Chat Thread: Chopsticks and teacups

[TeaDidikai]

Calixti

A friend of mine sent me tea

It was so stuffy in that box! crying

Quote:

and a Little Bag of Happiness for Christmas. Along with a card, a postcard with a photo of the Manchester skyline, and a letter. I actually cried. It's the only gift I got that's sentimental and that shows someone actually knows enough about me to get things I like.

Nice. Aside from Hubby's presents- things I can write on and light on fire, I didn't get anything.

Edit: HUGE CORRECTION:
I got pixils from three awesome people.  

[TeaDidikai]

So, I talked with some of the other guild members.
We've had two honest, seeking people join the guild who want to critically think about their path and develop as individuals.

It's ******** Ragnarok/The Apocalypse ~insert tradition's title here~

It's nice to finally be able to engage people with the spirit this guild is built upon, rather than having people who don't want to be anything but fluffies piss all over this place.

So, you two, it's pretty clear who you are- Rock on!

Should I be building a bunker though?  

[maenad nuri]

from my family (we're going to Nick's next weekend), I got a few clothes, lots of argyle socks (and TIGHTS), the new Great Big Sea album, loads of gift cards (and $350 in checks, which my mother rightly decided we needed more than sundries) but most of all --- I got a copy of my favorite movie.

*happy dances*

Also, I got This woman's cookbook! which is fabulous, hearty meals.

Next weekend is nick's family, who tends to go towards the more practical, but yet, also assorted knickknacks that I end up giving away.  

[TeaDidikai]

I have a special request.
I need people's help.

I'm actually in a very messed up place right now with my life. Most of my support structures have fallen apart.

I want to build a new tool- something that can help me when I don't have other tools available and I'm not alright.

I welcome all wishes for wellness and prayers etc, but it would mean a lot to me if people who care about me posted just a little comment in my profile. Just something I can look at when I'm down. Be it a small story about how we have connected over the years, something I did right by you or even a little emoticon.

I won't be able to ever tell people how much this would mean to me. I can't fathom words ever doing it justice.

I know this is highly uncharacteristic of me and I apologize if it makes folks uncomfortable.

Thank you for your consideration.

~Tea  

[Collowrath]

I'm glad that there is discussion going on in the guild. There was getting to be a point where it was going in circles and not being very helpful for anybody.

As far as Christmas goes - my mommy gave me some money and cooked me dinner. She's trying very hard to mend the damage done to our relationship over the years, and I'm glad about that. My partner agreed to a traditional Slovak Christmas after hearing how disappointed I was that he ditched me Christmas Eve; we're doing the whole shebang in January when the Orthodox celebration rolls around.

My partner gave me some other very meaningful gifts. Star Trek DVD, special edition of the newest film, and four books - Kharis: Hellenic Polytheism Explored, Darkling: A Treatise on Slavic Vampirism, Baba Jaga: Ambiguous Mother and Witch of Russian Folklore, and Slavic Sorcery.

The only one that I'm not sure about, is the one on Slavic Sorcery. It's written by a comparative religions professor with little to no experience in Slavic culture and religion, and it shows - not to mention, it was published by Llewellyn and carries their usual agenda of "X Earth Magic" and soft polytheism. Sometimes it takes a little sifting but overall it's a pretty good book.  

[TeaDidikai]

Collowrath

we're doing the whole shebang in January when the Orthodox celebration rolls around.

That will be awesome.

Quote:

The only one that I'm not sure about, is the one on Slavic Sorcery. It's written by a comparative religions professor with little to no experience in Slavic culture and religion, and it shows - not to mention, it was published by Llewellyn and carries their usual agenda of "X Earth Magic" and soft polytheism. Sometimes it takes a little sifting but overall it's a pretty good book.

This the old Kenneth Johnson book?  

[Collowrath]

TeaDidikai

Quote:

The only one that I'm not sure about, is the one on Slavic Sorcery. It's written by a comparative religions professor with little to no experience in Slavic culture and religion, and it shows - not to mention, it was published by Llewellyn and carries their usual agenda of "X Earth Magic" and soft polytheism. Sometimes it takes a little sifting but overall it's a pretty good book.

This the old Kenneth Johnson book?

That's the one!  

