tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.comments2022-12-01T17:25:22.519-06:00Chasing The AssonUrbanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06019262251107123583noreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-49466490400954239322018-11-01T04:15:32.290-05:002018-11-01T04:15:32.290-05:00I used to possess an independent company. For the ...I used to possess an independent company. For the initial couple of years, I couldn't bear the cost of inclusion for myself or my workers; I needed to, yet I proved unable. I do feel like it is a commitment for organizations to offer health protection to their laborers and when I could bear the cost of it I did.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06069742596173944655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-2002763799655419822017-09-16T07:37:48.982-05:002017-09-16T07:37:48.982-05:00hmmmmhmmmmJeCsOnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18198970402049113893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-77118535721017889582017-05-13T04:23:45.268-05:002017-05-13T04:23:45.268-05:00the second influencing factor is the pay. World ov...the second influencing factor is the pay. World over the healthcare professionals are paid a big fat pay cheque. This remuneration also depends upon the location, like internationally the healthcare professionals are paid well; and on the experience and their qualification. <br /><a href="https://smartmedigapplans.com/" rel="nofollow">https://smartmedigapplans.com/</a><br />Rifat Ansarihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08807558891346928498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-75651919237659318302015-06-06T15:33:18.862-05:002015-06-06T15:33:18.862-05:00Just a note, Groveshark shutdown. You'll have ...Just a note, Groveshark shutdown. You'll have to stream the two songs mentioned on your favorite streaming service: Rhapsody, Spotify, Apple, whatever.Urbanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06019262251107123583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-38168860083890015872013-07-31T19:45:06.905-05:002013-07-31T19:45:06.905-05:00Thanks Heather. It's a crawl, but it's for...Thanks Heather. It's a crawl, but it's forward progress. <br /><br />She's a great woman, I'm lucky to have her. Urbanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06019262251107123583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-60764531017447546262013-07-11T03:13:18.415-05:002013-07-11T03:13:18.415-05:00Urban-
This is Heather- Saum's friend from MC...Urban-<br /><br />This is Heather- Saum's friend from MCTC- many years ago. I saw Kate Lynn today and she mentioned Saum's concussion. I'm so sorry to hear about your troubles. I've only just skimmed this blog tonight but I see you've had many adventures since I've seen you last- some much more fun than others. Anyway, I wanted to tell you and Saum that I hope things will continue to get better. It would be nice if the universe would cut you a break and speed this all up. For what it's worth I'm sending you my warmest most healing thoughts.<br /><br />For awhile I was care taking for 3 family members with memory issues- brain injury, dementia, and dissociation. It's hard and frustrating for everyone involved. I found a few things that worked good: pictures labeled with both the name and relationship of the person in it (my daughter Heather)- telling stories about our lives where my father was the hero. He often would remember things unexpectedly when we did this and always liked being the hero- and that even after a 'real' outing wasn't possible trips through the drive through at Arby's were still pretty good. He didn't remember at this point what he liked but I did and he still liked it. I'm sure you've got better tricks than these but I tell people these things because I'm always listening for the next thing that will work for us.<br /><br />Again, love to you and Saum. I so glad you have each other. artcarheatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15639172920413317313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-66804936972474354942013-04-06T15:28:38.640-05:002013-04-06T15:28:38.640-05:00Thanks Valentina, you're not uncouth. I apprec...Thanks Valentina, you're not uncouth. I appreciate the kind words. Urbanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06019262251107123583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-75423192008803247662013-04-05T22:41:24.893-05:002013-04-05T22:41:24.893-05:00What a beautiful horse friend. I hope that to par...What a beautiful horse friend. I hope that to paraphrase Saumya herself here won't be uncouth, "we feel the pain because we feel so much love". Sometimes that pain is a hurt/desire that also heals us when we are grieving. Do you know it? That is how I have felt when death has come to visit and took away people and animals I love. It makes us tougher, like you say, "not for pussies" and I hope you feel, as I do, that the grieving process builds you up, not breaks you down.<br /><br />My heart, prayers, and thoughts are/have been truly with you & Saumya over this winter. Nothing more to say, but the sharing of the feeling.Valentinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08893075253411705317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-90273500534870061932012-12-30T06:01:14.200-06:002012-12-30T06:01:14.200-06:00"The work is being done through us, not the o..."The work is being done through us, not the other way around. We have one foot in this world and another somewhere else, where we mediate and plea for the greater good of the People."<br /><br />Beautifully put!<br /><br />I have to say that this article really helped me understand more about the healing work Mauricio Quintana, 昆游龍, a.k.a. "Cintain", does. When I first attempted to ask for his help in a personal matter (he was recommended to me by RP), I got the feeling that I was interrupting him, or that he was the type who would consider me crazy. Now I understand that he is the kind of healer I would most likely get along with, had I met him in person.<br /><br />Thank you, Urban, for introducing him on your blog. He brought a fresh perspective. I would love to read more about such experiences. I feel like I share too much of my own, like I am talking to myself all the time on my blog at wordpress: http://valentinathewitch.wordpress.com/<br />(don't visit my dead blogs, I haven't updated them in years, and yes, shameless plug)<br />I also want to apologize for not visiting your blog in a long while, Urban. It's been good to come back!Valentinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08893075253411705317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-72544422652053468462012-12-15T18:31:16.594-06:002012-12-15T18:31:16.594-06:00Drew,
