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Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/StoriesByWillowOnMedium

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<title><![CDATA[Stories by willow on Medium]]></title>
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<title><![CDATA[Thoughts and prayers]]></title>
<link>https://medium.com/the-contemporary-priestess/thoughts-and-prayers-c2e056a0eaa4?source=rss-5b814e5d8ff8------2</link>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://medium.com/p/c2e056a0eaa4</guid>
<category><![CDATA[new-thought]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[prayer]]></category>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[willow]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 08 Dec 2017 01:46:01 GMT</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2017-12-08T01:46:01.127Z</atom:updated>
<cc:license>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/</cc:license>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*pqhPAP5IEQuxsNRhKYLeAQ.jpeg" /><figcaption>Photo credit: <a href="https://pixabay.com/en/sky-asking-god-prayer-open-arms-2667455/">Pixabay/Daniel Reche</a>, cc0 public domain.</figcaption></figure>I was meaning to write this for over a month but my life was a little chaotic due to relocation.Some time ago, there was an Internet meme circulating on Twitter and Facebook:<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/500/1*Sl3yvrv2LtyMdZaAX2qA4g.png" /><figcaption>“I named my cats ‘Thoughts’ and ‘Prayers’ because they’re useless.” (Two orange cats stretched out over a lawn chair, sleeping; a smaller calico cat behind them also sleeping.)</figcaption></figure>The context behind this meme was the speeches given by several Republicans following tragic incidents during this autumn, such as the hurricanes in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Florida, and Texas; and Las Vegas mass shooting. The Republican politicians were criticized for not taking tangible steps to address the problems at hand, while only saying “my thoughts and prayers are with” the victims.As a student of the New Thought teachings, I see prayers and thoughts as cornerstones of all actions. They are certainly not useless exercises, and frankly, I wished I had developed a much more robust prayer and thought practices.In popular religious culture of this country, however, prayer is either a meaningless religious exercise that has more to do with traditions and polite gestures; or else, a way to petition God and even manipulate God into giving them what they want or not giving them what they don’t want.For the former, prayer is nothing more than a ritualistic use of poetry. They don’t mean anything when they recite “Our Father, which art in heaven,” or “Blessed art Thou, Adonai, our God, the King of the universe.”For the latter, God is someone who is separate and remote from human beings, who might arbitrarily reward or punish people. To some, prayer is a sort of “spiritual warfare” to destroy demonic forces. To some, prayer is answered only after arduous fasting and sleepless nights, as if God rewards people for intense religious practices.According to the New Thought teachings, prayer is neither of these. Rather, prayer aligns and reprograms our thoughts so that our thoughts, words, and actions will unite with those of the Divine. In this sense, prayer isn’t petitioning or begging God as if God isn’t omniscient. Instead, it transforms us and guides us to right action.By extension, the transformed mind leads to actions that would express and demonstrate the law of love and justice. It may happen differently to every person. You might be inspired to start a project that would address the root causes of gun violence or extremist ideology. You might be guided to an opportunity that would contribute to hurricane recovery efforts. Each person is a unique and necessary expression of the Divine Plan.All actions stem from right thoughts and right words. Hence a genuine prayer lays a foundation for tangible, constructive actions that will restore and transform the world we live in.<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=c2e056a0eaa4" width="1" height="1"><hr><a href="https://medium.com/the-contemporary-priestess/thoughts-and-prayers-c2e056a0eaa4">Thoughts and prayers</a> was originally published in <a href="https://medium.com/the-contemporary-priestess">The Contemporary Priestess</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.]]></content:encoded>
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<title><![CDATA[Why you don’t need astrology]]></title>
<link>https://medium.com/the-contemporary-priestess/why-you-dont-need-astrology-e325989aca9b?source=rss-5b814e5d8ff8------2</link>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://medium.com/p/e325989aca9b</guid>
<category><![CDATA[woo-woo]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[new-thought]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[astrology]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[new-age]]></category>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[willow]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 08 Dec 2017 00:17:00 GMT</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2017-12-08T00:17:38.110Z</atom:updated>
<cc:license>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/</cc:license>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*FlCDSAL9y9tAS2G8UwQ-4A.jpeg" /><figcaption>Image credit: <a href="https://pixabay.com/en/acient-planet-astronomy-astrology-1841699/">Pixabay/PIRO4D</a>, cc0 public domain.</figcaption></figure>Since my involvement with the women’s spirituality* movement in the 2003, I have seen how astrology plays a quasi-integral part of many non-Christian and non-Jewish spiritual women’s* narratives.Back then I spent over half a year in an <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030524042733/http://www.fullcircletemple.org">all-women* pagan temple</a> and participated in many rituals, workshops, and council meetings. The entire calendar of the temple revolved around moon phases and various astronomical dates. The location of a planet in whatever the constellation was, was just as important to them as the day of the week or day of the month and was recorded in every meeting notes.To this day, astrology occupies a near-canonical status within the women’s* spirituality circles. Lacking a definitive corpus of scriptures or teachings, it often serves as a convenient stand-in for a divine inspiration along with divination.While I believe that every person is entitled to their own unique path to the divine, I do not believe in astrology, nor do I believe it to be necessary for anyone.Too often, astrology is used as an excuse for inaction or for conflicts. One of the most popular such excuse is so-called Mercury Retrograde. The problem is that Mercury Retrogrades occur several times every year. One can attribute anything to a Mercury Retrograde or any astrological phenomenon.Some people seriously believe the idea that the world’s population can easily be classified into 12 astrological signs and make a broad assumption about one’s character or personality. Even before getting to know people, they exclude those folks whose “astrological signs” are “incompatible” with them.Astrology made sense when we the <a href="https://news.vice.com/story/people-from-around-the-globe-met-for-the-first-flat-earth-conference">humans believed that the earth was flat </a>and all stars were neatly aligned on a surface of a celestial dome.Now, science knows that:<ul><li>The earth is only but a small planet rotating around a rather insignificant star on the periphery of the galactic system.