Welcome to the middle path

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Sporadic photos and notes from a Psyche-midwife, cheerleader, anthropologist--aka clinical social worker in therapy practice. Photos are usually mine except for those of historical events/famous people. Music relevant to the daily topic is often included in a web video embedded below the blog. Click on highlighted links in the copy to get to source or supplemental material. For contact information, see my website @ janasvoboda.com or click on the button to the right below. Join in the conversation.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

January 19th Challenge: Create A New Fortune Telling System

Admittedly, this fish is apropos of nothing at all.

Huh.  Forgot to post my rules.  These are oft repeated in my office, and when I follow them, I am a happier gal.  

1)  Don't Suffer In Advance.  If what you dread doesn't happen, you suffered for nothing. If it does, you suffered twice.

2)  Putting off what you dread means hell to pay-- with interest.

3)  Neither indulge nor deny.When in doubt, take door number two:  the middle path.  

4)  These things are good-- make sure to get enough:  sleep, nature, play, sunshine, connection.

5)  Kindness counts.

On with the games!
There's a sucker born every minute, and here's your chance to cash in.  Develop a new method for divination based on whatever you like-- foot shape, month-plus-day of birth number, dog breed ownership.  Describe at least two of the variants.

For example:
Did you know you can tell a lot about a person by their apple preference?  

art thou vexing these  goodly rotten apples?
Red Delicious lovers are conservative by nature if not by vote.  They tend to collect their pennies, have overstuffed sofas, and prefer novels with tidy endings. They are better at geometry than algebra, and are attracted to persons with shiny, fluffy hair.  They are both extroverted and anxious in crowds, and may suffer frequent dyspepsia.  

Granny smith lovers enjoy a good jigsaw puzzle but get way too much thrill from the crime news.  Flat feet and high dental arches are common.  They are very quick at assessing trustworthiness in others, and like to pay off their credit cards monthly.  Common magazine subscriptions are Sunset and Consumer's Digest.

Go have some fun now, Friday we're starting a day late and a dollar short on an international quest to deliver notes of encouragement throughout the world..  Apparently the grand universal send out was yesterday, but as creativy deeds exist outside of ordinary time/space vortex, we'll do just fine,  We're perfectly capable of starting our own happy revolution of encouraging surprises, gentle anarchy style.
But wait, there's more!  We've got ten en twenties, sound poems, ephemeral sculptures, object games, thank you notes, and self-portraits just around the corner.  The Grand Prize box is BURSTING at the seams to come to your house,  And each day a precious few minutes less on the dark side-- give it creative due in encouragement.   Stayed turned for details.
Not comments section following RIGHT BELOW so you can add on your Creator swag and be emulated and encourage others.
x0x
jls

 




keeo your dial turned to the middle path for details.
Jana

4 comments:

Kiesa Kay said...

Everything metal came from the innards of the earth and has been transformed by fire into shapes for use by human beings. What would happen if we lived in harmony with the earth instead of using earth as a resource for our desires? What would happen if we lived as if we were equal and not superior to others? I saw a National Geographic movie about war, created by Sebastian Junger, called Repostro. There were these kids, 20-somethings, with huge weaponry, bombing villagers who lived in mud huts. The youngsters stole a man's cow, his one thing. Why do we feel we have these rights? What gives us the right to use the metal from deep within the earth to destroy our neighbors and the land that shelters and nourishes them and us? Show your metal! Take a deep breath, and feel which of these types of metal most calls to you, which you bring into your world:
Twisted Metal
You are tired of things as they are but haven't found which way to go; some call you mentally ill and others call you sick, but you know that you sense a deeper truth and someday you will find it. You dance. You dream. And you scream because you feel the pains of this world deep inside you.
Metal used for Cars
Get there, go go go, let's make some money baby, let's make some dough. You care about business and you want the money, honey. What's more, you're good at getting it. For you, progress means more human habitat and more human usage of the earth.
Metal Used for Weapons
Get out! You might break dishes in your rage, or you might be a ruthless negotiator who always wins her case -- but the fact is, you need to win and get your way or something else will face destruction. When this energy is turned to good, you make miracles happen. When it's thwarted, things start breaking.
Metal Used for Bridges
You meditate. You do yoga. You pray for other people's well-being and Occupy your living room with peace. You heal. You process. And you get really angry with people who don't, considering yourself to be far superior to all those lowly ignoramuses who don't even know the taste of a good kombucha and yet think they can make laws about your world. You bring people together -- sometimes by thumping their heads together -- and you never give up.
Metal Used to Decorate Hands and Necks
Oooooh, just want to have fun! You can go to Taj Mahal and not notice the beggars. You can go to a resort in Mexico and not notice any slums -- you never leave the resort. You like cruises. You don't understand why others don't attain awareness through sensual massage, the way you do. You're totally into Tantra and take long, relaxing vacations. You like to tell others that you're on a journey of self-awareness and self-exploration. And you are! All the "pamper yourself" ads totally make you salivate with desire to do more for your own best friend -- yourself! And you love to share the company of other folks in that same place, affirming one another's choices to indulge the senses.
Metal Remaining in the Earth
Some days you simply have to be a hermit. Other days you try to save what's left, joining PETA or WWF or Sierra Club or Darkness to Light. You keep connected to the earth and keep connected to helping heal what's broken in yourself and other people, trying to reduce your footprint.
Diggers of ditches, the ones cleaning out the sewers of the world, the social workers, you go deep. Sometimes you have to rest a long time between efforts.

