Category: Prose Writing

Real Characters

“If you will practice being fictional for awhile, you will understand that fictional characters are sometimes more real than people with bodies and heartbeats”
— Richard Bach

 

There are times when I lie awake at night and have conversations in my head with characters from books. Malachi in Edgar Pangborn’s Still I Persist in Wondering, never bored and asking the question Why do we love when we know it will end up hurting us. Sometimes in my mind I find myself trading bad puns with the denizens of the Callahan stories by Spider Robinson and sometimes I find myself sharing some of the rougher problems I’ve had with them and thereby lessening the pain. When my mother passed away I found myself receiving solace from the personification of Death as written by Neil Gaiman. THere are so many characters I’ve read over the years that they have taken on a life of their own at least in my mind.
Does that seem far fetched? Do you have friends who you’ve only spoken to on the internet? How about casual acquaintances and distant relatives who most of what you know about each other is myth that you’ve used to fill in the blanks. How real are they to you? How real is the clerk at your local grocery store whom you smile and joke with? Do you even know their name?
At best, the amount of matter we give to a person or thing in our lives whether fictional or corporeal varies based on our mindfulness and our interest. Yes I have loved fictional characters and given them more life than I have the casual strangers I meet each day. Doing this has allowed me to have more appreciation for other beings in general and a keener appreciation for the real.
Blessings, G

 

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Dream Journey MandalaDream Journey Mandala by G A Rosenberg

 

Exploding MazeExploding Maze by G A Rosenberg

Tarot Post – Prince of Wands

 

 

Prince of Wands (Air of Fire)

 

Prince of WandsPrince of Wands (Revised) by G A Rosenberg

 

Burning to create
His passion fueled by new thought
The eternal quest

 

Self-directed
Beholden to no one
I build my flame
and speed of movement
I devour everything in my path
yet do it with a love and passion
deeper than any you’ve known

 

Mind-stimulating
Seducing your senses
I tell you reasons
that lie beyond madness
I dance swiftly body and mind
yet do it with logic and voice
sweeter than any you’ve known

 

All-Sides Seeing
Committed to Nothing
I argue any position
and take it in stride
I glow with brilliant intensity
yet do it with humour and jest
warmer than any you’ve known

 

The suite of Wands deal with force-creative, spiritual, and vital and are associated with the element of Fire. Princes deal with the transmission and the endurance of the energy, the result of the union of the King’s Force and the Queen’s generative and nurturing of the energy. He combines the spirituality intrinsic to Wands with the quality of intellect inherent to the Princes. He is generous and honourable yet mischievous and tormenting. He is swift in movement and in his interests and his energy can cover a lot of diverse ground very quickly. He has an amazing and constant sense of humour and sees the funny side to just about anything and while he may seem cruel in his jests he is seldom ill-intentioned. Due to his innate ability to read others, he can often sense just how far he can take the joke without going overboard. He is romantic and loves to be exposed to anything that is novel and new including cultures and beliefs. At his worst he will descend into cruelty and sadism and leave behind scorched wreckage in his wake.

 

Astrological Correspondence: 21° Cancer – 20° Leo Elemental: Air of Fire – This combination of Cancer and Leo qualities could be seen as a mystical extrovert. Ever able to create spiritual connections and then communicate them outward. He would have a love and appreciation of beauty but due to his ability to see beyond the surface he would be able to perceive beauty where others would not. He may be seen to have many ideas that are extreme and unusual in nature tho due to his charismatic nature he will always have people who will listen to him.

 

I Ching – 56) Lu – The Wanderer

_______
___ ___
_______
_______
___ ___
___ ___

 

The hexagram for Fire is over that of the Mountain. As fire spreads over the mountain swiftly, this hexagram speaks about constant movement as a way of continuing abundance. In this way more can be learned including the ways in which one must modify their behaviour when among strangers. Usually this hexagram speaks of things of short duration such as lawsuits but can also represent that once we have experienced what we have come to any particular place to experience then it is time to continue onward.