Sorry if you are misquoted. I made no editi...Drew,<br /><br />Sorry if you are misquoted. I made no editing attempts on the piece. I do know this, your ideas are respected in our household, as they are fierce debate topics between Saum and I, the highest form of respect there is for us. <br /><br />I hope you have a chance to clarify any points you feel are misrepresenting, the last thing I want is someone to be misrepresented here. Urbanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06019262251107123583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-60593872649700598982012-12-15T15:24:08.989-06:002012-12-15T15:24:08.989-06:00As your friend the Rogue Priest, I should correct ...As your friend the Rogue Priest, I should correct you on one point: I do <i>not</i> believe spiritual experiences are all in our head.<br /><br />But I'm open to that possibility.<br /><br />Just as I am open to the possibility that they are supernatural and far, far greater than us little mortal beings. I keep an open mind on this point, which I believe helps me stay honest.<br /><br />On the other hand, you are <i>sure</i> that these experiences are much bigger than us. You're sure that you are right, and that others are wrong.<br /><br />So I would be careful where you lay the charge of pretentiousness.Andre Sólohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12128040259567845116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-75123548267261285352012-11-24T19:39:54.950-06:002012-11-24T19:39:54.950-06:00Drew,
I think you are asking the right questions....Drew,<br /><br />I think you are asking the right questions. Your conviction in pressing the issue is commendable. To me, it's not a debate worth winning, but rather one worth having. In questioning, we start to understand and appreciate our beliefs. <br /><br />Thanks for having it. We all struggle to make sense of our experiences. You push me to ask the hard questions, and attempt to give them answers. Urbanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06019262251107123583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-33099609750281900252012-11-24T18:08:38.336-06:002012-11-24T18:08:38.336-06:00I'll admit to being the other person in that d...I'll admit to being the other person in that debate, the one suggesting - rather passionately - that we may not have a soul at all. <br /><br />The thing is, I've had the same spiritual experiences you've had, Urban. The same double-shot-espresso fullness of bua (ashe), the definitive sense of not only my own soul but of other, amazing spirits beside me. <br /><br />But what we experience firsthand is not always accurate. <br /><br />The question no one has been able to answer for me is: how do we know those experiences aren't just a glitch of the mind?Andre Sólohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12128040259567845116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-16141319600925058532012-11-19T20:45:45.485-06:002012-11-19T20:45:45.485-06:00cyberRAH612: I'll see what I can do.cyberRAH612: I'll see what I can do.Urbanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06019262251107123583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-56593962031835788192012-11-19T20:45:10.381-06:002012-11-19T20:45:10.381-06:00Valentina, the personal space is yours. For me, I ...Valentina, the personal space is yours. For me, I encourage all to add their comments.Urbanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06019262251107123583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-55661645401154147052012-11-18T02:24:31.453-06:002012-11-18T02:24:31.453-06:00I could not read through this entire blog post, I&...I could not read through this entire blog post, I'm not yet at the point where I have enough emotional distance to respond without a sweet sorrow that chokes me up my throat. However, as I read about your love for the river, I share that affection! I've been in love with many rivers, almost drowned in one, too.<br /><br />I want to say more, yet I am respecting the personal space.Valentinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08893075253411705317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-67332940325771644702012-11-13T13:54:43.878-06:002012-11-13T13:54:43.878-06:00More!!! I want more! To be continued...oh, please?...More!!! I want more! To be continued...oh, please? Thank you, Urban. This.is beautiful. Love.it!!!cyberRAH612https://www.blogger.com/profile/12711698954657581425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-1264676178905177472012-11-05T18:29:46.105-06:002012-11-05T18:29:46.105-06:00Your clear thoughts on this subject are so helpful...Your clear thoughts on this subject are so helpful. Thanks!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14200506252226300545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-4660577043462644282012-10-07T13:48:24.688-05:002012-10-07T13:48:24.688-05:00NYTimes: Error and Fraud at Issue as Absentee Voti...NYTimes: Error and Fraud at Issue as Absentee Voting Rises<br />http://nyti.ms/R2EbfOUrbanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06019262251107123583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-45095654774984780502012-09-29T18:35:28.620-05:002012-09-29T18:35:28.620-05:00Thanks, Urban! You narrowed down my thoughts and ...Thanks, Urban! You narrowed down my thoughts and got my main message. :-)Valentinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08893075253411705317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-37281565570530020102012-09-29T18:27:17.908-05:002012-09-29T18:27:17.908-05:00Drew, thanks for replying, I like what you've ...Drew, thanks for replying, I like what you've said. I also appreciate adding to the conversation.