</li><li>Starlights we see tonight may be thousands or millions of years old and while the light traveled through the vast universe, those stars may have gone someplace else or even imploded out of existence.</li><li>Movement of stars are actually an optical illusion; it is that our planet is moving.</li><li>Of various stars comprising a constellation, they vary in their distances from the earth. They are not really a connect-the-dots picture on a piece of paper.</li></ul>These are facts that I learned in elementary school and whenever my mom took me to a planetarium at the science museum. As a little kid I was drawn to astrology and the associated folklore. But I also learned about astronomy and astrophysics, thanks to some good books written for kids and to the science museum.Even more troubling to me, beyond its outdated flat-earth understanding of the universe and outright superstition, is how those who give so much power and credence to astrology are actually positioning themselves as a helpless subject of some invisible and impersonal cosmic forces. Somehow, to these women (mostly women as far as I know; not very many men) think that their lives are controlled by perceived “motions” of stars in the sky or where these stars were seen when they were born (natal chart).<blockquote>“You don’t need to look to the stars for your answers, ’cause you can look to the very One who made those stars” — Carman Licciardello, in his song “God in America”</blockquote>While the New Thought movement does not articulate any strong position on astrology (and many New Thought centers or churches often permit astrologers to speak or hold an event, as they feel that every path to the Divine is equally valid), the <a href="http://www.greatlakesunity.com/sites/greatlakesunity.com/files/YFM%20Doc/Unity%20Basics.pdf">basic principles of the New Thought teachings</a> make a reliance on astrology a rather unnecessary distraction. When we are one with, and not separated from, the one who created the universe, the power and freedom reside in each of us. Though the stars and planets are expressions of the divine idea and divine order (one thing I credit the astrologers throughout history is that they left an impressive record of their observations, which led to a development of science called astronomy), they do not hold power over us. Hence astrology should be considered as a relic of a bygone time when people also believed that a <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/science/2017/08/15/top-five-worst-superstitions-about-solar-eclipses.html">solar eclipse</a> brought about plagues or natural disasters.Note: * These are somewhat of a dated language by today’s standard, but I’m using them as a historical reference and for the sake of brevity. I do not imply the exclusion of femme and nonbinary folks who may not necessarily view themselves as “women.”This is the author’s own opinion only and does not represent views of any organizations with which the author is affiliated.<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=e325989aca9b" width="1" height="1"><hr><a href="https://medium.com/the-contemporary-priestess/why-you-dont-need-astrology-e325989aca9b">Why you don’t need astrology</a> was originally published in <a href="https://medium.com/the-contemporary-priestess">The Contemporary Priestess</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.]]></content:encoded>
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<title><![CDATA[Beyond gun control: breaking society’s addiction to violence]]></title>
<link>https://medium.com/radically-centrist-visions/beyond-gun-control-breaking-societys-addiction-to-violence-6d2cdbd06b0f?source=rss-5b814e5d8ff8------2</link>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://medium.com/p/6d2cdbd06b0f</guid>
<category><![CDATA[guns]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[police]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[police-state]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[gun-violence]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[violence]]></category>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[willow]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 18 Nov 2017 10:46:06 GMT</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2017-11-18T10:46:06.000Z</atom:updated>
<cc:license>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/</cc:license>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*S-fOzSioWnVH-zwqy_mrOA.jpeg" /><figcaption>Photo credit: <a href="https://pixabay.com/en/toy-soldier-plastic-action-war-1551382/">Pixabay/44330</a>, cc0 public domain.</figcaption></figure>The recent events in the United States have once again rekindled the infinite loop of gun control debates.On one side, the gun advocates assert that the Second Amendment guarantees every American citizen’s inalienable rights to self-defense and that “good men with a gun” are the guarantors of safety and freedom in America.On the other hand, the proponents for a stricter gun control, encompassing the majority of the Democratic Party and most of the leftists and progressives, believe that the Second Amendment is an antiquated and outdated piece of the U.S. Constitution no longer relevant for today because America now has a standing military for national defense and police forces for public safety.The leftists, however, miss the entire point.Every time when the mainstream news outlets create a sensationalized, days-long media spectacle of yet another gun-related tragedy, I hear Democrats and other leftists once again calling for gun control, oh so very predictably.But these same people are calling the police on petty thieves, the mentally ill individuals, and the homeless. Instead of working out conflicts and have some compassion toward those who are different from them, they grab their phone, dial 9–1–1, and retreat into their bubble, thinking that they are not responsible for becoming part of the solution to the systemic issues of why there are thieves, the mentally ill, and the homeless in the first place. They often abuse and misuse 9–1–1 and taxpayer-funded resources on what is essentially a non-emergency matter, just because certain people make them “feel” uncomfortable or unsafe.They have no moral superiority over the gun-toting self-defense advocates, since they too believe that violence solves the social ills, and they’re just asking someone else with a gun to do that dirty job.Every week, I look through the “police blotter” section of local newspapers. Very few of the incidents listed are genuine emergencies in which human life or health is in imminent jeopardy. Instead, it is full of someone calling the police to report someone who is acting erratically, or someone who shoplifted something under $10 from a retail