they are living and yet tell me I'm evil and going to hell. I'm really getting to the point where if I continue to be disrespected I may snap.

I don't want a world where everyone is the same, that's stagnation, but I do want a world where people have learned not to hate one another. Do they really think that their god wants them to behave so anti-life?

Master Numerology Number 11

Your Numerology Profile

Your Life Path Number represents the path you should take through life and the talents and skills you have to make your journey a rewarding one. 

In Numerology the Number 11 represents the "Spiritual Messenger." Those carrying an 11 in their chart are in some way, or possibly every way, on a journey of spiritual enlightenment meant to bring divine insights to us all. 

Having the Master Number 11 as your Life Path makes you an inspiration to others. Your high energy and enthusiasm is both contagious and magnetic. You are on a journey of spiritual exploration and those around you await the answers you find.

Positive Traits

Intuitive, Sensitive, Bright, Visionary, Spiritual, Uplifting, Creative, Inspirational, Optimistic

Negative Traits

NONE

Associations

Tarot: Justice
Astrology: Sagittarius, Aquarius, Uranus, Neptune, Mercury
Rune: Tiwaz
I Ching: #63 Chi Chi
Tree of Life: 
Hebrew Letter: Kaph
Shamanism: Hummingbird 
Element: Air 
Alchemy: Air and Diamonds 
Aura: Blue and White 
Colors: Ruby Red, Violet, Iridescence, Silver 
Gemstones Topaz
Crystals: Mother of Pearl
Month: November 
Week Day: Sunday
Lucky Numbers: 29, 38, 47, 56, 65, 74, 83, 92, 101
Flora: Lilly

How Reiki saved my life and has me walking today.

Back in 2000 John's "father" (the reason for the quotes is that he was not much of one) passed away. My history with the man was the 7 years I knew him was the longest 3 decades of my life. Anyway...
I had just started a new Job and already I had to take off for the funeral of a man I honestly hated. While John and I were cleaning out his home I started to have back pain, nothing new to me as I have a very bad back, then I started getting fevers and cold symptoms, and chalked it up to being the dead of winter and I had caught a cold or a flu.
As time passed the symptoms got worse and I started missing work as I couldn't sit up straight or walk very well. The fevers were getting worse and I was getting concerned. I started going to a chiropractor by the name of Dr. Payne (I should have known from the name). Payne was worried something more was wrong with me then just a simple slipped disc and wanted me to get an MRI but I had no insurance and was honestly scared as I was loosing the ability to use my left leg. Yeah, I said it. I was loosing my ability to use my left leg, it was locked in a sitting position and I couldn't get it to relax. Now any SANE person would have gone to the ER but I've always been a head-in-the-sand kind of guy when it comes to my health and didn't want to go. John for what it's worth didn't want to force me to do anything I didn't want to do and, like a moron, didn't insist I go.

3 months had passed by the time I got a ride to the Doctors office and when they saw me the doctor honestly thought i was going to die on his exam table. My blood pressure was 80/40 and I was literally ash grey. The admitted me immediately and ran a battery of tests. It seems I had a massive infection in my blood stream. They couldn't tell me how it got there but one of the ways made some sense to me. A pimple.

Yes a pimple nearly killed me. It had developed on my lower back just under my belt and was terribly painful, refusing to pop and then one day it was gone and I assumed it had popped on it's own. It must have popped into my flesh and festered there. Now while I still thought I had a strained back a friend of ours who was a massage student had attempted to do a procedure on me the "opens up your spine and relieves pressure on your discs" the infection was given access to my spinal cord and I entered a world of hurt.

So there I am in the hospital receiving mega dosages of antibiotics and feeling foolish that I almost died. The doctors had told me I was 6 to 8 hours from my body giving out from the massive infection. They took me into surgery two days after I was admitted because they had to get me to a point where I could survive the procedure and the doctor said "Mr. Leven I don't want to give you false hope, Most likely you will need a walker or some other form of assistance to walk again. The chance of you walking again on your own is slim" and even in my drugged out state I remember telling him I would do a Jig for him in a few weeks. He didn't smile or anything.