[TeaDidikai]

Collowrath

TeaDidikai

Quote:

The only one that I'm not sure about, is the one on Slavic Sorcery. It's written by a comparative religions professor with little to no experience in Slavic culture and religion, and it shows - not to mention, it was published by Llewellyn and carries their usual agenda of "X Earth Magic" and soft polytheism. Sometimes it takes a little sifting but overall it's a pretty good book.

This the old Kenneth Johnson book?

That's the one!

In his defense, this was before Llewellyn went completely to s**t.

Yes, it isn't a historical doctumentry on ancient Slavic paganism, but at the same time, my recollection was that it wasn't trying to be- but instead was focused on how the historical folklore developed into modern Otherworld practices.

But then, it's been ages since I glanced at it.  

[Collowrath]

TeaDidikai

Collowrath

TeaDidikai

Quote:

The only one that I'm not sure about, is the one on Slavic Sorcery. It's written by a comparative religions professor with little to no experience in Slavic culture and religion, and it shows - not to mention, it was published by Llewellyn and carries their usual agenda of "X Earth Magic" and soft polytheism. Sometimes it takes a little sifting but overall it's a pretty good book.

This the old Kenneth Johnson book?

That's the one!

In his defense, this was before Llewellyn went completely to s**t.

Yes, it isn't a historical doctumentry on ancient Slavic paganism, but at the same time, my recollection was that it wasn't trying to be- but instead was focused on how the historical folklore developed into modern Otherworld practices.

But then, it's been ages since I glanced at it.

You're spot on. smile It's not nearly as bad as I've come to expect from Llewellyn.

My issue was his presentation of the ancient folklore as "descended from ancient universal Goddess traditions," and the occasional interjection about "Earth-based religion" and his insistence on using chakras, "family karma," shamanism etc, because "Eastern terminology has become understood everywhere" when he really means "Western concepts with semi-Eastern names."

This isn't so much a problem as much as it is, when reading the book, it's important to do a little bit of "translation work," to separate the actual Slavic folklore and understandings from the Western neo-pagan lens he's applying. It doesn't help that his primary correspondence was with Russian faith healers that have been infused with similar new-age concepts and terminology as Westerners have - but I'm immensely thankful that he's made the effort to show the native interpretations and terminology in the villages as well (which as I understand, is what he was looking for, and having trouble finding).  

[CuAnnan]

TeaDidikai

I have a special request.
I need people's help.

I'm actually in a very messed up place right now with my life. Most of my support structures have fallen apart.

I want to build a new tool- something that can help me when I don't have other tools available and I'm not alright.

I welcome all wishes for wellness and prayers etc, but it would mean a lot to me if people who care about me posted just a little comment in my profile. Just something I can look at when I'm down. Be it a small story about how we have connected over the years, something I did right by you or even a little emoticon.

I won't be able to ever tell people how much this would mean to me. I can't fathom words ever doing it justice.

I know this is highly uncharacteristic of me and I apologize if it makes folks uncomfortable.

Thank you for your consideration.

~Tea

Your profile is locked.
Can't add things to it.  

[Calixti]

TeaDidikai

Calixti

A friend of mine sent me tea

It was so stuffy in that box! crying

The kind you drink, silly. xD

Besides, I thought you lived in Washington, not York?  

[TeaDidikai]

CuAnnan

Your profile is locked.
Can't add things to it.

Oops. Easy fix.

Also, is there something about the way I look that causes people who don't know me to walk up and start telling me how awesome their uber-Wiccan-Necormancy is?  

[TheDisreputableDog]

I saw Sherlock Holmes today and loved it. I may be biased in its favor since I haven't yet read any of the books that I can recall (I have one sitting on the shelf waiting to be read...), so I didn't have to gauge it against canon. But it was quite fun and clever, and pretty, and a little steampunk, and had a great soundtrack ( heart Hans Zimmer) and plenty of subtext.

And since I've got the Doctor on the brain... every time Watson said "it's all right, I'm a doctor" I whee 'd a little, and Sherlock Holmes gets in an "allons-y."  

[Recursive Paradox]

heating pads are glorious. They make the pain slightly less.  

[Violet Song jat Shariff]

For Christmas, I got the stomach flu.
Go me.

Also, I've had my first ever "Hi I'm a random person and I want ALLLL of the wisdom/information that you've learned so far about -insert topic-. PLZZZZZZZZZZZZ????" experience eek . I think I'm cranking my AIM settings down extra-secure.