<br /><br />I try not to disparage any religion, because I know it works well for so many. That's not to say everyone follows their beliefs, some walk through the motions, no matter what tradition they are in.<br /><br />I know many interesting and thoughtful Christians who fit this bill (being predominantly surrounded by Christians). They carefully examine their beliefs and refine their understanding every day. I respect that. They are on a powerful spiritual journey, which at times mirrors my own.<br /><br />The point I try to make is one of being able to be more than one thing. I do believe it's possible to belong to multiple religious systems simultaneously. Obviously, there will be contradictions among the different systems, but I think you can just as easily identify and have to reconcile contradictions within any one particular religious tradition.<br /><br />My hope is that this isn't speaking down to any major (or minor) religious system out there. I have tremendous respect for my Christian, Muslim and Jewish brothers and sisters. I think any system, followed with a good heart, will find a path to a higher spiritual experience (whether with or without a belief in God). I like having a broader set of tools to use in my case.<br /><br />I also believe there is no one right answer. What works for me, might not work for you. That's doesn't mean I'm right and you're wrong, it means we use different paths of understanding to reach our destinations. That to me is the beauty of it.<br /><br />This can be summed up by the quote from Archbishop Anselme Titianma Sanonin in Burkina Faso that Saum posted recently: "You must search for unity in diversity. Because if the one who created the world had wanted everything to be the same, he would have made it that way. This search for spirit, we have to do it without selfishness or thought of our own gain. It's the reason for living, the reason for dying: to search."<br /><br />To me, it's how you go about that search. He summed up my beliefs pretty well.Urbanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06019262251107123583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-27715565255414576302012-09-27T18:09:17.099-05:002012-09-27T18:09:17.099-05:00In that regard (only), conversion and initiation a...In that regard (only), conversion and initiation are actually exactly the same. Conversion practices like Confirmation absolutely represent a commitment to continued, dedicated, active practice. If it doesn't always seem that way to us it's because many of us were raised Christian and saw it as routine rather than a choice or commitment. But I've seen kids raised in initiatory traditions blow it off too, and adults Received into the Episcopal Church view it as a lifelong dedication.<br /><br />In general I love your essay, Urban, and I'm proud to be part of a non-converting initiatory religion. But is it really fair to view conversion religions as inflexible or lacking something? Perhaps people can get just as much discovery and evolution by going deep in one tradition as they can by going broad across many. Maybe spiritual monogamy can even teach things that no amount of extra initiations can. <br /><br />It must be a profoundly different experience.Andre Sólohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12128040259567845116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-34218809504831545232012-09-23T23:06:41.838-05:002012-09-23T23:06:41.838-05:00It made for good reading, but
"You can do th...It made for good reading, but<br /><br />"You can do this or not do this, but if you do it, you have to mean it," I told her. Being an initiate is more of a commitment and, in my opinion, a practice of dedication, not conversion. I like that it is about dedication, something that feels much more empowering."<br /><br />I found truly inspiring. Yes, a commitment it is. And there in lies the difference. In Vodou, anyone can practice, but the initiate has made a commitment. Commitment is extremely important, as is the initiation, because it places you on the path. You may find and walk the path without initiation, but initiation should place you on it.<br /><br />I think this should hold true for most initiatory religions.<br /><br />Thanks for the feedback. Great viewpoints.Urbanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06019262251107123583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-74604713378975208852012-09-23T22:53:54.079-05:002012-09-23T22:53:54.079-05:00Continuing where I left off, I wanted to quote, in...Continuing where I left off, I wanted to quote, in full context, Karl Marx, to point out that example of "religion as an opiate of the masses" (just for some colour):<br /><br /><br />"The foundation of irreligious criticism is: Man makes religion, religion does not make man. Religion is, indeed, the self-consciousness and self-esteem of man who has either not yet won through to himself, or has already lost himself again. But man is no abstract being squatting outside the world. Man is the world of man – state, society. This state and this society produce religion, which is an inverted consciousness of the world, because they are an inverted world. Religion is the general theory of this world, its encyclopaedic compendium, its logic in popular form, its spiritual point d’honneur, its enthusiasm, its moral sanction, its solemn complement, and its universal basis of consolation and justification. It is the fantastic realization of the human essence since the human essence has not acquired any true reality. The struggle against religion is, therefore, indirectly the struggle against that world whose spiritual aroma is religion.