It was going to be weeks in the hospital with tubes in an open incision in my back draining out the infection (I actually popped when they made it and a nurse passed out) and i was unable to get out of bed without assistance but I just couldn't use a bed pan, so I decided that I would practice my Reiki on myself. Hours at a time I channeled and it seemed to take on a life of it's own, The energy just flowed even when I wasn't concentrating on it you could even feel it in the room around me. My nurses would come in on their breaks and ask if it was OK to sit and relax, they all said there was this energy I was giving off that made them feel rested and peaceful I told them what I was doing and a few of them knew of Reiki and the others became believers. I started to heal at a rate that was way above normal and my strength came back very quick as well. I was able to get out of bed and walk with a walker within days of my procedure but only for short periods of time. after two weeks I saw my doctor in the hall and he seemed alarmed I was up and walking without a nurse along with me for support and I pushed the walker to one side and started shuffling my feet, he asked me what I was doing and I said "This is the best Jig I have ever been able to do." He started laughing and the nurses all seemed to be astounded he was doing it.

By the end of the 3 weeks I was in the Reading Hospital I had a grown strong enough to walk on my own but needed physical therapy as i was still really unsteady and needed the walker so they sent me to rehab. While there I continued the Reiki on myself and the nurses all remarked how peaceful my room seemed. As before I explained the Reiki and I continued to prove I was healing very fast. I was released from the rehab almost 2 weeks earlier than they estimated i would and walking on my own with no assistance needed. It was another few months at home with a pic line ( a semipermanent IV tube in my arm leading directly into my heart) and twice daily antibiotic injections but I'm fine now except for a weakened immune system and a foot long scar up my back.
The doctors gave me a chance of dieing on the table with a 80% chance of either not walking at all or at minimum needing a walker and here I am. I blame it on the Reiki and the love of my husband.

Waking to a coming Dawn.

I originally posted to my LJ account back in 2007. I really like it so I'm posting it here.

Waking to a coming dawn.

            I woke up yesterday. Really woke up. I understand that I was dreaming this whole time and now that I'm awake the images and experiences in my dream state make sense. I am not admonishing myself for being a dreamer, more the opposite, I'm thanking the dreamer and honoring the dream. 

I have dreamed I was a person of power only to wake up and see it was truth.

I have dreamed I was loved and woken to find it true.

I have dreamed of light and love and found I am a source of these gifts.

I have dreamed my path was an easy one, it is not the truth but the effort is worth the pain.

I dreamed that I was above the need for sex, but that is a dream that is anathema to life.

I had dreamed that what I did to my body was of no consequence as my focus was to be on my fellow man only to find that I must care for myself as much as I care for others. If I don't honor myself on all levels that I am denying my own self worth.

I have found that just dreaming is never enough. My actions must be a reflection of my dreams for the world.

Now that my eyes are open to the true light of day I know that the universe has a plan. I see the underlying connections and consequences of my actions and inaction. I see the light of the universe returning to our world, exposing the dark things the night allowed to usurp our potential and our truths.

I am Joe Leven.

And I woke up yesterday.

S.A.D.D. aka Spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder.

I’m at a strange place right now. I, like many spiritualists, am approaching a huge leap in my soul’s journey. Connections are flying fast and furious and I’m taking these connections as the gifts they are, however they compete with one another for my attention.  One of my greatest downfalls is a sort of Spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder (Now to be called SADD); I get so excited over new experiences and concepts that I forget the things I’m already working on. I have to remain focused on the things that are most important to me and retain my center; it’s very hard for this bear.