 

The Prince of Wands in a reading can often refer to a person or energy who is going to change your world oft times in a very literal sense. This card can often signify a change in residence or environment. It often refers to an energy that springs into your life with little or no warning. This energy is often difficult to resist so it is best to let ourselves get swept up into things so that they can be taken care of in the best way possible.The Prince of Wands can also refer to a new project that we should approach with lots of enthusiasm but not so much that we lose sight of the objectives. With this energy, honest and realistic communication oft becomes a necessity

 

When the Prince of Wands turns up reversed in a reading, it can mean that things have gone awry and are in a state of confusion. It may mean that we have been expecting things around us to fall into place and have become thrown when we have not met with the cooperation that we have been expecting. Usually this happens when we have failed to pay attention to details. The Reversed Prince of Wands may also mean that we find ourselves facing unexpected delays

 
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I’d Love to Change the World…..

“If you want to change the world, you have to change the metaphor.”
― Joseph Campbell

 

How do we see the world?
Is it a battleground each day a new chance to emerge victorious or to flame out in defeat?
Is it a classroom with each day providing a new lesson which we look forward to lunch and recess?
Is it a comedy or a tragedy, each actor on a stage and who writes this stuff anyway?
Is it a cesspool in which we are mired until we can hope for freedom?
Is it a delicious orb where wonder happens all the time with no end to the potential for magic?
I believe that the answer to all the above questions is yes and by moving our view between these and many other possible true definitions of the world we can find ourselves opening up more and more to possibility and growth.
Is life a series of curses and blessings or is it a series of challenges to be met?
Blessings, G

 

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Rooted JourneyRooted Journey by G A Rosenberg

 

Blue Centre StarBlue Centre Star by G A Rosenberg

Attack of the Living – Dead Faith

“Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.”
~Andre Gide

 

“I Slept With Faith And Found A Corpse In My Arms Upon Awakening; I Drank And Danced All Night With Doubt And Found Her A Virgin In The Morning”
–Aleister Crowley

 

Is it easier to doubt or to believe? It seems that many people have a fear of doubting that manifests in them adopting either an early choice of belief that of their ancestors. Once they decide they believe something they will fight for it against any comers, doubters or those who hold different beliefs, they will honour their beliefs, raise statues and hold feasts to it and do everything but examine it. In my experience an unexamined belief or faith all too quickly becomes like Aleister Crowley says a corpse or worst yet, a zombie like thing that apes life while missing some vital spark.
Only by constantly examining our beliefs and trying them against new ideas in a cage match no holds barred vigorous debate can our concept of truth grow, change, evolve and remain alive, not through blind belief but through a hunger to seek what’s true, no matter how shaky our footing may be.
Blessings, G

 

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Tunnel Vision Compassionate EyesCompassionate eyes by G A Rosenberg

 

Tunnel VisionTunnel Vision by G A Rosenberg

Tarot Post – Queen of Wands

 

Queen of Wands (Water of Fire)

 

Queen of WandsQueen of Wands (Revised) by G A Rosenberg

 

Passionate Goddess
whose strength eases troubled souls
take me to new heights

 

I stand here guarding her heart
the heat almost more than I can stand
She contains the universe
and I hungrily await her command.

 

She is the fire that brings warmth
Creative urges ignite by her glance
Yet her eyes fall on others never me
Loyally I hold my stance

 

Still I dream of what could be
Our passions burning in the long night
My soul inspired by her touch
Her heat my being does ignite

 

My vision will remain just that
A goddess cares not for one knight’s passion
I stand her guarding her being
My fantasies left ashen..

  — G A Rosenberg  “Volcano Queen’s Knight”

 

Note: Tho I may use the words she and he when speaking of the court cards, a Queen can often refer to a man as a King or Prince a woman.
The suite of Wands deal with force-creative, spiritual, and vital and are associated with the element of Fire. Queens are the receptive and nurturing form of the energy. The Queen of Wands is a creative and enticing muse. She can adapt to almost anything and has an appreciation for life lived to its fullest. She is generous and kind tho she is very used to having her own way through sheer presence. When she is opposed she can become quite vicious especially once she has a chance to brood on it. She is great in crisis situations due to her unflappability and take charge attitude.