store. For a measly loss of $10 to a retailer, the taxpayers are forced to pay hundreds and maybe thousands of dollars in the cost of police response, arrest and jail booking, incarceration, court costs, and public defenders. And the petty thief’s life is ruined (and most likely, his or her children or spouse if any). Even if such a case results in community service or probation, the punishment is already meted out by the virtue of being incarcerated pending arraignment and subsequent court dates (notwithstanding the time-honored legal theory of innocence until proven guilty).The police is the state-sponsored form of violence and asking for it to respond to petty, non-violent offense with a very limited economic damage to anyone is just as immoral as firing one’s own handgun at that thief.The only difference is whether they are delegating violence to the state-sponsored terrorists, or taking it into their own hands.I have been raped while I was homeless. I have had my bicycles and other belongings being stolen many times. I have even had a hacker steal a few hundred dollars out of my bank account (this was primarily because of my own carelessness). But I have never reported the incidents to the police, nor would I have cooperated with the law enforcement under any condition. I morally object to the idea that some flag-worshiping men with a gun, who have been professionally trained to murder and maim human beings in the name of “law and order,” can somehow restore peace or social well-being.A principled rejection of violence means a total rejection of violence and aggression as means to achieve social/political objectives or to resolve conflicts — whether that is done on my own or by proxy.Unless we are talking about genuinely violent crimes with actual victims, the police and the so-called criminal justice system of America almost always inflict disproportionately severe punishments on offenders, far well beyond the actual damage or the severity of crimes. The majority of these so-called criminals are disproportionately black or Latino, or else, low-income or homeless. This isn’t really about justice or reparation. The police is never legally responsible for restoring what’s been stolen from you, nor is there to represent your interests — they are only there to represent the interest of the state, which seems to believe that “justice” is magically served when these so-called criminals are thrown into prison (and remember, you are not the victim as far as the state is concerned; every criminal docket is titled State v. ____.)A call for gun control is only one piece of the puzzle. The other important piece is to break society’s addictive dependence on the systemic state-sponsored violence. Just like someone saying that he isn’t hunting animals but he buys steaks from a supermarket doesn’t mean he isn’t killing an animal, every time one buys into a falsehood that the local police department is there to “protect and serve” and rely on them to solve conflicts that arise in the community, one is still addicted to the great American cult of firearms.Too much of the pro-gun control arguments are based on the idea that borders on the toxic adulation of the police.However, the true eradication of violence can only occur if society rejects all forms of violence.<ul><li><a href="https://www.instapaper.com/read/982438420">Abolish the police? Organizers say it’s less crazy than it sounds.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instapaper.com/read/981948614">Abolish the police. Let’s have full social, economic, and political equality.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instapaper.com/read/982439342">What does police abolition mean?</a></li></ul><img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=6d2cdbd06b0f" width="1" height="1"><hr><a href="https://medium.com/radically-centrist-visions/beyond-gun-control-breaking-societys-addiction-to-violence-6d2cdbd06b0f">Beyond gun control: breaking society’s addiction to violence</a> was originally published in <a href="https://medium.com/radically-centrist-visions">Radically Centrist Visions</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.]]></content:encoded>
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<title><![CDATA[From the FP Gallery curator: My visions]]></title>
<link>https://medium.com/floy-preslar-gallery/from-the-fp-gallery-curator-my-visions-be81a7e42482?source=rss-5b814e5d8ff8------2</link>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://medium.com/p/be81a7e42482</guid>
<category><![CDATA[columbia-county-oregon]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[art]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[art-gallery]]></category>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[willow]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Nov 2017 20:21:07 GMT</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2017-11-16T20:21:07.175Z</atom:updated>
<cc:license>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/</cc:license>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*73aVsi0ilZu4McmoTROrFA.jpeg" /><figcaption>Photo credit: Pixabay, cc0 public domain.</figcaption></figure>Since time immemorial, arts have shaped the way humans perceive the world and form their thoughts. As such, <a href="http://culturalpolitics.net/social_movements/art">art and social movement are inextricably linked</a> — and the repressive regimes have always tried to control and censor the arts. At the same time, the declines of human culture and civilization are often presaged by the decline and corruption of arts. Therefore, a development of arts plays a critical role in fostering a coherent and thriving society.A strong sense of community and a strong sense of place come from vibrant culture that is distinct and unique.Occupying a sort of “flyover” space between the Greater Portland Metro and the Oregon Coast, Columbia County has long lacked its own economic, cultural, and social identity. With loosely a half of its population commuting daily to Portland or Hillsboro from the south county and to Kelso and Longview from the north county, it is often seen as a forgotten exurbs belonging neither to Portland nor to Kelso/Longview. Once a strong and reliable Democratic Party stronghold, this county voted overwhelming for President Donald J. Trump — sharing the same kind of frustration with Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. It is simultaneously dependent on the “progressive” Portland area and at the same time resists being assimilated into Portlandia.Columbia County deserves its place of honor as a distinct place.Emerging artists and crafters face their first barrier to greatness: the lack of exposure and the lack of venues for expression.Anyone can make art as a hobby, as a mere self-expression, or as some kind of “healing activity.” But one is not an artist until and unless their art finds its willing audience. Anyone can play with the tools of art, but I repudiate the all-too-popular yet ridiculous notion that “there is no wrong way to do art.” It takes a discipline, continuous learning, and cultivation of one’s senses and skills to become a successful artist. It is not all fun, it is not all pleasures, it is not anything full of warmfuzzies and woo-woos.The <a href="http://gallery.creativeliberation.space">Floy Preslar Gallery</a> is being established in order to create a vehicle for emerging artists to find their audience, to learn the business of art, to improve their artistic techniques, and to develop their potentials as a working artist or crafter.By extension, the vision of this gallery is to contribute to a development of a vibrant art and cultural scene in Columbia County and to boost local economy and entrepreneurship.