2 things are important to me at the moment:

1) Creating an Intentional Community: John and I want to be able to retire to a home surrounded by those we love and where there’s magic in the air. Finding people who want to be a part of this is proving to be hard as many people don’t want to live in Maine, but the open spaces and natural beauty are compelling reasons to start a faerie community up there.

2) Keep reaching for the Light and understanding the presence of recurring themes in my life. The connection of Egyptian energies and the style of Reiki I was taught, the constant draw toward ceremonial magic and the need to seek the meaning of certain beings in my life. I believe that like the Angel Raziel showed Adam, there is a path to oneness and I am on this path. 

A wonderful Lecture on a possible pre-civilization to the Egyptians and Sumerian.n

Joe's rant to the democrats.

I really need to apologize if i offend anyone. I get worked up at injustice and I'm getting very upset that I'm considered such a second class citizen. If my words and sailor's mouth hurt anyone's feelings I'm sorry.

Internalized occupational bigotry and bias, or Why can't we stop judging each other?

Yesterday I was chatting with a very nice man from Great Briton and he mentioned he was on Lunch break. I naturally asked him what he did for a living and all of a sudden the conversation (ie typing) stopped. A few minutes later he stated he was a gardener/janitor for the local city hall. I said that was cool and he seemed to think at first that I was humoring him. I assured him I wasn't and he admitted he gets a lot of grief for his profession, especially from other gays. I was kind of ashamed that he had to put up with that kind of garbage, With all the abuse we get hit with from outside 'our people' we really shouldn't be doing it to each other.

Stereotyping and automatic assumptions are nothing new to any of us. We all had our detractors who see what we are or do as some how less that 'standard', I worked for many years in fast food and honestly liked doing it. I got satisfaction working with the food and making people happy in a very direct way. I was known for my biscuits at Roy Rogers, I would say a prayer to Hestia while making the dough and people said they were the best any of the had ever tasted. I love being a Mage.
Of course it gets worse when you look at the other jobs I have had, I worked as a clerk in a Porn store, sold auto parts, file clerk, customer service for Bell Atlantic and for TLA video, but the hardest to get people to accept as a legitimate job was Tarot card reader.
I have never felt comfortable in a normal 9 to 5 job. They are just not my thing, I hate being in crowds so big offices suck to me and punching a clock makes no sense to me as I like to work long hours when I really like what I do. The thing is what I like to do is what I'm called to do, I'm a healer. I am honestly compelled to help people become healthy spiritually and mentally as well as physically. But i didn't become a physician or psychiatrist as that's not what i was called to do. I became who I am, a spiritual healer, a shaman. Among my spiritually inclined friends and community That's a great thing but to the Gay and outside worlds it's looked down upon as quackery.
What I do is just as important to my clients as what a doctor or dentist or janitor or clerk and to look down on me or anyone for what they do for a living is poor people skills at the very least. and ignorant at the most.

We are on the cusp of great things for the LGBT community, equal rights and world wide acceptance are within sight but how much will it be worth if we can't be accepting of one another? The ageism, body image issues, it's all nonsense that needs to end so we can put up a united front.
So go out today and let your fellow man know you love and accept them for who they are and what they do.

This is the post that will make me seem insane, and who knows maybe I am.*

* It’s a well known fact that if you think you might be insane you are NOT but if you believe yourself to be wholly sane then you are indeed a nut job.

OK, I have a real hard time with this one but here it goes. I believe in past lives. The reason I say this is I have been getting smatterings of memories of them from when I was a kid. Most are really normal, no great kings or queens, no prophets or world conquerors, but there has always been that one… the one in water.

Long before I could read I remembered the name Atlantis. It may have been said to me at one point or it could be a memory from another time but I always knew there was a place with that resonance to me. When my family would go to the shore I would imagine the huge stone blocks, megaliths (not that I knew the word at the time) on the shore line and people in robes and short skirts milling about on the shore. Their skin was a coppery color but non-metallic, I knew I was one of them but I was always in the water for some reason. I didn’t breathe water if that’s what you’re thinking I was just more suited to it. This was my memories of a land before all of America and the culture I grew up in, but it was home to me more than my current home.