<br /><br />"Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.<br /><br />"The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions. The criticism of religion is, therefore, in embryo, the criticism of that vale of tears of which religion is the halo.<br /><br />"Criticism has plucked the imaginary flowers on the chain not in order that man shall continue to bear that chain without fantasy or consolation, but so that he shall throw off the chain and pluck the living flower."<br /><br />Not that I completely agree with this, but Marx wasn't the first person to compare religion to an opiate. However, I do not think all religion acts as a numbing drug for those who seek escape from their emotional suffering. <br /><br />I think that the kind of religion atheists and philosophers criticized was conversion-type religion, the kind most main stream in the West. Would they say the same about those with an initiatory practice?<br /><br />Or, as I so often have come across (I do not know if you have) would they have thought initiatory religions as true religions anyway? Most such religions lie outside of traditional, worldly experience, especially back in different eras of history. Even today initiation is still considered something secretive.<br /><br />The last student I had bailed on me because she was afraid of going through an initiation ceremony. It was the first and only time I saw someone really run away from it. Even though I was disappointed, I respected her wishes and did not get angry with her, just let her go. Not everyone is cut out for it, and it's best that they choose and not be forced into anything, much less go through something half-hearted, too. She was surprised I wasn't angry and that I didn't push her. "Does this mean I can still practice magic?" She asked. Of course! But she was not meant to be a Witch, just meant to be something else. I explained to her that what she was being trained for was to be part of a religion that is a tradition, not the whole part of the religion. "Oh, I thought the tradition was the religion," she said, and I had to explain the difference. <br /><br />"You can do this or not do this, but if you do it, you have to mean it," I told her. Being an initiate is more of a commitment and, in my opinion, a practice of dedication, not conversion. I like that it is about dedication, something that feels much more empowering.<br /><br />I hope that this gives you plenty of feedback to ponder over! And that I did not write too much... :-) <br /><br /><br />Valentinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08893075253411705317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136904882540860539.post-45113263323089478172012-09-23T22:51:54.513-05:002012-09-23T22:51:54.513-05:00I couldn't have said it better, Urban! This i...I couldn't have said it better, Urban! This is why I love my path in life as well. "In an initiation system, you can be dual (or more) in your beliefs." And, yes, I also believe that "the rigidity of belief will be the downfall of any religious system" and the evidence of that is already evident in today's religious movements in North America. More people stray away from the conversion method of religion and seek a more independent, self-defined spiritual path that incorporates several different religious practices and/or belief systems (to the point where they create their own mini "religions" and yet they are not doing anything perfectly new). <br /><br />It is not commonly understood that initiation is different from conversion. Take for instance my own initiatory path of Dianic Witchcraft -- a branch of Goddess-centered Wicca that was exclusively female (later became co-ed in the 90s)-- it wasn't the only Witchcraft path I was initiated into, something that confuses people who do not understand what initiation means, including many neo-Pagans and Wiccans. A Witch can be initiated into several different traditions of Witchcraft, but s/he can be of ANY religion. There are Christian Witches, Catholic ones, Native American church ones, and you-name-it-they're-out-there Witches whom you'd never know are Witches because they don't go walking around with pentacles around their necks. You can be a Witch and not a Pagan, but Wicca itself is the magico-religion of Witches that falls into the definition of a neo-Pagan religion. You can go up to a Witch and find out that s/he is not Wiccan, but then go up to another one and find out that they define themselves as one and the same. Yet Wicca is not a conversion religion, not at all. <br /><br />But then I wonder about why religions that require "conversion" are so popular and continue to thrive. My answer to this is because they do ask people to give up their old lives and allow them to start a new life. <br /><br />I grew up in an Evangelical household, very strict, very ecstatic worship, went to church up to three times a week, where we lived very devotional lives. Even though I did not agree with the rigid lifestyle and bigotry (especially the sexism), I learned what it was to be dedicated and why people chose to convert. Most converts to Pentecostal/Evangelical Christianity were people who were suffering from drug addiction and many other terrible problems that were life-shattering, they needed to start over completely, so the salvation offered to them by religion was a way to white-wash their souls. The only problem with it is it can be an escape, not a solution (heh, "soul-solution -soul-tion"). Conversion religions grab people at their most vulnerable and promise a better, happier life, ultimately fulfilling Karl Marx's famous phrase: ""Die Religion ... ist das Opium des Volkes" = "religion is the opiate of the masses."<br /><br />Speaking of that quote, I'm going to look it up and post the full quote, in context, in another quote next (I tried to post it all in this same comment but I went over the accepted character amount, yikes!)<br /><br />Valentinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08893075253411705317noreply@blogger.com