<a href="https://keybase.io/willowthefairy">Willow</a>Curator, <a href="http://gallery.creativeliberation.space">Floy Preslar Gallery</a>; Director, <a href="http://creativeliberation.space">Creative Liberation Lab</a>; President, <a href="http://limeadestandworks.com">Limeadestand Works</a>.<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=be81a7e42482" width="1" height="1"><hr><a href="https://medium.com/floy-preslar-gallery/from-the-fp-gallery-curator-my-visions-be81a7e42482">From the FP Gallery curator: My visions</a> was originally published in <a href="https://medium.com/floy-preslar-gallery">Floy Preslar Gallery</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.]]></content:encoded>
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<title><![CDATA[In theory, yes, bi women are queer.]]></title>
<link>https://medium.com/@salixlucida/in-theory-yes-bi-women-are-queer-dd77e3bf73?source=rss-5b814e5d8ff8------2</link>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://medium.com/p/dd77e3bf73</guid>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[willow]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 11 Nov 2017 01:05:34 GMT</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2017-11-11T01:05:34.996Z</atom:updated>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[In theory, yes, bi women are queer. But in reality, they are invisible because they blend in and “pass” as heterosexuals. Aside from occasional Bi Pride and other visibility events, very few bisexual women that I have personally come to know transgress mainstream gender norms. And those who do, especially among the younger generation, tend to identify as pansexual (in no small part because they reject the perceived binary-ism in the word “bisexuality”) — many of them also identify as nonbinary.<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=dd77e3bf73" width="1" height="1">]]></content:encoded>
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<title><![CDATA[In defense of non-binary]]></title>
<link>https://medium.com/the-contemporary-priestess/in-defense-of-non-binary-ce2ace098f10?source=rss-5b814e5d8ff8------2</link>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://medium.com/p/ce2ace098f10</guid>
<category><![CDATA[nonbinary]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[queer]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[queer-femmes]]></category>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[willow]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 28 Oct 2017 00:11:15 GMT</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2017-10-28T18:33:22.451Z</atom:updated>
<cc:license>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/</cc:license>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*G4mUgRiDM542zRcLgtRwxQ.jpeg" /><figcaption>Photo credit: <a href="https://pixabay.com/en/portrait-woman-face-hair-movement-2690484/">pixabay/kellepics</a>, cc0 public domain.</figcaption></figure>Every five years or so, I go through a sort of an abrupt personality shift that involves a major change in my own values and beliefs. Even though none of these shifts were intentional, it’s quite uncanny that it happens without fail in the interval of five years: 2012, 2007, 2002, 1997, and 1992 were years of significant internal changes for me as well.These changes occur almost always because of a big disillusionment with causes or belief systems that I once wholeheartedly followed, followed by a period of introspection and soul-searching.In 2012, I was deeply dissatisfied with the absurdity of the radical leftist activist community, after years of my involvement in progressive and radical community organizing culminating in the Occupy movement. This event prompted me to explore a more diverse range of political ideas, and indeed, I learned a great deal from classical liberalism as well as from paleo-conservatism. Ultimately, I had come to adopt a more centrist view as exemplified by the <a href="http://solidarity-party.org">American Solidarity Party</a> and other similar groups around the world.Also in 2012, I had what I called a “peak trans” experience. This was a time of major disillusionment with the radical queer factions within the local activist scene, which seemed to be obsessed with identity politics, oppression Olympics, and language policing — at the expense of everything else. I was frustrated by how they seemed to pigeon-hole people into a sexuality silo and how silly their obsessions with pronouns at every meeting appeared to activists who were happy to collaborate with them but were put off by this bizarre gesture. The last straw for me was when they took over a general assembly one night defending a <a href="https://lolcow.wiki/wiki/Isabel_Rosa_Araujo">self-identified “trans woman”</a> who assaulted a community volunteer with a weapon earlier that week. I felt that I was going nowhere as long as I was even remotely associated with this group of radical queer activists who were part of both the Queers For Liberation and the Radical Caucus (whose memberships largely overlapped).Because of the above two developments, I severed almost all ties with the LGBTQ community from 2012 until this year. Over time, I found myself largely in agreement with the <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2015/12/gender_critical_trans_women_the_apostates_of_the_trans_rights_movement.html">“gender-critical” activists</a> and certain factions of feminists who believed that those who were obsessed with 52 new gender pronouns were “special snowflakes” (I did not know that this term was <a href="http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pol-alt-right-terminology-20161115-story.html">invented by the alt-right</a>) who were actually “men’s rights activists” who promote rape culture. As an activist and community organizer, I sought to distance myself from the radical leftists and build a rapport with the majority of the 99 percent. Therefore, I sought to assimilate into the white, middle-class, university-educated, heteronormative cultural milieu in order to be taken seriously and get some tangible achievements in public policy issues.Until very recently, I opposed social and <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/oregon-court-rules-that-nonbinary-is-a-legal-gender">legal recognitions of non-binary gender identity</a>, as I thought (out of ignorance) such a move would enable men to easily impersonate females at will, and would create chaos in workplaces, schools, and communities. I had never personally met a non-binary person, and my wrong impressions of them was those who switch genders every day on a whim, or butch lesbians who had internalized so much of social stigma and misogyny that they felt it would be cooler