I also had from a child a strange attraction to the stars, especially those of the Constellation Orion; I have never understood this other than I have felt my “celestial father” comes from there. Even now as an adult I will seek out Rigel in the night sky and smile up at whoever is looking back at me with a confidence that there is indeed someone doing just that.

In my mid twenties when I was working at the Ren Faire I was doing a lot of psychic/mystical work, more than I had ever done in my life before and it was opening channels in me that I hadn’t known were there. One night as I lay on my bed I suddenly saw flaming letters appear in front of me. They spelled out a name and I instantly knew this was a sort of “soul-name” it burned itself into me and I started seeing more flashes of that past life. I mentioned this the next weekend to Annabelle and she said she didn’t trust it for some reason. I didn’t know what to think and so I put it out of my mind, but it wouldn’t stay there for long. I had been feeling a strange lump like a bubble of darkness in my stomach all week since the word appeared and on the way home it started to expand. I was driving and had a full carload of friends with me. Annabelle was in the back seta and said to me

“What are you doing? I can barely control my totem spirit. It wants to stop you from whatever you’re doing”

Sweating like prizefighter I could feel the Wolf spirit at my neck and said, “I’m not doing anything myself. It’s this ball of negativity. It wants out.”

I pulled the car over and got out, I pushed the darkness away from me into the night and I seemed to be better but we we’re all a bit upset after that. No one had any experience like it before, but that’s what seems to happen when I spend time with other mystical types, things get strange, but usually in a fun way.

I got home and meditated on what had occurred and made contact with my past life self in a way, I got to see myself in a reflection and learned I wasn’t like the others on the shore. I was a half-breed, part man, part other. I’ll spare you an in depth description but I had gray skin and long tendrils coming off my back my face and body were human enough but I had some extra appendages. But topping it all off I had POWER. My alien heritage allowed me to tap into the energy centers of the planet better than a human. It was in part my doing that destroyed my civilization, but I would learn later it was not entirely my fault.

Yes I know it sounds insane and I sometimes think I’m imagining it myself except for the corresponding experiences.

I asked many people who I trusted in the ways of the wise to help me make sense of this and the most often said thing was to accept this part of myself as a gift and not some curse. But the strangest this I found was when I would say the “name” I had received aloud there were some people who would react like I had punched them in the guts, people who had no knowledge of the events or concepts behind the word. There was even a woman who I met in Texas who refused to come anywhere near me because she “knew who I really was”.

Years pass and I lost touch with many people from that crowd, I had come to terms with these strange events and memories when I met Ken, I mentioned Ken before he was a roommate of John’s in college, He and I shared that lifetime. In fact Ken was my owner during that life. It seems for all my power I had almost no concept of humanity or right and wrong, but that may be because I was raised to not have interaction with anyone but my owner and my handler/sister? Who it turns out is Brenda in this lifetime. Brenda used hypnosis to help me remember the more detailed points of the lifetime. I can hear snatches of the language but don’t really understand it; I get the feeling that the actual location of the city I keep seeing is now located in our Andes Mountains. I even know there is a crystalline cavern underneath the main docks that is still there if we can find it.

This regression helped me to understand and forgive my past self, to allow the gifts he wanted to bestow on me that dark night driving home from the faire, and to know it’s a blessing to know we are not alone even though the type of alien I was a part of is supposedly from Sirius C.

Well that’s the Atlantis story in all its tiny fragmented glory; take from it what you will. I believe it’s true. Here’s to you Solandaries, may you find love in the aether that you never found alive.

Inspiration Monday 8/30/2010: It's not to late.