 

Astrological Correspondence: 21° Pisces – 20° Aries Elemental: Water of Fire
The influence of the third decan of Pisces gives the Queen of Wands a visionary quality and the drive to be recognized tho a bit of cognitive dissonance between the world imagined and the world lived in.
The influence of the first two decans of Aries gives the drive to constantly push forward and be in the forefront. The Queen of Wands also gets the quality of attraction from this influence and a relentlessness for the world around her to acquiesce to her vision of it and a combination of dismissal and depression when it does not.
Like the combination of Water and Fire, that she is, the Queen of Wands may be a study in contrasts, generous and impatient, lively but with the tendency towards brooding and depression, good-humoured except when crossed.

 

I Ching Correspondence – 17) Sui – Following –

___ ___
_______
_______
___ ___
___ ___
_______

 

The trigram of the Lake is over that of Thunder. This hexagram talks about learning to lead by following and persevering in what is right. By serving others (including our own impulses) we learn to pay attention to what is essential. This same attention to detail and steadfastness will help us achieve our goals which will result in others wishing to follow our success in order to achieve their own. Also by impressing others with the qualities we bring in our service to them, we inspire them to follow to learn how to develop these inner qualities in themselves. Sometimes when one has achieved success the only challenge that remains is inspiring others how to do the same.

 

When the Queen of Wands shows up in a reading, it possibly refers to someone who is willing to nurture us in our artistic and generative capacities. This may refer to someone who will either inspire us or give us good advice. It may refer to a time in our life when we are more inspiring than we are steadfast or loyal and our patience may possibly be tested by those around us. It may refer to a time of crisis in which we are keeping our heads and helping others or we have someone around willing to take charge for us

 

The Queen of Wands reversed in a reading may be speaking about someone who has been unfaithful to us. It can also refer to a time in our lives when we have had way too much put upon us and while normally good in a crisis, we are losing it out of frustration. This may refer not to ourselves but to someone in our environment. This card may also refer to someone who is possessive and controlling, vindictive and / or unable to trust.

Strange Child Dreams

“Don’t start brooding about that, too,” she says. “Everybody’s got a piece of stranger inside them. It’s what lets us surprise ourselves and keeps things interesting.”
— Charles de Lint

 

Stranger Self
Shadow self
Part of me left on the shelf
hidden back on the rack
behind that old paper stack
The part of me I never knew
the part of me I outgrew
so I had thought
so I was taught
tho the Dreamer has come through

 

When I was a kid, there were very few things I was closed off to. At night I would have visions and dreams and speak to all manner of beings. Was it in my imagination? Perhaps tho quite often the dreams would end up coming true in ways that were to surprise me.
Not all the visions were comforting ones. I dreamed my parents divorce way before it happened. Some of the dream beings I would talk to were a bit intimidating. As kids we take it all in and don’t look so much at good and bad, positive and negative as much perhaps as calming and frightening.
Still, at a certain point those visitations went away. Oh I still get some interesting answers tho the channels are not quite as clear as they once were tho clearer than they’ve been in years. Imagine tho how great it would be to open up the way we did when we were kids while keeping the experience, knowledge and wisdom we’ve gained since…
Blessings, G

 

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Shadow PoolShadow Pool by G A Rosenberg

 

Yes One Nears InfinityYes One Nears Infinity by G A Rosenberg

Curling Words of Smoke

 

 

“When I cannot see words curling like rings of smoke round me I am in darkness—I am nothing.”
― Virginia Woolf

 

It’s fascinating  searching through quotes about language and discovering example after example of brilliant wordsmiths who mistrusted the tools of their trade. Perhaps mistrust is not the correct word. Perhaps its that they realized the inherent limitations of language that so often can become arbitrary and what good craftsman does not? Then once we realize the limitations of the tool we see just how far we can stretch to transcend those limitations.