to call themselves non-binary instead of lesbians. I also felt that this emergence of the non-binary was a logical extension of <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Transtrender">“trans trending,”</a> which trivializes the serious psychological and social challenges faced by those who are legitimately diagnosed with transsexualism (DSM-III)/gender identity disorder (DSM-IV)/gender dysphoria (DSM-5) under the more stringent “gatekeeping” criteria that once existed in the past.For too long, I was so hell bent on being “taken seriously” by the mainstream society that I had put my own well-being and my own rights on the chopping block. I sold myself out to “mainstream” folks with whom I had little in common and could not relate to, often for societal or economic benefits. I tried hard to assimilate — too hard trying — and kept silence even when I heard obvious hate speeches against non-binary, gender non-conforming, and trans folks.I even supported and marketed a festival that appealed to the <a href="http://www.decolonizingyoga.com/white-lady-sisterhood-needs-evolve/">heterosexual white lady woo-woo sisterhood</a> and was hostile toward non-binary and trans people (albeit such hostility was thinly veiled and was largely a product of ignorance — the very same ignorance and lack of critical thinking I shared at the time).To this day I feel disgusted with and ashamed of myself and I feel very dirty for doing so, even though it has been nearly two months since that event took place — especially since that event was initially my idea.About a month ago, I decided to abandon the long-standing pretence and re-engage with the queer community — the community that has changed quite a bit since the last time I was active in it. I found that “they” was a far more widely used pronoun today than I thought. None of the non-binary people that I met thus far fit into the bizarre stereotypes that perpetuate the media. In fact, very few of them are visibly non-binary if you come with a preconceived stereotypical idea about what they might look. Furthermore, I did not know that <a href="https://www.dailyxtra.com/why-this-collective-is-focused-on-young-non-binary-femme-artists-71560">queer non-binary femmes exist</a> — and they do exist in a much larger number than I even would anticipate (the stereotype of a non-binary person in the popular media usually is either a short tomboy or a bearded man in a dress).Years ago (during the 2007–2012 phase), I was involved with a couple of local femme groups but at the time I was rather confused about the 21st century definition of that word femme. But the queer femme subculture was something I truly felt at home then. So I came to a realization that I was painfully missing that community for years. Only a few months ago, I was trying hard to extirpate femininity and embrace what I imagined as androgyny. This came as a response to an increasing discomfort and disgust I was developing toward the white lady woo-woo sisterhood and <a href="https://medium.com/the-contemporary-priestess/divine-feminine-is-sexist-e88e70d9a8b2">its wholesale elevation of sexist stereotypes as the “divine feminine.”</a> I did not yet understand the whole idea (and possibility) that one can exist entirely outside of the heterosexist, binary construct and claim one’s own femme-ness as something beyond the patriarchal notion of femininity.Last week, I went to a femme party. I initially decided to do so out of curiosity and to check off my “bucket list,” without thinking too much of what that might be. Usually at a party like this, I’m the wall flower, awkward and quickly bored. Not at this one. I was having fun, I did not realize it was already 3:30 in the morning. And more importantly, I was being myself. No efforts to fit in. No torturous small talks. I felt safe. I was never creeped out by anyone. Over a half of the party considered themselves queer, non-binary, and femme.Then I saw an article a few days later in the <a href="https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/10/christian-rights-new-strategy-divide-conquer-lgbt-community/">LGBTQ Nation</a> that confirmed what I had been suspecting all along for at least a year but was not able to articulate it. The Christian right (and most likely, alt-right as well) is co-opting the language of second-wave feminism to divide and conquer the LGBTQ political solidarity so as to undermine the past two decades of progress and to weaken the LGBTQ resistance to the Trump/religious right/alt-right agenda. With their loss in the marriage front, they are making the “bathroom war” the new wedge issue to attack politicians and raise funds for their own far-right candidates. Petitions such as “Remove the T from LGBT” often circulated under a name of a self-styled feminist, a feminist organization, or even a gay rights activist. Then they boast a “strange bedfellows” coalition between progressive feminists and conservative Christians to create an optic that this is a mainstream, bipartisan movement. In the mean time, every time I look around, there’s a new blogger or two who claim to be a detransitioner or a parent of a detransitioned youth, all trying to use their personal and anecdotal stories to help dismantle the Obama legacy of trans and non-binary human rights (Who else are working hard to get rid of anything with Obama’s name on it? Donald Trump! Mike Pence! Steve Bannon!). Most of these so-called detransitioners are actually desisters. There’s nothing wrong about the majority of people who start out on transitioning to desist: that’s how it was actually supposed to work, according to the WPATH Standards of Care (or, at least, it was how it used to be when WPATH was still called HBIGDA back in the 1990s; I am not really familiar with the latest version). All this is happening, often with the unwitting support from real feminists and LGB activists, despite the fact that the far-right agenda ultimately seek to outlaw homosexuality and to promote a “traditional family value” that would crack down on any non-conformity to heteronormative and sexist gender norms (which, most lesbians and gays violate to some extent). Until recently, I bought into this hook, line, and sinker — and honestly believed that I was standing up for women’s rights.The more I think of this, the more absurd it gets.Even if I could understand certain factions of feminists being hostile to transgender and transsexual people (and much of criticism by Janice Raymond on what she calls the sex-change industry is quite correct), it makes no sense for them to be hostile to non-binary people. After all, the ultimate aim of radical feminism is a total abolition of gender. The vision of feminism in the 1970s is therefore now an emerging reality as more and more young people defect from binary and mutually exclusive gender silos.And today’s queer femmes are not trying to emulate the heteronormative butch-femme model. “Femmes 4 femmes” are quite common. As I heard from a non-binary femme person, being a non-binary femme is not about abandoning or devaluing femininity, but rather about not being constrained by femininity. In doing so, they liberate femininity from the narrow definitions imposed by the patriarchal cultural norms. In other words, in this context, femininity does not exist in service to masculinity, nor does it exist in the shadow of the masculine. It is a true liberation of femininity on its own merit.In the past month or so, I also have come to a conclusion that I was non-binary even before such a word existed in the common parlance. I have always existed outside the binary, and because of neurodiversity, abnormal physical development, and resulting sex dysmorphia, I wasn’t even capable of fitting in, however badly I wanted to. In my early childhood I could not easily be pigeon-holed because at every turn I defied the binary norms — thankfully, my mother was a firebrand feminist and radical communist.It is unfortunate when I had bought into a toxic ideology at a time when I was feeling at a loss. But there is no excuse for this and for spending last five years of my life acting as a useful idiot. This isn’t a proud moment for me.