No song posting today. What I want to say need no gilding of the Lilly. When I get depressed it's usually the same trigger, The feeling that I've let my life slip by and accomplished nothing. It's really hard to look at myself and think "I'm just now admitting to myself that what I thought were pipe dreams when I was young is the ACTUAL direction my life is supposed to take". But that's what's happening.
I have always dreamed of living full time as a mystic, living in a place where i was surrounded by love and friends  breathing in the fresh air and dancing around bonfires in the night.
John and I are looking into starting up an Intentional Community (That's the new spin on the word Commune) and this will actually allow me to do exactly what I've wanted.
We're looking in the lovely state of Maine for a large piece of property off the beaten track where we will build at least 1 prefab hound house to start with more added as people start moving to join the community.
My only problem (and it's a big one) is that John doesn't want to start this for 10 years. He'll be 69 and I'' be 57, will that be too old? I don't know but the adventure itself is worth the journey.

Home Is Where The Heart Is (Lifelines LP Version) by Peter, Paul And Mary

Home Is Where The Heart Is (Lifelines LP Version) by Peter, Paul And Mary

A beautiful song about LGBT Acceptance. It makes me weep.

The Big post on My Spiritual Path, or...

The way of the Neo-Atlantian.

As my life changes, I’m finding myself needing to vocalize and set down my path. I’m a neo-pagan but I feel I’m a bit outside the mainstream pagan (try getting that to fit inside your brain). I’m a light worker, I practice Reiki, I’m an empath, and a Shaman.

I’m also something beyond all of those concepts. I’m an “out” Mage. I let people know I’m a will worker and have no qualms sitting and discussing the “occult” with non-believers and the general public. I feel it’s time to step outside our secretive ways and stand in the light.

But what IS a Neo-Atlantian? What makes me any different than any other pagan?  Maybe nothing but I’m still going to type this out.

Let’s start out with “What is my concept of Atlantis?”

Plato discusses Atlantis twice. First is In Timaeus http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/plato/timaeus.htm and then again in Critias http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/plato/critias.htm

In these we understand that there was a world before the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, so old that no one really knows its name, the name Atlantis is acknowledged as a Greek pseudonym.

From there we have Ignatius Donnelly’s Atlantis, The Antediluvian World. http://www.sacred-texts.com/atl/ataw/index.htm

I have my own past life memories of a land ancient and amazing to me. I will be going into that in my next posting on Spirituality.

The basic concept to me is a community passed on democracy and deep social justice. A place like America should be. Science and faith are one and the same thing, compassion and wisdom are key thoughts on everyone’s minds, a place where no one goes hungry or scared to be whom and what they are.

What is the “Ultimate Goal” of my path?

I’m trying to tie a lot of loose disparate concepts together and mold them into my spirituality. I believe in Psychic phenomena, Aliens, Angels, Magic, polytheism, new age philosophy and am very Universalist in my views of faith.

My main gods and goddesses are Ptah, Obatala, Odin, Hestia, The triple Goddess, Isis, Horus, and Thor. A disparate grouping to be sure but they all have a place in my soul. But I know they are all aspects of a greater power. I feel that the Angel Raziel is guiding me to a path that is all my own towards greater union with the divine in the universe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raziel I feel we all have our own version of the “Book of Raziel” built into our souls, like it’s encoded into our DNA, and we all have the duty to ourselves and our greater selves (past and future lives) to walk the path our personal books direct us to. I’m finding that the longer I’m true to my path the stranger and more wonderful my life becomes.

