chaos flowers @cindy-wa - Tumblr Blog

I woke up in tears again

I had a dream within a dream where I saw my mom.

Always near the supermarket, this time ỉn the parking lot.

Ran into her while she was done loading groceries in her car.

Went up to her to hug her and tell her how much I missed her.

She just kept telling me, “I’m not here, I’m not here” while embracing me.

I’m looking at her, then suddenly I’m looking up at her. I’m small now, down to her waist, her knees.

Seeing her through my eyes as a child.

#journal #griefsucks #what is grief if not love persevering

thepaganstudygrouppage

Heathen Chinese, is divining via I Ching a closed practice?

The PSG no longer answers asks about cultural appropriation, but we have made an exception for this ask because there are no prior posts that have discussed the Yi Jing at all.

The terminology of “closed” practices implies the existence of “open” practices as a corollary. In my opinion, the only “open” practices are ones that are truly cross-cultural, such as praying and making offerings. Every culturally-specific practice (even if it is reconstructed, re-imagined and/or newly created) requires going through the proper channels, putting in hard work, and getting the buy-in of the Gods and spirits associated with that practice. It’s also important to keep in mind that cultures are not monolithic: just because I worship Guan Di, for instance, doesn’t authorize me to declare Yi Jing to be “open.”

According to Wikipedia’s section on usage of the Yi Jing, the core divinatory text, the Changes of Zhou (周易 Zhōu yì), was first used in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1000–750 BCE) with yarrow stalks, though the exact methodology of obtaining numbers is unknown.The Song Dynasty Neo-Confucian Zhu Xi (1130-1200 CE) reconstructed the method of yarrow stalk divination, and a coin-based method was devised during the Tang Dynasty (618–907CE).

From what I’ve observed, the contemporary divinatory use of Yi Jing in Chinese-speaking communities is not as widespread as interest in New Age and Neopagan circles might suggest. Kau Cim is a much more common form of divination at Chinese temples, for instance.

However, just because the living lineage of Yi Jing divination in Chinese-speaking communities has waned (as far as I know) does not mean that it is an “open” practice. People raised in a particular culture are generally better able to understand the nuances and contexts of the practices that are born within the same culture, religious or not, which means they’re likely more able to use it accurately. Those without a deep grounding in Chinese culture are likely to misunderstand and misinterpret many things. Therefore, if only for the sake of efficacy, if someone doesn’t have that cultural background, other divination methods might be preferable. When it comes to Chinese spirituality, misinterpretation and misuse are extremely common in the practices and texts typically available in Western circles.

- Heathen Chinese

before asking | faq+tags | resource blog

liberatingreality

“Americans no longer talk to each other, they entertain each other. They do not exchange ideas, they exchange images. They do not argue with propositions; they argue with good looks, celebrities, and commercials.”

— Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death

I am bound to no one but myself. My freedom is within my control in the end.

snowlattes

bottled feelings (1/?)

🌸🌻🍁❄️

snowlattes

always a wonder how on tumblr some old posts can get traction again randomly

apoemaday

How Doth the Little Crocodile

by Lewis Carroll

How doth the little crocodile Improve his shining tail, And pour the waters of the Nile On every golden scale! How cheerfully he seems to grin, How neatly spreads his claws, And welcomes little fishes in, With gently smiling jaws!

whimsigothix

Stained glass tulip teapot

Today I realized that not everyone takes the fake-to-authentic pipeline. Some people actually start as authentic and vulnerable and become disingenuine and guarded and fake. That seems like a trauma response, and one I never really considered because I'm often seeking people who are on my similar life path, to become a more authentic self as I become older.

#journal

Energy is weird today. Motivation is high, energy is high, but I still feel a blockage keeping me from moving forward. Is it focus? Physical or spiritual?

I just want to sleep