<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=ce2ace098f10" width="1" height="1"><hr><a href="https://medium.com/the-contemporary-priestess/in-defense-of-non-binary-ce2ace098f10">In defense of non-binary</a> was originally published in <a href="https://medium.com/the-contemporary-priestess">The Contemporary Priestess</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.]]></content:encoded>
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<title><![CDATA[I detest online marketing.]]></title>
<link>https://medium.com/limeadestandworks/i-detest-online-marketing-106b3b5d2300?source=rss-5b814e5d8ff8------2</link>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://medium.com/p/106b3b5d2300</guid>
<category><![CDATA[fleb]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[business-ethics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[online-marketing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[willow]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 21 Oct 2017 22:00:02 GMT</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2017-10-21T22:00:40.422Z</atom:updated>
<cc:license>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/</cc:license>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*_tB9X3vMcxxHAZ5eTJlbZg.jpeg" /></figure>If you’re like me, I’m sure you are bombarded with advertisements on your social media (particularly Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter) that purport to offer “free” downloads, webinars, and so on, promising some “secrets” for business success. A few even use the tired cliche of a “six-figure income.”Like you, I see these all the time and feel very much of an information overload.There are too many noises, but very little substance.The majority of so-called “webinars” are pre-recorded and replayed at scheduled time (often several times a day) but they make you feel like it’s happening soon and it’s once in a lifetime opportunity. Once you get onto this “webinar,” if there’s anything, community managers (often unpaid interns or poorly compensated contractors) are taking questions in the chat area. They throw out two or three “secrets” that only provide hints but not answers — then, voilà, after having sat through 45 to 60 minutes of your precious time, you’re invited to listen to a classic snake oil sales pitch.We’ve been there before. Around the turn of the century, when network marketing was still the hottest thing (who actually buys from them nowadays, when you can find almost anything on Amazon for cheap?), many MLM companies used to have a “sizzle line” that offered conference calls. Like then, their maxim is: “sell the sizzle, not the steak.”To be fair, a number of these people are genuinely helpful and provide some great resources. But most of them aren’t. And most importantly, many of these online marketers follow <a href="http://www.kellydiels.com/mental-triggers-online-marketing-female-lifestyle-empowerment-brand-about-page/">Jeff Walker (and his disciples such as Lisa Sasevich)</a> and his high-pressure marketing method that capitalizes on <a href="https://medium.com/limeadestandworks/dont-market-like-cult-recruitment-f3053015dc0">psychological manipulation and cult-like authoritarianism</a>. Indeed, many of these online marketers cross-promote using joint ventures and mailing list sharing.If you’re looking for genuinely useful learning materials, stay away from them. Instead, go read reputable blogs from <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com">Entrepreneur</a> and other respected publications. They aren’t there to sell you some overpriced programs, and they are not there to use their blogs as a sales funnel. Follow a few opinion leaders on Twitter (preferably, those who are published authors or well-known YouTubers in the field) and check out any resources they might recommend. And if you’re not a reading person, there are some great podcasts, as well.“Webinars” are generally a waste of time and consumes a big chunk of your waking hours.If you’re an entrepreneur who are trying to emulate this approach, don’t. Well-written and genuinely helpful blog articles are far more effective in promoting yourself (<a href="https://medium.com/limeadestandworks/heres-all-what-you-need-to-know-how-to-put-your-websites-on-search-engines-797b7c58d908">great for SEO</a> as well), and is also a lot less expensive than producing video streaming.Also, especially if your focus is local, consider networking on sites such as <a href="https://townsquared.com/">Townsquared</a> and <a href="https://www.alignable.com/">Alignable</a> instead — in addition to building a local word-of-mouth network. It is far more cost effective than <a href="https://medium.com/limeadestandworks/social-media-advertisement-and-its-effectiveness-overrated-4b66ac76e2e">relying on Facebook advertising (Google AdWords performs far better)</a>.More importantly, the online-based <a href="https://medium.com/limeadestandworks/perils-of-female-empowerment-lifestyle-brand-marketing-7a1dcb7a1976">lifestyle business brands</a> (including personal coaches) have become a fluff industry that has proliferated too much in recent years. Lacking a strong ethical standard and industry-wide best practice, this industry is inevitably headed to a collapse — either because of another major recession, or because of a major scandal by a small number of bad actors. It’s important to know that they are not really selling anything of substance, and aside from anecdotal success stories and testimonials, there are little metrics to ascertain whether they are delivering what they promise. If you’re interested in getting into this business, think well before you throw away thousands of dollars in online “coaching” sessions or retreat programs. You might not have that much of a future.<h3>Genuinely free, helpful resources from me</h3><h3>Get your daily fix!</h3>Subscribe to the <a href="https://paper.li/limeadestand/1466092384">Creative Liberation Lab’s Daily Fix newsletter</a> to stay on top of the new and best practices in brand communication, public relations, content creations, entrepreneurship. (This is automatically aggregated and distributed daily by email. This is separate from our newsletter list.)<h3>What Willow is reading</h3>This public bookmark list is Willow’s curated collection of awesome and very useful learning materials for aspiring and growing micro-entrepreneurs. This is updated regularly, so please check back often!<ul><li><a href="http://raindrop.io/collection/2272685">What Willow is reading</a></li></ul><img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=106b3b5d2300" width="1" height="1"><hr><a href="https://medium.com/limeadestandworks/i-detest-online-marketing-106b3b5d2300">I detest online marketing.</a> was originally published in <a href="https://medium.com/limeadestandworks">Limeadestand Works & Creative Liberation Lab: the official blog</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.]]></content:encoded>