Rules for living the Neo-Atlantian dream…

1. Speak the truth about all matters of importance. I believe there is room in my life for little white lies, common courtesies, but never if asked directly and never if answering a question of importance to the questioner.
2. Defend yourself and others. Compassion and caring are central tenants of my path, as is defending the weak and those less empowered than myself.
3. Reveal falsehoods. We all see them every day. People led to believe things are factual when they clearly are not.
4. Take care of yourself as well as you take care of others. We can’t forget to have compassion for ourselves. We are as important as the rest of the world. For me and many others this is an important lesson.
5. Get rid of the excess in your life. Material objects can be wonderful but they have a tendency to add to the stagnation in your life, they are also distractions that keep you from becoming your most perfect self.
6. Be especially thankful for all things, Life is an amazing thing. It really is what you make of it so be thankful for all things, good and bad, as they are all ‘mile markers’ along your path.
7. LOVE! I cannot express this enough. Love the people in your life. Let them KNOW what they mean to you. Never let a chance go by to tell them what you feel. Take no one for granted because it reduces both of you. I try to live this but life gets in my way quite a bit.
8. Study and Learn as much as you can. Knowledge and wisdom are important things. Try to be well rounded, learn what you need to survive and what you will need to help your community survive as well.

I’m sure I will be adding to this as I walk my path but this is the basics. I hope I have explained myself to some degree.

Love and Lightning,

Joe

WOW!

I'm up to 10 people subscribed to my blog!

thank you all so much, You have no idea how honored i am to have you reading my posts. Is there anything you want to hear from me? Some topics I should be writing more on? Please I honestly value your feedback.
I guess there may be people who read who aren't subscribers and I value your opinions too, please feel free to chime in.

Ideas I have for upcoming posts are I'm considering posting some things from my "Book of Shadows" and more personal observations about life as a man married to another man (as long as John says it's OK with him).

Rant 2: We need a moment of peace and compassion.

It seems that my fellow Americans are turning into Terrorists, not all of them but a good amount, the scary ones in particular are coming out of the woodwork. We have a constitutional right to freedom of Religion. When Americans start picketing houses of worship they are in the wrong. When They start sending death threats to holy people they are in the wrong.
What is happening?
It can't just be the Fox News/tea party/Koch Brothers' evil mechanizations, there is something fundamentally wrong here. The rise of true Evil seems to be taking hold over the nation, and there are many people attempting to stop it but we need a symbol to rally around. In some ways the Cordoba House could be a symbol of true interfaith cooperation. If the Christian Churches, Jewish Synagogues, Pagan groups, and such all came together to hold a prayer meeting or at least a press conference in brotherhood with the Muslim's in the area that would make a huge difference in the way the "common man" sees the community center.
Hell, if I could I would be up there now picketing the picketers. I'm not Muslim, I have some problems with their views on Homosexuality but i will not stand and allow other bigots to interfere in their constitutional rights. That makes me a bad person, a bad American.

With all of the hate and terror in the world today, why do we allow Fox News and their ilk stoke the flames of hatred and violence. There has to be some rules governing rabble rousing and warmongering.

Please if you can do what you're able to help your fellow Americans to understand that what they are doing is destroying the very fabric of America.

A very special Inspiration Monday: 8/23/2010

Life is a very strange and wonderful thing. While it can throw some amazingly bad things at you out of nowhere it also has a way of slapping you upside the head with something, or in my case someone, truly wonderful.

Not to long after John and I had started living together we were sitting in his office area of Phoenix Hi Fi. (His old stereo store) just talking about our pasts and he mentioned his old college roommate Ken. He said he actually missed speaking to him and wondered what ever had happened to him after college. I encouraged John to contact Villanova and see if he could get in touch with Ken so he called the University and lo-and-behold Ken had been tying to find John. So they gave John Ken’s number and he called.

John and Ken had a nice chat and when John mentioned he had recently gotten married Ken wanted to speak to me. Well there was an instant connection between us and our discussion turned to the metaphysical much tom John’s surprise.

Well long story short Ken and I shared a past live and He owed me big time. (I’ll get to that in a future tale I promise). I went to meet Ken on my own one weekend and He took me to see the most astounding woman named Brenda.

Brenda, Ken and I have a very strange past life connection and it has deep resonances with me even today. Ken had introduced me to Brenda so she could teach me Reiki http://www.reiki.org/faq/whatisreiki.html and get my healing gifts more under control.