 
Virginia Woolf in the above quotes feels that without her words she is nothing and yet isn’t that nothingness, that space between words where true creativity comes from? Tho it does sound like a pretty awesome meditation, visualizing our words and thoughts curling like rings of smoke and then dissipating leaving us in stillness..
Blessings, G

 

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Mindfield 6Mindfield by G A Rosenberg

 

Flowers and FlamesFlowers and Flames by G A Rosenberg

Having words

 

All my life I’ve looked at words as though I were seeing them for the first time.”
― Ernest Hemingway

 

It seems I’ve been writing quite a bit lately on the subject of map making. What is a map after all but a symbolic representation that tells us where we are.  What then are words? Don’t we use words as a symbolic representation to describe where we are as well?
We abuse words even more than we abuse other mapping tools. One of the largest ways in which we abuse words is by assuming that everybody who we speak to uses the same meaning for each word that we do even when the evidence starts racking up that this is simply not the case. I have seen so many arguments that derived from people using the same word or words yet they both seemed to come from separate dictionaries. At least a few times when I’ve pointed this out to people rather than focus on establishing a common meaning for the term so that debate or discourse was even possible, the people involved focused on who was using the word ‘more correctly’ Being right had become more important than communication.
Still despite this problem, many people do communicate. Sometimes it is just with a hand offered or a smile exchanged but nothing is more beautiful than the sound of two people conversing in harmony.
Blessings, G

 

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Guarded IdyllGuarded Idyll by G A Rosenberg

 

SpikedSpiked by G A Rosenberg

Beyond Opposites

 

“Our mind is capable of passing beyond the dividing line we have drawn for it. Beyond the pairs of opposites of which the world consists, other, new insights begin.”
― Hermann Hesse

 

Where are your lines? Where are your boundaries? Where is it that you demarcate between what is something you believe in and what is not? What defines you? Have you ever blurred the line, even for a moment and pretended you believed something else, that you are someone else as so many of us define ourselves by what we believe.

I enjoy stretching myself. I talk to someone new and I try to imagine what its like to see the universe as they see it. I ask questions and learn and I find myself falling into their reality. Oh quite often I’ll find it to be a garment that doesn’t quite fit but the wearing of it has given me something precious and I can now remember what it was like. It has made a permanent impression on how I will see things from now on and when I talk to my friend from that point on (and when you have shared something as intimate as a reality, how can you not be friends?) it will be with a greater understanding of where they are coming from. Of course they may be evolving also so perhaps once again I’ll dive in and learn.
Blessings, G

 

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That Was Just A DreamThat Was Just a Dream by G A Rosenberg

 

Ra Hoor KhuitRa Hoor Khuit by G A Rosenberg

The End of the Known

 

“One is never afraid of the unknown; one is afraid of the known coming to an end.”
― Jiddu Krishnamurti

 

Where on your map of reality does it say “Here there be Dragons?” What mental guardians do you place to guard your comfort zone so that you avoid straying out of it?
Far too often I use what people think of me or will think of me to keep myself in my place of avoiding risk, of avoiding growth. This remains true despite the fact that time and time again I have demonstrated to myself that I can take risks without risking the ill feelings of others.

It has become a truism that only outside of our comfort zone do we grow with any form of rapidity. Yet we place these fearsome playful pets there anyway. Why? When did trying new things become frightening? As kids we love to explore and many of us lose that somehow. Is it that as we get older we have so much more to lose? Not only in a material sense but in a personal story sense. “I have told myself that this is how things are for years, if I start believing they are another way, then how will I ever be sure about anything?” BINGO!!!! The truth is when it comes right down to it, that we can never be 100% sure tho by a combination of examining new ideas and comparing our old ones against it as well as employing a bit of sense and the wisdom of discernment we may evolve truer understandings of the nature of reality. Of course to do that we have to be willing to open our minds to possibility and yes vanquish some dragons along the way.
Blessings, G

 

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ApproachingApproaching by G A Rosenberg

 

Sun WebSun Web by G A Rosenberg