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<title><![CDATA[Who started it? Chindon-ya vs. Murga]]></title>
<link>https://medium.com/knowyourplanetearth/who-started-it-chindon-ya-vs-murga-d632e744f515?source=rss-5b814e5d8ff8------2</link>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://medium.com/p/d632e744f515</guid>
<category><![CDATA[japan]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[uruguay]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[argentina]]></category>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[willow]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 19 Oct 2017 06:30:18 GMT</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2017-10-30T19:39:16.704Z</atom:updated>
<cc:license>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/</cc:license>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*0-cq-3eC_C2QZup3Nr-z9Q.jpeg" /><figcaption>La Boca, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires. Photo credit: <a href="https://pixabay.com/en/la-boca-argentina-buenos-aires-la-2673956/">Pixabay/Janeanne Craigie</a>, cc0 public domain.</figcaption></figure>In this series, I highlight two cultural phenomena from two very different parts of the world, but bear an uncanny similarity between them.<h3><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chindon%27ya">Chindon-ya</a> (Japan)</h3><iframe src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2F1VqR4IOOb2E%3Ffeature%3Doembed&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D1VqR4IOOb2E&image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2F1VqR4IOOb2E%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"><a href="https://medium.com/media/c55a156eabe866e7dc8b0798484e37e1/href">https://medium.com/media/c55a156eabe866e7dc8b0798484e37e1/href</a></iframe><iframe src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FlZ7nb7-jU3c%3Ffeature%3Doembed&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DlZ7nb7-jU3c&image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FlZ7nb7-jU3c%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"><a href="https://medium.com/media/5864e366fa9b618e11c881040dc37495/href">https://medium.com/media/5864e366fa9b618e11c881040dc37495/href</a></iframe><h3><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murga">Murga</a> (Argentina/Uruguay)</h3><iframe src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FCYZVwVG0i5k%3Ffeature%3Doembed&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DCYZVwVG0i5k&image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FCYZVwVG0i5k%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"><a href="https://medium.com/media/90c06b608e02baca84f7cec0f48bab8d/href">https://medium.com/media/90c06b608e02baca84f7cec0f48bab8d/href</a></iframe><iframe src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FTS7UPQIc6Ok%3Ffeature%3Doembed&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DTS7UPQIc6Ok&image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FTS7UPQIc6Ok%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"><a href="https://medium.com/media/1c8e55be64b8a87df77c3fb9cf5c7d6f/href">https://medium.com/media/1c8e55be64b8a87df77c3fb9cf5c7d6f/href</a></iframe><h3>Similarities:</h3><ul><li>Both murga and chindon-ya perform on streets.</li><li>Musical instruments are similar, especially the drum-cymbal combinations.</li><li>They both have colorful and flamboyant costumes.</li><li>The rhythm is very similar.</li></ul><h3>Differences:</h3><ul><li>Murga is usually performed during the Carnival season, though they may also make an appearance during other events such as political protests and soccer games.</li><li>Chindon’ya is usually performed as a form of walking advertisement, announcing an opening of a new business or an event.</li></ul><iframe src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2F9421YSS6-NY%3Ffeature%3Doembed&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D9421YSS6-NY&image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2F9421YSS6-NY%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"><a href="https://medium.com/media/e1060183d3a42e0dba280abd32653eea/href">https://medium.com/media/e1060183d3a42e0dba280abd32653eea/href</a></iframe><iframe src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FP54_vYiSU6s%3Ffeature%3Doembed&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DP54_vYiSU6s&image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FP54_vYiSU6s%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"><a href="https://medium.com/media/90b40efde2a13631d95d62acba3d057c/href">https://medium.com/media/90b40efde2a13631d95d62acba3d057c/href</a></iframe><img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=d632e744f515" width="1" height="1"><hr><a href="https://medium.com/knowyourplanetearth/who-started-it-chindon-ya-vs-murga-d632e744f515">Who started it? Chindon-ya vs. Murga</a> was originally published in <a href="https://medium.com/knowyourplanetearth">Know Your Planet Earth!</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.]]></content:encoded>
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<title><![CDATA[Altruism: the missing link in today’s self-centered spirituality]]></title>
<link>https://medium.com/the-contemporary-priestess/altruism-the-missing-link-in-todays-self-centered-spirituality-4e6750648c0a?source=rss-5b814e5d8ff8------2</link>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://medium.com/p/4e6750648c0a</guid>
<category><![CDATA[affirmative-prayer]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[prayer]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[new-thought]]></category>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[willow]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 17 Oct 2017 04:54:42 GMT</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2017-10-17T04:56:35.896Z</atom:updated>