What Ken didn’t tell me was that He had promised Brenda that I would teach her to read Tarot “by the book” something I do not do. Brenda and I had a whirlwind session of Reiki training and attunements that I will never forget. Brenda herself is one of the most compassionate and loving people I know and I kind of worship her as one of my great teachers. Well from those initial 2 meetings I have grown significantly as a healer and a man and I attribute some of that to Brenda even though we seem to keep loosing touch, mainly due to my being a terrible correspondent and friend.

In the past few weeks I have been getting the call to actually DO SOMETHING with my healing gifts and I really was feeling a bit outside my comfort zone (as I’m a bit of a chicken when it comes to expressing what I can do) and I really wanted to talk to Brenda about what and where and who to set myself up as a healer so I decided to search for her on-line for the thousandth time. Here she’s on Facebook, who knew!

So we’re getting back in touch and I’ve had 2 Reiki sessions in one weekend with at least one repeat customer and the potential for a referral from him to his family member. I’m feeling calm (strange for me) and like I’m starting to walk a path I had long forgotten was there.

Donna Summer's "Dim All The Lights"

Dedicated to my love John. You are the air I breath and the earth I walk on. Know that I would be nothing with out you in my life.

Love and Lightning,
Grimm

Sort of a Rant, but not really.

Firstly I want to apologize for my lack of posting. I just ran out of words there for a bit.

Ignorance is NOT bliss and the Ignorant are not blissful


I am full of pique at the people of America who are condemning the Muslim cultural center in Manhattan, and Mosques around the country. If they would only stop being led by Fox News and the right wing fuckwads who spread hate, they might realize that all Muslims are not the cause for the Terror attacks of 9/11 any more than all Catholics are responsible for Priests who molest children. The thought is ridiculous and honestly shows how far our fellow American's minds have degraded.
We have a constitution that states there is religious freedom in America. No one has the right to block or even fucking protest the erection of a place of worship, no matter who they are. My fellow pagans, mystics, spiritualists, etc. we need to stand up to the Christian power base on this and protest their protestations.
While my personal opinions of Islam are very strong I will not allow anyone to abuse a minority group who has done nothing to us. The majority of Muslims I know are good and loving people who don't deserve any of this crap.
If this were a Wiccan cultural center and this was happening I know just about everyone I know would be up in arms, writing letters, raising funds and protesting the people against the center. There is really no difference here. The Muslim people as a group did NOT cause 9/11 and deserve some peace from the constant persecution they are experiencing It's not right more than a little evil and definatly UNAMERICAN.

Love and Lightning,
Grimm

Protest Signs.mov

This is just amazingly Beautiful.

Inspiration Monday 8/09/2010

I have instituted a policy over on my Facebook page called 'Inspiration Mondays'. Too often I find my friends complaining about having the Monday blues and how horrible Mondays are but lets be honest, That's not how we should look at ANY day let alone the one day a week where we get to start the work week fresh. I offer to you a song that asks us to witness Strength, nobility and the struggles of all people to be free from oppression.

Commentary 2: Learning to shut up, stop expecting others to help and learning to listen.

One of the biggest waists of my time has been procrastination. I am the king of putting it off. It has created huge problems for me and my loved ones for years and I’m really deeply sorry, unfortunately the damage is done.

Now the question is “Can a man in his mid to late 40’s learn from his mistakes and still leave a positive mark on the lives of those he lives?”

I say yes, living to be an example is the way I choose to do it. In this moment of Truth I’ll attempt to explain how to do it and why you should learn from my mistakes.

I have a tendency to be a bit arrogant it seems. I never saw it in myself but I’ve had enough people tell me it that I had to take a serious look at my attitude. I had to first stop listening to the voices in my head that were telling me there was nothing wrong with the way I act and react to people. I have always had the ability to see the “just and correct” way of seeing any situation and have had trouble with the fact that others didn’t always see my way the “obvious” way, and just writing that is a big clue to what I stared to see.