Test Your Mettle! Metal transforms in heat. Metal rusts in water. Which Metal Suits You?

BoggyWoggy said...

What does whining indicate in your life? Well, there are 3 basic whiners; children, teenagers, and adults. Child whiners; you must hope that, very quickly, someone ignores you, or it is quite likely that you will move into the teenage whiner phase. Teenage whiners; you were, quite likely, given plenty of attention, both negative and positive, as a child whiner and you have now mastered the art. However, as a teenage whiner, you fit in all too well and will discover that you do not stand out in a crowd. Over time, your cell phone bills will increase, as you scoop up minutes as a means of increasing the width of your whiner range. It is with great hope that you will actually hear yourself in the background of someone's posted YouTube video and you will recognize the narliness of your voice; nasaly, raspy, ugly. I hate to tell you, but it's too late, Once you have established yourself as a teen whiner, you naturally move into the adult whiner phase. There are positives, however, in this last phase of whining. You may find yourself;
a. staring the lead role in a television reality show (Real World, Wife Swap, etc).
b. you will, likely, marry a wimp who caters to your every need, as you established that type of relationship earlier in life with the partner of your dreams (someone who gives a damn, like your parents did when you were a child whiner).
c. as you move into the latent phases of adulthood, beyond middle age, medical personnel will become more important. You will now be driven to and from multiple appointments to deal with your multiple ailments. The good news here is, as an older whiner, many will be preparing for your demise and may talk with you about your "plans," should you actually choke in your bed while whining. This is good, as these people will help you pre-select your own coffin, will ask you about your final resting place, and may even help you complete your will in the presence of a Notary. What good friends you will have.

speck said...

You can tell so much about a person based on his or her cat companion(s):

The caretaker of a tabby cat companion is down-to-earth, rhythmic yet asymmetrical: loving cookie cutters, jacquard-loomed fabrics, pineapple-sardine pizza, Hebrew and Sanskrit texts, accordions, dulcimers, and hazelnut orchards. This person enjoys quilting by hand and doodles with Flair pens, sitting in a screened porch. Side attributes may include niceness, Midwestern twang, or piles of books on all horizontal surfaces.

The caretaker of a long-haired cat companion prefers Beauty over Respiration. Amazingly birdlike, this person loves to sing in reedy timbres, line his or her nest with soft fibres, eat grubs and beetles. Personality: exceedingly servile and sycophantish, as befitting a lowly courtier. Costume is selected to match the cat companion (and reduce laundry trips). Side attributes include photographic skills, baby-talk, and red eyes.

The caretaker of a black cat companion laughs in the face of witch-hunters, walks under ladders, breaks mirrors, steps on sidewalk cracks, and clasts icons. This person loves to challenge destiny and reap the benefits of windy fate-casting. Side attributes may include crumbled cookies, flush-busting, and acidic grapes.

The caretaker of a feral cat companion is a faithful, low-maintenance friend who never imposes, cares nothing about appearances, provides food and shelter in a blizzard. Side attributes: will cut off your balls for your own good.

The caretaker of an Asian cat companion enjoys meaningless conversations, comparative effects of catnip and cannabis, comedy, crunched-up foil balls, carnivorous diet, constant comment tea, tom kha gai, and cargo pants. Side attributes may include uncontrollable laughter and eating a whole bag of potato chips.

Caretakers of multiple cat companions:
2-3 feline companions: generally displays a well-balanced olio, goulash, hash, stew of characteristics, blending the attributes of various feline caretaker traits. Loves doing crossword puzzles.

4-7 feline companions: borderline personality disorder ranging to dissociative schizophrenia, or a really swell person. Please refer to DSM-IV-TR

8 or more feline companions: this person is leader of the pride, a royalist, relying on females to provide sustenance and on young humans to remove thorns.

The caretaker of a caninecat companion (otherwise known as a dog) is a complete mystery.

Jana Svoboda, LCSW said...

Lovely. lovely.
Speck, how did you know my cat? Eerily accurate.