<cc:license>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/</cc:license>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*FZ-m8B183s4IlyjZpCV3Tw.jpeg" /></figure>I get it. I have been there many times.Desperate times when an hour feels forever, a short sleep is suddenly interrupted by a nightmare — or else, a dream that everything is okay, only to wake up and find yourself back at the waking nightmare instead.Sociologists have long established that there are three things that draw people to religion or spirituality: poverty, illness, and strife. Although the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs position “self-realization” at the top of his pyramid, for many people, faith is a matter of survival.We want prayers at the darkest of times. There are churches and chapels that offer prayer ministers. There are various <a href="http://www.silentunity.org">phone lines</a> and <a href="http://www.csl.org/make-a-prayer-request">online services</a> that do the same. We feel a little better when someone prays for our needs.But too often, things don’t go the way we wish.While spiritual teachers and faith leaders exhort us to pray for ourselves as well, it always feels very difficult, especially when we are stressed out or in crisis.Something always distracts us from going deeper into prayer.The solution is to get out of this, get out of your own problems, as big and serious as they may be, and try praying for others.According to the New Thought teachings, prayer is not about petitioning (thus, I normally do not use the word “prayer,” as it actually is a misnomer), nor is it about trying to “manifest” something. What it is, however, is simply to get out of Goddess’ way by unifying our minds with the ultimate reality. To accomplish this, it doesn’t have to be focused on your problems — or for that matter, anyone else’s — but when you practice this sort of “prayer,” you become a conduit for the divine reality that expresses itself in this physical world.Therefore, establishing a daily practice of <a href="http://www.alexmarcoux.com/blog/entry/what-is-affirmative-prayer">affirmative prayer/mind-spiritual treatment</a> on behalf of others and/or of the world around us is very important and beneficial not just to them but to yourself. In this sense, it is just like the metaphysical principle of giving: contrary to popular ego-centric thinking, you do not “fill your own bowl first” before you give; rather, your so-called “bowl” is actually more like a pipe or an electrical cable: until you create an outbound flow, you will remain a vacuum and nothing will come into your life. This is why the <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/nrsa/luke/6-38.html">New Testament</a> teaches, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqaOEVx7y9I">“give, and it will come back to you.”</a>On a more practical level, praying/offering a treatment for others accomplishes what you seek faster and easier precisely because of the emotional and mental distance you have between yourself and the others. Unlike focusing on your own issues, you don’t have the emotional interference and less distracted by your own fear or anxiety.Altruism is a rather underappreciated value today, even among those who purport to be “spiritual.” While there is no such thing as pure altruism in human world, traditionally, selfishness was never considered a virtue. <a href="https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/enlightened-self-interest">Alexis de Tocqueville</a> and <a href="https://spectrummagazine.org/article/column/2009/01/23/adam-smith-selfishness-or-self-interest">Adam Smith</a> both spoke of an “enlightened self-interest,” that is, altruism ultimately benefits the self.Several years ago, a Japanese business consultant and former diplomat named Kanda Masanori created a problem-solving method called <a href="http://meaningfulconnections.net/anne-pryor/new-future-mapping-attain-goals-make-others-120-percent-happy/">“Future Mapping.”</a> In this activity, you are instructed to think of one person (someone you know, or even someone entirely fictitious) who are not related to the problem you’re trying to solve, and play a game to create a story about how to make that person happy. This rather counter-intuitive approach has become a major success in conflict resolution, problem solving, and even innovative thinking in all sectors of Japanese society that now even grade-school children are taught to do this. Mr. Kanda bases this practice on two theoretical pillars: the power of storytelling, and the power of altruism.The genius of Future Mapping is exactly the genius of affirmative prayer for others: it helps free your mind from being entangled with the problems you are in, therefore, freeing yourself from a kind of tunnel vision, and more importantly, the sense of desperation and urgency that almost always lead to poor decision-making while blinding us from sometimes even the most obvious solutions out there.So, if you are now experiencing a crisis, or a stressful situation, or a moment of an important decision, and like me, you can’t get yourself to spiritually grounded enough to even have a prayerful frame of mind, stop and take a few minutes to make someone else happy.<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=4e6750648c0a" width="1" height="1"><hr><a href="https://medium.com/the-contemporary-priestess/altruism-the-missing-link-in-todays-self-centered-spirituality-4e6750648c0a">Altruism: the missing link in today’s self-centered spirituality</a> was originally published in <a href="https://medium.com/the-contemporary-priestess">The Contemporary Priestess</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.]]></content:encoded>
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<title><![CDATA[Creative Liberation Lab fall term update]]></title>
<link>https://medium.com/limeadestandworks/creative-liberation-lab-fall-term-update-56799b784253?source=rss-5b814e5d8ff8------2</link>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://medium.com/p/56799b784253</guid>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[willow]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Oct 2017 22:52:52 GMT</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2017-10-13T22:52:52.520Z</atom:updated>
<cc:license>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/</cc:license>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*ddXxS4Eiobczlp9xe_hN4w.jpeg" /><figcaption>Photo credit: <a href="https://pixabay.com/en/bricks-chairs-classroom-empty-2181920/">Pixabay/Pexels</a>, cc0 public domain.</figcaption></figure>Hi folks!Update regarding the fall term of <a href="http://creativeliberation.space">Creative Liberation Lab</a> learning program:We are having some technical issues with delivering the course materials in such a way that we can have multiple pricing options. The LMS that we use only allows one price option per course offered, and the other option is to make duplicate courses. We hope to smooth out this kink as soon as possible, in addition to putting a final touch on the class materials. This, unfortunately, is making it no longer possible to offer the fall term class this month. We have no ETA on this, but one option is to start the term in November and run through just before the start of the holiday season.We will be offering a discount for this term for this inconvenience and confusion.Thanks for sticking together with us!Create and liberate,Creative Liberation Lab<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=56799b784253" width="1" height="1"><hr><a href="https://medium.com/limeadestandworks/creative-liberation-lab-fall-term-update-56799b784253">Creative Liberation Lab fall term update</a> was originally published in <a href="https://medium.com/limeadestandworks">Limeadestand Works & Creative Liberation Lab: the official blog</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.]]></content:encoded>
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