I’m a very opinionated person but was always told to keep my opinions to myself by my family. I can understand as when I was a kid I would just walk up to people and tell them everything I saw about them and being an intuitive that was often far too much. So when I was old enough to express my opinions I would do so, not aggressively but pointedly. I wasn’t paying attention to how others reacted to me. That was my folly.

So without making myself go into an emotional downspin lets get on with what I’m doing. Procrastination is a terrible thing and so is arrogance, add the two together and you have a recipe for disaster. As bad as my troubles have been in the physical world they are mirrored by the lack of movement in the spiritual realms.

You see I was fully buying into the old adage “When you are ready a teacher will come”.  I rather impatiently waited for decades after Annabelle left my life thinking was unworthy of a teacher. It’s only recently that the vale has been lifted from my eyes. Our teachers are not typically a person or even one spirit, so I had to swallow my arrogance and pride and shut up. I had to listen to everything around me and learn how to learn all over again. The fact that this blog is happening is a part of that relearning process. I spent years wanting to forget my past, as a way of erasing my failures; I even considered changing my name a few times but never really had the balls to go through with it because deep down inside I knew it wouldn’t change anything. Now I’m relearning who I really was and I’m learning to integrate that person into who I am now. The process kind of sucks as I have to dredge up so much I would rather forget but growth and birth both require pain.

So here’s what I’ve learned so far:

1)      Shut up and listen to those around you. It’s important to know what everyone’s point of view is even if you know them to be wrong. It allows you to see every aspect of life and aids in your dealing with all kinds of people.

2)      There is no one person who will teach you all things and the process of learning can be a real bitch, but trying to relearn it all is even worse. Save yourselves the trouble. Open your mind and heart to everyone and everything. Learn as much as you can about every subject never being content to rest. Procrastination is a killer of life.

3)      Listen to those who you think are the most unworthy of your attention. They have some of the best insights, besides we are all one in the universal sense. We are all touched by the divine and you should respect everyone for that fact alone. 

First Commentary; The age of Truth and Compassion.

This will be the first in a long line of commentary from me as a part of my truth.

Two days ago, August 4^th 2010, the state of California’s Proposition 8 ban on Gay marriage was overturned and ruled unconstitutional. I’m still riding a high on it.

Of course there are all of the detractors claiming that it’s unconstitutional that the “Will of the People” has been overturned because the people of California had voted against gay marriage. What they are not looking at (Because the truth burns ignorance away) is that they never had the right to vote on anyone’s civil rights at all.

One of the great things about the United States of America is that our country was founded by people who understood that Religion has no place in government. They also understood that there are certain rights due to ALL PEOPLE and these rights are not up for vote, there is no popularity contest for other peoples’ rights.

It makes me very sad that there are still people in this modern world that feel it’s their right to interfere in others lives based on their own set of morals. I would never think to push my own agenda on anyone who I had no contact with. I don’t try to convince others that there are angels all around us, or that Psychics exist, I never force people to heal, Heck most of the time I don’t even talk about these things because I don’t want to intrude my views on others who are very happy with their lives. But I’m really tired of this way of life, and that’s why I started this blog.

Truth is the key to ignorance. Truth is the light that reveals falsehoods.

This song is my Mantra right now.

When the Moon is in the seventh house
and Jupiter aligns with mars
The peace will guide the planets and love will steer the stars

this is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
the age of Aquarius

Aquarius
Aquarius

harmony and understanding
sympathy and trust abounding
no more falsehoods or derisions
golden living dreams of visions
mystic crystals revelations
and the minds true liberation

Aquarius
Aquarius

when the Moon is in the seventh house
and Jupiter aligns with mars
then peace will guide the planets
and love will steer the stars

this is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
the age of Aquarius

Aquarius
Aquarius 

Love and Lightning,

Joe.